will@cvradio.com
On August 22, after nearly 16 years of war in Afghanistan, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intention to increase the U.S. military presence there, extending the longest war in U.S. history and adding billions more dollars to its cost, now estimated to over US$ 1 trillion since 2001. In searching for revenue streams to support this outlay an idea that has been around for more than a decade is being revived: exploiting Afghanistans rich, underused mineral wealth. Despite the extent of the countrys mineral deposits being well known, many impediments remain to their development despite international interest.
BACKGROUND: Afghanistans rich mineral base has been known for decades. Following the December 1979 Soviet invasion, extensive Soviet exploration produced detailed geological maps and reports that listed more than 1,400 mineral outcroppings, along with about 70 commercially viable deposits. The USSR subsequently committed more than US$ 650 million for resource exploration and development in Afghanistan, which included a smelting complex for the untouched Mes Aynak copper ore deposit that, after becoming operational, would eventually produce 1.5 million tons of copper per year. In the wake of the Soviet withdrawal optimism remained about the eventual development of the deposit; a subsequent World Bank analysis projected that the Mes Aynak copper production alone could eventually capture as much as 2 percent of the annual world market.
A second substantial ore site revealed by the Soviet surveys and subsequently confirmed was the Hajigak iron deposit in the Hindu Kush mountain range west of Kabul in Bamiyan Province. This is Asias largest untapped iron ore reserve, assessed as one of the largest high-grade deposits in the world, which contains an estimated 1,800 million tons (Mt) of iron ore at a grade of 62 percent iron.
Interest in Afghanistans mineralogical deposits continued after the 1989 Soviet withdrawal and the 2001 U.S.-led invasion 12 years later that displaced the Taliban from power. International foreign investment interest in the landlocked countrys mineralogical potential intensified after the release of a 2010 joint report by the Pentagon, the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Agency for International Development, stating that Afghanistan possessed previously unknown and untapped mineral reserves worth up to US$ 1 trillion, a potential windfall in a country where two-thirds of the population live on less than US$ 2 a day. The report pointed out that foreign investor caution was not for a lack of effort on Kabuls part as the Government also issued tenders for oil and gas exploration in 2010 before adding that The nearby Afghan-Tajik Basin could hold as much as 1.5 billion barrels of crude oil.
The report generated cautious interest in the international investment community along with wildly unfounded optimism in the Afghan government; for Mes Aynak alone, Afghanistans Minister of Mines Mohammad Ibrahim Adel stated that he expected the mine to bring the government US$ 400 million annually in fees and taxes in addition to a US$ 800 million down payment from the developer. By 2017, the optimism had been largely replaced by a growing awareness of the difficulties surrounding large-scale infrastructure investment in Afghanistan.
IMPLICATIONS: The two countries most heavily invested in developing Afghanistans mineral base are neighboring China and India, China focusing on Mes Aynak and India on Hajigak. Both signed contracts with the Afghan government, China in 2007 for Mes Aynak and India four years later for Hajigak but little has been accomplished at either site up to now, the primary reason being a relative lack of security provided by the government at either site.
Seven years after the Mes Aynak contract was awarded to the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC), so little progress had been made that members of Afghanistans lower house of parliament in November 2014 urged the government to advance plans to exploit Mes Aynak in order to increase revenues and make good on economic potential that was squandered by corruption and insecurity under the previous government. The calls came even as none of the commitments had been implemented and MCC signaled its intentions to pull out of the contract, which it said was no longer acceptable.
Worse news for the Afghan government was to follow. In May 2015, rising nervousness over the proposed US$ 10.8 billion steel Hajigak iron ore mine project caused the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL)-led consortium of leading Indian steelmakers to decide to scrap the project altogether after an inter-ministerial group concluded that it would not be prudent to pursue it.
In developing Afghanistans mineralogical riches, however, a wide discrepancy exists between the easily exploitable, low-volume high-value material such as lapis lazuli and marble, which require little in the way of infrastructure, and the more diffuse elements such as gold, copper and iron, which require an expensive infrastructure to extract and process from low-density ore. At the same time as Trump was announcing his troop increase, the deputy general manager of Qin Gen Industrial Company of China, Li Yingjun, headed a delegation to Kabul to investigate business opportunities there and told reporters, the two countries leaders have agreed on mining of up to 42 types of Afghan marbles, quality production and export to China. As for logistics issues, the first-ever cargo train from China arrived in Afghanistans northern border town of Hairatan in September 2016 after crossing several Central Asian states, and was hailed by Afghans as a step towards eventual Sino-Afghan railway connectivity.
The easily reachable and exploitable mineral deposits have also attracted the attention of the Taliban. Last year the international NGO Global Witness released a study detailing how Afghanistans 6,500 year-old lapis lazuli mines in the countrys restive northern Badakhshan region, the worlds main source of the brilliant blue semiprecious stone used in jewelry, is providing the Taliban and other armed groups up to US$ 20 million dollars annually, causing the NGO to note that lapis lazuli stones should now be classified as a conflict mineral. Ironically, the Chinese market is a key driver for Afghan lapis mining, with the vast majority of lapis being exported to China where it is prized as jewelry. Chinese lapis sales therefore de facto fund the Taliban, a stark contrast to the Chinese governments official position as a peace-broker in Afghanistan in regional security talks.
Most worrying for the central government, the insurgencys involvement in the illicit minerals trade and its profits continues to rise. In February 2017 the Afghanistan Anti-Corruption Network (AACN) released a report noting that armed insurgents, including Taliban militants and jihadis of the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State (IS) gained US$ 46 million in 2016 through illegal extraction of minerals and their export from eastern Nangarhar provinces Khogyani district alone. According to AACN member Zabihullah Wardak, illegal extraction of minerals by criminal elements and militants across the country is occurring in the provinces of Badakhshan, Khost, Logar, Wardak, Smanagan, Panjshir, and even Kabul province, where the countrys capital is situated. Combined with profits from the drug trade, the revenue from mineral exploitation virtually ensures insurgents a substantial financial base for their activities for the foreseeable future.
CONCLUSIONS: In July, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly said during a White House meeting that the U.S. should demand a share of Afghanistans minerals for helping its government in the war and in its reconstruction efforts. In the interim, the Afghan government wistfully ponders the fate of its mineral, oil and gas deposits, which could provide the government with over US$ 2 billion in revenue a year if developed. But in Afghanistan, as everywhere else, major investment flows will occur only after security is established, and it remains to be seen if Trumps recently announced troop surge will provide sufficient stability to calm the nerves of international investors in a country still racked by armed conflict after 38 years. In the interim, most of Afghanistans mineralogical riches will remain where they are: underground, leaving the U.S. government and taxpayers to fund the Afghan government in the war and in its reconstruction efforts.
AUTHOR'S BIO: Dr. John C. K. Daly is a Nonresident Senior Fellow of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute; current work includes monographs on the development of Eurasias railways and the dissolution of the Soviet Navy.
Image source: By Derec Pierson, U.S. Army [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons accessed on 09.27. 2017
A Chinese prestigious collector and connoisseur released a public service advertisement (PSA) on protecting rhinos to call for an end of collectables rooted in killing during a ceremony to mark the World Rhino Day in Beijing on Friday.
Ma Weidu, who recently traveled to South Africa with WildAid to learn about rhino conservation efforts, spoke on his travel experiences and launched his new campaign to eliminate demand for carved rhino horn products in China.
Hosted by National Geographic's Traveler magazine along with the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) and WildAid, the "Travel for Earth" event focused on ecotourism, highlighting experiences to see rhinos.
Rhinos around the world are endangered, primarily due to poaching as a result of demand for their horns. Rhino populations have plummeted 95% in the last 40 years. In addition to demand for rhino horn use in medicine, there is also significant demand for collectables carved from rhino horns.
According to a 2013 survey of 1,800 respondents in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, 11% expressed interest in investing in rhino horn collectables. All sales in rhino horn have been illegal in China since 1993, and rhino horn was removed from the Traditional Chinese Medicine handbook. And since 2011 all rhino horn items have been banned from any auction house sales as well.
Ma Weidu attends a ceremony to release a PSA show to mark the World Rhino Day in Beijing on Friday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
"If we lose rhinos because of poaching driven in part as a demand for rhino horn collectables, this would be a tragedy not only for wildlife but also to China's culture of collectables," noted Steve Blake of WildAid. "This campaign with Ma Weidu will help reduce demand for rhino horn in this key market."
AWF Trustee Gordon Cheng welcomed the campaign and called for more global efforts to stop trade in rhino horn.
"Today marks the new milestone for our Rhino Protection Initiative as we are now going to make changes relating to the fundamental misunderstandings on the demand and usage of rhino horns which have existed for thousands of years. We hope our program can help to convey the right messages for many existing collectors and users, and most importantly for younger generation in Asia and around the world. I will dedicate my life efforts to make this right," Cheng said.
Ma is the premier antique collector and appraiser in China. He is also an esteemed author and opened China's first private museum,Guanfu Museum. In the new PSA, Ma shows the brutal truth behind these beautiful collectables, and that antique collectables should be an extension of culture, not a force of destruction.
Ma Weidu at the Jabulani Camp in South Africa. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Ma noted that "in the course of collecting cultural items, I've realized that though these items are historical, they can have a significant impact on the world today. I have not only pledged to no longer purchase any ivory or rhino horn items, I'm also persistently conveying the message that if we must choose between protecting wildlife or cultural collectables, wildlife is far more important."
He also spoke of his recent trip to South Africa with Investec's "Rhino Lifeline" program and WildAid to view rhino conservation efforts first hand in the country where 80% of the world's rhinos are found. It is likewise, also one of the countries hit worst by rhino poaching. In South Africa, Ma saw rhinos being rehabilitated from poaching injuries and also orphans whose parents were taken by poachers.
"Rhino-based tourism is hugely important for protecting rhinos," said Yu Hui of Traveler magazine. "As one of the flagship wildlife species in Africa, tourism to view them generates revenue for both local communities and conservation efforts."
Ma Weidu's new rhino campaign is a partnership of the African Wildlife Foundation and WildAid, and supported in part by Investec Rhino Lifeline. Its video and print materials will appear on TV, online, airports, and other outdoor media in China beginning in October, 2017.
To start with, Ambazonian foot soldiers are political amateurs who engage in the preaching of ethnic animosity. Their deep-seated hatred towards Francophone Cameroonians threatens to ignite long-term hostility between the Anglophones and Francophones in Cameroon. The genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda began with this kind of rhetorical blemish and hate for fellow countrywomen and men by members of the Hutu majority government. Before you realize it, there exist complete intolerance for each other, and people start to butcher and slaughter each other like animals.
I cannot stand all the filthy political rancor towards Francophone Cameroonians coming from these heartless secessionists and irredentists. There is no other way to characterize their actions, other than what it is - the pursuit of politics of hate. This anti-Francophone zealotry is a political business cycle for many who immensely benefit by raising money from naive audiences for their personal gain.
Furthermore, the Ambazonian Secessionist and Irredentist Movement is a political miscreant, that is complacent in the murder of innocent Anglophone Cameroonians in the name of sacrificing for a stillbirth cause. Their guileful propaganda and social media messages are leaving an indelible and unalterable impression of hate within our great people and cultural heritage.
The vacuous speeches and videos of the virtual leaders of the virtual nation called Ambazonia that promote sectarianism and seek to destroy Cameroon to create a new Ambazonia nation will never happen. I am surprised that the Ambazonian extremists are not aware that secessionist agenda is a venture which has been roundly rejected by most multilateral organizations. That is why their so-called leaders cannot secure an audience with any relevant global leader nor institution.
As I have reiterated before, the problem in Cameroon is not Francophone vs. Anglophone, for the Francophones' blood is my blood, and my blood is the Francophones' blood. We have to come together against the fascist regime of junta Paul Biya. However, the cowardly secessionist claims effectively play into Biya's divide and rule strategy. We need to get back to the point where Anglophones and Francophones march together to give voice to the voiceless.
In 1992, the Anglophone party SDF had more Francophone supporters than Anglophones, yet just 15 years later, the callous secessionist and irredentist Anglophone groups are creating a rift that risk making these two linguistic demography look at each other as enemies, ending any possibility of building a future coalition that can defeat the dictatorship in Cameroon.
It seems the amateurish Diasporan Anglophone militias are detached from the real political issues back home, and the fact that many Anglophones will be killed and massively arrested if their moribund secessionist agenda is followed. Ambazonia and its supporters are digging themselves into a political quagmire in which many would find it difficult to emerge from without an enormous personal cost. The hate preachers will soon become victims of hate.
Their fatuous and extremist utterance and selective refusal to accept that the German colony kamerun existed and that English and French were introduced when Kamerun became a victim of European expansionist policies. Nevertheless, let me remind them that the Cameroonian identity is an immutable fact. Hence, the political agenda to evanesce the Republic of Cameroon and create an environment of envy and war among citizens that are facing the same leadership failure will not happen.
I call on all Cameroonians to loathe the dirty ethnic political acrimony of the so-called Ambazonia, which threatens to push the ethnicities in Cameroon into an endless war, whose effect would be the devastation of the Anglophone economy and my country. The school boycott and WhatsApp messages promoting war is much ado about nothing. That is why I have been extremely critical of the Anglophone secessionists and irredentists, no matter which cap they wear. Let's come together and hold Biya Paul and his cronies accountable.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at 7:39PM
Adobe Flash has been on the chopping block for ages but it doesnt seem to want to die. Mozilla is taking a step towards removing it from all its properties with its latest announcement. Firefox 56 for Android will no longer support Adobes multimedia plugin. This means, Firefox on Googles mobile OS will require Android 4.1 or higher to work, which is the Android version. You might not notice much of a difference here since most sites have dropped support for Flash but if you still need to use it, Dolphin browser works.
Source: Android Authority
Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 8:59AM
You dont have to be closely following the tech scene to know a Sony-made phone when you see one. The company has kept to its OmniBalance design for years and for some it has gotten old pretty quickly, especially when put up against the other major Android OEMs. But it looks like the company is ready to change its tune. According to Sony Indias Managing Director Kenichiro Hibi, the company is has different plans for its next generation of devices. He told The Indian Express, We have deployed an OmniBalance design as long as the X series continues to be available in the market. Also, we are planning to launch [a] new generation of products and you can expect a complete new design from the devices.
As for what that new look is, we can only speculate. Sony could jump on the bezel-less route like the other major manufacturers and it has in a sense that some of its newer devices hardly have bezels on the sides. What do you think Sony should integrate into its smartphones?
He also wrote that the commission's work would be "seriously hampered" if it were forced to wait until another agency with such powers "proved unwilling to do so or failed to address the issues as effectively or strenuously as it should".
"So, the team and I worked on just how we can frame the debate differently, in a way that cuts through the waves of information on every channel, publication, street, billboard and dog house, by literally swapping out the words 'Same Sex Marriage'.
But former ALP senator and now ACT local industry advocate Kate Lundy said a planned six month review of the policy had been delayed until later this year, as most of the tenders issued since it came into effect had not been completed, so they could not be evaluated.
He said he had become enraged when the landlord had refused access to the embassy and punched him out of anger that Venezuela had been "disrespected".
THIS WEEK IN CAPE BRETON: Raising the peace flag, reviewing future plans for Centre 200 and more
SYDNEY During a time of conflict around the world and with racial tensions on the rise in many parts, its clear there are those who want to find a bright, positive light wherever they can. Over the next several days, the YMCA of Cape Breton will ...
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.
Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.
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You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Who says that roaming the desert in search of gasoline and a will to live should point a man towards nothing but stripped down muscle cars and off-roaders?
Just because youre building something bonkers doesnt mean you cant do it with style, after all, someone did build a time machine out of a DeLorean, right?
So what makes this Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II special? Well, builder Corbin Goodwin thought that adding an intercooled turbocharger to the stock V8 engine engine would be a good start. The car is allegedly putting down around 400 HP.
Equally interesting, if not more so, is the addition of a manual transmission borrowed from a Ford Super Duty pickup truck, where the shift lever genuinely looks like something from Mad Max. Other mods include the performance-oriented suspension and the trunk-mounted radiator with external plumbing.
This may not be the prettiest Rolls-Royce out there, but it sure looks like something you dont want to mess with in any way.
According to Matt Farah, who got to drive it on his favorite canyon roads, the so-called Trolls Royce drives exceptionally well, which came as a huge surprise to him.
VIDEO
MG is getting ready to welcome a newcomer into their UK family, the XS compact SUV.
Set to go on sale later this fall in Europes largest right-hand drive market, the vehicle is described as having a new face, with an enlarged grille, inspired by the brands heritage and made in a contemporary way.
The SAIC-owned brand might be trying to keep a mystery cloud over the new XS, but we already know that this is basically a renamed version of the Chinese ZS, which was shown in Guangzhou last November.
Specifications have yet to be announced, but the automaker says that its trim levels are guaranteed to impress, and that it will be available with a choice of two petrol engine derivatives, married to either a manual or an automatic transmission.
The new MG XS will join the MG3 and MG GS in the United Kingdom, and it will be followed by a fourth member, next year the MG6, which already celebrated its Chinese debut last week. Power comes from a 1.5-liter unit that makes 170hp, pushed to the wheels through a standard 6-speed manual or an optional 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
MG XS
MG ZS
VIDEO
Photo: Google Street View A 17-year-old woman was stabbed on Bernard Avenue in May.
A mentally ill woman will spend another month behind bars for the random, midday stabbing of a 17-year-old girl.
Two teens were shopping in downtown Kelowna near Bernard Avenue and St. Paul Street on the afternoon of May 13, when they passed a woman on the sidewalk, who asked: How about a hug?
The girls refused and continued walking, before stopping to check out a sidewalk sales rack.
The woman ran up behind the pair and stabbed one of them in the back with a knife, just below the shoulder blade.
The victim pulled the knife out of her back and fell to the ground. She was taken to hospital with relatively minor injuries and was released later that day.
It's only really good fortune that I think something perhaps more serious didn't result, said Crown prosecutor Grant Gray. It was simply a random event. Her and her friend were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
About 45 minutes later, 22-year-old Courtenay Marciszyn showed up at the Kelowna RCMP detachment and confessed to stabbing the young woman, saying the victim deserved it.
She was arrested and has remained in custody ever since.
A psychological report found Marciszyn suffers from significant mental health issues along with drug addiction.
Justice Michelle Daneliuk, a newly appointed provincial court judge, said substance-induced psychosis contributed to Marciszyn's behaviour on the day of the stabbing.
Marciszyn has been admitted to hospital for mental health issues 10 times since 2014, but the incident in May was the first time she attempted to harm someone. She has been homeless for the past three years.
Daneliuk sentenced Marciszyn to eight months for the stabbing, along with two years probation. She has been in custody for 137 days since her arrest, but was given credit for pre-sentence custody at just under seven months.
Photo: Nicholas Johansen Decrypted Blackberry messages were shown in Kelowna Supreme Court Tuesday.
Decrypted messages found on an incarcerated gangster's phone provide insight into the hunt for Jonathan Bacon and his associates prior to his midday murder in Kelowna.
Jason McBride, Michael Jones and Jujhar Khun-Khun are facing first-degree murder charges for the gang slaying of Red Scorpion Bacon in Kelowna, while Hells Angel Larry Amero and Independent Soldier James Riach were in the car.
A Blackberry phone belonging to United Nations gang member Amir Eghtesad was seized in August 2011, but the encrypted Blackberry messenger contents weren't recovered from the device until April 2014, when the RCMP finally cracked the encryption.
In court Tuesday, RCMP criminal intelligence analyst Janet Johnston explained the contents of the 13,346 messages, including some of the code names used.
The messages focused on communication between Moonbat and Odin. By cross-referencing details like run-ins with police, travel schedules and types of vehicles driven, Johnston determined Moonbat to be Eghtesad, while Odin referred to McBride.
McBride's lawyer Alan Gold says he plans to challenge the Crown's assertion that McBride was the author of any of the messages.
The Crown has said the accused, along with other gang associates, had been hunting Bacon and others for some time prior to the Aug. 14, 2011 murder, in retaliation for the October 2010 murder of Gurmit Dhak.
In a July 7, 2011 message, Odin tells Moonbat he has found a Glock 40 firearm for $2,500, to which Moonbat replies I'll take it bro lol hehe.
Many of the messages show Odin tracking the whereabouts of several people who are referenced using code names, in the summer of 2011.
On the evening of July 18, 2011, one month before the Kelowna shooting, Odin, believed to be McBride, told Moonbat, believed to be Eghtesad, that he had heard about an upcoming trip involving some of their targets.
Hey bro just was sitting and talking to hells angel ktown Mike, the message reads. He's like ya.. F**k bro house boating Thursday in shuswap, larry, jb, loonie all them guys gonna be there man u should come.. This Thursday 100%
"Loonie" refers to James Riach, while Larry appears to refer to Larry Amero and jb is presumably Jonathan Bacon.
Moonbat replies that the lake thing gona b hard as he's not sure they come on land.
They have to park the boat or get gas bro lol, Odin replies. Hahaha it's to good of a chance to pass up.
Four days later on Friday July 22, Odin tells Moonbat he has spotted B's x5 outside of a houseboat rental place on Shuswap Lake, believed to be referring to a BMW X5 SUV belonging to someone they refer to as B.
Moonbat tells Odin to B safe bro, but it appears nothing came of the incident.
On Aug. 1, Odin asked Moonbat to pick him up in k-town, as his vehicle had broken down while he was searching for his targets. "K-town" is believed to be Kelowna.
F**king bullsh*t bro, Odin wrote. They were spotted in a white Porsche truck with black rims, plate 818mxb. Loser driving and L in pass. What happens is a piston head blows when were searching around for it.
Not ment too b bro, Moonbat wrote back.
Loser is believed to refer to Amero, while L refers to Riach. Bacon, Amero and Riach were inside a white Porsche SUV when Bacon was murdered.
On Aug. 15, the day after the Bacon murder, Odin told Moonbat, hahaha ya bro there's gonna be crazy heat and I'm gonna just chill at hm (home) til I go to dot (Toronto) on fri.
Photo: Contributed
Mental health, addictions and, in particular, the growing opioid crisis were topics of discussion for City of Vernon officials at the Union of BC Municipalities in Vancouver Tuesday.
Mayor Akbal Mund and Coun. Juliette Cunningham met with Judy Darcy, Minister of the new Mental Health and Addictions portfolio to discuss the impact opiods are having on Vernon.
Darcy was told there is a correlation between these issues and the growth of the homeless population in Vernon.
Council's hope is there be a better integration between ministries dealing with the issues of housing, mental health, addictions and poverty.
Mund, Cunningham and Coun. Dalvir Nahal met with Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Monday to discuss the housing crisis in Vernon.
Cunningham said it is difficult to treat mental health and addiction issues when those suffering don't have stable housing.
She said a number of people amongst Vernon's homeless population were dealing with one or both problems.
Photo: Dave Ogilvie
A car went off Highway 97 Tuesday night in Peachland, stopping just before going into Okanagan Lake.
The sedan went off the northbound side of the highway just before 10 p.m., where it borders the lake in the southern end of the community.
The vehicle suffered significant damage and came to rest on top of large boulders along the lakeshore.
Firefighters pulled one occupant of the vehicle up the bank on a spine board.
A waiting ambulance took the driver to hospital.
The highway was reduced to single-lane, alternating traffic while the scene was cleared.
Photo: Darren Handschuh William Munton has been acquitted on child porn charges.
A Vernon man was acquitted of child pornography charges during an appearance in a Vernon courtroom Wednesday morning.
Charges against William Munton, 56, were dropped when the judge threw out two warrants used to gather the evidence.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Hope Hyslop said she found both warrants invalid, except for evidence gathered for a separate arson case against Munton that has yet to go to trial.
Hyslop said "the omission of material facts" put before the judge who granted the warrants was the reason for her decision.
"I do not find it deliberate in any way," she added.
Due to these omissions, Hyslop excluded "images that form the basis of the three counts" against Munton who had been charged with two counts of making or publishing child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
"To conclude proceedings, the Crown is not calling any evidence," said Crown counsel Jeremy Guild, who had based his case on the evidence discovered from the warrants.
Munton stood in the dock to face the judge who then said, "I acquit Mr. Munton."
Defence lawyer Julian van der Walle, who had challenged the validity of the search warrants under section eight of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, confirmed he had expected the case to be thrown out.
"We think the judge's decision was eminently reasonable and we're happy with the result," van der Walle said after speaking with his client.
Munton returns to court Oct. 11 at which time a date for his trial on arson charges may be set.
He is facing 19 charges of arson in connection with fires targeting dumpsters, vehicles, boats and structures that were set between May and November of 2014, including a large blaze at Kin Race Track that burned down the grandstand on July 9 of that year.
Photo: Contributed
The Penticton RCMP will be holding a Cram the Cruiser event Saturday at the local Superstore.
RCMP officers, community policing members and volunteers will be collecting donations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2210 Main St.
All donations will be contributed to the Penticton Salvation Army food bank.
A passenger train collided with a tank and derailed, where the Swedish Military exercise Aurora 17 is taking place, near Trosa, south of Stockholm, Sweden, Sept 26, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]
STOCKHOLM - A passenger train with 70 passengers on board derailed after colliding with a tank near Trosa, south of Stockholm, leaving four people injured, Swedish Television reported on Tuesday.
The collision occurred between Lastringe and Vagnharad, in an area where the military exercise Aurora 17 is in progress.
"Three people in the military vehicle are injured. There is also information that one person on the train has suffered minor injuries," local police said.
Those injured were sent to hospitals, and the rescue service, ambulance personnel and the police are working on site, according to Swedish Television.
The Aurora 17 military drill is currently taking place in the area, and local traffic was expected to be impacted as a result. Sweden's Armed Forces confirmed that the collision was with one of their Pansarterrangbil 360 tanks.
Local reports also said that the train is still upright and on track.
The three-week-long military exercise, dubbed Aurora 17 and scheduled to end this Friday, involves a simulated attack from a feigned foreign power. It is carried out all around Sweden, but the main exercise areas are in the Stockholm region in eastern Sweden, in Gothenburg on the west coast and on the Baltic island of Gotland, according to the Swedish Armed Forces' website.
The exercise, the largest in Sweden in over two decades, also involves military personnel from seven other countries, namely Denmark, Norway, Finland, France, Lithuania, Estonia and the United States.
Distracted driving is the second leading cause of roadway fatalities in B.C. and despite hefty fines, people continue to use electronic devises behind the wheel.
Vernon RCMP Cpl. Mark Taylor said Vernon is no better or worse than any other community, but far too many people still refuse to put down the phone.
It's a big problem on our roads right now, said Taylor. It's one of the leading causes of fatal and serious injury crashes so it's really on our radar.
I've been to so many fatal collisions you lose track. Not all of them are caused by distracted driving, but a good number of them are. Especially in the last few years those numbers are increasing.
Taylor said if someone is driving at 50 kp/h and takes their eyes of the road for one second they will have travelled almost 50 feet and a lot can happen in 50 feet.
To demonstrate how dangerous distracted driving can be, the city brought in the ICBC simulator that gives people a chance to drive text or at least try to.
Coun. Bryan Quiring gave the simulator a go and before long he crashed while texting, seriously injuring his passenger.
Regan Borisenko, crime prevention co-ordinator with the city, said the simulator takes a driver through the entire experience from driving and texting to crashing to being arrested for the injuries caused to other people.
The concept of the simulator is to give people an opportunity to actually see and feel and to eventually know the outcome of what could happen, said Borisenko. It's in real time, it is something you are actually doing and the effects can be devastating.
Borisenko said high school students have been invited to try the simulator out to see the consequences of their choices.
It's an educational tool and hopefully it works, he said.
Photo: Contributed
A capsized boat riddled with bullet holes has been found floating in Okanagan Lake near Rattlesnake Island.
Fluids are leaking into the lake, said an anonymous Castanet reader.
The caller described "a big fuel smell" and said the vessel's hull ID number is 9K2311. He suspected the boat was probably stolen.
The boat, which appears to be a newer cabin cruiser, was found upside down close to a popular cliff jumping spot.
It's not clear how long the boat has been submerged or the incidents that caused this to occur.
Castanet has reached out to RCMP for more information.
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A screenshot from a Bob's Discount Furniture ad comparing a Simmons Beautyrest Black to a Black Label Gel. Serta Simmons alleges the ad implied the two mattresses are similar.
Bob's Discount Furniture, the East Coast retailer best known for its low-budget "dare to compare" television commercials, is being sued for alleged false advertising by Serta Simmons Bedding.
The lawsuit, filed last week in federal court in Chicago, alleges Bob's took the comparison too far when it said its Black Label Gel mattresses had essentially the same components as Simmons' Beautyrest Black mattresses, except for the "fancy logo" and the price.
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One spot shows the mattresses side-by-side, lists similar features such as "gel-infused memory foam" and "luxurious stretch knit fabric," and then sets them apart with Simmons' "whopping" price of $2,799 versus $999 for the Bob's version.
"Sure, they're not exactly the same, but you be the judge," Bob Kaufman, the chain's founder and on-air spokesman announces in the commercial.
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In its lawsuit, Atlanta-based Simmons said the ads "falsely and misleadingly imply" that both mattresses use the same materials and components.
"Due to the ongoing process we are unable to comment at this time," Sean Flanagan, a spokesman for Bob's, said Wednesday.
Nicole Murray, a Chicago-based attorney representing Simmons, also declined to comment Wednesday.
Simmons, which has been a leading mattress manufacturer for more than a century, says in the lawsuit that its Beautyrest Black mattresses include proprietary memory foam, patented pocketed coil technology and luxurious fabrics that are not used in the Bob's version.
In 2013, Serta, Simmons' Hoffman Estates sister company, sent Bob's a demand letter over a commercial it claimed falsely compared memory foam in competing mattresses. Bob's responded in that case by agreeing to pull the ad off the air.
Founded in 1991, Connecticut-based Bob's expanded into the Chicago market last year and has 10 stores in the city and suburbs. Its arrival also unleashed the ubiquitous price comparison commercials, which often feature a yellow-shirted Kaufman, a "Little Bob" puppet and Cathy Poulin, the chain's longtime public relations and outreach director, who serves as Bob's on-air foil.
Private equity firm Bain Capital bought a majority stake in Bob's in 2013. The furniture retailer has 81 stores in the East and Midwest.
The lawsuit alleges one count of false advertising and one count of deceptive trade practices, and it seeks an order directing Bob's to "permanently remove the commercials" and an injunction preventing the chain from claiming, "directly or by implication," that its mattresses have the same components or materials as Simmons' mattresses.
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Simmons also wants the court to order Bob's to run advertising correcting "the false or misleading" claims it made.
In addition, Simmons is seeking a damages award to be determined at trial.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @RobertChannick
Mark Okerstrom, the new chief executive officer of Expedia in Bellevue, stands on the balcony outside his Bellevue office on Sept. 18, 2017 after talking about his new position. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)
Seattle Mark Okerstrom sat 6 feet to the right of his boss, Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, for more than five years.
The two didn't even have a wall between them in their Seattle-area office. The two even dressed as ketchup and mustard in matching Halloween costumes one year. Khosrowshahi who left in August to run Uber said in a company statement that Okerstrom has been "by my side through every major milestone in this company for much of the last 11 years."
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But when Khosrowshahi left for Uber, Okerstrom was doing more than moving 6 feet to the left. He was succeeding the man who took his company from Expedia.com to Expedia Inc., with 17 brands and websites that include Hotels.com, Trivago, Orbitz, Travelocity and HomeAway. Under Khosrowshahi's leadership, Expedia doubled its pretax earnings and quadrupled the gross values of its hotel and travel bookings.
"Dara was the founder of Expedia Inc.," Okerstrom said. "Being the founder, you're in an elevated position right from the start."
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Everyone at Expedia says Okerstrom will carry the company in the same direction it's been going expanding the number of hotels they book in Europe, Asia and Latin America, acquiring more brands and websites, and staying on the edge of technology especially in the expanding home-sharing market, where Airbnb currently dominates.
The board didn't even consider any other candidates, Expedia Chairman Barry Diller said in a statement.
"This transition is as natural as water flowing down a snowpacked mountain," Diller said.
But Expedia's fleet of websites doesn't have open waters ahead of it. Priceline Group owner of Booking.com, Priceline.com and Cheapflights started outpacing Expedia in 2010, and by 2014 was bringing in almost $2.7 illion more in revenue.
Expedia has since managed to close some of that gap, but if it wants to compete overseas, where Priceline's websites get most of their revenue, Okerstrom will be playing in his rival's court.
There's also competition from outside the hotel space namely Airbnb, the home-sharing startup that has disrupted the hotel sector. Expedia is reaching into this market with its acquisition of HomeAway, which has an online marketplace similar to Airbnb's, in 2015.
But Okerstrom is measured and undramatic about these showdowns.
"At the end of this, we're both going to have all the hotels," Okerstrom said.
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It will be the quality of Expedia's customer service and its bundles customers can use Expedia.com for the flights, Trivago for the hotels, CarRentals.com for getting places, Expedia Local Expert for recommendations, and Traveldoo for expensing it all that will by used by Expedia to pull ahead of its competition, Okerstrom said.
In the same way, Okerstrom doesn't like characterizations that Expedia and Priceline are in a fight with hotels for revenues even though hotel chains like Hyatt have been trying to launch their own online booking services.
"We're just in different businesses," Okerstrom said. "Our customers are on expedia.com because they're not sure which hotel they want."
Okerstrom sees his relationship with hotel chains as symbiotic: Expedia can encourage its customers who liked their hotel to sign up for a loyalty program with that chain, or at least try it again next time.
This kind of measured, details-oriented approach where everything works out because all the parts work together is the attitude Okerstrom brings to everything.
The son of two teachers, Okerstrom grew up in Vancouver, B.C. He earned an MBA at Harvard University and then returned to Canada for a law degree from the University of British Columbia.
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He joined Expedia in 2006; before that, he was a consultant with Bain in Boston and San Francisco, and worked for investment bank UBS in London.
When a recruiter called him about a position at Expedia, he took the job because of the deals and acquisitions Expedia was making.
Within five years, he was in the C-Suite, making millions: Okerstrom's total compensation for 2016 was $18.2 million, with $1.5 million in cash and the vast majority in Expedia option awards from the company, according to its regulatory filings.
Okerstrom and Expedia haven't disclosed yet what he'll be paid as CEO. Former CEO Khosrowshahi received nearly $91 million in Expedia option awards, rocketing him for one year to the spot of nation's highest-paid public-company CEO.
But Okerstrom doesn't like the characterization that he's a "safe" choice or that he won't take risks. Running a diverse, interconnected string of companies like Expedia's requires experimentation to emerge on top.
For instance, Expedia is hoping HomeAway can edge out Airbnb with instant booking. One of the downsides to booking an Airbnb versus a hotel is that the hotel can tell you right away whether or not a room is available. On Airbnb, you have to wait for the host to say yes and sometimes, they don't.
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HomeAway's instant booking feature is trying to work around this, but it's gotten pushback from homeowners and property managers who want to see who's going to be living in their home before saying yes.
Okerstrom also wants to offer more to the homeowners renting out their houses on HomeAway so they can see what similar properties are charging and eventually what hotels in the area are charging.
Another big change Okerstrom will oversee is Expedia's move from suburban Bellevue to the Interbay neighborhood in Seattle a shift of thousands of jobs. He says the first wave should come in late 2019, with around 5,000 Expedia employees moving to the north end of Seattle's waterfront.
"We're going to really beautify that area of Interbay," Okerstrom said.
That move will change the Interbay area especially if, as forecasts say, the company grows almost 20 percent in the next five years.
Okerstrom said he's made mistakes in his time at Expedia. When he came on as CFO, he didn't take a close enough look at Expedia's consumer protection, leaving the company unprepared for a rise in credit-card fraud.
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"Sometimes when you make a miss and you don't focus on the right things it doesn't mean that you're not the best person to solve the problem," Okerstrom said. "Sometimes if you can just put that pit in your stomach aside, that feeling of 'Damn, I really screwed up' aside, you're, in many cases, the best person to solve it, and if you can put that behind you you can turn lemons into lemonade."
The seven vehicles in the 2017 Compact Crossover Challenge are, from left, the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, 2017 Mazda CX-5, 2017 Jeep Compass, 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan, 2017 Ford Escape, 2017.5 Nissan Rogue and 2017 Honda CR-V. (Christian Lantry / Cars.com)
Compact crossovers are the best-selling segment in the U.S. behind pickup trucks. The tall ride height and hatchback versatility have appeal unmatched by sedans. But with so many compact crossovers, or small SUVs (depending on the marketing spin), which one is best?
Our price requirement was a maximum of $35,000 including all options and destination charges, which yielded primarily all-wheel-drive SUVs (except for one) and mostly base engines.
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We tested the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, 2017 Ford Escape, 2017 Honda CR-V, 2017 Jeep Compass, 2017 Mazda CX-5, 2017.5 Nissan Rogue and 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan to determine a winner. The Toyota RAV4 and other compact crossovers were not tested if they haven't been updated since our 2016 Challenge. We pit the previous winner the Ford Escape against five updated models plus the best-selling compact crossover in the U.S., which was the Nissan Rogue at the time of our testing.
Three judges awarded points in 12 categories, ranging from advanced safety features to overall value.
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7. 2017 Jeep Compass Limited
Pros: The advanced safety features and multimedia system in the highest trim level, Limited, were impressive for the first full redesign for 2017. "This is the system every other automaker should use as inspiration for controls, layout and usability," said Joe Bruzek, managing editor.
Cons: The nine-speed automatic transmission paired to the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine was lacking. "The 2.4-liter needs a power boost to move this SUV not to be a Dodge Hellcat, just to confidently merge into high-speed traffic," said Fred Meier, Washington, D.C., bureau chief.
The tight layout, small back seat area and cargo room didn't help the Compass.
6. 2017.5 Nissan Rogue SL
Pros: The midyear refresh adds standard forward collision warning and emergency braking, and good use of interior space with a roomy back seat and cargo area impressed judges. "With two movable partitions, you can set up dual levels or even build a box for enclosed storage," Kelsey Mays, senior editor, said of the cargo management system.
Cons: The noise from the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with a continuously variable transmission turned off Meier, while overall handling was disappointing to all three judges. The car "doesn't respond well to quick movements and is less composed than the others on winding back roads," Bruzek said.
Despite good interior space, the front passenger seat had to be moved too far forward to accommodate a rear-facing child safety seat.
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5. 2018 Chevrolet Equinox LT
Pros: The first redesign since 2010 results in a modernized SUV that's more fuel- and space-efficient. The optional 252-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with a nine-speed automatic transmission was impressively responsive.
The ride quality "is firm but good, with controlled shock absorption and minimal bounce," Mays said.
Chevy's connected car technology also earned points. It's "the choice for the tech-intensive family, with six USB ports, three 12-volt power outlets, a 120-volt household outlet and an available 4G LTE connection with Wi-Fi for seven devices," Meier said.
Cons: Overall value was lacking, as Chevy optioned too many features that should come standard, according to the judges. "With the uprated engine, AWD should be standard," Mays said. "In our front-drive test car, even modest application of the gas would spin the tires."
The same could be said of advanced safety features. "Where others make automatic emergency braking an important safety feature widely available, Chevrolet restricts its low-speed-only option to the Equinox's top trim level, which we didn't have," Mays said.
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4. 2017 Ford Escape SE
Pros: The refreshed Escape features an optional 245-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with AWD, from which it benefited. "The crisp six-speed automatic with paddles was a perfect fit for the turbo. Carmakers struggling to tune nine- or 10-speed autos should take note," Meier said.
Handling also scored points. Bruzek called the ride quality "the most sophisticated of the bunch; it's settled on rough roads and feels confident at highway speeds."
Cons: Overall value. "Our Escape seemed meagerly equipped: no heated seats, (no) keyless access and only partial leather," Mays said. With only blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert and a backup camera, the Escape tied for last in advanced safety features.
3. 2017 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring
Pros: The CX-5's first redesign since 2012 brings Mazda's terrific new styling and more agreeable ride quality, taking one of the noisiest models in its class to a top-rated one.
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Interior quality "is top of the class, and I wouldn't have any reservations about comparing it to an entry-level BMW, or any $40,000 Acura or Infiniti," Bruzek said.
Handling and ride quality earned praise as well. "Throw the CX-5 into a corner, and it feels more like being behind the wheel of a sedan than a high-riding SUV," Bruzek said.
Cons: The powertrain left something to be desired. "The 2.5-liter four-cylinder's smoothness and torque fall short of the sophistication and competence of the chassis," Meier said.
Both the back seat and cabin felt narrow. "Between the center console and the door, taller drivers may find limited space to spread their knees," Mays said.
2. 2017 Honda CR-V
Pros: Dubbed "the minivan of small SUVs," the CR-V is characterized by "a center console with elephantine storage provisions," Mays said. The low load floor and high roof furthered this impression.
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Safety features earned the most points of the group. "The CR-V went a step beyond with lane-centering steering, not just the sort of lane departure prevention that pinballs you off the markings," Mays said.
Cons: The powertrain came up short. "It wasn't too bad for highway passing, but that initial punch is disappointing because even the Rogue has more response from a stop with its CVT," Bruzek said.
The touch-sensitive shortcut keys on the multimedia system are still a nuisance. The system "still needs a complete overhaul to address the multiple steps it takes for simple tasks," Bruzek said.
1. 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan SE with AWD
Pros: Narrowly edging out the CR-V for the crown, the redesigned Tiguan deserves extra credit for offering safety features such as automatic emergency braking as standard in our SE trim.
As the longest crossover in the challenge, cargo capability "is top of the class the flat load floor with the back seat down accommodated our 65-inch-long TV carton. Alternatively, you could stretch out your sleeping bag if you're under about 6-feet-4," Meier said. Interior space also helped it earn top marks for child-safety seat fitting.
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Visibility in the Tiguan "is like driving a fishbowl," Bruzek said.
The infotainment system also impressed. "The look is slick, with an easy-to-navigate interface," Bruzek said.
Cons: "The 184-horsepower, turbocharged engine and eight-speed automatic transmission is slow from a start and doesn't have much punch behind it at higher speeds," Bruzek said.
"The interior design is clean and logical and the controls have a good feel, but the SE trim's materials seem more serviceable than luxurious," Meier said.
For the complete challenge, visit www.cars.com/news.
For the whole fried fish, chef Thai Dang uses fluke, an easy-to-manage flatfish that abounds with sweet-flavored, pure-white flesh that contrasts wonderfully with the crackly fried exterior. To the side are a semi-sweet dipping sauce and lettuce leaves for wrapping. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune)
Pilsen might not be the first neighborhood youd scour in search of Vietnamese cuisine, but Thai and Danielle Dang could put their restaurant on the dark side of the moon and Id find a way to get there. Thai, the chef, turns out one memorable dish after another, helped in no small measure by Danielles superb beverage program. Dont overlook Ca Phe Da, the attached Vietnamese coffee and banh mi shop, open day and night. Read Phil Vettels full review of HaiSous here.
Tribune rating: | Address: 1800 S. Carpenter St. | Phone: 312-702-1303 | Website: haisous.com | Open: Dinner Monday to Saturday | Prices: Large plates $16-$25 | Reservations: resy.com
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Ratings key: outstanding; excellent; very good; good; no stars: unsatisfactory. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
Seared scallops are dressed with a hollandaise sauce accented with soy and calamansi and topped with oxalis flowers and a tempura crumble. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
(New) Iliana Regan's foray into Japanese flavors pretty much turns out the way fans of Elizabeth (Regan's other restaurant) would expect. Midwest flavors. Chawanmushi with Jonah crabmeat and local radishes, soul-nurturing ramen bowls, and bread service of which dreams are made. If only there were more seats.
MORE: Phil Vettel's full review of Kitsune
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Tribune rating:
Address: 4229 N. Lincoln Ave.
Phone: no phone
Website: www.kitsunerestaurant.com
Open: Dinner Tuesday to Saturday; brunch Sunday
Prices: Large plates $16-$26
Reservations: Available on www.reserve.com; walk-ins accepted
Noise: Conversation friendly
Ratings key: outstanding; excellent; very good; good; no stars: unsatisfactory. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
Twitter users joked about this steak photo tweeted out by Trump Hotels, many calling it disgusting and inedible. (Trump Hotels, via Twitter)
The internet had a field day with President Donald Trump when, on the campaign trail last year, he was mocked for preferring ketchup on his well-done steak, and eating taco bowls and proclaiming to "love Hispanics!" despite promises of a wall. Today, it's his hotel (specifically, Chicago's Trump International Hotel and Tower) on the hook for an ill-thought-out tweet.
In a tweet first posted Monday night, the Trump Hotels Twitter account posted a snapshot of a steak dish from Sixteen, the two-Michelin-star restaurant in the Trump Tower, shared by user "rayspicksnyc":
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Our prime hanger steak served with romesco, roasted cauliflower and mustard jus is absolutely mouthwatering.
Insta photo by: rayspicksnyc pic.twitter.com/L85MWPh9rR Trump Hotels (@TrumpHotels) September 25, 2017
Twitter was having none of it. Most users expressed disgust:
Looking at that messy explosion, I think the war may have already begun. E van Deventer (@irvsbird) September 26, 2017
Could I have one that doesn't look like it's been dropped on the floor? Ian McDougall (@IanMcDougall1) September 26, 2017
dear lord what happened there? It looks like it's already been eaten, twice. jinx (@Marzenna) September 27, 2017
Others sought opinions from famously ornery chef Gordon Ramsay:
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Still others tied it back to politics:
Is your chef alright? Vanishing Point Recs (@VPRecordsStore) September 26, 2017
Do you mean alt-right? Shawn M. Long (@yourmom182) September 27, 2017
At this point, most people can agree: "Trump" and "steak" are two words that don't have the highest approval rating when paired together.
I'll gladly skip this hot mess and go right to the Mar-A-Lago chocolate cake ... I hear it's the most beautiful cake. Believe me. Christopher Twomey (@2MeFamilyInAsia) September 27, 2017
I love ramen soup, and I'm not talking about the instant kind -- though I did love a bowlful now and then during college. I mean the real ramen that you can get in Japanese noodle bars.
Ramen noodles, especially when they're freshly made, can be amazing. They are worlds apart from the instant kind. Whenever I feel a little under the weather or I just crave a hot bowl of soup, my go-to dish for ultimate soothing power is a bowl of ramen.
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Lately, I've become obsessed with having ramen for lunch. My coworkers and I go out to eat ramen at least once or twice every week. We've all been bitten by the ramen bug. New York City has countless noodle bars, ranging from cheap to very pricey, but they all offer the classic broths for ramen, including salt broth, soy sauce broth and miso broth. They even have cold ramen served with dipping sauces. My favorite is the miso broth, which also comes in a spicy version called tan-tan men.
When making ramen at home, I like to use the noodles from the instant packet since fresh ramen is not always easy to procure. My broth is just a simple, homemade chicken stock. Ramen soup can include many garnishes, including sliced pork belly (chashu), boiled egg, bamboo shoots, scallions, nori (the dried sheet of seaweed used for sushi), pickled ginger and much more. I top mine with cabbage, shiitakes, scallion and nori. The spiciness in my recipe comes from Sriracha sauce -- you could also use chile-bean sauce or chile oil. This is the great thing about ramen. It's completely customizable. It's what I love about it the most.
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Spicy Miso Ramen Noodle Soup
Yield: 1 serving
1 package instant ramen noodles, flavor packet discarded
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon low-sodium miso paste
1 to 2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
1 cabbage leaf, cut into chunks
3 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
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5 canned bamboo shoots
1 scallion, sliced
1 boiled egg
1 small square nori
shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice powder), for serving
Cook ramen noodles according to package directions.
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In a small saucepan, heat broth until steaming hot. Whisk in miso paste and Sriracha sauce.
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Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water, fitted with a steamer basket, to a boil. Add cabbage and shiitakes. Cover and steam until tender, about 3 minutes.
Add ramen to a large bowl. Pour over with hot miso broth. Top with cabbage, shiitakes, bamboo shoots and a soft-boiled egg half. Garnish with nori and shichimi togarashi.
(Joseph Erdos is a New York-based writer and editor, who shares his passion for food on his blog,
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is Amy Ephron's online magazine that specializes in food, politics and love.
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.)
(c) 2015 ONE FOR THE TABLE. DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
The filming of "Chicago Fire" and Dick Wolf's other Chicago-set shows has become a tourist draw for the city, and an Arizona-based production company is betting fans will pay more than $100 for the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to rub elbows with some of the stars of these shows.
OCE Productions is hosting the first Chicago Heroes Event on March 3 to 4 at Navy Pier. "Chicago Fire" stars Kara Killmer and Joe Minoso, "Chicago P.D." stars Jesse Lee Soffer and Jon Seda, and "Chicago Med" star Torrey DeVitto are among those on the bill.
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Longtime "Chicago P.D." star Sophia Bush, who recently left the series, has also signed on, event co-organizer Christy Braga said. Two or three more stars from NBC's "Chicago" franchise are expected to be announced as part of the lineup in coming months, Braga said.
Admission to the event, which is not affiliated with Wolf or NBC, costs $50 per day or $90 for both days, and there are no panel discussions. The admission fee allows attendees to see the celebrities but not interact with them.
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"Unfortunately, we have to charge admission because if not, then it just becomes a public thing and anybody from the public can walk in," said Braga, who lives in Florida.
Photographs with the stars range from $45 for a snap with Minoso to $450 for a group shot, while autographs cost $30 to $70. Private meet-and-greets range from $150 to $350. Braga said there will be a charity raffle and vendors selling merchandise at the event.
Braga and her team are organizing the event months after Luminary Productions scrapped a fan convention that trumpeted a similar lineup. The production company cited "multiple factors beyond our control" for the cancellation of Chicago Watch, which was set for May at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place.
Braga said she has experience hosting fan events for "One Tree Hill" the teen drama that aired from 2003 to 2012 and starred Bush but this is her first time organizing an event in Chicago.
"We figured, hey, we have eight or nine months before this happens so we're hoping that we have more than enough time to be able to get this going, and as of right now, we're selling really, really good. We're very happy at the rate that it's going," Braga said.
"Chicago P.D." airs at 9 p.m. Wednesdays on NBC, while "Chicago Fire" airs at 9 p.m. Thursdays. A premiere date has not yet been announced for Season 3 of "Chicago Med." "Chicago Justice" was canceled in May after one season.
tswartz@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @tracyswartz
[ RELATED: 'Chicago Fire' fan convention set for May in Chicago canceled ]
[ Dick Wolf lauds Chicago, insults its residents in West Side visit ]
[ Stars of NBC's Chicago-set franchise return to city to film new seasons ]
Watch the latest movie trailers.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
After about five months off the air, former WTMX-FM 101.9 host Kathy Hart reintroduced herself to Chicago on Wednesday while guest hosting "Good Day Chicago" on WFLD-Ch. 32.
"I grew up in Chicago and, you know, I grew up listening to WLS just great Chicago radio," Hart said as she sat next to "Good Day Chicago" co-host Anita Padilla. "So when I realized that I didn't want to work for a living, I thought getting into radio would be a great opportunity to play music and talk because my mom always called me 'chatty Kathy,' and it was perfect and it worked."
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Alas, Hart had been missing from the WTMX morning show she co-hosted with Eric Ferguson without explanation for more than four months until the station owner announced her official departure Sept. 7. Ferguson revealed two weeks ago that "Eric and Kathy" has been renamed "Eric in the Morning with Melissa & Whip."
Hart continued to stay mum about her WTMX departure during her two-hour stint on "Good Day Chicago," but she did discuss the effect of Chicago's recent humid weather on her hair; the scourge of fat shaming; her favorite vacation spot (the Jersey Shore); her "girl crush" on her yoga instructor; and a terrible first date she went on that ended with the guy hitting himself because he was so nervous, among other topics that riffed on the news.
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It's unclear where Hart will land next. She is not the only guest co-host the Fox-owned station is welcoming this week. LeeAnne Locken from "The Real Housewives of Dallas" is scheduled to take the mantle Thursday, while Headkrack from Dish Nation is set for Friday and former WMAQ-Ch. 5 anchor Anthony Ponce is lined up for Tuesday.
tswartz@tribpub.com
Twitter @tracyswartz
[ RELATED: Kathy Hart to take to TV as guest host for 'Good Day Chicago' ]
[ Eric Ferguson announces 'right and proper' name for morning show after Kathy Hart's departure ]
[ Eric Ferguson 'rejuvenated' after Kathy Hart's departure from 'Eric and Kathy' show ]
Watch the latest movie trailers.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 126 Woody introduces the gang to a homemade spork toy with self-esteem issues in "Toy Story 4." Read the review. (Pixar / AP)
"Black Hole," a 2008 video from artists Cinthia Marcelle and filmmaker Tiago Mata Machado, is featured in the "Divine Violence" exhibit at the Logan Center for the Arts. (RCH | EKH)
The title of an exhibition at the Logan Center of experimental videos by artist Cinthia Marcelle and filmmaker Tiago Mata Machado gives pause. "Divine Violence," it's called, and can there be such a thing?
I looked it up. Divine violence, it turns out, has nothing to do with religious extremists. It is not harm committed in the name of a god; it is damage done while seeking direct justice for those oppressed by powerful systems. Named by Walter Benjamin, the German Jewish philosopher who died fleeing the Nazis, divine violence is dangerous, revolutionary, and destitute. It's also on the rise from Occupy Wall Street to the Antifa movement and not without reason.
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Marcelle and Mata Machado, who represented Brazil at the 57th Venice Biennale, visualize this insurrectionist concept in a trilogy of videos shot between 2011 and 2016. "The Century" depicts a street into which rocks, helmets, fluorescent tubes, plastic crates, metal chairs, tire tubes, empty barrels, and other detritus are thrown, in a crescendo of noise and destruction. "One Way Street" frames an empty roadway across which people run to join in an act of collective vandalism involving glass breaking, the throwing of Molotov cocktails, explosions, kicking, and eventual retreat. "Community (and the other process)" films a long line of people that periodically breaks into fisticuffs and reassembles, until finally dissolving into a melee and dispersing.
Watching these videos is an unsettling experience. Crashing sounds assault the ears, smoky darkness strains the eyes, logic and narrative absent themselves. Locations seem vaguely urban but lack any built structures. The perpetrators, when they are visible, dress in black from head to toe and fly inky flags. It is impossible to tell who is doing what to whom or to what, why, or really even where.
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This is what it looks like to refuse the social order.
It isn't pretty, but I'm not sure it's any uglier than stepping over homeless people asleep on the sidewalk or throwing out shelves of day-old food while others go hungry or refusing to take in refugees trying to escape harm. Certainly it's more honest.
The descent of order into chaos, the devolving of civility into barbarism, might be cathartic for some viewers. It clearly was so for the amateur actors who throw the punches and the rocks in these videos, and whom the artists found amid the middle and lower-middle-class suburban youth of their hometown, Belo Horizonte, a city of 1.4 million in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
Why these kids rage isn't explained here but neither is it hard to imagine. They look and behave like, and in many cases belong to, the Black Bloc, decentralized groups that mask themselves in black and use violence to confront fascism, corporate greed and the erosion of civil liberties. Those kinds of situations, and those kinds of protesters, are as prevalent in Brazil as they are in the United States, be it in Charlottesville to riot against neo-Nazis, in Berkeley to shut down a talk by Milo Yiannopoulos, or in Washington, D.C., to punch Richard Spencer in the face.
Untethered to any such specific socio-economic-political situations, what's left to consider in "Divine Violence" is what might be termed the aesthetics of mayhem. If that seems terrifyingly anarchic, well, it is. It also looks a lot like Abstract Expressionism, a kind of Jackson Pollock-meets-Walter Benjamin. The videos, shot from single vantage points, make a study of Black Bloc gestures objects thrown, property vandalized, people fought and frame those actions tightly against still grounds a street with a gutter and the shadow of barbed wire, a roadway with solid and broken horizontal lines, a flat dusty lot.
The visual analysis goes further. "The Century" is shown twice, the second time inverted, as if to test whether anything will be different when the debris goes from left to right rather than right to left. I spent a few maddening minutes trying to determine if it was a reversal or an uncanny re-creation. "Community (and the other process)" has a second screen in which dozens of white vertical lines graph the movements of their human counterparts. It appears first in the gallery, and I initially took it for a jazzy little animation.
Form and abstraction invoke the pleasure of looking, but form, in the case of the Black Bloc, is serious tactics. Wearing black creates a sense of solidarity and protects individual identities. Destroying private property especially the outlets of multinational chain stores and banks rejects the unequal distribution of wealth, the unchecked power of corporations, and the homogenization of culture. Meeting violent hatemongers with violence speaks a common language guaranteed to be understood. It's all also frightening, ruinous and brutish.
With "Divine Violence," Marcelle and Mata Machado pull the viewer in close to far-left behaviors rejected by many as too extreme, too uncivil. But being made to consider the possibility of actions that are simultaneously moral and illegal feels increasingly pertinent right now.
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"Divine Violence," through Oct. 29 at Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., 773-834-8377, arts.uchicago.edu/logan-center.
Lori Waxman is a freelance critic.
ctc-arts@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @chitribent
[ RELATED: Second City instructor and award-winning storyteller Lily Be to perform one-woman show in Pilsen ]
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Three major cultural organizations have teamed up to produce Arts in the Dark, a vibrant Halloween parade that will haunt Columbus Drive on October 21st. LUMA8 (Light Up My Arts), the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Chicago Park District collaborated on the project, a "curated nighttime parade."
The Arts in the Dark festivities will kick-off at 4:00 p.m. at Buckingham Fountain, where the Chicago Blackhawks street team will host a pre-parade celebration. Arts in the Dark will then begin marching at dusk, traveling from Balbo Ave. to Monroe St., and will be led by eight "Illuminators" chosen for their efforts in their respective creative fields.
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The parade unites a variety of Chicago's creative institutions. The Art Institute and School of the Art Institute will march in medieval-style armor, while Broadway In Chicago will invite fans to dress up as their favorite Broadway characters. After School Matters will also have multiple programs participating including West Town Bikes with decorated cycles and riders, the Mariachi Ensemble, Aztec Dance Chicago and The Art of Drumming.
LUMA8 also is calling on individual artists to join the parade by creating lanterns using the theme "Under the Sea and Up in the Air." Awards will be given to the artists who show up with the most creative lanterns.
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Following the parade, DCASE will host a "House Party at the Bean," and the Chicago Park District will present a family-friendly Halloween movie and candy giveaways in Maggie Daley Park.
khawbaker@tronc.com
Twitter: @roaringgilmore
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Lily Be, at a recent spoken word performance, is doing several performances of her one-woman show, No Hay Mal, in Chicago. (Georgia Hampton / For the Chicago Tribune)
Lily Be has had five near-death experiences.
As a newborn, the Humboldt Park resident flatlined while surgeons operated on a hernia she developed in the womb. At 8, her appendix burst seconds after being removed from her body and she was once hospitalized after a latex allergy sent her into anaphylactic shock, she said. At 22, she was kidnapped and sexually assaulted in a vehicle but managed to escape when her captors stopped for gas.
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In 2008, Be accidentally slit her wrist with a box cutter, leading to an involuntary psychiatric hold at Chicago-Read Medical Center that altered the course of her life and career she discovered the art of storytelling while coping with severe depression stemming from that incident.
Now at 38, Be is an award-winning storyteller, producer and Second City instructor known for her candid, authentic approach. She will perform her one-woman show, "No Hay Mal," Saturday at the Casa Calle 20 art gallery in Pilsen and again Oct. 5 at Hairpin Arts Center in Logan Square.
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"My mom has this saying, no hay mal que por bien no venga there's no bad from which good cannot come. It's like Newton's law. I would add, you just have to be patient," she said.
Be was 31 when she was committed to a psychiatric ward. At the time, she was living with a friend who stole money from her to buy drugs. She was determined to recover the cash and had a box cutter for protection.
"I was in this rage I'm very animated with my hands and I accidentally pushed the box cutter down and cut myself. I missed my vein by a hair," she said. "I was so mad that I didn't even notice I was bleeding."
Be's then-roommate called 911 and said, "'my roommate cut her wrist," rather than, "my roommate accidentally cut her wrist," she said. Medical responders didn't believe her when she said it was an accident.
He lied about the incident to friends and family, claiming that she had tried to take her own life in a fit of passion, Be said. "I unraveled. No one believed me. I thought, what is the point of being me? I checked out and convinced myself that no one would miss me," she said. "I didn't brush my teeth or comb my hair. I missed work. I didn't care."
Two months after her hospital stay, a friend convinced Be to attend a storytelling show called Grown Folks Stories at its original location in Wicker Park.
"She said, if you don't come out, I'm going to kick your door down," Be said. "I knew she would and I didn't want to lose my security deposit."
Be performed a live story about the first time her now 21-year-old son got in trouble at school. She said she was touched by the support of the audience, which encouraged her to continue performing.
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"The host was like, 'look, there's no judgment here. If you share a story, you're family.' I needed to hear that," she said. "It was this beautiful black and brown community of people. I told my story, everybody was on my side. And I came back the next month."
Be performed that show "religiously," for two years on every third Thursday of the month and started getting contacted by other producers who wanted her to perform in their shows.
In 2012, she partnered with Clarence Browley for The Stoop, a monthly storytelling event at Rosa's Lounge in Humboldt Park. Be said the goal of the show is to provide a platform for storytellers, native Chicagoans and people of color on the West Side.
"The Stoop was supposed to be about finding the other Lily Be's in the city because this saved my life. And I just wanted to save other people's lives," she said. "You never know who is sitting in your audience, hoping to hear something that they can connect with. That's why I do it."
Be also co-hosts The Hoodoisie, a live news show and podcast created by Ricardo Gamboa in the style of Jon Stewart's "Daily Show."
"She is thoroughly committed to reaching people, to connecting with people and relating to them. That's at the forefront of her work," Gamboa said. "It's about trying to own a story and tell it honestly. And that's definitely apparent in her one-woman show."
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Be's stories are for "anyone who has ever had to struggle" and for "people of color who know what it's like to have to struggle to find your worth in a world that often-times demeans you," he said.
"Lily grew up brown. There's a lot of things about Mexican culture and Latin culture and hood culture in it that are totally relatable and yet so singular to her," Gamboa said. "Her stories inspire people to do different so you'll definitely get that out of the show. If you're scared of transformation, she's dangerous."
Be developed "No Hay Mal" during a year-long residence at Free Street Theater. The show was originally centered around four men who have "manipulated and used" her but those plans were abandoned when Donald Trump was elected president.
With four months left until the opening of "No Hay Mal" at Free Street Theater, Be said she decided to switch gears and focus on the women who have give her strength.
"The reason I was able to bounce back was because I've had examples of that in my life my grandmother, my mother we've been through worse and come out better," be said. "It's very easy to get forget that and stuck in your fear or let it paralyze you. And that's what the play became about."
"Everything I need is within me," she said. "I've lived so much of my life in fear that I just can't do it anymore. I'm fearless now."
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Coya Paz, artistic director at Free Street Theater, said audiences embrace Be because she's a motivational and approachable performer. She said her stories are full of honesty and humor.
"It's very hard to be in a room with her and not lean-in to what she's saying," Paz said. "What she does is magic. I don't think most people could do it but she makes you feel like anyone can do it and that's part of her appeal."
On Oct. 3, Be will host a free storytelling workshop at Hairpin Arts Center as part of a monthlong Latinos programming initiative, according to Kacie Smith, performing arts director at Hairpin. The events are free but guests must sign up to reserve a spot.
"Lily Be is a barrel of energy and when she walks in the room, you know she has entered the room," Smith said. "Her approach is much more about really getting people to open up and find their true story."
Be will host a bilingual storytelling event at Hairpin on Oct. 12, complete with live art, translations and transcriptions of the event.
"It's super exciting but it's something that doesn't really get done a lot in Chicago," Smith said. "Lily Be is super cognizant of that and we really appreciate having her on board and having her voice in the room. She is very authentically her."
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When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Casa Calle 20, 1538 W. Cullerton Ave.
Tickets: $5 suggested donation; www.facebook.com/casacalle20
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Where: Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Tickets: Free (reservations required); 773-661-6361
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nmoreno@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @nereidamorenos
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 126 Woody introduces the gang to a homemade spork toy with self-esteem issues in "Toy Story 4." Read the review. (Pixar / AP)
Has Tom Cruise been watching a lot of Warren Beatty movies lately?
In "American Made," a zigzagging, heavily fictionalized account of a TWA pilot turned drugs and arms smuggler Barry Seal, the movie star does a lot of his own flying, and executes some stunts that belie his 55 years. But on the ground, the actor takes his sweet, smiling time with every rejoinder in every dialogue sequence, the way Beatty does, pausing before answering the latest question, registering disbelief through high-gloss teeth. Cut the pauses out, rewrite the ending, and "American Made" becomes a one-hour series pilot. As is, at two hours, it's fairly entertaining even when it doesn't quite work, directed for maximum pace by Cruise's "Edge of Tomorrow" cohort, director Doug Liman.
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"Edge of Tomorrow," which I really liked, featured giant killer bugs from another planet, yet "American Made" is somehow the less realistic story of the two. To his credit, Cruise has worked out a few tics and performance details (including a light, occasional Baton Rouge drawl) in portraying a classic American weasel who thinks he's a hero.
The real Barry Seal's bizarre career is enough for five seasons on Netflix. He was busted for smuggling explosives into Mexico, intended for anti-Castro Cubans, in the early 1960s. Though some sources deny he was ever on the CIA payroll, most accounts put Seal in the employ of the U.S. intelligence agency, flying a private plane into Central American countries and taking surveillance photos of America's enemies. Then Seal got rich flying cocaine and marijuana back to the states on behalf of the future members of the Medellin cartel. Seal ran an increasingly sprawling and lucrative private airport in Mena, Ark., eventually turning snitch on behalf of the Drug Enforcement Agency and being outed as a CIA op by the news media.
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Gary Spinelli's script revises and deletes those and other resume items at will, while hustling to avoid tedium and confusion. The movie begins in 1978, with Cruise's Barry bored out of his skull doing regional hops for TWA. ("American Made" makes no room or time for some of the wilder assertions regarding Seal's entanglements prior to the film's timeline, such as the murky theory that Seal flew a getaway plane for JFK's assassins on Nov. 22, 1963.) In the movie Domhnall Gleeson plays a composite figure, Seal's grinning, upbeat CIA liaison. The film scoots back and forth from Baton Rouge to Latin America, from Mena, Ark., to various Central American locales all played by Colombia.
"All this is legal?" Cruise asks Gleeson at one point. Sure, he answers, "if you're doing it for the good guys." It's the line you hear in every Hollywood treatment of a story involving morally compromised American cocaine and/or arms dealers, trying to extend their geopolitical lucky streak. "American Made" is a better, more intriguingly conflicted project than (a generation ago) "Air America" with Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. as heroin smugglers in the Vietnam War. And there's little of the tonal confusion that clobbered the recent "War Dogs." (Miles Teller and Jonah Hill as wacky Yanks dealing arms in the thick of the Iraq invasion.) As Seal's domestic life back in Arkansas becomes one of crazy, conspicuous excess, we wait for the house of cards to tumble. Spinelli clearly is crazy about Scorsese's "GoodFellas," and he has structured "American Made" in roughly the same picaresque fashion.
Director Liman's handling of Cruise's final scene is visually striking and properly stark. The movie doesn't quite do its job setting up that ending, however. Much of "American Made" plays like a compressed and streamlined version of whatever screenwriter Spinelli came up with initially. Seal bumps into one historical figure after another Panamanian dictator and CIA informant Manuel Noriega, Iran/Contra strategist Oliver North, even a cameo from someone playing George W. Bush in the years covered here, 1978-1986. They become a colorful, reckless blur, and often that blur is entertaining, as photographed in hot, bright, amped-up colors by cinematographer Cesar Charlone. (Liman's relentless long-lens hand-held technique, though, is less helpful.)
The real Seal, it seems, was a more ambitious, wide-ranging criminal than he's depicted in "American Made." Then again, nobody should go to any "based on a true story" affair for facts. It's hard enough to get the right sort of dramatically convincing lies.
Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.
mjphillips@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @phillipstribune
"American Made" 2.5 stars
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MPAA rating: R (for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity)
Running time:1:55
Opens: Thursday evening
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 126 Woody introduces the gang to a homemade spork toy with self-esteem issues in "Toy Story 4." Read the review. (Pixar / AP)
Elizabeth Gilbert's popular 2006 healing-heartbreak-through-travel memoir, "Eat, Pray, Love," earned backlash from those who saw it as a high-profile example of privileged Western women buying their way to peace and enlightenment. ("Eat, Pray, Spend" was how one feminist publication characterized it.) But what does it mean when a woman who was born in India and raised in the United States since infancy takes her own journey "home" in the wake of a heartbreak or two, with Gilbert's book tucked away in her luggage? In Minita Gandhi's wry, wise and sometimes terrifying solo show, "Muthaland," it means embracing the complexity of both worlds, without fully understanding where one fits in either.
Directed by Lookingglass artistic director Heidi Stillman on the spare intimate stage of Berwyn's 16th Street Theater, Gandhi's piece moves back and forth in time. The key event, which serves as a narrative fulcrum of sorts, is the arranged wedding of Gandhi's younger brother back in India. (As a harbinger of the complexities of extended family relationships, her brother is actually a cousin who was raised by her parents in the more-promising atmosphere of the United States.)
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Through this trip, Gandhi explores her own past, as well as that of her parents. We see Gandhi in her college years, persuading her parents to let her attend an acting conservatory, despite her mother's protestations that an Indian woman will never be allowed to tackle major Shakespearean roles. (She's done all right for herself, obviously you may know Gandhi from her recurring role as Dr. Prospere on "Chicago Fire.")
We see her through relationships, from the on-again, off-again boyfriend she blocks on social media while also signing up for Tinder, to the one who got away a seemingly perfect Indian man to whom she just couldn't commit. And finally, through a painful crisis not of her making, we see her learn more about her country of birth and the parents who created a place for her to make her own kind of music and magic, wherever her travels take her.
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It's in some ways a familiar story, but what sets "Muthaland" apart from similar journey-to-the-center-of-my-heritage tales is Gandhi's willingness to let some questions hang in the air. There is resolution of sorts, but it comes from Gandhi's own newfound resolve to embrace the complexities of her identity and her mixed (if not outright hostile and for good reason) feelings about the land of her birth. (Among those complexities is that her family practices Jainism, making them a minority among their own extended Hindu family in Mumbai.)
Along the way, there are sly homages to Bollywood rom-com conventions, complete with the sort of dance interludes made famous by the genre. (Gandhi and Anu Bhatt collaborated on the choreography.) Gandhi moves smoothly from playing herself at various stages of her life to her supportive (if occasionally befuddled) parents, to her saucy siblings, to various people she meets during a meditation retreat in India that takes a dangerous turn.
With only a pair of suitcases, a work light and a single chair, Gandhi evokes the color and confusion of India and the small, quiet secrets of her parents' own journeys from the traditions of their homeland to the sometimes-confounding cultural norms of their new country. There are a few points that feel a tad belabored, but on the whole, Gandhi's "Muthaland" creates a funny, brash and truthful portrait of embracing one's past without being smothered by it.
Kerry Reid is a freelance critic.
ctc-arts@chicagotribune.com
Review: "Muthaland" (3 stars)
When: Through Oct. 14
Where: 16th Street Theater, 6420 16th St., Berwyn
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Running time: 90 minutes
Tickets: $22 at 708-795-6704 or 16thstreettheater.org
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
It's been a little more than five years since Robert Caro published the fourth volume in his epic biography of President Lyndon Johnson. He's working on the next installment each book has taken roughly seven years, and he says this one is no different: "I never want to feel rushed. ... It'll be done when it's done."
But that apparently won't be soon. When asked if this volume one that's been billed as the final volume feels different as he draws the story of Johnson's life to a close, the 81-year-old Caro says, "I'm not close enough to the end to start feeling it yet. I'm still just buried in it."
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So the fans who've already consumed the 4,700-odd pages that Caro has written on Johnson and his earlier subject, Robert Moses, will have to wait a bit longer. In the meantime, Caro offers a treat: a nearly two-hour audio recording called "On Power."
Released earlier this year by Audible, the production grew out of a talk Caro presented last year at an event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize, a series of discussions presented by Harvard University's Nieman Foundation for Journalism.
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The Tribune spoke with Caro earlier this year by phone. The conversation was marked by Caro's habit of editing himself as he speaks, doubling back at times to explain more precisely or to spell names. The following is a transcript of the conversation, edited for space and clarity.
Q: How did you come to write about power?
A: We think that power in a democracy comes from our votes and the ballot box and from being elected, and here was a guy (Robert Moses) who was never elected to anything and he had more power than anyone who was elected. More than any mayor, more than any governor, more than any mayor or governor combined. And he held this power for 44 years, and I had no idea and neither did anybody else where he got this power. I said, you know if I could find out, because I didn't know, and explain to people the source of his power, I'd be saying something not about what we learn about political power or governmental power in textbooks, but more about what's the reality of power.
Q: What do you think is the most common misunderstanding about how political power works?
A: The lack of understanding of how political power affects everybody's lives in so many ways every day. Like with this health care thing. In the book that I'm writing now, Lyndon Johnson has just passed Medicare. It had been on the table since Franklin Roosevelt, really. Then Harry Truman introduced what we would call Medicare today. And Johnson says the night after the assassination (of President John F. Kennedy) he can't sleep. They fly back to Washington that night, and he goes to bed, but he can't sleep. So he asked three of his aides to come and sit around the bed while he talks, and among the things he says is, I'm gonna pass Harry Truman's I forget what he calls it but I'm going to pass Harry Truman's health bill for him.
And so you say, OK, so many people are coming to understand how government action affects their health care, but it affects you in so many other ways. If you're a soldier and you're sent to Iraq or Afghanistan and you're killed or wounded, that's an example of political power. Just like under Lyndon Johnson Vietnam where we had such an immense toll of Americans. That was political power. But it also affects things in transportation. Robert Moses really condemned New York to be tied to the automobile for decades, maybe centuries to come. In New York, it's not uncommon for people here to commute an hour and a half by car each day or even two hours each way. That's like, what, 15 or 20 hours a week. If government stepped in and provided a good mass transit system, you'd have let's say 20 hours a week more to do what? Anything you want to play with your kids, to read. It would change your lives.
Q: Getting people to understand that, though, requires someone who can translate the inner workings of politics in a compelling way on the page. Can you talk about your approach to the craft of writing?
A: The quality of the writing matters as much in nonfiction as it does in fiction, but that's not sufficiently understood. I think you need the same things in nonfiction that you need in fiction. For example, a sense of place: You have to make the readers see the room. You can say, "Lyndon Johnson was so great at working the senate cloakroom." Well, what does that mean? So I tried to paint the picture by talking to senators who he did persuade of things in the cloakroom. What was it like for Lyndon Johnson to be trying to persuade you? And then you learn about how (Johnson would) sit there listening until he felt he knew or he seemed to know what you really wanted or what you really were afraid of, and he'd play on that. But more than that, what was it like when he put his arm around you and grabbed your lapel? And what was the Senate floor like? And what was the Texas Hill Country like?
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You can say Lyndon Johnson revolutionized the lives of hundreds of thousands of people by bringing them electricity, but that's not really enough. You have to make people see as they're reading. You have to make your readers feel for themselves how hard lives were without electricity, how lonely and isolated and impoverished their lives were before Lyndon Johnson. That was why I said to (my wife) Ina, we're not understanding this area, these people, and therefore I'm not really understanding either Lyndon Johnson or the magnitude of what he accomplished, so we're going to have to live there until I get it. We actually lived (in the Texas Hill Country) for most of three years. We always went home in the summer, but we were there for eight or nine months a year for three years. At the end of it, I tried to paint a picture of Texas Hill Country and what the lives of women were like, so you really see how he transformed them.
You need a sense of rhythm. In my second book, you have a scene where (Johnson is) running against a very popular ex-governor of Texas. He's hospitalized with kidney stones, he gets out, he's so far behind someone gives him the idea of traveling around Texas in a helicopter. It's 1948, so it'll be a real novelty. No one's ever seen a helicopter, so when he flies into a little town, he'll get a big crowd. But then you say, well, that's great, but this chapter is about desperation, his desperation to win. I have a lamp in front of me on my desk and I Scotch-taped an index card, and on the index card, I wrote, Is there desperation on this page? Do the rhythms show desperation? The writing matters.
Q: These are factual biographies, though, so it's not like fiction where you can fill in what you don't know. How do you get people to tell you what you need to know to create those pictures?
A: If you were sitting next to me when I do an interview you'd hear me say a lot, "If I was sitting there next to you in the Oval Office, say, what would I see?" It's hard to pull it out of them. They just say something like, "Well, Lyndon Johnson was" and you've gotta say, "Well, what chair was he in? What chair was the other guy in? Who else was in the room? What was the atmosphere?" If you ask people over and over, things come out. Very often they get angry at me, because I ask the same question: "What would I be seeing? What did you see?"
I just wrote a scene like this. In 1965, when Martin Luther King Jr. is marching in Selma, and George Wallace comes up and he's an adamant segregationist and Johnson wants him to do certain things as governor that he doesn't want to do. And by the time it's over, Johnson persuades him to do it. When (Wallace) comes out, the press is there and Wallace says, "God, if I was talking to him for five more minutes, he would've had me coming out for civil rights." So I was talking to George Reedy, who's Johnson's press secretary, and I kept asking him (about it) and I remember Reedy got ang ... you know, he said, "I answered that already," but I kept asking it and I finally said, "Well, what was it about the two of them?" And he said, "Well, you know Johnson was really towering over him." So I said, "Yeah, I know Johnson was a lot taller," and he said, "That's not all." He said Johnson had the two couches in the Oval Office and Johnson had the stuffing removed from their cushions so that when you sat down on it, as Wallace did, you sunk further to the floor. Johnson sat in a rocking chair that was higher than them so that he would be towering over them, even more so. Isn't that great? You can picture that, and it's not unimportant.
Q: What do you think Johnson would've thought of your portrayal?
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A: He never liked anything that was written about him, so I don't imagine he'd like these books. On the other hand, to whatever extent they succeed in showing how he did it, I think he would not be unhappy that someone was telling the world how he did it and showing this political genius that he had.
Q: Do you have any thoughts about whether Johnson could exist in today's political climate?
A: Could I just say something about this on power? You asked me what was the genesis of this was. What was so great for me was that it gave me a chance to remember things that I had long forgotten really. I learned something about myself when I was a reporter on the New Brunswick paper. I was driving around on Election Day with a political boss for whom I was working and I got to this place at a polling booth where they were herding African-Americans into paddy wagons because they had been objecting to something that was going on at polls. And I suddenly realized I didn't want to be in that big car with him. I wanted to be out there with them, and all I did was I that got out of the car and went back to being a reporter (and) started looking for a crusading newspaper.
So this (project) gave me a chance to remember things that I learned about myself and it gave me a chance to remember things I learned about power. You can't just talk about how power is wielded. It's hard to find out how it's wielded you have to do that first but then you also have to find out the effect of power on those on whom it is wielded. Like the farmers on Long Island whose lives Robert Moses needlessly destroyed. Or the neighborhoods in New York that he needlessly destroyed by running highways right through the middle of them when there were alternate routes available. Or how power can really change people's lives for the better, like the people of the Hill Country.
Q: Do you see lessons in those things for people today?
A: It's very important for America to know as much as possible about political power, about how it really works. Not what we're taught in textbooks, but the raw, naked realities of power. It's very important, because in a democracy, ultimately power comes from the ballot box, from us. So the more we know about political power, the more informed our votes will be, and therefore, theoretically, hopefully, the better our democracy will be. That's really the key thing to me.
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Jennifer Day is the Tribune's books editor.
'On Power'
By Robert A. Caro, narrated by Caro, Audible, 1:42
In this Sept. 4, 2017, file photo, a car is submerged in floodwater in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey near the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs in Houston. (David J. Phillip / AP)
A Texas woman died earlier this month after contracting a flesh-eating infection from floodwaters brought by Hurricane Harvey, according to health officials in Houston.
The Houston Chronicle reported that Nancy Reed, 77, of Houston, contracted a dangerous bacterial skin infection after she fell into dirty floodwater in her son's home, breaking and cutting open her arm.
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The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said that Reed died Sept. 15 of necrotizing fasciitis, "complicating blunt trauma of an upper extremity." Her death marks the 36th fatality in the United States that has been connected to Hurricane Harvey, according to the Houston Chronicle.
"It's tragic," David Persse, a physician and director of Houston's EMS and Public Health Authority, told the newspaper earlier this week. "This is one of the things we'd been worrying about once the flooding began, that something like this might occur. My heart goes out to the family."
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Reed, who was born in Pittsburgh in 1940, was as an elementary school teacher until she went to work with her husband, Gary, at the Reed Agency. Her obituary states that she headed LivingTributes.com, a site for online obituaries, was the president of the Reed Foundation, and was active in her church, First Presbyterian Church in Kingwood.
The infection that killed her, necrotizing fasciitis, spreads swiftly, destroying the body's soft tissues, and soon after, can lead to death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although necrotizing fasciitis is believed to be most often caused by the bacterium group A Streptococcus, other bacteria can also lead to the infection, including Klebsiella, Clostridium, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Aeromonas hydrophila, according to the CDC. The CDC reported that most infections caused by group A strep are easy to treat, "but in cases of necrotizing fasciitis, bacteria spread quickly once they enter the body," infecting the fascia, or "connective tissue that surround muscles, nerves, fat, and blood vessels."
Then the toxins from the bacteria kill the body's tissues.
The CDC estimates that there are about 700 to 1,100 cases of necrotizing fasciitis caused by group A strep each year in the United States.
As The Washington Post's Ben Guarino reported, after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005, the CDC reported 30 cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, among a group that had been evacuated and sent to a shelter in Dallas. And Vibrio vulnificus, bacteria commonly described as "flesh-eating," sickened two dozen people and killed six. There were also scattered reports of skin rashes, from infections and heat, as well as red marks blamed on biting mites.
Following hurricanes that have hit the United States and surrounding islands, the CDC released a fact sheet on hurricane safety, warning: "Be careful with floodwater - it can contain dangerous bacteria." It further states that floodwater may be contaminated with bacteria from sewage and other forms of waste.
"While skin contact with floodwater doesn't pose a serious health risk by itself, eating or drinking anything contaminated with floodwater can cause diseases," according to the CDC. The agency added, "If you have any open cuts or sores that will be exposed to floodwater, keep them as clean as possible by washing them with soap and applying an antibiotic ointment to discourage infection."
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Health officials say prompt medical care, which can include antibiotics or surgery, is crucial to keep the deadly infection from spreading.
In any given week, Ben Crotte, a behavioral health therapist at Children's Home of Cincinnati, speaks to dozens of students in need of an outlet.
Their challenges run the adolescent gamut, from minor stress about an upcoming test to severe depression, social isolation and bullying.
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Amid the flood of conversations, meetings and paperwork, the challenge for Crotte - and mental health professionals everywhere - is separating hopeless expressions of pain and suffering from crucial warning signs that suggest a student is at risk for committing suicide.
It's a daunting, high-pressure task, which explains why Crotte was willing to add another potentially useful tool to his diagnostic kit: an app that uses an algorithm to analyze speech and determine whether someone is likely to take their own life.
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Its name: "Spreading Activation Mobile" or "SAM."
"Losing a child is my worst nightmare, and we all live with the fear that we might miss something," Crotte said, referring to mental health professionals who work in education. "Sometimes we have to go with our gut to make a decision, so this is one more tool to help me make a final determination about someone's health."
SAM is being tested in a handful of Cincinnati schools this year and arrives at a time when researchers across the country are developing new forms of artificial intelligence that may forever change the way mental health issues are diagnosed and treated.
Rates of teen suicide, in particular, are on the rise, with the rate among teen girls hitting a 40-year high in 2015, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Over the past decade, the CDC reports, suicide rates doubled among teen girls and jumped by more than 30 percent among teen boys.
Despite being the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, suicide remains extremely difficult to predict. Experts say that's because many people's risk for self-harm is paired with another mental illness and fluctuates according to various stressors in their life, all of which interact uniquely within each individual. Complicating matters is that suicidal ideation - which can signal a growing risk for self harm - is far more common than actual suicide. To assess risk, mental health professionals have long relied on timeworn tools - notepads, conversation and well-honed intuition. Now artificial intelligence - combined with the widespread use of smartphones - is beginning to change the way experts interpret human behavior and predict self harm.
"Technology is here to stay, and if we can use it to prevent suicide, we should do that," said physician Jill Harkavy-Friedman, vice president of research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. "But we're in the very early stages of learning how to use technology in this space."
There are thousands of apps dedicated to improving mental health, but experts say the most promising will begin to incorporate predictive machine learning algorithms into their design. By analyzing a patient's language, emotional state and social media footprint, these algorithms will be able to assemble increasingly accurate, predictive portraits of patients using data that is far beyond the reach of even the most experienced clinicians.
"A machine will find 100 other pieces of data that your phone has access to that you wouldn't be able to measure as a psychiatrist or general practitioner who sees someone for a half-hour a few times a year," said Chris Danforth, a University of Vermont researcher who helped develop an algorithm that can spot signs of depression by analyzing social media posts.
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Using data from more than 5,000 adult patients with a potential for self-harm, Colin Walsh, a data scientist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, also created machine-learning algorithms that predict - with more than 90 percent accuracy - the likelihood that someone will attempt suicide within the next week. The risk detection is based on such information as the patient's age, gender, Zip codes, medications and prior diagnoses.
Danforth's algorithm - which he developed with Harvard researcher Andrew Reece - can spot signs of depression by analyzing the tone of a patient's Instagram feed. The pair created a second algorithm that pinpoints the rise and fall of someone's mental illness by scanning the language, word count, speech patterns and degree of activity on their Twitter feed. A task that would require days of research for a clinician was accomplished by the machine in a matter of seconds.
"The dominant contributor to the difference between depressed and healthy classes was an increase in usage of negative words by the depressed class, including 'don't,' 'no,' 'not,' 'murder,' 'death,' 'never' and 'sad,' " the researchers wrote in their latest study identifying mental illness on Twitter. "The second largest contributor was a decrease in positive language by the depressed class, relative to the healthy class, including fewer appearances of 'photo,' 'happy,' 'love,' and 'fun.' "
Danforth said mental health professionals are still dependent on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM) and one-on-one interviews, but he believes the data being amassed by smartphones means mental health is on the verge of a "digital revolution."
"We're already talking with doctors at the University of Vermont who want to build a screening tool for the emergency room that would ask people whether they'd be willing to have an algorithm look at their social media history," Danforth noted.
The tools, however, will only be as good as the data that is used to create machine learning algorithms, Harkavy-Friedman said, noting that there is a lack of longitudinal studies on suicide. Social media will offer important information, she said, but any population of people being studied will always include false positives - people who exhibit suicidal behaviors but don't go on to end their own lives.
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"The more we can learn about both the factors leading to suicide, the better off we'll be," she said. "We need a huge number of people to study."
Experts said it could take another five to 10 years to create algorithms predictive enough to be reliably deployed inside hospitals, schools and therapists' offices. Questions will have to be resolved as well, experts said, such as whether predictive algorithms will affect health insurance premiums or what happens if drug companies manage to access people's predictive data?
John Pestian, a physician and professor in the divisions of Biomedical Informatics and psychiatry at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center within the University of Cincinnati, said it's too early to answer those questions. When he created SAM - the app now being tested in Cincinnati schools - he was only focused on one thing: alleviating suffering with technology.
"You go into the emergency department and you go to the intensive care unit and you see technology everywhere, but you go into a psychiatrist's office and you see a couch," Pestian said.
"Why?" he added. "Because folks like me haven't built anything for them until now."
RELATED STORIES:
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Teen suicide attempts fell as same-sex marriage became legal
Suicide rate in teen girls reaches 40-year high
Connecting the dots: How the opioid epidemic affects suicide in teens and children
New cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States reached an all-time high in 2016, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Here are some facts about STD rates.
New cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States reached an all-time high in 2016, federal health officials reported Tuesday.
There were 1.6 million cases of chlamydia, 470,000 cases of gonorrhea and 28,000 of syphilis reported that year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in its annual report on STDs.
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And the diseases are on the rise in a number of groups, including women, infants, and gay and bisexual men.
"Increases in STDs are a clear warning of a growing threat," said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.
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"STDs are a persistent enemy, growing in number, and outpacing our ability to respond," he said in an agency news release.
Young women account for nearly half of all diagnosed chlamydia infections, but syphilis and gonorrhea are increasingly affecting new groups of people.
Between 2015 and 2016, syphilis rates rose nearly 18 percent. Most cases occurred among men, especially gays and bisexuals. Half of the men in those two groups also had HIV, according to the report.
But syphilis rates rose 36 percent among women and 28 percent among newborns between 2015 and 2016. In 2016, there were more than 600 cases of syphilis-infected newborns, resulting in more than 40 deaths and severe health complications, the CDC said.
"Every baby born with syphilis represents a tragic systems failure," said Gail Bolan, director of CDC's Division of STD Prevention. "All it takes is a simple STD test and antibiotic treatment to prevent this enormous heartache and help assure a healthy start for the next generation of Americans."
Gonorrhea rates rose among both men and women in 2016, but the largest increase (22 percent) was among men, and a large number of new gonorrhea cases were among gay and bisexual men. The report also noted the growing threat of drug resistance to the last remaining recommended gonorrhea treatment.
In order to stem the rise in STD rates, the CDC said:
State and local health departments need to refocus on preventing and treating these diseases.
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Doctors need to make STD screening and treatment a standard part of medical care, especially for pregnant women and gay and bisexual men.
People need to talk openly about STDs, get tested regularly, and reduce risk by using condoms or being monogamous.
Antibiotics can cure all three diseases. But if undiagnosed and untreated, STDs can lead to serious health problems such as infertility, life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, and increased risk of HIV infection, according to the CDC.
[ Record increase in U.S. infections from three sexually transmitted diseases ]
[ Yes, I have herpes. No, I'm not a degenerate ]
[ Young Americans would rather disclose their STDs than their debts: survey ]
Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I saw a photo "Trend Report" page in a recent People Magazine, which prompts a question I thought I would never ask anyone. Is it OK to wear pajama pants in public? Or, for that matter, is it acceptable to wear "dressy" matching pj tops and bottoms out to dinner and drinks at a trendy place?
Lindsay W.
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Dear Lindsay: A year ago, I would have been astonished by your question. But now, I get it. I saw the People mag spread you mentioned and a similar one in InStyle magazine (both predictably headlined "Pajama Party"). And just recently, I saw a photo of Michael Roberts with shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, the subject of Roberts' new documentary. Roberts was wearing pajama pants from Gap as streetwear. So, add him to the list of luminaries wearing outdoor pajamas: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Victoria Beckham, Zendaya, Rihanna and Gigi Hadid (the "it" model). So, back to your question if it's OK to wear pajamas in public: No. Do not ever wear them to work, dinner, cocktails, the gym, church, a wedding, a party etc. Here are the places that normal people like us can wear pajamas, whether they're "dressy" pj's or not: To sleep and to hang around the house. This pajama streetwear look is plain silly. Only famous people (and teenagers who wake up late for class) can get away with this so-called trend.
Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I struggle with finding the right hanger for some items. I have padded hangers, but they often still leave a "lump" in the shoulder. I fold some sweaters, but I am limited on space, and then they are wrinkled. Is there a type of hanger out there that won't put the hump in my shoulders? The padded ones only leave a hump farther down the shoulder. I keep thinking this should be easy.
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Janet F.
Dear Janet: It is easy but I had the same problem until someone showed me a simple folding method for sweaters (dry cleaners use a variation of it) that does not treat a sweater the way you would treat a dress or blouse. Basically the sweater shoulders are never hanging on the "shoulder" part of the hanger. I can explain it in words, but there are videos online that make it easy to understand. Fold the sweater in half, then put the hook of the hanger in the armpit area and fold the body of the sweater over one outstretched "arm" of the hanger and the sleeves over the other outstretched hanger arm.
Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Do you know of any product that can I can use to lighten the dark circles under my eyes, or am I doomed, due to genetics and age? Any product on the market that I can use under or over makeup would be welcome.
Panda-Eyed Carol
Dear Panda: I had a black eye (long and boring story; stupidity on my part) and a wedding to attend. What now, I thought. This is when I found Glo Skin Beauty Oil-Free Camouflage Concealer (formerly glo-minerals) (dermstore.com, $28). The stuff is pricey, but the 0.11 oz. lasts a long time. The color options are minimal, but "natural" worked for me. It takes a deft hand and a lot of patting the product into place a little bit at a time, but it did not look as if I'd just slapped flesh-toned putty under my eyes! That was a plus. Many dermatologists recommend Dermablend concealers, which come in more skin tones (ulta.com, $26) so consider that option too.
Angelic readers
I received so many responses from readers with advice on how to tell dark navy pants from black that I'm just starting to sift thorough them. I'll give you the lowdown soon. Meanwhile
Lois P. says: Like your reader Margaret, I am allergic to nickel, and the metal on back-closure bras gives me problems. Margaret might try front-closure bras. I wear Bali, and the front closures are plastic.
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From Liz B: I have a solution to the bra-clasp itching problem. When my daughter was diagnosed with a nickel allergy, the doctor told us to paint nail polish over the nickel snaps to create a barrier, and that solved the problem. She also recommended using a colored nail polish so you could tell when it had worn off.
Reader rant 1
From Lin Z.: Since bed mattresses started to be "deeper", it took a while for the manufacturers to make the fitted sheets deeper to accommodate the new thicker mattresses. So what about the flat sheet?!?! They aren't any bigger, and the sheets aren't even wide enough to go over the sides as deep as the top mattresses are!
I find we're pulling all night to get that extra fabric to cover, so that we stay under the sheets! When will they decide that the width of the sheets matters too?! They should at least cover to the box spring, so that they stay in place better. The blankets are longer than the sheets, and it makes me frustrated! Am I the only one with this problem!?
Reader rant 2
I am counting the days until crazy hair color goes away! Neon green, blue, pink, purple and clown red, look good on no one! Please look in the mirror, and go back to what nature gave you!
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And on a completely different topic, those cut-out shoulders can go bye-bye as well! Every single garment doesn't need to be shredded and chopped up.
Whew! Thanks, I feel better.
Karen D.
Now it's your turn
Send your questions, rants, tips, favorite finds on style, shopping, makeup, fashion and beauty to answerangelellen@gmail.com.
[ Can you wear black to a wedding? You bet. ]
[ How to get fall's pale colored hair trend ]
[ Men's style: How to pull off the wide-leg pants trend ]
If you missed the big solar eclipse in August, don't worry. There's always another one, although you may have to travel farther to find it. The adventure travel company Explore has five eclipse trips available in 2019 to view the annular eclipse that will occur Dec. 26. In an annular eclipse, the moon is further away from the Earth than it is during a total eclipse. This makes the moon appear smaller, so when it aligns with the larger sun the result is a dark center surrounded by a ring of fire. The trips from Explore are in locations as varied as Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Oman. In Oman there's the Arabian Sands Eclipse trip that will view the annular eclipse while in the Wahiba Sands. In addition to camping in the desert, the eight-day/seven-night trip explores both the modern and historic sites of Oman. It's priced from $2,430 per person, double occupancy, not including international airfare. Look over all five eclipse trips at http://tinyurl.com/ycrjfyqb. And you can check back with Explore in a month or so for trips to Argentina that will experience the total solar eclipse on July 2, 2019. The current batch of trips have sold out, but more are to be added.
European road trip
Europe leads the pack of travel destinations favored by U.S. residents looking to hit the international road for fall and the holidays, according to a listing by Virtuoso, an international luxury travel network. Based on bookings made through network members, six of the 10 countries listed are in Europe, with Italy at No. 1. The remainder, in order, are the United Kingdom, France, South Africa, Spain, Mexico, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany and China. http://tinyurl.com/yd6e73me
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A good yarn
Knitters who have moved well past the days of knit one, purl two might be ready to take their hobby to a new level by traveling with a close-knit group to a mecca of the craft. The Irish Tourism Group has introduced a new website, www.knittingtours.com, for its trips aimed at knitters. The company offers two retreats, which have various optional travels while concentrating on time to knit. There are also four tours that focus on workshops and demonstrations, along with visits to craft-based sites as well as typical tourist attractions. For instance, the South of Ireland Knitting Tour With the Aran Islands includes a knitting with wire workshop, workshops in Galway and on the Aran Islands, a basket-weaving demonstration and visits to the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History, Glen Keen Sheep Farm, National Museum of Country Life and Kerry Woollen Mills Factory. Other Ireland highlights include the Cliffs of Moher, Blarney Castle and Ring Of Kerry. That tour is priced from $2,618 per person, double occupancy, with international air extra. Knittingtours.com can also arrange custom group tours.
Phil Marty is a freelance reporter.
[ Related: Watching the eclipse in Paducah, Kentucky ]
[ From Shawshank to Al Capone's cell, historic prisons captivate tourists ]
[ 10 beautiful places to photograph fall ]
The Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei and Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren might seem an odd couple, but they found common cause in Washington, D.C., this week over the plight of refugees.
Hultgren whose district encompasses parts of all five collar counties as well as parts of Kendall and DeKalb counties hosted a screening of Weiwei's new film "Human Flow," which documents the world's growing refugee crisis across 23 countries.
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"It was his work on human rights that first interested me," said Hultgren, who saw an exhibition of Weiwei's Lego portraits of human rights abuse victims earlier this year, is the co-chair of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and has taken up the cause of Zhu Yufu, a Chinese dissident poet jailed for publishing pro-democracy poetry.
"It's a way to connect people with these real-life people who are suffering, today," he said of Weiwei's art, which he joked he "could not afford" in his own home.
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Hultgren's outspoken support of refugee rights has placed him in potential conflict with President Donald Trump, whose bans on refugees from a series of majority Muslim countries have been challenged in court. But the congressman, who votes in line with Trump's favored position more than 90 percent of the time, was careful not to directly criticize White House policy this week.
"Immigration is a foundational part of who we are ... to be a place of refuge," he said. "I understand that there are bad actors and terrorists out there ... but I don't want to shut off opportunity for people who really need refuge. I don't think those are mutually exclusive."
For his part, Weiwei best known for helping to design the "Bird's Nest" stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and for his criticism of the Chinese regime has been more direct in his opposition to Trump, who he told the Washington Post was "a representative of thinking power is higher than the democratic process."
But Weiwei has nothing to fear on the creative front from Hultgren, who confessed to Chicago Inc. that he has "little talent" for art. Hultgren's Lego projects, he said, are limited to building models of famous architecture, including a scale replica of Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House, which sits in in his congressional district.
kjanssen@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @kimjnews
A man carries his bags of groceries while checking out flowers as he leaves the Metropolitan Market in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. (Scott Eklund/Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
So Saudi Arabia finally lets women drive cars welcome to the 21st century, your highness but here in America I've got another outrage to deal with.
My wife doesn't want me to go shopping.
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This has nothing to do with gender, or male-female "roles," so please don't get your virtue signaling thumbs in a lather, demanding my head up on a pike before I say my piece.
The thing is, my wife becomes upset every time I say I'm going to the store to "get some things."
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"Get some things" is code for all the good stuff she never bothers to bring home:
Like smoked liver sausage, and the large box of Cocoa Krispies, that good French double cream brie, some inch-and-a-half-thick bone-in rib-eyes, a big tin of white anchovies, maybe a couple of jars of garlic and habanero-stuffed olives for martinis, and perhaps a can of no-bean chili for emergency chili dogs.
Just "some things."
Also, I always pick up a dozen lemons, because you can never have enough.
But I can hear her now: "Cocoa Krispies? What are you, 12? John, you really don't need Cocoa Krispies."
Actually, I do.
And "A dozen lemons? I just bought lemons. We don't need so many lemons! Why the lemons?!"
But a house containing a Sicilian and a Greek requires at least a case of lemons to maintain harmony.
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Even the cashiers at the store know the issue.
"Ah, your wife let you do the shopping today?" said a nice cashier.
How do you know?
She pointed to the liver sausage, and said, "The Cocoa Krispies, and the whole milk. The double cream brie."
I'd make everyone happy if I just got some celery sticks and lentils. But I refuse to bend the knee on the Cocoa Krispies thing.
And now a seemingly very nice (but controlling and perhaps insufferable) Indian woman named Era Golwalkar has revolutionized the rules for husbands shopping at the store.
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Golwalkar's Manifesto is going viral on the internet, and she may very well help me and other men in our quest for shopping rights.
Help us, Era Golwalkar!
Many men now shop for groceries; great chefs, boyfriends, husbands, acquaintances, good men and creeps alike, even those poor guys who hug cats and must pretend to like it.
Just look at the scary fellow waiting at the meat counter for a quarter pound of turkey breast, that guy with the topknot and blue tattoos on his face, absently whistling "Rondo alla Turca" through his sharply filed teeth.
He can go shopping, too.
OK, I made up the "Rondo alla Turca" part up, but shopping is allowed in America.
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And now that Era Golwalkar has come up with a method to stop spousal shopping arguments, I'm getting ready to "get some things."
According to the BBC and other news outlets, Golwalkar's manifesto is a multipage document, with detailed drawings and commentary, for her husband, Gaurav, to follow when he goes to the store.
This is the task I gave to my hubby last weekend!! Even U guys shud follow this list for happy customers #bigbasket #grofers #reliancefresh pic.twitter.com/cGkPuRAvE9 Era Londhe (@eralondhe) September 23, 2017
She did it, she said, to "solve a weekly problem" that often ended with a terrible spat.
"After Gaurav and I got married three years ago, we decided to split the household chores," Golwalkar, 29, told BBC Trending. "Gaurav was very supportive and was ready to learn cooking (which is not common for a lot of men in India). But there was one problem. I wasn't aware of back then he had no experience with anything related to cooking."
"When I first sent him to purchase vegetables, it was an epic fail and an argument ensued between us. The second time was no better. Nor was the third."
What happened was this:
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Unethical merchants realized that Gaurav was but a babe in the shopping woods. So they took advantage of the guy and sold him a lot of crapola.
At least, that's his story. It just might be that he sought crapola so she'd hate it and he wouldn't have to go shopping anymore.
But either way, she was upset.
Gaurav didn't grow up in a supermarket, weighing out produce like some of us. The poor guy probably never even sliced prasky or head cheese for Lithuanian and Polish ladies in India.
He didn't know which plums were red-fleshed and sweet and which were white and bitter inside. Escarole or Boston lettuce? Real baby carrots or those fake baby carrots? Forget it.
So every time it was his turn to go to the store, he knew he'd commit the epic fail, so he sent her a photo to see if he was buying the right item. This drove her crazy.
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She solved it by writing out her detailed manifesto, with drawings to teach him the difference between, say, a medium-size and small potato, and proper leafy vegetables, tomatoes and so on.
She even diagrammed palak, a type of spinach. She admonished him to never buy palak with holes.
And now, their marriage is saved.
"It did reduce our arguments is what I can definitely say," Gaurav told the BBC. "Now if I get something wrong, I have proof that it wasn't in the specification and she can't deny it."
So how does the Era Golwalkar Manifesto help me?
I'll ask Betty to write out a list of several pages, with detailed drawings, commentaries and palak warnings, just like Era Golwalkar.
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I know Betty won't do it. So then I'll just go and "get some things."
Like those Cocoa Krispies.
Listen to John Kass and Jeff Carlin on "The Chicago Way" podcast here: wgnradio.com/category/wgn-plus/thechicagoway/.
jskass@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @John_Kass
The Winfield Town Council approved a more than $6 million bond Tuesday to make needed sewer improvements at Doubletree Lake Estates and a rate increase for all residents to help pay for it.
Homeowners living in the gated community will pay an additional $10 more per month.
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The board's action followed two hours of public comment during which residents disagreed on who should pay for the work, questioned why the ones responsible for the deteriorated infrastructure in the 19-year-old subdivision weren't being held accountable and called for a referendum on the issue.
Under the new fee structure, Winfield residents living outside Doubletree Lake Estates using the average of about 5,000 gallons of water per month will pay $59.75 per month while those living in the affected community using the same amount of water will pay $69.75. The rates will vary according to usage, however.
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Council President Gerald Stiener said the town discovered there were major problems with the sewers in the subdivision also known as Doubletree East last year when a builder saw raw sewage coming up from the ground while constructing a new house. there
"We found the line wasn't connected to anything," Stiener said.
Further investigation found buried manholes, about 11,000 lineal feet of sewer line in disrepair, a water line going through a sewer line, unconnected pipes and other problems, he said.
"It was originally developed as a private subdivision through the county. There was little or no oversight by the county at the time," Stiener said.
Winfield is in Lake County.
He said in 2005 a previous town council agreed to purchase the sewer plant and all its systems from the developers for about $360,000.
"They bought it as is, with no inspections," Stiener said. "It's all owned by the town now. All the lines in the ground are the town's."
He said there was little documentation found on the purchase as well.
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Clerk-Treasurer Richard Anderson said the developers had purchased a used sewer plant for their Winfield property.
"It was approved by IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management) when purchased," he said.
He said shortly after the town purchased the sewer plant, it did a $2 million expansion to the plant.
"It wasn't nonoperational. It just wasn't what we needed," Anderson said of the plant.
Residents questioned why the town was looking to them to pay for a new sewer system instead of going after those responsible for the problem.
"Why haven't you gone to the developer and the county? Have you even tried to file a lawsuit," asked resident Louie Batides, who doesn't live in Doubletree East.
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Batides also questioned why a referendum wasn't held on the issue, which he called "a massive, unprecedented amount for the town."
Town Attorney David Austgen said there can be no legal recourse against the developers because the statute of limitations has expired. He said no state statute allows for a referendum on this issue.
A resident of Trees pointed out that when half of that subdivision was without water in 2000-2001, each homeowner in the subdivision had to write their own check to get Lake Michigan water. He said the people of Doubletree East should now have to write a check to pay for their own sewer issues.
But Peter Andreou, presdient of the Doubletree Lake Estates Homeowners Association, which covers both Doubletree East and Doubletreee West subdivisions, pointed out that residents of the gated Doubletree East help pay for some town services that they don't get, such as snow removal.
Doubletree East still has private roads.
"A lot of people are saying to put it all on Doubletree East. Why? This is a town sewer, not a Doubletree sewer," Andreou said.
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Stiener agreed this is a town problem.
"If something happens under the (Doubletree East) lake, it would affect everyone. We don't want a lake that could become a septic field," Stiener said.
The $6 million bond will pay for about 12,000 feet of sewer lines, manholes and laterals, the abandonment of two lift stations, and installation of one lift station.
Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
In a move that could lead to dirtier air in Chicago and other downwind communities as far away as New York, Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration is pushing to overhaul stringent limits on lung-damaging pollution from some of the last coal-fired power plants in Illinois.
Proposed amendments to state rules would scrap limits on the rate of pollution from a fleet of eight coal plants in central and southern Illinois owned by Dynegy Inc. Instead, the state would impose annual caps on tons of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emitted by the fleet a subtle but significant change that could stall or reverse efforts to reduce Dynegy's contributions to smog, soot and acid rain.
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Drafted with extensive input from the company's Chicago-based attorneys, the proposed pollution caps are significantly higher than what Dynegy's fleet emitted during each of the past two years, according to a Tribune analysis of federal pollution data.
Alec Messina, director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, said the goal is to keep the financially struggling coal plants open by giving Houston-based Dynegy more flexibility to operate individual generating units, several of which are not equipped with modern pollution controls. Before joining the Rauner administration, Messina worked as a lobbyist for a trade group that represents the company's interests in Illinois.
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State standards would still be tougher than federal requirements, Messina said, and company spokeswoman Meredith Moore noted emissions could still increase if the state's rate-based limits were kept in place.
But if a state rule-making panel approves the proposed changes, expected to be formally introduced this month, the new limit on sulfur dioxide would be nearly double what Dynegy's existing fleet emitted last year and higher than every year since 2012, according to the Tribune's analysis. The cap on nitrogen oxide emissions would be 79 percent higher than what came out of the smokestacks in 2016.
In an Aug. 25 letter to the state EPA, Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office questioned why the new regulations are necessary unless Dynegy plans to operate its dirtier coal plants more frequently and its cleaner plants less often.
The proposed pollution caps are set so high that the state would end up encouraging Dynegy to pollute more, Madigan's office said.
"We want to make sure the public is getting the full benefit of the pollution standards the company agreed to meet," James Gignac, Madigan's environmental counsel, said in an interview. Changing the standard now could roll back years of progress, he said.
Dynegy also secured a provision that would keep the pollution caps fixed at the same amounts 55,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and 25,000 tons of nitrogen oxide annually even if it decided to shut down individual generating units or scuttle entire plants.
An EPA draft would have automatically tightened limits on Dynegy's fleet to reflect plant closures, according to emails obtained by the nonprofit Environmental Law and Policy Center and shared with the Tribune. Chicago attorney Renee Cipriano, a former Illinois EPA director who represents Dynegy and other companies she once regulated, lined out or replaced language in the state's draft, the emails show.
"We are making those types of tweaks to the rule language, so hopefully they address your issues," Dana Vetterhoffer, an EPA attorney, responded in a May 31 email to Cipriano. "OK great," Cipriano wrote back four minutes later.
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Howard Learner, the environmental group's president, said the changes would allow Dynegy to avoid installing pollution controls at its dirtiest plants and turn off the equipment at others.
"The company's strategy is to run these plants on the cheap for as long as possible, like an old Chevy beater," Learner said. "If the Rauner administration goes ahead with this, they're effectively passing on the health costs of Dynegy's pollution to the rest of Illinois and beyond."
Dynegy's Baldwin Energy Complex in Baldwin recently completed completed $1 billion in environmental upgrades, Monday, Dec. 10, 2012. B582558178Z.1 (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) ....OUTSIDE TRIBUNE CO.- NO MAGS, NO SALES, NO INTERNET, NO TV, CHICAGO OUT, NO DIGITAL MANIPULATION... (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Moore, the Dynegy spokeswoman, said in an email to the Tribune that swapping the state's current system for caps on the fleet's emissions "would mean real environmental benefits."
The EPA director echoed the company's comments. "For the first time there is a cap on this fleet. That's a big deal," said Messina, who took over the state agency last year after serving as a top aide in Rauner's office. He previously was a lobbyist for the Illinois Environmental Regulatory Group, an association that represents industries subject to state pollution regulations.
Dynegy doubled down on coal after emerging from bankruptcy five years ago. Like other coal-dependent energy companies, the firm has found it increasingly difficult to cash in on its bet as a surge of cleaner-burning natural gas and pollution-free wind power drove down the wholesale cost of electricity.
As a result, Dynegy has been trying to cut costs at power plants that are being priced out of energy markets.
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During the past year the company has shuttered its Wood River plant near Alton, scrapped a unit at its Newton plant in Jasper County and announced plans to mothball two of the three units at its Baldwin plant in Randolph County. Baldwin and Wood River were equipped with pollution controls, and the company had started upgrading the Newton unit before abandoning the project.
Built in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, the Dynegy plants for years were exempt from the toughest provisions of the federal Clean Air Act. But laws and regulations became steadily tougher during the past two decades as scientists documented how pollution drifting from coal plants can trigger lung and heart disease and lead to early deaths far away from the smokestacks.
Burning coal to generate electricity also is contributing to climate change. Dynegy's Illinois plants emitted more than 32 million tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide last year, an amount equivalent to the tailpipe exhaust of 6 million cars.
Dynegy became the state's largest producer of coal-fired electricity in 2013 when it acquired five plants from St. Louis-based Ameren Corp. Both companies had earlier agreed to meet the state's rate-based pollution standards, which gradually became more stringent over the past decade and were designed to force power companies to clean up coal plants faster than federal regulations require.
Ensuring compliance was relatively easy at the three plants Dynegy owned before the Ameren deal. A federal legal settlement required the company to upgrade the Baldwin plant and the Havana plant in Mason County with equipment that significantly reduced emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury, a potent neurotoxin.
Under state regulations, the two coal plants and a third one in Putnam County are limited to an annual average of 0.19 pounds of sulfur dioxide per million BTUs (British Thermal Units) of energy generated. The limit for the five former Ameren plants is 0.23 pounds per million BTUs, also averaged across the entire fleet.
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Both groups of coal plants met the targets last year. But the average rate of sulfur dioxide from the four cleanest plants was 0.05 pounds per million BTUs. The average rate from the rest: 0.43.
Improvements in pollution control are the main reason why the combined amount of sulfur dioxide emitted by the eight Illinois plants now owned and operated by Dynegy dropped 68 percent between 2010 and 2016. During the same period, the amount of electricity generated by the plants dropped by 26 percent.
"This rule change ... would give Dynegy free rein to run its dirtiest plants without meaningful limits, putting communities at risk," said Henry Henderson, Midwest director of the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council.
Just three years ago, Dynegy CEO Robert Flexon described attempts by competitors to delay environmental improvements as the "wrong behavior." "Either invest or retire," he told the Tribune at the time.
Since then electricity prices have stayed low, making it more difficult for the company to profit from some of its plants. And installing and operating pollution controls costs money.
None of the Dynegy plants burns Illinois coal; the company ships its fuel by train from Wyoming mines that produce coal with a lower sulfur content. But the company employs about 1,000 people in Illinois and the power plants contribute to the tax base of local communities, making their survival a potent campaign issue as Rauner seeks re-election next year.
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The push to change state regulations for Dynegy emerged from discussions about a 2016 energy bill that subsidized Chicago-based Exelon, a competitor that had threatened to close money-losing nuclear plants in the Quad Cities and Clinton. Though Rauner and state lawmakers rejected Dynegy's bid for its own state subsidies, emails show Messina had been discussing other options with the company's top lobbyist since at least November.
Efficiency standards in the new law, combined with state requirements to boost generation of wind power and other forms of renewable energy, promise to further erode the once-dominant position of coal in Illinois.
Dynegy says the Exelon deal scrambled an already volatile market governed by complex electricity auctions, which set prices lower than the amount Dynegy needs to recoup the cost of operating its coal plants.
Environmental groups contend it isn't the EPA's job to assist Dynegy, pointing to a state law requiring the agency to improve air quality "to protect health, welfare, property and the quality of life."
"Now isn't the time to go backwards," said Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health for the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. "The state shouldn't be putting profits ahead of public health and erasing all the gains we've made."
mhawthorne@chicagotribune.com
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Following another violent summer, Chicago homicides remain stubbornly high, only slightly behind the historic spike in 2016.
This trend is reflected in 30 years of homicide data from major U.S. cities: If homicides fall after a spike, it's usually not by much.
Among 18 of the largest homicide-rate spikes analyzed by the Tribune, 11 were followed by further increases the next year. And among the seven spikes that were followed by declines none did so by more than half of the original increase.
If Chicago homicides continue at the current rate, about 8 percent fewer than 2016, the city is on pace for nearly 700 and a decrease in the homicide rate by 2.2 per 100,000 residents.
The Tribune analyized data gathered by the University of Chicago Crime Lab, the FBI Uniform Crime Report and the cities. The Crime Lab study found spikes in homicides among the nation's largest cities are not uncommon, but the spike in homicide rate in Chicago between 2015 and 2016 -- an increase of from 478 homicides in 2015 to 758 in 2016, a jump in homicide rate from 17.5 to 27.8 -- is notable for its scale.
"In the last 20 to 30 years of data we've looked at, we've never seen an increase that big for a large city," said Max Kapustin, a University of Chicago Crime Lab research director and co-author of the report "Gun Violence in Chicago, 2016."
Sharpest 1-year spikes in 10 largest U.S. cities For homicides rates per 100,000 people, 1985 to 2016 City Spike Number of homicides Year after change Chicago (2016) 10.3 758 N/A Dallas (1990) 9.2 447 4.2 Houston (1990) 8.0 568 1.7 Houston (1988) 6.9 440 1.3 Phoenix (1989) 6.3 231 -1.8 Philadelphia (1989) 6.2 475 3 Chicago (1990) 5.7 850 2.4 New York (1990) 4.8 2245 -1.4 Phoenix (2003) 4.6 241 -3 San Antonio (1990) 4.5 208 -0.5
Chicago's homicide troubles stand out in the context of the 10 largest cities in the U.S. as only one of the other large homicide spikes have occured later than the year 2000. Most of the large spikes in these cities came during the 1990s when crime rates were high in many places.
"For a city the size of Chicago, a 60 percent increase from one year to the next in homicide is really rare, so not a lot of examples you can look at and say (that the patterns are similar)," Kapustin said.
More than three decades of homicides
To see how Chicago's homicide rate compares, the Tribune expanded the number of cities the University of Chicago looked at to include homicide data from the 10 largest cities in the U.S. The U. of C. study also included five large cities that have experienced recent increases in homicides.
Homicide rates by city Number of homicides per 100,000 people, 1985-2016 All cities
Chicago's homicide rate over the last 30 years most closely resembles Dallas, Houston, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. But the 2016 spike begins to resemble the volatility seen in Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Detroit and Baltimore.
New York and Los Angeles show lenghtly declines in homicide rate that continue to hold. Other big cities, like San Jose, San Diego and Austin, are relatively flat over the entirety of the data.
Cities with recent spikes
Among cities with recent spikes in homicide rate, Chicago's 2016 doesn't stand out as dramatically. However, in Milwaukee, Washington and Baltimore, all of which saw 2015 spikes, unlike Chicago's trajectory this year, all declined in 2016. The Tribune spoke to experts from Washington, Baltimore and Milwaukee to find out what those cities did following spikes.
Sharpest 1-year spikes for large cities with recent homicide problems For homicides rates per 100,000 people, 1985 to 2016 City Spike Number of homicides Year after change Washington (1988) 23.3 369 12.3 Baltimore (2015) 21.5 344 -4.2 Washington (1989) 12.3 434 5.9 St. Louis (2014) 12.2 159 9.4 St. Louis (2004) 12.0 113 4.1 St. Louis (1993) 11.6 267 -5.5 Chicago (2016) 10.3 758 N/A Milwaukee (2015) 9.8 145 -0.7 St. Louis (2015) 9.4 188 0 Washington (2015) 8.2 162 -4 *Sharpest 1-year spikes in cities with homicide-rate spikes similar to Chicagos
Washington
In 1988, Washington marked its most fatal year over the past three decades. The homicide rate jumped from 36.2 to 59.5 in one year. The nation's capital saw its rate jump in 2015 but then experienced a slight decrease in 2016.
"We are extremely pleased to have been able to turn the tide, where other cities have not been as fortunate," police spokeswoman Margarita Mikhaylova said via email. "We attribute our success to MPD's continued dedication in fostering and nurturing our ties in the community."
Milwaukee
In Milwaukee in 2015, the homicide rate jumped from 14.3 to 24.2. In 2016, the rates decreased only slightly.
Reggie Moore, director of the office of violence prevention in the city's health department, said the city has a five-year plan to try to bring the numbers down that involves community engagement, economic programs and outreach to those affected by crime.
"We have to do more," Moore said. "We can't just rely on cops and courts on this issues, but as neighbors, as friends, as family members, as residents of this city, who love this city, we have a role to play in making sure it is safe for everybody."
Baltimore
In Baltimore, the city saw a large spike in 2015 when the homicide rate increased from 33.8 to 55.4. University of Baltimore criminologist Jeffrey Ian Ross said a key cause of Baltimore's violence is drugs.
"If we can solve some of the drug-related crimes in Baltimore, then perhaps we can make a dent on the homicide rate," he said.
Ross said increasing the number of law enforcement officers will not alone solve the problem given corruption and violence in Baltimore's Police Department.
"People in Baltimore are reluctant to come forward, to be witnesses, to provide evidence because a) they feel harassed by the police, and b) they feel intimidated by the criminal element," he said.
What to do then? Targeting the demand side of things, minimizing the desire to buy drugs, can contribute to a decrease in the violence, Ross said. However, any solution will require public policy changes, better social welfare and rehabilitation for drug use.
An SUV was hijacked from the Gold Coast neighborhood and fled from police for more than 3 miles before crashing Tuesday night into another vehicle near the United Center, authorities said.
The 2012 Jeep Cherokee was taken in a robbery in the 100 block of East Chestnut Street about 7:20 p.m. Tuesday, police said Wednesday morning. Two people were initially taken in for questioning and a weapon was taken into evidence at the crash scene at West Madison Street and South Seeley Avenue just before 8:10 p.m., police said Tuesday night.
A 30-year-old man believed to be the carjacker was in police custody Wednesday morning at Stroger Hospital, and charges were pending against him, police said.
Police had said Tuesday night that those in the Jeep were taken to the hospital for treatment after the crash.
Maria Beltran and her son, Mark Perez, helped with the volunteer effort for Puerto Rico after two hurricanes devastated the island. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune) (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)
In the days after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, Edith Del Valle spent most of her time in tears trying to reach her mother.
She kept busy sorting donations ranging from bottled water to canned food at the Humboldt Park-based Casa Puertorriquena, the group that organizes the annual Puerto Rican Parade. That's where she was Sunday as she waited for news about whether her mother survived the Category 4 hurricane.
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"I can't find my mom," Del Valle said. "It's impossible."
Casa Puertorriquena is among a number of Chicago organizations trying to aid Puerto Rico and the victims of recent earthquakes in Mexico. But Casa Puertorriquena is still trying to figure out how get its donations delivered to the island, where many could be without electricity for months.
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At a Casa Puertorriquena news conference Tuesday night, state Rep. Luis Arroyo urged anyone in the private sector who has the ability to transport supplies to step forward.
"We need someone who gives us planes," he said.
Also on Tuesday, a week after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Mexico, city officials, business leaders and the local Red Cross observed a moment of silence for quake victims under the Chicago Cultural Center's Tiffany Dome.
The silence was broken by a man who yelled, "Viva Mexico," sparking others to chant their support.
Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, noted the close ties some Chicagoans have to Mexico.
"My family left Mexico eight decades ago," he said. "But my heart was tortured by what I saw a week ago."
Sam Sanchez, a member of the Illinois Restaurant Association, urged other businesses to help fundraising efforts. Some of the workers the association represents have family in Mexico and requested time off to raise money for earthquake victims, he said.
"I love Mexico," Sanchez said in Spanish and English. "Don't forget about Puerto Rico because they're devastated right now. We are very blessed to be in this country and very fortunate. To support someone less fortunate is an obligation as a human being."
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To streamline the relief efforts, Celena Roldan, the CEO of the Chicago and Northern Illinois Red Cross, said the organization was accepting only monetary donations.
In Puerto Rico, donated funds will help staff about 170 shelters for anyone who has been displaced, Roldan said. The Red Cross already had 200 volunteers on the ground earlier this month because of Hurricane Irma. Additional volunteers are trying to get to Puerto Rico this week.
United Airlines officials said the airline delivered three planeloads of supplies to Puerto Rico over the past few days.
One of the groups that gathered supplies for Monday's flight from Chicago was the Puerto Rican Agenda, an umbrella of local civic organizations, such as the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, said Cristina Pacione-Zayas, co-chair for the agenda. Before Hurricane Maria hit last week, the Puerto Rican Agenda had started discussions about developing long-term and short-term plans to assist Puerto Rico in times of emergencies.
Pacione-Zayas said the Puerto Rican Agenda mobilized to put together a benefit within a couple of days of Hurricane Maria striking the island. Nearly $67,000 was raised, the majority coming from the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. Some of that money was used to buy pallets of bottled water, diapers and other basics.
Angel "Tito" Medina, the president of Casa Puertorriquena, said aid efforts started when Hurricane Irma developed earlier in September but grew urgent after Hurricane Maria hit.
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"It's not just today and tomorrow," Medina said in Spanish. "We are going to be here every day. Did you see how Puerto Rico is doing? It's a complete disaster."
Outside Casa Puertorriquena, in the 1200 block of North California Avenue, drivers lined up Sunday to drop off donations.
"We got a customer," Maria Beltran yelled to her fellow volunteers. "Let's go, let's go."
Beltran corralled the group, which included her 11-year-old son, as they raced to get supplies onto dollies.
The entrance of the parking lot was lined with what appeared to be hundreds of cases of bottled water. A yellow rope separated the space while volunteers sorted through canned goods, female sanitary products and diapers.
Chuck Ramos, 55, of Humboldt Park, on his third day of unloading donations, said he hopes they will send a message to Puerto Ricans that they have not been forgotten. The busy work helped him cope with the news coming out of the island.
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"It's hard for me to sleep," Ramos said. "You feel helpless, but coming here it makes me feel like I'm part of something."
In the parking lot, Yolanda Martinez, 34, knelt on the pavement as she sorted through canned food. After seeing news reports about the group's efforts, she and other family members decided to spend their Sunday helping out.
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"I was in New Orleans when Katrina hit, and I remember everyone helping out with that," she said. "And I thought, 'Why not?'"
Carlos Garcia, 35, dropped off about $200 worth of bottled water Sunday morning. It was the second time in the past couple days that he had made a donation. He said it was his way of helping the community come together.
"You know when I hear that my people are going to be without electricity for months, that's devastating," he said. "I have family that we haven't even been able to get in contact with ... it's bad."
Vanessa Massas, the granddaughter of Casa Puertorriquena president Medina, described the past couple of days as a communitywide effort involving everyone from area churches to local stores. She wishes the group could go to Puerto Rico to hand deliver the supplies, and she hopes the donations will reach everyone who needs it.
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"We are just trying to keep busy ... because everyone's devastated," Massas said. "So you know, a lot of people are coming here, families, kids because they want to get their mind off of it because it's too much. No contact, no help, nothing."
emalagon@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @ElviaMalagon
The Illinois Supreme Court has issued a 90-day suspension to a former city of Chicago lawyer accused of withholding information in a civil case stemming from a fatal police shooting, according to a recently released decision.
The punishment reflects an agreement between lawyer Jordan Marsh and the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, which found that Marsh made a significant error after learning about the possible existence of a radio call related to the shooting case. Marsh "failed to either obtain the information, advise plaintiffs' counsel of its existence or notify the court of the newly-discovered materials," according to the commission.
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The commission did not find that Marsh intentionally concealed the information from opposing lawyers and the judge. The Supreme Court edict, which follows the commission's recommendations, was released Friday.
Marsh, who has no previous disciplinary history, acknowledged his mistake, according to the commission. Now in private practice, he will begin serving his suspension next month.
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"Jordan Marsh is an outstanding attorney and human being who made a regrettable mistake in the midst of a hotly contested trial," his attorney Lance Northcutt said. "It was never Jordan's intent to deliberately conceal evidence from the court, but as he has acknowledged from the beginning, this in no way obviates the genuine regret he feels over how his decisions impacted the trajectory of this case. With this disposition, Jordan is looking forward to beginning a new chapter in an otherwise exemplary career."
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The commission began investigating the matter in January 2016 after a bruising ruling from U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang, who sanctioned the city for withholding the information and detailed significant flaws in how Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Law Department responds to civil rights cases. The judge described a byzantine system in which city attorneys don't understand how police records are kept and make little effort to find out.
A 2016 Tribune investigation analyzed nearly 450 cases alleging police misconduct since Emanuel took office. Reporters found that a federal judge had to order the city to turn over potential evidence in nearly 1 of every 5 cases.
Records show Marsh was not disciplined by his supervisors in the time between his acknowledgment of the radio call's existence in court and Chang's ruling, a period of nine months in which he was the lead lawyer in two major civil rights trials. He resigned his position on the day Chang granted a new trial to the family of Darius Pinex, who was fatally shot by police during a January 2011 traffic stop.
The city settled the Pinex case last year for $3 million, including attorneys' fees. The Law Department also instituted a series of reforms to better deal with requests for potential evidence.
"The Law Department holds its employees to the absolute highest professional and ethical standards and does not tolerate any action that would call into question the integrity of the lawyers who serve and represent the City of Chicago," spokesman Bill McCaffrey said.
sstclair@chicagotribune.com
jcoen@chicagotribune.com
Jason Strong is released from Menard Correctional Center on May 28, 2015, after spending 15 years behind bars. (Terrence Antonio James, Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)
WAUKEGAN, Ill. A former suburban Chicago man who was freed from prison after his conviction for a 1999 murder was thrown out because of invalid evidence will receive $9 million in a settlement with law enforcement agencies involved in the case.
The Daily Herald reports Jason Strong, 42, will receive $6 million from the city of Waukegan. The remaining $3 million will be divided between nine other agencies that were part of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, which investigated the killing.
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Strong, who now lives in Tennessee, was convicted in 2000 of killing Carpentersville resident Mary Kate Sunderlin, whose badly beaten body was found in a forest preserve near North Chicago in December 1999. Authorities said Sunderlin had been killed in a motel and her body dumped in the forest preserve.
Police said Strong confessed to the killings, though he maintained his innocence. He was sentenced to 46 years in prison.
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Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim dropped all charges against Strong in 2015, after Lake County prosecutors and Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office conducted a review of Strong's innocence claim. Nerheim cited new medical and forensic evidence that contradicted testimony at his trial. Witnesses also recanted testimony.
Strong's lawyer said he is grateful for the settlement and looks forward to moving on with his life.
Other than Waukegan, the defendants that are part of the settlement are Lake County, Vernon Hills, Round Lake Beach, Buffalo Grove, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Barrington Hills, North Chicago and Park City. They are not admitting wrongful conduct or liability under the terms of the settlement.
Nerheim said Sunderlin's killing remains under investigation.
Marci Webber, found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2010 killing of her 4-year-old daughter, is in court trying to get released. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune) (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune)
A woman who killed her young daughter but was found not guilty by reason of insanity is well enough to be released from involuntary commitment at a state hospital, mental health professionals testified Tuesday.
Marci Webber, they said, should be discharged from Chicago-Read Mental Health Center because her mental illness is in remission and she has not experienced the psychotic symptoms that led her to slash the throat of her 4-year-old daughter in 2010 at the Bloomingdale townhouse where Webber's mother lived. Webber has said that at the time she feared her daughter was going to be enslaved and cast into hell.
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Webber, now 50, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2012 and was sentenced to a term of involuntary commitment for up to 100 years. However, under state law, she is allowed to request a court hearing to determine whether she has regained her sanity and should be granted additional freedom.
That hearing began Tuesday in front of DuPage County Judge George Bakalis, who presided over Webber's case after her arrest and will decide whether she can be discharged. The hearing will resume Oct. 11.
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Among those testifying Tuesday was Toby Watson, a psychologist who has examined Webber and reviewed her records. He said her diagnosis of a depressive condition with psychotic features was "in full remission."
Mental health professionals from Chicago-Read, including a psychiatrist, psychologist and a social worker, all said they believed Webber should be released.
"I don't think she's suffering from mental illness," social worker Lucy Menezes testified. "She's very frustrated and angry."
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DuPage County prosecutors, who oppose Webber's release, focused their questions on aspects of Webber's hospital records to suggest that she clashes with care providers and won't follow program guidelines she doesn't agree with.
Watson acknowledged that dealing with the "emotionally needy" Webber could be taxing but said it did not change his opinion that she should be released.
Webber has said her long-term use of anti-depressant and anti-psychotic medication, and her abrupt withdrawal in 2010, brought on the break with reality during which she killed her youngest daughter, Maggie.
Webber has refused medication over the last four years. She previously spent four years at Elgin Mental Health Center.
During a recess in the hearing Wednesday, Webber said she hoped her experience with prescription medication can be educational for others.
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If released, Webber said she planned to move to Arizona to be with her father, who is ill. Her doctors have suggested that she transition into a group home to begin re-acclimating herself.
Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
Former U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds speaks to members of the media at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse after receiving a six month jail term on May 10, 2018, for failing to file tax returns for four years. Reynolds fought the misdemeanor tax charges against him until the eve of his sentencing hearing. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Former U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds opted Wednesday not to testify in his own defense against federal tax charges, instead resting his case without calling any witnesses.
Reynolds, 65, is representing himself at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on four misdemeanor counts of failing to file an income tax return. Prosecutors alleged he hid more than $400,000 in income from the Internal Revenue Service from 2009 to 2012 that he'd collected for consulting work he did in Africa on behalf of two prominent Chicago businessmen. Reynolds has argued the money he was paid was for travel and other expenses, not income, and therefore did not need to be reported to the IRS.
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Reynolds had indicated Tuesday that he was still considering whether to take the witness stand. But on Wednesday, he told U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman he would not testify or put on other evidence. With the defense resting its case, closing arguments are scheduled to take place Thursday.
The former lawmaker's decision not to testify was a sharp departure from his previous criminal trials two decades ago. In 1997, Reynolds spent five days testifying in the same federal courthouse before being convicted of 15 fraud counts related to illegally raising campaign cash and defrauding banks out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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Two years earlier, while still a freshman congressman, Reynolds spent three days on the witness stand defending himself on state charges of criminal sexual abuse, child pornography and obstruction of justice for having sex with a 16-year-old former campaign intern. After a jury found him guilty on all counts, the Tribune's account led with the line, "In the end, Mel Reynolds was convicted by his own words."
In the current trial, Reynolds decided to have the judge hear the evidence and render a verdict rather than a jury. Each count carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $250,000 fine.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @jmetr22b
Train #2250 traveling to Chicago hit the pedestrian west of the Hanover Park station at East Devon Avenue and Ontarioville Road about 7:30 p.m., said Metra spokeswoman Katie Dahlstrom.
The circumstances of the crash or condition of the victim was not immediately know, Dahlstrom said.
The crash caused delays of more than 90 minutes.
Check back for updates.
Hundreds of people evacuated from hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico arrive Sept. 26, 2017, at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago describing days of hardship on the island. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
It was only a few weeks ago that 96-year-old Virginia Garcia recounted for her children how terrifying it was to endure the 1932 San Ciprian hurricane as an 11-year-old girl in Guayama, Puerto Rico.
Earlier this month, Garcia died and her daughter Angela Garcia, of Racine, Wis., returned to Puerto Rico to bury her mother's ashes with her father's in their hometown. Angela Garcia wasn't able to complete her mission and instead found herself swept up in the same kind of terrifying ordeal her mother had just described as she arrived in San Juan two days before Hurricane Maria pummeled the U.S. territory last week.
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Angela Garcia hunkered down in a condo equipped with hurricane shutters during the storm, during which she saw sheets of metal roofing flying through the air. The next day, she emerged to see the lobby of the condo completely destroyed and devastation in one of San Juan's premier neighborhoods.
"I immediately went walking around," Angela Garcia said. "Trees, power lines, everything. It was bad. Condado is like the Rodeo Drive over there. It was beautiful when I got there, and two days later it was devastated."
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Finally, on Tuesday, with much of the island without water, power or access to food, Angela Garcia managed to scramble to the airport where she and others waited for hours to return to the mainland.
Passengers who burst into applause as they landed at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago were greeted at the baggage claim by Red Cross and other disaster relief workers who handed out snacks, water, toiletries and even underwear.
Angela Garcia was among a few hundred passengers on the first direct flights from San Juan that began to trickle into O'Hare. Outside the baggage carousel, she cried as she hugged her brother Franc Garcia.
"I'm not a cryer," she said. "I'm a tough cookie."
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"It was like my mother watching over her," Franc Garcia said. "It was like my mom coming back. She wasn't ready to go in the ground yet. The weird thing is, my mother was talking about, 'Oh, the only time a hurricane ever hit Puerto Rico was when I was 11.' She goes back to the island in a container and a hurricane hits. It just gives me goose bumps thinking about it."
Hurricane Maria brought 100-plus mph winds and extreme flooding to Puerto Rico.
Edwin Rivera, of Frankfort, Ill., was in Puerto Rico to visit relatives when the hurricane rocked the island.
"It was a horrific experience even though that hotel had generator and power and water. They ran out of diesel and kicked us out of the hotel on Thursday. It wasn't pleasant because it was the unknown."
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Rivera made a five-hour trek from San Juan to Ponce to visit his father, a drive that usually takes an hour, he said.
Rivera returned to the airport in San Juan, where he and other hopeful travelers sat on the floor with no air conditioning to wait for a flight to Chicago. And despite the difficulties he faced during his time there, he considers himself fortunate to have made it out.
"It's a miracle. With the backlog, most of the people had flights for early October to get out."
A man being held without bail since being accused of sexually assaulting women while posing as an Uber driver has been linked to three similar attacks in Wrigleyville and River North neighborhoods.
Musaab S. Afandi, 33, who is not affiliated with the popular ride-share service, appeared before Judge David Navarro Wednesday, who denied bail during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.
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Prosecutors said Afandi's DNA was found on three women who were sexually assaulted in Chicago in April 2016, December 2016 and January 2017.
In each case, the victims, women in their 20s, told police they were picked up outside bars in the 3500 block of North Clark Street and in the 200 block of West Chicago Avenue by Afandi who was pretending to be their taxi or Uber driver. After driving for a while, he pulled over and climbed into the back seat to attack the women, prosecutors said.
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One victim, a 21-year-old woman who was intoxicated after leaving a Christmas party at a bar in the River North neighborhood on Dec. 11, 2016, got into a taxi and woke up naked with Afandi on top of her, prosecutors said. She tried to get out through the door but he pinned her down. The woman was able to escape and a witness found her in Skokie and called police, prosecutors said.
After Afandi was arrested in two subsequent attacks in Skokie, police found pictures of the victim's face and body in Afandi's phone as well as a video which included a recording of her voice, prosecutors said.
Afandi, of the 2800 block of Pauline Avenue in Glenview, was already in Cook County Jail on two additional pending cases, which happened On Feb. 12 around 4:30 a.m. and again March 19 around 3:30 a.m. in Skokie.
Skokie police got calls from women reporting they'd been sexually assaulted by a man who said he was a driver for the share service, police said.
The women told Skokie detectives they had been picked up by the man outside different Chicago bars after ordering an Uber, according to the news release. But instead of taking them to their desired location, the man reportedly drove the women to somewhere in Skokie and sexually assaulted them in his car, police said.
A leading purveyor of fake news in the 2016 presidential election has died outside Phoenix at the age of 38.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office spokesman Mark Casey said Tuesday authorities discovered Paul Horner dead in his bed on Sept. 18.
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Casey said the Maricopa County medical examiner performed an autopsy which showed there were no signs of foul play. He said Horner had a history of prescription drug abuse and that "evidence at the scene suggested this could be an accidental overdose."
Horner was known for writing false stories and disseminating internet hoaxes that often went viral on Facebook and hoodwinked thousands of people.
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They included a story falsely claiming President Barack Obama was gay and a radical Muslim, and another saying protesters were being paid thousands of dollars to demonstrate at Donald Trump's campaign rallies.
Horner took on greater prominence during the presidential election when false stories were widely shared on social media during the race between Trump and Hillary Clinton.
In an interview with The Washington Post in 2016, Horner said he thought Trump won the White House because of him. Horner said Trump's supporters didn't fact-check his stories before posting them.
J.J., Horner's brother, said Paul considered his work satire and explained that his brother's unique eye for hoaxes and hypocrisy at a young age later worked as clickbait in the internet world.
"So I think that was a lot of the genius behind a lot of his work was pushing ideas that either people wanted to believe or thought was possible," J.J. said.
Casey said toxicology reports from the medical examiner's office are still pending. The case will remain open until those results are known and a cause of death is finalized.
J.J. Horner said they grew up in Minnesota before moving to Arizona as teenagers. He said his brother was drawing and making political cartoons at a very young age and took an interest in politics.
Horner said while his brother was pigeonholed as a Trump supporter after a member of the Trump family shared one of his stories, he was always transparent about his views and it was obvious that he wasn't.
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"I think he just wanted people to just think for themselves and be credible for their actions," J.J. Horner said. "Read more; get more involved instead of just blindly sharing things."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell lost just about every way possible on Tuesday.
The Kentucky Republican had to abandon, again, an effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act amid an uprising from the more moderate wing of the GOP caucus. Then he learned that one of his most influential Republican chairmen would not run for reelection next year, setting up a potentially divisive race to succeed the senator.
Finally, before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, McConnell suffered the final indignity: His preferred candidate in Alabama, Sen. Luther Strange, R, lost the GOP nomination in embarrassing fashion to a conservative insurgent who vowed that his victory would send a message that McConnell and his allies should "run scared for a while."
While no stranger to defeat in the past - he spent eight years as minority leader - McConnell's string of losses in such a short timespan Tuesday punctured much of his well crafted image as the consummate insider who could deliver.
Each blow had its own unusual circumstances, with President Donald Trump's own erratic performance playing a role, but McConnell's failures came in nearly every facet of congressional leadership.
Roy Moore's resounding win in the Alabama special election, after McConnell's allies spent more than $10 million on Strange's behalf, served as the first time Senate Republicans suffered a major defeat from a right-flank challenger in more than five years. Coupled with the retirement announcement of Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., it means that GOP incumbents will face more challenges next year and that McConnell's promise to help them fend off insurgents will not carry the same weight.
On the legislative front, where McConnell was considered a master of the Senate, the leader could not herd his Republican colleagues or craft a parliamentary process to meet their competing needs. The result was an embarrassing failure to do what they promised voters they would for seven years: Repeal and replace former president Obama's signature health care law.
It left some hard-charging conservatives furious about the outcome.
"There is a complete lack of congressional leadership and no accountability to get results," said Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., first elected in 2014 and a critic of senior GOP senators for abandoning the repeal effort. "From the get go, three Republican Senate chairmen failed to support our efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare as we have all promised to do."
McConnell's inner circle did not even try to sugarcoat the failures and what they meant for Republicans heading into the 2018 midterm elections. Moore's victory, according to the leader's advisers, is a direct result of congressional Republican's failure to repeal a health law they vowed to replace for seven years, nor deliver any other tangible legislative victory in the first eight months of Trump's presidency.
"It should be a wake-up call to every Republican. The deep dissatisfaction among the base with the pace of the Trump agenda is very real," Josh Holmes, McConnell's 2014 campaign manager and still close adviser, said Tuesday. Holmes said the entire party must now unify and deliver on their vow to overhaul the tax code so voters will see more money in their pockets.
"It's the team ball concept," Holmes said, explaining that Republican voters tune out explanations for the stalled agenda. "The frustration is, get it done."
What made Alabama potentially different, and could be a sign of things to come, was the degree to which Moore and his supporters tried to turn McConnell into a boogeyman within his own party.
On Tuesday, before the election results were official, most Senate Republicans remained staunchly behind McConnell - who, next June, is slated to become the longest serving GOP leader in Senate history. He has won eight straight leadership elections by acclamation, with no challenger, and none appears on the horizon in the near term.
His colleagues say McConnell is willing to absorb the criticism that conservative activists fire at him, particularly if it keeps the friendly fire away from rank-and-file Republicans.
"Being the spear-catcher for the conference is part of the responsibility of being in leadership, and Senator McConnell, as he likes to point out, is a big boy," said Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), the majority whip. "He can take it."
But one thing that could hamper McConnell's long-term standing would be if he became a real albatross to his own incumbents in primary elections ahead. Two years ago this week John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced his resignation as House speaker because even close supporters feared voting for him because conservative activists had grown to despise Boehner.
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., saw McConnell as a tangential issue to Alabama voters, who know Moore well from his controversial record as a staunch social conservative on the state Supreme Court.
"I don't think McConnell is the only issue there. Roy Moore is a unique individual," said Shelby, who used McConnell's campaign team to beat back a primary challenge last year.
Internal Alabama politics also played a key role, because Strange received the appointment to succeed Attorney General Jeff Sessions from then-Gov. Robert J. Bentley, who resigned amid scandal a few weeks later.
Acting Gov. Kay Ivey, bowing to local political pressure from GOP rivals who did not like Strange, called a snap special election rather than give Strange until 2018 to find his footing. "They need as much time as they can get to get on their feet, so to speak, and build a base, and four or five months is not a long time to do that," Shelby said.
Still, as he has done with other incumbents, McConnell went all in for Strange with his constellation of super PACs and Washington-based organizations flooding Alabama airwaves for weeks with anti-Moore ads.
Nothing broke through, and once Stephen Bannon left his White House post advising Trump, he returned to run Breitbart News and raced to Alabama to throw in with Moore and vow more primary challengers to McConnell's incumbents.
Trump's support for Strange was meant to shore up relations with Senate Republicans after their caustic August shouting match carried out through the media and Twitter. Corker, in a meeting with Trump recently, pleaded for the president to go to Alabama on Strange's behalf. Trump did so, but in a rambling 90-minute speech Friday night, the president suggested "maybe I made a mistake" in supporting the appointed senator.
It did not even matter that Moore spent the final week voicing his opposition to the very health care repeal legislation that Trump was touting.
Alabama Republicans chose the candidate they believed was "more interested in breaking" Washington rather than one who would loyally back Trump, Holmes said.
That's the message McConnell is taking away from this week - one he will carry with him in the months ahead, particularly on the tax-cut effort.
"They've got to reunify," Holmes said.
If not, McConnell will face more weeks like this one over the next year.
President Trump speaks to the media prior to departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, September 27, 2017, as he travels to Indiana to unveil his tax reform plan. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump says he will negotiate with Democrats on health care after the latest Republican effort to pass an overhaul bill failed in the Senate.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House Wednesday, Trump says he will meet with Democrats and "see if I can get a health plan that is even better."
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The president also says he's looking at taking executive action to make health care changes. Trump says he may sign a "major executive order" that would allow people to buy insurance across state lines.
Trump says that he's almost certain Republicans have the votes to pass legislation to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's signature heath care law.
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Trump is insisting "we have the votes." But he says a vote may not happen until next year.
Physicist Murray Peshkin started in the field as a young research assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, working on the Manhattan Project that produced the world's first atomic bomb.
The theoretical physicist came to Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont in 1959 and never stopped working in quantum mechanics, studying subatomic particles and their behavior long past retirement, even into this year.
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Peshkin, 92, was currently collaborating with Donald Koetke, a physicist and senior research professor at Valparaiso University in Indiana, studying a phenomenon Koetke called the Schwinger scattering of the neutron.
"A distinctive quality of Murray's is that he understood physics so well that he could be insightful he was extremely valuable that way," Koetke said.
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Peshkin died Sept. 20 of complications from heart disease in AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center in Hinsdale, according to his daughter, Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin. He had lived for more than 50 years in Elmhurst with his wife, Frances, who survives him.
He was born and grew up in Brooklyn. With World War II underway, he was an undergraduate at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., when a physics professor encouraged him to take part in a mysterious program.
He talked about that in a 2008 interview for the website Voices of the Manhattan Project.
"I was informed by one of my professors that there was this project where I could serve and make use of what little training in physics I already had. I would be somewhere in the United States, but I would not be able to tell my family where and would not see them again until the end of the war. That was really all he would tell me. Except that, he advised me to go that way. So I did."
The destination was Los Alamos and the project was the Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war with Japan.
After the war, Peshkin returned to Cornell, where he complete work on his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees. In 1951, he took a teaching and research post with Northwestern University. In 1959, he began work at Argonne.
Although he retired from Argonne in 1991, he continued to work there as a research partner until earlier this year. Along the way, he was associate or acting director of the lab's physics division from 1963 to 1983.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 86 Dick Orkin, an award-winning radio advertising creator for close to a half-century who was perhaps best known for his syndicated Chickenman spoof, which aired on Chicago stations, died on Dec. 24 in California. He was 84. Read more. (Handout)
"He was good at explaining things," said physicist John Schiffer, retired like Peshkin, but still working on projects at Argonne. "One of his strengths was enabling others. People would come with (physics) questions, and he would come up with answers."
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Those answers, Schiffer said, helped the questioners do work that went further than it might have without Peshkin's insightful answers.
Peshkin also was working to bring some insights to the intersection of science and religion in lectures before small groups that included service clubs, churches and civic organizations.
"He also wanted people to accept that science and religion can exist side by side," said Argonne colleague Paul Benioff.
Writing in the July 2006 issue of Physics Today magazine, Peshkin urged other physicists to do likewise and explained his intent at a time when he saw many failing to understand the reach as well as the limitations of science.
"I am trying to advance a dialog between the science community and the public," he wrote. "None of what I am saying threatens religion. No observational evidence can disprove some subtle supernatural intervention in cosmological or biological evolution."
Peshkin didn't spend all his time thinking about streams of subatomic particles. He sometimes set forth on more down-to-earth streams, canoeing and camping regularly with his wife and friends. Those ventures in tandem canoes began with vacations in the Adirondacks and continued into this year, with camping and canoeing on Midwestern rivers.
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His only concession to advancing age was to trade his traditional canvas-on-wood canoe for a lightweight Kevlar boat, his daughter said.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Peshkin is survived by sons Michael and Joel, five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Services were held.
Graydon Megan is freelance reporter.
At 8:41 p.m. Oct. 4, 2016, an Aurora police officer pulled over a 2003 Chevrolet Impala. Thus began a disturbing, violent incident in which the vehicle's passenger, 18-year-old Anthony Martell, fled the scene, fired a handgun at the officer and, once cornered by police, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.
The Aurora Beacon-News, a sister publication of the Tribune, jumped on the shocking story, reporting the preliminary details as provided by Aurora police and other authorities. There were a lot of unanswered questions, though, concerning the traffic stop by Officer Jason Woolsey, the ensuing exchange of gunfire (in which no one was hit) and Martell's death. So Beacon-News reporter Hannah Leone dug deeper.
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Surprisingly, Leone hit an official barrier: The Aurora Police Department denied her Freedom of Information Act request to view Woolsey's dashcam video and obtain certain other information from the file. Police offered a host of flimsy excuses for the rejection, including not having the technology to obscure the driver's identity from the video.
Behind Aurora's barrier to information, it seems, is police Chief Kristen Ziman, who has gone public with an unusual Facebook and Twitter attack on the Beacon-News and Leone for investigating the incident. Ziman accused the reporter of being a pest and suggested that the newspaper's pursuit of the public's right to know about a police-involved shooting is out of line. Really, the chief appeared to ask, why not just trust the good intentions and professionalism of Aurora's finest?
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Ziman sounded offended by the Beacon-News' line of questioning, as if Woolsey, a "well-respected officer" who "previously served the country in the armed forces," was being impugned. But what truly got Ziman's goat was Leone's use of FOIA requests. "This is not the first request from this particular reporter that requires dozens and dozens of employee hours to fulfill," Ziman complained in the Facebook post. "Many of the FOIA's this reporter files don't result in published articles," she continued, lamenting the time and cost involved in complying with Illinois law.
It sounds like the police chief of the state's second-largest city is confused about government accountability: The FOIA system is an integral part of the democratic process used daily by citizens, journalists included. Reporters obviously don't have to publish what they get, but officials absolutely must respond (though they can deny requests on certain grounds). The Beacon-News made its request in March. After Aurora police rejected it, the reporter followed protocol and appealed to the Illinois attorney general's office, which said Aurora was wrong. The opinion is nonbinding, but it's a strong indication that the newspaper would prevail if the matter ended up in court. The department released the video, accompanied separately by Ziman's social media rant.
This week, a Beacon-News editorial replied with gusto. It gave Ziman a deserved dressing-down for failing to respect the public's right to know, trying to bully reporters on social media and appearing oblivious to the need to build trust between citizens and police. The Beacon-News wrote:
The police chief of Aurora was outraged that a reporter in a free country that has seen too many questionable police stops and shootings would want to verify what the police were saying and not saying about the tragic event. The department, in denying the FOIA request, was not the first to invent a host of bogus reasons for doing so.
The editorial continued dryly: We realize that you are somewhat new to this business of being a journalism critic, chief, but we must clue you in to one of our newsgathering secrets: You can't tell if information is worth writing a story about until you see the information. Crazy, right? We treasure the input, chief, but you don't get to decide what is a news story.
Amen to that. You can read the editorial here.
Because of the work of the Beacon-News, Aurora residents know a lot more about what happened that night. State and local authorities conducted reviews of the incident and determined Woolsey was justified in firing his weapon, the newspaper reported. However, he committed a "procedural error" by failing to notify dispatch when he began the traffic stop and neglecting to activate the microphone for the video system in his squad car. He received a one-day suspension.
The police chief should recognize she committed her own "procedural error," an outrageous one: Any attempt by a law enforcement official to suppress information that should be public or to intimidate reporters doing their jobs is an affront to freedom. As the Beacon-News concluded, Ziman should be embarrassed.
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Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Darkness falls on downtown San Juan which remains without power. Puerto Rico officials say it will likely be four to six months before power is fully restored across the U.S. territory of 3.5 million people. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
A Rhode Island congressman took to the U.S. House floor Wednesday to implore President Donald Trump and Congress to speed up aid to Puerto Rico following last week's disastrous hurricane.
"Why is this taking so long?" asked Rep. David Cicilline, a Democrat representing the state's 1st Congressional District. "Bring a bill to the floor. Let's address this humanitarian crisis."
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We share Cicilline's frantic concern for Puerto Ricans devastated by Hurricane Maria. The Category 4 storm whipped sustained winds of 155 mph across the island beginning Sept. 20, toppling cell towers and shredding power lines. Communication in the days after the storm has been challenging.
The island, located 1,150 miles off the southeastern coast of Florida, remains largely under blackout. It could be weeks before electricity is restored. Food and water are in short supply. Washed out bridges and roads have worsened isolation. And flood damage to airports has complicated efforts to deliver supplies.
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So, again, we share Cicilline's urgency.
We also offer some context. Puerto Rico's governor, Ricardo Rossello, praised President Trump's responsiveness, saying Trump has been in contact with him on a daily basis. Rossello has said he was "very grateful" for the help of the federal government and blamed logistics, not politics, for delays in getting help immediately after the storm.
Within days of the storm's landfall, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Defense, National Guard, U.S. Marines and the Coast Guard were on the ground or on their way to the island, federal officials have said. Thousands of U.S. Army Reservists also were deployed and flights and vessels of supplies began arriving.
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will qualify for the same programs offered by the federal government toward hurricane relief efforts for residents of Texas and Florida.
So was the response to citizens of Puerto Rico quick enough?
It's never quick enough. Not with a storm of that magnitude on an island 1,150 miles away. It's not possible. Residents of Texas and Florida also waited for help after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Some rural Floridians spent more than a week without electricity or running water, with water and gasoline supplies strained and with homes flooded.
Trump on Wednesday acknowledged his administration is considering lifting the Jones Act to speed up aid to the island. Congress passed the act after World War I to protect U.S. interests, both militarily and economically. The act mandates that products shipped between American ports be carried by vessels built in the United States and staffed by U.S. citizens.
If temporarily lifting the act would speed up supplies to Puerto Rico, the Trump administration should not waste any more time. Do it.
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Also complicating clean-up on the island is its precarious economy, damaged by overspending and teetering near bankruptcy and some say due in part to the the Jones Act, which makes it more expensive for Puerto Rico to receive U.S. products.
Last year, Congress approved the Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act for Puerto Rico, a bill designed to help lift the island out of its vast debts with stricter federal oversight of spending and revenue.
But now more aid is needed. Reinstalling a power grid, along with housing rehabilitation and basic supplies, on a poor, isolated island that relied on tourism and agriculture, will require direct and consistent attention.
Help is there. More is on the way. More can be done.
Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, greets supporters before his election party on Sept. 26, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala. (Brynn Anderson / AP)
As a member of the elitist leftist snoot cabal, I should be overjoyed that Alabama Republicans picked Roy Moore as their candidate for the U.S. Senate .
The former Alabama Supreme Court justice is a caricature of right-wing nuttiness, with bona fides like:
Pulling out a gun at a campaign rally and proclaiming his love of the Second Amendment.
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Blaming the terror attacks of Sept. 11 on general American godlessness.
Believing former President Barack Obama is a secret Muslim.
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Saying, with no supporting evidence, because there is none, that parts of America are under Muslim Shariah law.
The 10-gallon-hat-wearing Moore, who rode a horse to his polling place presumably because his ark was in the shop is a simmering amalgam of biblical verses, National Rifle Association pamphlets and paranoia poured into the skin of a retired birthday party cowboy.
And when Alabama Republicans cast their ballots in the state's U.S. Senate primary Tuesday, a majority of them thought: "Yep. This conspiracy-theory-believing religious zealot who was twice suspended when he was chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court is the best man to send to Washington!"
As a loathsome liberal squish whose soulless opinions have likely doomed America to eternal damnation, I should be delighted. Moore highlights everything whack-a-doodle about the extreme right wing of the GOP, and he gives Democrats a shot, albeit a slim one, at picking up a Senate seat in deep-red Alabama.
And the cherry on this remarkably nutty sundae is that President Donald Trump who looks positively reasonable by comparison didn't endorse Moore. Trump endorsed the other candidate Luther Strange making Moore's victory an embarrassment to a president who likes being embarrassed about as much as Moore likes subtlety.
The elitist leftist snoot cabal should be enraptured by this news. But this particular member is not.
To explain why, let's look closer at Moore.
His last suspension from the court came after he told state probate judges to not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Moore has been outspoken about his views on the subject, once saying: "I think homosexuality should be illegal."
He once seemed to equate homosexuality and bestiality, and when asked whether he was comparing one to the other he said: "It's the same thing."
He has written columns for the conspiracy-theory website World Net Daily, including one in which he said Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, shouldn't be allowed to be sworn in with a Quran:
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"But common sense alone dictates that in the midst of a war with Islamic terrorists we should not place someone in a position of great power who shares their doctrine. In 1943, we would never have allowed a member of Congress to take their oath on 'Mein Kampf,' or someone in the 1950s to swear allegiance to the 'Communist Manifesto.'"
Moore recently said at a campaign stop: "People are getting killed in the streets. Chicago has the highest murder rate you can imagine. All across our land we have child abuse, we have sodomy, we have murder, we have rape, we have all kind of immoral things happening because we have forgotten God."
His devout religious views would be simply his own business, but Moore, as a judge and now as a would-be lawmaker, vehemently asserts that God's law prevails over the laws of humans.
On top of all that, Moore doesn't believe in evolution and he writes terrible dystopian poetry that includes lines like:
"You think that God's not angry, that our land's a moral slum?
"How much longer will it be before His judgment comes?
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"And how can we face our God, from Whom we cannot hide?
"What is left for us to do, but stem this evil tide!"
Yeesh. It sounds like somebody whacked Morrissey on the head with a Bible.
Moore's Democratic opponent in this race to fill the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions is former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones. It's possible Moore's extremism could tip the scales to Jones, but it's a long shot.
And that means that in the year 2017, it's likely that a man who thinks it should be against the law to be gay will become a senator.
One of the 100 senators who make laws and help govern this country could be a guy who not long ago told a reporter for the news site Vox: "There are communities under Sharia law right now in our country. Up in Illinois. Christian communities."
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When pressed on that statement, Moore said: "Well, there's Sharia law, as I understand it, in Illinois, Indiana up there. I don't know. Well, let me just put it this way if they are, they are; if they're not, they're not."
And that's why I take no joy in Moore's victory. He may make the Republican Party look bad, but the truth is he makes all of America look bad.
His victory shows the sharpest division that exists in America right now. It's not between liberals and conservatives. It's between people living in the present day and people living in a made-up past whose very existence depends on conspiracies and unhinged websites and biblical contortions.
This guy doesn't belong in the Senate. He belongs on a street corner screaming at passers-by to repent.
If you believe otherwise, there's a gap between us that can't be bridged. It's not a liberal snoot vs. conservative grump thing, or even a conservative vs. ultra-conservative thing.
It's a sane vs. crazy thing. And the latter, in Alabama, prevailed.
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Which doesn't speak well for Alabama. Or for the country as a whole.
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com
An Elburn man is accused of soliciting sex from a child.
The Kane Country State's Attorney's Office, after an investigation by the Kane County Sheriff's Office, charged 49-year-old Richard L. Herra, 400 block of East Reader Street, with indecent solicitation of a child, a Class 3 felony; attempted aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 3 felony; and indecent solicitation of a child through the internet, a Class 4 felony.
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Herra was taken into custody Sept. 25 by Kane County Sheriff's detectives, according to a press release from the Kane County State's Attorney's Office.
Herra appeared Wednesday in Kane County bond court. The bond court judge, over the objection of the Kane County State's Attorney's Office, released Herra on a signature bond and set his next court appearance for 9 a.m., Oct. 12, at the Kane County Judicial Center, according to the release.
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As a condition of bond, Herra is prohibited from having contact with the victim and prohibited from having contact with anyone younger than 17 other than his immediate family members.
If convicted of the most serious offense, Herra faces a sentence of probation or between two and five years in prison.
In addition to the prison term, Herra would have to register as a sexual offender for 10 years in accordance with the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act if convicted.
The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the case should call Kane County Sheriff's investigators at 630-444-1103, according to the release.
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful, historic house in Geneva, and Fiora's now calls the house home.
"This house is 90 years old and was owned by a wealthy family as a second home," said co-owner Ann Anastasio. Ten years ago she and her husband Mike bought it to save it from demolition. "My dad worked here in this building 30 years ago. We knew there was a beautiful space on the first floor and when we walked in I said, 'We need to open a restaurant here.' It took us over a year to complete the renovations. We really believed in our vision."
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Fiora's is named after Mike and Ann Anastasio's 10-year-old daughter, Alexa Fiora. "We just made up her name from Ann Frances, which is my name. My husband is Italian and he wanted a name that reflected that," Anastasio said.
Fiora's opened eight years ago. "We want people to feel like they walk into someone's house for a drink, like a home away from home. Our own slice of heaven," Anastasio said of the different rooms, including the library bar, sunroom, wine cellar and chandelier room, with two original chandeliers.
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The menu includes seafood, poultry, ribs, steak and pasta. "Before we opened we had traveled a bit and asked friends what they liked," Anastasio said. "The majority of our popular dishes are items we would enjoy. Our menu changes daily and it really depends on fresh fruit, vegetables and meats our chef has that day. He is very creative."
Anastasio said she believes in giving back to the Geneva community, and she is thrilled that Fiora's "will become a place to go and meet.
"We have live music on a beautiful summer night. We have people that stop in the street with their families and even dance. That's what life is all about, right? Dancing with your children on the lawn."
About the owners: The Anastasios bought the historic house to rescue it from demolition. "We knew that most people wouldn't be able to see this place if it were turned private so we decided to open a restaurant so that everyone could enjoy it," Anastasio said.
Specialties: American- and European-influenced cuisine ranging from homemade soups to scallops, boneless short rib, salmon, duck, calamari, bang bang shrimp and crabcakes.
Prices: Artisan cheese selections are $6.95 for one and $16.95 for three. Appetizers from $9.95 to $13.95. Soup and salad from $5.95 to $10.95. Lunch from $4.95 to $11.95. Sandwiches from $10.95 to $13.95. Entrees from $10.95 to $35.95. Sides from $3.95 to $4.95. Desserts are $6 to $7. Dessert wine and spirits from $8 to $10. Bourbons from $9 to $12.
Logistics: Fiora's is at 317 S. Third St., Geneva. Hours are 5:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Call 630-262-1317 or go to www.fioras.com.
Shonda Talerico Dudlicek is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
Roger Vernon and Terri Voitik, board members of the Big Woods School Foundation, stand outside the Aurora school. (Cathy Janek / The Beacon-News )
Slightly obscured by large oak trees, a sturdy brick building with a red tile roof that sits near Eola and Butterfield roads at the very northeastern tip of Aurora has a great deal to celebrate.
On Sunday, Big Woods School will be commemorating its 100th birthday.
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The event is free and open to the public and will include a birthday cake, old fashioned games for children, tours of the school and a presentation by a former student.
At one time, the likelihood of Big Woods School celebrating its 100 years in existence was not so certain.
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Named the Big Woods School by settlers who came to the area and saw a grove of oak and hickory trees, construction on the school began in 1917, replacing a wooden structure that had been used by students since the 1840s.
Students from area farm families attended Big Woods School until 1963, when the school closed.
For a time, the building housed a furniture restorer and since then has sat empty. When developers began plans to build warehouses on nearby land, it sought out a group which would consider moving the old school building, otherwise it would be demolished.
Only a last-minute meeting between the developer and a preservation officer with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency resulted in Bridge Development donating the property to a nearby church in 2007 for $10.
Still, from 2007 until 2012, the school sat empty and unused.
In 2012, the Big Woods School Foundation was formed with the hope of turning the old school into a community center that could be used as an educational and historical resource and gathering place for the community.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016, the Big Woods School Foundation is determined to raise $500,000 to restore the school.
A classroom inside historic Big Woods School in Aurora. (Cathy Janek / The Beacon-News )
Terri Voitik, a board member of the Big Woods School Foundation, said, "So far we have raised about $21,000" through fundraisers, donations from the City of Aurora and private donations.
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Future fundraising events for the foundation include a cemetery walk and farm-to-table dinner.
"Right now, there is no water, no electric, and no gas" at the school, she said.
Allen Pepa Architects, a local firm, will be on hand at the 100th birthday party celebration to discuss plans for a major renovation and restoration of the building.
Plans include adding bathrooms, a kitchen, renovating the small library, adding a covered porch and installing an expanded parking lot.
To prepare for the celebration, Roger Vernon, chairman of the Big Woods School Foundation Board, said the group "had a couple of clean-ups" to get the school in shape.
"The original vintage wooden floors, blackboards and cloakrooms are all intact," Voitik said.
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The land for the school, an adjacent cemetery that includes tombstones from veterans of both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, and a church were donated by John and Anna Brown in the 1840s, she said.
Voitik added the former students who come back to visit the school "have such an attachment to it."
Roger Vernon and Terri Voitik of the Big Woods School Foundation discuss the original plaster walls at the historic school in Aurora. (Cathy Janek / The Beacon-News )
Looking into the future, Vernon said the school could be a part of something bigger to celebrate the history of that portion of Aurora.
"We would like to see this area (including the church, cemetery, and farm house) become a historic district," Vernon said.
Cathy Janek is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
Big Woods School celebration
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What: The 100th anniversary celebration of Big Woods School
When: 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1
Where: Big Woods School on Eola Road near Butterfield Road in Aurora
Firefighters at Station 10 in Aurora help Sugar Grove resident Laura Dhom unload supplies Wednesday morning that will be sent on to Puerto Rico. (Laura Dhom)
Aurora's police and fire departments have teamed up with the Puerto Rican Fraternal Order Lodge to provide relief for those in need in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
On Wednesday, collection sites opened at the police department's main headquarters at 1200 E. Indian Trail Road as well as at all Aurora fire stations and the Puerto Rican lodge at 306 W. Union St. where nonperishable goods, baby care items, cleaning supplies and more will be temporarily stored.
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Alvin Soto, an evidence technician for the Aurora Police Department, said he and others including Puerto Rican Lodge member Eddie Perez are more than anxious about the short- and long-term wellness of those affected by the hurricane in Puerto Rico, including their own family and friends living there.
"I have family there including my father, aunts, uncles and cousins, and I had a brief conversation this past Sunday with my father's wife and while they are all alive, they are struggling," Soto said. "We pretty much started talking right away after this happened about getting help down there, but we wanted to get more information, particularly about how we could get things shipped."
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Perez, a retired Batavia police officer, said that he too has "pretty much the same collection of family in Puerto Rico" as Soto and agreed that one of the problems "isn't about the collection of supplies, but how to get them there."
"I've made a bunch of calls and reached out to various venues in Elgin and Chicago, and the plan is to piggyback our collection with theirs," Perez said. "I'm convinced there are a lot of people here locally that are willing to help, but I've heard it's difficult to get supplies delivered because the ship ports are in such bad shape there."
Perez added that his own family members and others living there "are used to working under sporadic conditions including low electricity and running out of supplies."
"The thing is, it could take two to six months before these supplies get down there and so we're looking at something long term, which is why things have to be nonperishables as they could sit there a while," Perez said.
Ray Torres of the Aurora Fire Department said he has two brothers as well as "nieces, aunts and uncles" currently living in Puerto Rico but that local efforts "are certainly for everyone living down there as they are our fellow Americans who need help."
"All of us, including Alvin and Eddie, grew up together here in Aurora, and as devastating as this was, we couldn't just sit back," Torres said. "The Fire Department was more than happy to help with this, and we have a total of nine collection sites and will try to get these supplies out as soon as possible."
Like Perez, Torres said it is important to take the long view and recognize that even if supplies don't reach people in Puerto Rico for a number of months, "it's important to have an inventory that has been built up."
"The logistical problems we may face are nothing compared to what people there are going through," Torres said. "There may be some frustration on our part, but it really pales in comparison. This is not going to be a short recovery and people's lives there are unimaginable compared to ours here as people just go about their daily business. Our supplies need to be (collected on an ongoing basis), and there is going to be more than one shipment."
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Sugar Grove resident Laura Dhom was one of the first to donate Wednesday when collections began and brought about $50 worth of toothpaste, canned goods, hygiene products and batteries over to Fire Station 10 on the city's west side.
"I've been to the islands twice and took family there this past June," Dhom explained before firefighters helped unload her car. "Despite my being Mexican, I have a lot of Puerto Rican friends and though I grew up poor, we have so much more here than people there. It breaks my heart. People are being charged $1,000 a ticket to get out, and so many will have to stay. I want to come back next week and send more."
Collection of donations will continue through Oct. 4. For more information, visit the Puerto Rican Fraternal Order Lodge's Facebook page.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
In the wake of a hostage incident at a Fox Valley hospital this spring, state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) has introduced legislation this week in Springfield designed to help protect nurses from workplace violence.
"In the last decade, workplace violence against nurses has increased at an alarming rate," Kifowit said in a press release. "An attack on one nurse can endanger the lives of many patients in their care, so it's critical that we take steps to ensure health care professionals are protected against violent individuals."
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The issue of safety for nurses was in the spotlight on May 13, when a hostage incident happened at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva. An inmate from the Kane County Jail receiving inpatient medical treatment at the hospital took two nurses captive during an hours-long standoff that ended when a regional SWAT officer fatally shot the inmate.
House Bill 4100 would require all facilities employing nurses to institute Workplace Violence Prevention Programs, including committees that are made up of nurses, doctors, administrators and others who work at the facility charged with reviewing security issues, according to the release.
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The committee would look at how to handle potentially violent patients, and establishing policies that ensure the reporting, recording, and monitoring of incidents.
"Nurses advocate for patients. Yet, historically, nurses have suffered verbal and physical abuse from our patients and others. Who will advocate for nurses?" said Doris Carroll, vice president of the Illinois Nurses Association, in the release.
The measure would also provide whistle-blower protections for nurses who file criminal complaints against individuals who attack them. This would protect nurses from any backlash from their employers for reporting assaults, supporters said.
"Unfortunately, far too often nurses feel intimidated about reporting workplace violence," said Alice Johnson, executive director of the Illinois Nurses Association.
The FBI is searching for two serial bank robbers who separately have held up 13 suburban banks this year. (FBI)
The FBI is searching for two serial bank robbers who, the agency says, have held up 13 suburban banks this year, including two on Tuesday in Rolling Meadows and Glen Ellyn and one Monday in La Grange.
The Tuesday robberies were committed by a man who is believed to have robbed five banks in nine days, the FBI said. He also has been observed in other banks waiting near the teller counter before walking away for unknown reasons, the FBI said.
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On Tuesday, he robbed the Fifth Third Bank on Algonquin Road in Rolling Meadows about 1:20 p.m. and the Chase Bank on Butterfield Road in Glen Ellyn about 6 p.m., the FBI said.
He also is believed to have robbed a TCF Bank on Maple Avenue in Lisle on Sept. 18, a TCF Bank in Mannheim Road in Westchester on Sept. 20 and a U.S. Bank on Illinois Highway 59 in Plainfield on Saturday.
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The man is described as black in his 20s or 30s, 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-3 with a small build. In the Rolling Meadows robbery he was wearing a long-sleeved, button-down red shirt, dark sunglasses, a black hat, black tie and dark pants.
A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered by the FBI for information leading to his arrest.
A second robber, who struck the Bank of America on 47th Street in La Grange on Monday afternoon, is believed to have held up eight suburban banks since January.
He also is believed to have committed the following robberies: Fifth Third Bank on 63rd Street in Woodridge on Jan. 12, Fifth Third Bank on Larkin Avenue in Elgin on Feb. 3, Chase Bank on McHenry Road in Buffalo Grove on June 30, Fifth Third Bank on Mannheim Road in Rosemont on July 22, Fifth Third Bank on Elmhurst Road in Des Plaines on July 28, Chase Bank on Roosevelt Road in Lombard on Aug. 19 and First American Bank on Roosevelt Road in Glen Ellyn on Sept. 2, according to the FBI.
He is described by the FBI as white in his mid-20s to 30s, 5-foot-8 to 6-foot-1 with a medium build and brown hair.
However, La Grange police said the man who robbed the Bank of America was described as being about 6 feet tall, and between 35 and 40 years old. He also was described as having a receding hair line and was wearing blue sunglasses, dark pants, a dark jacket and had bandages on his fingertips.
A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information leading to his arrest, the FBI said.
"When someone commits a bank robbery it places many individuals at risk of injury or worse," FBI agent and spokesman Garrett Croon said in a statement. "Bank employees, customers, civilians, responding law enforcement, and others are all in danger during the course of and after a bank robbery."
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Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI's Chicago office at 312-421-6700.
Lawrence Wyllie arrives for his arraignment on federal fraud charges at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Sept. 27, 2017. Wyllie led the Lincoln-Way school district for over two decades. Prosecutors allege he defrauded the community by using bond money for construction to hide the district's lack of operations funds. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Former Lincoln-Way Superintendent Lawrence Wyllie pleaded not guilty in federal court Wednesday to fraud and embezzlement charges, and his attorney said they plan to fight the case to trial.
Wyllie arrived minutes before his arraignment in a blue suit with a cross lapel pin. His attorneys largely spoke for him, and he ignored reporters asking questions afterward. Before they stepped into the elevator, one of Wyllie's attorneys, Dan Webb, said they would be going to trial.
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Federal prosecutors allege Wyllie, 79, hid the "true financial health" of Lincoln-Way High School District 210 by misusing millions in bond money and fraudulently spent school district funds on personal projects, including Superdog, a dog training school he ordered built.
Wyllie also pocketed more than $30,000 in unused vacation days and a retirement bonus he wasn't entitled to, prosecutors charged.
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Wyllie's attorneys released a statement earlier this month maintaining Wyllie's innocence and lauding him as "a model educator in Illinois for 55 years."
Several community members who have been critical of the district attended the hearing, as did a man who they said confronted them to ask if they were enjoying themselves.
Elizabeth Burghard, a Lincoln-Way taxpayer who has been a critic of the district since its financial problems became publicly apparent in 2015, said the residents turned out because "it's important this case set a precedent for other districts across the state ... so school boards and administration are made accountable to community members they serve."
Under Wyllie's leadership from 1989 to 2013, Lincoln-Way grew from one school with two campuses to two separate four-year schools, and the district experienced overcrowding. In response, Wyllie pushed hard for a $225 million referendum measure in 2006 to build two new schools and accommodate growth.
A community group campaigned vigorously against the proposal, arguing that the district should build one school and wait to see whether a fourth was necessary before moving forward. But voters backed Wyllie, and the district went on to issue $52 million in bonds in 2006, $123 million in 2007 and $29 million in 2009.
The population growth, which was based on questionable assumptions by district officials, didn't materialize, and the district began blowing quickly through its cash reserves.
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
As Lincoln-Way's finances atrophied, Wyllie fraudulently used bond funds to conceal the district's true financial condition, prosecutors said.
The district's problems did not become apparent to the public until 2015, when Lincoln-Way landed on the state's financial watch list and the school board voted to shutter Lincoln-Way North High School, igniting a firestorm of criticism.
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By then, Wyllie had retired and largely disappeared from public view.
Last year, amid intensifying scrutiny from the Daily Southtown, federal investigators and community members, Wyllie resigned from the boards of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and the University of St. Francis. He also sold his Frankfort home and moved to Naperville.
Lincoln-Way administration also quietly removed plaques honoring Wyllie at each of the district's schools.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt
The owner of the the building at 41 S. Grove Ave. is a fugitive wanted on tax evasion charges. But Elgin entrepreneur Kevin Echevarria is confident in a deal to bring new life to the property. (Mike Danahey/Courier-News )
A Russian national who is a fugitive wanted by federal authorities for three years on tax evasion charges owns a downtown Elgin building that has seen its own share of trouble in recent times.
Now an Elgin entrepreneur is eyeing the space, which he wants to transform into a food hall for budding businesses.
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Kane County records state that 51 S. South Grove Ave., which had Smooth Fox as its most recent tenant, is owned by Victor Lipukhin/LV Management, Inc.
According to court documents Lipukhin, 54, ran LV Management and was indicted in March 2014 on one count of attempting to interfere with administration of IRS laws and three counts of making and subscribing a false tax report.
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Department of Justice spokeswoman Nicole Navas Oxman said Lipukhin is not in custody, is considered a fugitive, and the case against him is pending.
Despite the situation, Kevin Echevarria said he has a rent-to-own agreement and believes he will be the one to succeed in the building.
"They were asking for $950,000 and that's what we committed to," Echevarria said.
Echevarria has plans to be in the space by January, growing his LocalVore operation at 11 Douglas Ave. and his Shared Dream Kitchen at 1544 Fleetwood Drive.
LocaVore is a pop-up venue for anything from art classes and art shows to restaurants and test kitchens. Shared Dream Kitchen is a food service incubator. Both are part of Echevarria's PKE Enterprises, which Echevarria started with his father.
St. Charles attorney Robert W. Smith is listed as a registered agent for LV Management with the Illinois Secretary of State's Office, but he would not comment on the potential deal.
"I represented LV Management in an eviction case. That's all I can tell you," Smith said.
Court documents state Lipukhin formerly served as president of Severstal Inc., a subsidiary of AO Severstal, the largest steel producer in Russia. He lived in St. Charles from at least 2001 through mid-2007, according to the indictment. Lipukhin ran several domestic entities, including Charlestal, LLC and LV Management, LLC, which owned and rented out properties in the suburbs of Chicago, the indictment states.
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Authorities allege that from 2002 at least until 2007, Lipukhin kept bank between $4 million and $7.5 million in Swiss bank accounts. Money from those accounts was held through two entities in the Bahamas, one which initially held $47 million. Lipukhin also had set up two shell companies in the Bahamas, failed to report his ownership of these accounts and failed to report any income earned in these accounts on his tax returns, according to court filings.
According to the indictment, Lipukhin used fictitious mortgages through an entity controlled by a Canadian attorney to conceal his purchase of real estate in the United States with funds from the foreign accounts. Lipukhin also set up another company to buy a building in St. Charles and arranged to have funds transferred to a domestic bank account to conceal the source of the funds, which he used for personal expenses, according to the Department of Justice.
The indictment also alleges Lipukhin attempted to prevent an automobile dealer from filing a Form 8300 which is required for certain cash transactions over $10,000 with the IRS in order to report Lipukhin's cash payment to purchase an automobile.
He faces charges of attempting to interfere with the administration of the internal revenue laws and three counts of filing false tax returns. Each is a Class D felony punishable by up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to court documents.
The 51 S. Grove Ave. address has hosted a number of businesses in recent years. It most recently was home to Smooth Fox, a restaurant and nightclub that closed after about a year in business. Owner Justin Hodge was evicted in June for owing $9,000 in back rent. During Smooth Fox's run, Elgin officials and police held several discussions with Hodge about the number and type of calls for service to the establishment.
According to Courier-News reports, the former department store had been converted into a spot for music and food called Mad Maggie's that opened in 2008 and closed in September 2010. It opened briefly later that year as a spot called The Hangout.
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In summer 2011, a Wisconsin couple had signed a lease and planned on opening a restaurant and bar at the location. But costs associated with renovations, particularly elevator repairs the city requested, led to the couple never opening, the Courier-News reported.
In late 2012 the Mexican restaurant Mr. Tequila opened in the space and closed in early 2015, the Courier-News reported.
In 2015, a Plainfield couple planned to turn the spot into a restaurant and bar with a Prohibition era speakeasy theme. They told the Courier-News they stepped away due to issues with an elevator that was not fully operational and a grease trap that leaked and had been badly patched and kept. According to the Kane County Treasurer's Office online records, property tax payments on the downtown Elgin property are paid and up to date, with an installment of $7,914.80 made June 1 and a payment of $8,033.52 made Sept. 6.
Echevarria said if the Grove property became tied up in the case against Lipukhin, he believes the government would work with him instead of kicking him out.
While he has worked with the property broker to set up the deal, he said he has never talked with Lipukhin or Smith, the lawyer. He was on a couple email threads "that had everyone connected on them, but I've never had a direct conversation with his lawyer," he said.
Echevarria declined to provide names of those involved in the deal.
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Echevarria said his lease-to-own deal is a "true buy option," he is confident it will allow him to take full control of the building, and that he has the best interests of Elgin at heart for what he is doing.
The South Grove spot would provide more room for pop-up businesses, have a retail aspect and could be used for the 75 dream kitchen members Echevarria works with and space to cater events. Echevarria's plans for the building include having a commercial kitchen and dining room, private event and meeting space, a city liquor license with a separate tap room and offering management and business-development services clients.
Elgin Corporate Counsel William Cogley said if Lipukhin is still an owner that would not be a factor to keep the city from granting Echevarria a liquor license.
"We've done a lot of due diligence," Kevin Echevarria said. "We're confident in the deal. It has language that protects us."
However, Mayor Dave Kaptain said, given the circumstances, Echevarria should be very careful in any deal for the property.
"I know Kevin, and I like him. He's a good guy, and I don't want him to have any trouble with his business," Kaptain said. "But based upon what I've heard, I wouldn't touch that building with a 10-foot pole until things are resolved between the current owner and the federal government."
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mdanahey@tribpub.com
From left to right: Favio Velazquez, Ira A. Burdine and Dana J. Prouty. (Kane County State's Attorney)
Elgin police said Wednesday the indictment of three people on charges related to illegal weapon purchases in Kane County is related to the discovery of a cache of weapons last year.
Three people face criminal charges in an alleged plot to illegally buy guns, according to a news release from Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon.
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Ira A. Burdine, 40, of the 1900 block of Gideon Avenue in Zion; Dana J. Prouty, 46, of the 9000 block of Sheridan Road in Kenosha, Wis.; and Favio Velazquez, 38, of the 1700 block of Alum Creek Drive in Columbus, Ohio, have been indicted on a class X felony count of unlawful purchase of a firearm.
They have been accused of providing false information at the time the weapons were bought, saying the weapons were not being bought on behalf of another person, according to the charging documents.
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"The law that these three individuals are alleged to have violated is in place to protect against guns getting into the hands of the wrong people," McMahon said in the release.
The charges stem from the discovery in August 2016 of a cache of weapons including fully automated firearms and hand grenades in a Big Timber Road storage facility, police said.
Juan Mexicano, 32, of Addison, was arrested after that search. He remains in the Kane County Jail on $1 million bail awaiting trial. Mexicano was charged with five class 2 felony counts of possession of weapons-machine guns.
Juan Mexicano (Elgin police)
Kane County prosecutors are handling the cases because the guns were found in Elgin, officials said. Federal officials have not indicated where the weapons were bought or their intended use.
According to Kane County court documents, the guns recovered in Elgin included:
A Colt AR-15 SP1 model .223-caliber rifle designed to shoot more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger.
Two unknown model .233-caliber rifles designed to automatically shoot more than one shot.
An MP28 Schmeisser designed to automatically shoot more than one shot.
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A .45-caliber Thompson submachine gun designed to automatically shoot more than one shot.
The arrests were part of a joint investigation between the Elgin Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, police said.
After the indictments, warrants for their arrests were issued. Burdine's bail was set at $150,000, Prouty's at $100,000 and Velazquez's at $200,000.
Burdine and Prouty were taken into custody Sept. 11 by agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Burdine posted bond and was released. His next court appearance is Oct. 5 at the Kane County Judicial Center. Prouty remains in Kane County Jail. Her next court date is Sept. 28 at the Judicial Center.
Velazquez was taken into custody Sept. 22, in Columbus, Ohio, by local ATF task force officers, according to the release. His extradition from Ohio is pending.
James M. Gibbons, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations' Chicago office said, "Anyone who 'straw purchases' guns circumvents the federal laws designed to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals, terrorists and other threats to national security and public safety."
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Janelle Walker is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.
Glencoe resident Daniella Weisman and her husband, Neil, have three children, ages 6, 5 and 3. She is a stay-at-home mother for now, but plans to go back to being a buyer in the fashion industry. She is originally from Brazil and has 12 tattoos.
Q: What did you enjoy most about being in the fashion industry?
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A: This is what I have done my entire life, so I don't know anything different. I love fashion... It was not boring. I liked the adventure of just being in different places.
Q: Do you miss it?
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A: My first year of motherhood was really hard because I had to give it up and enter this whole new world. I was 34 when I had my first child, so it was different. I always wanted to be a mother; no one is prepared for it. But I feel blessed as I am able to raise my children.
Q: How did you meet your husband?
A: He was in Brazil on vacation and we had mutual friends, and one of his best friends was dating this Brazilian girl, and her sister was one of my best friends. So we somehow got in the same group and we dated for two years long distance. And after two years, we got married. He owns a company in Northbrook, and it was easier for me to quit my job and just move here.
Q: What was the hardest part of moving to the United States?
A: I didn't speak English. That was probably the biggest challenge. I was very successful personally, but I had to become a student, that was the hardest part. But I thought it was worth it. It took me about two years to learn the language.
Q: What do you like about tattoos?
A: Once you get your first one and you get over the fear of how painful it is, you become addicted to it. The first one had no meaning, but now all of them are part of my life and have meaning to me, and I just love them.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
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Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we get to know and introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago.
Susan Wolff of Deerfield has retired from teaching, but she's still using her classroom icon "Quackers" to spread literacy and promote kindness.
Q: How did you get the idea for your children's book, "Quackers Wants to Fly"?
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A: When I taught school in Highland Park, I had this toy duck I would bring to school. He developed his own personality. He would sit on the kids' desks and answer questions. The children would work really hard for the privilege of having Quackers on their desk for the day. The duck became a symbol of caring and being nice and helping one another. The kids said I should write a story about the duck.
Q: Did you jump on the idea?
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A: I wasn't so sure I wanted to do that. After I retired, I started taking writing workshops. I also had my first grandchild, and the story became very important. It took me at least 10 years to get the book published. When my contract with the publisher ran out, I decided to self-publish because I really wanted to start donating my book.
Q: What's the story about?
A: Quackers is very, very frustrated that he can't fly, but he doesn't give up. He goes off and talks to all these friends a goose, a dragonfly, a wise owl and each one gives him a suggestion. When I do school readings, the kids are so cute. They'll say, "When I was really little I couldn't ride a bike or I couldn't skate and my sister helped me." They get the analogy. My illustrator, Justin Currie, made the characters so adorable that the kids get very attached.
Q: You donate a book for each one purchased. Who have you given books to?
A: I've donated books to Shriners Hospital for Children in Chicago, a school destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, an Appalachian outreach organization, Ronald McDonald House and others.
Q: What's next?
A: The next book coming out in 2018 will focus on Ollie the Wise Owl. The series and my website is called Friends at the Pond.
Karen Berkowitz is a reporter for Pioneer Press.
From left to right is Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, state Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Round Lake Beach, and Executive Director Pat Kennedy of the no-kill shelter Save-A-Pet in Grayslake, which received more than $28,000 with help from the state treasurer and state representative. (Frank Abderholden/News-Sun )
A Popular Grove woman decided 17 years ago to donate the proceeds of her life insurance policy to the Save-A-Pet no-kill shelter in Grayslake, and on Tuesday, the organization finally got its check through the help of its local state representative and Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs.
Frerichs and state Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Round Lake Beach, teamed up to help the organization, celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, to collect the money after it was discovered in an audit of a insurance company by the Unclaimed Property program of the treasurer's office.
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The woman, Patricia Dwyer, died when she was 56 and had lived in Boone County near Rockford.
"This means a great deal to Save-A-Pet and it means a lot that they worked with us until we actually received it. Thank you for all your hard work and the benefit it will be for our organization," said Pat Kennedy, executive director of the shelter, who received the giant check at a celebration on Tuesday outside its offices at 31664 N. Fairfield Road.
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"This can be used for operations, intake costs, anything and everything," she said. "It's very important on all fronts.
"This will help us take care of pets like Bronson here," she added, standing with a brown American pit bull terrier who greeted visitors Tuesday with Kennedy and gave everyone a sniff.
The organization says on its website it provides a safe haven for abused, neglected, injured and lost animals, in addition to animals that have escaped euthanasia. It has helped in the adoption of more than 61,000 dogs and cats.
Kennedy said Save-a-Pet does not discriminate by age, breed or health. It has 100 foster families off-site that take care of animals until they can be adopted, a volunteer base of 300 who help with walking and cleaning, and 32 staff members who can do intakes and adoptions.
"We're a very big place," she said.
How Dwyer ever heard of the organization, Kennedy will never know.
"She wasn't a volunteer. We're not sure what the relationship was," she said of Dwyer. "Maybe she just heard about us."
Yingling said he has helped the treasurer's office give back more than $250,000 in his district.
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"The treasurer knows this is doing more good than sitting in a bank account in Springfield," he said. "This puts money back into the economy.
"It's an absolute joy to have assisted in the return of monies to a non -profit in my district."
Frerichs said the treasurer's program has identified 3,500 people in Lake County with unclaimed assets of $7.4 million, and statewide there are 237,000 people with $255,000 million in unclaimed assets.
"I believe if someone buys life insurance and that person dies, it no longer belongs to the company, it belongs to the beneficiaries," he said.
"Some insurance companies believe if no one calls to claim it, they must not want it, so it's ours," Frerichs added. "About 70 percent of the companies do allow us to audit and find unclaimed insurance."
That was how the Save-A-Pet money was found. He said with the help of Boone County Clerk Julie Stapler, auditors were able to get a death certificate and move the case along to Tuesday's conclusion.
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Frerichs had a run-in this year with Gov. Bruce Rauner when the governor used an amendatory veto on House Bill 302 to loosen the requirements that Frerichs thought would help his office discover more money.
"This is a perfect example of why audits of life insurance companies are necessary," he said. "We must continue to hold bad actors accountable and help ensure the wishes of the deceased are fulfilled."
Frerichs said sometimes the program's job to identify people and search them out is not always easy.
"It can be hard to track down owners, because some people don't believe we are giving money away," he said.
Frerichs said his office has uncovered more than $550 million in death benefits that were not paid to families in Illinois between 2011 and 2015.
fabderholden@tribpub.com
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Our region has gone through a stretch of early fall weather where the temperatures have been in the high 80s/low 90s. The Caribbean basin has seen three recent extreme hurricanes.
Temperatures have been warm in the desert Southwest. San Francisco has suffered through record temperatures. Torrential rainfalls drowned Lake County communities in July.
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The result of climate change a theory that our current federal government rejects outright or just part of the Earth's changing atmosphere?
For Congressman Brad Schneider and a few other Democratic colleagues, there is no doubt about it: Recent weird weather phenomena have been caused by global climate change.
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Earlier this month, Schneider introduced legislation the Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act in Washington to develop a national action plan for the public health sector to deal with the effects of climate change.
"Understanding the public health effects of climate change and preparing our health system to respond is a matter of critical strategic importance," said the Deerfield Democrat. "As we confront the acute devastation of the recent hurricanes in Florida and Texas, we must also contend with the longer-term threats to our health and wellness posed by a changing climate."
Except many meteorologists are divided over if climate change played a minor part in causing the formation of the devastating hurricanes that hit the Texas Gulf Coast, Florida and a dozen Caribbean locales, including the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Logically, although the Trump administration dismisses it, it makes sense that the more fossil fuels we burn, the more carbon dioxide goes into the atmosphere, which causes climate warming, which has long-term consequences.
Most scientists agree on this concept, although that fails to explain why the winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid. Maybe that occurred just on the Canadian side, and it was 85 years ago when there weren't as many flivvers on global roads.
Then how to explain a mega-storm like Hurricane Irma, which engulfed the entire state of Florida? How to explain higher storm surges, flooding, high winds and sustained winds upward of 160 miles an hour and the rapid succession of the hurricanes that hit two states, killing dozens and wiping out thousands of homes and businesses?
Meteorologists across the nation have some ideas on this "mean season" of hurricanes fellow Americans have endured, and they don't rely on the theory of warming oceans.
First, hurricane watchers had predicted an active season this year, forecasting six named hurricanes. Hurricane season, which runs from June to November in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, normally peaks between September and October.
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Climate events, such as drought conditions in North Africa, have eased after many years, meaning dust carried by atmospheric winds, which dries out developing storms, was less this season. According to the weather service Accuweather, the El Nino pattern, which is the culprit for our heavy Midwest snow and cold, failed to materialize last year. Its winds also lessen hurricane activity.
And then there's the theory of bad luck. Southwest Florida hadn't been hit directly by a major hurricane in decades. Puerto Rico was lucky for 80-plus years until Hurricane Maria wreaked a path of destruction on the island, which is still recovering.
I'm not trying to dismiss the effects of climate change, unlike some we know, on the recent spate of hurricanes. But it's easy to blame or not many natural-occurring weather events on global warming or greenhouse gases or acid rain, depending on one's political leanings.
Despite one's views on climate change, it sure makes sense to keep ahead of the curve, as does Schneider's co-sponsoring the national action plan bill to respond to the public health impacts of an evolving planet. Better safe than sorry in the long run.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
mailto: sellenews@gmail.com
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Architectural Digest has named Lake Forest High School, shown here Sept. 22, 2017, the most beautiful public high school in Illinois. (Mark Kodiak Ukena / Pioneer Press )
Students at Lake Forest High School are attending the most beautiful public high school in Illinois, according to Architectural Digest.
A Sept. 12 article in the magazine says the "main building looks more like a country manor than a public school."
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Diana Melichar, an architect and president of Melichar Architects in Lake Forest, said that was the intention.
"The whole idea of public education was based on institutionalized education that everyone could partake in," Melichar said. "With Lake Forest High School, the building was not designed in that model. It was designed to look like another estate home that blended in with the estates on the east side of Lake Forest."
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Superintendent Mike Simeck said he agrees that LFHS is the most beautiful public high school in Illinois.
"It is, without any question, a point of pride in the three communities," Simeck said. "It's a flagship building in all three communities."
The author of the article looked at dozens of public high schools in each state, according to an e-mailed statement from Architectural Digest. She then selected buildings that were architecturally significant mostly historic buildings, but some modern ones and chose one in each state.
The original building was designed by local architect Stanley Anderson, who studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris after World War I, according to Arthur Miller, secretary of the nonprofit Lake Forest Preservation Foundation.
"He really knew his stuff," Miller said.
The original building was constructed in 1935 with funds from the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration, and graduated its first class the following year, according to the Lake Forest Lake Bluff Historical Society's website.
Miller said three additions were made to the original building over the decades.
Both Melichar and Miller like the large front lawn where the school holds graduation.
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"It was set out to have a lot of street presence," Melichar said. "They have maintained that by keeping the open lawn in front of the school."
"The sense of the building would change if it was a parking lot," Miller said.
There are 3,735 public school buildings in Illinois, according to the Illinois Report Card website, although that figure includes all public schools, not just high schools.
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Even though a Naperville woman may have been mentally ill when she stabbed her young son and another child to death, her actions were the result of conscious decisions, a DuPage county judge ruled Wednesday in finding the woman guilty of first-degree murder.
Elzbieta Plackowska, 45, showed little emotion as Judge Robert Miller found her guilty at the conclusion of a two-week bench trial for the murders of her son, Justin, 7, and 5-year-old Olivia Dworakowski, whom Plackowska was babysitting.
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The judge also found Plackowska guilty of aggravated animal cruelty for killing her family's dachshund, Tootsie, along with the Dworakowski's mixed-breed dog, Nicki, in stabbings on the night of Oct. 30, 2012, at the Naperville condo where Olivia lived with her mother.
Miller's ruling came after more than three hours of closing arguments from prosecutors and public defenders, who presented an insanity defense. Assistant public defenders Kristen Nevdal and George Ford argued that Plackowska had suffered a psychotic break triggered by her father's death in her native Poland weeks before the crime.
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Justin Plackowska, left, and Olivia Dworakowski were murdered in Naperville in 2012. Elzbieta M. Plackowska is charged with their murders. Her trial is expected to begin Tuesday. (Handout / WGN-TV)
Plackowska gave police and psychiatrists varying accounts of the stabbings, including a version in which she said she saw a "black shadow" enter the children, turning them into devils, and heard a voice urging her to kill them.
The judge said Plackowska's mental illness "brought her to the crossroads," but she could still appreciate that her actions were wrong.
"Even giving credence to the most lucid of the defendant's various explanations, the choice to commit the criminal act because killing the devil within the children would be a 'greater good' for humanity is still a decision incorporating the legal wrongfulness of the stabbings," Miller said.
Elzbieta Plackowska (DuPage County State's Attorney's Office)
State's Attorney Robert Berlin argued that Plackowska's various accounts of the crime were attempts to avoid responsibility. She felt unappreciated by her husband, a trucker who was often away, and other family members, he said, and she killed out of anger and rage.
"No one appreciated this defendant, and she was angry she was angry at the world and this is what she did," Berlin said.
Nevdal argued almost 90 minutes Wednesday, stressing Plackowska's numerous references to "devils" that dominated her speech in the days before the crime. One of her clients Plackowska cleaned houses described her as looking disheveled before the crime, and a friend recounted a "spooky" conversation on the day of the slayings in which Plackowska urged the friend "to let the devil out."
The defense's main expert, noted forensic psychiatrist Dr. Phillip Resnick, testified last week that Plackowska was not able to appreciate her actions at the time of the crime.
But Berlin, and Assistant State's Attorneys Mike Pawl and Nicole Wilkes-English, repeatedly stressed actions Plackowska took after the crime that they said indicated she was aware she had done something wrong. In one police interview, Plackowska said she knew she wasn't supposed to stab the children, but did anyway, Wilkes-English reminded the judge in her closing argument.
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In addition, the prosecution presented its own expert, a psychiatrist who examined Plackowska and said he thought her "black shadow" account was not authentic.
The killings took place at the Quin Court condo where Olivia lived with her mother, a nurse who worked nights at a dialysis lab. Earlier that night, Plackowska had brought Justin and Olivia to a St. Elizabeth Seton church for a reconciliation service, and a parishioner said she appeared agitated.
She then brought the children back to her apartment, picking up her dog, before going to the Dworakowski home. Berlin attached significance to the retrieval of the dachshund, arguing it showed Plackowska's intent to kill the dog along with the children and Olivia's dog.
After the stabbings, a blood-covered Plackowska drove back to the church and left a voice message for a priest she had spoken to earlier that night. She discarded her cellphone before showing up later at a family friend's home where her elder son was staying. He called police, who recovered one of the kitchen knives used in the attack in Plackowska's vehicle. The other knife was found in the disposal in the Dworakowski kitchen.
The judge set a Nov. 21 return court date in the case; no date for sentencing has been set. Under state law, Plackowska will face a sentence of natural life in prison.
Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
A Chicago woman was sentenced Wednesday in connection with a robbery of a couple in Munster who were selling an iPad through social media.
Shonice Keys-Brown, 22, was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty last month to robbery, which is punishable by one to six years.
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The couple testified that they still are fearful as a result of the crime, which occurred March 24 in Munster. Court records indicate April Peters and Jerry Snyder had agreed to meet the woman, who used a false name, in the parking lot at Target.
As Peters was showing Keys-Brown the features of the iPad as she stood outside the car that Keys-Brown and an alleged male accomplice arrived in, the man who was driving took out what appeared to be counterfeit money and laid it on his thigh, documents said. At Peters' request, Snyder came to the window and the man produced what appeared to be a black semi-automatic handgun and placed it on his leg for the couple to see, the plea agreement said. Townsend said they were taking the iPad, and Keys-Brown pulled it from Peters' hands before they drove away, the agreement said.
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"We can't pass the area where this incident occurred without reliving what happened," Snyder said at the sentencing hearing.
Peters said she has never considered owning a gun until the incident, which made her consider buying one. "I shouldn't have to be out in public and feel that people are bad," she said.
"How can you do that to somebody," Peters said.
Deputy prosecutor Maryam Afshar argued that Keys-Brown's criminal record includes a similar crime for which she was convicted last year in Cook County, Ill., and received probation. "She had a chance to prove herself and this is what she did," Afshar argued.
Co-defendant Michael D. Townsend, 29, of Harvey, Ill., has pleaded not guilty to charges of armed robbery and theft. His case is set for trial on Jan. 8.
Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
PNW showcases Mayan inspired art
Coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through Oct. 15, Purdue University Northwest is exhibiting the Mayan Procession, a 14-piece collection of life-sized paintings depicting figures representative of indigenous Guatemalan groups, by noted artist Winifred Godfrey. In addition, a reception featuring Godfrey will be held from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 5 in the the Student Union and Library, 2200 169th St., Hammond. The event is free and open to the public. Meso-American inspired appetizers will be served. More information is with Judy Jacobi at jnjacobi@pnw.edu or 219-785-5593 or at www.pnw.edu/arts-culture under "Upcoming Events."
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Methodist Hospitals to offer classes, memorial service
Methodist Hospitals will offer the following programs to members of the Northwest Indiana community this month. Smoking Cessation classes, based on the American Lung Association's Freedom from Smoking Program, will be held from 5-7 p.m. Monday evenings beginning Monday through Nov. 13 on the Northlake campus, Conference Room A, 8701 Broadway, Merrillville. Registration is at 888-909-3627. A free Weight Loss Surgery seminar will be at 6 p.m. Oct. 12 and 26 on the Southlake campus, Pavilion A, Suite 430, 101 E. 87th Ave., Merrillville. Registration is at 888-909-3627. A Community Memorial Service to honor and celebrate loved ones lost in the past year will be held at 5 p.m. Oct. 16 in the auditorium on the Southlake campus, 8701 Broadway, Merrillville; and at 5 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Seyl Auditorium on the Northlake campus, 550 Grant St., Gary. RSVP by Oct. 3 to Alesia Terrell at aterrell@methodisthospitals.org or 219-886-4522.
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Fall Career Expo at PNW's Hammond campus
Job-seeking local residents are invited to attend the Purdue University Northwest Fall Career Expo from 1-2 p.m. Friday at the university's Fitness and Recreation Center, 2320 173rd St., Hammond. The event is free to the public and provides opportunities to connect with more than 70 employer representatives for jobs and internships. Participants are encouraged to bring multiple copies of their resumes and dress for success. Registration and a list of participating companies are at www.pnw.edu/career-center/careerexposeeker/.
Portage to present Trunk-or-Treat
The City of Portage will host their annual Trunk-or-Treat event from 5-8 p.m. Oct. 27 at Founders Square Park, 6300 Founders Square, Portage. Applications are available at City Hall, 6070 Central Ave., or at alakie@portage-in.com for any business or organization interested in participating. More information is at 219-762-5425.
Historical society membership meeting
There will be a membership meeting of the Merrillville Ross-Township Historical Society at 1 p.m. Sunday at the history museum, 13 W. 73rd Ave., Merrillville. Topics of discussion will be a review of activities from 2017, plans for improvement and new displays for 2018. A short video on the U.S. involvement in World War I will be shown. The museum is open to the public from 1-4 p.m. Sundays through October. Admission is free, and new members are welcome. More information is with Roy Foreman at 219-942-8138 or www.merrillvillehistory.org.
Staff report
A Valparaiso High School student was seriously injured in a Monday morning car accident in which her car struck a tree, police said.
Police were called around 7:25 a.m. Monday to City View Drive and Fairview Avenue in Center Township for a single-vehicle accident, Sgt. Jamie Erow, public information officer for the Porter County Sheriff's Department, said in a release.
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The girl, 16, of Valparaiso, was westbound on City View Drive in a brown 2000 Subaru four-door when the vehicle left the roadway for unknown reasons and struck a tree, according to the release.
The driver was extricated from the car and airlifted to Advocate Christ Hospital in the Chicago area for serious incapacitating injuries. Her condition was not known Wednesday morning, Erow said.
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Agencies assisting at the scene were the Valparaiso and Washington Township fire departments; Valparaiso EMS; Lutheran Air; and Green's Towing.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Members of the Merrillville Town Council are awaiting the results of studies the Diocese of Gary is having done regarding the future of Andrean High School, 5959 Broadway, Merrillville. (Joe Puchek / Post-Tribune)
Merrillville Town Council President Richard Hardaway said he will support whatever decision the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary makes following the completion of two feasibility studies next month, even if it means moving Andrean High School from its north Broadway location.
"I have mixed emotions," said Hardaway, D-2nd, who later added, "If they think (a new location) is best for the school, we have to stand behind it."
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Diocesan Director of Education Joseph Majchrowicz, said the diocese is conducting the studies to determine what it can do to enhance access to Catholic education for younger parishioners at all of its schools.
"We're doing our due diligence. Everything is on the table," Majchrowicz said.
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The diocese has said it's studying ways to sustain its schools, keep them affordable, Catholic, academically excellent and geographically accessible.
As for Andrean, Majchrowicz has said that the current building has significant infrastructure issues.
Bishop Donald Hying said previously that diocese officials are studying whether to renovate the current high school, which has been at its current location at 5959 Broadway since 1959, or to build a new school, possibly in Crown Point.
Hardaway said he has one grandson who graduated from Andrean and another who attends there now. On the other hand, the council president said having the high school at 5959 Broadway helps nearby businesses.
"I'm sure a move would be devastating to them," Hardaway said.
Hardaway has been active in working to fill vacant businesses on the north end of Broadway, which is the gateway to Merrillville from the north.
He said if the diocese ultimately decides to tear down the existing building, a developer may want to build a business on the property, located just north of the busy Broadway and 61st intersection.
"As long as it's of value to the residents of Merrillville, I'll support it," Hardaway said of whatever becomes of the site.
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Merrillville Councilman Shawn Pettit, D-6th, said if the diocese opts to move, he would hope that it would build a new high school on the 200-plus acres the diocese owns at 93rd and Broadway in Merrillville.
"I would prefer they stay in Merrillville," Pettit said, but added, "We need to wait for the feasibility study."
The diocese said it expects to complete the two feasibility studies in mid-October, adding plans are in the early stages.
Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Dozens of red-clad city officials, community leaders and residents crowded into the commissioners chambers Tuesday while the Porter County Council gave final approval to a $30 million bond issue for capital upgrades throughout the county.
Portage officials hoped for a new combined city/county building in their downtown district, but county officials could not be swayed from plans to renovate and expand the existing North County Annex on Willowcreek Road.
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That wasn't enough to appease Portage officials, who had still hoped for an audience before the council. A public hearing on the bond issue was held last month but Portage officials said they weren't ready then to present their proposal; despite the meeting turnout, the council did not take public comment before a vote.
"It's an embarrassment to come to this meeting with Portage residents who could have had a voice," Portage City Council President Mark Oprisko, D-At large, said after the vote.
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Between the capital upgrades and a recently passed $20 million bond issue for stormwater work, the county is investing $50 million in improvements and much of that, including $10 million on the North County building and millions of dollars in Portage Township on drainage, is in the Portage area, said Councilmen Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, and Dan Whitten, D-At large, both of whom have been in communication with Portage officials about the county's plans.
While Rivas said he would have loved to see the building go in the downtown, the county is still investing in the city.
"We don't always get what we want. It's not all I want, but I'm not going to stand in the way of progress," he said. "This is a good thing for Portage, a good thing for Portage Township."
Commissioners and council members put considerable time into the capital upgrade plan, Whitten said.
"Certainly a downtown building in Portage would be a shot in the arm for the city but that is not the idea that has prevailed," he said, adding while the plan is not what he would have come up with, it's the result of compromise by county officials, will offer jobs to the local trades, and represents millions of dollars of investment in Portage.
"I know the people in Portage. I know the leadership hoped for something more, but this is going to work," he continued. "You just have to try and appreciate that because in the end, that's what you're going to get."
The two bond issues, said Councilwoman Sylvia Graham, D-At large, will be a win-win for Portage.
"I can't vote no to something that's going to provide jobs to the north part of the county or all of the county," she said. "Look to the good part."
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Portage officials wanted to have a meeting with the county to discuss their proposal, said Oprisko and Mayor James Snyder.
"We have not been able to debate this and they shut us out," Snyder said. "It's wrong."
The city offered between $9 million and $12 million in incentives toward the proposal, Snyder said, and would have removed him from the conversation to move things along. Snyder has been indicted on alleged public corruption charges, and is scheduled for trial early next year.
Portage officials believe in debate, he said, and if 100 people show up at their meetings, they let them talk.
What's next for Portage officials unhappy with the county's plan, under which construction could begin by the spring, remains unclear, but Snyder said county officials will have a number of hoops to jump through with the city to get the project off the ground.
"There is recourse," Snyder said. "Any business that builds or does an addition in Portage has to work with us."
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Amy Lavalley is a freelance reportr for the Post-Tribune.
Puebloan opening cafe in the same coffee shop that first employed her
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A book highlighting China's achievements since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012 has been published by Xinhua Publishing House.
The book, Records of China: 2012-2017, gathers media reports on progress made in the fields of politics, economy, culture, rule of law, people's livelihood, science and technology, national defense and diplomacy.
A renowned ancient Chinese poet Su Shi once said in his masterpiece on moon "although a thousand miles apart, we share the beauty of the same moon."
On Tuesday here in Suva, capital of Fiji, about 100 Fijians and Chinese gathered together under the same theme of Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, enjoying amazing Chinese music and dances, delicious Chinese food and a wonderful exhibition of leaf etching (leaf curving) artworks.
The participants believed that the event helped promote the friendship between the two peoples.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, when Chinese celebrate family reunion and autumn harvest, is to fall on Oct. 4 this year.
In China, the Moon is never thought as a common planet as it embodies ancient Chinese tales and legends, and has profound cultural connotation. The Moon Festival has since become a symbol of reunion, gratitude, harmony, and implies the best wishes to everyone.
Tuesday's celebrations, organized by the China Culture Center in Fiji, have captivated the guests of both Fiji and China including Bernadette Rounds Ganilau, secretary of the Fiji-China Friendship Association, who has visited China for many times.
She told Xinhua that although China and Fiji are far away from each other, the two peoples' hearts and feelings are linked, so they have good reasons to celebrate the Moon Festival together.
"I love China and her beautiful and colorful culture, which is the amazing thing that Fijian people should know. Cultural exchange always helps people become friendly and better understand with each other. It helps get people closer and make them feel that they just come from the same family," she said.
"The Moon Festival brings the peoples of Fiji and China together. I want to thank the Chinese people in Fiji, they have contributed so much to our social and economic developments and they are continuing to do so. The Moon Festival gets us together, reminds us where we all come from and we all should go forward together," she added.
Like Ganilau, who regards China as her second hometown, a lot of Fijian guests told Xinhua that they love the Moon Festival by having an unforgettable day.
They said they fell in love with the wonderful performances by the artists from Chengdu, capital of China's Sichuan province, which were featured with singing, dancing, traditional Chinese musical instrument ensemble, puppet show, face-changing, and acrobatics.
In addition, for the Fijians, the 67 pieces of leaf-etching artworks on display is "amazing" as they have never seen such an artwork with a history of about 3,000 years.
They were shocked to the fact that the Chinese artists take leaves from trees or pick up the fallen leaves to create different artworks based on the natural shapes and the different veins of the leaves.
For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Zhang Ping gave his best wishes of the Moon Festival to Fijians and local Chinese when attending the celebrations.
"Fiji and China enjoy traditional friendship and the two peoples share the common pursuit of a better life. Gathering here together to celebrate the Chinese traditional festival is one of the best ways to strengthen the relationship between the two countries," he said.
Wang Gang, chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce in Fiji, told Xinhua that more and more Chinese companies have come to Fiji to seek business opportunities that will no doubt benefit the two countries.
"People thinks of their dear ones far away more than ever on festive occasions. This event is meaningful as it can help us send our thoughts to our families and friends far away, and gather together here with our Fijian friends to deepen our friendly relations," he said.
Deng Xianfu, director of China Cultural Center in Fiji, is very satisfied with the successful celebrations, saying that the cultural programs like this event have enriched Fijian people's life and promoted the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.
The Fiji people also embrace the traditional Chinese festival as in downtown Suva, major shops like Prouds and Jacks have been promoting their products by wishing their customers "Happy Moon Festival "in both English and Chinese languages printed in their advertisements and leaflets.
Deng told Xinhua that banners from his center have appeared in one of Suva's main streets and Fiji's oldest hotel -- the Grand Pacific Hotel, saying "Happy Moon Festival."
One language, two cities, similar history, and profound friendship - on Sept. 26, the China-Poland friendship exhibition and the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passing of Esperanto creator Ludwig Lejzer Zamenhof hosted by the cultural office of the Polish Embassy in China and the All-China Esperanto League opened in Tai'erzhuang, an ancient city of China's Shandong Province.
On Sept. 26, the China-Poland friendship exhibition and the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passing away of the Esperanto's creator Ludwig Lejzer Zamenhof opened in Tai'erzhuang, an ancient city of China's Shandong Province. A visitor views photos on display in the museum. [Photo by Zhang Jiaqi / China.org.cn]
One language Esperanto
This year marks the 130th anniversary of the creation of Esperanto, an international language and the most widely spoken constructed language in the world, as well as the 100th anniversary of the passing of its creator.
The Polish-Jewish ophthalmologist Zamenhof looked forward to seeing "all nations united in a common brotherhood" through his linguistic creation. In the past 130 years, Esperanto has lived up the expectations of its creator, and made great contributions to friendly relations among countries and peoples.
Two cities Warsaw and Tai'erzhuang
The friendship between Warsaw in Poland, where Zamenhof lived for much of his life, and Tai'erzhuang, an ancient city of Shandong Province, is a testimony of the contributions of Esperanto. Linked by the international language, these two cities have established sisterly relations in recent years.
A similar history makes relations even closer. Both cities were devastated during the World War II, but their citizenry rose against aggression with the same tenacious spirit. With the rebuilding after the war, the two cities also demonstrated new vitality.
(X)~(X=X) by Han Yajuan. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Chinese contemporary art will debut at the upcoming Curitiba Biennial, held from Sept 30 to Feb 25 in Curitiba, in southern Brazil.
As the country of honor at this year's edition, China will present three exhibitions showcasing both established and up-and-coming artists, as well as architects.
An exhibition, curated by Fang Zhenning and Liu Chunfeng, will review the development of Chinese contemporary art over the past three decades. It will be held at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum, named after the well-known Brazilian architect.
On display will be paintings, sculptures, installations, photos and mixed media works, demonstrating the explorations of 38 artists.
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Beijing municipal government issued an implementation plan on reforming and optimizing the capital's business environment on Sept 16.
Policies and measures in the areas of investment, trade, production, personnel and rule of law have been included in the plan to improve the business environment.
"We will simplify the investment procedures to create a more convenient investment environment," said Tan Xuxiang, director of Beijing Development and Reform Commission.
He said, "The time for record keeping of foreign-funded enterprises will be shortened from 20 days to 3."
Tan added, "Restrictions on foreign access and proportion of foreign shares will be lowered in many competitive fields."
"The policy of talent introduction will be revised to attract talents of investment and innovation. For example, foreign investors with great innovation potential or meeting the needs of developing industries will be given the five-year work permit," said Tan.
He said, "In 2 to three 3, 19 primary and middle schools will be built in major industrial and talent concentrated areas."
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Chinese police solved 2,837 cases in cooperation with the Interpol in 2016, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).
In 2,542 of those cases, foreign countries sought China's help through the Interpol for investigations.
In addition, a total of 612 red notices were submitted to Interpol.
The MPS said that law enforcement and security cooperation between China and Interpol has been deepened, and that China has called for intensified efforts on major issues including promoting the use of the Interpol database.
Interpol liaison offices have been established in southwest China's Guizhou Province and central China's Hubei Province, and the MPS has provided training for staff to increase cooperation with Interpol on cross-border crime.
China's central government spent 4.6 billion yuan (US$694 million) on HIV/AIDS control and treatment in 2016, a health official said yesterday.
The country has established an initial network of preventative services, in which government departments take the lead and the general public also participate, said Wang Guoqiang, deputy chief of the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
The network, covering both urban and rural areas, includes HIV testing, treatment and follow-up observations to prevent infected patients from transmitting the virus, Wang told the 2017 National Conference on HIV/AIDS in Guangzhou, a city in south China's Guangdong Province.
Wang, who is also director of the HIV/AIDS prevention and control commission of the State Council, said China has almost entirely prevented the transmission of HIV through illegal blood transfusions, the sharing of needles and mother-to-child transmissions.
"The rapid spread of the virus in some particular areas has been greatly contained, the quality of life of HIV carriers has been improved, and social discrimination against the group has been reduced," he said.
According to official data, China had nearly 420,000 people infected with HIV and 300,000 AIDS patients at the end of June. More than 221,000 people have died of the virus since records began.
Han Mengjie, with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, estimated up to another 20 to 30 percent of HIV/AIDS patients in China are either not aware of their infection status or have not reported it, warning that the control of HIV/AIDS remains a challenge.
He said unprotected sex has become the main means of transmission, with the virus spreading among the elderly, youth and male homosexual populations.
"Prostitution and sexual activities spurred by drug abuse and social networking apps have posed threats for HIV/AIDS control," he said. "Health departments will ensure implementation of preventive measures, find and treat as many infected as possible, and reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS to a low transmission rate."
While the government puts the emphasis on prevention, scientists are seeking breakthroughs in treatment.
Wang Fusheng, an epidemic control specialist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his team are studying immune deficiencies after CD4, a glycoprotein found on the surface of immune cells, becomes damaged.
Patients testing the therapy have found their symptoms alleviated or under control within two weeks, their CD4 cell count restored (an indication of the health of immune systems) and their weight significantly increased, he said.
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A large livestream hosting center is expected to open in Wuhan, Hubei province, next month.
Two hosts work on a video program at Damara Village, a livestream hosting center in Wuhan, Hubei province. [Photo/Provided to China Daily]
The center, Damara Village, covers about 146 hectares and has room for around 100 hosts, said Hu Huanhao, a business consultant from Wuhan Yuejinghui Investment Co, the entity behind the center.
Hu said that along with studios and accommodations, the area also features European-style architecture, such as a chapel, bell tower and wine cellar.
The center is located within a flower-themed tourist park, which opened this spring.
More than 30 livestreaming hosts have been negotiating with Damara, Hu said. "We want to promote the development of the leisure industry in this area with online broadcasting, which is a very popular among young people," Hu said.
"The broadcasting base will also provide job opportunities because more university graduates want to join the online broadcasting industry," he said.
Pu Yucong, a graduate of Tsinghua University, is a designer and a livestreaming host who has about 300,000 followers on Douyu, a popular online broadcasting platform in China.
"Livestreaming is not a job for me but a way of life - sharing with others," Pu said.
"My first online show was the graduation ceremony at Tsinghua University. The debut turned out to be a big success that was beyond my expectations," she said.
Pu plans to open a clothing shop offering her own brands in Damara Village. The shop will also be a place where she can meet her fans.
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Eight people have been arrested for allegedly killing black bears in northeast China's Jilin Province, police said Tuesday.
Using homemade guns and bombs, the gang is believed to have killed at least three black bears since June, said a police officer from the city of Yanbian.
On July 23, police received reports about the sighting of a bear corpse with its paws missing in Xinkai Forest Farm.
Examinations found the bear had been killed by a gunshot to the head around a month earlier.
After a two-month investigation, police arrested seven suspects and another turned himself in earlier this month.
A dozen bear paws and three bear gallbladders were seized.
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), bear paws are believed to be very nutritious, while bear gallbladders and bile have been used in TCM treatments to reduce fever, remove toxins and treat liver and eye ailments for thousands of years.
Although black bears are listed as a national second class protected species, poaching is not rare in China.
Last month, a 1.46-million-hectare national park for the protection of Siberian tiger and Amur leopard habitats was inaugurated in Jilin and neighboring Heilongjiang Province, which includes known black bear poaching sites.
The park is aimed at restoring the local ecology which has been damaged by human activity and better protecting wild animals and their habitats.
Green development not only drives economic growth but also brings tangible benefits to local people, said a regional Party chief when sharing his experiences on advancing ecological progress with a wide range of foreign guests in Beijing on Tuesday.
Fujian Province, situated on the southeast coastline of China, is accelerating industrial upgrading and restructuring through the development of high-level manufacturing with modern service sectors as the priority in order to build a prosperous and beautiful province through flexible mechanisms and optimized industries, said You Quan, secretary of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). He made the remarks at a briefing on green development hosted by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC) on Sept. 26, 2017.
Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), delivers a speech at the thematic briefing in Beijing on Sept. 26, 2017. [Photo by Huang Shan/China.org.cn]
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping as the core has been attaching great importance to green development and ecological progress, said Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), during the thematic briefing.
"In the last five years, the CPC has unraveled the contradiction between economic growth and ecological protection through green methods of development, concertedly promoted national prosperity and peoples well-being, striving to build a country where human and nature can both pursue development harmoniously," said Song, adding that Chinas experiences on green development can be shared among countries since how to balance economic growth and environmental protection is a dilemma faced by most of the world.
The green development trend has yielded outstanding achievements in Fujian. The southeastern province, abundant in forest and marine resources, has made full play of its ecological resources and developed industries suited to local conditions, which in return has laid a concrete foundation for sustainable development.
The province has promoted development of advanced manufacturing sectors, which have a high technical level, great market potential while posing little harm to the environment. At the same time, modern services, including financial insurance, logistics, cultural tourism and healthcare and aging-care, have been raising their share in overall GDP and contributed to over 50 percent of the economic growth in the province in 2016.
You Quan, secretary of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), shares his experiences on advancing ecological progress at the thematic briefing in Beijing on Sept. 26, 2017. [Photo by Huang Shan/China.org.cn]
"The economy should not be developed at the cost of environment," stressed You, Party secretary of Fujian. To encourage grassroots officials to implement green development policies, the provincial government has made adjustments to the performance assessment system, making ecological quality and farmers' income increments the major index while removing GDP from the official assessments in 34 counties focusing on poverty alleviation and ecological progress.
In addition to industrial upgrading, the provincial government has stepped up environment improvements. The greening rate has reached nearly 40 percent in urban areas and the forest coverage is 65.95 percent, ranking top in China.
The province has innovated in tenure reform for collective forests and established ecological compensation mechanisms, both of which can be spread and implemented in the country.
William Brown, an American professor of Xiamen University, told the audience how he thought the province was attempting to stay green. Having been living in Xiamen, Fujian for nearly 30 years, Brown witnessed the fast economic growth of China as well as the efforts made by the provincial government to pursue green development. He praised the government policies which balance economic growth and environmental protection, especially the far-sighted measures to raise the awareness of environmental protection among the public.
During the briefing, Muhammad Faruk Khan, presidium member of Bangladesh Awami League, chairman of the Standing Committee on Civil Aviation and Tourism of Bangladesh, and Paolo Ferrero, vice president of European Left Party, both shared their impressions about their trips to Fujian, calling for international cooperation on promoting green development and ecological protection.
The thematic briefing was the fifth edition of the series initiated by the IDCPC to introduce how the regional CPC committees implement the governance ideas of General Secretary Xi Jinping and review what achievements have been made while learning from the lessons of development.
By presenting real and vivid CPC stories to the world, it provides a chance to review the CPC achievements in the last five years before the 19th CPC National Congress which will be convened in October. The previous editions respectively focused on targeted poverty alleviation, supply-side structural reform, comprehensively strengthening Party discipline and innovation-driven transformation and development.
Around 300 people, including diplomats, scholars and political party representatives attended the briefing on Tuesday.
As the world is plagued by mounting global security challenges, both old and new, the new proposal by Chinese President Xi Jinping on international security has given a boost to global stability.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 86th Interpol General Assembly on Tuesday, Xi proposed better cooperation and innovation, upholding the rule of law and seeking mutual benefit to build universal security for mankind.
Security and stability are fundamental to peace and development across the globe, and the world is far from tranquil.
Global security is facing challenges such as widespread terrorism, cybercrime and organized crime, which all threaten national security, social stability and economic development around the world.
In an increasingly interconnected world, security problems go beyond national boundaries. A security flaw in one country can easily become an Achilles' heel for regional and even global security.
Security of a country cannot be ensured by an individual or single country; rather, joint efforts of different governments are needed to improve cooperation and combat crime.
As Xi put it, "Countries should adopt a concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and jointly respond to security challenges."
With its remarkable progress in combating crime and the development of a sophisticated law enforcement and crime prevention system over the years, China today enjoys sustained economic growth and social stability, and its people lead a happy and peaceful life.
More and more people believe China is one of the most secure countries in the world, which in turn has contributed to global security.
While focusing on its own security and development, China has helped its neighbors, sharing its experience and making its due contribution.
The country has actively participated in global law-enforcement and security, working with other countries in extradition, international telecom fraud and drug trafficking.
China resolutely supports the international fight against terrorism, and has been engaged in in-depth cooperation with more than 70 countries and regions in combating cybercrime.
The country has sent 2,609 peacekeepers to serve in UN missions in nine regions, including South Sudan, Darfur in Sudan, Mali and Liberia, making it the largest contributor of troops among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
The Chinese president also unveiled concrete action to support Interpol in the next five years, with a special focus on underdeveloped countries and regions.
Measures listed include giving support to joint global actions against terrorism, cybercrime and new organized crime each year, and upgrading Interpol communication systems and criminal investigation labs for 100 developing countries.
The Chinese government also plans to set up an international law enforcement college under its Ministry of Public Security to offer training to 20,000 law enforcement personnel for developing countries.
Ensuring global security is an arduous, complicated and prolonged mission.
While Interpol observes its motto of "Connecting Police for a Safer World," China's proposal and action may well serve as solutions to international security cooperation and a safer world.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked writers and artists across the country to focus on the people, and keep producing excellent works.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a written instruction on cultural and ideological progress.
Hou Rong wept with happiness when she heard that China Tuesday unveiled the overall plan for establishing its national park system and the Giant Panda National Park spanning three provinces is to be created by 2020.
After studying and protecting giant pandas for two decades, she learned the proposed park will unite pandas isolated on six mountains in Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces, helping the endangered animals mingle and enrich their gene pool.
"Many years of conservation have paid off. Their numbers in the wild rose by 17 percent between 2003 and 2013. That's why the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) reclassified the giant panda in 2016 from endangered to vulnerable," said Hou, director of the research center of Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
However, like many endangered species, pandas still suffer habitat loss and fragmentation due to natural disasters, climate change and human activity.
Some sub-populations number is fewer than 10. This makes them vulnerable to disease and reproductive problems, and less able to adapt to a changing environment.
Multiple administrations in the three provinces worsen the situation. When a panda crosses a provincial boundary, jurisdiction becomes blurred.
Following a pilot scheme begun earlier this year, the park will cover 27,134 square kilometers, three times the area of the United States' Yellowstone National Park. It will have four major zones: a core protection area; an ecological restoration area; a tourist and education area; and a breeding center. It will protect pandas in 67 current reserves as well as another 8,000 endangered animals and plants.
China started captive-breeding programs in the late 1990s and a reintroduction program in 2003, which proved effective in keeping the species on the map.
"But increasing the wild population requires a large protection area and an upgraded ecosystem. The park will do the job," said Hou.
China is creating the national park system over several years. At the end of 2015, a leading group on reform decided up to nine such facilities should be included in the system, including two parks to protect rivers.
Over six decades of nature protection, China has established 2,740 nature reserves, covering 14.8 percent of its territory, but insufficient funding and a lack of a unified plan and protection ability rendered many reserves ecologically unviable.
"The national park system will alter such sporadic protection and usher in a new established nature protection scheme," said Cui Guofa, professor of the School of Nature Conservation of Beijing Forestry University.
While the parks paint a wonderful picture for the conservation of wildlife and the restoration of the ecological system, they also face challenges - the conflict between protection and development being the most pressing.
Nangou Village, Hunchun City in the northeastern Jilin Province, is near a Manchurian tiger habitat and is included in the proposed Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park.
At least two villagers were attacked by tigers in 2016, so when it' s time to harvest mushrooms and wild vegetables, they avoid the hills.
Yin Zhaohai runs a cattle farm near the village. Since May, tigers have killed six of his cattle and another 20 have disappeared.
"Tigers are endangered animals, but cattle and humans also need to be safe," said Yin.
Conflict is inevitable. When tigers attack humans or their cattle, the local set traps for them.
"Harmonious coexistence between people and wild tigers and leopards, and development that values both ecological protection and economic growth are a big challenge for the local government," said Li Zhixing, secretary-general of Hunchun-based Tianhe Manchurian Tiger Protection Association.
Jilin Province has offered compensation for those who suffer injury or property damage since 2006. This alleviates conflict and strengthens protection.
In 2008, with the help of two international conservation associations, Hunchun Manchurian Tiger National Nature Reserve began a new plan that established cattle breeding and beekeeping cooperatives for villagers without charge.
Villagers' incomes have risen and they now patrol to protect wild tigers and leopards. They regularly remove traps in the nearby mountains and report poaching and traces of the animals.
"We are familiar with the mountain environment and wild tigers' habits and we are earning more by raising cattle on the cooperatives. We won't harm tigers," said one villager.
The creation of national parks will lead to the relocation of many people. For example, at least 170,000 people in Sichuan will have to move so that pandas will be able to roam freely between far-flung habitats.
Qubie Mazi of Yi ethnic group has lived in Sichuan's Shanfeng Village for 40 years, earning a living by growing potatoes and collecting herbs. A panda reserve in the village is a key corridor connecting populations in Liangshan Mountain.
Poverty once drove the villagers to poach pandas, but after a penalty and bonus system was introduced, they learned to value them.
Asked how he feels about making way for pandas, Qubie Mazi said, "I will move if I get a new home and a new job."
Hou Rong said people should be taught to protect the environment. "People can live outside the core protection area and find jobs in the park such as guides. They won't risk poaching wild animals once they have a decent job and steady income."
Angela Merkel won her fourth straight election to clinch another term as German Chancellor. That the outcome of last Sunday's poll was in her favor was expected; however, there is a major surprise also, as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party gained 13 percent of the vote to enter parliament for the first time.
Christian Democratic Union CDU party leader and German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacts on first exit polls in the German general election (Bundestagswahl) in Berlin, Germany, Sept 24, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]
Merkel almost annihilated her main challenger, Social Democrat leader Martin Schultz, who gained a record low vote of about 21 percent, compared to the 33 percent for Merkel's conservative Christian Union (CDU/CSU).
Now aged 63, she has been in power for 12 years. The latest victory earned her unprecedented accolades, local media calling her the "eternal chancellor." She has also been praised outside Germany, with the New Yorker magazine labelling her "the most powerful woman in a world filled with unstable men."
However, although rightly termed as a powerful leader, she will have to address a number of domestic, regional and global challenges in the coming days to prove her leadership.
The rise of AfD as the third biggest party is one major domestic challenge. The fact that right-wing elements were able to garner a considerable chunk of votes while the country's economy is doing very well, shows their rise is not linked to economic conditions.
AfD has thrived on anti-immigration and anti-Islam sentiments at a time when a number of European nations are trying to control the rise of radical politicians. The continent is passing through a critical stage, with a dramatic swing towards ultra-right and nationalistic politics.
Recently, France faced a resurgent National Front led by Marine le Pen; however, the liberal and forward-looking ideas of Emmanuel Macron won the day. A similar effort by supporters of Geert Wilders was defeated by Dutch voters. We also saw British voters rejecting the UKIP brand of nationalistic politics.
The success of AfD is matter of concern due to the country's peculiar past. It shows that the triggers for spread of radical ideas in more prosperous societies differ from poor countries and a more focused approach is needed to check the further rightward drift of society.
The absence of powerful opposition in parliament and on the streets might take away the pressure on Merkel, but it is surely not good for the country in the long run. Weak opposition is a negative for democracy, as experience shows that fear of opposition is the strongest check on the vagaries of powerful leaders.
Another challenge for her government is to win support from rivals to get her an unlikely coalition. Being short of a majority, Merkel need new partners to run the government after the SPD ruled out participation.
Yet, despite many challenges, Merkel may not face any formidable threat to her leadership. The reason is simple: The economy is doing well and the chancellor has already successfully handled the issue of allowing immigrants from Syria and other Muslim countries to enter.
Nevertheless, she needs to come up with measures to prolong the era of economic prosperity and find ways to properly assimilate the flood of immigrants, otherwise her open-door policy will become an uneasy legacy.
She is still in good position to deal with the European issues. Having a good working relationship with Macron is an asset. With Britain still mired in EU-exit talks, which may drag on for years, Germany under Merkel can emerge as the leading European power on both the diplomatic and economic front.
Her role is also important in shaping European ties with a Trump-led United States as well as with Russia led by Vladimir Putin. She also needs to mend fences with Turkey and play role in creating peace in Ukraine. The issue of North Korea may also test her leadership in the coming days.
Merkel has the reputation of being a tough and calculated campaigner. The way she climbed to the top of political hierarchy says much for her grit and abilities. Her demand that then-chancellor Helmut Kohl should be dumped after a campaign scandal of 1999 shows that the "austerity queen" knows how to react when her moment comes.
Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm
The Democratic Party (Japan), headed by newly-elected leader Seiji Maehara, was expected to make a big move in the country's general election this fall after announcing a string of new appointments.
Seiji Maehara (C) greets party members after being selected as the new leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 1, 2017. Japan's former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara was selected by the main opposition DPJ on Friday as its new leader, seeing off his rival Yukio Edano, a political heavyweight who previously served as chief cabinet secretary when the party was in power. [Photo/Xinhua]
According to the newspaper Asahi Shimbun, Maehara, former foreign minister, appointed a number of heavyweights, including Shiori Yamao, Yukio Edano, Atsushi Oshima and Akira Nagatsuma, as intra-party executives to enhance party solidarity.
However, within less than half a month, Yamao, a promising female political star, was accused of an extramarital affair that led her to step down and leave the party.
Her resignation, regarded as the tip of the iceberg of loosening control inside the party, has inflicted a heavy blow to its credibility just when it needs to convince the public otherwise for the upcoming election.
Maehara has yet to carry out any concrete and feasible actions to mitigate the negative impact of the scandal, which may indicate critical intra-party divergence among the different forces involved.
It was imperative for the Democratic Party (DP) to be united under strong leadership to work out a political agenda able to meet voter expectations; that, however, is just what it has failed to do.
On the contrary, the rightwing, ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has been obsessed in decades with amendment of the country's "Peace Constitution" adopted after WWII. Although the amendment in deliberation worries the rest of East Asia and threatens peaceful development of the region, Japanese citizens seem impressed by the party's ability to constantly come up with consistent policies and succinct goals.
The monologue of the Liberal Democratic Party in the Japanese political arena has lasted for most of the postwar era. There were only a few years, especially after the bursting of the economic bubbles in the 1990s, when the LDP had to establish coalitions with other parties to tackle with the crises. However, in recent years, it has regained absolute ruling power.
Even when the Democratic Party of Japan (DP's predecessor) ruled the country from 2009 to 2012, it did not bring about any fundamental change in the absolute power base of the LDP. So, if DP still remains an opposition party, it would risk losing ground and even becoming peripheral in the Japanese politics.
What it needs to do is joining hands with other left-wing parties, such as the Japanese Communist Party (JCP), otherwise, this side of the political spectrum may lose its voice, being drowned out by conservative right-wing prevalence.
At the end of last month, JCP Chairman Kazuo Shii reiterated it was ready for better cooperation with the Democratic Party.
However, despite the prospect of building a left-wing, multi-party coalition to counteract and balance the overwhelming LDP influence, the Democratic Party is split into pro and con camps.
However, no matter how different the parties are, Maehara and Edano, the two DP leaders who used to express anti-China sentiments, cannot lay out a political outline different from their strong rival.
At the same time, Maehara, in particular, has been a consistent supporter of moves to amend the Peace Constitution.
In other words, the Democratic Party may not be attractive to the constituencies as their policies almost have nothing that looks new and different compared to to their formidable competitor.
This is a worry, as, if it does badly in the forthcoming election, there could be no force for a time able to rein in the right-wing political power.
That will allow Shinzo Abe's cabinet to forge ahead with the amendment, enabling it to meddle in East Asian affairs while imploring for help from their U.S. counterparts.
The deterioration of the Japanese political system may bring substantial uncertainties to the peace and stability of the East Asia in the long run.
The author is the PhD from the History School of the Nanjing University.
The article was translated by Wu Jin. Its original version was published in Chinese.
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Flash
Rescuers work in the search of victims in a collapsed building after an earthquake, in the streets of Escocia and Gabriel Mancera in the Del Valle neighborhood, in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, on Sept. 25, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]
The death toll from last week's destructive 7.1-magnitude earthquake in central Mexico has climbed to 333, the government said on Tuesday.
The head of the national civil protection agency, Luis Felipe Puente, said 194 lives were lost in Mexico City, while the remainder in the surrounding or nearby states.
The quake, whose epicenter was located close to Mexico City, knocked down at least 38 buildings in the capital and severely damaged about 500 others. Thousands of other buildings, including schools, require varying degrees of repair.
In many neighborhoods, red and yellow danger and caution tape was strung around buildings and sidewalks, warning pedestrians of loose bricks or deeply cracked facades, which could come falling down with another tremor.
The Sept. 19 quake was the second strong temblor to hit Mexico in less than two weeks. An 8.2-magnitude quake struck off the coast of south Mexico on Sept. 7, swaying buildings as far away as in Mexico City, and claiming 98 lives in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas.
By Tuesday morning, Mexico's National Seismological Service (SSN) registered 5,004 aftershocks from the first quake, some as strong as 6.0 on the Richter scale of seismic intensity.
As many as 110,000 homes were destroyed or damaged in the two southern states, leaving about 300,000 people homeless.
Carlos Valdes, head of the National Center for Disaster Prevention, said the high number of aftershocks was due to the quake's 8.2 magnitude.
"It is so large that ... the fractured (plate's) process of resettling gradually diminishes, causing these aftershocks," Valdes said in a televised interview.
September's second quake has registered 39 aftershocks, the SSN said.
In Mexico City, rescue efforts continued at five sites, where buildings collapsed and bodies, or survivors, were still believed to be trapped inside.
According to officials, as of Monday, some 40 people remained unaccounted for. Nearly 25,000 city residents left homeless are at city shelters.
UN Special Adviser Acknowledges Horror of ISIS Brutality Amid Push to Call It Genocide
The American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative law group fighting to get the United Nations to designate Islamic State's ongoing attacks against Christians as a genocide, received a letter acknowledging the brutalities victims are subjected to. "In the strongest showing to date of progress being made to defend Christians facing genocide, the U.N. has responded to our recent letter, agreeing with our assessment regarding the growing body of evidence that the Islamic State (ISIS) is in fact committing genocide against religious minorities," ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow wrote in an update on Saturday.
ACLJ and its affiliate, European Center for Law and Justice, had sent a letter in July, detailing the "gross abuses" suffered by Christians, Yazidis, and other minorities in Iraq and Syria. In response, Adama Dieng, special adviser to the secretary-general on the Prevention of Genocide, stated, "I share your passionate call for justice and accountability for the crimes committed by [ISIS]. "Over the last three years, I have had the opportunity to meet with victims of [ISIS]'s brutality, including during a visit to Iraq in November 2015. I was horrified by the accounts they gave, which echo those included in your letter," the letter states in part. Dieng said that he agrees that IS members who have carried out war crimes and crimes against humanity must be prosecuted by independent courts, and vowed to continue encouraging those in power to pursue accountability. Sekulow described Dieng's letter as a "profound and unprecedented acknowledgment by the U.N." of the plight faced by Christians. The law group has for many months been urging the U.N. to officially recognize that Christians are subjected to genocide. In past letters it described how IS has beheaded and stoned men, women, and children for blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy, with Christians tortured and killed for refusing to deny their faith in Jesus Christ. "It is indisputable that ISIS (the Islamic State) is targeting Christians and other religious minorities in Syria and Iraq because of their faith -- with an intent to exterminate them -- and these horrific acts of violence are spreading around the world," the law group wrote in April. Sekulow stated that Dieng's response and promise to engage the international community "is yet another positive development in our efforts against the ISIS genocide." "Here at the ACLJ we are vigorously fighting for those defenseless victims of genocide. Just this week we made yet another oral intervention before the U.N. on behalf of ISIS's victims. We will continue our efforts until ISIS is defeated and its victims are protected," he declared. A U.S. bill looking to provide emergency aid for Christians and other victims of genocide was, meanwhile, advanced by a Senate committee vote last week. House Resolution 390, also called the Iraq and Syria Relief and Accountability Act, looks to "provide emergency relief to victims of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Iraq and Syria, to provide accountability for perpetrators of these crimes and for other purposes." Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) who sponsored the bill, which passed the U.S. House in June, argued that it is "incomprehensible" that the U.S. government has not done more to help so far. "Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda has been sustaining more than 95,000 Christians who escaped ISIS -- almost one third of Christians remaining in Iraq," Smith noted, adding that "lives are depending" upon American aid.
Frequent high-level consultations and dialogues have over the years proved an effective means for China and the United States to communicate and iron out their differences on a number of bilateral and international issues.
Considering that the two countries have different views on many issues, these high-profile contacts have helped facilitate better understanding of each other's intentions and enabled them to avoid any miscalculation or misstep.
Now, with bilateral trade frictions and their divergences over the best way to address the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear weapons program becoming more prominent, there is an urgent need for China and the US to step up such communication to narrow their divergences.
Thus it is both timely and welcome that Vice-Premier Liu Yandong, who is attending a series of cultural activities in the US this week, is scheduled to co-chair the first round of the China-US Social and Cultural Dialogue with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington on Thursday. And that Tillerson is scheduled to begin a three-day visit to Beijing the same day.
Just prior to his visit, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross discussed the pressing bilateral trade issues with Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing on Tuesday.
With each side having different priorities and issues of concern, there have been intimations of a coming trade war. But frank discussions will have hopefully fostered understanding and accommodation of each others position that will enable them to avoid such a harmful scenario.
Tillerson's visit will also enable the two sides to discuss ways to better coordinate their approaches toward Pyongyang's reckless ambition to pursue nuclear and missile capabilities, a pursuit that is pushing the situation on the peninsula toward tipping point.
Although Beijing and Washington have intensified their cooperation on the peninsula issue in recent months, it will of necessity again be to the fore in the discussions between Chinese leaders and Tillerson later this week, since any misjudgment of the situation would likely lead to a miscalculation that would have disastrous consequences.
As important players in attempts to resolve the issue, China and the US need to engineer a convergence in their approaches and jointly send a positive signal to the outside world that they are committed to easing the tensions through peaceful means.
And as long as the two countries bring to their discussions a willingness to foster a spirit of cooperation and talk candidly so as to find common ground, there is no reason why they cannot turn the process of addressing their differences into opportunities to deepen mutual trust and expand bilateral ties.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (central) and Jack Ma (right), executive chairman and founder of the Alibaba Group, attend the Alibaba Group's Gateway'17 Canada conference in Toronto on Sept 25, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]
The Alibaba Group's Gateway'17 Canada conference opened Monday in Canada's largest city Toronto.
Jack Ma, executive chairman and founder of the Alibaba Group, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered key speeches at the conference, which was attended by more than 3,600 people, at the Toronto Exhibition Place.
The event, along with a trade show, attracted a variety of organizations and businesses, covering such sectors as manufacturing, retail, professional services, agribusiness, and travel and tourism.
Data showed 68 percent of the participants were from small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
The one-day conference featured presentations and breakout sessions aimed at educating enterprises about what and how to sell to China, especially through e-commerce platforms.
For example, people learned about how Alibaba's online travel marketplace and payment solutions can help Canadian businesses serve the rapidly expanding outbound Chinese travel and tourism market.
China's first-ever guideline that advocates entrepreneurial spirit and creates a favorable environment for entrepreneurs will play a vital role in driving the ongoing supply-side structural reform to further boost innovation, experts said.
The entrepreneurial spirit is an important driving force to further upgrade and transform the economy, said Liu Quanhong, a researcher from Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research.
"Boosting the entrepreneurial spirit holds a key to the country's supply-side structural reform, which is supposed to stimulate market vitality at a deeper level and achieve healthy and sustainable development," Liu said.
The guideline, the first of its kind, was released on Monday by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council. It advocates the entrepreneurial spirit, which includes hard work, pursuing excellence, craftsmanship, innovation and social responsibility.
The guideline stresses that the government will protect the legal rights and interests of entrepreneurs, ensure fair competition and strengthen protection of intellectual property rights to encourage innovation.
According to the guideline, a negative list management program will be rolled out nationwide to ensure fair access to industries and businesses that are not off-limits for market entities.
Creating a favorable social environment will prove important for innovation and entrepreneurship, said Zhang Yuli, dean of business school of Nankai University.
"Moreover, the government's efforts on strengthening protection of IPR (intellectual property rights) will benefit the enterprises, which have mastered mature technologies and possessed competitive products in the market, as well as boost different types of innovation such as new business models and cultural creativity," Zhang said.
Zhang said the fair market access will let more private capital tap into more areas, such as military industry, energy, transportation and telecom, and promote the State-owned enterprises' mixed ownership reforms.
It means private enterprises will be encouraged to play a bigger role in boosting innovation and entrepreneurship, Zhang said.
"The guideline provides all-around support and protection for entrepreneurs to focus on quality and continuous innovation without extra worries," said Zhang Ruimin, chairman and chief executive of household appliance giant Haier Group.
Song Zhiping, chairman of China National Building Material Group, said entrepreneurs are a national strategic resource and suggested the government should establish a sense of better serving entrepreneurs and reduce tedious procedures for approval.
In Zhang Yuli's eyes, entrepreneurs are treasures of society and he applauded the fact that the guidelines admit the importance of entrepreneurial spirit and restore confidence of the vast number of entrepreneurs.
"It is noteworthy that the guideline gives more tolerance and understanding to the mistakes that entrepreneurs make in their legal operations, which could let them learn from failures and enhance their own capacities," Zhang added.
China will introduce a number of reform measures to create a better environment for innovation and development in the future, according to a decision made at a State Council executive meeting last month.
China has the largest number of unicorn startups outside the United States, with four Chinese companies rounding the top 10 globally in terms of valuation, a report said.
According to global consulting firm CB Insights, China is home to 55 unicornsprivate companies valued at more than $1 billion eachamong 214 unicorns worldwide.
The United States still holds the lead in the unicorn race by accounting for over half of global total unicorns while China and India follow as second and third, making up 25 percent and 4 percent of the total, respectively.
The United States and China together have more than 80 percent of the total global unicorns. This absolute advantage depends on the internet market scale, advanced infrastructure, well-rounded industrial structures and the amount of internet talent, according to a report by global accounting firm Deloitte.
Notably, four Chinese companies, namely Didi Chuxing, Xiaomi Corp, Lu.com and Meituan-Dianping, make the list of the world's top 10 most valuable unicorns.
In terms of valuation, US-based Uber tops the world with a valuation of $68 billion. China's ride-hailing platform Didi Chuxing follows with a total valuation of $50 billion, while Chinese smartphone vendor Xiaomi is the third largest unicorn ($46 billion).
China's Lu.com, valued at $18.5 billion, takes eighth place while Meituan-Dianping, a major food-delivery company, is the ninth largest unicorn with a valuation of $18 billion.
The report also found that though more than half of the world's unicorns are based in the US, more and more unicorns have been popping up outside the US.
As of 2017, 42 companies are newly added to the list of global unicorns, and of those, 24 are based outside the US. Sixteen Chinese companies, including news aggregator app Jinri Toutiao and bike-sharing company Mobike and Ofo, have joined the list of world unicorns.
Deloitte also predicted that more Chinese companies will become global unicorns, especially in the areas of company service, medical, automobile, transportation, consumer upgrade and the internet of things.
Contact the writers at chengyu@chinadaily.com.cn
The first open recruitment for positions in Xiongan New Area in North China's Hebei province has attracted thousands of applicants, making the area a hot destination for senior talent.
Twenty-three positions received 4,123 applications, equivalent to around 179 for each post, according to the area's official WeChat account.
However, the proportion was much smaller than that for the national civil service examination, which is one of the fiercest competitions for jobs in the nation.
According to the State Administration of Civil Service, the application-to-recruitment ratio of candidates who participated in the exam last year was 36:1.
Xiongan announced on Aug 31 it was seeking 23 professional and technical personnel at mid or advanced levels for its newly founded construction companyChina Xiongan Construction & Investment Group Co Ltd.
With registered capital of 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion), the company is the area's first State-owned group, which has been approved by the Hebei provincial government.
Within one week of the recruitment invitation being sent out, more than 4,000 applicants submitted their resumes.
The applicants are from 27 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions nationwide, especially Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. Some are from foreign countries such as Canada, Japan and Iran. Infrastructure construction, finance, and public relations are the top three areas.
The written exams and interviews for the positions have been completed and the final result is expected by the end of this month.
The company did not specify the salaries yet, but authorities have disclosed that staff working in Xiongan will be paid in reference to the salary level in Beijing, or even higher.
"Salaries in Xiongan will be higher than in big cities such as Beijing. Otherwise, nobody would like to come," said Liu Baoling, executive deputy director of the administrative committee of Xiongan New Area.
"To attract talent, the salary should be much higher than that in Beijing, rather than at the same level or just a little bit higher, because the capital has a mature atmosphere of research, culture and living, while Xiongan is still new," Zhu Lijia, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, was quoted as saying by China Economic Weekly.
Also, basic public services in Xiongan should be superior to those in Beijing and Tianjin in order to attract top talents, said He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission.
As for housing, Xiongan will implement policies to meet the needs of different groups of people.
"The houses are for living in, not for speculation," Liu said, adding that people here will not become fangnu (people burdened by large home mortgages) so that they can have enough time and energy to give full play to their talents.
China announced the decision to set up Xiongan New Area on April 1 to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The area is around 100 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing.
An employee works on a Boeing Co 737 MAX airplane on the production line at the company's manufacturing facility in Renton, Washington, the United States. [Photo/Agencies]
Boeing Co and the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China on Tuesday signed an agreement and unveiled Boeing's first overseas completion and delivery center.
The joint venture is located in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, with registered capital of $55 million. Boeing has invested $33 million and takes a 60 percent share, while COMAC invested $22 million and has a 40 percent holding.
Construction of the center, which will consist of a completion center under a joint venture between Boeing and COMAC, and a delivery center owned by Boeing, got underway in early May. It will be capable of tasks including cabin installation, painting, flight testing and aircraft maintenance.
COMAC said it will jointly participate in the completion tasks together with Boeing employees, but the proportion of workers the two sides would assign remains unknown.
The manufacturer of the C919 large passenger jet said the project will help to broaden international cooperation between China and international players, and optimize the environment for the growth of the civil aircraft industry in China.
He Dongfeng, president of COMAC, said: "Zhoushan and Seattle are located at the two sides of the Pacific Ocean. In the past, most people living in Seattle didn't know about Zhoushan, but now they come to work here. Our completion center has linked us together."
Boeing expects that the plant will finish first-stage construction and go into operation next May. By the end of 2018, Boeing will deliver the first single-aisle B737 MAX plane directly from Zhoushan to a domestic airline.
With a maximum annual delivery capacity of 100 planes at its center in Zhoushan, Boeing plans to deliver all the aircraft completed in Zhoushan to Chinese customers, as it strives to meet the strong demand for single-aisle aircraft in China.
Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst and columnist at Carnoc.com, a leading civil aviation website portal in China, said: "One-fifth of narrow-body aircraft in the world are delivered to China. It is a huge market Boeing hopes to seize."
He said the Airbus final assembly line in Tianjin, which became operational in 2008, has helped Airbus, the archrival of Boeing, boost its market share in China from 34 percent to 47 percent over the past decade.
"Boeing is now making more efforts by establishing its first overseas completion and delivery center in Zhoushan, in order to seize the strong market potential in China and strengthen its cooperation with Chinese aviation industry players," Lin added.
A fisherman with a net of hairy crabs at Yangcheng Lake, Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo provided to China Daily]
As anglers netted the first haul of Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs on Saturday, marking the beginning of this year's season, leading e-commerce platforms had already cast their net beyond the lake, offering more choices to consumers.
Yangcheng Lake, a freshwater lake in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, has long been reputed as the home of the tastiest large freshwater crabs.
However, this year's output from Yangcheng Lake is expected to contract to 1,200 metric tons, down from 2,100 tons last year, according to Hu Jianguo, secretary-general of Suzhou Yangcheng Lake Crab Association.
This is mainly because the crab breeding area has been halved to 10.7 square kilometers this year in order to preserve the aquatic environment in the area. As a result, the price will rise 15 percent this year.
But the average weight of each crab will increase 6.2 percent compared to last year, according to Suzhou Municipal Agricultural Commission.
While the output of Yangcheng Lake crabs has declined, consumer demand has not diminished. According to Nanjing-based online marketplace Suning, it received more than 200,000 orders on Sept 20 when it started pre-sale of hairy crabs.
Statistics provided by China's largest online travel agency Ctrip show that the searches for trips featuring hairy crab meals surged 2,000 percent between Sept 20 and 25.
Addressing such enthusiasm, e-commerce platforms have sought freshwater crabs from locations other than Yangcheng Lake.
A day prior to the beginning of the crab season at Yangcheng Lake, e-commerce giant JD Group marked its cooperation with the government of Sihong county in western Jiangsu province, where freshwater crabs from Hongze Lake promise similar quality to those from Yangcheng Lake.
With JD's own cold-chain delivery network, consumers from more than 200 cities across China can receive crabs within 48 hours. Better quality and bigger crabs are sold at around 15 yuan ($2.3) each.
Wang Xiaosong, vice-president of JD Group, said the company will work with the local government in Sihong to strengthen the supervision of crab breeding so that the brand name of Sihong Lake hairy crab can become as established as those from Yangcheng Lake.
Online marketplace Suning has also been procuring hairy crabs from 13 other locations than Yangcheng Lake to meet the expected surge in demand during the upcoming National Day holiday and Mid-Autumn Festival.
A box of eight Gucheng Lake crabs retails for 108 yuan, cheaper than the same quantity of Yangcheng Lake crabs sold on Suning for 198 yuan.
Tmall, a major online retail arm of e-commerce juggernaut Alibaba Group, has also signed a sales agreement with five other locations. Hairy crab from Panjin in northeastern China's Liaoning province made its debut on Tmall last year. The successful cooperation gave the local government enough confidence to continue sales on Tmall this year. The crabs will be sold at between 26 yuan and 115 yuan each, based on quality and size.
Only 6 percent of the crabs produced in Panjin were sold online in the past, according to Wang Xiaodong, secretary-general of the city government of Panjin, which has an annual output of 70,000 tons of hairy crabs.
However, the majority of the crabs produced there will be sold online this year, he said.
BEIJING Su Wenhui, a civil servant in eastern China's Jiangsu province, gained a 16 percent annual rate of return on her investment in a roof in 2015.
Su spent over 30,000 yuan (about $4,450) to have a photovoltaic (PV) power station built on her rooftop. And it has started to pay off.
"The station generates about 4,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year, twice as much as I consume. So I sold the other half," she said. "The investment has brought me 5,000 yuan, including government subsidies and power selling."
Su is among the beneficiaries from Yangzhong city's first batch of demonstration projects in PV application, which have encouraged plenty of residents to choose green energy.
A complete industrial chain has taken shape in this city of 300,000 people, and Yangzhong now has more than 2,000 households installing PV power stations.
New energy has become the city's second largest industry, with an industrial output value of 25.19 billion yuan last year. Green energy in the city is expected to make up one-third of total energy consumption by 2020, and 100 percent by 2030.
Yangzhong was listed as a model city in renewable energy application by China's energy administration last year. It epitomizes the country's efforts to build a green society.
China generated 4.17 trillion kWh of power over the first eight months of the year, about 74 percent of which is thermal electricity generated by coal-fired capacity, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
The country has been promoting green resources such as wind and solar in recent years. Green development is one of the five development concepts outlined by the country in 2015, along with innovation, coordination, opening up and sharing.
China has itself dedicated to raising public environmental awareness, and encouraging economical, green and healthy lifestyles.
Renewable energy is an emerging industry in China, significant to ensuring energy security and optimizing energy structure.
By the end of July, the installed capacity of renewable energy topped 620 gigawatts (gW), accounting for 35 percent of China's total installed power generation capacity, according to Liang Zhipeng, vice director of the New Energy and Renewable Energy Department under the National Energy Administration.
In the first seven months of this year, the increased installed capacity of renewable energy amounted to 50 million kW, about 75 percent of China's total increased installed power generation capacity.
Currently, the installed capacity of hydropower, wind power and PV has reached 338 gW, 150 gW and 100 gW respectively, all ranking first in the world, Liang said.
China has become the world's largest green energy supplier, also taking the lead in PV development and making great contribution to the global energy transformation, said Li Junfeng, with the China Energy Research Society.
From 2010 to 2016, the global share of green energy increased to 32 percent from 12 percent, with China's share of renewable resources climbing from 1 percent to almost 5 percent, according to Yang Lei, senior advisor with the International Energy Agency.
China's investment in the green energy sector reached $87.8 billion last year, ranking first in the world, and revenues of key listed new energy enterprises in the country steadily increased, with total profits reaching a five-year high, according to a report released by China Economic Information Service.
"More cities will choose renewable energy in the future, making China's green market a promising one," Liang Zhipeng said.
BEIJING China should speed up efforts to create a more open, fair, transparent business environment and increase its competitiveness to attract foreign investment, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang said Tuesday.
As China steers the new normal of economic development, foreign investment faces new challenges, but the fundamental need for steady growth of foreign investment remains unchanged, said Wang.
China's comprehensive competitiveness to attract foreign investment also remains constant, as does the willingness of transnational corporations to invest in China, the vice premier said.
China will open wider to foreign investment, not only in manufacturing, but also in the service sector, and increase the level and quality of foreign investment, Wang said.
He added that foreign investment should expand from eastern regions to central and western regions, and move from the lower end of the value chain to the middle and high end.
China will continue to reduce market access restrictions for foreign capital as well as granting fair treatment in laws and policies to foreign-funded companies after they enter the market, Wang said.
SHANGHAI Staff with US company Amicus Therapeutics regularly travel to Shanghai to work out how to develop a new drug to treat Pompe disease, a rare muscle disorder.
John Crowley, chief executive of the company, led the recent trip to its Chinese partner WuXi Biologics, based in Shanghai.
Crowley said the new drug was expected to reduce the side effects of existing enzyme replacement therapy.
The disorder prevents the human body from making enough of an enzyme used by heart and muscle cells to convert a form of sugar called glycogen into energy. When glycogen builds up in these cells it can lead to swelling of the heart, disability and early death.
Crowley has led a personal struggle to save his daughter and son, who are afflicted with Pompe disease.
Crowley said his company chose WuXi Biologics as its contract manufacturer, even though some company board members questioned the decision, doubting such high-quality drugs could be made by a Chinese firm.
Currently, the drug is in stage two of clinical trials, and around 20 patients are being tested with the drug in the United States.
By the middle of next year, it is expected to enter stage three, and be applied to more patients for tests, Crowley said.
Chinese patients are expected to be included in the trials, he said. Gao Ru, founder of a Chinese Pompe patient association, said the cooperation would benefit Chinese patients. She estimated there are about 35,000 Pompe patients in China.
Gao said she managed to contact about 100 of them, 80 percent of whom were adults, and 20 percent babies.
For an adult patient, the annual medical cost is around 3 million yuan (about $460,000).
"I hope the cost for the prescription can be reduced," she said.
Crowley helped founded Novazyme, a company working on Pompe disease treatment. The company was was acquired by Genzyme in 2011. Now Paris-based Sanofi SA owns the drugs. He later founded Amicus Therapeutics to develop therapy for rare disease including Pompe.
"If you compare ordinary drugs to a bicycle, bio-medicine is like a plane. It is very difficult to make," said Chen Zhisheng, CEO of WuXi Biologics.
"The new generation drugs to treat Pompe diseases needs to be very accurate in dealing with the disorder. Both our companies will be committed to the development of the drugs until they are put on the market and bring benefits to patients," Chen said.
Shanghai-based co-working service provider Distrii announced its series A financing of 200 million yuan ($30.2 million) on Tuesday.
Major investors include the property company Jingrui Holdings' investment platform, Junzi Capital and Singapore property company City Developments Limited. With the capital raised, Distrii will accelerate the expansion of light-asset offices and start tapping Asia-Pacific, Southeast Asia, Europe and North America.
Established in late 2015, Distrii opened its first co-working space in May last year. By the beginning of this month, more than 400 companies had registered into Distrii's co-working space. Apart from China, it has also stepped into Singapore in May and will unveil its flagship franchise in Singapore in April next year.
The renting price for Distrii's co-working space varies between 1,000 yuan to 4,000 yuan in Shanghai for each cubicle every month. Up till now, Distrii has opened 15,000 working cubicles in the market, and the number will reach 80,000 by 2019, according to Hu Jing, founder and chief executive officer of Distrii.
Pointing out that franchised office brand will be the next major trend in the market, Hu said the aim of Distrii is to build itself into an office service provider based on the Internet of Things technologies.
Qin Jun, chairman of Junzi Capital, said that the central government's call for mass innovation and entrepreneurship has created opportunities. She suggested Distrii should focus on high-end clients as they are more likely to be repeat customers.
WUHAN A new direct air route linking Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province, with Manila, capital of the Philippines, will open in November, China Southern Airlines announced Tuesday.
It is the first regular direct flight between the two cities, it added.
The service will be launched on Nov 6 at a special price of 670 yuan (about $100) for a round trip. Four flights will depart Wuhan at 0:45 am and arrive in Manila at 3:40 am Beijing time on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The return flight will leave Manila at 4: 40 am and arrive in Wuhan at 8:10 am.
China, especially its central region, has become a major source of tourists for the Philippines, according to Wang Hai, marketing manager at the Hubei branch of China Southern Airlines.
Data from the Department of Tourism in the Philippines showed that from January to July this year, more than 454,900 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines, up 33.4 percent year-on-year.
In June 2015, Wuhan launched charter flights to Boracay Island, a popular resort island in the central Philippines.
A worker assembles a robotic arm at a factory in Foshan, Guangdong province. [Photo provided to China Daily]
BEIJING - China's major industrial firms posted stronger profit growth in the first eight months of this year as producer prices went up and production costs came down, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Wednesday.
Industrial companies with annual revenue of more than 20 million yuan (about $3.02 million) reported profits of 4.92 trillion yuan in the first eight months, a 21.6 percent increase from one year earlier, the NBS said in a statement.
The strong growth marks a pick-up from the 21.2 percent in the January-July period.
In August alone, profits of major industrial firms jumped 24 percent year-on-year, much faster than the 16.5 percent growth in July, the NBS said.
Among the 41 industries surveyed, 39 posted year-on-year profit growth during the first eight months.
NBS statistician He Ping said the strong growth was a result of price hikes in industrial products and lower production costs.
China's producer price index (PPI), which measures costs of goods at the factory gate, rose 6.3 percent year-on-year in August, 0.8 percentage points higher than the July level.
The price rebound has added some 127.3 billion yuan to the August industrial profits, accounting for 31.2 percent of the total profit increase last month, said He.
The trend was particularly evident in sectors such as the petroleum, steel and electronics industries, the statistician said.
In August, the oil and natural gas exploitation industry's profits went up 4.94 billion yuan from a year ago, but in July, it suffered a decrease of 1.03 billion yuan in profits.
Meanwhile, for each 100 yuan of revenue, companies had to spend 85.44 yuan, a 0.64-yuan decrease from the same period last year, NBS data showed.
He also mentioned that the leverage ratio of Chinese industrial firms is on the decline amid the government's ongoing supply-side structural reform. By the end of August, their debt-asset ratio dropped 0.7 percentage points from a year ago to 55.7 percent.
The industrial sector, which accounts for about one-third of China's GDP, started to pick up last year after a bad 2015. The upbeat August profits data has added to evidence of resilience in the sector and steady improvement in the overall economy.
China's value-added industrial output grew 6 percent year-on-year in August, previous NBS data showed. On a monthly basis, industrial production edged up 0.46 percent in August compared to July.
China's economy expanded 6.9 percent for the first half of 2017, above the government's 2017 full-year target of around 6.5 percent.
The Asian Development Bank projected earlier this week that China's economic growth will be 6.7 percent for this year and 6.4 percent for 2018.
In an update of the Asian Development Outlook 2017, its flagship annual economic publication, the bank said better-than-expected external demand, proactive fiscal policy and strong domestic consumption have combined to drive up China's growth.
BUENOS AIRES - China's new normal of economic development presents a "great opportunity to deepen and expand cooperation" with Argentina, Chinese Ambassador in Buenos Aires Yang Wanming said here Tuesday.
"Over the past five years, China's integration with the world has reached a new level. China is building new international ties, focused on cooperation towards shared gains," Yang said at a reception marking the upcoming 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, which falls on Sunday.
The reception was attended by Argentina's Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Sergio Bergman, ruling party lawmaker Eduardo Amadeo and other officials.
"Since 2012, the deepening of China's reform (process) has been taken to a new level, following the guideline for the supply-side reform," said Yang.
"We are promoting development driven by innovation, speeding up the modernization and transformation of the economy, and strengthening the internal force for development, thanks to which, over the past five years, China has become the leading engine of the global economy, with an average annual contribution to global growth of more than 30 percent," Yang said.
In the first half of 2017, China's economy grew at a rate of 6.7 percent, "accompanied by the emergence of a great number of new technologies and industries, and with consumption as the main driver of growth," said the ambassador.
That implies "changes that reflect the notable improvement in the quality of China's economy, which helps lay a solid foundation for long-term sustainable development," said Yang.
Opportunities for both nations lie in coordinating their development strategies and boosting friendly exchanges in a number of areas, Yang added.
"Ties between Argentina and China are at an excellent moment: China keeps growing, opening up to the world, and radiating its power throughout the globe, while Argentina is embarking on a new path," Amadeo told Xinhua.
The lawmaker, who is also head of the lower chamber's Finance Committee, highlighted the "political decision of Presidents Xi Jinping and (Mauricio) Macri to bring China and Argentina closer together."
"President Macri's visit to China was historic, so we hope this relationship grows steadily stronger in the areas of economy, culture and sports, for the benefit of both countries," said Amadeo.
China is Argentina's leading agricultural trade partner, its second-biggest trade partner overall, only after neighboring Brazil, and its third-largest foreign investor.
In 2016, bilateral trade reached $12.32 billion, just two years after agreeing to raise bilateral ties to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Companies that offer childcare services for their employees found that the benefit exerted a significant positive impact on their businesses, improving recruitment, retention, and productivity of workers, a report said on Wednesday.
To meet the demand for employer-supported childcare, increased investments are needed to offer various childcare options, according to the report released by International Finance Corp, a member of the World Bank Group.
"Without the full and equal participation of women and men, no country, community, or economy can achieve its potential or meet the challenges of the 21st century," Nena Stoiljkovic, vice-president of Blended Finance and Partnerships at IFC, said.
Childcare is part of the solution, she said, citing the report's case studies of companies offering various childcare options.
Childcare could result in a triple-win situation for employees and their children, employers, and economies. When companies support childcare, they can hire and retain talent and boost profits, and a childcare provision can enable more women and men to participate in paid labor, according to the report.
More Chinese companies are following suit.
In April, JD.com, one of China's largest e-commerce giants, started to provide free childcare services for their staff at its Beijing headquarters.
In the last summer, ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing hired professional kindergarten teachers to look after its employees' children in the office building. It spared the staff from busy schedules so they can concentrate more on their jobs.
Fueling the trend is the rising recognition among policymakers globally about the business and development impact of children.
China's Ministry of Education released a guideline to urge local authorities to set up more public kindergartens and support privately-run ones. Special funds should be allocated to finance preschool education, according to the guideline.
About 70 percent of Chinese professional women asked for their parents' help to take care of their children, partly due to high babysitting fees, according to an investigation conducted by the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions. A majority of those surveyed are in favor of companies and public institutions running their own nursery and kindergarten.
"There are obvious advantages for enterprises and public institutions to set up kindergarten for their employees. Staff save their time and energy. Children, who grow up in similar home environment, tend to have less conflicts with each other. That's good for their development," said Qin Tao, associate professor at East China University of Science and Technology.
An industrial robot that can practice calligraphy draws visitors' attention at the 10th Expo Central China held in Hefei, Anhui province, May 18, 2017. [Photo/VCG]
Out of 137 economies surveyed worldwide, the Chinese mainland ranks 27th in terms of overall competitiveness while in innovation, it is "on par or even better than many advanced economies," the Geneva-based World Economic Forum said on Wednesday.
The Chinese mainland placed between South Korea and Iceland in the annual ranking based on factors contributing to productivity and prosperity, according to a report released by the forum.
The mainland ranks highest among the BRICS group of five emerging markets and moved up to 27th, one place higher than in last year's assessment. BRICS also includes Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa.
Switzerland ranks as the world's most competitive economy, narrowly ahead of the United States and Singapore. Hong Kong moves up three spots to sixth place as Japan dropped one spot to ninth.
The authors of this year's report examined the data back to 2007. They said 10 years after the global financial crisis, many economies remain ill-prepared for the next wave of innovation and automation.
David Aikman, chief representative of the World Economic Forum's China operation, said the most important development in the past decade has been the mainland's emergence as an innovation powerhouse.
"Various indicators suggest its innovation capacity is now on par or even better than that of many advanced economies. More generally, we observe that the country's innovation ecosystem has improved significantly," Aikman told China Daily on Wednesday.
Aikman also said that Chinese companies are becoming much more sophisticated and are rapidly moving up the value chain, while at the turn of the century most exporting firms were merely suppliers of basic manufactured goods.
China has made "steep progress" in innovation and in science and technology in recent years, underpinned by educational strides, said Reinhilde Veugelers, professor of Leuven University of Belgium.
Klaus Schwab, forum founder and executive chairman, said, "Countries preparing for the fourth industrial revolution and simultaneously strengthening their political, economic and social systems will be the winners in the competitive race of the future."
A researcher displays a flexible robot hand invented by a team from the Harbin Institute of Technology's innovation building in early September. [Photo/China Daily by Zhu Xingxin]
Many people may not know that Heilongjiang province is not only famous for its ice and snow culture, but also for its high-tech research and technological entrepreneurship.
From the start of 2015 through this July, 7,758 technological companies were registered in Heilongjiang and many have received investments from home and abroad.
In May 2016, President Xi Jinping visited a number of companies in Harbin, Heilongjiang, including Antiy Labs, a leading Chinese company that specializes in antivirus engines. He said Heilongjiang has a great potential in developing high-tech industries and emerging strategic industries.
Xi carefully read the analysis reports of Antiy, about how the company intercepted network attacks, and pointed out that internet security will support the country's safety.
Founded in 2000, Antiy Labs has provided safeguards for the Chang'e lunar probe and manned space flights. The company also guaranteed internet security for the debut flight of the domestic passenger jet C919 in May, as it has scanned nearly 100 important information systems and key websites used for the aircraft.
In addition, it provided internet security services for the G20 Summit in Hangzhou last year, the APEC Summit in Beijing in 2014 and the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
Among the top 10 domestic smartphone makers, eight cooperate with Antiy Labs, installing the company's system inside the cellphones to strengthen their anti-virus protection. Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi Corp was the first to collaborate with Antiy.
Xiao Xinguang, founder and chief technology officer of Antiy Labs, said Xi has been very sharp in paying attention to the internet security sector.
"The government has been supporting the development of the internet security sector, and internet safety will also safeguard business growth involved in the Belt and Road Initiative," he said.
"I feel really excited and proud when I reported the work to President Xi. ... His visit gave us a stronger incentive to advance forward."
Currently, the size of the anti-virus engine business in China is small, with a market of about 30 billion yuan ($4.52 billion). This is less than 10 percent of the market in the United States even though need for information security is about the same in both China and the US.
"In the past, we have been an organization that is more like a lab. We need to carry out our technologies, products and services to the related sectors and areas in a faster speed and solve more real problems," Xiao said.
"Besides, we are also expanding our footprints abroad, such as to help Africa to provide internet security services. Last year, we also launched our office in Silicon Valley."
Meanwhile, Xi also visited the innovation building in Harbin. With the support of the research and development strength of Harbin Institute of Technology, the building provides incubators for small and medium-size enterprises, and it shows the innovative achievements of the city.
"Harbin Institute of Technology was the first university in China to establish a major in composite materials. The first composite material factory in China was also built in Harbin," said Wang Rongguo, a professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the university.
"We also made the first propeller that is made of composite materials in China. We should speed up the industrial transformation of our research achievements and apply them to more sectors," he said.
Volin Alexei Konstantinovich, deputy minister of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, talks with young people at the second China-Russia New Media Forum in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on Monday. [Photo/China Daily]
After two days' discussion, media insiders, experts and scholars reached the Consensus of China-Russia New Media Cooperation at the Second China-Russia New Media Forum at Don State Technical University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on Monday and Tuesday. Following are the excerpts of the consensus:
Today, new media and new business models are becoming more and more widely applied, blurring the boundaries between telecom, media and the internet business. The new reality is coming to all platforms in the media market.
New media has become an essential channel for disseminating information, playing an increasingly important role in social development. Rapid development of information technology, which is changing all aspects of society, including the economic development model, has imposed a penetrating influence on people's personal interests and social security.
At the same time, network space and media are communication channels that younger generations are most eager to follow and demand.
Russian and Chinese representatives in the media industry should establish regular contact and enhance cooperation in the field of new media to meet the challenges brought by new technologies and the transforming business environment.
The cooperation between China-Russia media industries will inject impetus to the countries' comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and will become a successful mode to be promoted and extended in the interaction and cooperation between the two sides' various levels, such as in regions, provinces, cities, universities and public associations.
Apart from the traditional forms of international interaction, such as exchanging visits, film festivals, forums and themed conferences, it is important to develop joint cooperation in the field of new media, using language that is equally understood by both Chinese and Russian youth.
There should be mobile platforms and joint social networks, projects in the field of internet TV, blogging, e-sports and virtual and augmented reality.
As an integral part of the China-Russia Media Exchange Year, China-Russia New Media Forum: New Media-Youth Collaboration, focuses on the interests of the younger generation. Joint projects, such as media expeditions around historical places and cyber-matches, not only provide inspiration and arouse creativity, but also serve as a basis for communication between the youth of two countries and support development of long-term cooperation. In the era of integration of traditional and new media and the emergence of new technologies, it is important to unite efforts at a higher level to develop cooperation within the framework of joint projects, training and exchange of experience.
The China Association of Automobile Manufactures released the list of the top 10 sedan brands by sales for January to August on its official website on Sept 20.
Lavida took the top spot, with sales of 321,100 units, followed by Excelle XT/GT at 270,500 units and Sylphy with 241,800 units sold during the first eight months.
Let's take a look at the top 10 sedan brands.
No 10 Bora
Sales: 153,300
Assistance will include upgraded lab and communications systems, he says
President Xi Jinping delivers the keynote speech at the opening of the 86th Interpol General Assembly in Beijing on Tuesday. [Photo by FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY]
President Xi Jinping vowed on Tuesday strong support for Interpol with practical measures, including helping 100 developing countries build or upgrade communication systems and crime labs in the next five years, so the law enforcement cooperative can raise its global influence and leadership.
China hopes to work closely with countries and international organizations on global security, and jointly build universal security for humankind, Xi said in his keynote address at the opening of the 86th Interpol General Assembly in Beijing.
The president said that China had made remarkable progress in combating crimes of various kinds and building its crime-prevention system.
"More and more people believe China is one of the most secure countries in the world, which is an important contribution China has made to the world," he said.
The Chinese government will establish an international law enforcement institute under the Ministry of Public Security, which will train 20,000 police for developing nations in the coming five years, Xi told the assembly.
"China highly commends Interpol's efforts to protect the world's security and stability, and will continue to support Interpol so it can play an even more important role in global security governance," Xi said, adding that China has been committed to developing cooperation with Interpol since becoming a member in 1984.
To beef up global law enforcement and security cooperation, Xi proposed enhanced reform and innovation, sticking to the rule of law and mutual benefits. He said that global security governance should be developed in a more fair, reasonable and effective way.
"Countries, while maintaining their own security, should take into account other countries' security," Xi said. He asked major nations to offer more support for underdeveloped countries and regions in security and development.
China is hosting the assembly through Friday, more than two decades after hosting the 64th session in 1995. Participants from 158 countries and regions gathered in Beijing for the conference.
Meng Hongwei, president of Interpol, said that Xi's speech shows the firm support from the president and Chinese government for the big family of global police. Meng, vice-minister of public security of China, was elected president of Interpol last year.
Jurgen Stock, secretary-general of Interpol, said that Xi's support for law enforcement worldwide and endorsement of Interpol's mission to prevent and fight crime are "deeply valued".
"In a speech earlier this year in Geneva, you affirmed that we should build a world of common security for all through joint efforts. This is our objective here to work together for our collective benefit," Stock said, praising Xi's efforts.
"Alone, we cannot achieve our goals to secure our societies. As the Chinese proverb puts it, a single tree makes no forest, and one string makes no music," he added.
Interpol's General Assembly is the organization's leading annual global police gathering, bringing together the most senior police officials from 190 member countries to address global security issues.
China released on Tuesday an overall plan on the development and management of national parks, which calls for the strictest measures to protect the country's natural beauty and pass it on to generations to come.
By 2020, China will formally set up a batch of national parks and establish a new national department to take charge of the comprehensive management of these parks, according to the plan. By 2030, the system will be further improved and the management more efficient, it said.
As one of the most important areas in natural reserves, the national parks will receive the strictest protection, according to the plan jointly released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, China's Cabinet.
"The national parks are owned by the State, shared by the people and passed on to future generations ... as precious natural legacies," the plan said.
No construction or exploitation of resources is allowed inside national parks, and any violation, including illegal mining, discharging pollutants or hunting, will be punished, the plan said. It said the inhabitants of the core regions of the national parks will be gradually relocated.
The central government will conduct regular monitoring and build databases for the natural resources and environment situation of the natural parks, and a third party will be invited to conduct assessments.
The central government also will assess the performance of local officials and their protection of the parks, and anyone who fails to perform their duties will receive severe punishments during and even beyond their terms.
"The release of the plan shows that China has preliminarily completed the top design of the national park system and the ongoing pilot projects are progressing well," said Wang Yi, vice-president of the Institute of Policy and Management at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
China established 10 trial national parks as pilot projects in 2013, with a combined area of over 170,000 square kilometers involving 13 provincial regions such as Qinghai, Sichuan and Heilongjiang.
These parks are expected to undergo assessments in the coming years and could be named national parks.
Some of the parks are devoted to wild species, such as the giant panda in Southwest China or the Siberian tiger and leopard in the Northeast. Some others are for the protection of fragile, yet critical, natural environments, such as the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers, China's three major waterways. Still others are for historic relics like the Great Wall.
Su Yang, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council, applauded the overall plan since it clearly defines the national parks and clarifies the responsibilities of the central government and provincial governments.
The plan says funding could be from the central and provincial governments, and encourages social investment.
Workers assemble a train in a factory of CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co in Changchun this month. [Photo by ZHU XINGXIN/CHINA DAILY]
In November, CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co, a manufacturer of high-speed and subway trains, will deliver the first batch of six subway cars to Boston, in the northeastern United States.
A total of 392 cars will be assembled later in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts, at a subsidiary of CRRC Changchun, a State-owned train manufacturer based in Jilin province.
CRRC Changchun also will provide subway trains for Los Angeles and for Melbourne, Australia.
"We no longer win the deals only with competitive prices, but also with high technology standards and business solutions. We have one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities globally," said Cao Ran, executive vice manager of the overseas business department at CRRC Changchun.
CRRC Changchun is now one of the world's leading railway providers, including bullet trains and multiple electric units, as well as railway cars. It has exported more than 8,000 cars to 22 countries and regions, and signed export contracts worth over $10 billion.
By the end of last year, China had a high-speed railway network of more than 22,000 kilometers, the world's longest system.
On Thursday, the speed of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway was increased to 350 km/h. The trains, dubbed Fuxing (or rejuvenation), were made by CRRC Changchun, and it owns the intellectual property rights.
In July 2015, President Xi Jinping visited the factory of CRRC Changchun, where he stepped on a train, sat in the cab and listened to the staff talk about their work. Xi said high-speed train manufacturing in China reflects the level of China's equipment manufacturing industry, and it is a beautiful calling card for the equipment manufacturing sector in China.
Chen Xiaomin, secretary of the Party committee of CRRC Changchun, said that in the past two years, the company has been constantly enhancing the quality of its products and mastering more core technologies.
"We have built a new data building and promoted a series of R&D projects. We are expanding our footprint in more countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, and many high-end global markets. We have also strengthened our market position in North America."
Li Wanjun, chief electric welder at CRRC Changchun and a model worker in Chinaan honor given to those who have made significant contributions to the country through their hard worksaid he has met Xi four times, and he explained his work when Xi visited the company.
"The high-speed train industry is the most representative industry in China, and the country has supported its growth. As an ordinary craftsman, I have to constantly perfect my skills. If I didn't weld successfully, the impact would be tremendous."
He added that some young people regard welding as difficult and tiring work, and not many are willing to do it. In fact, the company has a comprehensive rewards and promotion program and a lot of training opportunities.
Two hosts work on a video program at Damara Village, a livestream hosting center in Wuhan, Hubei province. [Photo/Provided to China Daily]
A large livestream hosting center is expected to open in Wuhan, Hubei province, next month.
The center, Damara Village, covers about 146 hectares and has room for around 100 hosts, said Hu Huanhao, a business consultant from Wuhan Yuejinghui Investment Co, the entity behind the center.
Hu said that along with studios and accommodations, the area also features European-style architecture, such as a chapel, bell tower and wine cellar.
The center is located within a flower-themed tourist park, which opened this spring.
More than 30 livestreaming hosts have been negotiating with Damara, Hu said. "We want to promote the development of the leisure industry in this area with online broadcasting, which is a very popular among young people," Hu said.
"The broadcasting base will also provide job opportunities because more university graduates want to join the online broadcasting industry," he said.
Pu Yucong, a graduate of Tsinghua University, is a designer and a livestreaming host who has about 300,000 followers on Douyu, a popular online broadcasting platform in China.
"Livestreaming is not a job for me but a way of life - sharing with others," Pu said.
"My first online show was the graduation ceremony at Tsinghua University. The debut turned out to be a big success that was beyond my expectations," she said.
Pu plans to open a clothing shop offering her own brands in Damara Village. The shop will also be a place where she can meet her fans.
Zhang Yi contributed to this story.
The pieces may be unfamiliar, but visitors take up the challenge of a board game during the second China-Mongolia Expo held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Sept 26, 2017. The expo will last until Saturday. [Photo/Xinhua]
A foreign child with a brain disease receives scalp acupuncture treatment in Yuncheng, Shanxi province. [Photo/Provided to China Daily]
A tiny acupuncture hospital in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, almost escapes notice in a shady yard next to a bustling street market.
In the late 1970s, Jiao Shunfa, the hospital's former head, invented a method of scalp acupuncture to treat diseases of the brain and nerves. He had secretly studied classics of traditional Chinese medicine for nearly 10 years during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).
Jiao was acclaimed as a "needle master" after he was said to have cured hundreds of patients at home and abroad. In 1986, his scalp acupuncture technique was recognized as a breakthrough in TCM by China's Ministry of Health.
Jiao had organized 56 training sessions by the early 1990s, mostly in the four-story hospital building. At least 1,000 doctors from about 50 countries had attended his classes.
But the hospital's profitability declined dramatically after Jiao retired in the late 1990s. Doctors attribute the decline to competition from Western medicine, as well as the poor management.
Xue Xiaomo, former head nurse at the hospital, said the decline was almost predictable.
"Jiao is a brand. The leading practitioner's reputation is the most important asset of the hospital. People just believe in him," Xue said.
Four years ago, the local government brought in Zhao Jiwei, a veteran neurologist, to revive the dying clinic.
"When I came here, wild grass had overgrown the yard. Almost all the doctors had quit," Zhao said.
But some foreign patients occasionally came for treatment after hearing Jiao's story, which strengthened Zhao's confidence that the hospital could be saved. He decided to focus the hospital on the treatment of cerebral palsy in children, while the neurology department would become the main breadwinner. He used his connections in the field to invite capable doctors.
Zhao borrowed money from friends while applying for government funding. The hospital was renovated and new equipment was purchased. He invited some of the old scalp acupuncture practitioners to come back.
Zhao spends most of the profits arranging further education and training for doctors and nurses.
Yang Xiao, deputy director of the hospital, said the expense is well worth it, as improvement in staff quality lays a solid foundation for increased revenues.
"That's why we can regain the trust of the foreign patients in a short time," Yang said.
B. Kurbanov, a 28-year-old Russian TCM practitioner, has played a key role in introducing 600 to 700 patients - mainly children suffering from cerebral palsy, from Russia, Central Asia and East Europe - to the hospital since 2013.
Fluent in Chinese, Kurbanov studied at Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine for five years and later became a TCM practitioner at a hospital in Yuncheng in 2011, where he learned scalp acupuncture techniques from Jiao's disciples, even though the hospital was in virtual bankruptcy.
After Zhao's arrival, Kurbanov easily joined in his efforts to revive it. Currently, there are 24 foreign children receiving cerebral palsy treatment in the hospital. And there are dozens of other foreign patients waiting to be admitted.
A father from Russia who has brought his 13-year-old son to the hospital eight times said: "There is acupuncture, massage, medicated baths and other kinds of physical therapy. The comprehensive use of these methods is effective. In Russia, one place usually has only one treatment method, and we have to travel from place to place for others. It is not convenient."
Zhao observed: "It is actually the value of TCM that attracts these foreign patients."
He added that the government should pay attention to protecting TCM - with top-level design and a development plan - as it deserves a place in ongoing medical reforms.
Reservations for bed-and-breakfast inns have soared as China's Golden Week - or National Day holiday - draws near. It is one of two weeklong holidays in the country, the other being Spring Festival, which marks the Lunar New Year.
People will have an extra day off this year, as the National Day holiday coincides with Mid-Autumn Festival on Wednesday, Oct 4, bringing the total number of days off to eight.
Most Chinese use the National Day holiday to travel, while Spring Festival is mostly reserved for family reunions.
As Chinese tourists attach more importance to privacy and comfort, booking a B&B, and especially renting an entire villa, has become increasingly popular.
"Unlike traditional hotels, B&Bs offer specialized services and rooms. Not only can we stay with local people but we can also cook with friends there," said a woman surnamed Dai, who booked a villa with five friends.
Dai and her friends plan to travel to Lugu Lake, a popular tourist destination in Yunnan province. A night at the villa will cost about 1,300 yuan ($197) for Dai and her five friends.
Reservations for this year's Golden Week surged fourfold from a year ago, according to B&B booking platform Tujia.com. Villa orders rose even more, about fivefold over last year, it reported.
The average price of a B&B room per night is 557 yuan, with most tourists booking about 25 days ahead. The most expensive reservation on Tujia was for a villa in Shenzhen that cost 38,000 yuan for seven days. Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu are the top three destinations for B&B travelers.
Xu Yingyan, who runs a B&B in a town in Huangshan, Anhui province, said all of her 58 rooms are booked for the eight-day holiday. "Most tourists are on family vacations or traveling with friends, and some even choose to stay for seven days," she said.
Xinhua
HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has been ranked as the sixth most competitive economy in the world, according to the latest World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index.
Hong Kong's rank has climbed three spots from last year.
According to the index released on Wednesday, Switzerland, the United States, Singapore, the Netherlands and Germany are ranked the top five. The Chinese mainland is ranked the 27th.
The Swiss-based organization also lauded the HKSAR for having what it deemed as the best infrastructure in the world as well as the second most efficient market.
Its report said Hong Kong has a healthy level of competition and openness, and is supported by strong and stable financial markets.
Over the past year, the report said, Hong Kong benefited from a more favorable macroeconomic environment, partly due to the stabilization of regional financial markets.
Singapore fell by one spot from last year to rank the third overall, but remains the most competitive economy in Asia.
Switzerland retained its top global ranking, ahead of the United States.
The Chinese mainland went up by one spot from last year to the 27th.
The Swiss-based nonprofit foundation's index ranks 137 economies each year by their ability to sustain inclusive growth that delivers positive change and benefits citizens and the environment.
It looks at 12 pillars of competitiveness, including innovation, infrastructure and the macroeconomic environment and ranks countries and regions on how they score in each category.
BEIJING Exchange and cooperation are the "unstoppable trend" for relations across the Taiwan Straits despite various complications, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said Wednesday.
Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a press conference that the 30 years of exchange between the two sides show that exchange and cooperation are the common aspiration for the majority of people across the Straits.
Ma made the remarks while answering questions about the mainland music show Sing! China, whose performance in Taipei on Sunday was disrupted by pro-independence activists.
It was the third time the show had been staged in Taiwan this year and it has been welcomed by students and young people there, said Ma.
"We are happy to see young people from Taiwan and the mainland meet in the name of music and enjoy the happiness brought by musical aspirations," Ma said.
As to opinions on the island that the show is an attempt by the mainland to unite Taiwan on the cultural front, Ma said this is groundless and ignorant of the facts.
"To politicize this event is probably out of lack of confidence or due to particular ideological prejudices," he said.
In the past two years, Sing! China has visited more than 20 universities, middle schools and communities in Taiwan, attracting an overall audience of more than 20,000 from both the island and the mainland. Sunday's event was staged at the National Taiwan University.
A symposium highlighting the success of green development in Fujian province was held in Beijing on Tuesday.
Hosted by the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, the symposium was attended by political figures and delegates from Europe, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and other countries.
The Communist Party of China has always paid great attention to green development and ecological civilization in governing the country, Song Tao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee said.
"Over the past five years, the CPC has overcome the difficulties in economic development and ecological environmental protection, to build a modern country of harmony between the human being and nature," he said.
The dilemma between economic development and the environment is a global issue, said Song.
Under global challenges, Song called for political parties around the world to enhance communication and learn from each other.
The CPC actively advocates the values of green development, by incorporating the construction of an ecological civilization into the Constitution of the Communist Party of China, and green development has become a theme of the times, he said.
He noted that the CPC has taken practical measures to push forward green development, and carried out international cooperation.
China has achieved remarkable results and garnered valuable experience in reducing carbon emissions and coping with climate change.
You Quan, secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee said the province took an "add and subtract" approach to promoting green development.
While developing the green economy Fujian also transferred and upgraded traditional industry, he said.
China's efforts in promoting green development show a different way compared to Western countries, Paolo Ferrero, vice-president of the Party of the European Left said.
"We are happy to see China's efforts to protect the environment," he said, adding that he hopes to enhance cooperation with China.
Muhammad Faruk Khan, presidium member of the Bangladesh Awami League said that the world supports and understands the green development initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping and the concept of sustainable development is important to the world.
The experiences of Fujian in green development is a shining example of the development of China, he said, and he looks forward to sharing his experiences when he returns.
Dealing with global climate change is a global responsibility, everybody should cooperate with China to meet the challenge, he added, a view echoed William N Brown, a professor at Xiamen University who has lived there for more than 30 years.
"I think China has learned much from the world and the world should also learn from China," he said.
GUIYANG - Just one year after graduating from medical school, Liu Caihua has already treated more than 10,000 patients.
At 9 am, Doctor Liu, 25, put on a white lab coat, closed the door of his office and sat in front of a computer screen. Soon a man in his 70s began a video chat with him via smart phone.
The old man complained he was not sleeping well lately. Liu looked at his blood pressure, medical history and the medications he was taking, told the patient to eat lightly and get some exercise, and offered suggestions for further treatment.
Guizhou province is tucked away in the mountains of Southwest China. Inconvenient transportation has long been a problem for elderly residents who must go visit doctors in cities.
Liu interned in a community hospital for a year during college and knows how difficult it is for some elderly people to see a doctor, as well as how important chronic disease management is for them.
"An Internet hospital allows patients with non-critical symptoms to get instant and professional medical opinions via smart phone or TV at home, which helps them develop a habit of chronic disease management."
At the Internet hospital of Longmaster Information and Technology Company, more than 70 doctors work in three shifts to treat up to 6,000 patients a day.
"We have also built a platform for doctors at lower-level hospitals to consult with higher-level ones and experts in big cities about patients with serious and complicated diseases," said Wang Jian, executive vice president of Longmaster.
As Doctor Liu was busy receiving patients, Doctor Luo Kalan at Guiyang No 6 Hospital began an online video consultation with Professor Sheng Qinhui, a renowned cardiovascular expert at Peking University First Hospital in Beijing, to discuss treatment for one of Luo's patients.
Wang said 1,000 medical experts had signed up for the platform, which cooperates with more than 200 primary health care institutions and has been used to conduct nearly 7,000 online group consultations across China.
Due to scheduling conflicts, group consultations for one patient are not easy, even within the same hospital. With the ever-expanding talent pool, the platform has become better at matching doctors and organizing group consultations for patients in need.
In August 2016, a patient was not recovering after treatment in a local hospital in Guizhou. The Internet hospital reached a neurologist and an orthopedic specialist at two prestigious hospitals in Beijing, who then conducted an hour-long group consultation to help the patient.
Wang said a patient with an endocrine condition in Northeast China's Tieling City had been suffering from fever for two months, but his doctor was not able to find the cause. After uploading the patient's information to the platform, the local doctor received support from a respiratory specialist in Beijing within just six hours. After 40 minutes of discussion, they made a definitive diagnosis.
"Doctors at lower level hospitals are enthusiastic about remote consultations, as they can communicate and learn from senior doctors 'face to face,' while also keeping their patients," Wang said.
Besides Guizhou, many provinces in China, including Zhejiang, Sichuan and Shaanxi, have also established Internet-based hospitals to promote medical diagnosis and help patients manage their health.
BEIJING - The Chinese mainland resolutely opposes "Taiwan independence" in any form and will never allow the past tragedy of national secession to be repeated, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Ma Xiaoguang, the spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks in response to comments by the island's executive head Lai Ching-te, who said that Taiwan is "an independent sovereign country."
"People who split China will suffer by their own hand," said Ma.
The mainland and Taiwan belong to one China, and their relationship is not state-to-state, said Ma.
As an inseparable part of China's territory, Taiwan has never been a country, and will not become a country, he said.
At the press conference, a question was raised about Taiwan's current leader, Tsai Ing-wen, who proposed creating a new policy statement for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The mainland has maintained consistent and clear policies toward Taiwan, said Ma, adding that only by giving up its "Taiwan independence" stance can the DPP find a solution in cross-Strait relations.
GUIYANG Just one year after graduating from medical school, Liu Caihua has already treated more than 10,000 patients.
At 9 am, Dr Liu, 25, put on a white lab coat, closed the door of his office and sat in front of a computer screen. Soon a man in his 70s began a video chat with him via smart phone.
The old man complained he was not sleeping well lately. Liu looked at his blood pressure, medical history and the medications he was taking, told the patient to eat lightly and get some exercise, and offered suggestions for further treatment.
Guizhou province is tucked away in the mountains of Southwest China. Inconvenient transportation has long been a problem for elderly residents who must go visit doctors in cities.
Liu interned in a community hospital for a year during college and knows how difficult it is for some elderly people to see a doctor, as well as how important chronic disease management is for them.
"An Internet hospital allows patients with non-critical symptoms to get instant and professional medical opinions via smart phone or TV at home, which helps them develop a habit of chronic disease management.
At the Internet hospital of Longmaster Information and Technology Company, more than 70 doctors work in three shifts to treat up to 6,000 patients a day.
"We have also built a platform for doctors at lower-level hospitals to consult with higher-level ones and experts in big cities about patients with serious and complicated diseases," said Wang Jian, executive vice president of Longmaster.
As Dr Liu was busy receiving patients, Dr Luo Kalan at Guiyang No 6 Hospital began an online video consultation with Professor Sheng Qinhui, a renowned cardiovascular expert at Peking University First Hospital in Beijing, to discuss treatment for one of Luo's patients.
Wang said 1,000 medical experts had signed up for the platform, which cooperates with more than 200 primary health care institutions and has been used to conduct nearly 7,000 online group consultations across China.
Due to scheduling conflicts, group consultations for one patient are not easy, even within the same hospital. With the ever-expanding talent pool, the platform has become better at matching doctors and organizing group consultations for patients in need.
In August 2016, a patient was not recovering after treatment in a local hospital in Guizhou. The Internet hospital reached a neurologist and an orthopedic specialist at two prestigious hospitals in Beijing, who then conducted an hour-long group consultation to help the patient.
Wang said a patient with an endocrine condition in northeast China's Tieling City had been suffering from fever for two months, but his doctor was not able to find the cause. After uploading the patient's information to the platform, the local doctor received support from a respiratory specialist in Beijing within just six hours. After 40 minutes of discussion, they made a definitive diagnosis.
"Doctors at lower level hospitals are enthusiastic about remote consultations, as they can communicate and learn from senior doctors 'face to face,' while also keeping their patients," Wang said.
Besides Guizhou, many provinces in China, including Zhejiang, Sichuan and Shaanxi, have also established Internet-based hospitals to promote medical diagnosis and help patients manage their health.
"I have faith in Internet hospital and believe in building a career as an Internet doctor," Liu said.
Wang Bingzhang starts to build a stone path by giving shape to the stone. [Photo by Zhao Zhuo/For chinadaily.com.cn]
An old man in Dalian has taken two months to build a stone path which provides 2,000 residents a shortcut to the bus stop.
One day in July, when Wang Bingzhang noticed that workers were repairing a nearby trunk road, he thought of the narrow dirt path used by the neighbors.
After getting permission from the workers, he collected some cement and sand from the waste of the construction site and started to repair the narrow path.
The 76-year-old worked more than 10 hours a day since then, drawing the design, collecting the materials, cutting the stones, and binding together the stones with cement and sand.
All of the 10 rectangles of stones, each weighing more than 50 kilograms, were moved to the site by Wang himself.
Although there were difficulties, including the worries raised by his family, he never gave up.
Some neighbors were moved by Wang and offered some cement and sand. Following their advice Wang also made a railing along the road.
The warm-hearted Wang won the appreciation and support of the nearby residents. They named the road "Road of Love" and volunteered to maintain it.
After three generations spent nearly 60 years on planting trees, they changed the face of Yushan mountain in Yongcheng city, Central China's Henan province, turning it from a desolate land into green area spread over more than 700 acres (46.7 hectares).
Shi Liangke, a 69-year-old farmer, the second generation, said: "It is said that faith can move mountains, and this appears true with the efforts of three generations."
Shi said he followed his father and villagers in planting trees when he was young. "It was a tough time indeed, villagers dug the stones with shovels every day, they planted trees, and loaded the soil and water on their shoulders as they climbed the mountain," Shi said. But he said the spirits of his father and villagers helped him overcome the hardships.
Pointing to the 300 acres of cypress woods, he said they are the result of the predecessors' hard work and sweat.
For Shi Jingrui, Shi's father, the big dream was to green the mountain, but he died at the age of 105 in 2002.
To keep the project going, Shi Liangke decided to be the contractor in charge of 700 acres of mountain with his two nephews, where they continued to plant the trees, such as apricot and hawthorn.
A 3,400-meter-long stone firewall to protect the trees was also built in the mountain with the help of the villagers.
More than 200 shovels were used in the past 60 years, said Zheng Yi, 49, a nephew of Shi. "But we discovered that villagers wanted to climb the mountain to plant more and more trees."
"Now, we are planning to arrange an 'Apricot Festival' when the apricot flowers blossom next year, which could attract more tourists to visit the new Yushan mountain. I am fully confident that this place will become more beautiful," Shi said.
Li Yuan contributed to this story.
The finalists and organizers of the 2017 Global Gourmet Culinary Competition pose for a picture in Beijing, Sept 22, 2017. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The 2017 Global Gourmet Chef par Excellence Culinary Competition will take place at Le Cordon Bleu Shanghai on Oct 19.
Co-hosted by China's leading food distribution company, Sinodis, and the authoritative bilingual publication, Global Gourmet, the event aims to select outstanding chefs and enhance communication among different culinary cultures.
Over the past four years, this annual competition has expanded its entries of chefs from across China to other parts of the world, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Maldives, and all the way to Amsterdam and the Middle East.
This year will witnesses the fifth "Chef par Excellence Culinary Competition". Among over 350 global entries, 60 chefs, mostly from global hotels and restaurant brands, will be recognized as "Outstanding Chefs".
On Friday, a press conference at Sinodis Beijing Chef Studio, revealed the list of 20 finalists. During the 4-hour final match next month, chefs will make three dishes using only mandatory ingredients. Some of those ingredients still remain secret until one day before the competition.
The food will be evaluated on site by a prestigious jury panel, including 3-Michelin-star chef Umberto Bombana and 2-Michelin-star chef Dong Zhenxiang.
The awards for five final champions are all-expenses paid visits to top culinary schools in Italy, France, Spain, New Zealand or Japan.
Richard Xu, publisher of the Global Gourmet magazine, introduces the 2017 Global Gourmet Culinary Competition during the press conference held in Beijing, Sept 22, 2017.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Richard Xu, publisher of the Global Gourmet magazine, emphasizes the excelsior spirit of the event.
"Chef par Excellence drives the mission of culinary integrity, artistry, and creativity to the next level of excellence by recognizing and motivating chefs in their pursuit of excellence in the craft and profession, and being on par with the world's best," he said.
"Sinodis and Global Gourmet have one common mission," Werner Schuppisser, CEO of Sinodis, said. "We partner together in providing the platform for the new generation of chefs in China to standout and be counted among the most outstanding chefs in the world."
Contact the writer at liwenrui@chinadaily.com.cn
US President Donald Trump addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, US, Sept 19, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]
US President Donald Trump's high-pitched war of words with the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un has only intensified since he threatened to "totally destroy North Korea" during his maiden speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept 19.
Despite UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning "fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings", Trump strayed far away from the UN Charter when he threatened the extinction of another nation if forced to defend the United States and its allies.
Moreover, at the hall where nations should be respected as equals, Trump named the DPRK as a "rogue regime", while reciting a list of nations the US isn't happy with for one reason or another, and complaining about "nations" who trade with them.
This intentional lining-up of adversaries recalled former US president George W. Bush, singling out Iraq, Libya, the DPRK and Iran as "rogue regimes" before he ordered the invasion of Iraq to bring down Saddam Hussein, based on lies he told the world.
Bush's adversarial thinking was so disastrous it resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq and Libya, and continuous chaos in the Middle East. The consequences of Trump's adversarial thinking could be even worse given it could spark a nuclear war.
Trump's cavalier threats, at best viewed as poor attempts at "the art of coercion, intimidation and deterrence" favored by strategist Thomas Schelling, have yielded little but entrenching the DPRK's resolve to continue its weapons programs, with Kim saying Trump's remarks have simply convinced him "the path I chose is correct and that it is the one I have to follow to the end".
But the DPRK's missile launches and the threats it keeps making to the US are not conducive to resolving their differences in a peaceful manner.
The exchange of escalating threats by the "little rocket man" as Trump referred to Kim and "the mentally deranged US dotard" as Kim described Trump has made the peace efforts of China, Russia, Germany, France and the Republic of Korea all the more difficult.
However, as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, there is still hope for peace, as the US and DPRK, although they might not be willing to accept it, do have common ground: both want to safeguard their security.
And the knot would be easy to untie if the US dropped its adversarial approach.
As DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yongho said on Friday: "The very reason the DPRK has to possess nuclear weapons is because of the US."
For the DPRK, the US' hostility is a threat to its entire existence. Trump's adversarial stance such as his weekend tweet that those in North Korea "won't be around much longer" only aggravates the DPRK's existential fears. The US military exercises are making things worse.
The DPRK, and the rest of the world, have no doubt the US is militarily powerful enough to annihilate a small country of about 30 million. But just because it is capable of doing so, there is no reason to act like a bully.
Trump should heed the words of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said on Aug 1, "we do not seek a regime change", and the DPRK and the US should "sit down for a dialogue".
Doing so, the US would find that the best way to safeguard its people is not through bluster that eventually has to be backed up by force, but by inking a peace treaty with DPRK and extending mutual security guarantees.
The author is a senior editor with China Daily. wen@chinadailyhk.com
In the keynote speech he delivered at the opening of the 86th General Assembly of International Criminal Police Organization held in Beijing on Tuesday, President Xi Jinping praised Interpol for the role it plays in maintaining world security and stability.
The meeting offered an opportunity for China to strengthen its cooperation with the international law enforcement organization, and Xi vowed to continuously extend China's support to the organization so it can play a bigger role in international law enforcement and global security governance.
Since its founding more than 90 years ago, Interpol's role in deepening international law enforcement cooperation and effectively tackling crime worldwide has become increasingly important as organized criminal activities have expanded across borders and nontraditional security threats have become more complex.
As evidence of this, Chinese police handled 2,542 investigative requests from foreign police forces that were transmitted via Interpol last year, up 140 percent from the year before.
In recognition of China's past support for the organization, Chinese Vice-Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei was elected president of the organization at Interpol's 85th General Assembly held in Bali, Indonesia, in November.
Given the global challenge of combating corruption, terrorism, cyber crimes, people trafficking, drug trafficking and money laundering, Xi's pledge of practical support will be of great value to enhance the effectiveness of international law enforcement efforts.
And considering the increasingly interconnected, cross-border and diversified nature of global security issues in the world today, people will understand why Xi stressed in his speech China's willingness to work with other countries and their law enforcement bodies to build a community of shared security.
It is China's belief that greater cooperation and strengthened efforts are also needed to ensure countries have the capability to fulfill that shared responsibility to fight transnational criminal activities and nontraditional security threats.
As Xi said, the diversity of such crimes and threats is becoming ever more prominent and no country is immune to them. Such a perception explains why China has made unremitting efforts to seek security cooperation with other countries and international organizations such as Interpol.
All countries should realize they share a common cause in fighting crime and promoting security, and they should strive to work together for the good of all.
Visitors at a startup programme of the 2017 Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair in Chengdu. [Photos provided to China Daily]
In what is being widely praised as a historical first, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council released a document on Monday to encourage entrepreneurship.
It is additional proof that the country's leaders know what is lacking and desperately needed in pursuit of "innovation-driven" growth.
The move is significant, as never before has entrepreneurship been considered worthy of a special CPC document, the highest form of emphasis on an issue in China.
Its significance may be hard to understand, but it must be placed in the context of what private entrepreneurs have been through in the past. There were times when the private sector was illicit, when it was permitted yet subordinate, and when it has been subject to mysterious discrimination by the authorities. Even very recently, after some of their representatives were welcomed into national and local legislatures and political advisory bodies, private entrepreneurs have reported a gap between what they hear and what they experience.
The new document is reassuring because it displays appreciation of the significant role entrepreneurship plays in national economic progress, and promises to establish a supportive environment for it.
It would be great if, as the document proposes, the authorities and society at large become more accommodating and tolerant of innovations, even failures. But at the end of the day, of the document's dozens of proposals, the one that really stands out is the vow to establish close yet clean relations between the government and private enterprises.
Looking back at the ups and downs of the private sector, the poorly defined government-business relationship has been the source of many of the problems, as it has proved no easy task to maintain a relationship that is close yet clean.
But as long as enterprises operate within the boundaries of law, and demonstrate due corporate citizenship, and the government fulfills its obligations to maintain a level playing field, there is no need for them to be too close. While such closeness may at times offer entrepreneurs convenience or even short-cuts, it is detrimental to both parties and breeds corruption.
A wind farm in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province. China's investment in clean energy in 2014 hit a record $89.5 billion, accounting for 29 percent of the world's total. [Photo/China Daily]
Editor's note: The Communist Party of China will hold its 19th National Congress on Oct 18. In the runup to the meeting, China Daily asked two prominent experts to provide their views on developments in China and the country's global leadership.
In the field of photovoltaicsthe study of converting sunlight into electricity, Pierre J. Verlinden's name shines like the sun.
Born in 1957, the Belgian-Australian engineer has published about 200 scientific papers, generated more than a dozen patents and held senior R&D positions in labs and PV companies across Europe, the United States and Australia.
In 2012, to help China build a clean energy future, Verlinden brought more than 35 years of expertise to his fifth continent, becoming the chief scientist at Trina Solarone of the world's largest solar product manufacturers, located in Changzhou, Jiangsu province.
Since his arrival, Verlinden has helped the company break 15 world records in the solar energy industry, ranging from solar cell conversion efficiency to power output for solar panels.
In his office, Verlinden has five different types of full-size solar panels leaning against the wall. Above the panels, he has hung a photo of NASA's solar airplane, which he helped design, and his William R. Cherry Awardone of the most prestigious in photovoltaics.
His most prized creations, however, are kept in his bookcase. They are an advanced type of solar cell called Interdigitated Back Contact cells, or IBCs, which set a world record in May with an energy conversion rate of 24.13 percent, the most efficient silicon solar cell ever produced in China.
Unlike conventional solar cells, which have lines of silver electrical conductors running across the panel's surface to carry electricity to the batteries.
"IBCs essentially have these conductors integrated in the back of the panel, meaning more surface area to absorb sunlight and thus higher efficiency," he said.
The lack of surface conductors also means the panels look slick and minimalistic. IBCs are still at the experimental phase, but they have already earned the moniker of the "iPhone of solar panels", for their "elegance and efficiency", he said.
The ups and downs
IBC is just one of the leading innovations coming out of China's PV industry. For decades, China has been eyeing alternative energies, like solar and wind, to meet its economic needs, as well as to cut its coal dependence and pollution.
By 2040, China's electricity production by coal-fired power plants will drop from today's 73 percent to 43 percent, while wind will rise from 3 percent to 12 percent, and solar from 1 percent to 6 percent, according to a report by the International Energy Agency.
"We hope the proportion of solar energy can be even higher," Verlinden said. "China has changed from being a follower into a PV industry leader in the past 10 years, leading the world in PV innovation, solar energy production and market size."
In July, Wang Bohua, secretary-general of China's photovoltaic industry association, told an industry gathering that the solar industry is expected to install 60 gigawatts of generating capacity this yeara 12 GW increase compared with last year.
China already had a total of 101.8 GW installed solar capacity by June, after adding 24.4 GW in the first six months of 2017, Wang said. For comparison, a typical nuclear power plant has a capacity of 1 GW, Verlinden said.
Today, the Yangtze Delta region, which consists of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, produces about 60 percent of the world's silicon solar panels, Verlinden said.
"There is no doubt that the center of gravity for the PV industry is in China. If you were a PV scientist in the 1970s, you would go to Silicon Valley, but now, you would come to China," he said.
Starting with a few small rural projects in the 1990s, China bounded onto the global PV scene just before the 2008 global financial crisis as local manufacturers boomed and eclipsed companies from traditional PV powerhouses, like the US and Germany, according to a report by ENF Solar, a PV information company.
However, China's surge was hit by oversupply issue in 2012 after too many new manufacturers flooded the industry in 2011, leading the number of producers to soar to more than 900. This resulted in a serious price crash as companies fought a cutthroat price war to keep market share, the report said.
At the same time, the global recession chilled demand from European marketsthe primary destination for Chinese PV products, resulting in even smaller profits for Chinese companies. As a result, more than 400 Chinese PV companies closed their doors within a year, leading analysts to dub 2012 as China's "Great PV Winter".
"The PV industry is a game of managing cost," Verlinden said. "Since the technology has been around for decades, the bar of entry is low and anyone with sufficient money can set up a factory line and become the number one producer in no time.
"Yet, being number one in the industry typically does not last long, sometimes only two to three years, hence sustainability is much more important."
Lead with innovation
Although China's PV manufacturing has grown at a breakneck pace since 2007, Chinese products are still uncompetitive compared with other PV powerhouses like the US, Germany and Japan, according to a report by Stanford University.
As a result, China has increased efforts to attract foreign capital and experts to help the country innovate, and allow big banks to give massive loans to support the PV industry, Dan Reicher, one of the report's co-authors said in a seminar in March.
Verlinden was one of the first foreign experts brought in under the recruitment program created by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs. The recruitment program began in August 2011, and is aiming to attract about 1,000 foreign experts in the following decade.
After 2012, China's solar industry rebounded due to surging domestic demand and from Japan, increased government support and quotas for solar energy, and more nontraditional energy investors, such as real estate developers, entering the industry, the report said.
Coupled with rising innovation and the global competitiveness of Chinese PV products, Verlinden said the rebound momentum has been the biggest development in China's PV industry in the past five years.
In recent years, however, as companies flocked to install massive, utility-scale, solar farms in the Gobi Desert and barren hills of China's vast North and Northwest, this created enormous inefficiency and waste because the infrastructure could not keep up, Verlinden said.
While these solar farms can produce large amounts of energy, "it has far surpassed the consumption capacity of the surrounding villages", and might not reach the most energy-hungry areas, such as the coastal cities, he said.
This excess energy will be wasted if not stored properly in batteries or transmitted efficiently to the national grid, Verlinden said.
Hence it is essential for China to integrate solar energy transmission into the national grid, and develop new and more efficient storing methods in the following years.
At the same time, China should also advocate for more residential use of solar panels. "In the future, households might be able to reduce their energy bills to zero, and even sell their excess energy to their neighbors or the national grid and make a profit," he said.
"Be very careful in China. There are criminals everywhere," my new employer said.
It was my first week in China and my new boss was giving me some survival tips about the country that was now my home. I'm sure he said plenty of other things, but this was the only piece of information I took away from my talk with him.
The author pictured at a Jinan restaurant. He enjoyed two years in Jinan before deciding it was time to move on. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
His warning had unnerved me. Had I made a mistake?
I had already come somewhere where I didn't speak the language, didn't understand the culture, and now I needed to worry about the crime rate?
Of course, I didn't come to China expecting it to be perfect. I had done my research, or I thought I had.
I had found a job in Jinan, Shandong province. And while my research didn't extend far beyond a Google search for basic information about the city, everything seemed to be in order. I read about the city's baking-hot summers, freezing-cold winters and the many springs that are popular with tourists visiting the city.
Having come from a small, grim, post-industrial town in England, where every day had seemed a different shade of grey, it had all sounded positively exciting.
In England, we have sadly gotten used to living with a certain level of crime and a low level of constant anxiety about our personal safety. People know there are areas of towns and cities where they shouldn't go, people don't expect a fast response when they call the police, and many criminals offend with impunity.
But now, that was all behind me. With my employer's warning ringing in my ears, it was time to start my life in China.
I tried to be constantly on my guard whenever I was in public, and wondered if there was a chance my apartment might get burgled. I had noticed bars on many people's windows on the lower levels of apartment blocks and was very aware that mine didn't have any.
I was especially careful on buses, and always tried to walk with my hands in my pockets to protect my phone and wallet.
Yet, little by little, I noticed that the city's residents certainly did not act like they were living somewhere with a high crime rate.
In fact, people seemed far more relaxed in public and around strangers than I had ever seen in my life. Most noticeably, elderly residents appeared confident walking around the city at any time of day, getting together for the famous square dances in the evenings.
If there were any "no go" areas, I didn't know about them.
I talked to other local expats to see if I was missing something. But, other than a vague second-hand story about a bike theft, nobody had any horror stories to rationalize my fears.
Local people I spoke to insisted it was really a very safe city, and I shouldn't worry.
After a time, I began to believe them and started to enjoy the city's many attractions, not once experiencing any type of crime.
My experience in Jinan has been representative of my time in China, wherever I have been. Since then, I have always felt very safe here. While most of us expect cities to have a certain level of crime, considering China's size, the relative safety of its cities is really something it can be proud of.
Unfortunately, in my case, it was first impressions that really counted, and someone telling me that there was a crime problem led me to look for and fear a problem that wasn't there.
I never saw my employer again after our little talk at the start of my time in Jinan. And, after two good years in the city, I decided it was time to move on.
Before I did, I discovered that my crime-fearing boss may perhaps not have been the best person to dish out advice about living in China. When he warned me about China's crime problem, he had apparently been on a rare trip to the country, having left to live in Australia many years ago.
James Skinner is a contributing editor at China Daily with an MA in International Relations. He has a particular interest in British and American politics, as well as global security issues.
Ehizuelen Michael Mitchell Omoruyi is participating the events during retrace the steps of those brave Chinese soldiers through Yan'an in Shaanxi Province to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Long March in 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Everyone has a narrative. A narrative full of diverse choices and paths which led them to be who they are today. For that reason, I will start by saying never believe any prediction that does not empower you. To say my friends and loved ones were a bit concerned and confused by my seemingly reckless life choice of moving to China to study would be an understatement. I am sure many of you have confronted similar objections. However, studying in China was the best move for me; I did not have a single doubt in my mind. It was just so hard to explain it to everyone else. In my head and my heart, the choice to live and study in China made so much sense, but to everyone else, it was just a desperate, irrational attempt at escaping the realities of our economy problems and need to kick off a "real career."
Having graduated and now working as a researcher at the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, it is so clear that the benefits of studying in China were so much greater than I ever could have imagined. Whether it is learning to enjoy the foods, acquiring valuable professional experience, mastering the Chinese language, or making new lifelong friends, studying in China made a profound impact in my life. When you empower people with information and knowledge, you bring the people closer to prosperity and development. Studying in China has empowered me and brought me closer to prosperity; what started as a little walk has been a pivotal milestone in my life. The Chinese society may have had room for many people, but my life with the Chinese people will be forever intertwined.
China is a country where I was able to experience the real glory of the world. As I began to integrate into the Chinese society I started to learn and imitate their ways of life which placed me above all my struggles in life. As every day goes by, the love I have for China upsurges for countless reasons: diversified culture, beautiful scenery, and the incredible people. It was a life-changing experience...generosity and kindness of the people and that is what made my life experience so amazing. For example, during my Master's program, I lost my dad so it affected me because I was unable to pay my tuition. My teacher stood by me and wrote a letter to the University authority, the University looked into my case and waive my tuition for me. I asked the lady that told me the good news why did they waived the tuition she said "sending you home is not the right thing to do based on your situation but rather than to show you compassion"; I cried after hearing the statement. It takes only someone who has gone through my situation to understand me at that moment.
China has gone through struggles and poverty, so it was easy for them to relate and understand my situation and show me compassion. This same compassion is what China is sharing with the world today by assisting developing countries reshaped their economies. All my years in China, the Chinese people have given me shoulders to cry on, reshape me, when I needed shelter they did not chase me out, when I needed bread they did not give me a stone, they have turned my mourning into dancing again. As a result of this warm reception from the Chinese people, I have taken China has my second homeland. This new found home reshaped my life and my point of views. The new home helped me take a step back and not to be so judgmental, but instead, view differences as exciting topics of conversation and opportunities to learn. The new relationships I made in China have changed my life for better, and it is scary to think that I almost missed out on them. It is, therefore, an honor for me to contribute either through research or through community service to the development of this great nation.
Looking back, I could recall having no idea of what it would be like in China, but I am glad I did come to China because it was such a good decision for me. The timing could not have been better with the economic boom and it was the time for the Beijing Olympics game in 2008. I have witnessed a huge transformation as well as enormous pivot and development during my ten years in China. I have grown so much since I step my foot into this great nation, and I also realized that you can get much more of an education from experiencing the diverse culture than you can get in a classroom. As infinite stars shimmering in a midnight sky, so are the desires of my heart. My stay in China has opened my mind to fresh ways of seeing the world and my past years in China have been a time of growth and maturity for both my mind and character. Looking back, these have been the most thrilling, inspiring, and fulfilling years of my life. The opportunity to immerse myself into a brand-new culture enabled me to realize just how small social circle was back home. All of my friends fit into the same demographic, lived in the same general area, and shared the same interests. I never once saw that lack of diversity as a problem until I went to China. The Chinese people have thought me how to take life as it comes and to seize each opportunity to develop myself because preparation meets opportunity. During my stay in China, what I have learned about dreams is that they are malleable, not set in stone; beacons of light to point people in a general direction. The dream I conceived as a boy might not be the same to the dream I am actualizing today as a man. Each turn I take in the winding path of my life leads to another pasture, valley or hilltop. For any of you reading this, I would like to encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and do things that empowered you and make you happy, because If you know me before, you will agree with me that stepping out of my comfort zone a decade ago and embarking on a trek to the east has really empowered me.
The author is a researcher of Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University.
Zhang Qingzhao, who featured on an Interpol list of China's 100 most-wanted fugitives was repatriated from the Caribbean state of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on Feb 6, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
Corruption and the abuse of public office for private gain are like a parasitic disease. The parasite lives off its host, often weakening it and sometimes killing it. Corruption invariably weakens societies, sometimes so much so that the society succumbs. It is no wonder that President Xi Jinping has made fighting corruption to catch both tigers and flies one of his signature campaigns on a par with the Belt and Road Initiative and achieving the Chinese Dream."
Virtually no nation is immune from corruption. Imperial China, with its long history, was certainly no stranger to it. You could argue that corruption is finally what did in imperial China in the early 20th century.
New China has had its share of corruption as well. New leaders did conduct anti-corruption drives but you can say looking back that these short-term efforts were more symbolic than serious.
Experts expected that the current anti-corruption drive would be another flash-in-the-pan inconclusive symbolic effort. Of course, it's been anything but five years on continuing to net tigers and flies with no sign of abating.
Theoretically, fighting corruption is a simple equation. Pay cadres enough to guarantee a reasonable standard of living while at the same time making the punishment so severe that cadres will be deterred from temptation. Academics and policy makers can create charts and the line where both variables cross is the sweet spot. But that the ideal world, not the real one in which we live. As Shakespeare wrote in Julius Caesar the fault, dear Brutus is not in our stars, but in ourselves. In other words human nature trumps logic or reason. Even faced with the ultimate deterrence, a death sentence, some will take the chance of self service rather than serve the people.
More can be done however. I firmly believe that as in Singapores much touted model, public servant salaries should be relatively high, as should be the penalties for committing corruption. In one study experts Rijckeghem and Weder found that corruption drops dramatically if public servants earn three to seven times the wage paid to workers in the manufacturing sector. Singapores ratio was about 3.5. The study found that even an increase from one to two produced a significant drop in corruption. In China, including recent increases in cadres pay, the ratio was significantly less.
Raising cadres pay will take money-lots of it. But given the enormity of past corruption, the net effect is that more money will be left over for education, healthcare and other safety net items if the scourge of corruption is substantially eliminated.
The enforcement/deterrence side has already made great strides. As dramatized in the wildly popular TV series In the name of the people, the body responsible for investigating corruption, the Central Commission for Discipline, has been active since 2012. From talking to one provincial official who participated in institutional inspections, I have been told that these are tough, professional and laser-focused.
Political scientist Andrew Weideman of Georgia State University counts 146 tigers who have been disciplined or who are under investigation. Professor Weideman says the number of flies investigated is about one million, with a quarter of them indicted and disciplined.
Another successful and dramatic effort is progress in finding and returning suspected high-level fraudsters who fled overseas on the list of Chinas one hundred most wanted published in April 2015.To date 46 have been returned.
While the war on corruption is a long-term battle, these efforts are paying off. China has improved four places on Transparency Internationals latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking to 79th of 176 countries and territories surveyed in a year when more countries declined than improved.
Perhaps parasitic corruption can never be eliminated entirely but it can be minimized. I believe that this noble effort is a pre-condition of achieving the Chinese Dream and building a more prosperous society and rejuvenating the Chinese nation to its former glory.
Dr. Harvey Dzodin is a non-resident researcher of the Center for China and Globalization. He was vice president of the ABC TV Network in New York and Legal Counsel in the Jimmy Carter administration.
Dr.Muhammad Shahbaz(right),Miss Wang,Mr.Li weidong and Rebecca at the book distribution ceremony in Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The lifestyle of Chinese people has changed over the last decade and that in turn has changed the life of foreigners in China. I have witnessed this transformation since 2006. The simple houses have become buildings and buildings have become skyscrapers. Although most cities now look like concrete jungle, the love and simplicity of the people has remained the same. Shandong people in China are famous for their friendliness and simplicity. When the national games were held in Shandong in 2009, the logo was called Friendly Shandong. I have travelled to more than 16 countries. I have travelled from east to west and from north to south of China. I have witnessed the global advancement of life. During the 11 years in China, especially in Jinan, I have experienced a number of moments which will remain stamped in my heart and brain forever. I will share one of these stories.
I was 18 when I first came to China and I have learned almost everything about the professional life in China and China has given me so many things in life. I always wanted to say thanks and contribute to some extent to the Chinese society and the people in return. So I proposed the idea of creating an organization and teaching children in remote areas to my friend. We selected 100 students from different schools and divided them into 2 classes and taught them every weekend. We chose the highly educated teachers to teach them. As the founder of the IECO (International Education charity organization) I was very delighted to teach in schools where the children were selected from different areas and these students had never studied from a foreign teacher.
My fellow friends and I decided to establish and embark on a mission as volunteers. With a successful start in October 2013, we have made the dream of "International Education" a reality. Thanks to the combined efforts of various members in our team, mostly students from Shandong University, and with the help of Ministry of Education Shandong Province and different districts school heads, we opened the doors of "International Education" in remote areas of different towns in Shandong province.
As of now, we have successfully implemented different programs, which extend from numerous districts in Jinan to outer cities in Shandong. Our mission is to deliver our area of expertise to different towns and ultimately to different districts in Jinan.
A leading Russian space scientist has attributed China's success to the Communist Party of China's leadership and the country's socialist system.
Yuriy Zabolotnov, an expert in space tether systems at Samara State Aerospace University in Samara Oblast, Russia, has been working in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, with his Chinese counterparts from Northwestern Polytechnical University for about two months a year since 2012.
He said he is deeply impressed by China's progress and achievements that he has witnessed over these years.
"Each time I come to Xi'an to work for the joint research program, I see tremendous changes in the city and elsewhere in Chinathere are new skyscrapers, extended transit networks, especially the subways, and advanced technology research facilities," he said.
Zabolotnov said that the young Chinese scientists working around him are high-spirited, passionate and dedicated, and aspire to build a better country."
At the China-Russia International Space Tether System Research Center, I work with many young Chinese researchers on space tether technology, one of the most promising fields in the space exploration sphere. These youngsters are China's future, and I can see that they are wholeheartedly striving for the future of their motherland and they have never had any complaints about their work," he noted.
The Russian scientist said in addition to diligence and education, the socialist system contributed to China's success.
"As the ruling party, the Communist Party upholds the socialist system and ensures that the fruits of the country's economic development benefit people from all walks of life instead of only the wealthy as in some Western capitalist nations. I am positive that the coming 19th CPC National Congress will make decisions that will lead the country to better and faster development," Zabolotnov said.
However, China, like all countries with market economies and rapid growth, has been facing problems such as a wealth distribution gap and urban-rural imbalances, he said.
He said it would be difficult to address these problems, but once they were properly handled, China would become stronger. The scientist added that he was confident in China's ability to overcome obstacles because "the fact that China is a socialist country lays a solid foundation for solving the problems".
Zabolotnov believes China will continue to move steadily forward in the years to come because it has all the prerequisites for continual development. He said China will consolidate its status as a world leader and act as a successful example for developing countries.
"China has unique experience of integrating a market economy with a socialist system, which will be useful to many developing countries," he said. "China has global influence in terms of international trade and politics, and is using its power to safeguard world peace and to help nations in war resolve their disputes in a peaceful manner. It is important that Russia and China are joining hands in this regard."
Zabolotnov said he regards President Xi Jinping as a wise and seasoned statesman who is guiding China to long-term friendship with other nations.
"Relations between Russia and China and their leaders are quite good, which has contributed a lot to the two economies and the peoples," he said.
WASHINGTON - US Republican senators on Tuesday decided not to vote on their latest Obamacare repeal bill after it was clear their latest effort would fail.
"We made the decision since we don't have the votes, we're going to postpone it," said Senator Bill Cassidy after the Republican lawmakers met at their weekly luncheon.
"We haven't given up on changing the American health care system," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. "We are not going to be able to do that this week, but it still lies ahead of us, and we haven't given up on that."
The last-gasp drive was aimed to kill off the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, dismantling its insurance subsidy program and Medicaid expansion and convert their funding into block grants to states.
Three Republican senators have announced their opposition to the repeal proposal, ensuring that Republican senate leaders would be short of the votes they needed.
Among them, Rand Paul said the repeal bill would have left too much of Obamacare in place. John McCain said he would be voting no in large part because of a process he said was rushed and excluded Democrats.
Republican Senator Susan Collins from the northeastern US state of Maine announced her opposition to the repeal bill on Monday, citing its cuts to Medicaid and its lack of protection for people with pre-existing conditions.
In response, Democrats in the Senate urged their Republican colleagues to resume bipartisan negotiations to stabilize health insurance markets under the Obamacare.
Republicans hold a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate and must pass the bill with a simple majority before Sept 30 deadline.
The airlines new aircraft, which is entering commercial service this week by carrying goods from Seattle to Alaska, was converted in Tel Aviv over the course of 19 months by Israel Aerospace Industries.
Alaska Air Cargo says that its new cargo plane used to be an all-passenger Boeing aircraft.
Alaska Air Cargo on Sept. 26 introduced what it says is a worlds first: a Boeing 737-700 cargo aircraft that was converted from an all-passenger to an all-freight aircraft.
The plane is entering commercial service this week by carrying goods from Seattle to Alaska, Alaska Air Cargo said.
The freighter was converted in Tel Aviv over the course of 19 months by Israel Aerospace Industries. Alaska Air pilots then flew the converted plane from Tel Aviv to Belfast, Ireland on Sept. 6. After that, the plane was flown to Bangor, Maine, then continued on to Greensboro, North Carolina for scheduled maintenance. Later, the aircraft was painted in Victorville, California before touching down in Seattle.
This one-of-a-kind aircraft marks the beginning of a new era at Alaska Airlines, Alaska Airlines Vice President of Airport Operations & Customer Service Wayne Newton said. With an all-freight fleet, our cargo business is now a stand-alone operation, allowing us to better focus on the needs of our cargo customers.
Alaska Air said it plans to retire its entire 737-400 fleet, including one freighter and four combi planes that carry both passengers and cargo, by Oct. 18. The company also plans to take delivery of two more converted 737-700 freighters, allowing the new, all-cargo fleet to carry 15 percent more capacity overall.
The new freighter will transform our cargo business and allow us to provide more efficient and consistent service, Alaska Air Cargo Managing Director Jason Berry explained in a statement. Now we can move more freight than ever before, and optimize schedules to meet the needs of our cargo partners.
The new fleet of all-freight aircraft will primarily serve the state of Alaska initially, and provide regular, scheduled service to 17 communities across the state, the airline said.
The 737-700, according to Alaska Air Cargo, has a nonstop range of 3,200 miles and maximum net payload of 42,000 pounds. Although smaller than Alaskas current 737-400 freighter, the 737-700 can carry 10,000 more pounds of cargo per plane, according to the airline.
JERUSALEM - A Palestinian gunman killed three Israeli security officers and wounded another outside a West Bank settlement on Tuesday morning before he was shot dead, Israeli police said.
The shootout took place outside Har Adar, an upscale Jewish settlement northwest of Jerusalem, near the seam zone between Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri identified the assailant as a 37-year-old man from Beit Surik, a Palestinian village in the Jerusalem district that was rarely involved in a violent protest against Israel. The father of four children held an Israeli work permit, which allowed him to enter Israeli settlements.
At around 7:00 am local time (0400 GMT), he arrived with a group of Palestinian workers at the back gate of the fenced settlement, from which Palestinian laborers cross into Israel to do their daily work.
He raised the suspicion of border police officers who were guarding the settlement and they called him to stop, Samri said.
When the assailant realized that he was exposed, he pulled out a gun hidden under his shirt and opened fire towards the officers, killing three and wounding another, said Samri.
After the gag-order was lifted, it is revealed that the three killed were two security personnel from a private security company and a border policeman.
Another border police officer was wounded and taken to the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem with serious injuries, said a spokesperson of the hospital.
Other border police officers opened fire at the shooter, who died of his wounds at the scene.
The assailant planned to carry out a larger attack against civilians at the settlement. "The quick action by the security forces stopped him from entering into Har Adar," Police chief Roni Alsheikh told journalists near the site.
Commenting on the attack, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said the "brutal terror attack once again shows the daily frontline on which our security forces stand."
Israel "will continue to confront terror, and will reach all its perpetrators and supporters," the president said in a statement.
Since September 2015, violent clashes between Palestinians and Israelis have claimed the lives of at least 293 Palestinians, 48 Jewish Israelis, two US nationals, a British tourist and two African asylum seekers.
Israel accuses the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest. Palestinians say it is the result of 50 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to more than 5 million Palestinians.
Russian engine manufacturer signs memorandum with China's AECC on plane engine
BEIJING Russia's United Engine Corporation (UEC) told Sputnik on Wednesday it had signed a memorandum of cooperation with China's AECC Commercial Aircraft Engine Co., Ltd. (AECC CAE) on the creation of an engine for a wide-body long-range aircraft.
The program on the creation of such an engine will primarily include such objectives as conducting a joint wide-body aircraft market analysis and the product's competitive analysis, and determining potential customers' requirements and the engines' technical characteristics, the company explained.
The document was signed in Beijing earlier on Wednesday as part of the 2017 Aviation Expo China.
In 2016, an agreement on the establishment of the Chinese-Russian joint venture on the wide-body aircraft creation was signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China. The enterprise was subsequently called the China-Russia Commercial Aircraft International Corporation (CRAIC).
In June 2016, Yury Slyusar, the president of the United Aircraft Corporation and Russia's representative of the joint venture, told Sputnik that the parties planned to build the aircraft by 2025-2027. The airplane, which will have a seating of capacity of 250-300 passengers, is expected to still market leadership of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and occupy a significant market share.
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Kottuvala Abdul Mateed from India helps his Chinese father-in-law to expand their ginger business abroad. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]
A 31-year-old Indian in Central China's Hubei province cultivates ginger with his Chinese father-in-law at their home village and exports it to countries in Asia, North America and Latin America, Chutian Metropolis Daily reported.
The man, originally from New Delhi, gave himself a Chinese name called Wang Wei, same as one of the most famous poets in Tang Dynasty (618-907). His Indian name is Kottuvala Abdul Mateed.
He studied at China Three Gorges University and has lived in China for 11 years, during which he fell in love with Lyu Xueqin, a woman from Enshi, Hubei province, who became his wife later.
The couple established a company in South China's Guangdong province to export various agriculture products, including ginger, to countries, such as India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and United States, through Dubai port.
Last year, Wang together with his father-in-law, Lyu Weiping, brought ginger seeds and cultivation technology to their home village in Hubei after inspecting them in East China's Shandong province.
The seeds grew up successfully and they decided to set up a ginger cultivation base spread over 2.1 hectares. Wang took charge of financial support and sales.
"The ginger output of the base can reach nearly 100,000 kg, whose production value is one million yuan ($150,716) as long as appropriate technologies and management skills are used," said Wang.
The family's business also received local government's support, which arranged experts from universities to provide guidance and helped them construct a cellar, which is capable of storing 150,000 kg of ginger.
Jiang Chenglong contributed to this story.
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, Chinese Ambassador to the European Union Yang Yanyi and other EU officials said on Wednesday in Brussels that China is Europe's driving force of tourism sector. (Photo by Fu Jing for China Daily)
The European Union is aiming to bring more Chinese tourists to the continent to help revive its economy, of which about 10 percent relies on tourism, the bloc's leaders said on Wednesday in Brussels at a high-level meeting on Europe's tourism.
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said the Asian market will be a new driving force of Europe's tourism sector. "I think the Asia market should be our major target to help reach such goal in coming years," he said.
Tajani said the union's number of outward and inward tourists will be increased to 700 million by 2020 from 500 million last year.
When European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen addressed the conference, he said China has become Europe's major tourism market and both sides have named 2018 as the year of tourism, in terms of bilateral relations.
He said both sides will organize various events to promote the theme year, with the kickoff event scheduled in Venice in January 2018.
At the conference, Yang Yanyi, China's ambassador to EU, said it is encouraging to learn that tourism already accounts for some 10 percent of GDP and jobs in Europe and that the leaders of the EU institutions and member states have made the development of tourism a key strategic sector to help revive growth and competitiveness.
Yang also said in its drive to achieve creative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, China has made tourism a strategic pillar and a major driver of economic transformation and upgrading.
She revealed that as the world's leading tourism market, 135 million Chinese visitors traveled abroad in 2016 and spent $261. It is estimated that in the next five years China's outbound visitors in total will reach 700 million.
"Recognizing the importance of travel and tourism between China and Europe, the 19th China-EU Summit recently proclaimed 2018 as the China-EU Tourism Year," said Yang.
"The China-EU Tourism Year promises to maximize the full potential of one of the most important relationships in the world, not only from a tourism perspective, but across the board, economically, socially and academically," she said.
Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, a Brussels-based non-profit organization promoting digital cooperation between China and EU, said that China is becoming the largest country of origin of tourists in more and more EU countries, the Chinese tourists are among the most connected of the world due to digital revolution.
"Today, there are about 10 million Chinese tourists coming to Europe. Thanks to the internet, this number could easily double in the coming years," said Gambardella. "This is a challenge for Europe's tourism industry, and at the same time brings huge opportunities if Europe's tourism industry adapts in time. This is already happening."
Both the railroads and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division say the extension will help all parties make the best decision on how to proceed with the outstanding tentative labor agreements.
After Boeing submitted a complaint regarding Canadian aircraft producer Bombardiers sale of its C Series jet to Delta last year, the Department of Commerce has preliminarily determined to add a 220 percent tariff to the cost of the aircraft.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has issued an affirmative preliminary determination in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of 100- to 150-seat large civil aircraft from Canada, finding that exporters of this merchandise received countervailable subsidies of 219.63 percent, the department said in a statement Tuesday.
As a result, Commerce will now instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of 100- to 150-seat large civil aircraft based on these preliminary rates.
Canada-based train and aircraft producer Bombardier Inc., however, says it strongly disagrees with Commerces preliminary decision on counterveiling duties.
The magnitude of the proposed duty is absurd and divorced from the reality about the financing of multibillion-dollar aircraft programs, Bombardier said of the preliminary CVD determination. This result underscores what we have been saying for months: the U.S. trade laws were never intended to be used in this manner, and Boeing is seeking to use a skewed process to stifle competition and prevent U.S. airlines and their passengers from benefiting from the C Series.
The Department of Commerce initiated a countervailing duty investigation against Bombardier on the behest of Boeing last year after the Canadian company sold 75 of its new C Series jet to Delta Air Lines.
In its complaint, Boeing alleged that subsidies enabled Bombardier to dump its product into the U.S. market, harming aerospace workers in the United States and throughout Boeings global supply chain, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
At the time of the sale, Delta said it was confident the U.S. would take no action against it, as Boeing has no American-made product to offer because it canceled production of its only aircraft in this size range, the 717, more than 10 years ago, according to WSJ.
However, the U.S. ruled in favor of that complaint from Boeing Co., and said it would add a 219.63 percent tariff to the cost of the new C Series jet. A final countervailing duty decision is expected by December, according to Commerce.
Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said that the government of Canada also strongly disagrees with the U.S. tariff ruling.
This is clearly aimed at eliminating Bombardiers C Series aircraft from the U.S. market, Freeland told WSJ.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, however, said in a statement that, The U.S. values its relationships with Canada, but even our closest allies must play by the rules. The subsidization of goods by foreign governments is something that the Trump Administration takes very seriously, and we will continue to evaluate and verify the accuracy of this preliminary determination.
According to Bombardier, its planes are more efficient, comfortable, quieter and therefore superior to competing aircraft.
The C Series serves a market segment not supported by any U.S. manufacturer, the company said. Delta wants to bring this remarkable new aircraft to the U.S. flying public. Boeing wants to prevent U.S. passengers from realizing these benefits, irrespective of the harm that it would cause to the U.S. aerospace industry and the cost to airlines and consumers.
There is wide consensus within the industry on this point, as well as a growing chorus of voices, including airlines, consumer groups, trade experts, and many others who have come forward to express grave concerns with Boeings attempt to force U.S. airlines to buy less efficient planes with configurations they do not want and economics that do not deliver value, added Bombardier. The U.S. government should reject Boeings attempt to unfairly tilt the playing field in its favor and to impose an indirect tax on the flying public through unjustified import tariffs.
Otto Warmbier Was Blind, Deaf, Howling Inhuman Cries: Parents Describe North Korean Torture Christian Post Contributor | 26 September, 2017 by Stoyan Zaimov
The parents of U.S. student Otto Warmbier have opened up about the extremely distressing state in which their son was returned to them by the government of North Korea in June. He died several days later.
Fred Warmbier revealed in a "Fox & Friends" interview that the first time they saw their son on the plane when he was flown back from North Korea, he "was jerking violently, making these inhuman," "howling" sounds. It sent Cindy, Otto's mother, and Greta, his sister, running off the plane.
The 22-year-old University of Virginia student was held by the regime of Kim Jong Un for over 17 months, allegedly for trying to steal a sign featuring former dictator Kim Jong Il.
The Ohio native had originally traveled to North Korea as part of a tour offered by a Chinese company in 2015, and was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison in March 2016. The student reportedly fell into a coma shortly after that, though North Korean officials denied accusations that they had tortured him.
Read more about North Korea on The Christian Post.
Jackline Mukisa sobbed as she described how her 8-year-old son was found in a nearby swamp in February without teeth, lips, ears and genitals.
My innocent son died a painful death, said Mukisa, 28. How could somebody intend to murder my son?
A motorcyclist offered John Lubega a lift as he walked back from school, according to fellow students who saw him last. His remains suggest he was slowly killed as part of a human sacrifice ritual performed by witch doctors, apparently to appease the spirits, said Mukisa, who filed a police report.
No arrest has been made so far.
In this landlocked country whose diverse landscape includes the snow-capped Ruwenzori Mountains and immense Lake Victoria, many believe sacrificial rituals can bring quick wealth and health.
Among those rituals, human sacrifice, especially of children, occurs frequently despite the governments efforts to stop it.
Seven children and two adults were sacrificed last year, said Moses Binoga, a police officer who heads Ugandas Anti-Human Sacrifice and Trafficking Task Force. Seven children and six adults were sacrificed in 2015.
But experts said the number could be much higher.
Times are tough in Uganda, and people are looking to sacrifices to improve their fortunes. The worst drought in over half a century has hit parts of East Africa, leaving more than 11 million people in this landlocked nation facing food insecurity and 1.6 million on the brink of famine, according to the Ugandan government.
There is no food due to the ongoing drought, and some believe that this has been brought by ancestral spirits, said Joel Mugoya, a traditional healer. So there is a high desire for people to conduct sacrifices so that they come out of this problem.
Recently, Uganda police arrested 44 suspects in Katabi, a town 24 miles from the capital, Kampala, in connection with a spate of killings of children and women. Half of the suspects have been charged in court, including two alleged masterminds.
Uganda Police Inspector General Kale Kayihura said one suspect confessed to killing eight women. More than 21 women have been killed between May 3 and Sept. 4, Kayihura said.
The murders were for ritual sacrifices, he told residents last week. We are working hard to arrest the remaining suspects and end the practice.
Francis Bahatis wife was among the victims. He discovered her body after three days of searching. Her fingers and feet had been cut off for ritual purposes, likely in hopes of securing better fortunes.
I was shocked and even lost consciousness, he said.
Last year police arrested Herbert Were, a resident of Busia town in eastern Uganda, for beheading his 8-year-old brother, Joel Ogema. Were, 21, confessed to police that he killed his brother in hopes of attaining wealth.
Church leaders are teaming up with police to end the brutal practice.
Pastor Peter Sewakiryanga, who heads Kyampisi Childcare Ministries, a Christian organization that fights child sacrifice in Uganda, said children disappear in the country every week. They are often found dead, or alive with missing body parts.
Most survivors or victims do not file police reports, Sewakiryanga said, adding that he implores victims to come forward.
Its a serious problem but we are fighting it with the help of the government, he said.
Sacrifices often involve removing body parts, blood or tissue while the child is still alive.
Its a brutal ritual that destroys the lives of our children and affects their parents mentally, he added. We are working with the police to arrest witch doctors involved in the ritual. We are also assisting the survivors financially and with moral support.
Sewakiryanga said his charity worked with Ugandan police three years ago to arrest a witch doctor and his accomplices who sacrificed a 7-year-old girl named Suubi.
The witch doctor drained her blood and cut out her genitals, he said. He then cut the neck and drained the blood of the girls 10-year-old brother, Kanani.
In June, a Ugandan court sentenced the witch doctor to life in prison.
Fears of witch doctors have hurt women who practice traditional medicine, however.
According to KidsRights, a global organization that fights for the rights of children, Uganda has 650,000 registered traditional healers and an estimated 3 million unregistered practitioners. Unscrupulous witch doctors hide among so-called healers, the group said.
They should arrest people who murdered my son, Mukisa said. The government is doing little to protect our children. They must begin to arrest all witch doctors.
But Sewakiryanga said arresting everyone claiming to practice medicine was going too far. He hoped to end the practice by changing the hearts of those who promote human sacrifice.
Efforts to end the practice need to expand, he said. Other countries in Africa reported to be practicing child sacrifice include Tanzania, Nigeria, Swaziland, Liberia, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Courtesy: Religion News Service
Photo: A child eats a biscuit in the town of Kataba near Kampala, Uganda, on Aug. 22, 2017. Children here live in constant fear of being kidnapped and sacrificed. Kidnappers or witch doctors have been accused of using biscuits and soda to seduce children.
Photo courtesy: Doreen Ajiambo
Publication date: September 27, 2017
Matt Rourke/STF
Texas Congressman Lamar Smith has told the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Google's parent company Alphabet to hand over documents related to anti-fracking ads that ran on their sites.
Smith, a San Antonio Republican, is seeking information on whether the Russian government or affiliated entities were behind the ads as part of what Smith says is "efforts to manipulate the U.S. energy market."
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Craft breweries near and far, well established and brand new, have pitched in for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts benefitting the Houston Food Bank.
This week, Saint Arnold Brewing Co. founder Brock Wagner led a lively ceremony at the Food Bank's sprawling Portwall distribution facility complete with an oversize check for $35,253. The Houston brewery, which was spared flooding during Harvey, spearheaded the effort after receiving so many emails and calls of concern from around the country.
He said the #ReliefBeers effort -- in which brewers, bars and other craft-beer entities set aside a portion of pint sales and collected other donations -- chose the Food Bank because food is such an essential part of the recovery effort for so many Houstonians.
"The recovery is not over," he told assembled reporters. "This is going to go on for a long time."
"The community has been amazing," added Amy Ragan, chief development officer for the Food Bank.
Ragan said demand spiked after the storm and its historic flooding and remains double the normal amount.
RELATED: Houston Food Bank receives perfect 100 from Charity Navigator, continues to be a top-rated charity
The ceremony setting was a huge warehouse and sorting center near the East Loop where several volunteer teams, many of them wearing T-shirts with corporate or local school logos, packed boxes with supplies. I spotted employees from Chevron, Bank of America, AIG and other companies.
But a sizable number of folks in the crowd were sporting the familiar brewers work shirts or T-shirts. Local favorites No Label was represented (even slipping Wagner an envelope that will push that donation total higher). So were out-of-towners like Fredonia Brewery out of Nacodoches.
The micro opened March 4, so you know things have to be super busy there. But co-founders Paul Murray, originally of Sugar Land, and Vince Beard, a Deer Park native, drove down to show support and kick in nearly $3,000 collected from their customers over two weekends.
Even newer to the state's craft-beer scene are Great Heights Brewing (opened the Friday of the storm) and Baileson Brewing (formally opened Sept. 2). Both of these Houston breweries were spared flooding and made it through with no more hassle than having to squeegee out some excess rain that made it indoors.
They contributed, too.
Here's a complete list of #ReliefBeers participants, in case you want to show them support the next time you are in their area.
Relief Breweries by Houston Chronicle on Scribd
This was my first visit to the Houston Food Bank's relatively new digs, and I must say that it is an impressive sight. The 18-wheelers lined up outside and the high-tech sorting and distribution areas inside are something to see.
RELATED: With move, Houston Food Bank expands kitchen capacity
But of course it was all those community volunteers getting food ready for delivery that was most impressive of all.
As for the beer community, a hearty Cheers! to all. On site Tuesday (and please let me know if I missed someone) were: No Label Brewing and Growlers USA, both of Katy; Great Heights, Baileson and Saint Arnold of Houston; Vallenson's Brewing of Pearland; Wax Taps, a record store that serves craft beer in Conroe; and fellow Texans Bluebonnet Beer Co. of Round Rock, Fredonia Brewery of Nacogdoches and Pedernales Brewing of Fredericksburg.
Berkeley police responding to a call about a bickering couple said Monday they found nearly 700 pounds of psilocybin magic mushrooms with a street value of $1 million in the house, alongside a massive cultivation and sales operation of the illegal drugs.
Ive been a cop for 17 years, and its very rare to see mushrooms in this quantity, said Sgt. Andrew Frankel, spokesman for the Berkeley Police Department.
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Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
1001 Bissonnet; mfah.org
THE KNEELING GODDESS: The wife of a businessman goes behind his back to pose nude, but her husband finds out. 2 p.m. Thursday
RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD: Artists discuss the role that Native Americans have played in the development of American popular music. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Sunday
THE PEARL: Kino and his wife, Juana, are in anguish because their little son Coyotito was stung by a scorpion and the local doctor refuses to treat the child. Later, the doctor and his loan-shark brother meet Kino again, after he finds an expensive pearl, and decide to steal it from him. 2 p.m. Friday
MACARIO: Poor, hungry peasant Macario longs for just one good meal on the Day of the Dead. 2 p.m. Saturday
YOU'RE MISSING THE POINT: Mistaking him for a long-lost relative, a wealthy woman welcomes a bum (Cantinflas) into her lavish home. 2 p.m. Sunday
14 Pews
800 Aurora; 14pews.org
BROTHERS: A documentary of two brothers whose growth over eight years from toddlers to teenagers is captured by their filmmaker mother. 7 p.m. Thursday
LET THE SCREAM BE HEARD: An artistic investigation to discover the secret behind iconic Norwegian artist Edvard Munch's greatness. 7 p.m. Saturday
Memorial City Mall
303 Memorial City Way; memorialcity.com
WONDER WOMAN: When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny. 8 p.m. Friday
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
531 Mason, Katy; drafthouse.com/houston
BLACK SABBATH: THE END OF THE END: The story of the metal band Black Sabbath. 7:30 p.m. Thursday
POSSESSION: A woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. Suspicions of infidelity soon give way to something much more sinister. 10 p.m. Friday
NOSFERATU: Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter's wife. Film event features live musical accompaniment by Invincible Czars.
THE FIFTH ELEMENT: In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon. 6 p.m. Sunday
VICTOR CROWLEY: Ten years after the events of "Hatchet," Victor Crowley is mistakenly resurrected and proceeds to kill once more. 7:30 p.m. Monday
LET'S PLAY TWO: A concert film that chronicles Pearl Jam's legendary performance at Wrigley Field during the Chicago Cubs' historic 2016 season. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Miller Outdoor Theatre
6000 Hermann Park Drive, milleroutdoortheatre.com
SING: A desperate koala tries to save his theater by throwing the mother of all singing competitions. 7:30 p.m. Friday
River Oaks Theatre
2009 W. Gray; landmarktheatres.com
THE HOOK: When Captain Hook kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old enemy. Midnight Friday and Saturday
Houston Museum of Natural Science
5555 Hermann Park Drive; hmns.org
INCREDIBLE PREDATORS 3-D: Deconstructs the world of major predators, taking an intimate look at the remarkable strategies they use to succeed. Multiple screenings daily
PENGUINS 3-D: The tale of a penguin's journey through his species' central rite of passage. Multiple screenings daily
AMAZON ADVENTURE 3-D: A Victorian-era naturalist discovers a butterfly that reinforces Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Multiple screenings daily
Dallas-based establishment Rodeo Goat Ice House, which was expected to debut in spring, is now eyeing a winter debut.
The bar and restaurant popular for its innovative burgers and creative cocktail menu is launching in Houston's East End District in "late 2017," it's confirmed on its social media. The icehouse will arrive at 2118 Lamar St., at the intersection of St. Emanuel Street and Dallas.
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A former head of one of the worlds largest drug trafficking cartels could face life in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to nearly two decades worth of crimes.
Jorge Equardo Costilla-Sanchez, 46, was the head of the Gulf Cartel between 2003 and 2012, when he was arrested by the Mexican Navy. The FBI was at the time offering a $5 million reward for the capture of Costilla-Sanchez, a former Matamoras police officer who eventually helped run many of the crime syndicate's trafficking and extortion operations. He was later extradited to the United States.
In a press release Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas said Costilla-Sanchez was an integral part of the Gulf Cartel's drug smuggling and money laundering operations dating as far back as 1998.
Now Playing: Leaked police body cam footage shows Mexican officers ambushed by a cartel attack. Video: Vocativ
He now faces at least 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, as well as two counts of assault on a federal officer. The latter charges stem from a 1999 standoff with FBI and DEA agents transporting an informant, during which Costilla-Sanchez and former cartel boss Osiel Cardenas-Guillen blocked a road and pulled weapons on the agents.
In a 2010 interview with the Houston Chronicle, one of the federal agents involved in the standoff described the gold-plated AK-47 brandished at him by Cardenas-Guillen, the drug lord who preceded Costilla-Sanchez.
"I knew what they'd do to me, said DEA agent Joe DuBois. I'd seen many pictures of the bodies they leave behind. The only way we were getting out was to talk our way out.
Cardenas-Guillen was later indicted for the incident, as well as various drug trafficking charges, by a federal grand jury in Brownsville. He was arrested by Mexican authorities in 2003, and after his extradition to the United States agreed to give information about the cartels drug operations in exchange for a more lenient plea bargain.
With Cardenas-Guillen in an American jail cell, Costilla-Sanchez took charge of the Gulf Cartel, according to the press release.
According to news reports, he oversaw the drug gang amid a violent, brutal conflict with its armed branch, the Zetas, whose splintering to form a new cartel in 2010 has since significantly weakened the Gulf Cartel,
Costilla, also known as El Coss, is believed to have joined the cartel in the late 1990s, reportedly rising over time from a sicario hitman to the leader of an international drug, murder and extortion ring worth billions of dollars.
He became an important leader within the ranks of the Gulf cartel but always maintained a low profile. For years there were very few photos of him, longtime Mexican journalist Ricardo Ravelo said in 2015.
Costillaz's sentencing has been set for Jan. 4, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Hilda G. Tagle. He could also face a money judgment for proceeds he obtained during his participation in the conspiracy. That amount will be determined at the time of his sentencing.
A man will face lengthy prison time after trafficking more than 30 pounds of meth from Houston to Louisiana, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas of Houston sentenced John Lavergne on Tuesday to 35 years in federal prison for his crime. She described the meth trafficking case as the worst one she's seen in her 20 years on the bench, the news release stated.
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A man was killed Tuesday after being hit by a car on the Beltway 8 service road in south Houston.
The man, believed to have been about 40 years old, was walking westbound along the feeder road around 10:30 p.m. when he was hit by a black Toyota Prius, according to a news release from the Houston Police Department.
AUSTIN -- The chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee already has one big idea ahead of next month's interim hearing on what the state can do to address the damage done by Hurricane Harvey with an eye toward mitigating the destructive power of future storms.
San Antonio Republican Lyle Larson said he hoped the state would attempt a long-term strategy to find ways to store those floodwaters underground in aquifers ahead of future droughts.
Ask the Fool
Stock's behavior is puzzling
Q: What could be going on with a company I'm considering investing in? It seems to be doing everything right, as its sales and earnings have been growing at double-digit rates, and it's carrying no debt. Yet the stock keeps falling. - H.P., Norwalk, Conn.
A: Study it more closely. Even steep growth rates may be lower than previous levels. Check out expectations, too. If the company and/or Wall Street analysts expect slower growth in the future, that can dampen enthusiasm for the stock, with many people selling shares and thereby depressing its price. Perhaps competitors are fast advancing on the company or questions have been raised about its management or offerings. Remember that investors need to focus on any company's future more than its past.
Then there's the stock price itself. Since the company has been growing briskly, investors may have bid up the stock to lofty heights, well above its intrinsic value, and the price may now be settling back to more reasonable levels. Always look at a company's big picture.
Foolish Trivia
Name that company
I'm the product of a 2015 megamerger between two companies that trace their roots back to the late 1800s and earlier. Today, headquartered in Pittsburgh and Chicago, I'm the world's fifth-largest food and beverage company, with a market value recently near $100 billion. I rake in more than $26 billion annually, with the help of eight brands that generate more than $1 billion annually. I sport more than 200 brands, including Jell-O, Velveeta, Grey Poupon, Lunchables, Kool-Aid, Smart Ones, Ore-Ida, Oscar Mayer, Planters, Classico and Maxwell House. I employ people in more than 40 nations. Who am I?
Last week's trivia answer: Broadcom
The Take
Pfizer might be a pfine idea
The world's leader in prescription drug sales, Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) covers a lot of ground with its product lineup, from top-selling pneumococcal vaccine Prevnar 13 and epilepsy fighter Lyrica to treatments such as cholesterol lowerer Lipitor and erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.
Pfizer has been the poster child for the patent cliff, that period of time immediately following the loss of patent protection on a lucrative drug. Lipitor had once generated as much as $13 billion annually, but it has since seen 85 percent of the drug's revenue wiped out as generics hit the market.
Still, Pfizer has a deep portfolio of drug candidates in its pipeline that should usher in a new period of prosperity. As of Aug. 1, it had 99 ongoing clinical-stage trials and registration reviews, including 32 late-stage studies. Its advanced breast cancer drug Ibrance has already posted more than $1.5 billion in worldwide sales in the first six months of 2017, while sales of anti-inflammatory Xeljanz are growing briskly, too.
The stock offers patient investors a dividend that recently yielded 3.6 percent and that has been hiked by 45 percent over the past five years. Loss of exclusivity for legacy drugs remains the most significant challenge for Pfizer, and declining sales from these drugs will continue to weigh down its growth. Still, though, Wall Street expects Pfizer to grow earnings by close to 6 percent annually over the next few years.
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Exxon Mobil has snapped up 22,000 acres in the Permian Basin since May, expanding its footprint in West Texas and New Mexico through undisclosed acquisitions.
The Irving-based oil company said Wednesday it bought prolific oil land sitting on top of multiple layers of oil-soaked rock known as stacked pay zones, in the Delaware Basin and the Midland Basin.
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New York-based Thor Equities has inked deals with Chase Bank and Hurts Donuts for locations in its new Shoppes at Cinco Ranch development in Katy.
The 35-acre retail center, anchored by Lowe's, is at Spring Green Boulevard and FM 1093.
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Two alleged drug traffickers were arrested in New Caney Tuesday, and one suspect made a failed attempt to escape through the window of a patrol vehicle.
On Sept. 26 at about 8:30 p.m., constable's deputies stopped a white Ford F-250 near Highway 59 and Roman Forest Boulevard, the Sgt. James Slack of the Montgomery County Constable Pct. 4 office said in a release.
Deputies became suspicious when the man and woman inside the vehicle gave conflicting stories about where they were headed, Slack said.
HUGE BUST: Austin-area raid uncovers $23 million in methampthetamine
The deputies also noticed that the vehicle smelled like marijuana. A search of the vehicle turned up 5.7 pounds of marijuana, about $25,000 worth, in vacuum sealed bags. Deputies also found a clear bag containing 7.6 grams of methamphetamine, a street value of about $400, Slack said.
The suspects, Richard Benavidez, 30, of Gustine, Calif., and Amy Bruton, 36, of Atascadero, Calif., were handcuffed and placed in the back of patrol vehicles.
While deputies continued to investigate, Benavidez allegedly slipped out of the handcuffs and leaped through the window of the patrol car, which had been left half open for ventilation, Slack said.
Benavidez broke free from deputies trying to restrain him and ran toward the freeway. A nearby tow truck driver helped catch Benavidez, who was handcuffed again and placed back in the patrol vehicle, Slack said.
Benavidez is charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, escape while arrested/confined and resisting arrest/detention. He's being held in the Montgomery County Jail with bond set at $40,000.
Bruton is charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. She's being held in the Montgomery County Jail with bond set at $56,000.
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Educational programs in hurricane-affected areas will have some flexibility to adjust performance targets and potentially transfer grants, the U.S. Department of Education said this week in a release.
The agency urged grantees to reconsider project timelines as schools bounce back from the destruction caused by hurricanes Harvey and Irma over the last month.
On the heels of a defamation suit and year-old legal spat, a national animal rights group has joined forces with a Montgomery County grandmother Tuesday formally charging the owners of Houston's Downtown Aquarium with animal cruelty and claiming their treatment of four white tigers on display for visitors violates the Endangered Species Act.
The federal lawsuit brought by Cheryl Conley, who runs Backyard Radio, a radio station in Magnolia and has served on local wildlife group boards, and backed by the Animal Legal Defense Fund in California's Sonoma Valley, blasts the aquarium and Landry's Inc. for confining four tigers, named Nero, Marina, Coral and Reef, to a concrete indoor exhibit area with metal cages, a practice they say the zoo community abandoned in the 1970s.
"These conditions are far out of line with generally accepted practices in the zoo world," the suit says, "are not contemplated, let alone sanctioned, by the Animal Welfare Act; and have actually injured the tigers and significantly disrupted their normal behavioral patterns."
Landry's general counsel, Steven L. Scheinthal, said the facility has been developing a new outdoor space for the tigers that includes a waterfall and pool, rock features and artificial trees, and his team is highly confident that the lawsuit lacks merit and the aquarium will prevail.
Submitted
"We have always acted and will continue to act in the best interest of our white tigers," he said. "We have been working on an outdoor expansion to our white tiger exhibit for a long time and finally received formal recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the highest ranking organization that monitors and accredits zoos and aquariums, to proceed with our multi-million dollar outdoor expansion of the tiger exhibit."
A year ago, the animal rights group had offered to find homes for the four tigers at no cost to the company. Otherwise, the activists said, they planned to sue over the way the tigers had been treated.
Landry's Inc. and the Downtown Aquarium Inc. responded with a defamation lawsuit in state district court alleging that the Animal Legal Defense Fund had caused harm with its public comments about alleged animal mistreatment.
READ ALSO: Fertitta takes next step in securing ownership of Rockets
A judge dismissed that suit and ordered Landry's lawyers to cover thousands of dollars in attorneys.
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In the months to come, flood-fatigued residents and businesses may be reconsidering their options, and city leaders will need to take steps to restore confidence to prevent population loss or slowed growth, experts in housing and demographics say.
"This is a moment of truth for Houston," said Stephen Klineberg, who has been studying Houston for 36 years and was founding director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University.
While observers agree that Houston won't experience a massive population decline like New Orleans post-Katrina, the challenges posed by Harvey could knock Houston's economy down a notch in the long run.
READ ALSO: Harris County launches $20M bid to buy out homes flooded by Harvey
"Houston has to show it is taking steps as it rebuilds itself in a more resilient way. If it doesn't do that, it does really run the risk of losing people," Klineberg said. "The source of wealth in the 21st century will have less to do with our location and more to do with our ability to attract the best and the brightest."
Addressing the most frequently flooded areas is one step, he said.
"We have many people who have had these 500-year floods year after year," Klineberg said. "Clearly one of the things we need to do is to buy up those properties."
READ ALSO: One-third of Bellaire homes damaged by Harvey
In the near-term, however, Houston could appear to bounce back as if nothing happened.
"It comes down to push and pull factors, meaning things that push people away or pull them in," said Felipe Chacon, a housing economist for Trulia, which has analyzed home sales after natural disasters.
Houston is big enough and has enough pull factors a strong job market being one to keep the area growing, Chacon said.
"As refineries roar back to life, you're not going to see massive job losses," Chacon said.
READ ALSO: Harvey, Irma expected to slow 2017 home sales
Another factor is housing. Confronting the staggering costs and frustrations of rebuilding, some Houstonians may at least consider moving to a different neighborhood, if not another city.
Houston should expect a 20-30 percent increase in home values for a few months, similar to what New Orleans experienced after Katrina, a report from Moody's Analytics suggests. Within the city, competition for relatively flood-safe homes could drive prices even higher.
Beyond the more than 120,000 homes that were damaged by flooding in the metro area, Trulia estimates that there could be nearly 242,000 homes, worth a combined $61 billion, that are in within a quarter-mile of flooded areas.
Flooded properties, of course, will see home values decline. At a minimum, they could lose up to 15 percent of their value, according to one study. That presents a Catch-22 for property owners in flood-ravaged areas. If they can sell, they may go for far below their previous value. Either way, moving or staying is a difficult choice.
"It's a person-by-person decision," Chacon said. "But I'm consistently surprised that people rebuild in places where maybe they shouldn't."
Flooding could also present a problem for businesses based in Houston and for firms looking to locate here, such as Amazon's proposed headquarters expansion. Even so, Patrick Jankowski, vice president of research for the Greater Houston Partnership, says it's unlikely floods will dissuade companies from setting down roots here.
"There's no place that doesn't have natural disasters. What it comes down to is how businesses prepare for and respond to them," Jankowski said.
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An Abilene woman accused of stabbing her newborn baby to death won't face the death penalty.
News station KRBC reports Amber Craker, 20, is facing life in prison without parole after police said she killed her baby daughter. Craker is charged with capital murder, injury to a child and fabricating physical evidence involving a human corpse.
TRAGIC: Kingwood woman confirmed as Harvey death from flesh-eating bacteria
Craker's fiance, Damian Cate, 23, faces the same charges as Craker. His trial date has not been set yet.
Craker is accused of stabbing her baby "over the neck and chest" in January 2016, reports the Abilene Reporter-News. Cate is accused of holding the baby during the stabbing. The couple's daughter was found dead in a dumpster, according to the Abilene Police Department.
Craker was evaluated at a psychiatric facility following her arrest but she has since been transferred back to the Taylor County Jail on $300,000 bonds, according to KRBC. Cate bonded out of jail in May on a $100,000 bond.
Juli Hendren
We swerved out of the way so as not to hit the baboons as we carefully navigated the bumpy and mountainous dirt road. We were very far south, about 4 miles from the Democratic Republic of Congo and 20 miles from Rwanda, heading to Kisoro, Uganda. Our road-weariness immediately left us as we got out the truck and heard the sounds of drums and singing. The Batwa dancers invited us to the edge of the lake where they sing and dance as the sun sets. It was an absolutely extraordinary moment. This is was where the work began.
My husband Aaron and I were in Uganda working with Stephen Rwangyezi, a Ugandan dancer, educator, actor and the Executive Director of Ndere Cultural Centre and Dance Troupe, on a cultural archiving project. We were documenting Indigenous dance and the history of these dances to create a video archival library for the cultural center. It is an ambitious project that will also include an arts festival in Kampala and a student and artist exchange residency. The exchange will bring young people from New Mexico to Uganda for a residency where they will learn about the arts, sustainable farming and the environment, as well as educational programming.
We were at the very beginning of creating this exchange project with Stephen and we only had 10 days in Uganda this summer with a very long to-do list. We accomplished a lot, filming dances and conducting interviews as well as mapping out a plan and structure for the residency. We also managed to throw in teaching a few workshops and get in some social time with our friends at Ndere.
International diplomacy is a critical activity in our world today and diplomacy through the arts has become a deep passion of mine. This project is a drop in the bucket, but one that is important to our global and local health and resilience. I know many people think this work of education and cultural exchange through the arts should start at home and stay at home, but international support and development strengthens that home. I believe its all connected. I am in no way an expert on international relations. I am simply an artist who, through my work, has found a place in global arts work. I believe in the possibility of a healthy world and the arts as an avenue toward that realization. Strong international markets drive economic development, countries with stable political situations have a better chance at security. Saving lives by fighting poverty, hunger and disease is our humanitarian duty. All of these pieces can be strengthened by artistic exchanges. Through this type of exchange and collaboration, we all become strong. I learned this value as an artist in a New Mexico theater ensemble, but it is a value I take with me everywhere I go.
Stay attuned to how this collaboration continues to develop by checking in with Tricklock Company online at tricklock.com from time to time.
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The former Tivy High School educator accused of having an improper relationship with a student allowed the student to feel her breasts while they kissed behind a burger restaurant, police said.
The now-fired educator, Sara D'Spain, later allegedly admitted to law enforcement authorities that the relationship was "inappropriate."
She was arrested on Thursday and booked into the Kerr County Jail on a $35,000 bond. She has since bonded out.
RELATED: Former TX teacher gets 10 years probation for having sex with 2 teens
According to her arrest affidavit, D'Spain told police she communicated with the student through Snapchat and often sent him photographs, though what the often blurry, close-up photos depicteded is unclear.
D'Spain, who apparently complained on multiple social media platforms of her husband spending too much time away at work, admitted to meeting the student on Sept. 10 behind a Culver's Restaurant in the 1300 block of Junction Highway in Kerrville, where the two kissed and the student felt her breasts over her clothing, according to the affidavit.
RELATED: 2 educators at a Kerrville high school accused of improper relationships with students
Her relationship with the student was disclosed two days later, on Sept. 12, when a different student showed school administrators an "explicit" Snapchat photo he had received of D'Spain wearing a bra, her affidavit says.
When questioned about the photo, D'Spain insisted that she had only sent the photo to a former student who no longer attends Tivy High School and that she only stayed in contact with him after he had graduated, police said.
D'Spain does not face any charges in connection with that photo.
A Kerrville police officer present at the questioning asked her if she had had any contact with current students at Tivy, at which point she confessed her relationship with the victim. The victim, who was not identified, was later questioned and told police about his relationship with D'Spain.
On Thursday, a warrant for D'Spain's arrest was granted by a Kerr County judge and she was booked into jail.
RELATED: 18-year-old man accused of sexual assault after allegedly impregnating teenage S.A. girl
Kerrville police said D'Spain's arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into two instances of educators in the district having relationships with students. The second investigation continues.
According to online State Board for Educator Certification records, D'Spain is certified to teach pre-kindergarten through 8th grade students, and she is a certified English as a Second Language teacher as well.
Sexual relationships between educators and students are far from uncommon in Texas. In the 2016-2017 year alone, the Texas Education Agency has opened more than 300 such investigations.
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All Spring ISD students will be able to receive free lunches through October after the Texas Department of Agriculture granted the school district an extension on a free meal program that began after Hurricane Harvey.
The original free lunch program was scheduled to end Sept. 29 but will now be available through Oct. 31.
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The National Weather Service confirmed Wednesday that a record 64.58 inches of rain fell during Hurricane Harvey in Nederland near Beaumont during the storms five-day onslaught.
The citys record rainfall is the heaviest rainfall ever logged in the U.S. during a tropical storm, breaking Hawaii's 1950 record of 52 inches. The record was captured near Jack Brooks Regional Airport.
Nederland is in Jefferson County a county east of Houston where four people died, more than 74,000 homes were impacted and at least $73 million in damages to public property occurred.
Now Playing: Flyover of Bevil Oaks in Beaumont area, Monday, Sept. 4, 2017 Video: Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
Just a little more than a month since Harvey made landfall, weather officials now have a clearer picture of the storms massive force and how it impacted areas to the east. Meteorologists needed weeks to determine just which area in Houston got the most rain.
In the days after the storm, officials believed that 51.8 inches, logged by a gauge near Cedar Bayou just inside east Harris County, would be the new record. It would have broken the contiguous U.S. record for rainfall during a tropical storm.
Officials later discovered the reading was riddled with errors after realizing the storm flooded and broke the gauge.
Since then, weather officials confirmed at least seven sites with more than 51 inches.
The record would then go to Friendswood which recorded 56 inches before being snatched away by Nederland, followed by Groves with 63 inches.
Data is still being analyzed but Scott Overpeck, a NWS forecaster, said the record will probably stay in Nederland.
As the assessment of Harvey's impact continues, rainfall totals will be critical in determining how much rain soaked the region during the storm's peak.
Weather and local officials plan to analyze rain data from the storm to uncover any information that might be useful to prepare for future threats.
"The flooding Harvey caused from the rainfall was a historic event," Overpeck told the Houston Chronicle. "For that reason alone, we need to make sure we get the rainfall amounts correct and understand how much rain actually fell."
Secondly, he said, getting the amounts of rainfall right in any one particular location will help with future storms.
"This then leads to better flood warnings since we know what the impacts are going to be," he said.
One of the Food Network's most popular stars is coming to the Lone Star State again.
Next month, Guy Fieri will be heading to Dallas to host a kids' cooking contest at the State Fair of Texas.
Houston police arrested and charged a 37-year-old man on Tuesday suspected of shooting a woman in December 2016 who later died on New Year's Day.
Police arrested Tealzie Randall III, also known as "Third," with murder. Police accused Randall of killing of Jewel Hunter, 27.
When it comes to picking out a tattoo design, it's always best to investigate exactly what it is you are getting.
A Texas man recently discovered that the tattoo he got on his arm in solidarity with a dog that he adopted in 2010 was, in fact, the symbol denoting that a neutering procedure had been done. Chris Mendiola, 26, of Southlake, mistakenly thought his pup had been tattooed as a form of animal abuse.
RELATED: Heartbreaking Harvey photo shows the comforting power of pets
It's definitely a charming sentiment but Bear, the dog, simply had his testicles removed and there was no apparent foul play. Of course, the dog wasn't able to comment on his views of the procedure.
Mendiola's high school friend shared the photos on Reddit and soon the story went viral. He seemed oblivious to the meaning of the tattoo in a Facebook post he published the night he got the new ink.
"Those of you who know bear know that he has a tattoo given to him from some previous owners," wrote Mendiola. "It sickens me to know that people actually tattoo their pets. So tonight I got his tattoo."
Mendiola told tech culture blog Gizmodo that he wasn't prepared for the backlash from friends on social media who joked that now people would assume he was neutered.
BuzzFeed also profiled Mendiola and he told a reporter that the symbol lets him carry a piece of Bear wherever he goes. He has no regrets.
As Gizmodo noted, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians' standards actually require vets to tattoo spayed and neutered shelter animals. This practice prevents anyone from unnecessarily operating on the animals.
RELATED: Actor Liev Schreiber adopts two dogs displaced by Hurricane Harvey
He remained adamant to Gizmodo that he knew full well what the symbol meant; he also told the outlet that he is still proud of the tattoo and wants to add a tattoo of Bear's paw print to it.
"I definitely did my research. I actually talked to my family vet about it when I first got him," Mendiola told the outlet. "I don't think that people should crop ears. I don't think that people should cut tails off their pets. If they're going to be a member of your family, you should treat them as such. I don't see tattooing your dog as something that you should do... My vet would never just say, 'Hey, willy-nilly, I'm going to tattoo your dog.' It's not going to happen."
A federal judge has ordered a former Texas police officer to pay $6.3 million to the family of an Iowa man who died in his custody.
William Livezey Jr., 70, died from a heart attack he suffered after being handcuffed by Malakoff Police officer Ernesto Fierro on the side of Texas State Highway 31 in Malakoff on Dec. 11, 2013, according to federal court documents obtained by Chron.com. Malakoff is roughly 73 miles southeast of Dallas.
Livezey was delivering reclaimed lumber from his business in Taintor, Iowa, to someone in Houston when Fierro stopped him, according to court documents. Fierro claimed Livezey had driven aggressively and repeatedly tried to run him off the road, however witnesses made the same claim about Fierro.
"According to witnesses, officer Fierro drove recklessly or aggressively next to Mr. Livezey and waved to him to pull over," court documents stated. "Officer Fierro's motorcycle was weaving erratically from side to side, and darted in front of Mr. Livezey's truck approximately 15 times, forcing him off the road onto the shoulder. One witness stated that he had to get off the road to avoid being hit by officer Fierro, and that officer Fierro almost hit another truck."
The initial complaint from Livezey's family filed on April 24, 2014, claims that Livezey was "wrongfully and illegally threatened, assaulted, and pulled over to the side of the road" by Fierro, who was off-duty at the time, court documents stated.
BUSTED: Houston police officer charged with driving while intoxicated previously in trouble for nude photos
"Mr. Livezey was handcuffed with his hands behind his back and was leaning against his truck. His voice was shaky, and he told the officers he was not feeling well, his chest was hurting, and he thought that the other man was going to hurt him. Officer Fierro said that Mr. Livezey was 'faking' and just 'putting on a show' claiming shortness of breath to get out of going to jail," court documents stated.
Livezey would be transported from the scene via ambulance and pronounced dead shortly thereafter due to a heart attack induced by the preceding events. Fierro was later convicted of aggravated assault and other charges in connection with his role in the arrest and fired from the police department, court documents stated.
The federal court ordered Fierro to pay Livezey's wife Jeanette and their four children $6.3 million on Sept. 5.
Mayor Sylvester Turner shot back at Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday over the governor's contention that Turner is incorrectly shifting blame for his proposed tax hike to state leaders.
On Monday, Turner wrote to Abbott asking state officials to tap into the $10 billion Rainy Day Fund, the state's savings account, saying he would not have proposed a $50 million property tax increase if the state would kick in its share now.
Abbott shot back Tuesday, saying, "In times like these, it's important to have fiscal responsibility as opposed to financial panic."
Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said city officials are "sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars" in funds held by Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones that could be used for recovery.
The state law that allows the creation of these economic development zones prevents the city from doing that, however, mandating that the funds be spent only within the boundaries of the zones.
Turner stressed that point at Wednesday's regularly scheduled City Council meeting, noting that the TIRZ program was created by the Legislature.
"It's easy to just throw things out as if people are not aware and are not knowledgeable," Turner said. "But TIRZs are legislative creatures. And the City Council does not have the power just to snatch money away from them without legislative approval."
Abbott has decided not to call a special legislative session this month to vote on a Harvey relief package.
The state can, however, through the Legislative Budget Board, redirect money from state agencies to recovery efforts, then replenish the rainy day fund when the Legislature next convenes in January 2019.
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One of the United States Air Force's most recent missions took place over the skies of Texas, battling the smallest of airborne invaders: mosquitoes.
Local pest controls across the affected areas were quickly overwhelmed by the rains of Hurricane Harvey, leading to the Air Force Reserve Command's 910th Airlift Wing being called in to perform aerial sprays starting Sept. 8 across more than a million acres of land, according to Master Sgt. Bob Barko Jr., superintendent of public affairs for the wing.
"The last time that we did an area of this size was in 2005 in the aftermath of Katrina," Barko said.
Despite the magnitude of flooding from Harvey, the wing completed spraying Sept. 21, four weeks faster than the six-week operating time for Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Barko said.
"With Harvey we were able to bring in an extra aircraft and update some of our methods which enabled us to get about the same area done in a third of the time, about 2 weeks," Barko said. "It's a pest insect, and for the folks trying to rebuild and trying to repair the area, they were reporting about 40 mosquito bites a minute. After application, they were down to about five a minute."
Dr. Mustapha Debboun, director of the Mosquito Control Division for Harris County Public Health, said local efforts were rendered ineffective after roads across the county closed due to flooding.
"In a situation like this, you have mosquitoes pretty much everywhere," Debboun said. "We couldn't use the trucks in some areas because they're under water. We need the aerial spray to go over and cover large areas."
The insecticide Naled was used for the spraying, but Debboun and Barko said there were never concerns of adverse human or environmental impacts because of the spray.
We used this product three years ago, right here in Houston," Debboun said. "When we had a large number of West Nile Virus cases, I decided to use Naled to get rid of the mosquitoes. The only difference from 2014 to 2017 is we used smaller planes or contracted civilian planes. The only difference now is when people see a C-130, they worry, and they shouldn't."
Naled has been registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for use in the United States since 1959 and is one of the most widely used pesticides in the U.S. for mosquito control, according to the EPA's website. Naled is currently undergoing a routine re-evaluation by the EPA, as required by law, but the pesticide doesn't pose any significant threat to humans, pets or the environment when properly applied, according to the EPA's website.
In 2016, at least 2.5 million bees were killed in South Carolina due to Naled being sprayed at dawn, when bees are active, instead of dusk. Barko said the wing's operations took place at dusk over the two week operating period in Texas.
"The analogy is about a shot glass an acre, and it comes out in a very fine mist," Barko said. "The droplets are measured in microns and the product is designed the way we use it according to EPA direction, it evaporates before it even hits the ground."
Without the aid of the military, Debboun said he thinks the mosquito control operations would have been nearly impossible.
"This case is a unique case," Debboun said. "A Phenomenal case. A disaster case. This is Harvey. Harvey is a magnitude of a hurricane the world hasn't seen. When you have any huge flooding due to the magnitude of a hurricane, we can't do it all by ourselves. We do the best we can under the circumstances, but Harvey was not normal."
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
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Insurance company lawyers on Monday blasted a Vermont man whose mother was lost at sea, saying he made suspicious alterations to his boat before what they called its most curious sinking.
Lawyers for Nathan Carmans insurance company said in documents filed in federal court in Rhode Island that the Vernon man is refusing to cooperate as they investigate his claim for his boat, which sank during a fishing trip he and his mother, Linda, took out of Rhode Island in September 2016.
With missing evidence, including Nathan Carmans mother and his suspicious structural alterations and repairs to his boat, plus its most curious sinking off the continental shelf, defendants pre-litigation testimony on these topics is critical evidence here, lawyers for the National Liability and Fire Insurance Co. wrote.
Nathan Carmans lawyers didnt immediately return messages seeking comment Monday. According to documents filed with the court, his lawyers have said the insurance company is asking questions that are overly broad and not relevant to his claim.
Mondays filing said Carman is refusing to confirm that testimony he gave under oath as part of the insurance investigation in December is true and accurate. The insurance company lawyers wrote that his objections are evasive and not in good faith.
Carmans mother is presumed dead.
Police have said Carman is a person of interest in the 2013 slaying of his millionaire grandfather, who was found fatally shot at his home in Windsor, Connecticut, in 2013. Carmans aunts have sued in New Hampshire to try to block him from collecting an inheritance. The grandfather, real estate developer John Chakalos, left more than $42 million to his four daughters. Carman has denied involvement in his grandfathers death.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AKRON, Ohio - An Akron woman who is charged with murder in her boyfriend's stabbing death made her first court appearance Wednesday morning.
Crystal D. Bruce, 33, is also charged with tampering with evidence and illegal cultivation of drugs in connection with the Tuesday killing of Shawn Belville, according to court records.
Bruce's bond was set at 10 percent of $1 million during her arraignment Wednesday in Akron Municipal Court. She remains in custody at the Summit County Jail, records show.
The case was bound over to Summit County Common Pleas Court. Bruce is scheduled to be appear in that court Oct. 13, records show.
Bruce's court-appointed attorney, Donald Hicks, declined to comment on the case Wednesday morning.
Bruce told investigators she got into an argument with Belville before the stabbing, which happened early Tuesday at the house they shared on Garfield Street near Bungalow Way, police said.
Belville, 44, died just after 1:15 a.m. while paramedics were treating him at the scene, the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office said.
Bruce was arrested at the scene without incident, police said.
Investigators found a suspected marijuana grow lab when they searched the basement of the house, according to a police report.
Bruce does not have a prior criminal record, records show.
If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Wednesday's crime and courts comments section.
AKRON, Ohio - The doors to the Huntington Bank branch on Kenmore Boulevard will permanently close on Friday, just weeks after the Kenmore Better Block showcased the business district's potential for more than 4,000 residents.
Neighborhood leaders and business owners are upset over the move, saying that closing the bank branch sends the wrong message about Kenmore Boulevard's development possibilities and future. Hungtington acquired the branch in 2016 as part of its merger with FirstMerit, which had operated the location for decades.
"Having just come off such a successful Better Block, with so many potential businesses interested in the promise of Kenmore Boulevard, I'm worried it will negatively impact the positive momentum we have going right now," said Tina Boyes, a Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance board member and Better Block chair. "That communicates this is not a viable place to have a business, whether it's true or not."
Todd Ederer, a developer and investor who owns commercial properties on Kenmore Boulevard, called the bank's move "shortsighted."
"The timing is wrong. They should be looking at the neighborhood instead of looking away from it," he said. "Can't you see the possibilities and opportunities on the Boulevard? Stay and be a part of that,"
An Akronite, Ederer bought buildings on the Boulevard because of their unusual characteristics and he liked Kenmore residents.
"It's a wonderful little collection of buildings," he said. "Then, I got to know the people."
Huntington announced the Kenmore branch closing in July. The branch was among eight Huntington locations marked for closure as part of larger plan that involved opening 3 new branches in the city of Cleveland.
Three other Akron Huntington branches were also targeted for closure, including 6020 Manchester Rd.; 2720 Arlington Rd., and 1502 Canton Rd.
Hungtington blames the Kenmore closing on lower foot traffic in the branch due to more customers using online and mobile banking.
Huntington's Akron Region President Nick Browning said the bank is committed to Akron and will be working with others to invest in the city's neighborhoods. He said this will largely be done through the Akron Huntington Foundation, established when Huntington bought FirstMerit last August.
But city officials are still upset over the closing. In July, Akron City Councilman Mike Freeman, who represents Kenmore's Ward 9, introduced a resolution urging Huntington to keep the branch open. The resolution was supported by the full council and Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan.
The city has designated Kenmore a "middle neighborhood," signifying its belief that it is poised for growth but needs more investment and development. Without that investment, the city believes the neighborhood could decline further.
Good bones
Kenmore is one of Akron's older neighborhoods and features distinctive "bones" and histories.
Known in the early 1900s as "the fastest-growing city in the world," Kenmore was a residential area between Akron and Barberton. At trolley line connected the two cities. The Boulevard today comprises several blocks of that 100-foot-wide curving roadway, where center islands planted with trees and shrubs have replaced the tracks.
Kenmore Boulevard, lined with storefronts in historic buildings, is emerging as Akron's music-industry backbone.
The Boulevard, lined with storefronts in historic buildings, is emerging as Akron's music-industry backbone, which the Kenmore Better Block promoted recently in the two-day event with a full schedule of musical offerings.
It's also home to the Rialto Theatre, a live-music venue and studio, and the Guitar Department, a new-and-used consignment shop that offers music lessons. Lays Guitar Shop, known since the '60s for top-quality repairs and restoration, is frequented by Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach and Cleveland native Joe Walsh. The neighborhood also boasts seven recording studios, with five right on the Boulevard.
"There's a lot of new energy bubbling up to the surface and actually I've been waiting for this to happen since I established my store," said Guitar Department owner Ed Mihalec, who opened the doors of his business about eight years ago.
For his part, Browning remains optimistic about the future of Kenmore's business district despite the bank closing.
"The Boulevard to me is an ideal point for the resurgence of Kenmore in terms of development," he said.
Arrested development
Akron made recent investments in bike lanes on the Towpath Trail at Summit Lake, which is about 500 feet off the Boulevard. Business owners hoped people would come off the trail and onto the Boulevard to spend money, Mihalec said. But the bank closing will hurt the business district as well as residents, he said.
Huntington has not announced plans for the property, although it plans to maintain an ATM at the location.
The bank could sell the property to a developer, but Boyes and Ederer said Huntington has indicated it will not allow another bank to move into the space.
Browning said he did not know if Huntington would prohibit another bank from occupying the space and directed questions to the company's facilities management division.
"With respect to the building, while we're not at liberty to share our plans, we are working closely with other community partners to make additional investments," said Huntington Bank spokesman Michael Sherman.
"They completely remodeled that branch, did a lot of work and then just walked away from it," Mihalec said. "It's a community that's largely pedestrian and it's literally the only bank on this end of of Kenmore."
What's more, leaving a darkened, empty building and lot behind is counter to the goal of Better Block and the city's efforts to revitalize neighborhoods, neighborhood leaders and business owners say. Better Block festivals are designed to show residents how vibrant their communities can be with collective effort and creativity.
"People don't feel safe where there aren't people," said Boyes. "And if Kenmore Boulevard looks empty after 8 o'clock on Friday night people are gong to assume it's an unsafe area."
But Boyes remains hopeful a solution will arise.
"As part of our forward momentum I want to see some sort of compromise that allows our community to succeed but also enables Huntington to pay attention to their bottom line," she said.
Residents have sent letters and petitions signed by hundreds to Huntington headquarters, urging the bank to keep the branch open. But Huntington has remained largely unresponsive, Ederer said.
Now, a note posted at the branch notifies residents the bank will not open after Friday.
"There's a lot of optimism and a lot of positive people who plan on turning this business district around," Ederer said. "We're going to keep going."
This story was updated at 9:55 a.m.
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AKRON, Ohio - Community leaders gathered Tuesday night to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Well Community Development Corp. housed in the former First Presbyterian church in Akron's Middlebury neighborhood.
But there was more to celebrate. The Well, along with two other organizations focused on revitalizing Akron neighborhoods, were recently awarded a $720,000 Knight Foundation grant over two years that will enable the groups to work together to accelerate neighborhood development in Akron.
The Well CDC led by executive Director Zac Kohl, the North Akron CDC representing North Hill, Chapel Hill and Cascade Valley led by Executive Director John Ughrin, and the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance represented by board member Tina Boyes each will receive $240,000 to help revitalize the city by developing a plan to apply to Akron neighborhoods.
With all three neighborhoods experiencing differing emerging needs, collaboration was important.
"We knew we needed to be working together to approach funders," said Tina Boyes, Kenmore Better Block chair and Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance board member.
The three neighborhoods are considered ripe for future housing and commercial district development, based on the Knight Foundation's Build in Akron report and the city's Planning to Grow Akron report.
Akron's report outlines strategies to improve housing and business districts to grow Akron's population, now about 198,000, to 250,000 by 2050. Knight's report was developed to work with Planning to Grow, and takes a closer look at each neighborhood. Build in Akron breaks the city's 24 neighborhoods down into one of four categories based readiness for development.
All three neighborhoods have had recent successful Knight-funded Better Block festivals, showcasing the potential the neighborhoods have to become vibrant centers through community input and creativity.
Boyes, Ughrin and Kohl already have established relationships with other Akron community development corporations, nonprofits and agencies. Using research, and what they learned during their respective Better Blocks, the community leaders will create a plan for growth that is inclusive of the residents of each of the neighborhoods.
"Akron is currently grappling with population decline and lack of investment," said Kyle Kutuchief, Knight Foundation program director for Akron, in a news release. "Efforts to address these challenges have largely focused on attracting multinational and large employers, without considering ways to improve quality of life in cities and make Akron a more vibrant place to live and work. These community development corporations will help to address this gap, with the goal of increasing public and private investment and creating a better future for our city."
All three groups will use the Knight funds to:
Hire staff focused on increasing business development, civic engagement and housing access, while building expertise in marketing and economic development to share with Akron's broader community.
Lead a neighborhood planning process with input from local leaders, including ways to use public spaces to encourage civic engagement, create strategies to strengthen business districts, and attract interest through neighborhood branding campaigns.
Identify pathways to advance community development through prototyping and idea testing.
The organizations will work together to come up with best practices for their own challenges, which the group hopes can be leveraged across all the neighborhoods, while supporting one another, Kohl said.
"It's the beginning steps to create an Akron model for future development," Kohl said.
"We need people out in the micro neighborhoods that are going to be our foot soldiers, so to speak," Ughrin said. "To me that's the best way to know where the North Akron CDC should spend our time and effort."
For more information visit the Well CDC, North Akron CDC or the Kenmore Neighborhood Association.
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AKRON, Ohio -- The University of Akron today announced the establishment of an International Center in Buchtel Hall. The move is part of an effort to boost international student enrollment, while streamlining services for the students and visiting scholars.
University President Matthew Wilson, whose background is in international law, said the announcement is the first step in a multi-year plan to establish a dedicated center on campus for the university's foreign-born students, as he expects to outgrow the facilities at Buchtel Hall quickly
"Part of what we're talking to donors about is what can we do to do as a dedicated, independent, international center," Wilson said. "Someplace that's visible, someplace that's accessible, and a place where our international students can call home and our resident students can come and interact."
Wilson said in addition to administrative offices there, he envisions the center offering student lounges, classrooms and language exchange facilities. He also sees it housing the university's English Language Institute, which helps non-native English speakers improve their language skills in preparation for study at an American university.
This year, for the first time, the university asked incoming domestic students on their admission applications if they wanted to room with international students. About 25 rooms were available for the program and the response was strong.
"We will look to expand that corner of our residential offering to hopefully an entire floor and who knows, maybe an entire dorm," Wilson said.
Prior to creating the new International Center, services for foreign-born students and scholars were located in the Polsky Building in Downtown Akron, about 15 minutes from campus.
"It's amazing," said Hussain Ali Brahim, a third-year chemical engineering student from Saudi Arabia. "It shows how much Akron cares for the international students."
Offering immigration services in the same building as academic services for international students will make life much easier for those trying to navigate the complexities of living in a new country and complying with immigration issues, Brahim said.
The new International Center has three main components: recruitment, global engagement and student services.
The new recruiting office, which is the first of its kind in the university's history, will have four dedicated recruiters.
"We'll be visiting every continent except Australia and Antarctica, and targeting a lot of cities that maybe aren't so visited by other institutions," said International Recruiting Director J.P. Yates. Yates had worked with Wilson in Japan in a study abroad program Wilson helped create as dean of Akron's law school.
The university now hosts about 1,100 international students and about 60 visiting scholars.
Establishing the International Center in Buchtel Hall are Global Engagement Executive Director Robyn Brown, University President Matthew Wilson, International Recruiting Director J.P. Yates, Center for International Students and Scholars, Executive Director Nicola Kille and Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives & Professor of Law Sarah Cravens.
"I anticipate that we will see, as we move forward, an uptick in international students," Wilson said.
The center also will house a Global Engagement office, which will manage immigration and centralize and expand the university's education abroad program, which previously had been managed by the various colleges.
Global Engagement Executive Director Robyn Brown said her office is already busy working on international partnerships and exchange agreements with other universities, as well as study abroad services to help students decide where they want to study, while assisting faculty in developing programs specific to their disciplines.
The center also will house the Center for International Students and Scholars to support foreign-born students once they've arrived in Akron. It will be headed by Executive Director Nicola Kille, formerly of the University of Wooster.
According to Kille, her office will manage the details of everything from orientation to graduation, including helping students adapt to differences in the classrooms to campus programming celebrating the international community.
"As I see it, J.P. and his team bring us the international students; Robyn and her team get them here and make sure everything is in legal compliance, and I deal with everything else that happens while they're on campus," Kille said.
According to Denise Wilson, who handles credentials evaluation and services for both global engagement and and the Center for International Students and Scholars, students are already appreciative of the new center.
"They're impressed because they have actual people they can speak to now, and know their names, which makes the transition smoother" Wilson said.
For more information, visit the International Center online or send an email.
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ORANGE, Ohio -- Strong-arm robbery, Orange Place: A clerk at the front desk of the Super 8 motel reported that he had just been robbed by a heavyset woman wearing a maroon hoodie and sunglasses demanding money around 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 20.
She left in the direction of the Extended Stay South, where witnesses pointed to the Hampton Inn. Police found her in a fifth-floor room, where they recovered $432 in cash and took a burgundy sweatshirt into evidence as well.
The Youngstown woman, 22, was initially taken to UH Ahuja Medical Center for an evaluation.
Larceny (theft), Orange Place: A manager at Red Lobster restaurant reported just before 11 p.m. on Sept. 23 that a dinner party of 11 had just walked out without paying their bill of $342. Staff took down the license plate numbers of some of the more vocal guests, and their cars were tracked to addresses in Maple Heights and Tremont.
Grand theft by deception, Stonebrooke Oval: A resident, 84, reported Sept. 24 that a caller identifying himself as "Mr. Goodman from New York" said he represented several companies she owed money to.
Then over the previous two weeks, he convinced her to go to an ATM and withdraw $700 twice (a total of $1,400, elevating it to a felony), obtain Western Union checks and send them to a man and a woman in Kingston, Jamaica, who also advised her to shred the bank receipts.
Police advised her to cancel at least one credit card and put a fraud alert on her bank accounts.
Departmental information, abandoned personal property; Orange Place: Staff at The Surgery Center reported Sept. 25 that an Amherst man, 67, arrived there for an appointment three days earlier, bringing with him several medicated candies laced with marijuana, which he inadvertently left behind.
Non-violent domestics, Emery and Brainard roads: When officers responded to a Sept. 22 domestic dispute involving a couple in a car, they found a Warrensville Heights woman, 18, who had been a passenger in a car with her boyfriend. After they they got into an argument over something that happened at work that day, she opted to get out and walk to her home on Country Road.
No violence took place, although witnesses reported seeing him pick her up and try to place her back in the car. Police determined that, due to the boyfriend not having a driver's license, the girlfriend would drive the 2002 Ford that she actually owned, and he would walk home.
If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
Cleveland Kitchen owners Cindy and Steve Novak wouldn't part with their chicken paprikash recipe, so we reached into our Plain Dealer archives for a recipe we ran in 2011. It's a classic Hungarian version. Don't be afraid to double the measure for sweet paprika. Seged is a top brand.
CHICKEN PAPRIKASH
6-8 servings
For the stew:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika, or more, to taste
1 cup chicken stock
2 whole chickens, quartered and trimmed of extra fat
1 teaspoon salt
Hot Hungarian paprika, to taste (optional)
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced
Garnish:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup sour cream
Cook's notes: You can cut this recipe in half, but you may not have leftovers. If you are a traditionalist and would like sour cream already mixed in your sauce, blend it in to the paprikash "juice" just before serving. Follow the instructions below to do it incrementally so it won't curdle.
Make sauce base: In large pot over medium heat, add oil until hot. Add onions and saute until golden. Remove from heat, add garlic and sweet paprika and stir well. Add chicken stock.
Cook chicken: Add chicken legs with thighs, salt and hot paprika, if using. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Add the chicken breasts with wings and tomato, and simmer about 30 minutes longer or until the chicken is cooked through and fork-tender. Lift the chicken from the pot and set aside.
Finish sauce: Add green peppers to the sauce and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Debone chicken: When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and pull or cut the meat from the bones in the largest pieces possible. Set meat aside. Add the bones to the sauce, and bring it to a simmer and cook an additional 30-45 minutes to add flavor.
Serving: Remove the bones. If you're using sour cream, whisk a bit of the juice into the sour cream and blend, then add the cream slowly to the rest of the juice while still whisking. Add meat pieces back to the pot to warm. In a separate pan, saute the yellow pepper in the tablespoon of oil for 3 minutes. Place meat on plates. Pour on sauce. Garnish with yellow pepper and sour cream.
Source: Adapted from "Gundel New Hungarian Cookbook," by Kalman Kalla with Zoltan Halasz (1998, Langasztronomia Kft., Budapest, Hungary).
Hungarian Dumplings (Galuska)
8 servings
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup whole milk or half-and-half
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
Preliminaries: Bring a large pot of water to boil, about 8 cups. Add 1 tablespoon salt.
Make batter: Mix milk and eggs together in medium bowl. Fold the milk-and-egg mixture into the flour until it is thick.
Make dumplings: Pour enough batter onto a plate to cover the center. Using a tablespoon, move batter one rounded spoonful at a time into the boiling water. Dip spoon into water after each dumpling to avoid sticking. Cook dumplings 15 minutes, or until tender and cooked through.
Serving: Drain and serve with chicken paprikash.
Source: Adapted from Joseph "Jozsef" Bancsi of Jozsef's Premium Paprikash Simmer Sauce.
Jozsef's Hungarian Cucumber Salad
6-8 servings
3 English seedless cucumbers
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sour cream
Plan ahead: Feel free to leave salted cucumbers overnight in refrigerator, or to start the morning before serving them for dinner.
Prepare cucumbers: Peel and thinly slice cucumbers. Place in a bowl, and mix with the salt. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours to draw out the water and encourage a crunchy texture.
Squeeze out water: After curing, take the cucumbers in handfuls and press the water out by cupping and squeezing them between your hands as if making a snowball. Place in mixing bowl.
Dress the cukes: Add remaining ingredients to the cucumbers. Cover and return to refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.
Serving: Makes a great side dish to chicken paprikash.
Source: Adapted from Joseph "Jozsef" Bancsi of Jozsef's Premium Paprikash Simmer Sauce.
Raupheal Thomas
AKRON, Ohio -- A federal judge has limited the scope of a lawsuit filed by the family of a man who was armed when an Akron police officer shot and killed him during a 2014 encounter.
U.S. District Judge John Adams wrote in an opinion last week that a jury should decide whether Akron police Sgt. Joseph Danzy violated Raupheal Thomas' Fourth Amendment right against search and seizure. Danzy's stop involving Thomas, an Akron resident, led to a fight where Thomas pulled a gun and Danzy, who held the rank of officer at the time, fired two shots that killed Thomas.
The judge dismissed other claims, though, ruling Danzy's use of force was reasonable given the circumstances.
Part of the incident was captured on a dashcam, which Adams wrote that he watched.
(You can watch the dashcam footage above. You can read the opinion here or at the bottom of this story.)
Danzy shot Thomas, 29, on Nov. 3, 2014. He approached Thomas and his friends after receiving a report of suspicious behavior in a neighborhood that recently saw some break-ins. Thomas and his friends were on the side of Orlando Avenue near Orrin Street because their car had a flat tire and they were waiting while the driver took the car to a gas station, according to Adams' opinion.
Danzy ordered Thomas to the back of his cruiser and ordered his hands out of his pocket, the opinion says. Officer Edward Stewart, who arrived shortly after Danzy did, put Thomas' left wrist on the cruiser, but Thomas struggled while Danzy patted him down. Danzy used his Taser on Thomas but Thomas was undeterred.
A fight between Danzy, Stewart and Thomas broke out and Thomas drew his pistol and fired, Adams wrote. Thomas broke free and ran, and Danzy fired twice and at Thomas, who still had his gun. Thomas succumbed to his injuries.
Thomas' family filed suit in 2015, claiming the officers violated Thomas' constitutional rights during the stop and shooting. The city of Akron and the officers sought to dismiss the case.
Adams wrote the illegal "stop and frisk" claim that Thomas' family brought should go to trial. The officers argued that Thomas took a "bladed" stance and moved abruptly when approached, but Adams wrote the dashcam footage shows Thomas turning around and walking away from Danzy.
Adams wrote that he was not fully convinced the officers had "reasonable suspicion" to stop Thomas. While there were reports of several recent break-ins, Thomas and his friends provided a reasonable explanation as to why they were there, the judge said. He also denied Danzy immunity from the lawsuit
"Upon Officer Danzy's arrival, Thomas and (his friend) both indicated that car trouble had left them in the neighborhood. These underlying facts, coupled with Thomas' actions in having his hands in his pockets and attempting to walk away from the officers, are insufficient for this Court to say as a matter of law that reasonable suspicion existed to justify Thomas' stop and frisk by Officer Danzy," Adams wrote.
Adams said, though, that the force Danzy used was reasonable once Thomas struggled with the officers. This is because Thomas had a pistol, a fight broke out and Thomas fired, according to the opinion.
The judge also dismissed claims that the officers were indifferent to Thomas' medical needs and that the Akron Police Department failed to train and supervise its officers.
Nicholas DiCello, an attorney representing Thomas' family, said he is still evaluating the opinion and considering the family's options. He anticipates that both he and the city will appeal Adams' opinion.
Ellen Lander Nischt, spokeswoman for Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, said in a statement Wednesday that "the outcome of the encounter is undeniably tragic, however the City has always maintained that the actions of Sergeant Danzy did not violate constitutional principles."
From a criminal standpoint, Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh ruled Danzy's shooting of Thomas justified in July 2015. Her report said the 6-foot-4-inch, 264-pound Thomas was high on methamphetamine as he fought with neighborhood residents and eventually the police.
Thomas was the father of a young daughter and had several felony convictions.
If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Wednesday's crime and courts comments section.
LAKEWOOD, Ohio - On the very same afternoon race and the National Anthem were trending topics around the nation, the Lakewood High School History Club kicked off its 2017-2018 teacher/student lecture series Sept. 24 at the Lakewood Public Library Auditorium with the presentation "Cleveland - A City Divided: The Legacy of Race and Housing."
"It sure was timely and maybe helped spur interest," said Lakewood High School History Teacher Chuck Greanoff, who is also an advisor to the History Club. "We had about 60 people come to see a slideshow and have a conversation about the topic. We're trying to help students understand the complexity of the issue.
"History is about teaching context. And when there's a riot or a problem or people believe they're being discriminated against, there are many layers to that story. That's what we want to uncover."
The event's featured speakers included Lakewood High School Social Studies Department Facilitator Joe Lobozzo and senior Erika Hakko presenting a history of Cleveland's housing patterns, including the underlying political, social and economic factors.
The teacher/student series kicked off at the end of the last school year with Greanoff and Lakewood History Club President/Founder Faiza Manaa hosting "Lincoln in Quotes," which examined how the 16th president has been quoted over the years.
"The reason I founded the club was because I wanted a place for students to be able to learn about history outside the classroom without the pressure of tests," Manaa said. "Our student/teacher collaborative presentations are meant to remove the barrier between educator and student.
"Ultimately, we aim to create a profile for history in the community and engage the citizens of Lakewood in dialogue about our own history and beyond."
There are currently six official members of the Lakewood High School History Club; however, Greanoff noted at its last after-school discussion regarding Confederate statues more than 40 students attended.
"The real goal is to involve the community and students in a conversation about history," Greanoff said. "We want to sort of bring what we do at Lakewood High School out into the community and give people a voice on both sides. The next event will probably be on the Cold War in October or early November."
A key component of the CNY Rising plan to boost the region's economy is moving forward.
A request for proposals has been issued for the Alliance for Economic Inclusion, an initiative that seeks to address poverty in Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties. The $30 million program will be led by the alliance, a group of 24 leaders representing each of the five counties.
The request for proposals, which was issued by the Onondaga County Division of Purchase, seeks ideas to support career development for young people and adults in high poverty areas. The initiative will also aim to attract businesses and jobs to low-income communities.
Onondaga County will administer the program and provide $6 million annually over five years. The state will reimburse the county through a grant from the Upstate Revitalization Initiative.
"By investing in our most vulnerable communities, we can ensure that New Yorkers from all economic backgrounds have the opportunity to pick themselves up out of poverty while helping central New York continue to rise," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
The Central New York Regional Economic Development Council developed the CNY Rising plan for the Upstate Revitalization Initiative in 2015. The anti-poverty program was one of several ideas outlined in the plan.
The region's economic strategy received positive reviews from the state and was one of three winners in the Upstate Revitalization Initiative contest. Central New York will receive $500 million over a five-year period to support economic development projects across the region.
When the regional economic development council drafted the CNY Rising plan, it estimated that $50 million of the $500 million award would be invested to support the anti-poverty initiative. In addition to the $30 million pledged Wednesday, the state has already awarded $20 million for the New York State Syracuse Promise Scholarship Fund. The scholarships will be given to Syracuse City School District graduates.
The CNY Rising plan projected that the Alliance for Economic Inclusion would place 5,000 unemployed or underemployed residents in jobs over a five-year period.
"The collaborative work from our neighbors in Cayuga, Cortland, Madison and Oswego counties will mean that our communities can start to see significant change occur and real solutions to the problems we have only discussed for too long," Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney said.
Carnegie Mellon Snake Robot Used in Search for Mexico Quake Survivors
Multi-jointed rescue robot gets first experience in live disaster
September 27, 2017Carnegie Mellon University researchers last week deployed a snake-like robot to search for trapped survivors in a Mexico City apartment building that collapsed in the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that shook the city Sept. 19.The multi-jointed snakebot provided rescue workers with a video feed from two different passes through the rubble, but did not find any survivors, said Matt Travers, systems scientist in CMUs Robotics Institute.We had hoped our robot could in some small way reduce the tragedy that occurred in Mexico City, said Travers, who is co-director of the Biorobotics Lab that developed the snakebot. The robot performed well and the Mexican Red Cross workers with us said they would like to have a similar tool in the future.Urban search-and-rescue has long been considered a possible application for the snakebot, and last weeks deployment marked the first time it had been used during an actual disaster. Until then it had been tested only in simulated disaster settings.Howie Choset, a professor of robotics who has led the development of snake robots for more than two decades, said the experience in Mexico City was valuable in demonstrating the robots capabilities and in identifying additional qualities that will be necessary to make the robot a useful search-and-rescue robot.Travers, along with Julian Whitman, a Ph.D. student in robotics, and Nicolas Zevallos-Roberts, an artist-in-residence in the Biorobotics Lab, traveled to Mexico City at the invitation of Guillermo Alberto del Moral Rondero, a Mexico City entrepreneur, and the Mexican Red Cross. They worked in conjunction with the Mexican Red Cross for the four days.The snake robots developed by the Biorobotics Lab are amazing and unique in their capabilities, said Andrew Moore, dean of the CMU School of Computer Science. What happened in Mexico City over the past few days, I believe, is just the beginning of what will someday be a heroic story for robots. Im particularly impressed by the energy, enterprise and bravery displayed by Matt, Nico and Julian in getting our robot into some very dangerous places.In addition to the collapsed apartment building, where three people supposedly were unaccounted for, Travers said the CMU team was taken to a number of other sites where authorities thought the robot might be useful, but the apartment building was the only place where it was actually used.It was a lot of hurry up and wait, Travers said, which is something that all of the rescue workers encountered. A crucial decision is when operations switch from search-and-rescue to recovery because thats when they bring in the heavy equipment and buckets and the robot is of no use.The team used a modular snake robot that is two inches in diameter and 37 inches long and tethered to a control and power cable. Its body consists of 16 modules, each with two half-joints that connect with corresponding half-joints on adjoining modules. The head of the robot includes lights and a video camera.The robot body has 16 degrees of freedom, enabling it to assume a number of configurations and to move using a variety of gaits. Some are similar to a snakes natural undulations, but others take advantage of the robots unique mechanical characteristics, such as its ability to roll.In addition to urban search-and-rescue, snakebots can move through and around pipes, giving them potential applications in surveillance and inspection of nuclear power plants and other industrial plants. The robots also have been tested for archaeological exploration.For the robots to be most useful in earthquakes and other disasters involving collapsed buildings, future snakebots should be equipped with sensors to detect gas leaks in the rubble, and should have both microphones and speakers to aid in finding and communicating with trapped survivors, Travers said.Choset said the Mexico City experience underscored the need for additional funding to build new and improved robots. The robot used last week is more than 10 years old, he noted, and is on its last legs, even though it doesnt have any.This robot performed admirably, Choset added. But this experience has shown how much work and further development we still have to do.Initial funding for this robot came from the National Center for Defense Robotics and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, with additional support from the National Science Foundation.
Ann Marie Buerkle faced pressure from Democrats to explain her position on regulating portable generators during a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday.
Buerkle, an Auburn native who was nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission, supports a voluntary standard for portable generator emissions. At least two Democratic senators at the hearing questioned why she wouldn't go further and support a mandate for manufacturers.
A proposal approved by the commission in November 2016 would require manufacturers to reduce carbon monoxide emissions in certain portable generators. Supporters believe this would lower the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Technology Committee, said 11 people in Florida have died due to carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
Buerkle, a member of the commission since 2013, voted against the proposed rule last year. She has been acting chair of the agency since February and the standard hasn't been finalized.
Nelson, D-Florida, blamed "behind-the-scenes industry lobbying" at the commission and the Environmental Protection Agency. He also criticized Buerkle's stance.
"Your efforts to delay this potentially lifesaving rule is quite concerning," he said.
When questioned by Nelson, Buerkle explained her vote. She believed there was a "jurisdictional issue" because the EPA, under the Clean Air Act, regulates emissions.
Since becoming acting chair, Buerkle said the portable generator rule is the issue the commission is most engaged in. Members of the commission have visited manufacturers in Wisconsin. Industry representatives continue to have discussions with the commission about a voluntary standard for the shut-off technology.
Nelson pressed Buerkle on whether she would support a a mandatory standard for portable generator manufacturers. She said she would have to see a proposed rule first.
"I think the most expeditious route is this voluntary shutoff," she said.
The hearing was the first hurdle for Buerkle's nomination. The committee will review several nominations in the coming weeks and determine whether they should advance. Once the committee approves the nominees, they will move to the full Senate for consideration.
If confirmed, Buerkle will be the chair and serve a full seven-year term as a commissioner.
In her opening statement, she said her focus on consumer products stems from her role as a mother and a grandmother. She has six children and 17 grandchildren.
"Safety is always on my mind," she said.
U.S. Rep. John Katko, who has long advocated for tax reform, said Wednesday he's "encouraged" by the Republicans' plan that includes reducing the number of tax brackets and lowering the corporate tax rate.
The GOP blueprint, which was drafted by the Trump administration and congressional leaders, would reduce the total number of income tax brackets from seven to three. The three brackets would be 12 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent, according to a summary of the plan.
The plan would also establish a "zero tax bracket," which Republicans say would benefit middle-class families. The standard deduction would be doubled for individuals to $12,000 and $24,000 for taxpayers who are married and filing jointly.
Republicans also want to lower the corporate tax rate to 20 percent and limit taxes on small businesses to 25 percent.
What the outline lacks is specific detail about many of the changes, including how the income tax brackets would be structured and the exact deductions that will be eliminated.
Katko, R-Camillus, said in a statement that he's heard from constituents, including farmers and small business owners, about the need for tax reform.
"I am encouraged that Congress is beginning its work on this issue," he said. "Families deserve to take home home more of what they earn and our local businesses must be given an opportunity to compete on a level playing field."
One concern raised by Katko and other members of the New York House delegation is the proposal to eliminate the state and local tax deduction, which allows taxpayers to deduct state and local property, income and sales taxes.
In 2014, 29.3 percent of filers deducted state and local taxes, according to Internal Revenue Service data.
Eliminating the deduction would have a significant impact on New York. U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan, a New York City Republican, sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin urging him to reconsider including the proposal in the tax reform plan.
Other New York Republicans, including Katko, signed the letter.
Donovan explained that New York has 3.2 million taxpayers who claim the deduction, most of whom earn less than $200,000 annually.
"Simplifying the tax code by reducing rates and making the system fairer is long overdue, but it shouldn't be done at the expense of New Yorkers who already face high living expenses and pay their fair share of taxes," Donovan said in June.
The potential elimination of the state and local tax deduction has been criticized by several interest groups in New York. The Business Council of New York State, one of the leading business organizations in the state, issued a statement in opposition to the removal of the deduction.
The New York State Association of Counties also opposes the elimination of the deduction. The group has sent letters to the state's congressional delegation urging them to reject plans that include the provision.
Katko hasn't taken a position on the tax reform plan released Wednesday. One reason for his status: A bill hasn't been introduced in the House yet.
"Moving forward, I will carefully evaluate any proposal before the House to determine its impact on my district and the people that I represent," he said.
Cayuga Onondaga BOCES was placed on lockdown Tuesday afternoon while Cayuga County sheriff's deputies dealt with an incident involving a student, a release said.
According to an "important message" on BOCES' website, the facility was locked down for less than 20 minutes Tuesday while authorities resolved an incident with a student.
"The lockdown was an abundance of caution and at no time were any students or staff in danger," the message said. "We thank our students for their orderly behavior, our staff who responded effectively in accordance with their training and law enforcement for bringing quick resolution to the incident."
Cayuga County Sheriff's Det. Sgt. Fred Cornelius said deputies were called to the campus on West Genesee Street Road at around 12:45 p.m. after a student became "unruly."
"Our (school resource officer) was dealing with an unruly student and we sent some people to help out," he said. "It was a fairly routine incident from our perspective. ... There was no weapon involved."
Cornelius said the situation was under control by the time deputies arrived on scene. He added that the lockdown was the school's decision, noting that this particular incident was not anything the deputies considered significant.
BOCES Interim Superintendent Christopher Todd and Chief Operating Officer Mark Vivacqua could not immediately be reached for comment.
Portable Magic: The Art of the Book
PLEASE NOTE!
Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!
All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!
(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
A central New York man is facing multiple charges after an alleged road rage incident on the New York State Thruway Tuesday.
State troopers responded to a report of an incident on the Thruway in the town of Newstead, Erie County. An investigation found that the driver of a vehicle involved in a minor accident had threatened another individual with a knife.
Steven C. Walker, 45, of Cicero, was arrested and transported to the state police headquarters in Buffalo. He was charged with second-degree criminal mischief, a class D felony, second-degree menacing, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, leaving the scene of a property damage accident and a vehicle and traffic violation.
Walker was arraigned in Town of Newstead Court and released on his own recognizance. His next court date wasn't available.
PORT BYRON Canal enthusiasts from around the globe have been waiting for over 20 years for the Old Erie Canal Heritage Park in Port Byron to come to life.
As part of the World Canals Conference, held this year in Syracuse from Sept. 24 to 28, those who have been anxiously awaiting the park's opening finally got to tour the historic site.
Hundreds of conference attendees took a bus from Syracuse to Port Byron to walk through the park's preserved stone locks, visit the Erie House, a historic saloon and house owned by an immigrant family from Italy, and tour the modern welcome center building. Volunteers were on hand to assist the visitors, serving them drinks and answering questions. The park is staffed by over 40 volunteers.
Ian Burke, the park's director, said the fact that the Port Byron park is one of the conference's featured sites is a "reward" for all the effort put in by so many individuals and organizations over the years.
"I found out yesterday (Monday) what (this site) means when people got off the bus and I was introducing myself and greeting them and I was being hugged because people were finally able to see the site," Burke said Tuesday before the second wave of visitors arrived at the park.
Rudy Van der Ween, a water tourism promoter from Ghent, Belgium, visited the park Tuesday. He was also the coordinator of the 2015 World Canals Conference, which was held in Ghent.
"It's great that there's so much interest from the authorities and associations that put their strengths together to do something with this site and try to promote it to the people," Van der Ween said.
Thomas Grasso, the president emeritus of the Canal Society of New York State, has been speaking about the project all over the world for the past 20 years. Grasso, who served as the society's president for over 40 years, was a main player in bringing the project to fruition.
Grasso led a tour group through the Old Erie Canal Heritage Park on Tuesday. He said being able to show off the park to the visitors gave him "goosebumps."
"It's very emotional that this could happen when the private sector, the public sector, the government all come together for a common good," Grasso said. "It took a while to get to that point, 23 years, but miracles happen and this is a splendid example of what can happen when everyone is growing in the same direction."
The park officially opened in September 2016 and was the product of years of collaboration between the Canal Society, the state Thruway Authority and the state Canal Corporation.
"This is not the end, it's the beginning," Grasso said of the park's future. "There's much, much more to be done."
Burke said plans are in the works to clean out the old, filled-in canal bed and build a replica boat.
"This is the manifestation of years of hard work and dedication," Burke said. "I'm pleased to see the town that I grew up in, the town that I love, have something of significance that literally could be the first step of a long-term development of the village."
Imagine a company with a cutting-edge patent, a culture of cooperation and a commitment to its host community second to none.
You can open your eyes now. In Flagstaff, such a company is W.L. Gore & Associates, and at 50 years, Gores Medical Products Division is still going strong in its adopted Mountain Town.
How strong? 2,000 employees, two campuses, 50,000 hours a year in volunteer time and $600,000 in donations to charity. In a city of just 70,000, thats huge.
Gore is one of those fine companies that every community would like to have, said one local economic development official.
We heartily agree and wonder: Are there more Gores out there, and, if so, how do we acquire them or grow them in Flagstaff?
Realistically, lightning isnt likely to strike twice in the same place. Founders Bill and Vieve Gore chose Flagstaff for western expansion from Delaware after stopping here on a cross-country trip along Route 66. Fifty years later, theres still good highway access and a first-rate university. But todays yawning affordability gap and limited air access requires a leap of faith bigger than the Gores for any corporate expansion officer and its partially why Gore has opened a 40-acre manufacturing campus in north Phoenix rather than expand further in Flagstaff.
Instead, the future of bioscience and medical technology growth in Flagstaff is likely to be homegrown, which requires more patience on the part of funders, scientific collaboration and even a financial boost that the Gores never sought.
One example is Senestech, founded 13 years ago by two NAU researchers who developed chemical compound that can be used as a safe, humane and environmentally friendly rodent contraceptive. Rat control isnt a very sexy line of work, but considering how pests can potentially undermine world food production and human health, its a noble one, especially when poisons arent used.
Senestech began as a startup in Flagstaffs Business Incubator and only now finds it needs the extra space next door at the Accelerator. Just like Gore, it has had to fine-tune its product, overcome regulatory hurdles and outhustle its business rivals to win its first sizable contracts this year.
Unlike Gore, Senestech has raised funds by going public and selling stock, the better to expand its products to wild hogs and dogs.
But like Gore, founders Loretta Mayer and Cheryl Dyer are committed to Flagstaff as their base of operations no matter how much they grow with skill and some luck, their company will outlive them to be a major Flagstaff employer when it turns 50.
Flagstaff of course has seized the initiative in bioscience by boosting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in the schools through community volunteers and mentors many of them from Gore. And in Paul Keim and his genetics lab at NAU, Flagstaff has a world-class researcher and facility that has already attracted the likes of TGen North, located in the airport business park. And Lowell Observatory anchors an astronomy sector that, on an astronomers-per-capita basis, is second to none in the country.
So as we salute W.L. Gore & Associates, we also look forward to a new generation of bioscience entrepreneurs operating in a different scientific and business environment than in 1967. These days, to twist a well-used phrase, it takes a village to raise a business sector to a point of sustainable competitive advantage. We are the village and there is still more work to be done.
Last month, a large truck made the rounds of three Flagstaff breweries with an interesting delivery: water that had, not too long ago, been flowing through the citys wastewater treatment plant.
As part of a statewide challenge, the breweries Historic, Dark Sky and Wanderlust had signed up to craft a brew with the wastewater-turned-drinking water.
Before it landed at the breweries doors, though, the water went through a five-step advanced purification process that removed everything from bacteria and organic compounds to pharmaceuticals, heavy metals and personal care products. Extensive testing also made sure the water met not only federal drinking water standards but also came in below federal health reference levels for dozens of other unregulated contaminants.
The end result was, as Dark Sky co-owner Nick Irvine put it, better than what people are getting out of their tap.
This is ridiculously pure water, he said.
The breweries released their final beers this month. They sent a sample to the statewide competition, called the AZ Pure Water Brew Challenge, but also made enough to put it on tap in their Flagstaff locations.
A few weeks after the beers release, the Daily Sun polled brewery owners, bartenders and customers to see what people thought of the taste as well as the concept of brewing with the purified reclaimed wastewater.
In general, customers embraced the idea of craft brewers using the advanced-treated wastewater, even if their opinions were mixed about the style of the beer itself.
Brice McReynolds and his friend Dominick Lanato said they were huge fans of Wanderlusts AZ Pure Triple, a sweet and strong Belgian-style beer.
It is a great beer and I am really enjoying it, McReynolds said. If they hadnt told me how it was made I never would have thought it was made with former wastewater.
Lanato agreed.
It doesnt taste like pee, he said laughing. On a serious note it is an awesome beer and it is fantastic they are doing this.
Janice Hill was more excited about the process than the beer itself.
I trust they wouldnt be serving the beer if it was unsafe for people to drink, Hill said. I just think the process is so amazing. Water is scarce in Arizona and I hope breweries can start doing this for all their beers.
Nathan Friedman, owner at Wanderlust, said the brewery has seen tons of people coming in specifically to try the Triple. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, he said.
At Historic Brewing Company, Bert Decock described the process of brewing beer with treated wastewater inevitable as he drank the brewerys Sly Sludge American IPA.
We live in a place where water is like gold so I see everyone brewing beer like this eventually, Decock said. I loved the way the beer was brewed. It was a sweet IPA that tasted very good.
Nick Irvine, co-owner of Dark Sky Brewing Company said their No Reservations Berliner Weiss also received a positive reception.
The beer is all gone. People really loved it (very quickly) and from what I was able to gather, there were way more people excited about this effort than those having any worries, Irvine wrote in an email.
Dark Sky bartender Donnie Fox said some customers were apprehensive until he provided an explanation.
Everyone was pretty on board, with the exception of a few people who would get weirded out at first, Fox said. But when I gave them my spiel about the beer they were really supportive.
The idea of the AZ Pure Water Brew Challenge was to use craft beer as an avenue to engage more people in the idea of reusing wastewater for potable purposes, said Channah Rock, a water microbiologist at the University of Arizona who is leading public outreach for the challenge. As water providers have fewer and fewer options for securing sustainable water supplies to meet increasing growth, direct potable reuse has emerged as a new potential water supply.
Brewers are also a perfect match because as major water users they have a particular interest in high quality water as well as sustainable supplies.
Water issues are always something that is on our mind in Arizona and the Southwest, said Friedman of Wanderlust.
Water that was delivered to the brewers went through a purification process that includes ultra filtration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet disinfection.
In fact, brewers said the water is so pure that they had to add in minerals and salts to approximate the water they get from the city.
Friedman said he used the purified water as an opportunity to add in fewer minerals and brew a beer that has a flavor complemented by water with a lighter mineral profile.
Testing of the water was also extensive, with analysis that covered more than 230 constituents -- much more extensive than federal drinking water standards, which require monitoring of only 77 constituents, said Jeff Prevatt, the research and innovation manager at Pima Countys wastewater reclamation department, which is involved in the challenge.
The treatment equipment is housed in a repurposed shipping container hauled to different water treatment plants around the state via semi-truck.
The truck first came to Flagstaff for a test run at the beginning of August. Only after tests of that water came back clear did the truck come back to produce water for the breweries.
Friedman added that the brewing process itself also sterilizes the water because it involves both a high-alcohol environment and boiling of the wort.
While the brew challenge is a one-time pilot program, it foreshadows work by state environmental regulators to develop rules that will allow utilities to purify and then reuse wastewater for drinking water. The states Department of Environmental Quality came out with a draft rule this summer and Flagstaff is studying the process as an option for its long term water supply plan.
Erin Young is the water resources manager with the city of Flagstaff, and helped deliver water to the breweries. She spoke about how the brew challenge paves the way for a broader discussion about treating wastewater for drinking water reuse.
What I like about this project is people can see that technology can do anything, Young said.
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Cloud News
Google Buys Identity Management Startup Bitium
Joseph Tsidulko
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Google's acquisition of identity management startup Bitium, announced Tuesday, will give partners another layer of native tooling with which to secure apps running in Google's cloud.
The startup's technology will be used to bulk up Google's Cloud Identity solution delivering access management and single-sign-on for cloud and mobile environments. Google didn't disclose how much it paid for Bitium.
"With the acquisition of Bitium, Google Cloud will gain capabilities to help us deliver on our Cloud Identity vision. Our enterprise customers want a comprehensive solution for identity and access management and SSO that works across their modern cloud and mobile environments," blogged Karthik Lakshminarayanan, director of product management for G Suite and Cloud Identity.
[Related: Channel Chief Bertrand Yansouni Is Leaving Google]
Bitium's founders, CEO Scott Kriz and CTO Erik Gustavson, wrote on their company's blog that "being part of Google means great things for our current customers and broader IT administrative capabilities for G Suite customers. We will continue to deliver the products and services our customers rely on with the added scale that Google provides."
Bitium was founded in 2012 in Santa Monica, Calif., several blocks from Google's office in Venice, Calif.
The company's products look to simplify securing cloud-based apps, both for administrators who need to manage accounts, and for employees accessing business applications like Google G Suite, as well as Microsoft Office 365, applications hosted on Amazon Web Services, and other Software-as-a-Service solutions.
Google said the acquisition wouldn't stop it from working with other identity management partners.
Diane Greene, who runs the Google Cloud business, delivered a keynote revealing an "expanded alliance" with Okta at the company's 2016 user conference in Las Vegas.
Okta, a Bitium rival, went public earlier this year.
"As we add Bitiums capabilities, well continue to work closely with our vibrant ecosystem of identity partners so that customers are able to choose the best solutions to meet their needs," Lakshminarayanan said.
Internet of things News
Google Cloud IoT Core Platform Public Beta Is Here, Company Says It's A 'Win-Win' For Partners And Customers
Lindsey O'Donnell
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Google is positioning its Cloud IoT Core platform for success by adding new features that ensure secure device connectivity and manageability at scale for end users.
The company Wednesday launched the public beta release of its Cloud IoT Core, a fully managed service, which was first unveiled in private beta in May as a tool that manages connected edge devices ingesting data.
"Cloud IoT Core is now publicly available to all users in beta, and we have introduced a new set of features in this release. With Cloud IoT Core, you can easily connect and centrally manage millions of globally dispersed IoT devices," Indranil Chakraborty, product manager at Google Cloud, told CRN. "We're very excited for this announcement the goal is to make sure that the platform is a win-win situation for partners and enterprise customers."
[Related: Head-To-Head IoT Platforms: Amazon Web Services IoT Vs. Microsoft Azure IoT]
Cloud IoT Core has an array of new security features on the device side so that private beta users can verify the ownership of their device keys.
Customers can now bring their own device key signed by a Certificate Authority, and Cloud IoT Core can verify that signature using this certificate during the authentication process giving them more device visibility and management.
Google also has added secure connectivity over HTTP, in addition to the standard MQTT protocol, to help customers securely connect existing IoT devices and gateways to the IoT platform at scale.
Google has added other features to its platform as well Cloud IoT Core now has logical device representation, which gives customers further visibility into their IoT devices' state and properties even when the devices are not connected.
Customers will get a logical representation of a physical IoT device through APIs for their applications to retrieve and update the device properties.
Google partner Agosto, an IoT specialist based in Minneapolis, praised Google's initiatives in the IoT space as helping it keep pace with competitors Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.
"We think Google is really competitive in IoT because they have a model of being open and providing access to commodity services in a way that doesn't lock customers in but gives direct access to the lowest cost use," said Rick Erickson, co-founder and executive vice president of business development at Agosto. "Google is the right partner in this space because of the way they think about the market and how they deliver their services to the market."
To better keep up with the massive amount of data exchanged on IoT Core, Google also unveiled a "simple pricing plan" where customers can register as many IoT devices as they want and pay only when those devices connect to and exchange data with Cloud IoT Core.
The pricing plan includes a free tier that lets users try the service at no cost for the first 250 MB of data volume of the month.
After that, Google offers three standard tiers of pricing including a tier that allows 250 MB to 250 GB monthly that will cost a little less than a half-cent per MB; a tier that enables 250 GB to 5 TB per month that will cost 20 cents per MB; and a tier that is for 5TB of data or above per month that costs 45 cents per MB.
Google's Chakraborty said customers across vertical markets such as transportation, oil and gas, utilities, health care and ride-sharing are using Google's IoT service.
Moving forward, he said Google plans to build out key partnerships on the hardware and device side and the application side.
"We want to continue working with partners because at the end of the day, for any enterprise customer [building] a complex solution they need to work with companies on the hardware side, with ISVs, and with cloud platforms you need all the ingredients," he said.
Networking News
Cisco Laying Off Hundreds At Its Headquarters, Including Engineers And Software Developers
Mark Haranas
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Cisco Systems is laying off 310 employees inside its San Jose, Calif., headquarters, including engineers and software developers, the company confirmed to CRN.
The majority of cuts will be in software, engineering and other technical positions, in addition to some administrative and management jobs. Bloomberg was first to report the news.
As of July 29, 2017, Cisco employed 72,900 people, according to a recent Cisco 10-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The new round of layoffs reportedly is slated to take place in October.
[Related: Cisco Closes Acquisition Of Springpath As Data Center Innovation Continues At 'Breaking Speed']
"Cisco regularly evaluates its business and will always make the changes necessary to effiectively manage our portfolio and drive the most value for our customers and shareholders. As a result, this can mean realigning some areas so that we can invest in others such as security, data center/cloud and networking," the company said in a statement to CRN.
In August 2016, Cisco unveiled plans to cut 5,500 employees to invest in these priority areas.
In May, the company revealed plans to cut another 1,100 jobs as part of an expanded restructuring plan. Cisco said those would come in addition to the 5,500 layoffs.
One executive from a longtime Cisco partner said the cuts fit into Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins' goal of transitioning Cisco into the "cloud age" as quickly as possible.
"[Cisco] is making this transition just like everybody else. I think Chuck isn't afraid to make bold moves fast," said the executive. "He's in control and is doing what he thinks needs to be done to make sure Cisco comes out of this on top."
During Cisco's recent fourth fiscal earnings report, the company reported a 9 percent drop year over year in its switching and routing sales. However; Cisco did report that 31 percent of total sales was recurring revenue, while software subscriptions accounted for 51 percent of total software sales.
Cisco has had a busy September. The networking leader launched a new management and automation platform for the data center, Cisco Intersight; acquired hyper-converged startup Springpath for $320 million; and created new certifications and training for partners. Cisco also unveiled to CRN a new hybrid cloud strategy for the channel.
Last week, Cisco chairman and former longtime CEO John Chambers said he will not seek re-election to the board of directors in December, effectively ending his 26-year relationship with the company.
Storage News
Dell EMC Brings Azure Stack To Channel Partners, Improves Hyper-V Support For Its XC Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
Joseph F. Kovar
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Dell EMC is bringing Microsoft Azure Stack to its channel partners with a wide range of data protection and other services.
The company Wednesday also unveiled new data protection and Microsoft software integrations with its XC-series of hyper-converged infrastructure appliances, which are based on the Nutanix software stack, and expanded its Dell EMC Ready offerings with new server hardware and Microsoft SQL Server.
The new offerings were unveiled at the Microsoft Ignite 2017 event happening this week in Orlando, Fla.
[Related: 15 Hot Products Unleashed At Dell EMC World 2017]
Dell EMC is the first system vendor to bring Azure Stack to its indirect channel partners, said Armughan Ahmad, senior vice president and general manager for the company's hybrid cloud and Ready solutions.
Azure Stack is an extension of Microsoft Azure in which the capabilities of the public Azure cloud are brought into a customers' data center via integration on on-premises hardware.
"Back in May, we were way ahead of the pack when we announced Dell EMC Cloud for Microsoft Azure Stack," Ahmad told CRN. "Cisco and HPE introduced their own offerings this week. But now we are announcing that we not only are shipping our Azure Stack offering, but that channel partners can get them through Dell EMC."
Dell EMC is further differentiating its Azure Stack offering with its own technology for full life-cycle management, Ahmad said.
"We can now run Pivotal, Data Domain and Avamar on top of Azure Stack," he said. "That's our big differentiation. We also incorporate encryption. And for customers who want both public and private access to Azure, we are making sure their partners can provide the same user experience in both."
Ahmad said he expects traditional channel partners to sell Dell EMC Cloud for Microsoft Azure Stack to customers using their own services or services provided by Dell EMC. Channel partners who host customer services can use the offering as part of those services. And systems integrators can deploy Dell EMC Cloud for Microsoft Azure Stack on their own premises and provide to customers as a service, he said.
This is a significant move from Dell EMC, said Michael Tanenhaus, principal at Mavenspire, an Annapolis, Md.-based solution provider and longtime Dell EMC channel partner.
"This is a combination on-premises infrastructure and Azure Stack," Mavenspire's Tanenhaus said. "Dell EMC is bringing all the billing from both sides through its partners. This lets us cash in on the whole opportunity. This is better than working with AWS, where the billing is done between AWS and the client unless it's via a distribution where the client doesn't know they're using AWS."
Dell EMC is also enhancing its Dell EMC hyper-converged infrastructure appliances with the new Dell EMC XC Series Data Protection Management Console.
The new console, launched from the XC Series management interface, brings Dell EMC Avamar VE (virtual edition) data protection to XC clusters, and lets data on the appliances be backed up to Dell EMC Data Domain, Dell EMC's Ahmad said. It also allows cloud tiering using Virtustream and Microsoft Azure, he said.
Also new is optimization for Microsoft Windows 2016 Hyper-V and Azure, including support for Hyper-V with insights into XC Series clusters, he said.
Dell EMC's increased support for Microsoft Hyper-V and Azure on the XC series is important as customers increasingly adopt Hyper-V, said Rick Gouin, chief technology officer at Winslow Technology Group, a Boston-based solution provider and longtime Dell EMC channel partner.
"Until now, Hyper-V with XC has not seen the strongest use cases," Gouin told CRN. "VMware ESX and Nutanix's own Acropolis hypervisors are much more common. But this will be a solid plus for the XC Series as the hyper-converged infrastructure space gets more crowded. This is a great differentiator for Dell EMC."
Also new is support for the new Dell EMC PowerEdge 14th generation servers in Dell EMC Ready Bundles for Microsoft SQL and Dell EMC Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct Ready Nodes, Ahmad said. The Ready Bundles and Ready Nodes include the software pre-integrated on Dell hardware, he said.
The new SQL Ready Bundle comes as many customers are looking to upgrade to the new Microsoft SQL Server 2017, Ahmad said. "Microsoft is saying a lot of customers are still on SQL 2005, but last year it announced end-of-life for that version," he said. "We feel this Ready Bundle will be a big help for customers looking to run the latest software on the newest servers."
The 7th edition of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), which opened in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire on 4th September, officially came to an end on Friday 8th September 2017. The Forum closed with a feeling of satisfaction, both in terms of the agreed financial commitments and the new agriculture initiatives presented.
The AGRF 2017 was the first time the Forum has been held in French-speaking Africa. Attendance was high with some 750 delegates, including 300 specialists, who took part in 52 sessions. Above all, in these sessions significant progress was made on political, financial and strategic commitments to development through agriculture.
$44 billion worth of investment
According to Dr Agnes Kalibata, president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), AGRF 2017 was one of the most extraordinary forums we have ever seen. It has led to the signing of several public-private partnership agreements. Funding intentions were expressed to a value of US$44 billion, compared to $30 billion at AGRF 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Key among these financial commitments was the announcement of the new $280 million Partnership for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Africa (PIATA) by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, USAID, and AGRA. PIATA aims to increase incomes and improve the food security of 30 million smallholder farm households in at least 11 African countries by 2021.
Betting on young people
As a key partner of AGRF 2017, the CTA has demonstrated how innovations in sustainable agriculture can help enhance food security, resilience and inclusive economic growth, especially when young people are involved in shaping the future of the sector, said CTA Director Michael Hailu.
The Pitch AgriHack contest organised by the CTA, showcased both the innovation and dynamism of young people. According to the CTAs ICT4Ag Programme Coordinator, Ken Lohento, the e-agriculture start-ups presented at the AGRF for the final of this years Pitch AgriHack West Africa competition are driving agricultural transformation on the continent.
Working together on realistic commitments
An inclusive agricultural transformation will address many of the continents biggest problems. For example, agriculture can fill the economic growth gap created by falling commodity prices; create high productivity jobs for young people as an alternative to migration to Europe and create a globally competitive agriculture and agribusiness sector to produce the high-value processed foods consumed increasingly by Africas growing middle classes, said Dr Agnes Kalibata in her closing address. If agriculture is to play its role as a growth sector, said Togos Prime Minister Komi Selom
If agriculture is to play its role as a growth sector, said Togos Prime Minister Komi Selom Klassou at the official opening ceremony, we need to work in coordination with our peers so that partnerships between the public and the private sector can play a key role in the future of agribusiness.
It is also important for states to make good on their commitment to devote 10% of their budget to agriculture, as they had pledged in Maputo in 2003, and reaffirmed in Malabo a decade later, recalled the African Unions (AU) Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Josefa Leonel Sacko, who praised Cote dIvoire for its commitment to respecting these pledges.
These initiatives would help accelerate Africas path towards prosperity by contributing to the growth of inclusive economies and job creation through agriculture. Developing agribusiness, ICTs for agriculture, youth and womens entrepreneurship, climate-smart agriculture and knowledge management these are the key areas of our cooperation with our partners to transform agriculture for the benefit of small producers and other stakeholders in the agri-food value chain of the ACP countries, said Michael Hailu.
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(Washington Post photo by Marvin Joseph.)
A former Yale School of Medicine department chair and Westport entrepreneur was sentenced to a year in prison after being convicted of fraudulently submitting hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel expense reimbursements to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he had worked.
Dr. Jean-Francois Geschwind, a 53-year-old radiologist and resident of Westport, admitted to submitting travel expense statements to Johns Hopkins for reimbursement between 2007 and 2015 that in fact covered personal travel, according to the U.S. District Attorneys Office for the District of Maryland; and for costs he knew would be covered by other entities, including by Yale University, where he worked in 2015.
BRIDGEPORT A city man was sentenced Wednesday for trafficking heroin, the Department of Justice said.
Alberto Colberg, 45, of Bridgeport was sentenced to 70 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for heroin trafficking, a press release from the DOJ said.
Court documents and statements made in court indicated that the initial charges stemmed from an investigation by the DEAs Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, Connecticut State Police and the Stamford and Norwalk police departments. The investigation was focused on a drug trafficking organization led by Wilfredo Big Pun Gutierrez and his brother, Bobby B.O. Gutierrez, the DOJ said.
The investigation included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical surveillance, the DOJ said. Agencies involved in the investigation found that the Gutierrez brothers and others, including Colberg, conspired to distribute heroin in Fairfield County.
In Jan. 2016 and Feb. 2016, investigators made several controlled purchases of heroin from Colberg, the DOJ said. Colberg was also recorded on prison calls speaking with Wilfredo Gutierrez while he was incarcerated, the DOJ said. Recordings confirmed, the DOJ said, that Colberg helped run the drug trafficking operation while Gutierrez was in prison.
The DOJ said an additional wiretap confirmed that Colberg assisted Bobby Gutierrez in narcotics trafficking activities.
As part of his sentence, the DOJ said Colberg was ordered to forfeit $7,081 seized from his residence. He has been detained since his arrest on May 27, 2016. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin on Jan. 3, 3017.
On March 16, Wilfredo Gutierrez was sentenced to 180 months of imprisonment. On April 24, Bobby Gutierrez was sentenced to 160 months of imprisonment and ordered to forfeit $171,462 in cash.
There were a total of nine individuals charged as a result of the investigation, the DOJ said, and they all pleaded guilty to their charges.
WASHINGTON Connecticut Democrats on Capitol Hill expressed hope that Republicans would finally come to the negotiating table after the demise of the latest effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, but they werent holding their breath.
I dont know that Republicans can quit this, Sen. Chris Murphy said with a laugh shortly before Republicans came out of their weekly policy lunch at the U.S. Capitol and confirmed the obvious: They didnt have the votes to pass the Cassidy-Graham measure so the vote scheduled for this week was canceled.
Were still a little bit in the morning after phase, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Some of it will depend on the president and how hospitable he is to a bipartisan effort.
The fate of the bill by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was sealed late Monday when Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, became the third GOP senator to announce opposition. With the Senate in control of Republicans 52-48, Republicans could only afford two defections.
The proposal would have turned $1 trillion in Obamacare spending into block grants controlled by states. Critics, including Connecticut lawmakers, said it would have effectively shifted money away from states like Connecticut that fully embraced the Affordable Care Act Obamacare to states like Texas that did not.
An analysis by the Avalere Health consulting firm in Washington, D.C., concluded Connecticut would lose $10 billion in Medicaid benefits between 2020 and 2026 if the bill passed. Gov. Dannel Malloys office last week said Cassidy-Graham could shift up to $7 billion in health care costs to the state through 2026.
Cassidy, Graham and other Republicans had argued the measure would put states in charge of health care instead of one-size-fits-all Washington. But groups of hospitals, doctors, insurers and persons with disabilities argued the bill would deprive millions of health care, a claim backed up preliminarily by a Congressional Budget Office analysis released late Monday.
Republicans faced a Sept. 30 deadline to get a repeal-and-replace bill passed by a simple majority. Beyond that date, Senate rules would require 60 votes a mathematical impossibility.
In announcing the vote cancellation, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., expressed little interest in a bipartisan solution to the problems plaguing Obamacare, particularly the sharp rise in premiums on the individual market.
Where we go from here is tax reform, McConnell said. We havent given up on changing the American health care system, (but) we arent going to be able to do it this week.
But Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, held out hope that a bipartisan effort to stabilize the individual markets could be resuscitated.
Murphy, a member of the committee, said negotiations between Alexander and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., were 80 percent done before Alexander backed out in support of the now-failed repeal effort.
For Democrats in the long run, weve got to be serious about making concessions, Murphy said. I think a lot of Republicans dont believe Democrats are willing to make true concessions.
Among the areas where Democrats should make room to negotiate, Murphy said, is on plans with a lower actuarial value meaning a wider range of low-cost plans that might draw in younger and healthier individuals who have been resistant to Obamacares requirement that all must have insurance.
But in the short run, said Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., the focus of negotiations must be on the individual market the place where individuals without employer health care who earn too much for expanded Medicaid can go for policies.
In Connecticut, 111,524 people have this kind of insurance through Access Health CT, the states Obamacare exchange. But the two providers of policies on the individual market, won approval of rate increases between 27 and 31 percent for 2018.
Is this lion lying down with the lamb? said Esty, D-Conn. Im not sure were at that Biblical Eden, but I do believe we should start with stabilizing the individual market, which is the one most in trouble.
dan@hearstdc.com
September 25, 2017Two men notorious for preaching and haranguing women on London streets are followers of a dead U.S. evangelist whose sermons continue to inspire a disparate group of followers, including one group a former member describes as a "destructive cult." Last week CBC London reported that local women, church leaders and the mayor are growing tired of the actions Matthew Carapella and Steven Ravbar. The duo frequently preach on London's streets using a loudspeaker. They've also been barred from at least two London churches for confronting congregates and church leaders during services.CBC's stories about the men came to the attention of John Collins, who lives in Jeffersonville, Indiana. He immediately recognized the men's preaching as almost identical to the sermons of evangelist William Branham, a U.S. preacher who died in 1965.Collins was born into a Branham-inspired group called "" which he describes as a "destructive cult.""He is basically regurgitating what William Branham said," Collins said after watching videos on CBC.ca of Carapella preaching at the corner of Dundas and Richmond streets.Collins has written extensively about Branham on his website and in books he's published.In the years after World War Two, Branham was a doomsday preacher who led a movement calledthat increasingly deviated from mainstream Christianity.Collins says The Message and groups like it have all the familiar elements of a cult: members weren't allowed outside contact and are forbidden from questioning the doctrine.During his career, Branham had connections to the Ku Klux Klan and Jim Jones, who would later led more than 900 of his followers to kill themselves in Guyana in a mass suicide known as the Jonestown Massacre."I was raised and taught to believe that the world was ending at any time," said Collins. "I was taught that the whole rest of the world was the bad guys and our little church was the good guys."Carapella confirmed during a CBC interview last week that he was introduced to recordings of Branham's sermons by Ravbar, his frequent preaching partner and his former Grade 7 teacher."The first sermon I heard by brother Branham, I rejoiced," Carapella said. "That's what I've been searching for my whole life."Carapella said he believes Branham to be a "prophet of God."The oppression of women is a common element in Branham's sermons. He often berated them from the pulpit, comparing them to "dogs" and "hogs." He also frequenly describes all women as instruments of Satan, sent to Earth only to tempt and deceive man.He preached that women should be kept inside the home and not pursue careers. He also said women should not dress in any way like a man, including pants and short haircuts.
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A Gage County man was arrested this week for allegedly failing to properly register as a sex offender.
Michael L. Bennett, 57, was arrested by an investigator from the Gage County Sheriffs Office in the lobby of the sheriffs office on a warrant for violating the Nebraska Sex Offender Registration Act.
A Gage County investigator was notified earlier this month by the Nebraska State Patrol Sex Offender Registration Unit that Bennett was one of two people who had failed to verify his sex offender registration information during August. The sheriffs office investigator conducted an investigation and forwarded an affidavit for an arrest warrant for the two individuals to the Gage County Attorneys Office.
An arrest warrant was issued for Bennett on Monday. Bennett called the sheriffs office the following day and after speaking with an investigator, came to the sheriffs office and surrendered on the warrant.
An arrest warrant is still active for the other registered sex offender and deputies and investigators will follow-up with attempting to locate him.
LINCOLN, Neb. A tax imposed on office computers, furniture, farm equipment and other business property could be in jeopardy next year if two Nebraska lawmakers have their way.
Sens. Jim Smith of Papillion and Curt Friesen of Henderson expressed interest Tuesday in repealing the state's personal property tax.
The state-mandated tax is first imposed when companies purchase goods or equipment for use in their businesses, and declines every year as the property's value depreciates. The revenue goes to local governments and accounted for $217.1 million, or 5.6 percent, of the total property taxes collected statewide in 2016, according to an analysis of state data by the Omaha-based Platte Institute.
Smith said the tax could "bridge the gap" between urban and rural lawmakers who have been at odds over whose taxes to cut. Farm groups have lobbied for legislation to reduce agricultural property taxes, while business organizations called for a lower income tax.
"I think there's an opportunity for this to be a win-win," Smith said after speaking about the issue at a forum hosted by the Platte Institute, a think tank that advocates for lower taxes and fewer regulations.
Smith, who owns a door installation business, said the tax played a role in his decision to hold off on purchases of scissor lifts, fork lifts and a new telephone system.
"Those are all things I delay, delay, delay as much as possible, and it really cuts into my productivity," he said.
Smith said he expects lawmakers will debate the issue in the 2018 session. He said he isn't planning right now to introduce a bill but would be willing to do so if asked.
Friesen, a farmer, said the personal property tax discourages producers from investing in new pivot systems, combines and other technology.
"We're punished in a way for trying to become more efficient and do better for the environment," he said.
The idea could face resistance from local governments that rely on the tax to pay for their operations. The tax also favors businesses that own a lot of property, such as manufacturing plants and large-scale farms, but doesn't provide an immediate benefit to non-business owners or homeowners.
Eliminating or reducing the tax is also likely to shift property tax expenses onto homeowners, said Larry Dix, executive director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials.
"If you don't replace the personal property tax with some other revenue source and you keep the same level of services, it puts more of a burden on real estate," Dix said.
Nebraska lawmakers approved legislation in 2015 that provides a tax exemption on the first $10,000 of personal property, but some rural senators criticized it as too small to make a difference. The original proposal to exempt $25,000 was scaled back because it would have consumed most of the money available for other bills.
In a report released Tuesday, the Platte Institute said six other Midwestern states Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio and South Dakota currently exempt all or nearly all personal property from taxation. Indiana and Michigan recently adopted laws to reduce their personal property tax levels, according to the report.
The report noted that rural counties pay the most per capita in personal property taxes, while fast-growing Sarpy County south of Omaha paid the least.
Personal property taxes tend to affect the economy more than taxes on real estate because business property can migrate elsewhere but land can't be moved, said Scott Drenkard, director of state projects for the Washington-based Tax Foundation.
Drenkard, speaking at the Platte Institute forum, suggested that lawmakers increase the personal property exemption, phase out the tax slowly, or pass a local-option law that gives local governments the chance to repeal it. Senators could also shoot for an outright repeal, he said, but would probably face pressure from local governments that want to be held harmless.
In Omaha earlier this month, a group of Nebraskans joined together for an Out of the Darkness Walk to raise awareness of Suicide Prevention Week. The walkers participated for many reasons: some had a family member or friend who had committed suicide, others had experienced the darkness themselves. They all understood that sometimes what you need is a reminder that someone out there cares and wants to help.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a person in the United States dies by suicide almost every 13 minutes, taking nearly 45,000 lives. The group notes that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among American adults aged 1865. In Nebraska, one person dies by suicide less than every two days on average, and it is the 11th leading cause of death.
Too many of our friends, family, and neighbors are struggling with mental illness. Thats why, during the last Congress, I proudly supported the 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law on Dec. 13, 2016. This law helps children dealing with mental illness and recognizes that timely and proper treatment can save many young people from severe problems as they grow older. The law helps connect patients with treatment earlier by creating grant programs focused on intensive early intervention for infants and young children while also providing money for pediatric consultation with mental health teams.
Additionally, the law continued grants to states and local communities to help train mental health providers like psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers while also coordinating mental health services across the federal system, identifying and implementing effective and promising models of care.
Finally, the 21st Century Cures Act continued the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program and reauthorized Youth Suicide Early Intervention and Prevention Strategies grants. These important programs save lives and promote mental wellness. Theyre often the difference between a night of feeling hopeless that gets to the next morning and the loss of someone having a difficult time.
We also shouldnt forget about the unique circumstances of our veterans, especially those facing the invisible scars of war. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that between 11 and 20 percent of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have PTSD. Research has indicated that service dogs can provide many benefits to veterans suffering from this combat-related illness, and they often act as better alternatives to prescription drugs.
Currently, however, the VA only provides service dogs benefits to physically disabled veterans. Thats why Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and I introduced The PAWS Act, which directs the VA to implement a five-year pilot program to provide service dogs to veterans suffering from PTSD. This pilot program would connect veterans with eligible organizations that train service animals and provide a grant for a service dog pairing. Veterans would also receive follow-up support from the provider for the rest of the dogs life, helping provide relief to those coping with this terrible mental illness.
All over our country, some Americans feel as if theyre walking in darkness. Sometimes a smile or an act of kindness can help a friend or stranger struggling through a day, other times more assistance is needed. If you or someone you know is struggling, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) at any time for help.
Thank you for taking part in our democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.
Holocaust denial, virulent anti-Semitism and Zionist conspiracy theories are the sort of dangerous, rabble-rousing poison you would expect from a neo-Nazi rally packed with knuckle-scraping skinheads.
Most people would not immediately associate this kind of vile behaviour with a self-styled anti-racist party, allegedly committed to equality and diversity.
But thats exactly what has been on parade at this weeks Labour conference in Brighton. The Fascist Left have been in full flow, monstering supporters of Israel and demanding that members of the Jewish Labour Movement should be expelled from the party.
The Labour conference is not where you'd expect to find Holocaust deniers, virulent anti-Semitism and Zionist conspiracy theories, but you'd be wrong
Speakers who compared Zionists to Hitlers genocidal Nazis were applauded by delegates at an event advertised in the official conference handbook.
It was even argued that questioning whether the murder of six million Jews during World War II actually happened was a legitimate matter of free speech.
This from activists who in other circumstances would be busily no platforming anyone who expressed views which offended their own political sensibilities.
Others claimed that alleging they were guilty of anti-Semitism was a plot by the pro-Israel lobby to stop Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister.
Ah, yes. That evil worldwide Zionist conspiracy again. They get everywhere, dont they?
Labour officials protested that this meeting had nothing to do with the conference proper. So why was it billed in the official handbook?
Labour frontbencher Baroness Chakrabarti, who questioned the need to make Holocaust denial a crime
More to the point, this is exactly the kind of fringe event that would until fairly recently have been attended enthusiastically by Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, anxious to burnish their pro-Palestinian, anti-Zionist credentials.
These days they dont have to bother. Theyve got a far bigger platform. Theyre running the show, with the help of their shock troops in Momentum a gang of Trotskyite zealots dedicated to crushing dissent and enforcing political purity and conformity.
The truth is the lunatic fringe has now gone mainstream. Institutionalised anti-Semitism is entrenched at the poisoned heart of the party.
Dont take my word for it, ask the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, which yesterday demanded that Corbyn expels all those who propagate anti-Semitic sentiment.
Chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath said: Anti-semitism is racism and the Labour Party needs to do more to establish that it is not a racist party. A zero-tolerance approach to anti-Semitism should mean just that.
When senior party figures are saying there is a problem, then the leadership should take swift action. It is not acceptable simply to say they oppose these views.
These comments by party members show more needs to be done to root out anti-Semitic views that clearly exist in the party.
Theres plenty of evidence to back up her concerns. No less a figure than the Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, John Cryer, said he had seen tweets from party members that made his hair stand on end and were redolent of the Thirties.
Another Labour MP, Wes Streeting, said there were too many people at the top of our party who have adopted an ostrich strategy on anti-Semitism.
Sounds about right. For instance, Naz Shah, MP for the Israel-Free Zone of Bradford West, was briefly suspended after someone discovered that, a couple of years previously, she had suggested on social media that all the Jews in Israel should be transported to America.
Her suspension lasted about five minutes. Shah, a former PPS to John McDonnell, was quickly restored to the fold and is now considered one of Labours rising stars.
Jeremy Corbyn may not consider himself anti-Semitic, but he counts among his friends the likes of Hamas and Hezbollah, whose sole purpose is to wipe Jews off the face of the earth
At the time, Corbyn couldnt see what all the fuss was about. He dismissed her remarks as historic and therefore irrelevant. This is the same Jeremy Corbyn who sits on Labours front-bench alongside his deputy Tom Watson, self-appointed Nonce Finder General a muck-raking, dirt-throwing, smear-monger who has spent the past few years accusing assorted Tories of historic sex crimes dating back decades.
Still, such leniency towards Shah wasnt entirely unexpected. Ive always been prepared to concede that Corbyn doesnt consider himself an anti-Semite. Yet he counts among his friends the likes of Hamas and Hezbollah, whose sole purpose in life is wiping Jews off the face of the earth.
And hes prepared to countenance extremist, anti-Jewish views in his party, which if expressed by Conservatives would have outraged Labour spokesmen demanding they were arrested for hate crimes.
I have to confess that none of this comes as a great surprise to me. Ten years ago, I made a TV documentary exposing the new strain of anti-Semitism.
Where once Jew-baiting had been the sole preserve of the Far Right the likes of Oswald Mosleys Blackshirts it is now primarily driven by an unholy alliance between the Far Left and militant Islam.
These days the real fascists are on the left
My thesis was that self-styled anti-Zionists were using their visceral hatred of Israel to intimidate Jews in this country. Does anybody today, outside Labours lunatic fringe, doubt that I got it right?
Back then it was heresy to suggest that anyone on the Left could be guilty of discriminating against any minority community. But I didnt have to dig too deep to find convincing evidence.
Ken Livingstones crass obsession with Hitler and willingness to insult Jews is, of course, well documented. It includes comparing a Jewish newspaper reporter to a concentration camp guard and, absurdly, claiming that Hitler was a Zionist. Red Kens currently serving another symbolic suspension, but the party cant muster the courage to kick him out altogether.
Thats probably because his anti-Zionist views are shared by a majority of Labour members these days. The kind of opinions expressed by Naz Shah, Livingstone and some of the more deranged speakers at this weeks Brighton fringe event are considered quite respectable in Labour circles.
What really concerns me is when legitimate criticism of Israel spills over into outright hostility towards British Jews. Its what the columnist Nick Cohen identified in my documentary as Islington dinner party anti-Semitism insidious chatter ostensibly aimed at Israel, but actually designed to denigrate all Jews.
What you have to remember is that the Lefts world view is divided into victims and oppressors. They consider the Jewish community not only to be successful, and therefore oppressors, but also pro-Israel, which is the worst crime in the world in their book.
Intolerance and intimidation are Momentums stock in trade - just ask Laura Kuenssberg, who has been forced to cover the conference accompanied by a bodyguard
Ten years ago, much of this visceral anti-Semitism was latent, surfacing only on the wilder extremes of the Far Left and in the sermons of Islamist hate preachers.
Now its right out there in the open, at the annual conference of a political party which, heaven forfend, could yet form our next government.
A decade ago, too, social media was in its infancy. Today, the Twittersphere affords every maniac with a mobile phone the opportunity to spew bile at the Zionists and anyone who has the audacity to disagree with their entrenched Left-wing bigotry. Intolerance and intimidation are Momentums stock in trade.
Its not just online abuse, either. The BBC has had to hire a bodyguard to provide physical protection for political editor Laura Kuenssberg in Brighton.
Maybe some of the delegates think her surname sounds Jewish, so consider her fair game. Far-fetched? Hardly.
My documentary was originally designed to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, when Jews, trades unionists and Labour activists stood together to repel a march by fascists through Londons East End.
Today, 81 years after Cable Street, whoever could have imagined that in 2017, Labour Party members would be applauding anti-Semitic rants and Holocaust denial?
These days the real fascists are on the Left. Labours very own blackshirts are on the march.
For many years, Australians have been known for their unique slang and iconic, often humorous, collection of sayings.
But where did they originate and what do they actually mean?
Editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, Susan Butler, offered a fascinating insight on Today Extra on Tuesday morning when she delved into the origins of four iconic Aussie phrases.
Scroll down for video
For many years, Australians have been known for their unique slang and iconic, often humorous, collection of sayings - but where did they come from?
Editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, Susan Butler (pictured), offered fascinating insight on Today Extra on Tuesday morning when she delved into the origins of four iconic Aussie phrases
What does 'dinkum' mean? Reliable; genuine; honest; true. This word is a shortening of fair dinkum which comes from British dialect. The adjective is first recorded in Australia from the 1890s Source: ANU Advertisement
'FAIR DINKUM'
This is perhaps one of the most commonly used phrases in modern Australia, with many of the nation's politicians regularly dropping it into speeches and informal media appearances.
But what many don't know, is that 'fair dinkum' actually originates from Britain.
'"Dinkum" comes from a Midlands dialect in Britain so it's a sort of a Lincolnshire term for the amount of work you're expected to do,' Ms Butler explained.
'So if you got sent down to the coal mines and were told to bring out 20 cart loads of coal or something then that was a "fair dinkum".
''Dinkum' comes from a Midlands dialect in Britain so it's a sort of Lincolnshire term for the amount of work you're expected to do,' Ms Butler explained
'If you were told to bring up 30 or 40 cart loads then that wasn't a "fair dinkum" and you got very upset. They even had the phrase "fair dinkum" meaning "let's be reasonable about this" and that's kind of where they stopped it.'
Once the phrase was transported to colonial Australia, it then evolved to being used more so as an adjective to describe an Australian encompassing Australian values.
'We have done more with it and therefore claim it as our own,' Ms Butler said.
What does this mean? Very strong and healthy. A Mallee bull is one that lives in Mallee country - poor, dry country where small scrubby eucalypt trees called mallee grow. Any creature that survives in such difficult conditions would have to be tough and fit Source: ANU Advertisement
'THEY'RE FIT AS A MALLEE BULL'
This lesser known phrase is more commonly used in the Australian outback.
And while the meaning of the phrase is quite clear, few are aware of why a 'Mallee' bull was chosen in particular.
'The Mallee region we know best as one in Victoria, there's a couple of them in Australia. The word Mallee comes from the Wemba-Wemba Aboriginal language of Victoria and it describes the way Eucalypts grow there. They have a thick root under the ground that collects water,' Ms Butler explained.
'The Mallee is very dry and if cattle escape into the Mallee there is not much for them to eat out there so they either die or they survive if they're particularly fit and hardy and strong.
'So [the phrase] means you are very strong and a survivor.'
'The Mallee is very dry and if cattle escape into the Mallee there is not much for them to eat out there so they either die or they survive if they're particularly fit and hardy and strong,' she said
'So [the phrase] means you are very strong and a survivor,' she said
What does 'cobber' mean? A friend, a companion. Also used as a form of address (g'day cobber!) Advertisement
'COBBER'
The word 'cobber' is used to describe a mate or pal in Australian slang, but it, too, likely originated from Britain.
'Cobber is one we share with British English and nobody is quite sure, there are two theories,' Ms Butler said.
'One is that it comes from the Suffolk dialect where there's a phrase "to cob on to someone" - to make an association with them - so if people "cob" then they become "cobbers" and that means friends.
'Equally there's the suggestion that the word comes from Yiddish chaber which means "comrade or friends".'
The word 'cobber' is used to describe a mate or pal in Australian slang, but it, too, likely originated from Britain
'Cobber is one we share with British English and nobody is quite sure, there are two theories,' Ms Butler said
What does this mean? More than you can handle or many more than you expected Advertisement
MORE THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A STICK AT
This saying is used to describe a situation that is 'more than you can handle'.
'This phrase has moved a long way from its beginning which was in British English where you could "shake a stick" at someone which means to behave in a threatening way. You could shake various things,' Ms Butler said.
'From there it went to America and they were the ones who came up with the phrase "more than you can shake a stick at" with the sense that if there's one cow in the paddock you may well feel inclined to shake a stick at it to make it run away.
'But if there's a whole herd of them out there you might feel slightly more doubtful because it's more than you can handle.
'Then we changed it and we seem to be more fond of "more than you can poke a stick at" but both of them are around and both have the sense of "more than you can handle".'
Other unusual Australian phrases and their meanings 'Verandah over the toy shop' A man's large protruding belly; a 'beer gut'. This phrase is a jocular allusion to toy shop in the sense 'sexual wares' (with reference to the male genitals). Although Australian shops now rarely have such verandahs, the phrase verandah over the toy shop is still current. It is first recorded in 1987. Variants include verandah over the tool shed. 'Beyond the black stump' The black stump of Australian legend first appears in the late 19th century, and is an imaginary marker at the limits of settlement. Anywhere beyond the black stump is beyond civilisation, deep in the outback, whereas something this side of the black stump belongs to the known world. Although the towns of Blackall, Coolah and Merriwagga each claim to possess the original black stump, a single stump is unlikely to be the origin of this term. 'No worries' No bother, no trouble; an assurance that all is fine. This colloquial version of the phrase 'not to worry' is very common in Australia, and also occurs in other forms such as 'no worries, mate', 'no wuckers', and 'nurries'. It implies that everything will come right, or be taken care of, and that we should all be relaxed. First recorded in the 1960s. 'To carry on like a pork chop' To behave foolishly, to make a fuss, to complain, or to rant. This expression is often thought to allude to the spluttering noise of a pork chop that is being fried. However it is probably a variant of the older expression like a pork chop in a synagogue, meaning something that is unpopular, unlikely, or rare (with reference to the Jewish prohibition of the eating of pork). To carry on like a pork chop is first recorded in 1975. 'Mad as a cut snake' Very angry; crazy; eccentric. The phrase also takes the form mad as a snake. The different senses of the phrase derive from the fact that 'mad' has two main senses - 'crazy' and 'angry'. The 'crazy' sense is illustrated by 'that bloke wearing a teapot on his head is as mad as a cut snake', and the angry sense is illustrated by 'be careful of the boss this afternoon, he's as mad as a cut snake'. There are similar phrases in Australian English including mad as a meat axe and mad as a gumtree full of galahs. Mad as a (cut) snake is first recorded in 1900. Source: ANU Advertisement
Two friends who made personalised baby clothes for a friend in 2010 have turned it into a 20m business with countless celebrity fans.
Daniel Price and Jonny Sitton, from North West London, who have been friends since they were four, set up My 1st Years at Leeds Met University when they were searching for a present for their friend's newborn.
After creating a pair of personalised baby shoes, they were inundated with requests from friends for similar goods so decided to turn their brainchild into a booming personalised baby brand that now counts Prince George, Luna Legend and Ace Simpson as little fans.
The friends count Chrissy Teigen, Beyonce, Mo Farah, Geri Horner and Elton John as their customers, have seen a 50 per cent growth year on year and saw the robe that Prince George wore sell one per second.
Daniel Price and Jonny Sitton, from London, set up My 1st Years at Leeds Met University when they were searching for a present for their friend's newborn. Their company is now worth an estimated 20m and counts the royals as fans
Speaking to MailOnline about the inspiration behind their e-tailer, they said: 'Back in 2010 we found ourselves in a tricky dilemma when one of our friends gave birth to a baby girl.
'We wanted to give the little one a timeless yet original gift that was both truly personal and which wouldn't break the bank - but could not find the perfect present. So with a bit of pluck, a dash of determination and an ounce of ingenuity, they decided to make it ourselves.'
The men explained that they started the company with their own savings, family money and some seed funding. 'We used the money we had to build the website and worked from there,' they added.
Prince George wore a dressing gown from their range when he met President Obama - and one sold every single second after he donned it
New mother Binky Felstead, left, has collaborated with the brand and has her own baby range. Fans of the clothes now include Prince George, Luna Legend (daughter of John Legend and Chrissy Teigen) and Jessica Simpson's son Ace as little fans
The men created a pair of personalised baby shoes for a friend's newborn and they were suddenly inundated with requests from friends for similar goods
After much toiling, hours of research and countless trials later, they completed their very first pair of personalised baby shoes, which they took to baby Lara's house hoping they would be a hit.
'Happily, they were not only loved by parents and daughter alike, but they were soon being requested by friends and relatives all over the world,' they said.
THE SIMPLE FORMULA FOR SUCCESS Be exciting, progressive and offer something different. Business is a great adventure and were loving every minute. Advertisement
Jonny and Dan quickly realised they could expand on their original gift idea for a much wider offering, and My 1st Years was born.
Sharing one of their secrets for success, the men revealed how important celebrity seeding has been for them, saying: 'Celebrity seeding has always been very important to us we knew we had a high quality, unique and fun product that was a total first.
'We have sent items to a range of talent and Prince George, of course. Its great to see the brand enjoyed by so many.
'Seeing Prince George wearing his My 1st Years personalised dressing-gown when meeting President Obama is definitely up there as pinch-me moments!'
The company, which started off selling shoes and babygrows, now stocks teddies and toys, blankets, clothing, bed, bath and home accessories
But success didn't come without set-backs; the men say it was tough at the start and they hit a few brick walls.
'It was hard finding someone to embroider on items so small combined with the fast turn-around on delivery that we wanted. It really hadnt been done before so that was one of our main initial setbacks.'
Cut to five years later and their range has expanded to include teddies and toys, blankets, clothing, bed, bath and home accessories.
They also recently teamed up with Made In Chelsea's Binky Felstead to curate a range.
'Our latest project, with Binky Felstead is a really exciting move for us as a business,' they said. 'Binky has been a My 1st Years customer for years now and her range has been incredibly well received - it's been a great pairing. We have another exciting festive offering from Binky and My 1st Years too so watch this space!'
If you have been pronouncing the sparkling water brand LaCroix the same as the name of French fashion designer Christian Lacroix's, you have sadly been making a fool of yourself.
But you are most certainly not alone, as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon proved over the weekend, sending out an interviewer to talk to people on the street about the drink, pronouncing it differently at every mention.
The video, aired during the talk show's Audience Suggestion Box segment, features one of the Tonight Show's staff stopping people in Rockefeller Center to ask about the drink, which is actually pronounced 'La-Croy'.
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Tripping up: A new video from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon features one of the show's writers proving that people have no idea how to pronounce LaCroix
Up and up: The name of the popular sparkling water brand has been up for much debate
'Have you heard of La Crowix,' he asks one woman, while for the next interviewee he holds up the same can and inquires of another person if they have heard of L.A. Croys.
One man excitedly tells the interviewer that he would 'love to try "La Quaff"' while another young lady claims she has had the drink called 'La Croweeix'.
Other variations of the name used on the people included: 'La La Croisha', 'La Croy-yoy-yoy', 'L.A. Croy 10', 'L'Choo Choo', 'LOL Clowns', 'Da Crunx', and 'La Color Corroish Asoish'.
Introduction: The video was played during the show's Audience Suggestion Box segment
One by one: In New York City's Rockefeller Center, the interviewer stopped strangers and asked them about the drink while pronouncing the name differently ever time
Give it a go: This young man is only too happy to try a drink of 'La Quaff'
Some of those interviewed simply had never heard of the drink, while others brushed right past the crazy pronunciations to declare their favorite flavors or that they had heard of the brand but hadn't had a chance to try.
The segment left the audience in stitches, with Jimmy Fallon even using his famous Tom Brokaw impression to put a spin on the real pronunciation.
The name of the drink has long been the butt of jokes since the brand first rose to popularity, even becoming the subject of a viral blog post.
Back in January, Luke Trayser, 33, from the Chicago suburbs, pointed out that the drink has not won over everybody in a satirical blog post about the product, asking its fans: 'Did you know water is a thing?'
Across the pond: This British woman had never heard of the drink, but said 'La Croy-yoy-yoy' certainly sounded 'interesting'
Right on by: Some interviewees brushed off the strange names to declare their favorite flavors
The copywriter and father-of-one wrote on Medium: 'I have a friend who said, La Croix is life and we actually pay extra to have Amazon ship it internationally bc [sic] without La Croix there is no life.
'Do you agree with this person? Have you tried water before?'
He added: 'Did you know over half of your body is made of water? No, that water is not carbonated. But youre sure doing your best to change that, arent you?'
Mocking its name, he asked: 'Is it La Croy or La Kwah?' Adding that he has a friend who claims it is the former because it should rhyme with 'enjoy'.
He claimed that another person he knows pays extra to have the drink internationally shipped because 'without La Croix there is no life.'
There are few things more frustrating in life than trying to figure out the ultimate cosmetics carry-on.
We joke, of course, but when it comes to simplifying your travel beauty routine for a long haul flight, packing the essentials can make all the difference.
While we all want to look good, feeling good too is just as important. And although there's little that can be done when it comes to travel food options it's still possible to make healthy choices.
Here, FEMAIL rounds up some must-have products that frequent flyers swear by, and the best snacks to stash to ensure you arrive looking and feeling in top form.
When it comes to simplifying your travel beauty routine for a long haul flight, packing the essentials can make all the difference
Creating the perfect on-board cosmetics kit can ensure you arrive looking in top form after a long haul flight
Whimn spoke to a group of savvy jet-setters to get their take on their top travel beauty picks, and it was unanimously agreed; lip balm is an essential
Travelling in the pressurised, super-drying cabinet of a plane can play absolute havoc on the skin, and lips can often bear the brunt of this.
One traveler, Lucinda said she doesn't leave home without a couple of tubes of Australia's top seller Lucas' PawPaw Ointment.
Savvy jet-setters unanimously agreed lip balm is an absolute travel essential
'You can always tell an Aussie girl abroad by her trademark red tubes,' she said.
For those looking for something a little more luxe, another flyer Carmen suggests travelling with a lip tint with some colour such as Dior Addict Lip.
'If you're going make up free with just clean kin, which I believe in strongly on flights, it gives you a bit of colour and also keeps your lips from getting chapped,' she said.
Keeping skin well hydrated throughout your flight is key to looking great when you arrive at your destination.
A well-curated selection of cosmetics, including a face mist, can make all the difference to your skin staying hydrated
Packing a face mist, which you can make yourself from one part rosewater to two parts filtered water which has then been decanted into a small spray bottle is a good alternative to buying an expensive brand, frequent flyer Lucinda told the publication.
For those unlikely to go to effort of creating their own, jetsetter Ash suggests Dr Dennis Gross C+ Collagen Refresh Mist.
'Like life support for your skin, this multi-tasking marvel treats, hydrates and refreshes your skin with a few spritzes.' Ash said.
Frequent flyers recommend packing make up remover wipes which will not only remove every skerrick of foundation, mascara and lipstick but leave skin feeling clean and refreshed
There's one thing all the travelers agree on: it's essential to fly without make up.
Their recommendation is to pack make up remover wipes which will not only remove every skerrick of foundation, mascara and lipstick but will also leave skin feeling clean and refreshed (especially handy given bathrooms on planes can be tricky places to navigate).
Ash advises she cleans her face before she 'hits the hay (lol, travel pillow)' to make sure her skin is squeaky clean and hydrated. Her top on-the-go pick is Ole Henrikens Truth on the Glow cleansing cloths.
It's essential to pack a moisturiser that's as hydrating as possible
An absolute travel must-have to ensure skin stays looking as fresh as possible is a moisturiser that's as hydrating as possible.
Savvy Sara swears by Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, even going as far as to call it 'my number one plane essential'.
As well as packing a hydrating cream that will last the distance, Lucinda packs her trusty Natio Renew serum with a roll-on application 'that lightly massages the eye area and can be applied in your seat'.
To get the most out of your moisturiser, the travel pros top tip was to try dampening the skin right before applying your moisturiser to increase its absorption.
Nutritionist and author, Jessica Sepel (pictured) has said she packs her own on-board snacks which gave her some control over her food choices
Meanwhile, nutritionist and author, Jessica Sepel recently wrote on her blog that she packed her own on-board snacks which not only gave her some control over the food she was being served, but helped her to arrive feeling healthy and hydrated.
'Sometimes it is so hard to find healthy options I new places so I ensure I am well prepared for these situations,' she wrote.
'Bringing healthy snacks with you when you travel can help so much and bring peace of mind, and I love getting off the plane feeling GOOD as opposed to bloated and dehydrated.'
Aside from some key recommendations which include packing a health bar, some dark chocolate and nuts, Ms Sepel suggests steering clear of juices/sodas/cordials and drinking sparkling water or herbal teas and avoiding alcohol at all costs.
She's an internet sensation you've probably never heard of before.
Meet Wengie - the social media influencer, from Sydney, who has nearly nine million YouTube subscribers and one million Instagram followers.
The 31-year-old has turned her life on social media into a lucrative career by sharing advice on beauty, fashion, do-it-yourself tutorials, life hacks and even 'edible school supplies' recipes.
With almost nine million YouTube fans and one million Instagram followers, Wengie shares love life advice, back to school tips and easy to follow recipes
The vlogger was born in China under the legal name of Wendy Ayche and moved to Australia when she was a child.
She was working in marketing while playing around with social media on the side, when she decided to quit her job and take up fashion and beauty blogging full time.
Fast forward seven years, she has launched her YouTube channel and is now an online sensation, with devoted fans being dubbed 'Wengiecorns'.
Wengie has become the most subscribed 'Asian Beauty Channel in Australia' - and has up to 185,000 people visiting her website every month.
'One day people could love you, one day people hate you, its a roller coaster ride of emotions,' she previously told 60 Minutes.
'I love what I do creatively, I'm not in it for the fame, the fame is a bonus, I don't see fame as the thing I want.
'A fan comes up to me and says "you've made a difference in my life", that to me is the best moment I could take from this whole experience.'
It has been seven years since she launched her YouTube channel and she is now an online sensation, with her devoted fans dubbed the name 'Wengiecorns'
She now splits her time between Sydney and Los Angeles - and while her video uploads attracts millions of hits each, she considers herself a 'normal girl'.
'I have lived on instant noodles to buy hand bags, spent over 10k in shoes in one month and wore $2 dresses. You can say I've tried many things and learnt from it,' she wrote on her website.
'Fast forward a few years later... and I currently have the most subscribed Asian Beauty Channel in Australia.'
Wengie told Newscorp the reason she thinks she stands out from the crowd online is because she keeps it 'quirky', 'loose' and authentic.
With a generation of YouTube subscribers that want authenticity online, you can see why people flock to her channel.
The YouTuber is based in both Sydney and Los Angeles and while her video uploads garner millions of views each, she considers herself a 'normal girl'
Here, the beauty guru shares her top tips for starting a successful YouTube channel.
Speaking to Vogue recently, she explained 'start with something that you are already doing well and love to do'.
Wengie said she found her passion for vlogging after seeing her friends turned to her for fashion and beauty advice.
Her next tip is to be 'consistent'. She said it was 'better to delay starting a channel and collect content than to go out with one video'.
'People only subscribe to channels where they know will be consistently updated,' she said.
She said another trait to have is to be 'patient' because she spent up to eight years growing her brand.
'You can do a lot in a decade and sometimes you need to stick it out and keep going because you never know when one piece of content is going to viral and change your life,' she said.
And her final tip is 'know why you're doing it and it shouldn't be about fame and fortune'.
Wengie said the reason she thinks she stands out online is because she keeps it 'quirky', 'loose' and authentic
And it's this overall appeal that has seen her become the voice of the new Powerpuff Girl, named Bliss, who is the secret fourth sister of the original trio.
Before Professor Utonium created the three Powerpuff Girls, he created a little girl who mysteriously disappeared but returned to Townsville as a teenager.
'The Powerpuff Girls have been together for such a long time, they know what theyre doing. Bliss is more vulnerable and insecure compared to the other girls,' she said.
'I think that creates a cool dynamic because you can be any age and feel that kind of insecurity thrown into a world where everyone expects her to be powerful and an amazing superhero. But shes freaking out and thats really relatable.'
Strong families are the foundation of strong communities and the fundamental building block of society. In Nebraskas communities, many institutions have worked to create a great quality of life for local families. These institutions include our schools, churches, service clubs and numerous other volunteer organizations. Throughout the years, the state of Nebraska has partnered with advocates committed to supporting vulnerable families and children in crisis.
This week, we are renewing the partnership between the state and the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation (CFF). Together, were launching a new initiative called Bring Up Nebraska. Bring Up Nebraska will encourage local communities to develop collaboratives that connect local families to available resources.
As we travel the state, we see the perseverance of Nebraskans who are working to provide great lives for their families. The fact is, though, all families face challenges. Whether its their finances, health or relationships, some Nebraskans find themselves unable to connect to resources that can help solve their complex problems. As a result, problems go unaddressed and families suffer.
Bring Up Nebraskas mission is to support families as they work through these challenges. This initiative will establish collaboratives in communities across the state, connecting families experiencing challenges to available resources.
How does a collaborative work? Groups and individuals in local communities come together to assess their unique needs, strengths and issues. This process includes key community players such as service providers, educators, health care professionals, law enforcement, businesses, government agencies and most importantly, parents and youth. These stakeholders develop long-term plans for their community, create aid networks and organize resources in their area to prevent crises from happening to vulnerable families and children.
Locally-led collaboratives are best suited to develop plans that will support their communities while preventing negative outcomes. These collaboratives are close to their communities and are better able to understand local needs and capabilities. Their planning increases community supports for children and families so they can avoid getting put into the child welfare system.
The long-term plans developed by communities can prevent crises by:
Coordinating resources in the community.
Identifying and supporting solutions to remove barriers in community-based prevention efforts.
Raising awareness of what is working and what is needed to promote a community-based model around prevention.
Bringing local, state, and national partners together to develop new strategies around prevention for Nebraska, including setting priority policies and practices.
Making sure all Nebraska communities have more support and opportunities for community-based prevention.
Organizations like Community Action Partnership and the Boy Scouts of America are already involved in these collaboratives. These groups and others like them are growing their communitys commitment to mitigate the challenges facing vulnerable families before those challenges become a crisis.
To date, 11 locally-led collaboratives have been established: Dakota County Connections, Douglas County, Families 1st Partnership (Ogallala), Fremont Family Coalition, Hall County Community Collaborative, Lancaster County, Lift Up Sarpy, Norfolk Family Coalition, Panhandle Partnership (all 11 counties), Zero 2 Eight Collaborative (Platte and Colfax counties), and York County Health Coalition.
This is just one of the initiatives which has launched in the last couple of years to improve the well-being of Nebraska families and children. Last year, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) successfully launched Alternative Response. Alternative Response helps parents safely care for their children. The program is already available in 57 counties and will be rolled out to our other 36 counties by the end of this year. Additionally, last year DHHS launched their System of Care for Behavioral Health. This new system is helping deliver better behavioral health services to Nebraska children and youth.
As these initiatives and others continue to grow, we hope more communities and citizens will step up to form a collaborative in their own community. There are two main ways to become involved in Bring Up Nebraska:
Get involved as a volunteer, a partner or as an organization that wants more prevention resources that align with community priorities. To take part in your local collaborative or for volunteer opportunities, go to: www.nebraskaimpact.com.
Provide a financial gift to a community collaborative or learn more about Bring Up Nebraska by visiting: www.bringupnebraska.org.
Nebraska is the best place in the world to live, work, and raise a family because of our people and strong communities. Initiatives like Bring Up Nebraska will help ensure this will remain true for years to come. We invite you to get involved and work to develop a collaborative in your community so even more children and families experience the Good Life that we all know and love.
A mother has shared a warning for other pregnant women to always trust their instincts, after her last-minute decision to go to the hospital to find out why her baby was no longer kicking ended up saving her daughter's life.
Ayla Heller, 19, and her boyfriend, Dalton Henderson, 23, from Portland, Oregon, welcomed their daughter Madison into on August 30; little Maddy is now perfectly healthy, however the mom revealed on Facebook that the new parents came incredibly close to losing their baby girl.
Explaining the incident, which took place on the day that she turned 38-weeks pregnant - a day that seemed totally 'normal' at the time - Ayla revealed that she had noticed her daughter wasn't kicking as much as normal, but assumed the baby was just having a 'less active day'.
Speaking out: New mom Ayla Heller has revealed how she and boyfriend Dalton Henderson nearly lost their baby, to urge other pregnant women to always trust their instincts
Precious gift: The 19-year-old recalled the moment she realized something wasn't right with her unborn daughter, explaining that she would have lost her baby had she not got help
'I still hadn't thought much of it until 7pm,' she wrote in the post. 'Dalton put his hand on my belly and asked if she had been kicking. I became uneasy as I realized she still hadn't moved all day.'
After taking a bath, drinking cold orange juice, and having Dalton poke her belly, the two checked the baby's heartbeat using their fetal Doppler monitor. Although there was a heartbeat, their unborn baby still wasn't moving.
Ayla knew her daughter was still alive, but she admitted she didn't know what she should do. An internet search proved to be less than helpful; half the stuff she read advised her to go see a doctor immediately while the other half said 'babies run out of room to kick'.
She ended up texting her own mother to ask if it was normal, and, thankfully, her mom was 'very persistent' that she should go into the hospital, or at the very least call her midwife, which she did.
After speaking with the midwife, Arya then headed to a labor center where she was hooked up to monitors so they could track the baby's movements.
In addition to being given more orange juice and ice, Ayla was rolled and adjusted into different positions to try and encourage the baby to move.
Happy ending: Doctors revealed to Ayla that her placenta had aged prematurely and calcified, which led to baby Madison not receiving as much oxygen as she needed
Advice: Ayla thought that her baby, pictured at just a few days old with dad Dalton, was just having a 'less active day', and only sought medical help at the insistence of her own mom
But after about 30 to 40 minutes had passed, Arya was told that her midwife was on her way, revealing that, upon her arrival, 'she wasted no time' telling Ayla that they were most-likely going to have to do an emergency caesarian section
'I was shaking uncontrollably but was kind of in too much shock to really have emotions about it,' Ayla wrote in her post.
The expectant mother's medical team believed their was a high chance that the unborn baby was likely to face life-threatening complications and would be need to be life-flighted to another hospital.
'I was given my spinal and before they could even get Dalton in the room, they began the delivery,' Ayla recalled. 'She came out fine and cried a little bit, but she needed oxygen.'
The new mom said that 40-minutes after she gave birth, she and Maddy were then released back to their original room, where she was informed that her 'placenta had aged prematurely' and calcified, which led to Maddy not receiving as much oxygen or food as she needed.
'This was causing her to try to preserve her energy, which is why she had stopped moving,' Ayla explained. 'This also caused her to have low blood sugar upon arrival so she needed to be hooked up to a glucose drip IV her first few days.
Terrifying thought: Doctors told Maddy's grandmother that the little girl would have died had Ayla not gone into hospital
Sharing a message: Ayla is now urging other pregnant women to always trust their instincts and seek help at the first sign of an issue
'My mother asked what would have happened had I not gone in when I did. "She wouldn't be here," was the reply.'
Ayla was told that there was nothing she could have done to prevent the calcification of her placenta and doctors still aren't sure why it happens - but what she does know is that her daughter wouldn't have made through the night if she hadn't sought out immediate medical treatment.
The new mom took to Facebook to share her story in the hope that she can help other mother's who find themselves in similar situations.
'You know your body and what's normal for your baby. And babies don't run out of room!' she stressed.
'If you have doubts, go in. Go in. Go in. Go!' she added. 'Always be safe rather than sorry. Because I almost didn't. I almost waited till morning to see if anything changed. And had I done that, I wouldn't have my love.'
Ayla's post has been shared nearly 20,000 times, and many commenters thanked her for writing about her experience.
A Channel Nine journalist shared a touching account of her beloved French bulldog's medical trauma after he was tragically misdiagnosed by a vet.
Alice Pooley, a television reporter from Perth, described to 9Honey the heartbreak she endured when her five-year-old dog Raul was paralysed in his rear half.
According to Alice, a vet told her and her husband that Raul was suffering from symptoms of gastro when, in reality, his ailment was much worse.
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Alice Pooley says her beloved French bulldog Raul (pictured) was misdiagnosed with gastro when he had a slipped disc
The Channel Nine news reporter opened up about the stressful period when her beloved dog was sick
'He actually had a slipped disc in his back. This led to the missing of a crucial time-frame during which he could have been successfully operated on,' Alice explained.
'By the time we received a proper diagnosis we were told there was a 10 percent chance he'd never walk again.'
Two years later and after surgery, the adorable pooch is walking with the assistance of a wheelchair.
Alice says her bulldog 'loves' his doggy wheelchair and only faces problems with stairs - but she often wonders what could have been.
Two years later and after surgery, the adorable pooch is walking with the assistance of a wheelchair
Alice says her bulldog 'loves' his doggy wheelchair and only faces problems with stairs - but she often wonders what could have been
The five-year-old pooch 'loves' his wheelchair and only faces obstacles with stairs
'It took us months to get over the anger and sadness at his misdiagnosis... but soon realised that what would get us through this initial grief was staying positive not looking back and placing blame,' she said.
'Although he still has no feeling in his lower half, his legs do move and sometimes he is able to take a few steps at home, this is despite our surgeon telling us he'd never walk again.'
Raul now has regular aqua therapy and acupuncture and drags himself around the house without the assistance of a wheelchair.
'By the time we received a proper diagnosis we were told there was a 10 percent chance he'd never walk again,' Alice (pictured) said
Raul now has regular aqua therapy and acupuncture and drags himself around the house without the assistance of a wheelchair
The adorable pooch is often approached by strangers in the park intrigued by his wheelchair
The doting parents enjoy taking him to the park and say they are often approached by other intrigued owners about his legs.
Others question Alice and her partner about why they didn't euthanise Raul, but they are quick to fire back that he is a happy and much-loved member of their family.
'Whether he walks again or not, we know he's had the best life possible.'
Others question Alice and her partner about why they didn't euthanise Raul, but they are quick to fire back that he is a happy and much-loved member of their family
Savvy supermarket shopper Kathrine Lynch - the remarkable woman behind a challenge to make 50 school lunches for NZ $1.95 each - has shared her top tips for feeding a family, including fussy children, on a budget.
After her success creating five different lunchbox recipes for her two daughters, the mother-of-two from New Zealand spoke to Stuff about how she stretches food for her family just that bit further.
The blogger took questions from readers covering a range of subject from how to deal with child who is fussy with food, to feeding the hordes during school holidays.
Here, FEMAIL rounds up Kathrine's best advice for anyone looking to slash their weekly grocery bill while still eating healthy and nutritious meals.
The clever New Zealand mum has shared her top tips for stretching the weekly grocery budget
The budget conscious mum recommends only shopping at the supermarket once a week
Mum Phoebe, wrote in to ask how the Hamilton mum dealt with kids wanting sweet treats, and her best recommendation for alternatives.
'Fresh fruit and yogurt is popular with my kids for dessert, smoothies in the afternoon or frozen blueberries my kids also love :) Also, stewed fruit such as apples with yogurt is really nice too,' the switched-on mother replied.
The switched-on mum said smoothies were a great options for kids wanting sweet treats
With school holidays well and truly upon us, managing the hordes can be prove tricky.
Emily said she was 'bound to have a million kids over at her house' and wanted advice for cheap, healthy snacks that were also a bit of fun.
'Baking can be a great way to offer a variety of options and get the kids involved as well,' Kathrine said.
She also added: 'Foods such as chopped up veges and cheese with dips, crackers, salami etc can be done for cheap. Could set it up as a grazing table or platter for the kids.'
'Baking can be a great way to offer a variety of options and get the kids involved as well,' Kathrine said
The topic of how to manage a picky eater was also raised by concerned mum Tans who wrote in saying she felt she was wasting a lot of food on her fussy child.
Responding in her pragmatic style, Kathrine said generally children don't respond to new foods straight away, noting it takes '10 times before they will be likely to try the new food'.
Her best advice for those struggling is to introduce new foods one at a time, with encouragement, and if they don't eat it, not to turn this into a big deal.
'I also find that if you just put a very small amount of a new food on their plate they are more likely to try it,' she said.
Kathrine is a firm believer buying a little extra if it's on special to build up freezer supplies
Another reader, Meg, wanted to ask the frugal shopper if she could make a simple suggestion for the best way to save on her supermarket bill.
Naturally, Kathrine didn't pull any punches stating outright the best way to save is to make supermarket shopping a weekly event.
'I look at the specials and then adapt what we are going to eat for the week for dinners, by pairing up what meat and veges are on special, I can on the spot think of what recipe i will use them for.'
'If there is meat on a really good special i will buy 2-3 packs (or what my budget allows) and then i freeze them. It doesn't take long to build up a good supply if you have the freezer space :).'
KATHRINE'S $100 SHOPPING LIST Huntly & Palmer crackers $2.59 Pams rice crackers x2 $2.38 Popping corn 300g $1.95 Maggi onion soup mix $1.35 Peanuts raw-blanched 300g $2.89 Pams cocoa powder 250g $3.39 Coconut 0.057g $0.91 Dates 122g $2.67 Pams mayonnaise $2.69 Morning Harvest eggs 12-pack $3.99 Yoplait yoghurts 12-pack $5 Rolling Meadows cheese 500g $5.29 Long rolls, 6 pack x2 $4 Gold Max white toast bread $2.85 Romanos pizza bases 3 pack $2 Carrots 1.965kg $3.91 Tomatoes x2 $2.65 Potatoes x2 $1.39 Mushrooms, white button x4 $1.45 Pumpkin $1.42 Lettuce $2.89 Onions x3 $0.94 Bananas x20 $6.02 Oranges x30 $10 Chicken breast $7.27 Beef mince $7.64 Shaved leg ham, 500g $4.99 Pams diced tomatoes $0.99 Oak cream style corn $1 Oak spaghetti $0.94 Advertisement
The blogger, who rose to fame for her $140 weekly shop, recently revealed how she stepped up to the 50 lunches for $100 challenge.
In order to coming in budget she used New Zealand grocery company Pak'nSave to purchase $97.45 worth of ingredients for 50 individual lunches - making them only $1.95 per meal.
Each nutritious lunchbox incorporated a main, either a sandwich, pizza or frittata, carrot sticks and fruit, and smaller snacks, such as popcorn, yoghurt, cheese and crackers.
According to Kathrine, the most expensive item on her shopping list was 30 oranges for $10, followed by beef mince for $7.64 and chicken breast for $7.27.
The blogger, who rose to fame for her $140 weekly shop purchased $97.45 worth of ingredients for 50 individual lunches - making them only $1.95 per meal
Her cheapest finds were dried coconut for 91 cents - used in her homemade boost balls - a tin of spaghetti for 94 cents and three onions for 94 cents.
Other bargains found during her economic shopping trip included 20 bananas for $6.02 and a 12 pack of yogurts for $5.
The mother-of-two stretched her $100 budget over 50 school lunches by making pizza (pictured) with the ingredients
Her cheapest finds were dried coconut for 91 cents - used in her homemade boost balls (pictured) - a tin of spaghetti for 94 cents and three onions for 94 cents
'Kathrine's goal is to inspire other busy parents to cook the most nutritious food they can for their children. She has proven that it is still possible to feed your family well on a tight budget particularly if you plan your meals carefully,' said Foodstuffs NZ Group General Manager Marketing Steve Bayliss
'We asked Kathrine if she'd be up for another $100 challenge, and she suggested a kids' lunchbox challenge because she knew families would be interested in it. She has blown us away with the results.'
Kathrine, who is a former PE teacher, was able to make healthy and delicious pizza, ham and vegetable frittatas and meatball subs from the $100 groceries found at Pak'nSave.
The economic shopper also did a similar challenge where she made 62 nutritious dinners with only $100 of supermarket- bought products.
Kathrine (pictured with her daughter) rose to fame after sharing her incredibly economic $140 weekly shop
According to Kathrine, the most expensive item on her shopping list was 30 oranges for $10, followed by beef mince (used to make the meatballs pictured) for $7.64 and chicken breast for $7.27
Other bargains found during her economic shopping trip included 20 bananas for $6.02 and a 12 pack of yogurts for $5
She shares tips on budgeting the weekly supermarket trip for other busy parents on her blog, Busy Happy Kids NZ.
Her suggestions include using eggs to bulk up meals and add in extra protein and only paying for groceries in cash so you don't overspend.
'Try and slowly reduce your grocery bill, for example aim to save $10 per week for a month and see how you get on and then see if you can reduce it a further $10 per week, a saving of $20 per week = $1000 for the year, that's a very nice Christmas sorted!' Kathrine said.
Kathrine is known for her blog where she revealed how to make 62 meals with only $100 worth of groceries
'Aim to only go back to the supermarket one extra time per week and stick to a list, if you only need bread and milk then only buy bread and milk. Often we buy extras and it all adds up.'
After the challenge Kathrine donated her 50 lunches to the Salvation Army in New Zealand to be handed out to families in need.
Foodstuffs covered the bill for the groceries for the lunchbox challenge and also gave Kathrine Pak'nSave vouchers to give away to her thousands of Facebook followers.
A popular Australian make up brand has caused controversy with a lipstick advert posted to social media - showing a naked man's hairy legs.
Napoleon Perdis shared the image of the man whose modesty was protected by a stick of lip oil, to Instagram, where it promptly received hundreds of comments - not all of them appreciative.
'Tacky, cheap, no taste, class or elegance. A vulgar and not at all artistic grab for attention,' one commenter wrote on the post.
'Cosmetics is about beauty. This is far from it!'
Napoleon Perdis shared a picture of a naked man who's modesty is protected by a stick of their lip oil to Instagram, the image has received backlash
At the time of writing the image had received 654 comments, varying from those who found the image amusing to those who thought it in bad taste.
The vibrant image's caption simply read: 'Double Duty Infusion Lip Oil. #instorenow #makeupheals NPxx.'
One clear consensus seemed to be confusion around how exactly the image was helping to advertise lip oil.
'So weird, it does not want to make me buy anything,' one person wrote. 'I don't get it? Thought someone was playing a joke!'
'Oh dead.. respect level just went down,' another commented.
'I'm so relieved I'm not the only one confused by this ad,' another person wrote, tagging the brand and Napoleon Perdis' daughter Lianna in the post.
One clear consensus seems to be the confusion around how exactly the image is helping to advertise their product
At the time of writing the image has received 654 comments, varying from those who find the image amusing and those you find it in bad taste
'I'm so relieved I'm not the only one confused by this ad,' another person wrote, tagging the brand and Napoleon Perdis' daughter Lianna in the post (Lianna is pictured here with Napoleon)
Lianna herself appeared to comment on the advert - with a message from her Instagram account calling it 'funny and different'.
Some people commented, saying that they believed the reason for the raunchy image was simply to get people talking.
This isn't the first time that Napoleon Perdis has come under fire due to its advertisements.
The ads purpose has been lost on many people, with commenters saying they don't understand the point
'Tacky, cheap, no taste, class or elegance. A vulgar and not at all artistic grab for attention,' one commenter wrote on the post
Earlier this year the brand displayed an ad outside a shop window in Sydney's trendy Double Bay that showed a woman lighting another woman's cigarette and a sign that read: 'education is everything'.
Cancer Institute NSW CEO Professor David Currow has slammed the image as 'incredibly irresponsible' for attempting to 'glamourise' smoking to young women.
'This piece of advertising is incredibly irresponsible and disappointing to see from an Australian company,' Professor Currow told Daily Mail Australia in a statement.
Earlier this year they displayed an ad outside a shop window that showed a woman lighting another woman's cigarette
The beauty brand, which started in Sydney in 1992, is expanding as Napoleon's daughter, 17-year-old Lianna, helps advise her dad
'Images like this, which attempt to glamourise smoking and associate it with beauty and style, risk reversing the incredible progress we have made as a country.'
Professor Currow said promoting smoking to young women is 'dangerous and unethical' because there's 'absolutely nothing beautiful about smoking'.
However, Napoleon Perdis marketing director Peter Sintras told The Daily Telegraph the drawing was 'by no means condoning smoking but is rather a cheeky reflection of the Double Bay cafe culture'.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Napoleon Perdis for comment on the latest advert.
Superstar David Bowie helped save a woman's life from beyond the grave, when his 1972 hit, Starman, stirred her from a coma and she started crying and swaying her arms as if she was at a concert.
Maria Rossetti, 53, of Tondu, South Wales, was on the brink of death in Swansea's Morriston Hospital, after an abscess on her tooth developed into deadly sepsis, a rare but serious complication of an infection where the body attacks its own organs and tissues.
Carer Maria said: 'I've always adored Bowie, so I'm not surprised that, in my coma, I was waving my arms around to his music.
'Even when I came out of my seven-day coma, I was asking for him, forgetting he had actually died back in January.'
Maria Rossetti, 53, of Tondu, South Wales, was on the brink of death in Swansea's Morriston Hospital, after an abscess on her tooth developed into deadly sepsis. She claims David Bowie saved her when his 1972 hit stirred her from a coma and she started crying and swaying her arms as if she was at a concert
Maria was out Christmas shopping with her sales assistant daughter Bianca, 27, in November last year, when she first started feeling unwell.
She said: 'We were in the men's department of Primark in Cardiff when I started to feel really faint.
'I'd not felt good earlier that day, but I'd put it down to a bad cold. After dosing up on medication, I was determined to go and get my festive shopping done.'
But, stood at the menswear checkout, buying socks for her partner Phillip John, 56, a retired roofer, she slumped over the till.
'I felt like everything was closing in around me,' Maria recalled. 'The lad on the till practically dragged me to the disabled changing room, where I sat with Bianca, with my head between my legs.'
After 30 minutes, Maria managed to get to the car and Bianca drove them home.
Maria (middle) with her daughters Alanna, left, and Bianca, right, fell ill after an abscess on her tooth developed into deadly sepsis, a rare but serious complication of an infection where the body attacks its own organs and tissues
Maria was out Christmas shopping with her sales assistant daughter Bianca, 27, in November last year, when she first started feeling unwell. Conducting a home visit, the GP said Maria needed to go straight to hospital
When Bianca downloaded Bowie's greatest hits onto her phone and pressed play, she, Alanna, Phillip and Bianca's boyfriend Roy Southam, 28, were not prepared for her dramatic reaction
But worse was yet to come as, the next morning, she started feeling faint again, spending most of the day in bed.
Then, by the evening, her whole jawline and mouth ached.
When another of her daughters, Alanna, 25, saw her the following morning, her mum's face was so swollen, she called a doctor.
Maria continued: 'Alanna said my neck and face had swollen so much that I was unrecognisable. I can barely remember anything from that moment onwards.'
Conducting a home visit, the GP said Maria needed to go straight to hospital.
Phillip drove her to the Prince of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, from where she was transferred to Swansea's larger Morriston Hospital.
Maria, and partner Phillip, added: 'I can't thank the doctors and nurses in ICU and my family enough for all they did for me. They were amazing'
There doctors said an abscess on her tooth had made her neck and chest swell, and she had an operation to drain away the fluid.
Her loved ones expected to take her home in the next two days, but doctors told them there had been a complication and Maria would need to be put into a coma, to help her breathe, as her tongue had become badly swollen.
WHAT IS SEPSIS? Sepsis is a rare but serious complication of an infection. Without quick treatment, sepsis can lead to multiple organ failure and death. If sepsis is detected early and hasn't affected vital organs yet, it may be possible to treat the infection at home with antibiotics. Most people who have sepsis detected at this stage make a full recovery. Almost all people with severe sepsis and septic shock require admission to hospital. Some people may require admission to an intensive care unit (ICU). Because of problems with vital organs, people with severe sepsis are likely to be very ill and the condition can be fatal. However, sepsis is treatable if it is identified and treated quickly, and in most cases leads to a full recovery with no lasting problems. There are around 123,000 cases of sepsis a year in England. Around 37,000 people die every year as a result of the condition. Anyone can develop sepsis after an injury or minor infection, although some people are more vulnerable. From NHS Choices Advertisement
'The next thing we knew she was put on a ventilator. Her mouth had swollen so much that she was struggling to breathe,' recalled Bianca.
'When I went in and saw her like that I just broke down. Covered in wires, she looked nothing like Mum.
'Walking through ICU broke my heart. It was silent except for the beeping of machines, and there was my poor mum, lying there.
'She was so swollen she looked like the Elephant Man.'
Every day Maria's family and her partner sat by her bedside, talking to her while she languished in a coma.
A life-long Bowie fan, nurses suggested they play some of his music to her.
But nothing could have prepared them for the spine-tingling reaction when, four days into the coma, she responded as if she was at a Bowie concert.
Bianca, who said they were told Maria had sepsis two days into her coma, remembered her starting to react to the antibiotics on day four.
She said: 'Her hearing had come back slightly, so the nurse suggested we play Mum some of her favourite music, to let her know we were there.
'Mum is a huge Bowie fan, so the music choice was simple.
'She was even given a big photo canvas of him for Valentine's Day last year by Phillip and replaced a photo of me and Alanna with it.
'We've grow up with his music and Mum was devastated when he died in January last year.'
Maria's family kept playing all Bowie's greatest hits for the next three days of her coma
The family first played glam rock band T. Rex and then Adam Ant, but Maria remained stock still.
So, when Bianca downloaded Bowie's greatest hits onto her phone and pressed play, she, Alanna, Phillip and Bianca's boyfriend Roy Southam, 28, were not prepared for her dramatic reaction.
'The first song on was Bowie's Starman. As soon as he started singing and mum heard his voice, her arms started swaying in front,' said Bianca.
'I turned the music up a little bit and we all watched in amazement, as tears streamed down Mum's cheeks.
'It was like she was at a Bowie concert in her dreams, and for us it gave us hope that she was going to be ok.
Super-fan Maria has this David Bowie art work on the back of her bedroom door
'She'd lain there so still for days. Now, seeing her move was a massive relief, as we really didn't think she was going pull through.'
The nurses then lowered Maria's sedation, as her family kept playing all Bowie's greatest hits for the next three days of her coma.
From Life on Mars? to Space Oddity, Changes, Heroes and Ziggy Stardust, Maria amazed medics, by moving her arms every time she heard her favourite popstar's iconic voice.
And on day seven, doctors said Maria was well enough to be brought out of her coma.
'When she came to, the first person she asked for was Bowie, not her daughters of her partner,' Bianca laughed.
'She'd forgotten Bowie had died the previous January, so when we told her she was crying her eyes out, saying she couldn't believe it was true. She was heartbroken.'
Although Maria's speech and memory was impacted by the swelling and heavy medication, she was moved to a general ward to continue recuperating.
And, on December 8, she was sent home, just in time for Christmas.
'We didn't know if we'd even celebrate Christmas with Mum last year, never mind have her home,' Bianca said.
'Doctors were astounded, as they didn't think she would pull through, so having everyone together at home was very special.'
Now Maria and her family are organising a fundraising party for August next year, fittingly themed around Bowie and Glam Rock with tribute band the Bowie Experience playing, and in aid of UK Sepsis Trust and the ICU at Morriston Hospital.
Maria added: 'I can't thank the doctors and nurses in ICU and my family enough for all they did for me. They were amazing.'
A woman bullied because of her large forehead has had surgery to lower her hairline after years of being plagued by anxiety.
Keileigh Lanaway, 24, from Welling, Kent, dealt with the problem by growing a fringe to hide her brow having suffered cruel taunts from bullies as a teenager, and avoided swimming for a decade petrified of exposing the body part she hated the most.
The healthcare adviser would get called 'spam-head' by her peers and revealed that she refused to allow boyfriends to look underneath her fringe.
Now after years of searching for a solution she has finally found the body confidence she craved, thanks to a 6,500 operation to have her hair line lowered.
Keileigh Lanaway spent years of her life conscious about the size of her forehead after being bullied at secondary school
After hiding her brow away under a fringe and never letting her boyfriend see it, she decided to opt for 6,500 surgery to lower her hair line
Now Keileigh proudly displays her entire face after having her forehead lowered to make it smaller
Self-conscious Keileigh, who was supported by her long-term boyfriend Billy Kingwell, 31, when she had the surgery in July 2016, explained how she had always dreamed of having a smaller forehead after being bullied at secondary school.
'There was nothing said to my face, but you could see people talking about me, pulling their own hair right back, mocking me.
'They'd call me things like, "spam-head". I'd hear it constantly. I was lucky to have close friends but it was still really hurtful.
WHAT IS HAIR LINE LOWERING SURGERY? The surgery is designed to lower the hairline, reduce the height of the forehead and to correct the normal temple recession to give a more rounded hairline. It takes around 1.5 to 2 hours to complete. It's growing in popularity for both women and men. Excess forehead is surgically removed and the scalp is repositioned in order to give a new, more natural hairline. The incisions in the scalp are also made in such a way that hair regrows through the scar itself, vastly reducing its visibility. Advertisement
'I never told mum and dad about the bullying at school, I never got anyone involved. I kept it all to myself. Things weren't easy at all.'
It wasn't just relationships with her peers that suffered - so too did her attempts at dating, right up until her early twenties.
She adds: 'Up until the operation, there wasn't a single boyfriend who saw me without a fringe. I remember a previous relationship where my boyfriend would say, "What's under there!?"
'One night I woke up and he told me he'd moved it in my sleep. It hurt me so bad. I was devastated,' she recalled.
'It sounds so silly, but that was my comfort blanket. I couldn't even talk to him about it because I was so upset.'
Opting for surgery
Now Keileigh is proudly displaying her entire face for the first time having had her hairline surgically 'lowered' by around 3cm in a procedure at UK clinic London Bridge Plastic Surgery.
The surgery - which has become increasingly popular in both men and women - is designed to lower the hairline, reduce the height of the forehead and to correct the normal temple recession to give a more rounded hairline.
Dr Chris Inglefield who performed Keileigh's surgery said: 'The high hairline itself can be due to a variety of factors, from simple genetics to hair loss.'
On a holiday to Florida at 13 - this was the last time Keileigh went swimming until a decade later
Left, the health adviser would style her hair to cover her brow. Right, now she can wear her hair back off her face thanks to the pioneering surgery
Keileigh was thrilled with the operation and could see the results immediately - her boyfriend Billy Kingwell, supported her the entire way through surgery and recovery
It takes around 1.5 to 2 hours to complete. It's most suitable where patients - like Keileigh - feel that the size or height of their forehead isn't in proportion with the rest of their facial features and it's growing in popularity for both women and men.
Excess forehead is surgically removed and the scalp is repositioned in order to give a new, more natural hairline.
The incisions in the scalp are also made in such a way that hair regrows through the scar itself, vastly reducing its visibility.
Hiding underneath a fringe
Keileigh, a healthcare adviser, said: 'I always knew that my forehead was bigger than normal. And from my early teenage years onwards, I really started to compare myself to others.
My fringe didn't move for years. That was my hideaway
'My fringe didn't move for years. That was my hideaway. If I had a shower, I wouldn't even go downstairs without my fringe being done.
'My insecurities led to me putting up so many emotional barriers.
'But now, after the surgery, every single day I look in the mirror and can't believe what I see.
'It's like the old me never even existed. I've started putting my hair in a side-parting for the first time, abandoning my fringe, and letting it fall naturally.
'And for the first time ever, I feel and I sound like 'myself'.'
Keileigh would always wear her hair with a fringe, never letting her friends or family see her face without it
Keileigh was always conscious about the size of her forehead and through surgery she was able to get it lowered
Avoided swimming for fear of exposing her brow
Keileigh, who for a while even trained as a hairdresser, was always looking for a medical treatment which might change her life - but she never found anything that offered even a glimmer of hope.
She reveals: 'I never, ever went swimming - not since I was 13 on a family holiday in America.
'But I'd lie awake at night and fantasise about jumping into the pool.
'If I could find a way to make my forehead smaller, I could dive into the water and come up without having to panic or worry that my fringe was out of place.
'I'd dream about that moment, over and over again. But it was always just that - a dream - because I didn't now if anything could ever be done about it.
'I'd tell myself saying, 'Don't be ridiculous. There's no type of surgery that can do what you want. You just need to come to terms with your own body.' But I just couldn't do it. I couldn't get my head around it.'
Keileigh, pictured with her partner Billy, was finally able to achieve her dream of swimming without worrying about her forehead
Keileigh says she is happier than she's ever been and has found her body confidence has grown thanks to the procedure
'A light at the end of the tunnel'
Keileigh struggled on, before she discovered a new procedure pioneered by UK surgeon Chris Inglefield - who also recently treated celebrity and model Katie Price, giving her a facelift.
She only looked at a couple of 'before' and after' pictures before her decision to book a consultation was made knowing that she could see a 'light at the end of the tunnel'.
It then took around nine months for her new hairline to 'settle'. But she says the results were instantly visible, much to her delight.
She adds: 'When they first removed the bandages in the hospital, I was so pleased - so, so pleased. It was just what I wanted.
And Keileigh was finally able to achieve her 'dream' of going swimming without worrying about her forehead at a friend's wedding in Greece.
'I was under the water, thinking about all I'd been through. It was a good feeling, that's for sure.
'I'm happier than I've ever been and I've got the confidence to do anything I set my mind to.
'I'd urge other women in my position to explore the option of surgery, too.'
A flawless actress from Taiwan has left her thousands of fans in shock after revealing her true age.
Lin Chi-Ling, who is a model and actress with 367,000 Instagram followers, has left her global fans astounded with her revelation online.
The 5ft 7in star regularly shares striking selfies displaying her youthful visage, as well as stunning images from her various fashion shoots.
Taiwanese actress Lin Chi-Ling has left fans stunned after they discovered her age so can YOU guess how old she is?
The actress, who found fame in Japan thanks to her turn in the Tony Woo-directed Chinese-language war film, Red Cliff, may look as though she's in her twenties - but she's actually twice that age.
Lin Chi-Ling has revealed that her true age is 42 - and her followers can't get their heads around it.
'It must be magic, shes like an elf,' wrote one, while another dubbed her a 'perfect goddess'.
Lin Chi-Ling, who is 5ft 7in and keeps her fans up to date with her striking images, has revealed that her true age is 42 - and her followers are in shock
Lin Chi-Ling, who has 367,000 Instagram followers, has left her global fans astounded
The model, who poses both with and without makeup online, was also hailed 'just too pretty' by another fan.
The svelte star, who often dons revealing outfits in her photos, is fluent in English after a stint studying at Toronto University.
She also had a starring role in the 2010 television drama Moon Lovers alongside SMAP member Takuya Kimura.
The model, who is flooded with complimentary comments, was hailed 'just too pretty' by a fan
Meghan Markle's half-sister's book - which has the working title 'The Diary of Princess Pushys Sister' - will talk in-depth about her family's racist past, it has been revealed.
Samantha Grant, Markle's wheelchair-bound estranged half sister, caused a storm in April when she first shared that she was writing the book - and how she sold the book to publishers has now been released.
According to Pagesix.com, Grant, 52, will discuss 'bigoted underpinnings in my own family' alongside disbelief at 'my beautiful baby sister possibly becoming the first biracial princess or duchess in royal history.'
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Samantha Grant, 52, - Meghan Markle's half-sister - told publishers that the book she is writing - which has a working title of The Diary of Princess Pushys Sister - will lift the lid on her family's racist past
Wheelchair-bound mother-of-three Grant, who has MS, says the book will address the fact the British monarchy could welcome its first mixed-race 'princess or duchess' if Harry and Meghan wed
The mother-of-three, who uses a wheelchair and has multiple sclerosis, has previously revealed that the last time she saw her half-sister - the siblings share the same father, Thomas Markle - was at her graduation in 2008. Markle's mother is Doria Radlan.
The previously unseen book pitch suggests Grant will lift the lid on overt racism in her own family - but adds that the birth of Meghan in 1981 made her 'forever color blind'.
In the note to publishers, she writes: 'As a child while I defended [the idea] that there is no such thing as 'color,' only fear and hatred that people like my own grandmother were taught in the uneducated and insecurity-based pockets of America and the world.'
Grant has fervently defended plans for the book - and slammed her famous sibling for not contacting her after she was diagnosed with the serious illness.
'Hurt': Samantha Grant, 52, has defended her decision to write a book about her life growing up with her younger half-sister Meghan Markle. The mother-of-three, who's in a wheelchair because of MS, told Australian radio hosts in April that she was surprised Meghan hadn't been in touch about her medical condition, considering her public charity work
Close: Meghan has posted pictures of herself with her mother, yoga teacher Doria Radlan, seen here at Doria's graduation
She said divorcee Markle, 36, who has been dating Prince Harry since last summer, hadn't been in touch for nine years despite knowing about Grant's MS diagnosis.
Despite revealing earlier this year on Twitter that the title of her new book would be 'The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister', she denied that she planned to dish the dirt on Meghan, saying instead it would be about her 'bi-racial experiences'.
The pitch also suggests the book will address the media frenzy surrounding the couple.
She writes: 'When my bi-racial sister was born, I would be forever "color blind".
'If only I could predict the media frenzy and racial slurs that would occur as a direct result of my beautiful baby sister possibly becoming the first bi-racial princess or duchess in royal history.
'Little did I know that I would stand looking back over my shoulder at how far weve come in the world towards true multiracial and multicultural appreciation, contrasted with how far we have to go in our evolution towards Dr. Martin Luther Kings Dream.'
Grant, who hasn't spoken to her younger half-sibling for nine years, said she thought Markle was 'furious' after hearing that the title of Grant's book was likely to be 'The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister'. Markle, 36, has been dating Prince Harry since last year
Grant, who also works as a mental health counsellor, says she's being portrayed as a 'gossipy little peer' by the media when in fact she's merely a 'an older sister'
In April, she told the Australian radio hosts that she was particularly upset that Meghan hadn't acknowledged her medical condition despite being heavily involved with charities.
Grant offered: 'It's not about the money, it's more about general consideration and support.'
She added: 'Humanitarianism begins at home. That doesn't mean monetary, it means reaching out.'
Continuing, she said: ' I am in a wheelchair and she did meet Harry at the Invictus Games. I felt like it was an opportunity to be a voice and bring a lot of awareness to it [disability].
Outburst: This was the lengthy Twitter announcement for Samantha Grant's literary project
' I think she believed the tabloids that I was writing a 'tell-all' book.
'That's rubbish. It's a book about my bi-racial experiences and evolution. It has nothing to do with talking about Meghan.
'That's her personal business. I'm an older sister, not her gossipy little peer. And I would never judge her about those things, that would ruin her private life.
Ivanka Trump got a small taste of life as a normal member of the public on Tuesday, when she hopped on a commercial flight in order to return to Washington, D.C. after a solo trip to Detroit.
Of course, the 35-year-old daughter of President Donald Trump didn't have quite the same experience as the average traveler, and was escorted on her flight, and subsequent walk through the airport, by a group of burly Secret Service agents while being snapped by photographers.
The mother-of-three, who traveled to the Midwest in order to promote her bid to get more girls coding, looked incredibly chic as she made her way out of the airport, wearing a bright orange-red shirt and a blue-and-red pinstripe skirt, however she had changed out of the gold high heels she was seen wearing earlier in the day in favor of some comfy flats.
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One of us! Ivanka Trump was seen at Reagan National Airport on Tuesday evening after flying commercial to return from Detroit
VIP: The 35-year-old, who was escorted through the airport by a group of Secret Service agents, wore a pair of comfy flats to make the trip, removing the heels she donned earlier
Following in the footsteps of almost every high profile person who has been photographed on their way out of an airport, Ivanka accessorized her look with a pair of dark sunglasses.
She also added some funky navy earrings to complete the look.
The strappy metallic heels that she had worn earlier in the day, during her panel appearance, were nowhere to be seen, suggesting Ivanka may have had an aide on hand to help her with any additional wardrobe items.
Ivanka's trip on the commercial flight is thought to be her first official trip not made on Air Force One or a chartered private plane - and comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price sparked outrage over his private jet spending spree.
Price came under fire last week for using charter jets for government trips on three consecutive days, including a round trip between Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia a distance of just 137 miles that cost taxpayers $25,000.
The businesswoman, who has sparked a controversy of her own in recent days for using private email at the White House, was no doubt very keen to avoid causing similar public fury.
Making a statement: Ivanka visited Detroit to talk about a new public and private commitment to get coding taught in public schools
Wardrobe change! The businesswoman wore a pair of metallic heels for her appearance on the panel, however she changed into a pair of comfy flats for her trip back to D.C.
Speaking out: Ivanka sat alongside Code.org's Hadi Partovi (left), who talked about how public schools weren't equal, especially in access to STEM
Ivanka made the solo trip to Detroit to talk abut new public and private investments into teaching more American kids to code, having been at her father's side on Monday when he greenlit $200 million in grants to go toward STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs.
Speaking as part of a panel, Ivanka noted that the goal of having computer science classes taught at every public school in five years was 'incredibly doable' and she wanted to 'create excitement and enthusiasm' for the subject as well, especially among minorities and young girls.
'I do think we live in a time where we're all so inspired by entrepreneurship and innovation ... and so I think that coding can be aspirational, it should be aspirational, it should be exciting, we need to make it exactly that for our students,' she said during the discussion, which was organized by the Internet Association, a group that represents a majority of brand-name internet companies.
As for the initiative, on Monday the White House announced a $200 million commitment for Department of Education grants to go toward funding STEM and computer science education in K-12 schools.
That sum was more than matched by internet and tech companies on Tuesday, with $300 million in private funds allocated to be spent on educational endeavors.
Goal: On Monday, Ivanka watched on as President Trump signed an order to give $200 million in Department of Education grants to the cause of increasing access to STEM course work
Celebration: Ivanka was joined by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (back left) as Trump signed the memorandum which she spearheaded
Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Salesforce committed $50 million each, while Lockheed Martin pledged $25 million for the effort and Accenture, General Motors and Pluralsight each giving $10 million, according to the White House pool report.
Since taking a role in her father's White House, Ivanka Trump has spoken about matching curriculum with plausible job opportunities and she continued that theme today.
But she also advised that kids needed to not just be coding for their future career's sake explaining that the skill set could be fun to learn and should inspire passion too.
'I think just generally when you're young that is the point in time where you should, with wild abandon, really see what it is that you enjoy doing,' she said.
She suggested kids should try a lot of things, though also pointed out that the opportunity for learning computer science should be there.
'Because one of the lessons that I grew up with and I found to be true my whole life, the people who really achieve great things, the people who are successful in the context of their company or business leaders running a company, they are all deeply passionate and love what they do,' Ivanka said.
Learning: The mother-of-three has been teaching her six-year-old daughter Arabella to code at home, sharing this image of the duo working hard over the summer
On the panel, she sat alongside Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi who drew attention to who public schools across the US aren't equal, which is particularly problematic when it comes to STEM science, technology, engineering and math course work.
'A student's chance to study shouldn't be about the neighborhood they grew up [in] or the color of her skin,' he argued.
He also applauded the private-sector companies for getting involved.
'Americans expect [their] tech industry to address these things and today they are putting their money where their mouth is,' Partovi said.
The first daughter will be putting her own words into action Wednesday when she visits a school, alongside Partovi and Microsoft President Brad Smith to help kids learn code.
Ivanka already got a dose of coding education over the summer, alongside her daughter Arabella, though recently admitted it turned into the six-year-old instructing her.
'Tomorrow we're going to be coding in a public school and as part of a mission to get kids and students excited about code,' the first daughter told the crowd today. 'I look forward to continuing to do that.'
It has long been the home of purse-friendly fashion on the British high street.
But clothing giant Next has ventured into designer territory with a collection that will set customers back up to 400 a pop.
The British store has this week rolled out its new in-house brand Label/Mix, comprising 91 pieces created alongside 10 designer brands.
And Next devotees out to bag a bargain may be in for a surprise, as its standout item, an off-the-shoulder crimson dress, costs an eye-watering 399 - more than 10 times the price of some of its cheaper sartorial offerings.
Next's 399 red lace dress, featuring elaborate frill and ruche detailing, has been designed in collaboration with Singapore label Whole9Yards
The least pricey item is a 35 pom pom hat, with Next bosses insisting the collection sits between 'an accessible and premium bridge price point'.
The red lace dress, featuring elaborate frill detailing, has been designed in collaboration with Singapore label Whole9Yards.
Next's Label business, launched in 2014, sells items designed by third-party brands - but its latest venture, touted as the 'ultimate curated wardrobe', comprises pieces which are exclusive to the store.
The new line, available online at Next.co.uk/label-mix, is described as 'a new collaborative collection crafted in partnership with an ever-changing roster of designer, contemporary and emerging brands to create beautiful, limited-edition pieces'.
Next goes high fashion: The collection includes this Mix/Rejina Pyo Tailored Jacket (left, 199) and this Mix/Teatum Jones red dress (160, right)
A standout piece from the collection, launching this week, is this Mix/Teatum Jones Contrast Black Shirt (125)
The brands include Rejina Pyo, AV Robertson, Teatum Jones, J.Won, Osman, LabLondon, Whole9Yards, Mimi Berry, Hudson Shoes, and Rose and Rose.
And the pieces, available from Wednesday, tap into some of the biggest AW17 trends including shearling, suede, cashmere, silk, merino wool and velvet.
Label/ Mix is available exclusively online at next.co.uk/label-mix and Label Book.
Stunned students and teachers at Teruel's Segundo de Chomon secondary school had a brush with royalty when they met the Queen of Spain today.
Queen Letizia, 45, looked sharp as she arrived at the opening of the Vocational Training Courses held at the school in town in Spain's eastern Aragon region.
Wearing grey tartan cigarette trousers and a pretty blouse with a large bow around the neck, she made office attire look glamorous.
After being freeted by the school's governors and the heads of departments, she was shown around the school.
The 45-year-old royal wore a pair of black suede stilettos and a red leather shoulder bag with a chunky chain
The 45-year-old royal wore a pair of black suede stilettos and a red leather shoulder bag with a chunky chain.
To finish off her look she wore a nude lip with a gloss and warm brown eye shadow. Her glossy shoulder bobbed hair, gracefully tucked behind one ear had a natural curl.
Queen Letizia was shown around the facilities, including the automotive workshop, hair and beauty salon and the computer science classrooms.
She met with students outside to have a chat with them and smile for photos. She was accompanied by Gustavo Alcalde, the mayor of Teruel.
The queen walked across the grounds of the school as frantic fans tried to get a glimpse of her
Waving to students and fans, Queen Letizia looked glamorous in smart attire
As a mother-of-two, she effortlessly bonded with the teenage pupils at the school as they gave demonstrations of their work
The queen walked across the grounds of the school as frantic fans tried to get a glimpse of her.
As a mother-of-two, she effortlessly bonded with the teenage pupils at the school as they gave demonstrations of their work.
Princess Leonor is currently in her first year of secondary school, while Infanta Sofia is finishing primary school.
Students at the school showed her around the computer science classrooms
Huma Abedin appears to be trying to keep things as normal as possible for her son, and stuck to the morning school run again on Wednesday morning.
The longtime Hillary Clinton aide, 41, was pictured walking down the street in New York City after dropping five-year-old Jordan off at school.
She even managed to crack a smile, putting on a brave face just two days after her husband Anthony Weiner was handed a 21-month prison sentence for sexting an underage girl.
Keeping the routine: Huma Abedin is pictured after dropping her son off at school on Wednesday
Brave face: The 41-year-old managed to crack a smile despite an incredibly stressful week
Busy: She has been seen taking her five-year-old son Jordan to school for two days in a row following her husband Anthony Weiner's sentencing on Monday
The color of innocence: She wore a summary white dress and a pair of beige heels
Always on call: She didn't bring a bag and instead carried her phone in her hand
Relaxed: Huma chatted with other mothers as she crossed the street following the drop-off
Huma seemed to be reminding people of her own innocence with her outfit choice, picking a summery white eyelet frock with half-sleeves and a hem that reached past her knees.
Though she didn't bring a purse with her, she accessorized with a pair of beige heels and dark sunglasses, carrying her phone in her hand.
She chatted with other school mothers as she crossed the street near her son's school before departing and walking home.
Huma, who filed for divorce from Weiner in May on the same day he pleaded guilty to sexting with a minor, smiled a bit as she made her way down the street.
Despite asking the court be lenient, she was not present when her husband, 53, was sentenced on Monday.
It's all OK: She appears to be trying to keep things normal for the couple's son
Hard time: On Monday, Weiner was sentenced to 21 months for for sending sexually explicit material to a minor
Solo trip: While Weiner sat in a car nearby during Tuesday's school run, he did not appear to be around on Wednesday
All white everything: Huma even had a pristine white manicure to match her eyelet dress
Blocking the sun and the snaps: She did cover up a bit with a pair of shades on the sunny day
The former congressman cried as Judge Denise Cote imposed a jail sentence of nearly two years, followed by three years of supervised release.
Though he walked free immediately after the sentencing and was seen out in Manhattan the following day, he will have to surrender to a designated prison facility on November 6. He will also have to register as a sex offender.
Huma was not seen until the following day, Tuesday, when she took Jordan to school. She looked glum on the occasion, yet well put-together, wearing embroidered jeans with a white pussy-bow blouse and hoop earrings.
Her eye-catching jeans, which were once worn by Amal Clooney, come from Alice and Olivia's 2016 pre-fall collection. Though no longer available, they likely cost between $800 to $900.
Weiner, meanwhile, sat in a car nearby.
All normal: On Tuesday, she was also seen taking her son to school in the morning
Hippie chick: The mother-of-one wore a pair of embroidered Alice and Olivia flared jeans for the trip, pairing the vibrant pants with a more elegant pussy bow blouse
Making a statement: Her bold outfit provided a stark contrast against her solemn mood
Accessories: The political staffer paired the embroidred jeans with hoop earrings and a touch of red lipstick, letting her hair flow freely on her shoulders
Gone: The eye-catching jeans were once worn by Amal Clooney
Meanwhile: Weiner was also pictured yesterday leaving his apartment in New York City, wearing the same hat, shorts, and shoes as the previous day
On his way: The former congressman crossed the street as he headed towards the subway
Later that evening, she was seen again this time with a sweater on top of her outfit heading home for the evening.
While Abedin didn't appear in court for her husband's sentencing, she did write a letter as part of the case, asking for mercy as she begged for the judge's sentencing not to have a 'negative impact' on their son.
In the missive, she told authorities she was 'devastated' by the actions of her husband of seven years, and pointed out she was writing this letter for the benefit of their son, whom she called 'the light of our life'.
'As would any parent, if there has to be any negative impact on [redacted], I would like to be as small as possible,' Abedin wrote.
Weiner has agreed to register as a sex offender, and as such the disgraced congressman will be prevented from going within a certain distance of schools.
Earlier this month, when he and Abedin took their son Jordan to his first day of school, the father turned back halfway through the walk, leaving Jordan and his mother to complete the rest of the trip together.
Business as usual: On Tuesday night, Huma was seen returning to her Manhattan apartment in the same outfit with a sweater on top
She'd had a rough 24 hours, though she did not attend Weiner's sentencing
Sentence: Weiner, who is seen leaving New York federal court on Monday, agreed to register as a sex offender, and as such will be prevented from going within a certain distance of schools
Details: Weiner still wore his wedding ring even though he and Abedin are currently in divorce proceedings and appeared in court earlier this month as part of the case
Duo: The couple took their son Jordan to his first day of school earlier this month, but the father turned back halfway through the walk
His history of sexting with the underage girl involved in the charges, whom he asked to strip naked and to touch herself on Skype, was first revealed by DailyMail.com a year ago and resulted in a federal investigation.
During his sentencing hearing, the former politician said he had betrayed his son's 'amazing mother', Abedin, and referred to the boy as his 'salvation'.
'I focus on how I live my new, smaller, healthier life one day at a time,' he said. 'I was a very sick man for a very long time. I have a disease but no excuse.'
He added that he understood the prosecutors' skepticism about whether he had changed. 'I blamed others,' he said. 'I convinced myself that I wasnt the problem.'
'I'm an addict', he went on, referencing how he had seen the qualities in his late brother, Seth, who passed away in 2000.
The disgraced congressman said that he was going to therapy twice a week and attending meetings every day.
'Soho Princess' India Rose James continued her whirlwind week on Wednesday night when she attended an art exhibition at London's OXO Tower.
India, who is heiress to a sprawling Soho empire thanks to her late grandfather, property mogul and porn baron Paul Raymond, cut a stylish figure in a silk bomber jacket and showcased dyed pink locks at the Benbai Expo private view.
The event focuses on emerging artists and 'undiscovered talents' according to its website, with photographer David Bailey showcasing his never-seen-before painting collection.
Just hours earlier, the 25-year-old millionairess stepped out for Marie Claire's Future Shapers party at One Marylebone.
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'Soho Princess' India Rose James cut a stylish figure in a silk bomber jacket and dyed pink locks at the Benbai Expo at London's OXO Tower on Wednesday
India, who was the youngest person ever to grace the Sunday Times Rich List, shares a daughter, Saffi, with Kooks guitarist Hugh Harris and the one-year-old even has her own Instagram account.
The social butterfly is also founder of the Soho Revue Art Gallery and is a regular on the London social circuit.
India's grandfather Paul Raymond, with whom she was close, built up his fortune launching the countrys first topless dancing club and introducing top-shelf magazines to the UK.
Along the way, the self-proclaimed 'King of Soho' acquired the freeholds on almost two-thirds of Sohos properties, building up a seedy business empire estimated to be worth around 650million.
According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2013, when their grandfather died in 2008 at the age of 82, Miss James and her sister Fawn, 28, inherited 80 per cent of his money and businesses.
India, who was the youngest person ever to grace the Sunday Times Rich List, shares a daughter, Saffi, with Kooks guitarist Hugh Harris and the one-year-old has her own Instagram account (the heiress is pictured here at her 25th birthday party in December)
India's grandfather Paul Raymond, with whom she was close, built up his fortune launching the countrys first topless dancing club and introducing top-shelf magazines to the UK
Their fortune amounted to 329million - more than the Queens personal wealth which was estimated at 320million at the time.
The sisters are the children of Debbie Raymond, whose death in 1992 from a drug and drink binge drove her father Paul to become a haunted recluse. Debbie, 36, had already taken over parts of the empire and was expected to carry on his legacy.
But India Rose insists she is down to earth, telling the Evening Standard: 'I dont drive and I dont have a driver. Its all cabs and Tubes.'
And when asked if she has a 'PJ', she responded: 'Private jet? I thought you meant pyjamas'.
Despite her down-to-earth nature, she and her sister own 60 acres of prime real estate and she has breakfast every morning at Soho House, which, technically, she owns.
Famous faces: Raymond was depicted in a 2013 film starring Steve Coogan as Paul Raymond and Tamsin Egerton as Fiona Richmond
Their father John is managing director of Soho Estates - the company Fawn works for.
India Rose, meanwhile, focuses her efforts on her art venture, The Soho Revue, which she established with her boyfriend.
The art space's name seems inspired by one of the late King of Soho's famous properties - whose famous Raymond Revuebar is now occupied by The Box night club - but also imbues an ethos centred on reviving the counter-cultural scene of the historic London area.
The gallery - located at 14 Greek Street - showcases pieces from a cross-section of contemporary art and in its first show, Nothing Perishes, eight young visual artist's work explores a range of mediums.
Curated by Victoria Williams and Marine Tanguy the exhibition features the art of Alison Bignon, Jennifer Abessira, Scarlett Bowman, Wendy Bevan, Maximilian Herbert, Walter Hugo & Zoniel.
We can't all own our own vineyard (as much as we might like to), but one British drink company is making it possible for wine lovers to mix up their own Prosecco at home without all the grapes and fancy equipment.
New this fall, Victor's Drinks' MySecco Kit promises to help customers 'turn water into wine' with a tipsy sort of science experiment.
Using the ingredients in the kit, home wine connoisseurs can turn a bottle of warm water into a one filled with bubbling Prosecco.
More wine, please! MySecco bills itself as the 'world's first make-your-own single bottle of sparkling wine' product
Like magic: The kit comes with fizz tablets, yeast, and syrup. Customers just add water an wait two weeks
Billed as the 'world's first make-your-own single bottle of sparkling wine' product, the MySecco Kit comes with a 75ml bottle, a couple stoppers, paper funnels, and the all-important ingredients.
Home wine makers simply pour the provided packets of yeast and syrup into the bottle, following them up with warm water.
A special stopper goes on top to make sure everything is properly sealed so the yeast can ferment.
The bottle then needs to sit for 12 days to sit and ferment. At the end of the waiting period, the stopper is flipped, and the entire bottle is turned upside down for 24 hours.
Coming soon... It's now available for pre-order in the UK (19.99) and Europe (22.79) but not yet in the US
For the last step, the fizz capsules are added, and the bottle goes into the fridge for one more day to chill.
Finally, on day 14, the 'crisp sparkling wine with delicate citrus notes' and ABV 8.5 per cent is ready to drink.
'We've all witnessed the rise of artisan gin and the craft beer revolution Prosecco is next and this is your opportunity to make it yourself,' the brand says.
Currently, the kit is only available for pre-order in the UK (19.99) and Europe (22.79). It is not yet shipping to the US.
If you've ever felt guilty after tucking into a deliciously indulgent dessert, it's nothing compared to how you might feel after eating the most calorific pudding in the world.
Coco Gelato, an ice-cream shop in Cardiff, has created an incredibly extravagant dessert containing a whopping 18 scoops of ice cream, as well as waffles, chocolate bars and fresh fruit.
But you had better share it with a friend, as the 32.95 dessert - called the Roman Empire - is a whopping 3,845 calories.
It's thought to be the most indulgent in the world, and it has topped lists of the most calorific sweet treats around the globe.
The Roman Empire at Coco Gelato is a towering mound of 18 scoops of ice cream, four freshly baked waffles, fresh fruit, chocolate bars, whipped cream, and various sauces. The customer can choose the chocolate bars, ice cream flavours and sauces, if they wish
Coco Gelato is renowned for its decadent desserts, and the parlour was this year named Dessert Outlet of the Year at the Welsh Food Awards.
But its menu's crowning glory is its Roman Empire dessert, which contains four freshly-made waffles, the customer's choice of chocolate bars as well as varying ice cream flavours, topped with whipped cream and sauces.
At 3,845 calories, it beats the next most indulgent dessert in the world, Supreme Sundaes' at MO & MOSHI in Bangkok by about 300 calories.
The dessert's creator, Mandeep, told Mirror Online: 'We wanted to try and build the Roman Colosseum out of waffles, and then fill the middle with gelato.
The dessert costs 32.95 and is designed to be shared though the cafe does challenge people to try to finish it off as an individual
The waffle and ice cream dessert is the most calorific in the whole world, containing more than 3,800 calories
'But it kept falling down.'
Mandeep revealed that no-one has managed to conquer the empire by themselves yet, but equally no-one has been left disappointed by the mound of waffles and ice cream.
He said: 'Every time one comes through, the team gets overwhelmed, but excited at the same time.
'They come together and create something very unique. The Roman Empire can come in many forms, but there's one rule: it has to look amazing.'
He added: 'Most adults have lost their inner child, our aim is to bring that back.'
On the menu, the cafe writes beneath the description of the Roman Empire: 'Only an emperor could ever conquer this dessert, are you an emperor?'
The most renowned wines in the world all hail from France, but they can come with a high price tag.
But if you're a wine snob without a huge budget, a discount supermarket has launched a new range of little-known French wines that come from the same regions as the most famous varieties - and at a much lower price.
The wines include a Champagne by another name that costs just 7.99, and a 7.99 Rasteau that's made in the same region as classic Chateauneuf-du-Pape, bottles of which often cost in the region of 30.
The village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, where the famous red wine is made. But you can pick up a bottle of Rasteau - made in the same region - at a much lower price
Lidl's new French Wine Cellar collection includes a 7.99 Rasteau (left) - made in the same region as Chateauneuf-du-Pape and a white Bordeaux (right) for 5.99
Lidl claims these unknown varieties are just as good as wines made in neighbouring vineyards.
The collection - which starts from 4.99 and goes up to 14.99 - includes whites from regions traditionally associated with reds.
Only 10 per cent of wine produced in Bordeaux is white, but Lidl has chosen a 'fragrant and dry' L'Horizon Cuvee Morgane - 5.99 - from the region for its new range, which aims to champion smaller producers in France.
However Robert Boutflower, private sales director for premium wine merchants Tanners Wines, told FEMAIL that you would be able to tell the difference in quality between Lidl's offerings and more expensive options.
The region of Sauternes-Loupiac, where the famous sweet wine Sauternes is made. However you can pick up similar versions of the dessert wine made in the same area for a much lower price
Lidl's collection includes a 5.99 Muscat (left) which they claim is very similar to a Sauternes, that often costs three times the price. The range also contains a 8.99 Chardonnay that's made in the Jura region, rather than in the traditionally Burgundy area (right)
Can you tell the difference? Lidl's new range includes a 'Champagne by another name' - a 7.99 fizz called L'Ephemere Cremant de Limoux (left) which apparently tastes a lot like the more famous sparkling wine (right)
But he did add: 'What Lidl are doing right is they are highlighting the great wines made at great value down the road and people need to be told about them, and need to back them.'
Lidl's collection also includes a French fizz that the supermarket tastes just like Champagne, but costs just 7.99.
It says its L'Ephemere Cremant de Limoux is a 'perfect sparkling alternative to Prosecco and Champagne'.
In the range is also a 5.99 Muscat de Saint Jean de Minervois - a sweet wine that offers an alternative to pricey Sauternes, that can cost anywhere between 15 and 90.
There are some classic grape varieties in the range - but they may have been grown in slightly more unusual locations.
Lidl's collection features a 8.99 Chardonnay that has been made in the Jura region, rather than the traditional Burgundy area.
Lidl's wine experts say that making Chardonnay in the Jura region gives the wine 'a a flor-aged character akin to dry sherries'.
Paul Gibson, buying director at Lidl UK, said: 'We have worked hard to bring our customers some different styles and flavours from France that we know they will enjoy as alternatives to their go-to glass.
'At Lidl we're always looking to champion smaller producers, and by honing in on lesser-known regions such as the Jura the new French Wine Cellar features great wines that have been produced in similar styles to the classics at unbeatable value.'
The collection ranges in price from 4.99 to 14.99 and will be in stores from Thursday.
A teenage girl died in her sleep weeks after being given the controversial human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, a new documentary has claimed.
Jasmin Soriat, 19, a student from Vienna, suffered neurological symptoms after having a second dose of the injection and suffered respiratory failure three weeks later.
A pathologist who examined her body has said the vaccine could have been the cause of her death.
Jasmin's story is one of 'hundreds of documented deaths following the HPV vaccine' according to claims in a new three-part documentary, titled Sacrificial Virgins.
Thousands of girls around the world have suffered adverse reactions, often developing chronic fatigue syndrome.
The family of British teenager Ruby Shallom from Bracknell, Berkshire, also claim she was left paralysed in three limbs after having the HPV jab.
She also appears in the documentary and reveals: 'The only limb that works now is my left arm I still go out and see my friends but the pain and fatigue makes it hard.'
However health officials across the globe have always strongly denied there are such devastating effects and say there is not enough evidence.
The jab is given to adolescents because the HPV virus is said to cause certain cancers and almost all cervical forms of the disease.
But other experts have branded the vaccination 'useless' and argue there is no proven link between the sexually-transmitted virus and cancer.
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Jasmin Soriat, 19, from Vienna, died from respiratory failure three weeks after having a second dose of the HPV vaccine
These girls are among 'hundreds of documented deaths following the HPV vaccine', according to Joan Shenton, the narrator of documentary Sacrificial Virgins
JASMIN'S FINAL HOURS BEFORE SHE WAS FOUND LIFELESS Jasmin was a 'fit, happy and fun-loving' student, according to local newspaper reports. But less that one month after her last Gardasil injection, her friend discovered her lifeless body. She died in her sleep of respiratory failure, on December 10 2007 aged just 19. She had never had any serious illnesses or lung disease, and had never smoked. Jasmin did not experience any previous problems after any of her normal vaccinations, her family said. Searching for answers, her parents reconstructed her final hours of life. A picture of a regular teenager emerged. She attended a concert then went to a fast food restaurant at midnight. She then got a taxi with her flatmate to her home in Dobling. At 2am, she had a cup of tea. The next morning, her girlfriend came by to check up on her, but Jasmin, according to the woman, 'must have died a few hours earlier in her sleep'. Advertisement
In the three-part film, doctors have spoken out to challenge the widely-accepted theory that the HPV virus causes almost all cervical cancers in later life.
Campaigners are comparing the HPV vaccine to the thalidomide scandal, which saw a morning sickness pill given to women in 1960s and 1970s that was later withdrawn after it was linked to birth defects in infants.
Award-winning producer Joan Shenton, who narrates the documentary which is supported by the pressure groups SaneVax and the UK Association of HPV Vaccine Injured Daughters (AHVID) said: 'In the face of growing evidence of adverse reactions and public calls for a ban, thalidomide was on the market for five years before authorities around the world called a halt.
'During those years, manufacturers continued to sell and doctors continued to prescribe. The HPV vaccine has been on the market for longer, since 2008, and is routinely administered, often paid for by taxpayers' money and distributed through schools and health authorities.
'It too has severe side effects but, unlike thalidomide, the HPV vaccination is not even proven to work. Our films are intended as an urgent wake-up call.'
Pathologist: Vaccine could have killed Jasmine
Government forensic pathologist Dr Johan Missliwetz was ordered by a court to do a second autopsy on Miss Soriat as the first could not establish the cause of death.
He concluded that the vaccine could have been the cause of her demise.
The doctor, who has now taken early retirement, said: 'I couldn't find a reasonable cause of death but had two suspicions. One is a genetic disorder of the heart and the other one, it had to do with vaccination.'
THE 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL LEFT PARALYSED BY THE HPV VACCINE Ruby Shallom suffered spasms and pain A 16-year-old British girl left paralysed in three limbs after having the HPV jab also appears in the documentary. Back in 2014, Ruby Shallom from Bracknell, Berkshire, was vaccinated at school to protect her against cervical cancer as part of the routine NHS programme, MailOnline reported last December. In the new film she said: 'The only limb that works now is my left arm I still go out and see my friends but the pain and fatigue makes it hard.' Weeks after having the vaccine, the keen horse-rider and runner started to suffer from stomach spasms, dizziness, pain, headaches and fatigue. Her muscles became weaker and in May 2016 two years after she was given the jab she woke up with no feelings in her legs whatsoever. She is now virtually bed bound unable to eat, lift or dress herself, incontinent and often too weak to lift her head. Doctors have been unable to diagnose her with anything and have dismissed it as being psychological, refusing to acknowledge any link to the jab. Advertisement
When he reported his findings to the drug regulation authorities, he said he received a number of phone calls from senior members of the medical establishment.
'There was a lot of interventions. Many professors called me up and told me I should stop talking about vaccination tests.
'I've done thousands of autopsies but nobody called me. This was extraordinary.'
WHAT IS HPV? The human papilloma virus (HPV) is the name given to a family of viruses. There are over 100 different types of HPV, with around 40 types that affect the genital area. Different types of HPV are classed as either high risk or low risk, depending on the conditions they can cause. For instance, some types of HPV can cause warts or verrucas. Other types are associated with cervical cancer. In 99 per cent of cases, cervical cancer is said to occur as a result of a history of infection with high-risk types of HPV. Infection with other types of HPV is linked to genital warts, skin warts and verrucas, vaginal cancer or vulval cancer, anal cancer or cancer of the penis, some cancers of the head and neck and laryngeal papillomas (warts on the voice box or vocal cords). Advertisement
Why do the establishment vaccinate against HPV?
HPV infection which is spread through close skin-to-skin contact, often during sexual activity is extremely common. Up to eight out of 10 people will be infected with the virus at some point in their lives, according to Cancer Research UK.
It usually causes no symptoms at all and for most people, the body will clear the infection on its own. But for some it stays around for a long time and is believed to cause cancer, for reasons not fully understood.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), virtually all cervical cancer cases (99 percent) are linked to genital infection with HPV.
It says both HPV vaccines Cervarix and Gardasil are 'highly efficacious' in preventing infection with virus types 16 and 18, which are together responsible for approximately 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases globally.
Fragments of HPV have been found in cancer cells in studies, hence the theory why the virus causes cancer.
But one of the film's key arguments is that the presence of HPV in cancer cells does not mean HPV actually causes the cancer.
No proof HPV causes cancer
Professor Peter Duesberg argues cervical cancers are not caused by HPV
In the film, Peter Duesberg, a professor of molecular biology the respected University of California, Berkeley said that scientific studies have found that cervical cancers are not caused by the HPV virus.
The academic, who wrote a controversial research paper arguing that HIV does not cause AIDS, said that they prove HPV cannot be found anywhere in the tumour or tumour cells.
'The [HPV] vaccine should be stopped until it's proved that it protects against cancer It has the highest number of side-effects ever of any vaccine,' he argued.
'In the US, it has more side-effects reported than all other vaccines combined.
'Since there is no scientific evidence that it will do anything else than occasionally cause warts, which will be eliminated by the immune system, there is no need for vaccination against this virus.'
He claims the vaccine wont be properly investigated because GPs and pharmaceutical companies benefit financially.
Dr Christian Fiala, who specialises in obstetrics and gynaecology in Vienna, also agrees there is no evidence that the HPV vaccine reduces the rate cervical cancer.
'No-one has shown that the HPV vaccine actually reduces the rate of cervical cancer,' he said.
'As long as we have no proof that cervical cancer is caused by HPV, it is fundamentally useless to vaccinate against HPV because the chances are the cancer will occur whether there is HPV or not.'
Previous studies
An article published in 2015 in the journal Clinical Rheumatology warned that chronic pain conditions are 'more frequent after HPV vaccination'.
Researcher Dr Manuel Martinez-Lavin warned that fibromyalgia which causes widespread pain and a nervous system condition called postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), seem to be linked to the jabs.
Symptoms of PoTS include fainting, dizziness, inability to concentrate and fatigue. The condition can be long-term or even permanent
Ruby Shallom, 16, who was left paralysed in three limbs after having the HPV vaccination, features in the new documentary
Another study, in the European Journal of Neurology examined the cases of six young women who had developed PoTS within weeks of receiving HPV jabs. It, too, suggested there may be a link.
In the US, France, Spain and Denmark, more than 250 court cases are being mounted over HPV vaccinations. Damages have been won in the US and France.
The Japanese government withdrew its recommendation for the HPV vaccine in 2013, after highly publicised cases of alleged adverse events in girls who had been vaccinated.
Officials stick to their stance
Yet health authorities around the world, including the World Health Organization, have recently extensively reviewed the vaccine and have concluded it is safe.
The UK medicines watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Public Health England said the HPV jab is the most effective way to protect against cervical cancer, which kills 900 UK women each year.
Officials estimate that around 400 lives are saved each year as a result of vaccinating girls before they become infected.
MHRA received 3,972 'Yellow Cards' a scheme where doctors and the public can report side-effects of drugs between 2010 and 2013. More than 940 were categorised as serious.
The manufacturers of one of the HPV jabs, Cervarix, insists the benefits of vaccination outweigh any risks associated with its use (stock photo)
Yet Dr Ian Hudson, MHRA chief executive, wrote to Richard Benyon, the Conservative MP for Newbury, saying: 'The fact that we have received more reports for HPV vaccine than other vaccines does not in itself raise any particular concerns.'
A spokesperson for GSK, manufacturers of Cervarix, previously told Good Health: 'Patient safety is always GSK's first priority. A vaccine is only ever approved for the public if clinical trials show the benefits of vaccination outweigh any risks associated with its use.
'Governments globally scrutinise clinical trial data through independent medicines review agencies before vaccines can be approved for use. We remain confident in the favourable benefit-risk profile of Cervarix to help prevent cervical cancer.'
Freda Birrell, who heads the pressure group AHVID said the campaign against the jab is growing.
She said: 'I'd like to see our politicians listen, I'd like to see them recognise that what's been happening can not be a coincidence.'
However, Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisations at PHE, said: Several hundred lives are saved every year because of the HPV vaccine, to suggest otherwise is both incorrect and irresponsible.
It is scientific fact that HPV virus causes many forms of cancer, and this is supported by every health organisation. To dismiss it as a theory is extremely damaging. 95% of cervical cancers are caused by HPV, which is why the vaccine is so important as the most effective way to protect girls.
As with all vaccines, the safety of the HPV vaccine is under constant review. Every report of a suspected side effect is taken seriously.
The risks of pregnant women taking a common epilepsy drug were kept from patients for 40 years, a hearing was told.
An estimated 20,000 British children have been severely harmed because their mothers took the drug sodium valproate during pregnancy.
Campaigners yesterday presented evidence to a hearing of the European Medicines Agency in London, revealing that regulators knew of problems as far back as 1973.
An estimated 20,000 British children have been severely harmed because their mothers took the drug sodium valproate during pregnancy
Even the drugs manufacturer Sanofi was open about the risks.
Yet documents show UK officials decided at the time not to put the warnings on the packets for fear it could give rise to fruitless anxiety, the hearing was told.
It was not until 2015 that clear warnings were published.
Sodium valproate, which is sold under the brand name Epilim for epilepsy, migraine and bipolar disorder, can cause physical deformities in children whose mothers take it during pregnancy, as well brain damage and problems such as autism.
Babies exposed to the drug in pregnancy have a 30 to 40 per cent risk of serious developmental disorders and an 11 per cent risk of congenital malformations.
The most up-to-date advice from the UKs Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, issued two years ago, says it should not be given to women of childbearing age or during pregnancy unless alternative treatments are ineffective or not tolerated.
Catherine Cox, from the Foetal Anti-Convulsant Support Association for the UK, said warnings on valproate should have been issued to women more than 40 years ago.
These warnings could have and should have been given in 1974, she said.
A decision was taken not to publish them despite warnings by the manufacturer, she said.
She said documents from July 1973 showed that regulators decided not to warn patients directly of the harms for in case it worried them.
Health professionals were told at the time: This compound has been shown to be teratogenic in animals, meaning it could harm the human foetus.
But the Committee on Safety of Medicines, which existed before the MHRA, said the warning should not go on the package inserts, so that there would be no danger of patients themselves seeing it.
The licence issued in 1974 for Epilim, a trade name for sodium valproate, said doctors and pharmacists should use it only in severe cases of epilepsy or where there was no alternative.
Clare Pelham, from the Epilepsy Society, said women needed to be given the right information to make an informed choice.
She said it must become mandatory for GPs to call women in for a review every 12 months rather than issuing repeat prescriptions.
The charity also wants to see a national register created of women taking the drug.
Joanne Cozens, chairwoman of the Organisation for Anti-Convulsant Syndromes, said many women who take the drug are not aware of the risks.
She called for a red alert system so pharmacists and medics were alerted when prescribing or handing over medicines.
She also accused Sanofi of indirectly lobbying to restrict transparency.
Sanofi have a loyal bunch of clinical experts promoting valproate and resisting warnings, she said.
I can see a few in the room today. You know who you are and we dont trust you anymore because you are complicit in avoidable injury to children.
But Dr Eric Teo, in charge of drug safety at Sanofi, told the hearing: Sanofi had always provided the most up to date scientific information, with the approval of the health authorities.
Babies exposed to the drug in pregnancy have a 30 to 40 per cent risk of serious developmental disorders and an 11 per cent risk of congenital malformations
There is a consent form for doctors to review with patients, there are patient cards to take home and there is also a prominent warning on the outside of the box.
Based on the best available data, it is clear that there is an increased risk in both congenital malformation and having below average developmental ability, including cognitive function, in children who are exposed to valproate during pregnancy.
But he said for some women valproate is the only option.
Switching or discontinuing treatment before or during pregnancy carries the risk of recurrent seizures which could lead to brain damage or death.
It should be remembered that valproate is widely accepted as a life-saving medicine. It is listed as an essential medicine by the World Health Organisation.
The inquiry marks the first time the European Medicines Agency has held a public hearing over safety concerns linked to a drug. Usually its committee meets behind closed doors.
Its Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee will now consider the evidence heard and publish its decision in the coming months as to what further measures are needed to warn women of the risks.
A rapid blood test could diagnose a heart attack within 15 minutes of a patient arriving at A&E, a major trial has found.
The test, developed by British scientists, was twice as accurate as the existing one used by the NHS, according to the study.
Crucially, it could mean thousands of patients are given the all-clear and sent home within quarter of an hour of arriving at A&E. Currently, patients complaining of chest pain have to wait at least three hours, and many are kept in overnight for observation.
A rapid blood test could diagnose a heart attack within 15 minutes of a patient arriving at A&E, a major trial has found
The test, developed by British scientists, was twice as accurate as the existing one used by the NHS, according to the study
Not only would the test reassure worried patients and their families, but it would ease pressure on hospitals, free up beds and save the NHS millions a year. The British researchers, whose work is published in the Circulation medical journal, hope it could be rolled out within five years.
Researcher Dr Tom Kaier, a cardiologist at Kings College London, said: It is important to work out early who has had a heart attack and who hasnt. We see patients in hospital who have to stay for further tests as a result of a mildly abnormal blood test this is stressful and often unnecessary.
Our research shows that the new test has the potential to reassure many thousands more patients with a single test. Some 188,000 people have heart attacks in Britain each year. But more than a million a year arrive at hospitals complaining of chest pains, the vast majority of which are not serious.
Dr Kaier estimates that at his own hospital, St Thomass in central London, the test would save 800,000 a year in reduced admissions and free up 2,500 beds for the neediest patients.
Doctors currently have to wait at least three hours before they can diagnose a heart attack, and they have to repeat tests for a period of at least six hours before an attack can be ruled out and a patient discharged.
Researcher Dr Tom Kaier estimates that at his own hospital, St Thomass in central London, the test would save 800,000 a year in reduced admissions and free up 2,500 beds for the neediest patients
The heart attack blood test currently used by the NHS called a troponin test is not definitive for most patients, meaning up to 85 per cent require an ECG scan and often have to stay in for monitoring. The new test, which looks for a protein called cardiac myosin-binding protein C or cMyC, is quicker, more sensitive and better at detecting damage.
The research team carried out blood tests for troponin and cMyC on nearly 2,000 people with chest pain at hospitals in Switzerland, Italy and Spain.
The cMyC test correctly excluded a heart attack in 32 per cent of patients up to twice as many as troponin. At 15 per cent, the heart attack detection rate was the same for both.
Professor Mike Marber, also of Kings College London, said: This research is the first of its kind for cMyC. Weve shown that this test is not only just as good as the current test for working out who has had a heart attack, but its also much better at working out who hasnt.
Reckless sexual behaviour by divorcees is behind an increase in HIV cases among the over-50s, a major study suggests.
The diagnosis rate among older Britons rose by an average annual rate of 3.6 per cent over the 12 years to 2015, according to research in The Lancet.
This compares to a steady decline of 4 per cent a year among younger people.
Experts said the rise of HIV in older people was driven by heterosexual sex and could be due to a surge in silver splitters people over 50 who are newly single after leaving long-term relationships.
Iain Murtagh, chief executive of HIV and Aids support charity The Crescent, said: People are coming out of long-term relationships and thinking that condoms are only for contraception.
Experts said the rise of HIV in older people was driven by heterosexual sex and could be due to a surge in silver splitters people over 50 who are newly single after leaving long-term relationships (stock photo)
'So if theyre menopausal or have had a vasectomy or hysterectomy in their previous relationship, then contraception doesnt even cross their minds and they are acquiring HIV and other STIs as a consequence.
Many people arent aware HIV is still an issue, they think it has gone away, so they can be quite blase about protection.
Researchers from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control monitored HIV diagnoses in 31 European countries from January 2004 to December 2015.
Over the study period, 54,102 over-50s equivalent to 2.6 in every 100,000 were diagnosed with HIV.
While lower than the rate of 11.4 cases per 100,000 younger people, diagnosis rates fell among this age group dropped while it spiked among older Europeans.
In 2004, around 3.1 new cases per 100,000 people over 50 were diagnosed in the UK, but this increased to 4.3 per 100,000 by the end of the study.
Iain Murtagh, chief executive of HIV and Aids support charity The Crescent, said: People are coming out of long-term relationships and thinking that condoms are only for contraception' (stock photo)
Overall, the countries with the highest diagnosis rates in older people were Estonia, Latvia, Malta and Portugal.
Around one in six new cases of HIV diagnosed in Europe are now in over-50s. Lead author Dr Lara Tavoschi said: Our findings suggest a new direction in which the HIV epidemic is evolving.
This potentially is a result of older peoples low awareness of HIV and how it is transmitted, leading to misconceptions and low perception of their own risk.
She suggested routine testing by GPs could help crack down on the problem.
In a linked comment article, Professor Janet Seeley, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: Many older people are sexually active and their sexual health and behaviour affect HIV transmission.
Yet older adults have been largely neglected by the prevention community.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's senior aide saved the life of a desperately ill child by donating her kidney, it has emerged.
Karie Murphy, the left-wing party's chief of staff, has spoken about her selfless donation for the first time.
She was motivated to give up her organ after watching a heartbreaking advert.
But it didn't go without any hiccups, the mother-of-two required hospital treatment after catching an infection from the procedure.
Murphy, 53, is now encouraging healthy adults to donate their organs to help save the lives of those who may be in need.
Karie Murphy, the Labour's chief of staff, has spoken about her selfless kidney donation for the first time. She donated her organ in 2014
Speaking about her kind donation three years ago, the former nurse told The Daily Mirror: 'I'm not seeking recognition.
'I intended to keep it private, but this is one-off public interview to use my position to encourage others to think about what they could do to save lives.
'I'm healthy, I'm fit and I could do something to help. It was a personal choice, but I would love others to think of doing something similar.'
She added: 'I saw an advert on TV appealing for people to register as donors and it moved me quite profoundly.
'Having been 25 years in the NHS, it affected me deeply. I decided it was something I was going to do.'
Murphy, who was involved in the Falkirk vote-rigging row four years ago, made the altruistic donation in December 2014 at Guy's Hospital, London.
She decided she didn't want a relationship with the child - known as 'non-directed altruistic donation'. This was illegal until 11 years ago
It went to a child, whose identity is unknown, from the North East. The youngster is unaware of who the donor organ belongs to.
KIDNEY DONATIONS: THE FACTS In Britain and the US, the number of people choosing to donate an organ anonymously is growing year on year. Altruistic living donors do not have a recipient in mind but volunteer to donate a kidney to someone who is need of a transplant. In September, the NHS announced more than 500 people had helped save the life of stranger by sacrificing their organ while still alive. Changes in the law eleven years ago made it possible for individuals to become living donors to people in need of a transplant whom they do not know and have never met - a behaviour known as 'non-directed altruistic donation.' In years past, willing altruistic donors were often turned away because hospitals assumed that they were mentally unwell. It can be hard to understand why a person would sacrifice an internal organ for someone they may never meet. Advertisement
Altruistic living donors do not have a recipient in mind but volunteer to donate a kidney to someone who is need of a transplant.
She decided she didn't want a relationship with the child - known as 'non-directed altruistic donation'. This was illegal until 11 years ago.
Murphy did receive a thank-you card from the boy, sent through the NHS Blood and Transplant service in order to reach her.
Around 3,000 kidney transplants are undertaken each year in the UK, according to official NHS figures. In 2014, more than 17,000 took place in the US.
The operation is carried out when the kidney loses its ability to filter waste products from the blood. This can be life-threatening.
Those desperate for a new organ, but don't have a suitable living donor, are forced to wait for a suitable deceased kidney. Such waits can extend to five years.
Murphy's donation comes after scientists found people who donate a kidney to a complete stranger are motivated by their love of the human race.
They hold the welfare of those they have never even met in the same regard than their family and friends, Georgetown University researchers said.
A 47-year-old man fractured his penis during vigorous sex with his partner, a new medical report reveals.
The patient, who remains anonymous, claims he did not notice any symptoms until 12 hours later - despite it normally leaving most in agony.
Despite being aware of the 'snapping sensation', he was able to continue with intercourse and maintained his erection.
When the British man's penis and scrotum became bruised he became concerned and went to A&E. He also had blood in his urine which was painful to pass.
Dr Richard Viney, a consultant urological surgeon at The Bladder Clinic, Birmingham, told MailOnline that 'sexual gymnasts' are most at risk of penile fractures.
The patient, who remains anonymous, didn't notice any symptoms until 12 hours later - despite it normally leaving most in agony
Suspected penile fracture
Doctors at University College London Hospital struggled to examine the member of the patient as it was swollen and 'boggy' to touch.
But they assumed he had a penile fracture, which occurs when the appendage is subject to a sharp, blunt force trauma.
A team, led by Dr Conrad Brice von Stempe, performed an ultrasound to confirm their suspicions, they wrote in BMJ Case Reports.
The test showed a 2x3cm tear in the tubing of the right corpus cavernosum (sponge-like tissue which stores the blood during an erection).
Medics were able to confirm the penile fracture when they spotted a build-up of urine in the penis tissue and a haematoma - blood clot.
The patient was referred to the urology department for surgery, with the position of his injury marked on the skin of his penis.
Surgeons said he recovered within two weeks.
When are penile fractures likely?
Dr Viney said: 'People who try rather unusual positions, such as switching between reverse and normal cowgirl without dismounting, are most at risk.'
Cocaine users are also at an increased risk because they become over-enthusiastic during sex, Dr Viney warned.
Up to 90 percent of mugs in office kitchens are coated in disease-causing germs and 20 percent actually carry faecal matter, according to a biologist.
Bacteria from co-workers' waste matter is spread among clean cups by communal kitchen sponges that are rarely changed, he warns.
Using them infects them with coliform bacteria and E. coli, according to University of Arizona professor of environmental microbiology Dr Charles Gerba.
The expert, who has carried out previous studies investigating this, told New York Post: 'Coliform bacteria were present on 20 percent of the coffee cups before and 100 percent of the coffee cups after wiping with a dishcloth or sponge.
'No E. coli was found on cups prior to wiping. However, 20 percent of coffee cups were positive for E. coli after wiping.'
Bacteria from co-workers' faeces is spread among clean cups by communal kitchen sponges that are rarely changed warned a biologist (stock photo)
'The presence of insanitary conditions in office kitchen and/or coffee preparation areas is of concern.'
Coliform bacteria is present in faeces. E. coli is a type of these germs and infection can cause diarrhoea, blood in poo, vomiting, stomach cramps, and fever.
A small number of sufferers go on to develop a serious condition called haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) which can sometimes lead to kidney failure.
Dr Gerba, whose study was first published in the journal Dairy, Food and Environmental Sanitation, advises workers to take their mug home each night and putting it through the dishwasher.
Alternatively, he suggest investing in a 'small office cup washer' to improve hygiene standards.
In 2012, a study involving Dr Gerba, discovered men's offices had 'significantly' more bacteria than women's.
The research team identified more than 500 bacterial strains, which came from human skin, nasal, oral and intestinal cavities.
Chairs and phones had the most bacteria, while the desktop, keyboard and mouse were somewhat cleaner.
Dr Lisa Ackerley, a leading hygiene expert from the University of Salford, previously told MailOnline that studies have found 50 per cent of people do not wash their hands.
Its the simplest ways to spread disease. Even if they feel healthy they carry germs, like norovirus, which can infect others.
Usually after going to the toilet we have around 200 million bacteria per square inch on each hand.
And hands contaminated with viruses can transfer them to five more surfaces or 14 other subjects.
A cancer cluster is suspected after the deaths of six police officers in the District 5 unit of the Cincinnati, Ohio Police Department over the course of two years.
All of the officers were under the age of 60, and all of them spent a significant portion of their days working in the office of Cincinnati's fifth district.
Although the police department has not released names, police union president Dan Hils told FOX19 on Tuesday that there are more officers that have survived cancer in the unit as well.
The District 5 police station sits just on the other side of Interstate-75 from Mill Creek, which was declared 'the most endangered urban river in North America' by American Rivers in 1997.
The Cincinnati Police Department District 5 station, where 6 cops have been killed by cancer in the last two years, sits dangerously close to Mill Creek, once named 'the most endangered urban river in North America' by American Rivers
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Hils said 'those six people all lived very clean lives and were still young,' CNN reported.
Hils pleaded the city's mayor and city council members to arrange for the building to be shut down, and the District 5 police officers transferred elsewhere.
He requested that the relocation be complete by Christmas, and for there to be a plan of action in place by the end of October.
Hils said at the press conference that when the station was built it was supposed to be a 'temporary fix,' and the policemen were long told that they needed to be moved to another building.
Investigating cancer clusters According to the National Institute of Cancer, there are essentially four steps in the investigation of a cancer clusters. First, information has to be gathered on the number and types of cancer cases, the people diagnosed, and potential environmental concerns. This information is then compared to data on cancer and those affected by it in the state. If that comparison shows that there is a statistically significant difference in cancer rates in the suspected cluster and the rest of the state, it may be possible and necessary to do an epidemiological study. In many cases, a study isn't possible, especially if there aren't enough cases. Even if it is, determining if there is an environmental cause can take years. Advertisement
Meanwhile, city council member Charlie Winburn asked for the District 5 officers to be transferred within 30 days.
The Cincinnati police department in a statement said that the concern over the cancer cluster is a 'top priority' and that its staff is 'in the process of assessing temporary locations on a leased basis and are working toward a long term solution as well.'
The District 5 building, located at 1012 Ludlow Avenue, is near the historically polluted Mill Creek.
Though there have been efforts to clean up the creek in recent years, its banks were once home to soap and beauty product factories, pork packaging factories and General Electric, at the height of Cincinnati's manufacturing boom in the 19th and 20th Centuries.
The factories are gone but the waste they contributed to the creek could still be endangering the District 5 police officers.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a cancer cluster is any area where the incidence of cancer is higher than expected.
It warns that even if a cluster is confirmed, it may not be linked to any one cause, or may even be pure coincidence.
The NCI also reports that about 171 per every 100,000 die each year from cancer. Six police officers out the 129 working in District 5 have died in two years.
That puts the annual cancer death rate in the unit at nearly 14 times the national average.
As he heard more and more about cancer deaths from his colleagues Hils said in the press conference that 'without a PhD... just common sense,' he became concerned for the health of District 5 police officers.
Pregnant women with high blood pressure are twice as likely to have obese children, a study claims.
Researchers studied pregnant women and found their children were 49 percent more likely to suffer from obesity if their mother had high blood pressure during the second trimester.
Childhood obesity is a problem around the world with 42 million children obese in 2013.
This increases the risk the child will have future heart and blood pressure problems.
Experts recommend doctors to closely monitor blood pressure in the middle to end of someone's pregnancy to decrease the risk of childhood obesity developing in a child.
Pregnant mothers who have high blood pressure into their second and third trimester are more likely to have children who suffer from childhood obesity. Experts recommend doctors to monitor blood pressure closely to prevent risk of future obesity for the child (file photo)
Researchers from Qingdao University, China, and the University of Cambridge, UK, examined the blood pressure levels and weight of mother-child pairs in southeastern China from 1999 to 2013.
The mothers would have their blood pressure taken during each of the three trimesters of the pregnancy.
Follow-up visits of the children were done when they were between the ages of four to seven.
Among women who were hypertensive during the second trimester, their children were 49 percent more likely to be categorized as overweight or to have obesity compared to children of mothers who had lower blood pressure levels.
'Our study is the first to demonstrate that among pregnant women, elevated blood pressure is associated with a greater risk of overweight and obesity for their children,' said the study's first author, Dr Ju-Sheng Zheng, from Qingdao University.
'The risk still existed for children of women who didn't have hypertension, but whose blood pressure during pregnancy was at the high end of the normal range.'
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can cause a decrease in placental blood flow to the fetus, future cardiovascular disease and premature delivery.
Children of women with high blood pressure during the third trimester were 14 percent more likely to meet the criteria for overweight or obesity.
The mother's body size prior to pregnancy did not affect the association.
Childhood obesity has become an international public health problem.
An estimated 42 million children aged five and younger met the criteria for having obesity or being overweight, according to the World Health Organization's Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity.
This has increased from the 32 million children who suffered from it in 1990.
Childhood obesity can increase risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and musculoskeletal disorders.
'The results indicate that all pregnant women and their doctors should monitor and try to limit a substantial increase in blood pressure in mid-to-late pregnancy,' Dr Zheng said.
'This may help reduce the likelihood of their children being affected by obesity.'
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is looking to deepen military ties with India, after he held talks with leaders in the first cabinet rank official visit to the country under the Trump administration.
Potential sales of US jet fighters and surveillance drones that experts say are aimed at helping it rein in China's influence in the region are thought to have been discussed at the meeting in New Delhi.
The talks with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also covered ways to enhance and complement efforts to restore security in Afghanistan as Washington steps up its own military campaign against Taliban insurgents who have gained ground. Mattis is due to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, left, escorts US Defense Secretary James Mattis to Defense Ministry office for a delegation level meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, centre, inspects a guard of honour upon his arrival at the Indian Defense Ministry office
Ties between India and the United States have rapidly expanded with New Delhi buying weapons worth $15 billion over the last decade from the United States, moving away from traditional supplier Russia.
Last month, while outlining his new strategy for Afghanistan, Trump urged India to assist security efforts in Afghanistan.
Sitharaman said India would continue its efforts to reconstruct Afghanistan's infrastructure, but she ruled out sending Indian troops to the country.
So far, New Delhi has contributed around $3 billion toward building highways, power transmission lines and dams, as well as to aid public health and education in the war-ravaged country.
Mattis was in the Indian capital on Tuesday, marking the first visit to the country by a Cabinet-level official from President Donald Trump's administration
New Delhi will also enhance its efforts to train Afghan soldiers in counter-terrorism and help build its police forces, Sitharaman said.
The two defense ministers also discussed defense deals with India, one of the world's biggest defense equipment buyers. The talks focused on deals that involve the transfer of technology, with New Delhi pressing Washington to share technology and wanting to manufacture its own fighter jets.
Mattis said the talks covered ways to further enhance defense trade and technology collaboration between defense industries.
'We look forward to sharing some of our most advanced defense technologies through the defense technology and trade initiative,' he said, add that this would improve the capabilities of both militaries.
The talks with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman covered potential sales of US jet fighters and surveillance drones for the South China Sea
Sitharaman said India appreciates America's 'willingness to share further cutting-edge platforms which would enhance India's defense preparedness to meet current and emerging threats.'
The two sides also discussed maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, amid shared concerns about an increasingly aggressive China.
The United States, India and Japan annually conduct naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal to improve coordination between their navies.
In June the US government approved a deal to supply 22 Sea Guardian drone aircraft to the Indian navy, the first such clearance to a non-NATO ally.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis listens to a question during a joint press conference with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after their meeting in New Delhi
A US aircraft carrier group docked in Chennai as it begins a massive naval exercise with India and Japan amid the South China Sea dispute
The Indian navy has sought the unarmed drones to help it mount longer duration surveillance of the Indian Ocean where Chinese naval ships and submarines are making regular forays.
The United States has been critical of Chinas build-up of military facilities in the South China Sea and had suggested joint patrols with the Indian navy across the region. New Delhi has turned it down, fearing a Chinese backlash.
'China looms very large for both countries,' said Dhruva Jaishankar, a specialist on India-US relations at Brookings India.
'The strategic underpinning of India-US defence ties is in the common concerns they have over China, over its revisionism.'
The talks with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also covered ways to enhance and complement efforts to restore security in Afghanistan
The Indian air force has also asked for 90 armed Avenger Predator drones that experts say it could deploy to conduct cross-border strikes, for instance on camps of militants that it says exist on the Pakistan side of disputed Kashmir.
Such a sale would need White House and Congress approval, sources said. Pakistan and possibly China are likely to see such a sale as de-stabilising.
Vivek Lall, chief executive, US and International Strategic Development at General Atomics, the company that makes the drones, said it was pleased the Indian government had won approval for the surveillance version of the drone.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is also expected to discuss security in Afghanistan, military technology and a possible deal on fighter jets
'Not only will this platform enhance Indias capabilities in the areas of maritime domain awareness and security - but the interoperability with one of the US's most important strategic partners will contribute to security across the region,' he said.
The two sides are also expected to discuss Lockheed Martin's offer to build F-16 fighter planes in India as part of Modi's drive to build a domestic military industrial base.
Sweden's Saab is the other contender for the deal to supply at least 100 single engine combat planes to the Indian air force that the Modi administration wants to be built locally.
Ahead of Mattis's trip, the Pentagon stressed India's broader role in the region.
'The secretary will emphasise that the United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia,' it said.
In Congress a growing realisation to accommodate religion is making way for small changes and the leadership is making conscious efforts at wooing back the Hindu electorate.
On Monday Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi was seen offering prayers at Dwarkadhish Temple, kicking off his three-day Navsarjan Yatra in poll-bound Gujarat.
Following a slew of hectic meetings and public interactions, Rahul chose to end the day with a visit to the Navratri pandal, in Chandi Bazar, Jamnagar.
Vice President Rahul Gandhi visited poll-bound Gurarat to offer prayers at a temple to kick off Navsarjan Yatra
A senior party functionary said: 'There is an established perception that Congress is pro-minority hence rabidly anti-Hindu, which is absolutely false. From PM Narendra Modi's social media campaign to the BJP's propaganda, the main aim has been to spread false notions about the Congress.
'However, we as a party are as much to blame because we have not done anything to either clarify our position or to reach out the Hindu electorate. Over the years the party has drifted away from the Hindu electorate and it is time we make concerted efforts to win them back.'
'This has been raised in the party internal meetings and the top leadership is taking note of this. In coming polls, there will be a visible change of stance,' he added.
Congress has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for propaganda implying that its rival party is anti-Hindu, but Congress admits it 'should have done more'
When Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam had floated the Sant Mahant Congress cell in the city, a section of the party was taken aback by the move and had asked Nirupam to discuss the issue with Rahul before giving it a stronger push, sources in the party told Mail Today.
'Though that came more as a shocker to some leaders in the Congress, who too have begun believing in keeping a distance from the Hindu mainstream, just to appear pro-minority, the experiment seems to be working fine,' said a senior Congress leader.
Asked about the response to the Sant Mahant Congress since its formation in May, Nirupam explained: 'It has helped the party reconnect with Hindu saints and leaders. While being religious, one can also be secular.
Congress stance as a voice for the minorities alienated many in Hindu electorate which forms the majority of the population in India
'I would tell my colleagues to be religious. If we cannot stand up for our own religion, then how do we claim to stand for someone else's? Just because we have pledged support to the minorities, we don't need to abandon Hindus.'
'More than Congress distancing itself from the Hindus, the BJP's propaganda has made people believe that Congress is anti-Hindu.
'In our Know Your Legacy campaign, we are making a special effort to tell people that we believe in inclusive politics and stand by Hindus as much as we care for the Muslims or the Christians,' Nirupam pointed out that the party lost out on the Ram Temple issue as it distanced itself from the majoritarian Hindu demands.
'We can't now push Ram to BJP. They are only politicising in the name of Ram,' he added.
The Delhi Jal Board in west Delhi has shut its doors on all complaints regarding gutters overflowing with waste, choked lavatories and filthy drinking water supply.
As a result, the residents of Western Extension Area in Karol Bagh, Asia's biggest wholesale clothes and electronics market, which is home to over 4,000 households, 3,000 shops and 300 hotels, are living in conditions worse than most urban slums.
'We live in kothis worth crores of rupees in an area which was the original 'posh' colony of Delhi before south Delhi or Greater Kailash came up.
Modern suction equipment is available to do the life-endangering work, but it's expensive and 'poor men' will often do it on the cheap in Delhi but even they have been banned by the L-G
'And we don't even have the most basic civic facilities available to us,' said Atul Goyal, president of URJA, a confederation of Delhi RWAs, and a resident of Karol Bagh.
Goyal said the situation is getting worse by each passing day since the regional Jal Board office does not have jetting and suction machines to clean the choked sewers and they cannot hire private contractors who employ manual labour for such jobs.
Goyal said these machines should have been purchased years back things hardly move in a 'sarakari setup' unless there is a shakeup.
Speaking to Mail Today, DJB zonal engineer BS Chauhan said they are in a helpless situation.
'The L-G has ordered that labourers cannot go into manholes, so we are doing temporary drain cleaning in the old-style with long split-bamboo sticks. But it doesn't help much.'
Chauhan said the board does have suction and jetting machines but these were too big to be of use for manholes. 'We need smaller ones to get into all size lanes,' he said.
Jal Board officials said they are in the process of procuring 200 small suction machines and eight bigger such machines to deal with the situation, but refused to give further details.
An Indian city municipal worker attempts to unblock a sewer overflowing in New Delhi
Meanwhile, several west Delhi colonies continue to bear the stench and unhygienic surroundings.
The affected areas include prominent hospitals like Sir Ganga Ram and BLK Super Speciality; noted schools like GD Salwan and Ramjas, five-star hotels like Siddharath and premiere colleges like the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and National CSIR-National Physical Laboratory on Pusa Road.
Following a spate of 10 deaths of manual sewer cleaners, who were made to enter manholes sans safety equipment and died, L-G Anil Baijal had banned the practice in the Capital.
Blocked sewage has resulted in seepage on walls, overflowing gutters and dirty drinking water supply in Karol Bagh
The issue has assumed a political tinge as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recently took over the portfolio of water and is in effect the chairperson of DJB.
'The whole problem, as we understand, began with our 18- feet main sewer line or the trunk route up to Kishanganj, getting blocked few years back,' Goyal explained.
'DJB engineers rerouted the filth to an erstwhile storm water drain but did not create the right gradient (slope) for it.
'As a result, the silt would accumulate in the main trunk while only the liquid sludge would flow into the nallah,' he elaborated.
Satish Kumar, a local resident said, 'The sewage water leaks into water lines and, into our tap water.
Tragedy: One resident claimed, 'recently, I made tea with this but it smelled so bad, we had to throw it away'
'Of late, it has become unsuitable for even washing clothes. My 39-year-old daughter contracted typhoid four times in as many years.'
Another resident, Laxmi Devi said: 'In the morning, we have to wait for an hour before the dirt in the supply water settles down in the tanks before we can use it.
'Recently, I made tea with this but it smelled so bad, we had to throw it away.' Autumn rain has made the matter worse.
'The backflow is so bad in monsoons and, in fact, when- ever it rains, that it enters our rooms. My whole wooden furniture was destroyed last year and I spent several thousand replacing it,' a local trader Ajay Kapoor said.
Residents and shop-owners said their properties have developed severe seepage on walls as a result of accumulated sewage and water and they were forced to put up tiles everywhere.
CCTV footage of a woman clad in burqa, walking briskly in Lajpat Nagar's M block is believed to be the absconding accomplice of Ram Rahim the rapist godman, Honeypreet Insan.
She was spotted near the office of her counsel Pradeep Arya. Honeypreet, who moved anticipatory bail application in the Delhi high court, is on the wanted list of Haryana Police post the violence that occurred after Ram Rahim's conviction.
The HC after hearing the arguments, rejected her plea Tuesday. Haryana Police are trying to establish if the woman was Honeypreet by analyzing her walking style and the way she carried a hand bag in her left arm.
Haryana Police are trying to establish if the woman seen on CCTV was Honeypreet Insan
According to sources, the Haryana Police are in the possession of few videos and analysing them.
Police claim Honeypreet is on a constant move and changing her looks to avoid getting caught.
She has disguised herself in different looks, burqa is just one of those, an official said.
Meanwhile, after receiving the arrest warrant from Haryana Police, a raid was conducted at a house in GK-II at around 7.30 am in a bid to arrest Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, another close aide of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Haryana Police had earlier sounded an international alert against all three.
Indian spiritual guru, who calls himself Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan, arrives for a press conference ahead of the release of his new film MSG, The Warrior Lion Heart, in New Delhi, India
'The raid did not yield anything and only the caretaker was found at the residence,' said DCP (southeast) Romil Baaniya. Honeypreet is on the lookout by police in Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Bihar.
The video is from a CCTV near a lawyer's home. He claims that the 36-year-old had come to him for help seeking protection from arrest. A neighbour reportedly handed over the footage to the police.
On Tuesday, Panchkula police chief AS Chawla said: 'If she does not surrender by October 30, she will be declared a proclaimed offender.'
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a helicopter in which he was flown from Panchkula to Rohtak town
Later in the day, the Delhi HC heard Honeypreet's application for transit anticipatory bail where she told court that she was ready to join the investigation, but was scared of life threat after the recent violence.
She sought three week transit anticipatory bail anticipating her arrest. The HC asked if she was willing to surrender within 12 hours time, but her counsel insisted on granting her bail.
The HC then dismissed the application on the grounds that it was filed to gain more time and also observed that she was evading arrest
Honeypreet had accompanied Ram Rahim when he had come to the court on August 25.
An inquiry has been ordered into the violence in Banaras Hindu University (BHU), the vice-chancellor and Uttar Pradesh government confirmed on Tuesday.
Several students, including women and two journalists, were injured in a lathi-charge by police inside the university during a protest following a student's complaint that she was 'eve teased'.
While BHU V-C Girish Chandra Tripathi said he had ordered an inquiry headed by a retired high court judge, state government spokesperson and minister Srikant Sharma maintained it was a magisterial probe.
BHU students protest the police lathi-charge by shaving their heads
It was not clear whether there was one inquiry or two. 'I have ordered an inquiry into the incident. Retired Allahabad HC judge BS Dixit will head the panel,' Tripathi told PTI in the national Capital.
However, Sharma said, 'The BHU authorities have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incidents.'
Earlier, speaking to the media after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow, he had said a judicial inquiry had been ordered.
BHU Vice Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi talks to the media
Sharma clarified later, 'By mistake, I had said earlier that it will be a judicial inquiry. It is in fact a magisterial inquiry'.
He also said the government had on its part ordered a separate probe by the Varanasi commissioner and ADG police.
Tripathi, who was in New Delhi on Tuesday for the varsity's executive council meeting, said the violence was fanned by rumour mongering and outsiders.
He claimed the council's meeting was scheduled a long time ago and the violence did not figure on its agenda.
VC Tripathi brushed aside allegations of gender bias in the central university
Tripathi also brushed aside allegations of gender bias in the central university, suggesting the perception may have to do with the fact that authorities were more concerned about the security of women than men.
Tripathi said he had been keeping Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar updated on the issue from the very beginning.
'We have the footage in which outsiders can be clearly seen at the protest. Rumour mongering escalated the protests.
'Rumours were spread that girls have been asked to vacate the hostels and those who were not involved in the protests also joined it,' he said.
The student's anger has been blamed on 'rumour mongering'
The trigger was a woman student of the Arts faculty alleging harassment by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.
The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the V-C at his residence.
As opposition parties targeted the BJP over the police action on the campus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on Monday spoke to Adityanath and asked him to address the issue at the earliest.
Sharma said the CM has taken the matter very seriously. He accused the Opposition of trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere.
'If they wish to do politics, they should do it with us and not with students. They should keep away from holding agitations in campuses,' he said.
Referring to the lathi-harge, he said, 'We are identifying those outsiders who are using the students to do politics and also identifying those who-indulged in lathi-charge.
A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a Billings man who admitted trafficking meth as part of a large Fishtail-based conspiracy to four years in prison.
Kenneth George Kramer, 60, pleaded guilty earlier to conspiracy to possess meth for distribution for his role in a trafficking ring that brought about 178 pounds of the drug to the community from Arizona.
U.S. District Judge Susan Watters accepted a plea deal that called for a sentencing range of three years to five years and ordered Kramer to spend four years in prison. Kramer faced a guideline range of about six years to more than seven years.
Prosecutor Colin Rubich recommended a five-year term saying Kramer got meth from Fishtail resident Merrill Clark Gardner, a local ring leader who was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison, and redistributed it and used the drug.
Defense attorney Penny Strong argued for a three-year sentence saying Kramer was a hard-working family man who has medical issues. She also disputed the governments assertion that Kramer was one of Gardners largest distributors.
Kramer made no comment.
Watters said that while Kramer denied being one of Gardners biggest distributors, the case agent believed otherwise.
The judge noted Kramers minimal criminal record and that he has worked most of his life. She also recommended Kramer to drug treatment while in prison saying hes been using meth one to two times a week since he was 17.
Earlier, Rubich said Kramer was an active participant in the Fishtail conspiracy, in which Gardner bought pounds of meth from Arizona supplier Juan Carlos Dorado from about 2012 until October 2015.
Gardner used couriers to make drug runs and money deliveries to Dorado and to deliver to local suppliers, including Kramer. Gardner regularly delivered pound quantities to Kramer, Rubich said.
Watters sentenced Dorado to more than 11 years in prison in August for his conviction in the case.
The Army on Tuesday said it had thwarted a bid by the Pakistan Army's Border Action Team (BAT) to target Indian personnel in Keran sector of Jammu and Kashmir on the eve of the first anniversary of surgical strikes across the LoC last year.
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat said they would also visit Kashmir and review the security situation in the Valley where violence levels are expected to rise after the apple season finishes in the next fortnight.
'There were intelligence inputs that Pakistani terrorists and the Pakistan Army would try to carry out a major attack against Indian Army posts on the anniversary of surgical strikes and troops were asked to be on high alert all along the LoC,' an Army officer told Mail Today.
Indian paramilitary troopers looks on near a brief gunfight between militants and Indian government forces on the outskirts of Srinagar on September 14
'This is why when seven to eight BAT personnel tried to intrude in the Kupwara sector near a post under the 268 Infantry Brigade, they were spotted early on by our troops and pushed back,' he added.
To help these intruders sneak in, the Pakistan Army also allegedly started firing at the Indian posts using mortars and small arms, but that too failed to help their objective of causing damage to Indian posts and personnel.
'Till last reports came in, firing at the posts was still on and Indian troops were effectively retaliating,' a source said.
The Indian Army said it has not suffered any casualties during the attack and it would be able to ascertain the damage done to the opposite side only after a few days.
Border Action Team planned to target Indian personnel in Keran sector of J&K, the Army said
Sources said the four terrorists, who had tried to launch an attack in Uri sector two days back but were eliminated by troops, were also part of the same outfit.
'They had come dressed in Indian Army uniform and had shaved their beards to look like Indian troops and the arms cache found with them shows that they could have caused major damage if they had not been spotted and eliminated,' the source said.
Army sources said that more than 150 terrorists have been eliminated by security forces ever since Gen Bipin Rawat took over as the chief of army staff in January and there is a possibility that the number of kills will go up as the apple season is coming to an end.
'With this, the visibility in the hinterland in the orchards will go up and terrorists, who hide there, would be visible from a distance making it easy for us to take them down,' a source said.
The terrorists would also be making desperate attempts to sneak into Indian territory as winter is approaching and the traditional infiltration routes would also be snow laden making it difficult to get in.
This would also give troops an opportunity to block the entry at the LoC itself as the Army has been quite successful in blocking terrorists' entry in a big way this year.
Black cat entry in Valley creates a flutter in the Army
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu
It has been Kashmir's best kept secret for at least a month now - the mini National Security Guard (NSG) hub-cum-regional training centre in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), where the Black Cats will soon be training security forces in the terror-hit region with a focus on urban core operation, urban warfare and room intervention.
Sources said the decision was taken by the ministry of home affairs, but setting up of the base was kept low key.
DGP Sudhir Pratap Singh confirmed that the NSG had been deployed for training purpose, but refused to comment further on it. However, the latest entrant in the trouble-torn state has caused a flutter and debate within the forces.
Due to the Armys apprehnesion, the NSG have been limited to train CRPF and the J&K Police
Initially brought into the Valley for operational purpose, there seemed to be an opposition from certain quarters in the army and security forces.
Due to this, the NSG team has been now been limited to train security personnel of CRPF and the J& K Police.
High level sources confirmed to Mail Today that 'a Company (40 personnel) of Black Cats commandos of the NSG have been camping at the CRPF pre-induction training centre in Lethapora, near Srinagar, for close to a month, though any sort of training is yet to begun'.
NSG's 51 Special Action Group (SAG), tasked to carry out anti-hijack and anti-terror operations, are currently stationed in south Kashmir.
A top source said 'the army has been opposing it tooth and nail' as the security forces operating in the Valley are divided on utility of Black Cats in counter-terror operations.
Despite being considered best in uniform to deal with counter-terror operations, the NSG was not called on August 26 during a suicide attack unleashed by three Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist at the District Police Line, Pulwama.
The terrorists were holed up in two blocks, but not once did any of the forces on ground feel the need to involve the NSG, who were only a few kilometres away.
An army officer deployed in counter-terror operations in south Kashmir told MAIL TODAY, 'With regards to insurgency, the army has always dealt with counter-terror operations while the NSG deals only with the operations once every few years.'
A senior CRPF officer too echoed the sentiment, saying: 'There are already multiple agencies working in the Valley. It will lead to a further confusion if NSG is added as force multiplier.'
The NSG has trained state police's Special Operations Group (SOG) last December at their headquarters in Manesar. While Kashmir has largely been out of bound for NSG commandos, the initial steps may change the counter-terror scenario in the state, which has largely been infested by Pakistan-backed terror groups.
China's President Xi Jinping looks on
While the Doklam incident is over and many still rejoice that India 'won' the battle, some uncertainty remains. And if corrective measures are not taken from the Indian side, it is clear that similar incidents will happen again with a different outcome the next time.
There is no doubt that China has started analysing the incident too. In this context it is interesting to look at the changes which have taken place in the Chinese defence forces since an agreement was found between Beijing and Delhi on Doklam.
First, it is obvious that China may remain belligerent for some time, partly because China had to withdraw from the Bhutanese territory without being able to build a road.
A meeting between the two heads of state was said to be positive and overrun by half an hour as the BRICS summit came to a close
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan greet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the welcoming banquet for the BRICS Summit, in Xiamen, China
For example, the Communist media, particularly The Global Times, has gone ballistic against the Indian Army Chief: 'Rawat has such a big mouth that he could ignite the hostile atmosphere between Beijing and New Delhi.
'He not only turns a blind eye to international rules, but also made us see the arrogance probably prevailing in the Indian Army.'
Attack
For Beijing, attack remains the best form of defence, but vital changes have taken place within the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
On the positive side, some officials in Beijing seem to realise that aggression can lead China nowhere.
Maj Gen Qiao Liang, one of the best known military strategists and the co-author of Unrestricted Warfare, a book which created waves in strategic circles in the West, wrote in The Global Times: 'We should spare no efforts to avoid pushing the country into a war as peace is the best outcome.'
Qiao continued: 'Road construction in this area is not a matter of right and wrong, but we need to understand that it's not always right to do something right at any time.
'Only doing the right thing at the right time is correct resorting to war is irresponsible. Whenever there may be a way to solve a conflict without war, war should be avoided.'
At the same time, Xi Jinping, the Chairman of the all-powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), has undertaken an overhaul of the defence forces.
A formation soldiers from the PLA's Rocket Force, which controls the nation's arsenal of nuclear and conventional ballistic missiles, shout pledges of loyalty during the parade, which are part of the celebrations of the 90th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army
A few weeks before the Party's 19th Congress (scheduled to start on October 18), new faces have appeared on the scene; a massive reshuffle of the PLA's generals, not only at the Group Army (Corps) level but also at the top of the hierarchy, is ongoing.
Analysts believe that Xi is promoting his favourites to PLA's top posts to gain absolute control over the military; in the process, two top generals got sacked hardly a month before retiring.
Gen Fang Fenghui, the equivalent of the US Chief of Defence Staff, was replaced as Chief of the PLA's Joint Staff Department by Gen Li Zuocheng, a Xi protege.
Fang and Gen Zhang Yang, another CMC member, will not even participate in the forthcoming Congress.
The rumour mill said that they were being 'investigated', a term not usually auguring well for the targeted person.
This may indicate bad days ahead for the generals.
An Indian soldier (L) and his Chinese counterpart stand still before a ceremony marking the re-opening of the China-India border at the 15,000-feet (4,545-metre) Nathu La Pass
Impermanence
By mid-October, out of 11 members of the CMC, only two may remain, the Chairman and Gen Xu Qiliang, one of the two serving vice-chairmen.
Note that in China, unlike democratic India, there is no fuss about 'seniority'; superseded generals have only to learn the meaning of 'impermanence'.
Remember the case of Lt Gen Yang Jinshan, a former Deputy Commander of the former Chengdu Military Region (MR), who served several years in Tibet. He was a rising star of the PLA; in 2012, he was even promoted to Central Committee, the Party's top heaven; at that time, he was senior to his direct boss, Li Zuocheng, who then commanded the MR.
Today, Yang Jinshan is languishing jail, being 'investigated' while Li Zuocheng is the powerful Chief of the Joint Staff Department. On September 1, Gen Han Weiguo, only 61, was appointed commander of the PLA Army and Gen Ding Laihang, 60, commander of the PLA Air Force (PLAAF).
Gen Han served in Fujian in the 1980s at the time Xi was Deputy Mayor of Xiamen, while Gen Ding's career also overlapped when the latter was Governor of Fujian Province.
Surprises
The recently-released list of PLA's delegates to the 19th Congress had some surprises. The 303 'elected' members belong to 31 different units, compared with 19 in 2012; one example, the new PLA Rocket Force is now represented.
More than 90 per cent of those 'elected' will be first-time attendees, representing a new generation of officers who will owe their rise to Chairman Xi only.
Further, according to The Asia Times, the ethnicity factor still plays a negative role in promotions: 'While sweeping military change is on the cards at China's upcoming communist party Congress, few expect ethnic minority officers from unstable regions to make top brass.'
Though there is a slight rise in the number of 'ethnic' delegates (6 per cent of the delegates are ethnic minority officers, from 4.6 per cent in 2012), their number is relatively small and they don't occupy important post.
The Asia Times noted: 'The Manchus and Tibetans will each send three delegates, while the Uyghur, Hui and Tujia will each put forward two. The Zhuang, Xibe, Korean, Qiang, Bai and Naxi ethnicities will each send one delegate to the Congress.'
This remains the PLA's Achilles' heel.
The future of the relations between India and China is undoubtedly linked to the outcome of the seismic changes in the PLA.
India should not only watch carefully, but also get its acts together, particularly in the field of border infrastructure.
Indian soldiers killed a large number of militants in a gunfight along the country's restive border with Myanmar, the army confirmed on Wednesday.
A statement posted by the army's eastern command on Twitter said its offensive had resulted in 'heavy casualties' to insurgents on the Indian side of the border.
'A column of Indian army, while operating along the Indo-Myanmar border, was fired upon,' it said.
Indian soldiers killed a large number of militants in a gunfight along the country's restive border with Myanmar, the army confirmed on Wednesday (file pic)
'Indian troops fired in retaliation, killing 'a large number' of militants. No Indian soldier was killed in the firefight, the statement added.
The military added that the insurgents belonged to the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplan, a radical group seeking a 'Greater Nagaland' for the Naga tribe within India and in neighbouring Myanmar.
The Indian army has been battling dozens of separatist militant groups in the northeast for several years.
In 2015, some 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a militant ambush near the Myanmar border, prompting a fierce army counter-offensive.
Much of India's border region with Myanmar is porous and government authority there is considered weak.
Myanmar is also plagued by multiple insurgencies in its border regions, most notably in Rakhine state where it has launched a violent crackdown against Rohingya Muslims over the past month forcing more than 450,000 to flee to other countries
Naga terror camp smashed by Army
Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat
In its ongoing effort to destroy the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) cadre, the Indian Army Special Forces on Wednesday caused 'heavy damage' to the terrorist group in an operation close to the international border with Myanmar in Indian territory.
The operation was carried out by the 12 Para (Special Forces), which is responsible for carrying out operations in Nagaland and areas along the Indo-Myanmar border.
Army headquarters maintained that Indian troops did not cross the border, but sources said the incident was an attempt by the government to completely break down the NSCN (K) terrorist group, which was facing a leadership vacuum after the death of its leader S S Khaplang in Myanmar earlier this year.
'The Khaplang faction also wants to show that it is still in reckoning and wanted to carry out action to tell the world that it was still intact and capable of carrying out attacks on the security forces,' the sources said.
The army also maintained that it would not be able to give a figure on the number of terrorists killed in the action, but sources said it was quite significant.
This is the second such strike the army has carried out along the border. In June 2015, the army had targeted NSCN-K camps days after the group's militants ambushed and killed 18 Indian soldiers in Manipur.
The Wednesday's strike also coincides with the anniversary of India's surgical strike on terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Uri terror attack last year.
Army chief Bipin Rawat had said earlier this week that India may conduct more surgical strikes 'if needed'.
'The strikes were a message we wanted to communicate. I think they understood what we meant. These things could follow, if required,' he said.
The abrogated the ceasefire it signed in 2001 with the Indian government, on March 27, 2015, just a month before the truce was up for renewal.
'Backbone of militancy broken in Kashmir'
Major General B S Raju
The backbone of armed militancy in Kashmir is virtually broken, and now a great deal of political wisdom is needed to ensure that a lasting solution to the decades-long separatist problem is found, the army commander of the key South Kashmir area has said.
'There is no semblance of any space where militants or separatists are in control. Militants are in self-preservation mode,' Major General B S Raju, the head of Victor Force that performs counter-insurgency operations in five districts of south Kashmir said.
He said his focus now is on ensuring that there are no new recruitment into the militant cadres and reaching out to the people to convince them that the army is there to help, for which his troops have already embarked on a series of projects in schools and colleges.
'Overall, most people want a solution. They want to get out of this cycle of violence,' said Raju, the general officer commanding of Victor Force, based in Awantipora, about 33 km south of Srinagar.
South Kashmir was known as the Ground Zero of Jammu and Kashmir militancy with the highest number of attacks on security forces recorded here last year.
But 73 militants have been killed this year in this region alone, more than twice the average number in previous years.
An ambitious roadmap drawn up by the Delhi Traffic Police to unclog the city's arterial roads has run into yet more bureaucratic barriers.
Following an extensive study of busy intersections across Delhi, the traffic police early this year had identified 77 problematic intersections which would require either widening of roads or removal of obstructions such as old trees and pedestrian paths.
The police also secured the approval of the Lieutenant Governor for these 77 projects but the PWD has managed to initiate work at just four of them thus far.
Huge traffic jam at Dhaula Kuan after heavy rain in New Delhi
After rain traffic jam at Ring Road Near I.G.I Stadium ITO in New Delhi
The rest of the 73 intersections will have to wait longer for decongestion measures to start.
'Just four of them, at Aurobindo Marg, Mathura Road, Dhaula Kuan and Savitri flyover, were sanctioned by the PWD and are near completion,' Ajay Kashyap, special commissioner of police (traffic), told Mail Today.
According to Kashyap, work on at least six major roads including the severely congested Rao Tula Ram Marg remained stuck with the PWD, resulting into worsening of bottlenecks in south Delhi and adjoining areas.
These routes also contribute to the heavy traffic on NH-8 leading to IGI Airport and Gurugram.
The top trouble spots identified by the police team included Nelson Mandela Marg between Ambience mall to Priya Cinema; Dhaula Kuan to Sanjay t-point; Hyatt hotel to Dhaula Kuan on Ring Road; Moti Bagh to RTR flyover; CRD Chowk to Dera More on MG road; Sarita Vihar to Kalindi Kunj; MB road to IGNOU Chowk and; Lado Sarai to Pul Phaladpur on MB road.
These points choked traffic moving to and from Vasant Vihar, Vasant Kunj, Mahipalpur, south campus, IGI airport terminal 1 and 3, Saket, Khanpur, Badarpur and other several localities up to Kalindi Kunj.
The situation gets the worst during morning and evening peak hours. According to Kashyap, these stretches bear the load of more than 30 lakh vehicles every day and therefore the traffic police was keen that the obstructions highlighted need to be addressed on an urgent basis.
'We have written several letters to departments concerned to initiate the required measures for timely completion of these road projects. So far, it is not happening as per our expectations,' Kashyap said.
'We are responsible only for traffic management on roads; forcing a government body to complete the projects is not in our hand. We can only request the L-G for approval of remaining projects and push PWD officials to complete the same,' Kashyap said.
PWD officials said the department was studying the 'choking points' and the proposals to decongest them.
'These 77 choke points are under our scrutiny. The main culprits are encroachments on these stretches,' Ashwani Kumar, principal secretary of PWD told Mail Today.
Kumar said, 'Majority of those places come under civic agencies and they are addressing the issues.
'The PDW has done some of the works like removal of trees on Aurobindo Marg and other congested stretches... we are seized of the matter at other stretches too and are looking to resolve the issue soon.'
PDW is also blamed for botching up some of the projects. At Aurobindo Marg, about 29 old trees were recommended to be removed by traffic department by uprooting and replantation method.
However, PWD's horticulture department took up the easy way and chopped off the trees, leading to an outcry.
Traffic Police had placed the 77 trouble spots under three categories. There were 28 places identified as A category obstructions leading to continuous heavy traffic jam spilling over to other routes.
The B category comprised 30 spots with medium obstructions for limited hours while remaining 19 under C category caused mild obstructions.
The troubled stretches included 11 Murti to Dhaula Kuan on Sardar Patel Marg; Outer Circle Connaught Place to GPO and Windsor place to GPO on Ashoka Road; and Ring Road Crossing to Mathura Road Crossing on Bhairon Marg.
US Secretary of defence Jim Mattis is in India for his first official visit to the country as a member of the Trump administration.
The Pentagon has underlined that 'the secretary will emphasise that the United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia' and 'will also express US' appreciation for India's important contributions toward Afghanistan's democracy, stability, prosperity, and security.'
Statement
The Pentagon's statement is a clear reflection of how dramatically America's views have changed on India's role in Afghanistan.
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis (left) speaking with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in New Delhi
For a long time, Washington did not prefer a high-profile role for India in Afghanistan for fear of offending Pakistani sensitivities.
India's engagement in Afghanistan grew despite all this. But as India emerged a serious economic player in Afghanistan and Pakistan continued with its destabilising activities, Washington had to recognise that Delhi's role in Kabul is a net positive one.
And now the Trump administration, while announcing its new Afghan policy, had asked India to do more to help Afghanistan with its developmental needs.
An important part of Donald Trump's engagement in the region is his outreach to India, saying a 'critical part' of his administration's South Asia policy is to further develop US' strategic partnership with India.
'We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the US, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development,' Trump said, underlining India's role in Afghanistan In line with this, Mattis has engaged with his Indian interlocutors on how to synergise Indo-American efforts in stabilising Afghanistan.
Mattis' visit is coinciding with the Indo-Afghan trade and investment show, which is being facilitated by the MEA and USAID.
US Secretary of defence Jim Mattis is in India for his first official visit to the country as a member of the Trump administration
It will see the participation of Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other ministers in New Delhi this week. Afghanistan's President Ashraf are responsible for instability and war in Afghanistan.
Ghani has made it clear that despite his attempts to reach out to Pakistan many times, his demand for peace was not accepted by Islamabad.
In India, Mattis reaffirmed that 'there can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens anywhere' and underlined that both the US and India have suffered 'grievous losses' due to terrorism.
New Delhi has stepped up its engagement with Kabul with its plans to train Afghan police officers along with Afghan soldiers.
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman made it clear that while India won't be putting boots on the ground, it will be enhancing its ongoing security, economic and developmental assistance to Afghanistan.
India's agenda is to build capacity of Afghan security forces, enabling them to fight their own battles more effectively. India has decided to take up 116 'high impact community developmental projects' in 31 provinces of Afghanistan.
Pakistan PM SK Abbasi's recent statement that India has 'zero political and military role' in Afghanistan has little meaning when the Afghan government and its global supporters want an intensified engagement by India.
And India is signalling that it intends to play its role without taking cognisance of Pakistani shenanigans.
Engagement
The other element of Mattis' visit has been a focussed India-US defence engagement. Defence ties have been growing rapidly between the two democracies and have been one of the most important factors propelling the relationship.
The US Congress had passed an amendment in December 2016 called 'Enhancing Defence and Security Cooperation with India', which conferred on India the status of America's 'major defence partner', a designation which was reaffirmed by the Trump administration during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US earlier this year.
The US already conducts the maximum number of bilateral exercises with India, including the Malabar series, which has now taken a trilateral structure with Japan being a permanent invitee.
The ambitious Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) remains the key platform to elevate the India-US defence relationship from a buyer-seller engagement to a partnership model, working to co-develop and produce key defence technologies.
Mattis asserted that the US was looking forward to 'sharing some of our most advanced defence technologies' with India
Partner
Mattis said the designation of India as a major defence partner reflected the recognition of India as a 'pillar of regional stability and security'.
Doing away with the reticence of the past, Mattis asserted that the US was looking forward to 'sharing some of our most advanced defence technologies' with India.
The Trump administration is interested in selling F-18 and F-16 fighter planes to India, built by American companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin respectively.
Both companies have offered to assemble these planes in India as part of Modi's 'Make in India' campaign.
More significant is the sale of 22 Sea Guardian Unmanned Aerial Systems which was announced during PM Modi's visit to the US earlier this year.
With this deal, the Navy will not only acquire the world's most advanced maritime reconnaissance drone, a shot in the arm for the country's maritime surveillance, but also lead to greater sharing of defence technology.
The US' willingness to sell the Sea Guardian underlines the willingness of Washington to transfer some of its most sensitive military technologies to New Delhi.
Against the backdrop of a rising China, the two countries have also reiterated the critical importance of freedom of navigation, over-flight and unimpeded lawful commerce in the global commons.
Both Trump and Modi have made strong counter-terror policies a cornerstone of their foreign policies.
And the two nations are looking to evolve a robust counter-terror partnership by cooperating on areas as wide-ranging as providing border technologies, enhancing intelligence exchanges as well as greater technical support by the US to Indian law enforcement agencies.
Mattis, a long-time friend of India, has sent all the right signals about the priorities of the Trump administration.
It remains to be seen how these aspirations will be operationalised at a time when Washington is grappling with multiple domestic and global challenges
When it came to selling the home they had lived in for 30 years, Colin and Ann Erskine felt they'd made the right choice in trusting a local estate agent in Burnham-on-Sea.
The service seemed pricey they'd have to hand over 1.5 per cent of the 179,950 sale price for their three-bed semi, or around 2,700 but the smooth-talking agent from Saxons assured them they were getting a great deal.
As promised, the sale in May 2014 went through smoothly, and the Erskines now live in a smaller house in the town. What the agent didn't tell them, though, was that his fees had been artificially inflated.
Last week it emerged that six estate agencies in Burnham-on-Sea, on the Somerset coast, had that year struck a secret deal to rip off local home-sellers.
Property swindle: Six estate agencies in Burnham-on-Sea, on the Somerset coast struck a secret deal to rip off local home-sellers
In a series of clandestine meetings in 2014, senior employees at supposedly rival firms in the area conspired to set up an illegal cartel.
Each agreed to keep their commissions at a minimum of 1.5 per cent above the more common level of 1 per cent.
This kind of arrangement is against the law because it makes it impossible for people to shop around for the best deal. But unless an agent slips up, the scam can be almost impossible for house sellers to detect.
Colin, 67, found out that he had been a victim only when he was approached by Money Mail last week.
'I feel betrayed,' the car MOT inspector says. 'The agent pocketed my hard-earned money and ripped us off. How was I to know that there was this seedy deal going on behind the scenes?
'It's the last thing you would think of happening in a small place like Burnham-on-Sea.'
So how on earth did this quiet seaside town get embroiled in a price-fixing scandal that has hit the newspaper headlines?
And could it be that unscrupulous estate agents in other parts of the country are up to the same tricks?
Apology: Charles Clark with his Tory MP wife Rebecca Pow
When Money Mail visited Burnham-on-Sea's blustery promenade last week, it became clear just how easy it would have been for the cartel to operate.
Just a few yards from the seafront is a narrow one-way road where all six estate agent offices were based when they colluded in 2014: Abbott And Frost, Annagram Estates, Gary Berryman, Greenslade Taylor Hunt, Saxons PS Ltd and West Coast Property Services. Some are still just doors from each other on the High Street.
Documents published by watchdogs last week revealed that representatives from each company had met on nine occasions in a 13-month period.
Often these meetings were held in the offices of Greenslade Taylor Hunt, which is also a respected auction house. The firm's chairman this week told Money Mail that the meetings had been arranged by his partner without his knowledge.
There, the conspirators drew up a monthly rota so that each company took it in turns to make sure the others stuck to the agreement. This role was even given the name of the cartel 'policeman'.
According to local shopkeepers, many of the company directors socialised together and were members of the Burnham-on-Sea local Lions club, the community volunteering society.
Ordinarily, estate agents should compete with rivals on their charges and they should be negotiable.
After valuing a property, agents should explain to the vendor what they charge for arranging the sale. It can be anywhere between 0.75 per cent and 3 per cent of the sale price.
But HomeOwners Alliance, the property lobby group, recommends that sellers haggle and accept no more than a 1 per cent fee.
Emails between the estate agents involved in the plot show that savvy sellers in Burnham-on-Sea were routinely forcing them to accept lower fees than they wanted. In one exchange, an agent with Gary Berryman said that by agreeing to keep their prices high, all would be 'better off than we are now, scrabbling around at 1 per cent and 1.25 per cent.'
Many of the meetings were held in the offices of Greenslade Taylor Hunt where Charles Clark, husband of local Tory MP Rebecca Pow, is chairman
The email continued: 'I think that with a bit of trust, a bit of co-operation and some goodwill, we will all improve our businesses, enjoy our working day that bit more and start to actually make some money!'
It was vital that all firms were in agreement. 'Unless we get everyone on board, we will only expose ourselves,' said a representative of Greenslade Taylor Hunt in another email.
The employees went on to exchange dozens of emails congratulating each other on their ingenuity and bragging about the illegal enterprise.
A senior worker at Saxons thanked his counterpart at Gary Berryman for arranging the meetings, saying: 'Let us hope that by year end, our balance sheets are showing a very healthy increase in income!'
The conspirators called it a 'gentleman's agreement'. And at first it worked wonders for the agencies, as Colin can testify. When he tried to haggle over the commission fee, the agent replied sternly: 'This is not negotiable. We can go no lower than 1.5 per cent.'
The father-of-one, who still works to support his wife, Ann, 67, says: 'Maybe I was a bit naive because I took the agent at face value. I thought he was a nice chap and I chose to trust him.'
The cartel was successful for 13 months until one of the agents, C.J. Hole (a trading name for Annagram Estates Ltd) decided to blow the whistle.
In 2015, one of its representatives approached the Competition and Markets Authority, the consumer watchdog, and the scam quickly began to unravel.
An illegal cartel is classified as 'when two or more businesses agree not to compete with each other', the markets regulator says.
These rules are laid out in the Competition Act 1998, and the firms in Burnham-on-Sea clearly broke the regulations.
Five of the six estate agents were fined a total of 370,084 for their involvement and they have since issued public apologies.
Stung: Colin and Ann Erskine trusted a local estate agent in Burnham-on-Sea who asked for 1.5 per cent of the 179,950 sale price for their three-bed semi - around 2,700
Annagram Estates Limited (trading as C.J. Hole) was not fined because it was the first to confess.
Since then, some sellers have been reimbursed 0.5 per cent of their sale price by the individual agents.
Under these compensation arrangements, Colin and Ann Erskine would be entitled to 900. But like other customers of Saxons, they have been left out of pocket, because the firm closed all three of its offices at the start of the year.
Its director, Graham Thompson, told Money Mail that poor health had led him to close his business and he refused to speak about the customers who were charged 1.5 per cent when the cartel was in operation.
By contrast, Charles Clark, chairman of Greenslade Taylor Hunt the firm most heavily penalised by the watchdog gave us a grovelling apology.
Mr Clark is the husband of local Tory MP Rebecca Pow, who served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the housing minister before the General Election earlier this year. The MP for Taunton Deane is now the Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Mr Clark said he was 'horrified' to discover that his business partner had been embroiled in the wrongdoing, but insisted that the man had operated alone.
'I suspect how this happened is that towns are small, agents are often all grouped within a few buildings of each other, so you bump into your mate in the street and he says: 'Blimey, we're exhausting each other by constantly driving the prices down, shouldn't we try to hold them?'
'But we know you absolutely shouldn't do that businesses cannot gang up and deprive the customer of choice.'
Greenslade Taylor Hunt was fined 170,549, almost twice as much as any other agency involved. Mr Clark, a Cambridge-educated, seventh-generation auctioneer, says: 'To think my company was involved is mortifying. The employee in question has been severely sanctioned and no longer works on residential sales, but he remains a partner in the business.
'His motivation was so that his office didn't lose money. But he knows he was absolutely wrong.'
Cartel: Five of the six estate agents were fined a total of 370,084. Annagram Estates Limited (trading as C.J. Hole) was not fined because it was the first to confess
There is no official compensation scheme for sellers affected.
Mr Clark has waited for customers to contact his offices and dealt with them on a case by case basis, reimbursing some by around 0.5 per cent of the agreed sale price.
Disturbingly, the scandal in Burnham-on-Sea could be the tip of an iceberg. In emails between the agents in the cartel, one alleged the practice was commonplace.
He had 'attended many meetings for agents to agree on increasing fees' throughout his career, he said.
Another said that he had had previous experience with price-fixing, but the arrangements were short-lived: 'Inevitably, someone always breaks ranks, but I still believe it is worth it.'
This is not the first time estate agents conspiring for illegal profit have been caught in the act.
In 2015, the CMA (Competition & Markets Authority) watchdog found an association of estate agents in Hampshire had blocked members from advertising their discounted fees in the local newspaper. They were fined 775,000 for stifling competition.
At the time, the CMA said it had received complaints of similar conduct in other parts of the UK.
A spokesman for the CMA refused to say whether it was looking into other cases or following up the allegations of more widespread corruption made by the conspirators in Burnham-on-Sea.
However, in a statement it said it thought the estate agent industry 'does not properly understand the seriousness of anti-competitive conduct and the consequences of breaking competition law'.
The scandal in Burnham-on-Sea could be the tip of an iceberg - in emails between the agents in the cartel, one alleged the practice was commonplace
Stephen Blake, senior director of cartel enforcement at the CMA says: 'Cartels are a form of cheating. They are typically carried out in secret to make you think you are getting a fair deal, even though the businesses involved are conspiring to keep prices high.
'We have taken action against estate agents before, and remain committed to tackling competition law issues in the sector.'
James Munro, head of the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team, says: 'It is crucial estate agents are aware of their competition law obligations.
'As the industry regulator, we use cases like this as a trigger to assess the fitness of an individual or business to engage in estate agency work. This can lead to a formal warning or lifetime ban in engaging in this work.'
David Powell, operations director at Berryman estate agents, says the firm has pro-actively contacted clients affected by the cartel and paid a 'substantial sum' in compensation.
The other agencies implicated Annagram (trading as C.J. Hole), Abbott And Frost and West Coast Property Services refused to talk to Money Mail.
Annagram Estates no longer has a Burnham-on-Sea office, but operates in nearby Cheddar.
Mark Hayward, chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), says: 'The Competition & Markets Authority spoke to NAEA Propertymark members at our West Country conference last week about the importance of adhering to legislation and guidance.
As an organisation, we cannot condone the actions of the estate agents involved, and all our members are urged to adhere to current legislation and law to ensure best practice.'
s.smyth@dailymail.co.uk
Energy companies are using high-pressure tactics to push customers into having smart meters in their homes by scheduling dates to fit them without being asked and threatening to take away cheap deals.
Suppliers have been ordered by the Government to offer smart meters to all households in Britain by 2020 and face fines if they fail to meet the deadline.
Customers are not obliged to say 'yes' and can refuse to have one installed.
But Money Mail has been inundated with letters from readers who feel pressured into having one of the new meters and misled into thinking that they are compulsory.
Hard sell: Energy companies are using high-pressure tactics to push customers into having optional smart meters in their homes
They tell us they have been bombarded with calls, texts and letters even after they have refused one.
At least one major firm is sending out letters saying they have made a smart meter installation appointment, despite the customer never requesting one.
Another says this is something they are trialling. If customers do not want a new meter, they have to call and cancel, or an engineer will just turn up.
Suppliers are also sending out letters and texts to customers that fail to make it clear that smart meters are optional.
EDF Energy is texting customers: 'We need to upgrade your meter to a smart meter', while E.ON is sending letters that state in bold, red type: 'Reminder: your meter is being phased out'. Scottish Power's letters say 'Action required' next to a large, red exclamation mark.
Some E.ON customers have even been told they face losing their cheap deal if they refuse to have a new meter.
And last week, the supplier said it would replace its expensive standard tariffs with rolling deals that cost up to 262 a year less but only if customers get a smart meter first.
These meters automatically send readings to your provider over a wireless connection. It means the end of estimated bills, and customers will be able to see more clearly how much energy they use, helping them to reduce their costs.
Suppliers have been ordered by the Government to offer smart meters to all households but they remain optional
But as many as one in five UK households says they do not want one. Some are concerned about how their personal data will be used. Others don't want the hassle of waiting in for an engineer to call.
Many more are reluctant after learning that most of the 7.36 million meters already installed will stop working if you switch to a different supplier.
Money Mail does understand that this problem will be fixed through a software update without an engineer even needing to visit. But no details have been confirmed so far.
DO THEY REALLY SAVE YOU MONEY? Smart meters use wireless signals to communicate with your supplier, which means you dont have to ring in meter readings. You will also be able to see how much power you are using by the hour in pounds and pence on the meters small, computer-like screen. There is no charge to have one fitted and it shouldnt take an engineer longer than an hour to install. Officials claim they will help you to save money, as youll be more aware of how much energy different appliances use and reduce your consumption. These digital meters will also ensure you are only billed for the power youve used, putting an end to estimated bills. Most big energy companies are writing to customers to offer them one of the new smart meters. However, some are only offering them in certain areas of the country and many smaller firms are not yet fitting them, so you may have to wait. As many as one in three households is also being told they cant have a meter because it wont work in their property for example, if the walls are too thick, or they live in a rural area with poor mobile phone signal.
One reader, who didn't want to be named, reveals her elderly mother was bewildered when EDF Energy sent a letter saying it had booked an appointment for a smart meter to be fitted in her home, even though she hadn't asked for one.
She says: 'It's misleading to just send out a letter with an appointment date and time. The wording suggested that all households had to have one.'
Andy Hookway, 57, a retired policeman from Plymouth, had a similar experience with EDF Energy.
He says: 'I said I didn't want a smart meter, but they ignored this and sent me an appointment.
'I called to cancel and then, the day before, they sent me a text reminder, so I called again.
'Yet the engineer still showed up. When I turned him away, he said this happened to him at least every other day.' EDF has apologised to both customers for any inconvenience.
Marnee and Keith Pringle, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, say they were told by E.ON that their off-peak rate would end causing their electricity bills to soar from 1,820 to 3,086 a year unless they switched to a smart meter.
The letter they received read: 'To stay on a tariff with cheaper off-peak rates you need a different meter, and we'll install a smart meter for free.'
The couple, who are both retired insurance brokers, already face high bills, as they live in an area with no gas supply.
Marnee, 69, says: 'I feel like we've been backed into a corner.
'We live in a cottage with thick walls and poor mobile phone signal, so what will happen if they can't fit one?
Are we still going to be charged the higher tariff?' Greg and Nina Stevens, both 68, from Northamptonshire, received a similar letter from E.ON, telling them their off-peak tariff would end and their bills would rise 'significantly' unless they had a new meter fitted.
Smart meters automatically send readings to your provider over a wireless connection. It means the end of estimated bills
When Money Mail intervened, E.ON admitted that neither the Pringles nor the Stevens had to have to have a smart meter fitted.
They could continue to get their off-peak tariffs if they had new analogue meters installed.
E.ON also apologised for the wording of its letter.
Allison Rogers, 54, a depot manager, also from Northamptonshire, says she is fed up with receiving texts from her supplier, Scottish Power.
'I have had numerous texts telling me to contact them to arrange for a smart meter to be fitted,' she says.
'They didn't ask if I wanted one. They have now put a note on my file to say I don't want one, but the lady I called said that I would eventually have to have one installed.'
Scottish Power has apologised for its actions.
Robert Mitchell, 81, a retired IT contractor from Birmingham, was called by Sainsbury's Energy, part of British Gas, to say his meter was due for replacement, although it was just a few years old.
'It wasn't a question of whether or not I wanted one. It was like they were just letting me know I had to have one,' he says.
Geoff and Jenny Payne, 68 and 65, from Kent, say: 'We had a stream of emails and phone calls from British Gas. In the end, we became thoroughly sick of the matter and told them to stop contacting us.'
British Gas says: 'If a customer tells us they do not want a smart meter, we stop sending them communications.'
A spokesman for EDF says that its approach of sending out smart meter appointments has been endorsed by the watchdog, Ofgem.
The spokesman added: 'Customers are not obliged to accept the appointment and can rearrange or cancel by contacting us by phone or online.'
An E.ON spokesman says: 'Smart meters offer a number of benefits for customers.
'However, they are not compulsory and we're reviewing our communications to ensure this is made clearer.'
Scottish Power says the exclamation mark symbol on its letters is 'a standard prompt on customer communications to denote that action is required'.
An Ofgem spokeswoman says: 'It is not compulsory to have a smart meter installed consumers have a right to decline them and suppliers must not mislead them.'
Older people are being let down by the banks and it has to stop. You know it, I know it, and now it seems our dozy City watchdog has cottoned on, too.
In a damning report, the Financial Conduct Authority has at last acknowledged that not only are banks closing hundreds of branches, ripping the hearts out of rural communities, but the flashy, modern ones they leave open are giving the elderly a headache.
Pensioners say its no good telephoning customer services you just get a robotic voice and a baffling set of options, none of which seems to apply to you.
Even if you get through to a human being, staff often speak at a million miles an hour on a crackly line from the other side of world.
Not only are banks closing hundreds of branches, but the flashy, modern ones they leave open are giving the elderly a headache
The message doesnt seem to be getting through. Banks must stop spending billions on technology for millennials glued to their phones and start helping those who need the most support: the elderly and residents in remote areas.
A few small changes could go a long way towards making life easier for older people.
For a start, lets have more staff in branches, clearer directions and the return of the personal touch.
At most of the banks Ive visited recently, the counter clerks have been sacked and the manager is nowhere to be seen.
Everyone ends up queuing haphazardly while a chap with an iPad tries to explain how you can pay in cheques using the self-service machines.
If you want to discuss a sensitive topic, youre shuttled to a sofa while everyone else stands and watches.
Where there are counters, lets get rid of the Perspex between staff and customers. These cause problems for dementia patients. The screens were designed to protect tellers against bank robbers but theyve long since gone online.
Itd also help if banks standardised the instructions on cash machines, and stopped blaring out background music that plays havoc with hearing aids.
Telephone banking must get better, too. All call centres should be brought back to the UK, with staff given proper training and those dastardly menus ditched.
Send any other bright ideas my way.
Pension success
The Governments auto-enrolment pensions programme, which is five years old on Sunday, is a genuine success story.
More than 8 million people have been signed up to a pension since new rules in 2012 said that companies had to pay into a scheme for staff automatically.
You now have to opt out of, rather than into, a plan and just one in ten is saying no, the figures show.
Some lobbyists in the pensions industry complain the very low-paid and under-22s are excluded.
These gripes are driven by self-interest; many of those left without a pension simply dont have enough spare income to save for retirement.
Asking them to cut back on groceries or heating and pay into a pension, where the provider (often an insurer) will collect charges, is just greed.
One group who the Government must do more to help, though, is the self-employed. A special savings bonus to cover the lack of employer pension contributions could bridge the widening gulf in the retirement incomes these brave workers can expect compared to the rest of us.
Car hire con
Over the past few months, Money Mail has exposed the dirty tricks car hire firms have played on you at the airport.
Your stories prompted UK regulators to ask Spanish watchdogs to launch a crackdown. If my experience in Italy is anything to go by, similar action is needed there.
At the Hertz collection desk in Milans Malpensa Airport, the clerk said that because my friend whod booked the car didnt have a credit card, wed have to accept a smaller vehicle than we needed.
Not only that, Hertz wanted an extra 60 for the pleasure.
After we kicked up a fuss, the manager allowed us to take the smaller Fiat 500 they were offering at no extra cost. The extra insurance should have added 66 to the bill but we were stung for 90-odd.
When we asked why, the clerk blamed additional fees and taxes because we were collecting the car from an airport, where most cars are picked up. What a con.
d.hyde@dailymail.co.uk
Tech pioneer: Steven Spielberg is one of US start-up Dreamscape's backers
MOVIE STARS US start-up Dreamscape Immersive, which is backed by Steven Spielberg, is developing technology to digitally transport cinema-goers into the scenes of movies they are watching.
Jaws and Schindlers List director Spielberg is one of several backers, alongside Warner Bros, 21st Century Fox and Imax Corporation.
BEDS LET Student landlord Unite Students said 99 per cent of the 49,000 beds it manages have been let for the current academic year. The company opened five sites this month.
WATER LEVELS Water giant United Utilities said it expects first-half revenues to rise 3 per cent. It also expects profits to be higher than in the same period of last year.
FRAUD CASE Shipping business FH Bertling and six staff members have been convicted of conspiracy to pay bribes to Angolan state oil company agent Sonangol to win contracts, in a 14.9million fraud.
EARNINGS RISE Profits at merchant bank Close Brothers climbed 13 per cent to 264.8million in the year to July 31, thanks to growing demand for finance from property developers.
REVENUE UP Flash fashion retailer My Sale enjoyed a 6 per cent jump in sales to 158million in the year to June 30 thanks to its investment in technology and supply chain improvements.
PROFIT TARGET Kit Kat and Rowntrees owner Nestle is trying to increase its profit margins after coming under fire from activist investor David Loeb.
SALES SOAR Superyacht maintenance company GYG has toasted soaring half-year sales, up 19.4 per cent.
PRESS TAKEOVER Publishing, events and exhibition group Informa has bought academic journals publisher Dove Medical Press for an undisclosed sum.
EASTERN EXPANSION Global security firm Westminster Group has raised 750,000 to support its expansion in the Middle East.
CHINA DEAL Specialist materials maker Haydale Graphene Industries has sold more than 110,000 worth of parts to New York investment firm Everpower, which introduces new technology to China.
CAR WARS Googles driverless car company Waymo has demanded 1.4billion from Uber over allegedly stolen trade secrets, according to documents filed at a court in California.
A watchdog will reveal for the first time its links with the accounting firms it regulates, in a victory for the Mail.
The Financial Reporting Council has agreed to publish a register of employees' interests after it was slammed for being stuffed with staff who formerly worked for auditors.
It follows years of criticism over the cosy relationship between big firms and the FRC, which is supposed to hold them to account.
MPs and City insiders last week lashed out at the Financial Reporting Council's decision to clear KPMG of any wrongdoing over its failure to spot looming disaster in the books of HBOS
MPs and City insiders last week lashed out at the watchdog's decision to clear KPMG of any wrongdoing over its failure to spot looming disaster in the books of toxic bank HBOS, which collapsed during the financial crisis.
The Mail revealed how at least three former KPMG staff served on the FRC committee which oversaw the investigation into its HBOS audit.
And the watchdog's chairman is grandee Sir Win Bischoff who from 2009 to 2014 was chairman of Lloyds, the bank which rescued HBOS after its collapse.
At the FRC's annual open meeting, Bischoff said a register of interests for all members of the regulator's board, committees and councils will be published next month.
'Such a register is important for the FRC to retain confidence in how it reaches decisions, particularly on enforcement matters,' he said.
'The decision announced earlier this week to end the investigation into KPMG's audit of HBOS has been questioned by media and politicians, and it has attracted questions about our independence.
'It is vital that these decisions are taken based on the available evidence rather than on political considerations or public clamour.'
However, the banker defended the watchdog's behaviour, arguing that there are already tough rules around conflicts of interest.
Critics of the revolving door between watchdogs and big business include former City minister Lord Myners.
'Issues of perception always arise when a regulator makes a decision involving a firm where its senior directors were employed,' the former Labour minister said last week, adding that watchdogs often felt compelled to hire such people to access their expertise.
A crowd of nearly 150 people turned out to the Alberta Bair Theater Tuesday to listen to 10 of the 12 remaining Billings City Council and mayoral candidates share their thoughts on where the community might be headed.
Ward 2 candidate Frank Ewalt and Ward 3 candidate Nadja Brown did not participate. The Billings Chamber of Commerce and Billings Cultural Partners sponsored the forum, moderated by former Mayor Chuck Tooley.
Mayoral candidates
Bill Cole said hes running because Billings is a little like the theater seats people were sitting on a little tattered with some missing velour. Billings needs to concentrate on attracting the 30,000 new workers needed in the coming decade, he said.
Jeff Essmann said his leadership will focus on workforce training needs. He said he doesnt believe in raising taxes just fiscally responsible government.
Both said they see a role for local government supporting culture and the arts, although when asked what they think is the most important local pillar government, education, business or culture Essmann chose business, because without economic activity, theres no money for government, education or cultural programs. Cole opted for culture, which he said includes the individual and the family dynamic.
I have a knack for getting things done, Essmann said during his closing, adding he wants local government to be strategic, set priorities and move ahead with good planning and good leadership.
Cole said that the competition for young talent will drive us. We cant achieve that by doing more of what we have done in the past.
Ward 1
Challenger Charlie Smillie said the city needs leadership that will stand up for funding for public safety and more principled leadership, ensuring equality for all residents.
Incumbent Mike Yakawich said if hes re-elected, his three-legged stool will be neighborhood safety, infrastructure and urban parks and trails.
Asked what theyd like to know more about regarding the One Big Sky Center proposal, Yakawich said he hopes the project will have an amazing impact in revitalizing downtown, and that everyone will benefit from it.
Smillie said the project has the potential to be transformational and said he wants to learn more about how this project will reflect our need to transition to energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Ward 2
Ewalts absence left Roger Gravgaard to talk about issues he sees as important public safety, the citys trail system, taking the pressure of Main Street by constructing the Inner Belt Loop and managed growth.
On the notion of forming an arts commission to advise the council, Gravgaard joked that hes no arts expert, admitting Im probably one step up from dogs playing cards on velvet. I would need some advising if I were on the council.
Ward 3
Denise Joy, the only Ward 3 finalist present, said while West End growth often grabs the headlines, we also have to pay attention to our established neighborhoods.
Rather than ignoring the recommendations of the citys 28 boards and commissions, the council should listen to them and honor their work. Those boards work hard.
For her, education is the most important pillar. It starts with parents and the example they set, she said. Critical thinking starts at home, too.
Ward 4
Running to succeed Al Swanson, George Blackard and Penny Ronning each credited the other for running a respectful campaign. Ronning said she doesnt view Blackard as her opponent, calling him instead my ballot mate.
Life has no meaning without service to others, Blackard said. Ronning said she hopes the community is as concerned about the safety of our kids as we are about public safety and plowing streets.
Noting this spring's unsuccessful pitch that Artspace supporters made for tax increment financing help, Ronning said that leadership needs to acknowledge arts as a valid business, not just a bunch of beatniks. Blackard noted the council more-recently approved TIF support for updates to the Alberta Bair Theater. Its a city-owned building and we should support this, he said.
On the One Big Sky Center proposal, Blackard said taxpayers should not be paying for this. Ronning said shed like to learn more about what the developers see in Billings.
Ward 5
Challenger Dennis Ulvestad is taking on incumbent Shaun Brown. Brown said he moved to Billings 37 years ago as someone whod dropped out of school, but worked hard to find opportunities. Ulvestad said when he drew "2" as his Selective Service number, I knew I was going to Vietnam. As someone whos worked on neighborhood task forces and city boards, Ulvestad urged the crowd to get more involved in local government. Its interesting and its great, he said.
Brown said what motivated him as a young man a job that could identify who I am isnt as important to millennials. Nowadays its more about the community and the opportunities open to people, including the arts and fine dining, he said.
Get engaged, and talk about what we do have, Ulvestad said, naming the Babcock and Alberta Bair as well as the Depot and Yellowstone Art Museum. Those are all important parts of a cultural city.
Ulvestad said hiring additional police officers will require changing the city charter to boost the number of mills that the council can levy. If we want to hire more officers, Brown responded, we gotta make more money. People continually rate that high on their list.
Spanish holidays will be more expensive next year, Thomas Cook has warned.
Increased demand because of renewed safety fears at other destinations had driven prices higher, the travel operator said.
The company expects prices to rise by another 5 per cent to 10 per cent having previously anticipated a smaller increase.
Peter Fankhauser, chief executive, said: We dont have enough beds for all the demand.
Hot spot: Thomas Cook says the price of Spanish holidays is likely to rise by another 5 per cent to 10 per cent
He added that Spanish hoteliers were taking a bit of an advantage of the increased demand, but were also investing their higher profits to improve their facilities.
Despite rising costs in Spain, the travel giant said it had seen a rise in customers returning to Egypt and Turkey after a spate of terrorist attacks had kept tourists at bay.
Thomas Cook restarted selling holidays to Tunisia last month following the murder of 38 people in Sousse in 2015.
WHERE WE'RE GOING Spain Costa Brava, Majorca and Menorca
Canary Islands Tenerife
Greece mainland, Rhodes and Kos
Turkey Marmaris and Side
Cyprus Paphos and Ayia Napa
Egypt Hurghada and Marsa Alam on the Red Sea
Bulgaria Sunny Beach on the Black Sea
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office previously advised holidaymakers to avoid the region.
Fankhauser said the firm has tried to inform customers as best we can about the potential risks and let them make up their own minds about whether they wanted to go.
Thomas Cook revealed that UK bookings have risen 8 per cent over the summer despite a highly competitive market in the country as customers flocked to Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus.
Total summer 2017 bookings were 11 per cent higher across the group. Its winter programme is 37 per cent sold, with bookings 5 per cent higher across the UK and prices up 3 per cent.
The company added that strong demand in the UK and northern Europe was helping drive a solid start to summer 2018.
Thomas Cook also announced a strategic partnership, with Swiss-based hotel property development company LMEY Investments, which has seen the group buy a 42 per cent stake in German tour operator Aldiana from LMEY.
Aldiana operates eight club resorts in Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Tunisia and Austria. Thomas Cook also struck a deal with travel website Expedia earlier this month to bolster its city break business.
Under the agreement, Expedia will act as the preferred hotel provider for Thomas Cooks complementary city and domestic holiday arm giving customers access to its 60,000 hotels which can be booked on their own or as part of a package holiday.
Meanwhile, in a separate announcement, Thomas Cook revealed that the companys chief financial officer, Michael Healy, has decided to retire.
Healy, who has been at the firm for five years, will be replaced by Bill Scott, currently director of financial reporting, at the beginning of the year.
Equifax boss Richard Smith retired yesterday with immediate effect
Equifax's boss has quit following a massive hack which exposed the private details of 400,000 Britons and 143m Americans to cyber-criminals.
Richard Smith, 57, retired yesterday with immediate effect ending a 12-year stint as chairman and chief executive of the credit reference agency.
Equifax has been slammed by politicians on both sides of the Atlantic for the breach which it discovered in July but did not make public until earlier this month.
It means that families personal details have been in the hands of criminals for months.
Last week Equifax had still not written to warn the British consumers affected by the data breach that their names, dates of birth, email addresses and phone numbers might have been seized by fraudsters.
Smith said: The cyber-security incident has affected millions. I believe it is in the best interests of the company to have new leadership to move it forward.
Private equity boss Mark Feidler has replaced Smith as chairman with Equifax president Paulino do Rego Barros Jr named as interim chief executive.
Lloyds is moving employees in its Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical teams
Lloyds has been attacked for betraying staff over plans to shift 1,000 pension workers to an outsourcing business.
The bank is moving employees in its Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical teams to Peterborough-based TCS Diligenta, which is owned by Indian conglomerate Tata.
Bosses say Diligenta already looks after more than 11m British life and pension policies, and that the deal will make life simpler and more efficient for customers.
But unions have attacked the proposals and warned it is only a matter of time before mass sackings begin.
Unite national officer Rob MacGregor said: The wholesale transfer is nothing short of a betrayal of these workers.
Unite is calling on Lloyds to reconsider this shameful deal and do the right thing by its staff who have worked hard to ensure the business is the success it is today.
The plans affect workers in Bristol and Edinburgh offices.
Shares fell 1.3 per cent, or 0.88p, to 64.99p yesterday.
Since our pensions series started on Saturday, Money Mail has helped you: work out how much to take out of your fund safely, cut your fees and taxes to the bone, find some terrific investments to keep your money growing and mull over an annuity for some steady income.
But so far, you may have been planning your retirement with just a fraction of the money youre entitled to. For losing track of a pension is more common than you might think.
An estimated 400 million is sitting in lost or forgotten pension pots and almost a quarter of people admit they may have misplaced some of their retirement savings.
Of those with multiple pensions, more than 6.6 million people may have lost track of one or even all of their retirement pots, according to pension provider Aegon.
Buried treasure: An estimated 400 million is sitting in lost or forgotten pension pots and almost a quarter of people admit they may have misplaced some of their retirement savings
Few of us have a job for life nowadays which has made it harder to keep tabs on workplace savings. And as people move house more often, the details held by past pensions schemes can easily become out of date.
Its important to locate those lost pots in order for you to make a clear retirement plan.
So, if you have an inkling that you had a pension in the past thats gone missing, now is the time to find it.
VITAL TOOLS TO HELP YOU DIG
For workplace pension schemes, the Governments Pension Tracing Service should be your first port of call. It can search its database of 320,000 pension scheme administrators to reunite you with your money.
You will need the name of your old employer or pension provider. The tracing service should then be able to provide you with the contact details for pension schemes you may have paid into.
But some schemes wont have been updated for some time, so you may need additional information, such as the dates you were at the company, and your National Insurance number.
You can write to them at Pension Tracing Service, The Pension Service 9, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1LU, or call 0345 6002 537. Alternatively, use the online service at gov.uk/ find-pension-contact-details.
TRACK DOWN OLD ACCOUNTS As well as losing track of their pensions, many people have money in forgotten savings accounts. If you cannot remember the details, your first step should be using the free tracing service at mylost account.org.uk. An account is deemed lost if there has been no activity on it for three years and the bank has no contact with the account holder, usually because it does not have your new address. You can also check online for unclaimed Premium Bond prizes. Log on to nsandi.com/prize-checker. Even if you have lost the Premium Bond holders number, there are still ways to check them.
For personal pensions, you can contact The Pensions Advisory Service on 0300 123 1047.
If you dont have any luck there, try the Unclaimed Assets Register (UAR). This is more comprehensive because you can search for old shares and insurance policies, as well as pensions.
By providing personal details, a search can be made of banks, building societies, pension services and insurers.
You must apply online to trigger a search. Once the search has been completed you will be notified if there are any unclaimed assets in your name. The service is run by the credit reference agency Experian, which charges an admin fee of 25.
Visit uar.co.uk or call 0333 000 0182 for help. Take care in your search for Pension Tracing Service online. Many firms using similar names will pop up in your internet browser and offer to help you look for lost pension pots.
Some of these firms will charge you high fees to trace your pension or sell you other services. Worse still, they could be fraudsters.
The Government and pensions industry are working on a new online service that should simplify tracking down old pension funds.
However, it wont be available before 2019. Until then, its up to you to round up all of your savings and inform your pension schemes of any address changes.
COMBINE POTS TO BOOST INCOME
Its worth tracking down your pension sooner rather than later because you will want to factor it into your retirement plans.
However, forgotten pension pots may have lost significant value over the years because your provider hiked its charges or invested your money poorly.
Andy Curran, a director at insurer Aviva, says: People need to be aware of the potential risks of having a number of pension pots with small amounts of money in each.
Its likely there will still be charges taken out of those pots for their management and that can have implications if you no longer contribute into them.
Once you have rounded up your old pensions, you might want to combine them into one pension scheme. This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to avoid losing track of old pensions and cuts down on the paperwork.
It might also save you money. Many older-style pensions have complex or expensive charges which eat into returns. Also the returns can be dire, because nobody is paying much attention to where the money is invested.
Moving to a more modern and cheaper scheme means you can pocket more of the stock market gains.
Some old contracts may also not allow access to the new pension freedoms, so you might want to move the money at retirement anyway.
There are pitfalls to consider, however. Some older schemes come with valuable benefits, such as guaranteed annuity rates that pay you as much as 10 per cent a year. These were explained in yesterdays pullout, which you can find online at thisismoney.co.uk.
If youre unsure or require further help, take advice from an independent financial adviser. Find one near you at thisismoney.co.uk/find-an-adviser or try the directory service Unbiased.co.uk or call them on 0800 023 6868.
Banks are brazenly pocketing the tax breaks savers should get on their Isa accounts.
Charter Savings Bank last week launched a top-paying easy-access taxable account and cash Isa.
There should be no difference between the two except for the amount of tax you pay.
Banks are brazenly pocketing the tax breaks savers should get on their Isa accounts
But while the taxable deal pays 1.26 per cent, the cash Isa rate is only 1.1 per cent.
The bank says its Isa rate puts it firmly at the top of the best buy tables.
But it can get away with paying less on tax-free accounts because competition is not as fierce.
To reach the same position on taxable accounts, it needs to pay more.
This is a tactic used by many banks and building societies. Tesco Bank pays 1.01 per cent on its cash Isa, including a bonus for a year, against 1.16 per cent on its easy access account.
At Paragon Bank, you earn 1.15 per cent in its taxable easy-access account against 1.05 per cent in its Isa.
On fixed-rate accounts, Charter Savings Bank pays 1.40 per cent to cash Isa savers for one year but a higher 1.77 per cent on its fixed-rate bond.
At Ford Money, the figures are 1.2 per cent and 1.7 per cent respectively and Metro Bank 1.25 per cent against 1.95 per cent.
Savings expert Kevin Mountford, chief executive of Raisin UK, which helps banks launch deals, says: 'New banks need to be careful not to attract more money than they need so will offer rates in line with best deals in any particular market.
'As cash Isa rates are generally lower than taxable accounts, they get away with paying less.'
The recent small rise in savings rates is due to competition among new banks and building societies.
But few new banks offer cash Isas, tending to stick to fixed-rate bonds and taxable easy access accounts.
Without the competition, cash Isa rates lag behind.
You can earn 1.83 per cent on a one-year bond with Metro Bank, while the top cash Isa rate equivalent is Charter Savings Bank's 1.4 per cent offering.
On each 10,000 you will see an extra 55 interest a year in the bond.
As long as your total savings interest stays within your personal savings allowance 1,000 for this tax year for basic-rate taxpayers it will be tax-free.
On a two-year fixed rate, the best bond is 2.05 per cent from Paragon Bank, substantially more than the top cash Isa at 1.65 per cent from Charter Savings Bank.
New banks pay more than big ones as they want to build their brand.
Building societies are required to raise at least half of their deposits from savers rather than City wholesale markets.
There is no fixed percentage for banks but new rules have seen a shift away from wholesale markets since the start of the banking crisis ten years ago.
Even so, big banks pay appalling rates. Halifax, which used to offer a competitive range of fixed-rate cash Isas, now offers just one at 0.5 per cent fixed for two years.
Even as a loyal saver coming to the end of your current fixed-rate term you'll get a rum deal of 1 per cent if you want to roll over your bond.
Worse, you only qualify if you have had at least 50,000 in the bank's savings and current accounts over the past three months.
sy.morris@dailymail.co.uk
A Florida man has crashed his homemade helicopter into a house, authorities say.
Bradley Bates, 51, called 911 Monday evening after his small aircraft came to a rest on the roof of a home in Odessa, Florida, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office news release.
No one was at the home at 9450 Roberts Road at the time of the crash, reports WFLA.
Bradley Bates, 51, crashed his homemade single-seat helicopter into a home in Odessa, Florida
Bates was taken to a hospital in stable condition. No humans were in the home at the time of the crash. A dog in the home was not harmed
A dog that was inside was not injured.
Bates was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
The single-seat helicopter was hand-built by Bates himself, according to the local sheriff.
Neighbors said he was in the air for about 20 minutes before the fall.
Tim Peterson told WFLA: 'I heard a spluttering noise and a loud slam....I looked straight back and I could see the tail rotor hanging out of the house.'
The cause of the crash wasn't immediately known. He crashed less than four miles from his own home, reports Fox 13 News.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.
Assessment of damage to the home has not yet been completed. Its power has been shut off due to the crash.
The homeowners declined to comment on the crash to ABC Action News.
Chief Judge Diane Wood said that video of investigators questioning 'Making a Murderer' convict Brendan Dassey made her 'skin crawl'
One federal appellate judge said that a video of detectives questioning Brendan Dassey, a Wisconsin inmate featured in the 'Making a Murderer' series, was so disturbing that it made her 'skin crawl'.
But other judges at the full-court rehearing at the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago sounded unconvinced that investigators had improperly manipulated the intellectually challenged Dassey.
The judges heard arguments about whether investigators coerced a confession from him, in essence encouraging him to tell them not what he actually did but what they wanted to hear.
If the court decides the confession was forced, Dassey could go free in a high-profile case that puts police interrogation practices in the spotlight.
The seven judges who heard the arguments seemed split, based on their questions. A ruling is expected within the next few months.
Dassey, now 27, was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 in the death of photographer Teresa Halbach two years earlier.
Brendan Dassey appears in court at the Manitowoc County Courthouse in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in April 2017. The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago considered arguments over whether Dassey, the subject of 'Making A Murderer,' was coerced into making a confession in aiding his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Teresa Halback in 2005
He was 16 when he told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach in the Avery family's junkyard in Manitowoc County.
A federal magistrate judge overturned Dassey's conviction last year, ruling that detectives took advantage of Dassey's youth and cognitive disabilities to coerce his confession.
A three-judge panel from the appellate court later upheld the magistrate's ruling, leading state attorneys to ask the full 7th Circuit for a review.
It was Chief Judge Diane Wood who most clearly signaled that she believed the detectives went too far, including by quoting a Biblical passage that the 'truth would set him free' to suggest Dassey might be released if he confessed and by winning his trust by saying they were talking to him more as parental figures than as cops.
'The investigators made my skin crawl watching this video,' Wood said. 'It was: "Tell me (the investigator) what I want to hear."'
Wood noted that Dassey appeared disoriented, pausing for long stretches in the video.
'He is obviously racking his brain about how he can answer ... in a way (investigators) will like,' she said.
Dassey has a low IQ and struggles to grasp simple concepts, meanings and consequences, court filings say.
Wood said comments by Dassey during his interview strongly suggested he didn't understand what was happening.
This undated photo provided by Thomas Pearce and the family of Teresa Halbach, shows Halbach, who was murdered in 2005. Brendan Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 after he told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Teresa Halbach
Steven Avery listens to testimony in the courtroom at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wisconsin in March 2007. A lawyer is asking for a new trial for Avery, a Wisconsin man convicted in a case profiled in the 'Making a Murderer' Netflix series
After appearing to confess to participation in a brutal slaying, she noted, he asked the detective if he could now go back to school.
Luke Berg, representing the state, argued that detectives had merely 'nudged' a confession out of Dassey and that it wasn't psychological manipulation that led Dassey to say what he did.
According to court filings, Dassey has a low IQ and struggles to grasp simple concepts, meanings and consequences
'Brendan Dassey confessed,' Berg said, 'because his guilt became unbearable.'
And Judge Diane Sykes told Dassey's attorney, Laura Nirinder, there were no laws that explicitly barred her client's interrogators from using the techniques they did.
Dassey has remained in prison while the state appeals.
Avery was sentenced to life in prison at a separate trial. He's pursuing his own appeal in state court.
Both Avery and Dassey contend police framed them because they wanted revenge against Avery for filing a lawsuit against Manitowoc County over his wrongful imprisonment for a sexual assault he didn't commit.
Their cases gained attention in 2015 after Netflix aired 'Making a Murderer,' a series examining Halbach's death that spawned widespread conjecture about Avery and Dassey's innocence.
Authorities who worked on the cases said the series was biased.
The US imposed sanctions on eight North Korean banks and 26 executives on Tuesday, ratcheting up pressure on the country amid increasingly aggressive exchanges with Pyongyang over its nuclear program.
'This further advances our strategy to fully isolate North Korea in order to achieve our broader objectives of a peaceful and denuclearized Korean peninsula,' US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
Tuesday's announcement compounded economic sanctions which the United Nations unanimously imposed on North Korea after it carried out its latest nuclear weapons test early this month.
The US imposed sanctions on eight North Korean banks and 26 executives on Tuesday, ratcheting up pressure on the country amid increasingly aggressive exchanges with Pyongyang over its nuclear program
The new sanctions target North Koreans working as representatives of North Korean banks in China, Russia, Libya and the United Arab Emirates.
All property and interest of the designated companies and individuals in the US are blocked by the sanctions, effectively freezing them out of much of the global financial system.
The US targeted North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank and the Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as North Korean government agencies.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which overseas US sanctions programs, said the Foreign Trade Bank had carried out transactions on behalf of North Korea's weapons development program.
'This further advances our strategy to fully isolate North Korea in order to achieve our broader objectives of a peaceful and denuclearized Korean peninsula,' US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement
This came as China said on Wednesday the North Korean nuclear issue should be resolved through dialogue, and that military means were not an option, after U.S. President Donald Trump warned North Korea that any U.S. military option would be 'devastating'.
Speaking at a daily news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang reiterated that China has all along upheld the aim of the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and protecting the international nuclear non-proliferation system.
'At the same we are resolute in working for the protection of the peninsula's peace and stability and uphold a peaceful resolution for the nuclear issue via dialogue and consultation,' Lu said.
'We have always believed that military means should not be an option to resolve the nuclear issue on the peninsula. Because arms cannot resolve the differences and can only cause a bigger disaster. No side can accept this,' he added.
Tuesday's announcement compounded economic sanctions which the United Nations unanimously imposed on North Korea after it carried out its latest nuclear weapons test early this month
'We hope all sides can avoid words and actions that intensify the problem and may cause the situation to continue to escalate.'
The new sanctions also came the same day President Donald Trump ignored pleas to tone down anti-Pyongyang rhetoric, accusing the regime of having tortured a captive US student 'beyond belief.'
General Joe Dunford, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, testified before lawmakers on Tuesday that for the time being the confrontation with North Korea was more political than military.
ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir has dethroned NBC as the year's most-watched evening newscast for the first time in 21 years.
World News Tonight averaged 8.25 million viewers in the year up to August, while NBC's Nightly News had 8.17 million and the CBS Evening News had 6.56 million.
Despite recent declines, evening newscasts still reach 23 million viewers each weeknight and are considered the flagship broadcasts of news divisions.
NBC has been dethroned as the year's most-watched evening broadcast by ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir, pictured
'One has to recognize the breaking of one of the great streaks in television,' said James Goldston, ABC News president.
Muir and his team 'worked immensely hard to do that, and they've done it in an extraordinary period of news.'
Like much in television, the programs aren't a growth industry. ABC moved in front by essentially staying even from the previous two years while its rivals lost viewers.
NBC touted its victory among the 25-to-54-year-old demographic, the statistic primarily used as a basis for advertising sales in news.
NBC News ran a full-page newspaper advertisement boasting that it was No. 1 for the second season in a row with Nightly News, the Today show, Dateline NBC and Meet the Press.
The small print noted they were wins among specific demographic categories, not among all viewers.
For the evening newscasts, NBC News President Noah Oppenheim said he wouldn't trade places with his ABC counterparts.
'If you are going to go by the quality of the broadcast, ours is superior,' he said.
World News Tonight averaged 8.25 million viewers in the year up to August, while NBC's Nightly News(pictured) had 8.17 million and the CBS Evening News had 6.56 million
'If you're going to go by business measurements, we're winning in the only category that matters.'
Goldston said he wasn't going to dismiss the large number of viewers not included in that category. 'We want to be America's favorite news show,' he said.
'In a world consumed by social media and fake news, people are thirsting to get a straightforward account of what happened that day,' he said.
'I think World News Tonight does that better than anybody.'
What's most important is building on the victory, he said.
ABC News Tonight was presented for 20 years by the late Peter Jennings
ABC's Good Morning America ended a long victory streak by Today earlier in this decade, and hasn't relinquished that lead since.
There's some question about whether NBC's Lester Holt, who has traveled to Puerto Rico to anchor Nightly News from the hurricane-ravaged territory this week, may be hurt by association with one of NBC News' biggest success.
MSNBC and its left-leaning prime-time lineup has been a huge hit in the Age of Trump.
Do some of the president's supporters who don't like MSNBC take it out on people at NBC News?
'It's absolutely possible,' said Tim Graham, director of media analysis at the conservative watchdog Media Research Center.
Oppenheim said the audience is sophisticated enough to know the difference between the products, just like The New York Times has separate opinion pages and news pages.
CBS, whose evening newscast is in transition with Anthony Mason as interim anchor, instead looked to the morning to tout accomplishments.
CBS This Morning, while still in third place, is more competitive with ABC and NBC at that time of day than the network ever has been.
Its rivals, meanwhile, bleed viewers. Good Morning America averages 4.4 million viewers, but is down from 5.5 million four years ago.
Today has dropped from 4.9 million to 4.2 million in the same time frame.
Meanwhile, CBS has gained audience in that time from, going from 3 million viewers in 2013-14 to just under 3.6 million now.
Three men arrested in connection with the Parsons Green terror attack have been released with no further action.
Scotland Yard said a 25-year-old man who was arrested in Newport, South Wales, on Tuesday and a 30-year-old man also arrested in Newport, last week were released on Tuesday afternoon.
A 20-year old man arrested in Cardiff on Monday was also released.
Ahmed Hassan, 18, who allegedly planted the bomb that injured 30 when it went up in flames at Parsons Green tube station, is now the only person facing charges over the attack
Seven people have been arrested as part of the investigation into the attack on a packed District line Tube train.
One person, Ahmed Hassan, has been charged, and the other six have been released with no further action.
Police said searches are continuing at one address in Cardiff as the Mets Counter Terrorism Command continues to investigate the attack on Friday September 15, while a search in Surrey has been completed.
Hassan, 18, an Iraqi asylum seeker, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on charges of attempted murder and using the chemical compound TATP to cause an explosion that was likely to endanger life.
Three men aged 25, and 30, were released without charge over the attack (pictured) on Tuesday after a 20-year-old man was freed on Monday
He allegedly bought parts to make the improvised explosive device online and left the train at Putney Bridge before the device partially detonated at the next station.
Witnesses described how a fireball erupted inside the carriage, leaving 30 people injured, including one woman with serious burns.
Hassan, of Cavendish Road, Sunbury, Surrey, was arrested at the port of Dover in Kent at 7.50am on Saturday September 16 by counter-terrorism officers.
The teenager, whose parents are understood to have been killed in Iraq, was in the foster care of Penelope and Ronald Jones, aged 71 and 88 respectively, who previously received MBEs for services to children and families.
A lawsuit filed against Yellowstone County by the family of a man who died by suicide in the jail has been moved to U.S. District Court in Billings.
Yellowstone County had the case transferred last week. It was originally filed in June in state District Court by the Estate of Michael Ostby.
The county also sued RiverStone Health, the countys health department, and Billings Clinic in third-party complaints, alleging both agencies failed to adequately address Ostbys medical and mental health concerns.
In addition, the county alleges that Billings Clinic breached its contract by not accepting the defense of Ostbys claims as required by an indemnity clause in the agreement.
On Tuesday, Michael Ostby's estate filed a notice dismissing Billings Clinic and Terry Jessee, a Billings Clinic social worker who worked with inmates, from the suit.
At the time of Ostbys death by hanging on July 1, 2015, the county was contracting with RiverStone to provide inmates medical care and with Billings Clinic to provide mental health care.
The countys contracts with RiverStone and Billings Clinic both expired in 2016. The county now contacts with Correctional Health Partners, in Denver, to provide inmate medical services, and with local mental health providers for screening and counseling. The county also contracts with another firm that has staff who can prescribe medications to treat mental health issues and provide a higher level of care if needed.
Deputy County Attorney Kevin Gillen said Tuesday that the county moved the lawsuit because of constitutional claims and sued RiverStone and Billings Clinic because they had contracted with the county to provide medical and mental health care at the jail.
The county also said Billings Clinic and defendant, Terry Jessee, had not yet been served with Ostbys complaint and that although RiverStone was served with the complaint, Ostbys estate had voluntarily dismissed RiverStone from the case.
Barbara Schneeman, a RiverStone spokeswoman, said RiverStone had not been served with the latest complaint and could not comment.
Ostby, 28, was found dead in his jail cell with a sheet wrapped around his neck. He had tied the sheet around a hook on the cell door and around his neck before sitting down.
Ostby had been arrested in May 2015 after ramming his car into a police cruiser and then yelling for officers to shoot him, court records said.
A coroners jury held in January 2016 found no criminal responsibility by the Yellowstone County Detention Facility.
Ostbys complaint alleges the county, Terry Jessee, a Billings Clinic psychiatric assessment clinician who arranged for mental health care of inmates and also was a former deputy sheriff, Billings Clinic, and RiverStone all were negligent and breached contracts in their care of Ostby.
The complaint said Ostby had told the defendants he needed medical care for chronic low back pain and made repeated reports that he was suffering from depression and anxiety, having hallucinations and hearing voices for which he requested mental health help ASAP.
The defendants, the complaint continued, failed to provide medical care for Ostbys back pain. They also reported that they would schedule Ostby for mental health assistance for his depression and anxiety, but they never scheduled him for any appointment for mental health care.
In addition, the defendants never had Ostby evaluated or treated by a psychiatrist who was on contract to perform those specific duties for the safety and well-being of the detainees, the complaint continued.
At the coroners inquest, Jessee testified, 'Well, I wanted him to see the doctor. We had a psychiatrist on staff at the time, but he never arranged for that assessment and treatment by that physician, and he never referred Michael Ostby for mental health care, the complaint said.
In addition, the defendants housed Ostby, who was in an isolation unit for 23 hours a day, in a cell that had a broken hasp near the door. The spring and hook were missing from the hasp, which left two holes in a bracket through which bedding could be threaded, the complaint said. Ostby hung himself by threading a sheet through the broken hasp.
Information from the coroners inquest showed an officer conducting a cell check saw Ostby sitting on his bed at about 2:45 p.m. Although the jail policy is to check cells every 30 minutes, according to one jail report, Ostbys suicide wasnt discovered until about 4:20 p.m. An inmate being housed in a cell near Ostbys told an officer that someone may be dead in their cell.
Ostbys family is seeking a jury trial and compensation for the psychiatric, emotional and physical injuries suffered by Ostby during his incarceration that ultimately led to his unnecessary death, the complaint said.
Billings attorney Jon Moyers is representing the Ostby family. Moyers declined to comment.
The case will be heard by U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Cavan.
A restaurant chain discriminated against the religious beliefs of a Pentecostal woman by refusing to let her wear a denim skirt instead of blue jeans while she worked as a waitress, a federal agency says in a lawsuit.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Tuesday that it has sued Georgia Blue LLC, which has restaurants selling southern and Creole food in four Mississippi cities.
The federal lawsuit, filed Monday, said the Mississippi-based company failed to 'reasonably accommodate' the religious beliefs of Kaetoya Watkins, who told a Georgia Blue manager that her religion prohibits her from wearing pants.
Georgia Blue sells southern and Creole food in Mississippi Kaetoya Watkins told her manager that her religion forbids her wearing pants and was fired on day one of her job as a waitress
Georgia Blue sells southern and Creole food in Mississippi, Staff are not allowed to wear skirts
Watkins received no response from the manager but was fired when she went to work her first day in November 2015 wearing a denim skirt, the lawsuit said.
Soon after that, the manager left Watkins a voicemail message saying he had spoken with the owner and the restaurant 'would 'not stray away from' its dress code policy.'
Calls to the Georgia Blue corporate office were not immediately returned Tuesday.
The EEOC regional office in Birmingham, Alabama, handles cases for most of Mississippi.
Watkins is now suing for back pay and punitive damages
The restaurant Georgia Blue said it would not stray away from' its dress code policy'
'Most religious accommodations are not burdensome, such as allowing an employee to wear a skirt instead of pants,' Marsha L. Rucker, an EEOC attorney for, said in a statement.
'It would have been simple to allow Ms. Watkins to wear a long skirt at work. No worker should be obligated to choose between making a living and following her religious convictions.'
The federal agency is requesting a jury trial. The lawsuit seeks 'appropriate back pay' and punitive damages for Watkins.
It also asks the court to permanently ban the restaurant chain 'from applying its dress code policies in a manner that fails to accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs of its employees and applicants.'
Two teenage friends were killed in Minneapolis early Tuesday morning when officials say their car was struck head-on by a suspected drunken driver traveling on the wrong side of the road.
The deadly collision took place in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 94, just east of Lowry Avenue, shortly before 1.30am, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
An accident report states that, Quoc Thanh Tran, of Brooklyn Center, was driving his 2011 BMW westbound in the eastbound lanes when he slammed into a 2009 Toyota Camry, operated by 18-year-old Diana Rojas Martinez.
Friends killed: Diana Rojas Martinez, 18 (left), and her friend Christopher Bunay, 19 (right), were killed in a wrong-way crash in Minneapolis Tuesday morning
Martinez and Bunay were traveling east along Interstate 94 in Minneapolis when State Patrol troopers say Quoc Thanh Tran slammed head-on into the woman's car (scene photo)
Both Martinez and her passenger, 19-year-old Christopher Kriz Bunay, sustained fatal injuries on impact and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Tran was taken to North Memorial Medical Center to be treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries, reported Fox9.
According to the station KARE11, troopers responding to the scene of the crash smelled alcohol on Tran's breath and obtained a warrant to have his blood drawn; the results of the blood test are still pending.
According to the accident report, Martinez and Bunay had no alcohol in their systems and were buckled in at the time of the collision. Tran did not have a seat belt on.
The report also mentions that Interstate 94 was wet from a rain shower on the morning of the crash.
Martinez (left) was a student at the University of Minnesota. She met Bunay (right) while the two were attending Cristo Rey Jesuit High School
Bunay and Martinez were friends from high school and both lived in Minneapolis. The 18-year-old woman was enrolled in the University of Minnesota.
As news of their untimely deaths spread, friends took to Facebook to mourn their loss.
'So young & full of life. RIP to these two beautiful souls,' wrote fellow Cristo Rey Jesuit High School graduate Eli Guiracocha. You are now with God & now all we can do is pray for their families during this hard time Diana Rojas-Martinez Kriz Bunay.
State Patrol expect to take Tran into custody once he is released from the hospital. He could be charged with two felony counts of vehicular homicide stemming from the deaths of Martinez and Bunay, reported Minneapolis Star Tribune.
'Megyn Kelly Today' may have premiered to solid numbers, but the host just got a very scathing review from her very first guest.
Debra Messing, the Emmy-winning star of 'Will & Grace,' was asked on Instagram why she appeared on the show with her fellow cast members on Monday.
'But why did you guys do the Megyn Kelly show? That's a fail!!' asked a fan of the actress.
Messing immediately responded to the question, stating: 'Honestly I didn't know it was MK until that morning. The itinerary just said Today Show appearance. Regret going on. Dismayed by her comments.'
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Request for comment: Debra Messing was asked by an Instagram follower why she and the cast of 'Will & Grace' appeared on 'Megyn Kelly Today' on Monday (front l to r: Megan Mullally, Sean Hayes, Debra messing, Eric McCormack and Megyn Kelly back row l to r: David Kohan and Max Mutchnik)
TV's newest drama: 'Honestly I didn't know it was MK until that morning. The itinerary just said Today Show appearance,' wrote Messing (above)
However a source who was at the show said: 'She was obviously making a joke, that was clear to the 'superfan' who was ecstatic, and the audience.
'It became even clearer when she spent much of the interview asking the show's creators how proud they were of the positive social impact of Will & Grace and the progress it brought about for gay rights.'
On Monday, Messing retweeted co-star Sean Hayes' post about how much fun the group had during the appearance.
Megyn has a made a number of controversial comments in the past about the LGBT community.
On one episode of 'The Kelly File' she told Family Research Council head Tony Perkins: 'Gay rights are more and more protected in this country, Christian beliefs and Christian rights, not so much.'
That clip was highlighted on Sunday when it appeared in a clip package that aired on 'Last Week Tonight.'
Megyn provided Perkins with a platform to spread his anti-gay message on her Fox News show throughout the years, as he appeared over 30 times to speak with the anchor.
Messing was happy to promote the appearance on Monday and retweeted co-star Sean Hayes who said they had 'fun' on the show
Her questions to the cast of 'Will & Grace' on Monday meanwhile were shockingly banal and had all been asked and answered by the actors countless times before in the 10 months since they reunited to film a short video in support of Hillary Clinton ahead of the election last year.
That segment then ended on an incredibly awkward note after a gay superfan, Russell Turner, briefly joined the group on stage for some hugs with the cast and a minute-log interview with Megyn.
Doing their own thing: The cast was seen in an Instagram post shared by the show ignoring the host during a commercial break
The brief interview with Turner began with Megyn asking if it was true that he became both a lawyer and gay because of the show and its leading man, played by actor Eric McCormack.
Turner jokingly affirmed that was in fact the case, while also kindly providing a bit of color and humor to the polar question by adding that Will had the perfect 'trifecta' in that he was gay, a lawyer and had the 'best apartment in New York City.'
He was then tossed back into the audience after his one question, with Megyn sending him off by stating: 'I don't know about the lawyer thing. But I think the 'Will & Grace' thing and the gay thing will work out great.'
That comment appears to be the one that upset Messing and others on Twitter.
'Megyn Kelly is every mom trying waaaaay to hard to 'relate' to her gay son but instead just makes it waaaaay worse,' wrote Will Kellogg.
''I think the Will & Grace thing and the gay thing are going to work out great,' Megyn Kelly said to a gay W&G superfan this morning. Really,' commented Kevin Fallon.
In a subsequent tweet he described the moment by stating: 'It is what it looks like to watch $15 million set on fire in real time.'
And Josh Scheer wrote: 'I think the 'gay thing' is probably gonna work out a lot better than @MegynKelly's '@Today thing.''
However Sean Hayes who plays Jack McFarland in the show shared a picture to Twitter saying he was 'having fun' at the show.
During the show Kelly had also said: 'The cast and creators of 'Will & Grace' are here. We talked about this show's impact.
'And culturally, it had a huge impact. Vice president Joe Biden said at the time, no other show had as much effect, as calling people's attention to gay rights. What does it feel to hear that?'
David Kohn, the show's co-creator, responded saying: 'Shocking. He read it as I wrote it. It was surprising and incredibly gratifying. We never set out - there was nothing - we were not an ideological thing.
'We were not set out to posit ideas into the zeitgeist. We were trying to do a show with 4 characters and trying to be funny. It was very satisfying.'
Anthony Scaramucci no longer needs proof that he is the father of his estranged wife's baby.
The Mooch, 53, and Deidre Ball, 38, showed up to divorce court Tuesday where he dropped his bid to contest the paternity of his son, according to Page Six.
The estranged couple arrived at court in Mineola, New York where they are hashing out the details of their divorce.
Anthony Scaramucci (pictured last week) dropped his request to test the paternity of the baby boy his wife Deidre Ball (pictured in July) gave birth to during his brief tenure at the White House
Sources told the New York Post's gossip section the Mooch thought his wife could have gotten his wife pregnant by another man.
During the 10-minute hearing Tuesday, Judge Hope Schwartz Zimmerman said their case was not that complicated and should be solved by the couple, not her.
News broke that she filed for divorce days before he was booted from the White House as communications director.
The news came shortly after a now infamous profanity-laced interview with Scaramucci was published on the New Yorker's website.
Scaramucci and Ball were reportedly estranged before his 10-day stint at the White House.
Scaramucci and Ball were reportedly estranged before his 10-day stint at the White House. She gave birth to their son while he worked for President Donald Trump in late July
When their son was born in June, the Mooch reportedly texted his wife: 'Congratulations, Ill pray for our child.'
This will be the second divorce for the father-of-three, who has a daughter Amelia, 21, and two sons, 18-year-old Anthony Jr and Alexander, 24, who goes by AJ.
The Wall Street financier, 53, married Ball in 2014, but it is unclear when the two began dating.
Ball, 38, left her job as a vice president in investor relations for SkyBridge Capital after Scaramucci sold the firm.
She has donated money to both Republican and Democratic politicians, including Rep. Kathleen Rice's (D-N.Y.) campaign, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's presidential bid, The Hill reported.
He made a swift exit after dropping her off at her Harvard dorm last month, covering his face with sunglasses as he quickly hopped in to a waiting SUV.
And on Monday, Barack Obama reflected on the milestone occasion and how it got the better of him emotionally.
Speaking at a Beau Biden Foundation event in Delaware, he said: 'I dropped off Malia at college, and I was saying to Joe and Jill (Biden) that it was a little bit like open heart surgery.
'I was proud that I did not cry in front of her. But on the way back, the Secret Service was off looking straight ahead, pretending they weren't hearing me as I sniffled and blew my nose. It was rough,' he said.
He said the day reminded him that 'at the end of our lives, whatever else we've accomplished, the things that we'll remember are the joys that our children, and hopefully way later, our grandchildren, bring us.'
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Barack Obama reflected on dropping his daughter Malia off at college, describing the emotional milestone on August 21 (pictured above) as 'a bit like open-heart surgery'
Malia, 19, moved on to campus on August 21, a day before the rest of her classmates.
She has spent the last year completing an internship at Harvey Weinstein's production company in New York City.
Her father has made no secret of his emotional side and freely admits to tearing up during milestone moments involving either of his two daughters.
He declined an invitation to speak at her high school graduation ceremony in June last year, opting instead to sit in the audience like 'a total dad' where he would be able to shed a few tears behind his sunglasses.
Since moving in to her new digs, Malia has settled into college life somewhat seamlessly.
Almost immediately after her parents left her on August 21, she was seen mingling with other students outside the building and no doubt making new friends.
She has also been spotted jogging around campus and attending classes.
Obama (left on Monday) said he cried after saying goodbye to his daughter Malia, 19, (right last month on campus) but not in front of her
Video courtesy of WDEL
Since moving on to campus last month, Malia has settled in to college life seamlessly. She is pictured the day after her parents left, enjoying a salad on the lawn with some classmates
It seems she is eager to put behind her the constant glare of life in the public eye.
Last month, the teenager is reported to have snapped at a woman who tried to take a photograph of her without her permission.
Malia had already politely refused the woman's request when she noticed her lurking her around, trying to snap a photograph while she wasn't looking.
'Are you gonna take it in my face like an animal in a cage?' she is reported to have quipped.
It is not clear what Malia is studying but her course choices are likely to lend themselves to her passion for film making.
Former president Obama made the remarks at an event for the Beau Biden Foundation in Delaware. He was joined by former Vice President Joe Biden
President Obama was joined at the charity event on Monday by former Vice President Jo Biden.
He used his speech to pay tribute to Biden's late son Beau who he described as being 'all about duty'.
'I am here just to lend my voice and my support to a family that I care deeply about, to honor a man that I thought the world of, and to say thank you to all of you for supporting this wonderful cause.'
Joe Biden gave his own remarks, telling the room: 'You're allowing Beau's dream--when he said children can't speak for themselves, we have to speak for them, and you're allowing that to happen.
'Beau is setting a pattern, that he set in the attorney general's office here--literally for the United States of America--other attorneys general offices across the country are mimicking the things Beau had put in place and [that] Beau had done.'
Polls still indicate a majority of Australians will vote 'yes' on the gay marriage postal survey.
But the wildcard in the postal vote is the increasingly confrontational actions and even violence by some of those campaigning for marriage equality, which appears to be driving non-aligned voters towards either a no vote - or not even bothering to fill out the survey.
From the headbutting of former prime minister Tony Abbott to academics banning the word 'marriage' because it's 'homophobic', the tactics of the 'yes' campaign are causing conservative Australians to start turning away from the campaign for marriage equality completely.
After irritating millions with a mass weekend text message telling them to vote 'yes', the actions of a lunatic fringe using violent and abusive tactics are starting to shock voters.
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While polls indicate a majority will vote 'yes' on gay marriage, the violent actions of militant rainbow warriors are pushing average Australians into the 'no' camp (pictured is Astro Labe, who admitted headbutting Tony Abbott while wearing a 'Yes' badge)
A Coalition for Marriage event was disrupted by protesters who stormed the venue and blocked the stage with a banner saying 'Burn churches not queers' (pictured)
Academics Catherine Greenhill (left) and Dr Francisco Perales (right) have come under fire for their behaviour
A 'yes' voter (pictured) was caught on film in Chatswood in Sydney's north racially abusing 'no' campaigners
People have taken to social media (pictured) to object to the violent tactics of militant 'yes' activists
While there have been disappointing incidents on both sides, some have called the behaviour of 'yes' activists violent, elitist, snobbish and off-putting.
'I had always intended to vote yes but the more liberals use these tactics the more inclined I am to vote no,' said one online commenter.
'I am not engaged in this debate, I have had other priorities in my life - we all have something we are fighting for - but after seeing the low tactics of the 'yes' campaigners I'm considering voting, and it will be no,' said another.
Their sentiments were echoed across social media, with people declaring they have had enough of the violence, the threats and the abuse, calling the behaviour 'feral'.
Everyday Australians are increasing irritated by mass text messages telling them how to vote and shocked by a lunatic fringe using violent and abusive tactics (pictured is a vandalised church)
One Twitter user (pictured) said attacks such as the spraypainting of a church would cause a backlash
Some have described the behaviour of the 'yes' campaign as 'feral' (pictured), calling it a turn off
'Why are these people so bent on convincing people? If you didn't protest so much people may have supported this cause,' said a commenter (pictured)
The most recent Newspoll shows 57 per cent of Australians support redefining the Marriage Act, down from 63 per cent in August (pictured is a Facebook comment)
'Yes voters arent helping their cause are they? It's really sad that a few disgusting individuals might end up ruining this opportunity for the LGBT community' wrote a Facebook user.
Poll How will you vote in the same-sex marriage postal survey? Yes No Will not vote How will you vote in the same-sex marriage postal survey? Yes 118 votes
No 602 votes
Will not vote 99 votes Now share your opinion
'Why are these people so bent on convincing people? If you didn't protest so much people may have supported this cause,' said a commenter.
'The vandals don't realise they are supporting the NO campaign,' said a Twitter user after a church was vandalised.
Radio star Kate Langbroek was not impressed with the text message campaign, writing: 'Spammed. Is the 'yes' campaign trying to put people off?'
The most recent Newspoll shows 57 per cent of Australians support redefining the Marriage Act, down from 63 per cent in August.
Following the headbutt assault on Mr Abbott by a 'Yes' badge-wearing anarchist DJ in Hobart, activists held up banners saying 'Headbutt homophobes'.
From the headbutting of former prime minister Tony Abbott to academics banning the word 'marriage', the aggressive 'yes' campaign is causing a backlash (pictured is a 'yes' campaign rally)
Radio star Kate Langbroek (pictured) wrote: 'Spammed. Is the 'yes' campaign trying to put people off?'
Dr Francisco Perales at the University of Queensland suggested opponents of same-sex marriage are less intelligent.
Lecturers Catherine Greenhill and Diana Combe at the University of New South Wales have told maths students not to use the word marriage.
A 'yes' voter was caught on film in Chatswood in Sydney's north racially abusing 'no' campaigners.
Students at the University of Sydney clashed last week when a 'no' campaign rally turned violent after 'yes' campaign counter-protesters turned up.
Following the headbutt assault on Mr Abbott by a 'Yes' badge-wearing anarchist DJ in Hobart, activists held up banners saying 'Headbutt homophobes' (pictured)
Just days later a gay man was viciously heckled at a similar rally at the University of Queensland and accused of 'internalised homophobia'.
A Coalition for Marriage event was disrupted by protesters who stormed the venue and blocked the stage with a banner saying 'Burn churches not queers'.
Vandals attacked a church in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, spray-painting it with 'Vote Yes' slogans.
Gay anarchists took over the former headquarters of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and scrawled hateful anti-police slurs on the walls.
Gay anarchists took over the former headquarters of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and scrawled hateful anti-police slurs on the walls (pictured)
Pro same-sex marriage activists during a "Straight Lives Matter" rally held in Darlinghurst, Sydney
'Sometimes find myself wondering if I'd hate-f**k all the anti-gay MPs in parliament if it meant they got the homophobia out of their system,' wrote openly-gay comedian and Safe Schools author Benjamin Law to his 77,000 Twitter followers.
A Canberra woman was fired for saying 'It's okay to vote no' on Facebook, with her boss Madlin Sims calling it 'homophobic hate speech'.
Dr Pansy Lai - who appeared in the first Coalition of Marriage advertisement - was targeted by a petition seeking to have her stripped of her medical licence.
The latest development in special counsel Robert Mueller's sprawling Russia investigation has brought him to the door of the Internal Revenue Service, and tax authorities there are helping.
CNN reported Tuesday that Mueller is seeing cooperation from the IRS following months of conflict and negotiations.
The result is that financial documents stretching back 11 years are now available to his investigators, mostly covering former Donald Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.
Manafort was reportedly under investigation before the 2016 election, CNN reported, with IRS Criminal Investigation division agents looking into a possible money laundering and tax fraud case.
Flynn is under the microscope for payments he received for a speech in Russia and for lobbying work his firm did in Turkey.
Special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly getting help from the Internal Revenue Service as he probes the finances of former Donald Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn
Mueller's team had wrangled for months with the IRS over the records because the IRS already had its own open investigation into Manafort's financial history
Mueller is investigating Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election, a probe that reportedly widened with a July raid on Manafort's home.
Search warrants indicate Mueller's team is now looking into tax and financial crimes, according to CNN, buoyed by a May directive from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to probe 'any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.'
IRS records, including individual income tax returns, are among the federal government's mostly tightly held documents.
In ordinary circumstances, a federal grand jury would have to issue a subpoena to the IRS in order to compel the agency to share tax returns with another government department.
There is no evidence President Donald Trump's tax returns have become part of the investigation.
CNN reported Tuesday that the Manafort raid was the subject of inter-agency acrimony, with the IRS refusing to participate because of fears Mueller's team would interfere with their earlier financial probe.
Ultimately, Mueller green-lighted the raid with only FBI agents, and no one from the IRS, participating an unusual quirk for a tax-focused case.
Manafort's possible legal exposure includes payments related to work in the Ukraine, a host of real estate transactions, and offshore bank accounts he has maintained in tax-haven countries.
Mueller sought 11 years worth of records on Manafort (pictured), including his tax returns along with information about his business ties to the Ukraine and the offshore tax havens where he parks his money
Flynn, fired by Trump after just a short time on the job, is under the microscope for payments he received for a speech in Russia and for lobbying work his firm did in Turkey
According to CNN, Mueller's team has alerted Manafort that he might be charged with a crime.
Longtime Manafort friend and former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone told reporters Tuesday outside a Senate hearing room where he answered questions in secret that he expects dirty tricks from Mueller.
'I think what's happening here is that the special counsel will try to manufacture a crime and say, "Look, Manafort, we won't prosecute you for this if you simply admit you were colluding with the Russians and that Donald Trump knew everything" in other words, bear false witness against the president,' he said.
'I've known Paul Manafort for over 40 years and I don't believe he is going to do that. He is not going to lie. And that would be a lie.'
Assistant Chief Constable Naveed Malik, 47, is set to keep his 120,816-a-year job after admitting gross misconduct
On of Britain's highest ranking Asian police officers who admitted trying to influence a colleague's bid for promotion should not be sacked, a disciplinary panel said yesterday.
Assistant Chief Constable Naveed Malik, 47, is set to keep his 120,816-a-year job after admitting gross misconduct by mentoring an inspector seeking promotion to chief inspector.
A police disciplinary hearing said the married third-in-command at Cambridgeshire Constabulary should be given a final written warning after his actions could cause 'boobgate levels' of damage to the reputation of the police nationally.
It was a reference to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) ACC Rebekah Sutcliffe being found guilty of gross misconduct for flashing her breasts to a female colleague during a row about their boobs.
The force's Deputy Chief Constable will make a final decision on his punishment in a week's time after the hearing was told how 'no explanation has been fully provided' as to why ACC Malik, 47, of Cambridgeshire Constabulary, sabotaged the promotion process.
The panel made its recommendation after being read a statement from Cambridgeshire Constabulary Chief Constable Alec Wood which said: 'I recall telling Nav in an informal one-to-one meeting that he would make an extremely strong deputy chief constable and in my view chief constable in the medium term.'
A police disciplinary hearing said the married third-in-command at Cambridgeshire Constabulary should be given a final written warning after his actions could cause 'boobgate levels' of damage to the reputation of the police nationally
Chairman of the panel Dorian Lovell-Pank QC said: 'It is a harsh fact of life as we all know that the higher you climb the harder you fall.
'You are one of the highest-ranking police officers in this country and we are all more than aware of the esteem with which you are held in the police service and the wider public, particularly in the Muslim and BME community.
'We have been told that what you did was an error of judgement as to the limits of the mentoring process.
'In our judgement this investigation has met the expectations of the public by being done independently by another force, Suffolk police, by being done quickly thoroughly and in as fully transparent a manner as possible.
'We consider in the all-round interests of justice and fairness they would be best served that for this breach you be issued with a final written warning.'
It was in reference to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) ACC Rebekah Sutcliffe being found guilty of gross misconduct for flashing her breasts to a female colleague during a row about their boobs
ACC Malik issued orders for an officer he had 'informally mentored' to be told what questions were due to come up at an interview for promotion to Chief Inspector, the panel heard.
The officer was only referred to as Inspector A due to being a 'whistleblower' at the two-day hearing at Wyboston Lakes Conference Centre, Beds.
An independent panel heard Malik 'ordered' a personal assistant codenamed Staff Member B to use her personal mobile phone to tell Inspector A what topics were coming up in an interview on her personal mobile phone on February 22.
Malik, who is the National Police Chiefs Council's (NPCC) lead for the recruitment of black and minority ethnic officers, admitted 'simple misconduct'.
But he had denied 'gross misconduct' until an investigation was carried out by Suffolk Police in May, the panel heard.
John Beggs QC, representing the force, said: 'One of the difficulties of this case is no explanation has fully been provided for why he would ask for the private number to be used.'
The hearing was told Malik said in police interviews: 'I cannot think what my rationale was, I think that was the massive error of judgement, that's just a real stupid thing to have done, a grave error of judgement and I cannot explain it.'
Mr Beggs added: 'But he says it wasn't with the intention of usurping the [promotion] process.
Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Tom Winsor (left) and Dorian Lovell-Pank QC leave Naveed Malik's misconduct hearing
'We say that this is self-evident, it requires no analysis, this is gross misconduct, this should never have happened, it completely undermined the integrity of the promotion process.'
Mr Beggs said Staff Member B said she felt 'quite uncomfortable with the order or, directive' to write down the interview topics in a piece of 'scrappy paper' and relay them to Inspector A in a call that lasted less than two minutes.
'Inspector A told Staff Member B to go back and tell ACC Malik that, 'I didn't want to listen and he wanted to be promoted on merit'.
Malik, whose Pakistani father Mohammed Ahmed Malik became the first Asian police constable in 1967, said in a statement he had 'informally mentored' several officers.
He also said he 'sees it as a personal responsibility to use his position for the benefit of BME officers and recruits'.
But Mr Beggs said Malik had an 'unblemised recorded' and that it would be a 'genuine loss' to dismiss him.
It took place at Wyboston Lakes Conference Centre in Bedfordshire
He drew similarities to the 'boobgate scandal' in mitigation for Malik: 'The admitted gross misconduct in this case was serious and did have serious consequences.
'There was a significant financial penalty as there would have been in the GMP case.
'Thirdly, identical to the GMP case there would be a massive reputational impact.
'Nonetheless, the appropriate authority does not consider that the admitted gross misconduct requires dismissal to uphold public confidence in and the reputation of the police service.'
The panel was told by Malik's lawyer Chris Dow QC that sacking him for a 'single error of judgement' would be 'disproportionate'.
Mr Daw said: 'On careful analysis was a momentary lapse of concentration and a single error of judgement in the context of an unblemished and outstanding police
career.
'The disciplinary process itself has acted as the most formal warning.'
Malik has attended community events with his family and different mosques every Friday in uniform.
A woman stranded at Charlotte Douglas International Airport after missing her connecting flight decided to make the most of her overnight airport experience by dancing the night away.
Mahshid Mazooji has since gone viral, racking up nearly 1million YouTube views for her video showing her dancing by herself and with employees.
She wrote on YouTube: 'I missed my connecting flight in Charlotte, and I didn't want to sit in anger all night long, so instead I did what makes me happiest...DANCE!!!!
Mahshid Mazooji (right) was stranded overnight at Charlotte Douglas International Airport after she missed her connecting flight
Mazooji decided to dance the night away and uploaded a video to YouTube of her dancing
'Oh, and I made some really great friends along the way! Thank you for dancing your troubles away with me!!! :)'
The video is edited to Lionel Richie's hit 1983 single 'All Night Long'.
It makes extensive use of the cross-dissolve editing tool, cutting between Mazooji dancing with airport staff, Starbucks employees and herself.
The assembled humans smile and laugh as they dance the night away.
At one point, Mazooji does a moonwalk.
Charlotte's airport tweeted the video and wrote: 'Kudos to Ms. Mahshid Mazooji for turning a tough experience at #CLT into a positive one.'
The video shows her dancing with airport employees, Starbucks employees and herself
The video is done to Lionel Richie's 1983 single, 'All Night Long'
Commentators on YouTube praised Mazooji's positive outlook.
FerrettGamer wrote: 'OMG!! Wish more people would overcome problems like this! we would live in a much much better world!!'
am vwj wrote: 'You are a light in this dark world! Thank you for staying positive in an otherwise bad situation. Blessings!'
One month ago, Mazzoji uploaded a video of herself skydiving in Aruba in celebration of her birthday.
Channel Seven has hit back at a former reporter's claim she was fired from her job after she made a formal complaint about an older, male colleague allegedly sexually harassing her.
Amy Taeuber had been a Seven News cadet in Adelaide for a less than a year in March 2016 when she objected to a man allegedly asking if she was a lesbian.
A recording of the 27-year-old journalist being told she was indefinitely suspended while the network investigates a complaint made against her was aired on ABC's 7.30 on Monday night.
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Channel Seven has hit back at former Adelaide reporter Amy Taeuber's claim she was fired from her job after she made a complaint about an older, male colleague allegedly sexually harassing her
Ms Taeuber had been a Seven News cadet in Adelaide for a less than a year in March 2016 when she objected to a man allegedly asking if she was a lesbian
Amy Taeuber is pictured with journalist Tracey Spicer at a Women In Media event on Tuesday night
The program claimed Seven had gone through Ms Taeuber's emails and alleged she had bullied fellow cadet Peter Fegan, who maintains he never made such a claim and still considers his former colleague a friend.
Ms Taeuber was also accused of being directly involved with two websites, including a meme account based on 'My Kitchen Rules', which 'contained disparaging and offensive comments directed towards Seven, its employees and contestants', according to documents lodged in the Federal Circuit Court.
The 27-year-old, who is a triplet and worked at Seven's Adelaide department with her sister Sophie, said their third sister, Kate, created the website.
Ms Taeuber maintained neither she nor Sophie who was also suspended over the issue were involved.
Seven responded to the ABC and Ms Taeuber's claims in a formal statement on Tuesday.
A recording of the 27-year-old journalist being told she was indefinitely suspended while the network investigates a complaint made against her was aired on ABC's 7.30 on Monday night
Seven said in a formal statement Ms Taeuber had been dismissed from her job two months after she was suspended because of a breach of contract, not because of the complaint she filed
The Network accused the journalist of being directly involved with two websites, which 'contained disparaging and offensive comments directed towards Seven, its employees and contestants'. Her sister Kate (right) ran a satirical website about My Kitchen Rules
The network said Ms Taeuber had been dismissed from her job two months after she was suspended because of a breach of contract.
'Seven's HR team did not try to build any case against her and their investigation was not related to any complaint made by Amy about other staff,' the statement read.
'Her complaint was fully investigated and resolved. A public apology was issued by the person and he now works another newsroom.'
Seven said it was surprised by Ms Taeuber's allegations because a 'mutual agreement and settlement' had been signed six months ago.
The network also claimed ABC had not approached them for comment before airing the segment.
In the recording, Ms Taeuber is denied the right to have another staff member present for morale support.
Ms Taeuber (centre) and her sister Sophie (left) were both suspended over the satirical websites run by Kate (right)
A female human resources officer tells her she will be relieved of her duties during the suspension and to hand in her phone and security card, surprising Amy.
'Is this actually for real?' she says in the audio she recorded on her smartphone.
However, the Seven Network said in its statement Ms Taeuber was not fired until her formal response to the accusations was considered.
It also maintains the 27-year-old received adequate representation during the process.
'The former employee was represented by two successive firms of lawyers and the union. It is untrue to say that she was not represented.'
'The matter proceeded to mediation, where she was again represented, culminating in a deed of release which contained a confidentiality provision.'
University officials and Native American leaders celebrated the official opening of a new location for the Native American Achievement Center at Montana State University Billings on Wednesday.
The American Indian Outreach Office moved into a former child care facility on the west end of MSUB's campus, rechristened the William R. Lowe Native American Achievement Center.
The program has long provided academic support for Native American students and been a hub for cultural activities. Officials hope the new location would provide space for the program to pursue activities like a Natives-in-Residence program or demonstration classroom with tribal experts and elders.
As part of the ceremony, office director Reno Charette introduced several Native American students attending Billings high schools.
"It's my hope that these students are incoming freshmen at MSUB, because that's what we're all about," she said.
Fewer Native American students attend or complete college in Montana compared to their white counterparts. A variety of programs at the high school and collegiate level, including the outreach office, work to bridge that gap.
Acting MSUB Chancellor Ron Larsen said the new building would support the school's "effort to recruit and retain Native American students."
He also noted the building's child care roots, saying it would support parents with children. MSUB closed the child care center last fall after its contracted provider pulled out. The university said it was unable to take on the costs of operating the center.
Michael Comes At Night performed a capture ceremony, recognizing the building and a teepee on the lawn. Dancers wearing jingle dresses performed on the campus lawn.
A dog was screamed at and almost kicked in Melbourne after a man took offence to the canine wearing an 'Equality' bandanna (stock image)
A dog wearing a bandanna was the subject of homophobic slurs and an attempted assault on Tuesday.
Melbourne woman Claire Sutherland posted on Twitter her dog had been screamed at by a passing man because the canine was wearing an 'Equality' bandanna.
The man also tried to kick Mack the dog, who was being walked in a park in Yarraville, in Melbourne's west.
Luckily, the kick did not connect and the pup was protected by his dogsitter, who Ms Sutherland says gave the man a piece of her mind.
'He's totally fine though, kick didn't connect and our dog sitter gave the guy a mouthful,' Ms Sutherland wrote.
Mack the dog is the latest public victim of the increasingly brutal same-sex marriage campaigns.
Mass demonstrations have taken place around Australia as survey ballots are posted throughout the country
Those advocating for each side have gathered at rallies to say their piece (pictured are members of the No campaign)
Both the 'No' and 'Yes' camps have been accused of violence in the past few weeks, as survey ballots are mailed out across the country for Australians to share their opinions on whether couples of the same sex should be able to legally marry.
Kevin Rudd's godson was allegedly punched in the face over his yes stance, and Tony Abbott has claimed he was headbutted over his no stance.
The former Prime Minister was leaving a newspaper office in Hobart last week when he claims a man came up to him, asked for a handshake, and then headbutted him.
Mr Abbott conducted a press conference on the attack, as well as an interview with Andrew Bolt immediately afterwards, where he noted the man had been wearing a 'yes' badge and labelled the headbutt: 'politically motivated violence'.
'It was just very disconcerting to find the love is love brigade, or a least someone who was advocating a yes vote, should, under the guise of wanting to shake your hand, in fact try to give you a so-called Liverpool kiss.'
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott was headbutted in Hobart last week by a man he claimed had taken issue with his stance on same sex marriage
He said his attacker was wearing a yes badge, but the man behind the headbutt said it had nothing to do with his stance on same sex marriage, and a staffer of the Former Prime Minister confirmed nothing had been said
A 38-year-old man has been charged over the incident, but he claimed the attack was nothing to do with same sex marriage.
A staffer of Mr Abbott came out soon after to confirm the man's story, noting Mr Abbott's attacker had not said a word about same sex marriage.
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd tweeted a bloodied image of his godson earlier this month, claiming he was bashed for supporting gay marriage.
The picture shows Sean with a cut between his eyebrows standing on a Brisbane bus.
'So many warnings to Turnbull about what the postal vote could unleash,' he told his 404,000 followers on Wednesday afternoon.
'Now my godson Sean has been punched for standing up for marriage equality.'
A local marriage equality group on Facebook claimed Sean was punched on Tuesday after confronting a man who was pulling down rainbow flags from the Oxford Street roundabout in Bulimba.
Sean, the godson of Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, was hit in the face after an altercation with a man who did not support same sex marriage
A spokesman for Queensland Police told Daily Mail Australia officers were investigating the assault of a 19-year-old man who sustained a facial injury at 9am on Tuesday.
Ballots for the postal survey on same-sex marriage are being mailed out across Australia.
Voters have until October 11 to request a replacement survey if theirs has not arrived or has been lost.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics recommends all Australians post back their survey by October 27, and results will be finalised on November 15.
The Federal Government has pledged to introduce a private member's bill into Parliament if the majority of Australians vote yes, though the public decision will not be binding.
A luxury toilet paper brand has been accused of damaging protected forest land to make its products.
Essity is the company which makes quilted and triple layer Velvet toilet tissue, and koala-branded Cushelle.
But the wood pulp used to produce the premium toilet roll comes from protected forest land which is home to vulnerable species such as grey wolves and lynx.
A luxury toilet paper firm which makes the quilted and triple layer Velvet brand has been accused of using wood pulp from protected forest land
Environmental group Greenpeace says the pulp made into toilet roll for British homes is supplied by logging companies which are devastating a regions last remaining historic trees.
It comes from the Great Northern Forest in Sweden, which makes up almost a third of the remaining forest land left on Earth. Conservationists say the forest is vital for storing carbon produced by human pollution, while it is home to 1,300 threatened species including the lynx and Bechsteins bat.
Jamie Woolley, Greenpeace UK forests campaigner, said: Forest habitats are complex ecosystems and swapping old growth trees for new ones just isnt good enough. If Essity really cared, it would leave the Great Northern Forest to flourish, rather than allowing it to be flushed down the toilet.
The campaign group has criticised the toilet roll brand over its three trees promise which guarantees it will plant three trees for every one used to make its toilet tissue.
Mr Wooley added: Velvets clever marketing and three trees promise suggests the company cares about the environment and sustainability. But its owner, Essity, is sourcing pulp from the last remaining old growth Swedish forests, home to locally endangered species including wolves and lynx. Its got to stop.
A growing number of household products have faced recent criticism over their effect on the environment.
Following a Daily Mail campaign over plastic waste, cosmetics companies have removed microbeads from face washes, plastic from cotton buds and agreed to improve labelling on wet wipes which end up in the ocean when flushed.
Velvet and Cushelle toilet paper, which is advertised as being extra soft because of micro air pockets, sell to millions of households in Britain.
But a Greenpeace report reveals that the UK mill producing it is supplied with wood pulp from the Great Northern Forest only three per cent of which is protected.
The Greenpeace report reveals that the UK mill producing the toilet tissue is supplied with wood pulp from the Great Northern Forest, pictured
Erika Bjureby, Greenpeaces Great Northern Forest project leader, said: The Great Northern Forest is being torn to pieces by logging companies to make disposable products. Essity is a world leader in the tissue production but its failing to show leadership in the urgent fight to save the worlds boreal forests from destruction. Essity must clean up its supply chain.
Boreal forests are found only at northerly latitudes and tend to be cold and snowy. The Great Northern Forest stretches from Alaska and Canada to northern Scandinavia, across Finland, European Russia and Siberia to the Pacific Ocean.
It is the worlds largest terrestrial carbon store and contains 20,000 plant and animal species, including brown bears and wild boar.
In the Swedish forestry model, large areas are clear-cut, according to Greenpeace, which completely wipes out tree diversity. The trees planted to replace those lost tend to be a single species, which is worse for wildlife.
In a statement, Essity said: Consumers must feel confident that all components of an Essity product and all fibre are derived through responsible forest management.
Discussions are currently ongoing with the Forest Stewardship Council to determine how Intact Forest Landscapes are to be included in the certification work. We fully support this work and look forward to the presentation of clear guidelines from the worlds most respected forest certification organization, the FSC.
Greenpeace is calling on Essity to stop using wood from the Great Northern Forest.
Four people, including the victim's girlfriend, have been charged in the death of a teenager whose burned body was found in southern Missouri.
James Grigsby, 25, of Houston, Missouri, was charged Monday with abandonment of a corpse and tampering with evidence in the death of Ally Lee Steinfeld, 17.
Grigsby is being held without bond. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.
Steinfeld's girlfriend Briana Calderas, 24, and two 18-year-olds, Andrew Vrba and Isis Schauer, were earlier charged with first-degree murder and other counts.
Investigators found the charred human remains of transgender 17-year-old Ally Steinfeld in a burn pit and in a bag inside a chicken coop near a mobile home in Cabool, Missouri last week
Andrew Vrba, 18, (left) is allegedly responsible for gouging out Steinfeld's eyes, stabbing her in the genitals and bragging about the killing. James Grigsby, 25, (right) was charged on Monday with abandonment of a corpse
Briana Calderas, 24, (left) and Isis Schauer, 18, (right) were also charged with first-degree murder and other counts
Even as authorities in rural southern Missouri dismiss the possibility that a transgender teenager's death was a hate crime, questions remain about why the quiet 17-year-old was killed in such a ghastly manner.
Her remains were found last week in the town of Cabool, near the mobile home of Calderas, with whom Steinfeld was living.
Some of Steinfeld's bones were in a bag in a chicken coop. Authorities said both eyes were gouged out and Steinfeld had been stabbed in the genitals.
Steinfeld had been missing for weeks, and initial news reports referred to her as a male, in part because missing-person posters distributed by the family used Steinfeld's birth name, as did police documents.
Steinfeld's mother, Amber Steinfeld, still refers to her child as Joey, but said the teen identified as female to family and to friends on social media. She said her child was 'loving and kind-hearted'.
Steinfeld, who was born Joseph Matthew Steinfeld Jr, was engaged to a woman until they broke up in August, Amber Steinfeld said, and soon after began dating Calderas.
Pictured is Ally, known previously as Joseph, Steinfeld, who was allegedly murdered on September 3, six days before his 18th birthday
She said Steinfeld and the two 18-year-old suspects were all living at Calderas' mobile home.
She said that Steinfeld was upbeat before she disappeared, telling relatives that she loved them and was happy.
Authorities aren't saying what led to the killing.
But both Sheriff James Sigman and prosecutor Parke Stevens Jr. insist the crime was not motivated by Steinfeld's gender identity.
'I would say murder in the first-degree is all that matters,' Stevens said. 'That is a hate crime in itself.'
Yet the killing has drawn the attention of transgender advocates and others across the U.S. who believe Steinfeld was targeted for her gender identity, despite what the Texas County sheriff and prosecutor say.
Chris Sgro, spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, said Steinfeld was the 21st transgender person killed this year in the U.S.
'This violence, often motivated by hatred, must come to an end,' Sgro said. 'We will continue to mourn Ally and fight back against transphobia and anti-trans violence.'
Steinfeld grew up mostly in House Springs, Missouri, near St. Louis, Amber Steinfeld said.
The family moved briefly to Florida, then to Texas County, an area of rugged hills in southern Missouri.
Steinfeld dropped out of high school upon turning 17, Amber Steinfeld said.
At about the same time, the rest of the family moved back to House Springs, but Steinfeld stayed in Houston, Missouri, living with different friends.
In May, Steinfeld posted on Instagram that she was coming out and was 'mtf,' or male-to-female.
In a posting on June 13, Steinfeld referred to herself as 'Trans male to female and I am mostly lesbian but pansexual'.
In another that same day she wrote: 'I am proud to be me I am proud to be trans I am beautiful I don't care what people think.'
Vrba told investigators he initially tried to poison Steinfeld, then described how he stabbed Steinfeld in the living room of Calderas' mobile home, Deputy Rowdy Douglas wrote in a probable cause statement.
The female suspects said Vrba bragged to them about how he gouged Steinfeld's eyes and stabbed Steinfeld in the genitals, Douglas wrote. The probable cause statement does not offer any motive.
Authorities say the three suspects burned Steinfeld's body, placed some of the bones into a garbage bag and put the bag in the chicken coop. Calderas admitted helping burn the body and led authorities to the knife used in the killing, Douglas wrote.
An attorney for the three suspects, Michael Jacobs, said Tuesday that it was too early to comment.
Linda Camara, 61, a friend of Steinfeld's family, was struck by the gruesome nature of the killing.
'People kill each other, which is bad, but to do it that way, that's something you see in movies,' Camara said. 'And the three people who did this, they were kids, too.'
Another fiery day in Corbynism's furnace where we are smelting and quenching, tempering a New Babylon.
This is not socialism. It is more febrile than that. The itchiness keeps spilling forth.
Yesterday's debates were infected by a bracing disobedience as activists even chewed the leadership's attempts to stifle dissent. Has the revolution already started to eat its tribunes?
Jeremy Corbyn himself may radiate porridgey benevolence, but the rest of his Labour cohort major in ire which was laid on thick at the conference on Tuesday
Tosh McDonald, leader of the Aslef rail union, threw his long white hair from side to side and screamed that the Tories were 'cowards!' (I forget why)
Things are so shouty speakers win applause only by resorting to baleful overstatement that it has created a vortex of dissent that may be hard to stop.
'Conservatives are not human beings!' claimed one Portia, from Kensington. It is hard to know where you go after that.
Tosh McDonald, leader of the Aslef rail union, threw his long white hair from side to side and screamed that the Tories were 'cowards!' (I forget why).
Mr McDonald's larynx made a din like a coffee grinder as he ended his speech with a minute-long rolling-applause riff demanding more tax money for his workers.
So much white noise makes it hard for anyone with a more measured message to be heard.
Conference reports on Labour's finances and constitution normally pass on the nod. Yesterday the rank and file pounced on this rarely contested area, challenging various details.
They derailed the morning timetable and were met with glares from some party managers. The party HQ eventually quelled the dissent by mentioning the name of bwana Corbyn, but you don't like to think what would happen if he did not exist.
In front of me were a couple of 60-something geezers, tweaking their necks and muttering about the unions and 'the elite' who run the party.
These two, middle-class and well read, were straight out of the Judean People's Front in The Life of Brian. One kept flipping open his iPad to fire off tweets. Another read the Morning Star, closely, as though checking it for ants.
Passions became inflamed about semitism. The iPad bloke leapt to his feet and bawled ululating, smashing his hands together in applause to show support for a comrade who was criticising Israel. I doubt he was anti-Jewish, as such. He just seemed intoxicated by a seething conniption.
Rebecca Long-Bailey, shadow business secretary, lost the hall with a glacial moanathon. In this atmosphere you had to yell to be heard
Equality was high on the agenda. One person said it was unfair (to the disabled) that delegates could try to attract the chair's attention by waving things in the air
In such an atmosphere, only demagogues prosper. Education spokesman Angela Rayner went down well because she is a big-shouldered foghorn who had a baby at the age of 16 and could make the shipping forecast sound menacing.
Like other frontbenchers, she announced billions of pounds' worth of spending commitments.
The audience members barely noticed. They just clocked that beefy Angela was not one of your normal, controlling suits. Brussels Commissioners would be devoured here.
Jonathan Ashworth, shadow health secretary, hurled himself into a speech of such shrieky aggression that a lick of hair slipped down his brow and his voice pinked. A doctor might have prescribed tranquilisers.
Terms such as 'gentleman' and 'lady' were criticised for being too 'gender-specific'. The chairperson looked almost constipated by terror after that when she foolishly used the word 'woman'.
A sister of colour was most indignant, saying 'I'm not hearing people talk about intersectionality!' Someone said it was unfair (to the disabled) that delegates could try to attract the chair's attention by waving things in the air.
A few leading MPs flopped. Rebecca Long-Bailey, shadow business secretary, lost the hall with a glacial moanathon. Decent John Healey, housing spokesman, did not rant enough to grip them, either.
Ripest turn of the day came from deputy leader Tom Watson, one of Westminster's worst plotters, who said Tories were 'tinpot Machiavellis'.
He also gave us a homily about how 'love wins'. Ha! Mr Corbyn may himself radiate a porridgey benevolence but the rest of them major in ire.
'Conservatives don't have the imagination to embrace change,' shouted Mr Watson, a man who himself, last year, took the dreary Establishment line against Brexit.
But he may have a point. Labour's opponents would do well to note this conference's remarkable energy. Corbyn-economics may be dotty but the raw impatience with the technocracy is gripping.
Jeremy Corbyn will today hint at fresh taxes on firms that replace people with robots as he calls for a 'new settlement between work and leisure'.
The Labour leader will use his set piece party conference speech to say that, with automation due to destroy millions of jobs in the coming decades, the state needs to intervene to ensure the benefits are shared across society.
'We need urgently to face the challenge of automation; robotics that could make so much of contemporary work redundant,' he will say.
Jeremy Corbyn hugged and greeted his supporters as he arrived at the Brighton conference today where he will deliver his speech. He is due to outline his plans for a socialist society
The Labour leader will announce that Labour is the government in waiting and will renationalise the railways, water industry and other public services if he gets into No10
Jeremy Corbyn will use his keynote speech at the Labour conference to call for employers to share the benefits of robotic technology with the workers whose jobs they replace (file)
'That is a threat in the hands of the greedy but what an opportunity if it's managed in the interests of society as a whole.
'If planned and managed properly, accelerated technological change can be the gateway for a new settlement between work and leisure, a springboard for creativity and culture, making technology our servant and not our master at long last.'
Labour has previously toyed with the idea of a 'universal basic income', which would effectively see everyone put on benefits.
Party sources played down the idea last night. But they did not rule out new taxes on businesses that benefit from automation.
Corbyn will say free college and university education will enable people to acquire skills that will keep them in work as old jobs vanish
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said increased use of new technology in the workplace would inevitably boost productivity, and a Labour government would force them to pass on the benefits of that to employees through higher wages and shorter hours.
'When you've got big leaps forward in technological change and therefore productivity, that can be shared in various ways, both in profits and wages and salaries on the one hand, and increases in wages and salaries and increased leisure time with shorter working hours,' he said.
'How that pans out is something that is up to political decisions and corporate decisions.'
Mr Corbyn will also highlight Labour plans to offer free education to college students as well as those at university, which will enable people to improve their skills as old jobs disappear.
Mr Corbyn, who has received the status of a cult leader at this year's conference, will say that Labour is now 'on the threshold of power', adding: 'We are ready for government'.
But, controversially, he will also use the speech to try to weaponise the Grenfell Tower disaster by blaming the fire on Thatcherism and New Labour.
Although the inquiry into the causes of the fire has barely started, the Labour leader will say it was the result of a 'failed and broken system which Labour must and will replace.'
The Labour leader will also lay the blame for Grenfell Tower at the door of the Tories and New Labour, calling it a 'tragic monument' to modern society
'The disregard for rampant inequality, the hollowing out of our public services, the disdain for the powerless and the poor have made our society more brutal and less caring,' he will say.
'Now that graded regime has a tragic monument - the chilling wreckage of Grenfell Tower, a horrifying fire in which dozens perished, an entirely avoidable human disaster.'
Labour sources said Mr Corbyn believed the fire in the tower, which was built in the 1970s, was the result of a 'failed economic model that was introduced in the 1980s and has been with us ever since.'
Despite deep divisions within Labour on Brexit, Mr Corbyn will also round on the government's handling of the issue.
'The Tories are more interested in posturing for personal advantage than in getting the best deal for Britain,' he will say.
'Never has the national interest been so ill-served on such a vital issue. If there were no other reason for the Tories to go, their self-interested Brexit bungling would be reason enough.
'So I have a simple message to the cabinet: for Britain's sake pull yourself together or make way.'
Boris Johnson will argue for Britain to embrace global free trade after Brexit at the launch of a new think tank today
Boris Johnson will argue for Britain to embrace global free trade after Brexit at the launch of a new think tank today.
The Foreign Secretary and other leading Leave campaigners including Michael Gove and Liam Fox will appear at the Institute for Free Trade event at the Foreign Office.
The IFT will make the case for the UK to reduce barriers to trade with countries around the world after we leave the EU.
It represents another significant political intervention from Mr Johnson in the wake of the publication of his 4,000 word post-Brexit vision and new claims at the weekend that he has set red lines over Britains exit from the EU.
Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, the Institutes president, will say Britains future trade policy should see us abandon EU style tariff barriers with non-EU countries.
He will say unrestricted commerce is the supreme instrument of poverty alleviation, conflict resolution and social justice.
We aim to use Brexit as an opportunity, not just to open our markets, but to revitalise the world trading system, which has been more or less stalled since the mid-1990s.
It is not every day that a G7 economy gets to draw up an entirely new trade policy: an opportunity like this wont come again.
Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, the Institutes president, will say Britains future trade policy should see us abandon EU style tariff barriers with non-EU countries
He will add: Britain is in an unfrozen moment: we have 18 months in which to draw up a new trade policy.
Either we shall take the opportunity open our markets, in the way that Hong Kong and New Zealand have done; or we shall simply roll over most of our existing EU tariffs and quotas with the ambition of getting around to reducing them at some point in the future.
If we take the first course, or something close to it, we shall quickly find, as Hong Kong and New Zealand did, that almost no one wants to go back. If we take the second, well have walked past one of the greatest opportunities that Brexit offers.
After Brexit Britain should focus on securing a trade deal with the US, but also China, India and Australia.
The institutes advisory panel includes former Tory leader Lord Howard, former Australian PM Tony Abbott and former Spanish PM Jose Maria Aznar.
Seething with rage over a parking dispute, Christopher Orfanidis fatally bashed a father of two in the head with the butt of a rifle on a Melbourne roadside.
The man who died, Phi Long Ung, was wearing homemade body armour at the time but the blows put him in a coma and he never woke up.
Orfanidis, 33, was on Tuesday jailed for 10 years and six months for killing Mr Ung and bashing another man after running them off the road at suburban Ardeer in July 2015.
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Orfanidis, 33, was on Tuesday jailed for 10 years and six months for killing Mr Ung and bashing another man after running them off the road at suburban Ardeer in July 2015
'You struck him forcefully to the head at least twice with the wooden frame of the rifle,' Victorian Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale said.
The violent incident came after Mr Ung and his friend parked opposite Orfanidis' home at Sunshine West.
An ice user with paranoia issues, Orfanidis was incensed and an argument broke out.
He smashed a side mirror off the car and Mr Ung fired a shot from his rifle before the dispute took to the roads.
Orfanidis chased the others along the Western Ring Road in his Holden before ramming them twice.
The violent incident came after Mr Ung (pictured) and his friend parked opposite Orfanidis' home at Sunshine West
'The second collision put the Toyota into a spin and it collided with the guard rail,' Justice Beale said, noting the car stopped and the pair got out.
Mr Ung was holding the rifle but Orfanidis snatched it from him before inflicting the fatal blows.
'You did this all in a public place,' the judge said.
'Your unlawful, violent and dangerous actions have resulted in a man's death.
'Mr Ung leaves behind two young children. His family struggled to cope with his premature and violent death.'
Orfanidis (pictured outside court in December) chased the others along the Western Ring Road in his Holden before ramming them twice
Orfanidis was a heavy ice and GBH user and had not worked much in his life, the judge noted.
He was on a disability pension at the time for paranoia related to drugs and to being stabbed while in prison over a prior matter.
'I am guarded about your prospects of rehabilitation,' Justice Beale said.
Orfanidis, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter and intentionally causing injury, must spend seven years in jail before being eligible for parole.
Fears of a Transatlantic trade war have erupted after Michael Fallon warned US firm Boeing could be cut out of MoD contracts in revenge for threatening British jobs at its rival.
Boeing has won the first round of its trade dispute with Bombardier, who it has accused of receiving unfair subsidies from the Canadian government.
The decision means Bombardier could be slapped with tariffs of up to 220 per cent and has thrown the future of the 4,000 jobs at its Belfast plant into doubt.
Theresa May, who has personally lobbied Donald Trump over the dispute, said she is 'bitterly disappointed' at the decision.
The C-Series wings are made in a huge factory in Belfast (pictured) and Bombardier employs at least 800 people directly
And the Defence Secretary warned the British government might hit back by cutting Boeing out of the lucrative defence contracts.
Sir Michael said: 'Boeing is a major defence partner and one of the big winners of the latest defence review so this is not the kind of behaviour we expect from a long-term partner.
'This is not the behaviour we expect of Boeing and could indeed jeopardise our future relationship with Boeing.'
He added: 'Boeing stand to gain a lot of British defence spending.
'We have contracts in place with Boeing for new maritime patrol aircraft and for Apache attack helicopters and they will also be bidding for other defence work and this kind of behaviour clearly could jeopardise our future relationship with Boeing.'
The decision by the US Department of Commerce means an 'intermediary tariff' of 219.63 per cent on an order for 125 jets due to be delivered by Bombardier to Atlanta-based Delta Airlines next year.
The dramatic increase in costs could threaten the 4,000 jobs at Bombardier's Belfast wing-making factory.
Bombardier (pictured), a Canadian-owned multinational, suffered a major blow on Tuesday evening
Mrs May - who has personally lobbied Donald Trump over the case - tweeted today: 'Bitterly disappointed by initial Bombardier ruling.
'The Government will continue to work with the company to protect vital jobs for Northern Ireland.'
And she will come under huge pressure from the DUP - who are propping her up in No 10 - to protect the jobs.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, a DUP MP, told the BBC the Government should lay 'down a marker' to make clear to Boeing its actions would see retaliation in Britain if it did not back down.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think the Prime Minister is putting down a marker that if Boeing want to do business in the UK, then they should stop acting in such an unreasonable and irrational manner against an aircraft that is innovative that is not in direct competition with Boeing.
'And if America is about free trade and free enterprise then it really shouldn't be doing this.'
Lib Dem leader Vince Cable also piled the pressure on the Prime Minister to take action in the trade row.
He said: 'Rather than simply expressing 'bitter disappointment', our government should be out there fighting for vital British manufacturing jobs in Belfast.
'May must support Trudeau's administration in standing up to protectionist bullying from Donald Trump and his crude 'America First' philosophy.
'Do we really believe the US will save us from Brexit with a comprehensive trade deal, when this is how they deal with fair and free international competition?'
The next round of the trade dispute will not be settled until February meaning
Announcing the first round decision, US secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross said: 'The US values its relationships with Canada, but even our closest allies must play by the rules.
'The subsidisation of goods by foreign governments is something that the Trump Administration takes very seriously, and we will continue to evaluate and verify the accuracy of this preliminary determination.'
The final ruling on the pricing policy of Bombardier's new C-Series is made by official agencies across the Atlantic is expected to take place in February, trade unionists have said.
Bombardier supports hundreds of other jobs through its suppliers and has been a major employer in Northern Ireland for almost 30 years.
The operation's immediate future was secured after Bombardier signed a 5.6 billion US dollar deal last year to provide its new aircraft to Delta Airlines.
Theresa May said today she was 'bitterly disappointed' by the ruling in support of Boeing, which could threaten thousands of jobs in Northern Ireland
Unions said this could now potentially be jeopardised.
Jimmy Kelly, Unite Regional Secretary, said: 'The decision taken by the US department of commerce was not unexpected - unfortunately it is unlikely to be overturned by president Trump whose protectionist tendencies are well-known.
'The threat of punitive tariffs on the C-Series will cast a shadow over Bombardier's future unless the company can source alternative and substantial sales outside the US market.'
The Department of Commerce's enforcement and compliance unit is responsible for vigorously enforcing US trade laws and does so through an impartial, transparent process that abides by international rules and is based solely on factual evidence, its statement said.
Theresa May (pictured in Downing Street with Donald Tusk yesterday) today said she was 'bitterly disappointed' at the ruling
It added: 'Imports from companies that receive unfair subsidies from their governments in the form of grants, loans, equity infusions, tax breaks and production inputs are subject to 'countervailing duties' aimed at directly countering those subsidies.'
DUP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson (file image) told the BBC the Government should 'lay down a marker' to make clear to Boeing its actions would see retaliation in Britain if it did not back down
The C-Series wings are made in Belfast, employing at least 800 people directly, and Prime Minister Theresa May has lobbied President Donald Trump over the importance of preserving the posts.
The British Government has urged both sides to negotiate a deal.
Mrs May was pressed to raise the issue by Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster, whose 10 MPs are propping up her minority administration in the House of Commons and are expected to play a crucial role during upcoming Brexit business in Parliament.
Mrs Foster said: 'This is a very disappointing determination, but it is not the end of the process and there are further steps that will follow.
'The C-Series is a hugely innovative aircraft that is vital to Bombardier's operations in Belfast.
'It is this innovation that sets the C-Series apart and it is not in direct competition with Boeing.'
The alleged unfair subsidy arose after Northern Ireland's power sharing administration and the UK Government pledged to invest almost 135 million in the establishment of the C-Series manufacturing site in Belfast.
A preliminary finding from the US Department of Commerce imposed an intermediary tariff of 219.63%
A man works on C Series aeroplane wing in the Bombardier factory in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday
The programme also received one billion US dollars from the Canadian provincial government in Quebec in 2015 when its fortunes appeared to be ailing.
Boeing's complaint said it was seeking a 'level playing field' for global competitors, but Bombardier accused its rival of hypocrisy.
The C-Series is a single-aisle, mid-range aircraft which will provide competition for the Boeing 737.
The innovative carbon-fibre composite technology enables material and aircraft weight savings, contributing significantly to the C-Series airliner's economic and environmental credentials, Bombardier said.
Delta is taking the smaller CS100 model of the plane.
In February last year, Bombardier announced 1,080 job losses at its Northern Ireland plants following delays to the C-Series.
Ross Murdoch, the GMB union's national officer, said it was a 'hammer blow' to Belfast and risked sending shock waves through Northern Ireland's economy.
He said another 9,400 supply chain jobs could be wiped out in Northern Ireland on top of those directly employed at the plant.
He added: 'That's 14,000 people in Northern Ireland now in jeopardy - and GMB is fighting tirelessly to save our members' livelihoods.
'The Prime Minister went running to Northern Ireland and the DUP when her job security was threatened.
'Workers in Northern Ireland and beyond are now looking to the Prime Minister to intervene swiftly on the international stage to protect their jobs.'
A Government spokeswoman said: 'This is a disappointing interim statement but only the first step in the process. A
's the Prime Minister said last week, we will continue to strongly defend UK interests in support of Bombardier at the very highest level because an adverse outcome risks jobs and livelihoods among the 4,200 skilled workers in Belfast.
'Boeing's position in this case is unjustified and frankly not what we would expect of a long-term partner to the UK - as well as damaging the wider global aerospace industry.
'We will continue to work closely with the Canadian government to encourage all parties to reach a credible resolution as quickly as possible.'
A Miami driver has been awarded $1million after being injured in a car crash when another man who was being shot at by police lost control of his vehicle and smashed into him.
Juan Perez was left unable to work and requires round-the-clock care from his wife as a result of the crash.
He was driving in January 2012 when Sweetwater police officers near Miami opened fire on criminal Felipe Torrealba as he tried to drive away from them.
A bullet struck Torrealba in the ear, causing him to lose control of his own car and crash into Perez.
Juan Perez, 63, was hospitalized after being injured in a 2012 car chase between Sweetwater police and another man. The suspect lost control of his car and plowed into Mr Perez's
Perez sued the police department and was awarded the $1million in damages on Tuesday.
The police officers were acting outside their jurisdiction when they pulled Torrealba over at the side of the road, lawyers representing Perez said.
He had outstanding warrants for drugs and assault and, at the time, police said he was 'armed and dangerous'.
Shortly after being pulled over, he sped off to try to escape and the officers involved opened fire on his car.
Torrealba survived the crash and was arrested. He is now in jail serving time for the aforementioned assault charge.
He testified for Perez's lawyers that on the night in question, he was not armed as police had claimed.
He said he only started driving away from them because he was afraid they were going to hurt him.
At the time, Sweetwater police officers were involved in a racketeering scheme with a local towing company.
Felipe Torrealba (left) had outstanding arrest warrants for drugs charges and assault. Sweetwater Police Sergeant Reny Garcia (right) was one of the officers who opened fire on him. Garcia has since been arrested on corruption charges
That scheme is at the heart of a separate criminal investigation into widespread corruption across the city which was led by the FBI.
As part of it, police officers allegedly towed cars illegally and then received profits from the sale of them at auction.
They also allegedly pocketed cash from criminal fines.
Disgraced Sweetwater mayor Manny Marono was convicted of federal corruption as a result of the investigation and spent two years in prison.
In a statement on Tuesday, Corona Law Firm, which represented Perez, described the outcome as a 'big' victory for the man.
'Obviously, he cant work at his construction job any longer,' Carolina Corona, his attorney, said as she contemplated the value of his $1million settlement.
Torrealba remains in jail on assault charges.
A murder suspect bought gasoline the same day that a Google executive was found slain with burnt hands and feet.
Vanessa Marcotte, 27, a graduate of Boston University, was found dead in the woods near her mother's Princeton home in August 2016 after she'd gone for a morning jog.
Her hands, feet and head had been burned and police found her hair tie and socks tested positive for gasoline and bug spray, New York Daily News reported.
Vanessa Marcotte, 27, a graduate of Boston University, was found dead in the woods near her mother's Princeton home in August 2016 after she'd gone for a morning jog
Angelo Colon-Ortiz, 31, who was indicted for murder last July, bought gasoline the same day she was killed and burned
Cops believe she was burned by her attacker 'in an attempt to destroy potential DNA evidence.'
Police now say that Angelo Colon-Ortiz, 31, who was indicted for murder last July, had visited Saveway Convenience - which is just a few miles from where Marcotte was found - on the day of her murder, and bought $5 worth of gasoline.
The victim's Apple iPhone 6 and several items of clothing were missing from the body, which police believe suggests she was killed elsewhere and dumped at that location.
Colon-Ortiz, 31, visited Saveway Convenience - (pictured) which is just a few miles from where Marcotte was found - on the day of her murder, and bought $5 worth of gasoline
Marcotte, a graduate of Boston University, was found dead in the woods near her mother's Princeton home in August 2016. Her hands, feet and head had been burned
Colon-Ortiz denies murder and is being held without bail until his next court date in October.
He Ortiz was arrested in April after his DNA matched a DNA profile police had built using samples found on Marcotte's hands during her autopsy.
He was initially charged with aggravated assault and battery, and assault with attempt to rape.
Colon-Ortiz was arraigned in Leominster District Court and held on $10 million bail.
Marcotte had worked as an executive for Google in New York. She was in Princeton visiting her family when she was killed.
Marcotte's body was found near the Massachusetts home of her mother (right), whom she was visiting from New York
Family members load Marcotte's coffin into the back of a hearse after her funeral last year Vanessa Marcotte's dead body found naked and burned
Colon-Ortiz is a US citizen who had only recently moved from his native Puerto Rico when he allegedly murdered Marcotte.
He was described in his first court appearance as a married FedEx employee.
The District Attorney said earlier this year that Marcotte's bravery in trying to fight off her killer helped them track down the suspect.
'It was through her determined fight and efforts that we obtained the DNA of her killer,' Early said.
In a statement following the arrest, Marcotte's family said: 'After eight long months, we're able to take the first step toward justice for Vanessa.
'She was a beautiful, intelligent, and generous young woman whose passion for giving back to the community will always be remembered.
'As we move forward, her spirit will live on through The Vanessa T Marcotte Foundation that strives to empower women to live boldly and fearlessly.'
The Yellowstone River Oil Spill Recreation Project Advisory Committee and the Montana Department of Justice Natural Resource Damage Program solicited recreation project ideas to help compensate the public for recreational losses caused by the July 2011 Yellowstone River oil spill.
The public is invited to hear 24 presentations about the proposed recreation projects over the course of two meetings at 5 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, Oct. 11-12, at the Billings Southside Community Center, located at 901 S. 30th St.
The public will have an opportunity to comment on the draft. The advisory council will determine the highest priority projects and prepare a draft Recreation Project Plan.
Sir David Attenborough has attacked Brexiteers, claiming that they spat in the faces of Europeans and 'didn't know what they were voting for'
Sir David Attenborough has launched an astonishing broadside against Brexiteers, claiming that they spat in the faces of Europeans.
The 91-year-old naturalist also branded the EU referendum an abrogation of democracy and said that people who backed the Brexit campaign did not know what they were voting for.
Sir David said: Im not an economist but philosophically I would rather the people embrace one another than spat in one anothers face.
But the broadcaster was quick to dismiss the philosophical instincts of voters who backed Brexit.
Paraphrasing Michael Goves, he said: Weve had quite enough of experts. Thats a cry from somebody who doesnt understand what theyre saying thats what that means.
Thats when someone has told them something which they dont like, and which they probably dont understand.
Mr Gove, who led the Brexit campaign with Boris Johnson, famously claimed before the EU vote that Britons have had enough of experts
Sir David added: The decision to call a referendum was an abrogation of parliamentary democracy in my view because we didnt know the facts. We werent presented with the facts.
The BBC veteran - whose Blue Planet II is due to launch next month then appeared to try and soften the blow by conceding that the behaviour of Brexiteers is not evil.
However, it was too late. His comments, made in an interview with the Greenpeace publication Unearthed, sparked fury amongst Brexiteers, who accused him of sneering and insulting decent patriotic people.
Sir David's comments sparked fury amongst Brexiteers, who accused him of sneering and insulting decent patriotic people (file picture)
One claimed that Sir David is himself spitting at Brexit voters, and spending too much time using UK taxpayers money filming animals instead of speaking with people.
Another quipped: David Attenborough should know well about the survival instinct. Brexit is the last ditch attempt to survive the social engineering of the EU.
The broadcasters tirade also raised the hackles of BBC critics, who questioned whether Sir David had broken impartiality rules.
The Corporations editorial guidelines state that presenters external activities should not undermine the publics perception of the impartiality of BBC programmes.
But yesterday, the BBC insisted that Sir David was allowed to wade into political rows like Brexit because he hosts nature series rather than news and current affairs.
Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash said that hat Sir David is just the latest in a long line of BBC grandees who have spoken out publicly against Brexit
A spokesman said: Sir Davids personal views on Brexit have been widely reported before. He is a freelance broadcaster who presents natural history programmes for the BBC and other channels hes not a news and current affairs presenter and is entitled to his personal opinions.
Not everyone was convinced by the argument, however.
Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash accused the Corporation of hiding behind a smoke screen.
He said: I dont know what current affairs is if it doesnt involve matters of the planet. [The BBC is] just putting up a smokescreen. It comes to the same thing.
Sir Bill added that Sir David is just the latest in a long line of grandees who have spoken out publicly against Brexit many of them on the BBC itself - highlighting a wider problem with the BBC establishment.
Earlier this month, Dame Judi Dench told the Today programme that she backed the Remain campaign because there is something about being inclusive that is more important than being exclusive.
And last week, novelist Martin Amis went on the Radio 4 programme to brand Brexit a self-inflicted wound.
Australian-themed restaurant chain Outback Steakhouse has been criticised for calling its house sauce 'Outback Ab-Original'.
Despite their 'Australia's fresh take on life' motto the description of the 'Bloomin Onion' has caused outrage among customers.
The plate of deep-fried onion wedges are dished up with a serving of 'bloom sauce' and includes the 'Outback Ab-Original' term.
Australian-themed restaurant chain Outback Steakhouse (store pictured) has been criticised for an insensitive phrase
The plate of deep-fried onion wedges are dished up with a serving of 'bloomin sauce' and includes the 'Outback Ab-Original' term in the item's description
The phrase features a number of times on the Outbacks US website but does not appear on any of the menu's across the eight branches in New South Wales or Queensland, News.com.au reported.
Disappointed consumers took to social media to voice concern over the use of wording.
Some accused the food franchise of 'making fun' of Aboriginals whereas others simply cited the term was 'racist' and 'offensive'.
One person questioned how such a large company could be so tone deaf and culturally insensitive.
A Twitter user thought the phrase was 'tone deaf' when used by such a large franchise
Disappointed consumers took to social media to voice concern over the use of wording in their marketing
A spokesperson for Outback Steakhouses in Australia told Newscorp: 'This is not an advert or a term that has been used in Australia by us' and passed on the query to the US operator.
The Australian-themed restaurant chain is American-owned with their headquarters being based out of Florida.
The steakhouse's menu also includes 'Auzzie-tizers' including 'Alice Springs chicken' and 'Kookaburra wings' as well as 'Brisbane Caesar salad' and 'Ayers Rock Strip'.
One person took to Twitter to claim it was 'offensive' after coming across the term on Outback Steakhouse's website
Some accused the food franchise of 'making fun' of Aboriginals whereas others simply cited the term was 'racist'
The popular restaurant has been slammed previously for a training scheme which was alleged to underpay some Australian staff in April.
The chain's Australian stores had encouraged young staff to pledge themselves to a training program which lasted across a three-year contract.
Fairfax reported the trainees were paid a lesser wage than the national restaurant industry award however the company said they treated employees fairly.
The Australian-themed restaurant chain is American-owned with their headquarters leading out of Florida
In a statement provided to Daily Mail Outback Steakhouse Australia said they will no longer use the term because of the unexpected backlash.
'Our brand was founded on the principles of delicious, quality food, inclusiveness and fun and we never intended to offend anyone.
'Were inspired by the Australian culture. Out of respect for it, we will stop using the term immediately in our digital marketing materials and will remove it from our online and restaurant menus as soon as possible.'
Some patients with bowel cancer are being denied life-saving surgery and are given end-of-life care instead, according to a new report.
The study, from the charity Bowel Cancer UK, found that specialist doctors who could operate are being shut out of decisions on care, which then condemns patients to having palliative chemotherapy.
More than 41,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year in the UK, with around a quarter of those (10,000 people) diagnosed at late stage 4.
Fewer than one in 10 people (8%) at this advanced stage manage to survive for five years or more, compared with 98% of those diagnosed in the earliest stage.
At stage 4, the cancer has spread around the body, usually to the liver or lungs.
Despite recommendations that those for whom the cancer has spread to their liver (a fifth of all patients) are reviewed by a liver specialist, research suggests many are not.
Research carried out by charity Bowel Cancer UK found specialist doctors were being shut out of decisions on care, which then condemns patients to having palliative chemotherapy
A study from Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust found that 63% of 53 patients whose bowel cancer had spread to their liver could have had curative liver surgery but were instead treated with palliative chemotherapy and were not reviewed by a specialist surgeon.
Bowel cancer facts Bowel cancer is the UKs second biggest cancer killer every half an hour someone dies of the disease Each year around 16,000 people die of bowel cancer In the UK around 41,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK Around 110 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every day, thats someone every 15 minutes Bowel cancer affects both men and women If diagnosed early, more than 90% of bowel cancer cases can be treated successfully Five year survival rates for bowel cancer have doubled over the last 40 years The majority (95%) of bowel cancer cases occur in people over 50, but it can affect anyone of any age Credit: beatingbowelcancer.org Advertisement
Research shows that up to 74% of patients who do undergo liver surgery for their cancer survive for five years after the operation, compared to a survival rate of six to 22 months for those who are just given chemotherapy.
Stephen Fenwick, consultant hepatobiliary surgeon at Aintree University Hospital said: 'The evidence is clear. The involvement of specialist surgeons in treatment decisions can increase the chance of advanced bowel cancer patients being offered potentially curative treatment options.
'This can lead to patients' lives being extended or even cured.'
people with advanced bowel cancer.
'We must do more to transform survival chances for advanced bowel cancer patients and access to specialist surgery is a vital component to ensure lives are not needlessly lost.'
The charity conducted a poll of 111 people with advanced bowel cancer and found that 21% of those whose cancer had spread to the liver did not have a liver specialist involved in their treatment plan, while 37% did not have liver surgery.
One survey respondent said: 'The first MDT (multidisciplinary team) I saw said my liver metastases were inoperable after 18 cycles of chemotherapy.
'I had to seek a second opinion from another MDT, which was very far from home. This MDT said I was operable.'
Vehicle thefts in England and Wales have soared by almost a third in just three years, new figures show.
The dramatic rise suggests thieves are finding it increasingly easy to crack modern vehicle security systems, according to motoring group the RAC.
A senior policeman has also warned of an increase in operations by organised crime gangs exporting cars for profit as well as an increase in keyless car theft.
This can involve criminals using special transmitting devices to extend the signal from a cars keyless fob to unlock and then start the car.
The figures were released by 40 police forces following Freedom of Information requests submitted by RAC.
They reveal 85,688 vehicles were stolen last year, up 30 per cent from 65,783 in 2013.
Modern day thefts can involve criminals using special transmitting devices to extend the signal from a cars keyless fob to unlock and then start the car (stock photo)
RAC insurance director Mark Godfrey said this rise reverses a general trend of vehicle thefts decreasing since around 2002.
Car manufacturers have invested huge amounts of money in immobilisers and alarms to deter thieves.
But Mr Godfrey said: We fear thieves are now becoming more and more well equipped with technology capable of defeating car manufacturers anti-theft systems.
'This is bad news for motorists as it has the effect of causing insurance premiums to rise at a time when they are already being pushed up by a variety of factors, not least the recent change to the discount rate for life-changing personal injury compensation claims and the rises in insurance premium tax.
Mr Godfrey said a number of motorists are resorting to using anti-theft devices which were popular in the 1980s and early 1990s such as steering wheel locks.
They are still a very effective visible deterrent, he said.
But it is quite ironic as they were replaced a number of years ago by alarms and immobilisers, which until now, offered better theft prevention.
The dramatic rise suggests thieves are finding it increasingly easy to crack modern vehicle security systems, according to motoring group the RAC (stock photo)
Police in Warwickshire reported the largest percentage increase in stolen vehicles from 2013 to 2016, up 189 per cent.
This was followed by Hampshire (59 per cent), West Yorkshire (57 per cent) and Norfolk (56 per cent).
Responding to the latest figures Graham McNulty, National Police Chiefs Council Lead for Vehicle Crime, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, said:
In recent years vehicle theft has started to increase across the country following many years of reductions.
We are seeing more sophisticated operations by organised crime gangs exporting cars for profit as well as increasing scooter and motorcycle and keyless car theft.
Mr McNulty said police forces are working with the Home Office, the National Crime Agency, the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, Europol and car manufacturers to design-out crime and disrupt these networks.
Several cases have emerged of thieves stealing luxury cars which use a keyless start system. Earlier this year criminals in Essex were caught on CCTV stealing a 60,000 BMW X5 by holding a bag up in front of the door to the owners house.
They appeared to be using some sort of transmitting device inside the bag which was thought to have extended the signal from the cars keyless fob which was inside the house.
As the car uses a keyless car system it can be unlocked by having the fob close by.
Mr McNulty said: Local forces continue to advise people on simple and effective protective measures such as ensuring cars are parked and locked safely with appropriate alarms and no valuables on display.
He added that despite the recent increases total vehicle theft remains at a historically low level with 85,000 fewer incidents reported to police this year than ten years ago.
Fellow Tennessee rapper Yo Gotti has been named a person of interest by the Los Angeles Police Department in the shooting of Young Dolph outside a Hollywood hotel.
According to TMZ, LAPD officers said that the two rappers were both staying in the Loews Hotel in Hollywood, California, on Tuesday when their crews got into a tiff.
The source said that witnesses on the scene said that Gotti had been involved.
Fellow Tennessee rapper Yo Gotti (right) has been named a person of interest by the Los Angeles Police Department in the shooting of Young Dolph (left) outside a Hollywood hotel
Dolph was shot and critically wounded outside of a landmark Hollywood hotel Tuesday, and investigators are looking into whether he was targeted as part of a hip-hop rivalry more than six months after surviving a hail of gunfire shot at his SUV in North Carolina, law enforcement officials said.
The Memphis rapper, 32, was shot in an altercation with three men outside Loews Hollywood hotel, near the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, Los Angeles police Det. Meghan Aguilar said.
According to TMZ, LAPD officers said that the two rappers were both staying in the Loews Hotel in Hollywood, California, on Tuesday when their crews got into a tiff
Young Dolph, whose real name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was confronted by the men outside, leading to a physical fight, Aguilar said.
One of the men pulled out a gun and shot Young Dolph, who was left critically injured, according to Aguilar.
Detectives are investigating whether the shooting is connected to a rivalry with Gotti, a law enforcement official said.
The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Police had initially reported that a gold Cadillac Escalade was seen fleeing the scene, but the car was later found abandoned at a nearby gas station.
One person had been detained after the shooting and police were still looking for at least two other suspects Tuesday night, authorities said.
Young Dolph, whose real name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was confronted by the men outside, leading to a physical fight, Aguilar said. One of the men pulled out a gun and shot Young Dolph, who was left critically injured, according to Aguilar
Young Dolph had escaped injury in February after his SUV was barraged with bullets in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Investigators later recovered more than 100 shell casings that had been fired from various guns at several homes and vehicles, including Young Dolph's SUV. The rapper later said he had custom bulletproof panels in the SUV.
Dolph released an album in April titled, "Bulletproof" that referenced the shooting in Charlotte and ranked number 36 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Three people were arrested in May in connection with that shooting.
Blac Youngsta, who is signed to Yo Gotti, was one of the people who turned himself in to authorities.
A drug gang known as the 'Mug Squad' has been jailed for more than 30 years after killing a terrified man who fell 30ft to his death while they stormed his flat.
Anthony Wellington, 50, slipped as he tried to climb out of his second floor window after hearing the three thugs outside.
The victim, a drug user, was targeted in a revenge attack after he robbed a dealer working for the gang on March 7 this year.
He desperately tried to flee when the Birmingham-based group, who were hooded, turned up at his home later that evening.
Mohammed Nadeem was jailed for more than 11 years (left) while another gang member Furhaad Mahmood was jailed for nine years and 11 months (right)
Mohammed Nadeem, 34, was jailed for eleven-and-a-half years, Rizwan Yaqub, 32, was jailed for ten years and nine months and Furhaad Mahmood, 24, received a sentence of nine years and 11 months.
Waqar Ahmed, 24, of Birmingham, who also took part in the attack but was not a gang member, was jailed for nine years and five months.
All four men had previously admitted manslaughter.
Mark Heywood, prosecuting, told Birmingham Crown Court: 'It is impossible to say whether Mr Wellington crawled out head first or whether he tried to go out feet first.
'Whichever way he did he must have lost his balance, falling head first on to the pavement.
'He suffered head injuries that were irrevocable. He was pronounced dead at the scene.'
Furhaad Mahmood, 24, (left) received a sentence of nine years and 11 months. Waqar Ahmed, 24, (right) took part in the attack but was not a gang member
Mr Heywood said the attackers broke down Mr Wellington's front door but the victim had already gone out of the window.
He added: 'It is not clear how many went in. The extent of the damage inside the flat suggests that it was very likely two at least.
'He readily understood the degree of threat that he was being faced with. He must have feared the consequences of being caught in that room by those trying to get through the door would have been severe indeed.'
Passing sentence, Judge Paul Farrer QC, said: 'Mr Wellington was plainly terrified and resorted to climbing out of a window.
'He fell to the ground approximately eight and a half metres below.'
'This was intended to be a punishment attack so as to reassert the gang's authority and deter others from targeting the gang in future.'
A security sweep of New South Wales prisons has located weapons, drugs and mobile phones in the state's largest crackdown on contraband in the jail system.
The searches were part of Operation Purge, an ongoing NSW Corrective Services operation involving almost 1400 officers which is only halfway through.
Corrections Minister David Elliot said officers searched the cells and common areas used by more than 4000 inmates in 15 prisons across the state.
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Two prison-made weapons known as shivs found in toothpaste packaging during a search of Cessnock Correctional Complex as part of a statewide crackdown called Operation Purge
Two mobile phones found in a cell toilet during a statewide crackdown on prison contraband called Operation Purge which also uncovered drugs, weapons and jail-made brew
NSW prison authorities have charged 48 inmates after finding drugs, weapons and mobile phones in a statewide crackdown on jail contraband which was launched last month
A mobile phone and charger found during a search of 15 of NSW's 36 prisons in a statewide crackdown on contraband which also uncovered drugs, weapons, tobacco and steroids
'The facilities targeted have been turned upside down and inmates threatening the safety and security of our prisons are being caught and punished,' Mr Elliott said.
'Some 48 inmates face charges over the contraband, which may result in them being segregated or losing privileges such as television access and almost six months of contact visits.'
'An unprecedented number of resources have been dedicated to this contraband sweep and it is producing results, with searches carried out on more than 4000 inmates, 2577 cells, and 249 common areas so far.
Staff seized contraband including mobile phones, drugs and prison-made weapons. Prison brew, steroids and tobacco had also been found.
Mr Elliott launched Operation Purge in mid-August with more than 1300 custodial and 90 Security Operations Group officers deployed to execute 'intelligence-based raids' in all NSW prisons.
A prison-made 'shiv' located during Operation Purge, a statewide search of NSW prisons which has also uncovered drugs including opiods, mobile phones, tobacco and steroids
NSW prison officers searching a cell as part of Operation Purge, a statewide crackdown on contraband which has located mobile phones, drugs, jail-made weapons and tobacco
Searches of cells and common areas in NSW prisons as part of Operation Purge have uncovered steroids, mobile phones, jail-made weapons and drugs including opiods
Inmates found with contraband can be prosecuted, segregated and have privileges such as television, use of 'buy-ups' and contact visits withdrawn for up to 56 days.
Corrective Services commissioner Peter Severin said all 36 prisons in the state would be raided as part of Operation Purge in conjunction with regular contraband searches.
Contraband uncovered included 23 prison-made weapons or 'shivs', three mobile phones and one phone charger and seven litres of prison brew.
Also located were 16 strips of the opiod Buprenorphine, 10 syringes, 10 steroid tablets, 2.7 grams of a clear crystal substance and 190 grams of tobacco.
NSW prisoner Carl Walton created a furore in July when footage emerged of him holding a knife, a 'slasher' razor and the drug ice inside the privately-run Parklea Correctional Centre in Sydney's north-west.
A crystal substance found in Long Bay Correctional Centre as part of Operation Purge, a crackdown on contraband in NSW's 36 prisons which has also located mobile phones
A mobile phone found during searches of 15 of NSW's 35 prisons in a crackdown on contraband called Operation Purge which also located weapons, drugs and tobacco
Tablets found as part of Operation Purge, a crackdown on contraband in NSW prisons in which mobile phones, jail-made weapons, tobacco and drugs including opiods have been found
Walton had been on parole for several weeks before the video was revealed exclusively by Daily Mail Australia.
The onetime Bandido bikie said at the time he 'messed up the system in there' for some inmates, but claimed he shared the video to highlight what he claimed to be rampant drug use in prison.
After the video went viral Walton's mother said he would 'be dead' if he went back to jail, while his father warned there would be 'repercussions' for his son from other prisoners.
Walton, from Wollongong, south of Sydney, handed himself in to police last month and was charged with one count of entering a vehicle without consent, three of destroying or damaging property and two of larceny.
All of NSW's 36 prisons will be searched for contraband as part of Operation Purge; pictured is an inmate in a cell at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception at Silverwater, west of Sydney
A miserable Jeremy Corbyn was accused by Channel 4 Newss John F*** The Tories Snow of running a nasty party
Oh, the bitter irony in the choice of venue for the gathering where the true extent of the ugly face of anti-Semitism in Labour was first exposed at the party conference.
The fringe meeting on Free Speech on Israel was held at the Friends Meeting House in Brighton. Home of the Quakers, who live by principles of truth, peace, simplicity and equality. The Meeting House offers itself as a place of welcome, encounter and spiritual exploration.
Friendship and welcome were the last thing on the minds of a succession of speakers as they delivered vile and poisonous diatribes about Israel at the 60-minute meeting on Monday.
What is perhaps most extraordinary about that hate-filled meeting officially billed in the conference schedule is that none of the participants foresaw the rolling thunder of disgust they would unleash.
Or that it would dominate the airwaves to such an extent that little more than 24 hours later, a miserable Jeremy Corbyn would be accused by Channel 4 Newss John F*** The Tories Snow of running a nasty party exactly as Labour had been billed on the front page of yesterdays Daily Mail.
The furore took hold when one panellist in the hour-long meeting, author Miko Peled, compared Zionists those who believe in the right of Israel to exist to the Nazis, and said that Labour should respect peoples right to question if the Holocaust ever happened.
Shockingly, these were his words: This is about free speech, the freedom to criticise and to discuss every issue, whether its the Holocaust, yes or no, Palestine, the liberation, the whole spectrum. There should be no limits on the discussion.
Its about the limits of tolerance: we dont invite the Nazis and give them an hour to explain why they are right; we do not invite apartheid South Africa racists to explain why apartheid was good for the blacks; and in the same way we do not invite Zionists its a very similar kind of thing.
Astonishingly, he received huge applause. And even louder cheers came when some of the delegates demanded that the Jewish Labour Movement should be expelled from the party for supporting the state of Israel.
There were no dissenting voices either to the ludicrous claim by another speaker that the charge of anti-semitism in the Labour Party was part of a plot by the pro-Israel lobby to stop Jeremy Corbyn from becoming PM.
By yesterday morning, the meeting and its overtly anti-Semitic tone were dominating the media to the evident frustration of senior Labour figures.
Tom Watson, Labours deputy leader, was forced to confront the partys anti-Semitism on Good Morning Britain by the presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid.
Just as it seemed the day couldnt get any worse for Corbyn, he had a series of TV and radio interviews. On Channel 4 News he was forced to deny that Labour was the new nasty party
Watson wanted to talk about plans to renationalise the railways. Morgan had other ideas. He said: The Holocaust Education Trust suggested in the two years since Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader there was their words a fertile ground for people like this to express such views, he said.
Has Jeremy Corbyn simply been too lenient?
A rattled Watson was forced to concede there was a problem in the Labour Party. Well, I wish we could drive out any anti-Semite from politics, he blustered. But its always been there on the fringes; if it ends up invading the Labour Party Conference space [and] the discussions Im having with you on national TV, then thats obviously a bad thing.
The pressure only intensified on Labour when, mid-morning, a new report by the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism emerged. The group analysed allegations of anti-Semitism among MPs, peers, councillors and candidates for public office of all parties.
Their damning findings? That Labour Party office holders account for 61 per cent of all the cases of alleged anti-Semitism.
Labours difficulties deepened still further when Rebecca Hilsenrath, the chief executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, tore into the party: Anti-Semitism is racism and the Labour Party needs to do more to establish that it is not a racist party. A zero-tolerance approach to anti-Semitism should mean just that.
Labour tried to limit the damage by sending out speakers to TV and radio studios to talk about their plans to end the policy of Private Finance Initiative (PFI). The tactic backfired. As shadow health secretary John Ashworth appeared on Sky News, for example, he was challenged about the race row, and commented: Members who make disgusting anti-Semitic comments [should] be expelled.
Meanwhile Jeremy Newmark, the chairman of the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) which bore the brunt of much of the abuse at the fringe meeting, toured the studios to criticise the fact the meeting had been advertised in the conference guide thus being given an official stamp of approval and was chaired by a member who had addressed the conference.
Tom Watson (pictured), Labours deputy leader, was forced to confront the partys anti-Semitism on Good Morning Britain by the presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid
Newmark told Sky News: They allowed their meeting to become an arena for what effectively amounts to a call for Jews and Jewish groups to be purged from the party. I think Mr Corbyn must be acutely embarrassed
The row then spilled on to the main conference floor yesterday when an unrepentant Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, a Labour member from Chingford and Woodford Green who chaired the Free Speech on Israel meeting, brazenly mocked the Jewish Labour Movement.
She told the conference it would have a bit more credibility if it did not spend so much of its time running to the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph with stories. The response? Rapturous applause.
By now panic-stricken at the tidal wave of criticism, Labour high-command tried to calm matters in the afternoon by backing a rule change which will strengthen the partys stance towards members who are anti-Semitic, racist, Islamophobic, sexist or homophobic only for Wimborne-Idrissi to hit back, accusing the party of policing thought crime.
And as if all that wasnt enough, Labour also came under fire from its own women Labour MPs over the hateful abuse directed at the BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, who is accompanied at the conference by a male bodyguard for the first time. Harriet Harman, the former deputy Labour leader, was among the MPs who demanded that Jeremy Corbyn condemn the bullies who have targeted Ms Kuenssberg.
Then, just as it seemed the day couldnt get any worse for Corbyn, he had a series of TV and radio interviews. On Channel 4 News he was forced to deny that Labour was the new nasty party.
He said: This is not a nasty party. Nobody should be abused, whoever they are ... anyone using anti-Semitic language, anyone using any form of racist language, is completely at odds with the beliefs of this party.
Asked about the threats made to Kuenssberg, Corbyn replied: I dont wish anyone to have to be accompanied by a bodyguard anywhere in our society, and certainly not in our conference.
Corbyn can hardly have been surprised. Last summer when Kuenssberg was called to ask a question at a speech by Jeremy Corbyn on the EU, boos and hisses greeted her name.
The Labour Leader smirked before silencing the abuse with a wave of his hand.
Almost half of all Americans don't know that Puerto Ricans actually are citizens, according to a new poll from Morning Consult.
Hurricane Maria has ravaged the island of 3.5 million residents and left many in Puerto Rico without power. But not many Americans have been too sympathetic to the struggle, including President Donald Trump who took five days to respond to the Puerto Rican plight.
According to the study that was first reported by the New York Times, 54 percent of Americans know that natural-born residents of the US territory are citizens but a whopping 47 percent are unaware.
President Donald Trump who took five days to respond to Puerto Rico's devastation brought on by Hurricane Maria and almost have of Americans didn't even know that Puerto Ricans are citizens
According to a study from Morning Consults, 54 percent of Americans know that natural-born residents of the US territory are citizens but 47 percent didn't know
Among those with a bachelor's degree, 72 percent of American's know of the citizenship the folks on the island have.
As a result of America's colonial pursuits, Puerto Rico has been under the control of the US since 1898 as a territory and its natural born residents have been citizens since 1917.
And apparently there is a correlation between knowledge of Pueto Rican's citizenship and the willingness to send aid.
80 percent of Americans who know Puerto Ricans are citizens support sending aid, while those who do not know support at a rate of 40 percent
Among those with a bachelor's degree, 72 percent of American's know of the citizenship the folks on the island have
The report claims that 80 percent of Americans who know Puerto Ricans are citizens support sending aid, while those who do not know support at a rate of 40 percent.
And this number also reflected differently when respondents were informed of Puerto Rican's citizenship status.
64 percent of Americans polled without knowing citizenship status said that the US should send aid. 68 percent who found out before favored aid being sent.
On the mainland, Puerto Ricans have all the same rights as other US citizens. On the island, they cannot vote for president.
Resident Commissioner Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon represents 3.5 million people in Congress but she is a non-voting member.
Paul Horner, 38, died at his Phoenix, Arizona apartment on September 18. A sheriff's office spokesperson said his death had 'evidence' of an 'accidental overdose'
A purveyor of fake news who became famous for influencing the 2016 presidential election has died.
Paul Horner, 38, died in Phoenix on September 18, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office spokesman Mark Casey says.
Authorities discovered Horner dead in bed. His brother, JJ, said he died peacefully in his sleep.
County spokesman Fields Moseley says the cause and manner of Horner's death aren't yet determined. But Casey suggested that there was 'evidence at the scene suggested this could be an accidental overdose'. There were no signs of foul play.
Moseley says the Maricopa County medical examiner is awaiting test results. Casey says Horner's family has indicated he used and abused prescription drugs.
Horner was known for his false stories that often went viral and misled people.
In 2016, Horner posted a fake story to several of his sites claiming a former Secret Service agent outed President Barack Obama as a gay man and a radical Muslim.
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Pictured is an appearance Horner made on CNN. He spoke with Anderson Cooper about his proliferation of fake news stories. Horner was known for his false stories that often went viral and misled people
Family said that Horner used and abused prescription drugs
Horner told the Arizona Republic in September 2016: 'All the stuff I write has a moral purpose of targeting things I don't like in society'
A key purveyor of fake news, Paul Horner, told the Washington Post in November that he believes the false stories that he planted and which went viral on Facebook contributed mightily to Trump's shock victory.
'Honestly, people are definitely dumber', Horner said. 'They just keep passing stuff around. Nobody fact-checks anything anymore I mean, that's how Trump got elected.
Horner claimed that his fake news stories had a significant impact on the 2016 election. He said: 'I think Trump is in the White House because of me'
'He just said whatever he wanted, and people believed everything, and when the things he said turned out not to be true, people didn't care because they'd already accepted it.
'It's real scary. I've never seen anything like it'.
Horner said he was beginning to regret just how popular a phenomenon his fake news stories became given the outcome of the election.
'My sites were picked up by Trump supporters all the time', he said.
'I think Trump is in the White House because of me. His followers don't fact-check anything they'll post everything, believe anything'.
Horner, for his part, said that he invented and planted fake news stories as an expression of 'satire.'
'All the stuff I write has a moral purpose of targeting things I don't like in society,' Horner told The Arizona Republic in a September 2016 interview.
After 34 years of Superfund, the Environmental Protection Agency still does not know if residents who live on the Flat and west of Uptown are being exposed to heavy metal contamination.
That news appeared in an internal EPA report last week that looked at problems caused by understaffing across all of EPAs regions.
The report, produced internally by EPAs Office of the Inspector General, says that both the Inspector General as well as the U.S. Government Accountability Office have issued over 10 reports in 21 years citing the need for EPA to analyze work load and staff.
That lack of staffing to handle the workload in Butte has led to an entire area where residents live potentially at risk for human health.
The report says EPA has insufficient data to determine whether human exposure is under control, in the area known as West Side Soils, which includes both the Flat and an undefined area west of Uptown.
Potential health threats include direct contact with and ingestion of contaminated soil, surface water and groundwater and inhaling contaminated soil, the report states.
Even the boundary of West Side Soils is unknown, says retired state project manager for Butte Superfund Joe Griffin.
Its everything. Its undefined. Its never had a defined boundary. Its a real junk basket, to tell you the truth. A junk basket of everything else we didnt think of yet, Griffin said.
The Montana Standard requested a map of West Side Soils to EPA. EPA did not respond to that specific request.
Griffin said there is no map.
The countys Superfund coordinator Jon Sesso said he agrees with the Inspector Generals report and hes glad somebody noticed.
If this is more of an audit report on how EPA hasnt had sufficient resources to address the concerns of the communities, they dont. They dont have the resources, so few resources, in fact, they havent even started this one (section of the larger Superfund site).
Sesso pointed out that the work necessary to begin understanding a site which includes how bad the damage is, where it extends to and who is responsible for it was done on the Butte Hill in the early 1990s.
But none of that work was ever done on the Flat or west of Uptown, which contains hundreds of abandoned mines. The EPA declared Silver Bow Creek a Superfund site in 1983.
The report says Denver-based Region 8 responded to the Inspector Generals survey by saying that the site work on the Flat and West of Uptown could not start due to lack of full-time employees at the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area NPL site in Butte, Montana.
EPA Project Manager Nikia Greene is in charge of most of the sections of the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund site. That includes the Berkeley Pit, the Butte Hill and Rocker. Greene provides support as well on the 26 miles of lower Silver Bow Creek cleanup, which the state oversees.
Greene also used to be the project manager for Warm Springs Ponds, east of Anaconda, and support for a completely separate Superfund site in Butte known as Montana Pole Plant. But this past summer EPA brought in a new project manager, Allie Archer, for those sites.
EPAs Montana-based Community Involvement Coordinator Robert Moler responded to The Standards request for comment by saying that the studies and investigations which comprise EPAs initial steps to get a clear picture of the environmental degradation and how it might or might not affect the community will take place.
Moler could not say when that would happen.
Moler confirmed that EPA has yet to determine who the responsible party is for the Flat and the area west of Uptown.
Currently there is no project manager for West Side Soils. Moler said via email that a project manager will be assigned before the investigation and studies begin. When that will happen is also unknown.
President Donald Trump's budget recommendation slashes the EPA's Superfund budget by $326 million.
Butte-Silver Bow Superfund Operations Manager Eric Hassler said the countys Residential Metals Abatement Program most often referred to by its acronym RMAP does sample attics in what could be vaguely defined as West Side Soils. Hassler said the county samples attics as far east as the East Ridge and as far west as Rocker; as far south as Basin Creek area and as far north as Moulton Road area north of Yankee Doodle Tailings Pond. All of those areas fall outside the Butte Hill.
Hassler said that the county does investigate soil outside of the Butte Hill if the public health department finds elevated blood lead levels in children.
Its very public health driven, Hassler said.
Department of Environmental Quality Director Tom Livers said DEQ has urged EPA, on several occasions, to begin the formal Superfund process on West Side Soils.
This stems in part from human health risks having not yet been fully evaluated, Livers said via email. We understand the resource limitations of EPA Region 8, including the Montana office. If EPA were to suddenly pursue this site more aggressively, we also would struggle to find the resources to adequately fulfill our state consultative role.
Gov. Steve Bullock said, via email, Butte has been waiting long enough.
It should be an EPA priority," he added. "The state has made it very clear where we stand and we will be working with the EPA to get them to commit more resources to Montana.
Both of Montanas senators, Democrat Jon Tester and Republican Steve Daines responded via email to the report.
The federal government must do better at cleaning up Superfund sites. It is common sense to develop priorities and distribute resources around your priorities. For years the EPA has failed to identify and dedicate resources strategically putting Montanans health at risk. We need to prioritize and distribute manpower accordingly, Daines said.
Tester said the fact that Butte is still waiting for cleanup after three decades is totally unacceptable.
Butte must get cleaned up, and that means having appropriate workers and resources to get the job done. I will be working with folks on the ground to hold the EPA accountable and ensure they are putting their staff where they are most needed, like the Butte community, Tester said.
Citizens Technical Environmental Committee President Dave Williams called the issue a symptom of a wider problem.
Theres not enough people in government to do, in theory, what governments supposed to do. They dont change the laws then they expect you can do more with less, Williams said. You reach a point where you cant do more with less. You can only do more with less for a certain period of time and then cant get anything done.
Infamous child killer Susan Smith's secret life of sex and drugs behind bars has been revealed as she serves life for drowning her two sons.
Smith, 46, has spent more than 20 years in a South Carolina jail for murdering 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex in 1994.
She'd initially denied any involvement, claiming her kids had been kidnapped by a black man during a carjacking, and made numerous tearful pleas for their safe return.
But her story quickly unraveled and she was forced to admit she had strapped her kids into the back of her car, and let it roll into a lake. Smith was sentenced to life in prison with possibility of parole until 2024.
Since then, Smith has found her time behind bars in Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood, S.C., marred by infractions for drugs, sex and self-mutilation.
Monster mom: Susan Smith when she was first arrested in 1994, right, and in 2017, left
Murdered: Smith initially blamed a 'black man' she claimed carjacked her and then sped off with the boys, who were found strapped into her car at the bottom of a lake
Smith has had sex with a couple of guards during the past 22 years.
In 2000, then 28, she was disciplined for having sex four times with 50-year-old prison guard Houston Cagle - who was later jailed for three months for the affair.
Smith confessed to the sexual encounter with Cagle after testing positive for an STD.
The following year, prison captain Alfred Rowe also pleaded guilty to having sex with Smith and was sentenced to five years probation.
She has also run afoul of drugs rules, after she was caught with marijuana and narcotics. She was disciplined twice in 2010 and once in 2015 for the offences, losing privileges for more than a year.
Privileges that can be lost, include visitation, canteen and telephone privileges.
Smith has found her time behind bars in Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood, S.C., married by infractions for drugs, sex and self-mutilation.(pictured with her boys father David Smith in the 1990s, right)
Locked up: Smith was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to life in prison for killing 14-month-old Alex and 3-year-old Michael. She is up for parole in 2024, when she'll be 53
Just in the past seven years, Smith has been disciplined five times for offences which include self-mutilation.
That may have resulted in a demotion from her position as senior groundskeeper, as she was working as a landscape laborer this summer.
Smith insists she is 'not the monster society thinks I am' and revealed to reporters in 2015 that she had been planning to kill herself, not her sons, on the night of the tragedy.
'I had planned to kill myself first and leave a note behind telling what had happened,' Smith said. 'I didn't believe I could face my family when the truth was revealed.'
'I am not the monster society thinks I am. I am far from it,' she wrote in a letter toThe State's Harrison Cahill.
Smith's boys disappeared Oct. 25, 1994. That day, she told deputies they had been taken by an unidentified black man during a carjacking and she wept on national television as she begged for their safe return.
Smith said she made up the lie to protect the boys' loved ones, not to shield herself. 'I didn't know how to tell the people who loved Michael and Alex'
Smith has had sex with a couple of guards during the past 22 years and in 2000, then 28, she was disciplined for having sex four times with 50-year-old prison guard Houston Cagle - who was later jailed for three months for the affair (pictured at court in 1995)
'Something went very wrong that night,' she wrote. 'I was a good mother and I loved my boys...I was not in my right mind.'
Smith also responded to the decades of assertions that she killed her boys in order to stay with the man who'd recently broken off their affair, Tom Findley.
'The thing that hurts me the most is that people think I hurt my children in order to be with a man,' Smith said. 'That is so far from the truth.'
She made no apparent mention of her decision to choose a black carjacker as the imagined culprit in the sensational Southern killing, a case which at the time incensed the black community nationwide.
Per a 2014 report in The State that detailed her troubled world behind bars, Smith hasn't exhibited little desire to put back the pieces of her fractured life.
'Most murderers are one-time, crime-of-passion people, and they end up becoming good people,' former director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections Jon Ozmint told The State.
'Susan Smith just hasn't been able to fit that mold.'
Just as was so widely reported following the 1994 arrest that rocked the little town of Union, Ozmint described Smith as the vain, manipulative.
'She is truly a narcissist, and she thrives on the media's attention. Someone like that, I didn't want to feed that narcissism. Other than passing her on the yard, I wouldn't give her any extra, undue attention,' Ozmint said.
On two occasions in 2000, Ozmint said guards at Smith's initial prison--Women's Correctional Center in Columbia--had sex with Smith despite warnings she should not be left alone with male correctional officers.
Justice: David Smith (right) holds up a picture of his murdered sons Michael and Alex and smiles after his ex-wife Smith (left) was sentenced to life inprisonment
'We were back there and arrested a captain and a lieutenant for having improper relations with her,' Ozmint told The State.
Both men lost their jobs, but according to a fellow convict, Smith has found ways to continue her jailhouse delinquency despite being transferred to Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood.
Stephanie Hulsey told the National Enquirer back in 2012 that Smith nearly killed herself at age 40 when she slashed her wrists with a smuggled-in razor.
'There was blood behind spurting everywhere and she was weeping, but she wasn't crying out in pain,' Hulsey said. 'She used to say, 'You don't feel pain when you cut. Cutting takes all the pain away.'
Hulsey also recalled a jailhouse girlfriend who Smith kept in addition to male paramours with whom she kept in touch via letters.
'Her lover is a big woman who looks like a man,' said Hulsey, who added that one male pen pal has sent Smith thousands of dollars.
Budget travel website Wotif has slashed prices flights to Hong Kong now offering a return trip to the Pearl of the Orient for $440.
At a whopping 40 per cent discount the return sale fare is normally reserved for low-cost carriers.
The tempting ticket prices are on sale from 10am Wednesday until midnight or until they sell out with travel dates from 26 February to 30 June 2018.
Budget travel website Wotif has slashed the price of return flights to Hong Kong (pictured)
At 40 per cent discount the sale fare is normally reserved for low-cost carriers
The ticket prices are on sale from 10am Wednesday until midnight or until they are all sold out
A blackout period applies from 1 April to 12 April 2018 however an industry expert told Escape they reduced fares wouldn't take long to be snapped up.
Wotif Travel Specialist Amanda Behre recommends to get in quick and be flexible with travel dates to get the best deal.
'Hong Kong has always been popular for Aussies, in particular as a stopover destination, however it has now really become a hot spot in its own right, with Wotif data showing air searches are up by almost 95 per cent year-on-year.'
Renowned for high-quality restaurants with stand-out chefs from the world over, including Australia, heading to 'Asia's World City' to immerse themselves in the culture.
Travel dates from 26 February to 30 June 2018 with a blackout period from April 1 - 12
Wotif Travel Specialist Amanda Behre said to get in quick and be flexible with travel dates to get the best deal
Hong Kong is renowned for its stand-out restaurant scenes with chefs flocking from around the world
The leading financial and culinary hub boasts one of the world's top transport systems with boundless night-life options.
With a number of dining experiences at ones fingertips combined with ease of access and a high regard for personal safety Hong Kong has fast become one of Asia's must-see destinations.
An increasing interest has been paid to third party websites who have started offering cheaper deals than the airline in a bid to beat out competitors.
The discounted fares can be found at the Wotif website as well as full terms and conditions.
A father-of-two paid a man $200 to rob his house while he holidayed with his girlfriend, so he could dump her and not return to a home full of her belongings.
Michael Boulton, 30, admitted to hiring an unknown man to break in to his home and take all of her belongings, and pleaded guilty to one count of stealing when he fronted Gladstone Magistrate's Court.
The woman's clothes, laptop, charger and jewellery were stolen, as well as her identification documents - a passport and certificate of citizenship, The Gladstone Observer reported.
A Queensland man hired a thief to break into his home and steal his girlfriend's belongings while they were away on holiday (stock image)
Michael Boulton paid the man $200 for his work, but admitted his part in the crime as soon as police arrived (stock image)
Boulton told police of his involvement as soon as they arrived at the home to investigate the theft, and said he had just wanted the woman: 'out of his life'.
He and his girlfriend had gone to see family from August 26 to September 6, and the 30-year-old had intended to break up with her while they were away.
Ideally, he had hoped to return to a home free of any reminder of the woman, making the breakup easier to deal with.
His lawyer, Rio Ramos, told the court Boulton was regretful of his choice.
'He realises now that he should have handled the break-up better,' she said
Magistrate Melanie Ho labelled his actions as 'disturbing', especially considering the man had chosen to front up $200 for the theft despite the fact he was unemployed.
She sentenced him to a 12-month good behaviour bond and ordered he pay $866 to the woman as compensation for her belongings.
A father and son have been found guilty of murdering an ice dealer whose burnt remains were found in a forest in southeast Queensland.
Stephen John Armitage, 48, and son Matthew Leslie Armitage, 25, were on Tuesday convicted by a Brisbane Supreme Court jury of killing Shaun Barker in late 2013.
The men, from Cooloola Cove more than two hours drive north of Brisbane, were also previously found guilty of torturing Mr Barker and interfering with his corpse.
The court was told the pair held Mr Barker in a large Esky before the slaying.
Father: Stephen John Armitage, pictured tied to a bed in a bizarre photograph, was found guilty of murdering ice dealer Shaun Barker
Son: Matthew Leslie Armitage (posing with a wild boar) was also found guilty of murder by a Brisbane Supreme Court jury
The younger Armitage poses in colourful boardshorts with a dead boar
The prosecution had alleged Mr Barker was tied to a tree with honey smeared on his genitals to attract ants.
He may have had fingers cut off as he was tortured for information, the court also heard.
According to local newspaper The Gympie Times, prosecutor Glen Cash claimed the older Armitage told a witness: 'We smashed his kneecaps in, broke his fingers.... smashed his face in. You wouldn't even recognise him'.
The report said both men cried out after the verdict was handed down, with Stephen Armitage saying: 'Injustice, your Honour. Didn't do it'.
The Times said his son added: 'I didn't do it'.
Prosecutors claimed to the court that Stephen Armitage told a witness the Shaun barker's body was 'unrecognisable'
The pair were found guilty by a Queensland Supreme Court jury on Tuesday afternoon
Shaun Barker was reported missing by his family on January 14, 2014.
The 33-year-old's charred remains were found in the Tooloora State Forest near Gympie on April 10 that year.
The two are due to be sentenced later this year alongside William Francis Dean, who was also found guilty of murder in March 2017.
Arkansas state police are investigating a four-vehicle crash on a highway in which two people were killed on Tuesday evening.
The gruesome accident took place at mile marker 3 in Texarkana just before 5pm, according to KSLA-TV.
The accident involved a van and three tractor-trailer rigs.
One image from the scene shows a ladder which smashed through the windshield of one of the 18-wheeler trucks involved in the wreck.
Arkansas state police are investigating a four-vehicle crash on a highway in which two people were killed on Tuesday evening
The gruesome accident took place at mile marker 3 in Texarkana just before 5pm
The accident involved a van and three tractor-trailer rigs. The driver of the van and the driver of one of the 18-wheelers died in the crash. The other two drivers were rushed to hospital with serious injuries
The driver of the van and the driver of one of the 18-wheelers died in the crash.
The other two drivers were rushed to hospital with serious injuries.
The major crash led to four other accidents on the same highway, according to authorities.
Authorities in Arkansas reopened the highway approximately four hours later.
Huma Abedin was spotted heading home after a stressful 24 hours following ex-husband Weiner's sentencing for sexting a 15-year-old girl, while her boss Hillary Clinton held a New Jersey book signing.
The longtime Clinton aide, 41, returned to her New York City home on Tuesday evening, cutting a bold figure in embroidered jeans and a white blouse.
Abedin was pictured this morning for the first time since her husband Anthony Weiner was handed a 21-month prison sentence for sexting an underage girl, dropping her five-year-old off at school.
Huma Abedin returns to her Manhattan apartment Tuesday evening, after a stressful 24 hours following ex-husband Weiner's sentencing for sexting a 15-year-old girl
The mother-of-one wore a pair of embroidered Alice and Olivia flared jeans for the trip, pairing the vibrant pants with a more elegant pussy bow blouse
Meanwhile, Huma's boss Hillary Clinton held a book signing for her new book What Happened
Weiner, 53, was spotted during the school run but stayed inside a car while his wife, who filed for divorce in May on the same day he pleaded guilty to sexting with a minor, walked nearby on the sidewalk.
Meanwhile, Abedin's boss was in New Jersey holding a book signing for her latest work, What Happened.
The former presidential candidate was greeted with crowds of supporters waiting outside Watchung Booksellers on Tuesday at Montclair, New Jersey.
Inside, Clinton signed copies of her new book - which details her experiences running against Donald Trump in the 2016 election - and chatted with fans.'
Clinton signs a copy of her book at Watchung Booksellers on Tuesday at Montclair, NJ
Upon entering Hillary Clinton was applauded by Betty Hall, of Titusville, NJ, who was first in line while she was with her daughter Jane Lee, right
People who didn't have a ticket to get a book and greet Clinton, stood across the street and cheered for her
People lined up outside the book store waiting to get in for Hillary Clinton's book signing
Nelson and Helene Porter, of Oreland, PA, sit outside while with others outside the bookstore
Abedin, who was not present at Weiner's sentencing yesterday, looked somber during this morning's outing and bowed her head, while shielding her eyes behind sunglasses.
The political staffer paired the multicolored jeans with hoop earrings and a touch of red lipstick, letting her hair flow freely on her shoulders.
Her eye-catching jeans, which were once worn by Amal Clooney, come from Alice and Olivia's 2016 pre-fall collection are as such, are no longer available, but it is estimated that an equivalent model this season would have cost between $800 to $900.
While Abedin didn't appear in court for her husband's sentencing yesterday, she did write a letter as part of the case, asking for mercy as she begged for the judge's sentencing not to have a 'negative impact' on their son.
Timing: The staffer's outing came hours after her estranged husband found out he will have to surrender to a prison facility in November
Gone: The eye-catching jeans, which were once worn by Amal Clooney, come from Alice and Olivia's 2016 pre-fall collection are as such, are no longer available
In the missive, she told authorities she was 'devastated' by the actions of her husband of seven years, and pointed out she was writing this letter for the benefit of their son, whom she called 'the light of our life'.
'As would any parent, if there has to be any negative impact on [redacted], I would like to be as small as possible,' Abedin wrote.
Weiner has agreed to register as a sex offender, and as such the disgraced congressman will be prevented from going within a certain distance of schools.
Earlier this month, when he and Abedin took their son Jordan to his first day of school, the father turned back halfway through the walk, leaving Jordan and his mother to complete the rest of the trip together.
Sentence: Weiner, who is seen leaving New York federal court on Monday, agreed to register as a sex offender, and as such will be prevented from going within a certain distance of schools
Details: Weiner still wore his wedding ring even though he and Abedin are currently in divorce proceedings and appeared in court earlier this month as part of the case
Weiner must surrender himself on November 6 to a prison facility, which has yet to be determined.
His history of sexting with the underage girl, whom he asked to strip naked and to touch herself on Skype, was first revealed by DailyMail.com a year ago and resulted in a federal investigation.
During his sentencing hearing, the former politician said he had betrayed his son's 'amazing mother', Abedin, and referred to the boy as his 'salvation'.
'I focus on how I live my new, smaller, healthier life one day at a time,' he said. 'I was a very sick man for a very long time. I have a disease but no excuse.'
Sheila Keen Warren, 54, (seen in her booking shot) was arrested without incident on a charge of first-degree murder with use of a firearm in the 1990 killing of Marlene Warren, 40, in Washington County, Virginia
A killer clown has been arrested for allegedly shooting to death a woman at her front door while dressed as a jester and carrying flowers and two balloons over 27 years ago.
Sheila Keen Warren, 54, was arrested without incident on a charge of first-degree murder with use of a firearm in the 1990 killing of Marlene Warren, 40, - the suspect's husband's first wife - in Washington County, Virginia.
'Thousands of man-hours have been put in in the last 27 years,' Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman said at a news conference Tuesday.
'We're more than glad to be able to help to bring this to a successful conclusion.'
Warren was arrested about five miles from the Tennessee state line in Abindon, Virginia, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
The woman had been a suspect for the murder early on but there was never enough evidence to charge her.
This changed, after the cold case was reopened in 2014, when new technology allowed for prosecutors to retest DNA evidence.
Sheila Keen Warren (pictured left in her driver's license) had been a suspect for the murder of Marlene Warren (right) early on but there was never enough evidence to charge her before
Marlene Warren - the suspect's husband's first wife - was shot in the face when she answered the front door of her home in Wellington, Florida. Pictured above the scene at the time
Marlene Warren was shot in the face when she answered the front door of her home in Wellington, Florida.
Authorities say she was confronted by a brown-eyed woman carrying balloons and wearing a clown costume with an orange wig on May 26, 1990.
On the balloons, one of them said 'You're the greatest!' while the other had Snow White painted on it, according to news coverage at the time.
Paramedics are pictured taking Marlene Warren to an ambulance in this photograph provided by the Sun Sentinel
Authorities add that she was confronted by a brown-eyed woman carrying balloons and wearing a clown costume with an orange wig on May 26, 1990 (file photo)
'This is the strangest thing I've seen in all my 19 years in law enforcement,' Bob Ferrell, then a spokesman for the Palm Beach County sheriff's office, told the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel newspaper the day after the murder.
She went to the door, and there was somebody wearing a clown suit and a clown mask.
'Thousands of man-hours have been put in in the last 27 years,' Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman said at a news conference Tuesday
'As she went to take the flowers and balloons, the clown shot her. As far as I know, nothing was said.'
Michael Warren, her husband, was initially believed to be the suspect as friends and family said that the two had been having marital problems.
In 1992, he was sentenced to prison on 43 counts of odometer tampering, grand theft and racketeering after digging done by investigators for the murder showed foul play at his car rental agency, according to The Palm Beach Post at the time.
Michael served three years in prison and then seemingly vanished in 1997. In 2002, he resurfaced, marrying Sheila Keen. She had worked for Michel repossessing cars.
Newman said that Michael Warren was present when his wife was arrested.
As early as four months after the murder, detectives were informed of the affair between Michael and Sheila.
'This is the strangest thing I've seen in all my 19 years in law enforcement,' Bob Ferrell, then a spokesman for the Palm Beach County sheriff's office, told the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel newspaper the day after the murder
Warren had even gone as far to pay for Keen's rent after she separated from her first husband.
The duo were said to be running a restaurant in Tennessee when Sheila was arrested but there was none found in business registries under their names.
Officials said that Sheila Warren will be arraigned Wednesday in Washington County General District Court and she is being held pending extradition to Florida at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail.
A construction worker fell more than 20 feet into a manhole and died on Monday.
Russell Anthony Tracy, 46, fell on a construction site around 11.40am near Las Vegas Boulevard South and Jonathan Drive, north of the M Resort.
He had finished sandblasting pipes into the manhole according to Clark County Fire Department spokesman John Steinbeck.
Russell Anthony Tracy, 46, fell on a construction site around 11.40am near Las Vegas Boulevard South and Jonathan Drive, north of the M Resort
Ruled an accident by the coroner, Tracy's official cause of death was multiple blunt-force injuries
It is unclear how the father-of-four fell, but county fire Chief Scott Webster said that he died on impact.
Tracy was pronounced dead at the scene at 1pm by the Clark County coroner and his body was recovered an hour later.
Ruled an accident by the coroner, Tracy's official cause of death was multiple blunt-force injuries.
There have been few details released about the fall.
His wife, Meredith Fitzgerald-Tracy, said on Tuesday that she hadn't even been told by investigators what happened on Monday. 'I really need to know what happened. I've been trying my hardest to see him, but the coroner won't let me,' she said to the Las Vegas Review Journal
His wife, Meredith Fitzgerald-Tracy, said on Tuesday that she hadn't even been told by investigators what happened on Monday.
'I really need to know what happened. I've been trying my hardest to see him, but the coroner won't let me,' she said to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
'All I want is to see him and say goodbye, but I keep getting the runaround.'
Teri Williams, a Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration spokeswoman, asserted that the agency was leading the investigation into the incident.
But as of Tuesday morning, the agency had no updates.
'We won't know much more until the investigation closes,' she said. 'It could take up to six months depending on the complexity of it all.'
A mother is fighting for life with critical injuries after allegedly being strangled by her ex-partner, who screamed 'is she all right' during a court appearance on Wednesday.
Lance Michael Pearce, 34, has been charged by police following the alleged attack on Tuesday night which has left Blair Dalton, 35, suffering critical injuries.
The alleged attack happened at Ms Dalton's home in Ettalong Beach, on the Central Coast, according to police who were called to the property at 7.10pm.
Blair Dalton, pictured left, is fighting for life in hospital after her partner, Lance Pearce, allegedly tried to strangle her
The alleged attack happened at Ms Dalton's home, pictured
Pearce, pictured, yelled out 'no, no' and 'is she all right, she has to be all right' from the dock on Wednesday
According to The Daily Telegraph Pearce, dressed in white forensic overalls, was heard saying 'no, no' and 'is she all right, she has to be all right' from the dock.
He will return to court on November 24, after a psychiatric assessment.
According to 7 News Ms Dalton's friends described her as a 'good Aussie girl'.
'We're just waiting on doctors reports but the end result won't be good either way will it?'
Police commenced CPR on Ms Dalton until paramedics arrived. She was rushed to Gosford Hospital where she remained on Wednesday in a critical condition.
Pearce is due to appear in Gosford Local Court on Wednesday.
Police, pictured, investigating the alleged crime scene on Wednesday morning
The woman is now recovering from the alleged attack in Gosford Hospital
A Gold Coast prostitute who used kinky sex to distract a client on a cocaine binge so two men could rob him has been jailed for his manslaughter.
But the men who organised the robbery, co-offenders Lee Benjamin Feld and Benjamin Samy Ghobrial were released on parole after already serving jail time.
Milan Chante Walker was sentenced to five years and nine months behind bars in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday for the death of Gregory John Hudson in October 2014.
Sex worker Milan Chante Walker (pictured) used kinky sex to distract a client on a cocaine bender so two men could rob him could be deported to New Zealand after a jail sentence
Ghobrial was sentenced to three-and-a-half years behind bars for the same offences and others of stealing, but Justice Martin also agreed to suspend the remaining portion of his jail term so he could walk free from Wednesday
Gregory John Hudson's, 57, (pictured) naked body was discovered tied up in his friend's townhouse at Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast on October 23, 2014
The 57-year-old's naked body was found loosely bound in his friend's townhouse at Varsity Lakes.
Justice Glenn Martin said it was an exceptional case because Hudson had an enlarged heart and a 'lethal' dose of cocaine in his system when he died.
Justice Martin said the pathologist had found any emotional or physical stress, including the fetish sex Hudson and Walker had been engaged in, could have triggered the cardiac arrhythmia that led to his death.
'His heart was basically a ticking time bomb,' he said.
The court heard Walker, who has four children and has lived in Australia for more than 25 years, would likely be deported back to New Zealand once she was released on parole in December 2018.
Co-offenders Lee Benjamin Feld and Benjamin Samy Ghobrial were also dealt with on Wednesday over their role in the robbery.
Feld received a two-year-and-seven-month sentence for armed robbery in company and burglary, but was released on parole immediately.
Ghobrial was sentenced to three-and-a-half years behind bars for the same offences and others of stealing, but Justice Martin also agreed to suspend the remaining portion of his jail term so he could walk free from Wednesday.
Benjamin Samy Ghobrial leaves the Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday
Lee Feld (pictured) and accomplice Benjamin Samy Ghobrial pleaded guilty to the burglary and robbery in company offences and are also expected to be sentenced on Wednesday
After serving time Ms Walker (pictured) may be deported to New Zealand, despite spending most of her life in Australia, where all her family except her father live, the court heard
'
BILLINGS A utility company is asking Montana regulators to allow it to increase prices for natural gas for more than 84,000 customers in the state.
Montana-Dakota Utilities said Tuesday that the requested rate hike would increase a average residential customer's bill by about $30 annually.
The utility says the move would raise $2.8 million in annual revenues needed to cover costs for replacing, operating and maintaining natural gas pipelines.
The request must be approved by the Montana Public Service Commission.
Montana-Dakota Utilities also serves customers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Australian snake catchers have warned people to be prepared to ward off a tsunami of snakes that may visit them at their homes as temperatures begin to soar.
Snake catcher Tony Harrison of Gold Coast in Queensland told Daily Mail Australia that the influx is expected to last for at least another two weeks.
'Snakes are cold blooded reptiles so when its warm they become very active,' he said.
Snake catcher Tony Harrison (pictured above) said unkempt lawns lead to a reptile's invasion
'I have had between seven to 10 calls per day since the breeding season began.
While not all of them have turned out to be legitimate calls, he said almost 95 percent of them were.
Mr Harrison said that in the last fortnight he has caught over 100 snakes and have relocated them to the nearest bush.
'We have to fill out the paperwork to the Environmental Protection Agency before leaving them in the bush,' he said.
'We have caught all sorts of snake from pythons, to green tree snakes and eastern brown snakes,' he said.
He said the snakes were found sometimes outside or inside a property.
'Don't go after the snakes yourself or you'll risk getting bitten.
'Take a photo of the snake and send it to a snatch catcher as they will be able to provide you with the best advice on what to do next,' he said.
He added the photos were also a good way for snatch catchers to avoid charging a call out fee if the 'emergency' turned out to be something else.
'Years ago, I had someone mistaking a used condom for a snake.
'There was also a time when I was called to catch a reptile which turned out to be thongs.
'Sometimes these are not snakes and it will cause a lot of embarrassment to the owner,' he said.
Snake catchers are warning Australians on the influx of such reptiles (pictured) in their homes
However, he said there was times when he caught between three or four snakes in a house.
Mr Harrison's advice for anyone wanting to avoid coming face to face with the reptiles is to always keep their house surroundings clean.
'There is two things that attract snakes which is food and refuge.
'People should keep their house junk-free and not have piles of tins, woods and other stuff around their lawn as these can attract snake food such as lizard, mice and frogs which will inadvertently attract the snakes,' he said.
Daily Mail Australia reported on Tuesday that three people with snake bites were taken to hospital in Queensland.
A woman taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital is now in a stable condition after being bitten on the leg by what is believed to be a brown snake at Bald Knob in the hinterland.
While another two men aged in their 50s were also taken to hospital following bites to their feet at Fig Tree Pocket in Brisbane and the Gold Coast's Tamborine Mountain.
More than 2kg of cocaine with a street value of $1 million has allegedly been found hidden in a car on Sydney's northern beaches (pictured), leading to police smashing a drug syndicate
More than 2kg of cocaine with a street value of $1 million has allegedly been found hidden in a car on Sydney's northern beaches, leading to police smashing a drug syndicate.
Four men have been charged and police more charges are expected.
Officers initially arrested a 35-year-old man in Queenscliff on Monday after searching his Honda Jazz car and allegedly finding 2.5kg of cocaine in five shopping bags hidden in a secret compartment, along with another 50g on him.
The Ryde man faced a Sydney court on Tuesday.
Following his arrest, police searched properties in Warriewood, Brookvale, Freshwater, Narrabeen, Ryde and Five Dock, where they found cocaine, cannabis and cash.
Officers initially arrested a 35-year-old man in Queenscliff on Monday after searching his Honda Jazz car and allegedly finding 2.5kg of cocaine in five shopping bags hidden in a secret compartment (pictured)
Following his arrest, police searched properties in Warriewood, Brookvale, Freshwater, Narrabeen, Ryde and Five Dock, where they found cocaine, cannabis and cash (pictured)
A Hyundai i30 was also seized with a large amount of cash also found in a hidden compartment.
Two men, 31 and 34, were arrested, along with a 43-year-old man in Port Macquarie, and they will face court on Wednesday, police said.
The arrests were part of Strike Force Dufek, which was set up this year to investigate the sale of cocaine on the northern beaches.
'This strike force has dismantled a local syndicate which we will allege has been supplying cocaine throughout the northern beaches and we believe it will significantly impact on the supply of this illicit drug in the local area,' Detective Chief Inspector Craig Wonders said.
The father and uncle of notorious ISIS recruit Mohamed Elomar have been jailed for at least two years over a plot involving a $1 million Iraqi bribe.
The late terrorist's father Mamdouh Elomar, 63, his brother Ibrahim Elimar, 61, and businessman John Jousif, 48, pleaded guilty to conspiring to pay a bribe to a foreign public official in 2015 in a bid to gain contract work in Iraq.
In the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday, Justice Christine Adamson sentenced the trio to four years' jail with a non-parole period of two years, and fined each brother $250,000.
Mamdouh Elomar (centre), 63, and his brother Ibrahim Elimar (left), 61, were sentenced to at least two years jail on Wednesday for an Iraqi bribe plot worth $1million
The brothers (pictured) are the father and uncle of ISIS terrorist Mohamed Elomar and the pair share a brother who was jailed for terrorism offences
Mohamed Elomar fled Australia in 2013 and rose to infamy when pictures emerged of him holding severed heads
During 2013, Jousif approached the brothers about exploring Iraqi business opportunities for their company Lifese, which was involved in engineering, infrastructure and construction projects.
Their company was in 'financial decay' in part from losing deals after publicity about Mohamed Elomar and a brother who was jailed for terror-related offences.
At first, the older brothers - who the judge described as seasoned and successful businessmen - lawfully tried to become involved in projects but Jousif was told they would be blacklisted if payment was not made.
The conspiracy, which ran between July 2014 and February 2015, was to provide a benefit to another person with the intent to influence a foreign public official in order to obtain business.
Jousif and a man in Iraq were involved in the plot for the whole period, while the brothers joined in August and in early September 2014 providing him with more than $1 million in cash.
The company of Mohamed Elomar's father and uncle was said to be in 'financial disarray' after the bad press the family faced
Their company Lifese was involved in engineering, infrastructure and construction projects
Justice Adamson said John Jousof (pictured) was the 'middleman, conduit and facilitator' who encouraged the brothers to set up business in Iraq
Jousif transferred it to a man in Iraq through a money exchange business in Auburn, telling the assistant it was a donation to help the Christian people of north Iraq.
The judge described Jousif as the 'middleman, conduit and facilitator' who encouraged the brothers to set up business in Iraq.
They knew the proposed bribe was illegal, and the transfer involved substantial planning as the Australian government had a ban on sending money to Iraq.
Justice Adamson rejected a contention that the brothers were coerced into paying the bribe, 'although I accept their greed was exploited'.
The brothers ultimately did not receive any contract work and there was no evidence about what happened to the money after it was transferred to Iraq.
Mohamed Elomar is believed to have been killed in a drone strike while fighting for Islamic State in 2015.
A student has claimed that a Korean BBQ restaurant in Sydney is discriminating against Chinese customers by making them sit in a hot back room.
Amy Chan, 20, said she and a friend went to eat in the Inner West suburb of Strathfield, also known as 'Little Korea.'
She said she was surprised to be taken past the main dining room and ushered into a back room, where four groups of Chinese people were dining.
Ms Chan, who is studying at Western Sydney University, said she believes the owner was trying to keep Chinese diners separate from Koreans because of how loud they are, she told news.com.au.
Amy Chan (pictured) has claimed that a Korean BBQ restaurant in Sydney is discriminating against Chinese customers by making them sit in a hot back room
A student has claimed that a Korean BBQ restaurant in Sydney is discriminating against Chinese customers by making them sit in a hot back room. File photo
'It was definitely all Korean people sitting outside,' she told the publication.
Ms Chan claims that when she asked to be seated outside, she was told the back room had an air-conditioner only to find out that it was broken.
And she claims that it was only after she repeatedly complained about the heat to the waitress was she allowed to eat in the main dining area.
'I was talking Mandarin with my friend honestly Chinese people actually speak very loud, I think maybe that is the reason they want to separate Chinese people.
Amy Chan said she was surprised to be taken past the main dining room and ushered into a back room, where four groups of Chinese people were dining. File photo
'I feel very disappointed.'
However, the restaurant's owner denied discriminating against any customers, telling news.com.au that customers were seated wherever there was room on busy nights.
He added that the majority of the restaurant's customers were Chinese and offered Ms Chan a free meal if she returned.
Baby P's mother could be free by Christmas if she can convince a Parole Board that she is not a threat to the public.
Tracey Connelly, 35, was originally jailed in 2009 for letting her lover and his brother torture 17-month-old Peter to death in Haringey, North London, in 2007.
She was later released on licence only to be recalled to HMP Styal in Cheshire less than 18 months later having been accused of selling pornographic pictures of herself to perverts obsessed with her notoriety.
Two years ago the Parole Board dismissed her bid for freedom, ruling that she was still a risk to public safety.
But she is now set to launch an appeal for another hearing this year.
Tracey Connelly (left in 2013), 35, was originally jailed in 2009 for letting her lover and his brother torture 17-month-old Peter
Baby P was found dead in his blood-stained cot at his mother's flat after 60 visits from social workers and police
Under current legislation she will be eligible for a further review, following on from the last hearing in 2015, and she will launch her new bid in a few weeks, according to the Daily Mirror.
The only legal question which needs addressing to determine the justification for continued detention is whether the prisoner poses a risk to society.
Parole Board rules state: 'If the prisoner is not re-released at the first review following recall, further periodic reviews by the Parole Board will take place, at least every two years.'
Connelly was put back behind bars in 2015 over claims she tried to cash in on her appalling crimes by selling pornographic pictures of herself.
Her toddler son died after suffering more than 50 injuries at the hands of her partner Steven Barker and his paedophile brother Jason Owen over an eight-month period.
Connelly changed her name and dyed her hair before moving to a seaside town when she was freed in October 2013 on a life-long licence.
Her release sparked outrage. Connelly's mother, Mary O'Connor, and father, Richard Johnson, said at the time their daughter should never have been freed.
Barker (left) was jailed for 12 years for the Baby P case and a life sentence for raping a two-year-old girl. Owen (right) was also jailed indefinitely and ordered to serve three years minimum
In May 2009 Connelly was ordered to be held indefinitely, with a minimum jail term of five years, until 'deemed no longer to be a risk to the public and in particular to small children'.
When she was freed from Durham's Low Newton jail in October 2013, she begged for an anonymity order and police protection but was refused.
Her release on a life-long licence came with the condition that any breach of her parole terms would land her back in jail.
The horrific nature of tragic Peter's death despite being on Haringey Council's at-risk register shocked Britain.
He was found dead in his blood-stained cot at his mother's flat after 60 visits from social workers and police.
The horrific nature of tragic Peter's death despite being on Haringey Council's at-risk register shocked Britain
Peter was also twice admitted to hospital with suspicious injuries but the council failed to take him away from Connelly and her new boyfriend Barker.
At their 2008 trial, Owen and Barker were found guilty of 'causing or allowing the death of a child' while Connelly had pleaded guilty to the charge.
Barker was jailed for 12 years for the Baby P case and a life sentence for raping a two-year-old girl.
Fahad Abdi, 18, lay in wait for his three victims before unleashing the noxious substance on their faces in Canterbury, Kent
A teenage drug dealer sprayed a man and two women with acid after suspecting they had stolen his stash of cocaine.
Fahad Abdi, 18, lay in wait for his three victims before unleashing the noxious substance on their faces in Canterbury, Kent.
Justin Vincent, Janet Durrant and Emily Thompson were left with blisters, burns and temporary loss of sight in the savage revenge attack.
'Vicious' thug Abdi, from Forest Gate, east London, was sentenced to nine years in a young offenders' institute for the horrific assault, at Canterbury Crown Court.
Abdi had been staying in the home of one of the victims for a few weeks when he fell out with the group, the court heard.
He threatened them with a knife and claimed they had stolen some of his property.
Following numerous threats he approached two of them in a street and sprayed them in the face with the noxious substance.
The teen then fled the scene before returning ten minutes later to spray his third victim.
Kent Police arrested Abdi later that day at Canterbury trains tation and charged him with three counts of grievous bodily harm with intent.
Justin Vincent (pictured), Janet Durrant and Emily Thompson were left with blisters, burns and temporary loss of sight in the savage revenge attack
He denied the charges but was found guilty by a jury following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court on Wednesday August 2.
He was sentenced at the same court on Monday September 25 where he received nine years in prison plus an additional three years on licence upon his release.
Sentencing Judge James O'Mahony said: 'It is absolutely shocking to me that someone of your age could commit such a wicked and cowardly act.
'You are a vicious and violent man who decided that even though there was no evidence that any of your victims had done anything wrong, you were going to punish all three of them.'
Detective Constable Terence Seager of Kent Police who investigated the attack accused the Abdi of having 'no regard for life'.
He said:'This public act of aggression left the victims with little time to protect themselves from what can only be described as a callous attack.
'Abdi has shown that even at such a young age he is capable of premeditated violence with absolutely no regard for life. This was a particularly vicious assault which has physically and emotionally scarred the victims.
'Thankfully he will now serve time in prison and the people of Canterbury will be far safer as a result.'
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Ukraine's government claim Russians using grenade-dropping drones were behind a blaze at a central Ukraine army warehouse where 188,000 tons of ammunition caught fire overnight leading to the evacuation of 30,000 locals.
The military warehouse in Kalinovka, near Vinnytsia stored both shells and weapons ammunition, and images from the scene shows an enormous fireball over the area, and several rockets flying into the night sky.
Two women in a village nearby were taken to hospital with shrapnel injuries, as more than 1,000 fire-fighters and Ukrainian national guard battled the flames.
Previous similar attacks have been blamed on Russian-flown drones dropping thermite grenades.
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Big boom: The fire broke out at an army warehouse in central Ukraine on Tuesday night with 188,000 tons of ammunition going up in flames
Intense: So far some 30,000 people have been evacuated from nearby towns and villages
Fire in the hole: The storage facility contained everything from rockets to firearms ammunition
Local media claims that the blaze was arson and a carefully planned Russian sabotage mission.
Ukrainian authorities recovered a Russian-made at the site of one ammo dump blaze in December 2015.
Thousands of shells ignited in an extraordinary inferno that was first reported shortly before 10pm on Tuesday.
The depot is the largest in the country, and the fire caused shells and flames to shoot high into the sky in an alarming firework display that saw the air space being closed over the city of Vinnitsa.
There have been mass evacuations from villages close to the site of up to 30,000 people, RT.com reports.
High risk: A rocked can be seen flying over a number of farm buildings in Kalynivka
Fireworks: Rockets are seen are launching into the sky seen after a fire at a warehouse storing ammunition for multiple rocket launcher systems at a military base
Big boom: The military warehouse in Kalinovka, near Vinnytsia holds both shells and weapons ammunition, and images from the scene shows an enormous fireball over the area
Far reaching: Two women in a nearby village have been taken to hospital with shrapnel injuries after the weapons storage blew up, sending shells into the sky
Who dunnit: It is not known how the fire started, but local media claims it was Russian sabotage
Journalist Yury Butusov, chief editor of Censor.net, claimed the fire was arson, pointing the finger at Russia.
He even claimed it was a birthday present from Vladimir Putin to his opposite number Petro Poroshenko, the Ukrainian president, who was 52 on Tuesday.
'The biggest artillery storage of Ukrainian army has been attacked,' he said.
'A source of Censor.net says that explosions are well heard in Vinnitsa, and flying shells are well visible.
'It is an open storage and its capacity was exceeded. The enemy keeps attacking the military infrastructure of Ukraine.
Ukrainian army soldiers patrol a street in the town of Kalynivka, 13 miles from the side of the ammunition depot blast site
Leaving: A woman and her pet dog wait for evacuation in Kalynivka on Wednesday morning
Military reaction: Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) ride on the road near the warehouse
'This catastrophe will deprive us of large weapon storage.'
He stated: 'It is a strong attack on defence ability of Ukraine. Emergency measures should be taken....
'Putin decided to send his congratulations (to Poroshenko) on this day.'
Ukrainian prime minister Vladimir Groysman, arriving in Vinnitsa to take charge of the fire crisis, insisted: 'Everybody is working, the situation is under control.
'All measures are taken to put out the fire, a sufficient numbers of people and engines were sent there,and everything possible is being done.'
It was once a bustling Scottish outcrop where 570 islanders made their home.
Now the population of Ulva is down to six and they fear it could fall even further as the island changes hands.
The tiny isle off the west coast of Mull is owned by Jamie Howard, who put it on the market for offers over 4.25million this summer.
It was once a bustling Scottish outcrop where 570 islanders made their home - now just six remain on the isle. Pictured, concerned islands fear they'll be may homeless if the land is taken over
The tiny isle off the west coast of Mull is owned by Jamie Howard, who put it on the market for offers over 4.25million this summer
But the handful of permanent residents left on Ulva want the Scottish Government to facilitate a community buy-out.
They fear a private owner could close down the island, leaving those in tied houses homeless.
But they would have to raise most of the eventual sale price, which would be set by the Government.
Islanders could apply to the Scottish Land Fund, which can offer grants of up to 1million for a buy-out.
Barry George, who has lived on Ulva for 21 years, said: This is the only roof I have. The worry is, if we get the wrong person and they shut the island, I am in a cardboard box in a doorway. We could get somebody who just wants it as a deer stalking estate.
But the handful of permanent residents left on Ulva want the Scottish Government to facilitate a community buy-out
They fear a private owner could close down the island, leaving those in tied houses homeless. Pictured above, restaurant The Boathouse which is included in the sale
Mr George, who runs the community bus service on Mull, moved to Ulva when he worked for a fish farm which leased homes for workers.
He said: When I came here, all the houses were full and there were children. There were Christmas parties, Burns suppers but now we have houses stood empty.
With a community buy-out our priority would be to repopulate the island. I am sure we could get people to come here.
Potential buyers from all over Europe inquired about the island but now the For Sale signs are down pending a Government decision on an application requesting time to prepare a community buy-out.
The application came from North West Mull Community Woodland Company, which looks after the interests of remote areas of Mull and surroundings.
Director John Addy said: In the 1840s, before the Clearances, the population of Ulva was 570.
We are not suggesting that we could go back to that but we are thinking of, in 20 years, perhaps we could manage 30 people working there.
Other residents include Rebecca Munro, 30, her husband Rhuri, 34, and their two young children.
Mrs Munro runs the islands Boathouse restaurant with her sister-in-law Emma McKie, who lives on Mull.
Her father-in-law Donald Munro, who has been the Ulva boatman for decades, also lives on Mull, but both could find themselves jobless under a new owner.
Mrs Munro said: For us, its worse because its our home as well as our business and if somebody came in and shut it down we would lose everything. Private ownership hasnt worked, so why shouldnt the community be given the chance?
A Government spokesman said: Ministers will make a decision on the case upon receipt of all relevant information.
Mr Howard has until 5pm today to lodge comments with the Government on the communitys wish to buy Ulva.
A billboard next to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
The huge sign, which features a darkened photograph of the commander-in-chief with the word 'IMPEACH' in orange letters alongside him, has been put up by political group Courage Campaign.
They are calling for an 'injection of courage' into Congress, which has so far shown little interest in impeaching President Trump.
In a link to a website demanding the president's removal, a petition is set alongside a blurb explaining the group's motivation.
The huge sign, which features a darkened photograph of the commander-in-chief with the word 'IMPEACH' in orange letters alongside him, has been put up by political group Courage Campaign
It explains: 'Donald Trump has failed to faithfully execute his duties as President. He has violated the constitution.
'He has attempted to obstruct an investigation into potential wrongdoing by his campaign. He has eroded Americas leadership in the world.
'And that was just in the first six months of his four year term.'
Courage Campaign's director, Eddie Kurtz, told CBS SFBayArea his group is a 'grassroots organization'.
He added: 'There's this pattern that seems to repeat Trump does something absolutely unacceptable, unethical, just the thing you could never imagine even the worst of our previous presidents doing.
'There's this wave of outrage it happened after Charlottesville, it happened even before he was elected when he admitted to sexually assaulting women and then it settles down and his base is still with him.'
The campaign explains: 'Donald Trump has failed to faithfully execute his duties as President. He has violated the Constitution'
In a link to a website demanding the president's removal, a petition is set alongside a blurb explaining the group's motivation. They are calling for an 'injection of courage' into Congress, which has so far shown little interest in impeaching President Trump
Kurtz said his campaign has spent $1,500 on the billboard and the petition to which it links has already got about 100,000 signatures.
He added that over a million people pass the sign every day.
His group previously fought for gay marriage during the struggle over Proposition 8.
The sign will remain up until October 1.
School holiday beachgoers have been given a stern warning as hundreds of sharks have been spotted feeding in shallow waters off the coast of New South Wales.
The sharks were seen lurking north of Newcastle on the states north coast, with great whites, bull sharks and whaler sharks taking part in a feeding frenzy.
The NSW government released footage of the unprecedented number of sharks amid concerns they may target swimmers.
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Hundreds of sharks have been spotted feeding in shallow waters off the coast of NSW
Great whites, bull sharks and whaler sharks have been spotted taking part in a feeding frenzy
Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair told the Daily Telegraph it was extremely important people take all the necessary precautions to remain safe.
According to the governments shark experts, it is uncommon for sharks to be swimming and feeding together in such large numbers.
Mr Blair said people going to the beach should not swim in areas where baitfish are prevalent, and shouldnt enter the water at dawn or dusk.
Donald Trump repeatedly called Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy 'President' in a White House press conference on Tuesday
Donald Trump has been mocked for repeatedly referring to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy as 'President' during a press conference.
The White House Press Office also mistakenly used the title for Spain's leader in its daily schedule and in a tweet ahead of Tuesday's event.
The gaffe sparked a wave of mocking comments on Twitter with one person commenting, 'You'd think he'd get the basics right'.
'April' wrote: 'It's ridiculous that a man who places so much importance on titles and hierarchy can't remember the titles of others in power.'
And another user added: 'Trump just called Spanish PM 'Mr. President' throughout the press conference. Sad thing is, that's totally unsurprising and expected.'
Spain is a constitutional monarchy, so the King is head of state.
While the prime minister's Spanish title, presidente gobierno, translates as 'president of the government', he is formally referred to in English as prime minister.
While the prime minister's Spanish title, presidente gobierno, translates as 'president of the government', he is formally referred to in English as prime minister
The gaffe sparked a wave of mocking comments on Twitter with one person commenting, 'You'd think he'd get the basics right'
The issue of Catalonian independence also came up at the press conference on Tuesday, with Trump branding the looming secession vote 'foolish'.
Trump said he's been watching the situation unfold in the region of Catalonia, whose leaders have vowed to hold a referendum Sunday on independence from Spain.
Spain's central government says such a vote would be illegal.
'I can say only, speaking for myself, I would like to see Spain continue to be united,' Trump said when asked about the referendum.
The President had said earlier Tuesday that the U.S. and Spain are allies in the fight against terrorism, saying they share notes and intelligence
The White House Press Office also mistakenly used the title for Spain's leader in its daily schedule and in a tweet ahead of Tuesday's event
The President had said earlier Tuesday that the U.S. and Spain are allies in the fight against terrorism, saying they share notes and intelligence.
He also thanked Spain for contributing to a coalition of nations working to defeat IS, including training more than 30,000 members of the Iraqi security forces.
Rajoy said he told Trump that Spain would increase its commitment by contributing a new financial package to help rebuild Iraq.
The teenager accused of shooting a cop in the face was only free because a judge had given him a slap on the wrist for a weapons charge earlier this year.
Officer Kayla Maher and her partner were responding to calls about a suspicious vehicle at Marshall Road and Ridge Drive in Yonkers, New York, at 8pm on Monday, when 18-year-old Frank Valencia of New Rochelle reportedly opened fire at the cops.
But it has now emerged that Valencia was found with a handgun, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, brass knuckles and a machete on May 31 in The Bronx.
Because he was 17 at the time, however, Bronx Supreme Court judge George Villegas gave him probation and young offender status during his sentencing on September 20, according to the Bronx district attorney.
Officer Kayla Maher (pictured) was engaged in a gunfight with the suspect when she was hit in the face
Maher and her partner were responding to calls about a suspicious vehicle at Marshall Road and Ridge Drive in Yonkers, New York, when an 18-year-old opened fire at the cops.
The New York Post quoted the DA's spokeswoman Patrice O'Shaughnessy as saying: 'We objected to the plea being offered, because we would never have offered a non-jail deal in this case.'
It comes as a dramatic new surveillance video shows the female cop being rescued by a fellow officer after she was shot ion the face.
The officers returned fire and shot one of the suspects but during the gunfight, Maher was shot in the chin - with the bullet entering one side and passing clear out through the other.
Maher was shot in the chin in the attack, and surveillance footage from the scene shows her partner braving gunfire to save her, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder as they fled
'One of the (responding) officers was able to pull the wounded officer (Maher) from the immediate area of the suspects,' Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner told New York Daily News, adding that the officer was a hero.
Surveillance footage from the scene shows her partner braving gunfire to save her, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder as they fled.
'We have an officer shot in face,' an officer told dispatch. 'Can we please [expletive] get some units here.'
The dispatcher confirmed: 'We have an officer shot in the face. Units expedite.'
Then cop responds: 'Send a truck or something to come get this officer out of here. She's shot in the face. We're right behind the suspect, we're pinned down, we can't [expletive] move.'
Witness say they heard between 30 and 50 shots fired as the cops and gunman shot at each other.
Maher, who's been with the Yonkers police force for two years, was rushed to hospital but released on Tuesday afternoon.
Officer Kayla Maher (left and right) was shot in the chin responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle in Yonkers, New York
Maher, who's been with the Yonkers police force for two years, was rushed to hospital but released (pictured, in gray leaving hospital) on Tuesday afternoon
Maher was wheeled out the hospital to the cheers of her fellow Yonkers officers
She was greeted by the police commissioner and the Mayor of Yonkers
Dozens of police officers gathered outside Jacobi Medical Center, some with balloons, to greet the wounded officer.
Maher was wheeled out the hospital to the cheers of the officers and was greeted by the Mayor of Yonkers.
She then walked down the line of officers, sharing a hug and a chat with many, to their cheers and applause.
'It could have been much worse, thank God the officer didn't sustain life-threatening injuries,' said Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner. 'She's lucky to be alive.'
'It's the first time this has happened in 30 years,' Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said, referring to a local cop being shot in the line of duty.
'She is recovering from her injuries. I'm happy to report that she is in remarkably good spirits.'
Keith Olsen, president of the Yonkers Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, described Maher as 'tough as nails and in good spirits.'
Valencia, an 18-year-old suspected drug dealer with previous arrests for weapons charges, was reportedly shot during the ten minute shootout and remains in a serious but stable condition, police said.
Dozens of police officers gathered outside Jacobi Medical Center, some with balloons, to greet the wounded officer.
She then walked down the line of officers, sharing a hug and a chat with many, to their cheers and applause
He'd been arrested back in May, then aged 17, after his father had called 911 saying the boy had a gun.
Cops found him in a White Castle parking lot with a gun, 300 rounds of ammunition and knives in his possession, but was sentenced to just five years' probation as he was a minor.
Another suspect who was in the car with Valenica, named as Jerry Reyes, 22, by law enforcement sources, was arrested.
Maher, the daughter of retired NYPD Officer Susan Barry, is assigned to the Yonkers Police Department's 3rd Precinct.
Family friend Nick Molinini, 55, the owner of John's Pizzeria, says his 'heart dropped' when he learned that Maher had been shot, but he says he knows she'll be back to work.
'She needs recovery time,' he said.'But she'll go back. And when she does and I know how she is she's going to right back out there. She's that type of girl, you can't keep her down. Guarantee it.'
Flu vaccines are powerless at stopping the horrific influenza outbreak that swept the nation this winter.
Scientists are concerned the flu vaccination has less than a 40 per cent effectiveness rate, reported The Age.
Alfred Hospital professor of infectious diseases epidemiology Allen Cheng told the publication there are better vaccinations that could be brought to Australia if they are looked at 'more closely'.
Scientists are concerned the flu vaccination has less than a 40 per cent effectiveness rate (stock photo)
Australia has seen the worst flu season in years, with hundreds dying from the illness including Canberra mother-of-two Jennifer Thew (pictured)
Ben Ihlow (pictured) died on September 3 after a week-long battle with the flu, leaving behind his wife, Samantha, and 10-month-old son, Andrew
Experts said the flu season peaked mid-August, however the number of new cases remains high, with elderly people at high risk.
The flu vaccination is reportedly 20 to 30 per cent effective against the flu for elderly people.
This year's flu season effected more than double the number of people than it did last year, with more than 180,000 flu cases confirmed across Australia.
NSW has the highest number of recorded flu cases where there have been 288 flu related deaths, including three children.
In Victoria there were 95 flu related deaths.
The study comes days after a Canberra mother-of-two died as a result of the influenza.
33-year-old Sarah Hawthorn (pictured) is in a critical condition at Alfred Hospital, Victoria, and is yet to hold her baby boy, who was born August 28, after suffering the flu
The flu vaccination is reportedly 20 to 30 per cent effective against the flu for elderly people
Jennifer Thew died from acute respiratory distress syndrome after battling the flu alongside her seven-year-old daughter.
A 30-year-old Victorian father died from the flu on what was meant to be his first Father's Day as a parent.
Ben Ihlow died on September 3 after a week-long battle with the flu, leaving behind his wife, Samantha, and 10-month-old son, Andrew.
Meanwhile, a 33-year-old new mother is fighting for her life in Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, after she had to deliver her son six weeks early to give herself a chance of survival.
Sarah Hawthorn is in a critical condition after catching the flu in the late stages of pregnancy and is yet to hold her baby boy.
A furious antiques dealer headbutted her father when she could not find her pet snail.
Kimberly Burns went 'ballistic' when she returned home and her pet was missing, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.
The 28-year-old assaulted her father and left him with a bloody nose as he intervened when she shoved her mother, who was recovering from back surgery.
Kimberly Burns (far left) her mother Lynne Burns (middle) and John Burns (far right) leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court
Prosecutor Kate Shilton told the court: 'Ms Burns' mother reports that on September 12 Kimberley found a snail.
'She brought it into the house and wanted to keep it as a pet.
'On the day in question the snail was not in the house where she left it and she became upset.
'Her mother describes Kimberly as going ballistic, calling her every name under the sun.'
The confrontation was 'too much' for the parents, and Mr Burns called the police.
In a statement read out by the prosecution, Mr Burns said he would not feel comfortable with Kimberly returning to the flat as he was scared of what she might do.
Kimberly was convicted for a common assault in April 2015 and has also received a caution for battery.
In both incidents, the victim was her mother.
Burns admitted two charges of assault by beating. She was given a 12-month community order, six months alcohol treatment requirement, and must complete 100 hours of unpaid work
But during the hearing Mrs Burns burst into tears in the public gallery and sobbed: 'We desperately want her home.'
Nadia Dimitrova, defending, said: 'Ms Burns has pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
'She takes full responsibility for her actions, she is very ashamed and distressed that she has caused her parents so much grief over the past five years.
'She is very sorry that her reactions were out of proportion.
'She was reckless, she didn't intend to cause her mother any harm, knowing how fragile her condition is.'
Speaking on behalf of Kimberly's parents, Ms Dimitrova said: 'They would love to have Kimberly back home with a plan set up to help her and guide her in the future.'
District Judge Spyros Elia said: 'Be under no illusion, one of the reasons we took a fair amount of time reaching your sentence is that we were considering very seriously whether you crossed the custody threshold or not.
'Should you do this ever again you may find the next bench may not be as lenient as we are.'
Burns admitted two charges of assault by beating. She was given a 12-month community order, six months alcohol treatment requirement, and must complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
An Air Force Sergeant in America has proposed to 'the love of his life' on the wing of an F-15 fighter jet.
Video captured the moment at the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, US, when Sgt. Charles Fairchild got down on one knee on top of the tactical combat aircraft.
It happened seconds after his girlfriend of two years, Amber Neeb, took a taxi like ride in the jet with a pilot, moving at an approximate 93 km/h - F-15's can fly up to speeds of 3000 km/h.
Sgt. Fairchild has been serving in the Air Force for the last 11 and a half years and oversees some of the F-15s as Staff Sergeant.
He decided to ask his girlfriend to marry him on 'spouse visiting' day at the Air Force Base, which opened in 1942.
In the video the couple are seen on the wing of the aircraft.
He doesn't waste any time and takes out a ring from his pocket and gets down on one knee to ask for her hand in marriage.
Sgt. Charles Fairchild gets down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend of two years, Amber Neeb
Amber Neeb embraces her soon-to-be-husband Sgt. Charles Fairchild who has just proposed on the wing of an F-15
Ms Neeb clutches her face, possibly crying from both shock and happiness.
She is seen nodding yes and then grabs her soon-to-be husband in a heartfelt embrace.
She said yes! Amber Neeb and Sergeant Charles Fairchild get engaged at the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina
Amber Neeb, pictured with fiance Sergeant Charles Fairchild, become engaged at the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina
Other Air Force members are heard clapping and two women are holding a sign that confirms, 'Will you marry me Amber'.
Finally, the couple kiss and make their way down the F-15 to be congratulated by those who were lucky enough to catch the moment themselves.
Pictured: Hannah Webster, 20, was found dead in May
A bright university student described as intelligent and beautiful killed herself days after doctors released her from hospital without checking her medical history.
Hannah Webster, 20, was found dead near a cycle path in a woodland area in Colchester in May after a frantic three day search.
It has emerged at an inquest the young woman was assessed by medics without vital information after Essex University refused to send over details due to 'data protection'.
The troubled undergraduate was discovered deceased after taking her own life just three days after she was sent home.
Now her parents are calling for action and say they believe their daughter was failed by those who were supposed to protect her.
Mother Deborah Webster said: 'In my opinion, they have failed her. They had a duty of care and they failed that.
'We want to know why she wasn't sectioned or detained.'
Hannah Webster's parents are calling for action and say they believe their daughter was failed by those who were supposed to protect her
She added: 'She was just beautiful, intelligent, all she ever wanted to do was go to university.
'She had some mental health issues but she was a private person. She would go from one extreme to the other and it started to manifest itself more and more.
'In my opinion they failed her, they had a duty of care. We love her and miss her.'
Essex Coroner's Court, in Chelmsford, heard Hannah had been treated for depression and borderline personality disorder when she lived at her home in Dewsbury, Yorkshire.
And after moving to Colchester, Essex, to study she began to struggle again.
She called her mother before ringing the police on May 9, saying she was going to end her life and was rushed to hospital.
It has emerged at an inquest the young woman was assessed by medics without vital information after Essex University (pictured) refused to send over details due to 'data protection'
Despite her history she was released and was found hanged by allotments on May 12.
While she was in A&E, Colchester Hospital requested mental health records from Yorkshire docs, on behalf of Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust (EPUT).
The trust sent a fax outlining the request and did not receive details back until Hannah had been discharged for home treatment by a clinician.
Officials also requested psychiatric records from her university, who said that due to a data sharing protocol they were not allowed to give them out.
Dr Robert McCarney, a clinical psychologist for the trust, told the inquest: 'I believe there are lessons to be learned.
She called her mother before ringing the police on May 9, saying she was going to end her life and was rushed to hospital. Less than a week later she was found dead near allotments in Colchester (pictured)
'There was some problems with our electronic database during that week.
'In my opinion I don't think that affected the care Hannah received.
'However, I think there's some thinking we need to do about how we manage as a trust problems with the IT system.'
Emma Strivens , service manager at EPUT, said: 'Essex University have a protocol for information sharing.
'I think it is really important that we do have a really positive working relationship with them but in this instance it did not pull through.'
Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray , said Hannah had intended to take her own life.
She said: 'I'm having regard to her background, she said she was going to do this on a number of occasions.
'She clearly was much loved by all of you.
'I would like to say to you that I express sympathy to you. Not only have you lost her but you have had the ordeal of sitting through this inquest and have done that with dignity.
'I turn to the two trusts at the back and say that I hope that lessons have been learnt and hope that the actions are implemented.'
For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org for details.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was the intended target of a rocket attack near an Afghanistan airport on Wednesday, according to the Taliban.
A video has been released showing a militant firing one of the 40 rockets, which killed at least one Afghan woman and injured 11 others.
Another 29 rocket-propelled grenades were fired toward Kabul international airport after Mattis touched down.
Mattis condemned the attack as a 'criminal act by terrorists', adding that it was a 'classic definition of what the Taliban are up to here now'.
The Taliban claimed responsibility and its spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, tweeted that Mattis' plane had been the target of the attack.
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US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was the intended target of a rocket attack at Kabul international airport on Wednesday, according to the Taliban. He is pictured above arriving at Resolute Support Mission headquarters in Kabul on Wednesday
Multiple rockets landed near Kabul's international airport on Wednesday after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis flew to the Afghan capital for talks, an official said
The volley of missiles struck near the military section of the airport, said Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish.
Danish said Afghan security forces surrounded an area where where they suspected the rockets might have been fired.
'A search operation is underway in the area by police units,' he said.
Special forces troops brought the attack under control and three of the people involved were all killed, according to Danish.
The attack came hours after Mattis arrived in the Afghan capital - the first member of Donald Trump's cabinet to visit the war-torn country since his pledge to stay the course in America's longest war.
Officials said the airport and immediate area was evacuated and all flights had been cancelled, according to an Afghan news channel.
The Islamic State also claimed responsibility for the attack via the group's AMAQ news agency.
The news agency said 'infiltrators' used SPG-9 rockets and mortars for the attack.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack on his official Twitter account
The volley of missiles struck near the military section of the airport, said interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish
US generals have for months been calling the situation in Afghanistan a stalemate
Police have cordoned off the area to find the exact location from which the rockets were fired
The unannounced high-level visit comes as Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces struggle to beat back the Taliban. Pictured, a US UH-1N military helicotper hovers over the scene after six rockets were fired near Kabul airport
The unannounced high-level visit comes as Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces struggle to beat back the Taliban, which has been on the offensive since the withdrawal of US-led NATO combat troops at the end of 2014.
Mattis, along with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, will meet President Ashraf Ghani and other top officials to discuss the US-led NATO 'train and assist' mission designed to strengthen Afghanistan's military so it can defend the country on its own.
'Discussions will focus on the NATO-Afghanistan partnership, including the ongoing NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in support of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces,' a statement on Resolute Support's Facebook page said.
US generals have for months been calling the situation in Afghanistan a stalemate, despite years of support for Afghan partners, continued help from a NATO coalition and an overall cost in fighting and reconstruction to the United States of more than $1 trillion.
The war turns 16 in October and America is pressing NATO partners to increase their own troop levels in the country to help Afghan forces get the upper hand in the grinding battle against the Taliban and the Islamic State group.
Afghan security forces take security measures after militants carried out a rocket attack at Kabul International Airport
The attack came hours after Mattis (right) arrived in the Afghan capital to hold talk with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (left) on Wednesday
U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (C) are welcomed by U.S. general John Nicholson
The resurgent Taliban have promised to turn Afghanistan into a 'graveyard' for foreign forces and have been mounting deadly attacks as they maintain their grip on large swathes of the country.
As of February only about 60 percent of Afghanistan's 407 districts were reported to be under government control, according to the US watchdog agency SIGAR.
Under Trump's plan, the US is sending more than 3,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, on top of the 11,000 already on the ground, to train and advise the country's security forces.
NATO allies have around 5,000 troops deployed around the country.
Mattis flew to Kabul from New Delhi where he met his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman, who made it clear that India would not deploy troops to Afghanistan as part of Trump's strategy.
Afghan security officials secure the scene after six rockets were fired near Kabul
A mother's love is unconditional.
Hao Lina, a police officer in China, has melted the hearts of millions after breastfeeding the four-month-old baby of a suspect.
The infant's mother was attending a trial and could not nurse her crying child. She had given permission to Ms Hao before letting her baby be fed.
Heart-warming: Hao Lina (pictured) decided to breastfeed the hungry baby at a court in China
Loving officer: Ms Hao is a new mother and she was worried after the baby started crying
The touching incident took place on September 23 at the Shanxi Jinzhong Intermediate People's Court in central China.
The baby's mother was charged with fraudulent fund-raising, illegally absorbing public deposit and crime concealment with 33 other people, according to the court.
Ms Hao, a mother herself, said the baby had been left under her and her colleagues' care before its mother went for the trial.
'The baby wouldn't stop crying and we were all worried,' said Ms Hao.
'I am a new mother, I could feel how anxious the child's mother would have been. All I thought about was to try my best and comfort the tiny baby.'
After gaining permission from the baby's mother, Ms Hao fed the infant in a quiet corner
A court officer handed the baby back to its mother after she finished the trial
After gaining the permission of the baby's mother, Ms Hao found a quiet corner in the building and breastfed the baby.
The baby's gender has not been revealed.
The scene was captured by one of Ms Hao's colleagues.
The pictures were posted by the court to its official website and social media account before being featured in various Chinese publications.
According to the court, the baby's mother, surnamed Li, was so touched by Ms Hao's behaviour she couldn't help but cry after leaving the court.
Commenting on the praises she had received from the public, a humble Ms Hao said: 'I believe every police officer would do the same. If I had been the mother, I would have hoped someone to help my baby too.'
Jeremy Corbyn has fuelled the anti-Semitisim row engulfing his party by failing to turn up at a reception for Labour Friends of Israel.
The veteran left-winger sent a message to the event at party conference in Brighton last night saying he was too busy writing his conference speech.
But furious activists pointed out that he did manage to attend a reception hosted by a Labour-supporting newspaper.
Mr Corbyn is under fire following more revelations and accusations about anti-Semitism within Labour's ranks.
Jeremy Corbyn failed to turn up at the Labour Friends of Israel last night saying he was too busy, but did manage to make it to the Daily Mirror party
The Labour leader of Brighton Council has even warned the party will not be allowed back to the city unless Mr Corbyn vows to prevent a repeat of the vile abuse that blighted the conference this week.
The equality watchdog also intervened, telling Labour to do more to prove it is not a racist party.
Deputy leader Tom Watson pledged an investigation into how anti-Semites had been allowed to address the conference fringe and question whether the Holocaust had taken place. He described their claims as disgusting.
Mr Corbyn was forced to deny yesterday that Labour was the 'nasty party.
The Labour leader traditionally attends the Labour Friends of Israel gathering at conference.
But when he sent Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry in his place last night activists shouted 'Where is he?' and 'Why isn't he here?'
LFI chair Joan Ryan said: 'We're disappointed he couldn't be with us this evening.'
Ms Thornberry claimed Mr Corbyn was not going to any receptions because he was preparing for his keynote speech to the Labour conference in Brighton today.
She said: 'Just so that there's no misunderstanding, Jeremy is not attending any of these receptions this evening because he has a big speech tomorrow ...
'But I also know there's been a great deal of wrestling with Jeremy and Jeremy's diary to ensure he doesn't spend a whole evening going from one event to another.'
Mr Corbyn, pictured speaking at the Mirror party last night, is due to deliver his keynote speech to the conference in Brighton this afternoon
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry (pictured at the newspaper party last night) stood in for Mr Corbyn at the Labour Friends of Israel reception. Deputy leader Tom Watson (right) has pledged to crack down on anti-Semitism in the party
However, footage later emerged of Mr Corbyn speaking at a party thrown last night by the Daily Mirror.
In his statement read out to the LFI reception, Mr Corbyn said: 'The next Labour government will ensure Britain leads the way in promoting dialogue between countries and peoples so that we see real advances towards peace, security and justice in the Middle East and across the world.
'Labour will continue to campaign for peace through a two-state solution, a secure Israel alongside a secure and viable Palestinian state. I look forward to working with you all to achieve that together, enjoy the rest of the reception and conference.'
Unite chief Len McCluskey, a close ally of Mr Corbyn, told BBC Newsnight that anti-Semitism claims were being used to attack the Labour leader.
Israeli ambassador to the UK Mark Regev, who faced a protest outside the event, said: 'To those who called for the expulsion of Zionists from the Labour party on Sunday, I ask: would you have expelled some of Labour's greatest luminaries too? Would you have expelled Harold Wilson? Michael Foot?
'The truth is Labour has historically stood in solidarity with the Jewish people in our struggle for freedom and security, just as Labour has stood in solidarity with the Jewish people in fighting anti-Semitism. So when some talked about the Jews being the chief financiers of the slave trade, we all here tonight know that this is not criticism of the Israeli government. This is not even about the Palestinians. This is clearly just an anti-Jewish bigotry.
'Calling out anti-Semitism is not a dirty low down trick. Nor is it a smear. Calling out anti-Semitism is a fundamental duty of all of those who profess to oppose racism, intolerance and bigotry.'
Jasmine Harman, 46, is the latest broadcaster to speak out after Mr Irwin revealed his terminal diagnosis and admitted: 'I don't know how long I have left'. The 48-year-old says he hopes that by sharing the devastating news that his lung cancer had spread to his brain it will inspire others to 'make the most of every day'. Today Jasmine shared a smiling photo of them together on the show (inset), where they started working together in 2004 when the former estate agent was selected from hundreds of applicants to her co-presenter. She said: ' Sending lots of love and support to my great friend and original partner in crime Jonnie Irwin. I know it has taken bravery to share your story. As ever a true inspiration & always positive and up for a laugh no matter what the circumstances. Love to you and your beautiful family'. Today MailOnline unearthed footage of Jonnie smiling to camera while sipping Puglian olive oil in the summer sun on his last trip for A Place in the Sun before he discovered he had terminal cancer in his lungs and brain (left). The TV host, 48, had felt dizzy and his vision became blurred while driving on the trip to Italy in August 2020, just two months after the birth of his twin sons (right). The Leicestershire-born presenter, who had once hoped to play professional rugby, said: 'Within a week of flying back from filming, I was being given six months to live. I had to go home and tell my wife, who was looking after our babies, that she was on her own pretty much. That was devastating. All I could do was apologise to her. I felt so responsible.'
It is beyond troubling that the credit bureaus charge us fees to prevent identity theft when we didnt give them permission to collect and sell our information in the first place. And we certainly didnt give Equifax permission to lose the keys to our identity, all 143 million of us.
Recognizing the threat of identity thieves using stolen info to open credit accounts in our names, consumer advocates fought to pass state laws giving us the right to protect our credit reports by freezing them. However, the bureaus, in nearly every state, demanded that freezing or thawing our own credit reports include a fee.
The Freedom from Equifax Exploitation Act would finally correct this wrong and make credit freezes free to all consumers. It would also allow us to temporarily lift/thaw freezes for free when we want to apply for credit. Sens/ Steve Daines and Jon Tester should co-sponsor the FREE Act and work to get it passed immediately.
To adequately protect yourself, you should get freezes at all three bureaus. In Montana, it costs $3 to get a freeze and $3 to temporarily lift a freeze at each bureau. Both should be free to do.
Patrice N. Snow
Montana Public Interest
Research Group
Missoula
A couple claim they have been left with 10,000 of debt after a 'meet and greet' company's driver crashed their car while allegedly uninsured.
MCP Gatwick Parking promised to safely store Sandra and Domenico Carnivale's Vauxhall Zafira but wrote it off three and-half-hours after being handed the keys.
The company driver veered on to the wrong side of the road, according to the other driver involved in the crash, and was given a fixed penalty notice by police for driving without insurance.
Mr and Mrs Carnivale, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, were four days into their holiday in Turkey when they learned their car had been involved in a serious road crash with another vehicle.
But their shock turned into disbelief and then anger when they discovered they won't get a penny because of an insurance nightmare.
Sandra and Domenico Carnivale's Vauxhall Zafira was written off by a meet and greet firm whose driver is under investigation for driving without the correct insurance
The company driver veered on to the wrong side of the road, according to the other driver involved in the crash
They were even forced to pay 550 to the police to scrap the car, worth around 8,500, and claim that MCP Gatwick Parking is ignoring their calls.
Mr Carnivale said: 'It's too late for us, but I just want to warn people not to use this company. I will never use a meet and greet company again. I want people to know what he's done to us so no one will book with his company again'.
Mrs Carnivale, who relies on the vehicle for her work as a childminder, said: 'My advice now to people thinking of using a meet and greet company would be to go to the airport's approved list of companies. I've found out since all this that every airport has an approved list on their websites.
'I would tell anyone using these companies to check with them that all their drivers are fully insured to drive other people's vehicles.'
She added: 'I am childminder and without a car my work suffered. I couldn't sleep because of the worry. We would be getting up in the middle of the night so we could get on the computer to carry out research into MCP. It's been so upsetting and the effect on us has been unbelievable.'
MailOnline has made repeated attempts to contact MCP Gatwick Parking, who are believed to trade under the name MCP Parking Limited.
The couple's nightmare began on July 2 this year at 5.30am when they pulled up in the Orange Car Park at Gatwick Airport having left their home earlier that morning in Aylesbury, Bucks.
They were flying out for an 11 day holiday in Turkey and with them was their teenage son and Sandra's parents.
The couple had booked a meet and greet company who would take possession of their car and store it safely for the period they were away, before meeting them with the vehicle on their return.
The couple say their holiday was ruined when they discovered that a driver for the company they had paid to store their car, wasn't insured to drive it that morning.
The inside of the Carnevale's shattered car, which they had to pay police to scrap even though the crash was on their holiday
Their own insurance company say they are not liable because the couple had handed over their car for someone else to drive.
Tesco Bank, who are the couple's insurers, say they should take up the matter with the meet and greet company they left their car with.
But MCP have allegedly told Sandra and Domenico that the driver they employed at the time of the crash was only a part time worker who had the responsibility of insuring his own vehicle to drive other people's cars.
Domenico and Sandra want their experience to be a lesson to others considering using a meet and greet service
It's been discovered the driver that day had no such insurance and as a result is now in the process of being prosecuted by Surrey Police for driving without valid insurance.
It means that Sandra, 49, a child minder and her husband, 50 year old Domenico, a care home maintainance worker have been left 'high and dry' with a car that's been written off and and no prospect of receiving an insurance payout to replace it.
And they are particularly scathing of the meet and and greet company, MCP Gatwick Parking and its boss, Chris Smith, who they paid to look after their 2014 registered Vauxhall Zafira which was worth around 8500 when it was involved in the crash.
They say as a director of the company he is legally responsible for 'entire debacle' by failing to have procedures in place to make due diligence checks on people he employed to drive customers cars. They say he failed to check whether drivers were fully covered.
According to the company's website it employs professional, fully insured drivers and CCTV cameras watch over its compounds.
It was four days into their holiday on July 6 that couple discovered during FaceTime call to their 21 year old son back in Aylesbury, that a letter had arrived for them informing them that their Zafira had been involved in a serious road accident with another vehicle.
The letter said the vehicle had been recovered from the scene of the crash in Charlwood near Crawley and was being stored at the yard of Hobbs Recovery Service in Copthorne.
Sandra and Domenico immediately called the company who told them their car had been involved in a collision at 9.06am on the morning of July 2 and as a result of the damage it was not driveable.
MCP Gatwick Parking promised to safely store the car after being picked up by 'fully insured and highly experienced' drivers
The couple were advised to ring MCP Gatwick Parking.
Mr Carnivale said 'We rang MCP and spoke to a woman. She said 'Oh yes, don't worry we were going to inform you, but we didn't want to worry you or spoil your holiday. She said they were going to tell us the day before we were due to arrive home.
'She said the driver who had been behind the wheel of our car that morning and who was a different driver to the one who had taken our car at the car park, had been seriously injured in the crash and had a ruptured spleen. She said we should get in touch with our own insurance company.'
The family say the crash while they were away on holiday has seen them stuck in an insurance nightmare
Sandra said 'We phoned our insurance company, Tesco Bank and when we explained what had happened they said they couldn't deal with any claim because at the time of the crash our vehicle was in the care of MCP who had responsibility for it and it would be covered by their insurance.'
Once more the couple who were becoming increasingly anxious about the situation called MCP Gatwick Parking and this time spoke to the boss, Chris Smith.
Domenico said ' He was insisting it was our own insurance company that we should deal with.'
The couple say as a result of MCP refusing to accept liability for any insurance claim, their holiday was ruined.
Sandra Carnivale said: 'We couldn't think of anything else the entire time we were away. We had saved up hard all year for the trip with our son and my mum and dad and we had been so looking forward to it. But I think my mum and dad could sense we were not happy. But by then we could smell a rat and our holiday had been ruined.'
Surrey Police have since told the husband and wife that they are in the process of prosecuting the driver of their Zafira that morning for driving without the correct insurance.
The couple says despite repeated requests for a copy of the driver's insurance details. MCP have failed to send them.
They say they have pointed out to Chris Smith that his driver that morning was not covered by insurance to drive the Zafira and he should therefore contact his own insurance company or Public Liability insurance and claim for the accident because the car was his responsibility at the time, but he refuses.
'He is not taking any responsibility at all,' said Sandra.
Sandra and Domenico says they have struggled over the weeks to contact him or get him to take their calls.
The couple say they have also found out through investigations carried out by their own insurance company that Smith has owned similar companies and been taken to court in the past.
In one case featured on a BBC website, cars left with a previous company he owned called RS09 were used privately while the owners were on holiday
When sued he simply dissolves a company and doesn't meet any of the financial responsibilities placed on him, it has been claimed.
Mrs Carnivale said: 'It means that despite being assured we would win any case hands down, the likelihood or us getting anything from him is zero'.
Rather than fork out 1300 to have their written off car transported by Hobbs back to their home in Aylesbury the couple have now formally 'disclaimed' the vehicle which cost them 550.
'MCP are clearly not legitimate,' said Domenico who said they had made a formal complaint to the company.
The couple say the whole experience has affected them emotionally and financially.
Actor Tony Booth's daughter has revealed the heartbreaking moment her father failed to recognise her as he fought a long battle with Alzheimer's.
Mr Booth who achieved fame in the 1960s sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, passed away on Monday night, aged 85.
He had suffered heart problems as well as suffering from dementia after being diagnosed in 2004.
Mr Booth later became known for being father-in-law to former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The father-of-eight was married four times and his daughter Jenia Booth, has paid tribute to him in a touching post on Facebook.
Jenia Booth as revealed the heartbreaking moment her actor father Tony failed to recognise her as he fought a long battle with Alzheimer's
Jenia posted this newspaper clipping from 1967, of her, her sister and father spending a day together in London
In a moving part of the passage, Jenia, who along with sister Bronwen came from Mr Booth's relationship to US comedy sketch writer Julie Allan in the mid-sixties, discussed her father's fight with dementia.
She recalled: 'Last year at one of our nephew's wedding, we got some time with him; but the Alzheimer's was pretty severe at that point.
'He used to recognize me more when I was younger, because I looked so much like my mother when he knew her; but at dinner I had said it was so nice to see my father and he asked who he was?
'I said "oh you would have loved him! he was a gorgeous young actor, an alcoholic and womanizer, but utterly charming.
'He was on this show that was popular back in the 60's called 'Til Death Do Us Part".
'Tony looked at me odd and I whispered, "don't worry, I won't tell anyone its you".
Mr Booth was a famous womaniser and did not enjoy good relationships with all of his eight daughters.
Jenia and Bronwen (pictured, as young girls) were Mr Booth's daughters from his relationship with US comedy sketch writer Julie Allan in the mid-sixties
Sick of his heavy drinking, Julie Allan took her children back to the US while they were still young girls, were they were later adopted by their step-father.
But despite their strained relations, Jenia posted a touching black and white photo from a newspaper clipping of the two sisters and their father, together in 1967.
She wrote: 'In honor of my natural father during his last days.
'Bronwen and I were already living in the States, but were back visiting our maternal grandmother in Camden Town when Tony asked if he could have us for the day for this photo shoot. I'm so glad he did, I'm so glad to have this.
'The photographer gave the original and some others to Cherie a few years back and she passed them on to us. Utterly love.
Tony Booth found fame playing the character Mike Rawlins on the 1960s sitcom Till death us do part. Pictured, on set with co-star Una Stubbs
'Bronwen and I didn't get a lot of time with him as a father, and we were adopted by our American stepfather soon after this, but we did have some lovely moments and got some amazing sisters.
'Our sisters and step brothers have gone to see him in these last days and have been sending lovely updates. Still a charmer to this day.
'Sorry I won't be seeing him before he goes, but so grateful to his wife Stephanie for taking such good care of him and to all our sisters and stepbrothers.'
While relations between Jenia, Bronwen and their father were distant - feelings between Mr Booth and another of his daughters were even more tense.
Lauren Booth, 50, had suffered a bitter feud with her father, prior to his death, with the pair refusing to talk to each other for years.
The discontent was said to have stemmed from comments that Ms Booth made about her half sister, Cherie and her former Prime Minister husband, Tony Blair.
Lauren Booth posted this picture of her, her father Tony and sister Cherie together
But despite their long-term dispute, during which Mr Booth claimed he did not love his daughter, Ms Booth celebrated her father's life with a touching post on Twitter.
Sharing a family photo of her, sister Cherie and their father, she wrote: 'The man who taught me to read and above all: to fight for what I believe in. God give you peace, Dad. '
Ms Booth also spoke of her father love of Shakespeare and performance on the stage.
She wrote: 'My Dad passed last night. His love for Shakespeare and equal rights his inspiration to us all.
In another tweet, she said: 'I remember seeing Dad play the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. He spoke the songs really well!'
It is not clear whether the pair had patched up their differences prior to his death.
But during an interview with the Daily Mail in 2010, the actor said: 'I don't know if we'll ever speak again. I suspect not.'
Lauren converted to Islam in 2011, after a visit to the Iranian holy city of Qom, a decision that was met with disapproval and mockery by her father.
Cherie Blair's actor father Tony Booth has died aged 85. Pictured, the pair celebrating after she was sworn in as a QC
He said: 'Whatever next?' I mean, come on, the girl doesn't have a spiritual bone in her body.'
Tony Booth was was best known for his role as 'randy Scouse git' Mike Rawlins in the BBC series Till Death Us Do Part, during the 1960s.
But later achieved fame starring in the raunchy comedy film series, Confessions Of... in the 1970s.
While he had a number of roles on the small screen, Booth was catapulted back into the public eye as the father-in-law of Prime Minister Tony Blair.
However, the actor and life-long Labour party member often lambasted his son-in-law's administration - even swearing at him in public.
Mr Booth was a father-of-nine and was married four times.
In the years prior to his death, the TV star had suffered heart problems as well as enduring a battle with dementia that lasted more than a decade.
He was diagnosed with the degenerative illness in 2004 and it forced him to retire as memory loss made it hard to learn scripts.
Left, Mr Booth attending his grandson Euan Blair's wedding with his wife Steph in 2013. Right, the actor with his daughter Cherie at the Labour conference in 2006
Mr Booth achieved fame playing 'randy Scouse git' Mike Rawlins in the BBC series Till Death Us Do Part, during the 1960s. Pictured, on set opposite Warren Mitchell, who played Alf Garnett
The actor often campaigned for the rights of people effected by dementia and the Alzheimer's Society said the charity was 'deeply saddened' by news of his death.
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the society, said: 'Our thoughts are with Tony's wife, Steph, all his children and family during this sad time.
'Tony, always staunchly supported by Steph, was a charming and charismatic man, who since his diagnosis was determined to continue to live life to the full.'
During his career, Booth was also known for featuring in the L-Shaped Room in 1962 and more recently for his role in The Contender in 2000.
He played Malcolm Wilkinson in Coronation Street from 1960-1961 and had a host of other film and TV roles during the decade.
In the 1990s he enjoyed a revival in his television career, with roles in the likes of Holby City, The Bill and Mersey Beat.
After his first two marriages ending in divorce, his third was to actress Pat Phoenix, who played Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street.
She sadly died from cancer a week after their wedding in 1986.
Mr Booth with his former wife Pat Phoenix and a young Tony and Cherie Blair in Middlesbrough, in 1984
Left, Mr Booth former wife Pat Phoenix in 1983 and right, with fourth wife Stephanie Buckley in 2010
Ms Phoenix was said to have become the love of his life after he met her as a young man.
He married third wife Nancy Jaeger in 1988, before settling down with his final his wife Stephanie Buckley in 1998.
Cherie Booth was born in Bury, Lancashire, in 1954, during his marriage to first wife Gale Smith. But by the time she was five he had left his young family.
She went on to become a highly successful lawyer, taking silk and later becoming a judge.
But it was her marriage to fellow lawyer Tony Blair - and his rise up the political ladder - which brought her father back into the spotlight.
Mr Booth, who joined the Labour party at the age of 15, did not hold back from criticising the Government after Mr Blair entered Downing Street in 1997.
In 1999 he railed against 'androids' at Labour's Millbank HQ and a year later said his daughter's husband had stuffed the House of Lords with 'Tony's Cronies'.
Scottish politician George Galloway and Lauren Booth attend the premiere of The Killing$ Of Tony Blair in 2016
He also risked the wrath of the Blairs in 2002 when he lifted the lid on life in Downing Street in his autobiography, What's Left?
At the same time he criticised them for choosing to send their eldest son to the selective and grant-maintained London Oratory School.
The gripes did not stop there, with Mr Booth accusing the Government of 'ruthlessly' squashing the pay demands of striking firefighters and being 'prepared to throw away billions' on the Iraq war rather than spending the money on pensioners.
Chancellor Gordon Brown, meanwhile, was 'the scrooge of Downing Street'.
If the Prime Minister bristled at the outbursts, he tried not to show it.
On one occasion, when facing calls by Mr Booth to raise the state pension, his son-in-law said: 'I don't think it would be the very first time I had a little bit of grief from Tony along the way.'
He gave a glimpse into their relationship at the Labour Party conference in 2002, when he told how he was once given a V-sign by an elderly man with grey hair who was 'respectable enough' to have been his father-in-law.
Tony Booth enjoyed a successful career on the small screen. Left, the actor during the height of his fame in the late 1960s and right, in 2006
Mr Booth with actor Robin Askwith on the set of Confessions of a Pop Performer in 1975
Turning to his wife Cherie, the PM added: 'I should have given him one in return shouldn't I?'
His deputy, John Prescott, said he would like to flick a V-sign at Booth too, adding: 'Tony Booth gives two fingers to everybody, doesn't he? As long as he gets the publicity for it.'
Despite the political differences, Mr Booth remained close to his daughter, and was with her and her husband at his constituency election count in the 2005 General Election.
Anthony Booth was born in Liverpool on October 9 1931.
During his National Service he discovered a talent for acting, entertaining his fellow conscripts in amateur productions.
He married Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduate Gale Smith in 1952 and had daughters Lynsey and Cherie with her, before leaving her to move in with producer Julie Allen, who bore him two more girls.
He had two more daughters during his second marriage to model Pamela Smith.
In 1979, Mr Booth almost burned himself to death in a fire at his flat, remaining hospitalised for months.
Confessions of a 'Crumpeteer': Tony Booth's bed-hopping and booze-fuelled antics that saw him married four times with eight daughters he could barely recognise
Tony Booth had four wives, two long-term partners, scores of other brief liaisons and was proud of his 'crumpeteering'
Tony Booth was famous for playing the character Sidney Nogget in the red-blooded Confessions film series.
But while audiences were entertained by his erotic adventures on-screen, his personal life was just tempestuous.
The Liverpudlian actor had four wives, two long-term partners, scores of other brief liaisons and was proud of his 'crumpeteering'.
His first wife was Gale Howard in the 1950s and the couple had two daughters, Lyndsey and Cherie.
However, Mr Booth walked out on his family when Cherie was just eight and Lyndsey, six.
The actor's bed-hopping saw him start up a relationship with American comedy sketch-writer Julie Allan, fathering two daughters, Jenia and Bronwen.
Miss Allan, who was unaware her boyfriend was married with children when the pair met in mid-Sixties, later walked out on the heavy-drinking actor and fled back to the States with her daughters.
Shortly after, Mr Booth began a volatile relationship with model Susie Smith, and had two daughters with her, Emma and Lauren.
The relationship ended dramatically in 1979 when he was badly burned after a drunken night out.
The couple rowed and Miss Smith locked him out of their flat in Hampstead, North London.
Tony Booth alongside Robin Askwith in Confessions of a Pop Performer in 1975
Later, he set fire to some oily rags and accidentally ignited a vat of paraffin, leaving himself with burns that required 26 operations and six months in hospital.
It was during his time with Miss Smith that Booth secretly fathered another daughter called Lucy. Her mother, Ann Gannon, worked at pirate radio station, Radio London.
But the relationship quickly fizzled out before Lucy, who is just three months older than her half-sister Lauren, was born in April 1967. Although she never met her father, she knew his identity.
Mr Booth did not tell Cherie and her other siblings that they had another half-sister.
But in 2001, Lucy, now a mother-of-one, got in touch with Cherie and flew from her home in Australia to meet her at Downing Street.
In 2010, Mr Booth confessed the last time there was more than two daughters in the same room he didn't recognise them
Two further marriages followed Mr Booth's relationship with Miss Smith.
He tied the not to long-term love Pat Phoenix, an actress who starred in Coronation Street, in 1986, but she tragically died from cancer just eight days after the ceremony.
Mr Booth then married Nancy Jaeger in 1988 and had his youngest daughter, Joanna.
His final wife was Steph Buckley, a former teacher and Labour Party activist, who he met in 1998 and lived with up until his passing.
While Mr Booth fathered nine children, his family admitted he was a 'terrible' parent to them.
During an interview with the Daily Mail 2010, he confessed the last time there were more than two of his daughters in the same room which I try to avoid because they tend to rip me to pieces he didnt recognise one of them.
Fadi Ibrahim has finally been released from a maximum security prison nine days after he was granted $2.2 million bail.
The second youngest Ibrahim brother was granted bail on money laundering charges on September 18, but had been stuck in his cell waiting for courts to accept his bail money.
The 43-year-old's bail required one or more 'acceptable person' to provide $2.2 million surety.
He appeared relaxed and smiled for cameras as he departed for his Sydney mansion on Wednesday evening.
Ibrahim will now live under effective house arrest in the $6 million clifftop home he shares with wife Shayda at Dover Heights, in the harbour city's eastern suburbs, for what could be up to two years.
Brother John, the 'King of the Cross' who is reportedly worth more than $50 million, has been overseas during the process.
Fadi Ibrahim has finally been released from a maximum security prison nine days after he was granted $2.2 million bail
He appeared relaxed and smiled for cameras as he departed for his Sydney mansion on Wednesday evening
Ibrahim will now live under effective house arrest in the $6 million clifftop home he shares with wife Shayda (pictured left) at Dover Heights
Fadi Ibrahim was being held in NSW's largest prison, the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre (pictured) at Silverwater
Fadi Ibrahim will have to live under effective house arrest in his clifftop home (pictured) at Dover Heights for up to two years
A 'two-out' cell at NSW's largest prison, the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater, where Fadi Ibrahim was held
The six-bedroom, five-bathroom property bought for just over $4 million in 2013 has an estimated current value of at least $6 million and is just four blocks away from John's $8 million home in George Street.
It was reported late last week that John - who is said to control a property portfolio worth $52 million - was overseas.
Fadi was locked up inside New South Wales's largest prison, housed among about 1200 inmates including accused murderers, rapists and bikies awaiting trial.
The day after Fadi was granted bail he was taken from the Sydney Police Centre in the inner-city to the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre (MRRC) at Silverwater.
That day his lawyer Abbas Soukie told Australian Associated Press he was more focused on getting his client out of custody than his precise whereabouts.
'I would like to get him out now, but realistically I don't think it will be tomorrow,' Mr Soukie said. 'I think it's more likely it will be Thursday.'
The second youngest Ibrahim brother was granted bail on money laundering charges on September 18, but had been stuck in his cell waiting for courts to accept his bail money
He appeared relaxed and smiled for cameras as he departed for his Sydney mansion on Wednesday evening
John Ibrahim's brother Fadi has been charged with providing $800,000 towards the illegal importation of tobacoo and with receiving $1.6m from the proceeds of that alleged operation
Fadi was locked up inside New South Wales's largest prison (pictured), housed among about 1200 inmates including accused murderers, rapists and bikies awaiting trial
Actor Firass Dirani (left) who played John Ibrahim (right) in Underbelly: The Golden Mile; John Ibrahim has not been charged with any offence related to his brothers' alleged crimes
There were no flash clothes for Fadi Ibrahim while in the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre; all inmates are issued with a pair of these Dunlop joggers with Velcro fasteners
Fadi was arrested in Dubai on August 8 with his 39-year-old brother Michael and four other men in one of Australia's biggest organised crime stings.
Unlike Michael, he has not been charged over an alleged international plot to import narcotics worth $810 million.
Michael, accused of conspiring to import and attempting to import a commercial quantity of ecstasy, did not apply for bail and remains behind bars.
Also in jail is the oldest Ibrahim brother, 51-year-old Sam, who has been on remand for more than three years awaiting sentence for his role in a gun-running racket.
Fadi is accused of two money laundering offences: one of providing $800,000 towards illegally importing tobacco and one of receiving $1.6 million from the proceeds of that operation.
Fadi Ibrahim's older brother, nightclub identity John, pictured at his Dover Heights home in Sydney's eastern suburbs carrying a copy of his recent memoir Last King of the Cross
Accused money launderer Fadi Ibrahim pictured with his then fiancee and now wife Shayda Bastani attending Doncaster Day at Royal Randwick racecourse in Sydney in April 2010
The home of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim at Dover Heights in Sydney's eastern suburbs which was searched by Australian Federal Police on the same day brother Fadi was arrested
An artist's sketch of accused money launderer Fadi Ibrahim when he appeared via video link from the Sydney Police Centre at Central Local Court during a bail hearing on August 18
Fadi was granted bail on September 18 with a list of conditions including that one or more 'acceptable person' deposit $2.2 million.
His mother Wahiba had offered $1.5 million secured by her palatial home at Merrylands, in Sydney's west. Wife Shayda provided an affidavit.
Fadi's own financial assets have been frozen.
Magistrate Les Mabbutt said Fadi, who was extradited from Dubai two weekends ago, would 'effectively' be living under house arrest.
He cannot leave the property other than to make court appearances or to attend legal conferences or medical appointments, both of which would require 48 hours' notice to police.
In the event of a medical emergency, Mr Mabbutt said he would expect Fadi to leave his home in an ambulance.
Fadi Ibrahim being taken to Royal North Shore Hospital after he was shot five times sitting with his fiancee Shayda Bastani in a Lamborghini outside the couple's Castle Cove home in 2009
Fadi Ibrahim had to make do with sharing a landline like these inmates at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre
Fadi Ibrahim had little choice in diet while being held in NSW's largest prison, the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater (pictured)
Fadi Ibrahim, brother of Kings Cross identity John, captured on CCTV footage as part of an Australian Federal Police investigation into a ring allegedly trafficking tobacco and drugs
Fadi was shot five times while he sat in his Lamborghini outside his former home at Castle Cove, on Sydney's north shore, in 2009 and still requires pain management for those injuries.
Mr Mabbutt did not impose conditions that Fadi report to police as police would know where he was at all times and would likely have him under surveillance.
He is allowed to have one mobile phone, the number of which must be given to police.
Australian Federal Police already have possession of his passport and he must not apply for further travel documents. He cannot contact prosecution witnesses or his co-accused.
Central Local Court heard Fadi had borrowed $800,000 against the home and used that money to invest in a scheme police allege returned $1.6 million.
Mr Mabbutt said due to delays in the court system it could be 18 months to two years before Fadi faced any trial.
John Ibrahim has not been accused of any offences.
North Korea failed to notice a fleet of US bombers flying up its eastern coast in a massive show of force, it has been claimed.
In a night-time mission on Saturday a group of B-1B Lancer bombers flew further up North Korea's coastline than any US plane has gone this century.
But the show of strength in international waters failed to have the desired impact because Kim Jong Un's government failed to notice, according to a South Korean official.
In a night-time mission on Saturday a group of B-1B Lancer bombers (pictured in a file image) flew further up North Korea's coastline than any US plane has gone this century
Opposition politician Lee Whan Young said the Pentagon had to publicly announce the flight so the North Koreans knew it had happened.
He told NBC News: 'It looks like North Korea did not anticipate the U.S. Air Force operation as it happened close to midnight, and their radar failed to spot the Lancers.'
The Department of Defense said in a statement on Saturday: 'This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat.'
Pentagon spokesman Dana White added: 'This is the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any US fighter or bomber aircraft have flown off North Korea's coast in the 21st century, underscoring the seriousness with which we take (North Korea's) reckless behavior.'
It comes as North Korea relocates its warplanes and bolsters air defenses along its eastern coast after accusing President Trump of declaring war.
The move, which was reported by analysts in Seoul, puts the planes within striking distance of US bombers which have been conducting drills alongside aircraft from the South in international airspace near North Korea.
Pyongyang had previously said it has the right to shoot down American warplanes whether or not they had entered the country's airspace.
Kim Jong-un has redeployed North Korea fighter jets and bolstered air defenses along the country's east coast, close to where American bombers have been performing drills
The North previously said it has the right to shoot down American bombers whether or not they entered the country's airspace after accusing President Trump of 'declaring war'
The inflamed rhetoric came after President Trump told the UN general assembly that America would have 'no choice but to totally destroy North Korea' if forced to defend itself and its allies.
That threat brought an unprecedented personal response from Kim Jong-un, who called Trump a 'mentally deranged dotard' and raised the prospect of carrying out a hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific Ocean.
The war of words showed no sign of slowing down on Tuesday as Trump started the day by tweeting that North Korea had tortured arrested American student Otto Warmbier 'beyond belief'.
Warmbier was jailed in the hermit state in 2016 for stealing a propaganda poster while on holiday in Pyongyang, before being handed back to the US in a coma earlier this year. He died shortly afterwards.
Medical examiners have been unable to determine how he fell into the coma, but say there were no obvious signs of torture.
While Trump has repeatedly stated that a military solution is not his preferred choice, international observers and world leaders are nervous that heightened tensions could unintentionally spill over into armed conflict.
Ri Yong Ho, North Korea's foreign minister, made the claims to the United Nations amid fears that a war of words between Trump and Kim could spill over into conflict
On Tuesday Russia warned that war on the Korean peninsula would be 'catastrophic' as China and South Korea urged Trump and Kim to back down.
The Kremlin's foreign ministry said it is working 'behind the scenes' on finding a political solution to the North Korea crisis.
Government official Mikhail Ulyanovwho added that the current US approach to North Korea represents little more than a dead end and that the use of sanctions against Kim had almost been exhausted.
Meanwhile Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said war on the Korean peninsula would have no winner.
His South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha added: 'It is imperative that we, Korea and the US together, manage the situation in order to prevent further escalation of tensions or any kind of accidental military clashes which can quickly go out of control.'
Counting the human cost of war on the Korean Peninsula, retired Air Force general Rob Givens said 20,000 people would like die each day in the South as long as the conflict continued.
The estimate is based on Pentagon predictions, and does not account for deaths in the North, or the potential used of nuclear weapons.
'There is only one way that this war ends. With North Korea's defeat but at what cost?,' Givens said.
A princess is at war with her sister over a 150million inheritance from their Italian film star mother who was 'obsessed with marrying them off to princes'.
Edoarda Crociani, 77, trapped daughters Princess Camilla de Bourbon des Deux Siciles, 46, and her sister Cristiana, 44, in a 'golden hell', Jersey's Royal Court was told.
She has been ordered to repay 149m taken from a Bahamian trust fund set up to benefit her two girls, which was created when they were teenagers.
Prince Charles Bourbon Two-Sicilies and Princess Camilla Bourbon Two-Sicilies in Cannes in May
Edoarda Crociani appeared in films under the name Edy Vessel during the 1950s and 1960s
Cristiana accused her mother of pressuring her into marrying Prince Bante Boncompagni Ludovisi, from an Italian noble family, in 1997 - a relationship that lasted only four months
Cristiana accused her mother of pressuring her into marrying Prince Bante Boncompagni Ludovisi, from an Italian noble family, in 1997 - a relationship that lasted only four months.
She claims that her mother, who appeared in films under the name Edy Vessel during the 1950s and 1960s, refused to allow her to marry French entrepreneur, Nicolas Delrieu, even when she became pregnant, the court was told.
The next year Princess Camilla married Prince Carlo, 54, the head of the Italian House of Bourbon des Deux Siciles, in a Monte Carlo cathedral was described by The Times as the 'blue-blood wedding of the decade'.
The court judgment said of Cristiana: 'Madame Crociani had a fear of being alone, and she controlled the purse strings.
Prince and Princess Charles of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and Princess Camilla's mother Edoarda Crociani attend the Royal House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Exhibition on November 13, 2012 in Paris
Prince Charles de Bourbon and his bride Camilla Crociani smile as they leave Monaco cathedral on October 31, 1998
Princess Camilla married Prince Carlo, 54, the head of the Italian House of Bourbon des Deux Siciles, in a Monte Carlo cathedral was described by The Times as the 'blue-blood wedding of the decade'
Prince Charles of Bourbon-Two Siciles and Princess Camilla Crociani attend a wedding in Germany (left) in 2011. Pictured (right) is the princess in Monaco in 2010
'Cristiana acknowledged that they led extremely glamorous and luxurious lifestyles, but they had no independence or private life of their own. She described it as "a golden hell".'
She claimed she was told not to turn up for family events, but her mother said she 'disappeared'.
In 2010, around 100m of investments and art was taken from the fund and transferred into Edoarda's name, which let to Cristiana thinking the money was secretly being given to her sister.
Edoarda, who told the court in January that she was too old and ill to attend the hearing, was ordered to restore the fund to its financial position in 2010.
The Government's former terror watchdog has called for an inquiry into whether a ISIS ringleader from the UK was bankrolled by a Guantanamo Bay detainee.
Raymond Matimba's senior role in ISIS was exposed after secret footage of him was captured with 'Jihadi John' and other British jihadis in the war-torn region.
Matimba was part of a UK terror network that originated in Manchester and included Jamal al-Harith, a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay who received a taxpayer-funded 1million compensation payout from the Government.
Security experts are calling for an inquiry into links between ISIS jihadi Raymond Matimba (left) and Jamal al-Harith (right), a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay who received a taxpayer-funded 1million compensation payout from the Government
Matimba was filmed in a cafe in Raqqa, Syria, talking with Mohammed Emwazi, aka Jihadi John, ISIS hacker Junaid Hussain, and recruiter Reyaad Khan
He later travelled to the Middle East and joined ISIS before detonating a suicide bomb in an attack on an army base near Mosul in February.
Security experts are now called for an inquiry into concerns that the cash paid to the Guantanamo detainee was used to fund Matimba.
Lord Carlile, the former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, told the Daily Telegraph: 'The revelations raise questions about what has happened to the millions of pounds that was paid by the British Government in the Guantanamo cases and the only way that can sensibly be dealt with is by an independent review conducted by a High Court judge.'
Hannah Stuart, author of Islamist Terrorism, said: 'Given the connections that are emerging it is worth the UK Government asking whether any of the money handed out as part of the Guantanamo Bay settlement has been used to fund the men's terrorist activities.'
It is unknown whether Matimba is still alive. His friend Emwazi was killed in a US drone strike
Raymond Matimba, who was born in Zimbabwe but lived in Manchester before joining ISIS, was filmed in a cafe in Raqqa, Syria, talking with Mohammed Emwazi, aka Jihadi John, ISIS hacker Junaid Hussain, and recruiter Reyaad Khan.
The footage seems to show that Matimba, long thought to be a fringe figure in the terror group, is actually a key figure and is now likely to be the UK's most wanted terrorists - if he is still alive.
Matimba is known to have links with Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi, as the pair were recruited to join ISIS by the same man, Raphael Hostey.
They are also thought to have visited the same mosque together in south Manchester before Matimba, who also goes by the name Abu Qaqa al-Britani al-Afro, left the UK - first going to Barcelona and then to Turkey where he crossed into Syria.
Tyler Carach, from Pensacola in Florida, has already visited 18 states in his mission to give every policeman in the U.S. a donut and coffee since starting 13 months ago
A nine-year-old boy has given out 28,000 donuts in a bid to thank every police officer in the USA by feeding them their favourite snack.
Tyler Carach, from Pensacola in Florida, has already visited 18 states in his mission to give every policeman a donut and coffee since starting 13 months ago.
After giving snacks to officers to say thanks for their service last year, he decided to embark on a mission to reach every cop in the United States.
During his trips, officers have let him ride on a horse, handle the canines and was even initiated into a 'special project group' by Batman and Robin.
He is determined to complete the quest to thank them all for 'putting their lives on the line every day' and 'protecting his family, friends and strangers.'
Tyler, an aspiring police officer, said: 'I think it's fun, my favourite part is thanking the cops because they keep us and complete strangers safe, I want to thank them for risking their lives.
'It important for me because I want to thank them for putting their lives on the line and for keeping me, my friends and family safe.
Tyler is determined to complete the quest to thank them all for 'putting their lives on the line every day' and 'protecting his family, friends and strangers'
'I chose donuts and coffee because that's their favourite snack and drink, my mom used to be a cop and that was her favourite snack.
'Someday I want to become a police officer so I can help people too.'
The last trip saw the Carach family travel 7,500 miles to different police departments but with over 900,000 officers in America, there's a long way to go for Tyler to go.
Sheena, mother-of-three, said: 'At first, I thought it may be a phase that kids go through and he would get bored, but the more he does, the more he wants to do.
'I tried to convince him to start local but he told me, 'That's ok, but I will thank every cop in America' and hasn't given up.
'Now he's been to 18 states and given out 28,000 donuts so far in 13 months.
The last trip saw the Carach family travel 7,500 miles to different police departments but with over 900,000 officers in America, there's a long way to go for Tyler to go
'All the officers love it, they don't get a lot of support these days so it means a lot to them.
'A couple of places love what he's doing so much that they did something nice for Tyler, to let him know how much it means to them.
'They have been amazing, some have shown him their cars, equipment and other things, they love it so much.
'It means so much to them that he's interested that they show him everything, from letting him handle canines to touching the lights and sirens, it's amazing.
'Police in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, had a Batmobile, along with Batman and Robin to induct him into a junior justice league.
'NYPD let him ride on their horses, go into a flight simulator and on a harbour tour on one of their boats and in New Jersey he got to ride in a SWAT truck.
'Every place welcomes him with open arms and gives him a police patch that he's going to have sewn into a quilt.
'It's something that's close to our hearts, I was in law enforcement myself so I know how hard a job it is and that it's not for everyone.
'We are now fundraising so that we can continue to travel elsewhere, as this six-week trip depleted most of our savings account.
Since Tyler was five-years-old he has been obsessed with becoming a member of the police - even wearing a full costume to careers day
During his trips, officers have let him ride on a horse, handle the canines and was even initiated into a 'special project group' by Batman and Robin
Tyler is pictured sitting in a squad car alongside an officer from Centerville Police
'But it was so worth it to get to do something so incredible for other people and the opportunity was amazing.'
Since Tyler was five-years-old he has been obsessed with becoming a member of the police - even wearing a full costume to careers day.
Sheena said: 'While other little boys were playing cowboys and Indians, he was always interested in being a cop.
Sheena said: 'While other little boys were playing cowboys and Indians, he was always interested in being a cop'
'I have a picture of him at five-years-old for the kindergarten career day when he dressed in full police outfit and loved everything police related.'
The mission began 13-months-ago, after Tyler asked his mother if he could spend his allowance on buying donuts for local police.
Sheena said: 'We were in a local community store where there were four police deputies, Tyler told me "You know, cops favourite drink is coffee and food is donuts", I replied "Sure is".
'Tyler then asked if he could use his allowance money to big them donuts to say thank you for keeping us and other families safe.
'When he took a pack of mini donuts and gave it to them, they were so excited and thankful.
'When Tyler left the store, he couldn't understand why they were so grateful, in his eyes he gets snacks all the time so it wasn't a big deal
'I explained to him that the officers have a hard time and about the problems at the moment with police and public relations.
'I tried to explain that no matter what the group is it can't be 100% perfect and so has some bad in it and that police officers were under attack, with some people wanting to hurt them.
Sheena said: 'All the officers love it, they don't get a lot of support these days so it means a lot to them'. Pictured: Tyler in a group photo with police officers
The mission began 13-months-ago, after Tyler asked his mother if he could spend his allowance on buying donuts for local police
'He said, "Ok well I'm going to give every cop in America a donut", and kept saying it over and over.
'The one thing we've always taught our kids is the only person stopping you from doing something is yourself, so we knew we had to help him on this mission.'
Now they are fundraising to continue his journey, you can donate by visiting: www.gofundme.com/IDONUTneedareasontothankacop.
A cyclist has died after she was hit by a lorry on a bridge in central London.
The 36-year-old went into cardiac arrest after being hit on Chelsea Bridge at rush hour this morning.
She was taken to hospital in west London but Scotland Yard confirmed shortly after 2.15pm that she had died.
The driver of a HGV has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Paramedics, police and the air ambulance raced to the scene at 7.50am today, but the cyclist died in hospital this afternoon
Paramedics, police and the air ambulance raced to the scene at 7.50am today.
The lorry driver was stopped at the scene before being arrested and taken to a police station for questioning.
The crash happened near a crossing at the junction with Grosvenor Road, where there is a cycle lane.
On September 21 last year, a female cyclist was hit by a car at exactly the same spot on Chelsea Bridge.
Horrified witnesses took to social media to warn others to avoid the area after the incident.
The cyclist has died after she was hit by a lorry on Chelsea Bridge at rush hour this morning
Helen Ward wrote on Twitter: 'Accident on Chelsea Bridge this morning, looked like bike - lorry collision. I always wheel my bike over the bridge because it's not safe.'
Melissa Fehr said: 'That was the most traumatic commute I've had in years. Started with the aftermath of a cyclist HGV collision at Chelsea Bridge.'
A Met Police spokesman said: 'Officers from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit are investigating a fatal collision on Chelsea Bridge.
'Police were called at 07.50am on Wednesday, 27 September to Chelsea Bridge, SW1. A lorry had been in collision with a cyclist.
'The London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance attended the scene.
'The cyclist, a 36-year-old woman, was taken to a west London hospital where she died later the same day.
'Her next of kin have been informed.'
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Business voiced alarm at Jeremy Corbyn's 'fantasy economics' today after he vowed to turn Britain into a socialist utopia.
In a triumphalist keynote speech at Labour's annual conference, Mr Corbyn said he was determined to sweep away the 'failed dogma' of 1980s Thatcherism and make the rich 'pay their fair share'.
Hailing a shift to the Left among voters, he said a 'modern socialism' of nationalisation, state regulation and increased union influence was now the political centre ground and his team was a 'government in waiting'.
Accusing ministers of 'self-interested Brexit bungling', Mr Corbyn also dramatically softened Labour's position to appease restive pro-EU MPs.
He said the party would now demand 'unimpeded' access to the EU single market rather than just tariff free trade - suggesting it would seek to keep the closest possible ties to Brussels.
But business leaders condemned the way he was painting companies as 'the enemy' and said his hard-left plans risked turning the UK into an economic basket-case.
Jeremy Corbyn came on stage to a rapturous reception, with delegates taking up the now ubiquitous chant of his name to the tune of White Stripe's Seven Nation Army
The hall in Brighton was so noisy today that Mr Corbyn had to wait several minutes before starting his address
Mr Corbyn delivered a confident address that contrasted sharply with his previous conference performances as leader
Mr Corbyn came on stage to a rapturous reception, with delegates taking up the now ubiquitous chant of his name to the tune of the White Stripes' Seven Nation Army.
It took a few minutes before a smiling Mr Corbyn was able to start speaking.
Mr Corbyn said the enthusiasm was 'infectious' and he hoped it was 'infecting the whole of Britain'.
In his uncompromising 75-minute speech to the faithful, more than a quarter of which was spent listening to applause from delegates, Mr Corbyn:
Said the 'Neoliberal' economy was no longer able to provide 'secure housing, well paid jobs or rising living standards' as he pledged to erase 30 years of reforms begun by Margaret Thatcher. Activists booed as he mentioned the name of the former Tory PM.
Demanded the rich and big corporations 'pay their share', signalling more taxes and borrowing to fund nationalisation, public services, higher pay for the public sector. He said it was not possible to provide public services 'on the cheap'.
Vowed to bring in rent controls among a wave of regulations to tame the housing market, and splurge on building more homes.
Accused the government of overseeing 'shambolic' Brexit and wanting to turn Britain into a 'tax haven'. He insisted that Labour 'respected the democratic decision' of the EU referendum - in spite of chaos over whether the party will back a second national vote on the issue - and said it would seek 'unimpeded' access to the single market.
Called for the government to unilaterally guarantee the rights of three million EU citizens, and said Labour would not join the Tories in the 'gutter' criticising immigration.
Berated Donald Trump over the Paris climate change deal and slammed his threats to North Korea over the regime's nuclear weapons tests. He accused the US president of 'pandering to racists' and banning immigrants on the basis of religion. Mr Corbyn said: 'If the special relationship means anything we can say to Washington 'that way is the wrong way.''
Raised concerns about the situation in countries such as Congo, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. But he notably failed to mention the bloodshed in Venezeula, where his friend Nicolas Maduro is in power and has been busy sweeping away democratic institutions
The speech was welcomed by union - who stand to gain huge influence if Mr Corbyn ends up in Downing Street - and Labour grandees such as ex-leader Ed Miliband.
But the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said business faced an unedifying choice between Mr Corbyn's 'fantasy' plans or the Tories who were engaged in a 'playground bust-up'.
The Institute of Directors said Labour had to 'recognise that business is not the enemy'.
Mr Corbyn praised the way the party had advanced in every part of the country on June 7 - stripping the Tories of their overall majority.
He told the Labour faithful that the party was now a 'government in waiting', saying the achievement was despite the 'hostile' media.
He said: 'Labour has always been about making change by working together and standing up for all.
'Against all predictions, in June we won the largest increase in the Labour vote since 1945 and achieved Labour's best vote for a generation
'It is a result that has put the Tories on notice and Labour on the threshold of power.'
'We didn't do quite well enough and we remain in opposition for now... but we are a government in waiting.'
Mr Corbyn said: 'We are ready and the Tories are clearly not.
'They are certainly not strong and they are definitely not stable.
'And they are hanging on by their finger-tips.'
Mr Corbyn urged the PM to take another 'impetuous' decision by calling a fresh snap election, and accused her of 'cherry-picking Labour policies that had proved popular at the election. 'You're welcome,' he joked.
Mr Corbyn delivered a bullish message that Labour is on the brink of government and will bring in fundamental change
Mr Corbyn slammed the 'failed dogma' of 1980s Thatcherism and said the Tories Conservatives would not abandon it
Mr Corbyn sang happy birthday to ally Diane Abbott, who is celebrating her 64th birthday today, from the stage in Brighton
Labour ex-leader Ed Miliband was delighted by Mr Corbyn's words, but other commentators were not so sure, while some pointed out that the veteran left-winger was still not viewed as a better candidate for PM than Theresa May
The leader said the dementia tax had been scrapped, new grammar schools ditched, cuts to winter fuel payments dumped and a revival of fox hunting dropped.
But he urged Mrs may to go the 'whole hog' to abolish tuition fees, and scrap the 1 per cent cap on pay rises for public sector workers.
KEY POINTS OF CORBYN'S SPEECH Taxes: Jeremy Corbyn warned businesses that taxes will go up under a Labour government. He said: 'We are going to ask big business to pay a bit more tax.' Housing: Jeremy Corbyn said he would introduce rent controls, tax undeveloped land held by developers, and guarantee council estate tenants whose areas are being regenerated a home on the same site. He will introduce new compulsory purchase powers to force developers to sell their undeveloped land, warning owners: 'Use it or lose it'. Renationalisation: Utilities will be taken back into public ownership in a move expected to cost many billions of pounds. A new social order: Jeremy Corbyn sketched out a radically different vision of society with a dramatically bigger role for the state in the economy and society. He said: There is a new common sense emerging about how the country should be run. 'That's what we fought for in the election and that's what's needed to replace the broken model forged by Margaret Thatcher many years ago. Education: A promise to pour cash into further education course to create a 'cradle to the grave' education system. Mr Corbyn promised to make all college courses, technical and vocational training free. Grenfell: The Labour leader tried to weaponise the Grenfell Tower tragedy by saying the burnt out-shell stands as statement to the failures of the economic model. He said: 'It is also a damning indictment of a whole outlook which values council tax refunds for the wealthy above decent provision for all and which has contempt for working class communities' Brexit: Mr Corbyn accused the government of overseeing a 'shambolic' Brexit and repeated Labour's pledge to create a 'jobs first' deal. He said Labour will negotiate to get 'unimpeded access to the single market'. Welfare and Pay: Promised the scrap the 1% public sector pay free, stop cuts to social security. Foreign Policy: Jeremy Corbyn tore into Donald Trump,accusing him of implementing policies which amount to 'banning immigrants on the basis of religion, polluting the planet, or pandering to racism.' And he urged the UN to send its officials to North Korea in a bid to avert nuclear war. Advertisement
The Labour leader said: 'Barely three months since the election, this Conservative coalition of chaos is tearing up its manifesto and is bereft of ideas.
'They are bereft of energy we have plenty of energy.'
Spelling out his left-wing intent, Mr Corbyn said Labour was 'asking the richest and the largest corporations to start paying their fair share'.
He reiterated the party's determination to impose rent controls in cities and bring in large-scale house building because young people were being shut out of the market.
He said it was not 'sustainable' for today's young people to pay three times more for housing than their grandparents.
The Labour leader said: 'I want our cities to have those powers too and tenants to have those protections.'
Mr Corbyn signalled a dramatic clampdown on regeneration of existing housing, insisting too often existing residents were pushed out by 'forced gentrication'.
He said: 'So when councils come forward with proposals for regeneration, we will put down two markers based on one simple principle:
'Regeneration under a Labour government will be for the benefit of the local people, not private developers, not property speculators.
'First, people who live on an estate that's redeveloped must get a home on the same site and the same terms as before. No social cleansing, no jacking up rents, no exorbitant ground rents.
'Second councils will have to win a ballot of existing tenants and leaseholders before any redevelopment scheme can take place.'
Mr Corbyn said the economy was no longer able to provide 'secure housing, well paid jobs or rising living standards' as he offered a glimpse at his plans to erase 30 years of reforms begun by Margaret Thatcher.
He said: 'There is a new common sense emerging about how the country should be run. That's what we fought for in the election and that's what's needed to replace the broken model forged by Margaret Thatcher many years ago.
'Ten years after the global financial crash the Tories still believe in the same dogmatic mantra deregulate, privatise ,cut taxes for the wealthy, weaken rights at work, delivering profits for a few, and debt for the many. Nothing has changed. It's as if we're stuck in a political and economic time-warp.'
Mr Corbyn said Government had to be 'more active' and promised: 'Now is the time that corporate boardrooms were held accountable for their actions, And now is the time that we developed a new model of economic management to replace the failed dogmas of neo-liberalism.
'That is why Labour is looking not just to repair the damage done by austerity but to transform our economy with a new and dynamic role for the public sector particularly where the private sector has evidently failed.'
On Brexit, he insisted that Labour 'respected the democratic decision' of the EU referendum - in spite of chaos over whether the party will back a second national vote on the issue. He said the Conservatives saw leaving the EU as an opportunity to turn the UK into a 'tax haven'.
He called for the government to unilaterally guarantee the rights of three million EU citizens, and said Labour would not join the Tories in the 'gutter' criticising immigration.
The Labour leader condemned the Tories 'shambolic Brexit' that was 'driving down standards'.
He said his Brexit team would put the economy first and would not focus on 'fake immigration targets'.
Mr Corbyn said: 'We will never follow the Tories into the gutter of blaming migrants for the ills of our society.
'It is not migrants who have driven down wages and conditions but the worst bosses in collusion with the Conservative government.'
He added: 'This whole issue is too important to be left to the Conservatives and their internal battles and identity crises.'
Mr Corbyn said the Labour mission was to create a deal with Europe for 'the many'.
He said: 'The truth is under the Tories the future is at risk, whatever the outcome of this.'
Mr Corbyn repeated his claim that some Tories want to use Brexit to transform Britain into a Singapore-style low tax, low regulation economy.
The Labour leader had time for a kiss as he passed through the audience on his way to the stage in Brighton today
Pressing the flesh: Mr Corbyn was warmly greeted before the start of the speech at the Brighton conference centre
The Labour leader even seemed to be about to plant a kiss on former deuty Prime Minister Lord Prescott, but then thought better of it and settled for a hug
Watching Mr Corbyn from the front row today were his sons Thomas and Ben, Labour MP Tracy Brabin, and wife Laura Alvarez
Some activists in the hall were waving EU flags as Mr Corbyn demanded that the government water down its approach to Brexit today
He said: 'This rag-tag Cabinet spends more time negotiating with each other than they do with the EU. A cliff-edge Brexit is at risk of becoming a reality.
'That is why Labour has made clear that Britain should stay within the basic terms of the single market and a customs union for a limited transition period. It is welcome at least that Theresa May has belatedly accepted that.
CORBYN SINGS FOR BIRTHDAY GIRL DIANE ABBOTT IN SPEECH Diane Abbott (pictured centre) was celebrating her 64th birthday today Jeremy Corbyn led the conference hall in singing happy birthday to Diane Abbott, who turns 64 today. The Labour leader paid tribute to his close ally and launched a fierce attack against those who led a wave of 'intolerable racist and misogynist abuse'. His tribute secured Ms Abbott an extended standing ovation from the conference hall. Mr Corbyn said: 'Diane has a decades long record of campaigning for social justice. But she has suffered intolerable misogynist, racist abuse. 'Faced with such an overwhelmingly hostile press and an army of media and social trolls, it is even more important we stand together. 'Yes, there will be times we disagree but there can never, ever be any excuse for any abuse of anybody by anybody. 'We are not having it, not tolerating it, not accepting and not allowing it.' Advertisement
'But beyond that transition, our task is a different one. It is to unite everyone in our country around a progressive vision of what Britain could be, but with a government that stands for the many not the few.
'Labour is the only party that can bring together those who voted leave and those who backed remain and unite the country for a future beyond Brexi. What matters in the Brexit negotiations is to achieve a settlement that delivers jobs, rights and decent living standards.'
In a combative passage, Mr Corbyn took aim at Mr Trump for his threats to North Korea - insisting that the UN must intervene to cool tensions over nuclear weapons tests.
He also accused the US president of pandering to racists, in an apparent reference to Mr Trump's unwillingness to condemn violence by white supremacists.
'We must be a candid friend to the United States, now more than ever,' he said.
'The values we share are not served by building walls, banning immigrants on the basis of religion, polluting the planet, or pandering to racism.
'Let me say frankly - the speech made by the US President to the United Nations last week was deeply disturbing.
'It threatened war and talked of tearing up international agreements.
'Devoid of concern for human rights or universal values, it was not the speech of a world leader.
'Our government has a responsibility. It cannot meekly go along with this dangerous course.'
Mr Corbyn pointed to the current stand-off over Bombardier.
The Canadian-based firm has lost the first round of a trade dispute with US-rival Boeing, threatening thousands of jobs in Belfast.
While Mrs May has already spoken to US President Donald Trump about the issue, Mr Corbyn said she most do more.
He told Labour delegates: 'If the special relationship means anything, it must mean that we can say to Washington: that way is the wrong way.
'That's clearly what's needed in the case of Bombardier where thousands of jobs are now at stake.
'A Prime Minister betting our economic future on a deregulated trade deal with the US might want to explain how 220 per cent tariffs are going to boost our exports.'
Mr Corbyn made clear his anger at the 'cruel war' and Yemen, condemned arms exports to Saudi Arabia, and lamented the 'tragic loss of life' in Congo.
Mr Corbyn was presented with a garland after delivering his keynote speech today - but quickly took it off again
Mr Corbyn's sons Sebastian (right), who works for shadow chancellor John McDonnell, Ben (centre) and Tommy were in the front row of the audience for the speech
The veteran left-winger said the centre ground of British politics had shifted and Labour was now the 'mainstream'
But he notably failed mention the bloodshed in Venezeula, where his friend Nicolas Maduro is in power and has been busy sweeping away democratic institutions.
The Left has held up the South American country as an example of socialism in action for years, but the economy has now crashed despite huge oil wealth and there is mass poverty.
CORBYN: UN CHIEF SHOULD GO TO NORTH KOREA FOR TALKS Jeremy Corbyn today called on the UN Secretary General to travel to North Korea to start talks on de-escalating the dangerous nuclear-fuelled crisis. The Labour leader said talks should be 'kick started' on both Pyongyang and Washington DC. Mr Corbyn told delegates: 'We should stand firm for peaceful solutions to international crises. 'Let's tone down the rhetoric, and back dialogue and negotiations to wind down the deeply dangerous confrontation over the Korean Peninsula.' The Labour leader slammed Donald Trump in his speech to party conference in Brighton. He said: 'We must be a candid friend to the United States, now more than ever. 'The values we share are not served by building walls, banning immigrants on the basis of religion, polluting the planet, or pandering to racism. 'Let me say frankly - the speech made by the US President to the United Nations last week was deeply disturbing. 'It threatened war and talked of tearing up international agreements. 'Devoid of concern for human rights or universal values, it was not the speech of a world leader.' Advertisement
Mr Corbyn said he would put 'our values at the heart of our foreign policy'.
'Democracy and human rights are not an optional extra to be deployed selectively,' he said.
'So we cannot be silent at the cruel Saudi war in Yemen, while continuing to supply arms to Saudi Arabia, or the crushing of democracy in Egypt or Bahrain, or the tragic loss of life in Congo.
'And I say this today to Aung San Suu Kyi - a champion of democracy and human rights - : end the violence now against the Rohingya in Myanmar and allow the UN and international aid agencies in to Rakhine state.
'The Rohingya have suffered for too long.'
The address comes after a week in which the Left has cemented its control of Labour, with moderate MPs resigning themselves to Mr Corbyn staying in place after years of resistance.
Mr Corbn has been feted by rank-and-file supporters at the gathering, and pushed through a series of crucial administrative reforms that favour his wing of the party.
But the leadership has been fighting to contain a bitter backlash over vile anti-Semitic abuse by some activists. He fuelled the row last night by failing to turn up at a reception for the Labour Friends of Israel - saying he was too busy writing his speech but then appearing at a party organised by the Daily Mirror.
Mr Corbyn has also been accused to failing to crack down on abuse of critics and journalists, which has seen BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg forced to draft in a bodyguard to ensure her safety at conference.
There have also been furious wrangling over Labour's chaotic stance on Brexit, with MPs and a large section of the membership demanding the party commits to staying in the EU single market and holding a second referendum on any future deal with Brussels.
However, with help from supporters in the Momentum campaign group Mr Corbyn managed to avoid a substantive conference vote on the Brexit issue - which could have thrown the deep divisions into sharp relief.
Yesterday there was another setback after shadow chancellor John McDonnell admitted that Labour was preparing for market panic and a run on the Pound if it is elected to implement a hard-left programme.
In his speech, Mr Corbyn hinted at fresh taxes on firms that replace people with robots as he calls for a 'new settlement between work and leisure'.
He said that, with automation due to destroy millions of jobs in the coming decades, the state needs to intervene to ensure the benefits are shared across society.
'We need urgently to face the challenge of automation; robotics that could make so much of contemporary work redundant,' he said.
'That is a threat in the hands of the greedy but what an opportunity if it's managed in the interests of society as a whole.
'If planned and managed properly, accelerated technological change can be the gateway for a new settlement between work and leisure, a springboard for creativity and culture, making technology our servant and not our master at long last.'
Labour has previously toyed with the idea of a 'universal basic income', which would effectively see everyone put on benefits.
The Labour leader, pictured on the conference stage today, has cemented the Left's grip at this week's event in Brighton
Former Labour leader Ed Miliband was among the audience gathered to listen to Mr Corbyn's third speech since taking charge of the party
Mr Corbyn held up a copy of his speech as he entered the Brighton Centre ahead of his address to the party conference
Party sources have played down the idea of making a concrete commitment soon, but stopped short of ruling out new taxes on businesses that benefit from automation.
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said increased use of new technology in the workplace would inevitably boost productivity, and a Labour government would force them to pass on the benefits of that to employees through higher wages and shorter hours.
CORBYN DEMANDS MAY STANDS UP TO WASHINGTON ON BOMBARDIER Jeremy Corbyn today demanded Theresa May intervene again with the US over Bombardier. The Canadian-based firm has lost the first round of a trade dispute with US-rival Boeing, threatening thousands of jobs in Belfast. While Mrs May has already spoken to US President Donald Trump about the issue, Mr Corbyn said she most do more. He told delegates: 'If the special relationship means anything, it must mean that we can say to Washington: that way is the wrong way. 'That's clearly what's needed in the case of Bombardier where thousands of jobs are now at stake. 'A PM betting our economic future on a deregulated trade deal with the US might want to explain how 220 per cent tariffs are going to boost our exports.' Advertisement
'When you've got big leaps forward in technological change and therefore productivity, that can be shared in various ways, both in profits and wages and salaries on the one hand, and increases in wages and salaries and increased leisure time with shorter working hours,' he said.
'How that pans out is something that is up to political decisions and corporate decisions.'
Mr Corbyn has also highlighted Labour plans to offer free education to college students as well as those at university, which will enable people to improve their skills as old jobs disappear.
Mr Corbyn, who has underlined his cult status with activists at this year's conference, said Labour is now 'on the threshold of power', adding: 'We are ready for government'.
But, controversially, he also used the speech to try to weaponise the Grenfell Tower disaster by blaming the fire on Thatcherism and New Labour.
'The disregard for rampant inequality, the hollowing out of our public services, the disdain for the powerless and the poor have made our society more brutal and less caring,' he said.
'Now that graded regime has a tragic monument - the chilling wreckage of Grenfell Tower, a horrifying fire in which dozens perished, an entirely avoidable human disaster.'
Labour sources said Mr Corbyn believed the fire in the tower, which was built in the 1970s, was the result of a 'failed economic model that was introduced in the 1980s and has been with us ever since.'
Although the inquiry into the causes of the fire has barely started, the Labour leader said it was the result of a 'failed and broken system which Labour must and will replace.'
Despite deep divisions within Labour on Brexit, Mr Corbyn rounded on the government's handling of the issue.
'The Tories are more interested in posturing for personal advantage than in getting the best deal for Britain,' he said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan (pictured centre) was in the audience for the Labour leader's address in Brighton today
Mr Corbyn has been accused to failing to crack down on abuse of critics and journalists, which has seen BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg (pictured left interviewing the Labour leadser yesterday) forced to draft in a bodyguard to ensure her safety at conference
'Never has the national interest been so ill-served on such a vital issue. If there were no other reason for the Tories to go, their self-interested Brexit bungling would be reason enough.
'So I have a simple message to the cabinet: for Britain's sake pull yourself together or make way.'
The Labour leader gave a sombre tribute to the victims of the five terror attacks to have blighted Britain this year.
He condemned the perpetrators of the atrocities but warned the Western foreign policy had fuelled terrorism.
CORBYN BLAMES NEW LABOUR AND TORIES FOR GRENFELL FIRE Jeremy Corbyn today blamed the Grenfell Tower fire on Thatcherism and New Labour. Although the inquiry into the causes of the fire has barely started, the Labour leader said it was the result of a 'failed and broken system which Labour must and will replace.' 'The disregard for rampant inequality, the hollowing out of our public services, the disdain for the powerless and the poor have made our society more brutal and less caring,' he said. 'Now that graded regime has a tragic monument - the chilling wreckage of Grenfell Tower, a horrifying fire in which dozens perished, an entirely avoidable human disaster.' Labour sources said Mr Corbyn believed the fire in the tower, which was built in the 1970s, was the result of a 'failed economic model that was introduced in the 1980s and has been with us ever since.' Advertisement
He said: 'We also know that terrorism is thriving in a world our governments have helped to shape, with its failed states, military interventions and occupations where millions are forced to flee conflict or hunger.
'We have to do better and swap the knee-jerk response of another bombing campaign for long-term help to solve conflicts rather than fuel them.
'And we must put our values at the heart of our foreign policy. Democracy and human rights are not an optional extra to be deployed selectively.'
The speech sparked alarm among business.
Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: 'There is a rising concern amongst businesses about the two largest parties in Westminster, with one flirting with fantasy economics while the other engages in an unedifying playground bust-up.
'Businesses of all sizes want to see pragmatism, realism and economic competence across the political spectrum at such a critical moment for the United Kingdom.
'Jeremy Corbyn's speech will have done little to reassure companies already worried about widespread state intervention, nationalisation, and the radical increases in taxes and costs they could face under a future Labour government. Investors, both here at home and across the world, are also taking note.
'While Jeremy Corbyn is right to say that government must play an active role in shaping the economy, and in encouraging long-term wealth creation in every nation and region of the UK, this needs to happen in partnership with business, not by demonising it.'
Stephen Martin, of the Institute of Directors, said: 'Let's be honest, business leaders were not expecting to be praised in Jeremy Corbyn's speech, but they will still be disappointed that there was not one positive thing said about the millions of companies, large and small, that form the bedrock of our economy.
'There was plenty of criticism for privatised utilities, for big companies and for employers in general, but it would be very worrying if the Leader of the Opposition really saw nothing positive in Britain's business community.
'Labour may see themselves as a government in waiting, but if they are to govern, they will need to recognise that business is not the enemy.'
Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI director general, said: 'Labour says that it sees business as the backbone of the UK's economy, but there were few warm words from the Labour leader today.
'Repeated rhetoric on the sins of a handful of businesses does little to reassure anxious entrepreneurs and investors about the UK's future as a great place to do business.
'The vast majority of UK firms are dedicated to creating great jobs, and products and services that improve people's lives. This must be recognised.'
Former Labour leader Ed Miliband tweeted: 'Excellent speech by JC. The centre ground has moved and is being shaped by Labour. Great platform on which to build.'
First Secretary of State Damian Green said: 'Jeremy Corbyn's speech summed up the problem with Labour: lots of big promises, but no explanation of how they would deliver them.
'He failed to mention their broken promise on student debt, as he knows it's unworkable.
'He won't call out or even mention claims of antisemitism within his party highlighting just how divided Labour are.
'And he's already admitted that Labour are planning for a financial crisis if they take office - they know the costs of their policies would rack up and up, just like last time.
'Labour say they are ready for power but everything we've seen this week suggests they're not fit to govern and it's ordinary working people who would end up footing the bill.'
As Corbyn paints Britain Red, Theresa May takes it easy at the cricket
Theresa May was spotted relaxing at the cricket today as Jeremy Corbyn spelt out his hard-left agenda in Brighton.
The Prime Minister was at the Oval in south London to watch England take on the West Indies in the latest one-day match.
Mrs May is a keen cricket fan who recently spoke of her love for the game in an interview on the BBC's Test Match Special programme.
Theresa May was spotted at the Oval in south London watching the cricket today, as Mr Corbyn delivered his speech at the Labour conference in Brighton
She revealed that she had once baked some treats for batting legend Geoffrey Boycott - and had been irritated that he kept the Tupperware container.
Mrs May also suggested that her style as PM was similar to Mr Boycott's. He was seen as a resilient batsman who ground out important innings through sheer bloody-mindedness.
However, the comment sparked jokes they were also both slightly boring.
In between overs today Mrs May might well have been considering how to respond to Mr Corbyn's radical address at the Labour conference.
The Tory leader is due to make her own keynote speech next Wednesday at the end of her party's gathering in Manchester.
Mrs May is a keen cricket fan, but in between overs she might have been considering how to respond to the challenge from Mr Corbyn when she gives her own speech to Tory conference in Manchester next week
Corbyn fuels Labour anti-Semitism row by failing to turn up at Friends of Israel event
Jeremy Corbyn has fuelled the anti-Semitisim row engulfing his party by failing to turn up at a reception for Labour Friends of Israel.
The veteran left-winger sent a message to the event at party conference in Brighton last night saying he was too busy writing his conference speech.
But furious activists pointed out that he did manage to attend a reception hosted by a Labour-supporting newspaper.
Mr Corbyn is under fire following more revelations and accusations about anti-Semitism within Labour's ranks.
The Labour leader of Brighton Council has even warned the party will not be allowed back to the city unless Mr Corbyn vows to prevent a repeat of the vile abuse that blighted the conference this week.
Jeremy Corbyn failed to turn up at the Labour Friends of Israel last night saying he was too busy, but did manage to make it to the Daily Mirror party
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry (pictured at the newspaper party last night) stood in for Mr Corbyn at the Labour Friends of Israel reception. Deputy leader Tom Watson (right) has pledged to crack down on anti-Semitism in the party
The equality watchdog also intervened, telling Labour to do more to prove it is not a racist party.
The Labour leader traditionally attends the Labour Friends of Israel gathering at conference.
But when he sent Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry in his place last night activists shouted 'Where is he?' and 'Why isn't he here?'
LFI chair Joan Ryan said: 'We're disappointed he couldn't be with us this evening.'
Ms Thornberry claimed Mr Corbyn was not going to any receptions because he was preparing for his keynote speech to the Labour conference in Brighton today.
She said: 'Just so that there's no misunderstanding, Jeremy is not attending any of these receptions this evening because he has a big speech tomorrow ...
Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth and shadow education secretary Angela Rayner did karaoke at the Mirror party last night
'But I also know there's been a great deal of wrestling with Jeremy and Jeremy's diary to ensure he doesn't spend a whole evening going from one event to another.'
However, footage later emerged of Mr Corbyn speaking at a party thrown last night by the Daily Mirror.
In his statement read out to the LFI reception, Mr Corbyn said: 'The next Labour government will ensure Britain leads the way in promoting dialogue between countries and peoples so that we see real advances towards peace, security and justice in the Middle East and across the world.
'Labour will continue to campaign for peace through a two-state solution, a secure Israel alongside a secure and viable Palestinian state. I look forward to working with you all to achieve that together, enjoy the rest of the reception and conference.'
Unite chief Len McCluskey, a close ally of Mr Corbyn, told BBC Newsnight that anti-Semitism claims were being used to attack the Labour leader.
Israeli ambassador to the UK Mark Regev, who faced a protest outside the event, said: 'To those who called for the expulsion of Zionists from the Labour party on Sunday, I ask: would you have expelled some of Labour's greatest luminaries too? Would you have expelled Harold Wilson? Michael Foot?
Corbyn ally admits the government CAN'T afford to give public sector workers a huge 5% pay rise
Labour's shadow education secretary Angela Rayner, pictured in Brighton today, said the government cannot afford to bow to union demands for a 5% pay rise
A Jeremy Corbyn ally today admitted the government cannot afford to bow to union demands for an inflation-busting five per cent pay rise.
The Labour leader has hinted he would dish out the major public sector pay hike - estimated to cost around 9billion - if he becomes Prime Minister.
But his shadow education secretary Angela Rayner today admitted Labour 'cannot' afford to meet the demand and must be 'responsible' and admit it.
She told the BBC Radio 4's Today Programme it will 'take longer than I would personally like' to find the cash to meet the demands of funding the public sector.
She said: 'We're a government in waiting; the Conservatives would like you to think that we're talking about a magic money tree and promising things we can't deliver.
'We've set out quite clearly that we would like to give - we'd love to give public sector workers a five per cent pay rise but we cannot do that at the moment.
'What we've said is we will make sure that they get an inflation pay rise which is more than what this Conservative Government have done.'
She added: 'We can't undo the damage that the Conservatives have done to our public sector for years and years but what we will do is reverse some of that and start putting us on the right path.
'But it'll take longer than I would personally like to see, but we have to be responsible about that and that is what Jeremy Corbyn is going to set out in his speech about responsible government, about making sure we are investing in our future and that we have a credible plan to do that.'
Labour activists threaten to STALK Laura Kuenssberg at party conference to prove she doesn't need bodyguards
Labour activists have threatened to follow the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg around the party conference in Brighton to prove she does not need a bodyguard.
Ms Kuenssberg has been subjected to threats and abuse over her coverage of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
But the decision of the BBC to send a security officer to protect the political editor has enraged hard-left activists convinced of a media stitch up against them.
Labour MP Jess Phillips condemned the activists today warning that threatening to 'stalk' Ms Kuenssberg would only prove the need for security
Mr Corbyn has faced calls to personally step in and condemn the threats against the journalist.
Twitter user Tish Naughton claimed today that the threats against Ms Kuenssberg were 'codswallop', adding: 'She is walking around at conference unmolested as she did at Labour manifesto launch. Propaganda.'
The tweet prompted another delegate to suggest following Ms Kuenssberg to prove the claims were overblown (pictured)
Another user, Ruth Sakr, replied: 'Someone there should perhaps video her walking around freely without bodyguards and post it on here!'
Ms Phillips immediately slapped down the delegates.
She posted: 'Yeah let's stalk her dudes. That'll prove she's not at risk.
Labour MP Jess Phillips stepped into slap down the pair and accused them of threatening to 'stalk' the BBC political editor
'So deeply saddened by attitudes I've been training people to resist for a decade surface to easily.'
Yesterday Diane Abbott has pleaded with Labour Party activists not to abuse Ms Kuenssberg.
The shadow home secretary said it is 'just wrong' that the BBC's political editor is targeted and told the trolls 'just don't do it'.
Burleigh County Assistant State's Attorney Julie Lawyer rested prosecution Wednesday afternoon in the jury trial of murder suspect Morris Brickle-Hicks.
The trial, set to last through Friday, concluded its third day of testimony with witnesses, including investigators and forensic examiners.
Most notable was detailed testimony from North Dakota State Forensic Examiner Dr. William Massello over the conditions of Misty Coffelt's death.
Massello said Coffelt died from "multiple blunt impacts to the head and the face." He autopsied Coffelt the day after her death, noting patterned injury bruising on her face and the back of her head, as well as scrapes and other bruises on her arms, legs and behind.
She did have drugs in her system at the time of her death, according to Massello, who said "the injury she had would have been a lethal one even without the drugs."
After Massello's testimony of 45 minutes, Lawyer rested the prosecution. Loraas motioned to dismiss the case under Rule 29 related to insufficient prosecutorial evidence, which Lawyer opposed and Judge John Grinsteiner denied.
In earlier testimony, narcotics investigator David Stewart, of Bismarck Police, answered questions regarding the discovery of Misty Coffelt's body behind Runnings in Bismarck the night of April 14-15, 2016, and his related preliminary investigation.
Lawyer objected several times to defense attorney James Loraas' line of questioning over what she called hearsay in Stewart's responses.
Brickle-Hicks' ex-girlfriend also gave brief testimony regarding his residence with her for several months until late March 2016.
Emily Hoge and Kyle Splichal, of the North Dakota state crime lab, testified about their office's practices in evidence handling and DNA analysis.
Hoge spoke about processing Coffelt's clothes while Splichal answered questions about quality assurance and DNA profiles related to Brickle-Hicks' and Coffelt's samples, as unique as "one in 98 octillion."
Grinsteiner dismissed the 12-member jury and adjourned court at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday to readjourn the following morning.
Brickle-Hicks, 34, has pleaded innocent to Class AA felony murder. On Tuesday, jurors watched a 2.5-hour video in which Brickle-Hicks is seen admitting to detectives he struck Coffelt repeatedly and left her still alive but seriously injured behind Runnings.
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A bizarre public information video from 1965 intended to warn how popular magazines promote homosexuality and communism has been unearthed.
The film, called 'Perversion for Profit', has now become an online hit among modern viewers for its unintentionally comical delivery and hysterical message.
The underground cult-classic reveals how homosexuality was spoken of in the United States only fifty years ago.
Narrated with zeal by news reporter George Putman, 'Perversion for Profit' explains how magazines containing nudity are a communist conspiracy corrupting young viewers, leading to violence and perverted attitudes regarding sex - namely homosexuality, which is equated with paeodophilia.
It starts: 'Hello there, I'm George Putman. I'd like to begin with a fact. A simple, yet shocking, fact. It is this: A flood tide of filth is engulfing our country in the form of newsstand obscenity. It is threatening to pervert an entire generation of our American children.'
The video then pans across a plethora of sexually explicit images from 1960s magazines - including of gay publications - to argue how mainstream pornography will erode the integrity of American culture just as it supposedly did to other civilizations like 'magnificent Egypt, classical Greece, imperial Rome'.
Putman explains: 'Through this material, today's youth is even enticed to enter the world of homosexuals, lesbians, sadists, masochists and other sex deviants. They tell youngsters that it's smart, it's thrilling; it provides kicks to be a homosexual, a sadist and every other kind of deviant. This weakening also leads to vulnerability to communism.'
The film begins by advising us to be wary of pornography which may appear at the local newsstand, malt shop or drugstore - and different kinds of allegedly dangerous magazines are shown including 'girlie' (pictured) and 'physique' publications from the underground gay literature of the day. As the above picture is shown, narrator George Pitman warns that the magazines present 'stark nudity on slick paper'
Putman explains that, 'for the sake of decency', the producers of the film 'have partially covered the pictures and disguised the identity of the models.' Ironically, however, the nudity is barely obscured at all in the film. He says these magazines directly lead to a homosexuality and sexual 'deviancy' while implying that the young men pictured in these journals show that gay men are nearly all child molesters
Putman (pictured) ends the film with an appeal to his viewers to outlaw and eradicate sexually explicit materials in mainstream culture. He passionately exclaims: 'We must save our nation from decay and deliver our children from the horrors of perversion. We must make our land, the land of the free, a safe home. Oh, God, deliver us, Americans, from evil'
Narrated with zeal, 'Perversion for Profit' explains how magazines containing nudity are a communist conspiracy corrupting young viewers, leading to violence and perverted attitudes regarding sex - namely homosexuality, which is equated with paeodophilia. It starts: 'Hello there, I'm George Putman. I'd like to begin with a fact. A simple, yet shocking, fact. It is this: A flood-tide of filth is engulfing our country in the form of newsstand obscenity. It is threatening to pervert an entire generation of our American children'
Putman also speaks about a picture of a naked woman reclining in a farm near a goat, which supposedly has 'overtones of bestiality', and another photo of several topless women which 'has lesbian implications'
'Perversion for Profit' claims that this mainstream pornography is responsible for horrific crimes. Putman says: 'A young boy in Philadelphia raped and killed a five-year old girl and while he was testifying that he had been stimulated to this heinous crime by reading a nudist magazine'
Pictured: A screenshot showing a homosexual magazine that appears in the public information film. As the camera pans over the above image, Putman speaks of sadness about the 'young face and bright smile which could be the hope of the world'
In the film, Putman continues to describe the most despicable type of magazines - 'physique' and 'men's adventure' publications, which show male nudes
Putman explains at one point in the film: 'Through this material, today's youth is even enticed to enter the world of homosexuals, lesbians, sadists, masochists and other sex deviants. They tell youngsters that it's smart, it's thrilling; it provides kicks to be a homosexual, a sadist and every other kind of deviant. This weakening also leads to vulnerability to communism'
A still from the film which Putman explains reveals an obsession with 'sodomy'. 'Perversion for Profit' was produced by Charles Keating, who founded an anti-pornography organisation called Citizens for Decent Literature (CDL) and believed that homosexuals should be imprisoned
In 1969, Keating's national reputation on the issue led President Nixon to appoint him to the 'President's Commission on Obscenity and Pornography'. Keating later served four and a half years in prison for multiple counts of wire fraud, racketeering and conspiracy for his notorious involvement in The Lincolns Savings and Loan scam. His convictions were overturned in 1996 and he was released. Pictured: A screengrab showing the racy magazines
The narrator extensively shows topless shots of women, which demonstrate a worrying 'preoccupation with the female breast'
The film explains: 'Psychiatrists believe that prolonged exposure of even the normal male adult to this kind of publication, though he may not be aware of its true nature, will nevertheless pervert'. Putman goes on: 'Think then of the consequences to the inexperienced youth, who in purchasing and studying this material becomes a pawn for these misfits. These homosexuals, who have a slogan that betrays the evil of the breed: 'Today's conquest,' they say, 'is tomorrow's competition'. See the tender age at which homosexuals prefer their conquests. Look here at the young face.'
The video pans across a plethora of sexually explicit images from 1960s magazines - including of gay publications - to argue how mainstream pornography will erode the integrity of American culture just as it supposedly did to other civilizations like 'magnificent Egypt, classical Greece, imperial Rome'
The bizarre public information video from 1965 is intended to warn how popular magazines promote homosexuality and communism has been unearthed. But it has now become an online hit among modern viewers for its unintentionally comical delivery and hysterical message
A Sydney woman who was one of the driving forces for getting women behind the wheels of cars in Saudi Arabia has celebrated a change to the law.
Saudi Arabia's king has issued a decree that will allow women to hold driving licences for the first time.
Manal Al Sharif was arrested and spent nine days in prison for driving in Saudi Arabia in 2011.
She posted a video of herself driving in the kingdom to YouTube which went viral the same year.
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Manal Al Sharif was arrested and spent nine days in prison for driving in Saudi Arabia in 2011
She posted a video of herself driving in the kingdom to YouTube which went viral the same year
The 32-year-old has since moved to Sydney, and has continued to fight against the 'draconian' rule.
She posted a statement on her website celebrating the decision.
'We ask for nothing short of full equality for women,' she wrote.
It's just the start to end long-standing unjust laws [which] have always considered Saudi women minors who are not trusted to drive their own destiny.
'The rain begins with a single drop.'
King Salman ordered the formation of a ministerial body that will implement the rule by 2018, making the country the last in the world to give women driving licences.
Until now, Saudi Arabia was the only country to specifically forbid women from holding driving licences.
Saudi King Salman has issued a royal decree which will allow women to hold driving licences for the first time from June next year
Saudi Arabia is currently the only country to forbid women from driving. They are also required to be accompanied by a man when leaving the house and cover up in public
'The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the issuance of driving licenses for men and women alike,' the Saudi Press Agency said.
Saudi's ambassador to the US confirmed women will not need permission from their male guardians in order to apply for a licence.
The US State Department said it welcomed the decision, calling it a 'huge step in the right direction'.
It comes after years of campaigning from within the country, and pressure from the international community.
Activist Loujain al-Hathloul, 27, ran afoul of authorities in 2014 when she tried to drive into the country from neighbouring United Arab Emirates.
She was arrested and detained for 73 days before being released.
Ms al-Hathloul was re-arrested this year at King Fahad International Airport. While no official reason was given for her detention, it is believed to be related to her ongoing human rights work.
Amnesty International said at the time that she had been denied access to a lawyer and had not been allowed to contact her family.
It also comes after the Muslim kingdom was elected to the United Nations women's rights commission, despite a terrible record on the issue.
The decision was derided by observers around the world and prompted an outpouring of scorn from rights groups.
Chief among the complaints was the ban on women driving cars.
It comes after years of campaigning from within Saudi by rights activists. Pictured is one woman driving on the streets of Riyadh in 2013 on a day of action against the ban
Alisha ali-Khan, the UK-based editor for Asian Mums Network and a rights campaigner, hailed the decision, but said Saudi Arabia still has a long way to go before women become full members of society.
Under the system of guardianship in Saudi, every woman must have a male guardian a father, brother, husband, or even a son who has the authority to make a range of decisions on her behalf, she explained.
These decisions include the approval to apply for a passport, travel outside the country, study abroad on a government scholarship, get married, or exit prison.
Women regularly face difficulty conducting a range of transactions from renting an apartment to filing legal claims without a male relatives consent or presence.
Women also face challenges making decisions for their children on an equal basis with men and majority of women lose custody of their children following divorce.
Many women therefore have little choice but to stay in abusive marriages and tolerate unjust treatment in order to stop their children being removed from their custody by Saudi law, Ms al-Khan added.
It is not clear whether the surprise move by King Salman will herald a wider loosening of rules around women's behaviour in Saudi.
In 2015 women were allowed to vote and stand for the first time in municipal elections, and subsequently won 19 seats.
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For the super-rich and famous, the risk of having to mingle with the public as they board their yachts may have left many of them tossing and turning on Egyptian satin cotton sheets. Forutnately, a Dutch company has come up with a solution: a 20million submarine.
The 63ft-long submarine has been designed to emulate a private luxury jet, enabling the ultra-wealthy to travel to and fro their superyachts underwater.
The Neyk Luxury Submarine boasts a lounge and kitchen area, a bar, a library and a complete viewing gallery, and can dive to a depth of up to 500ft.
Pimp my ride: The 20million submarine is designed to be the perfect accompaniment to a super-yacht
The luxury feel will be completed by marble counters, polished wood and all-round leather upholstery.
Optional extras include landing equipment, so owners can drive up on to a beach in it, a James Bond-style diver lockout chamber and a transforming nose that can turn into a 270-degree underwater observation room.
The Neyk Luxury Submarine will be powered by near-silent twin electric motors of up to 200kW each and can travel up to 17mph,
Its lightweight design has been created specifically in order to make it as easy to store as possible.
It will also be more maneuverable than any other submarine thanks to it's fully pressurised hull, and will be built built in high yield steel, to a design optimised by NASA.
Under the sea: A view from the cockpit in the 20m Neyk Luxury Submarine
All mod cons: A see-through image shows the layout of the submarine, which comes with a lounge, a kitchen, a library, a bar and a viewing gallery
What a dive: The submarines are designed to emulate a luxury private jet in layout
The design of the vessel has taken over eight years and has included assistance from some of the biggest names in the business including MTU, Bosch, and even Rolls Royce.
Although an official price has yet to be revealed, the top-of the-range model will cost somewhere in the region of 20m, putting it firmly in the exclusive market.
Martin van Eijk, CEO of Dutch-based Ocean Submarine, said: 'We are targeting the wealthiest of people.
'Prices for the base models will start at around 12m but for the most luxurious model, that figure will cost closer to 20m.
'The teardrop shaped design adds to the aesthetic attractions for super-yacht owners, and will for instance allow owners to travel anonymously underwater from their berth in Monaco or St Tropez to the helipad at Nice airport.
'Our submarines are very maneuverable, very quick and the interior as high in luxury as the private jet industry.
'It's all about the experience.'
Trip to the beach? The submarine will be made form a lightweight material, in order to make it easier for it to be stored onto the hull of a superyacht
All aboard: Submarine will be powered by nearly silent twin electric motors of up to 200kW each and be able to dive to a depth of up to 500ft
Not cheap: While official price has yet to be revealed, the top-of the-range model is estimated to end up with a pricetag in the region of 20million
Day trip: A doctored image shows the submarine coming up to the surface near an iceberg
'Now when you cruise along the coastline in your yacht and see a beautiful geographical feature, you can also head underwater to see them from an entirely different angle.'
Although the main aim of the submarine is said to be recreational diving for super-yacht owners, it also has a range of up to 1250 miles, and potential naval specs have been investigated.
Mr van Eijk said: 'Leisure or otherwise, it can do anything.
'The fact that the Neyk Submarine was developed in line with the expertise and stringent requirements of the Royal Netherlands Navy means that the quality levels are exceptionally high and the system is incredibly robust.
'One of our aims is ultra discreet transport.
'The Navy has invested in a number of sophisticated applications to be used on board and this knowledge is now being deployed to enhance the quality and facilities of the luxury submarine version.'
While attention is focused on the potential imminent eruption of Mount Agung in Bali, another deadly Indonesian volcano has dramatically exploded.
Mount Sinabung, in northern Sumatra, spewed plumes of ash 2.5km into the air as it erupted at 1.23pm local time on Wednesday.
Thousands of villagers were evacuated from around the mountain, the most active of the country's 130 active volcanoes, and warned to stay at least 7km away.
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Deadly Indonesian volcano Mount Sinabung spewed plumes of ash 2.5km into the air as it exploded
Authorities feared lava flows could cascade down the mountain and destroy homes, as has happened several times.
The volcano explodes so frequently, warning signs are permanently stationed around it warning against going near it.
Only last month another eruption rocked the area, blasting ash 4.2km into the air and causing pyroclastic flows many kilometres across surrounding countryside.
Earlier in the year 10 people were killed in another eruption, with its death toll sitting at 20 in the past decade, including four high school students and their teacher on a school excursion.
Thousands of villagers were evacuated from around the mountain, the most active of the country's 130 active volcanoes, and warned to stay at least 7km away
A thermal image of Sinabung's eruption on Wednesday afternoon
Sinabung is located on the 'Ring of Fire', a volatile zone of seismic activity with hundreds of active volcanoes and 90 per cent of the world's earthquakes.
An even bigger eruption could be imminent 2,500km away in Bali where Mount Agung is on the highest alert level.
Scientists said there were 1,000 tremours around the island's highest peak in a single day and if they continue it could erupt in a matter of hours.
More than 75,000 people fled a 12km radius around Agung, fearing a repeat of its last eruption in 1963 when 1,000 died.
Sinabung is located on the 'Ring of Fire', a volatile zone of seismic activity with hundreds of active volcanoes and 90 per cent of the world's earthquakes
An even bigger eruption could be imminent 2,500km away in Bali where Mount Agung is on the highest alert level
Scientists said there were 1,000 tremours around the island's highest peak in a single day and if they continue it could erupt in a matter of hours
Photographer Steven Wright captured two images of fires which broke out on the side of Mount Agung (pictured) earlier this week
Airlines flying from Australia to Denpasar, including Jetstar and Virgin Australia, are taking on excess jet fuel in Darwin on the way in case the volcano erupts.
It has been smoking for almost a week since a 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck of the neighbourng island of Java last Thursday.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the area on Tuesday, encouraging local residents to evacuate the area and seek safety in the 370 shelters set up for those without homes.
'While the government will continue to try to minimize the economic losses of the community, the most important priority is the safety of the people here,' Widodo said.
Australian Bali Nine member Scott Rush (pictured) is amoung the 166 prisoners moved from Karangasem jail which could be affected if Mount Agung volcano erupts
People wait inside an evacuation centre in Klungkung regency, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali
Villagers rests at a temporary evacuation centre, for people living near Mount Agung, Bali
'So I ask all people around Mount Agung to follow instructions from the officials and minimize the impact of this volcano.'
Australian Bali Nine member Scott Rush is among the 166 prisoners moved from the notorious Karangasem jail which could be affected if Agung erupts.
More than 50,000 Australian tourists are on the idyllic holiday island for their school holidays, but authorities insist the destination is safe.
An army bomb squad was called out to execute a controlled explosion after a 'suspicious' coffee cup device was spotted near a town centre car park.
An evacuation was launched after the polystyrene cup with microchips taped to it was found near a branch of TK Maxx in Stevenage town centre, this morning.
Bomb disposal experts, officers from Hertfordshire Police and firefighters raced to the scene to deal with the incident and closed surrounding roads.
However, it was later revealed the device was 'not viable' with police now trying to find out who was responsible for the hoax.
An evacuation was launched after this coffee cup was found with electronic attachments and tape, in Stevenage town centre this morning
A spokeswoman for Hertfordshire Police explained officers were called to the shopping centre following reports of a 'suspicious object', just before 8.45am today.
Experts from the Explosives Ordnance Disposal team attended to provide a 'technical assessment' which led to a 'successful' controlled explosion, she explained.
Inspector James Lant, from the Stevenage Intervention & Response Team, said: 'Our Local Crime Unit have now launched an investigation into this incident and I can confirm that this was not a viable device, although it gave the impression of being so.
'The motivation behind the placement of the device is still unclear at this stage and this will form part of our enquiries.
'Despite its size, if it had been a viable device it could have had the potential to cause serious injury.'
Shopping centre staff have now been allowed back into stores.
One shop worker said: 'It looks like someone was playing a joke, but you can understand why they took it so seriously.'
Bomb disposal experts, police and firefighters raced to the scene in Stevenage today
Another said: 'We're not sure if it was a prank. The PCSO said it was controlled and safe and it was all fine.
'Some areas are still cordoned off but we are about 150-200m away.'
Donna Lee was among the shoppers stuck in the police cordon and took to Twitter to explain the scene.
Posting photos of the empty shopping centre, she wrote: 'Still stuck stevenage town still closed bomb disposal are here apparently.
'Town centre update cordon will be getting reduced but anyone in the car park will remain closed for a good few hours as full forensic required.'
Shopper Donna Lee tweeted these pictures and said she was stuck inside the police cordon in Stevenage town centre
She said: 'Specialist police officers are at the scene and the Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) are due to arrive shortly to identify and safely remove the object.
'A number of nearby shops and businesses have been evacuated and an 100m police cordon is in place as a precaution to ensure the safety of the people living and working in the locality.'
The bomb-scare in Stevenage comes under two weeks after a homemade explosive device was detonated on a Tube train in Parsons Green, west London, injuring 30 people.
Police are on high alert after the incident, which took place on the District Line service on September 15.
Seven people have been arrested as part of the investigation into the attack, but only one person, Ahmed Hassan, 18, has been charged.
Eleven people aged 22 to 35 have been arrested across England and Wales as part of a probe into banned extreme right-wing group National Action, police said today.
The men were arrested on suspicion of offences including preparing terrorist acts, being members of a banned organisation and possession of terrorism documents.
Police have detained six men from the North West of England, two men from South Wales, another two from West Yorkshire and a further man from Wiltshire.
Police cars parked outside a house in Warrington, Cheshire, today where arrests have been made as part of an investigation into the banned extreme right-wing group National Action
Police officers stand outside the property in Warrington today as 11 men were arrested
The neo-Nazi group became the first far-right organisation to be outlawed in Britain last year after the murder of MP Jo Cox, whose killing it had praised.
Earlier this month, three men, including two soldiers, appeared in court charged with being members of National Action and police said the men held in the latest arrests were part of the same investigation.
Police cars and uniformed officers remained outside a house on Greymist Avenue in Warrington today.
National Action became the first far-right organisation to be outlawed in Britain last year after the murder of MP Jo Cox (pictured)
Residents said police arrived at the quiet cul-de-sac between 5am and 6am and began searching the semi-detached house.
One neighbour said: 'My husband tried to go to work at 6am and the road was just full of police.'
She said the house was lived in by a couple and their three children - aged in their 20s or 30s.
She said: 'They just keep themselves to themselves. I've seen them walking about. It's an older couple with two boys and a girl.'
Another resident said the family had lived there for about 30 years.
He said: 'They never speak to anybody. I don't know them. There's never been any kind of trouble at the house before.'
One woman said she had lived on the street for about a year but rarely saw the family.
She said: 'There's a lad who lives there who's probably in his late 20s to mid-30s and he lives there with his dad and mum.'
She added: 'The police have been coming and going to the house all day.'
Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Snowden, the head of counter-terrorism policing in North East England, said: 'Today's arrests are part of coordinated action by the national Counter Terrorism network and UK policing.
A man stands with a flag of the extreme right-wing group National Action in Bolton, Greater Manchester, last year. There is no suggestion anyone pictured above is among those arrested
'Those who promote extreme right wing views are looking to divide our communities and spread hatred. This will not be tolerated and those who do so must be brought to justice.'
Greater Manchester Police assistant chief constable Russ Jackson, added: 'We are committed to taking positive action such as this to remove those connected to organisations, such as National Action, from our communities.
'Individuals involved in proscribed organisations who support extremist ideologies bring damaging consequences to local communities but with the help of the public and our partners, we will do everything we can do bring these people to justice.
The 11 men aged 22 to 35 arrested in probe A 24-year-old man from Seaforth, Merseyside, on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, funding terrorism and membership of a proscribed organisation
A 23-year-old man from Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, funding terrorism and membership of a proscribed organisation
A 33-year-old man from Prescott, Merseyside, on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, funding terrorism and membership of a proscribed organisation
A 31-year-old man from Warrington, Cheshire, on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, funding terrorism and membership of a proscribed organisation
A 35-year-old man from Warrington on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, funding terrorism and membership of a proscribed organisation
A 22-year-old man from Lancashire has been produced from prison for police interview on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act and membership of a proscribed organisation
A 28-year-old man from Swansea, South Wales, on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation and possession of terrorism material/documents
A 23-year-old man from Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation
A 23-year-old man from Swansea on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation
A 26-year-old man from Leeds, West Yorkshire, on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation
A 30-year-old man from Wiltshire on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation Advertisement
'All information received will be dealt with in the strictest confidence and can be passed to us anonymously by calling the Anti-Terrorism Hotline on 0800 789 321.'
Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East and North West, Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit and Wiltshire Police conducted the arrests.
Five men, including four serving soldiers, were held on suspicion of terror offences earlier this month by West Midlands Police - before three were charged with membership of National Action.
Also this month, a man from Northampton and another from Ipswich, both aged 24, were released without charge following police inquiries.
Last month, a senior police chief said the number of referrals to the authorities about suspected right-wing extremists had doubled since the murder of Mrs Cox.
The 41-year-old Labour politician was killed in Birstall, West Yorkshire, in June last year by a loner obsessed with Nazis and white supremacist ideology.
Eleven properties are also being searched, police said. National Action became the first extreme right-wing group to be banned under terrorism laws in December 2016.
The proscription meant that being a member of or inviting support for the organisation is a criminal offence carrying a sentence of up to ten years in jail.
In the official list of proscribed groups, it is described as a 'racist neo-Nazi group' that was established in 2013 and has branches across the UK which 'conduct provocative street demonstrations and stunts aimed at intimidating local communities'.
The document adds that the group is 'virulently racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic' and says its activities and propaganda materials are particularly aimed at recruiting young people.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the senior national co-ordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said: 'CT (counter terrorism) policing is committed to tackling all forms of extremism that threatens public safety and security.
'Investigations relating to alleged extreme right-wing activity are pursued with the same level or resource and vigour as other ideologies, in order to bring suspected offenders before the courts.
'Today's arrests, while resulting from two separate investigations, have been coordinated by our officers across a number of forces. This maximises operational effectiveness for police and minimises disruption for the local communities.'
A British filmmaker has been killed by ISIS jihadists while documenting battles for the Kurds in Syria.
Mehmet Aksoy, 32, was shot dead in a Kurdish-held compound outside Raqqa on Tuesday.
ISIS jihadists drove up to the compound in two cars, took out six guards and then killed Aksoy and a female journalist before they were shot dead by retaliating Kurds.
Mehmet Aksoy, 32, was shot dead in a Kurdish-held compound outside Raqqa on Tuesday
Aksoy at a rally in favour of the creation of a Kurdish state. He was killed by ISIS on Tuesday
Aksoy, who studied filmmaking at Goldsmiths, University of London, has been documenting battles for the Kurdish People's Protection Unit since June.
He did not tell his parents, who are Kurds from Turkey and run an off-licence in Luton, that he was travelling to Syria.
More than 300 friends and family paid their respects in a late night vigil at the Kurdish Community Centre in north London on Tuesday.
Close friend told Yuksel Adiguzel told MailOnline: 'He was a very loving person with so much passion and intellect. Mehmet wanted freedom for Kurds and all other oppressed people. His dream was to help create a more educated, modern, democratic, equal and conscious society.'
Dozens paid tribute on social media to the 'wonderful, intelligent activist'.
One friend Shikirya Aclan, wrote: 'I was admirer and witness of all his peacful campaigning for the Kurdish community. But he had so much more energy & love left to be a strong voice for kurdish diversity, LGBT, culture, film. Rest in peace Mehmet.'
Another added: 'I admired his piercing political clarity, uncompromising commitment to the struggle of his people, and his principled approach to fellow oppressed nations. The Kurdish people have lost a great activist.'
Aksoy becomes the fifth Briton killed while fighting for the Kurds in Syria.
Aksoy, a Londoner whose parents are Kurds from Turkey, has been documenting battles for the Kurdish People's Protection Unit since June. He is pictured at a rally in London
Aksoy studied filmmaking at Goldsmiths, University of London, and did not tell his parents, who run an off-licence in Luton, that he was travelling to Syria
A university graduate has crowdfunded 2,500 in just three days to rescue a flea-ridden stray dog that befriended her at a 300-a-night luxury resort in Mauritius.
Tabitha Nash, 24, jetted out to the paradise isle to celebrate completing her Graphic Communications degree at Bath Spa University.
She was relaxing by the pool at the Ambre Resort & Spa when the white mongrel came bounding over wagging its tail.
They took the mutt in, allowing it to sleep in a makeshift bed in their empty suitcase and fed it dog food and tit-bits from the buffet.
She was desperate to bring the dog - which she named Bella - back to the UK so launched a GoFundMe campaign to pay for flights, vaccinations and quarantine.
Tabitha Nash, 24, jetted out to the paradise isle to celebrate completing her Graphic Communications degree at Bath Spa University
They took the mutt in, allowing it to sleep in a makeshift bed in their empty suitcase and fed it dog food and tit-bits from the buffet
The appeal went viral and she smashed her 1,000 target, with 2,478 pouring in over three days.
Bella is now due to fly to her new home with Ms Nash in Bicester, Oxfordshire, in 21 days' time.
She said: 'I've never felt so in love with a dog. We went out and bought her special dog bowls and fed her real dog food twice a day in our room.
'She also slept with us - she was flea ridden but we didn't care.'
Bella, thought to be about 18 months old, stayed overnight on a cushion in Tabitha's suitcase and was fed tit-bits from meals, as well as given fresh water.
Ms Nash set up a GoFundMe page on Saturday aiming to raise 1,000 to cover the cost of getting Bella vaccinated and safely home.
Ms Nash said she was 'completely overwhelmed' by the response to her fundraising page
'I've come across many stray dogs, all the of them being seriously skinny and mistreated,' she wrote.
'I am so desperate to bring her back to the UK where I can give her the life she deserves, with a loving home.'
She added: 'This little girl's life is worth so much more. It breaks my heart to think what will happen to her once I leave.'
But her campaign raised 2,478 worth of donations in three days - far beyond her original target.
Ms Nash said she was 'completely overwhelmed' by the response to her fundraising page and has promised to donate the leftover money to animal charity Paws Care & Rescue UK who have helped with getting Bella home.
She doesn't have any pets, but she has always been a dog-lover.
'We were going to look into saving for one next summer but Bella completely stole our heart,' she said.
'We love her little personality and can't wait to have her home.'
Bella was put into quarantine yesterday and had her Rabies vaccination ahead of the long trip back to the UK in 21 days
Horrifying footage released by International Animal Rescue and PETA in 2016 showed dozens of dogs being pinned down before being given lethal injections without anaesthetic in Mauritius.
A Change.org petition calling for an end to cruel methods of killing dogs on the Indian Ocean island was signed by more than 200,000 people soon after.
Bella was put into quarantine yesterday and had her Rabies vaccination ahead of the long trip back to the UK in 21 days.
A murder investigation is underway after a woman's body was found in a lay-by on a busy motorway.
The body of the 29-year-old woman was found on the A15 in Hull at rush hour this morning.
Police have arrested a 42-year-old man on suspicion of murder.
The woman's body was found on the A15 in in Hull, East Yorkshire this morning
Forensic police cordoned off an area of the A15 near the Humber Bridge, Hull, East Yorkshire, this morning
A lay-by just after the first exit on the bridge's south bank has been closed by officers and forensic teams are carrying out a search of the area
Forensic police cordoned off an area of the A15 near the Humber Bridge, Hull, East Yorkshire, this morning.
A lay-by just after the first exit on the bridge's south bank has been closed by officers and forensic teams are carrying out a search of the area.
Detective Superintendent Grainne Casey from Humberside Police's Major Crime Unit revealed a number of lines of enquiry are being pursued.
She said: 'Our officers located the body whilst undertaking enquiries following concerns raised around the safety and whereabouts of a 29-year-old woman from Hull.
'A 42-year-old man, also from Hull has been arrested in connection with our enquiries.
Police have arrested a 42-year-old man on suspicion of murder following the discovery
Detective Superintendent Grainne Casey from Humberside Police's Major Crime Unit revealed a number of lines of enquiry are being pursued
The woman's body was found in a wooded area near the busy motorway
'The body of the woman, who as yet has not been formally identified, was found shortly before 4am this morning in a wooded area adjacent to a lay-by on the A15 southbound.
'The cause of her death is yet to be determined and a post mortem examination will be conducted in due course.
'A number of additional lines of enquiry are also underway and at present we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the death of the woman..'
'A police cordon also remains in place at the scene on the A15 as enquiries continue.'
A government contractor suspected of spying has been arrested by counter terror police in north London.
The 65-year-old female has be detained on suspicion of an offence under the Officials Secrets Act and has been taken to the police station in the south of the city.
Scotland Yard has not confirmed which government department she worked for but said a property in north London is currently being searched in connection with the arrest.
A female government contractor has been arrested in north London today by counter terror police (stock image of the Met's specialist officers)
Scotland Yard said the 65-year-old woman has been detained on suspicion of an offence under the Official Secrets Act
No further details have been given yet about the details of the allegations.
The woman was arrested this morning by officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command. Police said they were acting on intelligence given from a source.
The 65-year-old was detained for an offence contrary to section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911, and was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE).
Arrests under the 1911 Act, which was drawn up prior to the First World War, are rare.
Section 1 is headed 'penalties for spying' and covers activities that amount to an offence if they are carried out 'for any purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the State'.
The parents of a two-year-old boy who was killed by an alligator at a Disney resort last year are planning to honor their son with an organ transplant charity.
Lane Thomas Graves died at the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida on June 14, 2016 when an alligator dragged him below.
The child's father, Matt Graves, frantically tried to free his son from the gator's jaws but was unsuccessful.
Lane Thomas Graves (pictured) died at the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida on June 14, 2016 when an alligator dragged him below
Lane's body vanished underwater and was recovered the following day.
Now Matt and Melissa have launched the Lane Thomas Foundation in collaboration with two Nebraska hospitals.
In a statement, Matt Graves explained that the charity was created 'in honor of our beautiful boy' so they could 'do something positive for other families'.
He added: 'We have been overwhelmed by the support and love we have been shown from across the country.
'We believe we have found an impactful way for us to help others in similar circumstances and ease some of their burdens so these parents can focus on their child.'
The foundation will help cover lodging, transport and other non-medical costs for families with children on the organ transplant list.
Since the tragic accident, Disney World has offered to assist the family in any way possible. A memoriam, meanwhile, has been constructed on the grounds in honor of the late child. It also unveiled lighthouse sculpture (pictured) honoring the late two-year-old earlier this year
It will work with Nebraska Medicine and Children's Hospital and Medical Center.
Since the tragic accident, Disney World has offered to assist the family in any way possible. A memoriam, meanwhile, has been constructed on the grounds in honor of the late child.
Walt Disney World also unveiled lighthouse sculpture honoring the late two-year-old earlier this year.
A killer who tortured and burned a teenager has caused further grief to his victim's family after he posted a threatening image of himself on Facebook from prison.
Danny Wiltshire is serving a life sentence for stabbing Jordan Campbell, 17, after a New Yea's Eve party before setting him on fire.
Mr Campbell's devastated sister was left shaking with fury after she spotted the killer's social media profile and saw he had shared a picture of himself brandishing his fists in a threatening pose.
Danny Wiltshire is serving a life sentence for the senseless murder of the 17-year-old at a New Year's Eve party in 2015. He posted this picture (above) on Facebook from inside his cell
Sister Dannii Campbell said: 'It's appalling. They are murderers and allowed to be so free they can smuggle phones into prison.
'After he laughed at us in court, I'm shaking with anger.
'He's dangerous and violent and by this picture isn't reformed or remorseful at all.'
Pictured: Jordan Campbell (pictured) was beaten and stabbed to death
The profile shows only the picture and an identical version with an American flag superimposed over the top.
Jordan was found beaten and stabbed to death in a burning flat in Tickle Avenue, Parr, St Helens, after being attacked by his own cousin Ruben Hoather, then 22, Anthony Wood, 33, and Wiltshire, 26.
Wiltshire and Hoather handed themselves into police on the evening of January 1 and later admitted stabbing Jordan and attempting to burn his body when they realised he was dead.
Wiltshire, who befriended Hoather in jail during a previous prison sentence, admitted causing the fatal stab wound to Jordan's back although he was found to have six other knife wounds.
In the hours after Jordan's body was discovered Wiltshire and Hoather made calls to police, with Wiltshire bragging he had 'a massive big butcher's knife that I stabbed the kid with' and boasting that there were 'two murderers on the loose'.
He was reported to have giggled and said 'I'm not arsed' after being arrested.
High Court judge Mr Justice Timothy Kerr, who sentenced all three men, said at the time: 'All three defendants were in it together.
'They tortured and terrorised Jordan before they killed him. They dragged him from where he lay bleeding to death, dumped him on the floor and set fire to his body and head using torn clothing, attempting to burn the body and the flat to destroy evidence of the crime.'
Wiltshire was handed life with a 21-year minimum term, Hoather a 19-year minimum term and Wood a 21-year minimum term.
When asked how the picture of Wiltshire posing made her feel, Dannii added: 'Sick, I still feel sick now. I rang my mum and sister to let them know before they see it.
Pictured: Anthony Wood, 32, and Ruben Thomas Hoather (right) were also found guilty of murder of Jordan Campbell in St Helens on New Year's Day (left)
'The way he's holding himself in the picture just angers me even more because I know to him it's just another stretch in jail, a little longer than the one before. I can't explain it, I'm shaking because I'm so upset and angry by it.'
The revelation comes shortly after the family of four-year-old Violet-Grace Youens, who was left dying by hit-and-run driver Aiden McAteer, found out he was posting messages online.
McAteer, 24, hit Violet-Grace and her nan, Angela French, at speeds of around 80mph in a stolen car before stepping over his victims to flee the scene.
Despite receiving a nine-year, four-month sentence for causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving, McAteer was able to post an image of a card handed to him by fellow inmates branding him 'HMP Birthday Boy' - and reassuring him 'You can lock the locks but you can't stop the clocks'.
Flowers and tributes left outside the flats where the appalling murder happened
The Ministry of Justice revealed that McAteer had had more time added to his sentence over his use of mobile phones which are illegal in prison.
Last week a passenger in the car, 27-year-old Dean Brennan, was also revealed to have posted a gloating selfie from prison on the social media site Snapchat - with the caption 'prison life'.
He is serving a six years and eight months sentence for aggravated vehicle taking and assisting an offender, after helping McAteer flee to Amsterdam.
The MOJ has pledged to crack down on the use of phones in the UK's prisons.
A prison service spokesman said: 'We are clear that those who break the rules will be punished and can face extra time behind bars.
'We are taking decisive action to find and block mobile phones in prison, including a 2m investment in detection wands and legislation to block phones from being in prisons.'
The 3,000 sex robot which was the star attraction at a big electronics fair in Austria this month, has broken down after a large number of visitors got overexcited.
Samantha the Sex Doll had been showing off her 'skills', which include reacting to touch, hugging and moaning - and remembering individuals she has 'interacted' with, at the Arts Electronica Festival in Linz.
However, Samantha's creators have now been forced to send her to be repaired, after visitors left the robot 'heavily soiled' and with broken limbs.
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Broken: Samantha the Sex Robot has been sent for repair, after overexcited visitors at the Arts Electronica Festival in Linz, pictured, left the robot 'heavily soiled' and with broken limbs
Samantha is the latest development in a growing trend in Austria which has seen brothel customers preferring robots over sexual intercourse with a human.
Samantha's developer Sergi Santos from Barcelona, Spain, described the way visitors approached the robot as 'barbaric'.
'The people mounted Samantha's breasts, her legs and arms. Two fingers were broken. She was heavily soiled.'
'People can be bad. Because they did not understand the technology and did not have to pay for it, they treated the doll like barbarians.'
Mr Santos said Samantha had to be sent back in a parcel to Barcelona for repairs and cleaning, but he added: 'Samantha can endure a lot, she will pull through.'
Testing, testing: Samantha's designer Sergi Santos said visitors at the fair had treated the robot 'like barbarians'
A growing number of brothels in Austria, where prostitution is legal and regulated, are adding sex robots to their roster
Mr Santos says Samantha can remember someone she has interacted with in the past, as she communicates according to the way she was treated by them before.
The robot reacts to touch, speaks multiple languages and is even said to be able to learn new things thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) software.
Samantha approaches visitors at the festival by asking 'How are you?' and is even seen looking people deep in their eyes or handing out hugs.
According to one tester, Samantha 'moans' and reacts to having her breasts touched, and Santos adds that she is able to replicate a female orgasm 'at a higher sex frequency'.
For all her 'features', Samantha is a costly sex toy, and will set back a prospective buyer some 3,700 euro (3,375)
Samantha the Sex Doll is a 3,000 interactive robot designed with one specific purpose: pleasure
She is the latest development in a growing trend in Austria which has seen brothel customers preferring robots over sexual intercourse with a human
Artificial intelligence: The robot reacts to touch, hugging and moaning - and remembering individuals she has 'interacted' with
The robot reacts to touch, speaks multiple languages and is even said to be able to learn new things thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) software
However, the price tag does not seem to be putting customers off, as Santos, based in Barcelona, said he has already sold 15 'Samanthas'.
A growing number of brothels in Austria, where prostitution is legal and regulated, are adding sex robots to their roster, local news reports.
It follows the success of a sex doll christened Fanny who became the most popular 'attraction' at the 'Kontakthof' brothel in the capital Vienna.
Psychologist Gerti Senger, said that she was shocked by the news that Austrian men were preferring dolls to prostitutes.
Senger, co-chair at the Austrian Society for Sexual Research (OeGS) called the trend 'a real autistic tendency'.
Donald Trump deleted three of his tweets on Tuesday night following the los of his favored candidate in Alabama's Republican Senate primary election.
Shortly after Roy Moore was declared the winner over Trump's pick, Luther Strange, the president sanitized his Twitter account of his most recent endorsements.
'Luther Strange has been shooting up in the Alabama polls since my endorsement. Finish the job - vote today for "Big Luther",' read one of the zapped tweets.
'ALABAMA, get out and vote for Luther Strange - he has proven to me that he will never let you down!' another read.
President Donald Trump deleted a trio of tweets Tuesday night that supported Luther Strange in Alabama's Republican Senate primary election
Shortly after Roy Moore defeated Strange, the president's Twitter account no longer hosted these three tweets endorsing the race's loser
'Big election tomorrow in the Great State of Alabama. Vote for Senator Luther Strange, tough on crime & border - will never let you down!' Trump had said in the third deleted tweet.
ProPublica, a journalism watchdog group, captured the tweets and flagged the deletions immediately, thanks to an automated search engine that tracks changes to Trump's social media accounts.
Last Friday during a rally in support of Strange, the president conceded that he 'might have made a mistake' in giving 'Big Luther' his endorsement.
'If Luther doesnt win theyre not going to say we picked up 25 points in a short period of time,' he added.
'If his opponent wins, Im going to be here campaigning like hell for him.'
A pair of liberal advocacy groups have argued that Trump may be breaking federal law by deleted his tweets, including those that he corrects later because of typos or misspellings.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the National Security Archive filed a lawsuit in June, saying that deleting social media posts violates the Presidential Records Act.
That law requires presidential communications to be permanently archived by the government.
Moore won the primary election by 9 percentage points despite Trump's endorsement of his opponent
Luther Strange lost big and will vacate the Senate seat that he was handed after Jeff Sessions became attorney general
Despite Tuesday night's deletions, Trump's Twitter account still hosts at least a half-dozen messages supporting Strange.
A week ago, the president tweeted that he was 'looking forward to Friday night in the Great State of Alabama. I am supporting "Big" Luther Strange because he was so loyal & helpful to me!'
The day after his barn-burner rally, he tweeted: 'It was great being with Luther Strange last night in Alabama. What great people, what a crowd! Vote Luther on Tuesday.'
A British newspaper executive who confessed to killing his wife with a hammer during a fight in their home in Dubai, is facing the death penalty.
Francis Matthew, 61, had initially claimed his 62-year-old wife Jane had been attacked by burglars, but later admitted to have caused her death during an argument over their financial worries.
Matthew, editor-at-large of English language newspaper Gulf News, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to a premeditated murder charge.
Francis Matthew, left, editor-at-large of the Gulf News in Dubai, 'admitted killing his wife Jane (right) with a hammer', according to police in Dubai
On July 4, Dubai police said they were called to Matthew's three-bedroom villa in Dubai's Jumeirah neighborhood.
There, they say they found his wife of over 30 years dead and the editor told them robbers broke into the home and killed her.
During a later interrogation, however, police say Matthew told them his wife had grown angry with him because they were in debt and needed to move.
Matthew said he got angry when his wife called him 'a loser' and told him 'you should provide financially', according to police.
Matthew told police his wife pushed him during the argument.
Mrs Matthew was described as a 'lovely woman' who was 'always polite and friendly'
Dubai police said in a statement Matthew, pictured, initially claimed his wife was 'attacked by burglars'
He then got a hammer, followed her into the bedroom and struck her twice in the head, killing her, according to a police report.
The next morning, Matthew tried to make it look like the house had been robbed and later went to work like nothing had happened, throwing the hammer in a nearby tip, police said
Matthew wore white prison-style clothes to a brief hearing in a Dubai courtroom on Wednesday.
He looked thin and sombre while entering his plea, saying: 'Not guilty.'
Matthew, pictured, and his wife married in 1985 and have a son called John, who is believed to have travelled to Dubai yesterday to see his father
After the hearing, Matthew's lawyer Ali al-Shamsi said they are looking to get a minimum sentence for his client.
'There is a mistake in the autopsy report,' Mr al-Shamsi said, without elaborating.
News of the killing shocked staff at the influential English-language daily newspaper, where Matthew has worked for 22 years.
The couple were well-known members of Dubai's large British expat community.
Matthew was a part of the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club while his London-born wife taught at an English language school.
They had lived in the country for 30 years and were based in Jumeirah, a wealthy suburb on the coast.
They married in Chippenham, Wiltshire, in 1985.
It is understood their son John travelled to Dubai to try to visit his father in custody at Bur Dubai Police Station yesterday.
Nirmala Janssen, who helped launch a newspaper called Xpress with Matthew three years ago, told the Mail: 'Francis was amazingly devoted to his family, especially his son who recently left university.
'He was over the moon for him. They were going to go off and see him graduate this week.
'They were an extremely devoted couple I have no idea what happened. Everybody is speculating.
'Jane was a lovely woman. She was always nice, always very polite, and friendly. And Francis is a man who is loved by everybody.'
The couple had lived in Dubai, pictured, for 30 years and Matthew has worked for the English language paper for 22 years
Abdul Hamid Ahmed, the editor-in-chief of the Gulf News, said: 'We are shocked and saddened at this tragedy. Francis was editor of the paper from 1995 to 2005.
'He is a well-respected journalist, known for his keen insight into the Middle East.
'Both Francis and Jane have played a very active role in the British expatriate community over the past 30 years.'
Former Gulf News reporter Abhishek Bhaya said: 'On those rare days when he was in the newsroom, he always came across as a likeable and very humble person.
'It came as a total shock to hear that he's being suspected of his wife's death. It is unbelievable.'
Matthew was educated at 38,000-a-year Winchester College in Hampshire.
He wrote on professional networking website LinkedIn: 'I majored in sciences with biology, chemistry and maths A-levels, supported by a fourth A-level in history of art that woke me up to the wider world of the mind.'
He graduated from Exeter University in 1979 with a degree in Arabic and Islamic studies and worked at The Economist before travelling to the Gulf in 1990.
The EU has announced it is working on a new plan to take in 50,000 refugees from Africa.
The European Commission says it has set aside 500million euros to find homes for refugees mostly from Libya, Egypt, Niger, Sudan, Chad and Ethiopia.
It also wants to encourage private sponsorship schemes to help migrants avoid people smugglers and come to Europe legally.
The EU has announced it is working on a new plan to take in 50,000 refugees from Africa
The EU Commission said it 'is recommending to bring at least 50,000 of the most vulnerable persons in need of international protection to Europe over the next two years.'
It added: 'This is part of the Commission's efforts to for those who risk their lives at the hands of criminal smuggling networks.
'The new scheme will be in place until October 2019 and will build on the current successful resettlement schemes which are now coming to an end.'
A two-year programme which finishes on Wednesday relocated 29,000 asylum seekers out of a planned 160,000 as nations such as Hungary and Slovakia refused to co-operate. Britain is not involved in the scheme.
EU promises to return more migrants home While housing asylum seekers, the EU wants to return home those not deemed worthy of a asylum. In 2014-15 the bloc returned only 36 per cent. The Commission proposes to step up return efforts 'on all fronts'. It said: 'The efforts will be significantly reinforced within the European Border and Coast Guard to ensure the Agency can implement a truly proactive return management approach and drive and coordinate the EU-wide management of returns.' Advertisement
Commission Vice-President Federica Mogherini said the policy 'is about managing one of the most complex, structural phenomena of our times, not a temporary emergency. '
The EU said it would simultaneously increase efforts to send illegal migrants who are not granted asylum home.
The Commission said: 'The efforts will be significantly reinforced within the European Border and Coast Guard to ensure the Agency can implement a truly proactive return management approach and drive and coordinate the EU-wide management of returns.'
The move is part of the EU's effort to cope with hundreds of thousands of refugees and unauthorized migrants who have tried to enter Europe in recent years.
Earlier this month the EU's highest court upheld Brussels' right to force member states to take in asylum seekers, dismissing complaints by Slovakia and Hungary about EU migration policy.
In the latest twist to a dispute that broke out two years ago when more than one million migrants poured across the Mediterranean, the European Court of Justice found the EU was entitled to order national governments to take in quotas of mainly Syrian refugees relocated from Italy and Greece.
The programme set up by the executive European Commission was approved by majority vote of member states in the face of opposition from formerly communist countries in the east who said their societies could not absorb mainly Muslim immigrants.
A migrant walks past the slogans which reads 'Refugees Welcome' written on a wall near the former Jungle in Calais, France
The Luxembourg-based court ruled: 'The court dismisses the actions brought by Slovakia and Hungary against the provisional mechanism for the mandatory relocation of asylum seekers,' adding it rejected the complaints 'in their entirety'.
'The mechanism actually contributes to enabling Greece and Italy to deal with the impact of the 2015 migration crisis and is proportionate.'
The immigration scheme provided relocation of up to 120,000 people, but only about 25,000 have so far been moved.
A further programme for resettling people directly from outside the EU has also struggled to hit targets for taking in asylum-seekers.
Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos tweeted: 'Time to work in unity and implement solidarity in full.'
The Commission's chief spokesman, however, denied a report that the executive would propose a new round of 40,000 relocations.
It is unclear how far Brussels many try to force eastern states to take refugees, many of whom themselves are reluctant to settle in the poorer, ex-Soviet bloc.
However, countries like Germany and Italy which are housing large numbers have said the easterners are jeopardising western-funded EU subsidies if they go on refusing, adding to deep strains in the bloc as it deals with Britain's imminent exit and a still limping economy.
Slovakias Economy Minister Peter Ziga told reporters: 'The quota system does not work, so the court decision is, perhaps, irrelevant at the moment.'
Scores of migrants wait to be registered to be taken to refugee centre in France last year in the aftermath of an influx of asylum seekers fleeing war in the Middle East and Africa in 2015
He said a new mechanism was needed though the problem was not as grave as arrivals had declined.
'I think the European Commission will find a way to solve this problem,' Ziga added.
Eastern leaders say the bloc should control its borders better to crack down on illegal immigration -- something Brussels says it has succeeded in doing in the past two years.
The EU has taken in more than 1.7million people from the Middle East and Africa since 2014.
But, after a mass influx in 2015, numbers have gone down steadily following actions last year that all but closed the route from Turkey to Greece and from Greece to the Balkans and northern Europe.
The EU has also increased support for Libya to curb arrivals in Italy.
The eastern EU states say they can send equipment and border guards to the bloc's external frontiers in solidarity.
Hungary and Poland have refused to host a single person under the 2015 sharing scheme, while Slovakia and the Czech Republic have each taken in only a dozen or so.
Western EU states, including Germany, which took in the vast majority of the people who made it into the bloc and which will holds a parliamentary election on September 24, say the easterners cannot be exempted from showing solidarity.
While the EU has sought in vain to come up with a compromise, the court ruling may just force Brussels' hand.
It is a delicate balancing act as putting such a thorny issue to a vote, and possibly passing a migration reform despite opposition from several states, would cause even more bad blood.
'If we push it through above their heads, they will use it in their anti-EU propaganda at home,' another EU diplomat said of Poland and Hungary, where the nationalist-minded governments are embroiled in disputes with Brussels over democratic rules.
'But the arrivals are low, we have it more or less under control, so we have to get back to the solidarity mechanism.'
Ryanair could face legal action after announcing it will scrap 18,000 more flights on 34 routes until March 2018 - having already seen 2,000 flights grounded.
The airline has said it will remove 25 of its 400 planes from November this year, a move they claim will prevent further flight cancellations.
Now it has emerged the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is launching 'enforcement action' against Ryanair for failing to give customers accurate information about their rights following the wave of flight cancellations.
Ryanair has announced it will scrap 18,000 more flights on 34 routes until March 2018 - having already axed more than 2,000 routes. Now the airline faces legal action for lying to its passengers (airline boss Michael O'Leary, pictured)
While Ryanair have said all affected passengers will be offered vouchers of 40 one way or 80 return which will allow them to book a flight on an alternative Ryanair service between October and March 2018.
The firm has been forced into the cancellations after miscalculating pilot leave.
Taking more flights out of service means Ryanair will be able to 'roster all of the extra pilot leave necessary' in October, November and December, the budget airline said.
As a result, 34 routes are suspended for the winter season from November to March 2018. This could affect some 400,000 customers who have already booked flights.
It includes routes such as London Stansted to Edinburgh and Glasgow, Gatwick to Belfast, Newcastle to Faro, and Glasgow to Las Palmas.
These are the 34 flight routes that will be scrapped until March 2018 following today's announcement by Ryanair. It includes routes such as London Stansted to Edinburgh and Glasgow, Gatwick to Belfast, Newcastle to Faro, and Glasgow to Las Palmas
The budget airline will also operate ten fewer aircraft from April 2018.
The flight cancellations has so far cost the airline around 25 million Euros (21m).
The Civil Aviation Authority is now launching the 'enforcement action' against Ryanair for failing to give customers accurate information about their rights after the cancellations.
The regulator has asked for a meeting with the airline as part of a consultation that will last at least seven days and could take legal action for breaching consumer protection laws 'if necessary'.
The CAA sent a letter to the low-cost carrier explaining its decision.
Ryanair has announced it will scrap 18,000 more flights on 34 routes until March 2018
It said the company falsely claimed it did not have to re-route passenger on other airlines, particularly when there are no other services available.
The regulator added that Ryanair also stopped short of providing details on its obligations to refund additional expenses incurred by passengers as a result of cancellations and re-routing.
Those expenses include meals, hotels and transfer costs, the CAA explained.
It failed to correct that information through a public statement despite CAA requests to do so earlier this month.
The regulator said it was concerned Ryanair was breaching consumer protection laws by withholding that information.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is launching 'enforcement action' against Ryanair for failing to give customers accurate information about their rights following a wave of flight cancellations.
CAA chief executive Andrew Haines said: 'There are clear laws in place which are intended to assist passengers in the event of a cancellation, helping minimise both the frustration and inconvenience caused by circumstances completely out of their control.
'We have made this crystal clear to Ryanair, who are well aware of their legal obligations, which includes how and when they should reroute passengers, along with the level of information it provides its passengers.
'The information Ryanair published today again fails to makes this clear.
'In expediting our enforcement action, we are seeking to ensure that Ryanair's customers will receive the correct and necessary information, to make an informed choice about an alternative flight.'
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: 'We are in correspondence with the CAA and have addressed their concerns'
Meanwhile, upset passengers have contacted MailOnline about the sudden cancellations and their subsequent customer service experiences.
The regulator has asked for a meeting with the airline as part of a consultation that will last at least seven days and could take legal action for breaching consumer protection laws 'if necessary'
Matthew Hall, 30, a sales manager from the North East had his birthday trip with his wife to Gdansk in Poland cancelled today.
Due to fly from Newcastle, Mr Hall hit out at the uncompensated expenses incurred following the cancellation.
He said: 'We planned our trip, booked hotels, arranged child care and even airport parking. But then an email arrived today telling us unfortunately they've had to cancel our flights both ways.
'We were told to either book the same route on an alternative day - which is impossible because they've cancelled the whole route until March - or claim a refund.
'What they did highlight though is that because they've given more than 14 days notice they're not going to give us any compensation - because they don't have to.'
Explaining how he had lost faith in the company, he added: 'We've been left in the lurch, our whole trip has been ruined now - it's infuriating.'
Adding: 'I've looked at alternative routes but they're also with Ryanair. I don't want to book something, look forward to it and then have it cancelled - I've pretty much lost faith in Ryanair.'
It said the company falsely claimed it did not have to re-route passenger on other airlines, particularly when there are no other services available
Another, who had her trip cancelled also said she's lost faith in the company.
Explaining that Ryanair had offered her four 80 vouchers as an apology for cancelling her trip to Berlin, Sophie Reuben, a 24-year-old office manager from Essex said she did not plan on using them because she doubted the flights would even go ahead.
'They sent me four 80 vouchers which I don't plan to spend because I'll just be worrying again about whether it's been cancelled - I've 100% lost faith in the airline.'
In a statement Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said: 'We sincerely apologise to those customers who have been affected by last week's flight cancellations, or these sensible schedule changes announced today.
'From today, there will be no more rostering related flight cancellations this winter or in summer 2018.
Airline boss and billionaire Michael O'Leary has apologised to outraged passengers
'Slower growth this winter will create lots of spare aircraft and crews which will allow us to manage the exceptional volumes of annual leave we committed to delivering in the nine months to December 2017. We will start a new 12 month leave period on the 1st of Jan 2018 in full compliance with EU regulations and the IAA's requirements.'
The firm also said that it has scrapped plans to bid for bankrupt Italian airline Alitalia in order to 'focus on repairing this rostering problem this winter'.
Hannah Maundrell, editor-in-chief of money.co.uk, said the latest flight cancellations were frustrating for customers.
'It's so disappointing for Ryanair passengers whose flights have been cancelled, even with more notice this time it's still seriously frustrating. Ryanair are still in a mess here, but you shouldn't be left out of pocket,' she said.
Sophie Reuben found out her Christmas gift trip to Berlin was cancelled when her boyfriend's mother received an email entitled 'Dear Customer' informing the group they could no longer travel
'If your flight has been cancelled, ask for a refund. You should get your money back within seven days or given an alternative flight. This should also apply to connecting flights you miss as a result, as long as they were booked together.'
Alex Neill, Managing Director of Which? Home and Product Services, said: 'This situation is a complete and utter shambles that now extends to up to nearly three quarters of a million people.
'The news means that for some of its passengers Ryanair has effectively cancelled Christmas.
'On top of leaving the travel plans of many in tatters, offering a 40 voucher will be cold comfort for passengers that can't book the flight they need.'
Ryanair 40 voucher apology for cancellations Ryanair is offering 315,000 customers a 40 or 40 travel voucher for each one-way trip or 80 Euro return cancelled because of its pilot shortage crisis. The vouchers must be redeemed by the end of next month, with flights to be taken by 20 March. However they can only be used during off-peak times, with the Christmas holidays and Easter not covered by the vouchers. Festive services between December 20 and January 7 are excluded. Infants are also not eligible, according to Sky News. Advertisement
Ryanair had already canned 2,100 flights in the six weeks to the end of October, as it struggled with landing planes on time, reportedly mainly owing to a shortage of pilots.
Last week Mr O'Leary launched an extraordinary attack on his own pilots, claiming they did not have a difficult job.
He also scoffed at complaints from short haul pilots they are suffering from fatigue because of a packed working schedule suggesting this must be due to their activities outside of work.
Admitting he had been a 'clown' and made a 'major boo boo' over the cancelled flights crisis which affected 315,000 passengers and left some stranded for up to nine days, Mr O'Leary also accused some pilots of being 'precious about themselves' and 'full of their own self-importance'.
But despite previously claiming that an exodus of disgruntled pilots had nothing to do with its shock decision to cancel more than 2,000 flights scheduled before the end of October, Mr O'Leary revealed the firm aimed to recruit 120 new pilots within 'the next week or two.'
The budget airline has agreed to pay for alternative flights or offer refunds to more than 300,000 affected customers, and should under European law meet the accommodation and food costs of those stranded abroad.
But people who have had to cancel their holidays before they have even begun have complained they cannot get their money back for non-refundable hotel bookings or car hire.
FULL LIST OF CANCELLED FLIGHTS 1. Bucharest Palermo 2. Chania Athens 3. Chania Pafos 4. Chania Thessaloniki 5. Cologne Berlin (SXF) 6. Edinburgh Szczecin 7. Glasgow Las Palmas 8. Hamburg Edinburgh 9. Hamburg Katowice 10. Hamburg Oslo (TRF) 11. Hamburg Thessaloniki 12. Hamburg Venice (TSF) 13. London (LGW) Belfast 14. London (STN) Edinburgh 15. London (STN) Glasgow 16. Newcastle Faro 17. Newcastle Gdansk 18. Sofia Castellon 19. Sofia Memmingen 20. Sofia Pisa 21. Sofia Stockholm (NYO) 22. Sofia Venice (TSF) 23. Thessaloniki Bratislava 24. Thessaloniki Paris BVA 25. Thessaloniki Warsaw (WMI) 26. Trapani Baden Baden 27. Trapani Frankfurt (HHN) 28. Trapani Genoa 29. Trapani Krakow 30. Trapani Parma 31. Trapani Rome FIU 32. Trapani Trieste 33. Wroclaw Warsaw 34. Gdansk Warsaw Advertisement
Real Housewives of Orange County star Kelly Dodd said she wants a divorce from her husband of 11 years after it was revealed that the police were called to her home six times over the course of three days, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
Dodd's relationship with her husband Michael Dodd has been rocky over the past several years, with Dodd initially filing for divorce in 2012 before the two rekindled their love and were on seemingly good terms again.
However, a bombshell report revealed that the couple were once again on the outs and in a last-ditch attempt, they entered couple's therapy.
But it seems that even professional help couldn't save their marriage, as Dodd admitted she sees no hope in their future and said she wants to proceed with their divorce.
Kelly Dodd, a star on the Real Housewives of Orange County, said she wants to divorce her husband of 11 years, Michael Dodd (pictured together in June 2016). She initially filed for divorce in 2012 and wants to file a motion to proceed with it, she told DailyMail.com
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, she said: 'Our marriage is over, I'm out of there! We've have problems for years and I've had enough, I'm done with our marriage.
'It's just a case where two people can't get along. It's best if we went our separate ways and concentrate on our daughter.'
Dodd is currently in Munich, Germany, with a girlfriend to celebrate Octoberfest and is saddened that her 11-year marriage with Michael is ending but believes it's for the best.
'She added: 'We aren't good together, maybe we'll better to each other when we are divorced and are friends.
'But right now we are both miserable and it's not good for either one of us, let alone our daughter.'
Dodd hasn't been shy about sharing details with viewers of RHOC of her tumultuous marriage to Michael over the past two seasons.
A bombshell report revealed that the couple were once again on bad terms, with six police visits to their home in Newport Beach, California in July. The two reportedly entered couple's therapy to help with their problems
Dodd is currently in Munich, Germany with a girlfriend to celebrate Octoberfest and is saddened that her 11-year marriage with Michael is ending but believes it's for the best
'Over the past several years we've had our ups and downs, and lately it's been mostly downs,' said Dodd.
The news of their divorce comes after it was reported the police were called to the Dodd's Newport Beach, California, home this past July, six times in three days and 11 times overall in 2017.
She added: 'I filed for divorce against Michael in 2012 and we never had any resolution the case is just sitting there. So I'm going to ask my attorney to file a motion so I can get a bifurcated divorce.'
'I want out of my marriage as soon as possible. We can figure out the financials of our divorce down the road,' said Dodd.
Dodd joined RHOC in season 11 and, according to the show's website, has a 'penchant for gossip and drinking champagne.'
A Latina from Arizona, Bravo states she found the time this year time to go 'under the knife, undergoing vaginal rejuvenation and a breast reduction.'
An Australian woman will give birth to her first child without the support of her partner after the Immigration Department denied a visa to her British boyfriend.
Gold Coast resident Zoey Madden, 35, is five months pregnant with partner Alex Musson, after the pair met last year.
Mr Musson travelled to New Zealand to lodge a temporary visa earlier this month but had his application rejected on Friday.
It may take up to 18 months for his partner visa to be processed, leaving Ms Madden alone entering the final trimester of her pregnancy.
'When we got the refusal letter last Friday we were just absolutely devastated. Alex was just crying, he was a shattered man,' Ms Madden told Nine.
He is devastated because his child is going to be born and he won't be here.'
Gold Coast resident Zoey Madden (pictured right), 35, is five months pregnant with partner Alex Musson (left), after the pair met last year.
Ms Madden, who is a registered nurse, and Mr Musson, who owns a Gold Coast cleaning and pest control company, met last year and discovered they were pregnant in May
Ms Madden, who is a registered nurse, and Mr Musson, who owns a Gold Coast cleaning and pest control company, met last year and discovered they were pregnant in May.
The British citizen originally came to Australia in 2010 on a tourist visa, before applying for a partner visa after entering a relationship with an Australian woman. The application was withdrawn when they broke up in 2014.
He has been living in Australia on sponsored and bridging visas since, and flew to New Zealand in early September to apply overseas for another tourist visa.
'We just don't understand how this can happen. We are both working. Both paying taxes,' Ms Madden said.
'Alex owns his own business and he employs an Australian citizen, he has contractors that work for him as well.'
Mr Musson penned an emotional plea to the Immigration Department asking for them to grant the visa on compassionate grounds, saying without him being present his pregnant partner would have to rely on government funding.
'This will now cause my partner unnecessary stress which may have effects on our unborn child,' he wrote.
Ms Madden and Mr Musson are able to lodge an appeal to the ruling, but it will cost them $1,700. They say they have already spent more than $50,000 on visa and legal costs
However, the pair were formally notified of the failed application on Friday because they were not satisfied he would be remaining in Australia on a temporary basis.
'I have considered the circumstances including that applicant's partner is pregnant, but I am not satisfied that the genuine temporary stay requirement is met,' the letter from the Immigration Department reads.
Ms Madden and Mr Musson are able to lodge an appeal to the ruling, but it will cost them $1,700. They say they have already spent more than $50,000 on visa and legal costs.
The mother-to-be has created a petition to garner support and ask on Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to intervene and allow her partner to be there during her final months of pregnancy and the birth of their child.
The petition already has nearly 2,500 signatures.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Immigration Department for comment.
Australian tourists were woken up in the middle of the night and evacuated from their hotels in Bali over fears a huge volcano could erupt.
Mount Agung has been smoking for almost a week and could explode in a matter of hours after Indonesian authorities put it on the highest alert level.
But despite more than 80,000 people fleeing their homes within 12km of the volcano, Bali's tourism office insists the island is still safe for tourists.
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Australian tourists were woken up in the middle of the night and evacuated from their hotels in Bali over fears Mount Agung (pictured) could erupt at any momen
Monique Correia had to flee, saying: 'The lady from my hotel has just told us to all pack our stuff and evacuate and drive back to Kuta now.'
Pemerintah Provinsi Bali, Indonesia's national disaster agency, urged holidaymakers to 'continue visiting Bali' in a letter claiming it was 'business as usual'.
'Bali tourism is safe. Do not spread the misleading news that Bali is not safe because Mount Agung is on the highest alert status. Please, come and visit Bali,' it read.
The letter said Agung was 70km away from tourist hotspot Kuta and 32km from Ubud, and 300 buses were on standby to get holidaymakers to ferries off the island if flights were cancelled.
Rory Eastick, a tourist from Newcastle in Bali for a wedding, said he was woken up at 11.30pm by his Indonesian brother-in-law and told to evacuate his hotel immediately.
Rory Eastick, a tourist from Newcastle in Bali for a wedding, said he was woken up at 11.30pm and told to evacuate his hotel immediately
Mr Eastick with his Indonesian brother-in-law, who woke him up to an empty hotel, at the wedding in the remote village of Munti Gunung the previous day
'It was quite a worrying moment because it was at that time we realised everyone in our hotel had already left,' he told News Corp.
'Family staying in another hotel were kicked out and made to find their own way to safety.'
Mr Eastick was staying in the diving town of Tulamben, less than 10km from Agung, after the wedding in the remote village of Munti Gunung.
His friends and family shared their own tales of being forced out of their accommodation and fleeing to towns farther away.
'Got back to our hotel in Tulamben and it was evacuated, no one there at all,' Asher Boekeman wrote on Facebook.
Asher Boekeman came back to her hotel to find it abandoned and had to flee elsewhere
The Perth woman said her group found this note on the door of the hotel telling them a room was booked for them at a sister hotel
The Perth woman said her group found a note on the door of the hotel telling them a room was booked for them at a sister hotel.
'Dear guests, because of the increased activity on the volcano we had to move to our Amed branch,' it read.
'Passed lots of bikes with all of their bags and bird cages. Seems like lots of people have up and left,' Ms Boekeman said after returning to Kuta.
Mr Eastick replied: 'Yeah we went through Tulamben just before and it was a ghost town, so weird.'
Another friend, Monique Correia, said: 'The lady from my hotel has just told us to all pack our stuff and evacuate and drive back to Kuta now.'
Bali's tourism office insists the island is safe for tourists, urging holidaymakers to 'continue visiting Bali' in a letter claiming it was 'business as usual'
The smoking Mount Agung from Mr Eastick's hotel less than 10km away
Scientists said there were 1,000 tremours around Agung in a single day and if they continue it could erupt in a matter of hours.
Airlines flying from Australia to Denpasar, including Jetstar and Virgin Australia, are taking on excess jet fuel in Darwin on the way in case the volcano erupts.
It has been smoking for almost a week since a 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck of the neighbourng island of Java last Thursday.
More than 50,000 Australian tourists are on the idyllic holiday island for their school holidays, but authorities insist the destination is safe.
A man in China has reportedly built a private lift that connects his fifth floor home to the ground because he is tired of walking stairs.
A glass-built lift can be seen attached to the side of a residential building with one exit on the ground and one on the fifth floor.
Local urban planning bureau stated the construction had violated the rules and regulations of occupying public space.
A unique lift was spotted in south-west China that only stop at the fifth floor outside a building
It's believed the house owner living on the fifth floor built the glass lift to avoid taking stairs
According to a video posted by Sina, reporter went to the residential building in Tongliang district, Chongqing, and attempted to find the lift owner.
But there was no one at home on the fifth floor.
Mr Xiong, who claimed to be the the owner's father-in-law, spoke to the reporter in the video: 'He started to build the lift last year. It (the house) is too high, and he lives on the top floor.'
Mr Xiong also explained that his son-in-law felt tired walking up the stairs.
The house owner's father-in-law said the construction started about a year ago
But he was unaware that the lift had not passed any legal rights or safety regulations
Local Urban Planning Bureau said to find the owner and handle the matter according to laws
The lift was built in a glass cover and goes up from the ground floor straight to the fifth floor at the side of the building.
The lift reaches Mr Xiong's son-in-law's house directly, according to the report.
But, Mr Xiong seemed to have confusion over the legal permission of building a lift.
Tongliang Urban Planning Bureau inspected the lift and confirmed that the house owner had not obtained the rights before commencing the construction.
The lift that built on the external wall of the residential building was considered as illegal.
Zhou Yunxu, an officer from the bureau, said the department will try to reach the owner and handle the matter according to certain laws and regulations.
French prosecutors have ruled that an 11-year-old girl 'consented' to sexual relations with a 28-year-old man as she did not verbally and physically protest.
The young girl had been lured to the man's home in the Paris suburb of Montmagny in April this year, where he sexually assaulted her.
However, prosecutors said they could not justify charging the man with rape as there was no 'violence, constraint, threat or surprise'.
Victim: The 11-year-old girl was reportedly paralyzed with fear during the sexual assault, which prosecutors rule makes it impossible for them to charge the 28-year-old man with rape
Instead, the 28-year-old has only been charged with sexual abuse of a minor, The Local reports.
The girls' family insists she was raped and say she had been 'paralysed with fear' throughout her ordeal.
'She thought it was too late, that she didn't have the right to protest, that it wouldn't make any difference, so she went into auto pilot, without emotion and without reaction,' the mother told a French news website according to The Local.
The decision not to prosecute the man for rape has caused outrage in France, with experts telling the media that 'submitting is not consenting'.
The 11-year-old girl had been lured to the 28-year-old man's home in the Paris suburb of Montmagny in April this year, where he sexually assaulted her
Children's rights group have called for the legal system to introduce laws similar to those in the UK to protect children from predators.
In the UK, intentional penetration of any orifice involving a child under 13 is classed as rape, as it is deemed that those aged 12 and under are not legally able to give consent to any form of sexual activity.
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides specific legal protection for children aged 12 and under. There is a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for rape, assault by penetration, and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Levi Lyda, 33, is accused of beating his daughter's kitten to death last month
A father from Missouri has been charged with felony child abuse after he allegedly tortured and killed his daughter's kitten.
Levi Lyda, 33, admitted to being drunk and said that he wanted to relieve his family of the burden of caring for the kitten.
Lyda is accused of beating his daughter's kitten to death last month while he was at his ex-wife's house in the town of St. Charles.
'It was filed as a misdemeanor on the front-end,' said St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar to Fox 2 News. 'We just refiled it as a felony because our evidence indicates Mr. Lyda tortured or mutilated the animal while it was still alive.'
The dead kitten was found in the back yard by Lyda's wife who found out what had happened
Blood was found in the house and the kitten was found dead in the back yard.
He allegedly told his wife 'I got rid of the cat' just before she found the body.
Lyda explained his behavior saying he had been drinking heavily at the time having consumed a a six-pack of beer and a half-bottle of vodka.
He claims to not remember having killed the kitten because of his drunkenness.
'Anytime you have animal or children or other sort of victims who don't have a choice, it hits you in a different way. This is a terribly sad situation because it was so preventable,'St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar, pictured, said
He explained to authorities how after the family cat gave birth to a litter of kittens, caring for them became a burden for the family.
'It appears the animal had broken bones, had a broken leg. There are pretty clear indications of blunt force trauma to the head,' Lohmar said.
'Anytime you have animal or children or other sort of victims who don't have a choice, it hits you in a different way. This is a terribly sad situation because it was so preventable.'
Lyda now faces between two to four years in prison if convicted.
A 59-year-old nurse was killed outside a New Jersey hospital after an out-of-control SUV smashed into a nearby bus stop.
Police said Luisa Valdez was standing at the River Road bus stop near Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen when the SUV jumped the curb and struck her around 6.30am on Wednesday.
The hit-and-run driver appeared to have been driving alone when he fled the scene, leaving Valdez, who worked at the Harborage Nursing Home, to die.
Nurse Luisa Valdez, 59, was killed outside a New Jersey hospital after an out-of-control SUV (pictured) smashed into a nearby bus stop
Police said Valdez was standing at the River Road bus stop near Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center (pictured) in North Bergen when the SUV jumped the curb and struck her around 6.30am on Wednesday
First responders said Valdez was pronounced dead at the scene. Her co-worker, Angel Miranda, told NBC New York that 'Luisa was a beautiful person'.
'She got along with everyone. We were good friends,' Miranda added.
According to Valdez's co-workers, she had just gotten off the bus to head to work but paused for a few minutes at the bust stop to have a cigarette.
Valdez is a grandmother who has worked as a nursing assistant at Harborage for 25 years, according to NBC.
She is from North Bergen but had recently moved to Bayonne.
Police said the driver is believed to be a 6-foot-4 male.
K9 units and other local authorities are searching for the man, who did not own the black Hyundai SUV. Police noted that the car was not reported stolen as of 9am Wednesday morning.
No other injuries were reported and it's believed that Valdez was the only person at the bus stop at the time.
The hit-and-run driver appeared to have been driving alone when he fled the scene, leaving Valdez, who worked at the Harborage Nursing Home, to die. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police (pictured)
A young New Jersey mother has been found beaten to death inside a friends home she was looking after over the weekend, with the victims five-year-old son and another boy present.
The Gloucester County Prosecutors Office and the Woodbury City Police Department are investigating the death of 26-year-old Shawneeq Carter, of Camden, whose body was discovered at around 7.30pm on Saturday inside a house on Hopkins Street in Woodbury.
Shawneeq had been house-sitting for a friend who lived at the home, and who was not in the Woodbury area when Shawneeq was found murdered.
Murdered: Shawneeq Carter, a 26-year-old mom from New Jersey, was discovered beaten to death by her 5-year-old son (pictured right) inside the home she had been looking after
Crime scene: The gruesome find was made inside this house on Hopkins Street in Woodbury, New Jersey, on Saturday evening
An autopsy conducted by the Gloucester County Medical Examiners Office determined the cause of Shawneeqs death was blunt force trauma and the manner of death was homicide.
The woman's cousin, Pastor Derrick Parks, told NBC10 Shawneeq's five-year-old son and another young relative were inside the house on Hopkins Street at the time of her brutal murder.
Sean Carter, Shawneeqs father, revealed to 6ABC that his grandson and the other boy were asleep and did not hear anything as his daughter was being beaten to death.
The five-year-old later found his mothers lifeless body lying on the floor, and was so traumatized and scared to leave her side that he waited until the next day to call for help, according to Mr Carter.
Shawneeq (left and right) lived in Camden but traveled to Woodbury to house-sit for a friend
Beaten to death: An autopsy determined the cause of Shawneeqs death was blunt force trauma
According to Mr Carter, the only thing that was taken from Shawneeq was her cellphone.
Police have been reluctant to share details about the circumstances of the homicide. It is not clear if there were signs of forced entry at the house, or whether Shawneeq was targeted.
There has been an outpouring of support on social media for Shawneeq and her son from relatives and friends, who remembered her as a great mom with a vibrant personality.
As of Wednesday morning, police have made no arrests in the house-sitters killing, and no suspects have been identified.
A disabled man was awarded $2million by the Syracuse Common Council on Monday after officers used a taser and dragged him off a city bus in 2013.
Brad Hulett, 39, was riding a Centro bus on May 3, 2013, in Syracuse when two officers, Sgt. William Galvin Jr. and Officer William Coleman, ordered him off the bus because he wouldn't sit down.
Brad had a back injury in 2006, which made it difficult for him to sit down on buses.
In the video, the then 35 year-old repeatedly asked for a reason for his removal but instead of providing a response, Sgt. Galvin used a taser on Brad and proceeded to drag him off the bus with the help of Officer Coleman.
Sgt. Galvin can be heard saying, 'You want it again? You want it again,' in the video.
An internal affairs investigation was launched over the incident but it was overseen by Capt. Thomas Galvin - the uncle of Sgt. Galvin who used the taser on Brad, according to Syracuse.com.
Brad's allegations of excessive force were unfounded by the Syracuse Police Department and Capt. Galvin signed off on the investigator, Sgt. David Brown's conclusion.
A photo Brad Hulett, 39, from 2013. The disabled man was tased by police on a city bus in May 2013 and was awarded $2million by the Syracuse Common Council on Monday as a result of the incident
Brad suffered a broken hip during the incident and needed to have surgery.
Rick Guy, Brad's lawyer, argued that the police department Syracuse created an environment where excessive force was rarely punished, according to Syracuse.com.
Michael Lyman, an expert hired by Rick to review the case, also said that it was an 'obvious conflict of interest that should've been addressed immediately by Police Chief Frank Fowler'.
An image from the video taken on the Centro bus in May 2013. In the video, Brad asked why he had to get off the bus bus instead of providing him with an answer, an officer used a taser on him
The case was set to go to trial October 30 but the city law department settled at $2million in September.
Brad's lawyer initially made a settlement offer of $6.75million.
'My client was never particularly interested in a monetary settlement as much as he was interested in making sure this doesn't happen to anybody else,' Rick told Syracuse. com.
'That said, it allows him to have several thousands of dollars a month for life to take care of the needs brought upon him by the brutality of the police officers and the covering up of the bad acts of the officers by the police department.'
Another still from the video. Brad suffered a broken hip after he was dragged off the bus by police
When Brad was 12, he was hit by two trains in Salina, New York, and doctors had to remove a portion of his brain to save his life.
He was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct because the police report said Brad was told he was under arrest but the charges have been dropped.
But in the video, neither officer told him that he was under arrest.
This is the second multi-million dollar settlement the Syracuse has offered this year to someone injured by a police officer.
Thomas Frechette received $2.25million in May after an officer hit him in 2015 while he was riding his bike.
He suffered 15 broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a concussion and spent three weeks in the hospital recovering.
Brussels is demanding Britain pay up to 10billion into the Eurocrats pension fund, it was claimed today.
The huge bill, which EU negotiators want as part of the divorce settlement, is being challenged by the British team.
Theresa May used her Florence speech to signal Britain would keep its commitments to the current EU budget, planned out to 2020, meaning payments of up to 40billion.
But pension liabilities for eurocrats will last for decades.
Brexit Secretary David Davis (pictured left with Michel Barnier in Brussels on Monday) is said to be resisting EU demands for contributions to pension funds
European Union accounts, seen by The Times before their publication tomorrow, reveal that the cost of pensions liabilities for EU officials rose by 5.4 per cent last year to 67.2 billion (59 billion).
The figure has more than doubled in the past decade.
The new accounts show that the total budget liabilities of which Britain is expected to pay its share when leaving the EU have risen by 3.8 per cent, to 234.8 billion last year from 226.1 billion in 2015.
The issue is likely to be discussed during the fourth round of Brexit negotiations in Brussels this week.
Brexit Secretary David Davis is meeting the president of the European parliament as the fourth round of withdrawal negotiations draws to a close.
Antonio Tajani has an influential role as the parliament must ratify any exit deal hammered out between the EU and UK.
Theresa May (pictured leaving No 10 today) used her Florence speech to signal Britain would keep its commitments to the current EU budget, planned out to 2020, meaning payments of up to 40billion
The meeting was described as a 'private' one by officials, and comes the day before the latest set of Brexit negotiations conclude in Brussels on Thursday.
The talks follow European Council president Donald Tusk's insistence that not enough progress had been made on separation issues like citizens' rights and the Irish border to allow a move towards trade negotiations.
However, Mr Tusk said he was more optimistic about the situation since Prime Minister Theresa May's speech in Florence in which she outlined the UK's route to Brexit.
Mr Tusk said there was a more 'realistic' attitude in London now and the UK had accepted it could not have its Brexit 'cake and eat it'.
An unsettling video has emerged of protesters playing the sound of explosions while shouting 'Allahu Akbar' to rouse crowds in east London on Tuesday night.
Witnesses said that men wearing Islamic dress gathered in Seven Kings near Ilford at 7.45pm.
Two men repeatedly shouted Allahu Akbar into a microphone while playing gunshot sounds at volume on a speaker.
A witness, who asked not to be named said: 'I was alarmed, I didn't know what was going on. When someone shouts Allahu Akbar while playing gunshot sounds on a speaker it is deliberately trying to alarm.
'There was a lot of commotion with a big group shouting and cheering whenever the men got closer with the speaker.'
Allahu Akbar translates from Arabic as 'God is the greatest.' The phrase has earned an unfortunate association with terrorism because extremists have been heard shouting it during recent attacks.
'I have no idea what they were doing, but it was clearly some kind of protest,' the witness said.
A bus driver stopped and asked them to move but the crowd refused and turned the speaker up to drown out the bus driver's requests, the witness said.
'I was alarmed at first but you come to expect things like that, it's become common place in east London.
'People say that they do not condone the loss of life but some believe that attacks like London Bridge are somewhat justified because of our foreign policy, like the war in Iraq.'
The Met Police said they were unaware of the incident.
Chris Webster wore the uniforms at events he attended to collect donations for Shoeboxes For Our Heroes (SFOH) - but one belonged to an ex-serviceman friend, and another was bought from eBay
A 'Walter Mitty' fantasist who ran an organisation that sent thousands of parcels to British servicemen in war zones has been fined 500 for unlawfully wearing military uniforms.
Chris Webster wore the gear at events he attended while collecting donations for Shoeboxes For Our Heroes (SFOH) - but neither was actually his.
One belonged to an ex-serviceman friend and another was bought online from eBay.
Webster has never served in the forces and failed his basic training in 1993.
Derby Magistrates' Court was told that the 43-year-old had worn military dress at events between January 1 and August 4 this year when raising money for SFOH, which Webster had established to send boxes filled with luxuries to troops abroad.
Sam Matkin, prosecuting, said that Webster had been told that he was committing an offence but 'wore the uniform to show respect'.
Makhan Shoker, defending, said: 'He was not wearing a full uniform, he wasn't wearing any medals. He wore it simply to indicate that he was involved. He did not have an ulterior motive and the moment he realised he was not entitled to wear it, he stopped.'
Webster, of Chaddesden, Derby, admitted wearing military uniform without the permission of the Queen - an offence which carries a fine of up to 1,000 under the 1894 Uniforms Act.
District Judge Jonathan Taaffe gave Webster a 500 fine and told him: 'I have a very uneasy feeling about your activities and about the way this organisation has been set up.
Sam Matkin, prosecuting, said that Webster, who has never served in the forces and failed his basic training in 1993, had been told that he was committing an offence but 'wore the uniform to show respect'. But Makhan Shoker, defending, said: 'He was not wearing a full uniform, he wasn't wearing any medals. He wore it simply to indicate that he was involved. He did not have an ulterior motive and the moment he realised he was not entitled to wear it, he stopped'
'The wearing of the military regalia is, in my view, designed for one purpose and one purpose only and that is to make people think that there is a connection to yourself and the organisation to give it a legitimate face.'
As well as the fine, Webster was also ordered to pay 85 in costs and a 50 victim surcharge.
Speaking after the hearing, Webster said: 'If I've upset a lot of people then I do regret that, but the thing I don't regret is supporting the armed forces.'
He added Shoeboxes for Heroes was 'dead' and 'finished'.
Jim Wilde, from Sandbag Times, an internet radio station for veterans and their families, was at the hearing, along with relatives of servicemen and women.
He said: 'Five hundred pounds and the odds and sods on the end of it won't bother him - he'll walk out smiling.
'We don't know how many Walter Mittys are about, but some of them can impress themselves on vulnerable people, and that worries me.'
Earlier this month married dad-of-two Webster was accused of using his role as chief executive of SFOH, which he set up in 2011, to secretly pester women for sex.
He was forced to apologise, claiming his actions were driven 'by a compulsive sexual addiction'.
Jim Wilde, from Sandbag Times, an internet radio station for veterans and their families, was at the hearing, along with relatives of servicemen and women. He said: 'Five hundred pounds and the odds and sods on the end of it won't bother him - he'll walk out smiling.' Pictured: Webster raising cash outside a supermarket
In a statement, Webster said he was 'deeply sorry' for his conduct.
He added: 'I am ashamed to admit that I did engage in sexual chat, send unsolicited, inappropriate and explicit pictures and videos of myself to a number of ladies, all of whom were above the age of consent.
'I fully accept that my historic conduct in relation to me sending unsolicited sexual messages, 'sexting' and sending explicit pictures of myself to some 14 females over a period of time (often when they were at low points emotionally and emotionally vulnerable).
'I am truly sorry for the hurt, harm, pain and shame I caused each of these ladies and my own wife who has been impacted by this old conduct.
'My conduct was driven by a compulsive sexual addiction, which I am now receiving treatment for by means of therapy and attending a 12-step group.'
A spokesman for The Charity Commission said concerns had been raised regarding SFOH, which he said wasn't a registered charity with the commission.
He added: 'We are currently assessing these concerns to determine what, if any, regulatory action is required.'
A 50-year-old Asian elephant in El Paso Zoo in Texas has been successfully treated with electrochemotherapy twice.
Doctors found a malignant mass in the right side of Juno's chest in January.
The first treatment was administered in March and the second on September 22.
This is only the second recorded case of a cancerous mass in an elephant, according to the zoo. Juno's specific type of cancer had never previously been recorded.
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Juno is a 50-year-old elephant living at the El Paso Zoo in Texas. Doctors discovered a malignant mass in her chest in January
Juno received her first successful treatment in March, and her second on September 22. She is doing well and is expected to survive
In humans, one of the biggest fears with cancer is its tendency to spread, or metastasize.
However, El Paso Zoo Director Steve Marshall told Fox News that elephants are built in a way that allows the body to corral tumors and keep them from spreading.
'It does not take on the characteristics of a tumor that's going to spread throughout her body, but it was growing in size,' said Marshall.
The zoo decided to treat Juno because the tumor was causing her discomfort as it grew.
One of the members of Juno's treatment team, Dr. Joseph Impellizeri described the cancer in a statement on the zoo's website in March after the first treatment was administered.
'This is an extremely large tumor, the largest I've ever treated,' he said.
Juno is an Asian elephant who was born in the wild in 1967 and grew up in a circus. She came to the El Paso Zoo April of 2002
Juno is pictured with the zoo's other Asian elephant named Savannah, who was born in 1952
Zoo Director Steve Marshall, pictured, said elephants are built in a way that allows the body to corral tumors and keep them from spreading, but they treated Juno because of discomfort
Electrochemotherapy was chosen as the best course of action because it allows for multiple treatments, unlike invasive surgery.
'We broke the tumor down into four quadrants and treated each quadrant with the electrochemotherapy,' Dr. Impellizeri said. 'If you break it down into quadrants, you can treat it like four or five smaller tumors.'
The electrochemotherapy treatment uses a chemotherapy drug that is infused into the tumor before an electric pulse draws the chemotherapy directly into the cancer cells.
Juno was put under anesthesia for an hour and a half for the treatment but is now alert and walking.
Dr. Impellizeri said that the treatment is 'on the cutting edge'.
'This type of treatment on large, exotic animals isn't getting done anywhere else not even Europe. It's incredible,' he said.
The treatment was featured on a segment of National Geographic's Animal ER in August.
Two veterinarians from the zoo and the zoo's staff joined Dr. Impellizeri on the treatment team.
Treating the tumor and giving an accurate prognosis is a challenge for the zoo. There is no record of a malignant mammary gland tumor in all of veterinary literature, and cancer of any kind is extremely rare in elephants, according to the zoo.
As a result, the zoo can't predict how the cancer will progress and using ultrasounds and x-rays to determine if the cancer is spreading isn't possible because of Juno's size.
'When a human is diagnosed with cancer, treatment decisions are based on the results gathered from very specific test results and a long history of thousands of cases and outcomes,' Dr. Victoria Milne said in a statement after the cancer was found in January.
'For elephants, none of that information exists. So, while the mass looks malignant on a microscopic level, there is no way to be sure what will happen next and there is no previous treatment experience to guide us.'
However, the zoo expects Juno to survive.
Juno is pictured doing well after her second electrochemotherapy treatment on September 22
If a man does not work, neither shall he eat, wrote the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. But what if your vocation demands that you own nothing and spend much of your time in contemplation of ethereal mysteries?
In time, even religious orders intended to live as mendicants (beggars) allowed some system of ownership. Occasionally, without any profit motive, monasteries acquired not insignificant fortunes. Some also engaged in enterprise offering products they created on the open market.
In the context of Christian religious orders we find this striking fact: a person cannot completely remove himself from commerce, even for the most devout religious reasons, writes Lindsey Wilbur in a new essay for Religion & Liberty Transatlantic.
Wilbur, a former intern at the Acton Institute who works with the institutes Rome office, Istituto Acton, traces this fascinating history from the mendicant orders (e.g., the Dominicans) to the modern day in her essay, titled Even monks have to eat: Enterprise meets the vow of poverty. The monks need for food, water, and shelter had unexpected results:
This has led to monasteries accumulating wealth and engaging in commerce to support themselves and (more importantly from their point of view) to fund their outreach to the poor. In his annual Acton University lecture titled Markets and Monasticism, Dylan Pahman provides research that demonstrates the wide variety of commerce and wealth accumulation among Eastern Orthodox monks while tea, beer, and religious articles are just a few examples of products made for purchase by Roman Catholic communities. Our Sunday Visitor describes purchasing such products as way to partake in the fruit of monks and nuns labors. This exchange helps all parties involved. Through commerce, Pahman says, monasteries found that they need the world and the world needs them, too.
Wilbur also describes a religious community, known to her, in which the superior has empowered individual members to manage money for themselves.
The results proved transformative. Upon adapting this system, one member of the community noticed that she was more efficient with her spending since she could forecast upcoming expenses, and that she had greater awareness of how much money she spent. [The new system] brought with it empowerment and privacy We grew as a community, observed one member. [M]aking decisions together connected the women on yet another personal level. Since each member had a voice, they came to value the unique voices of each other member, an expression of each persons inalienable value and worth. These developments shed light on how respect for human dignity drives the human tendency toward liberty and vice-versa.
Her fascinating overview and case study show that even those least motivated by greed thrive and flourish thanks to enterprise. Commerce not only supplied their earthly needs but helped advance their monastic vocation, deepening their bonds of divine charity.
You can read her full essay here.
(Photo credit: Public domain.)
A newlywed has been shot dead in a violent home invasion while his husband was tied up in the closet.
Theo Moore, 48, had just come back from walking his dog in Stone Mountain, Georgia when two men forced their way into his home on Monday.
Moore's husband told police the two men tied him up and threw him in the closet after they demanded money, Channel 2 Action News reports.
Theo Moore, 48, had just come back from walking his dog in Stone Mountain, Georgia when two men forced their way into his home (above) and shot him dead
He stayed there as the gunmen shot and killed Moore.
The gunmen then spent about 90 minutes ransacking their home.
They were caught on surveillance cameras stealing a television and fleeing in Moore's car.
'They took a lot of time in the home,' Stone Mountain Police Sgt. Manuel Norrington said. 'They stayed there for some time, which is not normal.'
Moore had only installed the surveillance cameras two weeks ago after an earlier break in attempt.
Police are now using the footage to track down his killers.
Moore and his husband had only been married two months.
A car park in Wales has harboured an unusual secret for almost four decades.
Beneath its tarmacked floor is a nuclear bunker, built during the height of the Cold War for the people of Carmarthen to escape.
With a toilet, a working phone and dozens of maps, the builders hoped the underground structure would save residents and council officials in the event of an attack.
Extraordinary pictures show how even today - nearly forty years on - the bunker and its contents remains perfectly intact.
A car park in Wales has harboured an unusual secret for almost four decades
With a toilet, a working phone and dozens of maps, the builders hoped the underground structure would save residents and council officials in the event of an attack
Extraordinary pictures show how even today - nearly forty years on - the bunker's bathroom remains perfectly intact
To the untrained eye, the oblong metal grid in the centre of the car park could be a drain or a vent for underground.
But locals in the know are all-to aware of what lies beneath - a three room bunker complete with an electric generator, a huge map on the wall and a telephone.
Alun Lenny, the mayor of Carmarthen, was one of the final people to be allowed into the bunker. It is now blocked off.
He said: 'There are three rooms, a generator, a map on the wall, and a telephone,' said Mr Lenny. 'It looks like an RAF control room from the Second World War.'
Working as a journalist for the BBC at the time, he said the town was swarmed with 7,000 campaigners in 1986 who formed a human chain in protest of the planned construction.
It came after the then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was encouraging local authorities to build nuclear shelters with the promise of a grant to cover the majority of the cost.
At the time the US was planning to install cruise missile bases in the UK which was met with opposition from anti-nuclear protesters.
Mr Lenny remembers: 'It was a very tense time, politically. There were instruction videos of what to do in the event of a nuclear war - take off one of your doors, lean it up against a wall and barricade yourself. They also told you to stock up on baked beans.
To the untrained eye, the oblong metal grid in the centre of the car park looks innocuous
But locals in the know are all-to aware of what lies beneath - a three room bunker complete with an electric generator, a huge map on the wall and a telephone
Alun Lenny, the mayor of Carmarthen, was one of the final people to be allowed into the bunker. Despite growing tensions between the US and North Korea, he said he doesn't believe the bunker would offer much safety in the event of a nuclear war
He added: 'Despite most people being against it, the council decided to go ahead and build the bunker and it backfired horribly.
'It, and Carmarthen, became a focus for anti-nuclear protests. I was here on a bank holiday weekend in 1986 when thousands of people took part in a CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) protest.
'I was on the top floor of the Ivy Bush with two other newsmen from the BBC, all taking turns to keep lookout at what was happening down below.
'It was an amazing scene. Thousands of people formed a human chain down Spilman Street, down Castle Hill, along Station Road and up The Parade. The bunker was surrounded.'
The cost of the project and controversy meant the bunker turned into a source of embarrassment for the council. It now remains under the now-disbanded Carmarthenshire council's car park in Spilman Street.
Despite growing tensions between North Korea and the US, Mr Lenny said he didn't believe the bunker would offer much of a safe place in the event of a third world war.
He said: 'It's not operational, and I don't see how it would have been operational back in the 1980s. It was tokenism. It was ludicrous.
'If there ever is a nuclear war, that's it. I don't see how jumping into a hole in a Carmarthen car park is going to save your life.'
This is the incredible moment a family hit by Hurricane Maria was rescued by a helicopter after they painted the word 'HELP' on their roof.
The crew of the US Customs and Border helicopter provided medical aid to three people who signaled for assistance in Puerto Rico on Sunday.
The crew landed the Black Hawk helicopter on a mountain top and then trekked down a road that had been swept away by the landslide to reach the home.
This is the incredible moment a family hit by Hurricane Maria was rescued by a helicopter after they painted the word 'HELP' on their roof
The video shows an aerial view of the roof with 'HELP' painted on it, and crew stepping over fallen trees and underbrush before arriving and tending to the family.
Maria struck Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane last Wednesday, with winds up to 155 miles (249 km) per hour, leveling structures across the island and killing at least 16 people.
Puerto Rico's governor has called for a greater federal response to Maria as desperate tourists and locals crowd the airport in the hope of getting a seat out of the hurricane ravaged island.
Governor Ricardo Rossello begged the White House and Department of Defense to fast-track disaster relief funds after the category four hurricane wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico last week, leaving millions without cell service and electricity.
The crew of the US Customs and Border helicopter provided medical aid to three people who signaled for assistance in Puerto Rico on Sunday
The crew landed the Black Hawk helicopter on a mountain top and then trekked down a road that had been swept away by the landslide to reach the home
Rossello warned of a looming 'humanitarian crisis' and said residents could potentially flood the US mainland if the island couldn't recover quickly from the devastating hurricane.
'We need more resources from the Department of Defense so we can get helicopters and resources,' Rossello told Politico.
'My fear is we're going to have some side effects that are devastating both for Puerto Rico and the United States. Mainly massive migration that would deteriorate our [economic] base here in Puerto Rico and would provoke significant demographic shifting in other areas of the United States.'
His plea for help comes as hundreds of stranded tourists and Puerto Ricans filled the sweltering halls of San Juan International Airport on Monday anxious for a seat on one of the few flights out.
President Trump proclaimed Wednesday that 'Facebook was always anti-Trump,' suggesting the social media giant is in cahoots with the mainstream media to taint his brand.
'Facebook was always anti-Trump. The Networks were always anti-Trump hence, Fake News @nytimes(apologized) & @WaPo were anti-Trump. Collusion?' Trump wrote, following that up a boast that, 'the people were Pro-Trump!'
'Virtually no President has accomplished what we have accomplished in the first 9 months-and economy roaring,' the president added.
Trump's media grumblings come at the same time Facebook has been scrutinized for selling ads last year to the Russians, with a new Politico report saying those ads boosted Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Hillary Clinton's primary opponent, and Jill Stein, the Green Party's spoiler, along with Trump.
President Trump clashed with Facebook Wednesday morning, as the social media company turns over Russian-linked ads to Congressional investigators this week
President Trump blasted Facebook Wednesday morning, suggesting the social media platform was 'anti-Trump.' His tweets come as Facebook has handed over Russian-linked ads to investigators, some of which promoted Trump, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein
Politico reported that some of the Russian-linked Facebook ads promoted Jill Stein (left), who may have siphoned some votes from Democrat Hillary Clinton, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (right), who ran against Clinton in the primary
The Stein ad was purchased at the end of the general election cycle.
'Choose peace and vote for Jill Stein,' it read, according to Politico's source. 'Trust me. It's not a wasted vote. ... The only way to take our country back is to stop voting for the corporations and banks that own us. #GrowaSpineVoteJill Stein.'
Trump's margin of victory was smaller than the votes Stein received in two key states during last year's presidential election.
In Michigan, Trump beat Clinton by 10,704 votes, while Stein received 51,463 votes, according to The Hill newspaper, which pulled tallies off the state voting websites.
Additionally, in Wisconsin, Trump earned 22,177 over Clinton, while Stein got 31,006 votes.
It's unclear how many voters saw the Facebook ads, of which the company found that about 3,000 were likely bought by accounts and pages operated out of Russia.
However, they only represented about 1 percent of all election-themed ads on the social media site, costing the supposed Russians about $150,000.
While some of the ads were riddled with mistakes, Politico's source said, the fact that they were more nuanced than just pick-Trump-over-Clinton shows an amount of sophistication too.
Facebook had previously noted that the ads didn't specifically reference the presidential election, but instead 'appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum touching on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights.'
Facebook pointed to that statement, written by Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos and released on September 6, when Politico asked for comment about the pro-Stein and pro-Sanders ads.
Last week, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg agreed to hand copies of the ads over to Congressional investigators on Capitol Hill.
Zuckerberg also noted that his team had briefed Special Counsel Robert Mueller, how heading the federal probe once helmed by fired FBI Director James Comey.
The Senate Intelligence Committee's top Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., told CNN this week that the 'million-dollar question' is how the Russians knew to target these ads.
'Did they know this just by following political news in America?' he mused. 'Did they geo-target both geographically and by demographics in ways that at least at first blush appear pretty sophisticated?'
'These are the kind of questions that we need to get answered and that's why we need them in a public hearing,' Warner urged.
The Virginia Democrat also noted that it's 'too early to tell,' whether any Trump campaign officials were connected to the ads.
The committee's chair, Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., said there's 'no evidence yet' of collusion between the Russians and the Trump campaign.
'The social media platforms look to be a tool that were utilized by a foreign power to impact the 2016 elections,' Burr told CNN. 'Is there collusion? None that anybody can see.'
Saudi Arabia is finally set to allow women to drive cars, the last country in the world to do so.
The online backlash and social media mockery soon followed, with many pointing out Saudi Arabia's terrible human rights record and centuries-long oppression of women.
While women in Saudi Arabia will be able to get behind the wheel from June 2018, they are still not allowed to marry, divorce, open a bank account, or get a job without permission from a male relative or husband.
Finally: Saudi Arabia will become the last country in the world to allow women to drive cars, and social media mockery soon followed, highlighting their continued oppression of women
This was just one of the few facts seized upon by wannabe Twitter comedians (and real ones), as they poked fun at Saudi Arabia.
Being gay is still punishable by death, and as pointed out by Hollywood actor Rob Schneider: 'Great news, if you're gay you can now drive to your own stoning!'
As David Burge put it: 'I agree it's an encouraging sign, but banning women from driving ranks about 8,349th on Saudi Arabia's list of human rights violations'.
Rafia Zakaria said: 'As long as the rights of millions of Muslim women remain subject to the whims of male monarchs: driving around is at best fake freedom.'
Greta Van Susteren tweeted: ' Before you give high 5 to Saudi Arabia for allowing women to drive, note that women have to get PERMISSION from men to take driving lessons.'
Seeing the funny side: Many, including actor Rob Schnider, poked fun at Saudi Arabia
The jokes came hard and fast at the kingdom's 'royal decree' to allow women to drive, while still oppressing them in a myriad of ways
User '7ala Adbullah' addressed the torrent of jokes about women drivers saying: 'To all the men making the jokes about women driving, I remind you: Saudi has one of the highest car accident rates, and only men drive'.
Once they get their licences, the women were advised by 'Genderlog' to leave the country, tweeting: 'Saudi Arabia has now lifted the ban on women driving. Get in your cars, ladies and drive. Keep driving until you've left the country'.
Unimpressed with the royal decree, Gabriella Paiella said: 'Call me when you can't get executed for sorcery.'
Will Black was more to the point: 'Far-right misogynistic fiefdom Saudi Arabia # is letting women drive. Now if it will just stop the torture, head chopping and funding Daesh'.
Fight for freedom: The Twitter account of jailed blogger Raid Badawi - run by his wife - commented that he had been jailed working for this to be reality
CNN's Jake tapper also joined in and commented in surprise that it had taken so long for the country to allow women drivers
And Harry Leslie Smith said: '#Saudi Arabia when crucifixion is still part if your penal code letting women drive is just like getting a new awning for the gates of hell.'
There was also a backlash against the 'Saudi misogynists' clerics, who over the years had taken to the airwaves to say why women should not be allowed to drive, with one claiming they only have a 'quarter of the brainpower of men' and another saying driving damages women's reproductive organs because 'her pelvis bounces on her ovaries'.
No lies: Others highlighted the fact that Saudi Arabia still violates human rights daily
'Spicy fatwa' said: 'Now that saudi women can drive, can we hear back from that one sheikh who said driving will damage ovaries and lead to birth defects'.
In Saudi Arabia, women still cannot have any interaction a man who she is not related to without permission from a male guardian, and have no rights in custody battles when the children reach a certain age.
But, despite everything, some are hopeful the royal decree to allow women to drive from June 2018 might be the start of something.
Manal Al-Sharif was jailed in 2011 for making a video of her driving herself around and posting it on youtube where it got 700,000 views in a day.
Yesterday she tweeted: 'You want a statement here is one: 'Saudi Arabia will never be the same again. The rain begins with a single drop'.
A psychiatrist has testified that an Oklahoma man charged in the beheading of a co-worker was insane at the time of the attack.
Alton Nolen is on trial for first-degree murder and five counts of assault in the September 25, 2014, attack at Vaughan Foods in Moore that killed 54-year-old Colleen Hufforde.
He's also accused of trying to kill another co-worker, Traci Johnson, by stabbing her with a kitchen knife. The 43-year-old woman survived.
A psychiatrist has testified that an Oklahoma man Alton Nolen (pictured) charged in the beheading of a co-worker was insane at the time of the attack
Alton Nolen is charged with Colleen Hufford's murder and has asked for the death penalty. The judge has declined to accept his plea
Psychologist Jeanne Russell testified Tuesday for the defense that the 33-year-old Nolen was mentally ill at the time and is getting sicker.
Prosecutors contend Nolen knew right from wrong and are seeking the death penalty.
Before the brutal attack, Nolen had started trying to convert his fellow employees to Islam, according to police.
Attorneys say the trial could come to an end Wednesday with jury deliberations possibly beginning on Thursday.
Investigators said Nolen had just been suspended from his job when he attacked Hufford in the company's administrative office.
Nolen has repeatedly tried to plead guilty and has asked to be executed, but Cleveland County District Judge Lori Walkley has declined to accept his guilty plea.
Nolen repeatedly tried to plead guilty and asked to be executed, but Cleveland County District Judge Lori Walkley has declined to accept his guilty plea. The trial should end this week
A man from New Jersey drowned after saving the a woman whose own life was in danger, as she swam in the sea off the New Jersey coast.
Glen Carullo, 60, from Waldwick, had dashed into the surf on Sunday afternoon after an unsuspecting swimmer got caught up in dangerous rip currents that churn off the beaches.
But after helping the woman back to shore, he found himself overcome, and struggling to catch his breath he was overcome and collapsed onto the sands.
Glen Carullo, 60, of Waldwick, holds up an Elmo doll he won on the Point Pleasant boardwalk. Carullo died on Sunday after he was pulled out of the ocean off Jenkinson's beach
Carullo ran into the water to save the life of another woman but was overcome and suffered a heart attack and collapsed
The surf on Sunday was exceptionally rough and the absence of life guards along the beach meant that Carullo was on his own until other beachgoers saw that he was in trouble.
Witnesses who saw the drama unfold say he was a true hero as he selflessly pounded into the ocean to help a stranger back to shore
Carullo's brother, Jesse, told DailyMail.com in an email what he knew of the afternoon's tragedy: 'My brother was standing at the edge of the water not even touching he toes in it. Then a women near by fell into the water and the undertow started to take her away.
'My brother and a another man saw that she was in trouble and so both of them went in to help her at which point my brother got hit with a wave and undertow and fell down.
'The undertow was so strong before the other man was able to turn and see where he was - he was taken out so far were the waves consumed him and he was unable to get back to safety.'
'This man was not being a reckless rule-breaker,' Cori Jarczynski, who was at the beach when the incident happened, told NJ Advance Media, 'He was truly a hero who saved a woman's life and lost his, being selfless!'
'This man went into the water to save another woman who got pulled out by the current. This man gave his life to save a complete stranger. He died a hero,' said another beach-goers, Ashley Renna on Facebook.
Other beach-goers tried to rescue Carullo and a person with a boogie board went into the sea to pull him out.
Carullo was eventually helped out of the water by police officers and other bystanders.
Glen Carullo, pictured with his wife Margaret ran a flower shop together in New Jersey
An off-duty Jersey City police officer then began giving CPR to Carullo before he was rushed to Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township. An hour later he was dead.
Glen Carullo and his wife Margaret who have three children ran a flower shop in the town of Waldwick and was due to retire next year.
'He was honest, fair, a hard worker and he loved his family,' his brother Jesse Carullo said in a post on Facebook. 'Family was first, and everything was second. He was well-known in the town where we grew up.
'He loved his family. I mean, he was a big family man. His children did come first. Great husband, and for the first time around, he was going to be a grandfather in March.'
A teenager who had a heart attack in a restaurant was saved by a stranger who had just taken a CPR course.
Robert Brown III was eating at Country Cabin Restaurant in Sterling Heights, Michigan, on August 26 when he fell to the floor while having a cardiac arrest.
Susan Pendygraft phoned an ambulance before rushing over and starting CPR, which kept the 15-year-old alive until paramedics arrived.
Scroll down for video.
Robert Brown III, left, was eating at Country Cabin Restaurant in Sterling Heights, Michigan, on August 26 when he fell to the floor while having a cardiac arrest and Susan Pendygraft, right, rushed over to help
The Bank of America worker took a first aid course in July, she told WXYZ.
Brown has been fitted with a pacemaker after being diagnosed with the same heart defect as his mother, who died when he was younger.
The teenager claims he saw her while he fell unconscious.
'She came and brought me back to life and I am happy,' he said. 'I always have a smile on my face.'
Polish bishops are urging a million Catholics to pray along the nation's 2,000-mile border next week.
The Rosary Prayer Around Poland is an annual event where Catholics pray for their nation.
It began after Catholic victory over the Ottomans in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, which 'saved Europe from Islamisation,' according to the prayer's organisers.
Polish bishops are urging a million Catholics to pray along the nation's 2,000-mile border next week. Pictured: Catholics wait for Pope Francis in Poland last year
Faithful cheer Pope Francis in front of the Jasna Gora shrine in Czestochowa, Poland
Organisers wrote on their website: 'Rosary is a powerful weapon in the fight against evil, so strong that it has not been able to change the course of history many times, and thousands of testimonies and documented miracles prove its extraordinary effectiveness.
'We believe that if the rosary is prayed by about a million Poles along the borders of the country, it may not only change the course of events, but open hearts of our compatriots to the grace of God.
'Powerful prayer of the Rosary can affect the fate of Poland, Europe, and even the whole world. Suffice it to say that Mary always directs the request for frequent prayer of the rosary, in almost every revelation.
'We invite everyone to the great prayer 'To the Border' of Poland, prayer to the limits of our possibilities, our fears, our desires. Beyond the limits of comfort, everyday life and our habits.'
The Polish bishops' conference has asked all Catholics to join the rosary prayer on 7 October even if they can't to make it to the border.
'Families may pray in their homes, sick in hospitals, and parish communities in their churches,' they said.
Defeating the Ottomans: The Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was fought on 7 October 1571. A fleet of the Holy League, of which the Venetian Empire and the Spanish Empire were the main powers, defeated a fleet of the Ottoman Empire in the Gulf of Patra. They clashed as the Ottoman forces were sailing westwards from their naval station in Lepanto. The victory marked a turning-point in Ottoman military expansion into the Mediterranean. Advertisement
Pope Francis waves from the Archbishops' Palace in Krakow, Poland
Backers of the 'Yes' vote in the same-sex marriage survey will now be calling people imploring them to vote in favour of legalisation.
The move comes in spite of the backlash caused by a mass text campaign sent out to millions of mobile phones over the weekend.
The effort to call thousands of voters and encourage them to vote yes is being backed by the country's unions, according to The Australian.
Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Ros McLennan said volunteers were making the calls and the costs were being covered by the Australian Marriage Equality campaign
Backers of the 'yes' vote in the same-sex marriage survey will now be calling people imploring them to vote in favour of legalisation
Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Ros McLennan said volunteers were making the calls and the costs were being covered by the Australian Marriage Equality campaign.
The Australian Equality Campaign sent a bulk text message to about 31 million random mobile phones in Australia on Saturday, with an estimated cost of about $4.65 million.
Millions of Australians received text messages instructing them to 'make history and vote YES for a fairer Australia'.
The Australian Equality Campaign sent a bulk text message to about 31 million random mobile phones in Australia on Saturday, with an estimated cost of about $4.65 million
A same-sex marriage supporter publicly declared she will be voting 'no' after receiving an 'invasive' text from the 'Yes' campaign.
Marta Hemming posted in the YES to Marriage Equality Facebook group saying the mass text message the campaign sent out a few days ago forced her to change who she supported in the postal vote.
'Well I was voting Yes until today but your unsolicited text message telling me what to do made me change my mind,' Ms Hemming wrote.
Today at Public Orthodoxy, I examine the recent claim of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew that
The human environment and the natural environment are deteriorating together, and this deterioration of the planet weighs upon the most vulnerable of its people. The impact of climate change affects, first and foremost, those who live in poverty in every corner of the globe.
This is true so far as it goes, but something is missing: the developing world, as the term indicates, is developing. While the hierarchs are both known for their ecological concerns, conspicuously absent from their environmental theology is any theology of civilization.
The best hope people in the developing world have, I argue, is development through industrialization and liberalization. Thats bad news for climate change, but good news for the poor, since we have a 200 year record that affirms its effectiveness, with the greatest improvements being in China and India two of the biggest CO2 producers in the last 40 years.
Of course, smog is not beautiful, and we should not be ambivalent toward the environment, but people cultivating Gods creation to serve the needs of others and advance human flourishing is beautiful. In short, civilization is beautiful. And the world deserves a better witness to that reality.
Read my whole essay, Whats Missing from the Pope and Patriarchs Statement on Climate Change, here.
Image credit: Reconstruccion del muelle del Arenal tras la riada de 1926 by Agustin Reche Mora. Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.
The nude model who caused a worldwide stir after a secret photoshoot inside one of Egypt's most ancient temples landed her in jail has now appeared naked among one of Africa's most colourful ethnic tribes.
Belgian nude model Marisa Papen, who describes herself as a 'free-spirited and wildhearted expressionist', became the centre of a worldwide controversy when she was sent to prison for a photoshoot in the temple complex of Karnak near the Egyptian city of Luxor.
Unperturbed, Papen has opened up on her African trip during which she walked naked among the members of an isolated Ethiopian tribe.
Marisa Papen among members of the Surma tribe in Ethiopia as part of her new collection
Papen walks completely nude behind a herd of cattle in the hills of Ethiopia where the Surma tribe calls home
A naked Papen poses on a rock with three members of the tribe who are all adorned in their traditional attire
Marisa Papen lies naked on the ground inside a hit as a tribeswoman adjusts rocks surrounding the dying embers of a fire
Papen said: 'They have their own customs and believes, their own beauty-standards, their own religion, living life in harmony with nature and the spirit world.
'You may say, they are totally different then we are. But to me they are, what we once were. In touch with nature, a part of nature, immensely grateful and respectful towards it.'
Papen travelled with with Australian photographer Jesse Walker to the isolated Omo Valley in south-western Ethiopia, where she lived for a week with the Surma tribe.
Papen said: 'What we claim to call beautiful in our Western world isn't quite the same how the Surma tribe pursues beauty.
'Both Surma men and woman pierce their ears, some woman stretch their lower lip with a plate.
'They scar their bodies by making little cuts repetitively.'
'Isn't it funny we invented all these creams, lasers and other treatments to get rid of ours.'
The Surma have a long history of body painting.
By using pulverised minerals they create drawings and patterns, something which Papen also tried out on her own body.
Papen said: 'Not only is it an expression of emotion and art, there's also a more practical reason behind it.
Papen walks away from the camera carrying something on her head
'Different colours are used for different rituals, to prevent illness, to attract the opposite sex or to relate to family members or certain animals.'
Papen explained that during the first day she did not take the camera out as she wanted first to mingle among the tribe and not to be perceived as a tourist.
She said: 'As intrigued as I was by their appearance, they were [also intrigued] by me. A month before this trip I decided to shave my head. I figured I'd look less like a stranger, having the same haircut as they do.
'It worked. Until they touched it. The different texture of my millimetred hair compared to theirs entertained them for a full hour, maybe even longer. At that exact moment their pure energy became truly palpable to me. I literally felt vibrations when some of them were rubbing my head. It was pure magic.'
Every day Papen says her admiration grew as she observed the cultural differences between the Surma and her world.
Papen said: 'One time I was resting in the shade of a sculptural tree and I was watching two men and a woman from a distance, they were just sitting in the grass, playing with some leaves and collecting some stones. I was trying to go back in my memory and imagine that same exact situation happening in our 'civilised' world - I couldn't.'
Walker, who had photographed Ethiopia's Omo Valley before, had arranged for a guide who speaks Amharic and Oromo, although the Surma have their own distinct vocabulary.
Papen said: 'I communicated with them through sign language and tried to mimic their sounds. It was actually not that hard to understand each other because life is so simple there.'
Another difference which Papen noted was how the Surma look at nudity in general.
Marisa Papen, the Belgian nude model, poses with her breasts and face decorated with a female member of the Surma tribe
Papen smokes using a traditional tribal pipe with the member of the Surma during her trip
Papen explained that the tribe members dress according to preference or the situation they are in.
If they are in big groups, they usually cover their genitals, but when they are washing or painting themselves everyone is naked.
Only if they go hunting or go for long hikes through forested areas do they wear a cape as a protective measure.
A female member of the Surma tribe in Ethiopia
Another remarkable difference, according to Papen, is how breastfeeding is seen by the Surma as something natural which can be done in the open, compared to the contradictions on social media and public places in the Western world.
And even though Papen said that only about once or twice a year do Western tourists visit the tribe, she thinks that globalisation might change some of their unique characteristics in the future.
Papen said: 'Sometimes tourists leave behind Western clothes, and because for them [the Surma] it is of course something exotic so they wear it with lots of pride.'
'Personally I found that a shame to see, but I fear there is no way back when it comes to this.'
Earlier this month, the nude model revealed she was forced to spend the night in an Egyptian prison cell after being caught during a photoshoot at a temple in Luxor.
Papen had again travelled with photographer Jesse Walker to North Africa for a shoot at some of the most famous landmarks of ancient Egypt.
Having bribed young men patrolling temples in Giza, she narrowly avoided trouble and was able to strip off and pose for photographs.
But when four Egyptian security guards spotted them in Luxor, both Papen and Walker were arrested and locked up.
Belgian nude model Marisa Papen, who describes herself as a 'free-spirited and wild-hearted expressionist', pictured here outside a temple in Egypt before she was arrested
The Belgian nude model pictured on the back of a horse with two pyramids peering over the sand in the distance. Having bribed young men patrolling temples in Giza, she narrowly avoided trouble and was able to strip off and pose for photographs
Papen said: 'The last two years I have walked wild and free in at least 50 countries. Rarely do I end up in precarious situations. Until April this year, in Egypt.'
The nude photo model, from the Flanders region of Belgium, met up in Cairo with photographer Walker who flew in all the way from Australia to do the shoot.
And even though the pair said they were aware of the cultural, political and religious differences between Egypt and the West when it comes to nudity, the adventure ended differently than they both expected.
Early in their trip during the first photoshoot near the famous pyramids of Giza, the two got into trouble.
They reportedly bribed a security guard to start the photoshoot when two other men showed up.
Papen said: 'I was suddenly completely awake, like a cold shower at 5am in the morning.
'We tried to explain them that we were making art with the highest respect for Egyptian culture, but they could not see a connection between nudity and art.
'In their eyes it was porn, or something like that.'
In the end, Papen and Walker managed to stay out of trouble by bribing them with 15.
After Giza, the two travelled to Luxor to visit the vast temple complex of Karnak to shoot pictures with the theme of 'dance', which is where their trip unraveled.
When Karnak turned out to be even more guarded than the pyramids at Giza, Papen and Walker had to think of another plan for their shoot.
They decided to hide in the complex just before closing time and to start with the photoshoot 'making pirouettes in Cleopatra's footprints' after all the other people had left.
Papen said: 'But you can guess what happened next. Busted, once again. And yes, this time we were in some serious trouble.'
Four security guards caught the two and brought them 'like two beaten dogs' to the local police.
The Belgian stands at the entrance of a temple in Egypt. Moments later, four security guards spotted them in Luxor, both Papen and her photographer Jesse Walker were arrested and locked up
Papen said: 'Without being able to share words, I made it clear to Jesse that he had to delete the images if he saw the tiniest opportunity.
'Otherwise we would be screwed, big time.'
The Egyptian police officers did not believe the two when they told them they were 'just testing the light' and 'did not take any pictures yet'.
The cops forced Walker to strip down to look for a second SD card, but could not find anything.
The duo were brought from one police station to the other and from court to a local cell and back.
Papen said: 'I knew that a prison in Egypt looks slightly different then in Belgium or any Westernised country but I had no idea what to expect before actually going in.
'The first cell we encountered was packed with at least 20 men, some were passed out on the floor, some were squeezing their hands through the rails, some were bleeding and yelling.
'I had never seen something like this before in real life. Jesse kept telling me, 'Marisa don't look' but there was no way not to look.'
After several hours in horrendous conditions in jail Papen and Walker were brought in front of a judge.
Papen said: 'We kept playing the role of stupid tourists who had no idea dancing in skin-coloured underwear - we had to change up the story a little bit because otherwise we probably would have never gotten out - on Egyptian ground it wasn't allowed.
'Our judge was browsing with his big thumbs through these books that looked as old as the pyramids did.
'Eventually, he gave us a warning and told us never to do something so foolishly shameful ever again. We nodded simultaneously.'
Back in their hotel room, Walker even managed to recover the deleted pictures off the SD card with special software.
Thanks to her quick-witted reaction during her arrest, Papen is now able to proudly share her amazing story and Walker's magnificent pictures of the nude Egyptian photoshoot.
Papen said: 'I do think we created something Cleopatra would have been proud of.'
Graduation is a day a students never forget, but one Melbourne man has another reason why his ceremony will live long in the memory.
La Trobe University student Adrian Cilmi proposed to his girlfriend of nine years during his graduation ceremony.
During his speech, which was captured on camera, Mr Cilmi said he wanted to thank 'the most important person' of his life, Rebecca.
The young graduate credited his girlfriend to the successfully obtaining his degree
The young graduate credited his girlfriend to the successfully obtaining his degree.
'She has unconditionally supported me throughout this journey and I feel this achievement is as much mine as it is hers,' Mr Cilmi said
The university graduate invited Rebecca on to the stage, explaining they had been in a relationship since they were 15-years-old.
'If I had a dollar for every time someone asked when I was going to propose, I'd probably wouldn't have a HECS debt,' Mr Cilmi said to the audience.
'My response to this question was always the same, I would like to propose once I have my degree.
'Now, what a more fitting occasion than the day I graduate from my degree.
'With that being said, there is only one more question left to ask.'
La Trobe University student Adrian Cilmi proposed to his girlfriend of nine years during his graduation ceremony (pictured)
'If I had a dollar for every time someone asked when I was going to propose, I'd probably wouldn't have a HECS debt,' Mr Cilmi said
Mr Cilmi then dropped to one knee, popping the question which his now fiance accepted.
Cheering broke out amoung the crowd which was relived by 57,000 people in six hours when the video was shared to La Trobe University's Facebook page.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted La Trobe University and Mr Cilmi for comment.
The brother a woman seen waving a sheet in a heartbreaking photo of the Grenfell Tower fire has made a complaint over the use of a police helicopter at the scene.
Nadia and Bassem Choucair were in their flat on the 22nd floor, along with their daughters Fatima, Zaynab and Mierna, aged three, ten and 13, and Nadia's elderly mother Sirria, from Lebanon.
Nadia's brother, Nabil Choucair, has now told how he listened to harrowing 999 calls made by the family as the flames moved up the building.
Relatives believe the woman in this harrowing photo of the Grenfell Tower fire is Nadia Choucair, who tragically died in the blaze along with her mother, husband and three children
Nadia's brother Nabil says he believes a police helicopter flying above the fire caused those trapped inside to go to the roof in the hope they would be airlifted away
Mr Choucair believes the presence of the police helicopter at the scene meant people on the top floors of the building thought they could be airlifted from the roof.
Experts have previously said that a helicopter would have been unable to land on top of the burning building due to the smoke and heat. The downdraft caused by the rotor blades could also have exacerbated the fire.
The police helicopter was used on the night of the fire to oversee the rescue effort and coordinate emergency services on the ground.
Mr Choucair maintains that his relatives were not told the helicopter was not there to rescue them and it led to a 'cruel and tortuous' hope they might be saved.
He has lodged a formal complaint with the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which has been referred to the Metropolitan Police.
Mr Choucair told Channel 4 News: 'The reason they were going up was when they heard the helicopter and when they saw it - they thought, great, it's a rescue helicopter and they're coming to rescue us, rather than going down when they should have been.'
Young sisters Mierna, 13, Fatima, three, and Zaynab Choucair, ten, are victims of the blaze
Mr Choucair has previously told of his belief that the woman in the fateful image of the fire is his sister Nadia.
The Metropolitan Police said: 'The Met is aware of a complaint that's been made and the details of this complaint are being considered.'
Police now believe that the death toll from the June 14 blaze may fall slightly from its estimate of around 80.
Last week, Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox said all of the children from a list of the missing compiled by police in the wake of the disaster had been formally identified.
A total of 60 inquests, not including Wednesday's, have been opened and adjourned so far. Police said 66 victims have been formally identified.
In addition, baby Logan Gomes who was stillborn in hospital on 14 June, has been recorded by police as a victim of the fire.
A former Texas high school teacher who is accused of having an improper relationship with a student allowed him to feel her breasts while they kissed behind a burger restaurant, police say.
Sara D'Spain was was taken into custody in Kerrville at 1.40pm on Thursday and charged with one count of improper relationship between educator and student.
The 38-year-old, who was fired from Tivy High School following her arrest, allegedly admitted to police officers that the relationship was 'inappropriate,' the Houston Chronicle reported.
D'Spain was booked into the Kerr County Jail on $35,000 bond, but has since been released.
According to her arrest affidavit, D'Spain told cops that she communicated with the student through Snapchat and often sent him photographs, the Chronicle reported.
Texas teacher Sara D'Spain, 38 (pictured in her mugshot, left), has been charged with having an improper relationship with a male student. D'Spain is pictured on the right with her husband
Police say she allegedly admitted to allowing the male student to feel her breasts and that they kissed. D'Spain was first suspended last week form Kerrville Tivy High School (file above) in Kerrville, Texas before the school district fired her
D'Spain admitted to meeting the student on September 10 behind a Culver's Restaurant in the town.
That's where they allegedly kissed and the student felt her breasts over her clothing, according to the affidavit.
On September 12, D'Spain's relationship with the student was disclosed when a different student showed school officials an 'explicit' Snapchat photo he received of her wearing a bra, the affidavit states.
D'Spain was then questioned about the photo and she insisted that she had only sent it to a former student who doesn't attend the school, police said. She also said she only stayed in contact with him after he had graduated.
D'Spain, who also reportedly complained on several social media platforms about her husband spending too much time away at work, does not face any charges in connection to that particular photo.
D'Spain has two daughters. She is certified to teach pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, and she is also a certified English as a Second Language teacher
The Kerrville Tivy High School teacher's arrest came as part of a broader ongoing investigation targeting two school district employees.
Last week, officials with the local school district announced that D'Sapin and another teacher, who has not been named, were placed on administrative leave, reported MySanAntonio.com.
D'Spain is certified to teach pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, and she is also a certified English as a Second Language teacher.
When reached for comment by phone on Friday, an officer with the Kerrville Police Department would only confirm to DailyMail.com that the victim in DSpains case was male and a minor.
Officer Juan Trevizo declined to share any further details about the investigation, such as the age of the victim.
Online records and social media posts suggest that DSpain is married and lives with her husband and their two daughters in Bandera, Texas.
If convicted, DSpain could face between two and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Police are hunting down a barefoot man suspected of ransacking a family's home during Hurricane Irma and making off with their pet bearded dragon.
The man allegedly broke into the house in Daytona Beach, Florida, on September 11 at 2am - the height of the deadly storm.
In the video released by Volusia County Sheriff's Office, he can be seen pulling up to the house and knocking on the door.
A police spokesman said: 'The video isn't great, but this is our suspect in a Sept. 11 burglary of a Daytona Beach-area residence that was evacuated during Hurricane Irma.
'Stolen in this case: Three flat-screen TVs, four gaming systems, a tablet, jewelry, and a fancy bearded dragon in his 10-gallon tank.
'This security camera captured some shots of the suspect knocking on the front door.'
The homeowner told News 6 he believes the man broke into the French door in back and ransacked the house.
Police are hunting down a barefoot man suspected of ransacking a family's home during Hurricane Irma and making off with their pet bearded dragon
The homeowner told News 6 he believes the man broke into the French door in back and ransacked the house
The homeowner said he's worried the pet hasn't been adequately fed and may be dying.
Hurricane Irma killed 72 people in Florida when it battered the southern state earlier this month.
The Florida Keys bore the brunt of Hurricane Irma, which struck as a Category Four storm with winds reaching over 130 miles (210 kilometers) per hour.
Irma also killed at least 40 people when it ripped through the Caribbean, bringing the total death toll to at least 112.
Jared Kushner registered to vote as a woman in 2009, it was revealed on Wednesday.
A White House aide told DailyMail.com he was 'trying to figure ... out' how the senior presidential advisor and husband to Ivanka Trump was listed that way in New York's voter records.
Those records also indicate that he voted on Election Day last year, meaning that he cast his ballot as a female.
Do I look female to you? Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is registered to vote in New York as a woman
This item from the commercially available Nexis public records database shows the gaffe
Wired magazine reported on the paperwork quirk, based on opposition research from the liberal advocacy group American Bridge.
'Kushner can't even fill out the most basic paperwork without screwing it up, so it's a mystery why anyone thinks he's somehow going to bring peace to the Middle East,' the group's spokesman Brad Bainum said in a statement.
'Would anyone but the president's son-in-law still have a West Wing job after repeated disclosure errors and a botched a security clearance form?'
That jab referred to Kushner's repeated updates of his security clearance application.
Initially when he filed it with the Secret Service, the form omitted records of all his foreign contacts a key disclosure used to determine if an applicant is a national security risk.
He later claimed that an assistant had accidentally filed the report electronically before it was completed.
It also misstated the dates of his graduate degrees, Wired reported, and omitted President Trump's address.
Kushner ultimately submitted a supplemental form, acknowledging that his original filing was incomplete.
You did WHAT? The voter records were uncovered by a liberal opposition-research group and passed to a reporter
All man: Kushner is married to Ivanka Trump and has three children with her
When he filed a second amendment in May adding more than 100 calls and meetings with foreign leaders he omitted last year's now-infamous Trump Tower meeting that included a Russian lawyer with Kremlin ties.
In June he filed more changes, this time including the name of Natalia Veselnitskaya, whom he described as 'the person who has since been identified as a Russian attorney.'
Kushner, a former real estate executive, has a broad White House portfolio that includes reaching a Middle East peace settlement, addressing a national opioid addiction epidemic, leading efforts to reform the federal criminal justice system and bringing the government's technology up to date.
There has been no suggestion that voting on the basis of his incorrect registration would amount to fraud on Kushner's part.
A 12-year-old boy has been shot in the face while playing with a rifle.
Police said the child was playing with a .22 rifle with a friend on a rural property near Young, west of Sydney, when the gun was accidentally fired.
New South Wales Police said the round ricocheted before hitting the boy in the face.
The boy was airlifted to the Children's Hospital in Westmead (pictured) for specialist car.
He was driven from the property in Thuddungra and was met by a paramedics, who drove him to Young Hospital.
The boy was then airlifted to the Children's Hospital in Westmead for specialist care.
He is in a stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.
A crime scene has been established at the home but police do not believe the shooting was suspicious.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Two teenagers who are thought to have crashed a stolen car into a pond were arrested while changing into dry clothes in a Walmart bathroom.
Bradley Tieman, 18, and a 16-year-old who is not named were arrested when police were called about a pair of soaking wet teenagers trying to buy dry clothes with a stolen credit card at a Walmart just outside of Chicago.
Both have been arrested and booked with charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and theft.
Bradley Tieman (pictured) and a 16-year-old accomplice were arrested in a Walmart bathroom on suspicion of stealing a SUV and driving it into a pond, then stealing another car and driving it to a Walmart to buy dry clothes with a stolen credit card
At around 2am on September 7 police officers found a stolen 2015 Chevrolet Equinox submerged in a pond at a home in Port Barrington.
Later that morning they were called to a 24-hour Walmart in Crystal Lake when employees noticed two suspicious people in the store.
Police say the pair stole the SUV and only drove a few blocks before crashing it into a pond. The pair are then thought to have driven to the Walmart in a stolen Jeep Wrangler.
They entered the store sopping wet, and were in a restroom changing into dry clothes when they were arrested.
At around 2am on September 7 police officers found a stolen 2015 Chevrolet Equinox (stock image) submerged in a pond at a home in Port Barrington
Tieman was charged in McHenry and Lake Counties with possession of a stolen vehicle, identity theft, and theft. He is being held in the McHenry County Jail.
The underage teen is charged as a juvenile with burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, and theft.
In both cases the vehicles owners left the keys in the car, and that the credit card was taken from a purse in one of the vehicles, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Office news release on the incident.
A woman was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight after she complained about 'life-threatening allergies' to a passenger's support dog.
Video of the unidentified passenger shows her refusing to leave the plane on her own, prompting officers to pull and push her down the aisle.
Flight 1525 was preparing to leave from Baltimore to head to Los Angeles on Tuesday night when the incident occurred.
The incident was recorded by Bill Dumas, and in the video the woman can be heard demanding the officers to let her go.
A woman (pictured) was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight after she complained about 'life-threatening allergies' to a passenger's support dog
Video of the unidentified passenger shows her refusing to leave the plane on her own, prompting officers to pull and push her down the aisle
The woman then tells the officers that she 'needs to close' her pants. But she accuses one officer of 'ripping' them as he tried to escort her off the plane
At the start of the video, the woman apologizes and says that her father is having surgery as the officers mover her forward.
'What are you doing?' she asks the officers as other passengers are heard telling the woman to leave the plane peacefully.
The woman then tells the officers that she 'needs to close' her pants. But she accuses one officer of 'ripping' them as he tried to escort her off the plane.
In the video, one officer is then seen grabbing the woman and pulling her away from her seat.
'I will walk off! Don't touch me!' she yells as she clings to the back of her seat.
Eventually, passengers on the plane turned on the officers, yelling at them for pushing the woman forward.
'She's walking!' one passenger is heard saying as the cop tries to push the woman down the aisle.
After a few moments, the woman turns around and tells the officers that she's a professor, but the cops ignore her and move her forward toward the plane's exit.
The incident went down after the customer started complaining about an emotional support dog and another pet pooch on board.
She claimed that she was deathly allergic to the dogs.
In the video, one officer is then seen grabbing the woman and pulling her away from her seat. Eventually, passengers on the plane turned on the officers, yelling at them for pushing the woman forward
After a few moments, the woman turns around and tells the officers that she's a professor, but the cops ignore her and move her forward toward the plane's exit
Dumas said the woman asked that the pets on board be removed. He said she also asked for an injection for her allergies to be administered after the crew said they couldn't remove the dogs.
Southwest Airlines told DailyMail.com that the woman was asked to provide her medical certificate to prove the allergy, but she was unable to provide that document.
'There was one emotional support animal and one pet onboard the aircraft. Our policy states that a Customer (without a medical certificate) may be denied boarding if they report a life-threatening allergic reaction and cannot travel safely with an animal onboard,' a spokesperson for Southwest told DailyMail.com.
According to the airline, the flight crew 'made repeated attempts to explain the situation to the Customer, however, she refused to deplane and law enforcement became involved'.
MAJOR AIRLINE DEBACLES IN 2017 United Airlines The most notorious incident was when 69-year-old Dr David Dao was brutally taken off a an oversold Louisville-bound flight from Chicagos OHare International Airport in April. United Airlines had the most incidents occur since April, from people being kicked off flights to a bunny dying At the end of April, a large rabbit named Simon died following a flight from London to Chicago. Henry Amador-Batten, a gay father flying to his North Carolina home in May, was accused by United flight attendants of inappropriately touching his son on the flight, setting off a police investigation. In July, the company told a woman, who had already boarded, that she had to give up the seat she paid for her two-year-old son to a standby passenger. Earlier in September, a man claimed United Airlines left his wheelchair-bound mother, 77, stranded at her gate for 12 hours after bumping her from a connecting flight. Delta Air Lines In April, a Wisconsin man was removed from a Delta flight after using the bathroom shortly before takeoff. The man said he had to go and the plane wasn't moving. Brian and Brittany Schear, along with their two toddlers, were kicked off a Delta flight in May so their seats could be given to waiting passengers. American Airlines In April, the airline apologized to a female passenger and suspended an employee after a video showing an onboard clash over a baby stroller went viral. Spirit Airlines In May, the airline canceled nine flights because the pilots did not show up to work, causing several passengers to swarm their Fort Lauderdale ticket counter in what they called a 'near-riot' at the time. Advertisement
'We are disheartened by the way this situation unfolded and the Customers removal by local law enforcement officers,' the airline said in the statement.
'We publicly offer our apologies to this Customer for her experience and we will be contacting her directly to address her concerns. Southwest Airlines was built on Customer Service, and it is always our goal for all Customers to have a positive experience.'
Since April, numerous airlines have been accused of removing passengers aggressively.
The most notorious incident was when 69-year-old Dr David Dao was brutally taken off a an oversold Louisville-bound flight from Chicagos OHare International Airport in April.
Dao was left bloodied and bruised as officials with the Chicago Department of Aviation dragged him through the aisle of the aircraft.
Tony Abbott admits his opposition to gay marriage is far less popular in his own family than it is with the Australian people.
The former prime minister made the confession after his 26-year-old daughter Frances made a strong pitch for the 'Yes' vote.
'I don't really care much for politics, but I do really care a lot for love. All love is good. Let's celebrate it,' she wrote next to a photo of her wearing a 'vote yes' t-shirt.
Tony Abbott admits his family don't share his opposition to gay marriage in Australia as he campaigned hard for the 'no' vote
The former prime minister made the confession after his 26-year-old daughter Frances made a strong pitch for the 'yes' vote
The fitness blogger later expressed support for her lesbian aunt Christine Forster, Mr Abbott's sister, saying it would be great to see her marry her partner Virginia Edwards.
Mr Abbott acknowledged the conflict within his family over the divisive issue, as he campaigned hard against marriage equality becoming legal.
'I realise that from time to time I'm a minority in my own household,' he told 2GB radio in Sydney.
'[My wife] Margie and I brought all our daughters up to be strong and independent women and that's exactly what they are.'
The 50-year-old MP indicated Frances wasn't the only one of his three daughters who held the opposite view to himself
'I suspect that there is a bit of a disagreement among my daughters on this subject - certainly I respectfully disagree with Frances on this subject,' he said
The 59-year-old Liberal member for Warringah indicated Frances wasn't the only one of his three daughters who held the opposite view to himself.
'I suspect that there is a bit of a disagreement among my daughters on this subject - certainly I respectfully disagree with Frances on this subject,' he said.
'But she's a wonderful human being - she's brave, she's strong, she does her own thing, and good luck to her.'
Mr Abbott also admitted to being 'very anxious' about the same-sex marriage campaign, which saw numerous TV ads, vandalism, and violent clashes.
The Catholic conservative politician was even allegedly headbutted by a man wearing a 'Yes' jacket button, though the man claimed it had nothing to with the issue.
'He was a pretty feral-looking fella,' Mr Abbott said.
'There's been an enormous amount of bullying and intimidation.'
'But she's a wonderful human being - she's brave, she's strong, she does her own thing, and good luck to her,' he said
'[My wife] Margie and I brought all our daughters up to be strong and independent women and that's exactly what they are,' Mr Abbott said
He claimed 'Yes' campaigners wanted to create a 'suffocating atmosphere of oppression' that punished those who disagreed with them.
'We've been subjected to an onslaught of political correctness, we've seen it run riot,' he said.
'It's the Judaeo-Christian ethic they don't like.'
He claimed Australia was not judgmental towards minorities like LGBTQI people and no longer excluded anyone.
His daughter Frances, after making her sizzling bodybuilding debut on the weekend, appeared in a video for the 'yes' cause discussing her family friction over the issue.
'I think it's well know that within my family we have people that sit on the other side of the fence,' she said in the clip.
'I'm not interested in politics... this is more than politics. What this comes down to is love.
Frances opened up about the family friction over the issue after making her sizzling bodybuilding debut on the weekend
She appeared in a video for the 'yes' cause saying she couldn't comprehend why people would vote 'No'
'My mother and my father raised me to stand up for what I believe in.
'You can't help who you fall in love with. Love just happens sometimes and it's unexpected and that's kind of what's the awesome thing about it.'
Ms Abbott said her 'Yes' vote was inspired by her aunt Ms Forster, who left her husband in 2008 and got engaged to Ms Edwards in 2013.
'I look at aunty Chris and I don't think she planned to fall in love with Virginia,' she said.
'It never really changed anything, she was still aunty Chris.
'She's still going to be at Christmas, she's still going to be at the family BBQs, her children are still going to be my cousins.
'To see aunty Chris marry Virginia, to do it here in front of friends of family, it would be so special and I'm so, so hoping that's something that I get to be a part of.'
Mr Abbott also claimed 'yes' campaigners wanted to create a 'suffocating atmosphere of oppression' that punished those who disagreed with them
Ms Abbott said she couldn't comprehend why people would vote 'No'.
'It really just doesn't make sense to me that it's not allowed,' she said.
'I think it would make society a much better place. Less fear of discrimination, fear of isolation and loneliness. It has to change, and it will change.'
Ms Foster, a gay marriage campaigner, frequently lobbied her brother and criticised his stance on the issue - but said they were still close.
'The Abbott family is like every other family. We do have differences of opinion on some things but we are a normal, functional family,' she said in August.
'The fact that Tony and I have agreed to disagree on this question in particular doesn't impact the fact that we're brother and sister. We love each other.'
Journalist Harassed by PA in 2014 Now in Facebook Jail | Main | BDS Activist and Media Favorite Uses Las Vegas Tragedy to Attack Israel
September 27, 2017
The Washington Post CitesThen RemovesA Tweet From an Antisemite
A Washington Post report on U.S. comedian Conan OBriens recent trip to Israel initially cited an antisemitic Twitter user. Following contact from CAMERA, The Post removed the offensive tweet from the online article (How Conans Israel episode confronted the polarizing political issues,? Sept. 20, 2017).
Post reporter Bethonie Butler detailed OBriens trip, noting comedic moments as well as the entertainers encounters with activists near the separation barrier in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria].?
Quoting OBriens televised show, The Posts dispatch informed readers that the security barrier is a measure built to protect against terrorist attacks and has resulted in a dramatic drop in Israeli deaths.?
Bizarrely, the article also initially included a tweet ostensibly meant to show negative reaction to OBriens show. Twitter user MagSec? said, Conan OBriens trip to Israel is the most shameless bit of propaganda that Ive ever seen. He even has an Israeli doctor treating a Syrian.? Of course, Israeli doctors have been treating victims of the Syrian civil wara fact that is seldom noted by many media outlets. Its hard to see how this qualifies as shameless propaganda?unless one is an antisemite.
Screenshots taken by CAMERA Senior Research Analyst Gilead Ini show that the same Twitter user also thinks The Jews at CNN are trying to get blacks to murder whites again? and Never forget that CNN anchor Rick Sanchez said CNN & all the news networks were run by Jews.? In addition to being a purveyor of antisemitic tropes, the individuals bigotry extends elsewhere, and includes attacking transgender people and praising assaults against journalists.
Following contact from CAMERA, The Washington Post commendably removed the tweet from its online report and noted that the post has been updated.? Nonetheless, its initial inclusion does raise the question of why this particular Twitter user was cited in the first place.
The dispatch also presented information in a manner that could mislead readers, stating that OBrien listened to activists who described attending the funeral of an eight-year old Palestinian girl, who was run over by an Israeli settler in the West Bank.? In fact, as CAMERA affiliate UK Media Watch has noted, the girl who is likely being described, Aseel Abu Oun, was killed in what police described as a regular road accident.? However, The Post presented her death in a manner that could lead readers to think that the death was intentional.
By using a questionable source and ambiguous phrasingeven if unintentionalThe Posts story could misinform readers.
Posted by SD at September 27, 2017 01:29 PM
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An audit has found the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry has lost track of more than 1,700 convicted sex offenders.
The registry lacks current addresses for 1,769 sex offenders, according to a state report released on Wednesday.
Out of that total, 936 had never been classified at all. Among those unclassified, 129 were convicted of raping a child with force, 143 of rape and 177 of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.
An audit released on Wednesday found that the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry has lost track of more than 1,700 convicted sex offenders
Auditor Suzanne Bump found that the registry lacks adequate policies and procedures to ensure sex offenders are 'classified in a timely manner'.
The registry had records on nearly 22,000 convicted sex offenders at the time of the audit.
The faces of all those who have been convicted of crimes like rape, rape of a child and sexual assault are intended to be visible on the registry, classified as level 2 and level 3 offenders with a moderate to high risk to reoffend.
The audit indicates that there are nearly 1,800 people on that registry whose information is incomplete, incorrect or nonexistent.
'Honestly, it's beyond scary,' Chelsea police Chief Brian Kyes, president of the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs of Police Association told ABC5.
'They're under the radar, they're not classified. They could be working in a school environment, for a youth program. They're a level zero. There's no classification.'
Registry officials responded to the audit by saying they were hampered by laws and regulations that govern the agency's classification process.
As they struggle to keep track of and classify sex offenders, cases have piled up, resulting in a significant backlog.
The backlog is fueled in part by a 2015 Supreme Court ruling that changed the way the agency applies classifications.
Auditor Suzanne Bump, left, found that the registry lacks adequate policies and procedures to ensure sex offenders are 'classified in a timely manner'. Chelsea police Chief Brian Kyes, right, said that the findings were 'beyond scary'
In that ruling many sex offenders' classifications were thrown out when the legal standard used to determine the likelihood of a sex offender re-offending was raised.
The court changed the standard for justifying a sex offender's classification from 'a preponderance of the evidence' to 'clear and convincing evidence'.
It instructed the Sex Offender Review Board to apply the higher standard retroactively to classifications pending before the agency or in the superior and appellate courts.
Those classification problems are at the center of Bump's review.
'Nine months after the supreme court issued its decision, only 10 per cent of the offenders who needed to be reclassified had been reclassified,' Bump told 5 Investigates.
The audit also found that the board was not adequately verifying the addresses of offenders on the list.
ABC5 identified one of the sex offenders who was taken off the list as Giovanni Rossi. He was classified as a level 3 offender after serving almost 10 years behind bars for rape
'If we cannot identify the location of a sex offender, then the appropriate people - law enforcement, past victims and neighbors - are not be able to find out the information about the presence of a sex offender in their midst,' Bump said.
ABC5 identified one of those sex offenders as Giovanni Rossi. He was classified as a level 3 offender after serving almost 10 years behind bars for rape.
He appealed that classification, so when the 2015 ruling came down, he was removed from the public sex offender registry.
Last Spring, while his classification was up in the air, Rossi allegedly sexually assaulted another woman inside a home in Swampscott, Massachusetts.
Police said Rossi used a Craigslist apartment rental advertisement to lure his victim.
He allegedly grabbed the young woman by her ponytail, dragged her into a bedroom and ripped her shirt open.
Police said he groped and punched her before she broke free and ran out of the house.
In December 2002, Rossi violently raped a 24-year-old woman he met during a party at his home in Revere, Massachusetts.
While driving her home, Rossi grabbed the back of the woman's head, ripped her hair out and tried to force her to perform a sexual act.
He threatened to kill her and throw her in the Mystic River.
'To actually have the classification be in limbo, honestly, for a day or two or three, is too long, not to mention for weeks or months or even years,' Kyes said.
Venezuela's top cross country skier face punched the 71-year-old landlord of his nation's Australian embassy because he was patriotically outraged.
A bobcat, large truck and a ute were parked across the front of the embassy in Canberra over $50,000 in unpaid rent leading to a violent confrontation a fortnight ago.
Cesar Augusto Baena Sierraalta appeared in the Australian Capital Territory Magistrates Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to one count of common assault in the quiet, inner-Canberra suburb of O'Malley.
Cesar Augusto Baena Sierraalta has appeared in court charged with punching landlord, 71
The Venezuelan skier was upset a bobcat, truck and ute had blockaded this embassy building
The athlete, who was in Australia training for next year's Winter Olympics, told police he felt his South American nation's sovereignty had been violated, The Canberra Times reported.
Court documents, seen by Fairfax Media, said the skiier had argued with the 71-year-old landlord who had leased his property to Venezuelan government for the past 18 years.
He punched the elderly man in the face, causing the landlord to fall to the ground, they said.
The Venezuelan skier then fled only for police to find him in a nearby park.
The court papers said he then showed remorse to police.
Baena is due to reappear in court in October.
More than 92 per cent of Kurds in Iraq have voted for an independent state in a disputed referendum that has sparked international concern.
Middle East expert Peter Van Buren said the result proves that Iraq is so divided it effectively no longer exists.
'In its place is a Shiite state dominated by Iran in the south, the de facto new nation of Kurdistan in the north, and a shrinking population of Sunnis out west,' he wrote.
More than 92 per cent of Kurds in Iraq have voted for an independent state in a disputed referendum that has sparked international concern. Pictured: Kurds celebrating in Iraq
Pursuing a long-cherished dream of statehood, Kurds held a referendum on Monday despite the central government rejecting it as illegal.
Longtime Iraqi Kurd leader Massud Barzani said the vote would not lead to an immediate declaration of independence and should instead open the door to negotiations for greater autonomy.
But Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said there was no question of talks, insisting Iraqi law would be 'imposed'.
Kurds around the world have celebrated the result.
Independence supporter Newroz Sengali told MailOnline: 'A state is the is the ultimate aspiration for every Kurd. Eight per cent voted no not because they are against statehood but because they think the time is not right. In principal they are still yes voters.'
The ground truth: Expert claims Iraq no longer exists Commentary by Peter Van Buren The post-World War One failure to create a Kurdish state resulted in 30 million Kurds scattered across modern Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria. The referendum means that in practice Iraq no longer exists. In its place is a Shiite state dominated by Iran in the south, the de facto new nation of Kurdistan in the north, and a shrinking population of Sunnis out west. In a best-case scenario, where everyone tacitly acknowledges Kurdistan while maintaining the status quo (as with Taiwan, which officially exists as a part of China even as it acts like an independent nation) there may be a measure of stability in the near term. Advertisement
Officials said that that 92.73 per cent of the 3,305,925 people who cast ballots voted 'yes' in Monday's referendum, which had a turnout of 72.61 percent.
The question was: 'Do you want the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistani areas outside the administration of the Region to become an independent state?'
Kurds, spread throughout Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq, have most political autonomy in Iraq where the Kurdistan Regional Government administers their homeland.
But the Prime Minister said the referendum cannot be used as a basis to ask for greater autonomy.
Abadi said: 'The referendum must be annulled and dialogue initiated in the framework of the constitution. We will never hold talks based on the results of the referendum.
'We will impose Iraqi law in the entire region of Kurdistan under the constitution.'
Pressure has been mounting on the Kurds since the vote, not just from Baghdad but also from Ankara, with Turkey threatening a range of measures including cutting off key export routes for the region.
The Turkish government fears Kurds will fight harder for independence there too.
The United Nations and United States were among those opposed to the referendum, fearing creating a new country in war-ravaged and volatile region will do nothing to improve stability.
The vote has raised fears of unrest and the possibility of a military confrontation involving the Kurds, who are key allies in internationally backed offensives against the jihadists of the Islamic State group.
In a televised address late on Tuesday, Kurd leader Barzani had urged Iraqi PM Abadi 'not to close the door to dialogue because it is dialogue that will solve problems'.
'We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad,' he said, insisting the referendum was not meant 'to delimit the border (between Kurdistan and Iraq), nor to impose it de facto.'
Workers at the Paul Revere house in Boston's historic North End believe they may have found the Revere family outhouse.
The possible site was discovered on Monday with diggers and archaeologists are now trying to open it up further to get a better look.
City archaeologist Joe Bagley told WBZ that the find is an is important one because in the colonial era people threw a lot of stuff in their privies which could provide insight into their lives.
Workers digging around Paul Reveres house in Boston, pictured, believe they may have found his outhouse
The possible privy site was discovered Monday, and diggers were attempting to open it up Tuesday to investigate. Pieces of coal were found
'You'd fill it up with you-know-what, and then also your household waste, because everyone threw their trash out into that,' Bagley said.
'We're hoping to find the individuals' waste themselves, which, we can get seeds from what they were eating, we can find parasites, find out what their health was, but then everything else that they threw out from their house.'
The outhouse, or portions of it, were discovered after the team found a 4-by-6-foot brick rectangle which would have been too small to be the foundation of a house or shed.
A piece of beer stein from the 1700's found was found at the archaeological dig outside Revere family property in the North End of Boston
Archaeologists pour over potential artifacts from 1700's at the archaeological dig
Paul Revere was a prosperous and prominent Boston silversmith. He had helped organize an intelligence and alarm system to keep watch on the British military. Revere later served as a Massachusetts militia officer in the late 1700s
'Typically what you would do is you would dig a big pit, you'd line it with bricks,' Bagley said. 'You typically would also line it with clay, because you didn't want the contents to leach into your well.'
'We love finding privies,' said Bagley. 'We think we have one. The only way to find out is to dig down into it and see if it has that nightsoil-that kind of smelly, dark soils which are now composted and not that bad, but they might have a stench still, a little bit.'
The archaeologists will have to dig down a full six-feet in order to reach the bottom of the pit, however it is hoped that it will be full of other artifacts that could provide a further window to the past.
The archaeological team already found the handle to a German-made beer stein from the 1700s, as well as pieces of coal.
The home has been in the North End since around 1711.
A realistic Halloween decoration depicting a hooded figure hanging from a tree in Georgia has sparked anger among residents and social media users.
A woman in Marietta, Cobb County, was taking a walk around her neighborhood when she spotted her neighbor's decoration, which she believes depicts a lynching.
Hanging from a tree on the front lawn was a realistic hooded dummy with a noose around its neck and its arms and legs tied.
The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she was shocked and upset by the decoration. She took a picture and shared it online.
'I just feel like Halloween is not an excuse to use that kind of symbolism,' the neighbor told WSB-TV Atlanta.
She is referring to the lynching of black people in the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Between 1877 and 1950, nearly 600 black people were reportedly lynched in Georgia.
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A dummy hanging from a noose appeared in the front yard of a home in Cobb County, Georgia
She said she was shocked to spot the decoration and took a photo of it so she could share it online
The woman spotted the decoration on Monday and said she contacted the local news station, saying it's a terrible reminder of lynching in America.
The yard is also filled with tombstones, witches and skeletons, but this particular decoration struck a nerve.
'What's even scarier is people are going to ask, ''well, did you go up and ask them?"'
She continued: 'I felt scared to go to their front door because I don't know what kind of people live in that household.'
Marietta, Georgia, is also the town where the only recorded lynching of a Jewish person happened in 1915.
Leo Frank was abducted from his prison bed and lynched after being accused of the murder of a 13-year-old girl.
Comedian Rickey Smile took to Twitter to start a conversation about the decoration
One user raises the point that Halloween is still a month away and suggests it's too early for decorations
The decoration has sparked online criticism from Twitter users. Other users see the decorations as just that, decorations.
A tweet from Comedian Ricky Smiley said 'What would you do if your neighbor put up a noose for Halloween?' Another user was even more outraged and tweeted, 'Halloween display? Halloween is a MONTH away. Y'all know what this is...'
But other Twitter users think the display is harmless. One person tweeted, 'Wow really people. You see horror movies with hanging bodies but you see a prop with nothing but a bag as a head and you scream racism'.
A reporter from WSB-TV said he went to the home to speak with the owner about the decoration. A man answered and said it was his roommate's.
However, when the reporter revisited the home, the decoration had been removed.
The anonymous neighbor said other neighbors didn't see a problem with the decoration.
'This is 2017. We need to change it, and if that is your typical Halloween decoration, then it's absolutely not okay,' she said. 'It was not okay when we did it back in the day, and it's not okay now.'
But other Twitter users think that people are overreacting to think the decoration is race-related and disrespectful
Another user says 'he has the right to hang whatever he wants'
The neighbor said she took a photo of the decoration and posted it online to start a discussion
Guy Bennett (pictured) has been cleared of 24 counts of indecent assault
A retired 'vicar to the stars' was today cleared of a string a sexual assaults against young girls during church concerts.
Guy Bennett, 84, was accused of touching the girls while working as the Rector of St Mary's parish church in Oxted, Surrey, from the 1970s to the early 1990s.
The sex attacks also allegedly took place during Sunday school outings and when he taught religious studies in the local parish.
But after an 11-day trial, a jury at Guildford Crown Court took less than four hours to clear him of 24 counts of indecent assault against 11 victims between 1975 and 1991.
Mr Bennett, from East Grinstead, West Sussex, had links to the late Princess Diana and was accused of using his position as a vicar and school to abuse young girls.
He was chaplain to the London Palladium from 1972 to 1998 which earned him the title 'chaplain to the stars.'
The elderly man now uses a stick to walk and had previously written a book about his celebrity contacts.
He was also a friend of former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed who lived in Oxted while Mr Bennett was rector there.
Al Fayed's son Dodi was the boyfriend of Princess Diana when the pair were killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
A jury at Guildford Crown Court (pictured) took less than four hours to clear him of 24 counts of indecent assault against 11 victims
And following his trial, he was also acquitted of one count of outraging public decency after he denied all of the charges.
He claimed that any touching was inadvertent and that there was no sexual intent.
The former vicar stood in the dock making a note, and showed no reaction as the verdicts were read, but hugged a family member after he was released from the dock.
The jury had heard that Mr Bennett had previously admitted four counts of indecent assault in 1999 after 'almost identical activity' to his latest trial.
When he worked at the London Paladium, it regularly hosted the Royal Variety Performance and ITV's Live From The Palladium.
Celia Hollingworth, 63, was mauled to death by a pack of wolves with such force that their bites shattered bone, a coroner has said
A missing British hiker whose dismembered, fleshless remains were found in the hills of northern Greece was probably attacked, torn apart and devoured by wolves, a coroner said.
Nikos Kifnidis said the ferocity of the attack was such that both the woman's thigh bones had been cracked open by bites and large sections of her body are still missing.
He said a vet at Wednesday's post mortem confirmed no dog could have administered bites with such force.
The remains were found on Saturday near the village of Petrota in Thrace, 180 miles east of the city of Thessaloniki.
Near them, authorities found a passport for Celia Lois Hollingworth, 63, whom the British embassy in Athens reported missing in the area on Friday.
Ms Hollingworth, who had been staying at a guest house in the nearby town of Maroneia, phoned her family in Britain on Thursday to say she was injured although her remains were not found until 10.45am on Saturday.
Her phone lost signal shortly after and her family called police to raise alarm about the attack.
Ms Hollingworth, from Bradford-upon-Avon, Wiltshire, had apparently been attacked after returning from a visit to the Mesimvria archaeological site near Petrota Beach, in Rodopi, by foot.
After she alerted her mother and brother about the dog attack, they called local authorities in Greece to try to get help finding the woman, according to ERT Television.
Ms Hollingworth's family then called the British Embassy in Greece, who liaised with police to launch a search.
The injuries were so severe that they could not have been caused by a pack of dogs, according to coroner Nikos Kifnidis. She had visited this archaeological site shortly before she died
Wolves and stray dogs are going to be rounded up in a desperate bid to try to identify the animals responsible for Ms Hollingworth's death.
When the search began, Ms Hollingworth had last been seen by swimmers on Thursday afternoon.
It was taken via ambulance to the General Hospital of Komotini, where an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.
Neighbours at Ms Hollingworth's home in Bradford in Avon, Wiltshire, said the 'kind and friendly' woman was active in her community.
Andrew Otto, 54, said: 'Celia was always very friendly. I've only lived here for a year but when we moved in she offered to store boxes for us.
Authorities (pictured during the search) found the 63-year-old tourist dead on Saturday. The coroner said her body was dismembered and parts of it are still missing
'She told she was going to Greece about five weeks ago. That was the last we heard from her.
'She didn't give a lot away about herself but she was always active in the community and would often go round with petitions.'
Alan Clifford, 74, added: 'She was a quiet person, and always doing things for other people.
'There is a lot of people who you can say they were kind or friendly, but Celia had the works to prove it.'
Human rights campaigner Ms Hollingworth was an active member of community groups in Bradford-on-Avon and Bath.
The Foreign Office said: 'We are in contact with Greek Police about a British woman missing in northern Greece since Thursday.' Pictured: Petrota Beach, near where a body was found
A member of the West Wilts Amnesty Group, Celia was also the University and College Union representative at Bristol University.
She was a long-standing member of the Bristol Greece Solidarity campaign, supporting those struggling with austerity following the European financial crisis.
Celia was a member of Bristol Anti-Cuts Alliance and took part in a protest against BNP leader Nick Griffin when he was due to speak at Bath university.
Just a month ago, she was one several campaigners who handed in a petition to Wiltshire Council against the erection of a mobile phone mast in the town.
The Foreign Office is providing assistance to her family, who are believed to be travelling to Greece.
There are more than a million stray dogs in Greece after many were abandoned by their owners following the financial crisis.
Disgraced police officer Jonathan Fulcher, 34, of Devon, has avoided jail despite admitting to child sex offences spanning six years
A disgraced police officer has avoided jail despite admitting to child sex offences spanning six years.
Jonathan Fulcher, 34, was snared in an online chat room by U.S. Homeland Security officials posing as a 13-year-old girl attracted to men in uniform.
When police raided his home in Devon, Fulcher was found with screenshots of six other girls who he had met in chatrooms, including one who had called herself Jailbait.
However, charges of online grooming were dropped because police experts decided it would be impossible to prove the girls in the pictures were under 16.
Fulcher was spared an immediate jail term after a court heard he suffered from bipolar disorder meaning he felt 'invincible' and was more prone to risk taking behaviour.
Since his arrest, he has been sacked from the Devon and Cornwall police, his marriage has broken down and he now lives with relatives having accrued substantial personal debts.
The former policeman, of Crediton, admitted three counts of making a total of 290 indecent images of children, one possession of ammunition without a certificate, and one of possession of 'pepper spray'.
Fulcher was jailed for eight months, suspended for two years and ordered to attend a sex offenders' treatment programme, and undertake 20 days rehabilitation activities.
He was ordered to sign a sex offenders' register for ten years and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order by Judge Geoffrey Mercer, QC, at Exeter Crown Court.
The order allows police to monitor his use of the internet.
The judge told him: 'These offences are serious, and are all the more serious because you were a serving police officer at the time.
'I have read that your sexual interest in young girls was a prominent feature of your life over a number of years.
'I have no doubt it is appropriate to suspend this sentence. You have lost your career and your marriage and your personal life is in disarray, but above all I have read reports on your mental health.'
Mr Brian Fitzherbert, prosecuting, said more serious charges of inciting girls to engage in sexual activity are not being pursued because it is not possible to prove they were under 16 on the basis of the screenshots found on Fulcher's laptop.
The former officer was nabbed by US officials in an online chat room. When police raided his home in Devon, Fulcher was found with screenshots of six other girls who he had met in chatrooms, including one who had called herself Jailbait
He said the British police were alerted by the US Department of Homeland Security in October last year and raided Fulcher's home, where they also found an illegally held police incapacitate spray and two cartridges.
He said: 'The US law enforcement agency began an investigation into internet chat rooms and forums to monitor people who were engaging in sexual activity with children under 16.
'They posed as a 13-year-old girl on KIK Messenger and told Fulcher at the outset they were 13 and they expressed an interest in uniforms. Fulcher asked about that and said he was a police officer himself.
'He sent the female a formal picture of him in uniform and sent a second of his uniform laid out on a bed to prove he was in the police. He suggested flirting and, to quote him 'more'.
'Asked what he meant by that, he suggested swapping naked pictures. The agent asked if he cared she was only 13. She said she had never done anything like that before.
'She asked if girls of her age did things like this and he replied 'I think a lot did, yes'. After the conversation he sent her a picture of his penis.'
The other images and chatroom logs included six screenshots of girls, one of whom used the name Jailbait. There were also four images showing serious abuse of young girls by adults.
Since his arrest, he has been sacked from the Devon and Cornwall police, his marriage has broken down and he now lives with relatives having accrued substantial personal debts
Mr Tom Bradnock, defending, said Fulcher suffers from bi-polar disorder and had sought treatment in 2014 without success. His condition led him to commit the offences when in a hyperactive and elevated mood.
He said: 'It led to risk taking behaviour, not only sexually but financially. It led to reckless spending and a feeling on invicibility. He acted as if there were no consequences.'
After the case, a NSPCC spokesperson for South West England said: 'Fulcher's crimes are far from victimless - children suffer the most horrific abuse for the images he downloaded to be made.
'Collecting these images, as Fulcher did, fuels the demand for more children to suffer.
'What makes his offending even more appalling is that he committed his crimes while also working in a position of trust as a police officer and it is entirely correct that he is now facing the consequences of his actions.'
Former first lady Michelle Obama knocked both President Trump and the Republican Party for their armchair criticism of her husband's administration, suggesting it helped Trump gain power.
Speaking Wednesday alongside feminist author Roxane Gay, at a marketing conference in Boston, the ex-FLOTUS reminded the audience of the 'peanut gallery' that had second-guessed President Obama, telling them her husband wouldn't do that to President Trump.
'Barack is not going to turn into the what this president was just somebody tweeting in the wind and stirring up mess without really knowing what they were talking about,' Obama said.
While she said she and her husband still supported Trump and wanted him to be successful, she couldn't quite wrap her head around why women, especially, didn't vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton, instead pulling the lever for Trump.
'Any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice,' Obama said.
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Michelle Obama said Wednesday that President Obama wouldn't be 'tweeting in the wing and stirring up [a] mess' like Donald Trump did when her husband was in the White House. Seen above at the Inbound Conference with Issa Rae
Michelle Obama spoke at a conference in Boston Wednesday about the election of President Trump and life after the White House
Michelle Obama had trouble wrapping her head around why women, especially, voted for President Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton
Obama said that most 'formers' do take a step back, as President George W. Bush had done for her spouse
Reporters weren't allowed into the event, but some attendees recorded portions of the former first lady's remarks.
'He is our commander-in-chief,' Obama said about Trump at one point. 'He was voted in,' she said with a laugh. 'We may not like it.'
'And when you've been in that position, which others weren't when they criticized my husband, it is very difficult to lead when you have a peanut gallery of people who don't know what the **** they're talking about, second guessing when you do,' Obama recalled, bleeping herself out like a radio edit, where she obviously wanted to insert a four-letter word.
Obama said that most 'formers' do take a step back, as President George W. Bush had done for her spouse.
'Now, like I said, there was a whole party that didn't do that for my husband, a whole political party,' she recalled. 'But what we've learned is part of our legacy is leading with grace and being humble and diplomatic.'
Speaking Wednesday alongside feminist author Roxane Gay, at a marketing conference in Boston, the ex-FLOTUS reminded the audience of the 'peanut gallery' that had second-guessed President Obama , telling them her husband wouldn't do that to President Trump. She is seen above with Issa Rae at the event
Michelle Obama at Inbound Conference 2017Michelle with Roxanne Gay
Pivoting to health care, which was in the news this weeks thanks to the demise of the Senate GOP-led Graham-Cassidy bill, Obama said it's not up to her or her husband to defend the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as 'Obamacare.'
'It's up to voters to decide how they feel about health care,' she said. 'Quite frankly, this is in the hands of the voters.'
'So the Affordable Care Act isn't Obama's legacy,' she added. 'It's the country's legacy.'
Turning back to Trump, she expanded, 'And right now people spoke and this is the leader they voted for.'
The former first lady also got personal during the event, giving a 'No. Nooope I do not,' when asked if she was missing the White House.
She did say, however, that she missed 'the people and the work,' the Associated Press said.
Obama gave an update on the couple's two daughters too, as 19-year-old Malia has started college at Harvard University and 16-year-old Sasha is finishing up high school in Washington, D.C.
The ex-first lady called fame 'a monster' and admitted it has sometimes been difficult for her two daughters to cope.
At Harvard, Malia has had 20 to 30 people coming up to her each day, often asking for selfies.
'Do I know you? Can I get a picture with you?' Michelle Obama said, according to People.
Obama added that she's proud of the way her daughters interact with people, even to say no, saying they do so with empathy and grace.
An Iraq vet in Massachusetts who shot his six-year-old boy and then himself in an apparent murder-suicide will be buried with his son in a cemetery reserved for veterans, according to the young boy's grandmother.
William Scaccia Jr., 49, shot and killed his six-year-old son Anthony in their Foxborough, Massachusetts, home last Thursday before turning the gun on himself. Emergency responders found Anthony with a single gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police also found 49-year-old William Scaccia Jr. dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Scaccia's 72-year-old mother described her son as 'wonderful' and said his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder after returning from Iraq caused him to spiral out of control in recent months.
Police say William Scaccia Jr (behind Anthony) fatally shot his six year-old son Anthony Scaccia after being denied a gun license months before
Police found a gun and shell casings at the home (pictured) and that William might have tried to set the home on fire
Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey says police received a 911 call at about 11.30pm Thursday for a medical emergency.
'He was a little messed up when he came back from Iraq,' Diane Usevic, 72, told the Boston Herald, 'but he was a wonderful, wonderful guy. He was so close to his son; he was never, ever without him. He loved that child. He was loved by everybody and his son was his life.'
The father and son will be buried together in a cemetery reserved for veterans, according to Usevic.
Scaccia's girlfriend ended their relationship a week before the incident occurred.
This caused him to become 'absolutely lost.'
'I talked to him the day he did it,' Usevic said to the Herald. 'I said to my daughter, "He's going to kill himself, he's spiraling down deeply into a depression." She said she would talk to him, but she could not get through, she could not get through. And he somehow got his hands on a gun.'
William Scaccia Jr had a history of legal issues according the Foxborough police chief
He was arrested last Saturday for illegal possession of a firearm after being denied two months ago, according to WCVB.
Police found a gun and shell casings at the home and that he might have tried to set the home on fire.
Chief William Baker told the station: 'The shooter may have tried to set the house on fire. When the grandmother woke up, she noticed that burn spot.'
The police department wrote on Facebook the shootings appear to be an isolated incident of domestic violence.
Morrissey says the boy lived in the home with his mother and grandmother but not his father.
Foxborough Police Chief William Baker says his department had a history with the father, who had recently been denied a gun license by the chief.
Scaccia had served in the U.S. Army with tours in Egypt and Iraq. He had never been convicted of a crime, despite several domestic incidents involving his estranged wife, according to police.
His wife took out a restraining order against him in 2013 and police seized more than $7,000 worth of weapons form his house.
Scaccia is survived by two sisters and had previously lost a brother in a driving accident.
'I lost my 13-year-old son in 1987 to a drunk driver, and I moved on from that in great pain and I have to move on from this,' the Usevic said. 'All you can do is move forward, you don't have a choice.'
The Washington Post Pushes Despair Excuse for Palestinian Terrorism, Again | Main | The Washington Post CitesThen RemovesA Tweet From an Antisemite
September 27, 2017
Journalist Harassed by PA in 2014 Now in Facebook Jail
Brian Schrauger, editor and publisher of The Jerusalem Journal. (Photo: Dexter Van Zile)
Brian Schrauger, editor of a pro-Israel website The Jerusalem Journal, has, along with a number of his friends and supporters, been placed in Facebooks equivalent of jail, blocked from posting articles to groups on the social media giants network. Details are a bit sketchy, but Schrauger, along with a number of other pro-Israel bloggers who have attempted to post articles from Schraugers Chaim Report, a news aggregation section on The Jerusalem Journal.
The Chaim Report is a kind of Israel-centered version of the Drudge Report,? Schrauger says. Like Drudge, it provides a daily aggregation of third party stories from mainstream news and government sources.?
Folks who have tried to post articles from The Chaim Report into Facebook groups have gotten messages that state Action Blocked.? The messages go onto state that the writers in question have been temporarily restricted from joining and posting to groups.? The restrictions or punishments appear to be about 10 days in length.
Eleven of us have been put in prison,? Schrauger says. So far the release date is from 3-6 October.?
Schrauger has his suspicions as to whats happening.
I am convinced the most likely reason is because a malicious person, or persons, have engaged in a campaign to report all Jerusalem Journal posts as spam,? Schrauger says. In 2014, Schrauger, a vocal critic of Palestinian elites, was harassed by PA police who told him it would be a good idea if he left Bethlehem. They took his passport on the way to the police station. Three years later, the harassment has shifted to Facebook.
Posted by dvz at September 27, 2017 11:58 AM
Make that 12!
Posted by: Anonymous at September 27, 2017 07:58 PM
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Two male former employees at Saint Francis Hospital in Memphis have been arrested for allegedly raping a suicidal 15-year-old patient multiple times during her stay at the psychiatric ward.
The suspects, Nigel Johnson, 30, and Jarvis Beck, 31, were taken into custody back in July and were each charged with statutory rape by a person in a position of authority.
According to attorney Parke Morris, who has been retained by the alleged victims family, Johnson and Beck took turns having sex with the vulnerable teenager during several encounters, as the station WREG first reported.
Nigel Johnson, 30 (left), and Jarvis Beck, 31 (right), now-former employees at Saint Francis Hospital in Memphis, are accused of repeatedly raping a suicidal 15-year-old patient
Beck and Johnson had been employed as attendants at the psychiatric ward at the hospital
Police arrested Johnson on July 17 and Beck on July 29.
According to Morris, a former hospital worker said she had witnessed inappropriate interactions between staffers and patients and that management had been warned about it.
She also claimed, according to the attorney, that male staffers would often violate hospital policy by being alone in the room with female patients.
Speaking to DailyMail.com by phone Wednesday, hospital spokeswoman Lindsey Allumbaugh declined to go into details pertaining to the allegations, citing ongoing litigation, but said that Beck and Johnson are no longer employed Saint Francis.
Allumbaugh also noted that it was hospital officials who alerted authorities about Beck and Johnson's suspected actions.
Beck was arrested on July 29. Both he and Johnson are no longer employed by the hospital
The lawyer representing the patients family said when the girl's mother contacted hospital officials seeking answers, she got 'stonewalled.'
Morris said he has reason to believe there may be others victims out there.
Records show that Becks only other arrest took place in 2012 and involved minor traffic violations.
Myanmar troops have uncovered the bodies of 45 Hindu villagers as the army accused Rohingya Muslims of carrying out a massacre.
Soldiers say they are still searching for another 48 missing Hindus who are feared dead after the discovery of mass graves in Rakhine state containing skeletal remains, including of women and children.
Army chiefs say the villagers were killed by Rohingya militants who also attacked police outposts. They say this justifies a brutal crackdown which has seen 480,000 people from the minority sect flee across the border to Bangladesh in a month.
Myanmar's army has accused Rohingya Muslims of massacring Hindu villagers in Rakhine state after the bodies of 45 people, including women and children, were found in mass graves
Witnesses said masked men stormed their village armed with machetes before hacking people to death. The army has used attacks such as this to justify their crackdown on the Rohingya
Myanmar authorities have accused Rohingya of violence against Buddhists and Hindus in Rakhine state, as well as attacking police
The UN has accused troops of systematically evicting the Rohingya, who have faced decades of persecution in the mainly Buddhist country.
Rights groups accuse troops of using arson to force the Rohingya out and block their return, a charge the army denies, accusing the Muslim minority of burning down their own homes.
The army has restricted press access to the conflict zone, including by independent observers who have asked to verify the presence of mass graves, and the identities of those inside.
The military has posted regular updates that blame Rohingya militants for the bloodshed, leading to allegations of a cover-up
On Wednesday a Myanmar minister, Win Myat Aye, was quoted in state media as saying the government would manage all fire-damaged land in Rakhine, a development likely to raise concern about the Rohingya refugees' ability to return.
In the space of just a month 480,000 Rohingya have been driven across the border to Bangladesh as whole villages have been burned to the ground
Relatives of the dead have blamed the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a group of militants associated with the Muslim sect, of carrying out the killings
Picutred is a burned out village near Maungdaw township, which was once Muslim-majority but has now been almost entirely cleared of the religious group
Hindu leaders say the graves were only located because eight women were spared after agreeing to convert to Islam and being brought to Bangladesh
The army and government have also sought to highlight the suffering of other ethnic groups swept up in the unrest, such as Rakhine Buddhists and Hindus.
On Wednesday the army flew journalists to the place where the mass graves of 45 Hindu villagers.
The decomposing skeletal bodies remained laid out in rows on a grassy field outside the village of Ye Baw Kyaw as distraught relatives wailed.
Locals have helped identify 25 of the corpses, according to the government's Information Committee.
Hindus who fled the area have told AFP that masked men stormed into their community that day and hacked victims to death with machetes before dumping them into freshly-dug pits.
Speaking to media on the army-led press trip, Maung Ba, a 32-year-old Hindu, said several of his relatives were among those brutally murdered.
'I identified them based on their clothes and body shape,' he said solemnly.
Ni Maul, a Hindu leader who has helped with the search, said authorities found the graves using testimony from eight Hindu women who were spared and brought to Bangladesh after they agreed to convert to Islam.
'They kept the beautiful eight women alive to marry,' he said.
A woman weeps as she helps to identify the bodies of relatives and neighbours among the dead. Local authorities say 25 people have been identified so far
Hindus in Rakhine state accuse the Rohingya of oppression, and say they have been targeted in refugee camps by preachers trying to force them to convert to Islam
Hindu women weep over the decomposing bodies of relatives who they believe were killed by members of a militant Rohingya organisation
While journalists have been allowed to visit the sites of mass graves, under escort by the army, independent observers have not, leading some to allege a cover-up
Four Hindu women displaced in Bangladesh told AFP they were among the eight who escaped the massacre in the same area of Kha Maung Seik, with eight children in tow.
'We begged for our lives, asking they spare the women,' 22-year-old Bina Sheel told AFP at a small village for Hindu refugees in the Bangladeshi border district of Cox's Bazar.
'They asked if we would marry them. We said yes, to save our lives.'
All four women said they were taken to Rohingya Muslim camps inside Bangladesh by the attackers. Sheel said her captor urged her to convert to Islam before she was brought to the Hindu village by a local leader.
The accounts could not be independently confirmed. The crisis has intensified religious hatreds and fuelled ethnically-charged claims and counterclaims.
The focal point of the unrest, Rakhine's Maungdaw district, was once home to several religious communities, with the Rohingya a majority.
But vast swathes of the border region are now completely emptied of Muslim residents.
Abel Cedeno, 18, (left) was taken into custody after allegedly stabbing two students at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx on Wednesday
One teenager has died and another has been seriously injured after they were stabbed with a knife in the middle of a history class at a New York high school.
The two students were attacked allegedly by 18-year-old classmate Abel Cedeno on Wednesday morning at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx.
Matthew McCree, the 15-year-old boy who died, had been stabbed in the chest. He had been rushed to hospital after the attack but was pronounced dead on arrival.
His friend, 16-year-old Ariane LaBoy, is fighting for his life in hospital after suffering stab wounds to his chest.
The suspect, who was allegedly armed with a three-inch blade knife, was taken into custody and is being questioned by police.
The incident took place about 30 minutes into a history class in front of at least 15 other students.
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Matthew McCree, 15, (left) died after being stabbed in the chest. His 16-year-old friend Ariane LaBoy (right) is fighting for his life in hospital
The two students were attacked allegedly by an 18-year-old classmate on Wednesday morning at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx
NYPD Chief of Detectives Bob Boyce said the suspect had been fighting with the two victims since school started back two weeks ago.
'There were arguments going on for two weeks into the school year. It escalated today after some back and forth within the classroom,' Boyce said.
One of the suspect's friend told the New York Post he was being bullied for his 'flamboyant' personality and snapped.
'I heard he was being harassed,' she said. 'He's not aggressive. Everybody loves Abel. He's not a bad kid.'
The two students were attacked allegedly by 18-year-old classmate Abel Cedeno (pictured after his arrest) on Wednesday morning
A metal detector is pictured being loaded into the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx. The school did not have metal detectors at the time of the stabbings
The suspect allegedly walked out of the room after the stabbing and surrendered the knife to a counselor.
Police said he then walked into the assistant principal's office, sat down and waited while 911 was called.
There are two schools within the one building - the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation, which is a high school and middle school combined. It also has Public School 67, which is an elementary school.
The school, which does not have metal detectors, dismissed classes early but planned to reopen Thursday.
The suspect, who was armed with a three-inch blade knife, was taken into custody and is being questioned by police. Students were promptly evacuated from the school
The incident took place about 30 minutes into a history class in front of at least 15 other students
NYPD Chief of Detectives Bob Boyce said the suspect and been fighting with the two victims since school started back two weeks ago
A Maine toddler whose 2011 disappearance sparked a massive and ongoing investigation has been declared legally dead, clearing the way for her mother to file a wrongful-death lawsuit against her father.
Cumberland County Probate Judge Joseph Mazziotti on Wednesday issued a court order that toddler Ayla Reynolds died on or around December 17, 2011. The judge says the preponderance of evidence supports the order.
The judge's order allows Ayla's mother, Trista Reynolds, to file the lawsuit against Ayla's father, Justin DiPietro.
The father has told police he believes Ayla was abducted. Investigators who found blood in the father's basement bedroom say they believe Ayla was killed. Ayla was staying with her father in Waterville the day she disappeared.
This photo provided by Trista Reynolds shows Ayla Reynolds, her 2-year-old daughter, who went missing in December 2011 from her father's home in Waterville, Maine
Ayla Reynolds was 20 months old when she went missing in December 2011
A wrongful death suit differs from a criminal complaint. Wrongful death claims are brought against a defendant who has caused someone's death either negligently or through intentional harm. Since Ayla has now been declared dead, Trista can file a complaint.
No one has been charged with a crime.
Trista Reynolds' attorney has said the goal of the lawsuit is to find out what happened to Ayla.
'Nobody wants to stand in front of a judge and ask them to declare their child dead,' Trista Reynolds said to NECN. 'But when it's the only way to get justice ... what are you going to do?'
A death declaration will allow for a wrongful-death lawsuit to be filed against Ayla's father
Trista Reynolds believes the father was involved in the disappearance of her daughter
Trista hopes to depose the last three people to see Ayla alive: DiPietro, his sister, and his ex-girlfriend. Investigators have said the trio have not been forthcoming and may hold the key to discovering what happened to Ayla.
'There are some things that I know that nobody else knows, and there are things I've seen that nobody else has seen,' Trista said. 'What I do know, is no, I don't think they'll ever find Ayla's body.'
Trista has been vocal about her belief that DiPietro was involved in the child's disappearance. She was seen screaming 'murderer' at Ayla's father several years ago outside of court.
Justin DiPietro (pictured) says he believes his child was kidnapped
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It is sometimes said that politics is a blood sport, and nobody knows that more than these Ugandan MPs who were involved in a mass brawl inside their parliament on Tuesday.
Dozens of lawmakers came to blows as members of the opposition party tried to stop the ruling body from passing a law removing the age cap from the presidency.
The fight started after some opposition ministers accused ruling party members of carrying guns, sparking a fierce argument which turned into pushing and eventually brawling.
Punches and chairs were thrown as ministers fought on tables and across rows of seats before plainclothes secret service agents hauled members of the opposition from the main chamber of parliament, located in Kampala.
Dozens of Ugandan MPs were involved in a vicious brawl in the country's parliament on Tuesday as they fought over a bill to remove the age cap from the country's presidency
Opposition MPs fought with members of the ruling party as they accused President Yoweri Museveni, 73, of trying to rule the country for life. The current age cap is 75
Plainclothes members of the security services stepped in to quell the violence, before dragging members of the opposition party out of the main chamber by force
Chairs and punches were thrown during the fiery exchange in parliament. The ruling party in Uganda has a huge majority and the bill is expected to pass easily when it comes to a vote
The opposition party leader eventually led her MPs in a walk-out after several members were removed by the security forces. She accused the ruling party of intimidation
Ministers climbed on the table separating sides of the house as the session spiralled out of control. There have been protests on the street over the decision to extend the president's term, which have also led to violence
President Museveni has refused to be drawn on whether he would run again in the next elections, saying it is 'not important', but opposition leaders say he is trying to remove the last barrier to life-long rule
After most of her ministers were hauled away by force, the leader of the opposition led the rest of her members in a walk-out, accusing the majority party of intimidation.
Ugandan law currently bans anyone over the aged of 75 from holding the country's highest office, meaning current President Yoweri Museveni, 73, is ineligible to run in the next election.
But his party, the National Resistance Movement, has now brought a bill to scrap that law. Maximum term limits have already been removed, meaning the new rule change would allow leaders to rule indefinitely.
The National Resistance Movement holds a massive majority in parliament, meaning the law is almost certain to pass when it goes to a vote.
Opposition leaders say Museveni, who has ruled the country since helping to overthrow previous Ugandan leaders Ugandan leaders Idi Amin and Milton Obote, is attempting to establish a rule for life.
Musaveni has so far refused to be drawn on whether or not he wants to run at the next election, saying that the issue is 'not important'.
This is not the first time politicians have been injured over this bill. The mayor of Kampala, where this fight took place, says he was forced to seek medical treatment after police 'squeezed' his genitals while breaking up a protest over the issue
President Musaveni's rule has been marred by widespread allegations of intimidation and fraud at the polls, alongside repression of opposition political parties
The fight started with arguments over the dispatch box which quickly turned into pushing and shoving before punches started being thrown, with security having to break it up
Opposition members accused ministers from the ruling party of carrying guns, sparking a vicious argument when eventually turned into a fight involving dozens of people
Moments after the fight broke out dozens of ministers had joined the fray, forcing security services to step in
Theodore Sekikuubo, who is a member of the ruling party but opposes the extension of presidential age limits, is dragged out of the chamber by security
Mr Sekikuubo was taken from the chamber by two men in plainclothes as other ministers attempted to wrestle him free
Angelina Ossege, a member of the opposition party, is carried to hospital by members of her own party after being hurt during the fight that broke out on Tuesday
Police have violently broken up street demonstrations protesting the effort to amend the constitution, arresting scores since the past week.
Erias Lukwago, the mayor of the Ugandan capital of Kampala, told reporters he is getting medical care after police officers allegedly 'squeezed' his genitals while arresting him outside his house last week.
Museveni, a U.S. ally on regional security, took power by force in 1986 and was re-elected last year in a poll marred by allegations of fraud and voter intimidation.
Although Museveni warned in the past that Africa's problem was leaders 'who want to overstay in power,' he has since said he was speaking about leaders who were not elected.
Uganda has never seen a peaceful change of power since independence from Britain in 1962.
A Minneapolis, Minnesota man returned home from a three-week vacation on Monday to find his wife had filed for divorce - so he murdered her, authorities say.
Tony Le, 55, was arrested at his home on Monday where police found his wife Michelle's dead body curled up in a downstairs bathroom.
Tony willingly told investigators that he and his wife of 20 years had been having troubles lately because she wanted to break up.
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Tony Le, 55 (left), was arrested for murdering his 48-year-old wife Michelle Le (right) on Monday at their home in Minneapolis, Minnesota
He came home from a three-week trip to Vietnam Monday morning to find that his wife had filed for divorce. Above, the couple's home
Le admitted that he strangled his wife using a telephone cord, after learning of the divorce
He snapped when he returned home from a trip to Vietnam this weekend and learned that she had finally pulled the plug and filed for divorce.
Tony told police that he stayed up to 3 or 4am on Monday when his wife returned and then the two got into a confrontation.
He says he followed his estranged wife into the bathroom and then strangled her from behind with a telephone cord as she tried in vain to fend him off.
When she suffocated, he called 911 but at first said he didn't know why she was dead.
The couple are owners of Penn Nails and Spa in Richfield, which they opened in 2013
Longtime customers brought flowers to the shop this week to honor Michelle
When officers arrived on the scene just before 9am, Tony greeted them by saying 'my wife is dead'.
Tony was immediately taken into custody and he later admitted to the murder.
He was charged on Tuesday with second-degree murder and was scheduled to make his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon. Tony is currently being held on $1.5million bail.
Michelle is survived by two young adult sons
Tony and his wife were owners of Penn Nails and Spa in Richfield, which they opened in 2013.
They have two sons, who are young adults.
One of their sons told investigators that his parents had previously had arguments about their business.
Those who knew Michelle from the nail salon mourned her loss, and a memorial at the shop was set up with flowers and a Buddhist shrine.
'She's very well known in the community, everybody raves about her and talks about her. They provide a great service here,' Bree Cowan, who works next door to Le's business, told KMSP. 'I don't know what's next. It affects us too. They were great neighbors in the business sense, and great people, so I'm just shocked.'
Longtime customer Barb Gellatly decided to fill in at the front desk after Michelle's murder.
'Its an honor to do this,' she told WCCO. 'Its an honor to help Michelle.'
The mugshot for Richard Haskell, 71. He was charged with a DWI twice on Saturday after returned to the police station drunk. Police gave him the first DWI when they found him asleep in his car with a bottle of alcohol
A 71-year-old New Jersey man was arrested twice in one day on charges of driving while intoxicated.
Richard Haskell was first arrested Saturday at 7.42am when police in Ramsey received a call saying there was an unresponsive person sleeping in his parked car at Saruci's pond with a bottle of alcohol between his legs.
He was given a field sobriety test, failed and charged with a DWI and having an open container in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.
Haskell's blood alcohol level was found to be .21 percent and he was later released, according to NorthJersey.com.
The legal limit in all 50 states is .08 percent.
But later that afternoon, at 12.21pm, Richard drove to the police station in another vehicle while he was still drunk to see if his car from the earlier arrest would be released.
Officers performed another field sobriety test and Richard's blood-alcohol level was still over the legal limit to drive a car.
A picture of Saruci's pond where Richard was found by police
After police performed the second field sobriety test, they arrested him again.
His blood alcohol level was .14 percent.
He was charged with a second DWI and is expected to appear October 24 in Ramsey Municipal Court, according to NorthJersey.com.
Tim Allen has come out to say he believes his television show - Last Man Standing - was cancelled after six seasons because it featured a likable conservative man as the main character.
Last Man Standing was cancelled in May by ABC after six seasons - a decision which came as a shock to both fans and cast-members alike.
And Allen, who has been open about his support for President Donald Trump, says that the cancellation ultimately came down to politics.
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In an interview on Norm Macdonald Live, Tim Allen alleges that the television show Last Man Standing was cancelled because it featured a likable conservative man
Last Man Standing was cancelled in May by ABC after six seasons - a decision which came as a shock to both fans and cast-members alike
'I have no idea why [ABC] did what they did,' Allen said during an interview on Norm Macdonald Live.
However, he said, he thinks that it's because his humor skewed towards more conservative minded-Americans.
He explained that he hoped his character, Carroll O'Connor, would be like Archie Bunker on All in the Family.
Bunker's character, he said, 'pushed boundaries,' of conservatism in the household, and he hoped that his character might be able to do the same thing in time.
'But there's nothing more dangerous, especially in this climate, than a funny, likable conservative,' he claims.
'He is mitigated on the show by a family of women who had a difference of opinions, but he was a likable guy and a principled guy about work and ethics and all this stuff, I think.'
Allen said that his character, though conservative, was mitigated by other characters with different political beliefs
The show, which averaged 6.4million weekly viewers and had a 1.1 demo rating, was ABC's second-most watched comedy behind Modern Family.
However, as Hollywood Reporter explains, the show came from an outside studio, meaning it was expensive to license.
Initially there were talks to revive the show on CMT, but those failed due to the cost as well.
A 21-year-old man was found dead inside a house in Maryland that burned down earlier this month, and where mysterious tunnels were discovered in the yard.
The body of Askia Khafra, of Silver Spring, was discovered in the basement of a home in the 5200 block of Danbury Road in Bethesda after the September 10 house fire.
The Chief Medical Examiners Office has conducted an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death, the results of which are still pending.
Askia Khafra, 21 (pictured left and right), has been identified as the person who was found dead in the basement of a Maryland home earlier this month
Mystery fire: This home in the 5200 block of Danbury Road in Bethesda, Maryland, became engulfed in flames on September 10
Police officers and firefighters responded to the house in north Bethesda at 4.23pm on September 10 after getting reports about a fire.
After getting the flames under control, firefighters entered the residence and found Khafra dead in the basement.
Another man was found outside the home and was taken to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The surviving victim, who lived at the house, has not been identified.
On Tuesday, bomb technicians and explosives experts descended on the fire-ravaged house and spent hours looking for clues. Their search reportedly turned up the tunnels in the yard, whose purpose is still unknown.
First responders found an injured man outside and discovered Khafra's body in the basement
A series of tunnels were discovered underneath the yard, and their purpose remains unknown
Investigators also collected and tested chemicals they found on the property, reported NBC Washington. Police described conditions inside the single-family home as a 'hoarding situation.'
Khafra did not live at the house. According police, the person who resided there carried out 'excavation' on the property, presumably using the earth-moving equipment that was found in the yard.
Bethesda is home to Walter Reed Medical Center. According to the 2000 Census, the DC suburb of 60,000 people was the best-educated city in the US where the median income for a household was more than $117,00.
Neighbors say the house belongs to 26-year-old Daniel Beckwitt, a convicted computer hacker (pictured in his 2013 mugshot)
Police would not reveal the name of the resident, but neighbors identified him as 26-year-old Daniel Beckwitt, a suspected computer hacker with a criminal past, according to reporting by Fox5 DC.
Beckwitt had been studying engineering at the University of Illinois until the winter of 2013, when he was arrested for tampering with school computers to access sensitive information.
He eventually pleaded guilty to computer fraud and was sentenced to probation. It is unclear how he was connected to Khafra.
On Facebook, a childhood friend of Khafra's remembered him as genuine and resourceful person.
Another long-time friend described the 21-year-old as light-heartened and kind, and said that he will never be forgotten.
As of Wednesday. no one has been arrested or charged in connection to the fire or Khafra's death.
A litter of tiger cubs rejected by their mother at the Philadelphia Zoo look to be settling in well, two months after being accepted by a new surrogate tiger mom at the Oklahoma City Zoo.
One of the cubs, named Zoya, was accepted by a Sumatran tiger named Lola in July.
Lola appears to be a true tiger mom and has taken charge and is looking after all of her litter of adorable cubs, some of which were hers to begin with.
Zoya, which means 'life' in Russian, is an Amur tiger, also known as a Siberian tiger.
Health cub! Zoo visitors watch from behind glass above an examination room at the Oklahoma City Zoo as the tiger cubs are given a health check
Feline fine: Sumatran Tiger Cub, 'Gusti' is examined by Dr. Gretchen Cole, zoo veterinarian, during a wellness exam in Oklahoma City
Sumatran Tiger Cub, 'Ramah' is moved from a scale after being weighed
Amur Tiger Cub 'Zoya' was born at the Philadelphia Zoo in July but transferred to Oklahoma City Zoo to be cared for by a surrogate Sumatran Tiger after her own mom rejected her
Zoya's case is a specials one. She was the lone survivor of five cubs born July 9 to a first-time mother in the Philadelphia Zoo, but her own mother rejected her.
By coincidence, Lola, in Oklahoma, had given birth just one day earlier to three cubs of her own but several will stillborn and one was accidentally injured.
Zoya was introduced to her and Lola treated the cub as if it were her own offspring.
Both Amur and Sumatran tigers,also called Siberian tigers, are endangered with fewer than 500 of each believed to be living in the wild.
They're found in eastern Russia and northeastern China.
Clawing back to health: All the baby tigers appear to be in fine form as they were inspected
All the cubs were given the once over by the Dr. Gretchen Cole, zoo veterinarian
Fadi Ibrahim has celebrated his first night at home in style after being locked up in a Dubai prison for six weeks and spending a further week in custody in Sydney.
The 43-year-old brother of Sydney nightclub identity John Ibrahim walked free from Silverwater Correctional Centre on Wednesday night after waiting more than a week to raise his $2.2 million surety.
He was driven straight to his $6 million clifftop Dover Heights home by a friend, who left and then came back a short time later carrying a huge Lebanese takeout meal.
Ibrahim was among four men extradited from Dubai nearly two weeks ago over their alleged roles in an international drug and tobacco-smuggling conspiracy.
Special delivery! A friend dropped off a huge Lebanese takeout meal to Fadi Ibrahim's Sydney mansion just hours after he was granted bail and placed on house arrest
Ibrahim appeared relaxed and smiled for cameras as he departed for his Sydney mansion on Wednesday evening
The friend carried a number of plastic bags, which appeared to carry Lebanese bread and condiments, with a tray of meat covered in foil
That's what friends are for: Ibrahim was picked up by the friend, who left and came back a short period later with a feast
He spent six weeks behind bars in Dubai after a co-ordinated series of raids and arrests in Sydney and the United Arab Emirates on August 8.
During the sting, Australian Federal Police and their NSW counterparts arrested 18 people after intercepting a shipment of drugs bound for Australia worth an estimated $810 million in July.
It was thought the 43-year-old would be freed last week but he struggled to come up with the surety required to secure his release.
Under his bail conditions, he has to live under effective house arrest in his Dover Heights mansion for what could be up to two years.
Brother John, the 'King of the Cross' who is reportedly worth more than $50 million, has been overseas during the process.
It is not alleged Ibrahim was involved with the drug transactions but he is accused of stumping up $800,000 to fund a tobacco importation deal.
Fadi Ibrahim was released from a maximum security prison nine days after he was granted $2.2 million bail
Ibrahim will now live under effective house arrest in the $6 million clifftop home he shares with wife Shayda (pictured left) at Dover Heights
Fadi Ibrahim was being held in NSW's largest prison, the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre (pictured) at Silverwater
Fadi Ibrahim will have to live under effective house arrest in his clifftop home (pictured) at Dover Heights for up to two years
A 'two-out' cell at NSW's largest prison, the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater, where Fadi Ibrahim was held
The six-bedroom, five-bathroom property bought for just over $4 million in 2013 has an estimated current value of at least $6 million and is just four blocks away from John's $8 million home in George Street.
It was reported late last week that John - who is said to control a property portfolio worth $52 million - was overseas.
Fadi was locked up inside New South Wales's largest prison, housed among about 1200 inmates including accused murderers, rapists and bikies awaiting trial.
The day after Fadi was granted bail he was taken from the Sydney Police Centre in the inner-city to the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre (MRRC) at Silverwater.
That day his lawyer Abbas Soukie told Australian Associated Press he was more focused on getting his client out of custody than his precise whereabouts.
'I would like to get him out now, but realistically I don't think it will be tomorrow,' Mr Soukie said. 'I think it's more likely it will be Thursday.'
The second youngest Ibrahim brother was granted bail on money laundering charges on September 18, but had been stuck in his cell waiting for courts to accept his bail money
He appeared relaxed and smiled for cameras as he departed for his Sydney mansion on Wednesday evening
John Ibrahim's brother Fadi has been charged with providing $800,000 towards the illegal importation of tobacoo and with receiving $1.6m from the proceeds of that alleged operation
Fadi was locked up inside New South Wales's largest prison (pictured), housed among about 1200 inmates including accused murderers, rapists and bikies awaiting trial
Actor Firass Dirani (left) who played John Ibrahim (right) in Underbelly: The Golden Mile; John Ibrahim has not been charged with any offence related to his brothers' alleged crimes
Fadi was arrested in Dubai on August 8 with his 39-year-old brother Michael and four other men in one of Australia's biggest organised crime stings.
Unlike Michael, he has not been charged over an alleged international plot to import narcotics worth $810 million.
Michael, accused of conspiring to import and attempting to import a commercial quantity of ecstasy, did not apply for bail and remains behind bars.
Also in jail is the oldest Ibrahim brother, 51-year-old Sam, who has been on remand for more than three years awaiting sentence for his role in a gun-running racket.
Fadi is accused of two money laundering offences: one of providing $800,000 towards illegally importing tobacco and one of receiving $1.6 million from the proceeds of that operation.
Fadi Ibrahim's older brother, nightclub identity John, pictured at his Dover Heights home in Sydney's eastern suburbs carrying a copy of his recent memoir Last King of the Cross
Accused money launderer Fadi Ibrahim pictured with his then fiancee and now wife Shayda Bastani attending Doncaster Day at Royal Randwick racecourse in Sydney in April 2010
The home of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim at Dover Heights in Sydney's eastern suburbs which was searched by Australian Federal Police on the same day brother Fadi was arrested
An artist's sketch of accused money launderer Fadi Ibrahim when he appeared via video link from the Sydney Police Centre at Central Local Court during a bail hearing on August 18
Fadi was granted bail on September 18 with a list of conditions including that one or more 'acceptable person' deposit $2.2 million.
His mother Wahiba had offered $1.5 million secured by her palatial home at Merrylands, in Sydney's west. Wife Shayda provided an affidavit.
Fadi's own financial assets have been frozen.
Magistrate Les Mabbutt said Fadi, who was extradited from Dubai two weekends ago, would 'effectively' be living under house arrest.
He cannot leave the property other than to make court appearances or to attend legal conferences or medical appointments, both of which would require 48 hours' notice to police.
In the event of a medical emergency, Mr Mabbutt said he would expect Fadi to leave his home in an ambulance.
Fadi Ibrahim being taken to Royal North Shore Hospital after he was shot five times sitting with his fiancee Shayda Bastani in a Lamborghini outside the couple's Castle Cove home in 2009
Fadi Ibrahim had little choice in diet while being held in NSW's largest prison, the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater (pictured)
Fadi Ibrahim, brother of Kings Cross identity John, captured on CCTV footage as part of an Australian Federal Police investigation into a ring allegedly trafficking tobacco and drugs
Fadi was shot five times while he sat in his Lamborghini outside his former home at Castle Cove, on Sydney's north shore, in 2009 and still requires pain management for those injuries.
Mr Mabbutt did not impose conditions that Fadi report to police as police would know where he was at all times and would likely have him under surveillance.
He is allowed to have one mobile phone, the number of which must be given to police.
Australian Federal Police already have possession of his passport and he must not apply for further travel documents. He cannot contact prosecution witnesses or his co-accused.
Central Local Court heard Fadi had borrowed $800,000 against the home and used that money to invest in a scheme police allege returned $1.6 million.
Mr Mabbutt said due to delays in the court system it could be 18 months to two years before Fadi faced any trial.
John Ibrahim has not been accused of any offences.
Donald Trump joked during his Wednesday tax speech in Indiana that cost estimates for a new fence around the White House are so high that perhaps a small construction company whose founder was in the audience should get the job.
John Gannon, whose Custom Wood Fencing company in suburban Indianapolis builds decks and gazebos, was one of three small businessmen whom Trump said would benefit from tax cuts he wants to push through Congress.
And instead of a $50 million price tag, the president said, Gannon could likely complete the project for $1 million.
It was a joke, of course: The U.S. Secret Service requires that fences protecting the nation's executive mansion be made of hardened steel.
WANT A JOB? President Donald trump joked with a man in his audience during a tax speech on Wednesday about whether he would like to build a new fence around the White House; the man runs a construction company that builds wooden decks and fencing
OBSOLETE AND TOO SHORT: The current fence around the White House is slated to be replaced entirely by the end of next year, and Trump said Wednesday that he was presented with a $50 million cost estimate
But Trump made his point. And the fence, which a handful of people have creached in recent years, is slated for replacement with one that's 5 feet higher.
Deck builder John Gannon chuckled along with Trump at the idea of taking the job
'You know we have a fence around the White House. We have a fence around the White House, and they want to build a new fence,' Trump said in an off-the-cuff moment on Wednesday.
He said his history in construction taught him that the project should cost, 'I don't know, maybe a million. Maybe a million and a half.'
Trump recalled asking someone at the White House how much taxpayers would actually spend on the fence.
'"Sir! The fence will cost approximately 50 million dollars"' was the answer, he said.
'I said, "What?" I kid you not. And we have thousands of things like that. Thousands.'
'So John,' Trump asked, addressing Gannon with a wry smile: 'Do you think you can do it for slightly less than $50 million? I think you could take 49 off right now and you'd have plenty of profit, right, John?'
Gannon's company isn't seriously being considered: He specializes in wooden decks and gazebos, not hardened-steel security fences
OVER YOU GO: Joseph Caputo, 22, was arrested by Secret Service after he jumped over the White House fence on Thanksgiving Day in 2015; he had left a suicide note
In March of this year Jonathan Tran (pictured after a court appearance) came within a few steps of the White House after hopping the fence with a backpack containing cans of mace
Gannon is a father of nine children and employs three other people, according to the Indianapolis Star.
The National Capital Planning Commission approved a design for a new fence in February, shortly after Trump was sworn in as president.
It will be more than 13 feet tall, including a stone base and nearly 11 feet of metal.
White House insiders say they hope the updated barrier will discourage fence-jumpers like Omar Gonzalez, who leaped the existing structure in September 2014 and made it all the way into the White House itself.
This graphic from the National Capital Planning Commission shows the area encircled by the White House's fencing
The new fence design (bottom) will be 5 feet higher than the current barrier, making it harder to scale
2-inch jagged lances at the top of each fence post will serve to deter would-be jumpers
Gonzalez overpowered a Secret Service officer and ran through much of the main floor before he was tackled.
At least five other trespassers have made it onto the White House grounds in the past three years.
A week before Gonzalez made his leap, a 26-year-old schizophrenic man named Jeffrey Grossman scaled the fence and was apprehended by Secret Service agents.
On Thanksgiving Day in 2015, Joseph Caputo, 22, was arrested by Secret Service after he jumped over. Caputo had left a suicide note and intended to die.
The Obamas were inside eating dinner at the time.
This year in March a California man named Jonathan Tran came within a few steps of the White House after bounding over the fence. Tran, 26, was carrying a backpack that contained two cans of mace and was able to roam the grounds for 17 minutes without being detected.
A Silicon Valley titan who helped create Google Street View and engineered Waymo and Uber's self-driving cars is taking new steps to solidify technology's place in the future.
In 2015, Anthony Levandowski, 37, founded a religion called Way of the Future. It has only been revealed now as state officials in California wait for him to respond to the necessary IRS filings he must provide for it.
Way of the Future has no website or headquarters but, according to Wired which obtained copies of his original filings, Levandowski is its founder and CEO.
The documents give its purpose is to 'develop and promote the realization of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence'.
They say it aims to 'through understanding and worship of the Godhead, contribute to the betterment of society'.
Levandowski's allegiance to singularity - the belief that artificial intelligence will one day grow to such efficiency that it surpasses and overpowers humans - comes as no surprise.
Silicon Valley engineer Anthony Levandowski (above with ousted Uber CEO Travis Kalanick in August last year before they were both fired) founded a religion which worships AI in 2015
He has been at the forefront of some of Silicon Valley's most forward-thinking ventures since graduating from college and has built a reputation as a pioneer in the industry.
What's more, he is at the heart of a legal fight between Google's parent company Alphabet and Uber.
Waymo, the self-driving car subsidiary which Alphabet owns, is suing Uber, claiming it stole trade secrets to make their own self-driving cars.
The engineer they say is responsible for the theft is Levandowski who they allege downloaded 14,000 secret files before leaving Google in 2016 after nine years at the company.
A month after his departure, he founded Otto, a company which specialized in self-driving trucks.
Seven months later, Uber acquired Otto and Levandowski began working on the ride-sharing company's self-driving cars.
In February this year, Alphabet filed a multi-billion lawsuit against Uber and Otto accusing it of stealing trade secrets.
Levandowski was called to give evidence in March but he pleaded the Fifth Amendment throughout, refusing to answer questions on the grounds that his answers may incriminate him.
Levandowski is accused of stealing trade secrets from Waymo, the self-driving car division of Google's parent company Alphabet, before he left his job at Google in 2016. Above, a prototype of one of Waymo's autonomous cars
Immediately after leaving Google, Levandowski set up his own self-driving trucks company called Otto. Uber acquired it seven months later and he went to work for the ride-sharing app to help develop its self-driving car division. Above, the 37-year-old promoting one of Uber's prototypes in December 2016
At the end of May, Uber fired him for not cooperating with the trial by refusing to hand over to the trial judge the documents Waymo claims he stole. Uber said he was in breach of contract at the time.
Levandowski was fired from Uber in May after refusing to cooperate in the civil trial which has his role at both companies at its core (file image)
The two companies are due to return to court next month. Since filing its original complaint in February, Waymo has dropped three of the four patent infringement claims which were included.
The lawsuit centers around Lidar technology which is the light and radar system which will map out the road ahead for autonomous cars.
For just one of the alleged patent thefts, Waymo is demanding $2.6billion from Uber in damages.
Waymo alleges that Levandowski stole the technology he helped create for them and took it to Uber.
The lawsuit is one of an ocean of scandals Uber has struggled through in the past year.
Its CEO Travis Kalanick stepped down earlier this year after worrying claims made by female former employees exposed a festering culture of sexism, misogyny, racism and homophobia throughout its offices.
Levandowski joined Google in 2009 after working on a team of engineers which crafted Google Street View.
British Airways stewardess Joanne Wickenden, 23, of Hampshire, who posted a racist Snapchat rant aimed at Nigerian passengers, insists she resigned her post before BA could sack her
The British Airways stewardess who posted a racist Snapchat rant attacking Nigerian passengers insists she chose to resign - before she was sacked.
Joanne Wickenden, 23, quit the airline yesterday after a two-hour meeting with bosses over the shocking clip.
Despite her offensive post, Miss Wickenden maintains she resigned her post before the airline could terminate her contract.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the 5ft 11in blonde air flight attendant from Fareham, Hampshire, said: 'I want to set the record straight. I wasn't sacked. I resigned.
'I'd had enough and I didn't want to fly anymore,' she added.
Explaining the circumstances around the minute-long clip she recorded in her BA inform mocking Nigerian passengers for wanting 'f***ing upgrades', she said: 'I was set up by a BA colleague. I was in my car before starting work and I was talking to this so-called friend on Snapchat.
'They were sending me videos and asking me questions, encouraging me and egging me on to do impressions.
'Unknown to me they were recording this conversation on their phone and send the footage around to others.
The stewardess sparked outrage after recording the racist clip in her BA uniform before flying from London Heathrow to Abuja on Friday night.
In a statement today the airline said 'she no longer works for British Airways', adding: 'We expect the utmost professionalism from our staff when they are representing British Airways.'
Axed: Miss Wickenden sparked outrage after recording the racist clip in her BA uniform before flying from London Heathrow to Abuja on Friday night.
The 23-year-old, who wants to be an actress, told friends 'I am not a racist' and claimed the sickening video was just a joke.
A friend said that the other colleague wanted her to impersonate what goes on on the flight.
A source told MailOnline that the video - which was captioned 'I can't cope with this flight' - was circulated among 'horrified' BA cabin crew who are 'very concerned'.
Ms Wickenden said: 'I have been framed by another BA employee. They were encouraging me, egging me on to say things. They were recording me and sent it around to our friends.'
The 5ft 11in air hostess, who made the racist film, says she has been single for two years as she boasted about her job on Plenty of Fish.
Another shocked staff member said BA should apologise to its Nigerian passengers.
In the expletive-filled footage, Ms Wickenden said: 'All Nigerians are going to be asking for f****** upgrades' - after claiming the men would need more leg room in an apparent joke about the size of their privates.
During the one-minute clip she also revealed how she was going to deal with passengers on the six-hour flight.
She said: 'Alright, so all of yous are there getting ready for your Friday night, getting in the pre-drinks, you know, as you do.
'And I'm here, getting ready to go to work, put on a yellow life jacket, point out the exits, hand out chicken or beef, what sort of Friday night is this for me?
'The upside is I'm going to Nigeria and there's gonna be bare B**, I'm joking, I'm joking.
All the Nigerians are gonna be there like 'gimme Coca Cola, gimme me beef, why you have no beef left? I want beef.'
Sacked: A source told MailOnline that the video - which was captioned 'I can't cope with this flight' - was circulated among 'horrified' BA cabin crew who are 'very concerned'.
Selfies: Joanne Wickenden posted a series of sultry selfies to the dating website Plenty of Fish and said she 'misses male company'
After shocked crew reported the video to British Airways the airline has launched investigation
'And I'm just gonna be there like, 'Sorry sir, we ran out of beef'.
'All the Nigerians are gonna be there asking for f****** upgrades because they haven't got enough leg room because their B**s are in their way. Big d**** like this swinging from side to side.'
An airline source told MailOnline: 'My friend was horrified. BA has a culture of dealing with things like this internally, she passed it to me because she was concerned that nothing was done.'
A historic avenue of horse chestnut trees has been felled after a council claimed they were a 'public threat'.
The trees, on Tooting Common in London, had been standing for 140 years, but were chopped down despite a petition with more than 6,500 signatures.
Horse chestnut trees are being felled across the country over concerns about disease, despite expert advice that they could be left standing with careful pruning. Scientists warn they could all but disappear from the landscape within 15 years.
Chestnut Avenue in Tooting Bec was renowned for its Horse Chestnut Trees which have been chopped down in what has been described as the Tooting Chainsaw Massacre
Workers arrived at the scene, pictured before the massacre, to remove the 51 trees
The council claimed they had no choice but to remove the 51 trees from the avenue
It took workers armed with chainsaws almost 12 hours to remove the 51 trees from the area of Tooting Common known to generations of local families as Chestnut Avenue.
Wandsworth Council said they were removed due to a killer disease called bleeding canker, a pest called the leaf miner moth and their advanced age.
However independent tree risk assessor Jeremy Barrell said most of the trees had the potential to live for another 50 to 80 years and did not need to be felled for safety reasons.
Mr Barrell, who has closely examined the trees on three occasions, said: 'I will stake my professional reputation on there being no defensible safety reason to remove these trees.
'The council said they were dying, which they were not. The council said they were unsafe, which they were not in any obvious way, and the sound wood in the stumps left behind confirms this.
'The issue could have been dealt with by pruning the branches if they were overlong. The council seized on one event a couple of years ago where a tree fell down as meaning they might all fall down, but that is contrary to tree risk assessment principles.'
Yet locals expressed anger that so many trees had to be removed by contractors
Some claimed the council wanted to remove the 140-year-old trees as a cost saving measure
The council released footage which they claimed showed a tree which had been diseased
Tree felling by local authorities is increasingly controversial, with opponents claiming it is done to save money. Last month Environment Secretary Michael Gove attacked plans to axe thousands of trees in Sheffield, saying it would damage 'our children's rightful inheritance'.
Protesters arrived at sunrise on Tuesday for the latest round of felling in London. Francine Forde, who lives locally, said: 'These trees were environmentally important to animals such as birds and squirrels and provided important protection from city pollution in London.
'The tree-lined avenue was beautiful and generations of families grew up learning to ride their bicycles below those trees. Now it is completely bare.'
Councils order the removal of horse chestnuts for fear that diseased branches might break off and injure passers-by.
Some of those on Tooting Common were infested with leaf miners - a moth which arrived in Britain from Greece in 2002 on a lorry and has ravaged the country's trees, causing their leaves to turn brown and drop.
Yet, locals maintained that many of the trees were entirely healthy and should have been saved
The insect also makes mature trees more vulnerable to bleeding canker, which leaves weeping sores on their bark and is also said to have been present in the London trees.
Professor Stephen Woodward of Aberdeen University, one of the country's leading experts on tree diseases, has said it is 'plausible' that almost all of Britain's horse chestnuts could be wiped out within 15 years.
Mr Barrell says horse chestnuts across the country are diseased but do not necessarily need to be felled. However Wandsworth Council said Mr Barrell had not got close enough to the trees to make a proper observation.
A council spokesman said: 'No-one wants to lose large trees needlessly, and we fully recognise this has been an upsetting day for some local residents, but what today has confirmed is that many of these trees were in a very poor and rotten condition and structurally weak and without intervention they would soon have begun posing a serious threat to the public.'
Officials say a tree had already toppled without warning and promised to replace those removed with 64 semi-mature trees by the end of the week.
An off-duty LAPD officer was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk and causing a crash that killed a teen boy and his parents Tuesday night.
Edgar Verduzco was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter and is being held on $100,000 bail.
The 26-year-old was driving a 2016 Chevy Camaro 'at a high rate of speed' when he rear-ended two vehicles - a 2010 Scion and a 2014 Nissan - while in the carpool lane at around 10.15pm on the southbound side of 605 Freeway in Whittier, according to a California Highway Patrol (CHP) press release.
The impact of the crash caused the Nissan to burst into flames, tragically trapping all three occupants inside.
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics who arrived to the fiery scene pronounced all three people inside the car dead a short time later.
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Edgar Verduzco was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter and is being held on $100,000 bail. The off-duty LAPD officer was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk and causing a crash that killed a teen boy and his parents Tuesday night (scene above)
The 26-year-old was driving a 2016 Chevy Camaro 'at a high rate of speed' when he rear-ended two vehicles at around 10.15pm on the 605 Freeway in Whittier, police say. The impact of the crash caused the Nissan (above) to burst into flames,trapping all three occupants inside
The driver of the Scion has only been identified as a 31-year-old woman. She suffered minor injuries in the crash; it's unclear if she needed to be taken to a hospital
The coroner said the victims probably won't be positively identified until at least next week because the bodies are so badly burned.
CHP Officer Al Perez told KTLA that the occupants of that car were a teen boy and his parents who were from Riverside.
Their names have not been released, but Perez said the adults were in their 50s.
The driver of the Scion has only been identified as a 31-year-old woman. She suffered minor injuries in the crash; it's unclear if she needed to be taken to a hospital.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck (above) said Verduzco is an Army veteran who did a tour in Afghanistan and joined the LAPD two years ago. He called the situation 'particularly troubling'
Verduzco, who was off-duty at the time of the crash, sustained a broken nose during the accident.
Perez said there were no open containers in the car, but that Verduzco showed signs of being intoxicated.
The wreck shut down all southbound lanes of the 605 for hours, KABC reported.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck released a statement regarding the crash and sent his condolences to the family.
'The Department has no tolerance for for driving under the influence and holds its officers to to the highest standards of professionalism both on and off-duty,' he wrote in the statement.
'It is particularly troubling when one of our own police officers violates drunk driving laws, which is why a drunk driving offense always results in a personnel complaint which can lead to dismissal.'
Beck addressed his officer's arrest at a press conference Wednesday.
'My heart goes out to the victims and their families and I cannot tell you how angry and disappointed I am that a Los Angeles police officer would disregard the law and cause an accident with such awful, awful consequences,' Beck said.
'This is an awful, awful thing.'
Beck shared that Verduzco is an Army veteran who did a tour in Afghanistan and joined the LAPD two years ago.
Verduzco was stationed at the front desk of the Central Division and had an 'unremarkable' career thus far, Beck added.
The 26-year-old officer will continue to be paid pending further disciplinary action by the police department.
Ryanair was accused of cancelling Christmas last night after wrecking the plans of 400,000 more passengers.
Two weeks after scrapping 2,000 autumn flights, the budget airline said a further 18,000 will be grounded this winter.
Thirty-four routes will be suspended in a desperate attempt to solve a staffing crisis.
Ryanair was accused of cancelling Christmas last night after wrecking the plans of 400,000 more passengers. These are the 34 flight routes that will be scrapped until March 2018 following today's announcement by Ryanair. It includes routes such as London Stansted to Edinburgh and Glasgow, Gatwick to Belfast, Newcastle to Faro, and Glasgow to Las Palmas
Ryanair has admitted messing up its holiday rosters for pilots, leaving too few on standby to keep schedules on track. Although the second wave of cancellations is bigger than the first, similar numbers of passengers will be hit because the flights are not yet booked out.
All services between London and Scotland will be scrapped over the festive period, along with many linking European cities.
Passengers are not entitled to compensation because they have had at least 14 days notice.
The email that ruined our honeymoon Dan Crabb is one of almost 400,000 Ryanair passengers to get an unwelcome email from the airline yesterday A cancelled flight is certainly not the ideal start to anyones honeymoon. Dan Crabb is one of almost 400,000 Ryanair passengers to get an unwelcome email from the airline yesterday. He and his fiancee Sophie are getting married on Saturday and were due to fly from London Stansted to Hamburg in December on the first leg of their honeymoon. They had deliberately booked an early-morning flight to spend almost two days in the city. But bank manager Mr Crabb, 31, received an email informing him that the flight has been cancelled. The next flight from Stansted was not until the evening, spoiling their plans. Mr Crabb, of Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire, said any flights from Gatwick would entail a dear taxi ride. The pair are also due to fly back from Marrakesh with Ryanair on their final honeymoon leg in January, which they also fear will be cancelled. He said: I have massively lost trust in Ryanair. Mr Crabb has been offered a choice of rebooking for free or a refund. Advertisement
This situation is a complete and utter shambles that now extends to up to nearly three quarters of a million people, said Alex Neill, of the consumer group Which?
Ryanair has effectively cancelled Christmas for some of its passengers. She said the offer of a 40 voucher would be cold comfort for passengers who could not book the flight they required.
The latest fiasco heaps further pressure on Ryanair chief executive Michael OLeary. The airline has been accused of failing to tell passengers how to claim compensation and of refusing to book them on alternative airlines.
Two weeks after scrapping 2,000 autumn flights, the budget airline said a further 18,000 will be grounded this winter
And last night the Civil Aviation Authority launched enforcement action against Ryanair for persistently misleading customers. Some said they would never fly with the carrier again. Others fear being left out of pocket, having already booked accommodation or car hire.
Steve Double, a Tory member of the Commons transport committee, said: These latest cancellations are clearly very concerning. The future of OLeary is a matter for shareholders but he needs to provide some real answers about how this has been allowed to happen. Ryanair said reducing its flying schedule in a controlled manner would eliminate all risk of further cancellations, providing spare aircraft and crews over the winter.
It had hoped to avoid the extra cancellations after offering pilots entitled to holiday in the coming months up to 12,000 to come into work for a week. But this was rejected by a group of pilots who demanded better working conditions instead. The airline yesterday insisted hundreds of pilots had given up holiday time.
Airline boss and billionaire Michael O'Leary has apologised to outraged passengers
The cancellations will ground all flights linking London to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast, with 34 routes suspended between November 17 and March 18.
Ryanair said it would take 25 of its 400 planes across Europe out of action during the five-month period. The Civil Aviation Authority is particularly concerned that Ryanair has failed to spell out the right to rebook on a flight with another airline. The airline has insisted it is not obliged to do so.
Andrew Haines, the regulators chief executive, said: We have made this crystal clear to Ryanair, who are well aware of their legal obligations, which includes how and when they should reroute passengers, along with the level of information it provides its passengers. The information Ryanair published today again fails to makes this clear.
Thirty-four routes will be suspended in a desperate attempt to solve a staffing crisis
80 voucher and apology 'is an insult' Ryanair offer of an 80 travel voucher was last night described as an insult to passengers left hundreds of pounds out of pocket. The airline said almost three quarters of a million customers whose flights were cancelled had been emailed a voucher of up to 80 for a return flight and 40 for single fare with an apology. They are valid between October 1 and March 20. Tory MP Steve Double, of the Commons transport committee, said it was not enough for many passengers who had wasted money on accommodation or had to pay for flights on other airlines, adding: In some situations this will be an insult. Many of those affected by the first set of cancellations will be owed compensation under EU rules as they were given less than 14 days notice. But those affected by yesterdays cancellations will not be eligible. Ryanair said 40 is more than its current average fare. Advertisement
The CAA can take court action to force airlines to make changes. A Ryanair spokesman said: We are in correspondence with the CAA and have addressed their concerns.
The company said many of the 18,000 flights cancelled yesterday were empty and the decision would affect just one service a day at each of its 200 airports.
But the move was significant enough for 400,000 passengers to be sent an email telling them their flights had been axed.
As with the first wave of cancellations, which affected around 315,000 people, there is a choice between rebooking and a refund. Ryanair has offered both groups of passengers vouchers of 40 for single fares and 80 for returns.
Guy Anker, managing editor of Moneysavingexpert, said: This is another kick in the teeth for already hard hit and worried Ryanair passengers. It will pile further pressure on its top brass, including Michael OLeary. While Ryanair had a bad reputation for hitting you with unexpected fees at least it got you to your destination.
Now people are going to wonder whether it can even do that.
Ryanair has announced it will scrap 18,000 more flights on 34 routes until March 2018
Mr OLeary said: We sincerely apologise to those customers who have been affected by last weeks flight cancellations, or these sensible schedule changes announced today. While over 99 per cent of our 129million customers will not have been affected by any cancellations or disruptions, we deeply regret any doubt we caused existing customers last week about Ryanairs reliability, or the risk of further cancellations.
Ryanair insisted there was no shortage of pilots. But one told the Mail: This is rubbish. It is not just normal pilots who are leaving. We are losing training captains the guys needed to train replacement cadets and captains. They are leaving in droves. All the experience is being washed out
FULL LIST OF CANCELLED FLIGHTS 1. Bucharest Palermo 2. Chania Athens 3. Chania Pafos 4. Chania Thessaloniki 5. Cologne Berlin (SXF) 6. Edinburgh Szczecin 7. Glasgow Las Palmas 8. Hamburg Edinburgh 9. Hamburg Katowice 10. Hamburg Oslo (TRF) 11. Hamburg Thessaloniki 12. Hamburg Venice (TSF) 13. London (LGW) Belfast 14. London (STN) Edinburgh 15. London (STN) Glasgow 16. Newcastle Faro 17. Newcastle Gdansk 18. Sofia Castellon 19. Sofia Memmingen 20. Sofia Pisa 21. Sofia Stockholm (NYO) 22. Sofia Venice (TSF) 23. Thessaloniki Bratislava 24. Thessaloniki Paris BVA 25. Thessaloniki Warsaw (WMI) 26. Trapani Baden Baden 27. Trapani Frankfurt (HHN) 28. Trapani Genoa 29. Trapani Krakow 30. Trapani Parma 31. Trapani Rome FIU 32. Trapani Trieste 33. Wroclaw Warsaw 34. Gdansk Warsaw Advertisement
NBC may want to do a little bit more research before they start booking guests on Megyn Kelly's new morning show.
In at least three videos from 2014, Megyn welcomed guests on her program to trash Jane Fonda while also taking some shots of her own at the Oscar winner.
In one interview with Dennis Miller in June of that year, Megyn smiled while saying that 'things went south' for the actress after her role in 'Barbarella.'
She continued to laughed as Miller said that Fonda 'made sense' to him when she played the the title character in that film, a voluptuous space traveler from the planet Earth who spent most of her time in little to no clothing.
Fonda may have been a laughing stock to the Fox News host then, but she got the last laugh on Wednesday when she shut down Megyn's attempt to get her to open up about her plastic surgery on her new NBC show.
And social media users were quick to show their support for Fonda, with former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell writing: 'I think Megan Kelly is an a** and Jane Fonda exposing her for the lightweight she is was wonderful! You can take the girl out of Fox..,,, ;)'
Sarah Michelle Gellar also weighed in, stating: 'So how come @MegynKelly didn't ask @RobertRedford if he had any plastic surgery?? Way to stay composed @JaneFonda #DoubleStandard.'
Scroll down for videos
Blast from the past: Megyn Kelly mocked Jane Fonda in a June 2014 episode of 'The Kelly File' (above)
Former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell writing: 'I think Megan Kelly is an a** and Jane Fonda exposing her for the lightweight she is was wonderful!'
Weighing in: Sarah Michelle Gellar called out Megyn Kelly for the double standard (above)
Shade: Justin Root made a more humorous swipe at Megyn (above)
Not happy: Fonda looked Kelly straight in the eye after her plastic surgery question and asked: 'We really want to talk about that right now?'
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com
Just a few months before Megyn and Miller went after Fonda in 2014, the host also called out then-first lady Michelle Obama for saying she admired the actress' political savvy.
'The thing is, if she had just said I want to have a body like Jane Fonda when I'm 76 most women would say, "yeah, me too,'' said Megyn.
'But when she named the political savvy and said she was someone she wanted to live like she crossed over into territory where people would criticize her.'
That might explain why Fonda was so composed in the face of Megyn's attempts to direct the interview about her work in her new film into a discussion about her body and aging.
'Jane Fonda vs Megyn Kelly is like Muhammad Ali vs the understudy of the person who wiped up Ali's sweat,' said author Molly Knight.
'Megyn Kelly is over. Call the fight.'
She went on to write: 'She doesn't want to talk about politics anymore, so she is free to spend her unearned millions founding the White Santa Institute.'
Knight closed out by saying: 'When a woman goes on your television show to talk about her work, do not ask about her body.'
Justin Root took a more humorous approach, writing: 'Im taking a knee every time I see Megyn Kelly interview someone.'
Megyn sat down with Fonda on Wednesday, and in an ill-advised and poorly conceived move, decided to ask the 79-year-old actress to detail the plastic surgery she has had done over the years.
'You, you've been an example to everyone, on how to age beautifully and with strength. And unapologetically,' began Megyn, nervously drawing out her question.
'You admit you had work done. I think it's to your credit. You look amazing. Have you ... why did you say .. I read you felt you're not proud to admit you had work done, why not?'
At that moment a steely Fonda stared Megyn straight in the eyes and very firmly asked: 'We really want to talk about that now?'
Megyn tried her best to salvage the question, with Fonda at that point glancing over to her guest Robert Redford in disbelief that she was being asked that question while out promoting the pair's new film, 'Our Souls at Night.'
'Well, one of the things people think about when they look at you, is how amazing you look,' said Megyn.
A composed-as-ever but noticeably chilly Fonda at that point demurred: 'Thanks. Good attitude. Good posture. Take care of myself.'
She then took control of the interview from Megyn by telling the host: 'Let me tell you why I love this movie that we did, "Our Souls at Night," rather than plastic surgery.'
Redford then looked at his co-star and showed his support for her by laughing and saying: 'Back to that, huh.'
Just like fire: Fonda looked stunning on the Emmy red carpet in a Brandon Maxwell gown last week (above)
Fonda then launched into her own talk about the film, no longer waiting or wanting to take one of Kelly's questions.
'You kind of have a choice in life, when you get to be close to 80, or even before then, what you want to do with your life. And my character, Addie, in this movie, she knows there's a lot more time behind her than in front,' explained Fonda.
'And she doesn't want to go down lonely and scared. She's been a widow, living in this house by herself. And she's lonely and scared. And she's a shy person, who is not someone who would normally do this. But she girds her loins and decides...'
Redford jumped in saying: 'That's where I come in. You need to be girded.'
Redford later sang the praises of his co-star, who he previously worked with on such films as 'Barefoot In the Park' and 'The Chase.'
'One of the things I like about Jane that's manifest in this film, is she is a force. As long as I've known Jane, she always has been moving forward. And doesn't look back,' said Redford.
'And whatever pain, whatever problem she's had in the past, remains in the past. And she keeps moving forward. It's an admirable quality. And few people have it like Jane does.'
Screen stunners: Redford and Fonda most famously starred in the 1967 film 'Barefoot in the Park,'
The rest of the interview was a wash, with Megyn getting no response from Fonda when she launched into a bit about how she was an aerobics instructor for 10 years shortly after the actress released her bestselling exercise tapes.
And to close it all out, Fonda drove home just how little she cared for Megyn's questions and how proud she was of her looks and how she has aged when the host asked her guests: 'On behalf of our audience member, Victoria wanted to ask, if you could go back to any age in your life, what would it be? I ask that to both of you.'
Fonda very curtly replied: 'Right now. I wouldn't want any other time.'
It was a brilliant response from Fonda, who is a global ambassador for cosmetics giant L'Oreal and just last week dazzled on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards.
Fonda has indeed spoken about procedures she has had done in the past, but only while promoting her fitness and wellness projects.
This latest debacle comes after Messing, the Emmy-winning star of 'Will & Grace,' was asked on Instagram why she appeared on the show with her fellow cast members on Monday.
'But why did you guys do the Megyn Kelly show? That's a fail!!' asked a fan of the actress.
Messing immediately responded to the question, stating: 'Honestly I didn't know it was MK until that morning. The itinerary just said Today Show appearance. Regret going on. Dismayed by her comments.'
Side-eye surprise: Debra Messing was asked by an Instagram follower why she and the cast of 'Will & Grace' appeared on 'Megyn Kelly Today' on Monday (l to r: Megan Mullally, Sean Hayes, Debra Messing)
TV's newest drama: 'Honestly I didn't know it was MK until that morning. The itinerary just said Today Show appearance,' wrote Messing (above)
Megyn has a made a number of controversial comments in the past about the LGBT community.
On one episode of 'The Kelly File' she told Family Research Council head Tony Perkins: 'Gay rights are more and more protected in this country, Christian beliefs and Christian rights, not so much.'
That clip was highlighted on Sunday when it appeared in a clip package that aired on 'Last Week Tonight.'
Megyn provided Perkins with a platform to spread his anti-gay message on her Fox News show throughout the years, as he appeared over 30 times to speak with the anchor.
Her questions to the cast of 'Will & Grace' on Monday meanwhile were shockingly banal and had all been asked and answered by the actors countless times before in the 10 months since they reunited to film a short video in support of Hillary Clinton ahead of the election last year.
That segment then ended on an incredibly awkward note after a gay superfan, Russell Turner, briefly joined the group on stage for some hugs with the cast and a minute-log interview with Megyn.
Doing their own thing: The cast was seen in an Instagram post shared by the show ignoring the host during a commercial break
The brief interview with Turner began with Megyn asking if it was true that he became both a lawyer and gay because of the show and its leading man, played by actor Eric McCormack.
Turner jokingly affirmed that was in fact the case, while also kindly providing a bit of color and humor to the polar question by adding that Will had the perfect 'trifecta' in that he was gay, a lawyer and had the 'best apartment in New York City.'
He was then tossed back into the audience after his one question, with Megyn sending him off by stating: 'I don't know about the lawyer thing. But I think the 'Will & Grace' thing and the gay thing will work out great.'
That comment appears to be the one that upset Messing and others on Twitter.
'Megyn Kelly is every mom trying waaaaay to hard to 'relate' to her gay son but instead just makes it waaaaay worse,' wrote Will Kellogg.
''I think the Will & Grace thing and the gay thing are going to work out great,' Megyn Kelly said to a gay W&G superfan this morning. Really,' commented Kevin Fallon.
In a subsequent tweet he described the moment by stating: 'It is what it looks like to watch $15 million set on fire in real time.'
And Josh Scheer wrote: 'I think the 'gay thing' is probably gonna work out a lot better than @MegynKelly's '@Today thing.''
However Sean Hayes who plays Jack McFarland in the show shared a picture to Twitter saying he was 'having fun' at the show.
And a source who was at the show said: 'She was obviously making a joke, that was clear to the 'superfan' who was ecstatic, and the audience.
'It became even clearer when she spent much of the interview asking the show's creators how proud they were of the positive social impact of Will & Grace and the progress it brought about for gay rights.'
Her words were both prescient and full of pathos; her own death was in the forefront of her mind as she turned 80.
Just four months ago, Veronica, the Dowager Countess of Lucan told me that she did not fear a solitary end.
Bereft of loved ones, her greatest terror, she confided, was becoming reliant on others to care for her.
I dont fear dying alone not at all, she said. But I do fear dependency. Id find that very depressing. It would be horrible to feel you were a burden.
Lord and Lady Lucan and their daughter Frances in the garden of 46 Lower Belgrave Street
Your faculties start to fade when you reach 80, so Ive been thinking about my death. Id quite enjoy the rest of my life if I knew it was not going to end in something horrific. Ive given it some thought, and I support the idea of assisted suicide.
Lady Lucan did indeed die alone this week in the mews house in Central London that had been her home for 40 years.
It would be premature to suggest that she might have opted to take her life her son George Bingham, the 8th Earl Lucan, said she had passed away apparently peacefully but I can attest that the idea was certainly in her mind when we spoke.
I spent an afternoon with her in late spring and was the last journalist to interview her.
Lady Lucan, in front of her portrait of her husband, Lord Lucan
Lady Lucan was last seen by neighbours at around 10am on Saturday morning when she answered the door to the postman.
Police who battered down her door after she had failed for three days in a row to turn up for a daily walk with a friend are still trying to establish the circumstances of her death, which is not believed to be suspicious.
It was the end she had wished for, and she had not become a burden. But Lady Lucans old age was spent in frugal routine and quiet desperation. She remained obdurately alienated from her sister and three adult children.
Yet yesterday they paid warm tribute to her.
Although Veronica severed relations with her family in the Eighties, and continued to decline contact with them right up until her death, all of them remember her lovingly and with admiration, according to the statement they released.
She had a sharp mind, and when she spoke it, she did so eloquently. She was courageous and, at times, outrageous, with a mischievous sense of humour.
She was, in her day, beautiful and throughout her life fragile and vulnerable, struggling as she did with mental infirmity. To us she was and is unforgettable.
Lady Lucan was a woman who was both defined and imprisoned by a past she stubbornly refused to relinquish, even choosing to remain living in the same house she and her late husband, John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, had bought as a guest house (close to the family home), during their ill-fated marriage.
In November 1974, after 11 years together, Lord and Lady Lucan had separated.
Lord Lucan (pictured with his wife Veronica Duncan in 1963) famously disappeared from their home in Belgravia 43 years ago
Lucan, a 39-year-old professional gambler and inveterate drinker, disappeared on the night of November 7, after visiting the five-storey family home in Lower Belgrave Street and bludgeoning to death Sandra Rivett, 29, his childrens nanny, in the mistaken belief that she was his estranged wife.
Lucan then violently assaulted Veronica. His body has never been found and the mystery of his disappearance one of the most compelling in recent history has given rise to myth and speculation, and continues to fascinate today.
There seemed a perverseness in Lady Lucans decision to remain so enmeshed in this lurid story, eking out a modest state pension with her dwindling savings.
When we met, she described for the first time in such graphic detail the events of the awful night: how she disturbed her husband after hed killed Mrs Rivett. How she was then set upon herself with a metal pipe before she managed to flee and raise the alarm, while her children slept in their beds.
Lady Lucan (pictured with daughter Frances) was found dead at her home in Belgravia
Portraits of her husband loomed over us as we talked in the home where Lady Lucan imposed reclusiveness on herself. Heavy curtains, closed to deter snoopers, had shut out any vestige of daylight for the preceding four decades.
Tall, elegant and slender, her silver hair tied in a girlish ponytail, she sat ramrod straight in the fusty darkness of her airless home, among memorabilia that had remained preserved in time, like some parody of Dickenss Miss Havisham, repining a dreadful marriage but determined never to forget it.
She told me why she had never left the area: she liked the familiarity of the place, the predictability of her routines a stroll in nearby Green Park preceded by a visit to Victoria library. It was around these humdrum activities that her life revolved.
Lady Lucan affected not to care that her children, Frances, 52, George, 50, and Camilla, 47, as well as her sister Christina Shand Kydd distantly related by marriage to the late Princess Diana were estranged from her.
She was blithely unconcerned too, that she had never met any of her five grandchildren. Neither did she express regret nor regard it as odd that she did not know the identity of her eldest daughters husband.
Frances didnt tell me she was married, she told me, but she was, recently. I dont really know to whom, because I have no contact with them at all.
Was this alarming disregard for all those who should have been dearest to her genuine? Actually, I believe not. I think it was the bravado of a stubborn woman who was not prepared to capitulate.
Officers found her body after forcing entry to the property in Belgravia on Tuesday, but her death is not believed to be suspicious
Her thoughts were very much focused on death and she revealed that she campaigned actively for assisted euthanasia, showing me a placard she had taken on a march, printed with the slogan Give Me A Choice Over My Own Death.
Following publication of the interview in the Mail, we kept up a short correspondence. She wrote to me: I was happy about the article and especially for including my thoughts on death and disability.
It was a sentiment I am certain was sharpened by the fact there was no close family member she would have been willing to turn to if her health failed.
So why did she never seek a rapprochement with her children? This is yet another of the abiding mysteries about the Lucan affair especially as she had fought so hard to keep them when they were young.
Living apart from his family and on the brink of divorce, Lord Lucan had lost a ruinously costly and acrimonious battle for custody of his children and was mired in spiralling gambling debts when he tried to kill his wife. Frances was then nine, and George and Camilla respectively seven and three.
A 1975 inquest jury at a coroners court named him, in his absence, as Mrs Rivetts murderer he was the last person in Britain to be declared a murderer by an inquest jury (the procedure was later outlawed) although he was never convicted in a criminal court.
Lady Lucan was the last person to see her husband before he disappeared on the night of November 7, 1974, after bludgeoning to death their nanny Sandra Rivett (pictured)
Some have suggested a hired or unknown assailant was the nannys killer, and indeed Camilla, a QC, and George, a merchant banker, have always insisted their father should not be assumed guilty of their nannys murder.
This enraged Lady Lucan, who regarded it as a betrayal, and it may be one of the reasons she refused to be reconciled with them. Neither did it help that in their teens, the children opted to live in the country with their maternal aunt, rather than their mother.
Extravagant theories as to Lord Lucans whereabouts persisted for years: one posited the idea that he had been eaten by a lion in his friend John Aspinalls zoo; another that he became a hippie in Goa; yet another that hed disappeared into the Australian Outback. But Lady Lucan made clear to me she believed her husband had committed suicide.
After fleeing the murder scene, he visited friends in Sussex. Then a car he had borrowed from a friend was found a length of bloodied lead piping in its boot abandoned in the port of Newhaven.
He got on a ferry and jumped off mid-Channel, and was then chopped up by the propeller which is why his body was never found, Lady Lucan told me. She said that as a powerboat racer, he had a detailed knowledge of propellers, and would have known precisely where to jump so his remains were destroyed.
The Earl of Lucan and Veronica Duncan after their marriage on November 28, 1963
Theirs had been a sorry union, a joyless marriage she said, describing her constant anxiety over the vast sums he regularly lost at the gaming tables.
She also recounted how, driven by loneliness her frequently absent husband was taciturn and remote she had sought solace in a platonic friendship with another man.
When Lucan found out, the man was warned off and she fell into a profound depression and was prescribed powerful anti-psychotic drugs, the dire side-effects of which convinced her, and her family, that she was losing her mind.
There was lacerating honesty, too, in Lady Lucans admission that she had taunted her husband about his ineptitude as a lover and in the humiliating confession that he beat her for his own sexual gratification. Her husband, she said, insisted she was both mad and an unfit mother; two suggestions she fervently denied. Twice, she recalled, she was taken by Lucan to psychiatric units against her will and twice she escaped.
The question that touched a nerve most acutely was whether she was a good mother. She wrote to me expressing regret that a newspaper article had suggested she neglected her children and accused her of spending too much time in bed. In fact, she countered, she was a conscientious parent; her children were always well turned-out and advanced in their schooling.
Lady Lucan was photographed with her children Camilla, Frances and George at Christmas in 1974
She resolutely denied, too, that she was ever psychotic, though she conceded: I was pushed to the brink of madness. My husband manipulated me psychologically, so I began to think I was mad.
He had a campaign to destroy me. I was a nuisance. He was an imposing character, an earl, and the doctors believed all he told them about me.
I, in turn, just accepted what the doctors said. I had injections [of anti-psychotics] and their side-effects were horrible. I had hallucinations, restlessness I walked for miles and miles and the drugs induced Parkinsons disease.
Lady Lucan, there is little doubt, could be difficult, intransigent and self-serving. Yet there was something profoundly sad about her.
She told me she was fit she took no medication now, endured no ailments and neither was she suffering from depression.
Yet her existence, in a house that seemed to be suffocating her, was meagre and joyless. There had, she said, been lovers since her husband disappeared, but there were no more. All her friends from the old days when there had been money for servants, private hospitals, lavish holidays were dead.
Lady Lucan survived a 1974 attack by her husband that sparked a decades-long mystery
All that remained were her daily visits to the library, where she used the computer, and those walks in the park.
The coffee she served me was instant, and the chocolate she offered a supermarkets own budget brand.
She said she regretted proposals to end the winter fuel allowance for all but the poorest pensioners, and I wondered whether she was dreading the impending chill of another lonely winter.
This cannot have been the future she envisaged for herself, when in part out of expediency she agreed to marry John, then Lord Bingham, in March 1963.
They had met at a point-to-point the then Veronica Duncan was there with her sister, Christina, and her husband, businessman Bill Shand-Kydd, whose half-brother, Peter, would later marry Princess Dianas mother, Frances.
The estranged family of Lady Lucan, whose husband famously vanished more than four decades ago, said she 'was and is unforgettable'
There was John, standing against the rails and laying bets, looking like a caricature of a gentleman: baggy cavalry twills, tweed cap, moustache, she said.
He was a professional gambler, and she the daughter of an Army officer whod won the Military Cross in World War I but died before she was two.
Veronicas mother had married again, and from the age of 13, Lady Lucan grew up living in a pub in North Waltham, Hampshire, a typical country girl, obsessed with my pony and gymkhanas.
She conceded that she felt no chemistry when John chatted her up, but fearing, aged 26, that time was running out for her to snare a decent catch as a husband, she agreed to marry him.
It was not the most auspicious start to a relationship that descended into acrimony, recrimination and bitterness and ultimately attempted murder yet extraordinarily, when I asked Lady Lucan if she regretted it, she replied: I cant say that Im sorry I married him because I would not have had three beautiful children, would I?
I was never so happy in my life as when George was born.
George, she told me, had once proposed a meeting in a nearby hotel, but she had declined because she would have preferred a rendezvous at his home.
They did not meet.
Did she regret her obduracy? We will never know.
Yet, Lady Lucans family say they will remember her lovingly despite the severing of ties. But surely it is part of this familys abiding tragedy that it was a love never returned while she was still alive.
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It promises to take us deep into the ocean, showing us landscapes we have never seen before and uncovering some of the planets best kept secrets.
And a first glimpse of the highly-anticipated natural history series Blue Planet II has showcased an array of weird and wonderful sea creatures, from spitting dolphins to dancing yeti crabs.
Rare footage of sea dragons, giant cuttlefish, sprouting sea cucumbers and walking starfish all featured in a teaser for what is to come in the BBC series, which will be narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
Scroll down to watch the trailer
A first glimpse of the highly-anticipated natural history series Blue Planet II has showcased an array of weird and wonderful sea creatures, from spitting dolphins to dancing yeti crabs. Rare footage of sea dragons, giant cuttlefish and walking starfish all featured in a teaser for what is to come in the BBC series, which will be narrated by Sir David Attenborough
However, whilst it featured some of the most unknown marine wildlife, there were also more familiar faces, including green turtles, orcas and hundreds of bottlenose dolphins surfing off the coast of South Africa
However, whilst it featured some of the most unknown marine wildlife, there were also more familiar faces, including green turtles, orcas and hundreds of bottlenose dolphins surfing off the coast of South Africa.
During the five-minute trailer, Sir David, 91, told viewers: The ocean, the largest habitat on earth.
'A generation ago, the series The Blue Planet took us beneath the waves. But now we know so much more. Take a deep breath
New science and new technology allow us to voyage further and deeper than ever before. From the restless shores of our coastline, where dolphins spit to trick their prey, to enchanted undersea forests, where fairytale creatures dwell...
Across vibrant coral cities bustling with ingenious inhabitants, to the vastness of the big blue, home to fearless ocean wanderers, and down into uncharted depths where some of earths best kept secrets hide, newly-discovered dancing yeti crabs, and landscapes never seen before, coming soon untold stories from magical worlds. This is Blue Planet II.
During the five-minute trailer, Sir David, 91, told viewers: The ocean, the largest habitat on earth. A generation ago, the series The Blue Planet took us beneath the waves. But now we know so much more. Take a deep breath
New science and new technology allow us to voyage further and deeper than ever before. From the restless shores of our coastline, where dolphins spit to trick their prey, to enchanted undersea forests, where fairytale creatures dwell...
Across vibrant coral cities bustling with ingenious inhabitants, to the vastness of the big blue, home to fearless ocean wanderers, and down into uncharted depths where some of earths best kept secrets hide, newly-discovered dancing yeti crabs, and landscapes never seen before, coming soon untold stories from magical worlds. This is Blue Planet II.
The spitting dolphins Sir David referred to are Australian snubfin dolphins, which squirt mouthfuls of water in the direction of their prey to disorientate them.
Among the other ingenious creatures on show in the trailer was a small tusk fish appearing to spit out a clam it had held between its teeth, and another creature with feet-like tentacles.
Among the ingenious creatures on show in the trailer was a small tusk fish appearing to spit out a clam it had held between its teeth, and another creature with feet-like tentacles
Yet the sight of dancing crabs, which live 1,000 metres below sea level off the coast of Costa Rica, proved one of the most talked-about moments from the teaser, which was released online yesterday
The spitting dolphins Sir David referred to are Australian snubfin dolphins, which squirt mouthfuls of water in the direction of their prey to disorientate them
Yet the sight of dancing crabs, which live 1,000 metres below sea level off the coast of Costa Rica, proved one of the most talked-about moments from the teaser, which was released online yesterday
Yet the sight of dancing crabs, which live 1,000 metres below sea level off the coast of Costa Rica, proved one of the most talked-about moments from the teaser, which was released online yesterday.
It bore similarities to one of the stand-out scenes in Planet Earth II, when brown bears appeared to dance as they rubbed themselves against trees.
One fan wrote on Twitter: MESMERIZING! Plus, dancing yeti crabs. Cant wait for this to start.
It bore similarities to one of the stand-out scenes in Planet Earth II, when brown bears appeared to dance as they rubbed themselves against trees
One fan wrote on Twitter: MESMERIZING! Plus, dancing yeti crabs. Cant wait for this to start.
Another commented: I predict the breakout stars of #BluePlanet2 will be the dancing Yeti crabs and their wave your claws in the air antics #dancingyeticrabs.
However, fans hoping to discover more about the newly-discovered deep-sea creatures are likely to be disappointed to learn that they will not feature in the seven-part series, and were exclusively included in the prequel.
The five-minute prequel to the series features an orchestrally reimagined version of the Radiohead song Bloom, from their 2011 album The King Of Limbs.
Another commented: I predict the breakout stars of #BluePlanet2 will be the dancing Yeti crabs and their wave your claws in the air antics #dancingyeticrabs.
However, fans hoping to discover more about the newly-discovered deep-sea creatures are likely to be disappointed to learn that they will not feature in the seven-part series, and were exclusively included in the prequel
The song was created in collaboration with Hans Zimmer, and recorded at London's iconic AIR studios with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
'Bloom was inspired by the original Blue Planet series so it's great to be able to come full circle with the song and reimagine it for this incredible landmark's sequel,' Thom Yorke of Radiohead said about the project.
'Hans is a prodigious composer who effortlessly straddles several musical genres so it was liberating for us all to work with such a talent and see how he wove the sound of the series and Bloom together.'
According to the BBC, the show's seven episodes will come to UK broadcast on BBC One later this year, followed by BBC America in early 2018.
Blue Planet II is due to air next month, though a specific date has not yet been released
Blue Planet II is also due to investigate the 'health of the world's oceans', prompting speculation that there could be an episode dedicated to humans' impact on the marine environment.
Following the success of Planet Earth II, which drew record audiences for a natural history series, Sir David is showing no sign of slowing down in 2017, which marks his 65th year on TV.
He said: 'I am truly thrilled to be joining this new exploration of the underwater worlds which cover most of our planet, yet are still its least known.'
FROM SUCTION CAMS ON SHARKS TO 'TOW CAMS' ON TURTLES: THE TECHNOLOGY OF BLUE PLANET II Just as Planet Earth II used jungle-adapted drones and ultra-lightweight cameras, Blue Planet II has made use of new filming technologies to offer an unprecedented view of the marine environment. State-of-the-art suction cameras have been used, to allow viewers to 'travel' on the back of whale sharks and orcas. Film crews have also used ultra HD 'tow cams' to give a front-on view of sea creatures, and a 'probe camera' to give a close-up view of miniature marine life. The team have also used the latest marine technology, including two unmanned submersibles, allowing them to record footage from 1,000 metres under the Antarctic Ocean. Advertisement
Meanwhile, BBC bosses appeared overjoyed to have him on board for the seven-part series, with director of content Charlotte Moore describing him as 'the one and only David Attenborough'.
Just as Planet Earth II used jungle-adapted drones and ultra-lightweight cameras, Blue Planet II has made use of new filming technologies to offer an unprecedented view of the marine environment.
State-of-the-art suction cameras have been used, to allow viewers to 'travel' on the back of whale sharks and orcas.
Film crews have also used ultra HD 'tow cams' to give a front-on view of sea creatures, and a 'probe camera' to give a close-up view of miniature marine life.
James Honeyborne, executive producer of the series, said: 'The Oceans are the most exciting place to be right now, because new scientific discoveries have given us a new perspective of life beneath the waves.
'Blue Planet II is taking its cue from these breakthroughs, unveiling unbelievable new places, extraordinary new behaviours and remarkable new creatures.
'Showing a contemporary portrait of marine life, it will provide a timely reminder that this is a critical moment for the health of the world's oceans.'
A public opinion survey released Wednesday reported that 28 percent of those polled have a very or somewhat favorable view of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, while 29 percent have a very unfavorable view of her.
The National Consult/Politico online poll, which dealt with the popularity of President Donald Trumps cabinet members and various policy and political issues, found that a higher percentage of those polled gave DeVos a very unfavorable rating than any other cabinet member included in the poll. In addition:
Just eleven percent said they had a very favorable view of DeVos, while 17 percent had a somewhat favorable view of her.
Meanwhile, 11 percent said they had a somewhat unfavorable view of the education secretary, in addition to the 29 percent who viewed her very unfavorably.
Finally, 14 percent of those polled said theyd heard of her but had no opinion, while 18 percent said theyd never heard of DeVos.
The poll surveyed 1,987 registered voters, with a margin of error of 2 percent. It was conducted from Sept. 22 to Sept. 24. The poll surveyed a higher number of Democrats (723) than Republicans (677) and independents (586) regarding DeVos. The Trump cabinet member with the next-highest share of voters viewing him or her very unfavorably was Attorney General Jeff Sessions, with 25 percent.
Just 15 percent of Democrats viewed her favorably, while 47 percent of Republicans did so.
Heres other number that might interest you: When asked who they trusted more to handle education, 45 percent said they trusted Democrats in Congress, while 33 percent said Republicans in Congress, and 22 percent said they either didnt know or had no opinion.
A March online poll conducted by Saint Leo University in Florida found that over 52 percent either somewhat or strongly disapproved of DeVos. Among those surveyed, 35 percent somewhat or strongly approved of DeVos.
DeVos, a long-time champion of school choice, became a lightning rod for controversy during and after her January confirmation hearing before the Senate education committee. She has also drawn criticism for her remarks about the role of historically black colleges and universities.
Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Accused: Habtamu Gebreselassie, 24, has been accused of abusing four women and is now being sued - along with his ex-employer, Envy Massage, for more than $25 million
A Maryland masseur has been accused in a new lawsuit of sexually abusing a woman during an appointment at a nationwide massage chain.
The suit, filed on Tuesday, accuses Habtamu Gebreselassie, 24, of pulling the towel off a client at a DC branch of Massage Envy and licking her vagina 'without invitation, warning or consent' before he 'fell to his knees and apologized.'
It also claims that Gebreselassie had previously abused other female patrons of Massage Envy, and that the company had moved him to new locations as a response, rather than firing him.
This comes after four women - including 'Jane Doe,' who filed the suit - came forward to accuse Gebreselassie of sexual misconduct.
According to the suit, Doe - who is in her twenties - was in the final 15 minutes of a 90-minute massage at a location at 4926 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, in DC when the assault occurred.
She had been naked except for a sheet and had an eye pillow covering her eyes when Gebreselassie, who is originally from Ethiopia, made his move, the suit claims.
He moved the sheet and then licked her - leaving her 'fearful and in shock' - before apologizing, the suit says.
It also claims that he refused to leave the room until she told him more than six times that they were 'done'.
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'Abuse': 'Jane Doe' claims in the suit that Gebreselassie licked her vagina here then refused to leave when she told him to. She also says company had been told he'd done this before
Doe then reported the incident to police and was given a rape kit to test for sexually transmitted diseases - results she's still waiting on - and Gebreselassie was arrested, it claims.
Even more worryingly, the suit alleges that Envy Massage Franchise - the parent company, which has 1,170 locations across the US - was aware of him having committed similar acts on other female clients.
It had moved him from a Bowie, Maryland location to the DC franchisee after he molested a woman at that location, the suit says.
And when he took a second victim at the DC location, the company kept him on and allowed him to work with more women it alleges.
In total, four women - including Doe - have reported abuse by Gebreselassie, NBC 4 reported. He has been charged in two of the alleged incidents.
The first alleged victim told police that he had inappropriately touched her while giving her a massage on the 2000 block of P Street NW in DC. Massage Envy does not appear to have a location on that street.
The second alleged victim said she was abused on June 20 at Bowie's Massage Envy, when he touched her inappropriately, bruised her and made her feel uncomfortable.
When she complained to management they refused to let her cancel her membership, instead offering her a free spa package and telling her he'd been shipped off to a DC location, she claims.
'Molested': Another woman said she was molested by him at this location in Bowie, Maryland - and that they sent him to a DC location and offered a free spa treatment when she complained
On August 28, a 66-year-old woman was being given a massage by Gebreselassie in the DC Massage Envy when he touched her inappropriately, she told police.
She claimed that after she shouted at him, he fell to his knees and told her: 'I've never done this before. I don't know what got into me.'
The woman complained to the location's manager on September 5.
Jailed: Gebreselassie, who is from Ethiopia but lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, is jailed without bond and is in court on October 11. He has turned down a plea deal
A DC detective told a court on September 21 that the company had given him additional training and let him keep his job.
Three weeks later, Doe says, she was also abused at that same location.
She is now demanding more than $25 million in damages for 'fear, emotional distress and humiliation' that she will suffer 'for the rest of her life.'
Gebreselassie was in court on September 21, where he declined a plea agreement and was held without bond. His next date in court is October 11.
He has been fired by Massage Envy.
When contacted about the lawsuit by DailyMail.com, Massage Envy, LLC responded: 'We do not comment on ongoing legal matters.'
When asked about the accusations by NBC 4 last week it said that it would not discuss 'confidential employment matters.'
'We can say that Massage Envy Franchising has a Zero Tolerance Policy on inappropriate conduct and requires its franchisees to conduct fair, thorough and objective investigations with respect to any allegation of inappropriate conduct,' a statement said.
'We are evaluating any additional information we receive to verify that requirement was met in this instance.'
The company confirmed that prior to working in the DC location, 'The therapist briefly trained at another location owned by the same franchise owner.'
Danielle Matko, a 35-year-old teacher, was found guilty by a California jury on Tuesday of performing oral sex on 15-year-old student
A 35-year-old teacher was found guilty by a California jury on Tuesday of performing oral sex on 15-year-old student, it was reported.
Danielle Matko, a former employee at the East Palo Alto Aspire Phoenix Academy, was convicted on four counts following her arrest in December 2015.
She was found guilty of oral copulation on a minor and three counts of lewd acts on a minor age 14 or 15, The Mercury News reported.
Matko faces conviction on additional charges, as the jury will now consider whether she is guilty of sex crimes allegedly committed against another student.
She could receive up to six years in prison. Matko will also have to register as a sex offender.
Female teachers who commit offenses such as this are fairly few and far between, San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Karen Guidotti said.
But we see it.
Neither Matko, her attorney, or her former employer, Aspire, wished to comment.
Matko denied the allegations and did not testify during her trial.
Authorities said that the encounters between Matko and the student took place between September 1 and November 14 of 2015.
Prosecutors say that on one occasion, she and the student were talking when she flashed her bare breasts and allowed the student to touch them.
Matko, a former employee at the East Palo Alto Aspire Phoenix Academy (above), was convicted on four counts following her arrest in December 2015
Matko also touched the boy in an intimate area.
On another occasion, Matko performed oral sex on the boy. These encounters took place either during free periods or after school.
Prosecutors said that Matko did the same with another student, who was also 15 years old at the time.
Authorities said they recovered a photo taken on the cell phone from one of the victims showing Matkos naked torso.
There was no doubt it was her, Guidotti said.
One of the boys told friends about the encounters, who in turn notified a lawyer. The lawyer then reported the incident to police.
Gallinger's doctors now say her eye is permanently damaged and may have to be removed
After receiving medical attention, her eye only got worse as the purple ink began clumping around her cornea
The former pet nutritionist said things started to go wrong after purple liquid began oozing from her eye
A model from Canada has lost the sight in her right eye after an eye tattoo procedure went horribly wrong.
Catt Gallinger from Ottawa is recovering slowly but steadily over the past month following her decision to get a sclera tattoo, which colors in the whites of the eye.
Calling the decision a 'massive mistake,' Gallinger shared the horrifying results of the procedure on social media, according to The Sun.
Canadian model Catt Gallinger, 24, inked with a sclera tattoo, a body modification proceedure that colors the whites of the eye, last month in Ottawa
The images, posted to her Facebook wall, shows the 24-year-old former pet nutritionist in various stages of recovery following a visit to the hospital last month when she complained of purple discharge oozing from her eye.
Medical professionals administered antibiotics drops to the affected area and sent Gallinger home.
But shortly after receiving the treatment, her eye became swollen shut.
Doctors then gave Gallinger steroid drops to alleviate her symptoms, but after three weeks the purple tattoo began to congeal around her cornea, blurring her vision and causing intense discomfort.
Gallinger told The Sun newspaper that she has had to spend hundreds of dollars on prescriptions so far and says that her modeling career is on hold for the time being.
The former pet nutritionist thought things started to go wrong after purple liquid began oozing from her eye
Doctors initially treated the condition by administering antibiotic drops to the affected area, causing massive swelling
In speaking with publication, she cautioned others to first 'look into not just the artist and their portfolio, but to talk to some of their clients, talk to other artists about them and get experiences beforehand'.
Asked why she wanted a sclera tattoo to begin with, Gallinger said the modification would help 'make me feel more at home in my body'.
Sclera Tattoos - A body modification procedure where a practitioner administers color to the whites of the eye - The practice is popular among a community that calls themselves 'bio-hackers' or body modders. Advertisement
Physicians told Gallenger that her eye has sustained permanent damage and will either have to 'go completely or stay a blurry mess.'
She is hopeful, however, that surgery will prevent her condition from getting worse.
Doctors believe that the size of the needle, depth and amount of ink used on Gallenger caused the initial symptom.
They fear that an infection is stuck in the excess ink, which contaminated Gallenger's eye through equipment not properly sterilized.
After receiving more medical attention, her eye only got worse as the purple ink began clumping around her cornea
Wooden toilet seats made in southwestern China's Guizhou province are apparently selling like hot cakes in the West.
Chinese toilet seat maker Topseat is now selling more than 2 million seats annually on the Western market with 80% of those sales occurring in Germany and Switzerland, reports state newspaper People's Daily, citing a public WeChat account in Guizhou.
On its website, Topseat calls itself the 'world leader in toilet seat design, production and perfection, recognized internationally for its top quality and innovation,'
This seat is convenient for people at night as its sensor lights can be put out automatically
It introduces itself by asking you to 'Imagine a toilet seat so artistic that it shows motion pictures when the lid automatically closes in slow motion.'
From its factory in Guizhou's Anshun city, the company creates its bright decorative toilet seats from locally-sourced materials such as bamboo, straw stalks and bio-glues, which they have used to create more than 5,000 unique designs.
Styles to suit all tastes: Including traditional bamboo or the cosmopolitan Eiffel Tower, Paris
Getting back to nature: Shoppers can choose to be in nature, with palm trees or wild animals
Consumers can buy a range of covers from popular retail sites Alibaba and Amazon.
On the Amazon website the company's products generally receive high ratings and praise from satisfied customers. 'I have never spent this much for a toilet seat and this is well worth the price,' wrote one customer.
'Quiet slow closing of lid and seat just as described. Wish we would have bought these sooner. Have had many compliments and where did you get that?' commented another.
A father in central China has reportedly demanded financial compensation from doctors for tearing and throwing away his ill son's clothes while trying to save him.
The man, surnamed Li, complained that the medical staff should be responsible for losing his son's clothes, cash and identity card as they tried to rescue the patient who was rushed to the ER.
It's reported that the doctors had thrown away the patient's belongings by mistake and agreed to pay two-third of the requested amount.
Mr Li's son was rushed to the hospital in central China for a CPR resuscitation on September 11
According to a report on People's Daily Online, Mr Li's son fainted at work and was rushed to Wuhan University Zhongnan Hospital in Hubei Province on September 11.
The patient had no heartbeat and had stopped breathing when he was taken to the ER, said the report.
The patient was found to be suffering pulmonary embolism, a blockage of an artery in the lungs, said Dr Xia Jian, one of the rescuing doctors.
Surveillance camera footage of the operation theatre shows about nine medics saving Mr Li's son who lied on a stretcher without any movement.
Dr Xia explained they had to perform a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to revive his heartbeat.
'The normal procedure to perform a CPR requires chest compression, the use of defibrillators and drips. These actions will require the patient to remove their clothes' said Dr Xia.
Medics were setting up equipment while a doctor was performing a chest compression on him
The patient was saved but Mr Li accused the doctors for throwing away his son's clothes after
Rescuers can be seen cutting off Mr Li's son's black top and shorts in the video.
Hospital staff did not recall finding any valuables from the clothes before putting them aside.
However, Mr Li claimed he had not received his son's clothes after the operation.
Dr Xia admitted that they had made a mistake by throwing the patient's clothes to the bin after the operation.
The patient was saved but his father complained to the hospital several days after for the missing belongings.
Mr Li told the reporter that he was thankful to all the rescuers who saved his son, however, he did not agree the way the doctors disposed the patient's belonging without consent.
'I am asking for 1,500 yuan (168) and that is not a ridiculous amount of money,' said the father.
Mr Li demanded a 168 compensation for the loss of his son's clothes, cash and a bank card
Dr Xia admitted the fault for throwing the patient's clothes into a bin and agreed to pay back
He explained that his son had lost 500 yuan (56) cash, a bank card, his clothes, shoes and id card.
'We managed to pay roughly 400,000 yuan (44,932) for this operation and we don't think the compensation is all about money. We just think that the hospital has not done properly of handling their patient's belongings.'
Zhongnan Hospital agreed to compensate but to lower the amount to 1,000 yuan (112).
The compensation was shared among the four doctors who helped out during the operation.
Mr Li accepted and signed on a hand-written receipt.
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NASA's New Horizons mission first spotted them in 2015.
Now, scientists believe they may have finally worked out how the gigantic 'ice blades' on the planet's surface formed.
The jagged geological ridges are found at the highest altitudes on Pluto's surface, near its equator, and can soar many hundreds of feet into the sky as high as a New York City skyscraper.
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Plutos bladed terrain as seen from New Horizons during its July 2015 flyby. Researchers say they are made almost entirely of methane ice, and likely formed as a specific kind of erosion wore away their surfaces, leaving dramatic crests and sharp divides.
WHAT ARE THEY? Formed by erosion, the features, known as penitentes, are bowl-shaped depressions with blade-like spires around the edge that rise several hundreds of feet, and are found on Earth. However, Plutos ridges are much larger more than 1,600 feet (about 500 meters) tall and separated by two to three miles (about three to five kilometers) than their Earthly counterparts. Advertisement
They are one of the most puzzling feature types on Pluto, and it now appears the blades are related to Pluto's complex climate and geological history.
Now, a NASA team believes they have solved the mystery.
The structures are made almost entirely of methane ice, and likely formed as a specific kind of erosion wore away their surfaces, leaving dramatic crests and sharp divides, they say.
'When we realized that bladed terrain consists of tall deposits of methane ice, we asked ourselves why it forms all of these ridges, as opposed to just being big blobs of ice on the ground,' said New Horizons team member Jeffrey Moore, a research scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley.
The formation of the bladed terrain begins with methane freezing out of the atmosphere at extreme altitudes on Pluto, in the same way frost freezes on the ground on Earth, or even in your freezer.
'It turns out that Pluto undergoes climate variation and sometimes, when Pluto is a little warmer, the methane ice begins to basically 'evaporate' away.'
Scientists use the term 'sublimation' for this process where ice transforms directly into gas, skipping over the intermediate liquid form.
Similar structures can be found in high-altitude snowfields along Earth's equator, though on a very different scale than the blades on Pluto.
The terrestrial structures, called penitentes, are snow formations just a few meters high, with striking similarities to the vastly larger bladed terrain on Pluto.
Their spiky texture also forms through sublimation.
This erosion of Pluto's bladed terrain indicates that its climate has undergone changes over long periods of time on a scale of millions of years that cause this ongoing geological activity.
An example of the penitentes from the southern end of the Chajnantor plain in Chile. Though these ice formations only reach a few feet in height, while Plutos bladed terrain reaches hundreds of feet, they both have similar sharp ridges.
The bladed terrain of Pluto's informally named Tartarus Dorsa region, imaged by NASA?s New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015.
Early climatic conditions allowed methane to freeze out onto high elevation surfaces, but, as time progressed, these conditions changed, causing the ice to 'burn off' into a gas.
As a result of this discovery, we now know that the surface and air of Pluto are apparently far more dynamic than previously thought.
The results have just been published in Icarus, an international journal of planetary science.
Identifying the nature of the exotic bladed terrain also brings us a step closer to understanding the global topography of Pluto.
The New Horizons spacecraft provided spectacular, high-resolution data about one side of Pluto, called the encounter hemisphere, and observed the other side of Pluto at lower resolution.
The maps above are from New Horizons data on the topography (top) and composition (bottom) of Plutos surface. In the high-resolution topographical map, the highlighted red region is high in elevation. The map below, showing the composition, indicates the same section also contains methane, color-coded in orange. One can see the orange features spread into the fuzzier, lower-resolution data that covers the rest of the globe, meaning those areas, too, are high in methane, and therefore likely to be high in elevation.
Since methane has now been linked to high elevations, researchers can use data that indicates where methane is present around Pluto's globe to infer which locations are at higher altitudes.
This provides an opportunity to map out altitudes of some parts of Pluto's surface not captured in high resolution, where bladed terrains also appear to exist.
Though the detailed coverage of Pluto's bladed terrain covers only a small area, NASA researchers and their collaborators have been able to conclude from several types of data that these sharp ridges may be a widespread feature on Pluto's so-called 'far side', helping to develop a working understanding of Pluto's global geography, its present and its past.
Alien worlds roughly 10 times the size of Earth could play a major role in the habitability of planets outside of our solar system.
Its thought that the building blocks for life were transported here through an asteroid impact.
And, according to new simulations, the rate of such collisions could be influenced by the presence of a hypothetical super-Earth in the confines of our stellar neighbourhood.
Given the abundance of super-Earths in the observable universe, the findings could help guide the search for alien life, suggesting these worlds can drive asteroids towards others and, in turn, seed life on terrestrial planets orbiting in their vicinity.
While a bombardment of asteroids could prove destructive, a lack of impacts could also prevent life-building elements from reaching that world. Under the right conditions, an impact could thus be key to the emergence of life, the researchers explain. Stock image
DID EARTH'S LIFE START ON A COMET? Molecules brought to Earth in meteorite strikes could potentially be converted into the building blocks of DNA, a recent study found. Researchers from the University of York's Department of Chemistry found that the precursors to amino acids were able to use molecules in interstellar ice to trigger the formation of the backbone of DNA. The team showed that amino nitriles - the molecular precursors to amino acids - could have been the catalyst for bringing together the interstellar molecules, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, glycolaldehyde, before life on Earth began. Combined, they create carbohydrates, including one of the building blocks of DNA (2-deoxy-D-ribose). DNA is one of the most important molecules in living systems, yet the origin 2-deoxy-D-ribose, before life on Earth began, has been a mystery. Advertisement
In the new study published to arXiv, researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas examined the effect of a nearby super-Earth on the asteroid collision rate with Earth.
For worlds with a mass of around 10 Earth masses, the simulations revealed there would be significant effects.
If a super-Earth existed in our solar system, and orbited inside of Earths own orbit, the researchers found the collision rate increases the closer the planet gets.
But, if the planet were to sit outside of Earths orbit, the collision rate drops.
In reality, no such super-Earth exists in our solar system but, the findings may have implications for the possibility of life in exoplanetary systems.
While a bombardment of asteroids could prove destructive to a planet and its ability to sustain life a lack of impacts could also prevent life-building elements from reaching that world.
Under the right conditions, an asteroid impact could thus be key to the emergence of life.
According to some hypotheses, life itself may have been delivered to Earth by asteroids, the authors explain in the study.
Important heavy elements needed for the existence of life may have also been delivered by asteroid impacts.
The rate of asteroid impacts also can have a significant effect on a planets habitability. A high rate of impacts could have led to a highly cratered planet, not hospitable to life.
On the other hand, too few impacts could suppress the delivery of essential elements.
According to the simulations, the rate of collisions could be influenced by a hypothetical super-Earth in the confines of our stellar neighbourhood. Given the abundance of super-Earths in the observable universe, the findings could help guide the search for alien life
Our solar system, unlike distant planetary systems, does not contain a super-Earth planet.
But, recent studies have suggested that such a world may once have existed but later migrated into the sun, where it was destroyed.
If such a scenario truly did take place, the researchers say that world could have altered the asteroid collision rate, and even influenced the emergence of life on Earth.
Since we have shown that the rate of asteroid impacts on Earth is affected by the presence (or not) of an inner super-Earth, this chain of events, if it had indeed happened, surely had an effect on both the rate and pattern of asteroid impacts, the authors note.
It is tempting to speculate, therefore, that the resulting pattern and rate may have made the Earth more conductive to the emergence and evolution of life.
In a step towards having driverless taxis on roads, Lyft has joined forces with Ford to deploy self-driving vehicles in 'large numbers' by 2021.
Ford and Lyft teams will begin working together to design software to allow Ford vehicles to communicate with Lyft's smartphone apps.
Ford will initially put human-driven vehicles on Lyft's network, and it is unclear when the first self-driving cars will hit roads.
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Ford and Lyft teams will begin working together to design software to allow Ford vehicles to communicate with Lyft's smartphone apps
FORD'S SELF-DRIVING VEHICLES Ford self-driving test vehicles will be connected to Lyft's network, but at first, customers will not be able to use them, according to Sherif Marakby, Ford's vice president for autonomous vehicles and electrification. The firm will initially put human-driven vehicles on Lyft's network, and it is unclear when the first self-driving cars will hit roads. Ford is also testing delivery services using self-driving vehicles and a van shuttle service. The self-driving vehicles Ford will deploy through Lyft will use software developed by Argo AI, Advertisement
Ford self-driving test vehicles will be connected to Lyft's network, but at first, customers will not be able to use them, according to Sherif Marakby, Ford's vice president for autonomous vehicles and electrification.
'We're not building prototypes for the sake of building prototypes,' Mr Marakby said, adding Ford intends to ultimately put thousands of self-driving vehicles in use.
Ford's new Chief Executive Jim Hackett is scheduled to meet with investors next weel to outline the automaker's strategy for boosting profitability.
Ford shares are down 1.65 per cent so far this year, while rival General Motors Co's shares have risen 15.6 per cent, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV shares are up 71 per cent.
Mr Hackett's plans to compete for revenue from mobility services, which include car sharing and ride-hailing, will be one area of focus for investors.
The Lyft partnership fills in a piece of the puzzle.
Ford is also testing delivery services using self-driving vehicles and a van shuttle service.
The self-driving vehicles Ford will deploy through Lyft will use software developed by Argo AI, a company in which Ford is investing $1 billion (746 million) over the next five years.
The self-driving vehicles Ford will deploy through Lyft will use software developed by Argo AI, a company in which Ford is investing $1 billion (746 million) over the next five years
WAYMO AND LYFT PARTNERSHIP Aside from the new collaboration between Lyft and Drive.ai, Lyft is also collaborating with Waymo to join forces against ridesharing giant Uber, which is racing to develop its own self-driving vehicles. 'Waymo holds today's best self-driving technology, and collaborating with them will accelerate our shared vision of improving lives with the worlds best transportation,' the Lyft statement read. Waymo and Uber are currently engaged in a bitter legal dispute. In February Waymo filed a lawsuit claiming that a former manager took technical data when he left to launch a competing venture that was later acquired by Uber. Advertisement
The company has said it will invest $700 million (522 million) in a factory in Flat Rock, Michigan, to make it capable of building electric and self driving vehicles.
Lyft has said it will offer an open platform for companies to deploy self-driving vehicles on its network, and has partnerships with self driving vehicle technology startup Drive.ai and Alphabet Inc's Waymo self driving car unit.
GM has a nine per cent stake in Lyft, acquired for $500 million (370 million) in January 2016.
'Our relationship with GM has always been a non-exclusive relationship,' said Raj Kapoor, Lyft's chief strategy officer.
GM is also assembling the assets necessary to launch its own ride services using self-driving cars, building its Maven car-sharing unit and preparing to launch mass production of autonomous Chevrolet Bolt electric cars at a factory in suburban Detroit.
The noise caused by building 'environmentally-friendly' wind farms may be killing fish.
Scientists recorded the noise made when marine engineers used a pile driver to drive poles into the sea bed for the construction of wind farms.
They found this noise disrupted the abilities of individual sea bass to co-ordinate their movements with one another.
This man-made noise pollution could make them more susceptible to danger, as cohesion and co-ordination within schools of fish are 'essential in helping some animals avoid predators and exchange information socially'.
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The noise caused by building 'environmentally-friendly' wind farms may be killing fish by causing stress and confusion and making them more vulnerable to predators
WIND FARMS ARE KILLING BATS A study last year found wind turbines are killing hundreds of bats every year with researchers findings the animals are at more risk from their whirling blades than previously thought. Many of the turbines found to kill the animals have been given a clean bill of health in terms of environmental impact. When researchers scoured the areas around the turbines with dogs, they found large numbers of dead bats. Scientists at Exeter University, who conducted the study, are now calling for wind farm operators to switch off turbines at night in the summer. Advertisement
Researchers at Bristol University used computer tracking software to analyse the movement of 450 individual fish and shoals of four in the university's aquarium.
They found the fish became 'less cohesive and co-ordinated' during the playbacks, compared with when they were played normal ambient sea sounds.
Dr Christos Ioannou from the university's School of Biological Sciences, said: 'This is one of the few studies to explore how pollution from human activity impacts schooling behaviour in fish.
'Previous work has mostly focused on the effect of noise on the physiology and behaviour of individual animals.'
The findings were published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal.
The next step will be to move away from the lab and test the effect of the recordings under natural conditions.
Man-made noise pollution could make seabass more susceptible to danger, as cohesion and co-ordination within schools of fish are 'essential in helping some animals avoid predators and exchange information socially'
Wind farms have also been blamed for killing bats and sea birds.
A study last year found wind turbines are killing hundreds of bats every year with researchers findings the animals are at more risk from their whirling blades than previously thought.
Many of the turbines found to kill the animals have been given a clean bill of health in terms of environmental impact.
But when researchers scoured the areas around the turbines with trained dogs, they found large numbers of dead bats.
Scientists at Exeter University, who conducted the study, are now calling for wind farm operators to switch off turbines at night in the summer when bats are at most risk.
The lost, underwater continent of Zealandia may have been used by animals and plants to cross continents 80 million years ago, research has found.
Zealandia, a mostly-submerged landmass in the South Pacific, was declared Earth's newest continent earlier this year.
Covering five million square kilometres (1.9 million square miles), it includes Lord Howe Island off Australia's east coast, New Caledonia and New Zealand.
Now experts who have been drilling the area say it may have been closer to land level than first thought, providing a bridge for wildlife between ancient Australia and Antarctica.
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The lost, underwater continent of Zealandia may have been used by animals and plants to cross continents 80 million years ago. Zealandia, a mostly-submerged landmass near New Zealand (centre) and Australia (left), was declared Earth's newest continent earlier this year
ZEALANDIA Zealandia, which is mostly submerged beneath the South Pacific, was once part of the Gondwana super-continent but broke away some 75 million years ago. In a paper published in the Geological Society of America's Journal GSA Today in February, researchers made the case that it should be considered a new continent. They said it was a distinct geological entity that met all the criteria applied to Earth's other continents. These criteria include elevation above the surrounding area, distinctive geology, a well-defined area and a crust much thicker than that found on the ocean floor. Advertisement
An international team of scientists found fossilised remains and evidence of large-scale tectonic plate shifts as part of one of the first extensive surveys of the region.
'The discovery of microscopic shells of organisms that lived in warm shallow seas, and spores and pollen from land plants, reveal that the geography and climate of Zealandia was dramatically different in the past,' said expedition co-chief scientist Professor Gerald Dickens of Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Expedition scientists drilled deep into the seabed at six sites in water depths of more than 1,250 meters (4,101 feet).
They took 2,500 meters (8,202 feet) of sediment cores from layers that show how the geography and climate of Zealandia have changed over the last 70 million years.
'More than 8,000 specimens were studied, and several hundred fossil species were identified,' said Professor Dickens.
He added that the significant new fossil discoveries prove that Zealandia was not always as deep beneath the waves as it is today.
Zealandia, which is mostly submerged beneath the South Pacific, was once part of the Gondwana super-continent but broke away some 75 million years ago.
In a paper published in the Geological Society of America's Journal GSA Today in February, researchers made the case that it should be considered a new continent.
An international team of scientists found fossilised remains and evidence of large-scale tectonic plate shifts as part of one of the first extensive surveys of the region. The team drilled into rock sediment at Zealandia using long-range drills (pictured) abord a research vessel
The researchers found fossils that suggest the submerged continent was closer to land level than first thought, providing a bridge for wildlife. Pictured is the team's research vessel
They said it was a distinct geological entity that met all the criteria applied to Earth's other continents.
These criteria include elevation above the surrounding area, distinctive geology, a well-defined area and a crust much thicker than that found on the ocean floor.
The newly extracted sediment cores show how the continent experienced tectonic and ecological change across millions of years.
'Zealandia, a sunken continent long lost beneath the oceans, is giving up its 60 million-year-old secrets through scientific ocean drilling,' said project co-director Jamie Allan.
Covering five million square kilometres (1.9 million square miles), Zealandia includes Lord Howe Island off the eastern coast of Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand
'This expedition offered insights into Earth's history, ranging from mountain-building in New Zealand to the shifting movements of Earth's tectonic plates to changes in ocean circulation and global climate.'
The new discoveries reveal new details about the formation of the 'Pacific Ring of Fire' - an active seafloor zone along the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean.
The ring's birth 40 to 50 million years ago caused dramatic changes in ocean depth and volcanic activity and buckled the seabed of Zealandia.
Researchers had previously believed that Zealandia was submerged when it separated from Australia and Antarctica about 80 million years ago.
Zealandia is mostly submerged beneath the South Pacific bar a few regions, including Australia's Howe Island (pictured). It was once part of the Gondwana super-continent but broke away some 75 million years ago
Expedition co-chief scientist Professor Rupert Sutherland, of Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, said: 'That is still probably accurate, but it is now clear that dramatic later events shaped the continent we explored on this voyage.
'Big geographic changes across northern Zealandia, which is about the same size as India, have implications for understanding questions such as how plants and animals dispersed and evolved in the South Pacific.
'The discovery of past land and shallow seas now provides an explanation. There were pathways for animals and plants to move along.'
Future studies of the new sediment cores will focus on understanding how Earth's tectonic plates move and how the global climate system works.
Records of Zealandia's history, expedition scientists said, will provide a sensitive test for computer models used to predict future changes in climate.
A much-discussed boost for school choice was absent from the proposed overhaul to federal tax policy outlined by congressional Republicans on Wednesday. But that doesnt mean it will ultimately be left out.
The GOPs Unified Framework for Fixing a Broken Tax Code does not specifically mention the availability of a tax credit for those who make donations to groups sponsoring scholarships to private schools. School choice advocates have pushed for months for Republican lawmakers to include the provision in their tax overhaul, and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has long been a supporter of such tax-credit scholarships out the state level.
There are more details to come, however: The framework discussing the proposed changes does say that the relevant congressional committees will also develop additional reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of tax laws. So its possible that some kind of tax credit for school choice could be included in legislation the GOP drafts to implement this tax reform.
At the same time, the framework also says one of the aims is to close special interest tax breaks and loopholes, and that, Numerous other exemptions, deductions and credits for individuals riddle the tax code that the GOP wants to repeal.
The framework itself is also silent on the fate of the state and local tax deduction. However, news reports Wednesday indicated that the deduction could be eliminated . Getting rid of that deduction could have big implications for education funding.
The absence of a school choice tax credit in the framework could spell doom for efforts by DeVos and others to get the federal goverment behind some sort of school choice expansion, at least for the near future. President Donald Trump has consistently backed school choice, and even highlighted one beneficiary of tax-credit scholarship programs during his address to Congress earlier this year. But hes never spoken specifically in favor of creating such tax credits at the federal level.
Trump supposedly told DeVos that he wasnt able to successfully push the tax credit as part of tax reform, although the secretary said theres more to come from the Trump administration on school choice in a recent interview with us. So far, Congress has declined to pay for proposals from DeVos and Trump to expand private school choice in the administrations proposed budget for fiscal 2018.
Advocates for school choice, including the American Federation for Children (the group DeVos formerly led), remain hopeful that such tax credits will be included.
There is legislation in Congress that aims to expand school choice, but so far those bills havent gotten much traction .
Elsewhere, the GOP framework would increase the income thresholds where child tax credits would begin to phase out. The blueprint says this would make the child tax credit available to more middle-class families. However, the proposal does not address child care tax benefits. Trump, as well as his daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump, made more affordable child care an issue during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The GOP tax blueprint also mentions that it retains current benefits that offer incentives for higher education, but does not address details on that front.
Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Last week, Nasa's asteroid-chasing spacecraft, Osiris-Rex, swung past Earth on its way to a space rock.
The spacecraft, which is on a path towards the asteroid, Bennu, passed within about 11,000 miles (17,700 kilometers) of Earth.
Now, Nasa has published a stunning image captured by Osiris-Rex during its travels, showing our planet in breathtaking detail.
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Nasa has published a stunning image captured by Osiris-Rex during its travels, showing our planet in breathtaking detail. Visible in this image are the Pacific Ocean and several familiar landmasses, including Australia in the lower left, and Baja California and the southwestern United States in the upper right
OSIRIS-REX CAMERAS Three cameras on the spacecraft will point towards Bennu, giving Osiris-Rex a clear view from all distances. PolyCam is a high-resolution camera that will acquire the first images of Bennu and perform an initial mapping of the asteroid. MapCam is a medium-resolution camera that will map the asteroid in colour and search for satellites and dust plumes. SamCam will document the sampling process. The spacecraft will store the images captured by Ocams and send them to the Osiris-Rex team every few days. Advertisement
The colour composite image was taken on September 22 by the MapCam on Osiris-Rex.
The image was taken just hours after the spacecraft completed its Earth Gravity Assist a manoeuvre to help propel it towards Bennu - at a range of approximately 106,000 miles (170,000 kilometres).
In a post on its website, a spokesperson for Nasa wrote: 'Visible in this image are the Pacific Ocean and several familiar landmasses, including Australia in the lower left, and Baja California and the southwestern United States in the upper right.'
Osiris-Rex should reach the small, roundish asteroid next year and, in 2020, collect some of its gravel for return to Earth.
Osiris-Rex should reach the small, roundish asteroid next year and, in 2020, collect some of its gravel for return to Earth
Nasa's Osiris-Rex spacecraft was visible from Earth (circled in red) before it propelled itself towards the asteroid
If all goes well, scientists should get the samples in 2023.
The spacecraft is on its way to Bennu - an asteroid that is just 1,640 feet (500 meters) or so across and circles the sun in an orbit slightly wider than ours.
Osiris-Rex will go into orbit around the asteroid and seek the best spot for grabbing a few handfuls of the bite-size bits of rock.
HOW WILL THE MISSION WORK? Osiris-Rex is the first US mission designed to return a piece of an asteroid to Earth. The spacecraft launched on September 8 at 19:05 EST aboard an Atlas V rocket. After a careful survey of Bennu to characterise the asteroid and locate the most promising sample sites, Osiris-Rex will collect between 2 and 70 ounces (about 60 to 2,000 grams) of surface material with its robotic arm and return the sample to Earth via a detachable capsule in 2023. To capture samples on the surface, the craft will hover over a specific area and 'will be sent down at a very slow and gently' 4 inches (10 cm) per second. The spacecraft will also carry a laser altimeter, a suite of cameras provided by the University of Arizona, spectrometers and lidar, which is similar to radar, using light instead of radio waves to measure distance. Advertisement
It will hover like a hummingbird as a mechanical arm briefly rests on the surface and sucks in samples stirred up by nitrogen gas thrusters.
Scientists say the ancient asteroid could hold clues to the origin of life.
It's believed to have formed 4.5 billion years ago, a remnant of the solar system's building blocks.
This is the first US attempt to bring back samples from an asteroid.
Japan has already visited an asteroid and returned some specs.
The Royal Navy has revealed the name of the second of eight new Type 26 warship the HMS Belfast.
The enormous warship will be used to protect the UK's nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers, and can travel at speeds of up to 26 knots (30mph).
Both the HMS Belfast and the HMS Glasgow which was revealed in July will enter service in the mid 2020s.
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The Royal Navy has revealed its second of eight new Type 26 warship the HMS Belfast. The enormous warship will be used to protect the UK's nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers, and can travel at speeds of up to 26 knots (30mph)
HMS BELFAST HMS Belfast is a Type 26 Global Combat Ship - a 21st Century warship that will replace the Type 23 frigate as the workhorse of the Royal Navy's Fleet. The ship will undertake three core roles - warfighting, maritime security and international engagement - on the world stage. On board the HMS Belfast is the 'Sea Ceptor' a cutting-edge missile capable of intercepting multiple targets out to a range of 15.5 miles (25 kilometres), travelling at speeds of more than 2,000 miles/hour (3,218 kilometres/hour). The warship is also fitted with a small-calibre SA80 gun, as well as a general purpose machine gun and Mk44 miniguns. Unlike the majority of the ship's weapons systems, these guns are not radar and computer controlled, but aimed and fired by the upper deck weapon crews. Advertisement
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon made the announcement as he visited Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, where the Navy's last HMS Belfast was built prior to World War Two.
The ship will be one of eight new Type 26 frigates joining the Navy's fleet.
'I'm hugely proud that the second name announced of our eight cutting-edge new Type 26 frigates will be HMS Belfast,' said Sir Michael.
'She and her sister ships will form the backbone of our Navy well into the 2060s, keeping us safe by protecting the country's nuclear deterrent and new aircraft carriers.
HMS Belfast is a Type 26 Global Combat Ship - a 21st Century warship that will replace the Type 23 frigate as the workhorse of the Royal Navy's Fleet.
The ship will undertake three core roles - warfighting, maritime security and international engagement - on the world stage.
On board the HMS Belfast is the 'Sea Ceptor' a cutting-edge missile capable of intercepting multiple targets out to a range of 15.5 miles (25 kilometres), travelling at speeds of more than 2,000 miles/hour (3,218 kilometres/hour).
HMS Belfast, which can carry a crew of 157, can travel at speeds of over 26 knots, and has a nautical range of 7,000 miles
The warship is also fitted with a small-calibre SA80 gun, as well as a general purpose machine gun and Mk44 miniguns.
Unlike the majority of the ship's weapons systems, these guns are not radar and computer controlled, but aimed and fired by the upper deck weapon crews.
The original HMS Belfast, which took part in the Arctic campaign and the Normandy landings, is now a floating museum permanently docked in London.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon made the announcement as he visited Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, where the Navy's last HMS Belfast was built prior to World War Two
On board the HMS Belfast is the 'Sea Ceptor' a cutting-edge missile capable of intercepting multiple targets out to a range of 15.5 miles (25 kilometres), travelling at speeds of more than 2,000 miles/hour (3,218 kilometres/hour)
The warship is also fitted with a small-calibre SA80 gun, as well as a general purpose machine gun and Mk44 miniguns
It will now be renamed 'HMS Belfast 1938' to avoid confusion.
Diane Lees, director general at Imperial War Museums, said: 'IWM is delighted that the name HMS Belfast will return again to the Royal Navy's front line as a major warship.
'We welcome the opportunity this will bring for our internationally significant museum to have a close affiliation with the new Belfast, enabling a powerful link between the Royal Navy's past and present.'
NASA has given a sneak peak of its new probe that will 'tough the sun', including its newly installed thermal shield that can withstand temperatures of 2,500 F (1,371C).
The Parker Solar Probe (PSP), due for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, in July 2018, will fly directly into the atmosphere of the sun in a world first.
The device has now been shown in flight configuration for the first time at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, where it is being built.
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Nasa has given a sneak peak of its 2018 probe (left) that will 'tough the sun'. The showcase includes the Parker Solar Probe's newly fixed thermal shield (right image shows installation) that can withstand temperatures of 2,500 F (1,371C)
THE PARKER SOLAR PROBE MISSION - The mission launch in the summer of 2018 - It study the outer atmosphere of the sun, known as the corona - To measure the corona, the probe will reach an orbit within four million miles (6.5 million km) of the sun - The craft will collect vital information about the life of stars and their weather events - It will focus on how solar flares are formed, which can disrupt communications on Earth Advertisement
After launch, it will reach an orbit within four million miles (6.5 million km) of the sun and will measure activity at its outer surface, known as the 'corona'.
The craft will collect vital information about the life of stars and their weather events, and will help scientists improve how we predict dangerous solar flares.
The revolutionary heat shield that will protect the spacecraft was installed for the first time on Sept 21.
This is the only time the spacecraft will have its thermal protection system - which will reach temperatures of 2,500 F (1,371C) while at the sun - attached until just before launch.
It measures 8 ft (2.43 m) in diameter and is made of a 4.5 inch-thick (11.43 cm) carbon-composite.
Nasa officially announced PSP during a live stream event in May at the University of Chicago's William Eckhardt Research Centre Auditorium.
'We wanted to take the challenge of going to the worst thermal environment in the solar system - and surviving it,' said Dr Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of Nasa's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
'We want to measure the environment there and find what the heating processes are that make the corona hot, and what processes accelerate the solar wind.'
Dr Zurbuchen then announced, live on air, that the probe - originally dubbed the Solar Probe Plus - was to be renamed the Parker Solar Probe after University of Chicago scientist Eugene Parker, who pioneered solar wind science.
The revolutionary heat shield (top left) that will protect the spacecraft was installed for the first time on Sept 21. This is the only time the spacecraft will have its thermal protection system - which will reach temperatures of 2,500 F (1,371C) while at the sun - attached until launch
The spacecraft, dubbed the Parker Solar Probe, will see a spacecraft launched from Earth in July 2018, to reach an orbit within four million miles (6.5 million km) of the sun's surface. This will be seven times closer than any spacecraft that has ventured before it
The craft will collect vital information about the life of stars and their weather events, and will help scientists predict solar flares
Dr Parker, who was also speaking at the event, responded: 'I am extremely honoured to be associated with this heroic space mission.'
Dr Nicola Fox, mission project scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, then took to the stage.
She said that until now, Nasa didn't have the advanced materials needed to make such a close trip to the sun's corona.
She added that the corona is actually hotter than the sun's centre, and that finding out why is a key part of the probe mission.
'I like to think of this as the coolest, hottest mission,' she said.
The PSP will need to withstand temperatures outside the spacecraft of 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,377 degrees Celsius)
WHY STUDY THE SUN'S CORONA? The corona is the sun's outer atmosphere. It is unstable and produces solar wind and flares. Millions of tons of highly magnetised material can erupt from the sun at speeds of several million miles an hour. We need to get closer to it in order to understand how it works. Advertisement
She explained that Parker Solar Probe will gradually 'surf' closer and closer to the sun, into its corona. The craft will to withstand higher temperatures than any probe that has come before it.
'We will finally touch the sun,' she said.
Answering questions from the audience, Dr Fox described some of the state-of-the-art equipment that the Parker Solar Probe will carry.
The craft's kit includes a white light imager called Whisper, which will take images of solar waves as the craft propels through them at high speeds.
To measure the 'bulk plasma' of solar winds - which Dr Fox described as the 'break and butter' of the flares - a set of magnetic imaging equipment will also be stored on board.
This image shows the planned route and flybys of the PSP craft on its six-year mission
The spacecraft will swoop within 4 million miles (6.5 million km) of the sun's surface - bringing it seven times closer to the sun's surface than any spacecraft before it.
The craft will face extremes in heat and radiation and will reach speeds of up to 450,000 miles per hour (725,000 kph) at its closest flyby of the star.
It is hoped that PSP can help scientists to better understand solar flares - brief eruptions of intense high-energy radiation from the sun's surface that can knock out communications on Earth.
According to Nasa, observations from this new vantage point will help to uncover the physics of how stars work, and could improve our ability to predict space weather.
These events have impacts on Earth as well as the satellites and astronauts in space.
Scientists have long wanted to send a probe through the sun's corona to better understand the solar wind and the material it carries into our solar system.
'This is going to be our first mission to fly to the sun,' Eric Christian, a Nasa research scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said of the mission earlier this year.
'We can't get to the very surface of the sun,' but the mission will get close enough to answer three important questions, he said.
Until scientists can explain what is going on up close to the sun, they will not be able to accurately predict space weather effects that cause havoc at Earth.
The latest mission could help predict a 'huge solar event', Nasa says.
HOW SOLAR FLARES IMPACT EARTH Solar flares can damage satellites and have an enormous financial cost. Astronauts are not in immediate danger because of the relatively low orbit of this manned mission. They do have to be concerned about cumulative exposure during space walks. The charged particles can also threaten airlines by disturbing the Earth's magnetic field. Very large flares can even create currents within electricity grids and knock out energy supplies. A positive aspect, from an aesthetic point of view, is that the auroras are enhanced. Geomagnetic storms are more disruptive now than in the past because of our greater dependence on technical systems that can be affected by electric currents. Artist's impression of a solar flare erupting from the sun's surface. The flares are dense bursts of energy that can disrupt communications on Earth Advertisement
The sun is the source of the solar wind; a flow of gases that streams past Earth at speeds of more than a million miles per hour (1.6 million km per hour).
Disturbances in the solar wind shake Earth's magnetic field and pump energy into the radiation belts.
One recent study by the National Academy of Sciences estimated that without advance warning a huge solar event could cause two trillion dollars in damage in the US alone.
It could leave the eastern seaboard of the US could be without power for a year.
The PSP will be protected by the sun's heat by a 4.5 inch-thick (11.43 cm) carbon-composite shield
Millions of tons of highly magnetised material can erupt from the sun at speeds of several million miles an hour.
'This mission will provide insight on a critical link in the sun-Earth connection. Data will be key to understanding and, perhaps, forecasting space weather,' said Nasa.
'Until we can explain what is going on up close to the sun, we will not be able to accurately predict space weather effects that can cause havoc at Earth.'
'At its closest point, the PSP will be travelling at 450,000 miles per hour.'
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In the hopes of simulating life on the red planet, Dubai has announced that it is building a 100 million (AED 500 million/$135 million) 'Mars Science City.'
The city will cover 1.9 million square feet, making it the largest space simulation city ever built.
The project will be home to a team of researchers who will live there for a year, carrying out experiments to look at the food, water and energy needs to sustain life on Mars.
The project is part of Dubai's Mars 2117 Strategy, which seeks to build the first settlement on Mars in the next 100 years.
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In the hopes of simulating life on the red planet, Dubai has announced that it is building a 100 million (AED 500 million) 'Mars Science City'
MARS SCIENCE CITY The city will contain advanced laboratories that stimulate Mars' terrain and harsh environment. It will also have a museum that will display some of the world's greatest space achievements. As well as the laboratories and museum, the project will also be home to a team living in the simulated red planet city for a year. The designers hope that this experience will form an important reference model for future innovation around sustaining life in a hostile environment. Advertisement
The Mars Science City project was unveiled at the annual meeting for the UAE government in Abu Dhabi this week.
The city will contain advanced laboratories that simulate Mars' terrain and harsh environment.
There, scientists will carry out experiments to look at the food, water and energy needs to sustain a human settlement on Mars.
It will also have a museum that will display some of the world's greatest space achievements.
The walls of the museum will be 3D printed using sand from the Emirati desert.
As well as the laboratories and museum, the project will also be home to a team living in the simulated red planet city for a year.
The designers hope that this experience will form an important reference model for future innovation around sustaining life in a hostile environment.
The city will cover 1.9 million square feet, making it the largest space simulation city ever built. The project will be home to a team of researchers, who will live there for a year, carrying out experiments to look at the food, water and energy needs to sustain life on Mars
The city will consist of several domes, built using 'innovative construction techniques.'
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, ruler of Dubai, said: 'The UAE is a great country with vision and understanding of the challenges we face and the rapid changes our world is experiencing.
'We believe in the potential of space exploration, and in collaborating with global partners and leaders in order to harness the findings of this research and movement that seeks to meet people's needs and improve quality of life on Earth.'
The city will also have a museum that will display some of the world's greatest space achievements. The walls of the museum will be 3D printed using sand from the Emirati desert
The project is part of Dubai's Mars 2117 Strategy which seeks to build the first settlement on Mars in the next 100 years. Pictured is an artist's impression of one of the laboratories
The project is part of Dubai's Mars 2117 Strategy which seeks to build the first settlement on Mars in the next 100 years.
Sheikh Mohammed added: 'The landing of people on other planets has been a longtime dream for humans.
'Our aim is that the UAE will spearhead international efforts to make this dream a reality.'
It is unclear when Dubai plans to start building work on Mars Science City.
Ministers should tighten the UK's climate change target or face legal action, the country's former top scientist has said.
Professor Sir David King, chief scientific adviser in Tony Blair's government, has previously described global warming as a greater threat than terrorism.
Now the controversial climate change activist is backing a threat to take ministers to court over carbon emissions.
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Ministers who fail to cut greenhouse gas emissions should be sued, according to a former chief government scientist (stock image)
DAVID KING CONTROVERSIES Professor Sir David King, 77, was the architect of the policy to cut fuel duty for diesel cars as Tony Blair's personal scientist. In April he admitted he got it wrong, having been driven by an obsession with carbon emissions. The former Government chief scientific adviser, knighted in 2003, has presided over many controversies. In 2004 he wrote in the journal Science: 'In my view, climate change is the most severe problem that we are facing today more serious even than the threat of terrorism.' He refused to back down when called in to Parliament and asked about his comments, which came just three years after the 9/11 attacks. His strong belief in man-made climate change has seen him publish a book, The Hot Topic, on how to tackle global warming, and he has been accused of being a politician in scientist's clothing for his strong views. Advertisement
The architect of the policy to cut fuel duty for diesel cars is standing behind a tiny group called Plan B, run by former government lawyer Tim Crosland.
The group has threatened to go to the High Court after demanding the Government goes further than its current target to cut emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.
Professor King told the BBC: 'This is crazy. The Government knows very well what needs to be done but isn't doing it. If it takes legal action to force ministers to behave properly, then so be it I'll support it.'
The intervention follows outspoken comments from the scientist the year after he was knighted in 2004, when he wrote in the journal Science that climate change was 'more serious even than the threat of terrorism'.
He refused to back down on that view even after being called into Parliament to answer questions on his comments, which came three years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Professor King told the BBC that the UK Government knows its plan to reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent is too weak to protect the climate.
The scientist, who was Chief Scientific Adviser from 2000 to 2007 before becoming Special Representative for Climate Change from 2013 until this March, shares the opinion of Plan B, run by former government lawyer Tim Crosland.
This is a group of just five trustees with up to 20 additional volunteers, which has written to Business Secretary Greg Clark arguing that it is obliged under the Climate Change Act to tighten targets if research shows it is needed.
Mr Crosland, who says he has 10 co-claimants including a doctor and young people fearing for their children's future, sent the letter on Tuesday.
Professor Sir David King (file photo) served as the UK government's chief scientific advisor under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He is supporting a legal case forcing ministers to shrink carbon emissions to zero by 2050
KEY GOALS OF THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT The Paris Agreement on Climate Change has four main goals with regards to reducing emissions: 1) A long-term goal of keeping the increase in global average temperature to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels 2) To aim to limit the increase to 1.5C, since this would significantly reduce risks and the impacts of climate change 3) Goverments agreed on the need for global emissions to peak as soon as possible, recognising that this will take longer for developing countries 4) To undertake rapid reductions thereafter in accordance with the best available science Source: European Commission Advertisement
If he has no satisfactory reply within 14 days, he is threatening to take the case to the High Court for judicial review.
The former government lawyer said the letter was a 'last resort', adding: 'The guy who spent nearly two decades leading the government on climate change has come out and said this is crazy. That absolutely strengthens the case.'
Professor King has written a book called The Hot Topic on how to tackle global warming because of his strong personal belief in manmade climate change.
His latest comments were welcomed by environmental law group ClientEarth, and Jonathan Church, a member and climate lawyer, said: 'We hope this argument will help draw attention to the urgency of the challenge we face and ensure that our government keeps its eye on the goals agreed in Paris.
'The 2050 target in our Climate Change Act is not enough to keep global warming well below 1.5 to 2C.
'As the Climate Change Committee has noted, this target will need to be tightened.'
It's a sound that brings happiness into the hearts of many, and now it seems that hearing the pop of a wine bottle cork can also affect your taste buds.
A new study has found that the sound of a cork popping makes us think our wine tastes better regardless of the quality.
The researchers hope the findings will go some way to providing a definitive answer to the ongoing debate of whether wine tastes better from a bottle with a cork or screw cap.
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It's a sound that brings happiness into the hearts of many, and now it seems that hearing the pop of a wine bottle can also affect your taste buds. A new study has found that the sound of a cork popping makes us think our wine tastes better regardless of the quality
THE STUDY 140 participants tasted identical wines and rated them after having been played the sound of a cork popping, then again after having heard a screw cap being opened. They were then asked to actually open both bottles and rate the wines again. The results showed that participants rated the same wine as 15 per cent better quality when served under a cork than a screw cap. The wine under a cork was also rated as 20 per cent better for a celebration, and 16 per cent more inciting of a celebratory mood. Advertisement
Researchers from Oxford University tested whether the sound and sight of a bottle of wine being opened would influence the perception of the wine inside the bottle.
In the study, 140 participants were asked to taste identical wines and rate them after having been played the sound of a cork popping, then again after having heard a screw cap being opened.
They were then asked to actually open both bottles and rate the wines again.
The results showed that participants rated the same wine as 15 per cent better quality when served under a cork than a screw cap.
The wine under a cork was also rated as 20 per cent better for a celebration, and 16 per cent more inciting of a celebratory mood.
In the study, 140 participants were asked to taste identical wines and rate them after having been played the sound of a cork popping, then again after having heard a screw cap being opened. They were then asked to actually open both bottles and rate the wines again
WORDS ON WINE BOTTLES MATTER New research suggests that the language used on the label of a wine bottle could be as important to your enjoyment as the flavour of the drink itself. This is because elaborate and emotional descriptions act as a placebo, tricking our brains into a false sense of quality. Study participants rated the same wine higher if its description included information regarding winery history and positive wine quality statements, while the drink received worse reviews if it had no description at all. Advertisement
Professor Charles Spence, lead author of the study, said: 'Our senses are intrinsically linked - what we hear, see and feel has a huge effect on what we taste.
'The sound and sight of a cork being popped sets our expectations before the wine has even touched our lips, and these expectations then anchor our subsequent tasting experience.
'These results emphasise the importance of closures for wine, and the clear association between cork and quality in our subconscious.'
The cork versus screw cap debate has raged between experts, sommeliers and producers in the wine industry for decades.
But this experiment is the first to show evidence that a cork closure provides a more positive drinking experience.
Ripples in space-time generated by the collision of two black holes nearly two billion years ago have been captured by super-sensitive detectors in the US and Italy.
This is the fourth time a gravitational wave has been observed, but the first time scientists have been able to trace the pattern of the ripples.
Gravitational are distortions in the fabric of space-time created by some of the most violent events in the universe.
The breakthrough is the first time the Virgo facility near Pisa has picked up a significant gravitational wave signal, marking a new turning point for scientists hunting the strange phenomenon.
The facility provides a new level of detail on the 3D pattern of warping that takes place in gravitational waves.
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Ripples in space-time generated by the collision of two black holes nearly two billion years ago have been captured by super-sensitive detectors in the US and Italy . This is the fourth time a gravitational wave has been observed. Artist's impression pictured
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES Scientists view the the universe as being made up of a 'fabric of space-time'. This corresponds to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, published in 1916. Objects in the universe bend this fabric, and more massive objects bend it more. Gravitational waves are considered ripples in this fabric. They can be produced, for instance, when black holes orbit each other or by the merging of galaxies. Gravitational waves are also thought to have been produced during the Big Bang. If found, they would not only confirm the Big Bang theory but also offer insights into fundamental physics. For instance, they could shed light on the idea that, at one point, most or all of the forces of nature were combined into a single force. Advertisement
Predicted by Albert Einstein 100 years ago, gravitational waves cause anything in their path to stretch and compress by an unimaginably tiny degree.
It is this minuscule change - amounting to a distance 1,000 times smaller than the width of a proton, the heart of an atom - that the scientists are looking for.
Using a network of American and European detectors for the first time, the international team was able to trace the latest source of gravitational waves to the merger of two black holes 1.8 billion light years away.
The first gravitational wave detection in 2015 was made by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (Ligo) in the US. It too was the result of a pair of colliding black holes wrenching the fabric of space-time.
Two more Ligo detections quickly followed, also traced to merging black holes.
The arms on the new Virgo facility in Italy are angled differently from those that form the Ligo detector.
This means when used in combination they better trace the vibrations and therefore the polaristion of gravitational waves when two bodies collide.
The event, code-named GW170814, produced a new spinning black hole with 53 times the mass of the sun.
Travelling at the speed of light, these ripples have taken 1.8 billion years to reach Earth.
During its violent birth, the equivalent of three solar masses was converted into gravitational wave energy.
British scientists played a key role in the discovery, as they did in the first ever confirmed detection of gravitational waves in September 2015.
The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) time series, the time-frequency representation of the strain data and the time series data of the three detectors together with the inferred gravitational wave waveform are shown here
This is a view of the LIGO detector in Hanford, Washington. LIGO research is carried out by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, a group of more than 1,000 scientists from universities around the US and 14 other countries
The collision of two black holes nearly two billion years ago has been captured by super-sensitive detectors (stock image)
Professor Andreas Freise, from the University of Birmingham's Institute of Gravitational Wave Astronomy, said: 'Once again, we have detected echoes from colliding black holes but this time we can pinpoint the position of the black holes much more accurately thanks to the addition of the Virgo detector to the advanced detector network.
'Around ten years ago I was in charge of designing the core interferometer of the Advanced Virgo project. To see that instrument become a reality, and now helping to deliver significant results, is really special.'
Colleague Dr John Veitch, from the University of Glasgow's School of Physics and Astronomy, who co-led the team carrying out analysis of the signal, said: 'The addition to the network of a signal from Virgo provided us with a lot of useful data.
This is an aerial view of the Virgo site showing the Mode-Cleaner building, the Central building, the three kilometer-long west arm and the beginning of the north arm. The event, code-named GW170814, produced a new spinning black hole with 53 times the mass of the sun
HOW DOES THIS HELP US UNDERSTAND THE UNIVERSE? Scientists said gravitational waves open a door for a new way to observe the universe and gain knowledge about enigmatic objects like black holes and neutron stars. By studying gravitational waves they also hope to gain insight into the nature of the very early universe, which has remained mysterious. Everything we know about the cosmos stems from electromagnetic waves such as radio waves, visible light, infrared light, X-rays and gamma rays. But because such waves encounter interference as they travel across the universe, they can tell only part of the story. Gravitational waves experience no such barriers, meaning they can offer a wealth of additional information. Black holes, for example, do not emit light, radio waves and the like, but can be studied via gravitational waves. Being able to detect gravitational waves will help astronomers probe the 'dark Universe'. This is the name given to the large part of the cosmos that is invisible to the light telescopes. They will be able to look deeper into the universe, which means we could better understand the history of the cosmos. Advertisement
'Having a third detector means that we can now triangulate the position of the source, and much more accurately determine the exact spot in the cosmos where the signal came from.
'We go through multiple stages of analysis. The first is filtering the data from the detectors, which provides us with triggers for possible detections, which are then checked against the data from the other detectors.
'When a match between detectors is found, we can begin looking in more detail at the data to determine the mass and the position of the source, and start sharing data with other partners across the world.'
LIGO operates two detector sites - one near Hanford in eastern Washington, and another near Livingston, Louisiana (pictured)
THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY Gravitational waves were predicted by Albert Einstein 100 years ago In 1905, Albert Einstein determined that the laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers, and that the speed of light in a vacuum was independent of the motion of all observers - known as the theory of special relativity. This groundbreaking work introduced a new framework for all of physics, and proposed new concepts of space and time. He then spent 10 years trying to include acceleration in the theory, finally publishing his theory of general relativity in 1915. This determined that massive objects cause a distortion in space-time, which is felt as gravity. At its simplest, it can be thought of as a giant rubber sheet with a bowling ball in the centre. As the ball warps the sheet, a planet bends the fabric of space-time, creating the force that we feel as gravity. Any object that comes near to the body falls towards it because of the effect. Einstein predicted that if two massive bodies came together it would create such a huge ripple in space time that it should be detectable on Earth. Ripples in space-time were first predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago. Pictured is the original historical documents related to Einstein's prediction of the existence of gravitational waves, shown at the Hebrew university in Jerusalem Advertisement
Einsteins theory predicts two polarisations of gravitational waves, although others suggest there are six, according to the Guardian.
This facility provides a new understanding of the three dimensional pattern of warping that occurs when two black holes collide.
It therefore strongly favours Einsteins predictions of how spacetime is distorted.
Ligo consists of two L-shaped detectors 1,865 miles (3,002 km) apart in Livingston, Louisiana and Hanford, Washington. Each arm of the L is a 2.5 mile (4km) long pipe containing a system of mirrors.
An artist's impression of gravitational waves generated by binary neutron stars released by the team. By studying gravitational waves scientists hope to gain insight into the nature of the very early universe, which has remained mysterious
A passing gravitational wave will cause a tiny mismatch in the length of the two arms.
Laser beams fired through the pipes and bouncing off the mirrors are used to spot the discrepancy and alert the scientists.
The Virgo detector, based in Cascina, near Pisa, works the same way and has two three kilometre-long arms. A first version of the detector began operating in 2007 before a major upgrade to Advanced Virgo that was completed this year.
The new findings have been accepted for publication in the journal Physical Review Letters.
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NASA has released an eye-opening new map showing the staggering extent of damage in Puerto Rico after last weeks devastating hurricane.
The damage proxy map was created using satellite data captured before and after the storm made landfall, and covers an area of 105 by 60 miles around the capital city, San Juan.
In the image, the red and yellow pixels represent areas likely damaged by Hurricane Maria and, nearly the entire map is covered in these markings.
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The damage proxy map was created using satellite data captured before and after the storm made landfall, and covers an area of 105 by 60 miles around the capital city, San Juan. In the image, the red and yellow pixels represent areas likely damaged by Hurricane Maria
HOW TO READ IT The damage proxy map was created using satellite data captured before and after the storm made landfall, and covers an area of 105 by 60 miles around the capital city, San Juan. Each pixel measures roughly 89 feet across. The yellow and red dots show areas of likely damage, with darker colors indicating where the damage is thought to be more severe. Advertisement
The map comes as a part of NASAs Disasters Program, and has been delivered to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to the space agency.
Hurricane Maria made landfall on Sept 20, decimating much of the island.
As of Wednesday, at least 26 people had died as a result of the storm and, 3.4 million citizens that call the island home still lack adequate food, clean water, and medical supplies, among other resources.
Using synthetic aperture radar images from the Copernicus Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B satellites, operated by the European Space Agency, NASAs Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis team at the Jet Propulsion Lab mapped out the estimated damage.
Each pixel measures roughly 89 feet across.
The yellow and red dots show areas of likely damage, with darker colors indicating where the damage is thought to be more severe.
The map was made using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images from the Copernicus Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B satellites, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). The images were taken before (March 25, 2017) and after (Sept. 21, 2017) the storm's landfall. The map covers an area of 105 by 60 miles (169 by 96 kilometers),
Once delivered to FEMA and other responding agencies, officials combined the map with building infrastructure data to estimate the damage density.
Just yesterday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released satellite images of Puerto Rico, showing just how massive the power outages are after Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on the island, and plunged millions into darkness.
The images show how vastly different the power supply was on July 24 compared to Monday.
San Juan and other cities barely have any light, while the island of Vieques is covered in complete darkness, as seen in the before and after satellite images above
Damaged homes and vegetation during the passage of Hurricane Maria, are viewed on a mountain southwest of San Juan
San Juan and other cities barely have any light, while the island of Vieques is covered in complete darkness.
Most of Puerto Rico has been without lights or air conditioning since Maria wiped out generators when it made landfall last Wednesday.
San Juan's airport is finally up and running with nearly 100 arrivals and departures daily, including military and relief operations as well as more than a dozen commercial passenger flights.
The Federal Aviation Administration is taking reservations for arrival and departure slots to manage space at the airport and safely separate aircraft in the air.
Maria destroyed or disabled a number of essential radar, navigation and communication systems, so the FAA has been bringing in replacements by air and sea, and technicians are working now to get them working.
Nearly one week after hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico, residents are still trying to get the basics of food, water, gas, and money from banks
People sit in their apartment on Monday after the window was blown out by the winds of Hurricane Maria as it passed through San Juan, Puerto Rico
Maria left widespread damage across Puerto Rico, with virtually the whole island without power or cell service and many streets still flooded
It was revealed on Tuesday that the federal government will pick up 100 per cent of the costs of debris removal and other emergency assistance to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.
President Donald Trump made the change Tuesday as part of an amendment to his earlier disaster declaration authorizing federal aid. US states and territories typically cover 25 per cent of the costs, with the federal government paying the remaining 75 per cent.
But the island's government is so strapped for cash that Puerto Rican officials and sympathetic members of Congress had called on Trump to waive the cost-sharing requirement.
Trump's declaration covers the removal of downed trees, utility poles and other debris, as well as spending for emergency measures to protect lives and public health and safety.
Maria's top sustained winds dropped Tuesday to near 75 mph, and the National Hurricane Center expected it to weaken into a tropical storm by Tuesday night or Wednesday.
It was once a destination point for families wanting a summer sojourn.
But now it seems the love affair between Majorca and British holidaymakers has finally come to an end, with loyal visitors snubbing the famous Balearic Island.
The move follows a wave of anti-tourist protests throughout Spain - the most recent of which saw 3,000 gather in Majorca's capital city, Palma, last weekend.
Dwindling crowds: Scores of UK holidaymakers have vowed to spend their money elsewhere
There they embarked on violent and intimidating demonstrations. Airport shuttles were pelted with eggs and short-stay visitors were branded 'terrorists'.
According to a report in The Sun, offended UK travellers have now snapped - and vowed to take their cash elsewhere, where it's welcome.
One said: 'Bye Bye Majorca. Me and my money will be welcomed somewhere else.
'I have done what the demonstrators want. I have just cancelled my two holidays to Majorca for next year. I really feel sorry for the people who want us tourists to visit and spend our money but... the last thing I need on holiday is to feel like an intruder.'
Another added: 'I am afraid you cannot have your cake and eat it. It was the Spanish that opened up Majorca in the first place, catering for package holidays, and building a huge airport to handle it. Maybe it is time to say adios.'
The news will likely embolden Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, who previously called the agitators 'crazy extremists'.
Activists: Branded 'crazy extremists' by Spain's PM Mariano Rajoy, agitators have targeted tourists in a series of recent demonstrations, including in Barcelona and Majorca (pictured)
Upset: The group claims tourism is responsible for a lack of affordable housing and low wages
Rafael Gallego, chair of the Spanish Association of Travel Agents (Feaav), also branded them 'fascists' and said he feared their actions will get worse.
Earlier this summer four hooded activists from a radical group called Arran attacked a tourist bus in Barcelona, slashing tyres and spraying slogans across it.
Others have thrown eggs at hotels, and there have been demonstrations around the city's famous Sagrada Familia basilica. While in Bilbao, northern Spain, another group sprayed paint across the headquarters of the Basque Country tourist board.
Meanwhile, Thomas Cook boss, Peter Fankhauser, yesterday predicted that the cost of Spanish holidays will increase by 10 per cent before summer 2018. He also told the BBC's Today programme that the company had resumed selling holidays to Tunisia, which has become a renewed option for British tourists.
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From slick cities to national parks, the United Kingdom has countless geographic gems.
And, with their narrow lanes, tiny harbours and cosy atmospheres, the coastline's historic fishing villages are undoubtedly among them.
But with so many to choose from, which are the most stunning? And which offer the best views? Countryfile magazine has picked what it thinks is the ultimate top ten for your bucket list.
Clovelly, North Devon
Fishing for compliments: Picturesque fishing village of Clovelly on the North Devon Coast
Once owned by the Queen of England, Clovelly has long been in private ownership, which has helped preserve its original atmosphere.
Flanked by a 400ft cliff in North Devon, it has no vehicular traffic on its steeply cobbled street, just donkeys and sledges, so it's perfect for moving into a slower gear.
Once you've worked up an appetite, Countryfile suggests tasting the freshly caught bass and crab at the Red Lion Hotel bar.
Porthgain, Pembrokeshire
Rural: Porthgain's historic harbour and slate mines are in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Nestled on Pembrokeshire's stunning coast, Porthgain makes the list thanks to its dramatic scenery, which attracts thousands of visitors each year.
According to Countryfile, one must-see spot is the famous Blue Lagoon, a gorgeous aquamarine sea pool loved by wild swimmers and cliff jumpers.
But, if you're feeling slightly less adventurous, the Sloop Inn pub is worth seeing for its local heritage memorabilia, while The Shed Bistro offers fresh, locally-sourced fish.
Crail, Fife
Age-old: Boasting a harbour that dates back to the 16th-century, Crail remains a stunning site
Once home to Europe's largest market place, Crail is now a much more sedate place.
Charming cobbled streets tumble down to the miniature sea front, which is sheltered by cliffs and surrounded by historic fishing cottages.
Boasting a harbour that dates back to the 16th-century, it's only 90 minutes from Edinburgh (by car) and 10 miles south of St Andrews. But, as Countryfile notes, the Isle of May's puffin and guillemot colonies are just six miles away.
Beer, south Devon
Vista: A panorama looking down on the beach an coastal town of Beer in South Devon
Surrounded by white chalk cliffs, Beer's shingle beach is lined with fishing boats still bringing in their daily catches and is famous for its mackerel.
According to the local tourist information, it has some of the most stunning coastal walks in the country - one of the best being from Seaton to Beer with dramatic views across the Jurassic Coastline.
Countryfile suggests hiking up to Beer Head, where you can enjoy a sunset dinner at the Beer Head Bistro. Or walk 45 minutes west along the coast path to Branscombe beach for a crab sandwich at its Sea Shanty Beach Cafe.
Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk
Historic site: A winter morning view of Brancaster Staithe in Norfolk
A National Trust favourite, Brancaster Staithe Harbour was once a busy port.
Trade declined in the 1800s, but a thriving fishing industry survives, and today the harbour bustles with people who simply sail for fun.
The experts at Countryfile suggest heading west along the coast path to reach Brancaster beach, with miles of golden sands, then see Titchwell Marsh nature reserves for outstanding birdwatching.
Craster, Northumberland
Eat your heart out: Northumberland's Craster is famous for its food delicacy
Craster is famed as being the home of the kipper, a smoked fish exported to food lovers across the country.
But theres more to this cheery village than its famous food delicacy, which is still locally prepared in oak smoked barrels for that distinctive flavour.
Countryfile insiders suggest 'walking north along the grassy headland to the foreboding remains of Dunstanburgh Castle', which offers a compelling insight into regional history.
Plockton Ross and Cromarty, Scotland
Now that's a view! Often referred to as the 'Jewel of the Highlands', Plockton Ross and Cromarty offers breathtaking scenery
Plockton sits on a sheltered bay with stunning views overlooking Loch Carron, in the Highlands of Scotland.
Often referred to as the 'Jewel of the Highlands', it offers breathtaking scenery and landscapes, secluded bays, coral beaches, islands, panoramic views and the possibility of seeing marine life up-close.
According to Countryfile, visitors should 'take a one-hour trip out on Sula Mhor, Calum Mackenzies boat, to see the seals, or simply wander around Loch Carrons shore'.
Mousehole, Cornwall
Picturesque: Mousehole is a tiny fishing village with big pulling-power in West Cornwall
Mousehole (pronounced mow-zol) is a tiny fishing village in West Cornwall, three miles west of Penzance.
Its picturesque harbour is surrounded by narrow streets and yellow lichened houses, which huddle together in a bewitching manner.
Countryfile suggests rising early to visit the fish market, where visitors can purchase the freshest catch of the day and then head back to The Old Coastguard Hotel for a long fish lunch.
West Mersea, Essex
Shore thing: A row of colourful beach huts face the waves in West Mersea, Essex
Theres a distinct sense of adventure about a trip to Mersea Island. Approached by a causeway from the mainland, cut off at high spring tide, and just eight miles square, its a place you have to plan to get to.
But, according to experts, it's worth the effort. Specifically, if you partake on the Lady Grace boat trips, where you can fish and appreciate the island from the sea.
The 20-minute adventure consists of a gentle relaxing trip around the Packing Shed Island where they used to pack the oysters back in the 1850s.
Portloe, Cornwall
Popular: The sun beats down during a mid-summer day at Portloe harbour, Cornwall
Portloe is considered by many to be one of the prettiest villages in Cornwall. In fact, Sir John Betjeman once said that it's 'one of the least spoiled and most impressive of Cornish fishing villages'.
Countryfile suggests dining at The Lugger Inn, which is a first-class restaurant that sits unassumingly on the harbour front.
From its window, watch lobsters and crabs being landed from the working boats and follow their short journey up the jetty right to your plate.
The new issue of Countryfile magazine, which features the full list, is available now.
Editors Note: Deering High School in Portland, Maine, is a member of Asia Societys International Studies Schools Network , and has a diverse student body that includes many students who came to the United States as refugees. Today, Sarah Shmitt, an educator at Deering, recounts how students at her school have responded to the current U.S. administrations policies and lived up to the schools motto: All one school.
Though Maine vies with Vermont for the title of whitest state in the country, Portland is an anomaly. While not formally a sanctuary city, we have long welcomed asylees and refugees as a federal resettlement community, beginning in the 70s with waves of Vietnamese and Cambodians, through the early aughts with Serbs and Croats, and then Sudanese and Somalis. Most recently, Portland has become home to families from Burundi, Rwanda, Angola, and the DRC. Naturally, Portland Schools, both private and public, reflect these demographic shifts. The district is now nearly 50 percent language minority; our Superintendent is a Cuban immigrant.
My school is Deering High School, one of Portlands three public high schools, augmented by three private high schools and a STEM charter school (Portland is the only city in Maine with more than one high school).
We at Deering are committed to teaching our students to be globally competentto be willing and able to take the perspectives of those who are unlike themselves and to take action to address current issues of local and/or global concern. We are uniquely positioned to succeed at this mission: our school population is 30 percent Muslim and tipping toward a majority first- or second-generation immigrant population. Deerings black/African subgroup has the highest graduation rate in the school (90 percent); the percentage of students of color in our AP classes (we offer thirteen) proportionally reflects the makeup of the school; and our schools student and educator leadership reflects the makeup of the school, as well.
Ten years ago, or even five, this would not have been imaginable anywhere in Maine, and for some, this reality is a threat. As one can imagine, some Mainers feel that the city is under siege as economic, political, and aesthetic forces push Portland to evolve in ways that make it unfamiliar to and unlivable for some. Not surprisingly, last year Portland voted overwhelmingly for Bernie Sanders in the primary and then for Clinton; nevertheless, those who feel sidelined by this citys changes have welcomed Trumps message of American exceptionalism and white power, and they have turned their fears outward, sometimes in violent ways.
The election results provoked a series of actions and reactions that galvanized the student population at Deering. The most positive, public, and consequential of those actions were taken by the students in Kirsten Platts Human Rights class. A chronicle of their learning journey follows.
November 9, 2016. Deering High School. The day after President Trumps election.
Some immigrant students nervously joke with one another about being deported or are vocal in their anger and disappointment with American democracy. Assistant Principal Dr. Abdullahi Ahmedhimself an immigrantis overwhelmed as distraught immigrant students fill his office seeking reassurance and comfort. LGBT students, as well as those who reject the gender binary, weep openly, fearful about the hateful messaging of the new administration. A small group of students, some from generations of poverty in Maine, silently observe their classmates emotional processing of the election results, politelyand wiselydecline to gloat or argue.
Teachers try desperately to balance the need to allow students to talk about their fears and ask questions with the ethical demand to provide an interpretation of the election results that is not flavored by raw emotions. Much to our relief, the principal, Ira Waltz, reassures students that we are still all one school, and that all students are safe at Deering.
Signs in Somali, Arabic, Portuguese, and French are taped to classroom doors and in the hallways that promise, You are safe here. Many staff members, sotto voce, discuss concerns about the silent, pro-Trump students: we do not want them to feel marginalized in our efforts to uplift others, but we also do not want to endorse anti-Muslim and racist sentiments that have characterized the new Presidents campaign.
It is an exhausting day.
January 27, 2017. Casco Bay High School. President Trump announces the first iteration of his travel ban.
On the same day that President Trump announces the so-called Muslim travel ban, four studentsfrom Mexico, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congowho attend Portlands Casco Bay High School (CBHS) a mile from Deering, are waiting for the public bus in front of the school when three young white men pass by. One of the young white men tells them to go back to their own countries and says he hopes they all die. Two students waiting with the others defend them and is threatened by the young white man with either a screwdriver or a knife. Passersby successfully chase him off. He is arrested and charged with a hate crime, to which he pleads not guilty.
Two days later, on January 29, Portland Superintendent Xavier Botana, himself an immigrant from Cuba, pens an Open Letter to the Portland Public Schools Community , in which he states:
Portland is an amazing city with an overwhelming commitment to progressive ideals....I want to be unequivocal that the Portland Public Schools, as an institution, is committed to those ideals and that we will work tirelessly to ensure that our children are in a safe haven while they are under our care.
1st week of February, 2017. Deering High School. Kirsten Platts Human Rights Class.
Social studies teacher Kirsten Platt reads the Superintendents letter to her elective Human Rights class. The class has already explored the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Bill of Rights, so they are well aware of what rights were abrogated by both the assault and the travel ban; they want to respond publicly in a way that will honor the dignity of the Superintendents letter.
The class debates their options for a week and settles on a rally of support for the CBHS students and for Portlands refugee community (a similar rally is planned at Portland High School in downtown Portland). Deerings Principal, Ira Waltz, meets with the class and agrees to a ten-minute, end-of-day Friday rally in front of the school. Students know that their message has to be positive and hopefulthis is not the time for anger and resentment.
Friday, February 3, 2017. Deering High School
The plan for the rally is shared on the morning announcements by the student body president. For the days prior to the rally, students use their free time making signs. Ten minutes before the school day ends on Friday, hundreds of students and teachers line the street in front of the school with their signs, shouting Love Trumps Hate! and All one school! The mood is buoyant, energizing, and filled with that ineffable passion that teenagers can bring to bear in even the most troubling circumstances.
On the same day, Maines Republican party announces that it plans to use the Freedom of Access Act to investigate Portlands superintendent for politicizing the Casco Bay assault. The Partys press release cites Deerings Human Rights class for its role in organizing the rally, and claims that both the superintendents open letter and the Deering rally promoted a political agenda ... forcing students and teachers to give up taxpayer-funded school time to engage in a partisan agenda promoted by school district officials.
Nothing comes of the Republican partys investigation, but The Crucible and 1984 feel suddenly relevant to the students in ways they previously did not.
Late February 2017. Portland Board of Education.
School Board member Jenna Vendil, angered by the assault on the Casco Bay students and inspired by the work of the Human Rights class, works with Ms. Platts students to draft three Board resolutions, respectively entitled, Resolution Affirming Employee Speech Rights ;" Resolution Condemning Violence and Hate Speech, Expressing Support for our Muslim Students and Staff ;" and Resolution Affirming Its Commitment to All Students and Making Portland Public Schools a Safe Haven for Students and Families . The resolutions pass unanimously.
The first resolution reads, in part, "[The Board] recognizes the importance of participation by school employees in public debate over local, state, and national policy ... and encourages school staff to continue speaking out for public school students....
During the required public comment session preceding Board consideration of the resolutions, parent Jennifer Boggs asserts, Not only is this what democracy looks like, but this is what fairness and equity look like, and this is what compassion looks like.
March 2017. Portland Board of Education.
Portlands Board of Education and the Superintendent formally recognize the Human Rights class, presenting Ms. Platt and members of her class with a certificate of recognition for their efforts.
Reflections
Looking back on her experience in Ms. Platts class, sophomore Awo Yassin commented, We felt really proud of what we accomplishedwe were active citizens, not just talking about it. Her classmate, Luke Hill, concurred, noting The thing I learned that stuck with me the most is that your opinions are more similar [to others] than one would think. Debates start easily [in class] but then Ms. Platt would say, Do you realize you are actually agreeing with one another? and the whole class would burst out laughing.
For her part, Ms. Platt continues to be committed to empowering her students to be engaged politically and socially to better our world. Its really a fraught time to have discussions because kids come to class and they have heard at home or on the news statements that express prejudice and that make the classroom unsafe. So for me, I am working really hard to figure out how to have civil discussions in a diverse classroom. That means asking a lot of questions to find common ground, and Ms. Platt works hard to direct the discussion toward finding a valuelike security or familythat is shared among everyone in the class.
The impact of Ms. Platts class on the students who organized and carried out the events described above has been profound. Ms. Platts focus on a student-led, project-based approach allowed the class to work collaboratively to design and implement appropriate and meaningful responses to national and local issues, fulfilling their mission to investigate the world, communicate ideas, take others perspectives, and take action. And as a bonus, she took a class of twenty students from almost as many cultures and faith traditions and used a potentially divisive, controversial national issue to ensure that Deering is indeed all one school.
Connect with Deering High School and the Center for Global Education on Twitter.
The top photograph was taken by the author, second image by Rhonda Farnham. Both images used with permission of the photographer.
A pilot has died on a cargo plane after falling ill shortly after take-off.
Abu Dhabi-based long-haul carrier Etihad confirmed that the pilot on board Flight No. EY927 from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam 'became incapacitated' during the flight.
Etihad says the plane's first officer issued a distress call and safely diverted the plane to Kuwait.
Etihad says the plane's first officer issued a distress call and safely diverted the plane to Kuwait. However, the pilot died while receiving medical care on the ground
However, the pilot died while receiving medical care on the ground.
Etihad said: 'We are deeply saddened by the loss and are focused on taking care of our late colleague's family at this time, to whom we offer our heartfelt condolences.'
The news comes less than six months after an American Airlines co-pilot died after falling ill while in the air just two miles from his destination.
Father-of-one William Grubbs, 57, announced a medical emergency over the intercom over Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his Boeing 737 was due to land.
The Etihad pilot was flying from Abu Dhabi (pictured) to Amsterdam when he was taken ill
After landing, medics battled to save his life - spending 40 minutes performing CPR but sadly they could not revive him.
The cause of the pilot's death is yet to be revealed.
AA said at the time it was 'deeply saddened' by Mr Grubbs's death and sent a message of condolence to his loved ones.
A spokesman said: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with Grubbs's family during this difficult time.'
With her lovely, red hair and blue doe eyes, she is surely an ageless beauty.
And on Monday, Heather Graham looked sensational as she left Italian restaurant Madeo in West Hollywood.
The 47-year-old displayed her toned legs in a black-and-white, patterned dress and heeled ankle boots.
What a beauty! On Monday, Heather Graham, 47, looked sensational as she left Italian restaurant Madeo in West Hollywood
The actress chose to skip accessories, allowing her dress to take center stage.
The pretty red-head wore her shoulder-length locks down and in soft curls.
Heather kept her make-up to a minimum, choosing soft liner and shadow paired with a light gloss.
Feminine: The pretty red-head wore her shoulder-length locks down and in soft curls
The actress, who recently split from producer ex Tommy Alastra, began her career near the mid-'80s.
Since then, she has appeared in numerous projects, including The Hangover films.
Next week, the star will be honored for her work at the San Diego International Film Festival.
According to Variety, Heather will receive the Virtuoso Award, for her work that has 'enriched our culture through exceptional accomplishments in the film industry,' the festival reportedly told the site.
Fall style: The actress displayed her toned legs in a black-and-white, patterned dress and heeled ankle boots
Up next for Heather is a starring role on the new TV series, Bliss.
In the show, the actress plays mom Kim who is unaware her traveling husband is also married and has a family with someone else, according to Deadline.
Heather is also set to star in the romantic comedy, Half Magic, which she also wrote and directed.
He's The Bachelorette's fan favourite, described as a meditation-loving surfer.
And it's now been revealed that Luke McLeod founded Soul Society, working as a 'soul consultant'.
The start-up business sees the 33-year-old hunk teaching 'corporate calmness' and encouraging individuals to 'practice being more you.'
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The most bizarre Bachelorette job title ever? Fan favourite Luke McLeod, 33, has been revealed as a 'soul consultant' teaching 'corporate calmness' as start-up website surfaces
According to Soul Society's website, Corporate Calmness is described as 'a new progressive approach to getting the best out of your team.'
In a nutshell 'Soul Consultant' Luke would encourage workers in the business and administration field to incorporate meditation into their weekly regime.
By working alongside employee's executives, it's claimed they will become 'well rounded, respected and influential leaders.'
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Luke for comment.
Hands-on approach: In a nutshell, 'Soul Consultant' Luke would encourage workers in the business and administration field to incorporate meditation into their weekly regime
Pearly whites: Luke's role would also see the Sydney-sider take to YouTube, sharing inspirational messages with his followers. One video posted in April this year, saw the fitness enthusiast encouraging viewers to take the time each day, to do a big toothy grin
Luke's role also saw the Sydneysider take to YouTube to share inspirational messages with his followers.
One video, posted in April this year, saw the fitness enthusiast encouraging viewers to take the time each day to do a big, toothy grin.
Luke reinforced the fact that such a simple act could work wonders to improve one's mood.
And just last week, an inspirational post quoted by none other than Luke, was shared to Soul Society's Instagram page.
It read: 'Intuition is the voice of the soul- Luke McLeod.'
His own biggest fan? And just last week, an inspirational post quoted by none other than Luke, was shared to Soul Society's Instagram page
'Intuition is the voice of the soul- Luke McLeod': The post was uploaded to his self-help business Soul Society's Instagram page last week
While it is common practice to quote the words of prominent thinkers such as Confucius or Plato in motivational Instagram posts, Luke decided to break with tradition.
Meanwhile, the caption read: 'Can you hear her? She often only whispers and can leave as fast as she arrived But she's there.'
The post went on: 'Waiting patiently for her next chance to shine. Listen carefully. For her words will set you free.'
The post was also accompanied with the hashtags: #soul #soulgood #goodforthesoul #intuition #quote #quotestoliveby #quoteoftheday #motivation.
Still in the running: Luke is one of the 15 remaining contestants, hoping to capture the heart of Bachelorette Sophie Monk
Luke is one of the 15 remaining contestants, hoping to capture the heart of Bachelorette Sophie Monk, 37.
According to the dating reality show's official website, Luke is described as 'outdoorsy and spiritual, determined to make a positive impact on others and the world.'
He has tough competition however, as Sophie has taken a liking to vineyard manager Jarrod Woodgate, 31.
Although fall has arrived, hot temperatures say otherwise.
And on Tuesday, Elizabeth Banks showcased how to properly transition a summer wardrobe to autumn, while out to lunch in New York.
The 43-year-old looked lovely in an A-line, denim dress, decorated with floral stitching.
Fashion maven: On Tuesday, Elizabeth Banks, 43, showcased how to properly transition a summer wardrobe to autumn, while out to lunch in New York
The mother-of-two paired her sleeveless frock with a set of coordinating wedges.
Elizabeth accessorized with a black purse, silver watch and a set of mirrored shades.
The star's platinum blonde hair was styled down and to one side, soft waves framing her face.
Lady-like: The actress looked lovely in an A-line, denim dress, decorated with floral stitching
'You know where I am': Following her organic meal at ABC Kitchen, Elizabeth stopped for a sweet treat
Following her organic meal at ABC Kitchen, Elizabeth stopped for a sweet treat.
The Pitch Perfect star took to Instagram to share a snap of herself enjoying a Cherry Dip cone from Mister Softee.
'You know where I am. #newyork #cherrydip,' she wrote.
Matching: The mother-of-two paired her sleeveless frock with a set of coordinating wedges
Elizabeth will reprise her role as commentator Gail in Pitch Perfect 3, out December.
The actress will also star in The Happytime Murders, alongside fellow comedian Melissa McCarthy. Elizabeth's been tapped to star in the drama, Cochran.
She will also direct a Charlie's Angels reboot, and produce eight upcoming projects.
Candid confession: SNL castmember Pete Davidson, 23, pictiured at the MTV VMAs in LA in August, has revealed that he's been diagnosed as having borderline personality disorder
Actor and comedian Pete Davidson has revealed that he's been diagnosed as having borderline personality disorder - enduring the 'worst year' of his life in the aftermath.
The 23-year-old who's part of the SNL cast discussed his mental health issues during the Marc Maron podcast on Monday, THR.com reported.
'I started having these mental breakdowns where I would, like, freak out and then not remember what happened after. Blind rage,' he explained.
'I've been a pothead forever.... I never really did any other drugs, so I was like, 'I'm gonna try to go to rehab. Maybe that'll be helpful. So I go and I get off weed,' he said.
One of the youngest ever SNL cast members at 20, Davidson has been dating Seinfeld creator Larry David's daughter Cassie David, 23, since early last year.
Davidson went public in March with the fact he'd sought treatment in rehab for his marijuana use in December of 2016 and that had been why he'd scaled back his appearances on the NBC skit show.
However, it turned out that it wasn't the pot that was causing his mood swings and other behaviors.
'They told me there, they're like, 'You might be bipolar,' and I was like, 'OK.' So they're like, 'We're gonna try you on these meds,'' he told Maron.
Young star: Davidson went public in March with the fact he'd sought treatment in rehab for his marijuana use and that had been why he'd scaled back his appearances on the NBC skit show
Mental health issues: 'I've been having a lot of problems. This whole year has been a f*****g nightmare,' he explained. He's pictured doing standup in San Francisco in June and with Alec Baldwin on SNL (right)
After rehab and while taking meds he began smoking marijuana again. But after experiencing a 'really bad' episode he went back to his doctors who told him he had borderine personality disorder.
Since the diagnosis and subsequent treatment plan with new meds, Davidson says it's been tough but he's seeing improvement, THR.com reported.
'It is working, slowly but surely,' he said. 'I've been having a lot of problems. This whole year has been a f*****g nightmare. This has been the worst year of my life, getting diagnosed with this and trying to figure out how to learn with this and live with this.'
Davidson told Maron during the podcast that he has 'always been depressed', but is now attending therapy to deal with his issues.
Davidson had previously spoken about his drug habit which he said helped ease the symptoms of his Crohn's disease.
Prior to his stint in rehab, Davidson had been one of the biggest proponents of not only the mind altering affects of marijuana but also medicinal.
Happy couple: This picture of Pete and his girlfriend Cassie dates from January 2017 - one month after he checked into rehab for his marijuana smoking
Vacation: This photograph of the pair dates from July 2016 - when Davidson was still smoking weed
Battling Crohn's disease, Davidson said the drug helped him cope with the pain that comes from the intestinal condition.
Speaking in September 2016, Davidson said, 'I wouldn't be able to do SNL if I didn't smoke weed. I wouldn't be able to do anything.'
He said that marijuana also enhances his comedic abilities. Taking the stage when he's not high would adversely impact his routine because he says he would be in so much pain.
Speaking about stopping drugs and checking into rehab, Davidson took to social media in March of 2017 to explain his absence and struggles.
'Just wanted to let you guys know I'm okay,' he wrote. 'I know I've kinda been missing, on social media and on the show. I quit drugs and am happy and sober for the first time in 8 years. It wasn't easy, but I got a great girl, great friends and I consider myself a lucky man.'
Indeed, the comedy star has drawn strength from his relationship with Cassie David.
In an interview with Entertainment Online in April, Davidson described himself as very fortunate.
Opening up: Pete Davidson revealed his struggles with drugs to Marc Maron during the veteran comedian's podcast
'She's the most beautiful girl in the world, look how lucky I am. She's so smart, look how smart she is,' Davidson marveled. 'She is a very, very wonderful lady.'
He then went on to send a message to his fans, telling them to always believe in something.
'I'll always be here for you guys, I promise. Remember to never give up hope because sometimes that's all we got. We are a family and I appreciate all your love and support. It's nice to be back in action,' he concluded.
In April of this year before going public with his diagnosis, he also discussed her support for his battle to stay sober, saying that he was 'very lucky' that she has been such a rock for him.
The Staten Island native lost his firefighter father in the September 11 terror attacks in New York and was diagnosed with the chronic inflammatory bowel disease as a teenager.
The comedian said that losing his father made him suffer suicidal thoughts and question why someone could be there one minute and not the next.
He took to the stage when he was 16 as a therapeutic outlet after his father's death and aged 20, joined the fortieth season of Saturday Night Live.
He will return to SNL for its 43rd season, premiering on September 30.
She's famed for her supermodel physique.
And Bella Hadid, 20, looked incredible as she teased at her cleavage by going braless under a structured tuxedo in Paris ahead of Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday alongside pal Hailey Baldwin, also 20.
The beauty exposed her entire decolletage and a hint of her midriff in the jacket, which was slashed to her navel.
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Saucy: Bella Hadid, 20, looked incredible as she teased at her cleavage by going braless under a structured tuxedo in Paris ahead of Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday
Bella cinched in her tiny waist with the ribbon sash tie of the tuxedo, and created a stylish silhouette with the padded shoulders.
The suit's trousers were a looser fit to skim over her slender legs, and she added some height to her tall frame with a pair of pointed stiletto heels.
The brunette beauty swept her raven tresses off her face in a blown out bob, and slipped on some vintage style narrow sunglasses.
Sensational: The beauty exposed her entire decolletage and a hint of her midriff in the jacket, which was slashed to her navel alongside pal Hailey Baldwin (R)
Fashionista: Bella cinched in her tiny waist with the ribbon sash tie of the tuxedo, and created a stylish silhouette with the padded shoulders
Stepping out: The suit's trousers were a looser fit to skim over her slender legs, and she added some height to her tall frame with a pair of pointed stiletto heels
She wore dangling gold earrings, and sported a golden, glowing complexion.
Fresh-faced Bella showed no signs of the gruelling schedule she has been following in various cities across the world.
The globetrotting model has walked for fashion brands in New York, London and Milan's fashion weeks so far, and touched down in Paris on Monday ahead of another hectic week.
Bella joined her sister Gigi in walking the Milan Fashion Week runways, with both stunning in the Versace show on Friday.
Glamour: The brunette beauty swept her raven tresses off her face in a blown out bob, and slipped on some vintage style narrow sunglasses
Jet set: The globetrotting model has walked for fashion brands in New York, London and Milan's fashion weeks so far, and touched down in Paris on Monday ahead of another hectic week
Unforgettable: After walking in the Versace show with her sister, Bella gushed that the experience was something she would 'never forget'
All eyes on me: Bella commanded attention as she posed fiercely at the bash
Suits you! She was effortlessly chic in the co-ord as she posed beside an array of suitcases
Designers and luxury brands, including Prada, Armani, Cavalli, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana, showcased a total of almost 160 collections for spring and summer 2018 during the six-day extravaganza.
After walking in the Versace show with her sister, Bella gushed that the experience was something she would 'never forget.'
Bella joked about her city-trotting on Instagram on Monday, posting a photo with the caption: 'Another time zone.'
She was accompanied on her trip to Italy by proud mother and Real Housewives of Beverley Hills star Yolanda Hadid.
Busy bee: Paris marks Bella's fourth fashion week in the space of one month
Sheer delight: Meanwhile, model pal Hailey worked a daring sheer silver mini dress for the glamorous dinner
Peek-a-boo: Her crystal-encrusted ensemble teased at her white undergarments while she worked her blonde locks into a sleek ponytail to continued her sixties vibe
Walk this way: The daring look highlighted her slender pins as she left the Rimowa dinner at 1728 in her sky-high blush-coloured heels
Meanwhile, model pal Hailey worked a daring sheer silver mini dress for the glamorous dinner.
The daring look highlighted her slender pins as she left the Rimowa dinner at 1728 in her sky-high blush-coloured heels.
Her crystal-encrusted ensemble teased at her white undergarments while she worked her blonde locks into a sleek ponytail to continued her sixties vibe.
Winging it: Hailey continued her sixties inspired ensemble with a slick of black winged eyeliner
All that glitters: Hailey looked sensational in her racy ensemble
Say cheese! Bella happily posed with Alexandre Arnault at the dinner, celebrating the 80th Anniversary of Rimowa's iconic aluminium suitcase at Restaurant 1728
They've worked together on Academy Award-winning projects.
And Leonardo DiCaprio will be working alongside his friend Martin Scorsese once again in the director's latest film about former president Theodore Roosevelt, according to Deadline.
The 42-year-old Oscar winner will star in the Paramount Pictures biopic and also produce the film through his production company Appian Way with Jennifer Davisson.
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Back at it! Leonardo DiCaprio will be working alongside his friend Martin Scorsese once again in the director's latest film about former president Theodore Roosevelt; (Leo and Martin at a red carpet event in 2015)
Scorsese's and Emma Koskoff's Sikelia Productions is also set to lend a hand producing, alongside Chuck Pacheco.
Scott Bloom has been penned to write the drama surrounding the former president's eventful life.
Aptly named Roosevelt, the movie will follow Teddy's history in becoming the youngest president at the age of 42 after President William Mckinley was assassinated in 1901.
Aptly named Roosevelt, the movie will follow Teddy's history in becoming the youngest president at the age of 42 after President William Mckinley was assassinated in 1901 (Roosevelt pictured in 1910)
DiCaprio reportedly felt connected to the film because of Roosevelt's deep commitment to conservationism, including his achievements around reserves, national parks and forests.
The news site also reported that Leo had attempted to film the flick years ago but further action ceased.
The dynamic duo have worked together on multiple feature films, including Shutter Island, Gangs of New York, The Aviator and The Departed for which Scorsese received an Academy Award for directing.
The dynamic duo have worked together on multiple feature films, including Shutter Island, Gangs of New York, The Aviator (DiCaprio pictured here as Howard Hughes in Scorsese's The Aviator in 2004)
Scorsese's films have garnered critical and commercial accolades in addition to a host of awards including Emmys, Golden Globes and even a Grammy award.
His 2013 film which starred Leonardo - The Wolf of Wall Street - grossed nearly $400 million, making it the highest-grossing Scorsese flick.
The movie was nominated for five Academy Awards, four BAFTAs and two Golden Globe Awards, in which DiCaprio received a Golden Globe for Best Actor-Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Model-turned-actress Cara Delevingne was hard at work on the Los Angeles set of a mysterious shoot on Monday where she went braless beneath a bedazzled black pantsuit.
The 25-year-old British beauty might have officially cut ties with Storm Model Management in 2015, but her newfound movie career hasn't gotten in the way of occasional high-fashion gigs.
It's unclear precisely what the Tulip Fever starlet was posing for, but her last known campaigns were for Puma, TAG Heuer, and Yves Saint Laurent Beauty.
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Model-turned-actress: Cara Delevingne was hard at work on the Los Angeles set of a mysterious shoot on Monday where she went braless beneath a bedazzled black pantsuit
Hairdresser Mara Roszak coiffed Cara's blonde-lobbed wig since she shaved her head May 1 for her role as a terminally-ill teen in Mitja Okorn's 2018 romantic drama A Life In A Year.
'Hair can allow us to tell stories, transform into our true selves, into people we don't recognize, to uncharted territories,' Roszak captioned a behind-the-scenes Instagram snap from Friday.
'The possibilities are endless! Tonight #caradelevingne played a role of a lady with longer hair reminding me of when I first met her. It was so fun to revisit.'
Delevingne also showed a little leg in a billowy silver halter dress as she modeled in what appeared to be a parking garage beside a vintage vehicle.
Male model: The British 25-year-old might have cut ties with Storm Model Management in 2015, but her newfound movie career hasn't gotten in the way of occasional high-fashion gigs
Action! It's unclear precisely what the Tulip Fever starlet was posing for, but her last known campaigns were for Puma, TAG Heuer, and Yves Saint Laurent Beauty
Hairpiece: Hairdresser Mara Roszak coiffed Cara's blonde-lobbed wig since she shaved her head May 1 for her role as a terminally-ill teen in the 2018 romantic drama A Life In A Year
Roszak captioned a behind-the-scenes snap from Friday: 'Tonight #caradelevingne played a role of a lady with longer hair reminding me of when I first met her. It was so fun to revisit'
Putting on a sideshow! Delevingne also flaunted a little leg in a billowy silver halter dress as she modeled in what appeared to be a parking garage beside a vintage vehicle
Her godmother is Joan Collins: At one point, the granddaughter of publishing magnate Sir Jocelyn Stevens covered her shoulders with a posh-looking white fur cape
At one point, the granddaughter of publishing magnate Sir Jocelyn Stevens - whose godmother is literally Joan Collins - covered her shoulders with a posh-looking white fur cape.
The millennial millionaire - rocking studded silver heels - famously grew up in London's neighborhood Belgravia, one of the wealthiest districts in the world.
Cara - who officially came out as bisexual in 2014 - has been single since splitting from her last girlfriend, Grammy winner St. Vincent, a year ago.
During the shoot, Delevingne worked the disco-ready high-low gown with help from a large fan blowing the metallic material for dramatic effect.
Nepotism: The millennial millionaire - rocking studded silver heels - famously grew up in London's neighborhood Belgravia, one of the wealthiest districts in the world
Diva moment! Cara - who officially came out as bisexual in 2014 - has been single since splitting from her last girlfriend, Grammy winner St. Vincent, a year ago
Blown away: During the shoot, Delevingne worked the disco-ready high-low gown with help from a large fan blowing the metallic material for dramatic effect
Thigh's the limit! The 5ft8in catwalker - who's also romanced Michelle Rodriguez and Jake Bugg - made sure to hike the skirt up to better showcase her slim thighs for the cameras
Having a laugh: But the Suicide Squad stunner couldn't help but bring a little humor to the sultry, serious shoot by pulling a few silly faces in the chrome creation
The 5ft8in catwalker - who's also romanced The Fate of the Furious star Michelle Rodriguez and English singer Jake Bugg - made sure to hike the skirt up to better showcase her slim thighs for the cameras.
But the Suicide Squad stunner couldn't help but bring a little humor to the sultry, serious shoot by pulling a few silly faces in the chrome creation.
That same day, Cara braved a high-rise balcony to model an even skimpier mini-dress for a male lensman capturing the cityscape behind her.
The Vogue Paris cover girl tossed glitter around while clad in a tiny silver backless dress with matching booties.
In the clouds: That same day, Cara braved a high-rise balcony to model an even skimpier mini-dress for a male lensman capturing the cityscape behind her
Weeee! The Vogue Paris cover girl tossed glitter around while clad in a tiny silver backless dress with matching booties
Ready for her close-up: A make-up artist armed with a utility belt and a high ponytail did touch ups on the Bedales School drop-out between takes
A make-up artist armed with a utility belt and a high ponytail did touch ups on the Bedales School drop-out between takes.
The avid reader will return to her hometown for an October 4 signingat Waterstones Piccadilly of her young adult literary debut - Mirror, Mirror: A Novel - which hits US shelves on October 10.
Cara boasted that she's always had a 'wonderful connection with teenagers' thanks to her captive, combined 56.4M social media followers.
'Just having girls message me being like, "I'm really dealing with the pressure of my thoughts, my friends, eating disorders,"' Delevingne told Elle Australia on Sunday.
'Can't wait to see lots of you there!' The avid reader will return to her hometown for an October 4 signing at Waterstones Piccadilly of her literary debut - Mirror, Mirror: A Novel
'I suffered as a teenager': Cara boasted that she's always had a 'wonderful connection with teenagers' thanks to her captive, combined 56.4M social media followers
'That kind of thing, where I was like, "I have an opportunity to really be there for them and help." You know, be a voice for teens and be honest as to how I suffered as a teenager.'
The Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets star will soon join Orlando Bloom at Prague's Barrandov Studio to co-star in Amazon's eight-episode series Carnival Row streaming in 2019.
According to Variety, the Burning Man enthusiast will play a faerish refugee called Vignette Stonemoss in Rene Echevarria's fantasy-noir, which involves mythical creatures at neo-Victorian city Burgue.
Meet police inspector Rycroft Philostrate (R): The Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets star will soon join Orlando Bloom at Prague's Barrandov Studio to co-star in Amazon's eight-episode series Carnival Row streaming in 2019
She transforms into a Hollywood glamour girl on the red carpet.
But Emma Roberts kept it casual as she was seen in a simple ensemble of a baggy tee and faded denim in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The American Horror Story star, 26, looked low key adorable in a University of Wyoming tee as she waited for her car to be washed.
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Casual chic: Emma Roberts, 26, kept it casual as she was seen in a simple ensemble of a baggy tee and faded denim in Los Angeles on Tuesday
Daring to impress, the niece of superstar Julia Roberts tucked her loose fitting tee into a pair of mom jeans.
She kept her trademark golden tresses tucked back behind her ears as a pair of retro style shades were propped on her head.
With a pair of headphones plugged into her cellular phone, the starlet carried a beverage container as she waited patiently for her automobile.
The Scream Queens alum swung a large white tote over her shoulder as she rocked a pair of stylish sneakers.
Impress: Daring to impress, the niece of superstar Julia Roberts tucked her loose fitting tee into a pair of vintage style denim
On her finger the actress wore the engagement ring she'd been given by her American Horror Story costar Evan Peters.
Roberts has had an on-again-off-again relationship with the X-Men Apocalypse star, going all the way back to 2012.
She was spotted wearing the bauble before, but stopped after it was revealed they had decided to tie the knot, suggesting she was reluctant to go public.
Star couple: Roberts has had an on-again-off-again relationship with Evan Peters, going all the way back to 2012; (pictured February)
But she has been frequently spotted wearing the ring since January 2017, suggesting the couple has put their rocky past behind them.
For back in 2013 the Scream 4 actress was memorably arrested for alleged domestic abuse in Canada after officers responded to a report of a fight in a hotel room.
She was taken into custody after they allegedly found One Tree Hill star Evan with a bloody nose and a bite mark.
He declined to press charges and charges and she was released several hours later, with the couple saying in a joint statement that it was 'an unfortunate incident and misunderstanding.'
The couple have been seen together at several events in 2017.
Earlier this week DailyMailTV had a bombshell report that questioned if her Wendy Williams' husband has another woman in his life, who he moved into a $765,000 secluded home nine miles from the New Jersey mansion he shares with talk show star.
And now Sharon Osbourne has responded to the story along with her star-studded panel.
The 64-year-old television personality was very vocal about the scandal surrounding her fellow chat show host on the latest episode of The Talk which aired on Tuesday.
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Strong words: Sharon Osboune was very vocal about the scandal surrounding her fellow chat show host Wendy Williams on the latest episode of The Talk which aired on Tuesday
Ouch: Earlier this week DailyMailTV had a bombshell report that questioned if her Wendy Williams' husband has another woman in his life, who he moved into a $765,000 secluded home nine miles from the New Jersey mansion he shares with talk show star, the couple are pictured in July
Sharon said: 'People have different marriages and it said [in the Daily Mail] that he spends a lot of time with this other woman so where does she think he goes? She must know.'
When host Julie Chen commented that perhaps it was because Wendy works a lot, the wife of Ozzy Osbourne continued her spiel.
She said: 'Yeah but at night where is your old man? It's like he's 10 miles down the road. She must know.
'I know he manages Wendy but it's not like Wendy is some huge star around the world so he needs to go here for her or there for her to negotiate this or that. It's America, so where is his a**? Why isn't it next to me?'
Interesting: Sheryl Underwood, Sara Gilbert, Sharon, and Julie Chen - pictured from left to right - made the panel as they discussed the scandal
Making her point: Sharon said: 'People have different marriages and it said [in the Daily Mail] that he spends a lot of time with this other woman so where does she think he goes? She must know'
Being heard: When host Julie Chen commented that perhaps it was because Wendy works a lot, the wife of Ozzy Osbourne continued her spiel
Sharon was embroiled in a similar scandal as she was on the verge of ending her marriage with her 68-year-old legendary rock star husband just last year.
Sheryl Underwood also chimed in about the scandal as she had very strong words for Wendy especially when it comes to DailyMailTV's report that Wendy's husband Kevin Hunter and alleged mistress Sharina Hudson's names were both on the mailbox of the home.
The 53-year-old comedienne said: 'Here's my problem with it, if he manages Wendy that means it's all in their pot of money together so Wendy's name needs to be on that mailbox and she needs to have a damn key and be able to walk in that b**** and sit down and sleep in all the beds. That's the first thing.
'Second thing, I would be concerned if my man had a close almost intimate relationship when you spend 50 percent of your time with her.
'Now I've been played, I've been cheated on and I have forgiven. And I've said "I love you and we're going to work this out" the first time. The second time "get your a** out my house and take your stuff."'
Unafraid: Sharon said: 'I know he manages Wendy but it's not like Wendy is some huge star around the world so he needs to go here for her or there for her to negotiate this or that. It's America, so where is his a**? Why isn't it next to me?'
Open: Sharon was embroiled in a similar scandal as she was on the verge of ending her marriage with her 68-year-old legendary rock star husband just last year
She goes on to say that she can't look stupid before hitting out at women who stand by their man.
Sheryl concluded: 'Until you get sick and tired of being sick and tired this will not change and she's a strong woman. Don't try to cover this up!'
This comes after the the 53-year-old star responded to the DailyMailTV bombshell report on The Wendy Williams Show.
She looked put-together and confident as she held up her sparkling wedding ring and told her cheering crowd: 'You can believe what you want. I stand by my guy.'
Wendy opened her show by addressing the revelation that her husband had a mistress, saying: 'It's weird doing Hot Topics and being a hot topic.
Stern: Sheryl Underwood also chimed in about the scandal as she had very strong words for Wendy especially when it comes to DailyMailTV's report that Wendy's husband Kevin Hunter and alleged mistress Sharina Hudson's names were both on the mailbox of the home
Fool me once: The 53-year-old comedienne said 'Now I've been played, I've been cheated on and I have forgiven. And I've said "I love you and we're going to work this out" the first time. The second time "get your a** out my house and take your stuff"'
'I love the attention. There's this weird story going around regarding my husband. All you have to do is Google him and see the story.
She continued, 'you can believe what you want' then pauses as she holds up her large wedding ring and added, 'I stand by my guy.'
Williams said she and her husband commuted into work together that morning and said that there was paparazzi outside the building, catching her off guard but looking 'cute' in her nightwear.
In reference to the DailyMail TV coverage, she added: 'By the way, I'll be following this story. So I guess I'll have to watch to find out what happens.'
On Monday afternoon, her spokesperson, Ronn Torossian, denied that Williams' husband was having an affair.
Hot topics: The Talk airs Monday through Friday on CBS and on the CBS All Access subscription service
'One plus one does not equal three. This woman is a friend of Mr. Hunter but there is no "there" there,' he said quoting a well known reference to a remark by Gertrude Stein in 1937 movie Everybody's Autobiography, which means nothing significant exists.
In what could be a devastating blow for his wife of 20 years, Hunter - who manages his TV star wife's career and runs a production company that they jointly own - is said to be 'in love' with both women and is juggling his time to accommodate them both.
In fact, just days after Hunter was photographed strolling along a beach in Barbados during a romantic break with Williams, he was snapped spending time with Sharina back in Morristown, New Jersey.
DailyMail.com was able to uncover Hunter's double life after an exhaustive year-long investigation.
She's back: This comes after the the 53-year-old star responded to the DailyMailTV bombshell report on The Wendy Williams Show
'You can believe what you want. I stand by my guy': She looked put-together and confident as she held up her sparkling wedding ring as she addressed her cheering crowd
After a tip back in September 2016, Hunter was discovered splitting his time between the family home in Livingston, New Jersey, and a luxury two-bedroom condo he owns 30 miles away in Fort Lee, New Jersey, where his mistress was staying.
Public records show Hunter bought the Fort Lee property in 2004 and Hudson was listed as living there from 2015.
The $700,000 apartment is close to the banks of the Hudson River and boasted a wrap around terrace, marble floors, its own bar and a private elevator.
DailyMail.com observed Hunter entering and leaving the apartment building several times over a four week period driving a fleet of supercars, which included a white $303,000 Bentley Mulsanne, a $335,000 Rolls Royce Dawn, the 2016 convertible model and a brand new champagne colored $229,000 Bentley Bentayga SUV.
'It's weird doing Hot Topics and being a hot topic': Wendy opened her show by addressing the revelation that her husband had a mistress
Hunter and Williams share a huge five bedroom $2 million house in the exclusive private Bel Air estate in Livingstone, New Jersey, along with their son Kevin Jr.
But according to a source, their relationship is such that Hunter is able to regularly be with his mistress.
The source says Hunter often refers to Hudson as his 'shawty' - a slang term for young, attractive woman or girlfriend - in private conversations with friends.
'Kevin and Sharina do go out in public together, there's a steakhouse Kevin likes to go to, but they mainly stay in the house and hang out.
'Kevin isn't a touchy-feely person so you'd never see them kissing or hugging in public and if they ever see anybody she knows the drill, he introduces her as his sister.
'Kevin has pretty much trained her so she knows what to do.'
Just another day at the office: Wendy was spotted heading into the taping of her show earlier in the day
In an interview Williams revealed she found Hunter cheating in 2001, just after the birth of their son.
She told Essence that when she was younger, she would have never stuck by a man who cheated on her.
She said: 'If you told me when I was 25 years old or 30 years old that I would stay around for a cheater, I would have been like you are lying. I've got way too much to offer a man to stick around for him cheating on me.
'At that particular time, I had my career in radio, I was making a great salary, I had vacation property of my very own and the world was my oyster, so I definitely thought I wasn't staying around for some cheating. But I did and I don't regret it.'
She said Hunter's cheating made their relationship stronger.
'No I'm not back to the girl that I was before him because when you get stung like that you never go back to who you were, only a fool does. But I love him and he loves me.'
In 2008, Williams was sued over claims that Hunter had sexually harassed a member of her staff.
Nicole Spence, talent booker for The Wendy Williams Experience, first filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Williams.
Spence claimed her husband demanded sex from her on many occasions and created a hostile work environment by threatening and assaulting his wife on company premises.
Then on June 11, 2008, Spence filed a sexual-harassment lawsuit against Williams, Hunter, and Inner City Broadcasting Corporation in federal court in Manhattan.
News One reported that in addition to Spence being harassed by Hunter, Spence accused Williams herself of aiding in the problem.
She also alleged that Hunter once charged at her and that he even assaulted his own wife, 'choking her' and 'pinning her' against the wall of a studio.
The $5 million case was settled out of court.
In 2012, a sex tape came out on the internet of a man who was said to be Hunter and another woman who was clearly not Williams.
Williams denied that the man in the video was her husband.
In March 2014 reality star Evelyn Lozada put Hunter on blast, giving details on specific shoes he supposedly bought his 'mistress' from Lozada's store in Miami.
The Talk airs Monday through Friday on CBS and on the CBS All Access subscription service.
Arlington, Va.
Many children who have reading difficulties such as dyslexia also struggle with mathand educators need to be prepared to address both issues, as well as the behavior problems that may arise in children who struggling academically.
That finding is one of the takeaways of a National Science Foundation-sponsored conference this week that brought experts in the fields of STEM education and learning disabilities.
Back in 2016, Congress approved the Research Excellence and Advancement for Dyslexia , or READ Act, which set aside federal funds to support research in the science of learning disabilities and dyslexia, as well as best practices for teacher professional development and curricula development. The act specifically names science, technology, engineering and mathematics education as a priority, specifically in how STEM education might differ for learners with dyslexia.
The two-day conference was intended to connect researchers working in these areas to talk about best practices and potential new areas to explore.
One of the challenges, speakers noted, is that children with dyslexia are often not getting the effective interventions that they need.
There still remains major misunderstandings about dyslexia, said Jack Fletcher, a professor of psychology at the University of Houston and the principal investigator for the Texas Center for Learning Disabilities. Dyslexia, marked by struggles in reading, spelling and writing, can be addressed through explicit and comprehensive reading instruction, Fletcher said, including explicit instruction in phonics. But for too many children, thats not happening, he said.
With the STEM focus of the conference, many of the speakers talked about the connection between reading and math difficulties for children. For example, research has shown that children who struggle with vocabulary as toddlers are at risk of developing math difficulties when they enter school. The federal government is funding research into the connection between language comprehension and math problem-solving .
So what does this mean for teachers? Rose Vukovic, an associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Minnesota, suggests a broader definition of disabilities.
When we say learning disabilities, we are mostly talking about reading, said Vukovic, who has done research on groups of elementary-age students with reading difficulties, showing that many of them had problems with math as well. We have to pay attention to other facets as well. We cant do reading to the exclusion of everything else.
Ruby Rose has come out as one of Rebel Wilson's biggest fans.
The 31-year-old became instantly animated when asked about her Pitch Perfect 3 co-star and good friend during a chat with breakfast show Sunrise on Wednesday.
'She is just the funniest, most humble, down to earth person and I love her madly, I would have Rebel on toast,' the Australian actress said.
'I would have her on toast': Ruby Rose became very animated about her admiration for good friend Rebel Wilson on breakfast show Sunrise on Wednesday
Her response came after Sunrise co-host Natalie Barr asked: 'Working with Rebel Wilson, she's been in the media a lot this year, what's she like to work with?'
'She's the best honestly,' Ruby gushed, the question drawing an immediate smile, before the actress lavished a string of compliments.
'I would have Rebel on toast, Rebel in a smoothie, Rebel for dessert... Rebel as like my Christmas decorations,' she said.
'She's the best honestly': Discussing their roles on Pitch Perfect 3, she added 'I would have Rebel on toast, Rebel in a smoothie, Rebel for dessert, Rebel as like my Christmas decorations!
'She is just the funniest most humble, down to earth person and I love her madly.'
The Australian actresses both experienced similarly meteoric rises to success, with Ruby finding fame through Netflix drama Orange Is The New Black.
Discussing her struggles on the program, the former Channel [V] talent said: 'It was a struggle to begin with, just to get my foot in the door.'
'I love her madly': The 31-year-old concluded: 'She is just the funniest most humble, down to earth person and I love her madly'
'So I made a short film, which got a lot of positive reviews, which is phenomenal.'
After that, she was cast on prison drama Orange Is The New Black, where she was praised equally for her acting chops and raunchy scenes.
'I learned a lot from Orange, working with so many strong women, it was well written, it was really fun, opened up the door for so many things.'
She'll now star alongside Rebel in Pitch Perfect 3, which is set to be released in December.
She's known to have a penchant for flaunting her surgically enhanced assets, and recently underwent Brazilian bum lift surgery in Turkey in a bid to boost her derriere.
And Chloe Khan, 26, was certainly keen to show off the results of her latest gruelling procedure while going for a meal at Sakana Restaraunt in Manchester on Tuesday.
The glamour model was joined by former Love Island star Katie Salmon, who playfully cupped her plumped up behind.
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Flaunt it: Chloe Khan, 26, was certainly keen to show off the results of her latest gruelling procedure while going for a meal at Sakana Restaraunt in Manchester on Tuesday
Keen to display her artificial curves in all their glory, Chloe donned a pair of khaki leggings and a crop top which exposed her toned stomach.
She struggled to contain her ample assets in the scanty crop top, but made sure to preserve her modesty with the addition of a khaki bomber jacket.
Evidently proud of her rear, Chloe pulled a variety of poses to show it off to her full advantage.
Showing off: The glamour model was joined by former Love Island star Katie Salmon, who playfully cupped her plumped up behind
Concentration: Something appeared to catch her eye on the pavement, as she was reluctant to take her eyes off it while arching her back to display her bottom
Something appeared to catch her eye on the pavement, as she was reluctant to take her eyes off it while arching her back to display her bottom.
She wore her raven tresses in tumbling curls down her back, and sported a full face of make up complete with contouring to highlight her plumped up pout.
Katie donned a pair of tracksuit bottoms, and tucked them into a pair of patent red snakeskin boots.
Baring all: Keen to display her artificial curves in all their glory, Chloe donned a pair of khaki leggings and a crop top which exposed her toned stomach
Struggle: She struggled to contain her ample assets in the scanty crop top, but made sure to preserve her modesty with the addition of a khaki bomber jacket
Fashionista: Katie donned a pair of tracksuit bottoms, and tucked them into a pair of patent red snakeskin boots
Keen to also flaunt her frame, she wore a white shirt, which she fashioned into a knot to expose her midriff.
Ahead of her journey, Chloe was open about the procedure, announcing in a video: 'I'm on my way to Elite after care, it is in Turkey so I'm going to jump on a quick flight, to go and get a Brazilian butt lift.
'It's not implants, they actually take all the fat from your own body that you don't want and they put it all in your booty, to give you that fat a**e.
Glamorous: She wore her raven tresses in tumbling curls down her back, and sported a full face of make up complete with contouring to highlight her plumped up pout
Showing: Evidently proud of her rear, Chloe pulled a variety of poses to show it off to her full advantage
'So for someone who isn't that fat, or wasn't, I've been stuffing my face on Dominoes and loads of munchies all week to pack on the pounds.
Chloe has been open about her love of plastic surgery, and recently revealed she has splashed out roughly 50,000 on cosmetic procedures.
Speaking to new! magazine, the Playboy playmate explained: 'In my circles, surgery isnt weird. Its like going for dinner!
'I love looking like a Barbie and being out of proportion.'
She added: 'Ive spent about 20,000 on my boobs, 9,000 on my nose, 8,500 on veneers, and my lips were another 10,000 - so about 50,000 in total.'
Her daughter Kaia Gerber has been storming the catwalks of Paris Fashion Week and making quite the impression.
And so Cindy Crawford and the rest of her brood decided to stay out of the way on Tuesday evening as they were seen enjoying a post-dinner stroll around the French capital.
Joined by husband Rande and son Presley, the supermodel, 51, looked relaxed and happy as she took the air with the men in her life, holding lovingly onto her husband, 55, and alongside their 18-year-old son.
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Staying out of the spotlight? Cindy Crawford enjoys low-key dinner and a stroll with husband Rande Gerber and son Presley in Paris... as daughter Kaia continues to shine at Fashion Week
Meanwhile: Cindy's daughter Kaia Gerber has been storming the catwalks of Paris Fashion Week and making quite the impression
Cindy looked chic in a crisp white blouse with a tie at the neck and smart black slacks.
She wore a light leather jacket over her shoulders and wore her brunette locks in light waves around her age-defying features.
She completed the look with some peep-toed heels.
Hubby Rande strolled along with his hands in his jeans pockets, wearing an open-collar shirt and blazer.
Seeing the sights: Cindy Crawford and the rest of her brood decided to stay out of the way on Tuesday evening as they were seen enjoying a post-dinner stroll around the French capital
Outing: Joined by husband Rande and son Presley, the supermodel, 51, looked relaxed and happy as she took the air with the men in her life, holding lovingly onto her husband, 55, and alongside their 18-year-old son
A pro: Cindy looked chic in a crisp white blouse with a tie at the neck and smart black slacks
Always at her best: She wore a light leather jacket over her shoulders and wore her brunette locks in light waves around her age-defying features
His son, Presley, mirrored his father in a black sweater and jeans, also sauntering along with his hands in his pockets.
The attractive family were seen taking in the sights and soaking up the French surrounds as they let 16-year-old Kaia bask in her PFW success elsewhere.
Presley has also made strides in the modelling world and was even honoured earlier this year as an emerging talent at the Daily Front Row Los Angeles Fashion Awards.
His youngster sister Kaia signed with IMG Models in July 2015, joining the ranks of such coveted catwalk mainstays as Alessandra Ambrosio, Iman Abdulmajid, Lily Aldridge and Camila Alves.
Hubby: Rande strolled along with his hands in his jeans pockets, wearing an open-collar shirt and blazer
Great genes: The attractive family were seen taking in the sights and soaking up the French surrounds as they let 16-year-old Kaia bask in her PFW success elsewhere
She also modelled alongside her mother when she was just 10 years old, gracing the cover of Teen Vogue last year, and was also featured in a Young Versace campaign.
Cindy recently admitted she has loved seeing her kids get involved in the industry that shot her stardom; talking to Vanity Fair last month, she said: 'You know what, it's been really fun for me to see my kids get their feet wet in the fabulous world of fashion.'
As one of the top models of her time however, she added that she does not give them tips for the catwalk or photo shoots - but instead on how to handle themselves backstage.
'The advice I give them is more about reminders - like be on time, be prepared, be professional, don't be on your phone, talk to people, and have fun,' she said. 'They both have good heads on their shoulders, and I'm not worried.'
Petra Stunts husband is currently seeking to prevent the end of their six-year marriage, but the heiress has taken steps to cut the flamboyant businessman out of her life for good.
I can reveal that former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestones 28-year-old daughter has formally dropped Stunts name. She has notified Companies House that she is now called Petra Ecclestone again.
The socialite, who has three young children with Stunt, 35, has also informed the registrar that her husbands role as a director of her charitable foundation has been terminated with immediate effect.
Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestones 28-year-old daughter has formally dropped James Stunts name. The pair are pictured left and Petra is pictured right leaving court
Their marriage is over and theres no going back, one of her friends tells me.
Once, Petra had been so proud of her husbands name that newspapers which referred to her as Ecclestone received stiffly worded letters from the couples expensive lawyers, insisting she should be called only Petra Stunt.
Her charity is still known as the Petra Stunt Foundation and she declined to comment yesterday on how long that would remain the case. She is seeking to enforce a 16 million prenuptial agreement to limit the divorce payout to Stunt, the Central Family Court heard in July. Meanwhile, her estranged husband is trying to prevent the ending of their marriage, despite her evicting him from the familys 66 million home in Chelsea.
She has also obtained a non-molestation order against him.
Petra married the gold bullion trader in a 12 million ceremony at an Italian castle in 2011.
He has become known for travelling around the West End in a cavalcade of big, black supercars.
Petras father, Bernie, 86, has a fortune estimated at 2.5 billion, and she is a beneficiary of a family trust.
During one dramatic hearing, an angry Stunt allegedly made a gun gesture with his hand at Bernie, mouthed obscenities at him and even tried to punch him before storming from the court.
Its fair to assume that Cat Deeley didnt particularly appreciate the lavish surprise party that husband Patrick Kielty threw for her in Malibu last year to mark her 40th birthday. I hate birthdays, the U.S.-based presenter has said. I hate birthday parties. I dont know what it is, but if anybody comes near me with a piece of cake with a candle on it, I break out in hives. Oops.
X-Files actress Gillian Anderson has praised Mark Griffiths for co-parenting skills
Nanny? No, Gillian Anderson turns to Ex-Files for childcare
She may have split up with businessman Mark Griffiths five years ago, but X-Files actress Gillian Anderson has praised his co-parenting skills.
The 49-year-old, who shares two sons with Griffiths, says she is often away filming for up to three weeks at a time, but knows she can rely on him to hold the fort.
The Anglo-American actress, mother to Oscar, ten, and Felix, eight, says: The boys father, even though were not together, is incredibly present. I can go away and 100 per cent trust that everything is OK.
She is now dating Oscar-nominated director Peter Morgan.
The logistics of having such a large cast are delaying the much-awaited Downton Abbey film, confirms the period dramas star Joanne Froggatt, who played maid Anna in the series. Joanne, 37, who is currently starring as a woman claiming to have been date raped in the hit series Liar, says: Everyone would like to do it [the film] if we can, but its tricky. There has been a lot of goodwill from all of us, but logistically, its a bit of a minefield. Its very difficult to get all 22 actors together.
The Jolie-Pitts' vineyard wars
As Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie negotiate their on-off, multi-million-dollar divorce, they have another headache to deal with.
The Hollywood actors Chateau Miraval vineyard in Provence is under threat from Star Wars director George Lucas, who has bought the next-door vineyard following discreet negotiations.
Lucas paid 8.35 million for Chateau Margui, which joins his Skywalker Vineyards holdings in California and Umbria, and is considering opening a hotel on the property, too. Im sure Brad and Angie will check it out.
She's a former glamour model while he rose to fame after creating a franchise of popular Sydney pizza restaurants.
But these days Pete Evans and Nicola Robinson are almost unrecognisable from their old lives, renouncing their previous identities in favour of a new age country life.
The couple live a Paleo lifestyle on a remote farm in northern NSW and often indulge in braless tea rituals and naked horse whispering.
Braless tea rituals and naked horse whispering: Inside the wacky world of Pete Evans and wife Nicola Robinson as they practise a Paleo lifestyle on their NSW farm
Photos posted to both Nicola and Pete's Instagram accounts show off the couple's new age lifestyle.
One shows Nicola sitting braless as she practices a meditative tea ceremony.
Over the weekend, the former model posted a series of revealing snaps of her posing naked as she spent time her horses.
Zen: One shot shows Nicola sitting braless as she practices a solemn meditative tea ceremony
Mediating: Like his wife, Pete also joins in the tea ceremony practice on their farm
She's not shy! The former model posted a naked photo taken as she hung out with her horse
Nicola, who previously revealed her horses sing to her, also shared a snap of husband bonding with the animals.
During an appearance on Sunrise on Wednesday, Pete revealed the couple were 'usually' naked on their farm.
'That's the beautiful thing about having a farm, why do you need to wear clothes?' He explained.
Getting in touch with nature: Nicola, who previously revealed her horses sing to her, also shared a snap of husband bonding with the animals
'Why do you need to wear clothes?' During an appearance on Sunrise on Wednesday, Pete revealed the couple were 'usually' naked on their farm
Tree change: In 2015, Nicola and Pete traded in their Bondi Beach lifestyle for a farm in northern NSW
The Playboy model, who describes herself as a 'moon gazing farm girl' and 'nutritional mermaid', also stunned social media in 2015 when she revealed she was celebrating her dog's monthly cycle.
In a post shared to Instagram to mark the occasion, Nicola explained she was teaching the dog to sync its cycle with the moon.
The New Zealand-born beauty also previously posted a snap celebrating the rat skeleton she had found in her home, writing that she had been 'strangely amused by your seemingly cosy home, as it really is a pretty sweet mix of old & new'.
Changed his diet: Nicola and Pete began dating in 2012, with the model believed to have introduced the chef to Paleo
That's different! The New Zealand-born beauty also previously posted a snap celebrating the rat skeleton she had found in her home
Father of two: Pete shares two daughters - Chilli and Indii - with his ex-wife Astrid Edlinger, who he split from in 2011
Nicola and Pete began dating in 2012 and married in 2016, with the glamour model reportedly introducing the celebrity chef to the Paleo lifestyle.
In 2015, the couple retired from their Bondi home to northern NSW, purchasing a 10 hectare farm for $1.2 million.
Prior to that, Pete had established the Hugos chain of pizza restaurants in the 1990s, working in the Sydney restaurants as executive chef.
Tied the knot: Nicola and Pete married in a boho ceremony in 2016, the bride celebrating with a horse ride
Was that Paleo? Pete had established the Hugos chain of pizza restaurants in the 1990s, working in the Sydney restaurants as executive chef
Hit the big time! Pete rose to national fame in 2010 when he became a judge alongside Manu Feildel on My Kitchen Rules
But he rose to national fame in 2010 when he became a judge alongside Manu Feildel on My Kitchen Rules.
The celebrity chef has also courted controversy for his health views, previously claiming that dairy products could remove calcium from bones and fluoride in tap water was harmful.
Meanwhile wife Nicola has advised Instagram followers to make their own toothpaste and earlier this year had her 'toxic' breast implants removed.
The former lingerie model previously revealed she had undergone three boob jobs by the age of 21.
Pete shares two daughters - Chilli and Indii - with his ex-wife Astrid Edlinger, who he split from in 2011.
Explant: Nicola earlier this year had her 'toxic' breast implants removed
They have been plagued with reports of strife following a tearful row last week.
Yet Olivia Attwood looks keen to shoot down any such rumours with beau Chris Hughes as she took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a sweet snap of the pair kissing - taken the very night of their saddening bust-up in London.
The 27-year-old former motocross girl penned: 'Never a quiet day with this one... wouldn't have it any other way', hot on the heels of news that she 'begged' him to propose to her as shown in a teaser for new show Straight Outta Love Island.
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What row? Olivia Attwood looks keen to shoot down any such rumours with beau Chris Hughes as she took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a sweet snap of the pair kissing - yet seemed to concede in the caption that they do face troubles
Olivia has been faced with heavy speculation that their romance is on the rocks after she fled to Germany following the tearful bust-up with her beau.
Yet she appeared defiant in her latest Instagram post as the happy pair got cosy - in the image taken on the night in which they had the row - in a true mark that all is well in the Olivia-Chris camp.
Additionally, in scenes to air on Sunday night for their brand new reality show Straight Outta Love Island, Olivia and Chris, who has insisted Katie Price sent him flirty messages, look to be every inch the lovebirds as they lock lips.
This comes after the hunk admitted his blonde bombshell girlfriend revealed during the promotion of the show that she begged him to propose.
Smitten: In scenes to air on Sunday night for their brand new show Straight Outta Love Island, Olivia and Chris look to be every inch the lovebirds as they lock lips
New stills from the eagerly anticipated series, which will give a snapshot into their lives following their appearance on ITV2's Love Island, shows the genetically gifted couple showering each other with affection.
Chris leans into kiss Olivia at the red carpet event for her the launch of her fashion range. In another scene baby Cash makes an appearance, as the twosome sit on the sofa to discuss their exciting future work endeavours.
A bevy of other Love Island favourites also make an appearance, including his best friend Kem Cetinay.
Reality stars: In another scene baby Cash makes an appearance, as the twosome sit on the sofa to discuss their exciting future work endeavours
Familiar faces: A bevy of other Love Island favourites also make an appearance, including his best friend Kem Cetinay
And while he was promoting the show, Chris admitted that Olivia urged him to take their romance to the next level.
Speaking to The Sun, the hunk admitted: 'Olivia wants me to (propose), she literally..wants to marry me.
'I don't see anything wrong with timescales, if it feels right it feels right. But I think it can a bit torture for the girl, if you get engaged and don't get married within a year,' he continued.
He also admitted that he knew people who got engaged but years down the line weren't married - something he didn't agree to.
Smitten: While he was promoting the show, Chris admitted that Olivia urged him to take their romance to the next level
Chris admitted: 'I don't see anything wrong with timescales, if it feels right it feels right. But I think it can a bit torture for the girl, if you get engaged and don't get married within a year'
However, just days after the confession, Chris and Olivia's relationship has taken a turn for the worse with the beauty heading to Germany following a row.
Olivia later broke her silence for the first time since she fled to Germany, but did not confirm whether or not the pair have split
Posting a message on Twitter, Olivia thanked fans for all of their support, but kept mum on the current status of her relationship.
She said: 'Sorry I have been so quiet, sometimes in life you just need a minute to disconnect and remember what's important.
Not a fan: He also admitted that he knew people who got engaged but years down the line weren't married - something he didn't agree to
'But thank you so much for all your lovely comment and messages. I can't replay to them all but I do see them and they feed my soul... I love you guys. (sic)'
Olivia has been quiet on social media since leaving the UK as a result of the 'tearful' bust-up with Chris.
Speculation mounted that their romance was on the rocks following the 'jealous nightclub row' in the early hours of Friday
Downhill: However, just days after the confession, Chris and Olivia's relationship has taken a turn for the worse with the beauty heading to Germany following a row
Explosive: Speculation mounted that their romance was on the rocks following the 'jealous nightclub row' in the early hours of Friday
According to The Sun Online, Chris flew into a jealous rage after he spotted her dancing with a 'group of gay male dancers' while supporting him at London's Ministry of Sound.
The publication reported that ITV2 starlet Olivia was left so alarmed by his behaviour at the club - where he performed his new single Little Bit Leave It with his pal Kem Cetinay - that she left the UK to gain perspective on their relationship.
A source close to the blonde bombshell said: 'Chris asked Olivia to come to Ministry of Sound rather than work a job she'd been offered. She went to support him and looked like she was having a great night hanging out with Amber [Davies], her mates and Chris's family.
It's been more than two years since she graced the cover of a major fashion magazine.
And Lindsay Lohan proved that was two years too long with a stunning shoot for l'Officiel's October issue.
The 31-year-old showcased her breathless natural beauty by going completely make-up free for the Spanish fashion mag.
Au naturel! A stunning and fresh-faced Lindsay Lohan graced her first fashion magazine cover in two years for l'Officiel Spain's October issue
For the front of the Red Alert edition, she rocks a pink leather and brown suede fringed western jacket by Prada.
Her signature red locks are also untouched, and pushed back off her unadorned face, freckles and all.
Inside the mag, the actress discussed her Greek club opening for a second year, as well as her plans to expand around the world.
Ethereal: The Freaky Friday star spent much of her time in Spain checking out the different shows at Madrid Fashion Week (at Malne on Sunday)
Lady in red: She ensured all eyes were on her as she posed up a storm at the Jorge Vazquez spring/summer 2018 collection party on Monday night
'Opening my own club has been amazing it was always a goal of mine to make a space where people feel safe,' she said.
'We are actually in talks of opening two more, Dubai and New York are first on the list.'
After the shoot in Madrid, she flew to Athens for the grand re-opening of Lohan Nightclub, which closes for summer season and reopens in winter.
Bit of all white! She rocked a striking cream gown for the Devota & Lomba show
Rocking it: Lindsay switched up her image for Madrid Fashion Week on Sunday, as she was seen attending Custo Barcelona
She also discussed with the mag her plans to launch her own line of clothing: LOHAN.
The Freaky Friday star spent much of her time in Spain checking out the different shows at Madrid Fashion Week.
The actress was spotted throughout the week at shows by Maria Ke Fisherman, Jorge Vazquez, Agatha Ruiz, Custo Barcelona, Malne, and Devota & Lomba.
I heart fashion: She wore a head-turning blue velvet jumpsuit at the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada fashion show on Sunday
The former Bachelorette has recently returned from a loved-up European holiday with her beau Lee Elliott.
And Georgia Love displayed her usual bubbly self on Tuesday as she arrived at Sydney airport.
Wearing a flirty summer frock, the 29-year-old paraded her trim pins and gave a glimpse of her cleavage in the polkadot number.
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Spot on! Former Bachelorette Georgia Love flaunts trim pins and svelte physique in cleavage-baring polka-dot frock as she arrives at Sydney airport
The thigh-skimming design showed off her sculptured legs, which she elongated with a pair of black boots.
Georgia wore a simple necklace, as the low-cut design provided a glimpse of her assets.
The frilled wrap dress cinched around her svelte frame as she strutted her stuff through the airport.
Stunner! Georgia wore a simple necklace with a disc pendant, as the low-cut design provided a glimpse of her assets
Laid-back beauty! Georgia shared a picture to Instagram earlier that day of her in the ensemble, in which she flaunted her pins beside the pool at the Crown Towers Perth
Smiling as she walked through the terminal, she was carrying two black bags - one handbag, one suit carrier - and a leather jacket over her right arm.
Her short balayage locks were left loose and styled in waves.
Georgia shared a picture to Instagram earlier that day of her in the ensemble, in which she flaunted her pins beside the pool at the Crown Towers Perth.
Couple's getaway: The former reality star and TV journalist previously joked that her recent European escape with boyfriend Lee had left her broke
The former reality star and TV journalist previously joked that her recent European escape with boyfriend Lee had left her broke.
Alongside a loved-up snap, the 29-year-old wrote: 'I can speak 13 words of Italian and I have $78 in my bank account.'
The pair had been enjoying a luxurious getaway across Italy with stops in Rome, Florence and Positano. Appearing to spare no expense, they included a stay at the lavish Lifestyle Suites Rome.
'I have $78 in my bank account': Shopping until she dropped, Georgia was seen making a trip to Furla, appearing to stock up on bags
Shopping until she dropped, Georgia was seen making a trip to Furla, appearing to stock up on bags, as her caption read: 'When in Rome' alongside a handbag emoji.
The former journalist also bought multiple Prada bags which she showed off on her Instagram stories during her holiday.
Furla bags can cost upwards of $500 each, and Prada bags can cost thousands depending on size and model, many are priced from $3,000.
Travels: The pair had been enjoying a luxurious getaway across Italy with stops in Rome, Florence and Positano. Appearing to spare no expense, they included a stay at the lavish Lifestyle Suites Rome
She showed off yet another haul in an Instagram video in which she is walking alongside Lee, who has several shopping bags in his hands.
She captioned the video: 'Bank balance - Well below average. Holiday progress report: Designer bag collection - Above average.'
The hashtags #justkors #helpmeimpoor indicated that she had made purchases at Michael Kors.
Georgia fell in love with Lee on reality matchmaking series The Bachelorette last year.
Ariel Winter and her live-in love Levi Meaden stopped by the family-owned gun shop Guns Direct, to reportedly apply for permits of some kind, in Burbank on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old aspiring federal prosecutor bared her belly in a cinched white T-shirt that read 'crowd pleaser' and paired it with black leggings and matching sneakers.
The couple of 16 months previously documented their target practice with bows and arrows at LA's Robertson Archery to celebrate their six-month anniversary on May 11.
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Conceal and carry? Ariel Winter and her live-in love Levi Meaden stopped by the family-owned gun shop Guns Direct, to reportedly apply for permits of some kind, in Burbank on Tuesday
Midriff: The 19-year-old aspiring federal prosecutor bared her belly in a cinched white T-shirt that read 'crowd pleaser' and paired it with black leggings and matching sneakers
Last weekend while shooting Modern Family in Lake Tahoe, Winter surprised the Canadian 30-year-old 'good' with a weekend of friends and family aboard a boat cruise.
Levi is clearly besotted with Ariel, who frequently finds herself defending her scantily-clad tendencies to wear latex skirts and denim 'panties.'
The four-time SAG Award winner posted a three-page rant on Instagram September 18 to, yet again, address the haters and body-shamers getting under her skin on social media.
'I'm trying to live my life!' the Smurfs actress vented to her combined 4.7M followers.
'I promised her on the first date': The couple of 16 months previously documented their target practice with bows and arrows at LA's Robertson Archery on May 11
'Feeling truly blessed right now!' Last weekend while shooting Modern Family in Lake Tahoe, Winter surprised the Canadian 30-year-old 'good' with a weekend aboard a boat cruise
'We're on a boat': Levi is clearly besotted with Ariel, who frequently finds herself defending her scantily-clad tendencies to wear latex skirts and denim 'panties'
'I'm trying to live my life!' The four-time SAG Award winner posted a three-page rant on Instagram September 18 to address the haters and body-shamers getting under her skin
'People wear shorts. People have wardrobe malfunctions. No one is perfect. I'm not a stylist! I don't know what to wear everyday so I look "appropriate" or "fashionable."'
Winter continued: 'Also, screw having to always look appropriate or fashionable. For what? Society? Who gets to decide what is appropriate or fashionable? I wear what I like and no one should fault me for that.'
Ariel will next resume her role as wholesome Caltech student Alex Dunphy in the 22-episode ninth season of the mockumentary series, which premieres Wednesday on ABC.
The LA native will also likely attend the October 6 or 8 screening of her indie flick Dog Years (in which she plays wildchild-turned-chauffeur Lil) at the San Diego International Film Festival.
Premieres Wednesday! Ariel will next resume her role as wholesome Caltech student Alex Dunphy in the 22-episode ninth season of the ABC mockumentary series
Next appearance: The LA native will likely attend the October 6 or 8 screening of her indie flick Dog Years (in which she plays wildchild-turned-chauffeur Lil) at the San Diego Film Festival
According to Deadline, A24 and DirecTV acquired the North American distribution rights to the road trip drama also starring Burt Reynolds, Chevy Chase, and Ellar Coltrane.
The teenage homeowner graduated from Campbell Hall School last year, and she had planned on beginning her pre-law studies at UCLA this fall.
Meanwhile, the War for the Planet of the Apes star has two films due out this year - Kurtis David Harder's sci-fi thriller Incontrol and Jordan Anthony Greer's secluded drama Alice in the Attic.
Menendez Murders fan: The teenage homeowner graduated from Campbell Hall School last year, and she had planned on beginning her pre-law studies at UCLA this fall
She's stormed the runways in New York, London and Milan during their respective fashion weeks.
And Karlie Kloss looked better than ever between catwalks on Tuesday night as she attended the Rimowa dinner at 1728 restaurant in Paris, France.
The 25-year-old supermodel showed peeks of her svelte figure as she opted to go shirtless for her night out on the town.
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Lady in red! Karlie Kloss looked better than ever between catwalks on Tuesday night as she attended the Rimowa dinner at 1728 restaurant in Paris, France
Her ample assets were seen popping out of a tiny black leather bralette as she walked through the cobblestone streets.
She covered her bare shoulders in a small bright red tweed blazer which featured pockets and cuffs around her wrists.
Her long and slender legs were hidden underneath black billowy trousers that were tailored to perfectly hug her svelte waistline.
Peek-a-boo: The 25-year-old supermodel showed peeks of her svelte figure as she opted to go shirtless for her night out on the town
Sexy! Her ample assets were seen popping out of a tiny black leather bralette as she walked through the cobblestone streets
The 6ft2in stunner opted to wear comfortable black flat ballet slippers with a bright white button fastened to the top.
Her platinum blonde hair was elegantly tied back into a bun and Kloss kept her ends tamed with a thick black headband.
She carried a super chic black velour handbag which featured gold chain details along the handles.
Model behavior: The 6ft2in stunner opted to wear comfortable black flat ballet slippers with a bright white button fastened to the top
Karlie stole the limelight in a semi-sheer navy tulle skirt that flashed her white undergarments at the Alberta Ferretti SS18 catwalk show during Milan Fashion Week on Monday night.
She showed off her trim tummy in the small top, which she covered with an unzipped black jacket.
The Chicago native is also known off the runway for her Kode with Klossy program - a career scholarship which helps provide learning facilities and communities for young women working in tech.
Yesterday Gov. Doug Ducey announced a program that offers prospective teachers in Arizona a year of free tuition for every year they commit to teaching in the state .
The effort, which will run at the states three public universities, is aimed at curbing Arizonas teacher shortages, reports the Arizona Daily Star . The program will fund 230 prospective teachers during its first year.
About 18 percent of the states teaching positions remain unfilled a month into the school year, according to a report released today by an Arizona school personnel group.
The governor also signed legislation this spring easing some of the requirements for becoming a teacher , citing teacher shortages then as well. Under the controversial law, people with five years of experience in fields relevant to the subject area they plan to teach can now enter the classroom without formal training.
Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association, said in an interview that the new teacher academy is a flashy program and great for the tiny number of people it impacts, but it doesnt get at underlying problems in the state. Those include what he called the double gut punch of low teacher pay and high class sizes.
The Arizona school personnel report shows that more than 500 teachers have either abandoned or resigned from their positions since the school year began four weeks ago. And a survey released this week by WalletHub, which looked at 21 indicators of teacher-friendliness including pay, called Arizona the worst state in the country to be a teacher .
The academy does nothing for the tens of thousands of teachers that are currently in the classroom and have been in the classroom since pay freezes and cuts to the budget, Thomas said. Theyve been loyal to Arizona and are getting nothing out of it.
Diane Douglas, the state superintendent of public instruction, has pushed for a sales-tax increase to fund an 11 percent teacher salary hike . The governor, who Douglas has clashed with before , has opposed raising taxes .
Last years budget included a 1 percent salary increase for teachers, with the same amount promised for next year. Thomas called that increase abysmal.
At the teacher academy launch event, Ducey called the program one tool in the toolbox for solving teacher shortages.
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Australia's most celebrated actor is voting 'yes' for same-sex marriage rights.
Hugh Jackman took to Twitter on Wednesday, sharing a passionate message of support for the gay community's hopes for reform following the postal plebiscite.
'We believe all Australians deserve to be treated equally under the law that's why Deb & I are voting YES,' the 48-year-old wrote.
'Deb and I are voting yes': Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-lee Furness have announced that they're supporting the 'yes' vote in Australia's same-sex marriage survey
Support! The Australian actor, 48, shared the above message of support on Twitter on Wednesday
The post also confirmed his wife Debora-lee Furness, 61, would be voting 'yes,' on the forms being circulated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics this month.
His wife of 21-years also retweeted her hubby's message, which contained the hashtags 'equality' and 'love.'
The Logan star was flooded with messages of support for his stance, with one fan writing: 'Thanks mate we need some Wolverine on our side.'
Wolverine to the rescue! The Logan star was flooded with messages of support for his stance, with one fan writing: 'Thanks mate we need some Wolverine on our side'
'I feel backed into a corner my claws are ready to come out the hurtful things being said xo (sic).'
Another added: 'Wow, thank you for your support - with a great guy like you standing by our side I'm sure we'll get there! Bless you.'
Having been up for less than 24-hours, the post has already surged to 16,000 likes and 2,900 shares.
'We'll get there': Another added: 'Wow, thank you for your support - with a great guy like you standing by our side I'm sure we'll get there! Bless you'
Hugh is the latest Australian celebrity to throw their support behind the 'yes' vote.
He joins the likes of Ian Thorpe, Megan Gale, Margot Robbie, Bindi Irwin and even Schapelle Corby in publicly announcing their advocacy.
The results on the nationwide, optional postal survey will be announced on November 15.
American TV host Ellen Degeneres has also urged Australian to vote yes via Twitter and Instagram.
She recently declared her love for boyfriend Dave Bashford.
And now it seems that Sam Frost, 28, could be planning for the next phase of their relationship as she was out shopping for a brand new car - a roomy Mazda 4x4.
The blonde, who is due to appear in Home and Away in the coming weeks, was browsing a showroom with a female friend in Sydney on Sunday.
Looking for a family car? Loved-up Sam Frost goes shopping for a roomy SUV just 18 months after buying a Mini Cooper as her relationship with Dave Bashford heats up
The former Bachelorette star was dressed for the warm spring temperatures and wore a thigh-skimming floral skirt and white singlet.
Her short skirt showcased her lithe, tanned legs while her top allowed a glimpse of her cleavage.
Sam's companion seemed to be helping her decide on the purchase, pointing out different models and offering her a supportive arm by linking her as they walked.
Legs eleven... out of ten! The former Bachelorette star was dressed for the warm spring temperatures and wore a thigh-skimming floral skirt and white singlet
At one point Sam was seen to be taking a good look at a roomy car.
The shopping trip comes after Sam replaced her smashed up Hyundai Getz with a shiny new Mini Cooper last year.
Sam has been with boyfriend Dave since she asked him out on a date in April.
Gushing about her beau earlier this year she said: 'I haven't been this happy in a long time. I've been friends with Dave for years, so it feels really comfortable.'
'I haven't been this happy in a long time. I've been friends with Dave for years': Sam has been with her beau since she asked him out on a date in April
Sam split from her Bachelorette boyfriend Sasha Mielczarek in December after 18 months together.
Rumours surfaced that she'd moved on with Dave after photos showed the pair celebrating Australia Day together in January.
In May the pair emerged again, spotted enjoying a romantic stroll in Bondi Beach, Sam confirmed they were in a relationship in two months later.
It's the hit renovation reality show, that has been a huge ratings winner for Channel Nine.
And despite launching in Bondi back in 2003, The Block will not return to Sydney, according to a show producer Justin Sturzaker.
'We are embedded in Melbourne, [the] price of property is lower and councils are proactive in helping us,' he told The Manly Daily this week.
Not returning to its roots: Despite launching in Bondi in 2003, The Block will not return to Sydney, according to a show producer. Pictured: A Bondi property that was featured on season one
Season 14 of The Block will be based in Melbourne and see the city's 79-year-old heritage building The Gatwick Hotel transformed, after Channel Nine purchased the property for an estimated $10 million.
'It will need a fair big of TLC inside and out,' executive producer Julian Cress told the Herald Sun in March.
'We're not going to rush into it. It's certainly a great building in a great location, so it wasn't cheap.'
Tough laws: Host Scott Cam previously revealed there were no plans to return north, citing local government as the show's 'biggest problem'
The inaugural season of The Block was filmed in Sydney's Bondi, with host Jamie Durie presenting the series.
Jamie went on to host season two, which was filmed in the beachside suburb of Manly.
Scott Cam took over hosting duties in season three, which was filmed in the affluent Vaucluse area.
Season one: The inaugural season of The Block was filmed in Sydney's Bondi, with host Jamie Durie presenting the series
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph in July, Scott said the show had received much more support from government in Victoria while Sydney counterparts deemed the show's build not a 'full construction zone.'
'We need to get the council on board with us - that's our biggest problem,' Scott said.
He added that the show has received a much warmer reception in Melbourne since production was moved there in 2011.
'The Victorian Government realise that we bring about $20 million into the economy...we don't have catering, so the 150 tradies all go off-site to buy their food,' he revealed.
Happier down south: Speaking to the Daily Telegraph , Scott said that the show had received much more support from government in Victoria and their Sydney counterparts deemed the show's build not a 'full construction zone'
The publication also reported that the production was fined $2000 'at least 10 times' when they filmed the tenth anniversary Block All Stars series in Bondi in 2013.
Co-host Shelly Craft echoed Scott's sentiments saying that 'most of the production team and crew' had since relocated to Melbourne.
Shelly added that she believed the notorious Sydney traffic congestion would also put a dampener on the show's attractiveness.
'There's not a lot of excitement watching someone get stuck in traffic for six hours,' she said.
She's returned to Sydney after a two-year stint in Hollywood.
And in an interview with TheFix on Wednesday, songstress Ricki-Lee revealed her thoughts on Australia's failure to date in legalising same-sex marriage.
'I'm disgusted...sick to my stomach,' the 31-year-old told the publication.
'I'm sick to my stomach': Australian Idol star Ricki-Lee Coulter, 31, revealed she's 'disgusted' to live in a country where same-sex marriage isn't legal, in an interview with TheFix
'I'm so ashamed that we live in a country that this isn't law. I'm disgusted...sick to my stomach,' Ricki-Lee said of certain prominent Australian politician's reluctance to make same-sex marriage legal.
'It's so important to use your voice and make your voice heard. Don't get complacent and think that somebody else is going to make it happen.
'If everyone uses this moment, it's going to make a huge difference in so many people's lives,' the Australian Idol star went on to say.
Vocal: 'I'm so ashamed that we live in a country that this isn't law. I'm disgusted...sick to my stomach,' the songstress said of certain prominent Australian politician's reluctance to make same-sex marriage legal
Coming together: 'It's so important to use your voice and make your voice heard. Don't get complacent and think that somebody else is going to make it happen,' Ricki-Lee went on to say
Ricki-Lee's comments come as the country awaits the results of the same-sex postal vote.
The law of allowing same-sex couples to marry was passed at the federal level in America back in 2015.
Two years ago also marks Ricki-Lee's attempt to break into Hollywood as a recording artist.
Describing the difficulty of her fame translating stateside, the brunette told The Daily Telegraph earlier this month: 'It's tough! Nobody cares about you or what you've done.'
Fame: Meanwhile two years ago marks the brunette's attempt to break into Hollywood as a recording artist
Challenges: Describing the difficulty of her fame translating stateside, the brunette told The Daily Telegraph earlier this month: 'It's tough! Nobody cares about you or what you've done'
She went on to say: 'The writers want to get their songs on the next Justin Bieber or Beyonce record.'
Ricki-Lee explained that she was torn about what kind of artist she wanted to be.
'I was torn for so long, trying to please everyone between my fans that love dance/club pop, and making songs that were more story-based and less about shaking your as*,' she said.
Ricki-Lee became a household name after appearing in the second season of singing reality contest Australian Idol in 2001.
Their relationship appears to be going from strength to strength after a brief split earlier in the year.
And Megan McKenna certainly had a lot to celebrate as she stepped out with Pete Wicks in London on Tuesday.
The TOWIE star was celebrating her 25th birthday, along with recently having topped the iTunes chart with her country single.
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Hot couple: Megan McKenna certainly had a lot to celebrate as she stepped out with Pete Wicks in London on Tuesday
Putting on a chic display as she headed to Camden Town's trendy Gilgamesh restaurant, she slipped into a black jumpsuit cinched in at the waist to reveal her slender midriff.
Adding a beige oversized blazer and Louis Vuitton loafers, she wore her glossy brunette tresses in a sleek hairdo.
And opting for a generous touch of lipgloss and bronzer, Megan beamed happily as she left the venue with her tattooed beau.
Celebrations: The TOWIE star was celebrating her 25th birthday, along with recently having topped the iTunes chart with her country single
Pete put on a suitably dapper display in jeans and a low cut maroon sweater, teasing a glimpse of his inked-up torso.
Leading the way for his belle, the duo's relationship appeared to be going from strength to strength.
Megan and Pete briefly split in March this year, after their relationship hit a tumultuous patch when she discovered conversations of a sexual nature Pete had with his ex-girlfriends on his phone.
Yet, the pair were seen holidaying in Las Vegas earlier this year, and confirmed they had got back together the following month.
Speaking to The Sun last week, the TV personality admitted their romance was better than ever the second time round, revealing: 'Honestly he's been the best boyfriend, our relationship now is just like better than it could ever be.
'I'm so happy. I mean I've got quite a lot going on at the moment and I feel like I'm juggling it quite well.'
Night out: Putting on a chic display as she headed to Camden Town's trendy Gilgamesh restaurant, she slipped into a black jumpsuit cinched in at the waist to reveal her slender midriff
Chic: Adding a beige oversized blazer and relaxed loafers, she wore her glossy brunette tresses in a sleek hairdo
The pair also fell out with TOWIE co-star Chloe Sims, who had found herself in hot water over her close friendship with Pete after he and Megan had broken up, causing Megan to accuse them of getting together illicitly behind her back.
After showing off her vocals on the show, the brunette went on to release her two singles during the last episode, titled High Heeled Shoes and Far Cry From Love.
The songs rocketed to the top of the iTunes chart just 24 hours after their release - bagging the number one and two spots on both the UK singles and UK country charts, and remaining there for several days.
She is currently carving a career in the fashion industry, as the younger half-sister of supermodel Kate.
So it is no wonder Lottie Moss put on a sartorial display on Tuesday, as she headed on another glamorous night out in London.
The blonde beauty, 19, showed off her enviably leggy figure in a thigh-skimming mini skirt and chic fluffy gilet as she arrived at the swanky Eclipse nightclub with friends.
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Style queen: Lottie Moss put on another sartorial display on Tuesday, as she headed on a glamorous night out in London
Standing out: The blonde beauty, 19, showed off her enviably leggy figure in a thigh-skimming mini skirt and chic fluffy gilet as she arrived at the swanky Eclipse nightclub with friends
Lottie certainly turned heads in her classically stylish ensemble, which saw her team together a simple white logo T-shirt and daringly short skirt.
The black skirt cinched in at her middle to emphasise her petite waist, before cutting off at an eye-watering height at her thigh, to leave her long and slender legs on show.
Jazzing the look up however, the blonde then layered a striking fluffy gilet on top, before tying her look together with lace-up boots in a grungy finishing touch.
Casual cool: Lottie certainly turned heads in her classically stylish ensemble, which saw her team together a simple white logo T-shirt and daringly short skirt
Leggy lady: The black skirt cinched in at her middle to emphasise her petite waist, before cutting off at an eye-watering height at her thigh, to leave her long and slender legs on show
She styled her hair into big, bouncy waves, to draw attention to her naturally striking features - which she accentuated with a slick of liquid eyeliner and pale peach lip.
Lottie was making her return to London's party scene with friends, after a glamorous few days in Milan for the star-studded Fashion Week.
However, known for her effortless sense of style, Lottie narrowly avoided a fashion fail as her slinky silk dress almost flashed her chest at the glittering amfAR gala.
Saving the best fur last: Jazzing the look up however, the blonde then layered a striking fluffy gilet on top
Stunning: She styled her hair into big, bouncy waves, to draw attention to her naturally striking features - which she accentuated with a slick of liquid eyeliner and pale peach lip
Grunge girl: She tied her look together with lace-up boots in a grungy finishing touch
The model's assets nearly slipped out of her backless Jenny Packham gown but thankfully she averted a possible nip slip as her designer garment was carefully taped to her chest.
She joined A-listers including Alessandra Ambrosio, Jourdan Dunn, Hailey Clauson and Hailey Baldwin, inside the fashion extravaganza.
Lottie has been treading the boards since her split from boyfriend of nine months, Made in Chelsea star Alex Mytton, but is still yet to confirm her relationship status.
Social butterfly: Lottie was making her return to London's party scene with friends (above), after a glamorous few days in Milan for the star-studded Fashion Week
Peekaboob! However, known for her effortless sense of style, Lottie narrowly avoided a fashion fail as her slinky silk dress almost flashed her chest at the glittering amfAR gala (above)
Smooth recovery: The model's assets nearly slipped out of her backless Jenny Packham gown but thankfully she averted a possible nip slip as her garment was carefully taped to her chest
It was claimed she was seen 'flirting' with Love Island star Mike Thalassitis after the duo found themselves at the same nightclub in Mayfair last month, with a source telling The Sun: 'Lottie and Mike have made no secret of the fact that they fancy each other.
'When they found themselves in the same club they made a beeline for each other. Mike couldn't keep his eyes off her.'
The reports come after Lottie was rumoured to be dating new rugby player beau Elliot Clements-Hill, after the pair met at V Festival in August.
Star-studded: CBB star Lotan Carter was also seen leaving the club with a blonde companion
He's the fitness guru that is looking to hire.
Sam Wood is hoping to beef up his fitness regime '28' with loads more content, as the the former Bachelor looks to the future of digital media.
A job listing from the organisation appeared on Pedestrian Jobs on Tuesday advertising for the position of a video editor that loves producing entertaining and engaging video content.
He wants you! A job listing from Sam Wood's fitness organisation '28' appeared on Pedestrian Jobs on Tuesday advertising for the position of a video editor that loves producing entertaining and engaging video content
''We need a video editor who can make magic,' the job description said.
''This is an amazing opportunity for you to grow, nurture your talent and add your own flair!'
The lucky future employee will get to work side by side with the hunky 37-year old, and produce content to be posted on the agency's Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and it's own website.
While the ad listing is extremely positive and welcoming to anyone - including those without any kind of qualification - it makes it inherently clear the type of person Sam is looking for.
''We need a video editor who can make magic': The lucky future employee will get to work side by side with the hunky 37-year old, and produce content to be posted on the agency's Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and it's own website
'We need someone who has energy and a genuine love for their craft': While the ad listing is extremely positive and welcoming to anyone - including those without any kind of qualification - it makes it inherently clear the type of person Sam is looking for
'We need someone who has energy and a genuine love for their craft. Be passionate and creative in what you do. Our video content doesnt rely on big budgets and high production, so what you create with us needs to be engaging,' the ad says.
Asking for examples of work and an in-depth knowledge of social media, the position will offer 15 hours a week with a high potential for increase, and is keen for applicants to start ASAP.
'We need someone who has energy and a genuine love for their craft': The Melbourne-based fitness institution is known for its delicious food recipes and its before and after photos on its Instagram that encourage weight loss and building muscle
Applications for the job close on 5pm Monday October 2nd.
The Melbourne-based fitness institution is known for its delicious food recipes and its before and after photos on its Instagram that encourage weight loss and building muscle.
Sam Wood, now married to Snezana Markoski who was the winner of the 2013 season of the show, has been a fitness instructor and professional for over 16 years.
Been busy! Sam Wood, now married to Snezana Markoski who was the winner of the 2013 season of the show, has been a fitness instructor and professional for over 16 years
They've been quietly dating since 2014 but prefer to keep their romance away from the spotlight.
But Gwyneth Paltrow and boyfriend Brad Falchuk proved they're just as loved up as ever by stepping out holding hands for a romantic dinner in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
Hollywood star Gwyneth, 45, and Glee co-creator Brad, 46, looked blissfully happy as they arrived for a meal at the exclusive Nobu restaurant.
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Blissfully happy: Gwyneth Paltrow, 45, and boyfriend Brad Falchuk, 46, proved they're just as loved up as ever by stepping out holding hands for a romantic dinner in Los Angeles on Tuesday night
Love is in the air! Hollywood actress Gwyneth and Glee co-creator Brad looked smitten as they arrived at the exclusive Nobu restaurant together
Iron Man star Gwyneth dressed down in a pair of loose khaki trousers that fell to the ankle, teamed with a simple black high-necked T-shirt, which was made from a sheer fabric that gave a flash of the star's white bra underneath.
She added a glamorous touch to her date night ensemble by throwing on a very eye-catching and elaborate jacket featuring a bold pink panel at the back and decorated with a slew of different patterns and colours.
Her pretty coat was trimmed with a fringe at the front and emblazoned with a variety of floral designs in various shapes and shades.
Pretty in pink: Gwyneth added a glamorous touch to her date night ensemble by throwing on a very eye-catching and elaborate jacket featuring a bold pink panel at the back and decorated with a slew of different patterns and colours
Casual: Iron Man star Gwyneth dressed down in a pair of loose khaki trousers that fell to the ankle, teamed with a simple black high-necked T-shirt
The blonde beauty finished her look with a pair of comfortable black flats featuring a delicate strap around the ankle.
On the beauty front, she kept her golden locks loose and styled in carefree waves around her shoulders.
She went make-up free for her dinner outing, letting her California tan and natural beauty shine through.
Feeling blue? Hollywood writer, producer and director Ryan also dressed down for their date, wearing a pair of faded denim jeans, an open-necked blue check shirt, and a navy cardigan buttoned at the front
Natural beauty: On the beauty front, she kept her golden locks loose and styled in carefree waves around her shoulders. She went make-up free for her dinner outing, letting her California tan and natural beauty shine through
Loved up: the low-key couple held hands as they arrived for dinner. They've been quietly dating for more than three years but have chosen to keep their relationship away from the spotlight
Meanwhile, Hollywood writer, producer and director Ryan also dressed down for their date, wearing a pair of faded denim jeans, an open-necked blue check shirt, and a navy cardigan buttoned at the front.
The couple have been quietly dating for more than three years but have chosen to keep their relationship away from the spotlight, never walking the red carpet together and rarely appearing on each other's social media accounts.
Gwyneth made a rare declaration of love for Brad back in March, when she shared a selfie to Instagram to wish him a happy birthday, marking the first and only time she's posted a photo of her other half.
Making it official on Instagram: Gwyneth made a rare declaration of love for Brad back in March, when she shared a selfie to Instagram to wish him a happy birthday, marking the first time and only time she's posted a photo of her other half
It's a different tact for Gwyneth, who has previously enjoyed a string of very high-profile romances with the likes of Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck and her ex-husband Chris Martin, whom she shares two children with.
In a recent interview with Girlboss Radio, the Oscar-winning actress admitted she hadn't always had the best luck with romance in the past.
'I've f***ed up so many relationships,' she said.
'I'm actually a pretty good friend, and a good sister and daughter and mother,' she added.
'But I'm at my potentially most vulnerable and f***ed up in the romantic slice of the pie. It's taken me a lot of work to get to the place where I have a good romantic relationship.'
Happy family: Gwyneth and ex-husband Chris Martin co-parent their daughter Apple, 13, and 11-year-old son Moses
She added: 'Success to me is relationships that function really well. Where there is a beautiful feedback loop between people. I think without relationships of quality, you are not a successful person.
'So, if you don't have a good relationship with your partner, your children, your best friends, then it's really hard to claim success.'
Rumours swirled over the summer that Gwyneth was preparing to wed current beau Brad, who also co-created Scream Queens and American Horror Story.
She was snapped wearing a ring on her engagement finger while filming her role as Pepper Potts in Avengers: Infinity War, leading to speculation Brad had popped the question.
However, Gwyneth cleared up the speculation by revealing on Instagram it was her character, Pepper, who was engaged to Tony Stark, rather than Gwyneth herself.
She's been incredibly busy recently, appearing at the SS18 Fashion Weeks in New York, London, Milan and now Paris.
But Bella Hadid pulled yet another stylish ensemble out of the bag on Tuesday, as she stepped out in the French capital.
The model, 20, flashed her impressively toned stomach in a motorsport-inspired crop top and bold baggy jeans, as she arrived at the Peninsula Hotel for a glamorous Fashion Week after-party.
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Va va vroom! Bella Hadid pulled yet another stylish ensemble out of the bag on Tuesday, as she stepped out in the French capital
The model displayed her killer body as well as her trendy sense of style in the sporty top, formed of lycra and featuring a black and white racing flag design on the sleeves.
Cutting off just below her bust however, the zip-up number made the look more sexy by leaving her impressively flat stomach and rippling abs on show.
In her typically striking style, Bella then teamed the top with an unusual pair of distressed jeans, which were baggy above the knee to shroud her famously slim figure.
Riding the fashion wave: The model displayed her killer body as well as her trendy sense of style in the motorsport-inspired top and unconventional baggy jeans
The brunette kept all eyes on her outfit by adding simple black court shoes and a matching red and white clutch, emblazoned with the word 'Time' across the front.
Sweeping her hair into a loose ponytail and adding her trademark oval sunglasses, Bella was effortessly chic as she headed out in the fashion capital.
Tuesday marked a busy night for Bella, who had already been spotted out with her pal Hailey Baldwin, 20, earlier that evening.
The brunette model had put on an equally stylish display in a structured tuxedo - which she went braless underneath to sexily tease at her cleavage.
Saucy: Tuesday marked a busy night for Bella, who had already been spotted in a sexy black tuxedo while out with her pal Hailey Baldwin, 20, that evening
The beauty exposed her entire decolletage and a hint of her midriff in the jacket, which was slashed to her navel.
Bella cinched in her tiny waist with the ribbon sash tie of the tuxedo, and created a stylish silhouette with the padded shoulders.
The suit's trousers were a looser fit to skim over her slender legs, and she added some height to her tall frame with a pair of pointed stiletto heels.
The brunette beauty swept her raven tresses off her face in a blown out bob, and slipped on some vintage style narrow sunglasses.
Sensational: The beauty exposed her entire decolletage and a hint of her midriff in the jacket, which was slashed to her navel alongside pal Hailey Baldwin (R)
Fashionista: Bella cinched in her tiny waist with the ribbon sash tie of the tuxedo, and created a stylish silhouette with the padded shoulders
Stepping out: The suit's trousers were a looser fit to skim over her slender legs, and she added some height to her tall frame with a pair of pointed stiletto heels
She wore dangling gold earrings, and sported a golden, glowing complexion.
Fresh-faced Bella showed no signs of the gruelling schedule she has been following in various cities across the world.
The globetrotting model has walked for fashion brands in New York, London and Milan's fashion weeks so far, and touched down in Paris on Monday ahead of another hectic week.
Bella joined her sister Gigi in walking the Milan Fashion Week runways, with both stunning in the Versace show on Friday.
Glamour: The brunette beauty swept her raven tresses off her face in a blown out bob, and slipped on some vintage style narrow sunglasses
Jet set: The globetrotting model has walked for fashion brands in New York, London and Milan's fashion weeks so far, and touched down in Paris on Monday ahead of another hectic week
Unforgettable: After walking in the Versace show with her sister, Bella gushed that the experience was something she would 'never forget'
All eyes on me: Bella commanded attention as she posed fiercely at the bash
Suits you! She was effortlessly chic in the co-ord as she posed beside an array of suitcases
Designers and luxury brands, including Prada, Armani, Cavalli, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana, showcased a total of almost 160 collections for spring and summer 2018 during the six-day extravaganza.
After walking in the Versace show with her sister, Bella gushed that the experience was something she would 'never forget.'
Bella joked about her city-trotting on Instagram on Monday, posting a photo with the caption: 'Another time zone.'
She was accompanied on her trip to Italy by proud mother and Real Housewives of Beverley Hills star Yolanda Hadid.
Busy bee: Paris marks Bella's fourth fashion week in the space of one month
Sheer delight: Meanwhile, model pal Hailey worked a daring sheer silver mini dress for the glamorous dinner
Peek-a-boo: Her crystal-encrusted ensemble teased at her white undergarments while she worked her blonde locks into a sleek ponytail to continued her sixties vibe
Walk this way: The daring look highlighted her slender pins as she left the Rimowa dinner at 1728 in her sky-high blush-coloured heels
Meanwhile, model pal Hailey worked a daring sheer silver mini dress for the glamorous dinner.
The daring look highlighted her slender pins as she left the Rimowa dinner at 1728 in her sky-high blush-coloured heels.
Her crystal-encrusted ensemble teased at her white undergarments while she worked her blonde locks into a sleek ponytail to continued her sixties vibe.
Winging it: Hailey continued her sixties inspired ensemble with a slick of black winged eyeliner
All that glitters: Hailey looked sensational in her racy ensemble
Say cheese! Bella happily posed with Alexandre Arnault at the dinner, hosted by Alexandre as well as Rimowa
She's one the most famous faces in Australia's competitive and cutthroat PR industry.
But that didn't stop Roxy Jacenko from receiving a frisking from security at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old had to take off her shoes and put her hands to the sides as an airport worker employed the use of a portable body scanner.
Anything to declare? PR maven Roxy Jacenko endured a frisking from security at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday, after a quick trip to the city for work
The incident was snapped by Roxy's employee Holly Brooke, who posted the image to her Instagram Story.
Seeming to find humour in the situation, British-born Holly captioned the photo 'There's always one' accompanied by an emoji that featured rolling eyes.
The picture shows Roxy dressed stylishly for her flight back home to Sydney, showing off her fit physique in a pair of tight leather pants.
On the road! Roxy (right) shared a snap with her employee Holly as they spent the day in Melbourne
She also donned a multi-coloured sweater to complete her comfortable yet professional look.
Whilst the blonde was required to take off her shoes for the security check, she still wore a chunky gold watch on her wrist.
The frisking photo was just one of a number of snaps British-born Holly shared of her day trip to Melbourne with Roxy.
Brains and beauty! Roxy owns Ministry of Talent- an agency that specialises in digital talent management
The pair were in the southern city for work duties for Ministry of Talent- an agency owned by Roxy that specialises in digital talent management.
In another snap, Roxy was seen wowing industry types at Olympic Park Stadium as she took to the stage to impart her expertise.
However, whilst the two kept close company throughout the day, it appeared that they may have been seated separately during their morning flight from Sydney to Melbourne.
Holly snapped a selfie that showed her sitting in an empty row with the caption 'forget Business @roxyjacenko plenty more room back here'.
Texas Ban on Sanctuary Cities Goes Forward
There's a shootout in Texas over sanctuary cities, and right now the new sheriff and his deputy are winning.
That sheriff would be U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and his Texas deputy would be state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Since President Trump took office, Sessions has been gunning for cities that refuse to cooperate with the President's new immigration policies.
The Texas legislature got behind Sessions and passed a law that penalizes the so-called sanctuary cities for non-compliance. A federal appeals court said, more or less, "that's pretty much the law, pardner."
Sanctuary Ban
Texas Senate Bill 4 punishes sanctuary cities that prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal authorities' efforts to curb illegal immigration. The bill requires police to comply with detainer requests from immigration officers for possible deportations.
The law also authorizes local law enforcement to question the immigration status of anyone, including people who are stopped for minor traffic violations. Non-complaint local officials face up to a year in jail and fines of up to $25,000 a day.
A federal judge had granted a preliminary injunction against the law, concluding that it was probably unconstitutional. However, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals substantially stayed that order while the courts further consider the bill's constitutionality.
'Comply With, Honor and Fulfill'
In City of El Cenizo v. State of Texas, the appeals court said the state may enforce key parts of the bill. The state acknowledged, and the court confirmed, that some definitions must be clarified.
However, the justices said local law enforcement shall "comply with, honor, and fulfill" any immigration detainer by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"We are pleased today's 5th Circuit ruling will allow Texas to strengthen public safety by implementing the key components of Senate Bill 4," Paxton said. "Enforcing immigration law helps prevent dangerous criminals from being released into Texas communities."
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She's the former beauty queen who knows how to strut her stuff on red carpets.
And on Wednesday, Erin Holland has turned heads attending her first Dally M awards, at The Star in Sydney.
The 28-year-old impressed fashionistas on the red carpet of NRL's night of nights.
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White hot! Former beauty queen turned actress Erin Holland has turned heads in a pearl white figure hugging gown attending her first Dally M awards
Erin, who was at the event as an ambassador for The Star, struck a pose for the cameras.
She flaunted her slender in a pearl-white, sequence and lace figure hugging gown by Pallas Couture.
Her brunette locks were kept back in a sleek low bun, which drew attention to her plunging neckline.
The long skirt fit around her slender waist flowing down to the ground, while the thigh high split showed off a bit of leg.
Stunner: The 28-year-oldErin, who was at the event as an ambassador for The Star, struck a pose for the cameras
All that sparkles: She flaunted her slender in a pearl-white, sequence and lace figure hugging gown by Pallas Couture, attending her first Dally M awards
Posing with her hands on her hips, the frock's long bell sleeves split mid way down her arm before flaring out and showcase the beautiful and intricate lace.
In another photo, Erin turns her back to the camera to reveal the elegant back of the diamond shape cutout of the dress.
The exposing a section of her toned back, while the frock hugged her pert derriere.
She told Daily Mail Australia that she had been preparing for the event since yesterday.
'It was a lot of prep yesterday with tans and nails and hair. And this morning it was picking up a shoes, going to the gym... It is a process but I am pleased with what they've done,' she said.
Taking the plunge! Her brunette locks were kept back in a sleek low bun, which drew attention to her plunging neckline
Shining bright! In another photo, Erin turns her back to the camera to reveal the elegant back of the dress. Featuring a diamond shape cut out that exposed a section of her toned back, while the frock hugged her pert derriere
She did not accessorise her look with an jewelry, which proved to be clever in drawing attention the sparkle and shimmer of the dress.
Erin's makeup focused on showing off her structured cheeks with contouring and bronzer.
Her strong brows also drew structure to her face, while lashings of mascara and drew attention to her eyes.
He was spotted making a controversial gun pose during a photoshoot the day before.
And Jeremy Meeks, who was charged with the possession of firearms in 2014, continued to embark on his flashy new modelling career on he posed away in Malibu, California on Tuesday.
The 'Hot Felon', 33, who left his wife Melissa Meeks for Topshop billionaire heiress Chloe Green earlier this summer, went shirtless to display his chiselled physique as he posed away with a motorbike.
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Flashy new career: Jeremy Meeks, 33, continued to embark on his flashy new modelling career on he posed away in Malibu, California on Tuesday
Jeremy looked every inch the hunk as she showcased his six-pack inked torso by going shirtless.
He teamed the look with a pair of black jeans and grey boots as he cut a series of fierce poses with a mint green coloured motorcycle.
In another impressive pose, he hopped on the vehicle and pretended he was riding it as he stared seductively into the lens of the camera.
Jeremy then went on to pose at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the blue ocean, as photographer Jim Jordan, who is also his manager, shot away.
A quick getaway! The 'Hot Felon' looked every inch the hunk as she showcased his six-pack inked torso by going shirtless as he hopped onto a motorcycle
Work it! Jeremy then went on to pose at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the blue ocean, as photographer Jim Jordan, who is also his manager, shot away
The day before, Jeremy, who was released from prison in March 2016, played up to his bad boy image as he was spotted making a gun pose while standing shirtless in Malibu on Sunday.
The star also made what appeared to be gang hand signs as he embarked on the photoshoot just off the Pacific Coast Highway.
He had a black bandanna tied around his face as if he was about to rob a bank while he stretched out an arm looking like he could have a gun in his hand.
Hands up! The day before, Jeremy, who was released from prison in March 2016, played up to his bad boy image as he was spotted making a gun pose while standing shirtless in Malibu
Not sure what this means: The former prisoner also made what looked to be gang sings; in July he said he had quit the gang 'to a certain extent'
With no shirt on, his several tattoos were on display. It is not known if he has an Crips inkings. In July he said he had quit the gang 'to a certain extent.'
Meeks had on no shirt and wore his cut-off khaki shorts low on his waist with a black belt.
Black sneakers with white laces looked brand new.
Behind the Philipp Plein model was a vintage light blue car that looked to be in mint condition.
Change of clothes, but still no shirt: He went from khakis to jeans
When he was not posing with his hand out, he pointed a finger at the photographer and also leaned on the car.
At one point he seemed to be running into the street with both hands made into a fist as if he was about to get into a fight.
Jeremy was initially propelled into the spotlight after his mug shot in June 2014 went viral, receiving more than 33,000 likes and 10,400 comments on Facebook.
Another look: Jeremy had a bandanna tied around his head Tupac Shakur style
He got his look down: The Vogue model has been working in front of the camera only since March when he was released from prison
At the time, he had been arrested on felony weapon charges in Stockton, California.
Also on Monday Green shared several Instagram images where she looked close with Meeks.
In one photo they are in bed and she calls him her 'number one.'
Ready to rumble? At one point he seemed to be running into the street with both hands made into a fist as if he was about to get into a fight
The day before Jeremy said he had 'found the one' in a revealing social media post.
In the first intimate image, a shirtless Jeremy is seen capturing a selfie of the pair in bed, with Chloe reclining behind him in a pair of printed silk pyjamas.
Holding a peace sign while her beau smoldered for the camera, Chloe captioned the snap: 'Goodnight world', alongside an affectionate love heart emoji.
A star is born: Jeremy was initially propelled into the spotlight after his mug shot in June 2014 went viral, receiving more than 33,000 likes and 10,400 comments on Facebook
Back story: Here the magazine shoot staple showed off part of his backside
Not stopping there however, the heiress went on to share a second snap of the duo relaxing in bed - proving her love for Jeremy in the caption, which read: 'My number 1 @jmeeksofficial'
Jeremy also shared a selfie of the pair at a rooftop location - with Chloe planting a kiss on his cheek in front of the stunning LA backdrop.
Declaring his love for her, following the breakdown of his marriage to wife Melissa, the model gushed to fans: 'My #1 @chloegreen', which Chloe later posted to her own page, adding the comment: 'I am his and he is mine!'
Jeremy has had a very public breakdown of his marriage to Melissa, who was fiercely loyal to the convict during his lengthy prison sentence.
He is step-father to her two children from other marriages Robert, aged 11, and Ellie, aged 16.
In September, mother-of-three Melissa discussed her husband's infidelity before she stormed offstage briefly in a televised interview with Inside Edition.
'I was in shock. I didn't really know what to do,' she said.
Their eight-year marriage came to an end when pictures of Jeremy locking lips with his Chloe surfaced in the summer.
The felon and the daughter of Sir Philip Green were initially photographed canoodling on a yacht in Bodrum in May, while he was still married.
Though she has been seen with an engagement ring on, her reps have denied she is engaged to Meeks.
He's in love! Here Meeks is seen with Chloe Green, who he called 'the one'
They're the The Block judges that strike fear into the contestants at room reveal.
But Neale Whitaker and Andrew Winter are looking forward to their TV debut in the brand new Foxtel series Love It or List It, on the network's Lifestyle channel.
In an interview with Confidential, the fashionable Sydneysiders have revealed their pet design hates, and told all about the experiences they both encountered while filming the anticipated renovation series.
Defining design: In an interview with Confidential on Wednesday, The Block judges Neale Whitaker and Andrew Winter have revealed their pet design hates, and told all about the experiences they both encountered while filming the anticipated renovation series, Love It or List It
'I have seen homes made from converted cow barns, old telephone exchange buildings, watermills and a windmill,' Andrew claims.
In contrast, Neale says in his former position as the editor of Vogue Living, a taxidermist's property was shockingly beautiful.
'One that sticks in my mind is the home of an Australian artist we published in Vogue Living. It was stuffed full (pun intended) of taxidermy but an amazing property nevertheless.'
The Block judges claim that it's the element of design that sometimes has them in stitches, with certain trends that would normally be considered as fads now becoming widespread staple decorative items in Australian households.
Excited: But Neale Whitaker and Andrew Winter are looking forward to their TV debut in the brand new Foxtel series Love It or List It, on the network's Lifestyle channel
Not into fads: The Block judges claim that it's the element of design that sometimes has them in stitches, with certain trends that would normally be considered as fads now becoming widespread staple decorative items in Australian households
'What was that obsession with owls a few years back? And that thing about antlers? Cardboard antlers, plywood antlers, felt antlers. I fear pineapples are very much the new owls,' Neale said.
The pair say the idea that television can be unrelenting is completely true, and they even had a few hiccups along the way, including Andrew revealing that Neale's driving skills are terrible, and that he is the definition of a 'backseat driver.'
Among a few wardrobe malfunctions, and what they politely say are 'abusive residents telling them not to film in their street', the pair make it clear that viewers are in for a wild time of property mishaps and drama.
Love It or List It screens every Wednesday 7.30pm on Lifestyle.
The whole family are in Barcelona for the Rolling Stones' next concert.
And legendary rocker Ronnie Wood, 70, certainly looked very happy to be in Spain as he gave fans a double thumbs up and flashed a huge grin before heading to dinner with wife Sally, 39, and their twin daughters.
The iconic musician beamed as he posed on his hotel balcony on Tuesday before he joined Sally and their 15-month-old babies Alice Rose and Gracie Jane for a family night out at the plush Ritz Hotel.
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Loving life! Legendary Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood, 70, certainly looked very happy to be in Barcelona as he gave fans a double thumbs up and flashed a huge grin from his hotel balcony on Tuesday
Family night out: the rocker later joined wife Sally, 39, and their 15-month-old daughters Alice Rose and Gracie Jane for dinner at the plush Ritz Hotel
The veteran rocker - who is a dad of six - kept a low profile as the family arrived at the hotel in a blacked out people carrier, leaving partner Sally to steal the show in a figure-hugging frock.
West End Theatre producer Sally looked sensational in a sleeveless, curve-skimming pink dress that fell to the knee.
She teamed her pretty frock with a pair of low-heeled wedges with a gold T-shaped straps and a chunky gold watch.
The brunette beauty carried one of the couple's young daughters on her hip, while the other little girl was cradled by a female pal dressed in red.
It was a drizzly night in Barcelona so the high-profile family were protected by two oversized umbrellas held by a pair of helpers.
Staying dry: West End Theatre producer Sally looked sensational in a sleeveless, curve-skimming pink dress that fell to the knee as she was protected from the rain by two oversized umbrellas held by helpers
Ronnie, Sally and their two kids arrived in Barcelona on Monday ahead of the Rolling Stones' concert in the city on Wednesday night.
The rockers kicked off their European tour at the start of September in Germany, with no sign of slowing things down.
They wowed a packed stadium of 82,000 fans at the Stadtpark stadium in Hamburg, with Ronnie receiving what could only be described as a hero's welcome after his cancer battle.
He had operation in May to remove a cancerous lung tumour.
Domestic bliss: Ronnie and Sally, pictured in 2013, married in 2012 and welcomed their twins in May 2016
Still going strong! The Rolling Stones kicked off their European tour at the start of September and have vowed they won't ever stop performing
Fans were left cheering in Hamburg as the men declared they weren't ever going to stop performing.
Keith Richards told the crowd: 'We haven't finished yet. It's still too early for me to talk about the Stones' legacy. There's one thing that we haven't yet achieved, and that's to really find out how long you can do this.'
Meanwhile, as Ronnie enjoyed an evening with his family in Barcelona, his ex-wife Jo Wood, 62, was having a night on the town in London.
Stylish: While Ronnie enjoyed an evening with his family in Barcelona, his ex-wife Jo Wood, 62, was having a night on the town in London, attending a party in honour of Champion Talent, the agency which represents her
The entrepreneur was snapped at a bash in honour of Champion Talent, the agency which represents her.
Jo looked sleek and stylish in a pair of skintight black trousers and a smart tailored black blazer.
She teamed them with an eye-catching neon green buttoned blouse emblazoned with a black polka dot pattern.
The former model added some extra height to her look with a pair of chunky heeled black peep toe ankle strap shoes, and slung her black handbag across her chest for a carefree finish.
Model style: the former model looked sleek and stylish in a pair of skintight black trousers and a smart tailored black blazer. She teamed them with an eye-catching neon green buttoned blouse emblazoned with a black polka dot pattern
Leaving gift: the blonde beauty was seen exiting the venue afterwards clutching a goodie bag and sporting a huge smile
The blonde beauty wore her locks in a poker straight style around her shoulders, and stayed true to her rock chick looks with a dramatic smokey eye.
Completing her stylish look were two chains slung around her neck and a pair of dangling gold earrings, teamed with a chunky gold ring on her left hand.
She was seen leaving the venue afterwards clutching a goodie bag and sporting a huge smile.
Jo and Ronnie were married from 1985 until 2009 and share daughter Leah and sons Tyrone and Jamie, the latter of whom is Jo's son from a previous marriage who Ronnie adopted.
Ronnie's also dad to son Jesse from his marriage to first wife Krissy.
He won himself the coveted double delight rose in the first episode of The Bachelorette.
But despite the date advantage, Sam Cochrane, 33, has not impressed Sophie Monk's father Andrew after making dodgy comments about his views on finding love.
On Wednesday's episode the 37-year-old set up a group date but sneakily involving her family; her parents as drivers and sister Lucy, as an art analyst to get their opinion on the men.
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'You're dead boy!' Sam Cochrane, 33, has not impressed Sophie Monk's father Andrew after making vile comments about his views on finding love
Her father Andrew was behind the wheel with one half of the group, including man bun aficionado Sam.
During a candid conversation the voice over artist shared his thoughts on love, unwittingly aware Mr Monk was present for their indecent conversation.
'You can't be in love in one second. You can be in lust, though. Oh, I've been in lust from one second,' he told the other men.
Her father Andrew (right) was behind the wheel with one half of the group, including man bun aficionado Sam whose indecent conversation did not sit well with him
Ryan asked him: 'Do you know the difference between love and lust?'
'Yeah. Lust is you wanna bang 'em and love is you wanna look after them,' the Bondi-based singleton said.
He added: 'When I meet someone, I want it just to be like a volcano of explosions. Like, not in that sense. Not in a rude sense. But I do want it in a rude sense, but not straightaway.'
Love and lust: The man-bun aficionado said 'When I meet someone, I want it just to be like a volcano of explosions. Like, not in that sense. Not in a rude sense. But I do want it in a rude sense, but not straightaway'
Big mistake? Sam was a look of panic as he tried to recall the exact details of what he said in the car after Osher revealed the car driver's were actually Sophie's parents
Sam's comments did not sit well with Mr Monk who tried his best to stay in character.
'That was getting a bit close to the point, I thought. I was concerned a little bit,' he said.
When host Osher Gunsberg revealed the identity of her mother and father, Sam was a look of panic as he tried to recall the exact details of what he said in the car.
Huge mistake! Sophie's dad told the group that Sam's comments had him thinking, 'You're dead boy'
He was right to be worried, with Sophie's dad telling the group that Sam's comments had him thinking, 'You're dead boy'.
Summing up the disaster, Sam admitted: 'I'm screwed'.
Later that evening, Sam had the chance to have a chat with Sophie about going on dates, however she took control of the conversation calling him out over his 'cans' comment in the last group challenge.
'You're meant to be winning my affection': Later in the evening Sophie took control of their conversation calling him out over his 'cans' comment in the last group challenge
'You started talking about my cans on the photoshoot. Remember that? You're meant to be winning my affection and you're going, "Look at her cans,"' she recalled.
Feeling guilty, he apologised for his bad behaviour but Sophie quipped: 'It made me feel a bit like you don't really like me. And it's just like that's you treat all women. That's all I'd say.'
While their chat left him red-faced and apologetic, Sam still received a rose from the beauty and was safe from elimination.
Fans have been speculating whether his role has an ulterior motive, and is perhaps working as a spy for her villainous ex-husband Simon.
But Doctor Foster star Prasanna Puwanarajah gave his own opinion about his character James on Wednesday, and hinted to fans why he is yet to dump protagonist Gemma.
Appearing on Lorraine, the actor admitted he thinks fans are too wrapped up in his character, and that he is simply 'someone who just rolls with it' - explaining his wild escapades with the doctor, played by Suranne Jones.
Opening up: Prasanna Puwanarajah gave his opinion about his Doctor Foster character James on Wednesday - claiming he is more relaxed than people think
Over the last month, his teacher character James has been pursuing Gemma on the show - asking her on a date, which even resulted in the pair attending her cheating ex-husband Simon's party side by side.
However, while many fans took to Twitter to speculate whether he was secretly spying on the doctor, Prasanna revealed he thinks James is more relaxed than people believe.
Addressing the fact that James is not aware of Gemma's past, he told Lorraine Kelly: 'When I started with the character, I forgot that he's not been watching Doctor Foster. He doesn't know what we know!
Out of the loop: Addressing the fact that James is not aware of Gemma's past, he said: 'I forgot that he's not been watching Doctor Foster. He doesn't know what we know!'
Relaxed: Before adding, in dismissal of a recent fan theory that claimed he was spying on Gemma: 'He is one of those people who just rolls with it!'
'All he did was meet someone and ask them out. He then went to a party with her, which happened to have been held by her ex-husband.'
Before adding: 'He is one of those people who just rolls with it!'
Tuesday night's episode left viewers on the edge of their seats with its shocking cliffhanger - which appeared to show Gemma attempting to run Simon over with her car, as her rage reached its peak.
Prasanna explained that scenes like this make the show so 'moreish' to watch, and that viewers love how it leads to a discussion after each episode.
Sparking conversation: Prasanna explained the show (Tuesday night's episode above) is so 'moreish' to watch, as each episode leads to a discussion
Relatable: He said: 'There's something about her journey where people look at it and think, why is she doing this? But at the same time thinking, there's a bit of her in all of us'
He said: 'There's something about her journey where people look at it and think, why is she doing this? But at the same time thinking, there's a bit of her in all of us.
'There are theories around but it's a show that generates talking points. We'll have to see how it all pans out!'
He also said he believes its popularity is increased by the fact it airs weekly on the BBC - unlike many of the American series' you can binge-watch online.
He added: 'It's old school TV. You've got to wait for your weekly dose, which is less and less of a thing.
Suspense: He also said he believes its popularity is increased by the fact it airs weekly on the BBC - unlike many of the American series' you can binge-watch online
Come-uppance: Fans were delighted on Tuesday after Simon's young wife walked out on him, and cut off his access to their house, finances and daughter Amelie (above)
'Its quite a communal experience. People get to work or go on to Twitter to talk about it.'
Fans were delighted on Tuesday night after Simon's young wife walked out on him, and cut off his access to her wealthy father's house and finances, as well as all contact with their daughter Amelie.
Thrilled viewers who'd watched Simon torment his ex-wife since the start of season two flooded Twitter with memes and posts declaring that he 'got what he deserved', and hailing Tuesday night's show the 'best episode yet'.
However the sensational cliffhanger ending - which saw Suranne's character speeding towards her ex-husband in her car in the closing seconds - means fans will have to wait until next week's finale to learn if their heroine took the ultimate revenge.
Her daily fashion updates are high-anticipated by her Instagram followers on the social media site.
But it seems Holly Willoughby's fans were left divided over her latest post, as the This Morning presenter shared a snap of herself donning a chic floral-printed shirt dress that highlighted her svelter frame of late.
The blonde beauty, 36, appeared to be a hit on Wednesday, thanks to her latest sartorial offering, but found herself subject to comments about her figure, with some fans telling Holly they were missing her usually 'curvaceous' frame.
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Sartorially savvy: Holly Willoughby, 36, appeared to be a hit on Wednesday, thanks to her latest sartorial offering, but found herself subject to comments about her figure
Holly looked simply sensational in her black and white Hobbs London dress that featured a collared neckline and nipped in at the waist, before billowing out around her upper leg.
Its knee-length hem made sure to leave the TV star's pins firmly on view and she added extra height to her ensemble with a pair of strappy black heels.
Sporting a glamorous make-up look, Holly chose to wear her blonde locks down in tousled curls that fell just past her shoulders in a central parting.
Beaming from ear-to-ear, Holly made sure to flash a smile as she updated her following on her latest wardrobe choice, with many fans praising her for her style excellence.
Loving her dress, they took to the comments section in their droves to inform Holly that she looked 'beautiful' in the number. They penned: 'You always look so stunning!!!
'More radiant than ever': The TV presenter's latest sartorial offering was a hit with her followers, with many praising Holly on how 'beautiful' she looks
'Love today's dress choice and you are looking more radiant than ever.
'Your such a beautiful woman in looks and personality. Broke the mould when they made you.
'Very beautiful I love you in this well done again spot on.'
However, some fans, while complimenting Holly on her appearance, made sure to add that they were missing her famous hourglass frame following her weight loss of late.
'Go steady holly, your beauty is in your curves, stop here , don't go any further,' one fan penned, while another pined: 'Bring our sexy and curvaceous Holly back (Now painfully thin and wrong message) #BringHollyBack.'
Others added: 'Very nice but preferred you more curvy holly; Very beautiful as always but are you losing weight holly. Your looking thinner every time I see you.'
'Go steady Holly': Others, meanwhile, appeared to pine after the beauty's famous curves, as they commented on Holly's svelter frame
Holly's latest post comes after she had touched upon her new slimline figure - that has prompted a flurry of interest from fans - during a recent interview on ITV's Lorraine.
Remaining silent on how she's achieved her new look, Holly simply said: 'My children are a bit older, you get to that point where you have a bit more time to yourself.
'But I think as long as youre happy and healthy that's most important.'
Joking about losing the assets that comedian Keith Lemon memorably dubbed her 'Willough-boobies,' Holly replied: 'I think they're still there, Lorraine.'
Holly has reportedly been training with Lynne Robinson, director of top National Pilates Centre.
New look: Holly's latest post comes after she had touched upon her new slimline figure during an interview on Lorraine, where she joked her Willough-boobies were still there
It's claimed that mother-of-three Holly has been focusing on her core strength and her stomach thanks to exercise including assisted curl ups.
Lynne told MailOnline: 'Pilates is both mind and body training. It is a fabulous method for improving your posture, making your breathing more efficient and for working on your core stability.
'Its a great way to tone up and streamline your body. As you have to focus on your movements, its also a great way to relax.'
Showcasing her honed physique, Holly wowed fans as she displayed possibly her slimmest look to date while sporting a tight white jumper with a chic A-line skirt last week.
Svelte: Showcasing her honed physique, Holly wowed fans as she displayed possibly her slimmest look to date while sporting a tight white jumper with a chic A-line skirt last week
The This Morning host yet again garnered huge praise from fans who gushed over her outfit while others applauded her weight loss, with one fan pointing out: 'You've shrunk!' and another claiming: 'That figure was designed in heaven'.
Holly looked simply sensational in her ensemble which comprised of a polo-neck jumper with a semi-sheer material which was tucked into a waist hugging skirt.
Naturally the comments section was swarmed with praise for the stunning star, with users penning: 'Bang tidy... Absolutely stunning xx... stunning as always x... You've shrunk... You've always looked amazing but I think you look better than ever! X...
'this outfit on you the colour is gorgeous!... Wow hot sexy holly so stunning xx... beautiful work wardrobe style ... but have to wear heels?!... How have you got so lean- you look great x... And that figure is designed by heaven x...
'wish my outfit for work is gorg like this mines jeans top and a tabard lol. n also with I could pull this off lol x what's your weight loss secret ???????...
'It's a bit grannyish!' The day before, in a rare turn of events, Holly was slammed for her outfit choice as she shared a snap in a striped dress to her 2.5 million followers
'This gives me hope that I can wear a turtle neck with boobs!... You show us your lovely outfits, which I love by the way, so please share with us your secret to keeping so slim!! (sic)'
The day before, in a rare turn of events, Holly was slammed for her latest sartorial look as she shared a snap to her 2.5 million followers.
She donned a heavily striped brown dress from Hobbs London - which didn't go down well with her followers who claimed she looked 'grannyish'.
Confidently posing for the camera, Holly clad her famous curves in the shirt-inspired dress which boasted stripes of brown, navy and white hues.
'You usually smash it...': Holly's latest wardrobe choice for This Morning garnered a mixed reaction from fans
'First time i've seen her in something I don't like!' The heavily striped brown dress from Hobbs London - which didn't go down well with her followers who claimed she looked 'grannish'
With one hand on her hips, the blonde beamed as she posed up a storm in towering black heels.
However, while Holly may have expected her usual praise to seep in, she was instead swarmed with a negative response from her Instagram followers:
'No likey today Hollie, sorry' and 'Too old for you. Not the most flattering of dresses.'
'Kinda agree with a few folks not the best dress for you - bit grannyish - but you'd look great in a sack as they say.'
Sensational: She is usually praised for her stylish Instagram snaps - where she effortlessly documents her glamorous look for the day
'Not your best look!! But you always look good regardless of what you wear. Ooh no, not liking that dress' and 'Awful dress..... too frumpy.'
The backlash continued, with many more offering their opinion of her buttoned dress: 'Absolutely love you but this dress is awful... sorry xx' and 'First time I've seen her in something I don't like xxx
Another fan admitted: 'Nooo awful. Usually smash it, but! Not today.'
However, there were dedicated fans who jumped to her defence: 'BEAUTIFUL as always Holly.'
'You are so beautiful Holly. Gorgeous dress and lovely legs' and 'I like it! would be better with top buttons open though.'
'Oh holly you always look so stunning' and Wow absolutely gorgeous.'
'Beautiful as always!' However, there were dedicated fans who jumped to her defence
Unfazed: Holly appeared in high spirits as she joined her co-host Phillip Schofield on the daytime show
Beauty: As always, the presenter had stunned on the beauty front as she opted for a pared-back make-up look
Not only has she been walking for some of New York, London and Milan's biggest fashion houses, but she's been 'on tour' with Tommy Hilfiger.
But Gigi Hadid is now completing Fashion Month in Paris, seen arriving for a fitting at Izabel Marant on Wednesday morning.
She has just flown into France from Spain, where she was promoting her Spring/Summer collaboration with the brand.
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Busy bee: Gigi Hadid was seen leaving her hotel and arriving at the Izabel Marant fitting rooms in Paris
Looking catwalk-ready, Gigi arrived in tasseled kitten heels that matched her bold, gold jacket, and carried a Stalvey handbag.
The jacket was worn off one shoulder, allowing the beauty to expose her bust in a classic, black vest top.
And she paired matching wide-leg trousers with the top, buckling them up to emphasise her lithe middle.
Fit to bust! Gigi gave a flash of her cleavage in her plunging top as she headed out in Paris, where she has just jetted to from Spain
Paris fittings: She wore her yellow jacket off one shoulder to reveal her ample chest and carried a Stalvey bag
Golden girl: The blonde wore tasseled shoes for her glamorous outing
With the Balmain, Elie Saab and Kenzo shows still due to take place before Paris closes on Tuesday, Gigi is expected to have a busy few days ahead.
Her younger sister Bella is also in town, after they shared the runway at Versace, Moschino and Bottega Veneta last week.
Bella flew straight in from Madrid, while Gigi travelled across to Barcelona for more work with Tommy.
She was mobbed by fans as she continued her promotional duties on Tuesday.
Up and at em! Gigi is busy with fittings as Paris prepares to come to a climax
Well heeled: She wore simple, low kitten heels for a glamorous arrival
Lots to do: There are still a couple of high profile designers to showcase their collections at Paris Fashion Week
Feeling good: Gigi appeared in good spirits as she flashed a small smile at cameras while in the French capital
On the fringes of fashion! Her striking shoes were adorned with a shimmering gold tassle on the front, in a trendy finishing touch
The supermodel wowed the style brigade as she flashed her taut stomach in a tummy-grazing polo neck crop top as she attended to her die-hard followers.
Gigi couldn't stop grinning ear to ear as she took her time with fans in the Spanish city, while also taking snaps to capture the moment.
And she looked every inch the fashionista as her heat-inducing ribbed top featured striking red stripe detail around her long-sleeves which countered her stomach-flaunting display.
She continued her stylish look in a pair of loose-fitting flared tartan trousers which accentuated her slender pins as she posed for photos.
Superstar: Gigi, 22, was mobbed by fans as she continued her promotional duties in her signature style as she promoted her collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger in Barcelona on Tuesday
Famous: The model couldn't stop grinning ear to ear as she took her time with fans in the Spanish city, while also taking snaps to capture the moment
Wow: Gigi looked every inch the fashionista as her heat-inducing ribbed top featured striking red stripe detail around her long-sleeves which countered her stomach-flaunting display
Stomach-flashing: Ahead of her fan segment, Gigi also worked the red carpet with her signature style
He's the Bachelorette front-runner who stole the first kiss from Bachelorette Sophie Monk.
But as Jarrod Woodgate confronted fellow competitor Sam Cochrane on Wednesday night's episode of the show, a number of viewers took to Twitter to joke about the smitten star.
One joked that Jarrod's infatuation with Sophie made him 'the type of guy that would slowly steal locks of your hair in your sleep and weave a life-sized human doll'.
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Smitten: The Bachelorette's Jarrod Woodgate revealed he was smitten with Sophie Monk during an exchange with rival Sam Cochrane on Wednesday night's episode, leading some to joke on social media
Social media: An enamoured Jarrod was the subject of a number of light hearted jokes on Twitter
Another joked that Jarrod resembled Glenn Close's character in the film Fatal Attraction. In the hit 1980s movie, the star plays a spurned lover who infamously boils her ex's pet rabbit on a stove.
'Good job Sophie's from the Gold Coast and can't own a rabbit, Jarrod would be warming a pot of water for it' the viewer joked.
Wednesday's episode saw vineyard manager Jarrod bluntly tell Sam: 'I'm here for Sophie. I'm not here for you.'
Bunny boiler? One user joked that Jarrod resembled Glenn Close's 'bunny boiler' character in the film Fatal Attraction
Tensions had been building between the two, after they both won the affections of Sophie during the early stages of the dating show.
On the first night in the mansion, Sophie presented Sam with the Double Delight rose, while lucky Jarrod managed to steal the first kiss from Sophie during an intimate one-on-one date.
During the exchange Sam stated that he had heard Jarrod was 'angry' that he had received the Double Date rose.
Not mincing his words: Bachelorette hopeful Jarrod Woodgate (left) took fellow competitor Sam Cochrane aside for a few tense words during Wednesday night's explosive episode of the Bachelorette
Jarrod denied the claim, stating: 'I just want you to understand,if I fall for a girl, I am a bull at a gate. I am through that fence. I want to break down that electric fence.'
He added: 'I want to be able to get to know that person. I don't care who's around me. My focus is on the one person that I want to find out about.'
In a separate segment, Jarrod slammed Sam telling the producers: 'I look at Sam, I'm like, 'You know what? You're still growing your hair long and you've got some bum fluff on your chin.' It's like, she's not after...not after a child. She wants to HAVE children, not BE with a child.'
Frontrunners: The two men are early favourites, quickly catching the eye of Sophie
Sam returned fire separately, telling producers: 'Jarrod's come out too strong. And we're a little creeped out by him, to be honest.
'It's a little bit full-on, because we're worried about what's gonna happen as other blokes start to kiss her'.
She walked the runway for Yves Saint Laurent at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.
And the next day, Kaia Gerber looked triumphant as she executed her catwalk strut while leaving the George V hotel in Paris.
The 16-year-old model looked like she was well on the way to re-creating her iconic supermodel mum Cindy Crawford's career as she emerged for the stylish sighting.
Model of the moment: Kaia Gerber, 16, looked triumphant as she executed her catwalk strut while leaving the George V hotel in Paris on Wednesday
Wow: The day before, the model walked the runway for Yves Saint Laurent at PFW
Kaia looked every inch the teen star as she stepped out from the hotel in the sleeveless vest top, which she paired with ankle-grazing skinny black trousers.
A red belt served two purposes - cinching in her waist and adding a pop of colour.
Taking a break from her towering high heels, Kaia opted for a pair of comfortable white trainers for the outing.
The brunette allowed her glossy tresses to run free and showed off her pretty features by going bare-faced.
Sensational: Kaia looked like she was well on the way to re-creating her iconic supermodel mum Cindy Crawford's career as she emerged for the stylish sighting
Trendy: Kaia looked every inch the teen star as she stepped out from the hotel in the sleeveless vest top, which she paired with ankle-grazing skinny black trousers
Style: A red belt served two purposes - cinching in her waist and adding a pop of colour
With a black handbag draped across her body, Kaia seemed in high spirits as she relaxed in between her hectic schedule.
Kaia was a clear choice to walk the runway at Yves Saint Laurent's spectacular show at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.
The teenager was seen wearing an array of chic ensembles as she pulled her very best model gaze while leading fellow fashionistas on the catwalk, which took place beneath the Eiffel Tower in a show-stopping event.
Chilling: Taking a break from her towering high heels, Kaia opted for a pair of comfortable white trainers for the outing
Fresh-faced: The brunette allowed her glossy tresses to run free and showed off her pretty features by going bare-faced
Kaia, whose dad is businessman Rande Gerber, was on hand to model YSL's Spring/Summer '18 looks for the Ready to Wear collection by Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello.
Each of her YSL looks were as striking as the next, including a chic black dress which tumbled off the shoulders and featured voluminous sleeves which masked her arms from beneath.
Kaia has been cementing her crown as one of the biggest models in the world after trotting around the globe in recent weeks for every big fashion week show going - most notably the iconic Versace show which saw her mum also storm the stage.
Busy lady: With a black handbag draped across her body, Kaia seemed in high spirits as she relaxed in between her hectic schedule
Doing her thing: Kaia was sporting an array of looks for the Yves Saint Laurent's spectacular show at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday
It seems the knock-on impact of fashion weeks have been taking their toll on the teen as she took to Instagram on Monday to share a snap as she cradled a cup of coffee while adding the caption: 'Survival'.
Kaia's runway appearances come after she revealed in July finds it 'difficult' juggling her modelling career with her education.
She told Miss Vogue: 'Its really difficult, because you have a lot of different things going on. I go to school everyday, and that does come first.'
Showstopper: The star strutted her stuff along the runway in an incredible setting as the fashion weeks drew to a close
The teen also told the magazine: 'I try to separate my modelling work from my school life because I dont want people to think of me differently or that I am a certain way because of it.
'I think I do a pretty good job of separating it, I dont really talk about it with my friends. Other than my friends that are part of the industry, and I guess thats different.'
She added: 'I use my free time for work, but because I love it so much, it doesnt feel like work and I still have fun with it. I dont really have days where I can sit and do nothing.'
News / International
by Kingstone Jambawo
Staff at the Zimbabwe embassy in London had to run for cover after a group of Zimbabwean protesters stormed the embassy demanding that "Mugabe must go".The invasion took place on Wednesday 27th September at 1100am. Once inside the angry protesters pulled down president Robert Mugabe's portraits and broke into song and dance with some dancing on top of the benches, shouting "Mugabe must go"The campaign - LET'S DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT- which was organised by Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (ZHRO) was joined by Restoration Of Human Rights Zimbabwe (RHOR Zimbabwe), MDC, ZAPU, Mazimbwe Yes We Can (MZYWC), and Coventry Asylum Seekers And Refugee Action Group (CARAG).The frightened staff were nowhere to be seen in just a matter of minutes.The metropolitan police had to be called in by the embassy staff after the protesters brought Charing Cross to a standstill. Traffic into The Strand was halted as 4 police vehicles and 2 motorbikes that included the rapid response unit moved in.The most daunting task for the police was to remove the protesters from inside the embassy whilst the protesters tried to prevent Staff from returning into the embassy."The ZANU PF regime would have responded with water canons, pungent spray which burn eyes and skin, buttons and even attack dogs" said one protester."Such manifest of intolerance is what drives us to be defiant and do whatever it takes to have our voices heard from abroad. This is not the end of it, we are coming back every Wednesday to shut down the embassy!" She shouted.The protesters were also angered by arrest of Pastors Evan Mawarire who has been accused of subverting the government.The subversion charges came as a result of posting a video on Facebook criticising the government's handling of the economic crisis.Pastor Evan has awakened the spirit of resistance and inspired many to vent their frustrations and anxieties over the ongoing economic crisis, human rights abuses,and corruption.The on-going electoral fraud of trying to dissuade opposition supporters from voting by slowing the registration process is likely to intensify the people's existing resentment toward the ZANU PF regime.This is another important focal point around which to organise demonstrations. ZANU PF's strong arm tactic may be sufficient to prevent an electoral loss, but democracy protests are likely to rise as there are signs that 2018 elections will not be fully democratic.There will be more demonstrations to shut down the Zimbabwean embassy in London disrupting business as usual.
He's the son of Channel Nine's Richard Wilkins.
And on Wednesday, Christian 'Prince' showed off his unique sense of style at the opening night of Crazy Horse Paris cabaret at the State Theatre in Sydney.
The 22-year-old took to the red carpet topless, showcasing his toned tummy in a under a long black trench like kimono.
Abs-olutely chic! Christian 'Prince' showed off his unique sense of style at the opening night of Crazy Horse Paris cabaret at the State Theatre in Sydney
He teamed the ensemble with a pair of high waisted, cropped leather pants.
Christian teamed the outfit with a pair of combat booths and styled his trademark honey blonde down and straight.
The socialite confidently posed for the cameras, giving them his best blue steel face with his hands in his pocket and striking a cool figure with his male friend on the red carpet.
Flare for style! The 22-year-old took to the red carpet topless, showcasing his toned tummy in a under a black silk kimono
Fashion friends: The socialite confidently posed for the cameras, giving them his best blue steel face with his hands in his pocket and striking a cool figure with his male friend on the red carpet
Actress and model Erika Heynatz, 42, also graced the red carpet of the cabaret opening night.
Wearing a black mini dress with polka dot sheer layer, the statuesque blonde showed off her trim pins which she accentuated in a pair of strappy heels.
She teamed the look with a black blazer and tied the outfit all together with a big ribbon, as her long blonde locks cascaded down her shoulders.
Red carpet chic! Actress and model Erika Heynatz, 42, also graced the red carpet of the cabaret opening night a black mini dress with polka dot sheer layer
All smiles! The statuesque blonde showed off her trim pins which she accentuated in a pair of strappy heels
The former Home And Away actress kept her makeup elegant with strong brows, lashings of mascara, flushed pink cheeks and pink lipstick.
The TV star and the red carpet regular were at the event opening night for Crazy Horse Paris after wowing audience in Melbourne and Perth.
The cabaret is a Parisian act that boasts an impeccable reputation for presenting women in an incomparable, sensual and sophisticated way presented by a multicultural cast of eleven dancers clad only in textured lighting and projection.
The Brownlow Medal Count may have wrapped up days ago.
But the party is far from stopping- with AFL's elite and socialites alike descending upon the red carpet at the Virgin Australia AFL Grand Final Party on Thursday.
Kicking off the red carpet arrivals was former Neighbours actress Nicky Whelan, who was dressed to impress in a mini-skirt emblazoned with a bold rainbow stripe print.
Joining her was husband Kerry Rhodes, who looked dapper in his midnight blue suit and maroon tie.
Ravishing in rainbow! Nicky Whelan looked festive in a multi-coloured mini-dress as she and husband Kerry Rhodes attend Virgin Australia AFL Grand Final Party on Thursday
The pair, who tied the knot earlier this year, put on an amorous display as they posed arm-in-arm on the red carpet.
Nicky and Kerry weren't the only couple to put on a PDA for the cameras, with bikini model Natalie Roser getting very cosy with her actor beau Harley Bonner.
Natalie showcased her slender physique in an emerald green wrap dress which featured a daring plunge neckline and a thigh split.
Bright on the night! Nikki completed her look with a pair of platform heels and a matching beaded box clutch
Newlywed bliss! The pair, who tied the knot earlier this year, put on an amorous display as they posed arm-in-arm on the red carpet
She completed her look with a pair of diamante-encrusted pumps, and a beaded black clutch bag.
Harley was also dressed to impress, donning a grey suit accessories with a pocket square that matched his ladylove's dress.
Meanwhile, Campbell Brown and pregnant wife Jess were all smiles as they posed arm-in-arm.
PDA alert! Nicky and Kerry weren't the only couple to put on a PDA for the cameras, with bikini model Natalie Roser getting very cosy with her actor beau Harley Bonner
Glam in green! Natalie showcased her slender physique in an emerald green wrap dress which featured a daring plunge neckline and a thigh split
Couple goals! Harley was also dressed to impress, donning a grey suit accessories with a pocket square that matched his ladylove's dress
Legs 11 out of 10! E! News presenter Ksenija Lukich showcased her endless legs in a red mini-dress paired with black thigh-high boots
Dynamic duo! Meanwhile, Campbell Brown and pregnant wife Jess were all smiles as they posed arm-in-arm
At one stage, the couple cradled Jess' baby bump for an intimate photo.
Rianna and Ricky Ponting were also in tow, with Rianna donning an off-the-shoulder shift dress in spotted lace.
Also making an appearance was Miss Universe Australia Olivia Rogers, who showcased her lengthy legs in a black chiffon shirt-dress.
Cute! At one stage, the couple cradled Jess' baby bump for an intimate photo
Ace in lace! Rianna and Ricky Ponting were also in tow, with Rianna donning an off-the-shoulder shift dress in spotted lace
Legging it! Also making an appearance was Miss Universe Australia Olivia Rogers, who showcased her lengthy legs in a black chiffon shirt-dress
It was just before midnight, and I could barely keep my eyes open.
I was absolutely exhausted.
I was drained physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I had almost no strength left.
I took two shots of espresso before leaving the house so I didn't fall asleep while driving to the airport to pick up my oldest daughter, Gia, who was returning home with her high school team after a weekend cheerleading competition in Orlando.
I'm so proud of all my daughters, but because Gia is the oldest, she's really stepped up and helped out our family in ways that no sixteen-year-old should ever have to. I was so excited to see her, even though it'd been only two days.
She is holding it together: She has to work all the time to provide for their four kids; seen here in 2013
I blasted the radio in the car so loud it was deafening. It'd been a very long day, but then again, it seemed as if every day was just as long, a virtual repeat of the day before.
I felt like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day.
It was as if I was running on a hamster wheel that never stopped. Around and around I went, running full speed, but I couldn't seem to get ahead. I needed a break, but I couldn't seem to catch one.
The day stayed for me earlier than most, about twenty-four hours prior, when my seventy-three-year-old father, who now lives with me (more on that later), came into my bedroom not long after I'd returned home from a friend's place in Connecticut and woke me up, asking me to take him to the hospital. He had a nosebleed that wouldn't stop and he was also coughing up blood. It wasn't the first time this had happened.
Staying attractive: Teresa has to work out daily and diet to keep her looks so she can land big deals
Before we left for the hospital, I woke up my twelve-year-old daughter, Gabriella, and told her I was putting her in charge while I was gone because I had to take Nonno to the hospital.
My poor kids.
There's always something.
It's as if we have a dark cloud hovering over our house.
Stars Who Got Their Start on Reality TV
I often think to myself, maybe we should move and start over. I fantasize about what life would be like if we picked up and relocated to a place like Kentucky and started from scratch. What if I was no longer Teresa Giudice, reality television star from New Jersey, and I became Teresa Smith, real estate agent from Louisville or Lexington?
What would my new house look like?
Her life: The star stops by the opening of Gorga's Homemade Pasta & Pizza in New Jersey in May
What would my new friends look like?
What would I get my hair hone?
Are there any good Italian restaurants in Kentucky?
Would the paparazzi come looking for me?
Would I be happy?
I snapped back to reality, my reality, not what you see on TV, as I walked into the ER with my father. As we sat in the waiting room, which was absolutely freezing, I was rubbing his back affectionately, just like he used to rub mine when I was a little girl and I was sick.
I couldn't believe I was only a few weeks away from my forty-fifth birthday. I couldn't believe I'd just buried my mother. I couldn't believe my husband was in prison. I couldn't believe that I went to prison.
My head hurt. My mind was racing, I was literally all over the place, both everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Is that even possible?
Recently a close friend of mine suggested that I go see someone, a therapist, to try and sort things out. I wish I had the time, but sadly I don't. And I'm not sure if I'd even know where to begin or if it would even help. Are my problems the type that can be solved by sitting across from someone for an hour every week? Lying down on some stranger's couch and telling him or her my deepest, darkest secrets. Who are they to judge me? I'm not someone who opens up easily. Or, at least I haven't been in the past. I guess I just feel like my time would be better spent getting things done for my family.
Around and around on the hamster wheel.
In addition to caring for my seventy-three-year-old father and my four young daughters, I also have to work, work, work, work, work like Rihanna to play the bills and keep things afloat after my husband made a mess of our finances. Such a massive mess that it makes the Exxon Valdez oil spill seem like a glass of spilled red wine (more on that later).
And speaking of my husband...
While I was sitting in the ER waiting for the doctor to examine my father, I checked my phone to find a new message on CorrLinks, the email system used by inmates who are in a federal prison.
My husband, Joe, is currently serving a forty-one-month sentence, but you already know that, just like you know that I spent eleven and a half months of my life inside a federal prison camp for women in Danbury, Connecticut. (And if you didn't know that, you should read my last book, Turning the Tables.)
Like Frank Sinatra, my husband did it his way. And look where it got us.
So there I sat on that particular Sunday at 4:00 a.m. in the ER waiting room, reading Joe's email from late Saturday night, just a few hours before, asking me in a not-so-polite way where I was, who I was with, and what I was doing at that moment.
Was he f--king kidding me?
One of four: Here Teresa spends time with one of her four daughters at home
Well, honey, here are the answers to your email:
On Saturday, I woke up at 7:00 a.m. to get our girls ready for their various activities and spent the next hour driving them around and dropping them off at what felt like a million different places. Soccer, cheerleading, dance the usual.
Then I raced home to meet my glam girls, Priscilla and Lucia, who were doing my hair and makeup for a big event that was scheduled to start around noon, where I would be doing a meet-and-greet and book signing for fans, taking pictures, hosting a Q and A, and a cooking demonstration all while the producers and cameras from The Real Housewives of New Jersey followed my every move.
By 10:00 a.m. I was in the car a black SUV with dark-tinted windows.
I called my lawyer, Jim Leonard who also handles a lot of my professional commitments and screamed into the phone, Jim, did you know I'm going to MetLife Stadium for this event today?! How many people are coming to this thing?
Teresa, you are so popular the only venue big enough for you was MetLife Stadium, Jim replied, being his usual sarcastic, smart-ass self.
Seriously, what time will I be done? I asked, because I'm always thinking about the next place I have to be. There's always a child to be dropped off or picked up. Or another work obligation.
When you're done signing books and taking pictures, he responded. Let's hope you're there all day. That will mean you sold a lot of books. Also, while you're there, look for Jimmy Hoffa's body; they say he's buried there somewhere.
Goodbye, I said, rolling my eyes as I hung up.
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She recently revealed she's rid herself of facial fillers in favor of the natural look.
And Courteney Cox looked as though going back to basics was working wonders as she emerged from West Hollywood hotspot Craig's after a girls' night out on Tuesday.
The former Friends star, 53, was radiant as she put on a stylish display while hitting the town with a female pal.
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On the town: Courteney Cox emerged from West Hollywood hotspot Craig's after a girls' night out on Tuesday
The actress showcased her slim figure in an elegant peach midi-dress, featuring capped sleeves and a cinched-in waist.
Balancing on walnut brown heels, the mother-of-one flung a denim jacket over her left forearm.
Courteney accessorized with a black purse and wore her wavy hair down, while opting for natural make-up.
The star appeared in good spirits as she emerged from the upmarket eatery wearing geek chic-style thick-rimmed specs.
Elegant: The former Friends star, 53, was radiant as she put on a stylish display while hitting the town with a female pal
Earlier this year, Courteney appeared on the cover of NewBeauty magazine, and revealed she has decided to give up Hollywood-style fillers.
She explained in the interview: ''Well, what would end up happening is that you go to a doctor who would say,"You look great, but what would help is a little injection here or filler there."
'So you walk out and you dont look so bad and you think, no one noticed - its good. Then somebody tells you about another doctor, "This persons amazing. They do this person who looks so natural".
'You meet them and they say, "You should just do this". The next thing you know, youre layered and layered and layered.'
Dressed to impress: The actress showcased her slim figure in an elegant peach midi-dress, featuring capped sleeves and a cinched-in waist
'You have no idea because its gradual until you go, "Oh s***, this doesnt look right". And its worse in pictures than in real life.
'I have one friend who was like, "Whoa, no more!" I thought, I havent done anything in six months. I didnt realize.
'Ive had all my fillers dissolved. Im as natural as I can be. I feel better because I look like myself. I think that I now look more like the person that I was. I hope I do.'
The actress admitted she has finally made peace with her looks and the ageing process.
Stylish: Balancing on walnut brown heels, the mother-of-one flung a denim jacket over her left forearm in case of a change in the late-summer weather
Courteney explained: 'Things are going to change. Everythings going to drop. I was trying to make it not drop, but that made me look fake. You need movement in your face, especially if you have thin skin like I do.
'Those arent wrinkles - theyre smile lines. Ive had to learn to embrace movement and realize that fillers are not my friend.'
Courteney raises daughter Coco, 13, with ex-husband, actor David Arquette, 46, who she was married to from 1999 to 2000.
The star has been Snow Patrol rocker Johnny McDaid, 41, since late 2013 and the couple announced their engagement in June 2014.
Lisa Vanderpump is paying tribute to her beloved Pink Dog after the pup's sudden passing on Monday.
The reality star, 57, shared her grief in a sweet Instagram portrait of the five-year-old Pomeranian on Tuesday, writing: 'Rest in peace Pink Dog'.
The restaurateur continued: 'We are devastated to see you go so suddenly you were such a happy dog and we will miss you so much, we love you.'
Sweet angel: Lisa Vanderpump is grieving after the sudden passing of her pup Pink Dog on Monday, with the reality star taking to Instagram to mourn her late canine companion
Along with the tribute was a picture of the smiling pooch, who was a pale shade of pink, sporting a bedazzled collar.
On Twitter, the Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star explained her husband Ken Todd tried his hardest to revive their beloved pet, but to no avail.
'Pink dog died suddenly yesterday afternoon,' she wrote. 'Ken gave her cpr all the way to vet but it was too late. Very very sad at this moment.'
It's a zoo! An avid animal lover, Pink was one of Lisa's more than two-dozen pets including her many dogs, as well as a menagerie of mini-horses, swans, and turtles at her homes
By her side til the end: On Twitter, the Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star explained that her husband Ken Todd tried his hardest to revive their beloved pet, but to no avail
Fans reached out to Lisa online, with one tweeter consoling her saying: 'Rest in peace Pink Dog. He had a great family and life. Don't be sad!'
An avid animal lover, Pink was one of Lisa's more than two-dozen pets including her many dogs, as well as a menagerie of mini-horses, swans, and turtles at her homes.
Back in a 2015 chat with The New York Post, the socialite revealed that Pink got her tint from a hint of food coloring added to her monthly bath.
'I think she knows shes pink and shes special,' the reality star explained.
Taking a stand: Lisa is a dedicated animal rights activist and in Spring traveled to the nation's capital to asked congress to publicly disavow several dog meat festivals in China
Lisa is a dedicated animal rights activist.
This Spring, the founder of The Vanderpump Dog Foundation traveled to the nation's capital, where she asked congress to publicly disavow several dog meat festivals in China.
China's Yulin Dog Meat Festival where she successfully pushed for the fest to ban the tradition of killing and eating dogs.
And in March the English entrepreneur opened her own dog rescue center with husband Todd in Los Angeles.
A good life: Fans reached out to Lisa online, with one tweeter consoling her saying: 'Rest in peace Pink Dog. He had a great family and life. Don't be sad!'
Earlier this month her most famous dog Giggy got involved in a lawsuit.
Lisa and her pooch are being sued by Fifi & Romeo, a company that claims Lisa has not promoted the brand enough in exchange for free dog clothes.
But sources tell DailyMail.com that there was plenty of promotion.
Oh no! Earlier this month her most famous dog Giggy got involved in a lawsuit. Lisa and her pooch are being sued by Fifi & Romeo, a company that claims Lisa has not promoted the brand enough in exchange for free dog clothes. But a source says she did a ton of pr; seen in 2016
'Lisa told everybody who would listen when she was on the red carpet that Giggy wore Fifi & Romeo,' said the insider.
'Whenever she took him to events she named the designer. She even featured the Fifi & Romeo store on The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills. She went out of her way to get promotion and exposure for the designer.'
The insider added that the beauty is looking for a new designer to dress Giggy.
She has been keeping busy this month, stomping the runways for New York, London and Milan fashion weeks.
And Hailey Baldwin, 20, seemed to have taken a sartorial or two from the high fashion houses, as she stepped out rocking a bold striped suit in Paris.
The model - who is the daughter of Stephen Baldwin - flashed her taut abs in a cropped blue hoodie as she indulged in a spot of shopping at Cartier on Wednesday.
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Say it in stripes: Hailey Baldwin, 20, seemed to have taken a sartorial or two from the high fashion houses, as she stepped out rocking a bold striped suit in Paris
Baldwin injected her suit with a dose of sports-luxe thanks to her cropped sweatshirt and a grungy Nineties-style black beanie.
The blonde beauty added height with some white stilettos and completed her look with a chic ivory mini tote.
Wearing her golden locks in a poker-straight style, she showcased her striking features with minimal make-up.
Retail therapy: The model - who is the daughter of Stephen Baldwin - flashed her taut abs in a cropped blue hoodie as she indulged in a spot of shopping at Cartier on Wednesday
90s cool: Baldwin injected her suit with a dose of sports-luxe thanks to her cropped sweatshirt and a grungy Nineties-style black beanie
Killer accessories: The blonde beauty added height with some white stilettos and completed her look with a chic ivory mini tote
The American starlet has been enjoying a jam-packed September so far as she has graced the catwalks for some of the biggest names in the industry during New York, London and Milan fashion weeks.
Hailey recently revealed the secret to her catwalk successes was down to practicing her moves off the runway.
She told Elle in an interview: 'Sometimes if I'm walking down a hallway and no one's around, I'll do it low key if no one's going to come round the corner.'
Mane attraction: She wore her golden locks in a poker-straight style
Natural beauty: The catwalk star showcased her striking features with minimal make-up
Although she was spotted at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show auditions in New York recently, it's been revealed Hailey has not been chosen to walk the famous runway.
The blonde bombshell has made no secret of her desire to appear in the show, having previously told MailOnline that it was her 'dream'.
She said: 'I want to walk in the Victoria's Secret show, it's every girl's dream'.
Meanwhile, Hailey - whose father Stephen is a born-again fundamentalist - previously revealed it offends her when people laugh at her religious beliefs.
Come here, you! She flung her arms wide as she warmly greeted a smiling friend
'I take [the bible] into my everyday life, I'm quite serious about it,' she told Harper's Bazaar in June.
'It's not funny when people joke about it; I actually find it quite offensive. It's something that's really important to me and I've seen it change a lot of people's lives.
'It's something I plan to stick to for the rest of my life raise my kids that way, marry someone who believes in the same things. It's important to me.'
Friends of Floyd Mayweather have shot down his association with British former TOWIE star Abi Clarke.
Insiders told MailOnline on Wednesday that they were never dating, despite her hints that they had gone they separate ways on Tuesday.
Abi, 26, and Floyd, 40, were thought to have met in Dubai last year and at the time he was credited with helping her through her break-up with long-term boyfriend Rob Davies.
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'They never dated': Sources close to Floyd Mayweather have denied that Abigail Clarke was ever dating the boxer, after she hinted this week that they had split
A source confirmed to MailOnline: They never were dating or a couple in first place so you can't split from something if it was never, at any time, joined together.
Anyone can take a picture with Floyd and say it is something it isn't. She appears to be just taking advantage of linking herself with a world-renowned, very rich athlete.
The duo were first romantically linked after a cosy picture of the duo appeared in July, and he was said to have taken her on multiple dates, flying back and forth in a bid to see her.
Though a second insider similarly shot down the claims, telling OK magazine: 'He never flew her anywhere, and definitely at no time was she a part of his inner circle, meeting his family and friends.'
Going well? Abigail posted this throwback snap of herself cosying up to 'boyfriend' Floyd after he beat Conor McGregor in Vegas fight in August
'They hit it off': Abi reportedly met Floyd during a girls' holiday to Vegas last year following her split from long-term boyfriend Rob Davies last year.
Ex-TOWIE star Abigail appeared confirm that she and Floyd had gone their separate ways on Tuesday.
Insisting that she would never be a 'kiss and tell girl', the 26-year-old surgery fanatic revealed that she was taking a break from relationships.
'I met Floyd last year in Vegas...' she told Closer magazine. 'I've had a lot of relationships with high-profile men, I attract them - I don't know why - but I keep it quiet. I'll never be a kiss and tell girl.'
Representatives for Abi and Floyd have been contacted by MailOnline for comment.
Abi was showing off her new 10k Brazilian bum lift - done in late August - in the nude shoot, as she confirmed: 'Whenever I go through break-ups I have surgery.'
Surgery fan: Abi, who has just had a Brazilian bum lift, says she always gets surgery after a break-up
The reality star is also known to have had a boob job, liposuction and lip fillers, which she attributes to a series of relationship break downs.
Now Abi says her body is the envy of women and the desire of men, who 'almost crash their cars' when they see her.
Abi was said to have shared a string of dates with Floyd earlier this year.
Couple alert: Floyd is thought to have flown her back out to the States to see him multiple times since, and has even introduced her to his family
'Abi and Floyd really hit it off and she was blown away by his sense of humour and generosity,' a source told The Sun at the time.
'She was in a fragile and vulnerable place and Floyd has made her feel confident again.'
The source added: 'He made sure they were friends first, before trying to take it further. Hes really helped mend her broken heart and heal her scars.'
At the time, it was believed that Abi was planning to go to Vegas and support Floyd during his high-publicised fight.
But when Floyd's 10-round Vegas fight came around, she shared a throwback snap of herself cosying up to the rumoured love interest, instead.
'When you grow up in Essex, surgery is normal': Abi says that former ex-TOWIE star Lauren Goodger is desperate for a similar 10k bum
The reality star, 25, who was in Essex at the time of the fight, wore a skimpy bikini which flashed her busty cleavage for the picture.
Abigail - who enjoyed a fleeting stint on The Only Way Is Essex in 2013 - perched on a seat alongside Mayweather and placed her arm around his shoulders.
Taking inspiration from a typical 'ring girl', the British beauty was scantily dressed in a barely-there black bikini top which showcased her surgically enhanced assets.
Abigail split up with long-term boyfriend Rob Davies last year but Abi was away on a girls' holiday in Dubai when she met Mayweather.
Having really 'hit it off' at a pool party, Floyd was said to have flown her back out to the States to see him multiple times since, and has even introduced her to his family.
Starting slow: The insider also added that despite the boxer's 'party animal' persona, Floyd's care for her was helping her get over her split from footballer boyfriend Rob (with pal Junaid Ahmed)
It's the final turn of Fashion Weeks for the big four sartorial cities.
And it's not been unusual to spot fashion's top models gracing the streets of New York, London, Milan and now Paris over the past month, as they flit between runway appearances and various FROWS.
On Wednesday, the likes of Bella Hadid, sister Gigi, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Karlie Kloss were all seen out and about.
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Au promenade! Bella Hadid turns heads in a plunging blazer and leather beret as she, sister Gigi and fellow supermodel Kate Moss step out in force during Paris Fashion Week
After jetting to Paris for the final turn of the Fashion Week catwalks, Bella proved she was having no problem nailing Parisian chic as she stepped out during the afternoon.
Breaking the chest or legs rule, the 20-year-old model oozed glamour as she stepped out in an over-sized Claudia Li blazer and tiny shorts.
Showing off her cleavage, the Vogue covergirl went braless beneath her dogtooth jacket, and came perilously close to a wardrobe malfunction as the garment was secured with just one central button.
She teamed the garment with tiny Lycra hot pants, which offered a look at her enviably tanned and toned pins whilst she teetered along in patent black heels.
Giving them an Eiffel: Breaking the chest or legs rule, the 20-year-old model oozed glamour as she stepped out in an oversized Claudia Li blazer and tiny shorts
Changing it up: Bella transformed later on - as she swapped her bottoms for a pair of jeans yet kept her blazer
Chest a glimpse: Showing off her cleavage, the Vogue covergirl went braless beneath her dogtooth jacket, and came perilously close to a wardrobe malfunction
Leggy lady! She teamed the garment with tiny Lycra hot pants, which offered a look at her enviably tanned and toned pins whilst she teetered along in patent black heels
Draping one arm across her body, the catwalk queen held onto a small shoulder bag that she wore across her chest.
In a nod to her current location, Bella donned a French beret, but updating the traditional classic it was leather in design.
Adding a pop of colour to her ensemble, the supermodel donned a slick of red lipstick which complemented her large hooped earrings.
A pair of retro slim sunglasses finished off the eye-catching look.
All about the accessories: Draping one arm across her body, the catwalk queen held onto a small shoulder bag that she wore across her chest
Hat's a good look! In a nod to her current location, Bella donned a French beret, but updating the traditional classic it was leather in design
Getting lippy! Adding a pop of colour to her ensemble, the supermodel donned a slick of red lipstick which complemented her large hooped earrings
Throwing shade: A pair of retro slim sunglasses finished off the eye-catching look
Paris Fashion Chic! Bella was a vision of beauty as she stormed the streets of the French city
Bella wasn't the only Hadid in the city, as her elder sister stepped out in the capital to attend Fashion Week fittings.
Looking catwalk-ready, Gigi arrived in tasseled Sanayi '313 Racine' mules, which matched her bold, black-and-gold jacket.
The jacket was worn off one shoulder, allowing the beauty to expose her bust in a classic, black vest top.
And she paired matching wide-leg trousers with the top, buckling them up to emphasise her lithe middle.
Oh no she Hadidn't! Bella turned heads with her eye-catching ensemble as she stepped out
Taking it easy: Bella looked incredible as she settled in for drinks in the French capital
Looking good: Bella was a vision of beauty as she settled in for for a drink with a pal
Chic: The model looked sensational as she sashayed through the streets of Paris
Glam: Bella looked incredible as she enjoyed some downtime amid fashion week shows
Going for gold! Bella wasn't the only Hadid in the city, as her elder sister Gigi stepped out in tasseled Sanayi '313 Racine' mules, which matched her bold, black-and-gold jacket
On the fringes of fashion! Her striking shoes were adorned with a shimmering gold tassle on the front, in a trendy finishing touch
Feeling good: Gigi appeared in good spirits as she flashed a small smile at cameras while in the French capital
Busy bee: Gigi Hadid was seen leaving her hotel and arriving at the Izabel Marant fitting rooms in Paris
Golden girl: The blonde wore tasseled shoes for her glamorous outing
Gigi has also been wowing on the fashion week front and recent presented her third TommyXGigi collaboration as the brand made its debut at London Fashion Week earlier this week.
Whilst also an in-demand model, Bella helped open Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday evening, as she took to the runway in style for Alberta Ferretti's star-studded SS18 presentation.
Kate Moss was seen leaving The Ritz on Wednesday afternoon.
Fit to bust! Gigi gave a flash of her cleavage in her plunging top as she headed out in Paris, where she has just jetted to from Spain
Paris fittings: She wore her yellow jacket off one shoulder to reveal her ample chest and carried a Stalvey bag
Top Kat: Kate Moss was seen leaving The Ritz on Wednesday afternoon. The British fashion stalwart rocked a sleek black ensemble, completed with killer leopard print heels
Strutting it fine: She wore a loose black blouse with a neck-tie embellishment, a velvet blazer and skinny jeans, carrying a black leather bag alongside her as she strolled out of the plush hotel
The British fashion stalwart rocked a sleek black ensemble, completed with killer leopard print heels.
She wore a loose black blouse with a neck-tie embellishment, a velvet blazer and skinny jeans, carrying a black leather bag alongside her as she strolled out of the plush hotel.
She wore shades and her blonde locks tied up on her head, and accented the look with gold jewelry.
Out and about: She wore shades and her blonde locks tied up on her head, and accented the look with gold jewelry
Smart: Karlie Kloss was seen out and about during Paris Fashion Week
Executive chic: The platinum blonde model was dressed in a black turtleneck sweater worn under a gray blazer
Karlie Kloss was seen out and about during the same afternoon.
The platinum blonde model was dressed in a black turtleneck sweater worn under a gray blazer; along with skinny black jeans and a pair of black ankle boots and round sunglasses.
She chatted away on her phone, catching up with someone and having a giggle on hands free.
In-sync with fellow Brit Kate, Naomi Campbell sported black and leopard print attire.
Chit chat: She chatted on her phone in skinny black jeans and a pair of black ankle boots and round sunglasses
In-sync with Kate: Naomi Campbell sported black and leopard print attire
She drowned her lithe frame in a sleek top, high waisted flared slacks and lattice-adorned heels
She drowned her lithe frame in a sleek top, high waisted flared slacks and lattice-adorned heels.
She finished this off with a animal print jacket, shades, a black bag and with a scarf wrapped around her neck.
She wore her hair loose and linked arms with pal Carla Bruni, also all in black.
Roarrrrrr: She finished this off with a animal print jacket, shades, a black bag and with a scarf wrapped around her neck
The gals: She wore her hair loose and linked arms with pal Carla Bruni, also all in black
Great spirits: She clearly had enjoyed her month of fashion
The happy couple: Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber looked as loved up as ever in Paris
Gabbing a bite: The pair had lunch at Ma Bourgogne restaurant on Vosges Place
Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber were seen seeing the sights of the City of Lights.
At the end of the morning they went to visit Picasso museum, after which they had lunch at Ma Bourgogne restaurant on Vosges Place.
After lunch they walked in Vosges garden and then in Tuileries garden.
Randy kept it casual in jeans and a T-shirt while Cindy wore a tan leather jacket over a cream and black striped top and skinny jeans.
Light lunch: The happy couple took a break from their sight seeing
Ambling along: At the end of the morning they went to visit Picasso museum
Sight seeing: After lunch they walked in Vosges garden
Seeing the sights: They went to walk in Tuileries garden
The city of love: The pair were clearly in their element
Using the streets as her catwalk: Jourdan Dunn was also spotted out and about
Promenade indeed: She looked stylish in a pair of streamline black trousers and white heeled boots
Off she goes: She was snapped as she got into a waiting car
Shady: The model kept her aviators firmly affixed to her face
Give us a smile: Jourdan showcased her lithe frame in the tucked in T-shirt
Make-up free: Amber Valetta was also seen leaving her hotel
They announced they were engaged in January 2016, after six years of dating.
But Rosie Huntington-Whiteley caused fans to speculate whether she had finally married Jason Statham in a recent Instagram snap.
The British model, 30, was truly radiant in the selfie - but it was the two rings on her wedding finger that caught attention, sparking confusion over whether she and the actor, 50, had tied the knot.
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Tied the knot? Rosie Huntington-Whiteley caused fans to speculate whether she had finally married Jason Statham in a recent Instagram snap, which saw her sport two rings (above)
In the selfie, the model is seen posing playfully for the camera, as she sips on an iced beverage in the sunshine.
Sporting a sweeping of shimmering eye shadow and bronzer, and leaving her hair in loose, tousled curls, Rosie proved the striking natural beauty that shot her to fame as she documented her day for fans.
However despite the stunning snap, eagle-eyed fans instead turned their focus to her left hand holding the drink - which showed two rings on her fourth finger.
Rumour has it: The two rings on her wedding finger in the snap caught attention, sparking confusion over whether she and the actor, 50, had tied the knot (pictured in August last year)
Confused: However despite the stunning snap, eagle-eyed fans instead turned their focus to her left hand holding the drink, and began to question whether she and Jason were engaged
Followers immediately began to question whether Rosie had secretly married her actor beau, after an engagement of almost two years.
Numerous users took to the comments to question the matter, with one writing: 'They got married?! I thought they were just engaged'
Before another added excitedly: 'Two rings on her wedding finger!'
However it is unclear whether either band is her famously dazzling engagement rock, reportedly worth a whopping 243,000.
Happy: The pair announced they were engaged in January 2016, after six years of dating (pictured in April this year)
MailOnline has contacted Rosie's representatives for comment.
Rosie and Jason announced their engagement in January 2016, after six years of dating.
The pair then announced they were expecting their first child together in February this year, with a stunning bikini snap shared by Rosie - displaying her growing bump for all to see.
Bumping along nicely: The pair then announced they were expecting their first child together in February this year, with a stunning bikini snap shared by Rosie (above)
Two became three: Their son Jack then arrived in June, with the model writing proudly on Instagram: 'Our little man arrived! Jack Oscar Statham 8.8lbs on Saturday June 24th' (above)
Their sweet son Jack then arrived in June, with the model writing proudly on Instagram: 'Our little man arrived! Jack Oscar Statham 8.8lbs on Saturday June 24th'
Rosie had previously discussed her desire to start a family with her beau, telling The EDIT in 2015: 'Having a family is something I think about for sure, and whether I'd live here in America or in England. But it's not always as simple as that.'
Before she added: 'I have no idea what will happen, but it'll be interesting to find out, right? And nothing will be perfect, I'm sure.'
He is set to make his big comeback on Home And Away a few months after welcoming his second child.
And reality star turned actor Blair McDonough, 36, has revealed he was ready to give up acting ahead of his upcoming guest role on the Channel Seven soap.
'I've given up acting like six times,' he told Confidential.
'I've given up acting six times!' Actor Blair McDonough has revealed he was ready to give up acting ahead of his upcoming guest role on the Channel Seven soap Home And Away
He explained that he realised life in America was not for him after spending a few years there.
Blair is now based in Byron Bay with his wife and their two young children.
'I've thought, I'm done and going to be a builder, but it lures you back in. I do love it and miss it.'
This comes a few months after he shared a post celebrating his return to the small screen after landing a guest role on Home And Away.
Welcome to Summer Bay!This comes a few months after he shared a post celebrating his return to the small screen after landing a guest role on Home And Away, sharing it on Instagram
He shared a snap of the script with the iconic soap opera's logo and a half finished coffee.
Blair captioned the post: 'Just like riding a bike... right?!'
But shortly after posting the surprise, he deleted the post.
A spokesperson for the Seven Network confirmed to Daily Mail Australia: 'Blair McDonough has commenced shooting a guest role on Home and Away.'
Comeback: Blair was last seen of Australian screens on Channel Seven's Winners And Losers
Happy family: In 2013 he married Kristi Townley, they welcomed their first daughter Leni in 2015
Following his stint on Big Brother, Blair went on to star in Neighbours as Stuart Parker, and while on the show he dated co-star Delta Goodrem.
He was on the soap until 2006 and the following year, he moved to the UK to join period drama Heartbeat in a recurring role from 2008-2009.
Blair and his wife Kristi Townley share first daughter Leni in 2015 and recently welcomed son Van James McDonough.
News / National
by Staff reporter
VICE-PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa's allies in the Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial executive reportedly booted out four executives believed to be sympathetic to the G40 faction, as factionalism continues to rock the province.The axed members - who include deputy provincial secretary for gender Mutero Masanganise, who lost to Ezra Chadzamira for the provincial chairmanship early this year, Gutu North MP, Ticharwa Madondo, a Muzoroza, who is the Chivi Southconstituency co-ordinator, and a Mazorodze, who is the provincial deputy commissar - were accused of absconding provincial executive meetings, among other allegations.Provincial vice-chairperson, Amasa Nenjana was reassigned to the lesser influential position of secretary for security to pave way for Ailess Baloyi, a suspected Mnangagwa loyalist.Baloyi, prior to his elevation to the second most powerful position in the province, was secretary for administration, a position which was given to Brian Munyoro, also a Mnangagwa loyalist, who leapfrogged from the youth wing, where he served as commissar to become the third most powerful man in the province.Munyoro was among Zanu-PF youths who chased away provincial commissar Jeppy Jaboon and other members linked to G40 at the late heroine, Shuvai Mahofa's funeral wake last month, accusing them of bringing poison to finish off Team Lacoste members.The restructuring was done at a provincial executive meeting held on Sunday at a primary school and chaired by Chadzamira.Chadzamira was not answering his phone yesterday, but Nenjana, who was the acting chairperson for Masvingo until early this year, confirmed his reassignment."I asked Chadzamira why they were reassigning me. He failed to provide an answer," he said.Nenjana described the meeting as factional, claiming he was being victimised for refusing to support Team Lacoste, when he was approached by Chadzamira in 2015 before a provincial inter-conference meeting.Masanganise said he was not aware of the development, as he was not invited to the meeting.President Robert Mugabe early this month, while addressing party supporters in Bindura, described Masvingo as a problematic province that needed reorganisation.The Sunday meeting was not the first they have reshuffled the provincial executive.The first attempt to relegate Jaboon to secretary for the welfare of the disabled in 2016 was reversed by the party leadership.
It's been a month of tragedy and triumph for Nicole Kidman.
After winning her first Emmy for her role in acclaimed series Big Little Lies, the 50-year-old is rushing home to Australia after a sad loss of a family friend.
According to The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, Nicole is rearranging her busy schedule to head Down Under to attend the funeral of parish priest Father Paul Coleman.
Returning home: On Thursday, The Daily Telegraph reported Nicole Kidman (pictured) is headed back to Australia to attend the funeral of family friend Father Paul Coleman.
The publication reports Nicole had known the 90-year-old priest, who died on Monday, since she was 12 after he met the actress' parents at her confirmation.
Paul remained close to the Kidman family and even played a key part in Nicole's wedding to country music star Keith Urban.
The funeral is set to be held at St Mary's Church, North Sydney next Thursday.
Longtime friend: Nicole had known the priest since she was 12 years old
It's been a huge few weeks for Nicole as her already massively successful career in Hollywood continued to shine.
Winning the best lead actress gong for Big Little Lies at Emmy almost two weeks ago, the Australian native took to the stage to thank her husband and their kids.
'I have a huge artistic family who supported me throughout all my ups and downs,' she gushed.
'You have been so loyal to me throughout my whole life thank you for that.'
'You have been so loyal to me throughout my whole life thank you for that' Nicole thanked her husband Keith (left) and kids after winning her first Emmy earlier this month
However her accolades weren't the only thing involving Nicole to make headlines after the Emmys.
The star shocked viewers when she kissed her on-screen husband Alexander Skarsgard on the lips when he won his own award.
As he left the Emmys stage after accepting the Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or movie, Nicole fondly planted a smooch on her co-star while her husband Keith looked on behind her.
She has been through a tough year - yet came out fighting.
And Stephanie Davis continued to prove she is stronger than ever as she took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a sizzling snap as she posed in a pair of tiny shorts while displaying her incredibly slender legs in their entirety.
The 24-year-old former Hollyoaks actress shared the image just days after it was revealed that her ex Jeremy McConnell has befriended a fraudster while serving community service for an assault charge against Stephanie.
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Out and a pout: Stephanie Davis continued to prove she is stronger than ever as she took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a sizzling snap as she posed in a pair of tiny shorts while displaying her incredibly slender legs in their entirety
Stephanie looked incredible in her latest social media snap, which displayed her stunning figure to perfection as she kicked back in a super sexy pose.
Her stylish velvet ensemble boasted tiny shorts with a matching blazer and plunging black top underneath while she boosted her height with ankle boots.
Earlier in the week, in was revealed that Jeremy appears to have been making friends with a convicted benefits cheat while on community service.
The 27-year-old Irishman was convicted of attacking Stephanie last month and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
News friends? The 24-year-old former Hollyoaks actress shared the image just days after it was revealed that her ex Jeremy McConnell has befriended a fraudster while serving community service for an assault charge against Stephanie
Having a laugh: Bowen joked on social media: 'What a day with them brushes @jeremymcconnell' and added a laughing emoji
He has been joined by Chanice Bowen, 25, who was found guilty of claiming 22,000 as a single mother - before posting snaps of her wedding online. Bowen joked on social media: 'What a day with them brushes @jeremymcconnell'.
She later deleted the tweet before adding it was: 'nice meeting you today, hope your good [sic] @jeremymcconnell.'
Chanice, from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, hid her marriage to Lee Mapstone for three years and told the authorities he had moved out.
Caught out: Chanice Bowen, from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, hid her marriage to Lee Mapstone for three years and told the authorities he had moved out
She was caught out when she posted a slideshow of images from her wedding online with the caption: 'Best years of my life, loves my husband.'
She pleaded guilty to three counts of dishonestly failing to disclose information after being overpaid a total of 21,696.76 between January 2013 and November 2015.
Dublin native Jeremy, meanwhile, has been forced to trade in his lavish celebrity lifestyle in order to carry out his community service.
The model, who rose to fame on Celebrity Big Brother last year, was convicted of throwing around Stephanie 'like a rag doll' on March 9, leaving her battered and bruised.
New pals? The 25-year-old was caught out when she posted a slideshow of images from her wedding online with the caption: 'Best years of my life, loves my husband'
Tough times: Jeremy, who rose to fame on Celebrity Big Brother last year, was convicted of throwing around Stephanie 'like a rag doll' on March 9, leaving her battered and bruised
He was handed a 20-week sentence suspended for a year at Liverpool Magistrates Court on September 13.
Under Government regulations, unemployed convicts must do three or four days of their community punishment a week, while those who have jobs are expected to fit it in outside work hours - on evenings and weekends.
He narrowly avoided jail, as Judge Wendy Lloyd slammed him for showing 'no remorse', despite attacking his ex-Hollyoaks star lover while she held their baby son Caben-Albi in her arms.
On top of the unpaid work, during which time he works alongside other convicts and wears high visibility clothing, he was forced to pay Stephanie 1,000 compensation and a further 1,000 in court costs.
She's set to welcome her second child into the world in early 2018.
And Nicky Hilton Rothschild looked as though pregnancy was suiting her down to the ground once again as she headed out on a coffee run in New York City on Wednesday.
The hotel heiress, 33, showed off her baby bump as she slipped into a brightly-colored patterned kaftan from her upcoming collaboration with clothing brand Tolani, which skimmed over her tummy.
Radiant: Nicky Hilton Rothschild looked as though her second pregnancy was suiting her down to the ground as she headed out on a coffee run in New York City on Wednesday
Showing off her slim legs as she strolled through Manhattan with a female friend, the socialite teamed her paisley-print Nicky Hilton x Tolani top with a pair of tiny denim hotpants.
The mother-of-one kept comfortable by ditching her heels in favor of leather sandals, while sheltering her eyes from the late-summer sunshine with a pair of stylish circular shades.
Nicky wore her blonde locks in a side braid, and opted for natural make-up to accentuate her pretty features.
The star completed her look with a blue satchel handbag and carried a coffee cup in her hand as she wandered through the streets.
Mom on the run: The hotel heiress, 33, showed off her baby bump as she slipped into a brightly-colored patterned kaftan from her upcoming collaboration with clothing brand Tolani
Nicky is already a doting mother to baby daughter Lily Grace, 14 months, with her second child set to arrive in early 2018.
DailyMail.com exclusively revealed the socialite was expecting her second baby earlier this summer.
An insider claimed Nicky and elder sister Paris, 36, both love being close in age, so the family are all very excited at the news.
'It's Lily's first birthday July 8 so they are excited,' the source revealed. 'They always wanted to give Lily-Grace a sibling close in age, like they both have.'
Leggy lady: Showing off her slim legs as she strolled through Manhattan with a female friend, the socialite teamed her paisley-print top with a pair of tiny denim hotpants
The source added the couple would love to have a boy to add to their brood, but of course will be happy with anything.
Nicky has previously described being a mother to daughter Lily Grace as 'heaven'.
Speaking to E! News in September 2016, she said: 'I love it! I love it! Waking up to that face - it's heaven.'
The Hilton hotel heiress married British banking heir James Rothschild in a lavish ceremony at the Kensington Palace Orangery in London in July 2015, surrounded by the creme de la creme of society, as well as their friends and family.
Chic: The mother-of-one kept comfortable by ditching her heels in favor of leather sandals, while sheltering her eyes from the late-summer sunshine with a pair of stylish circular shades
The bride wore a stunning $77,000 couture Valentino gown featuring a high-neck and a long train, topping the look off with a dramatic lace veil, while her reality star sister Paris acted as maid of honour.
Nicky and James started their relationship in 2011 after meeting at Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt's Italian wedding in 2011.
James reportedly flew from England to the States to ask her parents for her hand in marriage before he proposed to her in Lake Como, Italy, in August 2014.
Nicky was previously wed to financier Todd Meister, before having the marriage annulled less than three months after they tied the knot in Las Vegas, Nevada, in August 2004.
Bumping along: Nicky's baby bump was more pronounced as she stepped out in New York on Tuesday, wearing a casual striped tee and skinny jeans
Brad Pitts elderly grandmother Betty Russell has passed away without ever fulfilling her dying wish of seeing her grandson one last time.
The 95-year-old - affectionately known as 'Meema' - spent her last years in the sub-standard one-star Rose Manor Nursing Center in Shawnee, Oklahoma, but peacefully passed away on September 14 at a local hospital.
Although she received visits from her sisters who lived nearby and many family and friends in her final days, Brads last documented trip to see his grandmother was almost ten years ago.
Tragic: Brad Pitts elderly grandmother Betty Russell has passed away without ever fulfilling her dying wish of seeing her grandson one last time (pictured in June)
Sad news: The 95-year-old spent her last years in the sub-standard one-star Rose Manor Nursing Center in Shawnee, Oklahoma, but peacefully passed away on September 14
Back in 2012, Brads aunt Mary Ann Lanier said it had already been four years since his last visit.
She lamented: 'She misses him. He doesnt write, he doesnt seem to stay in contact with her.
'I dont know, Im sure hes busy but I dont know why he doesnt stay in contact with at least his grandmother, but she doesnt hear from him.'
Forgotten: Although she received visits from her sisters who lived nearby and many family and friends in her final days, Brads last trip to see his grandmother was almost ten years ago
Family: Back in 2012 Brads aunt Mary Ann Lanier said it had already been four years since his last visit to Betty, seen above with daughters Betty Lee and Patt as well as son Bill, Brad's father
Back to Oklahoma! Brad's aunt said 'The last time he came to Shawnee was the spring before the twins [Knox and Vivienne] were born [in 2008]'
Recalling the visit Mary Ann added: 'The last time he came to Shawnee was the spring before the twins [Knox and Vivienne] were born [in 2008] it was around the time of his grandmothers birthday.'
Making matters worse, during the approximately nine years Betty was at the center, its standards slipped to the lowest level.
Medicare.gov - the official U.S. government site for Medicare - gave the 100-bed facility only one star out of a possible five after its last inspection in 2015.
Substandard: During the approximately nine years Betty was at Rose Manor eldercare center, its standards slipped to the lowest level
Reach out: Brad's aunt Mary explained 'She misses him. He doesnt write, he doesnt seem to stay in contact with her' in a 2012 talk
The one-star rating was applied in all three categories: Health inspection, Staffing and Quality Measures, meaning the facility is 'Much Below Average.'
An investigation into the old peoples home, run by Grace Living Centers, can reveal it still has significant problems.
The damning 23-page report by Medicare in April 2015 detailed a number of incidents where residents of the nursing facility were not properly cared for and basic nursing practices and protocols were not followed.
In some cases doctors had not been notified of patients deteriorating conditions, wounds and sores or test results.
In others care home workers had failed to note problems with their patients in their assessments.
Brad was mentioned in Bettys obituary, alongside his estranged wife Angelina, as well as his brother Doug and sister, Julie Neal and various other family members
In happier times: Brad and ex-wife Angelina split in September 2016 after 12 years and six children together (pictured at the 2014 Oscars)
Unsmiling staff at the facility wear bright red T-shirts and can regularly be seen congregating at the back of the building, smoking and eating fast food on their breaks.
Brad was mentioned in Bettys obituary, alongside his estranged wife Angelina - who he split from in September 2016 after 12 years and six children together - as well as his brother Doug and sister, Julie Neal and various other family members.
The obituary said Betty his father Bill Pitts mother - had retired in 1987, and added she was an 'active member of Grace Bible and then New Beginnings until health prevented her active attendance.'
The tribute added that in lieu of flowers, friends could donate to a local mission 'because Bettys main concern was that children were being fed.'
She's not exactly shy and retiring when it comes to her racy outfit choices.
But Tara Reid turned heads as she flashed a glimpse of under-boob while arriving at Christina Milian's 36th birthday bash at Beauty & Essex in Hollywood on the arm of mystery male pal on Tuesday night.
The actress, 41, opted for a rock-chick style torn black tee, which was dramatically slashed at the abs and under the chest, as she headed out for the night with her friends.
On the town: Tara Reid turned heads while arriving at Christina Milian's 36th birthday bash at Beauty & Essex in Hollywood on the arm of mystery male pal on Tuesday night
The American Pie star teamed her tummy-teasing top with a pair of skintight black leather trousers as she strutted her stuff out of the venue.
Tara balanced on a pair of scarlet stiletto boots that matched her bright red Gucci belt.
The blonde accessorized the look with a tiny black quilted leather purse by Chanel, a silver watch and a bracelet.
Tara wore her platinum locks straight and accentuated her features with heavy make-up.
Hell for leather: The actress, 41, opted for a rock-chick style torn black tee, which was dramatically slashed at the abs and the chest to reveal a glimpse of under-boob
Work it: The American Pie star teamed her tummy-teasing top with a pair of skintight black leather trousers as she strutted her stuff out of the venue
Christina was wearing a slinky cocktail dress as she celebrated her big day, exiting the venue with her hunky French boyfriend Matt Pokora, 32.
The fete also played host to Karrueche Tran and Victoria Justice.
Christina and Victoria pet when they starred in a TV movie remake of the 1975 cult rock musical movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show earlier this year.
Victoria played Janet, the role portrayed in the 1975 film by Susan Sarandon, while Christina took on the part of Magenta, originated by Patricia Quinn.
Splash of color: Tara balanced on a pair of vibrant scarlet stiletto boots that matched her bright red Gucci belt
Tara is no stranger to the world of TV movies herself, having been the leading lady of all five of Syfy's Sharknado films, the latest of which first aired last month.
The actress plugged Sharknado 5: Global Swarming on the BUILD Series ahead of its release alongside handsome co-star Ian Ziering.
'We went several different continents,' Ian explained.
'We were in several different countries - started off in Bulgaria. From there, we went to London, and then on to Rome, and Tokyo, and then Sydney, Australia.'
Homeward bound: The blonde accessorized the look with a tiny black quilted leather purse by Chanel, a silver watch and a bracelet
Blonde ambition: Tara wore her platinum locks straight and accentuated her features with heavy make-up
Tara said it was an 'amazing' experience to travel the globe for her work.
She said: 'Traveling and waking up and going to these countries, like Tokyo - I mean, it's just amazing.
'And Bulgaria - I mean, each one had its own charm - and Rome, the food there.
'And, you know - it was freezing, also. Bulgaria was the coldest place I've ever been to in my entire life. You could see it in the film.'
They've been quietly dating for three years after first being linked in 2014.
But it was all about business for birthday girl Gwyneth Paltrow and her boyfriend Brad Falchuk as they were seen leaving an office building in Santa Monica, California, after a meeting on Wednesday.
The Oscar-winning actress, 45, and the Glee co-creator, 46, certainly looked as though they had been hard at work as they strolled out separately.
She means business! Birthday girl Gwyneth Paltrow and her boyfriend Brad Falchuk were seen leaving an office building in Santa Monica, California, after a meeting on Wednesday
Gwyneth looked professional in a ruffled sleeveless white blouse and wide-legged grey dress pants as she spent her 45th birthday hard at work.
The mother-of-two paired the office look with comfortable black sandals that featured two criss-cross straps and a solid platform sole.
The Goop founder wore her blonde hair in a low ponytail with her hair parted down the center, while holding a tan leather-bound notebook under her arm.
Gwyneth appeared to wear little makeup on her naturally glowing complexion and, despite her business attire, looked pretty casual.
Hard at work: The Oscar-winning actress, 45, looked professional in a ruffled sleeveless white blouse and wide-legged grey dress pants, while holding a tan leather-bound notebook
Brad matched his leading lady's casual look with a tight white T-shirt and jeans.
The TV executive paired his ensemble with black shoes and opted to protect his eyes from the sun with a pair of dark sunglasses.
The producer and director wore his long hair down around his ears as he strolled out onto the sidewalk.
Although the pair were not spotted together, they did arrive around the same time.
Business relationship: The Glee co-creator, 46, matched his leading lady's casual look with a tight white T-shirt and jeans
It was a second appearance in as many days for the typically camera-shy couple after they enjoyed a date night at Nobu in Malibu on Tuesday evening, proving it wasn't a case of all work and no play.
Gwyneth and Brad have kept a mostly low-profile since they started dating since 2014.
They have chosen to keep their relationship away from the spotlight, never walking the red carpet together and rarely appearing on each other's social media accounts.
Gwyneth made a rare declaration of love for Brad back in March, when she shared a selfie to Instagram to wish him a happy birthday, marking the first and only time she's posted a photo of her other half.
It's private: Gwyneth and Brad have kept a mostly low profile since they started dating since 2014, posting just a few photos on social media over the years
In a recent interview with Girlboss Radio, the Oscar-winning actress admitted she hadn't always had the best luck with dating in the past, including doomed romances with the likes of Hollywood heavyweights Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck.
'I've f***ed up so many relationships,' she said.
'I'm actually a pretty good friend, and a good sister and daughter and mother,' she added.
'But I'm at my potentially most vulnerable and f***ed up in the romantic slice of the pie. It's taken me a lot of work to get to the place where I have a good romantic relationship.'
The actress was married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, 40, from 2003 until 2014, when they famously 'consciously uncoupled', before divorcing the following year.
The former couple raise daughter Apple, 13, and son Moses, 11, together and remain close friends.
She won an Emmy for her performance as an abused wife in HBO series Big Little Lies.
Now Nicole Kidman has once again spoken up against domestic violence and for gender equality in a moving open letter for Porter Magazine's Winter edition.
The actress, who has worked with abuse victims for the past 10 years as a UN ambassador, called on her '3.5 billion strong and beautiful sisters' to be there for one another.
Feminist passion: Nicole Kidman, dressed in a revealing white blouse as she spoke up against domestic violence and for gender equality in open letter for Porter Magazine's Winter edition
'More than ever, I am aware of the need to support and celebrate each other,' the 50-year-old wrote. 'I like to believe I am part of a global support group network of 3.4 billion.'
Nicole also spoke about domestic violence at the Emmy Awards in Hollywood earlier this month where Big Little Lies won an amazing eight awards
'It is a complicated, insidious disease,' she said as she picked up her award for outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie. 'It exists far more than we allow ourselves to know.
'It is filled with shame and secrecy. And by you acknowledging me with this award, it shines a light on it even more.'
The Incredibles: The 50-year-old is among the 50 Incredible Woman from the past year that the magazine is celebrating in its third annual list, along with cover girl Brie Larson
From the heart: The star is one of four women on the list who penned letters for Porter
As for being a woman in a male-dominated industry, the star, who also co-produced Big Little Lies, told the mag: 'It never occurred to me that I should be at a disadvantage because I was born a girl.
''This conviction has guided me tremendously as I have pursued my career as an actor and a producer.
'It has guided my choices to often portray strong, independent women who go against the expectations of society. And it has been my driving force to make it in an industry that is still largely run by men.'
Shining a light: Nicole and Reese Witherspoon produced and co-starred in HBO's Big Little Lies about an abusive relationship
The star appeared in a white blouse with a plunging neckline and one shoulder revealed teamed with a grey skirt with flattering pleats .
Nicole is among the 50 Incredible Woman from the past year that the magazine is celebrating in its third annual list. It also includes ballerina Misty Copeland and Fox whistleblower Gretchen Carlson.
Porter goes on sale in print and digital editions on Friday.
She's known for showcasing her slender frame in an array of scantily-clad looks.
And Lady Victoria Hervey, 40, continued to turn heads as she stripped down to her nude knickers during a photoshoot at Kenya's world famous Amboseli National Park on Tuesday.
The slender socialite dared to bare as she slipped on a gown from Asian designer Grace Chen with the help of the shoot's stylish.
Racy: Lady Victoria Hervey, 40, continued to turn heads as she stripped down to her nude knickers during a photoshoot at Kenya's world famous Amboseli National Park on Tuesday
Protecting her modesty, she placed her hands over her bust while she stepped into the striking full-fringe detailed gown.
The British beauty exhibited her enviable figure and incredibly taut stomach as she stood only in her skimpy underwear.
Working her golden tresses into a voluminous curl, Victoria appeared unfazed as she stood topless, preparing for her moment infront of the camera.
Dare to bare: The slender socialite dared to bare as she slipped on a gown from Asian designer Grace Chen with the help of the shoot's stylish
Figure-flaunting: Protecting her modesty, she placed her hands over her bust while she stepped into the striking full-fringe detailed gown
Work it: The British beauty exhibited her enviable figure and incredibly taut stomach as she stood only in her skimpy underwear
Dressing to impress: She highlighted her pert posterior in her skimpy knickers
Before stepping into her eye-catching look, Victoria happily looked at her phone while getting her glam on.
The blonde bombshell opted off for a vibrant loose-fitting kaftan as she was preened to perfection for the breath-taking shoot.
Currently in the East African country, she flew to Kenya following filming for her new Celebrity Showmance on ITV2 airing from October 4.
Staying at the luxury Tortilis Safari Camp, Victoria has been enjoying returning to Africa to spend time viewing the wildlife whilst modelling Grace's new bespoke collection.
Fix up! Victoria appeared barefoot as she got ready for the fashion shoot
Flaunt it! The bronzed beauty had no qualms with stripping off to get into the fashion ensemble
Helping hand: Cupping her bust, Victoria had a helping hand putting the look on
Giving the cold shoulder: The leotard-structured look featured a bardot silhouette
Eye-catching: The intricate piece featured criss-cross detailing before falling into a flirty fringe skirt that accentuated her slender pins
Victoria has never been one to shy away from the cameras, as she recently hit the small screen in reality series Living with Lady Victoria.
Following Jamie O'Hara's brief appearance on the show, rumours circulated that he and Victoria were in a relationship.
The pair were spotted kissing after a visit to Worthing, Sussex's Castle Goring in July.
Glam: Before stepping into her eye-catching look, Victoria happily looked at her phone while getting her glam on
Chilled: The blonde bombshell opted off for a vibrant loose-fitting kaftan as she was preened to perfection for the breath-taking shoot
Keeping it simple: Victoria teamed the look with a pair of delicate white ballerina pumps
Showing off: She gazed at the piece she was wearing for the shoot in between getting her hair and make-up done
What a tease: Her choice of lounge wear boasted a plunging neckline that highlighted her decolletage
Victoria also caused shockwaves in April after revealing she shared a threesome with former Spice Girls star Mel B and her estranged husband Stephen Belafonte.
The socialite was said to be terrified that their antics had been recorded by Stephen and would be leaked to the media.
'She is absolutely mortified that her sex life could become public property,' a close friend told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
'The last thing she wants is to star in a sordid sex tape or to have horrible details of her private life dragged through the divorce courts.'
Luxury: Staying at the luxury Tortilis Safari Camp, Victoria has been enjoying returning to Africa to spend time viewing the wildlife whilst modelling Grace's new bespoke collection
She seems to have a penchant for taking on roles in which she plays real-life characters.
And so it was of little surprise when Felicity Jones accepted the part of Ruth Bader Ginsburg - the second woman to ever become appointed to the Supreme Court Justice - after Natalie Portman dropped out.
In the first images from the set, Felicity, 33, stepped out in a crisp white bridal gown, looking a far cry from the real-life Ruth's typical matronly get-up.
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First look: Felicity Jones is spotted on set of On The Basis Of Sex in a bridal gown playing the lead role of Ruth Bader Ginsburg... after Natalie Portman dropped out of the film
In another shot, the British star wore an electric blue dress as she trundled along with a wedding veil over her shoulder.
She sported a brunette 'do and harsh make-up, portraying Ruth when she was in her 30s.
The Leftovers director Mimi Leder will direct the film which began shooting this month in Canada.
Felicity was joined by Armie Hammer on the set of the film - which is in pre production in Montreal; both were having wardrobe fittings.
On set: In another shot, the British star wore an electric blue dress as she trundled along with a wedding veil over her shoulder
Coming soon: The feature is slated for release in 2018, in line with Ginsburgs 25th anniversary as a Supreme Court Justice
Co-star: Felicity was joined by Armie Hammer on the set of the film - which is in pre production in Montreal
Felicity was also seen holding a photo of Ruth, presumably using it to get into character.
Armie will play husband Marty Ginsburg to Felicitys Ruth as they team to bring the first landmark gender discrimination case before the Supreme Court.
The feature is slated for release in 2018, in line with Ginsburgs 25th anniversary as a Supreme Court Justice.
Replacement: She will play Ruth Bader Ginsberg (R) in On The Basis Of Sex
Real-lives: Felicity played Jane Wilde Hawking, the wife of Professor Stephen Hawking, in 2014's The Theory Of Everything opposite Eddie Redmayne
Felicity played Jane Wilde Hawking, the wife of Professor Stephen Hawking, in 2014's The Theory Of Everything.
No reason was given as to why Natalie Portman, 36, dropped out of On The Basis Of Sex, but she did gave birth to a daughter named Amalia in March of this year.
British-born Felicity will be playing the Brooklyn resident, who was the first Jewish woman to be assigned to the Supreme Court.
She's out: Natalie Portman was attached to the project since 2015 and it is unknown why she is not playing the role
Natalie was born in Jerusalem, Isreal and many considered her to be perfect to play the feminist icon.
A script for the project has been ready since 2014, even making the coveted Black List, which is a compilation of un-produced scripts chosen by industry insiders.
It appears Felicity is taking another page from Natalie Portman's book, as she has just been attached to Universal's Swan Lake.
Black Swan: Jones, 33, has also been announced as a part of Universal's adaptation of Swan Lake
The story of Swan Lake was featured heavily in Natalie's 2010 movie Black Swan, of which she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role as ballerina named Nina.
She was nominated for Best Actress again at this year's ceremony, this time for her portrayal of Jacqueline Onassis in Jackie.
Natalie missed the ceremony as she had given birth to her second child just days before the event.
Felicity was nominated for a slew of awards for The Theory Of Everything, including a BAFTA, Oscar and Golden Globe.
She's known for her enviable demure style everywhere she goes.
Yet, fashion favourite Victoria Beckham, 43, left the style brigade stunned for a moment after she appeared to go braless under a sheer blouse on Wednesday night, while leaving the Sheraton Hotel.
Despite alluding to forgo her undergarment, the fashion designer only teased her loyal following as she donned a simple nude bra under the eye-catching garment.
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What a tease: Fashion favourite Victoria Beckham, 43, left the style brigade stunned for a moment after she appeared to go braless under a sheer blouse on Wednesday night, while leaving the Sheraton Hotel
Equipped with carefully placed pockets over her bust, the Spice Girl highlighted her taut stomach and svelte in the see-through blouse.
The fashionista - who was giving a speech at the FT Women at the Top summit - teamed her skin-flashing look with a chic high-waisted wine-coloured A-line skirt.
Her stylish garment featured a silk waistband that exhibited her narrow waist while it skimmed the tops of her thighs into a full midi skirt.
Adding inches to her diminutive height, the mother-of-four worked a pair of complementing pointed stilettos while carrying her leather box clutch in her hand.
What a tease! Despite alluding to forgo her undergarment, the fashion designer only teased her loyal following as she donned a simple nude bra under the eye-catching garment
Keeping to her refined look, she worked her brunette tresses into a chic chignon while covering her eyes in a pair of shades despite it being dark outside.
Victoria recently revealed that she has found her son Brooklyn's departure from home to attend university in New York City incredibly emotional, saying she 'hasn't stopped crying'.
Her London sighting comes after she expressed to YouTube make-up channel Pixiwoo, about her eldest moving away: 'I'm still crying, Brooklyn's moved to New York, he's 18, and I haven't stopped crying. I miss him so much, so much'.
The fashion designer, who was appearing on the show to promote her collaboration with Estee Lauder, has been seen visiting Brooklyn in the Big Apple, where he attends Parsons School of Design.
When speaking about the host getting emotional at her daughter starting school Victoria said:I think its great, were blessed to have children, its a good thing, if youre sad your babys going off to school, youre a good mum'
Peek-a-boo: Equipped with carefully placed pockets over her bust, the Spice Girl highlighted her taut stomach and svelte in the see-through blouse
Daring: The fashionista - who was giving a speech at the FT Women at the Top summit - teamed her skin-flashing look with a chic high-waisted wine-coloured A-line skirt
The multi-tasking mother of four also said she unwinds from her busy schedule by facetiming with her children and husband David.
Showing off her style credentials, the star injected a touch of humour into her interview, revealing how she responded when Brooklyn asked her a question about hairstyles.
She said: 'He asked me the other day, have you heard of this thing called a perm, are you kidding me, do you know big my hair was in the 80s, I feel like I invented the perm!'
Victoria spoke about her children's differing musical tastes saying Harper, six, would only listen to the Grease soundtrack, before saying 'If it's Brooklyn, he likes Oasis but sometimes he'll find what he considers new music and say, hey have you heard this mum.
Walk this way: Her stylish garment featured a silk waistband that exhibited her narrow waist while it skimmed the tops of her thighs into a full midi skirt
'I'll say of course I've heard it, because it's an old song he's just found. She added:'Romeo has the best music taste, he has New Addition, Michael Jackson, a bit of Madonna.'
Elsewhere, Victoria has long moved away from her tattooed image, and over the years she has transformed her look - with her inkings growing more faded with age.
It was reported in 2015 she was undergoing laser treatment to remove the designs, supposedly believing tattoos did not befit the image of a high powered businesswoman after she launched her wildly-successful fashion label in 2008.
The products in Victoria's collection include Eye Palette in Blanc, Noir, Gris, Bordeaux, Smudgy Matte Eyeliner in Graphite, Eye Kajal in Black Saffron/Vanille and Eye Ink Mascara in Blackest.
News / National
by Staff reporter
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has appointed his deputy Thokozani Khupe acting president while he recovers from his current illness in a move widely seen as mending relations between the two heavyweights who have been at loggerheads over the party's alliance with fringe political parties.Tsvangirai has taken medical leave to recover from a yet-to-be disclosed illness which saw him being airlifted to South Africa recently amid claims that his health had deteriorated."He is suffering from cancer of the colon but it is not clear if the emergency trip to South Africa was a result of complications arising from his condition.MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu confirmed Khupe's temporary presidency."She's the acting president. As you know Khupe resides in Bulawayo but she frequently travels to and from Harare to conduct party and parliamentary business," said Gutu.University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer Eldred Masunungure described the move to make Khupe the acting president as "smart"."It is likely to mellow in favour of the coalition because Khupe will realise that she has been recognised as the most senior of the vice presidents based on the reality that she is an elected official anyway so it makes good politics (sense) on the part of Tsvangirai," Masunugure said."If you are a leader and you are given responsibilities you have to look at the trajectory the party is taking and you follow the direction of the wind."Khupe will realise that Tsvangirai was not up to any Machiavellian maneuvers to placate her but that he is being realistic in recognising Khupe's position and for that, she will soften her stance to show leadership," he added.Tsvangirai and Khupe had been rowing ever since the dogged former labour union leader announced that he had formed an MDC Alliance that included his former two secretaries-general Welshman Ncube and Tendai Biti as well as five other parties.Khupe and other officials opposed to the MDC Alliance who include national chairperson Lovemore Moyo and Abednico Bhebhe boycotted the launch of the MDC Alliance both in Harare and Bulawayo, respectively.Relations had already been soured by the violence which occurred between the Harare and Bulawayo launches which was orchestrated by suspected party yobs.Attempts to let Khupe and Tsvangirai bury the hatchet, have so far been not successful as the former was not keen on meeting her leader in Harare for fear of a repeat of violence which left her injured during the bloody clashes at her offices in Bulawayo on August 6.
Over the years, she's been celebrated for her jaw-dropping beauty and youthful good looks as much as she has her captivating performances in film.
And Monica Bellucci put on a breathtaking glamorous display on Wednesday evening, when she received the prestigious Donostia Award for her glittering movie career at the 65th San Sebastian Film Festival in northern Spain.
The 52-year-old Italian-born actress was a vision as she stepped out onto the stage to receive the festival's highest honour in a flowing pink chiffon gown.
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Honoured: Monica Bellucci was the guest of honour as she received the prestigious Donostia Award at the 65th San Sebastian Film Festival in northern Spain on Wednesday evening
She complemented the pleated number, which featured sheer sleeves and was cinched at the waist with a high band, with an elegant gold necklace.
The mother-of-two let her glossy chestnut brown waves flow down her back for the big event, while her natural beauty was accentuated with a dusting of makeup.
Hours before receiving her award, the Bond girl attended a brief press conference, where she spoke about her decades-long career, and how much violence has played a role in a number of her films.
Pretty in pink: The 52-year-old Italian-born actress was a vision as she stepped out onto the stage to receive the festival's highest honour in a flowing pink chiffon gown
Stunning: She complemented the pleated number, which featured sheer sleeves and was cinched at the waist with a high band, with an elegant gold necklace
Greetings: She affectionately greeted actor Jon Malkovich as he presented her award to her
Body of work: The brunette beauty was awarded for her glittering, decades-long movie career
Proudly posing: The screen star posed proudly with her ornate trophy after making her speech
'I think this duality between poetry and violence has always been part of my career. I think the poetry in violence is part of my work,' Variety quoted her as saying, when she was asked about her role in the 2001 movie Malena.
On starring in Irreversible a year later - which saw her character brutally raped - she said: 'When the film came out in Cannes, it was a scandal in some ways. People thought it was too violent... Today its a cult movie, and young students study it at university.'
Over the summer, Monica had a busy season promoting her film On The Milky Road.
Natural beauty: The mother-of-two let her glossy chestnut brown waves flow down her back for the big event, while her natural beauty was accentuated with a dusting of makeup
Got it in the bag: She teamed her eye-catching ensemble with a matching small clutch purse
As well as co-producing, the actress plays Nevesta alongside Serbian actor Emir Kusturica in the three-part narrative, which follows the life of a man and his country, from war, to when he falls in love and his eventual transition into hermit monk.
It is her first screen outing since her role as assassin's widow Lucia Sciarra in Spectre, where she enjoyed a steamy romp with Bond, played by Daniel Craig.
In the lead-up to the film's release, Daniel Craig insisted that his character would be kept on his toes by strong female leads, brought in to match 007 with their intelligence, style and sex appeal.
Photo call: Earlier in the day, the youthful Bond girl attended a photo call for the big event
Blowing kisses: The screen beauty blew kisses at gathered photographers, reporters and fans
A history of violence: During a brief press conference, she spoke about her decades-long career, and how much violence has played a role in a number of her films
Stylish: Monica looked sensational as she stepped out for the photo call in a stylish black suit
But critics were disappointed that beyond their on-screen romp, Monica's character only managed to make it into the storyline for a matter of minutes.
With her age-defying looks, it is clear to see that curiosity springs as to how she manages to stay so young - a secret she divulged to The Telegraph this summer.
She said: 'I do Pilates and swim, but I dont wake up at six and go to the gym. Forget it! It is not a matter of age, it is a matter of energy. The body gets older but the soul younger, You can be old at just 20.'
Backdrop: The coastal setting made for a stunning backdrop as Monica posed for snapshots
Shade: She shielded her eyes from the bright sunshine with a pair of oversized sunglasses
Fans: Scores of fans lined the road to catch a glimpse of the star as she posed up a storm
She was one of the various supermodels spotted out and about on the streets of Paris on Wednesday.
But Kate Moss was caught off-guard as she crossed the pavement from her hotel to her waiting car, pulling a grimace/snarl expression as she did so.
Her eyes covered with thick shades, Kate, 43, looked as if the month of September - one of the busiest for the fashion calendar - had started to finally catch up with her.
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Not so ready for her close up! Kate Moss appeared to snarl as she headed to her awaiting car in Paris in an all-black ensemble and dark shades
Off she goes: The model was seen leaving The Ritz on Wednesday afternoon, looking otherwise sleek
The model was seen leaving The Ritz on Wednesday afternoon, looking otherwise sleek.
The British fashion stalwart rocked a slick black ensemble, completed with killer leopard print heels.
She wore a loose black blouse with a neck-tie embellishment, a velvet blazer and skinny jeans, carrying a black leather bag alongside her as she strolled out of the plush hotel.
She wore her blonde locks tied up on her head, and accented the look with gold jewelry.
Shady: Her eyes covered with thick shades, Kate, 43, looked as if the month of September - one of the busiest for the fashion calendar - had started to finally catch up with her
Top Kat: Kate Moss was seen leaving The Ritz on Wednesday afternoon. The British fashion stalwart rocked a sleek black ensemble, completed with killer leopard print heels
Strutting it fine: She wore a loose black blouse with a neck-tie embellishment, a velvet blazer and skinny jeans, carrying a black leather bag alongside her as she strolled out of the plush hotel
The day before, Kate and her pal Edward Enninful were guests on the front row at the star-studded Yves Saint Laurent Paris Fashion Week show on Tuesday, where a bevy of super glam guests headed out to eye up the Spring/Summer '18 looks for the Ready to Wear collection by Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello.
The blonde fashionista rocked a leopard print ensemble then too, in a mini with a bias-cut blazer as she sat among the stars beneath the Eiffel Tower for the show-stopping spectacular.
Proving to be quite the FROW experts, both Kate and Edward had their fashionista glares prepared for vying photographers at the event - which was littered with a who's who of the fashion world.
Kate was also joined by her protege Louis Baines at the show - who was the first signing to her self-titled modelling agency.
She's been enjoying a whirlwind trip around Europe promoting her latest collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger.
And now landing in Paris, Gigi Hadid, 21, was back to her envy-inducing style tricks as she showcased her sensational figure in a jaw-dropping white gown on Wednesday night in the French capital.
The supermodel risked a wardrobe malfunction in the plunging gown, as she threatened to spill out of the dress and flashed her black underwear following the Messika by Gigi Hadid Fashion Week Party.
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Woman of the hour: Gigi Hadid flashed more than a peek of cleavage as she clambered into her car in Paris on Wednesday night
She's got a lot of front! The blonde beauty risked a wardrobe malfunction as she got out of her car, flashing her black underwear and threatening to spill out of her dress following the Messika by Gigi Hadid Fashion Week Party
She oozed elegance in her naval-grazing ensemble that highlighted her ample bust and decolletage.
Her show-stopping look accentuated her narrow waist as she left her hotel in a pair of sky-high metallic heels that elongated her already never-ending lean limbs.
The long-sleeved garment exhibited her slender pins even further with a racy thigh-high front slit as it gather around her statuesque frame with aplomb.
The sister of fellow model Bella looked sensational as she accessorised her collared look with a diamond-encrusted choker, drop earrings and intricate layered rings from her Messika by Gigi Hadid collection.
Californian beauty Gigi styled her golden locks into a sleek bun while working a slight feline flick across her lid.
White hot: Gigi Hadid, 21, was back to her envy-inducing style tricks as she showcased her sensational figure in a jaw-dropping white gown on Wednesday night in the French capital
Hadid she do it again? The supermodel oozed elegance in her naval-grazing ensemble that highlighted her ample bust and decolletage
Show-stopping: Her show-stopping look accentuated her narrow waist as she left her hotel in a pair of sky-high metallic heels that elongated her already never-ending lean limbs
All white? Her stunning gown displayed all the best parts of her incredible figure
Earlier in the day, she was spotted making her way to Izabel Marant for a fitting, after having just flow into France from Spain, where she was promoting her Spring/Summer collaboration with the brand.
With the Balmain, Elie Saab and Kenzo shows still due to take place before Paris closes on Tuesday, Gigi is expected to have a busy few days ahead.
Her younger sister Bella is also in town, after they shared the runway at Versace, Moschino and Bottega Veneta last week.
Bella flew straight in from Madrid, while Gigi travelled across to Barcelona for more work with Tommy.
Razzle dazzle: Gigi was dripping with diamonds from her Messika by Gigi Hadid collection which coordinated with her dazzling make-up
Getting chic done: The long-sleeved garment exhibited her slender pins even further with a racy thigh-high front slit as it gather around her statuesque frame with aplomb
Work it: The sister of fellow model Bella looked sensational as she accessorised her collared look with a diamond-encrusted choker, drop earrings and intricate layered rings
She was mobbed by fans as she continued her promotional duties on Tuesday.
Gigi has been wowing on the fashion week front and recently presented her third TommyXGigi collaboration as the brand made its debut at London Fashion Week earlier this week.
The much-anticipated showcase of Hilfiger's SS18 collection brought a touch of sportswear chic to Fashion Week, closing the five-day event with a high-profile bang.
Following the success of the first two TOMMYNOW shows, the Fall 2017 event built on TOMMY HILFIGER's signature See Now, Buy Now format.
For the first time, TOMMYNOW included both mens and womens collections, in addition to the third TommyXGigi collaborative capsule, and all runway looks were available across an ecosystem of immediately shoppable channels in more than 70 countries.
Glam gal: Californian beauty Gigi styled her golden locks into a sleek bun while working a slight feline flick across her lid
Keeping busy: Earlier in the day, she was spotted making her way to Izabel Marant for a fitting, after having just flow into France from Spain, where she was promoting her Spring/Summer collaboration with the brand
Looking ahead: With the Balmain, Elie Saab and Kenzo shows still due to take place before Paris closes on Tuesday, Gigi is expected to have a busy few days ahead
Watch this space! Gigi is the face of the Tommy Hilfiger Watches campaign
Her stylish display comes days after she shared the runway with original 90s supermodels Claudia Schiffer, 47, Naomi Campbell, 47, Helen Christensen, 48, Carla Bruni, 49, and Cindy Crawford, 51, for the Versace SS18 show.
The show was to mark the 20th anniversary of Gianni Versace's death, the brother of Donatella Versace.
Gigi paid tribute to the late designer on Instagram, writing: 'Pride. Joy. Honor. I felt so much today, and I feel so grateful to all of you for your life-long inspiration.
'Thank you Donatella for giving us the opportunity to celebrate you and your brother tonight, whose magic has driven so many of us ! SO MUCH LOVE'.
Monochrome maven: Constance Jablonski rocked a chic tiered black maxidress and studded mules
She hit back at claims she was expecting her second child with husband Channing Tatum last week.
And Jenna Dewan Tatum made sure to show off her trim waistline while running errands in Beverly Hills on Wednesday morning.
The actress, 36, smiled as she showcased her chic sense of style in a business-like white blazer while leaving a meeting.
Girl about town: Jenna Dewan Tatum made sure to show off her trim waistline while running errands in Beverly Hills on Wednesday morning
The Step Up star teamed her crisply-tailored jacket with a low-cut lace bodysuit, which displayed her cleavage and slim waist.
Jenna was equally smart on her bottom half, dressing to impress in a pair of tailored black cropped culottes.
The World of Dance host added height to her 5ft3in frame with towering strappy black heels as she carried a long black purse on her shoulder.
Jenna shielded her eyes from the morning sun with a pair of dark aviator sunglasses and added a splash of red to her lips.
She means business! The actress, 36, showcased her chic sense of style in a business-like white blazer while leaving a meeting
Monochrome magic: The Step Up star teamed her crisply-tailored jacket with a low-cut lace bodysuit, which displayed her cleavage and slim waist
The mother-of-one's chocolate brown tresses were worn straight to her shoulders as she went about her busy day.
Jenna met husband Channing Tatum, 37, while filming the 2006 dance film Step Up, and the couple married on a vineyard in Malibu, California, three years later in 2009.
The genetically-blessed twosome now raise sweet daughter Everly, four, together.
Last week, Jenna was hit by claims she was expecting her second child, but she quickly put the rumors to bed via People.
Chic: Jenna was equally smart on her bottom half, dressing to impress in a pair of tailored black cropped culottes and strappy sandals
She quipped in an article that ran last Tuesday: 'Thank you so much for all of your care and well wishes for my food baby and for the fact that I really needed to pee.'
Covering this year's January issue of Cosmopolitan, Jenna had looked back on carrying her daughter, saying: 'We actually got pregnant at the worst time.'
She recalled: 'I found out right after I filmed the pilot for the Witches Of East End, and then we spent six months in London while Chan was doing Jupiter Ascending.
'It was not a planned baby. It was crazy, but we figured it out. Youve just got to trust and follow the flow of life.'
He's one of the 12 remaining contestants, hoping to capture the heart of Sophie Monk.
But in Thursday's OK! magazine, Sam Cochrane revealed he initially did not want to star on the reality dating series and was in fact scouted.
'I didn't go to the audition,' the 31-year-old told the publication.
'I didn't audition': The Bachelorette's Sam Cochrane, 31, revealed in Thursday's OK! magazine that he was SCOUTED by producers
'I didn't go to the audition, but I had a Skype conversation (with producers) and decided to do it,' the voiceover artist admitted.
'I was the last piece of the puzzle,' he added.
Sam's debut on national television has certainly not been a quiet one.
Not keen at first: 'I didn't go to the audition, but I had a Skype conversation (with producers) and decided to do it,' Sam, a voiceover artist admitted to the publication
Causing a stir: Sam's debut on national television has certainly not been a quiet one
At Wednesday night's cocktail party, Sophie, 37, told Sam she was put off at last week's medieval photoshoot, in which he made sleazy remarks about her curves.
The songstress told him: 'You started talking about my cans on the photoshoot. Remember that? You're meant to be winning my affection and you're going, "Look at her cans."'
Fans praised Sophie for not accepting the way Sam acted towards her, with one viewer posting on Twitter: 'Hell yeah, Sophie calling out Sam's sh*tty behaviour'.
Not impressed: At Wednesday night's cocktail party, Sophie, 37, told Sam she was put off at last week's medieval photoshoot, in which he made sleazy remarks about her curves
Vocal: The songstress told him: 'You started talking about my cans on the photoshoot. Remember that? You're meant to be winning my affection and you're going, "Look at her cans"'
Another captioned a GIF of someone clapping: 'Sophie laying it down with Sam.'
'Good on Sophie for calling out Sam's grossness,' someone else added.
Thinking the blonde bombshell had done the right thing in hitting back against the suitor, seemed to be the almost unanimous sentiment.
Online backlash: Fans praised Sophie for not accepting the way Sam acted towards her, with one viewer posting on Twitter: 'Hell yeah, Sophie calling out Sam's sh*tty behaviour'
Following suit: 'Good on Sophie for calling out Sam's grossness,' someone else added
On her side: 'Sophie is calling out Sam on his disgusting behaviour. She is savage and she is the best!' a fan Tweeted
'Sophie is calling out Sam on his disgusting behaviour. She is savage and she is the best!' a fan Tweeted.
Meanwhile, one angry viewer appeared to be out for vengeance, Tweeting: 'Would someone kindly stab Sam with that double delight rose. Thank you - Australia.'
Another wrote, 'DRAG HIM SOPHIE - DRAG HIM.'
The Bachelorette Australia with Sophie Monk airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7.30pm on Network Ten
Primetime viewing: The Bachelorette Australia with Sophie Monk airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7.30pm on Network Ten
She filed for divorce from her husband of 10 months on September 20th but two days earlier Audrina Patridge requested a temporary restraining order against Corey Bohan.
The Hills alum, 32, also sought a child abduction prevention order against the 35-year-old professional BMX rider, according to People Wednesday.
At the weekend, the pair were seen meeting in Irvine so that Audrina could hand over their daughter Kirra to her father for a visit.
'Audrina is putting on a brave face, but these exchanges between Audrina and Corey are court ordered to take place at a police station for her protection,' a rep for the TV personality told People. 'There is still a family law domestic violence case open.'
Sought protection: Audrina Patridge, 32, pictured earlier this month, requested a restraining order against husband of 10 months Corey Bohan, 35, pictured Monday, because she 'was afraid he'd retaliate when she filed for divorce, according to a report in People Wednesday
Audrina is asking for primary physical and legal custody of the 15-month-old child.
The former reality star has moved out of the Irvine, California, home she shared with her husband and in her divorce petition, she cited irreconcilable differences.
'She got the restraining order because she was afraid how he would retaliate when she filed for divorce,' an insider told the magazine. 'Corey has said to Audrina multiple times, If you leave me, Ill come after you. So she had to get some additional protection.'
In his legal response, according to People, Corey denied the abuse allegations leveled against him by his estranged wife who'd accused him of shoving her while she was holding Kirra and snatching a cell phone out of her hand during an argument.
Custody: The couple share a 15-month-old daughter Kirra and Audrina is asking for primary physical and legal custody of the child
Civil: The Hills star was seen smiling as she picked up Kirra from Bohan, 35, near their home in Orange County over the weekend
The now former couple started dating in 2008 and got engaged in 2015.
They tied the knot last November in Hawaii.
He became a household name for playing the tuxedo-clad spy James Bond in the nineties.
Yet, Pierce Brosnan, 64, cut a very different figure from yesteryear as he stepped out in Croatia alongside his wife Keely Shaye Smith, 54, casually clad while filming musical Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again on Wednesday.
The Hollywood star stepped out in a low-key look as he boarded a boat in Restar, before making his way to the island of Vis to continue filming for the highly-anticipated second instalment of the cinematic favourite.
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Stepping out: Pierce Brosnan, 64, cut a very different figure from yesteryear as he stepped out in Croatia alongside his wife Keely Shaye Smith, 54, casually clad while filming musical Mamma Mia 2 on Wednesday
The Irish actor donned a sleeveless wind breaker for the journey onboard the catamaran over his casual grey shirt.
He completed his laidback ensemble with a pair of navy chino while sporting his salt and pepper hued mane alongside his long-term love.
Enjoying a day at sea, his wife Keely complemented his muted attire in a black maxi dress which she accessorised with a long scarf and flat sandals.
All on board: The Hollywood star stepped out in a low-key look as he boarded a boat in Restar, before making his way to the island of Vis to continue filming for the highly-anticipated second instalment of the cinematic favourite
On the look out: The Irish actor donned a sleeveless wind breaker for the journey onboard the catamaran over his casual grey shirt
Pierce and Keely looked more in love than ever as they headed inside hand-in-hand - having first met in Mexico back in 1994.
The pair went onto tie the knot in a romantic ceremony in Ballintubber Abbey in Ireland in 2001, and went on to welcome sons Dylan, 20, and Paris, sixteen.
It is the Hollywood hunk's second marriage, as the movie star first got hitched to Cassandra Harris in December 1980.
The couple were together until the Australian actress died of Ovarian cancer at the age of 43 in December 1991.
Beaming: He completed his laidback ensemble with a pair of navy chino while sporting his salt and pepper hued mane alongside his long-term love
No shade: The suave star placed his on-trend shades as he made his way to his boat
They had one biological son Sean, 34, together during their 11-year marriage, and he also adopted Cassandra's children Charlotte, who died age 42, and Christopher, 44, from her first marriage to Dermot Harris.
Meanwhile, it was confirmed in August that Pierce would reprise his role as Sam for the recently announced sequel to Mamma Mia!
The new film, entitled Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! is due for release in summer 2018, a decade after the original film came out.
Although the storyline remains a secret, it is believed that a number of ABBA hits that werent included in the first film such as Waterloo and Knowing Me, Knowing You - will be featured.
Back again: It was confirmed in August that Pierce would reprise his role as Sam for the recently announced sequel to Mamma Mia!
Universal Pictures confirmed in July that the sequel will see the return of the film's original cast.
The star-studded line-up will include Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard.
While he has embarked on a number of projects over the years, the Irish actor is best known for playing famous British spy James Bond.
In 1994, the actor became the fifth actor to take on the much coveted role, and starred in four films from 1995 to 2002.
He played the hero in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day.
North Korea says it is ready to defend itself from attack by the US and has accused President Donald Trump of declaring war against the regime
Donald Trump on Tuesday accused North Korea of torturing a captive US student "beyond belief," spurning pleas from allies and foes in east Asia to tone down his warlike rhetoric.
For the first time, Trump publicly accused Pyongyang of abusing the late 22-year-old Otto Warmbier, an allegation likely to heighten tensions between the two nuclear powers.
Last June the Ohio native was sent home in a coma after more than a year in prison in North Korea. He died a few days later.
Aides say Trump was personally shocked and angered by Warmbier's death, and that the government suspects mistreatment.
But the US president had stopped short of publicly accusing the regime of torture, a move that would raise expectations of a tough response, raise tensions and could complicate any future releases.
Since June, the United States and North Korea have traded military moves and bombastic insults in a stand-off over Kim Jong-Un's nuclear and ballistic weapons programs.
After seeing Warmbier's parents on television Tuesday morning, Trump cast previous concerns aside.
"Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea," he said in an early morning tweet.
The missive came just hours after South Korea -- whose densely-populated capital Seoul is located just 35 miles from the demilitarized zone dividing the Korean peninsula -- asked its US ally to take the heat out of the situation.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha visited Washington to warn it was imperative to "prevent further escalation of tensions or any kind of accidental military clashes which can quickly go out of control."
Similarly, China, the North's neighbor and only major ally, warned Tuesday that any conflict would have "no winners."
Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said rhetorical sparring "will only increase the risk of confrontation and reduce the room for policy maneuver."
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, visiting India, stressed that Washington wants a diplomatic solution to the North Korean nuclear crisis.
"We maintain the capability to deter North Korea's most dangerous threats but also to back up our diplomats in a manner that keeps this as long as possible in the diplomatic realm," he said in New Delhi after talks with his Indian counterpart.
Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un traded barbs in the wake of the North's sixth nuclear bomb and multiple missile tests.
Pyongyang says it needs the weapons to defend itself against the threat of a US invasion.
Alarm over Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs dominated the gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, amid fears the heated rhetoric could accidentally trigger a war.
In his UN address last week, Trump delivered the blunt threat to "totally destroy" North Korea if provoked, deriding leader Kim Jong-un as "Rocket Man".
Kim hit back with a personal attack of his own, branding Trump "mentally deranged" and a "dotard" and warning he would "pay dearly".
The North's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho on Monday called a press conference to hit back at a US bomber mission near the North's coastline and a slew of bombastic warnings from the American president.
Taking umbrage at Trump's weekend tweet that North Korea's leadership "won't be around much longer" if it keeps up its threats, Ri told reporters the international community hoped that a "war of words" would "not turn into real actions".
"However, last weekend, Trump claimed our leadership would not be around much longer," said Ri, who attended this year's UN General Assembly session. "He declared a war on our country."
Graphic on armed forces personnel and military expenditure of major powers in northeast Asia
The White House said Ri's interpretation of Trump's saber-rattling as "absurd".
Fears of a clash were sharpened after US bombers flew off the coast of North Korea on Saturday -- going further north of the demilitarized zone than any US aircraft has flown this century.
"Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to take counter-measures including the right to shoot down US strategic bombers even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country," Ri said.
"The question of who won't be around much longer will be answered then."
A Pentagon spokesman stressed the bombers flew in international airspace and had every right to do so.
A US Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber, US F-35B stealth jet fighters and South Korean F-15K fighter jets fly over South Korea during a joint military drill
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that while Pyongyang did not appear to have picked up the presence of the US warplanes over the weekend, it had since bolstered its coastal defenses.
"North Korea relocated its warplanes and strengthened defenses along the east coast," said Lee Cheol-Woo, the chief of the National Assembly's intelligence committee.
Teargas was used after opposition supporters gathered outside the commission's main offices waving placards
Kenyan police on Tuesday used tear gas to disperse opposition protesters outside the headquarters of the election commission a month before a scheduled re-run of the annulled presidential poll.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga is insisting on widespread reforms of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ahead of the new presidential election scheduled for October 26.
On Tuesday about 300 Odinga supporters gathered outside the commission's main offices waving placards and chanting "Chiloba out!", a reference to IEBC chief executive Ezra Chiloba whom Odinga wants sacked and prosecuted.
After they were confronted by a smaller crowd of pro-government demonstrators, police used tear gas to clear the street, kicking off hours of cat-and-mouse chases around the office complex.
About 300 Odinga supporters gathered outside the commission's main offices waving placards and chanting
Speaking blocks away from the melee, Odinga declared the start of a "peaceful campaign" against the IEBC and alleged an international "conspiracy" -- involving the ruling Jubilee Party, Kenyan telecoms company Safaricom and French IT firm OT-Morpho -- to keep him from power.
"The tragedy faced today, which we have to confront before it consumes us, is not that elections were stolen, but that IEBC, Jubilee and a number of local and international actors are determined to repeat that fraud," he said.
Without providing evidence, Odinga alleged that results from polling stations were not remitted to the national tally centre, but instead sent to "a cloud server registered in Spain and controlled in France".
As a result, Odinga claimed, "results... left the country but never found their way back".
The Supreme Court annulled the August 8 presidential election which judges ruled was mismanaged by electoral officials to the extent that the results were "neither transparent nor verifiable".
The annulment has heightened political tensions in Kenya, with President Uhuru Kenyatta describing the court decision as "a judicial coup" while Odinga has threatened to boycott the new election unless the IEBC is overhauled.
Kenya's chief prosecutor on Saturday told the police and anti-corruption agency to investigate alleged "irregularities and illegalities" in the conduct of the presidential poll, ordering that investigations be completed within 21 days.
Rohingya refugees carry supplies after a food distribution organised by the Bangladeshi army at the refugee camp of Balukhali near the village of Gumdhum on September 26, 2017
A Myanmar team will arrive in Bangladesh next week to discuss the mass exodus of Rohingya, an official said Tuesday, amid huge diplomatic efforts to find a durable solution to the crisis.
The team are "coming early next week," Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque told AFP, saying they would be working on the Rohingya issue but not giving further details.
A senior foreign ministry official said the team was expected to be led by Myanmar's Minister of the Office of State Counselor, Kyaw Tint Swe.
Dhaka had earlier invited the minister for talks before the latest eruption of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state triggered one of the world's worst refugee crisis in recent decades.
The announcement comes as the UN said 480,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh's southeastern border region since August 25.
Between the new arrivals and some 300,000 Rohingya who were already living in the area due to previous violence in Myanmar, there are now nearly 800,000 refugees in camps around the Bangladesh border town of Cox's Bazar that are bursting at the seams.
The situation has forced new arrivals into makeshift shelters in grim conditions, and sparked warnings that epidemics, including cholera, could easily spread.
The bilateral talks come as Dhaka mounts a huge diplomatic effort to find a permanent solution to the Rohingya problem and make Myanmar take back all the refugees to their homeland in Rakhine.
The latest military operation was sparked by attacks carried out by Rohingya militants on police posts on August 25.
Bangladesh's prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday proposed creating UN-supervised safe zones inside Myanmar to protect Rohingya Muslims fleeing a military crackdown.
Hasina accused Myanmar authorities of laying landmines on the border to prevent the Rohingyas from returning and said the United Nations must take immediate measures to find a solution to the crisis.
She laid out a five-point plan that called for the protection of the Rohingyas in "safe zones that could be created inside Myanmar under UN supervision."
The United Nations has described the military operation as "ethnic cleansing" and French President Emmanuel Macron went further, describing it as a "genocide."
Myanmar must stop the violence and "the practice of ethnic cleansing", agree to allow a UN fact-finding mission, ensure the return of refugees and abide by a report that recommends citizenship for the Rohingya, said Hasina. Rohingya are currently denied Myanmar citizenship.
There has been mounting international outrage over the plight of the Rohingya, prompting the UN Security Council this month to call for an end to the violence.
News / National
by Staff reporter
ZANU PF factional fights in Masvingo took a new dimension yesterday, with the four executive members, who were reportedly suspended on Monday, laughing off their suspensions and demanding President Robert Mugabe's intervention and the dissolution of the Ezra Chadzamira-led executive.The call came after Chadzamira chaired a provincial executive meeting at the weekend, where he reportedly fired secretary for gender, Mutero Masanganise, secretary for legal affairs, Teddy Muzoroza, Gutu South MP, Tichazorwa Madondo and a Mazorodze, who was the provincial deputy commissar.Provincial vice-chairperson, Amasa Nenjana was reassigned to the less influential position of secretary for security and replaced by Ailess Baloyi, whose previous position, secretary for administration was given to Brian Munyoro, from the youth league, both said to be loyal to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Team Lacoste faction.Masanganize, who on Monday said he was unaware of the development, was breathing fire yesterday, calling for the senior party leadership to immediately fire the whole Chadzamira executive, accusing it of dividing Zanu PF ahead of elections due next year."The proper leadership of the party should dissolve the Chadzamira executive and replace it with an interim one to lead the party to next year's general elections, not the nonsense that is going on," Masanganise, who lost to Chadzamira in the race for chairmanship early this year, fumed.He said he would engage Tourism minister Walter Mzembi to organise an urgent meeting with Mugabe.Mzembi said the Chadzamira executive was failing to resolve the factional fights and called for Mugabe to act and dissolve the entire Masvingo executive."I only arrived yesterday from America, where I was accompanying the President at the United Nations and my office was inundated with calls from comrades from the province asking me to appeal to President Mugabe to save them from unconstitutional actions that have become a trademark of this province," he said."The affected comrades should disregard the unilateral actions by Chadzamira and continue to discharge their duties unperturbed."Under the circumstances, given that the provincial executive is now constituted by less than a third of elected members, it means that the provincial executive should be dissolved and an interim executive that will unite us before the elections put in place."The Tourism minister said Chadzamira recently questioned Masvingo Central MP, Daniel Shumba's sincerity in his support for Zanu PF, as he once formed his own party."This is a question of a kettle calling the pot black, considering where Chadzamira was recruited from himself," Mzembi said.Chadzamira was an MDC-T member ahead of the 2008 elections, where he lost in the race to represent the party in the general elections in the party's primaries."I can only say, therefore, that Chadzamira also needs that [cleansing] period before assuming senior roles in the party," Mzembi continued.He said the chairman cannot be allowed to be conflicted to the extent of gerrymandering with the party structures at will to axe his perceived enemies.Muzoroza said he appealed to Mzembi because "he is the only voice of reason in the province".He said his dismissal was a nullity because he was not given the right to be heard and above all, he did not miss a meeting without notice.Nenjana also vowed to fight back, dismissing his reassignment as a nullity.Party provincial commissar, Jeppy Jaboon said the dismissals and reshuffle were a nullity, pleading for the party to be united ahead of next year's polls."The attempted co-options are a nullity. Masvingo will not tolerate continued factionalism, we need unity going into the elections," he said.Chadzamira yesterday denied that some members had been fired, but refused to explain what happened at the meeting, referring questions to the provincial information secretary, Ronald Ndaba, whose mobile phone was not reachable.
Republican ex-judge Roy Moore's victory over incumbent Senator Luther for a US Senate seat in Alabama sends hockwaves through establishment Washington and dents the president's influence over his restless political base
Donald Trump's pick in the Alabama Republican Senate runoff crashed to defeat Tuesday against a populist former judge, likely sending shockwaves through establishment Washington and denting the president's influence over his restless political base.
The result is an embarrassing setback for Trump that highlights the deep divisions within his party and raises questions about its future direction as the GOP heads toward mid-term elections in 2018.
It also signals that many in the grassroots conservative movement that helped propel Trump to the White House are still fighting against the party leadership and its grip on Washington politics during a turbulent period in which Republicans have struggled to deliver on key campaign promises like health care reform.
With 65 out of 67 counties reporting, former Alabama state chief justice Roy Moore led incumbent Luther Strange by 54.9 percent to 45.1 percent.
Strange was appointed to the US Senate earlier this year to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, whom Trump picked to be his attorney general.
Moore hailed his win as a "conservative victory" for his state.
"Because of you, tonight, the establishment has been DEFEATED in Alabama!" he posted on Twitter.
Moore now becomes the heavy favorite in Alabama's special election to be held in December against Democratic nominee Doug Jones.
Trump offered his own congratulations to Moore, urging him in a tweet to "WIN in Dec!"
While Trump may be shifting his support to outsider Moore, the race in Alabama, in the heart of the Deep South, was the latest political battleground over the direction that the Republican leadership is taking the party in Washington.
In a political twist, the race was the stage for a proxy war of sorts between Trump and his recently ousted White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who backed Moore.
Alabama Republican US Senate candidate Roy Moore and his wife Kayla ride their horses to a polling station to vote in the Republican runoff election
- 'Campaigning like hell' -
Former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has also stumped for Moore, while current Vice President Mike Pence made a futile election-eve campaign appearance with Strange.
Trump was hoping to win a loyalist in Strange, 64, who has openly backed Trump's agenda.
But Trump's conservative base has signaled for months that it is not beholden to Republican leaders in Washington, and they could even break with the president in the Alabama race.
Trump hedged his bets last Friday, suggesting in a campaign appearance in Alabama that he "might have made a mistake" in endorsing Strange over Moore.
"If his opponent wins, I'm going to be here campaigning like hell for him" in the general election, Trump said.
Moore has threatened to upend the Republican Party should he win the race, and has branded his opponent an "establishment lackey" to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
He is a fierce enemy of McConnell, accusing him of rejecting conservative efforts to pull the agenda further to the right.
A political action committee affiliated with McConnell pumped several million dollars into support for Strange, prompting scorn from Bannon.
"You're going to see it state after state after state, people that follow the model of judge Moore, that do not need to raise money from the elites, from the crony capitalists, from the fat cats in Washington, DC, New York City, Silicon Valley," he told Moore supporters at a victory rally in Alabama.
Moore is the more Trump-like of the candidates: opinionated, unconcerned about whom he may offend and desperate to upend the elite system that rules the US capital.
"For whatever reason, God has put me in this election at this time, and all the nation is watching" the Alabama race, Moore said Monday night in his final campaign rally before the primary election.
Bannon, who campaigned with Moore on Monday, joined in the Washington bashing, accusing party elites of thinking Alabama voters are nothing but "a pack of morons."
Alabama has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in a quarter century, so Moore is expected to become Alabama's next senator.
The 70-year-old was twice suspended from the Alabama Supreme Court for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and fighting against orders to remove a 10 Commandments monument from the court house.
His defiance made him a local hero to many, and that anti-establishment streak was on display Monday, when Moore, wearing a cowboy hat and vest, pulled a small pistol from his pocket and brandished it briefly before the crowd to show his support for gun rights.
The US Commerce Department found that Bombardier had unfairly benefited from state subsidies in selling its 100- to 150-seat CSeries aircraft below cost to Delta Airlines
The United States announced Tuesday it was imposing preliminary anti-dumping duties of 220 percent on CSeries jets made by Canadian aerospace firm Bombardier following a complaint by American manufacturer Boeing.
The Commerce Department ruled that Bombardier had unfairly benefited from state subsidies in selling its 100- to 150-seat aircraft below cost to Delta Airlines.
Both Canada and the United Kingdom, where some of the parts are built, had sought to persuade the US to drop the case.
"The US values its relationships with Canada, but even our closest allies must play by the rules," said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in explaining the move.
"The subsidization of goods by foreign governments is something that the Trump administration takes very seriously, and we will continue to evaluate and verify the accuracy of this preliminary determination."
The ruling, which is set for a final determination on December 12, could further test relations between Ottawa and Washington, already strained by the ongoing renegotiation of the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which also involves Mexico.
Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland stressed that the US investigation was only in its preliminary stages and duties can only be imposed once the final probe is completed.
"Canada strongly disagrees with the anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations into imports of Canadian large civil aircraft. This is clearly aimed at eliminating Bombardier's CSeries aircraft from the US market," she said.
"We will always defend Canadian companies and Canadian workers against unfair and costly protectionism."
Freeland stressed that components of the jets are supplied by American companies, directly supporting nearly 23,000 jobs across the United States.
"Boeing's petition is threatening these US jobs," she added.
- 'Absurd' -
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau threatened last week to call off a $5.2 billion purchase of 18 Boeing Super Hornet jet fighters from the US unless the case was dropped.
Bombardier also employees 8,000 people in Northern Ireland, including 4,200 in aeronautics, most in a Belfast factory that builds the CSeries wings and fuselage.
"We strongly disagree with the Commerce Department's preliminary decision," the company said.
"The magnitude of the proposed duty is absurd and divorced from the reality about the financing of multibillion-dollar aircraft programs.
"This result underscores what we have been saying for months: the US trade laws were never intended to be used in this manner, and Boeing is seeking to use a skewed process to stifle competition," it added.
Boeing had claimed Bombardier sold American Delta Airlines 75 CS100 aircraft for $19.6 million, despite manufacturing costs of $33.2 million.
The levies imposed by Washington would bring the theoretical cost of each plane to more than $60 million.
The US move comes as America, Canadian and Mexican negotiators are in contentious talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Displaced people head to refugee camps on the outskirts of Raqa, the onetime de facto Syrian capital of the Islamic State group, on September 24, 2017
For years, Gharam Habbal and her elderly father had desperately dreamt of escaping the Islamic State group's hellish grip on Raqa. But when she finally fled, he wasn't with her.
As the petite 41-year-old fled the Syrian city on Tuesday with her mother, brother, and his family, her father's lifeless body was left behind on a mattress in their heavily damaged home.
"He used to tell me, it's almost over, it's almost over. And the day it's really over, he's gone," Habbal said, her voice cracking as her eyes welled with tears.
Once the Syrian stronghold of IS, Raqa has been under attack since June by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters.
But the battle has come with hundreds of civilian casualties and wrought terrible damage on the city.
Habbal escaped with the help of SDF fighters, who transported her family and a dozen other civilians to a mosque in Hawi al-Hawa, a western suburb of the Syrian city.
Displaced Syrians are pictured after they fled central Raqa on September 26, 2017
They arrived to safety just a day after her father was killed in bombing, unable to see that the freedom he had promised his daughter had finally arrived.
On Monday, the family had finished their lunch in their home in the district of Al-Nahda, and Habbal had prepared a bath for her father, who was sitting on the balcony waiting to take it.
"He told me to go get him some clothes from inside, and as soon as I left him, there was a strike," said Habbal, a pink-and-blue floral scarf framing her thin, frail face.
"An IS sniper was positioned in the building next to us, a seven-storey villa. Two rockets hit it and blew up everything. The force of the blast hit our house as my father was sitting out on the balcony," she added.
Debris from the adjacent building completely covered her father. A neighbour helped pull him out, but within the hour he was dead.
- 'You're safe' -
Early Tuesday, Habbal ventured out to see if any neighbours were around to help her bury her father.
She heard gunshots, then a woman's voice.
An advancing female SDF fighter who had taken up a position on the fourth floor of a nearby building was calling to her.
"I went up to the fourth floor and she told me, 'you're safe, don't be scared.' She said, 'bring whoever you can out of that building,'" Habbal told AFP.
"But we left my father's body there on the mattress. We said goodbye to him as he lay there."
At the mosque in Hawi al-Hawa, a Kurdish Red Crescent medic checked Habbal's traumatised mother.
When the door to the mosque slammed shut with a massive boom, the wrinkled woman almost jumped out of her seat in fear.
"That door is going to give me a heart attack," she muttered.
US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces drive on the eastern front line of Raqa on September 24, 2017 as they battle to clear the last remaining Islamic State group jihadists from the city
Another Red Crescent medic was taking the blood pressure of Ahmad Aqqad, the tall neighbour who helped pull Habbal's father from under the rubble and escaped along with her family.
As soon as the medic walked away, 56-year-old Aqqad enthusiastically lit a cigarette -- banned under IS's iron-fisted rule over Raqa.
"I kissed this cigarette packet. I swear I can't believe it," he said.
The jihadist group overran Raqa in 2014, imposing its radical interpretation of Islamic law over tens of thousands of civilians.
But IS has lost around 90 percent of its one-time bastion to the US-backed SDF, and thousands of shell-shocked civilians have made the harrowing escape from the city.
"Whatever I tell you (about IS rule), you wouldn't believe it. Daily beheadings, lashing of women," said Aqqad.
"Now, I'm happy from the bottom of my heart. I can't believe I'm here."
About 7,000 people on the island of Ambae -- in the Pacific archipelago's north -- have left their homes after the Manaro Voui volcano rained rocks and ash on their villages
Villagers fleeing a volcanic eruption in Vanuatu face food and water shortages in overcrowded evacuation camps, aid workers and reports said Wednesday.
About 7,000 people on the island of Ambae -- in the Pacific archipelago's north -- have left their homes after the Manaro Voui volcano rained rocks and ash on their villages.
The volcano sent up a plume of steam and ash over the weekend after weeks of rumbling, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency.
They have also upgraded Manaro Voui to a level four alert, representing a "moderate eruption state", and warned of "flying rocks and volcanic gas" up to 6.5 kilometres (four miles) from its crater.
However, aid workers said a more immediate concern was conditions in the 35 evacuations centres set up outside Ambae's exclusion zone.
The area was already experiencing a dry spell and ash has now blanketed crops and water sources.
Map of Vanuatu, locating the Manaro Voui volcano where an eruption rained rocks and ash on nearby homes, officials say
Manuel Ure, a disaster coordinator with the local Penama provincial government, said conditions in the camps were difficult.
"We have very limited shelters, we have very limited food and water and other necessities... we are facing a lot of challenges at the moment," he told Radio New Zealand.
Red Cross coordinator Augustine Garae said the continuing influx of people was putting more pressure on the camps.
"The number of evacuees is expected to rise, making facilities at evacuation centres (such) as proper toilets and sanitation not enough for everyone to access," he told the Vanuatu Daily Post.
A boat with supplies and volunteers left the capital Port Vila on Wednesday and more are expected in the coming days.
A New Zealand Air Force plane conducted an observation flight over the volcano on Tuesday, gathering data to help scientists assess the risk of a major eruption.
The volcano, also known as Aoba and Lombenben, has three lakes in its crater and last erupted in late 2005.
On that occasion about 5,000 people were evacuated and it was three months before the volcano settled enough for them to return home.
A Malaysian condom company is hoping to spice up sex lives with a contraceptive that tastes like the country's ultimate comfort food - a chili-infused rice dish known as nasi lemak.
Industry giant Karex, which claims to be the world's biggest condom maker, already offers an array of flavours in various pleasure-boosting textures, from grape to the pungent tropical fruit durian.
It is now set to launch a condom inspired by nasi lemak, usually translated as 'fatty rice' - originally a cheap breakfast consumed at street-side stalls but now common across the country, including at higher-end restaurants.
Karex, which claims to be the world's biggest condom maker, is set to launch a condom that tastes like nasi lemak, usually translated as 'fatty rice'
The company spent six months carrying out tests before coming up with its nasi lemak prophylactic, which smells faintly of coconut and is coated with a warming lubricant
The dish consists of rice cooked with coconut milk, served with anchovies, roasted peanuts, a boiled egg, sliced cucumbers and a dollop of fiery chili sauce.
'We Malaysians are divided across our political ideas, religion and race,' Karex chief executive Goh Miah Kiat told AFP from his office in Port Klang, outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.
'I felt one question that unites us all is "Where's the best nasi lemak place you've been?"
Karex spent six months carrying out tests before coming up with its nasi lemak prophylactic, which smells faintly of coconut and is coated with a warming lubricant.
The company is working on packaging and the limited-edition condom, under the brand name ONE Condoms, should hit shops in November or December. Karex also sells condoms under the brand name Carex.
Karex chief executive Goh Miah Kiat insisted the range of wacky condoms were more than just a marketing gimmick
Goh insisted the range of wacky condoms were more than just a marketing gimmick, and were about trying to encourage contraceptive use in the Muslim-majority country.
'For me, it's about public health, and I want to get the message across to people,' Goh said.
Conservative attitudes are still common in parts of Malaysia and some people frown on the use of contraceptives in the belief they encourage pre-marital sex.
During a parliamentary debate in March, a lawmaker from an influential Islamist party proposed caning unmarried couples who had sex.
The nasi lemak condoms are aimed at the local Malaysian market but much of what Karex makes goes abroad.
The company produces five billion condoms annually from its four factories, with much of its output purchased in bulk by governments or international agencies for safe-sex drives.
Keith Tharpe, who was condemned by a racist juror, faces death by lethal injection unless his execution is stayed
The US Supreme Court late Tuesday granted an unexpected reprieve to a black man convicted of murder, who had been due to be executed in the southern state of Georgia.
The decision capped a tense evening in which inmate Keith Tharpe prepared to die via lethal injection as the nation's top court considered his fate.
He was condemned to death for murder by a jury that included a man who questioned whether black people have souls.
Tharpe's lawyers had launched last-ditch efforts to secure the suspension of the execution on the basis that racism played a "pivotal role" in the decision.
They also argue that Tharpe, 59, should be spared due to mental health problems.
After delaying his execution originally scheduled for 7:00 pm (2300 GMT), the Supreme Court issued a temporary stay but gave no reason for the decision. Three conservative justices out of the total nine opposed granting a stay.
Tharpe was found guilty of the 1990 murder of his sister-in-law Jaquelin Freeman, which took place as she drove to work with his estranged wife.
As required by Georgia law, the jury unanimously decided to impose the death penalty.
- 'Two types of black people' -
In 1998, an NGO that provides free legal assistance to detainees interviewed members of the jury that imposed the sentence.
One of them was a white man named Barney Gattie, who according to court records said that: "There are two types of black people: 1. Black folks and 2. Niggers."
"Because I knew the victim and her husband's family and knew them all to be good black folks, I felt Tharpe, who wasn't in the 'good' black folks category in my book, should get the electric chair," Gattie said.
The juror also said that study of the Bible had led him to wonder "if black people even have souls."
Gattie said that he had not used the word "nigger" as an insult, despite its extremely racist connotation and his having signed an affidavit in which his comments were reproduced.
Aware that the remarks could potentially damage their case, prosecutors then persuaded him to renounce them in another affidavit and said that he was drunk when he first spoke.
Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said that Gattie's views mean he could not have made an impartial judgement in Tharpe's case.
- Favorable legal precedents -
"A juror who doubts whether black people have souls cannot make a reasoned, moral judgment about whether a black defendant such as Mr. Tharpe should face the ultimate sanction," Ifill said.
In several cases in recent years, the US Supreme Court has established that racial prejudice has no place in the American legal system.
In February, the high court suspended the execution of a Texan who had been cast during his trial as being potentially more dangerous because he was black.
The Supreme Court also ruled in favor of a black man in May 2016 who was sentenced to death by a jury of 12 white people from which black jurors were excluded.
The top US court will now consider whether to hear Tharpe's appeal.
After a meeting with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull gas providers Shell, Santos and Origin Energy gave a commitment to increase local supplies
Major gas producers in Australia agreed Wednesday to boost domestic supplies to help arrest a looming power crisis after the government threatened to slap them with export restrictions.
Australia is expected to overtake Qatar as the world's largest liquid natural gas producer by 2020 -- with Japan, China and South Korea key buyers.
But a focus on exports has left it short of local supplies, with Canberra warning of increased power prices and more blackouts in 2018.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has this year repeatedly said he would cap overseas shipments if firms did not prioritise the domestic market.
And after a meeting Wednesday with Santos, Shell and Origin Energy, Turnbull said he had won a commitment from them to top up local supplies, averting the need for export restrictions.
"(The companies) have given us a guarantee that they will offer to the domestic market the gas that was identified as the expected demand shortfall, by AEMO (Australian Energy Market Operator), in 2018," he told reporters.
"Theyve indicated or stated that they will provide a similar guarantee over two years -- thats their intention and will respond further in more detail on 2019 when we meet again next week."
Last week the AEMO projected a dramatic shortfall of gas three times greater than first thought over coming years.
Turnbull blames the crisis on the Labor opposition. which he says backed the development of large LNG export facilities on the country's east coast while in power, without considering the impact on local stocks.
He also accuses state governments, who in some instances have banned gas production on environmental grounds, of contributing to dwindling supplies.
"The failure to develop the onshore gas resources, the gas that is literally under our feet, is costing households and businesses dearly," he said.
Despite being one of the world's biggest coal and gas producers, political debate over energy supply has raged since South Australia suffered a statewide blackout last year and record-high temperatures in recent months put pressure on the national energy grid.
Exporters have also been accused by some analysts of withholding supplies.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)has launched an investigation into the industry, with a mandate to improve transparency, something Turnbull has described as a "big problem".
"(The companies) have also given a commitment to provide regular reporting to the ACCC on sales, offers by them to sell gas and bids to buy gas from customers that they have declined," he said. "This is a very, very important step."
A young Rohingya refugee pumps water at a refugee camp in Bangladesh
The UN has drawn up a contingency plan to feed up to 700,000 Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar after some 480,000 fled to Bangladesh over the past month and arrivals continue.
A senior official from the UN's World Food Program (WFP) told AFP they were now prepared to provide massive food and other emergency aid if the influx continues in coming weeks.
"All the UN agencies together have now set a plan for a new influx of 700,000. We can cover if the new influx reaches 700,000," said the WFP's deputy chief in Bangladesh, Dipayan Bhattacharyya, on Wednesday.
Rohingya have been fleeing Rakhine state in northeast Myanmar for decades. The new influx began on August 25 when deadly attacks by Rohingya militants on Myanmar police posts prompted a huge crackdown by the military.
Bhattacharyya said the hunger situation in camps has improved as food aid from WFP and other agencies is now reaching the refugees.
He said the plan also covers some 300,000 Rohingya who were already sheltering in southeast Bangladesh before the latest influx began -- meaning it could cater for a million people in total.
"No one would be left out from any humanitarian assistance," he said, adding that the WFP would need about $80 million for the massive aid.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visited the overflowing camps last week and said Bangladesh needs "massive international assistance" to feed and shelter the Rohingya.
Grandi said there had been an "incredible outpouring of local generosity" but that now needed to be "beefed up by massive international assistance, financial and material".
A United Nations official last week said it would need $200 million over the next six months to handle the Rohingya crisis.
The UN made an emergency appeal for $78 million on September 9, but UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh Robert Watkins said much more would be needed as the exodus grows.
Impoverished Bangladesh, which earned praise for opening up its border, has eased restrictions on aid groups working in refugee camps and sought $250 million from the World Bank to fund emergency relief.
Troops prepare to enter the town of Sharqat on September 21, 2017, as they close in one of the Islamic State group's last two enclaves in Iraq
Islamic State group fighters seized areas around Ramadi, west of Baghdad, on Wednesday in an apparent attempt at a diversion from offensives on its last Iraqi footholds but were swiftly defeated, security sources said.
The jihadist infiltrators briefly occupied three areas near the city, which is the capital of mainly Sunni Arab Anbar province, long a bastion of insurgency, the sources said.
But after several hours of heavy fighting in which there were deaths on both sides, all three areas were retaken.
"The security forces and the tribes retook control of the Al-Tash, Majr and Kilometre Seven districts," provincial police chief Major General Hadi Razij Kassar told reporters.
"All the Daesh members were killed," he added, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
The operation was likely to have been an attempt to divert the security forces from an offensive they launched last week against the jihadists' last two footholds in Iraq, one of them a series of towns further up the Euphrates Valley from Ramadi.
A general who asked not to be identified told AFP government forces had killed 20 jihadists.
A military source in Ramadi hospital said two security personnel were killed and 18 civilians wounded.
"A curfew has been imposed on the city of Ramadi and its surroundings to prevent any security breaches," the general said.
Troops and paramilitaries retook full control of Ramadi from IS in February 2016 but are still battling to clear the jihadists from elsewhere in Anbar province.
Iraq: Anti-IS offensive
Last week saw the launch of twin offensives against the jihadists in the Euphrates Valley near the Syrian border and around the northern town of Hawija.
IS is now under attack in all of its remaining bastions in both the Iraqi and the Syrian arms of the so-called caliphate it declared in 2014.
Since the jihadists' defeat in Iraq's second city Mosul in July after a nine-month offensive, the territory they still hold has dwindled fast, with stronghold after stronghold coming under assault on both sides of the border.
Their onetime Syrian bastion Raqa, long a byword for gruesome atrocities, including public executions, is now on the verge of falling to US-backed fighters.
IS is also under attack by Russian-backed Syrian government forces around the eastern city of Deir Ezzor and in the central provinces of Hama and Homs.
In Iraq, troops and paramilitaries have retaken the town of Sharqat in their drive on Hawija.
They have also recaptured a string of villages around the town of Anna in their push up the Euphrates Valley towards the Syrian border.
Myanmar's military says it has uncovered mass graves of Hindus in Rakhine, and on Wednesday took journalists to the area
Rika Dhar watched as her husband, two brothers and countless neighbours were brutally hacked to death with machetes by masked men who stormed their Hindu village in western Myanmar and frogmarched the terrified inhabitants to the hills.
"After the killing, they dug three large pits and threw them inside. Their hands were still tied behind them and their eyes blindfolded," said 25-year-old Dhar in a Hindu camp inside Bangladesh where she fled with her two children.
Eyewitnesses told AFP the bloodshed occurred outside their small Hindu village in Kha Maung Seik in northern Rakhine state, where Myanmar authorities have exhumed 45 corpses from mass graves since Sunday.
The army says the grim discoveries are evidence of a massacre by Muslim Rohingya militants on August 25, the same day the insurgents launched coordinated raids on police posts that unleashed a surge of communal bloodshed.
The military's sweeping reprisal has left hundreds dead and sent nearly half a million Rohingya refugees fleeing to Bangladesh, where they have described a campaign of army-led violence the UN says amounts to ethnic cleansing.
Although far smaller in number than the Muslim influx, Hindus have also fled over the border into Bangladesh to escape communal violence in Myanmar
Myanmar's army has rebuffed the accusation and defended its operation as a proportionate crackdown on the Rohingya "extremist terrorists", while highlighting the plight of other groups, such as Buddhists and Hindus, swept up in the unrest.
On Wednesday the army lifted its tight net over the conflict zone to fly reporters to the area in northern Rakhine where the mass graves of Hindus, including many women and children, were exhumed earlier this week.
It is the first time the military has organised a press trip to the area, where media restrictions have made it difficult to verify a whirlwind of accusations over who is driving the violence.
Displaced Hindus in Bangladesh and Myanmar, unable to contact their families, fear the worst as search efforts continued Wednesday for around 50 other villagers.
- 'They butchered everyone' -
Witnesses from Kha Maung Seik, known locally as Fwaira Bazar, said black-clad attackers stormed their community on the morning of August 25, beating and binding the men before driving everyone into the forest.
"After they took us to the hills, they butchered everyone. I saw it with my own eyes," said Promila Sheel, 15, at a small Hindu village in Cox's Bazar near the sprawling Rohingya camps.
Myanmar
She said more than 100 people were killed - including her husband and three other family members. The corpses were unceremoniously dumped in freshly-dug pits, Sheel added.
The latest convulsion of violence has deepened already bitter hatreds between various ethnic groups in Rakhine, where tensions have simmered for years.
The women who survived the massacre did not identify the masked attackers as Muslim militants, but said they were targeted because they were Hindus.
Rohingya sympathetic to the militant cause reject allegations their fighters were responsible for massacring civilians.
In a tent near Kutupalong refugee camp, an alleged Rohingya militant flanked by supporters accused Buddhist mobs of carrying out the attacks and pinning the blame on the fledgling Muslim movement.
"They are just trying to tarnish our image," said the man, requesting anonymity to protect his identity from Bangladesh authorities.
Many Hindus forced to flee their homes in Rakhine have stayed in Myanmar, with the government estimating around 30,000 people have been internally displaced by communal violence
"We never give the moghs (ethnic Rakhine Buddhists) or the non-Muslims a hard time without any valid reason. They are lying to make us look like the bad guys."
But that brings little solace to Modhuram Pal, a Hindu who has not heard from anyone in Kha Maung Seik since escaping with his family to Bangladesh weeks ago.
"I don't know the whereabouts of my relatives and friends in Fwaira Bazar," the 35-year-old told AFP, using the Rohingya name for the village area.
"I heard about the bodies found in the village. God forbid, maybe some of my relatives are in there too."
News / National
by Staff reporter
THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has ruled out staging a televised debate with candidates vying for the presidency.The proposal to bring the candidates together and publicly discuss their plans for the country's future were tabled by Patrick Semphere - who moderated Malawi's first-ever presidential debate in 2014 - at the ongoing Zec media workshop, but the proposal was scuppered by Zec commissioner Joyce Kazembe."Currently the law that gives the commission the mandate to monitor the media does not give the commission any sanctioning power (to call presidential debates), which is very different from other countries," Kazembe said.No televised debate has ever been held in a Zimbabwe presidential election.Kazembe said electoral commissions in other countries have the power "but in Zimbabwe, we operate really on moral suasion... otherwise, we have no sanctioning power."While debates are seldom good places to change the momentum of the race, it is also one last chance for candidates to impress upon a huge national audience their readiness for the presidency.
A Japanese court has ruled that tattoo artists need a medical licence, the first case of its kind in a country where body art is associated with gangsters
A Japanese court Wednesday fined a tattoo artist for tattooing customers without a medical licence, the first case of its kind in a country where body art is associated with gangsters.
Police raided the studio of 29-year-old Taiki Masuda in 2015, charging him with violating a law requiring anyone who carries out a medical procedure to have a formal qualification.
He received a court order to pay fines but requested a trial instead, hoping to prove that tattooing was art and not a medical practice, according to the Asahi Shimbun daily.
At his trial, presiding judge Takaaki Nagase said it was "reasonable" to require tattooists to hold a medical licence to prevent health risks, local media reported.
"The tattoo artist is sentenced to a 150,000-yen ($1,300) fine" a spokeswoman for the Osaka district court in western Japan told AFP without giving further details.
The judge also said that "bacteria and viruses are likely to penetrate (the body) and there is a risk of causing skin problems", according to the Nikkei business daily.
In Japan, tattoos are associated with yakuza organised crime syndicates. Many public institutions, such as hot springs or swimming pools, bar people who have them as a way of keeping gangsters out.
It is however unclear how many tattooists in Japan hold a medical qualification.
According to a 2014 survey conducted by the Kanto Federations of Bar Associations, nearly nine out of 10 people aged between 20 and 69 said they found tattoos scary.
But attitudes appeared to be changing, with about 40 percent of those in their 20s associating tattoos with art and fashion.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (R) speaks next to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Kabul
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg renewed their commitment to Afghanistan Wednesday, as insurgents fired rockets that killed one person and wounded four in Kabul.
Mattis is the first member of US President Donald Trumps cabinet to visit the country since Trump pledged to stay the course in Americas longest war.
In a sign of the nation's continuing insecurity a volley of rockets landed on a house near Kabul international airport hours after Mattis flew in, the interior ministry said.
One person died and four others were wounded -- all from the same family -- in the assault claimed by the Taliban, which said on social media the missiles had been aimed at Mattis's plane.
The Islamic State's local Khorasan province affiliate also claimed responsibility, as security forces were locked in a stand-off with the attackers.
The unannounced high-level visit came as Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces struggle to beat back the Taliban, which has been on the offensive since the withdrawal of US-led NATO combat troops at the end of 2014.
Mattis, along with Stoltenberg, was to hold talks with President Ashraf Ghani and other top officials to discuss the US-led NATO "train and assist" mission -- designed to strengthen Afghanistan's military so it can defend the country on its own.
At a joint news conference with Ghani at the presidential palace Mattis and Stoltenberg pledged the support of US and NATO allies to the Afghan conflict, and expressed determination to stop the country becoming a safe haven for terrorists.
The foreign assistance would give Afghan forces a "compelling battlefield advantage over anything the Taliban stands to mass against" it, Mattis told reporters.
"We will not abandon Afghanistan to a merciless enemy trying to kill its way to power."
Stoltenberg said: "The more stable Afghanistan is the more safe we will be," adding that more than 15 NATO members had agreed to send additional troops.
US generals have for months been describing the situation in Afghanistan as a stalemate, despite years of support for Afghan partners, continued help from a NATO coalition and an overall cost in fighting and reconstruction to the United States of more than $1 trillion.
October marks the 16th anniversary of the start of the war. America is pressing NATO partners to increase their own troop levels in the country to help Afghan forces get the upper hand in the grinding battle against the Taliban and Islamic State.
The resurgent Taliban have promised to turn Afghanistan into a "graveyard" for foreign forces and have been mounting deadly attacks as they maintain their grip on large swathes of the country.
On allegations that Iran and Russia are actively propping up the Taliban, Mattis said it would be "extremely unwise if they think they can somehow support terrorism in another country and not have it come back to haunt them".
- Slapdash training -
Under Trump's plan, the US is sending more than 3,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, on top of the 11,000 already on the ground, to train and advise the country's security forces.
NATO allies have around 5,000 troops deployed around the country.
Critics have questioned what the extra US soldiers can accomplish that previous forces -- who numbered some 100,000 at the height of the fighting -- were unable to do.
Earlier this year Ghani ordered a near-doubling of the country's Special Operations Command -- the elite fighting force spearheading Afghanistan's war against insurgents -- from 17,000 as part of a four-year plan that also aims to strengthen Afghanistan's air force.
While Afghan authorities have welcomed Trump's open-ended commitment to increase US troop numbers, they know it will take time to improve the fighting abilities of their own forces.
Afghanistan's soldiers have been severely demoralised and weakened by huge casualties, desertions and corruption.
Earlier this week US watchdog agency SIGAR criticised US efforts to train Afghanistan's security forces, saying they were being hampered by slapdash instruction, shoddy oversight and failures in governance.
Mattis flew to Kabul from New Delhi where he met his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman, who made it clear that India would not deploy troops to Afghanistan as part of Trump's strategy.
Nigerian camps for people displaced by Boko Haram violence are 'dangerously unprepared' to host people
Cameroon was on Wednesday accused of forcibly returning some 100,000 Nigerian refugees in breach of international agreements, putting them in danger from Boko Haram Islamists.
Human Rights Watch said Nigerians who had sought refuge across the border because of the Islamist violence had been abused, attacked and even sexually exploited by soldiers.
Conditions in the only official camp for Nigerians were poor, free movement was restricted and refugees were denied proper contact with UN officials, it added.
"Since early 2015, the Cameroonian authorities have summarily deported at least 100,000 Nigerians living in remote border areas back to war, displacement and destitution in Nigeria's Borno state," the rights monitor said in a new report.
"In carrying out these deportations, Cameroonian soldiers have frequently used extreme physical violence."
"The Cameroonian military's aim seems to be to clear Nigerians out of the country and dissuade other would-be asylum seekers from seeking Cameroon's protection," it added.
HRW called it a "flagrant breach of the principle of non-refoulement", which stops refugees from being forced back to a country where they are liable to be persecuted.
- Nigerian refugees 'rounded up' -
The UN refugee agency last year appealed on all governments not to return anyone to northeast Nigeria "until the security and human rights situation has improved considerably".
In April and May this year, some 13,000 Nigerian refugees were returned from the overcrowded Minawao camp in Cameroon's Far North region to the border town of Banki.
AFP visited Banki in June, where the returns had increased the population living at the camp for the homeless from 32,000 to 45,000, stretching resources to breaking point.
The UN high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, said at the time he was "extremely worried" by the returns and called them "unsustainable".
Nigerians had been "rounded up" into trucks and forcibly returned to camps that were "dangerously unprepared to receive them", he added.
HRW said unlawful deportations had continued but Nigeria was also complicit as it had sent military vehicles to help bring back its citizens from Cameroon.
Cameroon also blocked Nigerian asylum seekers at the border.
Both Nigeria and Cameroon are signatories to African and international agreements protecting the rights of refugees and preventing their forcible return.
HRW called for an immediate end to the deporting of Nigerian refugees, a probe into alleged abuses, plus better screening and registering of asylum seekers in Cameroon.
It also urged the international community to better fund UNHCR operations in areas affected by the conflict.
Boko Haram's Islamist insurgency began in 2009 and has killed at least 20,000 and forced more than 2.6 million from their homes.
The violence has largely been concentrated in northeast Nigeria but there have also been repeated attacks in Cameroon, as well as Chad and Niger.
Once she is anointed a living goddess, the Kumari is only allowed to leave her new home 13 times a year on special feast days, when she is paraded through Kathmandu in ceremonial dress and elaborate makeup to be worshipped
A three-year-old girl has been named the new Kumari of Nepal's capital Kathmandu after her predecessor retired when she reached puberty, continuing an ancient tradition that sees young girls worshipped as "living goddesses".
Trishna Shakya will be anointed as the new Kumari in a ceremony on Thursday, when she will be taken from her family home to live in a palace in Kathmandu's ancient Durbar Square where she will be cared for by specially appointed caretakers.
She was selected from among four candidates, Uddhav Man Karmacharya, a Hindu priest who attends to the Kumari, told AFP on Tuesday.
"She will take her place on the Kumari's throne after we perform prayers and tantric rituals," Karmacharya said.
Once she is anointed a living goddess, Shakya -- who, like her predecessors, belongs to the Newar community indigenous to the Kathmandu valley -- will only be allowed to leave her new home 13 times a year on special feast days.
She will be paraded through Kathmandu in ceremonial dress and elaborate makeup to be worshipped.
When outside, the Kumari -- who is considered an embodiment of the Hindu goddess Taleju -- is carried because her feet are not allowed to touch the ground.
Selection criteria for aspiring Kumaris is strict and includes a number of specific physical attributes such as an unblemished body, a chest like a lion and thighs like a deer.
Even if a girl fulfils all the physical requirements, she must then prove her bravery by not crying at the sight of a sacrificed buffalo.
The Newar tradition blends elements of Hinduism and Buddhism, with the most important Kumaris representing each of the three former royal kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur.
The practice was historically closely linked to the royal family, but has continued despite the end of Nepal's Hindu monarchy in 2008.
The tradition has drawn criticism from child rights activists who say the Kumaris are denied a childhood and their isolation from society hinders their education and development.
In 2008, Nepal's Supreme Court ruled the living goddesses should be educated and they are now taught inside the palace where they live and are allowed to sit their exams there.
Many former Kumaris have spoken about the struggles they face reintegrating into society after they are dethroned.
The outgoing Kumari, Matine Shakya, was anointed in 2008 at the age of three.
But the number of girls being put forward by their families to be selected as a Kumari has dwindled in recent years.
Bangladesh arrested three Rohingya men and a Bangladeshi who were trying to smuggle methamphetamine pills, like these pictured in 2011, into the country from Myanmar
Bangladesh police Wednesday arrested three Rohingya men and a Bangladeshi who were trying to smuggle 800,000 methamphetamine pills into the country from Myanmar, an official said.
The arrests come as Bangladesh struggles to deal with a massive influx of Rohingya Muslims fleeing unrest in neighbouring Myanmar's Rakhine state.
Officers from Bangladesh's elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained the four men on a fishing trawler in the estuary of the Naf river, which divides the two countries.
"We caught four people trafficking Yaba tablets. Three of them are Rohingya from Myanmar and the other one is a Bangladeshi," Major Ruhul Amin, an RAB area commander, told AFP.
"They were carrying 800,000 yaba tablets on a boat. They brought the yabas from Myanmar. Two of the Rohingyas came here recently. And the other one is an old refugee," he added.
Yaba, a Thai word meaning "crazy medicine", is a concoction of methamphetamine and caffeine that has become popular among young people in Bangladesh.
Some 480,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled violence in Rakhine since August 25 and taken refuge in Bangladesh's southeastern district of Cox's Bazar.
The influx began when deadly attacks by Rohingya militants on Myanmar police posts prompted a huge crackdown by the military.
In recent years Bangladeshi security forces have seized millions of yaba tablets from traffickers attempting to enter Cox's Bazar by land and sea.
Last week two Rohingya men were arrested from a boat in the Naf river by Bangladesh border guards with some 430,000 yaba pills.
Last year a Bangladesh counter-narcotics official told AFP the country was struggling to shut down trafficking from Myanmar, in part because it is difficult to patrol the vast Naf river.
He said yaba pills were being produced in bathroom-sized labs in border areas in Myanmar.
Interpol approved the Palestinian application along with a bid by the Solomon Islands during its annual general assembly in Beijing
Interpol on Wednesday approved the Palestinian Authority's membership bid, a new victory in its drive for international representation despite strong Israeli opposition.
Israel lobbies hard against Palestinian efforts to join global organisations to advance their goal of statehood. It claimed victory last year when the Palestinian bid to join the global police body was suspended.
Interpol approved the Palestinian application along with a bid by the Solomon Islands during its annual general assembly in Beijing.
"New member countries State of Palestine and Solomon Islands bring INTERPOL's membership to 192," it said on its Twitter account.
It did not detail the voting but candidacies require the approval of a two-thirds majority of countries present at the general assembly, excluding abstentions.
The Palestine Liberation Organisation's negotiations affairs department said on Twitter they had received more than 75 percent of the vote.
"Palestine's membership is the outcome of members defending this organisation's raison d'etre and advancing its core values, and a clear rejection of attempts at cynical manipulation and political bullying," Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki said in a statement.
Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately comment.
Palestine gained observer status at the United Nations in 2012 and since then has joined more than 50 international organisations and agreements, according to the Palestinian foreign ministry.
Among them are the International Criminal Court and the United Nations heritage body UNESCO.
Interpol, which is based in the French city of Lyon, eases the exchange of information between police forces and issues "red notices" -- non-binding notifications of arrest warrants -- at the request of a member state or an international tribunal.
- 'Israel blocks progress' -
Senior Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub had told AFP on Sunday that "we're looking to be in all of the international institutions, including Interpol, as an organised state."
"We are looking for the Palestinian state to be a positive contributor toward security and stability in the region and in the international community," he said.
Regarding Israel's opposition, he said: "They don't want any progress toward a Palestinian state."
"Israel does not want us to be in FIFA. How would they want us to be in Interpol?" he said.
Alan Baker, a former senior Israeli diplomat and legal expert, said the membership application was "just a political PR move" on the part of the Palestinians.
"Because they're not interested in negotiating (with Israel) they're trying to achieve the end result, which is a state, through international organisations," he said ahead of Wednesday's vote.
Baker rejected the notion that Palestinians would be able to initiate arrest warrants at will against Israelis by joining Interpol.
He said the attempt by the Palestinians "to politicise what is a super-professional organisation is very harmful to Interpol".
Statues of "comfort women", like this one in Shanghai, have been erected in several parts of Asia and beyond, with protesters complaining that Japan has not done enough to atone for forcing thousands of women into sex slavery during WWII
Japan's western hub of Osaka has threatened to cut its sister city ties with San Francisco over a memorial to wartime sex slaves.
Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura announced the plan at a press conference Monday, saying he would end relations should San Francisco integrate land containing the statue into a public park.
The memorial was built last week on a privately owned plot next to a municipal park by a group of Chinese Americans and their supporters, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
Japanese media has reported that San Francisco intends to extend the boundaries of the park because the owner of the plot wants to give it to the city.
"If San Francisco were to accept the donation, it will mean the city has expressed its wish to accept it in a public space," Yoshimura told reporters.
"It would be the same as the city erecting it. Therefore, I will terminate our sister city relations," he said.
Mainstream historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea but also other parts of Asia including China, were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II as so-called "comfort women".
Activists have in recent years set up dozens of statues in public venues around the world, many of them in South Korea, in honour of the victims.
The statues have drawn the ire of Tokyo, which has pressed for the removal of one outside its embassy in Seoul.
Japan signed a deal with South Korea in December 2015 offering an apology and one billion yen ($9 million) to open a foundation for those sex slaves still alive.
However, some in South Korea say Japan has not done enough to atone for its wartime misdeeds.
The Sri Lankan government has slammed a group of radical Buddhist monks who attacked Rohingya refugees as 'animals', pledging action against police who failed to protect them.
Rajitha Senaratne, a cabinet spokesman, said the government condemned Tuesday's storming of a UN safe house where 31 Rohingya refugees, including 16 children and seven women, had been given shelter.
'As a Buddhist I am ashamed at what happened,' Senaratne told reporters.
Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne condemned the attack on Rohingya refugees
'Mothers carrying very young children were forced out of their safe house which was attacked by a mob led by a handful of monks,' he said.
The mob broke down the gates of the multi-storied building near the capital Colombo, smashing windows and furniture as frightened refugees huddled together upstairs.
'This is not what the Buddha taught. We have to show compassion to these refugees. These monks who carried out the attacks are actually not monks, but animals'
There were no reports of casualties among the refugees, who were later taken to another location, but two police officers were wounded and admitted to hospital.
Senaratne said police had been ordered to take disciplinary action against officers found to have failed to control the mob.
'This is not what the Buddha taught. We have to show compassion to these refugees. These monks who carried out the attacks are actually not monks, but animals,' he said.
A man reading a copy of the July 1 issue of Time magazine carrying a picture of controversial Myanmar monk Wirathu on its cover
Controversial Myanmar monk Wirathu (centre) attends a celebration of the MaBaTha organisation (Committee to Protect Race and Religion)
Sri Lanka's extremist Buddhist monks have close links with their ultra-nationalist counterparts in Myanmar. Both have been accused of orchestrating violence against minority Muslims in the two countries.
One of the monks who stormed the building posted a video on Facebook filmed by his radical group Sinhale Jathika Balamuluwa (Sinhalese National Force) as he urged others to join him and smash the premises.
'These are Rohingya terrorists who killed Buddhist monks in Myanmar,' the monk said in his live commentary, pointing to Rohingya mothers with small children in their arms.
Wirathu at the Masoeyane Monastery of Mandalay where he lectures young disciples
Rohingya Muslim boys, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, cry as Bangladeshi men push them away during distribution of food aid
The 31 Rohingya refugees were rescued by the Sri Lankan navy five months ago after they were found drifting in a boat off the island's northern coast
They had been living in India for several years before leaving a refugee camp in Tamil Nadu state.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees expressed alarm over Tuesday's attack and urged Sri Lankans to show empathy for civilians fleeing persecution and violence.
Almost half a million Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since August 25.
They have been the target of decades of state-backed persecution and discrimination in the mainly Buddhist country, where many view them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Children stretch out their arms out to collect chocolates and milk distributed by Bangladeshi men at Taiy Khali refugee camp
In 2015, some 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a militant ambush near the Myanmar border, prompting a fierce army counter-offensive against insurgents
Indian soldiers killed a large number of militants in a gunfight along the country's restive border with Myanmar, the army said Wednesday.
A statement posted by the army's eastern command on Twitter said its offensive had resulted in "heavy casualties" to insurgents on the Indian side of the border.
"A column of Indian army, while operating along the Indo-Myanmar border, was fired upon," it said.
Indian troops fired in retaliation, killing "a large number" of militants. No Indian soldier was killed in the firefight, the statement added.
The military added that the insurgents belonged to the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplan, a radical group seeking a 'Greater Nagaland' for the Naga tribe within India and in neighbouring Myanmar.
The Indian army has been battling dozens of separatist militant groups in the northeast for several years.
In 2015, some 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a militant ambush near the Myanmar border, prompting a fierce army counter-offensive.
Much of India's border region with Myanmar is porous and government authority there is considered weak.
Myanmar is also plagued by multiple insurgencies in its border regions, most notably in Rakhine state where it has launched a violent crackdown against Rohingya Muslims over the past month forcing more than 450,000 to flee to other countries.
Israeli soldier Elor Azaria (C) was convicted in a military trial that deeply divided the country
Israel's military chief of staff on Wednesday reduced the sentence of a soldier convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead a prone Palestinian assailant by four months, the army said.
The move cut Elor Azaria's sentence from 18 to 14 months after the soldier pleaded for leniency, military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told AFP.
Azaria was convicted in a military trial that deeply divided the country and began his sentence in August.
Military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot had repeatedly denounced Azaria's actions, putting him at odds with right-wing politicians including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who called for the soldier to be released.
"Despite the fact that it is clear from the words of the chief of staff that Azaria's actions were contrary to the code of conduct and to the values of the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) ... he decided to do so out of consideration of the fact that he is a combat soldier and a warrior" who had "endured a lot," Conricus said of the reduction.
The March 2016 shooting in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron was caught on video by a human rights group and spread widely online.
It showed Abdul Fatah al-Sharif, 21, lying wounded on the ground, shot along with another Palestinian after stabbing and wounding a soldier, according to the army.
Some 11 minutes after the initial shooting, Azaria shot him in the head without any apparent provocation.
He said he feared Sharif was wearing an explosive belt and could blow himself up, a claim judges rejected.
News / National
by Staff reporter
Two brothers have been nabbed for allegedly attacking a suspected thief with a mattock leading to his death.Kasikai, 34, and Pasca Goodzi, 19, were not asked to plead when they appeared before Harare magistrate Josephine Sande charged with murder.They were advised to apply for bail at the High Court and the matter was remanded to October 10.Allegations are that on July 9, the pair was coming from Sunningdale 2 Shopping Centre when they arrived home and saw the deceased, Tendai Vera, carrying a full sack of stolen clothes and blankets.Kasikai reportedly manhandled Vera while Pasca sought assistance from the other residents.Winmore Mhlanga and Allias Chibhanzi who are still on the run came out of the house with a mattock and used it to attack Vera.They reportedly dumped the deceased's body along Boshof Road opposite their house and he was taken to Harare Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.On September 24, information was received to the effect that Kasikai was at his house leading to his arrest.Kasikai admitted that he is one of the people who assaulted Vera and assisted the police officers to arrest Pasca.
As IS loses ground in Syria and Iraq, Russians whose relatives joined the jihadists hope to track down their loved ones
Three years ago, Petimat Atagayeva's daughter Zalina secretly left Russia for Syria, taking her 10-month-old baby boy with her, to join the Islamic State group.
Since then, her mother has led an agonising search, desperate for any trace of her daughter and grandchild.
"She was a beautiful and intelligent young woman. She was the best of the family. How could she have done this?" Atagayeva told AFP in Moscow, where she and several other women whose daughters had joined IS were meeting officials.
The women, who mostly come from the regions of Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia in Russia's North Caucasus, spoke to AFP in a hotel, on a trip to the Russian capital organised by Chechnya's rights ombudsman.
The stories they tell are eerily similar: their well-educated daughters, some of whom had just left school, secretly went to join husbands in Iraq or Syria where they lived for years with the jihadists and brought up children before disappearing without trace as IS retreated.
- 'Please save my children' -
Another missing woman, Zyarat, a young English teacher at a school in Dagestan went to Turkey in 2015, ostensibly for a family holiday.
"I was happy for them," said her mother Zhanet Erezhebova, her voice trembling with emotion.
"But a month later, I received a text message from an unfamiliar number: 'Mum, I can't come home'," she said.
"I tried to contact her husband, to ask him to give me back my daughter, to ask him why, but he didn't want to talk to me," said Erezhebova, who has come to Moscow with the other women in search of help.
A few months later, her daughter told her that her husband had been killed in Mosul, then the IS bastion in Iraq. "She was pregnant with two small children. She was crying, she was asking for my forgiveness."
Their contact became less and less frequent as Iraqi troops advanced against the jihadists.
Her daughter's last message came in November last year: "Mum, our situation is difficult. If you don't get any more news from me, please find and save my children."
"Since then I have been searching for them, but I haven't found them," said the elderly woman, weeping.
- 'Wait and hope' -
A Chechen woman, who gave her name only as Patimat, said she had managed to visit her daughter and grandchildren in Manbij in Syria in 2015 when it was an IS hub.
"Their situation was precarious. They didn't have electricity or hot water," she said.
"I begged her to come back with me to Russia, but she said her husband would never let her leave -- that it was pointless.
"She hadn't wanted to come to Syria but she was obliged to follow her husband, as is the tradition. She was 19."
In April, Patimat's daughter told her that her husband was dead, then there was no more word from her.
"All we can do is wait and hope," she said.
Aza Khayurina from Ingushetia had never travelled abroad before. But in 2015 when her daughter told her she was in Iraq, she immediately took a bus to Istanbul, hoping to get some news.
"She wasn't allowed to go out of the house without her husband, but he was sent on exercises. Three days later, they told her he was dead. She was pregnant," Khayurina said.
Khayurina later went seven times to Turkey, hoping to get her daughter back using people smugglers, who all turned out to be swindlers.
In her last message, her daughter told her she had lost 70 percent of her vision.
"She sent me a photo. She had lost so much weight, it was horrible. She looked like an 80-year-old woman," Khayurina said, fighting back tears.
Several thousand Russians, most from the majority-Muslim regions in the Caucasus, travelled to join jihadists in Syria and Iraq, according to estimates from the Russian security services.
As IS loses ground, relatives are now turning to the authorities in the hope of finding their loved ones lost in the chaos of the conflict.
In early September, the Chechen strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov announced that he had evacuated eight children and four women from Iraq and had them flown back to the region's capital Grozny.
"Up to 20 children have been brought back and five or six adults, the mothers," said Kheda Saratova from Chechnya's rights council.
"We are going mad. We don't even know where to turn any more," said one of the women, Larisa, whose daughter Khava went to Mosul two years ago.
"We can't sleep at night any more. We constantly see their faces."
Israeli soldier Elor Azaria (C) was convicted in a military trial that deeply divided the country
Israel's military chief of staff on Wednesday reduced the sentence of a soldier convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead a prone Palestinian assailant by four months, in a case that has deeply divided the country.
The move cut Elor Azaria's sentence from 18 to 14 months after the soldier pleaded for leniency, military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told AFP.
Azaria, 21, was convicted in a military trial that led to an extraordinary public rift between military chiefs and the country's top politicians.
Military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot had repeatedly denounced Azaria's actions, putting him at odds with right-wing politicians including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who called for the soldier to be released.
"Despite the fact that it is clear from the words of the chief of staff that Azaria's actions were contrary to the code of conduct and to the values of the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) ... he decided to do so out of consideration of the fact that he is a combat soldier and a warrior" who had "endured a lot," Conricus said of the reduction.
In a letter to Azaria, Eisenkot wrote that "it must be said from the outset clearly and unequivocally that from the point of view of the chief of staff, your conduct was inappropriate and contrary to army orders and to the army's values."
"The chief of staff however believed that it was appropriate to consider grace and mercy considering your past as a combat soldier in the operational arena."
The March 2016 shooting in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron was caught on video by a human rights group and spread widely online.
It showed Abdul Fatah al-Sharif, 21, lying wounded on the ground, shot along with another Palestinian after stabbing and wounding a soldier, according to the army.
Some 11 minutes after the initial shooting, Azaria, a sergeant and military medic at the time of the incident, shot him in the head without any apparent provocation.
He said he feared Sharif was wearing an explosive belt and could blow himself up, a claim judges rejected.
"His motive for shooting was that he felt the terrorist deserved to die," Judge Colonel Maya Heller said as she read the verdict in January.
- Criticism of sentence -
On July 30, a military court rejected Azaria's appeal against his conviction for manslaughter and upheld the prison sentence.
The French-Israeli could have appealed to the country's supreme court, but opted not to after Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman pleaded for him to allow the country to move on.
He instead requested a reduced sentence from Eisenkot, asking for community service instead of prison time.
Azaria can also request a pardon from Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, with right-wing leaders including Netanyahu calling for it to be granted.
The trial captivated Israel and highlighted deep divisions in public opinion between those who decry the shooting and those who say it was justified.
Human rights groups pointed to the case as an example of what they call an unequal system of justice for Israelis and Palestinians.
Amnesty International has said Azaria's sentence does "not reflect the gravity of the offence". The UN human rights office said it was an "unacceptable" punishment for "an apparent extra-judicial killing".
Azaria completed his mandatory three-year military service on July 20.
Hindus weep near the bodies of their family members in Ye Baw Kyaw village in Maungdaw
Rohingya militants on Wednesday denied the Myanmar army's allegations that they had massacred scores of Hindu villagers, whose bodies soldiers displayed to the press after exhuming them from mass graves in northern Rakhine state.
Major clashes between the army and the Muslim insurgents erupted last month, triggering a dire refugee crisis with nearly half a million Rohingya fleeing across the border to Bangladesh.
An information war has followed, as Myanmar's government pushes back against UN accusations that the army is waging a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against the stateless Rohingya, who have faced persecution in the mainly Buddhist country for decades.
On Wednesday the army flew journalists to an area where the mass graves of 45 Hindu villagers, including many women and children, were discovered earlier this week.
The military has accused Rohingya militants of carrying on the massacre on August 25, the same day the group staged deadly raids on police posts that sparked the military backlash.
In its first official statement on the allegations, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) "categorically" denied that its members "perpetrated murder, sexual violence, or forcible recruitment" in the area on 25 August.
They called on the army to stop "victim-blaming," according to the statement, which was posted on the ARSA's Twitter account.
It used an apparent local name -- "Fakirabazar" -- for the Kha Maung Seik village tract where the mass graves were found, in the statement posted on Twitter Wednesday.
The decomposing skeletal bodies remained laid out in rows on a grassy field outside the village of Ye Baw Kyaw as distraught relatives wailed, according to AFP journalists at the scene.
Security officers are still searching for 48 missing Hindus who relatives fear are dead.
The army has tried to control the narrative over the crisis, restricting press access to the conflict zone while it posts regular updates that blame Rohingya militants for the bloodshed.
Government and military reports have also sought to highlight the suffering of other ethnic groups, such as Rakhine Buddhists and Hindus, swept up in the communal unrest.
- "We begged for our lives" -
Hindus who fled the area have told AFP that masked men stormed into their community that day and hacked victims to death with machetes before dumping them into freshly-dug pits.
Ni Maul, a Hindu leader who has helped authorities with the search, told media on the army-led press trip that they found the burial sites using testimony from eight Hindu women who were spared and brought to Bangladesh after they agreed to convert to Islam.
"They kept the beautiful eight women alive to marry," he said.
Four Hindu women displaced in Bangladesh told AFP they were among the eight who escaped the massacre in the same area of Kha Maung Seik, with eight children in tow.
"We begged for our lives, asking they spare the women," 22-year-old Bina Sheel told AFP at a small village for Hindu refugees in the Bangladeshi border district of Cox's Bazar.
"They asked if we would marry them. We said yes, to save our lives."
All four women said they were taken to Rohingya Muslim camps inside Bangladesh by the attackers. Sheel said her captor urged her to convert to Islam before she was brought to the Hindu village by a local leader.
The latest violence has intensified long-running religious hatreds and been complicated by a swirl of rival narratives from different ethnic groups.
The focal point of the unrest, Rakhine's Maungdaw district, was once home to several religious communities, with the Rohingya a majority.
But more than half of the Muslim population has now abandoned their homes, with scores of villages burnt to the ground, while up to 30,000 Buddhists and Hindus have also fled.
Rights groups accuse troops of using arson to force the Rohingya out and block their return, a charge the army denies.
On Wednesday a Myanmar minister, Win Myat Aye, was quoted in state media as saying the government would manage all fire-damaged land in Rakhine, a development likely to raise concern about the Rohingya refugees' ability to return.
A Saudi woman disembarks from a car outside a mall in the capital Riyadh, a day after Saudi Arabia said it will allow women to drive from next June
The morning after Saudi Arabia lifted its decades-old ban on women driving, the excitement at a sleek Riyadh cafe was palpable as female patrons streamed in for a latte.
"I haven't slept since last night," exclaimed Nora, her eyes glowing, rimmed with black liner.
Though she wore a black niqab which concealed most of her face, Nora's excitement on Wednesday was infectious.
"I am 27 years old and I've been waiting ages for this decision. Now it's finally a reality, and I can't wait for it to come into effect in nine months," she told AFP.
The kingdom will issue driving licences to women from next June, in the most striking reform yet credited to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, despite the risk of a backlash from conservatives and Muslim religious hardliners.
At the same cafe, Sara sat by a window with wooden screens to shade her from the sun, as well as the gaze of passersby.
"This is going to help us," the 20-year-old said, referring to the lifting of the driving ban.
"We'll be able to take care of ourselves and won't need anyone to drop us off or pick us up.
"Everyone will be free and independent. It's a little bit of freedom for women. To go and come as she pleases without needing anyone," Sara said.
Outside on the street, Abdul Aziz Ahmed in a crisp white thobe gave a Saudi male perspective:
"Say a woman has a job -- she has to get to work. Uber is out of the question! She'd be riding with a man," he laughed, referring to the segregation of the sexes in Saudi Arabia.
"It's better for her to drive," the 25-year-old said.
- Social media reacts -
The state-run Saudi Press Agency posted statement after statement of approval from officials and provincial governors in the wake of the royal decree.
Even the kingdom's highest religious body said the majority of its members had accepted that women driving was "permissible".
A Saudi woman prepares to get into a taxi on a main street in the Red Sea city of Jeddah
On the unfiltered web, a full spectrum of views could be found.
"This decision was made to please (US President Donald) Trump and his daughter and to suck in the Western press," a male Twitter user mocked.
When the decision went public Tuesday night, an Arabic hashtag "the king supports women driving" went viral.
A negative slogan "the people refuse women driving" also sprang up.
"The Saudi people and especially the young people are not ready for this phenomenon and it will bring a lot of misfortune," one male Twitter user fretted.
Another tweet, apparently directed at male heads of families, read: "You are responsible for your family, not the government. The decision is in your hands."
But most who used the negative hashtag were women mocking men opposed to them driving.
On the whole, negative reactions were few and far between -- and some of the most vociferous opponents were from outside Saudi Arabia.
Many Saudi men said the lifting of the ban would help society as a whole.
"This decision is a long time coming. It will go a long way towards easing the suffering of many women and families and end a ridiculous argument that's gone on too long," one man tweeted.
Another echoed his sentiment:
"This decision will only increase society's maturity, cohesion and sense of responsibility."
Kparatao village in northern Togo has become the epicentre of a challenge to Africa's longest-ruling dynasty
With its dirt roads of red earth, children playing with old tyres and succession of dilapidated mosques, northern Togo is an unlikely home for a movement that's challenging Africa's longest-ruling political dynasty.
But small, out-of-the-way Kparatao is where Tikpi Atchadam was born to a local farmer and food seller in 1967 and spent his childhood.
Until just a few weeks ago, the former law student, hailed by his supporters as someone who "stops power from sleeping", was a relative unknown.
But the head of the Panafrican National Party (PNP) has become the new face of Togolese opposition after organising the recent mass protests against President Faure Gnassinge.
In Kparatao as in the neighbouring city of Sokode, most of the street lights don't work while the tarmac doesn't go beyond the main road linking Togo with Burkina Faso.
With nothing else to do and a poor education, local youths have little option but to earn a living from the soil. Friday prayers in the mainly Muslim town break up the monotony.
Political protest had never seemed an option, at least until recently.
Leader of the PanAfrican National Party (PNP) Tikpi Atchadam addressing protesters in Lome earlier this month
Atchadam -- a recognisable figure in his square-rimmed spectacles -- hasn't fallen into the trap of other opposition leaders, whose confused message has fallen on deaf ears.
Instead, he has been direct and impassioned, stirring up crowds with a clear demand for the resignation of Gnassingbe, who has been in power since 2005.
- 'Down-to-earth' -
The opposition leader has cultivated an air of mystery and kept his public appearances to a minimum, claiming fears for his own safety
Teenagers in his village say they know him "very well", however.
"He's a down-to-earth man," said Mohammed, an 18-year-old farmer from Kparatao. "When he comes to visit us, he doesn't stay in a hotel. He stays in a mud hut.
"We were disheartened by Togolese politics, the other opposition groups are all corrupted by power but him, he refuses money," he added.
"What he says is true. He's really interested in the problems of young people."
After 38 years of being ruled by General Gnassingbe Eyadema and 12 by his son, Atchadam and his popular movement have shuffled Togo's political cards.
Togo's south has long been seen as an opposition stronghold while northerners have often been wrongly lumped in with Gnassingbe's Kabye ethnic group, which also dominates the army.
Since August, opposition protests have for the first time taken place outside the capital, Lome, in Sokode, Bafilo, Mango and Dapaong in the north.
Violent clashes between protesters, many of them wearing the red of the PNP, and the security forces have left at least four dead and dozens more injured.
The opposition has criticised what it says is a bloody crackdown and "punitive expedition" led by the army, while the government accuses the protesters of having provoked the violence and of burning down houses and shops themselves.
In Sokode's overcrowded hospital, AFP correspondents saw seven patients injured during the marches recovering from surgery.
All said that soldiers shot them "at point blank range". An eighth victim -- a 15-year-old boy -- died from his injuries.
- Red berets -
"You have to see the conditions in which we're looking after people," said Saibou Alassani, 50, from under the dirty sheets of his hospital bed.
"You can't even do X-rays, everything's broken. I'd never protested before but the situation is getting worse.
"The price of everything is going up -- soap's gone from 50 to 100 francs (9-18 US cents, 8-15 euro cents), fertiliser, grain... we're suffering too much."
Togo's government has repeatedly condemned what it has called the "hate speech" and "extremism" of the PNP, whose leader is often described as a "radical Muslim" in national media.
"We receive propaganda messages on WhatsApp all the time, such as Tikpi is dangerous or that if the opposition gets into power, they'll declare war on the Kabye," said Faouzia, an unemployed graduate.
"They're trying to divide us but we're all Togolese, whether we're from the north or the south, we've got the same problems," the 26-year-old added.
Massive army reinforcements were deployed in the north before the protests. The "red berets", an elite unit, continues to patrol and run check-points.
Locals in Kparatao say they've lived in fear since soldiers arrived on September 19 -- the eve of the last protests -- looking for weapons and taking over houses, even that of the traditional ruler.
"Some of them were masked. They were very nervous," said one local leader, Agoro Wakilou. "We thought they'd come to kill us."
Republican ex-judge Roy Moore's victory over incumbent Senator Luther for a US Senate seat in Alabama sends hockwaves through establishment Washington and dents the president's influence over his restless political base
Former Alabama chief justice Roy Moore's victory over President Donald Trump's preferred candidate in Tuesday's Senate Republican runoff sent shock waves through Washington, warning the party that conservative fury will remain a disruptive force in US politics.
The Bible-quoting, gun-toting, controversy-courting Moore is now the clear frontrunner against a Democratic candidate in the general election in December to fill the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, now the attorney general.
Moore beat Luther Strange, the incumbent senator who was appointed to the seat early this year, by about 10 percentage points, a sign that Trump's substantial popularity with his restless political base may not be transferrable to other political figures.
Perhaps sensing that, Trump quickly swung behind the winner, calling him to offer congratulations.
And several of Trump's past pro-Strange posts disappeared from Twitter.
"Sounds like a really great guy who ran a fantastic race. He will help to #MAGA!" Trump tweeted Wednesday, referring to his "Make America Great Again" slogan.
The result, though, is an embarrassing setback for Trump that highlights the deep divisions within his party and raises questions about its future direction as the GOP heads toward mid-term elections in 2018.
It also signals that many in the grassroots conservative movement that helped propel Trump to the White House are still fighting against the party leadership during a turbulent period in which Republicans have struggled to deliver on key campaign promises like health care reform.
Although stressing that he remained a Trump supporter, Moore hailed his win as a "conservative victory" for his Deep South state of Alabama.
"We have to return the knowledge of God and the Constitution of the United States to the United States Congress," he said in his victory speech, repeating his call for an increased religious presence in American public life.
"From that faith we will not be moved," he added. "We've been moved, but we can move back. God can still bring us back."
Moore, 70, is among the most controversial political figures on the national stage. Often wearing a cowboy hat and prone to riding his horse Sassy to polling stations, he is opinionated, unconcerned about whom he may offend and keen to upend the elite system that rules the US capital.
Months after Trump himself acknowledged that former president Barack Obama was born in the United States, Moore was still questioning the Democrat's presidential eligibility, telling a conservative conference last December that "my personal belief is that he wasn't" a natural-born citizen.
In a 2002 legal brief he branded homosexuality an "inherent evil."
Moore was twice suspended from the Alabama Supreme Court, first for defying an injunction to remove a 10 Commandments stone monument from the Alabama Judicial Building, and then for refusing orders to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
His defiance made him a local hero and that anti-establishment streak was on display Monday during a campaign rally when Moore, eager to refute accusations that he is soft on gun rights, pulled a pistol from his pocket and brandished it before the crowd.
- 'Mistake' -
Alabama Republican US Senate candidate Roy Moore and his wife Kayla ride their horses to a polling station to vote in the Republican runoff election
Moore's candidacy caught the eye of Steve Bannon, Trump's anti-globalist former chief strategist. Soon he was on the Moore bandwagon, breaking with his former boss and bashing Washington's elites, alleging that they think Alabama voters are nothing but "a pack of morons."
At Moore's victory rally, Bannon bounded on stage to proclaim a "revolution" had begun, one that would reach "state after state after state, people that follow the model of judge Moore, that do not need to raise money from the elites, from the crony capitalists, from the fat cats in Washington, DC, New York City, Silicon Valley."
Trump had been hoping a victory for 64-year-old Strange could secure him another Senate loyalist who would back his agenda.
But Trump's conservative base has signaled for months that it is not beholden to Republican leaders in Washington, and they could even break with the president in the Alabama race.
Trump hedged his bets last Friday, suggesting in a campaign appearance in Alabama that he "might have made a mistake" in endorsing Strange over Moore.
"If his opponent wins, I'm going to be here campaigning like hell for him" in the general election, Trump said.
In 2007 Dutch company Trafigura, represented by spokesman Roald Goethe (pictured here), agreed a settlement with the Ivorian government for 152 million euros ($180 million) over a toxic waste spill that killed 10 people
Lawyers for tens of thousands of victims poisoned by a 2006 toxic spill in the Ivory Coast on Wednesday called for the company behind the dump to pay compensation at the start of a new legal battle.
The multinational firm Trafigura "acted badly in disposing of its waste in the Ivory Coast" and "must pay," lawyer Bojan Dekker told an Amsterdam court.
The judges must first decide whether they are capable under Dutch law of hearing the class-action suit brought on behalf of a foundation which says it "represents 107,000 victims".
In August 2006, toxic residues on board the Panamanian-registered Probo Koala freighter were prevented from being offloaded for treatment in Amsterdam's port.
The ship was instead sent to Abidjan, where the waste was dumped on the city's garbage sites and in at least 18 locations.
Over 500 cubic metres (18,000 cubic feet) of spent caustic soda, oil residues and water killed 17 people and poisoned thousands, Ivorian judges said.
"Trafigura should never have disposed of its waste in Abidjan and its surroundings," said Albert Knigge, a lawyer for the now Singapore-based company.
"We don't want to in any way minimise what happened," he said, but the "victims' suit cannot be heard as the foundation which represents them is not legitimate."
The Dutch Foundation for the victims of the Ivory Coast toxic spill "is said to be solid, but we have seen a multitude of errors in its composition," Knigge said. He alleged the Ivorians that the foundation collaborates with have a "financial interest" in the affair, even though it presents itself as a non-profit organisation.
Many of the Ivorian lawyers, as well as the local leaders of the foundation and their Ivorian contacts in Abidjan see it "as a way of escaping from poverty," he claimed.
But lawyers for the victims hit back charging that Trafigura had "fraudulently sought to change witness statements."
It is the latest in a slew of legal actions brought against the commodity trader Trafigura -- which used to have headquarters in The Netherlands and Switzerland.
Last year a similar suit brought by a different foundation was thrown out, when judges from the Amsterdam District Court said they were unconvinced by the claim, and could not determine whether that body really did represent the victims.
The new court is due to rule within the next six weeks on whether or not it can take up the case.
Trafigura has always denied any link between the waste and the subsequent deaths and wave of sickness. It has never been found guilty in a court of law for the events of 2006.
In 2007 however it agreed a settlement with the Ivorian government for 152 million euros ($180 million), while a second out-of-court settlement was agreed in 2009 for 33 million euros involving 30,000 people to be paid in Britain.
Proposals to scrap the presidential age limit have sparked protests in Uganda
Uganda's parliament on Wednesday took the first step towards scrapping the presidential age limit that would allow long-standing ruler Yoweri Museveni to stay in power.
Tempers frayed for a second day over a plan, backed by members of President Museveni's National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, to table a constitutional amendment doing away with age limits, allowing the 73-year-old to run for a sixth consecutive term in 2021.
MPs brandished microphone stands, threw punches and clambered over benches as security officers sought to remove 25 lawmakers barred by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga after engaging in another brawl on the same issue the day before.
Despite the disruption, Raphael Magyezi's motion seeking to introduce a private member's bill proposing the removal of age limits was passed with an overwhelming cry of "Aye!" from government MPs after leader of the parliamentary opposition, Winnie Kiiza of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), led a walk-out.
"We are not going to be part of Museveni's life presidency project," Kiiza said.
Supporters of the motion argued that age limits discriminate against the elderly.
"Age should not be a factor that hinders the rights and freedom of any Ugandan to vie for the post of a president," said Moses Balyeku.
Live broadcasts of the parliamentary proceedings were suspended by media regulatory body the Uganda Communications Commission prompting an outcry from rights group Amnesty International.
"It is unacceptable that Uganda's media regulator is threatening to close down media houses simply for doing their job and broadcasting live news events. Ugandans have a right to know what their elected representatives are doing," said Amnesty's Michelle Kagari.
Museveni took control of Uganda in 1986 at the head of rebel army. In 2005 he had the constitution amended to remove term limits, enabling him to stand successfully for a third, fourth and fifth consecutive term.
At least four people have been killed since the start of anti-government protests, such as the one pictured here in Lome on September 21, 2017, in August
Hundreds of Togolese nationals have fled to neighbouring Ghana to escape reprisals after a wave of anti-government protests, a Ghanaian official said on Wednesday.
Paddy Tetteh, from the Ghana Refugee Board, said the first batch arrived last Wednesday and although numbers had since fallen, more were still trying to come in.
"They are close to 300," he told AFP. Most were in the northern district of Chereponi, close to Ghana's eastern border, he added.
Chereponi chief executive Abdul Razak Tahiru told reporters that food, mats, bedding and mosquito nets had been distributed to the refugees.
"Due to the demonstrations in Mango (northern Togo), they are beating them and they have decided to run for their lives," he was quoted as saying by local media.
"Yesterday (Tuesday), the pressure was too much because the people learned that there was going to be another demonstration from Wednesday to Friday."
Hundreds of thousands of Togolese have taken to the streets in recent weeks to call for the resignation of President Faure Gnassingbe, who has been in power since 2005.
He took over from his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled Togo for 38 years from 1967.
The security forces cracked down on the protests in Mango and at least one person was killed and more than 20 others injured, according to official figures.
"The military conducted punitive expeditions throughout the night (of Wednesday to Thursday last week)," said Togo opposition member Brigitte Adjamagbo-Johnson.
Togo's presidency has instead blamed the protesters and said it had never given approval for demonstrations in the area.
At least four people have been killed since the start of the protests in August. Opposition parties and civil society groups say dozens were injured in the north last week.
As well as Gnassingbe's resignation, the protesters also want changes to the country's constitution to limit the number of presidential mandates to two.
A nationwide shut-down has been called for Friday.
Nigeria's Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun (L) said 'in many cases' the country had not been paying its dues to international organisations
Nigeria has been advised to pull out of 90 international organisations, as part of a government drive to save money, the country's finance minister said on Wednesday.
Kemi Adeosun said annual subscriptions to such bodies cost the country about $70 million (60 million euros) but "in many cases" it had not been paying its dues.
A ministerial committee had recommended that "out of the 310 organisations, 220 organisations should be retained and the rest we should withdraw membership from", she told reporters.
No list was provided of the organisations and the minister said "more work was needed" to determine exactly how much Nigeria owed.
"The committee had a figure of about $120 million but we are clear... that it is far more than that. Our subscriptions are in arrears in a number of major organisations," she said.
Ministers were briefed on the recommendation at the weekly cabinet meeting and told the arrears were causing "some embarrassment" when Nigerian delegations travelled abroad.
Soon after her appointment in 2015, Adeosun launched Nigeria's first efficiency unit as a first step to cutting government waste and boosting the economy.
Not only did Africa's de facto biggest economy need to "put (its) fiscal house in order" but there was a need for "probity in the use of public funds", she said at the time.
A review was also announced into the cost of Nigeria's foreign missions, raising the prospect some embassies and consulates could close.
Nigeria has been forced to tighten its belt because of the slump in global oil prices that has slashed government revenues and triggered a months-long recession.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said he inherited a "virtually empty" treasury and pledged to recover "mind-boggling" sums of public funds looted by previous administrations.
Adeosun, a former PricewaterhouseCoopers accountant, described the latest move as "just prudence and value for money".
"Nigeria doesn't need to be a member of every single organisation but those we are a member of, we have made a decision... that we must prioritise and pay our obligations because that is part of the nation's image," she added.
"That is what gives Nigeria as a country the right to sit up very straight at international meetings. When you haven't paid up your subscriptions you can't necessarily do so."
News / National
by Staff reporter
A HARARE man has dragged to court a prostitute whom he had fallen in love with "just for a short time" accusing her of swindling him of more than $1 500.Tsitsi Zhakata, 33, pleaded not guilty to charges of stealing from Ephraim Mapanga Dende, 32, when she appeared before Harare magistrate Victoria Mashamba-Kajengo.Dende resides at house number 32 Hanga Street, Zengeza 2 in Chitungwiza.In her defence, the accused said she did not steal the complainant's money but pointed her two accomplices Nomathemba Ndlovu and one Talent, still on the run, of having stolen the accused's money.Zhakata further told the court that Dende was her client.When Dende took to the witness stand, he told the court that Zhakata got his Ecocash pin number when she saw him making transactions with his phone."I was in love with the accused your worship just for a short time after seeing her at Tipperary's. I did not see anything wrong. At one point, I bought the accused groceries worth US$200 after she had told me she wanted me to buy her a handbag worth US$70."She however had sight of my Ecocash password when I was making transactions while sleeping on her bed," said Dende.Magistrate Mashamba-Kajengo deferred the matter to October 3 for trial continuation.The State led by prosecutor Patience Chimusaru is alleging the accused illegally used the complainant's phone in March to send money to different people at various intervals without the complainant's consent.As a result, Zhakata prejudiced Dende of $1 589.Zhakata is out of custody on $50 bail.
Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier has pegged its hopes for a turnaround on its new CSeries jetliners
Canada-US trade relations took a nosedive Wednesday after the US Commerce Department announced it would impose steep anti-dumping duties on Canadian manufacturer Bombardier's new CSeries jetliners.
The two neighbors are among the world's closest allies and trading partners, with more than half a trillion (US) dollars worth of goods exchanged annually.
So the US imposition of a 220 percent countervailing duty on a major Canadian manufacturer, following an investigation into state subsidies sparked by a Boeing complaint, drew strong criticism.
Bombardier, unions representing Canadian aerospace workers, and both the Canadian and Quebec governments assailed the duties as "absurd," "ridiculous," "madness," and an attempt to "stifle competition."
The duties -- which are expected to be applied in 2018 when Delta Airlines will receive the first of 75 CSeries jetliners it ordered -- would also have a negative impact on the current renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), they warned, and called for retaliatory measures.
"Obviously we're disappointed by the decision and I will continue to fight hard for good Canadian jobs," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, calling the US tariff "protectionist and warrantless."
Ottawa -- along with Britain, which is seeking to safeguard 4,200 Bombardier jobs in Northern Ireland -- has threatened to boycott Boeing, which is hoping to sell 18 Super Hornet fighter jets to Canada and 50 Apache helicopters to Britain.
"Canada strongly disagrees with the anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations into imports of Canadian large civil aircraft," Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said overnight after the US announcement late Tuesday.
"This is clearly aimed at eliminating Bombardier's CSeries aircraft from the US market," she said.
On Wednesday, Freeland said she would call US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to protest the tariff, and discuss Canada's next move with her British counterpart.
Freeland also warned that US parts suppliers for the CSeries aircraft, which employ 23,000 Americans, and their jobs could be at risk because of Boeing's petition.
Her comments followed a meeting with US and Mexican counterparts for a third round of contentious NAFTA talks in Ottawa.
At those negotiations Canada is facing pressure to grant the US more access to its dairy market.
Separately, Canada is fighting with Washington for access to the US market for its softwood lumber, fearing a major hit to one of its top industries if it cannot secure a deal.
- 'Boeing will regret this' -
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard called the Boeing-Bombardier row a low point in Canada-US relations.
"It's not positive," he said bluntly.
The premier said that "Boeing will regret this" and that "the American economy and American workers will suffer as a result of the ruling."
Jerry Diaz, president of Canada's largest union, Unifor, which has consulted heavily with the Trudeau administration on the NAFTA negotiations, went further in saying the gloves were off.
"If they're looking for a trade war, we ought not to continue to back down," he said. "We have to be very strong and we need to tell them, enough is enough."
"Ultimately, we're going to have to retaliate."
For Bombardier, the US announcement was as a double blow, coming on the same day that news broke of a tie-up between German train-maker Siemens and France's Alstom to create a rail juggernaut that would compete with Bombardier's struggling rail division.
After years of losses, Bombardier has pegged its hopes for a turnaround on the CSeries -- the first new aircraft design in the 100- to 150-seat category in more than 25 years.
It called the magnitude of the US duty "absurd and divorced from the reality about the financing of multibillion-dollar aircraft programs."
It accused Boeing of using a "skewed process to stifle competition."
The union representing 7,000 Bombardier aerospace workers also denounced the tariff, accusing Boeing executives of "acting like bullies by manipulating American laws and taking advantage of Washington's penchant for protectionism to close the US market to the CSeries."
"If for the Americans NAFTA is dead, we should be told right away," it added.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce also came to Bombardier's defense, saying the US decision "penalizes Bombardier for receiving the same government support that other manufacturers across the globe get from their own governments."
A Libyan coastguard boat arrives in Tripoli after a mission to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean on August 28, 2017
Libya's navy warned it will seize activists' boats on migrant rescue missions that enter its waters unauthorised, after a run-in Wednesday with a German vessel during which a warning shot was fired.
"This time we avoided an escalation. In future, we will seize the boats of NGOs that do not respect Libya's sovereignty," said navy spokesman General Ayub Kacem.
The Libyan coastguard earlier boarded a boat operated by Germany's "Mission Lifeline" which had picked up 52 migrants at sea. "You are not welcome here," a coastguard official said in a videotape posted on the internet by the NGO.
"They threatened us by telling us to hand over the people, which we refused," said the group's head Axel Steier, contacted by AFP.
"It was a real act of piracy because they boarded our boat without any authorisation," he said.
Kacem said the boat had tried to flee with a coastguard official still on boat. "Our patrol fired in the air to force the NGO boat to stop," the general said.
"These NGOs must respect our authority and our sovereignty. Our patience has reached its limit," he added.
In August, the navy ordered foreign vessels to stay out of a coastal "search and rescue zone" for migrants headed for Europe, a measure it said targeted NGOs.
Six years since a revolution that toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, Libya has become a key departure point for migrants risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
Tens of thousands of migrants have resorted to paying people traffickers for the journey, often on overcrowded and unseaworthy boats.
Charities have dispatched boats to rescue migrants from drowning, while Libya and Italy -- where the vast majority land -- have worked together to stem the flow.
Children lining up for relief supplies at the Kutupalong refugee camp for Rohingyas who have fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar
Representatives of UN agencies will be permitted to visit Rakhine state in Myanmar on Thursday for the first time since the start of a massive exodus of minority Rohingya Muslims.
"There will be a trip organized by the government, probably tomorrow, to Rakhine," United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
"We hope above all that it is a first step toward much freer and wider access to the area," he said at his daily news briefing.
He said the chiefs of UN agencies would take part in the trip.
UN humanitarian organizations based in Yangon were forced to pull out of Rakhine when the military launched operations against Rohingya rebels in late August, causing more than 410,000 Rohingyas to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.
The United Nations has been demanding humanitarian access to Rakhine since then.
The military, under fire for imposing a news blackout on the campaign around the city of Maungdaw in western Myanmar, on Wednesday organized a press tour in the Hindu village of Ye Baw Kyaw, in the area of Kha Maung Seik.
Thursday's visit, this time for UN representatives, comes on the same day that the UN Security Council meets on the situation in Myanmar.
On September 13, the council demanded "immediate steps" to end the Myanmar violence and expressed concern about "excessive force" being used by the military.
The council also called on the Myanmar government to abide by its commitment to facilitate humanitarian aid in Rakhine, but until now that request has not been met.
Secretary General Antonio Guterres will address the UN Security Council during its open door session on Thursday. As a former UN High Commissioner on Refugees, Guterres knows Rakhine and the context of the current crisis intimately.
With accusations of "ethnic cleansing" being leveled at the UN General Assembly, Myanmar leader Aun San Suu Kyi said last week she was "ready" to organize the return of the Rohingyas.
The Rohingyas, the world's largest stateless group, are treated as foreigners in Myanmar, whose population is 90 percent Buddhist.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (R) speaks next to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Kabul
An American airstrike on insurgents in Kabul Wednesday caused "several casualties" after a missile "malfunctioned", NATO said, overshadowing a high-profile visit by US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.
The US strike was launched in support of Afghan security forces who had confronted militants after they fired a volley of rockets near the capital's international airport hours after Mattis arrived in the country for talks.
One person was killed and 11 others were wounded in the assault, according to the interior ministry. The Taliban and the Islamic State's local Khorasan province affiliate claimed responsibility.
"Tragically, one of the missiles malfunctioned, causing several casualties," NATO's Resolute Support mission said in a statement.
NATO said it "deeply regrets the harm to non-combatants" and an investigation was under way into the attack and the defective ammunition.
The casualties caused by a US airstrike in the capital have cast a pall over Mattis's trip to the country and could fuel anger towards American forces whose reputation is already tarnished.
Earlier this month US forces distributed leaflets in the northern province of Parwan that were deemed highly offensive to Muslims and sparked angry protests.
Mattis is the first member of US President Donald Trump's cabinet to visit Afghanistan since Trump last month pledged to stay the course in America's longest war.
His unannounced visit came as the country's beleaguered security forces struggle to beat back the Taliban, which has been on the offensive since US-led NATO combat troops withdrew at the end of 2014.
Mattis, along with Stoltenberg, held talks with President Ashraf Ghani to discuss the US-led NATO "train and assist" mission -- designed to strengthen Afghanistan's military so it can defend the country on its own.
At a joint news conference with Ghani at the presidential palace, Mattis and Stoltenberg renewed their commitment to Afghanistan, and expressed determination to stop the country becoming a safe haven for terrorists.
"We will not abandon Afghanistan to a merciless enemy trying to kill its way to power," Mattis told reporters in reference to the Taliban.
Stoltenberg said: "The more stable Afghanistan is the more safe we will be."
So far, more than 15 NATO members have agreed to send additional troops.
- Repeated shelling -
US generals have for months been describing the situation in Afghanistan as a stalemate, despite years of support for Afghan partners, continued help from NATO and an overall cost in fighting and reconstruction to the United States of more than $1 trillion.
Wednesday's succession of rocket attacks in Kabul did not alter Mattis's movements, and he later flew to Forward Operating Base Gamberi east of Kabul, where he spoke to US troops who are training Afghan security forces.
October marks the war's 16th anniversary, and the resurgent Taliban have promised to turn Afghanistan into a "graveyard" for foreign forces. They have been mounting deadly attacks as they maintain their grip on large swathes of the country.
On allegations that Iran and Russia are actively propping up the Taliban, Mattis said it would be "extremely unwise if they think they can somehow support terrorism in another country and not have it come back to haunt them".
- Taliban 'disarray' -
Under Trump's plan, the US is sending more than 3,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, on top of the 11,000 already on the ground, to train and advise the country's security forces.
NATO allies have about 5,000 troops deployed around the country.
Critics have questioned what the extra US soldiers can accomplish that previous forces -- who numbered some 100,000 at the height of the fighting -- were unable to do.
But Afghanistan expert John Hannah of the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies said the Afghan forces are now at adequate troop levels and have plenty of combat experience, boosting their chances of success.
We "may be getting to a point where after many more years of investment we've got an institutional (security force) capable of holding its own in most of the country against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, and eventually grinding down the enemy and winding down the war," Hannah told AFP.
"That, to my mind, is our main ticket out."
General John Nicholson, head of US forces in Afghanistan, said the new US policy had lifted the spirits of Afghan troops while putting the Taliban leadership in "disarray" as they digest news of an indefinite US commitment.
"On the battlefield... Taliban morale has dipped, their casualties have remained very high," Nicholson told reporters. "So this certainly has had an effect."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a speach during a celebration of the 50 years of Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights, at a commemoration event in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc on September 27, 2017
Israel on Wednesday hosted a celebration of 50 years of Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights, angering the Palestinians and triggering a row with the supreme court.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government considers the commemoration a state occasion.
An estimated 5,000 guests attended the event next to a military base in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, where the leftist Israeli government at the time encouraged the establishment of the first settlement in the occupied West Bank in September 1967.
Singers performed and fireworks lit the sky.
A few settlers from the nearby rogue settlement outpost of Netiv Haavot protested against a court ruling that several buildings there were built on private Palestinian land and must be demolished.
"Today (there are) promises, tomorrow demolitions," read a briefly hoisted banner in Hebrew, an AFP reporter said.
It was not clear if Netanyahu saw the message, but he repeated a previous pledge to settlers that they would not be moved out of their homes.
"There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the land of Israel," he said to applause.
"It's not just a matter of connection to the homeland, but it's first and foremost not the way to make peace."
It was unclear if Netanyahu was suggesting no settlements would be dismantled in any peace deal with the Palestinians, which would raise further doubts over chances of a two-state solution.
Gush Etzion has over the years grown into a large bloc of settlements south of Jerusalem, and officials expect it will be part of Israel under any future peace deal with the Palestinians.
Supreme court president Miriam Naor earlier said that she had turned down an official invitation to send a representative to the festive event, which a court statement said contained the wording "to celebrate the jubilee of the liberation of Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the Golan Heights".
- Palestinians demand US action -
The biblical term Judea and Samaria is used by the Israeli government to refer to the West Bank, of which the Jordan Valley is also part.
The territories were occupied by the Israeli army in the 1967 Six-Day War, along with Syria's Golan Heights, which were later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.
"The settler celebrations on our occupied lands are unacceptable and make the atmosphere very tense," Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP.
"We ask the American administration to urgently intervene to stop these provocations."
Leftist and centrist politicians stayed away from the event, which Labour MP Eitan Cabel wrote on Facebook is "totally meant to glorify Bibi and his group of extremists who lead us to the abyss," using Netanyahu's nickname.
A few dozen activists from the anti-settlement Peace Now organisation protested at a road junction about two kilometres (1.25 miles) from the celebration.
They held placards reading, "50 years are enough, Peace Now" and "There's no reason to celebrate, settlements ruined Israel."
Chief Justice Naor's decision to keep the court at arm's length drew outrage from the right.
But she was quoted in a court statement as saying that she was acting in accordance with established procedure and not taking a stance.
"The president reached the conclusion that the event deals with an issue that is the subject of public controversy," it said.
"Therefore, without the president or justices of the supreme court taking a position on the controversy itself, the president decided that it would be appropriate for the judiciary not to participate in the event."
About 430,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank among 2.6 million Palestinians.
Tens of thousands of settlers also live in the Israeli-ruled zone of the Golan.
The settlements are illegal under international law and seen by a large part of the international community as a main obstacle to peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Children lining up for relief supplies at the Kutupalong refugee camp for Rohingyas who have fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar
Representatives of UN agencies will be permitted to visit Rakhine state in Myanmar on Thursday for the first time since the start of a massive exodus of minority Rohingya Muslims.
The United Nations has been demanding access since its humanitarian organizations were forced to pull out of Rakhine when Myanmar's military launched operations against Rohingya rebels in late August, causing hundreds of thousands to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.
"There will be a trip organized by the government, probably tomorrow, to Rakhine," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
"We hope above all that it is a first step toward much freer and wider access to the area," he said at his daily news briefing.
He said the chiefs of UN agencies would take part in the trip.
The UN has drawn up a contingency plan to feed up to 700,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, and warned that those who fled will not be returning home soon.
"All the UN agencies together have now set a plan for a new influx of 700,000. We can cover if the new influx reaches 700,000," the World Food Program's deputy chief in Bangladesh, Dipayan Bhattacharyya, said on Wednesday.
- 'Return will take time' -
UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said that for those who have fled to Bangladesh, "return will take time, if it happens, if the violence stops."
Myanmar's military, under fire for imposing a news blackout on the campaign around the city of Maungdaw in the country's west, on Wednesday organized a press tour in the Hindu village of Ye Baw Kyaw.
Rohingya Muslim refugees wait for food to be distributed by the Bangladeshi army at Balukhali refugee camp near Gumdhum
Mass graves containing 45 Hindu villagers were discovered in the area earlier this week, and the military has accused Rohingya militants of carrying out the massacre.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) "categorically" denied that its members "perpetrated murder, sexual violence, or forcible recruitment" in the area.
The decomposing skeletal bodies remained laid out in rows on a grassy field outside Ye Baw Kyaw as distraught relatives wailed, according to AFP journalists at the scene.
Hindus who fled the area have told AFP that masked men stormed into their community and hacked victims to death with machetes before dumping them into freshly-dug pits.
Myanmar's army has tried to control the narrative over the crisis, restricting press access to the conflict zone while it posts regular updates that blame Rohingya militants for the bloodshed.
Government and military reports have also sought to highlight the suffering of other ethnic groups, such as Rakhine Buddhists and Hindus, swept up in the communal unrest.
- Ethnic cleansing accusations -
The latest violence has intensified long-running religious hatreds and been complicated by a swirl of rival narratives from different ethnic groups.
Thursday's visit for the UN representatives will come on the same day that the UN Security Council meets on the situation in Myanmar.
Burned villages are seen from the air near Maungdaw, north of Myanmar's Rakhine state, on September 27, 2017
On September 13, the council demanded "immediate steps" to end the Myanmar violence and expressed concern about "excessive force" being used by the military.
The council also called on the Myanmar government to abide by its commitment to facilitate humanitarian aid in Rakhine, but until now that request has not been met.
Secretary General Antonio Guterres will address the UN Security Council during its open door session. As a former UN high commissioner on refugees, Guterres knows Rakhine and the context of the current crisis intimately.
With accusations of "ethnic cleansing" being leveled at the UN General Assembly, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said last week she was "ready" to organize the return of the Rohingyas.
The Rohingyas, the world's largest stateless group, are treated as foreigners in Myanmar, whose population is 90 percent Buddhist.
UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura wants to convene an eighth round of talks in Geneva, but President Bashar al-Assad's regime has little motivation to make concessions
UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura said Wednesday that he hopes to convene a new round of Syria talks in Geneva in the coming weeks.
"I am calling on both sides to assess the situation with realism and responsibility to the people of Syria and to prepare seriously to participate in the Geneva talks," de Mistura said at the UN Security Council.
He said he intends to convene an eighth round of talks on the bloody more than six-year conflict no later than the end of October or early November.
De Mistura has already hosted seven rounds of largely unsuccessful talks in Geneva, with the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad one of the main obstacles to progress.
Syrian opposition groups and various Western powers insist that Assad must go. But with his military position in the ascendant, he has little motivation to make concessions.
At the same time, there is a second process of negotiations in Kazakh capital Astana that has led to the establishment of multiple "de-escalation zones" that have contributed to a reduction in violence.
"These developments have had a positive impact on civilians," said Mark Lowcock, the UN's head of humanitarian affairs and emergency relief.
But "we continue to receive reports of violations of international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict," he said.
Otto Warmbier, shown in a photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), died soon after being released from detention in the reclusive country
Otto Warmbier, the American student who died days after being released from North Korea in a coma, displayed no obvious signs of torture despite assertions by his parents and President Donald Trump, an Ohio medical examiner said Wednesday.
The coroner said the 22-year-old, who had been sentenced to 15 years hard labor while visiting the reclusive country, had suffered brain damage caused by the lack of oxygen to the brain.
Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco could not say what caused the injury.
The revelations came a day after Warmbier's parents and Trump accused the reclusive regime of torturing the young man, who had been convicted of trying to steal a propaganda poster from a Pyongyang hotel.
The parents, in a series of TV interviews Tuesday, said their son showed signs of torture, including teeth that appeared to have been "rearranged," and hands and feet that were disfigured.
"They kidnapped Otto, they tortured him, they intentionally injured him. They are not victims, they are terrorists," Fred Warmbier said on the program "Fox and Friends."
After the airing of the interview, Trump for the first time accused North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's regime of torturing Warmbier.
Trump called the parents' interview with Fox "great" and said: "Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea."
But Sammarco, who examined Warmbier's body after his death in June, said there was no clear evidence of physical torture -- including no recently broken bones or damaged teeth.
"We don't know what happened to him. That's the bottom line," she said. "We're never going to know, unless the people who were there come forward and say, 'This is what happened to Otto.'"
Warmbier's body displayed only a few small scars, all but one of which could be traced to medical instruments, she said, adding that the Warmbiers' TV interviews had prompted her to publicly reveal her findings.
"They're grieving parents. I can't really make comments on their perceptions," she added.
Three Americans accused of various crimes against the state are behind bars in the North, which is engaged in a tense standoff with the Trump administration over its banned missile and nuclear weapons programs.
Google, a unit of Alphabet, has said it was not used in the alleged Russian campaign to steer the US election
The Senate Intelligence Committee has asked top tech companies Google, Facebook and Twitter to testify about Russian interference in US politics, a Senate aide confirmed Wednesday.
The three internet and online social media giants are expected to appear on November 1 in an open hearing on the rising evidence that they were covertly manipulated in a campaign to help Donald Trump win the presidency.
Before that they could also testify in the House Intelligence Committee: Representatives Mike Conaway and Adam Schiff, who lead the committee's Russia probe, announced late Wednesday they too had invited representatives of technology firms to testify on Russian manipulation.
"Congress and the American people need to hear this important information directly from these companies," they said.
Facebook recently revealed that for just $100,000, apparent Russia-linked buyers placed some 3,000 advertisements on its pages last year that appeared aimed at influencing the election.
Facebook has turned the details of those ads over to investigators. According to reports, the ads sought to boost the Democratic and Republican rivals of then-election frontrunner Hillary Clinton, as well as to sow discord among Americans in ways that would damage Clinton's voter base.
"The vast majority of ads run by these accounts didn't specifically reference the US presidential election, voting or a particular candidate," Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos said early this month.
"Rather, the ads and accounts appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum -- touching on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights."
Google, a unit of Alphabet, has said it was not used in the alleged Russian campaign to steer the US election.
But according to Buzzfeed, its automated ad-targeting system lets advertisers direct ads to people using racist and anti-Semitic search terms.
Twitter meanwhile has been shown to be a dense thicket of easily faked accounts and news items that allowed alleged Russian operatives to pump out politically divisive and anti-Clinton tweets.
BERLIN (AP) - One of the most prominent figures in the nationalist Alternative for Germany said Tuesday she plans to leave the party, even as other lawmakers from the anti-migrant party held their first meeting after a strong showing at the polls.
The announcement from Frauke Petry, the party's co-chairwoman since 2015, came after Alternative for Germany, or AfD, won 12.6 percent of the vote in Sunday's election to secure seats in the national parliament for the first time.
Petry told reporters Tuesday in the eastern city of Dresden she would leave the party "in the coming days." She said it was "the logical consequence of what has happened in recent months in our party."
Frauke Petry, co-chairwoman of the AfD, speaks before leaving a press conference of the Alternative for Germany, AfD, in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. Petry said that she won't be part of the party's parliament faction on the day after the nationalist party was elected first time into the German parliament. Right is co-chairman Joerg Meuthen. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
She played a key role in moving AfD's focus from opposing eurozone bailouts to migration when she took over in 2015, but has been increasingly sidelined in recent months.
Petry has said she aimed to make the AfD ready for government in 2021, and urged her party earlier this year to exclude members who expressed extremist views.
"We think this country urgently needs political change, but we no longer consider our party in a position to take it in hand" after months of in-fighting, she said Tuesday.
"Of course I want to continue pushing for political change in 2021 as an individual lawmaker, and perhaps later in a different configuration that it's far too early to speak about," she added.
Petry had already announced Monday that she wouldn't join the party's parliamentary group, but left her future open. Other leaders then urged her to leave the party altogether.
Her husband, Marcus Pretzell, the party leader in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia and a regional lawmaker there, told The Associated Press that he is also leaving AfD.
AfD won 94 of the 709 seats in the new German parliament, including Petry's. It wasn't immediately clear whether any other federal lawmakers would follow her departure.
Fellow AfD members appeared relatively unconcerned by the news as they gathered in Berlin.
Sunday's election left Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc weakened but still easily the biggest group in parliament. Merkel now faces a complicated task in forming a coalition - most likely with the pro-business Free Democrats and the traditionally left-leaning Greens.
Her partners in the outgoing government, the center-left Social Democrats, say they will go into opposition after they lost substantial support.
Before she can haggle with other parties, Merkel will have to smooth over tensions with the Christian Social Union, the Bavaria-only sister to her own conservative Christian Democratic Union.
The CSU leader, Bavarian governor Horst Seehofer, feuded with Merkel over the 2015-16 migrant influx and demanded a fixed annual limit on the number of asylum-seekers Germany accepts.
The pair buried their differences in recent months, but Seehofer has insisted since election night that the conservatives need to close an "open flank" to their right.
"We must make clear to the public we have understood (that) just carrying on wouldn't be good," Seehofer said, adding that people "expect policies that react to this election result."
Merkel said Monday she "can't see what we should do differently." But Seehofer said after meeting her Tuesday he has "great confidence" that they will close ranks.
___
Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.
Top candidates Alexander Gauland, left, and Alice Weidel, right, address the media prior to the first faction meeting of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party at the German federal parliament, Bundestag, in the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
AfD parliament members and media gather inside a conference room of the German parliament Bundestag, prior to the first faction meeting of the Alternative for Germany, AfD, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
German chancellor Angela Merkel attends a party meeting at the party's headquarters, in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017 one day after the parliamentary elections. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
Frauke Petry, co-chairwoman of the AfD, leaves a press conference of the Alternative for Germany, AfD, in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. Petry said that she won't be part of the party's parliament faction on the day after the nationalist party was elected first time into the German parliament. Right is co-chairman Joerg Meuthen. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
News / National
by Staff reporter
Zanu-PF youths in the second largest city and its hinterland are seething with anger after President Robert Mugabe 's government claimed last year to have made available swathes of land for housing development, which is turning out to be a ruse.The Southern News reported that ever since the land was made available, no development has taken place at the site measuring about 318 hectares amid revelations that part of the land falls under a restricted zone.Youths here now suspect that the project was meant to hoodwink them ahead of crucial polls next year.Following his fallout with war veterans in 2015, Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party have turned to the restive youths and women for support.The Zanu-PF leader is currently going around the country to engage the youths through what has been called "youth interface rallies", which have been attracting huge crowds.His wife, Grace, will also be embarking on a whirlwind tour of the provinces soon in her capacity as head of the Zanu-PF women 's league.Last year, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing minister Saviour Kasukuwere, who doubles up as Zanu-PF 's national political commissar, unveiled 318 hectares of land for the construction of between 10 000 and 20 000 high density residential stands for youths at Umvutshwa Farm on the outskirts of the city.This housing project was meant to be a high density residential suburb where plus or minus 7 000 households in the form of stands ranging from 200 square metres to 400 square metres and high rise flats were to be accommodated.Upon the project 's launch last year, it attracted scorn from various stakeholders who accused the minister of abusing his role as Local Government overseer to parcel out land on political basis.The project is being supervised by the Urban Development Corporation (Udcorp), which is a parastatal that falls under the Local Government ministry.Government later said over 5 000 youths from Matabeleland region had registered for residential stands in Umvutshwa.While the initiative was positive, Zanu-PF youths still feel betrayed by the minister whom they accuse of taking them for a ride.Several youths who spoke to this paper refused to be named but expressed their displeasure at the politicking by their boss as they have failed to get their promised residential stands."This is bad politicking, why would people waste our time like that giving us hope where there is nothing. Kasukuwere must be ashamed...," said one angry youth."That was a waste of resources, imagine trucks were hired and even the VP (Phelekezela) Mphoko and other top government officials attended the ground-breaking ceremony and yet all that went for nothing."Some of our colleagues were involved in a tragic accident as we were coming from there which left others wheelchair bound, honestly that 's taking us for granted," said another angry youth.The youths also said they were made to pay $5 each as registration fee and $50 monthly instalments paid into a Udcorp account.Southern News also understands that there were disagreements over the piece of land which was selected as it belonged to a white farmer.Bulawayo Zanu-PF central youth district chair Magura Charumbira said: "We are just waiting; we don 't even know what 's the actual position of the government on our residential stands. They had promised us that by now the youth suburb would be taking shape but there is nothing.""It is such lies by Kasukuwere that made nine out of 10 provinces deny him but some people had other ideas," he said.Speaking during the ground-breaking ceremony last year Kasukuwere pledged that the whole servicing was going to be done by end of last year."I promise you that this land will be serviced by end of this year. This will be a first in Zimbabwe as it will be the first ever youth township."All these stands will be given to youths, no one else," said Kasukuwere then.However, more than a year now, nothing seems to be taking place at the land.Contacted for comment Zanu-PF youth secretary Kudzanayi Chipanga said he was out of the country referring questions to Urdcop planning officer Constance Muchoni."The project is still on-going. We are still in the process of designing the land."What delayed us is that we wanted it to be a high density suburb but then we realised part of the land fell on the restricted zone but it 's something that we are working on," Muchoni told Southern News.She, however, dismissed claims that there have been monies that have been paid to Udcorp."We haven 't started taking anyone 's money except that we asked people to open accounts with IDBZ where they will be depositing their monies maybe on a monthly basis, the money which they will use when the stands are out," she said.Muchoni said stands were likely to be distributed next year after the plans have been approved and servicing done among other necessities.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Attacks in two neighboring provinces in Afghanistan killed at least five policemen, Afghan officials said on Tuesday, while a sixth policeman died in a gunbattle with the Taliban in another province.
In western Herat province, two police officers died in a roadside bombing while in neighboring Farah province, three were killed when a bombing targeted their checkpoint.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks but officials in both provinces blamed the Taliban. Insurgents have been active in both Herat and Farah as the Taliban stepped up their attacks against Afghan security forces across the country this year.
Jelani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor in Herat, said that along with the two who died in the attack there, three other officers were wounded. The police were on a routine patrol in Ghoryan district when the bomb exploded on Tuesday, he added.
In Farah province, where the three officers were killed, Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the provincial governor, said insurgents attacked the checkpoint and triggered a gunbattle that lasted for two hours.
And in yet another report, district police chief Rahmatullah Khan said that one policeman and six Taliban were killed in a gunbattle overnight in northern Takhar province, in Khoja Ghor district.
The Taliban claimed that their fighters had seized several checkpoints in the district, but Khan said security forces were able to push back the insurgents and regain control of the security checkpoints.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the Republican effort to overhaul the Obama health law (all times local):
9:35 a.m.
The White House says it believes a Senate health care bill that appears headed for defeat is "still good legislation."
U.S. Capitol Police maintain order as hundreds of people, many with disabilities, arrive for a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the last-ditch GOP push to overhaul the nation's health care system, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the White House is "fully committed" to improving the health care system and that the Senate bill would do that.
With no Democratic support expected, three "no" votes from Republicans would appear to doom the bill. Republicans control 52 Senate seats and Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, John McCain of Arizona and Rand Paul of Kentucky have said they will not vote for the bill.
Sanders held out hope that opposing lawmakers might change their minds, or that undecided senators - like Lisa Murkowski of Alaska - will support it.
Senate Republican leaders have conceded that prospects for passing the measure this week appear dismal.
____
3:43 a.m.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins' decision to oppose the GOP push to repeal President Barack Obama's health care overhaul leaves the effort all but dead. Even party leaders concede that their prospects are dismal.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 3 GOP Senate leader, says reviving the push would be a heavy lift.
Thune made the comment after Collins joined a small but pivotal cluster of Republicans saying they're against the measure.
GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas are also against the legislation, though Cruz aides say he might back it if changes are made. Alaska's Lisa Murkowski is a Republican who's undecided.
With their narrow Senate majority, defections by three GOP senators would doom the bill.
Kentucky Republican U.S. Sen Rand Paul tells reporters he plans to vote against a GOP bill that would repeal and replace most of former President Barack Obama's health care law on Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Adam Beam)
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., arrives at his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, amid a last-ditch GOP push to overhaul the nation's health care system. Looking at the twilight of his career and a grim cancer diagnosis, McCain, who prides himself on an independent streak, could not be moved to go along with the Graham-Cassidy bill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Colleen Flanagan of Boston, center, and others in wheelchairs with a group called ADAPT, rally prior to a hearing by the Senate Finance Committee on the Graham-Cassidy health care repeal, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Ann Wright of Honolulu, wears a heart that reads "Healthcare Not Warfare" on a doctors coat as she joins others outside a hearing room where the Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing to consider the Graham-Cassidy healthcare proposal, on Capitol Hill , Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Costumed as the grim reaper, a protestor opposed to the Republican health care bill waits prior to a hearing by the Senate Finance Committee on the Graham-Cassidy health care repeal, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., speaks with a person with disabilities outside a hearing room where the Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing to consider the Graham-Cassidy healthcare proposal, on Capitol Hill, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's prime minister says ties with Germany will "deepen and prosper" after its national election, without mentioning gains by a far-right party in the vote that secured a fourth term for Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel is concerned over the rise of anti-Semitism in "the right and left and among Islamic elements."
Israel was established on the ashes of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were killed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. The two countries have cultivated strong ties since then.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (Gali Tibbon, Pool via AP)
Netanyahu is ordinarily quick to rail against anti-Semitism around the world. But he was criticized for remaining largely silent over President Donald Trump's response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white nationalists chanted anti-Jewish slogans.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (Gali Tibbon, Pool via AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (Gali Tibbon, Pool via AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens to transportation minister Yisrael Katz during the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (Gali Tibbon, Pool via AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (Gali Tibbon, Pool via AP)
BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union wants to help stop food makers selling the same products but with different contents depending on which country they are put on supermarket shelves.
The move comes after consumers complained about quality discrepancies, like a coffee brand with more sugar and less caffeine in different countries or frozen fish fingers with less meat.
The EU Commission said Tuesday that it is distributing guidelines to food and consumer authorities so they can act against "dual quality products."
It also wants to boost product testing and fund national crackdowns.
Some companies have seen the light, including a European firm that was using palm oil in its waffles.
Consumer Affairs Commissioner Vera Jourova said: "If I'm not mistaken the waffles are called butter waffles. Without butter. It's strange isn't it?"
WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Poland's president and defense minister are visiting Polish and other NATO troops as they perform major defense exercises.
President Andrzej Duda and Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz on Tuesday watched land and airborne troops at the test range in Drawsko Pomorskie in northwestern Poland.
The Dragon-17 exercise involves some 17,000 land, air force and navy troops and 3,500 units of equipment from 12 NATO and partner nations. It runs through Sept. 29 at locations in northern Poland.
For the first time, the biannual drill is being joined by Poland's new Territorial Defense Forces, which train civilian volunteers to support regular troops.
The defensive scenario of the maneuvers was inspired by Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Poland and the Baltic region are concerned about Russia's increased military activity.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump is welcoming Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (mah-ree-AH'-noh rah-HOY') to the White House days before a crucial secession vote in his country.
The regional government in Catalonia is holding a binding referendum Sunday on separating from Spain. But the Spanish government insists such a vote is illegal and promises it won't take place. Catalonia is one of Spain's 17 autonomous regions. Its capital is the Mediterranean port city of Barcelona, a favorite for tourists.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert recently said the U.S. has no position on the referendum.
She says the U.S. will work with any government or entity that comes out of the vote.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday she had nothing to add to the State Department's position on the issue.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The evidence against an Ohio man accused of killing three down-and-out men lured by fake Craigslist job offers wasn't strong enough to convict him, according to attorneys fighting the defendant's death sentence.
No physical evidence links death row inmate Richard Beasley to the killings, his attorneys argued in a court filing with the Ohio Supreme Court.
It also doesn't make sense that someone would go to great lengths to target the poor individuals whom Beasley was charged with killing, the attorneys said.
FILE - In this April 4, 2013, file photo, Richard Beasley addresses the court after sentencing in his capital murder case by Summit Common Pleas Judge Lynne S. Callahan in Akron, Ohio. Beasley, convicted of killing three down-and-out men lured by bogus Craigslist job offers, is appealing his death sentence to Ohio's highest court Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. (Paul Tople/Akron Beacon Journal via AP, Pool, File)
The "result of these labors would be to rob homeless, destitute individuals with little or no property or money," according to a filing by Beasley's attorneys.
Prosecutors say Beasley's motives were so callous and depraved they befuddle the average citizen.
"There is no question that common sense among reasonable persons may have a hard time grasping the sheer depravity of such conduct, but the degree of such depravity certainly does not call into question the veracity of the evidence," the state argued in its own filing.
The state Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday for and against Beasley's death sentence. A ruling isn't expected for months.
Beasley, 58, a self-styled street preacher, was convicted of partnering with a teenage boy in 2011 to lure victims with promises of jobs on a southeastern Ohio farm. The job offers were posted on Craigslist.
A jury convicted Beasley in 2013 and a judge sentenced him to death. Co-defendant Brogan Rafferty, who was 16 at the time of the killings and not eligible for the death penalty, was convicted and sentenced to life without parole.
Beasley maintains his innocence and argues someone with a biker gang he was affiliated with was responsible.
Several errors during Beasley's trial are enough to overturn the death sentence, attorney Donald Gallick told justices Tuesday.
Gallick questioned the fact a juror was allowed to stay on after she realized she knew an FBI agent testifying for the prosecution. The agent testified about the search that led to Beasley's arrest, not the evidence against him.
"Even though he isn't giving testimony on some hotly contested matter, there's no question whose side of the trial he's on," he said.
Beasley also objects to a prosecutor's opening argument at trial that described Beasley as a wolf in sheep's clothing and noted the phrase originated in a sermon by Jesus. Courts have already prohibited religious references in closing arguments, Gallick said.
Attorney Stephen Maher, representing the state, said the judge properly upheld an objection over the Bible reference and told jurors to ignore it.
"The trial judge put a stop to it, sustained the defense objection and it never came up again at any time in the trial," Maher said.
Maher also said the FBI agent known by a juror never testified about the guilt or innocence of Beasley.
Justice Terrence O'Donnell noted there is evidence to support the state's case against Beasley. "There's some reason those individuals went to that farm," O'Donnell said.
Beasley also says extensive pretrial publicity prevented him from getting a fair trial in Summit County.
State prosecutors say the publicity barely made an impact on the jury pool.
One victim was killed near Akron, and the others were shot at the farm in Noble County about 100 miles (161 kilometers) southeast of Columbus.
The slain men were Ralph Geiger, 56, of Akron; David Pauley, 51, of Norfolk, Virginia; and Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon.
All were down-and-out men looking for a fresh start in life, prosecutors repeatedly said during Beasley's trial.
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Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus.
MONTREAL (AP) - Uber said Tuesday it will cease operations in Quebec next month if the province doesn't rescind new rules introduced last week, including one to require the ride-hailing app's drivers have more training.
Quebec's government dismissed the ultimatum.
Quebec Uber boss Jean-Nicolas Guillemette said the service will stop operating Oct. 14 if the government doesn't back down.
Uber employees listen to Jean-Nicolas Guillemette, Uber Quebec's general manager, during a news conference in Montreal, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Ride-hailing company Uber says it will cease operating in Quebec on Oct. 14, if the province doesn't rescind new rules introduced last week. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP)
Transport Minister Laurent Lessard announced Friday that Uber drivers would be required to undergo the same number of training hours as traditional taxi drivers - 35, instead of the 20 hours required previously.
Quebec also is requiring Uber drivers to get background checks, but Uber voiced objections only to the training rule.
Guillemette said the rule would make it impossible for Uber to continue in Quebec. He said the vast majority of Uber's drivers work part-time and there are no training requirements in any other Canadian city. He called it a "deal breaker."
"Trying to impose on us the same thing that is currently done in the old taxi industry, I don't think it will help us to move forward," he said
Quebec's government said it would not back down.
"I am very surprised that a big company, a big multinational like Uber, can't find a way to use its application to train its drivers," the transport minister said at a news conference in Quebec City.
"I am firm in my intention," Lessard said. "We are not in negotiation mode. They should look to see how they can meet our standard."
Uber's announcement also was dismissed by the mayor of Montreal, which is Quebec's largest city. "We need to have some regulation and if they threaten to leave I don't care," Mayor Denis Coderre told BNN news channel..
Uber, founded in 2010 in San Francisco, has often faced opposition as it expanded. Taxi drivers complain that Uber drivers don't have to comply with the same licensing standards, arguing that gives Uber an unfair advantage and puts the public at risk.
Alexander Cioc, a 26-year-old who drives for Uber, said morale among his fellow drivers is low. He said drivers have to pay for the training the government requires.
"I know a lot of drivers who are quitting Uber," he said.
Last week in Britain, authorities in London said Uber's license would not be renewed when it expires Sept. 30, citing a lack of corporate responsibility. The city's transportation agency, Transport for London, said the factors it considered included Uber's "approach to reporting serious criminal offenses" and its use of software designed to evade authorities.
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Associated Press writer Patrick Lejtenyi reported this story in Montreal and AP writer Rob Gillies reported from Toronto.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Latest on dedication of a monument for black activist in Philadelphia (all times local):
12:25 p.m.
Hundreds of people gathered at City Hall in Philadelphia to celebrate the unveiling of a monument paying tribute to a 19th-century black activist.
In this Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, photo, workers install the statue of Octavius Valentine Catto at City Hall in Philadelphia. A century before the fight to end Jim Crow segregation laws, Catto was leading a civil rights movement in Philadelphia. On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the city will laud Catto's legacy with a statue in the shadow of City Hall, the first such named tribute for an African-American in a public space in Philadelphia. (David Maialetti /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
The crowd cheered Tuesday as a statue and memorial honoring Octavius V. Catto was revealed. The honor is the first such named tribute for an African-American in a public space in Philadelphia and the first statue in nearly a century of any figure at City Hall.
Catto was an educator, athlete, veteran an activist in Philadelphia before he was gunned down in 1871 at age 32. Mayor Jim Kenney led the statue effort for more than a decade. He called Catto "a true American hero" who should be revered by all Americans.
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12:30a.m.
A century before the fight to end Jim Crow segregation laws, Octavius Valentine Catto was leading a civil rights movement in Philadelphia.
On Tuesday, the city will laud Catto's legacy with a statue in the shadow of City Hall - the first such named tribute for an African-American in a public space in Philadelphia. The honor comes amid a national conversation about Confederate memorials, and about who is an American hero and how and where the country chooses to celebrate them.
Philadelphia is in the midst of its own debate on the issue. Catto's statue stands just several hundred yards from a sculpture of former Mayor Frank Rizzo, whose complicated racial legacy has led some to argue that his likeness should be removed from city property since racial violence erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia, last month.
In this Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, photo, workers install the statue of Octavius Valentine Catto at City Hall in Philadelphia. A century before the fight to end Jim Crow segregation laws, Catto was leading a civil rights movement in Philadelphia. On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the city will laud Catto's legacy with a statue in the shadow of City Hall, the first such named tribute for an African-American in a public space in Philadelphia. (David Maialetti /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Indiana University has suspended its student spelunking club pending an investigation into how a freshman was locked inside a cave for 60 hours.
University officials announced Monday that the Office of Student Conduct is conducting an investigation into how 19-year-old Lukas Cavar became trapped inside Sullivan Cave with no food or fresh water, The Herald-Times reported .
Cavar was on a beginner's spelunking trip with the Caving Club on Sept. 17 when he was separated from the group. He then discovered the gate at the cave's entrance was padlocked and that the other 12 club members were unaware he was still inside.
Cavar, of Bloomington, had no cellphone service in the cave. He tried but failed to pick the gate's lock with a paper clip and he yelled for hours trying to attract the attention of motorists on a road a few hundred feet away, but to no avail. With few resources with him, Cavar even resorted to licking moisture from the cave's stone walls to keep from getting dehydrated.
Two club leaders returned to the cave and rescued Cavar on Sept. 19 after learning that his parents had filed a missing person report with university police.
The club leaders also contacted the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department and Indiana Department of Natural Resources for assistance that night, said university spokesman Ryan Piurek.
The club's student leaders and faculty adviser are looking for ways to change the club's procedures to make sure a similar incident doesn't happen again, said Assistant Dean of Students Steve Veldkamp. The club has been active on campus since the 1950s, he said.
News / National
by Staff reporter
Thousands of rural teachers across Zimbabwe have threatened to hold a #pocketsoutprotest to demand higher pay and better benefits, the State 's largest rural teachers ' union said.The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) said all rural teachers in all school districts were taking part in the strike, which could force the cancellation of classes.At issue are cost-of-living raises and the government 's alleged lack of will to stem the full scale economic collapse."We are left with no option but to embark on a pockets out protest on Friday 29, September 2017 as we prepare to leave the classroom for the bank on Monday 2, October 2017," Artuz said in a statement."The economic collapse has eroded the salaries of teachers by over 100 percent; a day the money spent in a bank account is another loss of value of our pathetic salaries."Artuz said the Public Service Act bars teachers and all other civil servants from engaging in any other form of work to supplement their salaries.
WASHINGTON (AP) - When President Donald Trump tweeted on Saturday that Iran had "just test-fired" a missile, he seemed to know something the rest of the government did not. Turns out, he did not.
There was no Iranian ballistic missile launch, three U.S. officials said Tuesday.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard had used a military parade on Friday to display its Khoramshahr medium-range ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching Israel and much of the Middle East. That same day, video of the test firing of a Khoramshahr aired on Iranian state TV. The time or location of the test was not mentioned in the report, and it appears that the video footage was from a failed Iranian missile test earlier this year.
President Donald Trump smiles as he walks to Marine One on the South Lawn the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Washington. Trump is headed to New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
It's unclear where Trump got his information, but it apparently did not come from U.S. intelligence agencies, which keep a continuous lookout for missile launches around the globe. As president, Trump could easily have checked with the CIA or other intelligence agencies to verify whether Iran had actually test-fired a missile.
In his tweet he renewed his criticism of the nuclear agreement reached with Iran during the Obama administration.
"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel," he wrote. "They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!"
The nuclear agreement is designed to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb but does not prohibit it from developing missiles.
Among the three officials who said there was no Iranian missile launch last week, one said officials who work on Iran issues were caught off guard by Trump's tweet. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an intelligence issue.
Trump has suggested he might seek to renegotiate the nuclear deal or abandon it. He told the U.N. General Assembly last week that the accord was "nothing short of an embarrassment" and the "worst one-sided deal perhaps in American history."
Officials have said Trump might use the Oct. 15 deadline for certifying to Congress whether Iran is in compliance with the nuclear deal to either declare Iran in violation or determine that the agreement is no longer in the national security interest of the U.S.
Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday that Iran is adhering to its obligations under the nuclear agreement, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. He stressed that his concern is about Iran's behavior in other areas, such as its development of ballistic missiles and its support for extremist groups.
Dunford declined to say publicly what advice he has given Trump on whether to recertify Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Commerce Department slapped duties of nearly 220 percent on Canada's Bombardier C Series aircraft Tuesday in a victory for Boeing that is likely to raise tensions between the United States and its allies Canada and Britain.
Commerce ruled that Montreal-based Bombardier used unfair government subsidies to sell jets at artificially low prices in the U.S.
"The U.S. values its relationships with Canada, but even our closest allies must play by the rules," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said.
FILE- In this Dec. 18, 2015, file photo, Bombardier's CS100 assembly line is seen at the company's plant in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada. The U.S Commerce Department slapped duties of nearly 220 percent on Canada's Bombardier C Series aircraft Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in a victory for Boeing that is likely to raise tensions between the United States and its allies Canada and Britain. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada responded by saying it "strongly disagrees" with the U.S. move.
"This is clearly aimed at eliminating Bombardier's C Series aircraft from the U.S. market," said Chrystia Freeland, Canada's minister of foreign affairs.
Bombardier, meanwhile, called the decision "absurd .... U.S. trade laws were never intended to be used in this manner, and Boeing is seeking to use a skewed process to stifle competition."
In April, Boeing charged that Bombardier had received at least $3 billion in subsidies from the governments of Britain, Canada and the province of Quebec. The Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer asked the Commerce Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate the alleged "predatory pricing."
Specifically, Boeing said that Bombardier last year sold Delta Air Lines 75 CS100 aircraft for less than it cost to build them.
"Subsidies enabled Bombardier to dump its product into the U.S. market, harming aerospace workers in the United States and throughout Boeing's global supply chain," Boeing said Tuesday.
But Delta has said Boeing did not even make the 100-seat jets it needed.
"Boeing has no American-made product to offer because it canceled production of its only aircraft in this size range - the 717 - more than 10 years ago," Delta said in a statement Tuesday.
President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to get tough on trade. He has repeatedly criticized Canada, saying it unfairly blocks U.S. dairy products and subsidizes its softwood lumber industry. Trump also has threatened to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement if he can't negotiate a better version with Canada and Mexico.
Boeing's complaint against Bombardier drew a backlash even before Tuesday's decision. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau threatened this month to stop doing business with Boeing, which is in talks to sell Canada 18 Super Hornet jet fighters. British Prime Minister Theresa May has discussed the case with Trump. Her concern: Bombardier employs more than 4,000 workers in Northern Ireland.
Connecticut Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Christopher Murphy last week wrote a letter urging U.S. government officials to "refrain from taking action that will endanger the many jobs in Connecticut that depend upon Bombardier." Engines for the C Series aircraft are made by Pratt & Whitney, based in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Commerce's findings Tuesday aren't the end of the matter. The department is expected to announce its findings in another case against Bombardier early next month. Then the International Trade Commission - an independent federal agency that rules on trade cases - will decide early next year whether to uphold Commerce's duties.
Bombardier could appeal any sanctions to a U.S. court or to a dispute-resolution panel created under NAFTA. The Canadian government could also take the case to the World Trade Organization in Geneva.
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Gillies reported from Toronto
Follow Paul Wiseman on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PaulWisemanAP
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Federal contractors on Tuesday began building prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico, hitting a milestone toward a key campaign pledge.
Construction of eight models in a remote area of San Diego is about three months behind schedule, held up by losing bidders whose protests were eventually denied. A green tarp hanging on a chain-link fence blocked views of the work, which is expected to last 30 days.
Customs and Border Protection may pick several winners, or none. Roy Villarreal, acting chief of the Border Patrol's San Diego sector, said another contractor will evaluate each model, which will be up to 30 feet (9 meters) high and 30 feet long.
A man is detained by Border Patrol officials as he tries to climb a fence after breaching border fencing separating San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in San Diego. The man, who said he was from Chiapas, Mexico, was detained by agents as they prepared for a news conference to announce that contractors have begun building eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
"It may not result in a singular winner. It may be a combination of designs being implemented," Villarreal told reporters next to existing border fencing.
As agents prepared for the news conference, a Mexican man breached the fence, cut his hand and was arrested.
The construction site is about 2 miles (3 kilometers) east of San Diego's Otay Mesa border crossing at the end of steel-mesh fence that runs from the Pacific Ocean.
San Diego police and the county sheriff's department have helped set up a "free speech zone" nearby for people to demonstrate. Villarreal said he knew of no organized plans to protest.
Bidding documents say four of the prototypes are to be solid concrete and four are to be made of "other materials." Trump said Friday that the wall should be see-through, apparently at odds with the initial instructions for solid concrete.
Villarreal said the concrete designs would be built with openings to allow agents to see across the border.
The administration faces several federal lawsuits in San Diego that seek to block the prototypes and plans to replace existing barriers in California.
A complaint filed last week by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, largely mirrors two others by environmental advocacy groups that allege the administration overstepped its authority to speed up construction of the wall.
At issue is a 2005 law that gave the Homeland Security secretary broad powers to waive dozens of laws for border barriers, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act. The lawsuits say that authority has expired.
The administration has not commented directly on the lawsuits. It has issued two waivers since August, the first ones since 2008, on grounds of national security. Both waivers are in California, including one that covers the site of prototype construction.
Funding to extend the wall beyond its distance of 654 miles (1,046 kilometers) is in doubt. Democrats have balked at Trump's $1.6 billion request to replace 14 miles (22 kilometers) in San Diego and build 60 miles (96 kilometers) in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings.
Caddell Construction Co. of Montgomery, Alabama, and W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co. of Philadelphia, Mississippi, were awarded contracts to build one wall of concrete and one of other materials.
Other contracts for concrete prototypes went to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. of Tempe, Arizona, and Texas Sterling Construction Co. of Houston. Contracts for prototypes of other materials were awarded to KWR Construction Inc. of Sierra Vista, Arizona, and ELTA North America Inc. of Annapolis Junction, Maryland.
A man is detained by Border Patrol officials after breaching border fencing separating San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in San Diego. The man, who said he was from Chiapas, Mexico, was detained by agents as they prepared for a news conference to announce that contractors have begun building eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Roy Villarreal, acting Chief Patrol Agent of the Border Patrol, San Diego Sector, speaks during a news conference in front of secondary fencing along the border separating San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in San Diego. The federal government said Tuesday that contractors began building eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico, hitting a milestone toward a key campaign pledge. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A man is detained by Border Patrol officials after breaching border fencing separating San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in San Diego. The man, who said he was from Chiapas, Mexico, was detained by agents as they prepared for a news conference to announce that contractors have begun building eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A man is detained by Border Patrol officials after breaching border fencing separating San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in San Diego. The man, who said he was from Chiapas, Mexico, was detained by agents as they prepared for a news conference to announce that contractors have begun building eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A man is detained by Border Patrol officials after breaching border fencing separating San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in San Diego. The man, who said he was from Chiapas, Mexico, was detained by agents as they prepared for a news conference to announce that contractors have begun building eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A man is detained by a Border Patrol official after breaching border fencing separating San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in San Diego. The man, who said he was from Chiapas, Mexico, was detained by agents as they prepared for a news conference to announce that contractors have begun building eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Roy Villarreal, acting Chief Patrol Agent of the Border Patrol, San Diego Sector, left, speaks during a news conference as other Border Patrol agents look on in front of secondary fencing along the border separating San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in San Diego. The federal government said Tuesday that contractors began building eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico, hitting a milestone toward a key campaign pledge. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - The first 52 refugees to be accepted for resettlement in the United States under a contentious agreement with Australia have left Pacific island camps where they have languished for years, a refugee advocate said Wednesday.
The first 25 refugees from a male-only camp on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island had flown out of the national capital Port Moresby on Tuesday for the United States via the Philippines and Qatar, Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said.
Another 27 refugees flew to Port Moresby on Wednesday from a camp in Nauru, he said.
Their journey would end in Los Angeles via the Philippines, Qatar and Chicago, Rintoul said.
The U.S. State Department said it expected 54 refugees from Nauru and Papua New Guinea to arrive in the United States in the coming days. The origin of the journey for the two additional refugees was not clear. Australian officials declined to comment.
The refugees are Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, Afghans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Tamils from Sri Lanka, Iranians, Somalis and Sudanese, Rintoul said.
The first 25 who left Port Moresby on Tuesday would settle in U.S. population centers including Atlanta, Sydney's The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported. Rintoul said he did not know the specific locations where they were headed.
Former President Barack Obama's administration agreed to accept up to 1,250 of Australia's refugees - mostly from Iran, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka - in a deal some saw as repayment for Australia agreeing to accept Honduran and Salvadoran refugees under a U.S.-led resettlement program from a camp in Costa Rica.
President Donald Trump described the deal as "dumb" but has agreed to honor it subject to "extreme vetting" of refugees.
Rintoul said there was no indication how many of the more than 2,000 asylum seekers on Papua New Guinea and Nauru would be left behind.
"People (in the camps) are happy that these people have gone, but the big question is what happens to the rest," Rintoul said.
"It raises the level of anxiety and uncertainty and that's been magnified by the fact that U.S. officials have indicated that while they expect that there will be other groups being processed, it could take as long to process the next group of people as it has to process this one which is several months," he said.
"There is no transparency, no time lines, no numbers, no certainty except the fact that there will be hundreds left behind," he added.
Officials say U.S. security is paramount. All refugees approved for travel to the United States from Nauru and Papua New Guinea have passed the same stringent vetting processes that apply to all refugees considered for admission to the United States, and any individual not deemed to have met U.S. vetting requirements would not be admitted.
Australia will not settle any refugees who try to arrive by boat - a policy that the government says dissuades asylum seekers from attempting the dangerous and occasionally deadly ocean crossing from Indonesia.
Australia instead pays Papua New Guinea and Nauru to house asylum seekers in camps that have been plagued by reports of abuse and draconian conditions. Some of more than 2,000 asylum seekers have been in the island camps for more than four years.
Scholars are eagerly awaiting the anticipated release of thousands of never-before-seen government documents related to President John F. Kennedy's assassination.
Now, they're waiting to see whether President Donald Trump will block the release of files that could shed light on a tragedy that has stirred conspiracy theories for decades.
The National Archives has until October 26 to disclose the remaining files related to Kennedy's 1963 assassination, unless Trump intervenes.
The CIA and FBI, whose records make up the bulk of the batch, won't say whether they've appealed to the Republican president to keep them under wraps.
Scholars are eagerly awaiting the anticipated release of thousands of never-before-seen government documents related to President John F. Kennedy's assassination
The still-secret documents include more than 3,000 that have never been seen by the public and more than 30,000 that have been released previously, but with redactions.
'The American public deserves to know the facts, or at least they deserve to know what the government has kept hidden from them for all these years,' said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
'It's long past the time to be forthcoming with this information,' he said.
It's unlikely the documents contain any big revelations about Kennedy's killing, said Judge John Tunheim, who was chairman of the independent agency in the 1990s that made public many assassination records and decided how long others could remain secret.
Now, they're waiting to see whether President Donald Trump will block the release of files that could shed light on a tragedy that has stirred conspiracy theories for decades
Sabato and other JFK scholars believe the trove of files may provide insight into assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's trip to Mexico City weeks before the killing, during which he visited the Soviet and Cuban embassies.
Oswald's stated reason for going was to get visas that would allow him to enter Cuba and the Soviet Union, according to the Warren Commission, the investigative body established by President Lyndon B. Johnson, but much about the trip remains unknown.
Among the protected information up for release are details about the arrangements the U.S. entered into with the Mexican government that allowed it to have close surveillance of those and other embassies, said Tunheim, a federal judge in Minnesota.
The National Archives has until October 26 to disclose the remaining files related to Kennedy's 1963 assassination, unless Trump intervenes. In this November 22, 1963 photo, President John F. Kennedy waves from his car in a motorcade approximately one minute before he was shot in Dallas
Kennedy experts also hope to see the full report on Oswald's trip to Mexico City from staffers of the House committee that investigated the assassination, said Rex Bradford, president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, which publishes assassination records.
The White House didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
The FBI declined to comment on whether it has asked Trump to keep the files hidden.
A CIA spokeswoman would say only that it 'continues to engage in the process to determine the appropriate next steps with respect to any previously-unreleased CIA information.'
Congress mandated in 1992 that all assassination documents be released within 25 years, unless the president asserts that doing so would harm intelligence, law enforcement, military operations or foreign relations.
The files that were withheld in full were those the Assassination Records Review Board deemed 'not believed relevant,' Tunheim said.
The still-secret documents include more than 3,000 that have never been seen by the public. In this 1963 photo, the limousine carrying mortally wounded President John F. Kennedy races toward the hospital seconds after he was shot in Dallas
Its members sought to ensure they weren't hiding any information directly related to Kennedy's assassination, but there may be nuggets of information in the files that they didn't realize was important two decades ago, he said.
'There could be some jewels in there because in our level of knowledge in the 1990s is maybe different from today,' Tunheim said.
The National Archives would not say whether any agencies have appealed the release of the documents.
The Archives in July published online more than 440 never-before-seen assassination documents and thousands of others that had been released previously with redactions.
There could be some jewels in there Judge John Tunheim
Among those documents was a 1975 internal CIA memo that questioned whether Oswald became motivated to kill Kennedy after reading an AP article in a newspaper that quoted Fidel Castro as saying 'U.S. leaders would be in danger if they helped in any attempt to do away with leaders of Cuba.'
'Oswald might have had a clear motive, one that we have never really understood for killing Kennedy, because he thought that by killing Kennedy he might be saving the life of Fidel Castro,' said Philip Shenon, a former New York Times reporter who has written a book about Kennedy's assassination.
Some of the files will likely remain under wraps, experts say.
It's unlikely the National Archives will release some IRS records, including the tax returns of Jack Ruby, the man who killed Oswald, Bradford said.
Sabato said he also suspects that some key records may also have been destroyed before the 1992 law ordered that all the files be housed in the National Archives.
And even a full release of the documents isn't likely to put to rest conspiracy theories that have swirled around the young president's death for more than five decades.
'People will probably always believe there must have been a conspiracy,' Tunheim said. 'I just don't think that the federal government, in particular, is efficient enough to hide a secret like that for so long,' he said.
CHICAGO (AP) - The last time the Chicago police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of black teen Laquan McDonald was in court, the judge told two teams of lawyers that he wanted one to return to court Wednesday and the other on Thursday so there was no chance they would "cross paths."
The peculiar scheduling aims to ensure that the attorneys prosecuting Jason Van Dyke are kept out of court while the judge discusses with the other attorneys, as well as Van Dyke's defense team, what evidence the first group can use.
"If it's found that the prosecution used (protected) information, it can disqualify the whole prosecution team or get a conviction thrown out," said Jennifer Joyce, who headed the prosecutor's office in St. Louis for 16 years before retiring this year. She's now with an organization called the Prosecutors' Center for Excellence.
FILE - In this April, 20, 2017 file, photo, Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke who is charged in the 2014 shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald appears at a hearing in his case at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building in Chicago. Van Dyke is scheduled to return to court in September, once for a hearing involving the attorneys prosecuting him and the other involving attorneys helping to determine which evidence the prosecutors can use at trial. (Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool File)
As more police officers face criminal charges, courts have to find ways to control or even stop the flow of information about such cases. This was much simpler the last time a Chicago police officer was charged with first-degree murder for an on-duty fatality 35 years ago, when the technology that facilitates the fast and easy movement of information today didn't exist.
"The fact that everybody has a camera and in this current environment when these cases attract a lot of attention from the public and pundits, that has elevated cases where officers are charged with a crime up to a new level," said Joyce. "It makes everybody approach (such a case) differently, and you have to be extremely careful about managing the information coming in."
What is happening in Chicago stems from two decades-old U.S. Supreme Court decisions: One prohibits the use of statements by public employees in criminal cases made under the threat of being fired; and the other requires prosecutors to demonstrate that none of the evidence they're using is the result of testimony given under a grant of immunity.
That means one group of attorneys - the "filter team" - has the job of poring over scores of interviews, documents and other evidence to make sure prosecutors don't try to use or even see anything they're not entitled to. Overseeing their effort is a judge who must make sure such evidence never reaches prosecutors.
That team's job was laid out in a 2016 motion in the case of a Baltimore police officer charged in the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, who died after suffering a spinal cord injury in a police van. In the motion, the "filter team" was responsible for making sure the "clean team" of prosecutors was not "exposed to any immunized testimony during the clean team's trial preparation."
Not only that, but the motion explained that the "clean team" had been instructed to stay away from any news coverage of the officer's testimony. In Chicago, Joyce said Special Prosecutor Joseph McMahon told her that before he reads a newspaper, the other attorneys read it and redact anything about the case that McMahon shouldn't read. Attorneys in the Van Dyke case have been prohibited by the judge from talking about it outside of court.
The effort to filter out such evidence led to the surprise appearance on the witness stand of Van Dyke to explain to the judge who he talked to and why after he shot McDonald 16 times the night of Oct. 20, 2014.
"I don't remember exactly what was said, but it was my understanding that if you didn't cooperate or speak ... that you could be fired," said Van Dyke.
Judge Vincent Gaughan ruled that statements Van Dyke made to a deputy chief were off-limits to prosecutors, but that they could use statements Van Dyke made to a detective.
If it all seems so orderly, legal experts say untangling a chaotic scene of police officers, investigators, union reps and witnesses is incredibly difficult. That's because not only is there evidence that prosecutors can't present, but the judge must make sure the evidence they uncovered and witnesses they found didn't come from a prohibited source.
"How do you know someone in IAD (Internal Affairs) didn't hear something that was said to a detective?" asked David Erickson, a former state appellate judge who teaches at Chicago Kent College of Law. "How does the detective unknow something that was not supposed to come out? How do you separate the comingling of information used to prosecute this guy?"
"It can get messy," said Joseph Murtha, who represented one of the officers in the Freddie Gray case. "You have to prove the source of your information was not tainted by compelled statements and it's hard to separate information because sometimes a case originates as an internal investigation that morphs into a criminal investigation."
That's what happened in the case of Linda Tripp, whose secretly recorded tapes triggered the Monica Lewinski scandal that led to President Bill Clinton's impeachment.
In 2000, a judge dismissed a wiretapping case against Tripp after determining Lewinsky's identification of a tape that Tripp had made was based on her knowledge of Tripp's previous grand jury testimony under immunity from federal prosecution.
"The state prosecutor used the transcript of the grand jury proceedings to refresh Monica Lewinsky's memory," said Murtha, who represented Tripp.
FILE - In this June 28, 2017 file photo, Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke, charged in the shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald, takes the witness stand during a hearing in front of Judge Vincent Gaughan at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building in Chicago. Van Dyke is scheduled to return to court this week beginning Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, as the judge told two teams of lawyers that he wanted one to return to court Wednesday and the other on Thursday so there was no chance they would "cross paths." One hearing will involve the attorneys prosecuting him and the other will involve attorneys helping to determine which evidence the prosecutors can use at trial. (Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's supreme leader and thousands of others on Wednesday mourned a young Revolutionary Guard soldier beheaded by the Islamic State group, a killing that has struck a nerve within the Islamic Republic as its forces continue to suffer casualties in Iraq and Syria.
The slaying in Syria of 25-year-old Mohsen Hojaji captured the imagination of many in Iran, a Shiite-ruled nation whose national religion considers acts of mourning and acknowledging sacrifices a sacred act.
Since his death, artists and others have memorialized Hojaji in videos and paintings, while discussion of his slaying has muted domestic criticism of Iran's foreign military operations, especially in Syria.
Thousands of Iranians attend the state funeral of Mohsen Hojaji, a young Revolutionary Guard soldier beheaded by the Islamic State group in Syria, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Tehran, Iran. The death of 25-year-old Mohsen Hojaji has struck a nerve in Iran, which has suffered casualties while its troops are deployed into Iraq fighting the Islamic State group and in Syria. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
His funeral in Tehran also brought Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who prayed near Hojaji's Iranian-flag-wrapped casket. Mourners later lay flowers atop his coffin, while on the street, soldiers with the paramilitary Guard mixed with men wearing black and women in long black chadors. Many carried drawn portraits of Hojaji, while others unfurled the black flags common during Muharram, a Shiite mourning period.
Many current and former government officials, including parliament speaker Ali Larijani and former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, attended the funeral. Politics entered the mourning as well, as a cleric on hand alleged Israel and the U.S. were behind the Islamic State group, drawing cries of "Death to Israel" and "down with the U.S." from the audience.
"We swear on the blood of Hojaji, we will not rest until destroying Israel," cleric Ali Reza Pahanhian said from the podium. "Israel, we swear on the head of Hojaji that we will behead your leaders. Guards! Prepare your missiles for annihilation of Israel."
Hojaji is one of many Guard members and volunteers who have been killed in Iraq while advising Shiite militias battling the Islamic State group or in Syria, where Iranian forces backed embattled President Bashar Assad. More than 2,000 have been killed, roughly half of them foreign troops including Afghans and others.
But while IS tried to use Hojaji's capture and subsequent beheading as propaganda, many in Iran saw it differently. An image of Hojaji from an Islamic State video, showing him stoically standing after his capture with smoke rising behind him in the Syrian desert, inspired a sense of patriotism in an Iran in which some have grown tired of its military operations abroad.
"Look at the photo, there is no sign of weakness despite him being shot and captured," his 23-year-old widow Zahra Abbasi earlier told Iranian media. "There is no fear in the eyes. It is all bravery, courage. He is like a mountain."
Graphic artist Hassan Rouholamini took the frame and reimagined it with Hojaji being welcomed by the third Shiite saint, Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein himself was beheaded at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century, an event Iranians will mark with this week's coming Ashoura commemoration.
Khamenei himself even referred to Hojaji as a "dear martyr" in a speech.
"God emboldened Hojaji as an evidence of numerous young people" willing to fight and be killed defending Islam, the supreme leader said.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate cleric who himself criticized the Guard in his re-election campaign, also praised Hojaji for showing how Iranian people are ready to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.
Hojaji's death has caused a rare unity across hard-liners, moderates and reformists within Iran. Many activists, artists, athletes, celebrities and politicians, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, have offered condolences and expressed sympathy.
His death also has silenced some criticism of Iran's foreign military operations, especially in Syria. In May, Tehran's former reformist mayor, Gholamhossein Karbashchi, said in a public speech that diplomacy rather than military presence can solve the problems in Syria.
Also on Wednesday, the Guard chief, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, said Iran's military presence in Syria is not limited to supporting Assad but has a strategic purpose. "The war will either lead to victory or defeat of the Islamic resistance and the Islamic Revolution" of Iran, he said, adding that Syria's Assad is a defender and supporter of the Islamic resistance, a reference to anti-Israeli countries and groups in the Middle East.
Hojaji's body was first taken to Iran's holy city of Mashhad for a blessing in the shrine of Imam Reza, the eight Shiite Imam. He will be interred Thursday his hometown of Najafabad, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Tehran.
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Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
Thousands of Iranians attend the state funeral of Mohsen Hojaji, a young Revolutionary Guard soldier beheaded by the Islamic State group in Syria, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. The death of 25-year-old Mohsen Hojaji has struck a nerve in Iran, which has suffered casualties while its troops are deployed into Iraq fighting the Islamic State group and in Syria. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Thousands of Iranians attend the state funeral of Mohsen Hojaji, a young Revolutionary Guard soldier beheaded by the Islamic State group in Syria, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. The death of 25-year-old Mohsen Hojaji has struck a nerve in Iran, which has suffered casualties while its troops are deployed into Iraq fighting the Islamic State group and in Syria. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A rumbling, belching volcano that's threatening to blow had forced more than 7,000 people to flee their homes by Wednesday on an island in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu.
Authorities have declared an emergency on Ambae island, where activity at the Manaro volcano has increased recently, raising fears of a major eruption. About 10,000 people live on the island, and villagers close to the volcano have been moved to schools and community halls on the island's less vulnerable eastern and western regions.
For those displaced villagers, it's now a waiting game to see whether the volcano erupts or returns to normal activity that's not a threat to them.
This Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017 photo provided by the New Zealand Defense Force, shows huge columns of smoke, ash and volcanic rocks billowing from the crater of an erupting volcano on Vanuatu's Ambae Island. The erupting volcano has forced 6,000 people to flee their homes on the island of Ambae in Vanuatu where the volcano has been active since 2005, but a recent increase in activity has raised fears of a major eruption. (New Zealand Defense Force via AP)
Shadrack Welegtabit, the director of Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office, said a ship had arrived Wednesday carrying food, water and other essential supplies. He said a second ship was due to arrive Friday.
New Zealand's military flew over the volcano on Tuesday, and said they noticed huge columns of smoke, ash and volcanic rocks billowing from the crater. Group Captain Nick Olney said they had already planned the aerial survey in an Orion aircraft before the recent activity, but were happy to help provide Vanuatu authorities with images and information.
He said the military "always stands ready to support our Pacific neighbors, especially in times like this."
Vanuatu's Meteorology and Geohazards Department said in an alert that villagers within 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) of the volcano face the biggest risk from airborne rocks and volcanic gas. The department warned that acid rain could damage crops across a broader area.
Vanuatu is about one-quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii. It's made up of 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited, and is home to around 280,000 people.
The nation is considered one of the world's most prone to natural disasters, with a half-dozen active volcanoes as well as regular cyclones and earthquakes. It sits on the Pacific's "Ring of Fire," the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanoes are common.
HOMEWOOD, Ala. (AP) - A firebrand Alabama jurist wrested a U.S. Senate nomination from an appointed incumbent backed by millions of dollars from national Republicans, adding a new chapter Tuesday to an era of outsider politics that ushered Donald Trump into the White House yet leaves his presidency and his party in disarray.
Roy Moore's 9-point victory over Sen. Luther Strange, backed by the White House and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, ranks as a miscalculation and temporary embarrassment for the president; it's a more consequential rebuke for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who Moore said should step aside as GOP floor chief.
The Kentucky Republican already is struggling to capitalize on his narrow 52-48 majority. He failed this week to deliver a long-promised health care overhaul, with equally perilous fights looming on taxes, the budget, immigration and the nation's credit limit. Now, McConnell may also face a 2018 midterm election cycle complicated by GOP primary challengers who, like Moore, make the Senate leader an albatross for establishment candidates, including incumbents Dean Heller of Nevada and Jeff Flake of Arizona.
Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore during speaks during his election party, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala. Moore won the Alabama Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, defeating an appointed incumbent, Sen. Luther Strange, backed by President Donald Trump and allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Moore, the famed "Ten Commandments judge" twice removed from elected judicial office for defying federal courts, declared his nomination a message to Washington leaders "that their wall has been cracked and will now fall," though he excepted the president from his ire. "Together we can make America great," he said, echoing Trump's campaign slogan.
In Mississippi, state lawmaker Chris McDaniel, who nearly defeated Sen. Thad Cochran in 2014, called Moore's win an "incredibly inspiring" blueprint that leaves him on the cusp of challenging Sen. Roger Wicker in 2018. "We know Mitch McConnell was rejected tonight - and Roger Wicker is just another part of Mitch McConnell's leadership apparatus," McDaniel told The Associated Press, saying he expects conservative challengers to emerge in other states, as well.
Trump and McConnell quickly closed ranks behind Moore after Strange conceded, underscoring their desire to keep the seat in Republican hands. Trump tweeted congratulations to Moore after the win. "Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy, WIN in Dec!" he said
Three tweets supporting Strange on Monday and Tuesday disappeared from Trump's Twitter account. The White House didn't immediately respond with an explanation. On Wednesday morning Trump sent a tweet praising Moore.
"Spoke to Roy Moore of Alabama last night for the first time. Sounds like a really great guy who ran a fantastic race," said Trump's tweet.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a McConnell-aligned political action committee, also pledged to support Moore after spending $9 million on Strange's behalf.
A West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, Moore now is the favorite over Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election, though Republicans quietly worry the sometimes controversial Moore could yield an uncomfortably close race to fill the seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Trump, meanwhile, must reconcile being the president who promised to "drain the swamp" yet endorsed and campaigned alongside Strange, 64, a lobbyist-turned-politician, in lieu of Moore, a 70-year-old figure steeped in anti-establishment fervor. Adding intrigue was the fact that Strange got his Senate post by being promoted from his job as Alabama attorney general by a now-convicted former governor whom Strange's office had been investigating for corruption.
Trump's choice left him opposite from his campaign architect and departed White House adviser Steve Bannon, who campaigned for Moore and introduced the nominee to his supporters Tuesday night as revelers watched returns showing Moore victorious in 63 of Alabama's 67 counties.
Bannon cast Moore's romp as a win for Trump, regardless of the president's Strange endorsement. "Who is sovereign, the people or the money? Alabama answered today," Bannon said.
Mississippi's McDaniel said conservatives never blamed Trump for taking sides. "We supported Donald Trump because he was an agent of change, and he's still an agent of change," McDaniel said. "In this instance, he must have been given bad advice to retain this particular swamp creature."
And it's worth noting that Trump turned his trip to Alabama last week into a national spectacle having nothing to do with Strange or Moore, as the president blasted professional athletes who protest during the national anthem. The fallout cemented Trump's bond with his core supporters and raised questions about how interested Trump really was in the Alabama race.
Elsewhere in Republican ranks, there are warnings not to make the Alabama results more than one state's choice.
Republican pollster Whit Ayres, who has worked for Senate campaigns across the country, said Trump learns the same lesson his predecessor, Barack Obama, learned watching Democrats lose control of Congress and then seeing Trump defeat his chosen successor, Hillary Clinton. "You can't just transfer the popularity of your brand to another candidate," Ayres said.
As for Strange, Ayres noted the freshman senator was facing voters for the first time since being appointed by a governor who eventually resigned in disgrace. "No other Republican Senate incumbent will carry that baggage," Ayres said.
In defeat, Strange did not directly confront those variables, telling a subdued crowd in suburban Birmingham he was proud of his team's effort and grateful both to Trump and his Senate colleagues, but befuddled by the campaign he'd just concluded.
"We're dealing with a political environment that I've never had any experience with," Strange said. "The political seas and winds in this country right now ... are very hard to navigate, very hard to understand."
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Chandler reported from Montgomery, Alabama.
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Follow Barrow and Chandler on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/BillBarrowAP and https://twitter.com/StatehouseKim .
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon speaks at a rally for U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala. Bannon took the stage to introduce Moore as supporters waving flags cheered Tuesday night. Bannon declared Moore's win a victory for Trump, despite the president's support for Sen. Luther Strange. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Evelyn Ridgeway, right, former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore's mother, cries after hearing her son won the Alabama Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate during his election party Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Supporters of former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore wait for him to speak during his election party, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala. Moore won the Alabama Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, defeating an appointed incumbent backed by President Donald Trump and allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Sen. Luther Strange waves to supporters before giving a concession speech, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Homewood, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
BANGKOK (AP) - A Thai court on Wednesday sentenced former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose government was ousted in a 2014 military coup, in absentia to five years in prison for alleged negligence in a money-losing rice subsidy program.
Yingluck, who has said the charges are politically motivated, is believed to have fled the country last month before the original date of the verdict. Her lawyers said on Wednesday that they have no idea where she is.
Yingluck's conviction had been widely expected, as the military remains firmly in charge and the courts have a record of antipathy toward her politically influential family.
In this Aug. 1, 2017, file photo, Thailand's former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives at the Supreme Court to make her final statements in a trial on a charge of criminal negligence in Bangkok, Thailand. A Thai court on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, has sentenced former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in absentia to five years in prison for alleged negligence in a money-losing rice subsidy program. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
Thailand's military government has doggedly pursued Yingluck in court. In an earlier, separate administrative ruling that froze her bank accounts, she was held responsible for about $1 billion of the up to $17 billion in alleged losses resulting from the rice subsidy program - an astounding personal penalty that prosecutors argued she deserved because she ignored warnings of corruption but continued the program anyway.
Yingluck and her supporters say she is innocent and was prosecuted as part of an effort to dismantle the political machine of her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a telecommunications tycoon.
Thaksin was toppled from power by a 2006 military coup after being accused of abuse of power, corruption and disrespect for the monarchy. He is living in self-imposed exile to avoid serving a prison term from a 2008 conviction on a conflict of interest charge.
Yingluck, who inherited the leadership of Thaksin's political machine and was elected prime minister in 2011, became a proxy target for his enemies as well.
Despite her absence Wednesday, scores of supporters turned up at court but were outnumbered by police.
"We can only accept the court's decision," said Pattana Meethai, 63, one of the supporters. "I'm not surprised. I'm quite used to the courts ruling in this fashion."
The rice subsidy scheme was a flagship policy that helped Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party win the 2011 general election. The government paid farmers about 50 percent above what they would have received on the world market, with the intention of driving up prices by warehousing the grain.
Instead, other rice-producing countries captured the market by selling at competitive prices. As a result, Vietnam and then India replaced Thailand as the world's leading rice exporter, and large amounts of rice sat unsold in government warehouses.
Prosecutors argued that Yingluck was guilty of dereliction of duty. Her critics describe the overriding motive of the rice subsidy program as political, an effort to buy the loyalty of rural voters with state funds.
A co-defendant, her commerce minister, received a 42-year prison sentence for concocting a false government-to-government rice sale, which was one of the allegations cited by the court in its verdict against Yingluck.
Up until Aug. 25, Yingluck had vowed to remain in the country and fight any charges against her, which posed a potential threat to the ruling junta. Acquitting Yingluck risked alienating people who took part in protest movements in late 2013 and early 2014 which seized government buildings and disrupted snap elections and set the stage for the military coup.
Jailing Yingluck, on the other hand, threatened to turn her into a martyr and pave the way for a new era of upheavals. That led to speculation that the junta may have been aware of Yingluck's intention to flee and allowed it to happen, though the junta has denied it.
Thaksin's mostly rural supporters, who delivered him unprecedented electoral victories, believe his only offense was challenging the power of the country's traditional elite, led by monarchists and the military and supported by the urban middle class.
They believe his appeal, earned from populist policies benefiting the less well-off rural majority, threatened the traditional ruling class' privilege.
The junta that took power in 2014 has pushed through reforms ostensibly to curb corruption and money politics by limiting the power of elected politicians, but that are clearly aimed at keeping Thaksin from power. It has delayed holding new elections as long as the possibility exists that Thaksin's political machine could stage a comeback.
Thai police women stand guard outside the Supreme Court in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. The court is expected to deliver verdict on case against former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
In this July 21, 2017, file photo, Thailand's former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra greets supporters as she arrives at the Supreme Court to make her final statements in a trial on a charge of criminal negligence in Bangkok, Thailand. A Thai court on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, has sentenced former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in absentia to five years in prison for alleged negligence in a money-losing rice subsidy program. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
In this Aug. 1, 2017, file photo, Thailand's former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra greets supporters as she arrives at the Supreme Court to make her final statements in a trial on a charge of criminal negligence in Bangkok, Thailand. A Thai court on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, has sentenced former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in absentia to five years in prison for alleged negligence in a money-losing rice subsidy program. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
Supporters of Thai former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra display messages on hands reading "Love Pu," which is Yingluck's Thai nickname, outside the Supreme Court in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. The court is expected to deliver verdict on case against Yingluck Shinawatra. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A supporter of Thai former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra holds a fan outside the Supreme Court in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. The court is expected to deliver verdict on case against Yingluck Shinawatra. The fan reads "My favorite prime minister." (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
News / National
by Staff reporter
The "Zanu-PF Bootlickers Club", signed up a new member on Monday - Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.Perhaps, conscious of the ugly economic situation that awaited his boss upon his return from the United States, where he had gone to attend the 72nd United Nations General Assembly, Mnangagwa - who was the acting head of State in President Robert Mugabe 's absence - went overboard with flattery to cheer him up a little bit.The vice president likened Mugabe to the biblical David, the youngest son of Jesse who felled Goliath - a Philistine giant who measured over nine feet tall - using a sling and without even putting on his armour.This was in reference to the Zanu-PF leader 's sharp rebuke of United States President Donald Trump who is engaged in a war of words with trigger-happy North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.Trump has threatened to wipe out North Korea from the face of earth.Last week, Mugabe who is presiding over a failing economy had strong words for Trump who leads an economy with a gross domestic product of $18,5 trillion as of 2016.Upon his arrival on Monday, Mnangagwa ensured he rubbed salt into the fresh wound.He said: "We are here to show our gratitude and happiness to our father (Mugabe) and mother (Grace Mugabe) who had gone to New York."The United Nations has so many men: In Shona tinoti pane varume kwoita murume (in Shona we say they are men among men). Kumadzimai, handingazive, asi kuvarume kune vanhurume kozoita murume, (I do not know about how this would apply to women but among males there are some real men) and in New York only one man emerged and that is baba vedu vaMugabe," gushed the vice president.Mnangagwa went on to draw parallels between Mugabe and David who, in the year that followed, became the second king of the united kingdom of Israel and Judah."When you saw Goliath (Trump) speaking, people were left confused. And when our father spoke questioning whether the biblical Goliath was among us now, we saw the light," he enthused."The next day, there was lunch, but Goliath did not invite David because he was afraid. While he (Mugabe) was there, we wrote a letter to him thanking him for his speech. He was not speaking only for Zimbabwe, but for Sadc and Africa at large: He was representing all progressive forces. We want you to know that when you spoke you were possessed by the spirit of Mbuya Nehanda herself and even God himself, there was none among the world leaders who could speak against what Goliath had said. Some leaders were attacked, but said nothing, but our David stood up against David," he waxed lyrical.While Mnangagwa might have forgotten to remind Mugabe of another Goliath that awaited him - the tottering economy - he was quick to remember the first lady 's contribution to the Zanu-PF leader 's giant killing act in New York."We would also like to thank Amai because dai vakaenda papodium vasina kudya, zvanga zvisingabudi. Vanga vakaguta, vabikigwa, zvinonaka naamai (we would also like to thank the first lady because if he (Mugabe) had not had food that had been cooked by her, he could not have the energy to say what he said; he ate delicious food that had been prepared by mother)," reasoned the vice president.This is not the first time that parallels have been drawn between Mugabe and iconic biblical characters as the bootlicking frenzy in Zanu-PF reaches its zenith.In fact, it is now the norm in Zanu-PF to pick all the prominent, God-fearing characters from the Holy Book and liken them to the incumbent.Recently, Zanu-PF youth leader Kudzanai Chipanga said Mugabe would be at heaven 's gates deciding who enters and who does not.Some have even likened him to Jesus who was crucified by the very same people he had been sent to deliver from evil. Others have referred to him as Angel Gabriel (Mugabe 's middle name), sent by God to deliver Zimbabwe and Africa.Mnangagwa 's grovelling might also have been meant to save his skin.Once touted as a shoo-in to succeed Mugabe, Mnangagwa has been under a barrage of criticism for plotting against his boss.Lately, Mugabe and his wife had appeared to distance themselves from the vice president and on Monday he could not miss the opportunity to curry favour with the first family.Before Mnangagwa took to the podium to welcome Mugabe, Zanu-PF supporters had endured the sweltering heat for more than five hours as they patiently waited for Mugabe and his entourage to touch down at the Harare International Airport.According to the Zanu-PF leadership, Mugabe was supposed to arrive at 11am but only arrived at 1400 hours, which means many of his supporters had to wait on empty stomachs.When he emerged from an Air Zimbabwe plane, the crowd went into a frenzy chanting his name.The ageing Zanu-PF leader wobbled down to the red carpet where his ministers and other top government official stood waiting for a handshake.The country 's service chiefs were also there.While the crowds chanted his name, pleading for his intervention to arrest the wave of price hikes that erupted during his absence, it was Mnangagwa who came out tops ahead of other ministers who also went to town about how Mugabe overshadowed everyone else at the UN General Assembly.
Majority parties in state legislatures often draw up electoral districts in ways that give themselves an advantage. But how can you tell when they've taken partisanship a step too far?
Until now, a majority of the Supreme Court hasn't been satisfied that there's a way to measure that, so the court has never struck down a districting plan for being excessively partisan.
But lawyers challenging Wisconsin's Republican-drawn districts think they have found a way to win over the court's pivotal justice, Anthony Kennedy. The lawyers argue there are ways of showing when a map is drawn for the purpose of discriminating against a party, is likely to yield the desired results for a decade and has no plausible explanation other than partisan advantage.
One measure calculates "wasted" votes. A wasted vote is any vote that goes to a losing candidate or any vote in excess of what it takes to form a majority. So a district in which a winning candidate gets 55 percent of the vote results in fewer wasted votes than one in which the winner receives 80 percent.
The legal team representing Wisconsin's Democratic voters says that because of the redistricting, their party had many more wasted votes than the Republicans did.
By the other measure, an unfair edge exists when the same statewide share of the vote for either party results in dramatically different outcomes in legislative districts. In 2012, Democrats won 51.4 percent of the vote and 39 Assembly seats. Two years later, Republicans won 52 percent of the vote and 63 seats.
Those arguments persuaded a three-judge lower court to side with Democrats. The court said the map could only be explained as an effort to maximize the Republican advantage.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Promising big tax cuts and a booming economy, President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans unveiled the first major revamp of the nation's tax code in a generation Wednesday - a sweeping, nearly $6 trillion tax cut that would deeply reduce levies for corporations, simplify everyone's brackets and nearly double the standard deduction used by most Americans.
Trump declared repeatedly the plan would provide badly needed tax relief for the middle class. But there are too many gaps in the proposal to know how it actually would affect individual taxpayers and families, how it would be paid for and how much it might add to the soaring $20 trillion national debt.
There clearly would be seismic changes for businesses large and small, with implications for companies beyond U.S. borders. The American middle-class family of four could take advantage of a heftier child tax credit and other deductions but face uncertainty about the rate its household income would be taxed.
President Donald Trump speaks in Indianapolis, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Trump is calling the current tax system a "relic" and a "colossal barrier" that's standing in the way of the nation's economic comeback. He says that his tax proposal will help middle-class families save money and will eliminate loopholes that benefit the wealthy. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
"Under our framework, we will dramatically cut the business tax rate so that American companies and American workers can beat our foreign competitors and start winning again," Trump boasted at a speech in Indiana.
Democrats predictably felt differently.
"Each of these proposals would result in a massive windfall for the wealthiest Americans and provide almost no relief to middle-class taxpayers who need it most," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at the Capitol.
Some Republicans, once fiscally demanding but now desperate for a legislative win after a yearlong drought, shrugged off the specter of adding billions to the federal deficit. Failure on taxes, after the collapse of health care repeal, could cost the GOP dearly in next year's midterm elections with its House majority at stake.
"This is a now-or-never moment," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who built his reputation on tax and budget issues.
Likewise, Trump said in Indianapolis, "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity."
But the bitterly divided, Republican-led Congress faces critical decisions on eliminating or reducing tax breaks and deductions, with the GOP intent on producing a package without Democratic votes by year's end. The last major overhaul in 1986 was bipartisan, and Trump was courting Democrats. One vulnerable incumbent, Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, accompanied the president on his trip to Indianapolis.
Trump and the architects of the Republican plan insist that the overhaul is aimed squarely at benefiting the middle class and wouldn't favor the wealthy. Still, a cut in the tax rate for Americans making a half-million dollars or more would drop by almost 5 percentage points as the wealthiest sliver of the nation reaped tremendous benefits.
Corporations would see their top tax rate cut from 35 percent to 20 percent. For a period of five years, companies could further reduce how much they pay by immediately writing off their investments. That's all part of an effort that Trump said would make U.S. businesses more competitive globally.
The plan would collapse the number of personal tax brackets from seven to three.
The individual tax rates would be 12 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent - and the plan recommends a surcharge for the very wealthy. But it doesn't set the income levels at which the rates would apply, so it's unclear just how much change there might be for a typical family or whether its taxes would be reduced.
"My plan is for the working people, and my plan is for jobs," Trump told reporters at the White House. "No, I don't benefit. ... I think there's very little benefit for people of wealth."
Reopening the debate over economic inequality that rippled through the 2016 presidential campaign, the Republicans' defense of the plan was met with scorn on the opposite side.
"President Trump's tax plan is morally repugnant and bad economic policy," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
In the absence of details on the plan's cost, one back-of-the-envelope estimate by a Washington budget watchdog estimated the tax cuts at perhaps $5.8 trillion over the next 10 years. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan group that analyzes spending and taxes, said Republicans had only identified about $3.6 trillion in offsetting revenues, meaning the cost to the federal deficit could be in the $2.2 trillion range.
That's more than the $1.5 trillion debt cost allowed under a tentative agreement by Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee - and the real battles will come as lawmakers quarrel over which tax breaks might be eliminated to help pay the balance.
The plan would nearly double the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for families. This basically would increase the amount of personal income that is tax-free.
Deductions for mortgage interest and charitable giving would remain, but the plan seeks to end most other itemized deductions that can reduce how much affluent families pay.
A battle is already brewing among Republicans over a move to eliminate the deduction for state and local taxes, which is especially valuable to people in high-tax states such as New York, New Jersey and California. Republicans from those states are vowing to fight it.
The plan also would:
-Retain existing tax benefits for college and retirement savings such as 401(k) contribution plans.
-Seek to help families by calling for an increased child tax credit and opening it to families with higher incomes. The credit currently is $1,000 per child. Also proposed is a new tax credit of $500 to help pay for the care of the elderly and the sick who are claimed as dependents by a taxpayer.
-Eliminate the estate tax - paid by those with multimillion-inheritances, a boon for wealthy individuals who inherit businesses, investments and real estate. Also slated for elimination is the alternative minimum tax, a supplemental tax for certain individuals, corporations and estates that enjoy exemptions that lower their income tax bills.
-Allow companies to pay substantially lower tax rates, part of an effort to make U.S. businesses more competitive globally. The plan would impose a new, lower tax on corporate profits stashed overseas, and create a new tax structure for overseas business operations of U.S. companies.
-Give new benefits to firms in which the profits double as the owners' personal income. They would pay at a 25 percent rate, down from 39.6 percent. This creates a possible loophole for rich investors, lawyers, doctors and others; administration officials say they will design measures to prevent any abuses.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., discuss the Republican tax plan during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., joined at right by Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks following a closed-door Republican strategy session at Republican National Committee Headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. The White House and congressional Republicans are finalizing a tax plan that would slash the corporate rate while likely reducing the levy for the wealthiest Americans, with President Donald Trump ready to roll out the policy proposal at midweek. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) - Iraq's Kurds voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Iraq, but faced being left stranded after Baghdad ordered international flights to halt service to Kurdish airports starting Friday. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ruled out the use of force, but vowed to take other measures to keep his country from breaking apart as the standoff looked set to worsen.
The referendum passed with more than 92 percent of voters approving independence, the Kurdish region's election commission told a news conference on Wednesday. Turnout was over 72 percent, it said.
Despite such strong support, however, the non-binding vote was unlikely to lead to formal independence, even as it escalated long-running tensions with Baghdad. Iraq and its neighbors, along with virtually the entire international community, oppose any redrawing of the map.
A Kurdish flag hangs in the Irbil International Airport, in Iraq, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Iraq's prime minister ordered the country's Kurdish region to hand over control of its airports to federal authorities or face a flight ban, a response to the Kurdish independence referendum. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
The vote was held across the autonomous Kurdish region's three provinces as well as in some disputed territories controlled by Kurdish forces but claimed by Baghdad.
The election commission did not release turnout figures for the disputed territories, which could serve as an indicator of how many people in those areas prefer Kurdish rule. Hendrin Mohammed, the election commission chief, told The Associated Press those numbers would be released by local authorities. He did not elaborate.
Iraq's Shiite Arab-dominated parliament called on al-Abadi to deploy troops in the disputed territories, including the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, but al-Abadi said Wednesday he didn't want a "fight between the Iraqi citizens."
At a meeting with lawmakers, he instead vowed to "enforce the rule of the federal authority in the Kurdish region with the power of the constitution."
Al-Abadi ordered the Kurdish region to hand over control of its airports to federal authorities by Friday, threatening a total flight ban if they refused. Iraq's Transport Ministry ordered international airlines to halt service to Irbil, the Kurdish regional capital, and Sulaimaniyah, its second city, beginning Friday evening.
Most regional airlines said they would comply.
Lebanon's flagship carrier, Middle East Airlines, EgyptAir and Jordan's national airline, Royal Jordanian, announced they would comply with the international flight ban to the Kurdish region, cancelling all flights after Friday. Low-cost airline FlyDubai said its flights to Irbil would be halted beginning Saturday.
Turkey also warned its citizens that flight service to the Kurdish region would be halted, saying in a statement posted on the Turkish Consulate's website in Irbil that flights by Turkish Airlines, AtlasGlobal and Pegasus "won't be possible" after Friday evening. It added that authorities were working to increase flights until then.
The transport minister for Iraq's Kurdish region said the region's international airports had not violated any laws that would warrant their closure.
Mawlood Bawa Murad told reporters his ministry was ready to negotiate with Baghdad "if they want to implement the law and show that Iraq has one air space."
He added that the flight ban would affect, "one way or another, the military aviation that operates from Irbil international airport," which is used for the campaign against the Islamic State group. However, the order from Baghdad stated that humanitarian, diplomatic and military flights would not be affected.
Mohammed, the head of the Kurdish region's election commission, shrugged off the ban, telling AP "we love our country, so if we don't fly, we are very happy here."
The Kurdish referendum has the potential to weaken al-Abadi politically ahead of provincial elections planned for early next year. Former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who remains al-Abadi's toughest political opponent and is widely believed to be seeking a return to power, condemned the referendum as a "declaration of war."
Hard-line elements of al-Abadi's government, including the largely Iranian-backed Shiite fighters known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, also called for a tough response and the use of force following the Kurdish vote.
"We will not allow the division of Iraq," said Ahmed al-Asadi, the spokesmen for the Shiite forces, stressing that his forces would not target the Kurdish people as a whole. "Those who held the referendum and divided Iraq, those are our targets," he said.
The Popular Mobilization forces have units near Kirkuk who are awaiting orders "to go to any city or disputed area to impose (central) government control according to the constitution," al-Asadi added.
Iranian media, meanwhile, said Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Gen. Othman al-Ghanemi had arrived in Iran for talks on military cooperation and coordination. Al-Ghanemi met the Iranian armed forces' chief of staff, Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, and was scheduled to visit the two countries' joint border, the Mizanonline news website said.
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Associated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad, Salar Salim and Bram Janssen in Irbil, Iraq, Sarah El-Deeb in Beirut, and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed to this report.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, center, attends a session of the Iraqi Parliament, in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Al-Abadi on Wednesday ordered the Kurdish region to hand over control of its airports to federal authorities or face a flight ban. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, left, arrives for a session of the Iraqi Parliament, in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Al-Abadi on Wednesday ordered the Kurdish region to hand over control of its airports to federal authorities or face a flight ban. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
Travelers line up to check in at the Irbil International Airport, in Iraq, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Iraq's prime minister ordered the country's Kurdish region to hand over control of its airports to federal authorities or face a flight ban, a response to the Kurdish independence referendum. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)
PARIS (AP) - International police agency Interpol voted Wednesday to include Palestine as a member state, in a new boost to Palestinian efforts for international recognition and influence amid long-stalled negotiations with Israel for full statehood.
The decision drew an angry Israeli reaction and threat of retaliation. It also raised concerns that the Palestinians might use their elevated status to seek the arrests of Israelis, though Palestinian officials said there were no immediate plans to do so.
Interpol announced the inclusion of the "State of Palestine" as well as the Solomon Islands on Twitter and its website Wednesday after a vote by its general assembly in Beijing.
FILE - This Oct.16, 2007 file photo shows the entrance hall of Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, central France. International police agency Interpol has voted Wednesday Sept.27, 2017 to include the "State of Palestine" as a member, in a new boost to Palestinian efforts for international recognition.(AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File)
With the new votes, Interpol will have 192 member countries. Interpol didn't immediately announce how many members supported Palestinian membership.
Over Israeli objections, the U.N. General Assembly recognized Palestine as a non-member observer state in 2012. Since then, the Palestinians have sought to join various U.N. and international bodies to buttress their dream of gaining independence. Israel has condemned the campaign as an attempt to bypass negotiations.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki hailed Wednesday's vote as a "victory for law enforcement" and a "voice of confidence in the capacity of law enforcement in Palestine." He promised to uphold Palestinian commitments to combating crime and strengthening the rule of law.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision "seriously harms the chances to achieve peace."
In a meeting with U.S. Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt, Netanyahu also said the "diplomatic warfare" carried out by the Palestinians will not go unanswered.
He did not elaborate. But earlier, Cabinet Minister Zeev Elkin, a close Netanyahu ally, said Israel should cancel gestures granted to the Palestinians, such as permits to work and enter Israel, and special travel permits for Palestinian leaders.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak called it "another failure" for Netanyahu.
In Washington, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters that the Palestinian membership could harm peace efforts.
He said he was concerned that the Palestinians would now issue Interpol "red notices," which the U.S. Justice Department describes as the closest instrument to an international arrest warrant in use today.
"The international community has a great deal at stake in pursuing the peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis," Cardin said. "There's only one way forward: two states living side by side in peace; a Palestinian state and a Jewish state. To try to use international organizations to advance the cause only sets back that opportunity."
Cardin said any "red notices" issued by the Palestinians "will not be recognized in many countries, including the United States."
In a statement, Interpol said red notices are not international arrest warrants, but rather act as an alert to member countries, and are issued based on a valid national arrest warrant. Each member country decides how to respond to such a notice and Interpol can't compel its members to arrest a wanted person who is the subject of a red notice.
Omar Awadallah, the head of the U.N. organizations department in the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, said the Palestinians "now have the right to sue anyone" and could theoretically use their Interpol status to pursue legal steps against Israelis suspected of crimes in Palestinian territory.
"But this is a political issue and needs a political decision," he said.
The Palestinians already have been providing evidence in a preliminary war crimes investigation against Israel at the International Criminal Court, another international body they have joined.
A senior Palestinian official said there were no plans to sue any Israelis through Interpol. He said the purpose is "to pursue criminals who commit crimes here and escape."
He said one target would be Mohammed Dahlan, a rival of President Mahmoud Abbas. Dahlan, convicted in absentia on corruption charges, now lives in exile after a falling out with the Palestinian leader. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing internal Palestinian deliberations.
The Palestinian prime minister applied for Interpol membership in 2015, and submitted a formal letter this July promising not to use the organization "for any political, military, racial or religious interventions or activities," and to cooperate with Interpol, according to minutes of the Interpol meeting.
The approval vote requires the Palestinians to pay membership dues worth 0.03 percent of the Interpol budget.
Interpol, based in Lyon, France, is an international clearing house for arrest warrants and police cooperation against cross-border terrorism, trafficking and other crime.
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Associated Press writers Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank and Richard Lardner in Washington contributed to this report.
In this photo provided by Interpol, delegates are seated for the 86th session of the General Assembly, in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. International police agency Interpol voted Wednesday to include the Palestinian state as a member state, in a new boost to Palestinian efforts for international recognition and influence amid long-stalled negotiations with Israel for full statehood. (Interpol via AP)
MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a prominent Crimean Tatar leader to two years in prison for his criticism of the Crimean Peninsula's annexation from Ukraine by Russia.
After Crimea was seized in 2014, Russia passed a law making it illegal to question or dispute the annexation.
A court in the Russia-occupied Crimea on Wednesday sentenced Ilmi Umerov, former deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatars' Mejlis representative body, to two years in prison for comments he made about the annexation on television. Crimea's Supreme Court effectively banned the Mejlis in April, declaring it an extremist organization.
In this photo taken on Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, Crimean Tatar leader Ilmi Umerov speaks during an interview to the Associated Press in Simferopol, Crimea. A court in the Russia-occupied Crimea on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017 sentenced Ilmi Umerov, former deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatars' representative body Mejlis, to two years in prison for comments he made about the annexation on television. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
His lawyers say the 60-year-old Umerov has diabetes and Parkinson's disease.
A report by the U.N. human rights office this week accused Russia of violating international law in Crimea, including alleged torture, abductions and killings in the peninsula.
Ukraine, which doesn't recognize the annexation, condemned the ruling. President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday dismissed the verdict as "shameful," calling Umerov a "hero of his people against whom Moscow used the worst methods of the Soviet repressive machine."
TIRANA, Albania (AP) - Kosovo's new prime minister said Wednesday his government has no set deadline for resolving the impasse over the ratification of a border demarcation deal with Montenegro.
Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, speaking in Albania on his first trip abroad since taking the post earlier this month, said his Cabinet was working on the issue and would talk with Montenegro "when we have a clearer situation of our findings."
Last week Haradinaj named a new government commission on border demarcation and maintenance.
The border agreement was signed in 2015, but has not enjoyed sufficient parliamentary support from the previous opposition, in which Haradinaj's party was a member, saying the deal meant a loss of territory.
The former opposition political parties, which are now split between the government coalition and the opposition in the new parliament, claimed the deal meant Kosovo would lose over 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres) of land. The former Cabinet, international experts and the country's Western backers dispute that claim.
The European Union insists Kosovo must approve the border demarcation deal before its citizens enjoy visa-free travel within the Schengen zone.
Montenegro has recognized Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia, but Serbia vehemently opposes it.
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LONDON (AP) - London police have arrested a 65-year old woman contracted to work for the British government on suspicion of violating the Official Secrets Act.
The Metropolitan Police said Wednesday that counterterrorism officers made the arrest, acting on intelligence information.
Arrests under the secrets act are relatively rare. The woman was arrested under section 1 of the 1911 act, which covers the unlawful disclosure of information "prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state." It has been used in the past in cases of alleged spying for foreign powers.
The police did not identify the government department involved. The government said it would not be appropriate to comment on an ongoing police investigation.
Police are searching an address in north London, and the woman is being questioned at a police station.
BEIRUT (AP) - The Latest on developments in Syria (all times local):
8:45 p.m.
A human rights group is accusing Russia and the Syrian government of mounting the worst attack on hospitals in Syria since April.
The New York-based Physicians for Human Rights says it believes either Russian or Syrian government jets were behind a string of airstrikes on three hospitals in the rebel-held Idlib province in northern Syria on Sept. 19.
It says two of the hospitals were struck again days later.
PHR and other watchdogs say the Syrian government has intentionally targeted medical workers and facilities throughout the six-year-old civil war. The organization has documented attacks on 323 medical facilities since the start of the war. The vast majority were committed by Russian or Syrian government forces.
Attacks on Idlib hospitals ebbed after Russia brokered a "de-escalation" agreement in that brought some measure of calm to the northwest earlier this year. But airstrikes have flared again since rebels and al-Qaida-linked militants stormed government-held areas in the neighboring Hama province last week.
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2:50 p.m.
A Syria war monitor says Russian-backed Syrian forces have all but encircled Islamic State militants in Deir el-Zour city in eastern Syria.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Wednesday that Russia extended pontoon bridges across the Euphrates River, facilitating reinforcements to the eastern banks of The Euphrates river where the Syrian troops are closing in on the militants from the west.
The official state news agency SANA reported intense clashes in al-Husseiniyeh, which according to the Observatory is the remaining contested village on the eastern side of the river before the militants are besieged in the city.
Backed by Russia, Syrian forces have advanced since early September on Deir el-Zour. U.S.-backed forces are also racing to control areas along the border with Iraq in the oil-rich province.
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11:40 a.m.
The Russian Defense Ministry says its airstrike has killed five warlords of al-Qaida's branch in Syria.
Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov in a statement Wednesday said the military targeted the warlords, who Moscow says are responsible for attacking Russian military police in Hama province last week.
Russia's presence in Syria has been expanding beyond its original role of providing cover to President Bashar Assad's offensive against Islamic State group militants.
The Russian military said the airstrike was launched after receiving intelligence about an upcoming high-level meeting of the leaders of al-Qaida's Levant Liberation Committee south of the city of Idlib. It said five warlords and 32 militants died in the airstrike, which also destroyed an ammunition depot nearby.
The ministry did not specify when the airstrike took place.
BERLIN (AP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman says Germany will consider French President Emmanuel Macron's proposals for the future of the European Union "with an open mind" but it's too early to comment on the details.
Spokesman Steffen Seibert said Merkel welcomes the fact that Macron on Tuesday "spoke with so much European passion and produced a lot of material for the necessary debate on Europe's future."
Macron, Merkel and the other 26 EU leaders will meet for an informal dinner in Estonia on Thursday ahead of a summit on Europe's digital future.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel leads the first cabinet meeting of the German government after Sunday's general elections at the chancellery in Berlin, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Merkel faces lengthy talks after Sunday's German election to form a government coalition. Seibert said Wednesday there can be no doubt about Merkel's "absolutely pro-European orientation" and "this fundamental conviction will not change."
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the Republican plan to overhaul the tax code (all times local):
8:20 p.m.
President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have unveiled the first major revamp of the nation's tax code in a generation.
President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One after arriving, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
The sweeping, nearly $6 trillion tax cut would deeply reduce levies for corporations, simplify everyone's brackets and nearly double the standard deduction used by most Americans.
Trump declares the plan would provide badly needed tax relief for the middle class, but there are too many gaps in the proposal to know how it actually would affect taxpayers.
There are also major questions about how it would be paid for and how much it might add to the soaring $20 trillion national debt.
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4:40 p.m.
An organization that advocates for state legislatures says it's "dismayed" the Republican tax cut proposal unveiled Wednesday would do away with a deduction for state and local taxes paid.
The National Conference of State Legislatures says the deduction has existed in the federal tax code since its inception. The group says "tens of millions of middle-class taxpayers of every political affiliation" would experience a greater tax burden if the deduction were eliminated.
The group says the deduction's elimination will also impede states in their efforts to invest in education and other public services.
About a third of tax filers itemize deductions on their federal income tax returns. The Tax Policy Center says virtually all who do claim a deduction for state and local taxes paid.
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4:10 p.m.
President Donald Trump is issuing a warning shot to Indiana's Democratic senator: Support my tax overhaul or I'll campaign against you next year.
Trump says at a tax event in Indiana that if Sen. Joe Donnelly doesn't approve the plan, "we will come here and we will campaign against him like you wouldn't believe."
But Trump is predicting that numerous Democrats will come across the aisle and support his plan "because it's the right thing to do."
The president has made overtures to Democratic senators like Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota in recent weeks. All three are facing re-election in 2018.
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4 p.m.
Small business advocates are split over the draft of the new Republican tax plan.
The National Federation of Independent Business is praising the proposal to tax business income at 20 percent - including sole proprietors whose business income is taxed at individual rates up to 39.6 percent.
The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council says the plan would simplify business taxes, encourage business investment and increase owners' confidence.
But the Small Business Majority says the plan wouldn't help most small companies, and the current top rate is paid by less than 2 percent of those businesses.
And John O'Neill, a tax analyst at the American Sustainable Business Council, says tax reform isn't as useful to the economy as investing in infrastructure and education.
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3:50 p.m.
President Donald Trump is calling the current tax system a "relic" and a "colossal barrier" that's standing in the way of the nation's economic comeback.
Trump says at an event in Indianapolis that his tax proposal will help middle-class families save money and will eliminate loopholes that benefit the wealthy.
Trump says the wealthy "can call me all they want. It's not going to help." The billionaire president says he's "doing the right thing. And it's not good for me, believe me."
The president says under his plan, "the vast majority of families will be able to file their taxes on a single sheet of paper."
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3:40 p.m.
President Donald Trump is making the case for a sweeping plan to overhaul the tax system for individuals and corporations. He calls it a "once in a generation" opportunity to cut taxes.
The president says in Indiana that he wants to cut taxes for middle-class families to make the system simpler and fairer.
Trump says his tax plan will "bring back the jobs and the wealth that have left our country." He says it's time for the nation to fight for American workers.
He's praising his vice president, Mike Pence, Indiana's former governor. Trump says, "it's time for Washington to learn from the wisdom of Indiana."
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2:52 p.m.
A budget watchdog group in Washington says the new GOP tax plan could cost $2.2 trillion over the next 10 years.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget admits its estimate is very preliminary since so many details are unclear, but its take is that the plan contains about $5.8 trillion in tax cuts but only $3.6 trillion worth of offsetting tax increases. That $2.2 trillion would be added to the nation's $20 trillion debt.
That's more than the $1.5 trillion debt cost that has emerged in a deal among Senate Republicans.
Republicans controlling Congress initially promised that the overhaul of the tax code wouldn't add to the debt. The group also notes that the $2.2 trillion cost could grow by another $500 billion when interest costs are added in.
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1:54 p.m.
President Donald Trump says he's always wanted to reduce the corporate tax rate to 20 percent - even though he said repeatedly he wanted to see it lowered to 15 percent.
Trump told reporters as he departed Washington for Indiana on Wednesday afternoon that a 20 percent rate was his "red line" and that it had always been his goal.
"In fact, I wanted to start at 15 so that we got 20," he said, adding: "20's my number."
Trump also denies the plan unveiled by the White House and congressional Republicans Wednesday would benefit the wealthy.
He says: "I think there's very little benefit for people of wealth."
Under the plan, corporations would see their top tax rate cut from 35 percent to 20 percent.
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1:37 p.m.
A vocal group of the most conservative House Republicans has come out in support of a draft tax plan endorsed by both President Donald Trump and top congressional GOP leaders.
The House Freedom Caucus endorsement is noteworthy because it could ease House passage of a budget plan that's the first step to advancing the tax cut measure through Congress.
The group says the outline will allow workers to "keep more of their money," while simplifying the loophole-choked tax code and making U.S. companies more competitive with their foreign rivals.
The group had held up action on the budget measure as they demanded more details on taxes.
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11:21 a.m.
President Donald Trump has two red lines that he refuses to cross on overhauling taxes: the corporate rate must be cut to 20 percent and the savings must go to the middle class.
Gary Cohn, the president's top economics aide, says any overhaul signed by the president needs to include these two elements.
Trump had initially pushed for cutting the 39.6 percent corporate tax rate to 15 percent.
The administration says that the benefits of any tax cut will not favor the wealthy, with Cohn saying that an additional tax bracket could be added to levy taxes on the top one percent of earners if needed.
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11:20 a.m.
The Senate's top Democrat is blasting a new tax cut plan backed by President Donald Trump as a giveaway to the rich.
Sen. Chuck Schumer says Trump's plan only gives "crumbs" to the middle class, while top-bracket earners making more than a half-million dollars a year would reap a windfall.
The New York Democrat also blasted the plan for actually increasing the bottom tax rate from 10 percent to 12 percent, calling it a "punch to the gut of working Americans."
Schumer said the plan is little more than an "across-the-board tax cut for America's millionaires and billionaires."
The plan, to be officially released Wednesday afternoon, is the top item on Washington's agenda after the GOP failure to repeal the Obama health care law.
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9:53 a.m.
A new Republican blueprint for overhauling the U.S. tax code employs the themes of economic populism that President Donald Trump trumpeted during the presidential campaign to win support from working-class voters.
A copy of the plan to be released later Wednesday says, "Too many in our country are shut out of the dynamism of the U.S. economy." That's led to what the plans says is "the justifiable feeling that the system is rigged against hardworking Americans."
The plan, obtained by The Associated Press, says the Trump administration and Congress "will work together to produce tax reform that will put America first."
The GOP plan for the first major rewrite of the U.S. tax code in 30 years also says corporations will be stopped from shipping jobs and capital overseas.
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9:20 a.m.
President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are proposing a tax plan that they say will be simple and fair.
In a document obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, they outline a blueprint for almost doubling the standard deduction for married taxpayers filing jointly to $24,000, and $12,000 for individuals.
The plan calls for cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. The GOP proposal also calls for reducing the number of tax brackets from seven to three with a surcharge on the wealthiest Americans.
The plan also leaves intact the deduction for mortgage interest and charitable deductions.
The White House and Republicans plan a formal roll out later Wednesday.
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4:26 a.m.
President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are rolling out a sweeping plan to cut taxes for individuals and corporations, simplify the tax system, and likely double the standard deduction used by most Americans.
Months in the making, the plan meets a political imperative for Republicans to deliver an overhaul of the U.S. tax code after the failure of the health care repeal.
The public reveal of the plan was set for Wednesday. The day before, details emerged on Capitol Hill while Trump personally appealed to House Republicans and Democrats at the White House to get behind his proposal.
President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform at the Farm Bureau Building at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with members of the House Ways and Means committee in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
News / National
by Staff Reporter
Two people have been arrested so far as the police track down touts involved in Tuesday's assault that led to the death of a traveller, Mr Matheas Gore, at the illegal pick up point for Mutare buses near Road Port in Harare.A survey by the ZBC News revealed that errant long distance buses were still picking up commuters despite the ultimatum banning the terminus.Touts operating at the illegal pick up point have however deserted the spot as police continue with its hunt for the murder suspects.Police Chief Spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said there is need for unity of purpose by stakeholders to prevent the chaos caused by touts.She vowed that all the culprits will be brought to book, adding that the police will not allow lawlessness.At another pick up point along Samora Machel Avenue near show grounds, touts continued with their illegal activities, running all over the place disturbing innocent travellers.Last year, a pregnant woman died after being assaulted by touts at Mbudzi round about with yet another woman posting on social media her ordeal at the hands of the errant touts at the same pick up point.Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Province, Miriam Chikukwa has visited the gore family to console them following yesterday's incident.In her condolence message, Chikukwa said it was unfortunate that a life had to be lost under such circumstances, and promised that responsible authorities are working to address the situation of errand bus owners, drivers and touts.Family spokesperson, Mr Charles Timothy said the family is still in shock over their relatives' death and called for justice to prevail.The late Mr Gore was allegedly assaulted by touts in the early hours of Tuesday in company of his wife while trying to board a bus to Mutare heading Mozambique.
LONDON (AP) - Budget airline Ryanair cancelled another 18,000 flights on Wednesday, deepening its woes over its mismanagement of pilots' holiday schedules.
The Irish carrier, Europe's biggest by passengers carried, says 34 routes will be suspended from November to March 2018, affecting some 400,000 customers who have already booked flights.
Under the airline's slower growth plan, some 18,000 of the airline's 800,000 annual flights will be cancelled. The airline described the measure as cancelling less than one flight per day per airport across 200 airports.
FILE - In this Wednesday, May 13, 2015 file photo, passengers disembark a Ryanair plane, at the Marseille Provence airport, in Marignane, southern France. Budget airline Ryanair is reducing its fleet and cancelling thousands of more flights as it struggles to overcome a pilot scheduling crisis. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, FIle)
Ryanair had earlier this month said it would cancel 2,100 flights through October because it "messed up" the allocation of pilots' annual leave as it shifts to a new scheduling system.
"We sincerely apologize to those customers who have been affected by last week's flight cancellations, or these sensible schedule changes announced today," CEO Michael O'Leary said in a statement.
The routes canceled include London Stansted to Edinburgh and Glasgow, Gatwick to Belfast, Newcastle to Faro, and Glasgow to Las Palmas.
Though over 99 percent of the airline's 129 million customers will not be affected, O'Leary said "we deeply regret any doubt we caused existing customers last week about Ryanair's reliability, or the risk of further cancellations."
The airline said that reducing its fleet and slowing its growth will create spare aircraft and crew in order to manage "exceptional volumes of annual leave," as it shifted to a new scheduling system.
European safety regulations that take effect Jan. 1 and require all airlines to use a regular calendar year for calculating pilot flight hours and working days. Ryanair has until now used a 12-month period beginning April 1. Critics have suggested that the system gave the airline a competitive advantage in scheduling pilots during the busy summer season because hours accumulated from January to March didn't carry over into the new scheduling year.
The company also says it has scrapped plans to bid for bankrupt Italian airline Alitalia to focus on addressing its own problems.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - The leader of Catalonia accused the European Union on Wednesday of "turning its back" on the Spanish region in its conflict with the central government over a disputed independence vote planned for Sunday that Spanish authorities have vowed to prevent.
"They are very brave when they talk about other countries where they have no competencies, but where are they when we citizens need them?" Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont said of EU officials four days before the secession referendum. "Is Europe's solution to Catalans to turn its back?"
Puigdemont also told The Associated Press he intends to make the divisive matter of Catalonia's independence into a European affair rather than just a domestic issue.
Catalonia's regional president, Carles Puigdemont speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Palace of Generalitat or Catalan government headquarters, in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
"If the yes wins, I will make an appeal for the European community to become involved, because we will have won our right to be heard, something that hasn't happened until now because the European Commission has always turned a deaf ear (to Catalonia)," the 54-year-old separatist leader said.
Sunday's vote, Puigdemont said, will allow Europe to "hear the voice of Catalonia in a very loud and strong way."
No country, within or outside the European Union, has openly expressed support for the Oct. 1 referendum that Spain's conservative government sees as illegal. U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he thought it would be "foolish" for Catalans to break away from Spain.
"Whoever doesn't want to hear our voice needs to see a political otolaryngologist," Puigdemont said, using the formal term for an ear, nose and throat specialist.
He added that if European Commission president Jean Claude-Juncker cannot grasp the determination in Catalonia, "then it*s because this (European) project is in bad hands."
Spain's Constitutional Court, which has previously ruled that only central authorities can call such a vote and that all Spanish nationals should vote on sovereignty matters, has suspended the referendum.
The pro-independence regional government has so far ignored court rulings and vowed to go ahead with the vote. Officials of the executive and legislative branches are under investigation and a heavy police presence has been assembled in the northeastern region as the day for Catalans to cast ballots nears.
Madrid has launched an unprecedented crackdown to stop the referendum, including seizing paper ballots, removing referendum propaganda and ordering schools to be sealed off so they can't be used as voting stations.
Puigdemont told AP he thinks the effort to suppress the vote is boosting support for it in a way that European institutions won't be able to ignore.
"Today we are closer to a massive (turnout for the) referendum than we were one month ago," he said, describing the crackdown measures as "apocalyptic."
On Wednesday, Spain's National Court said it planned to investigate possible sedition charges for demonstrators who took part in a massive protest last week against a police crackdown on preparations for the vote.
"Looking at this landscape, somebody could think that we are hoarding weapons of mass destruction in Catalonia, a nuclear arsenal or a world-class drug stash," Puigdemont said. "But in fact, we are just trying to hold a referendum."
He said that people in Catalonia that saw the referendum with indifference or hostility have now "seen the curtailing of freedoms as an offense to their democratic convictions."
Regional leaders have said that if the "yes" side wins, they would be ready to declare Catalonia's independence two days later regardless of voter turnout. But Puigdemont on Wednesday acknowledged that significant participation is needed to portray the vote as representative.
He refused to disclose what percentage of the 5.5 million Catalan voters his government needs to declare the vote valid, but cited previous referendums in Spain, including the 2005 vote to pass the European Constitution that had a turnout of 42 percent.
"Nobody raised concerns about the participation level in order to legitimate the results, so I hope there are also no concerns in this case," Puigdemont said.
Catalonia is one of Spain's 17 autonomous regions. Its capital is the dynamic Mediterranean port city of Barcelona, a perennial favorite for tourists.
With a population of 7.5 million inhabitants, its own cultural traditions and language, Catalonia contributes a fifth of the Spain's 1.1 trillion-euro economy ($1.32 trillion).
The vast majority of Catalans favor holding a referendum, but they have long been almost evenly split over independence itself.
Separatist sentiment peaked at the height of the 2008 financial crisis, with many Catalans feeling they could do better on their own, but with the national and regional economies thriving again, polls indicate support for secession is on the wane.
The region's first attempts to hold a non-binding referendum in 2014 were blocked by Spain's Constitutional Court. The Catalan government went ahead and staged the unofficial poll. About 2.3 million Catalans - less than half of those eligible - voted, with 80 percent favoring independence.
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AP writer Ciaran Giles contributed from Madrid.
Catalonia's regional president, Carles Puigdemont walks ahead of an interview with The Associated Press at the Palace of Generalitat or Catalan government headquarters, in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Catalonia's regional president, Carles Puigdemont speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Palace of Generalitat or Catalan government headquarters, in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
In this photo taken on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, a Spanish national police officer tries to stop demonstrators protesting outside the main offices of the left wing party CUP in Barcelona, Spain. A confrontation between the central government in Madrid and independence movements in the wealthy northeastern Catalonia region has been gripping Spain for weeks. The conflict is due to come to a head on Sunday Oct. 1, 2017 when Catalonia intends to hold a regional ballot on whether to break away from the rest of Spain, despite government efforts to stop a vote being held. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
In this photo taken on Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, pro-independence demonstrators hold "esteladas" or independence flags as right wing demonstrators wave Spanish flags, at the background, during a protest in Barcelona, Spain Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. A confrontation between the central government in Madrid and independence movements in the wealthy northeastern Catalonia region has been gripping Spain for weeks. The conflict is due to come to a head on Sunday Oct. 1, 2017 when Catalonia intends to hold a regional ballot on whether to break away from the rest of Spain, despite government efforts to stop a vote being held. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
In this photo taken on Sunday Sept. 10, 2017, people demonstrate carrying "esteladas" or independence flags ahead of the Catalan National Day in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday Sept. 10, 2017. A confrontation between the central government in Madrid and independence movements in the wealthy northeastern Catalonia region has been gripping Spain for weeks. The conflict is due to come to a head on Sunday Oct. 1, 2017 when Catalonia intends to hold a regional ballot on whether to break away from the rest of Spain, despite government efforts to stop a vote being held. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
BEIRUT (AP) - Russian-backed Syrian government forces have all but encircled Islamic State militants in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, a group that monitors the war said Wednesday.
The state-run news agency SANA said pro-government forces are battling the militants in the village of al-Husseiniyeh on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, across from the remaining militant-held pockets in the city. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said retaking al-Husseiniyeh would leave the militants fully surrounded.
Syrian forces have advanced since early September on Deir el-Zour, breaking an IS siege on government-held parts of the city. U.S.-backed Syrian forces are battling the militants on the eastern side of the river in a separate offensive.
The race for control of territory and resources in the oil-rich province that borders Iraq has caused friction between the two sides. The U.S-backed fighters say government forces and Russian warplanes have attacked them. Russia warned it would retaliate after it said Syrian government troops came under fire from the U.S-backed forces.
Russia and the United States say they are working out a mechanism to avoid friction in the common fight against Islamic State militants.
Elsewhere in Syria, a Russian airstrike killed five senior members of an al-Qaida-linked group operating in the northwest, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, a ministry spokesman, said the five were responsible for the attack on Russian military police in Hama province last week. He did not specify when the airstrike took place.
The Russian military said the airstrike was based on intelligence about an upcoming high-level meeting of the leaders of al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee south of the city of Idlib. It said the five included the leader of the group's unit in south Idlib province, a financial chief, and an adviser to one of the group's ideologues, Saudi cleric Abdullah al-Muhaysini.
Three Russian troops were wounded after militants encircled 29 Russian military officers deployed outside Idlib for several hours during an insurgent offensive. The Russian troops repelled the attack with the help of local tribes.
Russia and the Syria have since then undertaken an intense aerial campaign in the area, striking both military and civilian targets, according to monitors.
The New York-based Physicians for Human Rights monitoring group said Wednesday it believed one of the two militaries was responsible for airstrikes that damaged three hospitals on Sept. 19. The group called it the worst attack on hospitals in Syria since April, and said two of the hospitals were later struck again.
PHR and other watchdogs say the Syrian government has intentionally targeted medical workers and hospitals throughout the six-year-old civil war. The organization has documented attacks on 323 medical facilities since the start 2011. The vast majority were committed by Russian or Syrian government forces
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Associated Press writer Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed to this report.
When a masked gunman killed a woman and wounded six people at a Tennessee church last weekend, it drew national attention - as did the 2015 massacre of nine black church members in Charleston, South Carolina, the 2014 slayings of three people at a Kansas Jewish center and retirement home and the 2012 killings of six at a Wisconsin Sikh temple.
Those high-profile cases make headlines, but they reflect a jarring reality: violence in church isn't unusual. On average, according to one church security consultant's data, there's a deadly attack twice a month at a U.S. house of worship or religious facility.
It's a major reason why pastors, rabbis, imams and other religious leaders turn to consultants to make their members less vulnerable.
In this Aug. 4, 2017 photo, Sheriff's Deputy Nezar Hamze speaks to members of the Baitul Mukarram Mosque in Lake Worth, Fla. Hamze teaches them how to defend themselves if a shooter attacks their worship service. (AP Photo/Terry Spencer)
"There is a certain amount of insulation that goes on in churches and it is a rude awakening for some when a violent event happens in the community or, Lord forbid, happens within the house of worship," said David Benson, an Orlando, Florida, security consultant.
Some shootings, like Sunday's at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, have uncertain motives. Others were committed because of their victims' race or religion. Many fatal attacks get little national notice as the motive is robbery or a broken marriage.
"Churches, you don't lock the doors. But you know, we may have to. It's sad," said David "Joey" Spann, Burnette's pastor who was wounded in the shooting. "Even preachers get shot while on the pulpit ... but you just never think it's gonna happen where you are. There has to be something done about security I guess. I don't know what it would be."
But consultants say there are steps churches can take. They organize security committees and make other suggestions they believe will lessen the risk of attack. That can include installing surveillance cameras, hiring armed guards or allowing members who are police officers or trained, licensed civilians to carry concealed handguns.
The consultants tend to work within their own faith and use familiar language. Christian consultants often tell pastors that as shepherds of their flocks they are not only leaders but protectors. Florida sheriff's deputy Nezar Hamze quotes Islamic teachings allowing self-defense. Elise Jarvis reminds Orthodox synagogues that strictures against using phones on the Sabbath are waived in emergencies.
Several said the openness fostered by houses of worship makes protecting them difficult. Ushers are the first line of defense, but aren't trained to look for threats, Benson said. Does a visitor appear excessively nervous? Is someone wearing a heavier coat than required?
"There is very little filtering of what we call DLRs, things that Don't Look Right," Benson said. "We give them some training so they know what to look for."
Jarvis, a security consultant with the Anti-Defamation League, said synagogues and other Jewish centers need vigilance because they can be targeted by anti-Semites. In Kansas, the gunman was a neo-Nazi.
"People want to be safe; they want their families to be safe. We try not to look at them as mutually exclusive," she said. "Our goal is not to impede operations - we want to be able to maintain our functions. Security is not supposed to interfere."
Hamze takes his message directly to Florida's Muslims. On a recent Friday night, he peppered 20 men at a Lake Worth mosque with questions about what they would do if a shooter invaded.
Would they run? Besides the entrance, there's only one direct exit outside and it's in a shooter's line of sight. Fight? There are few weapons; there aren't even many chairs, as worshippers sit on the floor.
Perhaps someone should be armed, one man suggested, drawing approving murmurs. Hamze warned that decision shouldn't be taken lightly - the designated shooter should be trained, known to the group and positioned so he wouldn't be the attacker's initial target. More importantly, he said, if you see something suspicious, call 911.
He said that's his biggest hurdle: many U.S. Muslims are foreign-born and fear contacting government agencies.
"We need to get out of this prey or victim mentality," said Hamze, a Michigan native whose appearances are organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "People who look to do harm look for weak people - they don't attack people who can defend themselves. And like everybody else here we have rights to protect ourselves."
Government statistics on violence at houses of worship are incomplete. The FBI's database is compiled from reports filed voluntarily by law enforcement agencies and some major attacks, such as the Charleston massacre, aren't included.
Carl Chinn, a Colorado-based consultant, compiles his database using news and police reports. His logs show that before the Tennessee shooting there were at least 447 deadly attacks over the last 18 years, killing 565 people.
Chinn said while terrorist attacks on houses of worship make headlines, they are only about 6 percent of the total. Most attacks stem from robberies, personal disputes or domestic violence. That last cause can be tough to prevent.
"You know where she parked, what service she attended, what time she gets there, what time she leaves," Chinn said.
Chinn said religious leaders too often believe God will protect their members, but he compares that to Bible verses that say God will provide for believers.
"I have never met anyone who sits up in bed, raises their hands and clothes fall down upon them," he said. "Church security is absolutely the same way. We believe in God's promise of protection, but that doesn't mean we turn a blind eye."
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Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise in Nashville and researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.
FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2017, file photo, police investigate the scene outside the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ after a deadly shooting at the church, in Antioch, Tenn. The shooting at a Tennessee church again demonstrated that deadly violence at U.S. houses of worship is not rare. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP, File)
GENEVA (AP) - The office of the U.N. human rights chief is decrying the "mass hanging" of 42 prisoners at an Iraqi prison.
Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein is warning of "clear risk of a gross miscarriage of justice" over Sunday's executions at al-Hoot prison in the southern city of Nasiriyah, and expressed concerns about "more large-scale executions," possibly in coming weeks.
A statement from his office Wednesday said Iraqi officials explained the prisoners were Iraqis affiliated with the Islamic State group or al-Qaida who were convicted of crimes including killing security forces or detonating improvised explosive devices.
Zeid said accountability for proven acts of terrorism was necessary, but it was "extremely doubtful" that strict fair-trial guarantees were respected in the cases as required under international law for the death penalty to be applied.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The leader of a small Florida-based neo-Nazi group has pleaded guilty to charges associated with having explosives in his apartment's garage.
Court documents show that Brandon Russell entered his pleas on Wednesday in a federal courtroom in Tampa. He faces up to 11 years in federal prison on charges of possessing illegal firearms and a destructive device, and storing explosives.
The bomb-making materials were discovered during a murder investigation involving Russell's roommate, Devon Arthurs.
Arthurs is charged with two counts of first-degree, premeditated murder in the deaths of two other Tampa roommates, Andrew Oneschuk and Jeremy Himmelman. All three were at one time members of Atomwaffen, the white supremacist group Russell admitted to starting.
In entering his guilty pleas, Russell filed an objection to the allegation he intended to assemble a bomb.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte respects a reported investigation being conducted by an anti-graft agency of allegations that he has undeclared wealth hidden in bank accounts, his spokesman said Wednesday, adding "the president has nothing to hide."
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella issued the statement in reaction to news reports that the Ombudsman, a key government anti-graft agency, has been looking into the allegations against Duterte since last year and has obtained bank records showing large amounts of transactions in past years.
Duterte has denied any wrongdoing and publicly vowed to resign if anybody can prove he or any of his children were involved in corruption. He won the presidency last year with a large margin on a vow to eradicate crime and corruption.
The ABS-CBN TV network cited Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang as saying that his agency has received Duterte's bank records from before he became president from 2006 to 2016 and that they show millions of pesos (millions of dollars) being transacted in joint accounts with his children.
Duterte's bank records were provided by the government's Anti-Money Laundering Council, ABS-CBN quoted Carandang as saying.
"We can confirm that we received bank transactions from AMLC," Carandang was quoted by ABS-CBN as saying. "There were P40 millions ... P50 million ... there were many."
Abella said Duterte "respects the internal processes of the Office of the Ombudsman as an independent body and trusts its impartiality in the conduct of its fact-finding duty," adding, "the president has nothing to hide."
The news reports reignited calls by opposition groups and a lawmaker for Duterte to sign a bank secrecy waiver to allow investigators to look into his bank records.
Earlier this month, Duterte refused a demand by his most vocal critic, opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, to publicly release details of his bank accounts. Duterte said, "You must be stupid. ... Why would I give you the pleasure?"
Trillanes first alleged that Duterte had unexplained wealth during the presidential campaign last year. In February, he raised the issue again, saying Duterte had not yet revealed details of more than 2 billion pesos ($39 million) he allegedly kept in bank accounts as a former city mayor.
Duterte inadvertently brought the issue back into public focus recently when he alleged Trillanes has several undeclared joint bank accounts with unidentified Chinese men in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia and the United States. Trillanes denied it and signed about a dozen waivers for authorities to look into the alleged accounts and demanded that Duterte do the same.
Duterte launched a personal attack against Trillanes, a former navy officer once detained for a failed coup plot. He mocked Trillanes for losing the vice presidential race last year and alleged that the senator keeps funds in his bank accounts in amounts just below the level that could spark a Central Bank inquiry.
The Associated Press was among small group of media representatives who were invited to the set of "The Walking Dead" in Senoia, Georgia, to talk with about a dozen cast and crew members about the upcoming season, the filming of the show's 100th episode and life on and off the set. Here are some highlights from those interviews:
- Actor XANDER BERKELEY on his character, Gregory, who rules over The Hilltop: "He's on this animal level asking himself the question that I think if many people were faced with for real: Am I going to be heroic and save someone else's life before my own?"
- Executive Producer SCOTT GIMPLE on whether he can envision "The Walking Dead" getting to Episode 200: "We're planning on it. We're projecting it out. I don't think the story ends. Carl might need a cane. ... We want to keep doing it at least as long as Robert (Kirkman, the comic's writer) is doing it. There are times when we rip right through the comic story and there are times when it gets way expanded out. ... It's fun and sometimes necessary because there's not the same characters and not the same situations to fortify the sort of stuff the expands aspects of it. That can take more time than even following the comic story. It's always the comic story and then some. And he's going full steam, unless next month he isn't and he surprises us all. We're prepared for the long haul."
This image released by AMC shows Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, left, and Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in a scene from "The Walking Dead." The eighth season premieres on Oct. 22. (Gene Page/AMC via AP)
- Actor LENNIE JAMES on his character, Morgan Jones, who was first seen in the pilot episode and then didn't return to the show until the third season: "Morgan's decision to not kill was never about cowardice, it was never about the fear. The only fear he had is the fear of who he is, and what he's like and what he does when he's killing. And he's trying to hold that beast at bay. Well, that beast is right in front of his face at the moment."
- Actor TOM PAYNE, who plays Paul Rovia (aka Jesus from The Hilltop): When Payne first joined the cast, he had to wear hair extensions and a fake beard. That allowed him to go out in public incognito. But he's since grown his real hair and beard out and now gets recognized regularly. It will be easy enough for him to shave it once he's off the show. In the meantime, "it's a fun ride and who knows how long it'll last."
- Actor STEVEN OGG, who plays Simon, one of Negan's lieutenants: "This whole world is about survival and how people survive. So I think that's the most important thing, who you make alliances with and who you decide to work with."
- Actor ROSS MARQUAND, who plays Aaron, a gay man who ventured out to the dangerous world to find and recruit new residents to Alexandria, on how the show has seamlessly weaved in characters from a variety of backgrounds, from interracial couples to gay couples to May-September romances: "I love it. I think it's very important. I think that Robert Kirkman has done a really good job of including characters from all walks of life as it should be because that's how life really is. It's a fair representation of how people are in the world."
- Actress POLLYANNA MCINTOSH, who plays Jadis, the leader of a group of scavengers on what it's like to work on a set and the massive mound of trash her character lords over: "When I walked onto that set, I couldn't believe the scope of it. And I couldn't believe that I was working, that me, Pollyanna, was working in a junkyard essentially because honestly, swear to God, when I was a kid and I'd pass those things in the car with my parents, I'd just be wanting to get out there and play. ... So on that level, it's my fantasy."
- Actress KATELYN NACON, who plays Enid, one of the younger cast members on the show, says the next season is jammed with action but she hopes future episodes show at least some happiness and goodness: "It can't always been 100 percent bad! I get it's the apocalypse but come on, just a little bit of happiness?"
News / National
by Staff reporter
The Ministry of Energy and Power Development says Zimbabwe will be phasing out regular high sulphur diesel used in the country in favour of low sulphur 50 ppm as part of efforts to promote a cleaner environment.Minister of Energy Dr Samuel Undenge said the adoption of 50 ppm diesel is in line with the National Energy Policy which promotes the use of cleaner, low sulphur fuels as a way to curb vehicle emissions. Currently, in Zimbabwe, 50 ppm diesel is selling alongside 500 ppm diesel at various service stations.Dr Undenge said the government is also finalising on the modalities of moving from unleaded petrol 93 to unleaded petrol 95.Fuel importers will be given a grace period of four months to flush out residual stocks of 500 ppm diesel from the distribution infrastructure.With effect from November 1, 2017, all fuel importers in Zimbabwe will be required to import 50 ppm diesel into the country."We expect that with effect from 1 March 2018, all diesel sold in Zimbabwe's retail sites shall be 50 ppm diesel and selling of any other fuel grade would become an offence from that day onwards."The National Oil Infrastructure Company has been requested to prepare the pipeline and depots for the pumping and storage of 50 ppm diesel."He said the free on board prices of 50 ppm diesel and 500 ppm diesel do not differ that much.Sulphur in fuel is the main contributing factor to harmful gas emissions. The environmentally friendly choice is therefore to use diesel containing 50 parts or particles per million (ppm) i.e. 0,005% sulphur instead of diesel containing 500 ppm or 0,05% sulphur.Diesel with a lower sulphur content has other significant benefits which include performance and the longer lifespan of lubricants, resulting in extended service intervals and a prolonged engine lifetime.Engine performance improves, because 50 ppm diesel has cleaner and more effective combustion properties than 500 ppm diesel.Diesel of 50 ppm causes less wear and tear and therefore prolongs engine life. Sulphur oxidises during combustion and forms sulphur dioxide, while nitrogen from the air is also oxidised, forming nitrogen oxide. Both of these oxides react further and form acids which are detrimental to engine components and also adversely affect lubrication. The more sulphur fuel contains, the higher the chances are of engine wear and tear.Service intervals are extended since engine oil has to be replaced less often. Lubricants containing additives help combat wear and tear caused by sulphuric acid, but these additives are exhausted more quickly when 500 ppm diesel is used.
10 things you might find surprising about "The Walking Dead":
1. Raleigh Studios in Senoia, where most of "The Walking Dead" is filmed, is a 140-acre spread that is used exclusively by the show. Most of the different communities are all created and filmed on the property except for The Kingdom, which is filmed at the former Fort McPherson military base in Atlanta, where Tyler Perry has studio space. Another community - The Oceanside - spent some time filming on Tybee Island, on the coast of Georgia.
2. The fictional town of Alexandria, a gated community supposedly set outside of Washington, D.C., is a real neighborhood in Senoia. Just four families live there, while the rest of the homes are vacant and used as mini sets where some of the characters live. The real-life residents have signed non-disclosure agreements and have restrictions on when they can come and go and when they can have visitors so it's not disruptive to filming.
This image released by AMC shows Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, left, and Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes in a scene from, "The Walking Dead." The eighth season premieres on Oct. 22. (Gene Page/AMC via AP)
3. The actors who play zombies on the show use conditioner and KY Jelly to give their hair an unwashed, disheveled appearance.
4. The production meeting room is a small theater with a conference table at the front. The room's walls are lined with photos of each of the actors whose characters have died. "Our Grateful Dead" now occupies two walls. Whenever one of the characters dies, the actors - whether they're in the scene or not - make a point of watching it, paying tribute to yet another fallen comrade.
5. The Heaps - a giant mountain of trash ruled over by Polly Macintosh's character Jadis - took three weeks to create. None of the cars that are embedded into the mound are newer than 2010, the year the world "died."
6. The location where Gabriel's church stood is now an empty dirt and wooded lot and served as the same set where the final episode of Season 6 filmed Glenn and Abraham's demise. It is, says Executive Producer Tom Luse, considered "pretty much hallowed ground."
7. The show's props crew is creating a line of kid-friendly toys for a show noted for its violence and gruesomeness.
8. The actors often produce a version of some scenes in which they make liberal use of the F-word. The cleaned up version is aired on TV, while the other version is used for DVD versions that aren't as hamstrung by restrictions on foul language.
9. Actor Norman Reedus is so close with Greg Nicotero, a special effects master as well as the show's producer and sometime director, that they are able to finish each other's sentences. The two also send each other songs to explain the emotion they want to bring to a scene. Before Daryl and Beth, two characters, burned down an old shack, Reedus sent Nicotero "Very Nervous and Love" by J Mascis. Ahead of Daryl having to stab his brother Merle, who had turned into a zombie, Nicotero sent a Willie Nelson song. Nicotero and Reedus even opened a restaurant in Senoia together: Nic & Normans, with the logo including an artist's brush and an arrow.
10. Chandler Riggs, who plays Carl, the son of sheriff Rick Grimes, is an Atlanta native and has grown up on the set. He's now headed to college: the University of Georgia.
NEW YORK (AP) - Iran's top diplomat is scolding President Donald Trump for a weekend tweet about a nonexistent Iranian missile launch.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is also essentially ruling out renegotiating or launching follow-up talks to a nuclear accord that Trump is threatening to dismantle.
Zarif said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press that "it worries me that people play with facts and produce alternative facts."
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif of Iran is interviewed by the Associated Press, in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Zarif also criticized a recent Kurdish independence referendum as "dangerous" to stability in a Middle East already facing extremist threats and civil wars.
And Zarif seemed to float the possibility of a prisoner exchange involving several Americans detained in Iran. In response to a question about them, he raised the situation of several Iranians held or pursued by the United States for sanctions violations.
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif of Iran is interviewed by the Associated Press, in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif of Iran is interviewed by the Associated Press, in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
A judge has found a suburban Chicago woman guilty of murder in the fatal stabbings of her 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old girl she was baby-sitting.
Elzbieta Plackowska was found guilty Wednesday by DuPage County Judge Robert Miller after a bench trial.
Defense attorneys contended the 45-year-old Plackowska was suffering a psychotic break when she killed the children on October 30, 2012, inside the girl's home in Naperville.
During closing arguments, defense attorney Kristen Nedval said Plackowska loved the children and wouldn't have killed them 'if she knew what she was doing.'
But State's Attorney Bob Berlin referred to Plackowska's comments to investigators following her arrest.
Elzbieta Plackowska (seen here in this November 21, 2012 file photo) was found guilty Wednesday by DuPage County Judge Robert Miller after a bench trial
She told them, 'I'm not supposed to, but I have to.'
Berlin said that indicated she knew what she was doing was wrong.
Plackowska was babysitting five-year-old Olivia Dworakowski along with her own son Justin, 7, on October 30, 2012, when she killed the two kids.
She then killed two dogs. She would later tell authorities that 'a black shadow' had commanded her to carry out the murders.
At Plackowska's trial, her defense relied on testimony from Dr. Phillip Resnick, who interviewed the suspected killer 10 days after the murders.
She was found guilty of murder in the fatal stabbings of her 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old girl she was baby-sitting
'Ms. Plackowska had a psychotic belief that devils had entered Olivia and Justin and that by taking their lives, she was allowing the children to enter heaven,' said Resnick, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Plackowska had been hired to babysit young Olivia in the condo where the girl lived with her mother, and had brought son Justin along as well.
Her father in her native Poland had died several weeks earlier, sending her spiraling into psychosis on the night before Halloween 2012, Resnick testified.
The two children were with Plackowska in a bedroom of the condo and jumping on the bed when she told them to kneel down and pray, prosecutors have said.
It was then Plackowska saw a 'black shadow' that she believed was the devil entering the children, Resnick said she had told him.
'Kill them, kill them,' the shadow whispered to her, Plackowska told the eminent psychiatrist.
'You are going to be the last one,' she said the shadow told her. 'You are going to die, but you will be the last one.'
Plackowska was tried for killing her seven-year-old son Justin along with five-year-old Olivia Dworakowski, whom she was babysitting at the time of the murders
Justin was stabbed 100 times, and Olivia was found with 50 stab wounds, police said. Both children's throats were slit and Justin was found in a bed, Olivia on the floor
Plackowska had been hired to babysit Olivia in the condo (pictured) where the girl lived with her mother. She saw a 'black shadow' that urged her to kill them, a psychiatrist has testified
A makeshift memorial is seen outside the crime scene in the days after the 2012 murder. Along with Justin and Olivia, two dogs in the home were stabbed to death
Justin was stabbed 100 times, and Olivia was found with 50 stab wounds, police said.
Both children's throats were slit and Justin was found in a bed, Olivia on the floor.
Prosecutors have said that after Plackowska killed the innocent children, she started frantically calling a local church, leaving numerous messages.
The crime was discovered when Olivia's mother, nurse Marta Dworakowski, returned home from her night shift and could not get into the house, and called 911.
A trail of blood in the hallway led police into the bedroom, with veteran Police Chief Robert Marshall calling it 'the most horrific and gruesome crime scene I have seen' at the time.
Prosecutors contended that Plackowska knew what she was doing at the time of the murders, and was unhappy with her life and her marriage.
In a videotaped interview with police after her arrest, Plackowska agreed that that was the reason she killed the two children.
But Resnick argued that Plackowska was 'browbeaten' into that statement by police, and said she still exhibited manic and psychotic symptoms for many days after the murders.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - The U.N. refugee agency said Wednesday it was alarmed by a mob attack on Rohingya Muslim refugees in Sri Lanka, where government leaders called for stern legal action against perpetrators that included Buddhist monks.
On Tuesday, a group led by Buddhist monks stormed a United Nations-run safe house for Rohingya Muslims, claiming the residents were terrorists and demanding they be sent back to Myanmar, prompting police to relocate them. Dozens of protesters from Sri Lanka's majority Buddhist community led a mob that entered a multi-storied house at Mount Lavinia on the outskirts of the Sri Lankan capital.
In a statement, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it is "alarmed and concerned" by Tuesday's incident and urged the "public and all those concerned with refugees to continue extending protection and to show empathy for civilians fleeing persecution and violence."
A group of Sri Lankan hardline Buddhists protest outside the U.N. office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. The protestors expressed their solidarity with Buddhists in Myanmar and opposed any move to bring Rohingya refugees to Sri Lanka. Placards in center reads "We do not want any Rohingya extremists who killed Buddhist monks." (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Police took 31 Rohingya refugees, including 17 children, into custody Tuesday and moved them to a safe location.
A video clip posted by a nationalist group, Sinhala National Movement, on its Facebook page shows protesters calling Rohingyas "terrorists who killed Buddhists in Myanmar" and saying that they can't live in Sri Lanka.
On Wednesday, finance and media minister Mangala Samaraweera condemned the attack, describing it as a "shameful act," and called for strong action against the perpetrators.
Health minister Rajitha Seneratne said he was depressed by the attack and urged law enforcement authorities to arrest the attackers.
Sri Lanka Buddhists make up 70 percent of the island's 20 million people, while Muslims account for 10 percent.
A half-million Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh in the past year, most of them since Aug. 25, when Rohingya insurgent attacks on security forces prompted a military crackdown and reprisals by majority Buddhists.
Rohingya have long faced persecution and discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where the government denies them citizenship and considers them illegal immigrants. Extremist Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka have ties with their counterparts in Myanmar and monks in both countries have been accused of leading attacks on minority Muslims.
Under pressure to do more to help hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, President Donald Trump said Wednesday his administration was considering waiving a little-known federal law that prohibits foreign-flagged ships from shuttling goods between US ports.
Republicans and Democrats have pushed Trump to waive the Jones Act, saying it could help get desperately needed supplies delivered to the island more quickly and at less cost.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke waived the law earlier this month to help ease fuel shortages in the Southeast following hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
That order included Puerto Rico, but expired last week shortly after Hurricane Maria struck.
The Trump administration has said a waiver is not needed this time, because there are enough US flagged ships available to ferry goods to Puerto Rico.
President Donald Trump speaks to the press after arriving on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday. Trump said his administration might waive the Jones Act, which prohibits foreign-flagged ships from delivering cargo to US ports
Officials at the Homeland Security Department, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue by name, said the bottleneck is with unloading cargo at the island's damaged ports and getting the supplies inland.
They made the remarks in a background conference call with reporters to justify the administration's decision.
Asked about that decision as he left the White House to pitch his tax plan at an event in Indiana, however, Trump suggested he may be open to changing course.
He said some US shipping executives opposed a temporary waiver.
'Well, we're thinking about that,' the president said. 'But we have a lot of shippers and a lot of people and a lot of people who work in the shipping industry that don't want the Jones Act lifted. And we have a lot of ships out there right now.'
Republicans and Democrats have pushed Trump to waive the Jones Act, saying it could help get desperately needed supplies delivered to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico more quickly and at less cost. People are seen above looking at a destroyed bridge in Morovis, Puerto Rico
Republicans and Democrats were pressing the issue.
Even before the storm hit, shipping household and commercial goods to Puerto Rico cost roughly double what it did to nearby Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, where foreign vessels are free to dock.
The US Virgin Islands were granted a permanent legal waiver from the Jones Act by Congress, but not Puerto Rico.
'These emergency waivers have been valuable to speed up recovery efforts in the impacted regions,' Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, said Tuesday.
'It is unacceptable to force the people of Puerto Rico to pay at least twice as much for food, clean drinking water, supplies and infrastructure due to Jones Act requirements as they work to recover from this disaster.'
Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a New York Democrat who was born in Puerto Rico, also urged Trump to approve a waiver.
'Puerto Ricans are without food, clean water and electricity,' she said.
'We must use every tool at our disposal to channel assistance to the island.'
The American Maritime Partnership, which represents more than 400 US shipping companies, said a Jones Act waiver would hinder relief efforts.
Waiving restrictions on foreign vessels that carry cargo to Puerto Rico 'could overwhelm the system, creating unnecessary backlogs and causing confusion on the distribution of critical supplies throughout the island,' said Thomas Allegretti, the group's chairman.
Domestic shipping companies moved approximately 9,500 containers of goods to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, including a large container ship with more than 35 million pounds of cargo. A helicopter is seen above taking off from a Coast Guard cutter near San Juan, Puerto Rico on Wednesday
Domestic shipping companies moved approximately 9,500 containers of goods to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, including a large container ship that arrived Sunday with more than 35 million pounds of cargo, the group said.
'The largest bottleneck is not getting goods to the island, but delivering goods once they arrive,' Allegretti said, noting that goods shipped to the island are being held in port because of blocked roads and other disruptions.
Domestic maritime containerships can deliver cargoes from the US mainland to Puerto Rico in three days, the partnership said in a statement.
Trump was scheduled to visit Puerto Rico on Tuesday, as his administration began dispatching additional ships and military personnel to the stricken island.
Large sections of the territory remained without adequate food, water and fuel one week after the Category 4 storm hit.
Communications were spotty and roads were clogged with debris. Officials said electrical power may not be fully restored for more than a month.
'Puerto Rico's a very difficult situation. I mean, that place was just destroyed,' Trump said.
'That's not a question of gee, let's dry up the water, or let's do this or that. I mean, that place was flattened. That is a really tough situation. I feel so badly for those people.'
Speaking Tuesday at a joint press conference of the minority congressional caucuses, Representative Darren Soto said Trump is grossly underestimating the devastation in Puerto Rico.
The Florida Democrat also expressed concern that a planned trip to the island to survey the damage ahead of an expected vote on FEMA aid has been delayed because of Trump's visit scheduled for Tuesday.
'We had a trip planned for Friday. Eventually that became Sunday. Now we have been told there are no federal assets available until after the president's trip,' Soto said.
'Members of Congress need to see firsthand what the devastation is like.'
The Defense Department responded Wednesday that it would be unable to accommodate lawmakers on military planes for now.
'Due to the urgency of the humanitarian situation, our focus of operations remains on life-saving and life-sustaining support, and we are dedicating our resources to relief operations at this time,' spokeswoman Laura Seal said.
GAITHERSBURG, Md. (AP) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun a special inspection at a facility in suburban Maryland following a worker's potential exposure to radioactive contamination.
A five-member NRC team began the inspection Tuesday after an incident last month when a glass ampule containing americium-241 -a radioactive substance - broke in a National Institute of Standards and Technology laboratory used to prepare radioactive samples.
Test results indicated the employee potentially received a dose of radiation above NRC annual occupational limits. Additional testing is being done on the worker to determine the actual dose. The results will be included in a report to be issued within 45 days after the review is completed.
The NRC team is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the event as well as NIST's corrective actions.
Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the NRC, said the occupational radioactive exposure estimated for the worker would not be expected to result in any immediate health effects. He said in an email that the exposure "marginally increases" the person's risk of developing cancer some time during his lifetime. He said further testing should clarify the estimated increased risk.
Jennifer Huergo, a spokeswoman for NIST, said the employee was treated at a hospital and released. She said the worker "received appropriate medical attention" based on guidance from specialists in radiation exposure care.
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The teenage gunman accused of killing one classmate and wounding three others at their Washington high school decided whether to carry out the shooting by flipping a coin, according to court documents.
Caleb Sharpe, 15, has already been charged with first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder in the September 13 shooting at Freeman High School near the tiny town of Rockford.
He previously pleaded not guilty.
Detectives wrote in court documents that flipping a heads meant Sharpe would shoot students and tails meant he would not do it and never think about it again.
The teenage gunman accused of killing one classmate and wounding three others at their Washington high school decided whether to carry out the shooting by flipping a coin, according to court documents. Pictured, Caleb Sharpe walks into Spokane County Juvenile Court to a packed courtroom on Wednesday
The coin landed on heads, according to documents.
Sharpe also told detectives that he had been watching documentaries of other school shootings, including Columbine and Sandy Hook, for about a year, court documents said.
The documents said Sharpe told detectives about loading his father's assault rifle into a golf bag and putting a handgun in his pocket, The Spokesman-Review reported.
Once inside the school, Sharpe pulled out the rifle, which jammed, so he discarded it and pulled the pistol out, shooting a 15-year-old classmate in the abdomen and face, killing him, court documents said.
Police say Caleb Sharpe (above being taken into a juvenile center) kept a 'manifesto' at home and had marked his high school yearbook with Xs on the faces of students he wanted to kill
Sam Strahan, 15, died after being shot in the head and chest. Sharpe told police he approached him and said: 'I always knew you'd shoot up the school'
The teen then walked down a hallway, firing into the ceiling before wounding three female students, authorities have said.
Sharpe told police that he had been bullied by the boy who died but did not target him specifically.
'Sharpe said the plan went exactly as intended,' detectives wrote in court documents.
'His plan was to shoot some people at school, just like he did. Sharpe said he was not planning on shooting any particular people; he just planned on shooting people in general.'
Officers said they found a practice Molotov cocktail in Sharpe's closet and a stack of notes and papers in a dresser drawer which he'd titled 'My first novel book'
Detective Mike Drapeau wrote in court documents that he found Sharpe's yearbook in a search of Sharpe's home and that someone had placed an 'X Kill' on photos of 26 students.
Officials have said Sharpe previously had given friends notes indicating he was going to do something that may cause others harm.
School officials have confirmed that they had suspended him and ordered a mental health evaluation before he was allowed to return to school.
Prosecutors also filed 51 new charges against Caleb Sharpe on Wednesday.
Spokane County prosecutors upgraded the murder charge to premeditated murder and added 51 counts of assault, representing other students in the vicinity of the gunfire, according to court documents.
A distraught student is pictured after evacuating the high school last Wednesday after the shooting
Three other girls were injured in the shooting but survived. Two have since been released from the hospital
Sharpe also appeared in court for the first time, where a judge said a decision on whether to try the teen as an adult will not occur until next year.
In juvenile court, Spokane County Superior Court Judge Michael Price set an April 2 date for a weeklong hearing, saying the case was too complex to hold it within 14 days as required by law.
Defense attorney Bevan Maxey agreed with the delay, though his client will remain in custody.
'I have all kinds of concern for him being in jail,' Maxey said. 'This is a process that is going to take place. Everybody needs to be properly prepared.'
'We would prefer he be handled as a juvenile,' the defense attorney said. 'That's what he is; 15 years old.'
Family members of Sharpe and the victims filled the small courtroom but did not talk to reporters afterward. Sharpe did not speak at the hearing.
NEW YORK (AP) - In a story Sept. 27 about an auction of memorabilia from the late President John F. Kennedy and CIA operative Francis Gary Powers, The Associated Press, relying on information provided by the auction house, erroneously reported the dates of the sale. It will be a one-day sale, on Oct. 7, with a preview on Oct. 6, not a two-day sale on Oct. 6-7.
A corrected version of the story is below:
JFK memorabilia, including a speedboat, heads to NYC auction
The late President John F. Kennedy's 17-foot mahogany speedboat is among the highlights of an auction next week in New York
By KILEY ARMSTRONG
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - An eclectic array of memorabilia from the late President John F. Kennedy, including a speedboat, will be offered at auction alongside a slice of Cold War espionage intrigue.
The auction by Guernsey's Oct. 7 in New York City will feature Kennedy's restored 17-foot mahogany speedboat, which comes complete with an unusual name and a fun family story.
Kennedy patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. had a boat named "Tenovus" - a creatively spelled reference to the number of Kennedy family members at the time: "ten of us."
Later, when he won the speedboat in a church raffle, it got the name "Restofus" - a nod to the "rest of us" in the expanding family. That became JFK's personal boat. After the nation's 35th president died, the boat went to his brother, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, and then to other owners. Its presale estimate is $100,000 to $150,000.
Other nautically themed offerings include a porcelain demitasse cup and saucer, trimmed with 24 karat gold, from the presidential yacht U.S.S. Honey Fitz (estimate $800 to $1,200.) There's also a pair of Kennedy's brick-red linen swimming trunks ($3,000 to $4,000); and the first lady's teal one-piece swimsuit ($4,000 to $6,000).
The wide array of Camelot-lots - over 500 - includes documents, photos, stationery, even inscribed sterling silver baby toothbrushes.
There are numerous consignors. The core of the sale comes from the collections of Lt. Henry Hirschy, who worked at the White House; Jacqueline Kennedy's personal secretary, Mary Gallagher; and CIA operative Francis Gary Powers, whose story was the basis for Steven Spielberg's "Bridge of Spies."
Powers, a pilot for the CIA's U-2 program, was arrested after his spy plane was shot down over Soviet airspace in 1960.
The collection includes his orange flight suit ($10,000 to $15,000), worn in numerous U-2 test missions, along with an undershirt and brown lace-up boots.
And, yes, spies did really wear trench coats back in the day: in Powers' case, one black and one tan, estimated at $2,500 to $3,500 apiece.
They also had to answer the call of nature, like everybody else - resulting in a very quirky lot. Described by auctioneers as a "historic and straightforward piece of equipment," the plastic and metal "containment vessel" allowed Powers to relieve himself during long flights. It has a presale estimate of $2,000 to $3,000.
NEW YORK (AP) - New York state, home to the U.S. mainland's biggest Puerto Rican community, is sending a lot more than thoughts and prayers to the hurricane-ravaged island.
Between them, New York state and city have committed hundreds of workers and organized aid ranging from rescue helicopters to field rations. Gov. Andrew Cuomo took the first flight allowed to land after Hurricane Maria slammed Puerto Rico last week, and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito joined city workers this weekend to aid relief on the island where her own mother lives.
"She tells me every day not to worry about her, though the level of desperation is getting there," Mark-Viverito said Wednesday, her voice breaking. Her mother had left her damaged home to stay with friends in a high-rise with no power and had stood in a five-hour line to get gasoline.
Juan Rojas, right, of Queens, hugs his 4-year-old grandson Elias Rojas, as his daughter-in-law Cori Rojas, left, carries her daughter Lilly, 3, through the terminal at JFK airport after Cori arrived on a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in New York. Cori Rojas, who is a school teacher in Puerto Rico, fled Puerto Rico with her children after Hurricane Maria left the island devastated and will stay with her in-laws in Queens while her husband, who works for a global insurance firm chose to stay behind. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
State Assemblyman Marcos Crespo is waiting to hear from his own mother and relatives even as he fields unceasing phone calls from constituents trying to reach theirs.
"The one thing that keeps me going is knowing how many people are willing to help," said Crespo, a Democrat like Cuomo and Mark-Viverito.
For politicians and everyday New Yorkers, the storm is pulling at the ties between their state and Puerto Rico. The island is 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers) away, but connections often feel much closer in a state with over 1 million people of Puerto Rican descent.
"This is personal," Cuomo said Wednesday. "Anything this state can do, we will do."
That includes committing hundreds of state troopers and other workers, plus organizing an aid package that reads like the shopping list for a small army: 34,000 bottles of water, 10,000 field rations, 1,400 cots, 500 flashlights, 10 electrical generators and four Black Hawk helicopters. One of New York's biggest homegrown pop stars, Jennifer Lopez, donated $1 million to relief efforts at a press conference with Cuomo on Sunday.
New York City has about 700,000 people of Puerto Rican descent - making up about 1 in every 12 city residents, and roughly twice the population of the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan. More than 140 New York City firefighters, police officers and other workers are in Puerto Rico to help, and Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio is preparing for an expected influx of thousands of Puerto Ricans fleeing the storm's damage.
The federal government has sent thousands of employees to help the U.S. territory with needs from fueling hospital generators to trying to avert a dam collapse. Republican President Donald Trump plans to visit next week.
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello and Resident Commissioner Jennifer Gonzalez, the island's non-voting representative in Congress, have praised Trump's response. But the administration also has faced complaints that its efforts lagged responses to hurricanes that hit the mainland.
Maria tore through Puerto Rico last week, killing at least 16 people and leaving nearly all 3.4 million residents without power and most without water.
"It's being felt deeply here" in New York, says Edwin Melendez, director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at city-run Hunter College. The center's website has repeatedly crashed since it posted a list of ways to donate, he said.
New York's Puerto Rican population began growing significantly in the 1950s and '60s as people left the island in search of economic opportunity. While many families have now been in New York for generations, many identify strongly with their heritage. There's even a term, "Nuyorican," that some New Yorkers with Puerto Rican backgrounds use to span both cultures. The city's annual Puerto Rican Day sees one of New York's biggest parades of the year.
That's not lost on New York's politicians, many of whom make an annual trip to San Juan for a Latino issues conference called Somos El Futuro.
Puerto Ricans on the island cannot vote in federal elections, but as U.S. citizens, they can vote if they move to the mainland.
"That's what has galvanized the Puerto Rican community in the states - because we need to speak for citizens in Puerto Rico," said Arlene Davila, a Puerto Rico-born anthropology and American studies professor at New York University.
While political calculus may be part of New York officials' rush to respond to Maria's battering, Baruch College political scientist Douglas Muzzio believes there's "sincerity along with the self-interest" in helping a large, worried population.
"It affects more than Latinos," said Muzzio, whose Puerto Rican son-in-law hasn't been able to contact an aunt on the island.
Visiting a firehouse Saturday, de Blasio vowed New Yorkers would stand by Puerto Rico.
"When Puerto Rico asks, 'Where is New York City in our hour of need?'" he said, "We say simply say: 'Presente.'"
___
Klepper reported from Albany, New York. Associated Press writer Claudia Torrens contributed from New York.
From left, New York Reps. Joe Crowley, Nydia Velazquez, Jose Serrano and Yvette Clarke talk about the damage in Puerto Rico caused by Hurricane Maria on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Matthew Daly)
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - Authorities have determined that Massachusetts troopers who shot and killed a man suspected of killing a police officer last year acted reasonably and lawfully.
The Worcester County District Attorney's office on Wednesday released its findings in the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Jorge Zambrano.
Authorities say troopers had attempted to arrest Zambrano in Oxford when he shot and wounded a trooper on May 22, 2016. Two troopers returned fire, killing Zambrano.
The report says Zambrano had shot Auburn police Officer Ronald Tarentino multiple times during a traffic stop earlier that day. Tarentino died at a hospital.
The report found that shell casings at the scene where Tarentino was shot matched a firearm found in the Zambrano's hands.
It concluded that the troopers' use of deadly force was appropriate.
News / Press Release
by Jacob Mafume, PDP Spokesperson
ZANU-PF's failure to take responsibility of the current crisis will only serve to worsen the situation. In an attempt to shift the blame to externals a misdiagnosis of the situation is bound to happen.We have seen it before that ZANU-PF deliberately diagnoses the problem just to suit the propaganda and spin. Bimha's investigation of the price shocks is one such act, a while goose chase which is very unnecessary.Songs of sanctions have been composed and played over and over again just to vindicate government mediocrity.The issue is that those in authority have an obligation to deliver; the executive is ultimately accountable for the government's actions both of commission and omission.The past few days have displayed a balance sheet of failed leadership for everyone to see. Fuel queues are soaring which is a concern.The crisis is less a concern than the reaction of those with the responsibility to initiate recovery, President Mugabe, Chinamasa and ZANUPF.We expected Mugabe to announce the firing of Chinamasa when he arrived from the shopping trip in New York, when he did not announce, we expected Chinamasa to act in the right way for the first time in his life by resigning. Well both scenarios will not pen out, Zimbabweans must fire the whole party; any ZANUPF element must leave government complexes.The continued presence of ZANUPF in office by the day will only aid and abet the unpalatable suffering of our people.The ZANUPF government is now shifting the blame on Zimbabweans for panic buying, speculative dealings and circulating irresponsible information on social media.The People's Democratic Party restates that speculative dealing is in itself a creation of ZANUPF, we stated before that an abused citizen rejects the authority of the government and reorganises economic activity outside the state.ZANUPF's failure to provide a conducive environment for formal business and the introduction of totalitarian regulations like SI64,stringent bank withdrawal limits, scraping of duty free rebates and the introduction of various kinds of fascist taxes including on beef and cereals amounts to abuse of the first order.We have always stated this was a recipe for disaster and ZANUPF will one day regret.As for panic buying the truth is that basic commodities prices have been rising for more than half a year, but on fuel the citizen is not panic buying.We have mentioned before that the invasion of NOSTRO accounts and RTGS balances at the RBZ would brew disaster. With empty NOSTRO accounts, fuel imports are complicated and the prices go up, gas stations run dry and the black market re-emerges.We also stated that the billion dollar fuel industry in Zimbabwe was a subject of capture, in a scam involving the Vice President, Kudakwashe Tagwirei and Sakunda holdings all fronting a Trafigura linked cartel.This group controls the pipeline, the wholesale and the retail, the sole reason why Zimbabwe always had the highest price of hydrocarbons. We complained then as we do now, that the regulating authority's failure to correct this mess was a concern.The point we make is that whatever the direction you take, you end up on ZANUPF's doorstep as far as the crisis is concerned.The PDP is glad that the ZCTU is now supporting our call for the establishment of a National Transitional Authority. It is urgently needed to address the following.Attend to macroeconomic stability; in this regard we contend that fiscal discipline must be maintained and that the government must immediately resort to the principle of cash budgeting.Financial Sector Stability and Liquidity by scraping the bond note, paying back the stolen RTGS balances, promotion of plastic money and in the long term facilitating a regional monetary union.Industrialization through a shift from an extraction model to beneficiation, repealing the indigenisation law and investing in infrastructure which makes it easy to do business. Also of importance is the funding of distressed industries and marginalised areas.Rationalization of the 2017 Budget, reduce the Budget to an achievable target which can fully be covered by domestic revenues and also develop external partnerships that can take care of social sector obligation in areas like BEAM and drug procurement.Retrenchment of Expenditure, rationalizing the wage bill by dealing with the issue of ghost works.State Owned Enterprises at least 30% of GDP is being drained through state owned enterprises that have become a vehicle of patronage. The state enterprises are increasing domestic debt making reform of the institutions urgent.Restoration Of Land Value ,the revival of the agricultural sector is predicated upon the restoration of the land value through the issuance of land title i.e. title deeds to all the beneficiaries of the land reform program.Mining, Zimbabwe is endowed with world class reserves of commodities which however are regulated by imperial regulation that promotes primitive accumulation and self-aggrandizement. There is need to create a framework for value addition, transparent allocation of mining rights and spatial linkages in the sector.International Re-Engagement, end isolation of the nation, dealing with the debt question and negotiate a martial plan aimed at reconstruction.Peace, reconciliation and electoral reform, end the current toxicity of hate language and intolerance, address grievances of the past and ensure just but more importantly prepare for a free and fair election.Together Another Zimbabwe is PossibleJacob MafumePDP Spokesperson
ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. (AP) - Gov. Phil Scott and the state Chamber of Commerce are working together to encourage economic cooperation with the aerospace industry in Quebec and elsewhere by promoting state businesses that provide parts and services for the aerospace and aviation industries.
On Wednesday, Scott, a Republican, visited a trade show in Essex Junction, where businesses are trying to make connections with potential customers. He said the conference of 100 exhibitors from Quebec, Vermont and other New England states brought together buyers, suppliers and others who help create growth opportunities for Vermont businesses.
"Vermont is more than just our wonderful craft brews, the most wonderful cheeses in the world as well as the best-tasting maple syrup in the world," Scott said.
He said there are many high-technology, advanced-manufacturing and aerospace and aviation companies in Vermont that together contribute $3 billion a year to the state's economy.
Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a law exempting sales tax on aviation products.
Right now, there are about two dozen Vermont companies that can manufacture, repair and overhaul aviation equipment. The state is trying to attract more, said Chris Carrigan, the vice president for business development for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.
"What we are really trying to do is transform Vermont into a supply chain hub," Carrigan said.
BOSTON (AP) - The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry has lost track of more than 1,700 convicted sex offenders, according to a state audit released on Wednesday.
The report from the office of Auditor Suzanne Bump concluded that the registry lacks adequate policies and procedures to ensure that sex offenders are promptly classified. As a result, the public has no way to know if some potentially dangerous sex offenders live in their communities, while the risk that those individuals will commit new crimes increases, Bump said.
As of February, the registry did not have current addresses for 1,769 people who were convicted of sex crimes between October 1996 and January 2017, and have either been released from prison or are on parole, according to the audit. Of that total, the registry has yet to classify the threat level of 936 individuals, including more than 300 that had committed sex crimes against children.
State law requires convicted sex offenders to register with the sex offender board and update their information annually, including any changes to their address. The board then classifies them as Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3. Level 2 and Level 3 offenders are considered to be most at risk of reoffending.
Bump called the findings "disturbing."
"What we found was an agency that really wasn't able to meet its mission of properly classifying or tracking individuals who were supposed to be registered sex offenders," said the Democrat. "That left police officers, the public and past victims without the knowledge ... as to the whereabouts of Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders."
Failure to register or report changes in address can result in arrest and imprisonment.
Felix Browne, a spokesman for the state's Executive Office of Public Safety, said while the registry is responsible for classifying sex offenders, it lacks the authority to track down people who fail to register or notify law enforcement of any move.
The registry currently has records on nearly 22,000 "active" sex offenders, according to the report. About 13,000 of those were believed to be living in Massachusetts, while the rest had either moved out of state, been deported or returned to prison.
In a written response to auditors, the registry cited laws and regulations that hampered their ability to classify the 936 individuals, including a requirement that offenders be given notice before the classification process can begin.
"Offenders who are in violation are quite often incapable of being provided with the requisite notice to proceed with their classification," the registry said in a statement.
About 50 of the unclassified sex offenders were believed to be dead, and it was believed about 270 others were either living outside of Massachusetts or had been deported, the statement added.
The audit left out some critical facts about court rulings that established new guidelines for classification, Browne said.
A 2015 decision by the state's highest court required a standard of "clear and convincing evidence" in classifying sex offenders and resulted in 378 cases being returned for reclassification hearings.
The recommendations made in the audit included that the registry make a more concerted effort to get sex offenders classified before they complete their prison terms, and work closely with other state agencies, such as the Department of Revenue and the agency that administers welfare benefits, which could share more information about where people currently live.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Department of Homeland Security has notified two states that Russian hackers attempted to scan networks other than their election systems in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, contrary to details provided last week.
On Wednesday, California became the second state - after Wisconsin - to receive the clarification.
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement that homeland security officials told him the scanning activity took place on the state technology department's network and not on the Secretary of State website, as the state was told last week.
"Our notification from DHS last Friday was not only a year late, it also turned out to be bad information," Padilla said in a statement.
He said the public and officials who oversee elections "deserve timely and accurate information" from Homeland Security.
Last week, the department notified election officials in 21 states that their systems were targeted last year "by Russian government cyber actors seeking vulnerabilities and access to U.S. election infrastructure."
Most systems were not breached, and there is no evidence of actual tampering with voter registration databases or ballot tallies. In Illinois, however, hackers penetrated the voter registration network and spent three weeks rooting around before being discovered in July 2016. But officials said no information was changed.
Although the election systems in California and Wisconsin may not have been directly scanned, it does not mean hackers were not targeting them. Homeland Security spokesman Scott McConnell cautioned that "discussions of specific IP addresses do not provide a complete picture of potential targeting activity."
For instance, hackers could have been using the other state agencies or networks to provide an access point to eventually gain entrance to a state election system.
Several state election officials have expressed frustration that it took so long for Homeland Security to provide details on what happened in the months leading up to the presidential election.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke provided few specifics about the notification process during testimony Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Duke told senators that her department had notified an unspecified number of states about the attempts to hack their computer systems "back when the intrusion occurred." But she said that the agency did not tell all the appropriate officials at that time.
"What we learned from that and what we're correcting is that we notified the systems' owners, and that didn't necessarily notify the right senior officials that need to take action," she said, adding that the problem has since been corrected.
In California, the Secretary of State's office said it does not use the Department of Technology to provide IT services for its websites, internet-facing applications or the statewide voter registration database.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin's chief elections officer said Wednesday that he still doesn't know whether Homeland Security has provided the state with all available information about the hacking attempt.
The state was initially told that hackers had attempted to scan its internet-connected election infrastructure, likely seeking specific vulnerabilities to access voter registration databases. Days later, the Wisconsin Elections Board was told by Homeland Security officials that the scanning involved the state's Department of Workforce Development, which oversees job training and unemployment benefits.
The 21 states that told The Associated Press on Friday they had been targeted were: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
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Cassidy reported from Atlanta and Day from Washington, D.C.
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Associated Press writer Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local):
6:30 p.m.
A motorcycle officer in President Donald Trump's motorcade in Indianapolis suffered a broken ankle after he crashed on the way to the airport.
President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform at the Farm Bureau Building at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department tweeted that the officer was transported to the hospital in good condition. It's unclear what happened.
White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters says Trump telephoned the officer during the flight back to Washington.
Walters says Trump checked on the officer's condition, thanked him for serving and wished him well in his recovery.
Trump delivered a speech about his tax proposal in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
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5:30 p.m.
President Donald Trump is teasing a potential announcement about new auto factories opening in the U.S.
Trump said during a speech in Indiana Wednesday that during the United Nations General Assembly last week, "one of the most powerful leaders in the world" told him the leader's country is planning to announce "in the not too distant future" that it would be increasing or building five "major factories in the US."
Trump says he promised he wouldn't disclose which leader, but adds, "It happens to be in the automobile industry."
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the possible plans.
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5 p.m.
President Donald Trump is promising a "middle class miracle" as he tries to build momentum behind his plan to overhaul the nation's tax code and revive his moribund legislative agenda.
Hours after the White House and congressional Republicans released a framework for sweeping changes to the tax system, the president told hundreds of supporters at the Indiana State Fairgrounds the plan was "a once-in-a-generation opportunity."
Trump says, "This is a revolutionary change and the biggest winners will be the everyday American workers as jobs start pouring into our country, as companies start competing for American labor, and as wages start going up at levels that you haven't seen in many years," he said.
President Donald Trump arrives to speak about tax reform at the Farm Bureau Building at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is helping raise money for the Democratic candidate in Virginia's closely watched race for governor.
An invitation obtained by The Associated Press says Clinton is the featured guest at a fundraiser for Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam in New York on Oct. 4.
Northam is facing Republican Ed Gillespie in one of only two off-year gubernatorial contests in November. The swing state contest is viewed as a possible referendum on President Donald Trump's first year in office.
FILE- In this June 1, 2017, file photo, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pauses while speaking during the Book Expo event in New York. Clinton is helping raise money for the Democratic candidate in Virginia's closely watched race for governor. An invitation obtained by The Associated Press says Clinton is the featured guest at a fundraiser for Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam in New York on Oct. 4. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)
Clinton has recently resumed making public appearances to promote her new book about her stunning defeat by Trump in last year's presidential contest. She handily won Virginia, the only southern state Trump did not win.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - The United States and Mexico unveiled an agreement Wednesday to preserve the overtaxed Colorado River, including spending millions of dollars on conservation and environmental projects and drawing up plans to deal with any shortages amid drought and climate change.
The United States pledged to invest $31.5 million in water conservation projects in Mexico, such as lining irrigation ditches with concrete to reduce leaks and upgrading irrigation equipment to use less water.
The water saved would be divided among the two nations and environmental projects.
U.S. Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission Edward Drusina, right, seated, announces the expansion of a far-reaching water conservation agreement that governs how the U.S. and Mexico manage the overused Colorado River, at a news conference in Santa Fe, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)
In addition to the conservation savings, the agreement sets aside another 210,000 acre-feet (260 million cubic meters) of water for environmental projects. One acre-foot (1,200 cubic meters) is enough to supply a typical U.S. family for a year.
The two nations and a coalition of charitable foundations also agreed to contribute a total of $18 million for environmental restoration, research and monitoring.
The nine-year agreement is an amendment to a 1944 treaty that governs how the U.S. and Mexico share and manage the river, which flows through both nations. It expands on a 2012 amendment that expires at the end of this year.
Details of the new amendment were released at a water conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Colorado River is vital to the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. It supplies water to about 40 million people and 6,300 square miles (16,300 square kilometers) of farmland in the U.S. alone. Equivalent figures for Mexico weren't immediately available.
The river begins in the Colorado mountains and winds 1,400 miles (2,250 kilometers) to the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California.
The agreement is a commitment to future generations to solve the river's problems "so that they don't say that our generation stood there with our arms crossed," said Roberto Salmon, Mexico's representative on the International Boundary and Water Commission, a U.S.-Mexican organization that oversees the two nations' boundary and water treaties.
Salmon spoke in Spanish.
Edward Drusina, the U.S. representative, said the agreement provides more certainty to water managers struggling to deal with changing conditions.
"It is not necessarily the complete fix to the system because we don't know what lies around the corner," he said.
The agreement allows Mexico to store some of its share of the river water in Lake Mead in the United States if it cannot use it immediately. Mexico can withdraw it later, subject to some conditions.
That's important because Mexico has few reservoirs in the northwest part of the country, said Osvel Hinojosa of the Mexican conservation group Pronatura Noroeste.
"The idea is to conserve and store and try and avoid a shortage," Hinojosa said, speaking in Spanish.
The charitable foundations "are eager to do their share to make sure the agreement is implemented and successful," said Ted Kowalski, director of the Walton Family Foundation's Colorado River Initiative and one of the groups involved.
The others include the S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the International Community Foundation and the Water Foundation.
Other provisions of the agreement:
- Both countries will draw up contingency plans to deal with any shortages of water in the river amid drought and climate change.
- Both countries agreed to share the burden of any shortages and the benefits of any surpluses in the Colorado River.
- The International Boundary and Water Commission will study ways to reduce salt levels in the Colorado River that reaches Mexico. The water picks up salt from the soil when it is used for irrigation and returned to the river; too much salt makes it unusable for agriculture and drinking.
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Elliott reported from Denver.
A Palestinian attacker opened fire early on Tuesday at the entrance to a settlement outside Jerusalem, killing three Israeli men and critically wounding a fourth, Israeli police and medical services said.
It was one of the deadliest attacks in a two-year spate of violence.
#HarHadar #terrorattack #EMS photos from the scene near Hadar. MDA ambulances, mobile intensive care units, EMTs & paramedics on scene. pic.twitter.com/sU1igihGys Magen David Adom (@Mdais) September 26, 2017
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker was a 37-year-old Palestinian who approached the back gate entrance of the Har Adar settlement, hiding among fellow Palestinian day labourers who were being checked by security forces.
She said he aroused their suspicions and was asked to stop. At that point, he pulled out a weapon and began opening fire from a short distance. The attacker was then shot dead by other forces at the scene.
The Magen David Adom medical service said that in addition to the three men in their 20s and 30s who were killed, a fourth Israeli man, 32, was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Har Adar is a community west of Jerusalem, straddling the seam line between the West Bank and Israel proper and an unusual target in the wave of violence that Israel has been coping with over the past two years.
Since September 2015, Palestinians have killed 48 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shooting and car-ramming attacks.
During that same time, Israeli forces have killed more than 255 Palestinians; Israel says most of them were attackers, others died in clashes with Israeli forces.
Most of the attacks have been stabbings against security forces, primarily in the West Bank.
Israeli security at an entrance to the Har Adar settlement
Israel blames the violence on incitement by Palestinian religious and political leaders, compounded on social media sites that glorify violence and encourage attacks.
Palestinians say the attacks stem from anger and frustration at decades of Israeli rule in territories they claim for a state.
The frequency and intensity of attacks has lessened of late but such an incident, coming amid the Jewish high holiday, threatened to ignite them anew.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said the cruel terror attack proves once again the daily front that our security forces face in the most important mission protecting and defending the safety of the citizens of Israel.
The Trump administration will allow no more than 45,000 refugees into the United States next year officials said on Tuesday, in what would be the lowest admissions level in more than a decade.
President Donald Trump is expected to announce the cap on refugee admissions following a lengthy debate within his administration about where to set the number.
The figure represents the maximum number of refugees the US would be willing to accept and the actual number of refugees who move to the United States could actually be much lower.
Protests were held across the UK against US President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban on refugees (Victoria Jones/PA)
The administration had been considering a ceiling somewhere between 40,000, which the Homeland Security Department recommended, and 50,000, the State Departments preferred level, according to officials. The new figure appears to be a compromise that cabinet officials felt would be palatable to the president.
Still, Mr Trumps stated hostility to accepting refugees and opposition among others in his administration mean the US may not intend to fill all 45,000 slots in the 2018 fiscal year that starts on Sunday.
The US has not taken in so few refugees in a single year since 2006, when 41,223 were allowed entry.
The State Department declined to comment on potential figures ahead of a presidential announcement.
President Trump has made limiting immigration the centrepiece of his policy agenda
The US welcomed 84,995 in fiscal year 2016, and former president Barack Obama had wanted to raise that number to 110,000 in 2017, and Mr Trump has until Sunday to determine how many refugees to admit.
Worldwide, there were some 22.5 million refugees last year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, with many more people internally displaced within their home countries.
The strong preference among aid groups and governments has been to seek conditions so refugees can return to their homes, rather than being permanently resettled in host countries.
President Trump has made limiting immigration the centrepiece of his policy agenda. He temporarily banned visitors from a handful of Muslim-majority nations, has rescinded an Obama-era executive action protecting young immigrants from deportation and insisted he will build a wall along the southern border with Mexico.
During his campaign, Mr Trump pledged to stop the massive inflow of refugees and warned of terrorists smuggling themselves into naive countries by posing as refugees fleeing war-torn Syria.
He said last October that thousands of refugees are being admitted with no way to screen them and are instantly made eligible for welfare and free health care, even as American military veterans cant get such care.
Mr Trump has advocated keeping refugees closer to their homes.
Theresa May has hit out at Boeing over the escalating US trade dispute with Belfast-linked rival Bombardier, warning its behaviour was no way to operate.
The Prime Minister said she was bitterly disappointed by the aerospace giants behaviour and its actions undermined the long-term partnership it had built up with the UK.
Boeing complained to the US authorities about state subsides paid to Canadian manufacturer Bombardier by the UK and Canada.
Bombardier
Its petition resulted in a ruling by the US Department of Commerce that could potentially have a devastating impact on Bombardiers 4,200 workforce in Northern Ireland and thousands more in the 800-plus UK and Irish companies involved in its supply chain.
The department has proposed a 220% tariff on the imported sale of Bombardiers new C-Series jets into the US an aircraft whose wings are made in Belfast.
Mrs May said: Im bitterly disappointed by this news.
Bitterly disappointed by initial Bombardier ruling. 1/2 UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) September 27, 2017
The Government will continue to work with the company to protect vital jobs for Northern Ireland. 2/2 UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) September 27, 2017
I will be doing everything I can, as the government has been, and working with both Arlene Foster and Michelle ONeill I spoke to them both today about this decision to ensure that we can try to make sure the future of Bombardier in Northern Ireland is guaranteed and protected.
We have had a long-term partnership with Boeing, worked with Boeing over the years, and I think this is no way to operate in terms of such a long-term partnership.
I would say that that long-term partnership is being undermined by this behaviour by Boeing.
Ryanair is to cancel an extra 18,000 flights in a move that will hit 400,000 customers as the fallout from the airlines mismanagement of pilot leave intensifies.
The Irish carrier said that as part of efforts to end a wave of cancellations that has already seen 2,000 flights grounded, it will fly 25 less aircraft between November and March.
The firm has been forced into the cancellations after miscalculating pilot leave.
Taking more flights out of service means that Ryanair will be able to roster all of the extra pilot leave necessary in October, November and December, the budget airline said.
As a result, 34 routes are suspended for the winter season from November to March 2018.
They include several popular routes used by British travellers, including London Stansted to Edinburgh and Glasgow, Gatwick to Belfast, Newcastle to Faro, and Glasgow to Las Palmas.
The move will add to mounting anger over Ryanair, which has come under heavy fire after recently shelving up to 50 flights every day for six weeks.
(Niall Carson/PA)
Boss Michael OLeary has blamed the move on mismanagement of pilots annual leave, leading to the over-allocation of blocks of holidays.
The flight cancellations has so far cost the airline around 25 million euro.
Ryanair said the latest step will eliminate all risk of further flight cancellations and remove the risk of similar problems recurring next year.
The firm also plans to roll out a series of low fare seat sales for winter 2017 as it is confident that there will be no further roster related cancellations.
It argued less than 1% of the 50 million customers Ryanair will carry this winter are impacted and all affected passengers have received an email alerting them and offering alternative flights or full refunds.
(Niall Carson/PA)
They have also received a 40 euro travel voucher.
Mr OLeary said in a statement: We sincerely apologise to those customers who have been affected by last weeks flight cancellations, or these sensible schedule changes announced today.
From today, there will be no more rostering related flight cancellations this winter or in summer 2018.
Slower growth this winter will create lots of spare aircraft and crews which will allow us to manage the exceptional volumes of annual leave we committed to delivering in the nine months to December 2017. We will start a new 12 month leave period on the 1st of Jan 2018 in full compliance with EU regulations and the IAAs requirements.
The firm also said that it has scrapped plans to bid for bankrupt Italian airline Alitalia in order to focus on repairing this rostering problem this winter.
Ryanair will eliminate all management distractions starting with its interest in Alitalia, the group said.
Alex Neill, managing director of Which? home and product services, said: This situation is a complete and utter shambles that now extends to up to nearly three quarters of a million people. The news means that for some of its passengers, Ryanair has effectively cancelled Christmas.
On top of leaving the travel plans of many in tatters, offering a 40 euro voucher will be cold comfort for passengers that cant book the flight they need.
Opinion / Columnist
It is high time that consumers come out in defense of their rights as they name and shame unscrupulous business in the wake of the recent price hikes, that President Robert Mugabe has described as acts of sabotage.It is disheartening to notice how most of the shops in the high density suburbs hiked their prices over the weekend following a false alarm by some cyber-trolls on social media who claimed that shortages of basic commodities were imminent.Besides, the price hike, the same shops had the audacity to stop accepting plastic money and eco-cash transactionsFor instance, at a supermarket at Glen-Norah, Chitubu, a 2 litres bottle of cooking oil was increased from $3.50 to $5.Such corrupt activities by retailers should not go unchecked. Thanks to President Mugabe who has said Government is seized with the matter, assuring the nation that within the day or two things would have reverted to normalcy.If the war against corrupt business practices is to be won, consumers should speak out against retailers who have the propensity of hiking prices of commodities for no apparent reason, which later causes unnecessary panic buying.The recent price hikes of goods and commodities by some unscrupulous retailers in shops should not go unchecked, to ensure we do not have a repeat of the malpractice in the foreseeable future.Whereas, most people were in a panic mode and made impulsive buying it is reassuring to note that most big retail shops like OK, Pick 'n' Pay and Choppies are fully packed with the commodities that caused the pandemonium over the weekend.In its efforts to protect the rights of consumers, the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) should be encouraged to assist consumers by investigating and enforcing arrest of retail shops which joined the frenzy of increasing prices.Additionally, reports have it that most unlicensed supermarkets and tuck shop owners are hoarding basic goods with a view of reselling those commodities at the parallel market which they are anticipating to recur as what happened in 2008.These backyard tuck shop retailers are benefitting more than they should as they are operating without licenses and most of their goods are the proceeds of smuggling.Government, through the National Competitiveness Commission should ensure that all retailers who do not comply with its set measures should have their licenses terminated.Also, fuel operators insisting on cash and turning away customers who would want to use plastic money should be reined in. Some of the fuel operators are alleged to use the excuse of network challenges or broken down point of sale machines. This has been causing long queues at filling stations were plastic money is accepted, hence, leading to speculation that there is fuel shortages in the country.In that regard, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), which has been working hand and glove with fuel operators, should also investigate on these deceitful fuel operators. Fuel is one of the most critical economic enabler which can either destabilize or stabilize an economy. To that end, fuel prices and its accessibility can have ripple effects in all sectors of the economy.The truth of the matter is that, all licensed fuel operators are given foreign currency by RBZ to import fuel; consequently, they have no apparent reason to turn away those who would want to purchase fuel using plastic money.Therefore, consumers should be encouraged to name and shame unscrupulous retail shops and fuel operators by reporting them to the responsible authorities as a way of curbing economic malpractices that affect our economic revival plans.
Ilkay Gundogan has offered his support to Manchester City team-mate Benjamin Mendy with the defender facing a lengthy lay-off due to a knee injury.
Left-back Mendy was hurt in a tackle on Andros Townsend during Citys 5-0 win over Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium last Saturday. The France international is to visit Barcelona-based specialist Dr Ramon Cugat for a full assessment of the injury this week but manager Pep Guardiola has said he could be out for a long time.
Midfielder Gundogan has only just returned to action himself after spending nine months on the sidelines following knee surgery, so he can sympathise.
Ilkay Gundogan
The German said: I think our task now is just to support him and just to be there if he needs something from us. I know how difficult these kinds of situations are. Theres not really much to talk about at the moment but we wish him a very speedy recovery and we support him in every way.
Gundogan suffered another injury scare after taking a blow to his other knee during his first start since last December, in the Carabao Cup tie at West Brom.
But the problem did not prove to be serious and the 26-year-old came off the bench in Tuesdays Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Gundogan said: Im just happy that I returned that quickly after that hard tackle. I tried to train on the Friday and I still felt a little bit in my knee.
On Saturday it was not possible to be in the squad but I trained on Sunday and Monday and I felt good, so Im just happy to return that quickly.
France defender Raphael Varane has agreed a new five-year contract with Real Madrid.
The 24-year-old centre-back, who moved to the Bernabeu from Lens in 2011, has helped Real win LaLiga once and the Champions League three times.
@raphaelvarane has agreed a new deal with Real Madrid until June 30, 2022. #Varane2022https://t.co/Bq13vHD0sJ Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) September 27, 2017
A statement published on Reals official website said Varanes new deal would run until the end of June 2022.
A planned strike on Friday by pilots at Thomas Cook in a dispute over pay has been called off.
Members of the British Airline Pilots Association will be balloted on whether to go to arbitration to resolve the row.
Thomas Cook said in a statement: Following talks between Balpa and Thomas Cook this week, Balpa has called off the strike scheduled for this Friday.
Thomas Cook plane
BALPA has suspended strike plan for Friday while we consult with members on escalating the strikes to eight days in Oct. Alternatively, there is arbitration option, but Thomas Cook has not yet indicated they would be prepared to accept this as a means of resolving pilot dispute. BALPA (@BALPApilots) September 27, 2017
Balpa is now consulting its members on a plan to go to arbitration. Thomas Cook remains keen to resolve this dispute in the interest of all those involved. We await the response of Balpas members.
The pilots staged a 24-hour strike last weekend.
Balpa general secretary Brian Strutton said: Balpa has suspended the strike plan for Friday while we consult with members on escalating the strikes to eight days in October.
Alternatively, there is the option of arbitration, but at the moment Thomas Cook has not indicated they would be prepared to accept this as a means of resolving their dispute with their pilots.
Television celebrity Noel Edmonds has described Lloyds boss Antonio Horta Osorio as a shit banker or a liar in relation to the chief executives knowledge of a fraud scandal at HBOS.
The former Deal Or No Deal presenter, who is seeking 300 million in compensation from Lloyds Banking Group after falling victim to fraud at the hands of former HBOS Reading staff, said he wanted to see more people banned from the City in light of alleged misconduct.
He singled out the Lloyds boss, suggesting he must have known about the misdeeds of staff at HBOS, which the banking group rescued at the height of the financial crisis.
Mr Edmonds said: Horta Osorio cant have it both ways youre either really good at your job and therefore you know about wrongdoing in your business, or youre not.
So, I dont see how he can keep saying, and shrug his shoulders, that we didnt know about all that was going on in HBOS or Lloyds, because, Mr Osorio, its your job to know. So, youre either a shit banker, or youre a liar.
However, Lloyds denied Mr Edmonds allegations.
A spokesman for the bank said: Although HBOS was aware of allegations regarding HBOS Reading, investigations undertaken at the time could only consider information directly held by the bank, which was shared with regulators.
While concerns regarding the misconduct of certain HBOS individuals were identified, there was not sufficient evidence to establish criminal behaviour.
Lloyds has put aside cash to help compensate victims of the HBOS Reading scandal (PA)
Lloyds has set aside 100 million for victims of the fraud at the hands of HBOS Reading staff between 2003 and 2007.
Corrupt financiers from the branch were jailed earlier this year for the 245 million loans scam which destroyed several businesses, before they squandered the profits on high-end prostitutes and luxury holidays.
The Lloyds spokesman added: We are co-operating fully with the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) investigation into the discovery and reporting of misconduct at HBOS at the time The group is determined to get to the bottom of what went on and a thorough investigation is being conducted.
Mr Edmonds was speaking on a panel organised by the SME Alliance in London on Wednesday, which was aimed at small business owners who claim they were mistreated or financially ruined by the likes of banks including HBOS, Lloyds and RBS controversial restructuring unit
The TV star said he was also recently contacted by Financial Conduct Authority boss Andrew Bailey after receiving a leaked copy of the financial watchdogs Section 166 report into the activities of RBS global restructuring group (GRG).
Andrew Bailey at the FCA sent me a letter, making it very clear that if I did anything other than keep it to myself, its a criminal offence, Mr Edmonds said.
The FCA has so far refused to publicly publish a report into RBS restructuring unit (PA)
RBS turnaround unit GRG is alleged to have intentionally pushed businesses towards failure in hopes of picking up their assets on the cheap.
Select MPs as well as the SME Alliance and lawyers suing on behalf of affected victims are calling for a full release of the report but Britains financial watchdog has so far refused to make it public.
Mr Bailey has previously said publishing the review would mean revealing confidential information about the individuals who contributed to the Section 166 report.
Mr Edmonds said RBS would be brought to its knees by the number of claims it would receive if the report was published in full.
The claims that RBS would receive would be in excess of 100 billion. The bank is worth a quarter of that. It would be the end of RBS. What would it to do the UK economy?
He added: Ive come to the conclusion that the publication of the report is in the victims interest.
As a victim of Lloyds I understand why victims want it to be published. I hope you understand why I regard this is a complex question.
Ripples in space-time generated by the cataclysmic collision of two black holes nearly two billion years ago have been captured by super-sensitive detectors in the US and Italy.
It is the first time the Virgo facility near Pisa has picked up a significant gravitational wave signal, marking a new turning point for scientists hunting the strange phenomenon.
Gravitational waves, which have only been observed four times in total, are distortions in the fabric of space-time created by some of the most violent events in the universe.
Institute of Gravitational Research
4th #GravitationalWave detection #GW170814
For the first time by the 3-detector LIGO-Virgo global network
More info: https://t.co/BlxtzgGebt pic.twitter.com/iI7LTxmb7W EGO & the Virgo Collaboration (@ego_virgo) September 27, 2017
Predicted by Albert Einstein 100 years ago, they cause anything in their path to stretch and compress by an unimaginably tiny degree.
It is this minuscule change amounting to a distance 1,000 times smaller than the width of a proton, the heart of an atom that the scientists are looking for.
Using a network of American and European detectors for the first time, the international team was able to trace the latest source of gravitational waves to the merger of two black holes 1.8 billion light years away.
It has taken 1.8 billion years for the waves travelling at the speed of light to reach the Earth.
The event, code-named GW170814, produced a new spinning black hole with 53 times the mass of the sun. During its violent birth, the equivalent of three solar masses was converted into gravitational wave energy.
British scientists played a key role in the discovery, as they did in the first ever confirmed detection of gravitational waves in September 2015.
The full line up of #gravitationalwaves waveforms for the confirmed and candidates detections announced so far, including #GW170814 pic.twitter.com/RHVF6AUNCR LIGO (@LIGO) September 27, 2017
Professor Andreas Freise, from the University of Birminghams Institute of Gravitational Wave Astronomy, said: Once again, we have detected echoes from colliding black holes but this time we can pinpoint the position of the black holes much more accurately thanks to the addition of the Virgo detector to the advanced detector network.
Around ten years ago I was in charge of designing the core interferometer of the Advanced Virgo project. To see that instrument become a reality, and now helping to deliver significant results, is really special.
Colleague Dr John Veitch, from the University of Glasgows School of Physics and Astronomy, who co-led the team carrying out analysis of the signal, said: The addition to the network of a signal from Virgo provided us with a lot of useful data.
Projects like @ego_virgo and @ligo are international and long-term. Commitments of countries and funding agencies are key to their success! https://t.co/zXmtXKnlhr EGO & the Virgo Collaboration (@ego_virgo) September 27, 2017
Having a third detector means that we can now triangulate the position of the source, and much more accurately determine the exact spot in the cosmos where the signal came from.
We go through multiple stages of analysis. The first is filtering the data from the detectors, which provides us with triggers for possible detections, which are then checked against the data from the other detectors.
When a match between detectors is found, we can begin looking in more detail at the data to determine the mass and the position of the source, and start sharing data with other partners across the world.
The first gravitational wave detection in 2015 was made by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (Ligo) in the US. It too was the result of a pair of colliding black holes wrenching the fabric of space-time.
Two more Ligo detections quickly followed, also traced to merging black holes.
Ligo consists of two L-shaped detectors 1,865 miles (3,002 km) apart in Livingston, Louisiana and Hanford, Washington. Each arm of the L is a 2.5 mile (4km) long pipe containing a system of mirrors.
A passing gravitational wave will cause a tiny mismatch in the length of the two arms. Laser beams fired through the pipes and bouncing off the mirrors are used to spot the discrepancy and alert the scientists.
Learn more about the new #GravitationalWaves detection in the plain English "Science Summary".https://t.co/PfGArB7Nzh Dr. Amber L. Stuver (@livingligo) September 27, 2017
The Virgo detector, based in Cascina, near Pisa, works the same way and has two three kilometre-long arms. A first version of the detector began operating in 2007 before a major upgrade to Advanced Virgo that was completed this year.
The new findings have been accepted for publication in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Sept 27 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Wednesday.
FISCAL CHANGES
The Senate's budget-finance commission approved substantial changes to two government bills on Tuesday regarding a fuel tax hike and the introduction of a split VAT payment system that has been widely criticised by the private sector.
The commission decided to cancel a hike in excise duties for fuels. It also decided to postpone making a split VAT payment system mandatory by one year to 2019. If the commission's amendment is approved by parliament, only state firms and companies doing business with the state would have to comply from next year. It was unclear when parliament would give a final vote on the bills.
ANTI-CORRUPTION
Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors accused the justice minister on Tuesday of interfering in a criminal investigation involving two senior government officials.
GAS TARIFFS
Gas tariffs for households will rise by 6 percent on average from October, Romanian energy regulator ANRE director Emil Calota was quoted saying by state news agency Agerpres.
CEE MARKETS
The forint regained some ground on Tuesday, after weakening since the central bank loosened monetary policy a week ago, but it remained near five-month lows.
MEAT PRODUCERS
The world's largest pork supplier WH Group Ltd said on Tuesday its Smithfield Foods Inc unit would buy two packaged meats manufacturers in Romania, further expanding the Chinese group's operations in Europe.
U.S.-based Smithfield has agreed to buy a 100 percent stake in Elit SRL and Vericom SRL for an undisclosed sum, the Chinese pork producer said in a filing to the Hong Kong bourse.
BREXIT
Great Britain believes there are roughly half a million Romanians working in the UK and it would be crazy to let them go back to their country after London's EU exit, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told state news agency Agerpres during a visit to Bucharest. "We want to keep them, make sure they feel safe and that their rights are protected," he added.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Corporate governance would disappear in Romania, if amendments to corporate governance legislation, currently under debate in parliament are adopted, said investment fund Fondul Proprietatea manager Greg Konieczny.
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Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Wednesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 2 hours):
COURTS
Changes in the justice system must be far-reaching, but cannot be revolutionary, President Andrzej Duda told Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily in an interview, adding he had always represented a "moderate" wing in the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party.
PESA
Train producer PESA is in talks with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) regarding potential recapitalisation, Puls Biznesu daily reported citing sources.
PGE
State-run utility PGE has received information from its contractors - including Rafako - that the planned completion of units 5 and 6 in the Opole power plant may be postponed until Dec. 20, 2018 and July 31, 2019, respectively.
The units 5 and 6 were due to be completed by July 31, 2018 and March 31, 2019, respectively.
****Reuters has not verified stories reported by Polish media and does not vouch for their accuracy.****
For other related news, double click on: Polish equities E.Europe equities Polish money Polish debt Eastern Europe All emerging markets Hot stocks Stock markets Market debt news Forex news For real-time index quotes, double click on: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX (Reporting by Warsaw Bureau)
By Muyu Xu and Manolo Serapio Jr
QINGDAO, China, Sept 27 (Reuters) - China's largest physical iron ore trading platform expects its trade volumes, affected this year by volatile prices for the steelmaking commodity, to recover in 2018 and reach 100 million tonnes in the next five years, its president said.
Volume traded on the Beijing Iron Ore Trading Center Corporation (COREX) would breach 30 million tonnes this year, said You Song, but may be lower than the 35.35 million tonnes recorded in 2016.
"Trading was more active when prices went up ... and traders normally hold their steps when prices fall," You told Reuters on the sidelines of an industry conference.
The price of iron ore <.IO62-CNO=MB> has dropped by nearly a third from this year's peak, trading at $64.95 a tonne on Tuesday.
Planned steel production cuts in China during winter may also reduce trading volumes, You said.
Chinese steel mills will face output curbs of as much as 50 percent from November through March as part of Beijing's war against air pollution.
Some cities in top steelmaking province Hebei have even ordered mills to enforce the production curtailment a month earlier than expected.
"The environmental inspection and output cutbacks in winter may have some impact on iron ore trade volumes," said You.
But he said he was confident that trading volumes at COREX would rise to 40 million tonnes in 2018 and to 100 million tonnes over the next five years, with its membership widening and with global miners likely to increase transactions via the platform.
COREX, where cargoes from top iron ore suppliers Vale , Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are among those changing hands, is considering including more products such as coking coal and copper.
"We won't exclude the possibility of adding more products in addition to iron ore, as long as there is demand in the market ... But iron ore will always be our core business and major focus," said You.
(Reporting by Muyu Xu and Manolo Serapio Jr.; Editing by Joseph Radford)
ABUJA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Cameroon's army has forcibly deported at least 100,000 Nigerians who have fled an insurgency by Islamist militant group Boko Haram since early 2015 and subjected some to torture, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday.
The deportations violate international and Cameroonian law and constitute one of the world's largest recent cases of illegal forced repatriation, the rights group said in a report.
They could also have intensified one of the world's largest humanitarian crises by sending people in dire need of aid back to northeast Nigeria, it said.
Cameroon's minister of communications declined to comment on HRW's report.
Nigeria is struggling to cope with millions of people dependent on emergency relief for food, shelter and medicine, victims of an eight-year conflict in which at least 20,000 have been killed.
At least 10.7 million people are in need of assistance in the region, mainly in Nigeria but also in Chad, Niger and Cameroon, according to the United Nations.
The forced returns are a "flagrant breach" of international and Cameroonian law and fly in the face of pleas by the United Nations and other aid groups, said the report, drawn in part from interviews with former asylum seekers and refugees.
"Cameroon's army has been aggressively screening newly arriving Nigerians at the border, subjecting some to torture and other forms of abuse, and containing them in far-flung and under-serviced border villages," the report said.
"This policy of blocking asylum seekers from accessing protection has made it easier for Cameroon to deport them," it said, adding that the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) has been denied access.
A UNHCR spokesman in Nigeria's capital of Abuja declined to comment, and the agency's representative in Cameroon did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Cameroon signed a treaty in March with Nigeria and the UNHCR to ensure that all refugee returns are voluntary but the rights group said Cameroon's violations had continued.
Cameroonian soldiers tortured, beat to death and sexually exploited some of them, said HRW.
"They humiliated us like animals and beat us like we were slaves," one interviewee told the rights group. His brother died from the resulting internal bleeding, he said.
Some deportees, including children, were so malnourished or sick they did not survive their return to Nigeria, said HRW. (Reporting by Paul Carsten; Additional reporting by Josiane Kouagheu in Yaounde; editing by Matt Bigg and John Stonestreet)
By Tom Allard and Agustinus Beo Da Costa
JAKARTA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Indonesian police will deploy as many as 30,000 personnel to guard an anti-communist rally on Friday, as the countrys military chief and Islamist groups stoke fears of a hard left revival in the worlds most populous Muslim nation.
Protesters will gather outside Indonesias parliament on the eve of the 52nd anniversary of the murder of six Army generals and a young lieutenant by rebel armed forces personnel, an incident that led to a retaliatory pogrom that killed at least 500,000 alleged communists.
The massacres ushered in more than 30 years of authoritarian rule under Suharto, the former general who led the communist purge.
Earlier this month, Armed Forces Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo instructed military officers to screen a Suharto-era propaganda film depicting the deaths of the generals and the crushing of an alleged Communist coup to "prevent what happened in 1965 from recurring".
The three-and-a-half-hour film, criticised by historians for inaccuracies and failing to depict the massacre of leftists, has been widely shown in villages and mosques in the past week. During Suharto's rule, it was broadcast annually on the night of Sept 30th, the date of the alleged abortive coup. It was also compulsory viewing for students.
Indonesias Communist Party, once one of the worlds largest, remains outlawed, and there appears to be little evidence of a Marxist ideology taking hold in Indonesia.
Instead, analysts and government advisers said, the fomenting of a "red scare" was aimed at Indonesias reformist president Joko Widodo, widely known as Jokowi, and long falsely accused of being the descendant of communists.
Indonesias growing economic ties with China are also frequently cited by those concerned about rising communist influence in Indonesia.
"I see Jokowi being the factor behind the rise of communism in Indonesia because of the cooperative relationship with China," said Yudi Syamhudi Suyuti, one of the protest organisers and a failed political candidate for the opposition Gerindra Party, in comments posted online.
ISLAMIC DEFENDERS FRONT
Fridays rally has been organised by hardline Islamist groups led by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).
"We reject and fight against the awakening of the Indonesian Communist Party," Slamet Maarif, the chairman of the rallys organising committee and spokesman for the FPI, told Reuters.
The FPI led huge rallies last year that successfully demanded the jailing for blasphemy of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Jakartas then governor and an ethnic Chinese Christian.
Maarif predicted 50,000 protesters would join Friday's rally, which will also urge parliament to overturn a presidential regulation allowing the government to ban mass organisations deemed a threat to national unity. Hizbut Tahrir, an Islamist group that wants Indonesia to become a caliphate, was disbanded under the regulation in July.
A Jakarta police spokesman, Argo Yuwono, expected only 15,000 people to turn up.
"We will deploy 30,000 police personnel," he said on Tuesday, noting the risk that more could arrive. During an anti-Purnama rally in December last year, police arrested eight people for treason in an alleged plot for protesters to occupy the parliament building.
"We have anticipated all," Yuwono said.
On Wednesday, a national police spokesman Setyo Wasisto, said police would adapt their deployment depending on the number of protesters. "We have prepared for defending parliament," he said.
Tobias Basuki, an Indonesian political analyst, said Nurmantyo had clear political ambitions. The armed forces chief, due to retire in March, courted further controversy this month when he falsely claimed 5,000 weapons had been illegally imported "on behalf" of Widodo.
"Theres not much evidence at all of a communist revival but as we head to the 2019 election the communist fear-mongering is being used by various groups," said Basuki. "We are seeing a coalescing conspiracy theory from military groups and Islamist groups for political purposes."
Nurmantyo has declined to publicly comment after the chief security minister and defence minister corrected his claim about the imported weapons. A military spokesman, Major General Wuryanto, said Nurmantyo did not "carry out political moves".
SMEAR CAMPAIGN
Widodo was the subject of a smear campaign during the 2014 presidential election claiming he was a descendant of Communists and had Chinese ancestry. The campaign, mostly prosecuted on social media, coincided with a fall in Widodos high approval ratings at the time.
In a sign of the potency and persistence of the rumours, both Widodo and his mother Sujiatmi Notomiharjo have this year publicly denied any communist links.
The military has resisted attempts by rights groups and academics to discuss the 1965 slaughter, one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century. It's not popular with segments of the public, either. Earlier this month, protesters clashed with police as they tried to break up a seminar in Jakarta on the 1965 killings.
Bonnie Triyana, an Indonesian historian, said the country has never fully acknowledged or become reconciled over the anti-communist killings even after Indonesia became a democracy in 1998. Most Indonesians had little idea of the scale of the pogrom, he said. "Politicians today exploit the collective amnesia of the people," he said. (Additional reporting by Jessica Damiana and Kartika.; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
Opinion / Columnist
"Nhamo inenharo!" (There is no one more foolishly stubborn than a fool!) as one would say in Shona.The question of whether Zimbabweans should continue to contest the Zanu PF managed elections was answered after the 2008 elections when the regime showed that its vote rigging powers had reached such nauseating heights, it was impossible to beat them. Mugabe was not just using a loaded dice, he was now using one with six on all six sides. SADC leaders recognised that and hence the reason why they have argued for the implementation of the democratic reforms before holding any further elections. It is therefore tedious that we should still have any Zimbabwean out there still calling for elections with no reforms!"ZUNDE calls on the people of Zimbabwe to mount a sustained mass public demonstration by registering and voting in numbers never seen before," argued Moses Chamboko, that party's Secretary General."ZUNDE calls on all opposition groups to unite in this campaign to inspire every eligible Zimbabwean to enrol and vote."The long delayed, BVR voter registration exercise finally started two weeks ago and will end 15 January 2018, four months later. This is not enough time to register 7 million and produce a verifiable voters' roll. Worse still, there are not enough voter registration centres and the process is very slow, only 100 or less are registered per day. All this is to deliberately frustrate the opposition's voter mobilization drive. Chamboko does not deny the regime's dirty tactics are working but instead of finally accepting the futility of his efforts, he is asking people to redouble their efforts"Boycotting is not an option. A boycott would simply give Mugabe and ZANU PF a free pass to continue in power for another five years. Even if significant numbers boycott the elections, given the multiplicity of opposition parties, some of them creations of ZANU PF, there are those who will participate anyway. They may even congratulate Mugabe for winning the election thereby giving legitimacy to a flawed process and results," argued Chamboko."Ideally, we would want electoral reform and transparency before going into another election but we have to accept the reality of Jonathan Moyo's often repeated assertion that Mugabe and ZANU PF are not going to reform themselves out of power. To them, a free and fair election is political suicide. We have to carry on regardless and achieve by force of numbers what we are unable to bring about by electoral reform."We have all heard those empty arguments before and so, for the umpteenth time, we must present counter arguments. There are six points the likes of Chamboko have failed to understand:1) People like Chamboko and Dr Nkosana Moyo have talked about only 40% voted in the 2013 elections and argue the opposition will win if the mobilise the 60% who did not vote. This is a nonsense argument because it assumes the 60% did not bother to register as voters and/or vote. As we have seen above the regime has many ways of stopping people to register as voters, of denying registered voters the vote, of allowing its supporters to cast multiple votes, etc.Zanu PF has been rigging vote, that is surely beyond disputing, and statics coming out of rigged elections are, of course, nonsensical because the figures do not relate to real but fictitious people.2) MDC contested the July 2013 elections, confident "MDC's mass support would overwhelm any vote rigging shenanigans by Zanu PF," as Tsvangirai later admitted. Wrong; whatever Winning In Rigged Elections (WIRE) strategies, as MDC now call them, had in 2013, they did not work.Chamboko's voter mobilization drive and all the other WIRE strategies the opposition have come up with are not new and none will stop Zanu PF rigging the vote and winning the elections. None!3) It was not because Zanu PF would not reform itself out of office that not even one reform was implemented during the GNU. Yes, Mugabe was cunning enough to bribe Tsvangirai and company no forget about the reforms; but that is not the same thing. The reason why not even one reform was implemented in five years of the GNU because MDC leaders are breathtakingly corrupt and incompetent. The failure to acknowledge MDC's incompetence by MDC leaders themselves and Zimbabweans themselves has left the nation stuck in a rut; fighting for democratic change but using individuals with no clue what those changes are much less how to bring about the changesOf course, it is naive to expect Zanu PF to implement the reforms after the GNU this is exactly why SADC leaders wanted the reforms implemented during the GNU and, when that did not happen, wanted the 2013 elections postponed until the reforms were implemented. Now that 2013 election took place and Zanu PF is back in power, the solution is to boycott next year's elections.4) When SADC leaders proposed that MDC should boycotting the 2013 elections until reforms are implemented, of course, they knew many other opposition politicians would contest regardless how flawed and illegal the process happened to be. To even suggest SADC leaders were not aware there will be many opposition opportunists willing to step in and contest is a reflection of Chamboko's own political naivety.What mattered was that a few opposition parties saw the futility of contesting flawed elections and boycotted. The very fact that not even one opposition politician with the political stature to make a principled stand even on a matter of such grave importance only show the sorry state of Zimbabwe politics. Even in their darkest hour Sodom and Gomorrah names three or so good people; in our hour of great need, SADC leaders failed to get even one Zimbabwean politician of substance! Not one!Having, even, a handful of honest Zimbabwean politicians making a principled stand of demanding reforms elections would have proven that it was not just SADC leaders who considered reforms important but Zimbabweans too. There is no doubt that SADC leaders would have declared the July 2013 elections a sham if they had had a few Zimbabweans behind them, after all they are the ones who had dismissed them as such even before the elections."If you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done," SADC leaders warned Morgan Tsvangirai & co. in June 2013, according to Dr Ibbo Mandaza who attended the Maputo summit.Mugabe had the choice to either postpone the elections or have the sham elections rejected either way this would have forced the revisiting of the reforms. To argue that Zanu PF would have ignored SADC's decision to recognise his 2013 victory is a nonsense because he faced the same situation in 2008 and that led to the GNU. Mugabe knows that not even he can defy the whole world.5) The opposition parties did not remove Zanu PF from office by contesting the flawed 2013 election, as we can see; all that has happened is postpone the decision to boycott elections. It was madness to contest the 2013 elections with no reforms it is even more so now that the rigged 2013 proved this to be the can. There is no excuse for Zimbabwe's opposition politicians in contesting next year's elections; none other than greed.It is no secret that Zanu PF has been giving away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to contest the flawed elections. Small price for Zanu PF to pay for the political credibility the opposition give the flawed process.6) It is almost certain that this time SADC will dismiss Zimbabwe's next year election as a sham even if Tsvangirai and everyone in the opposition camp contest the flawed elections as happened in 2013. The one reason being that SADC leaders know Tsvangirai and his MDC friends are corrupt and incompetent and have lost all political credibility. The second reason is that SADC leaders now know the mess in Zimbabwe is threatening the development and stability of the whole region and allowing Mugabe to do as he please is no longer an option.37 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption has left Zimbabwe in a real economic mess. Unemployment has soared to 90% and Zimbabweans are today the poorest in Africa. The country is tittering on the edge of political instability and another rigged election next year may push it over the edge. Zimbabwe's economic and political problems have affected its neighbours, especially SA and Botswana, whose have hosted many Zimbabweans economic and/or political refugees.SADC leaders can help bring about meaningful democratic change in Zimbabwe by refusing to endorse another flawed and illegal election next year. Whoever, be it SADC or the UN, who steps in to help bring about democratic reforms in Zimbabwe, they will know nothing of substance will be achieved until the reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging elections are implemented."We must be determined and persistent. Each one must do whatever it takes to register to vote. It is better to be on that queue for hours than endure another five long years of ZANU PF misrule and madness," argued Chamboko.Zimbabweans have risked life and limb for freedom and liberty before independence and since for democratic change but only to be betrayed by both Mugabe and Tsvangirai. Asking the people to make even greater personal sacrifices in this case has not brought about any political or economic change and benefits because it has all been a total waste. Tsvangirai and company had the golden opportunities to deliver the democratic changes the nation has been dying for, literally, but failed to deliver even one change. So, there is a crying need for the nation to replace the corrupt and incompetent opposition.Second, Mugabe and Zanu PF will never be dislodged from power as long as they continue to exercise carte blanche dictatorial powers to blatantly rig the elections and wanton violence to impose their will. Boycotting the elections will force Zanu PF to accept reforms just as the regime was forced to during the GNU.Boycotting the elections is a tacit acknowledgement that elections without reforms are a mockery of every democratic elections should be. Zanu PF vote rigging has reach new heights, Mugabe is playing with a dice with six on all six sides and it is madness to bet on him failing to throw a six, especially when it is the economy and human lives at stake. Boycotting such flawed and illegal elections is the only option on the table because to do anything else is to tacitly endorse the process and give it credibility.The argument that we must contest the elections come what may, it absurd!After 37 years of trying to win rigged elections it is madness to keep contesting flawed elections and hoping for it different result! Hard work alone is not enough, we must work smarter and that means accepting when something has failed and try something else.By insisting on implementing the democratic reforms before elections we will guarantee for ourselves and posterity free, fair and credible elections. We will finally get rid of the Zanu PF dictatorship, they will never ever win free and fair election. And once implemented, the democratic reforms will open-up our political system to meaningful free flow of ideas, full public debate and democratic competition; forcing the corrupt and incompetent opposition politicians to up their game or they too will be booted off the political stage.So, by implementing the reforms, we end the Zanu PF dictatorship and replace it will a health and functional democratic system of government and force the opposition to be competent or ship out. In my rural boy mentality, that is killing two birds with one stone and getting the stone back!
By Sanjeev Miglani
NEW DELHI, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Indian troops exchanged gunfire on Wednesday with separatist guerrillas in a remote northeastern region bordering Myanmar, killing or wounding several of the insurgents, army officials said.
The army was carrying out an operation against the separatist group, which is believed to have 2,000 guerrillas battling for an independent Greater Nagaland state carved out of India.
An army patrol retaliated swiftly upon coming under heavy fire from the rebels, the Indian Army's eastern command, headquartered in the city of Kolkata, said in a statement.
"Heavy casualties reportedly inflicted on NSCN-K cadre," it said, using an acronym for the group, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang. "No casualties suffered by Indian security forces."
Wednesday's operation was confined to the Indian side of the border, it added.
In 2015, Indian special forces crossed into Myanmar to hunt down guerrillas of the group who had taken shelter in the neighbouring country.
That year the group launched a series of attacks on security forces in India's northeast, to scrap a ceasefire it had observed with New Delhi since 2001.
In recent years, the militaries of India and Myanmar have built close ties, with each pledging not to allow insurgent groups to shelter in its territory.
India has condemned attacks in August by Rohingya insurgents on security posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state that provoked a military crackdown, causing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee the country. (Additional reporting by Zarir Hussain in GUWAHATI, India; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
ABIDJAN, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Top grower Ivory Coast will set its minimum cocoa price for farmers at between 750 and 800 CFA francs ($1.38-$1.47) per kilogramme for the 2017/18 main crop, higher than previously indicated, sources said.
The West African nation was hit hard by a sharp drop in world prices last season, which forced it to slash the farmer price by 36 percent to 700 CFA francs a kilogramme in March.
The minimum price is based on the average price the anticipated crop garners during forward sales, and the Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) had initially recommended to the government a range of 700 to 750 CFA francs.
However, President Alassane Ouattara gave orders to increase that price range, the sources at the marketing board and prime minister's office said on Wednesday.
"The instructions from the president are clear. The price gap with Ghana must be as small as possible," the CCC source said.
Neighbouring Ghana is expected to maintain its price levels from this season, raising fears that the resulting price difference could provoke large-scale smuggling of Ivorian beans into the world's No. 2 producer.
The government was due to announce Ivory Coast's guaranteed price after a cabinet meeting later on Wednesday. The 2017/18 cocoa season opens on Oct. 1. ($1 = 543.3800 CFA francs) (Reporting by Ange Aboa, writing by Joe Bavier, editing by Louise Heavens and Susan Fenton)
By Elias Biryabarema
KAMPALA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Fistfights in parliament have led Uganda to ban live broadcasts of events "inciting the public," according to a notice from its communications regulator.
The fights broke out in parliament on Tuesday between lawmakers opposing plans to change laws and extend President Yoweri Museveni's rule and those in favour. The lawmakers threw punches, hurled chairs and shoved and banged on benches.
Uganda's two major privately owned TV stations, including a local unit of Kenya's Nation Media Group, and some radio stations carried the proceedings live.
Uganda Communications Commission said in a notice on Wednesday that radios and television stations should stop live broadcasts of events that "are inciting the public, discriminating, stirring up hatred, promoting a culture of violence ... and are likely to create public insecurity."
The notice was dated Sep. 26, but a commission executive, Godfrey Mutabazi, told Reuters it was sent to all broadcast media on Wednesday morning.
Critics say the action underscores a crackdown in the East African country against anyone questioning a planned constitutional amendment.
Under the existing constitution, eligibility to stand as a presidential candidate has an age ceiling of 75 years. That makes Museveni, 73, in power for more than three decades, unqualified to seek re-election at the next polls in 2021. Removing the age cap would clear that hurdle.
The proposal to change the constitution has met widespread opposition from rights activists, the political opposition, religious leaders and from some members of Museveni's own ruling party.
Since last week, when a motion to kick-start the amendment process was supposed to be read but never made it to the floor, both police and military personnel have been deployed around the parliament and many parts of the capital, Kampala.
Protests by students and opposition activists and supporters in Kampala against the legislative measure - sometimes broadcast live - have been put down with teargas and arrests of scores.
Media in Uganda routinely complain of harassment by security personnel. Journalists say they have been beaten, detained or their equipment damaged or confiscated during coverage of anti-government demonstrations.
On Tuesday, anti-government protests also occurred in other parts of the country, including in the northern town of Lira. Three local journalists there were arrested as they covered the protests, according to Hudson Apunyo, an official in a journalists' association in the area.
Robert Ssempala, national coordinator for Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda, said banning live broadcasts was "to shut out Ugandans and keep them in the dark on the age limit debate" after the measure met broad resistance. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa, Larry King)
BAGHDAD, Sept 27 (Reuters) - A top ranking delegation from Iraq's armed forces headed to neighbouring Iran on Wednesday "to coordinate military efforts", according to a statement from the Iraqi military.
The statement did not give any details about the aim of the visit, believed to be part of retaliatory measures taken by the government in Baghdad following the independence referendum held in Iraq's northern Kurdish region on Monday.
Iran and Turkey also oppose any move towards Kurdish secession and their armies have started joint drills near their borders with Iraqi Kurdistan in recent days. Iraq and Turkey have also held joint military drills. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Catherine Evans)
ISTANBUL, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Thousands of Turkish volunteers are ready to fight in Kirkuk and other Iraqi cities to defend the country's Turkmen population, the head of Turkey's nationalist opposition said on Wednesday.
Devlet Bahceli said the minority Turkmen, who have close ethnic ties to Turkey, would not be abandoned in Kirkuk.
The city, home to Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens, has been controlled by Kurdish peshmerga fighters since 2014 and Kurdish authorities included it in this week's referendum for Kurdish independence in northern Iraq, angering the Baghdad government.
On Wednesday Iraq's parliament asked Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to send troops to take control of Kirkuk's oilfields, raising the possibility of military confrontation.
"At least 5,000 nationalist volunteers are ready and waiting to join the fight of existence, unity and peace in the Turkish cities where Turkmens live, notably Kirkuk," Bahceli, the head of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) said in a statement on the party's website.
"The Turkmens are not unprotected and alone. They will never be abandoned to painful ethnic genocide and statelessness. Our decision is definite, our position is clear, our word is our bond," Bahceli said.
Bahceli's party is not in government and does not set policy, but its staunchly nationalist agenda reflects the views of a segment of Turkish society which fiercely opposes the idea of an independent Kurdistan and supports Iraq's Turkmens.
Turkey has the largest Kurdish population in the region and fears that the referendum in northern Iraq will fuel separatism in its southeast where Kurdish PKK fighters have waged an insurgency for three decades.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also warned this week that Ankara would intervene militarily if the Turkmen population in Iraq was targeted. (Reporting by Daren Butler; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by David Dolan)
BELFAST, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Boeing said on Wednesday it had listened to Britain's concerns about jobs in Northern Ireland after it won the first round of a trade battle with Canada's Bombardier, the region's biggest manufacturer.
A spokesman said the U.S. aerospace giant remained committed to Britain after UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon warned Boeing it could lose out on UK defence contracts because of its dispute with its Canadian rival.
The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday slapped preliminary anti-subsidy duties on Bombardier's CSeries jets after Boeing accused Canada of unfairly subsidising the aircraft.
"We have heard and understand the concerns from the prime minister and the government about Bombardier workers in Northern Ireland. Boeing is committed to the UK and values the partnership, which stretches back almost 80 years," the spokesman for Boeing UK said by email.
The company has doubled its direct employment in the UK since 2011 and tripled its spending, he said.
"Any claimed economic threat to Bombardier is due to the weakness of its product in the marketplace," he added.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Victoria Bryan)
WARSAW, Sept 27 (Reuters) - A domestic coal shortage has forced Poland's largest coal exporter Weglokoks to order a shipment from the United States so that it can honour contracts with its overseas buyers.
Weglokoks said on Wednesday that it plans to resell the imported U.S. coal abroad, mostly to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany and Austria, but would also consider sales to customers in Poland in the future.
That would be likely to cause friction with Poland's energy ministry, which expects the country's utilities to buy and burn coal from domestic mines.
"We want the energy security in Poland to be guaranteed by Polish coal production," Energy Minister Krzysztof Tchorzewski told Reuters on Wednesday following the news from Weglokoks.
Poland's biggest coal mining firm PGG, which was saved from bankruptcy last year, is struggling to meet demand from its major clients - mostly state-run listed utilities, after cost-cutting led to lower investment.
Weglokoks, which is one of PGG shareholders as well as one of its clients, sees its coal exports at around 2.5 million tonnes this year down from 4 million tonnes in 2016.
"The fall results from a bigger demand on the domestic market, which has led to a limited access to coal for export," Weglokoks spokesman said in an e-mail.
The first test shipment from the U.S. of 75,000 tonnes of high-energy coal is expected to arrive in Poland in mid October, Weglokoks said, adding that it does not rule out more cargoes, also from Kazakhstan and Colombia.
Poland's Rzeczpospolita newspaper, which was first to report Weglokoks plans to import U.S. coal, said that the exporter is in advanced talks with Polish utilities, including the biggest power producer PGE on potential coal sales.
The Weglokoks spokesman declined to comment on this. (Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko and Pawel Sobczak; editing by Alexander Smith)
BERLIN, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The deputy leader of Germany's Free Democrats (FDP) on Wednesday welcomed conservatives' plan to nominate Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble as president of the Bundestag as a sign of Chancellor Angela Merkel's openness to a three-way coalition with the FDP and the pro-environment Greens.
Wolfgang Kubicki told the RND newspaper chain his party would demand a change in fiscal policy as part of such a "Jamaica coalition" - a name referring to the black, yellow and green colours of the Jamaican flag.
"I'm pleased about the signal of the chancellor in the direction of a possible 'Jamaica' coalition," Kubicki said. "In case the FDP becomes part of the government, a new fiscal policy will be of central importance."
Kubicki and FDP party leader Christian Lindner have both been mentioned as possible candidates for the finance ministry post. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Michael Nienaber)
By Tom Miles
GENEVA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - African countries launched an initiative at the United Nations on Wednesday which critics said was an 11th-hour spoiler to try to save Burundi from further investigations into alleged crimes against humanity.
The U.N. Human Rights Council had been expected to back a European Union resolution on Thursday extending the mandate of a U.N. Commission of Inquiry that has said top-level Burundian officials should be held accountable for atrocities.
But the African group of countries, led by Tunisia, called its own meeting on Wednesday and unveiled a rival resolution that praised Burundi for wishing to engage in dialogue and cooperate with the U.N., with no mention of renewing the U.N. inquiry.
Burundi's Ambassador Renovat Tabu said the U.N. inquiry was biased and its reports of violence and atrocities did not reflect reality.
"I am well placed to tell you that Burundi, while I talk to you here, Burundi is calm," he told the meeting.
Diplomats from the EU, the United States, Norway, Switzerland, Canada and Britain refused to debate the content of the African group's resolution and expressed frustration at seeing it with only 24 hours to go before the Council begins deciding on resolutions at the end of a three-week session.
The EU representative said the situation in Burundi appeared to be far from stable and serious human rights violations were believed to be continuing.
She added that the EU was puzzled that Burundi had attended meetings on the EU resolution but never raised concerns.
"Instead of sending us your comments ... you just tabled basically a competing text," she told Tabu.
The U.S. representative said Burundi's sudden commitment to co-operate, having previously refused to work with the U.N. inquiry, appeared to have begun no more than three days ago.
"I do hope this engagement continues but at the same time I don't think we can take less than 1 percent of the year as a reflection of what is to come," he told the meeting.
"At this point in time I think it would be a negative impact on the Council's credibility if there were not a renewal of the Commission of Inquiry."
The African group's bid to take responsibility for scrutiny of Burundi reflects a trend of African leaders bristling at tough questions from the U.N. and especially the International Criminal Court in the Hague. But human rights experts say African leaders often fail to hold their neighbours accountable.
"Burundis last-minute commitment to cooperate is not credible in light of its persistent refusal to acknowledge the commission of inquiry," said John Fisher, advocacy director at Human Rights Watch in Geneva.
"It is outrageous that a last-minute text has been presented that fails to hold Burundi accountable for alleged crimes against humanity." (Editing by Andrew Roche)
JOHANNESBURG, Sept 27 (Reuters) - South Africa's parliament said on Wednesday it has terminated its contract with KPMG, citing reputational risks after the global auditor was caught up in a scandal involving business friends of President Jacob Zuma.
Parliament said this termination includes a contract KPMG has with a medical aid scheme for Members of Parliament.
KPMG cleared out its South African leadership en masse this month after damning findings from an internal investigation into the Guptas, accused by a public watchdog of improperly influencing government contracts. (Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by Joe Brock)
Opinion / Columnist
It became clear to some of us a long time ago that Mrs Grace Mugabe would become the next President of Zimbabwe while her husband Robert Mugabe shall retain the Presidency of Zanu-PF indefinitely. It is unfortunate that many failed to see the picture in time as they were blinded by Morgan Tsvangirai euphoria to defeat President Robert Mugabe in farce elections and later Joice Mujuru misconstrued elevation and subsequent expulsion from the Vice-Presidency and the not so distant "regretable appointment of Emmerson Mnangagwa to the Vice Presidency". The Zimbabwean media is busy churning out many misleading and confusing stories tipping several individuals to succeed Robert Mugabe without explaining how such individuals would make it to the top.Little wonder the British have always miscalculated and arrived to asymmetrical decisions to the situation on the ground as much they would do the same with the unfolding political events leading to the departure of Robert Mugabe. They would be greatly disappointed with the turn of events and would not get the political outcome they desire after losing huge sums of money once again.One should be reminded about the alleged scam of five Nigerian generals who easily collected US$15million from the British after promising them to effect a military coup during 2002 Presidential elections against the Robert Mugabe s Zezuru and Kore Kore dominated the government. This author was a Presidential candidate in those flawed elections. The Americans and the Eu member countries have since noticed the gullibility of the British to fall for impractical scenarios as a reality.The British preferred outcomes are not achievable and remain unworkable.Sadly, some even assume the fate of the country is beholden to either Mrs Joice Mujuru or Emmerson Mnangagwa or Morgan Tsvangirai. Alas ! politics is politics and does not respect tipping or follow rational deductions, therefore. It is for that reason why political grievances cannot and will never be resolved through the courts.Interestingly, many people now are currently blinded by Robert Mugabe infirmity due to old age with the erroneous assumption that he would lose the next Presidential elections. Alas ! that would never be the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission pronounced results. Never in thousand years not even in our lifetime.Robert Mugabe Uncontested LeadershipNo one in Zanu-PF, I repeat, no one in Zanu-PF would challenge Robert Mugabe for the leadership of Zanu-PF never mind his incompetence, age or health status.He would remain a big liability and die with Zanu-PF. President Robert Mugabe has refused many times to groom or appoint his successor claiming that the next leader of Zimbabwe will be chosen by the people.True, the next leader shall be chosen by the people.It won't be long before Zanu-PF Youth League, Women's League, War Vets, Cross-Border Traders. Association of Mujibhas and Chimbwidos , Zimbabwe Chiefs Council, Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions, some church leaders, . business organizations, nondescript vuka sihambe organizations, will be shown on Zimbabwe Television trooping to Mazoe orphanage to ask Grace Mugabe to assist President Mugabe to run the country after, as usual, he had been declared the winner of March 2018 elections.After a few months of consideration, Grace Mugabe shall accept " with humility the honour and great responsibility " bestowed on her by the people of Zimbabwe, questioning "who is she to refuse the will of the people". Remember she is " now fireworks "Thereafter President Robert Mugabe would announce his intention to retire from government office but retain his party leadership position and ask parliament to choose his successor as per constitutional dictates.Remember, the current Constitution stipulates that if the leader of the governing party becomes incapacitated, resigns or dies in office, the governing party must elect from their number the successor to take office.The other parties are not eligible to contest for the office until the next general elections.The Zanu-PF MPs would be whipped to have a single nomination of Grace Mugabe as the successor to President Robert Mugabe. Thus the leader has come from the people and chosen by the people's representatives in Parliament for this reason the Zanu-PF primary elections shall focus on producing MP candidates who are inclined to support Grace Mugabe candidature for the presidency in 2018.The Deferred Karanga Presidential AmbitionThe soon to be President Grace Mugabe is likely to be deputized by Saviour Kasukuwere and Jonathan Moyo and the other possible permutation is that of Phelekezela Mphoko and Ignatius Chombo after Emmerson Mnangagwa had been declared a national hero along the curve. Emmerson Mnangagwa has to be declared a national hero before Robert Mugabe departs to meet his master in hell. The Karangas would morn and as usual, nothing would happen.For those who will find it difficult to contain their grief, they are well advised to consider inviting Zodwa Wabantu to join them during the night vigil for dancing and gyrating without her underpants.Who knows?If they attempt to rise up they would be ruthlessly crushed and effectively silenced indefinitely. Paradoxically, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces made up of Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Air Force of Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Prison Service is 60% dominated by the Karanga ethnic group though largely being the boots. For the foreseeable future, the Karangas presidential ambition to rule Zimbabwe has to be deferred to the next century unless if they are prepared to shed blood and unwind what Robert Mugabe had built over 37 years. At the moment, they dont have such courageous and wise leader to attempt such a risk enterprise. That is a herculean task for them.The Powerless GeneralsAll the generals that have been identified to be sympathetic to Emmerson Mnangagwa or known to dislike Grace Mugabe shall be retired after the elections, .where Robert Mugabe, as usual, shall be declared the winner.This would affect all other persons holding strategic positions in government.They will be replaced by very well known enthusiastic and very loyal officers to President Robert Mugabe and the soon to be President Grace Mugabe.The retired generals would be powerless and if they attempt to venture into politics, will be closely watched and monitored and any attempt to be mischievous would be caused to be declared a national hero, just as Brigadier General Paul Gunda, Brigadier General Fakazi Muleya and Major General Gideon Lifa died under mysterious circumstances within days apart, and so was the case with the assumed powerful General Solomon Mujuru. Nothing happened after his death and nothing would be amiss even this time.Karangas Sold A DummyThe Zezuru and Kore Kore sold a dummy to the Karanga after 1980 false elections that Robert Mugabe was a Karanga and that their enemy is the Matebele who had to be dealt with for past imaginary political crimes.Little wonder that they happily participated in the Matebele genocide and even attempted to kill Joshua Nkomo when he once visited the then Fort Victoria. The MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai friends in crime have implicated him in the Matebele genocide and failed Joshua Nkomo s assassination attempt.Later, they were told the enemy is the British who wanted to take the country through the unsophisticated tea boy Morgan Tsvangirai and " reverse the gains of hard-won independence". Only after 37 years, they woke up from a deep political slumber to realize that Robert Mugabe is a Zezuru but using a Karanga surname and that Matebeles are not their enemy by any stretch of the imagination but the Zezuru and Kore Kore who had monopolised power and control everything and anything that matters in Zimbabwe.Josiah Tongogara of Karanga extract was ready to serve as the first commander of Zimbabwe defence forces under Prime Minister Joshua Nkomo in 1980 but was eliminated for that reason and replaced by one compliant Zezuru, Solomon Mujuru. When Fort Victoria was renamed Nyanda by the Karangas, the name was rejected by the Zezuru leadership and who later imposed Masvingo instead. Nyanda was rejected because it had Matebele historical connotations.Upon realizing that the Karangas had been sold a dummy that Matebeles were their enemy number one, Eddison Zvogbo openly regretted and apologized for the Matebele genocide committed by the Zimbabwe National Army 5th Brigade, largely dominated by the Karanga.President Grace Mugabe GovernmentJonathan Moyo, Patrick Zhuwawo, Saviour Kasukuwere, Kudzai Chipanga, Sydney Sekeramayi, Webster Shamu, Mike Bimha, Gideon Gono, and Nicholas Goche to name but a few, shall occupy strategic and powerful positions in the new dispensation to prop up President Cde, Dr, Amai, Grace Mugabe.This would leave the Karangas feeling alienated from political power and refuse to support the government though some like Walter Mzembi and few others from Masvingo would like to identify with the Zezuru with their Kore Kore surrogates. The Matebele, as usual, would be alienated.Grace Mugabe s rule shall be short-lived and characterized by gross abuse of human rights, financial profligacy and economic mismanagement.There would be many mysterious deaths and many inexplicable disappearances of prominent politicians opposed to her rule, many incomprehensible and illogical detentions of political leaders and civilians opposed to the new administration and potential have strained diplomatic relations with a number of countries both in Africa and elsewhere.The economy would grow into a comatose.This would lead to mass exodus of people into neighbouring countries with South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique carrying the most burden.Spontaneous dramatic events would eventually lead to an unanticipated massive uprising that would leave a trail of blood on the floors and destruction of property. Et tu President Cde Dr Amai Grace Mugabe! But shall deliver the violent end of Mugabe dynasty rule and leave a confused and unstable Zimbabwe which is a FAILED and COLLAPSED STATE that would be VERY, VERY COSTLY TO RECONSTRUCT and unmistakenly deliver the Independence and Sovereignty of The Republic of Matabeleland. Zimbabwe would immediately join Failed and Collapsed states like Somalia after the demise of dictator President Mohamed Siad Barre, Libya after the demise of Leader Muammar Gaddafi and Iraq after President Saddam Hussein.The British Disastrous MiscalculationsThe Shona ethnic people would once again fail to coalesce under one Shona leader, thus assuming the pre-colonial status where there was no central authority in Mashonaland.The British and Americans would spend huge sums of money trying to bring the disparate Shona ethnic groups together under one leader and that money would be misused and enrich those identified to bring the Shona tribes together. In case anyone doubts this, recall the past 10 to 15 years, the Britsih and Americans allegedly spent about US$3,5billion dollars supporting the Movement for Democratic Change in its various formations but largely under the leadership of Richard Morgan Tsvangirai but failed to achieve regime change against the Zezuru and Kore Kore group that believes its ordained by God to rule Zimbabwe.The British shall be disappointed by the level of deceit and corruption amongst the Shona ethnic groups and failure to coalesce under one leader. Once Robert Mugabe is gone, there is nothing that can bring the Shona ethnic groups under one leader.Instead, they would be fighting in their little corners for power.Those who doubt this must recall why Daniel Arap Moi from the most minority Kalenjini tribe in Kenya became the President of Kenya for 26 years After the demise of Jomo Kenyata while the majority Kikuyu were fighting each other to produce the next leader Mwai Kibaki. It is inevitable that there would be a lot of infighting and confusion amongst the Shona ethnic groups as to which leader must take over from Robert Mugabe and from which ethnic group. Some would even remain ambivalence so as to remain the beneficiaries of British money being poured into the project.Sprouting Seeds of DisintegrationThe current MDCT leadership is dominated by the Karangas hoping to emulate the Zezurus hegemony but has come too late when every tribe is now opposed to ethnic domination by other ethnic groups. .History is repeating itself, Mashonaland is reverting back to its original status where there was no central authority to govern the disparate Shona people before colonization. The Zezuru and Kore Kore would never countenance a Karanga leader for fear of retribution for the killing of Josiah Tongogara and other Karanga leaders and regaining political power given that the Karanga are the single largest ethnic group in Zimbabwe and dominate the military constituency albeit being the boots while the Karanga have resolved not to be led by Zezurus and Kore Kore again but fear retribution from the Manyika who remain bitter that the Karangas killed Herbert Chitepo and some of their leaders, yet the Manyika would produce a malleable but not electable leader amongst their number. The Manyika are always viewed as sellouts and should not be allowed near the State House.The Matebeles are irrevocably working towards their independence and sovereignty and will never be part of Zimbabwe again fearing another genocide, marginalization and ethnic discrimination by the Shona ethnic group.Kunjalo bakwethu, zilungiseleni okwenu manje liphume ebuqgilini, ngoba isikhathi yisolesi.The Birth Of The Republic of MatabelelandSurprises are along the curve. Watch this space.The truth is that Zimbabwe is headed towards a split in the middle and give birth to The Republic of Matabeleland by 2018.No one can stop it. Interestingly, many don't even foresee the cleavage that has opened up for the birth of The Republic of Matabeleland, little wonder we pronounced the birth to be around 2018 way back in 2013.Perhaps it's nice to live to get surprises from time to time and this time cannot be an exception.Akuzenzo kungemazwi !Siyaphambili !Siyanqoba !Amandla !Paul SiwelaPresidentMatebeleland Liberation OrganisationSikhalelani Sikhalela Izwe LethuSikhalelani Sikhalela Izwe LwethuElathathwa Elathathwa YiZimbabweElathathwa Elathathwa YiZimbabweMalibuye , Malibuye Izwe LwethuMalibuye Malibuye Izwe LwethuSizibuse Sizibuse KwaMthwakaziSizibuse Sizibuse KwaMthwakazi
LUANDA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The veteran leader of Angola's largest opposition party said on Wednesday he would step down to allow someone else keep the new government of President Joao Lourenco to account.
Isaias Samakuva, who has led UNITA since 2003, said a new leader should take the party forward through the "new political cycle".
He announced his departure a day after Lourenco was sworn in as only the third president of Angola since independence from Portugal in 1975, ending 38 years of rule by Jose Eduardo dos Santos.
Samakuva had previously said he planned to step aside, but had appeared to seesaw on the decision in recent months.
"During the campaign, I said I would leave the presidency of UNITA to serve the party in another function. I maintain and reaffirm that decision," Samakuva told a meeting of the party.
Samakuva took over the leadership of UNITA - the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola - after the death of founder Jonas Savimbi who led the movement during 27 years of civil war.
Savimbi's death brought peace and the transition of UNITA into a political party.
Under Samakuva's leadership UNITA increased its proportion of the national vote from 10 percent in 2008 to 27 percent in 2017.
Among those slated to succeed him are Adalberto da Costa, who was the party's leader in parliament under the previous administration, Rafael Massanga Savimbi, son of UNITA's founder, and Lukamba Paulo, a former secretary general of the party who lost a leadership election against Samakuva in 2003. (Reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
By Alex Whiting
ROME, Sept 27 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - More than 800,000 children risk death by starvation in East Africa and aid agencies have just weeks - months at most - to save them, World Vision charity said on Wednesday.
Conflict in South Sudan and Somalia, and prolonged drought across the region have left more than 15 million children in need of food, water, healthcare, education or protection, said the United Nations children's agency UNICEF.
Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya have witnessed a spike in hunger levels among children in recent weeks, with several areas reporting that more than a third of their children have health problems as a result, World Vision said in a statement.
"We are still in the danger zone. More than 800,000 children remain severely malnourished and are at risk of starving to death," said Christopher Hoffman, World Vision's humanitarian response director in East Africa.
"We have months, maybe only weeks, to stop this from happening," he said, as World Vision - the world's largest international children's charity - launched its second appeal in six months for the region.
"We're seeing emaciated children, nearly skeletons, lying in pain in hospital beds ... We're seeing mothers unable to breastfeed because they are malnourished themselves," he said.
Famine struck parts of South Sudan earlier this year, and there is a high risk that it could return there and develop in Somalia, U.N. agencies said earlier this month.
"The hunger crisis is wreaking havoc on 24 million people (in East Africa) - more than the population of Berlin, London, Chicago and Bangkok combined," said Hoffman.
Much of Somalia is experiencing emergency hunger levels, which is one level below famine on an internationally-recognised scale of hunger.
Drought has forced more than 890,000 people to leave their homes between November and August, on top of 160,000 who fled fighting.
The displaced are particularly vulnerable to hunger, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
Rains are due to begin in October, it said on Tuesday. (Reporting by Alex Whiting @Alexwhi, Editing by Katy Migiro and Lyndsay Griffiths. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit http://news.trust.org/climate)
By Sophie Hares
TEPIC, Mexico, Sept 27 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A new "dipstick" serum test to quickly and cheaply determine whether a person is infected with Zika could lead to better healthcare for women with the virus, which can cause birth defects, said scientists.
The simple paper strips - which can be used to test for four sub-types of dengue as well as Zika - could also provide "early warning" of the spread of pathogens, said scientists who are exploring ways to commercialise the technology.
Kimberly Hamad-Schifferli, associate professor of engineering at the University of Massachusetts Boston, said it resembles a pregnancy test.
"You simply dunk it in a solution with a human sample and the fluid leaks through - two spots means it's positive and one spot means it's negative," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Designed for use in developing countries, the aim is for the test to cost less than $1 per strip, she added. The lab cost is currently about $5.
The research, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, involved more than 50 scientists. It tested serum from people in Latin America and India to determine infections by the various viruses.
Transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the symptoms of dengue, Zika and yellow fever can appear very similar, including fevers, headaches and aching joints and muscles.
But pregnant women infected with Zika risk having babies with the birth defect microcephaly, which is defined by an unusually small head and can result in developmental problems and other severe brain abnormalities.
The Zika epidemic that hit Brazil in 2015 left thousands of babies suffering birth defects.
"Knowing whether these tests are positive or negative is very important for designing the course of clinical care," said Lee Gehrke, professor in the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). "It simplifies the decision tree and, we believe, leads to improved patient care."
MIT, whose scientists led the research, is looking to patent the technology and obtain regulatory approval for the antigen-based test.
Scientists said the test had been proven not to "cross-react", meaning it did not show a false positive for a closely related virus rather than the one being tested for.
It requires little technical skill and could be used on blood as well as serum samples, they added.
Besides diagnosing patients in clinics and hospitals, the dipstick tests could also be used to alert public health services if new serotypes of dengue, for example, arrive in a particular place, said Gehrke.
"If a new serotype is introduced into an area, it can cause an outbreak because (people's) immune systems do not protect them from the new virus," he said.
There is currently no treatment for Zika infection. Companies and scientists are racing to develop a safe, effective vaccine, but a preventative shot is not expected to be ready for widespread use for at least two or three years.
Endemic in Latin America and Asia, dengue infects hundreds of millions of people each year, and is becoming more prevalent. There is no dedicated treatment for the virus which is usually found in urban and semi-urban areas. (Reporting by Sophie Hares; editing by Megan Rowling. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit http://news.trust.org/)
By Ellen Francis
BEIRUT, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The Iraqi Kurdish vote for independence could bolster Syria's own Kurds if it pushes the Syrian government to negotiate over autonomy, Syrian Kurdish leaders said on Wednesday.
Top Kurdish politician Ilham Ahmed told Reuters that officials from Syria's Kurdish-led regions had already met with the Damascus government twice, but the Russian-brokered dialogue went nowhere.
Damascus has opposed autonomy plans that have grown during Syria's six-year-old conflict. But this week, the foreign minister said the government is open to talks with Kurds after the fight against Islamic State militants ends.
"The impacts, if they continue like (these) comments...then they will be positive," said Ahmed.
Monday's referendum in Iraq could also drive Kurdish authorities there to open routes with the autonomous regions that Syrian Kurds and their allies have set up in northern Syria, she added.
Iraqi Kurds held their referendum in defiance of their U.S. ally, the Baghdad government, and neighbouring Turkey and Iran. The vote delivered a resounding "yes" to split from Iraq, but is not binding.
Across the border in Syria, Kurdish leaders say they do not want secession. The Kurdish YPG militia and its allies have carved out cantons in the north since 2011. They have seized vast territory from Islamic State with U.S. help, although Washington opposes their autonomy plans.
With the YPG as a military backbone, the main Syrian Kurdish parties now hold nearly a quarter of the country, and say they seek autonomy as part of a decentralised Syria.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has pledged to take back every inch of the country as his army has captured land from rebels and militants with the help of Russia and Iran.
"We have always sent messages... that we are ready for talks," Ahmed said. "We have informed the Russians that they should convince the regime to negotiate."
At both meetings, Damascus "did not appear serious" about talks over the future of the autonomous regions and the demand for a federal system for Syria, she said. "Autonomy does not mean separation."
TENSIONS
Another senior Kurdish politician, Fawza Youssef, said the Iraqi referendum likely had a hand in Damascus adopting a more conciliatory tone towards Syria's large Kurdish population.
"This is a positive step. And our struggle in the past six years...our military and political victories" play the major role in pushing the Syrian government to negotiate, she said.
Kurds in northern Syria support the Iraqi Kurdish right to decide their own future, but do not look to follow the example of this week's vote, Youssef said.
"The reality in Syria and Iraq is not the same," she said. Still, she added, "if there will be exclusion of the Kurdish people, stripping them of political and cultural rights...of course with time this would lead to secession."
Youssef and Ahmed are both senior members of the Kurdish-led authority running the cantons in northern Syria.
Damascus and the YPG have mostly stayed out of each other's way in the war. But tensions have surfaced as both sides with their allies race to capture Deir al-Zor province in eastern Syria. The YPG has been battling Islamic State under a U.S.-backed alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes Arab and other combatants.
The territory the SDF has captured in Deir al-Zor so far serves as a breadbasket and a route for imports into Syria, said Ahmed, who co-chairs the force's political wing.
"So if (Damascus) wants to continue with threats, there will be no benefit from this... But if they understand that dialogue is the right way, that would be the better position."
Tensions in eastern Syria might also fuel a shift in the government stance as Damascus might be wary of opening yet another battlefront, she said.
MEND TIES
Kurdish-led authorities held elections in northern Syria last week for local community leaders, part of a process that will culminate with electing a parliament.
Syria's Kurdish region borders Turkey and the Kurdish government of northern Iraq, which are both hostile towards the YPG. Ankara views the militia as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has waged a three-decade insurgency inside Turkey.
Youssef and Ahmed said the vote next door could lead to mending ties with Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) if Iraqi Kurdistan faces more pressure.
Turkey and Iran have threatened to impose a blockade. They warn the referendum will spark regional chaos, and fear the spread of separatism among their own Kurdish populations.
"If they shut the roads, (the KRG) will have to open a route," fix relations, and possibly trade with northern Syria, Ahmed said. "That would be good of course." (Reporting by Ellen Francis; editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Brendan Pierson
NEW YORK, May 19 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner wept on Friday as he pleaded guilty to sending sexually explicit messages to a teenage girl, capping a "sexting" scandal that played a role in last year's U.S. presidential election during its waning days.
Wearing a navy suit, maroon tie and his wedding band, a tearful Weiner, 52, described his conduct before U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in New York City.
"I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse," Weiner said, apologizing to the 15-year-old girl to whom he sent inappropriate images and messages last year.
Hours after the court hearing, his wife Huma Abedin, a senior aide to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, filed for divorce in a Manhattan court, according to the New York Post.
A lawyer for Abedin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The charge of transferring obscene material to a minor carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, but Weiner is likely to get less when sentenced on Sept. 8. As part of his plea agreement, federal prosecutors said they would consider a term between 21 months and 27 months "fair and appropriate."
The plea deal appeared to seal the demise of a once-promising political career derailed by a series of scandals, stemming from what Weiner described in court as a compulsive need to seek sexual attention from women on social media. The investigation into his exchanges with the teenage girl also roiled the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign days before Election Day.
While searching Weiner's laptop, federal agents found a batch of emails from his wife. As a result, James Comey, then director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced in late October that the agency was reviewing the messages to determine whether to reopen its investigation into Clinton's handling of official correspondence.
Clinton, who was leading in national polls at the time, has blamed her loss to Republican Donald Trump in part on Comey's announcement, even though the director said two days before the election in November that the review had uncovered no new evidence.
Abedin had announced her separation from Weiner last summer after the latest round of explicit messages emerged, including an image of Weiner's crotch as he lay in bed with their young son.
'DESTRUCTIVE IMPULSES'
The controversy over Clinton's use of a private email server while she was U.S. secretary of state dogged her throughout the campaign. Trump accused Clinton of endangering national security by exposing classified information to potential hacking.
In testimony to Congress two weeks ago, Comey said he felt "mildly nauseous" at the suggestion his actions may have swayed the election, but added that he had no regrets.
Trump fired Comey days later amid the FBI's probe into whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia to defeat Clinton, an allegation the president has denied.
Weiner, who served parts of New York City for 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, resigned in 2011 after an explicit photograph was posted on his Twitter account. He initially claimed his account had been hacked but eventually acknowledged he had sent the image as well as inappropriate messages to several women.
Two years later, he announced a run for New York City mayor but but was defeated in the Democratic primary after more explicit messages became public.
The federal investigation into Weiner came to light last year after the Daily Mail, a British newspaper, published an interview with the North Carolina teen.
On Friday, Weiner said he has been receiving "intensive" mental health treatment since then.
"These destructive impulses brought great devastation to family and friends, and destroyed my life's dream of public service," Weiner said.
In a statement, acting U.S. Attorney in Manhattan Joon Kim said, "Weiner's conduct was not only reprehensible, but a federal crime, one for which he is now convicted and will be sentenced." (Aditional reporting and writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Lisa Shumaker)
Flemingo Duty Free has opened its new departure store at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Sri Lanka, announced CEO, Flemingo Duty Free, Sri Lanka, P.K. Thimmayya at a press conference held in this connection.
Flemingo Duty Free was awarded the new contract for Core Category Duty Free at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Sri Lanka in March and the new concession is for a period of five [ 5] years effective 15th of March, 2017.
With the signing of the new contract, Flemingo has moved to new locations at both the arrival and departure lounges, with the departure space having increased to 5060 Sq. Ft which is a 65 percent increase over the previous space.
The arrival terminal space however remains the same. Plans are afoot to remodel the arrival lounge, hence the arrival shop refurbishment will coincide with the remodeling of the arrival lounge at the BIA, where in we expect to have a larger space which will enable us to deliver a better shopping experience for our customers. Our new facility in the departure lounge opened last month and the initial response has been very encouraging and positive, said Thimmayya.
The primary objective in the design of the departure duty free store was to create a unique passenger experience and ease of navigation.
We have considered the local sensibilities and tried to add a sense of visual familiarity and relevance with the target customers culture by adding lotus flower motifs across the store. The ceiling was looked at as a visual spectacle to offset the generic and branded floor fixtures. The objective was to create a visual wow effect and a sense of energy coming from within the store, which is enhanced by a relatively bright store environment. The layout of the store has been designed to give passengers clear vistas to all categories at any one time. By adapting a well-defined category strategy and by space planning, we have made it easy for passengers to find, understand and navigate the store, all of which was kept in mind at the time of designing and also while formulating our category strategy, said Thimmayya.
Some of the highlights of the store are the flow and distinct category zones, a design that ensures passengers navigate the entire shop and travel through categories and expanded product category ranges especially in perfume, cosmetics and confectionery. Thimmayya said that discussions are already underway to bring additional international brands especially in the perfume and cosmetics category. Some of these brands are not available in the country and Flemingo plans to launch them by year end for the first time in Sri Lanka.
Flemingo currently employs more than 300 people for its Lankan operations.
The new contract has come at a time when tourism and travel is booming in Sri Lanka. The development programme of the country under the current regime is resulting in a massive infrastructure growth with close to 8000 city apartments being planned. One other aspect is the number of international hotels that have recently opened and further major companies are looking to open up in the next two years.
Flemingo is committed to deliver value and benefits to the customers as well as make BIA a favorable shopping destination and is continuously working on unique ways to do the same. One such initiative is Flemingo Duty Frees Loyalty Programme. One of our key marketing objectives is to retain and build loyalty with our existing customers. To this effect, Flemingo launched its loyalty program Flemingo Privilege with the objective of adding value to travel and giving an exciting shopping experience for frequent travelers.
Flemingo Privilege which was launched in June 2015 for the first time in Sri Lankan travel retail history has now over 25000 loyalty members. As a member, customers can accrue points on every purchase and redeem these points as well. The points awarded are different for different tiers, thus ensuring that the more loyal the customer is the more he/she is rewarded. Flemingo has dedicated staff on the shop floor to assist privilege members and make their shopping hassle free. We also have a customer hotline number for loyalty members to call and a dedicated backend customer service team to handle all the queries and feedback.
Flemingo has also tied up with Sri Lankan Airlines Flysmiles partnership, wherein Flemingo offers special deals and also an opportunity to earn miles for their transactions. Flemingo has partnered with UnionPay to target the fastest growing customer segment, namely the Peoples Republic of China. In addition, Flemingo is also discussing with several card partners for promotions across the year in a bid to make it more interesting for the discerning customer. In the past, Flemingo has partnered with MasterCard as well VISA offering special privileges to their customers.
In a bid to make the shopping experience more exciting Flemingo runs promotions with partner brands and in the past, have given away Gold, Apple products, cash prizes, etc. Malith Disala, who participated in the recently concluded Pernod Ricard promotion is the winner of a US$1000 cash prize and M.M.K. Ranawana who participated in the Diageo promotion emerged as the winner of the mega prize - 100 gms gold coin.
Flemingo Foundation, the active CSR arm of Flemingo is proud to support The Music Project for a second year as part of their group CSR initiative. We have been privileged to be able to support the musical development of the children of the Lakdasa De Mel College of Kurunegala. The fund will pay for the weekly classes of specialist music teachers who teach the children of the orchestra, holiday programmes, festival programmes, the residential UNITE programme, assist the school with music education for the public exams and support concert performances. The children have performed in several locations such as the Galle Literary Childrens Festival, venues in Colombo and the BIA. Additionally, the children of the Lakdasa De Mel College won the Ministry of Education Western Music competition in the recorder category and were given an all island first in the A1 category.
The Music Project is inspired by El Sistema of Venezuela, the celebrated music education programme which aims to change the life trajectory of children through music. The programme fosters a sense of musical achievement on an individual and personal level and ensures that children whose lives have been blighted by poverty or conflict are able to fulfill individual and personal goals through opportunity the programme provides. The Music Project like many other similarly inspired programmes throughout the world emulates the ethos and principles of the El Sistema model.
The project in Sri Lanka too focuses on the sense of community, developed through being part of a wider orchestra such as connecting with their peers in the north, provides children with the discipline of membership of the orchestra and the mutual respect shown for working together as a cohesive whole. Additionally the programme aims to harnesses creativity and a sense of performance through constant exposure to performance artists and performance opportunities.
The Music Project of Sri Lanka also works on using music as the link language and promotes social cohesion between the communities of the north and south. The children of both communities meet regularly to work on a shared repertoire within a shared space, thereby providing chances to network and interact through their journey of music.
The staff of the Flemingo Group has been privileged to associate with the children and have participated in workshops leading to a performance supported by parents and staff of the school. We hope that through the support of their musical education the children would gain exposure and opportunity and further their aspirations.
Thimmayya reiterated the fact that he and his team are committed to bring travelers a unique and value-added duty free experience through a wide variety of products and brands, exciting offers and benefits and customer service.
The European Union (EU) expressed confidence in the ability of the Sri Lankan Government in continuing to honour commitments arising from GSP+ requirements despite the apparent slow progress in some areas of concern.
European Commissioner Christos Stylianides expressed these views upon meeting Foreign Affairs Minister Tilak Marapana and National Policies and Economic Affairs Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha De Silva along with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini at the EU Headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday.
Commissioner Stylianides welcomed the significant improvements taken place in Sri Lanka since the election of the new Government.
Issuing a statement, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said the European Commission at the meeting announced an additional sum of Euro 40 million for trade facilitation and to support Sri Lankas reconciliation efforts.
Minister Marapana conveyed appreciation to the EU for restoration of the GSP+ facility to Sri Lanka.
He also exchanged views on areas of mutual concern related to improving human rights standards through reform of legislation to bring it in line with international standards and the implementation of the UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka.
Minister Marapana said that new mechanisms have been introduced in Parliament to have wider consultations with all political parties on bringing about reforms.
He stated that this process takes more time but the Government is firmly committed to respecting human rights and making progress in the implementation of its international obligations.
Minister Marapana explained to the EU that progress also being made on constitutional reforms.
By Shabiya Ali Ahlam
Hilton Colombo yesterday reached the three-decade milestone in serving Sri Lankas tourism landscape.
WATCH VIDEO
Taking pride in welcoming guests over the last 30 years with its authentic legacy of style, elegance, gracious hospitality and superlative service standards, the senior management of the establishment yesterday pledged it will continue to deliver excellence in the years to come, regardless of the status of the operative environment.
We have been successful in good times and bad, we have faced many challenges and we have come through. Sometimes its not how hard you can hit but how hard you can get it that matters.
Hilton Colombo will always remain in the hearts and minds of the people of this country because it has been there before the war, during the war and after the war, and has never failed to deliver anything less than excellence in service, said the Hilton Colombo Chairman Krishantha Prasad Cooray at an event in Colombo, held to mark the successful completion of 30 years in the country.
The anniversary celebration that started yesterday, kicked off with the issuance of a special stamp and first day cover and the launch of the 30th anniversary logo.
The celebration also recognized 20 employees who have been with the Hilton Colombo since its inception. The list included 18 from the Hilton team, two from the Hotels Development Lanka Team, of which one member has progressed to board level.
Providing a snapshot of the celebrations slated, Hilton Colombo General Manager Manesh Fernando shared the hotel would do so by serving the underprivileged. However, he did not spill out further details stating the management would prefer carrying out such activities away from the limelight.
However, he pointed out that the celebration would go on for the entire year.
It was shared that over the last 30 years, over 10,000 persons have had their wedding celebrations in the premises, and over 25,000 individuals have gone through the Hilton Training School.
Hilton announced major plans this year where it is gearing up to have a property in all the tourism hotspots island wide. Currently the Hilton brand is limited within the Colombo city.
The management expressed that with the successful completion of the first phase of the hotels refurbishment agenda, it is now poised to commence the next phase in the third quarter of its financial year.
Upon completion of the second and final phase, the Hilton team assures its patrons can look forward to an expansion of banquet services to boost its MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events) business.
While affirming the company is ideally positioned to harness the opportunities of a growing tourism market, it is stressed that the ongoing extensive capital investments would enhance the hotel property and assist in sustaining its iconic presence in a dynamic and fast-evolving sector.
Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera today condemned the attack against the Rohingya refugees by a group of protesters in Mt. Lavinia on Tuesday.
In a video statement, the minister said he condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms.
I condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack against the Rohingya refugees who were under the care of the UNHRC in Mt. Lavinia by a group of 'thugs in robes'. In fact, I condemn these actions not only as the Minister in charge of Media but also condemn as a Buddhist, a Buddhist who is very proud the fact that Buddhism is a religion of non-violence and compassion, he said.
He said the group of refugees, 30 of them from Myanmar, were rescued at sea by the Sri Lankan Navy in April this year and they were under the care of the UNHRC waiting to be resettled elsewhere in the US or Canada.
In fact this is not the first time Sri Lanka has given temporarily shelter to such refugees. Way back in March 2008, the Navy rescued survivors of a boat after they were found adrift in the high seas. They were kept here until 2012 the year they were resettled in the US, he said.
The minister said in a separate incident in 2013, the navy rescued two boat loads of Rohingya survivors from a shipwreck in the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka.
Thirty two of these refugees were kept under the care of the UNHRC until they were settled in the US and Canada, he said. (Lahiru Pothmulla)
One of Kenyas fastest growing niche tea brands, APT Commodities, has signed up MTI Consulting to further strengthen its internationalization process as part of the companys aggressive growth strategy.
The project will also have a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) competent that focuses on identifying an international tea company as a strategic investor to work with APT in reaching new markets.
APT Commodities Limited is a fully-owned Kenyan tea trading company with an international outreach in markets such as Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Egypt. The company houses several brands such as Jambo, Hassan (in the Black CTC segment) Sinbad (in the Orthodox segment) and Equator (in the Green Tea segment). APT is a member of the Tea Directorate and East Africa Tea Trade Association.
The time has come for APT to incubate new ideas and partners in order to stay relevant in this volatile geo political market. Our early success in international markets has inspired to pursue a deeper penetration of international market and do so with a strong technical investor, stated APT Commodities CEO Peter Gitata Macharia.
Given the current and emerging dynamic in the global tea markets, there is potential for niche tea brands to expand across border by leveraging strategic partners and developing segment-specific value propositions, said MTI Consulting CEO Hilmy Cader.
MTI Consulting is an internationally-networked boutique management consultancy, offering advisory services in strategy, corporate re-structuring, international market entry, feasibility studies, due diligence, corporate finance and M&A.
Since its inception in 1997, MTI has worked on over 620 assignments in over 41 countries, covering a diverse range of industries, clients and business challenges.
Opinion / Columnist
We face an exciting - but uncertain - time ahead. The disruption of the Fourth Industrial Revolution will echo across our time and change every facet of work and life over the coming decades. We will need to confront global challenges such as climate change, the rise of new diseases and super bugs, and the socio-economic effects of workplace automation. Improvements in medicine will extend the human lifespan, leading to ageing populations and swelling numbers of people.This will put strain on our natural resources and force us to develop innovative new ways to meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. New technologies such as the IoT, artificial intelligence, gene editing, and quantum computing will upend traditional industries and disrupt our lives in ways we can't yet predict.This during a time when nearly half the world still lives on less than $2.50 a day.While the poverty rate in Africa may have fallen from 56% in 1990 to 43% in 2012, according to World Bank data the actual number of poor has increased, mainly thanks to rapid population growth. On my latest trip to the continent, I was struck by how citizens, businesses and governments are combining efforts to overcome the socio-economic challenges prevalent in many African countries. The disadvantage posed by a lack of infrastructure is being turned into a competitive edge as innovators develop future-fit solutions unburdened by legacy systems.African entrepreneurs are creating inspiring solutions to the problems in their local communities: from AI-augmented education initiatives to solar-powered irrigation for small-scale farmers, and new ways to pay for - and trade - goods using mobile phones, there is a wealth of new ideas emerging from Africa's pioneers. Innovation is rife within the continent's larger organisations also: Safaricom has leveraged its digital transformation to launch a highly successful local competitor to Uber in the Kenyan market, following unprecedented success with its M-Pesa payment service.Over the next decade, Africa will add 15-20 million people to the global workforce every year. While populations age and population growth stalls in much of the developed world, Africa is set to reach a working age population of 1 billion by 2050. These millennial workers will power the global economic engine in the second part of the century. But they need the digital skills to succeed. Some experts predict that today's children will witness humanity's greatest challenges in their lifetime. It is our duty as guardians of their future to equip them with the knowledge and tools to rise to these challenges.The best investment we can make right now is in education and training.To overcome the underdeveloped state of education systems in many African countries, governments, NGOs, and private sector companies are coming together to fast-track digital skills development across the continent. From a base of 89 000 youth trained in its first year, our Africa Code Week initiative will this year aim to teach basic coding skills to half a million African youth, leveraging local networks and building on a platform of collaboration with our partners.The diversity of Africa's young workforce also points to an encouraging future for innovation on the continent. The continent is home to as many as 3 000 ethnic groups speaking more than 2 000 different languages across 54 countries. Nowhere else in the world is there such a richness in human capital and divergent thought.We must celebrate and encourage diversity in our businesses and our lives. The future belongs to high-impact collaborative teams that can combine different perspectives and skills in creative ways to solve great problems.According to the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Women's Report, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest female entrepreneurship rates in the world: 25.9% of the female adult population is engaged in early-stage entrepreneurial activity in some form. Six out of ten said they started a business because of opportunity, not need.Large global organisations have an important role to play here: by providing a technology platform delivered in the cloud, companies such as SAP can help equip these entrepreneurs with tools that could exponentially grow and expand their businesses.More than 80% of our customers are SMEs. Our solutions for SMEs, such as SAP Business One, are being adopted by local entrepreneurs at breakneck pace, helping them scale and reach new markets that were once the reserve of large multinationals. And with 95% of small businesses failing within the first five years, we have the opportunity to use our knowledge and resources to support and grow these businesses.In a hyper-connected global economy, we collectively share success, and failure. What I've seen on my trip to Africa left me with one key impression: we have all the ingenuity, innovation, energy, curiosity, and tools to rise to the great challenges of our time. This is good news not only for the continent, but for the world.And I love to tell a good news story.
What does Patali know about politics that Harini doesnt know?
Sri Lanka is going through great pains to get its economy in order after the
An organization named Sinhalese National Force (SNF) today claimed that the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) was intervening into matters related to the states sovereignty by allowing the accommodation of Rohingya refugees in Sri Lanka.
Holding a demonstration in Colombo against the accommodation of Rohingya refugees, the SNF urged the United Nations (UN) to take immediate actions to expel the Rohingya refugees of Myanmar from the country.
There is a threat from these Rohingya Muslim refugees to our countrys sovereignty. That shows that the UNHRC is more powerful than the law in our country.
Meanwhile, SNF General Secretary Arambepola Rathana Thera handed over a Sandeshaya to a UN official saying the detained Rohingya refugees should be expelled from the country.
The Government and the Defense Ministry were in two sides and as a result the Rohingya refugees are staying in the country. The issue of Rohingya Muslims is a related to Myanmar and they were expelled from Myanmar because of an internal problem there.
Myanmar Muslim militants had reportedly attacked eighteen Police stations, an Army camp in their country. They have allegedly killed civilians and Buddhist monks in Myanmar. They had run away because of fear to facing the political and civil issues in Myanmar. They are actually a kind of terrorists, the Thera said.
According to the law of the country, we are not bound to provide shelter for refugees. For letting them to stay, the country risks deadly terrorists sneaking in.
Six children of those refugees are attending schools in our country but they have been in our country for two months. They have come to Sri Lanka violating the immigration and emigration laws. Even they did not have a citizenship in Myanmar.
If those Rohingya Muslims used to spread terrorism in the country or if someone in our country gets killed by them, how do we take legal actions against them?
They do not have a valid identity. It was reported that one baby was born at the Castle Street Hospital for Women in Colombo. There is an issue of providing a birth certificate to that new born child.
Our country is not a slave island for refugees. We pay taxes to the Government. The Government is bound to provide us protection. Instead of justifying the protection of the country, the Government and the Police is proving shelter for terrorists, while putting the national security in danger, Rathana Thera said.
The Government lied to people and mislead them on Rohingya Muslims refugee issue. The responsibility of those Muslim refugees had been taken by the UNHRC.
The UNHRC is interfering in the countrys sovereignty. There is a threat from these Rohingya Muslims refugee to our countrys sovereignty. That shows that the UNHRC is more power full than the law in our country.
Therefore we have gathered in front of the UN office in Colombo and informed them the real situation that our country is facing, he said. (Chaturanga Pradeep)
It is no secret that among the least respect people in Sri Lanka are politicians and police officers. Other state employees, barring perhaps the security forces, are not respected much either. Corporate entities on the other hand, among whom are the biggest crooks, embezzlers and wheeler-dealers, appear to be a rarified lot, perhaps because of the way they are cocooned and remain distanced from the public eye.
Whats strange about this lack of respect is that it is a mind-thing. When encountering arrogance, ignorance, sloth, incompetence and requests for bribes, the citizen rarely objects. There is then a culture of resignation and consequently submission. It is a culture that entrenches wrongdoing, emboldens the wrongdoer. The hassle of it all and of course the low returns or even overall losses on investment probably contribute to the silence and inaction. We suffer through it and we go home and bitch about it. Thats about it.
Then again, there are exceptions. There are people who stand up, people who say no or no way! Consider the following story of a man called M.W.S. Bandara who worked at the Provincial Road Development Authority, North Central Province, posted in social media by his son Pandula Nayana Bandara. The original was in Sinhala and was titled which could be translated as No can do! or Forget it! (if one were polite) or Buzz off buster or worse!
M.W.S. Bandara worked at the Provincial Road Development Authority, North Central Province. He was the former General Manager. 1998. A provincial council minister had asked him to give a contract to a henchman. No can do he said. His car was smashed up.
2001. The same minister pressurized him to approve tenders submitted by his henchman. No can do he said. He was fired. He was vilified as a thief. He went to court. He was reinstated 11 years later along with compensation in 2012.
2012. Pressure was brought on him to sign a document approving a forged bill for Rs 1.4 billion. There were daily calls. A lot of pressure. Threats. No can do, he said. A druggie of the area was employed to throw dirt in his face. 2015. Once again pressure was applied to sign documents for this same forged bill stating an amount of Rs 1.4 billion. He explained why it was not possible to pay the amount. He made sure that even a successor would not be able to approve this. He was made to retire at 57 although he was entitled to stay on until 60. He filed a case and it is still being heard. He will win it along with compensation.
I submit that in the absence of the political will (for obvious reasons of protecting self-interest), it is countless acts of courage such as these are what will create the culture necessary to obtain a change for the better
This is how you say no can do to politicians who want you to bend or break the rules. All you need is a backbone.
Yes, yes, Im saying all this for the information of the dude who is acting like Veerappan these days.
Thats ma DAD!
This post was obviously promoted by the sil redi case where two high ranking officials were found guilty of violating established procedure, abuse of authority and irresponsible behavior in the management of public funds, among other things. The example demonstrates that being firm, honest, disciplined and responsible could involve high personal cost. Clearly it indicates that the overall institutional structure and the rules pertaining to them are too weak to protect honest public servants. Consequently they empower the crooked politician and disempower the people.
Clearly the citizens are also complicit in all this, as mentioned above. Perhaps, for this reason, it is also incumbent on the citizen to reflect on citizenship, the rights therein and the related responsibilities even as collective action is plotted to enact more robust laws and put in place mechanisms that inhibit those inclined to abuse a flawed system. In other words, just as we need more people like Mr. Bandara in the public service, we also need more citizens like him who in their everyday object to the objectionable even as they are grateful for the professionalism and courage of the Bandaras of this country.
Heres an example:
On the 31st of August a convoy of vehicles, accompanying a VIP obviously, was causing a lot of unease on the Colombo-Kandy road. There had been six vehicles including an ambulance, back-up vehicles and several Defenders which were probably part of the security detail for the particular VIP. Now there are no laws to state that ordinary traffic should make way for any VIP.
Theres courtesy at times and theres submission to directives of the Traffic Police at other times. We should mention that such movements and the inconvenience caused to the general public were strongly objected to by those who promised to do away with all that on January 8, 2015. On this day, like other days and occasions, the ordinary citizenry made way for the arrogant politician. All, except one. He did not budge. Finally, close to the restaurant called Avanhala in Warakapola, this individual thought enough is enough. Mahesha Thirimanne stopped his vehicle in the middle of the road, got out and spoke his mind. What he told those in the back up vehicles in Sinhala can be translated thus:
You have no legal right to inconvenience me or anyone else in this way. Remember that if your boss and others like him had actually done their job over the past 70 years neither you nor I would have had to deal with a traffic problem. All you can do is shoot me, but remember that its the taxpayers money that went to purchase your vehicle, we pay for the fuel, we pay your salaries, we pay for your uniforms, even your gun and the bullets are purchased by our money.
Whats strange about this lack of respect is that it is a mind-thing. When encountering arrogance, ignorance, sloth, incompetence and requests for bribes, the citizen rarely objects
Perhaps the recipients of this tirade were too shocked to respond. Perhaps as of now (but perhaps not so in time to come) their bosses and the government are too weak and/or unstable for arrogance to have rubbed off on them. Anyway, they were silent. No, they were silenced. They were silenced by a citizen who knew his rights and responsibilities, and had the courage to say no.
I submit that in the absence of the political will (for obvious reasons of protecting self-interest), it is countless acts of courage such as these are what will create the culture necessary to obtain a change for the better. This is not to say that courtesy is out of order or that we need to be disrespectful; by all means, but only where such is deserved. One recalls the relevant line of the relevant stanza from the Maha Mangala Sutta: (Puja ca pujaniyanam etam mangala muttamam or [to] honour those who are worthy of honour;
this is [a] blessing supreme) and of course the recommendation of giving those unworthy of such honour a wide berth. When the principle is adhered to, then, the honourable public servant and the public service are strengthened, the errant politician is made wary and there is hope for a better tomorrow for both citizen and nation. The proposition is simple, really: we can either be a Bandara or a Thirimanne, or we can continue to be short-changed, insulted and humiliated by the arrogant and crooked.
Malinda Seneviratne is a freelance writer. Email: malindasenevi@gmail.com. Blog: www.malindawords.blogspot.com. Twitter: malindasene
In Dambulla, worms had been discovered in the bodies of about twenty residents, and they had been removed by specialist doctors of the Dambulla base hospital.
The worms removed from various parts of bodies of humans are said to be three to five inches in length. In two small children these worms were found in their chests and lower abdomen. Up to yesterday the doctors performed these operation in removing a large number of worms.
Specialist surgeon Dr Ajith Arthanayake and a team of doctors attended to this rare feat. It is believed that these worms enter the bodies through Mosquito bites and through domestic pets. The doctors said there were men and women patients who were affected by this rare phenomena. The presence of these worms had been recorded in many countries and in Sri Lanka too there had been instances of appearance of these worms.
The worms and the sample tissues removed from the bodies of the patients which had developed inside the bodies similar to cocoons were sent for further investigations to the Medical Faculty of the Peradeniya University. The doctors said further that there existed a possibility of the spread of these worms through domestic cats and dogs as well as from mosquitoes. (K. K. Ariyadasa)
Ranil de Silva, Managing Director Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, Sarah Hassanally, Dilendri Wettewe and Selonica Nalawansa - Selonica Perumal Director, Publicis Sri Lanka
Two young professionals from Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, will represent the country at the upcoming Young Spikes Media Competition, which is set to take place in Singapore.
Leo Burnett Sri Lankas Sarah Hassanally and Dilendri Wettewe recently named joint winners of theYoung Spikes media competition conducted in Sri Lanka. They responded to a brief on the topic of LBGT-Q. The teams had to respond to this brief by identifying communication ideas to attract youth to be a part of a campaign that aimed to end discrimination against members of Sri Lankas LGBT community.
The local Young Spikes Competition in Sri Lanka is held each year by Metal Factor, in partnership with the industry bodies. The national competition was chaired by Thushari Palipane Client Servicing Director, Phoenix Ogilvy. This year, Metal Factor facilitated this competition for the ninth consecutive year. Metal Factor is a personal initiative headed by Ranil de Silva, to give back to the marketing communications industry by grooming the next generation of young talent. Each year, Metal Factor gives high performing young professionals from the wide range of disciplines in the industry, the opportunity to compete locally to earn their place to participate at worlds top competitions designed for the youth in the industry's
Sarah Hassanally and Dilendri Wettewe - Joint winners of the Young Spikes media competition
This year, 122 young professionals from the industry participated at the local Young Spikes Competitions. They were issued briefs to which they had to respond within 12 hours. A total of four teams will represent the country at the regional competition, together with two students who will attend the festivals Young Creative Academy.
Commenting on this years winners, Ranil de Silva, Managing Director Leo Burnett Sri Lanka said: I am extremely pleased that two young professionals from Leo Burnett Sri Lanka will join the six other professionals to represent the country at the upcoming Young Spikes competitions at the Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity, which is one of the regions most valued festivals. The teams strong performance in the local competition as well as their enthusiasm to make the most from this valuable learning opportunity is most commendable. I am confident that they will gain invaluable learning at the festival. I am hopeful that they will get a better understanding on how to deliver world-class work and effective communications. The entire team of Burnetters in Sri Lanka joins me to wish our two young professionals the very best of luck for the upcoming competition, where they will compete against the best teams from around the region. I do hope they will bring home the Gold award. I wish them the very best and hope that they will truly reach for the stars.
The Spikes Asia Festival is the regions oldest and most prestigious event that recognizes the best work in the categories of Film, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Digital, Direct, Promo and Activations, Media, Design, Poster, Craft, Integrated, Mobile and PR. A collaboration between the organizers of the Cannes Lions Festival and Haymarket, the Spikes Asia Festival provides the regions rapidly growing creative and advertising industry with an opportunity to network, exchange ideas and think creatively. The festival serves as an important platform, which not only recognizes the best work in the region, but also brings together Asia Pacifics leading creative thinkers and brightest young professionals.
This year, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka celebrates its 18thanniversary. Over the years, the agency has built many powerful brands and meaningful partnerships with its clients, whilst delivering gratifying results and gaining industry recognition in Sri Lanka, the region and globally. The company handles a diverse portfolio of clients and is one of the worlds largest agency networks and is a member of the Publicis Groupe, the worlds third largest communications company.
The U.S. Department of Commerce gives the reason to Boeing, in the dispute that it pounds with the Canadian manufacturer Bombardier for the subsidies that the new CSeries aircraft receives. Washington now decides to impose a special tariff of 220% to compensate for that advantage. It also does so when the third round of negotiations for the revision of the trade agreement is held in Ottawa. The tariff measure is of a preliminary nature. Boeing's complaint was in April. Bombardier tries to compete in the segment of the short-haul flights with a model with capacity for between 110 and 130 passengers. The Chicago multinational considers, however, that the AIDS that support the CSeries program allow its rival to sell the aircraft at a price far below the market. The single aisle Bimotor seeks to stick snack with a market covering the smallest models of the B737 family. The CSeries has among its first customers more powerful to the Delta airline, which precisely in April closed order of 75 airplanes. Bombardier's tactics, according to Boeing's allegation, are very similar to that used by its European rival Airbus to take orders. "America values the relationship with Canada," says Trade secretary Wilbur Ross, "but even our closest allies must play by following the rules." "Subsidies given by foreign governments to their products is something that Donald Trump's administration takes very seriously," he reiterates. The first deliveries of the CSeries for the Delta fleet are planned for the next year. The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, warned last week that if Boeing went ahead with its grievances, it would be forced to cancel the contract for the purchase of 18 fighter F-18 F/A Super Hornet, valued at $5.2 billion. The British Theresa May also studies measures because Bombardier manufactures the wings of the CSeries in a factory in Northern Ireland. Delta's order, of this, has a very close value to those of the Super Hornet. The CSeries costs about $80 million a unit, but airlines are getting discounts of 50%. In order for the tariff proposed for Bombardier to enter into force, there must be a favourable opinion also of the International Trade Commission of the United States of America. Your opinion could take a few months to arrive.
The prozealous path that public administrations have made more than a luster to play the public deficit is accelerating in recent months. The administrative sectors (central State, autonomous Communities, Social security and city councils) have advanced substantially in the containment of their red numbers by the rise of the collection and the containment of public expenditure. Official figures show that the deficit of the public administrations as a whole the difference between expenditure and public revenue during the first semester amounted to an amount equivalent to 2.15% of GDP, 23.4% less than in the same period Previous exercise. Although this budgetary gap will tend to increase during the remainder of the year because of the worst behavior of Social security accounts by the end of the year, by the extra payments, and the autonomous communities, they usually leave the execution of some expenses for the end. The target of official deficits marked in red by Brussels amounts to 3.1% of GDP. The dynamic calculation of the public deficit until August with the cumulative figures of the last 12 months is reduced to 3.25% by the budget hole of the administrations as a whole. Only one tenth more than the target for four months to end the year. In the calculations offered this Wednesday by the Ministry of Finance takes into account the upward revision of GDP made by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) A couple of weeks ago. Thus, when the denominator is increased, the/PIB deficit ratio is lower. The ministry has released this Wednesday a battery of data from different administrations in different periods of time. Among them, the execution data of the central state corresponding to the month of August, whose deficit was equivalent to 1.84% of GDP, have been published. The consolidated deficit of the Central administration, Autonomous Communities and Social security registered in the period January-July, which amounts to 2.31% of GDP, excluding financial aid, has also been disseminated today. "Finally, the budget execution data of the local corporations for the second quarter of the year 2017 have been published, which recorded a surplus of 1.874 billion euros until June, an increase of 60.3% over the same period Of the previous year, "explains the Ministry of Finance in a statement.
From the time grenade explosions, gunshots and shrieks filled in the night air of September 28, 2016, across the Line of Control with Pakistan, the noise has not died down. The chest-thumping, criticism and analysis continue as intensely a year later.
Whether Pakistan or the virulent critics of the Modi government deny the efficacy of the strike, it is difficult to refute that it has profoundly changed Indias time-worn image of a soft state. Seen along with the military action on Northeast insurgents in Myanmar in June 2015, and the obdurate resistance to Chinese bullying in Doklam, the 2016 surgical strike gives India the image of a nation one should think twice before messing with.
Since the brilliantly successful 1971 war against Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh, India had lapsed back into benign Nehruvian diplomacy and aversion to tough action. Our keenness to avoid hitting back at all costs, even when attacked, became predictable.
The surgical strike has changed that. It has given us a new strategic unpredictability.
One of our topmost national security bosses recalled in a private conversation recently that after Pakistan-trained terrorists attack on the Uri military base, action was the only solution on the table.
The PM and NSA Ajit Doval both wanted security officials to come up with solutions instead of listing challenges. The clear instruction was: Focus on action. Too much analysis causes paralysis.
Before the strike, a team had gone inside Pakistan to all the four locations which were to be attacked. The entry route was to be different from the exit route. Indian intelligence had its moles inside the Lashkar camps. Information was so pinpointed that the forces knew which places had been landmined. Only one soldier was injured when his leg was trapped in an anti-personnel landmine.
The whole operation was monitored by satellite imagery and drones which were capturing the action.
The national security officer said the terror camps could have been destroyed by flying Mirages from the Adampur airbase or using heavy artillery. But India wanted to send Pakistan a message.
The PM wanted a flawless and safe operation with minimum collateral damage. Doval was the first to inform him about the success of the mission in the morning.
Armies have carried out focused hits for centuries, mainly because these take the enemy by surprise, restrict the conflict locally, and steer clear of escalation or unnecessary losses.
Sun Tzus advice in his iconic The Art of War is evocative: Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
The most-celebrated surgical strikes in recent history were by Israeli commandos storming Entebbe Airport to rescue hostages in 1976, Israel precision-bombing Iraqs nuclear reactor in Osirak in 1981, and the US Navy Seals taking out Osama bin Laden in a 2011 raid on his Abbottabad hideout.
For years, the US has also weighed a surgical strike on Irans nuclear assets. In "Time to Attack Iran: Why a Strike is the Least Bad Option", Matthew Kroenig wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine: A preventive action would need to target the uranium conversion plant at Isfahan, the heavy-water reactor at Arak, and various centrifuge manufacturing sites near Natanz and Tehran, all of which are located above ground and are highly vulnerable to air strikes.
He suggested that the US should conduct a surgical strike on Irans nuclear facilities, absorb an inevitable round of retaliation, and then seek to quickly de-escalate the crisis. Addressing the threat now will spare the US from confronting a far more dangerous situation in the future.
India has a similar looming threat from its hostile neighbour. We have lost thousands of lives in the wanton terror Pakistan exports. The message from the PM and the NSAs decision to carry out surgical strikes is much larger than the bodies Pakistan had to count on September 29, 2016, morning.
Opinion / Columnist
Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo writes in his personal capacity as the Head of SIPAR TRUST (Southern Institute of Policy Analysis and Research) a local Think Tank that is responsible for Research Policy and Analysis. He is also an academic, researcher and political analyst based in Zambia and Zimbabwe. He can be contacted at southerninstitutepar@gmail.com.
Economy does not need an iron fist or intimidation but just basic economics should be applied or else we have slided back to the 2008 situation.As an economist I don't rely on bar talk or rumour mongering but I believe in reality and research.Today I took my time to go around town in big supermarkets such as Okay, TM, Choppies etc.the truth is things have gone bad and it is high time Zanu PF should simply admit failure and tender their resignation from governing matters and allow the will of the people to prevail.Basically people are applying what is called reactionary economics, economics of frustration.People are fed up and I think they are simply telling the current leadership to step down and pave way for a democratic process.As a political and development analyst I can tell things can even go worse than before.Remember we are almost 8 months away from national election and my question will then be, how will be the situation in 2018? Basic commodities suppliers have simply withhold their goods in the market, and there is nothing the Government can do to force them to sell their commodities.My suggestion would then be, Mugabe should simply call for a stakeholder's meeting and discuss the way forward.People like Chombo have messed up for Mugabe because they have interests to protect and what they want is to use force or apply force where you don't even to apply force but rather you simply have to apply basic rules in economics.Engange the business community, hear their views and propose the way forward.Another observation I have made is that Mangudya has printed a lot of money and it was excessive in the market in the hope of buying in a lot of foreign currency in the form of United States Dollars, in that same process it was overdone or it was excessive.The economy could feel the impact within 48 hours.My thinking would be I think this money was used for something which is not quite clear to the people or it was meant for back up for UN trip.Does Mangudya really understand his role at RBZ? Or he is being pushed to be there? Honestly no one can make a mistake of tempering with the economy like this, this was wrong move to print money considering that we don't have enough back up of foreign reserve in this country because we are not manufacturing anything in this country.Our taxation Laws are very weak, our fiscal space remains a very big challenge so he needs to exercise caution when dealing with national economic matters.Cooking Oil is gone and now there is a lot of panic within the economy.Mugabe need to consult a lot on this one before he makes crucial decisions.Economy is not politics where you can easily temper with, you have to follow the basic rules or you are finished.One thing about economy, it is different from politics, where you can try to drive a point by using a lot of gimmicks but not with the economy, if this current Government does not budge on this one we are likely to witness a lot of drama before December 2017.For now no need for bootlicking or politics of insults, rather focus on the economy.
How To Help Puerto Rico And Mexico
Right now, millions of Americans in Puerto Rico are without access to water, power, or cell service because of Hurricane Maria.
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This Tuesday, the mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulin Cruz told CNN:
Just yesterday, we have been canvassing one by one all of our elderly homes, finding our elderly and Im not kidding we [had] to transfer 11 of them in near-death conditions, no food, no water, no electricity and really the sanitary conditions were deplorable.
While those in Puerto Rico are in need of aid, Mexico needs relief help too. There have been three major earthquakes in Central Mexico since the beginning of September. More than 155 people died in Mexico City as a result of the 7.1 magnitude earthquake on September 17th.
Below are collections of charities given four out of four stars from Charity Navigator for both Puerto Rican and Mexican relief efforts.
Puerto Rico
Global Giving - Puerto Rico: In the short term, donations will be used to provide for survivors immediate needs like food, medical care, and water. Longer term term funding will support local organizations.
Americares: Americares has been flying in vital medical and emergency supplies to areas affected by the recent major hurricanes.
International Relief Teams: Deploys emergency relief teams, sends medical supplies, and directly funds partner groups working in the field.
Mexico
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Global Giving - Mexico: Like for Puerto Rico, in the short term, donations will be used to provide for survivors immediate needs like food, medical care, and water. Longer term term funding will support local organizations.
Direct Relief: This charity focuses on emergency relief and emergency preparedness. They also emphasis maternal and child health and disease treatment.
International Community Foundation: All contributions will be used in recovery aid in Oaxaca and Chiapas.
Giving Children Hope: Currently in Mexico City and working with partners to provide blankets, medical supplies, and other relief.
Survivors of other recent natural disasters still need our help too. BUSTs lists of charities for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma can be found here and here.
Top photo via Flickr/The National Guard
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Kat Kothen-Hill is a BUST intern living in Brooklyn, NY.
Follow her on Twitter:@katkothenhill and on Instagram:kitkatkothenhill.
The Jones Act Is Deadly
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The cronyist Jones Act which is a special privilege granted by government to American shipbuilders and owners is the subject of this excellent essay by Tom Grennes in U.S. News & World Report. A slice:
By prohibiting the use of foreign-flag ships on coastal routes, the nearly 100-year-old Jones Act is an impediment to disaster responders, and for that reason, can only add to the damage done. To transport merchandise from one domestic port to another by water, the act requires the use of a ship that is American-built, American-owned, American-crewed and flies the American flag. This American-flag fleet is small and shrinking, and some of the ships have long-term contracts that prevent them from quickly responding to a disaster.
See also this Wall Street Journal editorial that rightly criticizes Trumps inexcusable refusal to suspend the Jones Act a suspension that would greatly speed and make less costly the relief efforts for the victims in Puerto Rico of hurricane Maria. A slice:
Puerto Ricans pay dearly for this protectionism, which reduces competition and raises costs. A 2012 Federal Reserve Bank of New York report said the Jones Act helps explain why household and commercial goods cost roughly double to ship from the East Coast to Puerto Rico than to the nearby Dominican Republic or Jamaica. Food and energy costs are far higher than on the mainland. Presidents of both parties have suspended the Jones Act to alleviate fuel shortages and enlist the aid of cheaper, foreign-flagged ships during previous emergencies. George W. Bush did it after Hurricane Katrina, and Barack Obama did so after superstorm Sandy. The Trump Administration followed after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma ripped through Texas and Florida in August and September. The aftermath of Hurricane Maria is an even more urgent emergency. The Category 4 storm shut down electricity, destroyed crops, and has residents scrambling to obtain food and potable water. Many of the islands 3.4 million residents may not have power restored for weeks. At least 10 people have died, and rescue operations will be needed for months. Allowing Puerto Ricans to import cheaper petroleum, equipment and bulk supplies would help.
Tim Worstall e-mailed to me this incisive observation:
Not waiving the Jones Act allows American shipowners and crew to continue to price gouge Puerto Rico. Despite two hurricanes. Consistency isnt one of those things which happens in special interest politics, is it?
Special-interest politics that is to say, nearly all politics is consistent only in being inconsistent, sometimes fatally so, with the public interest.
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Photos: Our Takeaways From Chicago Gourmet 2017
By Chicagoist_Guest in Food on Sep 26, 2017 10:36PM
By Leigh Kunkel
Once an event has been around for a decade, you have to accept that its more than a passing trend. So it is with Chicago Gourmet and the cult of the local foodie. The annual gathering, which is dedicated to all things culinary, drew thousands of people to celebrate its tenth anniversary over the course of the past week, culminating with a two-day, all-you-can-eat-and-drink extravaganza in Grant Park. The crowds braved the 90-degree weather to try dishes and see demonstrations by some of the citys best chefs. After eating and drinking our way through a truly staggering number of things, here are a few of our takeaways from the event.
Global warming is real.
Seriously, its practically October, and the sun was beating down so hard that you would have thought it was mid-July. The line for tents that were serving warm-weather staples like Aperol spritzes, frosA, and prosecco stretched across the lawns, while those peddling scotch and Napa cabs stood mostly empty. A crowd favorite was the rainbow Jell-O shots from the Four Corners Tavern Group tent, which left everyone slightly tipsy and very nostalgic.
Japan Airlines was the weekends MVP
At a festival dedicated to decadent gourmet food, we were surprised to see people crowding around the Japan Airlines tent, until we saw what they were giving away: fans. As the temperatures soared and shade became hard to find, those fans were a lifesaver. Well played, JAL.
Celebrity chefs are definitely still a thing.
At the opening ceremony, we were surrounded by 30-something women craning their necks to catch a glimpse of Australian chef Curtis Stone. Youll know him when you see him. Hes just, like, ugh, soooo handsome, one of them explained to her friend. Rick Bayless is a perennial favorite, but it was ABCs the Chews Carla Hall (formerly of Top Chef fame) who seemed to be the big winner this year, with enthusiastic fans crowding her book signing, as well as her cooking demo with Pork & Mindys Jeff Mauro. And props to Chicago Gourmet for bringing a diverse group of chefs to the event; it was nice to see a wide variety of backgrounds and cuisines represented.
Vegetables are finally getting their due
A couple of years ago, we lamented the fact [http://chicagoist.com/2015/09/28/photos_chicagos_food_and_wine_stars.php] that there were almost no vegetarian options available. This year, there was a dedicated Go Veg Or Go Home tent, with offerings like CJ Jacobson of Emas smoked cucumber salad, and Ali Dewjee of Bombay Wraps samosas and mango lassis. (Which might have gotten combined with the sample from the RumChata tent. Possibly. Maybe.) Several other tents also got in on the meat-free game, like Rhyme or Reasons potato gnocchi mac and cheese, which ordinarily we could eat a whole bowl of, but considering the weather, the sample cup size was just right. And Gaylords simla aloo with black pepper-cilantro naan had the perfect amount of spice to cut through the starchy potatoes and bread.
That said, meat is still king.
From whole-roasted pigs to an entire tent (with a line stretching across the park) dedicated to lobster and seafood, meat is in no danger of being dethroned. Country Financials BBQ, Beer and Bourbon tent was a highlight for many attendees, featuring chefs from Chicago classics like the Berghoff and Rosebud Steakhouse, to more modern takes like Saint Lous Assembly and Vol. 39.
And a couple stray thoughts to close out
Stans Chicago Bismarck doughnut, which features a neon-orange cheese and cream filling, topped with caramel and Garretts popcorn, is much more delicious than it has any right to be.
The name Champagne Fountain is misleading when its really just a giant stuffed champagne bottle that blows bubbles.
See you next year, Chicago Gourmet!
These Chicago Comedy Alums Are Headed To 'SNL'
By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 27, 2017 3:32PM
Chris Redd / Facebook
It looks like the great Chicago-to-SNL comedy pipeline remains reliable as ever. Saturday Night Live announced on Tuesday their latest crop of Not Ready for Primetime Players, and Chicago comedy hounds will recognize a couple of familiar faces among the lineup: Chicago native Chris Redd and Luke Null.
Redd is certainly the most well-known of anyone in the new crop. He co-stars on Netflix's Disjointed and delivered a memorable turn as rapper Hunter the Hungry in Lonely Island's 2016 pop mockumentary Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. Before those high-profile gigs, Redd cut his comic chops here in his hometown with iO, The Annoyance and The Second City. He also co-wrote the Second City-meets-Hubbard Street Dance mashup The Art of Fallingwhich we loved.
Ohio native Null also developed his skills here in Chicago, where he wrote and performed at iO and The Annoyance. He's apparently best known for his musical-comedy stylings, but you can sample some of his non-song-based work below.
Gary Richardson (iO, The Annoyance) and Steven Castillo (iO) also joined as writers, according to the Tribune.
The new season of SNL premieres this weekend with host Ryan Gosling and musical guest Jay-Z, who have each done quality work despite their lack of direct Chicago ties.
And if you still can't get enough Chicago-SNL synergy after Saturday, remember that the original prop- and costume-packed exhibit "Saturday Night Live: The Experience" goes live from Chicago next month at the Museum of Broadcast Communications.
New Delhi: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said it was the government's duty to support well- performing public sectors units, and "sack and offer voluntary retirement scheme (VRS)" to non-performing officers.
Adressing an event here, the minister said faster decision making process, good leadership, team work, transparency, and corruption free system are needed for the growth of any company.
He received a dividend cheque of Rs 42.13 crore from public sector firm WAPCOS Ltd CMD R K Gupta at the event.
"We have huge potential in infrastructure...
Organisations which are doing good, our duty is to support them and sack non-performing people, give them VRS," he said.
He appreciated WAPCOS's performance at a time when there is "not a very good impression about government companies".
The Union Water Resources Minister said the problem is that "files are moved around for years" and decisions are not taken.
He said the government accords the highest priority to infrastructure as the sector has a huge potential.
Noting that water problem is the major reason for migration of people from rural to urban areas, he pitched for mirco irrigation which can increase agriculture productivity.
Gadkari also released a book titled 'WAPCOS Discovering New Horizons' which documents the company's growth journey since its inception.
Union ministers Satya Pal Singh and Arjun Ram Meghwal were also present on the occasion.
New Delhi: The merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular is on track and is expected to be completed in calender year 2018, a top Vodafone official said on Wednesday.
Vodafone India MD and CEO Sunil Sood said "absolutely", when asked if the merger of the two telecom firms is on course. He spoke on the sidelines of India Mobile Congress here.
Stating that the merger process goes through various stages, including approvals from the CCI, Sebi, the NCLT and the telecom department, Sood said "we feel all of them are on track and in fact, we are going ahead on schedule".
On the timeline for completion of the merger, he said it will happen by 2018.
Earlier this year, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular had agreed to merge their operations to create the country's largest telecom operator worth of more than USD 23 billion with a 35 per cent market share.
The combined entity of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, which are currently India's number 2 and 3, respectively, would dislodge Bharti Airtel to counter the fierce price war in the world's second-largest telecom market.
Iniya is back in action with a dual role in the film Pottu. She will be seen in the titular role of Pottammal, as well as a modern city girl in the film. A horror thriller set in a medical college, Pottu has Bharath in the lead role. Namitha is playing an aghori while Srushti Dange will be seen as a medical student in the film. In a chat with DC, Iniya narrates her experiences working in the horror movie.
Bharath
The movie has all elements like action, drama, comedy and horror. It was really frightening when the director Vadivudayan shot the ghost portions in real graveyards at night-time. Of course, I do lot of prayers before entering the burial ground (laughs). Among the other ghost movies I have done, Pottu is something different. It needs lot of energy and hard work to pull off roles like this. All my tribal scenes were shot in the Kolli Malai hills, she opens up.
About her co-star Bharath, she states, He is very dedicated actor. Both our performances complement each other pretty well. The movie will take him to the next level.
The Vaagai Sooda Vaa actress says that she wants to act more in Tamil industry. Presently, I am working in Samuthirakani sirs Akasha Mittayi opposite Jayaram. Im also acting in a few Mtown films including Rosa Pookalam, etc. So far, you would have seen me in homely characters. I prefer to do more modern roles in the future.
She reveals that she was offered to be part of Bigg Boss in Tamil and Telugu, but due to prior work commitments, she could not accept them Oviya and I are good friends. She spoke to me before going to Bigg Boss and I am really happy for her. She has earned a big name through the reality show.
Mumbai: The Kerala High Court today reserved its orders on a fresh bail plea filed by Malayalam actor Dileep arrested in connection with the alleged abduction and assault of a South Indian film actress here in February.
Justice Sunil Thomas concluded the hearing on the third bail application filed by the actor before the court.
Four bail pleas filed by Dileep were earlier rejected, twice each in a magistrate court at Angamaly and the high court.
Opposing the bail application, the prosecution today reiterated their earlier contention that if bail was granted to Dileep, an influential figure, it would adversely affect the investigation.
However, the counsel for Dileep claimed that the actor was entitled to bail as no evidence was available against him.
Dileep has been lodged in the Aluva sub-jail ever since his arrest in the case on July 10.
The police have claimed that the conspiracy to abduct and assault the actress in a moving car and film the act was hatched by Dileep.
Six persons, including prime accused 'Pulsar' Suni, were arrested in connection with the actress abduction case.
The actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on February 17 night and later escaped in a busy area.
Moreover, the judicial custody of Pulsar Sunil, main accused in the case,has been extended till 10th October.
Following a censor report leak, expectations from Spyder are hitting infinitely high. After Baahubali, this could be Tollywoods next big film as it is being released on a huge scale. Interestingly, the makers are expecting to earn over one million dollars from overseas shows alone a big achievement for any Telugu star. The Rs 125 crore budget film has done good business and has been sold at high prices in all regions. In Tamil, the spy thriller will see a bigger release because of director A.R. Murugudoss.
Although not much has been revealed about the storyline, according to the leaked censor report, the scene before the interval is commendable and the second half is completely racy.
The romantic scenes between Mahesh and Rakul Preet have been shot very well and the technical values are on par with international standards, says a source in the know.
The qipao -- meaning "Qi robe" -- began as a long, loose dress worn by the Manchus or "Qi" people who ruled China from the 17th century to the early 1900s. (Photo: AFP)
TAIPEI: In a quiet workshop in Taipei, three young women meticulously sew and iron under the watchful eye of a master dressmaker with decades of experience in creating the classic "qipao".
Lin Chin-te, 74, is among a handful of craftsmen in Taiwan who still specialise in handmaking the high-collar, figure-hugging garment which was once part of many women's daily wardrobes. His workshop is hung with dresses, from elaborate long embroidered red silk qipaos to shorter length versions in more wearable materials.
Seen as increasingly impractical and pricier than off-the-peg versions, the tailormade qipao is now mostly worn at weddings and special events. Lin worries dressmakers will no longer learn his skills and takes on apprentices to pass down his know-how.
Hung Chu-tsu, 37, is one of Lin's three 30-something female pupils. "The master is very patient," she says, wearing a knee-length blue floral qipao she made herself. "We start practising from the basics and learn one stitch at a time."
Hung says she thinks qipaos are beautiful and left her career as a nurse to learn to be a dressmaker after having a child. Her plan is to open her own shop, selling handmade qipaos adapted to modern life.
Often smiling, with braces holding up his trousers and a thimble wedged on his middle finger, Lin says he wants to ensure his 60 years of experience do not go to waste. "I teach my pupils as much as I can and hopefully they can strike out on their own in the future," he says.
'Qipao hunk'
The qipao -- meaning "Qi robe" -- began as a long, loose dress worn by the Manchus or "Qi" people who ruled China from the 17th century to the early 1900s. Its popularity took off in 1920s Shanghai when it was modified into a fitted must-have, favoured by actresses and intellectuals as a symbol of femininity and refinement.
Also known as "cheongsam" in Cantonese, it fell out of favour in China after communist forces seized power in 1949 following a civil war and the dress became associated with capitalism. But the qipao gained a following in Taiwan, where defeated nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek set up a separate government after fleeing the mainland.
Chiang's glamorous wife Soong Mei-ling belonged to Shanghai high society and was a qipao enthusiast, influencing trends in Taiwan. Many women wore the dress daily until the 1970s. Mass-produced, cheaper clothes eventually dented its appeal and some designers say recent growing anti-China sentiment has also put off young people as they associate the dress with mainland culture. However, Lee Wei-fan, 25, says there is still a fanbase.
He studied qipao making under an old master for five years after deciding to carve out a niche in a field few of his design peers wanted to go into. Lee opened his own business six months ago and has built a following on social media where he goes under the name "Qipao Hunk", something he blushes to admit was a publicity stunt.
His clients range from brides to businesswomen who see the dress as elegant. Lee says there is increasing interest in traditional Asian styles, which he hopes to tap into. "Those of us who have a rarer craft will be more competitive," he adds. Neither Lin nor Lee would reveal their prices but a master dressmaker charges from around Tw$8,000 ($260), not including the price of fabric.
'A happy heart'
Arguably Taiwan's most famous qipao maker, Chen Chung-hsin, 65, regularly opens up his modest workshop to tour groups and school trips to build enthusiasm for qipao making. Known for creating costumes for movies including Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien's Cannes-winning martial arts epic "The Assassin", Chen learned his skills from his father and inherited his shop.
He says he makes qipaos "with a happy heart" for his clients. "I hope that more people will see the traditional tailormade qipao is different from an off-the-peg one -- mine flatters their shapes more," says Chen.
One of his loyal clients, Taipei marketing executive Yogi Ma, has set up a qipao club aimed at making the classic dress a daily wardrobe staple once more, saying it can suit any figure and can be modernised using different cuts and fabrics. "The qipao is very elegant and pretty, it's a pity that fewer women wear them now," says Ma, 42, who sees it as representing the "beauty of ethnic Chinese women".
Her Facebook-based club has over 4,000 followers and arranges events where members wear the dress to take part in activities, from whisky tasting to flower arranging. She hopes that by promoting the dress she will help skills like Chen's survive. "If more people like the qipao, there won't be an issue of lacking people to learn the craft," she said.
Discontinuing prescribed aspirin can increase your chance of heart attack or stroke risk by 30%, a new study has discovered.
Lead author of the study, Professor Johan Sundstrom told the Daily Mail: "Low-dose aspirin therapy is a simple and inexpensive treatment."
Stopping the use of the drug can cause the body to suffer a "rebound effect" due to the withdrawal, according to a report by the Daily Mail. This could cause clots in the vessels, which supply the heart or brain with blood.
For the study, researchers from Uppsala University examined close to 600,000 Swedish patients for four-and-a-half years, all of who were prescribed low doses of the drug to prevent strokes and heart attacks. Participants were over 40 and consumed daily half a tablet.
Follow-up examination after three years showed 62,690 suffered heart attacks or strokes. The study found one out 74 patients who stopped taking aspirin had a second risk of the event. Not continuing with the medication increased cardiovascular risks by 37%, the report revealed.
"As long as there's no bleeding or any major surgery scheduled our research shows the significant public health benefits that can be gained when patients stay on aspirin therapy," Sundstrom told the Daily Mail.
"It's been known for some time, in part due to BHF research, that aspirin is an effective drug for reducing your risk of heart attack," Associate medical director Dr Mike Knapton told the Daily Mail. Adding, "But for the medications to work, it's vitally important that people take them," he warns.
The findings highlight the importance of sticking to the medication prescribed.
The website that offers to hook up young female students with rich older men. (Photo: Freethem.at/Facebook)
Belgian authorities have launched a prostitution probe and impounded posters for a dating website that offered to hook up young female students with rich older men, officials said Wednesday.
The publicity drive by Norwegian-based website RichMeetBeautiful has triggered a storm of controversy in Belgium as lorries with huge billboards paraded past universities in Brussels.
Police in the Belgian capital intercepted one of the trucks late on Tuesday and impounded the poster, prosecutors said, adding that they had begun an investigation into suspected "public incitement of an adult to debauchery".
"An inquiry has been opened to determine whether the 'RichMeetBeautiful' campaign amounts to a criminal offence," the Brussels prosecutor's office said in a statement.
The billboards, which carried a picture of a woman's chest barely hidden by a red bra and the slogan "Hey students! Improve your lifestyle, go out with a 'sugar daddy'," sparked a shower of complaints to police from Belgian politicians and a student union.
Brussels regional authorities on Wednesday issued an order banning the campaign, which was launched several weeks ago, from the city and surrounding area.
The Union of Students of the French community condemned the campaign as "completely immoral", saying hard-up students needed scholarships, not "sugar daddies" -- wealthy middle-aged men paying for their company.
Site boss Sigurd Vedal told AFP on Monday that criticisms likening the site to prostitution were unfair.
"It's a classic misunderstanding," Vedal said. "We are like a normal dating site, but financial is part of the checklist. We have very clear terms of agreement, 'sugar babies' must be 18 of age and prostitution is not allowed."
Out of 150,000 young women who have signed up in Scandinavian countries and Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, around 21,000 are Belgian, according to the site, which says Belgium is one of its commercial priorities.
Prince Harry arrives ahead of an Invictus Games foundation dinner in Toronto on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (Photo: AP)
Canadians have been going wild over Prince Harry's visit to Toronto for the Invictus Games.
Adding to the excitement is the fact that his girlfriend Meghan Markle currently resides there. While there has been much speculation about the couple announcing an engagement, the prince did get popped the question during his visit. But it was not from Markle.
A very excited Toronto local Maurie Sherman was among the crowds that gathered outside to catch a glimpse at Harry as he arrived for an Invictus Games Foundation reception.
Queen Elizabeth's grandson took the time to greet as many people as he could, even posed for a few pictures.
When Sherman had his turn with the prince he complimented him on his "gorgeous" looks and said he would leave his husband for him.
Daily Mail reported the 39-year-old radio DJ said: "I love you so much," he said, "I would leave my husband for you!"
The prince was naturally surprised but gracefully took in the compliment and thanked him.
Pleased and happy, Maurie shared a picture of their meeting on Twitter with a caption: "Hello #PrinceHarry!"
nce she is anointed a living goddess, the Kumari is only allowed to leave her new home 13 times a year on special feast days, when she is paraded through Kathmandu in ceremonial dress and elaborate makeup to be worshipped. (Photo: AFP)
Kathmandu: A three-year-old girl has been named the new Kumari of Nepal's capital Kathmandu after her predecessor retired when she reached puberty, continuing an ancient tradition that sees young girls worshipped as "living goddesses".
Trishna Shakya will be anointed as the new Kumari in a ceremony on Thursday, when she will be taken from her family home to live in a palace in Kathmandu's ancient Durbar Square where she will be cared for by specially appointed caretakers.
She was selected from among four candidates, Uddhav Man Karmacharya, a Hindu priest who attends to the Kumari, told AFP on Tuesday.
"She will take her place on the Kumari's throne after we perform prayers and tantric rituals," Karmacharya said.
Once she is anointed a living goddess, Shakya -- who, like her predecessors, belongs to the Newar community indigenous to the Kathmandu valley -- will only be allowed to leave her new home 13 times a year on special feast days.
She will be paraded through Kathmandu in ceremonial dress and elaborate makeup to be worshipped.
When outside, the Kumari ,who is considered an embodiment of the Hindu goddess Taleju, is carried because her feet are not allowed to touch the ground.
Selection criteria for aspiring Kumaris is strict and includes a number of specific physical attributes such as an unblemished body, a chest like a lion and thighs like a deer.
Even if a girl fulfils all the physical requirements, she must then prove her bravery by not crying at the sight of a sacrificed buffalo.
The Newar tradition blends elements of Hinduism and Buddhism, with the most important Kumaris representing each of the three former royal kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur.
The practice was historically closely linked to the royal family, but has continued despite the end of Nepal's Hindu monarchy in 2008.
The tradition has drawn criticism from child rights activists who say the Kumaris are denied a childhood and their isolation from society hinders their education and development.
In 2008, Nepal's Supreme Court ruled the living goddesses should be educated and they are now taught inside the palace where they live and are allowed to sit their exams there.
Many former Kumaris have spoken about the struggles they face reintegrating into society after they are dethroned.
The outgoing Kumari, Matine Shakya, was anointed in 2008 at the age of three.
But the number of girls being put forward by their families to be selected as a Kumari has dwindled in recent years.
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China Tuesday unveiled the overall plan for establishing its new national park system.
"This marks the completion of the top-level design of the national park system, and the beginning of the next stage of substantial construction," said Wang Yi, deputy head of the Institute of Science and Development at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
By 2020, the country will finish pilot programs for establishing national parks, according to the plan.
The country's national parks will follow the principle of "ecological protection first", the plan said.
The national parks will be authorized by the central government and implemented by government-led management.
Aiming mainly to protect China's large natural ecosystems, the national parks will be set up in specific land, marine and ocean areas to achieve a combination of ecological protection and sustainable development.
The country has set up 10 pilot programs for the national park system, covering topics including the Sanjiangyuan (the source of China's three major rivers), giant panda habitats and the Great Wall.
National parks are one of the most important types of protected natural areas and will be managed according to a red line system.
China has ordered all its provinces and regions to establish an ecological "red line" that will declare designated regions under mandatory and rigorous protection.
The overall plan for establishing a national park system was jointly published by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.
Chennai: A 40-year-old Imam of a mosque in Perungalatur was arrested by police for allegedly misbehaving with a 10-year-old girl attending his Quran classes. The arrested was identified as Ahamed Sultan, of Gundumedu mosque.
The police action was result of a complaint at the all-women police station in Tambaram.
The victim, a class V student of a private school, had been attending the 6 am Quran class of Imam Sultan at the mosque along with a few other children.
He used to ask her to stay back saying she has to work harder because she was not good at learning.
However, the girl told her parents that Imam was getting too close with her by touching her private parts and also by trying to kiss her, the police said.
When the parents confronted the Imam he said that the girl was telling lies because she does not want to attend the Quran classes.
However the parents decided to approach the police and lodged the complaint at all women police station. The police arrested the Imam on Tuesday.
He has been arrested under sections of the protection of children from sexual offences (Pocso) Act. He was remanded to custody, police said.
Chennai: A week after a woman techie became a victim of a mobile phone snatching incident, she on Monday identified the snatchers and with help of public managed catch the two in Chromepet.
Police said that Anbarasis mobile phone was snatched by a bike-borne duo on September 20 when she was walking from GST road to her house Bharathipuram via Radha Nagar.
On Monday night when she was pillion riding a relatives bike home through Radha Nagar she noticed two men on bike, who had snatched her phone last week.
She raised alarm and asked her relative to follow the snatchers on bike. When she started shouting for help a few other bike riders also started chasing the snatchers. The snatchers finally got stuck in front of closed railway gate at a level crossing and people over powered them and thrashed them. The two were later handed over to the police who identified the two as Sivasanakran,25 from Santhome and Jaffer, 25 of Old Pallavaram.
Hyderabad: The LB Nagar police arrested a 44-year-old baba who cheated the public by posing as an astrologer on Wedne-sday.
The arrested was identified as Narasimha Charyulu from Prakasam who made himself famous by hosting programmes on private TV channels. Officials seized a fake pistol, two tolas of gold, five kilos of silver, Rs 5 lakh cash, an Innova car and a fake CBI identity card from him. He claims to solve marital problems and traps women, said the police.
Hyderabad: It will be at least a year until parking facilities and feeder services for the soon-to-be-inaugurated 30 km stretch of Metro Rail line are fully functional, according to minister K.T. Rama Rao.
He was speaking after inspecting Metro Rail works at the Oliphanta Bridge in Secunderabad on Thursday.
The Metro Rail stations, which are likely to be inaugurated in November, have no parking facilities, feeder services or other amenities that are essential for smooth operation. Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd. plans to develop parking facilities at 34 of the 64 stations.
Mr Rao said, These services will not be available as soon as Metro Rail services are launched. It will take some time for them to be developed.
He said the government was in the process of formulating a parking policy with the GHMC which would include parking facilities for Metro Rail users as well. We do not want people to use their individual vehicles and cause traffic jams, he said.
Security features are also yet to be installed at Metro Rail stations. L&T has posted private security guards at all stations, but the government will have to make its own arrangements.
The state government has set November 20 as the deadline for completion of the two corridors from Nagole to Ameerpet and from Miyapur to Ameerpet. Mr Rao said, We will be ready by November 20. We are awaiting confirmation from the office of the Prime Minister regarding the inauguration.
He said the TS government wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate Hyderabad Metro Rail as it was the first and largest public-private partnership project in the country. The project has been built by an Indian company, which shows that we are capable of successfully completing such mega projects, he said.
Mr Modi will be in the city to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit from November 28 to 30. If his schedule does not allow him time to inaugurate the Metro Rail, the TS government is willing to wait.
Mr Rao said, We are trying to get it done during Mr Modis visit to the city so that he does not have to come twice. Its a matter of pride for India, and we are keen on the PM opening the project.
Talks on for Metro in Old city: KTR
Minister K.T. Rama Rao said the Metro Rail talks were going with elected representatives in the Old City to work out a way to make the Metro Rail viable.
L&T Metro Rails original plan had to be scrapped due to problems in land acquisition.
Other challenges include the presence of areas with high population densities and the presence of 13 religious structures on the route.
Singh has also directed home secretary Rajiv Gauba to convene a meeting of senior officials to examine all outstanding issues. (Photo: PTI/File)
New Delhi/Darjeeling: The indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has been suspended on Wednesday morning.
The decision to withdraw the shutdown which had paralysed the hills for the past 104 days was taken on Tuesday by GJM chief Bimal Gurung on Tuesday evening in response to appeal by Union home minister Rajnath Singh.
The indefinite shutdown by for a separate state of Gorkhaland had begun on June 15.
Our party supremo Bimal Gurung has decided to suspend the indefinite shutdown in the hills from 6 am tomorrow morning for an indefinite period. The decision was taken after Union home minister Rajnath Singhs appeal to withdraw the strike, GJM vice-president Kalyan Dewan told a news agency.
The home minister had appealed to GJM to withdraw the ongoing strike in Darjeeling for a separate Gorkhaland state.
Singh has also directed Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba to convene a meeting of senior officials to examine all outstanding issues.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the home minister stressed that in democracy all issues could be resolved through a dialogue within the framework of legal provisions.
In a statement, the home minister said that in a democracy, dialogue is the only way out to resolve any problem and solutions can be found through restraint and mutual dialogue within the legal ambit.
Although, the strike was officially on in the Hills but for the past one week most of the shops and markets were open defying the diktats by GJM leadership.
Reacting to the GJMs decision, West Bengal tourism minister and Trinamool Congress leader Gautam Deb said the central government has provided a face saver to GJM supremo Bimal Gurung.
"More than 80 per cent of the shops and markets in the Hills have already opened up defying Gurung," he said.
My question is what took the central government so long and that too when the situation in the Hills has already normalised, he said.
Karti argued that a special court had discharged all the accused and terminated proceedings in the matter. (Photo: File)
New Delhi: The Cental Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued a fresh notice to Karti Chidambaram asking him to appear before the agency for questioning on October 4 in the Aircel-Maxis case, sources said on Wednesday.
The CBI had earlier asked Karti to appear before it on September 14, but he refused to appear arguing that a special court had discharged all the accused and terminated proceedings in the matter.
The CBI has strongly contradicted the claim, and said that the investigation was still on.
The agency wants to question him in connection with the foreign investment clearance given in 2006 in the Aircel-Maxis deal when his father P Chidambaram was the finance minister, the sources said.
Karti wrote to the agency that after the discharge of the accused and "termination" of the proceedings, the CBI would not have jurisdiction to issue a summons in connection with the case.
The CBI strongly contradicted claims of Karti, saying only four, including two companies, of the eight charge sheeted accused were discharged by the special court and that the agency had already filed an appeal against the order in the Delhi High Court in May this year.
CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal had said that the FIR in the case "has not been quashed by the court and further investigation under 173(8) of the CrPC is continuing".
He said two Malaysian nationals and two Malaysian companies who were charge sheeted by the CBI in the matter did not appear before the special court and warrants were issued against the individuals.
P Chidambaram, in a statement in 2014, had dismissed the allegations against him, saying the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance was granted in due course.
Srinivasan's comments have triggered a renewed demand by the DMK and other opposition parties for a thorough probe into the death of Jayalalithaa. (Photo: PTI)
Coimbatore: Amid conflicting claims by AIADMK leaders over access to party supremo Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation, Tamil Nadu Minister O S Manian on Wednesday said the state Health Minister and the Apollo Hospitals Chairman had briefed them about her health status.
"We were given updates on her health status by (Health Minister C) Vijayabaskar and Apollo Hospitals' (Pratap C) Reddy," he said.
Manian, the handlooms and textile minister, was replying to a specific question on who were the ministers who had seen Jayalalithaa during her 75 days of hospitalisation from September 22 last year.
She had died on December 5, 2016.
His comments come at a time when some state ministers had made contradictory claims on meeting the then chief minister in hospital.
Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan and Commercial Taxes Minister K C Veeramani had recently said that no one was allowed to see Jayalalithaa, while their cabinet colleague Sellur K Raju on Tuesday contradicted them.
"All the ministers met her," he had said.
Sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran camp on Tuesday said the inquiry commission announced by the state government to probe Jayalalithaa's death should question the ministers over their contradictory views.
Manian also welcomed the constitution of the inquiry commission to probe the death of Jayalalithaa.
Varanasi: Dr Mahendra Kumar Singh was on Wednesday appointed the Chief Proctor of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) after Professor ON Singh resigned Tuesday night, taking moral responsibility for the incident of molestation and violence inside the premises of the university.
ON Singh submitted his resignation letter to the Vice-Chancellor, Girish Chandra Tripathi, on Tuesday night. ON Singh was considered to be one of the aides of Tripathi.
Also read: BHU violence a conspiracy, initial probe suggests role of anti-social elements: Yogi
A number of students were hurt when clashes broke out between the police and students of the BHU after the students started protesting against alleged molestation of a girl.
Earlier on Tuesday, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police (DG) Uttar Pradesh and the BHU Vice-Chancellor seeking a detailed report on the matter and submit his response within four weeks.
Read: Adityanath seeks report after students, journalists injured in BHU clashes
The NHRC, in its statement, said, "Suo motu cognisance taken in the subsequent use of unwarranted manhandling and thrashing of agitating students, mostly women, by UP police."
The development came a day after Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Shrikant Sharma asserted that a judicial inquiry has been initiated to probe in the BHU violence case.
Chennai: Tussle between railway police and Kancheepuram police over jurisdiction of handling the body of a murdered woman found near railway track near Potheri railway station delayed the process of shifting the mortal remains by more than four hours on Tuesday.
The murder could have taken place on Monday night and police have not ruled out the possible attempt of sexual assault on the victim.
The body of the burqa-clad woman with stab injuries on her neck and face was found by 5 am on Tuesday by railway gang men checking the track. They immediately informed about it to station master who in turn reported it to the railway police.
A team from the Tambaram railway police station rushed to the scene only to measure the distance from track to the body and declare that it was not in their jurisdiction because it was not in 6 feet distance from the tracks.
Then the Maraimalai Nagar police was informed about the unidentified body aged about 30, with churidar and burqa.
The team from the Maraimalai Nagar police station reached the scene and came up with another theory of jurisdiction and refused to remove the body to the hospital saying that it was certainly a case of railway police since the body is lying in the land that belongs to the railways.
Nearly four hours passed with nobody touching the body because of the jurisdictional issue. In between somebody called up the Kancheepuram superintendent of police and informed about the situation.
The officer immediately asked the Maraimalai Nagar police register the case of murder and remove the body to Chengalpet GH for post-mortem.
Police later said that no object was found to ascertain the identity of the woman.
She had stab injuries on her body. Some of her hair was ripped off along with skull skin. We found a box containing some tablets, police noted.
Police have not ruled out the possibility of attempted rape, but noted that it would be known only after getting the post-mortem report.
During the interrogation by the Intelligence Bureau, Kaskar confirmed that Dawood Ibrahim, wanted in several cases including the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, is in Pakistan. (Photo: PTI/File)
Thane: A Thane Court on Wednesday sent underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar and two other accused in an extortion racket case to police custody for four days.
Police have been questioning Kaskar after his arrest in connection with the case last week.
During the interrogation by the Intelligence Bureau, Kaskar confirmed that his brother Dawood Ibrahim, wanted in several cases including the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, is in Pakistan.
He also said that Dawood is of late wary of calling his relatives or his men in India on phone for fear of tapping.
Kaskar also revealed that fugitive gangster Dawoods wife Mehzabeen had travelled to Dubai in 2016 from Pakistan to meet his family.
Kaskar was taken into custody from his sister Haseena Parkar's house on the night of September 18 by a team led by Pradeep Sharma, encounter specialist and Anti-Extortion Cell's senior inspector.
The petitioner raised questions about former late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's thumb impression on the EC forms and questioned its authenticity. (Photo: PTI | File)
Chennai: The Madras High Court on Wednesday summoned the Election Commission (EC) officials to appear in person before it to explain about former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa's thumb impression on papers supporting All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLA AK Bose's nomination.
This was based on a petition filed against the victory of AK Bose in Tirupurkundram bypolls held in November 2016.
Jayalalithaa was in hospital, undergoing treatment, at the time.
The petitioner raised questions about former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's thumb impression on the EC forms and questioned its authenticity.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate P Saravanan, who lost the by-election in Tiruparankundram Assembly Constituency had filed a petition in Madras High Court, seeking details of Jayalalithaa's thumb impression on affidavit filed by Bose, elected from the constituency in the November 2016 bypoll.
Saravanan had challenged the victory of Bose in Thiruparankundram bypoll when Jayalalithaa was in the hospital in 2016.
MADURAI: An official team, which went to inspect a temple ritual in the wake of a news story published by an online portal that seven girls 'revered' as Amman were confined for days in Yezhaikaatha Amman temple at Vellalur village near Madurai, advised the girls to cover their shoulders with a shawl.
The report alleged that the girls were made to stay in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple for 14 days under the care of a male priest, while their parents stayed in the temple hall.
Though the report did not make any allegation of exploitation or sexual abuse, it created a sensation leading to the editors of the web portal being trolled.
Following this, the district collector Veera Raghava Rao sent an official team to investigate the rituals. "We found no abuse of the children who were sent by their parents voluntarily," said the collector adding that they were treated like goddesses.
The temple ritual which has been followed for centuries began with people from 70 villages gathering to select the girls for the annual festival, which began on September 12 this year. A Boomiselvam, Tamil Professor of American College, who has been participating in the ritual since his childhood, said that," The girls selected for the rituals were normally under the age group of six to eight. Only children who have not entered puberty are chosen for the ritual. Besides the temple priest who is normally an aged man, sleeps outside the sanctum sanctorum, while the girls sleep inside the sanctum sanctorum," said the professor.
Boomiselvam who is also researching on this ritual said that it is common practice in Hindu tradition for those who are engaged in this ritual inside the sanctum sanctorum not to wear upper garment. The practice of children not wearing upper clothes in the ritual is just following that tradition, he said.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, while allowing the medical visa, said she prays for her recovery. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday granted medical visa to seven-year-old Pakistani girl from Karachi for undergoing an open heart surgery in India.
Replying to the mother of the 7-year-old girl on Twitter, Swaraj said, "Yes we are allowing Visa for your 7 years old daughter's open heart surgery in India. We also pray for her recovery (sic)".
Yes, we are allowing Visa for your 7 years old daughter's open heart surgery in India. We also pray for her early recovery. https://t.co/bFmUXriQCC Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) September 27, 2017
The Pakistani woman had tweeted to External Affairs Minister seeking help for the early process of her daughter's visa, an application for which she had applied in August.
Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh underlined the Centres proactive steps in bringing development to the Valley, especially with respect to neutralising extremist forces. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: There is need to "change the discourse" around Jammu and Kashmir as there is no such thing as the Kashmir issue, Union minister Jitendra Singh has said, stressing that the only "point of debate" is retrieving Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office said this after paying a pictorial homage to martyrs of Jammu and Kashmir Police and slain Army officer Lt Ummer Fayyaz in Delhi on Tuesday.
Lt Fayyaz's Facebook page, letters during his Army training days as well as the photographs of slain J-K officers Mohammed Ayoub Pandith, Feroz Ahmed Dar and others were on display at the event.
"There is need to change the discourse (on Jammu and Kashmir) for future generations. We have to change the agenda.There is no such issue as Kashmir issue. It is as much a part of India as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or any other state.
"The only issue if at all is how to retrieve a part of Kashmir which is under the illegal occupation of Pakistan for the past 70 years and restore the Valley in the same format as was handed over by Maharaja Hari Singh," Singh said.
He underlined the central government's "proactive" steps in bringing development to the Valley, especially with respect to neutralising extremist forces.
"The border dwellers, in spite of the hardships they face, have asked us to take strong action against cross-border shelling. We have given our forces confidence and freedom to act on the borders, and the results are for everyone to see.
"We have been able to neutralise many terrorists and foil infiltration bids. Our crackdown on terror funding in the Valley is another step to step towards restoring normalcy in the state," he said.
Hitting out at the past political regimes for "mishandling Kashmir", Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, who was also present on the occasion, said the Modi government was the only "ray of hope" for the people.
"In a first, the Centre and the state government are on the same page with regard to dealing with terrorism and separatism," he said.
On questions being raised against the PDP-BJP coalition in the state, the Deputy CM said such an alliance was a "bold decision". "We had to leave a lot of issues dear to us for the larger interest of the state," he said.
Union minister Jitendra Singh said the foreign outreach by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the major achievements of the current dispensation at the Centre.
"Many nations that were earlier not convinced with India's position on Kashmir have come around. It gives the country a major boost in putting forth its stand on the matter on a global platform," he said.
Talking about the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley, the MoS said it was imperative to "create a conducive atmosphere so that the community members returns voluntarily".
Former MP Tarun Vijay, who was also present at the event, saluted the sacrifice of civilians, policemen and army personnel who laid down their lives while battling terrorist forces.
Lt Fayaz, an Army officer of Rajputana Rifles, was abducted and killed by militants in south Kashmir's Shopian district on May 9 this year.
Srinagar DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith was lynched to death outside Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta on June 22 while Sub inspector Feroz Ahmed Dar was killed by LeT terrorists in Anantnag on June 16.
CHENNAI: Rebel AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran on Tuesday wrote to Election Commission seeking three weeks time to file additional affidavits on the two leaves symbol case.
Election Commission had last week set September 29 as the deadline for submitting documents to support their claims.
Election Commission officials said they received the letter from Dhinakaran on Tuesday evening, but no decision has been taken so far.
In his letter, Dhinakaran sought extension of time arguing that it is a time consuming process to secure affidavits from leaders of the party affirming their support to his faction. The Dhinakaran faction had asked EC not to decide on the Two Leaves symbol case without hearing their side.
If Dhinakarans request is accepted, the Election Commission will have to defer the final hearing in the matter which has been scheduled for October 6.
In notices sent to deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, AIADMK presidium chairman E. Madhusudhanan, ousted general secretary and deputy general secretary V.K. Sasikala and Dhinakaran last week, EC had asked them to file their replies or affidavits by September 29.
Panneerselvam and Madhusudhanan had filed petition with the EC seeking to allot Two Leaves symbol for them which was opposed by the Sasikala faction that led to freezing of the symbol.
With the Madurai Bench of the Madras high court asking the EC to dispose of all petitions by October 31, the poll body asked all concerned to give their replies in hard and soft copies by September 29.
With EPS and OPS camps merging rival TTV faction filed a petition before the EC asking it not to decide on the case without hearing them. The EC, in the notice, also asked them to submit the list of general council members as on December 5, 2016 when J Jayalalithaa died.
The hearing assumes significance in the wake of the EPS - OPS camp passing a resolution in General Council last week removing Sasikala from the post of interim General Secretary. It also removed Dhinakaran from the primary membership of the party.
The picture used by Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN was reported by a number of media outlets as that of Rawia Abu Joma'a, a 17-year-old girl injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza city in 2014. (Photo: Twitter)
New Delhi: Award-winning photographer Heidi Levine on Wednesday thanked the media for pointing out the mistake Pakistan's Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi committed at the United Nations General Assembly, where the envoy was seen waving the image of a Palestinian girl as a victim of Kashmir unrest.
Speaking to ANI, the photojournalist said she was surprised to see her photograph being shown at the United Nations General Assembly.
"Grateful that media caught and pointed it out. It's unfair for the dignity of Rawya who's still struggling to overcome her injuries," she said.
She also confirmed that the photograph was taken during the war between Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi in her right to reply to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's speech at the UN showed pictures of Palestinian victims and tried to pass them off as 'evidence' of atrocities on Kashmiris.
Also read: At UN, Pakistan passes off Palestinian as victim of atrocities in Kashmir
Maleeha Lodhi resorted to waving dramatic pictures of a girl with pellet injuries on her face and added, "This was the face of Indian democracy", while suggesting that Kashmiris had been injured by pellet guns.
India in its reply, slammed Pakistan for using a "fake picture" in the UN General Assembly to push a "completely false narrative".
Also read: India counters Pakistan's fake photo at UN with image of fallen braveheart
The picture used by Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN was reported by the media as that of Rawia Abu Joma'a, a 17-year-old girl injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza city in 2014.
(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday mocked at the BJP and the comment coming from former finance minister Yashwant Sinha where he has criticised BJP's economic policy among others.
Taking to Twitter, Rahul said, "Ladies & Gentlemen, this is your copilot & FM speaking. Plz fasten your seat belts & take brace position.The wings have fallen off our plane (sic)."
Ladies & Gentlemen, this is your copilot & FM speaking. Plz fasten your seat belts & take brace position.The wings have fallen off our plane https://t.co/IsOA8FQa6u Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 27, 2017
Rahul shared Yashwant Sinha's opinion piece in the Indian Express newspaper.
Sinha, a former finance minister, hogged the limelight and started trending high on social media Wednesday morning, after he criticised his own government for sinking economy, in an article he penned for the daily.
In the article, titled 'I need to speak up now', Sinha said that demonetisation proved to be an "unmitigated economic disaster" and that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was a "badly conceived and poorly implemented" havoc.
He introduced the strongly-worded article, saying, "I shall be failing in my national duty if I did not speak up even now against the mess the finance minister has made of the economy."
Read: Economy sinking: Ex-FM Sinha slams BJP; will Govt admit truth, asks Cong
Sinha further said that the economy is on a downward spiral and many in the BJP do not dare to speak up against it out of fear, adding, "Arun Jaitley is considered to be the best and the brightest in this government. It was a foregone conclusion before the 2014 elections that he would be the finance minister in the new government."
Sinha further took on BJP president Amit Shah for citing 'technical' reasons for slowdown in the GDP rate and wrote, "Even the SBI, the largest public sector bank of the country, has stated with unusual frankness that the slowdown is not transient or "technical", it is here to stay and the slowdown in demand has only aggravated the situation. It has openly contradicted what the BJP president said just a few days ago that the slowdown in the last quarter was on account of "technical" reasons and will be corrected soon."
On that note, the figures of the first quarter of fiscal 2017-18, released last month, showed the GDP growth rate falling at 5.7 per cent, while in the concurrent period last year, the GDP was soaring ahead at 7.6 per cent.
In his article, Sinha also took a jibe at raids conducted by Income Tax department, Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation and said that it has become "a new game to instill fear in the minds of people," adding, "We protested against raid raj when we were in opposition. Today it has become the order of the day."
He also ridiculed the "massive" loan waivers given to the farmers "varying from one paise to a few rupees."
Sinha concluded his article by saying, "The Prime Minister claims that he has seen poverty from close quarters. His finance minister is working over-time to make sure that all Indians also see it from equally close quarters."
With agency inputs.
Vijayawada: Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will not be able to fulfil his wish of visiting the Kanakadurga temple in Vijayawada this Dasara to present a nose ring in fulfilment of his vow.
Mr Rao had requested the temple to let him visit either on Mulanakshtram or Panchami or Dasami, but the AP CMO reportedly directed the authorities to schedule the visit after Dasara. The authorities suggested other days and Mr Rao duly postponed his visit, it is learnt.
On an earlier occasion, he had prayed at the temple and promised to offer a nose ring to Goddess Kanakadurga if Telangana state was formed. He has fulfilled his vow to Lord Venkateshwara at the Tirumala temple.
The AP state government doesnt seem quite so interested in the visit just now as it hasn't given a single rupee to the temple even after announcing that Dasara would be a state festival. The tradition is to provide some financial aid to the temple if a festival is announced as a state festival.
The AP government hasn't made any contribution while the temple authorities are spending Rs 14 crore for celebrating Dasara.
Hyderabad: The release of water into the Pothireddypadu head regulator from the Srisailam dam by the Andhra Pradesh government has created a fresh controversy, with the Telangana state government lodging a formal complaint with the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB).
The TS government has alleged that AP officials had tampered with the telemetry systems related to releases to Pothireddypadu, and sought immediate rectification.
Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao reviewed the situation on Wednesday evening on the basis of a note submitted by the chief engineer of the Nagar-junasagar dam regarding Srisailam dam officials releasing excess waters to the head regulator, over and above the permitted usage fixed by KRMB in its latest orders.
On the instructions of Mr Rao, engineer-in-chief C. Muralidhar made the complaint before the KRMB.
Mr Harish Rao also spoke to KRMB chairman S.K. Srivatsava over the phone and asked him to take immediate steps to rectify the situation. He was assured by the KRMB that an urgent meeting would be called to examine the functioning of the telemetry systems and the allegations of tampering.
In his complaint, Mr Muralidhar said, The calibration of data in respect of telemetry on Pothireddy-padu was completed as per the schedule given by the KRMB team on September 20 and 21 with the help of the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP). The ADCP was verified by the KRMB at Tungabhadra Board before being put to use under the Srisailam reservoir.
He said the real time calibrated data made available in the KRMB website since September 22 had fairly tallied with the manual discharge calculated with the Orifice formula.
Subsequently, variation of discharge from the formula and real time telemetry was observed. On 24th September the under-reporting of discharge continued, which is 12,026 cusecs as per calibrated telemetry figure against the reported manual figure of 10,500 cusecs which was about 15 per cent, he said.
The matter was reported to the KRMB member secretary telephonically to immediately adopt the calibrated telemetry figures as under-reporting of the discharge was very huge.
Mr Muralidhar went on to allege that on the same day as the matter was reported to KRMB, the telemetry system was tampered with by M/s Mechactronics Systems and all the earlier calibrated recorded data was wiped out and new data was loaded in the system.
He wrote that tampering with data is very serious in nature and is tantamount to breach of contract and the agency is liable for immediate black listing.
Mr Muralidhar also alleged that the action of the telemetry agency in tampering with the recorded data would not have been done on its own and it was forced to manipulate the data by those concerned.
Three Oman nationals and two qazis arrested by the police for contract marriages on Tuesday. (Photo: DC)
HYDERABAD: The international women trafficking racket is getting bigger with the arrest of more foreign nationals. However, the police is finding it difficult to communicate with the Arabs nationals, who are proficient only in Arabic. There are no official interpreters for the city police and absence of translators is compounding the problem.
So far, eight Omani nationals and three Qatari nationals were caught for their alleged involvement in the racket. A few more will land in police net as the investigation progresses, police said.
The police is taking the help of local Arabic scholars and a few others to communicate with the Arabs.
The foreigners, who are in our custody, are familiar with English to a certain extent. They are able to understand our questions but cannot reply, said a police official associated with the investigation.
On the other hand, the police found out that the brokers, who were caught for facilitating the marriages, are familiar with English, Telugu, Urdu and Arabic. The brokers are well versed in Arabic. They easily communicate with the foreign nationals in Arabic and some can also write the language, said the police official.
Initially, the police banked on the brokers to extract information from the foreigners. Later, they dropped it, fearing collusion between the foreign nationals and the brokers. When it comes to documents, we can send them to the translation bureau. How-ever, we cannot rely on anyone when it comes to questioning the accused. So we are writing to the government to provide us interpretors. Most probably we will be getting academicians from universities, said DCP, south, V. Satyanararyana.
Another contract marriage surfaces
Yet another case of a local girls marriage with a foreign national going awry was reported at the Falaknuma police station.
According to the police, Asmat Begum of Vattepally in Falaknuma complained that her daughter, who was a minor, was allegedly sold to a Sudani national by her husband six years ago.
The woman said that her daughter, Sabera Begum, was sold by her husband, Shareef Khan, and his second wife to a Sudani national for `2 lakh in 2011. The Sudani married her and took her to Saudi Arabia.
Sabera Begum has given birth to three children and lives in Sudan. Her husband, Abd El Khalig Mahgoub El Hussein is torturing her and she wants to return to India, said P. Yadagiri, inspector, Falaknuma.
The police questioned Shareef Khan and is looking out for the qazi who solemnised the marriage.
In another development, the police got custody of chief qazi of Mumbai, Farid Khan.
We suspect that he had solemnised several marriages of Hyderabad girls with foreign nationals. A team will be sent to Mumbai to collect evidence, said the police.
The qazi was arrested by the police for issuing a marriage certificate to the 65-year-old Omani national who married a 16-year-old girl from Hyderabad and took her to Muscat.
New Delhi: Just about a year after Indias elite Special Forces carried out incisive strikes on militant launch pads across the Pakistan border inflicting huge damage, it was deja vu time as about 40-odd specially-trained soldiers hit a camp of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) insurgents along the Indo-Myanmar border on Wednesday early morning.
Divided into two groups, the team from 12 Para Special Forces attacked the thatched hutment amid thick jungle foliage along the undulating mountainous terrain located bang across the tri-junction of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Myanmar.
Sources claimed that at least 11-12 insurgents had been gunned down. After being cleared at the highest levels in New Delhi and acting on specific information, the Special Forces team set out carrying AK-47 and Israeli-made Tavor assault guns, rocket launchers, sniper rifles and fortified with night vision goggles and other navigational equipment, from the Longding district side in Arunachal Pradesh at about midnight. According to sources, the SF team conducted the strike about 6 km deep inside Myanmar, and exited from the Mon district side in Nagaland. By about 6 am, they were back at their base with all members of the team safe and sound.
No casualties on Army side
The Army however denied that the Indo-Myanmar border was crossed and claimed it was not a surgical strike.
The Eastern Command stated that a column of the Indian Army operating along the Indo-Myanmar border was fired upon by unidentified rebels of the NSCN (K) at around 4.45 am.
Own troops reacted swiftly and brought down heavily retaliatory fire on insurgents. The insurgents then broke contact and fled from the spot. As per inputs, a large number of casualties were suffered by the insurgents. Own troops suffered no casualties.
The encounter started around 3 am when the elite unit of the Naga Army detected a column of Indian Army approaching their temporary make-shift camp in the outskirt of Langkhu village located inside Myanmar occupied Naga area, 10-15 km away from Indo-Myanmar border, said Sumi, who did not respond to further queries.
K. Vishwanath, a regular commuter, said the frequency of air-conditioned buses was almost equal to normal buses even a year ago and the condition has worsened in the last six months.
Chennai: Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has introduced special buses to meet the additional rush of passengers during the festive season, but thinned down AC Volvo fleet by 80 per cent.
Though MTC website says that currently 69 AC buses are plying in Chennai, informed sources from the department say only 12-15 air conditioned buses are functioning in the city.
Hundred buses were introduced in 2008. Anna Nagar had a fleet strength of 50 and the rest of the buses were at Adyar. Nine years down the line, there are only four buses in Anna Nagar and totally, only 15 buses function per day, said an official from Anna Nagar depot.
As the two routes were not generating the expected revenue, MTC redirected a few of these buses to other sections of Chennai and the number of buses started dwindling right from the first year if its introduction.
Factors adduced to explain the situation include poor maintenance, lack of spare parts and high operational costs.
When the buses initially came for service, only duplicate parts were used by the department as the cost of the original parts is comparatively triples the price of duplicate parts. This issue coupled with high operational costs of the buses, said a worker in stores department at Chromepet.
With IT corridor being the most popular route for the Volvo AC bus route number 570 (Kelambakkam to CMBT) and 19B (Kelamba-kkam to T. Nagar), the passengers there rue that a maximum of five buses operate in a day.
K. Vishwanath, a regular commuter, said the frequency of air-conditioned buses was almost equal to normal buses even a year ago and the condition has worsened in the last six months.
When contacted, an official from MTC said meeting the operational costs was a major challenge and getting the spare parts is not an easy task. However, by the start of next year, most of the buses would be serviced and ready to ply.
CHENNAI: Madras high court has prevented authorities from bringing school children to attend centenary celebrations of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran.
In the petition filed by Change India, its director A. Narayanan has submitted that the government decided to celebrate the centenary celebration of former Chief Minister Ramachandran in a grand manner over a period of six months starting from June 30, 2017 till December 31, 2017, culminating in a grand function in January next year. Public meetings were conducted at Madurai, Palladam, Tiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Erode, Vellore, Namakkal and Nagapattinam districts so far.
The government has scheduled to hold similar event in Salem on September 30 and other places in the coming weeks. Several thousands children from government, government-aided and unaided schools were forced to attend these public meetings and to greet the Chief Minister and other political leaders enroute and at the venue.
A representation was sent to the authorities on August 30 requesting to take steps to protect the children and not coerce them to attend meetings. He feared that there is every likelihood that thousands of children will be put to lot of avoidable inconvenience and cause them harm by bringing them to the venue in buses.
Hence, he sought an interim injunction to Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Department of School Education from bringing school children to attend MGR centenary public meetings and all other public functions held at venues outside schools.
When the matter came up for hearing before division bench comprising, Justices S. Vaidyanathan and R. Subramanian said that Chief Secretary, DGP and Principal Secretary, Department of School Education shall not take the children who attend the centenary celebrations - public meetings or any other meetings organised in connection with the centenary celebration of former chief minister MGR.
Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary, School Education Department has filed a petition on Wednesday evening in the high court to vacate stay granted in the morning for bringing the school children to the public meeting and stated that motivational programme has been conducted for the benefit of the school students in the meeting as part of the celebrations. The motivational programme conducted by Dr Kannan Girish, Chief Executive Officer of Live Life Education. The MGR centenary is not a political meeting, he added. The matter will come up for hearing before the court on Thursday in a special sitting.
Stalin asks education officials not to succumb to govt pressure
Welcoming Madras high courts stay on forcible participation of school students in MGR centenary celebrations, the DMK on Wednesday asked officials in the education department not to succumb to pressure from government functionaries on such issues and waste their precious time.
In a statement, DMK working president Stalin accused Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and his deputy O. Panneerselvam of using the gover-nment platforms for blowing their own trumpet instead of listing achievements of late M.G. Ramachandran.
Moreover, the government platforms, especially the MGR centenary celebrations being organised at the cost of the taxpayers money, are being used to criticise the DMK and talk about the internal feud in the AIADMK, Stalin said in a statement.
Tamil Nadu government is organising MGR centenary celebrations in every district and there are allegations that school students are being forcibly taken to the venue to enure that the hall is full. In his statement, Stalin also accused the AIADMK government of making the students wait for grueling long hours wasting their precious time, which they could use it for their studies.
The leader of Opposition also asked the Chennai police to register a case under sections 326/341/34/120B IPC and 23 of Juvenile Justice Act against those who pierced the cheeks of more than 20 kids as part of ritual for the recovery of the then Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
Hyderabad: A 13-year-old student was killed in what started as a friendly Kabbadi match at Muchintal near Shamshabad on Wednesday.
According to the police, a group of students was playing a match in the locality. The boys, Meesala Mallikarjun, a class VIII student of Government High School in Muchintal, and Arjun, were playing in opposing teams. During play an argument broke over a small fault and the two starting punching each other. Their friends stood around watching. Mallika-rjun suffered a blow to his face and collapsed onto the ground.
It was local people who noticed the tussle and took the boy to a nearby hospital where the doctors declared him brought in dead.
The body was shifted to Osmania General Hospital for post-mortem and a case has been registered.
Balala Hakkula Sangham, an NGO, has requested producers of TV serials and movies to show less crime on screen, as this tends to influence the psyche of children.
CHENNAI: Close on the heels of the NHRC asking Chennai police to book those who pierced cheeks of 20 kids as part of ritual praying for the recovery of the then chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Wednesday demanded that the state government seek an unconditional apology before the people for putting the kids at danger.
In a statement, Ramadoss also demanded that the Tamil Nadu government announce compensation of Rs 5 lakh to each of the young kids whose cheeks were pierced in October last year when Jayalalithaa was admitted at Apollo Hospitals.
Noting the NHRCs order that asked Chennai police to file a case under Juvenile Justice Act against people who forced 20 children to pierce their cheeks with steel rods, Ramadoss said it was absurd on the part of the then Chennai Commissioner to say that the ritual was done with permission from parents of the children.
When children are treated on par with god, the Tamil Nadu government should be ashamed of the incident. The government led by chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O. Panneerselvam cannot shirk responsibility for this incident since many leaders of the faction were involved directly, the PMK leader said. Action should be taken against ministers involved in the incident and the Tamil Nadu government should unconditionally apologise before the people of the state and the NHRC for the human rights violation, he said in the statement.
CHENNAI: After an increased prevalence of dengue among school students, health department and corporation of Chennai conducted a dengue awareness meeting for nursing students, stakeholders and school headmasters on Wednesday.
Health minister Dr C. Vijayabhaskar along with health secretary J. Radhakrishnan, education minister K.A. Sengottaiyan, director of Medical Services Dr P. Banu and Chennai collector V. Anbuselvan held a meeting to discuss dengue control measures to be taken in the state.
In the meeting headed by K.A. Sengottaiyan, C. Vijayabaskar stressed the importance of cleanliness and breeding checks in educational institutions to prevent the spread of dengue. He said that the school premises should be checked for domestic breeding of mosquitoes. School authorities should rush the students to government hospitals for screening in case of fever.
The health department officials also distributed pamphlets on dengue management, prevention and control of the disease to government employees.
Union minister of state for tourism Alphons Kannanthanam presents the award for civic management of a tourist destination to GHMC commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy as Hyderabad Mayor B. Rammohan looks on, in New Delhi. (Photo:DC)
Hyderabad: TS secured the top place in eight categories at the National Tourism Awards, which surprised President Ram Nath Kovind and even the Centre, according to Mr Burra Venkatesham, secretary, Telangana Tourism.
The President lauded Telangana state for excelling at the national level within a short time, he said.
Mr Kovind presented awards to various segments of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry at a function organised by the tourism ministry at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, to mark World Tourism Day. The function was presided over by Union minister of state for tourism Alphons Kannanthanam.
Mr Venkatesham, tourism commissioner Sunita M. Bhagawat, Hyderabad mayor Bonthu Rammohan, Warangal mayor N. Narender, Chowmohalla Palace special officer Kishan Rao collected awards bagged by Telangana state.
Addressing the media later, Mr Venkatesham said TS had secured five more awards this time compared to last year. He said that goal was to make Telangana the No. 1 tourism destination state.
Mr Venkatesham said the government was leaving no stone unturned to highlight Bathukamma, the floral festival.
Mayor Bonthu Rammohan said that minister K.T. Rama Rao had instructed that Hyderabad tourism be promoted by by engaging the GHMC, HMDA, tourism and other wings.
The tourism awards are being given since the early 1990s and are presented to state governments, Union Territories, classified hotels, heritage hotels, approved travel agents, tour operators and tourist transport operators, individuals and other private organisations in recognition of their performance in their respective fields and also to encourage healthy competition with an aim to promote tourism.
Lucknow: Another midnight drama unfolded in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus on Tuesday night when the chief proctor Professor O.N. Singh resigned, owning moral responsibility for the recent incident of alleged molestation of a girl student and the subsequent violence on campus.
Prof Singhs resignation was submitted to the vice-chancellor around Tuesday midnight and accepted shortly after.
On Wednesday, Prof M.K. Singh was appointed as the new chief proctor.
The resignation of the chief proctor came hours after the Varanasi commissioners report to the state government blamed the BHU administration for not handling the situation in a sensitive manner.
Multiple inquiries are being held in the BHU incident with the Varanasi commissioner having submitted his report ton UP chief secretary, the district magistrate having ordered the mandatory magisterial inquiry and the state opting for a judicial inquiry into the incidents.
Kochi: Faced with inadequate staff to manage affairs at Sabarimala during pilgrimage seasons, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has issued an order making it compulsory for its male staff, other than priests, to render one-year service at the hill shrine. The order (ROC 3626/08) issued on September 16 applies to employees from Class IV employees to the deputy commissioner and Laskar to executive engineers in its public works department. However, when contacted, TDB president Prayar Gopalakrishnan denied making service of the staff at Sabarimala, highest revenue collection source, compulsory.
Earlier the order cited there was an acute staff shortage during pilgrimage seasons on previous occasions as many permanent and special duty staff failed to work on one ground or other. This has affected the smooth running of the state of affairs at the Ayyappa temple, especially those related to the hundi collection and PWD works, the order, available on the TDB website, said.
It is in this scenario the male staff should render one-year mandatory service from this pilgrimage season one and a half months away.
The department higher officials should record the same in respective service books of the staff and the service period at the temple should also be considered along with seniority for allotting promotions, the order further stated. I can assure no employee will be deputed at Sabarimala without their willingness, Mr Gopalakrishnan said.
Karnataka came one step closer to banning practices like human sacrifices and Made Snana, which sees devotees rolling on leftovers of a meal with the Cabinet on Wednesday approving the tabling of the Anti-Superstition Bill. (Photo: DC)
Bengaluru: The state came one step closer to banning practices like human sacrifices and Made Snana, which sees devotees rolling on leftovers of a meal or Urule Seve that has people rolling on the ground for long distances with the Cabinet on Wednesday approving the tabling of the Anti-Superstition Bill in the coming session of the state legislature in Belagavi in November.
While banning all kinds of superstitious practices, the Bill is silent on subjects like vaastu and astrology and animal sacrifices. Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, T B Jayachandra said the Bill was on the lines of a similar law in Maharashtra.
The new law in-the-making bans all inhuman and evil practices as well as black magic in the search for " hidden treasures" and so on, naked parading of women in the name of worship or "Betthale seve," beating and tying up of people in chains on the pretext of exorcism, and rituals that involve inflicting injuries on oneself such as inserting hooks into the body or pulling a chariot by a hook inserted into the body.
While the Bill does not ban voluntary walking on embers, it prohibits forcing people to do so in the name of religion and causing them injury.
Although the government was under pressure to ban sacrifices of animals like chicken, goats, pigs and buffaloes, widely seen in villages of the state, the Bill is silent on this. the brainchild of Minister Kagodu Thimmappa, who proposed it in the Legislative Assembly in 2015 when he was Speaker, the draft Bill was first submitted to the Cabinet for approval in May this year.
Replying to a query, Mr Jayachandra said provision had been made to amend the Bill, if necessary and future governments could make modifications to it, if they chose to. The Bill has been strongly backed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has made no bones about his rationalist views and his opposition to superstition.
Flash
China has discouraged the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from escalating their war of words as a tweet from U.S. President Donald Trump infuriated Pyongyang.
Trump tweeted over the weekend that DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer", which was interpreted by Pyongyang as a declaration of war. The White House later clarified the U.S. has no intention of entering into armed conflict on the peninsula.
The escalating rhetoric came shortly after the row between the United States and the DPRK at the UN General Assembly. Trump said that the United States would have no choice but to "totally destroy" the country. DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho responded by calling Trump "mentally deranged."
"We have heard threats of war too often recently," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a regular news briefing.
China has repeatedly expressed the hope that both U.S. and DPRK statesmen have the wisdom to realize that resorting to the use of force is not an option for resolving the Peninsula issue, Lu added.
He went on to say that China hopes they understand that inflammatory rhetoric will only increase the risk of conflict and reduce the effectiveness of their own policy tools.
"There will be no winners should war break out on the Korean Peninsula and it will bring suffering to regional countries," Lu said.
Hyderabad: Congress senior leaders including PCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, K. Jana Reddy, Shabbir Ali led by former minister Danam Nagendar on Wednesday visited the ongoing Metro Rail works and alleged that the state government had wilfully delayed the project by four years and caused a loss of nearly Rs 4,000 crore to the states exchequer.
Leaders went round the Sultan Bazaar and Malakpet sections of the Metro Rail project and headed to the Lakdikapul station where they were prevented by police and Hyderabad Metro Rail staff for some time.
They told the police that they had taken permission from L&T to visit the stations, and that it was ridiculous that they were being stopped from entering the premises.
This led to frayed tempers, and Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Congress after winning the next elections would take stern action against the officials who are behaving like TRS activists. The police later allowed a few of the Congress leaders to visit the station.
Speaking to mediapersons, he said that the previous Congress regime had started the project in 2008 and it was scheduled to become operational by 2014. The TRS government had deliberately delayed the project to prevent the Congress from taking credit for the same.
Just for cheap political gains, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao deliberately delayed the project by almost four years, causing a huge loss to the exchequer, Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
He said that the Chief Minister had first obstructed the project by demanding a change in alignment. Later, for unexplained reasons he cleared the project with the same alignment.
By changing his stance frequently, Mr Rao had delayed the project at several stages. People could have used the service for three years if KCR had not played politics and had allowed the project to be completed in a time bound manner, he said.
Time to get over Pak, our obsession
Surendra Kumar
Sushma Swarajs recent speech at the UNGA was arguably the strongest critique of Pakistan by any Indian external affairs minister in recent years. It was cogent, focused and well argued. It was supported by irrefutable facts and delivered in a robust, unsparing but dignified manner which left none in doubt about what she was conveying. It seems to have resonated well not only with Indias friends but also with BJPs domestic constituencies. She showed a clear mirror to Pakistan by contrasting her failures and Indias achievements. Ms Swaraj might have unwittingly planted a tiny seed in the minds of Pakistans Gen Next to ask searchingly, in private if not in public, what their successive governments, the Army and the ISI have done to their country since its birth and why their country is perceived in the world as the breeding ground and the epicentre of international terrorism.
Like the electronic media, successive governments have been spending disproportionate time, energy and efforts on Pakistan and mostly reacting to what it does. This excess focus on Pakistan at the UN gives undeserved significance to it and makes it look like Indias equal which it isnt except in the field of nuclear arsenal. Pakistan is like oxygen for prime-time TV discussions for raising their TRPs. We all know why the national security advisers of India and Pakistan had to meet in Bangkok. Without lowering our guards and taking care of all transgressions on the border, just ignoring Pakistan for a year or two at the UN wont do any harm to Indias national interests.
India has no political, defence or economic leverage with North Korea. Yet, as the former peace keeper on the Korean Peninsula in1950s and having normal relations with Noeth and South Korea and the US, India can, behind the scene, help bring down the rhetoric and belligerent accusations and counter accusations between the US and North Korea. It could facilitate a civilised dialogue which will spare the world of a dangerous crises.
India-US relations have never been better. No American President has done such tough talking with Pakistan and advocated Indias active participation in Afghanistan as has Donald Trump. India also enjoys close and multi-layered relations with Iran. Narendra Modi is the only world leader who can hug Mr Trump as well as Iran President Hassan Rouhani. He might be able to advice Mr Trump in private that cancelling the nuclear deal and precipitating crises with Iran wasnt in Americas national interests.
India must translate Modis Mantra: Neighbours first by reaching out to neighbours proactively by establishing mutually beneficially linkages and synergies rather than reacting to what China has been trying to there.
In the last three years, the President, the vice-president and the PM have visited more African countries than in the last 30 years. This is commendable and the right thing to do. We must create goodwill and trust by helping Africa in skilling, training and harnessing local talents.
With Mr Trumps interest in Asia wavering, India should along with Asean, Japan and Australia demand more energetically South Chinas Commercial sealanes free from Chinas domination.
The writer is a former ambassador to Libya
Its by our efforts, we are making headway
Harish Khurana
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, in her address to the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, showed the mirror to Pakistan by highlighting the differences between approaches of the two nations. She said that while India has built IITs and IIMs, Pakistan built Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. Highlighting the Indian governments schemes, she said that India is fighting poverty, but Pakistan is only fighting its neighbour.
Ms Swaraj asked Pakistans leaders to introspect as to why India is recognised as a global IT superpower while Pakistan is infamous as the pre-eminent export factory for terror. Ms Swarajs measured response in spite of provocations speaks volumes of her maturity. She has exposed Pakistans duplicity on terrorism.
Her speech was one of the most powerful speeches in recent times at the UN and has been applauded by several leaders within the country as well as outside.
Some say that India is only focusing on Pakistan at the UN, but I disagree. Today, India is considered an emerging power. We see a lot of changes in the approach of world leaders towards India. It is a matter of great pride when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits any country and their premiers break all protocols to welcome our leader. When he speaks, the world listens.
Coming back to the UN and other forums, we have successfully changed the approach of the world towards terrorism. Previously when these issues came up on international forums, they would say its Indias internal matter. They used to differentiate terrorism as good terrorism and bad terrorism. But now things have changed. Indias stand towards climate change was also appreciated by most of the countries. It was India which spoke hard when US President Donald Trump made some allegations towards India on climate change and walked out of the Paris Accord. On climate change, Ms Swaraj at the 72nd UNGA session said that India is deeply committed to the Paris Accord. Mr Modi also launched the International Solar Alliance aimed towards this cause.
We are also showing the world how successfully we are trying to fight poverty and have launched schemes, like Mudra Yojana, Jan Dhan Yojana, Start-up India, Stand-up India, and have also implemented economic reforms like GST and demonetisation for fighting evils like black money.
India has displayed courage and leadership to take tough decisions, and has launched interlinked process of sustainable development.
When India attaches highest priority to development and prosperity of the region under neighbourhood first policy, we truly believe that the world is one family and we hope that every member of this family deserves that elixir of life, happiness. And this stand was applauded by most of the countries at the UN.
It was Indias clout and importance at the forum that the whole world adopted and accepted the importance of yoga and made June 21 World Yoga Day.
Its our right to expose Pakistan when they raise Kashmir issue at the UN. Also, it is our responsibility to raise and discuss issues like climate change, cyber security, terrorism, nuclear and maritime security, removing poverty and other economic issues which we have raised previously and raised this time too.
The writer is BJP spokesperson
The pods are now being used by the UKs Childrens Acute Transport Service. Eithne Polke, the services operational manager, said the design had made a big difference to our transportation processes.
Grove, England: A Formula One racing team is employing technology that helps racing drivers survive high speed crashes to create a new device that keeps newborn babies safe during emergency transportation.
The device, known as the Babypod 20, is made from carbon fiber - the same material used in Formula One cars bodywork. It can withstand a 20 g-force impact and provides newborns with a secure, temperature-controlled environment for ambulance transportation.
It was designed and built by Williams Advanced Engineering, an arm of the UK-based Williams F1 team, in collaboration with healthcare firm Advanced Healthcare Technology (AHT).
This challenge of providing a lightweight, strong pod to put infants in to be moved around is absolutely the same challenge, virtually, as were trying to tackle in the main chassis of a Formula 1 car, Paul McNamara, Technical Director at Williams Advanced Engineering, told Reuters.
We need it to be strong, light, and crash-proof.
There were 7,938 medical transfers of newborn children in the UK in the 12 months up to June 2017, according to the UKs Neonatal Transport Group, a medical association specializing in the transporting children.
Typically, providing emergency transport to newborn children requires the use of large incubators, which require a power supply and specialist vehicles.
The pods are now being used by the UKs Childrens Acute Transport Service. Eithne Polke, the services operational manager, said the design had made a big difference to our transportation processes.
Williams says it expects to make around 500 of the devices in the first year of production.
F1 teams frequently put their engineering know-how to use outside the sport.
Williams rivals McLaren have applied data management and race simulation expertise to help Londons Heathrow airport improve movements on the ground and reduce the time spent by planes circling overhead.
Williams previously developed a device to save money and energy by using aerodynamic technology developed through racing to keep more cold air inside open-fronted refrigerators.
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The first ever Mobile, Internet and Technology event in India India Mobile Congress 2017 today kicked-off with a grand ceremony at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Honble Minister Shri Manoj Sinha, Ministry of Communication (Department of Telecommunications), inaugurated the event as Chief Guest in the presence of Guest of Honour Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Honble Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Law and Justice, Hon'ble Minister Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan (Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Priyank Kharge, Honble Minister of IT & Bio-Technology and Tourism Department, Karnataka, Mr. K. T. Rama Rao Honble Minister of IT, Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Telangana and Mr. Satish Mahana, Minister of Industrial Development, Government of Uttar Pradesh. The senior dignitaries from the Government also included the presence of Smt. Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary (T) & Chairperson, Telecom Commission, Department of Telecommunications and Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, MeitY.
The inauguration ceremony was graced with the presence of senior industry leaders and key sponsors including Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder & Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, Mr. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries Limited, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, Idea Cellular Limited, Mr. Vittorio Amedeo Colao, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Group Plc (joined through video call) along other industry champions.
Speaking at the inauguration, Honble Minister, Shri Manoj Sinha, Ministry of Communication (Department of Telecommunications) said, Its a proud moment for all of us to launch the first ever India Mobile Congress which will surely give Mobile, Internet and Technology a new direction. This platform is a much awaited event in the country which has over a billion subscribers and has seen tremendous growth in given number of internet users and a large of IT & Telecom companies operating and investing in India. We are delighted to have the support from our other ministries it is heartening to see such a strong International presence. We India Mobile Congress is a true convergence of various thoughts, ideas and views from all corners of the world. Indian Mobile Congress will boost in investment in India, launch new products, promote technology for social good and encourage innovation with a boost to startups to realise the Honble Prime Ministers vision of fully connected Digital India.
Speaking on the occasion Rajan S Mathews, Director General, COAI said, We are truly thankful to our Honble Telecom Minister, Shri Manoj Sinha for his unstinting support, guidance and leadership for translating this vision into a reality. We are truly grateful to the Government of India for their support and creating a facilitative environment for the industry. The India Mobile Congress will be the marquee event of the country. We are sure that the deliberations will inform global policy and over the years, all stakeholders will look forward to this event for launches and releases of new technologies. Officials and senior decision makers from both the Government as well as the industry are present and tech companies will be displaying the best that this ecosystem has to offer.
The event, includes a conclave, an exhibition and an awards ceremony, and also has thematic pavilions and innovation zones, spread across 15,000 square meters, featuring 300 exhibitors from ICT, TMT as well as the Government sector, Embassies and States. The International event is expected to attract more than 500 start-ups, 2,000 delegates from India and other countries with 1,50,000 footfalls, he further added.
The three day event will have 21 sessions which will have themes like Digital India, Internet Governance, Smart Network: The future of networking, Digital Identity for Digital World, Women in Tech, Emerging Technologies in a 5G Future, Cloud & Virtualization, Digital Infrastructure towards the Digital Economy and many others. The sessions will be followed by two startup pitches.
Press release
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Both the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P received Android O as the last major update, following Googles policy of two-year software support and three-year security support.
In a very rare move undertaken by the maker of Android, Google has extended the security support of its two old-time champs by two months. If you have a Nexus 5X or a Nexus 6P, then you will be happy to know that your Nexus smartphone just got a life extension of two months.
Google will provide security patches for last of the Nexus series smartphone until November 2018, exceeding the previous date of September 2018. While the company hasnt mentioned the reason for this move, it will come in as great news for Nexus users as the life support for their phone has been extended.
However, dont mistake this security support extension to be full software support extension. Both the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P received Android O as the last major update, following Googles policy of two-year software support and three-year security support. The extension in security support will help the users of these phones march for two more months before they have to switch to newer Pixel models.
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Washington: President Donald Trump warned North Korea on Tuesday that any US military option would be devastating for Pyongyang, but said the use of force was not Washingtons first option to deal with the countrys ballistic and nuclear weapons program.
We are totally prepared for the second option, not a preferred option, Trump said at a White House news conference, referring to military force. But if we take that option, it will be devastating, I can tell you that, devastating for North Korea. Thats called the military option. If we have to take it, we will.
Bellicose statements by Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in recent weeks have created fears that a miscalculation could lead to action with untold ramifications, particularly since Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3.
Despite the increased tension, the United States has not detected any change in North Koreas military posture reflecting an increased threat, the top US military officer said on Tuesday.
The assessment by Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, about Pyongyangs military stance was in contrast to a South Korean lawmaker who said Pyongyang had boosted defenses on its east coast.
While the political space is clearly very charged right now, we havent seen a change in the posture of North Korean forces, and we watch that very closely, Dunford told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his reappointment to his post.
In terms of a sense of urgency, North Korea certainly poses the greatest threat today, Dunford testified.
A US official speaking on the condition of anonymity said satellite imagery had detected a small number of North Korean military aircraft moving to the Norths east coast. However the official said the activity did not change their assessment of Pyongyangs military posture.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Monday accused Trump of declaring war on the North and threatened that Pyongyang would shoot down US warplanes flying near the Korean Peninsula after American bombers flew close to it last Saturday. Ri was reacting to Trumps Twitter comments that Kim and Ri wont be around much longer if they acted on their threats toward the United States.
North Korea has been working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the US mainland, which Trump has said he will never allow. Dunford said Pyongyang will have a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile soon, and it was only a matter of a very short time.
We clearly have postured our forces to respond in the event of a provocation or a conflict, the general said, adding that the United States has taken all proper measures to protect our allies including South Korean and Japan.
It would be an incredibly provocative thing for them to conduct a nuclear test in the Pacific as they have suggested, and I think the North Korean people would have to realize how serious that would be, not only for the United States but for the international community, Dunford said.
South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol-uoo, briefed by the countrys spy agency, said North Korea was bolstering its defenses by moving aircraft to its east coast and taking other measures after the flight by US bombers. Lee said the United States appeared to have disclosed the flight route intentionally because North Korea seemed to be unaware.
US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers, escorted by fighter jets, flew east of North Korea in a show of force after the heated exchange of rhetoric between Trump and Kim.
The United States has imposed sanctions on 26 people as part of its non-proliferation designations for North Korea and nine banks, including some with ties to China, the US Treasury Departments Office Of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions said on Tuesday.
The US sanctions target people in North Korea and some North Korean nationals in China, Russia, Libya and Dubai, according to a list posted on the agencys website.
CAPABILITY TO DETER
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit China from Thursday to Saturday for talks with senior officials that will include the crisis over North Korea and trade, the State Department said on Tuesday.
Evans Revere, a former senior diplomat who met with a North Korean delegation in Switzerland this month, said that Pyongyang had been reaching out to organizations and individuals to encourage talks with former US officials to get a sense of the Trump administrations thinking.
Theyve also been accepting invitations to attend dialogues hosted by others, including the Swiss and the Russians, he said.
Revere said his best guess for why the North Koreans were doing this was because they were puzzled by the unconventional way that President Trump has been handling the North Korea issue and were eager to use informal and unofficial meetings to gain a better understanding of what is motivating Trump and his administration.
During a visit to India, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said diplomatic efforts continued.
Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said war on the Korean Peninsula would have no winner.
We hope the US and North Korean politicians have sufficient political judgment to realize that resorting to military force will never be a viable way to resolve the peninsula issue and their own concerns, Lu said.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged Kim Jong Un to resume military talks and reunions of families split by the 1950-53 Korean War to ease tension.
Like Ive said multiple times before, if North Korea stops its reckless choices, the table for talks and negotiations always remains open, Moon said.
In Moscow, Russias Foreign Ministry said it was working behind the scenes to find a political solution and that it plans to hold talks with a representative of North Koreas foreign ministry who is due to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday, the RIA news agency cited the Norths embassy to Russia as saiding.
The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce and not a peace treaty.
United Nations: India considers the Conference on Disarmament as the appropriate forum for the commencement of negotiations on nuclear disarmament, India's permanent ambassador to UN Syed Akbaruddin said.
India has called for a meaningful dialogue among all states possessing nuclear weapons to build trust and confidence and for reducing the salience of atomic weapons in international affairs.
India remains committed to the goal of a nuclear weapons-free world and the complete elimination of nuclear weapons consistent with the highest priority accorded to nuclear disarmament, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, said in his remarks at the high-level plenary meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on September 26.
He said that this goal can be achieved through a step-by-step process underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed global and non-discriminatory multilateral framework.
There is need for a meaningful dialogue among all states possessing nuclear weapons to build trust and confidence and for reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in international affairs and security doctrines, the Indian diplomat said.
India, he said, considers the Conference on Disarmament the worlds single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum as the appropriate forum for the commencement of negotiations on nuclear disarmament.
Akbaruddin regretted that the conference has been prevented from adopting a programme of work that reflects the international communitys desire for progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in all its aspects.
For its part, India stands ready to commence negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament on a comprehensive Nuclear Weapons Convention on the lines of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the only comprehensive and internationally verifiable treaty so far banning an entire category of weapons of mass destruction and providing for their elimination, the top Indian diplomat said.
Further, India supports the commencement of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, he said.
We believe that increasing restraints on the use of nuclear weapons would reduce the probability of their use whether deliberate, unintentional or accidental, and this process could contribute to the progressive de-legitimisation of nuclear weapons, an essential step for their eventual elimination, as has been the experience for chemical and biological weapons, Akbaruddin said.
Earlier in his remarks, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the only world that is safe from the use of nuclear weapons is a world that is completely free of the nuclear weapons themselves.
The goal of such a world is universally held, but of late it has been subject to numerous challenges, he said.
Condemning a series of nuclear and missile tests by North Korea, the UN chief said Pyongyangs provocative actions have heightened tensions and highlighted the dangers of proliferation.
I again condemn these acts unequivocally, and I welcome the Security Councils firm action on the situation, as well as its desire for a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution, the UN Secretary General said.
Speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, Jorge Arreaza, Venezuelas Minister for Foreign Affairs, urged countries to support the convening of an international conference on nuclear disarmament at the United Nations no later than 2018.
As long as nuclear weapons exist, the risk of proliferation exists, emphasising the need for a new comprehensive and systematic approach to disarmament, he said.
Reiterating his countrys commitment to a nuclear weapon-free world, Sun Lei of China pointed out the current uphill battle in the areas of disarmament and non-proliferation.
Nuclear weapons are like the sword of Damocles hanging over the world and it is imperative to ban them, he said and called on all sides to embrace a security vision that included cooperation and the promotion of the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
He said Chinas nuclear strategy is based on the principle of self-defence while respecting a moratorium on testing and a no-first-use commitment.
Khalil Hashmi of Pakistan said global efforts to regulate, reduce and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons are facing serious challenges.
Lack of progress among nuclear weapon states has negatively impacted global disarmament efforts, eroding international consensus on related issues, as evidenced by the failure of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament, he said.
Officials believe that Dmitry killed the woman in a drunken fight in wasteland on September 8 and then cut up her body while his wife was present. (Photo: File)
Moscow: A Russian couple, arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman and eating her flesh after construction workers discovered a cellphone with graphic images of a man posing with a dismembered hand in his mouth, have reportedly admitted to kidnapping and eating at least 30 people over an 18-year time span.
The phone, discovered on September 11, had several other snapshots of a dismembered woman. It was immediately turned over to authorities, the Moscow Times reported, and was traced to the couple living in a hostel at a military facility in the south-west Russian city of Krasnodar, where a raid uncovered body parts in a salt solution.
Printed photographs, including one of a severed head on a platter with fruit, were also found in the apartment. That photo was dated Dec. 28, 1999.
The dismembered body of a 35-year-old woman, along with a bag of her belongings, were reportedly also found at the military academy where Dmitry Baksheev, 35, lives with his 42-year-old wife Natalia.
Officials believe that Dmitry killed the woman in a drunken fight in wasteland on September 8 and then cut up her body while his wife was present.
After carrying out the crime, the man took photographs of himself with some fragments of the dead womans body with his cell phone camera, investigators said.
A source in the law enforcement authorities told RIA Novosti news agency that among other things recovered from the Baksheevs home was a jar containing a preserved hand and bits of food and frozen pieces of meat of unknown origin in the kitchen. They are being tested for human DNA.
Police have uncovered numerous cases of cannibalism in Russia in recent years. In June 2010, a court delivered long jail sentences to three homeless men who killed and ate a man and then sold his body parts to a kebab stall in a region of the Urals mountains.
Cannibalism is not a separate criminal offence under Russian law.
Kabul: Six rockets landed near Kabul's international airport on Wednesday after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis flew to the Afghan capital for talks, an official said.
The volley of missiles struck near the military section of the airport but there were no casualties or immediate claim of responsibility, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP.
Police have cordoned off the area to find the exact location from which the rockets were fired, he said, adding that no flights were cancelled.
The attack came hours after Mattis arrived in the Afghan capital, the first member of Donald Trump's cabinet to visit the war-torn country since his pledge to stay the course in America's longest war.
The unannounced high-level visit comes as Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces struggle to beat back the Taliban, which has been on the offensive since the withdrawal of US-led NATO combat troops at the end of 2014.
Mattis, along with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, will meet President Ashraf Ghani and other top officials to discuss the US-led NATO "train and assist" mission designed to strengthen Afghanistan's military so it can defend the country on its own.
"Discussions will focus on the NATO-Afghanistan partnership, including the ongoing NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in support of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces," a statement on Resolute Support's Facebook page said.
US generals have for months been calling the situation in Afghanistan a stalemate, despite years of support for Afghan partners, continued help from a NATO coalition and an overall cost in fighting and reconstruction to the United States of more than $1 trillion.
The war turns 16 in October and America is pressing NATO partners to increase their own troop levels in the country to help Afghan forces get the upper hand in the grinding battle against the Taliban and ISIS.
The resurgent Taliban have promised to turn Afghanistan into a "graveyard" for foreign forces and have been mounting deadly attacks as they maintain their grip on large swathes of the country.
As of February only about 60 percent of Afghanistan's 407 districts were reported to be under government control, according to the US watchdog agency SIGAR.
Woman activist Manal al-Sharif, who was jailed for posting a video of her driving a car, hailed the governments move in a blog. (Photo: Sharif blog)
Riyadh : Saudi Arabia will never be the same again. The rain begins with a single drop, tweeted the activist, who created online campaign #Women2Drive to lift the driving ban on women in Saudi Arabia , on Wednesday.
Woman activist Manal al-Sharif, who was jailed for posting a video of her driving a car, hailed the governments move in a blog.
For the first time women in the ultra-conservative kingdom will be allowed to drive from June 2018, the announcement about which was made on Wednesday.
You want a statement here is one: "Saudi Arabia will never be the same again. The rain begins with a single drop" #Women2Drive (@manal_alsharif) September 26, 2017
Saudi Arabia was the only the country in the world to bar women from driving and had garnered negative publicity internationally for detaining women who defied the ban.
Sharif, in her blog, said that it has been over 21 years since the first attempt was made to lift the ban on womens driving in Saudi Arabia in 1990.
Speaking to Australia television network, Sharif, who is a Saudi native but resides in Australia , said: Im a mother of two, Im 38, Im a consultant. And Im still a minor before the law.
Sharif has written a book on the campaign, Daring to Drive, which encompasses her struggle to drive on Saudi streets and also mentions how in the country ultra-conservative codes define lives.
During her protest against ban on womens driving, Sharif had said that many women joined the campaign by defying the ban. She recalled one instance, in which a Saudi-based journalist Maysa Al-Amoudi was imprisoned for at least 72 days for driving.
. (@LoujainHathloul) September 26, 2017
Another activist Loujain Al-Hathloul was overwhelmed by the news. Hathlouol tweeted, Praise be to Allah.
Like #Women2Drive, these activists had also campaigned against the guardianship law of Saudi government, which was called #IamMyOwnGuardian. Sharif also tweeted, #Women2Drive done #IamMyOwnGuardian in progress.
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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit China on Sept. 30 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said Wednesday.
The two sides will exchange views on bilateral ties, U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit to China this year, and major international and regional issues, Lu said.
China and the United States will hold their first social and people-to-people dialogue on Sept. 28 in Washington D.C.
Premier Li Keqiang met with visiting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Sept. 26 in Beijing.
China-U.S. frequent high-level visits reflect normal and sound ties between the two countries, Lu said.
Since the Mar-a-Lago meeting between Chinese and U.S. heads of states in April, the leaders of the two countries, as well as personnel at all levels, are keeping close communication, Lu said.
He said that such communication is beneficial to the steady development of bilateral ties.
"The increasing cooperation not only brings benefits to the two countries and two peoples, but also accords with the common interests of all countries in the world," Lu said. "China is willing to work with the United States for a positive outcome with Trump's visit."
Lu said that China is ready to keep the momentum of communication and cooperation to promote bilateral ties.
On Sunday, Myanmar's army said it had discovered two mud pits filled with 28 Hindu corpses (Photo:AFP)
Coxs Bazaar: Rika Dhar watched as her husband, two brothers and countless neighbours were brutally hacked to death with machetes by masked men who stormed their Hindu village in western Myanmar and frogmarched the terrified inhabitants to the hills.
"After the killing, they dug three large pits and threw them inside. Their hands were still tied behind them and their eyes blindfolded," said 25-year-old Dhar in a Hindu camp inside Bangladesh where she fled with her two children.
Eyewitnesses told AFP the bloodshed occurred outside their small Hindu village in Kha Maung Seik in northern Rakhine state, where Myanmar authorities have exhumed 45 corpses from mass graves since Sunday.
The army said the grim discoveries are evidence of a massacre by Muslim Rohingya militants on August 25, the same day the insurgents launched coordinated raids on police posts that unleashed a surge of communal bloodshed.
The military's sweeping reprisal has left hundreds dead and sent nearly half a million Rohingya refugees fleeing to Bangladesh, where they have described a campaign of army-led violence the UN said amounts to ethnic cleansing.
Myanmar's army has rebuffed the accusation and defended its operation as a proportionate crackdown on the Rohingya "extremist terrorists", while highlighting the plight of other groups, such as Buddhists and Hindus, swept up in the unrest.
On Wednesday the army lifted its tight net over the conflict zone to fly reporters to the area in northern Rakhine where the mass graves of Hindus, including many women and children, were exhumed earlier this week.
It is the first time the military has organised a press trip to the area, where media restrictions have made it difficult to verify a whirlwind of accusations over who is driving the violence.
Displaced Hindus in Bangladesh and Myanmar, unable to contact their families, fear the worst as search efforts continued Wednesday for around 50 other villagers.
- 'They butchered everyone' -
Witnesses from Kha Maung Seik, known locally as Fwaira Bazar, said black-clad attackers stormed their community on the morning of August 25, beating and binding the men before driving everyone into the forest.
"After they took us to the hills, they butchered everyone. I saw it with my own eyes," said Promila Sheel, 15, at a small Hindu village in Cox's Bazar near the sprawling Rohingya camps.
She said more than 100 people were killed - including her husband and three other family members. The corpses were unceremoniously dumped in freshly-dug pits, Sheel added.
The latest convulsion of violence has deepened already bitter hatreds between various ethnic groups in Rakhine, where tensions have simmered for years.
The women who survived the massacre did not identify the masked attackers as Muslim militants, but said they were targeted because they were Hindus.
Rohingya sympathetic to the militant cause reject allegations their fighters were responsible for massacring civilians.
In a tent near Kutupalong refugee camp, an alleged Rohingya militant flanked by supporters accused Buddhist mobs of carrying out the attacks and pinning the blame on the fledgling Muslim movement.
"They are just trying to tarnish our image," said the man, requesting anonymity to protect his identity from Bangladesh authorities.
"We never give the moghs (ethnic Rakhine Buddhists) or the non-Muslims a hard time without any valid reason. They are lying to make us look like the bad guys."
But that brings little solace to Modhuram Pal, a Hindu who has not heard from anyone in Kha Maung Seik since escaping with his family to Bangladesh weeks ago.
"I don't know the whereabouts of my relatives and friends in Fwaira Bazar," the 35-year-old told AFP, using the Rohingya name for the village area.
"I heard about the bodies found in the village. God forbid, maybe some of my relatives are in there too."
Islamabad: Accepting Hafiz Saeed and terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba are liabilities, Pakistan on Tuesday hit out at the United States, stating that the White House till few decades ago considered these extremists as darlings, Dawn reported.
Speaking at the Asia Society forum at 72nd session of United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said, "I accept, they (Haqqanis, Hafiz Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba) are liabilities but give us time to get rid of these liabilities because we don't have assets to match them and you are increasing the liabilities further."
Taking a dig at Trump for criticising Pakistan over increasing terrorism in the country, Asif said: "Don't blame us for Haqqanis or don't blame us for the Hafiz Saeed, Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief. These were the people who were your darlings just 20 to 30 years back. They were being dined and wined in the White House."
This was the first time that Pakistans foreign minister was speaking on the terror outfits at international platform after US President Donald Trump, while unveiling the new South Asia and Afghan policy in August, warned Islamabad for giving safe havens to terrorists.
Pakistan ready to work with the United States for effective management of the Afghan border to stop terrorist infiltration and to facilitate a peace settlement in Afghanistan, the foreign minister further said.
Stressing that there was no military solution to the festering conflict in neighbouring country, Asif said, Scapegoating Pakistan for all the Afghan ills is neither fair nor accurate.
Asif began his speech with the mention of Pakistans sour relation with India and said, New initiative needed to bring India and Pakistan to the negotiating table, including Kashmir dispute, the main source of tension between two countries.
Asif maintained that peace in the neighbourhood was impossible unless relation with India improves. Pakistan wanted to normalise the relation with India through talks but New Delhi did not reciprocate, he said.
Islamabad: Pakistans Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was on Wednesday indicted by an anti-corruption court, hearing the Panama Papers case, for possessing assets beyond known sources of income.
The minister pleaded not guilty to all charges, terming them baseless.
Anti-corruption watchdog National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on September 8 filed a case against Dar for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income following the July 28 verdict of the Supreme Court.
The apex court had disqualified Nawaz Sharif as the prime minister and ordered corruption cases against him, his children Maryam, Husain and Hasan and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar.
A situation of chaos was observed outside the accountability court when Dar arrived for the hearing. The doors to the court were shut for reporters, and the finance minister had to wait at least 20 minutes outside before he was allowed to enter the court premises from the back door.
The minister refused to accept the charges read out by accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir and said his assets were in accordance with income and he will prove it with evidence during the trial.
The court ordered NAB to present evidence and NAB prosecutor submitted a list of 16 people whom it would present in the court to testify in support of charges.
Dar also asked the court to allow him to skip the personal appearance during the trial and the court announced to decide it later on.
The court has already announced to conduct day-to-day hearing in the case.
Arif Chaudhry, President Islamabad High Court Bar Association, said that evidence of prosecution will be important as the court would decide the case on the basis of it.
The evidence will be judged and defence lawyers will be given an opportunity to present counter evidence to reject the charges, he said.
Rana Sanalullah, law minister of Punjab Province and a vocal member of ruling Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejected the charges against Dar.
The charges and indictment of Dar is a joke," he said.
Dar has a long association with Sharif family. Dars son has been married to Sharifs daughter Asma Nawaz.
He was also imprisoned when the Sharif government was toppled in 1999. He was under pressure by opposition to resign after NAB filed case against him but so far he has refused to do so.
The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons -- Hassan and Hussain, daughter -- Maryam, son-in-law -- Safdar, and Finance Minister Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.
Sharifs family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated.
Rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav was on Tuesday ousted as the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's confidant R C P Singh succeeding him to the post.
The Rajya Sabha Secretariat on Tuesday notified the re-constituted Parliamentary Committees that come under its purview.
Following Yadav's stand against Kumar's decision to join hands with the BJP, the JD(U) had had removed him from the post of the leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha.
The JD(U) has also asked Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to disqualify Yadav from the House due to his alleged anti-party activities.
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma was shifted from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, Personnel and Public Grievances, which has oversight on the CBI and the appointments to the higher judiciary.
Senior BJP leader Bhupender Yadav succeed Sharma to the Committee. Sharma has been made chairman of the Committee on Science and Techology and Environment and Forests, which was earlier helmed by Renuka Chowdhary.
After increasing its strength in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP had staked claim to the committee on Law and Justice arguing that as per convention it has been chaired by the ruling party. Taking away the chairmanship of the committee was also necessary on account of its reduced numbers.
Earlier, on account of being the largest party in the Rajya Sabha, Congress leaders chaired three of the eight parliamentary committees in the quota of the Upper House.
As per the reworked quota, BJP and the Congress have got to chair two committees each in the Upper House.
BJP allies Akali Dal and JD(U) have got chairmanship of one committee each. While the chairmanships of other two committees have gone to Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress.
Akali Dal leader Naresh Gujral has been made the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Commerce, which was earlier helmed by BJP leader Bhupender Yadav.
Trinamool Congress has appointed Derek O'Brien as the chairman of the committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture in place of Mukul Roy, who quit the party on Monday.
Environmentalists and green activists have expressed concern over the felling of 1,500 trees to build the Karnataka Milk Federations Bull Mother Farm.
The state government gave permission for building the Bull Mother Farm in 2013 and sanctioned 100 acres for it at Byatha, a village in Hesaraghatta on the citys outskirts.
When asked, Hesaraghatta KMF joint director B Mayanna explained: Of the sanctioned land, 75 acres will be used for growing grass while administration and research centres will come up on 25 acres.
We need to clear the trees to construct buildings and for grass farming.
Villagers questioned the need for felling the trees arguing that the project should not harm the trees.
KMF has schemes meant for helping dairy farmers. Now they are felling thousands of trees and nobody knows what research they will do here. Their help to farmers need not come at such a huge cost, said Ramanna, a resident of Byatha village.
However, the joint director said afforestation will be taken up to compensate for the damage caused to environment.
We have already deposited Rs 5 lakh with the Forest Department which will plant 5,000 saplings, of which 600 have been planted already, he said.
Ramanna said the Bull Mother Farm will also harm the Byatha Lake which supports a host of birds. By felling trees, officials will damage rich flora and fauna. Let them identify a different site to build the farm, said environmentalist Manjunath.
Citizens and activists protesting against the relocation of the proposed Cantonment Metro station have called a round table meeting on October 7 to discuss the issue of integration and, communicate their views to the officials.
Members of the public and NGOs such as Praja RAAG, Citizens for Bengaluru and others have come together to host the event which will focus on integration of different modes of transport.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has said a subway of 150 metres will connect the Metro station from its new location at Madina Ground in Bamboo Bazaar and the Cantonment Railway Station.
However, citizens are not ready to accept it. It is not enough if you connect one end of the platform. One needs to look at the distance covered by a passenger from the moment he exits the Metro station till he boards the train, which was just 80 metres as per the original alignment, said Rajkumar Dugar, a resident of Vasanthnagar.
BMRCs new alignment, Dugar said, will make passengers walk at least 400 metres for suburban rail (at Platform number 1A) and 800 metres for other trains.
He said leaders and officials from the government, experts like IISc professor Ashish Verma, urban transport expert Ashwin Mahesh and others will be invited to the programme.
Life was disrupted as torrential rains lashed the city since last night till early today, as also several other parts of the state.
Firemen use inflatable boats to help residents as flooding hits Vajpayeenagar, in #Bengaluru. #BengaluruRains @DeccanHerald pic.twitter.com/SAp3n9IxHL Lijo Abraham (@LijoAbrahamN) September 27, 2017 Areas such as Krishnarajapuram, Nelamangala, Koramangala and surrounding areas in the city received more than 180 mm rain. Krishnaraja Puram alone received 196 mm rain. "It is a record for September that on a single day there was more than 180 mm rain whereas the average rainfall in September alone is 212 mm.
The highest record for this month in the past was 516 mm.. I think that record will be broken," said Srinivasa Reddy, director, Karnataka Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre. Many trees were uprooted, lakes breached their banks, and houses were inundated as rains pounded the city.
The waste weir of Dodda Bidarakallu near Nelamangala swept away and water gushed into many areas including a poultry farm killing 10,000 poultry birds, officials said. In Koramangala in the city, many houses, a petrol pump and a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus depot were inundated.
The swollen stormwater drain in Shantinagar flooded the bus depot. Roads were flooded in Madivala and HSR Layout, almost a repeat of July 2016 flooding.
This is despite a massive demolition drive last year to remove encroachment of storm water drain in Avani Sringerinagar on Bannerghatta Road, Shubh Enclave and Yelahanka. The city civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was flooded with complaints.
Housing Minister M Krishnappa with Mayor G Padmavathi and other BBMP officials toured around the rain affected areas including Attiguppe where the compound wall of a building collapsed damaging many cars. No loss of human life in the city has been reported so far.
#Koramangala is one of the worst affected areas in city, many houses flooded wit water,residents struggle to drain out water @DeccanHerald pic.twitter.com/71c5HEOo5O Darshan Devaiah B P (@DarshanDevaiahB) September 27, 2017
Leo Saldanha of Environment Support Group blamed the government and the civic agencies for their "short sightedness" which has been causing flooding in the city. He said the poor approach towards protecting the stormwater drains, lakes and its watershed region has wrecked havoc.
Overnight rain create havoc in Bengaluru. Scene in Raja Rajeshwari nagar #BengaluruRains #Bengaluru @DeccanHerald pic.twitter.com/V0KFmozMsl Sandesh Mysore (@SandeshMysore7) September 27, 2017
He was critical about the remodelling of stormwater drains as it will not serve any purpose. Meanwhile, rain caused severe damage to the standing crops in many parts of North Karnataka. Rains also played a spoilsport for the historic Dasara celebrations in Mysuru as several parts of the city were inundated.
He was critical about the remodelling of stormwater drains as it will not serve any purpose. Meanwhile, rain caused severe damage to the standing crops in many parts of North Karnataka. Rains also played a spoilsport for the historic Dasara celebrations in Mysuru as several parts of the city were inundated.
The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the Varanasi- based varsity's vice-chancellor at his residence.
Pyare Lal, a BHU alumnus working as a consultant in the Indian Naval Maritime Academy, claimed the violence was orchestrated at the behest of "opposition parties".
He said, "During 1965-1980, when I was a student, leaders of Sanyukt Yuvjan Sabha (a youth body) were responsible for damaging the academic environment and closure of the university for a prolonged period. Now the same is being repeated at the behest of opposition parties."
Another senior member of BHU Alumni-Mumbai, Markandey Singh said, "In my opinion, non-BHU people are adding fuel to the fire. Conspiracy can't be ruled out. BHU students will never defile the statue of Mahamana (as Madan Mohan Malviya, who founded the varsity, is fondly called). We are mulling to approach President (of India) seeking his intervention."
Siddh Vidya, an alumnae of BHU working as an advocate here, dismissed allegations of rampant eve-teasing in the university premises made by a section of students.
"I studied there and stayed in girls hostel for eight years, but did not face even a single incident of this nature. I visited BHU a few days back and found everything like before. There is something fishy (about recent incidents) I am sure," she said.
The former students criticised the BHU administration for failure to handle the violence on the campus.
City-based former students of the Banaras Hindu University have alleged there is a "conspiracy" to defame the varsity and criticised its administration for failure to handle the violence on the campus.Scores of students, including women, and two scribes were injured in a baton-charge by the police in the BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent.
A group of cattle smugglers allegedly fired at two women, including a British national, who were attempting to free animals packed into a speeding tempo on the Gurgaon-Alwar road, police said today.
The incident took place around 2.30 am on Tuesday when Sonia Sharma, a British national, and her friend Archie Baranwal were driving their new SUV and noticed five to six cows in the tempo that was speeding, a police official said.
The tempo had no rear tyres and was running on its rims.
"We found some boys sitting on its roof. We chased the vehicle to prevent the illegal cattle lifting. The person sitting next to the driver was abusing us," Sharma told PTI.
Seeing the plight of animals, the women called the police and asked the driver to stop Smelling trouble, the assailants opened fire.
"We immediately called the police citing the torture on animals. We also signalled and asked these chaps to stop. To our horror, they started firing! They fired a shot at us also, fortunately it missed us," Sharma said, recapping what had happened.
But the two women were undeterred and continued the chase.
The police came around 2.45 a.m and the goons fled from the spot, abandoning the vehicle. They managed to get away due to traffic congestion on the way, Sharma added.
Gurgaon Police PRO Ravinder Kumar said a case had been registered in Sohna Police Station against four to five unidentified cattle smugglers following the complaint by the two women.
"No arrest has been made," he said.
Sharma, who is finding it hard to get over the trauma, alleged that there was little evidence of police patrolling or police vigil at that hour of the night and would like to leave the country.
"I have an impression about living in an independent country where I can go anywhere without any fear. But now, I am disgusted and appalled at what happened and just want to leave this country," she said.
She added adding that the incident had completely shaken her faith in the countrys administration and legal system.
The tip-off about Qayoom Najar, the longest surviving militant in Kashmir, crossing over the LoC from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) was 'leaked' to Indian security agencies from across the border by the slain commander's rivals in Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.
Sources told Deccan Herald that the tip-off was received by a senior J&K police officer on Whatsapp some days back. "A militant commander from Sopore area, who crossed over to PoK a few years back, shared the information regarding Najar with the police officer on Whatsapp. He even revealed the route Najar would take to cross over the LoC," they said.
However, sources said, the exact date of infiltration by Najar was not known to the security agencies. "After receiving the input on Whatsapp, the police officer passed the information to the Army and a trap was laid to neutralize Najar. Finally on Tuesday army succeeded in killing Najar, who had for more than two decades remained elusive," they revealed.
In the summer of 2015, Najar had formed Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) outfit after differences cropped up between Hizbul commanders in PoK and him. The LeI, headed by Najar, carried out attacks on mobile phone towers and also allegedly was involved in the killing of six civilians, including a separatist activist in Sopore.
He was expelled by PoK based Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin blaming him for playing a key role in murdering innocent persons and indulging in character assassination of Hurriyat leaders and attacks on the telecommunication set-up in the Valley.
A senior police officer tracking the developments said after failing to control Najar and his group, the Hizbul commanders in PoK reconciled with him and asked him to visit Pakistan via Nepal for an "important meeting."
"By the end of 2015, Najar reached Pakistan and was apparently close to Salahuddin. After the killing of top HM commanders this year in Kashmir, Salahuddin directed Najar to return to Kashmir and take the reins of Hizbul. However, a faction within the Hizbul didn't trust Najar as they feared he may again go out of control once he was back to the Valley," he said.
Asked how he survived for this long, the officer said, "Najar would keep on changing his appearance and would use wigs and move around meekly. In his lifetime, he didn't trust anyone and never used modern gadgets like mobile phones."
43-year-old Najar was one of the most wanted militants in north Kashmir who had kept the police and the army on toes for years. He had reportedly married to the sister of a slain militant before he went over to Pakistan in 2015.
A resident of Sopore town, he had joined as an over ground worker (OGW) of Hizbul in 1992 at the age of 16 and initially would transport weapons and provide lodging for militants. Najar was arrested in 1994 and was later released but he re-joined active militancy in 1999.
The Banaras Hindu University's Chief Proctor Prof O N Singh has resigned from his post, taking "moral responsibility" for the violence on the campus.
Singh submitted his resignation to the vice chancellor last night. The resignation was immediately accepted by the Vice Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi, officials said.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a baton-charge by the police in BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve- teasing incident turned violent. An inquiry has been ordered into the violence on the campus.
Professor M K Singh of the BHU Medical College has been given the charge of the chief proctor, a press release from the BHU said.
The violence had erupted on the campus around last weekend after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity's vice-chancellor at his residence.
The protesting students were demanding round-the-clock security, making security personnel accountable for untoward incidents targeting girls, CCTV network and proper checking at the gates, recruitment of women security guards and setting up of a gender sensitisation panel.
The Goa Police has booked a woman at Mapusa town near here for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy who was staying at her place.
As per a complaint filed by the boy's parents earlier this week, the 29-year-old woman sexually assaulted the boy between June 7 and September 11, Mapusa police station's inspector Tushar Lotlikar told PTI.
The boy had ran away from his house at Ponda. He was working at a petrol pump in Mapusa town and staying at the house of the woman, who is a divorcee and lives with her three children, another police official said.
A few days back, the boy went back to his home and started behaving abnormally. He was then referred to the state-run Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB) near here, the official said.
During the counselling at the institute, the boy revealed of the alleged sexual assault on him by the woman, he said.
The Mapusa police yesterday registered offences against the woman under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act and Goa Children's Act.
"We have summoned the woman at the police station tomorrow following which we will decide the future course of action," the official said.
Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha on Wednesday slammed the Modi governments economic policies, calling it a mess, which helped bolster the Opposition criticism of the countrys fiscal health.
Union home minister Rajnath Singh, however, was quick to defend the government and reject Sinhas critique, asserting: World admits that India is the fastest growing economy. No one should forget this fact...
Reacting to Sinhas sweeping charges against his own party government, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said in Gujarat, This has happened because the BJP government never listens to farmers, youngsters, labourers, traders and women, who actually run this country. People from BJP listen only to businessmen and then tell the citizens their own mann ki baat.
Now a dissident voice within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sinha said many in the ruling party know that the economy is on a downward spiral, but they are not speaking up out of fear. The veteran BJP leader, in an article published in an English daily, blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modis key decisions of demonetisation and GST for the sluggish economy. The government, however, has said it is only a temporary phase and the economy will bounce back subsequently.
...Demonetisation has proved to be an unmitigated economic disaster, a badly conceived and poorly implemented GST has played havoc with businesses and sunk many of them and countless millions have lost their jobs with hardly any new opportunities coming the way of the new entrants to the labour market, he commented in the piece headlined In need to speak now.
Talking about other sectors, Sinha, who has been sidelined ever since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, stated that private investment has shrunk, industrial production has taken a nosedive, agriculture is in distress and the construction industry, a big employer of the workforce, is in the doldrums.
Jaitley hit, too
He also criticised union finance minister Arun Jaitley and accused him of making a mess of the economy. Jaitley, however, has not reacted to the charges. A union minister during the Vajpayee regime, the veteran leader from Jharkhand did not spare BJP chief Amit Shah either.
He said the SBI, by asserting that the economic slowdown was not due to technical reasons, has openly contradicted the BJP president. Sinha also alleged that the Centre has unleashed a Raid Raj on Opposition leaders.
BJP sources said Sinhas acerbic comments are borne out of frustration and he keeps on venting his feelings owing to the fact that he has not got anything from this dispensation. Modi, however, had made his son Jayant Sinha a junior minister in his government. Jayant is minister of state of civil aviation now.
Rika Dhar watched as her husband, two brothers and countless neighbours were brutally hacked to death with machetes by masked men who stormed their Hindu village in western Myanmar and frogmarched the terrified inhabitants to the hills.
"After the killing, they dug three large pits and threw them inside. Their hands were still tied behind them and their eyes blindfolded," said 25-year-old Dhar in a Hindu camp inside Bangladesh where she fled with her two children.
Eyewitnesses told AFP the bloodshed occurred outside their small Hindu village in Kha Maung Seik in northern Rakhine state, where Myanmar authorities have exhumed 45 corpses from mass graves since Sunday.
The army says the grim discoveries are evidence of a massacre by Muslim Rohingya militants on August 25, the same day the insurgents launched coordinated raids on police posts that unleashed a surge of communal bloodshed.
The military's sweeping reprisal has left hundreds dead and sent nearly half a million Rohingya refugees fleeing to Bangladesh, where they have described a campaign of army-led violence the UN says amounts to ethnic cleansing.
Myanmar's army has rebuffed the accusation and defended its operation as a proportionate crackdown on the Rohingya "extremist terrorists", while highlighting the plight of other groups, such as Buddhists and Hindus, swept up in the unrest.
On Wednesday the army lifted its tight net over the conflict zone to fly reporters to the area in northern Rakhine where the mass graves of Hindus, including many women and children, were exhumed earlier this week.
It is the first time the military has organised a press trip to the area, where media restrictions have made it difficult to verify a whirlwind of accusations over who is driving the violence.
Displaced Hindus in Bangladesh and Myanmar, unable to contact their families, fear the worst as search efforts continued Wednesday for around 50 other villagers.
Witnesses from Kha Maung Seik, known locally as Fwaira Bazar, said black-clad attackers stormed their community on the morning of August 25, beating and binding the men before driving everyone into the forest.
"After they took us to the hills, they butchered everyone. I saw it with my own eyes," said Promila Sheel, 15, at a small Hindu village in Cox's Bazar near the sprawling Rohingya camps.
She said more than 100 people were killed - including her husband and three other family members. The corpses were unceremoniously dumped in freshly-dug pits, Sheel added.
The latest convulsion of violence has deepened already bitter hatreds between various ethnic groups in Rakhine, where tensions have simmered for years.
The women who survived the massacre did not identify the masked attackers as Muslim militants, but said they were targeted because they were Hindus.
Rohingya sympathetic to the militant cause reject allegations their fighters were responsible for massacring civilians.
In a tent near Kutupalong refugee camp, an alleged Rohingya militant flanked by supporters accused Buddhist mobs of carrying out the attacks and pinning the blame on the fledgling Muslim movement.
"They are just trying to tarnish our image," said the man, requesting anonymity to protect his identity from Bangladesh authorities.
"We never give the moghs (ethnic Rakhine Buddhists) or the non-Muslims a hard time without any valid reason. They are lying to make us look like the bad guys."
But that brings little solace to Modhuram Pal, a Hindu who has not heard from anyone in Kha Maung Seik since escaping with his family to Bangladesh weeks ago.
"I don't know the whereabouts of my relatives and friends in Fwaira Bazar," the 35-year-old told AFP, using the Rohingya name for the village area.
"I heard about the bodies found in the village. God forbid, maybe some of my relatives are in there too
The government on Wednesday unveiled a Rs 25,060 crore umbrella scheme for the 'Modernisation of Police Forces' (MPF) with a special emphasis on tackling internal security issues in Jammu and Kashmir, north-east and Naxal-infested states.
Of the Rs 25,060 allocation, Rs 18,636 will be the centre's share and Rs 6,424 crore will come from the states. The scheme was cleared by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for expenditure between 2017-18 and 2019-20.
Keeping in mind the internal security scenario, the Cabinet has earmarked Rs 10,132 crore from the central outlay of Rs 18,636 crore for internal security related expenditure for Jammu and Kashmir, north-eastern states and Naxal-affected states.
The government had earlier wrapped up the police modernisation scheme following a 14th Finance Commission recommendation but it decided to come up with a new scheme keeping in mind the challenges faced by states.
"We have cleared this umbrella scheme keeping in mind the internal security situation. We will do whatever needed to ensure a safe and secure India," Home Minister Rajnath Singh told a press conference.
Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad described the decision as "perhaps one of the biggest modernisation scheme on internal security".
Under the scheme, special provisions have been made for internal security, law and order, women's security, availability of modern weapons, mobility of police forces, logistics support, hiring of helicopters, upgradation of police wireless, National Satellite Network, CCTNS project and E-prison project.
Singh said new initiatives are being introduced to provide assistance to states for upgradation of police infrastructure, forensic science laboratories, institutions and the equipment available with them to plug critical gaps in the criminal justice system.
Police stations will be integrated to set up a national database of crime and criminals' records and it will be linked with other pillars of criminal justice system such as prisons, forensic science laboratories and prosecution offices.
Tackling issue of underdevelopment in 35 worst Naxal districts, Singh said a scheme if Special Central Assistance (SCA) has been introduced with an outlay of Rs 3,000 crore.
During the three years, another Rs 100 crore is earmarked for improving police infrastructure, training institutes and investigation facilities in the north-east.
The scheme also provides for setting up of a state-of-the-art forensic science laboratory in Andhra Pradesh's Amravati and upgradation of Sardar Patel Global Centre for Security, Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Insurgency in Jaipur and Gujarat Forensic Science University in Gandhi Nagar.
"Implementation of this scheme would bolster the government's ability to address challenges faced in different theatres such as areas affected by Naxals, Jammu and Kashmir and north-east effectively and undertake development interventions which will catalyze in improving the quality of life in these areas and help combat these challenges effectively at the same time," an official statement said. (ENDS)
Police Modernisation Scheme 2017-18 to 2019-20
** Total outlay Rs 25,060 crore
-- Central share Rs 18,636 crore, States' share Rs 6,424 crore
** Rs 10,132 crore from central share for internal security related expenditure for JK, NE and Naxal-infested states
** Rs 3,000 crore Special Central Assistance (SCA) for 35 worst Naxal-infested districts to tackle underdevelopment
** Rs 100 crore for NE states for police infrastructure upgradation, training institutes, investigation facilities
** Police stations to be integrated to set up a national database of crime and criminals' records.
** Special provision for internal security, law and order, women security, availability of modern weapons, mobility of police forces, hiring of helicopters, National Satellite Network, CCTNS project, e-prison project
Notwithstanding the preliminary probe report that squarely blamed the varsity administration for the violence on Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that ''anti-social'' elements were behind the violence.
Adityanath, while speaking to reporters in Gorakhpur, however, said that cases lodged against the students in connection with the violence would be withdrawn, when the varsity re-opened after Dussehra festival.
''Anti-social elements are responsible for inciting violence on BHU campus...we will identify such elements and act against them,'' the chief minister said.
Adityanath condemned the lathi charge on the girls and scribes and said that strict directive had been issued to the district authorities not to harass the students.
''Let the judicial probe complete...we will ensure action on the guilty officials,'' he added. The chief minister said that the state government would send a report to the centre on the incidents at BHU shortly.
He slammed the opposition for ''politicising'' the issue and said that the opposition was devoid of any real issues and hence was trying to rake up something which was trivial.
Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also echoed similar sentiments and said that the state government would not allow BHU to be turned into a ''battlefield'' like JNU.
Meanwhile, the outgoing chief proctor of the varsity O.N.Singh claimed that students from JNU and Hyderabad had infiltrated the agitating BHU students and incited violence.
The Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) had also in its report said that people from Delhi and Hyderabad and other places had joined the students at BHU. It also claimed that ''funds'' were arranged by some political outfits to keep the agitation going.
Violence had flared up in the campus on Sunday and Monday after police lathi-charged a group of girls, who were protesting rising incidents of eve-teasing on the campus and demanding better security arrangements.
Indian Air Force wants to procure 36 grounded Jaguar fighter aircraft from France to run its six squadrons of Jaguar deep penetration bombers that are in dire need of spares for operational readiness.
The fighter planes inducted nearly four decades ago, remain one of India's mainstay for air attacks. Even though these platforms are being upgraded, unavailability of spares remained a critical challenge in the absence of an assembly line for the aircraft.
The IAF is now looking at France for a solution with Paris offering to sell its 36 grounded Jaguar aircraft at a nominal price. These aircraft could be cannibalised extraction of spares in aviation parlance to run the Indian squadrons for several years.
There are 117 Jaguar aircraft (as on October 2016) with the IAF that flies six squadrons with these jets. In the last five years, the government has sanctioned multiple upgrade projects for these aircraft to give them more teeth during combat.
The top brass in the IAF and defence ministry are in the process of calculating the transport cost associated with bringing these defunct aircraft back in India, sources told DH. The final decision would be taken only with a positive cost-benefit analysis.
India is the only country that still flies Jaguars. Its two original users Royal Air Force and French Air Force replaced their Jaguars with Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale respectively.
The upgrade programme for Jaguars includes installing a new navigational-attack system DARIN-3 (Display Attack Ranging Inertial Navigation-III) in the old aircraft. It is supposed to transform the ancient war jet into a modern fighting machine with a head-up display, all-glass cockpit, advanced avionics, auto-pilot and new weapon systems.
The modernisation programme of Jaguars is several years behind the original schedule. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in July 2017 described the completion of the Darin-3 upgrades as one of its targets and the IAF is unlikely to receive the entire fleet of modernised Jaguars by 2019.
The Defence Acquisition Council approved the purchase of flight simulators for Jaguar fighter jets only in July 2016.
The role of certain non-resident Indians (NRI) in inciting violence that broke out in Panchkula minutes after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted in two cases of rape last month has come under the scanner.
These NRIs were part of the convoy of 218 vehicles that escorted the sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim from Sirsa to Panchkula on the day the judgement was pronounced by the special CBI court, it is learnt. The police are looking out for these alleged suspects who are believed to be NRIs putting up in Australia and Italy.
As many as 40 persons were killed in violence in Panchkula and Sirsa, the epicentres of the violence on August 25.
The questioning of the suspects would also lay bare the conspiracy behind the attempt made by personnel in Gurmeet Ram Rahims Z-plus security who attempted to free him soon after he was brought outside the premises of the Panchkula court complex following his conviction.
The main perpetrator of the offence, Honeypreet Insan, the adopted daughter of the sect chief, is still on the run with the police failing to nab her even after a month.
The Sect is headed for more troubled times ahead. The Income-tax authorities and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are likely to begin a probe into the assets acquired by the Dera and its finances.
These directions were issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh on Wednesday. The directions for a scrutiny will apply to organizations and persons associated with the sect.
The commissioner appointed by the Court informed the full bench of the High Court that the report of the entire search operation that was carried out inside the Sect recently was almost ready and will be submitted to the court soon. The next date of hearing has been fixed for November 8.
The Court is yet to hear arguments on the vital issue as to who would pay for the damages, both of government and individual properties, that were destroyed by arson on the ill-fated day of violence. According to sources, the Court commission in his report has found nothing incriminating during the search.
Union Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad on Wednesday refused to comment on the quitting of Karnataka High Court judge Justice Jayant Patel following his transfer to Allahabad High Court.
"No comments. No proposal on transfer has been received by us," Prasad told reporters during a briefing on Cabinet meeting here.
He was asked about Patel's resignation and his remarks that he was not willing to go to Allahabad as he had just ten months more in service besides the protest by Gujarat High Court Bar Association against his transfer.
Patel, who had ordered a CBI probe into the Ishrat Jahan "fake" encounter case when he was in Gujarat High Court, is scheduled to retire in August next year.
If he was not transferred, Justice Patel would have taken over as acting Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court when incumbent Chief Justice S K Mukherjee retires on October 9.
He was also eligible to become a judge in the Supreme Court but a decision was deferred many times.
After much ado, the State Cabinet on Wednesday approved a diluted anti-superstition bill that seeks to ban 16 practices, including human torture in the name of rituals and creating panic by threatening to invoke ghosts.
The Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017 is a watered down version of the Karnataka Prevention of Superstitious Practices Bill, 2013 which had proposed to ban numerology and astrology too.
However, the 2013 bill had met with resistance from various quarters, including religious institutions, and was referred to a scrutiny committee for review. Numerology, astrology and vaastu have now been spared from the purview of the bill.
The words aghori and narabali (cannibalism and human sacrifice) have also been deleted in the revised bill as these practices are not found in the State.
Briefing reporters, Law Minister T?B?Jayachandra said the bill will be tabled in the winter session of the State legislature, likely to be held in November in Belagavi.
The bill is modelled after a similar legislation in force in Maharashtra. It seeks to ban practices such as exorcism, black magic, witchcraft, rituals promoting self-injury, throwing of infants from a height on a bed of thorns, parading women in the naked and sexual exploitation by invoking supernatural powers.
Made snana out
The bill also bans the controversial made snana practised in some temples. Without naming the practise, the bill states that facilitating any person to roll over leaves with leftover food by others, in public or religious places, is banned.
The bill does not cover worship, teaching of ancient and traditional learning, holding prayers, religious celebrations, piercing of ears, nose in accordance with rituals, vaastushastra, astrology and advice on sourcing groundwater.
The bill contains penal provisions and designates police inspectors as vigilance officers for detection and prevention of violations of the provisions of the bill.
According to the police sources here, the 'baba', identified as Siyaram Das, who had an 'ashram' (mutt) in the temple town of Naimisharanya in the district, was arrested on Tuesday after the victim, who had been held hostage at the 'ashram', managed to inform the police about her plight.
Police said that the woman had been ''sold'' to the baba by an acquaintance of his and had been held hostage at the 'ashram' for the past eight months. On Tuesday, the woman managed to give the slip to the security guards at the 'ashram' and called the cops at the local police station.
A police team later raided the 'ashram' and rescued the woman. The victim told the cops that she was kept under round the clock surveillance by the baba's security guards and was not allowed to go out of the 'ashram'.
The 'baba', according to sources also owned several educational institutions and had considerable influence over political leaders from the district. He also owned land worth several crores, sources said.
Police sources said that during interrogation, the baba admitted to sexually exploiting the woman.
Barely a few days back a baba had been arrested at Barsana in UP's Mathura district on charges of raping a physically challenged woman disciple from West Bengal.
A team of West Bengal police arrested the baba after the victim managed to escape from there and reach her native village in that state and lodged a complaint.
Yet another 'baba' has been arrested in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly sexually exploiting a woman in the state's Sitapur district, about 100 kilometres from here.
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh today questioned why the Centre was refusing asylum to the Rohingya community on security grounds while giving aid at the same time to Bangladesh for their settlement.
He also attacked Union minister Hansraj Ahir for criticising BJP MP Varun Gandhi who has advocated shelter to the refugees in India after security vetting.
"The government is not allowing Rohingya Muslims to come to India as it felt there were terrorists among the refugees. But the union home minister had not been able to name a single person (from Rohingya community) who is linked with a terrorist organisation," the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister told a press conference here.
"Rohingyas have sought refugee status and many Hindus are also among those fleeing Myanmar. As per the charter of human rights charter, nobody can be denied shelter based on their caste. When the people from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) came to India following atrocities, they were given shelter as refugees despite most of them were Muslims," he said.
The senior Congress leader questioned the government for giving aid to Bangladesh for settling Rohingya refugees while opposing their asylum in India.
"On one hand, our government was refusing to give refugee status to Rohingyas while on the other hand, it is giving grant to Bangladesh to settle them. Why the government is doing so?" he asked.
Responding to a query on the views expressed by Varun Gandhi on Rohingya Muslims, Singh said, "I condemn Hansraj Ahir, (Minister of State, Home) for criticising Varun Gandhi over his views on the issue".
Referring to Varun's remarks, Ahir had said anyone who has national interests in mind, won't make such statements.
Expressing concern over the drought-like situation in the BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, Singh alleged private insurance companies are getting benefitted through the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme.
"The state is reeling under drought and farmers are in a deep trouble. The PM Crop Insurance Scheme is nothing but just a way to favour and benefit private insurance companies," he alleged.
He claimed the government itself had told Parliament that a premium of Rs 16,50,000 crore was deposited by farmers in the Kharif year 2015-16 while insurance companies had earned a profit of Rs 10,50,000 crore after settling the claims.
"This clearly indicates that this scheme is meant to benefit insurance companies and not the cultivators," he alleged.
Replying to a query on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to Dwarikadhish temple in Gujarat, Singh said unlike the Congress, the BJP has been misusing religion.
"Congress respects the religion. This is not a Hindu rashtra. This is the country of everybody, including Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Christians. Our makers of the Constitution have given us a socialist secular state," he said.
When asked about the dynasty in the Congress and the leadership resting only with the Nehru/Gandhi family, he replied, "I would say we don't have any option other than them".
"I will never compromise with my commitment and loyalty towards the Congress party and the Nehru-Gandhi family," he said.
Attacking the ruling BJP in Chhattisgarh, Singh said not only the chief minister and ministers, but bureaucrats too are steeped in corruption.
"Recently, I heard that the issue of charges of corruption against minister Brijmohan Agarwal will be dealt by BJP chief Amit Shah not the law. It means Shah is being considered as the law in the BJP government," Singh said.
A controversy had erupted over the sale of a forest land near a Buddhist site in Mahasamund district to the wife of Agarwal, state Agriculture Minister, in 2009.
Congress would waive off the debt of farmers in 10 days of assuming power in Gujarat. This was stated by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the third and final day of his Navsarjan Yatra in Saurashtra region on Wednesday.
Rahul, who began his last day by climbing around 900 steps of a hilltop Chotila temple, also visited a temple of Dalit deity, of lohanas or business community at Virpur and of Patels at Khodaldham at Kagvad village near Rajkot.
Before beginning his climb of Chotila in Surendranagar district, Rahul asked the motley crowd What has happened to development in Gujarat? And as people replied "Vikas gando thayo chhe (development has gone bonkers), Rahul said that this is the first time that development had gone mad. They said so many lies that Vikas Pagal ho Gaya (development has gone mad).
The ruling BJP has been facing severe taunts and flak for the last couple of months on social media on its catchline of development.
Rahul also continued with his attempt to woo the agitating Patels and harried farmers, hitting out at the Centre and the state government.
The Congress government's in Karnataka and Punjab waived off the debt of farmers. We will do the same in Gujarat if Congress comes to power, the Congress leader said.
Taking a cue from BJP veteran Yashwant Sinha, who wrote a scathing article against Modi governments economic policies, especially with regards to hasty implementation of the Goods and Services Tax and poorly conceived demonetization initiative, Gandhi told his audience that it is the BJP leader who is criticising Modi government and not him.
Rahul, who completed his three-day tour of Saurashtra on Wednesday is expected to be back for another three-day sojourn of the state slated to go for Assembly polls by end of this year. Rahul is now expected to visit Central Gujarat districts for three days beginning October 9.
During the Saurashtra leg, Rahul covered almost six districts and over 25 Assembly constituencies, reaching out to multiple communities in this caste-sensitive area of the state.
In a span of 15 hours at least 10 patients died at the government general hospital (GGH) in Anantapur town of Andhra Pradesh. The deaths started occurring from the midnight of Tuesday.
However, district authorities attributed these deaths to old age and other reasons. They pointed out that the deaths were not because of negligence or failure of any equipment.
The first death was reported around 1 am. And, the trend continued till Wednesday afternoon.
Anantapur district collector Kona Sasidhar told reporters that many were admitted at a critical stage. "Deaths are not due to the fault of any doctor or treatment. At any district government headquarters hospital, four to six deaths happen every day he said
Hospital superintendent Dr A Jagannath that all those who died had chronic aliment including heart complications, septicemia (blood infections), TB, breathing problems and brain haemorrhage.
He further added that four to five patients whose condition was declared hopeless at private hospitals in the town were admitted to the government hospital on Tuesday. He said that the death toll looked inflated with the addition of these deaths added to routine deaths.
AP health minister Dr Kamineni Srinivas ordered a probe into the deaths. He said action would be taken based on the findings of the enquiry.
An Ola cab driver who diverted the route and misbehaved with a lady passenger here on Tuesday morning was nabbed by the SHE team within hours of the incident.
According to police, one lady booked Ola sharing cab from Gowlidoddy to Lingampally Railway Station, while traveling in the cab after a while when the other two passengers got down the driver K Shivakumar (22) Madhuranagar started staring at her. As she was alone and scared, he forced her to divulge l her phone number and misbehaved with her.
He even diverted the route and got on to PVNR express way towards Shamshabad airport, when she questioned and shouted loud on him he got out of his car near Aramghar and fled. The lady also got down from the cab and went home to Vanastalipuram by auto. After reaching home she made a complaint to exclusive woman protection group SHE teams on their WhatsApp number.
She also shared the phone number of the cab driver and vehicle number to the police. The SHE teams Vanastalipuram and LBnagar swung into action caught the accused K. Shivakumar and handed over to Vanastalipuram police. On a written complaint by the victim, a case was registered u/s 354,354 - D IPC by Vanastalipuram police and accused sent to court for judicial remand on Tuesday itself.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday downplayed senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinhas attack on the NDA government on economic policies, saying the Indian economy is the fastest growing in the world and the countrys credibility has been established in the international arena.
The whole world accepts that India is the fastest growing economy in the world. No one should forget this fact. In the matter of economy, in the international arena, Indias credibility has been established, Singh told reporters.
He was responding to a series of questions Sinhas newspaper article criticising the government during a briefing on Cabinet meeting.
Sinha, in the article titled I need to speak up now, had said that the Indian economy is in a mess and that whatever he was saying reflects the sentiments of a large number of people in the BJP and elsewhere who are not speaking up out of fear.
Congress also latched on to the criticism with party leaders Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram attacking the Narendra Modi-led government.
By Christopher Torchia
27 September 2017
JOHANNESBURG (Associated Press) Hundreds of vultures in Namibia died after feeding on an elephant carcass that poachers had poisoned. Poachers in Zimbabwe used cyanide to kill dozens of elephants for their ivory tusks. In Mozambique three lions died after eating bait infused with a crop pesticide.
Poisoning Africas wildlife is an old practice, but conservationists fear such incidents are escalating in some areas, saying relatively easy access to agricultural chemicals and the surging illegal market for animal parts are increasing pressure on a number of already beleaguered species. The threat is compounded by the indiscriminate nature of killing with poison, in which a single contaminated carcass can take down a range of animals, particularly scavengers such as vultures.
This month, a continent-wide database was launched to gather data on wildlife poisoning and better understand a phenomenon that has been widely documented in southern Africa, where a reported 70 lions have been fatally poisoned in the last 18 months, according to managers. While the African Wildlife Poisoning Database lacks records from underreported areas including Central Africa, it dates to 1961 and lists nearly 300 poisoning incidents in 15 African countries that killed more than 8,000 animals from dozens of species, including leopards, hyenas, impalas, cranes, and storks.
Its still a big work in progress, said Darcy Ogada, a Kenya-based database coordinator and assistant director of Africa programs at The Peregrine Fund, a conservation group. The goal, Ogada said, is to get governments to pay more attention to the underground world of wildlife poisoning that also threatens livestock, water sources and people who eat meat from birds and other poisoned animals.
Poachers with guns have killed hundreds of thousands of elephants and thousands of rhinos in Africa in past years, but wildlife traffickers have increasingly laced carcasses with poison to target vultures that circle overhead and can draw the attention of anti-poaching rangers. Previously, poisons such as strychnine were primarily used by farmers to kill jackals, wild dogs and other predators that attack livestock, though some landowners and communities have responded positively to anti-poison campaigns.
In 2013, between 400 and 600 vultures died after feeding on the poisoned carcass of an elephant that was killed for its ivory in Namibias Zambezi area, said Andre Botha, a poisoning database manager and special projects manager at the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a South African group.
This is the highest number of vultures killed in a single poisoning incident that we have on the database to date, Botha said. [more]
A leading scientist is calling on people to get more sleep to help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other health complications.
The University of Californias Professor Matthew Walker believes a catastrophic sleep-loss epidemic is contributing to rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimers disease and some cancers.
Walker, director of the Centre for Human Sleep Science, who originates from Liverpool, is urging people to get eight hours of sleep every night to reduce sleep deprivation.
No aspect of our biology is left unscathed by sleep deprivation, Walker said in an interview with The Guardian. It sinks down into every possible nook and cranny. And yet no one is doing anything about it. Things have to change: in the workplace and our communities, our homes and families.
He blames governments and employers for not doing anything to help ensure people get the sleep they need to function properly and stay healthy and also suggested those who had a full nights sleep were wrongly being labelled as lazy.
Walker added that the new digital culture was situating people when they should be dozing off leading to sleep deprivation, defined as less than seven hours every night.
But when did you ever see an NHS poster urging sleep on people? When did a doctor prescribe, not sleeping pills, but sleep itself? It needs to be prioritised, even incentivised. Sleep loss costs the UK economy over 30 billion a year in lost revenue, or two per cent of GDP.
Once you know that after just one night of only four or five hours sleep, your natural killer cells the ones that attack the cancer cells that appear in your body every day drop by 70 per cent, or that a lack of sleep is linked to cancer of the bowel, prostate and breast, or even just that the World Health Organization has classed any form of night-time shift work as a probable carcinoge, how could you do anything else?
Earlier this year, scientists found that people who slept for five hours or less per night were 70 per cent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes over a two-year period when compared to those who regularly slept for a total seven hours every night.
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FivePoint Holdings' Newhall Ranch project will add thousands of new homes north of Los Angeles in the Santa Clarita Valley.
LOS ANGELES (AP) A new city of 58,000 residents could rise in Southern California now that a deal has been reached to end a decades-long development battle.
Environmental groups on Monday agreed to the pact, clearing the way for the Newhall Ranch project involving the construction of thousands of new homes in the Santa Clarita Valley, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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SAN DIEGO (AP) The federal government said Tuesday that contractors began building eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico, hitting a milestone toward a key campaign pledge.
Construction in San Diego began three months behind schedule after those who didn't win contracts protested. The building process will last about 30 days, Customs and Border Protection said.
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SEATTLE (AP) A federal judge says a Washington city can proceed with its lawsuit seeking to hold the maker of the pain medication OxyContin liable for damages to the community.
Everett, a city of about 108,000 people north of Seattle, sued Purdue Pharma in January, alleging the company knowingly allowed pills to be funneled into the black market and into the city.
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SEATTLE An industrial property at 3443 Thorndyke Ave. W. has sold for $3.4 million, according to King County records. The seller was 3443 LLC, an entity of The Freehold Group, which acquired it as part of a transaction in 2008 for $4 million.
Freehold divided the property and put up a two-story light-manufacturing building at 3445 Thorndyke Ave. W.
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Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that it would allow women to drive, ending a policy that has become a global symbol of the oppression of women. The change, which will take effect in June 2018, was announced in a royal decree read live on state television and in a simultaneous media event in Washington. The decision puts into the spotlight the damage that the ban on women driving has done to the kingdom's international reputation. The kingdom has been widely criticised for being the only country in the world that bans women from driving, despite gradual improvement on some women's issues in recent years. Saudi leaders also hope the new policy will help the economy by increasing women's participation in the workplace. Many working Saudi women spend much of their salaries on drivers or must be driven to work by male relatives. ''It is amazing,'' said Fawziah al-Bakr, a Saudi university professor who was among 47 women who participated in the kingdom's first protest against the ban - in 1990. After driving around the Saudi capital, Riyadh, the women were arrested and some lost their jobs. ''Since that day, Saudi women have been asking for the right to drive, and finally it arrived,'' she told The New York Times by phone. ''We have been waiting for a very long time.'' US President Donald Trump commended the decision of long-time US ally Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive in the ultra-conservative kingdom, describing it as a "positive step". Trump "commends" the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's decision today to affirm the right of women to drive in the Kingdom, the White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. "This is a positive step toward promoting the rights and opportunities of women in Saudi Arabia," Sanders said. "We will continue to support Saudi Arabia in its to efforts to strengthen Saudi society and the economy through reforms like this and the implementation of Saudi Vision 2030," she said in a statement. The US alliance with the ultra-conservative kingdom has often given rise to criticism that the superpower chooses its friends and enemies according to self-interest rather than on principle. "We're happy. We're certainly happy to hear that. If Saudi women are now able to drive, certainly here in the United States we would certainly welcome that. It's a great step in the right direction for that country," State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her news conference. Amnesty International welcomed the Saudi decision. "It is a testament to the bravery of women activists who have been campaigning for years that the government of Saudi Arabia has finally relented and decided to permit women to drive," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's research and advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa. ''If by June next year women in Saudi Arabia are driving the streets without fear of arrest, then this will be a cause for celebration. But it is just one step. "We also need to see a whole range of discriminatory laws and practices swept away in Saudi Arabia, including the guardianship system where every woman has a male guardian, be it their father, brother, husband or son, having authority to make decisions on her behalf," Luther said. Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites, is an absolute monarchy ruled according to Shariah law. Saudi officials and clerics have provided numerous explanations for the ban over the years. Rights groups and Saudi activists have long campaigned for the ban to be overturned, and some women have been arrested and jailed for defying the prohibition and taking the wheel. In 2014, Loujain Hathloul was arrested after trying to cross the border from the United Arab Emirates into Saudi Arabia and detained for 73 days. ''@LoujainHathloul I'm so proud of you,'' Fahad Albuteiri, her husband and a well-known Saudi comedian, wrote on Twitter. Hathloul tweeted a simple reaction to the news: ''Thank god.'' The momentum to change the policy picked up in recent years with the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the king's 32-year-old son, who has laid out a far-reaching plan to overhaul the kingdom's economy and society. Increasing numbers of women are working in a growing number of professions, and in 2015, women were allowed to vote and to run for seats on the kingdom's local councils. Many Saudis remain deeply conservative, and social strictures like the driving ban have been reinforced over the years by the kingdom's top clerics, many of them on the government payroll. But there was little public dissent on Tuesday, likely because the Saudi government often exerts pressure on prominent voices to make sure they either back the government line or keep quiet. In recent weeks it has arrested more than two dozen clerics, academics and others, accusing them of being foreign-funded dissidents.
Thai ex-PM Yingluck Shinawatra sentenced to 5 years jail in absentia
Tailand's deposed prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra who is believed to have fled to Cambodia and flown via Singapore to Dubai, has now been sentenced to five years in jail in absentia.
Thailand's supreme court delivered the guilty verdict in a case related to money-losing rice subsidy scheme, in absentia on Wednesday, a month after she fled the country.
The supreme court has found the former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra guilty of negligence and sentenced her to five years in prison, in absentia.
Yingluck, whose elected government was overthrown in 2014 by the army generals who still control the kingdom, had denied allegations relating to a mishandled and costly rice subsidy scheme.
The verdict was due to be delivered on 25 August but Yingluck shocked the nation, and thousands of supporters who had gathered at the court, by failing to show up.
Her lawyer cited an ear problem as the reason for her no-show. However, the court rejected the excuse and delayed the verdict, later issuing an arrest warrant. The junta chief, Prayuth Chan-ocha, ordered border checks to be increased.
Yingluck's exact whereabouts are unknown, although senior sources in her opposition Puea Thai party said she fled to Cambodia and flew via Singapore to Dubai.
Her whereabouts are still secret as she has made no public comments since she left Thailand.
Some people believe she may be in London, where her family owns a residence.
However, it is clear that her escape has been made possible with help by several police officers.
Authorities are conducting DNA sampling from a Toyota Camry with fake number plates that she allegedly escaped in, with results due in a month's time. Investigators believe that at least two cars, both a similar colour, were used in the getaway. One car was as a decoy, they say.
Three senior police officers have been detained for questioning, including a police colonel who worked in eastern Thailand.
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On the eve of the verdict on Wednesday, Prayuth said he knew where Yingluck had fled to, but would not reveal the location until after the judgment was delivered.
''I know, but I won't say yet,'' he told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting. ''I'll tell you where she is after 27 September. I have spies.''
Many people suspect military leaders cut a deal with Yingluck. While the politician can avoid jail time by being abroad, her departure also leaves the country without its most prominent opposition figure, handing power-hungry generals a headless opposition. The junta has repeatedly delayed elections and sought to stamp out dissent.
Coup leaders may also have wanted to avoid putting Yingluck behind bars, a situation that could have led to a resurgence of anger from her poor, rural base.
Paul Chambers, an expert on Thai politics, said: ''By getting Yingluck out of Thailand, the military gets rid of a potential thorn in their side who could become a martyr if jailed, or a powerful politician again if she is not.''
The Shinawatra family is a hugely influential political dynasty, winning every election it has taken part in since 2001, but is hated by many in the royalist and military elite in Bangkok. Yingluck's billionaire brother, the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a 2008 prison sentence for corruption.
The rice subsidy scheme, which paid farmers nearly twice the market rate for their crop, was seen by Yingluck's foes as handing billions of dollars to her voter base as well as creating unsold mountains of rotten rice. Losses amounted to more than 6bn, according to the government.
Prosecutors alleged that the expensive rice programme was susceptible to corruption, although Yingluck is not accused of graft.
The fallout of the scandal led to violent street protests in 2013-14 that eventually overthrew Yingluck's administration. The former leader, whose supporters called themselves the redshirts, has said she is the victim of ''a subtle political game''.
A military-backed legislature found Yingluck guilty in a separate impeachment case in 2015, and banned her from politics for five years.
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The Government has included the Donegal to Dublin and Donegal to Galway road networks in key infrastructure plan.
Routes included in the draft National Planning Framework 2040 include the Letterkenny to Lifford Road N14 and the A5 from Derry, the main link from north Donegal to Dublin.
The document says the government is committed to upgrading access to the north-west border area, utilising existing routes such as the N2, N14, A5 and upgrading northern sections of the N4 route and sections of the N3 and M3 national primary route.
Donegal TD and government chief whip Joe McHugh welcome the development as a breakthrough into finally connecting North West with rest of country.
The plans now go out for public consultation until November and Minister McHugh is urging the people of Donegal to make submissions.
The inclusion of the infrastructure projects in this Governments National Planning Framework 2040 is a breakthrough moment for Co Donegal. This is the first national plan to do so, said Government Chief Whip McHugh.
I was delighted to be part of the Cabinet which agreed these plans on Tuesday and for me the inclusion of the upgrade of the road from Letterkenny to Lifford and on to Aughnacloy and through Monaghan to Dublin is the best news this county has had in years.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar understands the unique position of Donegal, and over and over again in the past few months he has committed to putting plans in place for infrastructure.
This also includes the N15 and the Twin Towns by-pass and the N13 from Stranorlar to Derry via Manorcunningham.
Also included in the national plan is the North West Strategic Growth Partnership described in the report as the first of its kind on the island of Ireland and represents a new approach to joined-up government that has the potential to bring about real and positive change for the region.
Jointly led by Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council, the Partnership has been endorsed by both governments through the North-South Ministerial Council and is made up of senior government officials from all Government departments in the Republic of Ireland and North West City Region.
Minister McHugh added: The 151-page report is worth reading; its a blueprint for the future, increasing connectivity not just between Donegal and the rest of the Republic but also between Donegal and the North. I would urge everyone to take some time to read it and respond to the public consultation process.
Over the next number of weeks, until 3 November, the public will have a chance to review what is essentially the long-term strategic planning framework for our countrys future growth and prosperity. Ireland 2040 Our Plan will guide national, regional and local planning opportunities throughout our Republic together with investment decisions for at least the next two decades.
Lecturers at Letterkenny Institute of Technology staged a lunchtime protest today outside the college over the funding crisis in their sector.
The protests were organised by the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), which represents over 4,000 lecturing and research staff in Institutes of Technology.
The union says that severe underfunding continues to have a direct, negative impact on the student experience of higher education.
Regular service to students was not be affected by the protests.
Seamus Gallagher, a representative of the Teacher Union of Ireland at the college said:
Every day, lecturers see the damage that an era of austerity cuts has wreaked on the education system and the quality of experience for students. Between 2008 and 2015, student numbers within the Institute of Technology sector rose by 21,411 or 32%. Over the same period, the number of lecturers fell by 535 or 9.5%.
He added: While lecturers welcome the increase in third level participation, the complete failure to provide appropriate funding and to maintain appropriate staffing levels has had a grossly negative impact on the student experience of higher education. Students have suffered larger class sizes and significantly curtailed access to essential facilities such as libraries and laboratories. They have also endured sharp cuts to tutorial and student support provision. As a result of the fall in lecturer numbers and the steep rise in student numbers, lecturer workload has increased considerably.
He said findings of a survey carried out by TUI (April 2015) show that lecturers were experiencing high levels of work-related stress as a result of cutbacks and rationalisation of the sector, and we believe that the situation has worsened since then.
He added: We urge the Department of Education and Skills to make appropriate provision for the sector in next months budget and to engage with TUI on these matters as a matter of urgency.
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2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Patrick Kavanagh. An excellent programme of events is lined up to commemorate the poets legacy fifty years on.
Heather Humphreys TD., Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will officially open the weekend on Friday 29th September at 7.30pm in the Kavanagh Centre in Inniskeen.
At 8pm: Professor Diarmaid Ferriter will deliver the Keynote Address entitled Irishmen, as a rule make poor lovers- Sex and Society in Patrick Kavanaghs Ireland. Diarmaid Ferriter, one of Irelands best-known historians is Professor of modern Irish History at UCD. This will be followed by the announcement of this years Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award, established in 1971, the longest running in Ireland. The winners will be invited to read from their work.
At 10.00pm: The evening concludes with a celebration of the Irish in rural and frontier America and their contribution to the folk music and storylore of their adopted land from the Time Travelers: Joe and Paula McHugh from America.
The Saturday programme gets underway in Carrickmacross with a conducted walking tour of the Patrick Kavanagh Literary Trail with Larry McDermott. Assembly: The Valley Lodge opposite St. Josephs Church.
Then back to the Patrick Kavanagh Centre for 11am where the 2017 poetry award winners will read from their work.
At 12.00pm: Dr. Juliana Adelman will deliver her talk Farming and Food in the Free State the Kavanagh experience in Monaghan, describing the demands, rhythms and everyday practices of the kind of farming Kavanagh knew in Inniskeen between the two World Wars.
Lunch is scheduled for 1.00pm.
At 2.30pm: The visitors can look forward to Dr. Una Agnews talk entitled Patrick Kavanagh (1904-1967) & Seamus Heaney (1939-2013: From Shancoduff to Mossbawn Lines of Convergence and
Divergence. Dr. Agnew, a Louis Sister, Associate Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Theology, Milltown Institute, Dublin. Author of The Mystical Imagination of Patrick Kavanagh: A Buttonhole in Heaven (1998).
At 3.30pm: Dr. Susan Hegarty will explore the physical landscape of the townlands that inspired Kavanagh: their resources, their place in the wider world and how they contributed to forming the poet. Her talk is entitled Mucker, Ednamo and the Wider World the Landscape of Patrick Kavanagh
At 7.30pm: The homily at the Commemorative Mass in Inniskeen will be preached by Fr. Tom Lalor, Parish Priest at Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow. Fr. Martin Treanor, P.P., Inniskeen will be the celebrant.
At 8.30pm: The Lyric Theatre, Belfast, presents A Dramatic Reading of Station Island by Seamus Heaney.
In a cross-border collaboration, the Patrick Kavanagh Centre and the Seamus Heaney HomePlace have programmed events in both venues exploring the works of these two great writers.
At 10.00am: On Sunday morning, award winning poet, Noel Monahan will direct a Poetry Workshop for students between the ages of 10 and 18 years.
The bus tour of the extended Kavanagh Country led by Art Agnew, departing at 10am sharp from the Kavanagh Centre. Art started Kavanaghs Yearly in 1984. Grandnephew of Brigid Agnew (Miss Moore in The Green Fool) who taught Kavanagh in Kednaminsha N.S. He is Chairman of Inniskeen Enterprise Development Group.
Lunch at 1pm.
At 2.00pm: The Graveside Commemoration and wreath laying takes place at the graveside.
At 2.30pm: "Spraying the Potatoes"
Art piece by Inver College 1st Year Art Students to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Patrick Kavanagh's death.
Patrick Kavanagh's poem "Spraying the Potatoes" was the inspiration for a textile art piece collaboratively created by Inver College's 1st Year Art Students, Textile Artist, Karen McArdle & Art Teacher, Margaret Reburn. The textile art piece was also created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Kavanaghs death. Textile techniques such as tie dyeing, printing, embroidery & weaving were all used to create "Spraying the Potatoes
The project was sponsored & supported by NAPD's Creative Engagement Project, The Patrick Kavanagh Resource Centre, The Garage Theatre, & Inver College.
2.40pm: Paddy Cullivan of the Late Late Show house band The Camembert Quartet and a regular on Joe Duffys Funny Fridays, sings and chats about the social commentary of Kavanagh.
3.45pm: Annual Schools Poetry Awards. Now in its 33nd year and five publications later this event goes from strength to strength and is now an all-Ireland Competition. The judge Noel Monahan, an Irish poet of international standing will announce the winners at senior and junior level. Winners will read their poems, bringing the 2017 weekend to a close.
For information and booking: www.patrickkavanaghcountry.com
Hanlon Transport from Greenore are once more coming to the aid of CASA - The Caring and Sharing Association - who are in urgent need of stock for their chain of charity shops.
CASA rely heavily on funds generated through their charity shops to finance their services to disabled people in Ireland.
Hanlon Transport's truck and trailer will be parked at Cooley Parochial Hall on Saturday morning 14th October from 9 am to 1pm.
Donations of second hand clothes, footwear, handbags, belts, jewellery, curtains, sheets, pillow cases, towels, etc are all warmly welcomed. Unfortunately CASA cannot accept donations of electrical goods, toys, or childrens car seats.
Hanlon Transport and their team of volunteers will then travel with the container to Dublin in the early hours of Sunday morning. Forming a human chain, the volunteers will off-load the cargo of kindness, bag by bag, it will then be distributed to the various CASA charity shops all over Ireland.
On arrival at each individual shop, the bags are opened with the contents sorted, steam cleaned, and very quickly are offered for sale in the CASA charity shop.
CASA would like to express their heart felt thanks to all who have supported their appeals in the past. Each donation given with such kind hearts is deeply appreciated. The generous support which CASA continue to receive from Cooley and its surrounding areas is phenomenal and has had a huge positive impact on the charity.
No other rural community in Ireland has ever given so much - An astounding fifteen full trailer loads of donations have left Cooley over the last number of years. Many disabled children and adults have received respite care in the CASA breakhouse in Malahide. Hundreds continue to attend the CASA monthly socials which take place all over Ireland. For many disabled people and those with life limiting conditions, a dream of travelling to Lourdes has been realised.
Priceless gifts which the people of North Louth continue to give in a quiet unassuming way. CASA wish to thank Hanlon Transport and their team of men who continue to ensure that each cargo of donations safely reach their destination. For enquiries, or to have your donation picked up from your home, Contact Anne 086 3938289
For more info on CASA, visit www.casa.ie
SMEs are vulnerable to late payers in Australia, with Small Business Ombudsman Kate Carnell stating, in April, that larger organisations are using them as a cheap form of finance, restricting their growth and causing solvency issues.
From calls for legislation to the introduction of a voluntary code to deter late payments, late payments have never been a hotter topic, and for a good reason around one in two small businesses are owed more than $20,000 in late payments*.
As part of our latest Lets Talk article, centering on Late Payments, we put the following question to more than a dozen entrepreneurs and industry experts: What mistakes do SMEs make when dealing with late payers?
Some of the responses included failing to implement an invoice management strategy, being too lenient (or too aggressive) with late payers, neglecting to include crystal-clear payment terms and conditions in invoices/contracts, failing to chase up late payments straight away, not training customers to pay on time, and refusing to draw a line in the sand.
In addition to calling out some common mistakes, this weeks lineup of Lets Talk commentators also provided hot tips and actionable insights to help small businesses maintain a healthy cash flow.
What mistakes do SMEs make when dealing with late payers?
Tom Amos, CEO & Co-Founder of Sidekicker, Certified Practicing Accountant: The single biggest mistake a business can make is not having an enforced debtor strategy that has effective reactive and proactive plans.
A reactive plan must enforce processes that support immediate action when an invoice is not paid on time. Major mistakes in reactive action include letting a junior handle the conversation and sending an email instead of picking up the phone. A phone call should be made within 24 hours by a senior in the business who is able to exercise control in an uncomfortable situation.
Some businesses forget to proactively plan for late payers all together. Closely monitor your debtors to spot slow payment behaviours so you can implement proactive tactics such as automated payment reminders. Dont make the mistake of reinvesting into your company before having cash reserves that will support the business for 3-6 months in case you run into a string of late payments and try to avoid sacrificing cash flow policy for the seduction of landing a big client unwilling to commit to reasonable payment terms.
Sam Allert, Managing Director, Reckon: Small businesses are often in a fragile position when it comes to late payments. Cash flow pressures are higher and the need to maintain and satisfy a slimmer customer base are equally as high. So how do you safeguard yourself?
Firstly, mistakes involve not credit checking your clients, not clearly stating payment terms, allowing service to continue after several missed payments, however a good billing process is key to reducing the phenomenon of late payments.
Dont be reactive instead, devise a plan of emails, phone calls, letters and a strict schedule of these events to be applied to every invoice all becoming more urgent and frequent as the lateness accumulates. Many SMEs avoid irritating their customers and pay the price for their passive approach. Be assertive but, of course, never aggressive.
Online invoicing solutions also greatly assist, by allowing your business to bill instantly and securely, fast tracking the process once the job is complete. Leading small business invoicing solutions also have in built tracking tools, to assist in tracking your payments, alerting the need to follow up on late payments.
Colin Porter, Founder & Managing Director, CreditorWatch: One of the biggest mistakes, but also the simplest to rectify, is not having simple processes and procedures in place that streamline your receivables communication with your clients. There are many affordable, and even free tools that let you generate invoices and statements as well as automated reminders to follow up your accounts the moment they become overdue.
Training your customers to pay on time with consistent reminders lowers the chance of dealing with late payers. Whilst sometimes its inevitable that you have to deal with a late payer, its important that you immediately check in with them to find out their reason and work with them by creating a payment arrangement. Keeping all of your correspondence, such as payment requests and final demands in writing is helpful if ever you need to take the matter to a debt collector or to court.
Anneliese Urquhart, Small Business Director, Xero: The simple answer? Small businesses dont chase payments. It sounds silly but many businesses cant find the time or dont know the right way to do so. The Xero Small Business Insights Report found average payment times are falling slightly, which is great, but remain 36 days late on average.
Often late payments are simply result of business owners not following up. It shouldnt take long to do you can set up automated reminders for late payments after a certain date, and by providing clients a few payment options you can significantly increase the chances of being paid on time. By keeping on top of accounts, small businesses can ensure they keep their cash flow healthy, and dont go months without precious revenue.
Rob Hango-zada, Co-Founder and joint-CEO, Shippit: I think one of the biggest mistakes is putting too much trust and faith into a commercial relationship. Compared with larger enterprises, SMEs are always more lenient as they are hungry for growth and are able to have more of a personalised relationship with their customer.
When Shippit launched, we tried our best to give prospects every reason to use us; we extended credit without correctly evaluating the credit risk of each prospect. We got burned by trusting some of our clients too much some asked for an extension of credit a week at a time until they stopped responding to emails. We have since taken a more controlled creditor strategy to reduce exposure to late payers and whilst this doesnt mean we can work with everyone, it means that those we do work with, its for the long term and mutual success of both our companies.
Tanya Titman, Founder, Acceler8 & Accountant: It is not unusual to find SMEs with payment terms of 14 days waiting an average of 50-55 days to receive payment from their customers. This has a significant impact on the businesses cashflow. My top tips for avoiding late payments are:
Its important the business owner (not bookkeeper or accountant) reviews their debtor days every month. If your terms are 14 days send statements twice a month. If you invoiced a customer on the 1st of the month, that invoice falls due on 15th month. Dont wait until the 30th to remind customers they owe you money. Make it easy for customers to pay you. Xero Accounting Software sends invoices with a Pay Now button which makes it simple to pay the bill. Write off old debts (as theyre skewing your data and are unlikely to be paid).
Arjun (AJ) Singh, Co-founder & Managing Director, ezyCollect: Often the most common mistakes are the simplest, Ive found that many SME owners neglect to set up a clear invoice management strategy from the get go. It pays to include payment terms and conditions in your contracts and invoices, and training your sales staff on your payments policy means they can establish your payment expectations upfront. This sets up a safeguard should legal action be required down the track, and also means your modus operandi is to issue a reminder, not a reprimand, assisting your business client relations.
Other frequent mistakes include: delaying sending the first reminder; writing invoice reminders in anger or haste; misrepresenting legal action and introducing penalties without previous contractual agreement; using only one channel to reach debtors; relying on one reminder; giving up without exploring alternative avenues; and finally, not acknowledging payment. After all is said and done, a lot of SMEs overlook saying thank you. Though it seems simple, it is a hugely powerful way of reinforcing your clients payment behaviour.
Abhinov Gulati, Director, Ganemo Group: A key mistake is not having at least a 3-month runway to survive without getting paid. To avoid late payments, send invoices at a high point of satisfaction like when a project milestone is achieved. If payments are late, try to understand the reasons for it. If a client has cashflow problems, offer an extension or split the payments. If they cant pay, you may have to slow down future deliverables.
You need to be very frank and upfront with them, and explain its important for your cash flow. Always try to maintain a good relationship, and/or use a good cop/bad cop approach. Your business partner should ultimately be responsible and may have to play hardball so you can keep your direct engagement with them more cordial. SMEs MUST have at least a 3-month runway to survive without getting paid or lose the ability to be flexible or compassionate for genuine clients going through hardship.
Karen Taylor-Brown, CEO, Refraction Media: A mistake SMBs make is being too patient. Its important to always keep your cool and make sure you dont damage your relationship with your client, but you need to get onto overdue invoices quickly.
When youre dealing with large organisations, you might discover that your invoice has been sitting, ignored, in an Inbox because its missing a key piece of information. A purchase order number, a client code, a supplier application form. Get onto this early and youll get your invoice on the processing conveyer belt quicker. Remember its your money!
Its also beneficial to understand how your client processes invoices and make sure you do it to the letter. Some clients have online uploading systems, others want the invoice to go directly to Accounts Payable. Whatever the system, follow it, and youll encounter fewer hurdles and the money will be in your account quicker.
Brett Shanley, Co-founder & CEO, Study Loans: Late payers can be frustrating for all organisations regardless of their size. But, as we all know, its a fact of life that not everyone pays on time. For SMEs this can be especially frustrating because of cash flow implications. We try to send text message and email reminders to customers when their payments are due or late, as do certain other financial institutions. Ultimately, we believe communication is key to keeping debt down but sometimes a little bit of leeway goes a long way. At the end of the day, a long-term relationship with the customer is most important.
Leigh Dunsford, Co-founder, Waddle: Business owners dont often draw a line in the sand, they continue to deliver products or services to late payers, further reinforcing bad habits. Temporarily ceasing products or services can communicate that its not OK to pay out of terms.
SMEs need to first establish credit accounts for each new customer and assign a credit limit clearly outlining the terms of how the relationship will operate. From the outset, quality customers respect boundaries that are put in place. Customers that do not respect your trading terms will almost always end up costing you more in non-payment than the profits you would have booked from sales.
Its important to understand the damage the flow on effect from late payments has, from outlaying cash upfront to suppliers, staff and operational costs. More often that not, you will make more money from not selling to bad payers.
Stuart Zalunardo, Head of SME Banking, St George Business Bank: The majority of business owners know all too well the struggles and stress caused by late payments. While it is important for SMEs to collect late payments as soon as they can, its also important to have a look at the businesss entire credit process. Businesses can look to offer discounts to customers who pay their invoices early or apply additional late payment charges to those who dont. Its also critical to offer a variety of payment options, making it easy for customers to pay, such as direct debit/credit, accepting credit card payments or BPay.
Dont underestimate the value of a good accounting and debtor management system, particularly one that can alert business owners when an invoice is soon-to-be due. This can ensure follow up is carried out before the payment is late. If an invoice does become late, follow up non-payment the day after the invoice is due by telephone, as email rarely works.
And finally, be persistent. SMEs cannot always prevent late payments, but if the credit process is done well businesses may be able to limit the impact.
Victoria McKeown, General Manager (Brand & Operations), Atomic 212: Coming from the marketing industry, I have been shown time and time again that having an intimate knowledge of your customer is invaluable when trying to get your message across. In this case, the message is simple: pay on time.
Regardless of the size of your customer or client, it pays dividends to know how they work. SMEs often overlook the importance of knowledge when it comes to their relationships with their clients. Each customer or client will have different processes, patterns, preferences and payment history, and this information can be extremely important in not just dealing with late payments, but also avoiding them.
SMEs can then prepare for slower paying clients or if needed can tailor their invoices to specific customers. It can be as simple as giving advanced notice if they need an internal PO (Purchase Order). Although it can mean increased workload, you can ensure invoices comply with the clients processes or systems.
Sharon Nouh, CEO, Expense Manager & Portfolio CEO, Heads Over Heels: In the automation age, SMEs should be looking at how technology can be used to speed up the raising of invoices and the payment. Using electronic invoicing and payment solutions means the invoice gets to the client quicker, its more correct (and paper free) and easy to follow up. Some large suppliers will even offer 14 days terms if its an electronic invoice.
But a common mistake SMEs have with their clients is not being specific about payment terms and options. Offering clients the ability to use solutions like PayDirect Online is a great option for SMEs. Get your clients used to paying the invoice immediately by using a credit card and then you can use expense management software for the automatic payment card reconciliation. Accounts Payable & Accounts Receivable totally automated and paper free!
* http://www.asbfeo.gov.au/news/small-biz-should-never-be-a-bank-for-big-biz
About Lets Talk
This exciting new, weekly initiative provides entrepreneurs and industry experts with a forum to share rapid-fire views on a range of issues that matter to start-ups and SMEs. Every Wednesday, we pose a themed question to a line-up of knowledgable industry figures, with a view to picking their brains for valuable insights to share with you, our readers.
See also: Lets Talk Raising capital (Parts ONE and TWO) and Lets Talk Ecommerce.
NSW businesses can apply for matched grants of up to $250,000 to support joint R&D projects between NSW and Israel, under an innovation program announced by Minister for Innovation Matt Kean.
The Minister said the NSW-Israel R&D Tech Innovation Program would open global opportunities to develop, commercialise and sell new products and services while building innovation links between the two centres.
Israel is one of the worlds leading innovation powerhouses, and this new program will allow NSW and Israel to help businesses build global commercial capabilities, he said.
Applications will remain open until 18 December for NSW companies wanting to partner with those in Israel to apply for NSW Government grants of up to $250,000.
The state government will contribute up to 50 per cent of a participating NSW companys project costs, with applicants then required to match that contribution.
The Israel Innovation Authority will also provide matching grants to Israel companies that take part in the program.
Kean said the government would work closely with the Israel Innovation Authority to pair companies with similar aims that are interested in the program but lack a project partner.
While applications are invited from all sectors, this program will focus on projects in cyber security, water management and agri-technology, which we are keen to develop, he said.
Startup companies, fast growing SMEs, and entities based in regional or rural NSW are encouraged to apply and will be eligible for an extra 10 per cent of funding up to $250,000.
Kean said the program follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the NSW Government and the State of Israel for Bilateral Cooperation in R&D and Technology Innovation.
NSW and Israel will be a formidable technology partnership that will develop new innovative products, processes and services for global markets that can support economic growth, skills development and job creation across both countries, he said.
For further information on the program, and to learn how to apply, visit http://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/israelresearchprogram.
Up to six Gordys Market stores including locations in Chippewa Falls, Cornell, Chetek and Ladysmith were pulled out of a Monday auction of Gordys assets in Milwaukee, according to a would-be bidder and confirmed by an attorney involved in the case.
Pat Shadick, owner of Shadicks Price Rite grocery store in Bloomer, told the Herald Tuesday that six Gordys Market stores were pulled out of the sale, according to an attorney he had spoken to Friday. It is uncertain whether Gordys Lake Wissota location was part of the six stores held out of the auction.
Carla O. Andres, attorney for grocery distributor Nash Finch that spearheaded the initial $86 million lawsuit against Gordys, confirmed that six stores were not sold at Mondays auction.
That was something that was communicated to all the bidders on Friday, Andres said.
As of the Chippewa County Courthouses closing time on Tuesday evening, no report of asset sale from the Monday auction had been filed.
Judge James Isaacson will review the sold assets in a hearing set for 10 a.m. Thursday morning in Chippewa County Court.
Andres declined to comment on an objection filed Monday by American Financial Network, or AFN. The objection argued that since AFN owned equipment and operated sub-leases at several Gordys locations, the assets could not legally be sold.
Receiver Michael Polsky and AFN attorney Brittany Ogden could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Three more creditors have joined the lawsuit, according to court records: FASTSIGNS of Eau Claire, Rooney Printing of Chippewa Falls and an eyeglasses accessories merchandiser based in South Bend, Indiana.
Former Gordys employees have also filed claims in the past two weeks for various amounts; most employee plaintiffs are seeking recompense for accrued paid time off. The employee claims range from $300 to almost $2,000 each.
Its tough on the communities. I know that because were feeling it from the business were getting, from Chippewa, Cornell, Chetek, Shadick said Tuesday. They really dont have a lot of other options.
Court records show the Quillins, which operates grocery stores in La Crosse, has filed a notice in a case. Its a possible indication of their interest in one of the Gordys stores.
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I believe that retirement is not the end of your life but the beginning of your new one. It was just that it was seen negatively as it is associated with old age. We all could retire at any age as long as we have secure financial capabilities like living on passive income or savings. []
Asilia opens two new camps in Southern Tanzania
This month Asilia opened their new flagship property, Jabali Ridge, in Ruaha National Park in Southern Tanzania. This follows the opening of Roho ya Selous in the neighbouring Selous Game Reserve in August. Asilia's investment in these new camps is part of a long term strategy to boost responsible tourism in Southern Tanzania and to make a meaningful contribution to local economic development and conservation efforts.
Jabali Ridge is the most sophisticated property in Southern Tanzania. Perched on a kopije looking down over a forest of baobabs, the camp blends seamlessly into the rocks which cocoon it. Eight rooms can be either twins or doubles (with king size beds) and the walls are made entirely from louvred shutters to allow guests to feel as though they are living in the open air with uninterrupted views. Jutting from the rooms are vast baobab trunk like elements, a homage to the landscape beyond. The interiors are the epitomy of understated luxe, recycled railway sleepers were used to make the beds which are covered in hand dyed linens inspired by the muted tones of the surrounding rocks. Designed by Caline Williams-Wynn of Cape Town based interior design firm Artichoke and Johannesburg based Nick Plewman Architects, the bold design and outstanding location are true to Asilia's ethos of pioneering safaris in areas which offer exceptional experiences whilst making a lasting positive impact.
Jabali Ridge has a rim flow swimming pool for lazy afternoons, a spa for soothing massages and a dedicated library with an extensive selection of literature and fiction on southern Tanzania and beyond. Meals are fresh and light, in keeping with the hot climate and the speciality gin bar boasts spirits from around the world.
Ruaha is Tanzania's largest national park but has just a handful of safari camps meaning that game drives from Jabali are uncrowded and other safari vehicles are a rare sighting. It is about the size of New Jersey and part of the larger, unfenced Ruaha-Rungwa eco-system which covers 50,000 square kilometres. This eco-system is home to strongholds of many of Africa's endangered species; considerable populations of lion and elephant roam here as well as less common species such as roan and sable. Explore on morning game drives, accompanied with breakfast in the bush, afternoon game drives with sundowner drinks, bush walks with our highly experienced guides and on night drives to see what comes alive after dark.
The neighbouring Selous Game Reserve is the perfect compliment to Ruaha's flora and fauna. The Selous's lifeblood is the Rufiji River which meanders through the wilderness and opens up into vast, shallow lagoons which provide water to the reserve's inhabitants. Here the wilderness is best explored by boat. Guests can cruise gently and unobtruisvely past pods of hippo wallowing in the shallows and basking crocodiles on the shore.
Set on a palm tree lined spit which juts out into Lake Nzerakera, Roho ya Selous is an eight tented camp surrounded by water. Seven tents can be either doubles (with king size beds) or twins and there is an additional, dedicated tent for families. Asilia's aim was to build a camp that not only provided guests with comfortable accommodation but also reflected the very essence of what Selous is all about raw, wild and untamed Africa. The outside has been brought in wherever possible; subtle hues of blues, greens and greys combined with textured reed walls, stone floors and hand-woven grass carpets give the interiors a natural but modern feel and the outdoor shower means guests can feel the breeze as they shower under the African sky. As with all building projects Asilia undertakes, as much as possible has been sourced and made locally.
The joy of a safari in the Selous is the variety of activities on offer. Unconstrained by the usual safari formula of morning and afternoon game drives; Roho ya Selous offers boat safaris, catch and release fishing, walking safaris, visits to historic World War One sites as well as the traditional game drive. The truly adventurous can spend a night fly camping in a dry riverbed far from the main camp with nothing but a gossamer layer between them and the African night sky.
In tandem with these tourism developments Asilia will engage in various conservation initiatives in the Selous and Ruaha during the coming years. Already a long term partner of the of the Ruaha Carnivore Project which does exceptional work in reducing human wildlife conflict, Asilia is launching more community and conservation initiatives in 2017. Our new camps in the Selous and Ruaha will not only allow us to offer our guests a great experience in these magnificent wilderness areas but also create a presence for us from which we will be able to make a meaningful impact on the conservation of these important eco-systems and the livelihoods and opportunities of the people surrounding it says Jeroen Harderwijk, co-founder and Managing Director of Asilia.
For more information, visit asiliaafrica.com.
The idea that Google might be becoming a national threat is what struck me when I read a Washington Post column by Zephyr Teachout, who currently is an associate professor of law at Fordham University. (As a side note, Teachout would seem to be an ideal name for a teacher.)
She makes a compelling argument that Google has reached a point where it no longer allows dissent outside the company though, given the recent firing of a Google engineer, that may be true inside the firm as well.
Apparently, Google has been funding an organization that is set up to fight monopolies, but when that organization called it out, Google allegedly orchestrated the termination of the group. Given that it appears much of the money that used to go to fund journalism now goes to Google, and also that Google has been found by the European Union to behave badly, having Google use its impressive might to kill dissent is problematic.
Ill close with my product of the week: a nice-looking wood veneer cover for your high-end laptop, smartphone, tablet or game machine.
Google vs. Open Markets
It kind of amazes me how often Im seeing this now. A firm funds an effort against a large competitor, then grows, and finds that effort has become focused on it. Back in the 1990s, Sun, Google and Oracle aggressively pushed the EU to go after Microsoft with significant success. Sun eventually went under; Oracle tried to buy the company, only to find it was under painful scrutiny by the same group.
Google recently got fined, in much the same way Microsoft did, for similar bad behavior. Companies often dont get that unless you buy the politicians, a political organization is free to do to them what it wanted the organizations to do to their competitors. Some of these folks likely should learn the old phrase what comes around, goes around and that using a government agency is almost always a dual-edged sword.
In this case, it looks as though Google was funding Open Markets to get its support in going after major competitors likely Microsoft, but it could have been Amazon as well, or both. However, when the EU fined it, the organization that was focused on stopping firms like Google from misusing their monopoly power called Google out. Then, according to the column, Google got everyone fired.
Now the New American president did denounce this story and claimed that the head of the organization was fired because he wasnt open or collegial. Still, having been on the other side of this type of activity, that often is the language that is used when a researcher, when pressured by a major funding entity, is fired for refusing to toe the line. In my own case, I resigned but the timing alone would be highly suspicious.
The Real Danger
Now Teachout makes some excellent points tied to Google shutting down dissent, but I dont think this is the big problem at all. We are now seeing a pattern of abuse of power first with Googles heavy ties to the Obama administration, then with the EU fine, and most recently with the move to eliminate a group that spoke out against its power.
Folks have been calling out Googles dangerous ethics for a while now. One of the most interesting accusations is that it altered search results to favor Hillary Clinton (didnt appear to have helped much, however).
By the way, I searched on both Bing and Google for Eric Schmidt scandal and got the same sordid results. That guy really gets around, suggesting that Google either isnt doing this now, at least for him, or it really doesnt like its chairman much (or maybe Google is proud of that behavior, which is really concerning when it comes to ethics).
Googles financial resources are almost unmatched. It controls most of what you see and hear on the Web, it has been highlighted as a potential kingmaker in the past, and it apparently has been funding groups that otherwise might speak out against it and, at least in this instance, it may be ensuring that anyone who might flag its bad behavior becomes unemployed.
Wrapping Up: Power Corrupts, Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
When a firm like Google gets the kind of power Google has, it typically misbehaves. There is an impressive list of firms that were broken up, shut down or massively fined to get them to behave once they reached a fraction of the power that Google now has. I think it is both fascinating and incredibly dangerous that firms that initially seem to want to break the monopoly power of another then use their win to create an even bigger problem.
One final thought: If you search for Trump scandal on both Bing and Google, you will see a difference. Both show highly negative results, as youd expect, but there are some positive stories on the first page of the Bing search, while Google has none of that. (If you try this yourself, youll see no Fox News and a lot of Mother Jones on Google, while youll see a bit of Fox and a little Mother Jones on Bing. It looks a ton more balanced.)
We live in dangerous times. Increasingly, the information we receive is curated by others, and if those others continue to trend toward evil, we eventually will be totally screwed. Hmm given the world as it is, I may need to reconsider the word eventually. Google may be, or perhaps already is, a national threat.
I like to one-up my peers, so at the AMD event last week I pulled out my Surface Laptop to astonished looks. My laptop looked very different from theirs, and I proceeded to tell the following story: I said, You know the Surface folks make up a special laptop for Bill, and this time they decided to use wood, but Bill doesnt really like wood, so they asked me if I wanted it and I, of course, said yes. Then after a flurry of envious comments, I came clean and told them that Id used Toast to create a veneer cover for my laptop, and that really is what happened.
ToastLaptop Veneer
I worry a bit about wood, but aluminum is soft as well and I take good care of my hardware, so this thing still looks as good as when I first installed the wood cover. I now have a laptop that looks very different from anyone elses, and the thing is, Toast makes covers for most of the major high-end laptop offerings, including Apples.
Personally, Id prefer something a tad higher-tech, like carbon fiber, but right now the offerings are in a variety of woods and they dont just apply to laptops either. You can get them for high-end smartphones, Xbox and PlayStation 4.
The cost is around US$70 for a laptop top, $34 for the bottom, and $24 if you want to do the inside (I wouldnt, given how much wear youll put on the wrist rests). You apply the veneer yourself, and you do have to be careful to line up the parts correctly. It isnt hard, but a steady hand helps a ton. Make sure you pre-fit the parts otherwise, you might put them on upside down. So, for about $100, I got a custom version of my laptop and pulled a prank on my peers. As a result, the Toast veneer is my product of the week.
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Three long-standing presidential commissions designed to expand educational opportunities for non-white students are set to expire Saturday and members say months of silence from the White House has them worried theyre about to be dissolved.
The presidential advisory commissions on educational excellence for black , Hispanic , and Asian American and Pacific Islander students in K-12 schools and on college campuses have not met since President Donald Trump took office in January. Although members of the groups have reached out, the White House has not responded.
We assume that silence indicates a lack of interest, said Patricia Gandara, a member of the Hispanic commission who is a research professor and co-director at the Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The existence of the three initiatives dates to 1990, the year former President George H.W. Bush commissioned the oldest of the three, the initiative for Hispanic education.
Former advisers to both Democratic and Republican presidents, as well as a former education secretary, credit the groups with linking past administrations with experts and advocates that shaped White House education policy.
If the folks in government will engage and will look for serious input, these are important things, Sandy Kress, a top education adviser in President George W. Bushs administration, said of the advisory commissions. You either use them to the benefit of better policy or you dont.
White House Silence
Appointees to the African-American and Hispanic commissions, many of whom are educators, helped launch President Barack Obamas My Brothers Keeper initiative, which sought to improve education and expand opportunities for black, Latino and Native American boys. The program lives on as a nonprofit and recently merged with the Obama Foundation.
The commissions were important places for us to reach out to these communities and engage people around issues that were important to them, said Roberto Rodriguez, who worked in the White House as one of Obamas top education advisers.
Trump administration officials this week said they had no information about the future status of the commissions whose charters are set to expire.
The White House has no announcements on these initiatives at this time, a White House spokesman told Education Week.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has not met with the respective chairpersons to discuss the future of the commissions since taking office in February. The lack of communication with the White House has left some commissioners wondering if their voices are valued in an administration that many of them view as hostile to communities of color.
A dozen members of the Hispanic commissionincluding National Education Association President Lily Eskelen Garcia, Gandara, JoAnn Gama, the superintendent of the Texas-based IDEA charter school network, and Kent Scribner, the superintendent of schools in Fort Worth, Texasissued a statement earlier this month calling on Trump to meet with them about renewing the initiative and commission.
The letter called the administrations decision to terminate Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals, an Obama-era program that shields some young undocumented immigrants from deportation, a cruel attack on Latino youth.
The Trump administration has yet to respond.
Already, mass resignations had decimated the ranks of the Presidents Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; 16 of the 20 members have resigned since Trumps election. Six members stepped down before Inauguration Day. Ten more resigned in February in protest of Trumps policies, citing his portrayal of immigrants, refugees, people of color, and people of various faiths as untrustworthy.
Diana Yu, the chief of staff for the AAPI initiative who held the same position during the Obama administration, referred questions about the commission to the White House.
Several members of the African-American commission contacted by Education Week deferred comment to chairman Freeman Hrabowski III, the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Through a spokeswoman, he declined to answer questions about the status of the commission. Monique Toussaint, a senior adviser to the White House Initiative on African Americans who also worked in that role during the Obama administration, did not respond to an interview request.
Liz Hill, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education, referred questions on the future of those programs to the White House.
The Trump administration still has a number of leadership posts to fill in the Education Department, but did appoint an executive director for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities this month.
The president signed an executive order in February that moved the initiative to the White House, transferring responsibility from the Education Department. It is unclear if the administration plans to take a similar approach with its initiatives on Asian American and Pacific Islander, black and Hispanic students.
Integral Role
John B. King Jr , the second education secretary during the Obama administration, co-chaired the AAPI initiative during his tenure. He said the groups have played an integral role in highlighting persistent opportunity gaps, improving educational outcomes, and ensuring that more students of color can reach their full potential.
Guidance from the White House and the Education Department has also lapsed with a fourth group, the National Advisory Council on Indian Education .
I hope that the work we did continues whether its the current council or whatever, said the councils chairwoman, Superintendent Deborah Jackson-Dennison of the 1,600-student San Carlos, Ariz., schools. Its really important in Indian Country where were passionate about fighting for the neediest children in the country.
Unlike the commissions, the council on Indian educations charter does not expire this weekend.
Since the 1965 passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the nations original federal K-12 law, we became committed as a nation to better [educate] disadvantaged youngsters, youngsters who had faced discrimination, Kress said. This is a priority of the country and it was a priority of every administration.
That priorityand the work of the commissionsremains important in an era when the overall number of Latino, African-American, and Asian students in public K-12 classrooms now exceeds the number of non-Hispanic whites, King and Rodriguez said.
You can trace a decades-long history of both Republican and Democratic administrations committing themselves to these initiatives because theyre focused on the work of closing opportunity and achievement gaps, Rodriguez said.
That imperative still stands today, he said. Its important to continue this work regardless of the administration in the White House.
Teachers are in the people business. Our efficacy is directly related to our relationships with our students, peers, administrators, and community. Therefore, we must be intentional in how we initiate, activate, and cultivate these relationships if we wish to see increased positive impact on our schools.
My undergraduate teacher preparation program taught me many things, but there was little, if any, discussion about the soft skills required to maintain balance when interacting with colleagues in the teachers lounge, serving on teams and committees, and working with our supervisors. In my 32-year teaching career, I only had one bad relationship with a supervisor, who wanted to simply tell me what my role was and how to perform it, instead of supporting my work. We had many frank conversations over the course of the school year without finding common ground. This unstable relationship made my professional life so miserable that I almost left the profession. I transferred to a different school the next year.
From that experience, I learned not to depend on serendipity to match compatible humans in a working environment. Instead, I believe in proactively cultivating effective professional relationships.
When I reached out to my professional learning network for ideas, I was surprised to discover how many familiar stories my colleagues shared. Here are the guiding principles my colleagues and I have found useful for cultivating healthy professional climates.
First Impressions and Time
Whether youre starting at a new school, meeting the recently hired principal on her first day, or serving on a national task force, you only have one chance to make a good first impression. Illinois National Board-certified teacher and teacher-leader Elaine Goldstein told me that the onset of the relationship, the initial moment, is critical because of the power of the first impression. She elaborated that in her work supporting teachers a friendly greeting and an invitation into a conversation are critical, and she strives to foster two-way trust and respect.
Goldstein added that the conversation shouldnt be rushed or contain excessive information at this stage, because when we talk too much, there is a loss of respect. Illinois principal Michele Chapman told me that meaningful professional relationships take time to become high-functioning. Theres no magic formula for quickly generating trust and respect. Instead, you have to allow time for the emerging relations to grow naturally.
Leverage Shared Values and Beliefs
Much of the heavy lifting in my district is done by collaborative teams of administrators and teachers. Recently, my peers from across the district met to discuss a poorly handled standardization of curriculum. Tensions were already high, and they escalated when meeting norms were not set. The quiet people got frustrated when a few talkers dominated conversation and took the meeting agenda down numerous rabbit holes. At the end of the day, we had more questions than answersand no one wanted to repeat that experience.
I believe in proactively cultivating effective professional relationships."
Team-building literature overwhelmingly suggests beginning the process by establishing a set of values and beliefs shared among participants. Chapman, the Illinois principal, said struggles arise when teams lack this shared system of values and beliefs. My colleagues and I could have avoided these struggles by clearly communicating meeting expectations and adhering to our printed agenda. Our next meeting was facilitated by a high-ranking administrator, who encouraged honest and constructive feedback as she led our discussion. Modeling authenticity, she took great care to acknowledge past errors and to invite team members to problem-solve. Although our team already implicitly shared some values and beliefs, we needed to explicitly state those values and hold each other accountable to them. Fortunately, through this experience, the majority of our team was able to focus on shared common ground instead of our past differences.
Prepare for Rain
There is an old story about two neighboring farmers during a season of drought. They both pleaded to a higher power for rain to come to their fields. One farmer sat on his porch complaining that no rain was coming, while the other farmer worked his fields every day. When the rains finally came, only one was ready. Developing professional relationships requires a similar level of persistence and attentiveness.
To facilitate productive professional relationships among my colleagues before our second meeting, I talked with as many individual stakeholders as I could. I privately expressed my concerns to a high-ranking administrator, consoled and reassured an outspoken teacher who had felt lampooned at the previous meeting, encouraged a quiet teacher to speak her mind because the team needed to hear her voice, and reconnected with a colleague I had not seen in years. During the meeting, I invited participants to improve, refute, or push back at any point during our discussion. Because I had already established an authentic rapport and trust with some of the participants, I was able to negotiate with the administration to organize four teacher-led professional development opportunities for the team on upcoming PD days. To cultivate two-way respect, I ensured that other teachers took turns hosting the meetings at their sites.
Maintain Your Professional True North
We must represent ourselves and what we stand for accurately. At any hint of duplicity, relationships immediately go south. Those of us who are called to teaching have an internal compass that leads us to our core values and beliefs. It is key to remain true to ourselves while also finding mutual understanding with others. The struggle is figuring out how to keep our true north, while creating an environment where others can do likewise. Even teachers who are staunch Republicans and Democrats can successfully work together if they focus on their shared values instead of becoming divided over their differences.
These guiding principles empowered me to establish a harmonious relationship with my most recent supervisor. Over the course of the conferences and observations, we were able to cultivate a dynamic, learning-focused conversation about improving both my teaching practice and her supervisory skills. Although she has since moved on to another school, we remain in contact as trusted colleagues.
When I asked Principal Chapman what characteristics she would find in her education dream team, she responded instantly that they would be critical friends with a diverse array of skills and experiences. Critical friendships are sustained by authenticity, two-way trust, and mutual respectall of which need to be intentionally initiated, activated, and cultivated.
Dr. Eckel sets up Asia HQ in Thailand
Dr. Eckel opened its international headquarters (IHQ) in Bangkok on September 18.
Dr. Eckel marked the official inauguration of Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and its move to the new offices.
Business and political guests - notably the German ambassador to Bangkok Peter Prugel - were impressed by the company's product and service portfolio, as well as its corporate objectives. "We are pleased that German companies are expanding globally, significantly shaping and successfully participating in the rapid developments in Asia, in agriculture, for example," said Prugel.
The new company will focus on the Asian markets. "Asia is becoming particularly important for our company, given the tremendous growth in animal nutrition," explained managing director Dr. Antje Eckel. "We have served the Asian feed industry from a representative office in Bangkok for years, and now we will significantly increase our exposure through our IHQ and our GermanThai subsidiary. We appreciate the assistance of the Thai Board of Investment. We will invest our expertise and effort in developing the Asian market, which has significant growth potential," she added.
Dr. Eckel already has close ties with many well-known animal-feed manufacturers and corporations in Asia. "We want to improve our local customer service and considerably intensify our consultancy efforts," said director for Asia Dr. Andreas Lewke, referring to the company's international growth strategy. "There's an increase in demand for our animal-nutrition products, particularly our innovative products that combine efficiency and safety, and promote animal welfare," added Lewke.
It is the iconic star Kim Kardashian's latest, as she teams up with the New York Time's Singapore based T magazine. Kim was shot wrapped in a Max Mara Mantova Collection from the Fall 2017 edition.
The stunner was seen keeping up with the trend wearing fur as a part of the photoshoot arranged for the publication's first issue. She was "seemingly unstoppable domination of media", quoted the magazine as they unveiled pictures of the latest range of collections, mainly velvet and lace for a minimalistic style.
On seeing the same on official Social media pages, Fans were smitten by the reality star Kim Kardashian's elan on the front cover of the New York Time's new Singapore-based magazine .
After being photographed with the hot-off-the-runway collections of Max Mara, Kim spoke to the publication about kids and opened up about her experience of being a mom.
The publication for which Kim appeared for her latest international cover spot, features Kim in Winter Wardrobe, available in 4 shades-Camel, Cappuccino, Chocolate, and Caramel. The look which was earlier flaunted by model Elsa Hosk from the Fall 2017 Catwalk revealed an advertorial from Max Mara.
In the interview, the 36-year-old also revealed on her decision to take a step back from her usual social media indulgence and explained how she has started looking at life differently as she has gotten older now reported the Daily Mail.
The fur collection Kim wore is also available at a competitive price with the selection of brown toned wide-legged trousers as the brand claimed to go to any extent to keep their customer's fashion pulses from racing.
Kim' s Latest Photoshoot for T Magazine kept fans wanting for more.
Thank you T Magazine Singapore @tsingapore @dennisleupold Editor in Chief @jumiusw Creative Director @jackwangg Stylist @zhuoweilun Hair @chrisappleton1 Makeup @makeupbymario Nails by Kayley Phan Production @sodachris A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Sep 25, 2017 at 7:01am PDT
Soon after the photoshoot, Kim thanked the Singapore based publication for the wonderful experience she had.
A possible Indian withdrawal or unilateral termination of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) is easier said than done. Legally speaking, the treaty is a non-exit partnership with wide-ranging international commitments and customary bindings. Politically too, a breach of international commitments is tantamount to earning a worldwide disgrace. Economically and environmentally, it would be like turning many tables around the corner. And above all, the strategic fault lines would never sanction a placid Indian exit from the 57-year-old bilateral water pact.
Indian pressure tactics to scrap the IWT are not new. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis statement that water and blood cannot flow together (Jacob 2016) needs to be seen in the light of the past and current Indian attempts to revoke the treaty. Earlier calls to abrogate the treaty were mainly based on the allegations about its unfair division of waters and limitations in building storage reservoirs on the Chenab and Jhelum flowing through the Indian-administered Kashmir (IAK) to meet its growing power needs.
Any one suggest any cheapest car rental dealers. To whom should i consult with. Because I am stuck here in abu dhabi and wanted to know about any rental dealers.
Thank you!
Once your carte resident expires, you go back to the end of the queue as far as applying for visa and titre de sejour. In fact, there is a time limit on how long you can have been out of France on a 10 year card when it comes to renewing it (within the time limit) - I think it's 3 years. But that's assuming you apply for the renewal before the card expires.
That's not to say that if you turn up at the prefecture the day after your 10 year card expires with a plausible excuse why you "didn't get around to" renewing before then they wouldn't process the paperwork for you. But it's not a given.
But no, they won't give you another 10 year card straight up. If you have to go back to the visa on re-entry, you start out again with one-year titres de sejour, depending on what sort of visa you return on.
Don't forget, either, that you have to be resident legally in France when you apply for and ultimately take French nationality. In theory, you are supposed to turn in your carte de resident (or titre de sejour) when you get a carte de resident. If you leave France and allow your card to expire, your residence period for nationality starts over again, too.
Cheers,
Bev
The gov.uk site finally responded on this with the response 'ask Gibraltar, please email the office of the governor'.The office of the governor of Gibraltar then responded that his office did not deal with this, and should contact the Gibraltar Civil Status and Registration Office at [email protected] I guess surprised the gov.uk site didn't just respond 'no, you need to get the apostille here with us'. They had previously asked for scans of the documents under discussion, so they were able to see the documents in question prior to responding (so could not be a question of misunderstanding).I think I'm ok just sending to them to the UK to get the apostille anyway (and xabiachica quite correct that best to do this directly with the gov.uk site which costs 30 pounds per doc - all the private companies charge more to do the same thing), just seems odd not to get a simple 'no' from the gov.uk site (and no response from the Gibraltar csro site - so still an unknown).
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AUSTIN The states hurricane recovery czar said municipalities must submit paperwork outlining their needs by Friday to get a crack at federal financial aid.
So far, fewer than 50 cities and counties have sent in such requests.
Its early bird gets the worm, said John Sharp, who leads the Governors Commission to Rebuild Texas. We need them to fill that out and get it back to us as soon as possible.
At a news conference Tuesday, Sharp and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said theyre approving cities reimbursement requests and suspending some rules to quicken the recovery process.
Still, some towns smacked by the storm a month ago say they are struggling to get help. The town of Refugio needs housing for displaced residents, but is still in discussion to get mobile trailers from FEMA, said Mayor Wanda Dukes.
The town, right now, I feel we are not getting all the help we should be getting, said Dukes, who is living with a friend after her home was damaged.
Other municipalities are still working to clear mountains of debris from the streets, which Abbott called a top priority. Port Aransas Mayor Charles Bujan estimates the city, where roughly 85 percent of homes were destroyed or damaged, has removed only a third of the debris.
Bujan applauded the states storm response, especially the decision to send an army of highway patrolmen to fight off the thieves and the thugs.
The state has been fine, they are doing everything they can, he said.
Concerns about costs, however, abound.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner requested this week that the state tap its $10 billion savings account, known as the rainy day fund, to help cover storm damage.
But Abbott rejected the idea Tuesday, reiterating his position that the state has enough resources to address the recovery now. Lawmakers can pull from the rainy day fund in the 2019 legislative session, he said.
In times like these, its important to have fiscal responsibility as opposed to financial panic, Abbott said, adding he recently approved nearly $100 million in reimbursements to pay for debris removal in Houston.
The Rebuild Texas fund, which has raised more than $68 million for hurricane victims, has yet to start distributing the money to community organizations, according to Abbott. A representative for the fund did not return requests for comment Tuesday.
In the meantime, small cities and towns have had help pouring in from neighboring states.
A Mississippi mayor sent an 18-wheeler full of supplies to the city of Wharton, where more than 40 percent of the homes had water damage, according to Mayor Tim Barker.
A Colorado city donated six vehicles to Port Aransas, which lost its police station and dispatch center in the storm, Bujan said.
Refugio got a $25,000 check from Corpus Christi, a nearby city that also got hammered by Harvey, Dukes said.
Sharp is requesting cities and counties submit lists of projects for which they need financial assistance, so the state can get a ballpark total and begin requests at the federal level, according to a spokesman.
Dukes estimates repairs will total $10 million. While the town hasnt seen funding from the state, Dukes said, were still working, were still meeting.
Recovery efforts in Wharton, with less than 9,000 residents, may be overshadowed by those in huge cities like Houston, Barker said. But aid is still coming in.
We were kind of an afterthought maybe, but were getting help, he said. We havent been neglected.
amorris@express-news.net
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WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, prodded by Democrats to get active on behalf of Dreamers, believes Congress will solve the problems faced by nearly 800,000 young people facing deportation.
Hurd, R-San Antonio, is part of a working group of Republicans who met for the first time this week since being selected by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to help the GOP find solutions to vexing immigration matters.
There are 800,000 young men and women who have only known America, and they should have legal status to stay here. I think this is something we can get done, and our little working group is working hard to mutually find solutions, Hurd said.
President Donald Trump gave Congress six months to pass corrective legislation when he announced Sept. 6 that he is canceling the Obama-era executive order establishing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The program, started in 2012, has provided renewable two-year work permits to undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children.
Democrats in Congress are stepping up pressure for a floor vote on the Dream Act, which would protect the immigrants from deportation. They are seeking to deploy a device called a discharge petition, which would force the vote if signed by a majority of the 435 House members.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, referred to the delays in Congress as a terrifying time for young people facing deportation. Their futures, their livelihoods and often times their families are at stakeThis is not something that can go on for 2 years or five years or for infinity like some issues in Congress do.
By late Tuesday, 174 Democrats and one Republican Mike Coffman of Colorado had signed the petition. But the tactic remains a longshot to succeed given apparent GOP resolve to combine a DACA fix with provisions and funding for stiffer border security.
Democrats are pressuring Hurd and other Republicans to add their names to the petition.
Hurd also has drawn criticism for failing to co-sponsor a version of the Dream Act, which is slowly picking up GOP sponsors. U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, the longest-serving Texan in Congress, added his name to the legislation on Monday.
Javier Gamboa, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman, noted that more than 60 percent of Hurds San Antonio-area district identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino.
Its puzzling that he hasnt added his name to the Dream Act, especially when he likes to portray himself as a bipartisan guy, Gamboa said.
Hurd said in an interview that he is intent on finding bipartisan solutions to the immigration matters in front of Congress. He said that Congress has not reached the point where a discharge petition is needed.
My thing is, dont tie my hands on what tools we can use to solve this problem, he said. I still think we can solve this with legislation through the legislative process.
On Monday, three GOP senators offered their version of legislation to shield young immigrants from deportation, but some of its provisions could make it difficult to attract wide support.
For instance, those qualifying under their proposed Succeed Act would be unable, like green card holders today, to help other family members become legal residents.
Hurd said that the eight members of the working group appointed by Ryan, among them several House members known for hard line views on immigration, are seeking a mix of provisions that can yield legislation that will pass.
These are the conversations we are having now. What does the final solution look like? What parts of border security, what part of internal enforcement, what part of immigration fixes need to be or can be included to have a solution? Were going to be meeting until this thing is done, he said.
blambrecht@express-news.net
After so many years of hard work and good people entering and progressing in the field of compliance, including its standing in the organization, why is it that good companies continue to get into trouble?
Every time I see a new enforcement action or reflect on the big ones still fresh in our memory, I ask myself this question. Luckily Im not the only one thinking about this.
Hank Shea, pictured above, was a federal prosecutor for nearly 20 years. Now hes a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Hes traveling to schools (Fordham, Columbia, Harvard..) speaking with white collar felon Leigh Sprague about Spragues slide down the slippery slope of ethical lapses into the arena of white collar crime.
Professor Shea (BA Georgetown, JD Harvard) and Leigh Sprague will be at Fordham Law School on October 10 at 6:30pm. Space is limited.
Please contact me at [email protected] for details.
Professor Shea has also studied corporate behavior after accusations of wrongdoing.
Heres part of talk he gave (published here with his permission) about reasons companies suspected of wrongdoing make things worse:
* * *
Reason No. 5 Failure to accept responsibility and remedy the problem when a breakdown or wrongdoing occurs.
Not every misstep or breakdown involves wrongdoing. Employees are human; they make mistakes and mess up. Such mistakes are an inevitable part of doing business. The critical point is how an organization and its leadership respond.
In dealing with wrongdoing, a company has two general choices: 1) it can ignore it, bury it, and hope it goes away (and usually get burned again and worse) or 2) it can acknowledge it, fix it, and learn from it.
Reason No. 4 Hiring the wrong attorney when problems arise.
Be careful in deciding who a company turns to for help when problems come to light.This is often the most important threshold decision for any company that comes under investigation. Given my experience, I believe that it is essential to retain outside counsel who can fully represent your organizations interests and work with the government to identify and expeditiously resolve issues.
The bottom line: if your company gets into trouble, find an attorney who government lawyers respect and trust if you want to avoid expense and delay, or even worse.
Reason No. 3 Failure to be candid and open with the government from the outset of any inquiry or investigation.
As with many relationships in life, how you and your company initially respond when the government comes calling will often dictate the future course of events between the parties. If you are respectful and upfront, trying to be as cooperative as you are able to be, you can expect reciprocal treatment by the government. If not, you risk setting the tone for a prolonged, difficult relationship.
I have investigated many companies and have charged relatively few. Nothing is more effective or powerful than being up front with the government. Nothing is more disarming than an apology. That is what voluntary disclosure is all about. It is the opposite of hunkering down and circling the wagons and adopting a scorched earth policy.
Reason No. 2 Attacking the government instead of tackling the problem.
Search warrants are always tough calls for the government. It is always a sensitive matter for an organization getting searched. It is frustrating for the company and its executives because they often cannot find out the reasons why the judge authorized the search but experienced attorneys will explain to their clients how and why the government takes these steps and the role of the court in approving the search.
The key point for any company: find out the nature and extent of the problem. Do this internally. Meet with the government as soon as possible and often. Let me also tell you what not to do. Do not tell newspaper reporters that the governments investigation is bizarre or describe allegations as absurd or make up facts about the search that get printed in the paper.
No one likes being ridiculed, even public servants. Government agencies have long, institutional memories.
Reason No. 1 Committing the same mistake or misconduct more than once.
Committing the same wrongful act more than once shows that you have learned nothing. I once investigated a successful company employed more than 1,000 people. It committed not one, not two, but three separate violations demonstrating a pattern of breakdowns that often is prosecuted as felony conduct. It was apparent to all that charging and convicting the company of a felony could put them out of business. Yet the government was beyond the point of handling the violations as simply an administrative matter, which is what could have been done if there was only one violation. The multiple misdemeanor charges as well as administrative penalties were a fair and just resolution for all parties.
The situation was made worse for the company because, even after it brought in outside counsel early in the investigation, communications made by it and on its behalf to the Department
of Commerce did not disclose all of the important facts that company employees (and outside counsel) knew about. This is cardinal error material.
Any time there is possible attorney knowledge or involvement in a matter under investigation, investigators and prosecutors engage in a much higher level of scrutiny because of several factors, including a possible defense of reliance on advice of counsel.
____
Alice BrightSky is the senior director of Fordham Laws compliance programs. She manages the Schools corporate compliance initiatives, including the LL.M. and M.S.L. degrees and executive education programs in corporate compliance. She can be contacted here.
Brazils Central Bank issued a rule on compliance policies for financial institutions and credit unions. Resolution N 4,595 of August 28, 2017 requires these institutions to adopt compliance programs.
Under the new rule, boards of directors of financial institutions are required to send documentation to the Central Bank and an annual report with the results of activities related to the compliance function. The report must include main conclusions, recommendations and actions taken by the institutions management, as well as steps to test and evaluate the institutions adherence to the legal framework, infra-legal regulations, recommendations of supervisory bodies and, where applicable, codes of ethics and conduct.
The new rule requires banks to define at least: (1) the objective and scope of the compliance function, (2) the clear division of the responsibilities for the persons involved in it, (3) the allocation of adequate personnel and resources, (4) the position of the specific unit in the organizational structure of the institution, and the measures necessary to ensure its independence and adequate authority, as well as its free access to the information necessary for the exercise of its functions, (5) communication channels, and (6) the procedures for coordination with risk management and internal auditing areas.
Banks are required to have policies, procedures and internal controls compatible with their size and volume of operations, that allow them to comply with the AML provisions.
In June of this year, the Central Bank issued another regulation requiring all institutions operating under its guidelines to make available an independent channel for reporting fraud or unlawful evidence. Under Resolution N 4,567 of April 27, 2017, companies must provide whistleblower channels to all of their employees, collaborators, clients, partners and suppliers.
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Lucas Zanoni is an undergraduate student of history and law at the University of Sao Paulo, researcher in the fields of Fiscal History and Anti-corruption, and intern at ID Global, an institute of research and experimental development in social and human sciences.
Prince William responded with a diplomatic laugh when the prospect of Prince Harry marrying Meghan Markle was put to him.
Prince William
The 33-year-old royal and the 'Suits' actress have been dating since mid-2016 and rumours have recently been rife that the couple could tie the knot over the next 12 months - but Prince William has remained tight-lipped amid the speculation.
During the Prince's recent visit to Milton Keynes, where he met craftsmen who make the vellum for royal document, Paul Wright, the general manager for William Cowley Parchment Makers, told him: "If Prince Harry marries Meghan then his certificate will be on our vellum."
The Instrument of Consent proclaims the monarch's approval of a marriage.
But, apparently, when the Prince was informed of the use of the vellum, he responded in cryptic fashion.
Paul explained: "William just laughed - a nice laugh."
Prince William's coy response to the marriage speculation comes shortly after it was reported that Meghan has asked the Duchess of Cambridge to be her maid of honour.
Prince Harry has yet to propose to his girlfriend, but it's been claimed that the 36-year-old actress has already started to put plans in place for her big day, including inviting Duchess Catherine - who is married to Harry's older brother - to be her chief bridesmaid.
The brunette beauty is reported to have sent her prospective sister-in-law a rose gold diamond bracelet, which is believed to have cost Meghan over 1,000, alongside a note asking Catherine to take on the important role.
The UKs best-loved 100% vegan food brand, Violife has launched a new partnership with Pizza Hut, to finally allow vegans to indulge in the much-loved cheesy fast food.
Great news for vegan pizza lovers everywhere!
Pizza Hut will be trialling our non-dairy delight in five stores across the UK including: Bluewater, Canterbury, Chatham, Crawley and Thanet from October 11th until Sunday 26th November, with the intention of expanding to more towns and cities depending on demand.
Violifes melt-y, stretchy, creamy and tangy family of plant-based products give the delicious texture and flavours associated with dairy, without compromising on taste. Their brand new Grated products with Original and Mozzarella flavour are the perfect addition to any vegan pizza.
With more and more people choosing to cut out dairy, whether they are vegan, flexitarian, vegetarian or dairy-intolerant, this partnership means those who choose not to consume animal products are no longer confined to the salad bar.
For hundreds of years, when invaders came to the Cappadocia region of what is now Turkey, inhabitants would retreat to a vast underground city, taking with them their belongings including large livestock seal up the entry with large stones, and live there until the threat passed.
Life in an underground city
Derinkuyu
There are 36 underground cities in Cappadocia and the deepest one is Derinkuyu, believed to date to the 8th century BC and able to accommodate up to 20,000 people and their animals.
Derinkuyu Underground City is an ancient multi-level underground city in the Derinkuyu district in Nevsehir Province, Turkey.
Discovery
Derinkuyu, meaning Deep Well was discovered by accident in 1963 by a local man who stumbled upon the city when he knocked down a wall in his basement.
This unusual site is open to visitors who can explore nearly half of all of its vast underground passages. The 13-story city includes kitchens, stables, churches, and tombs, all carved into the soft volcanic rock (tufa) that covers much of the Nevsehir region of Turkey. The volcanic tufa was very soft to cut, as it hardens only on contact with air, and the tufa chambers make surprisingly peasant living areas, with good air circulation, constant temperatures and humidity and, very importantly, no insects.
No one is sure who the original builders were, but the current belief is that the first level was built by the Hittites in about 1400 BC as a store area as Hittite seals have been found by locals digging foundations for their houses.
Derinkuyu ancient underground city
Main ventilation shaft and well. Source: Wikimedia, Nevit Dilmen 2014.
Heavy disk-shaped door provided security during raids. Flickr, Dan Merino
The winery. Jose Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro
Derinkuyu underground city
Derinkuyu underground city
Population exchange
Derinkuyu was most recently inhabited by Christians until 1923 when they were expelled during a population exchange with Greece.
Derinkuyu has since laid uninhabited and draws visitors from around the world.
Other underground cities
The Cappadocia region, once a Roman province, is fertile ground for underground cities because of its soft volcanic rock which is easy to carve and Derinkuyu is not the only underground city in this area of Turkey.
Cappadocias characteristic volcanic rock landscape lends itself to underground cities
Nevsehir
Nevsehir, which is known for its fairy chimney rock formations, is also known for its more than 200 underground cities and villages and is recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The density of its rock-hewn cells, churches, troglodyte villages and subterranean cities within the rock formations make it one of the worlds most striking and largest cave-dwelling complexes.
Construction workers clearing for a real estate development in 2015 discovered a series of ruins that contained buildings, hidden churches, and water channels located around the Nevsehir hill fort near the city of Kayseri.
The underground city was discovered when the earthmoving to construct new buildings began Photograph by Anadolu Agency
Like Derinkuyu, the site appears to have been a large, self-sustaining complex with air shafts and water channels. Studies suggest the underground corridors may plunge as deep as 371 feet (113 meters). If that turns out to be accurate, the city could be larger than Derinkuyu by a third.
See what the underground cities look like and the story behind them in this video from TRT Worlds My Turkey.
If youre planning a visit to Cappadocia make sure you dont miss a visit to an underground city.
Exploring the Underground Cities of Cappadocia in Central Turkey
Sources: Travel and Leisure/The Independent/National Geographic
Ethiopia, one of the fastest growing countries of Africa, is seeking India's investment in its textiles industry. For this, a workshop on the investment opportunities in Ethiopian textiles will be held on July 21, 2017. The session will be hosted by Ethiopian Investment Promotion and International Trade Centre and The Southern India Mills' Association.
The investment promotion workshop will provide a platform for engagement between Indian textile industries and a high-level Ethiopian delegation to explore partnerships in the sector. It will also raise awareness of existing opportunities for investment in Ethiopia with a particular emphasis on the textile and garments. The session would highlight key factors that serve as Ethiopias comparative advantages in the cotton, textile and apparel sector.
Ethiopia is expected to become a sourcing hub for the global textile and garment industry within the next decade. With a workforce of more than forty-seven million, the country offers a large supply of valuable human resources at affordable wages. With electricity tariffs at $0.04 per kWh, industries have been able to achieve greater competitiveness over their counterparts elsewhere. Investors engaged in manufacturing are also able to import capital goods for an indefinite period free of customs duties. (RR)
Ethiopia, one of the fastest growing countries of Africa, is seeking India's investment in its textiles industry. For this, a workshop on the investment opportunities in Ethiopian textiles will be held on July 21, 2017. The session will be hosted by Ethiopian Investment Promotion and International Trade Centre and The Southern India Mills' Association.#
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
Director of Fondation Prospective et Innovation (FPI) in France and former prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin recently told a visiting Cambodian delegation led by commerce minister Pan Sorasak that he will meet about 300 French business representatives to explore investment opportunities in Cambodia in near future. He also appreciated Cambodias rapid growth.The French business representatives who will visit Cambodia will look into opportunities in garments and footwear, agriculture and tourism.
Director of Fondation Prospective et Innovation (FPI) in France and former prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin recently told a visiting Cambodian delegation led by commerce minister Pan Sorasak that he will meet 300 French business representatives to explore investment opportunities in Cambodia in near future. He also appreciated Cambodia's rapid growth.#
During the visit last week, Sorasak briefed French officials on Cambodias high economic performance in the last ten years and on government support mechanisms, Cambodian media reported quoting a Facebook post by the commerce ministry.Created in 1989, FPI is a public-interest organisation. Raffarin is a senator and chairman of the committee on foreign affairs, defence and armed forces of the French senate. (DS)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
The government in Kano state in northern Nigeria has signed an agreement with Chinas Shandong Ruyi Technology Group to establish a $600-million textile industrial park. The agreement was signed recently by secretary to the state government Alhaji Usman Alhaji and the companys chairman Yafu Qiu at the companys headquarters in Jining, Shandong.The planned investment in Kano would be the Chinese companys biggest in Africa upon completion, A Nigerian newspaper reported quoting a statement from Salihu Tanko Yakasai, director general of media to Kano governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The government in Kano state in northern Nigeria has signed an agreement with China's Shandong Ruyi Technology Group to establish a $600-million textile industrial park. The agreement was signed recently by secretary to the state government Alhaji Usman Alhaji and the company's chairman Yafu Qiu at the company's headquarters in Jining, Shandong.#
One can only imagine the number of jobs that would be created and the value that would be added to our economy when your plant commences operation in Kano, Ganduje, who visited one of the groups factories, said.Ganduje assured the company that his administration would create an enabling environment for the smooth take off of its project.Expressing his desire to collaborate with the Kano government in enhancing the capacity of its on-going hydro power project at Tiga and Challawa, Qiu said his company would explore the possibility of executing a solar power project specifically for the park. (DS)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
The Ethiopian Textile Industry Development Institute and the Italian Trade Agency recently signed an agreement to boost the textile industry in the former. Textile firms will be the key beneficiaries of the assistance through the 'Italy-Ethiopia textile technology centre' project. The assistance includes 200,000 Euros for technology and training equipment.The assistance will help improve Ethiopias textile industry capabilities, a news agency quoted Seleshi Lemma, general director of the institute, as saying. Italian ambassador to Ethiopia Giuseppe Mistretta assured his governments commitment to support Ethiopias efforts in realizing textile sector targets. (DS)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
Pakistans commerce and textile minister Pervaiz has said the government will announce a new incentives package to boost tumbling textile exports. The government is reviewing the prime ministers package for enhancing exports, which is yet to offer positive yields, he said inaugurating an office of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) in Islamabad.The minister said efforts are under way to enhance cotton production by focusing on cotton research in collaboration with APTMA, according to Pakistani media reports.
Pakistan's commerce and textile minister Pervaiz has said the government will announce a new incentives package to boost tumbling textile exports. The government is reviewing the prime minister's package for enhancing exports, which is yet to offer positive yields, he said inaugurating an office of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) in Islamabad.#
Textile exports for August 2017 recorded a growth of 9 per cent to $1.17 billion compared to $1.08 billion in the same period of last year, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data. On a cumulative basis, textile exports expanded 6 per cent to reach $2.18 billion in two months of the ongoing fiscal.During August, basic textiles exports registered a drop of 9 per cent year on year to $302 million. (DS)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
The Swiss Textile Machinery Association (Swissmem), recently exhibited in the Irantex 2017 expo, the 23rd international exhibition of textile machinery, raw materials, home textiles, embroidery machines, and textile products, which was held from September 4 to 7, 2017, in Iran. A total of 13 Swiss companies took part in the global machinery expo.The exhibition, at the Tehran fairgrounds from September 4 to 7, attracted wide international participation, and Switzerlands special pavilion its first for a decade helped its companies to make a strong impression on trade visitors. Business contacts were enhanced and the Swiss exhibitor group was able to report that some notable project negotiations were finalised at the event.
The Swiss Textile Machinery Association (Swissmem), recently exhibited in the Irantex 2017 expo, the 23rd international exhibition of textile machinery, raw materials, home textiles, embroidery machines, and textile products, which was held from September 4 to 7, 2017, in Iran. A total of 13 Swiss companies took part in the global machinery expo.#
Swiss firms exhibiting included Jakob Muller, Benninger, Willy Grob, G. Hunziker, Staubli, Norsel, Retech, Heberlein, SSM, Luwa, Steiger Participations, Saurer, and Drop Chemicals. A highlight was the visit of Switzerlands ambassador to Iran, Markus Leitner, to the pavilion. He met with the Swiss exhibitors and discussed the opportunities and challenges of doing business with Iran.Cornelia Buchwalder, secretary general of the Swiss textile machinery association said, Feedback was very positive. Our companies valued their participation and the quality of business contacts, and the exhibition provided an excellent follow-up to our Iran symposium in 2016.Benninger area sales director Peter Vormbruck said, We found that customer interest in high-quality and technology-driven machinery was very positive. There was even a strong desire to overcome the financial complexities to enable the Iranian industry to take advantage of the imported products. We were pleased to have some very open discussions on technology and opportunities in this important market of Iran. (GK)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
CALGARY, Alberta, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Sproule, a leading global energy consulting firm, is pleased to welcome Danilo Bandiziol, a senior energy executive, to lead client support and business development activities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Danilo brings 30 years of oil and gas experience to Sproule and will assume the position of Regional Director, EMEA as of October 1, 2017.
His international career spans technical and management positions with, most recently, Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS Horizon B.V.), The Hague, Netherlands and a 16-year tenure with Total S.A.
"We are quite fortunate to have Mr. Bandiziol join the Sproule Team to support us in Europe, the Middle East, and, Africa expanding our global footprint," said President and CEO, Cameron Six.
"The EMEA region offers the deepest capital market supporting upstream oil and gas outside of the Americas and is already an important part of Sproule's international portfolio," he added.
Mr. Bandiziol has broad knowledge and experience in the international E&P industry, from exploration through development to production. He has extensive field operations, reservoir engineering, and reserves management experience. He is multi-lingual, fluent in Italian, English, and French. Danilo will be located in The Hague, Netherlands.
"Mr. Bandiziol will focus his efforts strengthening our relationship with clients by providing technical and commercial advice," said Christoffer Mylde, Vice President, Corporate Development at Sproule. Adding, "Danilo underscores our commitment to the region. We are delighted to be able to service our clients better by providing on-the-ground support."
About Sproule
Sproule, a global energy consulting firm, is anchored by deep geoscience and engineering expertise combined with a strong commercial understanding of energy markets.We help exploration and production companies, financial institutions, and governments accurately characterize subsurface opportunities and increase shareholder confidence through independent economic evaluations of resources. Learn morewww.Sproule.com
Sproule Contact: Karen Nemez, Manager, Marketing, Karen.Nemez@Sproule.com , 900, 140 - 4 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2P 3N3, D: +1-403-294-5549
BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Siemens (SIEGY, SMAWF) and Alstom (AOMFF.PK, ALS.L) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine Siemens' mobility business including its rail traction drives business, with Alstom. Siemens will receive newly issued shares in the combined company representing 50 percent of Alstom's share capital on a fully diluted basis. The corporate name of the combined group will be Siemens Alstom.
The new entity will benefit from an order backlog of 61.2 billion euros, revenue of 15.3 billion euros, an adjusted EBIT of 1.2 billion euros. In a combined setup, Siemens and Alstom expect to generate annual synergies of 470 million euros latest in year four post-closing and targets net-cash at closing between 0.5 billion euros to 1.0 billion euros.
Global headquarters as well as the management team for rolling stock will be located in Paris area and the combined entity will remain listed in France. Headquarters for the Mobility Solutions business will be located in Berlin, Germany. In total, the new entity will have 62,300 employees in over 60 countries.
As part of the combination, Alstom existing shareholders at the close of the day preceding the closing date, will receive two special dividends: a control premium of 4.00 euros per share to be paid shortly after closing of the transaction and an extraordinary dividend of up to 4.00 euros per share to be paid out of the proceeds of Alstom's put options for the General Electric joint ventures of about 2.5 billion euros subject to the cash position of Alstom.
Siemens will receive warrants allowing it to acquire Alstom shares representing two percentage points of its share capital that can be exercised earliest four years after closing.
'By combining Siemens Mobility's experienced teams, complementary geographies and innovative expertise with ours, the new entity will create value for customers, employees and shareholders,'said Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alstom SA.
The Board of Directors of the combined group will consist of 11 members and will be comprised of 6 directors designated by Siemens, one of which being the Chairman, 4 independent directors and the CEO. Henri Poupart-Lafarge, will continue to lead the company as CEO and will be a board member. Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Siemens Mobility, shall assume an important responsibility in the merged entity. The corporate name of the combined group will be Siemens Alstom.
The transaction is unanimously supported by Alstom's board and Siemens's supervisory board. Bouygues fully supports the transaction and will vote in favor of the transaction at the Alstom's board of directors and at the extraordinary general meeting deciding on the transaction to be held before July 31, 2018, in line with Alstom board of director decision.
The French State also supports the transaction based on undertakings by Siemens, including a standstill at 50.5 percent of Alstom's share capital for four years after closing and certain governance and organizational and employment protections. The French State confirms that the loan of Alstom shares from Bouygues SA will be terminated in accordance with its terms no later than October 17, 2017 and that it will not exercise the options granted by Bouygues. Bouygues has committed to keep its shares until the earlier of the extraordinary general meeting deciding on the transaction and July 31, 2018.
In France, Alstom and Siemens will initiate Works Councils' information and consultation procedure according to French law prior to the signing of the transaction documents. If Alstom were not to pursue the transaction, it would have to pay a 140 million euros break-fee.
The transaction is subject to clearance from relevant regulatory authorities, including foreign investment clearance in France and anti-trust authorities as well as the confirmation by the French capital market authority (AMF) that no mandatory takeover offer has to be launched by Siemens following completion of the contribution. Closing is expected at the end of calendar year 2018.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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Leveraging the startup ecosystem in FinTech
BOSTON and LONDON, 2017-09-27 08:00 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Flywire CEO Mike Massaro will be a featured speaker at the European FinTech Awards & Conference taking place this week in Brussels. Massaro will participate in a panel discussion on how emerging startups can leverage the FinTech ecosystem to open up new opportunities and accelerate their success.
Session Description:
Dreams Can Come True -- How PACE Invoice Accelerated its Success September 27, 2017, 13:30 - 14:00 "The Egg" in Brussels
It is no secret that many startups dream to be acquired by larger financial institutions. Only a few actually make it happen. How to get the ball rolling? What does a business need to have to make it that far? In June 2017, Flywire acquired PACE Invoice, a multi-currency invoicing platform provider from London, and an alumnus of Startupbootcamp. What can we learn from this success story? How can you benefit from the eco-system of mentors, partners, and investors in the FinTech industry?
Panelists:
-- Mike Massaro, CEO, Flywire -- James Shattock, Founder, PACE Invoice, now part of Flywire -- Francisco Lorca, Startupbootcamp
About the European FinTech Awards & Conference The European FinTech Awards & Conference brings together innovation managers of major banks, investors and the most promising FinTech companies in Europe. This year's event features an amazing line-up of startup pitches and industry speakers discussing the latest technology developments, the status of regulations and the characteristics of successful insurgent businesses. Attendees will also get to see pitch battles between the 30 finalists of the European FinTech Awards.
About Flywire Flywire is a leading provider of international payment solutions, connecting businesses and institutions with their customers on six continents. Introduced six years ago as a way for international students to pay their tuition for studies abroad, Flywire is now used by over 1,300 organizations across 18 countries around the world. The company processes billions in payments per year from 220 countries and territories, via bank transfer, credit card and e-wallet solutions, in over 120 different local currencies. Convenient, fast and secure, Flywire's scalable platform provides currency conversion at exchange rates that can offer significant savings when compared to home-market banks and credit card providers. The company also supports its clients with end-to-end customer support including multilingual servicing via phone, email, and chat, as well as 24/7 online payment tracking.
Flywire is headquartered in Boston, MA with operations in London and Manchester, UK; Shanghai, China; Tokyo, Japan; Singapore; Sydney, Australia; and Valencia, Spain. For more information, visit www.Flywire.com.
Media Contact: Flywire Tim Walsh timw@walshgroupmarketing.com +1 617-512-1641
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BRUSSELS, BELGIUM -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the European Biopharmaceutical Enterprises (EBE), the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and EuropaBio announced today the release of their joint position paper, entitled "Possible Solutions to Improve European Regulatory Procedures for Clinical Trials with Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Consisting of or Containing Genetically Modified Organisms." The paper advances a series of proposals to streamline the application and review processes by the relevant authorities and shorten the time before clinical trials of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) that consist of or contain GMOs with such products can be initiated.
In drafting this position, the organisations' aim is to support European competitiveness in the biomedical sector, including the development of ATMPs, and to avoid unnecessary delays for patient access to such innovative medicines whilst ensuring patient and environmental safety.
The organisations identify several areas of concern with current GMO regulations for EU-based clinical trials and propose a number of near-, medium- and long-term solutions. These are designed to streamline a number of currently disparate and fragmented processes. Recommendations include the centralisation of information, a website designed to host the key EU-wide requirements, links to relevant authorities for GMO-containing ATMP clinical trials, guidance that would lay down the requirements and promotes harmonisation of classification and parallel (rather than sequential) reviews by the Health and GMO authorities.
A key proposal calls for the creation of a "GMO Facilitation Group," comprising GMO authorities across Europe to facilitate dialogue and foster the adoption of more uniform and rapid decisions. The position paper highlights the benefit of implementing a number of these proposals in conjunction with the Clinical Trial Regulation, currently planned for 2019, to leverage the advantages of the improved legal framework.
Barbara Freischem, Executive Director, EBE, said, "The ability to better co-ordinate the environmental risk assessment required under the GMO-regulations with the advantages of the new Clinical Trial Regulation would clearly help ATMP developers bring their innovative and often much needed products to patients."
"Harmonized approaches to safety requirements of the GMO registration process for clinical trials would lead to better and faster patient-access to medical innovations. We welcome the dialogue among the different GMO authorities in the EU," added Ronald Jager, Director of Healthcare Biotechnology at EuropaBio.
"For highly innovative medicinal products such as CAR-T cells, and many new gene therapies for the treatment of severe diseases, GMO regulations are in addition to the regulations for medicinal products and are implemented in different ways in each of the EU's Member States. This often increases the complexity and duration when receiving authorization to carry out clinical trials," said Jacqueline Barry, Chief Clinical Officer at Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult and chair of ARM's European Regulatory Committee. "We urge the relevant authorities in the different Member States to consider a harmonisation and streamlining of the GMO and clinical trial approval processes for these products, particularly with the upcoming implementation of the Clinical Trial Regulation."
The paper is available for download here.
About The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine
The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is an international multi-stakeholder advocacy organization that promotes legislative, regulatory and reimbursement initiatives necessary to facilitate access to life-giving advances in regenerative medicine worldwide. ARM also works to increase public understanding of the field and its potential to transform human healthcare, providing business development and investor outreach services to support the growth of its member companies and research organizations. Prior to the formation of ARM, there was no advocacy organization operating in Washington, D.C. to specifically represent the interests of the companies, research institutions, investors and patient groups that comprise the entire regenerative medicine community. Today, ARM has more than 270 members and is the leading global advocacy organization in this field. To learn more about ARM or to become a member, visit http://www.alliancerm.org.
About European Biopharmaceutical Enterprises (EBE):
European Biopharmaceutical Enterprises (EBE) represents the voice of biopharmaceutical companies of all sizes in Europe and is a specialised group within the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). Established in 2000, EBE is recognised as the leading biopharmaceutical association in Europe.
To learn more about EBE, visit: http://www.ebe-biopharma.eu/
About The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA):
The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) represents the pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. EFPIA is the voice on the EU scene of 1,900 companies committed to researching, developing and bringing to patients new medicines that will improve health and the quality of life around the world. To learn more about EFPIA, visit: https://www.efpia.eu/
About EuropaBio:
EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, promotes an innovative and dynamic European biotechnology industry. EuropaBio and its members are committed to the socially responsible use of biotechnology to improve quality of life, to prevent, diagnose, treat and cure diseases, to improve the quality and quantity of food and feedstuffs and to move towards a biobased and zero-waste economy. EuropaBio represents 80 corporate and associate members and bio-regions, and 17 national biotechnology associations in turn representing over 1,800 biotech SMEs.
Read more about our work at www.europabio.org.
Lyndsey Scull
202 213 7086
lscull@alliancerm.org
STOCKHOLM (dpa-AFX) - Sweden's foreign trade gap narrowed in August from a year ago, as exports grew faster than imports, figures from Statistics Sweden showed Wednesday. The trade deficit declined notably to SEK 5.4 billion in August from SEK 10.1 billion in the corresponding month last year. However, it was well above the shortfall of SEK 1.9 billion in July. The value of exports surged 13.0 percent year-over-year in August and imports rose by 7.0 percent. Trade with countries outside the EU resulted in a surplus of SEK 7.3 billion, while EU trade showed a deficit of SEK 12.7 billion. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the net trade deficit totaled SEK 0.5 billion in August compared with a deficit of SEK 0.6 billion in July. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Educational session focuses on steps to compliance
LONDON, Sept. 27,2017 /PRNewswire/ --Attendees at next month's 2017 CompTIA EMEA Member and Partner Conference will have the opportunity to learn strategies and tactics for complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the new primary law that will regulate how companies protect European Union citizens' personal data.
"GDPR - A Roadmap to Being Compliant" will review guidelines from the Information Commissioner's Office on the 12 steps to GDPR compliance.
The GDPR program is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 17th October, the opening day of CompTIA's two-day annual conference.
"The effective date for GDPR implementation is fast approaching, yet many organisations are struggling to understand the full scope of this regulation," said Kelly Ricker, executive vice president, events and education, CompTIA.
"For companies that have yet to begin the process, our conference session will help them to get a good head start on compliance," Ricker continued. "For those that have launched compliance activities, the program will augment what they've already done."
Jim Sneddon, AssureData founder and GDPR Certified Practitioner, will lead the session. He is a security industry veteran of 17 years with a wealth of experience working with organisations helping them to become compliant and secure.
The CompTIA EMEA Member and Partner Conference will feature unique educational session tracks for two audiences:
IT channel companies and executives looking for opportunities to network and share best practices that they can put directly to action back at work.
CompTIA training and academic partners interested in the latest developments related to CompTIA's certification program.
More information on the 2017 CompTIA EMEA Member and Partner Conference is available at https://www.comptia.org/emea/home. To register for the conference visit https://www.comptia.org/emea/register.
CompTIA: Building the Foundation for Technology's Future
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world's leading technology association, with approximately 2,000 member companies, 3,000 academic and training partners, over 100,000 registered users and more than two million IT certifications issued. CompTIA's unparalleled range of programs foster workforce skills development and generate critical knowledge and insight - building the foundation for technology's future. Visit CompTIA online, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to learn more.
Contacts:
Mike Cheng
AprilSix Proof (for CompTIA)
mike.cheng@aprilsixproof.com
+44 (0)20 3141 2975
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
sostrowski@comptia.orgbr/>+1-630-678-8468
Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/562076/COMPTIA_LOGO.jpg
PUNE, India, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
According to a new market research report "Hydrazine Hydrate Marketby Concentration Level (24%-35%, 40%-55%, 60%-85%, and 100%), Application (Polymerization & Blowing Agents, Agrochemicals, Water Treatment, Pharmaceuticals), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022", published by MarketsandMarkets', the market was valued at USD 395.7 Million in 2016 and is projected to reach USD 531.1 Million by 2022, at a CAGR of 5.5% from 2017 to 2022.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )
Browse147 Market Data Tables and36 Figures spread through159Pages and in-depth TOC on"Hydrazine Hydrate Market"
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The market is driven by the increased demand for hydrazine hydrate from various applications, such as polymerization & blowing agents, agrochemicals, water treatment, and pharmaceuticals. The increasing use of hydrazine hydrate and its derivatives as foaming agents in the plastic industry also acts as a major factor driving the global hydrazine hydrate market.
Polymerization & blowing agents is estimated to be the largest application segment of the global hydrazine hydrate market between 2017 and 2022
Among various applications, polymerization & blowing agents is estimated to be the largest application of the global hydrazine hydrate market. In polymerization & blowing agents segment, hydrazine hydrate is used to manufacture plastics and rubber chemicals. Derivatives of hydrazine hydrates such as azobisisobutyronitrile and azodicarbonamide are used as polymerization initiators and low temperature blowing agents. In addition, there are several other hydrazine-based chemical blowing agents such as benzene and toluenesulfonylhydrazide, which are used in low temperature applications.
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60%-85% segment is projected to be the fastest-growing concentration level segment in the global hydrazine hydrate market
The 60%-85% segment is projected to be the fastest-growing concentration level segment of the market between 2017 and 2022. The 60%-85% concentration level hydrazine hydrate is used as a propellant in emergency power units (EPU) on the F16 and other single engine aircraft. It is expected to be the fastest growing concentration level segment of the hydrazine hydrate market, in terms of value, during the forecast period due to its ability to manufacture hydrazine salts from inorganic acids. The application of 60%-85% concentration grade of hydrazine hydrate in fuel cells as an effective substitute to hydrogen and oxygen is expected to present many opportunities to the hydrazine hydrate manufacturers.
Rising demand for hydrazine hydrate in Asia Pacific contributes to the high growth of this market
In 2016, Asia Pacific accounted for the largest share of the global Hydrazine Hydrate Market, and is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2017 and 2022. Currently, China is the largest market for hydrazine hydrate in Asia Pacific, and is expected to continue to lead till 2022. In China and India, the demand for hydrazine hydrate is expected to increase due to the growing agrochemicals industry and rapid economic growth. The demand for fertilizers and pesticides in Asia Pacific is higher as compared to other regions such as North America, Latin America, and Europe. The main reason for this high demand is it being the most populous region in the world. The Asia Pacific region contributes for more than 60% of the global population, with China and India being the two of the most populous countries in the world. Hence, the increasing food demand from this region has led to the increased use of agrochemicals.
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Key companies profiled in the global hydrazine hydrate market research report include Arkema, LANXESS, Lonza, Otsuka-MGC Chemical Company, Yaxing Chemical, Yibin Tianyuan Group, HPLA Group, and Hunan Zhuzhou Chemical Group.
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DUBLIN, Jan. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
The "Operating Lease Seminar 2018" conference has been added to Research and Markets' offering.
This well established Seminar covers all aspects of operating leasing from the perspective of the lessor and the lessee and includes How to Structure an Operating Lease; It will cover the fundamentals and explore issues associated with aviation leasing with ample opportunity to share experiences and to network.
In addition, there will be 2 case studies which will enable a sharing of ideas and enable you to understand the theory. It is invaluable for anyone involved in or wishing to be involved in aircraft leasing - or you may just wish to brush up on your knowledge. It is ideal for new starters to the industry or anyone that has moved to a different aviation sector.
Learn about:
Pre-delivery Planning/Legal Issues
Delivery Timing & Location
Lease Term
Rental issues
Tax Indemnity
Security
Conditions Precedent
Operation & Use
Insurance
Maintenance Covenants, and more
Who Should Attend:
Investors
Operators
Owners
Financiers
Lawyers
Contract Managers
Engine Operators
Airlines
Lessors
Lessees
Managers
Traders of Commercial Aircraft.
Agenda:
DAY ONE - 20 March 2018
08.00 Tea/Coffee and Registration
08.45 Welcome/Introduction
10.30 Case Study: Introduction and Organisation (15 mins)
10.45 Refreshment Break (15 mins)
Heads of Agreement/Term Sheet Structure
Pre-Delivery Planning/Legal Issues
13.00 Luncheon
14.00 Aircraft Definition at Delivery
Delivery
Lease Term
15.30 Refreshment Break (15 mins)
Rental
General Tax Indemnity
Indemnification
Security
Conditions Precedent
Representations
General Covenants
Indemnities
16.45 Case Study: Meetings
18.00 Day 1 concludes
DAY TWO - 21 March 2018
08.00 Tea/Coffee
08.45 Welcome
Operation & Use
Loss, Damage and Requisition
10.45 Refreshment Break (15 mins)
INSURANCE ISSUES
11.00 General Considerations
12.15 Group Study Meetings
12.45 Luncheon
13.45 Maintenance Covenants
Maintenance Reserves
Return Conditions
15.30 Refreshment Break (15 mins)
AIRLINE'S PERSPECTIVE
16.25 Group Presentations (15 mins each)
18.00 Networking & Drinks
DAY THREE - 22 March 2018
08.00 Tea/Coffee
08.45 Introduction: Why you need to know what you are doing as well as how to do it!
Routine Lease Management Activity
Filtering Business Risk
Risk Management
10.30 Refreshment Break (15 mins)
Default and Remedies
Lease Enforcement
13.00 Luncheon
FINANCING AN OPERATING LEASE
13.45 Financing for Operating Leases
15.30 Refreshment Break (20mins)
17.15 Conclusion
For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/72gfhp/two_day_operating?w=5
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TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 09/20/17 -- Red Pine Exploration Inc. (TSX VENTURE: RPX) ("Red Pine" or the "Company") announces partial results for three drill holes in the Minto Mine area that were completed as part of the on-going 20,000 metre ("m") drilling program at its Wawa Gold Project.
Drilling Highlights (see Table 1 and Figures 1, 2 and 3 below):
-- The discovery of a high-grade quartz vein (Minto E) above the Minto Mine South Zone ("MMSZ") (Figures 1, 3); -- SD-17-94 contains 13.04 gram per tonne ("g/t") gold over 2.20 m; -- SD-17-99 contains 13.08 g/t gold over 2.63 metres; -- The high-grade zone of the MMSZ extends south (Figures 1, 2) -- SD-17-105 contains 5.51 g/t gold over 5.83 metres; -- Visible gold is observed in 10 out of the 20 additional holes completed so far in the MMSZ (Figure 1); -- 15 additional drill holes are planned for this area as part of the 2017 drill program.
Quentin Yarie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Red Pine stated, "We are quite excited by the intersection of a near-surface high-grade quartz vein above and perpendicular to the Minto Mine South Zone. This new discovery, called Minto E, further emphasises the potential of the zone and adds another gold target to what is already a highly promising area. Drilling in the Mine South Zone continues to be successful and is demonstrating that thickening zones of gold-mineralization can occur within the structure."
Table 1. Highlights of the 2017 drilling results south of the Minto Mine
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To Length Hole From (m) (m) (m)(i) Gold (g/t) Gold Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD-17-94 11.50 13.70 2.20 13.04 Minto E including 12.50 13.70 1.20 23.4 ------------------------------------------------------------------ New gold intersection - outside of both MMSZ and Minto 121.00 122.00 1.00 5.06 E ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD-17-99 3.63 4.40 0.77 7.29 Minto E ------------------------------------------------------------------ 17.35 19.98 2.63 13.08 Minto E including 18.14 19.16 1.02 31.2 --------------------------------------------- SD-17-105 63.82 65.82 2.00 1.97 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 91.17 97.00 5.83 5.51 MMSZ including 92.00 92.97 0.97 16.21 94.00 95.00 1.00 11.07 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i)Assay results reported over intersection length. In the Minto Mine South Zone for SD-17-105, the intersection length is estimated to be represent greater than or equal to 70% true width. As it represents a discovery, no true width estimation is available for the discovered Minto E Gold Zone in SD-17-94, 99 and SD-17-105. Additional drilling is required to estimate the true width and continuity of the mineralized structure.
Overview of drilling results in the MMSZ and the Minto E
Holes SD-17-94 and SD-17-99 (Final assays pending) were drilled to test the down-dip extension of the MMSZ and both holes successfully intersected the structure. Near surface, SD-17-94 and SD-17-99 intersected a high-grade quartz vein/structure that represents the down-dip extension of the surface exposure of the Minto E structure.
SD-17-105 successfully intersected the southern extension of the MMSZ and results indicate a thickening of the structure in the area. In the hanging wall of the MMSZ, SD-17-105 also intersected a gold-bearing shear that could be the western extension of the Minto E shear zone.
Results are pending for 20 boreholes in the MMSZ. The zone remains open at depth and along strike (greater than 1km) to the south. Fifteen (15) additional drill holes are currently planned to further define its strike length and down-dip extension and to further define the Minto E Zone.
Wawa Gold Project Summary
The Wawa Gold property package consists of over 5,500 hectares and hosts several former mines with a combined historic production of 120,000 ounces ("oz") gold(1). Currently, the largest gold deposit on the property is the Surluga Deposit, which hosts a NI 43-101 Inferred Resource of 1,088,000 oz gold at an average grade of 1.71 g/t using a 0.5 g/t cut-off contained within 19.82 million tonnes(2).
Exploration work by Red Pine during the past 18 months has involved the sampling of 42,000 metres of historic core that was never sampled by previous operators of the project (initiated in February 2016) and aggressive drilling campaigns.
To date, the Company completed over 22,000 metres of drilling and made four discoveries along the extension of the Surluga Deposit: the Surluga North Zone; the Hornblende-William Zone; The Minto Mine South Zone; and the Grace-Darwin Zone. All these mineralized zones are interpreted to form a coherent structural system, the Wawa Gold Corridor, and are anticipated to have a positive impact on the property's gold inventory.
Red Pine's on-going 20,000-metre drill program is focussed on three of the four key discoveries with two drills operating non-stop on the property. The first drill is currently targeting the Surluga North discovery, where Red Pine's hole SD-16-45 intersected 14.66 g/t gold over 15.23 metres (the Surluga North high-grade zone) while the second drill is targeting the Minto Mine South Zone discovery.
The Company is well positioned to fund its share of the Wawa Gold exploration program. As such, the sampling and drill programs are expected to continue throughout 2017.
Highlights
-- 100% owned land position between JVA; -- 2 km southeast of the Municipality of Wawa, Ontario, close to roads, power and other infrastructure; and -- 8 past producing mines on property with historical production of 120,000 oz gold at 9.04 g/t average grade(1).
greater than 1M oz Inferred Gold Resource at 1.71 g/t (0.5 g/t cut-off)(2)
-- Near surface mineralization; -- Open in all directions; and -- Exploration continuing to expand the existing resource.
Considerable Growth Potential
-- Newly discovered high-grade gold zones in many areas on property; and -- Gold mineralization extends 5 km in length.
Preliminary Metallurgical Study Underway
-- Optimization of gold and silver recoveries.
To view Figure 1. Highlights of the 2017 Drill Program in the Minto Mine Structure, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/RPX-Figure1-1102446.pdf.
To view Figure 2. Longitudinal section showing drilling intersections in the MMSZ between the former Minto and Parkhill mines, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/RPX-Figure2-1102446.pdf.
To view Figure 3. Cross-section showing the spatial relation between the Minto Mine South Zone and the discovered high-grade quartz vein, please visit the following link http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/RPX-Figure3-1102446.pdf.
On-site Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") Measures
Drill core samples were transported in security-sealed bags for analyses to Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Ancaster, Ontario. Individual samples are labeled, placed in plastic sample bags and sealed. Groups of samples are then placed into durable rice bags and then shipped. The remaining coarse reject portions of the samples remain in storage if further work or verification is needed.
Red Pine has implemented a quality-control program to comply with best practices in the sampling and analysis of drill core. As part of its QA/QC program, Red Pine inserts external gold standards (low to high grade) and blanks every 20 samples in addition to random standards, blanks, and duplicates.
Qualified Person
Quentin Yarie, P Geo. is the qualified person responsible for preparing, supervising and approving the scientific and technical content of this news release.
About Red Pine Exploration Inc.
Red Pine Exploration Inc. is a gold and base-metals exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Company's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "RPX".
Red Pine has a 60% interest in the Wawa Gold Project with Citabar LLP. holding the remaining 40% interest. Red Pine is the Operating Manager of the Project and is focused on expanding the existing gold resource on the property.
For more information about the Company visit www.redpineexp.com.
(1)Mineral Resource Statement, Surluga-Jubilee Gold Deposit, Wawa Gold Project, Ontario, SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. (effective May 26, 2015)). The report is available on www.SEDAR.com under Red Pine's profile.
(2)NI 43-101 inferred resource of 1,088,000 oz of gold at 1.71 grams per tonne (g/t) using a 0.40 g/t gold cut-off grade for pit-constrained and 2.50 g/t gold cut-off grade for underground-constrained resources, contained in 19.82 million tonnes open along strike and at depth. The Cut-off grades are based on a gold price of US$1,250 per once and a gold recovery of 95 percent (Mineral Resource Statement, Surluga-Jubilee Gold Deposit, Wawa Gold Project, Ontario, SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc (effective May 26, 2015)).
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This News Release contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "should", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "predicts", "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.
Contacts:
Red Pine Exploration Inc.
Quentin Yarie
President & CEO
(416) 364-7024
qyarie@redpineexp.com
Red Pine Exploration Inc.
Mia Boiridy
Investor Relations and Corporate Development
(416) 364-7024
mboiridy@redpineexp.com
Pacifico Energy has commenced construction on a 55 MW solar PV plant in Gifu Prefacture, Japan. It is expected to be operational in 2019.Toyo Engineering Corporation is acting as EPC contractor for the 55 MW Minami Mega Solar Power Plant, located on a golf course in Japan's Gujo City, Gifu. It is slated to begin commercial operation in July 2019. Overall, the PV plant is set to generate 55 million kWh annually, with the electricity going to the Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. Pacifico Energy has previously put into operation two mega solar plants in Okayama, and one in Miyagi. The Tokyo-based ...
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- Location:
Metro Toronto Convention Centre222 Bremner Blvd, Toronto,Ontario, Canada
When:
Wednesday September 27th and Thursday September 28th, 2017
What:
The Sky Guys Ltd. ("The Sky Guys"), Canada's leader in drone technology, and Cambridge House International host the Second Annual Big Drone Show at the Metro Toronto Convention Center on September 27 and 28, 2017.
As Canada's biggest drone showcase, The Big Drone Show will showcase the world's top talent in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology. The Big Drone Show, sponsored by The Sky Guys, will see more than 20 industries represented, feature over 40 speakers from around the world, a 2-day hackathon where top aerospace institutions will collaborate on a computer vision-based competition and will host The Toronto Drone Film Festival - a first of its kind in Canada.
"Drones continue to play increasingly greater roles in many areas of society," said Adam Sax, President and CEO of The Sky Guys. "Whether it is disaster relief related to hurricanes or forest fires, surveying, habitat protection or taking the perfect drone selfie, there will be some way a drone will impact your life in the coming years."
For full speaker profiles, please visit bigdroneshow.com/speakers/
For full conference schedule, please visit: http://bigdroneshow.com/event-schedule/
Who (photo/interview opportunity):
Adam Sax, Founder and CEO of The Sky GuysKate Kienapple, Director of Operations - Coastal Drone Co.Rahul Singh, Founder/CEO - GlobalMedicJon Gaster, CEO and Founder of KSI Data SciencesKenneth Kranz, Chief Technical Architect of Cognizant Drone VentureLCol (Ret.) Duffy McGuire, Founder of BLiNK-aiJesse Clayton, Head of Business Development, UAVs - NVIDIANicole Verkindt, Founder - The OMXKevin Toderel, Business Development Manager - GAP WirelessJeremey Wang, Chief Technology Officer of Defiant Labs.
About The Sky Guys
The Sky Guys are Canada's leading solutions providers and technology developers in the UAV / Drone industry. Their team of world class engineers, data scientists and advanced technologists continually break the mold by providing clients with new insights and innovative applications.
The Sky Guys offers specialized UAV services to over 600 clients, using a unique approach to capture data, aerial video and photography, infrastructure inspection and 3D mapping.
Through its wholly owned technology division, Defiant Labs, they instigate disruption at every corner. Developing proprietary drone technology and advanced data analytics for commercial and industrial use to give clients that needed edge. Defiant Labs, the future lives here.
About Cambridge House International
Cambridge House International has been building flagship, must-attend events for over 25 years, providing industries with the platform for networking, education and investment discovery.
Contacts:
Michael Diamond
+1.647.986.0477
michael@upstreamgroup.ca
MCLEAN, VA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/11/18 -- Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today announced that Jacqueline M. Welch has been named head of the Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion (HRDI) division and chief diversity officer (CDO) of Freddie Mac. In her expanded role as senior vice president of HRDI and CDO, Welch will be a member of the company's senior operating committee and will report directly to Freddie Mac CEO Donald H. Layton.
"We're very excited to have Jacqui succeed to the leadership of our HRDI division and serve as our CDO," said Layton. "She is the right person at the right time to help Freddie Mac improve the quality and diversity of our workforce and the culture in which we operate."
Welch, who joined Freddie Mac in December 2016, brings to the company more than 20 years of experience in HR strategy and execution. Prior to Freddie Mac, she served as senior vice president of international human resources for Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta. As head of HR, Welch will be responsible for all HR functions, including performance management, compensation, and learning and development. In her role as chief diversity officer, Welch will lead Freddie Mac's diversity and inclusion strategy for its workforce and supplier diversity programs, as well as across business activities.
"I firmly believe that a company is only as good as its people, and Freddie Mac is no different," said Welch. "So it's vitally important that we enable our diverse perspectives to drive the execution of the company's top goals of building a better company and a better housing finance system. I'm excited by the work that Freddie Mac has already done to foster an organizational culture that competes and wins, and I'm ready to push that strategy forward."
Freddie Mac makes home possible for millions of families and individuals by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Since our creation by Congress in 1970, we've made housing more accessible and affordable for homebuyers and renters in communities nationwide. We are building a better housing finance system for homebuyers, renters, lenders and taxpayers. Learn more at FreddieMac.com, Twitter @FreddieMac and Freddie Mac's blog FreddieMac.com/blog.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Paul Frommelt
703-903-3999
Paul_Frommelt@FreddieMac.com
LONDON, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Leading businesses and regional authorities gather in the heart of London in search of vital Brexit solutions
Time is a luxury the UK food industry does not have when faced with Brexit, and it is taking the debate directly to Westminster. Key business leaders, authorities, academics and legislators will gather at a dedicated Food Brexit conference on 31 October at QEII Centre, on the doorstep of the UK parliament, to voice their concerns, identify the main challenges and coordinate a response.
Food Brexit aims to be a much-needed springboard for all stakeholders - consumers, businesses, governments, press and research bodies - to continue the conversation in a positive, constructive environment. The event's primary goal is to help shape the imminent exit of the UK from the EU.
'With the clock ticking, industry must take every opportunity to develop a cohesive roadmap, with cross-sector support, which will be vital for our industry. Food Brexit covers many key areas to assist companies in putting together these roadmaps,' states Katie Doherty, Policy Director at The International Meat Trade Association, and session panellist. It is hoped that the mix of interactive panel discussions led by food experts and case studies from across the supply chain, will create lively debate and advance the Brexit agenda for the food and beverage sector.
'We all know there are uncertainties ahead, we hear about that every day in the news,' states Charlie Kortens, Editor of New Food Magazine, organisers of Food Brexit, 'What the industry and government needs to focus on now is to seek and agree solutions, together, and coordinate the debate. The time for action is now and we hope this conference, taking place a stone's throw away from the seat of the UK government, will send a message and help the food industry to achieve a successful Brexit, whatever shape that may take.'
Notes for editors:
More information:
Food Brexit takes place at the QEII Centre, London on 31 October, and will be chaired by broadcaster, John Pienaar .
on 31 October, and will be chaired by broadcaster, . View the full programme: https://foodandbrexit.rp.miramedia.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2017/09/Food-Brexit-Programme.pdf
Visit the conference website: http://www.newfoodbrexit.com
Request Food Brexit Press Pass
Press passes are available - please contact events@newfoodmagazine.com as soon as possible.
To cover this story, request photos and interviews with speakers, please contact Lucy Bale, lbale@russellpublishing.com or call us on +44-(0)1959-563-311 ext. 2075
CAMBRIDGE, England, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Mindfulness more measurable, thanks to new motion-guided smart-phone app
After 2,500 years of people enjoying the benefits of meditation, a young Cambridge psychiatrist has figured out a new way that technology can make the practice of this ancient stress-busting technique interactive, scientific and fun. Through enabling real-time feedback of mindful breaths on a smart-phone, Dr Tom Mole's patent-pending Mindz app looks set to be the latest wellbeing tech to make it into the mainstream....
Mindz, a free 8-week training programme powered by MindfulBreather Technology and accessible on smart-phones, is to be launched this Friday, 29th September. Including its core personalisable meditation course, the MindfulSleeper and a series of quick meditations, Mindz is the world's first app that uses bioscience feedback to help people master the most important meditation skill, mindful breathing.
Users simply lie back with their smart-phone on their abdomen and follow instructions. Tapping the screen each time they reach the top of their in-breath, they are soon led to breathe mindfully. Sensor technology sounds a bell each time a mindful breath is tapped, keeping users on track. Unique algorithms analyse breath patterns and self-awareness using interacting touchscreen and motion sensors.
Mindz's launch could mark the start of a new phase in popularising science-led healthcare technology. With mindfulness - a concept with ancient roots from South Asia - now being practiced by millions worldwide, people are increasingly turning to technology to get the benefits. Search the term 'mindfulness' in your app store and you will see many solutions. Few are based on science. None enable users to objectively track progress.
"Grounded in science, yet affordable and simple to use, Mindz demystifies and gives people confidence in learning meditation. It captures evidence of how well they are doing and provides reassurance that they're doing it right, motivating them to continue," explained its creator, Dr Tom Mole, a psychiatrist and meditation neuroscientist based at Cambridge University.
Although developed originally to teach young people mindfulness within an NHS setting, its launch will enable wider adoption, empowering people of all ages and from all walks of life to discover mindfulness for themselves.
"You could say Mindz is FitBit for meditation. Instead of tracking runs with distance and time though, it tracks meditation with mindful breaths," summarised Dr Tom.
Commenting on Mindz's wider significance, Cambridge University Professor Peter Jones said:
"Capturing 'mindful breaths' may create a realistic and objective 'currency' for meditation that holds tremendous potential for mindfulness practice, teaching and research."
Dr Tom concluded: "21st Century wellbeing urgently needs modern tools to develop the minds of the future. Mindz answers that call."
You can find out more at http://www.mindz.com.
Free promo code on request.
Images available at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vvx8qqs874d1tp2/AADt5_LLKb8ADRBEm6toVnbJa?dl=0
Editors' Notes
The initial idea for Mindz came after Dr Tom spent months working around the clock in the emergency department as a newly qualified doctor, whilst continuing to practise and study meditation techniques and traditions when not on call.
It was in these early days of his career that he first saw how the best healthcare tools were rugged enough to work at all times, even in high-pressure scenarios.
Going on to specialise in young people's psychiatry, Dr Tom became aware of the whole range of human experience and the positive impact that early intervention makes to people's wellbeing. He wanted to develop such interventions that were 'cool', worked and made a difference to people's lives. As a meditation neuroscientist, he knew of a growing number of meditation apps that were available to both the medical community and the general public. None allowed users to monitor their meditation sessions, and, though high-profile professionals delivered many, some had no formal healthcare training and none were supported by feedback questionnaires. He had a clear idea what to do.
Feeling strongly that 21st century global health deserved better, Dr Tom set about making it happen. Having successfully introduced technology-based global health initiatives previously (his award winning work empowering mothers in Malawi to protect their babies from hypothermia led to a 1st Class Honours Degree in International Health), gave him the confidence that he could.
Contact
Dr Tom Mole | E: press@mindz.com | T: +44-7818-556-112
HARRISON, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- One Step Vending, Corp. (OTC PINK: KOSK), a holdings company specializing in market disruptive acquisitions with an emphasis on the self-serve vending market, after the recently signed partnership agreement with Hemp, Inc., announces the installation of a micro market to debut in the HEMP Inc.'s University 4th symposium to be held in North Carolina on September 30th.
The educational symposium, The Art & Science of CBD Oil, will take place on Saturday, September 30, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., at the Peachtree Hills Country Club, 3512 Peachtree Hills Road, Spring Hope, NC 27882. The attendees will be educated on all business and scientific aspects of Industrial Hemp CBD cannabinoids and will also get a chance to go to Hemp, Inc.'s 70,000 square foot multipurpose industrial hemp processing facility for the first live public demonstration of its NuAxon Bioscience Supercritical CO2 Extraction System using North Carolina-grown CBD industrial hemp.
One Step Vending will install the micro market to demonstrate a line of CBD products from other participating companies to the symposium. The company has previously signed an agreement with HEMP Inc. (OTC PINK: HEMP) for the development of CBD based consumer products.
"We are excited to participate in the 4th symposium held by the Hemp Inc.'s University and be able to better understand the parameters of the hemp industry and see how this knowledge can be applied to the products catered to our customers," said Chief Executive Officer of One Step Vending Corp. Daniel Garfinkel.
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About One Step Vending Corporation
One Step Vending Corp. is a holding company focused on the acquisition of market-changing and disruptive business models. The Company supports subsidiaries with key financial, sales, marketing, and operational changes designed to accelerate growth and shareholder value. The Company has prioritized the development of Micro-Markets which are displacing vending machines with a small convenience store in thousands of offices across the Country, this transition will change the $7 billion vending industry by igniting growth in revenues and delivering fresher high-value products to meet new consumer demand.
For more information, visit http://www.onestepvending.com
About Corporate Refreshment Services-Micro Markets, Inc.
CRS-Micro Markets, Inc., a provider of a wide range of food and beverage solutions, focuses on the use of self-checkout Micro Market technology in the area of San Diego, California.
For more information, visit http://www.sdmicromarkets.com
Safe Harbor Statement
This release may contain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "plans", "seeks", "estimates", "may", "will", "could", "stands to" and "continues", as well as similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which might cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of One Step Vending Corp., or industry results, to be materially different from any historic or future results, financial conditions, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of publication of this document. One Step Vending Corp. expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this document to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based unless required by law or regulation.
Company Contact:
One Step Vending Corp.
Vasiliki Anagnostou
Secretary
600 Mamaroneck Ave.
Harrison, NY 10528
Tel: (619) 419-1220
E-mail: info@onestepvending.com
Results Further Support the Continuity of Good Near-Surface Mineralisation in the Central Core and Support Extension of Higher Grades to the North of Current Central Core, Including the First Intersections of Bornite in the Deposit
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 27, 2017) - Los Andes Copper Ltd. (TSXV: LA) ("Los Andes", or the "Company") is very pleased to announce the results of drill holes V2017-08, V2017-09B, V2017-10 and V2017-11. Following the results already published for the 2017 campaign, these results provide support to the extension to the north of the current central core, with some of the highest grade intersections in the deposit being encountered in V2017-10, the northernmost hole of this campaign. Results also 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:
V2017-09B:
77.6 m @ 0.52 % Cu, 153 ppm Mo and 1.3 g/t Ag (0.57 % CuEq) from 64.4 m downhole
Including:
22.0 m @ 0.60 % Cu, 248 ppm Mo and 1.4 g/t Ag (0.68 % CuEq) from 108.0 m downhole
V2017-10:
506.0 m @ 0.57 % Cu, 357 ppm Mo and 1.1 g/t Ag (0.67 % CuEq) from 486.0 m downhole
Including:
76.0 m @ 0.69 % Cu, 522 ppm Mo and 1.5 g/t Ag (0.84 % CuEq) from 514.0 m downhole
Including within, 30.0 m@ 0.95 % Cu, 337 ppm Mo and 1.6 g/t Ag (1.05 % CuEq) from 558.0 m downhole
88.0 m @ 0.70 % Cu, 278 ppm Mo and 1.4 g/t Ag (0.78 % CuEq) from 684.0 m downhole
60.0 m @ 0.73 % Cu, 341 ppm Mo and 1.5 g/t Ag (0.83 % CuEq) from 924.0 m downhole
Including within, 22.0 m@ 0.94 % Cu, 392 ppm Mo and 1.5 g/t Ag (1.05 % CuEq) from 924.0 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 V2017-08
V2017-08 was drilled in a northerly direction from the same platform as V2017-05. The aim of the drill hole was to test the covered area between the two outcropping un-mineralised diatreme breccias. The hole was speculative in that there are no nearby drill holes and no outcrop. If the drill hole showed that there was mineralised material between these two outcrops, this would have opened up a large area to the west. In the end, the hole encountered only diatreme indicating that the two outcrops are connected at depth.
Drill Hole V2017-09B
V2017-09B was drilled in a south-east direction from the same platform as the drill hole V2015-02. The hole was designed to test the southern extension of the mineralisation identified in drill holes V2015-03 and V2015-05. The top of bedrock was at a depth of 64.4 metres, where a sequence of andesites and hornfels continued to a depth of 570.9 metres. The drill hole then entered a tonalite until the end of the hole at a depth of 804.2 metres. From the top of bedrock, at a depth of 64.4 metres, the drill hole intersected 77.6 m @ 0.52 % Cu, 153 ppm Mo and 1.3 g/t Ag (0.57 % CuEq). This intersection demonstrates the southern continuity of the good supergene mineralisation identified in the drill holes to the north and further extends it to the south.
Key intersections from drill hole V2017-09B:
Hole Number Depth From (m) Depth To (m) Length (m) Cu % Mo ppm Ag g/t CuEq % V2017-09B 64.4 142.0 77.6 0.52 153 1.3 0.57 including 108.0 130.0 22.0 0.60 248 1.4 0.68
V2017-09B 228.0 278.0 50.0 0.47 265 1.3 0.55
* 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 V2017-10
V2017-10 was drilled in a north-east direction to check the northern extension of the mineralisation that had been identified in the drill hole V2017-05. The top of bedrock was intersected at a depth of 50.5 metres. The drill hole cut a sequence of fine and medium grained diorites and occasional hydrothermal breccias to a depth of 486 metres. From a depth of 486 metres, the drill hole entered a long sequence of hydrothermal breccias, with 506 m @ 0.57 % Cu, 357 ppm Mo and 1.1 g/t Ag (0.67 % CuEq). Within this run there some higher grade sections with 30 m @ 0.95 % Cu, 337 ppm Mo and 1.6 g/t Ag (1.05 % CuEq) from 558 metre downhole and also 88 m @ 0.70 % Cu, 278 ppm Mo and 1.4 g/t Ag (0.78 % CuEq) from 684 metre downhole.
The grades improve with depth as the chalcopyrite-pyrite ratio increases and, from a depth of 920 metres, bornite was identified in drill hole with up to 20 percent of the sulphides being bornite. This mineralisation shows the potential for the grade to increase with depth.
This good mineralisation is open to the north. This drill hole and V2017-05 have transformed the northern part of the project, with high grade mineralisation within the hydrothermal breccias and the early diorite porphyry. In the 2014 PEA, this area was classified as waste.
Key intersections from drill hole V2017-10:
Hole Number Depth From (m) Depth To (m) Length (m) Cu % Mo ppm Ag g/t CuEq % V2017-10 486.0 992.0 506.0 0.57 357 1.1 0.67 including 514.0 590.0 76.0 0.69 522 1.5 0.84 inc. within 558.0 588.0 30.0 0.95 337 1.6 1.05
including 622.0 644.0 22.0 0.64 790 1.6 0.85
including 684.0 772.0 88.0 0.70 278 1.4 0.78 inc. within 688.0 726.0 38.0 0.80 338 1.5 0.90
including 882.0 902.0 20.0 0.65 766 0.8 0.85
including 924.0 984.0 60.0 0.73 341 1.5 0.83 inc. within 924.0 946.0 22.0 0.94 392 1.5 1.05
* 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 V2017-11
V2017-11 was drilled 150 metres to the south of V2017-10, to find the southern extension of the mineralisation identified in drill holes: V2017-05 and V2017-10. This hole was also intended to check the northern extensions of the mineralisation identified in V2015-01 and V2015-08. The top of bedrock was intersected at a depth of 86 metres in a fine grained diorite which continued to a depth of 632 metres. Within this run there some higher grade sections with 26 m @ 0.55 % Cu, 253 ppm Mo and 1.2 g/t Ag (0.63 % CuEq) from 488.0 metre downhole. From a depth of 600 metres, bornite mineralisation was identified with up to 10 percent of the sulphides being bornite. The bornite mineralisation, like in drill hole V2017-10, demonstrates the potential for increasing grades with depth. From a depth of 632 metres, the drill hole entered a post mineral dacite dyke and diatreme.
Key intersections from drill hole V2017-11:
Hole Number Depth From (m) Depth To (m) Length (m) Cu % Mo ppm Ag g/t CuEq % V2017-11 440.0 458.0 18.0 0.46 307 0.9 0.55
V2017-11 488.0 514.0 26.0 0.55 253 1.2 0.63
V2017-11 554.0 576.0 22.0 0.48 307 1.1 0.57
* 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.
For more information please contact:
Antony J. Amberg, President & CEO
Tel: +56 2 2954-0450
Aurora Davidson, CFO
Tel: 604-697-6207
E-Mail: info@losandescopper.com or visit our website at: www.losandescopper.com
Certain of the information and statements contained herein that are not historical facts, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the Securities Act (British Columbia), Securities Act (Ontario) and the Securities Act (Alberta) ("Forward-Looking Information"). Forward-Looking Information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend"; statements that an event or result is "due" on or "may", "will", "should", "could", or might" occur or be achieved; and, other similar expressions. More specifically, Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such Forward-Looking Information; including, without limitation, the achievement and maintenance of planned production rates, the evolving legal and political policies of Chile, the volatility in the Chilean economy, military unrest or terrorist actions, metal and energy price fluctuations, favourable governmental relations, the availability of financing for activities when required and on acceptable terms, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, current and future environmental and regulatory requirements, the availability and timely receipt of permits, approvals and licenses, industrial or environmental accidents, equipment breakdowns, availability of and competition for future acquisition opportunities, availability and cost of insurance, labour disputes, land claims, the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates, currency fluctuations, expectations and beliefs of management and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in Management's Discussion and Analysis in the Company's financial statements. Such Forward-Looking Information is based upon the Company's assumptions regarding global and Chilean economic, political and market conditions and the price of metals and energy, and the Company's production. Among the factors that have a direct bearing on the Company's future results of operations and financial conditions are changes in project parametres as plans continue to be refined, a change in government policies, competition, currency fluctuations and restrictions and technological changes, among other things. Should one or more of any of the aforementioned risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from any conclusions, forecasts or projections described in the Forward-Looking Information. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise Forward-Looking Information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- Candente Copper Corp. (TSX: DNT)(LMA: DNT) ("Candente Copper", "Company") is pleased to announce that it has conducted a review of all diamond drilling information from Compania Minera Zahena S.A.C. ("Zahena") from its Arikepay property in southern Peru and has identified potential for significant gold mineralization.
The Company optioned the Arikepay property to Zahena in 2013. In 2017, Zahena drilled 14 diamond drill holes (DDH) for 8,907.80 metre's (m) and subsequently discontinued the option due to low copper grades (see News Release dated March 17, 2017). In 2012, the Company drilled 14 reverse circulation (RC) holes for 3,630m. Significant results include:
-- DDH-02-17: 81 metres (m) (342m - 423m) at 3.052 g/t gold, 2.041 g/t silver, and 18m (30m - 48m) at 1.087 g/t gold, 0.1 g/t silver; and 81m -- DDH-02A-17: 60m (27m - 87m) at 1.304 g/t gold, 0.4 g/t silver -- DDH-07-17: 18m (180m - 198m) at 2.066 g/t gold, 5.8 g/t silver -- RC-12-02: 26m (44m - 70m) at 1.290 g/t gold, 4.5 g/t silver -- RC-12-11: 58m (64m - 122m) at 0.541 g/t gold, 2.1 g/t silver
The significant gold mineralization identified above trends northwest for potentially 1,000m along the southwestern flank of a large, gravel covered northwest trending zone of moderately to intensely silicified and potassic altered andesitic volcanic rocks and dioritic intrusive rocks that measures approximately 2,000m by 700m to 1,200m. It was initially discovered by Candente geologists during RC drilling in 2012 and further explored for its copper potential by Zahena, under option, in 2017. Mineralization consists of trace to over 15% disseminated and veinlet pyrite and trace to 1% chalcopyrite.
"We were well aware of gold mineralization from our own RC drilling in 2012, but now these 3 diamond drill holes drilled by Zahena give us additional confidence in the area's gold potential. We strongly believe additional drilling is warranted and are assessing options to further test this area of gold mineralization," commented Joanne Freeze, P.Geo., Candente Copper's CEO.
About Candente Copper
Candente Copper is a mineral exploration company engaged in acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties. The Company is currently focused on its 100% owned Canariaco project, which includes the Feasibility stage Canariaco Norte deposit as well as the Canariaco Sur deposit and Quebrada Verde prospect, located within the western Cordillera of the Peruvian Andes in the Department of Lambayeque in Northern Peru.
Joanne C. Freeze, P.Geo., CEO, and Michael Thicke, P.Geo., VP Exploration, are the Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for the projects discussed above. They have reviewed and approved the contents of this release.
This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Candente Copper relies upon litigation protection for forward-looking statements.
On behalf of the Board of Candente Copper Corp.
Joanne C. Freeze P.Geo., CEO, Director
NR-097
Contacts:
Candente Copper Corp.
info@candentecopper.com
www.candentecopper.com
Walter Spagnuolo
Manager, Investor Relations
mobile: +1 (604) 306-8477
local: + 1 (604) 689-1957 ext 3
PALO ALTO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- Legion Technologies, a new startup delivering an intelligent workforce engagement platform, today announced its official launch and a $10.5 million series A round of financing led by Norwest Venture Partners. Sean Jacobsohn, partner at Norwest, has joined the company's board of directors. This round brings the total amount raised to $13.5 million and included participation from seed investors First Round Capital, XYZ Ventures and Webb Investment Network. The new funding will accelerate the delivery of the Legion platform to customers and help the company scale.
The hourly workforce population in the U.S. consists of 79.9 million people -- making it the largest group of workers -- however it remains one of the most underserved groups when it comes to flexibility, modern technology, collaborative culture and compelling work options.(1) Launching today, Legion's mission is to fundamentally upgrade hourly workforce management and engagement for both employers and workers through its machine-learning based solution that takes a unique approach to labor optimization and employee engagement.
"Having a vibrant, highly engaged workforce is essential for service industries to deliver the most optimal customer experience possible. This can be a challenging proposition considering high rates of turnover, the cost of replacement and rapidly evolving expectations of the new generation of workforce," said Sean Jacobsohn, partner at Norwest. "Legion offers a next generation technology platform that is becoming essential and provides employers, as well as employees, the necessary tools to engage each other with efficiency and ease."
Philz Coffee Deploys the Legion Workforce Engagement Platform Nationwide
Legion is proud to add Philz Coffee as a customer. Philz Coffee is using Legion to reinforce its "People First" philosophy by empowering its hourly employees across all its nationwide locations to control when, where and how much they want to work while simultaneously improving operational efficiency. This is achieved by using the Legion platform to automate end-to-end workforce operations which include labor forecasting, scheduling and matching the best employees to the right shifts. For more information on Philz' deployment of Legion, please see here.
The Legion solution enables employers to transform their hourly workforce into single, connected network of trained employees. Legion uses AI-based technology to automatically match employees to work, taking into account labor forecast, employee preferences, compliance and many other factors. This enables employers to not only gain unprecedented efficiency in labor management but also provides their workforce a wide spectrum of work options that they seek, improving retention and culture.
Hourly employees get access to Legion's easy-to-use mobile application providing them with a customized experience and powerful controls. Within the mobile application, employees can get highly personalized schedules and shift offers presented to them, without compromising employer business policies and labor compliance laws. Legion is live at customer locations across the country today and customers are leveraging their workforce network to achieve great results and a measurable ROI.
About Legion Technologies, Inc.
Legion is an intelligent workforce engagement platform that fundamentally upgrades hourly workforce engagement for both employers and workers. The platform is powered by machine learning-based labor forecasting and an AI-based matching engine that optimally correlates employee preferences, skills and experience with business coverage demand to make workforce management smarter and more efficient. The company is based in Menlo Park, CA and founded by Sanish Mondkar, formerly Chief Product Officer & EVP at SAP SG and EVP Product, Technology & Operations at Ariba Inc.
About Norwest Venture Partners
Norwest is a leading Silicon Valley based venture capital and growth equity investment firm managing more than $6 billion in capital. Since our inception, we have invested in more than 600 companies. The firm invests in early to late stage companies across a wide range of sectors with a focus on consumer, enterprise, and healthcare. We offer a deep network of connections, operating experience, and a wide range of impactful services to help CEOs and founders advance on their journey. Norwest has offices in Palo Alto and San Francisco, with subsidiaries in India and Israel.
(1) https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2016/home.htm
Media Contact
Kate Dishaw
Norwest Venture Partners
Email Contact
(650) 321-8000
- Rubrik delivers a complete enterprise data management platform for all Microsoft apps; 4.1 introduces support for Microsoft Azure Stack and CloudOn for Microsoft Azure to recover and instantiate apps in the cloud
- New Google Cloud Platform integration completes support for all major cloud providers
- Latest release broadens support to all government infrastructure offerings from Amazon Web Services (AWS), including advanced secure services like Commercial Cloud Services (C2S)
PALO ALTO, California, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Rubrik today announced the 4.1 release of its Cloud Data Management platform. Rubrik Alta 4.1 completes support for all major cloud providers with a new Google Cloud Platform integration. The release also broadens support for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, making it easier than ever for companies, governments and nonprofits to keep and use their data anytime, anywhere.
According to IDC, virtually all new application deployments will be made in a cloud-oriented architecture within the next two years and 47 percent of all organizations plan to purchase a copy data management solution in that timeframe.
"Cloud adoption is top of mind for CIOs on the hunt for savings, scalability and increased business efficiency," says Arvind Nithrakashyap, CTO of Rubrik. "With our latest release, every enterprise can mobilize their apps and data to any public cloud environment. Version 4.1 of Rubrik Cloud Data Management continues the rapid expansion of our cloud solution portfolio. Now, every enterprise can mobilize their apps and data to any cloud environment and enjoy instant data access, regardless of underlying infrastructure."
A Complete Enterprise Data Management Platform for All Microsoft Enterprise Apps
Rubrik can be deployed to orchestrate all critical data management functions - backup and recovery, replication and DR, archival, search, and analytics - for all Microsoft apps; Windows, Hyper-V, SQL, Azure, and Azure Stack. Rubrik Cloud Data Management was architected from the beginning to deliver cloud archival and data services. With Alta 4.1, Rubrik CloudOn instantiation services support both AWS and Microsoft Azure, providing "server-less" conversion of VMs to cloud instances. Now enterprises can use Rubrik CloudOn services to power-on applications in Azure, mobilizing them from data center to cloud. This lowers the costs of disaster recovery and test/development in the public cloud by utilizing cloud services only when needed.
Rubrik is one of the first data management vendors to announce support for Microsoft's new private cloud offering, Azure Stack. With Rubrik, users can easily migrate applications from Azure Stack to Azure and accelerate test/development of on-premises and cloud applications.
"With Rubrik, we could eliminate tape, integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Azure, and securely mobilize our applications from on-premises to the cloud," says Leonard De Botton, CIO at Berkeley College. "Together, Rubrik and Azure helps us decrease costs, stay within our data retention policy, and establish a stronger DR strategy."
Integration with all Public Cloud Environments
Rubrik has always been available in the private, hybrid or public cloud. Rubrik Alta 4.1 adds cloud archival support for all classes of Google Cloud Storage (Nearline, Coldline, Multi-Regional, and Regional). Enterprises can now orchestrate application data across a multi-cloud environment for long-term retention while retaining instant data accessibility through search.
Support for all AWS Government Cloud Offerings and New Compliance Features
Rubrik's platform enables federal government agencies and commercial contractors to securely manage data from creation to expiration across private and public clouds with end-to-end encryption.
Rubrik supports Microsoft Azure's GovCloud and AWS GovCloud, and is an Advanced Tier Technology partner in the AWS Partner Network (APN). Rubrik Alta 4.1 broadens support to all government infrastructure offerings from AWS, including advanced secure services like Commercial Cloud Services (C2S). Rubrik 4.1 also adds support for Amazon Glacier, completing support for all storage classes of AWS - Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), Standard-Infrequent Access (Standard IA), and Amazon Glacier. Customers can now automate data archival to Amazon Glacier to fulfill legal and compliance requirements. With 4.1, it only takes one click to enable the Amazon Glacier Vault Lock policy for Write-Once-Read-Many (WORM) locked archive on AWS for strict regulatory and compliance controls.
Offering Multi-tenancy to Accelerate Secure, Self-service Delivery of Data Management Services
Rubrik bolsters management security for multi-tenant organizations-such as Service Delivery Partners and large enterprises delivering IT-as-service - by adding secure, exclusive access to data management services in a hybrid cloud environment. With Rubrik 4.1, administrators can assign granular permissions to managed objects (e.g., assign Oracle DBs to Oracle Admin) to accelerate the self-service delivery of protection policies, recoveries, and analytics reporting across a multi-cloud environment.
Rubrik Alta 4.1 is generally available through the company's global partner network.
Resources
[VIEW NOW] On-demand webinar: Rubrik Cloud Data Management in Microsoft Azure
[INFOGRAPHIC] Rubrik + Microsoft
[CUSTOMER CASE STUDY] Berkeley College Decreases Cost and Migrates to Microsoft Azurewith Rubrik
[CUSTOMER CASE STUDY] Castilleja Deploys Rubrik for Easy On-ramp to AWS
[BLOG] Choose Your Cloud: Rubrik Enhances Multi-cloud Management
About Rubrik
Rubrik delivers instant application availability with data protection, search, analytics, archival and copy data management. Hybrid Cloud enterprises benefit from Rubrik's market-leading Cloud Data Management platform with simplicity, instant data access, app-mobility, policy-driven automation, Ransomware protection, and analytics at scale. Rubrik has been named to Gartner's Cool Vendors in Storage Technologies 2016, CFO Magazine's Top 20 Disruptive Tech Companies to Watch, Forbes Cloud 100, and awarded the NorthFace ScoreBoard AwardSM. For more information, visit https://www.rubrik.com and follow @rubrikInc on Twitter.
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DUBLIN (dpa-AFX) - Ryanair (RYA.L, RYAAY) confirmed it will slow its growth this winter (November 2017 to March 2018), by flying 25 less aircraft (of its 400 fleet) from November, and 10 fewer aircraft (of 445) from April 2018. By reducing its flying schedule, Ryanair will: eliminate all risk of further flight cancellations, and roster all of the extra pilot leave necessary in Oct, Nov and Dec to meet the IAA's requirement to complete a 9 month annual leave transition period.
Ryanair said the slower rate of growth will slightly reduce traffic in the current year and next. The monthly growth from November 17 to March 18 will slow from 9% to 4%. Full-year traffic of 131 million will now moderate to 129 million, which is 7.5% up on last year. The company expects traffic to March 2019 will slow to 138 million from 142 million, a 7% rate of growth.
Ryanair said it does not expect the initiatives to alter its current year guidance of between 1.40 to 1.45 billion euros profit after tax. The company will provide a full update on these issues to shareholders during the half year results in late October.
Ryanair's Michael O'Leary said: 'From today, there will be no more rostering related flight cancellations this winter or in summer 2018. Slower growth this winter, will create lots of spare aircraft and crews which will allow us to manage the exceptional volumes of annual leave we committed to delivering in the 9 months to Dec 2017. We will start a new 12 month leave period on the 1st of Jan 2018 in full compliance with EU regulations and the IAA's requirements.'
Ryanair also said it has notified the Alitalia bankruptcy Commissioners that the company will not be pursuing its interest in Alitalia or submitting any further offers for the airline.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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Omada, the market-leading provider of solutions for advanced identity management and access governance, today announces a strategic alliance with Microsoft. The alliance is an expansion of the long-term relationship between the two companies. At the center of the solution is the seamless integration of Omada's Identity governance platform with Microsoft Azure Active Directory Premium. Built on Azure, to govern access across hybrid environments. The solution provides customers with advanced access governance controls across all enterprise systems on-premise and in the cloud.
The integration offers comprehensive governance features, allowing modern enterprises to ensure security, compliance and efficiency. With a 360-degree view of all access rights for all users, enterprises have the full overview and control of employees, contractors, partners, and their access, across hybrid environments.
Alex Simons, Director, Product Management, Microsoft Identity Division at Microsoft Corp. says,
"Our expanded integration with Omada is an important step in our journey to cover all dimensions of identity-driven security. Omada's platform is built on Microsoft technology and is the perfect fit for Azure Active Directory Premium. The two solutions combined give customers a future-proof, and easy-to-use, identity management and access governance solution across on-premise and cloud."
Creating measurable business value
Omada's solution provides features such as user-friendly self-service access request portal, automation of access certification, and automation of the access review processes together with automated audit and compliance reporting.
"Since Omada was founded almost two decades ago, one of the key insights from our customer and partner engagements that has especially stood out has been: we help them do more with identity and create measurable business value," says Morten Boel Sigurdsson, CEO and founder of Omada. "We are thrilled about announcing this strategic alliance between Microsoft and Omada, which takes our relationship to a new level and enables us to deliver even more value to our customers."
Covering security, compliance and efficiency needs
The Omada Identity Platform is acknowledged for its strong identity governance capabilities by customers, partners, and leading analysts. When combined with the secure access and risk-based identity protection of Microsoft Azure Active Directory Premium, the solution enables customers to focus on their business by fully covering some of their most demanding security, compliance, and efficiency needs.
The strategic alliance enables organizations to enhance Microsoft's access management and identity protection services with Omada's identity governance and administration platform, built on Microsoft technologies. This means, that customers can use their already existing Microsoft expertise in the organization.
Do more with identity
At Omada, we are focused on using identity to create measurable business value -from IT and HR to Marketing and Sales. Identity, managed the Omada way, simultaneously improves security, efficiency, cost control, and regulatory compliance throughout any organization.
And, it can do even more. Identity can accelerate digital transformations, smooth M&A integration, and enable deeper relationships with suppliers and customers. Few technologies have the potential to impact so much. Belief in this essential role of identity unites our organization, fuels our innovation, and strengthens our collaboration with partners.
We've pioneered many of the best practices in use today, and are passionate about taking identity management even further. We are committed to using identity to create business value.
About Omada
Established in 2000, Omada has operations in North America and Europe, delivering solutions directly and via a network of skilled partners and system integrators.
Omada's Identity Platform is recognized by Gartner in the 'Critical Capabilities report for IGA', where Omada received the 3rd highest scores in two out of four use cases.
Omada is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and three times global Microsoft Award winner of the Microsoft Identity Secure Access Award, recognized for providing advanced identity and access governance scenarios utilizing the Microsoft stack. The Omada Identity Platform utilizes Microsoft technologies to provide enterprise-ready identity solutions across heterogeneous IT platforms, supporting hybrid scenarios. Omada's certified solution is based on well proven components in the Microsoft technology stack like Windows Server, the .NET framework, SQL Server and BI services for enhanced analytics experiences.
Omada DO MORE WITH IDENTITY
www.omada.net | info@omada.net
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005693/en/
Contacts:
Omada
Anne Dorthe H. Gyldenkrne, Vice President Global Marketing Communication
T: +45 7025 0069
M: +45 2018 1881
e-mail: adg@omada.net
www.omada.net
Saudi Arabia Lifts Texting Ban
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By Paula Bernier
Executive Editor, TMC By Paula BernierExecutive Editor, TMC
Saudi Arabia officials announced they are lifting a ban on in-app messaging supported on such platforms as Skype (News - Alert) and Snapchat. As The Verge pointed out in this article, the countrys telecommunications authority announced the change in direction on this via a statement on Twitter last week.
Officials in Saudi Arabia put the ban in place about a year ago, according to The Verge. The publication notes that oil prices are down, and that as a result Saudi Arabia is looking to other sectors for growth. One place the country is looking to, the piece indicates, is the internet, and The Verge says theres lots of digital startup investment in the Middle East lately. And the media outlet notes that Sarahah, an offering launched in August by a Saudi company, is now among the most downloaded free apps in the Apple (News - Alert) App Store and Google Play Store.
In March, CBInsights published a brief that said Saudi Arabias massive Public Investment Fund has become active in tech startup investing. That brief also talked about the countrys work to lessen its economic dependence on oil and to diversify. And it noted plans for the Public Investment Fund to partner with Japans SoftBank Group to create a $100 billion tech investment fund.
The Public Investment Funds website lists its investments in the agriculture and food; energy, manufacturing, and mining; technology and communications; and utilities, transportation, and infrastructure sectors. Among the PIFs investments in tech are ELM, which develops secure e-Services and high-profile government support projects; noon, which has an ecommerce platform; STC, which provides internet, landline, mobile, TV, and wholesale communications services; and Uber, among others.
However, a story posted earlier this year on the World Economic Forums website says that while annual investment in startups in the Middle East and North Africa region (not including Israel) was nearing $1 billion as of mid May, most of that came from just two companies Careem and Souq. Careem is Dubais answer to Uber. Souq is an online retailer, also out of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, that was recently purchased by Amazon. That deal put the regions startup scene on the global map this year, according to the WEF.
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Edited by Mandi Nowitz
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 27, 2017 / SeeThruEquity, a leading independent equity research and corporate access firm focused on small-cap and micro-cap public companies, today announced that it has issued a company update on Vitality Biopharma, Inc. (OTCQB: VBIO) and increased its 12 month price target to $2.40.
The note is available here: VBIO September 2017 Update Note.
Vitality Biopharma, Inc. (OTCQB: VBIO, "Vitality") is focused on the development of cannabinoids for the treatment of serious neurological and inflammatory disorders. Formerly Stevia First, Vitality is now focused on developing a new class of cannabinoid pharmaceuticals called cannabosides. Cannabosides were discovered in 2015 through the application of the company's proprietary enzymatic bioprocessing technologies which were originally developed for stevia sweeteners. Cannabosides are prodrugs that enable targeted delivery of cannabinoids to the gut and enables them to provide relief from pain and inflammation without any psychoactive or intoxicating side effects. Initially, Vitality will seek to develop cannaboside prodrugs for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as narcotic bowel syndrome (NBS), a severe form of opiate-induced bowel dysfunction. Vitality's lead candidates include VITA-100 for acute treatment of IBD and NBS, and VITA-210, which is being investigated for chronic treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, IBD, neuropathic pain, and muscle spasticity in multiple sclerosis.
Vitality Biopharma recently provided several investor updates with highlights including:
Positive preclinical efficacy results for its cannabosides in the treatment of drug-resistant inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
New capital raised in a $1mn in a private placement comprising the sale of 0.67mn shares of stock at $1.50
FY1Q18 EPS of ($0.05) per share as the company invested in advancing candidate development, intellectual property, and organizational capabilities as a biotechnology company
Recent Vitality data released for IBD treatment
We were pleased to see Vitality release positive preclinical data on the efficacy of its cannabinoid glycosides, or cannabosides, over the last several months. Most notably, on July 19, 2017, the company disclosed positive pre-clinical results for its gut-targeted cannaboside prodrugs. The gut-targeted cannabosides are ingested and can be targeted and limited to the gastrointestinal tract, avoiding drug psychoactivity. The company reported that its cannabosides reduced weight loss, decreased colon damage, and improved overall gastrointestinal health compared to placebo controls in a preclinical model of colitis. We view the announcement as a key development for the company as positive pre-clinical efficacy results with cannabosides are required in order for the company to advance to in-human clinical trials.
Large market opportunity for IBD treatments
Vitality Biopharma is clearly pursuing a large opportunity as it develops cannabinoid prodrugs for a variety of neurological and inflammatory disorders. We expect the company will initially target inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) - a market estimated to be $9.7 billion in 2017 by research firm Visiongain. IBD is a chronic autoimmune condition in which parts of the digestive system become sore and inflamed; it also is a key risk factor for colon cancer and other opportunistic infections such as C. difficile. There are approximately 1.6mn Americans living with the most common forms of IBD, which are Crohn's disease and colitis.
Increasing target to $2.40
We are updating our target to $2.40 following recent results, management commentary on efforts to expand its IP position, recent financing activities, and the disclosure of positive preclinical data for cannabosides in IBD models. Upcoming catalysts include trial activity for VBIO's lead candidates, VITA-100 and VITA-210, which are expected to commence in 2017.
Please review important disclosures on the company's website at www.seethruequity.com.
About Vitality Biopharma, Inc.
Vitality Biopharma is dedicated to unlocking the power of cannabinoids for the treatment of serious neurological and inflammatory disorders. www.vitality.bio.
About SeeThruEquity
Since its founding in 2011, SeeThruEquity has been committed to its core mission: providing impactful, high-quality research on underfollowed small-cap and micro-cap equities. SeeThruEquity has pioneered an innovative business model for equity research that is not paid for and is unbiased. SeeThruEquity is the host of acclaimed investor conferences that are the ultimate event for publicly traded companies with market capitalizations less than $1 billion.
SeeThruEquity is approved to contribute its research reports and estimates to Thomson One Analytics (First Call), the leading estimates platform on Wall Street, as well as Capital IQ and FactSet. SeeThruEquity maintains one of the industry's most extensive databases of opt-in institutional and high net worth investors. The firm is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan in New York City.
For more information visit www.seethruequity.com.
Contact:
SeeThruEquity
info@seethruequity.com
SOURCE: SeeThruEquity
ROUYN-NORANDA, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- GLOBEX MINING ENTERPRISES INC. (TSX: GMX)(FRANKFURT: G1MN)(STUTTGART: G1MN)(BERLIN: G1MN)(MUNICH: G1MN)(XETRA: G1MN)(OTCQX: GLBXF) is pleased to inform shareholders that Globex has sold the Donalda Gold Mine property near Rouyn-Noranda to Falco Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: FPC).
In consideration for the acquisition of the Donalda Gold Mine property, Falco has agreed to pay $300,000 in cash and issue 350,000 units to Globex. Each unit consists of one (1) common share of Falco and one (1) common share purchase warrant of Falco. Each warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one (1) common share of the Company at a price of C$1.15 per common share, for a period of 5 years following the closing date. Additionally, Falco has agreed to grant Globex a 2.5% Gross Metal Royalty on all mineral production from the Donalda Gold Mine property and to transfer a 100% ownership of Falco's Dickenson gold property located on the east side and adjoining Globex's Francoeur/Arntfield gold property. The Dickenson property consists of three claims totally 211.38 ha. Historical drilling on the Dickenson property returned numerous gold intersections. Geologically, the claims may cover up to 1.5 km of the eastward extension of the gold localising Francoeur-Wasa Fault which is associated with six historical mines on Globex's Francoeur/Arntfield gold property. In addition, the property holds the potential down dip extensions of gold zones being explored as part of Globex's ongoing exploration on the Francoeur/Arntfield land package.
The Donalda Mine Property
The Donalda Mine Property is located within the town of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, due east of the Horne 5 deposit and Quemont mine infrastructure. The property consists of seven mining claims, covering approximately 146 hectares in the Rouyn Township.
During mine production, a 620 metre shaft provided access to the two known gold bearing vein structures. The majority of the gold was extracted from the Donalda #1 vein (782,360 tonnes at 5.58g/t were mined over seven years of production) which was mined over a strike length of 825 metres and with a dip length of 400 metres. The #2 vein was discovered about 300 metres below the #1 vein. The small amount of production coming from Donalda #2 Vein (32,145 tonnes at 5.76 g/t were mine over one year of production), and was extracted via the adjoining Quemont mine.
Both vein structures remain open down dip and could have significant exploration upside. The gold bearing structures were known by previous operators to persist down-dip at least as far as the Horne Creek fault. Surface diamond drilling carried out by Minnova Inc. in 1986 located the extension of the #1 vein south of the Horne Creek fault, which was not mined. Very little exploration has been undertaken below the 700 metres depth.
This press release was written by Jack Stoch, Geo., President and CEO of Globex in his capacity as a Qualified Person (Q.P.) under NI 43-101.
We Seek Safe Harbour. Foreign Private Issuer 12g3 - 2(b) CUSIP Number 379900 50 9 LEI 529900XYUKGG3LF9PY95
Forward Looking Statements: Except for historical information, this news release may contain certain "forward looking statements". These statements may involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity and performance to be materially different from the expectations and projections of Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. ("Globex"). No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits Globex will derive therefrom. A more detailed discussion of the risks is available in the "Annual Information Form" filed by Globex on SEDAR at www.sedar.com
50,172,424 shares issued and outstanding
Contacts:
Jack Stoch, P.Geo., Acc.Dir.
President & CEO
Globex Mining Enterprises Inc.
819.797.5242
819.797.1470 (FAX)
info@globexmining.com
www.globexmining.com
MILAN, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Edison and Venture Global Calcasieu Pass, LLC (Venture Global) have entered into a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA), concerning the purchase by Edison of 1 million tons per annum of LNG (equivalent to approximately 1.4 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year) from the Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility, currently being developed by Venture Global in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, USA.
Under this SPA, Edison will purchase the gas on a free on board basis (FOB) for a 20 year term starting from the commercial operation date of the Calcasieu Pass facility, currently expected in 2021.
This agreement will contribute to Edison's gas supply portfolio competitiveness and diversification, further enhancing Edison's ability to meet the Group's customers' requirements.
Edison
Edison is a leading player in Italy and Europe in the procurement, production and sale of electricity, in the provision of energy and environmental services thanks also to its subsidiary Fenice and in the E&P sector. Founded over 130 years ago, Edison has contributed to the electrification and development of Italy. It now operates in Italy, Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin, employing 5,000 people. In the power generation sector, Edison has plants with total capacity of 6.5 GW. www.edison.it
Edison covers about 20% of Italy's gas imports thorough long term agreements for the purchase of 14.4 billion cubic meters of gas per year (2 billion from Algeria, 4 billion from Libya, 6.4 billion from Qatar and 2 billion from Russia).
Venture Global LNG
Venture Global LNG plans to be a long-term, low-cost, producer of LNG from natural gas production basins within the U.S.A. Venture Global is developing LNG export terminals at both Calcasieu Pass and Plaquemines, totaling 30 MTPA of anticipated nameplate capacity. More can be found atwww.venturegloballng.com.
Industry peers called upon to help recognize the best innovations in retail banking today
Voting has opened for the 5th Efma-Accenture Distribution Marketing Innovation Awards program, which recognizes the most-innovative projects in retail banking worldwide. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Oct. 25 in Rome.
This year, 183 financial services institutions from 59 countries submitted more than 450 innovations, from which 48 have been selected as finalists, split across eight categories.
Efma members and non-members from financial institutions may now vote online for the winners and runners-up in each category. Votes may be cast until Sept. 29 at https://www.efma.com/innovations/nominees, where voters will evaluate the innovations and rank their top choices, awarding a bronze, silver and gold medal to three of the six nominees per category.
Those attending the awards ceremony in person or via live webcast will be able to vote for the 'Best New Product or Service category' during the event. Each nominee will have seven minutes to pitch and demo their innovation to participants to get those all-important final votes.
The 2017 finalists are:
Best New Product or Service
1. comdirect bank -Finooptimizer The smart tool to multiply your money; a financial management tool to help optimize customers transactions
2. Emirates NBD - Liv. The First Digital Lifestyle Bank Globally; promoting social and financial wellness
3.OP Group - OP Kulku Care-free electric car leasing service utilizing omnichannel sales to optimize the customer experience
4. DenizBank - Augmented Agricultural Banking App Banking backed by technology enhanced intelligence and algorithm driven agricultural platform
5. Alior Bank - HAIZ Banking communicator for tech-savvy customers
6. BBVA- BBVA Valora Helps assess how much a consumer's home can be worth by grouping expenses and related information
Big Data, Analytics and AI
1. Isbank - Isbank's Marketing Brain Creating relevant, contextual, consistent and personalized interactions
2. mBank - ChatMe&mAIA Program Full chat interaction service program focused on providing an omnichannel experience with AI support)
3. Banco Bradesco - Nuveo Uses AI to capture and interpret information from legal documents and contracts
4. Sberbank - Tips in Sberbank Online Helps users change their financial habits for the better
5.Mashreq Bank - Mashreq Chat Banking The world's first chat banking platform integrated with Facebook Messenger
6. Leumi Card - Secured Touch Behavorial biometric technology that replaces second-factor authentication
Customer Experience Engagement
1. DenizBank DenizBank Senior Banking Service Model A social responsibility service model for pensioners
2. KBC Bank KBC's My car Driving customer experience in car loans
3. La Banque Postale La Banque Postale Digital Inclusion Program in the Banking Sector Developing digital use of banking services
4. Siam Commercial Bank Easy Van An entertaining, movable digital banking classroom
5. Nordea Bank Nordea Car portal Online car leasing platform
6. Garanti Bank Mobile Interactive Assistant An assistant to conduct self-service transactions on the mobile banking platform
Digital Marketing
1. Zagrebacka Banka Cash Loans "I live for today" Digital platform for customers to share answers to inquiries
2. DBS Bank - DBS Sparks Digital content marketing, inspired by true client stories
3.DenizBank The Visible Man-Scenario integration to an internet series Creating 'native content'
4. Banco Bradesco Content House SXSW 2017 Up-to-date content that democratizes access to discussions and connects the brand to consumers
5. Self Bank - Pequenos Inversores Little Investors, bringing investment funds to all consumers in a simple way
6. La Caixa imaginBank chatbot Spain's first Facebook chatbot provided by a financial institution
New Business Ecosystem
1. mBank mPower Business Starter Facilitating new business with an intuitive experience
2. Yapi Kredi Bankasi Code.YapiKredi Software providing education and support for bright young minds
3. Mizuho Financial Group Diving into API Banking to explore the IoT ecosystem
4. Citigroup Citi Developer Hub Collaborative ecosystem delivering cutting-edge solutions
5.Fidor Bank Fidor Bank's digital marketplace "Finance Bay" Customers 'shop' for trusted FinTech, InsurTech and TradeTech apps
6.Standard Bank Feenix Crowd Funding Platform Connecting students looking for finance with donors looking to make a difference
Phygital Distribution
1. Standard Chartered Bank Korea SCBK X Payco Collaboration of banking and payment services
2. comdirect bank cominvest The Modern Digital Asset Management by comdirect
3. ICICI Bank Next generation features in iMobile- ICICI Bank's mobile banking application
4. Banco Bradesco Offering Credit to SMEs through mobile
5. Idea Bank Idea Hub Express Mobile co-working space
6. Axis Bank Augmented Reality feature in Near Me Section of mobile banking services
Wallets Payments
1. DBS Bank POSB Smart Buddy Programme Contactless payments ecosystem, cultivating sensible savings and spending habits among students
2. Barclaycard Barclaycard Grab+Go New payment concept that transforms shoppers' smartphones into a 'pocket checkout'
3.Intesa Sanpaolo JiffyPay Mobile payment system leveraging ultrasound to transform payments from 'push' to 'pull'
4. Soldo - Soldo Family Wallet Multi-user account that manages the entire family's expenses
5. Maybank Berhad New Maybank2u Pay Open API platform for digital payments to e-commerce merchants
6. Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ - MUFG COIN New digital payment instrument: a form of virtual currency issued using blockchain technology
Workforce Empowerment Behavior
1. DenizBank I Have a Solution! Gamified platform that creates open innovation and "coopetetive" (cooperative competitive) idea playground
2. Mouvement Desjardins Desjardins Group's entourage service Proactively addresses complaints to ensure friends and family are getting great service
3. Sberbank Smart Learning System Individual approach to mastering managers' skills through big data analytics
4. OCBC Bank HR in your Pocket (HIP) Provides more than 6,000 employees in Singapore access to HR resources at their fingertips
5. Intesa Sanpaolo ISP Digital Learning Portal and Smartphone App to Learn Anytime, Anywhere
6.Kotak Mahindra Bank - Executive Assistance Bot (Cognitive Data Analytics with NLS) Instant insights and decision making for senior management leaders
Two special categories Global Innovator Challenger and Global Innovator Established Player will be selected by an impartial Expert Jury Committee, which will vote on the quality and quantity of each institution's innovations.
The finalists are:
Global Innovator Challenger Players:
1. CheBanca!
2. DenizBank
3. Fidor Bank
4. Idea Bank
5. N26
6. SolarisBank
7. Widiba
Global Innovator Established Players:
1. BBVA
2. Banco Bradesco
3. Caixabank
4.DBS Bank
5. Emirates NBD
6. Garanti Bank
7. HDFC Bank
8. ICICI Bank
9. Sberbank
10. USAA
To find out more about the Efma-Accenture Distribution Marketing Innovation Awards or to reserve your space at the ceremony, click here.
About Efma
A global non-profit organization established in 1971 by banks and insurance companies, Efma facilitates networking between decision-makers. It provides quality insights to help banks and insurance companies make the right decisions to foster innovation and drive their transformation. Over 3,300 brands in 130 countries are Efma members. Headquarters in Paris. Offices in London, Brussels, Barcelona, Stockholm, Bratislava, Dubai, Mumbai and Singapore. Learn more at www.efma.com
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions underpinned by the world's largest delivery network Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 411,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005773/en/
Contacts:
Efma
Alys Singh, +33 1 47 42 67 71
alys.pr@efma.com
or
Accenture
Melissa Volin, +1 267-216-1815
melissa.volin@accenture.com
Technavio's latest report on the global air cargo marketprovides an analysis of the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook from 2017-2021. Technavio defines an emerging trend as a factor that has the potential to significantly impact the market and contribute to its growth or decline.
This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005671/en/
Technavio has published a new report on the global air cargo market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire)
The global air cargo market is growing on the back drop of the growing global e-commerce market. Online retailers rely on the air cargo service providers because of the speedy delivery they offer. With the expected growth in the global e-commerce market, it is predicted that the global air cargo market will also witness growth. The rising demand from APAC economies, such as China, that constituted more than 35% share in 2016 in the region's economy will drive the growth of the air cargo market during the forecast period.
This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing
Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free
The top three emerging trends driving the global air cargo market according to Technavio transportation and logistics research analysts are:
Expected rise in demand for temperature-sensitive products
Rise in popularity of air cargo digitization
Increased focus on autonomous vehicles in logistics sector
Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report
Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.
Expected rise in demand for temperature-sensitive products
Transporting and handling temperature-sensitive products gives rise to both challenges and opportunities for all cold chain industry participants. Businesses, such as pharmaceutical companies, depend on air transport for its speed in delivering high-value, time-sensitive, and temperature-controlled products.
"The International Air Transport Association took a step to support the air transport industry to comply with the pharmaceutical manufacturers' requirements. Working together with the air cargo industry stakeholders and regulators, IATA formed the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics. CEIV Pharma addresses the industry's need for more compliance, security, safety, and efficiency, by forming a globally recognized pharmaceutical product handling certification," says Shakti Jhakar, a lead analyst at Technavio for research on logistics.
Rise in popularity of air cargo digitization
There is a rise in the digitization of systems in all the industries across the world. Similarly, a digital process will increase the air cargo value proposition by starting innovative services and solutions. The Air Waybill is one of the important air cargo documents, and its conversion to an e-AWB is the first step toward digitization. To fast-track the global acceptance of the e-AWB, IATA developed e-AWB360. The e-AWB360 program is planned around an airport community approach to e-AWB implementation.
"The e-AWB desktop tool was launched to help small and medium air freight forwarders to create, send, and manage e-AWBs easily and efficiently. Challenges such as perceived complexity and a lack of harmonization in e-AWB procedures between stakeholders, must also be mitigated," adds Shakti.
Increased focus on autonomous vehicles in logistics sector
Autonomous vehicles are becoming increasingly popular with products, such as Google's driverless car, which rode around 1.6 to 2.2 million miles in October 2016. It is estimated that companies are expecting the commercialization of autonomous cars by around 2019 to 2022.
The popularity of autonomous vehicles has also ripped into the logistics sector. For example, self-driving vehicles have made inroads in logistics, reaching a level of maturity for commercial use in warehouse operations. In August 2016, it was observed that the introduction of vision-guided autonomous forklifts increased Giant Eagle's warehouse productivity by more than 10%.
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LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / September 27, 2017 / The US approval of Novartis AG's (NYSE: NVS) Kymriah for childhood leukaemia opens a dramatic new era of cancer therapy deploying powerful modified white cells (CAR-T cells) to selectively kill cancer cells. However, Kymriah and other expected first wave CD19-targeting CAR-T therapies only cover 1.4% of cancers in the US and about 1% of deaths, 6,500.
Even if all currently accessible blood cancers[1] could be treated by current CAR-T therapies, this is still only 54,000 new patients in the US each year, of whom about 19,000 die. At the Kymriah price of US$475,000, this new market is potentially worth US$9bn.
Due to this success of CAR-T in leukaemia, 53% of T-cell clinical trials are aimed at the 10% of patients with blood cancers - and not all of those are currently treatable. Few clinical trials are seeking to extend T-cell therapy to the 1.2m patients who are diagnosed with major solid cancers annually.
The reason for this mismatch between investment and medical need is that CAR-T technology, as used in Kymirah, is very hard to adapt to attack solid cancers. This means that the current leaders in CAR-T development may not escape from a limited and probably highly competitive niche market, so most patients may not benefit.
The two most likely current options for extending T-cell therapy to treat solid tumours are NKR CAR T-cell therapy and T-cell receptor (TCR) approaches. While both are in earlier clinical development, they may advance rapidly if they show promising results. Other promising technologies include BiTEs - novel, dual targeting monoclonal antibodies that grab T-cells and link them to cancer cells to activate the cancer killing response.
NKR CAR T-cell therapy targets the "stress antigens" displayed by most cancer cells. NKR CAR treatment is now being developed by Celyad to target five solid cancers covering 550,000 new cases with 150,000 deaths a year in the US: a US$75bn potential market. Two blood cancers (MM and AML) also in clinical development could treat up to another 52,000 cases with 23,000 deaths. Initial results are expected soon.
The TCR therapy approach has exquisite specificity and cross-cancer versatility. Leading US CAR-T companies have early projects aimed at solid cancers but the lead company is Adaptimmune. TCR therapies may treat up to 350,000 patients with 91,000 deaths (US$45bn potential market). Individual TCR products potentially have cross cancer versatility but their tight specificities means that their use is constrained to patient subgroups.
As solid cancers are difficult targets to attack, these new T-cell therapies might be combined with BiTEs (like those from Immunocore) and checkpoint inhibitors - as already used to treat lung and skin cancers.
Edison's free report on T-cell cancer therapies is published in two parts:
Part 1 gives a comprehensive and comprehensible overview of the challenges and potential of these various approaches.
Click here for T-cell cancer therapies: Part 1.
Click here for T-cell cancer therapies: Part 1. Part 2 gives an in-depth review of the various technologies and the current level of understanding of these powerful and risky therapies.
Click here for Part 2: T-cell cancer therapies: Part 2.
The reports were produced by Edison Investment Research, sponsored by Celyad and written by expert healthcare analysts, Dr. John Savin and Dr. Daniel Wilkinson.
All reports published by Edison are available to download free of charge from its website:
www.edisoninvestmentresearch.com
About Edison:
Edison is an investment research and advisory company, with offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and AsiaPac. The heart of Edison is our world-renowned equity research platform and deep multi-sector expertise. At Edison Investment Research, our research is widely read by international investors, advisers and stakeholders. Edison Advisors leverages our core research platform to provide differentiated services including investor relations and strategic consulting.
Edison is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Edison is not an adviser or broker-dealer and does not provide investment advice. Edison's reports are not solicitations to buy or sell any securities.
For more information, please contact Edison:
Dr John Savin, +44 (0)20 3077 5735
Dr Daniel Wilkinson, +44 (0)20 3077 5734
healthcare@edisongroup.com
Learn more at www.edisongroup.com and connect with Edison on:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/edison-investment-research
Twitter www.twitter.com/Edison_Inv_Res
YouTube www.youtube.com/edisonitv
[1] The B-cell cancers (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)) targeted with CD19 and multiple myeloma (MM) targeted with B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA).
SOURCE: Edison
China's oldest TCM brand to sponsor rising fashion star in unprecedented collaboration with tech giant Tencent
- Oldest TCM brand in China, with a history of nearly 500 years
- Guo Jiaxue, Chairman of the Board of GuangYuYuan: "Very few companies in the world boast a heritage as long as ours. For GuangYuYuan, the preservation of traditional culture and encouraging innovation are two of the pillars our company is built on."
BEIJING, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The oldest of the "Big 4" Traditional Chinese Medicine brands, GuangYuYuan, will be making its global debut at Paris Fashion Week on 1 October 2017.
At an event organized by tech giant Tencent, during the finale of the biannual international "Big 4" fashion weeks, GuangYuYuan will sponsor an innovative runway show by up-and-coming Chinese designer Liu Qing, also known as Big-King, in what will be his first Paris runway show.
Guo Jiaxue, Chairman of the Board of GuangYuYuan Chinese Herbal Medicine Co., Ltd. explained the motivation behind this unique collaboration: "Very few companies in the world boast a heritage as long as ours. For GuangYuYuan, the preservation of traditional culture and encouraging innovation are two of the pillars our company is built on. We are excited to see how Big-King is able to incorporate distinctly Chinese elements into his designs, as well as some elements that reflect our own history of nearly 500 years."
The GuangYuYuan-sponsored show received special permission to be held in the magnificent Musee Jacquemart-Andre, the first runway Paris Fashion Week show ever held in the museum. GuangYuYuan will also have highlights from its brand culture and design aesthetics on display during its Paris debut.
About GuangYuYuan
GuangYuYuan was founded in 1541. In 2003 it was acquired by a leading Chinese pharmaceutical conglomerate, Xi'an Dongsheng Group, and is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange under the name GuangYuYuan Chinese Herbal Medicine Co. Ltd., stock number 600771. In 2006, GuangYuYuan was honored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, receiving its "Time-Honored Brand" appellation. Two of GuangYuYuan's oldest products, GuilingJi and Dingkun Dan, have been declared to be part of China's intangible cultural heritage and their formulas have been named national secrets.
Website: www.guangyuyuan.cn
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/559986/Guang_Yu_Yuan_Chinese_Medicine.jpg
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- Sparton Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: SRI) ("Sparton" or the "Company") announced today that it has closed, effective September 27, 2017 (the "Closing Date") a private placement financing totalling $265,000 through the sale of 5,300,000 Units to five accredited investors.
Each Unit is priced at $0.05 and consists of one Flow Through Common Share, and one Common Share Purchase Warrant. Each Common Share Purchase Warrant entitles the holder to purchase on non - flow through common share of the Company at a price of $0.10 for a period of 12 months after the Closing Date.
Resale of the shares is subject to normal restrictions under TSX Venture Exchange Policy and the transaction has received Sparton Board and regulatory approval.
Further, the exploration program has now started on the Company's Bruell Gold Project east of Val D'Or Quebec. Crews have begun clearing and re-positioning the survey grid established on the claims by earlier operators. Once this work is completed the key priority areas will be subjected to additional geophysical work to verify locations of the target zones and targets will be established for an initial drill program.
Assay results have been received from the sampling done during the first property visit. (see Sparton news release dated Aug 11, 2017).
These are all grab samples of various types of mineralization found on the property, taken from old trench areas and outcrops found along the trend of the Avocalon - Aurora zone in the south east and south central property area.
Results are as follows:
DV-1, Sheared, 2% pyritic, silicified quartz - feldspar porphyry, from Aurora trench area at east end of Avocalon - Aurora Shear Zone - 2.3 grams per tonne gold.
DV-2, Quartz -tourmaline vein material, location as above, not pyritic--- 0.5 grams per tonne gold
DV-3 As above, 2% pyritic, with 50% sheared volcanic host, -- 0.9 grams per tonne gold
DV-4 Quartz Tourmaline vein material with 5% pyrite, Avocalon shaft area -- 1.6 grams per tonne gold
DV-5 - Sheared 3% pyritic quartz feldspar porphyry, 300 meters west of Avocalon shaft area along access road - 2.7 grams per tonne gold
DV-6 As above, sheared 3% pyritic, silicified bleached volcanic -- 0.6 grams per tonne gold.
These results have confirmed the gold bearing nature of the Avocalon - Aurora structure and their locations coincide generally with an IP chargeability anomaly that has not been extensively tested by drilling. Once the survey lines covering these areas have been cleared additional sampling and possibly trenching will be done prior to drilling.
The above analyses were done by Activation Laboratories Ltd. of Ancaster Ontario ("Actlabs"). Data verification for Quality Assurance ("QA") and Quality Control ("QC") protocols for the assay data by Actlabs were completed with normal internal QA-QC protocols for blank, internal standards, and duplicate assays.
A. L. Barker M.A.Sc., P. Eng., P. Geol. is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 for the technical information in this news release and has reviewed all available data for the Bruell Property and approved the contents of this news release.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release involves forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, financings and transactions being pursued, and all such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. Although the Company believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct and, accordingly, undue reliance should not be put on such forward-looking statements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein.
We Seek Safe Harbour
Contacts:
A. Lee Barker, M.A Sc., P. Eng., P.Geol.
President and CEO
Tel./Fax: 647-344-7734 or Mobile: 416-716-5762
info@spartonres.ca
www.spartonres.ca
SWINDON, England, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Relocation Agent Network, a UK affiliation of Cartus, was honoured to receive three prestigious awards at a recent industry awards dinner in London.
Relocation Agent Network was crowned 2017 Best Estate Agency Supplier and also won the Gold award in the large Estate Agency Supplier category. In addition Relocation Agent Network's Managing Director Richard Tucker was recognized with a special award for his Outstanding Contribution to Estate Agency.
The EA Masters Awards Dinner was held on Friday 22 September at the O2's InterContinental hotel, London. The event was organised by Property Academy, the UK estate agency's pre-eminent business improvement and events company.
The Awards:
The 2017 Best Estate Agency Supplier award was given to Relocation Agent Network, after they received the Gold Award in the large supplier category and had the highest number of votes from estate agency supplier customers, via an online poll by Property Academy.
The Outstanding Contribution to Estate Agency award recognizes Richard Tucker's contribution to UK estate agency in a career that has spanned almost 40 years. Tucker started with New Forest agency and surveyors practice Jackson & Jackson in 1979 working his way up to become an equity partner eight years later. Following a spell at General Accident, Tucker joined Cartus in 1996 initially as Supplier Manager. He became managing director of Relocation Agent Network in 2002 and since then he has been instrumental in the growth of Relocation Agent Network and its focus on customer service, innovation and quality excellence.
Ian Payne, Executive Vice President Cartus EMEA & APAC, said of the wins, "Cartus is the world's leading relocation management company. We created the Relocation Agent Network 20 years ago as a key part of our UK business strategy. Today, Relocation Agent Network engages with and serves over 600 independently owned estate agency offices throughout the UK. Our partnership with our membership is immensely strong and the Network is founded on two driving principles: The quality of members selected to join and the work that we do to help them compete in their local and regional markets.
"I am extremely proud to see the Cartus Relocation Agent Network leadership, operations and communications teams recognised with these major estate agency awards. It tells us we are 'getting it right' today, providing great service and real value. However, we will be working hard again tomorrow and every day after that to make sure we stay ahead of what the estate agent community needs."
About Relocation Agent Network
Relocation Agent Network is a national network of leading UK estate agents, who select each member based on quality of service, local knowledge and professionalism. Relocation Agent Network members help Cartus move relocating families in and out of areas across England, Scotland and Wales, providing each family with the highest level of customer service.
About Cartus
For more than 60 years, Cartus has provided trusted guidance to organizations of all types and sizes that require global relocation solutions. Providing the full spectrum of relocation services, including language and intercultural training, Cartus serves more than half of the Fortune 50 and has moved employees into and out of 185 countries. Cartus is part of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in real estate franchising and provider of real estate brokerage, relocation and settlement services. To find out how our greater experience, reach, and hands-on guidance can help your company, visit www.cartus.com; read our blog; or click www.realogy.com for more information.
Contact:
Jane Bergman at +44 1793 756003
Email: jane.bergman@cartus.com
Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/562942/CARTUS_LOGO.jpg
MIAMI, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- Registration is now open and the agenda is posted for the 2018 Winter Meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS), which takes place January 5-7 at the Hyatt Regency Miami.
Dozens of legislators as well as regulators, gaming operators, suppliers, attorneys, lottery officials, regulators and other gaming-related professionals will meet to discuss the key trends and critical public-policy issues in casino gaming, lotteries, and pari-mutuel operations.
"NCLGS conferences offer a prime venue for legislators and regulators to hear from their peers about what is effective in other jurisdictions," said NCLGS President Bill Galvano, a Senator from Florida. "It also provides a forum for innovation for the future of gaming."
The NCLGS Winter Meeting is designed to educate state legislators, promote sound public policy, share ideas, and ensure the integrity of gaming regulation. The three-day agenda includes:
Six legislative committee sessions covering casinos, lottery, pari-mutuel, responsible gaming, and state-federal relations (internet and tribal)
Women in Gaming Keynote Luncheon, focusing on how women can break through the glass ceiling and what states can do to assist those efforts
Two International Masters of Gaming Law Masterclasses -- "Regulators Roundtable" and "The Mounting Fiscal Challenge"
"Gaming Technology" general session that will examine whether new games and platforms hold promise in boosting states' fiscal receipts
NCLGS is the only organization of state lawmakers that meets on a regular basis to discuss issues relating to gaming. Members serve as chairpersons or members of state legislative committees responsible for the regulation of gaming in their state. NCLGS does not promote or oppose gaming but is primarily concerned with proper regulation of the industry. The NCLGS Foundation is the educational and research arm of NCLGS. The 501(c)(3) non-profit is a source of non-partisan data on issues of gaming legislation and regulation.
To register for the NCLGS conference, visit https://www.nclgs.org/meetings.html.
Discounted rooms are available through December 14 at the host Hyatt Regency Miami by visiting https://aws.passkey.com/go/NCLGSWINTERMEETING2018.
To become a NCLGS sponsor, contact events@nclgs.org or call 609-926-5100. Learn more about NCLGS and member benefits by contacting Wayne Marlin at wayne.marlin@nclgs.org.
Page Content
Local councillor Ossi Martikainen (FI/ALDE) from Lapinlahti was elected chair of the European Committee of the Regions Commission for Natural Resources (NAT). The NAT commissions remit includes the common agricultural policy, fisheries policy, food policy and consumer affairs, health policy and tourism.
"I'm proud to be entrusted by the CoR members to lead this commission over the next two and a half years. Its remits are broad and all the topics we cover are close to what matters to Europeans: be it healthy food, local farms and fisheries, traveling or getting medical assistance at home and abroad. Our opinion on food waste has helped push this important item up the EU agenda. The European Commission has recognised that the activities of local authorities can significantly reduce food waste, notes Martikainen.
Martikainens term-of-office will last two and a half years, during which time the NAT commission will be closely involved in the discussions on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) whose CoR opinion was adopted last July. As chair of the NAT commission, Martikainen is eager to draw particular attention to the situation of northern and sparsely-populated areas.
It is important to ensure that agricultural production can continue to be carried out profitably across all regions of the EU, since there can be no vibrant rural environment without agriculture. The CAP is one of the few policies where decisions are taken entirely at EU level. The CoR has asked for the CAP budget to remain sufficiently high and has emphasised the need to support young farmers and family farms in particular, Martikainen points out.
Karl Heinz Lambertz and First Vice-President Markku Markkula at the NAT commission meeting on 26 September, members discussed how the different scenarios put forward by the European Commission on the way forward for the EU would influence the future of the CAP and other areas under the NAT commissions remit. In this regards, the CoR has launched an extensive consultative process entitled collecting citizens' concerns and expectations about Europe's future. Citizens and local and regional authorities are also invited to share their views via an In a debate chaired by CoR Presidentand First Vice-Presidentatthe NAT commission meeting on 26 September, members discussed how the different scenarios put forward by the European Commission on the way forward for the EU would influence the future of the CAP and other areas under the NAT commissions remit. In this regards, the CoR has launched an extensive consultative process entitled Reflecting on Europe aimed atCitizens and local and regional authorities are also invited to share their views via an online survey
Christophe Clergeau (France, PES), Member of the Pays-de-la-Loire Regional Council, and Mark Weinmeister, State Secretary for European Affairs, Land of Hesse (Germany, EPP) were also elected First and Second Vice Chair of the NAT commission.
Note to editors
Photos of the meeting are available on the CoR Flickr account
Contact:
Lauri Ouvinen
Tel. +32 2 282 2063
lauri.ouvinen@cor.europa.eu Lauri OuvinenTel. +32 2 282 2063
27 September 2017
Doriemus PLC
("Doriemus" or the "Company")
Interim Results for the six months to 30 June 2017
Doriemus PLC (NEX: DOR), the London quoted UK focused oil and gas production and exploration Company, today announces its interim results for the 6-month period ended 30 June 2017.
2017 has seen significant advances towards oil production from both our interests in Brockham and Lidsey oil fields in the UK's onshore Weald Basin near London's Gatwick Airport (including the commencement of the drilling the second production well at the Lidsey oil field on or about 12 September 2017). 2017 has also seen developments at the Horse Hill licence area in which the Company has an equity interest which are detailed further in these interim results.
Overview:
The Company has an interest in three valuable oil and gas assets in the new UK onshore oil province centered around the new Kimmeridge oil discoveries in the Weald Basin south of London. We firmly believe that all of these assets hold a real chance of being real UK onshore producing oil fields over the coming year with Doriemus set to benefit significantly from the potential positive cash flow from the sale of oil produced from the Brockham and Lidsey oil fields which are targeting increase production by the end of 2017. We also believe that the new oil production from the Weald Basin may well prove to be of significant strategic importance to the UK in the years to come, especially considering the recent declines seen in the UK's North Sea offshore oil production and as the country moves to separate from the European Union, making indigenous oil production potentially more important.
Brockham Oil Field:
(Doriemus holds a direct 10% interest Brockham, operated by a subsidiary of Angus Energy Plc, Angus Energy Weald Basin No. 3 Limited, the "Operator" or "Angus Energy")
The 8.9km2 Brockham Oil Field ("Brockham"), in the Weald Basin, is held under UK Licence PL235 (Production Licence).
On 3 March 2017, it was announced that the Brockham X4Z well, designed to evaluate the Portland, Corallian and Kimmeridge formations at Brockham (including an evaluation of the Kimmeridge reservoir that had been demonstrated by the Horse Hill discovery only 8km to the South), was drilled to a total depth of 1,391m.
The Brockham X4Z well was intended to establish whether the reservoir reported at the adjacent Horse Hill discovery extended further north into the Brockham Licence.
The preliminary results from Brockham X4Z well confirmed very similar thickness of reservoir and properties to those reported at Horse Hill. The gross thickness of Kimmeridge in Brockham X4Z was found to be 385m thick. The two limestone intervals (each around 30m) tested in Horse Hill are also seen in the Brockham well and the reservoir properties appear to be very similar to Horse Hill, based on electrical logging evidence.
The Operator used Weatherford's Ultra Wave Acoustic borehole imaging tool for first time in Europe. This tool made it possible to directly see fractures in the borehole. The Ultra Wave information confirmed not only evidence of natural fractures in the two main limestones intervals previously tested at Horse Hill, but also confirmed abundant natural fractures were evident in sections of the interbedded shales and limestones between and below the two main limestones. Around 200m of the reservoir showed this potential.
Geochemical analysis on the drilling samples showed total organic content through the Kimmeridge section of between 2-12%, exceeding Horse Hill in places. Furthermore, evidence showed that the highest organic content corresponds to the limestones and, in particular, the intervals in between the limestones which have natural fracturing. Whilst organic content is not the same as oil content, it is indicative of those sections where oil content will be the highest. This supports the potential for some 200m of reservoir of interest. Initial Tmax and Hydrogen Index readings also corresponded with Horse Hill's data.
Therefore, based on the evidence so far, the Operator has confidence that the well will be similar to Horse Hill and perhaps, given that the reservoir is potentially much thicker in zones not previously tested, the final flow results could potentially be even better.
In addition, oil shows were observed in the Portland and Corallian formations whilst drilling the Brockham X4Z well. Currently, the Brockham number 2 well is a temporarily suspended producer from the Portland reservoir and the Operator is confident of additional oil production from the Portland reservoir from the Brockham X4Z well in due course. The good indications of both gas and oil in the Corallian formation, below the Kimmeridge, is still being evaluated.
After a major surface refit of the site infrastructure to accommodate extra oil production, steps are now in hand to install new production facilities for the well and to prepare for the production as soon as the necessary UK Oil and Gas Authority ("OGA") approvals are in place.
The expiry date for PL 235 has been extended to at least December 2019.
Lidsey Oil Field:
(Doriemus holds a direct 20% interest in the onshore Lidsey Oil Field, also operated by Angus Energy)
The 5.3km2 Lidsey Oil Field ("Lidsey"), is located in the southern portion of the UK's onshore Weald Basin, and is held under UK Licence PL 241 (Production Licence).
On 2 May 2017, the Operator announced that following the West Sussex County Council approval, it had also received permission from the UK Environment Agency to drill the Lidsey-X2 horizontal production well at the Lidsey production oil field, license PL 241.
On 9 August 2017, the operator of the Lidsey onshore oil field, Angus Energy advised that they received permission from the OGA to drill and then produce from the Lidsey-X2 horizontal production well at its Lidsey production oil field. From this date Angus Energy held all regulatory consents required to drill and produce from Lidsey-X2. On 8 September 2017 the Operator confirmed that the drilling rig had arrived on location at Lidsey and was in the process of rigging up and undergoing pre-rig acceptance.
On 13 September 2017 it was announced that drilling of Lidsey X2 well had commenced.
The Lidsey Oil Field has planning consent for the development and operation of a three wellhead and beam pump oil production facility plus ancillary works at its Lidsey Oil Field. As permitted by the site planning consent, the first well has already been drilled at the site (Lidsey-X1) and the tophole/cellar is completed and installed to enable a second well to be drilled (Lidsey-X2).
Lidsey X2 is planned to be drilled to a depth of approximately 1,000 metres and will target the upper crest of the Great Oolite reservoir that has been producing oil from the Lidsey-X1 well which was first discovered in 1987, and until now has been temporarily suspended back in February 2016 to allow for site works. Lidsey-X2 will also assess the Kimmeridge formation which is located above the Great Oolite reservoir.
The expiry date for PL 241 has been extended to at least December 2024.
Investment in Horse Hill Developments Limited ("HHDL"):
(Doriemus holds a 10% interest in HHDL. Operated by HHDL)
The Company currently owns a 10% equity interest in a special purpose company, Horse Hill Developments Limited, which is the operator and 65% interest holder in two Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences ("PEDL") PEDL137 and PEDL246 in the northern Weald Basin between Gatwick Airport and London.
The PEDL137 licence covers 99.29 square kilometres (24,525 acres) to the north of Gatwick Airport in Surrey and contains the Horse Hill-1 ("HH-1") discovery well. PEDL246 covers an area of 43.58 square kilometres (10,769 acres) and lies immediately adjacent and to the east of PEDL137.
The HH-1 well is located approximately 7.5 kilometres southeast of Doriemus's producing Brockham Oil Field.
As reported in March 2016, the final total aggregate stable dry oil flow rate from two Kimmeridge limestones plus the overlying Portland sandstone in HH-1 stands at 1,688 barrels of oil per day ("bopd"), a UK record for an onshore discovery well. Over the 30 to 90 hour flow periods from each of the 3 zones in HH-1, no clear indication of any reservoir pressure depletion was observed.
The Company was informed by HHDL that it understood that its planning application for long term production testing and further appraisal drilling would be determined at a scheduled Surrey County Council planning meeting by the end of 2017.
Investment in Greenland Gas & Oil Plc
(2.82% interest in GGO)
The Company currently owns 2.82% equity shareholding in Greenland Gas & Oil Limited ("GGO"), a UK based oil and gas exploration company focused solely on Greenland, which in June 2015 was granted the rights to oil exploration and exploitation lover two licences located onshore in south-eastern Greenland in a region known as the Jameson Land Basin.
New Public Trading Platforms:
The Company is cognisant of the limited level of trading activity of its shares on the NEX Exchange, and in order to address this the Company is working with its advisors to achieve a potential cross-listing on the Australian Securities Exchange ("ASX"). A prospectus was lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission ("ASIC") on 30 August 2017 ("Prospectus") and a listing application was lodged with the ASX on 31 August 2017 ("Listing Application").
The offer under the Prospectus opened to investors resident in Australia on 7 September 2017 and as result of the receipt of a strong flow of applications, the Company closed the offer earlyon 19 September 2017. On 25 September 2017, the Company announced that the ASX had approved the Listing Application and as a result 13,461,539 new ordinary shares of0.4 pencenominal value in the form of CHESS Depositary Interests ("CDIs") over the Company's ordinary shares were allotted to successful applicants under the offer in the Prospectus. On 26 September 2017, the Company allotted a further 1,000,000 CDIs to certain nominees of Patersons Securities Limited pursuant to their engagement as lead manager of the offer under the Prospectus.
Subject to satisfying certain conditions precedent, the CDIs are expected to commence quotation on the ASX on or about Friday29 September 2017.
Financial Results:
During the period, the Company made a loss before taxation of 180,000 (6 months ended 30 June 2016: loss 243,000, 12 months ended 31 December 2016: loss 1,032,000). There was a weighted loss per share of 0.002p (30 June 2016: loss per share 0.003p, 31 December 2016: loss per share 0.010p).
Outlook:
Oil Production on its way!
2017 and beyond should prove to be an exciting period ahead for the Company and its shareholders as Doriemus moves towards being a real contributor to new UK onshore oil production and being an active player in opening up the ultimate potential of the Weald Basin. The past few years has seen a significant amount of shareholders' funds spent on drilling and evaluating new oil wells in the Weald Basin and it is now time to see oil production lifted from the existing reservoirs as well as potentially any oil discovered in the Kimmeridge near Gatwick Airport.
We will hopefully see our Brockham Oil Field producing substantial amounts of oil from very wide pay intervals in the Kimmeridge formation and will work closely with our partners on the possibility of drilling a number of new production side-tracks and new production wells once the Brockham X4Z well comes in to full production.
We will continue to seek out further investments in line with the Company's investing strategy and will also work closely with HHDL and Angus Energy on potentially increasing our oil production and reserves from the existing operating fields. Also, as per our investment strategy, the board will also look opportunistically at investing in or acquiring, an appropriate percentage holding, possibly including management, of a company or companies and businesses in the global oil and gas sector.
The directors would like to take this opportunity to thank our shareholders, staff and consultants for their continued support.
The directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.
David Lenigas
Chairman
27 September 2017
For further additional information, please contact:
Doriemus plc
David Lenigas / Donald Strang +44 (0) 20 7440 0640 Peterhouse Corporate Finance Limited
Nominated Adviser
Guy Miller / Fungai Ndoro +44 (0) 20 7469 0930 Optiva Securities Limited
Company Broker
Christian Dennis / Jeremy King +44 (0) 20 3137 1902 Square1 Consulting
Public Relations
David Bick +44 (0) 20 7929 5599
Statement of Comprehensive Income
Unaudited for the six months ended 30 June 2017
Six months
ended
30 June
2017
(unaudited) Six months
ended
30 June
2016
(unaudited) Year
ended
31 December
2016
(audited) '000 '000 '000 Revenue - 1 1 Cost of Sales (25) (3) (54) Gross Profit (25) (2) (53) Administrative expenses (241) (239) (442) Share based payment charge - - (207) Depletion & impairment charge - (2) (1) (Loss) from operations (266) (243) (703) Finance income - - - (Loss) on equity swap settlements - - (380) Profit on disposal of AFS investments 25 Unrealised gain on AFS investments 61 - 51 (Loss) before income tax (180) (243) (1,032) Income tax expense - - - (Loss) attributable to the owners of the parent and total comprehensive income for the period (180) (243) (1,032) Other comprehensive income Fair value adjustment of equity swap - (46) - Transfer to income statement on equity swap settlement - - 314 Other comprehensive income for the period net of taxation - (46) 314 Total comprehensive income for the period attributable to equity holders of the parent (180) (289) (718) (Loss) per share (Note 2) Basic (loss) per share (0.002)p (0.003)p (0.010)p Diluted (loss) per share (0.002)p (0.003)p (0.010)p
Statement of Financial Position
Unaudited as at 30 June 2017
Note As at
30 June
2017
(unaudited)
'000 As at
30 June
2016
(unaudited)
'000 As at
31 December
2016
(audited)
'000 ASSETS Non-current assets Intangible assets 4 285 - 250 Oil and gas properties 5 1,165 1,072 1,101 Available for sale investment 1,118 900 1,058 Total non-current assets 2,568 1,972 2,409 Current assets Trade and other receivables 1,673 667 730 Cash and cash equivalents 216 233 537 Total current assets 1,889 900 1,267 TOTAL ASSETS 4,457 2,872 3,676 LIABILITIES Current liabilities Trade and other payables (1,222) (306) (261) Derivative financial instruments - (160) - Total current liabilities (1,222) (466) (261) TOTAL LIABILITIES (1,222) (466) (261) NET ASSETS 3,235 2,406 3,415 Equity attributable to equity holders of the parent Share capital 125 77 125 Share premium reserve 5,221 4,038 5,221 Share based payment reserve 241 236 241 Hedging reserve - (360) - Retained earnings (2,352) (1,585) (2,172) TOTAL EQUITY 3,235 2,406 3,415
Statement of Changes in Equity
Unaudited for the six months ended 30 June 2017
Share capital Share premium Share based payment reserve Hedging reserve Retained earnings / Accumulated losses Total '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 At 31 December 2015 77 4,038 236 (314) (1,342) 2,695 Issue of Share capital 48 1,278 - - - 1,326 Share issue costs - (95) - - - (95) Share based payment charge - - 207 - - 207 Share options cancelled - - (202) - 202 - Transactions with owners 48 1,183 5 - 202 1,438 (Loss) for the year - - - - (1,032) (1,032) Transfer to income statement - - - 314 - 314 Total comprehensive loss for the year - - - 314 (1,032) (718) At 31 December 2016 125 5,221 241 - (2,172) 3,415 At 31 December 2015 77 4,038 236 (314) (1,342) 2,695 (Loss) for the period - - - - (243) (243) Unrealised (loss) on equity swap - - - (46) - (46) Total comprehensive loss for the period - - - (46) (243) (289) At 30 June 2016 77 4,038 236 (360) (1,585) 2,406 At 31 December 2016 125 5,221 241 - (2,172) 3,415 (Loss) for the year - - - - (180) (180) Total comprehensive loss for the year - - - - (180) (180) At 30 June 2017 125 5221 241 - (2,352) 3,235
Statement of Cash Flows
Unaudited for the six months ended 30 June 2017
Six months
ended
30 June
2017
(unaudited)
'000 Six months
ended
30 June
2016
(unaudited)
'000 Year
ended
31 December
2016
(audited)
'000 Cash flows from operating activities Operating (loss) (266) (243) (703) Adjustments for: Depletion & impairment charge - 2 1 Share based payment charge - - 207 (Increase) / decrease in trade and other receivables (943) (230) (4) Increase in trade and other payable 961 62 17 Foreign exchange loss (1) - - Net cash generated from operating activities (249) (409) (482) Cash flows from investing activities Payments for intangible assets / OGP's (64) (27) (106) Loans (granted) to related parties - (50) (289) Payment for available for sale Investment (145) - (157) Proceeds from disposal of available for sale assets 137 - - Net cash used in investing activities (72) (77) (552) Cash flows from financing activities Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares - - 947 Share issue costs - - (95) Net cash used in financing activities - - 852 Net (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (321) (486) (182) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 537 719 719 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 216 233 537 Cash and cash equivalents comprise: Cash available on demand 216 233 537
Notes to the unaudited financial statements for the 6 months to 30 June 2017
1.Basis of preparation
The half-yearly results have not been audited, but were the subject of an independent review carried out by the Company's auditors, Chapman Davis LLP. Their review confirmed that the figures were prepared using applicable accounting policies and practices consistent with those adopted in the 2016 annual report and to be adopted in the 2017 annual report. The financial information contained in this half-yearly report does not constitute statutory accounts as defined by Section 435 of the Companies Act 2006.
The half-yearly report has been prepared under the historical cost convention.
The Directors acknowledge their responsibility for the half-yearly report and confirm that, to the best of their knowledge, the interim financial statements for the six months ended 30 June 2017 have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, including IAS 34 "Interim Financial Statements", and complies with the listing requirements for companies trading securities on the NEX Growth market. This half-year report does not include all the notes of the type normally included in an annual financial report. Accordingly, this report should be read in conjunction with the annual report for the year ended 31 December 2016.
The Directors are of the opinion that on-going evaluations of the Company's interests indicate that preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis is appropriate.
The Interim Financial Information was approved by the Board of Directors on 27 September 2017.
2.(Loss) per share
The calculation of the basic and diluted (loss) per share is based upon
6 months ended 30 June
2017 6 months ended 30 June
2016 Year ended 31 December
2016 Basic (loss) per share (pence) (0.002)p (0.003)p (0.010)p Diluted (loss) per share (pence) (0.002)p (0.003)p (0.010)p (Loss) attributable to equity shareholders (180,000) (243,000) (1,032,000) Weighted average number of shares basic 12,526,285,711 7,739,999,998 8,528,596,407 Weighted average number of shares diluted 13,296,285,711 8,129,999,998 9,298,596,407
3.Revenue and segmental reporting
The company's current revenue is all generated in the United Kingdom from oil & gas production in accordance with its farm-in agreements, within the United Kingdom. However with this segment in its infancy, and with the only major related transactions being the carrying value of the oil & gas properties assets as described in note 5, no further segmental analysis is deemed useful to disclose currently. The revenue from this segmental was nil (30 June 2016: 1,000, 31 December 2016: 1,000)
Subject to further acquisitions and developments, the company expects to further review its segmental information during the forthcoming financial year and update accordingly.
4.Intangible assets
Licences & Exploration costs 30 June
2017 30 June
2016 31 December
2016 '000 '000 '000 Cost Opening balance 250 - - Additions 35 - 250 Closing balance 285 - 250 Amortisation and impairment Opening balance - - - Additions - - - Closing balance - - - Net book value 285 - 250
On 10 August 2016 the Company entered into an agreement to acquire a 5% beneficial interest in the onshore Isle of Wight oil & gas licence "PEDL 331", in the United Kingdom. Consideration paid for the total 5% interest totalled 200,000. During 2016, the Company incurred direct exploration costs in relation to the Company's investment in Greenland Gas & Oil Ltd, and its respective exploration licences, and a further 35,000 during 2017.
Impairment Review
At 30 June 2017, the directors have carried out an impairment review and have considered that no impairment write-down is required (30 June 2016: nil, 31 December 2016: nil). The directors are of the opinion that the carrying value is stated at fair value.
5.Oil & gas properties
30 June
2017 30 June
2016 31 December
2016 '000 '000 '000 Cost Opening balance 1,106 1,051 1,051 Additions 64 25 55 Closing balance 1,170 1,076 1,106 Depletion & impairment Opening balance 5 4 4 Additions - - 1 Closing balance 5 4 5 Net book value 1,165 1,072 1,101
Impairment review
The Oil & Gas properties comprise the 20% participating interest in the Lidsey Oil Field, in the United Kingdom and the 10% participating interest in the Brockham Oil Field, also in the United Kingdom.
At 30 June 2017, the directors have carried out an impairment review and have considered that no impairment write-down is required (30 June 2016: nil, 31 December 2016: nil). The directors are of the opinion that the carrying value is stated at fair value. The Directors based this assessment on continuing operational work schedules that are ongoing to improve operational efficiencies.
6.Events after the end of the reporting period
On 6 July 2017, the Company announced that the 1,100,000,000 ordinary shares of 0.001p each in the Company currently held in the Doriemus Employee Benefit Trust ("EBT") have been allocated to the beneficiaries of the EBT following satisfaction of the required performance and vesting conditions. Following these allocations, the EBT was closed.
On 10 July 2017, the Company announced that it has a right to a 30% interest in the proposed new Lidsey-X2 oil production well (representing an additional 10% interest on this initial well given the Company's 20% interest in the Lidsey Oil Field). As determined by the Doriemus farm-out agreement with Angus Energy Plc of 21 November 2013. The Company had also completed a fundraising of 650,000 through the issue of 1,857,142,568 new Ordinary Shares of 0.001p each in the Company at a placing price of 0.035 pence per share with private investors to meet the additional expenditure obligations that the Company is expecting whilst drilling this well and putting it into production.
On 28 July 2017, the Company announced that the 14,383,428,279 ordinary shares of 0.001 pence each ("Existing Ordinary Shares") that were in issue had been approved for consolidation into 35,958,570 ordinary shares of 0.4 pence each ("New Ordinary Shares"). Such New Ordinary Shares will have the same rights and be subject to the same restrictions (save as to par value) as the Existing Ordinary Shares.
On 25 August 2017, the Company announced that Grant Roberts, a Non-Executive director, has resigned from the Board of Directors.
On 30 August 2017, the Company advised that it had filed a Prospectus with the ASIC in connection with the Company's proposed cross-listing on the ASX. A copy of the Prospectus is available on the Company's website for potential eligible investors who are resident in Australia. The Offer under the Prospectus opened to eligible investors on or about 7 September 2017.
On 18 September 2017, further to the announcement on 30 August 2017, the Company advised it was bringing forward the closing date of the Offer under the Company's Prospectus to 19 September 2017.
On 25 September 2017, further to the announcement on 18 September 2017, the Company advised that the ASX had approved the Listing Application and as a result 13,461,539 new ordinary shares of0.4 pencenominal value in the form of CHESS Depositary Interests ("CDIs") over the Company's ordinary shares to successful applicants under the offer in the Prospectus. On 26 September 2017, the Company allotted a further 1,000,000 CDIs to certain nominees of Patersons Securities Limited pursuant to their engagement as lead manager of the offer under the Prospectus.
7.Availability of the Interim Report
Copies of the report will be available from the Company's registered office and also from the Company's website www.doriemus.co.uk.
INDEPENDENT REVIEW REPORT TO DORIEMUS PLC
Introduction
We have been engaged by the Company to review the interim financial statements for the six months ended 30 June 2017 comprising the Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Changes in Equity, Statement of Cash Flows, and related notes. We have read the other information contained in the interim report and considered whether it contains any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the information in the interim financial statements.
This report is made solely to the Company in accordance with guidance contained in ISRE 2410 (UK and Ireland) "Review of Interim Financial Information Performed by the Independent Auditor of the Entity" issued by the Auditing Practices Board. Our work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company those matters we are required to state in an independent review report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company, for our work, for this report, or for the conclusions we have formed.
Directors' Responsibilities
The half-yearly financial report is the responsibility of, and has been approved by the Directors. The Directors are responsible for preparing the half-yearly financial report in accordance with the rules of the NEX Exchange Ltd for Companies trading securities on the NEX Growth Market. As disclosed in Note 1 the annual financial statements of the Company are prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union. The condensed set of financial statements included in this half-yearly financial report have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34 "Interim Financial Reporting" as adopted by the European Union.
Our Responsibility
Our responsibility is to express to the Company a conclusion on the half-yearly financial report based on our review.
Scope of Review
We conducted our review in accordance with International Standard on Review Engagements (UK and Ireland) 2410, "Review of Interim Financial Information Performed by the Independent Auditor of the Entity", issued by the Auditing Practices Board for use in the United Kingdom. A review of interim financial information consists of making inquiries, primarily of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters, and applying analytical and other review procedures. A review is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland) and consequently does not enable us to obtain assurance that we would become aware of all significant matters that might be identified in an audit. Accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion.
Conclusion
Based on our review, nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the condensed set of financial statements in the half-yearly financial report for the six months ended 30 June 2017 is not prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34 as adopted by the European Union and the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority.
CHAPMAN DAVIS LLP
Chartered Accountants
2 Chapel Court
London SE1 1HH
27 September 2017
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - British billionaire and inventor James Dyson said his company is working on developing a 'premium' electric car that will be launched by 2020. Dyson will spend $2.7 billion on the car and battery technology. Dyson's namesake company, Dyson Ltd., is a maker of household appliances such as bagless vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, bladeless fans, heaters and hair dryers. The company's researchers have been working on battery technology since 2010. Dyson said that 400 engineers have already spent two and a half years working on the electric car project in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. However, the car has not yet been designed and the company has still not decided where it will be made. Dyson has already received funding from the British government to develop an electric car. Last year, Dyson acquired battery start-up Sakti3, a University of Michigan spinoff, for $90 million. Dyson is backing Sakti3's solid-state batteries rather than the lithium-ion technology being used in existing electric vehicles as it was deemed to be safer, reliable and longer-lasting than the most advanced lithium-ion batteries currently available. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- African Gold Group, Inc. (TSX VENTURE: AGG) ("AGG" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has executed a binding letter of intent ("LOI") for the purchase by HUM of up to 19.9% of the common shares of AGG and the ongoing joint development of AGG's Kobada Gold Project (the "Transaction").
Financing
On closing of the Transaction, HUM will purchase 40,000,000 units of AGG ("Units") at a price of CDN$0.09 per Unit for gross proceeds to AGG of CDN$3,600,000, which, on closing will represent 10% of the issued and outstanding common shares of AGG. Each Unit will be comprised of one common share of AGG (each, an "AGG Share") and one common share purchase warrant ("Warrant") with each Warrant entitling the Investor to purchase one additional AGG Share at a price of CDN$0.12 for a period of 36 months following closing of the Transaction.
In addition, AGG will grant HUM a right (the "HUM Subscription Right") to purchase an additional 48,888,888 AGG Shares at a price of $0.09 per AGG Share for gross proceeds to AGG of CDN$4,400,000, which, shall be paid by HUM in kind through the issuance to AGG of such number of common shares of HUM (the "HUM Shares") equal to CDN$4,400,000 divided by the volume weighted average trading price of the HUM Shares on the AIM for a period of 20 consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately prior to the closing of the Transaction. Where HUM is not satisfied with its due diligence review of the Kobada Gold Project (the "Project") during the 120-day period following closing of the Transaction (subject to extension in certain circumstances), the HUM Subscription Right shall automatically terminate and neither HUM nor AGG shall have any further liability to the other. Where HUM is satisfied with its due diligence review of the Project, HUM shall exercise the HUM Subscription Right and issue the HUM Shares to AGG.
DFS and Joint Venture
Concurrent with the exercise of the HUM Subscription Right (as described above), AGG and HUM shall enter a Joint Venture Agreement providing for the following:
-- Establishment of a joint Technical Committee to oversee and manage the preparation of a DFS for the Project; -- AGG to fund 100% of the costs to complete the DFS in accordance with a budget as mutually agreed between AGG and HUM; -- Where AGG is required to issue additional common shares to fund the completion of the DFS, HUM shall subscribe for such number of shares required for HUM to maintain its pro-rata equity interest in AGG to a maximum of CDN$1,000,000; -- Upon completion of a DFS to the satisfaction of HUM: -- The Project shall be transferred to a new joint venture company ("JVCo"), -- HUM shall fund 100% of the capital costs required to build the mine and processing plant as outlined in the DFS (including any contingency) (the "Development Capital"), plus, if required, 10% extra funding, -- The board of JVCo shall make all decisions relating to the construction, management, operation, development and implementation of the Project and shall consist of a majority of members as appointed by HUM, and -- HUM shall acquire up to 50% of the shares in JVCo on an ongoing basis pro-rata to the amount contributed by HUM to the Development Capital with such 50% shareholding being reached on the earlier of: (i) the date HUM completes funding of 100% of the Development Capital, and (ii) the date of completion of the construction of the mine and processing plant for the Project in accordance with the DFS; -- From commencement of production from the Project, HUM shall receive 70% of net cash flows from the Project until 100% of the Development Capital (including the 10% extra funding if paid) has been repaid and thereafter net cash flows shall be paid as to 50% to AGG and as to 50% to HUM.
Completion of the Transaction is subject to various conditions including agreement by HUM and AGG of various definitive agreements, approval by the board of directors of HUM and AGG and applicable approvals from regulatory authorities including by the TSX Venture Exchange.
Stephan Theron, Chief Executive Officer of AGG, commented: "This transaction with Hummingbird is significant for AGG as it validates the intrinsic value of the Kobada gold Project and fast tracks the planned development program. Hummingbird provides us the financial capacity to develop the Kobada Gold Project and we are also gaining a partner with an operational presence in Mali. Kobada provides Hummingbird the ability to further increase production output at their Yanfolila mine. The partnership is a win-win for both groups. We look forward to working with the Hummingbird team on this transaction."
Dan Betts, CEO of HUM, commented: "We are extremely excited about the optionality this transaction provides Hummingbird and working with the management of AGG who have a strong track record of creating shareholder value within the industry."
Kobada Gold Project
African Gold Group is currently reviewing the existing feasibility study of the Kobada Gold Project in an effort to optimise the existing Mineral Reserve and Resource estimates, relative to a potential phased approach of a larger Phase 1 production profile.
About African Gold Group
African Gold Group is a Canadian exploration and development company with its focus on West Africa. African Gold Group is focused on the development of the Kobada Gold Project in Mali, a low capital and operating cost gold project with potential to produce more than 50,000 ounces of gold per annum. For more information regarding African Gold Group visit our website at www.africangoldgroup.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes certain "Forward-Looking Statements." All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of African Gold Group; the Project; the Transaction; the completion of a DFS; the formation of JVCo; HUM's ability to provide the Development Capital; the potential exercise of the HUM Subscription Right; the ability to build a mine and processing plant at the Project and statements regarding the ability to develop and achieve production at the Project are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from African Gold Group's expectations have been disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in African Gold Group's documents filed from time-to-time with the TSX Venture Exchange and other regulatory authorities. African Gold Group disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements whether resulting from new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.
Contacts:
African Gold Group, Inc.
Stephan Theron
Chief Executive Officer
+1 (416) 722 6744
stheron@trigonmetals.com
www.africangoldgroup.com
FALLS CHURCH, VA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- Sandline Discovery, a boutique litigation support and eDiscovery service provider serving both law firms and corporations in the United States and globally, has introduced an application to improve the overall experience for Asian language and other non-Western language speakers using the eDiscovery platform Relativity. Sandline's language localizer displays tabs, fields and other Relativity Objects in the user interface with native language characters, providing an easier and more personal user experience for non-English speakers.
Relativity provides organizations with a complete set of flexible tools to tackle their unique challenges through every phase of an eDiscovery project. As a platform, Relativity allows developer partners like Sandline to design, build, and integrate applications that extend its functionality.
The Relativity platform supports several languages and encodings for review, it is Unicode compliant and the analytics do work with things as complicated as traditional Chinese characters within the data hosted in Relativity. Sandline's language localizer allows elements of the software's interface to also display Unicode characters, making it easier for non-Western language speakers to use. The application works for any Asian language or other non-Western language character set, including Hebrew, Arabic, Greek and many more. All characters can be copied directly into the tool, allowing an admin complete control when naming tabs, views, layouts and fields.
"With our growing roster of clients with offices in Asia, our team found an opportunity to improve the Relativity user experience for those who don't speak English as their first language," says Sandline Discovery President Jon Canty. "We're excited to enhance our clients' review experience and to help further expand the reach of Relativity as the industry's premier eDiscovery software."
Among Sandline's clients already taking advantage of the new Relativity language localizer is the law firm Tanenholz & Associates, PLLC. Says firm managing partner David Tanenholz, "Sandline has created an application that effectively customizes Relativity's interface to provide our teams in Asia a similar user experience as our English-speaking team here in the U.S. Any firm with Relativity users who do not speak English as their first language will benefit from using this app."
Sandline's language localizer is now part of the Relativity App Hub, which includes applications and integrations built by Relativity developer partners.
"Multilingual investigations and discovery can be complex and extremely challenging," said Perry Marchant, vice president of engineering at Relativity. "It's great that Sandline utilized Relativity to help simplify the process."
Sandline announced in June its adoption of Relativity as its primary platform for data processing, hosting and review services. Its team already holds multiple Relativity certifications, and in addition to being named a Relativity Authorized Partner, the company has unlimited access to Relativity Analytics, further expanding Sandline's analytics and technology-assisted review service.
About Sandline Discovery
Sandline Discovery is a boutique litigation support and eDiscovery service provider, serving both law firms and corporations in the United States and globally. Sandline specializes in delivering innovative digital evidence solutions with exceptional, high-touch service. Offering services and project management for every stage of discovery, Sandline understands the needs of attorneys and anticipates case requirements at every step of the project. For more information, visit www.SandlineDiscovery.com.
Media Contact
Vicki LaBrosse
Edge Legal Marketing for Sandline Discovery
651-552-7753
Email Contact
Sandline Discovery Contact
Jon Canty
Sandline Discovery
202-558-8171
Email Contact
COMMACK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 27, 2017 / Patient Access Solutions, Inc. (OTC PINK: PASO), a provider of healthcare/financial processing and management solutions for the healthcare, and dental industries, proudly announces that it presented the CIIT Center to the Chinese-American Community in Flushing, New York.
Bruce Weitzberg, CEO of Patient Access Solutions gave the presentation along with Dr. Michael Gruttadauria, Clinical Director for The CIIT Center. Additionally, US Congresswoman Grace Meng joined the panel to discuss the importance of integrative healthcare. In attendance were the leaders of the two most influential business associations in Flushing, The Flushing Chinese Business Association (FCBA) and The Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce (GFCC). Coverage of the presentation from the media included The World Journal, NTDTV, DW News, Sing Tao Daily, and many more.
After discussing the work and mission of the center, Patient Access Solutions (PASO) proudly announced that it projects that it will open a location in Queens New York in 2018. "We are very excited to bring the successes of the CIIT Center to Queens next year. Queens is the world's borough and a place where business and culture thrives because of its great diversity. The Flushing community is emblematic of this and we were honored to make it our first stop in Queens to discuss the center," stated Mr.Weitzberg. While management will use its best efforts to open this new location, no guarantees can be provided that the location will open timely or will be profitable.
About Patient Access Solutions Inc.(www.pashealth.com)
Patient Access Solutions Inc. (PASHealth) is a Healthcare Solutions company which has created a formidable array of technology, and management resources and allies to enable it to become an agent of radical change in what has traditionally been a slowly evolving healthcare environment. For more information about the services and products of Patient Access Solutions, please visit our website at www.pashealth.com.
About the CIIT Center (www.theciitcenter.com)
The CIIT Center, specializing in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder, as well as adults with traumatic brain injury such as a concussion, and chronic conditions like migraine, post-traumatic stress disorder, autoimmune diseases and so much more. The Center occupies 12,500-square feet, in a street level office building located right off two major highways in Plainview, NY. The progressive center provides great efficiency and convenience in how we serve our patients. The goal is to create integrated, personalized treatment programs where the patient and staff work in unison to identify the underlying health conditions causing the issues, as opposed to just treating the symptoms.
Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the companies, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among other things, the following: general economic and business conditions; competition; unexpected changes in technologies and technological advances; ability to commercialize and manufacture products; results of experimental studies; research and development activities; changes in, or failure to comply with, governmental regulations; and the ability to obtain adequate financing in the future.
Investor Information
631-241-9404
SOURCE: Patient Access Solutions Inc.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 27, 2017 / Pomerantz LLP and Levi & Korsinsky, LLP announce that the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio has approved the following announcement of a proposed class action settlement that would benefit purchasers of common stock of TCP International Holdings, Ltd. (OTC PINK: TCPIF):
SUMMARY NOTICE OF PENDENCY OF CLASS ACTION AND PROPOSED SETTLEMENT, SETTLEMENT FAIRNESS HEARING, AND MOTION FOR AWARD OF ATTORNEYS' FEES AND REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION EXPENSES
TO: All Persons who purchased or otherwise acquired TCP International Holdings Ltd. ("TCPI") common stock (ticker symbol: TCPI) on the public market between May 9, 2015 and November 5, 2015 (the "Class Period"), inclusive, and were damaged thereby.
EXCLUDED FROM THE CLASS ARE DEFENDANTS, THE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS OF TCPI, AND THEIR FAMILIES AND AFFILIATES.
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED, pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and an Order of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, that a hearing will be held on February 1, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. , before the Honorable Donald C. Nugent, United States District Judge, in Courtroom 15A of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Carl B. Stokes United States Court House, 801 West Superior Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, to determine: (1) whether a Settlement Class should be certified for purposes of the Settlement and whether Lead Plaintiff and its counsel have adequately represented the Class Members; (2) whether the proposed Settlement of the Class's claims against the Defendants for $1,100,000.00 should be approved as fair, reasonable and adequate; (3) whether the proposed Plan of Allocation is fair, just, reasonable, and adequate; (4) whether the Court should permanently enjoin the assertion of any claims that arise from or relate to the subject matter of the Action; (5) whether the Action should be dismissed with prejudice against the Defendants as set forth in the Stipulation of Settlement filed with the Court; (6) whether the application by Lead Counsel for an award of attorneys' fees and expenses should be approved; and (7) whether an application for reimbursement of costs and expenses of Lead Plaintiff members should be granted.
If you purchased or otherwise acquired TCPI common stock trading under ticker symbol TCPI during the Class Period, your rights may be affected by this Action and the Settlement thereof. You may obtain a detailed Notice of Pendency of Class Action and Proposed Settlement, Settlement Fairness Hearing, and Motion for Award of Attorneys' Fees and Reimbursement of Litigation Expenses (the "Notice") and Proof of Claim and Release Form, free of charge by contacting the Claims Administrator, by mail at: TCP Int'l Litigation, c/o Strategic Claims Services, P.O. Box 230, 600 N. Jackson Street, Suite 3, Media, PA 19063; by telephone at: 866-274-4004; or by visiting the website at: www.strategicclaims.net/TCP.
If you are a member of the Class and wish to share in the Settlement money, you must submit a Proof of Claim postmarked no later than March 5, 2018 establishing that you are entitled to recovery. As further described in the Notice, you will be bound by any judgment entered in the Action, regardless of whether you submit a Proof of Claim, unless you exclude yourself from the Class, in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Notice, postmarked by no later than January 12, 2018 . Any objections to the Settlement, Plan of Allocation or attorney's fees and expenses must be filed, in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Notice, to be received no later than January 12, 2018 .
Inquiries, other than requests for the Notice, may be made to Lead Counsel for the Class: Leigh Handelman Smollar, Pomerantz LLP, 10 South La Salle Street, Ste. 3505, Chicago, IL 60603, Telephone: 312-377-1181.
INQUIRIES SHOULD NOT BE DIRECTED TO THE COURT, THE
CLERK'S OFFICE, THE DEFENDANTS, OR DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL
DATED: JULY 28, 2017 BY ORDER OF THE UNITED STATES
DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO
The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.
SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- The Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act will be examined by the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology tomorrow with the bill's sponsor, Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen, and representatives from Humane Society International speaking to its importance as well as to Canada's place in the global movement toward cruelty-free beauty products.
Senate Bill S-214 would prohibit cosmetic animal testing in Canada and the sale of cosmetic products or ingredients that have been newly tested elsewhere in the world. Senator Stewart Olsen spearheaded the legislation in consultation with Humane Society International/Canada and Animal Alliance of Canada as part of the largest campaign in history to end cosmetics animal testing and trade globally, BeCrueltyFree.
WHAT: Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology begins its study of Bill S-214, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (cruelty-free cosmetics).
WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
WHERE: Room 2, Victoria Building, Ottawa, Ontario.
WHO: Troy Seidle, Senior Director, Research & Toxicology Department - Humane Society International, is available for comment.
Facts:
-- The Food and Drugs Act requires that all cosmetics sold in Canada be safe when used as intended, but does not specifically require animal testing to substantiate safety. -- Thirty-seven countries and major markets have already passed laws to end or limit cosmetic animal testing and/or sales, including the 28 member countries of the European Union, India, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and Guatemala. The BeCrueltyFree campaign led by HSI and its partners has been a key player in securing many of the national bans in place today, and is pushing similar legislation in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Mexico, the United States and other countries. -- According to polling by The Strategic Counsel of behalf of Animal Alliance and HSI, 88 percent of Canadians agree that testing new cosmetics is not worth animal suffering, and 81 percent of Canadians support a national ban on animal testing of cosmetics and their ingredients. -- More than 110,000 Canadians have signed HSI's BeCrueltyFree petition to date. -- More than 600 cosmetic companies are certified "cruelty-free" in North America, avoiding animal testing by relying on thousands of existing ingredients already established as safe, combined with available state- of-the-art non-animal test methods. -- An ever-growing number of alternatives to animal testing have been developed with financial support from governments and industry, and accepted by regulatory authorities. Examples include human cell-based models for skin and eye irritation, skin allergy, skin absorption, genetic toxicity and sunlight-induced "phototoxicity".
BeCrueltyFree is the largest campaign in history to end cosmetics animal testing, with branches in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Taiwan and the United States. BeCrueltyFree Canada is a partnership between Humane Society International and the Animal Alliance of Canada - online at becrueltyfree.ca
Humane Society International/Canada is a leading force for animal protection, with active programs in companion animals, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammal preservation, farm animal welfare and animals in research. HSI/Canada is proud to be a part of Humane Society International which, together with its partners, constitutes one of the world's largest animal protection organizations. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide - on the Web at www.hsicanada.ca
Contacts:
Media Contact:
Christopher Pare
Office: 514 395-2914 x 206
Cell: 438 402-0643
cpare@hsi.org
Today, on the 27th of September 2017, AS Tallinna Vesi refinanced its long-term loan in a total amount of 37.5 million euros. The 5-year loan agreement was signed with OP Corporate Bank plc Estonian Branch. The maturity date for the refinanced loan would have arrived in November 2018. Refinancing has induced a decrease in AS Tallinna Vesi's loan interest risk margin from 0.95% to 0.79%. The total long-term loan liabilities of the Company have remained unchanged and continue to be at 95 million euros. Eliis Vennik Head of Communications Tallinna Vesi (+372) 626 2275 Eliis.vennik@tvesi.ee
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DUBLIN, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
The "Middle East Africa Oil and Gas Supply - Demand Outlook to 2025 - Offshore deepwater exploration key for production growth" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.
Middle East Africa oil and gas supply demand outlook report provides detailed outlook of global, regional and country wise forecasts to 2025. Over 60% of new production from Middle East is expected to originate from Iraq. Iran, Kuwait and UAE will also contribute significantly to incremental production capacity from the region. Though the short term production is constrained by OPEC decision to restrict output, long term forecast remains optimistic for the region.
African production on the other hand, will increase strongly driven by investments in deep water exploration areas. In particular, Nigeria and Angola are set to witness strong surge in investment in offshore acreage.
Further, the report also focuses on planned capital expenditures of leading 10 companies to provide insights into the future of global oil and gas market investments and new areas of development.
Key Topics Covered:
1. Table of Contents
1.1 List of Tables
1.2 List of Figures
2. Global Oil Production and Consumption Forecasts
2.1 Global Oil Supply Outlook, 2005 to 2025
2.2 Global Oil Demand Outlook, 2005 to 2025
2.3 Global Oil Supply- Demand Balance Outlook, 2005 to 2025
3. Global Gas Production and Consumption Forecasts
3.1 Global Gas Supply Outlook, 2005 to 2025
3.2 Global Gas Demand Outlook, 2005 to 2025
3.3 Global Gas Supply- Demand Balance Outlook, 2005 to 2025
4. Middle East and Africa Oil and Gas Production and Consumption Forecasts
4.1 Middle East and Africa Oil Supply and Demand Balance Outlook, 2006 to 2025
4.2 Middle East and Africa Gas Supply and Demand Balance Outlook, 2006 to 2025
5 Top 6 Middle East and Africa Oil Producers - Supply Outlook, 2006 to 2025
5.1 Saudi Arabia Oil Production Outlook, 2005-2025
5.2 Iran Oil Production Outlook, 2005-2025
5.3 Iraq Oil Production Outlook, 2005-2025
5.4 United Arab Emirates Oil Production Outlook, 2005-2025
5.5 Kuwait Oil Production Outlook, 2005-2025
6 Top 6 Middle East and Africa Oil Consumers - Demand Outlook, 2006 to 2025
6.1 Saudi Arabia Oil Consumption Outlook, 2005- 2025
6.2 Iran Oil Consumption Outlook, 2005- 2025
6.3 Other Middle East Oil Consumption Outlook, 2005- 2025
6.4 United Arab Emirates Oil Consumption Outlook, 2005- 2025
7 Egypt Oil Consumption Outlook, 2005-2025
7 Top 6 Middle East and Africa Gas Producers- Supply Outlook, 2006 to 2025
7.1 Iran Gas Production Outlook, 2005- 2025
7.2 Qatar Gas Production Outlook, 2005- 2025
7.3 Saudi Arabia Gas Production Outlook, 2005- 2025
7.4 Algeria Gas Production Outlook, 2005- 2025
7.5 United Arab Emirates Gas Production Outlook, 2005- 2025
8 Top 6 Middle East and Africa Gas Consumers - Demand Outlook, 2006 to 2025
8.1 Iran Gas Consumption Outlook, 2005- 2025
8.2 Saudi Arabia Gas Consumption Outlook, 2005- 2025
8.3 United Arab Emirates Gas Consumption Outlook, 2005- 2025
8.4 Egypt Gas Consumption Outlook, 2005- 2025
8.5 Qatar Gas Consumption Outlook, 2005- 2025
9. Global Oil and Gas Capital Expenditure Plans of 10 Companies
9.1 Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia
9.2 China National Petroleum Company
9.3 ExxonMobil
9.4 Petroleos de Venezuela
9.5 Royal Dutch Shell
9.6 BP Plc
9.7 Gazprom
9.8 Total SA
9.9 Chevron Corporation
9.10 Petrobras
10. Recent Industry Developments
11. Appendix
11.1 Abbreviations
11.2 Sources and Methodology
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ftkj7c/middle_east
Media Contact:
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
press@researchandmarkets.com
For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470
For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630
For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- On4 Communications (OTC: ONCI) is proud to announce the reduction of the Outstanding and Authorized shares by 1.4 billion each. The new share structure will be reflected in the next quarter financial report due December 15. CEO Steve Berman states, "This reduction in shares has been a long time coming and current dialogue with FINRA has given us the confidence to proceed with this important step at this time."
On4 is also pleased to announce the hiring of Peter Einstein. Peter is currently based in Serbia and will be running international sales. Peter has held numerous positions in the communications industry including President/CEO, Showtime Arabia; President, MTV Networks Europe; Chairman, Eclipse Media Group and Deputy CEO Rotana Media Group. "Peter brings a wealth of experience and contacts in Europe and the Middle East," adds Berman.
On4 Communications is also pleased to announce it has signed a contract with a 4 dealer Toyota Group in the NY tri-state area: one dealer in NY, one in NJ and 2 in CT. We will deliver units on October 1st. Each dealer will take 50 unites starting in NY and rolling out to NJ and CT in November. Units are $200.00 each for a total of $40,000 a month and $480,000 a year.
About On4 Communications
On4 is a holdings company with an aggressive focus of acquiring proven and profitable businesses. Our first project is focusing on businesses operating in the $1.7 trillion U.S. healthcare industry. Our newest targeted businesses are operating in the trillion-dollar mobile App space. Our first acquisition in the mobile App space is FMS Marketing a global creator and distributor of mobile Apps for Android and iPhones. We are also targeting businesses to acquire and joint venture with in the medical marijuana and emerging MJ ancillary products space.
Forward-Looking Statement
This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, as well as statements that include words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements, as described in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission which are available for review at www.sec.gov, to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. We are under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact:
On4 Communications, Inc.
On4Company@gmail.com
(323) 487-0389
COCONUT CREEK, FL / ACCESSWIRE / September 27, 2017 / Trans Global Group, Inc. (OTC PINK: TGGI) will release several news items over the coming weeks allowing the market time to digest Cannabis Consortium's scope.
Share Structure Reductions:
In August 2017, Trans Global Group, Inc., the parent Company of Cannabis Consortium, Inc. ("Cannabis"), initiated an extended restructuring phase to reduce the total number of Authorized shares and the total number of shares traded in the Float. To date, TGGI has successfully reduced its Authorized shares by over 2.7 billion Common shares and successfully reduced its Float by 300 million Common shares. There are two further planned reductions that will occur over the next few weeks that will reduce the number of free trading shares in the Float by an additional 530 million Common shares.
TGGI has already developed detailed plans for further reductions in the Float totaling 3 billion shares, and possibly more, once all the corporate actions for its Cannabis Consortium subsidiary have been completed.
Cannabis Consortium, Inc.:
Cannabis Consortium, Inc. ("Cannabis") is a subsidiary company that was purchased by TGGI in 2010 to create an active trading subsidiary. Cannabis itself was created in 1998 as a Blank Check Shell and currently has 47 shareholders.
Cannabis has already spoken with, and will be retaining, Counsel during October 2017 to prepare and file a Reg A so it can then begin to access capital markets as a separate trading entity from TGGI.
Once the Reg A has been approved, Cannabis will work with a Market Maker to file a Form 15c-211 so the Company can independently trade under its own name and ticker symbol.
TGGI and its shareholders will remain the majority shareholder within Cannabis.
When Cannabis begins trading as its own separate entity, a plan will be presented to TGGI shareholders allowing them to exchange a portion of their TGGI shares for Cannabis shares. This action is intended to expand the shareholder base of Cannabis and simultaneously both reduce TGGI's Outstanding shares, and TGGI's Float.
MJ Licenses:
Cannabis Consortium intends to apply for MJ licenses in several U.S. states, beginning with, but not limited to, Colorado. After the Colorado licenses have been approved, Cannabis plans to execute Joint Venture agreements in other states where cannabis has already been legalized.
For the purposes of expediting the business plan and in order to quickly move to a revenue generation phase, the business lines are being structured in a manner that allows Cannabis to effect sales without immediately requiring MJ licenses.
Business Lines:
Cannabis Consortium is comprised of four (4) revenue streams compromising specialty items, foodstuffs, beverages, and one (1) research division. Three (3) of the revenue streams are derived from edibles and the other revenue stream is derived from investments. The research division will focus on the medical benefits of CBD oils for the treatment of animals.
Specialty Items:
For our specialty items, Cannabis is retaining Counsel to file several patents and trademarks on the products the Company has already designed.
A company Cannabis came across during its due diligence phase on potential acquisitions has an item that was being used in a specific non-MJ sector application. This item had sold millions of units at approximately $10 retail per unit and $1-$2 wholesale. Cannabis felt that this price point would broadly fit the expectations of its intended market.
Rather than acquire the patent holding company and its live patent, Cannabis recognized an opportunity existed to design a series of brand new and very different products in a manner that would allow for future patent applications in both the MJ and non-MJ sectors.
Cannabis has completed the design of several specialty products that are a markedly different solution to the specific technological problems processes and materials, offered by the product Cannabis passed on.
The differences, both individually and combined, should allow for a series of patent applications to be filed by Cannabis and be successfully granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Cannabis will additionally apply for a series of Trademarks to USPTO to register and protect the brand names and logos, as applicable.
More information regarding the statements made in this release along with more information about Cannabis Consortium will be released in the coming days.
The foregoing press announcement contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by such terminology such as "believes," "expects," "potential," "plans," "suggests," "may," "should," "could," "intends," or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. In particular, management's expectations could be affected by among other things, uncertainties relating to our success in completing acquisitions, financing our operations, entering into strategic partnerships, engaging management and other matters disclosed by us in our public filings from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.
Contact:
Matt Dwyer
matt@transggi.com
954-905-9896
SOURCE: Trans Global Group, Inc.
LUXEMBOURG CITY, LUXEMBOURG / ACCESSWIRE / September 27, 2017 / Global commodity prices are impacted by a host of factors including economic growth, geopolitics, monetary policy, currency and even the weather. Due to the dynamic nature of these conditions, constant updates on the magnitude of changes and their effects on market fundamentals are critical for traders to make informed decisions. Using crude oil as an example, the experts at Q Smart Limited, a market leading online trading platform, discussed why raw materials often rise during times of global uncertainty.
With nearly ubiquitous demand and over half of the Earth's supply in the turbulent Middle East region, oil is arguably the most politically influenced staple commodity. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), by far holds the largest share of crude oil reserves. OPEC is defined as an association of manufacturers and suppliers with the mission to, "ensure the stabilization of oil markets in order to secure an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to customers, a steady income to producers and a fair return on capital to those investing in the petroleum industry."" At the end of 2014, the organization reported reserves of 1.206 trillion barrels, 81 percent of the world's total supply. Of those, 67.6 percent were within the borders of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Libya.
Due to one relatively small region controlling the majority of the world's oil, it is highly volatile and has a reputation for dramatic price swings. In 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, barrels doubled from $20 to $40 overnight. In 2008, crude being traded on the NYMEX division of the Chicago Stock Exchange peaked at over $147 per barrel. Due to the global financial crisis, in a six-month period, that number fell to $32.48. Lower prices often mean more discretionary funds for the individuals and corporations who rely on the energy commodity, but producers, suppliers and those who invest in the industry will see profits decline significantly. The Middle East is still turbulent today, with instability in Iraq and tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia that have led to violence. These issues are important to investors because they threaten not only production but also present the potential for logistical concerns in terms of shipping oil to the rest of the world.
Q Smart Limited is a globally recognized supplier of Difference Contracts (CFDs) offering unmatched conditions for trading stocks, commodities, and indices. Created by a joint effort of financial professionals and Internet commerce experts, Q Smart Limited makes it possible for anyone with an interest in financial markets to invest and operate with confidence in an innovative and safe environment. With over 17 years of experience in online trading, Q Smart Limited is able to offer strong, customer-focused financial support with 24-hour offices in countries around the world including locations in Hong Kong, Oslo, Wellington, and Sao Paulo.
Q Smart Limited - Market Leading Supplier of CFDs: http://qsmartlimitednews.com
Q Smart Limited - Provides Key Tools for Successful Investment: https://www.yahoo.com/news/q-smart-limited-provides-key-045000611.html
Q Smart Limited - Explains the Shift in Middle Eastern Investment Opportunities: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/q-smart-limited-explains-shift-010600671.html
Contact Information:
QSmartLimitedNews.com
contact@qsmartlimitednews.com
http://qsmartlimitednews.com
SOURCE: Q Smart Limited
Technavio has announced the top six leading vendors in their recentglobal wireless doorbells marketreport from 2017 to 2021. This research report also lists 12 other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period.
This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927006153/en/
Technavio has published a new report on the global wireless doorbells market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire)
Technavio's market research analysts predict that this market will grow at a CAGR of almost 45% by 2021. The global wireless doorbells market is expected to grow at a steady rate during the forecast period, in terms of revenue and shipments. With the advent of advanced computer controls and sensors, a wide range of communication technologies is available in the market. Wireless doorbells, especially smart doorbells, are among the most affordable and easy-to-use smart home automation products.
Competitive vendor landscape
The global wireless doorbells market is a fragmented market with the presence of many large and small-sized companies. The competition among the existing players in the market is high. Therefore, to survive and succeed in a stiff competitive environment, it becomes imperative for vendors to distinguish their product offerings through clear and unique value propositions.
"The competition in the market often leads to price wars. Vendors give promotional offers or cut down their product prices to retain their position in the market. This can negatively affect the profit margins of the company, thereby impacting the overall market growth. The market also faces considerable threats from traditional doorbells," says Sharan Jaganathan, a lead retail goods and services research analyst from Technavio
Almost all players in the market offer similar products that have the same features. To differentiate them from their competitors, vendors are introducing innovative wireless doorbells to gain a competitive edge over their competitors.
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Top six wireless doorbells market vendors
1byone.com
1byone.com offers TV accessories, home decoration products, home security products, audio and sounds products, stage lighting and effects, and accessories such as cable chargers, car holders, phone protection cases, mouse, screen protectors, and many others. The company sells its products in the US, the UK, Germany, and Japan.
August Home
August Home using its encrypted locking technology to develop smart locks. It offers the August smart lock that can be operated with Android and iOS smartphones. The August Smart Lock tracks every entry and exit from a house. It also offers the August Doorbell Cam, the August Smart Keypad, and the August Connect.
Honeywell International
Honeywell International offers aerospace products and services, electronic and advanced materials, turbochargers, control, sensing, and security technologies; and energy-efficient products and solutions for business, homes, and transportation industries, worldwide. It operates three business segments namely, automation and control solutions, aerospace, and performance materials and technologies.
Ring
Ring manufactures security and home automation products. It manufactures video doorbells, security cameras, and related accessories. The company has also launched a unique campaign with an aim to reduce theft and burglaries across neighborhoods by establishing a ring of security in the neighborhood through Ring Neighborhoods beta product.
SadoTech
SadoTech offers wireless doorbells for small and large buildings. The doorbells of the company have an operating range of up to 500 feet. The company offers basic doorbells and expandable doorbell systems. It also offers pet doorbells, alerts, and sensors.
SkyBell Technologies
SkyBell Technologies offers home automation solutions and smart video doorbell for residential customers. It has partnered with various smart home technology companies, including Google Nest, Amazon Echo, icontrol Networks, Honeywell International, Alarm.com, and others.
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About Technavio
Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.
With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.
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AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND / ACCESSWIRE / September 27, 2017 / The entrepreneurial success of tech companies In the Middle East has been at the center of global attention since the beginning of the year. In March 2017, the largest e-commerce platform in the Middle East, Souq.com, was announced to be acquired by Amazon for $600 million. A week after the announcement, over 2000 entrepreneurs had gathered to listen to the speech of Souq's CEO, on how he had built the e-commerce giant. At the start of 2017, Careem - the Middle Eastern equivalent of Uber - had been valued by venture capitalists at over $1 billion. Sentinel 1973, a renowned broker of CFDs, discusses the entrepreneurial tide of the Arab world, enabled by the rise of the middle class and local access to technology.
Despite the region's challenges - poverty, war, breakdown of political and economic institutions - the entrepreneurial spirit of young people is taking charge. In nearly every Middle Eastern country, over half of the population is under 30, and 2/3 of them are expected to own a smart device with easy access to the internet by the end of the year. Arab entrepreneurs are using Dubai as a strong channel of customer acquisition, while running internal business operations in their home countries and utilizing their local market knowledge to grow. A prime example of this business strategy is Jamalon, the largest online bookstore in the Middle East. The company keeps its backend activities in Amman, taking advantage of local talent and lower wages, while maintaining its headquarters in Dubai. "The combination of a strong hub in Dubai and operations on the ground in each country is powerful and gives us a significant advantage. There is nothing like Dubai in the Middle East-nothing really like it anywhere." Says Ala' Alsallal, CEO of Jamalon.
As noted by Sentinel 1973, the UAE government is vigorously supporting the entrepreneurial rise by embracing technology and making encouraging changes to legal policies. By 2020, all government documentation is planned to be digitalized via computer technology that will automate transactions and enhance security. According to Magnitt's report - a leading platform that connects entrepreneurs and investors - 42% of all MENA (Middle East and North Africa) startups are based in Dubai and over $1 billion is projected to be raised in venture capital in 2018. Access to technology has also sprung a strong wave of entrepreneurial activities among Arabic women. Over 25% of the region's startups are founded and led by females, as reported by the Economist. "A relatively new field in the region, technology has no legacy of being male dominated, and it embraces a culture of freedom where everything is viewed as possible, including breaking gender barriers, which makes it compelling to women." Says Hala Fadel, cofounder of Leap Ventures, a venture capital company in Beirut.
Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Sentinel 1973 is a leading broker market of CFDs on stocks, indexes, currencies and commodities. The company specializes in the trading of financial products in Over the Counter (OTC) and organized stock markets, and offers customers advanced technological platforms to maintain and maximize their investments. With 10 available platforms and over 200 financial instruments, the firm serves clients in more than 180 countries throughout Europe, Africa, Latin America, Middle East and Asia.
Sentinel 1973 - World Leading Trading Broker Chosen by Customers: http://sentinel1973news.com
Sentinel 1973 - Offers Technological Advantages for Successful Investment: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sentinel-1973-offers-technological-advantages-013600092.html
Sentinel 1973 - Explains the Recent Rise in the Euro: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sentinel-1973-explains-recent-rise-013500315.html
Contact Information:
Sentinel1973News.com
contact@sentinel1973news.com
http://sentinel1973news.com
SOURCE: Sentinel 1973
Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft).
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
SPRINGFIELD, VA / ACCESSWIRE / September 27, 2017 / Versar, Inc. (OTC PINK: VSRI) ("Versar" or the "Company") today announced it received a letter dated September 25, 2017 from the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE" or "the Exchange") stating that NYSE has determined to commence proceedings to delist the common stock of Versar from NYSE. NYSE suspended trading before the market opened on September 25, 2017 as a result of the Company's announcement that it entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Kingswood Capital Management.
On April 12, 2017, Versar announced that it had received a letter from NYSE stating that the Company was not in compliance with Section 1003(a)(i) of the Exchange's Company Guide due to Versar's reported stockholders equity of less than $2 million as of July 1, 2016 and net losses in the fiscal years ended July 1, 2014 and July 1, 2016. Versar submitted a plan of compliance, which was accepted by the Exchange, to come into compliance by August 15, 2017. The period was subsequently extended to September 15, 2017.
In the letter dated September 25, 2017, NYSE also informed the Company that, under the exchange delisting procedures, the Company has the right to appeal the Exchange's determination by requesting an oral hearing or a hearing based on a written submission before the Exchange's Listing Qualifications Panel. On September 26, 2017, Versar submitted a letter stating that it will appeal the delisting determination and requested an oral hearing. The appeal will stay the delisting determination until the panel renders its decision, following the hearing.
Also, effective September 27, 2017, Versar's common stock will begin trading through OTC Pink under the trading symbol "VSRI." More information can be found at https://www.otcmarkets.com/marketplaces/otc-pink.
VERSAR, INC., headquartered in Springfield, Virginia, is a publicly-traded global project management company providing sustainable value oriented solutions to government and commercial clients in the construction management, environmental services, and professional services market areas.
VERSAR operates the following website: www.versar.com.
Find out more about VERSAR at:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VersarInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VersarInc
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/38251
This news release contains forward-looking information. The forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be significantly impacted by certain risks and uncertainties described herein and in Versar's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017, as updated from time to time in the Company's periodic filings. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and Versar does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.
Contact:
Investor Relations
(703) 642-6706
InvestorRelations@versar.com
Robert Ferri
Robert Ferri Partners
(415) 575-1589
robert.ferri@robertferri.com
SOURCE: Versar, Inc.
MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK -- (Marketwired) -- 09/27/17 -- Organigram Holdings Inc. (TSX VENTURE: OGI)(OTCQB: OGRMF) (the "Company" or "Organigram") is pleased to announce that it will be presenting at two upcoming cannabis investor conferences.
Greg Engel, Chief Executive Officer of Organigram will present at the Eight Capital Let It Grow Cannabis Conference on Wednesday, October 4, 2017. The conference runs from 10 am ET - 2:30 pm ET and will be held at The Adelaide Hotel, 9th Floor, 325 Bay Street, Toronto.
Mr. Engel will also present to investors at the New West Summit 3.0 and the Exclusive Public Companies Symposium on Friday, October 13, 2017. The symposium will be held at the Oakland Marriott City Center, 1001Broadway, Oakland, California. Organigram is schedule to present at 3 pm PT.
"Both conferences come at an important time in the evolution of the Canadian cannabis industry," says Engel. "As federal cannabis legislation continues to develop and the provinces respond with their own approaches to a legal adult use recreational market, continued industry discussion and collaboration are critical. We're excited to share our views on pending rules and regulations and the importance of clear production, sales and distribution strategies for continued growth."
As part of the Company's participation in these conferences, Organigram will be conducting a series of one-on-one meetings with institutional investors.
Registered attendees interested in scheduling a meeting with management should contact conference coordinators.
The Company is also announcing that it has granted stock options for a total of 166,648 common shares of Organigram to directors of the Company. These stock options are exercisable at $2.59 per stock option and will expire on September 27, 2027. These stock options vest over a period of twenty-four months following the grant date and are governed by the terms and conditions of the Company's stock option plan.
This stock option grant is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.
About Organigram Holdings Inc.
Organigram Holdings Inc. is a TSX Venture Exchange listed company whose wholly owned subsidiary, Organigram Inc., is a licensed producer of medical marijuana in Canada. Organigram is focused on producing the highest quality, condition specific medical marijuana for patients in Canada. Organigram's facility is located in Moncton, New Brunswick and the Company is regulated by the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations ("ACMPR").
Organigram has been ranked in the top ten Clean Technology & Life Sciences Sector on the TSX Venture Exchange 50.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains forward-looking information which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors - including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, crop yields - that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For more information, visit www.Organigram.ca.
Contacts:
Organigram Holdings Inc.
Greg Engel
Chief Executive Officer
gengel@organigram.ca
Organigram Holdings Inc.
Giselle Doiron
Director of Investor and Media Relations
(506) 801-8986
CAMARILLO, California, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
BNK Petroleum Inc. (the "Company") (TSX:BKX) is pleased to announce the completion of the fracture stimulation of the Brock 9-2H well (100% working interest) which is located in BNK's Tishomingo field, in the SCOOP region of Oklahoma.
The fracture stimulation was successful, with 13.5 million pounds of proppant, or over 2,650 pounds per foot placed, on time and under budget.
The next step is to drill out the plugs and then begin the flowback of the well. The Company expects to have stabilized rates by the last week of October.
Commenting on the announcement, Wolf Regener, President and CEO, said "Our operations team has once again performed very well and delivered an excellent fracture stimulation. We eagerly await the flowrates from the well."
About BNK Petroleum Inc.
BNK Petroleum Inc. is an international oil and gas exploration and production company focused on finding and exploiting large, predominately unconventional oil and gas resource plays. Through its subsidiaries, the Company owns and operates shale oil and gas properties in the United States. Additionally, the Company is utilizing its technical and operational expertise to identify and acquire additional unconventional projects. The Company's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol BKX and on the OTCQB under the stock symbol BNKPF.
Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding the timing of and expected results from plannedCaneywells development. Forward-looking information is based on plans and estimates of management and interpretations of data by the Company's technical team at the date the data is provided and is subject to several factors and assumptions of management, including thatthatindications of early results are reasonably accurate predictors of the prospectiveness of the shale intervals, that required regulatory approvals will be available when required, that no unforeseen delays, unexpected geological or other effects, including flooding and extended interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather conditions, equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes are encountered, that the development plans of the Company and its co-venturers will not change, thatthe offset operator's operations will proceed as expected by management,that the demand for oil and gas will be sustained, that the Company will continue to be able to access sufficient capital through financings, farm-ins or other participation arrangements to maintain its projects, and that global economic conditions will not deteriorate in a manner that has an adverse impact on the Company's business, its ability to advance its business strategy and the industry as a whole. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions on which such forward looking information is based vary or prove to be invalid, including that the Company or its subsidiaries is not able for any reason to obtain and provide the information necessary to secure required approvals or that required regulatory approvals are otherwise not available when required, that unexpected geological results are encountered,that equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes or shortages are encountered,the risks associated with the oil and gas industry (e.g. operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration and development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks, including flooding and extended interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather conditions),that the offset operator's operations have unexpected adverse effects on the Company's operations,that completion techniques require further optimization, that production rates do not match the Company's assumptions, that very low or no production rates are achieved, that the Company is unable to access required capital, that occurrences such as those that are assumed will not occur, do in fact occur, and those conditions that are assumed will continue or improve, do not continue or improve, and the other risks and uncertainties applicable to exploration and development activities and the Company's business as set forth in the Company's management discussion and analysis and its annual information form, both of which are available for viewing under the Company's profile athttp://www.sedar.com, any of which could result in delays, cessation in planned work or loss of one or more concessions and have an adverse effect on the Company and its financial condition. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.
Wolf E. Regener, +1 (805) 484-3613, Email: investorrelations@bnkpetroleum.com, Website: http://www.bnkpetroleum.com
Analytics 4 Life, a Toronto, Canada-based Research Triagle Park, NC-based digital health company, completed a $25m Series B financing.
The financing was supported by an international syndicate of accredited investors, including physicians, healthcare professionals, and medical device experts.
The company intends to use the funds to advance proprietary imaging technology designed to assess coronary artery disease.
Led by Don Crawford, CEO, Analytics 4 Life is a digital health company applying artificial intelligence to develop solutions that improve existing care pathways. The companys novel cardiac imaging technology is under clinical investigation to help physicians assess the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) using intrinsic signals scanned from the body without radiation, contrast agents, or cardiac stress.
The first application of this technology is CorVista, a non-invasive, physician-directed diagnostic test that aims to identify the presence of CAD without radiation or cardiac stress.
CorVista is designed to scan signals naturally emitted by the body with a synchronous array of seven sensors on a proprietary collection device. After the signals are acquired, the signal package is instantaneously transmitted to the cloud where it is analyzed by a machine-learned algorithm to generate a unique image and a heart model indicating areas of potential heart disease associated with the presence of CAD. The results of the test are displayed on a secure physician web portal that, in combination with a patients medical history, risk factors, and symptoms, are used by the interpreting physician to recommend further treatment.
In addition to the funding, Aaron Berez, M.D., the founder and CEO of Alembic LLC, an early-stage medical device company, joined Analytics 4 Lifes Board.
FinSMEs
27/09/2017
Clairy, a Pordenone, Italy-based smart flowerpot that uses real plants to fight against indoor pollution, received a 2M grant from the European Union.
The funds will be used mainly for research and development and to hire talent.
Created by Italians Paolo Ganis, Alessio DAndrea and Vincenzo Vitiello, Clairy has developed a smart flowerpot that uses real plants to fight against indoor pollution. The flowerpot leverages a technology unit with sensors that measure indoor pollution, and is connected to smartphones to communicate real-time data.
The team raised over $370k via Kickstarter and Indiegogo, and after a three-month period in Silicon Valley with one of the biggest accelerators in the US, Plug and Play ventures, went back to Italy since the product is handmade in Venetian Ceramic.
The company plans to launch a new Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign by the end of March 2018.
FinSMEs
27/09/2017
IVP, a Menlo Park, CA-based later-stage venture capital and growth equity firm, closed its latest fund, IVP XVI, at $1.5 billion.
This is the largest fund in the firms 37-year history and brings cumulative committed capital to $7 billion. IVP XVI was oversubscribed, with existing Limited Partners contributing the vast majority of the capital.
With the new fund, IVP plans to invest in 35-40 companies, in amounts ranging from $10 to $100 million per company.
Led by Todd Chaffee, Somesh Dash, Norm Fogelsong, Steve Harrick, Eric Liaw, Jules Maltz, Sandy Miller, and Dennis Phelps, who collectively have more than 150 years of venture capital and operating experience, and recently promoted principals Tom Loverro and Roseanne Wincek, IVP makes investments in enterprise and consumer technology and media companies supporting them at the growth stage and partnering with management teams throughout the United States via its offices in Menlo Park and San Francisco.
Since its inception in 1980, IVP has invested in over 300 companies, of which 106 have gone public.
Notable investments include AppDynamics, Domo, Dropbox, The Honest Company, Slack, Snap, Supercell, Twitter, and ZipRecruiter.
FinSMEs
27/09/2017
In one of the most scathing criticisms of the government by a senior BJP leader, former finance minister Yashwant Sinha has said that the distress in the economy is so deep that a revival is unlikely before the next general elections and warned of a hard landing.
In an article written in The Indian Express on Wednesday, he has faulted Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the mess in the economy. Sinha has said he is speaking up while many other BJP leaders may be afraid to.
According to him, the GDP growth for April-June as per old method of calculation will be 3.7 percent or even less, not 5.7 percent as the government data shows.
Listing out the problems the economy faces, Sinha has said that "demonetisation has proved to be an unmitigated economic disaster, a badly conceived and poorly implemented GST has played havoc". This has resulted in millions of job losses and even sunk businesses.
These comments echo what former prime minister Manmohan Singh recently said on economy while criticising the government policies.
On Jaitley, Sinha has said he has not won the election but was given four ministries of which three he still holds. However, he has reminded that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had refused to appoint his closest colleagues Jaswant Singh and Pramod Mahajan in 1998.
However, Jaitley, who is "considered the best and the brightest in this government" and handles three ministries, has not been able to do justice to the task as he was carrying the heavy burden of so many extra responsibilities.
"...The oil bonanza has been wasted and the legacy problems [like the banking sector NPAs] have not only been allowed to persist, they have become worse," Sinha points out. Also after the demonetisation, the enforcement directorate and the income tax department are given the humongous responsibility of finding out black money. "Instilling fear in the minds of the people is the name of the new game," he says.
Sinha even doubts whether the newly revived Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, which has five members under the chairmanship of Bibek Debroy, will be able to revive the economy.
"Like the five Pandavas they are expected to win the new Mahabharat war for us," he has said.
He concludes with a telling comment: "The prime minister claims that he has seen poverty from close quarters. His finance minister is working over-time to make sure that all Indians also see it from equally close quarters."
Sinha is not the first senior BJP leader to warn about the economy. Recently, Subramanian Swamy warned that the economy may be headed for a crash.
Today, the economy is in a tailspin. Yes, it can crash. We need to do a lot of good things to revive the economy. Even a tailspin can be made to steady. If nothing is done, we are heading for a major depression. There will be mass scale banks might collapse, factories might start closing, he had told CNN-News18 in an interview.
Chennai: The Central government owned banks' plan to hire 7,883 clerical staff next fiscal is inadequate when compared to the growth in business and the number of accounts, said a top leader of All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA).
"This seems to be a part of a design to reduce the intake of clerical staff. Despite growth in business (deposits and advances) since 2013-14, the recruitment of clerical staff in government-owned banks is coming down," C H Venkatachalam, General Secretary said.
Venkatachalam said 13 public sector banks have indented a total of 7,883 clerical staff while some banks have not asked for any.
He said in 2013-14 the government banks hired 84,680 clerical staff and this number has been going down over the years.
When pointed the reduction in manual work with computerisation of operations, fall in branch footfalls due to automatic teller machines (ATM), growth in digital payments he said: "We have opened around 30 lakh Jan Dhan accounts which has added workload."
"The banking transaction time for customers has increased which results in branch staff leaving at around 7 pm. Though the operations have been computerised, the systems are slow. It takes long time to close the day's ledger accounts," Venkatachalam said.
"No bank is willing to issue a circular that staff need not stay in the branch after office hours," he added.
According to him, many of the regular bank jobs are being outsourced which needs to be stopped.
With Spyder all set to hit screens on 27 September, the film boasts a lot of firsts in its lead star Mahesh Babus career.
Its his first bilingual film and the most expensive in the actors career so far; it's also the first time that hes teaming up with AR Murugadoss. Moreover, his dream of working with acclaimed cinematographer Santosh Sivan finally came true with this film. No wonder the actor is extremely excited about the films release. We have worked for more than one-and-half years to make this film. Its the result of the blood and sweat of more than 1,000 people who worked in the team, Mahesh says, talking about Spyder.
Admittedly, AR Murugadoss has been wanting to work with Mahesh Babu ever since he saw Okkadu, the film which turned Mahesh Babu into a star in Telugu cinema. The duo met for the first time while Mahesh was shooting for Pokiri; however, it took them another 10 years to finally come together for a project.
Working with Murugadoss was the most exciting factor about Spyder for me. Hes a pan-Indian director and he has an unique way of presenting his stories. Besides, the film itself took 190 days to complete and there were days when we were all really exhausted, but Murugadoss would keep the energy level high on the set, Mahesh says.
Right from Spyder's inception, the entire team was quite aware that they were making a big film. In fact, by the time the film was ready for its theatrical release, its become the second highest budgeted film in Telugu behind Baahubali. We knew the kind of budget that was required to make Spyder and thats one of the reasons why we decided to make it into a bilingual. Yes, the films shoot got delayed and extended beyond our original plan, but that didnt escalate the costs dramatically, the actor says.
While the excitement surrounding Mahesh Babus foray into Tamil cinema is palpable, the actor himself had been waiting for the right opportunity for a long time now. A lot of my films were dubbed in Tamil in the past, but Spyder is almost like a launch for me in Tamil. Acting in a bilingual film is a huge challenge and its easier said than done. Since I know both Telugu and Tamil, I thought it would just be a matter of an extra-take; however, the process was extremely cumbersome. I would take 4-5 retakes to get a scene right in Tamil, another 4-5 takes for the Telugu version, and then, we would do more takes for the close-ups of the same sequence. It was like making a film, and then remaking it at the same time. It was definitely a new experience for me and helped me grow as an actor. Recently, when I was on the sets of Koratala Sivas film, the moment I was done with the Telugu lines, I asked, 'Is this it? Or do I have to do more?' [Laughs], Mahesh tells us about the experience of making the film. I learnt a lot more about being patient with artistes around me, switching between languages. I mean, this is the first time that I had to spend nearly 7-8 days to complete one scene! [Laughs]
Ask him if he found the whole process of shooting for Tamil and Telugu repetitive and pat comes the reply: It wasnt repetitive. We have ensured that the Tamil version is slightly different from Telugu. Sometimes, your mind will just freeze and go blank while switching between languages, and that was a big challenge for me. We had different sets of supporting actors in Telugu and Tamil versions, and there are parts of the background score that are different in the two versions, although the run-time is pretty much the same. Full credit to Murugadoss for envisioning such different versions for the same content.
Spyder narrates the story of Shiva, who works in the Intelligence Bureau, and the film unfolds from his point of view, with SJ Suryah playing the antagonist. Its only in the climax that the hero and the villain come face-to-face; till then, he remains invisible to the hero. How do you chase down someone if you dont know how s/he looks? Its a new concept and youll be absolutely thrilled with what SJ Suryah has done in the film. Hes really good as an actor, Mahesh avers. He also denies rumours that the film is based on the concept of bio-terrorism or counter-terrorism. We dont want to reveal too much before the films release. There are plenty of surprises in store for everyone, Mahesh adds.
The actor is all praise for his co-star Rakul Preet, who impressed everyone with her professionalism on the sets. Learning lines in two languages isnt an easy task and Rakul is really hardworking. Had it been anyone else, then I am sure that the shoot would have extended by another 20 days! Mahesh asserts.
Born and brought up in Chennai, Mahesh Babu has always been associated with cinema, thanks to his father, Superstar Krishna. It so happened that whenever he had his summer vacations, he would go meet his father on a film set and before he knew it, Mahesh Babu became a child artiste. He was groomed to become an actor from a very young age. Growing up in Chennai back in the '90s, there was another secret wish that he harboured which has finally come true after all these years. Mahesh Babu wanted to work with Santosh Sivan, cinematographer of classics like Roja, Dalapathy, at some point in his career. My wife (Namrata) had worked with him in the past; however, every time we thought of approaching Santosh Sivan, he would bluntly refuse the offer saying that his style of working wouldnt sync with Telugu film directors. So, when Spyder came up, I was thrilled when Santosh sir himself called me saying that hes doing the film because he had a good experience while working on Murugadoss Thuppakki. Its a dream come true to work with him, he confesses.
The buzz surrounding Spyder in Telugu and Tamil hasnt gone unnoticed in Bollywood either. Apparently, after the first promo was unveiled, the team had numerous offers to dub the film in Hindi. Im really proud that Telugu cinema has evolved on the whole. And ever since Baahubali released, people have begun to pay more attention about whats happening in Telugu film industry. Im happy that Spyder is being viewed as another prestigious film from South, Mahesh Babu signs off.
New Delhi: Actor Himansh Kohli, who is gearing up for the release of Ranchi Diaries, says the cast and crew of the upcoming film faced issues with Maoists while shooting.
"Apart from Ranchi being famous for its scenic beauty, I got to know Jharkhand was also famous for naxalites and there were a lot of issues with the naxalites while we were shooting," Himansh told IANS over the phone in Mumbai.
Himansh, who made his Bollywood debut with Divya Khosla Kumar's Yaariyan, will share screen space with veteran actor Anupam Kher in Ranchi Diaries.
The actor says the Maoists were really unhappy with the shoot taking place in their area. "They were really unhappy because of our shooting in their area or anywhere around Ranchi, but all thanks to the government of Jharkhand for providing us immense support because of which our shooting went peacefully," he added.
Ranchi Diaries has been directed by Sattwik Mohanty and produced by Anupam Kher. It also stars Jimmy Shergill, Harry Bala and Pradeep Singh.
The film, which is slated to release on 5 October, follows the story of Gudiya, played by debutante Soundarya and her friends, Taaha Shah and Himansh, who are out to make it big in a small town.
Amit Masurkar's film Newton India's official entry to the Oscars could be rejected by the Academy Awards jury. Which is a crying shame, because by rejecting Newton, the Academy will effectively reject two movies the Rajkumar Rao-starrer which would be India's official entry to the Oscars, and the Iranian film Secret Ballot, which Newton is said to have used for inspiration.
Now, we have not seen either movie, so we will do what any self-respecting film reviewer does: Assume the worst. Best case scenario, we will be proven right. Even worst case scenario, we will end up saving a lot of time, which we can utilise for other, more intellectual pursuits, like watching that video of a cat playing piano! I mean, it's a cat! And it's playing the piano!
On second thoughts, we should have just sent that to the Oscars.
What? You can't send random viral videos to the Academy? What about that video of the fat guy doing parkour? What do you mean strict rules in place? They are just coming up with these random new rules to deny fine Indian cinema.
If only we could have a movie which checks all the boxes. But where can we find a film of such outstanding quality which is entirely original? So original that every scene, every frame, every dialogue is entirely from the fertile imagination of a battery of writers? Do we know of a single movie which can send out a social message to the masses, while at the same time create an enthralling cinematic experience? Which can be an advertisement to the idea of India, glorify the land of plenty, while at the same time show the world how we Indians tackle our problems here?
Enter MSG.
MSG has the added advantage of having had two movies within the review period. While every other movie in the running is handicapped by the fact that it's just ... well, a movie, MSG comes in a pair MSG Lion Heart 2, and Jattu Engineer. Not that either movie is anything but flawless, but together they are just about a world beating team. What MSG Lion Heart 2 couldn't do, Jattu Engineer would, and where Jattu Engineer fails, MSG Lion Heart 2 would pick up the tab. You get the drift? It's like having a two-headed person, with both heads possessing equally arresting qualities, to a beauty pageant, knowing all other competitors are encumbered by a solitary head. The possibilities are dizzy and endless. Makes us lose our collective heads.
What's more, both films come with equally strong social messages. MSG Lion Heart 2, which released in February, showed the world the truth about Pakistan and terrorism and virgins. The Academy's love affair with war is no secret (How else do you explain Saving Private Ryan winning anything?), and a war movie that shows them the truth about Pakistani girls intending to do sexy time, and Pakistani terrorists realising their bombs won't burst is just what would win them over.
Jattu Engineer, on the other hand, released in May, and told us people with black faces are evil. After all, isn't the colour of a person's heart reflected in their face? Race is again a concept which has been richly rewarded by the Academy (we won't even insult your intelligence with examples here), and in Jattu Engineer, they have the perfect antidote to the Spike Lee school of filmmaking.
Still not convinced? Their utter originality will convince you then. In Jattu Engineer, for instance, we are introduced to people who speak in donkey-like brays. Show us another movie, from anywhere else in the world, where you have a character whose raison d'etre is to bray like a donkey, and we will show you a shameless plagiariser.
So, without any further ado, here we present India's alternative entries to the Oscars: MSG Lion Heart 2 and Jattu Engineer! A country can only send one entry? What about Saving Private Ryan then? That was just one really long movie? No way!
Richa Chadha. Kalki Koechlin. Road trip. Female friendship. Shattering stereotypes if we had to describe the trailer of Jia aur Jia in a one-liner, this would be it. The powerhouse performances of Richa Chadha and Kalki Koechlin make the center of this lovely road trip film.
The trailer starts of with showing us how the character of Richa Chadha, an uptight banker called Jia, meets a Kalki Koechlin's Jia, a go-with-the-flow kind of personality. There is conflict in the beginning Kalki's Jia shoplifts, steals food, washes her face with Vodka, all while Richa Chadha's Jia looks on bemused.
Slowly though, both Jias shed their inhibitions and become rather close, and the tone of the trailer changes from conflict to pure, unadulterated fun. They share hotel rooms, trailers, crazy travel memories and eventually, their secrets as well.
Finally a film on female friendships that isn't stereotypical (no cat fights, thank god) infact, by the look of the trailer, Jia aur Jia seems to be extremely relatable, and reminded us a lot of Kangana Ranaut's Queen (in a good way)
The film is shot extensively in Sweden and will also have a special reprise song, Jia Ho Jia Kuch Bol Do from 1961 film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai.
Jia Aur Jia is produced by Mirza N Askari and is presented by Blue Fox Motion Pictures Pvt ltd. It is slated to release on October 27.
Watch the trailer here:
American electronic music group Major Lazer will be headlining the upcoming fifth edition of electronic dance music (EDM) festival Vh1 Supersonic in Pune. The three-day fest by LIVE Viacom18 will be held at Laxmi Lawns, Pune from February 9-11 February, 2018.
Major Lazer, the globally famous project by DJ-music producer Diplo, DJ Jillionaire and DJ Walshy Fire, is known for hits like 'Lean On' and 'Cold water'. They have collaborated with stars like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Pharrell Williams.
"Vh1 Supersonic is going to be crazy! We are looking forward to meet our fans in India and are super excited to be playing at Pune this February," Jillionaire said in a statement.
Saugato Bhowmik, Head, LIVE Viacom18 and Consumer Products, Viacom18, said, "We have always brought the most loved and talented artists to our festival and we are extremely delighted to bring Major Lazer back. We will continue to make our superfans happy as we have plenty more up our sleeves for the fifth edition."
Nikhil Chinapa, Festival Curator, Vh1 Supersonic, is happy with Major Lazer coming for the fest.
"They have consistently redefined the musical space they inhabit and have stayed ahead of the curve, with their innovative style of dance music production and presentation," Chinapa said.
Vh1 Supersonic was earlier held in Goa in December every year, and took place in Pune for the first time in February this year. This year, the line-up included big names like Macklemore, Eric Prydz and Zedd.
Here's the video posted by the musical trio on Twitter:
Five minutes into AR Murugadoss Spyder, starring Mahesh Babu and SJ Suryah, you begin to sense a feeling that it wont be a usual action film. The hero introduces himself with a voice-over where he explains what he does for a living. He is okay with people not recognising him and his heroism because for him, saving peoples lives is more important.
As a junior level officer at the Intelligence Bureau, Shiva (Mahesh Babu) has the distinction of building his own software to track peoples conversations. Hes good at his job, but he doesnt like being pompous, and his friends at the Bureau support him whole-heartedly, despite knowing that everything that they are doing is illegal. This also explains why the film is devoid of any trappings which could eulogise a hero to convey the emotion of that character.
Spyder is the kind of film which is extremely aware of what its doing and we, as the audience, are expected to keep up with its pace.
You also begin to feel that AR Murugadoss, who wrote and directed Spyder, stuck to his guns to make a film which doesnt get bogged down by the presence of a star. The focus is purely on the story and the characters - Shiva and Bhairavudu (played by a sensational SJ Suryah). While Shiva believes in humanity, Bhairavudu believes in destruction. Why? Because he feels more at peace when he sees other wailing. Its termed as SPD (Sadistic Personality Disorder), an euphemism which has been explored with great effect in every sense.
The first time we hear about Bhairavudus past, you shudder when you think about his motivations. He kills because when people cry, its music to his ears. Theres no other motivation behind it. Like Alfred says in The Dark Knight, some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn. Here, Bhairavudu just wants to watch the world cry.
Murugadoss offers plenty of ideas to familiarise us the extent to which Shiva can go to do his job. In one interesting episode, he hacks into an entertainment channel to reach out to a few women; in another, uses thermal-imaging technology to trace people; in another montage scene, Shiva appears at the crime spot before something can go terribly wrong. Its a joy to watch a film where such ideas actually translate well on screen. But at its core, the film is about the confrontation between good vs evil, between a man who wants to be a hero lurking in the shadows and a villain who terrorises people openly. The script derives its strength from the villains past. And all the hero is left with is a sharp acumen to use the gadgets at his disposal to catch the villain before the latter implements more devious plans. Theres a constant feeling of doom and Murugadoss toys around with this external threat quite well throughout the film.
Mahesh Babu is terrific in his role as an Intelligence Bureau officer, and he underplays his body language throughout the film.
Its also one of the most intense performances in his career, and full credit to him for pulling it off with such panache and authenticity. SJ Suryah is a revelation and easily the best villain we have seen in recent times. Its a performance for the ages, and the actor does full justice to his wonderfully written role. Amidst a fight between these two behemoths, theres hardly a space for romance, and naturally, Rakul Preet gets very little screen time.
The film, however, has its share of issues, especially in terms of its VFX. There are portions of stunt sequences which dont quite look authentic, and the sub-standard visual effects in one critical moment in the story hampers the experience. Although the action is treated quite realistically for most part, it does force us to stretch our imagination at times in its attempt to justify how far the villain would go to wreak havoc in an urban dwelling.
Spyder is also a true blue action thriller and it stays true to the genre. Harris Jayarajs background score and Santosh Sivans cinematography are terrific. And the fact that its quite engaging almost till the end is an impressive feat in itself. Quite frankly, its a relief to see a film like this being made in the first place because it delves into the very concept of how vulnerable human lives are and why we all need to watch out for each other. In the end, even if the message of the film feels like an afterthought, its emotion is very much the driving force behind the lead character.
This isnt a Mahesh Babus film alone and it doesnt pander to our expectations from his action dramas. And to see him step into the shoes of a character which doesnt dominate the film is also why Spyder has a very different tone from the very beginning. A big thumbs up for Spyder. Go watch it.
Dr Prathap Reddy, chief of Apollo Hospital in Chennai, said he welcomed a judicial probe into the mystery surrounding the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, and said the hospital will cooperate with the authorities regarding the probe.
The hospital, which has been under immense pressure since the former chief minister breathed her last on 5 December, 2016, has also reportedly handed over a timeline of events that took place since her hospitalisation leading up to her death.
#BREAKING Jayalalithaa death mystery: Apollo hospital says will cooperate with probe panel | @nimumurali with more details pic.twitter.com/fNvYgsNKev News18 (@CNNnews18) September 27, 2017
Meanwhile, the Madras High Court has summoned the principal secretary of the Election Commission on 6 October regarding the authenticity of Jayalalithaa's thumb impression on papers supporting AK Bose's nomination. DMK's P Saravanan had challenged Bose's victory in the Thiruparankundram bypoll, when Jayalalithaa was in hospital.
Madras HC summons EC P'pal Secy on Oct 6 regarding authenticity of Jayalalithaas thumb impression on papers supporting AK Bose's nomination ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2017
On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu minister Sellur K Raju contradicted the claim made by two his Cabinet colleagues that no one was allowed to see Jayalalithaa in the hospital. Reddy has, however, refused to comment on whether ministers met the former chief minister or not.
According to News 18, senior Tamil Nadu minister and AIADMK leader Dindigul Srinivasan had claimed that party leaders lied about Jayalalithaa's health last year so that people believe that she was improving.
"All the ministers met her," he told reporters when asked if he had met Jayalalithaa during her 75-day hospitalisation from 22 September last year.
Raju, however, refused to elaborate further, and only said her death was a "huge loss". The minister also said he was not prepared to say anything more on the issue.
On 25 September, the Tamil Nadu government said it has set up an inquiry commission headed by retired high court justice A Arumugaswamy to probe Jayalalithaa's death.
Chief Minister K Palaniswamy had announced the government's decision to set up an inquiry commission to be headed by a retired high court judge to go into the mystery.
With inputs from agencies
Hyderabad: Latching onto former Union finance minister and BJP leader Yashwant Sinha's critical comments on the state of the economy, MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday attacked the NDA government for its handling of the economic situation.
"Whatever he (Sinha) has said in that article is completely true. I don't know why did he stop at not blaming the prime minister himself. It is the prime minister who is leading this government," he told reporters.
Not only Sinha, even BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and political commentator S Gurumurthy have also criticised the NDA government for its handling of the economy, Owaisi said.
"Secondly, not only Yashwant Sinha, even Subramanian Swamy has said that the economy is heading towards depression. Then you have this, one of the core supporters of the RSS, Gurumurthy also criticising that the economy is going to shake," the Hyderabad MP, said.
Owaisi said the "responsibility" now lies with the prime minister himself "that because of his wrong policies, the economy is going down".
Various economic parameters have portrayed a negative picture of the economy, he claimed.
"You have all private sector, important people saying that economy is doing very bad. The private sector cannot grow in the next two years. The construction industry is down. Exports...the government does not have money to pay Rs 55,000 crore back to exporters."
He alleged that despite low oil prices, the government has increased central excise duties.
"Every sphere of economic activity is in the doldrums. The responsibility solely lies with the honourable prime minister," he said.
In a newspaper article headlined, "I need to speak up now", Sinha criticised incumbent Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over what he called the "mess the finance minister has made of the economy".
Owaisi, who has been demanding that the Rohingyas fleeing Myanmar be provided shelter in India, said it is high time the NDA government and the BJP looked at the situation as a "humanitarian issue".
"Immediately, when Hindu Rohingyas were killed, the BJP was concerned. This is a humanitarian issue. I once again reiterate India is not a signatory to the 1951 convention. But, the customary international law has been developed by various Supreme Court judgments and India has to live up to those obligations," he said.
On the issue of the recent violence on the campus of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), he observed the "political survival" of any government which goes against the student community does not last long.
Students at various places are not succumbing to the "pressure tactics", he said.
Replying to a query, Owaisi said his party has subscribed and worked under the Indian Constitution.
"I can only speak for my party. We subscribe and work and our struggle is within the Indian Constitution. Our political fight is for rights which the Constitution of India guaranteed," he said.
How should a university respond to sexual harassment of its students?
On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Police lathicharged students of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) who were protesting increasing incidents of eve-teasing and an alleged incident of sexual harassment.
Afterwards, the police filed FIRs against 1,200 university students.
The students were as much protesting the discrimination against women as they were the university's inability to protect them. The students demanded better lighting on the campus, CCTV cameras and wanted to ensure that measures taken ostensibly to "protect women" did not affect their right to access education.
However, on Tuesday, Girish Chandra Tripathi, the Vice-Chancellor of the BHU, claimed that what had occurred was an act of 'simple eve-teasing' that was deliberately staged to coincide with the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Varanasi. Setting conspiracy theories aside, we would all do well to examine and reflect on the BHU's policies and the impact that they have on the lives of students.
BHU is not an ordinary university. It is a State-run institution which means all its actions are subject to constitutional scrutiny. But some of its policies may prima facie fall foul of its constitutional mandate to respect Fundamental Rights.
Each of the 18 hostels run for women at the university has a separate curfew. Some hostels close at 6:00 pm, others which are more lax stay, open till 8 pm. Visitors staying late are required to fill in paperwork and students who stay out late have to deal with authorities ringing up their parents.
However, male students have a 10 pm curfew. Interestingly, the curfew for women is not relaxed even if they want to study at the library even though the library is open 24x7. Which defeats the purpose of a 24x7 library.
Male students also are provided non-vegetarian food at the mess while the women are restricted to vegetarian food. Further, unlike their male counterparts, women who stay at the hostels are required to go home during the university break.
In some hostels, women students are not allowed to use their cellphones after 10 pm. If they are 'caught' doing so, they are forced to put their phone on speaker mode, which is an atrocious invasion of privacy of an adult.
These measures are ostensibly in place to ensure that women are safe on campus. But safety measures cannot take away their right to access education on the same footing as men. After all, a university's aim is to educate. Restricting the movement of an entire gender on account of their sex is something the university simply cannot do under the Constitution.
Article 14 of the Constitution is clear: Everyone shall enjoy equality under the law as well as equal protection. This would require university regulations to not discriminate on the basis of sex. While Article 15(3) does permit discrimination on the basis of gender it does so only if the discrimination to is to the benefit of women.
When women students are raising concerns about their safety, the State is obligated to address their concerns and not in a paternal manner which restricts their movements and access to education. In fact, it is the duty of the State to ensure that all safety measures implemented to not impinge on students' rights. Women students at BHU are on par with males. They pay the same fees. And yet they are prohibited access to the same education.
It is also important to look at All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and University Grants Commission (UGC) rules on preventing sexual harassment, which are binding on the university.
Rule 3.2(12) of the AICTE regulations state:
"Concern for the safety of women students must not be cited to impose discriminatory rules for women in the hostels as compared to male students. Campus safety policies should not result in securitisation, such as over monitoring or policing or curtailing the freedom of movement, especially for women employees and students. "
The rule is also reproduced in verbatim in rule 3.2(13) of the UGC. As per UGC and AICTE regulations, a university cannot cite "protective measures" as grounds for discrimination against women. The university hostel rules thus run foul of UGC mandate.
Clearly, women on the BHU campus are facing sexual harassment. This isn't even the first time the university has taken fire for this. The BHU must take measures to protect students. But these measures cannot be biased towards either gender in their formulation or application.
Both the AICTE and UGC have outlined gender neutral measures in their rules for the prevention of sexual harassment: Having police stations on campus, adequate lighting, counselling, gender sensitisation campaigns, public transport on campus and ensuring that students can work well into the night at libraries and facilities to drop them home safe. All of these measures can greatly increase the safety of students and ensure that there is no discrimination.
The BHU's hostel policies are being challenged before the Supreme Court. But the university would do better to act on its own accord and remove these discriminatory policies immediately. These policies are not just outdated, they are contradictory to the spirit of the BHU, which was established by Indian nationalists to provide quality education for all its students, including women students.
After all, one of the key people who helped found this institution was Annie Besant with her Central Hindu School. The foundational spirit behind institutions of national and in this case nationalist import require these rules be revised urgently.
Taking moral responsibility for the Banaras Hindu University crisis, chief proctor ON Singh submitted his resignation to vice-chancellor GC Tripathi on Tuesday night, 101reporters told Firstpost.
Singh's resignation has been accepted by Tripathi, according to the report.
The atmosphere on the campus of the iconic BHU in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi continues to remain tense even as Tripathi is convinced of an "outsider" angle to the whole controversy.
Despite his explanations, the vice-chancellor, who is in the Opposition's line of fire and has made some controversial comments, allegedly trivialising the molestation incident, is in the eye of the storm.
Tripathi, who was summoned by the human resource development ministry in New Delhi on Tuesday morning, told reporters that protests against an incident of sexual harassment on the varsity campus escalated only due to rumour mongering and involvement of outsiders.
The vice-chancellor, in an interview to CNN-News18 also remained defiant that the police never baton charged girl students at the university. Referring to a fake image, unrelated to the incident but which was in circulation, Tripathi said that no girl was ever beaten up at the campus. Other videos, images and the alternative narrative emerging from the campus, however, suggest otherwise. Tripathi assured that he is in touch with the proctor and the students and due process will be followed to punish the perpetrators. A magisterial probe has already been ordered.
Not a stranger to controversy
Speaking on the violent protests that have rocked the campus, Tripathi told The Indian Express, that if the complaints and demands of every girl were to be listened to, he will not be able to run the university. He later denied making the statement in an interview to CNN-News18.
The vice-chancellor also justified strict curfew timings in girls' hostel and alleged gender biases by saying that the security of girls and boys can never be at par. The statement spurred widespread outrage over Tripathi's alleged trivialisation of an important issue. However, this wasn't the first time that the BHU vice-chancellor was in the eye of a controversy.
Before this, girls have alleged absurd and discriminatory restrictions in the five girls hostels in the university, paralleling the life at BHU campus to that of the militancy-hit state of Jammu and Kashmir, according to a Hindustan Times report.
Reports also suggest that the girls hostel wouldn't serve meat at the students' mess because it apparently violated "tradition". Students of the university have also accused the administration under Tripathi of turning the educational institution into an RSS shakha (branch). Students have alleged that girls aren't allowed to use mobile phones after 10 pm and are not expected to step out of hostel gates after 8 pm.
He was also accused of culling out any voices of dissent in the university, in an attempt to paint BHU saffron. According to a report in The Wire, he expelled a well-known educationist, social activist and Magsaysay awardee, Sandeep Pandey, for not toeing the Sangh Parivars line.
Besides this, there were some controversies on several appointments made by Tripathi. He appointed Satyapal Yadav and Ashok Kumar Sonkar to the Department of History at the university, however, both these academics have been accused of plagiarism in the past.
BHU V-C an RSS ideologue?
Tripathi's known links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have been an open secret. A short profile of him on Business Line states that Tripathi, in a five-minute address in 2015 espoused the RSS and VHP intellectuals, saying, "The planet is a family. Our way of life is prescribed by sarve bhavantu sukhinah and vasudhaiva kutumbakam." Another CNN-News18 report claims that he has been an associated with the saffron organisation for the past four decades.
He himself has known to be quite candid about his RSS links. According to The Wire, when objections were raised to his use of the university as a unit for the RSS, Tripathi said, "When the Indian government itself is of the RSS, there is nothing wrong in establishing an RSS shakha in BHU."
"Tripathi believes in a dictatorial mode of functioning and takes immense pride in his 40 years of candid association with the RSS," the article in The Wirereads. On the question of open debates, dissent, and exploring the Opposition's view at the university, Tripathi is proud to have prevented BHU from going the JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) way.
In an interview to The Hindu, he says that he would never allow BHU to conduct events on "controversial and sensitive" issues and that it was his administrative alertness that prevented the institution from going the JNU way.
Appointment too was mired in controversy
Tripathy was appointed the vice-chancellor of BHU on 27 November 2014 amid a host of controversies. His appointment kicked off a conflict of interest controversy, as the search-cum-selection committee that appointed him was headed by Justice (retired) Giridhar Malviya, grandson of Madan Mohan Malviya, who was a long-time and close associate of Tripathi. According to The Times of India report from the time, Tripathi and Malviya allegedly hid the fact from the government when it appointed the panel and Tripathi's name was shortlisted.
On its part, the HRD ministry ignored the complaint when it was brought to its notice. A ministry source said, "We do not interfere in the working of search-cum-selection committees," the report further said.
The Business Line report also said that HRD ministry also appointed Tripathi as chairperson of renowned IIT-BHU ignoring the list of candidates put forward by the institute. "A Google scholar search reveals no publications, citations or papers to his name," the report said.
Besides this, attempts to trace his past credentials only reveal that he was a professor of economics at Allahabad University, before the current appointment. Tripathi was also the secretary of Seva Samiti, a registered society in Allahabad. However, apart from this, no trace of any administrative experience, which is mentioned as a key credential mentioned in a 2014 notification inviting applications for the post of BHU vice-chancellor, is available, at least online.
Another report in The Wire states that the Department of Economics at the Allahabad University fails to provide information under the RTI act regarding the research activities of Tripathi, while he served as a professor there. Outstanding academic record and research credentials too are one of the first things that grab one's attention on the notification inviting application for the BHU vice-chancellor's post.
His tenure is due to end in two month's time on 26 November this year, according to the Department of Higher Education website but no formal notification for the appointment of a new vice-chancellor has come out so far. The notification for the appointment of vice-chancellor in 2014 was released on 30 September in 2014, after which Tripathi was picked for the job.
10:39 (ist)
Varsity is now a rehabilitation centre for incompetent, lumpen legatees of academic dons
There was something eclectic about the Banaras Hindu University. As one crossed the gates, the sprawling campus came in view, representing a microcosm of the entire universe of education. Driving from the Sir Sunderlal hospital to the IIT and dairy farms at the end of the university, one would simply marvel at the genius of the man who founded it Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.
But the recent episode alleged sexual harassment followed by girl students' protests, subsequent use of force against them and its brazen justification by vice-chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi confirm the fear that there is something deeply rotten in the BHU. It has been rotting there for decades and has only now exposed itself in the most virulent form.
Read Ajay Singh's opinion piece here
Mirzapur: Terming Banaras Hindu University (BHU) as a "temple of education", Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said on Wednesday that the state government would not allow it to be turned into a "political battleground".
"Some students holding protest in BHU wanted to turn the temple of education into a battleground of politics, but the government will not allow this at any cost," he told reporters.
"BHU was set up by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya on the basis of some ideals and principles and not for doing politics as is being done by the Opposition parties...The government will never allow such designs to succeed," Maurya said.
The deputy chief minister paid a visit to the famous Vindhyavasini shrine.
He said the government would act on the matter on the basis of the findings of inquiry.
Asked about the poor state of affairs in the Vindhyachal, he said various development works had been taken up in the six months of the BJP government and that the good results would be visible soon.
The aim of the state government is to make a "pothole-free, corruption-free, fear-free and development-oriented Uttar Pradesh", he said.
Maurya said the government had taken a firm stand on the law and order situation and that wanted criminals were being arrested. Some wanted criminals had been killed in encounters, he said, adding that there was fear among land mafias.
Varanasi: Onkar Nath Singh, Chief Proctor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), resigned from his post late Tuesday night.
His resignation comes in the light of the massive protests and the backlash at the university following an alleged sexual assault and increasing incidents of eve-teasing on campus. His resignation was accepted by vice-chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi.
Speaking to Firstpost, Singh said, he submitted his resignation around 11:30 pm, after a realisation that the problems in the varsity were nowhere close to ending.
"I have resigned from this post taking moral responsibility for everything that has happened in the university in the last few days. Despite working tirelessly for the institution, the problems are unending, he said. He also termed the incidents "unfortunate."
This move also comes in the backdrop of reports that the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (HRD) summoned Tripathi to Delhi on Tuesday to demand an explanation. While the BHU media team claimed this was a regular executive council meeting, the Tripathi vehemently denied it and even called it a false report spread by the media.
The alleged incident of sexual assault which evoked sharp criticism from student groups', politicians and activists alike, turned the BHU campus into a protest ground. The police were criticised for resorting to lathicharge and beating up female students. The police, however, claimed that the students had resorted to violence.
Singh, who'd been a professor at the Ancient History and Archaeology department of the BHU for more than 25 years, served as a proctor for the past seven months. Singh will continue to teach at the university.
When Firstpost queried if Singh had been asked to step down, he refused to comment. However, Singh was sure to add: I'll let you (the media) decide if I am being made the 'scapegoat' of this controversy.
Sources told Firstpost professor Mahendra Kumar Singh, head, Department of Ophthalmology, has been handed the additional charge. But when Firstpost contacted him early Wednesday, he seemed unaware of this development. I'm only learning about this from the media, he said.
Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government launched a judicial probe into the matter. Government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma told media on Tuesday that strict action will be taken initiated against those found guilty.
Students remain unconvinced. They have termed Singh's resignation a farce and an eyewash.
Poorna (name changed on request), an arts student, said the students had been demanding that Tripathi step down.
Is this a ploy to divert the attention of students? she asked. "The agitation will continue till Tripathi steps down."
Another student, Avinash Ojha, said that by holding the proctor responsible for the incident, Tripathi was playing every card possible to save his own skin.
The proctor has been made the scapegoat. If he can resign on moral grounds what is Tripathi waiting for? He should resign immediately.
Saurabh Sharma and Amit Singh are freelance writers and members of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has told a parliamentary panel that it was denied permission from the then Central government to approach the Supreme Court against a 2005 Delhi High Court order in the Bofors guns case, sources said.
The six-member Public Accounts Committee's sub-committee on defence is looking into non-compliance of certain aspects of a 1986 CAG report on the Bofors Howitzer gun deal.
The Congress felt that the bringing up of the Bofors issue was politically motivated. Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, said, 'after so many years the govt is bringing up Bofors issue again, it is politically motivated to defame the Congress.'
After so many years the govt is bringing up bofors issue again, it is politically motivated to defame Cong: Mallikarjun Kharge, PAC Chairman pic.twitter.com/8raCDeIswg ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2017
The panel had in August asked the premier investigating agency why it did not approach the apex court after the Delhi court dismissed proceedings in the case in 2005.
On analysing the Delhi High Court's order of 2005, the CBI was of the view that a special leave petition (SLP) should be filed in the apex court, it told the panel, the sources added.
"CBI vide its letter dated 22 June, 2017, conveyed its views that CBI, as investigative agency was of the view that SLP should be preferred against the order of Delhi High Court dated 31 May, 2005..," the agency told the panel recently.
It had, however, been denied permission by the government's Department of Personnel and Training, it said.
"A proposal was forwarded to the Director (Vig), DoPT, on 8 September, 2005. The DoPT vide its order dated 25 November, 2005, denied permission for filing an SLP in the matter. Accordingly, no SLP was preferred," it said.
Meanwhile advocate Ajay Agarwal has moved the Supreme Court seeking a reopening of the case.
The CBI had on 22 January, 1990, registered an FIR for alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and sections of Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then president of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Europe-based industrialists, the Hinduja brothers.
The CBI had alleged that certain public servants and private individuals in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy for the supply of Howitzer artillery guns and a sum of Rs 64 crore was paid in kickbacks for the deal.
The Delhi High Court had in February 2005 quashed the charges against the three Hinduja brothers under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Several members of the parliamentary panel looking into the CAG report on the Bofors deal had asked the CBI to move the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court's 2005 order.
With inputs from PTI
A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, identified as Rameez Parray, was shot dead, while three of his family members were injured in an attack by suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants.
#BREAKING - BSF jawan Rameez Ahmed Parray shot dead in Bandipora, J&K. Three of the deceased's family members are injured. pic.twitter.com/vDbdxNa2ms News18 (@CNNnews18) September 27, 2017
According to media reports, militants barged into Parray's residence in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipore district, dragged him outside and then shot.
SP Vaid, DGP for Jammu and Kashmir, was quoted as saying by CNN-News18 that there were three to four militants involved in the attack on Parray.
#UPDATE - 3 to 4 militants came to the BSF jawan's residence and started shooting. He was dragged out of his house and shot: SP Vaid, DGP pic.twitter.com/nGK7jU9vzE News18 (@CNNnews18) September 27, 2017
According to CNN-News18, Parray had taken voluntary retirement from the BSF and had returned home. The channel also quoted sources as saying that it appeared to be a targeted killing.
The crackdown on LeT militants has taken a deadly turn in recent weeks, with security forces wiping out the entire top leadership of the militant outfit, including its Kashmir chief Abu Ismail, the supposed mastermind of the attack on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims that killed seven persons in July.
The sun was out, and there were patches of clouds in the morning sky, as the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong heaved a collective sigh of relief on Wednesday. The "indefinite" shutdown to press for a separate state of Gorkhaland had lasted for over 100 days the longest strike to press for such a demand in recent history.
But with the region hobbling back to normality, there came unmistakably disquieting signs of a fresh spell of political uncertainty. The question uppermost in the minds of its residents was "how long will the calm last". Even excitement surrounding the upcoming Dashain festivities arguably the most important of events in the Nepali/Gorkha social calendar are tainted by scepticism.
Under siege by the political parties' brinkmanship for over three months, locals here have endured enough inconvenience to not know that a permanent resolution to the impasse is still elusive. Despite two rounds of bilateral talks between the hills' political establishment and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and despite more recent (albeit belated) assurances by Home Minister Rajnath Singh of tripartite talks on "related issues", peace remains elusive.
Moreover, the local economy has taken a severe battering due to the lockdown, and will take time to get back on its feet, especially with business and trade communities looking at the days ahead with circumspection in the face of political uncertainties.
Needless to say, the shifting political landscape, particularly in the past few weeks, combined with the realigning of certain political forces and the resulting redrawing of battle lines, have all contributed to these uncertainties. Was it for such a scenario that the region has had to endure hardship over the last three months?
Neither the state nor the central governments seem to have any clear-cut answer on the statehood issue. In all fairness, it may be a bit premature to even ask for one immediately. But all stakeholders, for all their appearances, are caught in a bind. And there is restiveness among the locals, even though the strike has been called off and the hills are back in cyberspace, after over three months of being cut off from internet services.
Discussions on the future of the Gorkhaland demand will have to be foremost on the agenda of tripartite talks, which, as Rajnath Singh announced on Tuesday, will be convened within a fortnight. Also crucial is whether Bimal Gurung, chief architect of the present statehood agitation, who is presently on the run after having a lookout notice slapped against him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, will be allowed a seat at the table. Much of the political future of the hills depends on these two key factors.
It needs to be mentioned here that the first two rounds of talks between a section of the hill leadership and Banerjee in Kolkata on 29 August, and in Siliguri a fortnight later were shorn of much of their consequence, as Gurung wasn't among the invitees.
Significantly, it was left to Gurung himself to announce the formal lifting of the strike following a reported request to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leadership by the home ministry. All hill parties are backing the demand for Gorkhaland, but the GJM remains its main sponsor. Even today, though the party is a divided house, with its powers that be from Kolkata having a key role to play.
Dissident GJM leader Binay Tamang, who has found favour with Banerjee, recently took over as chief of the board to run the tottering Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). He is the person the state government would ideally like representing the GJM in the upcoming tripartite meeting. His appeal to the protesters, urging them to relax the strike, had failed to elicit the desired response.
With mixed messages emanating from within the GJM leadership over the future of the statehood stir, the party's own future is at stake. Will Gurung, its president, continue to be in charge, or would he have to cede ground to Tamang, who clearly enjoys the favour of the state government, and has also been able to wean away a section of the party workers? Or are we looking at a formal vertical split of the party ranks?
Against such a backdrop of dissonances within a political entity that continues to be a principal force in the hills, the question of whether or not Banerjee would even agree to the tripartite talks if Gurung is to be invited is moot. After all, both Gurung and Tamang had been striving in their own separate ways for the prospect of tripartite talks, and it's also this promise which has paved the way out of the protracted shutdown, which took more than simply a political toll in this troubled region.
And to turn away from the uncertainties ahead would be at one's own peril. Will the sun be able to break through the dark clouds that hover over the hills? Only time will tell.
On 19 September, the Centre told the Supreme Court that all decisions regarding illegal immigrants fell within the domain of the executive, and therefore, the illegal influx of Rohingya "using the porous border between India and Myanmar" was a serious threat to the national security.
The government also alleged that the Rohingya Muslims have links with the Islamic State. In this light, India's statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council affirms that the situation in the Rakhine State in Myanmar must be dealt with in a restrained manner and should emphasise on the "welfare of the civilian population".
A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs also stated that "India was deeply concerned at the recent spate of violence in the Rakhine State of Myanmar that has resulted in the outflow of a large number of people from the State."
The government of India filed a 15-page affidavit in the Supreme Court as a response to a petition filed by two Rohingya refugees, challenging the Centre's proposal to deport them.
The document, which was drawn up by the Ministry of Home Affairs, states: "It is submitted that continuance of Rohingyas' illegal immigration into India and their continued stay in India, apart from being absolutely illegal, is found to be having serious national security ramifications and has serious security threats."
It stated that the proposal to deport the Rohingya would be a constitutionally imperative move in the interest of the nation. The affidavit also suggests that the "illegal influx" of Rohingya commenced when the UPA-II was in power in 2012-13.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad Al Hussein, in his opening statement at the 36th Session of the Human Rights Council, described the situation in Myanmar as "darker and more dangerous", and has deemed the violations against the Rohingya as "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing".
He also stated that he condemns the current measures that India has proposed to take to deport the Rohingya who are undergoing gross human rights violations and extreme violence. The statement said: "Some 40,000 Rohingya have settled in India, and 16,000 of them have received refugee documentation. The Minister of State for Home Affairs has reportedly said that because India is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention the country can dispense with international law on the matter, together with basic human compassion. However, by virtue of customary law, its ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the obligations of due process and the universal principle of non-refoulement, India cannot carry out collective expulsions, or return people to a place where they risk torture or other serious violations."
The Centres proposal for deportation has spurred a batch of petitions challenging the move, and several top lawyers Fali S Nariman, Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Dhavan, Prashant Bhushan, Ashwini Kumar and Colin Gonsalves are preparing to argue in favour of the Rohingya.
Firstpost interviewed Colin Gonsalves, senior advocate at the Supreme Court and founder of the Human Rights Law Network, who is representing 7,000 Rohingya settled in Jammu. Gonsalves speaks of India's position on the Rohingya refugee crisis, and how both international law and Indian constitutional mandates lean in favour of the Rohingya.
What is the Central government's position on the Rohingya crisis? Do you think this has anything to do with the religious ideology of the current government?
The official position of the Central government is that the Rohingya should go back to Myanmar as they are a threat to national security. The position is a combination of two elements: Firstly, it is a part of the anti-Muslim sentiment that pervades the country; but there is also another element, the thinking that Rohingya refugees might be fertile ground for recruitment by the Islamic State. Unfortunately, for this position, there is no evidence at all that the refugees are involved in anything or that they are inclined to think in that direction. I think this was a knee-jerk reaction from the government without thinking of the consequences.
So, what is the Central government's argument on the issue?
The Centre says that it has not signed or ratified the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 and therefore, it is not bound by the principle of non-refoulement (or the non-return principle). The principle forbids a country receiving asylum seekers or refugees from returning them to a country where they are likely to be persecuted because of their race, ethnicity, nationality, etc. The Central government has also cited Article 19 of the Constitution, which is limited to an Indian citizens right to travel and live in any part of the country. The Rohingya, however, are not asking for this right. They are asking for the principle of non-refoulement to be followed adequately.
India has signed neither the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 and the additional protocol of 1967? Does this matter in the present context?
The government of India states that the Convention of 1951 does not apply because India is not a party to the convention. This argument would have been plausible had it been raised in 1951. Unfortunately, they are making this argument some 70 years later. In the past 70 years, the principle of non-return, which in 1951 was a mere clause in a convention, has been expended universally as a principle of customary international law. It is now entrenched globally in international law.
Secondly and more importantly, the principle is now elevated to the status of jus cogens, and cannot be abrogated. Other crimes that are a part of jus cogens are torture and genocide. It is, therefore, shocking how backward thinking the government is - being a non-signatory to a convention does not mean that India is not accountable for upholding certain principles of international law. But Article 21 is good enough to cover all of this, in the absence of treaty conventions.
And it's a misconception that prior to ratification of certain conventions, you need to put in place a law. The UN has in many, many documents clarified this, and these have been filed by us in the Supreme Court. By mandating that we have to draft a domestic law before ratification of a convention, we are creating self-serving, artificial hurdles. As it is, India is very loathe to submit itself to international scrutiny. We say we are a globalised country, but we are, in fact, a very narrow-minded, parochial country.
What is the legal basis of the petition against the Rohingya deportation?
The basis of the petition is constitutional law; its not humanitarian. Im surprised that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) made a statement saying that on "humanitarian basis", the Rohingya be allowed to stay - which is alright because its better than nothing. But the NHRC, of all bodies, should know that there is a constitutional basis to this. Article 21(the Right to Life) of the Constitution protects all persons, not just Indian citizens. Therefore, if they are covered by the Right to Life, you are covered by the principle of non-return. You cannot return a refugee to a place where s/he may be raped or tortured. That is endangering the right of a refugee to his/her life.
The government's affidavit, as I mentioned, says that Rohingya are demanding rights under Article 19 - this is a fundamental mistake because the Rohingya have not asked for this right. Rohingya have asked for protection and the right to not be returned to the place where they are being persecuted under Article 21. That is a solid constitutional law argument.
The Centre calls the Rohingya "illegal immigrant" instead of refugees or asylum seekers. What is the difference between the two and is the government correct?
In a very crude way, the Centre is right - Rohingya and Bangladeshis are illegal immigrants, so to speak. The Government of India guidelines divide these immigrants into two categories: First, those who come in for economic reasons, without a visa. These immigrants can be sent back to their country for the lack of proper documentation. The second category is refugees, who are persons fleeing persecution; when you determine that a person who has entered India is a refugee and might face danger in their own country, the constitutional rights apply to them. So to summarise, a Rohingya is an illegal immigrant at the time of entry into India, but once s/he is determined a refugee, the person receives a long-term visa. About 16,000 of the 40,000 of Rohingya who have entered have refugee cards issued by the UNHCR, stating that they should not be sent back.
Are there any legal precedents in India where refugees have been saved from deportation?
The Chakma case is what comes to mind, and the NHRC was involved here. The Supreme Court observed against the arguments of Arunachal Pradesh, that the Chakmas had a right to stay in the country. The case was decided about 20 years ago. About 1,00,000 Chakmas are going to get citizen status in India this year.
What is the implication for India, globally, if the Central government goes ahead with the deportation?
The implications would be enormous, and I dont think that the Central government realises that. Just like Nobel laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi did not realise the implications of the refugees fleeing across the border. And the UN has used the term "ethnic cleansing" to describe the condition of Rakhine State in Myanmar while a Nobel peace laureate leads the country.
India is the largest democracy in the world so the government should consider sending back refugees because we might be known as a country that supports ethnic cleansing. Our country has a great record with the treatment towards refugees: We have taken in Tibetans, Afghan and Sri Lankan refugees and now, suddenly, the government is taking a decision that might be a political harakiri. Indias image, globally, might get tarnished completely.
New Delhi: India and Pakistan have "different narratives" on Partition and the India-Pakistan wars, former foreign secretary Shyam Saran said on Wednesday, and insisted he does not see a "grand reconciliation" taking place between the two countries in the foreseeable future. The ex-diplomat, in response to a question, however, said he would feel "very disappointed" if one were to reimagine the geography of India and forget Pakistan.
"India and Pakistan have different narratives on various issues, be it the Partition, the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the Kargil war, and well their (Pakistani) narratives are absolutely bunkum. And therefore I do not see any grand reconciliation taking place between the two countries," Saran said. India-Pakistan relations have been under strain for decades, born out of the scars of partition and the ensuing Kashmir conflict, besides a number of issues post-Independence like the case of Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav in the recent past.
Saran, however, suggested that even in times of heightened tension "keeping more doors open" for greater people-to-people contact and trade would benefit India. Replying to a question on the role of the SAARC, he said, it is today "more important for India" than any other country.
He said SAARC was the "only vehicle" which India had for bringing about the kind of economic integration that it was committed to and that without it any hope of playing an effective regional or global role would not mean anything. "Your ability to be more successful regionally as an Asian power, your ability to play a credible and effective global role, is very much dependent on how you manage your own periphery," he added.
"But if that becomes a constant constraining factor and if your are constantly involved in trying to deal with crises operating in your neighbourhood, most of the oxygen you have is taken away by Pakistan....how much you have left for doing other things," he said.
Saran was speaking at an interaction here hosted by think-tank ORF on his new book "How India Sees The World: Kautilya To The 21st Century".
The book, described as "part memoir and part thesis" on India's international relations since Independence, also revisits the strategic wisdom encapsulated in ancient texts such as Kautilya's Arthashastra and Kamandaki's Nitisara. The former diplomat while sharing his experiences also expressed his views on the diplomacy practised in the country over the decades in the context of Nepal and Bhutan.
In India's foreign policy, he said, neighbourhood enjoys the highest priority, "but, you are not putting the human resources, the economic resources, that you actually need to manage that".
New Delhi: The ED has summoned former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav and his mother Rabri Devi in connection with its money laundering probe in a railway hotels allotment corruption case dating back to the UPA rule, officials today said. They said Tejashwi, son of RJD chief and former Union minister Lalu Prasad, has been asked to be present before the investigating officer (IO) of the case on 10 October.
Lalu's wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri has been summoned a day after on 11 October. She was earlier summoned twice by the Enforcement Directorate in this case but she is understood to have sought more time to appear. The case dates back to the time when Lalu was the railway minister in the UPA government.
The central probe agency is expected to record their statements under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), under which it had registered an FIR against members of Lalu Prasad family and others sometime back.
The Enforcement Directorate had earlier questioned a few people in this case including the wife of former UPA minister PC Gupta. The agency had taken cognisance of a CBI FIR in this regard to initiate its own criminal complaint. In July, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a criminal first information report (FIR) and conducted multiple searches against Lalu Prasad, who is also a former Bihar chief minister, and others. The ED will investigate the alleged "proceeds of crime" generated by the accused, purportedly through shell companies, officials have said.
Rabri, Tejashwi and others will be probed by the agency under charges filed in the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), the ED equivalent of a police FIR. Others named in the CBI FIR include Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar (both directors of Sujata Hotels), Delight Marketing company, now known as Lara Projects, and the then IRCTC managing director PK Goel.
The CBI FIR alleges that Lalu Prasad, as railway minister, handed over the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a company after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta. The FIR was registered on 5 July in connection with favours allegedly extended to Sujata Hotels in awarding a contract for the upkeep of the hotels in Ranchi and Puri and receiving premium land as 'quid pro quo'.
The ED, under the PMLA, has powers to attach and confiscate tainted assets and it is likely that the agency will initiate such a move once it makes progress in the case.
This Monday, the Delhi High Court acquitted Mahmood Farooqui of raping a Columbia University researcher in 2015, reversing the lower court's decision. The judgment, which has already attracted widespread criticism, acquitted Farooqui by concluding that three things 'remain in doubt:'
whether the incident as the prosecutrix narrated it took place;
if it did take place, whether it was without her consent; and
if it was without her consent, whether Farooqui could discern or understand this.
The last conclusion flows from a deeply problematic understanding of consent, and the Court's reasoning behind its first two conclusions is also inadequate in several respects.
Flawed understanding of consent
The crux of the judgment lies in its last conclusion: that the prosecutrix's lack of consent was not communicated to Farooqui, or at least, "it is not known whether he has been communicated that there was no consent of the prosecutrix." (86)
Now, the court itself admits that after Farooqui expressed his sexual desires to the prosecutrix, she said 'No' and pushed him away. How then does it conclude that she did not communicate her lack of consent? By reiterating a deeply regressive yet sadly ingrained logic that is continuously used to de-legitimise rape the court holds that, sometimes, 'no' means yes.
The court outlines various scenarios in which 'No' takes on different meanings. If the parties are strangers or in a prohibited relationship, or if one of the parties is "conservative and is not exposed to the various ways of the world," then a simple 'No' or mere reluctance is enough. But in acts "of passion, actuated by libido," things get more complicated. Crucially for the Farooqui case, "when the parties are known to each other, are persons of letters ... intellectually/academically proficient" and have had physical contact in the past, then the court holds that "it would be really difficult to decipher whether little or no resistance and a feeble 'no' was actually a denial of consent."
The judgment's reasoning for such a polysemic 'No' is shoddy, confused, and dangerously absurd. The court does not explain why being "of letters" or "intellectually/academically proficient" affects what 'no' means. Why past sexual contact matters to the court is particularly dubious, given the high court itself states elsewhere that "past conduct will definitely not amount to consent," and that consent is a must for every sexual act, every time (74).
The Delhi High Court seems to advance one additional justification based on gender stereotypes, only to simultaneously reject it. The court states that sometimes, in "woman behaviour," no may mean yes. It outlines how men and women are socialised to reciprocate sexual consent differently, since men are normally seen as initiators of sex. But the court then immediately discredits this line of thought, stating that this "may not be the situation" in today's world, where equality is a "buzzword" (and fundamental constitutional value, as the Court should have added).
The court's argument that 'no' can have a double meaning is also odds with the Indian Penal Code (IPC) provision on rape. Explanation (2) to S. 375 states that consent is an unequivocal voluntary agreement when a woman, by verbal or non-verbal communication, communicates willingness to participate in a specific sexual act (emphasis added). As the judgment itself states at various places, consent must be an affirmative, "clear, and unambiguous agreement, expressed outwardly through mutually understandable words or actions" (86). It is hard to see how saying 'no' can be clearly, unambiguously and unequivocally construed as actually saying its opposite.
The court, however, seems to suffer no hardship in doing so. Asserting that 'no' can have multiple meanings allows the court to separate what the prosecutrix actually said in plain English, from what "has been communicated" to Farooqui. In describing the facts of the case, the court stresses that even though the prosecutrix initially says 'No' and pushes Farooqui away, she "ultimately goes along" and feigns an orgasm (82). From this description, the court concludes that even though the prosecutrix may have faked the orgasm to end her ordeal more quickly, "what the appellant has been communicated is that the prosecutrix is okay with it and has participated in the act" (82).
It may be worth repeating the obvious. If the court accepts, as fact that the prosecutrix said 'No' to Farooqui and pushed him away, then her 'ultimately' going along was her being subjected to sex without her consent.
The IPC even expressly provides that a woman who does not physically resist penetration shall not be regarded as consenting by her lack of physical resistance alone. Further, the orgasm that the prosecutrix faked was towards the end of her forced subjection. It therefore does not matter what the fake orgasm communicated to Farooqui, since by that point, he had already committed a sexual act without her consent.
The potential fallout from the Court's argument is evident. When will courts think that a woman's 'no' is feeble and when will it be enough? The judgment opens up avenues for individuals to get away with rape even when women say they do not consent, subverting the intention of the law. The 'affirmative model' of 'yes means yes' and 'no means no' that the judgment rejected is, in fact, precisely what must be adopted.
Inadequate reasoning
As mentioned earlier, the judgment concluded that three things 'remain in doubt:'
whether the incident as the prosecutrix narrated it took place;
if it did take place, whether it was without her consent; and
if it did take place and was without her consent, whether Farooqui could discern or understand this.
As discussed above, the crux of the judgment lies in the last conclusion. The reasoning for the first two conclusions is left less explicit, and inadequate on several counts.
For the first claim, Farooqui's counsel tried to show that the incident could not have taken place in the alleged time period, given the statements of various witnesses and call detail records. The judgment dismisses these attempts as 'guesstimates' (92), asserting that human memory is not sacrosanct and liberally quoting Supreme Court precedent stating the same. The court even calls the prosecutrix a 'sterling witness' since her sequence of events broadly matches the evidence of two main witnesses (96). Though these arguments seem to rebut the defence's claims to a large extent, the Court still ultimately accepts the defence's argument that the incident as the prosecutrix narrated it may not have taken place. The court seems to think that issues related to the first conclusion "pale into insignificance" compared with whether the prosecutrix's lack of consent had been communicated to Farooqui (92).
For the second claim, Farooqui's counsel tries to show the prosecutrix did consent mainly by citing her conduct before and after her rape. The court categorically rejects this, stating that past conduct does not amount to consent (74) and that post-rape conduct should not delegitimise rape allegations, since people cope with trauma differently (89). Despite these categorical rebuttals to the defence's claims, however, the court still concludes that it is not known what occurred without the prosecutrix's consent and when.
Similar dissonances in the court's reasoning are evident in other places as well. For instance, the court talks about Farooqui's bipolar disorder at some length, suggesting that it may consider his mental condition to determine how he understands what is said to him, while ostensibly stating that it will not do so, since no evidence was led on this aspect.
The judgment, thus, suffers from several flaws in reasoning, the most worrying of which is its assertion that 'no' sometimes means 'yes.' Through its arguments, the judgment chips away at feminist legal advances around consent and raises dangerous implications for how rape cases may be adjudicated in the future.
The author is a research fellow at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, Delhi.
New Delhi: A Rs 25,000-crore mega internal security scheme was approved by the government on Wedensday to strengthen the country's law and order mechanism, mordernise police forces and effectively fight against terrorism, home minister Rajnath Singh said.
The key Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by prime minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval for implementation of the umbrella scheme Modernisation of Police Forces (MPF) for 2017-18 to 2019-20.
"This is the biggest ever internal security scheme in the country. The financial outlay for the scheme over the three years period is Rs 25,060 crore, out of which the central government share will be Rs 18,636 crore and the states' share will be Rs 6,424 crore," Singh said at a press conference.
Special provisions have been made under the scheme for internal security, law and order, women security, availability of modern weapons, mobility of police forces, logistical support, hiring of helicopters, upgradation of police wireless, national satellite network, crime and criminal tracking network and systems, e-prison, etc.
The home minister said that under the umbrella scheme, a central budget outlay of Rs 10,132 crore has been earmarked for internal security-related expenditure for Jammu and Kashmir, North Eastern states and those affected by the Left wing extremism (LWE).
A scheme for special central assistance (SCA) for 35 districts worst hit by Left wing extremism has been introduced with an outlay of Rs 3,000 crore to tackle the issue of underdevelopment.
An outlay of Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for police infrastructure upgradation, training institutes, investigation facilities, etc. in the northeastern states.
Singh said the implementation of the scheme would bolster the government's ability to address challenges faced in different theatres such as areas affected by LWE, Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast effectively.
Besides, the scheme will help undertake development interventions which will catalyse in improving the quality of life in these areas and help combat these challenges effectively at the same time.
The new initiatives are being introduced to provide assistance to states for upgradation of police infrastructure, forensic science laboratories, institutions and the equipment available with them to plug critical gaps in the criminal justice system.
Police stations will be integrated to set up a national data base of crime and criminal records. It will be linked with other pillars of criminal justice system such as prisons, forensic science laboratories and prosecution offices.
The umbrella scheme also provides for setting up of a state-of-the-art forensic science laboratory in Amravati and upgradation of Sardar Patel Global Centre for Security, Counter Terrorism and Anti Insurgency in Jaipur and Gujarat Forensic Science University in Gandhinagar.
"It is expected that the umbrella scheme, 'modernisation of police forces', will go a long way to boost the capability and efficiency of central and state police forces by modernising them," Singh said.
A year before the killing of Hizbul Mujahadeen commander Burhan Wani blew a storm in Kashmir, Qayoom Najar, one of the most experienced militants operating in the Valley, had rattled the security agencies. Qayoom launched a series of attacks on telecom installations in north Kashmir in 2015 including one barely few hundred metres from Srinagar's civil secretariat which houses the office of Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, the cabinet ministers and top civil administration officers.
On Tuesday evening General Officer Commanding (GOC) 19 infantry division, Baramulla, Major General RP Kalita, said they received information about the possible infiltration attempt by militants who were planning to carry out a Fidayeen attack along the Line of Control in coming days. In a joint operation, four militants were killed between Sunday and Monday.
"Troops were already on high alert when they noticed some suspicious movement ahead of the LoC, which resulted in an encounter early Tuesday morning. When the forces zeroed on the site, they found a man surrounded by ammunition and material used to make IEDs," Kalita said.
"The terrorist, who was killed in the encounter is Qayoom Najar, a resident of Mumkak Sopore. He was responsible for killing several policemen and civilians," deputy inspector general of police Nitish Kumar said. With his death, an important and bloody chapter of the Kashmir insurgency has drawn to a close.
"He was one of the smartest militants I have known in my eighteen years of service. He would not even trust his wife, his brother, not even his deputy or seniors," Imtiyaz Hussain, senior superintendent of police Baramulla, who is believed to be one of the top most officers of Jammu and Kashmir Police battling insurgency in Kashmir for years, said.
Hussain claims Najar was an IED expert. "Had he been alive and successfully infiltrated, it would have been a big problem for us. Neutralising him would have been very difficult because of his network of ground workers. It is a big achievement for us" Hussain said.
Although police claims that Najar was linked with militants since 1999, his family members and friends told Firstpost that he joined militants after him and his family were subjected to harassment at the hands of police over a neighborhood dispute in which Najar was accused of assaulting a female. Najar evaded the forces' dragnet.
Attacks on Telecom installations
The rise of Najar as a militant commander accused of killing a Hurriyat activist along with five others, many of them linked to Telecom companies, in the tense summer of 2015 in north Kashmir, remains a mysterious like much of his life. However, he shot to prominence after carrying out a series of attacks against telecom operators in Sopore town, accusing them of spying on militants for security agencies and forcing them to shut down their operations.
In one instance, he sent one of his associates, Jammu and Kashmir police told Firstpost, into a Vodafone store in Srinagar asking its employees to vacate the store immediately. Within minutes, an explosion at the same showroom sent pieces of glass flying out on to the road. The blast rattled the telecom operators in the Valley and put the security grid into a thinking mode.
The outfit that claimed the attacks, Lashkar-e-Islam, (police describes it as a splinter group of Hizbul Mujahideen) which hardly had any presence in the Valley. But what shocked many was the man behind this newly-formed group, who remained a mysterious figure even for his own neighbours that was Najar. After Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin blamed Najar for killing innocent people and indulging in character assassination of Hurriyat leaders, he was expelled from the Hizbul.
According to sources in security establishment, Najar had prepared a 'hit-list' comprising of 30 people, including a Hurriyat leaders, whom he accused of "deception",
"After the list was rejected, he fell out of favour with Hurriyat, militant leadership, as well as Hizbul leadership, but that was a brief misunderstanding. After that, he was recalled to the base camp in Muzaffarabad in September 2015 where he stayed with Syed Sallahudin. Considering that both of his top commanders in north Kashmir and south Kashmir were dead, Najar was sent to take command of Hizbul which has been almost wiped off from north Kashmir with his (Najar's) killing," SSP Hussain said.
Early Days
A resident of Mumkak Sopore, police says Najar was sixteen when he became a militant after the killing of Hizb commander Abdul Majid Dar. Dar was responsible for initiating talks with New Delhi. "For years he kept a low profile and mostly stayed in Sopore during that time," a police officer posted at Sopore at the time said.
Nobody in and around his house remembers him. In an interview with Firstpost in 2015, Najar's father had said that it was a fight between a neighbour and his son which forced him to join militants again in 2005, after police tried to arrest him in the case filed by a women.
"He was involved in more then 50 killings. He has killed lot of civilians, policemen and other security forces. He was involved in several incidents involving IED explosions. It is a big achievement for all of us. He was already heading a huge network in Sopore, Palhallan and in areas of Bandipora and Baramulla. It is a big relief for us," Hussain said.
Srinagar:Top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Abdul Qayoom Najar was on Tuesday killed in a gunbattle with security forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector as he was trying to sneak into the Valley to take charge of the outfit, a senior police officer said.
J&K: Terrorist killed by security forces in general area Zorawar (Uri) earlier today identified as Lashkar e- Islam Chief Abdul Qayoom Najar pic.twitter.com/Z8MWm8Wilw ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017
It was a major success for the security forces as Najar was wanted for his alleged involvement in more than 50 killings, including that of policemen in Hygam area of Sopore, in the past 17 years.
Baramulla senior superintendent of police (SSP) Imtiyaz Hussain said, "Najar was killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid in Lachipora area near the LoC this morning."
"He was returning to Kashmir to take over the command of Hizbul Mujahideen in the wake of elimination of top commanders of the outfit by security forces," he told PTI.
"Najar started his career as a terrorist with the killing of Hizb commander Abdul Majid Dar in 2003," he said.
The officer said Najar was called to the base camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by his handlers in 2015 after he fell out with the Hizb leadership.
"He was now tasked with reviving the outfit in Kashmir in the wake of elimination of top militants," he said.
In what is being seen as a major achievement for the Indian security forces, Naga militants along the India-Myanmar border were attacked by the army early on Wednesday, according to reports. The Eastern Command of the Indian Army tweeted that heavy casualties have reportedly been inflicted on the National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Khaplang (NSCN-K) militants but there has been no casualty on the Indian forces.
Heavy casualties reportedly inflicted on NSCN(K) cadre. No casualties suffered by Indian Security Forces EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) September 27, 2017
The official statement said that a column of Indian Army was attacked by unidentified insurgents on Wednesday morning and the troops reacted swiftly. "As per inputs, a large number of casualties were suffered by the insurgents," the statement read while reiterating that Indian troops did not cross the international border.
The operation reportedly happened at 4.45 am and sources told News18 that around 70 para-commandos were involved. However, official sources added that Wednesday's operation cannot be called a 'surgical strike'.
This is the second such operation in a month. One NSCN-K militant was killed and an army jawan was injured in an anti-terror operation along the border in Arunachal Pradesh on 4 September.
The NSCN-K is led by Myanmar-based SS Khaplang and Khole Konyak. Khaplang, however, passed away at the age of 77 in June last year. Khaplang had also entered into a ceasefire with the central government in 1997 but abrogated it on 28 March, 2015.
NSCN split into two factions, NSCN (Isak Muivah) and NSCN (K) after a violent clash in 1988, according to this Indian Express report.
In August 2015, the Centre under Narendra Modi and the NSCN (IM) signed a landmark peace accord which indefinitely extended the ceasefire between the two. The signing of the pact is the culmination of over 80 rounds of negotiations that spanned 16 years with the first breakthrough coming in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed.
The discovery of two mass graves of Hindus massacred in the Rakhine state of Myanmar by the Rohingya terrorists may not be all. One grave reportedly has 28 bodies, mostly women, while the second grave has 17 bodies.
According to one report, citing a witness, some 300 Rohingya terrorists rounded up 100 Hindus and killed 92 of them. Some women were abducted and taken away to Bangladesh. The rugged terrain of the Chittagong Hill Tracts is famous for terrorist sanctuaries and has often been used by ISI and Al-Qaeda instructors.
Former joint director of IB, MK Dhar referring to the period 1992-1993 wrote in his book, Open Secrets Indias Intelligence Unveiled, "SIMI had already started deputing 'volunteers' to Pakistan for training along with the mujahideen, Taliban, and Al Qaeda cadres. They established firm linkages with Islamic Chhatra Shibir, Al-Qaeda affiliated Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI), Al-Badr, Al-Jihad and other organisations in Bangladesh and were trained in facilities located inside Bangladesh and under the very noses of the DGFI and BDR.
It is well known that during the BNP rule four major anti-India terrorist training camps were being run in Bangladesh.
The UNSC is meeting on 28 September to discuss the violence in Myanmar and hear a briefing from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on request from UK, France, US and four other countries after some 4,30,000 Rohingyas fled into Bangladesh.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Myanmar of "Buddhist terror" and genocide, which is laughable since it was Turkey (under him) where the Islamic State was trained in 2014 before which 10,000 of them ran over Mosul. Besides, Turkey has been a conduit for terrorists.
So, will the UNSC also discuss the Rohingya genocide of the Hindus?
More significantly, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) has claimed responsibility for the 25 August 2017 attacks that started a fresh wave of violence and mass exodus. On that day 150 armed Rohingyas attacked 24 Police Stations and an Army Base in Mangdu district of Myanmar that left 71 dead. This prompted a military crackdown, which triggered more killings and exodus of Rohingyas.
According to the International Crisis Group (ICG), the entire Rohingya Movement is controlled by some 20 wealthy Rohingya businessmen settled in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Ata Ullah, head of the ARSA established ARSA in in October 2016 is a Pakistani national who has received billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia.
ARSA, which was known formerly as Harakat al-Yaqin (HAY), reportedly, has links with both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
ARSA calls for an Independent Islamic Rohingya State and since its formation have been attacking police stations and government offices in Myanmar, apart from several attacks on Buddhists and Hindus. On 26 October 2016, ARSA attacked a Myanmar police post killing nine policemen, thus sparking a crackdown on Muslim-majority northern sector of the Rakhine state in Myanmar.
With the UNHCR panel that appoints independent experts is headed by a Saudi national Faisal Bin Hassan Trad; the same country, which is reportedly harbouring Rohingya businessmen who are allegedly orchestrating riots in Myanmar and funding terrorist groups like ARSA.
The larger picture of the Rohingya crisis, therefore, cannot be ignored.
It may be recalled that Pakistani national Asim Umar was appointed the chief of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) by Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in September 2014 because, Asims mother organisation, HUJI, had cells operating in Kashmir, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
But even before the present crisis, India already had 40,000 illegal Rohingya immigrants in India, although, under the guise of pressure from the UNHCR, the Communist regime of West Bengal and the Congress at the Centre (in 2010-2011) Centre acquiesced in connivance for vote-bank politics and perhaps something more sinister.
Why else did the Congress force the infamous Illegal Migrants Determination by Tribunal (IMDT) Act of 1983 on Assam that changed the demography of the state before the Supreme Court struck it down 23 years later in 2005? Why else would the Congress allow 4,000 of these 40,000 Rohingyas to settle in Jammu despite the existence of Article 370? And the same Omar Abdullah who didnt cite Article 370 then, is now rooting for Rohingyas not to be deported back, even though the Rohingyas have already multiplied to some 8,000 with every family averaging 10-12 children.
There should be no doubt that Pakistan's ISI-Lashkar-e-Taiba and Saudi-Al-Qaeda combinedly have engineered the Rohingya crisis for global jihad, and the Islamic State has been eyeing South Asia to expand its Islamic State Korasan. This stark reality is being glossed over under the cover of the human misery bit on same lines that Syrian and many more non-Syrian refugees were inducted into Europe. It is not without reason that Lashkar-e-Taiba cadres have been frequenting the Bangladesh-Myanmar border region. One of the aims is likely to bring down Sheikh Hasina since she has clamped down on terrorist organisations in Bangladesh.
It may be recalled that, in 2013, Bangladesh government had confirmed to New Delhi that terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba have instigated Rohingyas into violence in Myanmar. It may be recalled that Abdul Kareem Tunda of Lashkar-e-Taiba too had admitted that he had travelled from Pakistan to Bangladesh to recruit Rohingyas for jihad. It is such radicalisation that is resulting in the forced conversion of Hindu women by the Rohingyas even in refugee camps set up by Bangladesh.
Aqa Mul Mujahideen (AMM), Rohingya terror group, also fully Pakistan-backed has been receiving instructions from Pakistans ISI to launch pre-dawn attacks on Myanmar police posts. Pakistan is, as usual, expressing deep concern over the growing number of deaths and forced displacement of Rohingya Muslims with similar calls coming from Afghan Taliban, Al Qaida, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), etc, calling for attacks on Myanmar authorities.
China has been the smartest; supporting Myanmar and simultaneously supporting Pakistans terror underhand. Rohingyas dare not immigrate illegally to China because they would be simply shot at.
The bottom-line, of course, is that while the UN may refer to the Rohingyas as refugees, they are illegal immigrants to an already over-populated India. Besides, the reported links of the Rohingyas with Pakistan and the chances of their exploitation for global jihad and destabilising India and the region just cannot be ignored.
The notable part is that none of the Islamic countries that are raising their voice for Rohingyas are prepared to accommodate them. The same was seen in the case of Syrian refugees with even the oil-rich Saudi Arabia not willing to accommodate them.
Why dont Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia take some of the Rohingya overflows? Why does the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) decide amongst themselves to take as many Rohingyas as they can? As for India, the illegal immigrants, whether from Myanmar or Bangladesh, must be deported back to the country of their origin.
The senior-most judge of the Karnataka High Court, Jayant Patel, resigned on Monday without clearly stating the reasons for quitting.
While Patel did not cite any particular reason for his resignation, reports suggest that he was unhappy about not being made the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court and also about his transfer to Allahabad. In an interview to Bar and Bench, Patel only said that he wants to be relieved from the institution.
Meanwhile, his resignation has created a furore in legal circles with some advocate associations deciding to call for a strike and to file legal proceedings challenging the decision of the Collegium.
The ubiquitous theory is that Patel was not keen on going to Allahabad on a transfer. While talking to NDTV, he said, "two facts are very clear....Chief Justice of India asked my comments on 22 September on my proposed transfer to Allahabad... I was not keen to go to Allahabad... So I submitted by resignation on 25 September to the President of India."
He further said that there is no point in going to Allahabad because there is not much time left for his retirement. However, he refused to comment on reports of his displeasure over not being elevated, citing "institutional discipline", according to The Hindu.
In Karnataka High Court, he was due for elevation as Chief Justice or Acting Chief Justice after incumbent SN Mukherjees retirement on 9 October but instead, he got transferred to Allahabad High Court.
Meanwhile, this wasn't the first time that Patel had been tranferred just before he was due for a promotion.
Earlier too, the Gujarat High Court Bar had raised the issue of non-appointment of Patel as chief justice of Gujarat High Court and had written a letter to the Collegium regarding vacancies in high courts. This was when he was transferred as a judge in the Karnataka High Court after being an acting Chief Justice.
It is instructive to note here that Patel was the judge who had ordered a CBI probe in the fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan, while he was posted at the Gujarat High Court.
Senior advocate Yatin Oza also mentioned that Patel seems to be paying a price for directing a CBI investigation in the Ishrat Jahan case. "During the (Ishrat Jahan) encounter cases, (former) Chief Justice Mukhopadhaya had assigned all the matters to Patel. There are people who are critics of Patel, but none of his critics can say that he is a judge who will compromise his honesty and integrity. They wanted Patel to act according to their wishes. But he is one judge who will never, ever ditch the Constitution," he said in an interview with Bar and Bench.
Following the resignation, the Gujarat High Court Advocates' Association decided to go on a strike on Wednesday and file a petition in the Supreme Court challenging Patel's transfer just before his elevation as the chief justice of Karnataka High Court, The Times of India reported. The associated also passed a resolution stating, "The decision of the Collegiums of the Supreme Court of transferring Justice Jayant Patel, senior-most judge of the Karnataka High Court, on the eve of his likely appointment as acting chief justice or Chief Justice of that court, to Allahabad High Court has shaken the belief of the Bar in the independence of the judiciary and has the potential of adversely affecting the morale of the legal fraternity and the judiciary. The association strongly condemns the aforesaid decision of the Collegiums of Supreme Court."
The Karnataka State Bar Council (KSBC) and the Advocates Association of Bengaluru also condemned Patel's transfer. Legal circles had expected Patel to be elevated to the Supreme Court if he was not elevated as the chief justice because the apex court has no representation from Gujarat since Justice AR Dave demitted office, according to The Economic Times.
According to a The Wire report, by resigning, Patel is perhaps telling us that the independence of the judiciary may indeed be a farce. The report further says that Patel felt compelled to quit because his transfer seemed to have been ordered in order to forestall his possible elevation.
With inputs from IANS
The release of filmmaker Mahmood Farooqui from Tihar jail following the Delhi High Court's acquittal of rape charges brings to the fore the whole issue of crime which is sexual in nature.
Farooqui was charged with rape by a US-based complainant following which the sessions court had sentenced him to a seven-year term in prison. The verdict was subsequently overturned by the high court which gave him the benefit of doubt and ordered his release as he happens to be cooling his heels in Tihar jail for the last few months.
The key question is if we had a Sexual Offenders Registry (SOR) in place, would Farooquis name, address and other details been put there following his sentence by the sessions court and would his name then been deleted following his acquittal?
Given the current mood in the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the chances are that if such a bill was in place, then Farooquis name would definitely have been placed on such a list. When the 38-year-old Sunil Rastogi was arrested earlier this year for raping and sexually assaulting minors, he confessed to the cops that he had assaulted around 500 girls in the states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Rastogi was arrested, jailed and then released only to repeat this crime. Union minister Maneka Gandhi lamented that if an SOR was in place, many of Rastogis crime could have been prevented.
Gandhi pointed out that the listing of names of sexual offenders and placing it in the public domain would definitely act as a deterrent. The move for an SOR is a must given the rising graph of crimes which are sexual in nature. The details of such a bill are being worked out by the Ministry of Home Affairs which informed the Supreme Court about the pressing need for such a registry.
Although within the echelons of power, a debate is raging with one faction of bureaucrats insisting that such public shaming is only going to have a negative impact.
The draft guidelines are under preparation and will include rape, voyeurism, stalking and aggravated sexual assault. Surprisingly, there is a move within the ministry to include the public listing of juveniles below and above the age of 18 years of age. The guidelines are still to be put in the public domain for wider consultation.
Sunita Krishnan, who runs the NGO Prajwala which claims it has rescued and rehabilitated more than 10,000 rape victims is happy with this move. She believes only "the public naming and shaming of offenders" will stop this sharp increase in rape.
Krishnan further believed this will act as a deterrent because rapists are often repeat offenders as can be seen by the 200 videos she has received from rape victims which she then forwarded to the Supreme Court. From the videos, she said one thing that what is apparent is that this is not the offenders first rape due to the ease with which the man goes about committing the crime.
She is in agreement that the names should be listed only after the conviction takes place by the highest court. Krishnan said, "Even if there is only one percent conviction and the names of the convicted are placed in the public domain, this will act as a deterrent. Once the name is on the list, it will end the sense of impunity that exists today."
Earlier this month, Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi also urged the government to push for a registry of sexual offenders. Satyarthi said this will be the first effective step towards safeguarding children in the society. "Name and shame them. Sexual offenders should not be accepted as employees anywhere," he said while addressing students in Bengaluru.
But those who are working in the field of juvenile delinquents and also with sexual offenders do not agree. Rajesh Kumar, who heads the Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses and is working with sexual offenders both in Tihar Jail and at his own centre in central Delhi, pointed out, "In more than 90 percent of the cases, the conviction takes place after ten years and more, then how can you publicise their names? We can put up their names only after conviction by a higher court and that will take many years."
Kumar said, "I would like to cite the example of taxi drivers who openly watch porn sites while waiting for customers outside the Indira Gandhi International Terminus (in Delhi). They spend hours doing so till they get a pickup. What does all this access lead up to? Why has the government not blocked these porn sites? Someone is making a lot of money from them. There are so many linked issues to ensure proper safety for women and the government needs to implement these."
Advocate Anant Asthana who works with juveniles said the need of the hour is an effective implementation of the criminal justice system. "Victims of sexual crimes need much better protection, each case needs to be investigated efficiently and in a time bound manner and all police stations need to be interlinked to ensure better monitoring as this will make verification much easier and will also help in creating data banks. But to put this in the public domain will set a dangerous precedent because how will the system ensure that innocent people are not getting victimised," said Asthana.
Enakshi Ganguly, the co-director of HAQ Centre for Child Rights, who assists rape survivors by helping them in legal proceedings is against providing 'quick fix' solutions to complex issues.
"Rather we need to come up with well thought out solutions to these pressing challenges. We have enough laws in place today. What we need is a much better implementation of these laws," she said.
"The more penal and punitive our laws become, it becomes that much more difficult for the judge to take a stand. Sexual crimes often take place within families. Are we then going to see whole families stigmatised for life by going public?" Ganguly asked.
Several activists are of the view that the stricter rape laws have created a situation where rapists prefer to murder a victim after rape which was not the case earlier. This deadly cocktail of rape being followed by murder is being attributed directly to the tougher rape laws introduced in 2013 to curb sexual violence.
Kumar pointed out,"For boys who commit these crimes, there is little difference between living on the streets or spending time in a jail. Murdering the girl (who they raped) means they have done away with the key witness which they believe will help them in a law court ."
"Sexual offences carry convictions of seven years while murder sentences are longer but this does not concern these offenders," he said.
Last year, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju informed the Rajya Sabha that draft guidelines on the proposal to set up an SOR were under preparation in consultation with relevant ministries.
The question that has been posed to him is to clarify where SORs have helped curb sex crimes. Sunita Krishnan said, "SORs have worked in many countries which is why they are being sustained both in European countries and in the US."
But there are others who believe such a registry has not proved an effective deterrent. SOR laws required convicted offenders to periodically check in with the cops to inform them about their place of residence and where they are working. Some countries do not allow law enforcement agencies to go public with these details but countries like the US and South Korea allow the public access to these sites. Gandhi wants a similar system to be adopted in India.
But experts point out that maintaining SORs has not resulted in a reduction is sex crimes. Rather it has led to the hardening of the attitude of such offenders who believe they can continue with this behaviour believing criminal behaviour is more attractive when living under this kind of notification.
When everybodys favourite American Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg was asked how many women judges in the Supreme Court would be "enough", she responded saying nine (or the full bench). She said, for all of history, we found nothing wrong with all-male benches, so why not?
Personally, Ive always felt that we needed more women in the Indian judiciary for representation, since only 10 percent of the Indian higher judiciary consists of women, and we have only one lone woman judge in the whole Supreme Court (who happens to be, as this earlier TLF piece points out, only the sixth in our entire legal history). But now, after seeing the Delhi High Courts ridiculous judgment in the Mahmood Farooqui rape case, I feel confident in saying that we don't just need more women judges on the bench, we actually need to deliberately and urgently infuse our entire judicial system with feminist thought if were to have a hope of cleaning up the mess the judiciary continually reveals itself to be.
Because you see, no matter what your lawyer friends say about the law being a perfect, rational, unbiased object, the legal system is inherently masculinist. It cant help it: It was made by men, for men and has an unabashedly obviously male worldview. It isnt just the language of the law thats sexist (like when it patronisingly creates exceptions for "women and children", makes references to womens "modesty" or uses male pronouns for all of us as if theyre gender neutral), but also it's very understanding of how the world works, like when it assumes that a woman consenting to marriage means that she consents to any and all sexual encounters with her husband for the rest of her life, or when it upholds that child rape is permissible within marriage. Plus, Indian law frequently fails people who are not men: For example, it recently came to light that the verbiage of Section 377 (which criminalises "unnatural" sex with a man, woman or animal) ignores the very existence of transpeople. This was a loophole that actually allowed a court to acquit four men accused of raping a transwoman from Pune in June 2017.
Its going to take decades to correct all the big and small gender biases that have been encoded into the law, and this isnt a work that can be undertaken casually. In the meanwhile, we cant have judges muddying already dirty legal waters with damaging new judgements, and justice Ashutosh Kumars judgment in the Farooqui rape case does just that.
Historian, performer and film director, Farooqui was accused in 2015 of raping an American woman through forced oral sex at his Delhi home. He was found guilty of rape by a sessions court in 2016, which was overturned by the Delhi High Court on Monday. In pronouncing Farooqui not guilty of rape, the Delhi High Court audaciously ruled that when it comes to sex, a womans "feeble no may mean yes", and that the straightforward idea of consent (no means no) doesnt apply fully in cases where "the parties are known to each other and if there has been physical contact in the past".
Maybe its just me, but you get the overwhelming feeling that this is the kind of judgment only a man could write.
In this case, the court has taken a visibly masculine view of consent, and used the same rhetoric that allows men to create a legal exception for marital rape (by pointing to consent given in the past), and that shames sexually active rape victims (by assuming that previous physical contact affects your ability to say no later). In questioning the strength of the victims "no" and pondering whether the lack of consent was communicated in a way that Farooqui understood, senior lawyer Rebecca John says the court is actually "adding on fresh parameters to the concept of consent which firmly have no basis in law, and actually go against the letter of the law as contained in Sec 375 and Sec 144 A of the Indian Evidence Act."
The judgment also makes the mistake of implying that since the victim faked an orgasm to end the ordeal, that could have communicated her participation to her attacker. This is another masculinist understanding of sex, biology and consent that flies in the face of research and feminist scholarship: Research indicates that four to five percent of rape victims, primarily boys, admit experiencing orgasm during rape, although the actual number is probably higher. Science is clear that orgasm does not signify consent. The judge, in implying that Farooqui might have seen the orgasm as wilful participation, is once again clearly coming from a male-centric understanding of sex and sexual pleasure.
The specifics of this case show you just how much potential there is for rape cases to be handled in ways that do lasting damage to women. Conversely, they also hold potential to do good and create feminist reform, as long as the judge is committed to doing so. And this is why we need feminist judges so very badly.
If youre still not convinced of how urgent the need for the feminist overhaul of the judiciary is, just look at the effect this single ruling will have. This judgment wont just affect Farooqui and the woman who was raped: the Delhi High Court is a constitutional court, which means that this ruling sets a precedent for lower courts, and is binding until overturned by a larger bench.
John says, "One of the worst parts about Mondays judgment for me was the panic calls I received from other women involved in ongoing or upcoming trials. They were asking me 'Ab hamara kya hoga, because every rape case has these kinds of complexities. These kinds of judgments have chilling, rippling effect. They spread fear [in the minds of women], but we cant allow women to give up the fight."
Perhaps this process of change has already begun in some small way. In the recent Right to Privacy case that had us all so excited, J Chandrachuds judgment contained two paragraphs (conveniently labelled feminist concerns), taking a feminist view of the concept of private space and the privacy according to it. This kind of thing is a good place to start, and we need a lot more of it: We need judges to engage with feminist principles from the beginning to the end of the judicial process, not just in two paragraphs in a judgment. We need our courts to be feminist, not just write feminist paragraphs.
The task of making the law speak to womens needs and experiences is a difficult one because it involves deconstructing legal concepts that have been accepted as unbiased for decades. It involves looking at the cases judges choose to cite, the forms of witness testimony they allow, the legal principles they adopt, and the facts they choose to deem pertinent. The court, its processes and judgments should be thoroughly and completely infused with feminist sensibilities if they're to be fair to women at all.
The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine delivering fresh and witty perspectives on politics, culture, health, sex, work and everything in between.
Monsoon is all set to retreat by the end of this week or 28 September, much to the plight of farmers belonging to regions that received insufficient rainfall this year.
The monsoon withdrawal process, which commences from northwestern Rajasthan, normally begins on 1 September. However, the delay in the retreat was observed on 31 August, when strong monsoon-friendly south-easterly winds were noted over north-west India.
The Indian Express quoted India Meteorology Department (IMD) officials as saying that this would be the "most delayed monsoon withdrawal since 2009".
According to The Hindu Business Line, the delay occurred due to the fuelling of monsoon south-easterly winds over large parts of north-west India towards the end of August.
Rainy days v/s rain deficiency
Rain is expected to linger in the southwest coastal region for a little longer.
In the wake of a trough extending from the southwest Bay of Bengal to the southwest Arabian Sea across Karnataka, moderate to heavy showers are expected to occur over coastal Karnataka and some parts of south Konkan and Goa for 24 hours from Wednesday, said Skymet Weather in a forecast.
It was in June that IMD predicted India's crucial monsoon rains would reach 98 percent of the long-term average this year.
However, in August, the nationwide rainfall deficit, which was at 6 percent, had shot up concerns about the production of summer-sown crops such as rice, cotton, oilseeds and pulses, reported Livemint. The Southwest Monsoon accounts for 75 to 80 percent of the total rainfall in the country and is the mainstay of kharif crops.
Even though weather officials are currently looking for the signs of withdrawal, they expect suitable conditions to form towards the end of this week. The time of withdrawal affects the northeast monsoon, which mostly caters to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and rest of the regions along the east coast during winter.
Farmers face the heat
On 14 July, a group of farmers from Anandgaon village in Marathwada's Beed district filed a police complaint against the IMD for misleading them by predicting ample rain during the kharif season in June.
A farmers' organisation called Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathan had in July planned to lock the Pune IMD's office since the weather officials had not informed them in advance about the prolonged dry spell in Maharashtra.
With the likelihood of monsoon withdrawal, farmers will have no place to go with the prospect of a poor yield. AK Nema, Madhya Pradesh agriculture department's deputy director told Hindustan Times that the kharif crop which mainly includes soybean and urad was sown in around 4 lakh hectares. However, insufficient rainfall affected it badly.
Going a step further, farmers in Nuapada district in Odisha's Bhubaneswar have sought an early declaration of drought and loan waiver for the current agriculture season. According to data collected by the Ministry of Agricultures crop division, by the end of August, farming was hit in 18 states either by floods or less rainfall.
Water paucity
In semi-arid regions, erratic rains and insufficient rainfall have already paved way for water woes. "Because of the unusually long gap in rains, short-term crops like green gram and soybean are showing stunted growth," agriculture officer of Latur, Mohan Gojamgunde was quoted as saying by The Wire. Completely depending on the occurrence of rains, the decline in crop yield in the region may vary between 15 percent and 50 percent.
Water shortage in Andhra Pradesh has also served as an eye-opener for hundreds of farmers in drought-prone Anantapur district, who have stressed for water allocation to their constituency for drinking water and irrigation purpose before the actual crisis sets in.
'No room for drought'
As much as 235 districts across the country face the prospect of drought this year, with a majority of them belonging to Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha. Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh are the hardest-hit, The Times of India reported, showing rain deficits of 31 percent, 28 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
But the government has ruled out the chances of a severe drought. A senior official told Financial Express that the possibility of severe drought emerging in any district is virtually nil". The Centre is of the view that the countrys foodgrain production would match 2016s figure of a record 276 million tonnes.
With inputs from agencies
After being conned by three people in a scam worth Rs one crore, the Mumbai dabbawalas union has threatened to stop work on 3 October, if the police fails to arrests the main accused.
Dabbawalas have alleged that they had suffered financial losses of around Rs one crore over a period of one year. Its website was launched in 2015 to offer their services through a digital platform.
"We had appointed one Subhodh Sangle to operate our website since last few years. He along with Mayur Kanti and his brother Rishabh Kanti opened a bogus company called 'India Coin', without taking permission from Mumbai Dabbewala Association. The duo used to then divert all the fees, remuneration and even bills which they used to receive from the various institutes, companies and clients for branding, promotions and events into the account of India Coin," Ulhas Muke, president of Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Charity Trust, said.
"Since the majority of us are not well-educated and have limited knowledge of English, we trusted Sangle to maintain our website with honesty," he added.
The dabbawala association then lodged a complaint at Shivaji Park Police Station. The police arrested Kanti and his brother, but is yet to arrest the main accused Sangle.
Our investigation is going on, we have registered an offence under section 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) of IPC and under the Information Technology Act, a police official who is investigating the case said.
However, the dabbawalas have alleged that police has not arrested Sangle despite being provided sufficient proof.
"Sangle's maternal uncle is a senior lawyer, and we believe his contacts have prevented the police from arresting Sangle," Mute alleged.
"We have written a letter to Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-V, Rajiv Jain demanding strict action against the accused", Mute said.
The dabbawala association has now threatened to stop their services if their demands are not met.
"We will be meeting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis very soon. If we dont get a satisfactory response from him, we will stop our services for a day and protest outside the chief minister's bungalow Varsha", Subhash Talekar, spokesperson for Mumbai Dabbawala Association, said.
With inputs from PTI
Srinagar: Opposition National Conference (NC) on Wednesday expressed "shock and disappointment" over which it called the "conspicuous omission" of Jammu and Kashmir-centric peace initiatives in the political resolution passed at the BJP national executive in New Delhi earlier this week. It was surprising to see no mention of the positive talk on J&K by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the resolution, NC chief spokesperson Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said.
A week back Home Minister Singh had said that the Centre was moving forward towards resolving the problems in Jammu and Kashmir, the NC spokesperson said. We were looking forward for the BJP executive to endorse this and also the prime minister's message on 15 August from the ramparts of the Red Fort, he added. "Unfortunately that didn't happen," Mehdi said reiterating his party's stand that a dialogue was the only way forward for addressing the political issues of Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to the BJP's political resolution, he said the silence on Prime Minister's assurance suggested that the statement on resolving the issues of J&K in Modi's Independence Day speech was just rhetoric. "It seems now that what he said was just rhetoric and there was no conviction. The resolution clearly points towards BJP's aggressive approach in handling the state and its affairs. This, to say the least, is a complete U-turn on J&K," he said.
Mehdi said there was "little to no mention" of five C's compassion, communication, co-existence, confidence-building and consistency that the Union home minister talked about. "This inevitably will add to the PDP-BJP government's continuous failure in governing the state and will go a long way in increasing the (feeling of) alienation among the people of the state. The chaos that we see around now is in fact a physical manifestation of such tactics employed by the BJP and its ally PDP," he said.
Mehdi, who is the MLA from Budgam, said that every single promise made by the PDP and BJP in the 'Agenda of the Alliance' had been compromised with for the sake of power. BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on his recent visit to Srinagar was very forthcoming on dialogue, he said. He even went to the extent of offering an unconditional dialogue with all stakeholders, Mehdi said.
"This resolution is entirely opposite to what the BJP leaders have been saying lately on Kashmir and has therefore reinforced BJP's hardened stance on J&K where they continue to look at the state from the prism of security," he said. Attacking the PDP, he said the Mehbooba Mufti-led party was maintaining a "shameful silence" on the developments.
"Why is Mufti continuing in the CM s chair when all her promises to people continue to be rejected in such a manner by her own alliance partner?" he asked. Mehdi said the National Conference will continue to espouse the path of dialogue and reconciliation wherein all the stakeholders need to sit together and try to evolve a consensus that would "guarantee the rights and dignity to the people of Jammu and Kashmir".
Editor's Note: Over 40,000 Rohingya refugees are living in India. The Government of India's recent announcement to deport them back to Myanmar has worried not just the Rohingya but also refugees from other parts of the world now living in Delhi. In this four-part series, Firstpost will look into the condition of these refugees and how the Centres stand has sent chills down their spine, many of whom say they have no homes to go back to.
In the mid-1980s, a girl born in Erbil, the capital of South Kurdistan, was named 'Hind' because her parents were fond of Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi. Back then, the radio airwaves sprayed Shammi Kapoor songs like confetti on Iraq's war-torn air. Without the glitter or glee or her younger days, Hind now lives as a refugee on the outskirts of New Delhi, along with her husband and daughters.
"I used to live in Dora (South of Baghdad) and attended the University of Technology in Baghdad. My father used to drive me back before noon because that was when the firing would start. The United States Army lost over a thousand soldiers in my neighbourhood," she revealed. The Islamic State now controls a territory larger than the United Kingdom, with an estimated population of six million, leaving many with no option but to run for their lives.
Hind isn't the only one seeking refuge in India. Up until last year, there were 43 refugees and 28 asylum seekers from Syria and 304 refugees and 166 asylum seekers from Iraq registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "I have completed a course in VFX (animation) from a private university. Why can't I get a job after paying for my education?" she asked.
Her husband Ahmad said his life was at imminent risk in Iraq and that is why, despite holding a PhD and a multimedia degree, he is living without a job in India. "Everything is linked to the Aadhaar card now and we can't even open bank accounts. We transfer the school fees for our daughter through demand drafts and use our friends' bank accounts," he said.
Faht Mohammad, who is from Damascus, says he came to India in 2006 to study engineering in Hyderabad. The conflict erupted in 2011 and Faht's family was displaced in Lebanon and in other places in Syria. "The only reason to stay back here in India is that I'll have to join the army in Syria and my life will be at risk. After the Rohingya expulsion, I feel unsafe because what if it's our turn next? How will we go back to Syria?" he said.
"We wish, much more than you do, that we had homes to go back to in Syria," he added. Faht, who now works as a translator at a private hospital, painfully revealed the story of how he lived on the streets for a year, simply attempting to secure his next meal.
Mohaab, a Syrian who claims to have been a student of Jamia Millia Islamia, has crossed the sea. He told Firstpost that his time in India was traumatic. "I had applied for the Long Term Visa (LTV), which enables refugees to work, to rent a house, to book a hotel, to buy a SIM card. I was issued EXIT instead and I stayed for my last two years like a lost animal without any rights. Though I have an MA from Jamia and other diplomas and work experience, I was forced to work at a restaurant for long hours every day in order to survive," he said.
Like Mohaab, working in Middle Eastern restaurants is helping many survive. Firstpost located two restaurants in the capital where Syrian refugees work and heard their stories. They pointed to menus that carried pictures of Warbat Bi Qeshteh (baklava), Syrian black coffee, a yoghurt-based Kurdish preparation Kuba Labanya, and the Foul Madammas, the fava bean Middle Eastern breakfast dish.
One of the restaurants stands quietly on a big road, watching Delhi's residents go about their business. It has a brightly-lit Shawarma station that attracts some. The other restaurant is tucked away inside a one-star hotel in East Delhi.
Both restaurants display a life-size photograph of Beit Jabri, an open courtyard cafe in Damascus that was built in 1737 and is symbolic of good times for Syrians: It serves as an instant reminder of happy crowds playing backgammon and smoking the Lebanese 'mazzah' (water pipe); nostalgia inspires misery and also heals it.
The owner of the second restaurant, who wished to remain anonymous, told us that the Syrians working there complain of one major problem uncertainty. "They keep waiting for the Foreigner Regional Registration Offices (FRRO) to grant them Long Term Stay Visas and the frustration of having to wait indefinitely takes a toll on their mental peace. They speak of relatives in Germany, in the Netherlands, in other parts of the world. Their problems are so different from ours," he said, describing his daily solitude.
Nawaar, a refugee from the outskirts of Damascus, now lives around breezy palms in South India. When asked about the problems faced by refugees in India, he points to the lack of a law to govern and secure refugee lives. Whatever help asylum seekers are getting from the government is on humanitarian grounds because India is not a signatory to the Geneva Convention.
"In the past, there have been cases like that of an Iranian gentleman and of a Palestinian gentlemen who went to court against an official decision of deportation in their respective cases but until and unless there is a law that guarantees a refugee's right to stay here, people will remain insecure," Nawaar explained. A refugee law will not only give them a legal right to live here but can also, to a limited extent, help them with improved access to work, education and healthcare.
Through UNHCR's sustained advocacy, the refugees have some form of identification to hook their lives on. A weak hook, but a hook nonetheless. As compared to the Burmese refugees who were largely agriculturalists back home, Syrians and Iraqis tend to be more technically qualified and can communicate in English.
In the words of a refugee in Delhi who traced his roots to Basra, located on the Shatt al-Arab between Kuwait and Iran, "Being a refugee is like existing in a coma; even those who want to help us don't know when and if at all we will rise."
(India is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention on Refugees. It doesnt have on its statute book a specific law to govern refugees. The care and treatment of refugees falls under Indias Registration of Foreigners Act of 1939, the Foreigners Act of 1946 and the Foreigners Order of 1948. The Indian Evidence Act, the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure apply to refugees who are living on Indian soil.)
Read part 1: Living in India a struggle but Myanmar is a threat to our existence, say Chin migrants
Read part 3: Driven from their land, Afghan migrants find hope in football, yoga and art
Read part 4: Somalian migrants enjoy peace but deportation, racial discrimination looms large
Introduction to series: Centre's decision to deport Rohingya has other Stateless migrants worried
New Delhi: The government on Wednesday decided to increase the retirement age of central government doctors including those working under the AYUSH ministry and in the railways to 65 years.
The retirement age of doctors in some departments is 60 years and in some others, it is 62.
The decision to this effect was taken on Wednesday by the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Terming the decision as people-centric and pro-patient, Union health minister JP Nadda said it will address the problem of shortage of doctors in the country.
"The decision will help utilise the services of experienced doctors. It will also help in retaining the existing strength of experienced doctors, thereby providing better patient care. This will also help in improving doctor-patient ratio in the country," he said.
Nadda further said that the decision may not have much financial implications as large numbers of posts are lying vacant and the present incumbents would continue to work in their existing capacity against sanctioned posts.
Around 1,445 doctors of various ministries and departments of the central government would be benefited, he informed.
The superannuation age of doctors working under AYUSH ministry, department of Defence (civilian doctors under Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Service), department of Defence Production (Indian Ordnance Factories Health Service Medical Officers), dental doctors under Ministry of Health and Railways and of doctors working in higher education and technical institutions under Department of Higher Education has been enhanced to 65 years.
The Union Cabinet has approved ex-post facto, the increase in retirement age of doctors working in central universities and IITs (autonomous bodies) under Department of Higher Education to 65 years.
It also approved enhancement of superannuation age of doctors in major port trusts under Ministry of Shipping.
As per the decision, doctors shall hold administrative posts till attaining the age of 62 and thereafter they will work in non-administrative positions.
In July, the government had given nod for the increase of retirement age of medical officers working in central armed police forces like the CRPF and BSF from 60 to 65 years.
The retirement age of doctors working with Assam Rifles was also raised from 60 to 65 years.
The age of superannuation of the specialists of non-teaching and public health sub-cadres of Central Health Service (CHS) and general duty medical officers of CHS was also extended to 65 years in May last year.
Slagging off the Gandhis is now inevitable. Comes with the territory. Even the little-known, low profile Varun Gandhi gets it in the neck from Hansraj Ahir, Minister of State for Home, for his saying Rohingya refugees should not be deported but treated humanely. The minister said Gandhi's view is "against national interest".
One doesnt know how many of these 40,000 stateless people are potential terrorists or why it is being assumed that they are all a threat. If you go by the photographs of the next wave of refugees escaping torture, rape and murder, they look more like victims with no future, the closest to the Holocaust in Hitlers Germany.
The fact is that come 3 October when the Supreme Court hands down a decision India will have to deal with a possibly impossible departure if the verdict calls for deportation. These people have no passports and no identity papers to prove they are from Myanmar. Why would Yangon take them let alone take them back. Even Bangladesh is not going to open its doors. And compassion is an Indian virtue and strength and we are dealing with civilians among them women and children. To echo Gandhi we are a humane nation, by and large, and let's not apologise for that.
We are climbing a slippery slope with the present attitude and while fears of their turning renegade may have some historical basis it is not going to be easy to truck them out. Also, those who manage to get away and vanish into the system will probably be bitter about broken families and easier fodder for the terror recruits.
Technically, these people do not exist and it was shortsighted of us to place so many of them in Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad seeing as how these areas are relative communal flashpoints. Placed in less stressed parts of the country they would not have been perceived as a 'threat' to anyone. We have created a convenient nexus for them to be approached and recruited. Now, we want them out.
Clearly, these Rohingyas are not the first choice for an invitation and are now viewed with the same prejudice as are the gypsies and nomads in Europe. The Romany suspicion endures.
The writing was on the wall when Prime Minister Narendra Modi sidestepped the issue of the Rohingya massacre during his visit to Myanmar.
But for us Indians to be so harsh is so unusual. It is intrinsic to our DNA to be hospitable and we even, state by state, handed over the nation to the British, in our desire to be accommodating.
To be truly serious though, using the 'terror' tactic so aggressively seems excessive. Yes, it is difficult to take a stand when national security is thrown in your face but really, is this group of wretchedly poor and beaten escapees going to be such a massive threat to the ground reality. Terrorists are probably within the country in droves already.
As early as 2008 the security advisor national security advisor MK Narayanan had said that over 800 terror outfits were operating in India and 33 percent of India's districts were adversely affected by terror activity. The SATP (South Asian Terror Portal) has listed 180 terrorist groups that have operated within India over the last 20 years. A few more are not going to be making much of a difference.
With our porous borders allowing almost free movement, it is no secret that just in Delhi we now have Bangla and Lankan Tamil enclaves where even the cops do not wish to venture. These are now PAN card owning residents. With voting rights. According to Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, there are roughly two crore illegal Bangladeshis in India. How many of these nationalities have terror affiliations one does not know?
Against that the Rohingya influx seems puny. And though national security is an issue and has to be factored into all equations, in this case, our howl of indignation would have been a lot less shrill if we had an immigration policy that was strategic, constant and ongoing. When our politicians amorally create vote banks out of strangers, the sudden, collective concern for the nation becomes suspect.
Tighten up the borders first. No point closing a window with the door wide open.
Left parties in Kerala had expressed apprehension when Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to promote yoga in all facets of life soon after assuming power in 2014. Their fears seem to have come true, after a yoga centre in Ernakulam district was allegedly found to be involved in the controversial 'Ghar Wapsi' programme.
The police has registered a case against Sivasakthi Yogavidya Kendram in Kandanadu under various sections of the Indian Penal Code following a complaint registered by a 28-year-old Hindu woman who married a Christian man. The woman claimed that she was detained at the centre for 22 days and was subjected to physical and mental torture demanding she return to her original faith.
The police have booked Manoj, the director of the yoga centre, and four others under various charges, including wrongful confinement, kidnapping and outraging the modesty of a woman. Sreejesh, a close associate of Manoj, has also been arrested while four others are absconding, according to the police.
According to its Facebook page, the centre was established as a wing of Vijnana Bharathi, an important arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), with the mission of bestowing health and harmony to the mind, body and soul. However, Swetha Haridas, who escaped from the centre on 21 August, said that it was actually an anti-conversion clinic for Hindus involved in interfaith marriages or those who had converted to Christianity or Islam.
While considering a habeas corpus petition filed by her husband Rinto Isac, the Kerala High Court remarked whether it was a Dera Sacha Sauda in the southern state.
In an affidavit filed in the court, Swetha, an ayurvedic doctor from the northern district of Kannur, said she saw 65 people, including 59 women, trapped at the centre. She alleged that the inmates were subjected to physical assault and even sexual abuse.
Swetha, who married Rinto, a photographer from Thrissur district in November 2016, said she was tricked into the "yoga centre" by her parents under the guise of a three-day session. They took her to the centre when she went to Muvattupuzha on 28 July for her sister's house warming ceremony.
In addition to yoga, she said she was also subjected to counselling that focused on the complications of inter-religious marriages and the problems such couples would face. When she did not change her mind even after three days of counselling, the officials changed their tone and started threatening her to either abandon her husband or get him converted to Hinduism if she insisted on living with him.
When Swetha tried to run away from the place, she was locked inside a room in the centre and was physically and mentally harassed. She said she was also beaten up by the staff members when she refused to abide by their order. Swetha was allowed to go only after she promised to get her husband converted to Hinduism.
She said there were 59 women like her at the centre, who had either converted to other religions or had married outside the community. Her affidavit said the inmates were barred from interacting with each other and were tortured until they agreed to change their mind.
The programme at the centre consisted of open and private sessions, according to Swetha. While the open sessions focus on yoga, prayers and classes on different religious teachings, the instructors demonise Bible and Quran in the private sessions and force the converts to return to their original faith, Swetha said.
Athira, a 23-year-old girl, who returned to Hinduism after having embraced Islam of her own free will, was present at the centre, a few days ahead of her scheduled "ghar wapsi". Athira, who hails from Kasargod, denied Swetha's allegations. "None of the inmates were physically or mentally harassed at the Sivasakthi yoga centre, nor was anyone brainwashed. They treated me with love and care. They asked me only to re-read the Quran with an open mind. After doing so, I realised that my understanding of Islam was not correct," Athira told a press meet at Ernakulam.
However, the high court has found merit in Swetha's allegations. After directly hearing her out on Tuesday, a division bench by chief justice described her revelations as "shocking" and directed the police to conduct an investigation and submit a report.
Following the hearing, the court also directed that the state police chief, district police chief, Hill Palace circle inspector and the Udayamperoor sub-inspector be made parties in the case. Further hearing in the case has been scheduled for 10 October.
The Udayamperoor police has confirmed Swetha's allegation that she was detained and tortured at the centre for nearly a month. A member of the investigating team told Firstpost that their preliminary investigation had revealed that the allegations were prima facie true.
He said that some inmates had told the police that they had seen Swetha being thrashed by three women staffers of the centre. Sreejesh, a senior staff member who was arrested, was also present at the centre when the assault happened, the police officer, who did not want to be identified, said.
The Udayamperoor gram panchayat has also served a close memo on the centre. Following this, most of the inmates have gone back. Five inmates, who came from other states, are waiting for their parents to take them back home.
A senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader from Ernakulam said that the news reports regarding the yoga centre had vindicated the party's charge that the Sangh Parivar was misusing yoga to further its Hindutva agenda.
Terming yoga as just a "physical exercise", the CPM tried to counter the Sangh's attempt to hijack the discipline, by organising a de-Hinduised version of it under the aegis of the CPM-backed Indian Martial Arts Academy and Yoga Study Centre, and by making yoga a part of the school curriculum.
The party had staged a massive demonstration in Kannur, where CPM and RSS cadres are engaged in a bloody battle for supremacy, as part of its campaign in January last year. Over 1,200 yoga practitioners, mostly party cadres, took part in the demonstration.
The last International Yoga Day on 21 June touched controversy when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called for practicing yoga in a "secular frame of mind", and Health Minister KK Shylaja refused to recite the Sanskrit shloka during a yoga session in the state capital.
The BJP had termed these as an insult to India's spiritual wisdom and its revered saints. Party state president Kummanam Rajashekharan pointed out that by calling yoga a "secular" exercise, the CM had exposed his ignorance and lack of scientific knowledge.
Amid renewed demands for a thorough investigation into J Jayalalithaa's death, the Tamil Nadu government set up an inquiry commission headed by retired high court judge Justice Arumughaswamy. The government has asked the panel to submit their report within three months, CNN-News 18 reported.
TN Government issues order to set up inquiry commission headed by retired HC judge Justice Arumughaswamy to probe J Jayalalithaa's death ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2017
An official release said: "To conduct an inquiry and submit a report on the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, an inquiry commission headed by retired high court judge Justice Arumugasamy has been constituted." A government order had been issued for this purpose, it added.
The Apollo Hospital, where the former chief minister was admitted during her last days also welcomed the move. Dr Prathap Reddy, chief of Apollo Hospital in Chennai, said he welcomed a judicial probe into the mystery surrounding the death of Jayalalithaa, and said the hospital will cooperate with the authorities regarding the probe.
Doubts have been raised over the events leading to Jayalalithaa's hospitalisation on 22 September, 2016, and her death by various quarters with Opposition parties including the DMK demanding a CBI probe.
However, the controversy was stirred up again on Saturday, with Tamil Nadu minister C Sreenivasan seeking people's apology for "lying" about Jayalalithaa's health condition when she was admitted in Apollo Hospital.
"We would have told lies that she (Jayalalithaa) had idlis and people met her. The truth is that nobody saw her," the minister had claimed.
However, another Tamil Nadu minister Sellur K Raju was quick to deny Sreenivasan's claim, stating that "all the ministers met her."
Meanwhile, on Monday, Jayalalithaa's nephew J Deepak stirred up another controversy by saying that Z plus security personnel were not present at Apollo Hospital when she was admitted there.
The probe into the AIADMK supremo's demise was a key pre-condition of rebel leader and now deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam for the merger of two factions led by him and Chief Minister K Palaniswamy.
Four days ahead of the merger, Palaniswamy had on 17 August announced that a commission of inquiry would be formed to investigate the circumstances around Jayalalithaa's death. After Panneerselvam had made a demand for a probe claiming there were doubts in the minds of people, Apollo Hospitals had arranged a media conference in February seeking to put to rest any such apprehensions.
With inputs from PTI
Mumbai University vice-chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh, who was sent on forced leave following his lack of preparedness recently put the future of 4.5 lakh varsity students in limbo, is eager to resume work, and the government is unable to decide on sacking Deshmukh for his unprofessionalism.
Even though Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao has asked Deshmukh to resign, sources have revealed that the dominant opinion among Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Higher Technical Education Minister Vinod Tawde, and Rao, who met on Sunday to decide the vice-chancellor's fate, is that sacking Deshmukh won't be good either for Mumbai University, the vice-chancellor or the mangroves that 52-year-old Deshmukh has been researching on for years now.
The ruling opinion in the three offices seems to be that "if Deshmukh is terminated from service, it won't be a good sign either for Mumbai University, Deshmukh's future or his work in the field of environment, mangroves and water conservation," a source told Firspost.
"The state government needs Deshmukh's knowledge and expertise in the field," sources at Rajbhavan and the Mantralaya confirmed.
And it's because of that the governor, who is also the chancellor of the Mumbai University, has asked Deshmukh to resign on his own.,
Expertise vs professionalism
A look into Deshmukh's biodata makes his technical merit to important be overlooked. Deshmukh, who was appointed vice-chancellor on 7 July 2015, has, to his credit, 172 research publications over 18 years. Deshmukh has served as a scientist and head of Coastal Systems Research Programme at the MS Swaminathan Research Centre and is the only teacher in Mumbai University to be a recognised PHD Guide in five subjects Geography, Botany, Life Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Biotechnology.
After completing his MSc from the Institute of Science, Mumbai University in 1986, Deshmukh at 25, became one of the youngest PHD degree holders of Mumbai University in 1990. He was a principal scientist at Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) between 1995 and 1999, served at director (programmes) at the Manav Sadhan Vikas Sanstha during 1999-2001 and was director (research) at Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini during 2001-2003.
But expertise doesn't necessarily lead to professionalism, does it?
In a sudden move, Deshmukh had taken up entire assessment system for the final 2016-2017 exams online without putting in place a contingency plan or preparation to carry out the momentous task. The decision created a huge mess with results of 4,52,889 students from 477 streams of the university being delayed for nearly three months, giving the students and their families sleepless nights.
Deshmukh was sent on indefinite leave on 9 August for missing deadlines set up by the university chancellor for declaring the exam results. What was more shocking was the fact that the vice-chancellor never briefed Rao on the mess in the university.
"Under the act, it is binding on a vice-chancellor to that results are declared within 45 days of the exams," said sources from University.
The results for all streams were declared finally on 19 Septemeber, but still, it's pending for 950 students because of technical difficulties.
As per rule of Maharashtra University, act results were to be declared in 45 days of time, but the university failed to do so because of Deshmukh's ill-prepared move.
This year, the university had 14,000 teachers and 2,500 university staff to carry out the momentous task of checking 17.32 lakhs answer sheets of 4.52 lakhs students.
But despite all this Rao has not been sacked. "The fact that the state machinery has completely ignored Deshmukh's mistakes whether it was his decision to overrule the advice from state government, doing things in isolation, or not keeping the chancellor informed about the university affairs, just don't fit right," a higher rank officer in university told Firstpost.
More to the story?
Surprisingly, Deshmukh's links with the Sangh Parivar have resurfaced in discourses on and around the university.
One of Deshmukh's previous employers, Rambhau Mhalgi Prabhodini, is a Sangh Parivar outfit based in Uttan. He served as director (research) in Prabodhini from 2001 to 2003 and considers Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, BJP vice-president and director general of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, his idol. Earlier, he has worked with Suresh Prabhu and maintains a good equation with the RSS and BJP top leadership.
Though sources claim that the chancellor's office has made up its mind to force Deshmukh out, sources have revealed that plans have been put in place to offer him another job, and save his career.
"If Deshmukh resigns, most likely, he will be reappointed to a committee of the state government," a source said.
Mau: A fast-track court on Wednesday acquitted mafia don-turned-MLA Mukhtar Ansari and seven others in an eight-year-old murder case.
Judge Adil Aftab Ahmed acquitted Ansari, BSP MLA from Mau Sadar, and seven others in the murder of contractor Ajay Pratap Singh, who was gunned down in broad daylight on 29 August, 2009, the prosecution counsel said.
While Ansari and seven others were acquitted, three others Arvind Yadav, Amresh Kannaujia and Raju Kannaujia were convicted and awarded life imprisonment.
One of the accused, Raju Chauhan, was killed in a police encounter earlier.
Earlier, twelve persons had been accused in connection with the murder, which happened at a time when Ansari was in jail.
Ansari is currently lodged in the Banda district jail and will remain behind bars in connection with the other cases against him.
Washington: A long-term strategic security relationship with India is "critical" to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean, a top US general has said as he called for strengthening bilateral defence ties.
Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford told lawmakers that the US and India should continue to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest like maritime security.
"We should also continue to strengthen our defence relationship by pursuing opportunities to co-develop and co-produce defence technology under the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative," he said in a written response to questions submitted to him ahead of his confirmation hearing.
"A long term strategic security relationship with India is critical to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean," Dunford said during his re-confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Noting that the US-India military relationship is strong and getting stronger, Dunford said the two countries cooperate through complex naval exercises such as Malabar in the Bay of Bengal as well as robust engagement through defence trade and technology cooperation.
On China, Dunford said the US had a range of military options to support diplomatic efforts to influence Chinese behaviour.
Militarily, the joint force will engage with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) within Congressionally mandated limits, build alliance capacity through close cooperation, and maintain international law through appropriate operations, he said.
China has shown willingness to use economic leverage as a way to advance the Chinese Communist Party's regional political objectives, Dunford said.
As China's military modernisation continues, the US and its allies and partners will continue to be challenged to balance China's influence, he said.
Dunford said the long-term, sustained presence was critical to demonstrating that the US is committed to the region.
The US will continue to develop a security network through multilateral partnerships and build interoperability and partner capacity to help allies and partners stand up to Chinese coercive behaviour, he said.
Unilaterally, the US will continue to develop capabilities to counter China's improving military capabilities, he added.
Lucknow: Those who cause hooch deaths in Uttar Pradesh can now be sentenced death, the state government on Wednesday said, promulgating an ordinance for amending the UP Excise Act.
Under the new act, people dealing with illicit or spurious liquor can be sentenced to life or hanged to death.
"Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik has promulgated the Uttar Pradesh Excise (Amendment) Ordinance 2017. The ordinance is related to the poisonous nature of illicit liquor and the loss of life caused by its consumption," an official statement released by the Raj Bhavan said.
Since the state legislature is not in session and seeing the immediate nature of the issue, the governor approved the proposal passed by the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet after legal examinations, it said.
The measure is seen as an effort to stamp out the state's illicit liquor mafia, an excise department official said.
The decision to add the death penalty provision was taken last week at a meeting of the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The measure would act as a deterrent, Uttar Pradesh excise minister Jai Pratap Singh had told PTI.
After Delhi and Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh has become the third state where bootleggers may be sent to the gallows if consumption of spurious liquor leads to a loss of life.
Singh explained that to curb the manufacture of spurious liquor, provisions of life imprisonment and the death penalty have been incorporated in the existing law through the ordinance.
The death penalty provision will be applied depending upon the intensity of the case, he said.
Under the proposal mooted in the Cabinet (on 19 September), the government amended various sections of the UP Excise Act and added a new section 60(A) for the purpose. The amendment will also make the offence non-bailable.
The new section seeks to provide that the guilty may be punished with life imprisonment, or Rs 10 lakh penalty, or both. Those whose spurious liquor have caused death or permanent disability can be sentenced to death.
The other sections to be amended seek to enhance financial penalties in other illicit liquor-related offences.
Hooch tragedies take a heavy toll every year in Uttar Pradesh.
In July, 17 people died in Azamgarh after they consumed spurious liquor. In 2015, 28 people were killed in a similar incident in the Malihabad area of Lucknow.
Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Wednesday dropped hints that Jyotiraditya Scindia could be the Congress' face in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election. Sparking speculations of a major organisational rejig in the grand old party, Nath hinted that he was ready to make way for 47-year-old Scindia, who hails from the state's royal family.
Nath was addressing the media in Scindia's Guna constituency. He was quoted by The Times of India as saying,"The Congress is ready to contest the coming assembly polls under the leadership of Jyotiraditya Scindia. I have no qualms if party projects him as the leader of the election campaign."
Nath's comments have ended speculation over who would contest the Assembly polls against BJP's Shivraj Singh Chouhan who would seek his fourth term as the chief minister, if elected. BJP has been in power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003 when Uma Bharti had defeated Digvijay Singh.
Meanwhile, the rumours of Scindia being picked to steer the party in Madhya Pradesh were further strengthened by Singh's announcement of an 'apolitical yatra.'
Singh, on Tuesday, announced his own six-month tour, adding that he has no political agenda and he would use the 3,400 km journey to seek people's feedback.
Singh will commence his Narmada Yatra from Barman Ghat of Narsinghpur district on 30 September. He will pass through madhya Pradesh districts including Hoshagabad, Harda, Khandwa, Khargone, Badwani, Jhabua, Alirajpur and then will enter into Gujarat.
Singh, a Congress veteran and a two-time chief minister of the state, was considered to be a potential for heading the party in the run-up to the Assembly elections. In such a scenario, Scindia's appointment in lieu of the 70-year-old seasoned politician, would have sidelined Singh further. The Congress has been sidelining Singh ever since he failed to form a government in Goa.
He was earlier sacked from the post of general secretary in-charge of poll-bound Karnataka and the coastal state of Goa after the fiasco in government formation in the latter state. The BJP had, under Singh's watch, trumped the Congress in forming a government in Goa, despite the latter emerging as the single-largest party in the polls. Singh was blamed for not acting fast enough to stake claim to form a government.
Meanwhile, Singh's so-called tour of the state too has reportedly failed to impress the Congress top-brass. According to an NDTV report, the itinerary is being read by Congress as a forceful attempt by Singh to prove that he is relevant and should not be marginalised by the party.
Besides this, the Congress party has also been undertaking massive structural rejigs to strengthen the party in a bottom-up approach. The party high-command recently sacked Bihar state unit chief Ashok Chaudhary for alleged anti-party activities following rumours that he was trying to orchestrate a split. The party has also reshuffled ranks in Madhya Pradesh.
Earlier, Congress had appointed Deepak Babaria as the AICC general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh unit, replacing Mohan Prakash. The party had also appointed two AICC secretaries in-charge, Zubair Khan and Sanjay Kapoor, to assist him in handling the party affairs in the state that goes to poll in 2018.
BJP national president Amit Shah's Rajya Sabha debut had triggered speculation on his possible role in the government and the party. After spending three fruitful years as BJP president where he tripled the number of states the party ruled, it was also said that he could take up an important ministry such as defence.
Turns out that Nirmala Sitharaman became the defence minister and Shah is still doing what he does best strengthening the party across the country.
The next step in his plan for expanding BJP's hegemony across India looks to be Kerala. As DailyO points out, despite the "Modi wave" across the country in the 2014 general elections, the party didn't do too well in Kerala and its candidates lost deposit in most seats. As the next elections loom in the horizon, the BJP plans to work well in advance and increase its numbers.
Shah's last visit to "God's own country" was as recent as June when he held a series of meetings with office bearers of the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as part of efforts to strengthen the party's base in Kerala. His visit was aimed at wooing the Dalits and the minority communities in the state, where the party has been struggling to get a foothold.
The (once-postponed) Janaraksha yatra
It is in this context that the party is conducting the 'Janaraksha yatra' in Kerala. It was mooted in August to keep the heat on the Left government in the state over the killings of BJP and RSS workers. It was supposed to be a "mega roadshow" in early September, which top leaders including Shah and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states were scheduled to attend.
The "padayatra" was scheduled to start from Payyannur in Kannur and to conclude at the state capital.
The event was postponed on 29 August because it would have been 'inconvenient' for Shah to attend, according to the party. A party release had said "the yatra to be led by state BJP chief Kummanom Rajasekharan, which was scheduled to commence on 7 September, has been postponed to October."
However, a report in the Deccan Herald said that the visit was postponed as the RSS believed that the state BJP leaders are not committed to strengthening the party. The postponement caught the party's Kerala leadership off-guard.
The Janaraksha yatra is now scheduled to be held from 3 to 17 October.
However, even before the event was postponed, the CPM was alleging that Shah was visiting Kerala to create trouble and "to destroy the reputation of the state which is known for its secular and democratic credentials". Alleging that the Sangh Parivar was showing its "intolerance", CPM district secretary P Jayarajan said that Shah should first take out a march in BJP-ruled states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana as the state face severe law and order issues under the party's rule.
The challenges before BJP in Kerala
Politically, the party is a lightweight in Kerala, with only one member in the 140-seat Kerala assembly. It was further rocked by allegations of corruption in an internal probe ordered by its state party chief Kummanam Rajasekharan. The probe panel found that RS Vinod, state convener of BJPs cooperative cell and a yuva morcha leader, had allegedly taken Rs 5.60 crore from the owner of a medical college to be paid to Medical Council of India authorities in Delhi.
It was also not the first time corruption allegations were levelled against Kerala BJP leaders. During Atal Bihari Vajpayees regime, it was alleged that the Kerala BJP leaders had accepted crores of rupees to allot petrol pumps.
None of this stopped Shah from exhorting party workers to ensure an increase in the vote share of the party in Kerala from the present 15 percent to a "minimum of 40 percent", which, he said was "essential" for a poll victory in a three-cornered contest.
But many believe it's a near-impossible task, given the state's demographic peculiarities, where Muslims and Christians (who are in minority in the rest of the country) make up 45 percent of its 33.3 million population.
The BJP's strategy
The BJPs strategy is to win over Christians, who constitute 18.38 percent, and Dalits who are 9.8 percent of the population, to reach beyond its traditional footprint among the upper caste Nairs and, of late, the lower caste Ezhavas. Pollsters say BJP made slight inroads into the Christian voters in the 2016 Assembly elections, but the Muslims remained as elusive as ever.
The strategy was visible in Shah's actions in Kerala as he reached out to the Christian community in Kerala for support, reported The Economic Times. He asked the state leaders how they planned to make inroads in the Christian community but had no questions about Muslim voters. He also directed the state unit to woo OBC and Dalit voters.
Shah is also trying to pacify a miffed ally, Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), as it tries to save the alliance. According to The Indian Express he has invited BDJS leader Tushar Vellappally to Ahmedabad for talks. Tushar's father Vellappally Nadesan is the chief of BDJS and had earlier said that the BJP had failed to keep the coalition dharma.
With inputs from agencies
New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday said that no political meaning should be read into party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's visit to temples during his Gujarat visit.
"I don't think you should read political meaning into that. I think there is much else that is happening in his visit to Gujarat. I think we should focus on that," Congress' senior spokesperson P Chidambaram said.
Asked about Gandhi's visit to various temples ahead of Gujarat Assembly elections, the former Union minister said it is "out of courtesy" that all politicians during their visits to their constituencies visit various places of worship at the request of their supporters.
"We have always held that each one is entitled to practice his own faith, we treat all faiths equal. That is the position of the Congress party. From the days of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, that is the stance of the Congress party," he said, while dismissing suggestions that the temple visits were an attempt to woo Hindu voters.
The Congress leader said if on a visit to a constituency or a state, the local leadership and people there suggest visits to a temple or a mosque or a church, "it is natural to oblige".
"Every elected politician does that all the time...you do it as a matter of courtesy," he said, adding that he also does the same and visits mosques or other religious places on the request of locals.
Vadodara: Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani has said the Congress has no "credible" local leaders so it is relying heavily on party vice-president Rahul Gandhi for campaigning for the upcoming Assembly polls.
The BJP chief minister also posed a series of questions to Gandhi who is currently touring the state, where Assembly polls are due by the year-end.
"His (Gandhi's) visit (to Gujarat) is an admission that the Congress has no credible local leadership. Had they been strong and visible, he would not have had to come here," Rupani told PTI on Tuesday.
"The Congress has no issues to raise and no (state) leader who could go to people and talk to them about important matters," he said.
The chief minister was in Anand near here to attend a function where the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) dairy excellence awards were presented.
Targeting Gandhi, Rupani asked him to explain why the UPA-led Congress government delayed granting of permission to install gates at the Sardar Sarovar Dam, built across the Narmada river, at Kevadiya.
"The delay in permission led to millions of cusec of the Narmada water flowing into the sea without being used," he said.
Rupani also asked the Congress leader to explain the reason for so many scams occurring during the Manmohan Singh government.
He blamed the Congress for unemployment in the country and maintained this was a result of "mismanagement" by the UPA government which was in power from 2004 to 2014.
The chief minister said the Amethi MP should tell people what steps were taken by the UPA government during its 10-year rule at the Centre to address the issue of unemployment among the youth.
New Delhi: Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday lauded BJP's Yashwant Sinha for talking "truth to the power" in an article on the economy and asked the "clueless" Centre how long it would hide behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rhetoric and party slogans.
Sinha had written what the Congress had been saying for the past 18 months on "weaknesses in the economy", the former Union finance minister told reporters here. He said the Congress was told to shut up when it flagged the weaknesses in the economy. But the party would continue to speak "loudly and boldly on the disastrous path" the government has taken, the Congress leader added.
Targeting the government over high oil prices, Chidambaram accused it of "looting" the people. "We are happy Yashwant Sinha has spoken truth, echoed our views about economy...he has spoken truth to the power," Chidambaram said. "The government is completely clueless about what is causing the economic decline...how long will it hide behind the rhetoric of the prime minister and the slogans of the party?" he asked.
Responding to a question, Chidambaram said the Congress was not using Sinha's views (politically), and added that the BJP leader's statements only "coincides" with what the opposition party has been saying. The Congress leader likened the formation of a new economic advisory council to "putting band aid on several broken limbs".
Chidambaram also rued that MPs were afraid of about what they see and hear, particularly in their constituencies. "It is a sad commentary on our times that MPs are afraid to reflect what they see and hear around them...yet we call ourselves a free country," Chidambaram said.
In a newspaper article, Sinha, who was finance minister under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, criticised Arun Jaitley over the "mess the finance minister has made of the economy" and said he would be failing in his national duty if he did not speak up. "Finance ministry, in the best of times, calls for the undivided attention of its boss if the job has to be properly done. In challenging times it becomes more than a 24/7 job. Naturally, even a superman like Jaitley could not do justice to the task," he wrote.
He also said a revival by the time of the next Lok Sabha election was "highly unlikely" and a "hard landing" appeared inevitable.
Chotila/Kagvad: Seizing on BJP leader Yashwant Sinha's critical remarks on the state of the economy, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today mounted an attack on the central government and alleged that it was not listening to the common man.
Addressing a gathering near Chotila in Surendranagar district on the last day of his three-day visit to poll-bound Gujarat, Gandhi said that even BJP leaders know that the country "is in deep trouble".
"Today, I read an article written by Yashwant Sinha, who is a senior BJP leader. He wrote that Modiji and (finance minister) Jaitleyji have destroyed the Indian economy. This is not my view. This is the opinion of a BJP leader," Gandhi said during his campaign tour in Narendra Modi's home state.
"He (Sinha) even wrote that though BJP leaders know that our country is in deep trouble, no one is ready to speak up as they are afraid of Modiji," he added. On his way from Chotila to Kagvad, Gandhi addressed people at some places and promised that Congress would waive all farm loans within 10 days of assuming power after the elections, which are due later this year.
Gandhi, who had kicked off the tour after offering prayers at Dwarkadhish temple on Monday, resumed his road-show this morning by trekking up the famous Chotila temple in Surendranagar district.
During his hectic road-show, which saw him covering vast streches of politically crucial Saurasthra region, Gandhi wooed the influential Patidar community, which has been pressing for reservation in jobs and education. On his arrival, the Patel quota agitation leader, Hardik Patel, had welcomed Rahul Gandhi to Gujarat with a tweet. Patel, who has been at the forefront of the agitation directed against the BJP government in the state, had tweeted, "Congress ke rashtriya upadhyaksh Rahulji ka Gujarat mae hardik swagat hai..Jay Shri Krishna (a warm welcome to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat)."
Revving up his tirade against the central government, Gandhi, during his address at Chotila, also said that the country's economy is in shambles as the Centre does not listen to the common man.
"This has happened because the BJP government never listens to farmers, youngsters, labourers, traders and women, who actually run this country. People from the BJP listen only to businessmen and then tell the citizens their own 'mann ki baat'," Gandhi alleged, taking a jibe at the PM's radio programme.
Gandhi, who covered about 600 km in over five districts in three days, did not spare the BJP government in the state either.
Speaking to people in Patel-dominated areas on Tuesday, Gandhi had accused the BJP government in Gujarat of perpetrating atrocities on the members of the community during the quota stir. On the concluding day of his tour, Gandhi also visited three more temples, apart from the hill shrine at Chotila by climbing up about 1,000 steps to offer prayers to Goddess Chamunda. He visited Khodal Dham temple in Kagvad village to offer prayers to Khodiyar Mata, reigning deity of the Leuva Patels. On his way to Jetpur from Kagvad, Gandhi paid a visit to a temple dedicated to Dasi Jeevan, revered by the dalits as well as Buddhist people.
He also made an unscheduled visit to another shrine Jalaram temple in Veerpur in Rajkot district. His party circles believe that Gandhi's visits to temples could help counter the BJP-RSS's Hindutva line. Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi alleged that the party was deliberately projected as anti-Hindu by the BJP and the RSS. "Rahul Gandhi's visit to various temples during his tour is aimed at countering the hardline Hindutva campaign of BJP and RSS," Doshi said.
"The RSS and BJP have deliberately tried to portray the Congress as anti-Hindu which is not true," he said. However, the party's central leadership said no political meaning should be read in the temple visits. "I don't think you should read political meaning into that. I think there is much else that is happening in his visit to Gujarat. I think we should focus on that," Congress senior spokesperson P Chidambaram said.
The former Union minister said the temple visits were "out of courtesy" and all politicians while touring constituencies go to various places of worship at the request of their supporters. However, a state BJP leader took a dig at Gandhi saying that he was visiting temples as his party has failed to win elections for long, while the saffron party is in power for over two decades.
"Rahul Gandhi has started visiting temples and shrines as his party is not winning elections in any state since many years," state BJP spokesperson Raju Dhruv said. In the last two days, Gandhi attacked the BJP and the Centre on issues of GST, note ban and farm polices during his public addresses.
Gandhi, who was scheduled to return to Delhi on Wednesday, decided to stay back in Rajkot. He will now fly back to the national capital on Thursday morning, party sources said.
Yashwant Sinha carried out his "nation's duty" by coming out in the open and letting the world know that the current state of the Indian economy is in a "mess".
There are two ways of looking at what the outspoken former finance minister has said dismiss his arguments and concerns as the cynicism of a marginalised and disgruntled party senior, or to scrutinise his opinion piece published in The Indian Express on merit, and take it as an alarm bell from a knowledgeable insider, and hope those at the helm of the central government would take prompt corrective measures.
Every word written by Sinha would come as music to Narendra Modi's critics and to BJP's political rivals. But even many neutrals would find Sinha's arguments not without merit and basis. He is not entirely wrong when he says the words "I am also convinced that what I am going to say reflects the sentiments of a large number of people in the BJP and elsewhere who are not speaking up out of fear" right in the first paragraph.
Economists and the business fraternity would perhaps be better placed to make an objective assessment of what Sinha has written about the economy and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's ability to handle and improve the situation. But the potential political implications of Sinha's comments would make for interesting analysis unto themselves.
Sinha has an unmatched quality of making forceful articulations in whatever avatars he appeared in from BJP spokesperson to Leader of Opposition in Bihar during Lalu Yadav's regime, as external affairs minister, finance minister, or as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. For example, he famously described the likes of him as "brain dead" after the RSS enforced an unwritten code debarring leaders over 75 from active politics and positions.
The problem for Modi and BJP president Amit Shah is that this is perhaps the harshest critique Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has received. Jaitley, a close confidante of the Modi-Shah duo, is considered among the best and the brightest men in the team; someone with immense clout in the party and in the government. His arguments acquire even more weight when you consider he used to be Jaitley's senior in the finance and external affairs ministries in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
Another problem for Modi and Shah is that this is the second time in one week that a senior party leader has gone public with criticisms of the economy. Just last week, Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy had revealed that he had written a 16-page letter to Modi using statistics from the finance ministry to caution the government of five "storm signals". Swamy said the economy was "in a tailspin, it can crash".
Swamy and Sinha aren't known to be great friends. It's not known whether it was pure coincidence or by design that the two spoke out on the same issue, broadly in a similar fashion, albeit with contrasting personal styles and content, but the broad conclusion was the same. Both made the point that actual growth rate was lower than what is being projected by the new methodology.
"So, what is the picture of the Indian economy today? Private investment has shrunk as never before in two decades, industrial production has all but collapsed, agriculture is in distress, construction industry, a big employer of the work force, is in the doldrums, the rest of the service sector is also in the slow lane, exports have dwindled, sector after sector of the economy is in distress, demonetisation has proved to be an unmitigated economic disaster, a badly conceived and poorly implemented GST has played havoc with businesses and sunk many of them and countless millions have lost their jobs with hardly any new opportunities coming the way of the new entrants to the labour market," Sinha said.
Another BJP leader and economist, who had been part of former Vajpayee's economic advisory council, told Firstpost that he had written to Modi with his own concerns about the economy and had flagged off certain issues. He said that Modi was misled by his advisors on two counts stock market buoyancy and foreign exchange reserves, but according to him, there are certain other issues and indications that needed to be addressed.
Comments by Swamy and Sinha have set off a spate of intense discussions among party leaders. The concern is not about what the likes of Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram, Arvind Kejriwal and Sitaram Yechury say, but rather from the feedback that they themselves are getting from their own social contacts and sources.
Furthermore, the massive advantage that BJP enjoyed with social media is also slipping. Its rivals have become innovative with their communication techniques, and are using Twitter and WhatsApp as well as the saffron brigade used to. The Gauri Lankesh murder aftermath could be a recent example, when the narrative was decisively built and sustained by forces inimical to the BJP.
Recent student union elections in Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and in Rajasthan and Punjab also went against the RSS' student body, the ABVP. In Gurgaon, people chose to vote for Independents in the civic body elections rather than the existing political parties, another cause of concern for the ruling BJP.
Narendra Modi's charisma has hitherto played a decisive role in ensuring BJP keeps enjoying electoral luck, but the underlying factor behind this was the faith people had in the prime minister as a person who would fix their social and economic conditions. It's for the BJP how it wants to interpret Yashwant Sinha's thoughts.
Reuters
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized Facebook Inc as anti-Trump and questioned its role during the 2016 presidential campaign, amid probes into alleged Russian interference in the election and possible collusion by Trumps associates.
His salvo came as the social media giant prepares to hand over 3,000 political ads to congressional investigators that it has said were likely purchased by Russian entities during and after last years presidential contest.
Trump appeared to embrace the focus on the social media network in his comments on Wednesday, which also took aim at more traditional medial outlets, long targeted by the president as fake news.
Facebook was always anti-Trump. The networks were always anti-Trump, Trump said on Twitter, leveling the same charge against the New York Times and the Washington Post. Collusion?
Representatives for Facebook and the newspapers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trumps tweet.
US Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, which is among those investigating Russias role, said he expected to have the ads by next week and that they should be made public.
You really need to see them ... to recognize how cynical an effort this was by the Kremlin, how they sought to just accentuate those divisions ... and drive American against American, Schiff told MSNBC, adding that Facebook and Twitter Inc executives should testify publicly about the issue.
I have concerns about how long it took Facebook to realize the Russians were advertising on their network, Schiff told MSNBC, adding that he has spoken several times with the companys chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.
Facebook and other technology companies are coming under increased scrutiny amid the Russia investigations. The probes, being conducted by several congressional committees along with the Department of Justice, have clouded Trumps tenure since taking office in January and threatened his agenda, which has yet to secure a major legislative victory.
Moscow has denied any collusion.
Trump himself has previously praised Facebook and credited it with helping him win the November election. His campaign has said it spent some $70 million on Facebook ads, and it also ran a live Facebook show.
His latest comments did not appear to affect shares of the company, which were up 1.4 percent at $166.50 a share in late morning trading after analysts raised their price target for the stock.
PTI
HMD Global, which holds the rights for Nokia brand name, aims to rank among the top smartphone players in the next 3-5 years in India as it works towards restoring the old glory of the iconic label. Once a dominant player in the Indian market, some time around 2012, Nokia began to see a downfall in its market share, hurt by its slow response to changing trends like dual SIM, touch screen smartphones.
This was also the time when homegrown firms like Micromax and others like Samsung began to eat into Nokia's market share, leaving it with under 10 per cent share at the end of 2012. The market has changed even more with an influx of Chinese brands like Oppo and Xiaomi that have expanded their presence and captured considerable market share. "In the next 3-5 years, we want to be amongst the top players in the market, there is no question about it," HMD Global Vice President India Ajey Mehta told PTI.
He added that the company has received a great response to all its devices launched in the market so far. Asked about how the company plans to compete with rivals that are spending millions of dollars on marketing, Mehta said: "We want to build a firm foundation and a sustainable business going forward". "We will compete on the pillars that we believe Nokia can stand on -- brand, pure Android, designer craftsmanship and real life experiences," he added.
India is one of the fastest growing smartphone markets globally. As per International Data Corporation (IDC), 28 million smartphones were shipped to India in the April-June 2017 quarter with Samsung commanding 24 per cent market share. The others in the top 5 tally included Xiaomi (17 per cent), Vivo (13 per cent), Oppo (8 per cent) and Lenovo (7 per cent). HMD yesterday launched a new device Nokia 8 priced at Rs 36,999 that will be available in India starting 14 October.
The device will be available across key mobile retail outlets as well as on Amazon.in. It features 5.3-inch display, 4GB RAM, 64 GB internal memory (expandable up to 256 GB), 13MP rear and front camera and 3090 mAh battery.
tech2 News Staff
HMD Global is in talks with various telecom service providers and is planning to introduce a Nokia 4G feature phone in India. The JioPhone has pushed telecom operators and original equipment manufacturers to plan for a low-cost 4G LTE device. Lava, Intex, Idea and Airtel are all working on such handsets, the prices for which can be reduced by not including all the features supported by the chipset in the device.
Ajey Mehta, India VP for HMD Global, told the Times of India, "Feature phone is a critical category... and we see operators as a partner here. There is sizeable volume in this segment, roughly 10 million devices monthly. Nokia has traditionally been strong here, and there is huge opportunity."
According to a report in TeleAnalysis, when Ajey Mehta was asked if Nokia was planning to introduce a 4G feature phone in India, Mehta said, "4G feature phones are a critical part of our strategy."
Nokia has a number of feature phones in its lineup for India, including the 2017 version of the Nokia 3310, but none of these phones support 4G connectivity and as such cannot work with 4G LTE only networks.
HMD Global plans to return Nokia to its former glory by making it one of the top smartphone manufacturers in India within the next three to five years. Nokia has recently launched the Nokia 8 in India for Rs 36,999, and has reasonably priced devices with good build quality in the feature phone space as well.
Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.
Nitish Rampal
Indias first ever mobile, internet and technology event on a global scale, the Mobile India Congress 2017, kicked off in New Delhi on Wednesday with an aim to foster digital inclusion in India.
The stellar inauguration ceremony, held at Pragati Maidan, featured several high-profile ministers Manoj Sinha- Minister of telecommunications of India, Ravi Shankar Prasad- Minister of Information Technology of India, Dharmendra Pradhan- Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Satish Mahana- Minister of Industrial Development in the Government of Uttar Pradesh and giants of the industrial and telecom world like Mukesh Ambani- Chairman, Managing Director and largest shareholder of Reliance Industries Limited and Sunil Bharti Mittal- Founder & Chairman of Bharti Enterprises highlighting the shift towards a multi-stakeholder approach to digitise India.
MeitY secretary Aruna Sundararajan and other top executives from the telecom industry reflected on the need to form a common platform for the government and private firms to help India take definitive steps towards digitisation and inclusion of those unconnected.
"We need to ensure that the use of mobile phones can deliver quality healthcare and education services, apart from banking. We want to connect the unconnected and serve those who haven't been served to make sure the mobile technology helps many beyond the 100 million urban users with the latest devices, Sundararajan said. IMC 2017 is a marquee event aimed at showing India's strength in telecom to the world, she added.
The event was inaugurated by Minister of State (Independent Charge) Communications, Manoj Sinha, who also echoed on the need for digitisation for Indias development. "Connecting the next billion Indians to the worldwide web is the single biggest opportunity in India. The word is digital, becoming synonymous with every aspect of our daily life, he said. The government is doing its best to improve ease of doing business in the IT and telecom sectors, Sinha added.
As data availability and utility increase we must also work towards securing data and its privacy: #RaviShankarPrasad at #IMC2017 pic.twitter.com/LErsOfwtdc Tech2 (@tech2eets) September 27, 2017
The governments blueprint for furthering the multi-stakeholder approach to digitisation was formalised by Ravi Shankar Prasad, who said that, "We don't want to miss the digital revolution. We have decided to finalise a new IT policy, a new e-Commerce policy and a new IoT policy very soon.''
#India's digital revolution is built on the principle of inclusion. It is aimed at the poor and the unconnected: #RaviShankarPrasad #IMC2017 pic.twitter.com/qabs9tQMdV Tech2 (@tech2eets) September 27, 2017
Data is the new oil The governments views were echoed, perhaps louder, by private players. Industry giant and Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani relayed Sundararajans views and pushed for a plan to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modis dream of a Digital India. India is the largest data consumer in the world. The pace of growth of Indian market is unparalleled. In next ten years, Indian economy will grow and rank among the top three in the world. The IT and telecom sectors have a pivotal role to play in this. Government should work with private firms to help India lead the fourth industrial revolution,
#IMC2017 signals to world that #India is one of the biggest telecom markets. It'll be a must attend event in years to come: #MukeshAmbani pic.twitter.com/Or1zqKQrOe Tech2 (@tech2eets) September 27, 2017
Data is the new oil, India does not need to import it. We have it in abundance. Data is the oxygen of the Indian economy, we cannot deprive Indians of it, he added.
Ambani even laid out a clear agenda for the government, reading out the must-do tasks to fulfil the Digital India dream. First, we must explore innovative ideas to provide self-employment for youth through newer technologies. Second, digitisation can be a boon for water, food security and can deliver more efficient transportation. And third, given that human capital is Indias biggest asset, digitising education is a must. Telecom and IT sectors must work with the government on this.
Following up after Ambani, his friend and competitor Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Airtel, said, Technology is now being tailor-made for India. This is a big departure from the past. Large telcos are looking to India and India must facilitate this growth.
#IMC2017 signals to world that #India is one of the biggest telecom markets. It'll be a must attend event in years to come: #MukeshAmbani pic.twitter.com/Or1zqKQrOe Tech2 (@tech2eets) September 27, 2017
The presence of the two stalwarts together on stage was not missed by many, given the fierce battle the two companies have been engaged in since the launch of Reliance Jio. So much so, that Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan couldnt help but take a sly dig at their expense.
Healthy competition between Ambani bhai and Mittalji has become on one of the biggest boons for the Indian consumer. Now, thanks to their fierce rivalry, data has been capped and can be enjoyed at nominal costs, he said.
With an increase in data, need for security, privacy becomes paramount
One of the key aspects, and possible apprehensions, of fast-paced digitisation is the procurement and storage of huge amounts of sensitive data.
The need for a robust security system before implementation of digitisation in the financial, education and medical sectors has been flagged as a concern by many over the years.
Law minister Prasad expressed his concerns as well on the issue when he said that: As data availability and utility increases, we must also work towards securing data and its privacy.
The recent privacy debate over Aadhaar and the safekeeping of an ever-expanding database of sensitive data was a theme echoed in many of the keynotes on Day 1 of the event. More so, as the future of digitisation in India looks to encompass almost all aspects of ones life financial, personal, or otherwise by bringing it under the ambit of the UID scheme.
Speaking at a seminar on internet governance and its efficacy, Ajay Kumar, secretary, MeitY, said that, It is very important to manage sensitive data effectively. As content is increasing, so are the number of cyber threats. Of all the layers of digitisation, the content and the security are of most importance,
Schemes like Aadhaar pose challenges for data protection. How to keep data safe for governance? Hence, content and data security layers need to be explored and researched on further, Kumar said.
From the governments perspective, Digital India is a flagship project. But for driving change through technology, one must ensure that the change is sustainable and safe, he added.
Privatisation of governance: A compromise on data sovereignty?
Another possible loophole in entrusting global private firms with sensitive data arises because of the lack of definitive laws governing or overseeing the exchange.
Data localisation is considered to be an absolute necessity to ensure data sovereignty. Just recently, Google launched its UPI-based payment gateway Tez. At the event, the tech giant was asked about data localisation and whether the financial data it gathers would be stored abroad.
While no definitive answer was provided, the issue was dismissed by saying that the data will be stored on Google cloud, and that the location of the cloud was not known. Google also declined to comment on whether this data could be used for its ad sense feature.
When Firstpost asked Rekha Jain, an information systems professor at IIM-A, who was a part of the panel, about the issue, she said that clear laws are needed to oversee the exchange of data to ensure its security.
On being asked if an integrated approach to governance between private firms and the state translates to a compromise on data sovereignty, she said: No private firm can operate outside the law. Unfortunately, we in India are lagging behind in terms of the laws. If I leave my house open to all and then complain about theft, then I am responsible. We are late already and the need to form data localisation laws is of utmost importance.
The three-day event will look to explore different aspects of various themes like Digital India, internet governance, the future of smart networking and the digital identity in a digital world. Over the course of the event, experts from their various technical and academic fields will examine the intricacies of the process of digitisation.
The event includes a conclave, an exhibition and an awards ceremony as well as thematic pavilions and innovation zones. It is expected to attract more than 500 start-ups, 2,000 delegates from India and other countries.
PTI
Telecom minister Manoj Sinha today said the Department of Telecom will organise the India Mobile Congress every year which would emerge as a global event in coming years. "We want to organise India Mobile Congress every year. We expect that it will emerge as a global event in years to come," Sinha said.
The country is hosting the India Mobile Congress for the first time which would provide a platform for mobile, internet and technology companies. Industry leaders Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Bharti Mittal of Airtel and Kumar Mangalam Birla along with Sinha, Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Oil and Skills Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will attend the three-day event starting on 27 September.
Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan and IT Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Bharti Airtel MD and CEO Gopal Vittal, Vodafone India MD and CEO Sunil Sood and Idea Cellular MD and CEO Himanshu Kapania will also attend the event. "We are proud to say that our country is now hosting its own first ever mobile, internet and technology, the India Mobile Congress. We are hopeful that this will be a huge platform for mobile and internet technology sector in the sub-continent," Sinha said.
About 150 foreign delegates and eight embassies including the US, the United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Israel are participating in the event. "This a joint industry event with mobile handset body Indian Cellular Associations and IT industry body Nasscom. Many of mobile phone companies including Vivo, Oppo, Nokia, Lava, LG, Huawei will showcase their latest products. The event is open for public. They only need to register on IMC website," COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews said.
Entry to the conferences will, however, be open for paid and invited delegates only, he said.
PTI
Microsoft founder Bill Gates was all praises for the company's Indian-American CEO Satya Nadella, saying he has successfully charted a course for making the most of the opportunities created by technology and helped the IT giant to stand out in the computing industry.
In stepping out of the long shadow of former Microsoft leaders Gates and Steve Ballmer, Nadella has already accomplished what seemed impossible, increasing Microsoft's market share by USD 250 billion since taking control.
"It was no surprise to me that once Nadella became Microsoft's CEO, he immediately put his mark on the company. As the title of this book implies, he didn't completely break with the past when you hit refresh on your browser, some of what's on the page stays the same," Gates writes in his forward to Nadella's "Hit Refresh".
The book 'Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone', authored by 50-year-old Nadella, who is only the third-ever CEO of Microsoft, hit the stores this week.
Under Nadella's leadership, Microsoft has been able to transition away from a purely Windows-centric approach, Gates writes.
"He led the adoption of a bold new mission for the company. He is part of a constant conversation, reaching out to customers, top researchers and executives. And, most crucially, he is making big bets on a few key technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing, where Microsoft will differentiate itself," he said.
It is a smart approach not just for Microsoft, but for any company that wants to succeed in the digital age, Gates observes.
Noting that the computing industry has never been more complex, he said that today lot of big companies besides Microsoft are doing innovative work-Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and others.
There are cutting-edge users all around the world, not just in the US.
IANS
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27 Septemeber gave its nod for signing an agreement with Ethiopia on "cooperation in the field of information, communication and media".
The move will pave the path for cooperation between India and Ethiopia in the fields of information, communication and media for greater dissemination of information, which would eventually lead to increased development opportunities for both countries, an official release said.
"The agreement aims to harness the growing power of information, communication and media for information dissemination and enhancing outreach between the two countries for inclusive development," the release said.
"It will also enhance people to people contact through exchange programmes. It would also provide an opportunity for both the nations to share best practices and new innovations in the field of information, communication and media," it added.
The agreement will encourage cooperation between mass media tools, such as radio, print media, TV, social media etc., to provide more opportunities to the people of both the nations and create public accountability."
"The agreement, through an institutional framework will facilitate exchange of delegations, personnel between the two nations, providing them opportunities to learn from each others' best practices, bringing in equity and inclusiveness," the release said.
tech2 News Staff
Satya Nadella, in his book Hit Refresh, which was launched at the Microsoft Ignite conference has praised digital interventions in India for societal transformation. Nadella noted that the rapid growth of Aadhaar rivals that of Windows, Facebook or Android. In the book, he writes, "Aadhaar now has scaled to over one billion people, rivaling the growth of other platform innovations such as Windows, Android, or Facebook."
Nadella also praised the India Stack, a set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that support the deployment of cashless and paperless technologies by the government and private companies. Think of an API as a plugin that can be easily integrated into an application to support some features. The stack consists of Aadhaar, e-KYC, Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS), the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), eSign and Digilocker. The stack is divided into four layers, a presence less layer, a paperless layer, a cashless layer and a consent layer.
Nadella noted, "China strategically used the global supply chain and their own domestic market to amplify their comparative advantage and bootstrap their economic growth. The combination of industrial policy, public sector investment, and entrepreneurial energy is what many other countries will also look to replicate from China's success. I see the beginnings of this in India with the creation of the new digital ecosystem known as IndiaStack. India is leapfrogging from once being an infrastructure-poor country to now leading in digital technology. IndiaStack ushers in a presence-less, cashless, paperless economy for all its citizens."
The comments in the book are along the lines of Nadella's remarks during his visits to India in 2016 and early 2017. In 2016, Nadella met Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the then IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. With Modi, Nadella discussed increasing Microsoft's partnership in programs such as Digital India, and one of the topics of discussion with Prasad was the integration of Aadhaar identification in the Skype Lite app, which was specifically made for India, an emerging economy with spotty internet connections. The integration went live in July this year.
During that visit, Nadella praised India for the technology that it creates, saying, "Every time I come here, I go back energised. Its infectious to see the creativity here. Its important to dream big and create big." He went on to quote a couplet from Ghalib, "Hazaaron khwahishen aisi ke har khwahish pe dam nikle, Bahut niklay mere armaan, lekin phir bhi kam nikle."
In February this year, Nadella visited India for the Future Decoded conference. In a meeting with Nandan Nilekani, a co-founder of Infosys and the architect of the India Stack, Nadella praised the rapid scaling of the system. "It is pretty tremendous, how it got started. But now with the speed at which you are able to scale it, it is comparable to any other internet-scale ramp up," he said. In an interview with the Economic Times, Nadella noted that the India Stack would bring down the "transactional costs in the economy"
When Nilekani asked Nadella about the entrepreneurial spirit in India, Nadella's response was, "Center of entrepreneurial energy at least for us right now in India is all around our cloud. It is fantastic, the quality of the entrepreneurs, the ideas... the Indian market itself is huge, but also going beyond that, it is amazing to see (the growth)." The Microsoft Accelerator programme had supported 2,000 startup in the previous 12 months leading up to the conference, a figure that Nadella termed as "fantastic."
During the visit, Nadella launched the Sangam platform for Indian users, and announced the made for India Skype Lite. The Sangam platform was a version of LinkedIn for low-skill and middle-skill job profiles, with a focus on providing vocational training and job opportunities. The platform allowed users to enroll through Aadhaar cards, and later move on to LinkedIn, if they so desired.
"We can celebrate technology, but if it doesn't truly empower every Indian and every Indian organisation to achieve more...we would have achieved nothing," Nadella had said.
At the Microsoft Ignite conference, Nadella noted that technology should be used to provide a new level of inclusiveness to humans, instead of degrading humanity. "How are we going to use tech to empower people? Every piece of tech should help embellish the capability of human beings," Nadella said.
Reuters
Ride-hailing service Uber Technologies Inc said on Tuesday it will stop operating in the Canadian province of Quebec next month, pulling out to avoid following tough new regulations announced last week.
Uber is withdrawing from Canadas second-most populous province as it also battles a decision to strip the company of its license to operate in London, the latest in a series of regulatory attacks on Uber as new Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi seeks to rebuild the companys image.
Ubers Quebec general manager, Jean-Nicolas Guillemette, said the company would cease operations in the province on 14 October.
Uber employs more than 50 office workers in the province, where more than 10,000 drivers have worked for the company, he said.
The company left room to reverse its decision, calling on the government to reconsider regulations announced on Friday that tightened up the rules of a pilot project that had let Uber operate since October last year.
Were asking the government to renew the pilot project and lets sit down and find a solution to this, Guillemette said.
A spokesman for Quebecs transport minister said the province would not budge on new rules requiring drivers to undergo 35 hours of training and to have their criminal background checks validated by Quebec police instead of third parties.
During the pilot, Uber drivers were ticketed for not identifying their vehicles, driving cars that were too old, and accepting rides hailed off the street, while some were also found to have criminal records, said Mathieu Gaudreault, spokesman for Laurent Lessard, Quebecs minister for transportation.
We can negotiate with them, but not on the basis of those two things, Gaudreault said. He said Uber had paid the province around C$7 million ($5.68 million) in fees during the pilot which would fund efforts to modernize the provinces taxi industry.
Taxi operators have opposed Ubers presence in Quebec, sometimes blocking traffic during protests in Montreal.
The move affects Quebec cities including Montreal, the countrys second-largest city, and Quebec City. It does not affect operations in other Canadian cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, and Edmonton.
Uber does not operate in Vancouver or Winnipeg, due to a lack of provincial regulation in the provinces of British Colombia and Manitoba, respectively.
Uber rival Lyft, which operates only in the United States at present, has started exploring a move north of the border. Its lobbyists have met several times with municipal officials in Toronto, according to city records.
tech2 News Staff
The government has set up a panel to study and to examine the rollout of 5G services in India. According to various reports, the panel will approve roadmaps associated with the rollout by 2020.
A 5G network is designed to be more efficient than a 4G network and thus, it can transfer more data in the same network band. This, in turn, can result in a more efficient network, lower power consumption, latencies, etc. Another major advantage of the network is that its been designed to support IoT (Internet of Things) devices. This will have an impact on Indias Smart Cities plan and the like.
The decision to push for 5G at a time when Indias 4G rollout is still ongoing and compatible devices are scarce might seem odd. Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha told reporters at a press conference that, We missed the opportunity to participate when the standards were being set for 3G and 4G, and dont want to miss the 5G opportunity.
(Also read: What is 5G?)
According to Sinha, the 5G rollout in India is set to be on par with a global rollout of the network, when it happens.
Tech companies and telcos alike are already gearing up for a 5G rollout. A recent report by IANS indicated that 83 percent of technology companies will have 5G solutions deployed within 24 months.
A report in April also indicated that Airtel and BSNL are teaming up with Nokia to bring 5G services to India. Both telcos have signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Nokia.
Qualcomm and Intel, both of whom have a stake in the 5G arms race, are already developing newer 5G hardware for the next generation mobile devices.
Multiple rockets landed near Kabul's international airport on Wednesday after US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg flew to the Afghan capital for talks, an official said. While AFP reported that six rockets landed near the airport area, Afghan media reported that 20-30 rockets landed as Mattis and Stoltenberg landed in the capital city of Afghanistan.
The volley of missiles struck near the military section of the airport but there were no casualties or immediate claim of responsibility, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP.
#KabulAttack - Reports indicate between 20 and 30 rockets landed in airport and surrounds but target could be #NATO base adjoining airport pic.twitter.com/C3BmFqLHc1 TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) September 27, 2017
TOLO News reported that details about casualty weren't available yet. Police have cordoned off the area to find the exact location from which the rockets were fired, Danish told AFP, adding that no flights were cancelled.
The attack came hours after Mattis arrived in the Afghan capital, the first member of Donald Trump's cabinet to visit the war-torn country since his pledge to stay the course in America's longest war. The unannounced high-level visit comes as Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces struggle to beat back the Taliban, which has been on the offensive since the withdrawal of US-led NATO combat troops at the end of 2014.
Mattis, along with Stoltenberg, will meet President Ashraf Ghani and other top officials to discuss the US-led NATO "train and assist" mission designed to strengthen Afghanistan's military so it can defend the country on its own.
US generals have for months been calling the situation in Afghanistan a stalemate, despite years of support for Afghan partners, continued help from a NATO coalition and an overall cost in fighting and reconstruction to the United States of more than $1 trillion.
The war turns 16 in October and America is pressing NATO partners to increase their own troop levels in the country to help Afghan forces get the upper hand in the grinding battle against the Taliban and the Islamic State group.
The resurgent Taliban have promised to turn Afghanistan into a "graveyard" for foreign forces and have been mounting deadly attacks as they maintain their grip on large swathes of the country.
As of February only about 60 percent of Afghanistan's 407 districts were reported to be under government control, according to the US watchdog agency SIGAR.
With inputs from AFP
Washington: President Donald Trump warned North Korea on Tuesday that any US military option would be devastating for Pyongyang, but said the use of force was not Washingtons first option to deal with the countrys ballistic and nuclear weapons program.
We are totally prepared for the second option, not a preferred option", Trump said at a White House news conference, referring to military force. But if we take that option, it will be devastating, I can tell you that, devastating for North Korea. Thats called the military option. If we have to take it, we will".
Trump also blamed the problem of North Korea's nuclear program on his predecessors.
"North Korea is a situation that should've been handled 25 years ago, 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago and five years ago", he said.
Bellicose statements by Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in recent weeks have created fears that a miscalculation could lead to action with untold ramifications, particularly since Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on 3 September.
Despite the increased tension, the United States has not detected any change in North Koreas military posture reflecting an increased threat, the top US military officer said on Tuesday.
A US official speaking on the condition of anonymity said satellite imagery had detected a small number of North Korean military aircraft moving to the Norths east coast. However the official said the activity did not change their assessment of Pyongyangs military posture.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Monday accused Trump of declaring war on the North and threatened that Pyongyang would shoot down US warplanes flying near the Korean Peninsula after American bombers flew close to it last Saturday. Ri was reacting to Trumps Twitter comments that Kim and Ri wont be around much longer if they acted on their threats toward the United States.
North Korea has been working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the US mainland, which Trump has said he will never allow. Dunford said Pyongyang will have a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile soon, and it was only a matter of a very short time.
We clearly have postured our forces to respond in the event of a provocation or a conflict, the general said, adding that the United States has taken all proper measures to protect our allies including South Korean and Japan.
It would be an incredibly provocative thing for them to conduct a nuclear test in the Pacific as they have suggested, and I think the North Korean people would have to realize how serious that would be, not only for the United States but for the international community", Dunford said.
Lahore: The house arrest of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed has been extended by another month by authorities in Pakistan's Punjab province, saying his activities pose a threat to the peace and tranquillity in the country.
Saeed, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief, has been under house arrest since 31 January this year.
The Punjab Home Department on Tuesday issued an order extending the house arrest of Saeed and his four aides Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain for another 30 days with effect from 25 September. The previous order to extend his house arrest was issued on 28 July.
On January 31, Saeed and four others were put under house arrest by the Punjab government for 90 days under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.
In its latest order, the Punjab Home Department said,"...Jamaat-ud-Dawah and Falah-e-Insaniat have planned to spread chaos in the country on their expected release. They have planned to make demonstrations under the leadership of Saeed. He will be portrayed as a hero and his acts will be glorified."
The notification said that Abdul Rehman Makki, who is the central leader of the JuD, had been making preparations for his release
"Transport is being arranged, arms are also being collected for a show of force and for use, if need to be, against the personnel of law enforcement agencies. Funds are also being used collected for the purpose. The liberty of Saeed is a continuous threat to the peace and tranquillity. Further recommendation for his detention is in the interest of peace and order."
The notification further said that the District Intelligence Committee Lahore separately said: "There is apprehension that Saeed shall create law and order situation upon release."
Additional Home Secretary Mar R Azam Suleman said that the activities of Saeed were "prejudicial to public safety and maintenance of public order".
Meanwhile, Saeed on Wednesday filed a fresh application in the Lahore High Court against the latest order extending his detention for another 30 days.
Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi turned down a request by the home department for holding in-camera proceedings of the petition as the matter was sensitive. The judge adjourned hearing till 2 October.
JuD leaders' counsel Advocate AK Dogar had contended the government detained the petitioners on the basis of mere apprehension.
He said imprisonment without trial and conviction was prima facie unlawful and unconstitutional.
An official of the Home Department presented the latest detention order of the petitioner before the court. He told the court that activities of JuD leaders, if released, would pose a serious threat to the public safety and cause a breach of public order.
He said a number of cases had been registered against Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a sister organisation of the JuD, while the detainees also launched a campaign of their political party, which was still not registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan.
He said all the law enforcement agencies strongly recommended that the detention of the JuD leader should be extended in the larger public interest.
JuD is believed to be the front for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack. The organisation is accused of involvement in militant activities in India and has already been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in 2014.
The US has offered a $10 million bounty for Saeed for his alleged role in the Mumbai attacks.
Two recent, simultaneous developments indicate the formalisation of new axes in South Asia, marking a decisive end of Cold War-era equilibrium. These coincidental moves also harden new alliances that had tentatively emerged from the ashes of the Cold War and relegate traditional ties to the dustbins of history.
On Monday, Pakistan commandoes joined forces with their Russian counterparts for Dhruzba (friendship), the second joint military exercise in the mountainous regions of Minralney Vody in Russia. A day later, US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis, in a first Cabinet-level visit from the Donald Trump administration, landed in India.
While Mattis flew from New Delhi to Kabul skipping Islamabad on his maiden South Asia trip, Pakistan was busy conducting a three-week-long air force exercise with China even as it continued war games with Russia.
As Mattis left Indian shores after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, where he pitched for greater defence cooperation between the two countries, it's worth taking a look at the reasons behind the formation of these new axes.
It's clear by now that urging India to "do more" in Afghanistan wasn't just a hopeful arrow in the dark by the US. Trump is serious. His Afghanistan policy is driven by both strategic and domestic impulses. More than 17 years into a war the US cannot win, Trump who just expanded military presence in the country needs to assuage Americans that he at least has a semblance of a plan, and New Delhi's deep and enduring relationship with Kabul presents an opportunity.
The US is in a considerably tricky position in Afghanistan. It has failed to make a difference in all key areas even after spending billions, losing nearly 2,500 soldiers and completing over 17 years. Democracy is fragile, while corruption is rampant; Afghan forces are still too inexperienced to manage security on their own, and Taliban has regained huge amounts of lost ground.
If it rolls back and withdraws from the country at this stage, Taliban would take full control and Washington's efforts would have come to naught. If it presses down too hard on Pakistan to close the terror tap, or tries to take out the Haqqani network and Taliban leaders on Pakistani soil, it risks completely alienating a strategic partner and pushing it further into the Chinese lap. Pakistan may also try to cut off US access to Afghanistan.
So while seeking greater cooperation from India, these calculations may have forced Trump to place the request within the parameters of "economic assistance and development".
Mattis' visit to New Delhi was an effort to understand how far India which has already contributed over $3 billion as developmental aid and is actively involved in training Afghan officers and providing security assistance was willing to go. One of Mattis' chief aims was to gauge the contours and test the red lines of India's Afghanistan policy, and he was careful to praise India's role even before landing in New Delhi.
The exchange between Mattis and US journalists en route to India, where the US defence secretary took a few questions, is illuminating.
On a question about India's terms of engagement in Afghanistan that would suit the US, Mattis said, "India has been a constant supporter of the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan. Over the years, it's contributed tens, even hundreds of millions of dollars, for building the society, building these public services. They have helped train in India, had officers come there for schooling. They've been a great asset, and we would see them continuing along the lines they have already chosen, and looking for any other areas that they may believe appropriate to the relationship with Afghanistan," according to a media release from the US Department of Defense.
It is evident that the US recognises India's contribution and understands the work it has already undertaken. This contrasts with the impression that the Trump administration is trying to coerce India into doing more because it is innocent of the nature of India's involvement.
Then there's the question of security cooperation. In response to a question on Tuesday during the joint news conference following Mattis' meeting with Sitharaman, the Indian defence minister clarified "there shall not be any boots on the ground", and stressed that India's role will remain restricted to building dams, hospitals and roads, and training Afghanistan's security apparatus.
Mattis' interaction with US scribes reveal that this was a non-issue and another area of strategic convergence. Neither did India want to send across boots, nor did the US want India to do so, because this could complicate things even more between Pakistan and the US. On a question of greater security participation from India, Mattis said that India's cooperation has come in the area of "training".
"It's (India is) building the underpinnings of the government that actually builds the affection and respect of the people of Afghanistan to a government that delivers. It's absolutely critical to security that the people of Afghanistan feel hope for the future. No nation has probably contributed more bilaterally than India in building that hope," he said.
Mattis repeated this during the joint statement, when he said, "We applaud Indias invaluable contributions to Afghanistan and welcome further efforts to promote Afghanistans democracy, stability and security".
One of the biggest criticisms of Trump's Afghanistan policy is that it pushes Pakistan firmly into the Chinese axis. Mattis' comments suggest that it is not a zero sum game. "The relationship that we are building with India is not to the exclusion of other countries. It is specifically designed for inclusion using a rules-based order that any nation that is living by the traditional rules of non-interference in other states in today's age of anti-terrorism, they will not find this relationship in any way adversarial."
This is an important marker for the stability and strategic convergence that underwrites US-India relationships and complements the convergences in other areas such as Afghanistan, terrorism and India's role as a security guarantor in the Indo-Pacific region. Finally, if both nations are veering inadvertently closer and finding newer grounds of consensus, that is also because the rival axis the one between China, Russia and Pakistan is equally strong and threatening.
In his piece for Huffington Post, Pakistan-based journalist Kunwar Khuldune Shahid blames the hardening of this axis on Trump's Afghanistan policy. "In calling out the 'safe havens for terrorists in Pakistan' as part of his Afghanistan policy, US President Donald Trump has given formal shape to a reality that has been brewing in South Asia since Washington fell out with Islamabad post the Osama bin Laden raid. With both Beijing and Moscow coming out in Islamabad's defence almost immediately, the China-Russia-Pakistan axis has been formally inaugurated."
To take Trump's Afghanistan policy as the reference point for this hardening of axis is likely a misreading. The impulses that drove the formation run much deeper are inextricably interlinked. China's massive infrastructural push arising out of aggressive revisionism, Pakistan's use of terrorism as foreign policy, Russia's meddling in US polls and subsequent deterioration of bilateral ties, Moscow's increasingly fraught relationship with New Delhi, Sino-Indian clashes of interests these have all contributed to the hardening of positions.
These axes have become all the more rigid due to the rise of nationalistic impulses in South Asia and subsequently, softening of stances have become that much more tougher. Mattis' visit, while cementing greater Indo-US ties, reconfirms the fractious geopolitics in south Asia.
Dhaka: A Myanmar team will arrive in Bangladesh next week to discuss the mass exodus of Rohingya, an official said Tuesday, amid huge diplomatic efforts to find a durable solution to the crisis.
The team are "coming early next week," Bangladesh's foreign secretary Shahidul Haque told AFP, saying they would be working on the Rohingya issue but not giving further details.
A senior foreign ministry official said the team was expected to be led by Myanmar's Minister of the Office of State Counselor, Kyaw Tint Swe.
Dhaka had earlier invited the minister for talks before the latest eruption of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state triggered one of the world's worst refugee crisis in recent decades.
The announcement comes as the UN said 4,80,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh's southeastern border region since 25 August.
Between the new arrivals and some 3,00,000 Rohingya who were already living in the area due to previous violence in Myanmar, there are now nearly 8,00,000 refugees in camps around the Bangladesh border town of Cox's Bazar that are bursting at the seams.
The situation has forced new arrivals into makeshift shelters in grim conditions, and sparked warnings that epidemics, including cholera, could easily spread.
The bilateral talks come as Dhaka mounts a huge diplomatic effort to find a permanent solution to the Rohingya problem and make Myanmar take back all the refugees to their homeland in Rakhine.
The latest military operation was sparked by attacks carried out by Rohingya militants on police posts on 25 August.
Bangladesh's prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday proposed creating UN-supervised safe zones inside Myanmar to protect Rohingya Muslims fleeing a military crackdown.
Hasina accused Myanmar authorities of laying landmines on the border to prevent the Rohingyas from returning and said the United Nations must take immediate measures to find a solution to the crisis.
She laid out a five-point plan that called for the protection of the Rohingyas in "safe zones that could be created inside Myanmar under UN supervision."
The United Nations has described the military operation as "ethnic cleansing" and French president Emmanuel Macron went further, describing it as a "genocide."
Myanmar must stop the violence and "the practice of ethnic cleansing", agree to allow a UN fact-finding mission, ensure the return of refugees and abide by a report that recommends citizenship for the Rohingya, said Hasina. Rohingya are currently denied Myanmar citizenship.
There has been mounting international outrage over the plight of the Rohingya, prompting the UN Security Council this month to call for an end to the violence.
Islamabad: Pakistan's finance minister Ishaq Dar was indicted by an anti-corruption court hearing the Panama Papers case for possessing assets beyond known sources of income.
The minister pleaded not guilty to all charges, terming them baseless.
Anti-corruption watchdog National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on 8 September 8 filed a case against Dar for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income following the 28 July verdict of the Supreme Court.
The apex court disqualified Nawaz Sharif as the prime minister and ordered corruption cases against him, his children Maryam, Husain and Hasan and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar.
Chaos prevailed outside the accountability court when Dar arrived for the hearing. The doors to the court were shut for reporters, and the finance minister had to wait at least 20 minutes before he was allowed to enter the court premises from the back door.
The minister refused to accept the charges read out by accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir and said his assets were in accordance with income and he will prove it with evidence during the trial.
The court ordered the NAB to present evidence and the NAB prosecutor submitted a list of 28 witnesses whom it would present in the court to testify in support of the charges. Dar also asked the court to allow him to skip personal appearance during the trial and the court said it will decide later.
The court has already decided to conduct day-to-day hearing in the case.
Arif Chaudhry, President, Islamabad High Court Bar Association, said that evidence of prosecution will be important as the court would decide the case on the basis of it. The evidence will be judged and defence lawyers will be given an opportunity to present counter evidence to reject the charges, he said.
Rana Sanalullah, law minister of Punjab Province and a vocal member of ruling Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejected the charges against Dar. The charges and indictment of Dar is a joke," he said. Dar has a long association with Sharif family.
Dar's son has been married to Sharif's daughter Asma Nawaz.
He was also imprisoned when the Sharif government was toppled in 1999. He was under pressure by the Opposition to resign after the NAB filed case against him but so far he has refused to do so.
The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons Hassan and Hussain, daughter Maryam, son-in-law Safdar, and Finance Minister Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.
Sharif's family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated.
Oxford, Ohio: Miami University, founded in 1809 and often called a Public Ivy for its terrific academic and student offerings, hosts an annual invited physics lecture, the George C. Benson Memorial Lecture, to honor a young man who was lost to the university community far too soon. In April 2018, David Eicher, Editor-in-Chief of Astronomy Magazine and science popularizer, will deliver the annual lecture in his native town.
Eichers father John was a professor of organic chemistry at Miami for 37 years and Eicher himself grew up in Oxford and went to university there. Now, 35 years later, he will return and deliver The New Cosmos: Astronomys Ongoing Revolution, on Thursday evening, April 12, 2018. The event is a public lecture and all are invited to attend, to hear from Eicher about the latest developments in astrophysics and planetary science, from the formation of the Moon to water on Mars to the structure of the Milky Way Galaxy, the Big Bang, dark matter, dark energy, black holes, and more.
Past Benson lecturers have included the distinguished astronomers Allan Sandage (who also attended Miami), Arlo Landolt, Michael Turner, Leon Lederman, Alan Boss, Lawrence Krauss, and Stacy McGaugh.
Further details about the event will be distributed at a later date.
Background on George C. Benson and the lecture follows:
The George C. Benson Memorial Lectures are in honor of a man whose memory lives with those whose lives crossed his. George spent the years 1960 to 1962 at Miami earning his Master's Degree in Physics. A native Ohioan, he attended public schools in Lodi, Ohio prior to entering Wittenberg College, class of 1958. For two years he taught high school physics, chemistry, and general science at Olmsted Falls, Ohio. His next two years in Oxford gained him the friendship and respect of faculty, fellow students, and others who knew him. His outstanding performance continued at the University of Michigan, where in December 1966 he earned his Ph.D. in Physics, his dissertation topic being "Mesons and Spectator Protons at 3.65 BeV/c." Three months later he died in an airplane crash which killed all aboard.
For years these lectures have brought distinguished speakers, including three Nobel Laureates, to the Miami University campus. The talks have been interdisciplinary in nature, showing the relationship of physics to other fields of human endeavor. They have ranged in subject from Henry Margenau's discussion of the interaction of physics and philosophy to discussions of the relevance of physics to music, medicine, and our environment. The public, as well as the university community, is encouraged to attend all talks.
If you would like to help continue this valuable lecture series, please send a contribution addressed to "Miami University Fund - George C. Benson Memorial Lectures."
Pakistan's foreign minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said that Hafiz Saeed, Lashkar-e-Taiba are liabilities for his country at a question and answer session at the Asia Society in New York, media reports said. The minister said that Pakistan does not have the assets to deal with these liabilities immediately and sought time to deal with the same.
On Wednesday, Pakistans interior ministry has opposed the registration of Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) political wing Milli Muslim League (MML), putting brakes to Saeeds political ambitions. In August, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group that carried out the deadly 2008 Mumbai attack, announced that it was launching the Milli Muslim League.
Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, roams free in Pakistan and recently launched a political party, saying he would contest elections in 2018. The US and UN have declared Saeed a global terrorist for his role in the Mumbai attack.
Asif said that the US, which is putting pressure on Pakistan to tackle terrorist groups operating from its soil, once used to treat them as "darlings" just 20 to 30 years back. "These were the people who were your darlings just 20 to 30 years back. They were being dined and wined in the White House and now you say 'go to hell Pakistanis because you are nurturing these people'," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.
US president Donald Trump had in August criticised Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying it receives billions in US aid but continues to harbour militants.
According to The Times of India, Asif made an impassioned defence of his country, lamented its slide into extremism and blamed the rise of terrorist elements in Pakistan in the last 20 years in the United States.
Asif also mentioned how Pakistan had stood firmly with the US during the war against the erstwhile USSR in Afghanistan, which he thinks was wrong as they were 'used and discarded'.
Pakistan is ready to work with the US for effective management of the Afghan border to stop terrorist infiltration and to facilitate a peace settlement in Afghanistan, he said. Speaking at the forum, Asif said that there was no military solution to the festering conflict in Afghanistan.
"Scapegoating Pakistan for all the Afghan ills is neither fair nor accurate. This will only help forces that we are trying to fight collectively," he said.
Asif also talked about Pakistan's relations with India, the Kashmir dispute, counter-terrorism measures and the country's economic progress.
"We cannot take responsibility for Afghanistan's peace and security and be asked to achieve what the combined strength of some of the most powerful and richest countries could not accomplish," he said.
An NDTV reported said the interior minister, in a letter to the country's election body, cited the refusal of security clearance by intelligence agencies and also said "some countries" have raised the subject diplomatically.
Talking about Pakistan's sour relations with India, the minister said that a new initiative was needed to bring India and Pakistan to the negotiating table.
He said that the need to discuss all issues, including the decades-old Kashmir dispute the main source of tension between the two countries.
"Peace in the neighbourhood is impossible to achieve unless relations with India improve. Pakistan reached out to India to seek normalisation of relations and resolution of all disputes through dialogue and engagement, but India did not reciprocate," Asif claimed.
Pakistan is ready to work with India to seek peaceful resolution of all disputes and to create an environment of peace and stability allowing the people of the two countries to realise their aspirations of prosperity and development, the minister added.
Asif's statements come a few days after Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj's attack on Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly. Swaraj had said though both countries became independent at the same time, "India is globally known as an IT superpower and Pakistan, as the pre-eminent export factory for terror".
With inputs from agencies
Vatican City: Pope Francis on Wednesday launched a two-year activism and awareness-raising campaign about the plight of migrants to counteract mounting anti-immigrant sentiment in the US, Europe and beyond.
The campaign encourages people to actually meet with migrants and listen to their stories, rather than treat them as statistics clouded by negative stereotypes. Francis, the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, launched the campaign during his weekly general audience, throwing his arms open to welcome the many refugees and asylum-seekers who filled St Peter's Square.
He urged individuals and governments to welcome migrants with similarly open arms and share in their plight, as Jesus did. He said migrants are driven by the very Christian virtue of hope, to find a better life, and said receiving countries should share in that hope by welcoming them and integrating them.
"Brothers, don't be afraid of sharing the journey. Don't be afraid of sharing hope," he said. The church is undertaking the campaign amid a hardening of anti-immigrant sentiment in the West.
In German elections this week, anti-migrant party Alternative for Germany secured seats in that country's parliament for the first time. In the US, President Donald Trump is pressing for sweeping limits on immigration, including restricting travel from Muslim and other countries and slashing refugee admissions.
Francis has repeatedly urged countries to welcome migrants and stop collective expulsions, saying migrants' dignity and right to protection outweigh national security concerns.
At the same time, he has acknowledged governments must manage refugee flows "with prudence," taking into account how many people it can successfully integrate into society. "Christ urges us to welcome our brothers and sisters with our arms truly open, ready for a sincere embrace, a loving and enveloping embrace," he said.
Pointing to the colonnade that envelopes St Peter's Square, he said the embrace of migrants should mimic the colonnade, "which represents mother church who embraces everyone by sharing in our common journey." The US Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has a leading role in the migrant campaign along with the Vatican's Caritas charity federation, has repeatedly condemned restrictions on immigration and has taken a hard stand against some of the Trump administration's initiatives.
Cox's Bazar: The United Nations (UN) has drawn up a contingency plan to feed up to 700,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar after some 480,000 fled to Bangladesh over the past month and arrivals continue.
A senior official from the UN's World Food Program (WFP) told AFP they were now prepared to provide massive food and other emergency aid if the influx continues in coming weeks.
"All the UN agencies together have now set a plan for a new influx of 700,000. We can cover if the new influx reaches 700,000," said the WFP's deputy chief in Bangladesh, Dipayan Bhattacharyya, on Wednesday.
Rohingya have been fleeing Rakhine state in north east Myanmar for decades. The new influx began on 25 August when deadly attacks by Rohingya militants on Myanmar police posts prompted a huge crackdown by the military.
Bhattacharyya said the hunger situation in camps has improved as food aid from WFP and other agencies is now reaching the refugees.
He said the plan also covers some 300,000 Rohingya who were already sheltering in southeast Bangladesh before the latest influx began, meaning it could cater for a million people in total.
"No one would be left out from any humanitarian assistance," he said, adding that the WFP would need about $80 million for the massive aid.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visited the overflowing camps last week and said Bangladesh needs "massive international assistance" to feed and shelter the Rohingya.
Grandi said there had been an "incredible outpouring of local generosity" but that now needed to be "beefed up by massive international assistance, financial and material".
A United Nations official last week said it would need $200 million over the next six months to handle the Rohingya crisis.
The UN made an emergency appeal for $78 million on 9 September, but UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh Robert Watkins said much more would be needed as the exodus grows.
Impoverished Bangladesh, which earned praise for opening up its border, has eased restrictions on aid groups working in refugee camps and sought $250 million from the World Bank to fund emergency relief.
Cox's Bazar (Bangladesh): With no money even to bury his eight-year-old daughter, Ali Hossain broke down as he recounted her final moments, the latest Rohingya refugee to die in Bangladesh as fears mount over outbreaks of disease.
The little girl was among some 436,000 Rohingya Muslims who fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine, making the dangerous journey across the border to neighbouring Bangladesh.
But her bid for safety ended when she fell victim to an intestinal infection, likely triggered by poor sanitation as well as food and water shortages in the overcrowded makeshift camps that are home to the Rohingya.
She died on Monday, hours after she was admitted to a state-run hospital in the town of Cox's Bazar.
More than 200 Rohingya are being treated in Sadar Hospital, which has been inundated with patients, with a shortage of beds forcing doctors to house the sick on sheets spread out on the floor.
Nurses said at least 20 refugees, mostly children, have died in the hospital since the influx began, after attacks by Rohingya militants on Myanmar police posts on August 25 sparked a sweeping crackdown.
But official figures from the Bangladesh authorities say that just 10 Rohingya have died throughout the camps around Cox's Bazar.
Police have set up checkpoints around the camps -- to stop refugees going to other parts of the country -- and are only allowing ambulances to ferry patients in and out of the area.
"We don't stop any sick and injured refugees from going to the hospitals," a policeman at one checkpoint told AFP.
"And there have been a lot of Rohingya who have gone to hospitals in the past few days," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Relief agencies have warned that diarrhoea, cholera and pneumonia could spread quickly among the refugees who are living in squalid conditions, putting further pressure on overstretched hospitals.
"This extra influx has piled up a huge burden on our resources. But we are trying very hard to manage these cases to our best level," Sadar Hospital spokesman Abdur Rahman told AFP.
"We have limited resources, limited medicine, limited manpower, limited food," he said.
"If we cannot control these (cases), there will be a high chance of epidemics of diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery," he added.
Epidemic risk
Before the latest influx, the camps around Cox's Bazar were already packed with 300,000 Rohingya who had fled earlier violence in Rakhine. Conditions have only worsened since then.
The Rohingya are facing dire shortages of food and medicine in what has quickly become one of the world's largest refugee settlements.
Meanwhile the absence of safe drinking water and hygiene facilities has heightened the risk of water-borne diseases, with the World Health Organisation warning of a growing cholera threat in a statement issued on Monday.
The risks are all too real for Hossain, whose octogenarian mother is being treated in the same hospital where his daughter died.
The onset of his child's illness was sudden and brutal.
She began vomiting on Sunday evening, prompting her terrified father to rush her to a local clinic and then to the hospital.
"But the doctors said we came too late," he told AFP, distraught as he stood beside her body, now covered by a bedsheet.
"I don't know what to do.... I've run out of ideas and I hope Allah will help me."
Kabul: US defence secretary Jim Mattis and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg renewed their commitment to Afghanistan on Wednesday, as the Taliban launched a rocket attack that wounded five civilians in Kabul.
Mattis is the first member of US president Donald Trump's cabinet to visit the war-torn country since Trump pledged to stay the course in America's longest war.
In a sign of the country's continuing insecurity a volley of rockets landed on a house near Kabul international airport hours after Mattis flew in, the interior ministry said.
Five members of the same family were wounded in the assault claimed by the Taliban, which said on social media the missiles had been aimed at Mattis's plane
A stand-off between security forces and the attackers is underway.
The unannounced high-level visit comes as Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces struggle to beat back the Taliban, which has been on the offensive since the withdrawal of US-led NATO combat troops at the end of 2014.
Mattis, along with Stoltenberg, was to hold talks with President Ashraf Ghani and other top officials to discuss the US-led NATO "train and assist" mission designed to strengthen Afghanistan's military so it can defend the country on its own.
At a joint news conference with Ghani at the presidential palace Mattis and Stoltenberg pledged the support of US and NATO allies to the Afghan conflict and expressed determination to stop the country becoming a safe haven for terrorists.
The foreign assistance would give Afghan forces a "compelling battlefield advantage over anything the Taliban stands to mass against" it, Mattis told reporters.
Stoltenberg said: "The more stable Afghanistan is the safer we will be," adding that more than 15 NATO members had agreed to send additional troops.
US generals have for months been describing the situation in Afghanistan as a stalemate, despite years of support for Afghan partners, continued help from a NATO coalition and an overall cost in fighting and reconstruction to the United States of more than $1 trillion.
The war turns 16 in October and America is pressing NATO partners to increase their own troop levels in the country to help Afghan forces get the upper hand in the grinding battle against the Taliban and the Islamic State group.
The resurgent Taliban have promised to turn Afghanistan into a "graveyard" for foreign forces and have been mounting deadly attacks as they maintain their grip on large swathes of the country.
As of February, only about 60 percent of Afghanistan's 407 districts were reported to be under government control, according to the US watchdog agency SIGAR.
Under Trump's plan, the US is sending more than 3,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, on top of the 11,000 already on the ground, to train and advise the country's security forces.
NATO allies have around 5,000 troops deployed around the country.
Critics have questioned what the extra US soldiers can accomplish that previous forces who numbered some 100,000 at the height of the fighting were unable to.
Earlier this year Ghani ordered a near-doubling of the country's Special Operations Command the elite fighting force spearheading Afghanistan's war against insurgents from 17,000 as part of a four-year plan that also aims to strengthen Afghanistan's air force.
While Afghan authorities have welcomed Trump's open-ended commitment to increase US troop numbers, they know it will take time to improve the fighting abilities of their own forces.
Afghanistan's soldiers have been severely demoralised and weakened by huge casualties, desertions and corruption.
In an acknowledgement of their impotence, the government is considering a plan to train and arm 20,000 civilians to defend territories where Islamic militants have been driven out.
Earlier this week SIGAR criticised US efforts to train Afghanistan's security forces, saying they were being hampered by slapdash instruction, shoddy oversight and failures in governance.
Mattis flew to Kabul from New Delhi where he met his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman, who made it clear that India would not deploy troops to Afghanistan as part of Trump's strategy.
US defense secretary James Mattis arrived in Afghanistan Wednesday, the first member of Donald Trumps Cabinet to visit the war-torn country since he pledged to stay the course in Americas longest war.
In a sign of the country's continuing insecurity six rockets landed near Kabul international airport hours after Mattis flew in, the interior ministry said.
The rockets struck near the airport's military section. There were no reports of casualties or immediate claim of responsibility.
The unannounced high-level visit comes as Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces struggle to beat back the Taliban, which has been on the offensive since the withdrawal of US-led NATO combat troops at the end of 2014.
Mattis, along with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, will meet President Ashraf Ghani and other top officials to discuss the US-led NATO "train and assist" mission designed to strengthen Afghanistan's military so it can defend the country on its own.
"Discussions will focus on the NATO-Afghanistan partnership, including the ongoing NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in support of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces," a statement on Resolute Support's Facebook page said.
US generals have for months been calling the situation in Afghanistan a stalemate, despite years of support for Afghan partners, continued help from a NATO coalition and an overall cost in fighting and reconstruction to the United States of more than $1 trillion.
The war turns 16 in October and America is pressing NATO partners to increase their own troop levels in the country to help Afghan forces get the upper hand in the grinding battle against the Taliban and the Islamic State group.
The resurgent Taliban have promised to turn Afghanistan into a "graveyard" for foreign forces and have been mounting deadly attacks as they maintain their grip on large swathes of the country.
As of February only about 60 percent of Afghanistan's 407 districts were reported to be under government control, according to the US watchdog agency SIGAR.
Slapdash training
Under Trump's plan, the US is sending more than 3,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, on top of the 11,000 already on the ground, to train and advise the country's security forces.
NATO allies have around 5,000 troops deployed around the country.
Critics have questioned what the extra US soldiers can accomplish that previous forces who numbered some 100,000 at the height of the fighting have not.
Earlier this year, Ghani ordered a near-doubling of the country's Special Operations Command the elite fighting force spearheading Afghanistan's war against insurgents -- from 17,000 as part of a four-year plan that also aims to strengthen Afghanistan's air force.
While Afghan authorities have welcomed Trump's open-ended commitment to increase US troop numbers, they know it will take time to improve the fighting abilities of their own forces.
Afghanistan's soldiers have been severely demoralised and weakened by huge casualties, desertions and corruption.
In an acknowledgement of their impotence, the government is considering a plan to train and arm 20,000 civilians to defend territories where Islamic militants have been driven out.
Earlier this week SIGAR criticised US efforts to train Afghanistan's security forces, saying they were being hampered by slapdash instruction, shoddy oversight and failures in governance.
John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, whose agency provides independent oversight of reconstruction programmes, said the US was woefully unprepared to take on the challenge of creating security forces of the size and scope needed in Afghanistan.
Mattis flew to Kabul from New Delhi where he met his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman, who made it clear that India would not deploy troops to Afghanistan as part of Trump's strategy.
Bangkok: Thailand's top court on Wednesday sentenced ousted premier Yingluck Shinawata to five years in prison for criminal negligence, a verdict read in absentia after she fled the kingdom last month.
Shinawata's administration was toppled in a 2014 coup and she was later put on trial for negligence over her government's rice subsidy scheme, which is said to have cost billions of dollars.
She pleaded innocent and accused the ruling junta of a political witch-hunt.
But the Supreme Court in Bangkok deemed her guilty on Wednesday, saying she failed to stop corruption and losses in the rice programme.
"The court found that the defendant is guilty as charged...the court has sentenced her to five years in prison and the court also unanimously agreed that the sentence will not be suspended," a judge said.
The verdict, which makes Shinawata's return to the kingdom increasingly unlikely, said the leader "should have designated reasonable and effective regulations that could concretely prevent loss from the beginning of the programme."
"The defendant did not take such precaution therefore contributing to huge losses to farmers, state budget, ministry of finance, the country and the people," it said.
After attending dozens of hearings in a trial that lasted more than one year, Shinawata failed to turn up for a ruling originally scheduled for 25 August, a day of high drama that left the kingdom dumbfounded.
The 50-year-old has not made any public appearance or comments since pulling the vanishing act. But there are widespread reports she joined her billionaire brother Thaksin, a former prime minister ousted in a 2006 coup, in Dubai.
Thaksin has kept a home in the city since he fled Thailand in 2008 to avoid jail for a corruption conviction.
The two siblings lie at the heart of a political battle that has gnawed at Thailand for more than a decade.
Emerging on the scene in 2001, they won the loyalty of the rural and urban poor with groundbreaking welfare schemes in a sharply unequal country.
But their rise angered Bangkok's army-allied elite, which repeatedly assailed their elected governments with coups or court rulings.
Shinawata's downfall revolved around a scheme that saw her government purchase rice from farmers at nearly twice the market price.
It was wildly popular in the rural heartlands but slammed by critics as a costly and graft-riddled handout.
"There was corruption in every step if the rice pledging programme," the court verdict said, adding that it cost the country nearly $10 billion.
Where is Yingluck Shinawata?
Thailand's junta leaders deny having any prior knowledge of Shinawata's plan to escape.
But many are unconvinced, given the junta's tight security net and round-the-clock surveillance of the former leader over the course of the trial.
Analysts say Shinawata likely cut a deal with the military leaders, who are bent on erasing her powerful clan from the political scene.
"By getting Shinawata out of Thailand, the military gets rid of a potential thorn in their side who could become a martyr if jailed, or a powerful politician again if she is not," said Paul Chambers, an expert on Thai politics.
On the eve of the verdict junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha declared his "spies" had informed him of Shinawata's whereabouts, but said he would not reveal her location until after the judgment was delivered.
With both Shinawata and Thaksin now in exile, there are major questions about the future of their political dynasty and the pro-democracy "Red Shirt" movement formed by their supporters.
I have long admired the work and perspectives of Bill Oppenheim, and we are proud to announce that the esteemed bloodstock analyst will be joining our team to write a regular column beginning in the Oct. 9 edition of the BloodHorse Daily.
He will bring his well-respected insights and analysis relating to bloodstock, breeding, and sales from around the world, and we are quite sure you will enjoy reading his columns.
This is another meaningful step in our continuing effort to provide our readers with the most insightful and useful content relating to all facets of the Thoroughbred industry. It also greatly enhances our unparalleled bloodstock and sales coverage.
You will find his columns in BloodHorse Daily, on BloodHorse.com, and, occasionally, in the print edition of BloodHorse.
For anyone unfamiliar with his background, Bill has worked as a journalist, analyst, and consultant in the bloodstock industry for 43 years.
After stints in New Zealand and Louisiana, he moved to Lexington in 1979, where he headed a small company that published the respected fortnightly newsletter Racing Update. In 1993 he moved to Scotland, and in 1995 he sold Racing Update.
After working briefly under "Father" Chris Clay when The Blood-Horse started MarketWatch, Oppenheim was recruited as a columnist by Thoroughbred Daily News in 2000, where he contributed more than 800 columns for that publication.
He also does private consulting work and has contributed to the planning of matings that have resulted in 16 classic winners since 1992.
"Those of us of my generation grew up in the business with The Blood-Horse as a must read," Bill said. "We have all seen a major revival of BloodHorse, with innovations across all of its platforms, including daily, weekly, and online. I've been lucky enough to have more than 40 years of experience in Kentucky and Europe, as well as regional markets, and hopefully I'll be able to help BloodHorse continue to innovate and sustain its drive to be the go-to source for industry news and analysis. They have a serious team, and I'm delighted and excited to be part of that team."
Look for his initial column covering the October 3-5 Tattersalls Book 1 yearling sale followed by an insightful analysis of the Fappiano line and then his coverage of the Oct. 9-11 Tattersalls Book 2 yearling sale.
Car buffs will get their first glimpse of proposed luxury auto condos at this weeks Fall Carlisle show.
The Concours at Carlisle will be at the former Masland/IAC site between B and C streets along Carlisle Springs Road. Drawings on a newly released marketing flyer indicate the development will feature 22 units ranging from 1.5 to 3 stories, as well as a private club house. The condos will be available completely fitted-out or as an unfinished shell, and several floor plans are available.
Nathan Kranz, co-owner of the project with Galbraith Construction, said pricing for the units has not been completed. The plans were finalized a few weeks ago, but the owners wanted to have them available for this weeks show at Carlisle Events, which is traditionally the largest one of the year.
The plans have yet to be presented to Carlisles planning commission or borough council, but Kranz anticipates that there will no problems as they make their way through the approval process.
We havent started going in yet. The master plan for the site already had this as an option, he said.
These condos are nothing like the traditional concept of a condominium or apartment. Kranz said car collectors put a lot of work into their collections, and the new condos will give them a unique place to show them off.
Your garage door is your front door, Kranz said.
The interior of the condos will include a mezzanine level to overlook the garage and collectibles. Kranz said some owners will outfit the mezzanine level with more of a studio feel featuring a smaller living space and kitchenette. Others will take it a step further and add an entire floor above the garage with bedrooms and a full bath.
Likewise different owners will take different approaches to the garage area. Some will opt to have a fully functional garage complete with heated garage floors, tire changer lift, compressed air system, mechanics tool package, home theater package, music system, security/surveillance system, wine cellar, custom bar, hot tub, sauna, furniture and various deck and balcony configurations.
Garages will be climate-controlled, and feature high ceilings to accommodate lifts or stacked storage. They will also be equipped with sprinkler systems, carbon monoxide detectors, water, floor drains and electric.
The gated community will also have a homeowners association to take care of mowing, landscaping and snow removal since the owners may not be full-time residents.
Kranz said the idea of the auto condos came from Carlisle Events personnel who had seen similar construction in Florida, Illinois and New Jersey, among other places. Carlisle has an added attraction, though, because of its proximity not only to Carlisle Events, but also to car shows in Hershey and Maryland.
Those locations dont have car shows like we do here, Kranz said.
Plans for a four-story, 95-room Homewood Suites hotel to be located between the future extensions of A and B streets on the site were approved by the borough council in June.
The site was formerly a manufacturing plant operated through the years by Masland Corp. and Lear before its final owner, International Automotive Components, closed the plant in 2008. Carlisle Events bought the property in 2014, and the facility was demolished after a massive fire.
Samsung is getting ready to foray into the Windows Mixed Reality space. The company is reportedly working on its own Windows Mixed Reality headset. Twitter user WalkingCat has shared images of the headset that gives a clear look at the design.
It appears to feature six degree-of-freedom tracking. Also seen in the images are Microsofts motion controllers and AKG branded headphones with the headset. Last month, Asus announced Windows Mixed Reality headset. Earlier this month, Lenovo unveiled Windows Mixed Reality headset
There is no information about the specifications of the headset as of now but most likely it will be similar to other Windows Mixed Reality headsets when the platform launches alongside the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update on October 1. Microsoft is holding Mixed Reality event on October 3rd in San Francisco and it is expected that it will announce the Samsung Mixed Reality headset.
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FrieslandCampina Ingredients
Were a team of passionate ingredient specialists who add goodness to the foods, beverages, and businesses that nourish the world. All around our planet, demand is growing for smart solutions to food and beverage challenges. People want their products to be pure, enriching, tasty, and above all, safe. Simply put, they want more goodness from what they consume. We believe that whats inside matters. And day after day, were driven to make it better.
FrieslandCampina Ingredients operates worldwide with regional sales offices in the Netherlands, the United States, Singapore, China and Brazil. The Ingredients division reported combined sales of 1.7 billion in FY18. For additional information, please visit:
www.frieslandcampinaingredients.com.
FrieslandCampina Ingredients is part of Royal FrieslandCampina N.V. The dairy company daily provides millions of consumers throughout the world with dairy products containing the valuable nutrients from milk. The annual turnover amounted to 11.6 billion euro in 2018. FrieslandCampina has locations in 34 countries and employs about 24,000 employees. The Central Office is based in the Netherlands.
Were FrieslandCampina Ingredients, passionate about adding goodness to the foods, beverages, and businesses that nourish the world.
Demand is growing for smart, sustainable solutions. Our people collaborate with a passion and focus that ensures every food and beverage solution for our customers is spot-on.
We believe that whats inside matters. And day after day, were driven to make it better.
Cargill Asia Pacific
More than simply a food ingredients supplier, Cargill deeply understands our customers' strategies, consumers, distribution channels and competition. We deliver solutions that help the food industry and beverage manufacturers drive growth through new product innovation and reformulation. Cargill helps reduce costs through supply chain and manufacturing process efficiency and managing commodity price risk. Cargill helps our food industry and beverage manufacturing customers create unique products that fill product pipelines and reduce time-to-market by connecting our diverse food ingredients supplier capabilities marketers, research scientist, application experts, risk managers and manufacturing process engineers and seamlessly delivering these resources to customers. As a service and solution-oriented food ingredients supplier, our broad portfolio helps our customers address their food product development needs across the spectrum of applications and categories. Cargill helps our customers safely manufacture products every day around the world by reliably originating and distributing grain, oilseeds and other food ingredient commodities and by processing a diverse food ingredients supplier portfolio that spans core and specialty ingredients, ingredient systems and finished food systems.
A startup social media app has turned into a digital 911 this hurricane season that could help save lives during the next natural disaster.
Nextdoor, a private social network, found itself at the center of hurricane rescue efforts. The app provides users with the latest news from their neighborhood.
In an exclusive interview with FOX Business Liz Claman of Countdown to the Closing Bell, Nextdoor CEO Nirav Tolia said the social media app was designed to enhance the ability to be a good neighbor, which was demonstrated during the hurricane.
We saw Nextdoor come alive and act as that lifeline connecting neighbors and connecting neighbors not just to each other but to public agencies and ultimately saving lives, he said.
Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), on Tuesday said the U.S. is not prepared to deal with large scale natural disasters.
I think the last 35 days or so has been a gut check for Americans that we do not have a true culture of preparedness in this country, Long told reporters at the White House.
Tolia said the responsibility of providing relief to those in need should not solely fall on the shoulders of government agencies, and everyday citizens must play their part.
What weve seen over and over again is that technology can play a role. It can amplify voices, it can connect people, ultimately it can make our efforts stronger and thats where Nextdoor comes in, he said.
Nextdoor, which is based in San Francisco, California, serves over 80% of U.S. neighborhoods and provides a trusted platform for them to communicate.
We think we have this incredible opportunity to not just build a great business but to help these neighborhoods get stronger and safer, particularly in some of these tragic times, Tolia said.
Sorry. H&R Block will not be supporting Donald Trump, I can tell you.
Those words were said by the president recently during a rally where he promised tax reform that, at its center, would be "fair, simple and easy to understand."
The inference is that large tax preparation services like H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt would lose business. It seems that Wall Street agrees. H&R Block's stock has dropped more than 8 percent after releasing its earning last month, with some of that decline being attributed to tax reform. Depending on what legislation ultimately gets signed by the president, as I see it tax services like H&R Block could indeed suffer in the future.
But what about accountants? I'm a Certified Public Accountant. Is my job in potential jeopardy? Quite literally, yes.
Sure, tax reform may make it easier for many of my clients to do their returns on their own. But it probably wont be tax reform alone that will turn my profession upside down. There are certainly other factors that will impact us over the next few years.
That's the conclusion from a recent analysis conducted by software selection service GetApp. Their research shows that it will be new technologies and not just tax reform - that will soon replace many of the functions being performed by today's accountant. Which means that CPAs like myself better be prepared.
What kind of functions?
Financial accounting software leaders like Intuit and Xero have already automated processes from billing to cash payments. Xero, in particularly, is developing artificial intelligence to suggest the right account codes for recording transactions without human involvement. Fintech stars like Bill.com and EntryLess are automating accounts payable data entry using optical character recognition (OCR) by being able to "read" and then process scanned bills and invoices sent to an accounting department. Even companies like Avalara are automating how ecommerce and other firms collect, file and pay their sales tax in multiple states - a time-consuming task that once required full time accountants to perform. (My company, the Marks Group is a technology consulting firm and sells and works with the above companies and technologies mentioned).
The cloud is quickly disrupting the accounting profession. GetApp's research found that cloud and mobile based accounting applications will surpass native ones by 2025 and that will enable business owners my clients - to rely on automation to do their billing, cash receipts, disbursements and other accounting functions that an employee now needs to do. And, as mentioned above, as OCR technology matures, any scanned document - from invoices to sales orders to service agreements - will soon be automatically read, recorded, processed and filed without human interaction.
In my opinion, its inevitable that businesses will reduce their headcount in the accounting department as technology replaces them.
But it's not just internal accountants who will soon be competing against technology. The research found that processes driven by blockchain - which creates a digital record of transactions made with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin is exploding in its popularity and is likely to be implemented in some form by the world's largest financial institutions and financial software providers. Blockchain will automate the auditing process by better authenticating and tracking transactions and actions and providing traceable audit trails. This type of technology will soon eliminate much of the day to day work performed by the outside auditors who examine the books of the Fortune 2000 and others with public reporting requirements.
The media likes to report how technology is putting low-skilled people out of work. McDonalds, Wendy's and other restaurant chains are replacing workers with self-service automated kiosks. Amazon is creating self-service grocery stores. Large manufacturers are replacing people with robotic machines. Self-driving cars and autonomous trucks could soon eliminate jobs. But the fact is that we accountants have also earned our livelihood by performing some unskilled data entry and filing tasks that could also soon be replaced by technology.
If you're in the accounting profession, it's time to take a hard look in the mirror. Are you really providing value to your employer or client?
Gene Marks is an author, columnist and President of The Marks Group, a ten-person technology consulting firm near Philadelphia. Gene is also a Certified Public Accountant and a small business expert.
Tax reform was a key issue during the 2016 presidential election, and during his campaign, Donald Trump's tax plan inspired considerable debate. A full year after that initial proposal, the White House is still struggling to address tax reform in a comprehensive manner. Later today, the president will present the latest framework on the current version of his tax plan, but despite having had so long to work on the proposal, most expect several key questions to go unanswered.
How the Trump tax plan has changed over time
The White House discussed the tax plan during the first few months of the Trump presidency, and specific tax provisions had changed since the campaign. Changes to the tax bracket structure had reduced the lowest rate and raised the highest rate under the three-bracket system, and although the proposal doubled the standard deduction, that amount was still a bit less than what the pre-election tax plan had stated. Yet key components remained, including eliminating the estate tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax while providing for corporations to repatriate overseas profits at a preferential tax rate. Corporate taxes would fall to 15%, and pass-through business entities like partnerships would qualify for this lower rate as well.
The exact terms of the newest version of the Trump tax framework won't be certain until the president and his staff actually tells the American public what they are. Yet many news services have cited numerous sources when discussing what's likely to be in the latest proposal:
A corporate tax rate reduction to 20%, with the potential for pass-through entities to have a slightly higher 25% rate.
An increase of standard deductions to $12,000 for singles and $24,000 for joint filers, which would be slightly less than the doubled amounts previously anticipated.
A three- or four-bracket rate structure, with the top rate falling to 35% and the lowest rate to come in at either 10% or 12%. Some have suggested that a high-income surcharge might be added to address concerns about the tax package unfairly benefiting top-earning taxpayers.
Those watching the policy debate closely are hoping for more details following initial speeches presenting the proposal. Yet many expect that even after the formal presentation of the tax plan, many uncertainties will still remain.
The long-term cost of tax reform
One fundamental question involved in the tax-reform debate is what impact the current tax plan will have on the federal debt. Proponents of the measure argue that even though lower rates would result in less tax revenue in the near term, greater growth in the tax base would make the measure revenue-neutral over time. That's almost certain to play out with any tax cut, because taxpayers already started taking steps at the end of 2016 to defer income into the current year in the hope that the Trump administration would be successful in implementing new rules for the 2017 tax year. That seems unlikely at this point, but even if tax reform doesn't take effect until 2018, taxpayers would likely be able to hold off on recognizing certain types of income like capital gains until then. Similarly, with trillions of dollars in offshore cash looking to take advantage of favorable repatriation provisions, corporations taking advantage of a tax holiday could add billions to the Treasury's coffers.
Beyond those near-term impacts, though, the success of the tax plan hinges on producing faster economic growth. Economists are mixed in their views of how much faster GDP can climb, but many doubt that the rise to 3% growth that Trump has predicted will be possible merely from tax-cut efforts. Without that growth, tax cuts are likely to cost the federal government revenue, expanding the national debt. Although some will be pleased at the idea of the government having to shrink, the more likely scenario would have government spending remaining at high levels, maddening fiscal conservatives who have found little support for deficit-cutting measures.
Details to come -- someday
The sluggish pace of developing a detailed tax plan is caused by a couple of factors. With many different domestic policy issues to tackle, including healthcare reform and immigration, taxes have largely taken a backseat until now. Also complicating matters is that it's easier to discuss tough topics like tax reform in broad brushstrokes on which it's easy for people to take a view. Getting into the weeds of carving out exactly what tax rates, brackets, credits, and deductions will remain available exposes policymakers to criticism from both sides.
Having more information about the Trump tax plan will be useful for those trying to plan their taxes, but it will be far from the last word you hear about the proposal. At this point, taxpayers should expect something close to the status quo for 2017, with the most likely outcome having any changes not taking effect until after the New Year.
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Bank of America is looking to lease more office space in Paris as the bank prepares to expand its operations in the French capital to cope with the impact of Britain's exit from the European Union, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
International banks are planning to build up outposts in the EU to ensure they can continue to serve clients if their London operations lose the ability to operate across the bloc once Britain leaves in March 2019.
There is fierce competition between Paris, Frankfurt and other European cities to woo international banks' City of London operations as they consider where to shift EU-related business.
Bank of America has already announced that Dublin will be the new base for its European Union operations and that it will remain its legal headquarters in the EU.
One of the sources said Bank of America was looking to move some of the investment bank activities, such as bond and equity trading to Paris, however, no final decision has been made.
The bank declined to comment.
If Bank of America selects Paris that would mark a long-coveted victory for the new French government that has stepped up efforts to attract London banks to Paris after the election of Emmanuel Macron as French president.
Macron has vowed to overhaul the labor market and simplify the French tax and pension systems.
The largest global banks, asset managers and insurers in London plan to shift or create about 10,000 new roles overseas in the next few years if the UK is denied access to Europe's single market, according to a Reuters survey published last week.
Frankfurt is so far the most popular destination for the new roles finance jobs, with Paris a distant second, according to the survey.
HSBC, and French banks, such as Societe Generale and Credit Agricole, are among other banks that are planning to move staff to Paris after Brexit.
But many other large lenders have been deterred by a perception of France as a country of high taxes and strict labor laws, according to executives.
However, the French capital retains advantages over rival cities.
For example, the Paris region is comparable to London in size and boasts a rich cultural offering, major banks, insurers and asset managers and large corporate clients.
Bank of America when announcing that it was selecting Dublin as its EU base in July said that some roles would also move to other EU locations.
(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Additional reporting by Maya Nikolaeva in Paris; Editing by Louise Heavens)
The Latest on developments in Iraq (all times local):
1:30 p.m.
Egypt's national airline will suspend flights between Cairo and the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, the capital of a Kurdish-controlled area seeking independence from the rest of the country.
EgyptAir officials say Wednesday's decision goes into effect starting Friday, adding that Iraq's civil aviation authority had requested a halt on flights between Irbil and Cairo after the Kurdish region held a referendum on secession.
They say EgyptAir flies between Cairo and Irbil thrice weekly, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
The Kurdish vote on Monday the results likely showing support for independence has rattled the region's relations with Baghdad and other countries.
Menna Zaki
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12:20 p.m.
A Lebanese airline official says the country's flagship carrier airline will halt its flights to and from Irbil, the capital in Iraq's Kurdish region.
The official says Wednesday the Middle East Airlines flights will be halted starting Friday.
The decision comes after the Kurdish region claimed victory in an independence referendum that has been vehemently rejected by Baghdad and Iraq's other neighbors.
Iraq's prime minister had ordered the Kurdish region to hand over control of its airports to federal authorities or face a flight ban.
The Lebanese airline has one flight per day to Irbil. The official said all flights coming from Irbil will also not be allowed to land in Beirut's International airport. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
The Latest on the planned train-making merger between Siemens and Alstom (all times local):
2:25 p.m.
The German government is welcoming the planned merger of French high-speed train maker Alstom with the railway business of Germany's Siemens as "a cooperation project of European and global standing."
Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Wednesday that Germany and France see the decision as a "clear signal" that the European single market "is growing together in companies' reality."
He said it's important that the two firms are consulting with employee representatives and that there are "parallel pledges" to maintain jobs at sites in Germany and France.
Critics in France accuse the government there of letting Germany buy out a French industrial champion.
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1:25 p.m.
Siemens and Alstom say they aim to save 470 million euros ($554 million) a year by joining forces in a European train-making giant and they're playing down that that means job cuts.
The French government is fending off heated criticism from across the political spectrum over the ambitious deal, seen as selling out a French industrial champion to German rivals. The French government owns 20 percent of Alstom and intervened repeatedly in the past to protect the struggling maker of high-speed TGVs and its jobs.
Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge, who will run the merged company, told reporters Wednesday that the deal would ultimately create jobs and innovation.
Siemens President Joe Kaeser insisted it would be a "merger of equals" and said "a global business needs a global view" instead of a nation-focused mindset.
They said the company is aiming at 470 million euros in annual savings within four years.
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9:10 a.m.
France's finance minister is defending a deal to merge French high-speed train maker Alstom with Germany's Siemens as crucial to keeping European industry globally competitive.
Finance and Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told reporters Wednesday that the deal is especially important given growing competition from Chinese train makers to meet worldwide demand for the kind of high-speed trains once exemplified by Alstom's TGVs.
President Emmanuel Macron's government is under fire over the Alstom deal because the French state owns 20 percent of Alstom and has repeatedly intervened to save its jobs.
Critics accuse the government of letting Germany buy out a French industrial champion.
Police officers physically removed a woman from a Southwest Airlines plane before it took off from Baltimore, the latest passenger scuffle to be captured on video and magnified on social media.
After saying she was severely allergic to animals there were two dogs on board the woman refused the crew's request to leave the plane. The crew then called on police to intervene.
A film producer recorded the ensuing struggle between the woman and officers and posted it online. The scene from Tuesday night was reminiscent of an April incident in which security officers yanked a man out of his seat and dragged him off a United Express flight in Chicago, sparking a public outcry about shoddy treatment of airline passengers.
Southwest, perhaps learning from United's initial hesitant reaction, immediately apologized. "We are disheartened by the way this situation unfolded and the customer's removal by local law enforcement officers," Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz said Wednesday.
Mainz said the woman had reported she had a life-threatening pet allergy but couldn't show a medical certificate that she needed to continue on the flight to Los Angeles.
The incident began quietly near the back of the plane, passengers said, as Southwest employees including one of the pilots talked to the woman. Mainz said the airline offered to rebook her on a flight the next day, but she declined hers was the last flight of the night.
Airline employees ended up calling police, and the officers asked her to leave.
One officer pushed her from behind while another pulled her from in front, the video showed.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "I will walk off. Don't touch me!"
"All right, let's walk. Let's walk," one of the officers answered.
One passenger urged the woman to file a complaint, others urged her to walk off the plane so she wouldn't get injured.
The airline declined to give the passenger's name. She could be heard identifying herself as a professor. She told officers she needed to get to Los Angeles because her father was having surgery the next day.
"She put up a pretty ferocious fight to not be removed from the plane," said Bill Dumas, the film producer who took the video.
Dumas said the police officers "were in a very, very tough situation" because of the woman's resistance, and Southwest didn't have much choice because the plane wouldn't take off until the woman left.
Southwest does not notify passengers ahead of time about animals on board.
"In most cases, we can separate the animal from customer with an allergy," said Mainz, the Southwest spokesman. "The onus is on the customer to tell us what their needs are."
United was widely condemned after security officers in Chicago dragged a 69-year-old man off an overbooked United Express flight to make room for crew members flying to their next flight. United CEO Oscar Munoz was excoriated for initially blaming the passenger, who lost teeth and suffered a concussion. United reached a settlement with the passenger for undisclosed terms.
"In terms of customer service, the airline industry has had a challenging year," said Marc Raybin, president of a public-relations firm in South Bend, Indiana. He said that Southwest and the transit police in Baltimore may have followed their rules, "but the optics of this certainly look bad for Southwest and the airline industry as whole."
Southwest, Raybin said, should keep apologizing, pick up the cost of the passenger's flight and expenses, and "do not blame the customer at any point."
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David Koenig can be reached at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter
If you want to see Reagan-era economic growth, if you want to see booming GDP [and] small businesses growing, youve got to have Reagan-style tax cuts, Cruz said Wednesday, adding that tax reform led by President Ronald Reagan spurred China-level numbers for economic growth.
Cruz said broad tax cuts will help the U.S. return to 3%-plus GDP growth.
If you want people to rise the economic ladder, you need the economy growing and you need small business growing. A big tax cuts the way to do that, he said.
President Donald Trump will travel to Indiana as he officially kicks off a tour to promote his administrations plan to reform the federal tax code. Republicans are due to roll out a framework thats expected to cut tax rates for large corporations, small businesses and individuals. Under the proposal, the top corporate rate would drop to 20% from 35%. The rate for so-called pass-through businesses, which account for 95% of American businesses, would be cut to 25% versus the current 39.6%. For individuals, the plan would set three tax brackets at 12%, 25% and 35%, though reports indicate that the plans tax rate for the highest earners could move higher.
Republicans initial plan would also double the standard deduction and expand childcare tax credits. For companies, the plan would allow a one-time repatriation of foreign earnings and immediate expensing of capital expenditures, such as equipment purchases and hiring new employees.
More from FOX Business
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday a foreign leader told him at the United Nations last week that the country would soon announce plans to build or expand five automobile industry factories in the United States.
"I just left the United Nations last week and I was told by one of the most powerful leaders of the world that they are going to be announcing in the not too distant future five major factories in the United States, between increasing and new, five," Trump said in a speech on tax reform in Indianapolis. He added the factories were in the automotive industry.
He did not name the country. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Automakers in Japan and Germany have both announced investments in the United States this year, with companies coming under pressure from Trumps bid to curb imports and hire more workers to build cars and trucks in the country.
Investments to expand U.S. vehicle production capacity also reflect intensified competition for market share in the worlds most profitable vehicle market.
In August, Toyota Motor Corp said it would build a $1.6 billion U.S. assembly plant with Mazda Motor Corp.
Toyota also said this week it was investing nearly $375 million in five U.S. manufacturing plants to support U.S. production of hybrid powertrains.
Last week, German automaker Daimler AG said it would spend $1 billion to expand its Mercedes Benz operations near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to produce batteries and electric sport utility vehicles and create more than 600 jobs.
Rival German luxury automaker BMW AG said in June it would expand its U.S. factory in South Carolina, adding 1,000 jobs. And last month, Volkswagen AGs brand president Herbert Diess said the company expected to bring electric SUV production to the United States and could add production at its Tennessee plant.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and David Shepardson; Writing by David Alexander; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Susan Thomas)
The Alabama Senate primary run-off thats transformed into a referendum on Mitch McConnell versus Donald Trump will likely end the way the incendiary 2016 presidential race did: With the anti-establishment candidate bucking his party and winning the nomination.
I expected Alabama to do what America did on November 8 and choose the anti-establishment candidate, Sebastian Gorka, former national security aide to President Trump, told FOX Business Lou Dobbs on Lou Dobbs Tonight. And that is Judge Roy Moore.
Moore, a former state Supreme Court Justice whos already been pledged support by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, is currently slated to win the GOP nomination in the election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Polls in Alabama closed at 8 p.m.
Gorka departed the White House at the end of August, claiming hed be of better use to the president from outside the Peoples House. It is unclear whether Gorka was fired or if he left of his own volition.
Last Friday, Trump arrived in Alabama to stump for Sen. Luther Strange, the GOP candidate in the election typically favored by rank-and-file Republicans. Strange was appointed to the Senate earlier this year upon Sessions appointment as Attorney General.
During the speech, Trump seemed to distance himself from the candidate, whos currently poised to lose the election, according to the latest polls.
It was a very peculiar endorsement of Luther Strange, Gorka said. Because halfway through the so-called endorsement, the president said You know what, I may have chosen the wrong guy. And if Judge Moore wins, Im going to support him to the hilt.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday Republicans will have the necessary amount of votes to pass health care reform, though it wont be this week.
We will have the votes for Healthcare but not for the reconciliation deadline of Friday, after which we need 60. Get rid of Filibuster Rule! Trump said in a tweet Wednesday morning.
We will have the votes for Healthcare but not for the reconciliation deadline of Friday, after which we need 60. Get rid of Filibuster Rule! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2017
Trump said he was optimistic that other lawmakers would support the legislation, though he did not specify who he was talking about.
With one Yes vote in hospital & very positive signs from Alaska and two others (McCain is out), we have the HCare Vote, but not for Friday! the president said in a tweet Wednesday.
With one Yes vote in hospital & very positive signs from Alaska and two others (McCain is out), we have the HCare Vote, but not for Friday! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2017
The presidents claims come just one day after Senate Republicans confessed that their bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare would not have the enough votes to pass.
"We haven't given up on changing the American health care system. We are not going to be able to do that this week," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters after a lunch with fellow Republican lawmakers on Tuesday. "But it still lies ahead of us, and we haven't given up on that."
On Tuesday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a partial score of the Graham-Cassidy bill, saying it would save billions over a 10-year period, but leave many uninsured.
Over the 2017-2026 period, CBO and JCT [Joint Committee on Taxation] estimate, the legislation would reduce the on-budget deficit by at least $133 billion and result in millions fewer people with comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events, the non-partisan agency said.
Making matters more difficult for GOP lawmakers looking to push the bill through, in order to repeal former President Obamas signature health care law, was the opposition they faced from those within their own party. Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Kentuckys Rand Paul and Susan Collins of Maine all said they would vote no on the Graham-Cassidy bill, with Collins decision ultimately ending all hope to pass the legislation. Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, both were not on board with the bill either.
Right now they don't have my vote, and I don't think they have [Sen.] Mike Lee's [R-Utah] either, Cruz said Sunday at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. Now, I want to be a yes, I want to get there because ObamaCare is a disaster.
On the heels of the Republican Partys big announcement regarding its long-awaited tax reform plan, which would nearly double the standard deduction and slash the corporate tax rate by 15 percentage points, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will tour a Pennsylvania factory to keep the tax-related momentum going.
Ryan will head to Pennsylvania Machine Works, a family-owned and operated pipe fitting manufacturer, where he will tour the factory and hold a question and answer session with employees about the newly-detailed tax reform overhaul.
Our employees are looking forward to the opportunity to meet with him and discuss topics that impact them such as healthcare and tax reform, Penn Machine Works President Joseph Pro Jr., said in a statement to FOX Business, adding that the company is honored to have been selected by Speaker Ryan for a visit.
Penn Machine Works was founded in Philadelphia in 1931 and has main facilities located in Texas and New Jersey.
In August, Ryan visited a couple of major U.S. manufacturers, including Boeing (NYSE:BA), to promote the benefits of a comprehensive tax overhaul for American workers. A White House official said Wednesday that pension plans will benefit from a cut to the U.S. corporate tax rate.
On Wednesday, the GOP released details of its tax plan, which aims to collapse the current seven-tier bracket into three tiers, with the potential for an additional surtax on the wealthiest Americans. The set brackets for individuals are 12%, 25% and 35%. The plan not only calls for a reduction in the corporate tax rate, but it also aims to set the pass-through rate for businesses at 25%. The estate tax and the alternative minimum taxes will be eliminated.
On Wednesday in Indiana, President Donald Trump said the middle class will benefit the most from the plan.
"The biggest winners will be middle class workers as jobs start pouring into our country, as companies start competing for American labor, and as wages continue to grow," he said.
The White House and GOP leadership have said they plan to pass tax reform legislation before years end.
When Captain Lee Rosbach was offered the chance to star in a new reality TV series about his passion for yachts, he didnt think twice before accepting the tempting offer.
That was 2014 and since then, Bravos Below Deck has become a guilty pleasure for many viewers hoping to get a sneak peek of whats it really like to work and live aboard a mega-yacht during charter season. However, some of the craziest encounters involving the rich and famous dont always happen in front of cameras and Rosbach, whose been ruling the luxury yachting industry for 25 years, is willing to tell all.
Fox News spoke with Rosbach about the strangest requests hes received, as well as how he recently faced Hurricane Irma:
Fox News: You're based in Florida. How did you cope with Hurricane Irma?
Captain Lee Rosbach: It was a stressful situation. Right until the last minute, we thought we were going to get a direct hit. But at the very last second, she stayed a little bit west. And that really gave us a break. But unfortunately, something like that constitutes a breaks for us, but that means somebody else is not as fortunate. Thats the bad part about it. But we came through it pretty well.
We were without power for 5-6 days. Some people were without power for a couple of weeks. We just got power turned back on, so they suffered a lot more than I did We made it.
Fox News: I know you can't give too much away, but what can audiences expect for the new season of Below Deck?
Rosbach: This season is really full of surprises. We have some new crew members coming on board and it always takes them a while to get used to each other. Different personalities and that sort of thing. There are some challenging moments, to say the least. Some that surprised even me.
Fox News: Looking back, what initially inspired you to be part of Below Deck?
Rosbach: It was born out of necessity! I was actually the captain on a boat the network had chartered for Season 1. And because of unusual circumstances, the captain they had hired wasnt able to complete the show. So they asked me if I wanted to take a crack at it. I thought 'yeah!' Why would I want to leave something exciting like that on the table? Thats exactly how it happened. It was purely accidental.
Fox News: How much of the show is real?
Rosbach: All of it. I would like to say that somebody could make this stuff up, but that wouldnt be true. The cameras start rolling in the morning and they dont stop until the last person goes down for the night. And whatever happens, happens. And we get it on film.
Fox News: For those who arent familiar, what is it about luxury yachts that the rich and famous just cant get enough of?
Rosbach: I guess if I had the answer to that, I would be one of the rich and famous. The rich and famous are a unique breed. When they get bit by the yachting bug, theyll buy a boat and within a year or so, that boat will no longer be sufficient. They wont buy a boat the same size or anything like that. It always has to be bigger.
And the next one will be bigger and the one after that will be bigger. And as evident it is in the industry today, private yachts are approaching 600 feet now, where 15 years ago, 20 years ago in the mid 80s when I started, a big yacht was 85 feet. They have this insatiable thirst that they cannot quench. And I, for one, am very grateful for it. Its provided me with a very nice lifestyle.
Fox News: What are some of the craziest demands youve heard from your rich clientele?
Rosbach: We had a particular brand of suckling pig flown in from New Zealand for a New Years Eve dinner. And that was the only thing flown in, this pig. We had an owner who wanted eggplant for lunch and the particular area we were in didnt have any. He had a pilot standing by because we couldnt find eggplant. So he jetted off someplace to pick up a case.
Fox News: Which was your favorite request?
Rosbach: We had a couple one time who chartered a boat. All they wanted to do was relax, read and not have a plan. And that was my all-time favorite charter. There were four of us waiting on two of them, and they didnt want anything. They just wanted coffee, a book and to sit on the deck. They were so low maintenance we were almost on the borderline of being bored.
Fox News: Which demand pissed you off?
Rosbach: New money. The new money charters just really piss me off to no end. They usually didnt earn it. They inherited it or, like some of the dot com techies that just so happen to strike it rich. Theyre overly demanding, under-appreciative and just really dont have a concept of what it takes to be a real yachtsmen to do it with class, culture and dignity. They really stick in my craw.
Fox News: Are there any requests youll absolutely say no to?
Rosbach: If a client throws money at anything, theres nothing we cant accomplish for them. [But the answer is] drugs. I dont care how much money they have. It doesnt make any difference to me. But drugs are definitely off-limits.
Fox News: Who tends to party the most, the men or women?
Rosbach: If I have a group of men on board, they cant hold a candle to the ladies. When it comes to partying, you get a group of ladies together and they know how to get the deal done. Theyre just a blast and so much fun. Guys have a tendency to sit around, imbibe more than they should, not that the ladies dont as well... It gets a little boring sometimes.
Fox News: Do you remember any of those parties where it was just women that stood out to you?
Rosbach: I could attribute that to almost any group of women that I had on board. None of them were ever boring. They love to laugh, giggle and have fun. Theyll make it a good time. Their requests are generally never over the top. Theyre up for just about anything.
Fox News: Could you tell us a little bit more about those requests they tend to make?
Rosbach: Well have groups of girls where theyll generally want one of the crew members to dance to what closely resembles a stripper pole. And with some of the crew weve had on board, lets just say dancing is not their forte. Not a whole lotta rhythm going on there. But they were trying as hard as they could for some laughs.
Fox News: What advice would you give to anyone whos going on a yacht for the first time?
Rosbach: Dont try to do too much. Dont try to pack a 14-day trip in seven days. You dont have to see everything in the area that youre cruising on that trip because youll end up at the end of your charter going back to work needing a vacation because youre so worn out, youre so exhausted.
And you only spent a little time in each place where you really didnt get a chance to catch the flavor or the culture of the area youre visiting. Dont rush things. Dont try to pack in too many activities. Just kick back, take it easy and enjoy the trip. Enjoy the journey.
"Below Deck" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
Leonardo DiCaprio has signed on to play former President Theodore Roosevelt in an upcoming biopic directed by Martin Scorsese.
The Paramount film, titled Roosevelt, does not have a release date yet but Scott Bloom has reportedly signed on to write the script, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
LEONARDO DICAPRIOS FOUNDATION GIVES $20M TO ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES
Roosevelt became Americas 26th and youngest president, at age 42, after former President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, KATE WINSLET AND BILLY ZANE HAVE MINI TITANIC REUNION
DiCaprio and Scorsese have teamed together for five films, including The Wolf of Wall Street, The Aviator, Gangs of New York, and The Departed.
The two have also signed on to adapt the books The Devil in the White City and Killers of the Flower Moon into movies.
Theres some good news for Liam Neeson fans that were lamenting the idea of never seeing the Irish actor in another action-thriller. The star is walking back his previous comments about retiring from the genre.
Speaking to Variety at the red carpet premiere of Neesons new film, Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, the actor addressed previous comments about retiring from being an action-thriller star and seemed to do a complete 180.
Its not true, look at me! Youre talking in the past tense. Im going to be doing action movies until they bury me in the ground. Im unretired.
As previously reported, the Taken star told reporters that he felt he was getting too old to lead films where hes knocking out bad guys and engaging in large-scale battles, despite how lucrative the opportunities are.
The thrillers, that was all a pure accident, he said. Theyre still throwing serious money at me to do that stuff. Im like, Guys, Im sixty-f---ing-five. Audiences are eventually going to go, Come on.
Currently, Neeson is promoting his dramatic role as Mark Felt, the man more commonly known as Deep Throat, who blew the whistle on the Nixon administration during the infamous Watergate scandal.
So, it seems fans can expect to see another Neeson-led action thriller at some point in the future.
Steven Tyler canceled the four remaining shows of his Aerosmith tour in South America to return to the United States for medical care.
Tyler said on social media Tuesday that he flew back to the U.S. on Monday night after a show in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
He says he is "not in a life threatening condition" but needs to deal with a medical issue "immediately" to maintain future scheduled performances.
The band has canceled two shows this month, in Curitiba, Brazil, and Santiago, Chile, and two shows next month, in Rosario, Argentina, and Monterrey, Mexico.
Tyler says he expects to make a full recovery.
Aerosmith, known for their hits "Walk This Way," ''Sweet Emotion" and "Dream On," formed in Boston in 1971.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A man in Kentucky is wanted by police after he dressed up in a Coca-Cola bottle costume and robbed a fast-food restaurant, reports said.
The suspect showed up to the Rallys restaurant in Henderson, K.Y. early Monday morning before it was open, dressed in a Coca-Cola bottle costume, with a gun in his hand, according to reports from Fox 4.
The Henderson County police released a clip of the surveillance video from the incident, which shows the man enter what appears to be the back of the restaurant, gun in hand, and force the manager back before following him into an office.
He reportedly managed to escape with at least $500 before he drove away from the scene in a gray minivan, reports said.
The manager was the only person in the building at the time and police said he was not hurt, according to reports from 14News.
The company is reportedly offering a $5,000 reward for anyone with information on the thief.
A woman had ordered a drink from a Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Gainesville, FL, when she received a rude note.
Cassandra Peoples was at the smoothie chain on Monday when she ordered a Detox Island according to her receipt, which was given to her along with her beverage. Peoples said she didnt notice anything was amiss with the bill until she left the store and inspected it closer.
Instead of her name written at the top, the cashier had written black chick.
WOMAN'S DETAILED SHOPPING LIST FOR HUSBAND GOES VIRAL
When I saw black chick where the name was supposed to be, Im like, I know I told them Cassandra, Peoples told CBS4 in Gainesville.
Peoples took the matter to social media, where she posted a photo of the receipt on her Facebook page. A friend then reposted it to the Gainesville Word of Mouth forum where the post started to catch attention. Both posts have since been deleted.
Peoples says she tried to call the corporate office after seeing her receipt, but only got through to a voicemail.
Julie Bartz, the general manager of the Tropical Smoothie branch where the incident took place, posted that she had fired the employee, the Independent Florida Alligator reported.
A spokesperson corroborated Bartz story and then issued a statement on behalf of the company.
This type of conduct clearly does not reflect the values of our brand or our commitment to creating a welcoming environment at each and every location, the companys statement read.
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Though Peoples doesnt see the act as racist, she does think it is uncalled for.
Ive never experienced anything disrespectful like that before, she told CBS 4 Gainesville. I wouldnt say its racist, its just disrespectful. I mean I want some answers.
And to be called by her birth name. Not a black chick, she said.
A man in New Jersey reportedly found maggots in his Wawa sandwich and posted a video on YouTube to prove it.
Chris Garcia said he brought home a buffalo chicken cheesesteak sandwich from a Wawa convenience store in Ewing, N.J. after work on Saturday, The Trentonian reported.
But after taking a few bites, he reportedly noticed that the sauce on his sandwich wrapper was moving.
My sauce started going up on my paper wrapper, Garcia told The Trentonian. Sauce isnt supposed to do that. So I flipped my light back on and I saw two maggots just moving around on my sandwich.
Garcia said he showed his sandwich to his mom before running to the bathroom to throw up, the report said.
In the YouTube video, posted by Garcia's mother, the maggots could be seen crawling around in the sauce near what was left of Garcia's sandwich.
Garcia said he went back to the Wawa store with his mother afterwards, where he was offered a refund or another sandwich, The Trentonian reported. Garcia opted for a refund.
He also claimed that the employee who assisted him tried to make a joke of the situation, before telling him that everything would have to be thrown out.
I didnt think it was handled appropriately, Garcia told The Trentonian. I dont think they really cared.
Garcia said he went to the hospital that night, where he was given medicine to kill the bugs, although he said he wasnt sure if he actually ate any, according to the report.
There couldve been more underneath the meat, he said. I did not feel like digging through the meat to see if I could find more.
Wawa released a statement, in regards to the unverified video, to their website on Tuesday.
We want to clear up any confusion surrounding the unverified video. Outside of this single, unauthenticated video, our robust internal investigation shows there is no evidence that substantiates the claims made in the video, Wawa said. In fact, we believe the circumstances described in the video are highly unlikely, if not impossible to occur in our store environment.
However, because we take each and every complaint seriously, we are putting this allegation through our detailed authentication and assessment process, they said.
Garcia said he has not been to Wawa since and is considering legal action against the chain, The Trentonian reported.
Its not really about the money. They cant be serving food like that, he said. People could really get sick from this.
A 77-year-old Texas woman is being counted as the latest victim of Hurricane Harvey after she died from a flesh-eating bacteria infection. Nancy Reed, of Kingswood, reportedly fell and cut her arm while at her sons home, which had flooded during the storm.
Her injury later become infected and she was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital The Woodlands, before being transferred to the facilitys Texas Medical Center location. Reed died on Sept. 15, with the Harris County medical examiners office determining flood-related necrotizing fasciitis as the cause, The Houston Chronicle reported.
HARVEY FIRST RESPONDER CONTRACTS FLESH-EATING BACTERIA INFECTION
Its tragic, Dr. David Persse, director of the citys emergency medical services, told the news outlet. This is one of those things wed been worrying about once the flooding began, thats something like this might occur. My heart goes out to the family.
Reeds case marks the second flesh-eating bacteria incident related to Harvey, with the first appearing in a former firefighter and medic who has since recovered. J.R. Atkins was helping to rescue neighbors near his Missouri City home when the bacteria entered through an insect bite on his arm. His treatment required a lengthy hospital stay but he was eventually released.
COULD RARE BRAIN-EATING AMOEBA THRIVE IN IRMA'S AFTERMATH?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said between 700 and 1,100 cases of necrotizing fasciitis occur each year. Reeds death marks the countys 36th fatality linked to Harvey, which killed 75 people statewide.
Who could say no to that face?
Well, if you are looking at pictures of cute puppies and other animals for sale online, you should at least think about it, the Better Business Bureau warns in a new report which estimates that tens of thousands of consumers may have fallen victim to fake pet ads originating from Africa.
Fraud in the sale of online pets is on the rise, with scammers victimizing American consumers at an alarming rate, the bureau says in the report. Incredibly, experts believe at least 80 percent of the sponsored advertising links that appear in an internet search for pets may be fraudulent. In fact, it can be difficult to navigate an online search for a pet without coming across a bogus website.
HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR PETS AFTER YOU DIE AND WHAT YOU SHOULD NEVER DO
The report says scammers mostly from Cameroon are using Western Union and MoneyGram orders to collect fraudulent payments as they lead buyers to believe that the discounted cuddly animals need to undergo medical treatment and be shipped from far-flung places.
The BBB says the Federal Trade Commission concluded that the majority of the victims are in their 20s and 30s and lose around up to $1,000 in the scams. French Bulldogs, Yorkshire Terriers and Pomeranians lead the pack of dog breeds who are the most likely to be listed in fake-but-sophisticated ads, with parrots also popular, the report says, citing data from PetScams.com.
Through one phony ad, a victim was bilked out of $5,000 until they realized they were being duped.
In another case, Collinsville, Ill., resident Danny Shelton sent $700 by MoneyGram to Atlanta and offered to drive there to pick up a Weimaraner puppy, but was rebuffed by the seller, who insisted it was shipped by air, the report said.
RACHAEL RAY DONATES $1 MILLION TO ANIMALS AFFECTED BY HARVEY
The seller then asked for another $1,400 for insurance for the imaginary animal and Shelton realized something was wrong.
He sent a text to the thieves, saying he knew he was being scammed, and included a photo of his five year old daughter crying. The sellers response: f--- you!, the report said.
The website Shelton visited was still online at the time of publication of this article.
The BBB urges the public to inspect animals in person before buying, pay by credit card only if you do your business online, and make sure images of pets you are trying to purchase dont appear on other websites.
An internal FTC report in 2015 found 37,000 complaints related to pet issues, with most believed to be scam sales, according to the report.
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Police have already made several arrests in the U.S. related to pet scam operations.
In May 2017, three Cameroonian students in Pennsylvania were charged with pet fraud and are accused of raking in tens of thousands of dollars from victims through Craigslist ads for Boxer puppies. Two were arrested and a third has not been located yet.
In 2016, a man from Cameroon was arrested in Charlotte, N.C., and is alleged to have collected more than $500,000 from pet scams, the report said.
How to survive in a red ocean full of sharks: The three keys to a successful Blue Ocean shift
Today tighter profit margins, rising costs, and market share battles are hitting companies and industries across the board, from construction to hair salons, advertising to law firms, paper mills to publishing. Even in public and nonprofit sector industries like post offices, museums, libraries, and even classical orchestras demand is down, costs and competition are up, and organizations are struggling financially.
In short, we are all paying for the cutthroat markets what we think of as red oceans full of sharks around us. To turn things around, we need to shift from competing in bloody red oceans to creating wide-open new markets devoid of competition, what we think of as blue oceans.
But, how?
That was the prevailing question we received from around the world after the publication of our first book, Blue Ocean Strategy, which went on to sell over 3.6 million copies.
To meet this new challenge head-on, we spent over a decade analyzing and comparing the successes and failures of blue ocean projects across the globe that have sprung out of the movement we began nearly 30 years ago. In a variety of sectors from business- to-customer and business-to-business, to public, nonprofit, and even governments, we sought to understand the process of shifting from red to blue oceans and seizing new growth by unlocking peoples creativity as much as their confidence to act.
So, after over a decade of new study and analysis, we have arrived at a deeper understanding of what it takes to succeed in the blue ocean shift process. It comes down to three key components. Blue Ocean Shift shows you how to embrace and act on these three key components to carve your path from the red to the blue ocean in a way that people own and drive the process.
The first component is adopting a blue ocean perspective, so that you expand your horizons and shift your understanding of where opportunity resides.
Organizations that shift from the red to the blue ocean ask fundamentally different sets of questions, which in turn enable them to perceive and appreciate the fallacies behind long-held industry assumptions and best practices. They ask, for example: How to achieve both differentiation and low cost simultaneously rather than making a choice between the two? This allows them to conceive of different kinds and degrees of value to offer customers that others either cant see at all or dismiss as impossible. Adopting the perspective of a blue ocean strategist opens your mind to what could be, instead of limiting it to what is. It expands your horizons and ensures that you are looking in the right direction. Without expanding and reorienting your perspective, striving to open up a new value-cost frontier is like running west looking for the sunrise. No matter how fast you run, youre not going to find it.
The second component is having practical tools for market creation with proper guidance on how to apply them.
If the right perspective is a matter of shifting ones strategic thinking by asking different questions, market-creating tools and guidance enable you to ask the right questions at the right point in the process and to see the significance of the answers. Taken together, they build peoples creative competence and provide the structure and parameters within which to organize your thinking so you can conceive and discover what others dont see, and avoid the potential pitfalls that trip up most organizations.
Step-by-step, they guide you through the central questions for making a blue ocean shift: How do you challenge the explicit and implicit assumptions you hold regarding your business and your marketplace? How do you go about identifying the ocean of noncustomers to create new demand? How can you systematically redefine market boundaries to open up a new value-cost frontier that makes the competition irrelevant? How can you create offerings that stand apart while simultaneously achieving lower costs? And how do you go about building a supporting business model that your organization will follow to profitably bring your strategic vision to market?
The third component is having a humanistic process, something we have come to call humanness, which inspires people confidence to own and drive the process for effective execution.
How can you capture peoples hearts and minds and align them with your new strategy? Change, after all, is threatening, and asking people to make a blue ocean shift does just that by asking them to move away from what they know to a new frontier. Yet surprisingly, as we studied organizations that had made successful blue ocean shifts, we saw that people became more creative and more energized, and that execution wasnt questionedprecisely what you want to achieve, but whats typically so elusive. Why would that be?
The longer we thought, the more clearly we could see that there was something about the process that had less to do with manipulating the mechanistic levers of structure and incentives, and more to do with recognizing people, acknowledging their fears, their insecurities, their need to be treated with dignity, their desire to matter. We struggled to figure out what word could capture this something and best describe it. The closest we could get was what we came to term humanness.
Shifting an organization from a red to a blue ocean does not happen in one day or after one off-site. But it also doesnt take years. As organizations start to see evidence of initial change, energy climbs and momentum to move from the red to the blue ocean is unlocked in a powerful way. BLUE OCEAN SHIFT shows how this happens through inspiring, real-world examples and presents a systematic five-step process that anyone can apply to make a successful shift.
Excerpted from "BLUE OCEAN SHIFT Beyond Competing: Proven Steps to Inspire Confidence and Seize New Growth"(Hachette, available 9/26/17) by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, the authors of the international bestseller "Blue Ocean Strategy."
The nearly yearlong imprisonment of an American pastor by the Turkish regime underscores the danger of appeasing and, by extension, lavishing praise upon Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he determinedly charts his authoritarian descent.
To say that Andrew Brunson is behind bars solely for being a Christian is missing the full, accurate picture. Brunson, who lived and preached among the countrys 150,000 or so Christians of varying denominations for more than two decades, was seized as a victim of opportunity much like the nearly 60,000 Turks who have been arrested since July 2016 on some vague assertion that they were all part of a fantasy plot with an exiled cleric in Pennsylvania to usurp Erdogans rule.
Brunson was also seized to send a message to the United States. Just before a then-unknown transition in U.S. leadership, a month before our presidential election, Brunson and his wife were summoned to their local migration management office. Both were detained, with Norine Brunson quickly freed and with the pastors incarceration, the Turkish regime had itself an American hostage.
In captivity, Brunson can be used by Erdogan as a bargaining chip to extract concessions which is why, incidentally, Iran continues to seize and hold several U.S. hostages as well such as Turkeys long-demanded extradition of Fethullah Gulen. Or, quite simply, Brunson is a symbolic captive in Erdogans obsessive need to project might to the world.
Either way, this is a mans life in the balance like the nearly 60,000 Turks also arrested in Erdogans tyrannical purge and, charged with bogus counts such as attempting to overthrow parliament and trying to destroy Turkeys constitutional order, he faces a potential life sentence in hellish conditions.
One would think that Erdogan isnt used to being told what to do.
We supposedly chided the Erdogan regime for sending their goons to beat up peaceful protesters across the street from the ambassadors residence in May, as Erdogan enjoyed the spectacle from his armored sedan. Under intense pressure from Americans furious over Erdogan deploying his thug tactics on democratic soil, the ensuing investigation yielded arrest warrants for several Turkish security officials.
So what happened when Erdogan was in New York last week for his U.S. encore? First, Erdogan claimed that President Trump apologized to him for the May beatdowns. Then, protesters who crashed the Turkish presidents speech at a Times Square hotel were roughed up as Erdogan tried to shame "a few impertinent hall terrorists from the mic. Terrorist, in Erdogan vernacular, roughly translates to anyone he feels challenges his rule, be they secular Turkish dissidents, an apolitical American pastor, a Turk who merely lobs an insult in his direction, or Kurds who are currently smashing ISIS.
Were not in a good spot right now. If we buy or swap for a U.S. hostages freedom, Erdogan will only be motivated to seize more Americans (see: Iran) before inventing their supposed Gulenist links. If NATO acquiesces to a totalitarian member who gleefully purges perceived foes by the tens of thousands in civil service, the judiciary, universities and the media, the institution and its commitment to democracy and basic human rights are forever degraded.
As Brunson pleaded to Trump in a March letter, Let the Turkish government know that you will not cooperate with them in any way until they release me.
First, do no fawning praise of the ruler who commits such offenses. During his May visit to the White House, Erdogan confidently predicted that their meeting would mark a historical turn of tide." The terms Trump bestowed upon Erdogan at their United Nations sidelines meeting great honor and privilege, very high marks, great friendship, close as weve ever been should be reserved for friends of the U.S. whose presence honors us. Not the proud jailer of an American pastor and 60,000 Turks who wouldnt bow for the authoritarian.
North Korea calls threats by President Trump the sound of a dog barking. Heres why.
For decades Pyongyang has threatened, captured and killed Americans (and our South Korean allies) without ever suffering a significant U.S. military strike in return. At every crisis, Americas foreign policy Mandarins have insisted the danger of a massive North Korean response was too great, that while America is capable of military self-control, Pyongyang somehow is not.
So Americas reply to bullets and shrapnel has been words, military exercises and, in recent years, cyber-attacks and economic sanctions. The last two caused pain, and President Trump has finally ramped sanctions enough to get Beijings attention. But none of this seems to be convincing the homicidal Kim Jong Un that his prized nuclear assets, or his life, are finally in danger.
Take Kims response to recent U.S. threats. President-elect Trump tweeted: North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won't happen! It did.
Despite having the unquestioned military capability to eradicate the threat all along the way, Americas leaders have allowed a fratricidal, America-hating dictator the power to threaten massive destruction not just beyond the DMZ, but in our very homeland.
In August, the president warned: Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path! Kim remained on path to threaten American cities with nuclear destruction.
Days ago, the President promised to totally destroy North Korea. Kims foreign secretary calmly countered: "Our rocket's visit to the entire US mainland [is] inevitable" and later threatened to shoot down American military aircraft in international airspace.
That threat to a U.S. plane has special significance. Unlike most Americans, Pyongyangs leaders remember -- and trumpet in their propaganda to this day -- how they once downed a U.S. military aircraft in international airspace and got away with it, along with other outrages.
Lets hope President Trump and his advisors know this history, starting with the Second Korean War, waged by Pyongyang against the U.S. and South Korea from 1966-9. Fought on orders of Kim Il Sung, grandfather and doughy doppelganger of the current despot, the conflict killed or wounded some 150 Americans and an estimated 800 of our South Korean comrades-in-arms.
It started with increased attacks against American patrols and installations along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas. In early 1968 Pyongyang launched a suicide squad into South Korea with orders to chop off the head of the Souths president, then seized the reconnaissance ship USS Pueblo in international waters. One American crewmen was killed and the other 82 imprisoned and tortured for almost a year. President Johnson called the capture an aggressive act that cannot be accepted. South Koreas leader, whod come uncomfortably close to losing his head, urged the U.S. to launch a punitive strike against the North. Instead, Washington issued a groveling apology to Pyongyang in return for the Pueblo crewmen. The North kept the blood-stained ship itself as a propaganda trophy; its now a tourist attraction.
There isnt going to be another Pueblo, promised President Nixon during the 1968 presidential campaign. We are not going to let that happen. Not long after Nixons election, North Korean fighters blasted a U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane out of international airspace, killing 31 aviators. The new president asked the Pentagon to draw up plans for a military response. After dithering over the risk of a broader conflict, Nixon opted to respond with a symbolic show of force.
Pyongyang was not impressed. The Americans dont want to continue this fight, Kim Il Sung boasted to a fellow communist leader in 1971 about the responses to the Pueblo and EC-121. (More new insights on North Korean history can be found at the indispensable Wilson Center North Korea International Document Project https://www.wilsoncenter.org/program/north-korea-international-documentation-project)
If American presidents had no appetite for a fight, Kim and his poisonous progeny still did. North Korean soldiers bludgeoned two Americans to death and wounded other GIs and South Koreans during a 1976 ax attack (the U.S. response: yet another show of force). They shot and beat others during DMZ skirmishes and downed U.S. helicopters, claiming more lives. Attacks against South Korea resulted in greater casualties, from the bombing of a South Korean airliner to a massive blast that missed the South Korean president but killed 21 others. During the 1990s, North Korean commandos infiltrated America with orders to attack nuclear power plants in the case of war, according to a declassified U.S. intelligence report. In 2010, North Korea sank a South Korean Navy vessel, slaughtering dozens, and shelled a South Korean island, taking several lives. Two years ago, a North Korean land mine ripped through the legs of two South Korean soldiers.
Meanwhile, North Korea steadily moved to obtain nuclear weapons for its struggle against the hated Yankees. Our presidents declared this was unacceptable and would never happen. Once again, military action was ruled out on the advice of foreign policy mavens, who claimed the risk of a massive North Korean response against the South was too high. They often relied on overblown casualty estimates for a conventional North Korean artillery attack against the South Korean capital of Seoul, arguing in effect that the risk to South Koreas capital now outweighed preventing North Korea from being able to attack Americas capital in the future.
Presidents Clinton and Bush tried negotiations, bribery, threats and sanctions, all to no avail. By 2006 North was testing nuclear weapons and accelerating its missile program. It even rented out experts to build a nuclear plant in Syria (which Israel destroyed after the U.S. refused to act.)
Pyongyang grew bold enough to strike America itself in 2014 with a major hack against Sony Pictures, plus threaten an 11th of September-type attack against U.S. movie theaters. They caused a lot of damage, and we will respond, pledged President Obama in 2014. We will respond proportionally, and well respond in a place and time and manner that we choose. What was that place, time and manner? Aside from limited financial sanctions, all thats known for sure is that North Korea marched on. Before leaving office last year, Obama promised once last time "to demonstrate to North Korea that there are consequences to its unlawful and dangerous actions." Kept classified by Obama: Just how close the Koreans were to a nuclear strike capability against America.
Now President Trump has inherited a situation once unthinkable, perhaps especially to U.S. troops whove faced and sometimes fought North Korea these long years with the mission of stopping them at the DMZ. Despite having the unquestioned military capability to eradicate the threat all along the way, Americas leaders have allowed a fratricidal, America-hating dictator the power to threaten massive destruction not just beyond the DMZ, but in our very homeland.
President Trump must now make tough decisions his predecessors ducked. Maybe more sanctions, negotiations, bribes and cyber-attacks will finally work this time, perhaps in combination with previously unacceptable pressure on China and efforts to undermine Kim, such as providing his citizens with phones, radios and flash drives carrying the truth about his regime. He can listen to the chorus of foreign policy experts, who now that North Korea has nukes argue the regime can be controlled through traditional nuclear deterrence.
But in the end, our new president may have to decide: Does the danger military action poses to South Korea today outweigh a potential nuclear attack against America tomorrow?
In whatever actions he chooses, Trump might take counsel from the regrets of President Nixon, who years afterward described North Koreas strategy this way: Probe with bayonets. If you encounter mush, proceed; if you encounter steel, withdraw. I had feared in our handling of the EC-121 incident in 1969 the Communists may have thought they encountered mush.
As the Korean proverb goes: A barking dog never bites.
As President Trump travels to Indiana this week, stumping to reduce a corporate tax rate that is the highest in the world and a full 10 points higher than the global average, predictable critics on the far left have dusted off the tired corporate welfare refrain. The class warfare page in the their playbook is getting a little dog-eared, and its holding our economy and our workers back. Its past time for Congress to put aside rhetoric and partisan bickering and work together to strengthen Americas ability to compete globally.
Its true that taxes are necessary to fund the services we expect from government. But excessive taxation kills innovation, economic growth, and job creation while holding back wages.
Theres no question that Americas corporate tax burden is beyond excessive. A 2008 OECD study found corporate taxes are the type of tax that most stifles economic growth. Business tax cuts support higher wages for workers just as much as they support business owners and investors, according to a growing body of academic research and practical experience in the locations that have tried it. Regardless, those who claim the benefits of tax reform would go to investors ignore the fact that much of Wall Streets capital arises from Americans 401K investments and public employee pension plans. The investors who stand to benefit are ordinary American families preparing for retirement.
As the author of Indianas corporate tax reforms, I can tell you with confidence that the Hoosier states experience stands as an instructive example as we enter the national debate. During the depth of the Great Recession, legislative leaders in Indiana engaged in a thoughtful, bi-partisan dialogue about ways to strengthen our economy, encourage job creation and attract investment. We recognized that Indianas comparatively high corporate tax rate hurt efforts to attract new business growth, and, to make matters worse, much of our corporate tax burden was being shouldered by thousands of small and mid-sized Hoosier businesses that lacked the legions of accountants and lawyers to shelter income and lower effective rates like the big names of the Fortune 100.
A blue ribbon economic development study committee recommended that Indianas business tax rates be reduced and simplified to lower costs and improve competitiveness. Working with Governors Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence, the General Assembly found bi-partisan support to enact two rounds of corporate rate cuts that vaulted the Hoosier State ahead of our competition and has placed us in the top 10 states in the nation for our business climate.
While Indiana lowered business taxes by nearly 50 percent, our neighbors in Illinois increased them. The predictable result as of 2017 more than 50 companies have relocated operations from Illinois to Indiana, bringing jobs and enhancing our state tax revenue so that we can invest in improving our roads, schools and other priorities. Indianas unemployment rate remains among the lowest in the Midwest, below the national average, and a dramatic 1.5 percent lower than Illinois. Hoosiers personal income growth is strong, our budget is balanced, our credit is rated AAA, and we have a rainy-day fund reserve that approaches $2 billion. Its a formula that the nation could and should emulate.
As Indiana lowered rates, we have also reduced or eliminated many tax incentives, allowing our low flat rates to be our strongest selling point. Recently, our tax incentive review process was recognized by the Pew Foundation as one of the best in the nation. For our colleagues at the federal level, Indianas experience suggests cleaning up the code, eliminating excessive breaks and loopholes, and using the savings to dramatically lower rates is a winning formula.
Of course, there is some tax reform that can only occur at the federal level. Allowing for a limited-duration repatriation of the more than $2 trillion in foreign profits being held overseas by U.S. companies at a reduced rate would create a massive pool of domestically available capital for businesses to invest here at home. Encouraging the return of these overseas profits would also create an influx of tax revenue to the government to help pay for any temporary revenue loss from a rate cut.
Over the long term, lowering tax rates would not only reduce the incentive for large corporations to engage in offshore tax shelters, but would also reduce the tax burden on smaller domestic businesses, giving them additional capital to invest in operations and workers.
Until Congress acts decisively, the U.S. will be hamstrung in its ability to compete for jobs and investment against our global rivals. Making America great again requires a healthy business sector. President Trump is right, our flawed and excessive corporate tax structure is holding our economy back from what it could be.
Tuesday, in a bold and decisive -- yet politically risky -- move, Saudi King Salman issued instructions that will finally allow women to drive. The announcement represents the culmination of a five-year reform initiative aimed at empowering Saudi women, which has accelerated dramatically under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. While the decision will yield concrete social and economic benefits it is also highly controversial and is likely to provoke fierce opposition in what remains a deeply religious and overwhelmingly conservative Saudi society.
In the past five years, Saudi Arabia has passed a series of critical reforms which allowed women to enter the economic and even the political arena. Today, Saudi women have the right to work in industries traditionally dominated by expatriates, such as retail, as well as professions traditionally exclusively occupied by Saudi men, such as diplomacy and other sectors of government service. Women also make up 30 percent of the Shoura Council, the Kingdoms advisory parliamentary body, and enjoy the right to vote and run in municipal elections, the Kingdoms only popularly-elected government office.
In the past year alone, Samba Financial Group became the first Saudi bank to have a woman CEO, Dammam Airport became the first airport to have a female executive director, and the Saudi stock exchange received its first ever female chair. On the social front, the government curtailed the powers of the infamous religious police, including their power to arrest. This force had been a major irritant for and, on occasion, a hindrance to the free public movement of women.
Only the upper and upper middle classes can afford a personal chauffeur; the majority of middle and lower-class women must rely on taxis (if they can afford them) or male relatives to transport them to and from work.
Achieving womens economic and social empowerment is critical to fulfilling the objectives outlined by Vision 2030, Saudi Arabias blueprint for transitioning to a post-oil economy through a comprehensive program of economic diversification and social liberalization. The plan describes women as a great asset for the development of our society and the economy and calls for raising the female workforce participation rate from 22 percent to 30 percent.
This is not sloganeering. Saudi women have closed the education gap with their male counterparts; in the past five years between 45 percent and 55 percent of the Kingdoms university population has been female at any given time. In a country where nearly 70 percent of the population is under the age of 35, allowing women to drive will help these vast numbers of female university graduates to enter the labor force more easily.
The move will yield additional dividends. Only the upper and upper middle classes can afford a personal chauffeur; the majority of middle and lower-class women must rely on taxis (if they can afford them) or male relatives to transport them to and from work, as even the largest cities still lack adequate and affordable public transportation. Removing the prohibitions on driving raises the likelihood that middle and lower-class Saudi women will be able to enter the labor force and increases the amount of disposable income families will have. As the number of expatriate drivers declines, new jobs will also be created for Saudi nationals in the transportation sector.
Despite these benefits, as the recent backlash against the governments decision allowing women to participate in National Day celebrations demonstrates, the Kingdoms conservative majority will push back against social and economic liberalization. Negotiating and overcoming that pushback will require a firm hand. With the benefit of hindsight, we can now see that last weeks clampdown on some of Saudi Arabias leading non-establishment clerics was aimed, at least in part, to preempt opposition to this monumental shift. More resistance will come. Even though a majority of the Council of Senior Scholars, the Kingdoms most senior religious body, have publicly declared that Islam does not prohibit women from driving, for many conservatives the driving issue represents the thin end of an irreversible wedge that enters under the guise of modernization and ends in total Westernization.
If a significant enough portion of the population equates socioeconomic reform with sociocultural obliteration, any bottom-up move toward liberalization is doomed to failure. And even though this attitude is changing, particularly among the Kingdoms youth, we cannot wait a generation to implement the type of change that is necessary. Even with the recent rebound in oil prices, the days of the $100 barrel are gone and the worlds diversification away from fossil fuels is irreversible.
The Kingdom must change and that change must be implemented from the top-down. This Herculean task requires strong leadership capable of harnessing the full capabilities and resources of the state and mobilizing the support of the Kingdoms youth and key external allies to help implement our forward-thinking vision. The recent consolidation of authority under the Crown Prince has provided the requisite leadership to enact these vital, but politically risky, social and economic reforms, which are needed to bring Saudi Arabia into the twenty-first century.
Robert Caleb Engle, 22, did what few would under the circumstances. Though unarmed, he confronted a gunman who randomly opened fire during Sunday services at Nashville's Burnette Chapel Church of Christ.
As the two struggled, the gunman pistol-whipped Engle, then wounded himself in the chest, giving time for Engle, who has a right to carry permit, to run outside and fetch his own weapon.
He came back to hold the suspect at bay, potentially sparing further carnage.
"What if he had pulled the trigger?" Engle's father, James, later told a reporter. "Because he had the gun pointed at him. I'm proud of him."
It is unclear whether the suspect, 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson, was a legal gun owner. He was troubled, a refugee from Sudans civil war in the mid-1990's in which two million were killed, and during which some 40,000 boys, the so-called "Lost Boys" of Sudan, were abandoned or orphaned, and who were forced to trek over 100 miles to escape almost certain death.
Last June, Samson reportedly texted his father "... I have a gun to my head, have a nice F------ life."
About 16.4 million Americans, like Engle, have the right to carry firearms publicly. John Lott, author of "More Guns, Less Crime," says that fact contributes to lower crime rates.
"The states that have had the biggest increase in concealed carry permits have had the biggest relative drops in violent crime and murder, Lott told Fox News. "For each additional percent increase that you have in concealed carry permits, you have about 1 half percent drop in murder rates."
But not everyone agrees with Lott.
A 2004 National Academy of Sciences study found no credible evidence that the passage of right-to-carry laws decreases or increases violent crime."
A more recent paper by Stanford University Law Professor John Donohue finds concealed carry, "substantially elevates violent crime rates, but seems to have no impact on property crime and murder rates."
"It does seem to be the case that if you allow anyone to carry a concealed weapon, you're going to pay a higher price for increased violent crime," Donohue told Fox News.
While that debate continues, in Congress momentum is building for the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017. It has 212 co-sponsors in the House and would allow an eligible person to carry a concealed handgun in any state where its legal.
President Trump on Tuesday previewed a major tax reform plan being rolled out by him and congressional Republicans, vowing tremendous middle-class tax cuts and lower corporate rates that will create millions of new jobs for Americans.
Trump made the announcement after a White House meeting with Democrats and Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee.
The president has vowed since his 2016 White House campaign to overhaul the U.S. tax code.
And now that Senate Republicans appear to have failed this week to fulfill another Trump campaign promise -- dismantling ObamaCare -- the president seems full steam ahead on tax reform.
We will cut taxes tremendously for the middle class, Trump said Tuesday while flanked by members of the House tax-writing committee, including Chairman Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, the panels top Democrat.
It's time for both parties to come together. We've been working on this for a long time, but this is the finishing touches.
The president is scheduled to release a more comprehensive plan Wednesday in Indianapolis.
On Tuesday, Trump said the tax plan will have four very crucial principles: making the tax code more fair and simple; middle-class tax cuts; lowering tax rates for businesses; and creating incentives to bring offshore investments back into the country.
He also said the United States has one of the highest business-tax rates in the world and cutting them will again make the country super competitive.
If we do this, we will create millions of new jobs for our people, said Trump, who also argued the plans incentives on investments will bring at least $2.5 trillion in overseas investment back to the country.
If the GOP-controlled Congress passes the plan, it would be the first major overhaul of the U.S. tax code in three decades.
The plan would likely cut the tax rate for the wealthiest Americans, now at 39.6 percent, to 35 percent, people familiar with the plan say.
In addition, the top tax for corporations would be reduced to roughly 20 percent from the current 35 percent, they said.
And it will seek, as widely expected, to simplify the tax system by reducing the number of income tax brackets from seven to three.
Trump has said he wanted a 15 percent rate for corporations. But House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has called that impractically low and has said it would risk adding to the soaring $20 trillion national debt.
Vice President Pence is expected to hold events in Michigan and Wisconsin on Thursday to promote the tax plan with business leaders, with other Cabinet members and top administration officials fanning out the same day to talk about the benefits of overhauling the tax system.
Brady has said the legislation will be put forward after the House and Senate enact their budget frameworks.
Republicans are divided over the potential of elimination of some of the deductions.
They're generally in agreement on wanting to cut tax rates and simplify the byzantine tax system. But they're divided over whether to add to the government's ballooning debt with tax cuts. The GOP also is at odds over eliminating the federal deduction for state and local taxes.
House Republicans planned to hold a retreat Wednesday at Fort McNair, Maryland, a few miles from the White House, to discuss the proposal.
Fox News Joseph Weber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
NBC News website has a splashy, homepage headline, Obamacare Repeal Failed, but the Damage is Already Done. But there is one small problem with the article it tries to blame Republican lawmakers for the failures of President Obamas law.
The lead of the story, written by Benjy Sarlin, makes the assumption that the repeal debate has damaged the insurance market, which was already spiraling under ObamaCare. In fact, premiums were already rising before Republicans took control of the House and the Senate last January.
Graham-Cassidy is officially over for now after Senate leaders announced they would not bring it up for a vote. But the damage to the health insurance market from the lengthy repeal debate is done with higher premiums and fewer choices already baked into ObamaCares 2018 exchanges, Sarlin wrote. Now Republican leaders and President Donald Trump have to decide what to do about it.
But ObamaCare was in trouble long before the GOP attempted to repeal it which is exactly why they wanted to repeal it. The BBC published a list of ObamaCares flaws in July, noting that premiums are to rise by an average of 25 percent in 2017.
This increase was predicted at the start of the law, and government subsidies to help pay for insurance will also increase. But those who should be covered by the Medicaid expansion aren't eligible for those subsidies, the BBC News report stated.
Health insurance website eHealth estimate premiums have risen 99 percent between 2013 and the first months of 2017 for people who dont get the government subsidies.
ObamaCare was designed to fail, something NBC doesnt seem willing to admit, Media Research Center vice president Dan Gainor told Fox News. Notice this is conveniently when the president it is named for is out of office. The higher costs for consumers are not a bug, they're a feature. Yet, the NBC story talks about higher costs for consumers and expects Republicans to fix it and never lays the blame on who caused the problem -- Obama and the Democrats who rammed this awful program through with zero Republican support.
NBC News Sarlin doubled down on Twitter, linking to the story and writing, Republicans didn't repeal Obamacare, but they made sure its premiums will be much higher in 2018. So there's that.
However, ObamaCare premiums were already jumping and insurers were dropping out of the exchanges due to the damaging costs of participation. Republicans, in their opinion, were trying to fix the situation -- even Democrats agreed ObamaCare needed to be amended.
While attempts to repeal and replace ObamaCare certainly made it more difficult for insurers to price risk, the reality is that the basic structure of ObamaCare created an untenable situation where young people dont want to pay for the very expensive coverage. Because of that, insurers face a pool of enrollees that are old, sick and expensive.
Sarlins article goes on to acknowledge that insurers are spooked because of the current state of Obamacares health insurance exchanges, which are still struggling to attract insurers even as their profits improved last year, before proclaiming, The problem has a lot to do with the last eight months of repeal efforts.
He argues that insurers could be forced to charge customers more under ObamaCare because of the ongoing turmoil in Congress, citing a Georgetown University professor who said insurers dont like uncertainty.
In laymens terms, NBC News Sarlin feels that ObamaCare is bad but since the GOP wanted to repeal it, all issues going forward are the fault of Republicans not the former president who it is named after.
"It has everything to do with the people of this country who are suffering each and every day under a health-care bill that is failing to meet their needs, that's bankrupting them," Senator Cory Gardner , R-Colo., said on CBS's "Face The Nation Sunday when asked if the GOP wanted to pass the ObamaCare repeal bill simply for political reasons.
"It's not working. That's the reason why we need new policy. That's what this fight is about," Gardner said. "It's to make sure that the American people are better off."
The third and final attempt to revamp ObamaCare failed on Monday when Senator Susan Collins of Maine became the third Senate Republican to oppose it. Trumps party officially pulled the plug on Tuesday and decided to cancel the vote, leaving Americans with higher premiums and fewer choices because of President Obamas Affordable Care Act.
Despite the failed attempt by the GOP to replace the law, the idea that ObamaCare would be well and good if the Republicans would just stop trying to change seems faintly ridiculous.
Sarlin did not immediately respond to Fox News request for comment.
Liverpool Legends, four talented musicians and actors hand-picked by the late Beatle George Harrisons sister, Louise Harrison, will soon be bringing back all the fun and musical excitement of 1960s Beatlemania to the Parkland.
The faux Fab Four are making their way to the Centene Center stage in Farmington, courtesy of Mineral Area Council on the Arts and the city of Farmington. Tickets for the concert, set for 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 14, are only $20 and are available at the Farmington Civic Center, #2 Black Knight Drive in Farmington, 573-756-0900.
MACOA Executive Director Danielle Basler said she anticipates a full house.
"The Liverpool Legends are a mainstay in Branson for a reason, she said. Their outstanding musicianship and meticulous attention to performance detail combine for an authentic Beatles experience. Audiences love this show!
Louise Harrisons involvement with Liverpool Legends, Beatles Tribute Band, makes them the only band in the world with a close, direct biological link to the original Fab Four.
Liverpool Legends present the very best portrayal of The Beatles since the only four guys to play The Beatles were John, Paul, George and Ringo, said Harrison.
Celebrating their 12th season headlining their own production in Branson Missouri, Liverpool Legends have been awarded Best New Show, Best Band, Best Show, Best Tribute Show and received the prestigious Visitors Choice Award for Entertainer of The Year.
Members of Liverpool Legends have toured the world, playing in historic venues such as The Cavern Club in Liverpool and recorded at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London. They have performed with Denny Laine, co-founder of Wings with Paul McCartney; Pete Best, the original Beatles drummer; and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Liverpool Legends have appeared on The Travel Channels Beatlemania Britain and headlined International Beatles Week in Liverpool where 100,000 Beatles fans jammed Victoria Street to hear them in concert.
According to Harrison, 2017 has been an exciting year for the group as they toured The U.S. and internationally, culminating with a sold-out performance for over 18,000 people at Arena Ciudad De Mexico, as well as sold out performances in India, Israel and Ecuador.
The group also headlined at the prestigious Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, in front of 68,000 people an audience larger than The Beatles performed for at Shea Stadium and are returning to the Rose Bowl this year for their fourth consecutive year. In addition, Liverpool Legends received national attention when they re-created The Beatles famed 1966 concert at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Liverpool Legends perform songs spanning the entire career of The Beatles and on through the solo years. With precise attention to every musical detail, along with costume changes, vintage instruments and special effects, Liverpool Legends will make you feel like you are watching the real thing! Together, these four lads will bring you The Complete Beatles Experience.
President Trump slammed Facebook and fake news on Twitter Wednesday, accusing media outlets and the social media network of collusion.
Facebook was always anti-Trump. The Networks were always anti-Trump hence, Fake News, @nytimes (apologized) & @WaPo were anti-Trump. Collusion? Trump tweeted Wednesday.
Moments later, he gave a hat-tip to his supporters and touted his administration's accomplishments in the first nine months of his presidency.
..But the people were Pro-Trump! Virtually no President has accomplished what we have accomplished in the first 9 months-and economy roaring, Trump tweeted.
Trumps comments come after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the platform planned to hand over political ads purchased by Russian operatives to Congress.
"I don't want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy," Zuckerberg said on Sept. 21, during remarks broadcast live on his Facebook page.
One senior source familiar with discussions told Fox News there is a deal with Facebook. However, another senior source close to the negotiation says there is no agreement on the breadth of material Facebook may provide.
After an extensive legal and policy review, today we are announcing that we will also share these ads with congressional investigators, Facebooks general counsel, Colin Stretch, wrote. We believe it is vitally important that government authorities have the information they need to deliver to the public a full assessment of what happened in the 2016 election.
The president suggested last week that the Facebook ad controversy was part of the Russia hoax dispute.
The Russia hoax continues, now its ads on Facebook, the president tweeted on Friday. What about the totally biased and dishonest Media coverage in favor of Crooked Hillary?
Earlier this month, Facebook uncovered approximately $100,000 spread over almost 3,000 ads in fraudulent ad spending across its platform tied to the 2016 presidential election.
Fox News Chris Ciaccia contributed to this report.
Taxes and health care. Both are top priorities in Washington -- and both are issues where voters give President Trump some of his worst job ratings. Even so, if Republicans fail to fulfill their promise of replacing ObamaCare, few would blame the president.
Thats according to a Fox News poll released Wednesday.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL POLL RESULTS
Overall, 42 percent of voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president, while 53 percent disapprove. Last month, it was 41-55 percent. His highest approval was 48 percent in February, soon after taking office (47 percent disapproved).
Unlike his boss, Vice President Mike Pence gets a positive score: 44 percent approve vs. 40 percent disapprove. About one-in-seven, 15 percent, is unable to rate Pence.
Some 83 percent of Republicans approve of Trump and 80 percent approve of Pence.
Among all voters, more "strongly" disapprove of Trump (45 percent) than "strongly" approve (26 percent). That 19-point intensity gap is mostly unchanged since May. Plus, Trumps job rating is steady for the third month in a row.
If his ratings do change, however, expect downward movement. Heres why: the poll asks voters if there is a chance Trump could say or do something that would change their mind about him. Half of Trump approvers (50 percent) think he could do something to make them disapprove, yet only one-third of disapprovers feel they might shift to approval (34 percent).
On the issues, Trumps response to recent hurricanes brings his most positive job ratings, by far. Sixty percent approve, while 31 percent disapprove.
He garners net negative job ratings on most other issues, such as North Korea (39 percent approve vs. 55 percent disapprove), Iran (39-45 percent), immigration (39-57 percent), taxes (36-47 percent), Russia (36-54 percent), and health care (35-58 percent).
"Even though many have already made up their minds about Trump, performance and conditions matter," says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News poll with Democratic counterpart Chris Anderson. "His handling of the hurricanes has been a net positive for him, but that could turn if the situation in Puerto Rico continues to deteriorate."
A highlight for Trump is the economy, as more voters approve (49 percent) than disapprove of the job hes doing (43 percent). Thats a net positive score, and his best job rating outside of hurricane response.
In addition, twice as many say the administration has made the economy better (33 percent) rather than worse (14 percent). Although many, 49 percent, feel it hasnt made a difference either way. Yet securing the nation from terrorism is an area where confidence in Trump is lower. In fact, more think he has made the country less safe from terrorism (37 percent) than safer (28 percent). One-third says no difference (33 percent).
Tax Reform
The president unveiled his tax reform plan in Indianapolis Wednesday.
Voters should be open to it, as almost all agree the tax system needs work: 51 percent say it needs "some" changes, while another 38 percent feel it will take "a complete overhaul."
Nearly 9-in-10 favor tax cuts on small businesses (88 percent) and the middle class (88 percent). Far fewer like the idea of cutting corporate taxes (34 percent) or lowering taxes on the wealthy (20 percent). Opposition to tax breaks on the wealthy is high among both voters earning less than $100,000 annually (78 percent) as well as those earning $100,000 or more (70 percent)
Large majorities of Democrats (88 percent) and Republicans (90 percent) favor giving the middle class a tax break. Same on cutting taxes on small businesses: 84 percent of Democrats and 95 percent of Republicans favor that. Theres less agreement on corporate tax breaks, as 59 percent of Republicans support them compared to 14 percent of Democrats. Lowering taxes on the wealthy is favored by 37 percent of Republicans and 7 percent of Democrats.
"The lines are clear on tax reform," says Anderson. "Congress could satisfy Democrats and Republicans alike by lowering taxes on the middle class and small business. Or it could push for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy and spark another sharply partisan battle."
Voters oppose reducing the deductions taxpayers can claim by 48-41 percent.
Health Care
For the first time, a majority of voters are glad the 2010 health care law passed, and the 51 percent who feel that way is a record high. The 42 percent who wish ObamaCare had never passed is a new low, down from the previous low of 48 percent last year.
While most Republicans (74 percent) wish it had not passed, some 20 percent are glad it did. Thats up from 12 percent a year ago. The number of Democrats glad the law passed stands at 81 percent, up from 75 percent in 2016. Among independents, 40 percent are glad, while 47 percent wish the 2009 system were still in place.
Twice as many voters prefer minor changes to ObamaCare (63 percent favor vs. 30 percent oppose), than back the latest Senate plan to replace it (25 percent favor vs. 51 percent oppose).
The most recent Republican attempt to replace the Affordable Care Act was pulled from Senate consideration Tuesday when it was clear it lacked the votes to pass.
For seven years Republicans promised to repeal Obamacare, and Donald Trump campaigned on it too. So if they fail to fulfill their promise, who is to blame? Among Trump voters, 77 percent would blame Senate Republicans, while just 5 percent blame the president. Among all voters, 56 percent say lawmakers vs. 18 percent Trump.
In February 2009, as then-President Obama was calling for health care reform, a high of 66 percent said providing health care was Uncle Sams job. Now 52 percent feel it is the responsibility of the federal government to ensure all Americans have health care.
Check out these gaps: 83 percent of Democrats feel it is the governments responsibility, compared to 41 percent of independents and 21 percent of Republicans. Women (58 percent) are also more likely than men (46 percent) to feel that way.
Pollpourri
Trump has lost ground on character: the number of voters who feel he has the temperament to serve effectively as president is down seven points (from 44 percent in December to 37 percent now). The shift comes largely from a 10-point drop among Republicans: 83 percent said he had the right temperament in December. Thats 73 percent now.
The Fox News poll was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) among 1,017 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide reached on landline and cellphones from Sept. 24-26, 2017. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points for results among all registered voters.
By more than two-to-one, voters think the best way to stop North Korea from continuing work on nuclear weapons is through diplomacy rather than threats of military action, and most say the way President Trump talks about North Korea isnt helpful.
CLICK TO READ THE FULL POLL RESULTS
Trump vows to "totally destroy" North Korea if the United States is forced to defend itself in a September 19 speech to the United Nations, and nicknames North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "Rocket Man."
A new Fox News poll finds voters dont think this helps the situation: 70 percent say the way Trump talks about North Korea is not helpful. Just 23 percent think it helps.
Setting aside Trumps words, the poll, released Wednesday finds roughly equal numbers feel the president is being "too tough" on North Korea (22 percent) versus not tough enough (19 percent). The largest portion, 46 percent, thinks his handling has been "about right."
On the best way to stop North Korea from continuing its nuclear program, more than twice as many voters opt for diplomacy and sanctions (61 percent) over threats of U.S. force (27 percent). Majorities of nearly every demographic group prefer the diplomatic route, although Republicans split on the issue (46-46 percent).
An increasing number of voters disapprove of the presidents performance on North Korea. While 39 percent approve, 55 percent disapprove. Thats up from 50 percent disapproval last month, and 45 percent in July.
Most Republicans approve (75 percent) of the presidents handling of North Korea, but views among the party faithful divide over the way Trump talks about Pyongyang: 45 percent say it is helpful vs. 46 percent say not helpful.
"There is uneasiness among Americans about Trumps ability to keep them safe," says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts the Fox News poll along with Republican Daron Shaw.
"His saber rattling looks to be testing the patience of even some core supporters."
About 9-in-10 Democrats disapprove (88 percent) of the job Trumps doing on North Korea and also feel hes not helping with his talk about the country (92 percent).
"Presidents from Eisenhower through Obama have realized that there are no easy options when it comes to North Korea," says Shaw.
"Americans want to stand strong against that regime, but they clearly think President Trump is pushing the envelope with his rhetoric."
Voter sentiment on Iran is similar to views on North Korea.
Twice as many say the way Trump talks about Iran hurts rather than helps (59-27 percent).
In Trumps U.N. speech, he also expressed his displeasure with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal -- suggesting the U.S. may pull out. The agreement, which requires recertification in October, eases U.S. sanctions for 10 years in exchange for Iran stopping its nuclear program over that time.
The poll shows that 35 percent of voters support the Iran deal, 38 percent oppose it, and 26 percent are unable to offer an opinion. When the agreement was made two years ago, 28 percent supported it, 56 percent were opposed, and 16 percent were unsure (September 2015).
On handling Iran, 39 percent approve of the job Trump is doing, while 45 percent disapprove.
Fourteen percent think he has been too tough on Iran, 25 percent say not tough enough, and 44 percent say about right.
The Fox News poll was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) among 1,017 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide reached on landline and cellphones from September 24-26, 2017. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points for results among all registered voters.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner are clashing over how to pay for Hurricane Harvey cleanup with Turner threatening to raise taxes if the state doesn't free up more funding.
The Democratic mayor wants the GOP governor to tap into the states nearly $10 billion rainy day fund, warning he may have to raise the citys property tax if Abbott doesnt pay.
Abbott responded by accusing Turner of turning this into a "hostage" situation.
"It raises a concern that the mayor seems to be using this as hostage to raise taxes when, in reality, the city of Houston is sitting on hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that he's not tapping into," Abbott said.
The disagreement began when Turner sent Abbott an open letter stating the storm caused local governments to incur unanticipated costs far above and beyond their budgets and that rainy day funds should be used.
Turner proposed a 3.6 percent property tax increase for one year if he doesnt get the rainy day funds. The mayors office said the tax hike would cost the average Houston homeowner $4.03 per month for the year.
Turner gave examples of the citys costs that are a scale beyond our savings, citing at least $25 million in debris removal costs, a $15 million deductible for the citys property insurance to kick in and a $100 million cap on insurance. According to the citys insurance broker, another $100 million policy for future flooding would cost $10 million, Turner wrote.
During Hurricane Harvey, approximately 27 trillion gallons of rain fell in Texas. There hardly seems a more appropriate use of the nearly $10 billion of taxpayer dollars in the fund than on a recovery from this storm, Turner wrote.
Houston has already used $20 million in emergency funding but its not enough, according to Turner.
Abbott, however, said Turner has all the money he needs. The city has special tax reinvestment zones, but a city spokesman said the city cant use that money which is for drainage projects to prevent future flooding.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fifty-four years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, two U.S. lawmakers who lived through the ordeal are calling for the declassification of thousands of pages of long-secret government documents related to his death.
The disclosure, they believe, will answer a question that has for half a century plagued the American public: Did anyone help or have knowledge of Lee Harvey Oswald's plan to kill Kennedy?
"I believe the American public needs to know the truth," said Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., who along with Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is leading a congressional effort to declassify thousands of documents and recordings compiled by the CIA and FBI.
"It's still hard for me to believe it was one man, but at the same time I have no proof that it wasn't," said Jones, who watched on live television as Oswald, awaiting transfer to a county jail, was shot by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby two days after Oswald assassinated Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963.
"There's no reason that the information from a security standpoint should not be made public," Jones told Fox News. "So much is known about the assassination. Why not close the chapter?"
Jones and Grassley cite a law signed by former President George H.W. Bush mandating the release of all documents related to Kennedy's assassination within 25 years. Under the JFK Records Act of 1992, the National Archives has until Oct. 26 of this year to disclose the remaining files related to the assassination unless President Trump determines that doing so would be harmful to national security. There are about 3,100 files still unsealed by the National Archives.
Approximately four million pages of records were released to the public in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The CIA and other government agencies can postpone disclosure of the remaining documents but only with permission from Trump.
A CIA spokeswoman told Fox News the agency "continues to engage in the process to determine the appropriate next steps with respect to any previously-unreleased CIA information.
The Trump administration, meanwhile, said the decision to release the documents is currently under review.
"We have been working closely with the National Archives and other departments and agencies since the beginning of this administration on processes that are consistent with the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act," an official with the National Security Council told Fox News on Tuesday.
"This work continues in anticipation of the October deadline," said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The Warren Commission, the independent panel assigned to investigate the murder, concluded in 1964 that Oswald -- a former Marine and self-proclaimed Marxist was the sole person responsible for Kennedy's assassination. CIA officials had told the commission there was no evidence of a conspiracy that the spy agency could have prevented.
But hundreds of never-before-seen assassination documents released by the National Archives in July show the CIA began to question whether the official conclusion was wrong in the years following the assassination. Of particular concern was whether the CIA had thoroughly probed Oswald's contacts with agents for the Communist governments of Cuba and the Soviet Union.
Oswald had traveled to Mexico City weeks before the murder and visited both the Soviet and Cuban embassies. The Warren Commission said Oswald's stated reason for the trip was to obtain visas that would allow him entry into Cuba and the Soviet Union, but many details about the trip remain a mystery.
"The assassination of President Kennedy occurred at a pivotal time for our nation, and nearly 54 years later, we are still learning the details of how our government responded and what it may have known beforehand," said Grassley. "Americans deserve a full picture of what happened that fateful day in November 1963.
The documents unsealed in July also include a 1975 internal CIA memo that raised questions about Oswald's motive. The memo cites a 1963 Associated Press article that ran in a newspaper shortly before the assassination, quoting Fidel Castro as saying, "U.S. leaders would be in danger if they helped in any attempt to do away with leaders of Cuba."
Grassley and Jones, as well as Kennedy scholars, wonder whether the remaining secret documents might reveal clues suggesting Oswald had help or confirm he acted alone.
"The papers should be released. We, the people, paid for all of this," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of a book about Kennedy.
"We want to see what they [the government] knew and when they knew it," he told Fox News.
Sabato said he has little doubt that Oswald was the only shooter in Dealey Plaza as Kennedy rode in an open motorcade with his wife, Jacqueline, and Texas Gov. John Connally and his wife.
But Sabato said he questions whether others assisted or had knowledge of Oswald's plot.
"The remaining question is: Did anyone help him or was it merely that people knew and didn't report it in time to save Kennedy's life?"
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat on trial for corruption, threatened the State Department with a Senate hearing if it failed to favorably resolve an international dispute in favor of his rich friend, a witness testified Tuesday.
Tuesday's tesimony in a Newark, N.J., courtroom came from State Department employee Mark Wells.
Meanwhile, a poll revealed that eight out of 10 voters in New Jersey want Menendez to give up his Senate seat if hes found guilty on bribery charges, NJ.com reported.
Wells said Menendez met with Bill Brownfield, then-assistant U.S. secretary of state, and warned of a possible Senate hearing if the department failed to meet his demands for resolving the issue favorably to his friend, the New York Post reported.
The witness said he was not present at the meeting, but testified that he read emails he received about it later.
An email sent by State Department official Todd Levett read: The senator noted displeasure very clearly with current state of affairs and threatened to hold a hearing on the matter if we dont meet his deadline.
Wells added that Menendez arranged a meeting with the State Department officials to get them to resolve an international contract dispute between the Dominican Republic and his wealthy friend Salomon Melgen, the Post reported.
Menendez is on trial after being accused of using his power to enrich Melgen in exchange for campaign contributions, private jet flights and paid vacations. Both men deny corruption, saying gifts and favors were exchanged because they are friends.
Melgen, however, was set to make around $100 million if the contract dispute was resolved in his favor.
On Monday, it was revealed that Melgen threatened to "make trouble" for Commerce Department officials, through his politically influential friends, if they did not provide support in the dispute with the Dominican Republic, the New York Times reported.
Melgen made the threat though his lawyer, Elio Muller, according to Commerce Department staffer Sam Smith, who testified on Monday. The lawyer attempted to pressure the government into helping Melgen with a contract dispute, he added.
He was very aggressive and threatening and constantly brought up the fact that he could make trouble for the department and he could be a bull in the Commerce Departments china shop, Smith told jurors on Monday, according to the Post.
He stated that Dr. Melgen had politically influential friends and they could cause a lot of problems for the Commerce Department if Dr. Melgen didnt think he was being served well.
Smith said the lawyer was talking about Menendez when he mentioned Melgens politically influential friends.
Former first lady Michelle Obama leveled harsh criticism Wednesday at women who voted for President Trump, suggesting they voted against their own interests.
Any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice, Obama told the audience during a talk at a marketing conference in Boston, according to Boston.com.
She went on to suggest female voters for Trump were just going with the pack.
It doesnt say much about Hillary, and everybodys trying to worry about what it means for Hillary and no, no, no what does this mean for us as women? she asked, as reported by the Washington Times. That we look at those two candidates, as women, and many of us said, Hes better for me. His voice is more true to me. To me that just says, you dont like your voice. You just like the thing youre told to like.
She was taking a swipe at a large swath of the population -- according to exit polls, 41 percent of women voted for Trump in November.
Obama, who campaigned for Clinton during the 2016 election, was speaking as a part of Inbound, a sales and marketing conference.
When talking directly about Trump, Obama took a different tone.
We want him to be successful. He was elected, she said, referring to her and former President Barack Obamas hopes for the current president. When youve been in that position, you have a different perspective.
Her former president husband, though, has been stepping up his criticism of Trump lately, including taking to Facebook to blast the decision to roll back his DACA executive action for so-called "dreamers."
Congressional Republicans on Wednesday unveiled the framework for their long-awaited tax-reform plan, which simplifies the tax system and cuts rates for businesses while attempting to boost household incomes by nearly doubling the standard IRS deduction used by most Americans.
This has been a long time coming, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said at a Capitol Hill press conference where he also pointed out that Washington has not enacted major tax reform in roughly 30 years.
Instead of a source of pride, our tax code has become a constant source of frustration. Its too big. Its too complicated. Its too expensive. Today, we are taking the next step to liberate America from our broken tax code.
The framework plan calls for increasing the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for families, which essentially doubles the amount of personal income that is tax-free.
Congressional Republicans describe the change as creating a larger zero tax bracket.
READ THE GOP TAX FRAMEWORK
The stakes are high, after Republicans a day earlier scrapped their latest effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare. Now, the legislative focus will shift to tax reform, which Trump has been eager to tackle since taking office.
The broad-stroke plan was hammered out for months by a half-dozen congressional Republicans and Trump administration officials known as the Big Six.
Ryan spoke Wednesday after congressional Republicans returned from a day trip to nearby Fort McNair, in Maryland, to discuss the proposal, ahead of President Trumps afternoon speech in Indianapolis about the plan.
He was joined by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and about a half-dozen other House and Senate Republicans, including Texas Rep. Kevin Brady, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.
McConnell, of Kentucky, praised Ryan for leading the effort and said the new plan is about getting America going and growing again.
The plan also collapses the number of personal tax brackets from seven to three. By simplifying the system, most Americans would be able to file their taxes on a postcard-sized document, a concept Treasure Secretary Steve Mnuchin touted this past spring.
Deductions for mortgage interest and charitable giving would remain, but the plan seeks to end most other itemized deductions that can reduce how much affluent families pay.
The plan also calls for incentives to bring offshore investments back into the country, which Trump said Tuesday would bring at least $2.5 trillion in overseas investment back.
However, any attempt at a bipartisan reform appeared to unravel with minutes of the congressional Republicans announcing the plan.
"It's clear from this plan that when it comes to tax reform, Republicans will always put the wealthy first, said Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee. After more than a year of work . this tax plan would give big tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans.
Meanwhile, a battle is brewing among Republicans over a move to eliminate the deduction for state and local taxes, which is especially valuable to people in high-tax states such as New York, New Jersey and California. The plan retains existing tax benefits for college and retirement savings such as 401(k) contribution plans.
As I've said from day one, eliminating the federal deduction for state and local taxes will unfairly burden the over 3 million hardworking taxpayers in New York who claim the deduction, New York GOP Rep. Claudia Tenney said.
The individual tax rates would be 12 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent -- and the plan recommends a surcharge for the very wealthy. But it does not set the income levels at which the rates would apply, so it's unclear just how much of a tax change there might be for a typical family.
The plan would seek to help families by calling for an increased child tax credit and opening it to families with higher incomes. The credit currently is $1,000 per child. Also proposed is a new tax credit of $500 to help pay for the care of the elderly and the sick who are claimed as dependents by the taxpayer.
The estate tax -- which is paid by those with multimillion-inheritances -- would be eliminated, a boon for wealthy individuals who inherit businesses, investments and real estate.
Corporations, meanwhile, would see their top tax rate cut from 35 percent to 20 percent.
New benefits would be given to firms in which the profits double as the owners' personal income. They would pay at a 25 percent rate, down from 39.6 percent. This creates a possible loophole for rich investors, lawyers, doctors and others, but administration officials say they will design measures to prevent any abuses.
The plan would also impose a new, one-tax, lower tax on corporate profits stashed overseas, and create a new tax structure for overseas business operations of U.S. companies.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump made no secret of his strong support for Sen. Luther Strange in Tuesday's GOP primary runoff in Alabama but now that Roy Moore is the winner, the president has deleted his Twitter endorsements.
The president apparently has scrubbed three tweets as of Wednesday morning.
Strange, despite enjoying GOP establishment support, entered the runoff against former Alabama chief justice Moore as the underdog. But Trump, who endorsed Strange last month, made a last-ditch campaign appearance for him in Alabama on Friday and tried to rally voters to the incumbent ahead of the vote. He tweeted early Tuesday that, Luther Strange has been shooting up in the Alabama polls since my endorsement. Finish the job vote today for Big Luther.
That tweet has since been deleted.
Trump also tweeted late Monday, Big election tomorrow in the Great State of Alabama. Vote for Senator Luther Strange, tough on crime & border will never let you down! And he tweeted, ALABAMA, get out and vote for Luther Strange he has proven to me that he will never let you down! #MAGA!
Those tweets are gone.
The presidents Twitter feed, as of Wednesday morning, has thrown his support to Moore, whom he mistakenly called Ray this week, for the general election race later this year.
Congratulations to Roy Moore on his Republican Primary win in Alabama. Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy, WIN in Dec! Trump tweeted Tuesday night, adding early Wednesday that he, Spoke to Roy Moore of Alabama last night for the first time. Sounds like a really great guy who ran a fantastic race. He will help to #MAGA!
The White House did not respond to Fox News request for comment as to why the president deleted the tweets.
ROY MOORE DEFEATS TRUMP-BACKED LUTHER STRANGE IN ALABAMA SENATE RUNOFF
Moore will face off in the general election against Democrat Doug Jones, a lawyer and former U.S. attorney during President Bill Clintons administration. The winner of that race will complete the Senate term started by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and be up for re-election come 2020.
President Trump on Wednesday publicly chided Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price over his private plane trips, on the heels of new reports about his charter flights and fresh scrutiny from Capitol Hill.
"Im not happy about it, and I let him know it, the president said of Price while speaking to reporters at the White House.
Asked if he will fire Price, Trump replied, Well see, according to a pool report.
Last week, it was revealed that Price flew on charters to visit community health centers in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. One leg was from Dulles International Airport in the Washington suburbs to Philadelphia International Airport, a distance of 135 miles.
Politico reported Tuesday that he also took a government-funded private jet in August to St. Simons Island, a Georgia resort where his family owns land, ahead of an address at a medical conference.
On Wednesday morning, the House Oversight Committee also announced it is examining the extent to which non-career officials at federal departments and agencies either use government-owned aircraft for official travel or private non-commercial aircraft for official travel.
A letter to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly -- from Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, D-Md. -- didnt specifically cite Price but requested information on such flights to ensure responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
PRICE WILL STOP USING PRIVATE PLANES UNTIL INTERNAL REVIEW IS COMPLETED
In an interview on Fox News on Saturday, Price acknowledged the optics in some of this dont look good and promised to stop flying private on official business until a review by the HHS inspector general's office is done.
I dont think there will be any charter trips until this review is complete," Price told host Leland Vittert on Fox News "America's News Headquarters." "I think thats appropriate because of the concerns that weve heard.
On Saturday, Price said the private plane travel is not the norm for him.
Weve taken many, many trips in cars, sometimes four and five hours at a time, he said. So this isnt the routine. These were 11 trips about an eight-month period of time.
Price was a key figure in the Trump administration's push to overhaul ObamaCare. But, while Trump indicates he's going to keep fighting for a bill, the latest Senate Republican legislation collapsed on Tuesday for lack of support, after a prior effort collapsed over the summer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mineral Area Colleges student movie club, MACFlix, is once again offering free movies this fall on the outdoor big-screen on the Park Hills campus quadrangle (the waterfall area).
MACFlix continues its annual "Drive-In Nights" on Saturday, with a free, widescreen presentation of the 1983 action thriller Sudden Impact, (rated R) at 7:30 p.m. and admission is free to everyone. MACFlix presents all films in their original, large, widescreen format along with an outstanding sound system.
Dr. Kevin White, sponsor of MACFlix, said the movie was chosen because of it being the fourth and most profitable film in the Dirty Harry series, as well as the only one directed by its star, Clint Eastwood. The film is best known for the catchphrase, Go ahead and make my day, which is uttered by Eastwoods gun-wielding character at the start of the film as he stares down an armed robber who is holding a hostage.
The synopsis: The film tells the story of a gang-rape victim (Sondra Locke) who decides to seek revenge on the rapists 10 years after the attack by killing them one by one. Detective Callahan (Eastwood), famous for his unconventional and often brutal crime-fighting tactics, is tasked with tracking down the serial killer. As the detective investigates the killings, he becomes romantically entangled with the woman as he is drawn deeper into the mystery surrounding the murders.
White said the movies are digitally re-mastered and presented with an extremely, high-quality projector/sound system in a theater environment. The films shimmer beautifully on our specially-built widescreen, so the effect is like walking through a time machine and watching the movies in their very first weekend of release, White said. They're amazing to watch!
President Trump and Vice President Pence quickly closed ranks Wednesday behind Alabamas Roy Moore after he defeated their favored candidate in the states Senate primary runoff.
Moore, a conservative firebrand, defeated Trump-backed Sen. Luther Strange on Tuesday night in a race for the seat that Jeff Sessions held before becoming U.S. attorney general.
Spoke to Roy Moore of Alabama last night for the first time, Trump tweeted. "Sounds like a really great guy who ran a fantastic race. He will help to #MAGA!
Pence tweeted: "Congratulations Roy Moore! We are thrilled you ran on the #MAGA (Make America Great Again) agenda & we are for you!
Trump also called to congratulate Moore, who defeated Strange by 9 percentage points.
I certainly support President Trumps agenda, Moore said Wednesday on Fox & Friends. I think he will back me. I received a call from the president, and thats what he said hed do.
Moore in his victory speech also made clear hed work with Trump if he comes to Washington, despite the president backing his runoff opponent.
Together we can make America great, he said. We can support the president. Dont let anybody in the press think that because [the president] supported my opponent that I do not support him or his agenda.
Strange, a former Alabama attorney general, was appointed to the seat in April. He was also backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, with expectation he would continue to support the agendas of Trump and the leaders of the GOP-controlled chamber.
Moore, a former Alabama chief justice, will face Democratic opponent Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor, in December. A Democrat has not won an Alabama Senate seat in roughly the past 25 years, but Moore is still expected to face a strong challenge from Washington Democrats and their money.
Well turn out our voters, and Roy Moore is going to be the next senator, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told Fox & Friends earlier Wednesday morning. We're going to make sure Roy Moore is the next senator from Alabama.
McDaniel, whose group gave roughly $30 million to the Strange campaign, said Trump and Moore coming together now is critical.
You put your best foot forward and then you come together, she said. Our purpose unites us. And as Republicans, we know what we need to do for this country. And we need to support the presidents agenda.
Trump and Pence went to Alabama in the closing days of the race to stump for Strange.
The runoff pitted Trump against former chief strategist Steve Bannon, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and a slew of House conservatives who all backed Moore.
Strange, in his concession statement, thanked Trump and Pence for their support and vowed to "go back to work with President Trump and do all I can to advance his agenda over the next few weeks."
The Senate Leadership Fund, a group with ties to McConnell, R-Ky., spent an estimated $9 million trying to secure the nomination for Strange.
Moore, known in Alabama as the "Ten Commandments Judge," has a colorful political history that has both fueled and complicated his rise.
Moore first received national attention in the 1990s as a county judge when he hung a wooden Ten Commandments plaque on the wall of his courtroom. The ACLU filed a lawsuit against him.
Moore then ran and won a race for chief justice of the states Supreme Court in 2000. But he was ousted after refusing to remove a 5,280-pound granite Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the state judicial building.
Moore resurrected his political career in 2012, when he was elected chief justice again. But his second tenure was short-lived: in 2016, Moore was suspended as chief justice after he directed probate judges not to issue marriage certificates to gay couples.
Fox News' Samuel Chamberlain, Alex Pappas and Joseph Weber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Trump administration will allow no more than 45,000 refugees into the United States next year, officials said Tuesday, in what would be the lowest admissions level in more than a decade.
President Donald Trump is expected soon to announce the cap on refugee admissions following a lengthy debate within his administration about whether to go higher or lower.
The figure represents the maximum number of refugees the U.S. would be willing to accept. The actual number of refugees who move to the United States could actually be much lower.
The administration had been considering a ceiling somewhere between 40,000 -- which the Department of Homeland Security recommended -- and 50,000, the State Department's preferred level, officials said. The new figure appears to be a compromise that Cabinet officials felt would be palatable to the president.
Still, Trump's stated opposition to accepting large numbers of refugees and hesitation among others in his administration mean the U.S. may not intend to fill all 45,000 slots in the 2018 fiscal year that starts Sunday. The U.S. hasn't taken in so few refugees in a single year since 2006, when 41,223 were allowed entry.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the decision. The paper said a decision is due by Saturday. Senior administration officials must first consult with Congress, as required by law.
All of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations. They said no decision was final until formally announced by the president. The State Department declined to comment on potential figures ahead of a presidential announcement.
Trump has until Sunday to determine how many refugees to admit. The U.S. welcomed 84,995 in fiscal year 2016, and former President Barack Obama had wanted to raise that number to 110,000 in 2017.
Worldwide, there were some 22.5 million refugees last year, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, with many more people internally displaced within their home countries. The strong preference among aid groups and governments has been to seek conditions so refugees can return to their homes, rather than being permanently resettled in host countries.
Trump has made limiting immigration the centerpiece of his policy agenda. He temporarily banned visitors from a handful of Muslim-majority nations, has rescinded an Obama-era executive action protecting young immigrants from deportation and insisted he'll build a wall along the southern border with Mexico.
Construction has begun in San Diego on eight prototypes for the border wall, Fox News reported.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump pledged to "stop the massive inflow of refugees" and warned of terrorists smuggling themselves into naive countries by posing as refugees fleeing war-torn Syria. He said last October that "thousands of refugees are being admitted with no way to screen them and are instantly made eligible for welfare and free health care," even as American military veterans can't get such care.
Trump has advocated keeping refugees closer to their homes.
In a speech to the United Nations last week, he thanked Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for taking in hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Syrian conflict, and described the United States as a "compassionate nation" that has spent "billions and billions of dollars in helping to support this effort."
"We seek an approach to refugee resettlement that is designed to help these horribly treated people, and which enables their eventual return to their home countries to be part of the rebuilding process," Trump said.
For the cost of resettling one refugee in the United States, he said, the U.S. can assist more than 10 migrants in their home regions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump and Republicans are rolling out their plan to reform the tax system and enact cuts for certain individuals and businesses.
Publicly revealed Wednesday, the dramatic tax overhaul plan heralded as a "once in a generation" opportunity was months in the making, and Trump himself implored lawmakers to work on his plan and cut taxes for the middle class.
Trump campaigned on the promise of overhauling the tax code, and senior administration officials said this plan is largely similar to what Trump has called for.
Should the tax reform plan pass, it would be the first major overhaul of the system in decades. The plans framework is the product of the so-called Big Six: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnunchin; House Ways and Means chair Kevin Brady, R-Texas; Senate Finance chair Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.; White House economic policy chief Gary Cohn; and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Heres what to know about the plan:
Tax bracket collapses
Republicans plan to simplify the tax code by cutting the number of brackets from seven to three or four, according to senior administration officials. The plans sets the highest tax bracket at 35 percent and the lowest at 12 percent, but senior administration officials said they can be changed.
The standard deduction, which reduces the amount of taxed income, is doubled to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for married couples.
The code currently favors the wealthy and the privileged and the connected who can hire attorneys and accountants to help them navigate and take advantage of exemptions, deductions and credits many of which go away in the overhaul plan, White House special counsel Kellyanne Conway told Fox News.
Focus on middle class
We will cut taxes tremendously for the middle class, Trump said Tuesday after a meeting with members of the House tax-writing committee.
The House Ways and Means Committees guide on the plan said it would help middle-class Americans with investments such as retirement, starting a business or buying a home.
TRUMP VOWS MILLIONS OF JOBS WITH NEW TAX PLAN
While there are few specifics, the child tax credit is increased and a new credit for non-child dependents would be added. This "relief" will "help lift the middle class and let hardworking families keep more of their hard-earned dollars," Hatch said Wednesday.
The framework also leaves in place certain incentives, including for charitable donations and home mortgage interest.
Democrats have pushed for tax relief being given to middle class Americans not the wealthiest.
WHO ARE THE WINNERS AND LOSERS OF TRUMP'S TAX PLAN?
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy last week slammed Trumps plan as it said it wouldnt alleviate financial burdens of the middle class.
Vague promises cant conceal the hard facts: if anything resembling President Trumps current proposal becomes law, the outcome would be a redistribution of wealth to the already wealthy on a scale we have not seen before, ITEP executive director Alan Essig said.
Small businesses see relief
The plan would lower the tax rate for small businesses to 25 percent.
Alfredo Ortiz, president of the nonprofit Job Creators Network, praised the proposal for including cuts for small businesses. He told Fox News that Congress should make these cuts retroactive to January 1st of this year, allowing small business owners to have maximum opportunity.
Corporate tax rate lowered
The plan would lower the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent. Trump has previously said he wants to lower it to 15 percent, and the framework's proposed rate is largely seen as his red line on the issue.
SEN. THUNE: REPUBLICANS CANT AFFORD TO FAIL ON TAX REFORM
Trump blasted the United States business tax rates Tuesday and promised to lower them to make the U.S. super competitive for companies.
If we do this, we will create millions of new jobs for our people, Trump said.
Certain taxes eliminated
The plan also would cut certain taxes, such as the so-called death tax, or estate tax. The federal estate tax is a tax on your right to transfer property at your death, according to the Internal Revenue Service. It only impacts wealthier Americans.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called the framework "morally repugnant" and said it "is particularly obscene" to eliminate the estate tax.
"Instead of giving more tax breaks to billionaires who don't need it, we should be doing everything we can to rebuild the disappearing middle class," he said.
Republicans also plan to kill the marriage tax penalty, which can occur when a couple marries and files taxes jointly.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
EXCLUSIVE: For President Trumps historic speech on Cuba policy on the sunny afternoon of June 16, his aides chose a special venue: Miamis Manuel Artime Theater, a small (839 seats) performing arts center located in East Little Havana and named for the heroic Cuban physician who led the doomed Bay of Pigs invasion against Fidel Castro in 1961. The White House selected the intimate, politically charged setting to emphasize the White Houses tough stand against Fidels brother, Raul, who has ruled the island nation since 2008 with the same brutality his late brother exhibited across the preceding five decades.
Mr. Trump was also eager to underscore the sharp difference between his stance on Cuba and that of his predecessor, Barack Obama, who ended Americas long-running sanctions and embargo on the Castro regime in 2015, and ordered the reopening of embassies in the nations capitals for the first time since 1961.
Campaigning as the Republican nominee for president last year, Mr. Trump vowed to reverse all that and now he had come to Little Havana to make good on those promises. Its hard to think of a policy that makes less sense than the prior administrations terrible and misguided deal with the Castro regime, President Trump told the crowd in Artime Theater.
CUBA DEAL ROLLBACK: TRUMP SAYS HE'S NIXING OBAMA'S ONE-SIDED PACT
Therefore, effective immediately he emphasized that word I am canceling the last administrations completely one-sided deal with Cuba. The audience gave a standing ovation and cried Trump! Trump! Trump!
The only problem for the president and his enthusiastic Cuban-American supporters is: Nothing happened.
More than three months after Mr. Trump vowed to reinstate the sanctions and embargo on Cuba, the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which manages such programs, has yet to issue the revised official guidelines that would enable Mr. Trumps policy to be enacted.
The announced changes do not take effect until OFAC issues new regulations, the office cautioned in a July 25 document entitled Frequently Asked Questions on President Trumps Cuba Announcement. OFAC expects to issue its regulatory amendments in the coming months.
Yet when contacted by Fox News this week, an OFAC spokesman confirmed the required regulatory amendments have still not been issued. Nor could Treasury provide assurances that the drafting process, still actively underway, wont drag on for another three months. We dont have a specific date yet for when those revised regulations will be publicly released, Deputy Assistant Secretary Seth Unger told Fox News in an email, adding only: We still anticipate it will be in the coming months.
Experts in the arcane field of sanctions law said a number of factors could be contributing to the stalling of the presidents Cuba policy rollback, ranging from budgetary constraints at OFAC to problems with the legal means by which the Trump administration sought to enact its policy shift.
Because they are strapped for resources and lack good management, a leading sanctions lawyer in Washington said, requesting anonymity to discuss his former colleagues at OFAC, they struggle to meet all of the deadlines. How many sanctions can be implemented by an agency of just over 200 people?
The question arises amid a season of unusually intensive sanctions activity.
This is an area of the law that is in flux, said Seetha Ramachandran, a partner at the New York law firm Schulte Roth & Zabel who specializes in sanctions enforcement and related fields like money laundering and white collar crime.
Every few weeks, in fact, I think weve seen some sort of announcement of a change to the sanctions program, whether its North Korea, or the Russia-Ukraine sanctions, or Cuba, Iran.OFAC, like any government agency, has limited resources and they have to figure out how to use those resources most efficiently and wisely.
However, the revisions to the Obama-era Cuba policy that Mr. Trump unveiled in June were nowhere near as sweeping as he suggested; the two embassies were permitted to remain open, for example, and the most significant change to the fine print amounted to the rescission of one of 12 categories of permissible American travel to Cuba (the kind called person to person). Nor was OFACs ingenuity taxed especially hard by a policy shift that asked the office to restore a category of travel to the status quo that OFAC had been policing for decades prior to 2015.
Ramachandran pointed out that President Trumps Cuba announcement took two forms his speech in Little Havana and an accompanying document the White House issued that same day and that neither of these was an executive order, the means by which changes to the nations sanctions regime are traditionally effectuated.
Instead, the White House disseminated to Cabinet officers and Executive Branch agencies a document entitled National Security Presidential Memorandum on Strengthening the Policy of the United States Toward Cuba. That memorandum instructed Treasury and other Cabinet offices to initiate a process to adjust current regulations regarding transactions with Cuba within 30 days. Unger, the deputy assistant secretary at Treasury, told Fox News that OFAC did indeed initiate the process immediately, but simply has not yet produced the necessary amendments to the regulations on Cuba.
My understanding is that memorandum is not a law, Ramachandran said. Trump could have actually issued an executive order that immediately changed the sanctions program. For example, a couple of weeks ago, there was an executive order on Venezuela sanctions that did not require any implementing regulations by OFAC. But thats not what happened here.
Late Wednesday a White House spokesman told Fox News that the presidents memorandum was issued in lieu of an executive order so as to mirror the form in which President Obamas Cuba policy shift had been effectuated. We had to do it this way to undo what he did, the spokesman said.
The White House also insisted the presidents memorandum carries the force of law within the Executive Branch, and that federal officials always expected a six-to-nine-month period of drafting and finalization of relevant regulations.
Asked about the presidents effective immediately comment, the spokesman said the memorandum did immediately rescind the Obama-era policy, even as he conceded the changes have not yet taken effect.
The bottleneck at OFAC did not originate with the Trump presidency; nor does the issuance of an executive order necessarily guarantee swifter enactment of changes to sanctions laws by the federal bureaucracy. In March 2016, President Obama issued Executive Order 13722, strengthening the embargo against the government of North Korea. Eighteen months later, OFAC has not issued any of the kind of regulatory amendments that experts say would typically accompany such an order.
E.O. 13722 didnt require additional regulations in order to be in effect, said Unger, who directed Fox News to a program overview for North Korean sanctions that the office promised to update in the coming weeks to account for still another executive order on North Korea, issued last week. However, the program overview states on its front cover: This document is explanatory only and does not have the force of law.
President Trump promised drastic tax cuts Wednesday as he touted Republicans' newly unveiled tax reform plan, arguing the push to re-write the tax code would fuel Americas economic comeback.
These tax cuts are significant, the president said during a speech at the Farm Bureau Building in Indianapolis. Theres never been tax cuts like were talking about.
Republicans earlier Wednesday released the framework of their plan that was hammered out by House and Senate lawmakers in coordination with the Trump administration. Trump used his speech in Indiana, in part, to begin applying public pressure on lawmakers -- especially Democrats -- to get on board.
Call your congressman. Call your senators, Trump said. Let them know youre watching, let them know youre waiting. Tell them that today is the day for decision. That now is the time to heal this self-inflicted economic wound.
He added, If you demand it, the politicians will listen.
As part of his effort to woo the other side, Trump invited Indiana Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly to fly with him on Air Force One. But the president also warned with a smile during the speech that if Donnelly doesnt support the plan, We will come here, we will campaign against him like you wouldn't believe."
READ THE GOP TAX PLAN FRAMEWORK
The plan would simplify the tax system, cut rates and nearly double the standard deduction used by most Americans. Trump pitched it as the biggest tax cut in U.S. history.
Over the next few months, the House and Senate will build on this framework and produce legislation that will deliver more jobs, higher pay and lower taxes for middle-class families, for the working man and woman, and for businesses of all sizes, the president said.
Getting any substantial Democratic support could be a heavy lift. Already, party leaders were panning the proposal, with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., saying in a statement: "Republicans tax framework is not tax reform, it is a framework that gives away the store to the wealthiest, while sticking the middle class with the bill."
The stakes are high, after Republicans a day earlier scrapped their latest effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare.
During his speech, the president discussed the health care effort, claiming Republicans have the votes on the Graham-Cassidy health care legislation. But, in an apparent reference to Mississippi Republican Sen. Thad Cochran, Trump said one yes vote is home sick and unavailable to vote.
We have a wonderful senator, a great, great senator, who is a yes vote, Trump said. But hes home recovering from a pretty tough situation.
Citing the Senate process called budget reconciliation, which gives Republicans until Friday to pass health care legislation without a filibuster threat, the president said they will wait a few months before being able to vote on it.
Now, the legislative focus shifts to tax reform, which Trump has been eager to tackle since taking office.
The current tax system is a colossal barrier standing in the way of Americas economic comeback, because it can be far greater than its ever been, Trump said.
REPUBLICANS UNVEIL TAX PLAN, CALL FOR DOUBLING DEDUCTION AND CUTTING RATES
The plan, as outlined in the framework, nearly doubles the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for families. This basically increases the amount of personal income that is tax-free.
Congressional Republicans describe this as creating a larger zero tax bracket.
The plan also collapses the number of personal tax brackets from seven to three. By simplifying the system, most Americans would be able to file their taxes on a postcard, the plan says.
The individual tax rates would be 12 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent -- and the plan recommends a surcharge for the very wealthy. But it does not set the income levels at which the rates would apply, so it's unclear just how much of a tax change there might be for a typical family.
Deductions for mortgage interest and charitable giving would remain, but the plan seeks to end most other itemized deductions that can reduce how much affluent families pay.
The plan would seek to help families by calling for an increased child tax credit and opening it to families with higher incomes. The credit currently is $1,000 per child. Also proposed is a new tax credit of $500 to help pay for the care of the elderly and the sick who are claimed as dependents by the taxpayer.
The estate tax -- which is paid by those with multimillion-inheritances -- would be eliminated, a boon for wealthy individuals who inherit businesses, investments and real estate.
Corporations, meanwhile, would see their top tax rate cut from 35 percent to 20 percent.
New benefits would be given to firms in which the profits double as the owners' personal income. They would pay at a 25 percent rate, down from 39.6 percent.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump touched off widespread speculation Wednesday morning with a mysterious tweet on the health care debate that claimed one "Yes vote" was in the hospital.
Reporters scrambled on Twitter to figure out which senator he was describing. Turns out, it was an apparent reference to Mississippi Republican Sen. Thad Cochran, 79, who is in his home state recuperating from a "urological issue."
A source close to Cochran confirmed that he has been out of Washington all week.
But while Cochran's office put out a statement Tuesday night, his absence was not widely known until Trump alluded to it on Twitter.
In his tweet, the president was voicing hope that Republicans can still pass an ObamaCare overhaul in the future, after GOP leaders abandoned efforts to pass the so-called Graham-Cassidy bill ahead of a weekend deadline to do so without threat of filibuster.
With one Yes vote in hospital & very positive signs from Alaska and two others (McCain is out), we have the HCare Vote, but not for Friday! Trump tweeted.
While Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has been getting treatment for brain cancer, Trump's tweet clearly was not referring to him -- as the Arizona senator came out against the health bill.
While the tweet seemed to reference Cochran, spokesman for the senator Stephen Worley clarified Wednesday that Cochran was actually "not in the hospital."
Sen. Cochran is in Mississippi recuperating from a urological issue, but is not in the hospital, Worley tweeted.
Cochran's office put out a statement on Tuesday noting that the senator was recently treated for a "urological issue" and is recuperating in Mississippi.
"The Senator expects to resume his regular work schedule soon," the statement read.
A source close to Cochran told Fox News that he is being treated for prostate issues, but underscored that his condition is not serious or cancerous.
Senate Republicans said Tuesday that they no longer planned to bring the Graham-Cassidy bill that would have dismantled ObamaCare to the floor, after several GOP senators said they would not support the measure.
We will have the votes for Healthcare but not for the reconciliation deadline of Friday, after which we need 60. Get rid of Filibuster Rule! Trump also tweeted Wednesday.
Once a year, the Senate can sidestep filibuster rules and consider legislation under a process called budget reconciliation, which requires only 51 votes to pass a bill. But that package is only good for one year and set to expire Saturday night. This means after Sept. 30, any ObamaCare repeal bill would need the support of at least 60 votes in the Senate -- which is why Trump renewed his call to scrap the filibuster.
In a joint statement released Tuesday afternoon, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Dean Heller, R-Nev.; Bill Cassidy, R-La.; and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., voiced hope that Congress can overhaul ObamaCare at some point.
Its not a question of if Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson replaces ObamaCareits only a question of when, the four senators said in a statement. While the arcane rules of the reconciliation process limited our policy options and imposed an artificial deadline on our efforts, we will push on.
They added: It is just a matter of time until we fulfill our promise to repeal and replace ObamaCare with something far better.
Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
An 18-inch rat that lives in trees and is able to open coconuts with its teeth has been discovered in the Solomon Islands.
The rat, known as Uromys vika, has been particularly hard to find, becoming the first rat discovered in 80 years, mammalogist Tyrone Lavery said.
"The new species, Uromys vika, is pretty spectacular -- it's a big, giant rat," Lavery said in a press release. "It's the first rat discovered in 80 years from Solomons, and it's not like people haven't been trying -- it was just so hard to find."
500-MILLION-YEAR-OLD CREATURE LOOKS LIKE A SPACE ALIEN
For comparison purposes, a normal American rat weighs around 0.44 pounds. Solomon Island rats can weigh as much as 2.2 pounds and U. Vika is approximately a foot and a half long, from nose to the tip of its tail.
Lavery had heard rumors that the creature existed, since his first trip to the islands in 2010. Lavery questioned whether he would ever find the rat and was not sure if it was really a new species or if he was just looking in the wrong direction.
"I started to question if it really was a separate species, or if people were just calling regular black rats 'vika,'" said Lavery.
He added, "If you're looking for something that lives on the ground, you're only looking in two dimensions, left to right and forward and backward. If you're looking for something that can live in 30-foot-tall trees, then there's a whole new dimension that you need to search."
Lavery eventually teamed up with John Vendi and Hikuna Judge and finally found the creature as it was running away from a fallen tree.
"As soon as I examined the specimen, I knew it was something different," Lavery noted. "There are only eight known species of native rat from the Solomon Islands, and looking at the features on its skull, I could rule out a bunch of species right away."
GORGEOUS, MAJESTIC WHITE GIRAFFES SPOTTED, CAPTURED ON VIDEO FOR FIRST TIME EVER
The Solomon Islands have become a hot bed for research scientists looking to make new discoveries. The country, located a thousand miles northwest of Australia, is biologically isolated, with more than half of the mammals living on the chain of islands found nowhere else on Earth.
Facebook says that it deleted a host of fake accounts from the social network in the run-up to Sundays German election.
To prevent people from misusing our platform, we announced a new push to remove fake accounts by spotting suspicious patterns of activity, explained Richard Allan, Facebooks vice president, public policy, for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in a blog post. In the month before the election, we removed tens of thousands of fake accounts in Germany.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc came first in the countrys election, paving the way for her to lead Germany for a fourth term. Merkel, however, has emerged from the election with a weakened power base. The nationalist Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party, won 93 of the 709 seats in parliament after a campaign that centered on shrill criticism of Merkel and her 2015 decision to let in large numbers of migrants.
PRESIDENT OBAMA WARNED MARK ZUCKERBERG ABOUT FAKE NEWS ON FACEBOOK, REPORT SAYS
In the post, Allan explained that, after reports of foreign interference in the run-up to the U.S. and French elections, Facebook worked closely with German officials to fight disinformation and make Facebook a safer and more secure environment for genuine civic engagement.
In addition to removing the fake accounts, Facebook combated fake news with its Related Articles feature, which gives users access to different perspectives. The social network also offered a tab where political parties could outline their positions on key issues. When someone clicked on an article about the federal election in their News Feed, they were given the option to compare the major political parties perspectives, Allan explained. People were also able to explore the parties positions on key issues, gaining exposure to a diverse set of viewpoints.
FACEBOOK UNCOVERS $100G IN FAKE AD SPENDING TIED TO RUSSIAN OPERATIVES DURING 2016 ELECTION
Facebook also worked closely with Germanys Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and trained members of parliament and candidates on online security.
The Menlo Park, Calif.-based firm has been battling fake news and political information on both sides of the Atlantic.
President Barack Obama reportedly warned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the threat posed by fake news on the social network during a private meeting last year shortly after the U.S. Presidential election.
Facebook announced a strategy to tackle fake news in December 2016, making it easier for users to report fake news when they see it, and harnessing fact checking. Earlier this year, Facebook also revamped its systems to make it harder for fake news to be spread and eliminate fake accounts.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SUGGESTS FACEBOOK AD CONTROVERSY PART OF 'RUSSIA HOAX'
The company recently announced that it uncovered $100,000 in fake ad spending tied to Russian operatives during the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. While the vast majority of ads didnt reference the election, voting, or a particular candidate, they did focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages such as LGBT matters, race, immigration and gun rights, according to Stamos.
Last week, Zuckerberg said that Facebook would release the Russia-linked ads to Congress. During a Facebook Live Chat, the Facebook CEO also said that the company would strengthen its ad review process for political ads.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers. The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Twitters decision to test a new feature doubling the length of tweets to 280 characters could have a big impact on President Trump and U.S. politics if it is eventually rolled out to all users.
A small group of users are taking part in the test, Twitter announced Tuesday. We want every person around the world to easily express themselves on Twitter, so we're doing something new: we're going to try out a longer limit, 280 characters, in languages impacted by cramming (which is all except Japanese, Chinese, and Korean), explained Twitter Product Manager Aliza Rosen, in a blog post.
The move has fueled speculation about how politicians, particularly President Trump, could one day harness the 280-character limit.
TWITTER TESTS EXPANDING CHARACTER LIMIT TO 280, UP FROM 140
Trump, who has 39.4 million Twitter followers, turned the @realDonaldTrump account into a potent political weapon during his shock run to the White House and remains an avid Twitter user.
A 280-character limit would give the President a lot more room to tweet, Jason Mollica, a digital media expert and professor at American University in Washington, D.C told Fox News in a phone interview. It allows him to expand his message instead of getting it out in multiple tweets, he can get it out in one.
I do believe that this could be a game changer for politicians and their subordinates for example, people that are running campaign offices across the country, he added.
TRUMP MAKE FIRST TWEETS AS PRESIDENT
Mollica notes that campaign teams will be able to use politicians quotes more effectively, and would not need to summarize quotes to fit Twitters 140-character limit. It allows you to expand on your message and strengthen that with a shared web link, a video or a photo, he said. Its very, very effective for politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Perhaps inevitably, Twitters move sparked questions about whether Trump would be part of the group testing the 280-character feature.
In a tweet sent out on Tuesday, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone confirmed that Trump is not part of the test group.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
This is a rush transcript from "Your World," September 26, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
NEIL CAVUTO, "YOUR WORLD" HOST: To a man who is going to be instrumental in this entire process, Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, House Freedom Caucus member.
Congressman, is it and do you want it to be across the board, that whatever is detailed tomorrow will offer tax cuts across the board?
REP. JIM JORDAN, R-OHIO: We need three general principles in this plan. Will it actually cut taxes for families? Will it simplify the code? Will it grow our economy?
And then we want some specifics. We outlined this in our piece in The Wall Street Journal that Mr. Meadows and I did last week. Give us four specifics.
CAVUTO: You're talking about Mark Meadows, the man who runs the Freedom Caucus.
JORDAN: Yes.
CAVUTO: Go ahead, sir. I'm sorry.
JORDAN: Right.
What's the corporate rate? What's the corporate rate? What's the small business rate? What's going to happen on the personal side? How many brackets and what are those rates going to be for families? We think it's going to be three. We think it's going to be a lower rate. And then, of course, what's the repatriation rate?
Those are the four big questions. So, let's make sure we're doing the three big things, cutting taxes for families, simplifying the code, growing our economy. And then let's get answers to those four specific questions.
If that's the case, then I think you will see us move forward. But, if not, we're going to keep pushing until we get some of the details, because what we're not going to repeat, what we're not going to repeat is this fiasco we went through with health care reform, thinking we were going to get clean repeal, and they roll out all these different bills.
So, we want to get it right on tax reform and make sure it gets done.
CAVUTO: All right. There are a lot of people who are nervous that Republicans will botch it, because of what happened on the health care rework effort, and that this could be even more problematic, because there are a lot of differences between you guys. What do you say?
JORDAN: Well, I think that what we went through on health care, look, we still need to work on that. We still need to get it done. And it's something we told the American people we were going to accomplish.
But I think, in light of going through that, that puts more emphasis on getting it right this time on tax reform. I do think it will happen. We have got a retreat tomorrow and we will see what leadership rolls out.
But I will tell you, Neil, because of the fight that the Freedom Caucus has and the debate we have had, the border adjustment tax is gone. I don't think we're going to function in a revenue-neutral environment, which is a good thing, because revenue-neutral is just Washington-speak for the tax burden stays the same, we shift around who pays what.
In that scenario, what always happens is middle-class families lose. So, we're not for that. We're just for letting people keep more of their money.
CAVUTO: Do you think, whatever is proposed tomorrow, so, just to be clear when you're talking about revenue-neutral, to pay for tax cuts, so you don't think that will be part of this mix?
JORDAN: I don't think...
CAVUTO: That they might not be paid for, but the hope being among conservatives yourself is that they produce revenue down the road through dynamic growth and all that?
JORDAN: Well, that's happened every time it's been tried. So, we got the history that says that will be the case.
CAVUTO: Do some of your moderate colleagues agree? Because when I talk to them, they get very itchy and antsy.
JORDAN: Yes, revenue-neutral is -- some members like that, because it allows politicians continue to spin.
We don't want to function in that world because we actually want people to keep more of their money and we want to grow our economy. The Senate budget, that language doesn't function in a revenue-neutral environment, what they talk about in their budget.
So, we will talk about how this moves forward. But I think we're going to move away from that revenue-neutral approach, which I think is a good thing.
CAVUTO: You know, Congressman, I was talking to your colleague Virginia Representative Brat, who was telling me that he is convinced that what they're going to come up with is an across-the-board cut that will include the upper income, which would go in the face of what President Trump had said would exclude the upper income, in other words, that they won't benefit from a rate cut, nor should they.
How do you feel about that?
JORDAN: We will see.
What I don't want to do is raise anyone's taxes. I want to lower taxes for middle-class families. I want to construct the tax code on the corporate side which is conducive to producing economic growth.
We have to -- you know this, your viewers know this -- we have to get to 3, 3.5, 4 percent growth rate if we're ever going to deal with the $20 trillion debt.
(COUGHING)
JORDAN: Excuse me.
Let's make sure that happens.
CAVUTO: All right, it wouldn't be a matter of they're getting their taxes raised, the rich, it would be that they would stay the same. Are you -- would you be comfortable with that?
JORDAN: I think as long as middle-class families, their rates go down, I think that's fine.
CAVUTO: OK.
JORDAN: I'm just -- I'm not -- we're Republicans. We think freedom involves you keeping more of your money. We're not for raising people's taxes.
CAVUTO: Right.
JORDAN: But if some rates stay the same and others go down, and the corporate rate goes down, and we produce a code that's going to grow the economy, that's great.
CAVUTO: Congressman, let me ask you a little bit about what going down the road this is going to mean for Republicans and the idea that they need to make these retroactive to get the earliest bang for the buck.
It's getting kind of late in the year for that sort of thing. But if you had your preference, would they and will they be retroactive?
JORDAN: Yes, and I hope they are. I think that's the plan.
Again, that means we have to get it done here pretty quick, I think this calendar year. But I'm for them being retroactive. I'm always for letting people, citizens, families, keep more of their money.
After all, it's their money.
CAVUTO: Yes.
JORDAN: Just again, I go back to this revenue-neutral idea.
When did we adopt the position that somehow letting you keep your money is a cost to the government? I start from the premise that it's your money. Let's let you keep it. You're going to spend it better. You're going to help our economy to grow. And in the long run, we will get additional revenue to the treasury to deal with that debt burden that we face.
CAVUTO: Do you think this is make-or-break for Republicans, after the failure of this latest health care rework, that this succeeds, or you guys are toast?
JORDAN: When I'm home talking with families that I get the privilege of representing, they are frustrated. They have had it, and appropriately so.
They want us to get something done.
So I do think we better get this tax reform done. Let's get it done right, but let's also get it done this year.
CAVUTO: All right.
Now, the market is counting on this happening. A lot of folks counting on this happening.
JORDAN: Yes.
CAVUTO: If it were pushed back to next year, unlikely I'm sure as you want that to be, could you live with that if it means you get a passed package?
JORDAN: I don't think that's going to happen.
I think -- you know, I think this is moving in the right direction. Conversations we have had with leadership, conversations that Chairman Meadows had with the White House, I think have all been positive. Conversations we're just -- we're having with our colleagues, and movement we have seen on giving us more detail as we head into tomorrow's retreat, so that we're comfortable with moving this process along, that's moving in a positive direction.
So let's see what happens tomorrow. But I feel good about where we're headed.
CAVUTO: All right, Congressman, thanks for taking the time.
JORDAN: You bet. Thank you.
CAVUTO: We shall see all those details tomorrow.
END
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If youre 14 or older, the clock has struck twelve on your ability to dress up as your favorite character at a Disney theme park.
The success of Disney theme parks is in large part due to their strict rules and regulations, among which are rules for what guests may or may not wear. According to the Disney resorts dress code, costumes or masks may not be worn by guests who are 14 years of age or older (though exceptions are made for the latter in case of medical need). Refusal to comply with this dress code can result in a guest being refused admittance to the park or even getting kicked out.
The rule seems to be, in part, due to the reasoning that the only adults in costume at the parks should be the Disney Cast Members dressed as human characters for meet and greets.
This doesnt mean you have to dress entirely plain, however. Hats, wigs, and other headgear are totally fine as long as they dont cover your face, and accessories such as toy swords (that dont look real), lightsabers (made of plastic or even churros), transparent wings, and tutus are allowed as well. Youre also more than welcome to wear a cape, as long as it doesnt fall to below your waist!
Taking a trip in October, however, could be your chance to dress up, as this dress code is relaxed for events like Mickeys Halloween Party. However, dressed up guests may not pose for photos with other guests nor can they sign autographs as their characters. For those who cant make it out to a Disney park for Halloween, however, there are adult Disney-themed events such as bar crawls where dressing up is strongly encouraged.
Protecting the Disney brand doesnt seem to be the only reason for this rule. Safety is also a concern. Even at special events where theyre allowed, costumes cannot contain anything offensive or violent, nor can they have anything sharp or resembling a weapon. Costumes that are layered or have props surrounding you can be subject to more screening and, as a result, are discouraged. Long costumes that reach the ground or can drag are also not allowed. While children ages 13 and under are allowed to wear costumes and masks, the masks must not cover their whole face and their eyes must be visible.
Even as authorities in rural southern Missouri dismiss the possibility that a transgender teenager's death was a hate crime, questions remain about why the quiet 17-year-old was killed in such a ghastly manner.
Authorities identified the burned remains as those of Joseph Matthew Steinfeld Jr. the birth name of a transgender girl who went by the name Ally Lee Steinfeld. The remains were found last week in the town of Cabool, near the mobile home of one of the alleged killers, 24-year-old Briana Calderas, with whom Steinfeld was living. Some of Steinfeld's bones were in a bag in a chicken coop. Authorities said both eyes were gouged out and Steinfeld had been stabbed in the genitals.
Calderas and two 18-year-olds, Andrew Vrba and Isis Schauer, were charged with first-degree murder and other counts. A fourth suspect is charged with abandonment of a corpse and tampering with evidence. All four are jailed without bond.
Steinfeld had been missing for weeks, and initial news reports referred to her as a male, in part because missing-person posters distributed by the family used Steinfeld's birth name, as did police documents.
Steinfeld's mother, Amber Steinfeld, still refers to her child as Joey, but said the teen identified as female to family and to friends on social media. She said her child was "loving and kind-hearted."
Steinfeld was engaged to a woman until they broke up in August, Amber Steinfeld said, and soon after began dating Calderas. She said Steinfeld and the two 18-year-old suspects were all living at Calderas' mobile home. She said that Steinfeld was upbeat before she disappeared, telling relatives that she loved them and was happy.
Authorities aren't saying what led to the killing. But both Sheriff James Sigman and prosecutor Parke Stevens Jr. insist the crime was not motivated by Steinfeld's gender identity.
"I would say murder in the first-degree is all that matters," Stevens said. "That is a hate crime in itself."
Yet the killing has drawn the attention of transgender advocates and others across the U.S. who believe Steinfeld was targeted for her gender identity, despite what the Texas County sheriff and prosecutor say.
Chris Sgro, spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, said Steinfeld was the 21st transgender person killed this year in the U.S.
"This violence, often motivated by hatred, must come to an end," Sgro said. "We will continue to mourn Ally and fight back against transphobia and anti-trans violence."
Steinfeld grew up mostly in House Springs, Missouri, near St. Louis, Amber Steinfeld said. The family moved briefly to Florida, then to Texas County, an area of rugged hills in southern Missouri.
Steinfeld dropped out of high school upon turning 17, Amber Steinfeld said. At about the same time, the rest of the family moved back to House Springs, but Steinfeld stayed in Houston, Missouri, living with different friends.
In May, Steinfeld posted on Instagram that she was coming out and was "mtf," or male-to-female. In a posting on June 13, Steinfeld referred to herself as "Trans male to female and I am mostly lesbian but pansexual." In another that same day she wrote, "I am proud to be me I am proud to be trans I am beautiful I don't care what people think."
Vrba told investigators he initially tried to poison Steinfeld, then described how he stabbed Steinfeld in the living room of Calderas' mobile home, Deputy Rowdy Douglas wrote in a probable cause statement. The female suspects said Vrba bragged to them about how he gouged Steinfeld's eyes and stabbed Steinfeld in the genitals, Douglas wrote. The probable cause statement does not offer any motive.
Authorities say the three suspects burned Steinfeld's body, placed some of the bones into a garbage bag and put the bag in the chicken coop. Calderas admitted helping burn the body and led authorities to the knife used in the killing, Douglas wrote.
An attorney for the three suspects, Michael Jacobs, said Tuesday that it was too early to comment.
Linda Camara, 61, a friend of Steinfeld's family, was struck by the gruesome nature of the killing.
"People kill each other, which is bad, but to do it that way, that's something you see in movies," Camara said. "And the three people who did this, they were kids, too."
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Salter reported from St. Louis. Associated Press reporters Margaret Stafford and Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri, and Roxana Hegeman in Wichita, Kansas, contributed to this report.
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The Trump administration said Tuesday it was sending a flotilla of ships and thousands more military personnel to Puerto Rico to address the growing humanitarian crisis caused by Hurricane Maria.
The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said the devastation wrought by the Category 4 storm presented logistical challenges, with badly damaged airports and seaports making it difficult to get aid and personnel to the stricken island.
Long said 16 Navy and Coast Guard ships were in the waters around Puerto Rico, with 10 more ships on the way. They include the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship. Planes and ships were also bringing in a military force numbering in the thousands to help distribute aid. Military aircraft were dropping food and water to areas of the island still isolated and unable to receive help by road, he said.
"We're dramatically increasing the federal footprint that's there," Long said, speaking outside the White House.
The shift, six days after the storm made landfall, came amid a growing chorus of criticism that the federal response so far had been insufficient and fallen far short of the responses to hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
The Pentagon said the number of active duty military personnel would grow from about 2,500 to possibly double that number in the next several days.
An Army brigadier general will take over command of the military response, which will include additional medical facilities and satellite communications equipment, said John Cornelio, spokesman at U.S. Northern Command. The USNS Comfort is expected to leave Baltimore by Saturday and arrive in Puerto Rico three to five days later.
The military response also will include a civil affairs unit from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, that will be used to help communicate with the residents on the island, Cornelio said. The unit will use loudspeakers, trucks, leaflets and text messaging to get needed information to the public.
Additional national guard forces are also being sent in to provide more security on the island. Those forces will be under the command of the governor, and could be used around fuel access points where there have been some security problems.
Long said the federal government has provided 4 million ready-to-eat meals and 6 million liters of water. That would account for less than a day's supply for each of the island's 3.4 million U.S. citizens.
Large sections of the territory remained without adequate food, water and fuel Tuesday. Flights off the island were infrequent, communications were spotty and roads were clogged with debris. Officials said electrical power may not be fully restored for more than a month.
Long stressed that coordinating the response in Puerto Rico offered greater challenges than FEMA faced after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas and Hurricane Irma hit Florida.
"It's an island. We don't just drive trucks and resources onto an island," Long said, stressing that all supplies had to cross hundreds of miles of water to get to the U.S. territory. He said relief efforts were initially hampered by damage to air traffic control systems at the airport in San Juan, limiting the flow of government and commercial flights. Federal personnel were now working to repair two other airfields, he said, to increase the capacity to bring in supplies by air.
He also suggested Puerto Rico was less able to withstand and recover from the storm than the U.S. states on the mainland.
"The infrastructure is weak, and there were no building codes, so there is a lot of devastation," Long said. "Unfortunately, because of the severity of the hit, there is diminished capacity of local governments and state government to respond similar to what we saw with Texas and Florida."
Long also warned people not involved with the relief effort to stay away.
"If you're going to Puerto Rico right now, it should be for only a life-sustaining, life-support mission," he said. "Because everybody that's trying to get in that's not supporting that is getting in the way."
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Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.
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A woman accused of dressing up like a clown and fatally shooting the wife of her future husband 27 years ago has been arrested, Florida authorities said Tuesday.
Sheila Keen Warren, 54, was taken into custody in Washington County, Va., according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators believe that Sheila Warren, then Sheila Keen, shot Marlene Warren in the face at her home in Wellington, Fla. on May 26, 1990. They say that the person who shot Marlene was dressed as a clown and offered the victim a flower arrangement and balloons just before the shooting.
Sheila Keen was identified as a suspect early in the investigation, but police did not have enough evidence to make an arrest. The case was re-opened three years ago, prompting investigators to re-interview witnesses and conduct additional DNA testing.
In a twist, investigators learned that Sheila Keen had married Marlene's widower, Michael, in 2002. The couple had moved to Tennessee, where they operated a restaurant together.
A grand jury indicted Sheila Keen Warren on charges of first-degree murder last month.
Detectives haven't said whether Michael Warren was involved in his former wife's death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The 15-year-old girl who became the center of a nationwide manhunt after she vanished -- allegedly abducted by her 50-year-old teacher -- has opened up about the case, saying: I dont regret it, nor do I say it was the right thing to do.
Elizabeth Thomas disappeared from her home in Tennessee with her teacher, Tad Cummins, in mid-March, sparking the massive search, police said. Investigators received more than 1,500 tips from people following the case, and the two eventually were spotted in mid-April in a remote county in northern California.
Speaking at a fast-food restaurant in Columbia, Tenn. on Saturday, Thomas told The Daily Herald that theres been a lot of rumors about me Id like to clear up.
Thomas said she was in therapy after she returned home, but said it was for way too long, adding she should not have been up there.
Before Thomas was reported missing, emails discovered between the student and Cummins showed the two had what investigators labeled a romantic interest in each other.
The two were once caught kissing in school, according to reports. Both Thomas and Cummins denied kissing, according to the schools investigative files.
Cummins has pleaded not guilty to charges including transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to commit illegal sexual acts. He's set to face trial in January, the Tennessean reports.
Cummins was fired one day before the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an Amber Alert for the missing teen.
Now living with her brother, Thomas said she cant really complain right now about her life shes being homeschooled until she finishes high school in two years, and shes babysitting, and working in Columbia.
It was an experience Ill have to live with the rest of my life, Thomas said of her time on the run. Its good and bad. Its there. No matter what we do, well have to deal with it.
A Louisiana man attacked and killed his wife with an ax as she left for work in a New Orleans suburb Wednesday morning, authorities said.
St. Bernard Parish Deputy Chief John Doran identified the victim as Kimberly Owens, 48. The suspect was identified as 56-year-old Mark Owens.
Doran said Mark Owens may have been lying in wait for his ex-wife under the house she shared with her mother in Chalmette. He added that Owens also tried to attack his former mother-in-law, but she managed to escape to safety.
"The mother ... heard screams, exited the house and saw the attack in progress," St. Bernard Parish Sheriff James Pohlmann told reporters, "and begged for the attack to stop, and at some point, he may have gone after her."
Mark Owens initially fled the scene, but later turned himself in. He was being held at the St. Bernard Parish jail and faces a second-degree murder charge.
Pohlmann said Kimberly Owens had obtained a restraining order against Mark Owens in 2015 after he was arrested and charged with false imprisonment and simple battery. In that incident, Owens was accused of grabbing Kimberly Owens from a swing set near her house and brandished a weapon, though the sheriff said he likely meant "to harm himself." St. Bernard Parish officers responded to the scene, including a SWAT team, before Mark Owens eventually was talked out of his home and arrested.
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A military judge ruled Wednesday that prosecutors trying Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl don't have to turn over more information about conversations one of them had with the Trump administration about the case.
Prosecutors have acknowledged that one of them spoke to a lawyer for the National Security Council earlier this year about defense efforts to derail the case over President Donald Trump's harsh criticism of Bergdahl on the campaign trail. But they said the White House has given them no directions on how to prosecute Bergdahl.
Defense lawyers have argued that Trump's criticism prevented Bergdahl from getting a fair trial on charges that he endangered other service members by walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009. But in February, the judge ruled that Trump's comments didn't constitute unlawful command influence.
The judge, Army Col. Jeffery R. Nance, said Wednesday that further information about conversations between lawyers well after Trump's comments wouldn't change the court's conclusion that the criticism won't sway the case.
"The point is: Why does it matter what he said to whoever it was at the National Security Council?" Nance said.
Capt. Nina Banks, a defense attorney, said the defense needs more information. Defense attorneys had sought to formally interview Maj. Justin Oshana, a prosecutor, about the conversations and get copies of emails without certain details blacked out.
"Trial counsel here himself was discussing (a pending legal motion) with these White House people," she said. Later she added: "The issue here is: We don't know what he said."
Prosecutors have said discussions with the White House lawyer were about what could be done if the defense had succeeded in proving that Trump's comments swayed the case. They said the White House never gave them instructions on how to conduct the case.
They argued that further details about the discussions were irrelevant because Nance already rejected the defense's motion related to Trump's comments at campaign events, which included repeatedly calling Bergdahl a "traitor."
White House press staff didn't immediately respond to an email message seeking comment about what the lawyers discussed earlier this year.
Among the other motions argued Wednesday was the defense's assertion that prosecutors are unfairly trying Bergdahl on multiple charges for the same underlying action.
"There is exactly one action at stake: Sgt. Bergdahl walked off the base without authorization," said Lt. Col. Frankin Rosenblatt, a defense lawyer.
But prosecutors countered that it's not uncommon in military justice for a single action to trigger multiple offenses.
Nance said he was inclined to wait to hear more evidence before deciding whether the charges were unfairly duplicative, but could still rule before the trial.
Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban shortly after he left his remote post in 2009. The soldier has said he intended to cause alarm and draw attention to what he saw as problems with his unit.
He was freed from captivity in 2014 in exchange for five Taliban prisoners. Former President Barack Obama was criticized by Republicans, who claimed the trade jeopardized the nation's security.
Bergdahl, who is from Hailey, Idaho, has been assigned to desk duty at a Texas Army base pending the outcome of his legal case.
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Follow Drew at www.twitter.com/jonldrew
A 124-year old Confederate monument in Virginia is one step closer to being removed after the Portsmouth City Council signed off on a plan to seek a judges opinion about whether the 35-foot tall granite obelisk can be taken away.
The citys attorney believes they have the authority to remove the monument, which features four statues at the base of the obelisk, but want to hear from a judge to avoid litigation.
The effort was sparked in part by Charlottesvilles Unite the Right rally in August regarding the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, which ultimately resulted in the death of Heather Heyer, who was demonstrating against white nationalism.
Portsmouth Mayor John Rowe called for moving the monument to Cedar Grove Cemetery on Aug. 17, saying at a news conference, People understand that its a memorial to the dead. Putting it in a cemetery is appropriate.
A Change.org petition to replace Portsmouths monument with a statue of rap star Missy Elliott has garnered almost 33,000 signatures.
We cant do something thats illegal, Councilman Nathan Clark, who voted in favor of the plan but is opposed to moving the monument, told the Virginian-Pilot. Its still a decision for the courts.
All but one member of the council voted to seek a judgement that the city owns the monument and that state law allows the city to relocate it.
The council also asked the city to draft a resolution that supports moving the monument to the cemetery, which has a section of graves belonging to Confederate soldiers, according to the Virginian-Pilot. That resolution will be voted on at the councils Oct. 10 meeting.
Nationwide, a debate is raging over how to handle Confederate monuments and whether to remove themsome call them a symbol of slavery and racism, while others claim they are about history and heritage.
I see oppression where you see a symbol of pride, civil rights activist Lou Gibbs told the council, noting that the monument sits where slaves were once publicly punished. You see a statue. I see a whipping post.
Ten Confederate flag posters with cotton attached to them were found on bulletin boards at American Universitys Washington, D.C. campus Tuesday evening.
The posters, which bore messages like Huzzah for Dixie and I wish I was in the land of cotton a quote from a song that was the unofficial anthem of the Confederacywere discovered at four locations on the same evening that the college introduced its new Antiracist Research & Policy Center.
According to a crime bulletin released by the school, the culprit, who was captured on multiple videos, is a white male who is about 40 years old and about 5-foot-10. The videos show him wearing gloves, a construction workers hat and vest, and carrying what appears to be a toolbox.
The posters drew anger on campus. Students, faculty and administrators met Wednesday afternoon to address the issue.
I cannot stand here in this room and be honest with you and say that this will never happen again, Fanta Aw, the universitys vice president of campus life, told students during the meeting. Unfortunately, were living in a world and in this time where these actions are happening.
CITY LEADERS WANT JUDGE'S OK TO REMOVE PORTSMOUTH CONFEDERATE MONUMENT
Officials proposed stepping up police presence on campus and adding more cameras. But some were skeptical about beefing up security.
At what cost is that more intense police presence? As someone who has been harassed and profiled, I dont see that as making a safe space, said Ibram Kendi, a historian and director of the universitys Antiracist Center, which is the first of its kind at a U.S. college. How do we create a mechanism in which we feel more safe without creating more surveillance and having more police?
This is the second known incident of racist symbols being found on campus. In May, bananas were found hanging from nooses on the same day that a student, Taylor Dumpson, became the first black woman elected student body president.
Over the summer we pushed for having a space for students of color specifically. The space actually exists. I want you to know that, said Dumpson, noting that the renovated space within the existing Mary Graydon Center would be open soon.
TEXAS HOUSE SPEAKER CALLS FOR REMOVAL OF 'INACURATE' CONFEDERATE PLAQUE
Another student recounted complaints shes heard about a professor who apparently justifies slavery in his classes and wondered why the university was offering "counseling" to this person instead of simply firing them.
I want to challenge the AU community as a whole to be better and do better. What we need to do as a community is show that these actions and these ways of thinking do not belong here, said the student. These things keep happening because we as a community are telling these people that its OK. Its not just the black students responsibility, its all of our responsibility. We all invest our time and resources in this place.
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:
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May 1
The Charlotte Observer on a mass shooting on the campus of UNC-Charlotte:
It's our turn, Charlotte, to live the nightmare.
It's our turn to see the breaking news email about gunfire, to feel the notification buzz on our phone, to be jolted that our city is included in the next words we read.
It's our turn to watch aerial footage of places we've walked, to watch video loops of cautious police leading students we might know.
It's our turn to pray that we don't know the victims or shooter, then to pray for those who do.
It's our turn to see tweets from our public officials who are "shocked and saddened," from our governor who is en route to the scene, from our members of Congress who are "monitoring the situation."
It's our turn to have Gabby Giffords send her sorrow our way.
It's our turn to type tweets or Facebook posts about students who went to class like every other student, about holding your child a little tighter tonight, and feel it a little more intimately this time.
It's our turn to wonder what on earth we can do to change this, to wonder if better school security or mental health awareness or anything might stop this plague of gun violence.
It's our turn to hope that this shooting might be that catalyst for change, perhaps even locally or with state lawmakers.
It's our turn to realize that it won't, that we're no different than Red Lake or Santa Fe or so many others.
Except some things are different now.
It's our turn to see that networks aren't breaking in to programming to cover this school shooting, that Twitter isn't putting snark on hold, that national newspapers aren't going to put this tragedy on their front pages.
It's our turn to realize that if that notification on our phone was about gunfire in another city, we too might have mentally swiped it away.
It's our turn to understand that it's no longer big news when someone walks into a classroom and starts firing, that mass shootings happen with such regularity that they've become more like all the other shootings with all the other guns.
It's our turn to also understand that "thoughts and prayers" from Republicans have worked, just not the way we want. They've worked as a stall and diversion, a way to say something without having to say anything, until the next shooting happens and everyone moves on.
Because everyone does move on now. And they will again, more quickly each time. This is the new nightmare that we've become deadened to the worst in us because it no longer feels like the worst. It's just who we are, and it's our turn to live it.
Online:
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/
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April 30
The Washington Post on unrest in Venezuela:
Deep uncertainty surrounds the latest events in Venezuela. Tuesday began with a pre-dawn recorded address to the public by interim president Juan Guaido, who stood with members of the security forces at a Caracas air base and declared that a long-anticipated barracks uprising against the regime of Nicolas Maduro had begun. Accompanying Mr. Guaido was opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, apparently released from his four-year detention by defecting guards. Venezuelans responded to Mr. Guaido's call for street protests and were met by troops loyal to Mr. Maduro. By late afternoon, clashes were taking place, regime officials were promising a decisive "counterattack," and there was no way to know whether "Operation Liberty," as Mr. Guaido dubbed this high-risk move, would succeed or be crushed or devolve into civil war.
What is not, or should not be, ambiguous is the political and moral essence of this volatile situation. The Maduro regime has violated human rights on a massive scale, leaving hundreds of peaceful opponents dead, and it has led Venezuela into economic catastrophe. Millions of Venezuelans have fled to other countries, including hundreds of thousands to the United States. Having first been elected in 2013, Mr. Maduro forfeited democratic legitimacy in January 2016, when he purported to deprive the National Assembly of its powers because the opposition had won control the previous month. He then manipulated the political system to create a parallel puppet legislature and, on May 20, 2018, engineered his re-election through a flawed process from which both international observers and leading opposition figures were effectively barred. His inauguration as president for a new term in January, in defiance of warnings from neighboring Latin democracies, prompted Mr. Guaido, leader of the National Assembly, to declare the presidential office vacant and himself its interim occupant, as provided in the Venezuelan Constitution and supported by more than 50 countries, including the United States.
Therefore, whatever its ultimate outcome or, indeed, its strategic wisdom, Tuesday's uprising is not a "coup attempt," as the Maduro regime, echoed by too many people abroad, calls it. Rather, it is the latest in a series of legitimate and, for the most part, nonviolent efforts by Venezuelans, both civilian and military, to throw off an oppressive, toxic regime so that they can freely elect a legitimate government. Supporters of freedom and democracy should stand in solidarity with Mr. Guaido and the many thousands of Venezuelans now bravely asserting their rights.
The Trump administration has backed Mr. Guaido, including appropriately through the use of tough new economic sanctions aimed at pressuring the Maduro regime to cede power, or persuading the Venezuelan military to oust him itself. Possibly, Tuesday's events are a sign that Mr. Trump's policy is succeeding; or, possibly, that there is nothing left of it but desperate measures. A hopeful sign was the immediate and unequivocal backing Mr. Guaido received from six South American nations, including Venezuela's four largest neighbors: Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Peru. By working closely with these countries, and not by intervening militarily, the Trump administration may increase the chances that Mr. Lopez's declaration Tuesday "It's time to conquer freedom" proves out.
Online:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
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April 30
The New York Times on anti-Semitism and a political cartoon it recently published:
The Times published an appalling political cartoon in the opinion pages of its international print edition late last week. It portrayed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel as a dog wearing a Star of David on a collar. He was leading President Trump, drawn as a blind man wearing a skullcap.
The cartoon was chosen from a syndication service by a production editor who did not recognize its anti-Semitism. Yet however it came to be published, the appearance of such an obviously bigoted cartoon in a mainstream publication is evidence of a profound danger not only of anti-Semitism but of numbness to its creep, to the insidious way this ancient, enduring prejudice is once again working itself into public view and common conversation.
Anti-Semitic imagery is particularly dangerous now. The number of assaults against American Jews more than doubled from 2017 to 2018, rising to 39, according to a report released Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League. On Saturday, a gunman opened fire during Passover services at a synagogue in San Diego County, killing one person and injuring three, allegedly after he posted in an online manifesto that he wanted to murder Jews. For decades, most American Jews felt safe to practice their religion, but now they pass through metal detectors to enter synagogues and schools.
Jews face even greater hostility and danger in Europe, where the cartoon was created. In Britain, one of several members of Parliament who resigned from the Labour Party in February said that the party had become "institutionally anti-Semitic." In France and Belgium, Jews have been the targets of terrorist attacks by Muslim extremists. Across Europe, right-wing parties with long histories of anti-Semitic rhetoric are gaining political strength.
This is also a period of rising criticism of Israel, much of it directed at the rightward drift of its own government and some of it even questioning Israel's very foundation as a Jewish state. We have been and remain stalwart supporters of Israel, and believe that good-faith criticism should work to strengthen it over the long term by helping it stay true to its democratic values. But anti-Zionism can clearly serve as a cover for anti-Semitism and some criticism of Israel, as the cartoon demonstrated, is couched openly in anti-Semitic terms.
The responsibility for acts of hatred rests on the shoulders of the proponents and perpetrators. But history teaches that the rise of extremism requires the acquiescence of broader society.
As anti-Semitism has surged from the internet into the streets, President Trump has done too little to rouse the national conscience against it. Though he condemned the cartoon in The Times, he has failed to speak out against anti-Semitic groups like the white nationalists who marched in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017 chanting, "Jews will not replace us." He has practiced a politics of intolerance for diversity, and attacks on some minority groups threaten the safety of every minority group. The gunman who attacked the synagogue in San Diego claimed responsibility for setting a fire at a nearby mosque, and wrote that he was inspired by the deadly attack on mosques in New Zealand last month.
A particularly frightening, and also historically resonant, aspect of the rise of anti-Semitism in recent years is that it has come from both the right and left sides of the political spectrum. Both right-wing and left-wing politicians have traded in incendiary tropes, like the ideas that Jews secretly control the financial system or politicians.
The recent attacks on Jews in the United States have been carried out by men who identify as white supremacists, including the killing of 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue last year. But the A.D.L. reports that most anti-Semitic assaults, and incidents of harassment and the vandalism of Jewish community buildings and cemeteries, are not carried out by the members of extremist groups. Instead, the perpetrators are hate-filled individuals.
In the 1930s and the 1940s, The Times was largely silent as anti-Semitism rose up and bathed the world in blood. That failure still haunts this newspaper. Now, rightly, The Times has declared itself "deeply sorry" for the cartoon and called it "unacceptable." Apologies are important, but the deeper obligation of The Times is to focus on leading through unblinking journalism and the clear editorial expression of its values. Society in recent years has shown healthy signs of increased sensitivity to other forms of bigotry, yet somehow anti-Semitism can often still be dismissed as a disease gnawing only at the fringes of society. That is a dangerous mistake. As recent events have shown, it is a very mainstream problem.
As the world once again contends with this age-old enemy, it is not enough to refrain from empowering it. It is necessary to stand in opposition.
Online:
https://www.nytimes.com/
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April 29
China Daily on China's domestic agenda:
When President Xi Jinping outlined China's to-do list at the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing on Friday, many foreign listeners started taking notes.
People familiar with China's domestic agenda may marvel at the extent to which its domestic policy discourse ranging from innovation, green development and sustainability to anti-corruption and transparency has captured such a global audience.
But it is hard for foreign participants not to be grabbed by the relevance that Xi's proposals have to their respective nations, whether that be improving people's livelihoods or cultivating growth drivers. Interestingly, what sounds domestic to China sounds global to other countries, and vice versa. Because what China has been doing since the late 1970s opening its door wider to foreign investment, welcoming foreign trade, and strengthening intellectual property protection has over the years acquired increasingly more global significance.
That China has come to such a stage in its development that foreign competition is a welcome spur to its economic restructuring and industrial upgrading necessarily means it has to coordinate its inbound and outbound efforts on a single chessboard.
Many developed countries have experienced this stage. But none could boast of such a complete industrial structure and such a huge population as China. And, since starting from scratch 70 years ago, China has not sought nor will it seek development based on the enslaving or exploitation of other countries.
China's rise offers unprecedented opportunities to the world. Both the developed and developing countries can find partners in China, as well as sources of investment and technology. And the Belt and Road Initiative is a means to materialize the opportunities into concrete benefits.
Neither a sea nor big river selects the streams that flow into it. And without the water that flows from these, they will dry up, no matter how big they are, Xi said, calling on countries to remove institutional obstacles and break any cliques they may have formed.
The symbiosis of countries that Xi envisions, which is embodied by the Belt and Road Initiative, explains why the forum or the initiative, to be more precise can attract nearly 5,000 participants from over 150 countries at various development stages and 29 international organizations. And why, when Xi touched on some problems and challenges, the participants all shared similar expressions of concern.
The popularity of the initiative and how far it has progressed since the first forum two years ago, shows that the canards such as it being merely a geopolitical tool or a creator of "debt traps" have already been disposed of. For the foundation on which the Belt and Road is being built is trust. The reality is that, whether between people or countries, a promise kept is worth more than any amount of gold.
Online:
http://global.chinadaily.com.cn
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April 28
The San Diego Union-Tribune on a shooting at a California synagogue:
Saturday's horrific shooting at the Chabad of Poway on the last day of the sacred Jewish holiday of Passover for which a 19-year-old college student from Rancho Penasquitos is expected to be charged left Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, dead and Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, 57, Almog Peretz, 34, and Noya Dahan, 8, with injuries they will survive but never forget.
There could have been more victims had the gunman's assault-style rifle not apparently jammed. It was a gut-wrenching reminder to San Diegans that our community is afflicted by the same roiling hatred seen across the nation and the world, especially since the act of terror was foreshadowed by another, a failed attempt to burn down the Islamic Center of Escondido on March 24, reportedly by the synagogue gunman himself.
The heroism of Gilbert-Kaye, who took bullets seemingly intended for Goldstein, and of Goldstein, who delivered a sermon after the gunman fled despite his wounds, should be lasting memories from Saturday's tragedy. So should the immediate response of law enforcement. So should the rapid outpouring of sympathy and grief from so many of our region's churches and civic groups, and the condolences they offered to Gilbert-Kaye's family and friends.
But what happened in Poway and the killings in churches and elsewhere in Sri Lanka on Easter, at Islamic centers in New Zealand last month and at a synagogue in Pittsburgh six months ago, which reportedly inspired the gunman demand introspection.
The easy dissemination of hate through technology seems to have made irrational "fear of the other" the belief that those who look differently or who have different views and priorities are malign threats more common than ever. This is reflected in government statistics showing a surge in hate crimes, most of which are anti-Jewish, against religious and racial minorities.
Yet the gunman reportedly had no previous criminal history, and one family friend expressed shock at news of his involvement and his anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim views.
This is alarming evidence that online, the most disturbed among us have found secret echo chambers that embolden them.
So what can be done?
Poway Mayor Steve Vaus offered a powerful and appropriate sentiment on Saturday: "This is not Poway," he declared. "We always walk with our arms around each other, and we will walk through this tragedy with our arms around each other."
But as Rabbi Goldstein said Sunday: "Everyone needs to step up and do something in the face of terror." A good start is to be more determined than ever. To limit troubled individuals' access to guns. To try to understand those with different views. To appreciate how much we have in common. To show solidarity with and empathy for our neighbors. To recognize the importance of fellowship, social exchange and understanding.
The tragedy in Poway and the near-tragedy in Escondido should unite San Diegans. So far, that's just what seems to have happened. May this resolve and unity endure and may it help us overcome the hatred that fouls social media and the sunless corners of our communities.
Online:
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/
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April 26
The Orange County Register on Sen. Elizabeth Warren's student debt relief plan:
The bidding war for votes in the Democratic presidential primary escalated quickly this week with a proposal by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to wipe out student debt, courtesy of the taxpayers.
Warren's proposal, put forward not in proposed legislation but in a blog post, would cancel up to $50,000 of student debt for every American with household income under $100,000. Individuals with household incomes up to $250,000 would also get debt relief, though not quite as much. She says this will benefit 95% of the 45 million Americans who are carrying student debt.
The proposal is estimated to cost $1.25 trillion over 10 years. Warren says the money would come from a plan she previously proposed a tax on accumulations of wealth collecting 2% of $50 million or more of household net worth, and an extra 1% on $1 billion and up. Assuming nobody leaves the country over it, the tax would hit about 75,000 families and raise $2.75 trillion over 10 years.
Warren also wants to spend $100 billion expanding Pell grants to cover non-tuition expenses, and make public colleges tuition-free.
The wealth tax might raise more legal challenges than revenue. The Constitution prohibits any national "direct" tax not collected evenly from the states, based on population. The income tax was unconstitutional until the Constitution was amended in 1913. An additional tax on "wealth" that has already been taxed as income might run into trouble at the Supreme Court. But even without debating the legality of a wealth tax, the idea of canceling student debt by having taxpayers cover it is terrible.
Start with the problem of fundamental fairness student debt would be canceled for all income-eligible borrowers with outstanding loans without regard to financial need, so even people who are working and able to make regular payments would get the bailout. On the other hand, people who did not take out loans they couldn't afford to repay, and people who already repaid their loans, would be out $50,000 for making responsible financial decisions.
Then there's the problem of moral hazard: If the taxpayers pay the debts of everyone with outstanding student loans, how will that affect the decisions made by current students thinking about their choices for financing higher education? What's the message? Borrow as much as you can and wait for the debt to be canceled during the next presidential primary campaign?
The proposal certainly doesn't encourage restraint in tuition increases. Universities considering whether to raise tuition could reasonably believe there's no need to hold the line when the new policy is to step in and generously pay off old student loans with somebody else's money.
It's also troubling to hear a sitting United States senator so casually proposing the confiscation of some people's property so it can be given to other people. Warren has also put forward a proposal for a "Real Corporate Tax" that would collect $1 trillion over 10 years as well as an increase in the estate tax.
Student debt weighs on millions of Americans and on the economy more broadly as people find it more difficult to obtain credit or make major purchases. Serious proposals for new repayment plans and eventual debt forgiveness deserve consideration and debate in this presidential race.
But Warren's plan doesn't.
Online:
https://www.ocregister.com/
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A middle school teacher-turned-Antifa leader was among the four people arrested after opposing political groups clashed Tuesday inside a so-called empathy tent at the University of California, Berkeley.
Yvonne Felarca, a 47-year-old teacher at Berkeleys Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, was charged with battery and resisting arrest after a scuffle broke out at rally held in response to student organizers canceling a planned Free Speech Week that would have featured right-wing firebrand Milo Yiannopoulous.
Three men were also arrested on charges including possession of body armor, carrying a banned weapon and participating in a riot.
The protest was led by Joey Gibson, leader of a group called Patriot Prayer.
The empathy tent was reportedly in place to offer protesters a calm place to unwind amid the chaos around them. But the tent ultimately offered little respite and nearly toppled during clashes between conservative students and leftist activists, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Its tough, but we do what we can to foster dialogue, said Edwin Fulch, who reportedly used the tent for talks about the virtues of meditation and the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Felarca, who has been identified as the leader of the Antifa group By All Means Necessary, is also facing separate charges related to participating in a violent melee with white supremacists in Sacramento last year.
She was arrested in July and charged with inciting and participating in a riot and assault likely to cause great bodily injury.
Ahead of Tuesdays event, Gibson posted a video on Facebook saying he wanted to bring attention to disgusting things happening at Berkeley, the birthplace of Americas free speech movement.
Berkeley's reputation as a liberal bastion has made it a flashpoint for the country's political divisions since the election of President Trump.
Four protests have turned violent on campus and in the surrounding streets in recent months, prompting authorities to tighten security as they struggle to balance free speech rights with preventing violence.
David Marquis, who identified himself as a senior at the school, said he was tired of the protests on campus. Marquis was outside the protest area and described the scene.
If you look at them, its ridiculous, Marquis told the Los Angeles Times. Youve got a guy with purple hair with a f---ing lightsaber talking about Hitler. Its hard for me to take any of this seriously.
Fox News' Lucia Suarez and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Much cooler air will settle over the midwestern and northeastern United States this weekend, prior to another warmup during the first half of October.
While a major change in the weather pattern is underway, more seasonable, autumn conditions are not likely to lock in just yet.
Spanning the rest of the week, from west to east across the North Central and Northeast states, temperatures will be slashed by 15-30 degrees Fahrenheit from their peak this week.
Highs in the 80s and 90s are being replaced with highs in the 50s, 60s and 70s. People who mind the chilly air will be reaching for jackets, sweaters and sweatshirts.
This transformation began over the central and northern Plains to the western Great Lakes on Wednesday. The cool air will spread over the Appalachians and much of the Atlantic coast on Thursday and Friday.
As the chilly air passes over the warm waters of the Great Lakes, lake-effect clouds and showers will erupt in some locations on Friday, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Joe Lundberg.
"There may even be waterspouts spawned over lakes Michigan, Erie, Huron and Ontario," Lundberg said.
The combination of the dry, cool air, dry ground will allow temperatures to plummet at night. Where skies become clear and winds diminish, temperatures will dip to frosty levels over the Upper Midwest beginning Friday night and then the interior Northeast on Saturday night.
A second frosty night is likely Saturday night in the Upper Midwest and Sunday night in the Northeast.
The traditional cold spots will dip into the upper 20s around daybreak.
Around the immediate shores of the Great Lakes and along the Interstate 95 corridor of the Northeast, warm waters will prevent a frost.
Don't put away all of your shorts and short-sleeved attire just yet. The sudden change to crisp autumn air will not be a sign of what is to come through all of October.
The cool spell will be fleeting, according to AccuWeather Long-Range Meteorologist Max Vido.
"Abnormal warmth will return in much of the Central and Eastern states," Vido said.
The greatest temperature departures from average may be over the central Plains to the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley.
"Starting Monday, places in the Midwest may experience over a week of temperatures 8-15 degrees above normal," Vido said.
While the warmth may not be as extreme as that of late September, highs in many areas are likely to be well into the 70s and perhaps as high as the middle 80s.
As next week progresses, unseasonable warmth will spread into the Ohio Valley and Northeast as well.
Some record highs may be challenged, since average temperatures trend downward at a swift pace during October.
"It may not be until the middle of the month when cooler air makes a significant push into the lower 48," Vido said.
In addition to the warmth, very little to no rain is likely from the northern and central Plains to the East through at least much of the first half of October.
People are urged to use caution with campfires, burning cigarette butts and outdoor power equipment, especially where leaves have begun to fall. Never park a vehicle over dry brush as the hot exhaust system can start a fire.
Maria weakened to a tropical storm by Thursday morning as it continues to move away from the U.S. east coast.
Maria had been briefly downgraded to a tropical storm earlier this week before it regained strength and became a Category 1 storm on Wednesday. Forecasters do not expect much of a change in Maria's strength over the next few days, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm made landfall in Puerto Rico last week as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, destroying hundreds of homes and knocking out power to the entire U.S. territory of 3.4 million people. The storm's center passed near the U.S. Virgin Island of Saint Croix.
Here's what you should know about Marias path.
Where is Maria today?
Maria is approximately 275 miles east-northeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and 470 miles northwest of Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m. ET advisory Thursday.
HURRICANE WARNING VS. WATCH: HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
The storm is traveling east-northeast at 8 mph with maximum sustained winds of about 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
What else should I know about the storm?
There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect. All storm surge warnings have also been discontinued as of Thursday.
North Carolina previously issued a mandatory evacuation for visitors to much of the Outer Banks. Officials said Thursday that they hope to lift the evacuation order on two islands in the Outer Banks soon.
Maria already ravaged the Caribbean nation of Dominica, leaving widespread devastation, according to Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
WHAT IS THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE?
"So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace," Skerrit said.
The confirmed toll from Maria jumped to at least 49 on Monday, including 16 dead in Puerto Rico. No injuries have been reported on the U.S. mainland from Maria after it lashed the Outer Banks with strong waves and rising waters.
When Maria hit Puerto Rico, it was the third-strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S., based on its central pressure. It was even stronger than Irma when it hit the Florida Keys.
Saint Croix, largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma just weeks ago, this time experienced five hours of hurricane force winds, U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp said.
Residents in Saint Croix told Fox News that the storm left them without power and turned roads into mudslides. Barges were also destroyed in the storm, residents said, causing concern not only for Saint Croix, but for nearby Saint Thomas and Saint John, which had been receiving aid from the larger of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Fox News' Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Zoe Szathmary and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Modern, planned development hasn't always appealed to the independent spirits living in the Florida Keys. Hurricane Irma may force the laid-back islands' landscape to change.
Mobile homes and recreational vehicles have long served as affordable housing in the island chain. But those structures didn't survive Irma's 130 mph winds and storm surge.
The losses hit people crucial to Keys tourism: service industry and blue collar workers priced out of expensive Key West homes or newer structures meeting Florida's stringent building codes.
There's already talk about replacing the 7,500 trailers and RVs lost to Irma with more permanent types of housing.
That worries U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. The Florida Republican said on the Senate floor last week that recovery from Irma threatens to "fundamentally alter the character" of the Keys.
A Massachusetts man accused of murdering the worlds best mother has now been suspected of buying drugs after the murder while his 1-year-old daughter was in the car.
Andrew MacCormack, 29, was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder in the death of his wife, Vanessa, a 30-year-old second-grade teacher. She was found dead Saturday after suffering blunt force trauma to the head and stab wounds to the neck. She also had been strangled and had her teeth knocked out.
Prosecutors argued in court Wednesday that after Andrew viciously murdered Vanessa, he left their home in Revere to buy drugs, with his daughter in the car.
Andrew allegedly drove to a friends home, left when his daughter reported to be in the home during the murder needed to be changed and at some time drove to East Boston and bought $100 worth of cocaine from a drug dealer, according to the Boston Herald.
Law enforcement reportedly confirmed from an identified drug dealer that Andrew was an avid cocaine buyer, spending hundreds of dollars on it per week.
Additionally, Andrew apparently went to great lengths to cover up his wifes death.
The place smelled of bleach, the prosecutor reportedly said of the MacCormacks home. The bedroom had been cleaned but the efforts had not removed all of the blood in the room.
The bathroom of the home was excessively clean to the point that the only footprint found was from a police officer examining the scene, the Herald reported.
Prosecutors debated that there may have been ongoing marital problems between the couple, and Vanessa reportedly suggested she would possibly file for divorce.
HUSBAND CHARGED WITH MURDERING TEACHER, 30, DUBBED 'WORLD'S BEST MOTHER'
After police arrived at the MacCormacks home Saturday after receiving a call from Vanessa's mother, Andrew said he walked into his house and found Vanessa dead, with a garbage bag over her head that he removed, which the prosecution alleged had been put on her head, apparently in an effort to catch the blood.
Andrew told authorities he checked his wifes neck for a pulse, told his mother-in-law to call 911, and ran outside with his daughter and called 911 himself.
Vanessas sister described her as the worlds best mother, adding, She did everything for her daughter and had so many plans for her.
Andrew cried in court Wednesday, the Boston Herald reported, and, according to his lawyer, Andrew has been crying since his arrest. He had denied any wrongdoing.
He is expected to appear in court next on Oct. 17.
A high school teacher in Texas, arrested Thursday for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student, reportedly let the victim touch her breasts behind a restaurant.
According to a police affidavit, Sara DSpain, 38, a married mother with two children, admitted to police that she met the victim on Sept. 10 behind a Culvers restaurant, where the two reportedly kissed and the student touched her breasts over her clothing, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
She also reportedly told police that she spoke with the student through the social media app Snapchat and sent him pictures, although due to the quality of the photos, its unclear to police what they were of.
ARKANSAS HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER, 25, SLEPT WITH 4 TEEN BOY STUDENTS, 2 IN SAME NIGHT, COPS SAY
A separate student was allegedly sent a photo of D'Spain in a bra, the NY Daily News reported.
According to the affadavit, DSpain reportedly claimed that she had only sent the picture to a former student who no longer attended the school and she still kept in touch with.
A police officer then asked her if she had any personal contact with current students at the school, in which she admitted her present relationship, Express-News reported. The student in question reportedly confirmed the relationship to police.
D'Spain was arrested on Thursday and charged with having an improper relationship with a student. She was released after posting a $35,000 bond.
WIFE OF EX HS FOOTBALL COACH PLEADS GUILTY TO SEX WITH PLAYER
After the accusations came to light, school officials reportedly placed the teacher on indefinite administrative leave.
These allegations are of behaviors that will not be tolerated in our school district and that are not indicative of our faculty and staff, Superintendent Mark J. Foust said.
Kerrville police said DSpain was one of two teachers under investigation at the school, who were accused of having inappropriate relations with a student, the Express-News reported. The second investigation is reportedly still ongoing and that teacher was also placed on indefinite administrative leave.
Between 2016 and 2017, the Texas Education Agency reportedly opened at least 300 investigations into possible sexual relationships between educators and students, Express-News reported, the most in at least seven years.
A Missouri man was charged on Tuesday with beating his daughters kitten to death while he was extremely intoxicated, police said.
Levi Lyda, 33, was charged with felony animal abuse, an upgraded charge since he was accused of the kittens death last month, FOX2 reported. Lyda allegedly told investigators he killed the kitten when he was drunk and did it to relieve his family of the burden of taking care of it.
Our evidence indicates Mr. Lyda tortured or mutilated the animal while it was still alive, St. Charles County Prosecutor Time Lohmar told FOX2.
Lydas ex-wife discovered the gruesome murder when she found drops of blood inside her home. The kittens lifeless body was laying in the backyard. Her ex-husband allegedly said, I got rid of the cat.
Lyda told investigators he drank a six-pack of beer and half a bottle of vodka before the incident. He added he couldnt remember if he killed the kitten because he was extremely intoxicated.
It appears the animal had broken bones, had a broken leg. There are pretty clear indications of blunt force trauma to the head, Lohmar said.
Lyda faces two to four years in prison if convicted. His bail was set at $50,000 cash.
A deaf man serving a life sentence in Florida for a murder that his advocates say he didn't commit won't be released any time soon.
Florida's parole commission voted unanimously Wednesday to keep Felix Garcia's earliest potential release date for 2025 in the 1981 Tampa slaying of Joseph Tramontana Jr.
Pat Bliss has fought to free Garcia for 22 years. Bliss and Garcia's attorney told the commission that Garcia was innocent and had been framed by his brother.
Three of Tramontana's sisters told the board that Garcia was a cold-blooded killer and should not be released.
Commissioner Richard Davison said there was no question that Garcia was guilty.
The parole commission will review Garcia's case again in three years.
The long-unsolved murder of a Yale senior suddenly has received new attention almost two decades later, as law-enforcement officials in Connecticut plan on asking for the help of a hypnotist to uncover new leads in the young woman's death.
News of the hiring by an assistant states attorney and investigators on the case of the murder of 21-year-old Suzanne Jovin first surfaced in a Freedom of Information hearing, according to The Hartford Courant.
Jovin was a senior at the Ivy League institution in 1998 when she was found stabbed 17 times in the back of her head and neck on a road two miles from campus.
Jovin's body turned up on the night of December 4, 1998, by a doctor who was taking an evening stroll who heard her screams and ran toward her to help. She was stabbed so hard that the tip of the knife had been found embedded in her skull. The killer was never found.
In recent court testimony, Assistant States Attorney Marcia Pillsbury confirmed that she had been working on the case and that there may be a resolution on the horizon.
Sources familiar with the case told The Courant that investigators have taken several steps including resubmitting Jovins clothing to the state forensic laboratory for new DNA testing, bringing the FBI on board for assistance and traveling across the country to reinterview witnesses and classmates who were not previously questioned.
Standing out most is that investigators are hiring a hypnotist to interview a key witness who saw Jovin walking only minutes before she was murdered.
Jovin last was seen that night walking out of the Phelps Gate on the Yale campus after dropping off keys for a van she had borrowed. About 10 minutes later, witnesses said they had heard a couple arguing in front of an apartment building on Whitney Avenue, but it was not clear whether Jovin was involved. A witness also reported that he heard more arguing and screams at the intersection where the victim was found.
Pillsbury testified for over an hour but refused to provide more relevant details.
Click here for more from the Hartford Courant.
Women believe they have the right to lie, cheat, deceive, sabotage, to empower themselves in the workplace because they will always see themselves as having never enough to make them happy at work, much like the average marriage. Everybody having or being shown equality is foreign to her.
That comment was posted over the summer by a user on an online forum run by MGTOW, a radical fringe of the mens rights movement that stands for Men Going Their Own Way, and sums up how some men feel about a work environment that they say has become obsessed with gender parity and too quick to call out perceived sexual harassment by men against women.
While MGTOW is an extreme version of the mens rights movement its most ardent adherents avoid marriage, swear off having children and limit their contact with women as much as possible the sentiments expressed on Reddit message boards, online forums, across social media channels and throughout the so-called manosphere show that an increasing number of men feel targeted at work.
A growing population of men will refuse to subscribe to the utter nonsense perpetuated in the culture, the media, magazines, on television, or in society at large, the MGTOW website states. They are passionately curious, will question everything, and are fundamental seekers of the truth -- no matter how painful the truth may be. They are the men who will choose and prefer to go their own way, independent of what we are subjected to on a daily basis.
One job sector where mens rights advocates have become more vocal is the tech world, which has for years been seen as a boys club that has only recently and in some cases grudgingly -- accepted women into the fold. The conversations over workplace parity have taken on a new urgency amid a slew of high-profile sexual harassment and discrimination scandals that have rocked companies from Social Finance to Uber.
Many male tech workers who identify as mens rights activists, or MRAs, say they have felt like there is a witch hunt going on and male employers feel like theres a gun to the head to be better about gender issues, Rebecca Lynn, a venture capitalist at Canvas Ventures, told the New York Times.
Despite the growing anger among MRAs, many have been hesitant to speak up publicly about their sense of being demeaned as morally inferior to women and disenfranchised when it comes to accusations of sexual abuse or harassment.
At least that was until James Damore came along.
Damore, a 28-year-old engineer who had until last month worked for Google, grew so frustrated with the tech giants diversity training seminars that he penned a 10-page memo on an internal company message board that argued women were not equally represented in the tech world because they were biologically less capable of engineering. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that Damore was fired for violating the companys code of conduct and crossing a line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes
Damore recently filed a complaint with the National Labor Review Board and is considering legal action, including a class-action lawsuit. On the reverse side, three female former Google employees filed a lawsuit against the company, arguing women earned less than men in nearly every job classification.
The firing of Damore, instead of silencing MRAs in Silicon Valley, appeared to galvanize the movement.
The founder of start-up incubator Y Combinator, Paul Graham, posted two articles (here and here) arguing the science behind Damores memo, and start-up investor John Durant wrote that Charles Darwin himself would be fired from Google for his views on the sexes. Investor Eric Weinstein, tweeted, Dear @Google, Stop teaching my girl that her path to financial freedom lies not in coding but in complaining to HR.
The increasing vocalization of sentiments like those espoused by Damore worry many pushing for more diversity within the industry.
LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman recently asked investors to sign a decency pledge and many other tech heavyweights are admitting that they could improve diversity within their ranks, but there is still concern about how far this movement will go.
"This year, Silicon Valley technology companies have been receiving some very good criticism on fairness and decency on gender," Hoffman wrote. "This criticism is important. I welcome it. We should all welcome it, and of course, remedy it. One unfortunate side effect is that people think that many Silicon Valley technology companies have gender-hostile environments."
An 18-year-old student accused of stabbing his classmate to death Wednesday at a New York City school has been charged with a series of offenses, including murder.
The attack at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx left 15-year-old Matthew McCree dead and Ariane LaBoy, 16, in critical condition, police told the New York Post.
Student Abel Cedeno, 18, was charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, attempted manslaughter, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
Cedeno snapped after repeatedly being bullied over his personality, according to a friend and former student.
They were harassing him and thats when he did what he did, a friend who would only identify herself as Tanaisha B. told the newspaper.
Tanaisha said she had graduated from the school in June and knew Cedeno "really well."
Police said that McCree tossed his pencil at Cedeno when he got up to leave the room, the New York Daily News reported. The pencil missed Cedeno, but it set off the confrontation between the two.
We believe this argument has been going on for about two weeks into the school year and it escalated, said NYPD Police Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. A fight erupted today after some back and forth.
I heard he was being harassed, Tanaisha said. Hes not aggressive. Everybody loves Abel. Hes not a bad kid.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said "all our hearts are heavy right now" during an appearance at the precinct.
"My heart goes out to the families who have been affected by this tragedy," he said, according to AM New York. "Its unacceptable to ever lose a child to violence in a school building."
De Blasio said the city would double down on efforts to keep kids safe in school. Parents rushed to the Bronx facility after the attack to check on their kids.
Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation serves grades 6-12, and is co-located with elementary school PS 67. The school -- which doesn't have metal detectors -- performs below average in state exams, according to the New York Post.
I dont even know what to say to these kids, Dejohn Jones, the president of a parent association at a nearby school who came to console students, told AM New York.
Police in West Melbourne arrested a man after he texted an on-duty police officer by mistake, allegedly to set up a drug deal.
Veteran police officer Harvey Whitney said he received a text from an unknown number asking him if he wanted to buy "bud," or marijuana.
"'Is this a joke?' was my first actual thought," said Officer Whitney.
He says he later learned it was real text from a man later identified as 20-year-old Hasan Burke. Palm Bay Police took Burke into custody when he showed up at a designated meeting spot, as he was walking a dog on Cutlass Street in Palm Bay.
Police say they found 16 grams of marijuana in Burke's pocket. Officer Whitney says he told the suspect he texted the wrong number.
"You could see by his own body language and his expression that he was like 'Wow, I just did this!'" said Whitney.
Burke is charged him with drug possession with intent to sell, a felony in Florida.
The Yonkers cop who was shot in the face during an armed ambush Monday left the hospital to the cheers of fellow officers as it emerged Tuesday that the teen who blasted her was free thanks to a Bronx judges leniency.
Kayla Maher, 26, a two-year veteran, rose from her wheelchair at the exit of Jacobi Medical Center at 4 p.m. and hugged several of her colleagues, including some who had been with her during the shootout Monday.
Maher whose mom, Susan Barry, is a retired NYPD officer wore a New York Yankees shirt and a small white bandage on her chin, where she was struck by a bullet cops say was fired by 18-year-old Frank Valencia of New Rochelle.
Valencia was hit in the ensuing gunbattle with cops and was left in critical condition at a local hospital.
Maher is expected to make a full recovery.
She is gutsy and you can see it, and she is certainly what we have come to expect from our department, said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano.
Meanwhile, new disturbing details emerged about a court decision that allowed Valencia to remain free despite being caught with a large cache of weapons earlier this year.
According to the Bronx district attorney, Valencia had been released by a judge a week earlier in a case involving his possession of a semi-automatic handgun, 300 rounds of ammunitions plus a machete and a set of brass knuckles.
Cops found the weapons on him when they stopped him on May 31 outside a White Castle on Fordham Road in The Bronx.
Because he was 17 at the time, Judge George Villegas of Bronx Supreme Court gave him a sweet deal at his Sept. 20 sentencing, in which he received only probation and youthful-offender status.
We objected to the plea being offered, because we would never have offered a non-jail deal in this case, said Bronx DA spokesperson Patrice OShaughnessy.
Valencia had a .40-caliber Glock in his hand Monday when Yonkers cops responded to a call that he and a buddy were in a car blasting music near the corner of Rumsey Road and Park Hill Avenue in Yonkers, according to police.
Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner said Valencia opened fire with no warning at point blank range.
The bravery and courage shown by our officers last night was nothing short of heroic, he said. Im very, very proud of you.
A Texas mother charged in her daughters death reportedly told police she didnt call 911 when her daughter was injured because her phone was low on minutes.
Jessica Briones, 34, was arrested on suspicion of causing injuries to a child, San Antonio Express-News reported on Tuesday.
She brought her 4-year-old daughter to the San Antonio police substation on Sept. 5 with severe head trauma. Briones later admitted she didnt call 911 because she couldnt find her phone and she was allegedly low on minutes," according to the paper.
The girl died a day later in the hospital.
Briones told police her daughter began vomiting the morning before she was brought to the substation. At first glance the girl appeared to be suffering from arm, face and head injuries, but doctors discovered there were much more damage done to her.
Doctors revealed the girl also had a swollen nose, eight scars on the back of her head, a black eye, deflated left lung, a fractured vertebrae, a swollen wrist and two swollen arms, a bruised ankle and detached tissue in her upper lip from her gums, the paper said.
Briones allegedly said she accidentally slammed the girls arm into the door. She couldnt explain why her daughter had a severe head injury, but said her head hit the floor about four days before she died.
Doctors also said the girl had multiple brain bleeds and severe brain swelling that showed she was possibly struck on the head, according to an affidavit.
An autopsy is being conducted to determine the girls cause of death.
Briones faces up to 99 years in prison if convicted, though charges could be upgraded pending autopsy results.
Puerto Rico is battling potentially catastrophic humanitarian, agricultural and economic crises as the island reels from its worst hurricane impact in nearly a century.
Several Puerto Rican officials tweeted about the state of despair facing their constituents, who will likely deal with Maria's devastating impacts for months.
Gov. Ricardo A. Rossello has called for additional assistance from the United States government as Puerto Ricos 3.5 million residents cope with loss of power, drinkable water and fuel.
Bayamon Mayor Ramon Luis Rivera called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to accelerate the process so that aid can flow to the government and municipalities in need.
With millions still without power, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulia Cruz told ABC News that people are gasping for air in the brutal heat.
"What's out there is total devastation, total annihilation," Cruz said.
I personally have taken people out and put them in ambulances because their generator has run out, she said.
As many still struggle to contact loved ones on and off the island, power has been restored to Centro Medico Hospital in San Juan and San Pablo Hospital in Bayamon, according to FEMA.
However, Puerto Rico's severely damaged electrical grid may be beyond repair and could require rebuilding, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
President Donald Trump addressed the situation on Tuesday and announced a planned visit to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands next week.
Both have been absolutely devastated by Hurricane Maria, and were doing everything in our power to help the hard-hit people, Trump said.
Gov. Rossello thanked Trump on Twitter for his leadership, quick response and commitment to our people.
The president also authorized an increase in federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures in Puerto Rico.
As search and rescue operations continue, FEMA said over 500 people have been saved or assisted.
More than 4 million meals, 6 million liters of water, 70,000 tarps and 15,000 rolls of roof sheeting have been distributed to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. An additional 7 million meals and 4 million liters of water were en route as of Tuesday.
Economic impacts
The dire situation is a severe blow to Puerto Rico's already fragile economy. AccuWeather estimates that the havoc Maria has wreaked on the island totals up to at least $10 billion in damage, reducing its $101.3 billion gross domestic product (GDP) by 10 percent.
This would be the equivalent of the United States GDP dropping from $19 trillion to $17 trillion or a drop nearly twice as great as the contraction of the U.S. economy due to the meltdown in 2007-2008, said AccuWeather Founder, President and Chairman Dr. Joel N. Myers.
Puerto Ricos tourism industry, which made up 6 percent of its GDP in 2016, will suffer significantly as many Caribbean cruise ports remain closed. The Port of San Juan is the Caribbean's largest and busiest cruise port.
They were in a 10-year recession, $70 billion in government debt and now you have these things destroy the tourism industry, said Bill Kirk, chief executive officer of Weather Trends International.
A number of cruise lines have canceled sailings to and from Puerto Rico through at least the end of September.
Puerto Ricos billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry is also threatened. Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing were the islands largest exports in 2016, comprising 72.4 percent of total exports, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
Theres no power, so theres no way for these huge facilities to make medical devices, said Kirk. People dont realize that it was a huge part of Puerto Ricos economy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to take action against critical shortages of life-saving and life-sustaining medications manufactured in Puerto Rico.
Agricultural impacts
Agriculture makes up 0.8 percent of Puerto Ricos GDP, and with only 6 percent of the land being suitable for crop growth, the islands agricultural sector is vulnerable to impacts from land-falling hurricanes.
Maria decimated about 80 percent, or $780 million, of Puerto Ricos crop value, delivering one of the costliest blows the islands agricultural industry has ever experienced, according to Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture Secretary Carlos Flores Ortega.
Thats going to have both a direct food supply hit and a financial hit that will be noticed in the short, medium and long term, said Dr. Eric Stern, professor at the University of Albanys College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cyber-Security.
One farmer told the New York Times that Maria knocked down each of his 14,000 plantain trees and destroyed his other crops.
"There will be no food in Puerto Rico, Jose Rivera said. There is no more agriculture in Puerto Rico and there wont be any for a year or longer.
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A U.S. Military Academy graduate and Army infantry officer has been condemned after posing with a sign reading Communism will win and posting pro-Colin Kaepernick messages on social media.
The messages and images posted by Second Lt. Spenser Rapone have rocked the military community, prompting officers to open an investigation.
Alumni of West Point shared a photo on Twitter showing Rapone at a gathering wearing a Che Guevara shirt underneath his military uniform.
In another photo, he is seen making a fist with one hand as he holds a cap with a sign inside that reads Communism will win. Rapone tweeted the photo Sunday and captioned it with #VeteransForKaepernick, in a bid to show solidarity with the NFLs national anthem protests.
Army officials condemned Rapone and said an investigation was opened Tuesday after his pro-Kaepernick and pro-communist photo drew social media attention, the New York Post reported.
The U.S. Military Academy strives to develop leaders who internalize the academys motto of Duty, Honor, Country, and who live the Army values. Second Lieutenant Rapones actions in no way reflect the values of the U.S. Military Academy or the U.S. Army, an Army statement reads.
Rapone apparently embraced the outrage, sharing the photo of himself wearing a Che Guevara shirt and writing, In case there was any lingering doubt, hasta la victoria siempre. The words, known as a Guevara slogan, translate to "Until victory, always!"
Ernesto "Che" Guevara, born in Argentina in 1928, became a key figure in Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution in 1959. Guevara died in Bolivia in 1967 at age 39.
Rapones communist sympathies are no secret, the Post reported. He once posted photos of himself with Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto and a photo of One World Trade Center with him holding a communist red star on the top.
The soldier also admitted being a card-carrying member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
A veterans subgroup of the DSA threw its support behind Rapone following the controversy, tweeting: Let there be no doubt that we have unequivocal solidarity with and pride in Spenser. Hes an exceptional soldier.
The group also released a statement claiming it encouraged him "to take whatever steps he sees necessary to express his political beliefs and continue to organize towards a socialist future.
For almost 17 years, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner and her legal team of 10 at the nongovernmental organization Shurat HaDin, known as the Israel Law Center in Tel Aviv, have managed to achieve the seemingly inconceivable: successfully sue and successfully collect hundreds of millions of dollars from terrorist groups and governments on behalf of victims families.
We have sued groups such as ISIS, Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority and have worked on cases involving the Japanese Red Army and the Kurdish PKK, Darshan-Leitner told Fox News. We have received judgments against North Korea several times and we have many judgments against Iran and Syria for their involvement in international terrorism. If they are not held accountable, they become further emboldened. And for the victims, it is a little closure and justice.
Ultimately, the powerhouse lawyer digs deep to find as many legal loopholes as possible.
We try to focus on entities and individuals and rogue regimes that provide it material support and resources. Even then it is very hard to nail down. ISIS moves funds through Islamic Halawa money transfers. These are informal networks of money changers who will move sums internationally between branches in neighborhoods of Islamic countries, for a small percentage, Darshan-Leitner explained. This dark banking system, which is not plugged into the official international banking system can move funds around virtually undetected. It is a relentless struggle, but we are confident that if we continue to pursue groups like ISIS we can learn a lot about their finances and partners.
While going precisely after ISIS is a near-impossible feat given the covert nature of its operatives in Iraq, Syria and scattered through western countries, Leitner instead goes after the individuals and businesses who directly or indirectly fund them from banks to oil exporters to charities and most recently, social media conglomerates.
As such, the firms focus has been to go after those individuals and businesses located in Western states that aid and abet the black-clad jihadist army in violation of international antiterrorism laws, which includes social media platforms.
YouTube provides ISIS with the ability to post its videos and disseminate its messages, and Twitter provides the terror group services, Darshan-Leitner contended. Western law enforcement agencies have already determined that several of the deadly ISIS attacks in Europe were perpetuated by terrorists who organized via their social media accounts. Where would ISIS be today if they werent able to post beheading videos and recruitment propaganda? How would teens know how to contact them or travel to Syria to join them?
Darshan-Leitner has to-date filed suits against Facebook, Google the owner of YouTube and Twitter on behalf of ISIS and Hamas victims. The cases, initially filed in New York courts, largely have been moved to California at the request of the mostly Palo Alto-based enterprises.
The social media companies are liable as they violated U.S. law in providing material support and resources, she said. Clearly, these companies with their sophisticated technology and logarithms which allow them to know everything about their users likes and dislikes, have the capabilities to identify and block the terror groups and block the calls to violence.
AS NORTH KOREA THREATENS ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE ATTACK, QUESTIONS OVER LAPSES IN U.S. GRID SECURITY RISE
And when it comes to suing governments, Darshan-Leitner has had scores of judgments against the regimes of Iran and Syria for their involvement in international terrorism and support of groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas in legal standing of Americans killed or wounded in the Middle East.
Iran and Syria continue to be the largest state sponsors of international terrorism. They provide the finances, training, weapons, safe houses and ideology, she claimed. We are very persistent in continuing to file suits against them and we try to locate Iranian and Syrian assets that we can try to seize to enforce our judgments. It is a war of attrition, and we will continue to pursue these outlaw regimes on behalf of the terror victims and their families.
On that note, Darshan-Leitner is now deep in a $67 million judgment against U.S.-based Boeing, representing the American Leibovitch family who lost their seven-year-old child to a 2003 Iran-connected terror attack over the flight giants contentious deal with Tehran. Following the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action commonly called the Iran Deal the previously pariah nation entered into an agreement with Boeing to purchase some $20 billion in aircraft.
IRANIAN EX-PATS RALLY WHILE ROUHANI RAILS
Darshan-Leitner wants all the information on how and where the money is going to be exposed, but Boeing has asserted that disclosing the details of the transaction would be an obstruction of a U.S. foreign policy and has fought resolutely to keep the details secret.
Earlier this month, a Chicago federal court ordered the Trump administration to file a statement by October 12 notifying the court if the government concurs that unveiling the details of the Boeing deal will interfere with Iranian-U.S. foreign policy. Boeing declined to comment further on the matter.
Given that Iran and Syria are the only official state sponsors of terror listed in the United States, along with Sudan, suits against them can be filed in American courts. But with other regimes such as North Korea, the process is more complicated and must be filed outside the U.S given that the hermit country was quietly removed from the list in 2008, granting them sovereign immunity and thus they cannot be sued by U.S citizens.
ISIS STILL STEALING, SPILLING AND SMUGGLING OIL THROUGHOUT IRAQ
Prior to that, Darshan-Leitner successfully represented American citizens in three historic multimillion dollar verdicts against the regime in Pyongyang. She won a monumental $30 million judgment on behalf of the family of Kim Dong-shik, a U.S. resident and Christian missionary kidnapped in 2000 and murdered in North Korea by the regime. In 2006, she won a case for Hezbollah rocket attack victims after a U.S. federal court determined that North Korea was liable for providing support to Hezbollah, along with a case in a San Juan Puerto Rico court involving the 1972 Lod Airport attack in which a court ruled North Korea trained and funded terrorists.
We continue to look for elusive North Korean assets. They conduct little trade and commerce and so going after their assets in order to enforce our judgments is difficult, so we are trying to be very diligent in our efforts to locate those who are illegally trading with North Korea or providing it an type of services or goods that can be seized, the attorney continued, adding that North Korea ought to be placed once again as a state sponsor of terror so that other victims families, such as Otto Warmbiers parents, can target them directly.
Darshan-Leitner, who was born and raised in Israel in a time when one could not even walk the streets for fear of an attack, said that she could not sit idly and sees it as her lifelong mission to bring terrorists and their backers to justice.
We see our efforts, utilizing lawsuits and court systems to counter the terrorists as an important part of the effort to obstruct. Western governments are shackled by treaties, domestic restraints and political correctness and have trouble doing what needs to be done to target and destroy terror groups, she added. We are private attorneys representing private terror victims. Once a group like ISIS crosses the line of all civilized behavior, they have to be battled until they are destroyed. Or they will return and come back at us.
A married mother who set up a fake Facebook profile to seemingly entice a teenage boy into meeting her with her was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison.
Marie Dent, 44, a mother of two, from the United Kingdom, posed as a teenage girl on her fake social media account to contact a 15-year-old boy, the BBC reported.
Dent described as a predator by law enforcement and the teenager later engaged in sexual activity in the boys bedroom.
The woman, who reportedly took the teen on a beach date, went on to buy the boys mother chocolates ahead of meeting her and hid her hair over her face during the encounter, according to The Sun.
NEW JERSEY POLICE DETECTIVE FATHERS CHILD WITH 15-YEAR-OLD, IS CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT OF MINOR
Dent and the teen boy reportedly met once in November 2016, and again in December, both times claiming she was also 15. Dent was arrested two days later after the teens family contacted authorities.
The boy and Dent allegedly argued about her age when they had met in late 2016, but the teen stated he wasnt pressured into sexual activity with the woman although he did not initiate the activity.
Dents defense argued in court that Dents behavior was prompted by emotional needs and not sexual gratification, after suffering abuse throughout her life.
In August, Dent admitted to three charges of sexual activity and pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images, The Sun reported. Dent was sentenced to three years in prison and has been placed on a sex offender registry.
As the deadline looms for the State Department and USAID to provide portions of more than $1 billion in aid to the religious minorities targeted for genocide by ISIS in Iraq, the children of Christian and Yazidi refugees are pleading directly to President Trump to take action.
A series of photos provided exclusively to Fox News show the young refugees at camps in Mt. Sinjar and Dohuk holding up makeshift signs saying, God Bless USA and Dont forget us President Trump, to put a human face on their longstanding plight in Northern Iraq.
I think it will strike the conscience to see the real faces of innocent children who need to be rescued, Nina Shea, an international human rights lawyer, and Director of the Hudson Institutes Center for Religious Freedom, said to Fox News. When images of the Yazidis fleeing Mt. Sinjar were made public, it galvanized the previous administration to go back with troops, food drops and other aid after our military had already pulled out of Iraq.
We saw something similar with President Trumps actions after the chemical attacks in Syria.
It was over a year ago when then-Secretary of State John Kerry publicly declared in March 2016 that ISIS was responsible for genocide against the religious minorities of northern Iraq. A total of $1.3 billion was eventually earmarked for humanitarian aid under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, but many of Iraqs Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities have yet to see a dime. The Consolidated Appropriations Act will expire this week at the end of the fiscal year.
Catholic and Christian Churches submitted a request on September 15 to USAID for the immediate release of $22 million of the $1.3 billion allocated for immediate relief.
Shea tells Fox News that the funds have not been released due to what USAID officials have referred to as a religion blind policy in which they claim the U.S. cannot release money to religious groups despite the statutory mandate to assist these communities. The deadline comes as an exception was made for the Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar, which received $32 million in aid.
I think it will strike the conscience to see the real faces of innocent children who need to be rescued... Nina Shea, international human rights lawyer
It is always good when people who are in danger are helped. But why is there a terrible disparity between our governments treatment of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma and the absolute lack of help for Christians in Iraq whom Secretary Tillerson declared last month to be victims of genocide, she said in a statement to Fox News. The principles at stake are enormous. In Iraq, we should be helping people that are victims of genocide. But our government is not. We should be caring for all religious minorities. But our government is not. We should be concerned about religious freedom. But our government is not.
Officials for USAID tell Fox News that any assertion that the United States is not providing support to vulnerable communities in Iraq is false.
"Since FY 2014, the U.S. government has provided nearly $1.7 billion to address the humanitarian needs of Iraqis both inside Iraq and in the region, including vulnerable members of minority communities, like the Yazidis and Christians," the official said. "This includes an additional $264 million announced on September 20. In addition, we have provided $115 million, with more pledged, to the successful UNDP Funding Facility for Stabilization. This has resulted in 2.2 million Iraqis returning to their homes. A sizable proportion of this assistance is in minority communities."
The official adds that humanitarian assistance is based on need over religious affiliation.
"[B]ut minorities are among the principal beneficiaries," they said. "Humanitarian assistance is provided to both internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps, and to IDPs living in communities - often with families."
In 2003, Iraqs Christian population was an estimated 1.4 million, according to ADF International. The Nineveh Plains region, also known as the Plain of Mosul, in northern Iraq was a centuries-old homeland for the countrys Chaldean, Syriac and Assyrian Christians. Then the U.S. invaded Iraq, unleashing a wave of sectarian violence that hammered churches. Christians fled the Nineveh plain, and as of late last year, the number of Christians in Iraq had fallen to an estimated 275,000.
One reason for the exodus was ISIS conquering northern Iraq in 2014. The terror group launched an organized massacre against the church as well as against other minority religions like Yazidis. But today, a U.S. coalition has eliminated the Islamic States chokehold on much of northern Iraq, including the city of Mosul.
The dwindling numbers are due to genocide, religious refugees fleeing to other countries, internal displacement and others disavowing their faith.
It has been estimated that a dozen Christian families fled Iraq each day during the ISIS occupation of the northern half of the country. Christians who have managed to escape ISIS have fled to places like Europe and Lebanon. Others simply wandered the region avoiding U.N.-operated refugee camps for fear that Muslim refugees in the camps would target them.
Shea says that there is still hope for the religious minorities of Iraq.
Its not impossible to show that the U.S. can act quickly, as we saw with the Rohingyas, she said. Its not subject to bureaucracy or lack of inertia.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, fresh off calling on the inhabitants of his starving nation to eat rabbits that had been kept as pets, is now asking his army to make sure it has rifles, missiles and well-oiled tanks at the ready amid a war of words with the United States.
Maduro made the declaration Monday during a military exercise in the city of Maracay, two days after the Trump administration signed new restrictions imposing bans on the entry of some Venezuelan government officials and their families into the U.S.
"We have been shamelessly threatened by the most criminal empire that ever existed and we have the obligation to prepare ourselves to guarantee peace," Maduro said, according to AFP.
The Venezuelan president, wearing military garb, also said he wanted prosperity for his country, but added "we need to have rifles, missiles and well-oiled tanks at the ready...to defend every inch of the territory if needs be."
Nearly two weeks ago Maduro encouraged people to start eating rabbits for protein as Venezuela faces a severe food shortage. After being given the rabbits, many people who took part in a pilot project for the rabbit-eating initiative placed bow ties on the bunnies, kept them as pets and cuddled with them in bed.
Low supplies of food and medicine are leaving millions of people starving and desperate for medical treatment. A study published earlier this year reported that roughly 75 percent of Venezuelans lost an average of 19 pounds in the last year due to food shortages, Fox News reported.
The ongoing economic crisis has been spurred by the socialist policies of Maduro and his predecessor, the late former President Hugo Chavez.
The U.S. government in August hit Maduro and 20 other top officials with financial sanctions, and also banned American finance companies from lending money to Venezuelas government and its state-run oil company, AFP reported.
Trump said in August he wouldnt rule out a military option to resolve Venezuelas political struggles.
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Thousands of cows and goats grazed in abandoned fields and wandered through charred out Rohingya Muslim villages after a military crackdown sent nearly a half-million members of Myanmar's long-persecuted religious minorities fleeing across the border.
Now, more than a half-dozen witnesses told The Associated Press, soldiers and police are cashing in on the humanitarian catastrophe. They all spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.
In violence-wracked northern Rakhine state, where village after village has been burned to the ground, security forces and local administrators have been collecting the livestock and bringing it by foot, truck and sometimes boat to Buddhist-controlled areas. The prized beasts are then being sold to traders and residents for $200 a head a quarter of their value.
From there, cows are being taken to the Rakhine state capital, Sittwe, where more than 120,000 Rohingya Muslims displaced by earlier violence in 2012 have been living in sprawling, apartheid-style camps that have been denied access to food and medical assistance. The AP has photos of seized cows being traded behind the state parliament building.
The government has blocked U.N. agencies and international aid organizations from delivering aid to the camps for weeks and the Rohingya living in flimsy bamboo shelters are growing more desperate by the day.
They don't like buying the cows, said a Rohingya Muslim community leader, who asked not to be named for security reasons. But feel they have no choice.
"They are angry because this is livestock that was looted by the army and Rakhine people," he said, adding those in at least two camps refused to buy the cattle because they know if belongs to other Rohingya.
One police officer said he didn't know about the cattle scam.
The Arakan Project, a research and advocacy group active in the region, has also spoken to witnesses who said security forces were collecting abandoned cows and loading them into trucks and boats.
Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist nation of 60 million, was home up until recently to 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims. The United Nations says the religious minority is the among the world's most persecuted. In recent years a Rohingya militant group was spawned.
A military crackdown triggered by a coordinated militant assault on 30 police posts and an army base in northern Rakhine on Aug. 25, sent more than 429,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh. Women, weak and starving, arrived by boat carrying listless babies, the elderly and disabled carrying what belongings they could carry struggled to reach the shore.
There are less than 500,000 Rohingya left in Myanmar. Most are in northern Rakhine state, though the entire township of Maungdaw, more than 300,000 people, has been depopulated since the latest crackdown. Rohingya villages in Raethedaung were also hard hit. Violence in Buttidaung was contained to a few villages.
International trade unions are urging Egypt to release at least seven labor leaders they say have been unjustly imprisoned recently on terrorism-related charges.
The Brussels-based International Trade Union Confederation, and Public Services International, which represent over 200 million workers worldwide, said Wednesday they sent a letter to President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi last week.
They say that the blocking of legitimate sit-ins and strike action, as well as the arrest of trade unionists on security and anti-terrorism grounds, are a violation of the principle of freedom of association enshrined in the constitution and international treaties of which Egypt is a signatory.
The unions mentioned Tarek Moustafa Ke'eib, president of the Real Estate Taxes employees' trade union in Kafr el-Sheikh province, who is currently detained with a hearing scheduled for Oct. 2.
The Latest on the decision to allow Saudi women to drive (all times local):
11:55 a.m.
British Prime Minister Theresa May says she welcomes Saudi Arabia's decision to allow women to drive cars.
May said in a statement Wednesday that it represents an "important step towards gender equality."
May says: "The empowerment of women around the world is not only an issue I care deeply about, it is also key to nations' economic development."
Saudi Arabia and Britain are close allies. The ultraconservative kingdom is the only country in the world that bars women from driving. The change came in a royal order reported by state media late Tuesday that takes effect next June.
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8:25 a.m.
Saudi Arabia's largely state-linked media is responding positively to King Salman's decision to allow women to drive beginning next summer.
The English-language newspaper Arab News had a banner headline reading: "hashtagSaudiWomenCanDrive."
The newspaper's editor-in-chief, Faisal J. Abbas, wrote in a front-page editorial that "much can be said in criticism of the illogical ban and the extremely long time it took to reverse it.
Abbas added: "This is, however, certainly a case of 'better late than never;' and we should not for a single moment underestimate the significance of this bold move by Riyadh."
The headline on the state-linked Arabic newspaper Okaz noted that "In the era of King Salman, women can drive."
The kingdom is the only country in the world that bars women from driving.
The Taliban unleashed a barrage of rockets and suicide bombers detonated their vests at Kabul's international airport Wednesday, the attack coming fewer than two hours after U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis arrived there.
Mattis had already left the airport aboard helicopters to attend a meeting with Afghanistans President Ghani when the attack occurred.
The Afghan Crisis Response Unit responded to the attack and U.S. forces supported them in the air, but a missile malfunctioned and caused "several" friendly casualties, officials said.
Afghan special forces managed to repel the attackers, killing four in the ensuing gunbattle.
Officials said an investigation into the attack has been opened and more details would be released in the coming days.
Mattis arrived in Kabul just after 11 p.m. ET -- 7:30 a.m. in Kabul --after spending Tuesday in India. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was also on the flight.
Mattis spoke about the attack at a news conference in Kabul, alongside Afghanistan's president.
If in fact there was an attack on an international airport anywhere in the world, if it's an attack by a terrorist it's designed to go after innocent people," Mattis said. "And this is a classic definition of what the Taliban is up to now."
"We will suffocate any hope that Al Qaeda or ISIS or the Taliban have of winning by killing. I want to reinforce to the Taliban that the only path to peace and political legitimacy to them is through a negotiated settlement," Mattis added.
This is Mattis' first trip to Afghanistan since President Donald Trump announced a new strategy for Afghanistan, recommitting to the country and declaring during a prime-time address back in August that U.S. troops must fight to win.
The new strategy for the 16-year-old war includes sending roughly 3,500 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan to join the 11,000 on the ground.
Sixteen years after the 9/11 attacks, Kabul is still being attacked by the Taliban. On Tuesday in Washington, Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it's time to demand that Pakistan stop giving sanctuary to the Taliban.
Already the U.S. military is stepping up its air strikes in Afghanistan. In August, more bombs were dropped on the Taliban and an ISIS-affiliated group than any month since 2012.
The director of the Kabul airport said all flights have been halted as result of the mortar attack at the airport.
Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
North Korea's anti-U.S. propaganda campaign, which now includes slick videos depicting attacks on American cities and battleships, dates back to the 1960s, when cartoons demonizing the west were used to indoctrinate children of the Hermit Kingdom.
The practice of disguising anti-U.S. messages in children's cartoons reportedly began with Kim Il Sung, the founder of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and revered as the great sun of life. A propaganda cartoon released in the 1960s shows schoolchildren in battles with the U.S. Navy, firing pencil-like missiles to blow up aircraft carriers. The cartoon, at first blush, appears educational and even has the children using a protractor to measure the launch angle of the rocket. But the message is clear the imperial U.S. is trying to invade North Korea.
The animated shows have innocent names, such as Squirrel and Hedgehog, which has dozens of episodes uploaded to YouTube. The popular series, produced by state-run SEK studios, is something children in North Korea watch daily, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Its a classic, a North Korean guide told the Los Angeles Times. Everyone knows Squirrel and Hedgehog.
In one episode, the squirrels and hedgehogs are part of the North Korean Army fighting against the villainous weasels, representing the Japanese Army. At one point, the weasel captain aims a gun at his own troops and fires.
Youre all worthless b-------, the translated subtitles say.
King Jong Un seemed to take on similar propaganda tactics during his regime. In 2015, Kim reportedly had the cartoon, The Boy General remade nearly a decade after the last episode of the popular series aired. The show features a child warrior fighting off foreign invaders, including the Chinese and South Korean military. The animated series glamorizes North Korean history and culture with its military first theme.
The relaunch of the show drove hundreds of excited people to a public viewing party in Pyongyang, Vice reported. Andray Abrahamian, of the nonprofit Choson Exchange that teaches North Korean citizens business skills, said people were transfixed by the show.
"Nearly everyone was glued to the screens," Abrahamian said.
A childrens cartoon about a group of animals in a forest, titled "The Hedgehog Defeats the Tiger," aired on North Korean state television in August. The hedgehog, representing North Korea, overcomes the bullying tiger, who threatens the other animals into submission.
The tiger in the cartoon could be mistaken for anyone, but Kim Jong-son, a worker at the Pukchang Thermal Power Complex, told state-run Korean Central News Agency the current U.S. ignorance reminded him of the classic tale, the BBC reported.
"In sharp contrast to the brave hedgehog, the characters of big animals winced at the swashbuckling tiger, reminding me of the present reality where no one questions America," Kim said. "Watching them, I am very proud of the invincible might of my country.
These days, North Korean propaganda released by state media are far more literal. Many of them show computer-generated scenes of the regimes missiles attacking U.S. military vehicles, or blowing ships to pieces. The latest video released earlier this week began with images mocking President Trump as a mad man before it flashed to a submarine-launched missile striking the USS Carl Vinson.
Words emblazoned on the screen read: "Should F-35, B-1B or the Carl Vinson lead the U.S attack, they will head to the grave in that order."
Another video released earlier this summer showed Trump peering over a photoshopped graveyard in Guam, after Kim Jong Un threatened to strike the U.S. territory with a missile.
As the days tick by without a single word from family in his native Puerto Rico, Miquel Santiago grows more uneasy.
It used to be that no news is good news, said Santigo, a major in the Puerto Rico Army National Guard who owns a Stafford County restaurant.
Now hes not so sure. 3Hurricane Maria crashed into the Caribbean island a week ago as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S. It dumped record amounts of rain, destroyed homes and wiped out power and cell phone service in what one meteorologist LIKENED to a 50-mile tornado raking the island like a buzz saw.
Puerto Rico has not seen a hurricane of this magnitude in 80 years, and Gov. Ricardo Rossello called it a humanitarian crisis that could take years to recover from.
Santiago and his wife, Martha Burgos, who opened Linx Deli on U.S. 1 in Stafford in December as part of their retirement plan, have gorged on news coverage since Maria churned through the Caribbean. But much of the news is now centered around the bigger cities. There is virtually no information from his hometown of Coama. Only a few images have made their way into his Facebook feed from people on the ground there.
He doesnt know the status of a two-bedroom house he built there. His mother, who arrived in Virginia for a visit from Puerto Rico just before Maria struck, doesnt know whats become of her home, either.
Faced with a powerlessness he is not accustomed to, Santiago decided he had to do something to help.
A day after the storm hit, he and Burgos discussed it. A day later, they posted their plan on Facebook: Linx Deli would serve as a collection point for anyone who wanted to donate supplies to victims of the hurricane. Then hed make sure the supplies got to United for Puerto Rico, an organization with an Arlington office near where Santiago works.
If anyone felt fatigued from giving following back-to-back disasters in Houston and Florida, Santiago couldnt tell.
On Tuesday morning, he stood in two previously empty rooms that connect to the restaurants main dining room. They were crowded with boxes packed with canned food, toiletries, diapers, baby wipes, cleaning supplies and other necessities. Volunteers had piled up 200 cases of water. Bags of dog food and cases of diapers too big to box up were stacked beneath a table.
They hadnt asked for toys, but one person brought them anyway: a pair of Disney dolls and a trio of childrens books.
Santiago told of one man whod walked up with two six-packs of bottled water and a blanket.
Its not much, he recalled the man saying, but its what Ive got.
Others gave items in bulk in an outpouring that has stunned Santiago and his wife.
Even if we just get a box of water and two cases of canned food, he said to himself before opening his doors, something is something.
Over the weekend, when Santiago found himself rushing between the kitchen and the parking lot to accept yet another donation, a regular customer offered to take his place at the door to accept drop-offs. That same friend, Giancarlo Rodriguez, went to a moving company to ask for boxes to organize it all. Hilldrup Moving and Storage donated a pile of them.
And a local music group called Anoranza Tipica put on an impromptu concert that raised $160, which Santiago will put towards purchasing more supplies.
Many of those who have stopped by have connections in Puerto Rico and are waiting on news, too, he said.
Its the sentiment of everyone who has donated: Lets do something, Santiago said.
The restaurant had just opened Tuesday morning when another customer stopped in. She had supplies in her car. Burgos left her place behind the counter to help retrieve them.
Written across a box on the floor near the cases of water was a sentiment they all felt.
You are not alone, [Puerto Rico], it said.
A man who twice picked up a 14-year-old Stafford County girl and paid her for sex pleaded guilty to two charges Monday in federal court in Alexandria.
Fielding Smith Daniel, 53, of Culpeper was convicted of commercial sex with a minor and causing a minor to produce child pornography. He will be sentenced on Jan. 19.
According to court records, Daniel met the teen on a sugar daddy website designed for older men to meet younger women. The girl claimed on the website that she was 18, but investigators said she clearly did not look that old.
Daniel picked up the girl from near her grandmothers house in the White Oak area of southern Stafford shortly after midnight on Aug. 11 of last year. He then took her to a motel to have sex.
He agreed to pay the girl $200, but gave her only $100 because she wanted to leave early.
On Aug. 23, 11 days later, Daniel again got together with the girl and paid her $140 for sex. Another 14-year-old was with the victim, and Daniel offered her $300 to watch the sexual encounter.
The friend declined and waited in the car. Daniel later dropped both girls off at a Stafford Walmart.
The Stafford Sheriffs Office learned about Daniels activities and arrested him the next month. Police raided Daniels home and recovered online conversations hed had with the girl and chats with other girls who indicated they were minors and in high school, court records state.
One of those girls sent sexually suggestive pictures and videos to Daniel at his request.
Stafford authorities dropped their charges against Daniel earlier this year and turned the case over to the federal government.
Fredericksburgs controversial slave auction block will remain at the corner of Charles and William streets.
City Council voted 61 Tuesday to leave the knee-high stone in place downtown after hearing overwhelming community support for that option. Chuck Frye Jr., who had made an unsuccessful motion to move the auction block, voted against.
Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw said that she was particularly moved by comments by descendants of slaves who were sold at the block, some of whom said that they wanted it to remain so that people would understand what happened there.
We are challenged to make sure that it is presented appropriately and offers a prayer for the souls of those who were sold, that offers a prayer for reconciliation and healing in our nation, that offers a prayer for understanding, she said.
Greenlaw said that City Council will need additional community input, especially from the citys AfricanAmerican residents, on how the block remains, how its story is told, and how the city faces the horrible truth of the evil of slavery and the evil of treating human beings like property.
Councils decision was the result of a monthlong effort set in motion when Frye asked the Council at its Aug. 22 meeting to consider moving the auction block. He had witnessed a candlelight vigil at the auction block on the preceding Sunday evening, at which the Rev. Hashmel Turner prayed that City Council would remove the auction block.
Frye said what took him over the edge was a mock auction held at the block after the vigil had walked down the street to Liberty Town.
It took my breath away, just to see that, he said. The only way that we can end that type of nonsense is if the block is not there.
Frye said that he decided that he wanted to have City Council reach a decision on the auction blocks fate before anything negative happened. He asked if he, Greenlaw and City Manager Tim Baroody could come up with options to present to the Council.
They came up with three, which 26 people weighed in on during a public forum Saturday. Thirteen speakers favored or seemed to lean toward leaving the block where it is, while seven indicated a desire to move it. Another six did not take firm positions on either option.
City Council also accepted online comments until noon Monday. Greenlaw said that of the 602 people who responded, 363 said they wanted to keep the auction block in its current location and add interpretive panels and a buffer to protect the stone. They also wanted to improve the corners design for better pedestrian traffic flow.
The option to replace the auction block with a historic marker and directions to its new location, most likely the Fredericksburg Area Museum, received 127 responses, while 112 said they werent in favor of either option.
Gaye Adegbalola, one of about 30 people in the audience, interrupted to ask for the breakdown by race. Greenlaw said the online survey did not ask for commenters to give their race. She said that 209 of the online responses were from Fredericksburg residents and 322 were from those living in Stafford or Spotsylvania counties. The rest came from as far away as California.
Eight people spoke during the public comment section of the meeting, which was held before the vote. Of those, three asked for it to be removed, two asked that it remain in place and three said that they wanted the AfricanAmerican community to have the strongest voice in the decision.
Eddie Hackler said that he has no evidence that his enslaved ancestors were sold at that auction block, and thinks it should remain where it is. He said moving it to the Fredericksburg Area Museum would be disastrous because it is devoid of AfricanAmerican history.
Removal would not remove the sins of Fredericksburg, but would lead people to believe that those sins have been forgiven, he said.
Hackler said that AfricanAmericans still make up the majority of prison inmates and their history isnt taught.
Could it be that slavery hasnt disappeared, but it has evolved? he said.
Hackler asked that resources that would have been used to remove the auction block be diverted to the Fredericksburg Area Museum to bring awareness of the contributions of AfricanAmericans to the building of Fredericksburg.
Turner, however, said that the auction block is a barrier to efforts to unify the community and should be removed.
How can we unify if a reminder of what people who dont look like me did to people who look like me remains? he said.
Councilman Matt Kelly said that many people who see the auction block feel revulsion, pain and shame, but leaving it in place is critical for showing future generations about slavery, the fight to end it and what they can do to move forward.
Hopefully, from those lessons well become better people and move on, he said. If you move the auction block to the side, you detach it from the community.
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Eleanor Jones Bailey, 72, of Stafford County passed away on September 23, 2017 from complications of a fall. She was born Eleanor Ruth Jones in Coaldale, Pennsylvania to Madeleine and Edward Jones. Eleanor was her high school valedictorian. She graduated from Bucknell University in 1966 with a degree in mathematics. She was a member of Alpha Phi sorority and of Phi Beta Kappa. She received a National Science Foundation fellowship to attend graduate school at the University of Tennessee. There she met John Bailey whom she married in 1968. In 1969 she and John accepted positions at what is now the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia and moved to the Fredericksburg area. Eleanor worked as a computer programmer, most frequently on programs that would be delivered to Navy ships and aircraft. She was occasionally required to visit deployed ships and aircraft, an unusual role for a woman at the time. She received numerous commendations throughout her career. She retired in 1997. Although she had none of her own, Eleanor loved children. She was a Big Sister with Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters for many years. She served as a foster parent and was an active Godmother to two fantastic girls, now women. Eleanor was a very active member of The Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg for many years. She served in many roles including usher coordinator, greeter, usher, teacher, chef, clown, food pantry worker, and Circle member. Eleanor enjoyed cooking; she had taken numerous classes, most recently during a Rhone River cruise in France. She liked to travel and had done so widely: Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Alaska, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, the Caribbean, many countries in Europe, and much of the US. Besides France, she had recently traveled to several western National Parks, the Canadian Rockies, Cape Cod, and Cooperstown, New York. Eleanor enjoyed life. She enjoyed red roses, pizza, manicures, milk shakes, Disney World, and much more. She loved to play with and care for dogs. Three long term companions were with her for nearly 40 years. She enjoyed watching sports, especially the St. Louis Cardinals. Eleanor courageously battled chronic illness for most of her adult life. She faced numerous crises over many years; she overcame each with persistence and intelligence and the support of caregivers. She is survived by her husband, John; brothers Evan Jones of Tampa, Fla.; Edward Jones of Allentown, PA; nieces and nephews; and grand-nieces and grand-nephews. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 7 in the sanctuary of The Presbyterian Church, Fredericksburg with a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg, the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board, or a charity of one's choice. Online guestbook available at covenantfuneralservice.com.
HOW DID the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles wind up with a $16.4 million operating shortfall? After all, Virginia motorists pay the DMV hefty fees for every vehicle title and license issued by the commonwealth.
And considering that there were 8,121,216 vehicles registered in Virginia last year, those feeswhich range from the $40.75 annual vehicle registration to $32 for a new drivers license to $10 for a titlereally add up.
DMV Commissioner Richard Holcomb answered that question last week when he told members of the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee that the majority of the money DMV collects from Virginians is diverted to other state agencies.
So that $40.75 you pay to renew your vehicle license every year? The DMV only gets to keep about $4.
We collect billions of dollars for other state agencies, but we dont have sufficient funds to operate, Holcomb told state legislators. The agency anticipates a future shortfall in which its expenditures outpace the revenue its allowed to keep by $16.4 million.
Some of the budget shortfall is due to a recent 3 percent pay hike for state employees, cost increases for employee health care, retirement and IT services, and compliance with new credit card security measures.
But DMVs gross annual revenue for FY2017 was $2.7 billion, agency spokesperson Brandy Brubaker told the Free Lance-Star. Our annual operating expenses for FY 2017 were $243.4 million, she added, which is roughly 9 percent of the total revenue collected by the agency.
When we asked Brubaker where the rest of the money goes, she replied: DMV distributes the rest of the money to other state agencies as directed by Virginia Code. The Virginia Department of Transportation receives the largest portion of the funds, but we also distribute money to State Police, Department of Education, Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services, Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program, Department of Aviation, State Corporation Commission and Motor Vehicle Dealer Board.
Additionally, we send funds to localities. Regional fuels taxes are distributed to regional transportation planning districts and mobile home taxes are disbursed to the various localities.
Lastly, DMV sends funds to various nonprofit organizations. This includes monies collected for Donate Life Virginia, as well as a portion of license plate revenue which is disbursed to Virginia colleges and various nonprofit organizations. In Fiscal Year 2017, DMV sent $3.9 million to these entities as part of the agencys license plate revenue-sharing program. The nonprofit organizations include: Chesapeake Bay Restoration Advisory Council, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Family and Childrens Trust Fund of Virginia and the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation, among many others.
Theres nothing inherently wrong with diverting a portion of the money DMV collects from motorists to other agencies and charitable groupsafter the agency has covered its own expenses.
But its simply ludicrous that the head of an agency that collects $2.7 billion in revenue each year is reduced to begging the General Assembly for more money so he can pay his own bills.
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Farmers joined campaigners during part of a protest against fracking in North Yorkshire.
About 60 people staged the demonstration over plans for fracking in Kirby Misperton, near Ryedale.
Third Energy has been granted permission by North Yorkshire County Council to frack for gas at the site.
See also: Landowners demand government action over fracking liability
Farmers drove tractors from the nearby village of Great Barugh to the protest where they were greeted by cheers from other protesters upon arrival.
Anti-fracking group Farmers Against Fracking staged the rally on Tuesday (26 September).
Matthew Trevelyan, a father-of-two and sheep farmer from the North York Moors, told the crowd: Fracking isnt just an environmental issue its a livestock issue.
Its a food issue. Its a livelihood issue.
Third Energy response
A spokesman for Third Energy said: The planning authority, North Yorkshire County Council, the Environment Agency and the Health & Safety Executive have robust procedures in place to ensure all these points have been addressed.
Third Energy has been rigorous in its approach to completing its planning application and is confident it has prepared for its upcoming hydraulic fracturing operations.
Third Energy fully respects peoples right to lawful and peaceful protest.
We trust that those who object to our plans will also respect our rights, and the rights of Ryedale residents, to go about our business lawfully and peacefully.
Last time we checked three small tractors do not represent the views of farmers in North Yorkshire.
After being relatively quiet for a number of years, the cyberpunk genre has been making a loud return to video games with quality titles like Shadowrun Returns, VA-11 Hall-A, and Observer. The latest addition to the bunch is the unapologetically violent Ruiner. Pulling together bits from Oldboy, Akira, Transistor, and Hotline Miami, Ruiner never reaches the highest points of its genre, but is a fun romp through cyberhell that champions style over substance.
You play an unnamed vigilante whos willing to tear down an entire city with a steel pipe in one hand and gun in the other to find his missing brother. The simple gameplay is clean and well-executed, with you controlling your characters movements across isometric levels like crumbling parking garages and high-tech factories with the left analog stick and aiming with the right stick. The straightforward, arcadey experience has several linear levels, each one composed of multiple arenas where you duke it out with enemies who become more powerful the further you get. You start with pistol-toting gang members and graduate to robots and mutated monstrosities of flesh and wires that have more health and deadlier weapons. The escalating challenge is well-paced, forcing you to master velocity and precision as you speed around arenas with your dash, dancing between bullets and breaking heads with your weapons. The action is always satisfying, with melee kills launching enemies across the level (their corpses landing with a sickening thud), and the limited-use firearms capable of blowing apart or even disintegrating them on the spot.
Besides your melee weapon and firearm, you also have a number of abilities, like a shield that deflects bullets back and a shock grenade that stuns everyone nearby. You also gain buffs that can boost your health and damage output. The skill tree and leveling system is simplistic pleasurable to use. Every time I got a new ability, I grinned as I unleashed a new brand of wrath on the idiots who got in my way. Though Ruiner never diverts from being a game about dodging foes and shooting them, this skill tree lets you customize your character a surprising amount. During my playthrough, I poured all my experience points into my shield ability, damage output, and both health and energy increases, essentially creating a tank character who could recharge his health and take a beating before going down. Other abilities allow you to build faster characters capable of dropping stun grenades and sowing confusion on the battlefield. The skill system isnt as deep as your standard RPGs equivalent, but it gives you a fair amount of flexibility.
I appreciated the balance of action and strategy, as theres a decent amount of tactical flexibility on the battlefield outside of the skill tree abilities. Picking up limited-use weapons discarded by dead foes briefly slows down time, making it advantageous for you to constantly cycle weapons even if its just so you can have two seconds to plan your next move. Fuel tanks and other hazardous environmental objects that can deal damage to enemies are littered around most environments, and several weapons can blow through objects to kill enemies if youre crafty.
Ruiner successfully makes its action gameplay and stunning visuals its crux, but doesnt do anything else nearly as well. The story is convoluted and, despite a few interesting tidbits related to playing with perception and who we are as people, has no payoff. None of the characters are interesting, and the dialogue is just a series of F-bombs and ho-hum observations about the awfulness of corporations. A weird hub world suggests there might be more RPG-like qualities, but you only go there three times and cant do anything of note, so it feels like a waste of the setting. The soundtrack does its job, providing ample beats for you to bash heads into, but nothing stands out. I was also left wanting more by the end, as the four hours of gameplay didnt quite provide enough content for me to get the most out of experimenting with the skill tree abilities.
In the end, Ruiner feels like a fantastic slice of action orbited by a bunch of mediocre elements, so the experience never coalesces into something truly exceptional. However, that gameplay is solid enough to prop up this bloody sci-fi adventure, even if it never amounts to anything more than forgettable fun.
A woman is on a date and the situation becomes dangerous. She takes out her phone and pretends to text a friend, but shes actually texting 911.
A motorcyclist is in a serious wreck and cant speak so he uses his cellphone to send a text message eliciting help.
Someone is home alone and hears an intruder. The person hides in a closet and texts 911 about the break-in, a safer option than speaking on the phone and alerting the burglar to their location.
These are all scenarios in which text-to-911 could be beneficial, said Scott Haberkorn, 911 Manager for the Corvallis Regional Communications Center. The dispatch center announced this week it now has the capability to receive text messages from people who need emergency services and may not be able to make a phone call.
Call if you can, and text only if you cant, Haberkorn said.
The agency, which dispatches police, fire and ambulance services for all of Benton County, rolled out the program Aug. 18 in time for the total solar eclipse, Haberkorn said. The center was concerned there could be cellular network failures with the influx of visitors and wanted to have a backup option. For the past month, the dispatchers have been familiarizing themselves with the new software, Haberkorn said.
We wanted the dispatchers to have a chance to work with it, Haberkorn said. Theyve been texting to themselves back and forth to get used to the program.
The dispatchers already have received a couple of text messages from civilians needing services, he said.
Text-to-911 can help in emergency situations when it could put the person in more danger if they spoke on the telephone. The service is also helpful to members of the deaf and hard of hearing community, Haberkorn said. These people typically use a telecommunications relay service to place calls, which converts text to speech and vice versa. This requires equipment and could be cumbersome during an emergency.
For them, this is revolutionary because they dont have to have all that extra equipment and extra steps to go through to get through to us, Haberkorn said.
When someone sends a text message to 911, it provides dispatchers with the latitude and longitude of the persons location, just as a cellphone call does, Haberkorn said. But with both communications the location accuracy varies and can be unreliable, he said. A dispatcher will verify a persons address when theyre on the phone with someone. So its imperative that when someone sends a text message to 911 that they provide the address for their location, Haberkorn said.
Its also important for the person to provide information about the situation and what kind of help they need, such as the fire department or an ambulance, he said. The dispatchers have the capability to respond to text messages via their computers, so they can ask follow-up questions, Haberkorn said.
That process takes longer than talking on the phone and keeps dispatchers from responding to other emergencies, so citizens should only text 911 if theyre unable to place a phone call, he said.
Calling 911 is faster and more efficient, Haberkorn said. We can get you help more quickly if you call.
When setting up the program, Haberkorn chose a vendor for the software and filed paperwork with the Federal Communications Commission. Notices went out to each of the cellphone carriers: Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. The dispatchers then tested sending a text message with each carrier to ensure the message would be delivered.
Haberkorn said the startup cost was about $3,000, with an ongoing annual maintenance fee of $1,000. The project is being funded by the Oregon Office of Emergency Management via the 911 tax.
According to the FCC, the Corvallis dispatch center is the 14th such agency in Oregon to provide 911 texting.
Movies playing in mid-valley theaters as of Friday. Complete and updated Movie Scene listings can be found online.
NEW
AMERICAN MADE
2 stars
(Action, R, 115 minutes, playing at the Regal 7 in Albany and the AMC Corvallis 12) Tom Cruise stars in the true-life story of Barry Seal, a pilot, drug smuggler and informant in the middle of the U.S. government effort during the 1970s to essentially allow the illegal import of cocaine while providing guns to the rebels fighting the Communist Sandinista army in Central America. The movie has some glorious moments when its firing on all cylinders at once, but it cant sustain that throughout. It shows its references, a combination of Goodfellas, Blow and Scarface, but never achieves the internal consistency of those films. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service)
FLATLINERS
(Horror, PG-13, 108 minutes, playing at the Regal 4 in Corvallis) Five adventurous medical students seek out near-death experiences by stopping their hearts for a brief period of time. However, their visions of the great beyond eventually turn nightmarish and take over their waking lives. Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, and Kiersey Clemons star in this remake of the 1990 sci-fi thriller.
VICEROYS HOUSE
3 stars
(Historical drama, PG, 106 minutes, playing at the Darkside in Corvallis) Set in 1947, this historical drama examines the challenges of Lord Louis Mountbatten (Hugh Bonneville), final viceroy of India under British Colonial rule, and his wife Edwina Mountbatten (Gillian Anderson) as they facilitate a smooth transfer of power to a religiously divided nation led by Jawaharlal Nehru (Tanveer Ghani). The movie is pleasantly old-fashioned; it feels like a Merchant and Ivory period piece posing cultural questions within a safely cushioned environment. (Katie Walsh, Tribune Media Service)
WOODSHOCK
2 stars
(Suspense thriller, R, 101 minutes, playing at the Darkside in Corvallis) Kirsten Dunst stars as a withdrawn and increased deranged woman trying to get over the death of her mother. Increasingly, the woman is torn between her fractured emotional state and the reality-altering effects of a potent cannabinoid drug. Directed by Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the movie displays a romantic flair for texture and embellishment, but the films profoundly muddled ideas become mind-numbing. (Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times)
CONTINUING
COLUMBUS
3 stars
(Romance, no MPAA rating, 104 minutes, playing at the Darkside in Corvallis) The Korean-born son (John Cho) of an ailing architecture critic and the daughter (Haley Lu Richardson) of a recovering addict (Michelle Forbes) bond over their fears of losing a parent while both are temporarily stranded in Columbus, Indiana. Written and directed by the Korean-American filmmaker Kogonada, this is a wondrously assured debut in which technique never overwhelms feeling. (Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times)
FRIEND REQUEST
2 stars
(Horror, R, 92 minutes, playing at the AMC Corvallis 12) A college student, Laura (Alycia Debnam-Carey), accepts a Facebook friend request from a lonely gal who went to her high school, but quickly unfriends her. Soon, alas, supernatural forces start killing off Laura's friends in revenge. This scare-fest is so gloriously dumb that it is surprisingly a whole lot of fun. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service)
THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE
2 stars
(Animated, PG, 101 minutes, playing at the Regal 7 in Albany and the AMC Corvallis 12) In this latest entry in the Lego series of flicks, a team of ninja warriors must defend their city from a sinister warlord. Trouble is, the sinister warlord is the father to our young hero. Jackie Chan, Justin Theroux, Dave Franco, and Olivia Munn provide the voices. Its a light, serviceable romp, but doesnt come close to the high-key antics of the first two films in the series. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service)
KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
1 star
Members of the elite British spy group must team up with their American counterparts to battle a drug lords evil plan. Despite a terrific cast, with Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Mark Strong and Halle Berry, this is a cynical and offensive work, fueled by the shallowest of pop references, strung together in an incredibly stupid plot and peppered with adolescent body humor. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service)
MENASHE
2 stars
(Drama, PG, 88 minutes, playing at the Darkside Cinema in Corvallis) A Hasidic Jewish man living in New York City (Menashe Lustig) fights to retain custody of his son (Ruben Niborski) after his wife's death; tradition dictates that the boy must be raised in a household with a mother. Director Joshua Z. Weinstein offers insights into this culture, but has said some of the footage was shot secretly, which raises issues of cultural appropriation the movie never really addresses. (Gary Thompson, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
AMERICAN ASSASSIN
1 stars
(Action thriller, R, 111 minutes, playing at the Regal 7 in Albany and the AMC Corvallis 12) A young man who loses everything in a terrorist attack becomes hellbent on seeking revenge; eventually, hes recruited by the CIA. Though moral questions tumble around American Assassin, the film itself relies on so many cliches it can never be trusted to give a truly profound statement; in the end, it just wallows in its gruesome violence. Dylan OBrien and Michael Keaton star. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service)
MOTHER!
2 stars
(Horror thriller, R, 121 minutes, 2 stars, playing at the Regal 7 and AMC Corvallis AMC 12) The lives of a passive young woman (Jennifer Lawrence) and her much older husband (Javier Bardem) go from unsettling to bizarre after the arrival of a strange and rude couple (Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer). In this pounding, throbbing feature-length metaphor, director Darren Aronofsky assaults our senses with shocking and sometimes almost sickening imagery. It's all staged with impressive craftsmanship, but to what end? (Richard Roeper, Universal Press Syndicate)
HOME AGAIN
3 stars
(Comedy drama, PG-13, 97 minutes, playing at the Regal 7 in Albany and the AMC Corvallis 12) A recently separated woman (Reese Witherspoon) moves to Los Angeles with her two daughters and rents out her guesthouse to three much younger men (Pico Alexander, Nat Wolff, and Jon Rudnitsky) one of whom she soon begins dating. But then her estranged husband (Michael Sheen) re-enters the picture. Candice Bergen co-stars in this romantic comedy written and directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer, the daughter of Nancy Meyers, and like her mothers flicks, this is the kind of domestic escapism that feels like being wrapped in a warm hug. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service)
IT
4 stars
(Horror, R, 135 minutes, playing at the Regal 7 in Albany and the Regal 4 in Corvallis) This R-rated interpretation of Stephen King's masterful 1986 novel is a bold, intense, beautifully paced, wickedly hilarious, seriously scary and gorgeously terrifying period-piece work that instantly takes its place among the most impressively twisted horror movies of our time. (Richard Roeper, Universal Press Syndicate)
THE HITMANS BODYGUARD
1 stars
(Action-adventure-comedy, R, 111 minutes, playing at the Regal 7 in Albany and the AMC Corvallis 12) Through a series of contrived circumstances, a security specialist (Ryan Reynolds) is enlisted to transport an assassin (Samuel L. Jackson) to a war criminal's trial. There's nothing and no one to like in this blunt, ultraviolent, obnoxious empty vessel of a movie. (Richard Roeper, Universal Press Syndicate)
LOGAN LUCKY
3 stars (Crime caper, PG-13, 119 minutes, playing at the Regal 4 in Corvallis) In what plays like a biscuits-and-gravy take on "Ocean's 11," a couple of twang-talkin' dirt-kickers (Channing Tatum and Adam Driver) plan to steal the cash from a North Carolina speedway vault. Steven Soderbergh's breezy heist romp is great fun and one of the most purely entertaining movies of the year. (Richard Roeper, Universal Press Syndicate)
TANGLED
(Animated, PG, 100 minutes, playing at the AMC Corvallis 12) Disneys 2010 reworking of the Rapunzel fairy tale features the voices of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi.
Surviving spouses of firefighters or law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty will be able to apply for a tax exemption for the first $250,000 of their homestead property value, according to a resolution approved unanimously by Linn County Commissioners Roger Nyquist, John Lindsey and Will Tucker.
The resolution is based on Senate Bill 1513, which was approved by Legislators in 2016.
The bill provides exemptions for spouses of fire service personnel, police officers and reserve officers.
Board chairman Roger Nyquist said the commissioners drafted the resolution last year but put it on hold, hoping the Legislature would add benefits for spouses of veterans to the bill.
We wanted to add veterans, but statute does not allow it, he said. The Legislature did not address it. They chose to not deal with it and that left us where we are. Were not happy they didnt include veterans, but we had had continued inquiries from people who serve in public safety and their families. We didnt think it was appropriate to not offer them the benefits the Legislature deemed appropriate.
Nyquist said the commissioners found the lack of adding veterans benefits troubling, but you do what you can for those serving our community and defending our country with the tools you have.
The tax exemption is available until the surviving spouse remarries and is allowed on the homestead on which the spouse lives.
According to the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, some 70 police officers and 55 firefighters have died in the line of duty since 1970.
In other business the commissioners:
Gave Linn County Parks & Recreation Director Brian Carroll approval to apply for a grant from the Oregon State Parks & Recreation Department to drill two new wells at Waterloo County Park. Carroll said the project is expected to cost about $100,000. The state will fund 50 percent and the county will provide a match in the form of labor and equipment. Carroll said the 80-foot-deep wells have been failing in recent years. He expects the new wells to be about 200 feet deep. The project will include development of a new reservoir, pump and water treatment system.
Approved the sale of .31 acres on David Avenue N.E. in Albany to Becky Adams of Crabtree for $4,750. The property was deeded to the county in October 2015 for back taxes and had a real market value of $42,300.
Was told by Fair & Expo director Randy Porter that he has submitted a list of potential projects that could be funded by the City of Albanys Transient Lodging Tax. They are being reviewed by the TLT committee, which will take its recommendations to the City Council. Potential projects: Create new public access points for ticketing and entry: $10,000; purchase 190 new horse stalls: $300,000; construct a 100-foot by 200-foot outdoor multi-use arena: $180,000; purchase 8-foot pipe and drapes for vendor booths: $75,000; install 25 30-amp power pedestals, plus water service along courtyard sidewalk: $70,000.
Embassy in Mehlem : Former Yugoslavian Embassy up for sale
MEHLEM A buyer is being sought for the former Yugoslavian Embassy on Schloallee in Mehlem. The building site has a rather eventful history.
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The next round of Embassy Monopoly brings us to Schloallee in Mehlem. In case you want to buy it, you should know that the L-shaped former Yugoslavian Embassy is in dire need of renovation and you should have at least 2.775 million euros in your pocket.
Real estate firm Engel & Volkers does not want to sell the property for less than that. The building has been sitting empty since 1999. Successor states of the former Republic of Yugoslavia have now granted the real estate broker with a contract to sell the property. The building is made of reinforced concrete, its a stones throw from the Rhine and has a total of 1,565 square meters with another 667 square meters in the basement. There are 14 parking spaces on the plot of land, which is 5,441 square meters total.
According to Vladimir Krauss, real estate consultant at Engel & Volkers, much work is needed on the building because it has been sitting vacant for so long, and because ownership of the property was unclear for some time. A new owner will have to decide whether the building from the seventies is still salvageable or if a demolition makes more sense.
The example of the Turkish Embassy in the immediate neighborhood has shown that a residential development is most likely and also most useful here, commented Krauss. Much has happened on the former Yugoslavian Embassy site over the years.
The Republic of Yugoslavia moved to Bonn in 1951, finally coming to Schloallee (back then it was called Schlostrae 1) in 1954. They moved into the former Hotel Villa Friede, which became the embassy building. There was an attack on Hotel Villa Friede in 1962 by a Croatian emigrant organization. The employee responsible for house maintenance was shot and killed, and the building suffered smoke and fire damage.
In the mid-70s, the Yugoslavian government planned a new two-story building next door, and it was finished in 1978. The old embassy building was torn down. In March of 1989, 150 Albanians protested outside the new embassy for the Republic of Kosovo and against annexation to Serbia. After the Republic of Yugoslavia dissolved in 1992, Serbia and Montenegro took over the embassy offices.
In the summer of 1989, long lines of people formed outside the embassy, disrupting the idyllic setting of old villas and homes on Schloallee. People wanted to apply for visas to travel to or through Yugoslavia. In 1999, former Yugoslavia broke diplomatic ties with Germany. When they were re-established, the building became a field office for the embassy in Berlin but closed shortly thereafter and the property has sat vacant since then.
An opportunity for foodies and beer lovers to get lost in a world of food and drink from a hand-selected range of food trucks and breweries from around New Zealand.
Quote from: ruthie on 27-09-2017 11:57 AM
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I specialize in investigative reportage across several subject matter and sectors but mainly focus on metro events and investigation. Do leave your thoughts and opinion on my reports to let me know what you think about them. Thank you
Posted: at 27-09-2017 12:01 PM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero
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felicilin at 27-09-2017 02:41 PM (5 years ago) (f)
A police officer in Nakuru County area of Kenya has reportedly shot his girlfriend dead on Tuesday evening before taking his life with the same AK47 rifle at their rental house in Freehold Area.
A police officer in Nakuru County area of Kenya has reportedly shot his girlfriend dead on Tuesday evening before taking his life with the same AK47 rifle at their rental house in Freehold Area.
According to a report by CitizenTV, the man identified as Stephen Mungai Kinuthia, who was stationed at Molo Police Station, is said to have shot his girlfriend three times.
I was with the caretaker when we heard a man fighting with the wife and the man was striking her with canes, and as we were going to help, we heard gun shots and stayed put, said the watchman.
Speaking from the crime scene, neighbors said they heard a child shouting baba anaua mama! [father is killing mother] before gun shots rent the air.
Neighbours said the woman had only lived in the apartment for two weeks and that the police officer was a frequent visitor. Nakuru OCPD, Joshua Omukatta, said police started a probe to establish what transpired.
Their bodies have been taken to Nakuru County government mortuary as investigations continue.
According to a report by CitizenTV, the man identified as Stephen Mungai Kinuthia, who was stationed at Molo Police Station, is said to have shot his girlfriend three times.said the watchman.Speaking from the crime scene, neighbors said they heard a child shouting baba anaua mama! [father is killing mother] before gun shots rent the air.Neighbours said the woman had only lived in the apartment for two weeks and that the police officer was a frequent visitor. Nakuru OCPD, Joshua Omukatta, said police started a probe to establish what transpired.Their bodies have been taken to Nakuru County government mortuary as investigations continue.
Post Reply Posted: at 27-09-2017 02:41 PM (5 years ago) | Hero
An early morning attic fire displaced a family after causing heavy damage to a residence on Brewster Road in Lebanon.
According to a Lebanon Fire District report, a witness driving past the single-story home around 3:30 a.m. Monday noticed flames shooting from its roof. The witness pulled into the driveway and honked to awaken the residents, who called 911 and evacuated the house.
LFD firefighters arrived on scene within seven minutes of the call. Crews worked to access the attic space. Multiple attic partitions and remodeling efforts slowed progress, but the blaze was contained within 30 minutes.
The occupants, who were renting the house, were connected with the American Red Cross and the Lebanon Firefighters Community Assistance and Initial Relief Service.
Members of the Lebanon Fire District's Fire Investigation Team returned to the scene later that morning, accompanied by members of the Linn-Benton Fire Investigation Team and the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office. An investigation determined that the fire was accidental, as all indicators pointed to a faulty bathroom fan/light fixture.
The home did have working smoke detectors, but because the fire was contained to the attic space, they did not alert the residents.
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Press Release
Regulated Information
Bart Van Malderen and Jan Van Geet confirm the intention
to continue with the preparations for a secondary public offering
related to part of their ownership in VGP
Secondary public offering envisaged to substantially increase the free float and liquidity of VGP shares.
27 September 2017, Diegem (Belgium) - Further to the announcement on 30 August 2017, the Board of Directors of VGP NV (the "Company" or "VGP"), the developer, manager and owner of high quality logistics real estate in Europe, has been informed that Bart Van Malderen, currently the largest shareholder of VGP with a total direct and indirect shareholding of 48%, and Jan Van Geet, who indirectly owns 38% of the shares of VGP, intend to continue with the preparations for a secondary public offering of ordinary shares related to part of their ownership in VGP (the "Offering"). The Offering is expected to take place in the near future, subject to market conditions, and subject to the approval of a prospectus by the Belgian Financial Services and Market Authority (the "FSMA") and other relevant considerations. The shares of VGP are already listed and publicly traded on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels and on the Main Market of the Prague Stock Exchange.
Highlights of the intended Offering:
The Offering is expected to significantly increase the free float, which currently stands at 10.14%, and the liquidity of VGP's shares, following the sale of shares by Bart Van Malderen and Jan Van Geet
Following the Offering, Bart Van Malderen will continue to hold a significant stake in VGP and serve on the board as a director, and Jan Van Geet will continue to hold more than 30% of the shares of VGP and will remain CEO of VGP, a position he has held since founding the Company in 1998.
VGP's shares are expected to be offered to retail and institutional investors in Belgium through a public offering. Outside of Belgium, it is intended to offer shares to eligible institutional investors via private placements in selected jurisdictions in and outside of Europe where the Offering may be lawfully made in compliance with Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("the Act") and in the United States to persons who are reasonably believed to be "Qualified Institutional Buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the Act, in reliance on Rule 144A or pursuant to another exemption or transaction not subject to the registration requirements under the Act
VGP will not issue any ordinary shares and would not receive any proceeds from the Offering
J.P. Morgan and KBC Securities have been appointed as Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners for the intended Offering. Belfius has been appointed as Co-lead Manager and ING as Co-Manager
Subject to the approval of the prospectus by the FSMA and market conditions, it is expected that the price range, as well as other details of the Offering, will be detailed in the prospectus and further published in the Belgian financial press, when the Offering period is expected to commence
On the intended Offering, Jan Van Geet, Chief Executive Officer of VGP said:
"Bart has been a strong supporter of VGP throughout the years, and we thank him for his important and continued contribution to VGP's growth. We are pleased that Bart will remain on board as a significant and committed shareholder, and valued board member.
Over the past years, VGP has consistently demonstrated its capability to generate value for its shareholders. We are confident that this transaction will have a positive effect on VGP as it will increase the Company's free float and enhance its visibility in the capital markets.
As founder of VGP, I personally remain committed to VGP as the CEO of the Company in the years to come. Following the Offering, I will be the largest shareholder with a stake of over 30%. VGP remains committed to delivering on its plans and ambitions, demonstrated by its recently published half-year results. We continue to see substantial opportunities for our unique business model in logistics real estate. Our future project pipeline is robust and we are completing current projects at record pace. We believe in rewarding the loyalty of our investors and so we are delighted to share our success with a more diverse ownership in the future."
For more information , please contact:
Mr Jan Van Geet
CEO
VGP Mr Dirk Stoop
CFO
VGP Tel.: +420 602 404 790 Tel.: +32 2 719 00 46 E-mail: jan.van.geet@vgpparks.eu E-mail: dirk.stoop@vgpparks.eu Press contact Belgium, The Netherlands,
Luxemburg Other Press contact Arnaud Denis
PR Agent
Whyte Corporate Affairs Meike Hansen
PR Agent
FleishmanHillard Germany GmbH Tel.: +32 478 99 82 37 Tel.: +49 69 40 57 02 465 E-mail: ad@whyte.be E-mail: meike.hansen@fleishmaneurope.com
ABOUT VGP
Company overview
VGP is a pure-play logistics real-estate company focused on Western and Central & Eastern Europe ("CEE"), and is specialised in the acquisition, development, and management of logistics real estate
In March 2016, VGP entered into a 50/50 joint venture with Allianz (the "Joint Venture") the objective of which is to build a platform of new grade A logistics and industrial properties with a key focus on expansion in its core German market and high growth CEE markets
The Company develops and constructs high-end logistics real estate and ancillary offices for its own account and for the account of the Joint Venture, which primarily has a hold strategy and to which certain new developments carried out by VGP are contributed
The Company focuses on strategically located plots of land in Germany, some Central European countries, Spain and the Baltic countries, suitable for development of logistics business parks of a certain size, with the objective to build up an extensive and well-diversified land bank on top locations
As at 30 June 2017, the Company had an in-house team of 126 people which manages all the activities of the fully integrated business model
Over the last 10 years, the Company developed more than 2.2 million sqm of lettable area. As at 30 June 2017 a further 516,461 sqm were under construction (excluding Estonia ), 71% of which are pre-leased
Strategy
The aim of the Company is to become a leading specialised developer and owner of high-quality logistic property for the mid-European region, Germany, Spain and possibly other countries, depending on market demand and perceived trends
The Joint Venture's objective is to build a platform of new, grade A logistics and industrial properties with a key focus on expansion in its core German market and high growth CEE markets. The Joint Venture aims to double its portfolio size to ca. 1.7 billion, exclusively via the contribution to the Joint Venture of new logistics developments carried out by VGP
Operations
VGP's portfolio, together with the Joint Venture's portfolio (at 100%), had a gross asset value of 1.3 billion as of 30 June 2017 (excluding Estonia ), split between 37% own assets (500 million and 63% Joint Venture assets (844 million - at 100%)
The portfolio (excluding Estonia, and including the Joint Venture's portfolio (at 100%))was, as of June 2017, spread across Germany (53%), Czech Republic (22%), Spain (10%), Hungary (5%), Slovakia (5%) and Romania (5%) by total contracted rent
PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS SHOULD BE ABLE TO BEAR THE ECONOMIC RISK OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE OFFER SHARES AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN A PARTIAL OR A TOTAL LOSS OF THEIR INVESTMENT. INVESTING IN THE OFFER SHARES INVOLVES SUBSTANTIAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES.
Profile VGP (www.vgpparks.eu) constructs and develops high-end logistic real estate and ancillary offices for its own account and for the account of its VGP European Logistics joint venture (50:50 joint venture between Allianz Real Estate and VGP), which are subsequently rented out to reputable clients on long term lease contracts. VGP has an in-house team which manages all activities of the fully integrated business model: from identification and acquisition of land, to the conceptualisation and design of the project, the supervision of the construction works, contracts with potential tenants and the facility management. Important notice The information contained in this announcement has been prepared by and is the sole responsibility of the Company. The information contained in this announcement is for general information only and does not purport to be full or complete. This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, an offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for shares, and any purchase of, or application for, shares in the Company to be sold in connection with the Offering should only be made on the basis of information contained in the prospectus to be issued by the Company in due course in connection with the Offering and any supplements thereto, as the case may be. This announcement is not a prospectus. The prospectus will contain detailed information about the Company and its management, risks associated with investing in the Company, as well as financial statements and other financial data. No announcement or information regarding the Offering, as the case may be, or shares referred to above may be disseminated to the public in jurisdictions outside of Belgium where a prior registration or approval is required for such purpose. No steps have been taken, or will be taken, for the Offering or shares of the Company in any jurisdiction outside of Belgium where such steps would be required. The purchase of shares of the Company are subject to special legal or statutory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. The Company is not liable if the aforementioned restrictions are not complied with by any person. These materials are not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities to which these materials relate have not been registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration or in a transaction not subject to the registration requirements under the Securities Act. There will be no public offering of the securities in the United States. In member states of the European Economic Area ("EEA") other than Belgium, this announcement is only addressed to and directed at persons (i) who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive (Directive 2003/71/EC and amendments thereto, including Directive 2010/73/EU, to the extent implemented in the relevant Member State of the EEA) and any implementing measure in each relevant Member State of the EEA (the "Prospectus Directive"), or (ii) in any other circumstances not requiring the Company to publish a prospectus in such relevant Member State of the EEA as provided under Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive. In addition, this document is being distributed to and is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) to investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (iii) high net worth companies, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons in (i), (ii) and (iii) above together being referred to as "relevant persons"). Any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents. Each of J.P. Morgan, KBC Securities, Belfius and ING are acting exclusively for the Company and certain existing shareholders, and no one else in connection with the Offering. They will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this announcement) as their respective clients in relation to the Offering and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company and certain existing shareholders for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients nor for giving advice in relation to the Offering, the contents of this announcement or any transaction or arrangement referred to herein. None of J.P. Morgan, KBC Securities, Belfius and ING or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, advisers or agents accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for/or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the announcement) or any other information relating to the Company, its subsidiaries or associated companies, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of the announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. In connection with the Offering, each of J.P. Morgan, KBC Securities, Belfius and ING and any of their respective affiliates, may take up a portion of any offered shares as a principal position and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell or otherwise deal for their own accounts in such offered shares and other securities of the Company or related investments in connection with the Offering or otherwise. Accordingly, references in the prospectus, once published, to the offered shares being offered, subscribed, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including any issue or offer to, or subscription, acquisition, placing or dealing by any of J.P. Morgan, KBC Securities, Belfius and ING and any of their respective affiliates acting in such capacity. In addition, J.P. Morgan, KBC Securities, Belfius and ING may enter into financing arrangements and swaps in connection with which they or their affiliates may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of any offered shares. None of J.P. Morgan, KBC Securities, Belfius and ING nor any of their respective affiliates intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so. Certain information contained in this announcement may constitute "forward-looking statements," which can be identified by the use of terms such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "anticipate", "project", "estimate", "intend", "continue," "target" or "believe" (or the negatives thereof) or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. These forward looking statements include matters that are not historical facts and include statements regarding the Company's intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, the Company's results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth and strategies. Due to various risks and uncertainties, actual events or results or actual performance of the Company may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking statements. As a result, investors should not rely on such forward-looking statements in making their investment decisions. No representation or warranty is made as to the achievement or reasonableness of and no reliance should be placed on such forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances. A number of factors could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements including, without limitation, the factors that will be described in the risk factors section of the prospectus. Save as required by law, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update, review or revise any forward looking statement contained in this announcement whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Information in this announcement or any of the documents relating to the Offering cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing the entire amount invested. Persons considering such investments should consult an authorised person specialising in advising on such investments. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the Offering. The value of the shares can decrease as well as increase.
It is a welcome development in the mid-valley's high schools, and it seems to be gaining momentum: Classes and programs devoted to career and technical education once again are gaining traction (not to mention students).
Certainly, classes teaching these skills (the classes that older graduates might recall as wood shop or metal shop or some similar title) never completely went away. But they went through a period of real neglect, and suffered funding woes, as high schools seemed to emphasize the idea of getting their graduates safely placed into four-year colleges, regardless of whether that was the best fit for every student.
Now, though, for a variety of reasons, those schools are beginning to rediscover the opportunities offered by career and technical education. And it's good to hear school administrators talking again about many different paths to graduation and how some of those paths lead to good-paying jobs that don't require a four-year college education.
There's plenty of credit for this trend, but much of it boils down to business leaders sitting down with educators and having a frank discussion about their workforce needs. A voter-passed initiative that we opposed in editorials (and, frankly, still would oppose because it was, in essence, an unfunded mandate) has generated some funding specifically for these programs. And community colleges have emerged as key players.
For years, business leaders have worried about looming shortages of trained workers for critical positions. It's gotten to the point where those leaders have said that they're willing to train workers on their own dime if only they could find potential employees who are ready to work.
To their credit, educators responded: Linn-Benton Community College's Mechatronics program was an important early initiative in training students in how to succeed in manufacturing jobs. And LBCC was a key partner in the Pipeline program launched by the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce. Pipeline is meant to build connections between students and future jobs in local manufacturing industries, jobs that don't necessarily require four-year degrees.
Pipeline has since expanded throughout mid-valley school districts and even has jumped over the river to the Corvallis School District. And it has triggered a variety of related efforts: Some Linn County schools are experimenting with giving so-called "employment scores" to students. These scores measure a student's performance in areas (attendance, for example) that are important for workplace success. Now, LBCC is offering a Common Manufacturing Core Certificate this summer that comes with a guaranteed entry-level job to students who achieve the certificate. And the college is using those employment scores to prioritize applicants.
At the same time all this was going on, the state has freed up millions over the next two years for career and technical education programs. This comes in the wake of last year's Ballot Measure 98, which forces the state to fund programs intended to boost high school graduation rates. (Our primary reservation to the measure was not because we doubted the importance of these programs, but rather that the measure didn't come with a funding source and so put additional pressure on an already-tight state budget. As it turned out, the Legislature allocated $170 million for all the programs less than Measure 98 advocates had pushed for but mandated that large- and medium-sized districts use at least a portion of the money for career and technical education.)
It all adds up to better times, at last, for career and technical education programs. Now, some of these programs have gathered rust over the years that needs to removed as they're refurbished. And the tricky business of anticipating future job needs in the workforce and adjusting educational programs accordingly always will be more art than science. But it's good to see career and technical education once again grabbing its well-deserved share of the educational spotlight. (mm)
WENTWORTH While a prominent Eden businessman sits in jail, officials arent saying what landed him there and court records only provide a few details.
Mickey Dale Snow, 77, of 318 Bearslide Court in Eden, is accused of violating the terms of his pretrial release while he awaits trial for his alleged involvement in a teen prostitution ring involving two mentally disabled sisters.
It was a case that captured international attention in 2015 when Eden police charged Snow with six counts of promoting prostitution of a minor, six counts of statutory rape and six counts of patronizing a prostitute who is mentally disabled, among other charges.
Snow is one of four men in the Eden community accused of paying between $5-$20 for sexual activities with the disabled sisters.
Three other prominent men in Eden Thomas Woodall, Everette Ferris and Donnie Ray Carter have pleaded guilty to their involvement in the prostitution ring.
After more than a year of abuse, the oldest of the two girls involved in this case went to police in September 2015.
The girls mother, Teresa Vanover, pleaded guilty in 2016, saying she used the money to pay her husbands medical bills and support her crack cocaine habit.
Snow has maintained his innocence and is scheduled for trial on Feb. 19.
On Monday afternoon, he found himself in trouble again. Deputies arrested Snow at his house and took him to the Rockingham County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
Little is known about what led to Snows arrest.
Deputies said Monday that Snows electronic monitor alerted deputies that he violated his pretrial release while in Florida, but wouldnt elaborate.
Court records show that Superior Court Judge Nathaniel Poovey granted Snow permission on Sept. 14 to travel to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., for appointments scheduled last Wednesday and Thursday.
Pooveys order took into consideration that Hurricane Irma struck Florida a week prior. Poovey added extra time to Snows trip to ensure he could safely travel there.
The judge granted Snow permission to leave Rockingham County with his wife on Sept. 17, spend a night in a hotel between North Carolina and Florida and have 24 hours to recuperate before his appointment.
Snow was scheduled for an orthopedic consultation at 10:15 a.m. last Wednesday and a neurology ophthalmology appointment at 11 a.m. Thursday.
Poovey required Snow to leave Florida on Friday and return to Rockingham County by Sunday.
And there were other conditions as well.
Before he left, Snow was required to provide the date, location, length of his appointments, mode of travel, departure and return times to the court. And if his doctor needed to remove Snows electronic monitor, the district attorneys office would have to be notified in advance.
Records indicate that Snows attorneys had problems reaching the clinic to see if that would be required. The hurricane knocked down the clinics phone lines for three days and then the hospital staff could not reach Snows doctor.
Last weeks trip to the Mayo Clinic was Snows third since his 2015 arrest.
At the time of his appointment, Snow was out of the Rockingham County Jail on a $25 million bail that was recently reduced to $15 million.
The high bail was a result of Snow crisscrossing the globe following the arrest of Woodall and Vanover, two of his co-defendants. He visited Atlanta, Holland, Panama and Costa Rica before being arrested in Thailand and extradited back to Rockingham County.
Since then, Snow, who has owned rental homes and leased large commercial properties in Eden and Florida, has been allowed to travel from his house for work. He is also allowed to visit his attorneys offices in Eden, Winston-Salem and Raleigh and the office of Cannon Surety a bonds company in Greensboro.
Besides the rules for travel, Poovey set other conditions of Snows bail. He is required to stay away from the victims of the prostitution ring and not commit any crimes. He is also not allowed to possess any weapons or controlled substances, except those prescribed by a doctor.
If any of these conditions are violated, Poovey ordered that Snow be held in the Rockingham County Jail until new conditions of his pretrial release could be set in a hearing. That hearing has not yet taken place.
Officials said more details about what caused deputies to arrest Snow this week will be revealed during that hearing.
TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd. (TSX-V:BMK) ("MacDonald Mines", MacDonald, or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Michipicoten First Nation (MFN). The MOU outlines a clear and mutually agreed upon process for consultation between the parties during the exploration phase of the Wawa-Holdsworth Gold Project. The Project located 20 km northeast of Wawa, Ontario, consists of fee simple lands and mining claims that are located in the MFN Territory.
The MFN is a signatory of the 1850 Robinson-Superior Treaty and an aboriginal people within the meaning of Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and as such, asserts aboriginal and treaty rights within the area.
Quentin Yarie, President and Chief Executive Officer of MacDonald Mines stated, MacDonald Mines is committed to fostering a mutually beneficial working relationship with the MFN as we continue to advance the Wawa-Holdsworth Project. Founded on principles of trust, respect and understanding, this MOU formalizes the consultation process and enables MFN to understand the potential impacts of the development of the Project on the exercise of aboriginal and treaty rights.
It has been a pleasure to work with Chief Tangie and her representatives. The MFN has been considerate and understanding through the whole process and MacDonald Mines does not envision anything different as we move towards more intensive exploration and development considerations in the future.
Wawa-Holdsworth Project Overview
Neighbouring Richmont's Island Gold Mine, Argonaut's Magino Gold Project and Goldcorps Borden project, the 1142 acres Wawa-Holdsworth Gold Project has all the attributes to host a large gold system with numerous gold showings occurring in a 500-metre-wide deformation corridor. Historic work by previous operators defined three gold targets on the Wawa-Holdsworth Project: 1) Greenstone-hosted quartz-carbonate vein deposits (Soocana Vein System and Reed-Booth Showing); 2) BIF-hosted gold deposits (gold-bearing pyrite zones in an Algoma-type iron formation); and 3) Gold-bearing Oxide Sands developed from the weathering of the auriferous Pyrite Zones.
MacDonald is focusing its near-term exploration program on the Oxide Sands. The soft and relatively unconsolidated material can be extracted like an aggregate and and the Company is evaluating its potential extraction.
A recent EM Max-Min survey confirmed that the sands extend at least 1.8 km along strike and reach depths beyond 8 m. MacDonalds trenching and sampling program returned up to 6.45 g/t gold (TR775-0), up to 52.7g/t silver (TR750-6) and expanded the lateral extents of the black sands. The discovery of new precious metals (gold and silver) horizons within the soil profile indicate that the gold and silver inventory of the Oxide Sands at the Wawa-Holdsworth Project may be larger than initially anticipated.
Preliminary metallurgical test work has shown that conventional flotation techniques can be used to concentrate the precious metals. Last week, the Company initiated a 2,000m sonic drilling program to assess the vertical distribution of the precious metals within the Sands with the ultimate goal of developing a resource.
Qualified Person
Quentin Yarie, P Geo. is the qualified person responsible for preparing, supervising and approving the scientific and technical content of this news release.
About MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd.
MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd. is a mineral exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario focused on gold exploration in Canada. The Company has built a portfolio of safe-jurisdiction, infrastructure-rich projects that demonstrate the greatest market potential for return. The Company is currently aggressively advancing its highly prospective Wawa-Holdsworth Project.
The Company's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "BMK".
To learn more about MacDonald Mines, please visit www.macdonaldmines.com
For more information, please contact:
Quentin Yarie, President & CEO, (416) 364-4986, qyarie@macdonaldmines.com
Or Mia Boiridy, Investor Relations, (416) 364-4986, mboiridy@macdonaldmines.com
Cautionary Statement:
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. The foregoing information may contain forward-looking statements relating to the future performance of the Company. Forward-looking statements, specifically those concerning future performance, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from the Companys plans and expectations. These plans, expectations, risks and uncertainties are detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with the TSX Venture Exchange and securities regulators. MacDonald Mines does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - September 27, 2017) - Falco Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: FPC) ("Falco" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the execution of a letter of agreement for the acquisition of the Donalda property ("Donalda") from Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. ("Globex"). Donalda is located near Falco's 100% owned Horne 5 Project located in Rouyn-Noranda, QuAbec.
In consideration for the acquisition of the Donalda property, Falco has agreed to pay $300,000 in cash and issue 350,000 units to Globex ("Unit"). Each Unit consists of one (1) common share ("Common Share") of Falco and one (1) common share purchase warrant ("Warrant") of Falco. Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one (1) Common Share of the Company at a price of C$1.15 per Common Share, for a period of 5 years following the closing date. Additionally, Falco has agreed to grant Globex a 2.5 % Gross Metal Royalty on all mineral production from the Donalda property and to transfer a 100% ownership of Falco's Dickenson property located on the east side and adjoining Globex's Francoeur/Arntfield gold property.
The transaction is subject to Falco obtaining all required regulatory approvals from the TSX Venture Exchange and execution of a final acquisition agreement, including customary representations, warranties, covenants and conditions for a transaction of such nature.
The Donalda Mine Property
The Donalda Mine Property is located within the town of Rouyn-Noranda, QuAbec, due east of the Horne 5 deposit and Quemont mine infrastructure. The property consists of seven mining claims, covering approximately 146 hectares in the Rouyn Township. The property is host to two important, sub parallel, extensive and continuous gold bearing quartz veins with a historical resource (non NI 43-101 compliant1) of 1.5 million tonnes grading 6.9 g/t gold, of which approximately 790,000 tonnes were mined and approximately 710,000 tonnes remain unexploited.
During mine production, a 620 metre shaft provided access to the two known gold bearing vein structures. The majority of the gold was extracted from the Donalda #1 vein (782,360 tonnes at 5.58g/t were mined over seven years of production) which was mined over a strike length of 825 metres and with a dip length of 400 metres. The #2 vein was discovered about 300 metres below the #1 vein. The small amount of production coming from Donalda #2 Vein (32,145 tonnes at 5.76 g/t were mine over one year of production), was extracted from the Quemont mine.
Both vein structures remain open down dip and could have significant exploration upside. The gold bearing structures were known by previous operators to persist down-dip at least as far as the Horne Creek fault. Surface diamond drilling carried out by Minnova Inc. in 1986 located the extension of the #1 vein south of the Horne Creek fault, which was not mined. Very little exploration has been undertaken below the 700 metres depth.
Most importantly, the Donalda property and its exploration potential will benefit from the proximity to infrastructure of our Horne 5 Project.
Qualified Person
Mr. Claude Bernier, Exploration Manager, (P.Geo. Eng.) is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 who has reviewed and verified the technical information contained in this news release.
About Falco
Falco Resources Ltd. is one of the largest mineral claim holders in the Province of QuAbec, with extensive land holdings in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. Falco owns about 67,000 hectares of land in the Rouyn-Noranda mining camp, which represents approximately 70% of the entire camp and includes 13 former gold and base metal mine sites. Falco's principal property is the Horne 5 Project located in the former Horne mine that was operated by Noranda from 1927 to 1976 and produced 11.6 million ounces of gold and 2.5 billion pounds of copper. Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd. is the largest shareholder of the Company and currently owns 13.3% of the outstanding shares of the Company.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects', "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include the reliability of the historical data referenced in this press release and those risks set out in Falco's public documents, including in each management discussion and analysis, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Falco believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, Falco disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
1 The resources were prepared prior to the development of National Instrument 43-101. These are considered historic mineral resources and should not be relied upon. Source: The Donalda gold deposit, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec by Riverin, Bernard and Boily (1990). This paper was presented by the Exploration Division of Minnova Inc., the owner of the property at that time. Falco has not yet independently verified the information in the geological paper.
Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/9/27/11G145948/Images/Falco1-539c6d21432698a6b9d723eec3fc1264.jpg
APN: TSX?V
ALTPF: OTCQB
9AJ1: FWB
EDMONTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /CNW/ - Altiplano Minerals Ltd. (TSX-V: APN) (OTCQB:ALTPF) (FWB: 9AJ1) ("APN" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the Maria Luisa High-Sulphidation Gold-Copper Project, Incahuasi, Chile. During July-August the Comet Joint Venture (CJV) completed Phase II fieldwork in preparation for drilling and development work. The fieldwork comprised a Drone survey (High-resolution orthophotos and Digital Elevation model (DEM)), surveying of the underground workings, detailed surface and underground mapping, and additional surface and underground sampling of the various Au-Cu vein systems. All the data has been incorporated into a GIS and modelled using Micromine software.
The Maria Luisa hosts Au-Cu mineralization in two major NW and NS trending strike-slip structural systems. The Au-Cu vein systems comprise 3 main veins named; Maria Luisa, Camino, and Cuchard. The area also contains numerous Au-Cu veins associated with cross structures between the main structures. The structural system has been reactivated multiple times along its protracted history. Historical mining has been largely from the Maria Luisa vein system and the other vein systems remain unexplored.
The vein systems are anastomosing, traceable for 500m or more, range in width from 1-5m, and include veins, and magmatic and tectonic breccias. Mineralization was emplaced in two main stages: Stage I (Au-rich) comprising specular hematite-quartz banded veins with epithermal textures grading up to 25g Au/t across 1.6m with 0.9% Cu, and Stage II (Cu-rich) comprising magmatic hydrothermal breccias of Stage I mineralization, and quartz-chalcopyrite with minor bornite. Samples collected from Stage II are up to 3% Cu with 3.7 gAu/t.
Correlations between surface and underground mapping suggest that high Au-Cu grades in the main Maria Luisa structure continue down to level 841 and below (Figs. 1 and 2). The Phase II results give a better understanding of the geology and mineralizing structures. Sampling at surface and underground confirms the grade and widths of the system and correlates with the grades and widths in the historical resource estimates. The CJV is presently planning additional work including further mapping and diamond drilling either from underground or surface to probe this additional potential.
About Altiplano
Altiplano Minerals Ltd. (APN: TSX?V) is a mineral exploration company focused on evaluating and acquiring projects with significant potential for advancement from discovery through to production, in Canada and abroad. Management has a substantial record of success in capitalizing opportunity, overcoming challenges and building shareholder value. Additional information concerning Altiplano can be found on its website at www.altiplanominerals.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
/s/ "John Williamson"
President and CEO
Tel: (780) 437-6624
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the (TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continuity of mineralization, uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary permits, licenses and title and delays due to third party opposition, changes in government policies regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's continuous disclosure filings that are available at www.sedar.com.
SOURCE Altiplano Minerals
There is, finally, some good news to report about suicide in Oregon and, in particular, suicide among young Oregonians, those between 10 and 24 years old.
Don't misunderstand: We're nowhere near the point where everyone who needs help, everyone who's struggling, will get the help they need in a timely fashion. We may never get to that point. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be trying to get there.
With that said, one of the big issues regarding suicide in Oregon (and elsewhere in the country) is that it remains, to some extent, shrouded in secrecy and silence. It's not a pleasant or easy subject to talk about. But we're learning how to talk about it. We need to keep dragging this into the open.
In that regard, it was gratifying to read about the efforts underway at Lebanon High School to continuing casting light on this dark subject: After suicide took the lives of a teacher at the school in May and at least four young adults with ties to the community, the school organized a community suicide prevention night. The event, which was open to the entire community, was held on Monday night.
Even more gratifying is that the event was organized in part by a student, Cooper Brooks, the student body president. The event featured speakers and displays about community resources. The message underlining all of it was a potent, powerful one: If you're struggling, help is available. You're not alone.
After vehicle wrecks, suicide is the highest cause of death among Oregonians ages 15 to 34, according to statistics last collected by the Oregon Health Authority in 2012. It was the eighth-leading cause of death among all Oregonians in 2012, and has been going up steadily since 2000.
As of 2015, the youth suicide rate (ages 10 to 24) in Oregon per 100,000 population ranked 16th highest in the nation.
No one knows for sure why the suicide rates in Oregon are so high, and we're just starting to gather a baseline of information about the youth suicide rates.
And there's certainly no one-size-fits-all guaranteed solution to prevent suicide. But events like the one in Lebanon (and in other mid-valley communities) are welcome and essential ways to keep the conversation going.
As far as the youth suicide rate in Oregon goes, there is another bit of good news to report: In 2015, the number of young Oregonians who died from suicide posted a small decline, dropping to 90 deaths from 97 the year before. (Statistics for 2016 are not yet available, but should be later in the year.)
It's possible, of course, that the drop could be just a one-year blip. But it also could be that the drop has been at least partially caused by the state of Oregon's efforts to address youth suicide.
In 2014, Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, then in the Oregon House of Representatives, introduced House Bill 4124 to give the state more tools to intervene with youth in crisis.
The bill, signed that year, accomplished two major initiatives: First, it added a new state job, the Oregon Youth Suicide Prevention coordinator, under the Oregon Health Authority. Second, it updated old information, creating a Youth Suicide Intervention and Prevention Plan and requiring yearly updates about youth suicide and suicide attempts. That's how we know about the drop in youth suicides in 2015.
Gelser credits Ann Kirkwood, who got the job as suicide prevention coordinator, with helping to drive the conversation, working more closely with school districts, county mental health organizations, advocacy groups and others to share suicide prevention resources and communicate ideas. The effort this week at Lebanon High School also helps with that communication.
There is one other thing we know for sure about suicide: Not talking about it wasn't doing anybody any good. Let's keep the conversation going. (mm)
Vancouver, BC (FSCwire) - Altamira Gold Corp. (TSXV: ALTA) (FSE: T6UP) (USA: EQTRF), (Altamira or the Company) at the request of IIROC, wishes to clarify certain disclosure in its September 26th, 2017 news release. The high grade samples disclosed are grab samples, grab samples are selective samples and are not representative of the mineralization hosted on the property, which was previously extensively worked for placer gold by artisanal miners. The current drilling program is aimed at identifying the source of this placer gold.
Of the 115 surface grab samples recently collected at Crepori, 56 samples were of saprolite or weathered bedrock, with the remainder comprising rock samples. The surface grab samples were collected mainly from four zones; Filao do Milton (24 samples), Ze de Ouro (10 samples) Filao de Parente Boiadeiro (33 samples) and Raimundo (24 samples). Samples were collected from both outcropping veins and surrounding wall rock and range from below the analytical method detection limit (5ppb) to 148.2g/t gold. Of the 115 samples collected, nine returned values above 5g/t gold, eight returned values of 1 5 g/t gold, twenty-six returned values of 0.1 1g/t gold and the remaining seventy-two samples returned values of less than 0.1g/t gold. All of the samples which returned values above 1g/t gold were rock samples.
The company follows industry standard procedures with a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) program. Blank, duplicate and standard samples were inserted in each batch of samples. Sample preparation and analysis was done at SGS GEOSOL in Vespasiano, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Analysis is performed by fire assay with 50g fusion and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy.
Altamira has completed two diamond drill holes thus far at the Crepori project, which has never been subject to any prior drill program. Holes at the Filao do Milton and Raimundo targets have been completed and the drill is currently testing the Ze de Bode target.
About Altamira Gold Corp.
The Company is focused on the exploration and development of gold deposits within western central Brazil. The Company holds 12 projects comprising approximately 200,000 hectares, within the prolific Juruena gold belt which historically produced an estimated 7 to 10Moz of placer gold. The Companys advanced Cajueiro project has an NI 43-101 compliant resources of 8.64Mt @ 0.78 g/t Au (for 214,000oz) in the Indicated resource category and 9.53Mt @ 0.66 g/t Au (for 204,000oz) in the Inferred resource category and an additional 1.37Mt @ 1.61 g/t Au in oxides (for 79,000oz in saprolite) in the Inferred resource category.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors,
ALTAMIRA GOLD CORP.
Mike Bennett
Mike Bennett
President & CEO
Tel: 604.676.5660
info@altamiragold.com
Guillermo Hughes, P. Geo., a consultant to the Company as well as a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor it Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this document which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Companys actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we do not undertake to update these forward looking statements.
To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/AltamiraGold09272017.pdfSource: Altamira Gold Corp. (TSX Venture:ALTA, FWB:T6UP, OTC Pink:EQTRF)
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VANCOUVER, Sept. 27, 2017 - Dynasty Metals & Mining Inc. ("Dynasty" or the "Company") (TSXV:DMM) (OTCQX:DMMIF) is pleased to announce that effective September 28, 2017, the Company's name will be changed to "Core Gold Inc." and its common shares will commence trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the new trading symbol "CGLD". The Company's new website is www.coregoldinc.com.Keith Piggott, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "A year after our investment in the Company and changes to management and the Board of Directors, we are excited to turn the page to a new chapter. Our restructuring efforts have impacted all areas of the Company, including gold production, exploration, our balance sheet, operating practices, cost efficiencies, employees and community and government relations. Our new name, "Core Gold Inc.," better defines our focus as a gold producer and our "core" objectives: to be a leading gold producer in Ecuador, operating profitable mining units and applying sustainable, safe and environmentally friendly practices in the communities in which our projects are located, as well as building value for our shareholders through growth in production and investments in exploration. We believe the Company is well positioned to overcome the challenges that new management inherited and move forward towards more stable production that will act as a platform for greater success and profitability."Concurrent with the name change, the Company will also complete a continuation (the "Continuation") under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia), and adopt new Notice of Articles and Articles of the Company in connection therewith. A copy of the new Articles will be available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. The name change and the Continuation were approved by shareholders at the Company's annual general and special meeting held on August 17, 2017.The CUSIP number assigned to the Company's common shares under its new name will be 21871K107. No further action is required by existing shareholders with respect to the name change and the Continuation. Certificates representing common shares of Dynasty will not be affected by the name and symbol change or the Continuation and will not need to be exchanged. Shareholders may contact their broker or agent with any questions in this regard.The Company expects to complete its symbol change to "CGLDF" on the OTCQX by October 6, 2017.The Company is a Canadian based mining company involved in the mining, exploration and development of mineral properties in Ecuador. The Company is currently focused on gold production at its wholly-owned Dynasty Goldfield project and continued development at its Zaruma mine. Mineral is treated at the Companys wholly-owned treatment plant close to the Zaruma mine operations. The Company also owns other significant gold exploration projects including the Jerusalem Project (located 30 kilometres south of the Fruta del Norte project), the Copper Duke area and the Linderos area in southern Ecuador.Keith Piggott, CEOSuite 1201 1166 Alberni StreetVancouver, B.C. V6E 3Z3Phone: +1 (604) 345-4822Email: info@dynastymining.comThis news release contains statements which are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking information which are prospective in nature. Such information in this news release includes statements relating to the timing of the name and symbol change and the Continuation, the timing of the symbol change on the OTCQX, the Company's production and business plans, including operations in Ecuador, and its financial position. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause Dynastys actual results, revenues, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Important risks that could cause Dynastys actual results, revenues, performance or achievements to differ materially from Dynastys expectations include, among other things, less than anticipated gold production, higher than expected production costs, unexpected delays in increasing production capacity, mining operations being suspended or terminated and the risks found in Dynastys Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2016, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Other than in accordance with regulatory obligations, Dynasty is not under any obligation and Dynasty expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
It May Be The Person Down The Block
Moving Beyond Its Roots
A Blessing And A Curse
Extensive Benefits
When high levels of lead were discovered in the public water system in Flint, Mich., in 2015, Medicaid stepped in to help thousands of children get tested for poisoning and receive care.When disabled children need to get to doctors appointments either across town or hundreds of miles away Medicaid pays for their transportation.When middle-class older Americans deplete their savings to pay for costly nursing home care, Medicaid offers coverage.The United States has become a Medicaid nation.Although it started as a plan to cover only the poor, Medicaid now touches tens of millions of Americans who live above the poverty line. The program serves as a backstop for Americas scattershot health care system, and as Republicans learned this year in their relentless battle to replace the Affordable Care Act, efforts to drastically change that can spur a backlash.The latest Republican proposal by Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (La.) was defeated in part because it would scrap the health laws Medicaid expansion and reduce federal funding for Medicaid over time. While Republicans in Congress are certain to continue to push for cuts, the fact is that Republican and Democratic governors as well as rich and poor Americans rely on the program.Today, Medicaid is the nations largest health insurance program, covering 74 million, or more than 1 in 5 Americans. Over the next weeks, Kaiser Health News will explore the vast reach of the program. Twenty-five percent of Americans will be on Medicaid at some point in their lives many are just a pink slip away from being eligible.Medicaid funding protects families from having to sell a home or declare bankruptcy to pay for the care of a disabled child or elderly parent. It responds to cover disaster relief, public health emergencies and programs in schools that lack other sources of funding.Millions of women who dont qualify for full Medicaid benefits each year obtain family planning services paid for by Medicaid. These women have incomes as high as triple the federal poverty rate, or over $36,000 for an individual. And thousands of women, who otherwise dont qualify for the program, get treated each year for breast and cervical cancers through Medicaid.Instead of cutting Medicaid, [lawmakers] increased public awareness of its value and made it even harder to cut in the future, said Jonathan Oberlander, professor of health policy and management at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a supporter of the federal health law. The Medicaid cuts passed the House, but the ACA overhaul legislation fell short in the Senate in July.Medicaid is the workhorse of the health system, covering:39 percent of all children.Nearly half of all births in the country.60 percent of nursing home and other long-term care expenses.More than one-quarter of all spending on mental health services and over a fifth of all spending on substance abuse treatment.Unlike Medicare beneficiaries, who keep that insurance for life, most Medicaid enrollees churn in and out of the program every few years, depending on their circumstances.Such numbers underline the importance of Medicaid, but also provoke alarm among conservatives and some economists who say the U.S. cannot afford the costs over the long run.Bill Hammond, director of health policy of the fiscally conservative Empire Center for Public Policy in Albany, N.Y., said Medicaid has been a big help for those it was designed to cover children and the disabled. But it has grown so big that the cost hurts state efforts to pay for other necessary public services, such as education and roads. I cant think of any other anti-poverty program that reaches so many people. Its too expensive a benefit.We need to transition people to get coverage in the private sector, he said, noting how millions on the program have incomes above the federal poverty level.Joana Weaver, 49, of Salisbury, Md., who has cerebral palsy, has been on and off Medicaid since birth. For the past few years, its paid for home nursing services for six hours a day to help her get dressed, bathed and fed. Thats kept her out of a nursing home and enabled her to teach English part time at a local community college.For me, Medicaid has meant having my independence, Weaver said.Like Weaver, many people getting Medicaid today are not easily typecast. They include grandmothers one-quarter of Medicaid enrollees are elderly people or disabled adults.Or the kid next door. About half of Medicaid enrollees are children, many with physical or mental disabilities.Many of the rest about 24 million enrollees are adults under 65 without disabilities who earn too little to afford health insurance otherwise. About 60 percent of non-disabled adult enrollees have a job. Many of those who dont work are caregivers.Its the mechanic down the street, the woman waiting tables where you go for breakfast and people working at the grocery store, said Sara Rosenbaum, a health policy expert at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.While all states rely on Medicaid, its used more in some places than others because of varying state eligibility rules and poverty rates. As of August, about 44 percent of New Mexico residents are insured by Medicaid. In West Virginia and California, the rate is nearly 1 in 3.Jane and Fred Fergus, in Lawrence, Kan., said Medicaid has been a cornerstone in their lives since their son, Franklin, was born eight years ago with a severe genetic disability that left him unable to speak or walk. He is blind and deaf on one side of his body.Although the family has insurance through Freds job as a high school history teacher, Franklin was eligible for Medicaid through an optional program that states use to help families let their children be cared for at home, rather than moving to a hospital or nursing home. Medicaid pays all his medical bills, including monthly transportation costs to Cincinnati Childrens Hospital, where for the past 18 months he has been receiving an experimental chemotherapy drug to help shrink tumors blocking his airway, Jane Fergus said. It also covers his wheelchair, walker and daily nursing care at home.We have such great health care for him because of Medicaid, his mother said.Jane Fergus was never politically active until this year, when she feared that the GOP plans to cut Medicaid funding would reduce services for her son.If there is a silver lining in all this debate, its that we have been given a voice, and people in power are being educated on the role of Medicaid, she said.Medicaid was born in a 1965 political deal to help bring more support for President Lyndon Johnsons dream of Medicare, the national health insurance program for the elderly.Over the past 40 years and in particular since the 1980s, Medicaid expanded beyond its roots as a welfare program. In 1987, Congress added coverage for pregnant women and children living in families with incomes nearly twice the federal poverty level (about $49,200 today for a family of four).In 1997, Congress added the Childrens Health Insurance Program to help cover kids from families with incomes too high for Medicaid.And since September 2013, Obamacare allowed states to expand the program to anyone earning under 138 percent of poverty (or $16,394 for an individual in 2016), adding 17 million people.In addition, more than 11 million Medicare beneficiaries also receive Medicaid coverage, which helps them get long-term care and pay for Medicare premiums.Medicaid is plugging the holes in our health system, said Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, and our health system has a lot of holes.But that comes at a steep price.With increasing enrollments and health costs steadily rising, the cost of Medicaid has soared. Federal and state governments spent about $575 billion combined last year, nearly triple the level of 2000.Those dollars have become both a blessing and a curse for states.The federal government matches state Medicaid spending, with Washington paying from half to 74 percent of a states costs in 2016. Poorer states get the higher shares.The funding is provided on an open-ended basis, so the more states spend the more they receive from Washington. That guarantee protects states when they have sudden enrollment spikes because of downturns in the economy, health emergencies such as the opioid crisis or natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.The program is the largest source of federal funding to states. And Medicaid is often the biggest program in state budgets, after public education.Medicaid is the elephant in the room for health care, said Jameson Taylor, vice president for policy for the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, a free-market think tank. He said states have become dependent on the federal funding to help fill their state budget coffers. While the poorest states, such as Mississippi, get a higher percentage of federal Medicaid dollars, that still often isnt enough to keep up with health care costs, he said.Medicaid provides significant financing for hospitals, community health centers, physicians, nursing homes and jobs in the health care sector.But the revenue stream flows further. Billions in annual Medicaid spending goes to U.S. schools to pay for nurses; physical, occupational and speech therapists; and school-based screenings and treatment for children from low-income families, as well as wheelchairs and buses to transport kids with special needs.Medicaid also often covers services that private health insurers and Medicare do not such as non-emergency transportation to medical appointments, vision care and dental care. To help people with disabilities stay out of expensive nursing homes, Medicaid pays for renovations to their homes, such as wheelchair ramps, and personal care aides.Rena Schrager, 42, of Jupiter, Fla., who has severe vision problems, has relied on Medicaid for more than 20 years. Although she often has difficulty finding doctors who will accept Medicaids reimbursements which are often lower than private insurance and Medicare she is grateful for the coverage. When you do not have anything else, you are glad to have anything, Schraeger said.As its grown, Medicaid has become more popular, another reason why politicians are cautious to curtail benefits or spending.A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed three-fourths of the public, including majorities of Democrats (84 percent) and Republicans (61 percent), hold a favorable view of Medicaid. Thats nearly as high as Americans views on Medicare. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)But it may still have a bulls-eye on its back.The fact that the House passed a bill to cut $800 billion from Medicaid and it came one vote short to passing the Senate shows Medicaid is stronger than maybe many Republican leaders anticipated, said Oberlander. But politically it is still in a precarious position.
Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, overcoming an incumbent with the strong backing of President Donald Trump and a major fundraising advantage.With 95 percent of the vote in Tuesday night, Moore had 55 percent of the vote. Sen. Luther Strange, appointed to the seat in February, had 45 percent.At a party at the RSA Activity Center in Montgomery Tuesday night, Moore thanked his supporters while hitting his traditional theme of bringing religion into the public square."Our duty is to serve Almighty God and acknowledge him in all things," the former chief justice -- twice evicted from the bench for defying federal rulings on the Ten Commandments and same-sex marriage -- told a cheering crowd.Moore's victory highlighted the strength of his base of voters in the Alabama Republican Party; the lingering questions about Strange's appointment by former Gov. Robert Bentley and the limits of Trump's ability to influence elections.The battle became a proxy war between national Republican factions both seeking Trump's blessing but fighting over GOP congressional leadership's ability to carry that out. Strange won Trump's backing in early August, and the president tweeted several messages of support and -- in the primary -- recorded robocalls for the incumbent. Trump also appeared at a rally on behalf of Strange in Huntsville Friday and continued to promote his candidacy through Monday. Vice President Mike Pence appeared with Strange at a rally in Birmingham Monday.Strange, a former Alabama attorney general, tried to make the race a referendum on Trump -- still popular with Alabama Republicans -- suggesting that his support from Trump meant Moore did not support the president.But polls before the primary and the runoff showed the appearances having little effect on voters. Moore, with a loyal base, stuck to his traditional social conservative message, but also promised to carry out the Trump agenda and to oppose Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., whose Senate Leadership Fund spent millions on ads attacking Moore. Moore drew in insurgent Republican support, including that of former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, engaged in a bitter fight with McConnell.Bannon spoke before Moore at the victory party Tuesday night, trying to tie Moore to his own efforts to build an insurgent GOP movement."In state after state after state, people have followed the model of Judge Moore, that do not need to raise money from the elites, from the crony capitalists and the fat cats in Washington DC," Bannon said.Strange in a concession statement thanked Trump for his support."From the beginning of this campaign, my priority has been serving the people of Alabama," the statement said. "Tomorrow I will go back to work with President Trump and do all I can to advance his agenda over the next few weeks."SLF president Steven Law said in a statement it was "vital" to keep the seat in Republican hands."Senator Strange can hold his head high knowing that he played a critical role in cleaning up the corruption in Montgomery, confirming President Trump's choice for the Supreme Court, and strongly supporting the President's priorities on border security and repealing Obamacare," the statement said.In the end, though, Alabama politics proved more decisive than the national struggles. Moore's devoted base, cultivated over 17 years, gave the judge overwhelmingly victories in the Wiregrass, his traditional stronghold, and throughout rural Alabama.Strange needed solid victories in Alabama's urban and suburban counties. But outside Jefferson County, which the incumbent won easily, Strange underperformed around the state. He edged Moore in Madison County, where Trump held a rally Friday, but lost Montgomery 52 to 47 percent, and fell short in Mobile, losing 54 to 46 percent.Moore won Autauga County with 63 percent of the vote, and took Elmore with 65 percent of the vote.Bill Armistead, a former Alabama Republican Party chairman and Moore's campaign chairman, said people in Alabama "know Roy Moore.""It's very difficult to transfer one's popularity to another candidate," Armistead said. "Trump is very popular in Alabama, but you can't say 'because he's popular, whoever he likes will be popular, too.' It just doesn't work that way."Whoever they supported, voters Tuesday mostly said that the Trump endorsement had little to no effect on their decision."It was a little disappointing," said Jennifer Hunt, a graphic designer from Auburn who voted for Moore. "(But) it didn't affect my decision."Strange also struggled with questions about his appointment by Bentley. Bentley resigned from office in April after pleading guilty to two campaign finance violations, following an investigation by the Alabama attorney general's office. Strange interviewed for and accepted the Senate appointment while the investigation took place. He never said what role if any he had in the probe, and avoided questions about it on Thursday night.Voters who spoke with the Advertiser Thursday tended to bring up the Bentley appointment more than the Trump endorsement. Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, who flirted with a Senate run this spring, said Tuesday he warned national Republicans who backed Strange that that could happen."The original question, and I made this clear to Washington, is the people of Alabama did not like the way Luther Strange received his appointment from Bentley," Marsh said. "That was embedded in the minds of Alabamians."Angi Horn Stalnaker, a Alabama Republican consultant who has run races against Moore, was blunt."D.C. political consultants have a place in politics, but tonight's election proves that place is not south of the Mason Dixon," she wrote.Moore faces former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones, the Democratic nominee for the seat, in the general election on Dec. 12. In a statement, Jones said he was focusing on "the issues that matter to the people of Alabama -- health care, jobs and the economy.""After years of embarrassing headlines about top public officials in this state, this race is about the people of Alabama and about choosing a candidate with character and integrity they can be proud of," the statement said. "I will never embarrass the people of Alabama. I am running so the people of Alabama can be proud of their next senator."
The federal Department of Homeland Security reversed itself Tuesday and told Wisconsin officials that the Russian government had not tried to hack the state's voter registration system last year.Instead, Homeland Security said, the Russians had attempted to access a computer system controlled by another state agency.The development _ disclosed during a meeting of the Wisconsin Elections Commission _ came four days after federal officials told the state that Russians had tried to hack systems in Wisconsin and 20 other states.Juan Figueroa, a member of Homeland Security's election infrastructure team, on Tuesday told state officials by email that Wisconsin's voter registration system had not been targeted in a hacking attempt after all. He said Russians had tried to access a computer system run by the state Department of Workforce Development."One additional follow-up from our analysis team before this is shared publicly, based on our external analysis, the WI IP address affected belongs to the WI Department of Workforce Development, not the Elections Commission," Figueroa wrote in his email.He did not explain why inaccurate information had been provided to the state on Friday. He did not respond to questions from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel."Either someone was right on Friday and this memo today is a coverup or they were wrong on Friday and we deserve an apology," said Mark Thomsen, chairman of the Wisconsin Elections Commission.Someone tried to access Department of Workforce Development system on July 30 and 31, 2016, according to a timeline released Tuesday by David Cagigal, the state's chief information officer. He compared the attempts to a burglar checking the locks on a door to see if they were secure.On Aug. 2, 2016, Wisconsin blocked the computer addresses that had been used to try to get into the Department of Workforce Development system.In October 2016, the Department of Homeland Security notified officials that hackers had probed election systems in some states. At the time, the federal agency said the computers being used to try to get into the systems were from a Russian company but that the agency was "not now in a position to attribute this activity to the Russian government."Wisconsin had already blocked the computer addresses in question after the July 2016 attempts to gain access to the Department of Workforce Development system, according to the timeline.On Friday, Homeland Security officials told Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Michael Haas that hackers working on behalf of the Russian government had attempted to get into Wisconsin's voter registration system.Those officials told him to follow up with Figueroa. Haas spent the following days seeking more information and on Tuesday was told the computers the Russians had tried to attack belonged to the Department of Workforce Development, not the Elections Commission.Haas said it is possible Homeland Security officials initially assumed the Russians had tried to get into Wisconsin's voter registration system because their computers had been used to try to break into other states' elections systems.Kevin Kennedy, a longtime head of Wisconsin elections efforts who is now retired, said federal officials haven't been forthcoming with states over the past year about what happened."Part of the decision last fall was they made a choice they weren't going to tell everybody," he said.The commission is considering new security measures, such as encrypting WisVote, the voter registration system used by local clerks, and requiring two-factor authentication for clerks and state workers signing into that system.A two-factor system requires a typical password and then a second code that is sent as an email or text message to the user. Such a security feature could be challenging to implement because elections are run at the municipal level and officials in some small communities don't have email accounts, said Meagan McCord Wolfe, an assistant administrator at the Elections Commission.A draft of the new security plan will likely be presented to the commission in December, Wolfe said.The elections systems in Wisconsin has come under scrutiny because the state, along with Pennsylvania and Michigan, helped deliver an Electoral College victory to President Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton.There have been no reports of hackers attempting to gain access to voting machines or other devices used to tabulate results. Wisconsin conducted a statewide recount following last year's vote, with some ballots being recounted by hand and some by machine.Until Tuesday, Wisconsin officials believed hackers had targeted Wisconsin's voter registration system, which can be accessed online by about 3,000 local and county clerks and state workers. Local workers can only make changes in their jurisdiction. Voters can register online with WisVote.Cybersecurity experts raised alarms after the election that Wisconsin was vulnerable to attacks, prompting Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein to fund a statewide recount. The effort ultimately confirmed Trump as the winner in Wisconsin.Monthly cybersecurity reports produced by Gov. Scott Walker's administration show that two days before the state's April 5 presidential primary last year, security analysts logged more than 150,000 alerts in a single day. On a typical day over the past two years, the state has logged fewer than 60,000 of these alerts, which attempt to find holes in state systems.
Description
GIS 27 September 2017 : The Experience Sharing Forum on the Implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, an initiative of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, opened this morning at Holiday Inn Hotel in Plaine Magnien.
The three-day forum provides a platform to some 50 representatives of African Union Member States as well as international and regional organisations to outline and discuss the status of childrens rights in their respective countries and the role of reporting mechanisms in advancing the protection of the rights of children.
In her address at the opening ceremony, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, Mrs Marie Anne Janick Jaunbocus, urged participants to become Ambassadors for the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in their respective countries so as to better respond to the plight of African children who are the primary victims of all conflicts, natural disasters, epidemics like HIV/AIDS, famine, bad cultural practices and superstitions.
The Permanent Secretary listed out the means by which to offer better protection to children and promote their rights and welfare, namely through African Union and other international instruments that are of great relevance to children, and serve to complement the African Childrens Charter. Mrs Jaunbocus also invited African States to consider ratifying, domesticating and giving meaningful effect to other similar treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights which provides extensively for the rights of every individual, including children.
With regards to Mauritius, Mrs Jaunbocus spoke of the major initiatives implemented for the welfare and protection of children. These comprise, among others, the Office of the Ombudsperson for children responsible to ensure that the rights, needs and interests of children are given full consideration; the Family Rehabilitation/Back to Home Programme; the professionalisation of the Foster Care Programme and the de-institutionalisation of residential care; the Child Mentoring Programme to assist children aged between 10 and 16 years who display mild behavioural problems; and a fast track system to address cases of tardy declaration of birth.
The Permanent Secretary added that the Ministry is still working on a draft Childrens Bill and the implementation of a National Child Protection Strategy and Action Plan developed with the assistance of the European Union.
For his part, the representative of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, Mr. Joseph Ndayisenga, pointed out that the objective of this forum is to solicit the universal ratification of the Charter and mobilise the widest political support to this end. Since the adoption of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 27 years ago, 48 African countries have ratified the instrument, while seven countries have not yet ratified that Charter, he said.
According to Mr Ndayisenga, synergy and coordination from Member States are required for the full respect of childrens rights on the African continent. He appealed to State Parties to commit themselves to their obligations under the Charter.
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child was adopted in July 1990 by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity, and entered into force in November 1999. To monitor the implementation of the African Childrens Charter, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child was established in 2001. The Committee undertakes a number of activities with a view to promoting and protecting the rights and welfare of the child in Africa.
Description
GIS - 27 September, 2017: The Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, met the press this afternoon at the Treasury Building in Port Louis to give an overview of his recent mission in New York and his participation at the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations. The Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, met the press this afternoon at the Treasury Building in Port Louis to give an overview of his recent mission in New York and his participation at the 72General Assembly of the United Nations.
Mr Jugnauth pointed out that Chagos Archipelagos was at the fore of most of the bilateral meetings he had and was the key point in his address at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly on 21 September 2017.
He highlighted that he made a case so that Africa has at least one permanent seat at the UN Security Council and the effects of climate change on Small Islands Developing States. He also mentioned that the Agenda 2063 of the African Union adopted in January 2015 which is in consonance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was another important point that he raised at the Assembly.
The Prime Minister Jugnauth expressed his thanks to Member States for their continued support in the completion of the decolonisation process of Mauritius and reiterated that Mauritius does not have any intention of seeking the disruption of the security arrangements currently in place in Diego Garcia.
During his mission the Prime Minister had the opportunity to formally and informally meet several world leaders and dignitaries with whom he had cordial discussions and exchange of views.
The Prime Minister availed himself of the meeting with the local press to answer questions relating to current affairs in the country.
Deloitte, a massive global consulting firm that serves government alongside business, publicly disclosed a cybersecurity breach on Sept. 25 after media reports exposed it.The hack, whichnewspaper in London revealed first , appears to have impacted the companys email system. Deloitte told the paper that the hack had compromised only a fraction of its emails and very few customers. The firm has notified six customers of the attack, according toJonathan Gandal, a spokesperson for Deloitte, toldin an email that none of the firm's government clients was impacted. Gandal said Deloitte turned to cybersecurity and privacy experts both inside and outside the company as part of its review of the incident and notified "governmental authorities immediately after it became aware of the incident.""No disruption has occurred to client businesses, to Deloittes ability to continue to serve clients, or to consumers," Gandal wrote in the email.But an anonymous source speaking with notable cybersecurity blogger and formerreporter Brian Krebs offered a slightly different story. According to the KrebsOnSecurity blog, the source said the hackers gained access to the firms entire email system.Deloitte works extensively with government entities in the U.S., including states, and serves as a systems integrator on many major technology deployments across the country. A sampling of recent activity in the U.S. from the Center for Digital Governments* procurement activity database: In June, it won a $15 million contract with the Maryland Department of Information Technology to provide cloud services ranging from underlying architecture to software. In July it secured a contract extension for cloud services for the state of Minnesota. Its also involved in a database migration in Colorado.Deloitte also provides cybersecurity consulting to governments.described the nature of the breach as being sensitive enough that Deloitte informed only a handful of senior partners and lawyers about it. The timing of the hack is unclear according to the article, Deloitte appears to have discovered the infiltration in March 2017, but the original attack might have happened in October or November 2016.The firm didnt disclose which clients were affected or what type of clients were exposed. According to, the company has notified some government regulators about the hack.*The Center for Digital Government is part of e.Republic,parent company.
(TNS) A devastating Atlantic hurricane season, along with concerns about safety in Mexico and Europe, could propel Hawaiis visitor industry to an even stronger finish in 2018, which was already anticipated to be tourisms best year.No one wants to say that we are benefiting from someone elses misfortune, but weve seen a big pickup in September as people have moved away from the destinations impacted by the hurricanes and from Mexico and Europe, said Keith Vieira, principal of KV & Associates Hospitality Consulting LLC. August had slipped a little bit for a lot of people, but September is now coming on very strong.Jack Richards, president and CEO of Pleasant Holidays, Hawaiis largest travel seller, said the company has seen an increase in bookings from people who would have gone to the Caribbean, Mexico or Europe if not for concerns over storm devastation or safety.The U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory Aug. 22 warning U.S. citizens about certain parts of Mexico. According to the advisory, U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery in various Mexican states.The department also issued an alert Aug. 31 cautioning U.S. citizens about the continued threat of terrorism throughout Europe, specifically mentioning recent attacks in France, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain and Finland.This years Atlantic hurricane season has brought 13 named storms, including the particularly devastating Franklin, Harvey, Irma, Katia, Jose and Maria. The various storms have created problems for Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, New England, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, the Bahamas and the southern and western Caribbean islands.Richards said storm devastation slowed travel at first, but in the last three weeks Hawaii began to see extra gains. Pleasant Holidays helped the effort by offering $250 credits to people whose travel plans were affected by storm devastation to change their bookings to Hawaii.At the same time, Richards said the market has benefited from low fuel prices and additional air seats, which have reduced the cost of a Hawaii vacation. New high-end hotel capacity added recently has renewed travel interest, he said.Whether its an unfortunate incident on the East Coast or Hawaii, someone is going to benefit from having the better weather. This time its Hawaii, and we have been picking up some of the relocated business, said Jerry Gibson, area vice president of Hilton Hawaii.The Hawaii Tourism Authority said these latest gains are bringing Hawaii closer to achieving its sixth year of tourism gains in spending and arrivals. The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourisms Aug. 11 forecast anticipates visitor spending will reach $16.8 billion this year when 290,000 more visitors arrive than last year, bringing the total to 9.2 million.Travel demand has exceeded all expectations, said George Szigeti, head of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.DBEDT anticipates that arrivals will grow to 9.4 million visitors in 2018, a 1.4 percent gain over 2017. Expenditures are expected to reach $17.1 billion next year, hitting a new tourism benchmark when it surpasses 2017 expenditures by 2.2 percent.Richards said those estimates dont do current conditions justice.Im more bullish on Hawaii for 2018 than Ive been for the past 10 years, Richards said. Im predicting double-digit growth. Were already booking for 2019.Foul weather from this hurricane season hasnt touched Hawaii so far, but tourism officials still remember Hurricane Iniki, which battered Kauai in September 1992. Thats why they used last weeks Global Tourism Summit to collect money to help the victims of Harvey and Irma. Hawaii Tourism Authority raised approximately $4,000 by donating $20 from every registration received the week before the summit to the cause. During the summit, Szigeti encouraged attendees to donate directly to the Red Cross via an event app.Join us in supporting the Red Cross as they help those victims of Harvey and Irma to rebuild their lives, Szigeti told summitgoers. We saw these past two weeks how quickly peoples lives in Texas, Louisiana and Florida were tragically affected by Harvey and Irma. These hurricanes occurred as we were reminded about the 25th anniversary of Hurricane Iniki and the massive destruction it caused for the residents of Kauai. We all know such tragedy can happen again in Hawaii.2017 The Honolulu Star-AdvertiserVisit The Honolulu Star-Advertiser at www.staradvertiser.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Optimizing Rhode Island IT
Other Rhode Island Initiatives The Rhode Island Department of Corrections is transitioning from its Prison Community Data System to a .NET app with an Oracle front end, and implementing a new electronic medical records system to replace one at the end of its life.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation recently implemented a new system to capture and track information in order to meet reporting requirements related to civil rights.
Room for More Centralization
On the job slightly more than 50 days, Rhode Islands new chief information officer and chief digital officer is focusing on the people, processes and technologies needed to maintain forward momentum on the states major technology initiatives. Bijay Kumar , who was hired July 30, joined the state roughly five months after the resignations of Human Services Director Melba Depena Affigne and Chief Digital Officer Thom Guertin, who oversaw design and implementation of the troubled Unified Health Infrastructure Project (UHIP).Formerly in the private sector with the likes of toymaker Hasbro Inc. and Staples, Kumar said he is finding that both staff and technology exist at different levels of maturity at the state. Though he expressed confidence in the state's deep well of talent, he acknowledged the historical difficulty in retaining skilled personnel in the public sector.In terms of people, it is definitely harder to attract and retain staff talent in government. I believe that is something which all government agencies and all state and federal folks do face, Kumar said.A lot of times, the funds we have drive the amount of innovation as well as application optimization we can do. To be creative within the constraints, you have to do an exceptional job, he added.For Kumar, the process of optimizing Rhode Island IT started with in-the-field meetings with agency directors, and collaborating with an assortment of state personnel to leverage information sharing and best practices.Kumar said he has created 60-day, 90-day and one-year plans for Rhode Island IT and adjusted those following his 30-day meeting with Gov. Gina Raimondo. Earlier this year , the governors concern about delays and cost overruns with the UHIP launch prompted her to freeze new IT projects.But Kumar said that freeze has since been lifted and the state is moving ahead on a number of major initiatives. On July 5, the state launched the Rhode Island Modernization System (RIMS) , which will link branch offices of the state's Division of Motor Vehicles and partner agencies.The project, which saw the state take contractor Hewlett-Packard to court for alleged breach of contract, replaced a 40-year-old mainframe. It is aimed at decreasing wait times, which were clocked at an average of nearly two hours in March.Another focus for Kumar is working to stabilize and actively manage UHIP, its new eligibility portal for health and human services and the first such update since the 1980s. The system is intended to handle social services including HealthSource RI insurance accounts, Medicaid enrollment and state Supplemental Security Income.Earlier delays with the launch of the UHIP system prompted federal officials to ask for more detail on planned improvements and the state, in January, to suspend payments to the vendor that built it, Deloitte.Though Kumar said Raimondo did the right thing in temporarily freezing IT launches at the time, he added that the state and the vendor are collaborating to make its rollout a success.There is a governance process in place, there are escalations in place with Deloitte, the teams are working well together, he said. We have to make sure that we stabilize the system. We continue to hold Deloitte accountable.When it comes to Rhode Islands enterprise architecture, the CIO described it as mostly centralized with more opportunities ahead. Some agencies are retaining their own IT shops, with purchases including software and hardware licensing done in a centralized manner.The CIO said IT governance and active management are key facets of his approach to the position, and the state will have a dedicated project management function to enable managers to effectively handle multiple assignments.My strategy is to work with all the agencies and quasi-agencies to have processes which are collaborative and cohesive and standard across everything we support, he said.Rhode Island, Kumar said, is at the beginning of a long journey, but moving in the right direction.
How it works
Transparency is key
(TNS) A long, narrow office that once belonged to an Akron police captain now serves as a giant charging and download station for body cameras on the fifth floor of headquarters.Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan and acting police Chief Ken Ball Tuesday announced the long-anticipated rollout of the cameras, but patrol officers have already started using the cameras, already logging more than 16,000 hours worth of police interactions with the public.The small black, blinking devices are now attached to the breast pockets of 115 of the departments 216 patrol officers across the city, but will ultimately be standard equipment for all patrol officers, the traffic unit and neighborhood response team.Horrigan said he hoped the cameras would both improve citizen safety by recording important evidence and improve transparency and accountability.Other departments have reported a drop in citizen complaints and of police incidents using force after using body cameras, Horrigan said.But, he cautioned, no piece of equipment is the solution.Patrol officers on the way to roll call can slip the mobile phone-sized devices out of their charger stations and onto the breast pockets of their uniforms or coats.A flat piece of perforated metal goes inside the pocket and the camera, in a magnetized case, sticks to the fabric on the outside.When work starts for an officer, she turns the camera to buffering mode, which continuously records silent, 30-second loops that are recycled until the officers hits record by double-tapping a button bigger than a silver dollar on the front of the camera.Police department policy says officers should record each call for service that is likely to result in citizen contact, along with other events such as civil disturbances or suspicious behavior.Officer and citizens will know the body cameras are recording if the green, flashing light on the outside signifying buffering mode switches to solid red.The policy clearly states when an officer can turn off a recording, from the obvious when an interaction with a citizen concludes to the perhaps not so obvious, like when a victim or witness refuses to cooperate as long as the body camera is recording.Any officer could have dozens of recordings per shift and each recording must be digitally labeled, said Sgt. Brian Armstead. He and Lt. Mark Farrar are now working full time to maintain the body camera hardware and software and to work with the courts on video evidence.Armstead said its easiest for officers to label their recordings after each one is finished.To do so, officers use a mobile phone application and type in the police report number that matches the video, if a report was generated, and the address where the video was made.Officers next assign crime codes to the videos that determined how long they will be saved in the system.Videos categorized as non-evidentiary or administrative have the shortest retention 60 days. Videos involving rape, murder, sexual battery and other issues can be retained forever.Once an officers shift has ended, shell return to the fifth floor and slip the body camera back into a wall slot where that shifts videos will automatically download as the device recharges.Officers cannot alter or delete the original recordings, Armstead said, and a digital trail shows everyone who has opened one of the files.Armstead said most of the officers on patrol are younger and using the technology is easy for them, particularly using the mobile phone app with the camera.There has been some skepticism, he said, but for the most part, they understand if Im not doing anything wrong, Im fine. I can document my side of the story.Chief Ball said Tuesday the process of getting cameras began in August 2014 when he and a deputy chief went to see a body camera demonstration at the Norton Police Department.It was the same month Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., which fueled and drew national attention to the Black Lives Matter movement.But thats not what drove Akron to get the cameras, Ball said.This organization will never back away from transparency, Ball said. We seek to do things that are right, that are honorable.Ball, as a captain, led the departments testing of five body cameras, the largest test of any police department east of the Mississippi River, he said. Akron ultimately chose a system made and maintained by Axon, which also makes the Taser stun gun.The five-year plan with Axon costs about $1 million, about $370,000 of which will be paid by a federal grant.Among other things, it includes cameras, which will be replaced with the newest version after 2 years and cloud storage for the body camera videos, which is measured in petabytes.The city also had to triple its bandwidth to support the recording devices or face citywide computer slowdowns or stops.If voters pass Issue 4 in November increasing the city income tax, Ball said the department may get new cameras for police cars that would synch with their body cameras.Only about half of Akron police vehicles now have cameras, in part because the technology being used is so old, it cant be fixed if it breaks, police said.On Tuesday afternoon, the Beacon Journal submitted its first public records request to view Akron police body camera video footage taken during a police-involved shooting in Goodyear Heights on Friday night.Unlike police reports and calls to 911 dispatcher recordings which police routinely share with reporters hours after crimes and other incidents occur access to all police body camera video will be controlled by Akrons law department.
Former Sauber driver Felipe Nasr says he wants to get back to racing next year.
The Brazilian contested two seasons with the Swiss team until the end of last year, when his backer Banco do Brasil pulled out of the sport.
Since then, the 25-year-old has been testing several cars.
"I tested the Imsa prototype, I had some contact with some Formula E teams, I did some simulators, and I was also at Indycar at the Watkins Glen round in New York," Nasr told Globo.
He said he was invited to the Indycar round by Helio Castroneves.
"He put me in touch with a lot of people in Indy," Nasr revealed, amid rumours he could test an Indycar next month.
"Regardless of the category, I think I have the quality to be in a competitive team next year," he said.
And Nasr also revealed that his manager, Steve Robertson - who also handles Kimi Raikkonen's career - has been in touch with some F1 teams.
But he admits that a return to F1 will be difficult.
"Either you're linked to an automaker right from the start or you need to take an investment to get into the other teams," Nasr said.
"The moment that our country is going through also does not help. Realistically, no one is investing in anything."
(GMM)
Striving to outpace a historical rate of change headlined talks at a Barrick Gold Corp. event about reinventing mining for the 21st century at the companys CodeMINE digital transportation hub off Main Street in Elko.
Here, rock-breaking miners and digital developers are working to create a new Barrick, said Michael Brown, president of Barrick U.S.A.
The event Sept. 26 started with a discussion between John Thornton, Barrick executive board chairman; and John Chambers, executive board chairman of Cisco Systems, moderated by Michelle Ash, Barricks chief innovation officer, and continued with a tour of the mining companys digital center of operations. The two global companies partnered about a year ago to apply innovation, especially digital technology, to transform mining.
That process of change might be disrupting, Brown warned, but without it there would be no progress. The leaders seek to disrupt, he said, because from that disruption will come new value, value for our shareholders, value for our employees and value for our host government in the communities where we operate.
Chambers described how Cisco was willing to change and did so by evolving with demands to become a worldwide leader in information technology and networking.
If we dont change, we will get left behind, he said.
Barrick leaders want to apply digital innovations to make mining better, safer and faster, according to event promotional materials, and Thornton explained how the idea to digitize mining evolved.
Sitting here right now, looking at this CodeMINE, is the beginning of a fantasy, he said, describing his first meeting with Chambers. We agreed Barrick is going to become a digital company.
During the discussion, Barrick employees participated in the meeting via Cisco technology. Mine staff from sites including Cortez and Goldstrike could be seen on large computer screens.
Over the past year, Barrick has been developing CodeMINE near its shared business center in Elko to contain teams of digitally focused employees. On a tour of CodeMINE after the forum, Barrick project management office lead Theresa Sapara showed guests the units that comprise CodeMINE, including digital work maintenance, short-interval control, predictive maintenance, underground automation and development operations.
The open-concept work area is designed to allow collaboration among system developers and mine operators to discover solutions to mining challenges, and teams of employees gathered around long tables surrounded by computer screens, digital and printed topographical maps and white boards.
Gordon Fellows, a Barrick mine engineer, described how nearly real-time monitoring via underground short-interval control helps his team ensure compliance to a detailed schedule of tasks and eliminate downtime.
At the same time we are getting more with less effort, he said.
In the development operations corner, Barrick tech lead Jed Schneider explained how his group, which sported a red lava lamp on their table in the dev op corner, helps keep communications networks up and running to avoid outages that would mean lost production. As Sapara explained, they make it as objective and seamless as possible.
The aim of these members, and the so-called Digital Transformation team and the others in CodeMINE and the business center, according to Barrick Beyond Borders, is to help the mining company use data and analytics to generate more value more sustainably and more transparently for our own people, our communities and our shareholders.
From here, a mining community in rural Nevada a place that Thornton acknowledged could seem formidable the digital innovations might inspire applications to other industries and begin to change the world.
We are only limited by our imaginations, he said.
GREENSBORO Guilford County would be apportioned into five revised judicial districts by a statewide courts bill that advanced Wednesday in the North Carolina House of Representatives.
The plan approved by the House Select Committee on Judicial Redistricting also would end the current practice of electing District Court judges countywide. Instead, three would be chosen by voters in each of Guilford Countys five, revamped Superior Court districts.
In Guilford, the plan also calls for adding one District Court judge to the current complement of 14, a response to requests from court officials for an increase to deal with large court dockets.
Wednesdays committee vote sends the bill to the full House for consideration when it reconvenes next week. If approved there, it would move to the state Senate for additional scrutiny.
The local revisions are among statewide changes being promoted by Republican leaders in the North Carolina General Assembly. Democrats have criticized the process, saying that such sweeping change should be made only after more thorough study and consultation with judges, lawyers and legal advisory groups.
Republicans maintain that it has been decades since statewide judicial districts were last redrawn to account for changes in population. Voters are being disenfranchised in many heavily populated districts where each persons vote counts less than in districts with fewer residents, they say.
Democrats and other critics contend the move is a GOP power grab aimed at increasing the number of Republican judges. The General Assembly also has made judicial races partisan, replacing the previous system where candidates did not formally declare party affiliations.
State Rep. Jon Hardister (R-Greensboro) said the current judicial districts in Guilford have not been fully updated since 1992, so that voter populations vary among them from 62,400 to 129,000.
Each revamped district would have a population of about 98,000. Three Guilford districts would lean Democrat and two Republican.
The changes would make it easier for District Court candidates to run for office in smaller jurisdictions within Guilford instead of having to campaign across the entire county, Hardister said. And it would help voters gather information about the candidates before the election and to hold those who win accountable, he said.
For one thing, voters can more effectively look after three candidates than they can 14, he said, referring to the current number of District Court judges in Guilford.
Guilford County legislators on the committee included Hardister and state Reps. John Blust (R-Greensboro) and Pricey Harrison (D-Greensboro). Hardister and Blust voted for the plan Wednesday, Harrison against.
Harrison said that she voted no because she believes the process was deeply flawed. But she said that Guilfords legislative delegation worked effectively to change the original proposal that was unveiled months ago to a compromise plan for Guilford County that was better than it otherwise might have been.
I dont like the process, but you were going to have a new map, Harrison said. So we worked to come up with a plan that was fairer for Guilford County than what was originally proposed.
Frankly, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinkes memo to President Trump recommending modifications to a few national monuments including the 300,000-acre Gold Butte National Monument in Clark County is far too modest, but it has the Democratic contingent of Nevadas Washington delegation squealing like a pig stuck under a gate.
Zinke recommended unspecified changes to the Gold Butte boundaries but totally ignored the massive 700,000-acre Basin and Range National Monument that straddles the border between Nye and Lincoln counties, even though members of the Congressional Western Caucus recommended reducing it to 2,500 acres the smallest area compatible, as the law says, to protect the Indian petroglyphs there.
The Interior Secretary noted in his memo that the Antiquities Act of 1906 gave the president authority to protect historic and prehistoric landmarks and objects of scientific and historic interest, but the monument designation has instead been used to block use of vast landscapes. It appears that certain monuments were designated to prevent economic activity such as grazing, mining, and timber production rather than to protect specific objects, the memo observes.
He also noted that the public comment process has been usurped by well-organized, well-funded, self-styled environmental groups, drowning out local officials, ranchers, miners and loggers.
These environmental groups and their Democratic cohorts are dead set on protecting every inch of barren dirt and rock from the invasive non-native species known as mankind.
Not that any of them has ever worked as a roughneck or roustabout in the grease orchards, castrated a calf or branded a steer, driven a Euclid filled with ore or operated a jackhammer or a chainsaw or cashed a pay check for doing so.
Democrat Rep. Ruben Kihuen of North Las Vegas, whose district includes Gold Butte, screeched about Zinkes modest memo, This decision will not only be detrimental to Nevadas economy and shared cultural heritage, but it is further proof that the monument review process has been rigged from the start. Secretary Zinke promised that Nevadans voices would be heard. Instead, we got half-hearted attempts to meet with stakeholders and secret memos cooked up behind closed doors, all when the outcome was predetermined from the beginning. When it comes to altering our monuments and impacting our livelihood, Nevadans deserve more than unofficial leaks and uncorroborated reports. Secretary Zinke should look Nevadans in the eye and give it to us straight, rather than hide behind the administrations continued shroud of secrecy.
Actually, his constituents in Mesquite welcome the reduction, especially if it assures the town it will have access to springs in the region that will be needed to supply the growing community with drinking water in the future.
Zinkes memo specifically noted that the water district has historic water rights to six springs and five of those are within the Obama-designated national monument boundaries. The memo further said that there are four active grazing allotments in the area, though the proclamation claimed there were none.
Democrat Rep. Dina Titus of Las Vegas weighed in by declaring, Gold Buttes opponents have created a straw man argument about water rights without mentioning that the monuments proclamation includes language to protect them. Now we must recommit our effort to protect these precious public lands in the courts and send a strong message to Zinke and Trump to keep their hands off our monuments.
Democrat Rep. Jacky Rosen of Henderson claimed, This rash decision by the Trump Administration will not only endanger Nevadas natural beauty and chip away at our cultural heritage, but it will also hurt our states outdoor recreation economy by eliminating jobs that have contributed significantly to our local tourism industry.
Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Las Vegas has opposed reducing the footprint of any national monument.
Republican Sen. Dean Heller and Rep. Mark Amodei both opposed the designations of Gold Butte and Basin and Range.
Heller said, As a strong proponent of states rights, the Obama Administrations decision to bypass Congress and designate two national monuments in Nevada despite widespread disagreement at the local level is an example of extreme overreach and the failed Washington-knows-best mentality. That is why I welcomed Secretary Zinke to Nevada to see first-hand the impact of monuments designated under the Antiquities Act with no local input.
The monument designation does nothing to add actual protection for the few petroglyphs and other artifacts that are located on the sites, but Zinke did recommend the president seek funding to actually protect those artifacts.
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GREENWICH Police arrested a high school student they say was responsible for writing a threatening message in a bathroom that led to a lockdown six months ago at Greenwich High School.
The student, whose name was not released, was charged Monday with first-degree threatening, a felony, and second-degree breach of peace, a misdemeanor.
The threatening message was discovered in a bathroom stall on March 29, and some 3,000 people were detained in the high school building. Some 40 police officers hand-searched students and backpacks for weapons.
An investigation by the departments Special Victim Section developed a suspect, and an application was filed for a juvenile arrest warrant. After a judge signed the warrant, the suspect was arrested earlier this week. Police did not say if a male or female student was arrested.
Det. Sgt. Brent Reeves, of the special victim unit, wrote in a statement, The safety of our children, our most vulnerable population, is a paramount mission of the Greenwich Police Department. When these types of incidents occur, the full weight of the department is put behind the investigation.
Police interviewed a number of students, reviewed video footage and reviewed social media during the investigation, among other techniques.
Greenwich High School is not the only school in the region where threatening words, printed on walls or social media, have drawn a substantial response from law enforcement. A similar threat at Darien High School took place the same week as Greenwich, triggering a lockdown.
In Greenwich, a threat was found scrawled in a girls bathroom shortly after noon. It contained specific reference to location and time, according to authorities.
Students were kept in classrooms, then searched individually in a process that took more than three hours.
Aliyev Lies Before the Whole World
Aliyev Lies Before the Whole World At United Nations Speech in New York By Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com There were plenty of Azeri commentators and officials who criticized Pres. Sargsyans speech at the U.N. General Assembly last week, but I did not come across any Armenian commentators or government leaders who attacked Pres. Aliyevs ugly speech at the U.N. on Sept. 20. The Azeri Presidents lengthy remarks were full of lies and distortions: lets try to set the record straight on some of them. The first line of Aliyevs speech starts with a usual exaggeration and untruth, stating that Armenia occupies 20 percent of Azerbaijans territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other regions of the country. The truth is that Armenia does not occupy any Azeri territory. Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) was never a part of Azerbaijan. It was an autonomous Armenian-inhabited region gifted to Azerbaijan by Soviet dictator Stalin in 1921. The Armenian population of Artsakh finally liberated themselves after decades of brutal Azeri occupation. Furthermore, the Azeri claim that Armenia occupies 20% of Azerbaijan is false, as the region liberated by Armenians is around 15%, not 20%. Pres. Aliyev then proceeds to state: Nagorno-Karabakh is an ancient and historical part of Azerbaijan. This is a complete lie as Azerbaijan did not exist historically as a state. It was created in 1918 with the help of the Turkish army. Aliyevs next big lie is that there are one million Azeri refugees and internally displaced persons as a result of Armenian military action. First of all, it is not one million, but several hundred thousand, just like there were several hundred thousand Armenian refugees as a result of Azeri pogroms and ethnic cleansing. If there were a large number of Azeri refugees 25 years later still living in muddy camps, this is the fault only of the Azeri government which earns billions of petrodollars annually and does not spend any of these funds to resettle these refugees in comfortable homes! Furthermore, as we have seen in recent European publications, Azeri leaders, particularly the Aliyev family and its cronies, have stolen billions of dollars from the state oil revenues to pay for their lavish life-styles or bribe officials around the world to cover up their persistent violations of human rights. Yet, the President of Azerbaijan is not ashamed to proclaim that his country has absolute transparency, zero tolerance to corruption and bribery. Aliyev then repeats the biggest lie about the so-called Khojaly genocide of 600 Azerbaijanis by Armenian troops during the Artsakh war. There are various versions of what exactly took place in Khojaly during that conflict, including Azeri soldiers blocking the escape routes of their own population who were then trapped and became war casualties. But even if there were a shred of evidence that 600 Azeris died during that conflict, which would be unfortunate, Azerbaijan shamelessly denies the Genocide of 1.5 million Armenians by Turkey starting in 1915, and yet has no qualms of perpetuating the lie that the deaths of 600 Azeris were a genocide! Pres. Aliyev continues his series of lies, claiming that Armenia was the one that attacked Azerbaijan in April 2016. The whole world knows that Azerbaijan was the initiator of that attack. Exposing his own lie, he warns that Azerbaijan will attack again! Aliyev then boasts that Azerbaijan in 2011 was elected as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council with 155 countries voting in favor. What Pres. Aliyev neglects to mention is that most of these votes were secured by lavish gifts to the U.N. Ambassadors, as we had exposed in my weekly column in 2011. The President of Azerbaijan shamelessly proclaims from the U.N. podium that the development of democracy and human rights protection are among the top priorities of our government. All fundamental freedoms are fully provided in Azerbaijan, including freedom of expression, media freedom, freedom of Assembly, religious freedom. Everyone knows that Azerbaijan is a dictatorship with corrupt leaders, and that its jails are full of human rights activists and independent journalists! Aliyev then goes on to announce that representatives of all ethnic groups and religions live in Azerbaijan in peace and harmony. Besides Armenians, who were victims of ethnic cleansing and are potential victims of a new Azeri Genocide in Artsakh, there are many other minorities in the country who are routinely discriminated against and jailed. Calling Azerbaijan a democracy and one of the worlds most recognized centers of multiculturalism, is an outrageous statement! The string of lies, distortions and exaggerations is so long in Pres. Aliyevs U.N. speech that one needs to write an entire book to expose all of his falsehoods!
Megan Daly of Daly Pie. Photo: GoFundMe
Last year, after five years of roving from market to market, Megan Daly finally found a permanent home for her pies in Prospect Heights. Her bakery, cafe, and bar Daly Pie was the realization of a slow-cooked dream, and like the pies themselves (which have been praised by, among others, the New York Times) itd been very well-received. Then, the 35-year-old baker was hit with some awful news: She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago.
Soon, she will start a six-month chemotherapy treatment that will take her away from the shop and saddle her with significant bills. To help her, friends have established a GoFundMe to raise the money shell need to pay for her treatment and the additional staff shell need to cover the hours she wont be able to work for the next half-year. Restaurant margins are tight everywhere, but the economics of New York leave little if any room for error for an upstart entrepreneur like her. Fighting cancer is in no ones business plan, but if youre able to and inclined, you can help one person beat it.
UCOM HAS INTRODUCED FUTURE NETWORK WI-FI 6E ROUTERS
Statement by the Spokesperson on the conflict resolution and reconciliation efforts
Foreign Minister of Armenia to participate in the Fifth Paris Peace Forum
Armenia: EU and Armenia Hold annual Dialogue on Human Rights
Google Ad
Todays Shushi, Occupied and Cleared of Armenians, is a Real Example of Turkish-Azerbaijani Policy of Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh
Ookla, the the global leader in internet testing and analysis has awarded Ucom
Sweden will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector
STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH
SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS
Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders
PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces
There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan
Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia
Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair
Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan
Google Ad
I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General
I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox
UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS
There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur
EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay
An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".
UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT
The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022
Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully
The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces
LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET
STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN
This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan
Haiti - FLASH TPS : Embassy of Haiti in Washington receives members of Congress
In the framework of the Haitian governments efforts to encourage the U.S. government to renew the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) granted to Haitians following the January 2010 earthquake, a status which is slated to expire on January 22, 2018, the Embassy of Haiti in Washington, D.C. hosted recently members of Congress for a working dinner.
In addition to the elected officials, the dinner brought together representatives of civil society organizations engaged in the movement to renew TPS for Haitians.
The members of Congress in attendance expressed their willingness to provide their full support to the TPS dossier. Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, declared that Haitians in general are exemplary citizens, and he is therefore ready to provide his unwavering support to the TPS renewal movement.
According to Eddie Bernice Johnson and Alcee Hastings, Haitian Defenders in Congress defending the Haitian cause in the United States has never been easy. For this reason, in addition to their own political support, the elected officials expressed the need for a strong engagement of the Haitian Diaspora in the TPS matter.
The members of Congress also pointed out that in the context of the upcoming 2018 legislative and local elections in the United States, the Haitian Diaspora must put their weight in the balance, even those who are not directly affected by TPS. Congressman Sanford Bishop, Representative of Georgias 2nd District, stated that Haitians are an undeniable force in some states and districts, and must use this as an asset for the TPS renewal campaign. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Representative of Texass 18th District and member of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, asserted that the business community, academia, churches, healthcare workers, and airport workers must make their voices heard to mobilize support for the renewal of TPS.
The members of Congress reiterated their willingness to put all their political weight in the balance to help the Haitian government obtain an extension of TPS for 18 months. For instance, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Representative of New Yorks 9th District, informed the group that she plans to reach out to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and other entities within Congress to enlist their support.
See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22214-haiti-tps-senators-democrats-put-pressure-on-president-trump.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22172-haiti-flash-diaspora-tps-hotline-at-the-embassy-of-haiti-in-washington.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21103-haiti-john-kelly-a-cynical-attempt-to-justify-the-uncertainty-dixit-congresswoman-clarke.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21037-haiti-flash-extension-of-tps-procedures-to-follow.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21022-haiti-usa-tps-congresswoman-yvette-d-clarke-denounces.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21016-haiti-flash-tps-extension-for-6-months-official.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20832-haiti-flash-black-caucus-supports-tps-extension.html
ttp://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20820-haiti-flash-tps-pressures-multiply-on-government-trump.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20069-haiti-diaspora-congresswoman-yvette-d-clarke-wants-to-expand-the-tps.html
SL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - Education : Award Ceremony to State Examination Laureates
Tuesday at the Convention Center of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti the President Jovenel Moise, accompanied by Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant, in the presence of Ministers Limond Toussaint (Culture) and Pierre Agenor Cedet (Education) and friends of laureates came from the 10 departments of the country awarded prizes to the 49 laureates of the official examinations for the school year 2016-2017 (29 for the regular session, Philo A / C / D, 10 for the new secondary and 10 for the 9th Fundamental Year).
"Through this initiative I want to engage the Nation to value the taste for effort and the quest for excellence in what they undertake. Tomorrow will be different if young people today are put into capacity to fulfill their role with enthusiasm. Today, we are proud to present these young people to the nation as models to follow [...]" said the Head of State, adding in Creole "Mwen fye pou mwen di ayiti komanse chanje [...] Nap bezwen anpil kouraj menm jan ero lendepandans yo te bay tet yo kouraj. Mwen pran angajman pou mwen di tout lorea ki fini ane sa a ke leta ap pran yon arete pou di inivesite nou sou kont let"
The President is convinced that the honor is both for the young people, for their parents, but also for their teachers and school leaders. He gave them a heartfelt tribute to the work that has been accomplished, announcing that the government will take charge of the final-year laureates.
Minister Cadet stated that this ceremony was intended to promote the values and honor the academic excellence of young people from elementary to high school. The Minister also expressed his strong feelings as a teacher, towards those schoolchildren whose courage and application to work must be modeled by the Haitian youth.
Balmyr Johnny, one of the laureates, spoke on behalf of all his comrades to salute the initiative taken by President Moise to honor the best of the best.
Names of the 5 laureates:
Calvaire Yves Angelo, Petit seminaire College de Mazenod a Camp-Perrin (South) ;
Belizaire Jamsony, College Frere Odile Joseph des Cayes (South) ;
Valmyr Johny, Lycee national Henry Christophe de Trou-du-Nord (North-East) ;
Renee Yvdyne, Institution Sainte Rose de Lima (West) ;
Lubin Wood Sherlynnx, College Sacre-coeur of Nord-Ouest.
See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22005-haiti-flash-laureates-and-performance-of-schools-by-department-9th-af-2016-2017.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21963-haiti-flash-laureates-and-performance-of-schools-by-department-bac-2016-2017.html
HL/ S/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - Justice : Opening of the Symposium against impunity for past crimes
From 27 to 29 September, the National Human Rights Network (RNDDH), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Ecumenical Center for Human Rights (ECHR) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) are organizing, with the support of the European Union (EU), a symposium in Port-au-Prince on the fight against impunity for past crimes and transitional justice. International experts, particularly from Latin America, and Haitian experts will exchange views with key actors in the fight against impunity in Haiti on the importance of establishing truth and responsibility for the crimes of the past.
These three days of exchanges, sharing of experience and discussions between practitioners and members of civil society aim at strengthening the synergies between these actors, determining contentious and advocacy strategies to combat impunity for past crimes, and sensitize to the various mechanisms of transitional justice.
Recall that the history of Haiti is marked by periods of political violence characterized by authoritarian regimes, including those of Francois and Jean-Claude Duvalier but also of Jean Bertrand Aristide, and recurrent and bloody coups, serious violations of human rights. No satisfactory mechanism for establishing the truth or independent and impartial judicial procedure has so far succeeded in restoring victims to their rights and contributing to the construction of a collective memory, which is nevertheless indispensable for the non-repetition of these crimes.
"In our daily work of defending human rights today in Haiti, we can only note that the fight against the impunity of the executioners and the necessary strengthening of justice are essential conditions for consolidating the rule of law" strerssed Pierre Esperance, Executive Director of the RNDDH and Secretary General of FIDH
Through the organization of this symposium, these organizations hope that the exchanges will contribute to the reinforcement of the citizen's mobilization around concrete courses of action to engage the authorities concerned in favor of justice, so that the crimes of the past do not repeat and that their perpetrators do not remain unpunished.
HL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - FLASH : 3 Haitians attack a minibus and injure two passengers in DR
Three Haitian citizens attacked a minibus of the "Asociacion de Transporte Seybano" with stones, bottles and other objects on the interurban road in El Seibo (East of the Dominican Republic) at kilometer 11 with the intention of robbing the passengers.
A telephone call from a passenger alerted the police who quickly arrived at the scene was confronted with the Haitians in actions, which they quickly mastered and arrested.
The three perpetrators were identified as Ramon Yoset (32), Kenny Deimo Molsi (23) and Remolo Pierre (45) were accused of attacking a minibus with the intent to strip passengers of their belongings, causing a lot of damage to the vehicle and to have injured by bullet, with a artisanal weapon, a passenger who tried to oppose to their act.
Another passenger was injured during the attack by glass chips caused by a stone throw. The two wounded were taken to the hospital Doctor Teofilo Hernandez of El Seibo.
The three Haitian detainees were handed over to the Public Prosecutor for legal consequences.
SL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - News : Zapping...
FLASH: Call for solidarity
On Tuesday, more than thirty of our compatriots, including babies who lost everything following the passage of Hurricane Maria, were welcomed to the Consulate of Haiti in Pointe-a-Pitre for solicitude of solidarity: housing, food , water, clothing. The Consulate General of Haiti appeals to the generosity of everyone. Please contact the consulate at # 12 rue Schlcher Pointe-a-Pitre or call the number: 05 90 89 35 80
More than 3,000 zombie checks recovered
According to Jovenel Moise s, 800 zombis checks for a total of 18 million Gdes were recovered from the Ministry of Health, and for the Ministry of Education on 3 departments 2,400 zombie checks totaling 48 million Gdes were recovered by the State.
A massive budget for the benefit of the West
Economist Kesner Pharel, Chairman and CEO of the Group Croissance, criticizes the poor geographical distribution of the 2017-2018 budget. "Of the 85 billion gourdes operating, the West department alone obtains 80 billion ( 95%)," stressed Pharel https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22212-haiti-flash-full-details-of-the-2017-2018-budget-revenue-and-expenditure.html
Long queues in front of the DGI
In front of the Directorate General of Taxes at Avenue Christophe, long queues have been observed since Monday. These are largely people who want to acquire passport stamps before the 2017/2018 budget implementation on October 1st. Recall that with the entry into force of this budget, the price of the passport stamp which is 1,600 gourdes currently will increase to 6,000 Gourdes for adults.
Garbage collection on strike
On Tuesday, employees of the Metropolitan Solid Residue Collections Service (SMCRS) in Cazeau (Delmas) went on strike and blocked access to the SMCRS. The strikers are demanding payment of three months' salary arrears and better working conditions.
Claims of the magistrates, the 3 powers have concerted
A meeting was held on Monday evening between the representatives of the three powers of the State around the demands of magistrates, clerks and bailiffs who demand better working conditions and a larger budgetary envelope in favor of the judiciary. Information confirmed by Jean Renel Senatus, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Security.
HL/ HaitiLibre
In a society where some believe choir music has lost its touch, the Tennessee Fourth Music Department proves there is still power behind the choir pews! Coined as the "TN 4th Mass Choir", all one has to do is take a listen and be swept into the power of God flowing through the vessels of His people. For over three decades, the choir has provided music to the body of Christ and beyond. Hailing from the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) headquarters of Memphis, TN the jurisdictional choir is a compilation of churches within the Tennessee Fourth Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the COGIC denomination. In 2003, the choir released their debut album When I Get There, penning the late presiding COGIC leader, Bishop G. E. Patterson as the executive producer.
Under the Jurisdictional leadership of Bishop Jerry L. Maynard, the choir is making a long overdue return, breathing a fresh sound and new wind into their sophomore release, Excitement of Praise. Recorded in Memphis, TN, the project is truly a labor of love for Bishop Maynard's label, Jelama Records.
"God's Been So Good" is a tune channeling the Gospel grooves of yesteryear with today's modern instrumentation. The memorable refrain alongside the band's signature bounce provides the listener with an opportunity to reminisce upon the goodness of The Lord. Blaring horns and organ riffs underpin the question prompted by the choir which simply states, "Do you have the time to talk about Jesus?" This song is for anyone who has ever experienced the excitement that comes from God consistently delivering on His promises - which is everyone!
Slated to release in the Fall of 2017, the album features Derrick 'The Maestro' Jackson on keys, powerhouse, soloists, Carla, Tolbert, Taylor and Kathy Taylor, and laces in the smooth vocals of Shae Norman. Bridging the contemporary praise and worship rhythms of today's music with songs such as The Report and Great God with the traditional anointing of old-time church found in the tune Thank You Jesus, it serves as a solid reminder of God's grace, goodness, and love for all those who take a listen.
Tags : tennessee 4th mass choir when i get there Bishop G. E. Patterson Bishop Jerry L. Maynard
Should I trust in your gossips? Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan (video)
Clergymen are not happy with idea expressed by Hrant Bagratyan on his Facebook page in which he stated that instead of building a church, there are more important things that can be built for the country. According to Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, the Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, That doesnt make any sense: one builds a school, and another person builds a hospital, someone can build a church, while another one is engaged in business. And there can be also someone who only helps the army. Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, the Head of the Department of External Relations and Protocol at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, adds: "If Hrant Bagratyan did the calculations like this during his tenure, then the destruction of the country began. Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan replies to the fact that the church stands beside a government that constantly falsifies elections, "So, what? All international experts were pleased with the recent elections. So, should I trust in your gossips or the international experts? He also adds about the facts of obtaining votes through bribes: Show me a place in the world, where there are no such cases. Primate of the Cyprus diocese, Archbishop Khoren Togramacyan, has not heard anything about the falsification of elections in Armenia, but he assures that if there is a split between the authorities and the people, church should have a dialogue with the people. Church should speak to the people, persuade and encourage them, if needed. The leader of the Artsakh Diocese also touched upon the question of whether a clergyman should carry weapons by which many people were killed. "We should remember that the weapon also protects the people.
Published on 2017/09/26 | Source
On the latest episode of the KBS 2TV drama "Girls' Generation 1979", Jeong-hee (Bona) was mean to Dong-moon (Seo Young-joo) and who decided not to like her anymore.
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Jeong-hee went to watch a movie with Son Jin who was there to meet Hye-joo (Chae Seo-jin). After the movie, they met Dong-moon at a restaurant.
Son Jin told Jeong-hee that Dong-moon was the top of his school, which surprised and Jeong-hee. Son Jin got up first and let them finish eating together. Jeong-hee blamed Dong-moon for the situation. When he followed her home to make sure she was safe, she told him, "Don't follow me. You're annoying".
Dong-moon said, "I am tired of following you around when you don't even look at me. I'm not going to like you anymore. I'm sorry", and walked away.
Meanwhile, Jeong-hee was worried that Dong-moon was upset because of her.
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UCOM HAS INTRODUCED FUTURE NETWORK WI-FI 6E ROUTERS
Statement by the Spokesperson on the conflict resolution and reconciliation efforts
Foreign Minister of Armenia to participate in the Fifth Paris Peace Forum
Armenia: EU and Armenia Hold annual Dialogue on Human Rights
Todays Shushi, Occupied and Cleared of Armenians, is a Real Example of Turkish-Azerbaijani Policy of Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh
Ookla, the the global leader in internet testing and analysis has awarded Ucom
Sweden will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector
STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH
SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS
Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders
PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces
There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan
Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia
Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair
Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan
Google Ad
I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General
I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox
UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS
There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur
EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay
An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".
UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT
The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022
Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully
The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces
LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET
STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN
This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan
IBWSS reveals speaker line up
By Michelle Perrett
The International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show (IBWSS) has unveiled the speaker programme for its first London event next year.
The goal of the event is to give participants a macro view of key trends and strategies, as well as provide some granular advice on day-to-day tactics to succeed in the marketplace, with speakers appointed to give unique insights and analysis on the UK bulk wine and private label market.
Florian Ceschi, director of Ciatti Europe, will go over some of the key findings and statistics in his companys Global Bulk Market Report, in an effort to help identify new opportunities for producers and negociants.
Clem Yates, MW - sourcing and supply director at Off-Piste Wines, will analyse how importers and distributors can create a private label and bulk strategy that minimises channel conflict.
David Richardson, regulatory and commercial affairs director at the Wine and Spirit Trade Association will review the varying regulatory issues facing importers of bulk products.
IBWSS London will also drill down on specialised topics with the help of experts. For example, Barry Dick, MW and The Wine Superhero will provide relevant data and insights on the comparative benefits of Flexitanks vs. ISO tanks as a bulk shipping method, while Mark Lansley, CEO of Broadland Wineries, will focus on how the bulk wine and private label market can drive both top-line revenue growth and bottom-line profitability.
In addition, the event will feature two panel discussions, with Harpers editor Andrew Catchpole lead a panel discussion on how retailers can build a profitable label program on the first day.
Day 2 will see Journalist Richard Siddle moderate a panel discussion on the bulk wine and private label industry featuring Robin Copestick, managing director at Copestick Murray and Mark Roberts, head of sales at Lancaster Wines.
Other speakers confirmed for the event include Clive Donaldson, wine sourcing manager at Morrisons; Neil Anderson, managing director, Kingsland Drinks; Paul Braydon, buying controller, Kingsland Drink and Andrew Shaw, group wine buying director, Conviviality.
With Harpers as its media partner, the show is making its London debut on 26 to 27 February, 2018 at The Royal Horticultural Halls.
ProWein 2018 to focus on craft
By Lisa Riley
ProWein, the must-attend premier wine and spirits business show in Europe, has revealed its turning the spotlight on craft spirits, beer and cider in 2018.
With its own exclusive stage and hall, the craft segment would be the focus of the same but different show, said Marius Berlemann, global head of wine & spirits, Messe Dusseldorf, the organisers of ProWein.
The focus on craft reflected the result of a visitors survey, which had shown 39% of ProWein trade visitors were interested in craft spirits and 45% in craft beer, he added.
On the urban bar scene, in trendy eateries and also in the wine merchants trade, craft spirits and co are playing an increasing large role and are tapping into ever new customer bases - this is an excellent reason for incorporating this theme into the show, said Berlemann.
The aim was to create an additional, market-relevant line-up for ProWein customers, he added.
The fizzz Lounge, care of trade publisher Meininger Verlag will move from its previous location in Hall 12 into the same but different Hall 7.0.
The international spirits range at ProWein, which will be held in Dusseldorf from 18 to 20 March next year, will remain in Hall 12.
Australian Women in Wine Awards reveals 2017 winners
By Lisa Riley
The cream of the crop of Australias women in wine gathered in London yesterday for the annual Wine Australias Women in Wine event, marking the first time it has taken place outside OZ.
Attended by nearly 60 of the countrys female winemakers and winery owners, the event held at Australia House - was kicked off with the Australian Women in Wine Awards 2017 (see winners below), followed by a trade tasting.
The aim of the event was to give the UK wine trade and public the opportunity to meet Australias most prominent women in wine, hear their stories and taste a diverse selection of Australian wine, said founder, Jane Thomson.
This is a pivotal day in Australias proud wine history. We not only recognised the depth and breadth of female talent in our own wine community, we did so on a global stage and showed the world that Australia values and champions the many and varied roles of women in wine, she said.
Across the day, over 300 guests attended and tasted through a range of nearly 300 wines from 18 regions across Australia.
Referring to the UK as an all important market, chair of Wine Australia, Brian Walsh, said: The awards highlighted the stellar contributions of women across the entire Australian wine community and the tastings demonstrated the excitement and diversity of contemporary Australian fine wine and we hope it has inspired more women to join the wine sector and enticed more people to discover and enjoy fine Australian wine.
The winners of the 2017 Australian Women in Wine Awards
Winemaker of the Year sponsored by WineArk
Virginia Willcock, Vasse Felix
Viticulturist of the Year sponsored by Wine Australia
Jennifer Doyle, Jansz
Owner / Operator of the Year sponsored by JancisRobinson.com
Sarah Collingwood, Four Winds Vineyard
Workplace Champion of Change sponsored by Winemakers Federation of Australia
Professor Eileen Scott, Adelaide University
Cellar Door Person of the Year sponsored by Platinum Bags
Jasmine Morgan, Caudo Vineyards
Researcher of the Year sponsored by Inkwell Wines
Christine Bottcher, CSIRO Agriculture & Food
Marketer of the Year sponsored by Brown Brothers
Ebony Tinkler, Usher Tinkler Wines
Woman of Inspiration sponsored by Irvine Wines
Sue Hodder, Wynns
Honorary Australian Woman in Wine sponsored by Wine Australia UK
Sarah Ahmed, The Wine Detective
In IT field Armenia has serious competitive advantages (video)
Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan attended today the opening of the 10th edition of ArmTech Global Technology Forum in Armenia. Welcoming the participants, the Prime Minister noted that this annual event is an important platform for presenting achievements in the field of information technologies, identifying new business and investment opportunities, promoting cooperation and sharing experiences. The Government of the Republic of Armenia, guided by the imperatives of raising the competitiveness of the economy and ensuring sustainable economic growth, highlights this sector and the need to build a knowledge-based economy. It should be noted that in recent years Armenia has made considerable progress in the field of information and high technologies and boasts all the necessary preconditions and potential to become a regional center and an important player. In the period from 2008 to 2016, the IT sector grew at an average annual rate of 20-22%, which was also conditioned by the Governments policy. But we should not rest there; it is not the growth cap in this sphere. In my opinion, the growth rates can be much higher, the Prime Minister stated in his speech. As the Prime Minister pointed out, in cooperation with the private sector, the Government of Armenia has been successfully implementing a number of projects aimed at promoting technology entrepreneurship, increasing export and investment, attracting international organizations, ensuring balanced regional development, training qualified specialists and building training capacity, which in turn is boosting Armenias standing on the global technological map. Noteworthy is the cooperation with supranational companies. Today, Armenia hosts leading IT companies such as Synopsys, Mentor Graphics, National Instruments, Microsoft, VM Ware, D-LINK, Oracle, Cisco and others. Microsoft and IBM have founded in Armenia the Microsoft Innovation Center and the Center for Innovative Solutions and Technologies. In order to give new impetus to the development of the IT industry and encourage the establishment of new companies and the creation of jobs, tax incentives are offered to emerging start-up businesses. As a result, statistics show that about 100 companies are set up annually in our country. Yet, I believe that there is room for continued grow here, Karen Karapetyan said. The Prime Minister stressed that the Government has the key task of training and retraining qualified specialists in the technological sector. In recent years, a number of training centers and laboratories have been established, including the Armenian National Engineering Laboratory (ANEL), the Synopsys-Armenia Educational Department, the Armenian-Indian Excellence Center and others. The balanced development of the sphere is also in focus as evidenced by the technological centers in Gyumri and Vanadzor. I wish to highlight the fact that the Armenian companies, operating in the information and high-tech spheres, appear to be increasingly focused on research and development. They offer complex engineering solutions, with their competitive technology solutions and products being sold on both external and internal markets. In the field of information technology, Armenia has serious competitive advantages both in the region and as compared to other countries, the Prime Minister said, noting that the Armenian government is taking steps to develop engineering, clean technologies and other technological directions. The Head of Government attached importance to the fact that ArmTech 2017 is being held on a very topical issue, namely cyber security. Against the background of continued technological development, the world is facing several challenges, the solution to which can not be perceived without the solution of cyber security and information security-related issues. And the swifter we may come to be effective in this field, the faster high technologies will enter everyday life. This is true not only for the government, but also for all branches of the economy, starting from the banking system, Karen Karapetyan said, thanking the local, transnational and international partners for regular assistance in the development of information technologies in Armenia. We will consistently continue the policy of developing information and high technologies in Armenia and will deepen and expand cooperation with international, transnational and local organizations in this area, which will boost the competitiveness of the sector and ensure sustainable economic growth. Wrapping up my remarks, I want to greet you again and wish you productive work. I want our local companies to be more active and courageous, because we have declared that the government is ready to accept any reasonable, and even if necessary, revolutionary solutions. Be active also in the educational system. We have stated that we can entrust you with the management of the educational system, especially as we understand that it is one of our development bottlenecks in this field. Therefore, I wish you high spirits, good luck and fruitful work, Prime Minister Karapetyan concluded. The ArmTech 2017 global conference seeks to support Armenias high-tech industry by promoting international business relations and increasing the volume of investment. This years edition is dedicated to cyber security. The main topics are cyber security challenges and strategies, cyber threats and opportunities for the protection in the private and public sectors, the future of cyber security the Internet of Things, artificial intellect, automation, and more. ArmTech 2017 is expected to bring together over 200 participants. The forum is organized by RA Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology and the Enterprise Incubator Foundation.
Full speed ahead for Philly Shipyard and TOTE to enter Hawaii trade
by Michael Hansen, Hawaii Shippers Council, September 27, 2017
The Philadelphia Inquirer published on September 25, 2017, the news article, Cargo carrier gets the OK to operate with Philly Shipyard vessels to Hawaii, reporting on Hawaii State Governor David Iges press release of September 21st announcing container terminal assignments among three ocean carriers in Honolulu Harbor and the reaction of Philly Shipyard Inc.
The reporter cites statements by Steinar Nerbvik, president and CEO of Philly Shipyard, which were made after Gov Iges press release was issued.
Philly Shipyard signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Saltchuk Resources Inc. / TOTE Inc. (TOTE) to build four (4) gearless and cellular containerships for the domestic Hawaii trade based upon the Aloha Class 3600 TEU containerships its currently building for Matson Navigation Company Inc. (Matson).
Nerbvik contends that they are holding to the original schedule of delivering the first two containerships in 2020 and the second two in 2021 to TOTE for the Hawaii trade.
This, despite, there would be no apparent terminal in Honolulu Harbor where TOTE could transact its cargo. Obviously, Philly Shipyard and TOTE are not planning to follow Gov Iges plan.
The reshuffling of the various ocean carriers between the three container terminals in Honolulu Harbor that would make the Diamond Head Terminal at Piers 1 & 2 available to TOTE as described in Gov Iges press release -- cant begin until Kapalama Container Terminal (KCT) is completed. That is not projected by the Hawaii State Department of Transportation, Harbors Division, until sometime in 2022.
After that, we have estimated there will be another 2 years before Diamond Head Terminals at Piers 1 & 2 would become available to TOTE.
Nerbvik clearly takes aim at Pasha Hawaii Transport Lines LLC (Pasha Hawaii)s four old nearly 40 years old containerships acquired from the defunct Horizon Lines Inc. in 2015. Those four ships will not meet the International Maritime Organization (IMO) emissions standards that come into effect on January 1, 2020, and cannot be operated after that unless substantially modified.
The reporter states that Philly Shipyard has spent $75 million on parts to begin construction of the four vessels, which will provide work for 1,200 employees at the South Philadelphia shipyard through 2021.
This would appear to mean that Philly Shipyard and TOTE have every intent to challenge Pasha Hawaii not only for assignment of KCT, but also Pasha Hawaiis current operations prior to completion of KCT.
Key excerpts:
todays CEOs less ethical, or is the public just holding business leaders to greater accountability?A recent study by global consulting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers found that between 2012 and 2016, 5.3% of CEOs globally had been forcefully removed due to ethical lapses.This represents a 36-percent increase from the figure between 2007-2011, when there was forced turnover of 3.9% of CEOs.The study included CEOs of large and small companies who are being let go as a result of workplace indiscretions including sexual impropriety, insider trading, bloated resumes and fraud.BRIC nations, Western Europe, Canada and the United States saw the sharpest increases; in these areas, long-serving CEOs or those at the helm of big business faced the highest risk.It has not always been this way, the study found. In the 20th century, the most grievous ethical mistakes would hardly warrant CEO removal.In the late 20th century, even the most serious, large scale, and widely publicized cases of corporate misbehaviour rarely led to dismissal of the CEO, wrote PwC staff Kristin Rivera and Per-Ola Karlsson in Strategy& this summer.Financial penalties were low and media attention was limited.In the past 15 years, however, a confluence of factors has led to a sea change. Corporations find that they are in a pressure cooker when it comes to monitoring the behavior rather, misbehavior of their top executives.- Because of the 2007-2008 recession, public opinion has been more suspicious, more critical and less forgiving of corporate misbehavior.- Corporate excesses can actually influence regulatory and legislative action, such that people now have zero tolerance for unethical behavior of those in the C-suite.- Many companies are expecting growth in emerging markets, raising the stakes- Digital communications provides and makes accessible irrefutable evidence of misconduct; and- The 24/7 news cycle allows the quick and wide spread of information about executives unethical behavior.The numbers may be disheartening, but over the long term this may actually improve the low public perception of corporate morality, Rivera and Karlsson said. Yanking out the bad apples will likely show that misbehaving CEOs are the exception rather than the rule.
The Finnish asylum system is broken, slammed Kaisa Hernberg, the acting party secretary of the Green League. Experienced immigration lawyers have estimated that the quality of asylum decisions has eroded and that the legal protection of asylum seekers has been compromised in an unprecedented way.
The Green League on Sunday presented its demands for revising the asylum policy of Finland.
The opposition party proposed that the obstacles to family reunifications be reduced by, for example, removing the income requirements imposed on the sponsors of reunifications who have been granted international protection.
If it has been determined that a person is in need of international protection, it is obvious that the entire family must be brought to safety, Katja Mannerstrom, the chairperson of the task force that drafted the policy paper, argued in a press release.
It is absolutely unreasonable to adopt an income level that is not easy to reach even for those who have no problems finding employment as a requirement.
The Green League also demanded that the annual refugee quota be raised immediately from 750 to 2,500 and later at least to the levels elsewhere in the Nordics. Sweden, for example, has adopted an annual refugee quota of 3,400 for 2017, according to the Swedish Migration Agency.
Mannerstrom reminded that particular attention must be paid to children when making decisions about detaining asylum seekers and implementing forced returns.
Children must not be forcibly returned to unsafe areas. They must not be separated from their parents or detained. Childrens rights must be guaranteed always and in all circumstances, she stressed.
The Green League also revealed that it is intent on encouraging ordinary households to house asylum seekers.
We want to support the operations of domestic accommodation networks that promote integration. Lets help those looking for domestic accommodation and those voluntarily providing accommodation find each other and raise awareness for domestic accommodation, told Hernberg.
The policy paper was approved by the party council of the Green League in Riihimaki on Sunday, 24 September.
Aleksi Teivainen HT
Photo: Panu Pohjola Lehtikuva
Simon Elo, the chairperson of the Blue Parliamentary Group, on Monday estimated that the proposed revisions are not only too generous and wide-eyed but also based on erroneous claims about forced returns and the asylum process made by Touko Aalto, the chairperson of the Green League.
The Green League has come under criticism after calling for a series of revisions to the asylum policy of Finland.
Touko Aalto must take responsibility for his remarks. Loose remarks about the Finnish Immigration Services (Migri) asylum policy are an underhand way to pursue a loose asylum policy, he argued.
The Green League approved its policy paper on asylum issues on Sunday, proposing for example that the annual refugee quota be raised to 2,400.
Elo suggested that raising the refugee quota would not be a sustainable way to resolve the ongoing migrant crisis.
The Blues have as part of the government sought to maintain the refugee quota at the current 750. A sustainable solution to the migrant crisis would be to secure the EUs external borders and move the asylum process outside the union, he viewed.
Aleksi Teivainen HT
Photo: Vesa Moilanen Lehtikuva
Source: Uusi Suomi
Today, Kurds in Turkey recognize Armenian Genocide -Armenian Assembly of America
The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) salutes Iraqi Kurdistans referendum on independence and its results, where the people voted for three provinces of northern Iraq to become part of the sovereign Iraqi Kurdistan. On September 25, CNN and other new services are reporting that: The first results should be known within 72 hours. Kurdish election officials said 72% of eligible voters had cast their votes in the referendum. The Kurdistan Regional Government, which administers a semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq, says the referendum will give it a mandate to achieve independence from Iraq. Iraq has been beset by war for generations now, and this peaceful expression of free will from the people of Iraqi Kurdistan should be respected as a basic human right to help create a better future for the Kurds and all the other groups in the region, including the Christian and other minorities, Assembly Co-Chairs Anthony Barsamian and Van Krikorian said. This type of expression of popular will demands that we respect the process, and democracies should be supporting peaceful exercises of self-determination consistent with universal human rights in and similar to Iraqi Kurdistan, they added. The Kurdish people have treated Armenians who reside within its territory in Iraq well throughout the years. There are just a few of us in Kurdistan. But thanks to God, we have been given most of our rights, Ishkhan Milko, an Armenian member of the Duhok Provincial Council, told Rudaw, We have a seat in the Kurdistan parliament as well as a seat in the Duhok Provincial Council. Many Armenians ended up in northern Iraq as a result of deportations during the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Even though some Kurdish communities were exploited and encouraged by the Turkish Ottoman regime to attack the caravans of Armenians, many Kurds refused and instead rescued them from death. Kurdish officials have also issued statements expressing their condolences for the Armenian Genocide. According to journalist Christopher Hitchens article in Slate, he wrote that: In 1991, in northern Iraq, where you could still see and smell the gassed and poisoned towns and villages of Kurdistan, I heard Jalal Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan say that Kurds ought to apologize to the Armenians for the role they had played as enforcers for the Ottomans during the time of the genocide. Talabani, who has often repeated that statement, is now [2007] president of Iraq. Hitchens went on to note: I would regard his unforced statement as evidence in itself, by the way, in that proud peoples do not generally offer to apologize for revolting crimes that they did not, in fact, commit. Some years later, in 1997, Kurdistan Parliament in Exile Executive Committee Chair Zubeyir Aydar stated: On 24 April 1915, the Ottoman Empire had taken the decision of massacre of the Armenian and Assyrian peoples. The ground for this massacre was prepared in advance. The Kurdish tribes involved in Hamidieh Cavalry took part in the Armenian massacre. Hundreds of thousands of Armenian and Assyrians were slaughtered and as many were forced to migrate during this massacre. He continued: Today we wish to share the pain and suffering of our peoples and strongly condemn the Turkish state and any force which is collaborating with it. In 2007, Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani published his fathers memoirs about the Armenian Genocide and mass deportation of Armenians. In his writings, his father described how his brigade aided the Armenians and accompanied them to the border of Syria while they were confronted by Turkish forces, and ultimately suffered casualties. Today, Kurds in Turkey recognize the Armenian genocide, commemorate the victims, and often call on the Turkish government to apologize to Armenian people. Selahattin Demirtas, the Kurdish Co-Chair of the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), has said that without hesitation, I recognize the Armenian Genocide. He added: Just because some people have covered up such a tragic historical incident by saying that the official history [of the Ottoman Empire and Turkey] is not like that, I will not bow to it. Whatever happened should be acknowledged. In addition to being strong advocates for human rights and standing up against genocide, the Kurdish people in the region have been a bulwark against ISIS and have pledged to protect minorities. The United States sees the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who are from the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), as its most effective battlefield partner and main ally against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. According to the Pentagons Chief Spokeswoman Dana W. White, they are the only force on the ground that can successfully seize Raqqa in the near future. Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
A Garda redirects a motorist who turned right on to OConnell Bridge after travelling on the North Quays
City businesses have rejected claims that bus journey times have improved since a ban on private cars taking right-hand turns on O'Connell Bridge was introduced earlier this month.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) claims that for buses travelling along the north quays, journey times between Ormond Quay and D'Olier Street have been cut by 37pc - or 3min 30sec - just over a third off the usual travel time, between 8am and 9am.
And from 9am to 10am, the journey is 4min 30sec quicker, almost halving (45pc) the journey time from the previous year, the NTA said. In the evening peak between Aston Quay and Essex Quay on the northside, buses have reduced the travelling time by 2min 30sec. There are "equally significant reduction" of between a fifth to a quarter in the usual travelling times during other hours.
But the Dublin Chamber of Commerce has rejected the figures, saying they are "at odds" with feedback from commuters and shoppers who complain of longer journey times.
Significant
They say the improvements highlighted by the NTA "failed to show" the impact the changes are having on the wider city.
It said some 63pc of businesses reported longer commutes, with just 2pc of commuters saying their trip was quicker. A third said there was no change.
"The success of the recent changes on the quays cannot be determined by these figures alone," said Graeme McQueen, head of public affairs.
"Dublin Chamber calls on the NTA to publish overall bus journey times for commuters using routes through the quays and for bus routes which are impacted by - but may not be benefiting from - the recent changes." The chamber warned of a "high concern" among businesses regarding how the city centre will function over the medium term, resulting in "high levels of uncertainty"and preventing companies from making investment decisions.
Confident
But the NTA said that tens of thousands of commuters had benefited from the changes. Not only did Dublin Bus services benefit, but private buses and taxis also.
"Some businesses expressed concerns over the bus prioritisation measures for the quays, but we were always confident that not only would they deliver faster journey times for passengers, but that they would also free up scarce road space," NTA chief executive Anne Graham said.
A garda has been sent for trial after pleading not guilty to attacking an RTE cameraman at a violent protest in Dublin.
Garda Sean Lucey denies assaulting and injuring Colm Hand, who was filming while protesters were being baton-charged.
He also denies damaging Mr Hand's camera in clashes during a demo against the launch of the Irish branch of anti-Islamic group Pegida.
Gda Lucey, based in Crumlin Station, is accused of assault causing harm and criminal damage at the junction of O'Connell Street and Cathedral Street on February 6, 2016.
Defence solicitor Liz Hughes revealed Gda Lucey's plea at Dublin District Court yesterday.
The case will now go before a judge and jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
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A State solicitor said the DPP accepted this and a book of evidence was ready. It was served on Gda Lucey after he stepped forward from the back of the court.
Novel
The State solicitor said the accused could be sent to the next sittings of the circuit court for trial on both charges.
Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie, Gda Lucey stepped forward again and Judge Michael Walsh told him the case would be listed in Court Number 5 in the Criminal Courts of Justice on October 27.
"You will appear in the list of cases and a date will be assigned to the case in due course," said Judge Walsh.
He then gave the accused formal notice that he must provide any alibi details to the prosecution within 14 days.
When asked if he understood, Gda Lucey said: "Yes, judge."
Ms Hughes applied for legal aid, handing a statement of the defendant's financial means to court.
Judge Walsh granted aid, saying he was taking into account the serious nature of the charges, the complexity of the case, the time involved and the fact that it was "somewhat novel".
Gda Lucey was remanded on bail in a nominal bond of 200. He left the courtroom after signing the bail bond.
Mr Hand - who attended hospital following the incident and suffered bruising to his groin - was present, accompanied by his wife, RTE reporter Laura Whelan. He was not required to address the court.
A Dublin man has been accused of going to a post office counter and passing a note to the clerk threatening to kill her if she did not "fill the bag with money".
Michael Kelly (55), who is charged with robbery, is alleged to have left the premises after staff refused to hand over any cash and activated the alarm.
The case against him was adjourned at Dublin District Court for the preparation of a book of evidence.
The robbery is alleged to have happened at Rush Post Office, Main Street, Rush, on September 29, 2016.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) directed summary trial of the case at district court level.
Garda Sergeant Gail Smith gave Judge Michael Walsh a summary of the allegations so he could consider jurisdiction.
Queue
She said it was alleged that Mr Kelly, of Sandy Lane Lodge, Rush, entered the post office on the day in question and joined the queue, before speaking to the person behind the counter.
He made some excuse and left but returned and handed over a note, Sgt Smith alleged.
The note said, "Fill the bag with money or I will kill you" and also warned her not to call gardai, the court heard.
The worker refused and the panic alarm was pressed. The accused then left the premises, the prosecution maintained.
Judge Walsh refused jurisdiction to deal with the case at district court level. This means it will be sent for trial to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court when a book of evidence is ready.
The defendant, wearing a grey blazer and slacks and pink open-necked shirt, did not speak during the proceedings.
He was remanded on continuing bail to appear in court again on a date in November. He has not yet indicated how he intends to plead to the charge.
A thief who preyed on a sleeping woman in hospital, stealing Christmas money she had saved for her children, has been warned to pay full compensation.
The victim was attending a hospital emergency department when Rachel Keogh (25), started up a conversation with her before taking cash and vouchers from her while she slept.
The distraught woman said that the 300 - as well as a toy shop voucher - was all she had to buy Christmas gifts for her children.
Paid
Judge Grainne O'Neill granted an adjournment after Keogh had been before Dublin District Court several times over the theft.
However, she said the money must be paid on the next date or the case would be "dealt with".
Keogh, of Casino Park, Marino, pleaded guilty to stealing a floral purse containing 300 cash, as well as a Dunnes Stores voucher worth 50 and a Smyths toy shop voucher, also valued at 50.
The incident happened at the Emergency Department of the Mater Hospital at 4.30am on October 22 last year.
When the case came back before the court, defence solicitor Aine Flynn said Keogh had previously had money in court but it was not accepted and she did not have it now.
The result, Judge O'Neill said, was that no compensation had been paid.
"Make sure she has it on the next day or it will be dealt with," the judge told Ms Flynn.
Previously, Garda Sergeant Paul Keane said both the accused and the victim were at the hospital at the time of the theft.
Keogh engaged the woman in a conversation first, then the victim fell asleep.
Distressed
While the woman was sleeping, Keogh went through her belongings and stole her purse, containing the cash and vouchers.
She was not caught at the scene but CCTV footage was later viewed and Keogh was identified from this, Sgt Keane added.
The injured party was "extremely distressed" after discovering her property was missing and said because of the theft, her children would not receive Christmas presents.
Actress Liz Dawn with waxworks of Corries Jack and Vera Duckworth at Madame Tussauds
The family of Coronation Street actress Liz Dawn, who played Vera Duckworth for more than 30 years, is "devastated and heartbroken" following her death, aged 77.
"We are devastated and heartbroken at the passing of our much-loved wife, mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother, the incredible Liz Dawn," her family said in a statement.
She died peacefully on Monday night at home "with her loving family around her".
"She has been the love, light and inspiration in our lives and we are bereft at her passing," the family added.
Heartfelt
Coronation Street said in a statement that "her family at Coronation Street are heartbroken".
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"We extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathy at this very sad time to Liz's devoted husband Don, her loving children Graham, Dawn, Ann and Julie, their families and her six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren," it said.
"We have been blessed to have Liz in our lives, as she was such a kind, considerate and caring friend and colleague.
"As Coronation Street's Vera Duckworth for 34 years, Liz brought so much joy and happiness to so many.
"She was a wonderful actress who will forever be a true Coronation Street legend."
She made her first appearance on the Corrie cobbles in 1974 before her character moved into number nine along with husband Jack, played by Bill Tarmey.
After being diagnosed with emphysema, Dawn was written out of the soap in 2008, when Vera died in her sleep.
Two years later, she made a moving comeback as the much-loved Corrie resident.
Just before he died, Jack saw a vision of the wife who had spent years nagging him and they shared a last dance together. Tarmey died in Spain in 2012. At the time, Dawn said: "You couldn't wish to meet a more lovely man and a true gentleman."
Speaking about her own health in 2014, the actress revealed: "I take a lot of tablets. I just live every day and get on with it."
Born Sylvia Butterfield, the actress was best known by her professional name, Elizabeth or Liz Dawn.
In 2015, she came out of retirement to do a cameo in Emmerdale's Christmas special.
"There's only one show I'd come out of retirement for and it's Emmerdale, particularly as I've celebrated my 76th birthday this week so I wanted to mark the occasion," she said at the time.
In 2013, the actress revealed she was "lucky to be alive" after having a heart attack.
Dawn recalled how she began having chest pains while on holiday in Spain and had to be given emergency oxygen on the flight home. Following a visit to the hospital on her return, she revealed she had been fitted with a pacemaker.
"When I look back I can't believe it. I nearly died. I feel lucky to still be here able to talk about it all," she said. "I couldn't believe it. To hear those words - it was so frightening.
"After all I have been through with my health I just thought, 'Oh no, not something else'.
"It was frightening to think that it happened while I was on holiday and that I hadn't even realised the severity of what was happening to me."
Coronation Street's executive producer Kieran Roberts said in a statement: "Liz Dawn was a true Coronation Street legend, a brilliant actor and a wonderful person. Everyone lucky enough to have worked with Liz during her 34 years playing Corrie icon Vera Duckworth will remember her with huge affection."
Stars of the soap paid tribute to their former colleague, with Kym Marsh saying she was a "wonderful lady".
She tweeted: "Just heard the terrible news of our lovely Liz Dawn's passing. I'm so sad. What a wonderful lady. She will be so missed. Love to her family."
Actor Antony Cotton, who plays Sean Tully in the ITV soap, said he was "devastated".
In a long message on Twitter, he wrote: "Liz was a wonderful actress, a fascinating storyteller, a hilarious comedian and most importantly a brilliant friend.
"For many people of my generation, Jack and Vera were Coronation street.
"I'm thinking about Don and all their family who Liz adored.
"A light had gone out in Weatherfield a few years ago, but now Manchester too, has lost a little of it's sparkle."
A High Court challenge has been brought against Dublin City Council's (DCC) plans to turn a former guest house into accommodation for homeless families.
The application has been brought in respect of a property located at 19 and 20 St Lawrence Road, Clontarf, known as Aisling House, which last December was bought for almost 2m by a housing agency on behalf of DCC.
The council plans to turn the Victorian era red brick terraced properties into a "homeless hub" for families who are experiencing homelessness and are living in hotels.
The challenge has been brought by Aidan Hickey, an artist who has lived at an adjoining property on St Lawrence Road for 30 years.
He claims the development of Aisling House by DCC amounts to unauthorised development.
Works are being carried out without planning permission being obtained and no public consultation process was gone through, he claims.
He says that, on August 2 - after local residents had threatened to bring legal proceedings over the development - DCC made an order under section 179 of the Planning and Development Act, allowing repair and renewal works to be carried out at Aisling House.
That order, it is claimed, was made after DCC deemed the works necessary for dealing urgently with a situation that the council deems an emergency where immediate action is required.
Barrister Declan McGrath, appearing with Niall Handy for Mr Hickey, said his client is one of many of residents who were kept in the dark by the council after extensive and ongoing works began at Aisling House in April.
THREATENED
The work being carried out on the character of what is a protected structure is far more extensive than just repair or renewal works, counsel said.
Mr McGrath told the court that August 2 order is flawed and represented a retrospective attempt to cure proceedings that had been threatened by local residents, some four months after works had started.
As a result, Mr Hickey has brought proceedings against DCC seeking an order quashing the decision of August 2.
He also seeks several declarations, including one that DCC's decision in respect of Aisling House is null and void, that the development is unauthorised, and that the development being undertaken there amounts to a material contravention of the Dublin City Development Plan.
He further seeks declarations that the works being carried out comprise unauthorised works on protected structures, and that DCC has failed to comply with building regulations.
The ex parte application came before Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly, who granted Mr Hickey's lawyers permission to bring their application on notice to DCC.
The Judge adjourned the matter to a date in October.
One of the capital's most prominent TDs has called on the Government to scrap the tax on condoms.
Fine Gael TD Kate O'Connell, who represents Dublin Bay South, last night said the proposed move would reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and make a positive contribution to society.
At present, a VAT rate of 13.5pc applies to contraceptives such as condoms - placing Ireland out of line with other EU states. The UK, for example, reduced the rate to 5pc a decade ago.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called on the Government to take a similar stance.
Last night, Ms O'Connell said she believed the issue should be tackled in the upcoming Budget, which will be delivered on October 10.
"It would be a progressive health promotion policy to reduce the rate to 0pc VAT on condoms in my view," Ms O'Connell told the Herald.
"Anything that promotes health and potentially reduces spread of infection is a positive for society. It makes both economic and medical sense.
Bizarre
"It's really bizarre when you examine VAT rates that are applied to certain items.
"It might surprise people that there is a 23pc VAT on vaccines - a preventive health measure - and there is no VAT on oral antibiotics.
"Furthermore, some incontinence wear attracts VAT. This seems unfair - I'm sure if people had the choice they would choose not to require such products," she added.
Ms O'Connell is one of Fine Gael's most outspoken TDs, and is also a member of the Oireachtas abortion committee.
Meanwhile, one of Ms O'Connell's party colleagues, Senator Catherine Noone, last night said the Government needs to examine the "discrepancy" between the VAT applied to the use of sunbeds and sunscreen products.
The VAT rate on the use of sunbed sessions is 13.5pc - compared to 23pc on sunscreen.
"Under the VAT Consolidation Act 2010, sunbed sessions are currently allocated a reduced VAT rate, as it is deemed a service consisting of 'care of the human body'," said Ms Noone.
"It is ranked alongside beauty treatments, yoga and nail salons - while paradoxically, the standard 23pc VAT rate is applied to sunscreen.
"The concept of sunbed sessions coming under the category of 'care of the human body' is beyond compre- hension.
"There is strong scientific evidence of the link between skin cancer and sunbed use.
"In 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified sunbeds as 'carcinogenic' to humans, in the same category as plutonium and tobacco."
Firefighters in Bray yesterday gathered in the seaside town's fire station to remember two of their fallen colleagues 10 years on.
Sub officer Brian Murray (46) and firefighter Mark O'Shaughnessy (25) were killed as they fought a blaze in a disused factory on September 26, 2007.
Members of the Murray and O'Shaughnessy families, including Brian's widow Mary and their son Brian Jnr, a firefighter himself, attended the sombre ceremony, as did firefighters from around the county and further afield.
Wicklow Chief Fire Officer Aidan Dempsey said he hoped the ceremony would bring "comfort and support" to the men's families and colleagues.
"They are not forgotten, they hold a cherished place in the memories of their comrades and an honoured place in the memory of this county and our country," he said. Local Sinn Fein TD, John Brady, a friend of the Murray family, laid a wreath, along with Martin Lyons, a driver- mechanic based at Bray and a member of the same crew as Brian and Mark.
"It brings back so many memories," said Mr Brady. Even this morning, just look at it, the weather is nearly identical to that September morning in 2007.
"We have firefighters here from right across Wicklow and across the country. The two guys left a huge impression on all their colleagues.
Risks
"The firefighters here today know every call they go out on, they will face risks.
"This is not just a way of remembering Brian and Mark and the huge sacrifice they made, but it's also a thank you to all of their colleagues, including their colleagues who were there on that day in 2007."
Akira Otsuka sat on the front row.
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs played for just over an hour on that March day in 1968 in Osaka, Japan. Otsuka lapped up every second.
Dream come true, said Otsuka, by phone from Raleigh, North Carolina. We were so excited.
By then Otsukas Bluegrass 45 band were navigating the ins and outs of bluegrass. Half a century later, Bluegrass 45 marks its 50th year with another spate of shows in America. Experience them on Monday,TOct. 2 at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Virginia.
Bluegrass was the first music I got into, Otsuka, 69, said. I was also hearing jazz and country. Hank Williams was big back then. We listened to Chopin and Mozart. My sister brought home records by Elvis Presley.
Yet for brothers Josh and Akira Otsuka, bluegrass stuck.
When I heard bluegrass I thought, thats pretty neat, Otsuka, who has lived in America since 1973, said. The more we got into it, the more we got into it.
Brothers Yasushi and Hisashi Ozaki formed as a duo in the 1950s, and helped to pioneer bluegrass in Japan. Coupled with the Armed Forces Radio Network and an influx of American music records, folk music as well as bluegrass widened its reach in Japan during the 1960s.
Reared in the port city of Kobe, Japan, the Otsuka brothers enjoyed access to a wide range of American music. They gravitated to bluegrass. Consequently, Bluegrass 45 formed in 1967.
There was not too many places we could go to and talk about the banjo in Kobe, Japan, back then, Otsuka said. I went to a coffee shop in Kobe called Lost City. We found our buddies, our friends. One person might be able to play guitar, another person the banjo, another the upright bass. We had a good time, growing up there.
Bluegrass in Japan widened. Festivals grew, programs including the Kobe Barnyard Jamboree thrived, and American bluegrass record sales blossomed.
In the summer of 1970, Dick Freeland of Rebel Records, came to Japan, Otsuka said. He wanted to see the bluegrass market in Japan. Bluegrass 45 played for him and his family at Lost City.
In May of 1971, Otsuka traveled to Tokyo to see Ralph Stanley perform. Little did the mandolin player realize that his life would change drastically.
I said hello to Dick Freeland, Otsuka said. He said, Hi, are you still coming to the States? Within a month we got our money together. It cost us three thousand dollars each.
Bluegrass 45 toured America in 1971. They debuted at arguably the most prestigious bluegrass festival in the world, Bean Blossom, in Indiana.
We were so scared, Otsuka said. We were surrounded by Jim & Jesse, Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe, Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Martin, Kenny Baker and Bluegrass 45.
New ground broken, Bluegrass 45s 1971 tour of America included an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. Signed to Rebel, Bluegrass 45 recorded three albums for the label based in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Get this: the same five members of Bluegrass 45 who toured America in 1971 will appear in Bristol. Chinese banjo player Shi Liang will accompany them on banjo.
He is from Shanghai, China, Otsuak said. He wants to go to ETSU next year. Isnt that cool?
Eagerness for bluegrass, the banjo, Bristol, America, etc., expounded from Liangs voice during his first-ever interview with a Western reporter. Furthermore, Otsuka said it was the first interview ever given to a Western reporter by a Chinese bluegrass musician.
I always liked country music. Later, I liked banjo, said Liang. Surely, I didnt hear bluegrass music when I was in Shanghai. Most people cant understand bluegrass music in China.
Yet as with wills and wants as patterned with talent, Liang found a way to play bluegrass. In that sense, he found common ground with Bluegrass 45.
For three years, I practiced banjo in China, Liang said. In 2013, I wrote a banjo book. But theres no more than 10 banjo players in China. They play the banjo like a guitar.
Experience Liang in Bristol. Be among the first in the world to hear a Chinese banjo player. Furthermore, exposure to Bluegrass 45 classifies as rare. Long breaks in the band through the years meant few shows in America and otherwise since their tours of the States in 1971 and 72.
All five members of Bluegrass 45 who toured America in 1971 will be in Bristol, Otsuka said. Yes, its our first time in Bristol. Its so cool! Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family thats where the music started.
So prepare another page in the music history of Bristol. The Birthplace of Country Music will occupy space alongside bluegrass annals in the legacy of Bluegrass 45.
I have something that will last forever, Otsuka said. Its not like money or cars. It will be here forever. Bluegrass 45, I am just grateful we did it. Im somebody now.
ABINGDON, Va. As a political science professor, Eric Drummond Smith deals with cultures and clashes all over the globe.
And, sometimes, that can be a mess.
Politics can eat you. It can just consume you, Smith said.
I study the origin of political conflict as my kind of specialty. And the things that cause instability and war, that can really eat you up if you let it. It could be depressing, Smith said. And, I think, even more so, it can be enraging.
So he takes breaks.
And he paints.
Smith draws and free-writes, letting ideas drop out of his brush good or bad, from Mickey Mouse to Richard Nixon. Sometimes, hell paint a hot dog. Sometimes, the center of attention is a seemingly menacing animal.
I grew up watching Disney and Warner Brothers cartoons, Smith said.
So thats why some aspect of Mickey Mouse may pop out of Smiths pictures.
My art is expressionist, Smith explained. And I like to explore political issues, especially as an Appalachian. And I also like looking at minority cultures and disenfranchised and economically less-advantaged cultures.
OK, thats his intellectual intent.
But what about the lines in what he paints?
The lines are influenced by expressionist work and then stuff that Ive studied in Chinese art.
And how about the words the dialogue that Smith adds to his sketches?
What I write is often more influenced by spontaneous things, like just goofy stuff, he said. I love old restaurants, like where all the old signs are hand-painted.
Hes also taken with the lyrics of music from jazz and blues to the Beastie Boys.
A lot of my art is influenced by Southern traditional art, Smith said. And Im influenced a lot by Chinese art, especially Chinese calligraphy.
Stupid for dinosaurs
For the month of October, Smith is the featured artist in the gallery at Wolf Hills Brewing Company in Abingdon, Virginia. Smith plans to showcase several ink paintings even some recalling his childhood influences.
The first stuff I did was scientific drawings, like Ive always loved dinosaurs, said Smith, 41. Im stupid for dinosaurs.
As a kid, Smith looked up dinosaurs in the encyclopedia. And, while browsing, he discovered the prints of Albrecht Durer an artist he calls easily the greatest printmaker in history.
Born in 1471, Durer was a product of the German Renaissance; he died in 1528.
I actively tried to figure out how he was making those marks, but with the wrong tools, Smith said. And that led to a lifelong love of working with ink.
Today, Smith calls himself a pop, surreal, neo-expressionist. A good way of putting it: I dont really have a good title. I would call myself in the low-brow movement.
Smith sees the shallowness of the world and how people sell each other out, he said, and then he tries to find a vent for all that he studies.
Sometimes, its very political, Smith said. And, sometimes, its the half of me that isnt studying politics coming out on the paper.
Sabrina Land, the curator of Smiths exhibit, says she chose the professor for October because Smiths art is funny and interesting and political and relevant and in-the-moment.
Smiling, Land added, He just paints as he thinks, and it includes a lot of fun stuff. Its very engaging, and I know that people will love it.
The world unfolds
Born in Bluefield, West Virginia, Smith attended Graham High School in Bluefield, Virginia, then graduated Emory & Henry College in 1998, completing a triple major in political science, art and geography because Im a huge nerd, he said, chuckling.
I got to college, Smith added, and suddenly the world unfolds like a flower.
Moving to Charlottesville, he completed a graduate degree in East Asian Studies with a specialty in Chinese studies at the University of Virginia.
Ultimately, Smith earned a doctorate in political science at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville then sought the academic world on the other side of the desk.
Hes now into his ninth academic year of teaching political science at the University of Virginias College at Wise.
And I love teaching. I love it. Im passionate about it. And I love the idea that Im Appalachian and I study everything that isnt American.
Still, behind his art and behind his post as a professor, Smith swears hes on a mission.
I dont want Appalachia to stop being Appalachian, he said. I want Appalachia to be part of the global word and to be able to take advantage of it.
Currently, Smith lives at Abingdon and commutes to the UVA campus at Wise, teaching four courses a semester. The unmarried professor calls himself everyone in towns honorary uncle and godfather.
Why he wanted to do a show at the brewery: because he considers this place his hangout. This is where youll find him on Wednesday nights, serving as the trivia master. And, sometimes, you might see Smith in-house, working on his art.
I just make marks, Smith said with a smile. And if I make mistakes then I live with them, which is a very Chinese calligraphy-thing to do.
Bristol Lifestyle Recovery, a facility that provided long-term recovery programs to those affected by the opioid crisis, is temporarily suspending operations just three months after its opening.
The site, located in a former nursing home on North Street on the Tennessee and Virginia state line in Bristol, has been open since June 15.
Due to larger than expected initial building repairs, which also delayed the opening and reduced revenue, Bristol Lifestyle Recoverys working capital was depleted quicker than anticipated, Executive Director Bob Garrett said Tuesday.
Fairview Housing in Johnson City, which also operates the Manna House, acquired the facility on April 1.
It took us almost four years putting it together, Garrett said. We put in a lot of time and effort.
After obtaining financing and purchasing the building, Garrett said the organization learned that much work was needed on the site.
Bristol Lifestyle Recovery has put a lot of effort into raising additional working capital through a number of avenues, Garrett said.
Because of the stigma associated with addiction, fundraising has been difficult, he said. Most significant donors dont prefer their name on a building associated with addiction.
The goal of $1 million was not reached, he said.
We chose to open because its hard to get funding without a program in place, Garrett said.
The facility has received donations from churches, individuals and organizations in the Twin City. Garrett said hes grateful for the financial help.
Those donations have helped save and improve many lives, he said.
Since its opening, 45 residents moved to Bristol Lifestyle Recovery. Notice was given Monday to residents and staff members that operations were being suspended.
He said there were 19 residents, who have or are being helped to transition to other housing or similar recovery facilities. Some are moving to the Manna House, which was not affected.
All staff members remain on a voluntary basis to assist the residents to a safe and positive environment, Garrett said.
The plan is to continue to raise working money and search for a possible health care partnership, Garrett said.
The importance of having a substantial facility for addiction recovery in the epicenter of the opioid crisis is beyond words and should not be abandoned for lack of funding, Garrett said. Compared to the costs of the regions beautiful new facilities throughout the Tri-Cities, Bristol Lifestyle Recovery would be a small investment that would pay huge dividends by saving lives, helping people return to a normal life and reduce the huge cost to society.
Garrett said hes hopeful the facility will reopen.
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, said Tuesday he will leave the Senate when his term expires at the end of 2018.
When I ran for the Senate in 2006, I told people that I couldnt imagine serving for more than two terms," the senator said in a written statement. "Understandably, as we have gained influence, that decision has become more difficult. But I have always been drawn to the citizen legislator model, and while I realize it is not for everyone, I believe with the kind of service I provide, it is the right one for me."
Corker said the most important public service he has to offer the country could occur occur over the next 15 months.
Serving the people of Tennessee in this capacity has been the greatest privilege of my life," Corker said. "And as I spent the month of August traveling across our great state, I was reminded that we live in a unique place full of people who care deeply about the direction of our country."
Corker added, I am grateful to the people of Tennessee for the opportunity to serve my state and country. I have been fortunate to do so with an extraordinary staff, and I want to thank them for their incredible dedication. I know that we will continue to have an impact for the remainder of our term, and I look forward to finding other ways to make a difference in the future."
The senator also thanked his wife and family in the statement.
ABINGDON, Va. Twenty-seven years after a Florida woman was gunned down by a person wearing a clown costume, an Abingdon woman has been charged with first-degree murder in her death.
Sheila Keen-Warren, 54, was arrested without incident Tuesday at her Herron Circle residence near South Holston Lake by the Washington County Sheriffs Office, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office. Warren later married the victims husband, police said.
On May 26, 1990, Marlene Warren, 40, was at her residence in the Wellington Aero Club community in Palm Beach County, along with her son, Joseph Ahrens, and several of his friends. An airstrip runs through the community and many of the homes have hangars and private planes.
While finishing breakfast, around 10:45 a.m., they noticed a white Chrysler LeBaron pull into the driveway, Palm Beach County authorities said in a written statement. A person dressed as a clown, carrying two balloons and a bouquet of flowers, exited the vehicle and approached the front door, authorities said.
Marlene Warren answered the door and when the clown offered the items to her, witnesses said they heard a gunshot and the woman fell to the ground, authorities said. The person dressed as a clown calmly walked back to the LeBaron and drove away, witnesses told police.
Ahrens, who now lives in Iowa, was within feet of the shooting, family members said Tuesday.
Marlene Warren, who was shot in the face, was transported to Palm West Hospital, where she died two days later.
During the initial investigation, detectives said they identified then-Sheila Keen as a suspect, but never made an arrest.
Then, in 2014, the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office Cold Case Unit reopened the homicide investigation. Witnesses were recontacted and additional DNA analysis was conducted, according to the Sheriffs Office.
Authorities also learned that Sheila Keen married Michael Warren, Marlene Warrens husband, in 2002. Michael Warren owned a West Palm Beach used car lot in 1990 and hired Sheila Keen to repossess cars.
As a result of the investigation, authorities said probable cause was established linking Keen-Warren to the shooting death. The case was presented to a Palm Beach County grand jury on Aug. 31 and a true bill was issued. Police then obtained a warrant, which was served Tuesday evening.
Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman said during a news conference Tuesday night that his office learned about the case about a month ago and assisted in the arrest. Keen-Warren has been living in Virginia for a number of years, he said.
Bill and Shirley Twing, Marlene Warrens mother and stepfather, who live in Las Vegas, Nevada, were relieved Tuesday night when they learned an arrest had been made.
It makes me pretty happy, said 87-year-old Shirley Twing.
The Twings have been waiting nearly three decades for the arrest and Shirley Twing admitted she wasnt sure it would happen.
I gave up hope, she said. Im glad they made an arrest.
The woman described her daughter as a beautiful, blond-haired girl.
She was always doing things, Shirley Twing said. She liked everybody and had a beautiful smile.
The couple said they had hoped their daughter would come home before her death. She and her husband were having marital troubles, they said.
After the shooting, the couple discovered a business card at their front door, 75-year-old Bill Twing recalled. It was from the police, who had asked them to call.
Shirley Twing said she knew something was wrong.
They called Florida authorities and learned of the shooting. They flew to Florida, but their daughter died in the hospital.
Marlene Warren, who also has two sisters, lost a son in a car crash about two years before she died, Bill Twing said.
Keen-Warren and her husband recently sold the Purple Cow, a popular restaurant in Kingsport. The restaurant was licensed in her name, according to a records search. She has no criminal record locally.
Rocky and Brook Blevins said they were shocked to learn their neighbor was arrested Tuesday.
Shes a great person, Rocky Blevins said.
The couple has known the Warrens for about 15 years and visited their home on a number of occasions.
We trust her with anything weve got, Rocky Blevins said.
His wife added, I trust her with my life.
The couple said there havent been any signs that anything was ever wrong.
It has to be a mistake, Brook Blevins said.
The Warren residence, a large home with two large brick columns and no trespassing signs at the street, appeared to be empty late Tuesday.
Michael Warren has not been charged in connection with the homicide, Palm Beach County authorities said. The investigation is ongoing, Sgt. Richard McAfee said. He declined to provide additional details about the case.
Washington County Commonwealths Attorney Josh Cumbow said he expects Keen-Warren to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. today.
Keen-Warren is being held without bail at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Abingdon.
PINEY FLATS, Tenn. A Piney Flats man was charged with attempted first-degree murder after police say he shot at another man Wednesday morning.
Officers responded to a home on Allison Road shortly before 9:30 a.m. after receiving reports that shots had been fired. Upon arrival, a woman told deputies that Daniel Self, 44, was in her driveway revving his motorcycle engine, according to Kristen Quon, public information officer for the Sullivan County Sheriffs Office.
The womans ex-husband, Rex Lewis, went inside the home, grabbed a handgun and fired three shots at Self, who left the property on the motorcycle, according to Quon.
After a brief pursuit, officers located Self and attempted to pull him over. But he ditched the bike on Austin Springs Road in Washington County, Tennessee, and jumped over a steep embankment into Boone Lake, Quon said.
Self was removed from the water and taken to Bristol Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for minor injuries. Charges are pending against Self, she said.
Initially, Lewis was taken to the Sheriffs Office for questioning and he was charged later that afternoon with attempted murder and possession of a firearm during a felony.
Its unclear whether the two men knew each other, Quon said.
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UPDATE: Rex Lewis has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in the shooting this morning on Allison Road in Sullivan County.
Lewis will be arraigned Thursday morning, according to the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office.
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BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. -- A early morning shooting remains under investigation in Sullivan County.
Officers responded to a home on Allison Road for a report of shots fired shortly after 9:30 a.m. this morning.
Upon arrival, deputies spoke to the complainant who stated a man, Daniel Self came on her property and started revving a motorcycle in the driveway. The woman's ex-husband, Rex Lewis grabbed a handgun and fired three shots at self, who left on the motorcycle.
Self was wanted in Sullivan County for violation of probation, domestic assault and criminal trespassing, according to a news release from the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office.
After a brief pursuit, officers located Self and attempted to pull him over. He then ditched his motorcycle on Austin Springs Road and jump over a steep embankment into Boone Lake.
Self was removed from the water and taken to Bristol Regional Medical Center with minor injuries. He will then be taken to the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office.
Lewis was taken to the Sheriff's Office for questioning and charges are pending.
BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. -- A shooting and motorcycle crash remains under investigation this afternoon in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
A reported shooting came into dispatch at the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office shortly after 9:30 a.m. this morning along Allison Road, according to Kristen Quon, public information officer for the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office.
When deputies arrived on scene, the person who was being shot at sped away on a motorcycle. Deputies were able to follow him until he crashed over a cliff along Austin Springs Road.
Quon said the driver of the motorcycle landed in a nearby creek and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The shooter has also been arrested and is currently at the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office being questioned by deputies.
Quon expects to release more information later this afternoon on the incident.
The Sullivan County Sheriffs Office is investigating a shooting that happened Wednesday morning in Piney Flats.
On 9/27/2017 at 9:40a.m., officers responded to 1876 Allison Road in reference to shots being fired.
When they arrived, officers spoke to the complainant who stated she was cleaning her house when Daniel Self arrived on a motorcycle and began to rev the engine in her driveway.
The complainant then stated her ex-husband Rex Lewis went and grabbed a handgun and fired three shots at Self, who left on a motorcycle.
Self had warrants out of Sullivan County for violation of probation, domestic assault, and criminal trespassing.
After a brief pursuit, officers located Self and attempted to pull him over. He then ditched his motorcycle on Austin Springs Road and jumped over a steep embankment into Boone Lake.
Self was retrieved from the water and taken to Bristol Regional Medical Center where he is being treated for minor injuries. He will then be taken to the Sullivan County Sheriffs Office Correctional facility and charged.
Lewis was taken to the Sheriffs Office for questioning. Charges are pending.
UPDATE: The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in Florida is reporting that an Abingdon woman has been arrested in a 27-year-old case known as the "clown murder."
Earlier today, Sheila Warren was arrested in Washington County, Va.. She has been indicted on a charge of first-degree murder in Palm Beach County, Florida.
Warren is charged in the 1990 death of Marlene Warren, who was shot at her home in Wellington, Florida by a person who was dressed as a clown and carrying a bouquet of flowers, the Sheriff's Office posted on its Facebook page. Marlene Warren was shot in the face and died two days later, the Sheriff's Office said in the news release.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office has scheduled a news conference about a cold case at 7:30 tonight in Abingdon.
Stay with the Herald Courier for developments in this story.
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ABINGDON, Va.The Washington County Virginia Sheriff's Office will be providing more details this evening into the arrest of an Abingdon woman.
The woman was arrested in connection with a 27-year-old homicide cold case from Palm Beach County, Florida, according to a news release.
The press conference is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Comings & goings: Health bar, candle shop, fishing charter website
A health bar and candle-making shop will cut their ribbons in the next few weeks while a charter fishing company launches its website.
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In my interactions with friends and family back home in the United States, and with the diverse people I am privileged to meet around the world, I am often asked: What is it like in Afghanistan?
Like any country, in any part of the world, Afghanistan is a land with a people proud of their heritage and rich history, who want a peaceful and secure place to realise their dreams and raise their families.
It is a resource-rich country populated by driven and talented people. Its citizens have had to innovate to resolve problems through decades of conflict and meet the needs of their communities. They hold on to their ethnic and tribal heritage, and yet they never question that Afghanistan is a nation that has birthed a rich diversity of people. Afghans are proud of their diverse nation deservedly so.
Some of them face daunting challenges daily. Terrorism is real in Afghanistan, and some parts of the country are inaccessible due to conflict. But Afghanistan is not alone in its fight. A strong and vibrant international coalition, of which the United States is a part, trains and assists the Afghan military, which has some of the bravest soldiers I have encountered.
Afghanistan equals opportunity and determination. Afghanistan equals high-quality products, like carpets, gems, spices, and fruits. Afghanistan equals innovation, like clean energy and technical solutions to everyday problems. Afghanistan equals better education for children and jobs for graduates eager to join Afghanistans growing economy.
The real challenge is not terrorism. It is shifting the perception of Afghanistan. Instead of saying Afghanistan equals conflict or terrorism, lets say that Afghanistan equals opportunity and determination.
Afghanistan equals high-end products, like carpets, gems, spices, and fruits. Afghanistan equals innovation, like clean energy and technical solutions to everyday problems. Afghanistan equals better education for children and jobs for graduates eager to join Afghanistans growing economy.
This narrative is too often silenced, but it is time it is heard.
Afghanistan wants a better future. It has shown the world it seeks to be part of the global marketplace by joining the World Trade Organisation. The country continues to engage with its neighbours and international trading partners. It knows that a strong and vibrant private sector is essential to its future prosperity. We must recognise the potential and possibility found in the country of Afghanistan and its people.
Trade and investment are part of the foundation of a flourishing society a society that provides education for its children, health care for its citizens, and a sense of purpose and contribution to all. Every country in the world understands that trade and investment are indispensable to prosperity.
India the worlds largest democracy and a giant in technology models this idea.
The value of India as a model is reflected in President Trumps recently announced South Asia strategy, which recognises India as a major player in helping Afghanistan seize opportunity and attract investment.
India has dedicated more than $3 billion to Afghanistans development since the fall of the Taliban. The India-Afghanistan Friendship Dam, also called the Salma Dam, helped revive Herats economy. India has demonstrated its strong commitment to Afghanistans democratic future by constructing the Parliament Building in Kabul. The India-Afghanistan Air Freight Corridor has allowed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods to move efficiently to markets in both countries a model of trade connectivity.
The India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show, aptly called The Passage to Prosperity, opening this Wednesday in New Delhi, will launch a reinvigorated commitment to US-Afghan-Indian integration through trade and investment. This trade show provides a road map for intentional, proactive engagement among the India, Afghanistan, and the United States, which will help bring stability and prosperity to the region.
Afghan investors, traders, and exporters showcase highly valued products and ingenuity, and they seek the same from India and the United States. All nations seek increased private sector engagement, because trade promotes stability and security.
The historical and cultural connections between India and Afghanistan go back several millennia. These two countries share bonds that continue today, among families, communities, and cultures.
It is time to recognise the opportunity in Afghanistan. It is time to recognise the countrys potential to recognise the narrative that is the real Afghanistan and take the next steps to ensure its future prosperity.
Hugo Llorens is U.S. Special Charge dAffaires to Afghanistan
The views expressed are personal
Durga is the manifestation of shakti, or the power of God. The goddess takes different forms to destroy evil forces at different times. One of these was Mahishasura, a demon who was troubling Gods and those who lived in heaven. They didnt know how to get rid of him. Thats when Goddess Durga, accompanied by her favourite animal (vahan) lion fought against Mahishasura.
Durga Puja celebrates this victory over evil. This year Durga Puja festivities begin on 26th September (Shashti) and end on 30th September( Vijaya Dashmi). In Bengal and parts of Orissa, Tripura and Assam, Dussehra celebrations are not quite tied to the epic battle of the Ramayana unlike the other parts of the country, rather they celebrate the victory of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura.
#maddox #durgapuja2017 #kolkata A post shared by Soumik Chakraborty (@scmibb) on Sep 26, 2017 at 5:00am PDT
As with most festivals, people celebrate by preparing delicious food, offering it to the Goddess first and then sharing it with friends and relatives. Similar to Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra, this festival brings together people from all walks of life and celebrate together. The pandals are artistically decorated and visited by people, prasad (offering to God) is usually made in the form of khichdi. Various stalls are set up with foods from various parts of the country.
Dishes such as chops, puchka, kathi rolls, mishti, mishti pulao and jalebi are made during the festival.
A festive thali. (Shutterstock)
HMD Global, the Finnish company that develops and markets smartphones and feature phones under the Nokia brand name, on Tuesday announced that all of its mobile phones that are sold in India will be locally manufactured. The company said that its latest smartphone, Nokia 8, will also be manufactured in India. HMD Global has entered into a partnership with Foxconn for local research and development (R&D), and manufacturing of its smartphones.
The response to Nokia smartphones has been encouraging. We are constantly ramping up our production so that we can meet the demand. Our products have been performing very, very well, said Pranav Shroff, director, Global Portfolio and Product Management in HMD Global.
Shroff pointed out that prior to the Nokia 8, Nokia smartphones such as the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 were priced between Rs 9,000 and Rs 15,000 to tap the budget category, which has 70% of the Indian smartphone market.
It is worth noting that the smartphone market, especially the budget category, is dominated by Chinese brands such as Xiaomi and Lenovo-Motorola. Xiaomis Redmi Note 4, which starts at Rs 10,999, saw over 2 million shipments in the second quarter of 2017, becoming the highest shipped smartphone in a single quarter in the history of the Indian smartphone, says an IDC report released in August.
HMD accounts for 1.5% of the India handset market as of the second quarter, 2017, said Parv Sharma, an analyst at research firm Counterpoint.
Shroff listed out the three key elements that the company is focusing on to stand out in a crowded smartphone market: The first thing is delivering real-life experience; focus on areas that matter to consumers.
The second thing is design and material. We are premium in every category we operate. And the third thing is pure Android. Its not just pure Android but pure secure and up-to-date Android. Now, a Nokia 3 consumer will get Android Oreo update before anyone else in that price point gets it. The Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 have already received a September update.
On being asked about the possibility of launching a 4G feature phone like the JioPhone, Shroff said, Our insight on 4G feature phones is that users in this category value elements such as battery life, ease of use, and simplicity. We are closely watching this space to see the consumer reaction to the phones on offer. If we feel that this is something that consumers would want and makes sense for them, we will evaluate the opportunity.
HMD Global relaunched the Nokia brand in January this year. The company has so far launched four smartphones and four feature phones in India. The portfolio also includes the Nokia 3310 redux. HMD Global is banking on the brand recall and trust that the Nokia brand once enjoyed in the Indian market.
Nokia still enjoys a good brand recall and connect with the audience. Nostalgia might not have a direct impact on the decision to purchase but helps brand placement. From then onwards, the purchase decision will be triggered by various factors including product details, distribution and after-sales services. Until now, Nokia has done well to leverage its brand connect to build its distribution structure and after-sales services right from day one, which for any other new brand would have taken significant time, said Sharma.
Nearly 25 years after ONGCs prime discovered oilfields were privatised, the government is planning to allow private firms to take majority stake in the state-owned firms producing oil and gas fields such as Mumbai High.
The Oil ministry plans to approach the Cabinet soon for allowing private firms to take participating interest (PI) in a nomination block, sources privy to the development said.
The policy currently allows giving out of PI or a stake to a private company only in the blocks or areas awarded in open auctions under New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) since 1999. However only exploration acreage was auctioned under global bidding in such rounds.
All areas prior to that were given to Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and Oil India Ltd (OIL) on a nomination basis.
ONGC produces 87 per cent of its 25.53 million tonnes of oil from fields given to it on nomination basis. As much as 95 per cent of 23.28 billion cubic meters of annual gas production comes from nomination blocks.
The nomination fields include Mumbai High, Indias biggest oil field, and Bassein gas field, the nations biggest natural gas producer.
Sources said the ministry is unhappy with the near stagnant oil and gas production and believes giving out the discovered fields to private firms would help raise output as they can bring in technology and capital.
It has been tasked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cut oil import dependence by 10 per cent by 2022 over 77 per cent dependence in 2014-15. The dependence has only increased and is now over 80 per cent.
Sources said initially ONGC got service companies involved in raising output by offering them incentive if production was raised by pre-set milestones over and above the current levels.
However, the services companies are not willing to take sub-surface risk which only oil and gas exploration and production companies can take, prompting the ministry to moot this idea of privatisation by giving 50-60 per cent stake in nomination blocks.
The privatisation is repeat of the infamous round in 1992-93 when medium sized discovered fields like Panna/Mukta and Tapti oil and gas field in the western offshore was given to now defunct Enron Corp of US and Reliance Industries.
As many as 28 fields were then awarded. Under this regime, ONGC was made licensee and given an option to farm-in 40 per cent of stake.
The controversial privatisation under the then oil minister Satish Sharma had resulted in a CBI inquiry.
Sources said the Directorate General of Hydrocarbon (DGH) has backed the move of getting private and foreign firms in producing oil and gas fields of ONGC and OIL.
Indias richest man Mukesh Ambani and telecom czar Sunil Mittal, whose firms are engaged in a bitter marketplace battle, on Wednesday described each other as friends as they shared the dais to prorogate growth of the telecom industry.
Displaying bonhomie, Ambani and Mittal warmly shook hands as they entered the arena hosting the India Mobile Congress (IMC).
Lets not forget India provides a big enough opportunity for all of us to grow and prosper together. The opportunity to pave the path for our nations progress and create a better quality of life for every Indian beckons us, Ambani said.
Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have, for over the past one year, been at loggerheads on a slew of issues such as points of interconnect, free voice and data offers, asymetry of network traffic and cut in mobile call termination charges.
In their addresses, they referred to each other as friends while Ambani called for forging partnerships to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modis dream of a Digital India.
We must break silos and forge partnerships. No corporate, nor the government, can do it alone. Together, we can achieve the unimaginable, Ambani said.
Since its launch, Ambanis Reliance Jio has been locked in a bitter marketplace battle with older telecom players led by Bharti Airtel. The incumbent operators have squarely blamed the newcomer and its disruptive offers for the worsening financial health of the telecom sector.
Clearly, as Mukesh pointed out, none of us can do it alone...We all have to come together. While we compete head on for benefit of consumers, we have to collaborate amongst ourselves, Mittal said.
Lets not forget India provides a big enough opportunity for all of us to grow and prosper together. The opportunity to pave the path for our nations progress and create a better quality of life for every Indian beckons us, Ambani said.
While Ambani began his address referring to Mittal as a good friend, the Bharti Airtel Chairman reciprocated calling the RIL chief a dear friend.
During his speech, Mittal advocated a collaborative approach saying, Clearly, as Mukesh pointed out, none of us can do it alone...We all have to come together. While we compete head on for benefit of consumers, we have to collaborate amongst ourselves.
Such collaboration would be essential to create a robust ecosystem and ensure that benefits of digital technologies accrue to India, he added.
Mittal later told reporters on the sidelines that if there are going to be three players, we all have to build ecosystem together as much as we can.
Asked specifically about the industrys differences over the impending cut in call connect rates, Mittal said, Those issues have to be kept aside. We have to build Indias digital dream and that is what we are working on.
Interestingly, after the event, the two left the main hall and visited the exhibition area separately.
Telecom minister Manoj Sinha hoped that the two giants will come together for realising the Digital India dream.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said healthy competition between the two telcos had benefitted customers.
Twenty years ago, call rates used to be between Rs 19-25 per minute, but because of their (Ambani and Mittal) healthy competition, now there is free talktime, and data is the new oil, he said.
Pradhan added that even with low margins, high volumes will drive profits.
The maiden edition of the IMC has seen participation from over 300 exhibitors, 2,000 delegates with 1.5 lakh footfalls.
The three-day event will include sessions on Digital India, internet governance, women in tech space as well as 5G technologies.
Indias economy will do well with extra fiscal stimulus and there will be no harm if New Delhi busts its fiscal deficit target to create space for higher capital spending, a top government policy adviser said on Wednesday.
The comments from Rajiv Kumar, deputy head of policy think-tank Niti Aayog, comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modis administration is deliberating on measures to revive an economy, which recorded its slowest growth in three years in June quarter.
Government officials last week told Reuters that they were contemplating spending up to Rs 500 billion ($7.61 billion) more to halt the slowdown, which could widen the federal fiscal deficit for the financial year ending next March to 3.7% of GDP from a budgeted target of 3.2%.
Union and state governments collected R90,669 crore as goods and service tax (GST) in August, 3.6% less than what was collected in July, the first month of the indirect tax reform, as businesses and traders attempted to settle down in the new system despite technology hiccups.
A finance ministry statement on Tuesday said these receipts do not include taxes from over a million small assessees who have opted a liberal quarterly tax payment system.
Only a little more than half of the 6.8 million assessees who were required to remit taxes and file returns met the deadline, said the statement. It implies that either the actual receipts may go up further as many who missed the last date opt for paying taxes with interest, or many taxpayers who got migrated from the earlier tax system to GST are not required to pay.
Businesses with at least Rs 20 lakh turnover are required to pay GST, a threshold higher than the Rs 10 lakh that existed earlier for service tax and Rs 5-10 lakh that existed for value added tax (VAT). An automatic migration of all taxpayers from the earlier system to the new one would mean that some of the registered GST payers may eventually forfeit their registration since they do not reach the Rs 20 lakh threshold.
Some experts said the low level of compliance needs to be studied. Abhishek A Rastogi, a partner at law firm Khaitan & Co. called it an alarming fact.
The government should go to the root cause and analyse whether these assesses are facing some genuine problems or they have been migrated automatically and are not required to comply, he said.
In August, central governments share of GST stood at Rs 14,402 crore while states collected Rs 21,067 crore. Integrated GST or IGST which is collected on inter-state commerce and imports stood at Rs 47,377 crore. Of this, imports accounted for Rs 23,180 crore.
The above figures obviously do not include the GST to be paid by 10.24 lakh assessees who have opted for the composition scheme (meant for small taxpayers). Additionally, there are still a number of assessees who have not filed their return either for July or August, 2017, said the ministry statement.
Abhishek Jain, tax partner at consulting firm EY India, said it was too early to hazard a guess on overall GST collections as many taxpayers have still not paid GST. Besides, there is inconsistency in collections because of transitional credit and exporters not being able to claim refund of GST. Things would settle down only in the next few months, said Jain.
Eleven trekkers, including a senior Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) officer, have been trapped under snow for the last two days on a trekking route between the Hindu shrines, Kedarnath and Badrinath, at an altitude of 4,200 metres on the Himalayas in Uttarakhand.
A rescue team from the Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) launched a hunt on Panpatia Col trekking route at Madmaheshwar near Badrinath shrine on Tuesday and are expected to locate the trekkers soon.
There was heavy snowfall in Panpatia glacier last week, which is likely to hamper rescue efforts.
Also, Panpatia Col trekking route is considered to be one of the harshest routes in Garhwal region of Himalayas that acts as a bridge between two famous Chardham pilgrimage shrines, Badrinath and Kedarnath. Experts say trekkers need sound acclimatisation before the start their trip.
On Tuesday, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) chief engineer Umesh Mehta had sent out a message saying IOCs deputy general manager of Barauni Refinery, along with four other colleagues, have been trapped under heavy snow on the Panpatia Col trekking route for the last two days.
Please provide help for rescue through SDRF, he said.
According to SDRF, apart from five IOC officials, nearly six more trekkers are likely to be trapped under the snow and efforts are being made to find them.
A 57-year-old teacher of a government inter-college in Tehri district of Uttarakhand has been arrested for allegedly raping a 15-year-old Dalit student repeatedly, and who only recently realised that she was eight months pregnant.
Manoj Negi, Kempty station house officer, said the victims parents were told that the girl is carrying an eight-month-old foetus, after she was taken to a hospital in Dehradun district on complaints of stomach ache around two weeks ago
The doctors have told us that it is too late to abort the child now. We are shocked and dont know what to do, said the victims father, a farmer in Kharak village in Tehri district.
The girls alleged rapist, Parmesh Kumar was arrested from Raipur area on the state capitals outskirts late on Tuesday night.
Kumar, a father of two and also a Dalit, taught history at the college. He used to make the girl stay back at school and had drugged her before raping her for the first time.
He had been assaulting the girl since January this year. He continued with the crime for months and intimidated her of dire consequences if she revealed about it to anybody, Negi told HT.
He was produced before a court in New Tehri on Wednesday after which he was sent to judicial custody.
The accused has been booked under Sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 328 (causing hurt by means of poison) of IPC as well as under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
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For the first time, the exhaustive exercise of the annual tiger estimation in India will be done in coordination with Nepal which shares forest corridors used by wild animals, including the big cat, to traverse
the two countries.
A resolution was passed during a recent meeting with Nepalese officials during which both the countries decided to go for estimate of tiger numbers simultaneously. Trans-boundary cooperation to curb wildlife crime was also discussed wherein joint patrolling, routine meetings and exchange of information were pressed upon.
In India, yearly monitoring of tiger reserves is done through Phase IV analysis followed by a rigorous estimation exercise across states in every four years. Nepal has been conducting annual monitoring of tigers based on the protocols of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which is the apex body on tiger conservation in India.
The neighbouring country has roughly about 200 tigers as compared to India that reported 2,226 tigers during the last estimation in 2014-15.
The idea of this joint estimation is to synchronise monitoring of big cats on border areas. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are among the five states that share border with Nepal. Parts of these three states fall under the Terai Arc Landscape which is home and corridors to the tiger and other large mammals.
A World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) initiative revealed there were about 11 tigers that reached Nepal boosting the population of the specie which was under severe poaching threat. We share common boundary and this comprehensive estimation will help both countries in estimating tiger numbers especially on border areas, Wildlife Institute of India scientist Bivash Pandav told Hindustan Times. Pandav was mentoring Nepalese officials in conducting the tiger monitoring and was a part of the meetings.
The joint exercise will be done at Dudhwa National Park of Uttar Pradesh that extends till Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Nepal. Similarly, the exercise will be done in Chitwan National Park in Nepal and Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in UP and Shukhlaphanta in Nepal. In Uttarakhand, the boundary is shared at forest divisions of Pithoragarh and Campawat.
The NTCA is now working on finalising the module and dates with the Nepalese officials after consultation with the Uttarakhand forest department. The resolution was passed and now we will work on the module which will be followed along the border, Nishant Verma, DIG of NTCA, who attended the meeting, said.
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The saints here are opposing the annual Ganga canal closure demanding that a minimum flow of water be maintained at Har Hi Pauri during the festive season. Citing a 1916 agreement signed between the then British government and the Ganga Sabha, they have urged the Uttar Pradesh government that a flow of 1000 cusec of water be maintained at all times at Har Ki Pauri, a historic bathing ghat.
The Ganga canal would remain closed from Wednesday night (September 27) till October 19. During the period the canals are cleaned and repair works are carried out. In a bid to undertake the work the water flow is diverted hence the lakhs of pilgrims during this time of the year dont get a chance to take a dip in the Holy waters or witness Ganga aarti.
The maintenance work of Ganga canal is undertaken by the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department as the distribution of assets between that state and Uttarakhand is yet to be resolved.
We have received a letter from Uttar Pradesh government about the annual closure. Hopefully minimum 1000 cusec water flow will be maintained at Har Ki Pauri keeping the fact into consideration that lakhs of pilgrims arrive here, said Purushottam Sharma, president, Ganga Sabha.
Freedom fighter and social activist Madan Mohan Malaviya had led a protest against the move of the then British government to build a dam at Bhimgoda, opposite Brahma Kund, Har-ki-Pauri. It was feared that once the dam was constructed, the flow of Ganga, considered holy by Hindus, would be hampered and it would lose its sanctity. Malaviya had then brokered a deal between the then British government and the Ganga Sabha on how much water should flow through the dams and canals and the main stream of the Ganga so that the rivers purity is maintained. As per the agreement, 1,000 cusecs of water should flow unfettered across the ghats in Haridwar.
The saints say this clause of the agreement has been overlooked time and again and have urged Uttar Pradesh government to adhere to it.
Normally 10,500 cusec water flow is maintained at Ganga canal. Ganga Sabha has also given an option that the irrigation department could close the canal from Mayapur barrage, which is about 500 metres ahead of Har Ki Pauri.
Teerth purohit Avikshit Raman, who has been performing rituals at the Har Ki Pauri for past three decades, said that Ganga closure during peak time of Hindu festive season impacts the sentiments of saint-purohit community and pilgrims.
UP can shift this closure phase ahead, we have been opposing this closure time during festive season. Livelihood of purhoits, pundits and traders also get affected due to closure as it is done during peak festive season, he added.
Official say they are not doing anything new. The annual closure is essential for maintenance of the canal and Ganga ghats. Minimum water will be ensured at sanctum sanctorum of Braham Kund, Har Ki Pauri during this closure period, said CB Yadav, executive engineer, Uttar Pradesh irrigation department.
The properties owned by senior bureaucrat BK Bansal, who committed suicide last year after he was arrested on charges of corruption, are locked and deserted and his relatives say they have not been contacted by Delhi Police.
Bansal owned two flats in east Delhis Madhu Vihar and lived in one of them with his wife and two children. The two scooters and the car they owned are still parked where they were left since September 27, 2016, when Bansal and his 25-year-old son, Yogesh, committed suicide.
We do not allow anyone to touch the scooter or the car. No one has come to claim it, a security guard said.
Bansals wife Satyabala, 57, and daughter Neha, 27, had killed themselves in the same flat in July 2016 after he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of accepting a bribe from a pharmaceutical company. The case is still pending investigation.
According to Bansals annual property return submitted to the ministry of corporate affairs, he also owned a flat in Dwarka.
Bansal suicide: Copies of note found at residence blames CBI for torture
When Hindustan Times visited the flat in Prerna Co-operative Housing society in Sector 10 of Dwarka, it was locked. The security guard said no one had lived in the flat since it was built around 15 years ago.
Nobody has come to take possession of the flat. We did not even know it belonged to a man who is now dead, the guard told HT.
In his suicide note, Bansal mentioned the names of four CBI officers, whom he accused of torturing his wife and daughter forcing them to commit suicide.
There is very little progress in the cases, sources in the Delhi Police said, and none of the officers named in the suicide notes has been questioned even after a year since the investigation began into the deaths.
The whole family is gone. The remaining members of their family stay in Hisar. It is not easy for them to come to Delhi and pursue the case. Practically speaking, is it even worth the effort because all the four are dead now, a city lawyer, whom Bansal approached after his arrest, told HT.
Bansals relatives at his ancestral home in Hisar compare his case with that of Haryana politician Gopal Kanda, who was arrested because he was named in a similar suicide note.
Read: Suicide was the only option left with Bansals, says domestic help
While they refused to take the names of the CBI officers named in the note, which was purportedly written by Bansal before his death, they said police have not even questioned anybody in the case as it involves powerful people.
It will be a year on September 27 since they died. The whole family is gone but the Delhi Police have not even bothered to call us. We have not heard from anyone in the last one year, said Vinod, son of Bansals elder brother Pawan.
On Tuesday, more than three weeks after the meeting, Vinod called Hindustan Times.
Did you meet the police? What did they say? he asked hoping for some development in the case that has not moved an inch since last year
.
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Nearly 24 hours after he allegedly murdered his wife and cousin in north Delhi, a 28-year-old man killed himself by hanging to a pipe in a field in a Kanpur village in the early hours of Tuesday, police said.
Before hanging himself from a tube well pipe, Mahender alias Mohit made desperate but unsuccessful attempts to kill himself. Mohit tried popping sulphas pills, but when that did not kill him, he slit his right wrist, said Jatin Narwal, DCP (north).
A shaving blade, a bottle of sulphas tablets and some homeopathic medicines used to treat impotence were recovered from the alleged suicide spot. It remained unclear whether he used the homeopathic medicine to attempt suicide or he was taking them on prescription No suicide note was found, police said.
Mohits body was found in Kanpur Dehat, around three kilometres from his home, around 5.15 am on Tuesday by a Delhi Police team that had been sent to Kanpur to find him. We found the blood stained clothes and his wifes mobile phone from him, said the DCP. Narwal denied that Mohit met anyone from his family before committing suicide.
Mohit had allegedly used a kitchen knife and a screwdriver to inflict more than a dozen wounds each on the two women his wife Premlatha, and 22-year-old cousin sister, Soniya. The bodies of the two women were found in Soniyas home in Wazirabad village in north Delhi around 11 am on Monday.
The triple deaths mean that several circumstances surrounding the murders may never be known. However, police said long-term harassment over unfulfilled dowry demands, combined with suspicion of infidelity, triggered Premlathas murder.
DCP Narwal quoted Premlathas father as alleging that Mohit had been harassing her for dowry ever since they got married around four months ago. He had demanded Rs 5 lakh cash and a 150 cc motorcycle. However, Premlathas family managed a 100 cc bike only, Narwal said, quoting the victims father.
As per her father, the relations between the couple were also strained because Mohit used to suspect Premlatha of speaking to another man, the DCP said.
According to another investigator, the immediate trigger for the murder in the early hours of Monday, was a phone call that aroused Mohits suspicion. He was drinking at that time. The brutality with which he repeatedly stabbed Premlatha suggested how much he hated his wife.
As for Soniya, Narwal said she could have been killed for possibly intervening in the violence and being an eyewitness to the crime. Soniya too was stabbed multiple times, her head stuffed into the toilet and her mobile phone smashed, prompting investigators to suspect if she too was killed out of hate.
Soniya had undergone a gallbladder surgery a few days ago. Her stitches had not even healed yet and she was to visit a doctor on Monday. But this did not make the killer spare her, said an investigator.
Unemployed for the last few months, Mohit lived with his wife Premlatha in Agra. His cousin, Soniya, lived with her father and brother in Wazirabad village. Since Soniya had a gallbladder surgery a few days ago, she needed someone to care for her at home.
But with her father and brother having to leave for their village in UPs Auraiya a week ago for some work, Mohit was requested to come down to Delhi and look after her. Mohit and his wife had been staying with Soniya for the last one week.
A 67-year-old store owner in south east Delhis Dakshinpuri was arrested on charges of molesting an 11-year-old girl who had come to his shop to buy groceries on Tuesday evening.
According to the complaint, the minor had gone to the shop to buy mustard oil. The shop owner, identified as Ram Kishan, allegedly started touching her inappropriately. However, another man started filming the incident, which made the accused stop.
The minors father has lodged a complaint that Kishan took his daughter inside the shop and touched her body inappropriately. It was further alleged that the accused has been doing this for last one year. Based on his complaint, a case has been registered at Ambedkar Nagar police station, said a senior police officer.
The officer added that the child was sent for a medical examination and Kishan has been arrested.
Kishan has been booked under section 354 of the IPC (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, a senior police officer said.
Police said that a video has emerged of the alleged incident. They are investigating the origin of this video.
The minors father alleged that his neighbour has recorded the incident in his mobile and circulated the footage to others with the intention of dishonouring him as he is having a property dispute with him, police said.
This neighbour has been arrested as well after adding section 67 of IT Act to the case. Mobile phone used to record the incident has been seized, said deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Romil Baniya.
In a separate incident, a 60-year-old vegetable seller was arrested on Tuesday on charges of raping a 9-year-old girl in northwest Delhis Jahangirpuri. The accused has been identified as Veer Kumar.
Police said that rape incident occurred on Monday night and Kumar was arrested on Tuesday, after the girls parents lodged a complaint. A case has been registered at Jahangirpuri police station under sections 376 (rape), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc. with intent to commit an offence) of the IPC and POCSO Act, police said.
A 29-year-old woman allegedly beat her differently abled mother-in-law to death using a small wooden stool at their house in east Delhis Mandawali late on Tuesday night, police said.
The accused also allegedly tried to set the 62-year-old victims body ablaze after dousing it in mustard oil, apparently because she could not find any other fuel in the house.
When arrested, the accused, Kanchan, reportedly told police that she killed her mother-in-law as the latter was abusing her for not being able to silence her crying child.
The victim, Swarna Kapoor, reportedly had difficulty walking due to problems in her leg. Police said she largely restricted herself to the ground floor of their house in Shanti Marg in Mandawali.
Swarnas son, Sumit, who worked at a fast food restaurant chain, was the sole income provider in the household with a monthly salary of 18,000. Other than Swarna, the family included Sumit, his wife Kanchan, and their three children, all of whom are under five years of age.
According to Omvir Singh, DCP (east), Swarna and Kanchan frequently clashed over domestic issues. Kanchan had allegedly planned to kill her mother-in-law earlier as well, but was unable find an opportunity to execute the plan, the DCP added.
The dispute late on Tuesday night had been triggered by the wails of Kanchans child when Sumit was not at home. Hearing the child cry on the upper floor, Swarna began abusing her daughter-in-law. A quarrel between them ensued during which Kanchan hit her mother-in-law on her head using a small wooden stool, said the DCP.
As the victim collapsed outside her kitchen, Kanchan allegedly decided to set her mother-in-law ablaze. Kanchan assumed the fire would lead the police to think an outsider or a criminal committed the murder, police said.
Investigators said that as the accused could not find kerosene or petrol in the house, she decided to use mustard oil to burn her mother-in-law. Police added that it will only be known after the autopsy report whether Swarna was still breathing at the time she was set ablaze.
According to an investigator, Kanchan allegedly emptied an entire bottle of mustard oil on Swarnas body before lighting it on fire. But the oil only managed to burn the victims legs and some items in the room, the investigator added.
Police said that Kanchan then panicked and rushed to her room upstairs. She then allegedly changed her clothes and waited for the murder to come to light. When her husband Sumit returned home from work sometime later, he found his mothers body and alerted the police.
The investigators said they found the crime scene suspicious due to the strong odour of mustard oil. Suspecting the role of an insider, police began questioning Kanchan.
Investigators said she initially tried to mislead them, but several inconsistencies in her statement eventually gave her away. After questioning, she finally confessed to having killed her mother-in-law.
Police said they have recovered one of Kanchans gown soaked with blood and mustard oil, the small stool that was used to kill Swarna, and an empty jar of mustard oil.
Kanchan, a homemaker and native of Ghaziabad, has been arrested and booked for the murder.
Mukesh Rishi is no stranger to playing villainous characters, but this is the first time he will play Ravana the villain that India loves to hate at the popular Luv Kush Ramlila in Old Delhi. The actor, both excited and nervous, talks to us about the character and how he plans on making it one that Delhiites would remember for long.
PLAYED ALL PARTS OF RAVANA
Actor Mukesh Rishi shows us his jealous, vain, goofy and greedy side during a backstage shoot with HT City. (Manoj Verma/HT Photo)
Being an actor, and a villain for various movies, Ive played all parts of Ravanas persona already. But as familiar as all these parts of it may seem, playing Ravana is a different ball game altogether, says Rishi. When youre playing a character in a movie, you can add your own touch to it and modify it to suit your style. That cannot be done with Ravana. And not because youd be messing with mythology, but because the masses know the character too well.
WAS PURSUED FOR THREE YEARS
Actor Mukesh Rishi poses during an exclusive backstage shoot with HT City. (Manoj Verma/HT Photo)
Bobby from the Ramlila pursued me for three years and kept insisting that I should play Ravana. My only response to him used to be, Mai nahi kar sakta. Jis din andar se aawaz aayegi, mai haan kar doonga. However, Bobby kept insisting, and this year when he called, I picked up the phone and said, Im ready. Tell me what is to be done, says Rishi.
ON ONE CONDITION
Actor Mukesh Rishi poses during an exclusive backstage shoot with HT City. (Manoj Verma/HT Photo)
When I agreed to play Ravana, I only had one condition that I get to modify the dialogues, he says. One has to maintain the purity of the text, but the dramatisation and the emotion behind it can be toyed with. I ended up adding my own set of verses and dialogues to it and I hope that the audience will love them. These little interactions with the audience gives them something to remember and take home with them. I want them to remember this Ravana and not treat it like just another actor taking up the same old character.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Actor Mukesh Rishi rehearses his lines on stage before the performance. (Manoj Verma/HT Photo)
I have been practicing for the past two and a half months at home, and just did a stage round. I was told that the stage is massive, so back at home, I used to practice in my hall which is pretty spacious. I used to recite the verses while doing my daily chores and was even doing so on my flight to Delhi. Woh kehte hai na, practice makes perfect, bass waisa hi samajh lo, says the Mumbai resident.
THE PUBLIC LOVES SHADES OF GREY
Actor Mukesh Rishi poses during an exclusive backstage shoot with HT City. (Manoj Verma/HT Photo)
Ravana isnt the usual villain. He is smart, has a personality, and has shades of grey which make him a complex character. There is versatility in the role and I plan to maximise on that, says Rishi. The public loves grey... Ram is their hero, the man they want their son or husband or brother to be, but Ravana is the life of this story. Take him out of the equation and our hero will not have his moment. I want to play the character in a way that they genuinely enjoy it when Ram kills me in the end. Acchai ki buraai par jeet li khushi feel honi chahiye unko.
I FEEL LIKE A BRIDE WEARING THIS COSTUME
Actor Mukesh Rishi poses during an exclusive backstage shoot with HT City. (Manoj Verma/HT Photo)
A brides dress is 10-12 kgs these days, but on her special day, she forgets the discomfort. She dances in it, walks in it and enjoys. I feel the same way in my Ravana costume. It is a heavy and decorated piece, and is really hot to be in, but when youre on the stage wearing it, everything fades out. The heat is gone, that shoe bite isnt bothering you anymore, the armband doesnt itch, you just feel one with it, as if its an extension of you, he says.
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The Delhi cabinet on Wednesday approved regularisation of 15,000 guest teachers working in its schools and a bill will be presented in the Assembly next week.
Approximately 15,000 guest teachers are teaching in the schools of the Directorate of Education(DoE) and have played a crucial role in some of the flagship programmes including summer camps, chunauti, and reading campaign, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said after the cabinet meeting.
The cabinet approved regularisation of these teachers and a draft legislative proposal has been formulated, which will be brought in the ensuing Delhi Vidhan sabha session to be convened on October 4 for approval, he added.
Sisodia, who is also Delhis education minister, said the guest teachers played a crucial role in Delhi governments education reform process as they had the skills and experience required to teach in government schools.
If the guest teachers who are currently teaching in our schools were to be replaced with fresh candidates, DoE would suffer quite a setback to our education reform process and we would need to re-start the process from scratch, he said.
Apart from the training programmes that we have invested in, guest teachers have, over the years, acquired skills and competencies essential to working in government schools and if we lose their services the benefit of their experience will also be lost, he added.
New Delhi IIT-Roorkee students have developed cost-effective soil testing solutions that can be used by farmers to boost crop productivity through balanced use of fertilisers.
Students from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee have developed a device called Solving Nitrogen Application Problems (SNAP) to mitigate the ineffective use of fertilisers which leads to downsizing of the crop yield.
SNAP, an optical imaging application, can determine the optimum fertiliser input by multi-spectral imaging of crop leaves, a statement said.
The device has been developed by a team led by third year B-Tech student Ekdeep Lubana with Ankit Bagaria, Utkarsh Seth Saxena and Anisha Godha. It is a programmed camera module, used to click the image of leaves and determine the nitrogen content in the soil.
Poor awareness and illiteracy among rural farmers forces them to believe that the low yield is due to insufficient usage of fertilisers. SNAP aims to bring the power of Smart Soil Analysis into the hands of the farmers, it said.
Ekdeep Lubana, B-Tech student, IIT Roorkee said, Our main aim was to provide farmers with a low-cost and easy solution to determine the amount of fertiliser to be used.
The application will guide farmers in a simple manner on how much fertiliser is to be used on the basis of analysis of the leaves, Lubana said.
Team SNAP and the project stood out among 900 teams from more than 70 countries and emerged as the winner of the Ericsson Innovation Awards 2017 and were awarded 25,000 Euros, the statement said.
Nearly a month after medical colleges completed admission formalities for undergraduate medical (MBBS) course on August 31, the Medical Council of India (MCI) is still waiting for details on 12,000 students from 97 colleges across the country.
Repeated reminders from the MCI to these colleges have failed to evoke any response.
The MCI mandates sharing admission-related details so that it can check compliance.
The delay from colleges in sending information assumes significance in the wake of the medical education regulator cancelling admission of 778 MBBS students all in their second year of the course in various private colleges in Puducherry after a probe found their colleges had not complied with the counselling process.
Had the irregularities been identified in 2016 itself, at least these candidates could have appeared in NEET in 2017 and sought admission afresh, says Thiru M Narayanassamy, president, Puducherry All Centac Students Parents Association.
An MCI source said, Often, colleges admit students beyond their permitted capacity or admission date or in violation of other norms. If the colleges dont submit details on time, the ultimate sufferer is the candidate.
There are about 460 colleges with about 65,000 seats. There are procedural delays in MCI as well but if the colleges comply with the guidelines, it will make our job easy, the source added.
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Washington The World Bank has warned of a learning crisis in global education, particularly in low and middle-income countries like India, underlining that schooling without learning is not just a wasted development opportunity, but also a great injustice to children worldwide.
The Bank in its latest report has noted that millions of young students in these countries face the prospect of lost opportunity and lower wages in later life because their primary and secondary schools are failing to educate them to succeed in life.
According to the World Development Report 2018: Learning to Realise Educations Promise, released on Tuesday, India ranks second after Malawi in a list of 12 countries wherein a grade two student could not read a single word of a short text.
India also tops the list of seven countries in which a grade two student could not perform two-digit subtraction.
In rural India, just under three-quarters of students in grade 3 could not solve a two-digit subtraction such as 46 minus 17, and by grade 5 half could still not do so, the World Bank said.
The report argued that without learning, education will fail to deliver on its promise to eliminate extreme poverty and create shared opportunity and prosperity for all.
Even after several years in school, millions of children cannot read, write or do basic math. This learning crisis is widening social gaps instead of narrowing them, it said.
Young students who are already disadvantaged by poverty, conflict, gender or disability reach young adulthood without even the most basic life skills, it said.
This learning crisis is a moral and economic crisis, World Bank group president Jim Yong Kim said.
When delivered well, education promises young people employment, better earnings, good health, and a life without poverty, he added.
For communities, education spurs innovation, strengthens institutions, and fosters social cohesion. But these benefits depend on learning, and schooling without learning is a wasted opportunity. More than that, its a great injustice: the children whom societies fail the most are the ones who are most in need of a good education to succeed in life, the Bank president said.
Severe shortfalls in educating Indian children constitute a learning crisis, the World Bank has said
In rural India in 2016, only half of grade 5 students could fluently read text at the level of the grade 2 curriculum, which included sentences (in the local language) such as It was the month of rains and There were black clouds in the sky.
These severe shortfalls constitute a learning crisis, the Bank report said.
According to the report, in Andhra Pradesh in 2010, low-performing students in grade 5 were no more likely to answer a grade 1 question correctly than those in grade 2.
Even the average student in grade 5 had about a 50% chance of answering a grade 1 question correctly compared with about 40% in grade 2, the report said.
An experiment in Andhra Pradesh, that rewarded teachers for gains in measured learning in math and language led to more learning not just in those subjects, but also in science and social studies, even though there were no rewards for the latter.
This outcome makes sense - after all, literacy and numeracy are gateways to education more generally, the report said.
Further, a computer-assisted learning programme in Gujarat improved learning when it added to teaching and learning time, especially for the poorest-performing students, it said.
The report recommends concrete policy steps to help developing countries resolve this dire learning crisis in the areas of stronger learning assessments, using evidence of what works and what doesnt to guide education decision-making; and mobilising a strong social movement to push for education changes that champion learning for all.
Six independent councillors, supported by Gurgaon member of Parliament and union minister Rao Inderjit Singh, joined the BJP fold just days after winning the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) ward elections as
independent candidates on Wednesday.
These councillors were denied party tickets but they fought the municipal polls and won by handsome margins even without the partys backing.
With six more councillors joining the party, the BJP tally in the house has now increased to 20 and the party has majority, said Inderjit Singh who was present at the ghar wapsi of these councillors held at BJP office in Sector 10A.
Those who joined the party were Dinesh Saini (ward no 8), Rajni Sahni (ward no 17), Navin Dahiya (ward no 12), Ashwani Sharma (ward no 19), Sunita Yadav (ward no 22) and Kuldeep Bohra (ward 31).
While two councillors who returned to the party fold were sacked by the party, the remaining four also owed allegiance to Singh. They had also sought party tickets for them in the recently held elections.
The Gurgaon Parliamentarian also said the BJP will finalise the mayoral, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor candidates before Diwali.
While welcoming the councillors to the BJP, Singh said the faith of these party workers had remained with the BJP even after they were denied tickets.
All six are young and have complete faith in the BJP. That is why they are returning to the party. This has also raised the number of councillors to 20 and it is likely more will join the party, he said.
When asked why the party had failed to give tickets to winnable candidates, Inderjit Singh did not refrain from taking a dig at the party, which he referred to as a large ocean.
Decisions are taken and some of them are right, while others are proved to be wrong. Had the ticket distribution been done in a better way, the party score would have been far better. The selection of candidates was wanting, he said.
According to sources in the party said five more independent candidates who are allied to PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh are likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party within a day or two and it is likely that there would be keen contest for the mayoral post within the party.
With the post of mayor reserved for a woman from the scheduled caste category, the competition is likely to be between Madhu Azad, who won from ward no 7 and Mithlesh Kumari from ward no 1.
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The embargo has been lifted on the reviews for Blade Runner 2049 a full two weeks before its release - always a promising sign. And the reactions are ecstatic. While full reviews will arrive later, those who have seen the film were allowed to tweet about it, and they are unanimous in their praise, noting Denis Villeneuves direction, Roger Deakins cinematography, and the films success at living up to the high benchmark set by the original.
Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, is considered one of the greatest science-fiction films of all time. The sequel arrives 35 years after the original, and brings in Ryan Gosling to star opposite Harrison Ford.
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ryan Gosling in a scene from Blade Runner 2049. (AP)
This is Villeneuves third film in as many years to have been roundly applauded. He directed Sicario in 2015, and Arrival in 2016. The Quebecois filmmaker is scheduled to tackle Frank Herberts seminal sci-fi novel Dune next, and he is also listed as one of the contenders to direct the 25th James Bond film.
Roger Deakins has been nominated 13 times for the Best Cinematography Oscar, and many are calling for the Academy to take this opportunity to honour his work. Theyre also calling Blade Runner 2049 a sure shot Oscar contender, and one of the finest films of the year.
Here are some of the reactions
BLADE RUNNER 2049 is sci-fi masterpiece; the kind of deep-cut genre film we don't see anymore. Visually mind blowing, absolutely fantastic pic.twitter.com/A1d6ohmj3s ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) September 26, 2017
I've seen Blade Runner 2049 and it's FUCKING INCREDIBLE. Kevin Polowy (@djkevlar) September 26, 2017
#BladeRunner2049 was one of the most mind-blowing films I've seen. It's breathtaking and transportive. Denis Villeneuve has a masterpiece. Jenna Busch (@JennaBusch) September 26, 2017
Denis Villeneuve is unquestionably one of the elite working directors & there's no excuse if Deakins doesn't win the Oscar #BladeRunner2049 (((Eric Eisenberg))) (@eeisenberg) September 26, 2017
Good news! BLADE RUNNER 2049 is a terrific continuation and expansion of the orig. Wasn't hoping for much, ended up LOVING it. (Even Leto!) Jordan Hoffman (@jhoffman) September 26, 2017
I saw #BladeRunner2049 and it is BREATHTAKING. It's an impressive follow-up, preserving mysteries, adding new ones, expanding the universe. The Bibbidook (@WilliamBibbiani) September 26, 2017
I've also been wondering for days how it would even be possible to make #BladeRunner2049 better, and it's impossible. It's such a whole. K. M. Trendacosta (@k_trendacosta) September 26, 2017
One more thing: #BladeRunner2049 is not the action-thriller-buddy-cop-sci-fi you were worried it might have been. It's ponderous, powerful. pic.twitter.com/04k2sjRRPc Ali Plumb (@AliPlumb) September 26, 2017
While built on the back of the original, #BladeRunner2049 paves its own way, building an even more wonderful world/story. Best of the year! Andy Signore (@andysignore) September 26, 2017
#BladeRunner2049 is absolutely stunning & a sci-fi masterpiece. It took special effects to a whole other level. One of 2017's best films. pic.twitter.com/zA2QNZ9swo Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) September 26, 2017
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Haryana School Education Board, Bhiwani, has made Aadhaar card mandatory for appearing in Haryana Teachers Eligibility Test (HTET) to be conducted by the board in December.
The board chairman Jagbir Singh said, Now applications for HTET will not be accepted without Aadhaar card. He urged all eligible candidates to timely amend details of their Aadhaar, according to the details mentioned in school leaving certificate, secondary or senior secondary, to avoid any inconvenience while submitting application form for HTET in the board.
He said the application forms of such candidates whose original documents do not match with Aadhaar cards will be treated as incomplete and such forms will be cancelled.
EXTENSION LECTURERS
Haryana higher education department has issued clarification regarding engaging the extension lecturers in government colleges of the state. Principals of all government colleges have been asked to accept the application of all those eligible candidates, who produce the experience certificate issued by the principal of government college for the work done earlier.
A spokesperson, of the department, said in the meeting of principals of government colleges, held on September 23, it has been clearly instructed that the list forwarded by the department is not exhaustive or final. Besides, it had also been made clear that any extension lecturer, who worked in any government college in the state and fulfil the qualification of Ph D/NET, should be adjusted against the vacant post.
Afghan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah arrives in New Delhi on Wednesday for a week-long visit during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, looking to strengthen business ties between the two countries.
Abdullah, along with finance minister Arun Jaitley and others, will inaugurate an India-Afghanistan trade fair that is sponsored by the United States Agency for international development and is in keeping with US President Donald Trump seeking a bigger economic role for India to stabilise the war-torn country.
Agriculture, education, healthcare and energy are among the key sectors expected to get a boost during the four-day event that begins September 27.
Spelling out his Afghanistan policy in August, Trump invited India to play a bigger role in the country. India makes billions of dollars in trade from the United States and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development, he said.
India would not send troops to Afghanistan, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday after a meeting with her visiting American counterpart Jim Mattis but pledged to help the troubled country build infrastructure and stamp out terrorist safe havens.
New Delhi has committed $3 billion for various projects in Afghanistan, where it has built schools, roads and a new parliament building.
Though the trade fair is being held for more than a decade, this time the scale is much bigger, with more than 1,000 firms from both countries expected to take part in the event in Delhi.
Many Indian business leaders have evinced interest in Afghanistan but the security situation has come in the way of the trade ties realising their full potential.
The Indian side sees Trumps promise of keeping the US troops in that country as a positive development.
The goal of this event is to strengthen economic ties between Afghanistan and India through partnerships, the US embassy said in a statement on Tuesday .
The fair would highlight recently signed agreements, showcase Afghan companies and Indian innovation, and launch a roadmap for future engagement, the statement said.
Along with Abdullah, finance minister Arun Jaitley, special charge d affaires of the US embassy in Kabul Hugo Llorens, charge d affaires of US embassy in New Delhi MaryKay Carlson are expected at the inauguration of the fair.
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Soldiers inflicted heavy casualties on militants belonging to the NSCN(K) along the Myanmar border in Nagaland early on Wednesday, the army said.
Unidentified insurgents indiscriminately shot at an army column moving along the Indo-Myanmar border at 4.45am, the Kolkata-headquartered Eastern Command said.
But the soldiers brought the insurgents under heavy retaliatory fire.
Own troops suffered no casualties during the firefight, the Eastern Command said in a brief statement.
An army column consists of up to 100 soldiers.
The army did not put a figure on the number of slain insurgents, but on previous occasions when the force announced heavy casualties the figure was around 40 to 50.
The Eastern Command denied media reports that Wednesdays operation was a surgical strike conducted across the border in Myanmar. It is reiterated that own troops did not cross the international border, the statement said.
The army crossed into Myanmar on June 9 and destroyed two militant camps five days after the National Socialist Council of Nagaland Khaplang (NSCN-K) ambushed a convoy in Manipur and killed 18 soldiers. It was the biggest loss for the army in a single attack in nearly two decades.
A Facebook post by a militant leader claimed the army crossed the international border, a charge the military categorically denied.
The gunfight happened on the outskirts of Langkhu village inside a Myanmar-occupied Naga area, about 15km from the border, wrote Isak Sumi, who is said to be on the National Investigation Agencys most wanted list of militants.
The encounter started around 3am when the elite unit of the Naga Army detected a column of Indian Army approaching their temporary makeshift camp The exchange was continuing till the time of filing this report, said Sumi, who is referred to as the PRO of the NSCN(K) by the NIA on its website.
The 2015 strikes in Myanmar were carried out as insurgents often attack soldiers and slip through the porous border to safe havens in the neighbouring country.
A bilateral agreement with Myanmar allows free movement of people from the two countries within 16km of the border.
India is reviewing the impact of the agreement amid a large number of Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar and seeking refuge following a military crackdown in the Rakhine province.
The visa-free movement along the Indo-Myanmar border allows people to stay for up to 72 hours in the area with valid permits issued by the authorities.
(with agency inputs)
In the wake of the violent protests that erupted at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), chief proctor Prof ON Singh taking a moral responsibility of the recent incidents of molestation and violence inside the premises of the university, submitted his resignation late on Tuesday night.
BHU spokesperson Dr Rajesh Singh said that prof submitted his resignation to Vice Chancellor Prof GC Tripathi who accepted it.
It is to be noted that ON Singh was considered to be one of the aides of the vice-chancellor.
BHU case developments Early Tuesday, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the chief secretary, Uttar Pradesh DGP and BHU vice-chancellor seeking a detailed report on the matter The NHRC move came after Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Shrikant Sharma asserted that a judicial inquiry has been initiated in the BHU case.
A number of students were injured when clashes broke out between the police and students of the BHU after the students started protesting against alleged molestation of a girl.
The victim alleged that security guards at BHU and the chief proctor did not take her complaint seriously, though she lodged a complaint with the proctor.
The proctor however claimed that he listened to the complaint and took action required.
Earlier on Tuesday, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the chief secretary, the director general of police Uttar Pradesh and the BHU vice-chancellor seeking a detailed report on the matter and submit his response within four weeks.
The NHRC, in its statement, said, Suo motu cognisance taken in the subsequent use of unwarranted manhandling and thrashing of agitating students, mostly women, by UP police.
The development came a day after Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Shrikant Sharma asserted that a judicial inquiry has been initiated to probe in the BHU violence case.
(With agency inputs)
Police action on BHU students on Saturday night left deeper scars on their minds than their bodies, a girl student said on Tuesday while recounting the horror that has left her shocked.
The violence has pained us and its scars will stay on our minds forever. What is more painful is that action is yet to be taken against the accused involved in sexual harassment of the BHU student, the girl told HT on condition of anonymity.
Shouldnt action be taken against those who didnt take the victims complaint seriously? she asked.
Neither did we commit any offence by raising our voice against the inaction of the authorities nor did we misbehave with anyone. We didnt disrupt peace. We were sitting on a dharna demanding action against the accused, she said.
She said the girl, who was molested on Thursday, first complained to a security guard who was on duty barely a few metres away but did nothing to stop it.
She then reported the matter to the proctor, Dr ON Singh, who too did not take her complaint seriously, she claimed.
When she narrated the incident to hostel inmates, they got enraged and decided to stage a dharna at the campus main gate. Our only demand was the V-C come to the spot and listen to our problems, she recalled.
When the V-C ignored our demands, we continued the protest on Saturday. Police were called on the campus during the night and girls were cane-charged. About 10-15 girls sustained injuries. The police even cane-charged girls near Mahila Mahavidyalaya gate, she said.
The girls cried in anger and pain. Only a few of them went to the hospital for treatment while others remained confined to their hostel rooms as it was quite late and the situation was tense on the campus. The next morning, we received verbal orders to vacate the hostel, she added.
She said the girls had no option but to return home while the accused remain unidentified.
BHU VC Prof GC Tripathi said the university administration had lodged a complaint on Friday against two unidentified men in connection with the harassment case.
The ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) has written to Bihar, seeking 156 acres of land to install category II instrument landing system (ILS) at the Bihta air base of the Indian Air Force.
Aiming to improve and develop airport infrastructure to meet growing traffic demands, the Centre has decided to develop the Bihta air base, on the outskirts of Patna, simultaneously with the existing Jay Prakash Narayan International (JPNI) airport in the state capital for commercial operations by end of 2019.
The category II ILS will allow operation of flights from Bihta even when visibility is as low as 350 metres. At present, the JPNI airport has category I ILS, which mandates a minimum visibility of 1,200 metres for flights to operate. This often leads to fog delay of flights in winter, when visibility is low.
The Centres request for 156-acre land to install the ILS lights is in addition to 108 acres, which the state government is committed to give for developing civil enclave at the Bihta airport.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had on November 15, 2016 approved acquisition of 126.41 acre land for the Bihta airport project, where 108 acres were to be handed over to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) free of cost. While the Centre would invest Rs 1,350 crore on the development of Bihta airport, the state government would spend Rs 260 crore on land acquisition at Bihta.
Union civil aviation secretary RN Choubey made the request for additional land to Bihar chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh on August 30.
The Centre has been proactively pursuing with the Bihar government on development of the two airports in Patna since last year. Bihar was, however, yet to act on Choubeys recent letter.
The chief secretary told Hindustan Times, We have already committed to give land for the civil enclave at Bihta for which land acquisition is being done. He (Choubey) may have sent me a request (for additional land), but I am not aware of it. Please talk to the principal secretary, cabinet coordination department about it.
Principal secretary cabinet coordination, Brijesh Mehrotra, told HT: We received the letter about a week back, but are yet to take the governments considered view on it. I will soon discuss it with the chief secretary.
Mehrotra further said, We need to ascertain facts where exactly is this chunk of land required. We will then ask the Patna district magistrate if it is feasible for acquisition, after ascertaining the classification of land (barren, agriculture, homestead, etc.) and habitation on it.
The Bihta airport will function in tandem with the existing JPNI airport in the heart of the capital, making Patna the only city in India to have two operational airports within a distance of 30 km.
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A one-man panel of Justice A Arumurghaswamy, formed to probe the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, has its task cut out with a several ministers and AIADMK leaders making contradictory statements over her hospitalisation last year.
Jayalalithaa, one of the most enigmatic leaders in India, passed away at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai on December 5 last year after more than 70 days of hospitalisation from September 22 last year. Ever since, there have been hints at foul play with many pointing fingers at VK Sasikala, once a close aide of the late CM and who lived with Jayalalithaa.
Jayalalithaas niece Deepa Jayakumar had too hinted at a conspiracy surrounding the AIADMK leaders death, days after she was barred from entering the Apollo hospital to meet the former chief minister. Immediately after Jayas death, sidelined senior AIADMK leaders had even charged that she could have been murdered.
Who said what on Jaya:
Dindigul Sreenivasan, forest minister
We had all lied about seeing Jayalalithaa in hospital and telling people that she was having idlis for breakfast, he said in a speech at a public function in Madurai. People in the party and the government all lied about meeting Jayalalithaa, he said. He also accused Jayas aide Sasikala, now in jail, and her family, alleging they had manipulated Jayalalithaas treatment and prevented anyone from seeing her inside hospital.
Sellur K Raju, cooperation minister
All of us, ministers, saw Jayalalithaa when she was undergoing treatment at Apollo. This is the truth. Another minister, Nilofer Kafeel, too claimed she had seen Jayalalithaa in a conscious state when she was being wheeled out of the ICU.
VM Natarajan, tourism minister
No one could see Jayalalithaa during hospitalisation for 72 days. We only saw her body being brought out on December 4.
KC Veeramani, commercial taxes minister
Out of fear of this family... we would tell what we were told (by Sasikalas kin)... that Amma had two idlis, she spoke and that she is fine, he said a public meeting in Vellore district, without naming Sasikala or her family.
TTV Dinakaran, former AIADMK deputy general secretary
Dinakaran, nephew of jailed leader Sasikala, has countered the allegations saying there was a video of Jayalalithaa inside hospital that would be made available to the probe panel. The video was shot by Sasikala, he claimed.
Opposition demand
The Opposition DMK, which had demanded a white paper on Jayalalithaas health long before she was even admitted to hospital, has sought a CBI probe into her death.
Since the central government had assisted in the treatment of Jayalalithaa, it has a responsibility to unravel the mystery surrounding her death... Therefore, using its authority, it should immediately order a CBI probe into the matter,DMK working president MK Stalin said in a statement.
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For five days starting Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath will be in the role of the head priest of Gorakhnath Temple in view of Navratra and Dussehra celebrations.
Continuing the decades-old tradition, Yogi will lead a shobha yatra from the temple in Gorakhpur on Dussehra. The procession will pass through the busy areas of the city and culminate at Mansarovar Ramleela ground, temple sources confirmed.
The chief minister, who reached Gorakhpur on Tuesday, will stay at the temple for five days during which he will perform special pujas daily till the ninth of Navratra.
In view of Yogis visit, the state police have made elaborate security arrangements in the city.
IG Hari Ram Sharma said a statewide alert had been sounded in view of Dussehra and Muharram. Since Gorakpur region is sensitive, Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel, along with the civil police, have been deployed in the area. The chief minister will be provided security as per the protocol, Sharma said.
SSP, Gorakhpur, Satyarth Aniruddha Pankaj said adequate force would be deployed on the procession route.
On Tuesday evening, the chief minister worshipped Maa Katyayni, the sixth manifestation of goddess Durga.
On the eighth day of Navratra, chief minister Yogi will do shastra pujan (worship of weapons) and after performing havan on the ninth day, he will hold a feast for children.
Successive priests of Gorakhnath Temple have followed this tradition and led shobha yatras. Yogi has also been leading this procession since he was anointed as the chief priest in 2014 after the demise of mahant Avaidyanath, said temples public relations officer (PRO) Vinay Gautam.
He said since Yogi had been elevated to the post of chief minister, the crowd in the procession was likely to swell this year. More than 5,000 people are likely to join the yatra, which will be taken out from the temple to the Ramleela ground, he said.
He said the Vijay Dashmi procession would be followed by kanya pujan.
Vijay Dashmi celebrations will begin with prayers between 3 am and 8 pm. Disciples of Nath sect will seeks blessings from Mahant Adityanath amid chanting of holy mantras and blowing of conch shells (shankh).
At 4 pm, a chariot with saffron flags will take Yogi to the Ramleela ground where he will perform aarti to mark the victory of Lord Ram over Ravan.
The vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindu University, Girish Chandra Tripathi, said the girls protesting the molestation of a student are the ones who go out of the university campus after 8pm.
If you check the register, you will find the girls who go out after 8 pm are the ones who are protesting. We have a record of that. The ones who dont go out dont even complain. He then offers to claim there is no problem should they decide to go out after 8pm.
Facing storm after police opened lathis on girls protesting the incident even as the accused molesters remain unidentified, Prof Tripathi has virtually given himself a clean chit, drawing parallels with how the Haryana police has failed to locate a known face like Honeypreet Insan (daughter of rape convict Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim).
But no one is writing about (Honeypreet) whereas people who have not even been identified (the accused in BHU incident), how can we arrest them? said Tripathi, speaking to HT in New Delhi where he had arrived earlier for the Universitys executive council meeting.
He said that if there is any discrimination on BHU campus, then it is actually in favour of the female students as girls require more security than boys. There are 8,000 girls in BHU hostels as compared to 25,000 males.
Both groups have different timings to return to the hostel at the days end. While boys can stay out until 10pm, girls are required to be back by 8pm. On why theres a need for different timings, Tripathi said its because boys dont require such security.
The security issue is more sensitive for female students in comparison to boys, and hence we are taking extra care by restricting them (girl students) to 8 pm. Why are we competing for such equality? I cant make rules according to every girl student, argued the V-C.
Tripathi said he has spoken to the guardians of the girl students who tell me I am completely right (in imposing the restriction). And they are not jailed inside the campus after 8pm. They can still go out after taking permission from their guardians, he said.
The V-C also dismissed allegations that the campus was unsafe, saying tenders have been floated for more CCTV cameras. The allegation that BHU is unsafe is not correct. It is a huge campus and a thoroughfare. Thousands of people use it.
We have a mechanism in our security system which says that only ex-military persons can be hired for security purpose and we dont get women for this job. We have a scheme called earn while you learn under which I met female students who said they will take care of the security system. There are around 40-45 students who will be there during any sensitive incident. I also told them to revisit the security plan that is being made. They are so powerful that they can handle anyone, he said.
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Ashok Choudhary, who has been ousted from the post of the Bihar Congress president said that the expulsion was insulting.
I welcome the decision of the party but I dont deserve the way I was insulted and expelled from the party. I dont want to leave the party but dont have a choice, he told ANI on Wednesday.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday relieved Ashok Choudhary from his post as Bihar PCC chief with immediate effect.
The removal came amid reports that the party high command was unhappy with him and leaders of his faction when they had allegedly made an abortive bid to split the party after Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) walked out of the Grand Alliance (GA) and formed the government with the BJP-led coalition in the state.
I welcome the decision of the party but I dont deserve the way I was insulted and expelled from the party. I dont want to leave the party but dont have a choice. - Ashok Choudhary
As many as 14 MLAs and a few MLCs were said to be in the mood of rebellion and wanted to desert the party en-mass, which prompted the party high command to send senior leaders including Jyotiraditya Scindia to foil the bid. Later they were also called in by AICC chief Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi at separate occasions to explain on their reported bid to desert the party.
Choudhary did not attend these meetings
Sources in the AICC said the new president might be named soon after Rahul Gandhi returned to New Delhi after his ongoing phase of Gujarat tour. Even otherwise, the new committee would be in place by October 15, as per the schedule of ongoing organisational polls.
(With ANI inputs)
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led central governments economic policies,saying that the economy is headed for a downward spiral.
In an opinion piece for the Indian Express, Sinha lambasts the governments decisions on the economic front. I shall be failing in my national duty if I did not speak up even now against the mess the finance minister has made of the economy, writes Sinha, adding that many within the BJP are aware of the situation, but fear speaking up.
In the no-holds barred piece, Sinha says demonetisation proved to be an unmitigated economic disaster and that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was a badly conceived and poorly implemented havoc.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley comes in for the bulk of the criticism, as Sinha writes, Arun Jaitley is considered to be the best and the brightest in this government. It was a foregone conclusion before the 2014 elections that he would be the finance minister in the new government.
Sinha further took on BJP president Amit Shah for citing technical reasons for slowdown in the GDP rate and wrote, Even the SBI, the largest public sector bank of the country, has stated with unusual frankness that the slowdown is not transient or technical, it is here to stay and the slowdown in demand has only aggravated the situation. It has openly contradicted what the BJP president said just a few days ago that the slowdown in the last quarter was on account of technical reasons and will be corrected soon.
Highlights In his scathing piece, Yashwant Sinha says demonetisation was an unmitigated economic disaster and GST was a badly conceived and poorly implemented havoc. Sinha also said other people within the BJP were aware of the situation, but fear speaking up.
On that note, the figures of the first quarter of fiscal 2017-18, released last month, showed the GDP growth rate falling at 5.7 percent, while in the concurrent period last year, the GDP was soaring ahead at 7.6 per cent.
In his article, Sinha also took a jibe at raids conducted by Income Tax department, Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation and said that it has become a new game to instill fear in the minds of people, adding, We protested against raid raj when we were in opposition. Today it has become the order of the day.
He also ridiculed the massive loan waivers given to the farmers varying from one paise to a few rupees.
Sinha concluded his article by saying, The prime minister claims that he has seen poverty from close quarters. His finance minister is working over-time to make sure that all Indians also see it from equally close quarters.
Sinhas unsually sharp piece caused quite the stir and he started trending on social media. The Opposition has reacted strongly to the piece, with senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram lauding Sinhas words as proof that truth will prevail. Yashwant Sinha speaks Truth to Power. Will Power now admit the Truth that economy is sinking?, tweeted Chiadambaram.
Yashwant Sinha speaks Truth to Power. Will Power now admit the Truth that economy is sinking? P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) September 27, 2017
TRUTH 1: "The growth rate of 5.7% is actually 3.7% or less " says Yashwant Sinha. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) September 27, 2017
A CBI court on Wednesday granted bail to former Odisha high court judge IM Quddusi, who was arrested earlier this month in connection with an alleged cash-for-judicial relief scam involving a Lucknow-based medical institute.
The CBI had opposed Quddusis request, claiming that providing him with bail could hamper the investigation because it is yet to record the statements of many witnesses in the case. The court, however, let the former judge out on a personal surety of Rs 1 lakh.
This was second time the court rejected a CBI request in the case. On Monday, the court declined to extend Quddusis remand for further custodial interrogation, and remanded him in judicial custody instead. Special judge Manoj Jain noted that while the CBI accused Quddusi of not cooperating with it during his time spent in police custody, it had on the other hand accepted that he provided his voice samples voluntarily.
Defence counsel Vijay Aggarwal told the judge that Quddusi had been a high court judge for 17 years, and possesses an unblemished record. He has deep roots in the society, and there was no question of him refusing to cooperate with the agency or fleeing from justice, he added.
The CBI, however, dubbed the matter as a big scam and accused Quddusi of trying to influence a public servant who is yet to be identified. It had recorded as many as 80 conversations between all the accused in the case during the course of the investigation.
The CBI FIR states that Quddusi and his alleged associate, Bhawana Pandey, assured representatives of the Prasad Education Trust (which runs the Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences) that they would get their problem settled through connections in the Supreme Court. The Lucknow-based medical institute is among 46 colleges barred by the government from admitting students for the next few years owing to sub-standard facilities and non-fulfilment of various criteria.
The duo then allegedly got in touch with one Biswanath Agrawala from Bhubaneswar, who claimed to be in close contact with senior public functionaries. Besides Quddusi, Pandey and Agrawala, three other accused trust representatives BP Yadav and Palash Yadav and alleged hawala dealer Ramdev Saraswat were arrested by the CBI.
The investigative agency also recovered Rs 1 crore from Agrawalas possession soon after he allegedly received it from Saraswat in the citys Chandni Chowk area. The alleged hawala dealer had earlier paid him around Rs 50-70 lakh, the CBI claimed.
Pandey was also granted a weeks bail on account of her four-year-old sons ill-health.
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The Election Commission today disqualified for three years former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda from contesting elections for failing to file details of expenses related to the 2009 Lok Sabha polls he fought.
He had won the polls from the Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat in Jharkhand.
An order issued by the Commission said that Koda stands disqualified for three years from today for failing to lodge his account of election expenses in the manner required by the law and for having no good reason or justification for such failure.
The Commission order signed by chief election commissioner AK Joti and election commissioner OP Rawat cited section 10 A of the Representation of the People Act to disqualify Koda.
The Commission had been hearing the case against Koda for allegedly furnishing false election expenditure records after the 2009 polls.
Koda was elected as independent MP in 2009, and in October 2010 the Election Commission had issued notice to him asking him as to why he should not be disqualified on the ground that he had allegedly shown the election expenses much less than the actual amount of Rs 18,92,353.
The 49-page order said the account of poll expenses submitted by the Jharkhand politician was untrue and false.
Koda had moved the Delhi High Court questioning ECs jurisdiction, but the poll panel was given a go ahead by the court to proceed against the politician.
The ministry of home affairs (MHA) is reviewing the impact of a bilateral agreement with Myanmar, which allows free movement of people from the two countries within 16km of the Indo-Myanmar border.
The move comes against the backdrop of a large number of Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar and seeking refuge following a crackdown by the military in the Rakhine province.
A visa-free movement regime (FMR) exists in the four states along the Indo-Myanmar border, under which people from both countries can stay for up to 72 hours in the area with effective and valid permits issued by the designated authorities on either side.
According to a senior home ministry official, special secretary (internal secretary) Rina Mitra and joint secretary (northeast) Satyendra Garg, along with other ministry officials visited Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur to study the existing system.
Several border exit points were also visited (in the four) states. Meetings with the respective state chief secretaries, police chief commissioners and unites of Assam Rifles were also held, the official said, adding that the visit was part of decision taken by home minister Rajnath in June to carry out a review of the border situation.
In a statement issued by the ministry of home affairs, Rajnath Singh was quoted as saying that militants and criminals were misusing the free movement regime.
This regime has been in place keeping in view the traditional social relations among the border people.
It helps genuine people living in the close proximity of the border. However, it is misused by militants and criminals who smuggle weapons, narcotics, contraband goods and Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), the statement said.
It went on to add With fast improving security situation in this region, militants are denied hideouts here and some of them have relocated themselves across the border. Taking advantage of the free-movement regime occasionally they enter India, commit crimes and escape to their relatively safer hide-outs, the statement read.
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India on Wednesday assured its support to Syria in the fight against terrorism in the war-ravaged country, a major theatre of dreaded terror group ISIS.
This was conveyed when visiting grand mufti of Syrian Republic Ahmad Badr Eddine Mohammad Abid Hassoun met home minister Rajnath Singh here.
Singh assured the grand mufti of Indias support in eliminating terrorism in all fronts and recollected the long- standing friendship between India and Syria, an official statement said.
Official sources said the issue of several Indians joining the ISIS and fighting for the terror group in Syria and Iraq is understood to have figured in the discussion.
The home minister welcomed the grand mufti and discussion was held on wide ranging issues including terrorism and security, the statement said.
Singh was confident that bilateral relations will improve further by such visits and wished that peace and stability is restored in Syria soon.
The grand mufti thanked the home minister and appreciated the secular credentials of India. The grand mufti was particularly pleased to note the significance of unity in diversity in India, the statement said.
During the meeting, the grand mufti highlighted the evils of terrorism by citing the example of the killing of his son by terrorists and how he forgave the assassin.
He expressed confidence that India would extend support in the fight against terrorism.
The home minister thanked the delegation for their visit to India.
The Indian Army inflicted heavy casualties on Naga militants belonging to National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) insurgent group along the Myanmar border early on Wednesday.
An army officer and three insurgents were killed in an encounter with militants believed to be from NSCN (K) and the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), in Nagaland in June.
The group was also behind the ambush and killing of 18 soldiers in Manipur in 2015, the worst attack on security forces in two decades. The army retaliated by crossing into Myanmar on June 10, 2015 and damaging Naga terror camps, six days after the NSCN(K) ambush.
The NSCN was formed after the failure of the Shillong Accord of 1975, signed between the government of India and the Naga National Council. SS Khaplang, Muivah and Isak Chishi Swu -- who created the separatist group in 1980 -- almost ran a parallel government in Nagaland and in several districts of Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh for years.
It was a group that many in Nagaland felt was headed by outsiders the Burmese Khaplang and the Manipuri Muivah. But it soon became one of the strongest outfits in the Northeast until the split in 1988.
The outfit eventually split in 1988 with Khaplang leading one faction (NSCN-K), and Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah leading the other (NSCN-IM).
It is said Indian agencies allegedly used Khaplang to trigger frequent fratricidal battles between the two factions that killed more rebels than in encounters with the armed forces.
The split was also attributed to clan rivalries between the Konyaks of Nagalands Mon district and the Tangkhuls of Manipurs Ukhrul district. Muivah is a Tangkhul.
PM Narendra Modi with home minister Rajnath Singh, chairman of NSCN (IM) Isak Chishi Swu, NSCN (IM) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah and others at the signing ceremony of historic peace accord between the government and the NSCN faction. (PTI File Photo)
But the two factions invariably agreed on Greater Nagalim that envisaged bringing all Naga-inhabited areas of Myanmar and India under one administrative umbrella.
NSCN-K declared truce with Delhi in 2001, four years after the rival Isak-Muivah faction. But it walked out of the truce in March 2015 and renewed the war of independence against India. Khaplang added a new dimension to insurgency in the Northeast by cobbling together a front of disparate rebel outfits. He became the head of this front United Liberation Front of Western South East Asia -- that carried out an ambush on the armys Dogra Regiment in Manipurs Chandel district in June 2015.
Khaplang, one of the most dreaded rebel leaders in the Northeast and a foe-turned-friend-turned-foe of the Indian armed forces, died in his Myanmar base in June this year.
The issue of illegal crossers will be discussed in a bi-annual director-general level talk to be held between India and Bangladesh on October 2 here.
The meeting between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) will be attended by officials of the ministry of external affairs, surveyor general of India and Narcotics Control Bureau.
The Indian delegation will be led by BSF director general KK Sharma while Bangladeshs by major general Abul Hossain.
The meeting comes in the backdrop of a raging debate on Indian governments stand on the Myanmars persecuted Muslim community of Rohingyas.
BSF officials did not comment on whether Rohingyas will be discussed at the meeting, citing government directives for the current as well as future response to the Myanmar issue.
Our mandate has always been to stop illegal crossing. If illegal crossers are found inside Indian territory, we take them in custody and hand them over to local police, a BSF official said on the condition of anonymity.
As per data available with the BSF, around 200 Rohingyas have been arrested in six border states, including West Bengal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura, in the last five years. Sources said two people, believed to be Rohingyas, were sent back into Bangladesh upon being discovered last week.
Other issues on which discussions will be held at the meeting include human trafficking, smuggling of fake Indian currency notes, cattle smuggling, border vigil and single row fencing between the two nations.
Earlier this month, the BJP government had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court in response to a petition challenging the Modi governments plans to deport roughly 40,000 Rohingya refugees from India.
Terming these refugees as illegal immigrants, the government told the apex court that their presence in the country will pose a serious national security threat.
Since August, there has been a spike in the number of Rohingyas fleeing their country after the Myanmar army launched a fresh crackdown in Rakhine province.
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Unidentified gunmen killed Border Security Force (BSF) jawan Ramzan Parray at his residence in Hajin, Bandipora district, late on Wednesday evening. Three family members were also injured in the attack.
A police spokesperson confirmed the incident. While the jawan was killed, the injured family members were shifted to a hospital for treatment, he added.
Jammu and Kashmir deputy general of police SP Vaid said three to four militants barged into the BSF jawans home and dragged him out. When they resisted, the attackers opened fire fatally injuring Parray. He died later.
Relatives wait for the body of BSF soldier Ramzan Parray, who was killed by militants late Wednesday night at his house in Hajin, Bandipora district, north of Srinagar. (Waseem Andrabi/HT Photo)
According to Vaid, Parray had returned home to north Kashmir on vacation. The militants accused Parray of being behind the cordon-and-search operation that took place in the area last night, he added.
The BSF later released an official statement condemning the killing. Constable Rameez Parrey, a BSF personnel who was on leave, was killed by terrorists in a cowardly manner today, it said.
Security forces have cordoned the area, and massive search operations are being conducted to nab the militants.
An Army officer was abducted and killed by militants in south Kashmirs Shopian in May this year.
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An audio clip of an alleged conversation to gun down journalists covering the Maoist conflict in Chhattisgarhs Bastar surfaced on Wednesday. The 30-second clip released by the Bijapur press club is now under scrutiny as police claim it could be an old doctored clip.
In the audio clip, a male voice is instructing purported subordinates to eliminate journalists who go to report on Maoists in the jungles.
High alert rehna aur udhar se koi patrakaar dikhe jo naxaliyaon ko cover jaaye use maar dena. (Stay alert, and if you notice any journalist reporting on Maoists, kill them), the male voice is heard saying.
However, in 2005 a similar clip surfaced when a few journalists had gone inside the jungle for reporting. Police are investigating whether it is the part of the same clip or different.
Prima facie it seems to be an attempt to tarnish the relationship between the police and the press by some mischievous elements as they have circulated an old or fabricated audio clip. However, considering the seriousness of the matter, we will conduct a thorough investigation in this regard. After proper investigation, prompt action will be taken, said P Sundarraj, DIG South Bastar.
Special director general (anti-naxal operations), DM Awasthi, told HT, If this has happened, this act will not be tolerated. I have ordered an inquiry and IG (Bastar) will head the probe. The accused officer will be punished if found guilty.
Rajkumar Soni, a senior journalist said, In 2005, an officer had been transferred on the basis on a similar clip but this audio seems to be different. A full investigation should be carried out.
On the other hand, another journalist Alok Putul claims that the tone and transcript of the two audio clips seems to be similar.
Bijapur press club president Ganesh Mishra said in a statement that the audio clip reflects the mentality of the security forces.
On one hand, security forces are threatening journalists and on the other, Maoists are also killing journalists branding them as police informers. It is very difficult for a journalist to work under such conditions, he said.
Journalists from Bastar will be protesting outside the commissioners office on Thursday and plan to submit a memorandum to the chief minister.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists in India, four journalists in Chhattisgarh have been killed since 2010.
Another high profile case from the state was the arrest of Santosh Yadav in 2015. A journalist with Dainik Navbharat, Patrika and Dainik Chhattisgarh, Yadav was accused of standing behind a Maoist at the time of an ambush. He was granted bail in 2017.
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The Madras high court has summoned a senior Election Commission of India officer in a case in which the opposition DMK has alleged violation of poll procedure in an assembly by-election that the ruling AIADMK won.
Justice P Velumurugan on Wednesday asked the EC principal secretary to explain to the court on October 6 if the poll body had authorised the doctor attending on Jayalalithaa to attest her thumb impression affixed on the election form of AIADMK candidate AK Bose.
Tamil Nadu chief minister and AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa was hospitalised on September 22, 2016 and died at Chennais Apollo hospital on December 5, with little information shared about her illness.
By-elections to three assembly constituencies were held on November 19, with AIADMK fielding AK Bose from Thirupparankundram constituency near Madurai.
His DMK rival P Sarvanan challenged his election in the high court, saying Bose violated rules when he filed his nomination paper.
Appearing for Sarvanan, advocate A Arun questioned the authenticity of the Jayalalithaas thumb impression that was affixed on the C form that has to be signed by a candidates party chief.
The EC violated rules in authorising the doctor attending on Jayalalithaa to attest her thumb impression, he said.
In the run-up to the by-elections, the opposition DMK had questioned why Jayalalithaa had not signed the form.
Media reports at the time had quoted the doctor as saying, Jayalalithaa has undergone a tracheotomy and has an inflamed right hand, temporarily unable to affix signature and has used her left hand to give the thumb impression.
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For a state that is the third in the country to start a Rs 1,000 per month social security pensions for its 2,500-odd registered transgender population, Himachal Pradeshs voter list tells a different story. Of 49 lakh registered voters on the electoral roll published on September 15, there are only 12 transgenders. The number of Non-Resident Indian (NRI) voters is just four. There are 24.98 lakh male voters with women vote strength at 24.07 lakh. The dates for elections to the state assembly are not announced, but the expectation is that of pools being held in December. The term of the assembly ends on January 7, 2018.
No official record of transgender population
There is no official record of the transgender population in the state, but based on experience and anecdotal evidence, state government officials peg it anywhere between 2,000 and 3,000.
In Himachal, transgenders are scattered in every constituency but their presence is more in areas bordering Punjab and Haryana.
Yet, the states department of social justice and minority affairs has set a target of disbursing social security pension to at least 200 transgenders in 2007-18 that ends on March 31, 2018.
There is no clarity on how many have been given the social security as of now, even as Tamil Nadu and Orissa are the only two other states offering this scheme.
Stigma attached hinders identification
The government claims the huge mismatch between what it believes on the number of transgenders and what the electoral roll shows is a problem related to identity. Like other states, transgenders in Himachal Pradesh are not organised. They usually are mixed in with the general population. There is also a social stigma attached and most transgenders do not want to reveal their identity, said a government official.
In Himachal, transgenders are scattered in every constituency but their presence is more in areas bordering Punjab and Haryana, said Dr Sandeep Bhatnagar, director, social welfare and minority affairs department.
He also claimed that the social stigma remained a stumbling block to knowing the exact number of transgenders in the state. With the number unclear and not many coming forward, the process of giving pensions to them as slowed down, Bhatnagar added. The state government has also set up facilities for transgenders like medical aid in districts.
The process of preparation for the last part of the states electoral roll (services) is on. We have received only 63,200 forms so far, Pushpendra Rajput, Himachal Pradesh chief electoral officer told HT.
Over 40,000 first-time voters on electoral roll
On the latest electoral roll, there are 1.25 lakh new voters. Of these, 40,567 are the first-time voters in the age group of 18-19, CEO Rajput said. On the old list, the election commission also found names of 47,523 people who were dead.
Over 6,800 polling booths to be set up
This time, the commission will set up the system of Electronically Transmitted Postal ballot system in the all 68 constituencies for benefit of army personnel and other designated categories allowed this facility, CEO Rajput added. A total of 7,479 polling stations will be set up at 6,820 polling booths. There will be 37 auxiliary polling stations.
Campaign to encourage voters
The commission has said that it will organise participative and people friendly Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) campaign to transform the campaign into a people movements to create festive buzz about the forthcoming elections All media including indoor, cinema hall, video vans and social media will be used to ensure voters get their names in the updated rolls and actually turnout to vote, Rajput added. The model code of conduct for the polls is likely to come into effect in the first week of October.
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The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday ordered a probe into an alleged attempt by some officials to dishonour an image of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu the previous day. The offenders had reportedly piled used paper plates on Naidus framed photograph after partaking of snacks at an official event.
The incident occurred during a review meeting of higher education department officials at the state secretariat in Velagapudi, Amaravati, on Monday. The chief ministers office took serious note of the incident, and ordered an inquiry by senior IAS officer B Udaya Lakshmi.
According to sources, the ministerial staff served snacks and sweetmeats to the participants but forgot to provide waste baskets for dumping the discarded paper plates. As a stopgap arrangement, they placed some framed photographs on the table corners and asked the officials to place their paper plates and empty water bottles on them.
It was only when attendants began clearing the tables that they realised how the chief ministers framed photograph had been used as a refuse bin. Though there was no mistaking Naidus picture, none of the participants of the meeting seemed to have noticed it.
The attendants indignation only rose when they realised that several portraits of gods were piled under the chief ministers photograph. Apparently, they were meant to be hung on the walls of the conference room.
The matter was brought to the notice of the higher authorities, who pulled up the organisers of the meeting. The chief ministers office was later alerted to the issue.
Around that time, Naidu was instructing a senior batch of IAS officials on the importance of good governance at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.
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The chief proctor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) resigned on Tuesday, shortly after the prime ministers office (PMO) intervened to defuse the crisis in the century-old institute in Varanasi over a campus molestation complaint.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah were said to have spoken to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath about the campus unrest that threatened to spread to other universities.
The PMO summoned higher education secretary KK Sharma on Tuesday to discuss the situation.
A senior official instructed the human resource development (HRD) ministry to look into the grievances of students and ensure their redressal immediately, sources said.
The PMO also instructed the ministry to take confidence-building steps.
The university is on the edge since Saturday midnight when police cane-charged students protesting against alleged inaction on the complaint. Several students, mostly women, and cops were wounded in the crackdown that was widely criticised.
Proctor ON Singh took moral responsibility for the violence.
The alleged sexual harassment victim, a hosteller at BHU, had lodged the complaint with Singh. She was allegedly molested by men on motorcycles on Thursday.
The students accused the proctor of not taking the complaint seriously. They were more upset when vice chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi blamed the student for staying out late.
Tripathi too is under pressure to resign as a report by the Varanasi divisional commissioner blamed the university administration for the campus violence.
(with inputs from Sudhir Kumar)
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Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi continued his attack on BJP on Wednesday, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modis fake MoU model a failure, and promising Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patels model of development.
Gandhi started the third and last day of his Navsarjan Yatra in Saurashtra of poll-bound Gujarat by climbing 650 steps to reach the hilltop temple of Chamunda Ma at Chotila where he joined several other devotees in offering prayers.
We never expected Rahul Gandhi as our fellow devotee. It was quite a surprise, said Bhimbhai Arjan, a local.
Rahul Gandhi offers prayers at Chamunda Ma temple atop Chotila hill on the last day of his Navsarjan Yatra in Saurashtra of poll-bound Gujarat.
Later, addressing a gathering, Gandhi took a dig at the Modi governments policies, asking why Vikas has gone crazy?, referring to a popular jibe that has gone viral on internet under the Gujarati title vikas gando thai gayo che.
Indias economy has been destroyed. But everyone is quiet because they are afraid to speak against Narendra Modiji. These are not my words. Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha has written this in a newspaper article today, he said.
Addressing a crowd of farmers and women, Gandhi asked them to vote Congress to power and promised to waive off farmers loan, give jobs to youth and empower women.
Modijis fake MoU model is a failure. MoUs worth several thousands crore have been signed, but no work has been done. The Congress will bring back the old Gujarat model set by Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, he said.
Rahul Mocks Modi Over Demonetisation
Gandhi termed demonetisation a means to convert black money into white. On November 8 last year, Modiji suddenly appeared on TV and said from midnight Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes will be useless ha ha ha, he said mocking the PM.
Modiji said that black money will no more be part of the economy and the poor will get that money. Did you get a single penny? While medium and small scale industries are struggling, big industries and businessmen get all the benefits, he said.
He also mentioned the case of liquor baron Vijay Mallya. Government called Vijay Mallya for talks who had taken Rs 9,000 crore loan. The government has converted Rs 1.3 lakh crore loan of big industries into NPA. But the Congress will waive off farmers loan.
Modiji listens to a handful of industrialists and speaks his mann ki baat. But when it comes to loan waiver of farmers, he does not speak a word, Gandhi said while maintaining that Gujarat and India cannot function without contribution from farmers and small industries.
Further attacking demonetisation move, Gandhi said, With the help of Modiji, every thief of India has converted his black money to white.
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Two influential Democratic lawmakers, including an Indian-American, on Tuesday introduced a legislation in the US House of Representatives to support Indias permanent membership to the UN Security Council.
Introduced by Congressman Ami Bera, Vice Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and longest serving Indian-American in Congress, and Congressman Frank Pallone, founder of Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, the resolution would put the House officially on record in support of Indias bid.
Currently it has seven original cosponsors.
As the worlds oldest democracy and the worlds largest democracy, the United States and India share common values and a growing partnership on many fronts, especially defence cooperation, said Bera.
India plays a critical role as a strategic partner for the United States and is a pillar of stability in South Asia. The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council reflect the world as it was 60 years ago, and its time we recognise Indias role increasing global prosperity, he said.
Bera said securing a permanent spot for India on the UN Security Council would strengthen democracy around the world.
At a time when international relations are being redefined, we should acknowledge and empower those nations that share our enduring core values, Pallone said.
Pallone said it was in the interests of the US and the world to have a UN Security Council whose members combine military strength with respect for democracy and pluralism, and an appreciation of the dangers posed by rouge states and terrorist groups.
India belongs on the UN Security Council and it is imperative that Congress makes this clear to the Trump administration and the world, Pallone said.
The UN Security Council still reflects the world as it was in 1945 when the United Nations was created, a Congressional statement said.
Despite the fact that the UN has grown from 51 member nations at its inception to nearly 200, the Security Council has not grown to reflect these changes. There are currently five permanent members of the council, including the US, the UK, Russia, China and France.
The bill was introduced on the last day of the UN General Assembly session in New York.
Shoots of peace are sprouting in the terrorism-hit state of Jammu and Kashmir and the government is now working towards ensuring that the people in the state can be uplifted with dignity, state chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has said.
In an interview to PTI Monday night, the 58-year-old chief minister welcomed recent attempts by the Centre and the ruling party to reach out to Kashmiris, starting with Prime Minister Narendra Modis Independence Day speech where he asked the countrymen to embrace Kashmiris.
This was followed by Union home minister Rajnath Singhs statement that the Centre is willing to hold talks with all stakeholders, then BJP leader Ram Madhav saying talks can be held with anyone. In his Mann ki Baat speech on Sunday, Modi also praised a poor Kashmiri youth, Bilal Dar, for his attempt to clean up a lake, which became front page news in Kashmir and heavily discussed on social media.
These are welcome signs in Kashmir Valley where people are eagerly waiting for peace to return, the chief minister said.
The shoots of peace have started sprouting. They have to be watered and fertilized, and I am sure that the fruits of peace will follow, she said in the interview at her home, with a large portrait of her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in the background. Mehbooba succeeded him as the chief minister a few months after his death in January 2016.
Mehbooba, whose PDP is in an alliance with the BJP in the state, blamed the electronic media for making even minor incidents of violence into national events, portraying Kashmir as a region in perpetual flames. She said the high-pitched debates that follow end up vilifying Kashmiris. This in turn alienates Kashmiris against the rest of the country, and the country against Kashmir, which has a direct impact on tourism, the mainstay of the economy.
Mehbooba, who is also the tourism minister, gets a report on tourist arrivals every evening, and the figures are grim arrivals have now fallen to 4,000-5,000 daily from a peak of 10,000-12,000. Most hotels and houseboats are empty, taxi companies have virtually no business and shops are shut.
She said it is wrong to project the entire 70 lakh population of the Valley as pro-militants when intelligence figures show that there are only about 200-300 home grown militants.
You talk about the 200 militants but dont talk about the thousands of Kashmiris in the Indian Army, she said. But she did not deny that there is a sense of alienation among Kashmiri youth, and even children as young as eight, because of severe security crackdowns that follow stone pelting incidents.
However, the recent statements from highest level are an opportunity to build peace and give Kashmiris back their dignity, Mehbooba said. All that is required now is to hold their (people of Kashmir) fingers with dignity intact, she said.
Mehbooba, who is the first woman chief minister of the restive border state, said her government is in favour of holding talks with everyone as has been enshrined in the Agenda of Alliance between the PDP and the BJP.
She indicated that she is in favour of the peace talks strategy employed by the Vajpayee government in the early 2000s when Kashmiri separatist leaders were allowed to talk to Pakistan as part of peace building efforts, while New Delhi and Islamabad were also simultaneously engaged.
There is a need to take the bull by its horns and finding a way out for bringing in a permanent peace in the state, she said, adding that she is in regular contact with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, whom she described as very supportive.
She noted that Ram Madhav, the BJP general secretary, also has a clear understanding of Kashmir and has been extremely supportive of the alliance government. I am sure together, we will be able to steer the state to new heights.
Mehbooba said Modis singling out 18-year-old Bilal Dar in Mann Ki Baat had sent a wave of pride among the young residents of the Valley.
These steps have a tremendous impact on the psyche of the younger generation and their hope for recognition at national level is rekindled. They are not seen or labelled as mere stone pelters, she said.
Seventeen months into office, Mehbooba also feels that talks between India and Pakistan should begin at the earliest but she holds Islamabad responsible for the present tension.
The Prime Minister made a wonderful gesture by stopping at Islamabad and meeting the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But what happened after that? It was followed by attack at Pathankot and increased terror activities in the state, she said.
However, there is a need to bring Pakistan to the negotiating table once again. After all, the relations between India and Pakistan have a direct bearing on Jammu and Kashmir.
Smooth relations between the two countries have always seen better life for people in the state, she said.
The chief minister blamed the Congress-led UPA for not carrying forwarding the gains from the peace process of the Vajpayee-era.
I mean they were there for 10 years but could not make any headway. It was an opportunity that was never cashed in by them, she said.
Lack of clarity in rules on how and at what stage should a state government disburse compensation under the Nirbhaya fund to a rape survivor has prompted the Supreme Court to take up the issue and lay down guidelines for proper utilisation of the money allotted under the scheme.
Noting that there was no nodal ministry in the Centre to take feedback from states on how the money allocated is spent, a bench headed by Justice MB Lokur commented it was an unhappy state of affairs.
There was an absence of an integrated system of disbursal and management of money meant to compensate rape survivors, the court said as it fixed October 4 to hear the government and advocate Indira Jaising who asked for uniformity in releasing funds.
The Centre had in 2013 announced the Nirbhaya Fund after people took to the streets in protest against the December 16, 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student in New Delhi.
Jaising read out the Centres affidavit that collated data on how much money states have spent so far under the scheme. She pointed out that in some instances, states had not explained why the money was disbursed even though there were no applications from survivors for compensation.
Meghalaya had, between 2015 and 2017, released over Rs 6 lakh from the allocation. However, the state did not furnish details of the expenditure. Similarly, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Jharkhand did not give the reasons for disbursement.
Jaising also said there was a lot of confusion on the issue as the three ministries involved - ministry of home affairs, finance ministry and ministry of women and child development - were unaware of what was to be done.
During the hearing, the court also expressed its displeasure over the Centres affidavit and referred to several discrepancies as cited by Jaising.
There must be some applying of mind (before filing an affidavit), the bench said, adding, You cannot come and file affidavit like this in a court. You are dumping this on us.
The bench then asked Jaising and the Centre to give their suggestions as to how the system of granting compensation to such victims can work best and how they could be rehabilitated.
We will take up the matter in October and will pass one set of directions. We will indicate that there is a lot of confusion. Three ministries are involved but they do not know what is to be done. We will pass directions, the bench said.
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Killing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and their exodus to Bangladesh, described by a top UN official as ethnic cleansing, is similar to what many communities across the eight Northeast states in India have suffered intermittently since 1948, according to social scientists.
Tribe or region-specific extremist groups in the Northeast are blamed in most cases of targeted killings, often labelled as riots despite being one-sided or xenophobic mass movements, the social scientists argue.
Clashes are often attributed to the insular characteristic of most ethnic groups that makes them suspicious of other cultures and view numerically, resourcefully and economically more powerful communities as aggressors.
The perception, more of secessionist groups, that mainstream groups such as Hindi and Bengali speakers have replaced the British as colonisers is also a factor, according to Northeast watchers.
Political scientist Akhil Ranjan Dutta acknowledges these as factors, but says the main reason for conflicts is the penetration of state dynamics into mostly tribal communities used to a certain kind of living and resource-sharing.
The ultimate aim is political space for every community. The state has been playing a divisive role because it cannot control or face collective resistance. This division has percolated down to ethnically different communities, among tribes that have been neighbours for years and within certain tribes, he said.
The Northeast has not had any major incident of targeted killing since 2012 when 114 people were murdered and 450,000 displaced in the Bodo tribe-dominated Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) areas of western Assam. The victims were most migrant Bengali Muslims.
But given the seeds of distrust sown as a political strategy, there is unlikely to be an end to ethnic violence in the region, Dutta, who teaches political science at Gauhati University, told HT.
Bengali academic Nabanipa Bhattacharjee wrote of breathing in an atmosphere of immense vulnerability, torment and fear in Meghalaya capital Shillong in the 1980s and 1990s.
I witnessed the non-tribals of Shillong being persecuted and brutally murdered. I recall the disruption of puja processions, days and nights of curfew, army flag marches, the rush for essential supplies, night vigils, shuttered shops, deserted streets, the plight of refugees, looting, arson, and much more. I, therefore, joined the great dkhar (Khasi word meaning foreigner) exodus and left Shillong in 1994, she wrote for a website in 2015.
Almost every community or sub-region has a word, often used derogatorily, for outsiders. What dkhar is to Meghalaya, vai is to Mizoram, mayang to Manipur, and fatarniborok to Tripura. In Assam, the word bohiragata is often used to distinguish outsiders from the khilonjia (indigenous).
But the animosity is not restricted to those considered outsiders. For instance, extremists batting for the Nagas have a history of hostility toward those clubbed as Kukis.
We observe September 13 as black day to mark the massacre of 108 Thadou (Kuki) tribal people by National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) in Manipurs Joupi and Janglenphai villages in 1993. Between 1992 and 1995, more than 1,000 Kukis were killed and 100,000 displaced, Michael Lamjathang Haokip, a Thadou student leader, said.
The fight for political space has also seen intra-tribe conflicts, specifically among the Bodos and Karbis of Assam over the years.
Inter-tribe conflicts Kukis Manipur (1992-1995): The extremist NSCN-IM targeted Kukis, mostly the Thadou community, in northern Manipur killing more than 1,000 and displacing nearly 100,000. The worst case of massacre on September 13, 1993 left 108 dead. Kukis and Paites Manipur (1997-1998): Conflicts involving the Thadou-speaking Kukis and the ethnically related Paites, who began to be identified as Zomis, claimed 352 lives and displaced a few thousand in Churachandpur district. Many moved to adjoining Mizoram for safety before the church brokered truce. Karbis & Kukis Assam (2003-2004): Control over land resources and establishment of homeland based on ethnicity were at the root of extremist-driven ethnic clashes in Assam that began a conflict between Karbi and Kuki tribes in Karbi Anglong district. At least 25,000 were displaced and 117, mostly Karbis, were killed. Karbis & Dimasas Assam (2005): Militancy drove a wedge between The extremist NSCN-IM targeted Kukis, mostly the Thadou community, in northern Manipur killing more than 1,000 and displacing nearly 100,000. The worst case of massacre on September 13, 1993 left 108 dead.Conflicts involving the Thadou-speaking Kukis and the ethnically related Paites, who began to be identified as Zomis, claimed 352 lives and displaced a few thousand in Churachandpur district. Many moved to adjoining Mizoram for safety before the church brokered truce.Control over land resources and establishment of homeland based on ethnicity were at the root of extremist-driven ethnic clashes in Assam that began a conflict between Karbi and Kuki tribes in Karbi Anglong district. At least 25,000 were displaced and 117, mostly Karbis, were killed.Militancy drove a wedge between Zemes & Dimasas Assam (2009): Ethnic violence between the dominant Dimasas and the Zeme Nagas, the largest minority tribe, resulted in 63 deaths 39 of them Zemes and burning of 528 houses. Rabhas & Garos Assam, Meghalaya (2010-11): Identity assertion movement of the Rabha tribe living along the Assam-Meghalaya border led to clashes with Garos, sharing the same space but more dominant in Meghalaya. At least 12 people were killed and 10,000 displaced. Karbis & Rengmas: Assam (2013-14): Selective killing by rebels reopened a 24-year-old conflict, leaving at least 15 dead nine of them Karbi youths across the border in Nagaland and displacing more than 3,000, a majority of them Rengma Nagas. the hitherto co-existing Karbis of Karbi Anglong district and Dimasas of adjoining Dima Hasao district of central Assam. Localised violence and extortion led to a flare-up with more than 50, mostly Karbis, being killed and 41,000 displaced.Ethnic violence between the dominant Dimasas and the Zeme Nagas, the largest minority tribe, resulted in 63 deaths 39 of them Zemes and burning of 528 houses.Identity assertion movement of the Rabha tribe living along the Assam-Meghalaya border led to clashes with Garos, sharing the same space but more dominant in Meghalaya. At least 12 people were killed and 10,000 displaced.Selective killing by rebels reopened a 24-year-old conflict, leaving at least 15 dead nine of them Karbi youths across the border in Nagaland and displacing more than 3,000, a majority of them Rengma Nagas.
Assam home departments data given to the assembly in 2016 said the state had witnessed eight bloody ethnic clashes since 2001. These clashes claimed 535 lives, including 80 women and 45 children.
A 2011 report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre said ethnic violence in Northeast India forced almost a million people to flee homes over the past 20 years. More than 76,000, according to conservative estimates, are still living in displacement, the report said, adding that the displaced have usually been forgotten.
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The editor-in-chief of news website in Coimbatore has complained that she has been receiving threatening calls ever since it ran a story on a bizarre ritual in a Madurai village where half-naked teenaged and younger girls are forced to live inside a temple under the supervision of a priest.
A temple in Vellalur village of Madurai district follows this ancient tradition where the priest selects seven girls between ages of 10 and 14 to live in the temple for a fortnight. The girls are forced to remain bare-chested and cover their upper body only with jewellery and flowers.
According to the temples tradition, the priest selected the seven girls and offered them to the deity for a fortnight beginning the last Tuesday in the Tamil month of Aavani. Girls from 62 villages are paraded before the priest of the Yezhaikaatha Amman temple at Velalur before seven are selected.
Soon after the website posted the report as well as a video, the administration swung into action to probe the issue. A committee found that it was an ancient tradition but there was no evidence of sexual abuse or harassment inside the temple.
The website was bombarded with threatening phone calls, abuses and hate calls.
I had to switch off my phone as there was a volley of life threats and several hate calls ever since we posted the story and Madurai district administration reached the spot to probe, Vidyashree Dharmaraj, editor-in-chief of Covai Post told Hindustan Times.
She has lodged a formal complaint with the Coimbatore police, giving all the phone numbers from where she received the threatening calls.
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Two Democratic congressmen have introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives, seeking support for India for a permanent membership of the UN security council in recognition of its growing clout and an endorsement of democracies around the world.
It was introduced by Ami Bera, the longest-serving Indian American in US congress and member of the House foreign relations committee, and Frank Pallone, who founded the congressional caucus on India, which has grown into the largest country-specific caucus on Capitol Hill.
The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council reflect the world as it was 60 years ago, and its time we recognise Indias role in increasing global prosperity, said Bera. Securing a permanent spot for India on the UN Security Council would strengthen democracy around the world.
The UNSC is the worlds top decision-making body, and its five permanent members the US, UK, France, China and Russia are the most powerful member-nations, with veto powers, the exercise of which by even one of them can stop or block an initiative supported by all the rest.
India is a leading claimant to a permanent seat on a reformed and expanded council, with Japan, Germany and Brazil, that had come together to form a pressure group pushing the world leaders and the body toward reforms, arguing that the present set-up is woefully unreflective of the changing world order.
It's in the interests of the United States and the world to have a UN Security Council whose members combine military strength with respect for democracy and pluralism, and an appreciation of the dangers posed by rouge states and terrorist groups, said Pallone in a joint statement with Bera.
India belongs on the UN Security Council and it is imperative that Congress makes this clear to the Trump administration and the world, he added.
Pallone had moved a similar proposal in the last House of Representatives in June 2016, but that had not made it through perhaps because of the paucity of time there were only a few months left of that Congress, with the country focused on a bitterly divisive race for the White House.
If passed, the resolution will not become a binding obligation for the executive. It will only put the US House of Representatives officially on record in support of India's bid.
The executive branch has already taken that call. President Donald Trump announced his administrations support for Indias claim which was first offered by President Barack Obama in a speech to Indian parliament in 2010 during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June.
But while Trump came out in support of administrative reforms of the UN to cut its bloated bureaucracy and chaired a meeting of most of the member nations to flag off the process, he uttered not a word about Security Council reforms. The Indian delegation to the UN noted this and spoke out.
On 18 September, there was a meeting here on UN reform, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said in her address to the general assembly pointing to the meeting chaired by Trump. I participated. I witnessed an evident desire for change, to do something.
But I do want to remind you, she added, that at the 2005 World Summit there was a consensus that the early reform of the Security Council is an essential element of our overall effort to reform the United Nations. There is still no text a formal document that could form the basis for negotiations.
Margaret Allen Stone, an American woman who was on a trekking expedition and was stranded near Leh since September 6 due to an injury, has been rescued by the Indian Air Force (IAF), an official said.
Stone was rescued on Tuesday from Zhingchan area in Ladakh and taken to a hospital in Leh, said senior superintendent of police Udaya Bhaskar Billa.
Zhingchan is at a distance of 75km from Leh.
The US citizen is recuperating at the hospital and the district administration will ensure her safe return to her country, the SSP told HT over phone from Leh.
On Tuesday, the US embassy had approached the IAF via the defence ministry to help locate Stone.
Responding to the distress call from the US embassy, the IAF traced Stone with help from the civil administration, said the SSP.
BJP leader Yashwant Sinhas scathing criticism of the Modi regimes economic policies has sent the Opposition into overdrive, with everybody from Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to former finance minister P Chidambaram citing his words to target the Union government.
Sinha stated in an Indian Express article, titled I need to speak up now, that it was his national duty to bring the mess the finance minister had made of the economy to the peoples notice. He then went on to lambast several key financial initiatives adopted by the central government, including demonetisation (an unmitigated economic disaster) and the Goods and Services Tax (a badly conceived and poorly implemented move that has played havoc with businesses), and slammed the manner in which the present dispensations policies allegedly ended up creating more unemployment instead of eliminating it.
Gandhi, a vocal critic of the Modi governments economic strategies, was quick to latch on. Accusing the Modi government of ignoring the plight of the masses while extending favours to a select few, the Congress vice president told his audience at Chotila in Surendranagar district that the criticism he was going to cite comes not from him but a senior BJP leader. He (Sinha) wrote that though many others in the party know our country is in deep trouble, no one is ready to speak up because they are afraid of Modiji, said Gandhi. The country is in a shambles because the BJP government never listens to farmers, youngsters, labourers, traders and women who actually run this country. The people in the BJP government listen only to businessmen, and then tell the citizens their own mann ki baat.
The last part of his remark was a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modis monthly radio show.
The Congress vice president also shared Sinhas article on Twitter with a cryptic reference to the state of Indias economy under the BJP. Ladies and gentlemen, this is your copilot and FM speaking. Please fasten your seat belts and take brace position. The wings have fallen off our plane, he tweeted.
Chidambaram said Sinha only spoke the truth when he stated that the growth rate would have been 3.7% or less (instead of 5.7%) if the government had not changed the methodology for calculating the GDP in 2015. Yashwant Sinha speaks Truth to Power. Will Power now admit the Truth that the economy is sinking? he tweeted.
He also signalled his agreement with Sinhas observation that raids by those in power have become the order of the day. Instilling fear in the minds of the people is the name of the new game, Chidambaram cited Sinha as saying, then added: But the eternal truth is: No matter what Power does, Truth will ultimately prevail.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Sinha had rightly spoken as to how an experimental finance minister and an autocrat Prime Minister can wreck Indias economy, and that it was time for the people of this country to seek relevant answers from Arun Jaitley as well as Narendra Modi.
Stating that the facts and figures point at how the Indian economy is in a state of flux, he said: The GDP has fallen from 9.2% to 5.7%. As per old (methodology of calculation), it will be about 3.5%... On top of that, there is Rs 2.67 lakh crore in revenue being collected by the government through taxes on petrol and diesel. The Prime Minister only speaks and the finance minister only mismanages the economy.
The government, however, shrugged off Sinhas critique. The world acknowledges that India is its fastest-growing economy. No one should forget that. Our image at the international level is very strong, home minister Rajnath Singh told reporters here.
Union minister Piyush Goyal was also quick to come to his governments defence. Some of the landmark reforms this government has brought in are unprecedented. Under the leadership of PM Modi, India has become the worlds fastest growing economy for three years in a row, he said.
(With agency inputs)
Seven pilgrims died and a dozen were injured when a speeding SUV hit them while they were on their way to a temple at 3.30 am in Dholpur on Wednesday, police said.
More than a dozen people from Badi began the journey on foot to visit Beeloni Goddess in Bathua Khoh village late on Tuesday evening. The incident took place near Khareh river, when they were sitting under a peepal tree and having tea from a roadside shop. A speeding SUV hit them on NH-11 B from Dholpur to Karauli.
Four died on the spot. Eight injured were rushed to the government hospital in Karauli where the doctors declared three dead.
The police have handed over four bodies to the family members after conducting a postmortem.
After being informed, police teams reached the spot and the injured were rushed to the hospital by ambulance.
Superintendent of police Rajesh Singh said that the jeep has been seized but the driver fled after the incident.But was later arrested by the police.
He has been identified as Pappu Kushwaha from Kunkuta Boreli
While Mandei Kushwaha (35), Kumvar Singh Kushwaha (25), Dharmendra Singh Kushwaha (14) from Baira Pura colony of Badi, Ishwari Devi (27) from Dhonara village died on the spot, Madhu Kushwaha (14), Rashmi Kushwaha (14),Laxman Kushwaha (25) died during treatment in Karauli.
Local gathered in large numbers to take part in the cremations.
Shashi (15), Sundar Singh (17), Leeladhar (40) have been referred to a bigger hospital in Jaipur from Karauli after doctors declared them critical.
Neeraj (20), Rajvati (15),Puja (12) are undergoing treatment in Karauli.
The injured and deceased belong to the Kushwaha community from Baira Baag of Badi.
Sub divisional magistrate of Badi GL Meena said Rs 50,000 each will be paid to the family of the deceased. The proposal to offer assistance has been forwarded to the district collector.
With an eye on next years assembly elections in Rajasthan, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) plans to hold a series of agitations to corner the BJP government and connect with the masses.
The party is also focusing on building its organisation from the grass-root level and will complete the process of electing the office-bearers in 100 assembly constituencies in the first phase. Party leader Kumar Vishwas will visit Jaipur on October 4 and hold meetings with the party office-bearers in this regard.
As part of its two-pronged strategy, AAP will focus on farm distress and launch anti-liquor agitations in the rural regions.
The party will launch an anti-liquor agitation in the state with focus on the villages. At present, we are focusing on building our organisation, and in the first phase it will be done in 100 assembly constituencies, Vishwas told HT over the phone from Delhi.
With an eye on women voters, the party plans to launch an aggressive agitation demanding prohibition in the state from January next year. The AAP will recruit volunteers who will corner the government by visiting villages and towns and gather the support of rural women. Many women activists in different districts of the state have been demanding the closure of liquor shops in villages.
The natural question that will be asked is why prohibition has not been imposed in Delhi by the AAP government. The simple answer is that Delhi is the national capital and you cannot compare it with the villages where the problem is acute, Vishwas said.
AAP will also focus on other planks including education, healthcare, reduction in electricity tariff and free drinking water.
The strategy is to ask the government to ensure that all villages have schools and clinics first rather than a liquor shop, an AAP leader said requesting anonymity.
AAP is in talks with the NGOs and is trying to induct social workers in the party who will help it in the anti-liquor agitation.
The other plank is farm distress. A huge farmers rally is planned in December that will involve farmers from across the state, the AAP leader said.
Vishwas also plans to visit the state on a regular basis from next month. From January, Kumar Vishwas will start visiting each of the 200 assembly constituencies and take part in rallies and nukkad sabha, he said.
The party has already been using its students wing, CYSS, to bring more youths into its fold. The idea is to build a strong booth-level organization before the assembly elections slated for December 2018.
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Stepping up its activities ahead of the assembly polls late next year, the Congress plans to corner the Vasundhara Raje government with an 85km long padyatra that will pass through the constituencies of the chief minister and her son.
The Kisan Nyay Yatra will start from Baran district on October 3 and culminate into Kisan Sammelan on October 6 in Jhalawar. Rajes assembly constituency -- Jhalrapatan -- falls under Jhalawar district, and her son, Dushyant Singh, is the sitting MP from Jhalawar-Baran Lok Sabha constituency.
State Congress chief Sachin Pilot said that yatra will demand a complete loan-waiver for farmers, GST exemption on agriculture equipment and raising the minimum support price for farm produce ensuring 50% profit to farmers.
Besides youngsters, traders and the common people, it is the farmers who have suffered most in the last three years, Pilot said.
Input cost is increasing and farmers are not getting the right price for their crops. Seventy-five farmers in Rajasthan were forced to commit suicide and most of the suicides have occurred in the Hadoti region of the state, of which CM Raje is also a representative, Pilot said.
The BJP had in its election manifesto promised that farmers will earn profit on the MSP. The government must announce MSP on crops such as cumin, coriander and isabgol, he demanded.
The former Union minister also attacked the BJP leaders in the Union cabinet saying that those who protested against rising fuel prices when the UPA was in power, have now maintained a studied silence.
Pilot also questioned the logic of people paying the same price for fuel, at a time when the international crude oil prices have come down from USD 145 per barrel during the UPA regime, to USD 50-55 per barrel now.
The wrong economic policies, including demonetisation and hasty implementation of GST has adversely affected the agriculture sector, he said.
On a query about factionalism within the state Congress, Pilot said: All party leaders are united and we have resolved to free Rajasthan from BJP rule in December 2018.
Continuing with its protest against the rising fuel prices, the state Congress will hold demonstrations at district headquarters on September 28, he said.
Leader of Opposition Rameshwar Dudi said poor farmers across the state are committing suicide but the government is yet to take any action. This is an anti-farmer government, he said.
Now all vendors selling tobacco products in Rajasthan will have to take a licence. Union ministry of health has issued an advisory to all states for the same. The advisory has been issued to the chief secretary of Rajasthan on September 22 through the speed post.
Voice of Tobacco Victims (VoTV) campaign state patron Dr Pawan Singhal said that Arun Kumar Jha economic adviser with the ministry has written a letter to chief secretary Ashok Jain of Rajasthan and has suggested that they develop a mechanism to provide permission/authorisation through the municipal authority to retail shops who are selling tobacco products.
He said Jha has also put a condition that authorised shops selling tobacco products cannot sell any non-tobacco products such as toffee, candy, chips, biscuits, soft drinks etc, which are essentially meant for children.
In case authorised tobacco vendors are found selling candies, chocolates and biscuits their licence might get cancelled, said Dr Singhal.
He said at present shopkeepers intentionally keep products which lure children and it exposes them to tobacco and some of them tend to start using it. The licence will also stop the mushrooming of shops selling tobacco products. A few tobacco manufacturing companies also make biscuits, wafers, chocolates etc and many of the vendors store cigarettes along with such products popular among kids. This order is a big blow to the marketing tactics of most tobacco companies from targeting children, he added.
VoTV state patron said that with licence to tobacco products, vendors will force them to follow the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA). At present, tobacco products are sold after setting up temporary shops on the footpath and with licence, such shops will come to an end.
The positive step will help in saving future generations, he added.
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Three new cases of sexual harassment have come to light from university campuses in Lucknow, Allahabad and IIT Kanpur even as Banaras Hindu University (BHU) continues to face heat over a similar case on its campus and the violence that followed.
A UGC data says that one fourth of all sexual harassment cases in the country were reported from campuses in Uttar Pradesh.
At Allahabad University (AU), a student was expelled after a female student raised accusations against him.
The AU proctor Professor Ram Sevak Dubey confirmed that a complaint was made against a BA II student, and said the accused has been asked to report at his office on September 27.
We have asked him to bring his parents along, the proctor said. Professor Dubey has also written to the district magistrate and senior superintendent of police saying that he feared that some individuals might try to disturb peace on campus and create a BHU-like situation ahead of the students union polls on October 14.
A police case was registered against the accused at the Colonelganj police station.
The action comes barely days after university students took out a procession to support solidarity with BHU students and their demand for a crackdown on road romeos.
Prof Dubey also held a meeting with female students assuring them that they were safe on campus.
In Lucknow University, an MBA student was accused of sending objectionable phone messages to a female student, proctor Vinod Singh confirmed.
The matter was reported to the women powerline 1090. If required we would refer the matter to the universitys women harassment committee for further investigation, Singh said.
We are checking up on reports that the victim and the accused knew each other. The accused student has also shown messages in support of his claim that the girl knew him well but was now trying to avoid him due to family pressure. If true, that gives a fresh dimension to the case but we are looking into all possible angles, Singh added.
Meanwhile at IIT Kanpur, students threatened to stage a protest if the entry of outsiders on campus wasnt checked.
They are agitated over the apathetic attitude of the Kalyanpur police and the security guards of the Institute for not initiating action against a youth accused of passing lewd remarks while a female student was playing badminton.
The students alleged that under pressure from a local politician, police and security guards were trying to hush-up the matter.
Students claimed that despite a police complaint, no action has been initiated against the accused. However, the deputy director of the IIT-K Dr Manindra Agarwal said an FIR was registered. The accused is allegedly not a student of IIT-K.
The accused is a resident of Nankari village close to the institute, Agarwal said. Residents of Nankari pass through IIT-K campus. The college administration has not agreed to students demands of barring entry of all outsiders.
Its not possible, for various reasons, to disallow people of Nankari village from passing through the campus, Agarwal added.
Circle office (CO) of Kalyanpur Police station Rajneesh Verma confirmed that a police complaint has been made against the accused, a minor.
The statement of the female student is expected to be recorded before the magistrate on Wednesday under section 164 of the Indian Penal Code.
Banaras Hindu University vice-chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi on Wednesday questioned the report of the probe panel headed by Varanasi divisional commissioner that blamed the varsity administration for not handling last weekends violence on the campus in a sensitive manner.
Students, mostly women, were cane-charged on Saturday night while they were protesting the universitys alleged inaction over a reported molestation on the campus last Thursday. The police crackdown triggered a nationwide condemnation and several political parties hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party government for the brutal action.
Tripathi expressed surprised over the 40-page report by the two-member committee, comprising divisional commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn and additional director general of police Vishwajeet Mahapatra.
I dont want to comment on the report as I havent seen it. But is it possible to examine each and every fact related to such a serious incident within a few hours? He began the probe in the morning and submitted his report by late evening, Tripathi told the Hindustan Times.
Tripathi said the judicial committee, headed by retired judge of Allahabad high court justice VK Dikshit, tasked with probing the campus violence will bring forth the truth. He said the committee will decide the duration of the probe.
Tripathi had earlier denied that police baton-charged women students and said they only used force to drive away anti-social elements, who hurled stones and vandalised the campus. He also dubbed the incident of sexual harassment as part of a larger conspiracy to instigate women students against him.
When HT contacted divisional commissioner Gokarn, he refused to comment on the report.
The report is confidential and it has been sent to the state government, he said.
The committee prepared the report after an open hearing in the matter on Monday.
As many as 27 people, including students, social activists, and student leaders attended the hearing. Some of them recorded their statements and others presented evidence in electronic forms such as video clippings of the violence.
Some of these people have requested the committee to keep their names confidential. The hearing took place for about two hours at the commissioners office.
Prof Mahendra Kumar Singh, the head of the department of ophthalmology, was given the additional charge of chief proctor after ON Singh resigned from the post taking moral responsibility for the incident of violence the campus.
University spokesperson Rajesh Singh said that Tripathi has accepted the resignation of Singh and appointed Mahendra Singh in his place.
ON Singh was the first official to be approached by the woman student, who was sexually harassed on campus.
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Lucknows Aishbagh Ramlila has a history of nearly 500 years.
It was so popular among the masses that it was patronised by the Nawabs of Awadh and the then leading businessmen of the city, including Padhaji father of deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma.
The importance and popularity of Aishbagh Ramlila can be gauged from the fact that last year Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended Dussehra celebrations here.
This year Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu is expected to attend Dussehra celebrations.
Selection of artistes and groups is done carefully by the Ramlila Samiti. This year too, 280 artistes who are participating in the Ramlila have been thoroughly screened by the committee in the last three months.
Artistes of Bhaskar group, Kolkata, have been called to play the roles of Ram, Sita, Laxman, Bharat, Shatrughan and Ravana after a thorough screen test, said general secretary of Aishbagh Ramlila Samiti Aditya Dwivedi.
These people are from various professions but they come here as they enjoy acting in Ramlila. It brings them recognition not only in Lucknow but in their state too, Dwivedi said.
Artistes of Bhaskar group play various roles in the citys famed Aishbagh Ramlila, are like an extended family. They tease each other, crack jokes and spread joy. They also respect their elders and all the women in the group, says Bhaskar Bose, who has been directing the Aishbagh Ramlila for the past decade.
HT caught up with these artistes at the Aishbagh Ramlila compound on Monday. And they opened up about their life, motivations and love for Ramlila and Lucknow.
Rahul Chatterjee, who has been associated with the Bhaskar art group of Kolkata for the last eight years, is a businessman by profession and an actor due to his love for the art. All these years, he has been travelling to Lucknow to play the much sought-after part of Lord Ram.
Back in Kolkata, he has a business of broadband connections and wishes to take it to greater heights. I love to come here and act in Ramlila. I take a break for a month from my business. Thats why I work very hard all round the year...to be able to take out this time for Ramlila, which is my passion, he said.
Priyanka Bose, who has been partnering Chatterjee as Sita for the past eight years, is a teacher of Bangla language at a school in Kolkata . Speaking to HT, she said, Initially, my school had objections to my taking a month off from work for Ramlila, but now they understand that its my passion. I work hard all year long to be able to participate in the show. I am also fond of Lucknow, its food and people. They are all so welcoming and cool.
Shankar Pal, who has essayed the role of Ravan for the last decade, said he was selected by the Aishbagh Ramlila committee as he resembled Arvind Trivedi, the actor who immortalised the part in Ramanand Sagars Ramayan.
I am a full time artiste working in serials of Zee Bangla, Star TV and DD 7. Besides, I am also a make-up artist. So, when there are no roles available, I get busy doing the make-up of other actors.
Pal said that understanding the character of Ravan takes time. On one hand, he was a great scholar...so knowledgeable. But, despite all that, he went on to commit a crime that invited the wrath of none other than Lord Ram. I get inside the character before the play. Thats why people like me in the role, he said.
Prasenjit Saha who plays Lakshman, Prince Biswas who essays the character of Shatrughan and Prashant Parida who plays Bharat are all students and fond of acting.
Lucknow has always been a paradise for art and culture. Many Bengali families are settled here and have adopted the city like their own. On completing my studies, I would like to make my career in the field of art and culture, said Saha.
The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) administration is set to constitute a female squad for the security of girl students on the campus.
The decision was taken after divisional commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn on Monday asked the BHU vice-chancellor Prof Girish Chandra Tripathi to constitute a female squad comprising at least 25 personnel to provide foolproof security to girls.
The divisional commissioner has also asked the BHU administration to install CCTV cameras at all girl hostels and various locations on the campus.
Money for installation of CCTVs on the BHU premises will be made available from the establishment funds of the Varanasi Development Authority (VDA). If more funds are required for the purpose, it will be allocated from Nirbhaya Fund, Gokarn said.
District magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra had also written to the BHU registrar on Monday asking for adequate security to girl students.
After discussing the issue with the BHU VC, Gokarn asked VDA vice-chairman Pulkit Khare to ensure installation of CCTV cameras at the earliest.
He said no compromise would be made on the security of girls. As many as 22 hostels out of 80 are for girls.
Meanwhile, the district administration has asked the BHU authorities to decide a colour different from khaki for the uniform and badge of the security personnel at the university.
Putting on uniform similar to that of UP Police, BHUs security personnel often misbehave with commoners. It tarnishes the image of the UP Police, SSP RK Bhardwaj wrote to BHU registrar Neeraj Tripathi.
Wearing uniform similar to that of UP police is against the provision of the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act 2005, he said.
Read more: BHU chief proctor resigns, takes moral responsibility for incidents of molestation, violence on campus
Violence broke out on the BHU campus on Saturday night after a group of students, including girls, staged a demonstration in protest against an incident of eve-teasing.
The protesting students were cane-charged by the police. The BHU VC, however, denied use of force on the girls and blamed outsiders for violence. He said groups of girl students from Delhi University and Allahabad University instigated BHU students against him and the violence was a part of a conspiracy hatched by his detractors.
Pressure mounted on Banaras Hindu University (BHU) vice-chancellor GC Tripathi on Tuesday after the probe panel headed by Varanasi divisional commissioner blamed the varsity administration for last weekends violence on the campus.
Students, mostly girls, were cane-charged on Saturday night when they were protesting the universitys alleged inaction over a reported molestation on the campus on Thursday.
The police crackdown and the clashes that followed left several students and policemen injured.
Earlier in the day, the two-member committee that probed into the violence and police lathi-charge on girls on BHU campus blamed the university administration for not handling the situation in a sensitive manner.
The committee, comprising divisional commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn and additional director general of police Vishwajeet Mahapatra, sent the 40-page report to chief secretary Rajive Kumar.
According to sources, the probe report said the situation would not have turned violent had the BHU administration taken the complaint of sexual harassment seriously.
The report states that the incident of harassment occurred on September 21 evening. The girl lodged a complaint with chief proctor Dr ON Singh but it was not taken seriously, sources said, citing the report.
The report added that as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath were in Varanasi, several organisations staged a protest to draw their attention towards the issue.
Some external students took advantage of the situation and extended their support to the agitation, the report said.
According to report, the BHU administration failed to assess the seriousness of the agitation and kept district administrative officials in the dark.
Had the VC or registrar listened to the girls who were demanding action in molestation case, the situation would not have taken an ugly turn, it said.
The committee prepared the report after holding an open hearing on Monday. As many as 27 people, including students, social activists and student leaders, attended the hearing. Some of them recorded their statements while others presented evidences.
Photos and videos from people present inside the campus and at the entrance of the BHUs main gate showed large groups of police descending on students who had gathered at the two locations. Some videos, which HT could not independently verify, showed male cops raining lathi blows on girl students.
When HT contacted the divisional commissioner, he refused to comment on the report.
The probe report is confidential and it has been sent to the state government, he said.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also issued a notice to chief secretary, director general of police (DGP) and BHU VC seeking a detailed report on the matter.
Suo motu cognizance taken in subsequent use of unwarranted manhandling and thrashing of agitating students, mostly women, by UP police, the NHRC said.
Read more: BHU chief proctor resigns, takes moral responsibility for incidents of molestation, violence on campus
BHU VC Girish Chandra Tripathi told media persons in New Delhi that an inquiry committee had been formed under the chairmanship of former judge of the Allahabad high court justice (retd) VK Dikshit.
He, however, refused to comment on the report submitted by Varanasi divisional commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn which dubbed the university administration as guilty, saying he had not read the report.
He denied reports that claimed he had been summoned by the ministry of human resource development to explain violence on the campus.
This is false news doing rounds in the media. I have not been summoned by the HRD ministry, he said.
The rooftop restaurant policy, stuck in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for more than two years due to lack of consensus between the BJP and the Shiv Sena, has got a boost.
On Tuesday, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray met mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar and leaders from BJP and Samajwadi Party to resolve the issues.
Thackeray said, I met group leaders for an in-principle approval of the policy. The issues have been resolved and everyone seems to be on board.
The rooftop restaurant policy has been in limbo after the BJP, with support from the Congress, rejected it in an improvements committee meeting two years ago, stating it was against Mumbais culture. It was again brought before the BMCs general body for its approval last week, but not taken up for discussion.
Thackeray has failed to garner the BJPs support.
BJP sources, familiar with the proceedings of the meeting, said the party would continue to oppose the policy in its present form. It will not extend support to the policy when tabled in the general body, they said.
Manoj Kotak, leader of the BJP in the BMC, said, The old policy was tabled before the house last week without any changes. We have reservations about the policy. It must be updated or it can be put to vote in the house.
The policy was applicable to five-star restaurants and the BJP objected that it would cater to a particular class only, leaving the common man out. Earlier, Prakash Gangadhare, chairman of the improvements committee, had said, The BJP opposes it because it is against the culture of the city.
Contrary to this, Thackeray said, This is not just about a few rooftops, but about the aspirations of Mumbai. It will earn revenue for the state, generate employment and provide an international standard for tourism, affordable to all.
Civic sources said that the policy would address objections by the BJP and the Congress leaders when it is tabled the next time.
It will be affordable to all and there will be no residential spaces within 30-metre radius of restaurants, sources said. Thackeray also proposed waste segregation for such restaurants and ban on plastic.
The police on Tuesday arrested the brother-in-law of a prominent Bollywood actor on betting charges.
The accused, Amit Gill, was arrested by the Mumbai crime branch for allegedly placing bets.The accused will be produced in court later today.
In August, the Mumbai crime branch conducted a raid in the DN Nagar area, Andheri (West), and arrested three bookies for accepting bets on the one-day international (ODI) match played between India and Sri Lanka. During investigation, they later nabbed two more suspects.
During the questioning of the arrested accused, the police learnt that one of the accused who is software professional, had provided a software named Bingo to the arrested bookies, which was used to get other people to place bets, added the official.
The accused were booked under the gambling act and forgery.
With its scaly walls, cracked facade, contorted ceiling and broken, grubby windows, the 40-year-old dilapidated wing of a civic school in Powai posed risk to 3,000 students, said parents. As an ad hoc arrangement, Paspoli Municipal School has propped up the building with 70 iron rods, said Pawan Pal, an activist, who was the first person to raise the issue.
The Class 1 to Class 10 school has two wings, one of which was built five years ago. As the new building was already full, it could not accommodate 3,000 students till 12 of the 40 classrooms of the old wing are repaired, said an official.
Students were barred from accessing 12 dangerous classrooms last week, said one of the principals. With reduced space, students of different classes are crammed into one room or made to sit in the foyer, said Suresh Pal, a parent, adding that he worried about the safety of his children.
Despites uproar over the health of the building, a civic official said that the building was safe for the students.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said the recent structural audits categorised the ground-plus-four-storey building as C2, which means it needs major repairs. Students of Marathi, Hindi, Urdu and Kannada mediums come at staggered timings.
It is the only municipal school in this area. I have complained to the BMC several times but there has been no response, said the activist, who has also sent four letters to state minister Vinod Tawdes office.
Parents said they could not afford to send their children to private schools as Paspoli is the only municipal school in the vicinity.
Santosh Jha, whose three children study in the school, said, The school has been in this condition for the past three years. I have confronted the school authorities. I have seen plaster peeling from the ceiling. Thankfully, no one has been hurt so far.
Shubhada Gudhekar, chairperson of the education committee, said there were many hurdles which hindered redevelopment.
The proposal for redevelopment of the school was declined because demolition within 100-metre radius of Powai lake is not allowed. We will soon repair the foundation and 12 rooms of the structure, said Gudhekar.
Iqbal Kaskar, brother of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, will be produced in court today in an extortion case in which he has been arrested along with two of his accomplices.
Kaskar was arrested along with Mumtaz Ijaz Shaikh and Israr Ali Jamil Sayyed, based on a complaint registered by a Thane-based builder. Kaskar was nabbed from the residence of his sister Haseena Parkar in Dongri on September 18.
According to the police, Kaskar had illegally taken four houses from the builder and had been demanding more. The builder had approached Kaskar in the past to settle a dispute pertaining to a plot. And Kaskar had demanded four houses in return for the settlement. But he pushed for one more property, after which the builder approached us, said a police officer investigating the case.
According to Thane police officials, the issue started in 2013, when the builder bought a plot of land in Waghbill Naka on Ghodbunder Road in Thane from a villager to develop apartments. In 2015, the villager who had sold the land to the builder died, and the villagers daughter approached the builder to demand a share. The daughter, who did not get her share, was approached by 48-year-old Mumtaz, a real estate broker, who through 57-year-old Israr contacted Iqbal Kaskar.
The police said Kaskar called up the builder and said the plot where the builder had started construction belonged to him as he had bought the plot from the villagers daughter. The builder questioned Iqbal about his identity and got scared when he learnt that Iqbal was Dawoods brother. In 2016, Kaskar told him to settle the issue and asked the builder to give him Rs30 lakh and four flats, said a crime branch officer. Israr accepted the money on behalf of Kaskar, and out of the four flats, two were sold, one was given on rent and Mumtaz stayed in the fourth flat, said the officer. We are interrogating the accused and more arrests are likely in the case.
In 2015, Kaskar was arrested by the Mumbai police after a real estate agent Salim Sheikh had lodged a complaint claiming Kaskar and his men had demanded Rs3 lakh and thrashed him.
Kaskar has been booked in another case of extortion, after a jeweller approached the police, after Kaskar was booked in the first case. Police are probing whether Dawood is directly linked to the extortion case.
To pay tribute to Bharat Ratna Air Vice Marshal JRD Tata, considered the father of Indian Civil Aviation, an Air India captain has launched an online petition on Tuesday to declare October 15 as National Aviation Day, when the country will celebrate 85th year of the first flight that landed at Juhu aerodrome from Karachi via Ahmedabad.
The petition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has already received 1,040 supporters, requests that the next major airport in the country be named after JRD Tata. It is a common practise overseas to name airports after famous aviators and aviation pioneers such as the George Bush Airport in Houston, Texas, that is named after former US President George Bush who was a pilot in the US Navy and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).
Three years ago, the JRD Tata trust had asked the state government to name Mumbais international terminal (T2) after Tata for his contribution to the aviation industry.
It was Tatas first three-seater Tata Airlines flight on October 15, 1932, which started the airmail services. It will be a proud moment for not only the national carrier but also for aviation enthusiasts to see the day recognised on the 85th anniversary of his flight, said Captain Sabu Sivaraman.
The online petition has cited examples of National Aviation Day observed in various parts of the world including the United States of America that celebrated the day on August 19, which is the birthday of Orville Wright who was the first person to accomplish a powered flight. It is only in the fitness of things that they (US) decided to celebrate his date of birth as the National Aviation Day, stated the petition.
The JRD Trust had approached the authorities years back to name Mumbais international terminal after Tata. However, there was no response from the state government or ministry officials, said a retired Air Indian Captain. Realising that the name of the airport should not be changed we wished to call only the Mumbais Terminal 2 after Tata. But nothing shaped up, he added.
In order to remember Tata and honour his contribution to Indian aviation, Air India arranges an annual event focusing on the developments in the aviation sector. Captain Russi Bunsha, executive trustee of JRD Trust said, Any move to commemorate JRD Tata is welcomed. In the past too, we have been holding events to keep him alive among us.
The first flight, part of the test run, landed at the Shirdi airport on Tuesday evening. An Alliance Air aircraft [ATR 72] took off from Mumbai at 4.15pm and landed in Shirdi at 5pm. The same flight took off from Shirdi at 6pm to and reached Mumbai at 6.35pm. The flight [9I 7500] took off from Mumbai international terminal .
Officers from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCA), Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) managing director Suresh Kakani, Alliance Air regional director, Valsa Nair Singh, principal secretary excise and civil aviation and minister for protocol Ram Shinde were in the flight.
President Ram Nath Kovind will Shirdi for Sai Babas centenary celebrations that commence in October and will inaugurated the airport on October 1.
During the test run, we looked if the pilot was able to spot the runway, if there were any obstructions in the approach path and whether the aircraft was able to receive signals from the Air Traffic Control (ATC), said Kakani.
MADC officials said thought the inauguration is on October 1, the DGCA is yet to approve the flight schedule. The flights are scheduled to operate from Shirdi on October 29. We have requested the DGCA to prepone the dates, Kakani said.
Sources said before landing at the Shirdi airport, pilot was asked to take rounds to check for existing or potential obstacles.
Though the airport will be equipped with the night landing facility within months of inauguration, the airport owner [MADC] expects a footfall of 500 fliers every day. Besides from Alliance Air, TruJet and Zoom Air will be operating flights between Mumbai and Shirdi. The airport will see four flights to Mumbai and one each from Delhi and Hyderabad making it to have 12 flight operations per day. These will however increase once the airport gets equipped with night landing facility.
DGCA issued the aerodrome license to Shirdi airport on September 21. The airport that is located around 14km of South- west Shirdi, is spread across 400 hectares and its runway is 2500 meters which makes capable to handle Code 3C type aircrafts such as Airbus A320, Boeing B737.
The state government has changed its plans for INS Viraat, the aircraft carrier the Indian Navy decommissioned earlier this year. It now wants a part of it to be converted in to a naval museum that will be located at Vasai creek near Mumbai and use the rest of the warship for events. The state has sent a letter to the defence ministry for permission to implement decision.
The state tourism department is working on the idea to turn this plan in to a reality. The state is also planning to promote e-vehicles at the tourist destinations in the state.
As per the old plans, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), wanted to tow the warship to Konkan coast and sink it and turn it into an underwater destination. All over the world, wreck diving is a major attraction for scuba divers.
State tourism minister Jaykumar Rawal said people are emotionally attached with the aircraft carrier and so the idea of sinking it would not go down well. Considering this, we now want it to be used for multiple purposes. We want part of the warship to be converted in to a naval museum and use the rest for organising big tourism events, Rawal told HT.
Like other states such as Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, Maharashtra too wants INS Viraat, the majestic aircraft carrier, to be converted in to a museum. The state wants it to parked at Vasai creek close to Mumbai.
Parking INS Viraat in Mumbai would have been very expensive for the state. So it will be placed at Vasai creek as it is close to the city, where there is sea coast to help us develop it as a major tourist attraction, the tourism minister said.
About e-vehicles, Rawal said designated zones will be developed where no other private vehicle except e-vehicles will be allowed to ply. This will enable the government to preserve nature in its original form and protect environment, he said. Currently, Matheran does not allow any vehicles. Only bicycles and horses are used for transport there.
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Wary of the ongoing mess in Mumbai university, schools are going slow on the launch of online assessment of answer sheets.
The Childrens Academy, Malad (E) started virtual assessment of papers for three subjects--physics, chemistry and biology for Class 8 this year. Doing anything for the first time is bound to lead to errors. We are starting with fewer students in the beginning to make sure the errors are rectifiable, said Rohan Bhat, principal of the school.
We ensured everyone understood the software well and trained our teachers too. The process was not smooth sailing. Whenever a problem cropped up, we solved it immediately so the assessment wouldnt suffer, he said.
The Rizvi Education Society, Bandra, which runs schools and colleges, made digital revolution their goal for this academic year and introduced a paperless system for admissions and attendance of students. Our focus is on training all stakeholders -- teachers as well as administrative staff to reduce errors. We will start with a small sample size next year, after which we will expand the scope, said AH Rizvi, president of the group of schools.
Both the schools took parents and students into confidence before going ahead with the plan. All parents dont understand technology well. The school created a platform to explain the concept to parents and students. The fact that only a section of papers were assessed online worked for us, said Pandian Thevar, parent of a Class 8 student of Childrens Academy.
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Mumbai University vice chancellor, Sanjay Deshmukh, who is on his way out, had told the Governor that monitoring the assessment of answer papers was not part of his day to day work.
Deshmukh has been asked to resign following MUs delay in declaring students results.
It has now been revealed that the vice chancellor in his written response to the Governors office tried to shirk off direct responsibility over the assessment of papers, worsening the case for his continuation.
The Governors office on June 30 and July 1 had sent the VC two letters, asking him to detail the steps taken by the MU to overcome the delay in declaring exam results of the students.
In his reply dated July 3, Deshmukh wrote, I agree that there were some lapses from the university staff, which have after continuous monitoring, been identified and overcome. For the last 50 days, I have been personally monitoring the assessment process on daily basis, which is actually not part of my day-to-day work.
The letter further stated : I apologise for the delay that is taking place during the gestation year, though every care is being taken to educate and motivate the stakeholders basically to overcome the inertia of acquiring technical skills which is need of the hour.
The letter was addressed to the Governors secretary B. Venugopal Reddy. HT has a copy of the letter.
Sources in the government told HT that the response had left the Governor fuming. Officials said that the Governor had questioned how a vice chancellor of the university, considered its principal academic and executive officer, can say that monitoring of the assessment of answer papers is not part of his work.
The Governor, in an internal meeting, had said if declaring exam results on time was not the VCs responsibility, then whos was it? He wanted to sack the VC that day itself, but then there were worries about delaying exam results further, said a senior official with the state secretariat.
Thus. it was decided not to take any action against the VC until all results are declared. However, after missing two deadlines, the Governor decided to send Deshmukh on indefinite leave, the sources revealed.
The MU had adopted online assessment of answer papers On-Screen Marking System (OMS) in order to flush out malpractices from the process and make it transparent. However, lack of preparations and infrastructure led to the mess, and added to the students suffering.
HT on August 13 had reported how the state government had opposed the idea of adopting OMS in one go and advised the university VC to introduce the system gradually, in phases. However, Deshmukh went ahead with the same against the governments advice.
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More than 10 days after a fire engulfed iconic RK Studios in Chembur, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) fire brigade department on Wednesday issued a show cause notice to it for not complying with the fire safety rules.
This means that no shooting will be allowed at the studio until it replies to the notice and gets the non-objection certificate (NoC) renewed.
The fire broke out in studio on September 16, gutting the set for a reality show. None was injured. The fire department granted a provisional NoC to the studio in 2014.
Studio representatives were required to send a checklist of fires safety measures to officials, which they failed to do so, said P Rahangdale, chief fire officer.
Had the studios sent the checklist, it would have been granted a permanent NoC. The fired department has now revoked the provisional certificate.
The notice was issued under Maharastra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act 2006. Studio representatives said they were not aware of it.
RK studio did not follow procedure after a provisional fire NoC was granted to it in 2014, thus endangering the lives of everyone working there, said Rahangdale. A new NoC would be granted once the studio met all norms, a fire official said.
The fire brigades investigation revealed that lack of sprinklers and fire detectors led to rapid spread of the fire. Large premises which use heavy electric gadgets are required to have courtyard fire hydrants, which were missing in the case, said the official.
Rahangdale said, When a building uses heavy electric equipment, such as studio lights used for shooting in this case, it needs to upgrade its fire safety system. However, RK Studios has not followed up since 2014.
Actor Rishi Kapoor told HT, I cannot comment as I dont have information regarding this (the notice).
Kishore Darekar, a spokesperson for the studio said, We will check and reply accordingly.
After the Irla pumping station, one of the latest additions to the citys storm water disposal (BRIMSTOWAD) system in Western suburbs, stopped working on September 19, the civic body has been quick to take action against the contractor running the pumps. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said it asked the Juhu police to register a case against the contractor on Saturday for an act of negligence.
According to civic officials, the pumping station ran out of fuel and was shut down for 3 hours and 21 minutes. This was on the night when Mumbai faced its heaviest September rainfall since 2013.
Pramodkumar Khedkar, deputy chief engineer of storm water department (projects), told HT, We sent a notice to the contractor three days ago asking for a response and there has been none. A statement has been submitted to the police too. He said the company has come under fire for the first time in the seven years of its contract.
Sunil Ghosalkar, senior police inspector at Juhu police station, said the First Information Report has not been filed yet. Inquiry is on. We will see if FIR has to be filed after taking all statements, said Ghosalkar.
The 8 pumps at Irla which can push out 6,000 litres of water per second, prevent Juhu and JVPD scheme from flooding during monsoons. Citizens had complained of waterlogging on September 19-20 in several places in the radius of the pumping station, including Juhu Tara road, Juhu circle and JVPD.
The contractor is liable to pay a penalty fee for negligence, said Khedkar. The contractor was unreachable for comment.
A 67-year-old man from Versova became the latest victim of a vishing fraud, where a cyber criminal in a late night phone call posed as a bank official and tricked the senior citizen into giving his debit card details, and used them to withdraw Rs60,000 from his bank account. Till date, over 400 cases of card fraud have been reported in the city, in which a majority of cases are of vishing, which means more than one person falls prey to this fraud daily in Mumbai.
According to the Versova police, the victim is a resident of a housing society on JP Road in Versova, Andheri (West). Around 11.40pm on September 21, when the senior citizen was at home, he received a phone call from the fraudster who said he was calling from his bank and that they were upgrading the database by linking their customers card details with their Aadhaar card.
The accused then took the victims Aadhaar card number and card details like the 16-digit number, CVV and the One Time Password (OTP) that was received on the senior citizens mobile phone. The details were then used to withdraw Rs60,000 from his bank account. The man then approached the local Versova police and on September 21, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for cheating and section 66 C and 66 D of the Information Technology Act for identity theft and cheating by impersonation using computer resource respectively.
A 75-year-old cloth merchant was found dead inside his shop early on Tuesday morning at the Maliwara market. The trader, identified as Rajendra Kumar, suffered a head injury, police said.
Kumars residence is on the first floor of his shop. The entrance to the house is through a staircase which goes from inside the shop. He lived alone as his wife had died a year ago.
Police said Kumar spent the first half of his day at the shop where he sold sarees and went home to rest in the afternoon.
In the night, Kumar used to go to his daughter Sonias house. She stayed 200 metres from Kumars shop-cum-residence, police said.
After the incident, the domestic help has been missing and police are probing his role in the traders death. The 21-year-old domestic help is from a village close to Ghaziabad, the police were told by Kumars neighbours. The police have launched a manhunt to nab the 21-year-old.
The domestic help had reportedly started working for Kumar just five days ago. No police verification of the help was done by Kumar or his family.
On Monday, Kumar left his daughters house around 7.30am to open the shop. In the evening, when he didnt reach home till 8pm, his family members went to check at his shop.
When we went to look for my father, we found him lying dead and he was bleeding from his head and hands. It looked as if he was attacked with a knife. We cant suspect anybody as he didnt have enmity with anybody, said Sonia, daughter of the deceased.
Sonia added that they found a rope and a pair of slippers which didnt belong to the deceased. Kumar was found lying dead on the stairs to his house. The police were informed about the incident around 11.30 pm.
We are on the lookout for the domestic help as he has been missing since the incident took place. Kumars family didnt even know his name. We keep asking people to do the police verification, but they dont take required measures to avoid such incidents, said Atish Kumar, circle officer.
No CCTV camera was installed inside or outside the shop so visual evidence has not been found by police.
Police are expecting to make an arrest by Wednesday. We have sent our teams and we are expecting to arrest the accused, added Atish.
According to police, Kumar did not have having uch stock of sarees in his shop but he used to go there every day to spend time. We have been informed by neighbours that Kumar was not buying any new stock as he just wanted to while away his time. The help used to get him food and sit with him, Atish said.
From midnight of September 27 to October 21, the supply to the Upper Ganga Canal from Haridwar will be shut for annual maintenance work on the canal and its effect will be felt in Ghaziabad and Noida two days from now.
The two cities face issues of water shortage for 20-22 days during peak festival season each year owing to the cleaning effort.
Officials of the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam had proposed a reservoir on the canal near Dasna to hold water for at least half the period for which the canal will be shut.
The project is estimated to cost over Rs 4 crore and iron gates were to be installed near Dasna to hold sufficient water in the canal during the closure days. The work is to be done by UP irrigation department but we have not been able to pay the amount beyond Rs 2.75 crore as funds are not coming to us, said Neelam, project manager (UP Jal Nigam), Ganga water treatment plant, Pratap Vihar.
We were expecting that the residents will be able to get nearly half day supply of 20-22 days of the canals closure period. But the project is yet to get complete, she said.
Last year, in December, UP Jal Nigam then managing director PK Asudani had said that the project will be over by November this year.
The project was envisaged during the time of the Samajwadi Party-led government, but the project is now on the back burner as a number of officials have changed posts.
Why is the reservoir needed?
The Upper Ganga Canal supplies Ganga water to Noida and Ghaziabad. However, the residents face major issues in getting drinking water during the canal closure days as the supply remains suspended.
The canal provides water to two water treatment plants in Pratap Vihar. Last year, one of the two plants a 100 cusec Ganga water treatment plant was formally inaugurated after a trial run of one year. A third plant of 50 cusecs capacity is already proposed to be constructed but is awaiting funds.
With every new plant, more people become dependent on Ganga water supply. However, the reservoir issue has not been taken up on priority. In the last 12 months, after the previous cleaning exercise was carried out, a number of high-rises have also shut their groundwater boring, in compliance with a NAtional Green Tribunal (NGT) order. During canal closure days, such high-rises will face a water crisis, said Alok Kumar, president of Federation of Association of Apartment Owners.
In May, the Ghaziabad development authority had also proposed capacity enhancement of its water storage reservoirs in Indirapuram but the project is yet to take off.
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Officials of the Noida authority on Tuesday said they are waiting for the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to temporarily lift its ban on the use of hot-mix plants to resurface a five-kilometre stretch of the Master Plan-2 Road. Officials are hopeful NGT will lift the ban for a fortnight.
The stretch falls under the citys first elevated road, which was opened to the public on June 28, and extends up to the approach road. The stretch was damaged during the construction of the elevated road.
We will resurface the stretch in 15 days if we get NGTs permission to run hot mix plants. Our target is to resurface the main road and the service lane along it before Diwali, which is on October 19, said SC Mishra, senior project engineer, Noida authority.
Thousands of motorists use this road daily and face a harrowing time due to potholes. During the peak hour, dug-up patches of the road near sectors 33, 25 and 31 slow traffic.
NGT, on November 23, 2016, had ordered the Noida and Greater Noida authorities, Gautam Budh Nagar police and Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board to inspect construction sites and penalise those causing air pollution. The authorities had also shut 21 hot mix plants following the NGT order, to contain air pollution.
The authority filed a petition requesting the NGT to lift the ban so that it can resurface the road. The NGT is scheduled to hear the plea on Monday.
Once the ban is lifted, we will start our work immediately as we understand commuters have been facing problems. We will resurface it at the earliest because we need not hire an agency for the job. The agency that constructed the elevated road will resurface the stretch, including the service lane, Mishra said.
Neeraj Kumar, a motorist, said, The Noida authority should resurface this road sooner than later as it has been troubling commuters for a long time.
Besides slowing traffic, residents in sectors along the dug-up stretches complained of air pollution.
The dust on the dug-up stretches flies and gets mixed with air, causing air pollution. Residents of sectors 23, 33, 53, 61 and 25, among others, which fall along the road face problems due to the pollution, Ashok Kumar of Sector 33 said.
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Once again India and Pakistan have contested claims over Kashmir at the United Nations general assembly, an annual ritual that remains in the news for about a week and then vanishes. While the two countries accuse each other of terrorism, Kashmir remains a tense region, where people long for a solution, waiting for their demand for azadi to be heard.
Since the uprising after popular rebel commander Burhan Wanis killing last year, several delegations from New Delhi have visited the Valley, trying to assess the situation. Even the home minister Rajnath Singh made several visits, talking to various political parties and civil society members. Recently, during his visit, Singh said that he was willing to meet anyone who wants to help us in resolving problems of Kashmir. Last August, Singh had said, Whatever steps we are now taking in Kashmir is towards a permanent solution of the issue...Kashmir should maintain its identity.
Singhs visit didnt change much on the ground, but it created a debate in political corridors, with some feeling that the central government may be willing to discuss Kashmir at some point, even though the ongoing NIA investigations against the Hurriyat and other leadership have caused an atmosphere of threat. The pro-freedom leadership has maintained that the dialogue over Kashmir cant be held in the choked environment but are willing to discuss it if the situation on the ground is not suppressing and involves tripartite talks.
When the BJPs Ram Madhav, one of the architects of the coalition government of the PDP-BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, visited the Valley, he said India is ready for dialogue over Kashmir without any pre-conditions. Beyond the public glare, this statement was seen as positive for any future talks between the pro-freedom leadership and New Delhi. But officially there has been no such invitation of starting unconditional dialogue.
The situation in Kashmir may not be the same as it was last year but the anger and desire for a peaceful settlement is deep-rooted. People are fed up with the continuous failures of the dialogue processes, whether track two or through open channels. Talks have been going on through track two channels, but such initiatives serve no purpose on the ground, as people remain unaware of any developments.
Several conferences, seminars and delegation visits over Kashmir have been adding up to the atmosphere created for a dialogue process between New Delhi and Srinagar, involving Islamabad also. The violence in Kashmir will not come down by only talking about talking; a serious process of talks must start soon. Else it will not be much time before another series of public uprisings take over the towns and villages of the Valley, more intense than even 2016.
The Valley has been changing since last year; for the Zakir Musa led ideology has grown further. It doesnt see dialogue as an option to solve the Kashmir issue, rather connects the on going resistance movement with the larger global pan-Islamic movement. Since last year, many youth are now openly disconnecting from some pro-freedom leaders and groups, claiming the purpose of their role has not been fully fulfilled. A young generation defying every aspect of older ways of resistance is taking over, something that is brushed off by people whose stakes lie in the ongoing conflict. The Operation All Out as the army calls killing militants may give a sense of relative calm, but it is never a solution. By killing one militant, ten more are inspired to join and this will never stop.
It is high time that the present mood for any meaningful dialogue over Kashmir should not be ruined and initiatives to talk and solve this long pending issue must begin. There are very strong chances that one day New Delhi may want to have dialogue but no one will be there to have it with. That wont be a situation that can be brought under control either by India or by Pakistan. Both countries owe it to the people of Kashmir to pave the way for their dignity, respect and freedom.
Fahad Shah is editor, The Kashmir Walla magazine
The views expressed are personal
India has a fair reputation on the refugee issue having taken in Sri Lankans, Tamils, Afghans, Tibetans and Myanmaris. This is why the reaction of the Government of India on the Rohingya issue doesnt quite make sense. Apart from being wrong on law, it creates an impossible situation and tarnishes Indias image abroad.
The Supreme Court in the case of granting citizenship to the Chakmas confirmed the proposition that since Article 21 the Right to Life of the Constitution covers all persons and not just citizens, the State is duty bound to protect the lives of citizens and foreigners alike. This is how the principle of non-refoulement or non-return -- which bars a country from deporting a refugee to any country where she might be raped, murdered or tortured -- has been interpreted as inhering in Article 21.
However, the security issue remains to be discussed with some calmness. The Centres concerns ought not to be cursorily ignored. I represent 7,000 refugees in Jammu and visited some of the 23 refugee settlements in the city. Not a single refugee in Jammu has been charged with terrorism. On the possibility of radicalisation of the Rohingyas and of terrorist organisations fishing in troubled waters, one need only to rely on the statement of the chief minister of the state, asserting that there are no signs of radicalisation of the Rohingya population. How a traumatised population responds and develops depends on how it is treated. Treat them with dignity and the little Rohingya girl playing in the mud in her slum in Delhi could grow up to be the prime minister of India. Give them a brutal demolition, and perhaps some may join the ranks of militants. Their future and ideological orientation lies in our hands. Take the case of the Sri Lankan refugees who fled to India in large numbers, all of them with LTTE tattooed on their hearts. The Indian government did not take the stand that the possibility of radicalisation disentitled them from being treated humanely in Indian refugee camps. The same approach must be taken with the Rohingyas.
The government says that since the Rohingyas are illegal migrants they can be deported. The initial part is right, the conclusion is wrong. Migrants are divided into economic migrants and refugees. Both enter the country without valid visas or passports. Economic migrants searching for jobs cannot demand that they be allowed to remain under existing Indian jurisprudence. They may be deported. Refugees, however, are distinguished from others in that they flee persecution in their country of origin. Once they enter India, they are protected by the Constitution and cannot be returned. It is odd that the officials have not been shown the guidelines of the home ministry regarding refugees where it is said that persons fleeing persecution will not be treated as illegal immigrants and will be granted long-term visas. Apparently, 5,000 Rohingyas have been granted such visas and the remaining are in queue.
On the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) front, an unnecessary confrontation is brewing. Under a long-standing arrangement and understanding with the UN, the agency has been permitted and encouraged to do thorough refugee verification and determination of refugees. This information is promptly shared with the home ministry and intelligence agencies. This is an important function and one which enables the government to know exactly where the refugees are and their details.
One could understand the chaotic situation that would exist if refugees were to come into India and go underground rather than flock to UNHCR for registration. The implications for national security are clear. The UNHCR plays a dual role of protecting refugees by giving them refugee cards and in meeting Indias security concerns. This well-established system has operated for decades, based on mutual respect and self-interest. Recently, however, there have been very rough statements made by counsel appearing for the government of India, obviously briefed by short-sighted and ill-informed officials to the effect that the government does not recognise the UNHCR and the refugee cards issued by them after status determination. The government of India can certainly take over refugee determination but it must surely deal with the UN with courtesy and recognise the enormous work done by the UNHCR all to Indias benefit and security concerns.
Colin Gonsalves is a senior Supreme Court advocate and founder, Human Rights Law Network. He is a recipient of the 2017 Right Livelihood award
The views expressed are personal
President Trumps Afghan policy announced last month has been widely welcomed in Afghanistan and universally reviled in Pakistan. It was most unusual for a US President to so directly call a country, other than the old axis of evil (Iran, North Korea and Saddams Iraq), as he did referring to Pakistan as a country giving safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. And more. Significantly the only other country mentioned in his speech, but this time positively, was India which he declared as a key security and economic partner of the United States and with who strategic partnership would be further developed. He appreciated Indias important contribution to stability in Afghanistan and called upon it to do more in the area of economic assistance and development.
The government of India would obviously decide on whether to step up its involvement in Afghanistan based on its own assessment of what is in the countrys national interests, and not just because Trump is asking it to do more. That said, the public articulation of the US disenchantment with Pakistan does represent an opportunity of doing more in Afghanistan since it ties in with Indias own interest in strengthening the Afghan government. Further, Trump has repeated his AfPak formulation at the UN last week, which did not get much traction as it was drowned out what he said on North Korea. Defence Secretary Mattis and Trumps chief of staff John Kelley are from the US army and are aware of the considerable negative feedback about Pakistans use of terrorist proxies in Afghanistan from US army officers. Kelley is a serving general and, in fact lost his son in action in Afghanistan. Further Trumps clear indications, repeated several times in his speech, that the US army field commanders would have necessary freedom of action leaves open the possibility of cross-border action in trying to liquidate the Talibans safe havens in Pakistan.
Pakistans own reactions bordered on panic, and financially, China can hardly replace the US in terms of generous financial assistance, $ 33 billion since 2001 and running at $1.5 billion a year. Chinese investments in CPEC are strictly commercial loans or equity with guaranteed minimum investment. US regulators have also shut down operations of Pakistans Habib Bank in New York, levying a fine of $ 225 million .
Stabilising Afghanistan is in Indias national interest. The inability of governance institutions to deliver services and justice at minimum levels seriously weakens Afghanistans abilities to fight terrorism. Such weaknesses has adversely impacted economic growth and employment generation. It is in these two fields of governance and economic growth that India can add substantial value; assistance in security should necessarily be limited to training, stepped up in numbers no doubt, and supply of equipment.
Post-2001, western donors parcelled out the job of development of different government functions to specific countries. So one country took up the job of setting up the police, another of justice, yet another of counter-narcotics and so on. The context in which governance institutions in Europe and North America function are totally alien to Afghanistan. Consequently these efforts have substantially failed. Fortunately, the countrys own systems have mostly survived the decades of conflict, albeit at low levels. There is a serious need for rehabilitation and upgradation, but not of replacement.
Representing the United Nations in donor meetings with Afghan ministries, I was frequently asked to speak of the Indian experience as it was seen by the Afghans as most relevant. Fortunately, government of India partnered with UNDP and deputed Indian civil servants in different ministries. A number of these experts deputed were able to develop better decision-making capabilities unlike most western experts, who besides were paid in multiples of what it cost to deploy Indians. The Indians focussed on improving office processing and develop analytic skills. Running it as joint program meant that Indians could be paid more than what government of India rules prescribe with UNDP picking up the incremental costs. A similar programme, taking into account the experience of the previous programme, would add value and strengthen the perception that India acts in Afghanistans interests rather than pursue some other agenda.
The recent announcement that India would finance 116 high impact projects spread over 31 of Afghanistans 34 provinces is seen very positively. Hundreds of Afghan communities have benefitted from Indias Small Development Projects (SDP) programme. These have led to the creation of community assets like culverts over streams, minor irrigation works, classrooms etc. While important and locally useful, their contribution to sustainable economic growth is minimal. Details of the proposed high impact projects is not yet available, but looking at the numbers, obviously these would be small to medium projects.
Afghanistans irrigation potential is largely untapped. Indian assistance in construction of the Salma dam was highly appreciated and the locals had renamed it as the Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam. Afghanistans lower riparian neighbours Pakistan (Kabul river), Iran (Helmand river and the Hari Rud) Uzbekistan (Amu Darya) have had more or less a free run off the countrys river waters. That India is choosing to get into other irrigation projects fits in with Afghanistans priorities.
The eastern province of Nangrahar presents a huge opportunity since the Kunar River flows through it before entering the Kabul River, bringing plentiful waters. Downstream of this river is a more or less flat valley, the traditional Gandhara (not to be confused with the modern city of Kandahar in the south). Nangrahar has traditionally been regarded as conflict-prone, particularly the districts of Shinwar and Khogyani. However, Jalalabad, its capital, is a big trading centre, and is the eastern gateway to the country leading to the Khyber Pass. A big dam on the Kunar/ Kabul which would create considerable irrigation potential and could emerge as win-win situation since it would spur the local economy and create a vested interest in peace and stability. The Taliban would also not like to be seen as creating obstacles for the dam since it would expose them as Pakistans proxies.
The third area where India could step up its involvement is in creating transit and related networks. Far from seeing the Chahbahar port and railway lines as only an India-Iran-Afghanistan trilateral, India should try and bring this within the ambit of the North-South Transit Corridor, centred now on Bandar Abbas. Iran is perceived to be dragging its feet on the Chahbahar project, but that seems tactical in view of the uncertainty of the continuance of the nuclear deal. Once the Central Asian States and Russia are in, and the project helps develop a broader, more geographically spread out network of rail lines, highways, special economic zones, it would become viable, attract global investors and create local champions who would push the associated projects.
India has a vital stake in stabilising Afghanistan, which would necessitate strengthening its democratic institutions. The Afghan State, while legitimate in the eyes of the Afghan people, lacks credibility. Any steps that help increase its credibility would facilitate its efforts to counter negative external actors and stabilise the situation. India as an emerging leading power must step up its efforts. The Trump denouement creates a window that must be utilised.
Shakti Sinha is director, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, New Delhi and distinguished fellow, Institute for National Security Studies Sri Lanka (INSSSL)
The views expressed are personal
Sacked Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) chief Ashok Choudhary on Wednesday alleged a design in his unceremonious ouster from the party post and hit out at All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary CP Joshi for misleading the party high command about the partys affairs in the state.
Talking to mediapersons a day after he was removed as the BPCC chief, Choudhary said he felt insulted by the way he was treated by the party. The unceremonious ouster of a Dalit person, whose two generations have worked for the growth of Congress, is unfortunate and insulting, Choudhary said.
The former party chief, however, thanked the AICC top brasses, particularly vice president Rahul Gandhi, for allowing him to work as the state party chief for four and half years. I welcome the decision of the party but I dont deserve the way I was insulted and removed from the post. I was willing to offer my resignation, he said in a choked voice, adding that he would meet the party high command after Dussehra.
On the instruction of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi on Tuesday relieved Choudhary from the post of BPCC chief and dissolved the entire committee. Vice president of erstwhile committee Kaukab Quadri was appointed as officiating chief of the state unit. Quadri assumed charge on Wednesday.
Claiming that he was one of the most successful chiefs of the partys Bihar unit in the last 17 years, Choudhary said it was during his tenure that the number of Congress MLAs had increased from four to 27. I also undertook padyatra of the state to connect with the people. Two generations of my family had been tirelessly working to strengthen the party since 1952, he said.
Choudharys father Mahavir Choudhary was an eight-term MLA and also served as a minister in the Congress governments in Bihar.
Training guns on Joshi, Choudhary alleged that partys state in-charge did not even have the courtesy to inform him officially of the high commands decision. I came to know about my ouster from media reports, he said, while terming his removal as an insult to the Dalit community, which was being honoured by Rahul Gandhi elsewhere by having lunch with families.
Joshi had been putting pressure on me to quit as he wanted to make a particular person as the state Congress chief. The party lost elections in Assam, Manipur and West Bengal because of his inefficiency and complacency. Joshi was hardly visible in Bihar during the elections. He is now bent upon weakening the party in Bihar, Choudhary said, adding he would continue to serve the party as a solider and struggle for its betterment.
Rubbishing talks about his move to desert the party as a conspiracy hatched up by Joshi along with a section of the state Congress leaders, Choudhary claimed the entire story was planted in the AICC in connivance with leaders of other parties to malign his integrity and commitment towards the party. I am not going anywhere, even though I had a good relationship with chief minister Nitish Kumar, added Choudhary.
Choudhary also wondered how Quadri, who had almost quit the party on the apprehension of being denied a ticket in the last assembly polls, was selected when there were many senior leaders, including MLAs and MLCs, who could be offered the charge of ad-hoc president.
Refraining from commenting on electoral tie-up for the next polls, Choudhary said he had been insisting on preparing the party to contest all the seats instead of becoming a pillion rider of the coalition party. It was a better strategy for the Congress to gains its lost glory. Additionally, it would have also put the party in better bargaining position with allies at the time of polling, he said.
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It will take some more time for Chandigarh to get direct air connectivity to Bangkok. Indias national carrier Air India, which on August 16 announced to launch a direct flight to Thailands capital in Southeast Asia from October 6, has missed the deadline, officials confirmed.
While sources said the delay in delivery of the aircraft deferred the airlines plans, local manager Gian Singh Tomar told HT they are struggling to commence it due to operational hazards.
We are, however, sticking to our original plan to start the flight with the onset of the airports winter schedule on October 29, he said. A senior airport official confirmed that Air India has already listed the Chandigarh-Bangkok flight in its winter schedule. The flight is to depart at 1:30pm and its arrival is at 9am.
Tomar said he was confident that the sale of tickets for the flight will begin by October 15. Initially we had plans to operate the flight four days a week. But we are reworking its schedule in wake of the closure of the airport on all Sundays from October 3, he said.
Air Indias new A-320 Neo aircraft will be deployed on this route, said sources.
Not the first delay
Air India first announced the Chandigarh-Bangkok flight last year and then it was deferred to April this year.
Then it changed the deadline to October 29 before committing to start it from October 6.
Air India committed to these deadlines in the Punjab and Haryana high court in response to a public interest litigation on making the airport fully functional. The next hearing is listed for November 27.
So far, Indigos Dubai and Air India Express Sharjah flights are the only two international flights operating from here, since September 2016.
Air India misses deadline, now plans to begin operations from October 29
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Pakistani advocate Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi of Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation, who has filed a plea in the Lahore high court for early hearing of the case to prove innocence of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev who were hanged on March 23, 1931, is all set to file an amended petition in the court to make the British government a party in the case. The three young men were sentenced to death in the murder case of British police officer John P Saunders.
Bhagat Singh is revered by the people of Pakistan too. We hope that the judiciary, which is now free and fair, will do justice in the case and exonerate the legend from the false charges of murder.
We will seek an apology from the British government. Queen Elizabeth should come to Shadman Chowk, Lahore, where the three freedom fighters were hanged, and tender an apology to the people of India and Pakistan for killing their heroes. We will also demand compensation to the kin of the martyrs from the British government, said Qureshi, who is visiting Bhagat Singhs kin in Hoshiarpur, on Tuesday.
To authenticate his plea that Bhagat Singh and his comrades were revolutionaries and not killers, the petitioner has cited the FIR on Saunders killing which was registered with Anarkali police station in Lahore on December 17, 1928, against two unknown gunmen under sections 302 (murder) and other charges as per the Indian Penal Code. He has submitted in the court that the tribunal constituted by the then Punjab governor did not give a fair opportunity to the defence and awarded the death penalty without hearing the 450 witnesses.
In February, a division bench of the Lahore HC had asked the Chief Justice of Pakistan to constitute a larger bench to hear the petition but the same is yet to come by. Qureshi has filed a fresh plea to speed up the case.
We will file an amended petition at the time of fresh hearing to make British government a party in the case as it was at its behest that Bhagat Singh and others were convicted in a false case, Qureshi told the media.
For Bhagat Singhs family, he has brought water from the hand pump and foliage of the legendry mango tree standing in the ancestral home of Shaheed Bhagat Singh in Banga village of Faisalabad, for his nieces Gurjit Kaur and Bhupinder Kaur in Hoshiarpur.
Bhagat Singh is revered by the people of Pakistan too. We hope that the judiciary, which is now free and fair, will do justice in the case and exonerate the legend from the false charges of murder, said Qureshi.
Actor R Madhavan has been having a dream run with back-to-back success of his Tamil films Irudhi Suttru and Vikram Vedha. Not only did these films turn out to be profitable ventures, they also helped the Rang De Basanti actor to break away from his chocolate boy image and successfully transform into a fierce performer.
His latest release, Vikram Vedha, in which he played an encounter, is all set to have its Japanese premiere at 30th Tokyo International Film Festival; the films makers Y Not Studios announced on Twitter.
Directed by Pushkar-Gayatri, the film also starred Vijay Sethupathi as a gangster. Inspired by the popular folklore of Vikram Betaal, its moralities riddles are applied to a police-gangster backdrop. By grossing over Rs. 60 crore worldwide in its lifetime theatrical run, the film has impressed critics and audiences alike. Apparently, actors Rana Daggubati and Venkatesh are in talks for the films Telugu remake. The Hindi remake will reportedly feature Shah Rukh Khan while Madhavan will be retained to play his same character.
Vikram Vedha did extremely well at the box-office outside India as well. In the US, it had emerged as the second highest grossing Tamil film after Baahubali 2 this year. The film, which has music by CS Sam, also stars Shraddha Srinath, Kathir and Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar in key roles.
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Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma is back with yet another project and this time its a biopic on legendary actor and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao. The film has been titled Lakshmis NTR and its first look poster was released on Tuesday on Varmas Facebook page. Sharing the poster, he wrote: One single step that created love in the heart of one man but also hatred in hundreds. But that single step also re-motivated him to once again make millions of people love him. This is the story of Lakshmis NTR. Its a love story full of hatred, jealousy, power mongering, backstabbing and above all unbelievable inter-relationship conflicts.
Talking about the design of the poster, he wrote that it focuses on a dejected and lost looking NTRs face juxtaposed with the high brightness on Lakshmis (widow of NTR) feet entering into his life. In July, Varma had expressed his desire to make a biopic on NTR. However, he has now decided to make the biopic from the perspective of NTRs widow Lakshmi Parvathi, and hence, has titled the film Lakshmis NTR. Varma confirmed that the project will hit the screens by next year-end.
He had earlier said that actor Nandamuri Balakrishna will essay his father in the film. However, Balakrishna clarified he wont be associated with the project and he plans to make his own a biopic on his father. When Varma had announced his desire to make a biopic on NTR said, he said, NTR is a name to reckon with every Telugu-speaking individual. He was not just a great actor but a leader with unprecedented following. Im very proud to direct a film on his life.
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Aditi Rao Hydari made her Bollywood debut with a supporting role in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehras Delhi-6 (2009), but it was her performance in Sudhir Mishras Yeh Saali Zindagi (2011) that helped her entrench herself in the industry. She even won the Screen Award in the Best Supporting Actress category for the film. The 30-year-old actor is in the limelight again, getting rave reviews for her role as Sanjay Dutts daughter in the Omung Kumar directed revenge drama, Bhoomi.
They broke my wings but forgot I had claws. Looking fear in the eye... in and as #Bhoomi. Here's the 3rd poster from @bhoomithefilm !@omungkumar @duttsanjay A post shared by Aditi Rao Hydari (@aditiraohydari) on Sep 10, 2017 at 10:34pm PDT
In a freewheeling interview with Hindustan Times, Aditi tells us how she keeps herself fit despite her gruelling shoot schedules, and also gives a peek into her idea of romance, her expectations from her boyfriend and much more.
Do you have a set sleeping and waking up time?
When Im shooting, I follow a very strict routine and make sure I get 8 hours of sleep! But when Im not, and especially during promotions, its hard to follow a routine.
Whats your diet like?
I eat everything in moderation but I dont have dairy and gluten and I try and avoid sugar. Honestly, its a bit hard to ensure.
Whats your workout schedule like?
I usually do circuit training and yoga even when Im travelling. Even a ten minute circuit helps.
love this initiative by @PUMA join all these amazing women as they set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD by holding a plank for 60 seconds on sunday, 6th nov at JIO garden, BKC, Mumbai to register check link in my bio #PUMAWomen #DoYou Ps- thank you for my goodies puma! A post shared by Aditi Rao Hydari (@aditiraohydari) on Nov 2, 2016 at 1:47am PDT
Do you smoke or drink?
Nope! I hate cigarettes... Ive never smoked. I dont care much for alcohol, but when Im out celebrating I love doing tequila shots... thats always fun!
What would you normally eat on your cheat days?
After eight, chaat, pizza... there is so much yummy sinful food!
Heard of Tinder? What do you think of it? What would your Tinder profile say?
Ya ya... Ive heard of it... swipe right/ swipe left. Not my scene! And if it was Id just put my passport picture and nothing else, no smart ass descriptions.
Holi Haiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!! Colour my world! #ColourCrush #dryholi #SaveWater A post shared by Aditi Rao Hydari (@aditiraohydari) on Mar 23, 2016 at 11:06pm PDT
Are you comfortable with the idea of being friends with an ex?
Its totally possible... the person should be worth it!
What is your idea of a date? What kind of a boyfriend would you want?
Dating is too much pressure; Hanging is less pressure, more chilled and fun!
Would you only date an actor or a successful businessman? Does a regular guy stand any chance with you?
Someone with self-respect, dignity, a sense of humour, who loves music and can jump up and dance on a table! Someone who doesnt fawn over me! The rest I think is just incidental.
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September 27 marks World Tourism Day, an annual event organised by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), aimed at underscoring the social, cultural, political and economic value of international tourism. This years event also aligns with the UNs overall designation of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
Ahead of this years event, the group released a manual on tourist etiquette called Travel. Enjoy. Respect, as part of a global public awareness campaign reminding tourists on the dos and donts of responsible travel. Last year alone, 1.24 billon travellers crossed international borders, a figure thats predicted to spike to 1.8 billion by 2030.
The reminder comes following a particularly turbulent year for international tourism. Across Europe this summer, a wave of anti-tourism marches were staged to protest unchecked visitor numbers and disrespectful tourists. Visitors to Barcelona were being greeted with messages like Tourists go home and Stop destroying our lives pasted onto lamp posts and scribbled on walls.
Visitors to Barcelona were being greeted with messages like Tourists go home and Stop destroying our lives pasted onto lamp posts and scribbled on walls. (Shutterstock)
In a bid to curb acts of hooliganism and restore civility, Italian cities like Rome, Turin and Milan have resorted to imposing bans on everything from outdoor drinking after nightfall, food trucks and street hawkers to eating and drinking near historic fountains.
And Florence issued a thinly veiled warning to visitors in a tourism campaign dubbed #EnjoyRespectFirenze, reminding tourists that any display of uncivil behaviour will be met with hefty fines.
The question, as we celebrate World Tourism Day 2017, is how we can enable this powerful global transformative force, these 1.8 billion opportunities, to contribute to make this world a better place and to advance sustainable development in all its 5 pillars, said UNWTOs secretary-general Taleb Rifai in a statement.
The five pillars include economy, society, environment, culture and peace. Meanwhile, under the Protect our planet category, the UNs tourist handbook offers these simple codes of conduct:
* Reduce your environmental impact by being a guardian of natural resources, especially forests and wetlands.
* Respect wildlife and their natural habitats.
* Purchase products that arent made using endangered plants or animals.
* In protected areas, access only the places open to visitors.
* Reduce your water and energy consumption whenever possible.
* Leave only a minimum footprint and a good impression behind.
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Every Bollywood fan has been enchanted by Switzerlands snow-capped mountains, lush valleys and pristine lakes. Chopra visited Switzerland for his honeymoon and was smitten, his love affair with Switzerland continued till the very end . Through his movies, Chopra did wonders for Switzerland tourism. The Swiss government, too, has taken efforts to honour the legendary filmmaker.
1) Bronze statue:
In May 2016, a bronze statue of Chopra was installed by the Switzerland government as a tribute. The statue weights about 250 kg and was inaugurated by wife Pamela and actor Rani Mukerjee (his daughter-in-law). The statue is located near the Congress Centre in Interlaken, a popular tourist spot. On a vacation to Switzerland, actor Ranveer Singh shared a picture of himself, posing with the statue, on Instagram.
Ranveer Singh poses with Chopras statue. (Ranveersingh/Instagram)
2) Special train:
Swiss trains often featured in movies made under the Yash Raj Films banner. In 2011, Switzerlands Jungfrau Railways inaugurated a train named after him an honour shared only with the railways founder, Adolf Guyer. The train featured his signature and name on a signboard. The train was launched by Chopra in the presence of Jungfrau Railways CEO Urs Kessle.
3) Deluxe suite:
Bollywood buffs would love spending time at the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa. A special deluxe cinema-themed suite at the hotel is named after Chopra and features posters of his film, Veer Zaara. In 2011, Chopra inaugurated the suite, which is done up with Indian decor. It affords a great view of Jungfrau. Interestingly, parts of the song, Ho gaya hai tujhko toh pyar sajna from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge were shot opposite the hotel, but were passed off as a part of London. Staying at this suite is your chance to live like a Bollywood star.
The Yash Chopra Suite features a poster of Veer Zaara. (victoria-jungfrau.ch)
4) Lake:
When in Switzerland, be sure to pay a visit to Lake Lauenen, in the Canton of Berne. Unofficially, the lake is often referred to as Lake Chopra. It was one of his favourite spots in Switzerland, and has been featured in his films too.
5) Awards and felicitations:
The Swiss government honoured Chopra with the title of Ambassador of Interlaken, making him the first recipient of the award. A silver plaque dedicated to him was placed on the Hoheweg, Interlakens main street. He was also bestowed the Swiss Ambassadors Award.
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Bollywood superstar Salman Khan launched the latest season of Bigg Boss Tuesday evening. One of the most controversial reality shows of India, Bigg Boss will start airing its eleventh season from Sunday. Asked if he will indeed be paid Rs 11 crore per episode, Salman said, Please make Raj (Nayak, Endemol COO) pay me that amount.
While Salman made it sound like just a rumour, Rajs response suggested that the number may not be too far from the actual figure. Salman Khan doesnt come cheap, you know, he said.
Asked about a Bigg Boss rule that he wants to change, Salman said, I think the first week of elimination is not right because it takes a little time to settle down and mingle with people. So, whoever gets eliminated on the first week, I think it is unfair.
I want everyone to behave properly. I know it is not easy considering the situation where all the participants are coming from different background and mingling the first time; there are friendship, politics, people deal with the tricky situation. However, they should behave, Salman said.
I think many people come to the show for revamping their career and if they are fighting and misbehaving with people, industry professionals will not prefer to work with them, he added.
The launch took place at a housing complex in suburban Mumbai, where Salman entered the stage with a gala performance of his hit songs. Colors COO Raj Nayak was also present there along with Deepak Dhar of Endemol.
The popular reality show Bigg Boss 11 stars airing from October 1, on Colors TV.
(With IANS inputs)
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Forbes on Tuesday released their list of the highest paid TV actresses in the world, between June 1, 2016 to June 1, 2017. Modern Family star Sofia Vergara leads the pack with earnings of over $41.5 million (Rs 271 crore), topping the list for the sixth consecutive year , while Priyanka Chopra came in at number 8. She made $10 million, or Rs 65 crore, in the same period.
Chopra appeared on the list for the first time in 2016, powered by her ABC show Quantico. In 2017, she appeared in the second season of the show as well as Baywatch movie, which co-starred Dwayne Johnson. In 2016, she had earned $11 million. The Bollywood star also endorses a range of products and Forbes called it Chopras most consistent money-maker.
Vergaras keen business acumen is reported to have been played a major role in her success. Only a quarter of her $41.5 million came from her show. The rest comes from endorsement deals from brands such as Head & Shoulders, Pepsi and CoverGirl, and from smartly focusing on licensing deals, which allow her a certain amount of control over her products.
This has been listed as the biggest reason her earning are over $15 million ahead of the number 2 on the list, Big Bang Theory star, Kaley Cuoco, who made $26 million (Rs 170 crore) during the same period.
Vergara jumped from $28 million in 2015, to $43 million in 2016, both figures were enough for top spots on the respective lists.
Combined, the worlds 10 highest-paid TV actresses made $156.5 million between June 1, 2016, and June 1, 2017, reported Forbes.
All but two of the stars on the list come from network TV, which is more lucrative than its cable counterpart. Salaries can exceed $1 million per episode on shows like the Big Bang Theory, while HBOs Big Little Lies doles out salaries in the range of $350,000 per episode.
Mindy Kaling attends the 2017 PaleyFest Fall TV Previews The Mindy Project at The Paley Centre. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Greys Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo, and Mindy Kaling, star of the Mindy Project tied for third place with $13 million (Rs 85 crore) apiece. Mariska Hargitay (Law and Order: SVU) came in at number 5, with $12.5 million (Rs 81.7 crore), followed by Vergaras Modern Family co-star, Julie Bowen ($12 million, Rs 78 crore), and at number 7, Kerry Washington ($11 million, Rs 71 crore).
Priyanka Chopra poses with fans on the red carpet before the TIFF Soiree in Toronto. (AP)
Priyanka Chopra, and her previously reported $10 million haul, was enough to score a number 8 spot on the list. It also made her the seventh highest-paid Bollywood star during the same period.
The top 10 is rounded off by House of Cards Robin Wright ($9 million, Rs 58 crore) and Pauley Perette ($8.5 million, Rs 55 crore).
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At least 163 people have been killed and 91 others have gone missing over the past year in attacks carried out by Rohingya Muslim militants in the restive Rakhine state, Myanmar government officials said.
The comments on Tuesday came after the bodies of at least 45 Hindus were discovered in three mass graves earlier in the week. The government blames Muslim insurgents for the killings.
The governments Information Committee released a statement on its Facebook page saying that from October 2016 to August 2017, at least 79 people were killed in the attacks and 37 have gone missing, including local officials, public servants and security forces.
Another 84 were killed and 54 have gone missing since August 25, when the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) launched attacks on at least 30 police outposts.
The government had previously said nearly 400 alleged insurgents had been killed since August 25.
On Monday, Myanmar officials said they had discovered at least 45 slain Hindus in three mass graves in conflict-torn northern Rakhine state. Twenty-eight were uncovered from two mass graves on Sunday and 17 were discovered in a different mass grave in the same area on Monday.
Local authorities said the 45 bodies were among about 100 Hindus missing since ARSA carried out the simultaneous attacks on the police outposts.
We are still searching for more mass graves in that same area, said Maj Zayar Nyein of Border Guard Police Headquarters in Maungdaw.
I dont know exactly why these terrorists killed that many people. The Hindu village was very much up north and communication was not that good, and thats why security forces were not able to reach out to the area sooner.
There was no immediate way to independently verify the governments assertions.
Updated chart showing increasing number of Rohingya refugees fleeing from Myanmar's Rakhine state into neighbouring Bangladesh. (AFP)
A government crackdown that followed the attacks left more than 200 Rohingya Muslim villages burned and sent at least 420,000 Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh.
Hindu families who crossed from Myanmar to Bangladesh to flee the violence said their family members and relatives were among those who were killed and buried in the shallow mass graves that were discovered this week.
Hindu women who are now in refugee camps in Bangladesh told The Associated Press that the attackers killed their family members and relatives and later brought them to Bangladesh.
Most of our neighbours are Muslims, said Bina Sharma, a Hindu villager who survived the violence.
Masked men threatened us and asked us to give them cash and gold. Later they killed 10 of my family members. They brought us to Bangladesh and confined us in a camp. They wanted to torture and kill us, but we told them we would convert to Islam and abide by the rules, but later with the police help we were taken to a refugee camp.
Meanwhile, a Japanese doctor who just returned from the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh said the situation there was extraordinary.
Masamichi Yokoe, who was a part of the Japanese Red Cross Society advanced relief team, said the rapid speed of the refugees arriving at the camps is abnormal and making it difficult for aid workers to assess whether sufficient aid is coming in.
Yokoe said in addition to suffering from malnutrition and poor sanitation, many of the refugees appeared to be traumatised by the violence they encountered as they fled Myanmar.
The British editor-at-large of a prominent English-language newspaper in Dubai pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to a premeditated murder charge over his wifes killing, as prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty.
Police allege Gulf News editor Francis Matthew beat his 62-year-old wife Jane to death with a hammer, leaving her body in a pool of blood in their bed before telling detectives that robbers killed her.
The slaying has shocked the United Arab Emirates large British expatriate population, to which Matthew and his wife belong.
The 61-year-old Matthew wore white prison-style clothes to a brief hearing in a Dubai courtroom on Wednesday. He looked thin and sombre while entering his plea.
Not guilty, Matthew said.
After the hearing, Matthews lawyer Ali al-Shamsi said they are looking to get a minimum sentence for his client.
There is a mistake in the autopsy report, al-Shamsi said, without elaborating.
On July 4, Dubai police say they were called to Matthews three-bedroom villa in Dubais Jumeirah neighbourhood. There, they say they found his wife of over 30 years dead and the editor told them robbers broke into the home and killed her.
During a later interrogation, however, police say Matthew told them his wife had grown angry with him because they were in debt and needed to move. Matthew said he got angry when his wife called him a loser and told him you should provide financially, according to police.
Matthew told police his wife pushed him during the argument. He then got a hammer, followed her into the bedroom and struck her twice in the head, killing her, according to a police report.
The next morning, Matthew tried to make it look like the house had been robbed and later went to work like nothing had happened, throwing the hammer in a nearby dumpster, police said.
Gulf News previously has said Matthew served as its editor during 1995-2005 and then became an editor-at-large at the newspaper. He was still with the newspaper at the time of the killing, though a Gulf News article on the court appearance on Wednesday referred to him as a former employee.
Chinese social media firm Weibo Corp is looking to recruit citizen censors to help weed out sensitive content on its platform, rewarding those who report the highest numbers of offending posts with iPhones and tablets.
The platform posted a statement on Wednesday saying it was looking for an initial 1,000 Weibo supervisors as part of a programme overseen by the Beijing arm of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the countrys top Internet watchdog.
The CAC on Monday fined Weibo along with rival tech giants Tencent Holdings Ltd and Baidu Inc for failing to properly censor illegal content on its site, including political articles and social commentary as well as violence, fake news and nudity.
Chinese authorities and tech firms are stepping up censorship controls before the 19th National Congress next month, a major leadership event held once every five years where President Xi Jinping is expected to consolidate power.
Successful applicants to Weibos new programme must flag over 200 posts each month to receive a stipend of 200 yuan ($30.13). The 10 supervisors who report the most posts per month will receive prizes such as Apple Inc iPhones it added.
Weibo, a microblogging service similar to Twitter, is Chinas second most popular social media platform after Tencents messaging app WeChat, and has been singled out by authorities over illegal content several times this year.
The firms U.S.-listed stock dropped sharply in June when its video service was ordered by the CAC to briefly suspend services for failing to promote core socialist values. The company said at the time it would work to promote more mainstream ideas as part of a comprehensive overhaul.
Foreign minister Khawaja Asif has claimed Pakistan could have swapped Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav for a terrorist involved in a 2014 attack on an army school in Peshawar who he said was in the custody of Afghan authorities.
Asif made the remarks during a conversation with journalist Steve Coll at the Asia Society in New York on Tuesday.
The TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) operates from Afghan soilthe terrorist who killed children in APS (Army Public School) in Peshawar is in Afghan custody, he said
The National Security Advisor (NSA) told me that we can exchange that terrorist with the terrorist you have, which is Kulbhushan Jadhav, he added.
Asif, who made the remarks in the context of his allegations that Indias intelligence agencies were backing anti-Pakistan terrorists from Afghan soil, did not give more details. He also did not specify whether there was a specific offer to swap Jadhav for the terrorist.
He also did not specify whether he was referring to the NSA (national security adviser) of Pakistan or some other country.
Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged involvement in espionage and subversive activities. His execution was stayed after India took the matter to the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
India has dismissed the allegations leveled against Jadhav by Pakistan and said he was abducted from Iran.
Asif sought to deflect US criticism of Pakistan providing safe havens to terror groups by saying that Indian intelligence agencies were backing terrorists from Afghan soil.
He said the Afghan government had admitted that the Pakistani Taliban was operating from Afghanistan.
The TTP had claimed the attack on the army-run school in Peshawar in which nearly 150 people, most of them children, were killed. Asif also said he had no problems with US defence secretary Jim Mattis remarks about the US deepening its ties with India with an eye on the situation in Afghanistan if such a move did not take place at the expense of Pakistan.
That can take place but we dont see any military role or strategic role of India in Afghanistan. If the US wants to have a relation with India that is not at our expense, why should we have any problems? he said.
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Pakistan has told the US that it cant be blamed for terrorists like Hafiz Saeed, who masterminded the Mumbai terror attack, saying Washington considered such men as darlings until a few years ago.
Mincing no words at the Asia Society forum here on Tuesday evening, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said it was very easy to say that Islamabad was floating the Haqqani network as well as Hafiz Saeed and his former Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
They are liabilities. I accept, they are liabilities but give us time to get rid of these liabilities because we dont have assets to match these liabilities and you are increasing the them further, the Associated Press of Pakistan quoted Asif as saying
Asif, who is attending the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, added: Dont blame us for Haqqanis or dont blame us for the Hafiz Saeeds. These were the people who were your darlings just 20 to 30 years back. They were being dined and wined in the White House and now you say go to hell Pakistanis because you are nurturing these people.
Hafiz Saeed is accused by India of masterminding the Mumbai carnage of November 2008 that left 166 Indians and foreigners dead. New Delhi has been repeatedly asking Islamabad to prosecute him for his crimes.
Asif said Pakistan was ready to work with the US for effective management of the Afghan border to stop terrorist infiltration and to facilitate a peace settlement in Afghanistan.
He underlined that there was no military solution to the dragging conflict in Afghanistan. Scapegoating Pakistan for all the Afghan ills is neither fair nor accurate... This will only help forces that we are trying to fight collectively.
Pakistan, he said, had done all it could to facilitate a political settlement in Afghanistan, making sure that Pakistani soil was not used against any country.
We are mindful of the strong desire in the US to bring the long war in Afghanistan to an end. We support this objective wholeheartedly and are ready to help in any way we could to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan.
He made it clear that there were clear limits to what Pakistan could do vis-a-vis Afghanistan.
We cannot take responsibility for Afghanistans peace and security and be asked to achieve what the combined strength of some of the most powerful and richest countries could not accomplish, he told the audience.
The EU unveiled plans on Wednesday to take at least 50,000 refugees directly from Africa, the Middle East and Turkey to discourage migrant boats from making the risky Mediterranean crossing.
The proposal involves admitting refugees to European Union countries over the next two years under the blocs resettlement programme, which was introduced during the migration crisis that hit the continent in 2015.
We need to open real alternatives to taking perilous irregular journeys, European Union Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told a news conference in Brussels.
The European Commission said in a statement that it was recommending a new EU resettlement scheme to bring at least 50,000 of the most vulnerable persons in need of international protection to Europe over the next two years.
The EU has already resettled 23,000 people from refugee camps in countries outside the EU under the scheme, particularly Turkey and Jordan, which were overwhelmed with people fleeing the war in Syria.
Resettlement would continue from those areas but there would be increased focus on North Africa and the Horn of Africa -- particularly Libya, Egypt, Niger, Sudan, Chad and Ethiopia, the commission said.
This will contribute to further stabilising migration flows along the Central Mediterranean route, which mainly involves people making the dangerous crossing from Libya to Italy, it said.
The resettlement programme is different from the EUs controversial refugee quotas, which involved moving asylum- seekers who had already reached Italy and Greece to other EU countries, under compulsory quotas.
The latter scheme, which ended on today, saw just 29,000 people out of a planned 160,000 shared out around EU states to ease the pressure on the overstretched Greek and Italian authorities.
Brussels separately released plans today to allow countries in the passport-free Schengen area to reintroduce border controls for security reasons for up to three years.
Countries in the 26-country Schengen travel area can currently reintroduce frontier checks for six months for security reasons, and two years if that is combined with a threat to borders such as Europes migration crisis.
Under todays proposals, member states will also be able to exceptionally prolong controls if the same threat persists, the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, said in a statement.
Avramopoulos however said this should be a last resort, and that keeping the Schengen area open for travel should be a priority.
Several countries including France and Germany have called for the extension after a series of terror attacks. France reinstated the checks after the November 2015 Paris attacks.
A three-year-old girl has been named the new Kumari of Nepals capital Kathmandu after her predecessor retired when she reached puberty, continuing an ancient tradition that sees young girls worshipped as living goddesses.
Trishna Shakya will be anointed as the new Kumari in a ceremony on Thursday, when she will be taken from her family home to live in a palace in Kathmandus ancient Durbar Square where she will be cared for by specially appointed caretakers.
She was selected from among four candidates, Uddhav Man Karmacharya, a Hindu priest who attends to the Kumari, told AFP on Tuesday.
She will take her place on the Kumaris throne after we perform prayers and tantric rituals, Karmacharya said.
Once she is anointed a living goddess, Shakya who, like her predecessors, belongs to the Newar community indigenous to the Kathmandu valley will only be allowed to leave her new home 13 times a year on special feast days.
She will be paraded through Kathmandu in ceremonial dress and elaborate makeup to be worshipped.
When outside, the Kumari who is considered an embodiment of the Hindu goddess Taleju is carried because her feet are not allowed to touch the ground.
Selection criteria for aspiring Kumaris is strict and includes a number of specific physical attributes such as an unblemished body, a chest like a lion and thighs like a deer.
Even if a girl fulfils all the physical requirements, she must then prove her bravery by not crying at the sight of a sacrificed buffalo.
The Newar tradition blends elements of Hinduism and Buddhism, with the most important Kumaris representing each of the three former royal kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur.
The practice was historically closely linked to the royal family, but has continued despite the end of Nepals Hindu monarchy in 2008.
The tradition has drawn criticism from child rights activists who say the Kumaris are denied a childhood and their isolation from society hinders their education and development.
In 2008, Nepals Supreme Court ruled the living goddesses should be educated and they are now taught inside the palace where they live and are allowed to sit their exams there.
Many former Kumaris have spoken about the struggles they face reintegrating into society after they are dethroned.
The outgoing Kumari, Matine Shakya, was anointed in 2008 at the age of three.
But the number of girls being put forward by their families to be selected as a Kumari has dwindled in recent years.
Iraqs Kurds announced a massive yes vote for independence on Wednesday following a referendum that has incensed Baghdad and sparked international concern.
Official results showed 92.73% of voters backing statehood in Mondays non-binding referendum, which Iraqs central government rejected as illegal. Turnout was put at 72.61%.
Longtime Iraqi Kurd leader Massud Barzani said the vote would not lead to an immediate declaration of independence and should instead open the door to negotiations.
But Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told lawmakers on Wednesday there was no question of using its results as the basis for talks.
The referendum must be annulled and dialogue initiated in the framework of the constitution. We will never hold talks based on the results of the referendum, Abadi said.
We will impose Iraqi law in the entire region of Kurdistan under the constitution, he said.
Pressure has been mounting on the Kurds since the vote, not just from Baghdad but also from Ankara, with Turkey threatening a range of measures including cutting off key export routes for the region.
An overwhelming yes vote had been widely expected from the electorate of 4.58 million.
Pursuing a long-cherished dream of statehood, the Kurds went ahead with the referendum in defiance of widespread objections, including from the United Nations and United States.
It has raised fears of unrest and the possibility of a military confrontation involving the Kurds, who are key allies in internationally backed offensives against the jihadists of the Islamic State group.
In a televised address late on Tuesday, Barzani had urged Abadi not to close the door to dialogue because it is dialogue that will solve problems.
We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad, he said, insisting the referendum was not meant to delimit the border (between Kurdistan and Iraq), nor to impose it de facto.
Airlines cancel flights
Baghdad has steadily pushed back against the vote.
Lawmakers on Wednesday passed a resolution calling on Abadi to take all necessary measures to maintain Iraqs unity including by deploying security forces to disputed areas.
The resolution also called for the closure of border posts with Turkey and Iran that are outside central government control.
Abadi said Tuesday he would ban all international flights to and from Kurdistan in three days unless airports in its main cities Arbil and Sulaimaniyah were placed under his governments control.
Airlines from Turkey as well as Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon said Wednesday they will halt flights to and from Iraqi Kurdistan this week until further notice at the request of Baghdad.
Turkey fears the vote will stoke the separatist ambitions of its own sizeable Kurdish minority and on Tuesday President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Iraqs Kurds risked sparking an ethnic war.
If Barzani and the Kurdistan Regional Government do not go back on this mistake as soon as possible, they will go down in history with the shame of having dragged the region into an ethnic and sectarian war, he said.
Erdogan had earlier warned that Turkey would shut its border with Iraqi Kurdistan and threatened to block oil exports from the region through his country.
Erdogan even suggested the possibility of a cross-border incursion similar to the one Turkey carried out against IS and Kurdish fighters in Syria.
Mondays vote took place across the three northern provinces of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan -- Arbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk -- and in disputed border zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.
Opponents have accused Barzani of seeking to empower himself through the vote, and said he should have accepted a UN-backed plan to postpone the referendum in favour of negotiations with Baghdad.
Iran, which also has a large Kurdish minority, condemned the vote as well and on Sunday stopped all flights from its territory to and from Iraqi Kurdistan.
Analysts say that despite their threats, Baghdad, Ankara and Tehran are proceeding cautiously in reacting to the vote, wary of sparking a serious confrontation with the Kurds that would further destabilise an already volatile region.
Closing their borders with Iraqi Kurdistan would also hurt Turkey, which exports more than $8 billion worth of goods every year to the region, and Iran, which exports about $6 billion.
Left without a state of their own when the borders of the Middle East were redrawn after World War I, the Kurds see themselves as the worlds largest stateless people.
The non-Arab ethnic group of between 25 and 35 million is spread across Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.
United Nations General Assembly president Miroslav Lajcak has said that he will certainly think about how to deal with erroneous use of pictures.
The use of a fake picture by Pakistans Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi on Saturday while responding to Indias external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj speech came up during his news conference on Tuesday.
He was asked if he would like to see some sort of factual baseline set so that when people make a mistake they correct it, not in terms of an opinion statement, but the use of a photograph.
Lajcak said, I will certainly think about it.
However, he prefaced it by indicating that it was matter of diplomacy and the rights and sensitivities of nations.
It is not for me to answer. Its for the delegations that are involved. I want to use but not misuse my position as President of the General Assembly, he said.
On Saturday, Lodhi had held up picture of an injured Palestinian girl from Gaza that had been published two years ago by The New York Times claiming she was a victim from Kashmir.
On Monday, Paulomi Tripathi, a first secretary in the Indian Mission, told the General Assembly that Pakistan was callously exploiting the image of a Palestinian girl to to divert attention from Pakistans role as the hub of global terrorism.
In response, Tipu Usman, a counsellor in the Pakistani Mission, claimed that Lodhis use of the fake picture backfired on India.
An anti-corruption court on Wednesday indicted Pakistans finance minister Ishaq Dar in a case filed against him by the countrys anti-graft watchdog for allegedly possessing assets beyond known sources of income.
Dar, a close relative of former premier Nawaz Sharif, appeared in the accountability court but no media representatives were allowed into the courtroom. According to reports, Dar denied all the charges and refused to accept the indictment.
The court illegally indicted Dar, which is why no lawyers or media persons were allowed to enter, Supreme Court Bar Association secretary Aftab Bajwa was quoted as saying by the media.
The court, while indicting Dar, directed the prosecution to begin producing witnesses on October 4, which was set as the next date of hearing. Two witnesses have been summoned for the next hearing.
In its July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case that disqualified Sharif, the Supreme Court also directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the countrys anti-corruption watchdog, to file a case against Dar for allegedly living beyond his means.
Chaos prevailed outside the anti-corruption court when Dar arrived for the hearing on Wednesday. The doors to the courtroom were shut for reporters, and Dar had to wait 20 minutes before he was allowed to enter the courtroom from a rear door.
While issuing copies of the case and other material on Monday, Judge Muhammad Bashir had said, The court intends to conduct daily hearings in the (case), so that the trial is concluded within the stipulated time of six months.
The court also turned down a request from Dars lawyer for more time to frame charges on the ground that the bulk of the record has to be perused in a brief period of time.
Bashir quipped, Will you plead guilty when charges would be framed? He implied that Dar would definitely plead not guilty and stand trial.
(A lot of) time has already been wasted, the judge said. The court has to conclude the trial within six months as per the Supreme Courts directions.
Dar has a long association with the Sharif family. His son is married to Sharifs daughter Asma Nawaz.
He was also imprisoned when Nawaz Sharifs government was toppled by the military in 1999. He has been facing pressure from the opposition to quit after the NAB filed a case against him but has refused to do so.
The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons Hassan and Hussain, his daughter Maryam, his son-in-law Mohammad Safdar and Dar.
Sharifs family has alleged the cases are politically motivated.
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced that Russia would destroy its last chemical weapons, hailing the move as a historic event and accusing the United States of not following suit.
Today the last chemical ammunition from Russias chemical weapon stockpile will be destroyed, Putin said in televised remarks.
This is truly a historic event, taking into account the huge amount we inherited from Soviet times that was enough -- as experts believed -- to destroy all living things many times over, he added.
Today the last chemical ammunition from Russias chemical weapon stockpile will be destroyed, Putin said in televised remarks.
This is a huge step towards making the modern world more balanced and safe.
The Russian president also used the speech to needle Washington, saying the United States was not carrying out its international duties in full.
The US unfortunately is not carrying out its obligations when it comes to the timeframe of destroying chemical weapons -- they pushed back the liquidation timeframe already three times, Putin was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
Putin said Washington had postponed its plans to destroy its chemical weapons citing insufficient funds, which he said looked a little bit strange.
Well okay, we expect the United States to carry out all of its obligations it has taken upon itself as part of international agreements just like other countries do, he added.
Two rockets hit the northern part of Kabul International Airport on Wednesday, as US Defence Secretary James Mattis and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg arrived here on a surprise visit.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Kabul airport Chief Yaqub Rassouli said the rockets hit the air forces hangars in the northern part. He added that the missiles were fired from Deh Sabz district of Kabul, TOLONews reported.
At 11.36 am two missiles were fired on Kabul International Airport from Deh Sabz district, damaging the air force hangers and destroying one helicopter and damaging three other helicopters, but there were no casualties, Rassouli said.
The NATO mission in Afghanistan posted on its official Twitter account that Defence Secretary Mattis and NATO chief Stoltenberg had arrived at the NATO headquarters in Kabul, where they will inspect the international troops and meet Afghan authorities, including President Ashraf Ghani.
Victims of a contaminated blood scandal in Britain which left at least 2,400 people dead, and their families will be allowed to seek damages following a High Court ruling on Tuesday.
A High Court official said it was appropriate to issue immediately a group litigation order allowing a potential 500 claimants together to seek compensation.
Lawyers acting for the health ministry had argued that the application to the court was premature.
Thousands of people with haemophilia contracted hepatitis C and HIV after receiving transfusions of blood, mainly from the United States, through the state National Health Service (NHS) in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
The ruling follows an announcement by the government in July that Britain will launch a new inquiry into the scandal, after pressure from lawmakers to look into possible criminal activity.
Chris Smith, 39, was among those welcoming Tuesdays court order.
His father Ray died in 1986 aged 32, a victim of contaminated blood, when Smith was eight years old.
Smith accused the government of acting with deceit and trying to bury the truth behind the biggest disaster of the NHS and trying to get away with very, very small compensation schemes.
Smith said what had happened to his father had been a dirty secret.
This is more about truth than anything else -- my dad is in his grave, for what? he said.
Following the announcement of the inquiry in July, Prime Minister Theresa Mays spokesman said: It is a tragedy that has caused immeasurable hardship and pain for all those affected and a full inquiry to establish the truth of what happened is the right course of action to take.
Due to a shortage of blood products in Britain, the NHS bought much of its stock from US suppliers whose donors, including prisoners and other groups at high risk of infection, had been paid for their blood.
A previous inquiry that concluded in 2009 found that ministers should have acted sooner to try to make British blood supplies self-sufficient so it did not have to rely on imports.
It also called for compensation for those affected.
D o you own a flat? If you do, then the chances are that it is leasehold. In London, half the citys entire housing stock is leasehold, and nine out of 10 new-build properties are sold in this way.
This means you will have a landlord, known as the freeholder, and will also be paying a service charge an annual fee to cover things such as building insurance and the upkeep of communal areas. A managing agent is often employed to oversee these duties but, frustratingly, the property-management industry is unregulated, so its hard to know if youre getting value for money.
I bought my leasehold flat in north-west London in 2013 and was amazed to see how high the service charge was for a poorly maintained building. It was also the complaint of my neighbours, who felt the managing agent was indifferent to our concerns.
Then, in 2015, the opportunity came up to buy our freehold, which we did. The managing agent was now reporting to us, and unsurprisingly they became more obliging.
I was pleased that the service had improved but I started to do some number-crunching. A cursory look at our service charge breakdown revealed we were still being ripped off by inflated maintenance contracts.
The reality is that managing agents rely on customer apathy. Lets face it, you come home after a long day at work and just about have enough time to cook dinner. Do you really want to start poring over building quotes and receipts?
INSURANCE COMMISSION
The answer for most of us is no but when you see the rewards, the incentive grows.
Our annual insurance bill in 2013 was 68,000. As soon as we acquired the freehold, we asked a broker to find us a better deal. We immediately saw a double-digit reduction in the bill and now, in 2017, we pay 38,000 nearly half.
This is all too common: freeholders adding sky-high commission onto insurance contracts, which are then facilitated by the managing agent. This was one of many examples where I felt the property manager had failed to act in our best interests, and decided we needed change.
CHANGE AGENTS
Earlier this year I called a meeting of the residents committee and put forward the suggestion of changing agents. There was support for the idea but people didnt know where to start. Nor did I, so I started to do some research. I spoke to friends, searched the internet, looked at review sites and found out who managed the blocks I thought were well maintained.
We came up with a shortlist and invited three companies to visit the block and send over a tender document. In it we asked them how they would make cost efficiencies and bring up standards, should they be awarded the contract.
One agent stood out from all the others they made carefully considered suggestions and proposed changes we hadnt thought of. Best of all, their annual fee was a massive 15,000 cheaper than our existing agent, meaning a tidy saving of 120 for each flat owner. We negotiated a few clauses in the contract and signed with them.
Even if you do not own the freehold to your block, all of this is still possible. Its worth asking the freeholder first if they will change agent, but if you dont have any luck, you can enforce your statutory right to do so, known as Right to Manage.
You must meet a set of criteria and normally have at least 50 per cent of leaseholders in the block willing to participate. With it also comes a greater share of responsibility, but for many it is a good way to have proper control over one of your most valuable assets.
Youll always get people who want the easy life and are happy for the status quo to continue, but if you know you can get more for less, dont settle for second-rate service. Your neighbours will thank you for it.
The follow-up to AM is on its way.
In an interview with motorcycle magazine For The Ride, bassist Nick O'Malley let it slip that the band started recording the album earlier this month.
He also said that he expected the album to be released in 2018, adding that if it isnt [out by then], weve got problems."
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The time the Arctic Monkeys released an album was back in 2013, with AM. Members of the band have been working on side projects in recent years, including Alex Turner's his work with Miles Kane on The Last Shadow Puppets.
The award winning German pianist will be touring nationwide from 23rd October to 29th October, including shows at the Sugar Club, Dublin and Triskel Christchurch, Cork as part of the 2017 Cork Jazz Festival.
Michael Wollny has taken the European jazz scene by storm in recent years thanks to the electrifying spontaneity of his live gigs and a series of lauded recordings. From tender ballads to wild rollercoaster rides, the ideas come thick and fast, each almost tripping over the last as Michael Wollny pursues his trademark for unpredictability. In similar vein to his late ACT stablemate Esbjorn Svensson, Wollny melds jazz, rock, pop and classical music with thrilling invention as he brings excursions into Alban Berg, Edgard Varese, the Twin Peaks soundtrack and the Flaming Lips alongside original compositions penned by the trio in their lauded releases Weltentraum (2014) and Klangspuren (2016).
The current line-up features his long-time collaborator and fellow composer Eric Schaefer on drums, while double bass player Christian Weber was recently singled out by The Wire as being "one of the most interesting players on the European electro-acoustic improv scene".
The Michael Wollny trio will perform at the following venues:
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Monday 23rd October | Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar
Tuesday 24th October | Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire
Wednesday 25th October | The Sugar Club, Dublin
Friday 27th October | Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray
Saturday 28th October | Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda
Sunday 29th October | Triskel Christchurch, Cork
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A third of BP's local workforce has returned to its Houston campus over the past few days, squeezing into makeshift workspaces as contractors repair a flood-damaged tower that will remain empty until early next year.
Almost a month after Hurricane Harvey's floodwaters sluiced through its sprawling U.S. headquarters and flooded roads in the Energy Corridor, the British oil company has begun reopening a few office buildings, including the 390,000-square-foot Helios Plaza, home of BP's natural gas and power trading arm, one of the largest businesses of its kind in the United States.
In a sign that both BP and Houston's energy industry continue to recover after Harvey, hundreds of traders worked the phones and watched an array of numbers, models and charts fly across six-screen computer banks on BP's trading floor this week, combing the country for available gas to deliver to utilities, industrial sites and refineries.
For more than three weeks after Harvey, the trading floor room was silent and empty, an alarming prospect in a business where any prolonged interruption could disrupt the flow of energy to countless U.S. buyers and, ultimately, homes and businesses.
But BP's operations, which oversee trading of almost a fifth of the demand in the U.S. natural gas market, hadn't stopped. After markets had closed on Aug. 24, the Thursday before Harvey hit, one in five of the trading company's 1,000 employees boarded a bus or drove a car to Dallas, taking families, pets and personal belongings to hotels, to work in a back-up trading site, a high-tech warehouse BP built in case of natural disasters.
Traders kept calling key clients, though they had to turn down new business. Meteorologists ran complex forecast models as Harvey, and then Hurricane Irma, slammed into the United States, causing gas pipelines to back up as power plants went offline in Florida. BP's compliance department continued to report to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission.
"You can't just do that from home," said Orlando Alvarez, president and CEO of BP Energy Co., the oil producer's natural gas, power and natural gas liquids trading arm. "We have to be a reliable source of supply. That's why it's so critical for us to be in one room, making sure everything is moving."
After weeks in Dallas, the entire trading company has returned to Helios Plaza. More than 1,730 of the company's 5,000 local employees have settled in there, including 230 who lost their workspaces. The company has also begun bringing workers into its Westlake Four office tower, with more than 700 workspaces available so far.
Thousands more continue to work from home. By the end of October, BP plans to house at least 60 percent of its workforce at its Westlake campus, until Westlake One, its main tower, is repaired.
BP's slow, partial return to its Westlake campus is the latest in a string of developments showing the energy industry is coming back after floodwaters crippled the Gulf Coast's vast network of refineries, pipelines, seaside ports and petrochemical plants.
Gasoline prices climbed 20 percent after Harvey knocked out a quarter of U.S. refining capacity along the Gulf. Half of the nation's production of petrochemicals such as ethylene, used in plastics, was shut down. Now, only 5 percent of refining capacity remains offline, and almost all of the region's ethylene plants are up and running. Ethylene is the building block of most plastics.
BP executives still don't know the full extent of the damage to its Westlake One tower, and they're not sure exactly when it will reopen - although they expect early next year. Water had risen to the top of the turnstiles in the lobby, filling the basement and bringing down the electrical systems. Contract workers piled thousands of sandbags around the building so they could start pumping out the rushing water.
It is likely to cost a couple of million dollars to fully repair the building. Economists and bankers said the damage to commercial and industrial properties in Houston will be far less consequential to the local economy than the damage to homes. For big businesses like BP, the storm's real economic punch was that employees couldn't get to work because of impassable roads.
"There's going to be a short-term impact because of that," said Hank Holmes, president of Cadence Bank in Houston.
For the oil and natural gas market, oil companies with trading operations like Royal Dutch Shell and BP have become critical to the physical movement of energy in the United States. In recent years, the disappearance of Wall Street banks from the business of moving oil and gas inventories has made it harder for U.S. producers to lock in future prices.
Big banks once dominated global energy logistics, handling four of every five futures contracts U.S. oil companies use to price their product and get it to the market. Banks exited much of the business amid falling revenue and tougher financial rules.
Now, BP moves 25 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. It also recently expanded its gas marketing business into Mexico, where demand could grow from 3.5 billion cubic feet a day to as much as 9 billion cubic feet a day in coming years. Its Mexican business only saw minor disruptions during Harvey.
A few days before Harvey made landfall, BP's meteorologists knew the storm could be catastrophic. It could sit over Houston and dump at least 2 feet of rain. That's what they told Alvarez.
More than a decade ago, when Hurricane Rita hit the Gulf Coast, Alvarez learned not to hesitate on evacuation plans. BP told its traders to come to work on Aug. 24, packed and ready to hop on a bus, if it pulled the trigger. Information technology workers had already spent the previous night preparing the Dallas trading site.
"In my 22 years here, there's never been anything close to a flood here at the Westlake campus," Alvarez said.
But he knew if the roads flooded, workers couldn't get into the building.
"So we deployed on Thursday, way ahead of everybody," he said. "Our reputation is all we got, man."
The U.S. government moved to impose tariffs on Canadian jetliners Tuesday when it ruled in favor of a complaint by U.S. aircraft maker Boeing that claimed rival Bombardier is receiving unfair government subsidies.
The department suggested the tariffs could be as high as 219 percent. The action threatens to further inflame trade tensions between the two North American neighbors. Earlier this year, the Commerce Department moved to impose new duties on the import of Canadian soft lumber and President Donald Trump has signaled his interest to renegotiate the terms of the North America Free Trade Agreement between the two nations.
Bombardier has sold aircraft to U.S. carriers for decades. But Boeing's complaint follows a multibillion-dollar deal struck between Bombardier and Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines for 75 C-series CS-100's, a commercial airplane that seats about 100 people.
Following the deal, Boeing formally asked the U.S. Commerce Department to investigate what it called illegal government subsidies and unfair pricing practices that have allegedly given the Canadian company an unfair advantage as it competes for business in the United States.
"Without bailout money from Ottawa and the Quebec provincial government [Bombardier] would probably be bankrupt," said Loren Thompson, a defense consultant whose think tank gets funding from Boeing. "What Boeing is really saying here is that Bombardier has an unfair advantage because Canadian taxpayers are covering part of its cost."
Bombardier is slated to begin delivering the planes next year, and any new duties imposed by the Commerce Department would increase the cost of the order to the aircraft manufacturer. The exact amount of any new tariffs would not likely be finalized until early next year. Even then, Canada could potentially pursue a case against the United States at the World Trade Organization.
An ultimate decision to impose tariffs could also have ripples in Northern Ireland, where Bombardier employs about 4,000 people.
The Trump administration did not take an official position on the matter before Tuesday evening's trade decision. But British and Canadian leaders have publicly urged the Trump Administration not to impose tariffs.
The Guardian reported earlier this month that British Prime Minister Theresa May raised the issue privately with President Trump following political pressure in the U.K. And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested earlier this month that his government might retaliate directly against Boeing through decisions on military purchasing agreements. The Canadian military is considering whether to buy Boeing's F-18 Super Hornets for the Canadian military, and Trudeau suggested in a Sept. 18 news conference that he would abandon the purchase as a result of Boeing's complaint against Bombardier.
"We won't do business with a company that's busy trying to sue us and put our aerospace workers out of business," Trudeau said in the news conference.
Some have questioned why Boeing would wade into international geopolitics in the first place. Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace industry analyst with Teal Group, described Boeing's action as a "self-inflicted wound" that could damage the company's business relationships with the Canadian military and with Delta.
"This is a dangerous moment for Boeing," Aboulafia said. "They clearly saw this as an opportunity to walk in lockstep with Donald Trump and appeal to his nationalist economic base."
Bombardier has been frank in its criticism of Boeing's suit. In a statement last Monday entitled "Boeing's Hypocrisy," Bombardier criticized the company's trade practices abroad and urged the U.S. Commerce Department to reject its bid.
"Boeing's self-serving actions threaten thousands of aerospace jobs around the world, including thousands of U.K. and U.S. jobs and billions of purchases from the many U.K. and U.S. suppliers who build components for [Bombardier's plane]," the company's statement reads.
Boeing hailed the decision in a statement.
"Global trade works only if everyone plays by the rules that we've all endorsed to ensure fair competition, as adjudicated by independent national and international bodies," Boeing said. "This dispute has nothing to do with limiting innovation or competition, which we welcome. Rather, it has everything to do with maintaining a level playing field and ensuring that aerospace companies abide by trade agreements."
The move follows another trade dispute between the United States and its northern neighbor. For years, the United States lumber industry had complained that because Canadian lumber is subsidized by the government, the imports make it difficult for American companies to compete. Over the summer, the Trump administration called for tariffs on imports of softwood lumber. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said at the time that he was hopeful the countries would be able to "reach a negotiated solution," and the Commerce Department recently announced a delay in proceedings to work one out.
Still, the Trump administration has generally taken a one-on-one stance toward trade, threatening to remove the United States from multinational, regional accords such as NAFTA. But that has received pushback, including from Thomas Donohue, the president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal this week that, "quitting NAFTA would be an economic, political and national-security disaster."
- - -
The Washington Post's Christian Davenport contributed.
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The Trump administration quietly has slashed grants this month to dozens of grass-roots groups that help enroll people in Affordable Care Act health plans, potentially crippling upcoming sign-up efforts for 2018.
Some of these "navigator groups" in Texas have had their grants cut severely enough to force them to shrink outreach to the state's high number of uninsured and drastically reduce the staff who help people sign up or re-enroll for coverage.
Mayor Sylvester Turner decried the cuts, which in Houston would reduce funding by more than half.
"The goal should be to increase access to health care, not to cut resources," Turner told the Chronicle by email.
Nationally, the average grant reduction was about 41 percent, but in some corners of the country it was as high as 92 percent.
Enrollment for individual and family plans for 2018 under the law known as Obamacare opens Nov. 1, little more than a month from now.
Some health care advocates are deeply alarmed by the administration's earlier decision to reduce the enrollment period to 45 days, down from 90 days in years past.
Administration officials including Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who has made no secret of his disdain for former President Barack Obama's signature health care law, deny that cutting grants to navigator groups is politically motivated or a sabotage of the law.
Rather, Price has characterized it as part of a larger administration goal to cut bloat and save taxpayer money. Under Trump, the department has questioned the worth of paying navigators, claiming their cost is not justified because in some cases and locations their services do not yield enough enrollment.
"Judging effectiveness by the amount of money spent and not the results is irresponsible and unhelpful to the American public," spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley said Tuesday in a statement to the Chronicle. She concluded that, "Obamacare's Navigator program has been ineffective."
Online access reduced
Access to online enrollment further will be hampered as it was recently disclosed that the Department of Health and Human Services will shut down the federal health insurance exchange at healthcare.gov for 12 hours during all but one Sunday in the upcoming open-enrollment season. It also will shut down the website overnight the first day of open enrollment.
Along with sharp cuts to grants and access to the website, the department also announced this month it has slashed the advertising budget for this enrollment season to $10 million, down from $100 million last year.
In addition, in July the contracts were canceled for two companies that had helped with enrollment during the past four enrollment periods in 18 cities, including Houston.
"How can any of this be explained in any other way than a deliberate attempt to undercut the ACA and suppress enrollment?" said a clearly shaken Melissa McChesney, a Houston-based independent consultant who works for the Center for Public Policy Priorities and specializes in outreach and enrollment efforts.
Christina Butler, navigator project manager for Coastal Bend Center for Independent Living in Corpus Christi, bristles at the notion the group's work has been "ineffective."
"We have met and exceeded all our goals," Butler said. "To say this is tied to productivity is kind of a hard pill to swallow."
Navigators help people understand the health plan offerings on exchanges and guide them to ones that work for their individual circumstances. In addition, they perform outreach to those who might not know about the options. She said that is especially true in rural areas where her group works.
In 2016 her group's grant to help fund enrollment efforts in 14 counties in the Corpus Christi region was $375,277.
On Sept. 12 at 11:03 p.m. an email from the federal government arrived saying this year the group would get $280,000.
Layoffs expected
All navigator groups had until Wednesday to resubmit revised grant applications with reworked strategies and justification. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services then has up to 30 days to approve the submission.
That means groups might not know if their plans are approved until five days before enrollment begins.
Butler said because of the grant reduction her group will have to lay off three of its six-person staff and shrink the coverage area to six counties, down from 14.
"I'm just very disappointed as a front-line worker," Butler said about the potential loss of insurance. "I see the people who come in who need our help. All of these people in the communities who have these medical needs are not going to get it. Even something as simple as a flu shot. This is devastating."
Program officials with the largest navigator group in Houston, Change Happens, were cautious about speaking on the record about their grant reduction, saying only that it was cut "over 50 percent."
In 2016 the group received a $1.3 million grant. It served Harris, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston and Montgomery counties.
The potential fallout of such a cut could be significant. Houston has an estimated 950,000 people uninsured, most in a state that leads the nation in the number of people without health coverage.
Since Obamacare rolled out its federal exchange, about 1 million Texans have gained coverage.
On a Sept. 18 trip to Houston, Seema Verma, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, skirted direct questions about allegations that the Trump administration was undercutting enrollment efforts.
"We are looking at the overall picture," she told the Chronicle about her agency's review of Obamacare and cuts to implementation. "We are using taxpayers' money the most effectively."
Still, critics of the administration's actions contend the stream of actions are hard to ignore.
In addition to the cuts to those helping with enrollment efforts, it has been disclosed that Health and Human Services has used money earmarked to educate people about the law to instead launch a series of videos featuring people who say they were harmed by the law.
Butler wonders if it isn't an attempt to make sure the administration's prediction that Obamacare implodes will come true.
"We're getting blindsided at every turn," she said.
This week, Harris County announced its intention to sue the French multinational chemical producer Arkema after volatile organic compounds exploded at its flooded plant in Crosby following Hurricane Harvey. The explosion sickened first responders with toxic fumes and exposed the surrounding area to untold amounts of contamination.
Public officials allege that, having had ample warning about the approaching storm, the company could've taken measures to neutralize the dangers before everything went so terribly wrong. Arkema strongly disagrees, saying it took every possible precaution but if Harris County is right, it wouldn't be the first time a company weighed the benefits of doing the right thing and decided they didn't outweigh the potential costs.
That's the conclusion of a remarkable case study just released by researchers at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business on litigation faced by another chemical giant familiar to Houstonians: DuPont.
At this point, the long-running fight over DuPont's liability for diseases caused by releases of the compound known as C8, which is used in the production of Teflon for products such as non-stick pans, have received significant public attention. The New York Times, the Huffington Post, and the Intercept have all detailed the suffering of DuPont's former workers and residents of communities on the banks of the Ohio River, into which the chemical was released for decades.
RELATED: SEC sanctions Dallas company on claims of Harvey relief activities
But back in the 1980s, when the company was just starting to find out about the risks of C8 which it only stopped using in 2013 DuPont's scientists and executives were the only ones who knew.
Reams of internal documents were revealed in the course of the 3,550-person class action lawsuit, which settled for $671 million earlier this year. Memos and meeting minutes showed that DuPont had been repeatedly warned about the potential impacts of C8 on human health, particularly pregnant women. (Later, independent scientists found probable links between C8 contamination in Ohio and West Virginia and diseases such as ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, and testicular and kidney cancer).
However, the documents also showed that ceasing the use of C8 would be costly, and the likelihood of being found out was low.
Specifically, the University of Chicago researchers used DuPont's own financial estimates to calculate that expected profits from continuing to use C8 vastly outweighed the potential cost from any damages paid as a result of litigation, given that the chances of a lawsuit succeeding were slim.
"Currently, none of the options developed are...economically attractive and would essentially put the long-term viability of this business segment on the line," read an internal memo from 1984. "From a broader corporate viewpoint, the costs are small."
To this day, DuPont maintains that it did nothing wrong. In a statement about the University of Chicago paper provided to the Chronicle, spokesman Daniel Turner said that the C8 trials and settlement had not been decided on the basis of "actual scientific evidence" about the effects of exposure to the chemical, which is still not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
"Documents cited in the paper reflect that actions taken by DuPont, at all relevant times, were guided by the company's good faith belief that low levels of C8 exposure do not pose a health hazard," Turner said.
In recent months, corporate screwups have gained the public's attention relatively quickly think fake accounts at Wells Fargo, or the massive data breach at Equifax and resulted in severe fallout, including the firing of chief executives and enormous reputational damage.
But in the case of something like environmental contamination, public relations crises aren't inevitable. It takes decades and significant financial resources to discover and prove that a particular chemical release made people sick. (It's perhaps indicative that Arkema has refused to make its chemical inventory available to the public.)
Media attention isn't usually sustainable over that kind of timeframe, beyond which executives are usually long gone anyway. That's why, in the moment, it can make perfect sense for executives to keep engaging in risky but lucrative behavior, and for shareholders to look the other way.
"This conclusion is disturbing," write the authors, law professor Roy Shapira and economist Luigi Zingales. "If the decision to pollute is not a product of incompetence or myopic fly-by-night companies, but rather a calculated, rational decision by a reputable company, perhaps socially harmful corporate behavior is more endemic and less solvable than we acknowledge."
Shapira and Zingales do have some ideas for fixing the problem. Imposing fines for delays in disclosing harmful mistakes (or intentional wrongdoing) would lower the barriers to bringing successful legal actions. Individually prosecuting executives would make them think harder about the risk to their personal fortunes. Promoting whistleblowing and resisting gag orders on settlements would help information come to light more quickly.
Such measures would come too late for the Arkema debacle, and for the many other toxic releases that have likely resulted from the Gulf Coast's refining and petrochemical industries. But they might at least give citizens greater recourse, and down the road, shift the calculus that prompts corporations to take such risks in the first place.
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A new bar set to open in Houston's Midtown next week is expected to feature a slate of international dishes and a diverse wine menu to match.
Houston event planner Moon Jamaluddin, owner of Events by Momo, is launching Momo Food + Wine, and its ambitious small-dish menu, at 4104 Fannin Oct. 3.
A few pre-opening parties will introduce the establishment to the city, including a Sept. 28 Wine Discovery Night and an Oct. 1 industry night, where those who work in the hospitality field will be treated to a preview.
CAN'T WAIT: Houston's most anticipated bar & restaurant openings, fall/winter 2017
While Houston's Midtown is known for its active nightlife scene and bar-packed blocks, Momo Food + Wine is poised to stand out as a food-lovers destination, too.
Among some of the dishes are Nordic-inspired cured salmon dish gravlax; Indian street food jhalmuri, a spicy puffed-rice snack; a variation of Spanish dish patatas bravas, a sauce-and-cream-topped potato dish that will be served with braised beef. Also on the bites list are savory chickpea waffles with cilantro cream sauce and masa cakes with refried beans and a side of slaw.
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More Information Momo Food + Wine Where: 4104 Fannin When: Opens to the public Oct. 3, will operate Tuesday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to midnight. Contact: 832-582-6335 See More Collapse
The wine list will boast an expansive selection of reds and whites from around the world, including sips from France, Spain, Italy and some domestically-produced bottles.
"We've thoughtfully created multiple areas within the space to suit your mood on any night: a handcrafted communal bar table made of dark wood to meet new friends, small tables for an intimate conversation, a lounge area draped off for a bigger group, and a quieter outdoor porch for some fresh air," the restaurant's site shares. "Bring old friends, come make new ones."
Once open, Momo Food + Wine will operate from 3 p.m. through midnight Tuesday through Sunday.
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Fifth-generation baker Bobby Jucker is so accustomed to showering his cakes, cookies and cupcakes with rainbow-hued sprinkles that he didn't raise an eyebrow when a customer recently asked for a challah bread to be festooned with the colorful bits of candy.
"I didn't think it was that weird," said the owner of Three Brothers Bakery shops in Houston. "We just never did it before. Hey, we're changing with the times, and we'll do what people ask us to do."
Who knows what could come next? Bagels and babka wearing a shower of sprinkles? Funfetti rugelach?
It wouldn't surprise Jucker. "We've been doing sprinkles forever. They're just getting more popular these days."
Indeed, throughout the country's dessert landscape, rainbow sprinkles - whether they're small strands or tiny beads - are everywhere. And unlike the unicorn-stardust trend - doesn't Starbucks' Unicorn Frappuccino craze from the spring seem so yesterday? - sprinkles have staying power. The bakery decoration has been around since the 1930s, first used as a cake topping.
Waffles, ice cream cones, pancakes, Rice Krispies treats, fudge, taffy, popcorn, popsicles and even cocktails are now all vehicles for confetti sprinkles beyond traditional cookies, cakes, cupcakes and doughnuts. When the Cheesecake Factory restaurant chain marked National Cheesecake Day in July, it celebrated with a new cheesecake featuring layers of Funfetti cake and frosting caked with sprinkles.
Some credit pastry chef Christina Tosi of Milk Bar in New York with igniting a new wave of appreciation when her rainbow-sprinkles birthday cake made sprinkles cool again in 2008. They're photogenic, too, which helps in our Instagram- and Pinterest-fueled world.
"They're very cheerful. If you add them to almost anything, it makes people happy. Their color screams fun and celebration," said Rhoda Boone, food director for Epicurious.com. "Sprinkles are a classic, but they definitely feel like they have a moment right now."
Pastry chef Vanessa O'Donnell, owner of Houston's Ooh La La Dessert Boutique, doesn't know why sprinkles, which she calls rainbow nonpareils, are suddenly trendy - "there must be something in the air" - but she's happy to oblige. Some of her more eye-popping items involving sprinkles include a gelato milkshake, waffle cone and a cheesecake.
In her new cookbook "Erin Bakes Cake," pastry chef Erin Gardner calls sprinkles "crunchy bits of unicorn tears." She breaks down sprinkle terminology like this: Sprinkles are "long, thin" bits of sugar, starches and colorings in a thin carnauba wax shell (also called jimmies or sugar strands); nonpareils are tiny, crunchy candy balls; sugar pearls or sugar beads are larger versions of nonpareils used for decorating; and dragees are hard pearls with metallic finishes.
Whatever the term, sprinkles are clearly enjoying their current role as baking and confection darlings. Jucker said sprinkles are so popular that Three Brothers has fulfilled orders for Funfetti wedding cakes and recently introduced a quarter sheet cake covered in nonpareil baby beads.
"We've had to up our game because people notice that stuff on the internet. That's what they want. They want something different - not plain-Jane bakery stuff," Jucker said. "They want festive, they want happy."
So are sprinkles here to stay?
Pastry chef Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake Bar thinks that there might be some sprinkles-crazed over-decorating going on. As someone who has worked extensively with sprinkles - her Unicorn Bait cookies are a top seller - Masson doesn't spend a lot of time wondering how the trend will pan out.
"Maybe it has just always been in style," she said, "like a good Chanel bag and a set of pearls."
Homemade Sprinkles
Courtesy Epicurious.com
Makes about 3 cup sprinkles
cup freeze-dried raspberries
cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
teaspoon dried or powdered egg whites
Pinch of kosher salt
teaspoon lemon extract
Instructions: Pulse raspberries in a food processor until finely ground (you should have a scant cup). Sift powdered sugar and raspberry powder through a very fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl; discard raspberry seeds.
Whisk dried egg whites and 1 tablespoon warm water in a small bowl until frothy. Whisk in salt.
Pour egg white mixture into raspberry mixture and stir with a spatula until thick but fully incorporated. Stir in lemon extract. Mixture should be smooth, satiny and very thick; if it seems too stiff to stir, add teaspoon water.
Fit a pastry bag with a No. 2 round icing tip, if using. Transfer mixture to pastry bag or plastic bag (cut off 1 corner before piping to make a very small opening). Pipe long, straight lines, small hearts, dots, letters, or any other favorite shape onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
Let sit at room temperature until hardened, at least 8 hours or up to 1 day (to speed up drying, you can also bake sprinkles in a 150-degree oven 22 hours). Break sprinkles piped into lines into various lengths, if desired.
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When Biby Dykema entered the architecture industry in 1979, she stood out in boardroom meetings in more ways than one. The first female architect in Corpus Christi and one of only two women who earned an architecture degree in her class at the University of Texas at Austin, she made waves in a male-dominated industry.
Her personal style was as brazen as her ambition.
A longtime collector of fine jewelry, who is not afraid to mix vibrant colors, patterns and fabrics, Dykema has a memorable sense of style. Her new Modern Moghul line of fine jewelry is an extension of that whimsy.
"A lot of my pieces are architectural and geometric," says Dykema, who splits her time between Austin and Corpus Christi and co-owns an architecture firm with her husband, overseeing mainly commercial projects. Her jewelry design and architecture careers have "parallels that are kind of striking."
Dykema began traveling frequently to India five years ago to research what would become Modern Moghul. Half that time was spent forming a relationship with the family of male craftsmen in Jaipur who now handmake her line. With an eye for quality, stonework and craftsmanship, she experimented with the designs for years, often via video conference. "People in India are very proud of their workmanship," she says. "It's a lot like construction and going to a job site."
A result of working with one private studio rather than several manufacturers and vendors, the fine jewelry is priced well below the industry standard. Prices range from $400 to $16,000.
Dykema says her customers are worldly, with a love for travel, like herself. "Ninety percent of it is bought by women for themselves, which surprised me."
One new fall collection is made entirely of diamonds and rubies, some of which are "the size of cough drops," Dykema jokes. Another collection, made of opals, emeralds and rose buds, was inspired by nature (insects, branches, animals) and the hiking Dykema does at her vacation home in Michigan.
Dykema expects she will devote more and more time to her passion project as the brand grows. "It takes my design skills in a different direction that is really fulfilling for me," she says. "This is kind of a spinoff. And it is a lot of fun."
Modern Moghul pieces are available at Kuhl-Linscomb, 2424 W. Alabama, where Dykema will host a trunk show Oct. 19-20; modernmoghul.com.
A Liberty County grand jury has indicted a former Conroe ISD police officer on a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, stemming from a May 29 incident at her home in Raywood.
According to Liberty County Sheriff Bobby Rader, Holly Marie Matlock, 35, is accused of shooting her husband in the leg with her duty weapon during a physical altercation.
"It was determined that when Holly Matlock returned home from work, an argument started with her son," Rader said. "This disagreement led to Holly and her husband getting into a physical altercation."
According to the sheriff, when Liberty County sheriff's deputies arrived, they found the victim in the kitchen area with a gunshot wound to his leg. He was transported by Liberty County EMS to an air ambulance that carried him to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.
"At the time of this incident, Holly Matlock was a full-time Conroe ISD officer and was in uniform," the sheriff said.
Following an investigation by the sheriff's office, charges against Matlock were accepted by the Liberty County District Attorney's Office, which then presented the case to a grand jury. Matlock was indicted Sept. 20.
She was arrested and transported by sheriff's deputies to the Liberty County Jail, where she remains with bail set at $50,000.
No attorney of record is listed for Matlock at this time.
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Ever since Hurricane Harvey filled Debra Townley's home near Meyerland with 16 inches of water taking 30 years of memories with it she's noticed a change in her health.
Her voice has gone hoarse and gravely. She's tired and sore. Her husband has seemed down, even more than you'd expect for someone who's just lost everything to one of the worst storms in U.S. history.
They're both going to the doctor Friday, she said, but she's still worried about what she was exposed to and the long term effects when the swampy, bacteria-loaded water filled her home last month.
So Tuesday, the 63-year-old enrolled at Baylor College of Medicine in a study that will track the chemicals she comes in contact with as she begins the arduous process of rebuilding her life.
All it takes is a rubber bracelet around her wrist and seven days of going about her business.
"It's better to know than not," said Townley, a research coordinator at the college. "That was not clean water coming into my house."
Townley is one of about 150 Texas residents who have enrolled so far in a study aimed at cataloging the amount of chemicals they are exposed to and the potential health impacts as a result of contamination related to Harvey, be it from the 13 Superfund sites in and near Houston, the oil and gas refineries or the millions of gallons of sewage that leaked from wastewater treatment plants.
The silicone bracelets, which look like the Livestrong bracelets worn by many in the early 2000s, were developed at Oregon State University about five years ago to mimic the absorption process of a human cell. The wristbands' porous material can trap more than 1,500 organic chemicals, such as pesticides, benzene and flame retardants, that it and its wearer come in contact with, said Kim Anderson, an environmental chemist in OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences.
"It's almost like a sponge," Anderson said.
Oregon State officials reached out to Baylor College of Medicine after Harvey made landfall last month, with the idea of having residents wear the bracelets in the aftermath of Harvey.
Baylor jumped at the opportunity, providing an undisclosed amount of funds to start the process, said Cheryl Lyn Walker, director for Baylor College of Medicine's Center for Precision Environmental Health. Officials with UTHealth-School of Public Health and Texas A&M University also are collaborating on the project.
Researchers hope to get about $1 million in federal grant money as the study goes on, but Walker said they currently can afford to hand out only about 200 bracelets.
They began that process last week, going to areas including Baytown, east Houston, the Highlands Community and the Addicks reservoir communities, Walker said. Baylor College of Medicine employees and students, including Townley, also signed up on campus early this week.
Each resident who received a bracelet was asked to fill out a health questionnaire, submit to a nasal swab and spit sample, as well as provide a fecal sample. At the end of the seven days, participants bring their bracelet back to Baylor and officials will send them to Oregon State for analysis.
Oregon State then will provide a customized report to each participant, according to an OSU news release, as well as aggregate the findings for the overall study.
Dependent on federal funding, Walker said officials plan to stay in contact with the participants over the next six to 12 months in order to track any health changes they may experience.
This will be helpful, she said, because researchers don't know for sure the effects of that kind of exposure.
Researchers think that "the closer you are to a flooded site with hazardous chemicals, you are more at risk," Walker said. "The reason this is so valuable is because we don't know that that's what is actually occurring. So we're going to find out."
Scientists likely will get a lot of data from Townley, who currently is camping in her backyard. Her home is uninhabitable, she said, and the family lost nearly everything, with exception of their trucks.
She expects to be camping for the next six months as they rebuild, she said.
"Anything that can be restored, we're restoring," she said. "But a lot of things you just have to let go."
She's hopeful her health isn't one of those things.
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As Harris County officials push to prevent another Harvey-like catastrophe, members of the Houston congressional delegation introduced legislation to require more oversight of water-retention basins and dams.
"We've had three 500-year events in two years," said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Monday in a nearly hour-long news conference offering storm recovery updates. "I don't think there's any question right now that everybody believes that flood control is the most important thing for our region."
In Washington, a bipartisan group of congressmen unveiled a bill to increase flood-related reporting by federal and local agencies.
READ ALSO: One month later, Houston continues to recover from Hurricane Harvey
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The Texas Flood Accountability Act of 2017 would require entities including the Army Corps of Engineers, San Jacinto River Authority and the city of Houston to submit a report within 90 days for all dams, reservoirs, lakes and other water-retention facilities in southeast Texas.
The bill requires divulging water capacity, overflow levels and notification processes during flood emergencies. Agencies would also be required to provide recommendations to prevent future unplanned releases of water. Failure to comply would result in federal funding losses. The bill's sponsors are Republican U.S. Reps. Ted Poe, Brian Babin and John Culberson with Democratic U.S. Reps. Al Green and Gene Green.
The Army Corps opened the overflowing Addicks and Barker reservoirs for "controlled releases" during last month's storm, which caused flooding downstream that some blame for lives lost. The San Jacinto River Authority unfastened Lake Conroe's floodgates and inundated northeast Houston's Kingwood community.
READ ALSO: New maps show just how contaminated Houston surface water was
As debris removal begins amid home buyout discussions and long-term flood mitigation preparations, so have recalculations. Harris County officials now have more clarity about the historic nature of Harvey.
The storm dropped enough water to register as a 25,000-year event and maybe even a deluge seen every 50,000 years, according to Harris County Flood Control District meteorologist Jeff Lindner. In four days, the county averaged 33.5 inches of rain and 69 percent of its usual annual rainfall.
Those numbers mean the definition of a 50-year or 100-year flood must be recalculated, officials said.
Taking a hard look
The county's property-tax funding model, legislative efforts to suppress tax increases and where developers are allowed to build homes also must be reconsidered, Emmett said.
"Clearly, we've got to go back and look at what our floodplains are and make adjustments. But more importantly, we are going to have to look at spending serious amounts of money from the federal, state and local level in new reservoirs," the county judge said. "We've got to do all the buyouts (of properties). And then we've got to take a hard look at what our rules and regulations are relative to development."
The flood control district already had four federal flood relief construction projects in progress on Clear Creek, Brays, White Oak and Hunting bayous.
Emmett waded further into politics by noting that the biennial state legislative session won't start until 2019 but stressed the urgency of funding beyond property taxes and local autonomy in spending. Nearly 2 million people live in unincorporated Harris County.
"For an urban county like ours, we need to find some other way of having revenue come to the county," he said. "Hopefully, we're over this issue of the state telling local governments, flood control districts and everything else: 'We want to hold down your revenue to just the bare minimum.'"
Flood control district executive director Russ Poppe said the agency is working with Houston officials to determine the number of homes that flooded from the intentional releases.
"We do know it's probably several thousand," he said. "There were homes that were already flooding just from what Mother Nature put in the Buffalo Bayou watershed before they even started to make their releases."
Communication gap
The county judge also acknowledged a communication gap between Harris County officials and the San Jacinto River Authority.
"We weren't really that involved in it at all," Emmett said. "Was it just a Montgomery County perspective that Harris County paid the price for?"
In the last two decades, mostly with FEMA, Harris County has acquired about 3,000 parcels through voluntary and mandatory buyouts, Poppe said. Since Harvey, more than 3,000 residents have inquired about buyouts, he added, and "a good number" live near the Addicks and Barker reservoirs.
FEMA grants for those purchases, flowing through state and local agencies, could take nine months to a year to reach homeowners. Poppe said the flood control district has been "advocating very strongly" for immediate funding "before significant reinvestment is made back in these homes."
Generally, a home qualifies for a buyout if the residence has a flood insurance policy, is located in the 100-year flood plain and has past flood damage, he said.
Harris County is responsible for debris removal in unincorporated areas as well as three cities: South Houston, Shoreacres and Hunters Creek Village.
Crews will collect at each address three times. The first pass will happen in the first three or four months, said Harris County Engineer John R. Blount.
Alex Stuckey contributed to this report.
It started with a routine traffic stop.
Police spotted the stolen car zooming along U.S. 59 near Greenbriar in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, and flipped on their flashing lights.
Officer Nestor Garcia, a rookie cop with the Houston Police Department, walked around the side of the patrol car to issue commands to the suspect pulled over on the darkened highway.
But as he did, a driver in a Toyota Highlander plowed into the 24-year-old officer just after 2 a.m. at speeds of 50 to 60 mph, dragging him along the roadway and only narrowly avoiding other lawmen, according to Chief Art Acevedo.
"There is no excuse for this crash to have happened," Acevedo told reporters outside Memorial Hermann Hospital as surgeons struggled to save the Bayou City native from critical injuries to his head and body. "It is not a crash this is a person that acted with an abandoned heart."
Robert Zimmerman, a 79-year-old local Realtor, was later charged with intoxicated assault of a public servant, though police said tests were still pending Wednesday morning.
As investigators searched the Toyota, police and family members swarmed the hospital waiting for word on Garcia's condition.
There was plenty of cause for concern. The young officer had suffered head trauma, a pelvic fracture, and kidney and liver damage any of which would have been a serious injury on its own, Acevedo pointed out.
As the day progressed, worry turned to gratitude after Garcia pulled through an hours-long surgery and regained consciousness, flashing a thumbs up from his hospital bed.
"I think we're watching a miracle," Acevedo said afterward, even as he put out a call for blood donations for the ailing officer.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, a longtime Garcia family friend, echoed Acevedo's sense of relief.
"The encouraging thing is he seems to be responsive, and he is showing some awareness, some of the basic mental faculties you look for," Gonzalez said. "These things are dynamic, and the human body is so sensitive and things can change, but the fact he seemed to respond to the surgery is a very positive sign."
The oldest son of Mexican immigrants from Michoacan, Garcia grew up in a blue-collar family.
Born and raised in Houston, he started work as a machinist after graduating from high school.
But he wanted to forge a better life for himself and his loved ones. So Garcia went into the police academy, graduating in August 2016.
"It was a way for him to serve," Gonzalez said.
It was also a move that worried his parents, though they reconciled themselves to the constant risk in light of their son's love for his work, Acevedo said.
"We know that he gets great joy out of making a difference to the community," the parents told Acevedo Wednesday. "And if that brings him joy it brings us joy and we're putting everything in God's hands."
Since donning the uniform, he'd become well-liked, and his co-workers jokingly dubbed him Nacho in reference to the title character of a Jack Black comedy about a Mexican luchador.
"He's an example of what makes this great, vibrant, diverse city so great," Acevedo said.
Now, as Garcia fights to recover, police are working to resolve unanswered questions regarding the wreck. Zimmerman was alone in the car at the time, police said, though investigators collected conflicting statements as to where he'd come from before.
No one answered the door at a recent address listed for the longtime Texan, who's had a state Realtor license since at least 1982, according to online records. Most recently, he worked with Trendsetter Realty offices, confirmed a woman who answered the phone Wednesday. Police said he has no criminal history in Harris County.
And, even as they waited for toxicology results, officials vowed to seek justice for the injured officer.
"Anybody driving this recklessly in Houston and causes this kind of damage is going to be arrested and prosecuted," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said Wednesday. "This was really a needless tragedy."
Meanwhile, Acevedo spoke out against impaired driving and cautioned Houstonians to slow down when police vehicles are on the highways.
"If you see those emergency lights on a highway, on a street, that does not mean enter that scene at 50 or 60 miles per hour because you're putting people at risk," he said. "Our officer should not be right here fighting for his life."
Starting roughly two decades ago, a slew of traffic stop fatalities and roadside injuries sparked the passage of so-called Move Over laws forcing drivers to give a wider berth to first responders. South Carolina was the first to kick off the legislative trend when the state approved a 1996 measure following the death of a paramedic who was hit while responding to a crash. The Lone Star State got its own Move Over Act in 2003.
Still, 38 officers have died in traffic accidents nationwide this year, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which tracks officer fatalities. It's not clear how many of those fatalities resulted from roadside traffic stops.
"Anytime a law enforcement officer has to exit their vehicle, whether working traffic enforcement, aiding a motorist, or perhaps attending and watching over construction on a roadway, they're putting themselves in harm's way," said Steve Groeninger, the memorial fund's communications director. "Motorists following 'move over' laws is one way we can help protect officers while they're working on roadways."
The Wednesday morning wreck shuttered parts of the roadway for hours and left fellow officers "pretty shaken up," Acevedo said. But Houston officials and law enforcement rallied around their ailing comrade.
"He was doing his job when this accident happened," said Mayor Sylvester Turner at a press conference. "We were appreciative of him before. We're going to be very supportive of him now."
But while Garcia recovers in the hospital, the driver suspected of stealing the car that started it all is out free.
Although the vehicle had been reported stolen a few days before the traffic stop, police weren't able to get in touch with the car's owner so prosecutors did not accept charges.
"The driver was released at the scene," said police spokesman Kese Smith. "That does not preclude us from pressing charges at a later date."
James Pinkerton and Brian Rogers contributed to this report.
Harris County Commissioners Court voted to spend $20 million to purchase more than 200 homes that flooded during Hurricane Harvey in an attempt to dramatically speed up the buyout process in the devastating storm's aftermath.
Commissioners agreed to spend county funds to jump-start what typically is a months-long process of applying for federal grants even as some area owners have yet to move back in to their damaged homes.
County officials hope to close on at least some home purchases by the end of October before residents engage in costly repairs and upgrades required by county regulations.
"We want to get to the people sooner rather than later," Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said Tuesday. "We're taking a more active stance."
The plan includes purchasing 206 homes in floodplains across unincorporated portions of the county that were substantially damaged during Harvey's record-breaking deluge and destruction, including clusters along Cypress Creek, Greens Bayou and the San Jacinto River.
The buyout program approved Tuesday comes as local officials discuss ways to sharply escalate flood control initiatives in Harvey's wake. During the storm, up to 52 inches of rain fell across the county, causing billions of dollars of damage, flooding an estimated 136,000 homes and structures, and killing more than 70 people across the state.
Earlier this month, Emmett called for a wide-ranging re-examination of local flood control efforts. Ideas he suggested be considered include the revival of a long-dormant plan to build a third reservoir to collect stormwater in northwest Harris County, spending millions of dollars on levees and bayous, large-scale property buyouts and the possible creation of a multicounty flood control district.
Buyouts have been a focal point of county flood control efforts in recent years as decades of Houston's growth in flood-prone areas pose a particular problem for local officials. The first comprehensive floodplain maps were not drawn until the mid 1980s when some 2.7 million people already lived in the county.
The Harris County Flood Control District estimates nearly 180,000 homes and structures are inside "100-year" floodplains, areas that would flood in the event of a 100-year storm - a storm so severe that it has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year.
Harvey, the Tax Day floods in 2016, and the Memorial Day floods in 2015 all surpassed rainfall levels of a "500-year" storm - 0.2 percent chance of occurring in any given year - in at least some parts of the county.
More buyouts to come
Commissioners Court unanimously approved the $20 million buyout initiative, the first attempted since Harvey first came ashore a month ago, at their meeting Tuesday.
"It's just the tip of the iceberg of what needs to be done," said Jim Blackburn, an environmental lawyer and co-director of Rice University's center for Severe Storm Prediction, Education, and Evacuation from Disasters.
Emmett said Tuesday it is likely the county and other jurisdictions will conduct more buyouts in Harvey's wake, a departure from the county's traditionally slower, piecemeal approach over the years.
It typically takes months or even years for local governments to apply for and get federal grants for buyouts. Earlier this month, Commissioners Court voted to ask the federal government for $17 million to purchase 104 homes at the highest risk of flooding, based on data from 2015 and 2016. The earliest the county could see those funds is in 2018.
Since the flood control district began administering a buyout program in the mid 1980s, about 3,000 homes have been purchased.
The district prioritizes 65 areas, including 5,500 parcels of land, across the county that it says would be conducive to buyouts, such as homes that are two feet or deeper in the 100-year floodplain.
About 3,300 of those parcels have homes on them.
Every one of those priority areas flooded during Harvey, district officials said. Buying all of the homes targeted by the county before Harvey would cost about $650 million, according to county estimates.
Officials would not say where each of the buyouts proposed Tuesday is located, noting that homeowners have not yet agreed to sell. Homeowners could refuse to sell and opt, instead, to elevate their homes at least 1 feet above the base flood level, per county regulations.
County officials said they hope the $20 million will be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency or another federal or state agency. Certain FEMA programs require that homes being bought out carry flood insurance, so the 206 homes targeted Tuesday all have flood insurance.
Hoping to speed process
Harris County Engineer John Blount said the county is focusing on areas in unincorporated Harris County, where just under half of the county's population lives.
Houston Housing and Community Development Director Tom McCasland said the city is working with the flood control district to conduct 60 buyouts in the Braeburn Glen, Langwood and Glenburnie neighborhoods - a program initiated after the Memorial Day 2015 floods. Those buyouts would be funded with $10 million from the city's Community Development grant funds.
McCasland said all the neighborhoods flooded during Harvey.
"As additional areas are identified, we're going to be working with the mayor and City Council," McCasland said.
FEMA officials also have expressed interest in speeding up buyouts of homes that repeatedly flood. FEMA spokesman Peter Herrick said Tuesday evening that the agency was still working out how to speed up the process.
Typically, Herrick said, the state forwards FEMA a list of projects compiled from local government requests to be considered.
"It's not uncommon for that not to happen for a little bit," Herrick said, stating that officials likely still would be focused on getting people aid.
The county buyout initiative was approved Tuesday during Commissioners Court's mid-year budget review. Uncertainty over how Harvey's damage will affect property tax revenue has county officials bracing for spending reductions of up to 5 percent of department budgets.
Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted in favor of keeping the county's overall property tax rate - 62.9 cents per $100 of assessed value - the same. Commissioners are scheduled to adopt the tax rate at the Oct. 10 meeting.
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AUSTIN--With thousands of untested rape kits sitting in Texas crime labs, state lawmakers in May gave final approval to adding a donation box to the Texas driver's license application form to raise the money to test DNA evidence that could help solve sexual assault cases.
Lawmakers predicted that the crowdfunding effort would raise $1 million a year for the tests. "We wanted to come up with a creative idea to generate funding to address the thousands of untested rape kits in our state," Rep. Victoria Neave, D-Dallas, who authored the bill, said in an interview.
But a review of earlier efforts by the state to use donation boxes on license forms suggests the state may have a hard time raising $1 million a year to test the evidence. Some other efforts to raise funds via driver license applications have fallen fall short of that amount, raising concerns about whether the rape kit funding effort can reach its goals.
When victims of sexual assault go to the hospital, forensic evidence is taken from their bodies to help identify and prosecute their assailant. The kits then go to forensics labs or law enforcement departments. Kits can often sit on shelves for years because of the high costs associated with testing the evidence.
It can cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000 to run the test.
As of Aug. 31, nearly 2,000 sexual assault kits collected prior to 2011 remain untested. It's unclear how many more kits have not been tested since 2011 because the Department of Public Safety does not track sexual assault kits at all government-operated labs in Texas.
"To go through an invasive four- to six-hour exam, and then to have that evidence sitting there untested makes me so mad," Neave said.
This week, a former Houston woman filed suit against the city of Houston and a long list of city officials for failing to test rape kits. A victim of a 2011 sexual assault in Houston, DeJenay Beckwith claims in a federal civil rights lawsuit that her perpetrator could have been apprehended and prosecuted if officials had kept on top of the massive backlog of DNA samples in the city's possession.
Donations to other funds
The Joyful Heart Foundation, a victims' advocacy organization, notes that Texas once had nearly 19,000 untested rape kits, more than any other state. In 2011, the state passed several comprehensive reform efforts, including requiring law enforcement agencies to send all newly collected kits to a crime lab for testing within 30 days.
But funding to pay for untested kits remains scarce. In 2017, the state allocated $4.2 million to the Department of Public Safety cut down on the backlog. Neave said that won't be enough. That's why she and her staff wanted to find a way to help.
"We wanted to come up with a creative idea to generate funding to address the thousands of untested rape kits in our state," she said. "We saw that had worked in other instances, like generating money for veterans, so that's where we got the idea."
The governor's office estimated Neave's crowd sourcing could raise $1 million. But only one fund currently on a driver's application has raised that much money.
The Blindness Education, Screening and Treatment program, aimed at raising money for vision screenings, generates just over $300,00 a year. A fund to maintain the organ donor registry has received about $500,000 a year.
The governor's office used the Veteran's Assistance Fund to estimate how much the state could generate from a donation field. In fiscal year 2016, that fund received just over $1 million, more funding than the other two combined.
State staff used the veteran's fund to come up with their estimates because of the language used to ask Texans how much they want to donate, a spokesman with the governor's office said.
On a driver's license application, people can write in how much they want to donate to the veteran's fund. Until this year, people were only asked to donate $1 to the blindness and donate life funds.
In September, the application form also had a blank space to donate more than $1 to the donate life fund.
The governor's office did not base its estimates on anything else, according to the fiscal note.
Some lawmakers and others say those donating to the veteran's fund may not donate to a fund to test rape kits because the two organization serve very different purposes.
'Ready to contribute'
Suzy Miller, the executive director of Donate Life Texas, the organ registry, said the organization has never come close to raising $1 million.
"The organizations that are on the form are varied," Miller said. "They all serve different missions, and they may speak to each person individually."
Neave said regardless of how the estimates were conducted, she is confident that Texans will help pay to reduce the backlog of untested kits. Any amount the donations generate will "make a difference."
"I am hopeful that this program will generate $1 million or more," she said. "That is going to depend on our community. In talking about this issue, people are ready to contribute."
Rep. Joe Moody, a Democrat from El Paso and the chairman of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, said adding the donation field to a driver's license application does not absolve the state from allocating resources to end its backlog, but he said Neave's efforts are a "creative way" to alleviate the costs.
"I am hoping the numbers that were used are going to be spot on," Moody said. "Any amount of revenue that is generated from this program is a move in the right direction. It's certainly not a silver bullet, but it goes a long way in alleviating the backlog."
If J.J. Watt asked you to give him four bucks for a Hurricane Harvey relief fund, would you scoff and call him "tone deaf?"
Of course not. More than 200,000 people gladly gave their money to Watt's wildly successful relief fund, forking over a jaw-dropping $37 million. God bless them all.
But when Mayor Sylvester Turner asks for a temporary tax hike after Harvey that would cost the average homeowner about $4-a-month, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt calls him "callous' and "beyond tone deaf." No surprise there, because Bettencourt has built a successful political career out of opposing tax increases. But fighting this negligible surcharge to help pay the bills after a natural disaster is just flat wrong.
Let's remember not only what our city's police officers, firefighters and public works employees went through during the storm, but also what it will cost. First responders worked sleepless days and nights rescuing Houstonians trapped in floodwaters, saving countless citizens - and earning still untold hours of overtime pay. On top of that, anybody who's driven through inundated neighborhoods can attest that the city government faces a massive debris clean-up bill. Those are just a couple of the most obvious expenses unexpectedly dumped on the city along with Harvey's rainfall.
Turner first brought up the temporary tax hike plan two weeks ago in a meeting with the Chronicle editorial board, proposing an emergency 8.9 percent increase to help Houston recover from Hurricane Harvey. That would have brought the city's tax rate back up where it was four years ago, before a voter-imposed limit on property tax collections started forcing rate cuts. Turner later lowered his request by half, saying that an infusion of federal emergency funds cut the amount the city needs to collect from local taxpayers.
Of course, the mayor could have danced around this fiscal obligation. He could have floated the idea of a bond issue to cover hurricane clean-up costs, basically borrowing the money and dumping the debt on another generation of taxpayers. But putting these expenses on a credit card would have been financially irresponsible.
An emergency and temporary tax hike, which is allowed under the city's revenue cap, would cost the average homeowner about $50 for one year. Unless your blood boils about the idea of any tax increase under any circumstance, that's not an unreasonable price to pay for cleaning up after the biggest natural disaster in Houston's history. And yet, some people who apparently think storm debris will just magically disappear from our streets are against it.
A moment like this in Houston's history calls for builders, not obstructionists. After the Great Storm of 1900, Galveston County decided to spend the money to build a seawall. The Texas Legislature then agreed to a combination of tax abatements and bond sales financing a massive project that literally lifted up most of the city. Congressman Tom Ball reacted to the 1900 storm with a persistence that led the local and federal governments to finance the dredging of the Houston Ship Channel, a visionary act that sealed our city's destiny.
That's how great leaders respond to a crisis like the natural disaster that has befallen Houston. Instead of scoring political points by appealing to a loud crowd of anti-tax activists, we urge Houston city councilmembers to support the mayor's proposed temporary tax hike. It's justified, it's reasonable and it's fiscally responsible.
If J.J. Watt can raise $37 million from around the world to help our city rebuild, we're confident most Houston taxpayers are more than willing to do their part. Our elected officials should have the courage to lead the way.
Leide thought the powder was a toy - and then it killed her.
Her uncle owned a scrap yard in Goiania, Brazil, and one day he found among the garbage a bizarre capsule that glowed with a seemingly supernatural blue hue. Curious about the object, he showed it off to friends and neighbors. His six-year-old niece, Leide das Neves Ferreira, was fascinated by the luminescent material and covered herself with it like fingerpaint.
But the substance was no art supply or broken glow stick - it was radioactive caesium that had been stolen from an abandoned hospital.
Four people eventually succumbed to radiation poisoning, including Leide, and more than 100 others suffered from internal contamination.
This story of the infamous 1987 Goiania accident remains a worst-case scenario for unsecured industrial materials leaking out into cities and towns.
As we look out at the citywide sandbox that Harvey's floodwaters deposited throughout Houston, everyone should be wondering what dangerous materials now lurk under Buffalo Bayou Park's newfound swirling dunes and the neighborhood yards transformed to sandy beaches.
This mystery sand looks soft and attractive and families may be tempted to reach for their beach umbrellas or shovels. What kid wouldn't want to build a sandcastle or bury a friend?
But please heed this warning: Wait for scientists to test the sand and determine whether it is safe.
The floodwaters were undeniably toxic, according to experts, and limited testing of sediment located in inundated properties along Buffalo Bayou found elevated levels of E. coli, arsenic, chromium, cadmium and lead.
E. coli can make people seriously ill. Exposure to lead and heavy metals can cause long-term neurological damage and other health problems. A Kingwood woman died Monday after being infected with flesh-eating bacteria from floodwaters.
Harvey's deluge could have picked up and carried any number of dangerous or deadly substances. Industrial sites around Houston were wrecked by rain. Some older buildings painted with lead paint were submerged for days. Floodwaters inundated gas stations and their tanks of petroleum products.
Texans deserve to know what, exactly, is in the sand that's blanketed our city. Responsibility is supposed to fall on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state agency in charge of protecting the public from contaminants in the environment, to sample the sediment in flooded areas and to provide guidance.
So far, the TCEQ has punted. The commission is only testing the sediment near known hazardous sites or industrial facilities, Andrew Keese, a media spokesperson told Chronicle reporter Allyn West. For the time being, we're left in the dark about our homes and parks.
Thankfully, Rice University Professor Lauren Stadler is stepping up to study the chemical and microbial contaminants left behind from Harvey's wake with funding from the National Science Foundation. Buffalo Bayou Partnership has also begun testing the sediment inside the park.
Young children, with developing brains and bodies, spend their days at our parks, school playgrounds and backyards. They run barefoot, get dirt on their skinned knees and sometimes even put their mud-caked hands into their mouths. For the sake for these children and their future, Houston might have to remove this contaminated topsoil.
Houstonians should hope that the government - local, state and federal - would not hesitate to spend whatever it takes to keep our kids safe. However, the delays and lack of funding to replace the lead pipes in Flint, Mich., or the dioxin at the San Jacinto waste pits, shows that we can't always count on politicians to do the right thing. Add the TCEQ to that list of government bad actors.
Until we have more information, Houstonians must be wary of Harvey's sandbox.
This lingering threat is just one of the many consequences and dangers brought by uncontained floods. Each grain of sand should remind Congress of the need for a robust Harvey recovery bill that includes environmental cleanup and flood prevention infrastructure. How we respond will be written up in the history books, and we can't let Houston become a worst-case scenario.
After Hurricane Harvey, many property owners in Houston had problems resulting from the high winds and wind-driven rains associated with the storm. These ranged from leaking windows to loss of shingles to failure of other items making up the waterproof envelope of the building. These failures, some suggest, were due to poor construction quality and builders' reliance on cheap, unskilled labor.
As a residential design engineer who's been involved in construction in the Houston area since the late '70s, I would offer a simple solution: Enforce the building codes.
Let's take an in-depth look at one specific issue - window leaks.
Windows are designed, manufactured and certified to meet a certain design pressure -that is, the pressure exerted on the window by wind. The building code requires windows bear a label showing the design pressure as well as the maximum allowable size.
In order for a window to work in a particular house at a particular location, four things need to happen. They are: 1) Determine the wind loads on the windows; 2) Specify a window that is designed to resist those loads; 3) Determine exactly how the window needs to be installed to resist those loads; and 4) Go out and inspect the window installation to make sure the correct window made it to the job and is installed correctly.
The city of Houston is in a region where "wind design" is required by the building codes.
Basically, this means an engineer should be involved in the entire structural design. That engineer must determine the wind pressure on all elements of the structure and ensure the various components and cladding materials selected are designed and tested to meet those pressures. While that addresses the first two steps described above, it leaves open the question of who is going to inspect those items.
I recently contacted a company whose workers installed the overhead doors on a house in Houston and asked them why the doors were not labeled with the design wind pressure and why they did not provide the installation drawing so we could verify the installation was correct. The vendor's reply was, "It's in Houston." When I pushed back, I was told they never provide that information for jobs in Houston. When I asked about the pressure rating of the door, I was told it was not rated. I pointed out this was a clear violation of the building code, but all I got was a shrug in response. The City doesn't enforce the code so the vendors don't worry about complying with the code.
Now, in fairness to the city inspectors, they never get a chance to inspect items such as window or door installation, the exterior sheathing on walls, the roof decking or the roof covering.
Typically, all of those items are covered and not accessible when the City inspector arrives. A proper inspection program to ensure compliance with the wind load requirements of the code should include all of these items and requires at least five or six inspections. Most municipalities only perform three.
So, what's the answer? The city of Houston should do the same thing the state of Texas did when it realized it could never inspect all of the structures the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association was insuring along the coast.
Texas required the structures be designed and inspected by licensed engineers. At the completion of construction, the responsible engineer submits documentation certifying the wind load aspects of the building codes have been met.
The city of Houston should do the same thing. That would have a real and immediate impact on the quality of residential construction.
Boswell is a professional engineer licensed to practice in Texas. He has been appointed by the Texas Department of Insurance to engineer and inspect structures for compliance with the Texas Windstorm Building Code.
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The Western Hemisphere has taken major strides in recent years to confront endemic challenges of violence and insecurity. Even in the face of such efforts, the levels of crime in the region continue to reflect alarming trends and to threaten the very foundations of peaceful societies. Latin America, with just over 8 percent of the world's population, bears the unenviable distinction of being plagued with a homicide rate that is at least three times the global average. Between 2000 and 2016, more than 2.5 million people were murdered throughout the Americas. For many of these nations, the staggering levels of crime pose the greatest risk to economic and social development and even to the stability of their democracies.
The crime rates in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, three Central American countries better known collectively as the "Northern Triangle," are the basis of grave concern. This region has seen 50,000 murders over the past three years alone, with authorities estimating the existence within their combined borders of some 85,000 active gang members. In the last decade, almost 3 million of their nationals, mostly women and children, have fled in search of a safer and brighter future elsewhere. Although the nature of violence varies from country to country, they all share common destabilizing factors among which are endemic poverty, rampant transnational crime, and hardened conflict between rival gangs, elements which combine to wreak havoc on the state of fragile democracies.
When large-scale floods occur, nursing homes and assisted living providers often face an agonizingly difficult decision. They can keep their fragile residents in their buildings - known as sheltering in place - and hope high waters do not enter their facilities. Or they can attempt to move residents out of the facility, an action sure to confuse and jeopardize the safety of the vulnerable persons in their care.
This is what confronted long-term care providers all along the Gulf Coast bracing for Hurricane Harvey, which eventually dumped an unprecedented 50 inches of rain on the region, overwhelming local, state and federal emergency responders.
Harvey devastated more than 43 counties, forcing the evacuation of more than 100 nursing homes and affecting more than 4,000 nursing facility and assisted-living residents. Other providers - working closely with local authorities - sheltered in place.
At any of these facilities, there are countless stories of staff heroics, as nurses and staff prioritized their residents' care over their own families and personal property. Even staff in areas unaffected by Harvey stepped up to lend a hand, making space for residents who needed to be evacuated. They pulled together as an industry and worked closely with local, state and emergency officials, and they can't be thanked enough for the long hours and dedication.
However, that's not the story being told. Instead, both social and traditional media have focused on the unfortunate events that occurred as part of one facility's efforts to evacuate their residents in a city that took on over 26 inches of rain in 24 hours, days after the hurricane had made landfall. According to the city manager, the entire city was under water, and some emergency shelters had to be evacuated because of the historic flooding.
In my 23 years in long-term care, I have never known anyone working in a facility who would stand by carelessly as residents suffered. They were placed in a position no one wants to be in as they sought to do what they believed was right for their residents.
One of the untold stories of Texas' response to Hurricane Harvey is the hard work and sacrifice made by staff in dozens of affected long-term care facilities. Many didn't leave their facilities for multiple days, getting little rest and trying not to think about what was happening to their own homes and property. They often had to entrust the care of their own loved ones to others.
Long-term care providers follow the orders of local authorities regarding the need for mandatory evacuation. However, when a mandatory evacuation has not been called, these facilities are faced with determining the best course of action for their residents. Unfortunately, the information available is not always clear, and the planning and preparation made doesn't always align with the circumstances presented. It can be a very complex decision, even in the best of circumstances.
When determining whether to shelter in place or evacuate, issues such as external risks and exposure for the residents and staff must be evaluated, as well as the availability of support resources at the time the need for evacuation arises. All of these and other factors must be weighed against the first option: shelter in place. The health and safety of long-term care residents is the top priority of any skilled nursing facility.
Past large-scale disasters, like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy, taught the country many lessons on emergency preparedness. We should look closely at how we can learn from the successes and challenges faced in Florida and Texas.
With the support of families and local communities, long-term care providers are taking care of their residents as well as residents from other facilities in the affected region against incredible odds. I am proud of the efforts of nursing home staff who selflessly did whatever it took to ensure the safety of their residents in extremely difficult situations. Let's not lose sight of those efforts either.
And as Texas comes together to heal and to rebuild, let us learn and ensure that we are always prepared moving forward.
Kevin Warren is the president and CEO of the Texas Health Care Association, which advocates for better long-term care for Texas seniors.
Missouri State University announced in August that MSU-West Plains Chancellor Drew A. Bennett will retire at the end of the spring 2018 semester.
Matt Morris, vice president for administrative services on the Springfield campus, will lead the search committee to replace Bennett.
Missouri State President Clif Smart announced the members of the search committee:
Matt Morris, Chair
Amy Ackerson, West Plains faculty
Bruce Cavitt, West Plains staff
Josh Cotter, West Plains community
Kay Garrett, West Plains community/West Plains faculty emeritus
Emily Gibson, West Plains community
Jennifer Moore, West Plains community
Jill Patterson, System Title IX officer
Rajiv Thakur, West Plains faculty
Angela Totty, West Plains staff
Jerry Trick, West Plains faculty
Madison Wiehe, West Plains student
Kelly Wood, Springfield faculty
This will be a national search aided by a reputable search firm, which will be announced.
An online survey, www.wp.missouristate.edu/chancellor-search, is available to gather input in the selection of the new chancellor. All interested parties are invited to complete the survey. The survey will close on Oct. 16.
Smart will meet with the search committee on Oct. 25 on the West Plains campus. He will share his vision and charge for the search with the committee.
Following the search committee meeting, the West Plains campus and community are invited to a town hall meeting from 2 to 3 p.m. in Melton Hall Room112.
Based on results from the survey, Smart will share attributes the campus and community would like to see in the next chancellor.
Smart said he hopes to have a new chancellor selected by spring 2018.
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At the meeting, the Lao official briefed her host on recent social-economic affairs in Laos, and cooperation between the commission and its Vietnamese partner.
She also talked about outcomes of the talks with her Vietnamese counterpart Hoang Binh Quan, which took place earlier the same day.
The talks saw the two sides discussing past collaboration and measures to implement agreements sealed by Party and Government leaders. On the occasion, Sounthone Sayachac, on behalf of the Lao Party and Government, presented the Lao Freedom and Friendship orders to the Vietnamese Party Central Committee Commission for External Relations for its contributions to Vietnam - Lao special solidarity.
Sounthone Sayachac told Trong that her agency is committed to working closely with the Vietnamese equivalent body in carrying out joint projects and the parties agreements, particularly in exchanging information and experience, and in monitoring performances of relevant agencies toward effective implementation of the agreements.
Praising outcomes of the talks, Party General Secretary Trong highlighted contributions of the two agencies to enhancing Vietnam - Laos comprehensive cooperation.
He said the commissions have effectively coordinated activities in celebration of the two countries solidarity and friendship year 2017.
Vietnam will do its bests to work with Laos in preserving and fostering the special solidarity in an extensive, practical, and efficient manner and over sectors, he noted.
The Party leader called on both sides to continue supporting each other in the execution of their respective Parties Congress resolutions.
While in Vietnam, the Lao officials will have a fact-finding tour of central Da nang city and visit several economic and culture establishments there, among scheduled activities./.
Kicked out of the UK! Our visas were done. Two years in London was life changing but our livers, wallets and bodies needed a rest. Not ready to go home, this New Zealand/Australian couple decided to move to Dublin.
Rent is ridiculously priced in Dublin even compared to London. You're looking at around 1000 a month for student house plus bills! In the last three months we managed to save 3000 on rent and pay no bills, however, most importantly we can afford more cheese and wine.
We just finished looking after two Chihuahuas, one Chinese Crested (the hairless type) and a Whippet. This house sit was a huge beautiful house and we were in the most affluent suburb of Dublin, where Anya & Bono were our neighbours.
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Jay with the crew on Killiney Beach. L -R Lance, Bruno, Norrie & Luca - Author's Own
House sitting is starting to gain popularity these days. It's a fantastic service that both pet/homeowners and couples/individuals can benefit from. These are some of the questions and queries we get most.
1. Do I Need a House Sitting Reference?
Like everything these days, reviews and references are everything. Before any homeowner contacts you to be their house sitter, they will want to read reviews. This is a hard one when you are first starting out and you need to get creative. Try using Skype, they tend to get a really good feel for you.
After a Skype interview offer to send them written references from other sources. We found the following were helpful references:
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Family or friends whose pets you have experience with
Airbnb References
Workplace References
References from commendable figures
Lance & Bruno Loving That Late Afternoon Sun - Author's Own
2. Genuinely Love Animals
This is the golden rule. Most house sits out there are focused around the pets. Pets are an important part of most families and most get treated like royalty.
Putting pets into pet hotels is horribly expensive and generally is extremely stressful to the animal. Pet sitting lets animals stay comfortable in their own environment and stick to their normal routine.
3. Do You Need Police/Government Criminal Record Check?
Head to your local government or police website and order a Criminal Record Check (or your country's similar version). You will be living in someone's house with all their valuable possessions in, it allows both parties to feel more comfortable. Most countries these days will send you a physical and email copy.
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4. Where's The Best Places To Find A Gig?
There is a tonne of websites out there to link homeowners and house sitters together. The two main ones that we use are listed below. Both of these charges a yearly fee but are definitely worth it, there are some really amazing houses and locations on them!
Trusted House Sitters
Mind My House
Housesitsearch is another awesome website. They gather all the house sits and display them in one easy location, which can save you searching all the sites
5. Self-Advertise:
Again with advertising creativity is key. Think outside the box;
Create yourself some leaflets and do letterbox drops. make posters and put them up on supermarket notice boards, cafes, yoga studios and community centres.
As always make sure you are on all social media platforms and you are constantly updating and networking. You never know what platforms your next house sit will come from
6. Do A Pet First Aid Course:
Again we can't stress how important it is to genuinely love and truly want to care for animals. The last thing you want to happen while looking after a family's furry friend is for something bad to happen. Find your local Pet First Aider's and do a course. Generally, they are a one day course and will only cost around 100.
7. Apply, Apply, Apply:
Once you are all signed up, start applying for as many house sits as you can! House sitting is getting popular so you need to be prompt and stand out with your applications. Remember depending on the home's location some homeowners can get hundreds of applications. You want to send an application that is well thought out, grammatically correct and relevant.
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8. Don't Be Picky
You can't pick when or for how long people go away for. You need to be flexible and have no expectations for homes, times, locations or pets.
9. Get All The Info
Get the homeowner to list out all the information about the house and the animal/s. No matter how small or irrelevant they might think they detail is.
We recently had a cat that had a tendency to throw up at night time randomly. The homeowner had owned this cat for many years and had just become accustomed to this and had almost forgotten to tell us. Without crucial information like that, we could have been in a real panic.
10. Update, Update, Update:
To some families their pet is everything and it is hard for them to leave them at home with strangers. You want to show the homeowner the pet is having fun, happy and most importantly very well taken care of.
What happens when the state takes a backseat in matters of health and welfare? Roll back the clock to Victorian times and you find an answer: voluntary organisations step in and attempt to fill the breach. Often referred to by historians as the 'age of philanthropy', the nineteenth century witnessed an extraordinary growth in this sector. It seems that just about every need came to be catered for, from institutions formed by well-intentioned busy bodies for the education of 'fallen' women, to ad hoc funds set up by local people for the widows and orphans of shipwrecked sailors. In my home town of Reading, regular church collections were held for the Royal Berkshire Hospital which, like many other hospitals at the time, was a charity.
With such a history, it is perhaps not surprising that the culture of giving has become firmly engrained in the nation's psyche. Nobody knows how many charities there are in the UK. The figure often banded about is 160,000. According to David Ainsworth, online editor at Civil Society and Media, the number is closer to 400,000. Whatever the true figure, it is beyond debate that many people depend on charities. In turn, charities depend on cash to continue the valuable work that they do. Visit any of their websites and you'll quickly see how vital it is. A trip down the high street tells the same story with its numerous charity shops and 'chuggers', trying to get you to pledge monthly amounts to their cause.
Of course, things have changed considerably in the last century or so. As well as being a prominent provider in its own right, the state now gives significant financial support to many charities. Television fundraising has been a game changer too, with tens of millions being raised each year by events such as Comic Relief. But, what people perhaps don't realise, is that money from these sources is not readily accessible to all. Colostomy UK receives no such funding and so has to rely heavily on donations and fundraising. Without this, it would be impossible for us to carry on our vital work of supporting and campaigning on behalf of ostomates. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the term, an ostomate is someone that has undergone surgery to divert their bowel or urinary system through an opening formed in their abdomen (called a stoma). This type of surgery is used in the treatment of a range of conditions, including cancer, Crohn's disease and colitis, as well as following trauma to the abdomen. All ages are affected, with some sources suggesting that as many as one in 500 people in the UK have a stoma. Although the number of urostomies formed each year is unknown, the NHS reports carrying out around 6,400 colostomies and 9,000 ileostomies per annum.
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Annual global spending on educational technology in schools has been valued at 17.5bn and is set to rise to 19bn by 2019. However, worryingly, a recent report by OECD stated that students who use computers frequently at school get worse results.
This is baffling to me. While it's claimed that the use of technology in the classroom doesn't boost academic achievement, surely it's wrong to value our children's education purely by their exam results? Besides, in the teaching of STEM subjects, in particular, there is evidence to suggest that that the use of technology to support teacher-led learning can increase engagement and improve learning effectiveness.
Perhaps, it's the way we are using technology, rather than its presence that is the problem. Here's why we should embrace technology in the classroom and some exciting ways it's already being harnessed to improve learning experiences.
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Active learning and increased engagement
Active learning encourages students to engage with resources, participate in class and work together. We know that activities such as discussion groups and collaborative projects encourages pupils to engage with lessons and helps them to retain information.
Research backs this up and shows that active learning has a positive impact, particularly amongst students in STEM fields. One study found that active learning reduced failure rates in mathematics, science and engineering university courses by 11%.
One way to optimise the classroom for active and interactive learning is through the effective use of interactive projectors or interactive whiteboards (IWB's). Making use of interactive technology has been found to have a positive impact on students' motivation, engagement and self-esteem.
Using an IWB as a central hub for brainstorming and research, to answer questions or complete games as a class, can increase engagement. Pupils can put together their own mini-lessons and lead the class. The ability to embed video, link to further reading and identify discussed locations using Google Maps encourages real-life research skills, and gives our children a great grounding for higher education.
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Access to immersive experiences
The advent of accessible virtual reality equipment has opened a world of possibilities for immersive learning. Students can now travel the world and visit important historical moments from the comfort of the classroom. Teachers can take them to Machu Picchu, Antarctica or even the International Space Station.
Educators have long relied on video documentaries or photographic series to bring places or events to life. While such sources are important to our children's learning, they view these passively, sitting behind desks and watching the images rather than being able to interact with them.
Initiatives such as Google Expeditions support teachers in harnessing VR technology for educational purposes and bring learning to life. Students can experience the Apollo 11 Space mission, walk through a museum or explore the ocean floor while annotating key discoveries and discussing their experiences.
In the US, Google is taking the experience one step further by exploring the educational applications of Augmented Reality. Expeditions AR uses Google technology to map the physical classroom and place 3D objects that pupils can walk around, identify details and step back to see in a wider context.
Addressing the skills gap
While the technology sector in the UK has attracted 28bn in investment since 2011, finding high-quality candidates to fill positions in the tech sector is proving problematic. Potential STEM employees are almost twice as likely to miss job opportunities due to lack of skills.
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However, initiatives such as the BBC micro:bit are tackling the demand for digital literacy head-on. The pocket-sized, programmable computer was given to every year 7 in the UK last year. It can be connected to various other devices, sensors and objects and was launched to inspire a new generation of coders. Easy-to-use software complements the device, ensuring it's accessible to a younger audience. The micro:bit can also be used in conjunction with devices like the Raspberry Pi, opening up possibilities to more complex learning. There's plenty of support online in the form of videos, forums and how-to articles to help support your child's learning at home.
Also available to schools, completely free of charge, is Scratch. Developed at the MIT Media Lab, Scratch gives students the opportunity to code their own interactive stories and animations. It's ideal for younger children as they can see the results of their programming in a way they understand. Pupils can also share their creations online, fostering collaborative working and collective creative thinking.
With so many free, practical tools available to support digital learning at a young age, there's plenty of easy ways we can begin to lay the foundations for digital literacy.
Learning is about more than just exams
One of the biggest benefits of technology is that it gives students access to interactive, timely, high-quality learning materials at the touch of a button. Instead of relying on dusty, out-of-date textbooks and resources, technology opens up the possibility of discovering fluid, cutting-edge research. Students can follow real-time events, share their ideas online and access a range of tools to support learning. In a world of 24-hour news and continuous social media updates, our children need to be able to work in this way to keep pace with the modern world.
With family all around the UK, I find myself taking a trips around the country more often than most. I've been away twice in five weeks, and they were very, very different weekend breaks! After the first trip to Northern Ireland, I felt so frazzled I could have done with another holiday. But having just returned from a second trip, this time to London, I'm feeling a lot more relaxed.
In my quest to do more "little and often" travelling, it's important to nail this balance. So what did I do differently, to feel so much more chilled out this month?
Pace your weekend breaks
For the first trip, we stayed three nights in three different places! We saw the rugby with friends in Belfast on the Friday night, followed by a night out drinking. We took a hungover drive to meet some family on Saturday, where I had time for a quick nap before visiting even more family, then heading out to the local curry house and no less than four local pubs. On Sunday, we left ourselves no time to stop and relax on the drive to Ballycastle, where we had a fantastic Sunday roast.
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We were up early on the Monday to drive to the boat home, grab the week's shopping and I was back at my desk on Tuesday at 9am - then back in my bed by 9.30pm! The hectic and boozy weekend contributed to the worst flu I've had in a while, and I ended up off work for three days. I had a lovely weekend, but I definitely did too much and ran myself down.
In contrast, last weekend in London was a much more chilled out affair. We still saw the rugby, and met up with some more family, but we also planned in plenty of time to just chill out. This leads us nicely to my next tip...
Plan time to relax
Instead of hoping for a gap between less relaxing activities, we made an effort to actually schedule relaxation. This can mean many things to many people. For me, it means making sure we get time to ourselves, which we didn't do in Belfast. In London, we arrived a day before we were to meet family, and took the time to have a relaxed dinner and enjoy a bottle of wine together. As we sat in the armchairs in the hotel room and popped the cork, I felt all stress disintegrate. No electronics, no music, no people - just ourselves for company.
Find home comforts
While some might be out exporing, I was reading and napping. At home, I always find time at the weekend to disappear for an hour with a book or my phone, away from people, and I have a luxurious nap. It's something that I often skip on a weekend away - but why? If anything, when I'm so busy, I value that time out even more. I also find that I'm way sleepier than most people, so a wee nap in the afternoon makes sure I can keep up when we get to the pub in the evening!
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Another thing I always look for is a good cuppa. I'm writing this at 10am and I'm contemplating my third cup of tea already - it's my life force. Cheap tea and UHT milk doesn't do it for me, so I take my own teabags and ask for fresh milk at the hotel (or bring my own). It's the little things.
Find the best accommodation
For some people, where they stay might be driven entirely by price. For me, I go for location and quality.
You might be able to find a load of hotels that cost buttons, but, there is a reason for this. They will likely be nowhere near anything at all, and they will be the very strictest definition of lodging. These bum me out for two reasons. If they're not near anything, then how will I do and see things? I like to be near the attractions and going-ons. That way I can spend my time looking at what I want to do, rather than how I'm going to get there.
Secondly, I like to be comfortable and low-stressed (hence the name of this article) If you're staying at a run down hotel that barely passes human right entitlements, then you are going to be neither comfortable nor low-stressed.
We stayed at The Hoxton hotel in Holburn which is very close to the west end, and was just generally terrific! A very unique hotel, which really fit in with my want of home-comforts and relaxation - and was affordable. Ten out of ten would visit again - particularly the bar. I REALLY liked the bar.
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Treat yourself to late check out
I cannot stress enough the value of a late check out. Why wouldn't you? On Sunday, we booked breakfast, plus a late check out and brunch. This caused a storm of confusion when we were checking in - apparently the norm is breakfast OR brunch. Madness.
In the end, we were glad we booked both. We woke up early and hungover, and in need of feeding. I managed a bowl of Coco Pops, a single sausage and a hash brown, but honestly, they saved me. After steam/nap time, we were ready to enjoy something a bit fancier from the brunch menu before checking out at 2pm for the long drive back to Glasgow. Ideal.
Take a day to decompress
I value my annual leave, and have been known to arrive home from a trip on a Sunday night and be back at work on Monday morning. That day saved could be used for the next trip, right?
But this time around, I booked the Monday off too. It was initially to allow us more flexibility to get home, but we ended up coming home on the Sunday anyway. I was glad we did.
hadynyah via Getty Images
Last month, 180 young people from every corner of the planet gathered in two folk high schools in Denmark to spend five intense days coming up with new ways to tackle some of the planet's biggest education problems.
They were brought together as one strand of the UNLEASH Global Innovation Lab, which recruited 1000 young people from 129 countries to work together on key challenges in global health, education, sustainable consumption, water, food and other priority areas. This year's edition is intended to be the first in a series which will run until 2030, the deadline for meeting the global Sustainable Development Goals - the targets for development agreed by all 193 UN member states two years ago.
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The premise behind the initiative is that investment alone will not be enough for the world to achieve the 2030 Goals. New ways of doing things, that challenge current approaches and traditional business models, will be required. UNLEASH sought to bring together top young talent from around the world - including, crucially, participants with lived experience of the challenges being tackled - in the hope of catalysing some fresh thinking.
In the education world, it is now blindingly obvious that innovation is required. Analysis by UNESCO predicts that if we continue on current trajectories, 30% of children in low income countries will still not complete primary school when we reach 2030 - an unacceptable outcome when the world pledged to get every child into school by 2015. Simply continuing with current approaches will not be enough. The International Commission on Education Financing led by Gordon Brown listed innovation as one of four necessary transformations for the education sector, and argued that it needed to move to the "centre of the education agenda".
For UNLEASH, the experience and outputs of Year 1 are certainly encouraging. Some teams, such as Hear-oes on Demand, the eventual winners of the education strand, managed to create fully-fledged and financially sustainable ideas for edu-enterprises in just a few days.
I'm just as excited however about many of the other ideas that didn't get as far, having had the opportunity to glimpse the seeds of some of the thinking and insights that are now being developed further by many of the 200 teams taking part. My own team, as just one example, is actively looking for groups of schools open to piloting new approaches to tackling teacher absenteeism.
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For those interested in educational innovation, a new report "Can we leapfrog?" published last week by the Center for Universal Education at Brookings is essential yet challenging reading. The report provides a fascinating snapshot of innovations being developed around the world, but highlights some key gaps where more effort and attention is be needed.
One key take-away is that innovation has been focussed on unburdening teachers and freeing up their time - perhaps at the expense of finding better ways to develop teachers' skills. The authors also argue there has been too little investment in developing how learning is recognised and accredited, with the little that is being done too often being divorced from actual provision of learning by formal institutions.
In the area of technology and data-powered solutions, the space that receives the most hype, Brookings argues that many approaches are simply not innovative enough. It finds that tech is mostly being used to augment or substitute existing approaches, and concludes that just 1 in 5 technology-based innovations can considered to be genuinely transformative.
Can we leapfrog? serves as a compelling reminder of how far we still have to go to foster the innovation that will be needed to bridge the learning gap. All good starting points perhaps for the next generation of education innovators?
It is high time we stood up against the scaremongering on immigration by our current Government.
The latest revelations about the inaccuracies surrounding the statistics on international students staying in the UK reveal just how far the public have been misled about the highly-charged issue of migration, a driving factor behind the Brexit vote.
When Theresa May became Prime Minister after the EU referendum, she traded on her tough talk, steely persona and record as the longest-serving Home Secretary in almost seven decades, but little mention of the economic illiteracy behind her stance on immigration.
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One of the greatest qualities of a leader is to be able to listen, to adapt, and to take guidance from other experts around you. On other matters, the Prime Minister has backed down on recommendations from advisors; why, on this one issue, does she continue to stand her ground?
The Government has been wrong to never use the EU Directive 2004/38/EC, allowing us to deport EU nationals after 3 months if they are unable to support themselves or find employment. Belgium, for example, uses this directive to repatriate thousands each year.
Why does the UK not use this and why have we allowed the Brexiteers to give the false impression that there is unfettered free movement from the EU to the UK, when that is not the case?
It now emerges just how wrong the Prime Minister has been to warn that up to 100,000 international students of remaining in the UK illegitimately after their studies have ended each year.
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The figure was a gross overstatement. It was based on data from the International Passenger Survey - data that can at best be called conjecture and, at worst, sheer nonsense. But the IPS has long been the basis of scaremongering about immigration - including by the Prime Minister herself.
On 27 July, the Office for Statistics Regulation released a report undermining the Government's use of the International Passenger Survey (IPS) to determine how many international students are leaving the country. The figures should be treated as 'experimental', to use the report's own word. They are unfit to be used as official figures.
Furthermore, last month, a study was finally released by the Government which further confirmed that barely 4,600 international students stayed on in the UK illegitimately, according to e-exit check data compiled at Britain's borders.
When challenged in the past, Theresa May claimed that she would never listen to advice from 'university lobbyists', and to this day she maintains she was right to use these figures. Yet it is absurd that these 'experimental' figures, now proven to be false, have been for so many years the basis for Government policy.
In October last year, The Times reported on exit check data compiled in the year to April 2016 revealing that barely one per cent of international students, or 1,500 in total, had stayed in the country illegitimately after graduating. I asked the Government time and again why it had not made this report public, yet they gave me no answer.
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The little evidence for the Prime Minister's position on immigration and international students has evaporated, yet Theresa May still refuses to do the right thing and change her policy.
This sort of misrepresentation has led to the public's loss of faith in the Government's controls on immigration, arguably one of the biggest issues in the campaign leading to Brexit.
And it is not just universities who support the removal of international students from net migration figures; the public and members of the Prime Ministers own Cabinet do as well. Just this one move would show the world that we are open to university students from around the world.
Otherwise, the UK and its universities will continue to lose out to competitors overseas, including the USA, Australia and Canada, where international students are classified as temporary migrants, not as migrants.
Furthermore, as Home Secretary, the Prime Minister removed the two-year post-graduation work visa, whilst our competitor countries make it much easier for international students to stay on and work for a while after they graduate; as a result, Britain is losing out.
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International students bring in 25billion to our economy, as well as enriching the experience of our domestic students and they are one of our strongest forms of soft power, with more world leaders from British Universities than from any other country in the world.
Yet we send an unwelcoming message to prospective foreign students throughout the world. It is largely this rhetoric that has prompted a drop of over half in the number of Indian students studying in the UK since 2010.
The Prime Minister is right that we do need to tackle immigration, but focusing on EU citizens and international students is an error.
Physical, visible exit checks, which were removed by Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998, should be reintroduced at our borders to ensure all passports are scanned when visitors, EU and non-EU, enter the country, and when they leave. This would give us the accurate immigration data that we desperately need to take control of immigration.
This is surely a necessity for security purposes, given the dangerous world in which we live; the Government's first and greatest responsibility is the protection of its citizens.
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As a student at St. Hugh's College, Oxford, in the early noughties, I was proud to be studying at an institution that had been at the forefront of progressive change to expand education to women. I was also proud that among our alumni was Aung San Suu Kyi, then under house arrest as the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar, and winner of the Nobel peace prize "for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights". I was delighted when in 2010 she was released from house arrest and in 2015 the NLD won a landslide in the Myanmar parliamentary elections.
When Aung San Suu Kyi visited Oxford in 2012 to collect an honorary degree, she talked about the values that Oxford taught her. It is profoundly sad that in her response to the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar she is betraying those very liberal values of democracy and human rights which she once championed.
It is clear that the Myanmar military are systematically persecuting the Rohingya. This is being done under the pretence of fighting terrorism, which of course the military has the right to protect itself from, but nothing can justify what the military has done. The Rohingya have been subject to a brutal crackdown including extrajudicial killings, rape, torture and widespread arson, much of which has been documented by well respected NGOs such as Human Rights Watch.
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Satellite imagery shows where Rohingya villages have been burnt to the ground but it cannot replicate the terror that the villagers must have experienced. The UN Human Rights Commissioner has said this "the situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing".
Throughout this Aung San Suu Kyi has failed to stand up for the defence of the very human rights that she preached for when she was under house arrest. Disappointing as this is, we must not forget that the primary force persecuting the Rohingya is the military and not the civilian government of Myanmar. That means we also need to bring pressure to bear on General Min Aung Hlaing, the commander in chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces.
As First State Counsellor of Myanmar (broadly the equivalent of prime minister), Aung San Suu Kyi may not in practice have the power to directly stop the military. Myanmar's government is a civilian-military hybrid, with the military even having parliamentary seats allocated to it. However, she has the power of her voice, just as she did when under house arrest. Aung San Suu Kyi has the ability to call for the changes that are needed to resolve the situation.
Firstly, she should call on the military to halt its campaign of persecution against the Rohingya. A necessary precursor to this accepting that grave human rights violations have been perpetrated on the Rohingya rather than dismissing such claims as an "iceberg of misinformation".
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Secondly, Aung San Suu Kyi should demand that the military allow the UN and other aid agencies access to Myanmar to deliver vital supplies, and allow the Rohingya to return safely to their homes. This is likely to require a huge relief effort especially given the reports of widespread arson that will have wreaked havoc to many refugees' homes.
Thirdly, Aung San Suu Kyi must support reforms so that the historic discrimination and persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar is ended. A first step to this would be accepting and working to implement the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on the Rakhine State, which was chaired by for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the request of Aung San Suu Kyi. The Commission's final report is an intelligent and nuanced account of the problems facing the Rakhine State and contains comprehensive recommendations for ending the discrimination against the Rohingya and fostering reconciliation amongst the different ethnic groups in the Rakhine State. Vital changes that are needed include allowing the Rohingya freedom of movement within Myanmar and reforming citizenship laws so that they are afforded full citizenship.
Did The RIAA Helped Pave The Way For Spain To Undermine Democracy? [Op-Ed]
In this sure to be controversial piece, Techdirt's Mike Masnick continues his war on the RIAA by dipping back into history to explain how it was at the urging of the RIAA the the US government began seizing domains, and how this later contributed to Spain's political conflicts and its upcoming referendum.
__________________________
Guest post by Mike Masnick of Techdirt
This might seem like a harsh title, but let's go back a bit into history. In 2010, at the direct urging of the RIAA, the US government, in the form of ICE, suddenly decided that it could seize domains right out from under websites with zero due process. Specifically, the RIAA gave ICE a list of websites that it insisted were engaging in piracy. It later turned out that this list was completely bogus and the seized domains included some music blogs and a search engine and when ICE asked the RIAA to provide the evidence (incredibly, many months after seizing the domains), it turns out that they had none. Even with all of this, ICE kept one blog's domain for over a year, while denying that site's lawyer even the chance to talk to the judge overseeing the case and (even more incredibly) kept two other sites for five whole years.
The RIAA, who was directly quoted in the affidavit used to seize these domains (including falsely claiming that a non-RIAA song, that was personally given to the site by the independent artist in question, was an RIAA song and infringing) later tried to downplay its role in all of this, while still insisting that seizing entire domains based on flimsy claims and zero evidence was a perfectly reasonable strategy.
Fast forward to the present. Over in Spain there's a big political fight over Catalonia independence, with an upcoming referendum that the Spanish government has declared illegal. Things got very messy with Spanish law enforcement raiding government buildings, offices and homes. There are all sorts of human rights issues being raised here, let alone questions of democracy. However, those aren't directly the kinds of things we cover here. What did catch our attention, however, is that one of the raids was on the operators of the .cat domain, puntCAT, in order to seize the websites promoting the upcoming referendum and to arrest the company's head of IT for sedition (yes, sedition).
As EFF's Jeremy Malcolm explains, this should raise all sorts of alarms and concerns:
We have deep concerns about the use of the domain name system to censor content in general, even when such seizures are authorized by a court, as happened here. And there are two particular factors that compound those concerns in this case. First, the content in question here is essentially political speech, which the European Court of Human Rights has ruled as deserving of a higher level of protection than some other forms of speech. Even though the speech concerns a referendum that has been ruled illegal, the speech does not in itself pose any imminent threat to life or limb. The second factor that especially concerns us here is that the seizure took place with only 10 days remaining until the scheduled referendum, making it unlikely that the legality of the domains' seizures could be judicially reviewed before the referendum is scheduled to take place. The fact that such mechanisms of legal review would not be timely accessible to the Catalan independence movement, and that the censorship of speech would therefore be de facto unreviewable, should have been another reason for the Spanish authorities to exercise restraint in this case. Whether it's allegations of sedition or any other form of unlawful or controversial speech, domain name intermediaries should not be held responsible for the content of websites that utilize their domains. If such content is unlawful, a court order directed to the publisher or host of that content is the appropriate way for authorities to deal with that illegality, rather than the blanket removal of entire domains from the Internet. The seizure of .cat domains is a worrying signal that the Spanish government places its own interests in quelling the Catalonian independence movement above the human rights of its citizens to access a free and open Internet, and we join ordinary Catalonians in condemning it.
I agree entirely with Malcolm's assessment, but should note that the US government (even if it wanted to, which it probably does not) has no moral high ground here, seeing as it's been seizing domains for the better part of a decade, with some of those earliest seizures coming on behalf of the RIAA (over trumped up charges). As Malcolm says, this doesn't mean that all illegal content must remain online, but seizing domains is a brute force intimidation and censorship tool for governments. The RIAA should be ashamed that it helped "pioneer" this sort of government censorship.
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Ciccolo Case Delayed Another Two Months
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. A technical glitch and a technical legal question are the latest causes of delay in the case against an Adams man accused of plotting terrorist attacks.
The lawyers in the case of the United States vs Alexander Ciccolo were back in Judge Mark G. Mastroianni's court on Tuesday morning.
The attorneys have spent months hashing out the issues of discovery, i.e., what information the government is required to give the defense prior to trial in light of the fact that much of that evidence is covered by the Classified Information Procedures Act.
It was apparent at the start of the 15-minute hearing that even the internal workings of the federal court have to adjust to the strictures of the act.
"I can tell the parties the court is prepared to rule on the motions that are pending," Mastroianni said. "It has just been a logistical issue of understanding the way to prepare those rulings and get them out under the circumstances of dealing with this type of information.
"We can't use the computers and printers we have in this office. We're literally waiting for equipment to be delivered here."
At the end of the hearing, he said he was sure he could have rulings prepared for the litigants in time to set a Nov. 28 date for the next status conference in the case.
Hardware issues are not the only thing on Mastroianni's mind as he ponders a case that began with Ciccolo's July 4, 2015, arrest.
He said he was trying to determine whether there were different standards to assess evidence based on how it might be used for defense at different stages of the trial: negotiation with the prosecution, at trial and, if the case gets that far, during the sentencing phase.
A prosecutor in the case told Mastroianni that the government believes it has been as complete as the law requires in sharing evidence with Ciccolo's defense team.
"The [CIPA] act is to protect the information itself," said D. Andrew Sigler, a trial attorney in the Department of Justice's Counterterrorism Section. "It's flexible for us to assert it at any proceeding. Right now, we believe in good faith the government has tendered enough information for the defense to make any decision.
"As any motion is filed we would use CIPA as needed. If we're headed to trial, I'm reasonably confident all of our discovery has been taken care of."
Mastroianni said he was not sure whether his rulings on such motions should be based on the same standard at all phases of the trial.
"This is going to be a hypothetical, but assume there is something a court found was protected and not disclosed to defense for trial," Mastroianni said. "Is there precedent for a re-evaluation and reargument on the same issue? Is it subject to re-examination at sentencing. That's what I'm thinking about.
"It's almost an academic conversation, but nonetheless it is something we could face in this case."
Mastroianni ruled that the 60-day period between Tuesday and the Nov. 28 hearing will be excluded from the time provision under the Speedy Trial Act.
Ciccolo, who has been in federal custody since his 2015 arrest, did not attend Tuesday's hearing.
Williams reserve driver Paul di Resta is fighting for a full-time seat with the Grove-based outfit for 2018 and he believes he can "put right" mistakes from the past.
Williams is rumored to have narrowed down its list of prospective drivers for next season to three names: Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica and Paul di Resta.
The Brazilian, who went through a revolving door last year after initially announcing his retirement, may well be forced to call it a day as Williams seeks younger, more incisive talent.
Kubica's attempts at a sensational comeback still holds more questions than answers for a team which has shown a keen interest in the Pole but perhaps not the temerity his hiring would require.
His run in this summer's Hungarian GP undoubtedly demonstrated di Resta's ability to do the job, which is why the Scot has been short-listed and is doing all he can to secure Williams' plum drive.
"They know me well enough now. Ive been here over a year and a half," di Resta told Autosport.
"Ive very actively tried to get as involved as I can here, as I will continue to do. As time goes on Ive made it very clear what a dream it would be to get in the car.
"Im racing DTM alongside what Im doing, but being here and under peoples faces is obviously the biggest thing."
With 59 races under his belt - 58 of which were run with Force India - di Resta has a proven track record, at least in terms of experience, and he now wants to put that knowledge and expertise to good use once again.
"Ive learned from my mistakes in the past, and I can try and put it to rights.
"Its a bit of a waiting game. Im actively trying to do as much as I can to try and put myself in contention for it, because it is there, and its an important time for the team as well.
"It would be wrong to say I lost my appetite for it. The longer [not racing in F1] went on, the more difficult it was becoming.
The Scot was called in at the hour, quite literally, to replace a sick Massa in Hungary. A technical problem put a premature end to his efforts in the race but he had acquitted himself well up to then.
"It proved to myself that I can certainly still do the job, although you always believed it.
"And maybe it showed the outside world a bit more that given the opportunity again, that was only a sniff of what you can do, given a proper chance."
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
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The City Council approves the funding Tuesday night.
Pittsfield Allocates $1 Million Toward BIC Construction
Rod Jane and members of the Berkshire Innovation Center Board were on hand Tuesday night to answer questions about the request. PITTSFIELD, Mass. The city is putting forth $1 million from the GE Economic Development Fund to jump start the stalled construction of the Berkshire Innovation Center.
The City Council unanimously approved using the money to help cover a $3 million funding gap for a 20,000 square-foot facility at the William Stanley Business Park. The remaining $2 million is expected to come from the state.
The Massachusetts Life Science Center had already committed $9.7 million, and an additional $2 million will bring the total state support for the research and development operation to $11.7 million.
"We know that advanced manufacturing is a key sector for growth opportunities in Pittsfield and the region," Mayor Linda Tyer said in advocating for getting the project off the ground.
The project dates back to 2008 when the first $6.5 million was earmarked for the city to build a life science incubator at the park in a bond bill put forth by former Gov. Deval Patrick.
In 2013, the city launched a study to make that incubator happen. The Pittsfield Economic Development Authority hired Rod Jane to plan out the center at the park.
What Jane found was that an incubator in the traditional sense didn't seem to fit the area, which lacked many opportunities for new startup companies. Under former Mayor Daniel Bianchi, the city re-envisioned the use of the earmark to instead focus on the small to mid-sized advanced manufacturing businesses that are already here. The new concept of a research and development center came to the forefront.
In 2014, the Massachusetts Life Science Center allocated another $3 million or so to bring the total earmark up to $9.7 million. The Berkshire Innovation Center was born and Jane and others began to create the new institution. The Berkshire Innovation Center model is subscription based in that companies pay dues to use the state-of-the-art equipment being made available. Dozens of companies and educational institutes have signed on to become members and use it for research and development.
The BIC became a non-profit in 2015 and had some 20 letters of intent from companies wanting to use the facility and equipment. Through another grant with Berkshire Community College, $1 million worth of equipment was purchased. PEDA and the City Council each approved a quarter of a million dollars to help the newly organized non-profit off the ground. The groundbreaking was all but set.
And then the bids came in too high.
The organization and the city scaled back the design but couldn't make the numbers work. The 20,000 square-foot building that was set to break ground that October now remains an empty site with a "coming soon" sign starting to fade.
The BIC identified a $3 million funding gap between what it wanted to build and what it had.
At the same time, Bianchi was ousted from office and there were changes in state administration. Jane told the City Council on Tuesday that much of the time since has been catching those new officials up to date, teaching them about the project, and then looking for a funding source.
"We've been considerably engaged working with the city and the state to obtain those funds," Jane said.
Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash was the key partner for both Bianchi and Tyer. Tyer had pitched the project to Ash during a tour of the city but the secretary told her to look at current buildings that could be retrofitted instead.
Tyer and BIC officials looked at the now vacant SABIC facility on Plastics Avenue and another space downtown, to see if either of those were more economical. They weren't, according to Tyer.
"New construction at the William Stanley Business Park is the right strategy," she said.
The idea cycled back to the former General Electric land on East Street. PEDA, which manages that land, has been involved with the project since day one and had believed that that's where it should be located anyway.
"It belongs as an innovation center people can point to and can see and come to and not hidden away in some old building that requires retrofitting," Executive Director Corydon Thurston said.
The site on the William Stanley Business Park remains the targeted location for the Berkshire Innovation Center. But the financial picture hadn't changed. The BIC was still $3 million short of building what it envisioned and has depleted the $700,000 $250,000 from PEDA, $250,000 from the city and $200,000 from memberships in startup operational costs.
The membership hasn't changed either. There are still 20 letters of intent signed from companies and 10 had actually signed on eight of them paying into the center alongside some larger donations. None of those companies have walked away from the project.
"All 10 of those members are still members. We literally had a two and a half year delay from when the doors were supposed to open and they will if this funding is approved," Jane said.
The BIC continues to operate even without a home. It used its equipment to launch certification training programs, seminars, and allowed companies access to the equipment. The workforce training component had actually grown to become a larger focus of the organization.
There are numerous educational facilities on board with the project and with the state's urging, a deeper level of commitment to providing those opportunities was incorporated into the plan tackling an issue many companies face in the inability to find employees with the skills needed in their fields.
"We have an obligation to try to find ways to train the workforce for the jobs that are available," Tyer said.
They took all of that work back to the state and Tyer says state officials have all but promised $2 million if the city would put in $1 million to cover the gap.
"The city's expected to almost immediately trigger a $2 million investment from the commonwealth," Director of Community Development Deanna Ruffer said.
On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously decided to pull that $1 million from the GE fund a pool of money given to the city years ago as part of the settlement when General Electric left.
That brings the state's investment as long as it actually does provide that $2 million that is expected on Oct. 10 to $11.7 million.
Thurston said he is excited with the next steps. He's been hoping for a groundbreaking for years and trying to get the park developed.
"We cannot, as a community, let an $11 million gift it was $9.7 before now it looks like it is up we've got $11 million plus gratis on the line here," Thurston said. "We've got to do something with that money and we will."
PEDA Chairman Mick Callahan said development at the park will help spur other investments and that was the idea behind the incubator to begin with.
"We've always been confident that any development brings new opportunities. In this case, the synergy of the BIC operation gives us the opportunities to advance some of those other parcels, specifically on the same quadrant," Callahan said.
From the city's perspective, it will address both the workforce development piece but also help local companies expand. Those involved often aren't able to purchase machines that can be used to develop and take to market new products.
"The most important job of our time is to ensure our very own successful, locally grown, and often unrecognized businesses continue to thrive," Tyer said.
Jane said construction will take about 18 months.
But, alas, the work isn't done yet. Despite closing the $3 million funding gap, Jane says the BIC still needs to figure out how to cover what is expected to be increased construction costs because of the delay to the tune of about $900,000 and replenish the organization's operating funds. Only then will it be able to start the construction process.
"It has been two years so the capital construction costs don't stand still," Jane said.
A 2015 rendering of what the building would look like once constructed. Jane said the organization is cutting half of its budget for equipment from $2 million to $1 million to address the rising construction cost. He said the organization has prioritized the more important pieces for opening day and will seek to buy, or find grants, the others later.
A change to the agreement between the city, PEDA, and the BIC will help sidestep public procurement process that Jane hopes will help lower construction costs. The previous agreement was that the city would build the center for the BIC to use. PEDA owns the land and had signed a lease with the city for the land.
Now, the city is terminating its agreements with PEDA and the BIC will now sign new leases and take responsibility for constructing and owning the building. The earmark from the state will also switch over to the BIC.
"It can be more nimble and more flexible," Ruffer told the council of the decision to switch agreements.
From PEDA's perspective, the structure seems to just make more sense.
"We're very happy with the structure based on the tweaking that went on to improve the whole thing. I think we have a solid agreement that was put in place by a lot of good people and the PEDA board has supported the BIC front the start," Callahan said.
The unanswered question remains about operating costs. Jane said once all the construction funds are secured, the organization will be in a better position to attract new companies. And there are still 10 letters of intent still out there. Thurston echoed those sentiments saying once it is "real" the operational concerns will evaporate with the newer interest.
The city, however, doesn't want to see its money be spent like that. The agreement for the $1 million specifies that it should be used for construction and only if construction moves forward in a timely fashion will the money be dispersed.
"We will see that it is moving forward before our funds are expended," Ruffer said.
Jane said once that operational problem is solved, he gives it 18 months before a ribbon cutting.
Cheshire's water is so good it won an award.
Cheshire Water Wins First In Statewide Taste Test
Water Superintendent Travis Delratez says Cheshire will move on to the national water competition. CHESHIRE, Mass. Cheshire water took home the gold in the 12th annual Rural Water Association Water Taste Test.
Water Department Superintendent Travis Delratez presented the Selectmen on Tuesday with an award the Water Department won in a statewide water tasting competition Sept. 13.
"They have a big competition throughout the state," he said. "I am not sure exactly how many people were involved but we won best tasting water in the whole state."
Delratez said Cheshire water was narrowed down from 40 different samples from different communities and seven judges tasted the water and gave a rating.
He said because of its outstanding water, the town will compete at the National Rural Water Association's Rural Water Rally this February in Washington, D.C.
According to the association, the water is tested on clarity, bouquet and taste; a preliminary round selects five finalists to compete in the Great American Water Taste Test. Last year's winner was Aspen Pines, Wyo., and Easthampton won two years ago.
"I will physically bring the water down, all expenses paid," Delratez said. "It is a big to-do thing so if anyone says anything bad about Cheshire water, we have this to show them ... this is a big thing for us."
The Selectmen were surprised by the award and Chairman Robert Ciskowski said it shows how hard the Water Department works to ensure clean water for the water users.
"I think this is fantastic," he said. "Job well done."
Police Chief Tim Garner added that this is the second time Cheshire will make its mark in Washington.
"First the cheese to Washington now the water is going," he said, referring to the Mammoth Cheese sent 200 years ago to President Jefferson.
Delratez said many of the communities that win these competitions are eyed by brewers as potential homes for breweries.
"The couple people that won this in the past wound up with a brewery in their town because their water tasted so good. This could open up a lot of doors for Cheshire," he joked.
In other business, Highway Superintendent Blair Crane said the department will continue to crack seal the roads throughout the week.
"We have been sealing since Friday morning and are three days in," he said. "We are going to start again tomorrow morning and head towards the center of townfor the most part it is going well."
Crane said residents should be aware that over the next three days there will be congestion downtown with sealing being done on Church Street and Main Street.
Tom Dee, president and CEO of Southwestern Vermont Health Care; Meg Campbell, co-founder of the Citizens for a Greater Bennington; and Jim Brown, president of The Bank of Bennington post in downtown Bennington.
Biz Briefs: Citizens for a Greater Bennington to Support the Putnam Block Project
Around the block: The Citizens for a Greater Bennington, in partnership with Preservation Trust of Vermont and the Vermont Natural Resources Council, are giving a $100,000 grant to support the Putnam Block Redevelopment Project. The CFGB Grant will be made through the Southwestern Vermont Hospital Foundation and will leverage an additional $100,000 contribution from the Bank of Bennington.
The Putnam Block Project is a vibrant, mixed-use downtown space with offices, in-town living, restaurants and retail. The Putnam Block Redevelopment is a community-led development. The civic leaders of Bennington together with the town, state and key tenants are providing the investments and commitments to ensure this project will be successful.
These CFGB funds are the direct result of a Settlement Agreement reached with the developer, BLS Bennington LC, in the permitting process for the expansion of the Bennington Walmart. According to the settlement, BLS Bennington LC will provide a total of $200,000 for programs and projects to support the economic vitality of downtown Bennington and $20,000 for programs and projects to maintain, enhance or restore streams and rivers within the Walloomsac River Watershed. This grant represents half of the total funds awarded for downtown economic vitality.
The joy of giving: Pungl, a brand-new marketplace that aims to transform online fundraising and charitable giving, invites area nonprofit managers, school administrators, town board members and others who are interested or involved in charitable fundraising to a launch event on October 5 from noon to 7 p.m. at Hotel on North in Pittsfield, Mass. One-on-one sessions will be held from noon to 5 p.m., with a presentation and Q&A to follow from 5 to 7 p.m. The event, sponsored by the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires, will not only introduce Pungl's concept to nonprofits, but will give them an up-close look at how they can use Pungl to reach beyond a local donor base to anyone in the country who shares similar values, and raise much-needed funds plus spread the joy of giving.
Recent studies have found that many Americans, including millennials and young professionals, are no longer satisfied with material objects as gifts; instead, they want to leave their mark. Pungl connects donors with the charitable work that means the most to them, whether in their backyard or halfway across the world. They can use the Pungl marketplace to search for a variety of named giving opportunities, from arts and culture programming to projects that support services in a town or community, or causes that have global impact, like animal welfare and refugee aid. Donors purchase the gift for themselves, or to celebrate a friend or family members birthday, anniversary, personal accomplishment, or memory. The gift is named in honor of the donor or gift recipient, allowing them to not only help a worthy cause, but also leave a lasting legacy.
Pungl is the result of a brainstorm by 15-year-old Zachary Goffin, a native of Great Barrington and an avid athlete and eBay shopper. Goffin attended the birthday party of a friend, who requested that partygoers not bring gifts. Shortly after, at a sporting event, he spied some bricks outside the stadium with donors' names engraved on them, and had a lightbulb moment. The concept was then refined and transformed into a new online-giving marketplace by Housatonic-based creative director Abby Tovell, who runs the company.
Cultivating good will: Goodwill of the Berkshires and Southern Vermont announces will a hold a grand reopening celebration of its recently renovated store in Bennington, Vt., located at 215 North St. (Route 7), on Saturday, Sept. 30, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at the store at 11 a.m. The public is invited to attend the event, which will feature remarks by store manager Karen Harrington, who is celebrating her first anniversary with Goodwill, and assistant manager Lena Stearns. State Rep. Mary A. Morrissey (R-Bennington) is scheduled to attend the event.
Apple cider and cookies will be served, along with salted caramel apple juice and bottled water donated by Stop & Shop in North Adams. Festivities will include face painting and live music by Ben Mackin, store specials, and a sidewalk sale of items priced at 99 cents. A raffle will be held hourly from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Door prizes include gift baskets, merchandise, and gift certificates from Bennington Pizza House, Belizimo and The Clip Shop hair salons, and J&J Auto Polishing.
iciHaiti - Education : Setting up a Commission at the head of UEH Publishing
The Communication Unit of the State University of Haiti (UEH) informs the general public and the academic community in particular that a Commission of three members has been installed at the head of the UEH Publishing (Editions de l'UEH).
Invested in office by the Rector of the UEH, Professor Fritz Deshommes in the presence of Vice-rectorat to the Research, Professor Jacques Blaise and other personalities from the academic world, this Commission composed of Professors Jean Alix Rene, President; Nixon Calixte and Michel Acacia, members has the task of restructuring the UEH Publishing which have been run since its creation in May 2008 by Professor Herard Jadotte who is transferred to the Rector's office.
IH/ iciHaiti
This Isnt Our Last Love Letter
Dear Don Don,
Way back in 92
I walked into the room and knew
Never felt this way before
I shook your hand while gazing into your eyes
And the feeling grew
As I took a seat I knew
A love that would have my heart
Forever
I knew
Way back in 92
They say love at first sight doesnt always last or isnt true
We were the exception to that rule
Our love had no where to hide
A spark set fire
As if this is how the universe started
I never doubted our love or what we could do
Together we grew
Forming a bond everlasting
That became our glue
My euphoria was YOU
Im eternally grateful for the love and life we shared
For how fortunate we were :
to have and to hold
through sickness and in health
Til death do us part
Until we are together again
This isnt our last love letter
I love you with all my heart and soul
Yours forever,
Deirdre (Mrs. Hank Snow)
Im fortunate to have fallen in love with, marry and make a life with the sharpest, coolest, funniest, most rare, bad ass, tender loving, loyal man on the planet, my husband Don Imus.
A True American Hero
I dont know why it has been so hard for me to write about my dear friend Don Imus.
I certainly know what he meant to me, my family, my charity, my hospital and the millions of fans that listened and loved him for so many years.
I keep reading all the beautiful condolences that people are writing about how much a part of their lives were effected by listening to him over the years.
But what most people dont talk enough about is what he did for all of us.
In every sense of the word, he was an American Hero. His work with children with so many different illnesses and his dedication to their future was unmatched by anyone I have ever known or heard about.
Besides raising over $100,000,000 for so many causes, he took care of young people for over 20 years in a state where he could not breathe. Along with his incredible wife Deirdre, he created a world where children were not defined by their disease. That was a miracle! He was a miracle.
I will miss him ever day for the rest of my life.
I was blessed to be a part of his and Deirdes life.
No one will ever do what he did.
I love you Don Imus - A TRUE AMERICAN HERO
David Jurist
IMUS IN THE MORNING
FIRST DAY BACK!
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A new species of rat that is nearly half a metre long and can reputedly crack open coconuts with its teeth has been discovered on the Solomon Islands.
However the animal, unique to the remote Pacific islands, may soon become extinct as forestry companies are cutting down the rainforest where it lives.
For years, local people had told scientists about the vika. But, after searching without success, the scientists had begun to doubt the stories of a giant, tree-dwelling rat.
So much so that a press release issued by Chicagos Field Museum compared the search to the comedy fantasy film The Princess Bride, in which the characters debate the existence of Rodents of Unusual Size and then get attacked by them.
One of the museums scientists, Dr Tyrone Lavery, who took part in the scientific discovery of the species, said: When I first met with the people from Vangunu Island in the Solomons, they told me about a rat native to the island that they called vika, which lived in the trees.
I was excited because I had just started my PhD, and I'd read a lot of books about people who go on adventures and discover new species.
But, as their searches drew a blank, he said he started to question if it really was a separate species, or if people were just calling regular black rats 'vika.
However, the local people were proved right when one was spotted running from a felled tree.
As soon as I examined the specimen, I knew it was something different, Dr Lavery said.
There are only eight known species of native rat from the Solomon Islands, and looking at the features on its skull, I could rule out a bunch of species right away.
Animals in decline Show all 8 1 /8 Animals in decline Animals in decline Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) Where: Orkney Islands. What: Between 2001-2006, numbers in Orkney declined by 40 per cent. Why: epidemics of the phocine distemper virus are thought to have caused major declines, but the killing of seals in the Moray Firth to protect salmon farms may have an impact. Alamy Animals in decline African lion (Panthera leo) Where: Ghana. What: In Ghanas Mole National Park, lion numbers have declined by more than 90 per cent in 40 years. Why: local conflicts are thought to have contributed to the slaughter of lions and are a worrying example of the status of the animal in Western and Central Africa. Animals in decline Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) Where: Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Costa Rica. What: Numbers are down in both the Atlantic and Pacific. It declined by 95 per cent between 1989-2002 in Costa Rica. Why: mainly due to them being caught as bycatch, but theyve also been affected by local developments. Alamy Animals in decline Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) Where: South Atlantic. What: A rapid decline. One population, from Bird Island, South Georgia, declined by 50 per cent between 1972-2010, according to the British Antarctic Survey. Why: being caught in various commercial longline fisheries. Alamy Animals in decline Saiga Antelope (Saiga tatarica) Where: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. What: fall in populations has been dramatic. In the early 1990s numbers were over a million, but are now estimated to be around 50,000. Why: the break up of the former USSR led to uncontrolled hunting. Increased rural poverty means the species is hunted for its meat Animals in decline Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) Where: found worldwide in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas. Why: at risk from overfishing and as a target in recreational fishing. A significant number of swordfish are also caught by illegal driftnet fisheries in the Mediterranean Animals in decline Argali Sheep (Ovis mammon) Where: Central and Southern Asian mountains,usually at 3,000-5,000 metres altitude. Why: domesticated herds of sheep competing for grazing grounds. Over-hunting and poaching. Animals in decline Humphead Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) Where: the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to South Africa and to the Tuamoto Islands (Polynesia), north to the Ryukyu Islands (south-west Japan), and south to New Caledonia. Why: Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing and trading of the species
DNA analysis later confirmed that it was a separate species and it was given the Latin name, Uromys vika in honour of the local name.
This project really shows the importance of collaborations with local people, Dr Lavery said.
And he added that the new species was pretty spectacular.
It's a big, giant rat. Its the first rat discovered in 80 years from Solomons, and it's not like people haven't been trying it was just so hard to find, he said.
Explaining the previous failed efforts to find it, Dr Lavey said: If you're looking for something that lives on the ground, you're only looking in two dimensions, left to right and forward and backward.
If you're looking for something that can live in 30-foot-tall trees, then there's a whole new dimension that you need to search.
Typically, rats in the US weigh about 200 grams, but the vika rats weigh up to a kilogramme, five times as much. From nose to tail, it is about 45cm or 18 inches long.
The scientists said they had not yet witnessed the rats cracking open coconuts, but said they did chew circular holes in the shells of nuts.
The Solomon Islands, which lie about 1,000 miles north-east from Australia, between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, are home to many species not found anywhere else.
Dr Lavery said: Vika's ancestors probably rafted to the island on vegetation, and once they got there, they evolved into this wonderfully new species, nothing like what they came from on the mainland.
Vika are expected to be quickly designated as critically endangered as timber companies cut down its rainforest habitat.
It's getting to the stage for this rat that, if we hadn't discovered it now, it might never have gotten discovered, Dr Lavery said.
The area where it was found is one of the only places left with forest that hasn't been logged.
It's really urgent for us to be able to document this rat and find additional support for the Zaira Conservation Area on Vangunu where the rat lives.
These animals are important parts of culture across Solomon Islands people have songs about them, and even children's rhymes like our 'This little piggy went to market.'"
A paper in the Journal of Mammalogy described the new species.
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Police have arrested 11 suspected members of a neo-Nazi group on suspicion of terror offences across England and Wales.
Six men were arrested in north-west England, including one suspect who was already in prison; two in Wales; two in West Yorkshire; and one man in Wiltshire. Counter-terror police are searching their homes.
Several of the alleged National Action supporters were arrested in and around Warrington, where The Independent revealed the group was continuing to operate a base.
Police cars and uniformed officers remained outside a house on Greymist Avenue in Warrington following a dawn raid in the quiet cul-de-sac.
My husband tried to go to work at 6am and the road was just full of police, one neighbour said, adding that a couple and their three children aged in their twenties or thirties lived at the house.
They just keep themselves to themselves. I've seen them walking about. It's an older couple with two boys and a girl.
Another resident said the family had lived there for about 30 years. They never speak to anybody. I don't know them, he added. There's never been any kind of trouble at the house before.
Police at the scene in Greymist Avenue in Warrington, Cheshire, following a police counter-terrorism raid where a 31-year-old man was arrested (PA)
National Action became the first far-right group banned as a terrorist organisation in December, with the Government citing its virulently racist, antisemitic and homophobic ideology. But experts and campaigners had warned that members were evading authorities by splitting into regional factions and operating under different names.
National Action promotes the idea that Britain will inevitably see a violent race war and has been linked to the murder of Jo Cox and a pipe bomb plot.
Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Snowden, head of the North East Counter Terrorism Unit, said: Today's arrests are part of coordinated action by the national counter-terrorism network and UK policing. Those who promote extreme right-wing views are looking to divide our communities and spread hatred. This will not be tolerated and those who do so must be brought to justice.
A converted warehouse allegedly used as base by National Action members in Warrington, Cheshire (Hope Not Hate)
The senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu of the Metropolitan Police, said: Counter-terror policing is committed to tackling all forms of extremism that threatens public safety and security. Investigations relating to alleged extreme right wing activity are pursued with the same level or resource and vigour as other ideologies, in order to bring suspected offenders before the courts.
"Today's arrests, while resulting from two separate investigations, have been coordinated by our officers across a number of forces. This maximises operational effectiveness for police and minimises disruption for the local communities."
It comes after three alleged members of National Action, including serving British soldiers, appeared in court charged with terror offences. Lance Corporal Mikko Vehvilainen, Private Mark Barrett and Alexander Deakin, a civilian, stand accused of being members of the banned group and other offences.
Following their arrests, it emerged that several people who openly expressed support for National Action and neo-Nazi ideology online were able to join the Army.
The case prompted calls for the Government to launch an inquiry into possible extremism within the military but the Ministry of Defence said it had no plans.
Campaigners have warned of a growing threat from the ultranationalists in Britain, with just under a third of all people being monitored under the Channel counter-extremism programme currently from the far-right. Sabby Dhalu, joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism, said Wednesday's arrests said much greater prominence must be given to the fight against far-right terrorism.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA
There are clear double standards in the way we treat terrorism in this country: Media headlines and government announcements focus almost exclusively on terrorist activity by those claiming to be Muslims, while around a third of all suspected terrorist activity is coming from the far-right, she added.
"The murder of Jo Cox and the outrage in Finsbury Park show that this is not a minor threat. Rather than demonising Muslims and contributing to Islamophobia, we call on politicians and the media to take the growing threat of far-right violence and terrorism as seriously as it does Isis-type terrorism.
Those arrested are:
A 24-year-old man from Seaforth, Merseyside, on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, funding terrorism and membership of a proscribed organisation.
A 23-year-old man from Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, funding terrorism and membership of a proscribed organisation.
A 33-year-old man from Prescot, Merseyside, on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, funding terrorism and membership of a proscribed organisation.
A 31-year-old man from Warrington, Cheshire, on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, funding terrorism and membership of a proscribed organisation.
A 35-year-old man from Warrington, Cheshire, on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, funding terrorism and membership of a proscribed organisation.
A 22-year-old man from Lancashire has been produced from prison for police interview on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act and membership of a proscribed organisation.
A 28-year-old man from Swansea, Wales, on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation and possession of terrorism material/documents.
A 23-year-old man from Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation.
A 23-year-old-man from Swansea, Wales, on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation.
A 26-year-old man from Leeds, West Yorkshire, on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation.
A 30-year-old man from Wiltshire on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation.
Additional reporting by PA
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The victims of a breast surgeon who was jailed for 20 years for mutilating and wounding his patients have been awarded 37m compensation.
A High Court judge paid tribute to around 750 women and men who will receive a portion of the settlement for their treatment at the hands of Ian Paterson.
Some patients were diagnosed with breast cancer that did not exist, causing them to undergo unnecessary surgery sometimes repeatedly while others underwent incomplete mastectomies that caused the recurrence of cancer.
The 59-year-old, from Altrincham in Greater Manchester, also failed to obtain patients' informed consent for invasive procedures and left many needing substantial corrective surgery.
Mrs Justice Whipple praised the resilience of hundreds of Patersons patients at a hearing approving the 37m settlement.
She added: He was their doctor, their surgeon, and they trusted him. He betrayed that trust.
The physical pain and emotional anguish they have suffered in consequence cannot be understated. I pay tribute to their resilience in the face of such adversity.
Ian Paterson jail term increased: Victims welcome result
Justice Whipple said that the compensation payments, averaging at 49,600 per patient, will not eradicate the wrong done to them, adding: Nor, I suspect, can the claimants simply move on as if nothing had happened; the consequences of Mr Patersons mistreatment will remain with them for years into the future.
But I hope that the money they will receive under this settlement will go some way towards making their lives easier. I wish them all the very best.
The approval proceedings in London formally ended litigation that was due to go to a lengthy trial next month.
Lawyers for claimants said the settlement was long overdue after a five-year struggle by Paterson's private patients to win their battle for justice.
Rachel Butler, one of the victims, said: It is a relief that we will now receive some form of compensation for the hell we've been through.
"We now need to see a complete change in the private healthcare sector to make sure no-one ever has to wait this long for justice again."
Paterson was struck off the medical register in July, after being jailed for 20 years on 17 counts of causing grievous bodily harm and three counts of wounding with intent against 10 private patients.
Judith Conduit (second from left) arrives with other victims at Nottingham Crown Court where Ian Paterson, a surgeon convicted of carrying out a series of needless breast operations, was sentenced (Press Association) (PA)
The breast surgeon was appointed as consultant at Solihull Hospital in 1998, which became part of the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT).
He also carried out surgery at private hospitals owned by Bupa from 1993 and then Spire Healthcare from 2007 onwards.
Both the NHS and Spire suspended Paterson in 2011 and a number of his patients sue but both management teams were criticised in subsequent reports on their handling of complaints.
Over the past six years, Patersons patients have been informed that their treatment had been defective, with some advised to undergo further surgery or regular checks.
His criminal trial heard from nine women and one man who were treated in the private sector at Little Aston and Parkway Hospitals in the West Midlands between 1997 and 2011.
Paterson was originally jailed for 15 years in May, but that unduly lenient term was upped to 20 years by Court of Appeal judges in August.
His victims also included many patients in the NHS, which has so far paid more than 17m in compensation in relation to their claims.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA
Justice Whipple ordered that other victims will be able to make compensation claims until next October.
She said the claimants named in the case had been among Patersons private patients and accused him of negligence.
They also allege failings by HEFT and Spire in permitting Mr Paterson to continue to work as a breast surgeon because each organisation [so they argue] knew or ought to have known that he was not competent in his practice and each had failed adequately to supervise and monitor his practice, or investigate complaints about him, the judge added.
Although Mr Paterson has admitted liability [at least in most of the lead cases], neither HEFT nor Spire have done so.
Contributions to the 37m fund were not detailed in court but it has been announced that Spire Healthcare, which runs private hospitals in the West Midlands where Paterson worked, will contribute 27.2m to the total.
A further 10m is to be provided by Paterson's insurers and his former employers at HEFT.
Spire Healthcare said the court order brings to a conclusion all current and known claims from patients against Spire Healthcare and its co-defendants, and will result in the establishment of the Ian Paterson (Liability to Private Patients) Compensation Fund which, in addition to providing compensation in relation to known claims, will be available to compensate any further patients who notify a claim prior to 30 October 2018.
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Lady Lucan, whose husband famously vanished more than four decades ago, has been found dead at home.
Police forced entry to the 80-year-olds home in Westminster on Tuesday afternoon after she was reported missing, and found her unresponsive.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: Police attended an address on Eaton Row in Westminster ... following concerns for the welfare of an elderly occupant.
Officers forced entry and found an 80-year-old woman unresponsive.
Police and London Ambulance Service attended. Although we await formal identification we are confident that the deceased is Lady Lucan.
Lord Lucan disappeared in 1974 after the murder of his childrens nanny (PA)
Police say her death is being treated as unexplained but is not believed to be suspicious.
Her son George Bingham, the 8th Earl Lucan, told the Daily Mail: She passed away yesterday at home, alone and apparently peacefully.
Police were alerted by a companion to a three-day absence and made entry today.
Lady Lucan was one of the last people to see her husband John Bingham, the 7th Earl of Lucan, alive before he disappeared almost 43 years ago.
He vanished after the murdered body of Sandra Rivett, nanny to his three children, was found at the family home at 46 Lower Belgrave Street, central London, on November 7 1974.
Even though he was officially declared dead by the High Court in 1999, Lord Lucan has reportedly been sighted in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand, and there are even claims that he fled to India and lived life as a hippy called Jungly Barry.
The same night as his disappearance, the attacker also turned on Lady Lucan, beating her severely before she managed to escape and raise the alarm at a nearby pub, the Plumbers Arms.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty
Lucans car was later found abandoned and soaked in blood in Newhaven, East Sussex, and an inquest jury declared the wealthy peer the killer a year later.
Roger Bray was the first journalist on Lord Lucans doorstep the morning after the dramatic events unfolded, and wrote one of the first newspaper reports about the mystery surrounding the man with the famous moustache.
Head barman at the Plumbers Arms, Derrick Whitehouse, told Mr Bray that Lady Lucan staggered in and she said: I think my neck has been broken. He tried to strangle me.
The barman said Lady Lucan was just in a delirious state, telling Mr Bray: She just said, Im dying. She kept going on about the children. My children, my children, she said. She came staggering in through the door and I gave her all the assistance I possibly could. Ive only seen her in here once before.
Mr Whitehouse told Mr Bray that she had various head wounds that were quite severe, adding: She was covered in blood. Shed been bleeding profusely when she came in.
Earlier this year, Lady Lucan, formally named Veronica, Dowager Countess of Lucan, gave a television interview in which she said she believed Lord Lucan had made the brave decision to take his own life.
Ahead of the hour-long documentary interview called Lord Lucan: My Husband, The Truth, Radio Times magazine shared some of her words with director Michael Waldman.
She said: I would say he got on the ferry and jumped off in the middle of the Channel in the way of the propellers so that his remains wouldnt be found I think quite brave.
During the ITV programme she spoke of her own depression and her husbands violent nature following their marriage in 1963.
Describing how he would beat her with a cane to get the mad ideas out of your head, she said: He could have hit harder. They were measured blows.
He must have got pleasure out of it because he had intercourse [with me] afterwards.
Press Association
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Britain has been left on the brink of a trade war with the United States after the Government warned aircraft manufacturer Boeing it could be stripped of lucrative defence contracts over its dispute with rival Bombardier.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said Boeings decision to pursue a complaint leading to punitive import tariffs on the sale of jets by Belfast-based Bombardier would jeopardise relations with the US company that only last year secured a 1.7bn British contract to build Apache helicopters.
Theresa May said she was bitterly disappointed by the decision over which she is understood to have lobbied President Donald Trump as it could threaten thousands of jobs in Northern Ireland and heap pressure on her fragile agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
The concern centres on an interim decision by the US Department of Commerce to slap a 220 per cent tariff on the sale of Bombardiers C-Series jets, after Boeing complained that its rival had received unfair state subsidies on sales of planes in the UK and Canada.
The verdict is likely to come as a blow to Ms Mays plans for a post-Brexit trade deal with the US, with one expert warning it could give us a taste of what America First really means.
Sir Michael said: Boeing is a major defence partner and one of the big winners of the latest defence review so this is not the kind of behaviour we expect from a long-term partner.
This is not the behaviour we expect of Boeing and could indeed jeopardise our future relationship with Boeing.
He added: Boeing stand to gain a lot of British defence spending.
We have contracts in place with Boeing for new maritime patrol aircraft and for Apache attack helicopters and they will also be bidding for other defence work and this kind of behaviour clearly could jeopardise our future relationship with Boeing.
If the tariff is ratified in a final ruling, due in in February, it could have a devastating impact on more than 4,000 jobs at Canadian-owned Bombardier, which is one of Northern Irelands biggest employers.
The US Commerce Department told The Independent that if Boeing withdraws its complaint, the tariff would no longer be imposed.
Lesley Bachelor, Director General of the Institute of Export, told The Independent how there has been a 48 per cent increase in 2017 of the number anti-dumping cases being taken up by the US government.
She said: It does begin to show that it is going to be very difficult to secure a trade deal with these guys.
It gives us a taste of what America First really means.
Announcing the regulators preliminary finding on Tuesday, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said the subsidisation of goods by foreign governments was something that President Trumps administration takes very seriously.
Bombardiers director of communications in Belfast, Haley Dunne, said the company was disappointed, but not surprised by the ruling.
She said the process tended to favour the petitioner in its early stages and expressed confidence the decision would be reversed when a final ruling was made by the US International Trade Commission.
We werent entirely shocked by a result that was more in Boeings favour, the tariffs we do believe are absurd that are being suggested, she said.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just 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Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA
Boeing said it valued its relationship with the UK, where it employs more than 18,000 people either directly or through its supply chain.
The firm said in a statement: We have heard and understand the concerns from the Prime Minister and the Government about Bombardier workers in Northern Ireland.
Boeing is committed to the UK and values the partnership, which stretches back almost 80 years.
The company said was attempting to level the playing field, adding: Boeing welcomes competition and Bombardier can sell its aircraft anywhere in the world. But sales must be made according to globally accepted trade rules.
The Premier of Quebec, Philippe Couillard, called the US tariffs imposed on Bombardier an attack on the province and Canada.
Boeing may have won a battle but, let me tell you, the war is far from over. And we will win, Mr Couillard said.
The White House and the US Department of Defence did not respond to The Independents request for comment.
Mr Trump has not yet publicly commented on the dispute, but since winning the election last year, Mr Trump has berated Boeing on multiple occasions, including when he complained on Twitter about the price of the companys 747 airliner. While speaking at a Boeing factory in South Carolina, the President also threatened a substantial penalty for companies that move jobs overseas.
However, in April, Mr Trump announced his support for the Export-Import Bank, which supports US exporters and foreign buyers of US goods, having previously opposed the agency. Boeing is an Ex-Im beneficiary and has spent millions of dollars lobbying over the past few years to get it re-authorised.
Ammunition depot explosions in Kalynivka (Vinnytsia region) have not affected the operation of backbone power lines, Ukrenergo Director for Communication and International Cooperation Mykhailo Bno-Airiian has told Interfax-Ukraine.
"Everything is all right. Ukrenergo's facilities are located far away [from the depot]," he said.
He added that Vinnytsiaoblenergo faced some problems.
As reported, at around 22:00 on September 26, reports arrived about explosions of ammunition in an arsenal of the Defense Ministry near the town of Kalynivka. Residents of Kalynivka and the populated areas in a 10-kilometer zone (Pavlivka, Medvedka, Dorozhne, Salnyk, Stryzhavka) were notified. The population is being evacuated.
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Any self-respecting Ed Miliband fan knows the real prize at an Ed Miliband hosted Momentum pub quiz is having the funniest quiz team name, and on that front there was a clear winner.
Notorious CLP wasnt bad. The Miliband Tendency was a strong effort too. But the hosts and indeed the crowds favourite was the succinctly named: These strikes are wrong at a time when negotiations are still going on but parents and the public have been let down by both sides because the Government has acted in a reckless and provocative manner. After todays disruption I urge both sides to put aside the rhetoric get back round the negotiating table and stop it happening again.
And if you don't get it, well, why are you reading about an Ed Miliband quiz night anyway?
On a night that came perilously close to overrunning, for no reason other than activities were suspended for a full minutes worth of Seven Nation Army chanting every time Jeremy Corbyns name was mentioned, which was a lot, it came as something of a relief that the These Strikes Are Wrong crowd didnt trouble the leaderboard.
There have been many indices throughout conference on which to measure the journey of Momentum into the heart of mainstream Labour. Ed Miliband choosing to host a quiz night for Momentum activists is right up there with them.
Labour conference 2017: Ravers dance at an "acid Corbynism" event
Hes had a go at standup, since his abrupt departure from politics, and it showed. It was a lifelong ambition of mine, he said on arrival, to host a Momentum pub quiz. If at the back of his mind was the thought that maybe he should be spending tonight preparing for a speech as Prime Minister, not hosting an activists quiz night, he didnt show it..
He held the youthful crowd entirely captive, even if they did do a lot of chanting about Jeremy Corbyn. There were some killer questions too. Who was Labours first ever Chancellor? Who were the partys first three MPs? On one occasion, when Notorious CLP requested the lyrics to a Tina Turner song be read out for a fourth time, they were simply told told: Oh f**k off.
Lets hope hes forgotten, as Notorious CLP won in the end, and the prizes were not insubstantial. The unwashed camouflage t-shirt he wore on The Last Leg AND tea on the terrace of the House of Commons with the quizmaster himself.
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Jeremy Corbyn has called out his media critics over the election coverage, joking "never have so many trees died in vain".
The Labour leader condemned The Daily Mail for devoting 14 pages to attacking his party and challenged the editor, Paul Dacre, to double the coverage over him for the next general election.
In his flagship speech to the Labour conference, Mr Corbyn accused part of the media of colluding in a nasty and personal election campaign with the Tories.
Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Show all 14 1 /14 Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Britain's opposition Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton Reuters/Toby Melville Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Senior members of Britain's opposition Labour Party listen to Leader Jeremy Corbyn deliver his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton Reuters/Peter Nicholls Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Diane Abbott receives a standing ovation during Jeremy Corbyn's speech at the Labour Party conference BBC Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses delegates on the final day of the Labour Party conference on September 27, 2017 in Brighton Leon Neal/Getty Images Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn stands with Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Rebecca Long-Bailey (left) and Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Angela Raynor after speeches in the main hall, on day three of the annual Labour Party Conference on September 26, 2017 in Brighton Getty Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Angela Rayner, Shadow Education Secretary, addressing the Labour Party annual conference at the Brighton Centre, Brighton PA Labour Conference 2017 in pictures The mayor of London Sadiq Khan delivers a speech at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, Britain Reuters Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Dennis Skinner addressing the Labour Party annual conference at the Brighton Centre, Brighton PA Labour Conference 2017 in pictures John McDonnell MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Labour Party Conference, Day 2, Brighton Rex Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell (C) speaks with Labour party's leader Jeremy Corbyn (L) ahead of making a speech on the second day of the Labour Party Conference AFP/Getty Images Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses supporters during a momentum rally on the first day of the Labour Party conference Getty Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Jeremy Corbyn listens to speeches in the main hall on the first day of the Labour Party conference Getty Images Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Labour Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott addresses delegates in the main hall on the first day of the Labour Party conference on September 24 Getty Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Jeremy Corbyn addresses a rally ahead of the Labour Party Conference in Brighton Reuters
He said: The day before the election, I remember it well, I was on trains all day long doing six rallies.
One paper devoted 14 pages to attacking the Labour Party and the following day our vote went up nearly 10 per cent.
Never have so many trees died in vain. The British people saw right through it.
So this is a message to The Daily Mails editor - next time please make it 28 pages.
Mr Corbyn was roundly condemned by a number of right-wing newspapers in the build up to the election in June but Theresa May failed to gain a majority, despite their support.
He also highlighted some of the vitriol targeted at his friend and ally Diane Abbott, who received a standing ovation during the speech for her commitment in the face of misogynist and racist abuse.
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Jeremy Corbyns speech at the Labour conference in Brighton started with the members of the audience standing, cheering, clapping and chanting his name for several minutes, as the party leader took to the stage to set out his vision for the future.
During his speech the Labour leader said the party was ready for government, and attacked the Conservatives ragtag handling of Brexit, and called out the misogynist and racist abuse aimed at Dianne Abbott during the election campaign, causing the Hackney MP to receive a standing ovation.
Read Mr Corbyns speech in full:
Conference, thank you for that. We meet here this week as a united Party, advancing in every part of Britain, winning the confidence of millions of our fellow citizens, setting out our ideas and plans for our countrys future, that have already inspired people of all ages and backgrounds.
And its a privilege to be speaking in Brighton. A city that not only has a long history of hosting Labour conferences, but also of inspirational Labour activists.
It was over a century ago, here in Brighton, that a teenage shop worker had had enough of the terrible conditions facing her and her workmates. She risked the sack to join the Shop Workers Union, after learning about it in a newspaper used to wrap up fish and chips, and was so effective at standing up for women shop workers, she became assistant general secretary before the age of 30.
In that role she seconded the historic resolution at the Trades Union Congress of 1899 to set up the Labour Representation Committee so that working people would finally have representation in Parliament.
That became the Labour Party and it was this woman, Margaret Bondfield who later become a Labour MP. And in 1929, the first ever woman to join the British cabinet.
From a Brighton drapery to Downing Street. Margaret Bondfields story is a reminder of the decisive role women have played in the Labour Party from its foundation, and that Labour has always been about making change by working together and standing up for others.
Conference, against all predictions in June we won the largest increase in the Labour vote since 1945 and achieved Labours best vote for a generation. Its a result which has put the Tories on notice and Labour on the threshold of power.
Yes, we didnt do quite well enough and we remain in opposition for now, but we have become a Government-in-waiting. Our outstanding shadow cabinet team here today. And our message to the country could not be clearer - Labour is ready.
Ready to tackle inequality, ready to rebuild our NHS, ready to give opportunity to young people, dignity and security to older people, ready to invest in our economy and meet the challenges of climate change and automation, ready to put peace and justice at the heart of foreign policy. And ready to build a new and progressive relationship with Europe.
We are ready and the Tories are clearly not. Theyre certainly not strong and theyre definitely not stable. Theyre not remotely united. And theyre hanging on by their fingertips.
But this Tory Government does have one thing that we lack. They have tracked down the Magic Money Tree when it was needed to keep Theresa May in Downing Street. It was given a good old shake - and lo and behold now we know the price of power its about 100m for each Democratic Unionist MP.
During the election campaign, Theresa May told voters they faced the threat of a coalition of chaos. Remember that? Well, now theyre showing us exactly how that works. And I dont just mean the Prime Ministers desperate deal with the DUP. Shes got a coalition of chaos around her own cabinet table - Phillip Hammond and Liam Fox, Boris Johnson and David Davis.
Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Show all 14 1 /14 Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Britain's opposition Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton Reuters/Toby Melville Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Senior members of Britain's opposition Labour Party listen to Leader Jeremy Corbyn deliver his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton Reuters/Peter Nicholls Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Diane Abbott receives a standing ovation during Jeremy Corbyn's speech at the Labour Party conference BBC Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses delegates on the final day of the Labour Party conference on September 27, 2017 in Brighton Leon Neal/Getty Images Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn stands with Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Rebecca Long-Bailey (left) and Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Angela Raynor after speeches in the main hall, on day three of the annual Labour Party Conference on September 26, 2017 in Brighton Getty Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Angela Rayner, Shadow Education Secretary, addressing the Labour Party annual conference at the Brighton Centre, Brighton PA Labour Conference 2017 in pictures The mayor of London Sadiq Khan delivers a speech at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, Britain Reuters Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Dennis Skinner addressing the Labour Party annual conference at the Brighton Centre, Brighton PA Labour Conference 2017 in pictures John McDonnell MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Labour Party Conference, Day 2, Brighton Rex Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell (C) speaks with Labour party's leader Jeremy Corbyn (L) ahead of making a speech on the second day of the Labour Party Conference AFP/Getty Images Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses supporters during a momentum rally on the first day of the Labour Party conference Getty Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Jeremy Corbyn listens to speeches in the main hall on the first day of the Labour Party conference Getty Images Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Labour Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott addresses delegates in the main hall on the first day of the Labour Party conference on September 24 Getty Labour Conference 2017 in pictures Jeremy Corbyn addresses a rally ahead of the Labour Party Conference in Brighton Reuters
At each others throats, squabbling and plotting, manoeuvring to bundle the Prime Minister out of Number Ten and take her place at the first opportunity Instead of getting to grips with the momentous issues facing our country.
But this coalition of chaos is no joke. Just look at their record since the Conservatives have been in office; the longest fall in peoples pay since record began, homelessness doubled, NHS waiting lists lengthening, school class sizes growing and teachers leaving, over 4 million children now in poverty, 20,000 police officers, and 11,000 fire-fighters cut, more people in work and in poverty than ever before, condemned by the United Nations for violating the rights of disabled people.
Thats not strong and stable. Its callous and calculating. Because the Tories calculated that making life worse for millions in the name of austerity would pay for hefty tax handouts to the rich and powerful.
Conference, your efforts in the election campaign stopped the Tories in their tracks. The election result has already delivered one Tory U-turn after another over some of their most damaging policies. The cruel dementia tax was scrapped within three days of being announced. Plans to bring back grammar schools have been ditched. The threat to the pensions triple lock abandoned. Withdrawal of Winter Fuel payments dumped. The pledge to bring back fox hunting dropped. And their plan to end free school meals in primary schools has been binned.
The reality is that barely three months since the election this coalition of Conservative chaos is tearing up its Manifesto and tearing itself apart. They are bereft of ideas and energy. Indeed, they seem to be cherry-picking Labour policies instead, including on Brexit.
I say to the Prime Minister: Youre welcome. But go the whole hog end austerity, abolish tuition fees, scrap the public sector pay cap. I think we can find a Commons majority for all of that. This is a weak and divided Government with no purpose beyond clinging to power.
It is Labour that is now setting the agenda and winning the arguments for a new common sense about the direction our country should take.
Conference, there were two stars of our election campaign. The first was our Manifesto that drew on the ideas of our members and trade unionists and the hopes and aspirations of their communities and workplaces. And we were clear about how we would pay for it by asking the richest and the largest corporations to start paying their fair share.
Not simply to redistribute within a system that isnt delivering for most people but to transform that system. So we set out not only how we would protect public services but how we would rebuild and invest in our economy, with a publicly-owned engine of sustainable growth, driven by national and regional investment banks, to generate good jobs and prosperity in every region and nation.
Our Manifesto is the programme of a modern, progressive socialist party that has rediscovered its roots and its purpose, bucking the trend across Europe.
And Conference, the other star of that campaign was you. Our members, our supporters in the trade unions, our doorstep and social media campaigners. Young people sharing messages and stories on social media, hundreds of thousands organising online and on the ground to outplay the Tories big money machine.
Is it any wonder that here today in Brighton you represent the largest political party in western Europe, with nearly 600,000 members, alongside three million affiliated trade unionists, brimming with enthusiasm and confidence in the potential of our people. You are the future. And let me say straight away. Im awed and humbled by everything you have done, along with hundreds of thousands of others across the country, to take us to where we are today.
I have never been more proud to be your elected leader. Our election campaign gave people strength. It brought millions on to the electoral register and inspired millions to go to vote for the first time.
And Labour was the Party of unity, bringing generations and communities together, rather than pitting young and old against each other, as the Tories did. We will never seek to squeeze one generation to support another. Under Labour, people will win together.
The result of our campaign confounded every expert and sceptic. I see John McDonnell said the grey beards had got it all wrong. Im not sure thats entirely fair, John? We wiped out the Tory majority, winning support in every social and age group and gaining seats in every region and nation of the country.
So please, Theresa May take another walking holiday and make another impetuous decision. The Labour campaign machine is primed and ready to roll.
Of course, there were some who didnt come out of the election too well. Im thinking of some of our more traditional media friends. They ran the campaign they always do under orders from their tax exile owners to trash Labour at every turn. The day before the election one paper devoted fourteen pages to attacking the Labour Party. And our vote went up nearly 10%.
Never have so many trees died in vain. The British people saw right through it. So this is a message to the Daily Mails editor- next time, please could you make it 28 pages?
But theres a serious message too, the campaign by the Tories and their loyal media was nasty and personal. It fuelled abuse online and no one was the target of that more than Diane Abbott. She has a decades-long record of campaigning for social justice and has suffered intolerable misogynistic and racist abuse. Faced with such an overwhelmingly hostile press and an army of social media trolls,its even more important that we stand.
Yes we will disagree, but there can never be any excuse for any abuse of anybody. We settle our differences with democratic votes and unite around those decision.
That is the Labour Party, here this week, and out in the communities every week - diverse, welcoming, democratic and ready to serve our country.
There is no bigger test in politics right now than Brexit, an incredibly important and complex process, that cannot be reduced to repeating fairy stories from the side of a bus or waiting 15 months to state the obvious. As democratic socialists, we accept and respect the referendum result, but respect for a democratic decision does not mean giving a green light to a recklesss Tory Brexit agenda that would plunge Britain into a Trump-style race-to-the-bottom in rights and corporate taxes.
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We are not going to be passive spectators to a hopelessly inept negotiating team putting at risk peoples jobs, rights and living standards. A team more interested in posturing for personal advantage than in getting the best deal for our country. To be fair, Theresa Mays speech in Florence last week did unite the cabinet. For a few hours at least. Her plane had barely touched down at Heathrow before the divisions broke out again.
Never has the national interest been so ill-served on such a vital issue, if there were no other reason for the Tories to go their self-interested Brexit bungling would be reason enough. So I have a simple message to the cabinet: for Britains sake pull yourself together or make way.
One thing needs to be made clear straight away. The three million EU citizens currently living and working in Britain are welcome here. They have been left under a cloud of insecurity by this government when their future could have been settled months ago. So Theresa May, give them the full guarantees they deserve today. If you dont, we will.
Since the referendum result our Brexit team has focused above all on our economic future. That future is now under real threat. A powerful faction in the Conservative leadership sees Brexit as their chance to create a tax haven on the shores of Europe a low-wage, low tax deregulated playground for the hedge funds and speculators. A few at the top would do very nicely, no question. But manufacturing industries would go to the wall taking skilled jobs with them our tax base would crumble our public services would be slashed still further.
We are now less than 18 months away from leaving the European Union. And so far, the Tory trio leading the talks have got nowhere and agreed next to nothing. This rag-tag Cabinet spends more time negotiating with each other than they do with the EU. A cliff-edge Brexit is at risk of becoming a reality. That is why Labour has made clear that Britain should stay within the basic terms of the single market and a customs union for a limited transition period. It is welcome at least that Theresa May has belatedly accepted that.
But beyond that transition, our task is a different one. It is to unite everyone in our country around a progressive vision of what Britain could be, but with a government that stands for the many not the few.
Labour is the only party that can bring together those who voted leave and those who backed remain and unite the country for a future beyond Brexi. What matters in the Brexit negotiations is to achieve a settlement that delivers jobs, rights and decent living standards.
Conference, the real divide over Brexit could not be. A shambolic Tory Brexit driving down standards .Or a Labour Brexit that puts jobs first a Brexit for the many, one that guarantees unimpeded access to the single market and establishes a new co-operative relationship with the EU.
A Brexit that uses powers returned from Brussels to support a new industrial strategy to upgrade our economy in every region and nation. One that puts our economy first not fake immigration targets that fan the flames of fear. We will never follow the Tories into the gutter of blaming migrants for the ills of society. It isnt migrants who drive down wages and conditions but the worst bosses in collusion with a Conservative government that never misses a chance to attack trade unions and weaken peoples rights at work.
Labour will take action to stop employers driving down pay and conditions not pander to scapegoating or racism. How Britain leaves the European Union is too important to be left to the Conservatives and their internal battles and identity crises.
Labour will hold Theresa Mays squabbling ministers to account every step of the way in these talks. And, with our Brexit team of Keir Starmer, Emily Thornberry and Barry Gardiner we stand ready to take over whenever this government fails. To negotiate a new relationship with Europe that works for us all reaching out to help create a Europe for the many for the future.
The truth is that under the Tories Britains future is at risk whatever the outcome of the Brexit process. Our economy no longer delivers secure housing secure well-paid jobs or rising living standards. There is a new common sense emerging about how the country should be run. Thats what we fought for in the election and thats whats needed to replace the broken model forged by Margaret Thatcher many years ago.
In 90 seconds: Labour Party conference highlights
And Ten years after the global financial crash the Tories still believe in the same dogmatic mantra Deregulate, privatise ,cut taxes for the wealthy, weaken rights at work, delivering profits for a few, and debt for the many. Nothing has changed. Its as if were stuck in a political and economic time-warp.
As the Financial Times put it last month our financial system still looks a lot like the pre-crisis one and the capitalist system still faces a crisis of legitimacy, stemming from the crash.
Now is the time that government took a more active role in restructuring our economy. Now is the time that corporate boardrooms were held accountable for their actions. And now is the time that we developed a new model of economic management to replace the failed dogmas of neo-liberalism. That is why Labour is looking not just to repair the damage done by austerity but to transform our economy with a new and dynamic role for the public sector particularly where the private sector has evidently failed.
Take the water industry. Of the nine water companies in England six are now owned by private equity or foreign sovereign wealth funds. Their profits are handed out in dividends to shareholders while the infrastructure crumbles the companies pay little or nothing in tax and executive pay has soared as the service deteriorates.
That is why we are committed to take back our utilities into public ownership to put them at the service of our people and our economy and stop the public being ripped off.
Of course there is much more that needs to be done. Our National Investment Bank and the Transformation Fund will be harnessed to mobilise public investment to create wealth and good jobs. When Ive met business groups Ive been frank we will invest in the education and skills of the workforce and we will invest in better infrastructure from energy to digital but we are going to ask big business to pay a bit more tax.
The Tory approach to the economy isnt entrepreneurial. Its extractive. Theyre not focused on long-term investment and wealth creation. When you look at what they do rather than what they say its all about driving down wages, services and standards to make as much money as quickly as possible with government not as the servant of the people but of global corporations. And their disregard for rampant inequality the hollowing out of our public services, the disdain for the powerless and the poor have made our society more brutal and less caring.
Now that degraded regime has a tragic monument the chilling wreckage of Grenfell Tower. A horrifying fire in which dozens perished an entirely avoidable human disaster. One which is an indictment not just of decades of failed housing policies and privatisation and the yawning inequality in one of the wealthiest boroughs and cities in the world, it is also a damning indictment of a whole outlook which values council tax refunds for the wealthy above decent provision for all and which has contempt for working class communities.
Before the fire, a tenants group of Grenfell residents had warned and I quote words that should haunt all politicians the Grenfell Action Group firmly believes that only a catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and incompetence of our landlord. Grenfell is not just the result of bad political decisions. It stands for a failed and broken system which Labour must and will replace.
The poet Ben Okri recently wrote in his poem Grenfell Tower:
Those who were living now are dead
Those who were breathing are from the living earth fled
If you want to see how the poor die, come see Grenfell Tower.
See the tower, and let a world changing dream flower.
We have a duty as a country to learn the lessons from this calamity and ensure that a changed world flowers. I hope that the public inquiry will assist. But a decent home is a right for everyone whatever their income or background. And houses should be homes for the many not speculative investments for a few. Look at the Conservative housing record and you understand why Grenfell residents are sceptical about their Conservative council and this Conservative government.
Since 2010: homelessness has doubled, 120,000 children dont have a home to call their own, home ownership has fallen, thousands are living in homes unfit for human habitation. This is why alongside our Shadow Housing minister John Healey were launching a review of social housing policy - its building, planning, regulation and management.
We will listen to tenants across the country and propose a radical programme of action to next years conference. But some things are already clear tenants are not being listened to.
We will insist that every home is fit for human habitation, a proposal this Tory government voted down. And we will control rents - when the younger generations housing costs are three times more than those of their grandparents, that is not sustainable.
Rent controls exist in many cities across the world and I want our cities to have those powers too and tenants to have those protections. We also need to tax undeveloped land held by developers and have the power to compulsorily purchase. As Ed Miliband said, "Use it or lose it". Families need homes.
After Grenfell we must think again about what are called regeneration schemes.
Regeneration is a much abused word.
Too often what it really means is forced gentrification and social cleansing, as private developers move in and tenants and leaseholders are moved out.
We are very clear: we will stop the cuts to social security.
But we need to go further, as conference decided yesterday.
So when councils come forward with proposals for regeneration, we will put down two markers based on one simple principle: regeneration under a Labour government will be for the benefit of the local people, not private developers, not property speculators.
First, people who live on an estate thats redeveloped must get a home on the same site and the same terms as before.
No social cleansing, no jacking up rents, no exorbitant ground rents.
And second councils will have to win a ballot of existing tenants and leaseholders before any redevelopment scheme can take place.
Real regeneration, yes, but for the many not the few.
Thats not all that has to change.
All parties unite in paying tribute to our public sector workers:
The fire-fighters who ran into Grenfell Tower to save lives; the health service workers caring for the maimed in the Manchester terrorist outrage; the brave police officers who confronted the attackers at London Bridge; and PC Keith Palmer who gave his life when terrorists attack our democracy.
Our public servants make the difference every day, between a decent and a threadbare society.
Everyone praises them. But it is Labour that values them and is prepared to give them the pay rise they deserve and protect the services they provide.
Year after year the Tories have cut budgets and squeezed public sector pay, while cutting taxes for the highest earners and the big corporations.
You cant care for the nations health when doctors and nurses are being asked to accept falling living standards year after year.
You cant educate our children properly in ever larger class sizes with more teachers than ever leaving the profession.
You cant protect the public on the cheap.
The police and security services must get the resources they need, not 20,000 police cuts.
Scrapping the public sector pay squeeze isnt an act of charity - it is a necessity to keep our public services fully staffed and strong.
Not everything worthwhile costs money though.
Like many people, I have been moved by the Daily Mirror's campaign to change the organ donation law.
There are more than 5,000 people on organ transplant waiting lists, but a shortage of donors means that in recent years only 3,500 of them get the life-saving treatments they need.
So that everybody whose life could be saved by an organ transplant can have the gift of life - from one human being to another.
The law has already been changed in Wales under Carwyn Joness leadership, and today I make the commitment a Labour government will do the same for England.
In the last couple of days John McDonnell and Rebecca Long-Bailey have set out how we are going to develop the economic plans in our manifesto to ensure that sustainable growth and good jobs reach all parts of the country.
So that no community or region is held back.
To establish regional development banks, to invest in an industrial strategy for every region.
But the challenges of the future go beyond the need to turn our backs on an economic model that has failed to invest and upgrade our economy.
We need urgently to face the challenge of automation - robotics that could make so much of contemporary work redundant.
That is a threat in the hands of the greedy, but its a huge opportunity if its managed in the interests of society as a whole.
We wont reap the full rewards of these great technological advances if theyre monopolised to pile up profits for a few.
But if theyre publicly managed - to share the benefits - they can be the gateway for a new settlement between work and leisure. A springboard for expanded creativity and culture.
The tide of automation and technological change means re-training and management of the workforce must be centre-stage in the coming years.
So Labour will build an education and training system from the cradle to the grave that empowers people.
Not one that shackles them with debt.
Thats why we will establish a National Education Service which will include at its core free tuition for all college courses, technical and vocational training so that no one is held back by costs and everyone has the chance to learn.
That will give millions a fair chance.
Lifelong learning for all is essential in the economy of the future.
The huge shift of employment that will take place under the impact of automation must be planned and managed.
It demands the reskilling of millions of people. Only Labour will deliver that.
As Angela Rayner said yesterday, our National Education Service will be run on clear principles: universal, free and empowering.
This is central to our socialism for the 21st century, for the many not the few.
During the election I visited Derwentside College in the constituency of our new MP Laura Pidcock - one of dozens of great new MPs breathing life and energy into Parliament.
They offer adult courses in everything from IT to beauty therapy, from engineering to childcare.
I met apprentice construction workers. They stand to benefit from Labours 250 billion National Transformation Fund, building the homes people need and the new transport, energy and digital infrastructure our country needs.
But changing our economy to make it work for the whole country cant take place in isolation from changing how our country is run.
For people to take control of their own lives, our democracy needs to break out of Westminster into all parts of our society and economy where power is unaccountable.
All around the world democracy is facing twin threats:
One is the emergence of an authoritarian nationalism that is intolerant and belligerent.
The second is apparently more benign, but equally insidious.
It is that the big decisions should be left to the elite.
That political choices can only be marginal and that people are consumers first, and only citizens a distant second.
Democracy has to mean much more than that.
It must mean listening to people outside of election time. Not just the rich and powerful who are used to calling the shots, but to those at the sharp end who really know whats going on.
Like the Greater Manchester police officer who warned Theresa May two years ago that cuts to neighbourhood policing were risking peoples lives and security.
His concerns were dismissed as crying wolf.
Like the care workers sacked when they blow the whistle on abuse of the elderly.
Or the teachers intimidated when they speak out about the lack of funding for our childrens schools.
Or the doctors who are ignored when they warn that the NHS crumbling before our eyes, or blow the whistle on patient safety.
Labour is fighting for a society not only where rewards are more fairly spread, but where people are listened to more as well by government, their local council, their employer.
Some of the most shocking cases of people not being listened to must surely be the recent revelations of widespread child sex abuse.
Young people - and most often young working class women - have been subjected to the most repugnant abuse.
The response lies in making sure that everybodys voice must be heard no matter who they are or what their background.
The kind of democracy that we should be aiming for is one where people have a continuing say in how society is run, how their workplace is run, how their local schools or hospitals are run.
That means increasing the public accountability and democratization of local services that Andrew Gwynne was talking about on Monday.
It means democratically accountable public ownership for the natural monopolies, with new participatory forms of management, as Rebecca Long-Bailey has been setting out.
It means employees given their voice at work, with unions able to represent them properly, freed of undemocratic fetters on their right to organize.
I promised you two years ago that we would do politics differently. Its not always been easy. Theres quite a few who prefer politics the old way. But let me say it again. We will do politics differently. And the vital word there is we.
Not just leaders saying things are different, but everyone having the chance to shape our democracy. Our rights as citizens are as important as our rights as consumers. Power devolved to the community, not monopolised in Westminster and Whitehall.
Now lets take it a stage further - make public services accountable to communities. Business accountable to the public, and politicians truly accountable to those we serve.
Let the next Labour government will transform Britain by genuinely putting power in the hands of the people, the creative, compassionate and committed people of our country.
Both at home and abroad, what underpins our politics is our compassion and our solidarity with people. Including those now recovering from hurricane damage in the Caribbean, floods in South Asia and Texas. and earthquakes in Mexico. Our interdependence as a planet could not be more obvious.
The environmental crisis in particular demands a common global response. That is why President Trumps threats to withdraw from the Paris Climate Change Treaty are so alarming.
There is no contradiction between meeting our climate change commitments and investing to build a strong economy based on high skill industries. In fact the opposite is the case.
Action on climate change is a powerful spur to investment in the green industries and jobs of the future. So long as it is managed as part of a sustainable transition.
We know, tragically, that terrorism also recognises no boundaries. We have had five shocking examples in Britain this year alone. Two during the course of the General Election campaign and one in my own constituency.
Both Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan - the mayors of Manchester and London - played a crucial role in bringing people together in the aftermath of those brutal attacks.
The targeting of our democracy, of teenage girls at a pop concert, of people enjoying a night out, worshippers outside a mosque, commuters going to work - all of these are horrific crimes.
And we all unite in both condemning the perpetrators and in our support for the emergency and security services, working to keep us safe.
But we also know that terrorism is thriving in a world our governments have helped to shape, with its failed states, military interventions and occupations where millions are forced to flee conflict or hunger.
We have to do better and swap the knee-jerk response of another bombing campaign for long-term help to solve conflicts rather than fuel them.
And we must put our values at the heart of our foreign policy.
Democracy and human rights are not an optional extra to be deployed selectively.
So we cannot be silent at the cruel Saudi war in Yemen, while continuing to supply arms to Saudi Arabia, or the crushing of democracy in Egypt or Bahrain, or the tragic loss of life in Congo.
And I say this today to Aung San Suu Kyi - a champion of democracy and human rights - end the violence now against the Rohingya in Myanmar and allow the UN and international aid agencies in to Rakhine state.
The Rohingya have suffered for too long!
We should stand firm for peaceful solutions to international crises.
Lets tone down the rhetoric, and back dialogue and negotiations to wind down the deeply dangerous confrontation over the Korean Peninsula.
And I appeal to the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres to use the authority of his office and go to Washington and Pyongyang to kick start that essential process of dialogue.
And lets give real support to end the oppression of the Palestinian people, the 50-year occupation and illegal settlement expansion and move to a genuine two-state solution of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Britains voice needs to be heard independently in the world.
We must be a candid friend to the United States, now more than ever.
The values we share are not served by building walls, banning immigrants on the basis of religion, polluting the planet, or pandering to racism.
And let me say frankly - the speech made by the US President to the United Nations last week was deeply disturbing. It threatened war and talked of tearing up international agreements. Devoid of concern for human rights or universal values, it was not the speech of a world leader.
Our government has a responsibility. It cannot meekly go along with this dangerous course. If the special relationship means anything, it must mean that we can say to Washington: that way is the wrong way.
Thats clearly whats needed in the case of Bombardier where thousands of jobs are now at stake.
A Prime Minister betting our economic future on a deregulated trade deal with the US might want to explain how 220% tariffs are going to boost our exports.
So let Britains voice be heard loud and clear for peace, justice and cooperation.
Conference, it is often said that elections can only be won from the centre ground.
And in a way thats not wrong - so long as its clear that the political centre of gravity isnt fixed or unmovable, nor is it where the establishment pundits like to think it is.
It shifts as peoples expectations and experiences change and political space is opened up.
Todays centre ground is certainly not where it was twenty or thirty years ago.
A new consensus is emerging from the great economic crash and the years of austerity, when people started to find political voice for their hopes for something different and better.
2017 may be the year when politics finally caught up with the crash of 2008 - because we offered people a clear choice.
We need to build a still broader consensus around the priorities we set in the election, making the case for both compassion and collective aspiration.
This is the real centre of gravity of British politics.
We are now the political mainstream.
Our manifesto and our policies are popular because that is what most people in our country actually want, not what theyre told they should want.
And that is why Labour is on the way back in Scotland becoming once again the champion of social justice.
Thank you Kezia. And whoever next leads Scottish Labour - our unifying socialist message will continue to inspire both south and north of the border.
That is why our party now has around twice the membership of all the other parties put together.
Conference, we have left the status quo behind, but we must make the change we seek credible and effective.
We have left our own divisions behind. But we must make our unity practical. We know we are campaign-ready.
We must be government-ready too. Our aspirations matched by our competence.
During the election campaign I met and listened to people in every part of the country. Struggling single parents, young people held back by lack of opportunity. Pensioners anxious about health and social care, public servants trying to keep services together. Low and middle earners, self-employed and employed, facing insecurity and squeezed living standards. But hopeful that things could change, and that Labour could make a difference.
Many hadnt voted before, or not for years past. But they put their faith in our party. We offered an antidote to apathy and despair.
Let everyone understand - we will not let you down. Because we listen to you, because we believe in you.
Labour can and will deliver a Britain for the many not just the few.
Thank you.
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Barack Obama has said dropping his daughter Malia off at university was such an emotionally charged experience it felt like open-heart surgery.
The former US President congratulated himself for managing not to break down in tears in front of his eldest daughter at Harvard University.
But Mr Obama admitted he became tearful after the 19-year-old left to embark on her first year and said delivering her reminded him of the importance of family.
For those of us who have daughters, it just happens fast. I dropped off Malia at college, and I was saying to Joe and Jill [Biden] that it was a little bit like open-heart surgery, he said during an event for the Beau Biden Foundation on Monday.
I was proud that I did not cry in front of her. But on the way back, the Secret Service was off, looking straight ahead, pretending they werent hearing me as I sniffled and blew my nose. It was rough.
Mr Obama, who left the White House in January, called the experience a reminder that, at the end of our lives, whatever else weve accomplished, the things that well remember are the joys that our children and hopefully way later, our grandchildren bring us.
Michelle Obama as the First Lady Show all 11 1 /11 Michelle Obama as the First Lady Michelle Obama as the First Lady Getty Michelle Obama as the First Lady Getty Michelle Obama as the First Lady Getty Michelle Obama as the First Lady Getty Michelle Obama as the First Lady Getty Michelle Obama as the First Lady Getty Michelle Obama as the First Lady Getty Michelle Obama as the First Lady Getty Michelle Obama as the First Lady Getty Michelle Obama as the First Lady Getty Michelle Obama as the First Lady Getty
The former President has often discussed how important fatherhood is to him and used his presidential farewell address to tell his daughters: Of all that Ive done in my life, I am most proud to be your dad.
Malia starts her undergraduate degree at Harvard after taking a gap year. The former world leader and first lady were spotted helping her move into her university room at the end of August.
Last summer, she graduated from Sidwell Friends school, a private school in Washington which was attended by Chelsea Clinton, Tricia Nixon Cox, and Archibald Roosevelt.
Malia gained global attention at the beginning of the year for joining a protest against the Dakota Access pipeline held at the Sundance Film Festival. She was thought to have left her familys Caribbean holiday to attend the largest independent film festival in the US.
After Donald Trumps victory and the defeat of the first female presidential candidate, Mr Obama told Malia and her 16-year-old sister Sasha to remain positive and fight for people, encouraging them not to worry about an apocalypse but focus on moving forward.
Fire fighting on the territory of an ammunition depot near the town of Kalynivka, Vinnytsia region, continues, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has reported.
"Steps to localize the fire in the arsenal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Vinnytsia region continue, the hot spots are being and extinguish on the territory of the arsenal," reads a report on its Facebook page posted on Wednesday morning.
The General Staff said the military unit's fire-fighting tanks and trucks are involved in putting out the fire. More special equipment has been sent to the scene.
At the same time, the military unit whose arsenal is detonating triggered the fire has been blacked out.
"The military unit has been de-energized and the personnel of the arsenal are in shelters," the headquarters said.
The report also says that almost 22,000 civilians and about 500 families of servicemen were evacuated at night.
At the same time, movement of all types of transport is closed, including motor transport on the Zhytomyr-Mohyliv-Podilsky highway; railway transport on the Sosenka - Kalynivka stretch of the South-Western Railways; and air transport in the radius of 50 km from Kalynivka.
In addition, the Kalynivka-Ukrflora and Kalynivka-Lavrivka power lines have been de-energized. Gas supply to the villages of Dorozhne, Medvedka and Lavrivka has been cut off.
As reported, at around 22:00 on September 26, reports arrived about explosions of ammunition in an arsenal of the Defense Ministry near the town of Kalynivka (Vinnytsia region). Residents of Kalynivka and the populated areas in a 10-kilometer zone (Pavlivka, Medvedka, Dorozhne, Salnyk, Stryzhavka) were notified. The population is being evacuated.
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The residents of Dominica are beginning the grim task of picking up the pieces of their shattered lives after Hurricane Maria tore through the island, flattening buildings, destroying infrastructure and killing more than 20 people.
Many were still in a state of bewildered shock at the sheer savagery of the disaster Dominicas first category five storm in recorded history. The tiny fishing community of Scotts Head, on the southwest coast, received its first supplies of drinking water and food four days after the storm when a private boat captained by a former villager arrived from Antigua.
Latest reports state 27 lives have been lost, with dozens more still missing. Heartbroken Ashton Thomas, 75, described the moment his wife of 52 years, Lucy, slipped from his grasp to her death as the couple tried to escape the gushing water.
I was holding onto Lucy with one hand and the wall with the other. I managed to get her back once but she slipped away again. If I hadnt let go, she would still be alive. I loved her so much, he said.
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Pure fury and monstrous were just some of the words used to describe Marias 175mph winds that struck on 18 September and brought the Caribbean country of 73,000 to its knees.
Its terrible, wrecked, even worse than I imagined, Glen Hector told The Independent upon arrival in Scott's Head. Here, almost every structure has been ravaged and there is a long line of rubble where the road used to be.
We knew the storm was coming but we did not expect that impact, said one resident, Felixia Jervier. Weve lost our homes, our boats, our livelihoods. I have never experienced anything like it.
Hurricane Maria: Aerial footage shows Dominica destruction
Dominicas lush mountainous landscape, which helped put it on the tourist map, has been its curse in the mammoth effort to deliver emergency aid to villages totally cut off due to collapsed roads and bridges.
In the absence of official medical assistance, Dr Sam Christian said he had been treating villagers for everything from fractures and cuts to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Many peoples medication was washed away, he said. We really need drugs for diabetes and blood pressure along with hope and encouragement that things will get better.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit pledged on Tuesday that drinking water and food would be distributed to every single house. He told a press conference that scores of workers were poised to begin road clearance and doctors were on their way to Dominicas main hospitals.
Up to Tuesday morning, the entire 290 square mile isle was still without electricity but power is expected to be restored to essential services by Wednesday.
The need is huge because the entire country has been affected, the Prime Minister, who last week broke down in tears when describing Marias devastation, said. But we are working 24 hours a day to make life a little better for all of us, he added.
It comes as US President Donald Trump deals with the devastation Hurricane Maria caused on the US territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The speed of the US response to the disaster has come in for criticism but Mr Trump has claimed his administration was doing a "really good job" helping Puerto Rico. Maria is the third major hurricane to hit the United States in recent weeks, following Harvey in Texas and Irma in the Caribbean and Florida.
Mr Trump has agreed to boost federal disaster aid to Puerto Rico and has promised to visit both there and the US Virgin Islands next week.
"We've gotten A-pluses on Texas and in Florida, and we will also on Puerto Rico," Mr Trump said in Washington. "The difference is this is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean. It's a big ocean, it's a very big ocean. And we're doing a really good job."
Mr Trump will be looking to avoid the situation seen in Dominica, where aid cannot come soon enough for the inhabitants of the once picturesque tourist village of Soufriere, famed for its sulphur springs.
Unloading emergency supplies from a boat usually used for day trips in Antigua (Gemma Handy)
While they have access to natural spring water, helicopter supplies of food have fallen far short of the amount needed for Soufrieres 1,400 residents.
Everything they dropped was gone in 10 minutes, said one man, sitting beside the smashed ruins of Wyfees Bar, an erstwhile popular hangout spot.
But solidarity between Caribbean islands means regional neighbours have been among the first to respond. Several boats from neighbouring nations can be seen around Dominicas coastline.
Back in Scotts Head and Soufriere, some villagers were already at work rebuilding damaged roofs, while others spoke of the thriving community spirit among the countrys stoic citizens.
Weve been battered, said one man, but Dominica will rise again.
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The threat of a nuclear attack on California is real enough that a regional task force circulated a document to help the state prepare for a catastrophic strike.
Circulated by a Joint Regional Intelligence Center that encompasses southern California, the August advisory - first reported by Foreign Policy - warns of devastating casualties and critical infrastructure damage in the event of a nuclear strike.
Far from a Cold War relic, the document underscores the concrete risks as North Korea continues to defy the world by displaying its military prowess and threatening neighbors. It notes that North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that appeared capable of reaching the West Coast of the United States and that North Korean propaganda videos depict an annihilated San Francisco.
The joint intelligence center did not follow up on a request for comment. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Emergency Management Department said the city has been preparing for a nuclear attack for years but acknowledged that public interest in how to respond to a nuclear attack has spiked in recent months.
We all know theres a lot of talk about North Korea and the nuclear threat, spokeswoman Kathleen Hutton told the Independent. With the increased attention and threat, weve been looking at those plans to see if theres anything more we can to do be operationally more ready, she added.
The 16-page memo is dated August 16, 2017. In the weeks since that date, a highest-stakes geopolitical standoff has only intensified as North Korea fired multiple missiles over Japan, tested what was likely a hydrogen bomb and called Donald Trumps threat to destroy North Korea an act of war.
Trump: US's military solution for North Korea would be 'devastating'
A nuclear blast would overwhelm the governments capacity to respond, with federal help likely not materializing for days and first responders crippled by significant casualties and destruction of critical infrastructure, the document warns. Bridges and roads could be rendered unusable, as could electricity and communication infrastructure. While frightened residents would need to seek shelter and then be evacuated, the anxiety-wracked population might not follow orders. Sealed food would be safe; breast milk could be contaminated.
The document includes a primer on different types of explosions and radiation, offers tips for avoiding radioactive fallout by covering the mouth and nose or seeking underground shelter - brushing off dangerous particles and disrobing also works - and explores a RAND Corporation case study finding a bomb detonated at the bustling Port of Long Beach, south of Los Angeles, could kill 60,000 people and set off a stampede of six million evacuees.
In pictures: North Korea military drill Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: North Korea military drill In pictures: North Korea military drill North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un watches a military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) is seen in this handout photo by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) is seen in this handout photo by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video
Such preparations are not new. Ms Hutton pointed to a 2010 drill for a nuclear detonation conducted under the auspices of a planning exercise called Operation Golden Phoenix. The document notes significant planning and exercise efforts for a nuclear attack have unfolded for years among communities covered by the intelligence center. A state emergency plan prescribes responses to nuclear incidents, though that mostly covers power plant failures.
But they have gained new urgency as Donald Trump spars with North Korea and the two countries trade threats of nuclear destruction. When North Korea claimed in August it was formulating plans to obliterate the island of Guam, the territory circulated guidelines for surviving a nuclear assault.
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Senate Republicans this week were forced to announce the death of their latest push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.
But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said Republicans have not given up trying to change America's healthcare system.
Is the Republicans' effort to repeal and replace Obamacare really dead?
No. But but its going to be significantly harder for them to repeal and replace the healthcare law after September 30. That date is when Congresss current budget reconciliation instructions expire.
Mr McConnell had attempted to pass a healthcare bill under the budget reconciliation process. To conform to the rules of reconciliation legislation meaning the Senate only needs 51 votes to push forward a measure the bill must meet certain requirements, including reducing the budget deficit.
What happens after the September 30 deadline?
Any healthcare bill could be filibustered when debate over a proposed piece of legislation is extended and would need 60 votes to end the filibuster, or invoke closure.
Requiring 60 votes to end debate is a unique characteristic of the Senate and has the effect of requiring some Republicans to work with Democrats to push forward legislation.
This means that to pass any healthcare legislation by the end of the year after September 30, Mr McConnell will need at least some Democratic support.
Could the Senate get 60 votes?
It is highly unlikely that 60 senators will vote in favour of an Obamacare repeal bill. Republicans only hold a 52-member majority in the 100-member Senate, and Democrats have been united in opposition against every iteration of Obamacare repeal this year.
Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Show all 33 1 /33 Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days in office were marred by a string of scandals, many of which caught the eye of the Independent's cartoonists Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's first 100 days have seen him aggressively ramp up tensions with his nuclear rivals in North Korea Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has warned of a "major, major conflict" with the pariah nation lead by Kim Jong Un Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump dropped the "mother of all bombs" on alleged ISIS-linked militants in Afghanistan, amid an escalation of US military intervention around the globe Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been accused of falling short of the standards set by his predecessors in the Oval Office, including Franklin D Roosevelt Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The tycoon's ascension to the White House came at a time when the balance of power is shifting away from Western nations like those in the G7 group Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Western politicians, including the British Conservative party, have been accused of falling in line behind Mr Trump's proposals Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Brexit is seen to have weakened Britain, reducing still further any political will to resist American leadership Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump's leadership has been marked by sudden and unexpected shifts in global policy Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's controversial missile strike on Syria, which killed several citizens, was seen by some analysts as an attempt to distract from his policy elsewhere Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The President has also spent a large majority of his weekends golfing, rather than attending to matters of state Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Though free of gaffes, a visit from Chinese president Xi Jinping spotlighted trade tensions between the two states Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One major and unexpected setback came when Mr Trump's Healthcare Bill was struck down by members of his own party Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been a figure of fun in the media, with his approval at record lows Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A string of revelations about Mr Trump's financial indiscretions did not mar his surge to the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Outgoing President Barack Obama was accused of wiretapping Trump Tower by his successor in America's highest office Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The alleged involvement of Russian intelligence operatives in securing Mr Trump the presidency prompted harsh criticism Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The explosive resignation of Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lied about his links to the Russian ambassador, was just one scandal to hit the President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Many scandals, such as the accusation Barack Obama was implicated in phone-hacking, first broke on Mr Trump's Twitter feed Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's election provoked mass protests in the UK, with millions signing a petition to ban him from the country Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump cited a non-existent terror attack in Sweden during a campaign rally Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump stands accused of stoking regional tensions in Eastern Asia Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons North Korea has launched a number of failed nuclear tests since Mr Trump took power Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Theresa May formally rejected the petition calling for Mr Trump to be banned from the UK Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons When Mr Trump's initial so-called Muslim ban was struck down by a federal justice, the President mocked the 69-year-old as a "ridiculous", "so-called judge" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A week after his inauguration, Theresa May met with Mr Trump at the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first days in office were marked by a hasty attempt to follow through on many of his campaign promises, including the so-called Muslim ban Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's decision to ban citizens of many majority-Muslim countries from the US sparked mass protests Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Revelations about Donald Trump's sexual improprieties were not enough to keep him from being elected President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was criticised by many in the press for cosying up to the new President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One of Mr Trump's top aides, Kelly Anne Conway, was mocked for describing mistruths as "alternative facts" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was quick to demonstrate that her political aims did not hugely differ from Mr Trump's Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's inauguration, on 20 January 2017, sparked protests both at home and abroad
For this reason, President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on the Senates leadership to Get rid of Filibuster Rule!
Could Republicans go back to only needing 50 votes?
If Republicans want to set up reconciliation again, they can by passing a new budget resolution with new reconciliation instructions.
In January 2017, congressional Republicans passed a budget resolution for fiscal year 2017, which set up the reconciliation process for Obamacare repeal.
Reconciliation instructions expire at the end of Congresss fiscal year September 30.
How could midterms change everything?
There is a tenuous balance of power in the Senate.
Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, who helped kill multiple attempts by his party to pass an Obamacare repeal bill, is currently receiving treatment for or an aggressive type of brain cancer. Should his seat become vacant, the governor of Arizona may appoint someone more likely to vote for legislation that would overhaul the ACA.
It will also be a challenge for Democrats to take back the Senate in 2018. While they only need a net gain of three seats in the 100-member Senate, they are also defending 25 seats 10 of which are in states that Mr Trump won.
But Republicans look like they are beginning to wage war against each other in Senate primaries the establishment v populist candidates backed by Steve Bannon, a Breitbart executive and former top aide to Mr Trump. This means that financial resources the party would normally use to attack Democratic candidates in the general election are being utilised to defend Republican incumbents.
Anything could happen next year. But if Republicans have majorities in both houses of Congress, another drive to repeal and replace Obamacare is possible.
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Jared Kushner, senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, has been registered to vote as a woman for eight years.
Records from the New York State Board of Elections list Mr Kushner's gender as 'female,' according to screenshots obtained by Wired. The records indicate he registered to vote in November 2009.
It is unclear whether the listing was intentional, or a mistake. Mr Kushner last voted on 8 November, 2016 the day of his father-in-law's election. He has yet to comment on the situation.
Recommended Kushner used a private email server to carry out government business
The inaccuracy is particularly notable in light of the Trump administration's interest in voter fraud. In fact, the President has claimed he would have won the popular vote if not for the "millions of people who voted illegally".
Mr Trump has formed a presidential advisory commission specifically to focus on the issue. The Commission on Election Integrity, led by Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, is charged with investigating Mr Trump's claim that between 3m and 5m people voted illegally in 2016.
The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
More than 40 states initially refused to turn over the information requested by the commission, which included registrants' full names, addresses, dates of birth, political parties, and the last four digits of their social security numbers.
At best this commission was set up as a pretext to validate Donald Trumps alternative election facts, and at worst it is a tool to commit large-scale voter suppression, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said at the time.
It's unlikely that Mr Kushner's inaccurate registration counts as voter fraud, however. According to Loyola Law School professor Justin Levitt, who spoke with Wired, fraud charges require "an intent to give the false information".
Jared Kushner says he had no improper conduct with Russian officials after appearing before Senate
The news of Mr Kushner's voter registration comes on the heels of another potentially embarrassing revelation for the administration: Both Mr Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, have been using their personal email addresses for White House business.
Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as Secretary of State was a frequent target of criticism from the Trump campaign. Mr Trump even suggested Ms Clinton be charged with a federal crime, sparking campaign-rally cries of "Lock her up!"
Mr Kushner used his personal email address to discuss media coverage and event planning with former chief of staff Reince Priebus, former chief strategist Steve Bannon, National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, and others, according to Politico.
Ivanka Trump used her personal email address to contact United States Small Business Administration administrator Linda McMahon before formally joining her father's administration, according to documents obtained by American Oversight.
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North Korean officials are reportedly reaching out to Republican-linked experts in an effort to understand Donald Trumps behaviour.
A nuclear-powered standoff has led to intensifying threats and shows of force from both North Korea and the United States. As North Korea has tested increasingly sophisticated missiles, launching multiple projectiles over Japan, Mr Trump has warned the country it could face annihilation.
He threatened to totally destroy the country in a speech to the United Nations and followed up by proclaiming on Twitter that North Korea's ruling regime - lead by Kim Jong-un - wont be around much longer, a threat North Korea framed as an act of war.
Seeking to parse the presidents intentions, members of North Koreas government have tried to arrange contacts with Washington analysts who can illuminate the presidents mindset and explain why he publicly contradicts top administration officials, according to the Washington Post.
Among those whom North Korea contacted was former CIA analyst Bruce Klingner, who told the Post he declined an invitation to visit the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.
Theyre on a new binge of reaching out to American scholars and ex-officials, Mr Klingner told the Post.
Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters
North Koreans who attended unofficial talks in Switzerland had heavily scrutinised the presidents tweets to the extent they could quote them according to the report. Mr Trump frequently makes surprise policy announcements or undercuts statements from his administration on Twitter. He also used the medium to introduce his his newly coined nickname of Rocket Man for Mr Kim.
Donald Trump: We'll deal with 'Little Rocket Man' Kim Jong-un
While Mr Trump has expressed hope of finding a diplomatic solution to North Korean aggression, echoing the preference of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jingping, his administration has consistently dangled the use of military force as a possibility. His ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said recently that diplomatic options for constraining North Korea are dwindling, with successive rounds of UN sanctions failing to deter the regime's belligerence.
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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has committed to spending nearly $25,000 on a soundproof booth for administrator Scott Pruitt to make phone calls.
A contract puts the federal government on the hook for a $24,570 privacy booth for Mr Pruitt. A spokeswoman for the agency said that the booth would ensure no one was spying on Mr Pruitts communications.
This is something which a number, if not all, Cabinet offices have and EPA needs to have updated, spokeswoman Liz Bowman told the Washington Post.
A salesman at the company thats providing the booth told the New York Times that the EPA requested an upgraded version of the booth thats more expensive than typical models and requires a custom order.
They wanted a secure phone and computer room, essentially for sensitive information, salesman Steve Snider told the Times.
Mr Pruitt, a former Oklahoma governor and a staunch ally of the oil and gas industry, has already compiled a record of eyebrow-raising outlays for his personal protection.
10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke filled with the carbon that is driving climate change drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan
The cost of Mr Pruitts security was nearly double the price tag for protecting his predecessors, according to documents obtained by E&E News. The EPA also requested additional funding to support a round-the-clock security detail for Mr Pruitt.
Given Mr Pruitts record of clashing with the EPA during his tenure as governor of Oklahoma, often banding with the energy industry to sue the agency, his selection to head the countrys preeminent environmental agency spurred outrage from environmentalists.
Environmental advocacy groups that tend to remain neutral on EPA administrator appointments took the unusual step of opposing him. The Sierra Club called choosing Mr Pruitt like putting an arsonist in charge of fighting fires. Career EPA staffers, urged on by their union, contacted Congress to try and block Mr Pruitts ascension in a rare show of political advocacy by government bureaucrats.
Since taking the helm, Mr Pruitt has pursued an agenda of rolling back or diluting environmental rules enacted under Barack Obama. Among the items he has targeted are regulations seeking to blunt climate change by limiting emissions from power plants, a directive aimed at limiting pollution in waterways and a requirement that companies disclose methane leaks. A court has blocked his attempt to halt the methane rule.
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The United States government has quietly announced that it is planning on continuing to collect social media information on immigrants in America, a policy that has experts worried about privacy abuses and inefficiency.
The rule, which was first spotted by Buzzfeed News and published last week by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the Federal Register, would apply both to new arrivals in the country who have also undergone extensive vetting, as well as to naturalised citizens. The policy says the Department wants to include social media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information, and search results in the immigration files it keeps. It is unclear how immigration agents would access the accounts.
But lawyers and experts say that the new policies are not likely to improve security in the United States, and that this system opens itself up to potential abuses and mistakes that could needlessly damage peoples lives.
Most of the vetting they already do is a lot deeper than what you can possibly do in social media vetting, Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute, told The Independent. This will just add another layer of bureaucracy without protecting anyone.
Social media monitoring policies first began to be considered by DHS following the mass shooting in San Bernardino in 2015, Mr Nowrasteh said, when reports began emerging that one of the shooters had said on social media that she was a jihadist interested in hurting Americans, before coming to the US from Pakistan.
As it turns out, those reports were fake news. While the shooter had expressed extremist views, she only did not do so on traditional social media platforms. Investigators later uncovered private messages as emails and communications on a dating website, and on an online messaging platform, but not on websites like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban Show all 20 1 /20 Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-1 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-2 Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-3 Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-4 SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JANUARY 28: Demonstrators hold signs during a rally against a ban on Muslim immigration at San Francisco International Airport on January 28, 2017 in San Francisco, California. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday that suspends entry of all refugees for 120 days, indefinitely suspends the entries of all Syrian refugees, as well as barring entries from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering for 90 days. Stephen Lam/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-5 A crowd of protesters gathers outside of the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse as a judge hears a challenge against President Donald Trump's executive ban on immigration from several Muslim countries, on January 28, 2017 in Brooklyn. The judge issued an emergency stay on part of Trump's executive order, ruling that sending refugees stopped at U.S. airports back to their countries would be harmful. Yana Paskova/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-6 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the new immigration ban issued by President Donald Trump at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-7 NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Protestors rally during a demonstration against the new immigration ban issued by President Donald Trump at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-8 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the new immigration ban issued by President Donald Trump at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-9 Getty Images Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-10 Getty Images Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-11 NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-12 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-13 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-14 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-15 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-16 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-17 NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-18 Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-19 Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-20 Passengers wait in line to check in at the American Airlines terminal at JFK International Airport August 10, 2006 in the Queens borough of New York City. British authorities arrested 21 people and halted a anallegedly terrorist plot to use liquid explosives concealed in carry-on luggage to blow up airliners traveling between Britain and the U.S. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff said that the plot appeared to be directed at U.S. carriers flying out of Heathrow. such as United Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines. Stephen Chernin/Getty
The DHS, however, went ahead with at least three pilot programmes to screen immigrant social media profiles anyway. They found that the screenings produced no clear links to national security threats or concerns among refugees, even for those individuals who the US determined posed a security risk through other means.
Its very easy to avoid doing this stuff. People who post online use pseudonyms. They use pseudonyms if theyre supporting violence, Mr Nowrasteh said, noting that any savvy would-be terrorist could simply not post extremist views on their public social media before travelling to America. Unless you somehow magically come up with a way to know every alias, this wont add to security.
The Department of Homeland Security said in an email that the rule does not represent a new policy for immigration screening, and that it published its update to privacy records in an effort to be transparent, to comply with existing regulations, and to comply with existing disclosure requirements.
Cesar Cuauhtemoc Garcia Hernandez, an associate professor of law at the University of Denvers Sturm College of Law, told The Independent that monitoring social media accounts could have a chilling effect on free speech. Immigrants and naturalised citizens may self-censor, worried that their social media activity may get them flagged by DHS for having values or ideas contrary to that of the federal government even if the posts are not a threat to US security.
For example, an immigrant who posts a photo of themselves in front a marijuana dispensary in Colorado could potentially be flagged. Recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado, but technically illegal under federal law. Immigration agents, seeing that photo, could then reasonably ask if the immigrant had smoked marijuana, an act that could imperil immigration approval.
Legal marijuana is one of the things that makes Colorado a cutting edge place to be right now. We dont think of that as morally or legally problematic, Mr Garcia Hernandez said, explaining that posting such a photo in Colorado itself would not be a problem. But, in reality, if youre not a US citizen, thats potentially the basis for detention or deportation.
Its a chilling effect, he continued. If youre concerned about the fact that taking a political position on Facebook might mean that you have immigration problems when DHS reads your FB page, then it would be entirely reasonable to keep your Facebook page shut.
Illegal armed groups operating in eastern Ukraine have violated the ceasefire 15 times over the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier wounded in the hostilities, the press center of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) headquarters has reported.
"The situation in the ATO area has not changed significantly at the end of the past day. Using the same tactics, the Russian occupation groups intensified the shelling of our positions after 18:00... ATO soldiers fired back during 12 attacks," reads a report posted on the Facebook page of the headquarters on Wednesday.
In the Donetsk sector, militants fired three times at the outskirts of Avdiyivka from various types of grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. Ukrainian defenders toughly suppressed the activity of militants. One serviceman was wounded in the fighting at about 18:00. The soldier is now in a medical institution, and his condition is satisfactory. In addition, Ukrainian Armed Forces positions near Kamianka and Butivka coalmine came under grenade launcher fire at the end of the day.
In the Mariupol sector, militants also used grenade launchers near Maryinka, large-caliber machine guns near Shyrokyne, and IFV weapons near Hnutove.
In the Luhansk sector, militants fired twice from small arms near Krymske.
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Donald Trump has implied that Facebook is colluding with the New York Times, major cable networks and the Washington Post against him. The suggestion comes after Facebook agreed last week to give Congress 3,000 political ads from the 2016 election that were linked to Russian actors hoping to influence the campaign.
Those ads were previously only released to special investigator Robert Mueller, who is in charge of investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.
"Facebook was always anti-Trump.The Networks were always anti-Trump hence, Fake News, New York Times (apologized) & Washington Post were anti-Trump. Collusion?" Mr Trump wrote in a tweet that followed the release of campaign ads.
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The social media network said last month that they had identified $150,000 of political ads it sold and ran on its platform that were purchased by fake accounts linked to Russian actors. Of those, roughly $100,000 of those ads, or about 3,000 of them, could be linked to Russian propaganda group named Internet Research Agency. Another 2,000 ads worth about $50,000 were also found by filtering out accounts registered through American internet addresses, but whose accounts were set to the Russian language.
Facebook had found those accounts and suspended them long before their September disclosure, writing a vague blog post on the subject as a means of letting the world know what had happened. The company then stayed mum on the issue for months until it disclosed that they had shared the information with Mr Mueller's team, and that it would also hand over that information to Congress. The company hasn't agreed to testify or meet with Congress for further questioning.
Mark Zuckerburg, the founder and CEO of the social media company, previously called allegations that Russians influenced the 2016 election "crazy," but it was recently discovered that former President Barack Obama had met with the businessman before Mr Trump's innauguration, and had urged him to take the issue seriously.
The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images
Mr Obama told him that if Facebook didn't do more to mitigate fake news that has proliferated on the platform, and stop the proliferation of foreign political propaganda ads, that the problem would become much worse during the next election.
Mr Zuckerburg announced late last month that his company was analysing the political ads that it sold to determine if any further ads were paid for by Russian sources, and indicated his company would continue to work with the government on the issue if they discover more.
In that announcement, Mr Zuckerburg outlined changes that would be made to his company's election-integrity processes, including new requirements that advertisers disclose who paid for any particular ad. The company will also require political advertisers to publicly catalogue the variations of ads that they target to different audiences.
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Christopher Steele, the former MI6 officer who was at the centre of a storm over his explosive and contentious dossier on Donald Trump, is keeping a determinedly low profile.
But his account of the US Presidents Russian connections is very much a part of the investigations closing in around a beleaguered White House.
The man who hired Mr Steele to compile the report has given ten hours of testimony behind closed doors to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Glenn Simpson, the co-founder of the political research firm Fusion GPS, stressed afterwards that he stood by the allegations which were made and committee officials privately say that the material was being treated extremely seriously.
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Meanwhile, the team of special counsel Robert Mueller, leading a separate investigation into the Kremlins activities, have contacted and taken evidence from a number of figures named in the dossier, including one, The Independent has learned, who has been providing important information.
Concerted attempts were made to dismiss Mr Steeles report as fantasy when news of its existence broke at the beginning of the year by Mr Trump, his supporters and right wing media outlets in the US and UK.
Since then, however, many of his claims have proved to be true. There is now rivalry between three ongoing inquiries into Mr Trump by former FBI director Mr Mueller, the Senate Intelligence Committee, the House Intelligence Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee to get Mr Steele to testify.
Mr Steele, however, has decided not to travel to the US and is also disinclined, for the time being, to be interviewed by Trump investigators elsewhere.
His company Orbis Business Intelligence, where he is a co-director along with Christopher Burrows, formerly of the Foreign Office, has been recovering from the deluge of publicity over the Trump dossier and Mr Steele is said to feel that he wants to get back in the shadows for both personal and professional reasons.
Last month two staffers from the House Intelligence Committee arrived unannounced in Britain to try and persuade Mr Steele to speak. They visited the offices of Mr Steeles company in London as well as the office of his lawyer.
The trip provoked a furious row in Washington. The two men had been sent by Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee without informing Democrats on that Committee, the Senate Committee or the Special Counsel.
The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images
Mr Muellers team were particularly worried that the heavy handed approach may hinder chances of Mr Steele testifying. Some Democrats believe, however, that was the precise aim of the Republicans, to sabotage any appearance by the former MI6 officer. The first Republican chairman of the House Committee, Devin Nunes, was forced to recuse himself and was replaced after revelations about his close liaison with the White House.
Some Republicans in the House Committee are keen, however, to speak to Mr Steele and Glenn Wilson about the fact that the report was commissioned by opponents of Mr Trump, first Republican and then Democrats, thus making it, in their eyes, a politically motivated document. They also want to question Mr Steele about his relationship with the FBI while he was carrying out his inquiries into Mr Trump.
The Republicans have sent a series of subpoenas to the Bureau which they believe will show that the relations between it and Mr Steele was closer than hitherto known and will provide ammunition against James Comey, the then Director, who was sacked by the President and has come to be viewed by the Trump camp as one of its many enemies.
Mr Steele handed out the results of some of his research to an agent he had from of the FBIs Eurasian Joint Organised Crime Squad based in Rome in August 2016. The full report was handed to Mr Comey by Senator John McCain, who had sent a former State Department official, David Kramer, across the Atlantic to collect it, in December that year.
Mr Muellers team, meanwhile, appears to be making steady progress. The home of Paul Manafort, Mr Trumps former campaign manager, was raided with computers and documents seized. The inquiry has been expanded to look at work Mr Manafort carried out as campaign manager for Viktor Yanukovych, The pro-Moscow former president of Ukraine and 12m he is alleged to have received from Mr Yanukovychs Party of Regions. Mr Manafort denies getting the money.
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Mr Manafort, who was secretly wiretapped by the FBI, has been told by prosecutors that he may face indictment over alleged violations of tax laws, money laundering and lobbying for a foreign power. Roger Stone, a long-time advisor to Mr Trump, said this week that Mr Manafort had confirmed to him that he expects to be indicted.
A full 15 months ago Mr Steeles report referred repeatedly to Mr Manaforts alleged off the books payment from Mr Yanukovychs party and Russian concern that revelations of this may damage the Kremlin operation to support Mr Trump.
The Manafort affair is just one example of claims made by Mr Steele which have subsequently proved to be true. According to memos sent to Mr Simpson among Mr Steeles informants were Source A, a senior Russian foreign ministry figure; Source B, a former top intelligence officer still active in the Kremlin; Source D is a close associate of Mr Trump who had organised and managed his recent trips to Moscow; and Source E "an ethnic Russian and close associate of Donald Trump.
It has been reported that Source D and Source E may be the same person, a Belarusan businessman called Sergei Millain, who was born Siarhei Kukuts. Mr Millain has denied being Mr Steeles informant, declaring that allegations against him are part of a witch hunt and that Mr Trumps election is Gods will.
But some with inside knowledge of the Steele report say that one of the sources could be Felix Sater, a Russian whose family emigrated to New York when he was six years old. Mr Sater was jailed for stabbing a man in the face with a cocktail glass. He was also convicted of investment fraud involving the Russian mafia targeting the elderly including Holocaust survivors, but avoided a potential 20 years sentence by becoming an informer.
Mr Sater is a former business associate of Mr Trump and had accompanied him on trips to Russia. At Mr Trumps behest he had chaperoned Donald junior and Ivanka on a Moscow visit during which he was influential enough to engineer that Ivanka got to sit on President Putins chair in the Kremlin.
Mr Sater (aka Felix Sheferovsky) was a childhood friend of Michael Cohen, Mr Trumps personal lawyer. Mr Cohen was named in the Steele dossier as a key conduit between the Trump camp and the Russians and that Vladimir Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov was tasked with carrying out a covert campaign to undermine Hilary Clintons presidential campaign (which Mr Peskov denies).
Mr Cohen had denied having any dealings whatsoever with the Russians in his work for Mr Trump. But newly leaked emails show that Mr Cohen asked for Mr Peskovs help with a Trump real estate project, Trump Tower, in Moscow in 2016. This was when Mr Trump was already campaigning to secure the Republican nomination for the Presidency.
The leaks also revealed emails from Mr Sater to Mr Cohen. One said excitedly: Can you believe two guys from Brooklyn are going to elect a President. Another said: Our boy can become President of the USA and we can engineer it I will get Putin on this programme and we will get Trump elected.
Andrew Weissmann, the federal prosecutor who turned Mr Sater during the fraud investigation, is now on Mr Muellers team. Mr Sater is helping federal authorities in a Kazakh money laundering scheme in which some of the money was supposedly laundered through a Trump property. The claims of Mr Trump being the Muscovian Candidate for the US Presidency, raised by Mr Steele, continue to grow and reverberate.
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Members of Donald Trump's campaign team will almost certainly be indicted as a result of probes into Russian meddling in the election, a US Senator has said.
I'm about 99 percent sure there will be some criminal charges from this investigation, said Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and former state's attorney general.
The Judiciary Committee is one of several Congressional committees investigating possible Trump team collusion with Moscow. The committee recently asked the CIA to turn over information related to Russian meddling, and also questioned the man responsible for an unverified, incendiary dossier of information about Mr Trump's relationship with the country.
Recommended The focus of the Russia investigation has intensified on Ukraine
Mr Blumenthal said he is uncertain if the President himself will face charges, but is convinced that other members of his campaign team will.
Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn "are the most prominent, he told Politico, "but there may well be others."
Mr Flynn previously served as the administration's national security adviser. He resigned shortly after inauguration day, when it was discovered that he had mislead the Vice President and others regarding his conversations with Russian officials.
The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images
Mr Manafort, the President's former campaign manager, has become a central target of the investigations. The Republican consultant previously worked as a political adviser in Ukraine, helping elect a pro-Russia candidate as the country's president.
The Washington Post recently reported that Mr Manafort had offered private briefings to Oleg Deripaska a Ukrainian billionaire and associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin during the campaign.
The Justice Departments special counsel, Robert Mueller, is said to be investigating Mr Manafort for possible violations of tax laws, money-laundering prohibitions, and requirements to disclose foreign lobbying. FBI agents raided the consultants Northern Virginia home this summer, looking for evidence of secret offshore bank accounts.
Liam Neeson calls for Trump-Russia whistleblowers
Roger Stone, a longtime informal adviser to Mr Trump, told reporters on Tuesday that Mr Manafort expects to be indicted. Mr Stone said he believes this is an attempt to flip the consultant on other members of the Trump campaign.
Ive known Paul Manafort for over 40 years, and I dont believe he is going to do that," Mr Stone said, according to the New York Times. "He is not going to lie, and that would be a lie."
Mr Blumenthal, however, has warned former Trump associates not to count on the President's loyalty.
"Any witness counting on a Russia investigation pardon should think again," he tweeted last month. "Trump's loyalty is limited, witnesses can still be compelled to testify, and the pardons apply only to federal crimes."
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Donald Trump is considering firing Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, the administration official who spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on private flights.
"Im not happy with Tom, Mr Trump recently told reporters of his Cabinet pick. Im not happy and I let him know it.
Asked if he would fire Mr Price, the President responded: Well see.
The White House has distanced itself from Mr Price in recent days, after Politico reported that the Secretary had taken five separate private jet flights in a single week.
"We're looking into it," Mr Trump assured reporters last week. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders added that the flights were "not White House-approved travel".
Senior administration officials have separately complained that Mr Price was nowhere to be found during the Obamacare repeal effort.
Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Show all 22 1 /22 Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump talk as they leave the Army Museum at Les Invalides in Paris AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump arrive for the group photo at the G7 Taormina summit on the island of Sicily in May 2017 Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Mr Trump was pressed on the subject at the G7 summit in Italy Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump gives a speeech at the Warsaw Uprising Monument on Krasinski Square Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May during a ceremony at the NATO headquarters before the start of a summit in Brussels, Belgium Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic is seen to the right of Donald Trump at a Nato summit in Brussels REUTERS Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis meeting with US President Donald J. Trump EPA Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis poses with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump arrives at Palazzo del Quirinale ahead of the meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella Ufficio Stampa Presidenza della via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is seen during a joint press conference with the Palestinian leader at the presidential palace in the West Bank city of Bethlehem AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meets US President Donald Trump PPO via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with US President Donald Trump prior to the President's departure GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after delivering a speech at the Israel Museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump lay a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance as White House senior advisor Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump watch on during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump takes his seat before his speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump look at a display of Saudi modern art at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud take part in a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips King Salman presents Donald Trump with The Collar of Abdulaziz al-Saud Medal at the Royal Court Palace on 20 May AP Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is welcomed by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk on the South Lawn prior to their first foreign trip Getty Images
Mr Price has taken 26 private flights since early May, totaling at least $400,000, according to Politico. The flights cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands more than the commercial flights that government officials usually take.
On Wednesday, Politico reported that Mr Prices taxpayer-funded jet trips were not solely used for government business. On one occasion, Mr Price took a private plane to a medical conference, and arrived a day and a half early. He and his wife own property in the area, and Mr Price has long attended the conference even outside his White House role.
In another instance, Mr Price left a medical conference in Nashville to have lunch with his son, a musician who lives in the city. The conference itself was organised by a long-term friend.
Mr Price spent less than six hours in Nashville that day, but his flight cost more than $17,000. Multiple commercial flights to the location appear to have been available.
Bernie Sanders grills Tom Price on Trump's health care plans
A Health and Human Services spokesperson said Mr Price uses private planes when commercial aircraft cannot reasonably accommodate travel requirements.
Mr Price, however, has promised to suspend his private flights until the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general completes his review.
Weve heard the criticism. Weve heard the concerns. We take that very seriously and have taken it to heart, Mr Price told Fox News.
He added: We welcome this review. We want to make certain that we have the full confidence of not just this administration, but the American people.
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A Delhi high court judge has acquitted a prominent Indian film director of rape, saying that a "feeble no" could amount to consent.
Mahmood Farooqui, who co-directed 2010 Bollywood film Peepli Live, was last year convicted of raping a Columbia University postgraduate student and sentenced to seven years in prison.
The woman said said she said no repeatedly, but Farooqui forced himself on her and restrained her arms when she tried to stop him undressing her.
Yet, quashing the conviction, Justice Ashutosh Kumar said it was likely Farooqui had "no idea" the alleged victim did not want to have sex with him.
Instances of woman behaviour are not unknown that a feeble no may mean a yes," he said in a ruling on Monday.
"If the parties are strangers, the same theory may not be applied. But same would not be the situation when parties are known to each other, are persons of letters and are intellectually/academically proficient, and if, in the past, there have been physical contacts.
"In such cases, it would be really difficult to decipher whether little or no resistance and a feeble no, was actually a denial of consent.
The judge said it was unclear whether Farooqi knew the alleged victim did not consent, saying "under such circumstances, benefit of the doubt is necessarily given to the appellant."
The alleged victim said she stopped resisting out of fear Farooqui could kill her and said he only released her when she feigned an orgasm to persuade him to stop.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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The case has revived debate around consent in India, with women's rights campaigners saying the judge's comments distort the definition of consent.
The Indian Penal Code gives a clear definition of consent, which encompasses both verbal and non-verbal communication.
I am deeply concerned with the language. It is an absolutely incorrect interpretation of consent, which has statutorily been defined already, lawyer Rebecca John told the Times of India. The language used is neither legal, nor factual. This is the same misogynistic response we have fought for years.
India has struggled with high levels of sexual violence and widespread harassment. Courts in the country have interpreted consent loosely, with lawyers arguing women who wear provocative clothing or do not fight back strongly enough against an attacker are implicitly agreeing to sex.
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The parents of Otto Warmbier, the student who died after being held captive in North Korea, have broken their silence and branded the regime "terrorists".
Mr Warmbier, 22, died in a US hospital after suffering a serious neurological injury, and had reportedly been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in North Korea in March 2016.
Fred and Cindy Warmbier told Fox and Friends of the horrifying moment they were reunited with their son after a year and a half apart, having been told of his "severe brain damage".
Ms Warmbier said: "We thought he was in a coma, but you couldn't call it a coma. What we pictured, because we're optimists, was that Otto would be asleep and maybe in a medically-induced coma. And then when our doctors here would work with him and he'd get the best care and love, that he would come out of it."
Her husband continued: "We were in a waiting room with the medical team as the plane arrived. They went on the plane, five minutes or so later they came down and they said it was time for our family to go to the plane.
"When we got halfway up the steps, we heard this howling, involuntary, inhuman sound. We weren't really certain what it was. We climbed to the top of the steps and we looked in, and Otto was on the stretcher ... He was jerking violently, making these inhuman sounds.
"Otto had a shaved head, he had a feeding tube coming out of his nose, he was staring blankly into space. He was blind, he was deaf. As we looked at him and tried to comfort him it looked like someone had taken a pair of pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth."
Mr Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was detained after allegedly stealing a propaganda poster.
Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters
Pyongyang claimed it was the "biggest victim" in the case, with its foreign ministry adding in a statement after his death: "Although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatments and care with all sincerity on a humanitarian basis until his return to the US ... considering that his health got worse."
Mr Warmbier told Fox and Friends interviewer Ainsley Earhardt: "Now we see North Korea claiming to be a victim and that the world is picking on them, and we're here to tell you North Korea's not a victim, they're terrorists.
"They kidnapped Otto, they tortured him, they intentionally injured him. They are not victims, they're terrorists."
Mr Warmbier died just days after his return to the US.
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Spain's crackdown on Catalonia's controversial independence referendum is only boosting support for the vote, the regional president has said.
Vowing to turn the domestic dispute into a European affair, Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont accused the European Commission of having deaf ears so far to Catalonia's desire to hold a poll.
Mr Puigdemont criticised the Commission for failing to defend Catalans against controversial measures adopted by the Spanish courts and central authorities to try to stop the vote.
No country, within or outside the European Union, has openly expressed support for the 1 October referendum that Spain's conservative government sees as illegal.
They are very brave when they talk about other countries where they have no competencies, but where are they when we citizens need them? he said of EU officials in an interview four days before the secession referendum. Is Europe's solution to Catalans to turn its back?
If the yes wins, I will make an appeal for the European community to become involved, because we will have won our right to be heard, something that hasn't happened until now because the European Commission has always turned a deaf ear (to Catalonia), the 54-year-old separatist leader said.
Sunday's vote, Mr Puigdemont said, will allow Europe to hear the voice of Catalonia in a very loud and strong way".
Whoever doesn't want to hear our voice needs to see a political otolaryngologist, Mr Puigdemont said, using the formal term for an ear, nose and throat specialist.
He added that if European Commission President Jean Claude-Juncker cannot grasp the determination in Catalonia, then it's because this (European) project is in bad hands".
Spain's Constitutional Court, which has previously ruled that only central authorities can call such a vote and that all Spanish nationals should vote on sovereignty matters, has suspended the referendum.
The pro-independence regional government has so far ignored court rulings and vowed to go ahead with the vote. Officials of the executive and legislative branches are under investigation and a heavy police presence has been assembled in the northeastern region as the day for Catalans to cast ballots nears.
Madrid has launched an unprecedented crackdown to stop the referendum, including seizing paper ballots, removing referendum propaganda and ordering schools to be sealed off so they can't be used as voting stations.
Today we are closer to a massive (turnout for the) referendum than we were one month ago, he said, describing the crackdown measures as apocalyptic".
On Wednesday, Spain's National Court said it planned to investigate possible sedition charges for demonstrators who took part in a massive protest last week against a police crackdown on preparations for the vote.
Looking at this landscape, somebody could think that we are hoarding weapons of mass destruction in Catalonia, a nuclear arsenal or a world-class drug stash, Mr Puigdemont said. But in fact, we are just trying to hold a referendum.
He said that people in Catalonia that saw the referendum with indifference or hostility have now seen the curtailing of freedoms as an offence to their democratic convictions".
Regional leaders have said that if the yes side wins, they would be ready to declare Catalonia's independence two days later regardless of voter turnout. But Mr Puigdemont on Wednesday acknowledged that significant participation is needed to portray the vote as representative.
He refused to disclose what percentage of the 5.5 million Catalan voters his government needs to declare the vote valid, but cited previous referendums in Spain, including the 2005 vote to pass the European Constitution that had a turnout of 42 per cent.
Nobody raised concerns about the participation level in order to legitimate the results, so I hope there are also no concerns in this case, Mr Puigdemont said.
Catalonia is one of Spain's 17 autonomous regions. Its capital is the Mediterranean port city of Barcelona.
With a population of 7.5 million inhabitants, its own cultural traditions and language, Catalonia contributes a fifth of the Spain's 1.1 trillion-euro economy (877bn).
Catalonia referendum protests in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Catalonia referendum protests in pictures Catalonia referendum protests in pictures Demonstrators block a Guardia Civil vehicle as they try to leave the Department of External Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency of the Catalan Government office in Barcelona AP/Emilio Morenatti Catalonia referendum protests in pictures Demonstrators react as they try to stop the car carrying Xavier Puig, a senior at the Department of External Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency of the Catalan Government office, after he was arrested by Guardia Civil officers in Barcelona AP/Emilio Morenatti Catalonia referendum protests in pictures A demonstrator reacts as he tries with others to stop the car carrying Xavier Puig, a senior at the Department of External Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency of the Catalan Government office, after he was arrested by Guardia Civil officers in Barcelona AP/Emilio Morenatti Catalonia referendum protests in pictures Spokeswoman of the Catalan pro-independence anticapitalist party "Candidatura d'Unitat Popular - CUP" (Popular Unity Candidacy), Ana Gabriel, talks to the media in Barcelona Josep Lago/AFP Catalonia referendum protests in pictures Republican Left of Catalonia party's (ERC) Member of Parliament Joan Tarda (C) attends a demonstration outside the regional Economy Ministry in Catalonia during a police search for documents connected with the organisation of the Catalan independence referendum, in Barcelona EPA/Alejandro Garcia Catalonia referendum protests in pictures A man holds pro-referendum poster next to a Spanish Civil Guard who stands in front of the Economy headquarters of Catalonia's regional government in Barcelona. The operation comes amid mounting tensions as Catalan leaders press ahead with preparations for an independence referendum on October 1 despite Madrid's ban and a court ruling deeming it illegal Josep Lago/AFP Catalonia referendum protests in pictures People hold placards reading "Democracy" as they protest in front of the Economy headquarters of Catalonia's regional government in Barcelona AFP Catalonia referendum protests in pictures A crowd of protesters gather outside the Catalan region's economy ministry after junior economy minister Josep Maria Jove was arrested by Spanish police during a raid on several government offices, in Barcelona Reuters/Albert Gea Catalonia referendum protests in pictures People holding 'Esteladas' (Catalan pro-independence flags) attend a protest near the Economy headquarters of Catalonia's regional government Lluis Gene/AFP Catalonia referendum protests in pictures People demonstrate on a Spanish Civil Guard Police car outside the Catalan Vice-President and Economy office as police officers holds a searching operation inside David Ramos/Getty Images
The vast majority of Catalans favour holding a referendum, but they have long been almost evenly split over independence itself.
Separatist sentiment peaked at the height of the 2008 financial crisis, with many Catalans feeling they could do better on their own, but with the national and regional economies thriving again, polls indicate support for secession is on the wane.
The region's first attempts to hold a non-binding referendum in 2014 were blocked by Spain's Constitutional Court. The Catalan government went ahead and staged the unofficial poll. About 2.3 million Catalans less than half of those eligible voted, with 80 per cent favouring independence.
Associated Press contributed to this report
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French prosecutors have decided that sex between an 11-year-old and a 28-year-old man was consensual, prompting outrage across the country.
The man will only face the charge of sexual abuse of a minor which carries a sentence of five years in prison rather than rape, because he did not physically force her to have sex with him.
The girl is understood to have agreed to follow the man to his house from a park in Montmagny, a suburb to the north of Paris. He reportedly said he would teach her to kiss, but then had sex with her at the apartment.
The family of the child argued the girl was "paralysed" with fear and was unable to defend herself.
"She thought it was too late, that she didn't have the right to protest, that it wouldn't make any difference, so she went into autopilot, without emotion and without reaction," the child's mother told French news site Mediapart.
In cases involving adults in France, if no threat or violence occurs during sexual act it is deemed consensual.
But the law does not take into account those under the age of 15, which is the age of consent.
France's penal code says: "Committing a sexual offence against a minor under the age of 15 without violence, constraint, threat or surprise is punished by five years' imprisonment and a fine of 75,000 euros (65,800)."
In the UK, there is an "irrefutable presumption of an absence of consent" in all sex acts against those below the age of 16.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
The child's lawyer, Carine Diebolt, argued it was irrelevant whether the child resisted the man's advances.
Calling for legislative change, she told reporters: "Today we should not even have this debate when it comes to a child."
Children's rights group Le Voix de lEnfant said in a statement: The question of consent or its absence should never even be asked when it comes to rape victims who are minors.
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An Italian woman has made headlines across the world after marrying herself in a ceremony with a white wedding dress, a three tier cake, bridesmaids and 70 guests.
Laura Mesi, a fitness instructor and vlogger from the small town of Lissone near Milan, is believed to be the first woman in the country to marry herself following the ceremony last week.
The 40-year-old said the idea of a solo wedding which has no legal significance first came to her two years ago after the end of a 12-year relationship.
She told La Repubblica: I told my relatives and friends that if I had not found my soul mate I would marry myself by my 40th birthday.
She said she has not rejected the possibility that she may one day find love again but said she can live a fairytale even without a Prince Charming.
If tomorrow I find a man to build a future with I will be happy, but my happiness will not depend on him," she added.
She said she had spent just over 10,000 euros (8,750) on the day but was able to cover the expenses of the reception through gifts from the 70 wedding guests.
Ms Mesi said her family had been supportive of her decision including her brother was initially sceptical but served as a celebrant at the ceremony.
She is believed to be the first woman to celebrate a self-marriage in Italy, but earlier this year Nello Ruggiero was the first groom to marry himself in a ceremony in Naples.
Ms Mesi is one of an increasing number of people entering into a marriage with themselves without waiting for a partner.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
In the US, a website called "I Married Me" sells self-wedding kits and a wedding planning agency in Vancouver, Canada, specifically caters for self-marriage.
British blogger Sophie Tanner became one of the first women in the UK to marry herself in 2015 in Brighton.
The 38-year-old, who later wrote a novel about self-marriage and is campaigning to give it legal recognition, told the BBC: Sologamy,as its known, is a growing movement for men and women, with consultants and self-wedding planners popping up all over the world.
My marriage isnt legally recognised in the UK, but, for me, it was an important ceremony that demonstrates my commitment to self-compassion.
Ive never been that girly girl dreaming of my big day. But, as I started to find myself again following my break-up, I thought, what could be more romantic than to show myself, and everyone else, that I deserve this, the ultimate day? I dont need to put up with bad men, or to be constantly chasing The One. Perhaps I am 'My One.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has convened a meeting of the "military Cabinet" involving Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov, and heads of law and enforcement and defense agencies in connection with the ongoing explosions at ammo depots in Kalynivka, Vinnytsia region.
"I have decided to convene a meeting of the 'military cabinet' involving the prime minister, the NSDC secretary, the defense minister, the General Staff chief, the Ukrainian Security Service chairman, and chiefs of the National Police, the National Guard, and the State Emergency Service immediately after their return from Vinnytsia," Poroshenko said on Facebook.
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The Royal Palace in Norway has confirmed King Harald V is fine after the country's biggest news agency wrongly reported the monarch had died.
NTB sent a template obituary to various Norwegian news outlets on Tuesday, announcing that Norway is in mourning.
The alert was missing various details replaced by an xxxx, including his age, date and time of death.
Recommended King of Norway delivers impassioned speech in favour of LGBT rights
A correction was issued three minutes after the initial email was sent at 12.06pm. NTB is withdrawing the alert [of the Kings death], which was sent due to a technical error. We sincerely apologise, the statement said.
Mads Yngve Storvik, NTB managing editor, described the incident as extremely regrettable, saying the agency was very sad that the mistake had happened.
The editorial team has background reports and obituaries for a number of famous people saved in a folder. These are regularly updated. It was in connection with such an update that the alert was sent due to an error, he said.
Svein Gjeruldsen, Royal Palace assistant head of communications, told NRK the 80-year-old was in fine form.
Amazing speech by Norwegian King on love, religion and acceptance
The broadcaster reported King Harald was spending part of this week hunting elk.
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Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated after massive explosions and a blaze at a military ammunition depot in central Ukraine.
Ukranian emergency services said the blasts occurred at a military base near Kalynivka in the Vynnytsya region, 270km (168 miles) west of Kiev.
One person was injured, it said.
More than 30,000 people have been bussed out of the area by authorities. The electricity and gas supply has also been switched off.
Smoke and flames rise over a warehouse storing ammunition for multiple rocket launcher systems (REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)
Arriving in the region hours later, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said "external factors" were behind the explosion.
He said the cause of the fire was under investigation.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
Olena Gitlyanska, spokeswoman for the Ukrainian Security Service, told the Unian news agency they are treating the fire as sabotage. She didn't provide further details.
President Petro Poroshenko called for an urgent meeting of the country's top brass to discuss the situation.
In a similar incident in March, a fire at a military depot in Ukraine's east raged for hours and prompted an evacuation of over 20,000 people.
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Israel has refused to stop selling weapons to the military junta in Burma, despite allegations the country is committing ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya Muslim minority.
Investigations by several human rights watchdogs found more than 100 tanks, as well as boats and light weapons, have been sold to the Burmese government by Israeli arms companies in recent years.
One company, TAR Ideal Concepts, also trained Burmese special forces in northern Rakhine state, where much of the violence is taking place. The company posted pictures on their website in August last year of its staff teaching combat tactics and how to handle weapons.
In response to a petition to the High Court of Justice from activists demanding an end to Israeli arms sales, Shosh Shmueli, representing the state, said the court should not interfere in Israel's foreign relations, Haaretz reported.
His comments echoed a preliminary response issued by the Defence Ministry in March, which said the court had no standing in the "clearly diplomatic" matter.
Andrew Mitchell responds to claim British army are training troops involved in Rohingya abuses
Eitay Mack filed the petition to block all arms sales to the Burmese junta along with 10 other activists.
He argued that the evidence of Israeli arms sales to Burma is indisputable, as is much of the documentation of war crimes by the country's military, the Times of Israel reported.
Taking those two factors together, he said while Israel is not violating its own laws, the sales go against international agreements Israel has agreed to uphold.
He also noted both the European Union and United States have placed arms embargoes on Burma.
The Independent has approached the Israeli embassy for comment.
It isn't clear when Israel last sold arms to Burma, as the country does not make records of its defence exports public.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, there have been no major recorded arms sales between Israel and Burma since 2011.
Rohingya refugees in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Rohingya refugees in pictures Rohingya refugees in pictures A young girl and a baby wade through mud after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma on 10 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees in pictures Rohingya refugees walk through a camp in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after arriving from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees in pictures A young Rohingya refugee gathers firewood after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees in pictures Rohingya refugees wait for sacks of rice to be distributed in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees arrive on a boat in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after crossing from Burma on 8 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees react after being re-united with each other after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Getty Rohingya refugees in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees walk along the remains of a road after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Myanmar Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees stand in the rain after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees in pictures Indian children hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma EPA/Raminder Pal Singh Rohingya refugees in pictures Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organisation, listen to their leaders' speeches against Burma's persecution of Rohingya Muslims, during a demonstration in Karachi Reuters/Akhtar Soomro Rohingya refugees in pictures Hundreds of Iranians take part in a protest against violence in Myanmar after weekly Friday prayers, in Tehran EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh Rohingya refugees in pictures Indonesian Muslim activists hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya minority in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia EPA/Ali Lutfi Rohingya refugees in pictures Members of an Islamic organisation shout slogans against the Burma government during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA
Burma has been accused of committing crimes against humanity by Human Rights Watch, which called for the UN Security Council to impose sanctions and an arms embargo.
The UN refugee agency has called for a redoubling of international aid for the 480,000 refugees, 60 per cent of which are children, who have fled Burma to Bangladesh to escape the violence.
A Burmese government spokesman has rejected the accusation of crimes against humanity, saying it lacked evidence.
Burma has also rejected UN accusations its forces are engaged in ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims in response to coordinated attacks by Rohingya insurgents on the security forces in August.
Refugees arriving in Bangladesh have accused the army and Buddhist vigilantes of trying to drive Rohingya out of Buddhist-majority Burma.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has demanded that the Kurdish authorities in the north of the country "cancel" the outcome of this week's independence referendum.
In a speech to parliament on Wednesday, Mr Abadi reiterated his order that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) must give up control of its international airports by Friday, or face a ban on international flights into the Kurdish region. Kurdish forces must also withdraw from disputed areas currently under KRG control such as Kirkuk, he added.
Northern Iraq's 8.4 million strong population voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence in Monday's referendum, which was non-binding and not recognised by Baghdad's central government. It is believed to have returned a 90 per cent 'yes' result on a turnout of approximately 72 per cent.
Iraqi woman solving uniform shortage for Kurdish fighters
"We won't have a dialogue about the referendum outcome," Mr Abadi told assembled politicians. "If [the KRG] want to start talks, they must cancel the referendum and its outcome."
The Kurdish people who number roughly 30 million across several countries were left stateless when the Ottoman Empire collapsed a century ago.
While the vote was been met with enthusiasm by the Kurdish diaspora all over the world, Baghdad and Iraq's Arab population have expressed their concerns that areas voting in the referendum include Kirkuk, an ethnically mixed and oil-rich province.
My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison Show all 3 1 /3 My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison 442629.bin GETTY My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison 442630.bin AP My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison 442631.bin REUTERS
Ths US also repeatedly attempted to persuade the KRG to delay the referendum, fearing further friction between Irbil and Baghdad could derail the fight against Isis and Iraq's fragile peace.
The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority sent a notice on Wednesday to foreign airlines telling them international flights to Erbil and Sulaimaniya in the Kurdish region would be suspended on Friday at 1500 GMT.
KRG Transport Minister Mowlud Murad rejected Baghdad's instructions, telling a media conference that the airports must remain open to maintain the Kurdish economy and to facilitate the offensives on Isis' last remaining strongholds in the country.
The move comes after neighbouring Turkey and Iran closed their airspace as voting took place on Monday.
Recommended Iraqi Kurds have again made statehood an issue but there are risks
Ankara and Tehran are worried that the creation of an independent Kurdistan could fuel the desire for Kurdish independence within their own countries.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent troops and tanks to the border with the KRG earlier this week, where they were joined for joint exercises with Iraqi troops.
The Turkish leader has accused KRG President Masoud Barzani of "treachery" in going ahead with the independence referendum, warning on Tuesday that Iraq's Kurds would starve if Turkey decided to close its long border with northern Iraq.
Further economic and military action were both options on the table for Ankara, he added, if Turkey's security was threatened by the outcome of the independence referendum.
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Almost 93 per cent of those who took part in the referendum on support for Kurdish independence from Iraq have voted to split from Baghdad, officials have said.
The results of Monday's vote were announced on Wednesday evening by election officials in Irbil, the semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)'s capital.
A total of 92.73 per cent said 'yes' in response to the question, "Do you want the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistani areas outside the administration of the Region to become an independent state?, head of the electoral commission Hendrin Mohammed told reporters. Turn out had been high, with approximately 72 per cent of the 4.5 million registered voters.
Iraqi woman solving uniform shortage for Kurdish fighters
The Kurdish decision to hold a vote on divorcing the central government has greatly angered Baghdad: Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's government has refused to recognised the referendum, declaring it unconstitutional. Multiple attempts were made to delay or derail it, including a Supreme Court order last week.
The international community - and in particular Washington DC - had advised against it, worried the vote could stoke already inflamed Irbil-Baghdad tensions and affect the fight to destroy Isis in its remaining strongholds in the country.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Abadi demanded in a speech that the Kurdish authorities "cancel" the referendum and its results.
He ordered the KRG to give up control of its international airports by Friday, adding that Kurdish forces must also withdraw from disputed areas currently under KRG control such as Kirkuk.
"We won't have a dialogue about the referendum outcome," Mr Abadi told parliament. "If [the KRG] want to start talks, they must cancel the referendum and its outcome."
My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison Show all 3 1 /3 My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison 442629.bin GETTY My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison 442630.bin AP My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison 442631.bin REUTERS
The Kurdish people who number roughly 30 million across several countries were left stateless when the Ottoman Empire collapsed a century ago.
While the vote was met with enthusiasm by the Kurdish diaspora all over the world, Baghdad and Iraq's Arab population have expressed concerns that areas involved in the referendum include places such as Kirkuk, which is an ethnically mixed and oil-rich province.
Also on Wednesday, parliament voted to approve a 13-point resolution giving Mr Abadi the mandate to deploy troops in Kirkuk, which has been under KRG control since Kurdish forces began to wrest control of the country back from Isis, although the prime minister stressed that force would not be utliised to avoid a "fight between Iraqi citizens."
Recommended This is why the West should support Kurdish independence
Baghdad also sees the referendum as a Kurdish effort to take control of Iraqi oil revenue.
Within the KRG, the vote is widely seen as consolidating President Masoud Barzani's Kurdish Democratic Party's grip on power, giving him a mandate in future dealings with Mr Abadi.
As well as Iraq, neighbouring Iran and Turkey bitterly oppose Kurdish independence on economic and security grounds.
Both countries closed their airspace to the Iraqi Kurdish region as voting took place on Monday, worried that the likely 'yes' result would fuel the desire for an independent Kurdistan within their own significant Kurdish populations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent troops and tanks to the border with the KRG earlier this week, where they have been joined for joint exercises with Iraqi soliders.
Further economic and military action were both options on the table for Ankara, he said, adding that Turkey could shut off both oil pipelines and truck deliveries to the KRG, letting it "starve".
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A Palestinian scholarship student due to begin a masters programme at Goldsmiths, University of London is worried that he may have to forfeit his place on the course thanks to the delay of his travel papers from the Israeli authorities.
Mohammed Awad, 28, was delighted to be accepted for a fully-funded place on the MA in Multilingualism, Linguistics, & Education at Goldsmiths New Cross campus, beginning 1 October.
The young man had applied for 10 different scholarships which would enable him to leave the Gaza Strip for the first time and fulfil his academic potential.
One million Palestinian children in 'unlivable' conditions amid power shortages
Words couldnt describe [his] happiness when Mr Awad won one of two annual Goldsmiths Humanitarian Scholarships for Palestinian postgraduates, he told The Independent.
I worked hard for such an opportunity. It took one year of dedicated focus, attention and interest... I bought my suitcase and packed my luggage, said the student from Jabalia, north of Gaza City.
However, subsequent red tape and lengthy delays at Cogat (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, the body responsible for implementing Israeli policy in occupied areas) in processing his application to leave Gaza mean that just a few days before his course begins, Mr Awad is still stranded in the coastal enclave without the necessary paperwork.
He now faces missing out on the beginning of the term - and in a worst case scenario, having to give up his place due to a lack of time and funds to restart the visa process again.
Mr Awad applied for a visa to exit Gaza through the Erez crossing in order to travel overland to Amman, where he would fly to London.
His UK student visa gives him a window of time in which to enter the country, which expires on 13 October. At this point it seems unlikely he will be allowed to leave before 24 October at the earliest.
It will cost Mr Awad $1300 (967) to extend the entry period of his UK visa - funds which the student, who currently works as an English lecturer, says he does not have.
My family cannot afford to finance my masters degree because my father was a worker in Israel and since the closure of border, hes unemployed most of the time. I have a big family, I have four brothers and four sisters. They work to support for my family and survive instead.
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My family has a lot of responsibilities beyond my dream to study in the UK, Mr Awad added.
If he does not make it to London by 1st November, Goldsmiths will be forced to cancel his place.
We work flexibly to provide any student facing these kind of difficulties with help and support and do everything we can to ensure that those with an offer who want to come to study at Goldsmiths are able to," a spokesperson for the university said.
Mr Awad is not alone: according to Gisha, the Israeli NGO which helps protect Palestinians freedom of movement, 342 Gazans who have won places at colleges and universities abroad have applied to leave the Strip since January 2017. Only 73 have been granted permission, while seven were outright refused, 50 were returned or placed under review and 239 applications remain pending.
The Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee in Gaza (PCAC) advises students to allow 50 business days for applications filed to them to be passed on to Cogat and a decision made, but even that amount of processing time is often not adequate thanks to the Israeli bodys processing delays.
When contacted by The Independent Cogat provided a form showing that Mr Awads application had been submitted by the PCAC dated for 14 November.
Gisha, which has been helping the student, disputed this, saying that PCAC is often instructed by Cogat to date applications over a block period covering up to 70 days and there is no standardised timeframe guidance. Gisha also pointed out that the students application clearly stated his desire to travel by 14 September.
It shouldn't be a surprise to us if the PCAC are following the orders given to them by Cogat, Gisha spokesperson Shai Grunberg said. What should be a surprise to us is that COGAT blames the PCAC for doing so."
"Mohammed Awad submitted his application for a permit as soon as he received his UK visa. Late by Cogat's timeframe, but Cogat knows full well he had no other option," the organisation said in a statement on its Facebook page.
Cogat did not respond when asked what its instructions to the PCAC had been.
Under the realities of the 10-year-old Israeli blockade, permission to leave Gaza is notoriously difficult to obtain for the enclaves two million residents. There is no clear guidance issued by Cogat and the system is often described as 'Kafkaesque'.
There are three checkpoints out: two into Israel, and one at Rafah, the crossing with Egypt, which has largely been closed since Hamas, the militant organisation which rules Gaza, seized control of the Strip in 2007.
Since Rafah has remained closed for extensive periods of time, Israel has come under pressure to allow students from Gaza to travel abroad via Erez Crossing and Allenby Bridge, and from Jordan to their destinations abroad. However, the policy on this issue is not fixed, and changes unpredictably and arbitrarily, Ms Grunberg said.
The result of the strict travel restrictions Israel imposes on Gaza residents is that many times approvals of exits, if received at all, are provided late, after the applicants' visas expired, or after the academic year has already begun.There are no guarantees a student from Gaza will be able to reach his/her destination on time, or even at all, she continued.
In an letter to MPs urging them to intervene in Mr Awads case, Gary Spedding, a cross-party consultant on Israel and the Palestinian Territories, said he could not stress enough the value of bringing Palestinians from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly that of the Gaza Strip, over to the United Kingdom for studies.
Despite being one of the most horrific places on earth in terms of humanitarian crisis at present, there is an impressive level of education in Gaza which is something that can definitely be harnessed in a future push for a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians. For people like Mohammed, this kind of educational opportunity is a chance in a lifetime, Mr Spedding added.
Mr Awad is losing hope. He missed the chance to study in France in 2014 because of a delayed Cogat decision, as well as a professional development course in the West Bank last year.
Israel and Egypt are killing my dream and the dreams of Palestinians, he wrote on Facebook on Wednesday, after being told security clearance could take up to another 60 days.
How you can help
Write to your MP, asking them to raise Mohammed Awads case with the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They can also write to Cogat asking for his exit permit to be expedited.
Your representative and their contact details can be found here.
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Women in Saudi Arabia have been celebrating the kingdom lifting its ban on female drivers, an historic victory that capped years of advocacy.
The announcement came in the form of a royal decree that was reported by the state-run Saudi Press Agency and state TV - with the order saying the changes required to allow women to drive should be implemented by June 2018.
Activists who have faced being detained for getting behind the wheel took to Twitter to celebrate. Manal Masoul al-Sharif, who drew international attention for filming herself driving, wrote that Saudi Arabia will never be the same again.
An activist who was detained along with Ms al-Sharif and then jailed for months, Maysaa al-Amoudi, cited a very long list of men and women who had fought for the rights of others.
Loujain Halthoul, who has been repeatedly arrested for defying the driving ban, was more concise. Praise be to Allah, she tweeted.
Much of the reaction took the form of praise for the activists in the vanguard of winning the right to drive. A 35-year-old event planner named Marwa Afandi told Reuters that the announcement was amazing.
Congratulations to all my ladies, this is a real victory, she said.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
It was not just women celebrating. Numerous men took to social media to laud what they called a move toward greater gender equality in Saudi Arabias conservative society and praise the women who fought for the change.
An activist in Jeddah - Sahar Nassif - told the BBC she was very, very excited - jumping up and down and laughing.
I'm going to buy my dream car, a convertible Mustang, and it's going to be black and yellow, she said.
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North Korea will develop nuclear weapons capable of reaching the US within a very short time, a top US general has warned.
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, said the intelligence services had not detected any change in Pyongyangs military stance despite President Donald Trumps fiery rhetoric against them.
The Republican has repeatedly threatened fire and fury against the secretive regime after it stepped up its nuclear and ballistic missile tests in 2017.
Speaking at a White House news conference on Tuesday, Mr Trump said the US was ready with a military option which he said will be devastating.
If we take that option, it will be devastating, I can tell you that, devastating for North Korea. That's called the military option. If we have to take it, we will, he warned.
Pyongyang has remained defiant and responded to one of Mr Trumps early threats of military action by saying it was preparing to attack the US-controlled island of Guam in Micronesia.
General Dunford told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his reappointment that North Korea certainly poses the greatest threat today.
Although Mr Trump has repeatedly said Pyongyang developing nuclear missiles capable of reaching the US mainland will not happen, General Dunford said they will have the capability soon.
Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters
We clearly have postured our forces to respond in the event of a provocation or a conflict, the general said, adding that the United States has taken all proper measures to protect our allies including South Korea and Japan.
It would be an incredibly provocative thing for them to conduct a nuclear test in the Pacific as they have suggested, and I think the North Korean people would have to realise how serious that would be, not only for the United States but for the international community, he added.
It comes as South Korean politician Lee Cheol-uoo, briefed by the country's spy agency, said North Korea was bolstering its defences by moving aircraft to its east coast and taking other measures after the flight by US bombers.
Recommended Pentagon threatens Trump could be given options to deal with Pyongyang
Mr Lee said the United States appeared to have disclosed the flight route intentionally because North Korea seemed to be unaware.
US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers, escorted by fighter jets, flew east of North Korea in a show of force last week after the heated exchange of rhetoric between Mr Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
The United States has imposed sanctions on 26 people as part of its non-proliferation designations for North Korea and nine banks, including some with ties to China, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions said on Tuesday.
The US sanctions target people in North Korea and some North Korean nationals in China, Russia, Libya and Dubai, according to a list posted on the agency's website.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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Why go now?
Recommended 10 things to do in Cartagena de Indias
An historic 16th-century port city nestled alongside the Caribbean Sea, its no secret that Cartagena de Indias (commonly known as Cartagena) is one of Colombias prettiest jewels. Come for the old towns stunning Unesco World Heritage Sites colonial architecture, stay for the tropical islands and eternal summer weather. While the cobbled streets and vibrant facades might teem with cruise ship passengers, escape with a sojourn to nearby beaches. November is dedicated to Carnaval, the ultimate Caribbean fiesta that takes over Colombias fifth-largest city.
Get your bearings
The compact walled old town is Cartagenas heart and soul, home to charming leafy squares, colonial mansions converted into boutique hotels and well-preserved churches. Sir Francis Drake tried and failed to destroy Santa Catalina de Alejandria Cathedral (1) in 1586. Two miles away, San Felipe de Barajas Fortress (2) overlooks the city. Cross through Torre del Reloj (3) past the docks to reach hip Getsemani neighbourhood (4). Beaches run along the northwest and southwest, and the latter is home to Bocagrande (5), Cartagenas answer to Miami. The tourist office is on Plaza de la Aduana (6) (0057 5 6601583; cartagenadeindias.travel) and is open Monday to Saturday from 9am-12pm, 1pm-6pm; Sundays 9am-5pm.
Day one
Take a hike
Start at Parque de Bolivar (7), a former bullfighting ring turned leafy urban jungle, which houses a monument honouring liberator Simon Bolivar. You can also stop by Zenu Gold Museum (8), open Tuesday to Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 10am-3pm; opposite is Palacio de la Inquisicion (9), a former jail and torture chamber with a grisly past. Head to Plaza Fernandez de Madrid (10), dropping in at Santo Toribio church (11), to see the enormous entrances and their iconic knockers; maritime shapes indicate they were once a sea merchants abode.
Colombias most famous literary son resided on the corner of Del Curato street (12) and wandering the balmy narrow lanes gives a sense of Gabriel Garcia Marquezs fictitious Macondo. Calle de los 7 Infantes (13), one of the citys most picturesque streets, is a must-saunter. From there, head to the three key plazas, De los Coches (14), De la Aduana (15) and San Pedro Claver (16), where slaves were traded, imports arrived and the 17th-century monastery where defender of slaves Peter Claver lived respectively. Make sure you take in Peace Square (17) and the clock tower (18) on the way.
The clock tower is a Cartagena landmark (Getty) (Getty Images)
Lunch on the run
Cook Maria Josefina Yances, aka Pepina, threw open the doors to her compact vintage-style canteen La Cocina de Pepina (19) (0057 300 8565189) in Getsemani (4) seven years ago. Soak in the Cartagena soul and kick off with a zingy coroso juice before ordering authentic Caribbean classics to share. Favourites include sopa caribe (a prawn, fish and coconut milk soup), sopa mole (made from yam, aubergine and garlic), and rolled salted beef, a house special. Open daily for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday.
Window shopping
Stocked with beautiful artefacts from textiles to jewellery, Casa Chiqui (20) (casachiqui.com) is a treasure trove. Pick up vibrant hand-woven rucksacks created by Wayuu indigenous people, coral and seashell necklaces or striking wooden animal masks designed specifically to celebrate the carnival in nearby Barranquilla. Open Monday to Saturday 10am-1pm, 3pm-8pm; Sundays and holidays 11am-1pm, 2pm-8pm.
Stock up on colourful textiles (Getty/iStock) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
An aperitif
The best place to grab a pre-dinner drink paired with a sunset is Cafe Del Mar (21) (cafedelmarcartagena.com.co). Perched atop Santo Domingo bastion, what it lacks in the hippy chic embodied by its Ibiza counterpart, it makes up for in unimpeded vistas. Sip a Coco Loco featuring white rum and coconut milk (21,000 Colombian pesos; 5.30) to a backdrop of funky beats and watch the Caribbean day draw to a close. On a budget? Its standing room only at the unofficial Cafe de al Lado (22) next door: quench your thirst with a can of Club Colombia lager (COL$4,000; 1) from a hawker.
Dine with the locals
Dine behind bars at Restaurante Interno (23) (0057 310 2 600 134; restauranteinterno.com), South Americas only prison restaurant. This social project gives women inmates at Carcel de Mujeres San Diego the opportunity to learn and put into practise culinary and service skills. The sea bass and quinoa ceviche is a tasty highlight from the three-course Caribbean menu (COL$80,000). Dinner only, closed Mondays.
Gorge on garlic lobster or prawn rice (COL$25,000) then shake it off to champeta a relatively unknown reggaeton and rap fusion at Bazurto Social Club (24) (0057 5 664 3124; bazurtosocialclub.com) in the nearby Getsemani (4) neighbourhood. Live bands play until the early hours at this hotspot; Thursdays to Sundays 7pm-3am.
Day two
A walk in the park
Given Cartagenas year-round 80 per cent humidity, its good to build up your brunch appetite by visiting formidable Spanish-built Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas (2) before the sun gets too strong. Built atop San Lazaro Hill in 1657, this fortress is one of the citys various strategic military vantages and has been fighting off foreign invaders and pirates ever since. Hire a guide from Cartagena Connections (cartagenaconnections.com) to shepherd you through ramparts, canons and tunnels.
Getsemani is one of Cartagenas most exciting neighbourhoods (Getty) (Getty Images)
Out to brunch
Refuel with lashings of avocado toast or an egg arepa and a single-origin farm-to-cup coffee served your way at Epoca Espresso Bar (25) (facebook.com/weare.epoca). Presentation and flavours are key for the dedicated caffeine fans who set up Epoca a year ago, and theyre already giving Colombias favourite coffee purveyor Juan Valdez a run for his money. Aeropress and Chemex methods are the norm here. Too humid for a hot brew? Try a frappucino served in a mason jar, best teamed with a panera sugar and blueberry waffle.
Take a ride
For the most part, youll scarcely need public transport, as the old town is compact and easily walkable. But if you want to explore, hail a yellow taxi in the street. Ubers are common, though you should sit directly in the front seat as the service is frowned upon by cabbies. If you want to explore the harbour or head out for a maritime sundowner, clamber on board a Boats4U (boats4u.co) yacht or a speedboat; three-hour, two-people cruises from 202.
Trinity Square fills up with locals in the early evening (Getty) (Getty Images)
Cultural afternoon
Less polished than the walled city, Getsemani (4) is just as vibrant thanks to cool street art and plenty of colonial and republican architecture; this neighbourhood offers a more real, horse-and-carriage-free snapshot of Cartagena. Located south-west of the clock tower, check out Getsemanis Calle de la Sierpe (26) for topical murals before having a look at the main squares, Martires (27) and Del Centenario (28). The most buzzing square, however, is Plaza de Trinidad (29), home to the 17th-century pastel yellow Santisima Trinidad church (30). Come late afternoon, Trinity Square fills up with residents hanging out, sipping coconut water from transparent bags and taking outdoor dance classes a true slice of Cartagena life.
Getting there
KLM flies from Heathrow via Amsterdam, from 643 return. Colombias national carrier Avianca (avianca.com) flies from Heathrow via Bogota, from 841 return. LATAM (latam.com) flies from Heathrow via Lima from 1,173 return.
The airport (31) is three miles from the old town. A taxi ride takes 10 minutes and costs COL$13,000.
Find flights to Cartagena
Staying there
With 14 simple yet well-kept rooms and a great old town location, Casa La Fe (32) (kalihotels.com/casa-la-fe) is one of Cartagenas (relatively) budget options. Doubles from COL$350,000 (89), B&B.
A smart colonial conversion in trendy Getsmani, Casa Lola (33) (casalola.com) has the luxury of two roof-top swimming-pools. Doubles from COL$400,000, B&B.
From the hands of top Colombian fashion designer Silvia Tcherassi comes Mansion Tcherassi (34) (tcherassihotels.com), an impeccably restored mansion in the heart of the old town. Doubles from COL$830,000, B&B.
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Theresa May has declared herself bitterly disappointed by the decision of the US Department of Commerce to slap a 220 per cent import tariff on aircraft, notably the C-series airliner, made by Bombardier. The Canadian firm employs more than 4,000 workers in Northern Ireland and one imagines they will not only be bitterly disappointed but also fretting for their livelihoods.
Also bitterly disappointed will be the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which agreed to prop up Mays government after Junes disastrous election in return for a billion quid and, more broadly, help from Downing Street to ensure Northern Irelands economic prosperity.
In the immediate term, it is the DUP relationship which will concern the Government most. After all, lets not forget that the partys small phalanx of MPs can at any time pull the rug from beneath May and co. The failure of the Prime Minister personally to persuade the Americans to back down in the Bombardier-Boeing dispute might easily start alarm bells ringing in Belfast, where the DUP will be wondering if Theresa May is spending too much time trying to find a way through Brexit negotiations and not enough thinking about a key part of Ulsters industrial output.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant 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winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party 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PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA
True, the Prime Minister faces a tricky dilemma. Boeing, for its part, employs over 16,000 workers elsewhere in the UK, as it recently and pointedly reminded May. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Boeing could shift its supply chain elsewhere. But ultimately parliamentary mathematics mean that the Conservatives are more reliant on the DUP than on Boeing, which goes some way to explaining quite why the PMs reaction to the Department of Commerces ruling was so strong.
Yet for Arlene Foster, the DUPs leader, tough talking from her compromised chum in Number 10 may not be enough. Sure enough, the Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, has already hinted that Boeings future defence contracts with Britain could be in jeopardy if it does not back down. Foster will surely press the government to ramp up such threats if necessary. That could leave Theresa May with an unenviable choice between the continued support of the Democratic Unionists and a tit-for-tat trade war with the United States.
Defence Secretary hints government may ban new contracts with Boeing over Bombardier decision
In any event, the decision by the American authorities is an embarrassment for the Prime Minister, who made a personal appeal to Donald Trump on the issue during their recent meeting in New York. For one thing, Britain is presently engaged in the most important series of diplomatic and trade negotiations in its modern history, as ministers grapple with the realities of EU withdrawal. If Theresa May is unable to bring her influence successfully to bear on a single corporate wrangle, however significant, then it hardly inspires confidence that her Government will bag a good deal from Brussels over a vast range of essential and complex questions.
Secondly, May has done her utmost to re-energise talk of Britains special relationship with America. Yet it is surely now quite clear if it was not already that when the man in the White House is as protectionist in his outlook as President Trump, the relationship is unlikely to be evenly balanced. The idea beloved of Brexiteers that the UK would be able to line up a preferential trade deal with the US once we had extricated ourselves from the EU increasingly looks like pie in a Boeing-filled sky. For Trump, it is America first, second and third.
There are certainly strong arguments against Boeings pursuit of its complaint against Bombardier over the question of subsidies. There are good arguments too against the decision of the US authorities to impose such a whopping tariff on the companys imports. But none of that will undo the impression that the Prime Minister should have been able by her personal intervention to persuade the Americans to take a different course. That she could not may have serious consequences for her Government; for with Bombardiers C-series grounded, there is more space for the circling crows.
Ammo at arsenal near Kalynivka going off in open areas, underground facilities, warehouses are intact
Ammunition is exploding only at open storage areas of the Ukrainian Armed Forces arms depots near the town of Kalynivka, Vinnytsia region, Yuriy Biriukov, an adviser to the president of Ukraine and assistant to the defense minister, has said.
"Underground storages are unaffected, concrete hangars are unaffected, brick warehouses are unaffected. [Ammunition] at the open areas is exploding. Keeping ammunition in the open is not our invention, it's a common practice," Biriukov wrote on his Facebook page.
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President Donald Trump's address to the United Nations General Assembly last week was noted for its aggressiveness, bellicosity and emphasis on U.S. sovereignty over multilateralism. Whatever one thinks of that approach, that wasn't the most notable aspect. The speech appeared to make an open and outright threat to commit genocide: "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."
Had Trump threatened to "totally destroy" that country's nuclear weapons capacity, its army, its government, or its physical infrastructure, the implications under international law would be different, but carrying out his threat "to totally destroy North Korea" would necessarily sow mass death among its population of over 25 million, in direct contravention of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The Convention defines genocide as acts that are undertaken with the intent to destroy, "in whole or in part," a "national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such." While simply threatening to commit genocide is not a clear violation of the Convention, conspiracy and public incitement to do so are. If Trump were to act on his threat, he will have signalled his intent in advance.
Donald Trump says NFL kneeling row " has nothing to do with race"
Just as disturbingly, Kim Jong-un's regime in North Korea has made similar threats. Its Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, which oversees North Korea's relations with the outside world, has asserted: "The four islands of the [Japanese] archipelago should be sunken into the sea by the nuclear bomb," adding that "Japan is no longer needed to exist near us." That statement came in response to the UN Security Council's unanimous vote in support of Resolution 2375, which had condemned Pyongyang's missile test and imposed sanctions on North Korea. The committee also singled out the United States for its leadership in drafting the resolution: "Let's reduce the US mainland into ashes and darkness. Let's vent our spite with mobilisation of all retaliation means which have been prepared." Both of these constitute clear threats of genocide.
Washington and Pyongyang are bound by international law, which explicitly includes the provisions of the Genocide Convention. It is unprecedented for a leader of a state that has signed the Convention, as the United States did in 1988, to mount a UN platform and apparently flout this core component of international criminal law. (As the United Nations created the Genocide Convention, the Security Council is also responsible for enforcing it.) It is likewise an egregious attack on the Convention, which North Korea signed in 1989, to threaten sovereign nations and their people so seemingly casually.
If, heaven forbid, armed conflict actually erupts, both leaders have already announced the standard against which they should be judged. If they carry out their threats, we do not have to work hard to compare them to the 20th century's greatest monsters. They declared the likeness themselves.
Ben Kiernan, founding director of Yale's Genocide Studies Program, is the author of "Blood and Soil: A World History of Genocide and Extermination from Sparta to Darfur." Simon is the director of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University. David Simon is the director of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University.
(c) 2017, Special to The Washington Post
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What Jeremy Corbyn said: Conference, thank you for that.
And what he meant: No, stop it. Cut out the chanting. I hate it. Its embarrassing. Im nobody special. Dont really know how I got here. Settle down. Stop being silly.
What he said: Against all predictions in June we won the largest increase in the Labour vote since 1945 and achieved Labours best vote for a generation. Its a result which has put the Tories on notice and Labour on the threshold of power.
What he meant: Just five years to go. Ill be 73.
What he said: Conference, your efforts in the election campaign stopped the Tories in their tracks. The election result has already delivered one Tory U-turn after another over some of their most damaging policies.
What he meant: Ideal outcome, really. We won the election, were dictating policy, but were not burdened with the responsibility of government.
What he said: It is Labour that is now setting the agenda and winning the arguments for a new common sense about the direction our country should take.
What he meant: And nobody is more surprised than me.
Jeremy Corbyn calls out the Daily Mail for their election coverage
What he said: Never have so many trees died in vain. The British people saw right through it. So this is a message to the Daily Mails editor: next time, please could you make it 28 pages?
What he meant: I bet thats what Tony Blair wished he could have said all along. I did, and I got away with it. Funny old business, politics.
What he said: My principles come from my mum and dad.
What he meant: And from all those Marxist tracts that we used to produce in the good old days when Ken Livingstone and Diane Abbott and I used to run London Labour Briefing in the 1980s.
What he said: Faced with such an overwhelmingly hostile press and an army of social media trolls, its even more important that we stand firm.
What he meant: Im going to condemn all abuse in a moment, but let me make clear which side I blame.
What he said: I am not having it. There can never be any excuse for any abuse of anybody by anybody. We settle our differences with democratic votes and we unite around those decisions and then go forward.
What he meant: I know the right-wing press want me to condemn abuse by my supporters. They can go whistle. I didnt get where I am today without learning to condemn all bad stuff by all sides without ever being specific.
What he said: I have a simple message for the Cabinet: for Britains sake pull yourself together or make way.
What he meant: Pull yourself together: they are not calling me a geography supply teacher now, are they?
Labour conference: Corbyn announces promise to change organ donation law to a standing ovation
What he said: With our Brexit team of Keir Starmer, Emily Thornberry and Barry Gardiner we stand ready to take over whenever this government fails to negotiate a new relationship with Europe that works for us all. Keir, Emily, Barry: thank you for all you do.
What he meant: Not sure what you do, but it all made perfect sense the last time Keir explained it to me. Keep up the good work.
What he said: There is a new common sense emerging about how the country should be run. Thats what we fought for in the election and thats whats needed to replace the broken model forged by Margaret Thatcher many years ago.
What he meant: The Jabberwock, my young friends, was a real beast, with the head of a Thatcher and the body of a Blair and it wrought manxome horrors upon the land. And for all those years a small band of heroes, not that I wish to encourage hero-worship, kept the vorpal sword sharp. Where was I?
What he said: And ten years after the global financial crash the Tories still believe in the same dogmatic mantra deregulate, privatise, cut taxes for the wealthy, weaken rights at work, delivering profits for a few and debt for the many. Nothing has changed.
What he meant: Nothing has changed get it?
What he said: Its as if were stuck in a political and economic time-warp.
What he meant: We are taking the country forward to 1945 at warp speed.
What he said: As the Financial Times put it last month our financial system still looks a lot like the pre-crisis one and the capitalist system still faces a crisis of legitimacy, stemming from the crash.
What he meant: I wanted to say the capitalist system is in crisis, but Seumas did that old trick of quoting the old top-hatted cigar-chomping baddies themselves.
Corbyn: Thousands of jobs at Bombardier are now at stake
What he said: Now is the time that we developed a new model of economic management to replace the failed dogmas of neoliberalism.
What he meant: I wasnt sure what neoliberalism meant but Paul Mason explained it was Greek for New Labour so I put it in.
What he said: We also need to tax undeveloped land held by developers and have the power to compulsorily purchase. As Ed Miliband said, Use it or lose it.
What he meant: The true Labour leadership succession goes: Keir Hardie, Clement Attlee, John Smith, Ed Miliband. And then me, although I dont like a fuss being made about it. Ed was round at Momentum HQ last night and we had a good chat about how the only thing wrong with his leadership was that he wasnt brave enough to be more like me.
What he said: Our public servants make the difference every day, between a decent and a threadbare society. Everyone praises them. But it is Labour that values them and is prepared to give them the pay rise they deserve and protect the services they provide.
What he meant: Im not saying we are morally better than the Tories, but we are morally better than the Tories.
Jeremy Corbyn calls out Donald Trump for 'pandering to racism'
What he said: Britains voice needs to be heard independently in the world. We must be a candid friend to the United States, now more than ever.
What he meant: That is candid friend in the sense of committed opponent. We must never have anything to do with American foreign policy ever again.
What he said: Conference, it is often said that elections can only be won from the centre ground. And in a way thats not wrong so long as its clear that the political centre of gravity isnt fixed or immovable, nor is it where the establishment pundits like to think it is.
What he meant: I thought the establishment pundits were right until the exit poll came out. Wrong to gloat. Mustnt gloat. But ha bloody ha.
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How hopeless a prime minister is Theresa May? I used to think that nobody could be worse than David Cameron, who focused exclusively on securing headlines helpful to the Tories while the national interest could go hang. But in the contest to be classified as the worst prime minister since Lord North, who lost the American colonies, May is now clearly in the lead.
Consider Mays repeated assertions in the Brexit negotiations that no agreement would be better than an unsatisfactory outcome. That in itself is not an illogical position to take so long as the consequences are fully thought through. But there is no sign that May is considering the practical details of such a course even though they will determine its success.
Remember we were told by May at the last Conservative Party conference that leaving really will mean leaving: Its going to be an agreement between an independent, sovereign United Kingdom and the European Union. We would exit from the single market, the customs union and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
Then in her Lancaster House speech earlier this year, she said: I am equally clear that no deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain because we would still be able to trade with Europe. We would be free to strike trade deals across the world. And we would have the freedom to set the competitive tax rates and embrace the policies that would attract the worlds best companies and biggest investors to Britain. And if we were excluded from accessing the single market we would be free to change the basis of Britains economic model.
Theresa May meets Donald Tusk for Brexit talks,
But hang on. We would not be able to trade with Europe unless we had made some new customs arrangements. And we havent done so yet. Moreover there is a clock ticking. On 29 March this year, May activated the official mechanism for leaving the EU under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. As a result, we shall leave on 31 March 2019, in just 18 months time.
Not that May was under pressure to activate Article 50 so soon. A more prudent leader would have spent a lot of time preparing for the Brexit negotiations before pressing the button. Activating Article 50 would have been the final action to take rather than the first.
So what should be happening right now if crashing out of the EU is a real possibility? The Government would be planning the recruitment of additional staff to work at Britains ports as immigration officers and customs officials including experts capable of carrying out sanitary checks to make sure imported food meets British standards. It has been that estimated that some 3,000 to 5,000 extra customs officers are needed to cope with a Leave means Leave scenario. We shall also need new computer systems.
Perhaps the planning for these steps is already under way. Maybe the Department for Exiting the European Union is producing master plans for every eventuality and testing them out in secret. But there is no sign of such activity. The former cabinet minister Oliver Letwin told The Observer: My sense is that the work is beginning inside government now, but I dont believe it has yet reached anything like the level of intensity that it needs to reach.
Iain Duncan Smith argues that we [must] publicly, and through strong cabinet leadership, make it clear that we are going to throw resources at the plans for leaving the EU without an agreement. We need to up the pace dramatically on the process, giving regular public updates on progress.
Paul Goodman, editor of Conservative Home, has written: 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 interlocutors will assume that May doesnt mean it when she says that no deal is better than a bad deal.
In other words, when the Prime Minister talks about a no deal scenario, her absence of preparation for such a course of action renders her words meaningless. She really is bad at the job.
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Barely before all the votes had been counted, Donald Trump was licking his wounds and seeking political cover.
Congratulations to Roy Moore on his Republican Primary win in Alabama. Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy, WIN in Dec, he tweeted. A few hours later, he followed up: Spoke to Roy Moore of Alabama last night for the first time. Sounds like a really great guy who ran a fantastic race. He will help to #MAGA.
In reality, the victory by Moore a 70-year-old firebrand who defeated Strange, the candidate who Trump had endorsed and campaigned for just made life a lot tougher for the President, who was said to be embarrassed and pissed that his man lost. He even deleted his tweets in support of Strange, presumably hoping nobody would notice.
Nine months into his presidency, Trump is flailing and struggling to move forward on the promises he made on the campaign trail. This week, the third attempt by Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare fizzled and failed after it became clear they did not have sufficient votes.
Desperate for a win, the President and the Republican leadership in the House and Senate are pushing ahead with tax reform, and Trump has announced he plans a sweeping rewrite of the federal tax code including the cutting of corporate tax rate from 35 per cent to 20 per cent.
His proposal will also lower the top income tax rate from 39.6 percent to 35 per cent: something many will see as a gift for the wealthiest in society.
Yet getting such legislation passed while juggling the nations budget faces many hurdles, including the opposition of conservative Republicans on Capitol Hill who want to see federal spending cut to the bone. In the past, they have shown they are willing to force a government shutdown to push their point.
Donald Trump says battling Atlantic Ocean in hurricane relief is difficult
The election to the Senate of a man like Moore, someone who has spent his career courting controversial issues and promoting himself as an anti-establishment individual, will only make things tougher for Trump and the Republican leadership.
That was why Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell poured so much money into Stranges campaign, and why Trump and Vice President Mike Pence appeared alongside him in Alabama. The last thing they needed was another maverick who might be prepared to derail a bill if he chooses to much in the way that John McCain killed off healthcare.
Jeanne Zaino, professor of political science at Iona College, said Trump may not suffer in the short term, but Moores win creates huge problems for the Republicans and their attempts to govern underscoring the fracture within the party between its base and its leadership. And down the line, it will be an issue for Trump if he seeks re-election in 2020 with no legislative achievements.
I dont think it will bite him at this time, but its really bad for the Republicans and for trying to govern the country, she said. She added that it also raised questions about the political counsel Trump received before agreeing to involve himself in the Alabama race, rather than waiting until a candidate had been chosen.
As it is, Trump has disappointed many of Moores supporters who voted for the President in 2016, and believe he should have either backed their man or else stayed in the White House.
And Moores win will only encourage other anti-establishment candidates and give succour to Steve Bannon, Trumps former chief strategist who helped manage Moores campaign.
Bannon, grinning like a cat, popped up at Moores victory party in Montgomery, claiming fealty to Trump and saying the judges win was a victory for the President. Yet in a clear dig at Washington, he added: Whos sovereign, the people or the money? The people of Alabama just answered: the people.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty
Reports suggest Bannon is now planning to back a number of similar candidates in states such as Mississippi and Arizona, using the money of mega-donor Robert Mercer, the technology billionaire who helped fund Breitbart News.
In another blow to McConnell, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, used Tuesday to announce his retirement a move that will likely trigger another bitterly fought race for his replacement.
Scott Reed, a political consultant for the US Chamber of Commerce, told The Washington Post that while Trump and Moore might appear to be like-minded individuals, the former judges presence in Washington will be less useful to the President now he is supposed to be trying to govern, rather than simply campaign.
Once again, Bannons strategy has no logical endgame, he said. Good luck moving President Trumps growth agenda forward.
The Acting Garda Commissioner and the force's principal watchdog have clashed over where the blame lies for the scandal of 1.4 million bogus breath tests.
Josephine Feehily, chairwoman of the Policing Authority, revealed a review is likely to pin fault o n implicit performance demands on officers.
But Donall O Cualain, who was installed at the helm of the force after Noirin O'Sullivan's sudden retirement earlier this month, disputed the claim.
Asked if he agreed with Ms Feehily, the Acting Commissioner said: "Based on the evidence I have, at this point in time, no, I do not."
An internal audit laid bare the gross exaggeration of drink and drug-driving checks from 2009 to 2016, with 3,498,400 records on the Garda's Pulse computer system when only 2,040,179 tests were actually carried out.
Ms Feehily is awaiting the outcome of an investigation into the scandal from auditors Crowe Horwath, which will also review the Garda reports.
She said the indications were that it would point to officers facing "implicit demands".
But she warned that it is not expected to unearth a specific order for rank-and-file gardai to hit bigger targets.
"They are likely to report to us that there was an implicit expectation in relation to breath tests rather than an explicit direction," Ms F eehily told the Oireachtas Justice Committee.
The Policing Authority chief also said that it was difficult to imagine such huge discrepancies in breath test numbers without gardai of all ranks knowing.
"I think it's difficult to conceive that there wouldn't be knowledge at various levels throughout the organisation," she said.
Ms Feehily gave a damning critique of how she believed Garda management reacted to the startling level of traffic policing at a time of unprecedented cutbacks - supposedly more than 40,000 breathalyser tests every month over seven years.
She said: "I have a sense that it's not an organisation that looks at numbers and says: 'If we're doing that many breath tests and we have this many gardai and there's only this many people with licences' ... I don't think they think like that."
Ms Feehily urged the Garda Representative Authority (GRA) to come forward with evidence for its claims that rank-and-file officers were acting under duress from superiors when incorrect breath test data was recorded.
The Authority chair added: "I suspect we will be getting indications from Crowe Horwath of a belief throughout the organisation that certain performance was expected but they're unlikely to find, I think, a directive or direction."
Ms Feehily was at the committee after warnings from the Patten-style Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland that the appointment of a new Commissioner should be put off.
Commission chief Kathleen O'Toole wrote to Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan this week saying that it would be a serious mistake to recruit a new chief before the reform recommendations are made about a year from now.
She said they will affect the specifications of the job and how the force will be managed.
A standard recruitment process for a new Commissioner should take eight months.
Mr Flanagan said he believed the Government, the Policing Authority and Ms O'Toole's commission would come up with a shorter recruitment timeframe amid concerns an appointment could be two years off.
He added: "I agree the process should not be rushed. It is important we get the right person for the job."
Ms Feehily said questions would have to be asked about how delaying a new appointment would impact policing.
"If I was a candidate, I kind of might want to know what job was going to be laid out before me in the future before deciding whether to apply," the Policing Authority chief said.
"On the other hand ... the idea of a lacuna troubles me."
Among the damaging scandals to have surrounded Ms O'Sullivan's tenure was the revelation of 1.4 million bogus breath tests, the treatment of whistleblowers - in particular Sergeant Maurice McCabe - inaccurate homicide records and irregular financial affairs at the Templemore training college.
The Patten-style policing reform body, set up under Ms O'Toole - an internationally recognised police chief and former head of the Garda Inspectorate - was charged with advising on radical change in the force amid the welter of controversies.
Ms Feehily praised former commissioner Ms O'Sullivan and said she had a "huge commitment to reform".
She also told the committee: "It is important that I end by underlining that oversight is not an end in itself and it is not a game of 'gotcha'.
"It is about enhancing policing performance with a view to ensuring that communities are safe, that the country is secure and that the Irish people receive the best possible service from the Garda Siochana."
Ms Clinton said she and her husband Bill remain very committed to helping the peace process succeed
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed concern over the political stalemate in Northern Ireland.
Ms Clinton said she did not want to see the gains of the peace process and powersharing at Stormont lost.
In an interview with Ireland's RTE television at her home in Chappaqua, upstate New York, the former US First Lady said: "I am a little worried right now, to be very candid with you.
"I am listening to and hearing reports about the loggerheads people find themselves at.
"There has just been so much progress, I don't want to see it lost."
Ms Clinton also spoke of working with and supporting the late Martin McGuinness and others across the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland when she was First Lady and later when a senator and Secretary of State in the Barack Obama administration.
Mr McGuinness described her as one of the "best friends" the island of Ireland has ever had.
Ms Clinton said: "I had the opportunity to work with Martin and so many others on both sides of the sectarian divide in the north and we forged a personal relationship.
"So when I was a First Lady and a senator, I tried to be supportive in every way I could and when I was Secretary of State I made it a point to continue that support in an official capacity because I didn't want the progress that had been made to be lost."
Ms Clinton said both she and her husband Bill remain very committed to helping the peace process succeed.
"Both my husband and I are extraordinarily interested in and devoted to the future of the island," she said.
"What we have tried to do in both our public and our personal capacities has been to encourage, certainly, the peace process in the north but also to enjoy the friendships that we have developed.
"It has been an absolute privilege to be in some small way involved in everything that is going on."
The interview was recorded last week and airs on RTE television's The Late Late Show on Friday night.
Ms Clinton also discussed the blame she attaches to herself for her failure to defeat President Donald Trump in last year's race to the White House, double standards applied to women in politics, and what she intends to do after stepping away from electoral politics.
The health service faces the upcoming Budget with its reputation intact as an extravagant spender that is permanently in some form of crisis.
Last year the Government trumpeted that the 14.6bn allocation marked the "highest ever health budget".
Yet there are now a record 690,000-plus public patients on waiting lists. And the numbers on trolleys in August hit new heights when compared to the same month over the past decade.
It is once again in the red with a projected deficit of 300m, due in part to meeting pay rises and compensation claims, but also regular housekeeping over-runs.
It is impossible not to be moved by the pleas from so many deserving people, be they pensioners struggling to pay a prescription charge, or a carer who is denied any respite.
What can patients and the public who depend on the services of the HSE expect in the Budget?
Funding for health will increase, but a lot is already spoken for. The HSE's bill for pay rises from the latest public service agreement will run to around 90m. This payout is always at the expense of services.
One of the headline giveaways in the Budget will be a special fund of 50m to tackle hospital waiting lists.
This is on top of the regular funding hospitals get.
Much of this will be likely spent on outsourcing to private hospitals, with another concentration on the longest waiters. Some 20m was allocated this year.
But it has made no major dent in the figures for various reasons and nobody on an outpatient list had their appointment paid for.
The outsourcing seems to be moving very slowly, and the Health Minister, Simon Harris, says there is an issue with the inaccuracy of lists - although all the money will be spent by the end of the year.
While 50m is a vast sum, the expectations of what it can deliver must remain modest. A hip operation alone costs 15,000 and there are more than 11,600 waiting.
Hospitals are still struggling with a shortage of key specialists and nurses. A classic example is lack of urologists, particularly outside Dublin, despite recruitment campaigns. Men with prostate cancer in Limerick and Waterford are particularly affected.
The Budget is also expected to have special funding for a form of "winter initiative" to keep the trolley crisis under some control. The 40m last year had a positive impact - buying more homecare hours, community beds and other supports to transfer many older patients who no longer had to occupy a bed. But it was not enough to stem unrelenting overcrowding in many hospitals.
The minister is shortly to get a report reviewing where beds are needed inside and outside hospital. This will command a slice of funding to start the roll-out plan.
The problem with once-off funding for winter pressures is that once it is spent, the underlying problems re-emerge.
There has also been much discussion about changes to the Fair Deal scheme.
Out-of-pocket expenses remain a hardship for many. Hopes are rising for a cut in the unpopular 2.50 prescription charge.
It was supposed to be abolished by now, and only pressure from Fianna Fail led to a reduction for the over-70s last year.
It is one of the austerity charges that were hiked in the recession, with medical card holders paying out 117m in the levy last year.
The last Government also hiked the monthly Drugs Payment Scheme threshold from 120 to 132 at the start of 2012 and to 144 in 2013. But it is unlikely this will be changed.
The shortage of homecare supports, with a waiting list of 5,000 for home help, is expected to see a rise in funding this year. In 2017 it is still 23pc less than it was in 2009, despite an increased number of older people.
The Ukrainian Airspace Management and Planning Centre (Ukraerocenter) has closed the airspace in the 50 km zone from the blazing epicenter at the ammunition depot near Vinnytsia, Deputy Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine Yuriy Lavreniuk has said.
"About an hour ago, the primary information was received from the crew of the Belavia air company, which followed the Larnaka-Minsk route, that they saw explosions 22 km north of the city of Vinnytsia - Kalinovka in Vinnytsia region. It was established that ammunition depots are on fire. The Infrastructure Ministry is expecting clarifications from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Command of the Air Forced of Ukraine regarding the zone of aircraft flight restrictions. Ukraerocenter closed the airspace within a radius of 50 km from the zone of ignition from land to an unlimited height," he wrote on his Facebook page late Tuesday.
Lavreniuk said that Pivdenno-Zakhidna Railways of public joint-stock company Ukrzaliznytsia blocked the tracks near Kalynivka.
Hard-pressed agricultural contractors and farmers have called for a two-week extension to the slurry-spreading deadline as the continuing heavy rain plays havoc with farm work.
The contractors want a temporary 16-day extension to the spreading dates for slurry, which generally closes on October 15, to allow land-spreading up to October 31 this year.
The call comes as contractors struggle to finish the grain harvest across areas of the midlands, east Connacht and Donegal.
Contractors have urged the Agriculture Minister Michael Creed and the Environment Minister Denis Naughten to agree to the extension.
"An extension to the land-spreading date to the end of October will provide farm contractors with an opportunity, weather and ground conditions permitting, to complete land-spreading activities that have been curtailed during the last few months due to the exceptional weather conditions," said Richard White, national chair of the Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI).
"Our members are concerned about their ability to meet that deadline date on behalf of their farmer customers," he explained.
The IFA has backed the FCI request, with the association's environment chairman, Thomas Cooney, pointing out that parts of the country, particularly the north-west, have been badly affected by heavy rainfall, resulting in flooding and poor land conditions.
With thousands of cattle housed for the last three weeks in the west and northwest, there are growing fears that on-farm slurry storage capacity will increasingly become an issue.
"It is important some relief is available to farmers who are experiencing difficulties in these areas and that penalties are not imposed," Mr Cooney said.
Meanwhile, the IFA has warned that 350,000 tonnes of straw is in danger of being lost due to the wet weather. This equates to more than two million round 4x4 bales of straw.
Liam Dunne of the IFA said that around 35pc of the straw crop had yet to be baled, but both contractors and farmers were too busy cutting remaining crops to even consider pulling out balers. In some instances, unfit straw crops have been baled in order to clear fields so that winter cereals could be sown. Contractors admit that much of the straw crop could yet be salvaged but around 10 days of fine weather is urgently required.
Mr Dunne maintained that 10,000ac of spring wheat and spring barley remained to be cut in the midlands, east Connacht and Donegal.
Around 30pc of the cereals harvest has still to be completed in Donegal, while substantial acreages of crops have to be cut in north Tipperary, Offaly, Westmeath and north Meath.
Galway contractor Martin Fleming said a lot of cereals had still to be cut in east Galway and south Roscommon.
In addition, Mr Fleming said he had up to 50 customers waiting to harvest second-cut silage. He admitted that getting the weather to cut and bale these crops could be a big problem.
Meanwhile, straw traders in the east of the country claim it is becoming increasingly difficult to source supplies.
The delivered price of 8x4x3 bales of wheaten and barley straw has jumped from 42 to 50/bale as a result of the shortages, with oilseed rape straw making 45/bale.
Strong demand is also reported for sugar beet and fodder beet, with prices of around 40/t out of the yard or 60/t delivered to the North being quoted.
Serious shortages of fodder are being reported among farmers in Northern Ireland.
As Ryanair pilots in Dublin have been urged to join the Irish Airline Pilots Association, their colleagues in Italy have been called to a meeting of major trade union Uiltrasporti today
One of Italy's biggest unions - Uiltrasporti - has invited Ryanair pilots and cabin crew based in the country to a meeting in Rome today in an effort to organise the staff under its umbrella, the Irish Independent can reveal.
The move is a serious escalation of the simmering discontent among Ryanair's pilots as the airline continues efforts to restore a normal flight schedule amid a rostering fiasco that has led to hundreds of thousands of passengers being affected.
In correspondence seen by the Irish Independent, union representatives reference a recent European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling involving Ryanair. Earlier this month, the ECJ ruled, in a case related to six Belgium-based Ryanair workers, that a jurisdiction clause that sought to prevent them from bringing proceedings before courts which do have jurisdiction under EU legislation in the air passenger transport sector, was not enforceable against those employees.
It effectively means that Ryanair crew can now have disputes regarding employment contracts held in the country where they habitually carry out their work, such as a Ryanair base, rather than in Ireland, the country under which the contracts are drafted.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has insisted the ruling does not alter the status quo of Ryanair's staff and employment contracts, however.
A notice from Uiltrasporti said it was now making an official collective bargaining request to staff to represent Ryanair cockpit and cabin crew in Italy.
"Uiltrasporti stands openly in favour of the Ryanair workers, pointing out that the mistakes made by a short-sighted management can no longer be tolerated and recalls the recent decision of the European Court of Justice in favour of fair competition and social dialogue," the union notice said.
Ryanair has about a dozen bases in Italy, including some of the airline's busiest bases.
Uiltrasporti added in a notice that its meeting would be held at 4pm today at the union headquarters in Rome.
"Meeting open to all Ryanair pilots and flight attendants," the notice said.
"There will be all the representative structures of Uiltrasporti and lawyers of the organisation [present]."
Attempts to unionise at Ryanair are certain to be strongly resisted by airline management.
This newspaper revealed earlier this week that about 350 Ryanair pilots at Dublin have been urged to join the Irish Airline Pilots' Association as part of a grassroots campaign understood to be organised by the pilots themselves.
Real estate investment manager PMM Group has announced that it is launching a commercial real estate finance platform in Ireland - PMM Estate Finance (PMM REF).
In a statement today PMM REF said it has plans to deploy in excess of 500m of capital over the next three years across the Irish and UK markets.
Its investment strategy is focused on areas with strong borrower demand, which the company said would bridge the "substantial liquidity gap" left by Irish banks since the credit crisis.
In launching its commercial real estate lending business, Domhnall Gaffney, who will lead the Irish operations, and Gareth Williams have joined the company as partners.
The duo have over 30 years combined experience in the European commercial real estate loan market.
The company will provide senior and mezzanine finance for the acquisition and refinancing of commercial property, in loan seizes range from 5m to 25m.
"The opportunity for non-bank lenders in Ireland is growing and access to finance remains challenging for domestic borrowers, especially for smaller loan amounts at higher loan-to-values.
Rather than just price, certainty of deal execution and high levels of customer service are becoming an increasingly important consideration," Mr Gaffney, said.
Ryanair has spent almost 70m in share buybacks since the airline's share price slumped earlier this month.
In total the airline has purchased 4m shares since September 14 at an average price of 16.85 each.
Shares purchased will be cancelled by the airline.
Ryanair has seen its share price slump recently on the back of a European Court of Justice ruling in relation to employment rights, as well as its cancelling of thousands of flights because of what it described as a "significant management failure in our rostering department".
There is nothing unusual or untoward about the share dealing, with Ryanair having announced in May this year that it was commencing a 600m buyback programme.
Yesterday the airline confirmed that the programme, which had been due to end on October 31, had concluded.
"Following the cancellation of the ordinary shares repurchased the company will have 1,183,788,409 ordinary shares in issue," it said yesterday in a statement to the Irish Stock Exchange.
Since September 14 just over 62m shares in Ryanair have been traded on the exchange, with share turnover in this period totalling just over 1bn. This is the company's second buyback programme in 12 months. Last November it launched a 500m programme. Earlier in 2016 the airline announced an 800m programme. Ryanair has returned 4.7bn to its investors over the past decade via special dividends and share buybacks.
Speaking on BBC Newsnight earlier this year, Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair, inset said that the company was buying back 5pc of the airline's stock every year.
Citigroup and Davy Stockbrokers were buying the shares on behalf of Ryanair and would make trading decisions in relation to Ryanair's ordinary shares repurchased under the buy-back programme independently of, and uninfluenced by Ryanair, a statement from the airline in August said.
Earlier this week the Irish Independent reported that thousands of Ryanair pilots will hold crunch meetings across Europe this week. About 4,200 pilots work for the airline.
Orla OGorman, IPOready programme director, with Joe Barrett, chief operations officer, Applegreen, at the ISE induction day for the programme. Photo: Shane ONeill, SON Photographic
The Irish Stock Exchange (ISE) has announced that 12 high-growth companies have started its 2017 IPOready programme.
The 15-month programme will equip the companies with the capital raising, investor relations and management skills needed for a successful IPO, the ISE said.
Among the participants hoping to develop their ability to attract capital from domestic and international investors are med tech company Atlantic Therapeutics; Crest Solutions, which supports clients in regulated packaging industries to comply with regulations and improve product quality; agri tech company Devenish; and O'Reilly group, which designs and manufactures precast concrete and related construction products in Ireland.
ATA Group, Finance Ireland, PFH Technology Group, PMD Solutions, Rubicoin, Taoglas and Zevas Communications, which provides multichannel, multilingual customer contact solutions to a range of industries across Europe and North America, plus another unnamed firm complete the 12 companies chosen.
This year's programme, which is receiving support from Enterprise Ireland and the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), is building on last year's IPOready programme, from which nine high-growth, high-potential Irish companies graduated.
Last year's graduates have raised over 120m in debt and equity financing, and created over 600 jobs.
Orla O'Gorman, head of equity at the ISE and IPOready director, said the ISE was "delighted" to welcome 12 new companies to its programme.
Ms O'Gorman said a key challenge for Ireland was to enable companies which have ambition and potential to be in a position to access capital markets in order to raise permanent financing to scale their business.
"IPOready is designed to address that challenge by delivering the knowledge and skill-set required to raise strategic finance," Ms O'Gorman said.
Meanwhile David Walsh, CEO and co-founder of IPOready graduate company Netwatch, a remote visual monitoring company, said the programme had helped the company "craft an equity pitch that really spoke to potential investors."
This year ISIF, the Irish State's 8bn sovereign development fund, has joined as a programme partner to provide participants with one-to-one interaction with their investment team and to assess potential investments in the companies.
In addition the programme will include mentoring and presentations from leaders of ISE-quoted companies, senior ISE executives, corporate finance experts, entrepreneurs, investment practitioners, legal, communications and investor relations advisers.
Up to 400,000 passengers will be affected by Ryanair's announcement that it plans to reduce its flying schedule this winter.
The budget has said that it will fly fewer aircraft this winter in an attempt to eliminate the risk of further flight cancellations.
By reducing its flying schedule in this way - by 25 less aircraft in November and 10 less aircraft from April 2018 - Ryanair said it will slow its growth, creating spare aircraft and crews.
According to a detailed Ryanair statement on Wednesday afternoon, the airline plans to roster all of the extra pilot leave necessary in October, November and December to meet the Irish Aviation Authority's (IAA) requirement, starting the new calendar leave year from January 1, 2018 with no backlog.
It added that its monthly growth between November 2017 and March 2018, will slow from 9pc to 4pc. Its full-year traffic, to the end of next March, will moderate from the previously expected 131 million passengers, to 129 million passengers, which is still 7.5pc higher than in the last financial year.
"By slowing our summer 2018 fleet growth from 445 to 435 aircraft, we expect traffic to March 2019 will slow from 142m to 138m, a 7pc rate of growth," it added.
It also said it intends to roll out a series of low fare seat sales for winter 2017 as it is confident that there will be no further roster related cancellations.
Ryanair said that flying 25 fewer aircraft this winter will result in a number of flight and schedule changes from November to March 2018. There are just under 400,000 customers booked on these flights.
The airline said that less than 1pc of the 50m customers Ryanair will carry this winter are affected by the aircraft reductions, and that all of those customers received an email today giving them between five weeks and five months notice of these schedule changes, offering them alternative flights or full refunds of their airfare.
It also said that it appreciates the "widespread support" it has received from its 4,200 pilots over the past number of weeks as it struggled with its flights fiasco.
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CEO Michael OLeary apologised to those customers who have been affected by last weeks flight cancellations.
"While over 99pc of our 129m customers will not have been affected by any cancellations or disruptions, we deeply regret any doubt we caused existing customers last week about Ryanairs reliability, or the risk of further cancellations," he said.
"From today, there will be no more rostering related flight cancellations this winter or in summer 2018.
"Slower growth this winter, will create lots of spare aircraft and crews which will allow us to manage the exceptional volumes of annual leave we committed to delivering in the nine months to Dec 2017. We will start a new 12 month leave period on the 1st of Jan 2018 in full compliance with EU regulations and the IAAs requirements."
All of the passengers who have been affected by these disruptions have now been offered re-accommodation or full refunds and their applicable EU261 entitlements.
"In addition today, they are receiving a travel voucher (40 one way/80 return) which they may use to book any Ryanair flight of their choice during October for travel between October and March 2018. We look forward to welcoming them all on board," said Mr O'Leary.
Ryanair said it expects to generate slightly lower yields over the next two months as it promotes seat sales. It said it does not expect these initiatives to alter its current financial year guidance generating a profit after tax of between 1.4bn and 1.45bn.
"Hundreds of pilots, and many of their ERCs (Employee Representative Committees) have been in regular contact with the airline offering to work days off, to work one week of their allocated month of leave, and offering to go public to correct the false claims made about them, and Ryanair, by competitor airline pilots in certain media outlets," according to the statement.
"We appreciate their professionalism," it added.
Ryanair said it has also written to its pilots "to correct last weeks false claims made about our pilot recruitment".
"In the current year, under 100 captains have left (mainly to retirement or long haul airlines) and less than 160 first officers (mostly to long haul airlines)," the airline stated.
"Over the next eight months Ryanair has recruited and will train over 650 pilots, not only to replace these leavers/retirees, but also to crew up for the 50 new Boeing aircraft we will buy to May 2018 to bring our fleet to 445 for summer 2018."
It added: "Contrary to false claims of pilot shortages, Ryanair has in recent weeks seen a big surge in pilot applications from Gulf carriers and in Germany and Italy, where both Air Berlin and Alitalia are in bankruptcy and hundreds of their pilots are facing job losses or steep cuts in their pay and conditions."
The following 34 routes are suspended from the winter season from November to March 2018:
In a Q & A panel following Ryanair's statement, the airline said that it is not struggling with recruitment and has more than 2,500 pilots on a waiting list to join. It said that over 650 new pilots will join Ryanair between now and May 2018.
More to follow...
The Military Prosecutor's Office of the Western Region has preliminary qualified the blasts at the ammunition depots near Kalynivka, Vinnytsia region, as sabotage.
"The Military Prosecutor's Office of the Western Region has entered a case into the unified register of pre-trial investigations under Article 113 of the Criminal Code," press secretary for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Olena Hitlianska told Interfax-Ukraine.
She said SBU officers will be among the investigation team created to probe the explosions at the ammo depots.
Article 113 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine dubbed "Sabotage" defines the offence as an act aimed at weakening the state, conducted in the form of explosions, arsons or other actions aimed at mass destruction of people, causing bodily harm, destroying or damaging important economic or defense facilities etc. Such actions are punishable by imprisonment for a term of eight to fifteen years.
NDRC, which invests in early-stage digital start-ups, is launching an early-stage part-time fintech programme for professionals in the financial services sector.
The initiative, run in partnership with Bank of Ireland, will be run at NDRC and is designed for individuals at the business ideas stage and who are not yet ready to take the full step towards formally starting a business.
With the support of advisors from Bank of Ireland and NDRC, as well as a panel of volunteers with specialist skills, programme participants will have the opportunity to test their idea and assess its potential.
Despite having such a strong international financial services sector, NDRC said that we are not seeing enough fintech start-up disruption emerging.
"Ireland needs to do more in this space and this programme is a way to bring our tech industry and financial services industries closer together," Gary Leyden, Commercial Director at NDRC, said.
Participants whose ideas have the most potential will be considered for investment and acceleration support by NDRC after the programme is completed.
David Tighe, head of innovation at Bank of Ireland, said that the bank was "delighted" to have the opportunity to continue its partnership with NDRC.
"Supporting early stage fintech in Ireland is pivotal to supporting business growth and we look forward to working with this new cohort of fintech innovators," Mr Tighe said.
The fintech programme will take place over three weeks on Friday afternoons and Saturdays, starting in early November and applications can be made through NDRC.
Hopes for strong competition in the Government's upcoming rural broadband roll-out tender plan has suffered a blow with one of the main telecom bidders quitting the process.
Siro, the joint venture between Vodafone and the ESB, has announced it will no longer stay in the process.
That leaves just two bidders - Eir and Enet - competing for State contracts to connect 540,000 rural homes and businesses to modern high-speed broadband by 2023.
ESB chief Pat Doherty has described the withdrawal as a "difficult" decision.
"It was made on the basis that Siro was unable to make a business case for continued participation in the process."
Vodafone Ireland chief executive Anne O'Leary said she was "disappointed" by the decision.
Siro executives previously said the Government decision to allow Eir to remove 300,000 premises in the State's 850,000 targeted intervention area lessened its likely commercial interest in the scheme.
Communications Minister Denis Naughten said his department was formally informed by Siro of its withdrawal earlier this week.
He insisted the tendering process would continue with the remaining two companies.
However, he indicated that a tender decision would not be made until 2018. He also declined to offer assurances that connections under the scheme would start next year.
"I'm not going to be drawn on timelines," he said.
Instead, he said that he expects the total number of Irish homes connected to broadband will reach 77pc by the end of 2018 and 90pc by 2020.
The National Broadband Plan has already suffered considerable delays, with the completion date not expected before 2023. The news of Siro's withdrawal comes after internal Government memos revealed that the cost of the National Broadband Plan could be up to 60pc higher than planned.
The price hike could occur because of the Government's recent agreement with Eir.
Siro has moved to clarify that its withdrawal from the State-backed process doesn't mean it is to halt its own commercial plans for connecting 500,000 regional homes to fibre broadband.
"The decision to withdraw was difficult, but it means the company can refocus its attention to building out the Siro network further," said Ms O'Leary. "With over 100,000 premises due to be passed at the end of the month, there is clear commercial demand for gigabit connectivity across regional Ireland."
Ive been a Canon 6D user for three years.
Like many others, I was drawn to it as the most affordable full frame model in Canons lineup, the cheapest Canon camera that would let me get the full benefit of Canons higher-end L lenses.
In those three years, Ive been pretty happy with my camera. It excels in low light and has more than enough features to get fantastic photos for an amateur photographer like me.
Like many others, Ive been fascinated to see what the companys upgraded model will deliver. After a month testing the 6D Mark ii, Im pretty pleased with it. But Im still not completely sure I need to upgrade to it.
Before I go deeper into the cameras pros and cons, Ill just say that the main feature tempting me to buy is the new flip-out touchscreen -- it genuinely lets me get photos I couldnt get before. But is that enough?
Heres a look at the camera's main pluses and minuses. (If you want to skip to my conclusion, it's at the bottom.)
1. THE DYNAMIC RANGE CONTROVERSY
One of the big issues that some professionals have challenged Canon on is the disappointing dynamic range from the new camera. In English, this means that when you shoot a photo (in Raw format) and try to recover detail from dark or shadowed areas, it returns relatively poor results. This could hurt some wedding or landscape photographers, as shots taken in varied light often need to be treated in post-production to rescue overly dark parts of the photo. In my case, its a minor consideration. I mostly shoot in the jpeg format, where this isnt much of an issue at all. I also dont depend on rescuing detail from shadows all that much in my own photography anyway, which is a mixture of portraits and landscapes. Whether or not this is representative of other photographers needs, I genuinely dont know. But it wouldnt materially affect my buying decision.
2. LOW LIGHT SHOTS
Aside from the dynamic range controversy, the 6D Mark ii is supposed to perform better in low light than the original 6D. This would be a remarkable feat, given its greater megapixel count and considering just how good the original 6D still performs in low light. I ran multiple tests on the 6D and 6D Mark ii using the same lens each time. I could barely discern any difference in the image quality between the two. But this is fine: it means that the 6D Mark ii can still be counted as a top performer in low light.
3. DOES THE HIGHER MEGAPIXEL COUNT IMPROVE IMAGE QUALITY?
The 6D Mark ii ups the megapixel count to 26 from the original 6Ds 20 megapixels. Its a marginal yet significant upgrade: it mainly means you can crop a little more into images. Engaging in a little pixel-peeping, I could see a tiny bit more detail in some images taken from the 6D Mark ii than the original 6D. In other images, I couldnt detect any noticeable extra sharpness. Suffice to say that the quality of the image is probably equally (if not more) dependent on the lens youre using rather than the cameras sensor. In this vein, Canon isnt as dependent on its sensors as rivals such as Sony or Fuji, partly because its range of lenses is so good.
4. VIDEO
By now, everyone has heard of the biggest gripe levelled against the 6D Mark ii -- it has no 4K video recording. Its a stubborn move by Canon, which keeps the recording resolution at full HD 1080p (up to 60 frames per second). This seems to fly in the face of what every other modern camera manufacturer (and smartphone manufacturer) is currently doing. And YouTube is full of videos from disgruntled photographers saying its a deal-breaker for them. Oddly, I am not one of their number, for two reasons. First, I rarely use my camera for video. It doesnt matter to me whether it has 1080p, 4K or even 8K video recording -- Ill barely touch it. Secondly, even if I were to use it for video, I believe that 4K recording is vastly overhyped. Unless youre watching a 50-inch screen, there is little benefit to recording something in 4K. On a phone, a tablet or a laptop, you simply cant see the difference between a high frame-rate 1080p and 4K. But there are huge disadvantages to recording in 4K, as I have found out when doing so from a drone. The file sizes are prohibitively large: most laptops or iPads dont have enough memory or processing power to edit or store the clips. Advanced videographers will point out that 4K lets you crop into a video clip while still maintaining a high degree of resolution. But that is nowhere near my use case for a DSLR camera.
Its fair to say now that where Canon once led in DSLR video recording (especially with the 5D Mark II), it now seriously lags Sony and Panasonic (in particular). That may put some off the 6D Mark ii. But it just doesnt make any difference to me.
As for the actual video performance on this camera, its dual-pixel autofocusing system makes for better tracking. However, although it has a microphone port, theres no headphone port. So youve no idea whether the audio levels will be correct or adequate as youre filming.
5. AUTOFOCUSING
One of the most-touted reasons to get the 6D Mark ii is the cameras upgraded dual pixel autofocusing system, which is imported from Canons 7D Mark ii and 80D. Its much faster and, in theory, more flexible than the 6D Mark i partly because there are more autofocusing points and theyre cross type points, which means you can get to the point you want quicker. Theres a big caveat, though. The autofocusing points are all clustered in a small box in the middle of the screen - there are none outside this tiny area. In other words, you can only move them around in about 20pc of the entire picture. Thats actually no bigger a space than the original 6D Mark is focusing zone. So yes, there are more autofocusing points, but they cover the same concentrated area. So if you want to have something in focus at the edge of the frame, youll have to swing your camera over, focus on that point, and then swing the camera back to the original position. Or else youll need to switch to live mode, where you can touch the part of the screen you want the camera to focus on. (This method also allows for one-touch autofocus and capture, a useful benefit.)
But outside this live mode, its an upgrade with very limited pragmatic benefit because of the lack of focusing points outside the middle area. Theres also no joystick to guide your autofocusing, meaning youll need to use the pad on the back of the camera.
If you want more focusing points, you will need to consider Canons much pricier 5D Mark IV or its non-full frame 80D or 7D Mark ii.
6. CONTINUOUS SHOOTING CHALLENGES
The engine in the 6D Mark ii is definitely faster than the 6D but still lags other cameras at similar price points. It shoots up to 6.5 frames per second [or four frames per second] in live screen mode. In full flow, I found that it worked for around six seconds (40 frames or so) before slowing down to four-frames per second. Thats pretty respectable and should meet the needs of most people, even some professionals.
However, those who shoot continuously often also need to keep the camera focusing continually on a moving subject. Here, the 6D Mark ii struggles a little to keep up. It works, but not as well as rival cameras such as Panasonics GH5, Fujis X-T2 or Nikons D500 (although none of those are full frame models). So you may well miss a couple of shots. (I did when I tried this.)
7. FLIP-OUT TOUCHSCREEN
As I said at the start, the flip-out touchscreen is probably the main reason to upgrade from a 6D. Its very useful in loads of situations, from shooting babies and pets to getting a clear shot at parades and other events when in a crowded zone. Youre no longer pointing and hoping, especially as you can take the shot by touching the screen, which makes the camera autofocus on the bit of the picture you touch. Whats more, this isnt a half-baked flip-out screen as some cameras have. Its a fully-articulating touchscreen that swivels around 180 degrees, allowing you to see your framing if youre photographing or filming yourself. Its a really excellent addition for those of us who want more flexibility from our cameras.
8. SILENT SHOOTING MODE
The 6D Mark ii has what it calls silent modes for shooting. In reality, theyre still pretty noisy; they definitely shatter the silence in a church, school hall or other enclosed space. However, theyre a little quieter than the full default mode. Conventional DSLRs will never be able to shoot silently because they have flappy shutters. If you want an actual silent camera, it needs to be a mirrorless model such as Canons M series or models from Sony, Fuji, Panasonic or Olympus.
9. BATTERY AND OTHER FEATURES
If the 6D Mark ii is compared critically on some features to some mirrorless models, its only fair to point out its advantages to not being mirrorless. One of these is battery life. Put simply, the 6D Mark ii blows mirrorless models away when it comes to battery life. You can shoot for almost a full day on a single charge here -- youd easily go through two Fuji, Sony, Panasonic or Olympus batteries in the same period.
On the other hand, not having a second memory card slot compares unfavourably with models such as Fujis X-T2, Nikons D500 or Panasonics GH5. Memory cards fail more than you would think: at this price point, its frustrating not to have a second slot. Physically, the 6D Mark ii is almost exactly the same size and weight as the original 6D, although the front main grip is a little bulkier.
The new model also adds Bluetooth to the wifi of the original 6D. This means the camera can stay tethered to your phone, a handy feature.
10. IS IT WORTH THE MONEY FOR SOMEONE DECIDING ON A NEW CAMERA AFRESH?
It honestly depends on what youre going to use the camera for and whether you mind carrying cameras around.
To illustrate what I mean, Ill compare it to one of the most popular enthusiast cameras around right now -- Fujis 24-megapixel X-T2.
In Ireland, the Canon 6D Mark ii costs 2,199 for the body only, or 2,599 for the body and the (original, not latest) 24-105mm L lens. For 2,199, you can get Fujis X-T2 with an 18-55mm (28-88mm equivalent) lens and still have cash left over. Or you can get one it with one of Fujis small, specialist prime lenses for around the same price.
The Canon beats the Fuji for landscape shots and in low light because of its bigger sensor. It also delivers deeper, better images when matched with Canons most expensive lenses (often over 1,500 each).
But the Fuji is way more versatile, completely silent, is much more portable and consistently delivers really impressive photos of its own with an increasingly impressive set of lenses. Ask any street photographer and theyll pick the Fuji every time. The same might be said for travellers: its simply much easier to pack the Fuji (especially when there is more than one lens), which still delivers high-end quality.
In my own case, I now always pack a Fuji (X-Pro 2) or a Panasonic (GX7) when travelling or out and about. But If asked to take a family photo of someone or a portrait, Ill still reach for the Canon. However, this is only because I have both the 85mm f1.2 and 70-200mm f2.8 lenses, both of which are still a notch above anything you can get for a mirrorless camera (but both of which cost almost as much as the camera itself). If I only had the kit lens that comes with the Canon 6D Mark ii, Id prefer to use a Fuji with the 56mm lens or a Panasonic with the 42.5mm Nocticron lens, both of which might deliver superior results to the Canon combination.
As for sunrises or sunsets, I now alternate between the Canon and the mirrorless cameras, depending on where Im shooting. If forced to pick based on absolute quality alone, Id give the Canon the edge. But that doesnt mean Ill haul a heavy bag abroad just in case I might happen to see a nice sunset.
So if I was starting from scratch, would I buy the Canon or the Fuji? It would depend on what was left in my bank account: if I also had the money to buy the expensive lenses, Id buy the Canon. If I didnt, Id buy the Fuji and buy a better lens to start with.
CONCLUSION: WOULD I BUY THE 6D MARK II?
I still havent made my mind up. I love this cameras flip-out touchscreen and the image quality is as good, if not better, than the original 6D (which Im already happy with). I also dont care about either of the big criticisms being thrown at this camera, namely the mediocre dynamic range and lack of 4K video recording. And Ive amassed a considerable array of pricey Canon L lenses (and some equally impressive Tamron equivalents) that can only really deliver their full quality to me on a Canon body.
So it seems clear -- I should go out and buy, right?
Not so fast. First, my original 6D still takes great shots and is easy to use. It has wifi, too, which means Im already sorted for instant transfers to my phone. And other than the flip-out touchscreen (which I love), theres no killer feature on the Mark ii model. 26 megapixels is not a big enough upgrade over the 6Ds 20 megapixels. I cant detect enough of a difference in low light performance, either. And the autofocusing upgrade isnt of much benefit to me because theyre all clustered in the middle of the screen: I ended up focusing in much the same way as my own 6D.
But theres another non-Canon factor, too: mirrorless competition. Despite my investment in Canons lenses and ecosystem, Ive been heavily seduced by the benefits of quality mirrorless cameras in the last two years. Both Panasonic and Fuji have come out with some incredible cameras and lenses that almost match Canons high-end quality but bring massive bonuses that Canons DSLRs dont have. In particular, they shoot completely silently (a huge advantage) and are much more portable than flappy-mirror DSLR cameras. With each passing year, Im getting deeper into these ecosystems: almost all the lenses Ive purchased in the last 18 months have been for one of these mirrorless systems. Yes, Canons high-end lenses still beat the mirrorless models on absolute quality (I own both Canons 70-200mm and Fujis high-end 70-200mm equivalent lens and Canons wins hands down). But Canon lenses are two to three times the size and weight of Fuji or Panasonic lenses without being twice as good. The result is that I now grab a Fuji or Panasonic when I travel and rarely a Canon. What does that say?
Ill still keep using the Canon gear on big holidays or special occasions, as the smaller mirrorless models still dont have anything that quite replicates the beauty and depth of images that come from Canons 85mm f1.2 or the aforementioned 70-200mm (although Panasonics 42.5mm Leica Nocticron lens comes close).
But do I need to buy a new Canon 6D Mark ii in this context? Unless I decide to ditch my expensive Canon lenses, Ill definitely need a new Canon DSLR camera sometime in the future. But unless I decide that I really need the 6D Mark iis flip-out touchscreen sooner rather than later, I may well hold off until my current 6D starts malfunctioning.
US band TLC have postponed all European dates in their world tour after member T-Boz seriously injured her neck.
Live Nation said that T-Boz, real name Tionne Watkins, is suffering severe physical pain due to nerve compression and is unable to perform.
Best known for 1990s hits Waterfalls and No Scrubs, TLC were due to arrive in Hamburg, Germany, next month, before moving into the UK and finishing in Birmingham on November 16.
They were also set to play Metropolis festival at the RDS next month. Organisers have announced four replacement acts for Sunday including DJ Jazzy Jeff, Norwegian star Todd Terje, Denis Sulta and Aussie DJ Mall Grab.
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Following performances in the US over summer, a statement from the concert producer on Tuesday read: T-Boz injured her neck and is suffering from severe physical pain that has impacted her ability to perform at this time.
The cervical disc problems in her spine have advanced to the point of having significant pain due to nerve compression.
She is currently working with her orthopaedic surgeon who recommended the postponement.
It added that the currently performing members T-Boz and Rozonda Chilli Thomas were looking forward to greeting European fans in 2018 and that ticket-holders can get a full refund from the point of purchase.
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T-Boz said: Chilli and I are very disappointed that we have been left with no choice but to postpone our debut European tour. We would like to thank our fans for staying so loyal and ensure them we will be back just as soon as we can reschedule.
The 47-year-old mother recently published her memoirs, A Sick Life: TLC n Me: Stories From On And Off The Stage, where she shares stories of her past health problems, including a long-standing battle with sickle cell disease.
The website hosts hundreds of reviews and awards a monthly prize based on the best reviews
A petition to ban reviews from an escort site has reached more than 7,000 signatures.
The petition calls on the Department of Justice to restrict the review section from Escort Ireland and similar websites which allows clients to give feedback on women who advertise their services on the site.
Reviewers may rate a number of aspects of their experience including physical experience and value for money. They may also indicate if they would recommend the escort under review or if they would repeat their booking.
The petition, hosted on change.org, included excerpts from reviews which included derogatory statements such as "[if] you are really stuck some night".
The website hosts hundreds of reviews and awards 'escort of the month' based on positive feedback.
Women advertising on the site do have the option to opt out of reviews or to stop reviews with explicit detail. They may also choose to respond, which some do and may also choose not to have their rates advertised.
"The men who leave reviews are not interested in whether the woman is enthusiastic or not. It is illegal in the entire island of Ireland to purchase sex, so this platform which enables and encourages and promotes illegal behavior should be abolished," the author of the petition writes.
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The letter being sent to Minister Charlie Flanagan reads:
"Please stop Escort Ireland's platform for punters to rate and review sex with women they rent.
"As you can see from my petition, women are being rated and reviewed by men who rent them for sex. This is not equality or liberation for women, something Ireland is striving for."
However, a spokeswoman from Ugly Mugs, an app which allows sex workers to share information about clients in order to promote safety, said that reviews and sex work websites had value for allowing women to work safely.
"I think from a technology point of view there is no point banning websites... because you can't feasibly do it, people will find a work around.
"I don't agree with trying to ban sex work websites because you can't ban sex work by banning websites, it doesn't work and it's not a useful thing to do.
"Sex workers rely on websites as one means of meeting clients in a safer environment. Things like review systems allow sex workers to have some knowledge of a client, when they are taking a booking from a client they can look at that clients reviews and it's a way of gaining information about that person so they are useful to sex workers for safety purposes generally," she added.
Overly abusive comments are usually not published on websites used by Irish escorts she said but have been noted as an issue in the UK where there are unmoderated forums and user led websites where abusive language seems to be a greater issue.
"It's an optional thing, sex workers can opt out of reviews," she added.
Independent.ie has contacted the Department of Justice.
In a statement Escort Ireland, which operates out of Spain, said:
"Each escort on the website has taken a personal decision on whether they wish to receive reviews.
"We have a dedicated community team that monitors the Escort-Ireland.com community forums and reviews sections 24/7 and takes action if anything inappropriate is posted as per our very strict guidelines on review and user generated content."
Flight restrictions for 50 km zone over Kalynivka to be in effect for at least 24 hours
The flight restrictions in the 50 km zone from land and higher to the upper border of the airspace over the ammunition depot blast near Kalynivka (Vinnystia region) will be in effect for at least 24 hours, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan has said.
"We closed the skies in the 50 km zone at once. The restriction will last for at least 24 hours," the minister told reporters after a government meeting on Wednesday.
Omelyan said that the Infrastructure Ministry will quickly react to the situation, in particular, if the threat is reduced.
As reported, at around 22:00 on September 26, reports arrived about explosions of ammunition in an arsenal of the Defense Ministry near the town of Kalynivka.
The Ukrainian Airspace Management and Planning Centre (Ukraerocenter) has closed the airspace in the 50 km zone from the blazing epicenter at 23:45.
The ban is imposed for the 50 km zone until 2:59 September 28, 2017.
A Northern Ireland man who stabbed his ex-partner 30 times in front of their three-year-old daughter has been jailed for the "brutal and sustained" attack.
Stephen David John McFarlane, from Glenville Park, Newtownabbey, was handed a 15-year sentence for the attack, which left the 28-year-old mother of two with life-changing injuries.
Belfast Crown Court heard that when police arrived at the woman's Carnmoney home after receiving a 999 call from a screaming female, they found her lying in a pool of blood in the living room while the crying toddler told officers "bad Daddy".
The seriously injured woman was rushed via ambulance to the Royal Victoria Hospital, where she was treated for 30 stab wounds to her head, chest, abdomen, neck and back.
Telling the court "she could easily have died", a Crown prosecutor noted the woman sustained "multiple stab wounds to her cervical region". She also sustained a large wound close to her jugular vein, and was stabbed "at least nine times" in the chest.
As a result of the knife attack she also suffered collapsed lungs, sustained an injury to her spinal cord and required emergency surgery.
Judge Geoffrey Miller QC spoke of the physical and psychological impact the attack has had upon the Co Antrim woman, who had to learn to walk again, and who suffers from flashbacks. The Judge said: "There can be no doubt that the consequences for her have been life-changing."
McFarlane - who was deemed to be dangerous by the Probation Board - went on the run for two days after the knife attack on January 13 last year, and became the subject of a police hunt.
He was arrested following a car chase which ended in a cul-de-sac in east Belfast, and whilst he initially claimed he couldn't remember what happened, and told officers "come to me with evidence", he also at one stage said "It must have been me ... If I have done this, then I am a monster."
The mechanic, who at the time of the domestic attack was using steroids, subsequently admitted a litany of offences including attempting to murder his former partner, damaging her properly, and stealing petrol and driving dangerously when on the run.
During today's sentencing, the court heard McFarlane has already served a sentence for a previous attack on a former girlfriend. He assaulted and strangled his ex-partner - whom he had a child with - until she lost consciousness after driving a car off an embankment on the M2 in November 2007.
After this attack, the sentencing Judge remarked that McFarlane was a selfish and self-centred man who had displayed no remorse for the attack.
Judge Miller revealed that after last January's violent incident, the Probation Board deemed McFarlane to be dangerous, that he presented a significant risk to the public and that there was a high likelihood of re-offending.
The Judge spoke of the "brutal and sustained nature" of the attack, and said not only was it carried out in front of a young child, but also continued with the woman was "prone and defenceless."
Judge Miller also highlighted McFarlane's conduct when he was on the run, which including stealing number plates from other vehicles in a bid to evade capture as well as driving at speeds of up to 30 mph.
As McFarland was deemed as being dangerous, he was handed an extended custodial sentence of 15 years. He will therefore serve at least seven and a half years in prison before being considered eligible for release by the Paroles Commission. The remainder of his sentence will be spend on licence.
The Co Antrim father of three was also given an extended five years on licence, in a bid to protect the public, and was banned from driving for ten years.
As he was being led from the dock in handcuffs, McFarlane turned to the woman's family in the public gallery and said: "I want to apologise for what I did, but at the end of the day I got stopped from seeing my children, but I am sorry."
Former minister Dr James Reilly escaped a conviction after his vehicle was clocked speeding on a busy Dublin street.
The car registered to the Fine Gael senator was clocked travelling in excess of 80kmh on the N3 bypass at Blanchardstown on September 8, 2015.
Dr Reilly appeared before Dublin District Court last Wednesday, after being summonsed by Garda James Curtis of the Garda Traffic Unit.
Under oath, Dr Reilly told the presiding judge he was not driving the vehicle at the time of the offence. He also stated he had not received a fixed-charge notice.
Dr Reilly, of Seafoam, Southshore Road, Rush, agreed to pay a 300 charitable donation to Blanchardstown Hospice, and his case was struck out.
Driving in excess of the speed limit can result in a fixed-charge fine of 80 as well as three penalty points. Failure to pay the fixed charge within 28 days can result in a 120 fine and up to five penalty points.
The north Dublin senator served as health minister from 2011 until 2014, before being appointed as children and youth affairs minister until last year.
The Simferopol District Court on Wednesday sentenced Deputy Head of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Ilmi Umerov to two years in a low-security colony.
The court started reading the verdict in the absence of Umerov's defense lawyers Mark Feygin and Alexander Podrabinek, the Krym.Realii news website reported on Wednesday,
According to interfax.ru, the defense team of Umerov intends to appeal against the verdict. The prosecutor during the debate a week ago asked for a 3.5 years suspended sentence for Umerov.
For the time being, the 60-year-old handicapped politician will stay at home. If the appellate court upholds the verdict, Umerov will be sent to the low-security colony.
Some 50 supporters of the Mejlis deputy head gathered outside the court. Some shouted words of support, some women cried.
Umerov's four lawyers insisted on their client's innocence. Umerov said he was framed up and the case was politically motivated, saying that the translation of his address delivered in the Crimean Tatar language into Russian, which was the basis for the charges, was loose and some calls were added to the text.
As reported, investigators of the Russian FSB in Crimea in May 2016 opened a criminal case against Umerov under Article 280.1 of the Russian Criminal Code on suspicion of incitement to violation of territorial integrity of the Russian Federation.
FSB officers imposed travel restrictions on Umerov. On August 11, a court in Simferopol granted the petition of the FSB investigator on Umerov's forced forensic psychiatric examination. On September 7, Umerov was released from a mental hospital.
Human Rights Watch urged Russian authorities to lift separatism charges from Umerov.
On August 22, 2017, Head of the Supervision Department over Criminal Investigations of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Oleksandr Darakchi said that the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea prepared a suspicion against the prosecutor in the Umerov case. He said, a number of witnesses have already been questioned and suspicions will be soon issued not only to the prosecutor, but also to the judges who participated in Umerov's illegal trial.
The changes include a ban on private cars taking a right-hand turn onto OConnell Bridge, and were brought into force to accommodate Luas Cross City, which opens later this year. Photo: Gareth Chaney, Collins
Bus journey times along Dublin's north and south quays have dropped by some four minutes since traffic changes were introduced earlier this month.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) says that times on the north quays have fallen by 3.5 minutes (37pc) between 8am and 9am, and by 45pc, or 4.5 minutes, between 9am and 10am, compared with the previous year.
In the evening peak between Aston Quay and Essex Quay on the northside, buses are travelling 2.5 minutes faster. There are "equally significant reductions" of between 20pc and 25pc during other hours, it said.
The changes include a ban on private cars taking a right-hand turn onto O'Connell Bridge, and were brought into force to accommodate Luas Cross City, which opens later this year.
They are also designed to improve commuting times for thousands of bus passengers, who outnumber those using the private car by 10 to one.
But the Dublin Chamber of Commerce has rejected the figures, saying they fail to analyse the impact the changes are having on the entire city.
The chamber, which represents 1,300 businesses, said the findings were "at odds" with feedback from business, commuters and shoppers who complain of longer journey times, with impacts on deliveries.
It says the improvements highlighted by the NTA "failed to show" the impact the changes are having on the wider city.
It said some 63pc of businesses reported longer commutes, with just 2pc of commuters saying their trip was quicker. One-third said there was no change.
Meanwhile, the 57km M17/M18 Gort to Tuam motorway will be officially opened today. The 550m scheme is designed to reduce bottlenecks at Tuam, Claregalway, Oranmore, Clarinbridge, Kilcolgan and Gort in Galway.
The accusations leveled at Ukraine by Amnesty International and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), an international journalistic organization, saying that Ukraine violated its international export-control obligations have no legal grounds, the Ukrainian State Service of Export Control (SSEC) said in an official statement on its website.
Ukraine is a member of all international export-control regimes and strictly adheres to their requirements and to relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the statement says.
"Ukraine regularly submits reports on arms exports to the UN Register of Conventional Arms and the regimes' secretariats. Neither the member countries of the regimes nor UN members have ever accused Ukraine of not complying with its international obligations, as our state has not shipped weapons in contravention of international and national restrictions," it said.
The SSEC said it carefully analyzed the accusations and explained: "South Sudan is a member of the UN and has been recognized by Ukraine; the UN Security Council has not imposed a full and comprehensive ban on arms shipments to that country."
"At the same time, it has been determined that Ukrinmash has not shipped any weapons to South Sudan: the State Service of Export Control has not given the relevant permits to the company in question," it said.
"As regards the operations of the private company Techimpex, it lies within the framework of legal business: the products manufactured by that company, including those that used imported components, were shipped in 2014-2016 to Ethiopia, the UAE, Chad, and Uganda, which are not under UN or European Union restrictions," the SSEC said. "According to international reports, other states, including European ones, have also regularly shipped weapons to these countries," it said.
AI's and the OCCRP's reports are "emotional" and do not have the authority of legal judgments by international experts, and behind their groundless accusations one can see attempts "to use dirty techniques" to weaken the Ukrainian enterprises' positions on the global arms market, it said.
The SSEC pointed out that the accusations of violating international export-control obligations have been leveled at Ukraine in the run-up to "a momentous decision by its strategic partners on providing Ukraine with defensive weapons and increasing military assistance."
It had been reported earlier that the OCCRP accused Ukraine of involvement in a network of illegal re-exports of weapons from European Union countries to Africa and the Middle East. The Ukrainian companies Ukrinmash and Techimpex, as well as the UK-based private firm S-Profit and Poland-based Army Trade were mentioned among the entities involved in that network.
Amnesty International published a report at the beginning of this week saying that the Ukrainian state company Ukrinmash was involved in illegal shipments of firearms and artillery weapons to South Sudan through intermediaries in the United Arab Emirates. Ukrinmash denied the allegations.
Amnesty International also claimed in 2012 that Ukraine had illegally supplied South Sudan with tanks via Kenya in 2007-2009.
THE definition of excessive water usage will be frozen for five years once the new charging regime is introduced.
Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy tonight began the process of formally ending domestic water charges and replacing it with a new system that penalised water wastage.
The legislation specifics that a household will have to use 1.7 times the average amount before bills kick in.
Opposition parties have argued that a provision in the Bill to allow this figure be changed by the Oireachtas is a backdoor to the reintroduction of charges.
However, Mr Murphy told the Dail it cannot be adjusted within five years of the Act coming into being.
The Bill also clears the way for water charge refunds to almost one million households and those who still owe money to Irish Water will see their bills written off.
The publication of this Bill brings us towards completion of an extensive deliberative process about the funding of domestic water services.
It doesnt bring us to a point I am personally happy with or proud of, but my responsibility in this matter is to implement this legislation to protect Irish Water as a single public water utility, and to continue to work to improve and modernise water services throughout the country, the minister said.
Fianna Fails water spokesman Barry Cowen said the repeal of the 2014 charging regime was a victory for the confidence and supply agreement his party entered into after the last general election.
He said only water wasters will be penalised and it is time to turn a page on this.
A tree blocked a road in Cork overnight as Ireland was battered by heavy rain, with the forecast for heavy downfalls for the remainder of the day for many parts of the country.
The conditions saw a fallen tree block the Rathcooney Road at Ballyphilip overnight.
However, that was cleared this morning, according to AA.
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Met Eireann issued two Status Yellow rain warnings yesterday and they will remain in effect until 9pm tonight.
The warning was issued for Connacht, Kilkenny, Donegal, Clare, Limerick, Tipperary.
Up to 50mm of rain is expected over a 24 hour period.
Met Eireann's Siobhan Ryan said we can expect the weather to be "miserable" for the rest of the day.
Speaking on RTE Radio One, Ms Ryan said; "After recent autumn sunshine, the weather will remain unsettled for the rest of the week.
"It will be a dull, wet start today and overnight rain will extend over the country, turning heavy, persistent and thundery as the day goes on.
"37mm has already fallen over parts of west Kerry.
"The last of the rain will clear northern and eastern parts, but not until earlier tonight.
"Today in short, the rain will be heavy and persistent, leading to spot flooding."
Met Eireann also warned that higher accumulations are possible in hilly and mountainous areas in Cork and Kerry.
Widespread rain is expected today with a risk of spot flooding.
However, it is expected to dry out across Munster and west Connacht later in the afternoon or evening.
Wednesday is expected to be mild with top temperatures between 14 and 17C.
Further bouts of rain are expected on Thursday, particularly along the Atlantic coast, which could be affected by thundery showers on Friday while the rest of the country enjoys sunnier spells.
The outlook for the weekend is unsettled conditions, with Saturday night expected to be particularly wet and windy.
Sleeping beauties: Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston in The Break-up being incompatible in the bedroom is detrimental to a relationship
I don't know about you, but I was excited to discover, courtesy of the UK's National Centre for Social Research, that money barely increases happiness but what does, more than anything else, is - wait for it - spending time in the bedroom.
I know what you're thinking. One word, beginning with 's', the cure for everything. It's just as our mothers have told us since we were knee high - if you're getting enough of it, your eyes look brighter, your skin glows, your mood is improved, you'll probably live longer. It's better for you than jogging, yoga, clean eating etc - providing you don't overdo it. (You wouldn't want to spend a whole weekend in bed, for example).
And let's face it, what could be easier? You just have to lie back, close your eyes, put in your ear plugs and Bob's your uncle. Sleep - you literally can't beat it for making you feel good.
Well, actually, sex and sleep, equally, was the official finding, but it's good to know that the highest scorers are both bed-centric. Result! Then again, what if your partner is responsible for ruining your sleep most nights, thereby halving your chances of happiness? What if your bedroom time is spent with someone with whom you are sleep incompatible?
Let me list some of the ways in which my husband scuppers my sleep (joint number one requirement for wellbeing) on a daily basis...
1. The obvious one: snoring
Snoring and then tensing up like a statue if you attempt to encourage him to roll over on to his side while protesting: "I am on my side already, thank you. And I was NOT asleep."
Snoring and then leaping off the bed, taking the duvet with him, and attempting to 'net' an imaginary intruder. Snoring and then waking up with a start and saying, "What? What?", then going into the bathroom and rummaging around looking for the Rennies.
2. Waking with a start from a dream...
Recurring and involving him having to take over the controls of a rescue helicopter during a storm, in spite of having no flying experience (I think we all know what that one means).
3. The illuminated face of his wristwatch
When you are, say, in the cinema, it's impossible to read the time on this watch, but it really comes into its own at night, in bed. Often I will be woken up by its glowing bright green numerals and hands, inches from my face.
4. Pillow confusion
Wondering, half way through the night, if our pillows have got mixed up, because his feels "weird" and would I mind swapping? Changing his mind 15 minutes later and asking for a re-swap.
5. Wondering, half way through the night
...if I bought any more Rennies. Then wondering what's happening on his phone and giving it a quick check, the equivalent to lighting a hurricane lamp and hoping no one notices.
6. Leaving his phone on ping
7. Sleep talking
Louder sleep talking with his arms really tightly folded, in the manner of a politician on the front bench, so that I am obliged to wake him up and encourage him to undo them before he loses the sensation in his hands.
8. Reaching blindly for the water
...on his bedside table, spilling the lot and then swearing and sighing and finally getting up and mopping it up with a shirt, (which, in the morning, turns out to be mine).
9. Asking if the window is open.
10. Asking if the window is closed
...saying "Is it really stuffy in here? Oof. I might go and find the fan" (...meanwhile, when there is an incident outside on the street, sleeping blissfully the whole way through it while yours truly stomps outside and asks them to keep it down).
11. Leaving a hairbrush/book/tube of shaving gel in bed
...which you suddenly come up against at 4am.
12. Somehow getting sand in the bed
13. Somehow getting nuts in the bed
Anyway. All of this leaves an awful lot of time for the other happiness-enhancing activity. So that's a win-win then.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called on partners to jointly increase pressure on the Russian occupation authorities of Crimea in order to stop the persecution of Ukrainian citizens on the peninsula because of the "shameful sentence" against deputy head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Ilmi Umerov.
"I urge partners to increase pressure on the Russian occupation authorities to stop the persecution of Ukrainian citizens in the Ukrainian Crimea," he wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday.
Poroshenko described as "shameful" the verdict against Umerov who was sentenced by judges in the Russian-occupied peninsula on Wednesday to two years in a penal colony.
"The unbending hero of his people, against whom Moscow used the worst methods of the Soviet repressive machine - from punitive psychiatry to a low-security colony," he wrote.
On September 27, the Simferopol District Court sentenced Umerov to two years in a low-security colony.
According to interfax.ru, Umerov's defense team intends to appeal against the verdict. The prosecutor during the debate a week ago asked for a 3.5 years suspended sentence for Umerov.
For the time being, the 60-year-old handicapped politician will stay at home. If the appellate court upholds the verdict, Umerov will be sent to the low-security colony.
Some 50 supporters of the Mejlis deputy head gathered outside the court. Some shouted words of support, some women cried.
Umerov's four lawyers insisted on their client's innocence. Umerov said he was framed up and the case was politically motivated, saying that the translation of his address delivered in the Crimean Tatar language into Russian, which was the basis for the charges, was loose and some calls were added to the text.
Meghan Markle does not shy away from a challenge.
We know this because the 36-year-old actress has accepted roles in b-movies and game shows that would make a diva shudder. She is not the type to say no, preferring to roll up her sleeves and get stuck into whatever drama - real or fictional - comes her way. Like going out with Prince Harry (33), the free-spirit who previous girlfriends all failed to pin down.
Now, Markle could be about to take on her biggest challenge yet - marrying into the royal family. Only a year and two months since Harry met Meghan, the whispers at St James's suggest an engagement is imminent. On Saturday night, she made a public appearance at the Invictus Games, joining Harry in Toronto (where she lives) at the Paralympic competition he founded three years ago.
It was the biggest public milestone of their relationship so far, and although she sat several rows away from him at the opening ceremony, Meghan was watched over by one the prince's protection officers, a sure sign of her newfound status.
She's already well acquainted with his circle of friends and is said to have met the Queen. The prince even released a statement, confirming they were a couple and asking the press to back off, a highly unusual step that suggested Meghan is no flash in the pan.
Other factors hint that the Los Angeles native is soon to have official status. She has stopped promotional work and she has also turned down a contract to appear in the next series of Suits - the surprise hit legal drama which has made her acting career.
But perhaps the most significant clue lies in the fact that Meghan has given up the lease on her car in Canada, a mundane yet concrete piece of evidence supporting rumours she is planning to spend more time in Britain as of November.
So what can she expect of life as a royal other half? Here's our advice on how to survive a new life at the heart of The Firm...
The clothes
Keep it simple. Nobody likes a show-off, and as the newest member of the family, it's important not to upstage anyone further up the pecking order - like when Pippa's bottom became the talking point of William and Kate's wedding. You don't want to become famous for your assets. Much better to establish a reputation as a fun and fabulous embellishment to royal life - like Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall - than as a pouting clothes horse (think Fergie circa 1985), or 'gap yah' type (think Chelsy Davy's fondness for dangly earrings and heavy beaded necklaces).
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And beware the curse of Jigsaw. Dress too drab and you'll be branded boring (Kate, circa 2008). Stick to a mix of designer British brands - Mulberry, Erdem, Preen and Hunter - and you should have all bases covered.
How to behave
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Nothing diffuses tension so well as a big flash of teeth - one thing the wistful-looking Cressida Bonas never mastered. Chatting is also important: study the Queen's use of prosaic opening lines, and borrow some banter from William and Harry - though not Prince Philip.
Self-deprecation also goes down well, as does gentle teasing, and a thorough knowledge of a surprise niche subject, such as the B-roads of Gloucestershire, can be useful for small talk.
Always keep your knees close together when getting in and out of anything (cars, helicopters, nightclubs). Past royal girlfriends, like Chelsy, have struggled to adjust to the attention that goes with being in a relationship with Prince Harry, but as a professional actress, you will cope. It's like being on the red carpet every day, without the bother of having to make a film.
Meeting the family
You will already have been taught how to curtsey - one foot in front of the other, a gentle bend of the knees. Other useful tips would include not volunteering an opinion unless you're asked; feigning a love of corgis and dogs in general - which should be no problem, since you have two of your own; avoiding passing comment on other members of the family, at least until after you're married; and pretending you love very cold places like Scotland and Norfolk, which, having spent seven years in Canada, you will have no problem in doing.
To get on the right side of Prince Charles, it would be wise to express an interest in architecture, botany, painting and Aston Martins. A healthy appetite and thirst for heavy liquor will also stand you in good stead.
Public appearances
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This is a delicate line to tread - do too many and the other royals will hate you for showing them up; too few and you will be labelled workshy. The trick is to take up patronage of as many charities as possible, that do something in which you're genuinely interested. That way it won't seem quite so boring when you're faced with a dozen cold salmon lunches in one week. Keep careful tabs on your wardrobe to make sure you don't wear the same outfit too often, though it's important to show signs of thrift by reusing certain pieces in different combinations. Choose your haircut wisely, as it will be closely scrutinised.
Where to shop
You may think Harrods. This is wrong. As a rule, stick to solid British brands, like John Lewis, Barbour, Land Rover, Dyson, as nobody will complain if you spend thousands there. Keep tabs on your wardrobe to make sure you don't wear the same outfit too often, though it's important to show signs of thrift by reusing certain pieces. Beware of going too high or low end. Strike a balance between Scrooge and Marie Antoinette.
Where to live
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This will be decided for you - Harry's current home is Nottingham Cottage, a detached two-bedroom house behind Kensington Palace. You may find it quite poky compared to the Californian-style bungalow you currently call home, but it's very private and handy for Kensington shops, plus there's a new Mahiki nightclub opening at the end of your drive any minute.
There's also talk of Harry taking over Clarence House once Charles accedes to the throne, since he will be moving into Buckingham Palace, and William and Kate (above) don't want to leave Kensington Palace. That really would be a coup. Who knows, a four-storey John Nash mansion in the centre of London could make it all worth it.
Francis Matthew claims he did not mean to kill his wife
The British editor-at-large of a prominent English-language newspaper in Dubai has pleaded not guilty to a premeditated murder charge over the death of his wife.
Gulf News editor Francis Matthew is accused of killing his 62-year-old wife Jane with a hammer after an argument.
The 61-year-old wore white prison-style clothes to the brief hearing in a Dubai courtroom on Wednesday. He looked thin and sombre.
Dubai police said they were called to Matthew's home on July 3, where they found his wife dead.
Officers said Matthew initially said his wife had been assaulted by robbers, but later confessed to the killing.
Matthew and his wife were prominent members of the United Arab Emirates' large British expatriate population.
Hundreds of Taliban insurgents have attacked a security post in Afghanistan's western Farha province, killing at least 10 police and threatening to overrun the position.
Wednesday's attack came as US secretary of defence Jim Mattis and Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg visited the country to pledge their continued support to Afghan security forces, who have struggled in recent years against a resurgent Taliban.
Hakim Noori, the governor of the Pusht Rod district, said almost 300 Taliban fighters took part in the attack, which began on Tuesday night.
He said the insurgents mined the area around the base to prevent authorities from sending in reinforcements.
Farid Bakhtawar, the head of the provincial council, confirmed 10 police were killed and said the position would be overrun if reinforcements do not arrive soon.
A rocket attack earlier on Wednesday on Kabul's international airport that seemed to be timed to coincide with the official visit wounded 11 civilians.
Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said authorities responded to the attack and killed three "terrorists".
AP
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is launching enforcement action against Ryanair for failing to give customers accurate information about their rights following a wave of flight cancellations.
The regulator has asked for a meeting with the airline as part of a consultation that will last at least seven days and could take legal action for breaching consumer protection laws if necessary.
The CAA sent a letter to the low-cost carrier explaining its decision.
It said the company falsely claimed it did not have to re-route passenger on other airlines, particularly when there are no other services available.
The regulator added that Ryanair also stopped short of providing details on its obligations to refund additional expenses incurred by passengers as a result of cancellations and re-routing.
Those expenses include meals, hotels and transfer costs, the CAA explained.
It failed to correct that information through a public statement despite CAA requests to do so earlier this month, having already seen about 2,000 flights grounded after the company miscalculated pilot leave.
The company has since cancelled an extra 18,000 flights for the winter season in a move that will hit 400,000 customers.
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The regulator said it was concerned Ryanair was breaching consumer protection laws by withholding that information.
CAA chief executive Andrew Haines said: There are clear laws in place which are intended to assist passengers in the event of a cancellation, helping minimise both the frustration and inconvenience caused by circumstances completely out of their control.
We have made this crystal clear to Ryanair, who are well aware of their legal obligations, which includes how and when they should reroute passengers, along with the level of information it provides its passengers.
The information Ryanair published today again fails to makes this clear.
In expediting our enforcement action, we are seeking to ensure that Ryanairs customers will receive the correct and necessary information, to make an informed choice about an alternative flight.
Ryanair boss Michael OLeary said: We are in correspondence with the CAA and have requested an early meeting to address their concerns.
Ryanair said on Wednesday it was suspending 34 routes for the winter season, spanning from November to March 2018.
They include several popular routes used by British travellers, including London Stansted to Edinburgh and Glasgow, Gatwick to Belfast, Newcastle to Faro, and Glasgow to Las Palmas.
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It adds to mounting anger against Ryanair, which has come under heavy fire after recently shelving up to 50 flights every day for six weeks.
Mr OLeary has blamed the move on mismanagement of pilots annual leave, leading to the over-allocation of blocks of holidays.
Ryanair said the latest step will eliminate all risk of further flight cancellations and remove the risk of similar problems recurring next year.
Mr OLeary said in a statement: We sincerely apologise to those customers who have been affected by last weeks flight cancellations or these sensible schedule changes announced today.
The firm also plans to roll out a series of low-fare seat sales for winter 2017 as it is confident that there will be no further roster-related cancellations.
It argued less than 1% of the 50 million customers Ryanair will carry this winter are impacted and all affected passengers have received an email alerting them and offering alternative flights or full refunds.
They have also received a 40 euro or 40 travel voucher.
The flight cancellations has so far cost the airline around 25 million euro (21 million).
Alex Neill, Which? Managing Director of Home Products and Services, said: Ryanair is still flouting the law and failing to properly inform people of their rights, so it is good to see the regulator stepping in.
They must ensure their intervention forces Ryanair to immediately change its behaviour and comply with the law. This highlights once again the need for automatic compensation, so that passengers dont have to jump through hoops to get what they are owed.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said that those responsible for the situation in Kalynivka in Vinnytsia region, where ammunition depots have been burning since Tuesday evening, must be held accountable.
"We need a clear-cut investigation and understanding of the cause of this emergency situation. This is the arsenal of our Ukrainian troops and I believe it isn't by accident that it is being destroyed now. But we need to make sure that all those who must be responsible for this are held accountable. I believe this is absolutely a matter of principle," Groysman said at a government meeting on Wednesday.
"I remember Mariupol, I remember Balaklia. And today this is Vinnytsia. Wise men draw conclusions. Fools repeat mistakes. I think the military cabinet presided over by the commander-in-chief, the country's president, is going to meet today to analyze the situation and make appropriate conclusions," Groysman added.
As reported earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has decided to convene a meeting of his military cabinet with the participation of Groysman, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov, and chiefs of law-enforcement and defense agencies over the ongoing explosions at ammo depots in Kalynivka. The officials will attend the meeting right after their return from Vinnytsia.
Online fashion retailer Boohoo has upgraded its revenue guidance after half year sales rocketed as it reaps the rewards of international growth and acquisitions.
The group reported a 106% increase in sales to 262.9 million in the six months to August 31 as pre-tax profit rose 41% to 20.3 million.
Growth was helped by the recently acquired PrettyLittleThing, which clocked up a 289% rise in sales to 72.7 million.
Joint bosses Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane said that the stellar results gives the firm confidence to raise guidance for the full year.
Boohoo now expects group revenue growth to come in around 80% up on last year, an increase on previous guidance of 60%.
Mr Kamani and Ms Kane said: Boohoos revenue has continued to grow across all geographies, with international growth being strongest as we continue to increase our market share overseas, and the newly acquired PrettyLittleThing brand has exceeded our growth expectations.
PrettyLittleThing is fast gaining recognition amongst our target consumers as a highly desirable fashion brand in the UK, and its international growth is very encouraging, confirming its considerable potential.
They also pointed to the success of boohooMAN and Nasty Gal, another of its sub-brands.
The firm has gone from strength to strength of late, with its market capitalisation closing in on 3 billion.
Earlier this year Boohoo raised 50 million to help fund a new warehouse in a bid to keep up with soaring demand.
The automated super-site will provide Boohoo with more than 2 billion of sales capacity.
At least 163 people have been killed and 91 others have gone missing over the past year in attacks carried out by Rohingya Muslim militants in the restive Rakhine state, Burma's government said.
The comments were made after the bodies of at least 45 murdered Hindus were discovered in three mass graves.
Burma blames the insurgents for the killings.
The country's information committee released a statement on its Facebook page saying that, from October 2016 to August 2017, at least 79 people were killed in the attacks and 37 have gone missing, including local officials, public servants and security forces.
Another 84 were killed and 54 have gone missing since August 25, when the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or Arsa, launched attacks on at least 30 police outposts.
AP
President Donald Trump has promised "historic tax relief to the American people" as he tried to build support for his plan to overhaul the US tax system.
Hours after the White House and congressional Republicans released a framework for making sweeping changes to the tax code, the president told hundreds of supporters at the Indiana State Fairgrounds the plan was "a once-in-a-generation opportunity".
"This is a revolutionary change and the biggest winners will be everyday American workers as jobs start pouring into our country as companies start competing for American labour," he said.
Passing the tax plan has become critical for a president desperate for a win.
The first year of his administration has been stymied by internal chaos and stinging defeats in his attempt to repeal and replace former president Barack Obama's healthcare law.
Short of votes, Senate Republicans announced on Tuesday that they would not vote on the latest healthcare proposal.
Hours later, Mr Trump watched as Senator Luther Strange, his preferred candidate in an Alabama Senate run-off, was soundly defeated by conservative Roy Moore.
The tax plan seeks to slash the corporate rate from 35% to 20% and create three individual tax brackets with rates of 12%, 25% and 35%, with a recommended surcharge on the very wealthy.
Mr Trump also wants to simplify the tax code to allow the majority of Americans to file on a single sheet of paper.
He arrived in Indiana aboard Air Force One with Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly, who is among the most endangered Senate Democrats facing re-election in 2018.
Mr Donnelly has expressed openness to the tax overhaul, citing the need for it to reward companies that keep jobs in the US and penalise those engaging in offshoring.
Mr Trump issued a warning shot to Donnelly from the stage, urging him to support the tax overhaul.
"If Senator Donnelly doesn't approve it - because you know he's on the other side - we will come here and we will campaign against him like you wouldn't believe," Mr Trump said.
Still, he predicted that "numerous Democrats" would come across the aisle to support the plan because "it's the right thing to do".
The president has made similar overtures to Democratic senators like Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota in recent weeks. All three are facing re-election in 2018.
AP
Investigators are working out four basic scenarios behind the fire at an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Kalynivka (Vinnytsia region), which subsequently led to artillery shells exploding, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine has reported.
"Under the leadership of the military prosecutor of the Central Region of Ukraine, urgent investigative actions and measures are being taken to solve the crime. Four basic investigative scenarios of the criminal offense are being worked out," reads the report.
The prosecutor's office recalled that in connection with the explosion of ammunition the Military Prosecutor's Office of the Central Region of Ukraine had included information in the single register of pre-trial investigations under Article 113 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (sabotage).
The pre-trial investigation in the proceedings was entrusted to the investigation department of the Ukrainian Security Service's (SBU) office in Vinnytsia region.
At the same time, the Prosecutor General's Office took control of the state of the pre-trial investigation.
As reported, at around 22:00 on September 26, reports arrived about explosions of ammunition in an arsenal of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry near the town of Kalynivka (Vinnytsia region). Residents of Kalynivka and the populated areas in a 10-kilometer zone were notified of the accident. The population was being evacuated.
Calling Europe slow, weak and ineffective, French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday said the EU should embrace a joint budget, shared military force and harmonised taxes to stay globally relevant.
With Brexit looming, Mr Macron warned the rest of Europe against the dangers of anti-immigrant nationalism and fragmentation, saying it goes against the principles of a shared Europe born from the tragedy of world wars.
"We thought the past would not come back... we thought we had learned the lessons," Mr Macron told a crowd of European students at the Sorbonne university.
After a far-right party entered the German parliament for the first time in 60 years, Mr Macron said this isolationist attitude has resurfaced "because of blindness... because we forgot to defend Europe".
"The Europe that we know is too slow, too weak, too ineffective," he said.
To change that, he proposed a joint budget for European countries sharing the euro currency that would allow investment in European projects and help stabilise the eurozone in case of economic crisis. This budget would at some point need to come from national budgets of countries sharing the euro currency, for instance using domestic taxes on businesses.
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Mr Macron said the only way to make Europe strong in a globalised world is to reshape "a sovereign, united and democratic Europe".
And in a move that raises the prospect of Britain returning to the EU at a later date, Mr Macron said he saw a place for the the UK in a "reformed, simplified" union. He said: "In this union rebuilt on intransigent values and an efficient market, in a few years, if it so wishes, Britain could regain its place, which is why you haven't heard me talk about Brexit this afternoon."
While re-elected German Chancellor Angela Merkel has signalled openness to some of Mr Macron's ideas, one potential ally in her new government is deeply sceptical about a eurozone budget. Mr Macron's office says he wants his Europe strategy to play a role in Germany's coalition-building talks.
To reduce inequalities across the EU, Mr Macron also suggested greater harmonisation of EU tax policies - notably on corporate taxes, and taxing internet giants where they make money and not where they are registered. Mr Macron is also proposing every EU country guarantee a minimum wage and payroll charges.
He also proposed a shared European military intervention force and defence budget. He suggested the creation of a European intelligence academy to better fight terrorism, and a joint civil protection force.
Mr Macron wants to open the French military to European soldiers and proposed other EU member states do the same on a voluntary basis.
To deal with Europe's migration flux, he wants a European asylum agency and standard EU identity documents.
Mr Macron doesn't want to wait for Britain to leave the EU in 2019 to tie European economies closer together.
But his biggest challenge may be the German political calendar. The outgoing government there goes into caretaker status in a few weeks and is not going to be taking any major decisions on the future of Europe, and it may take months for Ms Merkel to form a viable coalition.
Ms Merkel herself said on Monday she wouldn't rule anything out and that she is in touch with Mr Macron about his plans.
Police officers stand guard outside the Supreme Court in Bangkok, Thailand, where former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was sentenced in her absence (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Thailand's ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been sentenced in absentia to five years in prison for alleged negligence in a money-losing rice subsidy programme.
Yingluck, who says the charges are politically motivated, is believed to have fled the country last month before the court session at which the verdict initially was to have been delivered.
Yingluck's government was overthrown in a military coup in 2014.
She and her supporters said she was innocent and was persecuted as part of an effort to dismantle the political machine of her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a telecommunications tycoon.
Mr Thaksin was toppled from power by a 2006 military coup after being accused of abuse of power, corruption and disrespect for the country's monarchy.
He is living in self-imposed exile to avoid serving a prison term for what he calls a politically motivated 2008 conviction on a conflict of interest charge.
Yingluck, who inherited the leadership of Mr Thaksin's political machine and was elected prime minister in 2011, became a proxy target for his enemies as well.
The rice subsidy scheme was a flagship policy that helped Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party win the 2011 general election.
The government paid farmers about 50% above what they would have received on the world market, with the intention of driving up prices by warehousing the grain.
Instead, other rice-producing countries captured the market by selling at competitive prices.
Vietnam as a result replaced Thailand as the world's leading rice exporter.
Prosecutors argued that Yingluck ignored warnings of corruption in the subsidy programme and was guilty of dereliction of duty.
Her critics describe the overriding motive of the programme as political, an effort to buy the loyalty of rural voters with state funds.
Mr Thaksin's supporters, who delivered him unprecedented electoral victories, believe his only offence was challenging the power of the country's traditional elite, led by monarchists and the military, and supported by the urban middle class.
They believe his popular appeal, earned by populist policies benefiting the less well-off rural majority, threatened the traditional ruling class' privilege.
AP
Hurricane damage caused by Maria in the British Virgin Islands
Maria has become a hurricane once again as it lingers off the coast of North Carolina, weather experts said.
Reports from a US Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft indicate that Maria's top sustained winds are near 75mph, with higher gusts.
The centre of Hurricane Maria is about 165 miles off Cape Hatteras, and hurricane-force winds remain offshore, extending outward up to 105 miles.
But tropical storm-force winds extend for as much as 230 miles from the centre, covering the water on both sides of the narrow barrier islands of Hatteras and Ocracoke.
Maria's forward speed is just 6mph, so the storm is taking its time to swing north and away from the US Atlantic coast.
The US National Hurricane Centre upgraded the storm back to hurricane level.
AP
The Ukrainian Education and Science Ministry has sent a letter to the Council of Europe (CoE) announcing its intention to send an article on the language of instruction in the recently adopted education law to the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission).
"The Education Ministry sent a letter to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, where it formally expressed its intention to send Article 7 of the law on education to the Venice Commission," the ministry's press service told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.
On October 6, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland and Ukrainian Education and Science Minister Lilia Hrynevych met in Strasbourg (France) on this matter.
The procedures for submitting Article 7 of the education law for examination are continuing. The ministry has already provided the respective documents for this purpose to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, and the latter will forward the document for examination by the Venice Commission.
On September 25, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the education law passed by the Verkhovna Rada on September 5.
Among other things, the law stipulates that the state language is a language of learning at educational institutions, but one or several subjects in two or more languages, namely, the state language, English and other European Union official languages can be taught in compliance with the educational program. People, who belong to ethnic minorities, are guaranteed the right for learning in the native language along with the Ukrainian language in separate groups of communal pre-school and primary school institutions.
On September 26, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry said that the country intended to block rapprochement between Ukraine and the EU because of the law on education.
Kenyan police dispersed protesters in front of the electoral commission offices as controversy continued over who should conduct the fresh presidential elections.
Voting is scheduled for October 26 after the country's Supreme Court, earlier this month, invalidated President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election win.
Police used tear gas after shoving broke out between opposition supporters, who demanded the resignations and prosecutions of top officials of the electoral commission, and ruling party supporters who urged no change to the electoral body, said opposition supporter Cyrus Okemwa.
Peaceful protests were carried out by hundreds of supporters in the opposition stronghold of Kisumu against the commission.
The opposition coalition's parliamentary group charged in a statement that members of an outlawed gang had been brought to the demonstration to cause chaos and harm opposition leaders.
Police security for opposition leader Raila Odinga was withdrawn ahead of the protests, said his running mate, former vice president Kalonzo Musyoka.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, whose re-election in August was cancelled by the Supreme Court, has said the electoral commission should not be changed.
Mr Odinga charges that the electoral commissioners are complicit in electoral fraud and should be dismissed and charged with crimes.
The Supreme Court invalidated Mr Kenyatta's win, saying the electoral commission failed to verify results and there was evidence of irregularities and illegalities in the vote counting.
Mr Odinga rejected reforms the electoral body said it would implement including allowing opposition computer technology experts to monitor the commission's computer systems and letting the UN purchase ballot papers.
Mr Odinga alleged the group of suppliers who conspired to rig the first elections was still intact and they must be replaced to have fair results in the rerun.
Mr Odinga charged that members of the conspiracy include one of East Africa's most successful companies, the communications firm Safaricom, and France's OT Morpho.
Separately newly elected opposition legislator Paul Ongiki, also known as Babu Owino, has been charged with subversion for allegedly referring to Mr Kenyatta as "son of a dog" in Swahili during the campaign trail last week.
Prosecutors told the court the charges carry a sentence of seven years and six months.
Mr Owino was remanded for a day at a police station as he awaits a ruling on his bail application.
AP
Pope Francis has launched a two-year activism and awareness-raising campaign about the plight of migrants to counteract mounting anti-immigrant sentiment in the US, Europe and beyond.
The campaign encourages people to actually meet with migrants and listen to their stories, rather than treat them as statistics clouded by negative stereotypes.
Francis, the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, launched the campaign during Wednesday's weekly general audience, throwing his arms open to welcome the many refugees and asylum-seekers who filled St Peter's Square.
He urged individuals and governments to welcome migrants with similarly open arms and share in their plight, as Jesus did.
He said migrants are driven by the very Christian virtue of hope, to find a better life, and said receiving countries should share in that hope by welcoming them and integrating them.
"Brothers, don't be afraid of sharing the journey. Don't be afraid of sharing hope," he said.
The church is undertaking the campaign amid a hardening of anti-immigrant sentiment in the West.
In German elections this week, anti-migrant party Alternative for Germany secured seats in that country's parliament for the first time.
In the US, President Donald Trump is pressing for sweeping limits on immigration, including restricting travel from Muslim and other countries and slashing refugee admissions.
Francis has repeatedly urged countries to welcome migrants and stop collective expulsions, saying migrants' dignity and right to protection outweigh national security concerns.
At the same time, he has acknowledged governments must manage refugee flows "with prudence", taking into account how many people it can successfully integrate into society.
"Christ urges us to welcome our brothers and sisters with our arms truly open, ready for a sincere embrace, a loving and enveloping embrace," he said.
Pointing to the colonnade that envelopes St Peter's Square, he said the embrace of migrants should mimic the colonnade, "which represents mother church who embraces everyone by sharing in our common journey".
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has a leading role in the migrant campaign along with the Vatican's Caritas charity federation, has repeatedly condemned restrictions on immigration and opposed some of the Trump administration's initiatives.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and Archbishop Jose Gomez, who lead the bishops' conference, have met with US vice president Mike Pence to discuss "our reasons why we're so concerned and opposition to some of the ways the administration was deciding" immigration policy, Cardinal DiNardo said in a phone interview.
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon said this month that bishops support immigrants out of "economic interest" and said "they need illegal aliens to fill the churches", remarks rebuked by Cardinal DiNardo.
The campaign aims to challenge animosity toward immigrants through websites featuring "myths and truths", personal stories of individual refugees and explanations of church teaching on migration.
Organisers are asking Catholics to take public action in support of migrants, posting pro-immigrant messages on social media and participating in programmes where they can meet migrants.
"He's very interested in that we change hearts before we deal with policy," Cardinal DiNardo said of the pope.
AP
A Crimean Tatar has been jailed for criticising Russia's annexation of the peninsula
A Russian court has sentenced a prominent Crimean Tatar leader to two years in prison for his calls of separatism.
After Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014, it passed a law making it illegal to question or dispute the annexation.
A court in the Russia-occupied Crimea on Wednesday sentenced Ilmi Umerov, former deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatars' representative body Mejlis, to two years in prison.
The punishment was for comments he made about the annexation on television.
Crimea's Supreme Court effectively banned the Mejlis in April, declaring it an extremist organisation.
The 60-year-old Umerov has diabetes and Parkinson's disease, his lawyers said.
A reported by the UN human rights office this week accused Russia of violating international law in Crimea, including alleged torture, abductions and killings in the peninsula.
AP
Ryanair is to cancel an extra 18,000 flights in a move that will hit 400,000 customers as the fallout from the airlines mismanagement of pilot leave intensifies.
The Irish carrier said that as part of efforts to end a wave of cancellations that has already seen 2,000 flights grounded, it will fly 25 less aircraft between November and March.
The firm has been forced into the cancellations after miscalculating pilot leave.
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Taking more flights out of service means that Ryanair will be able to roster all of the extra pilot leave necessary in October, November and December, the budget airline said.
As a result, 34 routes are suspended for the winter season from November to March 2018.
They include several popular routes used by British travellers, including London Stansted to Edinburgh and Glasgow, Gatwick to Belfast, Newcastle to Faro, and Glasgow to Las Palmas.
The move will add to mounting anger over Ryanair, which has come under heavy fire after recently shelving up to 50 flights every day for six weeks.
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Boss Michael OLeary has blamed the move on mismanagement of pilots annual leave, leading to the over-allocation of blocks of holidays.
The flight cancellations has so far cost the airline around 25 million euro.
Ryanair said the latest step will eliminate all risk of further flight cancellations and remove the risk of similar problems recurring next year.
The firm also plans to roll out a series of low fare seat sales for winter 2017 as it is confident that there will be no further roster related cancellations.
It argued less than 1% of the 50 million customers Ryanair will carry this winter are impacted and all affected passengers have received an email alerting them and offering alternative flights or full refunds.
They have also received a 40 euro travel voucher.
Mr OLeary said in a statement: We sincerely apologise to those customers who have been affected by last weeks flight cancellations, or these sensible schedule changes announced today.
From today, there will be no more rostering related flight cancellations this winter or in summer 2018.
Slower growth this winter will create lots of spare aircraft and crews which will allow us to manage the exceptional volumes of annual leave we committed to delivering in the nine months to December 2017. We will start a new 12 month leave period on the 1st of Jan 2018 in full compliance with EU regulations and the IAAs requirements.
The firm also said that it has scrapped plans to bid for bankrupt Italian airline Alitalia in order to focus on repairing this rostering problem this winter.
Ryanair will eliminate all management distractions starting with its interest in Alitalia, the group said.
Alex Neill, managing director of Which? home and product services, said: This situation is a complete and utter shambles that now extends to up to nearly three quarters of a million people. The news means that for some of its passengers, Ryanair has effectively cancelled Christmas.
On top of leaving the travel plans of many in tatters, offering a 40 euro voucher will be cold comfort for passengers that cant book the flight they need.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Taliban claim they specifically targeted the plane of US secretary of defence, Jim Mattis, in an attack earlier on Wednesday at Kabul airport.
The insurgents fired up to about six projectiles at and near the airport, with one hitting a civilian house nearby.
Mr Mattis and Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg were not at the airport at the time but were meeting in Kabul with Afghan president Ashraf Ghani.
Mr Mattis' plane was not damaged in the attack, which prompted a shootout with the insurgents.
Najib Danish, spokesman for the Afghan interior minister, said "three terrorists were killed by the Afghan security forces" before the exchange was over.
He said 11 Afghan civilians were also wounded.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a tweet the "military section of the Kabul airport was hit with missiles; target was plane of U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis" and that "losses (were) caused" in the attack.
Mr Ghani said during a joint press conference with Mr Mattis and Mr Stoltenberg that Afghan special forces troops quickly brought the attack under control.
Mr Mattis called the attack a crime.
AP
A powerful explosion in the ammunition depot at a military base in Kalynivka, south-west of Kiev, Ukraine (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian officials have evacuated tens of thousands of residents after a fire and ammunition explosions at a military base.
The Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that firefighters were still putting out the blaze which broke out in the town of Kalynivka, 120 miles (190km) south-west of the capital, Kiev, late on Tuesday.
Authorities bussed more than 30,000 people out of the area, and turned off the electricity and gas supply.
Four residential buildings were damaged by the fire but no casualties have been reported.
Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, who arrived in the area early on Wednesday, said on local television that the situation is under control. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
AP
A tropical bird never before seen in the US state of Massachusetts has been rescued from a Cape Cod beach.
It is thought the masked booby was blown off course by Hurricane Jose.
Wild Care, a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Eastham in the northern US state, says the bird was found on Tuesday at a Wellfleet beach.
Wild Care executive director Stephanie Ellis told the Cape Cod Times the bird was thin, weak and experiencing respiratory discomfort likely due to a fungal infection.
Science coordinator Mark Faherty says a masked booby has never before been reported on the state's soil.
He said a charter captain reported seeing one about 100 miles south of Nantucket in 2015.
The seabirds are more common in the Gulf of Mexico.
AP
A destroyed home in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Aibonito, Puerto Rico (AP)
President Donald Trump is sending "America's hearts and prayers" to people in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands and says he will visit both places ravaged by Hurricane Maria next week.
He said a "massive" effort to help people recover from the hurricane is under way and pledged that the federal government will pick up 100% of the bill for removing the debris left in the wake of Maria.
The president made the change to funding as part of an amendment to his earlier disaster declaration authorising federal aid in response to the Category 4 storm.
US states and territories typically cover 25% of the costs, with the federal government paying the remaining 75%.
Puerto Rican officials and sympathetic members of Congress had called on Mr Trump to relieve the island's cash-strapped government of the cost-sharing requirement.
His declaration covers costs for removing downed trees, utility poles and other debris, as well as spending for emergency protective measures taken to save lives, protect public health and ensure public safety.
Trump has come under criticism that his administration responded too slowly to the growing humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, where Maria knocked out power to virtually the entire island.
Mr Trump announced the visit after the administration came under criticism for its response to the damage on the island that is home to more than three million US citizens.
The island has been coping with shortages of food, drinking water, electricity and various forms of communication after Hurricane Maria struck earlier this month.
Mr Trump said Puerto Rico is important to him.
He said Puerto Ricans are "great people and we need to help them".
Puerto Rico's governor Ricardo Rossello said he has spoken "as recently as last night" to Mr Trump about the crisis.
He said he was "confident the president understands the magnitude of the situation".
Mr Rossello said he would be speaking with Mr Trump later on Tuesday to discuss "a long-term recovery package for Puerto Rico to be presented to Congress", apparently next week.
AP
A flotilla of ships and thousands more military personnel are being sent to Puerto Rico, the Trump administration announced.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said the devastation wrought by the storm presents unique logistical challenges for the federal response. He said demolished airports and seaports have made it difficult to get aid and personnel to the stricken island.
Mr Long said 16 Navy and Coast Guard ships are now in the waters around Puerto Rico, with another 10 ships on the way. They include the USS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship. Planes and ships are also bringing in a military force to help distribute aid.
AP
News provided by http://lavrynovych.news/en KYIV, Ukraine, September 26, 2017 / PRNewswire Oleksandr Lavrynovych was detained on September 15 by Kyiv Pechersk District Court of Ukraine. The Prosecutors have accused him of forcible seizure of government, while the Court had ordered his arrest for "an illegal change of the constitutional order". The charge refers to the events of 2010, when the Constitutional Court of Ukraine restored the Constitution of 1996, which increased the powers of the President Viktor Yanukovych. Lavrynovych's attorneys have called his charges unfounded. He is accused of publishing the decision of the Constitutional Court in the official press and further implementing it, together with all other Ministries and public authorities. One of the grounds for immediate arrest by the state prosecutor was the possibility of Lavrynovych influencing general public by providing false information to mass-media. Oleksandr Lavrynovych is currently detained in a remand centre waiting to appeal his detention on September 27. In case they cannot find a solution in the Ukrainian courts, attorneys plan to apply to the European Court of Human Rights. Notably, ECHR has a history of dismissing the necessity of detention of people who were not involved in violent crimes and do not pose any threats to the society. Lavrynovych claims the prosecutors offered him freedom in exchange for perjury against himself, the judges of the Constitutional Court and the former President. Ukraine's constitutional order has gone through an important transformation since 1996. Originally established as a presidential republic, in 2004 Ukraine was transformed into a parliamentary-presidential republic as a result of the Orange Revolution. The powers of the then President Viktor Yushchenko were significantly reduced and redistributed between the Government and the Parliament. However, in 2010 the Constitutional Court overruled the amendments of 2004. Oleksandr Lavrynovych is a well-known Ukrainian lawyer and academic. He was one of the activists for the Ukrainian Independence in 1991 and a co-author of the first Ukrainian Constitution in 1996. He served as a Minister of Justice for several Ukrainian governments, as well as previously serving as the First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Parliament.
Photo taken in 2014 of a Saudi woman defying the law (AP)
Campaigners say S audi Arabia's surprise decision to grant women the right to drive is only the start of a long journey towards equality in the conservative kingdom.
Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world to ban women from driving.
The royal decree late on Tuesday comes into effect next summer, but it comes nearly three decades after women began agitating for the right to drive.
As recently as 2013, dozens of women uploaded videos online of themselves behind the wheel of a car during a campaign launched by Saudi rights activists.
Some videos showed families and male drivers giving women a "thumbs-ups", suggesting many were ready for the change.
While women in other Muslim countries drove freely, the kingdom's blanket ban attracted negative publicity.
Neither Islamic law nor Saudi traffic law explicitly prohibited women from driving, but they were not issued licences and were detained if they attempted to drive.
The decision to change course and grant women licences was praised by the White House, which said President Donald Trump views the change as "a positive step toward promoting the rights and opportunities of women in Saudi Arabia".
The secretary-general of the United Nations Antonio Guterres described it as "an important step in the right direction".
Prime Minister Theresa May also hailed the decision, saying the empowerment of women around the world "is key to nations' economic development".
Prince Khaled bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington and the king's son, said letting women drive is a "huge step forward" and that "society is ready".
"This is the right time to do the right thing," he told reporters.
Aziza Youssef, a professor at King Saud University and one of Saudi Arabia's most vocal women's rights activists, said women were "happy" but also that the change was "the first step in a lot of rights we are waiting for".
"I am really excited. This is a good step forward for women's rights," she said.
Saudi history offers many examples of women being punished simply for operating a vehicle.
In 1990, 50 women were arrested for driving and lost their passports and their jobs.
More than 20 years later, a woman was sentenced in 2011 to 10 lashes for driving, though the late king Abdullah overturned the sentence.
As recently as late 2014, two Saudi women were detained for more than two months for defying the ban on driving when one of them attempted to cross the Saudi border with a licence from neighbouring United Arab Emirates in an act of defiance.
The decree indicated women will not be allowed to drive immediately.
A committee will be formed to look into how to implement the new order, which is to take effect in June 2018.
For years, the kingdom has incrementally granted women more rights and visibility, including participation in the Olympic Games in London and Rio de Janeiro, positions on the country's top consultative council and the right to run and vote in local elections in 2015.
Saudi rights activist Sahar Nasief, who lives in in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, has for years been involved in the campaign for women to drive.
"I am very optimistic about the future," she said.
"Things have to change. People are demanding it. Young people don't want to live the way we lived.
"They want to live better. They want to live how other people are living."
AP
Up until recently, expatriates first in-country encounter with Indian bureaucracy occurred at the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO). However, from February 2018 onwards, this administration process has been digitized.
As of February 12, foreigners who need to register their visa, request a new visa, or extend their visa will be able to do so on the online FRRO portal. The portal offers online solutions for submitting applications and documents.
While the new online facility is a great step forward for many expatriates who commonly lament their FRRO experiences, employers and foreign professionals should still consider employing advisors to manage or review visa applications and registrations: the cumulative cost of registration delays or an investigation is not worth the risk.
Indias FRRO regulation
After obtaining an Indian employment visa, registering the visa at an FRRO is often an afterthought for expatriates. However, visa holders should plan to register their visa as soon as possible.
Failing to register a visa within the specified time period can result in a fine, and in some cases, an investigation. An investigation can take several weeks the visa holder is not permitted to leave the country during this time period. In addition, investigations may complicate any future visa applications or renewals.
If the duration of the visa exceeds six months (180 days), the visa holder must register the visa, within 14 days of arrival, with the FRRO. An exception to this is for Pakistani nationals, who must register within 24 hours.
Required documentation
Like the visa application, both the visa holder and their employer must provide the supporting documents. This process requires coordination between the visa holder and their employers; visa holders and their employers should plan to allow 2-3 days to gather and complete these documents.
The visa holder must ordinarily provide:
A completed visa registration application form;
Six passport size photos of the applicant;
A copy of the photo page within the passport;
A copy of the visa page within the passport;
Proof of address, such as a drivers license or utility bill, from the visa holders home country;
A notarized copy of a lease deed/agreement or a C-Form from a hotel of residence; and,
Visa registration fees.
The employer must ordinarily provide:
Two copies of a permission letter that requests approval for the applicants visa registration;
Two copies of a sponsorship letter that pledges responsibility for the applicants activity in India and promises to repatriate the applicant at company cost if any adverse conduct comes to notice;
Two copies of a letter confirming the visa holders residential address in India;
Two copies of an employment contract that specifically states the monthly salary, designation, tenure of employment, etc.; and,
The companys Incorporation Certificate.
We note that while authorities do not require two copies of the employers information, it is advisable for employers to provide duplicates for their employee so that they can retain a copy of each document for personal records.
All applicants should maintain all documents with an exception for the Incorporation Certificate in original copy, drafted on company letterhead, signed by a senior manager, and marked with the companys official stamp.
Registering through the online portal
Employers and visa holders should review registration requirements together to ensure that all supporting documents are available and correct. The following is required:
A foreign national using the online FRRO portal must first create a user ID and password;
The application form must be filled online;
The application form requires a passport size photograph in .jpg format with the maximum file size of 1 MB;
The application form requires documents to be uploaded in a single PDF format not exceeding 1 MB; and,
The fee must be paid online.
The applicant can track the status of the application through the FRRO portal; services granted or rejected will be informed through email or SMS alert. The document applied for will then be sent by postal delivery to the address provided by the foreign national or to the registered email address. It can also be downloaded from the portal.
The portal does not specify any standard timelines for processing applications. Applicants must apply in advance to avoid delays, and should upload all prescribed documents.
Registering at an FRRO
In case the foreign national chooses to visit the FRRO to register an employment visa, the visa holder needs to prepare specific documents required by Indian authorities.
The latest available listing shows that FRROs are located in the following cities across India:
Visa holders may schedule a visa registration appointment; however, many visa holders simply visit the FRRO at a time of their choosing. Visa holders who have not scheduled a registration appointment should arrive at the FRRO as early as possible to avoid large crowds.
Visa holders will likely need to wait several hours for a registration officer, but a registration certificate from the officer will be issued in a matter of minutes. Once the process is completed, the visa holder becomes legally eligible to work and reside in India for the allowed period.
Foreigners must note that visa consultants or any other guest cannot enter the FRRO with the visa holder.
A cumbersome but valuable experience
Registering an employment visa can be a burden for freshly arrived expatriates.
Although visa holders seeking to register their stay in India can successfully do so independently, many companies employ a local visa consultant. These consultants, who are often certified lawyers, can provide form letters and crosscheck registration documents to ensure that registration applications do not invite any undue scrutiny.
The experience can, however, provide important insights into the Indian bureaucratic process. Expatriates unfamiliar with Indian bureaucracy will learn local practices that are critical for preparing and submitting official documents in India both online and offline.
Moreover, the process can help managers understand the amount of time and energy required for doing business with local government offices.
Editors Note: The article was first published in December 2014, and has been updated on February 27, 2018 as per the latest regulatory developments.
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Such provisions have already found a certain reflection in the legislation, but the main engine of their implementation are the requirements of the international financial institutions (IFIs) the key creditors in the implementation of investment projects. FIDIC standard forms are often integrated in the IFI tender documents as generally recognized tools accumulating best international practices. Domestic companies are facing challenges, which to some extent can be solved by certification of key personnel under the FIDIC training modules.More about FIDIC training seminars Mr. Oleksandr Nepomnyashchyy, President of the Public Union "Interstate Consultants Engineers Guild", honored Builder of Ukraine, D. of Sc. in Public Administration, Professor at the Chair of Public Administration, Interregional Academy of personnel management. First about the urgency of the problem. Interstate Consultants Engineers Guild (ICEG) as a FIDIC and EFCA member has a wide range of partners in Ukraine and abroad, as well as some experience in organizational and methodological assistance to consulting companies in terms of preparation for participation in tenders on rendering services of consulting engineers for projects financed by IFIs. We must admit that the Ukrainian companies and organizations - rarely win solely in such competitions yet. Usually contracts are awarded to experienced international firms that have the required specialists and references, and they act as the Consortium Leader with the participation of local companies. In addition, in the process of communication there is a number of issues raised relating to inconsistent terminology, the need to comply with the General conditions of works contract and domestic practices, allocation of risks and functions between the consortium members and the Consultant proposed by the Client etc. With the aim of systematizing the possible solutions on the most common issues, ICEG representatives have recently taken a training in Tbilisi (Georgia) for "Management of Claims and the Resolution of Disputes", and also in Belgrade (Serbia) for Module 4: "Contract management and administration of FIDIC contracts", which illustrates possibilities of using standard forms of contract to ensure effective project management. We are convinced of the effectiveness of such training, which, along with the practice of participation in international consortia will facilitate the development of the market of engineering and consulting services in Ukraine and growth of competitiveness of domestic companies.FIDIC training courses were developed to maximize the review of standard forms of contract that are currently used. Typically two-day sessions on each module, besides the theoretical part, include practical exercises and discussions. Sessions are taught by FIDIC accredited trainers: international experts who have extensive knowledge on the methodology of FIDIC contracts and practical experience of their application in international projects. Educational materials provided to participants include the texts of the FIDIC contracts directly related to the subject of lessons and examples from business practice, copies of presentation materials and workbooks with case studies and practical exercises. Participants receive a Certificate of Participation upon the training completion. Five core modules directly related to the FIDIC contracts explain their contents and practices in detail. In addition, there are a number of special contract modules and modules on business practices related to the creation, development and organization of business, quality and personnel management, procurement, financial management and other aspects of company activities. Training programs for young professionals, online courses etc. are also introduced.As of today a group of ICEG leading experts and our partners has been trained in nearly all major modules directly related to FIDIC contracts. I consider this volume necessary and sufficient for the operation in the market. At the same time we have experience of both individual training under one particular module and practical training course under a number of modules with involvement of multiple trainers simultaneously. This course was held in August-September in Burgas (Bulgaria). Of course, comprehensive study of material is more effective. The established sequence of teaching modules, their absorbance without a long run-up of time, complementarity of certain aspects in clusters are clear advantages for information perception by audience. This approach contributes to a more shared vision of the use of standard forms of works contract, the specifics and differences in the use of different FIDIC books. Furthermore, it allows to analyze the influence of individual innovations on all forms of contracts (for example, regarding the new role of consulting engineer based on the new edition of "White book" issued current year, in applying the "Rainbow of Books", 1999). An important aspect is the intended audience formation that should be interested, qualified enough and which must cover the entire spectrum of the provided information. Therefore, learning should involve at least representatives of three engineering units, whose activity in Ukraine is formalized with the qualification certificates: designers, experts, engineers of technical supervision. Participation of representatives of legal service would not go amiss, in particular in the management of claims, alternative dispute settlement, including mediation and adjudication. A large amount of information requires deep involvement of the participants, both during seminars, and upon their completion. Intended audience formation allowed to provide suggestions to the Guidebooks that hopefully will be helpful for engineering companies in Ukraine, as well as will become some sort of continuing education for the participants of the seminars like "individual work". And yet, according to the feedback of the students, the most valuable is the direct contact with the lecturers, their answers to the questions, the practical experience of FIDIC contract implementation, primarily in Eastern Europe, which once were solving the same problems that we face today. Thus, our special thanks go to the FIDIC trainers. We have worked with the best accredited lecturers:FIDIC accredited trainer; MSc. Water Management; MSc. Agronomy; MSc. Construction Law & Dispute Resolution; Founder And Managing Partner of Exequatur, Construction Contracts Management.FIDIC accredited adjudicator and trainer; Member of BACEA Control Board, a member of EFCA, Bulgarian Society of Construction Law Chair, European Society of Construction Law Council Member; MSc Civil Engineering; MSc. Construction Law & Dispute Resolution; partner of engineering companies.FIDIC accredited trainer; Chair of FIDIC Contracts Committee; MSc Civil Engineering; Postgraduate in law; registered dispute adjudicator in Hungary; leading partner of the consulting agency.Member, The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) Corporate Panel Member Dispute Board Federation (DBF) Member, Kings College Construction Law Association (KCCLA) Member, Arbitration Club, Kings College Branch Member, Technology and Construction Bar Association (TECBAR) Member, International Bar Association (IBA) Member, Society of Construction Law (SCL) Member, Adjudication Society (AS) Member, Young LCIA International Arbitration Group (LCIA) Member, Turkish British Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TBCCI) Member, Turkish British Legal Society (TBLS) Currently in Ukraine we already have about 20 professionals who have received certificates for the four major modules that are directly related to FIDIC contracts. Our experience in training consulting engineers as key personnel of engineering companies shows that effective perception of FIDIC training modules is provided by: involvement in the education of representatives from various units of engineering activities in construction; generalization and rethinking of the information received; and the most important - comprehensive study of the core modules in one course, sticking to a logical sequence of instruction: starting from Module 0 (Client/Consultant Model Services Agreement on the basis of "White Book"), through the practical aspects of using the FIDIC forms, claims and dispute resolution (Modules 1 and 2), to project management and contract administration (Module 4). Unfortunately, Ukraine has no practice of wide application of FIDIC forms. This is especially noticeable in comparison with other post-socialist countries. Therefore, I believe that our experience and suggestions will facilitate the implementation process of such contracts that will be an indicator of maturity and civility of domestic companies, their integration in the international business environment. Training on Module 1 has been recently held in Kiev by the FIDIC certified trainer for the first time. However, it did not observe the aforementioned principles, which once again proves the necessity of acquiring experience in the tendering process and during the project implementation.is an independent professional association, whose goal is to harmonize the existing model of the market of engineering and consulting services in Ukraine in accordance with recognized international standards. ICEG is a FIDIC affiliate member since 2015. Via ICEG, Ukraine has become the first EFCA representative among the post-Soviet countries.- was founded in Belgium in 1913 to regulate the relationship between participants to international investment and construction processes through the development and publication of standard forms of contracts. As of today FIDIC is the largest international organization in the field of construction consulting.is a non-governmental and non-profit organization founded in 1992, that is the sole European federation representing the engineering, consulting and related services industry, which employs more than one million staff, the majority of whom are highly skilled in a breadth of disciplines. EFCA is a FIDIC representative in Europe and joins together 29 professional FIDIC National Associations from the European Union countries.about the FIDIC contracts application can be found on the websites of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers at: http://fidic.org/bookshop and Interstate Consultants Engineers Guild at: http://iceg.com.ua/index.php
Internet is a funny place and especially for celebrities, whose lives are turned into an open book.
A few days before, pictures of Mahira Khan and Ranbir Kapoor were all over the internet. From scrutinizing their relationship to slut-shaming Mahira, people stooped too low with their analogies.
And now, a video of Dimple Kapadia and Sunny Deol holding hands in New York is trending on the internet. A Mumbai Mirror report has alleged that the couple flew out to London last month for a holiday.
Dimple Kapadia and Sunny Deol co-starred with each other in films such as Manzil Manzil, Arjun, Aag Ka Gola and Narasimha. And many reports had claimed that even though Sunny is married, he had given Dimple Kapadia the status of a wife.
Twitter
And it was due to this affair that led to her and Rajesh Khanna's separation. Neither of the two have ever spoken or acknowledged their relationship but we wonder if they will break their silence now.
KRK too shared the video, captioning it as, "Sunny Deol and Dimple Kapadia are enjoying their holidays together. They are looking beautiful couple." (sic).
Screengrab
Here's the video.
Sunny Deol and Dimple Kapadia are enjoying their holidays together. They are looking beautiful couple. pic.twitter.com/XB6yI4t07v KRK (@kamaalrkhan) September 27, 2017
Sunny deol n dimple kapadia affair still continues
Wonder how his wife accepts this
Ajeeb rishte of Bollywood pic.twitter.com/N5il3Crm0U Sameera Gawandi (@sameeratweeter) September 27, 2017
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If youve ever wondered whether it makes sense or not to drag yourself on your commute to work at wee hours in the morning, a research from Oxford has the answer for you.
kidspot.com
Dr Paul Kelly, of Oxford University, claims that staring work before 10 am is equivalent to torture for an employee; resulting in illness, exhaustion and stress!
After thoroughly examining the various forms of modern-day tortures Dr Kelly found that waking up and going to work before 10 am as one of the most common forms in this day and age.
ukranews.com
According to Dr Kelly, forcing ourselves to wake up earlier than our organs and our brains are designed to disturb our internal body clock, which is also called as our Circadian Rhythm. Since this body clock is already pre-programmed going against it can have negative implications on our health.
Starting work before 10 am causes sleep deprivation, physical and emotional stress, and more severe health risks!
Thats why Dr Kelly suggests that there is a need for a dramatic shift in the societal mindset when it comes to moving school and work timings to fit with our natural body clock.
sciencealert.com
As part of his research, Dr Kelly experimented with shifting Monkseaton High Schools regular timing of 8:30 am to 10 am during a pilot study. The average point average of the students increased by 19 percent once they adapted to the new timings.
The kids were losing up to 10 hours of sleep a week due to the fact that they were forced to wake up too early!
sea.askmen.com
Were stuck on the concept of following a 9 to 5 work schedule, which is based on the 8-hour workdays that were created to maximise the productivity of factory workers during the Industrial Revolution. So why do we get started on work at 9 am again?
As Mumbai grinds to a halt under the relentless downpour, its not just the citys human residents that find themselves in a pickle. While stray animals across the city are floundering for their lives, stranded by the rising water levels, your own animals at home may also be in danger. Extend them the same courtesy, as you would to anyone else caught out in the torrential rains.
For those of you that may happen to come across a stray cat or dog in a perilous situation, just remember that any little help you could offer them matters a great deal.
Before you rescue an animal
When youre trying to rescue an animal, first look for any signs that it belongs to someone, like a collar. Most stray animals in residential areas tend to be pseudo-adopted by the people there, who feed them and care for them. So if the dog or cat seems to be trapped by deep water, but theres a residential area nearby, even stopping to ask the watchman could ensure you dont take an animal away from its familiar surroundings. But if thats not the case, just helping move the animal to a safer location could mean all the difference.
If you cant adopt, or even temporarily foster a rescue, try getting in touch with animal help groups like PAWS (+91- 9820161114), BSPCA (+91-22-24137518 / 24135285 / 24135434), IDA Mumbai (+91-9320056581), YODA (+91-9820952339), WSD [only dogs] (+91-22-64222838), or Cat Cafe Studio [only cats] (+91-22-65188883). You can find the contact numbers for other animal welfare organizations around Mumbai here.
Then again, maybe youre in a rush and cant afford to wait around or drive out of your way, especially considering the gridlocked traffic. In that case, Gurudwaras in Mumbai arent just offering shelter and food to people, theyre also willing to take in animals for the time being. So, at the very least, you can drop the critter off and call one of the above organizations to let them know. Even if they have no more space for animals, theyre likely to be willing to provide supplies to keep the animal fed during its stay at the Gurudwara. And at the very least, if you find a dog or cat shivering in the cold in your building, maybe at least spare an old bed sheet to keep them warm.
But youve also got to remember to take care of your own pets. Just because theyre at home doesnt mean absolutely nothing can go wrong.
For instance, youre not necessarily going to be able to take the days off while Mumbai drowns. Ss as youre schlepping yourself to and from work, have a contingency plan in place just in case you find yourself stranded in the office. If your pet knows enough restraint to only eat as much as it wants for each meal, just put some extra in their bowl before you leave for work. If not, and you live alone or just with your spouse, make sure theres a backup person to feed them. Friendly neighbours with a key to your place are good for this, especially the retired kind (trust me).
This guardian angel is also especially important if you live in a ground floor apartment. You dont want your pet trapped inside in case the water level starts rising from under the door frame. If thats a regular occurrence every monsoon, maybe consider moving your pets to a relatives or friends house for these days.
Out for a walk
And its not just the amount of water thats the problem, but how it affects your animals at home. Flooded pathways in your dog-walking route are one way your beloved puppers could pick up a skin or intestinal infection, either from other local dogs or from overturned trash cans. Pick your route carefully, or even avoid the walk if the situation is too bad. Itll be an uncomfortable process at home, but its certainly possible to train dogs to do their business in the bathroom when its raining too hard. On top of that, make sure to use a good cleansing shampoo when bathing your pet, and towel them off well when they come in from an outdoor romp.
If you have a pet at home, odds are you already have a regular vet (if you dont then what in damnation are you sitting around for?!), but its always handy to have more numbers saved in case of an emergency when your regular is out of station or inaccessible. Save a number or two for nearby vets (so youre not panicking when youre in a rush and the internet is down); they can also come in handy when attempting to rescue strays. In addition, BSPCAs hospital in Parel is open 24 hours a day. They rarely have space to house rescues, but its a handy alternative when you have a sick pet late at night, or on the weekend.
Just remember that every little bit helps, much more than a sad-captioned Instagram photo ever could. Stay safe and keep your neighbourhood animals and pets safe, too.
The Indian Army said on Wednesday that it inflicted heavy casualties on the insurgent group National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) (K) in an operation earlier in the day on the India-Myanmar border.
The Army's Eastern Command made clear it didn't cross the international border. The Army further said a firefight was triggered after a column of the Indian Army was attacked by insurgents. Read more
Rotavirus Vaccine By Pune-Based Institute Clears Tests, Likely To Hit The Market By Next Month
In what could be a major breakthrough in the battle against Rotavirus gastroenteritis, ROTASIIL, a vaccine which was developed by Pune-based Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd has been found to be safe, well tolerated, and to provide significant efficacy against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis.
The results of the Phase III efficacy study of the vaccine were published in the journal Vaccine. Read more
149 Indian Prisoners In UAE Jails Pardoned By Sultan Bin Mohammed Al- Qasimi
A total of 149 Indians serving prison terms for minor and financial offences in Sharjah will be released following the amnesty declared in Thiruvananthapuram by the Emirate's visiting ruler Sultan Bin Mohammed Al- Quasimi.
The announcement came in response to a request by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking the release of Keralites who had completed three years of their jail term in Sharjah. Read more
'Papa's Angel' Honeypreet Runs Out Of Options, High Court Asks Her To Surrender
On the run for weeks now, jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's adopted daughter Honeypreet Insan, may have no options left, but to surrender. This is after the Delhi high court dismissed an anticipatory bail petition filed by Honeypreet.
Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal questioned if the bail plea filed was bona fide, saying it was filed in Delhi to buy time and delay proceedings in a Panchkula court. Read more
Darjeeling Shutdown Comes To An End After 104 Days As Home Minister Makes An Appeal
The over three-month-long shutdown in Darjeeling called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morch (GJM) has finally come to an end on Tuesday. The GJM said the indefinite shutdown will be suspended from Wednesday morning.
The strike was called off after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh made an appeal to the GJM on Tuesday. Read more
Pak Army Running For Cover As BSF Launches 'Operation Arjun' To Counter Ceasefire Violations
The Border Security Force's use of targeted firepower on farms and residences of Pakistan's serving and former army officers near the border resulted in Pakistan suing for peace.
Codenamed 'Operation Arjun', the measure has seen BSF framing a robust response to Pakistan's use of snipers to kill jawans, besides firing on civilians and shelling villages along the border over the last month. Read more
Mukesh Dube, a Right To Information (RTI) activist in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district was allegedly abducted and tortured to death. The bruised body of Dube was found in the jungles of Matkora area local residents on Tuesday.
Representational Image
Police said Dube, who is originally from Mainpuri district of West Uttar Pradesh was brought to the jungles and was allegedly murdered after being hit with heavy objects, including sticks. According to his family, the 32-year-old had made a number of enemies by exposing various corruption cases using RTI.
BCCL/ Representational Image
Police said they are also looking into possible extortion attempt by Dube, resulting in the murder. Dube had allegedly blackmailed people using RTI applications.
His name also features in the Goonda list of Sumawali police station, and was facing nine cases including physical assault, cheating and fraud, which his family allege are false complaints by his enemies.
100,000 Nigerian refugees have been deported by Cameroon, in the hope of reducing the spread of terrorist group Boko Haram, Human Rights Watch (HWR) said on Wednesday.
The group said in its new report that the deportation defied a plea by UN refugee agency to not return anyone to north-eastern Nigeria, where Boko Haram killed thousands of people, until security and human rights situation improved considerably.
The HRW report noted that the deported people were likely to face new violence, displacement and destitution.
The group, which investigates allegations of human rights abuses worldwide, says the report is based on interviews with more than 60 refugees.
It added that soldiers tortured, assaulted and sexually exploited Nigerian asylum seekers and denied them access to the UN refugee agency.
The rights group claimed Cameroon deported, often violently, tens of thousands of the refugees
since early 2015.
The Cameroonian military torture and abuse of Nigerian refugees seems to be driven by an arbitrary decision to punish them for Boko Haram attacks in Cameroon and to discourage Nigerians from seeking asylum, said HRW Associate Refugee Director, Gerry Simpson.
Boko Haram had posed steady threat to communities in north-east Nigeria and launched offensives in neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
The groups goal is to enforce strict interpretation of Islamic law, known as sharia.
Since 2009, tens of thousands of people have died in the hands of Sunni fundamentalists in the region.
According to the UN, an estimated 2.7 million people fled their homes due to Boko Haram.
Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
The quest for Biafra has continued to heat up even outside Nigeria to the extent that blood was spilled blood on Bengalurus roads as students were taking sides over the issue and clashing repeatedly. Times of India reports that the police are now looking at getting the students concerned deported.
In the latest in the series of attacks and counter-attacks over the Biafra secession issue in Nigeria, a dozen students created ruckus in Hennur in the early hours of Sunday, allegedly attacking the residence of one Elvis Ohachosim, 39, and setting his car ablaze.
The pre-dawn attack was in retaliation to Elvis attacking two Nigerian friends the previous evening.
Police said Sundays arson is the latest skirmish between two groups of Nigerians since September 3, when one N. Chigozie allegedly died in suspicious circumstances, after clashes between the gangs at an African restaurant.
We have filed four cases against these two groups in just 20 days, a police officer said.
Chigozies brother Nonso, meanwhile, filed a complaint accusing a group of Nigerians, led by Aiwa, of attacking him and his brother at African Kitchen in Kothanur, on the night of September 2, while discussing the Biafran issue. Police held six Africans and recently, all of them were released on bail.
Elvis is believed to have led a gang of Nonsos supporters and attacked Christoper Okwi Onuigbo and his friend Ani Charles, who was arrested for the September 2 attack on Nonso.
Kothanur police filed a case against six people, including Elvis. Nonsos supporters have been identified as Elvis Ohachosim, Emmanuel, Grant, Pastor Jeremiah, among others.
Source: ( Times of India)
The national leadership of the governing All Progressives Congress has issued the statement below, launching a blistering attack on the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay (SAN).
In the statement, the party described Mr. Sagay as arrogant and a rougue elephant who has no respect for even President Muhammadu Buhari.
The APC says it is responding to an interview Mr. Sagay granted The Nations newspaper where he criticized the leadership of the fold as running riot and destroying the party.
Read the APC full statement below.
TO SAGAY: YOU ARE THE ROGUE ELEPHANT
Our attention has been brought to an interview published on pages 46-47 of The Nation Newspaper of Sunday, September 24, 2017, granted by the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay (SAN).
In the said interview, Sagay described the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the most unprincipled group of people who are encouraging and accepting rogues in the party. He said: When I say rogues, I dont mean stealing. In literature, when you say someone is a rogue elephant, it means people who are running riot and destroying the party.
The Webster dictionary defines rogue elephant as one whose behaviour resembles that of a rogue elephant in being aberrant or independent. Clearly if we have today, anyone in our government or, by extension, the party who feels accountable only to his own ego; who does not feel the need to bridle his tongue for the sake of anything that is higher than himself; who feels independent of everyone and every institution; that person is Professor Sagay.
Asked by the interviewer if he would stop speaking if the President asks him to stop speaking, he said: Yes, he is my employer. If he tells me to stop talking, Ill stop talking. But I have certain rights too that I can exercise in addition to that, because Im not going to be in a position where I am impotent. So, I must obey him, but I can go beyond that and obey myself too. Thats it. Framed in another way, what Sagay is saying here is that, no matter what is at stake, he would rather resign than obey the President if the President tries to restrain him. This is the quintessential rogue elephant behaviour.
In his sheer arrogance, he forgets that it is impossible for him to call out the leadership of the party as weak and unprincipled without indicting the President, who is the leader of the party and has the fundamental responsibility to build the party. If Sagay had any iota of respect for the man who dug him back from inevitable oblivion and puts him in a position in which he now feels superior to everyone, he would channel his opinions and advice to the President on how to make the party stronger and more principled. It appears however that Sagay does not have anything constructive to say about anything. He only knows how to tear down and assault everyone and everything.
We want to remind Sagay and all other appointees of our government that the only reason they occupy their current position today is because the APC won the election. There is, therefore, a matter of honour to show decorum and respect for the party and its leadership. You cannot love the fruit and hate the tree that produced it.
SIGNED:
Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
The Catholic priest identified as Reverend Father Cyriacus Onunkwo, who was kidnapped and murdered, was buried on Monday in Imo State.
A requiem mass was held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Orlu for the Reverend before he was finally laid to rest . In attendance was the state Governor, Rochas Okorocha, the Deputy Governor, Eze Madumere, the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Ezike, Director of Department of State Services, Mr. Denga Abdullahi and a large number of Catholic priests including reverend sisters.
The clergy was kidnapped from his vehicle in Orlu town in Orlu Local Government Area on the 1st of September while he was travelling home to arrange for his fathers funeral. Following a manhunt, his corpse was discovered in a bush in Omuma Village after he reportedly suffocated to death in the car booth of the kidnappers.
Some suspects have been arrested, including a former police officer in connection with the kidnap and murder of the clergy.
May his soul and that of his father, rest in peace (Amen)
The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in Ekiti State, has demanded the arrest and prosecution of a member of the House of Assembly, Dare Pelemo, for alleged sexual harassment and physical assault of a widow, Mrs. Mercy Ilesanmi.
But Pelemo denied sexually harassing and assaulting Mrs. Ilesanmi. The lawmaker was accused of fondling the breasts of the woman on September 6 at the Assembly complex.
Mrs. Ilesanmi said she raised the alarm, but the lawmaker mobilized thugs to beat her. The brutality, she said, took place in the Office of Majority Leader Mr. Tunji Akinyele, where she lodged a complaint on the alleged sexual harassment.
According to TheNation, Ekiti FIDA Desk Officer Mrs. Kemi Atitebi said the organization received the complaint against Pelemo, but the legislator shunned the invitation to defend himself.
Narrating her ordeal, Mrs. Ilesanmi said: I came to visit a member representing my constituency, Samuel Omotoso but he was not around. On my way out, I met Pelemo and we exchanged pleasantries.
Immediately, he fondled my breasts, and I asked him what was the meaning of that. He now said that I am an enemy of government, that I am not supposed to come to the Assembly.
I now asked him, is that the reason why you are touching my breasts? I challenged him that this is too much. I went to report the matter to Akinyele. Before I knew what was happening, Pelemo came in with some miscreants, and they started beating me.
Pelemo, however, accused the woman of attempting to frame him up and destroying his name. Pelemo, who is the House committee chairman on Security, said Mrs. Ilesanmi did not wear visitors tag, which prompted him to challenge her.
The lawmaker accused Mrs. Ilesanmi of working as an agent of the senator representing Ekiti South, Mrs. Biodun Olujimi, who is no longer in the good books of Gov. Fayose and leadership of the Assembly.
Mrs. Ilesanmis lawyer, Adeoye Aribasoye, said he had forwarded a petition on the assault and sexual harassment to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Chafe.
Source: ( Instablog9ja )
The Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr. Bello Mahmud, has told Nigerians that are interested in registering their business name, that the cost of business registration is now cheaper and its process simplified to enable small entrepreneurs to register their businesses.
This was announced in a statement made by Head, Public Affairs, CAC, Mr. Godfrey Ike while addressing the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Clinic.
He said that with the Company Registration Portal (CRP), any member of the public could now register businesses on-line at the comfort of their homes and offices.
This has drastically reduced the registration cost hitherto charged by professional middlemen (Lawyers, Accountants, and Chartered Secretaries), in the registration process.
Entrepreneurs who had already registered their businesses must file Annual Returns with the Commission as and when due.
Failure to file Annual Returns will result to striking-off of such defaulting entities on the ground of dormancy.
The MSME Clinic is an initiative of the Office of the Vice President, which is aimed at holistically addressing all the operational challenges and bottlenecks of MSME in Nigeria, Muhmud said.
According to him, the commission is one of the critical government agencies that has been participating in the on-going nationwide MSME Clinic that commenced in Aba in January.
He added that the MSME Clinic was expected to be held in all states of the federation.
So far, the Clinic has been held in 13 states of the federation, he said.
According to him, other relevant agencies like FIRS, SON, Bank Of Industry (BOI), NAFDAC, SMEDAN participated in the clinic.
Source: ( PM News )
The richest black man in the world, Aliko Dangote expressed so much humility while dealing with a Yoruba actress and film producer, Foluke Daramola in Lagos.
Actress Foluke Daramola Salako is in awe of Africas richest man, Aliko Dangotes humilty.
According to her, he stood up to greet her when Festus Keyamo introduced her to him during the celebration of his attainment as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in Victoria Island Lagos on Sunday, September 24, 2017.
She shared photos from the event on her Instagram page and wrote;
I was standing when l was introduced to Dangote by Keyamo, but to my surprise, he stood up to greet me. The wealthiest human being on the continent of Africa stood up to greet me. What a rare humility! What an uncommon virtue from the golden man of Africa He was the richest among us, but sat in our midst and interacted with us like the poorest
President of the United States, Donald Trump has increased his pressure on Kim Jong Un to disband his nuclear weapons program by imposing sanctions on eight North Korean banks.
We are targeting North Korean banks and financial facilitators acting as representatives for North Korean banks across the globe. This further advances our strategy to fully isolate North Korea in order to achieve our broader objectives of a peaceful and denuclearized Korean peninsula Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
The affected banks include Agricultural Development Bank, Cheil Credit Bank and International Industrial Bank. The administration also imposed sanctions on more than two dozen people linked to North Koreas financial network. The Treasury Department said they are North Koreans operating in China, Russia, Libya and the United Arab Emirates and who act as representatives of North Korean banks.
Source:( Linda Ikeji )
Sacked First Bank limited workers have taken to the streets to protest the sudden sack of 1,000 people working for the bank.
About 100 aggrieved contract staff of Whyte Cleon Limited, an In-sourcing subsidiary of First Bank Limited, who claimed to have been wrongfully disengaged from service on Wednesday protested in Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to PM News, some of the sacked workers described their sudden sack as a callous act. The protest took place at the Correspondents Chapel office of the Nigerian Union of journalist, Mokola, Ibadan.
The sacked staff who were drawn from all the branches of the first generation bank said that they were protesting on behalf of over 1,000 of their colleagues who had suffered similar fate.
The protesters carried placards, some of which read: Pay us our nine years benefit, @First Bank Nigeria, if you must sack pay entitlement, FirstBank engages in modern slavery, Pay your support staff their entitlements after nine years, Our mumu don do, Firstbank, pay my nine years entitlement, FBN = in-sourcing = Whytcleon stop slavery, FirstBank exploiting staff since 1894, among others.
Addressing a press conference, the aggrieved group said many of the disengaged workers had served the organisation for not less than nine years but that instead of rewarding them with full employment status, the organisation could only disengage them with a short message service without any benefit, which they also said was unacceptable.
Spokesperson of the group, Mr. Aleem Waheed, insisted that they were not engaged by WhyteCleon Limited, but by In-sourcing Limited, a subsidiary and Human Resourcing arm of First Bank and that they worked and were being paid by First Bank Limited.
According to him, the sacked workers with varying years of service ranging from seven to nine years diligently and competently served the bank, adding, all through our years of service in the bank, many anomalies had been ongoing. For instance, they dont pay us some bonuses and allowances which were being enjoyed by full fledged staff of the organisation despite the fact that some of us dubbed contract staff have better qualification and years of experience than some of the full fledged staff.
Waheed stated that many of them had served the company without complaints, despite being in the known of many anomalies, and that they were being denied some entitlements and benefits that they all worked.
Waheed who claimed that disengagement letters were not handed to any sacked staff as at the time they were told to hand over all bank belongings in their custody and stopped reporting for work listed of the the entitlements the bank denied them to include: Pay For Performance, PFP, Up Front, Relocation Allowance, Millage Claim (travel allowance for training)
The copy of the text which was made available to reporters read, Dear Colleague, this is to inform you that you are here recalled to Whyte Cleon Limited effective September 8, 2017. Kindly submit all Banks properties in your custody, including handover note, ID card, Token and other documents to your BM/HBS/Supervisor effective Monday 11th September, 2017, you are no longer expected to report to your current location. For further directives or call the number of the officer overseeing your region as indicated below: North Jumai Adams (08091052850), South-South Olalekan Atoyebi (08187078518),West Onoriode Aramogbo (08023417968). Thank you.
According to the spokesperson, most SMS were delivered when many of the workers had already reported for duty but unable to log on unto the system.
The group appealed to the government, the Central Bank of Nigeria and relevant stakeholders to quickly come to their aid by compelling the bank to pay them for the nine years they had served the organisation.
A former Prime Minister of Thailand who was ousted by the military has been sentenced to prison over an offence.
Thailands ousted former Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra was handed a five-year prison sentence on Wednesday after the countrys highest court found her guilty of negligence in the management of a rice subsidy scheme.
Yingluck was due to hear the verdict on Aug. 25, but failed to show up, surprising hundreds of supporters, who had gathered at the court.
Aides said she had fled Thailand, fearing a harsh sentence.
In August, Reuters reported that she had escaped to Dubai, where her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, owns a home.
Yingluck, who swept to power in a 2011 general election, introduced a rice subsidy scheme that proved wildly popular with farmers but which the military government says caused billions of dollars in losses.
Her government was ousted by the military in 2014.
The Benin Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested four suspected internet fraudsters, identified as Shiko Romeo, Bobby Edigiu, Henry Nisike and Emmanuel Ayo. The suspects were arrested recently by men of the Nigeria police force on suspicion of being involved in internet fraud.
Upon handing the suspects over to the EFCC Benin Zonal Office, operatives of the Commission embarked on painstaking investigations including forensic analysis of their laptops where incriminating documents were retrieved and printed.
The suspects later confessed to their involvement in internet fraud using fake identification on Facebook in their attempt to hoodwinked unsuspecting persons especially European and American women.
For instance, Shiko Romeo, who claims to be a student of National Open University, NOUN, confessed that he scammed the duo of Kitty Zamaripas and Susan various sums of money with a promise of love relationship using the name John Culfer who lives in New Jersey, USA.
Source: ( Instablog9ja )
Morrison Akinyemi, a 300 Level Student of Caleb University, just lost his life after he was beaten to death by his baby mama named Chidinma.
According to reports, a fight ensued in their room which led to the suspect fatally beating the deceased.
A neighbour to the couple, Mia Seren, narrated what happened as thus:
Like yesterday, he went for a party then came back around 9. But chidinma was not home, so he called her to ask her where she was They sha planned to meet at one place.. When they came back they were with a Mr Biggs nylon and they went to their room.
Like 30 mins later we heard them fighting in the room and somebody was hitting someones head on the wall.. Chidinma open the door, she did not open the door Later we did not hear their voices.
Like 30 mins later, she opened the door then joys mother and bro moor wife brother entered and saw Morrison on the floor.
He was unconscious and he had an injury on his head, and had a cloth tied to his neck. We rushed him to the hospital then they said he was gone.
Friends have since being paying tribute to him, describing him as an easy going person, friend and cheerful..
A tribute by his friend Gabriel reads:
I want you to know that I think of you every day. I want you to know that I miss you more than anything, and I would give anything to talk to you one last time. I still remember the last time that I saw you on sunday sept 24th. You were leaving for a party and I begged you not to leave.
You started cracking dry jokes.I knew I would miss you.. knew it would be a while until I saw you again. For some reason, when I we huggednot until yesterday morning our friend Edet told me you died that sunday night
I still cant believe this been crying since I cant even get a good sleep without thinking about you..You had plans though you were You told me you wanted the youngest president in Nigeria
Looking back now, I wish I would have spent more time with you, shared more stories with you, and made more memories.But death took you From usyou were our own diego costa the best fifa player in gbagada.
Thank you for being a brother,a best friend and for being the most influential person Ive ever met, for accepting and loving everyone, and for being someone that impacted the lives of so many. You will never be forgotten.I will always love you bro..Goodnight Morrison Akinbule
Love
Adewunmi Gabriel
Recent reports have confirmed that Big Brother Naijas Gifty is pregnant with her first child and her supposed ex, Mr 2Kay, just might be the father.
IB9ja broke this news, stating that a source close to Giftys mother claims the actress currently lives with her mother in Badagry, Lagos, away from prying eyes.
Last week, we got a report that ex BBNaija contestant, Gifty, is expecting a child and the pregnancy belongs to her estranged ex, Mr 2Kay. We also heard that she has been holed up at her moms house in Badagry, Lagos.
Our source, who is a friend to Giftys moms neighbor, said she was shocked when she stumbled on Gifty at her moms place. She, however, said she couldnt get a picture.
Meanwhile, Gifty recently stepped out with actress Rosaline Meurer, and she looks pregnant indeed. As of this time, we cant categorically state that Mr. 2Kay is responsible for the pregnancy.
The printer who handled the printing of posters for the Goodluck Jonathan campaign organization, has cried out over debts hes being owed.
Mr. Olusegun Idowu, the Managing Director of Paste Poster Company Limited, says his company is still being owed N24m for the printing of ex-President Goodluck Jonathans campaign posters for the 2015 presidential election.
According to Punch Metro, the N24m, Idowu said, was part of a total of N54m poster pasting and consultancy jobs that his company did for the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation in the build-up to the last general elections.
Idowu said his company was paid N30m cash in tranches of N6m and N24m for consultancy and printing of the ex-Presidents campaign posters, while another N24m remained unpaid till date.
The media consultant stated this on Wednesday when he appeared before the Federal High Court in Lagos, where the then Director of Media and Publicity of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, is being prosecuted for an alleged fraud of N4.9bn.
Standing trial along with Fani-Kayode for the alleged fraud relating to Jonathans campaign, is a former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman.
The third and fourth defendants in the case are one Danjuma Yusuf and a company, Joint Trust Dimensions Limited.
The defendants were arraigned before Justice Rilwan Aikawa on 17 counts bordering on conspiracy, unlawful retention of proceeds of theft and money laundering.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A woman filmed herself in her car while she was wearing her British Airways flight attendant uniform in preparation for her flight from London Heathrow to Abuja on Friday night.
She posted the one-minute video on Snapchat saying:
All the Nigerians are gonna be there like gimme Coca Cola, gimme me beef, why you have no beef left? I want beef.
And Im just gonna be there like , Sorry sir, we ran out of beef.
All the Nigerians are going to be asking for f**king upgrades because their b**s are in their way. Big d***s like this swinging from side to side,
Music act, DJ Cuppy, has reacted to viral video of British Airways hostess making racist comments about Nigerians while on flight.
DJ Cuppy who expressed her disappointment in the video, tweeted;
As a Nigerian, and a gold card holder, this makes me sick @British_Airways !!!
Heres what she shared:
Source: Naijaloaded
In 1970, the last Biafran War came to an end, the present IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was just three years old. Whatever he may know about that war, he must have obtained from his peers, parents, or senior people who experienced that hazardous conflict.
Therefore, now he believes that the people of Biafra have been living in the zoo called Nigeria. So, now he feels the complete readiness to liberate them.
In particular, he told that even if he killed he would be ready for this to the autonomous Republic of Biafra. However, the IPOB leader has been hiding somewhere since recently. Kanu owns a British passport, but it is still unknown whether he escaped to the United Kingdom where he has already gathered considerable wealth as a result of his Biafran campaign.
During his frivolous career, Kanu has been begging for donations worldwide. He assures to build a massive TV station and purchase arms to wage war against Nigeriazoo-country.
The military agencies have recently declared IPOB a terrorist group. Thus, for now, it is not evident if Kanus sponsors would come up to any court in the zoo to seek for an official pardon.
Civil Wars have always been expensive events in the history of Nigeria. This rude follow-up stated publicly by Kanu is still untying. Now the army is involved in Operation Python Dance, and nobody yet knows the cost in human lives.
On August 15, 2017, in Umahia, Abia State, the IPOB leader Kanu announced the formation of the Biafran Security Service (BSS). Later he declared that BBS would do its best to defeat the zoo. So, it is hard to believe that anybody would take such steps and yet would imagine no consequences.
Kanu has never believed in Nigeria. For a long time, he has been living abroad. So, he practically knows nothing about the actual Nigerian realities. He gathered his army from thousands of the disappointed, unemployed, and the disheartened people. Kanu calls himself the Supreme Leader, who is responsible to nobody except God. Some of his supporters immediately began worshipping him and agreed to kiss his shoes. So, it was easy for him to persuade his followers that Biafra needs no elections to become the autonomous state.
But the world has changed long ago. And how can a leader in the contemporary society which has already moved from autocracy, be against elections? How is he going to check the IPOB popularity? For example, how can Kanu`s right to demonstrate his political views be greater than the right of Anambra people to vote for the governor they want?
No state on the planet will bear the kind of activities embarked upon by the IPOB leader and his supporters. You never recognize the Constitution. You call your country Zoo. You decide to form your own army. You frequently say that blood will flow. And yet you are waiting for going home and enjoying a calm life there. It is impossible in the modern world.
Can you really imagine the leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organisation referring Israel as zoo? Or calling Israeli leaders fools, bastards, and imbeciles. Kanu stands for some Igbos. But he will never represent all Igbos. That person lacks the upbringing, the education, the language, and the culture to become a real leader in the Biafra state.
Kanu must stop hiding and face the consequences of his deeds. Otherwise, his army of supporters will simply disappear. Nigeria really requires constitutional reforms to hold close its fortune. Nigerians do not need any wars in future. Dialogue is the only thing which must be put in the first place and the stupid idea Biafra state as a fighter nation must never be allowed by the Igbos to materialize once more.
The highest price has already been paid. Nigerian people have already learned what Civil War means to thousands of dead and wounded people. No more injuries. Therefore, if the current IPOB leader desires bloody war, he will walk alone.
Source: Nigeria News on Naij.com
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu has dragged the chief of army staff, Tukur Buratai, to court.
The IPOB leader in an originating motion filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, Kanu, prayed the court to give an order of Habeas Corpus ad subjiciendum which will command Buratai to produce him in court on his next adjournment date for the criminal trial he is facing.
Kanu also prayed that further orders which the court may deem fit be give.
The motion was filed by Kanus lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor and supported by an affidavit written by Prince Mandela Umegborogu, an associate solicitor in the law firm of I.C. Ejiofor &CO.
The grounds for the relief, the application said include that the IPOB leader was, before he went missing, know to have lawfully exercised his constitutional right of freedom of association, peaceful assembly and self determination.
The application also said Kanu was still enjoying the bail granted him by the court, when the prosecution in his trial requested the court to revoke his bail.
It also said accused the Nigerian military of acting under express command handed down by the Buratai and violently invaded the applicants home in Afara Ukwu Ibeku in Umuahia, killing many.
Part of the grounds for the relief reads: On 14 th day of September, 2017, the Nigerian Military led by Soldiers of the Nigerian Army invaded the Applicants house on amurderous raid, where life and mortar bullets were fired on unarmed and defenseless populace, leaving 28 persons dead and abducting many.
The Applicant who was in the house during this bloody onslaught by the Soldiers, has not been heard from or seen after this bloody attack in his home by the Agents of the Respondent since the 14 th day of September 2017.
That the invading soldiers in their desperate bid to ensure that the Applicant is caught in the attack climbed stairs to his bedroom upstairs to shot him; walls of his bedroom were riddled with bullets.
The invading Soldiers who had direct contact with the Applicant on this fateful day (14 th day of September 2017) should be in a position to produce the Applicant before the court. It is either the Respondents rampaging Soldiers abducted the Applicant during this raid or must have killed him in the process.
Section 40 of the Federal High Court Act empowers this Court to Order that a Writ of Habeas Corpus ad Subjiciendum; (A Writ directed to someone detaining another person and commanding that the detainee be brought to Court) be issued on the Respondent, to produce the Applicant in Court, particularly now his substantive criminal trial is coming up on the 17 th day of October, 2017.
The Court is vested with inherent powers Under Section 6(6) (a)- (d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as (Amended 2011) to entertain this application and grant reliefs sought herein, Kanu said.
Source NAIJ
A native doctor and some criminals have been arrested by men of the EFCC for using fetish means to defraud innocent citizens.
The Benin Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested four persons Michael Agun, Osaikuiwomwan Monday, Vincent Odia and Chibuike Ogbonna suspected of obtaining money under false pretence.
The suspects were arrested on September 25, 2017 in Benin City sequel to a petition by a complainant alleging that sometimes in May 2017 he got a call from one Chris Amadi who claimed that he knew him during his National Youth Service year. According to the petitioner, Amadi informed him that he worked at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Edo State before being transferred to Minna ,Niger State and that while he was in Edo State, he transacted businesses with one Alhaji whom he supplied cow medicine (Cow Bruma).
Amadi told him that he would like to connect him with Alhaji for good business but asked him to call David Adeboye whom he claimed was the manager of the company that produces cow medicine.
The petitioner further alleged that upon calling Adeboye, he sent him an account number in which he paid Four Hundred and Ninety Thousand Naira in order to be a cow medicine distributor.
During investigations, operatives of the Commission discovered that Amadi whose real name is Chibuike Ogbonna is the head of a syndicate involving Michael Agun, Osaikuiwomwan and Vicent Odia. Further investigations revealed that Odia Vincent plays the role of a dubious native doctor, parading fettish objects and charms with which they dupe unsuspecting members of the public.
The suspects will soon be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.
Federal Executive Council led by President Muhamamdu Buhari on Wednesday, mandated a committee to come up with recommendations as it bids to pull out of 90 world organizations.
According to Channels TV , the Federal Government has decided to pull Nigeria out of 90 world organisations.
As part of plans for the countrys exit from the organisations, the Federal Executive Council has mandated a committee to come up with and present recommendations to it for ratification.
The decision is as a result of the financial implications of the countrys membership of the organisations.
The country currently owes the organisations over $100million and its failure to meet the obligations has caused the country embarrassment.
Details later
A police officer in Nakuru County area of Kenya has reportedly shot his girlfriend dead on Tuesday evening before taking his life with the same AK47 rifle at their rental house in Freehold Area.
According to a report by CitizenTV, the man identified as Stephen Mungai Kinuthia, who was stationed at Molo Police Station, is said to have shot his girlfriend three times.
I was with the caretaker when we heard a man fighting with the wife and the man was striking her with canes, and as we were going to help, we heard gun shots and stayed put, said the watchman.
Speaking from the crime scene, neighbors said they heard a child shouting baba anaua mama! [father is killing mother] before gun shots rent the air.
Neighbours said the woman had only lived in the apartment for two weeks and that the police officer was a frequent visitor. Nakuru OCPD, Joshua Omukatta, said police started a probe to establish what transpired.
Their bodies have been taken to Nakuru County government mortuary as investigations continue.
Where were the scientists heading? A map shows the once-lost continent of Zealandia. Credit: IODP
After a nine-week voyage to study the lost, submerged continent of Zealandia in the South Pacific, a team of 32 scientists from 12 countries has arrived in Hobart, Tasmania, aboard the research vessel JOIDES Resolution.
Researchers affiliated with the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) mounted the expedition to explore Zealandia. IODP is a collaboration of scientists from 23 countries; the organization coordinates voyages to study the history of the Earth recorded in sediments and rocks beneath the seafloor.
Zealandia, a sunken continent long lost beneath the oceans, is giving up its 60 million-year-old secrets through scientific ocean drilling, said Jamie Allan, program director in the U.S. National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, which supports IODP.
This expedition offered insights into Earth's history, ranging from mountain-building in New Zealand to the shifting movements of Earth's tectonic plates to changes in ocean circulation and global climate, Allan said.
Earlier this year, Zealandia was confirmed as Earth's seventh continent, but little is known about it because it's submerged more than a kilometer (two-thirds of a mile) under the sea. Until now, the region has been sparsely surveyed and sampled.
Expedition scientists drilled deep into the seabed at six sites in water depths of more than 1,250 meters (4,101 feet). They collected 2,500 meters (8,202 feet) of sediment cores from layers that record how the geography, volcanism and climate of Zealandia have changed over the last 70 million years.
According to expedition co-chief scientist Gerald Dickens of Rice University in the U.S., significant new fossil discoveries were made. They prove that Zealandia was not always as deep beneath the waves as it is today.
More than 8,000 specimens were studied, and several hundred fossil species were identified, said Dickens.
The discovery of microscopic shells of organisms that lived in warm shallow seas, and of spores and pollen from land plants, reveal that the geography and climate of Zealandia were dramatically different in the past.
The new discoveries show that the formation 40 to 50 million years ago of the Pacific Ring of Fire, an active seafloor zone along the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean, caused dramatic changes in ocean depth and volcanic activity and buckled the seabed of Zealandia, according to Dickens.
Expedition co-chief scientist Rupert Sutherland of Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand said researchers had believed that Zealandia was submerged when it separated from Australia and Antarctica about 80 million years ago.
That is still probably accurate, but it is now clear that dramatic later events shaped the continent we explored on this voyage, Sutherland said.
Big geographic changes across northern Zealandia, which is about the same size as India, have implications for understanding questions such as how plants and animals dispersed and evolved in the South Pacific.
The discovery of past land and shallow seas now provides an explanation. There were pathways for animals and plants to move along.
Studies of the sediment cores obtained during the expedition will focus on understanding how Earth's tectonic plates move and how the global climate system works. Records of Zealandia's history, expedition scientists said, will provide a sensitive test for computer models used to predict future changes in climate.
Crestron announces October dealer roadshow for Norway
After the recent successful opening of its premier office and Technical Institute in Norway, automation technology expert Crestron has announced a series of roadshows to take place in four key cities across the country.
Norways reputation for technological prowess continues to grow, with the Fornebu district near Oslo currently being developed as a hub for innovation. Taking in the stunning Scandinavian backdrops of Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger, the Crestron roadshow will welcome Crestron dealers and end users from the region to experience its technology including the new Crestron Mercury all-in-one tabletop conference system, Fusion and DigitalMedia solutions, video streaming capabilities, plus its wide range of touch screens and audio products.
Attendees will have access to Crestron technology demonstrations, unique insights and top tips plus they will have the valuable opportunity to ask any burning questions at the live Q&A sessions with Crestron experts.
The roadshow will be at four key locations on the following dates:
Fornebu, Oslo,Crestron Nordics - October 3-12
Bergen, Scandic Hotel Flesland - October 17-19
Trondheim, Clarion Congress Hotel -October 25-26
Stravanger, Scandic Hotel Forus - Oct 31 - Nov 2
Patrick Edwards, Regional Sales Manager, Norway, comments Following the opening of our new Norwegian office, the roadshow is an exciting opportunity for Crestron to meet its valued Norwegian dealers. We hope it will also encourage dealers to use our new dedicated training facility which offers a whole host of our renowned training courses, ensuring we continue to deliver the best service to old and new customers in this region.
To book your place at one of the Crestron Roadshow venues please visit https://norway-roadshow.eventbrite.co.uk
As a self-storage operator, many of the customers you interact with every day are experiencing major life changes. They may be dealing with lifes joys and adventures such as moving to a new city, having a baby or getting married. Or they could be grappling with lifes tragedies and disappointments: divorce, death and financial hardship. Whatever the case, when someone rents a storage unit, hes often looking for more than just space. Hes looking for compassionate customer service.
In many industries, good customer service often feels rudimentary. But in self-storage, it can transcend the ordinary and become an unexpected cornerstone of business. After all, the most memorable service comes when you least expect it. Here are five ways to deliver it to your tenants.
Thank-You Cards
In the digital age, its amazing how powerful a piece of actual mail can be. Anyone can fire off a quick e-mail or text, or make a phone call. The number of people who take the time to write something by hand, put it in a stamped envelope and place it in the mail is diminishing in personal and professional settings.
This is where you come in. A thank-you card is an unexpected way to express gratitude to storage customers. You can use one to show your appreciation to a long-time tenant, a new customer or one who just renewed his lease. You might also consider sending cards for other occasionsfor example, a sympathy card for someone whos using storage to safeguard the possessions of a recently deceased loved one, a congratulations card to a newly graduated student, or even holiday cards around November and December.
Storage Tips
Many first-time storage usersand even a few long-term onesdont know everything about the best storage practices. Youre the expert. Dont assume your tenants arent coming to you with inquiries because they dont have any. Anticipate their unasked questions by offering advice through a variety of mediums.
In addition to making sure new tenants know they can come to you if theyre not sure how to store a tricky item, such as a flat screen TV, offer tips on your website or via an e-newsletter. You might even consider creating handouts with moving and packing tips or posting fliers around your facility.
Online Engagement
If you have an active social media presence, engage with your current and prospective customers by responding to or liking their Facebook comments, tweeting back to them, or retweeting and responding to their messages. You can use this space to thank your customers as well as offer promotions and storage tips.
On your website, include your contact information including a business e-mail address so they can reach you through that platform. You might even add a user-friendly contact form so customers can reach you with questions or comments without having to open a separate window to send an e-mail.
Office Treats
Remember how excited you were as a kid when someone brought cookies for the whole class? That feeling applies to adults, too.
While you dont have to commit to providing freshly baked cookies in your office every day (kudos to you, though, if you can), you can pledge to offer a little something extra once in a while. Whether its muffins every Wednesday, coffee every morning, pizza once a month or even just a bowl of good candy, providing some kind of treat to customers is a simple, effective way to make an impression. It not only gives you a few extra moments to chat with tenantsand perhaps even share information about a recent upgrade at your facilityit also gives them something to remember about your business.
Loyalty Rewards
Month-to-month leases with no long-term commitment make self-storage the perfect solution for those in the throes of changing life circumstances. With that in mind, its nice to reward loyal tenants. This is especially true if your facility is in a market where storage facilities are plentiful.
Acknowledge that your long-time customers have other options and you appreciate them choosing your business. When a tenant renews a lease, consider offering a token of gratitude, such as a free month of storage, an upgraded lock, one free use of a moving truck, a coupon for a discount on packing and moving supplies, or something non-storage related such as a gift card.
Rewarding customer loyalty is the best way to keep it. You dont have to spend much. Even a $5 gift card to a coffee shop says volumes. The investment on your end might be minimal, but the impact on customer satisfaction will be huge.
Krista Diamond is a staff writer for StorageFront, which allows customers to custom search and compare thousands of self-storage facilities. Shes a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and lives in Las Vegas. When she isn't writing about storage, shes climbing mountains in the desert. For more information, visit www.storagefront.com.
ORONO, ON (September 26, 2017)- They might not readily admit it, but every racer has a list. Theyve compiled a chart with the events theyd like to win before their career is finished. Some are bold enough to write it down, but most just keep it in the back of their mind. Just days after celebrating his 21st birthday, Danny Benedict put a check mark alongside one of the races on his list, as the Orono, Ontario youngster claimed his first-ever Late Model victory on Sunday, September 24 with a Velocity 250 win at Sunset Speedway.
Nearing the end of just his second season in the headline NASCAR Whelen Weekly Racing division and his first year at the controls of the new Shaw Chassis, Benedict took the green flag from the sixth starting spot in one of the marquee events at the popular Toronto area oval. It wasnt long before he was able to settle-into a rhythm and turn in a performance on the race track that was nearly as hot as the early-fall temperature settings.
The car felt great right out of the box, Benedict said. I didnt have any expectations for how the race might end-up. Its always been our teams approach to take things in stride and let them fall into place. Pushing the car too hard in a long race doesnt do anyone any favours.
The young speedster whose career has advanced through the go-karting and Mini Stock ranks, says the car stayed the same through the entire 75 lap distance, as he moved into the lead with 60 circuits on the scoreboard. From there, he tried to keep his focus and concentrate on the big prize. With the combination of heat and humidity, another issue was saving the tires. Benedict says that as long as he was able to turn some consistent laps and hit his marks, it was going to be a good run. At the end of the day, everything just came together.
It was a great experience and want to thank everyone for their help and support, the driver said. So many people have pitched-in to lend a hand throughout the year, Id be worried about leaving someone out if I tried to name them all. Winning any race, especially one this big, is a total team effort.
The 2017 season for Danny Benedicts #54 Late Model is proudly supported by GTA Race Design, Hoys Garage, B & W Enterprises, Mark Rainford Auto Sales, Shaw Chassis, Thinkpath Design, Dan McHattie Race Cars, L & H Mobile RV, Baudo Automotive Limited, Mayhew Graphics, Irwin Tax Services and Clarke Motorsports Communications.
Prepared by: Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media
clarkemotorsports@hotmail.com, www.facebook.com/clarkemotorsports
613.968.6410
When Jeff Blau, CEO of real estate firm The Related Cos., had dinner in 2015 with his longtime friend Henry Kravis, co-founder of KKR, he wasnt planning to pitch office space at Hudson Yards, the largest private real estate development in U.S. history. The 73-year-old Kravis is almost as well known for his regal, mahogany-lined offices at 9 West 57th Street with their unimpeded views across Central Park as he is for helping to create modern private equity. But Kravis told Blau he wanted to see Hudson Yards, just as an interested New Yorker.
With an opening from Kravis, Blau rolled out detailed architectural models of the 28-acre project, which Related is developing alongside Oxford Properties. Blau took him for a tour of the work in progress, awing Kravis with the scale of new construction in a neighborhood that financiers had few reasons to even think about before.
When we first started talking to commercial tenants three years ago, Blau remembers, they would say, What is this? Then they would ask me, Why would I put my company all the way on the west side? But 60 percent 60 percent! of Manhattans buildings are over 50 years old. Were way behind other global money centers like London and Shanghai. Blau, 48, took over the private real estate powerhouse from billionaire founder Stephen Ross shortly after Hudson Yards broke ground in 2012. Hudson Yards was Rosss most ambitious project, but far from the first: He also remade Columbus Circle with the Time Warner Center.
A few days after Kraviss site tour, he sent his real estate people to make a deal, and told his partners that the firm needed to follow to stay on the cutting edge. KKR ended up buying the top ten office floors of 30 Hudson Yards, totaling 343,000 square feet, in a commercial condominium deal. Wells Fargo Securities and Time Warner have signed on to be KKRs neighbors, and will move divisions including HBO, CNN, Turner Broadcasting, and Warner Bros.
To Kravis, Hudson Yards may simply be an expedient branding exercise or an appealing real estate investment, and likely a bit of both. A new city is indeed rising on the west side of Manhattan, leveraging Rosss thesis that millennials want to work, live, and eventually raise their families in urban areas. They want to have easy access to outdoor space and feel part of a larger and, importantly, hip community.
The site was the last major chunk of undeveloped land in Manhattan. Between 30th and 34th Streets, stretching from Tenth Avenue to the Hudson River along the West Side Highway, the historic rail yards connect trains to Long Island and New Jersey suburbs, as well as Washington, D.C., Boston, and the eastern seaboard. The sites value remained untapped, thanks to decades of stops and starts and dramatic political theater perfectly fitted to New York. But in this city money always finds a way.
Amid the elaborate construction trains are still running. Hudson Yards will include 18 million square feet of commercial and residential space, a new subway station for the east-to-west No. 7 line, a performing arts center and theater, a charter school, and a $150 million multi-level park called the Vessel that resembles something off a Star Wars set. The Stairway to Nowhere, as The New York Times called it, will host fitness classes run by luxury gym Equinox, which is owned by Related.
Dan Doctoroff, deputy mayor under Michael Bloomberg and a critical figure in New Yorks Olympics bid, came up with the name Hudson Yards. Tired of the awkward names being thrown around for the area Midtown West, Far-Far West Side, Death Highway Doctoroff drew a crude map one Saturday afternoon. He jotted down the areas major features, including Penn Station to the east, the Hudson River to the west, railroads, and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. After playing with all the different combinations of words, the best one was Hudson Yards, says Doctoroff, now CEO of Alphabets Sidewalk Labs, from his offices. They are, of course, at Hudson Yards.
With brand-new construction rare in densely packed New York City companies see a chance to shed unremarkable workplaces. They envision energetic environments where everybody can share ideas Silicon Valleystyle. (Conveniently, or perhaps cynically, moving to an open plan cuts square-footage requirements if the buildings can structurally handle more people.) Millennials, the generation raised on video games and trained on smartphones, are the zeitgeist of Hudson Yards. Eco-friendliness and resilience are in their DNA.
Related and Oxford, the real estate arm of a Canadian public pension plan, are outfitting their development with its own microgrid and two co-generation plants. Hudson Yards should keep running if New York experiences a 1970s-style blackout or another Hurricane Sandy. Large floor plates vast space with unobstructed cores and state-of-the-art heating and cooling systems can keep a densely packed workforce climate- controlled for much less energy than older buildings of similar size. But Related stopped hard-pitching the developments efficiency and cost savings once it realized corporate CEOs were much more interested in the site as a way to appeal to new employees and attract their potentially fresh ideas. Seventy percent of the workforce will be millennials when we are finished, Blau says. CEOs are using real estate as a talent-retention tool.
Financial companies, still New Yorks strongest industry, make up the largest contingent of future tenants. Hedge funds will have their own vertical neighborhood at 55 Hudson Yards. Already the rising neighborhood has drawn in Point72 Asset Management, founded by SAC Capitals Steve Cohen, and Dan Loebs $15 billion Third Point for the top floors of 55.
BlackRock, the worlds largest asset manager, is also moving in. Competing with Facebook and Amazon for talent is a motivating factor, as large paychecks alone dont quite sway this generation as they have past ones. For BlackRock the move fits under spiritual in its long-term plan. One of the key ingredients of BlackRocks success is that weve created an environment where innovative, creative, and collaborative people want to be, says chief operating officer Rob Goldstein, who joined the firm straight out of Binghamton University in 1994. We hire a lot of analysts right out of university. Im a case study in that. But how do we continue to attract the best, most talented people as the business evolves?
Hudson Yards is creating winners and losers. Companies that have signed on to Hudson Yards are clearing out of other areas of the city, from trophy properties to generic commercial buildings slapped up in the 1960s and 70s along Sixth Avenue, as well as parts of Lexington and Third avenues. Real estate experts say that for the first time marquee names are leaving marquee buildings on the east side and going south and west. Landlords will have to spend hundreds of millions in upgrades or discounts to keep their spaces leased, experts say.
Jeff Blau, Related Companies
When Related was working on financing for 30 Hudson Yards at the end of 2015, Blau said his biggest risk was that Sheldon Solow owner of 9 West 57th Street would die and an institutional buyer would make a major capital investment to upgrade the fading property. And then we would have real competition, he laughs. But Solow, at 89, is still kicking. Hudson Yards picked off some of the buildings anchor tenants, including Silver Lake, a technology-focused private equity firm.
Niceness, or at least the veneer of it, matters in New York in 2017. Visit Boston Consulting Groups new headquarters at 10 Hudson Yards, the first building to open, and bask in the warm welcome from security guards wearing eager smiles and suits handmade in Paris that pull in the patterns and colors blue and yellow of Hudson Yards. The niceness factor or hospitality, as real estate agents like to call it is deliberate and in sharp contrast to some Midtown buildings, where the service tenor can be summed up as surly.
On a 98-degree summer day, Related vice president of commercial leasing Stephen Winter and Jessica Scaperotti, who once worked for Mayor Bloomberg and is now with the firms communications group, offer a dusty, hard hatrequired, private site tour. We cover blocks filled with construction workers, food trucks, and the familiar eardrum-splitting sound of buildings rising. Hovering over scale models at Relateds field offices on 34th Street, Winter is visibly animated by the heat, sweat, dirt, and noise. He points out 55 Hudson Yards, where Cohens Point72 will control the bottom portion of the building, with bond trading platform MarketAxess a few floors up and law firms Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy and Boies Schiller Flexner near the top. The building has smaller floor plates, catering to organizations like law firms and hedge funds.
Winter and Scaperotti turn to the empty lot where 50 Hudson Yards will one day tower. This will be the Ferrari of office buildings, Winter asserts. Related only recently knocked down a drive-through McDonalds in Manhattan to make way for BlackRock. The investment giant is one of three major index and quantitative fund providers relying on data scientists, computer programmers, and mathematicians behind the scenes. BlackRock will leave its looming headquarters on 52nd Street and Park Avenue for 50 Hudson Yards (or just 50 to those in the know) when its done in about five years.
COO Goldstein and Gary Shedlin, BlackRocks chief financial officer, have fueled BlackRocks move west. Goldstein, 43, also runs BlackRock Solutions, the corporate home for tech innovation. Two years ago, he says, the company starting looking hard at its business, its culture, and how to remain an edgy company and an undisputed giant.
Goldstein remembers a consultant who conducted unconscious-bias training, aiming to raise BlackRock employees awareness of prejudging potential employees. The consultant showed staffers a picture of several dressed-down men with long hair, together channeling Jefferson Airplane. Then she asked the group if they would have met with the men, given the option.
The men in the photo were Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and fellow Microsoft founders. Before striking out on their own, Gates and Allen had lobbied for a meeting with IBM to present their ideas. IBM turned them down, a notorious decision that haunted the company for decades as personal computers took off.
BlackRock, Goldstein vows, will not make such a mistake. One hundred percent of the time, we would have met with those people, he asserts. But what I worry about is, would they want to meet with us? BlackRock is moving to Hudson Yards to reassemble its people from 31 floors and three buildings, and together rethink everything from the color of the furniture to how project teams can plug in and temporarily work together. Leaders also look forward to being in a neighborhood that doesnt shut down at night and offers more than just a few restaurants. Space is really important. If youre honest, its a big part of peoples first impression, whether its a client or a recruit. Its not simply about millennials, says Goldstein.
BCG executives were skeptical at first that where a company works could help the way the company runs. Ross Love, the Australian executive quarterbacking BCGs move, says, We wanted to do a dramatic culture change, and thats hard to do in a traditional Midtown building. Space is so important. That was an extreme view to take at the time, but I think were bearing it out. The consulting firms open space at 10 Hudson Yards features sweeping views of New York Harbor, a breakfast and lunch bar, baristas, couches, cubbies, and a lot of buzz.
J.P. Morgan New Yorks largest landlord through its real estate holdings invested in 10 Hudson Yards, BCGs new home, according to Anton Pil, head of global real assets. J.P. Morgan started seeing corporate attitudes about office space changing about five years ago. But whoever is involved in the first building takes the highest risk, Pil points out. J.P. Morgan chose No. 10 because it was one of the only properties being built straight onto the ground. All the others start on platforms, which themselves needed to be constructed above the active rail yards, and the money manager didnt want the risk. But another recently rehabbed New York eyesore clinched the deal for 10 Hudson Yards, Pil says. Even if nothing else was built, wed be the only building directly connected to the High Line.
BCG gets 2,000 visitors a month at its new digs, according to Love, roughly a 100-fold boost in tourism. Forty-four percent of its road-warrior consulting staff is in the office one to three additional days a week since the move. BCG also wanted clients to want to work from its offices versus hotel lobbies. But these figures shroud certain inefficiencies wrought by the move west: specifically, the extra 20 minutes or so required to get there from most anywhere. Based on about 100 trips, I estimate that about 20 percent of cab drivers know where Hudson Yards is, Love quips.
Weaving among scores of construction workers, Related VP and occasional tour guide Winter remarks on the consequences of having a whole city section simply shut to New Yorkers. You had Hells Kitchen to the north and Chelsea to the south, and in the center you had a big hole.
Nothing was exactly as it should be in the saga of the development of the West Side rail yards, which arguably started in the 1950s and frustrated three New York City mayors, from Ed Koch to David Dinkins to Rudolph Giuliani. It was New Yorks bid for the Olympics that started in the mid- to late 90s that set the stage for Hudson Yards.
Doctoroff worked for almost ten years to get a football stadium built in the area starting before he joined the Bloomberg administration as New York City vied to host the 2012 Olympics. The master plan included an extension of the subway, a mixed-use community of commercial and residential, 50 percent of the total acreage used for green space, and a sports and convention center between 11th and 12th avenues, now known as the Western Yards. The proposal for the eastern half, which now includes the building with BCG between 10th and 11th, was part of Doctorows original vision. Even then companies were starting to demand different office space and bemoaning Manhattans aging commercial buildings. In a Pollyanna moment, Doctoroff says, Its an ironic thing. This is playing out in a strange way, and exactly how we hoped it would.
The stadium met with defeat in June 2005, but Doctoroff scored extensive zoning changes on a broad swath of the West Side, including west Chelsea, that allowed for high-rise construction, among other changes. At the same time, Doctorow and others championed preservation of the abandoned elevated train tracks through the district. Someone had to unstick New Yorks entrenched zoning bureaucracy before the parcel could be developed far from the sexiest part of real estate. Rezoning was the table stakes; it got the game started. With a platform over the rail yards and the High Line, you could see a new west side form, from Times Square to the Meatpacking District, says Doctoroff.
Real estate firm Tishman Speyer originally won the bid to develop Hudson Yards in early 2008. As the financial crisis unfolded, the deal fell apart, and in stepped Related founder Stephen Ross with his own plan. In late 2009, Related and Oxford Properties inked a deal with the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which owns the yard, for air rights, and invested $400 million to build the platforms that would hold the buildings. Ultimately, the two platforms will cost $1.2 billion.
A shoe-less Bob Alexander, Chairman of the New York tri-state region at CBRE, starts a conversation about Hudson Yards with only a few words: Its a new city. Alexander, who has three decades of experience in New York real estate, reminisces about the one area building he worked on in the years before Hudson Yards. He leased 200,000 square feet to Manufacturers Hanover long merged into J.P. Morgan at 450 West 33rd Street for $17 a square foot in 1985. That was it. The only one, Alexander recounts, energetically walking around his office. Brookfield has since rebranded the once concrete-clad 450 West 33rd St. known as Sky Rink as 5 Manhattan West after a $200 million renovation that included removing the ice skating rink from the building. It now houses J.P. Morgans digital team.
Alexander rattles off names like Neiman Marcus, which will be an anchor retailer, and chefs like Thomas Keller and modernist Jose Andres, who will open a Spanish food hall. All of them have signed on to Hudson Yards. The rest of New York will have to keep up, Alexander warns. Representing Related, he worked on leases with Coach, LOreal, Milbank, Point72, and SAP, among others.
Only 5 percent of Manhattans 400 million square feet of commercial real estate is new construction. So, Alexander says, pausing, other buildings will need upgrades, elevators, lobbies, what have you. Some things cant feasibly be done, such as creating larger stairwells to support denser workplaces. Still, I once thought theyd have to throw a shroud over much of Sixth Avenue, and now many of the buildings are fully leased, he notes. CBRE says big-time renovations to compete with new construction cost between $75 and $125 per square foot. Midtown asking rents averaged about $80 per square foot as of July 2017. Posher space in the Plaza district runs about $122, down from $128 last June.
Its a movement. Winter sees the westward exodus of financial firms, tailed by some big tech and law offices, emptying out of one place specifically. Since 2012 tenants occupying 8 million square feet have relocated from Midtown. Related has picked up 6.4 million square feet.
Almost ten years after the financial crisis, hedge funds, banks, and others dont want to be seen cloistered in a corner office. Hudson Yards is the beneficiary and symbol of that move, while Midtown will struggle to redefine itself.
Hudson Yards will change things in ways we cant predict, says former Deputy Mayor Doctoroff. That could include further rezoning of Midtown Manhattan, the kind that enlivened the blocks around Grand Central Terminal, or converting tired old offices to residential and spurring mixed-use neighborhoods. Fifty years ago, who would have imagined an exploding residential population in lower Manhattan? Or, indeed, a Wall Street bereft of big finance, and a rail yard crawling in it.
A Queensland law firm that specialises in insurance and health, family law, and property and commercial has completed its national expansion plans with the opening of its Perth office.The Perth office is the latest addition to Barry.Nilsson.'s existing offices in Sydney's CBD, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Hobart, and will be headed by local insurance partner Toby Barrie, special counsel Belinda Randall, and senior associate Jason Hart.Our Perth office realises our vision of being the leading Australian law firm in our core practice areas, managing partner Don Leembruggen said. We have long been recognised for our outstanding level of industry support, thought leadership, hard work, and dedication and our new national expansion will allow us to build on those successes.Leembruggen said the national expansion has seen the firm's turnover double and its headcount increase by 72%.Our strategy has not just been about growth for the sake of growth, he said. We had strong persistent demand from our insurance and health clients and put simply, we wanted to increase the scale and depth of our offering to deliver better outcomes to our growing national client base. The national network will strengthen relationships with our clients Australia-wide and allow us to better service them.Leembruggen said finding the right talent was the biggest challenge for the growing firm over the past few years.At Barry.Nilsson. we invest heavily in our staff because we believe that in order to build long-term trusted relationships with our clients, we need to deliver strong and stable leadership, he said. Our staff retention levels are remarkably high on average our partners have been with us for 23 years and we see many of our junior lawyers advance to senior associates. Its vitally important to us that our values align and our staff are with us long-term.Despite the expanded footprint, Leembruggen said the firm currently has no plans to diversify to other practice areas.
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has reported that more than 75% of claims lodged for damages due to Cyclone Debbie have been completed just six months after it lashed across Australia.ICA figures showed that the cyclone resulted in 68,848 claims in Queensland and New South Wales, with insurance losses estimated at $1.473 billion.ICA CEO Rob Whelan said the 75% closure rate was a great outcome, considering the scale of the catastrophe which saw claims coming from an area three times larger than the UK and the challenges of working in regional areas. He said the closure rate was running 12% ahead of similar disasters.Insurers have now closed more than 75% of Cyclone Debbie claims, he said. This means more than 31,000 homes and businesses have been repaired or received settlements, 20,000 families have had their possessions replaced, and more than 4,500 motor vehicles have been fixed or new vehicles provided. Insurers have contracted hundreds of local builders and trades to work on property repairs, and are injecting more than $5 million each working day into local communities.The remaining claims are large-scale building repairs, with often complex scopes of work that take a longer time to finish, the ICA head said.However, some customers have raised concerns about the pace of rebuilding, Whelan said. The industry is listening and is committed to resolving these matters as swiftly as possible. The ICA and large insurers recently held one-on-one meetings with policyholders in the Whitsunday region, and this has helped to identify and escalate issues to the satisfaction of most customers.
"These measures can help to lessen the impact," says Andrew Hall
Burns & Wilcox is this years recipient of the Managing General Agency (MGA) of the Year Award from the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA National).The award was presented on September 15 at a gala ceremony that coincided with the PIAs board of directors meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Burns & Wilcoxa flagship of H.W. Kaufman Groupis a leading global wholesale insurance broker and underwriting manager and has been a pillar of the insurance community for many years, PIA national secretary and assistant treasurer Dennis Kuhnke said as he presented the award that evening. Burns & Wilcox serves retail brokers and agents of all sizesand with no retail operations, it never competes against brokers and agents. Importantly, Burns & Wilcox is a privately-owned company that does not have to answer to Wall Street or private equity firms.Its standards of service, speed, depth of market relationships, and outstanding talent are unsurpassed in the specialty insurance sector, Kuhnke added.The MGA of the Year Award recognizes outstanding achievement in furthering the interests of agents, a commitment to the agency system, and successful efforts to create a better business environment for professional insurance agents, a release explained.For nearly 50 years, Burns & Wilcox has consistently grown year-over-year based on a strategic mindset that relationships and service are the most important elements of insurance, commented Burns & Wilcox chairman, president, and CEO Alan Jay Kaufman. The excellent service standards, expertise, competitive drive, and leadership of each member of our team is invigorating, and it is a point of pride to have these talents recognized by The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents.Also during the same ceremony, Auto-Owners Insurance was presented with the Company Award of Excellence and Klinger Insurance Group the Excellence in Social Media Award.
A New Jersey chiropractor has become the latest person to be charged in connection with a sweeping insurance fraud scheme.Anthony Riotto of Park Ridge, N.J., has been charged with healthcare claims fraud in connection with the scam, in which car-accident victims were recruited as patients for chiropractic facilities in return for kickbacks. A dozen other people have already entered guilty pleas in connection with the scam, including a doctor, a lawyer, a paralegal, an acupuncturist and three other chiropractors.The ringleaders of the scam, brothers Anhuar and Karim Bandy, paid illegal runners to recruit victims, according to a report by NJ.com. They collected kickbacks for referring those victims to both medical and legal services. The brothers were each sentenced to more than six years in prison for orchestrating the scheme.Riottos part of the scam was allegedly to cause phony claims to be sent to insurance carriers after referring patients to MLS Medical, a pain-management practice owned by another member of the fraud ring.Authorities said Riotto didnt mention he had a financial stake in the business when referring patients to MLS Medical.
Franklin Mutual Insurance has partnered with telematics developer Roost to provide the formers clients with an innovative way to better control their home water systems.
Through the deal, each Franklin Mutual Insurance home insurance policyholder will be eligible to receive a free Roost Smart Water Leak and Freeze Detector.
Celebrate excellence in insurance. Join us at the Insurance Business Awards in Chicago on October 26.
By leveraging one of the industrys most innovative home telematics platforms, Franklin Mutual Insurance continues to demonstrate a daily commitment to its customers through Roost technology solutions that help mitigate the claims cost and hassle of water leak claims for their policyholders, the company said in a release.
By partnering with Roost to offer our policyholders Roost Smart Water Leak and Freeze Detectors, we are continuing our commitment to better serve our policyholders with innovative services, products and coverages, commented Franklin Mutual Insurance CEO Brian Lytwynec. Together we are pairing valuable innovative devices with excellent insurance that delivers protection and priceless peace of mind around the home for our customers.
The Roost Smart Water Leak and Freeze Detector is specifically designed to detect water leaks, as well as monitor humidity and freezing temperature situations. It can deliver smartphone alerts through a proprietary Roost/Franklin Mutual Insurance App to help minimize water damage and loss.
We are gratified to be working with one of New Jerseys most established and respected insurers and see this as another strong validation of our smart sensor notification platform, said Roost co-founder and CEO Roel Peeters. Franklin Mutual Insurance clearly sees the impact our solutions can have on helping to prevent water claims as well as improving their customer engagement and retention.
Related stories:
Roost receive huge financial boost from insurers
Willis Towers Watson partners with Roost for home telematics
Technologies, such as connected devices and wearables, that connect and communicate with people, vehicles, homes and offices
Data-driven innovations that improve analytics
Distribution technologies that provide new ways to improve customer experience
Products and operational solutions that anticipate the evolving needs of insurance customers and tap into new markets
State Automobile Mutual Insurance Companys innovation arm, State Auto Labs, has announced the launch of a $25 million corporate venture fund to support insurance-industry entrepreneurs and innovators.State Auto Labs and start-up investor Rev1 Ventures are collaborating on the project, which will connect industry-disrupting start-ups with capital, technologists and insurance industry experts.The insurance industry is in the midst of an enormous transformation and is poised for a bigger disruption over the next five years than its undergone over the past 50 years, said Kim Garland, State Auto Labs managing director. This next progression will come from both inside and outside of the insurance industry.The insurance companies that will be successful in the future are those that leverage connections from a variety of sources.State Auto Labs venture fund will focus on four key areas:This is a critical time for the industry, and we recognize that there is a better way to support the development of innovations that will fuel business success for start-ups and deliver cutting-edge technologies for enterprises, said Rev1 Ventures CEO Tom Walker. This fund demonstrates Rev1s commitment to finding new ways to identify and grow transformative technologies that are changing industries, and were thrilled to partner with State Auto to bring this vision to fruition.
Since the first forecasts showed Hurricane Harvey approaching Texas to the impact of Hurricane Irma in the Florida Keys, millions of people were ordered, recommended and asked to evacuate their homes. That gave rise to one question over and over. Is there coverage to evacuate in advance of a hurricane? Some well-meaning people have recommended that a homeowners policy should cover that expense. That should remind us that as insurance professionals, we have the responsibility to educate, inform, and advise the public about what their policies cover and what they dont.
The question still remains. Are costs to evacuate covered on a homeowners policy? I wonder if anyone remembers my favorite insurance word. Maybe it is. Maybe it isnt. So many carriers have variants of the ISO HO-3 that we cant speak definitively on whats covered company to company. What we can do is point out some language thats in the ISO HO-3 and see what it tells us.
Before we dive too deeply into this, I hope you remember the Academys conversation last week with David Thompson and Dan Britto. We talked about how to avoid and E&O trap following a natural disaster (hurricane) and one of the major points they made was not to offer coverage advise after the loss. Let the claims people do their jobs.
If you missed it, you can still sign up to hear everything here.
Remember that our questions is whether there is coverage for expenses related to mandatory evacuations ordered by local, county, or state government. Under Coverage D Loss of Use, paragraph 1 covers Additional Living Expense. Lets look at a few key word and phrases in that paragraph.
If a loss covered under Section I makes that part of the residence premises where you reside not fit to live in
The paragraph starts right off with a conditional statement. That if makes this clause a condition that must be met prior to the next clause taking effect. Its like when you told your kids that you would go get pizza if they all cleaned their rooms. Do you see all of the items that must happen to trigger this coverage? There must be:
A loss Covered under Section I To the part of the residence premises that you live in That makes it unfit to live in.
Without all four pieces, we have an issue. So lets go back to our original question. Is there coverage for the expenses related to evacuating on the order of civil authorities? So far, Id have to say no, there isnt coverage. However, lets change our scenario for a moment and assume that those conditions are met. What happened? The house was actually damaged by a hurricane. Lets keep going to see what we have coverage for.
we cover any necessary increase in living expenses incurred by you so that your household can maintain its normal standard of living.
Lets take this section apart and see what we have.
Necessary increase in living expenses: this tells us that your normal household expenses are not covered. Whats that mean? It means just what it looks like. If you have to stay in a hotel, thats an increased living expense. If you have to keep paying the mortgage, theres no coverage for that. If you are staying farther away from work, that additional cost is covered. If you have to eat out more because you dont have a kitchen to cook in the additional cost is covered. You get the point. Heres something to consider. What is an increased cost? Does that mean just the cost above what you would normally have? Does that mean that the loss could be adjusted to reduce the claim payment by expenses that would have been there anyway? Just thinking out loud for you. Incurred by you: this tells us that money has to come out of the customers pocket before this coverage kicks in. Its money that comes back only after it goes out. There are carriers that will advance payment on this, but dont necessarily count on it. Good risk management would suggest that a customer should have emergency funds available for just such an occasion. So that your household can maintain its normal standard of living: I have told underwriters in the past that this is there so that those of us on fast food budgets dont think its time to sit down at the black-tie restaurant uptown. Were trying to create as close to a normal environment as possible while the customer is recovering from a difficult situation (a hurricane took their roof off, or a fire gutted their home).
The next paragraph limits coverage to the shortest time required to repair or replace the damage or to relocate somewhere else. We dont need to dive deeply into that. I think the point is made. Our original question was about expenses to evacuate. It doesnt look like theres coverage here. Yet, you know this policy well enough to wonder if there isnt one more place to look. Youre right. We have to consider paragraph 3. Civil Authority Prohibits Use. Lets look there to see if theres coverage.
If a civil authority prohibits you from use of the residence premises as a result of direct damage to neighboring premises by a Peril Insured Against, we cover the loss as provided in (1 & 2) for no more than two weeks.
Lets take this apart, too.
If civil authority prohibits you from use of the residence premises As a result of direct damage to neighboring premises By a Peril Insured Against No more than two weeks
We begin to get a little hope when we see that civil authority prohibits use of the house, but then were limited again by the next part. Another home has to be damaged by a Peril Insured Against. This is a very limited coverage for when your neighbors house is damaged and it is considered unsafe for you to occupy your home. You might remember a few years ago a home in Seffner, FL that had a sinkhole open up inside the home. By that night, the city had determined that the houses on either side were unsafe. For those homeowners, there is some coverage for their additional expenses because they couldnt go home.
Remember that this whole conversation centers on the coverage provided on the unendorsed ISO HO-3. Different carriers use different forms so you cant just take this information is applicable in all situations. Its just a place to start. Before you go, Id like to send you a question that I got last week. Feel free to discuss.
Can a homeowner that lives in Puerto Rico and has damage to their home claim plane tickets and shipping costs to move and ship their remaining personal property to the continental US under ALE?
Topics Hurricane Homeowners
Hartford, Connecticuts cash-strapped capital city, suffered a fresh round of credit rating downgrades deeper into junk territory by two Wall Street credit agencies on Tuesday, a day after the citys bond insurers said they were open to debt restructuring.
The downgrades by S&P Global Ratings and Moodys Investors Service put Hartford almost at the bottom of the credit scale and mean that the agencies view the city as essentially in default with little prospect for a full bondholder recovery.
S&P slashed its rating by four notches to CC, and Moodys dropped the city two notches to Caa3.
A default, a distressed exchange, or redemption appears to be a virtual certainty, S&P analysts said.
Moodys cited an increased likelihood of default as early as November and said its rating reflects its expectation that bondholders will recover just 65 to 80 percent of their principal investments.
Hartford has roughly $530 million of outstanding debt, much of which is insured by Assured Guaranty Ltd and Build America Mutual Assurance Company.
Both companies said on Monday that they supported a debt refinancing as one way to help avoid a bankruptcy filing by the city.
Bankruptcy litigation would be costly and time consuming, erode confidence among investors and businesses, limit capital market access and increase borrowing costs, they said.
Also on Monday, Hartfords mayor, Luke Bronin, told bondholders on a conference call that the city has no room left to tax or cut its way out of its fiscal crisis.
That investor call heightens the likelihood that Hartford will begin the process necessary to file for bankruptcy, which requires the city to have met with creditors before filing, S&P noted.
A Chapter 9 bankruptcy would also require consent from the governor, treasurer and general assembly, the agency said.
Though a few Connecticut municipalities have been put under the oversight of a state financial review board, none have so far been allowed to go bankrupt.
Both credit rating agencies had just downgraded Hartford within the last two weeks.
Hartfords budgetary performance has been weak for several years, and the management environment remains constrained due to a structurally imbalanced budget with no credible corrective plan, S&P said.
Bronins office did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Hilary Russ; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Topics Agencies
Startupbootcamp, a London-based insurance accelerator that focuses on identifying globally-located disruptive and collaborative insurance and technology innovations, has announced the launch of its new InsurTech Accelerator in Hartford, Conn., designed specifically to rapidly scale insurance-focused technology startups.
The InsurTech Accelerator, which is now accepting applications, has been established to attract new talent and technology to Hartford, one of the worlds leading insurance centers, and aims provide entrepreneurs with the support, resources and industry and investor connections they need to help grow their business.
Working hand in hand with the private sector, our goal is to make Hartford the capital of insurance innovation, and the launch of this InsurTech accelerator is a big part of that strategy, said Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin in a press release issued by Startupbootcamp InsurTech. Our focus on InsurTech is just one part of a broader effort to make Hartford a center of innovation, not only in the insurance sector, but also in advanced manufacturing and healthcare areas where the Greater Hartford region has tremendous strength.
The InsurTech Accelerator, powered by Startupbootcamp, is the first component of Hartford InsurTech Hub, an initiative established in 2017. It was conceived of by a set of executives from Hartford-area insurance carriers and other related firms, City of Hartford staff, and several other community stakeholders. Opportunities to help spur more InsurTech innovation activity in the region were identified by this group, and action against these goals was catalyzed by investment from CTNext: Connecticuts Innovation Ecosystem.
Founding local partners of the InsurTech Accelerator are Cigna, The Hartford, Travelers, and CTNext. Additional corporate partners include USAA and White Mountains.
The InsurTech Accelerator is focused on addressing the need for attracting new technologies and talent in insurance and technology into the City of Hartford and the local ecosystem. It will stretch its reach to other cities in Connecticut to create a spirit of collaboration and innovation between partners, entrepreneurs and investors, while leveraging Startupbootcamps global network of capabilities.
Each year, 10 to 12 startups will be accepted into the three-month intensive accelerator program in Hartford and will receive an initial cash grant of $25,000, co-working space for each startup team and access to Startupbootcamps global network of mentors and investors. To be eligible for the program, entrepreneurs must have a working prototype and have secured startup funding from other sources ranging from $150,000 to $500,000.
The program will reach beyond Connecticut as well and leverage Startupbootcamps global network, including resources in New York City and Miami, where Startupbootcamp FinTech and Digital Health programs reside. Entrepreneurs participating in the InsurTech Accelerator will also benefit from the experience that Startupbootcamp has gained through its InsurTech Accelerator in London.
During the past two years, we have seen increased and speedier engagements between fast-moving insurers and those startups that have propositions clearly aligned to corporate entities needs, said Startupbootcamp InsurTech CEO Sabine VanderLinden in the release. Our goal is to reflect on our learning, select international ventures that can foster an innovation spirit within the City of Hartfords new InsurTech hub and build a spirit of collaboration and the entrepreneurial community in a city that has so many insurers gathered in one place.
Source: Startupbootcamp InsurTech
Related:
Topics InsurTech Tech Connecticut
A Japanese court ruled Friday [Sept. 22] that a utility, not the government, should pay compensation to dozens of former residents of Fukushima for losses to their livelihood caused by reactor meltdowns at a nuclear plant after a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
Chiba District Court ordered Tokyo Electric Power Co. [Tepco] to pay a total of 376 million yen ($3.4 million) to most of the 45 plaintiffs who sought compensation over the loss of their livelihoods and communities because of radiation contamination. The plaintiffs sought 2.8 billion yen ($25 million) altogether.
Fridays ruling was closely watched as a measure of government responsibility. The court dismissed the plaintiffs claim that the government should also be held responsible for failing to enforce tsunami safety measures.
It said the government could have foreseen the risk of a possible massive tsunami, but the damage to the nuclear power plant might not have been avoided even if safety measures had been implemented. The earthquake triggered a tsunami estimated to have been higher than 15 meters (50 feet).
Investigations have found that TEPCO in 2008 internally produced an estimate of a possible tsunami as high as 15.7 meters (52 feet).
The court ruled, however, that the plaintiffs deserved to be compensated for the loss of their livelihood as a whole, not just their tangible assets.
The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami cut off power to the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant and its cooling systems, sending three reactors into meltdown and causing more than 100,000 people to leave their homes due to the spread of radiation and concerns about the impact on health.
Various investigations by the government, parliament and civil groups have identified collusion between regulators and TEPCO and a lack of a safety culture at the utility as the main causes of the accident.
About 30 other compensation suits filed by tens of thousands of former Fukushima residents are still pending. Fridays ruling was the second. An earlier decision in March by another court near Tokyo ordered both the government and TEPCO to pay compensation, though the amount granted was much smaller.
The wrecked Fukushima plants decommissioning is expected to take decades.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics Catastrophe Legislation
The Great Wall is one of the ten pilot programs for the national park system. [Photo: baidu.com]
China Tuesday unveiled the overall plan for establishing its new national park system.
"This marks the completion of the top-level design of the national park system, and the beginning of the next stage of substantial construction" said Wang Yi, deputy head of the Institute of Science and Development at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
By 2020, the country will finish pilot programs for establishing national parks, according to the plan.
The country's national parks will follow the principle of "ecological protection first", the plan said.
The national parks will be authorized by the central government and implemented by government-led management.
Aiming mainly to protect China's large natural ecosystems, the national parks will be set up in specific land, marine and ocean areas to achieve a combination of ecological protection and sustainable development.
The country has set up 10 pilot programs for the national park system, covering topics including the Sanjiangyuan (the source of China's three major rivers), giant panda habitats and the Great Wall.
National parks are one of the most important types of protected natural areas and will be managed according to a red line system.
China has ordered all its provinces and regions to establish an ecological "red line" that will declare designated regions under mandatory and rigorous protection.
The overall plan for establishing a national park system was jointly published by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.
The U.S. law that has protected workers from gender and racial bias for more than half a century should not be extended to cover gay and lesbian employees because that isnt what Congress envisioned when it passed the bill, Trump administration lawyers told a federal appeals court.
Judges must interpret laws based on lawmakers intent, and Congress didnt have the LGBT community in mind when it crafted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Justice Department attorney Hashim Mooppan argued on Tuesday in Manhattan. The agency made its case in defense of a New York skydiving company accused of firing a worker for being gay.
Every circuit court for 50 years has said this isnt covered, Mooppan said at the hearing in Manhattan, referring to sexual orientation. He then compared the situation to an employer firing a worker for having an affair or being promiscuous, scenarios that he said have both been deemed legal.
The argument, before a rare full panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, comes in one of a handful of employment-discrimination cases that may eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Twenty states protect gay and lesbian workers from bias, and a ruling favorable to the plaintiffs in that court could extend such protections nationwide.
Title VII prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin and religion. The plaintiff in the New York case, the estate of former skydiving instructor Donald Zarda, argues that the prohibition of sex-discrimination should be interpreted to cover sexual orientation.
They argue, for example, that a male worker who is fired for being attracted to men is confronting discrimination based on his sex, because he wouldnt have been fired if he were a female attracted to men.
False Comparison
The Justice Department said thats a false comparison because companies that fire workers over their sexual orientation would presumably do so whether they are male or female.
Gay men and women are treated the same, and straight men and women are treated the same, the Justice Department said in court documents.
Lambda Legal, which helped argue the case, said its interpretation of the law has been backed recently by several trial courts, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
No one should be fired, forced from their job, or passed over for promotions because they are lesbian, gay, or bisexual, Greg Nevins, the employment-fairness project director for Lambda Legal, said in a statement after the hearing. The Second Circuit can help fix this.
The administrations stance challenges a group of 50 companies and organizations including Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc.s Google and Viacom Inc. that filed documents in June arguing discrimination based on sexual orientation should be illegal. A federal appeals court in Chicago in April ruled in favor of a fired worker in a similar case.
The case highlights the cultural shift in Washington after President Donald Trumps election and spurred an unusual split between government agencies. The Justice Department intervened on behalf of the employer and the EEOC backed the plaintiff. One judge on Tuesday called the situation awkward, while another questioned why the Justice Department had been silent on the case until just recently.
Sparse Wording
The Zarda estates lawyer, Gregory Antollino, acknowledges that gays and lesbians may not have been the intended beneficiaries of the Civil Rights Act, but says Title VII was such a barebones provision that its open to a fair interpretation. Zarda, who sued in 2010, died in a base-jumping accident in Switzerland in 2014.
Probably no members of Congress in 1964 were thinking about gay people, but neither were they thinking about how courts would interpret the sparse wording of Title VII in 50 years, Antollino said in a court filing.
Precedent is on the employers side, with most federal appeals courts ruling against extending Title VII to cover sexual orientation, said Sharon Stiller, an employment lawyer in Rochester, New York, who isnt involved in the case.
If we continue revisiting precedent through modern eyes, then doesnt that destroy precedent? she said in a phone call.
In March, an appeals panel in Georgia rejected a gay security officers sex-discrimination claim, saying the argument should be pressed before Congress, not the courts.
The government is backed in Zardas case by the National Association of Evangelicals, which argued that the appeals court shouldnt even consider the case because the states covered by the Second Circuit already have workplace protections for gays and lesbians. Corporations are largely addressing the issue on their own, without government intervention, the group added.
Market forces are rapidly driving major employers to adopt such anti-discrimination policies even where not required by law, the group said. It cannot be healthy for the judiciary to permit itself to be reduced to and seen as a mere tell-tale for the prevailing cultural winds, at the expense of the rule of law.
A panel of three appeals court judges ruled against Zarda in April, before he was granted the re-hearing before the full appeals court.
Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
Topics USA New York Politics
The United States has asked China not to implement its new cyber security law and is concerned it could damage global trade in services, a U.S. document published by the World Trade Organization showed on Tuesday.
China ushered in a tough new cyber security law in June, following years of fierce debate around the move that many foreign business groups fear will hit their ability to operate in the country.
The law requires local and overseas firms to submit to security checks and store user data within the country.
If Chinas new rules enter into full force in their current form, as expected by the end of 2018, they could impact cross-border services supplied through a commercial presence abroad, said the U.S. document, submitted for debate at the WTO Services Council.
Chinas measures would disrupt, deter, and in many cases, prohibit cross-border transfers of information that are routine in the ordinary course of business, it said.
The United States has been communicating these concerns directly to high level officials and relevant authorities in China, the U.S. document said, adding it wanted to raise awareness among WTO members about the potential impact on trade.
We request that China refrain from issuing or implementing final measures until such concerns are addressed.
The two-page U.S. document said the measures causing concern included the Cybersecurity Law adopted in November 2016 and taking effect June 2017 and various implementing measures connected with that law and the July 2015 National Security Law.
The law obliges companies to store all data within China and pass security reviews, fitting Chinas ethos of cyber sovereignty the idea that states should be permitted to govern and monitor their own cyberspace, controlling incoming and outgoing data flows.
The impact of the measures would fall disproportionately on foreign service suppliers operating in China, as these suppliers must routinely transfer data back to headquarters and other affiliates, the U.S. document said.
Companies located outside of China supplying services on a cross-border basis would be severely affected, as they must depend on access to data from their customers in China.
China maintains a strict censorship regime, banning access to foreign news outlets, search engines and social media including Google and Facebook.
(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Mark Potter)
Topics USA Cyber China
Louisianas eight metropolitan areas included two of the nations fastest growing economies and two of its fastest shrinking ones in 2016.
Lake Charles economy grew 8.1 percent, the fastest in the nation according to numbers released in September by the U.S. Commerce Department. That growth was boosted by nondurable goods manufacturing, including oil and chemical refining. Alexandria grew 7 percent, fourth fastest nationwide, boosted by natural resources and mining, a sector including oil and gas extraction.
Two other urban areas had bad news. The Lafayette areas economy shrank 11.5 percent, third-worst nationwide. The Houma-Thibodaux area economy shrank 10.4 percent. Both areas saw broad-based declines including drops in oil exploration, transportation and utilities, finance and real estate and durable goods manufacturing.
Swings were more moderate in gross domestic product, which seeks to measure all economic output of an area, in Louisianas other cities. Hammond grew 3.4 percent, like Lake Charles and Alexandria outperforming the 1.7 percent growth posted by metro areas nationwide.
The New Orleans area economy, the states largest, grew 1 percent, while the Baton Rouge area grew 0.9 percent. Both were led by a strong showing from the nondurable manufacturing sector.
The Shreveport-Bossier City area saw its economy decline 1 percent, with natural resources and mining falling the most.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics Louisiana
Officials confirmed a Las Vegas marijuana testing laboratory has been suspended.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Department of Taxation spokeswoman Stephanie Klapstein says the department on Aug. 24 suspended the license of G3 Labs LLC.
Klapstein says the Nevada Department of Agriculture tested marijuana samples from the lab but determined no product recalls will be necessary.
Klapstein says she can provide no other details about why the lab was suspended.
State law requires cannabis companies to have samples of their products tested by licensed independent laboratories.
G3 is the first marijuana business in Nevada to have its license suspended since recreational marijuana possession became legal Jan. 1. Tax Department Director Deonne Contine says this shows the state is diligent in regulating the marijuana industry.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics Cannabis
The board of directors of Hawaii Employers Mutual Insurance Company Inc. has declared a $3.5 million dividend payable to qualifying policyholders.
This is $500,000 dollars more than HEMICs dividend last year, and is the 11th consecutive year that the HEMIC board has authorized a multi-million-dollar dividend. With this dividend, the carrier will have returned more than $31 million dollars to Hawaii businesses over the last decade-plus, according to the company.
Policyholders insured with HEMIC for more than one policy year and who possess demonstrated safety records qualify for the dividend, which will be distributed in November.
HEMIC serves for more than 6,000 businesses and 75,000 workers across the Hawaiian Islands.
Topics Carriers Workers' Compensation
The reports author, from the Danish Ministry of Finance, tells ITR - in his personal capacity - that more robust policies are needed to tackle what is a serious global problem.
Top News - Investor Idea
Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) Facial and Body Recognition Patent Application Received a Notice of Allowance
San Diego, CA - November 9, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) with GBT Tokenize Corp. ("GBT/Tokenize") received a notice of allowance for its facial and body recognition non-provisional patent application.
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The M17 M18 Gort to Tuam motorway was unveiled to the public today two months ahead of schedule and on budget.
It was officially opened today by Shane Ross, TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, in the presence of Cllr. Eileen Mannion, Cathaoirleach of the County of Galway.
Picture just minutes before it opens.Tuam-Gort along West of Ireland. In distance is our farm & hopefully site of new Apple Data centre ;) pic.twitter.com/HV5yCgAmQJ Noel Kelly (@noeljoekelly) September 27, 2017
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring TD, has said that the motorway will be welcomed by local residents and motorists alike and will help to create jobs in the western region.
"With the opening of this fine stretch of road we now have a seamless motorway from Tuam to Limerick via Galway, Ennis and Shannon. I am a firm believer that that good infrastructure helps create jobs and the completion of this section of the motorway will help attract Irish and international companies to this region," he said.
"This is a significant step forward in helping to realise the Atlantic Economic Corridor which my own Department is helping to drive. The next logical step is for this motorway to be extended to Claremorris and I will be extremely keen to see this happen."
John Sisk and Son Ltd also welcomed the official opening of the motorway.
"John Sisk & Son is delighted to have delivered the M17 M18 Gort to Tuam Motorway Scheme and to be a part of its official opening today. It was our aim from the start to deliver this project safely and on time and that has now been achieved within budget," said Pat Lucey, managing director of Civils UK & Ireland at John Sisk & Son.
"The 56km of new road will bring a huge improvement to connectivity west of the Shannon and multi-national companies like Apple are showing great vision in planning a major facility close to the new interchange on the M6 which is 180km from the M50, 69km from Shannon Airport and 80km from Knock Airport.
"Its the type of development that is needed to counteract the regional imbalance and it is infrastructure like this that makes it possible."
The occassion was also commented upon by the Saw Doctors, whose famous song 'N17' is now out-of-date.
Posting on Facebook last night, the Saw Doctors said "somehow the M17 doesn't seem as inviting."
"The words of the famous Saw Doctors song N17 will become redundant tomorrow when the M17 motorway between Tuam and Gort will be officially opened by the Minister for Transport Shane Ross," they wrote.
"No more will Davy Carton be able to sing 'Well the ould fella left me to Shannon, Was the last time I travelled that road, And as I turned left at Claregalway, I could feel a lump in my throat'.
"From tomorrow Davy will be able to drive straight from Tuam to Shannon Airport on the M17 / M18-- there'll be no turning left at Claregalway-- and somehow the M17 doesn't doesn't seem as inviting
"'And I wish I was on the M17'."
Today is the last chance for Irish Rail to put a pay deal on the table before unions ballot for industrial action, according to Siptu.
Siptu, who represent 2,000 workers at the company, say there's been no progress on talks with Iarnrod Eireann at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
Limerick Institute of Technology lecturers today staged a lunchtime protest outside their place of work over the funding crisis facing their sector.
The protests were organised by the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), which represents over 4,000 lecturing and research staff in Institutes of Technology.
The union have said that severe underfunding continues to have a direct, negative impact on the student experience of higher education and pointed out that regular service to students will not be affected in any way by todays protests.
In a statement today local TUI branch officers suggested that every day lecturers see the damage that an era of austerity cuts has had on the education system and the quality of experience for students.
It goes on: "Between 2008 and 2015, student numbers within the Institute of Technology sector rose by 21,411 or 32%. Over the same period, the number of lecturers fell by 535 or 9.5%.
"While lecturers welcome the increase in third level participation, the complete failure to provide appropriate funding and to maintain appropriate staffing levels has had a grossly negative impact on the student experience of higher education. Students have suffered larger class sizes and significantly curtailed access to essential facilities such as libraries and laboratories.
"They have also endured sharp cuts to tutorial and student support provision. As a result of the fall in lecturer numbers and the steep rise in student numbers, lecturer workload has increased considerably.
"Findings of a survey carried out by TUI (April 2015) show that lecturers were experiencing high levels of work-related stress as a result of cutbacks and rationalisation of the sector, and we believe that the situation has worsened since then.
"Academic workload in the Institutes of Technology is disproportionate, unfair and unsustainable, and with lecturing delivery hours significantly above domestic and international norms, academic staff are severely restricted in terms of their engagement with research.
"In addition, many academic staff suffer income poverty as a result of low hours and insecure employment. We urge the Department of Education and Skills to make appropriate provision for the sector in next months budget and to engage with TUI on these matters as a matter of urgency."
Selective acquisitions and divestments could affect about 10% of total revenue, Mr Schneider said, as he unveiled his new strategy to investors at a conference in London. Nestle is already trying to sell its US chocolate business, its first major retreat from sugary snacks, as the Nescafe maker embarks on its biggest revamp in at least a decade.
Well need to trade out of some product areas and into others, Mr Schneider said. Well act decisively, and the US confectionery is a good example of that.
This followed earlier support for the carriers connections between Ireland and the US. It marks a significant advance in providing more competition on the fiercely contested North Atlantic air travel market.
There were plenty of opponents to Norwegian being given approval. Incumbents, especially in America, were unhappy at having their patch interfered with. Labour unions who oppose the Norwegian business model lobbied intensely against approval. Yet, the regulators and officials responsible for air travel in the US gave the go-ahead. Consumers should be cheering.
Competition is the lifeblood of efficient markets. It ensures that consumers are given ample choice which, in turn, helps provide lower prices and wider options. An individual consumer is in a weak position when up against the vast resources that vested interests can amass.
The vested interests, who usually are ensconced in the market with comfortable power and conditions, deploy PR and intense political pressure to keep the established structures in place.
You dont have to look far to see how egregious this can be. Before the single aviation market was created in Europe, the market was defined by high absolute prices and very limited choices. For Irish consumers in particular, being on an island, it was a nightmare. It was the chattering and well-heeled classes that flew. The rest of us either did not fly or took the boat.
European liberalisation utterly changed all that by unleashing a wave of competition that brought down fares and increased choice.
Younger readers will hardly remember the crazy fares that existed in the 1980s. They may be lulled into thinking the existing system, which provides extraordinary value, is here forever. The fight Norwegian had to undertake should remind them otherwise.
Aside from the Atlantic routes, long haul competition has also provided tremendous competition to the East as Gulf carriers pursued ambitious growth plans. Here, too, vested interests have been busy at work. Some American and European incumbent airlines have lobbied hard to curtail and limit the expansion of middle eastern carriers.
When you hear voices calling for constraints on new competition, with arguments focused on spurious issues, the alarm bells should go off. Consumers need the power of liberal-minded politicians to champion their cause and combat those who want to limit choice.
Norwegian Air Shuttle is an example of the entrepreneurial spirit that has regularly bubbled up in the aviation industry. There is no doubt it is stretching its finances to achieve its goals. Ultimately, it may not succeed but its chutzpah has to be applauded.
Freddie Laker was killed off in the airline industry by the incumbents during the 1970s. Tony Ryans airline was almost wiped out in the 1980s. Richard Branson was attacked many times while trying to launch Virgin. All of these brought variety, choice, and most importantly, low fares. Supporting that spirit of competition is more important than ever, and needs to be defended to avoid a return to high fares and limited choice.
Norwegian Air Shuttle is now operating from Cork, Shannon, Dublin, and Belfast to the US.
It may or may not succeed with all of these routes but its willingness to commit resources to the Irish market while others shy away should be welcomed because it is part of a much deeper battle between those who covet competition and those who want a cosy life.
Impact pointed out that, at 0.1% of GDP, Irelands spend on early childhood education puts it at the bottom of the OECD league table.
Irish parents pay some of the highest childcare costs in the world, while most of those working within early education dont even earn a living wage, it noted.
The union wants the Government to allocate an extra 125m in the upcoming budget and at least 625m extra over the next five years to bring Ireland up to the OECD average by 2022.
Impact deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan said the Government should eliminate the special Vat rate for the hospitality sector and invest it in early education, pointing out that even then wed still be well short of the OECD recommended level.
The union also calls on the Government to introduce two months paid parental leave in the upcoming budget.
It said the leave, which it costs at 84m, could be taken by either parent and should be with a view to moving towards paid parental leave enabling parents to remain at home for the first year of life.
It said research has shown that babies do best when cared for at home until their first birthday, yet, despite a Programme for Government commitment, paid parental leave has not been extended beyond existing maternity and paternity leave provision.
Meanwhile, the creation of a public sector super-union could take a major step forward in the next few weeks when the memberships of Impact, the Civil Public and Services Union, and the Public Service Executive Union vote on whether to amalgamate.
The new union, which would have in the region of 85,000 members under the name Forsa would see low and middle-ranking civil and public servants represented by one union.
The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants, which represents top-ranking staff, chose not to be involved.
Le Vell, who has been a long-standing member of the ITV soap, playing Kevin Webster, added that she was a mother figure who helped guide us through the show. She did that for me.
The actor said: For anyone young who joined the show, Liz was the matriarch.
She took us under her wing and was the mother figure who helped guide us through the show. She did that for me. Shes going to be a big loss to us all.
His tribute follows the news of Dawns death, aged 77, which was announced by her family yesterday in a statement.
They said she died peacefully at home on Monday night and remembered the actress, who played Vera Duckworth for more than 30 years, as the love, light, and inspiration in our lives and we are bereft at her passing.
The rest of the cast from the Cobbles joined Le Vell in remembering one of Weatherfields finest, with actress Sally Ann Matthews sharing a touching anecdote about Dawns kindness to her.
Matthews, who plays Jenny Bradley, said: Liz was a wonderful actress and a fabulous lady. You always knew when she was in the building, she had a presence.
When I bought my first home, Liz gave me some money to buy something nice and stick it on the wall. I bought a painting of The Lady of Shalott and think of her every time I look at it.
Dawn first appeared in Coronation Street in 1974 before her character moved into No 9 along with husband Jack, played by the late Bill Tarmey.
After being diagnosed with emphysema, Dawn was written out of the soap in 2008 when Vera died in her sleep.
Two years later, she made a moving comeback as the much-loved Corrie resident.
Just before he passed away, Jack saw a vision of the wife who had spent years nagging him and they shared a last dance together.
In 2012, Tarmey died in Spain and Dawn described him as a lovely man and a true gentleman.
Speaking about her health on a celebrity version of The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2014, the actress revealed: I take a lot of tablets. I just live every day and get on with it.
She had four children and was married twice to miner Walter Bradley in 1957, with whom she had her first child, and to electrician Donald Ibbertson in 1965.
The soaps Sally Dynevor, who plays Sally Webster, said Dawn was an amazing woman and added: She was such a giving person who always thought about other people before herself. She was an inspiration of how to be in life and Im going to miss her.
Weatherfield star Beverley Callard, known to fans as Liz McDonald, said Dawn was a darling of a person. She added: She was one of the kindest people I have ever met and my thoughts are with her wonderful family. She will be sorely missed.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also remembered her, tweeting: Liz Dawn was a brilliant actress & a true friend of Labour. She was as warm as Bettys Hotpot & made Vera a Corrie legend. Farewell chuck.
Born Sylvia Butterfield, the actress was best known by her professional name, Elizabeth or Liz Dawn.
She was awarded an MBE in the 2000 birthday honours and in 2015 she came out of retirement to do a cameo in Emmerdales Christmas special.
Coronation Streets executive producer, Kieran Roberts, said in a statement: Liz Dawn was a true Coronation Street legend, a brilliant actor, and a wonderful person.
The Government was harshly criticised in the Dail for its slow reaction to the recent flooding and the gap in supports for some farmers and businesses.
Charlie McConalogue said it had taken up to five days to respond to the severe weather conditions which impacted the north west last month.
Fianna Fail last night put down a Dail motion calling for the full delivery of services and supports to assist those affected by flooding.
Mr McConalogue pointed to the fact that the humanitarian fund only covers damage up to 20,000, which is not enough in some cases.
He cited a soccer club in Buncrana who have been left in the lurch after around 100,000 in damage was caused to pitches.
We need to ensure that those who have been excluded from the funding so far, for example sporting organisations who have had damage and experienced damage of over 20,000 which is the cap under the Red Cross-administered fund that there is specific funding allocated to them.
While there is a desperate fund available, the Donegal TD said some farmers who lost grain crops, potato crops, second cut fodder and also experienced significant damage to agricultural roads are not eligible.
Anne Rabbitte said there were similar delays in response in her constituency of east Galway when Storm Desmond hit in late 2015.
We waited days and weeks be it the business or the farming community for action. When it came into place it was amazing but its hard to believe that 20 months on we are still having the same conversation under the same Government, she said.
The seminar, entitled Working with Conviction and organised by the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT), also heard that finding the right staff is an increasing challenge for employers, and that suitable candidates who have convictions tend to show increased loyalty once in a job.
A keynote speech at the event was given by James Timpson, the chief executive of the UK-based Timpson Limited, which employs more than 400 people with convictions, including those who have served prison sentences.
The seminar was told that 10% of those 400 were recruited directly from prisons, and that of those who began work on day release from jail, 97% stayed on to work in the longer term with the company.
In Ireland, the Irish Association for the Social Integration of Offenders (IASIO) held a seminar in the old St Patricks Institute for Young Offenders in Mountjoy last May, in which 60 inmates met with representatives of nine employers.
Paddy Richardson, the IASIO chief executive, said four people were offered jobs by three companies on the day while up to nine people were offered the chance of future employment.
Mr Richardson said: This was bringing the mountain to Mohammed. We wanted to bring employers in to break down stereotypical views of prisoners.
He said he hopes that future events could take place involving those on probation, as many of those with a conviction are not work ready when they left prison.
Mr Richardson also said there should not be a blanket ban on those who have been in prison seeking employment, echoing the views of IPRT acting director Fiona Ni Chinneide.
Many companies at the application stage, or at interview, ask if the applicant has a criminal conviction. Ms Ni Chinneide said this should be asked at the point when the job is being offered, rather than at an earlier stage, while Mr Richardson said: To have people look beyond it is not to present it in the first instance.
Ms Ni Chinneide said the Irish Prison Service had made significant efforts to increase the job readiness of inmates when they are in prison, but that due to some staff shortages, access to workshops and training schools has been curtailed in some cases.
She said that increasing the employability of someone with a criminal conviction could also break the negative cycle around offending: Having a criminal conviction does not mean you are going to offend again. Not having a job or stable housing does increase the likelihood of offending again.
Education Minister Richard Bruton confirmed the move as he said his department is continuing to consult with the Chief State Solicitors Office over what, if any, legal action it may take against builders behind the sites.
In a statement to the Dails education committee yesterday, Mr Bruton said all of the 37 schools built by Western Building Systems, based in Coalisland, Co Tyrone, since 2003 will be examined in the next six months.
The move is in addition to a separate sample audit of fire safety standards at 25 schools built by a number of companies during the boom.
This audit was launched after the department was last month forced to publish five 2016 audits into Western Building Systems-built schools found to have major fire safety concerns. These were instigated by an October 2015 Irish Examiner investigation into a linked school.
Mr Bruton said that while the extra investigations into schools in Cork, Meath, Dublin, Laois, and Wicklow have been launched, the department has no reason to believe students or staff are in any danger.
This comment was criticised by the committee, with members claiming the scale of the crisis has been suppressed.
Why was the department, from October 2015 right up to now, guilt of suppressing this, of having it suppressed? said Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett .
The view was supported by committee chair and Fianna Fail TD Anne Rabbitte and the partys education spokesman, Thomas Byrne, while Green Party TD Catherine Martin said the situation is despicable.
Mr Bruton said his department is in ongoing contact with the Chief State Solicitors Office to examine what, if any, legal action the State may take if mistakes are found.
He also said he has set up a new group within his department to oversee all audit findings, and that a clerk of works will be appointed to ensure transparency on future builds.
Asked if he will ban any firm behind schools considered a fire hazard, Mr Bruton said he cannot do so unless they breach EU tender laws.
A spokesman for Western Building Systems said it was confident all of the buildings conformed with the required standards and specifications relevant at the time of handover.
He also said the schools had been signed off by the departments professional representatives.
Western Building Systems Ltd has a distinguished record of delivering high-quality buildings for more than 35 years throughout the UK and Ireland. We take matters of health and safety very seriously indeed, said the spokesman.
The Department of Education has now launched four separate investigations into fire safety concerns in Celtic Tiger era schools:
The first was launched in 2015 into the Rusk and Lusk Educate Together school in north Dublin. This school was built by Western Building Systems.
A second investigation was instigated by this report, and focussed on five other Western Building Systems schools - St Francis of Assisi national school in Belmayne in Dublin; Belmayne Educate Together national school in Dublin; Mullingar Educate Together national school in Offaly; Gaelscoil Clocha Liatha in Greystones in Wicklow; and Powerstown Educate Together national school in Tyrrelstown in Dublin. While it concluded last year, it's findings were not published until last month after intervention from the Information Commissioner in response to a Freedom of Information Act appeal by the Dublin Inquirer newspaper.
On foot of the second investigation, a third investigation was announced which will examine 25 sample schools built during the Celtic Tiger era. They will be identified next month, with a report due by Christmas.
A fourth investigation was launched on Tuesday by Education Minister Richard Bruton, focussing on every school built by Western Building Systems since 2003. Mr Bruton said the step has been taken to ensure there are no concerns, and that just because the schools are named does not necessarily mean there is anything at fault at the facilities.
Excluding the six already examined Western Building Systems schools, the list relates to the following 31 schools:
- Griffeen Valley Educate Together, Dublin (built in 2003)
- Greystones Educate Together, Wicklow (2008)
- Macroom Boys Educate Together, Cork (2009)
- Ardgillan CC, Castleislands, Balbriggan, Dublin (2009)
- Athy Model School, Kildare (2011)
- Scoil Phadraig Naofa Phase II, Kildare (2011)
- Tyrrelstown Educate Together national school, Dublin (2011)
- St Paul's national school, Meath (2011)
- Lucan East Educate Together national school, Dublin (2011)
- Portarlington convent national school, Laois (2012)
- Mulhuddart national school, Dublin (2012)
- Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada, Lucan, Dublin (2012)
- Sc Chormaic CNS, Dublin (2012)
- Maryborough national school, Laois (2013)
- Gaelscoil Chloich na Coillte, Clonakility, Cork (2013)
- Gaelscoil Portlaoise, Laois (2013)
- Scoil Choilm, Porterstown, Dublin (2013)
- Carrigaline Educate Together national school, Cork (2013)
- Scoil Phadraig Naofa, Rochestown, Cork (2013)
- Portlaoise Educate Together, Laois (2013)
- Luttrelstown CC, Dublin (2013)
- Cara junior (special) school, Mayfield, Cork (2014)
- Gaelscoil Shliabh Rua, Stepaside, Dublin (2015)
- Scoil Chaitlin Maude, Dublin (2016)
- Gaelscoil Tulach na Og, Dunboyne, Meath (2016)
- Gaelscoil na Mi, Meath (2016)
- Ashbourne Educate Together national school, Meath (2016)
- Scoil Aoife, Dublin (2016)
- Lucan CNS, Dublin (2016)
- Broombridge Educate Together national school, Dublin (2016)
- De Lacy College, Meath (2016)
In a statement setting out the important priorities before the legal year kicks off next week, Mr Justice Clarke also said the judiciary will continue to engage in an appropriate fashion as the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill and the Judicial Council Bill pass through the Oireachtas.
Obviously this legislation has the potential to affect the judiciary in a very significant way and it is, in my view, wholly appropriate that judges make their views known while recognising, of course, that legislation is ultimately a matter for the Oireachtas, he said.
Mr Justice Clarke said a minority of commentators seemed to suggest that engagement by the judiciary on such matters was inappropriate.
I know of no jurisdiction in the world where it is not considered reasonable and appropriate for judges to make their views known in an appropriate way in relation to proposed legislation which actually affects the judiciary itself, he said.
Making his statement in the Four Courts to an audience including the justice minister and the attorney general, Mr Justice Clarke said there was also a need to increase the number of judges in the Court of Appeal, which was set up three years ago.
He said more appeals are being made now to the Court of Appeal than there were to the Supreme Court before.
The criminal side of the appeals court work is up to date, he said, but it has taken the allocation of four judges.
The six remaining judges, said Chief Justice Clarke, have had to deal with an increased civil appeals burden.
It is also abundantly clear that the workload of the individual judges of the Court of Appeal is, if anything, beyond what can reasonably be expected, he said.
Mr Justice Clarke said that, as a short-term measure, the Supreme Court will assist with the current acute problem which the Court of Appeal faces, by facilitating cases which were transferred to the Court of Appeal being returned to the Supreme Court.
However, he said, the Supreme Court itself is currently down to seven judges, one of whom is more or less assigned full time to a tribunal, leaving an effective cohort of six.
Mr Justice Clarke also observed that it has increasingly become the case that certain types of litigation are beyond the resources of many.
He said he welcomed the establishment of a committee under the chairmanship of the High Court president, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, to engage in a thorough review of civil procedure.
There can be little doubt but that at least some aspects of our civil procedural model are beyond their sell-by dates, said Mr Justice Clarke.
Furthermore many individual solutions which were put in place to deal with particular problems in the past may have worked in the narrow sense of easing the identified problem, but have led to a somewhat unwieldy and sometimes overly complex system.
In the month since a vagus nerve stimulator was put into his chest, the man, who was injured in a car accident, has begun responding to simple orders.
The findings, which were reported in Current Biology, may help to show that by stimulating the vagus nerve, it is possible to improve a patients presence in the world, said lead researcher Angela Sirigu of Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, in Lyon, France.
The researchers say it may challenge the view that a vegetative state which lasts for more than 12 months is irreversible.
Other scientists have hailed it as a potentially very exciting finding, but have also urged caution.
After treatment, it was reported the patient could follow an object with his eyes and turn his head on request, and his mother said there was an improved ability to stay awake, when listening to his therapist reading a book.
The vagus nerve connects the brain to many other parts of the body, including the gut. It is known to be important in waking, alertness, and many other essential functions.
The patient, who was picked because he had been lying in a vegetative state for more than a decade with no sign of improvement also appeared to react to a threat.
Researchers spotted that he reacted with surprise by opening his eyes wide when the examiner suddenly moved their head towards his face.
Changes in brain activity may show that he had shifted from being in a vegetative state to being in a state of minimal consciousness.
An important signal in distinguishing between these conditions increased significantly in areas of the brain that are involved in movement, sensation, and awareness, according to the scientists.
Gains were also spotted in the brains functional connectivity, and metabolic activity in both cortical and subcortical regions of the brain.
The researchers are now planning a large, collaborative study.
Tom Manly of Cambridge Universitys MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit described it as a potentially very exciting finding.
The European Medicines Agency is examining whether there should be further restrictions on the use of valproate medicines to protect unborn babies.
Karen Keely, from Ratoath, Co Meath, voiced her concerns at a public hearing of the EMAs Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee in London yesterday.
Following an EMA review in 2014, measures were introduced to strengthen the warnings and restrictions on the use of valproate medicines in women and girls. There is a risk of malformations and developmental problems in based who are exposed to valproate in the womb.
Ms Keely told the committee she was also speaking on behalf of FACS (Foetal Anti-Convulsant Syndrome) Forum Ireland, an umbrella group of Irish organisations, including Epilepsy Ireland.
FACS Forum Ireland is seeking to raise awareness of foetal valproate syndrome and to get better supports for the families affected. It believes more than 400 children in Ireland have been affected by in-utero exposure to the epilepsy drug, sodium valproate. The brand name is Epilim.
It is beyond doubt that the drug significantly increases the risk of malformations, autism, and developmental delay, said Ms Keely.
Her three adult children, Harry, Lee, and Lorcan, had all been affected by exposure to valproate, she said.
We are living evidence of the risks and the devastating impact of this drug. Two of my three boys require lifelong care and will never be able to have a normal life. They have been robbed of all the joys of life. The effects of sodium valproate have been unbearable.
Ms Keely said the measures introduced by the EMA in 2014 were a step in the right direction but patient information leaflets were not a solution.
How many patients really read this information, especially when they are on the drug long term? she asked.
On-box warnings are crucial, but these are not yet in circulation in Ireland. Many patients also receive medications in plastic bags with no original packaging or patient information leaflet.
Epilepsy Ireland chief executive Peter Murphy, who attended yesterdays public hearing, said doctor-patient communication had improved since 2014 but is still not good enough.
Only 56% of women surveyed by Epilepsy Ireland last December had discussions with their doctor about the drug, and just one in five knew about the new restrictions in place since 2014.
Warnings must be displayed on the external packaging of the drug and, importantly, medication should not be dispensed without original internal and external packaging, said Mr Murphy.
During topical issues in the Dail, Ryanair was branded a corporate dictatorship by Independent TD Mick Barry.
Mr Barry and Independents4Change TD Clare Daly pressed Mr Ross on the flight cancellations, demanding action on the companys use of zero-hour contracts.
Mr Ross said he is willing to meet Irish pilots over working conditions in Ryanair, but has no intention of interfering in the workings of a private company.
Mr Ross said that he spoke to Mr OLeary over the weekend.
I expressed the Governments concerns about passengers, he said. Mr OLeary said to me that Ryanair had come out publicly with its hands up, and was absolutely determined to compensate people fully and properly. There was no question of them not complying as rapidly as possible. It was a surprise, it was a shock, and the passengers who have been inconvenienced will be fully compensated.
We have been in contact, of course, with the regulator, the Commission on Aviation Regulation, and with the [Irish Aviation Authority] to ensure this happens, and Michael OLeary is co-operating fully.
Youve got to remember that Ryanair has done Ireland and consumers a very great service in the past. I am sure that its reputation and Irelands reputation will be fully restored as soon as possible. But my view is that it should have been foreseen, and what happened was unacceptable.
People Before Profit TD Brid Smith said the travel chaos inflicted on Ryanair passengers would have had Fine Gael TDs jumping up and down if it were caused by a workers strike.
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New scanner avoids physical contact between police and travelers
A picture of the body security scanner installed in Tumxuk, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Photo: Zhao Yusha/GT
Xinjiang will use a new high-tech body security scanner for road security checks, a move to enhance counter-terrorism work before the forthcoming 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
A division from the People's Liberation Army in Tumxuk, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, recently introduced 10 units of terahertz security scanners, which were installed at road security checkpoints.
"It took these scanners only 10 seconds to scan one person, while the traditional hand-held scanner takes almost 50 seconds to complete the task," Xu Yongsheng, vice head of a road security check station, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Once the person steps into the body scanner, he or she is required to turn around, and an alarm will go off if the scanner detects metal or explosive objects.
Xu said the new scanner protects the police as they do not need to have physical contact with those being examined.
"We used to get into conflict with people when we examined them with hand-held scanners, especially women," Xu noted.
A local Uyghur named Rozi, who had to undergo the scanner several times when passing through the station, said the new scanner is more convenient as it saves him time and protects his privacy.
Xu noted many people are concerned about the possible health risks the machine might pose.
"The human body naturally transmits terahertz waves, which can be received by the terahertz body scanner. So unlike traditional X-rays, it has no harmful effects," Li Gang, president of Beijing Aerospace Yilian Science & Technology Development Company, the manufacturer of the scanner, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Major battlefields
Li said the Xinjiang military contacted him in February about introducing the machines "to meet the counter-terrorism demands in Xinjiang."
Tumxuk and Kashgar are the gateways and major battlefields for Xinjiang's security work. The two cities are inhabited by many ethnic minority groups which move freely in large numbers every day, Qin Wenrong, a Xinjiang military officer, told the Global Times.
Qin said that the Tumxuk government has invested heavily in these scanners to enhance their counter-terrorism work ahead of the upcoming 19th National Congress of the CPC, which will convene in Beijing on October 18.
Qin said all 35 security checkpoints in Tumxuk will be equipped with the scanners in the future.
Meng Jianzhu, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, called for the use of new technologies to fight terrorism during his inspection in Xinjiang in August.
Apart from body scanners, Qin said that the Tumxuk government conducted massive security checks throughout the city a few days ago and urged government officials to pay attention to suspicious signs, such as a sudden increase of strangers in homes.
Xinjiang has witnessed sporadic violent incidents.
In February, three knife-wielding attackers killed five and injured another five in Pishan county, Hotan prefecture, the Hotan government said on its website. Tumxuk is around 600 kilometers north of Hotan.
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To home, please! Food delivery drone to take flight in China
(Photo/Courtesy of Ele.me)
Takeout food lovers in China will soon be able to get even faster food delivery, as drones are expected to serve the booming business.
Food delivery app Ele.me on Sept. 23 officially unveiled its drone at the World Unmanned System Conference (WUSC) in Shanghai. The drone is a third-generation drone independently developed by the company. It can fly at a maximum speed of 65 km/h. With a full load of 6 kilograms, the E7 can cover a distance of 20 kilometers.
(Photo/Courtesy of Ele.me)
Specifically, the takeout box it carries only weighs 485 grams, but can hold up to 20 liters, making it the worlds lightest and strongest takeout box.
The company began researching and developing food delivery drones in 2016. By September this year, Ele.me has conducted thousands of tests on its independently-designed drones. It is currently working on an even more advanced drone, which is expected to be put into tests in April 2018.
Ele.me did not reveal when it might release such drones to market, but the company did confirm that the drones would be used for line-haul delivery. Couriers will be responsible for sending orders to each house. Currently, food delivery is conducted only by couriers, which can be a problem in heavily congested cities.
In 2016, the company already set a record for delivering food in 30 minutes on average. The time may be further cut with the help of drones.
Also at the WUSC, Ele.me signed a deal with the operator of Shanghais Jinshan Industrial Park to launch a drone R&D center that includes the right to use certain airspace within the park, making the first R&D base for instant delivery drones.
However, the ambitious plan of Ele.me has raised some doubts. Some have questioned the safety of using food delivery drones in busy cities and whether drones with a carrying capacity of just 6 kilograms are sufficient for the booming food delivery business.
By the end of 2016, major food delivery apps Ele.me and Meituan both reported more than 9 million daily orders.
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Xi calls for writers, artists to focus on the people
(Xinhua) 19:20, September 27, 2017
BEIJING, Sept. 27 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked writers and artists across the country to focus on the people, and keep producing excellent works.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a written instruction on cultural and ideological progress.
(Xinhua) 19:20, September 27, 2017
BEIJING, Sept. 27 -- China has commended Jordan for adhering to the one-China policy as Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with visiting Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi here Wednesday.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and China attaches great importance to the strategic partnership with Jordan and hopes the two countries would support each other on issues concerning their core interests, Wang said.
In accordance with the one-China principle, Jordan has requested the so-called Foreign Representative Office of Taiwan in Jordan to change its name.
"We appreciates such a position, and this will further enhance political mutual trust between China and Jordan," Wang said.
Safadi said requesting the organization to change name was a political decision made by Jordanian leaders, and they would continue adherence to the one-China principle in the future.
"Jordan expects joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' initiative and deepened practical cooperation with China. We also hope China could play a bigger role in solving the crisis in the Middle East and promoting development of the region," Safadi added.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the opening ceremony of the 86th Interpol General Assembly in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
BEIJING, Sept. 27 -- As the world is plagued by mounting global security challenges, both old and new, the new proposal by Chinese President Xi Jinping on international security has given a boost to global stability.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 86th Interpol General Assembly on Tuesday, Xi proposed better cooperation and innovation, upholding the rule of law and seeking mutual benefit to build universal security for mankind.
Security and stability are fundamental to peace and development across the globe, and the world is far from tranquil.
Global security is facing challenges such as widespread terrorism, cybercrime and organized crime, which all threaten national security, social stability and economic development around the world.
In an increasingly interconnected world, security problems go beyond national boundaries. A security flaw in one country can easily become an Achilles' heel for regional and even global security.
Security of a country cannot be ensured by an individual or single country; rather, joint efforts of different governments are needed to improve cooperation and combat crime.
As Xi put it, "Countries should adopt a concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and jointly respond to security challenges."
With its remarkable progress in combating crime and the development of a sophisticated law enforcement and crime prevention system over the years, China today enjoys sustained economic growth and social stability, and its people lead a happy and peaceful life.
More and more people believe China is one of the most secure countries in the world, which in turn has contributed to global security.
While focusing on its own security and development, China has helped its neighbors, sharing its experience and making its due contribution.
The country has actively participated in global law-enforcement and security, working with other countries in extradition, international telecom fraud and drug trafficking.
China resolutely supports the international fight against terrorism, and has been engaged in in-depth cooperation with more than 70 countries and regions in combating cybercrime.
The country has sent 2,609 peacekeepers to serve in UN missions in nine regions, including South Sudan, Darfur in Sudan, Mali and Liberia, making it the largest contributor of troops among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
The Chinese president also unveiled concrete action to support Interpol in the next five years, with a special focus on underdeveloped countries and regions.
Measures listed include giving support to joint global actions against terrorism, cybercrime and new organized crime each year, and upgrading Interpol communication systems and criminal investigation labs for 100 developing countries.
The Chinese government also plans to set up an international law enforcement college under its Ministry of Public Security to offer training to 20,000 law enforcement personnel for developing countries.
Ensuring global security is an arduous, complicated and prolonged mission.
While Interpol observes its motto of "Connecting Police for a Safer World," China's proposal and action may well serve as solutions to international security cooperation and a safer world.
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The Dubai Watch Week carried out a detailed survey of participants after the 2016 edition. Can you share some of the main findings?
At Dubai Watch Week we are passionate about hosting a platform that encourages the act of knowledge sharing and education in the industry. Because of this, and the fact that we are a very new event, we asked our visitors and guests for their thoughts and feedback on all elements throughout the week.
The feedback we received was incredibly positive and further encouraged us to host a third edition this year, as well as make it even better than the last two.
What we found is that before our debut in 2015, an event in the format of Dubai Watch Week was sorely missing from the industry calendar. It has underlined the importance of creating a networking event that makes knowledge sharing and education the primary objective. Therefore it is an event that brands and experts hold in high regard and ardently want to be a part of.
We are really proud to have received such overwhelmingly positive feedback on Dubai Watch Week so far, but we have also ensured that this year will be an evolution of the first two events. Thats why our event footprint will be larger and our amended schedule will allow for more content as well as easier access to the panels, masterclasses and creative hubs. Most importantly we have ensured that our theme Classic & Contemporary allows for new, fresh and relevant content and conversations throughout the week.
What is new for the 2017 edition of the Dubai Watch Week? What can visitors expect?
The theme Classic & Contemporary explores the evolution of watchmaking, by bringing the industrys rich heritage to light as well as championing its innovation and creativity - connecting the past to the present. Visitors can expect more masterclasses, creative hubs and panels - hearing the legendary watchmakers tell their stories first hand. This years edition will feature new programs such digital activations in partnership with FHH, watch-craft master classes, and an evaluation room where visitors can have their watches evaluated by the experts at Christies.
The Dubai Watch Week is recognised as an important event for the industry at large, but how important is it for Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons and for the UAE market?
Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons has been curating time since 1950 and education is a very important part of our business. Transmission of knowledge and cultural exchange is at the heart of Dubai Watch Week and we believe through this platform we can continue to foster the growing interest of collectors and watch lovers in the region.
At Dubai Watch Week we are committed to establishing the Emirate as a global destination for the education of fine watchmaking and horological craft. From 2000 to 2016, the UAE has seen a steadfast increase in the import value of Swiss watches from CHF 180 million to CHF 923 million. In 2016, the Middle East & Asian markets accounted for 49.1% export shares of Swiss wristwatches valued at CHF 11.8 billion, significantly ahead of Europe (33.9%) and North & South America (14.7%).
The event not only targets the international watch calendar, but also reinforces the Emirates vision in establishing Dubai as a key destination for knowledge, culture and innovation. The importance of UAE as a key market will remain the driving force behind our strategy for Dubai Watch Week over the next four years.
The forums are a highly appreciated part of the Dubai Watch Week. What subjects will they be covering this year?
The Horology Forum continues to address current topics and to spark conversation around all aspects of watchmaking. This year we will cover subjects such innovation, technology, diversification, relevance of aftercare and of course, the importance of preserving traditional techniques.
Last year visitors to the Dubai Mall were treated to a huge watch exhibition. What will they be treated to this year?
Currently we are still finalising the various programs and aspects of the event and we will be able to share more details very soon it is safe to say there will be something new for every visitor at the third edition of Dubai Watch Week.
Winston-Salem police officials said Tuesday that the rash of shootings since Sunday represents isolated incidents and that people should feel safe in their neighborhoods.
We have made all patrol officers aware of these incidents, Assistant Police Chief Wilson Weaver said. And as our officers respond to 911 calls for service across the city, they are also willing to receive any information from citizens that could result in developing investigative leads that may assist in solving these specific gun violence-related crimes.
Six people were shot within a 17-hour span in Winston-Salem between Sunday night and Monday afternoon, police said. The shootings occurred in four separate incidents, two of which police said are related.
The latest shootings happened two weeks after another series of shootings and a fatal stabbing occurred in a span of 32 hours in Winston-Salem over the weekend of Sept. 8-10. Police Lt. Rick Newnum said the two outbreaks of violence appear to be unrelated.
One incident began about 4:30 p.m. Monday when officers found Irvin Marcial Ruiz, 18, on Patria Street, near its intersection with Wright Street, in the citys southern Konnoak neighborhood. Ruiz was lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Ruiz, whose injuries are life-threatening, was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Newnum said where he was in critical though stable condition Tuesday.
Investigators say Ruiz was a passenger in a red car involved in a shooting at the corner of Anderson Drive and South Main Street. Michael Sosa, 25, reported Monday afternoon that he was sitting in his vehicle when occupants of a red car shot at him. Sosa told police he shot back.
By the time police found Ruiz, the red car he had been riding in was gone.
About 9:30 p.m., police were called to the 500 block of Pitts Street on reports of shots being fired. Officers said they found an green SUV occupied by seven people. One of the passengers told police he was shot earlier at Anderson Drive and South Main Street.
Police say Jose Agustiniano, 19, had been a passenger in the red car whose occupants had exchanged gunfire with Sosa. Agustiniano was treated for a gunshot wound to his arm at Wake Forest Baptist and released.
Officers found a shotgun, a rifle and a handgun inside the green SUV on Monday night and arrested all of the its occupants, Newnum said. He didnt identify the suspects or the charges against them, but did say that after the arrests, no more shootings occurred Monday.
The police gang unit is assisting investigators on this case, Weaver and Newnum said, adding that the people involved know each other.
There is a possibility that this is gang-related, Newnum said of the incidents involving Ruiz and Agustiniano. Newnum declined to identify any gangs that could be involved in the shootings.
Its too early for that, he said.
The Main Street shooting followed an incident in which a Winston-Salem man was wounded by gunfire in the area of Rupert Bell Park at 1501 Mount Zion Place, in eastern Winston-Salem.
Barron Bernard Lewis, 26, of Ansonia Street was taken to a local hospital for treatment, police said.
That shooting happened about 4 p.m. Officers were near the park when they heard several gunshots, police said. The officers then found Lewis seated in a vehicle in the parks parking lot with several gunshot wounds.
Newnum said the shooting was a result of a drug transaction gone bad.
Two other related shootings occurred an hour apart late Sunday and and early Monday, resulting in injuries to three people, police said.
The first happened about 11:45 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of East 15th and East 17th streets, police said.
Officers found two males from Winston-Salem, ages 15 and 16, who had been shot, just south of Blum Park in the citys northern section. Police didnt identify those victims, citing their ages.
While officers were investigating that shooting, they received a second call about a man who had been shot in his house in the 800 block of Cameron Avenue. Detectives found Cherokie DeMichael Williams, 20, who had been shot in the head, Lt. Michael Cardwell said.
All of the victims were taken to local hospitals for their injuries. Williams was in critical but stable condition, police said. The juveniles are expected to recover from their injuries.
Officers also are investigating the shootings involving the teens and Williams, Newnum said.
We are committing resources to combat this stuff, Newnum said.
Kimya Dennis, an associate professor of sociology and criminal studies at Salem College, said in an email that all of the shootings are problematic because they occurred in a short time period.
It is unclear whether these shootings indicate a problem with Winston-Salems safety, wro Dennis, who is also Salem Colleges coordinator of criminal studies. Since such violence tends not to be random people tend to know each other it could be connected to negative emotions expressed through anger, aggression, and violence.
Egypt's parliamentary human rights committee has praised Saudi King Salman's decree which allows women to drive cars for the first time in the history of the Gulf kingdom.
The head of the committee, Alaa Abed, on Wednesday described the decision as a "a step on the right track of equality between men and women, as well as a fundamental human right," state-news agency MENA reported
The parliament's Arab affairs committee also expressed "respect and appreciation" for what they described as an "unprecedented decision."
The royal decree stipulates that the decision be implemented by June 2018, according to Saudi state news agency SPA.
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[JURIST] Chinas Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) [official website] has imposed fines [CAC statement, in Chinese] on some of the countrys top technology firms for failing to censor online content in accordance with Chinas censorship laws.
Among the companies are Tencent Holdings, Baidu and Weibo Corporation [corporate websites]. According to two statements from the Chinese government, one from regulators in Beijing and the other from those in Guangdong [statements, in Chinese], all three companies failed to censor their respective social media platforms for information of violence and terror, false rumors, pornography, and other information that jeopardizes national security, public safety, and social order.
The regulators claim that by doing so, these companies violated Article 47 of the 2016 Chinese Cybersecurity Law [materials], which states:
Network operators shall strengthen management of information published by users, and upon discovering information that the law or administrative regulations prohibits the publication or transmission of, they shall immediately stop transmission of that information, employ handling measures such as deleting it, to prevent the information from spreading, save relevant records, and report it to the relevant competent departments.
The notices provided by the CAC and the regulators do not mention exactly how much these fines will be but state that each company will receive the maximum penalty. The notices also requires that all impacted companies take swift action to remove the content and the accounts that shared it.
This crackdown on online content comes three weeks before Chinas 19th Party Congress, a meeting of the whole Chinese Congress which takes place once every five years.
An Egyptian-sponsored United Nations Security Council draft resolution condemning Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank triggered a frenzy of lobbying by Israel.
When it emerged that Washington would not use its veto to block the resolution, Israeli officials asked US President-elect Donald Trump to intervene.
Trump called Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who agreed to delay the vote.
Here are some key questions and answers on Israeli settlements:
- What are settlements? -
Settlements are Israeli villages, towns and even cities built on territory Israel seized during the 1967 war.
Some 430,000 Israeli settlers currently live in the West Bank, along with 2.6 million Palestinians.
A further 200,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem, along with at least 300,000 Palestinians, who want to make east Jerusalem the capital of their future state.
Israel also seized part of the Golan Heights from Syria and the Gaza Strip from Egypt and established settlements in both. It evacuated the Gaza settlements in 2005.
- What is their legal status? -
From the 1970s, Israel established a network of settlements throughout the occupied West Bank.
The Oslo accords of 1995 divided the territory into Israeli and Palestinian-governed zones meant to lay the ground for a future Palestinian state, but Israel continued to build and expand settlements there.
The United Nations and most of the international community see Israeli settlements in the West Bank and in east Jerusalem -- which Israel annexed in 1980 -- as illegal.
Israel differentiates between those it has approved and those it has not, often called outposts.
- Who are the settlers? -
Many Israeli settlers moved to the West Bank and east Jerusalem in search of affordable housing.
The government encouraged them to move to cities such as Ariel, Maale Adumim and the ultra-Orthodox settlements of Beitar Ilit and Modiin Ilit.
There are also many national-religious hardliners who see living in the biblical lands of Judea and Samaria as fulfilling a divine promise.
Hundreds of them live near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, a holy site for both Jews and Muslims and a focal point of violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
- How do the Palestinians see settlements? -
Palestinians consider Israeli settlements a war crime and a major obstacle to peace.
The Palestinians want Israel to withdraw from all land it occupied in the 1967 Six-Day war and to dismantle all Jewish settlements, although they have accepted the principle of minor land swaps equal in size and value.
Israel rules out a full return to pre-1967 borders but is ready to pull out of some parts of the West Bank while annexing its largest settlement blocs which are home to the majority of the settlers in the territory.
Switzerland is investigating the uncle of Syria President Bashar al-Assad for war crimes allegedly committed in the 1980s, prosecutors said Monday, as a rights group demanded progress in the sputtering four-year old case.
The previously undisclosed probe is targeting Rifaat al-Assad, the older brother of the late Syrian dictator Hafez al-Assad.
Rifaat al-Assad, who is separately implicated in French and Spanish corruption probes, was forced into exile in 1984 after a failed attempt to overthrow his brother.
But Swiss authorities are investigating alleged offences committed when Rifaat al-Assad commanded military units suspected of slaughtering thousands of civilians.
In a statement, the Swiss attorney general's office (OAG) said that following a criminal complaint it had opened a "war crimes" case against a Syrian national in December 2013 in connection alleged offences committed in Syria in the 1980s.
The complaint was filed by TRIAL International, a rights group that works with victims and pushes Switzerland to prosecute alleged international criminals.
TRIAL said that much of the evidence it had compiled against Assad relates to his role in suppressing a 1982 rebellion in the Syrian city of Hama, where thousands of people were estimated to have been killed.
TRIAL noted that Assad's occasional visits to Switzerland gave authorities the opportunity to arrest him, in accordance with the Swiss principle of universal jurisdiction for major international crimes.
"The case is at a stalemate, despite the significant amount of evidence at hand," TRIAL said in a statement.
"The sluggishness of the OAG goes against Switzerland's international commitments," the organisation's director Philip Grant added.
TRIAL spokeswoman Chloe Bitton told AFP that the decision to go public four years after the probe was opened was made by lawyers representing Assad's alleged victims, who were frustrated with the lack of progress.
The OAG said the "very complex" nature of the investigation meant the probe would take time.
According to Bitton, the attorney general's representatives held an "informal" meeting with Assad at a Geneva hotel during one of his trips to the Swiss city in September 2015.
French and Spanish authorities have separately been cooperating on an embezzlement case targeting Assad, whose assets have been estimated at several hundred million dollars.
France filed charges against him in June last year.
Thousands of angry South African trade unionists took to the streets across the nation on Wednesday to call for President Jacob Zuma to resign over alleged top-level corruption.
In Johannesburg roughly 2,000 members of the COSATU trade union federation, South Africa's largest, marched armed with "Zuma must go, corruption is a crime against humanity" placards.
They accuse Zuma of massive looting of state resources and collusion with the influential Gupta business family who are at the centre of many of the graft allegations against the president.
COSATU, which along with the South African Communist Party (SACP) and Zuma's African National Congress (ANC) party, is in South Africa's ruling coalition but has previously broken ranks and called for the president to go.
COSATU backs Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a former trade union leader and businessman, in the race to replace Zuma as party leader which will conclude at the ANC's elective conference this December.
Zuma must also step aside as president of the country in 2019 when the ANC leader will likely succeed him as head of state. Zuma denies all allegations of corruption against him.
- Ramaphosa: 'man of good morals' -
But COSATU's president Sdumo Dlamini, who led marchers in Durban, denied that the protests were intended to sway December's conference and insisted that they were simply to protest graft.
"(The) ANC needs to prioritise unity so that we can see a united outcome of their conference in December," he told local media.
In Johannesburg a sea of red-clad demonstrators nonetheless chanted "we are ready for Ramaphosa".
"The president of the country must step down because of his dubious relationship with the Guptas," said 48-year-old Lucas Makgolane, a high school teacher who made the journey to the commercial capital from Heidelberg 60 kilometres (40 miles) southeast of Johannesburg.
"If Zuma steps down then the deputy president, a man of good morals, can step in."
Smaller marches were also held in Cape Town and in several of South Africa's major towns.
Zuma has shrugged off several court cases and persistent allegations of graft and incompetence.
Criticism of his leadership is growing within the ANC and several marchers wearing the party's colours took part in Wednesday's action.
As South Africa's economy struggles to rebound following years of sluggish growth, some political analysts have suggested that the ANC could lose its absolute majority in parliament -- held since the dawn of democracy in 1994 -- in 2019's elections.
Kansas State University researcher receives one of 30 new NSF EPSCoR fellowships
Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017
Division of BiologyAssistant Professor Jocelyn McDonald, right, who is one of 30 awardees of a new National Science Foundation fellowship, and Yujun "Eugene" Chen, left, postdoctoral researcher, work with fluorescent images of embryonic cells. | Download this photo.
MANHATTAN A Kansas State University researcher has been awarded an inaugural National Science Foundation fellowship to learn new microscopic methods to take 3-D movies of live cells as they move.
One of 30 researchers nationwide, Jocelyn McDonald, assistant professor in the Division of Biology, was awarded the new Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-4 fellowship through the National Science Foundation's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, initiative.
The fellowship provides opportunities for pre-tenure investigators to further develop their individual research potential by partnering with another researcher at a premier research center. McDonald will collaborate with Denise Montell at the University of California, Santa Barbara to learn how to use light sheet fluorescent microscopy, which can capture 3-D images of live cells as they move in tissues.
"Often, we think of cells as being still and not doing much, but many cells move from one place to another in a tissue or an organ," McDonald said. "This is really important in making fully formed embryos, healing wounds and immune system functioning."
McDonald works with specific fruit fly cells that migrate as a group, or collective, which is broadly important for the embryonic development of many organs. According to McDonald, it is not well understood how these cells stay ordered and migrate inside dense tissue. Light sheet fluorescent microscopy could help scientists see that process in more detail and for a longer time than previous techniques.
"There are many techniques to look at cells in their native environment, but usually the light from the microscope is too intense," McDonald said. "This particular system, the light sheet microscope, has gentle light, it's three-dimensional and we can do really long-term imaging to view the cell group on its four- to six-hour journey in the tissue and make 3-D movies."
Another method that McDonald and an accompanying postdoctoral researcher, Yujun "Eugene" Chen, will learn as part of the fellowship is a technique using a confocal microscope's strong light that can turn proteins on and off in the cells to control cell movement.
"We already have some genetic evidence that certain proteins are very important in the migration of these cells," McDonald said. "We don't know if they are required during the whole journey or only parts of the journey. By turning on a specific protein at different parts of the journey, I hope we can answer that question."
The two-year fellowship for nearly $177,000 includes funds for travel, salary support for McDonald and Chen and some supplies. At the end of the two years, McDonald and Chen will be expected to share what they have learned with others at Kansas State University.
"This technique could be used in a variety of biological disciplines, not just development biology," McDonald said. "It can do live cell imaging without killing the cell of plants, insects or vertebrates."
Related Official says Lebanon airline to halt Irbil flights
Egypt's national airline EgyptAir is suspending flights to and from Iraq's Kurdish regional capital of Erbil starting Friday after the Baghdad government banned flights to the region, a source at the company told Ahram Online on Wednesday.
The decision comes one day after the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority sent a notice to foreign airline companies informing them of Baghdad's decision to ban international flights to and from Iraqi Kurdistan after the region held a referendum on independence Monday.
Iraqi PM Haidar Al-Abadi said the flight ban will remain in place until airports in the region are placed under the control of the country's central government in Baghdad.
EgyptAir normally runs periodic flights to Erbil as well as the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
On Tuesday, Cairo said it is deeply concerned about the possible secession of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq in the wake of Mondays referendum, calling on all parties to avoid unilateral measures."
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Egypts parliament will start the third legislative session in its parliamentary term on 2 October in accordance with a presidential decree issued on Thursday, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported on Wednesday.
The presidential decree was published in the Egyptian state's official gazette on Wednesday.
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Related Trump replaces travel ban with new travel restrictions
The African Union on Wednesday expressed its "bewilderment" at US President Donald Trump's inclusion of Chad on an updated and open-ended travel ban list issued at the weekend.
In a statement the AU said it had been "perplexed" by the presence of three African countries -- Libya, Somalia and Sudan -- on Trump's original travel ban, and welcomed the removal of Sudan from the new list, issued Sunday.
But it criticised the "unjust" inclusion of Chad, a country with a long history of cooperation with the United States on counter-terrorism.
The AU statement "expressed bewilderment at the imposition of the unjust travel ban on the Republic of Chad, in particular, given its important role in the fight against terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin, Northern Mali, and the Sahel."
Chadian forces, sometimes in close collaboration with the US military, play a leading role in fighting against Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists.
Chad has suffered Islamist attacks and its capital, N'Djamena, hosts the five-country Multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram.
The new travel ban indefinitely blocks citizens of listed countries from entry to the US.
The AU said it shares US concerns over "the threat of terrorism and violent extremism" but that "cooperation and meaningful engagement" were the answer.
"The free and legal movement of people is the foundation of a stronger and mutually enriching relationship between the African continent and the United States," the AU added.
On Sunday, Trump acknowledged Chad as "an important and valuable counterterrorism partner" but added it "does not adequately share public-safety and terrorism-related information" and warned that "several terrorist groups are active within Chad or in the surrounding region."
Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, alongside the three African countries, are subject to the new ban which takes effect on October 18.
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France warned Iraq's Kurdish region on Wednesday that a declaration of independence would likely destabilise the region, but called on the central Iraqi government to give the Kurds greater autonomy.
"What would be desirable today is that Kurdish Iraq be integrated in the reconstruction of Iraq, reconciliation of Iraq by having the greatest amount of autonomy possible," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian told BFM TV.
"It does not seem timely today to have independence ... but (if) a declaration of independence happened it would provoke new major crises in the Middle East at a time when Islamic State is being defeated in Iraq."
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Deliveroo, Foodora, Giovo. The success of these companies depends on the exploitation of an invisible precariat. Now, against all expectations these workers are mobilizing across borders to claim their rights.
A London strike by Deliveroo workers in the summer of 2016 was the first sign that food delivery platform workers were capable of mass collective action. The strike spread from Deliveroo to UberEats, and then around the UK. A year on, that struggle has spread transnationally. Food delivery platform workers have now been on strike in over ten cities across the UK, Italy, France, Spain and Germany.
Their struggles have both won victories and faced serious setbacks, but the fact remains that a transnational movement of precarious labour has emerged from what appeared to be the most unlikely of circumstances. Workers who were supposed to be weak and powerless have spread their antagonism with capital across borders in militant, unmediated action. This transnational circulation of struggle provides an example of how the changing composition of the working class can provide new opportunities, even as it demolishes old certainties.
It all kicks off in the UK
The UK movement began when Deliveroo workers in London were told that their contracts would be shifting from an hourly wage (7) with a bonus per delivery (1) to a piece work system (3.75 per drop). Informal networks in seven different areas quickly mobilised to respond. Hundreds of riders went on strike over the course of a week. This action forced the company to allow striking riders a choice of pay structure, and set the tone for the disputes to come.
After the initial wave of action in London had subsided, two unions got involved in organising with Deliveroo riders. The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB), a small breakaway union formed in 2013, began to organise with workers in Camden in London, the epicentre of the summer strikes, and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) engaged with workers nationally and in Bristol and Leeds particularly. The Rebel Roo, a self-organised Deliveroo workers bulletin, also began to be produced with support from the political group Plan C.
Month by month, the level of organisation and action outside London developed. Workers running training shifts for Deliveroo went on strike and won in Bristol, followed by unionisation and strike action in Brighton over low pay and the beginning of a concerted organising effort in Leeds. By February the circulation of Rebel Roo had grown to 1500 a month (about 10% of the national workforce) and there were the beginnings of organisation in cities as socially and politically diverse as Bath, Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Manchester and Glasgow. Key parts of the movement converged for discussions at the Transnational Social Strike Platforms assembly in London in late February, and the movement seemed to be approaching a critical point.
Struggles in Leeds and Brighton achieved significant victories but failed to scale up nationally.
When seven workers from Leeds were victimised, the IWW were keen to push for national strike action, but there was hesitation elsewhere about the possibility of such an escalation. This hesitation coincided with a fall off in momentum nationally. Struggles in Leeds and Brighton achieved significant victories but failed to scale up nationally. The victimised workers in Leeds were reinstated and the manager who had victimised them sacked, and workers in Brighton won a recruitment freeze, but the movement at large faltered. In Brighton, riders pushed forwards with forming a coalition with other precarious workers, culminating in a Precarious Mayday demonstration. But despite these positive steps, the moment had gone.
The counter-offensive by Deliveroo involved significant concessions in certain local zones which drove up average wages, but, significantly, these were mediated through the apps obscure distribution of work rather than contractual changes. Gradually, the most organised zones in the UK began to fall into inactivity. In the context of this retreat of worker action, the IWGB union fell back on the legal avenue it had been pursuing to challenge Deliveroos use of independent contractor status to avoid legal obligations to its workers. This challenge is ongoing, and has been supported by the left-wing leadership of the Labour party.
The Movement Spreads
After the London strike, organization became contagious. Suddenly, workers across Europe began to take action. The struggle in Italy saw the first mobilisations of Foodora riders begin in Turin in October 2016. About half of the 100-strong Foodora workforce went on strike when the company attempted to change their pay from hourly (5.40 an hour) to piecework (2.70 a delivery). They formed a critical-mass strike demonstration alongside social movement groups and circled the city. The demands of the movement centred on costs (data, bikes), on hourly wage parity with Milan, and on employment rights like sick pay and holiday pay. The overall demand on employment status was to be covered by national collective labour contract and so to get the minimum wage.
The riders organised with the combative syndicalist union Si Cobas and managed to win a contractual 1.10 increase in the delivery fee to 3.60. However, this significant victory was followed by the 15 most prominent organised workers being disconnected and a mass recruitment drive that diluted the organisation of the workforce. Combined with app changes designed to placate riders, the Foodora counter-offensive successfully interrupted the movement.
Strikes in France were considerably less formalized than in the UK and Italy, with riders calling and enforcing strikes with little notice or overt coordination. This chaotic situation created a sense of panic amongst platform management, with Deliveroo even threatening call the police on striking riders in Marseilles, who had set up a picket outside a popular restaurant.
The first protest brought 80+ Deliveroo and Foodora riders together for a joint demonstration.
In Germany, organization began in April 2017 when the Free Workers Union (FAU) launched their food delivery platform organising campaign in Berlin. Their demands were: transparency about hours worked, enough guaranteed hours to live on, 1 more per drop and one hour a week paid time for shift planning. For the first time, the campaign had a large base in multiple food delivery platforms. The first protest was held in May and brought 80+ Deliveroo and Foodora riders together for a joint demonstration, calling for negotiations. A second demonstration held at Deliveroo and Foodora head offices in June attracted similar numbers. This continual pressure has forced Foodora to enter into negotiations with the FAU in Berlin, although Deliveroo are still holding out.
Spain saw some of the largest strike action yet. When Deliveroo responded to a campaign of worker-led demonstrations with victimisation, by disconnecting 13 prominent workers. However, the struggle continued and developed into a national three hour strike (between 8-11pm) of Deliveroo workers in Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid on the 2nd of July. Participation was high: in Barcelona, 150 out of the workforce of 230 were on strike. They demanded a minimum of two deliveries per hour, 20 guaranteed hrs of work per week and an end to the victimisation of unionised workers.
Back in Italy, workers were pursuing the legal route to a different employment and collective bargaining status, and have been supported by the left wing party Sinistra Italiana. Mobilisation also began in Milan, with another critical mass strike on the 15th July bringing together workers from Foodora, Deliveroo, and Giovo to demand sick pay and insurance in case of accident. There is now evidence of organization spreading even further across Europe workers from countries like the Netherlands, Austria and Greece have joined international organizing meetings led by German, Italian, and Spanish riders.
Working for the Black Box
Wherever they operate in Europe, food delivery platforms rely on the same fundamental business model. They use a platform to mediate between food providers, delivery workers and customers. Each party uses an app to interact with the others, and the labour process is controlled through algorithmic management. This means that most of the time workers respond to commands generated by an automated system contained within what labour scholar Trebor Scholz calls a black box. The platform itself owns very little fixed capital, outsourcing all delivery costs to the riders who have to provide their own bikes, data and so on. To all intents and purposes, the workers already own all the means of production required for the delivery process with the vital exception of the coordinating platform and its algorithms, which remain firmly in the hands of the boss.
These workers are engaged through a non-standard employment relation, the precise nature of which varies from country to country. Universally, however, these non-standard statuses work on the principle that you can be a worker for less of a wage than a worker. This is an attempt to reduce the cost of labour-power, the price of which was set through historical processes of class struggle, and it is mostly successful in undermining the old victories of the workers movement and the social democratic settlement. These non-standard statuses are the product of a capital-state relation which is also producing wider structural reforms of the labour market with the same goal; Renzis Jobs Act in Italy, changes to trade union law, apprenticeships and welfare in the UK, the Loi Travail in France, long term wage suppression in Germany, the Spanish 2012 labour law and so on. These two processes are very directly linked: platforms like Uber often use money raised from venture capitalists to aggressively lobby for changes to legal and regulatory frameworks, in the process creating the conditions their business model needs in order to thrive.
This transnational similarity in the organisation of labour is what has allowed for the very rapid spread of food delivery platforms in an attempt to monopolise and gain network effects. But as well as allowing the rapid spread of food delivery platforms, this similarity has created the conditions for the rapid circulation of a common form of workers struggle within those platforms.
Invisible Organization
The Italian workerist Romano Alquati once made the point that no worker struggle is spontaneous: if you think it is, then you have just missed the invisible organisation that produced it.
The invisible organisation of food platform struggles seems to have come from two converging streams of experience. The first is the labour-process itself. Precarious delivery workers managed to forge community under unorthodox circumstances, mostly via groups on encrypted instant messaging apps. Sometimes, converging at zone centres or common points in the city also led to mass meetings and assemblies which could not be controlled by the platform due to the lack of on-the-ground supervisory apparatus. The second is the networks of invisible organisation which grew from the subjective experience of the movements that followed the 2008 crash. Rather than coming from an experience of previous conflicts on the shop floor, many of the organisers and supporters of these platform struggles had been formed in that particular period of social movements in the squares, campuses and streets. Where these two streams have met, immediate rank and file organisation has been the result.
Disparate and supposedly disempowered workers find their power when they meet each other in the streets.
This rank and file organisation has generally resulted in workers using very similar means do develop leverage against their platform. Chief amongst these is the strike, which is combined with a critical mass/flying picket and reinforced by social movements. The leverage of the tactic comes from two sources. First is the mobile blockade/parade of the social movement, which makes a claim to the streets of the city and connects with the working class in situations beyond the workplace. This dynamic has often produced strong public opinion support for riders, and given social movements a strong focus on structural questions of exploitation. When this tactic is employed, there is no potential for the struggle of food platform workers to be sidelined as purely economic. Second is the withdrawal of labour of the trade union. Flexible workers withdraw their labour en masse and picket the city, connecting with other riders, restraints and customers and drawing them into the work stoppage. Disparate and supposedly disempowered workers find their power when they meet each other in the streets. In every instance of this strike wave, all the dynamics of the demonstration are at play alongside the critical question of labour.
The synthesis between social movement and labour movement even developed to the point that food delivery platform workers acted as scouts for militant street demonstrations during the movement against Loi Travail in France. Their mobility and knowledge of the city allowed them to outmanoeuvre the police in order to combat the very kind of labour law which created their own precarious conditions in the first place.
This dynamism was possible in part because of the direct use of the strike weapon that was made possible by non-standard employment relations. When the legal protections of employment were dropped in order to more fully exploit the worker, the legal protections of the employer against the worker vanished too. Suddenly, wildcat strikes were the only viable kind of strike. Labour militancy was unrestrained by the conventional state repression of strikes and worker organisation, resulting in the potential for the rapid development and spread of strikes without large trade union involvement.
Bloquons Tout!
The remarkable existence of a transnational strike movement across food delivery platforms is evidence that the development of what has been called platform capitalism is not a conflict-free process. Whilst class struggle is not yet at a stage where it can shape the development of the sector, its no longer impossible to imagine that it could become a determining factor. If the strike wave continues and we see a growth of increasingly connected and powerful food platform strikes, there is a potential for further developments in the self-organisation of precarious platform workers under conditions of algorithmic management.
The transnational movement within platforms has developed significant insights for the transnational movement against capital.
Both algorithmic management and platform capitalism are phenomena that go far beyond just food delivery. Supermarkets and warehouses are increasingly reorganised with algorithms determining the labour process, and platform workers range from taxi drivers working for Uber to the general labourers of Amazons Mechanical Turk. If the militancy of the food delivery platform workers spreads towards these two other groups, then the level of conflict over exploitation in Europe would increase significantly. There are some signs that this spread might be taking place: organisers are already taking steps to prepare for a blockade of key Amazon logistics infrastructure on black Friday. The transnational movement within platforms has developed some significant insights for the transnational movement against capital.
By Callum Cant
This article is republished as part of an editorial cooperation with PoliticalCritique.org.
Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi demanded on Wednesday that Kurdish authorities "cancel" the outcome of the independence referendum in northern Iraq, as a condition for dialogue to resolve an escalating crisis.
In a speech to parliament, Abadi renewed his ultimatum to Masoud Barzani's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to hand over control of international airports by Friday or face a ban on direct international flights to the Kurdish region.
People in northern Iraq voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence in Monday's non-binding referendum. Any idea of secession is bitterly opposed by the governments in Baghdad, Turkey and Iran. The United States pressed Kurdish leaders to call off the poll.
"We won't have a dialogue about the referendum outcome," Abadi told parliament. "If they want to start talks, they must cancel the referendum and its outcome."
His demand was rejected by KRG Transport Minister Mowlud Murad on Wednesday. He told a news conference in the Kurdish capital Erbil that keeping control of airports and maintaining direct international flights to Erbil was necessary for the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants.
Kurdish leaders say the referendum was held to give them a mandate to negotiate the peaceful secession of their region with Baghdad and Iraq's powerful neighbours Iran and Turkey.
Murad expressed the hope that the crisis could be resolved by Friday, saying it would damage Kurdistan's economy.
The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority sent a notice on Wednesday to foreign airlines telling them international flights to Erbil and Sulaimaniya in the Kurdish region would be suspended on Friday at 1500 GMT and only domestic flights allowed.
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Algeria will implement a wealth tax for the first time next year as part of measures aimed at securing new sources of finance after a sharp fall in energy earnings, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia said on Wednesday.
State finances of the OPEC member North African nation have been significantly hit after a more than 50 percent drop in oil and gas revenue.
Oil and gas account for 60 percent of the state budget and 95 percent of total exports.
That has forced the government to consider long-delayed reforms, including turning to Islamic financial services and developing the country's stock market, which now has a low level of liquidity.
Authorities have also started reducing public spending and have set import restrictions in a bid to cut the value of goods shipped from abroad.
Ouyahia said the implementation of the wealth tax from early 2018 would affect about 10 percent of the country's 41 million people.
"This tax will not concern 90 percent of Algerians," he told parliament.
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KEARNEY Big Idea Kearney has helped area entrepreneurs launch many successful business ideas in the six years since the contest was first hosted.
Past winners of the contest developed business models for a double-sided peanut butter jar, automatic irrigation shutoff and multi-directional skateboard wheels, among others.
Entries again are being accepted for the business idea contest, which is spearheaded by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Rural Development in the University of Nebraska at Kearneys College of Business and Technology.
In its seventh year, the event has been expanded to include four categories: middle school, high school, adult college and adult non-college.
Big Idea Kearney is open to anyone with a new business concept. The idea does not have to be a complete business model, only a description of the product or service, what need it serves, its target audience and how it would be made available to those customers.
To enter, upload a two-minute video pitching a new business idea onto YouTube, then submit the URL to unk.edu/bigideakearney. The deadline to enter is 4 p.m. Oct. 9. Contestants must be age 10 or older.
Finalists will be invited to present their ideas Nov. 1 at the World Theatre in downtown Kearney. Winners will receive $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third. Various scholarships and other prize packages will be awarded to winners in middle school and high school categories.
The purpose of the event is to support a culture of entrepreneurship and provide contestants with feedback from other entrepreneurs and community leaders.
Big Idea Kearney is sponsored by the Economic Development Council of Buffalo County, Invest Nebraska Corp., University of Nebraska 4-H Extension, NUtech Ventures and Nebraska Enterprise Fund.
For more information, including how and where to submit the video, visit unk.edu/bigideakearney or contact Aliese Hoffman at 865-8199. Assistance with recording and uploading videos is available by contacting Hoffman.
KEARNEY Nebraska business officials contend that many of Nebraskas business issues can be summed up in one word: taxes.
Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Barry Kennedy and Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Jamie Karl spoke today to Hub Territory business and community leaders at the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce about Nebraskas economic progress and issues.
We pay a lot of taxes, Karl said while showing numbers from the Council on State Taxation. When you add up state taxes and local taxes, last year Nebraskans paid almost $9.8 billion in state and local taxes. ... Businesses paid about 49 percent of that nearly $10 billion tab.
They addressed proposals that had made the rounds during the 2017 legislative session as well as what to watch for during the 2018 session. Nebraskas rankings in national business and economic studies also was discussed.
When you look at these rankings remember business leaders and site selectors from across the country, these are the same rankings theyre looking at when theyre trying to decide where they want to do business in the future, Karl said.
Among the issues is the states growing reliance on income tax. Nearly 60 percent of Nebraskas general fund revenue comes from income tax, according to the Office of Legislatures Fiscal Analyst.
Individual income tax and corporate income tax have also given Nebraska low national rankings.
Now Nebraskans have never settled for just being average ... but if Nebraskas top personal income tax rate reflected the average of our neighboring states, our top rate would be closer to 4 percent instead of nearly 7 percent as it is now, Karl said.
According to the Nebraska Department of Revenue, taxpayers paid the state more than $2.2 billion last year in individual income tax, an issue because 90 percent of businesses pay income tax at personal rates. Nebraskas corporate income tax is set at nearly 8 percent, setting the state at 15th worst in the nation.
The other major piece of Nebraskas tax burden is, of course, property tax, Karl said.
Property taxes in Nebraska consume nearly 4 percent of personal income for the average Nebraskan ranking the state at number 40, according to the SBE Council.
Income tax is collected by the state while property taxes are imposed by local governments.
Nebraska also ranked number 20 in workforce a nine-spot drop in two years, according to a 2017 study done by CNBC. CNBC took into account worker education levels, labor supply, college-educated, retention of workers and worker training programs. The state also placed 27 in CNBCs study on the current economic trends a 16-spot drop in three years. This lowered ranking is due to the downturn in the agricultural economy and an aging demographic leaving the workforce, Karl said.
The latest Nebraska Works labor statistics show the unemployment rate is 2.7 percent in Buffalo County. Many counties in the Kearney region also have labor shortages. Custer Countys 2.2 percent unemployment rate is lowest in Nebraska.
On the brighter side, Nebraska ranked number 13 for CNBCs top states for business, a nine-spot drop from 2014 but still up nine spots from 2008. The state also placed in the top 10 rankings for CNBCs slots for education, business friendliness and quality of life. Forbes listed Nebraska in the top 10 spots for regulatory climate, quality of life and business costs.
@AmandaPush
KEARNEY -- Pat Prapassarangkool and his wife Suwanee were driving across Interstate 80 eight years ago when they stopped to eat in Kearney.
Prapassarangkool, a native of Thailand, saw several Oriental restaurants, but no Thai eateries. An idea sprouted: why not open one here?
Thats exactly what he did. On July 27, 2010, he and Suwanee opened Suwanee Thai Cuisine, which now is at 1420 W. 24th St. Named after Suwanee, the head cook, its open for lunch and dinner daily from Tuesday through Saturday. Their daughter Fon and her husband, Andrew, assist them.
This is a family run operation. We make everything fresh, Prapassarangkool said. We make our own sauces. Every dish is chemical-free. Nothing is stir-fried. We cook fresh food, all special, healthy and good.
One of the most popular dishes is steamed chicken with brown rice. The chicken is served in a broth with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and pineapple. Another popular choice is lemongrass pork. It is served with coconut milk and fresh lime juice. Suwanees chicken wrap has white meat with garlic, lotus rice, lemon juice, soy sauce, all wrapped in a vegetable.
Other menu items are spicy green beans, and tom-kha, made with chicken, tofu or vegetables.
It is all healthy and good, Prapassarangkool said.
He mentions, too, the choo-chee shrimp, crispy chicken, pad Thai noodles, and a dessert of mangoes and sweet rice. The fresh mint sauce is popular, too. He attracts about 250 people for both lunch and dinner. Even Gov. Pete Ricketts often stops in when he visits Kearney.
Prapassarangkool was born in Thailand where his family owned a curry company in Bangkok. In 1974, his parents sent him to the U.S. to attend college and learn English. He earned a degree in accounting from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and got a job in distribution.
He married and had two children. In 1978, he became a U.S. citizen, but his life was shattered when his wife died of cancer. Plunged into single parenthood, he worked menial jobs to keep his children housed and fed.
For a brief time, he opened a Thai restaurant in Seattle, but he soon returned to the Los Angeles area and got a job in a Thai restaurant. I learned a lot, but when I think back, I didnt know how to cook, he said.
When his children left for college, he began hopscotching around the country working in Thai restaurants. Through a Thai newspaper, he found a job in Portland, Maine, where he met and married Suwanee. For two years, he worked at a Thai restaurant in Pittsburgh and learned a lot. He was offered a job at a Thai restaurant in New York City; from there, he accepted an offer from the only Thai restaurant in Los Alamos, N.M.
In Los Alamos, he served 4,000 meals a day and worked from 8 a.m. to midnight every day. Exhausted, he returned to New York, but the city was crowded and the rent was high, so he and Suwanee soon returned west, this time to Laramie, Wyo.
He had been in Laramie for a month cooking between 2,000 and 3,000 meals a day when he got a weeks vacation, so he and Suwanee headed to Omaha to see friends. On their way home, they made that stop in Kearney for a meal. Thats when he had his epiphany of opening a Thai restaurant.
With financing from a wealthy friend, they opened Suwanee Thai in summer 2010. Within a year, he paid off his bills. He now calls Kearney home.
Prapassarangkool loves tinkering with menus. He and Suwanee have a daily special along with a noon special for UNK students and faculty. All dishes can be specially prepared and seasoned. The menu includes a photograph of every entree to assist customers in ordering.
We have every good thing here. We know whats right and whats wrong about preparing Thai food, he said.
Amidst its calm, cozy, quietly elegant decor, a few hanging textiles feature white elephants, the Thai symbol of power and prosperity. He and Suwanee have found that in Kearney. Our food is healthy and good, he said, his eyes twinkling. We like it here.
KEARNEY A new Buffalo County chief deputy sheriff was sworn into office Tuesday, filling a four-year void in the position.
Buffalo County Sheriffs Sergeant Dan Schleusener was promoted and was officially sworn in as the chief deputy sheriff at the Buffalo County Board of Commissioners meeting.
Schleusener fills the position made absent by Tony Paulson, who left the department four years ago to work for Union Pacific Railroad.
So weve been just kind of getting along, Buffalo County Sheriff Neil Miller said. But it was just time that we fill the position and it was important to us to try to fill the position with someone who knew something about the department.
Schleusener brings with him about 16 years of experience in law enforcement. He began his career as a corrections officer with Nebraskas Department of Corrections and has also worked for the Davidson Police Department, the Polk County Sheriffs Office and the Schuyler Police Department. In 2008, he joined the Buffalo County Sheriffs Office, and in 2013, he was promoted to sergeant.
Buffalo County Sheriffs Deputy Brad Hall will replace Schleusener as sergeant.
In other matters, the county board approved a special use permit for Western Engineering Co. Inc. to set up a temporary asphalt plant and stock pile on Peggy and Quenton Ondraks property west of Ravenna on Highway 2. Board members voting in favor were Sherry Morrow and Joe Brayton of Kearney, Dennis Reiter of Elm Creek, board chairman Bill McMullen of Kearney and vice chairman Ivan Klein of Gibbon voted in favor of the measure. Ron Loeffoholz of rural Kearney voted against the proposal and Kent Greder of Kearney abstained.
Prior to the commissioners meeting on Sept. 12, the planning and zoning committee voted 6-2 in favor of the plant.
At the boards previous meeting, neighbors Ed Klein and Dee Inness spoke against the temporary plant, citing what they believe to be potential health risks from asphalt fumes.
Inness, who lives across the road from the asphalt plant site, said she was concerned that the fumes would exasperate her husbands illness from Agent Orange exposure in the Vietnam War.
Calvin Davidson of Western Engineering said their company plans to use asphalt from Aztec Inc., which manufactures asphalt at worm mix facilities.
The emissions with worm mixer is basically zero and in fact with talking with the EPA here, the EPA de-listed asphalt concrete production facilities from the maximum available control technology in February of 2002 because faculties are not major sources of air pollutants, Davidson said.
I think you can find anything on the internet to prove your point basically, either side, Davidson added.
Ed Klein suggested to the board that local property owner Brent Bauer was willing to have the asphalt plant on his land, which is a quarter of a mile away from the road.
Davidson told the board that he spoke with several land owners, including Bauer, before making a deal with the Ondraks, but said nobody was interested.
The word you heard from here, you can imagine how many people are excited about having an asphalt plant on your place or near your place. You do get a lot of turn-downs, Davidson said.
Following the county zoning meeting, Davidson said Bauer had a change of heart, which is fine. But we have projects to do. We cant wait for a guy to change his mind two months later.
At Tuesdays meeting, Klein said, It would be nice if they could come up with a different site. But because,the asphalt plant will be in place for a short period, he voted in favor of the plant.
At the Sept. 12 board meeting, Davidson said asphalt work on Highway 2 will take about 20 days for the 15 mile project. The company will also be on site to set up before the project and after setting up and cleaning up.
We take about six inches off the top soil to start. Once were done, well clean everything up back down to dirt, Davidson said.
He added that they will then place the top soil back on top.
In other matters:
- The board voted to keep the 911 surcharge rate at 75 cents.
- The board approved the renewal of an interlocal and service agreement with the city of Kearney for the Solid Waste Management Landfill.
- The board accepted bids for two motorgraders. NMC Cat submitted a $260,175 bid each for two 2017 Caterpillar model, and Murphy Tractor submitted a $481,530 bid for two motorgraders. The board will award the bid later.
- The board went into executive session for 70 minutes to negotiate contracts. Meeting in closed session with the board were property valuation referees Ron Elliott and Joe Wilson of Lincoln, who were hired to hear property valuation protests this year.
@erikadpritchard
KEARNEY William O. Bill Meyer, 92, of Kearney died Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, at CountryHouse.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at OBrien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home. Burial will be at Kearney Cemetery. The U.S. Navy in conjunction with American Legion Post 52 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 759 will provide military honors, and Rob Morris Lodge 46 AF&AM Masonic Lodge will conduct Masonic rites.
Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Bill was born on Sept. 4, 1925, in Fort Crook to Martha and Wilhelm H. Meyer. Although he spent 20 years abroad while serving in the Navy, Nebraska was his home, and he loved the people in it. Some of his fondest childhood memories were made on the family ranch near Burwell where he spent endless hours hunting, reading and riding his horse.
Bill was a product of a generation that had lived through the Great Depression and World War II. He was hard-working, loyal, honest, brave and patriotic. At 17, he enlisted in the Navy so that he might join the battle to fight for his country.
After 20 outstanding years serving under three admirals, he attained the rank of E8 as a senior chief petty officer and subsequently retired in 1963. Feeling the need to raise his family in his beloved home state, he moved back to Nebraska where he started and grew two successful businesses, Meyer Electric and Village Cleaners.
Anyone who knew Bill also knew that the title he cherished most was Dad. He loved his family with all his heart and was so proud of each and every one of them. One of his greatest talents was his ability to find the best qualities in people and help them find a way to achieve their full potential. He not only did this for his family, but anyone who needed encouragement or a helping hand. He was our hero, our inspiration, our champion.
Bill was a Mason for over 60 years and a Shriner for over 50 years as well. He was a member of the American Legion, VFW and Lions Club where he served as president from 1986-1987.
He married the love of his life, Marilyn Jean Meyer, on May 2, 1954, and they spent nearly 50 years raising a family of nine children. He lost Marilyn to Alzheimers in 2004, but never stopped loving her. Even when her memory slipped away and she could not recall his name, Bill would drive to see her two to three times a day. He was a devoted husband, father and friend. We will miss him dearly.
Bill is survived by his children and their spouses, William V. Meyer, John T. Meyer and his wife, Sally, Raymond C. Meyer, Pamela Meyer Rasmussen and her husband, Greg, Robert Bob Meyer and his wife, Karyn, Michael J. Meyer and his wife, Roxanne, Deborah Meyer Carland and her husband, Jim, Kimberly Meyer Hanzlik and her husband, Duane, and Gregory Scott Meyer and his wife, Michelle. He also leaves behind his sister, Ann Meyer Larsen; 26 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Marilyn; and his sisters, Maria Meyer, Irene Meyer Norris and Mary Meyer Burson.
Memorials are suggested to the Alzheimers Association.
Visit www.osrfh.com to share online condolences.
Across the country and here in Nebraska, we rely on the first responders like those gathering at the National Volunteer Firefighter Council Meeting this weekend in Kearney to ensure our safety, but they should not shoulder that responsibility alone. Businesses and industries working in our communities must also take steps to ensure their operations are as safe as possible and to support the efforts of first responders when an emergency arises.
The freight rail industry is doing just that. Working with the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Association of American Railroads a freight rail industry trade group has developed a safety app that aims to meet this goal. The AskRail app provides safety information to first responders arriving on the scene of a rail accident that can help them react swiftly and safely.
Through AskRail, first responders have immediate access to the location and contents of any rail cars carrying hazardous materials in a train involved in an accident, detailed maps of the surrounding community, and guidelines on the safest way to manage an incident. The AskRail app puts this information at the fingertips of first responders when minutes matter most.
The freight rail industry is also deeply committed to preventing accidents before they can happen. Since 1980, railroads have invested more than $635 billion in their network. These investments are important economically to Nebraska, with railroads transporting nearly 530 million tons of freight across the 3,200 miles of track in Nebraska, bringing coal in to power the state and connecting the states ag economy with the rest of the country and world markets. These investments are also important from a safety perspective, with the industry investing to reduce the main causes of accidents and develop innovative technology like positive train control which automatically stops a train in the case of certain types of human error.
Michael J. Rush, Washington, D.C.
Theres a tradition that a state flag waves high above the second-floor balcony outside the state Capitols west side when the Legislature is in session. This coming session you can also look for the banner of public safety being hung out by elected officials, especially when the Legislatures Judiciary Committee is in session or lawmakers are discussing bills from that committee.
While not literal, its a figurative favorite of those who claim that changes to the prison system or the laws used to send people there compromise public safety.
The change supporters say they want judges to be able to sentence an offender based on individual circumstances of both the criminal and the crime rather than following a prescribed sentence.
The chief prosecutor of the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office told the committee that modification of mandatory minimum sentences compromises public safety and potentially promotes disrespect for the law. Gov. Pete Ricketts and Attorney General Doug Peterson are also quick to wave the public safety flag in discussing various criminal justice measures.
Help me understand something here. How does sentencing a convicted drunken driver to prison instead of treatment impact public safety? In some cases it takes an otherwise productive citizen out of the workforce and face a life of substandard employment following release because of a felony conviction.
Heres the one that really gets me. Lets lock up somebody who is behind on child support payments. That will allow them to have meager prison wages garnished and work the afore-mentioned substandard job on release. That will get the payments made, eh?
How ridiculous is it to keep filling a prison system that is now the second-most-crowded in the United States? Alabama is No. 1.
In his annual report, Inspector General for Corrections Doug Koebernick says Nebraskas prison population has reached 162 percent of capacity overall. Seven of 10 Nebraska prisons individually stretch beyond that mark with one at 294 percent of capacity.
As for disrespecting the law, Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers has said mandatory minimums do not protect the public or deter crimes. Those who commit crimes dont know what the penalty is, and they dont plan or expect to get caught.
Mandatory minimum sentencing laws require a minimum prison term of a particular length. With such laws, judges have no discretion. In Nebraska, an inmate serving a mandatory minimum sentence will not earn or receive good time credit for his or her behavior while serving the mandatory sentence. Read that, continued prison overcrowding.
Change supporters suggest judges be given the option of not imposing the mandatory minimum if there are certain mitigating factors. Officials say that 19 percent of the 5,295 people currently in prison are serving mandatory minimum sentences and 84 percent of them were previously convicted of a felony.
Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks said were all fighting for the safety of our communities. But now were quibbling about whether we trust the judges and want to go forward and give them the authority to set the standards, or whether we want to just mandatorily say every case is the same.
Painting with a broad brush never works, unless youre painting a barn.
J.L. Schmidt has been covering Nebraska government and politics since 1979. He has been a registered independent for 18 years.
The appointment of John Bolduc as the newest superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol checked off many boxes of the type of candidate many hoped to see fill the position. Hes an experienced officer and supervisor who has worked in law enforcement for 31 years. To best serve and understand Nebraskas distinct, diverse populations, his previous work and leadership in small communities, suburban areas and urban centers are a major bonus.
Most importantly, Bolduc pitched himself as a cultural change agent, one that Gov. Pete Ricketts said has extensive experience communicating to and improving the departments hes led. The nominee received a unanimous recommendation from an accomplished search committee.
As an outsider, Bolduc is in an ideal position to create change in the State Patrol following turmoil and leadership under its previous superintendent.
In the press conference announcing his appointment, Bolduc acknowledged the State Patrol has problems. With state officials publicly stating there was probable cause his predecessor, Col. Brad Rice, had committed a crime and forwarding the results of an internal investigation to the FBI, Bolduc knows hes entering the job at a difficult time.
External allegations of improper use of force, mishandling of internal affairs, violations of anti-harassment and equal opportunity policies the impact of actions before Bolducs appointment wont simply disappear. He must be proactive and crystal clear in laying out his vision for the State Patrols future under his leadership and insisting such missteps wont be tolerated.
The first step to preserving the credibility threatened by actions that predate his arrival isnt to sweep them under the rug. Instead, new leadership must work with high-ranking officers to ensure such mistakes arent repeated and that the integrity and reputation of the State Patrol remain impeccable.
Though Bolduc is slated to begin his duties Oct. 16, he will require approval by the Legislature in January. Lawmakers should confirm him and give him the free rein needed to pursue the cultural change he promised before his nomination.
Lincoln Journal Star
The EU unveiled plans Wednesday to take at least 50,000 refugees directly from Africa, the Middle East and Turkey to discourage migrant boats from making the risky Mediterranean crossing.
The European Commission said in a statement that it was "recommending a new EU resettlement scheme to bring at least 50,000 of the most vulnerable persons in need of international protection to Europe over the next two years."
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A Victoria Cross, left, and other medals shown in this handout image awarded to one of Canada's Second World War heroes have been sold to a buyer in the United Kingdom for $660,000. Maj. David Currie was awarded the Commonwealth's highest medal for his service in 1944 at a brutal battle during the Normandy campaign in France. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO
In this Sept. 7, 2017, photo, a goat stands next to a burned down Rohingiya Muslim house in Alel Than Kyaw village, southern Maungdaw, Rakhine state, Myanmar. Thousands of cows and goats grazed in abandoned fields and wandered through charred out Rohingya Muslim villages after a military crackdown sent nearly a half-million members of Myanmar's long-persecuted religious minorities fleeing across the border. Now, more than a half-dozen witnesses told The Associated Press, soldiers and police are cashing in on the humanitarian catastrophe. (AP Photo)
FILE Ai This undated file photo provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction shows David Johnson, who was serving an eight-year sentence for sexual battery when he was strangled Feb. 1, 2017, on a prison transport van. Fellow inmate Casey Pigge, charged with killing Johnson, was scheduled to plead guilty Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, and be immediately sentenced. Johnson was strangled two days after Pigge pleaded guilty to the Feb. 23, 2016, beating death of cellmate Luther Wade. Pigge is serving a life sentence for killing Wade, and 30 years to life for fatally slitting the throat of his girlfriend's mother in 2008. (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction via AP, File)
Egypt and the US signed eight economic cooperation agreements worth $121.6 million to develop investment, education, health, agriculture and water management in line with Egypt's economic reform programme as well as the country's 2030 development plan.
Egypt's international cooperation and investment ministry said the agreements were signed between minister Sahar Nasr and director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Sherry Carlin at the ministry's premises in Cairo.
The agreements include a grant of $29 million to be disbursed periodically by 2022, with an initial disbursal of $6 million, for improving family planning and reproductive health.
The second agreement is a grant worth $50.8 million for supporting integrated solutions for water with the housing ministry and the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater.
The water agreement aims to increase the availability of potable water and improve its quality. It also aims to improve sanitation services, especially in rural areas, by establishing water plants, improving the methods of water treatment, replacing damaged pipelines, and building sewage systems.
One of the agreements allocates $13 million to enhancing the country's lower and higher education systems through support programmes, and allots $27 million for the US-Egypt Higher Education Initiative.
The agreement should help create more job opportunities for higher education graduates, as well as more scholarships for and partnerships with Egyptian higher educational institutions, according to the ministry.
The deal also sets $4 million to "broaden the scope of relations between scientific and technological communities in both countries, enhance scientific and technological cooperation for peaceful purposes and exchanging ideas, information, skills and technology of common interest," according to the ministry.
The agreements also allot $12 million to raise incomes and job opportunities for farmers in targeted communities in Upper Egypt (Beni Suef, Minya, Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, and Aswan) through increasing productivity, engaging farmers in global markets and focusing on new areas in agriculture.
A trade and investment promotion agreement worth $5.1 was signed to bolster the investment and trade environment, and specifically micro, small and medium enterprises.
Another agreement allocates $3.6 million for the ministries of justice and social solidarity as well as the National Council for Women and the National Council for Population to put into effect various initiatives in criminal justice, family justice and media development.
These agreements reflect our strong and enduring partnership and the impact that our joint efforts have on the people of Egypt, USAID's Carlin said, according to a statement by the US Embassy in Cairo.
The statement added that through cooperation with the Egyptian international cooperation and investment ministry, the two countries are "strengthening the cornerstones of stability and prosperity in Egypt."
Since 1978, the USAID programme has contributed nearly $30 billion in Egypt, according to the US envoy in Cairo.
According to investment minister Nasr, the agreement came as "an outcome of [President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's] meeting with his American counterpart Donald Trump in New York and what has been agreed upon regarding economic cooperation between both countries."
El-Sisi's meeting with Trump last week was the first between the two following an August decision by the US to withhold aid to Egypt, citing concerns over Cairos record on democracy and human rights.
Trump told reporters before the meeting that the US will consider resuming some of the suspended military assistance to Egypt.
Last month, Egypt described the US decision to reduce aid as a misguided decision given the nature of the strategic relations that have bound the two countries for four decades.
Egypt normally receives $1.3 billion annually in military assistance from the United States and nearly $250 million in economic aid.
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Sarasvati Devi, a Hindu woman, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, talks to her mother in Myanmar through video call as Ranjan, her brother hold the phone outside refugee camp set up for Hindu refugees near Kutupalong, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Bangladesh is planning to build separate shelters for 6,000 Rohingya Muslim children who entered the country without parents to escape violence in neighboring Myanmar, a government official said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
Thousands of Iranians attend the state funeral of Mohsen Hojaji, a young Revolutionary Guard soldier beheaded by the Islamic State group in Syria, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Tehran, Iran. The death of 25-year-old Mohsen Hojaji has struck a nerve in Iran, which has suffered casualties while its troops are deployed into Iraq fighting the Islamic State group and in Syria. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
FILE- In this still image taken Aug. 3, 2017 from video, actor Tom Wopat stands during arraignment, in Waltham, Mass., on indecent assault and battery and drug possession charges. The former star of the 1980s television show "The Dukes of Hazzard" whoAos accused of groping a female cast member of a musical he was supposed to appear in now faces charges he indecently assaulted a 16-year-old girl in Massachusetts. Court records show Wopat is charged with assaulting the girl and a woman in July while rehearsing for the musical Au42nd StreetAu at the Waltham-based Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston. The Boston Globe reports the charges were made public Tuesday, Sept. 26. (WCVB-TV via AP, Pool, File )
A new city walk through Cairo's Gamaliya district takes culture enthusiasts to the Samaakhana, where followers of Rumi's Sufi sect once performed their hypnotic dances
We are standing in a circular, two-storied hall, built of timber and decorated with fine paintings. The central area is designed for dancing, the first-floor balcony ideal for viewing the Sufi dancing spectacle for which the structure was created.
A large sign reads "In the Presence of Mawlana" -- a reference to Persian poet Jalal Al-Din Al-Rumi (1207-1273 AD) who founded the Mawlawi Sufi sect.
However, we are not in Persia, but in Cairo, taking part in a historic city walk through several cultural gems that continue to inspire.
The tour of the historical Gamaliya area was designed and led by Mohamed Khalil, head of the Administration of Antiquity Awareness, part of the Ministry of Antiquities.
The first stop brings us to this fine wooden hall, know as the Samaakhana (listening hall), in which members of the Mawlawi sect would perform their traditional whirling dance, the aim of which was to bring them closer to the Divine.
Salah El-Basha, director of Mawlawi Complex that contains the Samaakhana, explained the significance of the structure.
"This is the most important of all the Mawlawia theatres and was built during the Mamluk era. It falls within the premises of El-Helmeiya district and was used for the key ritual in the 'Dervish/Helmia Nights', during which the regular audience would enjoy the spiritual performance," he said.
This theatre is now the only authentic structure still intact that represents Rumi's Sufi sect. The performances stopped in the 1950s, but the place has kept much of its spiritual energy. In addition to the sign asserting the presence of Rumi, there are images of a nai (a type of origental flute) and the tall hat associated with the Sufi order.
The Mawlawi sect was founded in the 13th century in Konya, Turkey, based on the philosophy and teachings of Rumi, and it has remained popular in the Arab world up to the present day. In 1925, the sect moved to Aleppo in Syria, then to Damascus, and in 1929 it came to Cairo and settled in the area at the foot of the Citadel.
The Samaakhana has been restored and opened to the public through the efforts of the Italian-Egyptian Centre for Professional Training in the Field of Restoration and Archaeology, particularly its director and architecture professor Giuseppe Fanfoni. The Italian has said that the restoration of this structure, which lies just outside Cairo's old city walls, is the most important architectural work of his life.
El-Basha explained the significance of the whirling dance within Rumi's Sufi tradition.
"When Rumi met with Shams El-Tabrizi, another Sufi guru, they delved deep into the realm of Sufism, meditating on the universe as a means to be closer to God," he said.
"Rumi noted that everything in the universe revolves, that there is a divine secret in revolving. So he created his revolving Sufi dance, which involves revolving anti-clockwise while raising your right hand to the sky, seeking goodness and pressing the left hand to the earth, so that goodness is passed down to the earth."
The theatre's circular dance floor is fringed by a wooden ballustrade, behind which the audience would sit and watch, with the upper floor reserved for women and the musical troupe.
The lead sheikh would enter wearing a black cloak covering his baggy white outfit, symbolizing the burden of earthly concerns. As he revolved, the cloak fell to the ground and he became lighter.
Agains the background of Sufi chants, the sheikh and his followers would whirl, their movements escalating until the Dervishes reached their state of sublime union.
El-Basha explained the spiritual significance of the dance: "By whirling, the Dervishes believed they could transcended into a higher state. Like the birds depicted on the dome above them, they would fly upwards, bringing good from the Divine down to earth."
According to the Rumi philosophy, the painted dome above symbolizes the divine generosity of God in the sky, which only needs pure spirits to transmit it to earth.
At the crown of each of the 12 pillars is the name of a Shia saint, and scattered around the dome itself are little birds that symbolize the messengers of good, the Dervish.
And the spiritual revelation begins:
Whispers of Love
"Lover whispers to my ear,
Better to be a prey than a hunter.
Make yourself My fool.
Stop trying to be the sun and become a speck!
Dwell at My door and be homeless.
Don't pretend to be a candle, be a moth,
so you may taste the savor of Life
and know the power hidden in serving."
Mathnawi V. 411-414 (translated by Kabir Helminski)
The Rumi Collection, Edited by Kabir Helmins
"The wound is the place where the Light enters you."
40 Rules of Love, Jalaluddin Rumi
"Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation."
40 Rules of Love
Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things might seem,
do not enter the neighborhood of despair. Even when all doors remain closed,
God will open up a new path only for you. Be thankful.
40 Rules of Love
Do not go with the flow. Be the flow.
40 Rules of Love
You can study God through everything and everyone in the universe, because God is not confined in a mosque, synagogue or church. But if you are still in need of knowing where exactly His abode is, there is only one place to look for Him: in the heart of a true lover.
40 Rules of Love
Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?
40 Rules of Love
A life without love is of no account ... Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire. The universe turns differently when fire loves water.
40 Rules of Love
"Quit worrying about hell or dreaming about heaven, as they are both present inside this very moment. Every time we fall in love, we ascend to heaven. Every time we hate, envy, or fight someone, we tumble straight into the fires of hell."
40 Rules of Love
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The Egyptian Musicians Syndicate bears no responsibility for monitoring audience behaviour at concerts, a representative said on Tuesday in the wake of the arrests of fans who raised the rainbow flag at a rock gig on Friday.
The controversy began last week as pictures of fans holding the rainbow flag, a symbol of LGBT pride, at a Cairo concert by Lebanese rock outfit Mashrou Leila provoked outrage on social media and on Egyptian television talk shows.
On Monday police arrested seven people who allegedly held the flag, and on Tuesday national security prosecutors summoned the concert organisers for questioning.
The syndicates sole duty lies in observing the behaviour of the band to whom they have granted a licence, Tarek Mortada, a syndicate media consultant, told state-news agency MENA.
"We contacted the band and warned them against the recurrence of such incident in any upcoming concerts; however we have no authority as a syndicate to monitor the behaviour of the audience," Mortada added.
While same-sex consensual homosexual conduct is not explicitly criminalised under Egyptian law, people accused of homosexual acts in many cases have been arrested and sentenced to jail on charges such as debauchery and violating public morals.
For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
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Angela Cooper arrived home from work to discover her daughters temperature had spiked to 102 degrees a sign that the teenager, who has cancer, had a potentially deadly bloodstream infection. As Cooper rushed her daughter to the hospital, her mind raced: Had she done something to cause the infection?
Cooper, who works at a Chevy dealership in Iowa, has no medical background. She is one of thousands of parents who perform a daunting medical task at home caring for a childs catheter, called a central line, that is inserted in the arm or torso to make it easier to draw blood or administer drugs.
Central lines, standard for children with cancer, lead directly to a large vein near the heart. They allow patients with cancer and other conditions to leave the hospital and receive antibiotics, liquid nutrition or chemotherapy at home. But families must perform daily maintenance that, if done incorrectly, can lead to blood clots, infections and even death.
As more medical care shifts from hospital to home, families take on more complex, risky medical tasks for their loved ones.
But hospitals have not done enough to help these families, said Dr. Amy Billett, director of quality and safety at the cancer and blood disorders center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Childrens Hospital.
The patient safety movement has almost fully focused all of its energy and efforts on what happens in the hospital, she said. Thats partly because the federal government does not require anyone to monitor infections patients get at home.
Even at the well-resourced, Harvard-affiliated cancer center, parents told Billett in a survey that they did not get enough training and did not have full confidence in their ability to care for their child at home.
The center was overwhelming parents by waiting until the last minute to inundate them with instructions some of them contradictory on what to do at home, Billett said.
An external central line, which ends outside the body, must be cleaned every day. Caregivers have to scrub the hub at the end of the line for 15 seconds, then flush it with a syringe full of saline or anticoagulant.
If caregivers dont scrub properly, they can flush bacteria into the tube, and whoosh the bacteria enter a major vein close to the heart, Billett said. One father, noting that the hub looked dirty, scrubbed it with a pencil eraser, sending three types of bacteria into his childs bloodstream, she said.
Learning the cleaning steps was very nerve-wracking, recalled Cooper, whose 18-year-old daughter, Jaycee Gray, has had a central line since April to receive treatment for anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, a rare type of blood cancer.
You can scrub and scrub and scrub, and it doesnt feel like its clean enough, she said. Parents must keep track of other rules, too, like covering up the central line before the child gets in the shower and changing the dressing if it gets dirty or wet.
Jaycee Gray, 18, of Mapleton, Iowa, spent four days in the hospital in July after getting a bloodstream infection in her central line, which she uses to treat her rare blood cancer. Her mother, Angela Cooper, said that learning to clean the central line was very nerve-wracking.
Monitoring infection cases at home
Bloodstream infections associated with central lines lead to thousands of deaths each year inside hospitals, costing billions of dollars, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Research has also shown these infections are largely preventable: Hospitals have slashed infection rates when staff follow the CDCs standardized safety steps.
But researchers recently discovered that more kids with central lines are getting bloodstream infections at home. In a three-year study of children with cancer and blood disorders at 15 hospitals, 716 such infections took place outside the hospital, compared with 397 inpatient infections. This is partly because children with central lines spend much less time in hospitals than not.
These hospitals belong to a national collaborative of 20 pediatric cancer centers, organized through the Childrens Hospital Association, that aims to keep kids out of the hospital by training families, visiting nurses and clinic staff on handling central lines.
At one of the hospitals, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, researchers discovered that patients as young as 8 were cleaning their own central lines at home, even though the hospital had designed its training materials for adults.
Cooper said that when her daughter developed the fever July, she immediately started wondering if she was to blame: Its really hard, she said. I dont want to put her in the hospital.
When doctors confirmed that Jaycee had a bloodstream infection, Cooper asked them what caused it. Days later, after interviews and tests, no one knew for sure.
Jaycee was transferred to Childrens Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., one of the other hospitals in the collaborative, where nurse Amanda Willits works with families to identify the likely causes of infections and practice safe techniques. Willits said the bacteria probably came through the skin, but theres no sign Cooper is to blame, and Cooper demonstrated her line-care technique perfectly.
Jaycee spent four days in an isolated room at the hospital, two hours away from home. Doctors warned her that if the bacteria had colonized the plastic of her central line, she might have to go through surgery to have it removed and replaced.
As it turned out, Jaycee didnt need surgery; she recovered with antibiotics. But about four times out of 10, children who get these infections do need their lines surgically removed, according to research by pediatric oncologist Dr. Chris Wong Quiles at Dana-Farber/Boston Childrens.
Looking at 61 patients there, Wong Quiles tackled basic questions that researchers dont have national data on: When patients get these infections at home, what happens to them, what does it cost and how often do they die?
Wong Quiles found that in 15 percent of cases, children ended up in the intensive care unit. Four children died. Their median hospital stay was six days, and their median age was 3.
These episodes also cost a lot. Wong Quiles found that median hospital charges were $37,000 per infection. Thats not counting professional fees from hospital staff; the cost of going home with antibiotics and possibly nursing care; or the cost to families from losing days of work to be at the hospital with their kids.
Dan and Megan Kelley care for daughter Bridget, 8, who has leukemia, at home in Quincy, Mass. When Bridget was discharged from the hospital after treatment, it felt like bringing a newborn baby home, Megan Kelley says. (Melissa Bailey/Kaiser Health News)
Bringing in a checklist engineer
In Boston, Billett and Wong Quiles have enlisted extra staff and resources to try to help parents. The hospital hired a checklist engineer to clean up inconsistent messaging and created family-focused videos, flip charts and pocket-size brochures about handling central lines.
Now, patients and families start learning central line care five to 10 days before discharge, instead of just one or two days, Billett said. Parents first practice on a dummy called Chester Chest, then demonstrate their skills on their child.
Even after this training, bringing a child with cancer out of the hospital still felt scary, said Megan Kelley, whose 8-year-old daughter, Bridget, is being treated there for leukemia.
It felt like bringing a newborn baby home weve never done this before, said Kelley, who lives in Quincy, Mass., with her husband, Dan, and their three daughters.
Bridget and her family have managed to avoid infection since she was first discharged last December.
Along the way, the family got support and was spot-checked: The hospital keeps track of who was trained and that persons skill level, and sends a nurse home to see how the caregiver handles the line.
This approach to patient safety helping families at home through standardized learning tools, hands-on training and tracking skill development could have broad applications for caregivers of patients young and old, Billett said.
Some early work at Johns Hopkins has shown success: The hospital found a dramatic reduction in outpatient bloodstream infection rates after it trained families, home health nurses and clinic staff.
These infections can exact such a harsh toll on some of our most vulnerable patients, said Dr. Michael Rinke, who led that research and now works at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. Preventing even one of these can help a kid have an important out-of-hospital time, and have an important being-a-kid experience.
Melissa Bailey is a correspondent, Kaiser Health News, where this article originally appeared.
Image credit: Jaycee Gray
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So much for repealing and replacing Obamacare. The Graham-Cassidy Senate bill is on life support. Members of the Senate death panel have made their decision, leaving their patient on palliative care to spend the last few days of life on heavy pain meds but without lifesaving treatments.
Death is scheduled for the end of September when time runs out on the reconciliation rules which allow the Senate to pass legislation with only 51 votes, rather than the usual 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.
Graham-Cassidy is far from perfect, but as the old saying goes, perfect is the enemy of the good. Perfect would be a complete repeal of Obamacare, as Senators McCain and Murkowski once promised. Perfect might also be a totally libertarian approach to healthcare, no government mandates, only the laws of the free market, as Senator Rand Paul desires.
Purists want a total repeal of Obamacare. Good luck with that. Congress only had the will for repeal when Obama was in the White House, ready to veto whatever fantasy the GOP concocted. Now that we have a Republican president, the veto threat no longer exists, and Congress lost its appetite for repeal.
Entitlements and bureaucracies are never repealed. Especially once there are beneficiaries, and despite the harm they inflict on the country. Purists also talk of abolishing the IRS and closing bloated agencies like the Departments of Education and Energy, but that wont happen either.
Unless a few Democrats join with the not quite fifty Republicans, Graham-Cassidy wont even come up for a vote. Thats too bad as this may be the last option for at least trimming back the choking weeds of Obamacare. Another year of double-digit premium increases, 50 to 75 percent in McCains home state of Arizona.
Insurance premiums costing more than mortgage payments for many families. Not to mention narrowing networks of physicians and hospitals. And out-of-pocket costs keeping people away from the doctor. What good is insurance if you cant afford to purchase or use it?
McCain wants a bipartisan approach, his proverbial reaching across the aisle. Wheres his plan? What legislation has he proposed? What Democrat senators has he convinced, via reaching across the aisle to support any recent GOP plans?
If the current once-in-a-generation Republican Congressional majorities cannot get anything done, will President Trump start looking across the aisle to his new pals Chuck and Nancy? As he did with the debt ceiling. The Democrats sure have a plan. Its called single payer. Bernie Sanders Medicare For All bill which has the support of 17 Democrat senators, a third of their caucus.
Obamacare is clearly unsustainable. Fewer insurance options, increasing costs, fewer treatment options, all pointing to collapse. A third of counties have only one Obamacare insurer. Obamacare is a star collapsing into a black hole, perhaps exactly as it was designed. Whats left if the Republicans have no alternative? Only Bernies plan as the last man standing, ready to be implemented out of desperation.
Perhaps that was the grand plan. Ask then-Senator Obama who said single payer is the goal, but we cant get there immediately. Bernies plan is ready to fill the void that Republicans cant seem to fill.
If so, then why not a two-tiered system, as I have described previously? A government-run system providing basic bare bones insurance for everyone and a parallel, free-market insurance system, free of government mandates, for those who so choose.
It provides something for both sides of the political aisle, rescues the current failing system, and is pragmatic enough that President Trump could get behind it. Given the failings of the majority party controlling Congress, it may the best we can hope for. Certainly better than losing Congress to the Democrats due to Republican inaction and incompetence. Allowing them to enact a one-tiered system, Bernies plan, all government all the time.
Brian C. Joondeph is an ophthalmologist and can be reached on Twitter @retinaldoctor. This article originally appeared in the Daily Caller.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Writer, Basma Abdel-Aziz, will talk about her book "The Power of Text" in an event held at the Goethe Institute library, on Thursday, 28 Sep at 7:00pm
Goethe institute cultural Salon in Egypt, will host writer Basma Abdel-Aziz, on Thursday, 28 Sep at 7:00pm, to discuss her book Satawt Al-Nass (The power of Text: The discourse of Al-Azhar and the Crisis of Ruling).
The discussion will be chaired by Egyptian Writer and Journalist Ahmed Shawqi Ali.
Goethe Institute in Cairo has launched a cultural Salon earlier this month aiming at opening a "free space for dialogue to exchange ideas over literature in its most open definitions).
The Salon focuses on the Egyptian and Arab writer and exclusively on the Arabic written texts.
The salon kicked off with a discussion with Egyptian writer, Mohammed Abdel-Nabi, the writer of the Arabic Booker shortlisted novel The Spider's Room.
Basma Abdel-Aziz, is winner of Sawiris Cultural Award 2008, and the General Organisation for Cultural Palaces award in 2008. She is best known for her book "Temptation of Absolute Power," for which she recieved the Ahmed Bahaa-Eddin Award in 2009.
In 2016 she was named one of Foreign Policy's Global Thinkers for her debut novel, The Queue.
Programme:
Thursday, 28 Sep, 7:00pm
Goethe Institute Library
13 Hussien Wasef St. Dokki
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Kuwaiti pioneer of the novel Laila Al-Othman reflects on her life and career as an author in her autobiography
Anfud anny Al-Ghubar (I Dusted Myself Off) by Laila Al-Othman, Al-Ain Publishing, Cairo 2017, pp. 242
Author Laila Al-Othman played a pioneering role as one of the founders of the short story and of novels in Kuwait. She has written to date 13 short story collections and six novels as well as a number of books that tackled her life and personal experiences. These include a book that dealt with her being put on trial for her fiction and her important book in which she chronicled Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. She was one of the few who refused to leave Kuwait following the invasion.
While declining to mention her birth date, Al-Othman has said she is over 60 by a number of years. Thus, she was born in the 1950s and this provided her with a broad experience on many levels. Perhaps she is the only Kuwaiti female writer who dared to write her autobiography, in which she revealed much unspoken and submerged in the conservatism of Kuwaiti society.
For instance, she reveals the widespread of polygamy in Kuwait, to the extent that it is the norm. After her mother gave birth to her, her father threatened her mother with divorce if she gave birth to a fourth female child and not a boy. The mother tried to kill Laila by throwing her in the sea.
While she survived, her father divorced her mother and she was obliged to take her daughters to live in a desolate area. When her mother married for the second time, her father snatched the girls and made his other wives bring up the daughters.
In her autobiography, Al-Othman focuses on her troubled, harsh childhood and on her father, one of the richest men in Kuwait at the time, who was extremely cruel, domineering and authoritarian as a parent.
In the first two chapters, she speaks in detail on aspects of life in the 1950s, when Kuwait was just desert communities lacking every amenity before oil was discovered there. She was keen to mention the circumstances in which she starting writing, emphasising throughout the book that she started from scratch.
Al-Othman asserts that the 1950s generation, to which she belongs, were lucky to be taught by Palestinian teachers. The school library led her to the path of knowledge and the attempt to express herself.
After finishing high school, her cruel and domineering father issued a command that she must stop learning, stay at home and wait for a husband. In this period, she started writing but she couldnt publish because her father refused that her name appear in a newspaper or a magazine.
Her relationship with her father was complex. She was in a love-hate relationship with him, feeling that he was the shackle restraining and preventing her from living her own life, due to his fear for her, his desire to protect her and in keeping with conservative traditions. For these reasons she had no choice but to marry to escape from her fathers control. She even coined her own expression, Marriage is the doorway to deliverance, devoting a special chapter to it.
Al-Othman was married first to Dr Hosni Mansour, a Palestinian gynecologist and obstetrician, who was 33 years her senior. He was the familys doctor and her father trusted him very much.
Her husband encouraged and stood by her and she began her first steps in writing and publishing. She worked in journalism and made a number of news reportages that drew attention due to their daring, such as the one she made when she visited the women prison in Kuwait. However, she realised after some time that journalism consumes the writers time and effort, expressing regret for working in this field. Soon she stopped and devoted herself entirely to creative writing.
After nine years of marriage and giving birth to four sons, her husband died, which was a traumatic experience. If in her first marriage she succumbed to traditions and bowed to her fathers will, her second marriage to the Palestinian critic Walid Abu-Bakr followed a love story and she gave birth to two daughters.
One of the books important chapters is what she wrote about the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait in 1990. In this very short chapter, Al-Othman traced the broad lines of another book comprising her diaries of the invasion and resistance acts she performed with fellow Kuwaitis. Al-Othman also narrates the chronicles of her battle with fundamentalist groups and being put on trial for accusations of promoting vice and propagating immorality and debauchery in her books. She realised that she wasn't only defending herself but defending a superior value freedom.
Finally, Al-Othman concludes her autobiography by declaring her affiliation to pan-Arabism, womens causes and freedom, which constitutes the third pillar of my formation and aspirations."
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* Foreign control of mines sore point for many Indonesians
* Freeport agreed to give up majority ownership of mine
* Seen as victory for Indonesia in test of mining law
* Final Freeport deal still to be negotiated
By Fergus Jensen and Ed Davies
JAKARTA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - For many Indonesians, investment banker-turned-minister Ignasius Jonan is the man who made trains run on time.
Months after being handed the mining portfolio, the minister notched up a bigger victory; securing majority local ownership of Grasberg - one of the world's biggest gold and copper mines - following months of difficult negotiations with U.S. giant Freeport-McMoRan Inc .
Foreign control of mines has been sore point for many Indonesians, who view it as a legacy of an authoritarian past when a ruling elite cut sweetheart deals to carve up precious resources.
The framework agreement with Freeport on Aug 29 was seen as a victory for Indonesia and a political win for President Joko Widodo as the U.S.-based company agreed, among other measures, to cut its mine ownership from more than 90 percent to below 50 percent in favour of Indonesian owners.
The deal showed other multi-nationals in the sector Jakarta intended to wrestle back mine ownership, part of the motivation behind a mining law introduced in 2009 that targets the replacement of mining contracts with a new mining permit system, scaling back miners' legal rights over their operations.
Jonan, Freeport Indonesia and Freeport McMoRan declined to comment for this story.
The 54-year-old Jonan knew little about the resources sector when he took the mines portfolio, but Widodo saw the qualities he needed to lead the negotiations - a brash but principled negotiator with resolve to get the job done. The former banker had overhauled the state rail company, expanding and improving the Dutch colonial-era rail network, including its time keeping.
But appointed transport minister in 2014, Jonan clashed with Widodo and was dropped from the cabinet two years later. Rather than writing him off though, the president, who had described Jonan as "stubborn", asked him to lead the Freeport negotiations as mining minister.
Importantly, Widodo thought Jonan "could be trusted" to carry out his wishes to the letter, said Mangantar S. Marpaung, a former ministry of mines and energy director, referring to Widodo's recognition of Jonan's principled stands on getting projects completed to high standards.
Jonan teamed up for the talks with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, a former World Bank managing director and the best-known technocrat internationally on Widodo's cabinet. She declined to comment.
They brought a more principled approach to the talks than Indonesia had shown in many previous such negotiations, which were often sidetracked as powerful businessmen sought to lay claim to some ownership of the mines, sources with knowledge of the matter said. They declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of talking publicly about the negotiations.
"When Sri Mulyani stepped in, that was a clear sign to everybody that a deal could be done and probably would be done," said one of the sources, a member of the U.S. business community in Jakarta who has tracked the negotiations closely.
After the framework agreement, their job now is to secure a final agreement.
Freeport CEO Richard Adkerson acknowledged his company had made major concessions in the negotiations. Apart from giving up its majority ownership, it agreed to increase revenues to Indonesia, build a smelter to process some of the mine's output and to invest up to $20 billion in the mine by 2031 - measures that were not open to compromise, Widodo had told Jonan.
Securing a final agreement could take months of talks over the valuation of Freeport's stake, which will partly be determined by agreeing on the trajectory of the mine's future profits and its commercial reserves, said Marpaung.
Grasberg's 30 million pounds of copper reserves account for a third of Freeport's global portfolio.
Indonesia held about 20 meetings with Freeport. Jonan told Reuters in August it was important to treat Freeport like any other company because "they are not sovereign. We are not dealing with a country."
Initially, negotiations looked ominous. In January, Indonesia halted Freeport's copper concentrate exports as it tried to press the company to accept Indonesia's new mining laws.
A month later, Adkerson threatened international arbitration, which would tie up the talks for months. He told reporters the rules Indonesia was trying to impose were "in effect a form of expropriation".
In a Reuters interview, Jonan shot back the government was "more than ready" for court. ON TRACK
By March, both sides recognised they were losing millions of dollars in revenues, so they dialled back the tensions.
Freeport received a "special mining permit" allowing its exports to resume.
When Jonan and Adkerson met over breakfast on July 26 at the St Regis hotel in Houston, the only outstanding issues were taxes and royalties, a source with knowledge of the issue said.
And when Adkerson signed the framework agreement in August, he was wearing a colourful Indonesian batik shirt, a sign of improved ties, contrasting with the more sober black suit he wore at a news conference in February.
Still, Widodo's win may come at a price, with big investors monitoring the Freeport talks for a measure of how much ground they may have to give under new contracts in Southeast Asia's largest economy.
"If they're wanting to attract foreign investment, this isn't going to help Indonesia much," said Matthew Miller, an analyst at independent investment research firm CRFA in New York.
(Additional reporting by Wilda Asmarini, Hidayat Setiaji and Kanupriya Kapoor in JAKARTA, Susan Taylor in TORONTO and Nicole Mordant VANCOUVER; Editing by Neil Fullick)
LIMA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - A crude oil pipeline operated by Peru's state-owned oil company Petroperu became fully operational on Tuesday following repairs on a series of ruptures that had partially shuttered it for more than a year, a spokesman said.
The reopening of a final section of the 687-mile (1,106-km) pipeline allows Petroperu to replace river and ground transportation that had been used as alternatives for moving crude from Amazonian oilfields to the Pacific Coast, the spokesman said.
The pipeline transported less than 15,000 barrels of oil per day before the spills, but its closure has been a drag on economic growth as it has halted some production. The resumption of the pipeline's operations come as global oil prices are recovering and could bolster drilling plans in Peru, a relatively small producer of crude where output has slipped for years.
Petroperu has reported more than a dozen ruptures in the aging pipeline in the Amazon since the start of 2016, including at least two this month that it blamed on attacks by unknown vandals.
The spills have polluted rivers that indigenous communities once used for drinking water and disrupted the operations of private oil firms Frontera Energy Corp , Perenco and Pluspetrol.
Environmental regulator Oefa has said that intentional cuts on the pipeline caused the most recent ruptures but that others were due to a lack of maintenance.
(Reporting By Mitra Taj; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
RIYADH, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Bahri , the world's largest owner and operator of very large crude carriers (VLCCs), aims to start operating its joint venture with French logistics firm Bollore by the end of the year, an executive told Reuters on Tuesday.
"We are looking at activating the JV within the coming weeks. The CEO has been chosen, we're forming the board," said Bahri Vice Chairman Mohammed Abdulaziz AlSarhan, speaking on the sidelines of a launch event for the partnership in Riyadh.
BahriBollore Logistics, 60 percent owned by Bahri and based in Riyadh, will expand the shipper's cargo business from port-to-port deliveries into more extensive door-to-door logistics.
There was "urgent need" for the expansion because of Bahri's role as the exclusive carrier for the Saudi Electricity Company and the Saudi Ministry of Defence, making it responsible for shipping all of the kingdom's weapons purchases, said AlSarhan.
"These two entities need door-to-door service," he said.
A second joint venture with U.S. grains trader Bunge, which will pool the two companies' ships to expand ocean freight shipments, had acquired offices in Dubai and would start operations "almost as we speak," said AlSarhan.
Bahri, 22 percent-owned by Saudi sovereign wealth fund the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and 20 percent by state oil giant Aramco, transports crude oil, chemicals and dry bulk, and also offers ship management services.
In 2014 it merged with the former shipping arm of Aramco, Vela Marine International.
(Reporting by Katie Paul; Editing by James Dalgleish)
* China steel demand better than expected
* Firmer demand comes on heels of China capacity cuts
(Adds comment from official, details)
QINGDAO, China, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Demand for steel in China, the world's top consumer, is expected to rise 3 percent to 4 percent this year, with consumption better than expected, a senior official of the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) said on Wednesday.
"We expect consumption for steel products this year to grow 3-4 percent," Wang Liqun, vice chairman at CISA told an industry conference.
China's infrastructure push has spurred steel demand this year, lifting profit margins at producers to the highest in years and steel production to record levels.
Despite Beijing's efforts to cut excess capacity in its bloated steel sector, the country's output of the building material is forecast to rise to 840 million tonnes this year from 808 million tonnes in 2016, CISA said earlier this month. In slashing excess capacity, China has also tightened its environmental protection rules as it fights smog, in the process weeding out smaller steel producers and allowing bigger players to dominate the sector. The environmental inspection "is a fundamental policy in China and will have impact on prices and production," said CISA's Wang.
But Wang said Chinese steel mills should "not over-interpret" the policy implemented by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
(Reporting by Muyu Xu and Manolo Serapio Jr.; Editing by Richard Pullin and Kenneth Maxwell)
* SEC chair-Does not believe Mary Jo White knew of 2016 breach
* Regulator cannot know "for sure" when hack of EDGAR occurred
* SEC can't say with "100% certainty" EDGAR breach was one-off
* Regulator plans to ask Congress for more cyber security funds
(Adds Breakingviews link)
By Michelle Price and Pete Schroeder
WASHINGTON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) told a congressional committee on Tuesday he did not believe his predecessor Mary Jo White knew of a 2016 cyber breach to the regulator's corporate disclosure system, the exact timing of which could not be known "for sure."
Jay Clayton, who was formally appointed to his role in May, also said listed companies should disclose more detailed information on cyber breaches "sooner," and that the U.S. regulator was working on new guidelines to ensure this.
The Senate Banking Committee grilled Clayton on Tuesday over a 2016 hack of EDGAR, the agency's online corporate financial disclosure system, only disclosed last Wednesday, which has shaken confidence in the SEC's cyber defenses. Clayton said he had decided last weekend to disclose the breach once he had enough information to establish it was "serious," but he would not be drawn on who at the agency had known about it and whether there was an attempt to cover it up.
"I have no belief sitting here that Chair White knew," Clayton said when asked whether his predecessor had been aware of the hack, adding: "I don't think we can know for sure" on the exact timing of the breach.
Clayton fielded several questions from senators on the recent Equifax Inc data breach in which hackers stole personal data of about 143 million customers of the credit reporting firm, including on the timing of the company's disclosure. Although the former Wall Street lawyer declined to comment on whether the SEC was investigating stock sales made by Equifax executives prior to the disclosure, he said he was "not ignoring" the issue.
The hearing, which had been scheduled prior to the disclosure of the SEC's breach, offered lawmakers, companies and investors the first opportunity to hear from the SEC chief on the incident.
Clayton originally had been scheduled to discuss capital market reform at his first hearing before the committee since being formally appointed in May, but his pro-growth agenda was largely eclipsed by the SEC breach and the Equifax scandal.
Wall Street's top regulator came under fire last week after disclosing that hackers might have used information stolen from EDGAR, which houses millions of market-sensitive corporate disclosures such as earnings releases, for insider trading.
"When we learn a year after the fact that the SEC had its own breach and that it likely led to illegal stock trades, it raises questions about why the SEC seems to have swept this under the rug," Senator Sherrod Brown, the ranking Democratic member of the committee, asked Clayton during opening remarks.
"What else are we not being told, what other information is at risk, and what are the consequences?" Brown asked. "How can you expect companies to do the right thing when your agency has not?"
CYBER DEFENSES EYED
Reuters reported on Monday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service have launched investigations into the breach, which occurred in October 2016 and appeared to have been routed through servers in Eastern Europe. The breach appeared to have been one of several cyber incidents documented by the SEC in recent months, Reuters reported. Clayton said he only learned about the 2016 hack in August and that the SEC's enforcement staff and inspector general's office have launched internal probes.
The regulator reported the breach to the Department of Homeland Security's Computer Emergency Readiness Team when it was first discovered, Clayton said in the testimony, adding the regulator plans to hire more cyber security experts. Clayton said the hack was possibly the result of a defect in the EDGAR software and said that personally identifiable information did not appear to have been put at risk, but he declined to provide further detail.
He said the SEC was still determining the extent and impact of the breach and that it could take "substantial time" to complete due to the amount of data that needed to be analyzed.
The committee also quizzed Clayton about other potential breaches at the agency and the regulator's general cyber defenses.
Clayton said he could not say with "100 percent certainty" that the EDGAR breach was the only one suffered by the agency, and added that he planned to ask Congress for more funds to tackle the rising cyber threat.
"We're going to need more money for cyber security, and I intend to ask for it."
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BREAKINGVIEWS-Botched SEC hack probe a warning for other agencies ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Michelle Price and Pete Schroeder; editing by Leslie Adler and G Crosse)
By Manolo Serapio Jr
QINGDAO, China, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Australian iron ore miner Roy Hill Holdings Pty Ltd has the ability to expand its production capacity beyond the 55 million tonnes it has targeted, its chief executive said on Wednesday.
Roy Hill, controlled by Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart, is closing in on that 55 million tonnes a year goal as it expects to export at least 4.6 million tonnes this month from Australia's Port Hedland, Barry Fitzgerald said on the sidelines of an industry conference in China.
"We're not saying we're at 55 (million tonnes). We are saying we expect to be there by Christmas," Fitzgerald told Reuters.
When that targeted production capacity is achieved, the company will "consolidate that, we'll improve our reliability ... and then focus on incremental capacity to optimise whatever our facilities can do," he said.
Asked whether Roy Hill's iron ore capacity could be increased to more than 55 million tonnes, Fitzgerald said: "We think we've got some inherent capacity in our plants."
The ramp-up in Roy Hill's capacity along with the gradual production increase from top iron ore producer Vale's S11D expansion project in Brazil has helped boost global supply of the steelmaking raw material this year.
The price of iron ore has fallen by nearly a third from this year's peak to trade at $64.95 a tonne on Tuesday.
Roy Hill sells its iron ore output to China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
(Reporting by Manolo Serapio Jr.; Editing by Joseph Radford)
* Deal, announced in April, due to close around mid-Oct
* Dhaka undecided over whether to back a counterbid -source
* China firm has Beijing green light for acquisition
By Ruma Paul and Chen Aizhu
DHAKA/BEIJING, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Chevron Corp may miss its mid-October target for closing the agreed $2 billion sale of its natural gas assets in Bangladesh to a Chinese consortium as Dhaka weighs the prospect of a counterbid, people with knowledge of the matter said.
The U.S. oil major agreed in April to sell its three Bangladesh gas fields to Himalaya Energy, comprising state-run Chinese oil trader Zhenhua Oil and a government investment platform, CNIC Corp. Chevron had planned to close the sale, part of non-core asset disposals, around mid-October. But Bangladesh's state oil and gas firm Petrobangla claims it has the first right of refusal in the sale. A government official who declined to be identified said Dhaka remains undecided over whether to back a counterbid amid doubts on whether Petrobangla has the expertise to run the fields, or the funds to make future investments.
"The deal looks very uncertain as the deadline for closing...is in about two weeks' time," said a Beijing-based Chinese oil executive with knowledge of the deal's status.
"Chevron may need to decide then whether it wants to extend the deadline, or to reassess its strategy in Bangladesh," the executive said. He declined to be identified because of company policy.
Chevron declined to comment on Reuters' questions regarding the asset sale's progress.
The offshore gas fields - Bibiyana, Jalalabad and Moulavi Bazar - have average net daily output of 720 million cubic feet of gas and 3,000 barrels of condensate, or liquid hydrocarbon produced with gas. Chevron sells the entire output to Petrobangla under a production sharing contract and most of the fuel is used to generate electricity for the country.
When asked by Reuters early this month, Petrobangla's chairman, Abul Mansur Md. Faizullah, said a decision on a potential counterbid was pending. He declined to provide further details.
Financial sources familiar with Petrobangla said earlier in September the Bangladesh firm was tapping banks with a view to potentially funding a counterbid.
Meanwhile the government was waiting for a final asset assessment by consultancy Wood Mackenzie before making a decision, according to a Petrobangla official.
"As per production sharing contract, Chevron has no right to transfer its shares without permission," said the official, who declined to be named as he was not authorized to speak to media.
"They (Chevron) never officially informed us about the deal with a Chinese company. We came to know only from media," the official said.
Chevron didn't say whether it had informed Petrobangla on its plans for the gas fields before the sale was agreed.
A spokesman at China's Zhenhua Oil said that his company has been "actively communicating" with Chevron and Dhaka. He said the Chinese government gave its nod to the acquisition shortly after the deal was agreed.
For Zhenhua Oil, among the smallest state-run Chinese oil and gas firms, the Bangladesh assets would provide a much-need addition to its reserve base. A completed deal would also mark the first major Chinese energy investment in the South Asian nation, where China is vying with India and Japan for influence.
(Reporting by Ruma Paul in DHAKA and Chen Aizhu in BEIJING; Additional reporting by Anshuman Daga in SINGAPORE; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
* SSEC flat, CSI300 +0.2 pct, HSI +0.4 pct
* China Aug industrial profit growth accelerates
* Signs of stepped-up SOE reform also support market
SHANGHAI, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Chinese and Hong Kong stocks were firm in Wednesday trade, with resources shares rebounding sharply after China's upbeat August industrial profit data and robust earnings forecast by a major steelmaker helped ease fears of China's economic recovery losing steam.
Investor confidence was also underpinned by signs of China's government accelerating the restructuring of its bloated state sector, and a conviction in Beijing's vow to safeguard market stability ahead of a Communist Party Congress next month.
China's blue-chip CSI300 index was up 0.2 percent, at 3,826.35 points at the end of the morning trading session, while the Shanghai Composite Index was unchanged at 3,344.68 points.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index added 0.4 percent, to 27,635.26 points, while the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index gained 0.7 percent to 11,041.49.
Investors took relief from data showing annual profit at China's industrial companies rose 24 percent in August, accelerating from the previous month in an indication economic growth remains healthy despite signs of fading momentum following a robust first half-year. Reflecting the trend, Anyang Iron & Steel Inc forecast a seven-fold jump in net profit for the first nine months, boosting its Shanghai-listed shares by 10 percent - the maximum allowed.
Meanwhile, investors also harboured hope that listed firms will benefit from stepped-up reform of state-owned enterprises in China.
The Shanghai Securities News reported on Tuesday that Ping An Insurance Group Co of China is in discussion with China Eastern Group regarding the latter's plans for mixed-ownership reform.
Meanwhile, CSSC Offshore & Marine Engineering said its controlling shareholder, China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) , is planning to restructure assets of the listed unit, sending its Hong Kong-listed shares surging. CSSC's China-listed shares were suspended from trading.
Resources firms, the biggest beneficiary from industry consolidation and state reform, rose sharply. In China, the CSI300 materials subindex climbed nearly 1 percent, while an index tracking the sector in Hong Kong rose 1.6 percent.
Banking shares dragged in China , with Jiangsu Changshu Rural Commercial Bank slumping more than 5 percent to a near one-year low, pressured by more equity supply as some investors come out of lock-up periods.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ China stock market graphics suite ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Samuel Shen and John Ruwitch)
BEIJING, Sept 27 (Reuters) - China will push forward restructuring of state-controlled firms in the coal, power and equipment manufacturing sectors, state radio said on Wednesday, quoting the results of a cabinet meeting. It will also push forward mixed ownership of state-owned companies, it said. The government will strengthen policy and financial support for small and medium-sized companies, including stetting up a state financing guarantee fund, it added.
(Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
PRAGUE, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The Czech election frontrunner, billionaire businessman Andrej Babis, said on Wednesday that splitting up state-owned utility CEZ would cost customers and leave the government without a "lucrative" part of the energy business.
Splitting CEZ into parts is one of three options the government is debating as a financing model for nuclear power expansion, along with special purpose companies owned by either CEZ or the government.
Babis, whose party holds a double-digit poll lead ahead of next month's election, made his comments on Twitter, after CEZ Chief Executive Daniel Benes was quoted by Pravo newspaper on Tuesday as saying a split would make nuclear power expansion easier. Babis has said in the past that CEZ, which is 70 percent government owned, should be able to finance the construction of nuclear plants itself. On Wednesday, he said the split option would leave the state with only production assets, losing sales and distribution units.
"We will all pay for this, in electricity prices," Babis said on Twitter. The state would "lose the lucrative part of CEZ", he said.
Babis's oft-repeated pledge is to "manage the state like a company", and he has been compared to other businessmen-turned-politicians, such as U.S. President Donald Trump and former Italian prime minister and media magnate Silvio Berlusconi.
Sources told Reuters last week that government officials had asked CEZ to look closely into the possibility of spinning off the group's power distribution and renewable assets, with the government taking full control of its nuclear and coal plants. Babis, whose ANO party is a junior member in Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka's Social Democrat-led government, was finance minister until May. His party is expected to gain the most votes in the Oct. 20-21 election, making him the frontrunner to become prime minister. (Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Susan Fenton)
* EU Parliament set to agree on review of banking rules by mid Oct
* Higher guarantees for savers may expose bonds to more risks
* Italy, Portugal seen opposing move over fear of weakening banks
By Francesco Guarascio
BRUSSELS, Sept 27 (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers are considering changing the rules on bank rescues to ensure bondholders' investments are used to prop up a failing lender ahead of savers' deposits, EU officials said.
The discussions follow a decision by EU regulators to shut down Spanish bank Banco Popular in June after a run on its deposits fuelled by fears that depositors' money could be used to rescue the lender.
But the proposed changes could expose investors who hold bonds issued by banks to higher risks should they run into trouble, and generally push up yields on lenders' senior debt, making it more expensive for them to raise funds.
Any changes agreed by the European Parliament would have to be approved by governments of the bloc's members states.
One EU official, who declined to be named, said Italy and Portugal opposed the idea, fearing it would make it harder for banks in the countries to increase their capital reserves to levels required under EU rules, an EU official said.
During the global financial crisis, taxpayers in a number of EU countries had to fund bailouts for banks which came close to collapse. Since then, the bloc has tightened capital adequacy stipulations and introduced "bail-in" rules, under which shareholders, bondholders and depositors would bear responsibility for funding future bank rescues before taxpayers.
Banco Popular's liquidity crisis was partly prompted by the new EU rules that allow regulators to wipe out uninsured savings, deposits above 100,000 euros ($118,000).
To prevent panicking depositors from hastily withdrawing money in the next bank crisis, lawmakers are discussing changes that would increase the level of protection given to savers, making them the last to be hit in a future rescue.
Under current rules, uninsured depositors have the same level of protection as holders of senior debt.
"Conferring a priority ranking on all deposits is expected to enhance the implementation of the bail-in tool," said a proposal prepared by Ernest Urtasun, a Spanish Greens member of the European Parliament. The document said this would lower the risk of contagion - the kind of loss of investors' confidence which spread rapidly from market to market during the crisis.
The document seeks to amend a legislative proposal by the European Commission on the ranking of unsecured creditors in bank rescues. This adds a new category of liabilities that would be hit before depositors and after shareholders and junior creditors.
Two EU officials familiar with talks on the issue said the amendment could be approved by mid-October by the parliament's economic committee.
But, as a compromise, states could be given discretion on how to treat depositors. "Discussions are still ongoing and all options are open," one official said.
Italy and Portugal are against increasing depositors' protection, fearing a negative impact on bondholders, the EU official said, adding that other states may also oppose the move.
In Italy, retail investors often hold much of a bank's senior debt, and the government has faced mass protests when it imposed losses on bondholders during bank rescues.
In the recent rescue of two small banks from the Veneto region, the government managed to win EU approval to use taxpayers' money rather than involve senior bondholders in a bail-in as part of a rescue package.
An Italian official in Brussels declined to comment.
The shutdown of Banco Popular prompted debate among EU regulators on whether to exclude depositors from bail-ins altogether, but this bolder option has lost ground as it would leave banks without sufficient capital to be wiped out in a rescue. ($1 = 0.8481 euros)
(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio; editing by David Stamp)
ROME, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Italy's Fincantieri has an option to force the French government to buy its stake in STX France should Paris fail to meet a commitment to lend it 1 percent of the shipyard, a government source with knowledge of the matter said.
France and Italy agreed on Wednesday to end a row over an Italian bid for STX France in a deal that gives Fincantieri effective control of the shipyard without it legally owning a majority, a source said earlier. Under the deal Fincantieri would have 50 percent of STX but would be lent a further 1 percent stake by Paris for a period of 12 years.
According to the government source, Fincantieri has a put option to sell its stake to Paris at a fair price.
(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte, writing by Stephen Jewkes; editing by Giselda Vagnoni)
BERLIN, Sept 27 (Reuters) - German exporters have become more optimistic about their business prospects as soaring demand from other euro zone countries helps offset worries about the strengthening currency, the Ifo economic institute said on Wednesday.
"The strong euro cannot cloud the good mood among exporters at the moment. The most important driver for German exports remains the euro zone," Ifo head Clemens Fuest said.
Ifo's indicator for export expectations rose to 18.7 points in September from 18.2 in the previous month, with managers from nearly all industrial sectors giving a more upbeat outlook.
"Only the automobile industry had to cope with a noticeable damper. At the moment there are hardly any opportunities for export growth," Fuest said.
Germany's car industry, which is the country's biggest exporter and employs some 800,000 people, is engulfed in an emissions scandal.
European Union and German antitrust regulators are also investigating whether Volkswagen , Porsche, Audi , BMW and Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler held secret meetings to discuss suppliers, prices and standards to the disadvantage of foreign carmakers. Ifo's latest data on export expectations followed the institute's broader and closely watched monthly survey on business confidence on Monday, which showed an unexpected drop in the weeks before the Sept. 24 federal election.
Merkel's conservatives remained the largest parliamentary bloc after Sunday's vote but bled support to the far-right. With coalition talks set to start, her only realistic option now is a tricky tie-up with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and the environmentalist Greens. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Catherine Evans)
ATHENS, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Greece's central bank dismissed claims by hacking group Anonymous that it had accessed confidential internal files, saying on Wednesday the material was already in the public domain.
Anonymous responded by warning that it was merely testing out the bank's defences and could step up its attack.
Anonymous Greece had posted a link on its Facebook page on Tuesday, claiming it was leaking central bank data and warned that more would follow in the coming days. A link the collective supplied didn't appear to immediately work.
The Bank of Greece said the alleged leak only contained information widely available on its website.
"The claims that Bank of Greece data bases were hacked and leaked are totally unfounded," the central bank said.
Anonymous, which previously attacked the central bank in May last year when it disrupted service on its website, said its campaign was not over.
"The Bank of Greece was a test, not exactly an attack. It was a warning, The worst is yet to come," Anonymous said.
"Be afraid of us because you never know when your entire system will collapse. Then we will see what you have to say."
The central bank played down the threat.
"The alleged revelations of 1,217 files, which contain administrative decisions, presentations from conferences and other data, is nothing other than information available to the public through the bank's website," the Bank of Greece said.
Anonymous originated in 2003, adopting the Guy Fawkes mask stylised by the "'V' for Vendetta" movie as their symbol for online hacking.
(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Keith Weir)
Sept 27 (Reuters) - Petra Diamonds Ltd on Wednesday said it had received authorisation from the Tanzanian government to resume diamond exports and sales from the Williamson mine in Tanzania.
The company said the exact timing and process for the next diamond export to the company's office in Antwerp and sale would be finalised between the company and the government. Petra also said that no resolution had been reached over the 71,654.45 carat shipment from the Williamson mine that was blocked for export earlier this month.
(Reporting by Sanjeeban Sarkar in Bengaluru; Editing by Adrian Croft)
OSLO, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Norway's central bank sold the following government bond (NST 479) in a uniform price auction on Wednesday: Coupon: 1.75 pct Maturity: Feb 17, 2027 Settlement date: Sept. 29, 2017 AUCTION DATE Sept 27, 2017 Aug 30, 2017 YIELD (pct) 1.59 1.54 ALLOTMENT PRICE (pct) 101.41 101.85 SCHEDULED OFFER (bln NOK) 2.00 3.00 TOTAL BIDS (bln NOK) 6.085 6.713 ALLOTED (bln NOK) 2.00 3.00 BID-TO-COVER RATIO 3.04 2.24 NOTE: The central bank said that there was 79 percent allotment on lowest accepted bids.
(Reporting by Oslo newsroom)
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
ANKARA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Turkey's new tax measures announced on Wednesday within its three-year economic programme will add 27-28 billion lira ($7.5-$7.8 billion) to budget revenue next year, Finance Minister Naci Agbal told Reuters.
The government will increase the financial sector's corporate tax rate by 2 percentage points to 22 percent and raise the motor vehicle tax on passenger cars by 40 percent.
Agbal said that the new tax measures aimed to widen the fiscal space by creating permanent income channels, adding that the most important issue was taking a sound stance against geopolitical and economic risks.
($1 = 3.5761 liras)
(Reporting by Orhan Coskun; Writing by Ece Toksabay; Editing by David Dolan)
ANKARA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Turkey expects to increase the defence industry's share of tax revenues under a draft law, Turkish Finance Minister Naci Agbal said on Wednesday. Speaking at a presentation outlining the government's annual update of its medium-term economic programme, Agbal said it was a priority to increase the deterrent power of the armed forces and to meet modernisation needs and the cost of operations.
(Reporting by Nevzat Devranoglu and Daren Butler; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
By Pete Schroeder
WASHINGTON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - U.S. banking regulators proposed a rule on Wednesday aimed at easing regulations on capital requirements for smaller banks as part of a broader effort to make it easier for less complex financial institutions to operate.
The proposal would generally only apply to banks with less than $250 billion in total assets and $10 billion in foreign exposure, and would make a series of changes to how those banks must treat capital for regulatory purposes.
The Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency all backed the move to propose new rules and solicit public comment on them.
The proposal is part of a broader effort by bank regulators to streamline their rules for smaller banks, amid complaints that the heightened regulatory environment following the 2007-2009 financial crisis has made it difficult for smaller institutions to comply and compete.
Under the proposal, smaller banks would enjoy simpler definitions across a range of areas when it pertains to how it must comply with capital rules. For example, the proposed rule would tweak capital rules pertaining to construction loans and mortgage servicing assets in an effort to simplify the requirement. Those changes would reduce the risk profile of some types of loans, making it easier for banks to meet capital requirements.
(Reporting by Pete Schroeder; editing by Diane Craft)
By Diane Bartz
WASHINGTON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is barring Japan's Showa Denko , which struck a deal to buy Germany's SGL Group's graphite electrode assets globally, from purchasing its U.S. business.
The companies are two of three leading firms that make big high power graphite electrodes used to melt scrap metal in some U.S. steel mills. Because of this, Showa Denko agreed under the terms of a settlement to sell SGL's manufacturing facilities in Arkansas and Kentucky.
The agreement is the second sign in as many days that President Donald Trump's Justice Department may disappoint investors who had hoped for a more laissez faire approach to antitrust enforcement.
On Tuesday, the department sued to partially un-do Parker-Hannifin Corp's purchase of Clarcor Inc, which closed in February. In October, SGL Group said it would sell its graphite electrode business to Japanese chemicals firm Showa Denko for some 350 million euros ($384 million).
SGL has been seeking a buyer for the business, which has been losing money because cheap blast furnace steel from China is taking global market share from operators of electric arc furnaces elsewhere.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
* CEO addressing 7,000 staff at Ingolstadt base
* Unions urge management to assign EVs by year-end
* Audi plans more than 20 EVs before 2025
(Adds comments from labour boss, detail and background)
By Andreas Cremer
BERLIN, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Audi will build electric vehicles at its plants across the world, including sites in Mexico and Hungary, the premium carmaker said on Wednesday, detailing its zero-emission plans.
The Volkswagen-owned business last year awarded production of its first mass-produced electric sport-utility vehicle to a plant in Brussels, and has since been pressured by labour unions to allocate electric car projects to Germany.
"In future, electric cars will roll off the line in all of our plants," chief executive Rupert Stadler told a gathering of 7,000 workers at Audi's base in Ingolstadt.
Besides Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm in Germany, which employ two thirds of Audi's 88,000 workers, the carmaker owns plants in Belgium, Mexico and Hungary and uses a network of facilities run by Volkswagen (VW) and Skoda to build vehicles overseas.
Audi plans to roll out more than 20 electrified vehicles before 2025, with about a dozen designed to be battery-only, development chief Peter Mertens said, mirroring the zero-emissions push by parent VW. Separately, labour boss Peter Mosch on Wednesday called on top management to speed up assigning production of electric cars to Germany, as staff in Audi's home market fear they could lose out in the race for zero emissions orders and projects.
"The workforce here wants to see results no later than by the end of this year," Mosch told the Ingolstadt meeting.
Workers are also grappling with the fallout of the VW group's diesel emissions test cheating scandal, which involved some Audi models, and a costly business transformation.
"We need clarity," said Mosch, a member of both Audi's and the VW group's supervisory boards.
(Editing by Christoph Steitz and Mark Potter)
(Adds share price move, details)
Sept 27 (Reuters) - London-listed Petra Diamonds Ltd said on Wednesday it had received authorisation from the Tanzanian government to resume diamond exports and sales from the Williamson mine, lifting its shares from two-year lows.
The company said the timing and process for the next diamond export to the company's office in Antwerp and the sale would be finalised between the company and the government. The shares closed 12.2 percent higher at 64.80 pence, after the stock had fallen on Tuesday to its lowest since late 2015.
Petra said no resolution had been reached over the 71,654.45 carat shipment from the Williamson mine that was blocked for export this month.
New laws and a crackdown on mining firms in Tanzania has slowed fresh investment in what has long been seen as one of Africa's brightest mining prospects as firms assess the government's efforts to secure a bigger take from the sector.
Tanzania passed three laws in July that, among other things, hike taxes on mineral exports, mandate a higher government stake in some mining operations and force the construction of local smelters to add more value to the country's mining industry.
The regulations aim to stamp out what President John Magufuli has called years of corrupt practices and tax evasion which he said has robbed the country of revenue from a sector accounting for about 4 percent of GDP. On Sept.7, the government confiscated a consignment of diamonds from a mine majority-owned by Petra after accusing the firm of under-declaring the value of the stones by about half. Petra had denied the charge.
Tanzania's push for a higher stake in projects has hurt London-listed mining companies, such as Acacia and Shanta Gold .
(Reporting by Sanjeeban Sarkar in Bengaluru; Editing by Adrian Croft and Edmund Blair)
* Gov't raises Y1.4 trln including Japan Post share buyback
* Domestic retail investors allocated 76 pct of offering
* Gov't aims to raise Y4 trln from Japan Post firms share sale by fiscal 2022
(Adds coverage ratio, background)
By Taiga Uranaka
TOKYO, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Japan's government said it has raised 1.3 trillion yen ($11.5 billion) from its sale of Japan Post Holdings Co Ltd stock, including shares sold in the overallotment portion of the deal that was determined on Wednesday.
The offering was the world's second-biggest share sale so far this year, after Italian bank UniCredit SpA's $13.7 billion sale in February.
Japan Post priced its offer on Monday at 1,322 yen a share, a discount of 2 percent to that day's closing share price. That compared with an indicative range of 2 percent to 4 percent. The total offering was determined on Wednesday after the number of shares set aside to cover additional demand was fixed.
Domestic retail investors were allocated 76 percent of the offering, overseas investors 20 percent and domestic institutional investors 4 percent, lead underwriters said.
A coverage ratio, or demand for shares offered, was about 1.3 times for domestic retail investors, around 2.5 for overseas investors and about 1.5 for domestic institutional investors, Thomson Reuters DealWatch reported.
In addition to the public offering, Japan Post bought back its own shares worth 100 billion yen from the government, bringing total proceeds to the national coffer to 1.4 trillion yen.
The government has said it aims to raise about some 4 trillion yen in sales of shares in Japan Post firms by the 2022 fiscal year to help fund reconstruction of areas devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
That implies a further 1.2 trillion yen of share sales sometime in the next five years.
Domestic retail investors, who made up the bulk of buyers, see the owner of ubiquitous post offices as a safe alternative to saving money at banks, analysts said.
Lead underwriters said Japan Post's relatively high dividend yield - 3.7 percent against the benchmark Nikkei average's 1.7 - makes the stock an attractive choice for high-street investors.
"It's better than bank deposits," said Shigeto Kobayashi, a 73-year-old retiree attending a seminar on the offering, hosted by brokerage houses in Tokyo earlier this month.
"Anyway, the government is the big shareholder, so there are little risks of bankruptcy," he said.
($1 = 112.7000 yen)
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Japan Post share sale raises $11 bln, but demand weaker than for IPO ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Taiga Uranaka; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Christopher Cushing)
(Adds current job description of Macau based Wan Kuok-koi)
By Farah Master
HONG KONG, Sept 27 (Reuters) - A Macau company and Thailand-based firm are looking to raise more than $300 million through what would be the world's largest crypto currency initial coin offering (ICO), according to a document seen by Reuters, to fund the construction of a floating casino hotel.
The document shows an agreement signed by Thailand's Wi Holding and Macau's China Kingdom Group this week outlining plans to issue virtual tokens that represent equity in the project over the next six to 12 months.
Wi Holding did not respond to a request for comment. China Kingdom Group could not be reached for comment.
The deal comes just three weeks after China banned the practice of raising funds through launches of token-based digital currencies. ICOs were targeted after they fuelled a rapid ascent in the value of crypto currencies this year that has triggered fears of a bubble. Chakrit Ahmad, chief executive of Wi Holding, said on CNBC this week that the fundraising would not be affected by China's ban as tokens were being issued in Hong Kong, which has not banned ICOs.
Tony Tong, founder of cryptocurrency investment company Pacific Financial Services, had seen the document and said Wan Kuok-koi, chairman of Macau's World Hongmen History and Cultural Association, was a co-investor in the ICO. Wan, whose nickname in Macau is "Broken Tooth", was released from a Macau prison in 2012 after serving 14 years for attempted murder, loan sharking and money laundering.
Wan was pictured in the company document reviewed by Reuters holding the agreement. He could not be reached for comment.
Separately, Milos Andric, the chairman of Norwegian maritime design firm Brova Idea, told Reuters his company had been contracted to construct an eco-friendly floating casino hotel in China's southern territory of Macau that would be sent to the former Portuguese colony in 2020.
Andric said his company was in the process of conducting engineering for the floating project.
He declined to reveal the identity of his client, citing confidentiality reasons, although a Brova company video seen by Reuters showed its partners as Wi Holding and China Kingdom Company together with a company called Dragon ICO.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority said it could not comment on individual cases, but said investors needed to understand that a cryptocurrency trading platform "may be unregulated and located overseas, so investors may risk losing the entire investment if one ceases operations."
Macau's monetary authority told Reuters it had reminded banks and payment institutions in Macau on September 20 not to participate in or provide directly or indirectly any financial services for related Bitcoin activities.
The ICO would be the largest such offering to date when compared with past transactions listed on research site Cointelegraph. However, virtual currency investors remain sceptical about the prospects of such a deal being completed.
Leonhard Weese, president of the Hong Kong Bitcoin Association, said the ICO space was becoming exuberant and questioned the fundraising for the floating casino. He said such an offer was equivalent to about one percent of Bitcoin supply and, in terms of relative market impact, compared it to buying 1,800 tons of gold.
(Reporting by Farah Master; Additional reporting by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Sam Holmes, Greg Mahlich)
(Adds quote, detail, background)
By Chijioke Ohuocha
LAGOS, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Nigeria's debut 100 billion naira sovereign sukuk issue launched last week was more than 5.8 percent oversubscribed, the Debt Management Office said on Wednesday, suggesting it may tap this demand more to help fund its budget.
Nigeria has a growing consumer and corporate banking sectors and is home to the largest Islamic population in sub-Saharan Africa, with Muslims accounting for about half of its population of 180 million.
"With the success of the (sukuk) offer, another window has been opened for the government to raise funds to close Nigeria's infrastructure gap," the debt office (DMO) said in a statement.
The seven-year Islamic bond, which is structured as a lease and guaranteed by the government, fetched 105.87 billion naira in bids from retail and institutional investors, the DMO said.
The proceeds of the bond would be used to construct and maintain roads in Africa's most populous country, it said.
The debt, which it had originally expected to sell in June via a book-building process, will yield a 16.47 percent rental rate, payable semi-annually. The sale ended on Sept. 22. Africa's biggest economy raised $1.5 billion via a Eurobond in the first quarter and another $300 million from its own citizens living overseas. It plans to raise a further 20 billion naira via a "green bond" in addition to refinancing up to $3 billion worth of short-term treasury bills.
The country's economy grew in the second quarter, climbing out of recession as oil revenues rose, but the pace of growth was slow, suggesting a fragile recovery.
The Islamic bond sale is part of Nigeria's plans to develop alternative funding sources for the government and to establish a benchmark curve for corporates to follow, the DMO has said.
Nigeria plans to borrow both locally and from offshore sources to help fund a budget deficit worsened by lower oil prices, which have slashed government revenues and weakened the naira currency.
In 2013, Nigeria's Osun State issued 10 billion naira worth of sukuk debt, paving the way for the latest issue.
(Additional reporting by Camillus Eboh; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
(Adds quotes, background)
KRISTIANSAND, Norway, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The Norwegian economy is well placed to cope with a moderate strengthening of the country's crown currency, central bank Governor Oeystein Olsen told Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting with business leaders on Wednesday.
On a trade-weighted basis, the currency index is expected to strengthen from a current level around 103.5 to an average 102.4 in 2018 and 100.5 in 2019, Norges Bank said on Sept. 21. "The Norwegian economy, in our forecasts, can well tolerate the crown strengthening that we anticipate," Olsen told Reuters.
"There is of course some uncertainty in the interactions we base our forecasts on, but the outlook indicates a somewhat stronger crown ahead is expected to coincide with a pick-up in economic growth and a further drop in unemployment," he said.
Statistics Norway's Labour Force Survey on Wednesday showed unemployment falling to 4.2 percent for the June-August period, in line with most analyst forecasts, from 4.3 percent in May-July.
"That's as expected, there was no surprise there," Olsen said.
(Reporting by Camilla Knudsen, writing by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche)
(Adds details from statement, quotes from bondholders)
NEW YORK, Sept 27 (Reuters) - A group of Puerto Rico creditors said on Wednesday that they hoped the island receives the governmental assistance necessary to allow it a "speedy recovery", after hurricane Maria threw the island's financial future into even greater limbo.
Puerto Rico, which filed the largest-ever U.S. government bankruptcy in May, is struggling to recover from the effects of the hurricane, which left much of the island inaccessible, communication difficult and fuel in short supply. A lack of power on the island is a particularly acute problem. The hurricane has raised questions about how much of a role the federal government plays in solving Puerto Rico's crisis and what creditors can do to alleviate the pressure.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday agreed to boost federal disaster assistance, ordering increased funding be made available to assist with debris removal and emergency protective measures. "It certainly looks grim from a bondholder's perspective," said Jonathan Mondillo, Portfolio Manager at Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC. "Right now it's a question of how much federal funds ultimately the island is going to see."
Puerto Rico's bonds have been under pressure since the disaster. A group of creditors holding COFINA debt, which is bonds backed by sales tax revenue, said in a statement on Tuesday that they hoped the island received "necessary humanitarian and governmental assistance" to strengthen the island's infrastructure for the long term.
Earlier on Wednesday, creditors of Puerto Rico's bankrupt power utility PREPA said they had offered the utility some relief, with a $1 billion loan and a discount on a portion of the existing debt. Ted Hampton, analyst at Moody's Investors Service, said given the magnitude of the disaster Puerto Rico is coping with, "it would not be surprising to see various parties to its debt restructuring proceedings go out of their way to be accommodating in whatever ways they can."
"At the same time, I still think the debt restructuring is something that is going to be proceeding on a separate track from relief efforts," Hampton said.
Mondillo said in terms of the federal government's role, "stepping in and paying off bondholders ... would be very politically unpopular" and a more likely scenario would be government help with the humanitarian situation in terms of more federal funds or some kind of incentive program for private industry.
(Reporting by Nick Brown, Megan Davies and Stephanie Kelly; editing by Lisa Shumaker and Chizu Nomiyama)
(Adds details, analysis)
By Andrew Torchia
DUBAI, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The value of Qatar's imports rebounded sharply in August from July, government data showed on Wednesday, suggesting the economic impact of sanctions imposed by other Arab states is fading.
Imports plunged by over a third after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and transport ties with Doha on June 5.
The sanctions - over accusations of supporting terrorism, which Doha denies - disrupted shipping routes to Qatar and closed its land border with Saudi Arabia, over which food and building materials were imported.
In August, however, imports jumped 39.1 percent to 8.68 billion riyals ($2.38 billion), the planning and statistics ministry said.
Imports were 7.8 percent below their year-earlier levels, but that still marked a major recovery from levels of June and July, when they dropped more than 35 percent year on year.
Since the diplomatic crisis erupted, Qatari companies and foreign shippers have sought to establish new shipping routes to Qatar via other countries including Oman, compensating for the loss of Dubai as a trans-shipment centre.
Those efforts now appear to be bearing fruit.
Imports of large equipment recovered sharply in August after being slowed for a couple of months by the disruption to shipping routes.
Gas turbine equipment, some of it used in the production of natural gas, increased 76.5 percent from a year ago to 630 million riyals while aircraft parts surged 39.7 percent to 306 million riyals.
Motor vehicle imports continued to slump, however. They were down 57.8 percent from a year earlier at 267 million riyals.
This may have been caused by damage to domestic consumption and consumer sentiment in the wake of the crisis. The stock market has plunged and some analysts believe economic growth has slowed, although they do not predict a recession.
Qatar's exports, the vast majority of them natural gas and oil, climbed 17.7 percent year-on-year to 21.30 billion riyals in August. As a result, its trade surplus expanded 45.4 percent to 12.62 billion riyals.
(Reporting by Andrew Torchia; editing by John Stonestreet)
(Adds minister comments, background)
ANKARA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Turkey's border with northern Iraq remains open, although that does not mean it will remain so, the Turkish customs minister said on Wednesday, adding the number of trucks passing through had decreased.
Bulent Tufenkci also said he did not believe that the Kurdish independence referendum in northern Iraq would have a big impact on Turkish trade with Baghdad.
President Tayyip Erdogan has said Iraqi Kurds would go hungry if his country halts the flow of trucks and oil across the border, warning that Turkey could take military and economic measures against its neighbour after the referendum
"The Habur border gate is open for now, we see that the numbers of vehicles passing are decreased," Tufenkci said, referring to the main border crossing with northern Iraq.
"The Habur border gate being open for now does not mean that it will remain open," he said in comments broadcast live on television.
Turkey, home to the region's largest Kurdish population, has been battling a three-decade insurgency in its largely Kurdish southeast and fears the referendum, held earlier this week, will inflame separatist tension at home.
"We can continue trading with the Iraqi central government through Iran or via sea or airways," Tufenkci said.
Turkey has long been northern Iraq's main link to the outside world, with a Turkish oil pipeline connecting northern Iraq to global energy markets. Iraq, including the Kurdish region, was Turkey's third-largest export market in 2016, according to IMF data. Turkish exports to the country totalled $8.6 billion, behind Germany and the United Kingdom.
(Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Dirimcan Barut; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Dominic Evans)
I blogged yesterday on how Fairfax had a story on Lynlie Beazley. It trumpeted her as the face of poverty in New Zealand. It ran a story entirely sympathetic to her claiming she had to survive on just $22 a week for food, and portraying this as all the fault of the Government.
My original blog was critical of Fairfax for not providing any information on her claimed income and expenses so it could be scrutinised. But this is the least of their failings.
It then transpires that Beazley had 32 convictions including aggravated robbery. This changes entirely the picture the original article was portraying which was 100% sympathetic to her.
But it gets even worse than that for Fairfax. They failed to spend even 60 seconds searching her name with the Tenancy Tribunal. If they had they would have found:
3 Oct 2016 tenancy terminated for non-payment of rent
22 Feb 2017 tenancy terminated for non-payment of rent and cleaning costs of over $1,000
Now both tenancies were with Vision West Community Trust. It exists to end homelessness, and so would only be evicting someone if no other resort.
Now note how generous the Government is. Despite her trashing her house with Vision West Community Trust, she was put into a Housing NZ home. She gets a huge subsidy from the taxpayer so her rent is only 25% of her benefit or $59 a week. Yes only $59 a week yet she claims this is so high she cant afford more than $22 a week on food.
Decisions have consequences. If you trash your home, you get evicted, If you commit aggravated robbery you find it hard to get a job. Despite all this were providing a house for her to live in for just $59 a week.
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The Herald reports:
The man whos often been referred to as the most powerful non-elected politician in the country is quitting. Wayne Eagleson has been Sir John Key and Bill Englishs chief of staff for 12 years, but says its time to look at other options. Mr Eagleson will stay around until the new Government is formed, which is expected to be around mid-October. Eagleson formally told Bill English last week he planned to resign after the election but insiders say it has been known by the Ninth Floor for several months that he planned to go, no matter what the election result. He will stay on for the next few week to assist with coalition talks planned between National and New Zealand First. Eagleson was a former deputy chief of staff to Jim Bolger, and after some experience in public relations in the private sector returned to Parliament to become chief of staff to Don Brash in Opposition. He stayed on to become Keys chief of staff in Opposition and then in Government.
Most people in New Zealand (outside the beltway) have never heard of Wayne Eagleson, and that is a sign of his success. We have seen Chiefs of Staff who have become household names such as Peta Credlin in Australia and Heather Simpson in New Zealand. When you become the story you are less effective.
Its a hugely challenging role. You need a relationship so strong with the Prime Minister that if you speak to someone, they will understand you are speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister. If that relationship is not strong, then people will work around the Chief of Staff. No one ever worked around Wayne.
But being a pitbull guardian of the PM doesnt work either. Credlin was that. Ministers resented her for that. No Minister resented Wayne. In fact I dont know anyone in politics with a bad word to say about him. He had that rare mix of authority and approachability.
Wayne will be a big loss to the Government. But it is no surprise after 12 years he is keen for a more normal job.
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Shenandoah, IA (51601)
Today
Variably cloudy with snow showers. Low near 25F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snowfall around one inch..
Tonight
Variably cloudy with snow showers. Low near 25F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snowfall around one inch.
While members of the World Association of Nuclear Operators gather in Gyeongju for their 13th biannual general meeting on Oct. 14, Korea's leading nuclear power plant operator has been keeping quiet about the event not promoting it on websites or issuing press releases. / Graphic by Cho Sang-won
By Ko Dong-hwan
While businessmen from the global nuclear power industry gather for the so-called "Nuclear Power Olympics" in Gyeongju on Oct. 14, the event has kept a strangely low profile considering its international scale.
In less than three weeks members of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) will gather in the city in North Gyeongsang Province for the 13th biannual general meeting (BGM). But there is no website or press release from officials promoting the event domestically.
The meeting was last held in Toronto and this year will see about 700 people from 122 member companies from 34 countries participate. In 2014, when Korea beat Pakistan to host this year's meeting, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP), the state-run nuclear power plant operator, said "the global circle of nuclear power companies have acknowledged the competitiveness of the Korean nuclear energy industry." National efforts to remind the world of Korea's advanced technologies in building nuclear power plants and exporting them soon followed.
But such efforts are nowhere to be seen as the meeting's D-day looms.
"We can only follow directives from WANO's headquarters in London, the U.K.," Park Jin-heon, senior manager of the corporate communications office of the press PR team from KHNP, said. "And the organization is very strict about its deep-rooted regulations. We can only promote the event here within the range approved by the headquarters. The minimum range includes allowing media press to interview the WANO president and CEOs."
KHNP had planned to release a feature article about this year's event, including who will be there and what content will be discussed during the sessions of the week-long gathering. But the organization ordered the Korean company not to release the article before the event.
"We have been persuading the headquarters that this year's event needs to be advertised more rigorously," Park said. "The past BGMs weren't promoted broadly locally either."
Anti-nuclear activists gathered at Busan City Hall on Sept. 12 to call for the permanent halt to construction of the Shin Kori No.5 and 6 reactors. President Moon Jae-in temporarily stopped construction in June pending a comprehensive review. The demonstrators believed that the reactors on the southern seashore are vulnerable to earthquakes. Their protest was held exactly a year after a magnitude-5.8 earthquake shook Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. / Korea Times file
This year's event comes amid the special discussion period during which a committee of nuclear energy experts and citizen jurors lock horns in deciding whether to continue construction of the Shin Kori No.5 and 6 reactors in Busan. President Moon Jae-in halted construction in June to push his anti-nuclear energy policies. Activists opposed to nuclear energy welcomed the move but subcontractors involved in the construction of the plants and nuclear energy experts were fiercely opposed.
Some media reports say KNHP is taking a low-key approach to this year's WANO event because it does not want to attract anti-nuclear activists who will disrupt the event's core purpose of promoting Korea as an advanced nuclear reactor maker. They also said the pro-nuclear event may unfairly affect the committee's decision, tilting it to resume construction of the Busan reactors.
Park dismissed the reports, rejecting the event's alleged influence on the committee.
"As coincidental as it seems, the date for this year's event was determined in Toronto two years ago," Park said. "And the WANO BGM is a gathering of private companies not of government agencies focused on discussing the responsibility of each nuclear reactor operator in different countries to prevent accidents like the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011."
Nation's ranking stuck at 26 for four years in WEF report
By Yoon Ja-young
Korea's overall world competitiveness remained unchanged for the fourth consecutive year, a report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) showed Wednesday.
According to the annual Global Competitiveness Report, Korea ranked 26th among 137 countries.
The report measures competitive edge in terms of "basic requirements," "efficiency enhancers" and "innovation and sophistication factors," which are categorized into 12 pillars comprising 114 components.
The evaluation on Korea is based on analysis of statistics as well as a survey of 100 CEOs of conglomerates and SMEs.
Korea ranked 11th in overall competitiveness in 2007, a record high, but has since been sliding, stopping at 26th for four years since 2014.
Switzerland continued to top the ranking, followed by the United States, which moved up one notch from the previous year. Singapore ranked third falling from the second spot. Germany ranked fifth, while the United Kingdom stood at eighth and Japan got the ninth spot. China is trailing right behind Korea, rising to 27th from 28th from the previous year.
The WEF noted Korea presents large disparities between pillars of evaluation. While it fared well in terms of basic requirements such as macroeconomic environment and infrastructure, it remained sluggish in efficiency enhancers.
"Its performance is largely driven by its remarkable infrastructure (eighth) and a highly favorable macroeconomic environment (second). This year's political turmoil and corruption scandals highlighted the challenges in the country's institutional environment, yet the score of the institutions pillar advanced marginally," it noted in the report.
The labor and financial markets remain Korea's biggest weaknesses.
"Another area in which Korea consistently underperforms is labor market efficiency, in which it ranks 73rd, hiding deeper challenges with regard to labor market flexibility - in which it ranks 106th - caused notably by conflictual labor-employer relations and high redundancy costs," it said.
Korea ranked 130th in terms of cooperation in labor-employer relations, 112th in redundancy costs, and 90th in female participation in the labor force. It was also poor in hiring and firing practices, ranking 88th, and stood at 62nd in terms of flexibility of wage determination.
Korea ranked 74th in overall financial market development, doing especially poorly in the soundness of banks and ease of access to loans as well as availability of financial services, ranking below 80 among the 137 countries evaluated.
The WEF advised Korea to make efforts in innovation to remain in the top group. "Korea, while still in the top group in innovation, appears to have lost ground," it noted.
It added Korea should expand investment in human capital and accelerate efforts for innovative growth.
The country's finance ministry noted it needs to strengthen dynamism in the labor market, attaining stability and flexibility at the same time. It also plans to put more emphasis on productivity.
The government plans to resume a committee on national competitiveness next month to set up an agenda for improvement.
The Castle Church's historic door has been replaced with a bronze one with Martin Luther's 95 theses engraved on it. / Korea Times photos by Jung Min-ho
Germany invites everyone to celebrate 500th anniversary of The Reformation
By Jung Min-ho
WITTENBERG, Germany Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther promulgated his 95 theses and criticized the Roman Catholic Church for its theological errors and institutional sins.
He nailed his proposals to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg and stood up against religious leaders who claimed money could reduce God's punishment for sins.
His intention was never to break from the church. Yet his messages from the sleepy little town eventually triggered a movement that forever changed Christianity.
If you travel to the town this year, you are likely to encounter various exhibits, festivals and other activities to celebrate the start of The Protestant Reformation, which is usually dated Oct. 31, 1517.
Christian or not, it is an interesting time to be in Wittenberg for education, celebration or both.
Wittenberg feels like a one-street town filled with Christians from all around the world. The faith they share makes it natural to smile at one another and talk to one another, which you would rarely see in most other parts of Germany.
There is a long, straight main path that can take you to most of the key spots as you explore the town from one end to the other. Almost everywhere you turn, there is something associated with Luther.
Inside the Luther House
If you walk from the train station, the first landmark you will see is Luther House, where he lived with his wife and six children. Inside the adjoining building, now a museum, there are many interesting relics, including his prayer book, letters of indulgence sold by the Catholic Church and a wooden box to collect that money.
There, visitors can learn how the movement unfolded and how he squared up to religious authorities. The Bible and the ability to uncover the correct interpretation of it the very foundation of their power was the weapon he used.
From the Bible, Luther knew his 95 theses weren't wrong and took courage to set fire to the papal bull from Pope Leo X, who ordered him to recant them or face excommunication.
From his writings at the museum, you may feel how certain and yet scared Luther was to take a leap of faith during the conflict.
The sleepy little town where the revolution began
For Luther, St. Mary's, or the Town Church, is another meaningful place, where he grew up as a preacher, married his wife Katharina von Bora and baptized their children. For visitors, this is where they can learn what he taught to believers in Jesus Christ.
And there is the Castle Church, also known as All Saint's Church, where Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door to challenge the Catholic Church. He was also buried there with Philipp Melanchthon, his friend and intellectual partner.
Visitors are free to look inside the beautiful church and visit a permanent exhibition, where they can find more details of Reformation history and reformers' activities.
And the famous 95 theses hang there on the wall.
Luther believed humans, including popes, cannot assure themselves of salvation through indulgences or good deeds, but only through God's grace and faith in Jesus Christ.
You may find it surprising that some of his messages seem aimed at churches today as much as the one in the past.
He noted, "Those who believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, Peace, peace,' and there is no peace!"
INTERVIEWSmithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art ready to turn page to its 2nd century
Otto Warmbier, center, is escorted at the Supreme Court in Pyongyang, North Korea, Mar. 16, 2016. / AP-Yonhap
By Hwang Ga-yeon
The parents of Otto Warmbier, the U.S. student North Korea detained and who died soon after returning home in June, have described the horrific details of his condition.
Fred and Cindy Warmbier disclosed to Fox News on Tuesday what the communist state did to their son and criticized the country for claiming to be a "victim" of the United States' push for war.
Fred described North Korea as "terrorists" and said they kidnapped and tortured Otto.
The student's family saw him when they went aboard an air ambulance on June 13. But Otto's mother and sister left the plane in shock at the initial sight. They said Otto had a shaved head, a feeding tube in his nose, was blind and deaf and was staring blankly.
The father said Otto also had a large scar on his right foot and a high fever.
"It looked like someone had taken pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth," Cindy said. "We could not call it a coma and were not prepared (to see Otto in such a horrific condition)."
Fred and Cindy Warmbier watch as the casket for their son Otto is placed in a hearse after his funeral in Wyoming, Ohio, June 22. / AP-Yonhap
Fred said that when he was halfway up the steps to the airplane, he and his wife "heard this howling, involuntary, inhuman sound."
"We looked in and Otto was on the stretcher across in the plane and he was jerking violently, making these inhuman sounds," he said.
Cindy added: "No mother, no parent should ever have gone through what we went through".
Otto was arrested in January 2016 for trying to steal a propaganda poster from Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang.
He was originally sentenced to 15 years' prison but was released after 17 months, partly due to American President Donald Trump's diplomatic efforts.
Warmbier died six days after returning home. Doctors described his condition as "unresponsive wakefulness" and said he had suffered a "severe neurological injury" of uncertain cause.
Trump tweeted on Tuesday that the Warmbiers' appearance was "a great interview." "Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea," Trump said on the social media site.
Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev talks with a young boy. Mirziyoyev has shown much interest in reshaping youth-related policies. /Courtesy of Embassy of Uzbekistan
Yusupov S. and Rabbimov D.,research fellows of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, contributed the below article. ED.
The contemporary process of dynamic scientific and technological development as well increasing competition in the global world, competitiveness of each country and society is becoming dependent on the intellectual advancement of young people as well as the attention given to the full realization of their talents and abilities.
Hence, this issue is always entailed in all strategic documents aimed at ensuring the long-term progress of states. The Strategy on Five Priority Directions of Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan from 2017 to 2021 is no exception.
A separate section is devoted to the improvement of the state youth policy in the strategy.
There are complex priority tasks called to increase the effectiveness of state policy on youth 10 million citizens of Uzbekistan or 31 percent of the population of the country.
In this context, the need to create the Youth Union of Uzbekistan (YUU) was dictated by current life. It requires YUU to address the most significant issues in young people's lives. Special attention is drawn to the creation of decent conditions for young people not involved in education and work. In order to help them find the right place in life the country is providing all-round support for the young. It includes vocational and employment assistance in addition to stimulating their initiatives.
June 30 the founding date of the Youth Union was notably symbolic as it was announced to be the Day of Youth in Uzbekistan. The Union would become an organization that ensures effective interaction of youth with government bodies, NGOs and other institutions of civil society in the implementation of state policy on youth.
All the professional activities of YUU are conducted under the slogan "Youth are the creators of the future." From our point of view, the motto was not chosen occasionally. It reflects the principal approach of the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev relying on the youth in his strategy to develop the country.
This is proved by the fact that Office on Youth Policy was founded within the President Administration of Uzbekistan, which is headed by the State adviser to the President the Chairman of YUU. It demonstrates that youth issues will always be in the focus of attention of the President.
It should be emphasized that the results of any organization's activities are invisible without the necessary amount of material support. In this regard, eight percent of single tax payments from small businesses will be transferred to the YUU Development Fund. Subsidiary training enterprises organized under the Youth Union of Uzbekistan on various subjects (foreign languages, computer programming, business studies and others) will be exempted from all types of taxes for 10 years. Moreover, 20 percent of the revenues of such enterprises will be aided to the Development Fund.
Taking advantage of the created conditions the Union has already started to form "young power" that determines the future of the country. Thus, YUU is establishing various youth associations, centers of social and psychological assistance as well as a number of major events.
Currently, the Union is conducting research on the interests and problems of Uzbek youth who have left for foreign countries for educational and labor purposes. The organization is also taking measures to establish cooperation with international youth organizations and similar unions of other states that would allow studying the best experiences in working with young people. In this regard, representatives of the Youth Union paid visits to China and Kazakhstan recently. In the near future similar they plan to visit Russia, the Republic of Korea, Germany and other countries.
It should be highlighted that a number of concrete measures are being taken in the country aimed to stimulate the activities of young people in socio-political life.
Appointments of promising young people to high public office became the subject of wide discussion in global network. 22-year-old Alisher Sadullayev, graduate of the Management Development Institute of Singapore in Tashkent, was selected as Deputy Minister of Public Education, and 25-year-old Olimjon Tuychiev, graduate of the Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent, became Deputy Director General of the Agency for Science and Technology.
Alisher Sadullaev said in an interview with local media that by this assignment, the Head of State intends to urge young people to be courageous and express their ideas openly. The opinion of the young officials vividly determines Shavkat Mirziyoyev's desire to stimulate the younger generation morally.
Another noteworthy step was the start of the Youth Press Club, which became a platform for excellent and timely coverage of events in the lives young people.
It considers holding an open dialogue with the representatives of governmental bodies, experts in the community and media for constructive discussion of youth issues.
This platform will also help to increase the activity of the young in the social life and politics of the country.
The recently created Institute for Youth Issues Research and Prospective Personnel Training at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan will be the key to social mobility of the youth. It can be concluded that the Institute is aimed to nurture ambitious responsibilities as following:
-forming a database of promising and talented young specialists from various governmental bodies as well as other organizations;
-monitoring of their professional development;
-preparation of proposals for the promotion of these personnel to managerial positions;
-establishment of training for requalification and advanced education of young staff within public organizations.
Considering all the mentioned factors, Uzbekistan is taking measures to increase the role of youth in its social life and politics. In this regard, emphasis is made on the comprehensive support of youth initiatives, both from the government and youth organizations. Based on this, it can be claimed that young people have a special place on a new stage of Uzbekistan's development.
Ustyurt Gas Chemical Complex. / Courtesy of Embassy of Uzbekistan
Akhror Burkhanov, chief research fellow at the Center for International Relations Studies, contributed the below article. ED.
"The Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea having 25 years of diplomatic relations behind have established true friendship ties, a strong relationship of strategic partnership and constructive dialogue on all issues on the bilateral agenda, as well as in the framework of international organizations", said the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in a message sent to congratulate Moon Jae-in on his election to the post of President of the Republic of Korea.
These words are not a declaration, but a true reflection of real cooperation tested by time the phenomenon of traditional partnership between Uzbekistan and South Korea. Two countries bear strategic importance to each other and are the biggest partners in their respective regions. Uzbekistan has been the main trade partner of ROK in Central Asia, received the biggest share of Korean investment in the region, and is home to the largest number of ethnic Koreans. There have not been so intense contacts of Seoul with any other countries of Central Asia as with Uzbekistan.
There is a special atmosphere in bilateral relations this year 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. New presidents took office in both countries, who confirmed strong commitment to further strategic partnership. Tashkent still remembers that ROK was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Uzbekistan, establish diplomatic and economic relations, and direct investment to Uzbek economy. In return, Seoul highly values Tashkent's principal position on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, openness to fruitful cooperation with the Republic of Korea from the first days.
Over the past period of a quarter century, the number of summits of heads of state reached 14 and more than 150 documents have been signed. The joint declaration on strategic partnership, signed in 2006, has raised bilateral cooperation to a qualitatively new level.
Moreover, parties established strong institutional cooperation. Formats like Intergovernmental Commission (since 1994), annual meetings of the Ministry of Finance (since 2012), joint committee on e-government (since 2012), and regular meetings of deputy ministers of foreign affairs (since 1995) have been enriching bilateral relations. The annual forum "Republic of Korea Central Asia" (since 2007) serves as a catalyst for South Korea's cooperation with CA.
The Republic of Korea emerged as an important economic partner of Uzbekistan. The trade turnover between parties averaged at $2 billion over the last five years, making ROK a top five trade partner. During the first half of 2017 turnover increased by 13 percent. Most of the goods and service exchange goes to technological spheres like the automobile industry, electronics and others.
Over the last 25 years, Uzbekistan has become the leading recipient of Korean investments in the region. The volume of investments has exceeded $7 billion. Such areas in Uzbekistan as energy, infrastructure, manufacturing and ICT are the most attractive to Korean investors. A completely new industry for Central Asia automobile manufacturing was created in Uzbekistan with the assistance of South Korea. Nowadays, there are 461 enterprises with Korean capital in Uzbekistan and 75 Korean companies are accredited. Korean companies are engaged in construction of such big projects as a new international passenger terminal of the Tashkent airport.
One of the demonstrative examples of joint cooperation that deserves special attention is the $4 billion Ustyurt Gas Chemical Complex on the basis of Surgil Field, the largest in Central Asia. The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and then Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Hwang Kyo-ahn together opened the Complex on May 21, 2016.
Two states also managed to establish phenomenally strong cooperation also in cultural and educational spheres. The first South Korean university abroad was opened in Uzbekistan in 2014 Inha University in Tashkent. There are regular intense exchanges of cultural delegations in both directions, weeks of Uzbek and Korean culture in both countries. Currently, Korean language is taught in 12 higher institutions and 28 schools of Uzbekistan. About 100,000 Uzbek citizens study and work in the Republic of Korea.
Increasing Uzbek-Korean cooperation is warmly welcomed by both nations. The people's diplomacy between us has rooted much earlier than official diplomatic ties. We can find the proof in historical artifacts found that show existence of strong bilateral communications thousands of years ago.
Currently, Uzbekistan is home to the largest number in Central Asia ethnic Koreans about two hundred thousand, who were deported in 1937 against their will to the heart of Central Asia without any means of existence. During those tough times Uzbeks welcomed their Korean brothers and sisters with open hearts, shared their bread, and accepted them without discrimination.
It is impossible to forget those really warm human relations, which showed the bigheartedness of the Uzbek people, who extended a fraternal helping hand to Uzbek Koreans in their most difficult days. Since then, Uzbeks and Koreans have been living in harmony standing shoulder-to-shoulder, head-to-head.
Remarkably, the mayor of Seoul, Park Won-soon paid an official visit to Uzbekistan to open the monument dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Korean diaspora in Uzbekistan. The monument states "Marking the 80th anniversary of the deportation, we deeply thank all Uzbekistanis for warmly welcoming the Koreans." These words resemble true brotherhood and a direct bridge between two friendly nations. In short, strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and South Korea is a new phenomenon of excellent cooperation on the Asian continent, a true example of a mutually beneficial partnership. Many things have been done, many achievements and results. Therefore, is that all? Where to go further? What areas are unexploited or underexploited?
The leadership of Uzbekistan demonstrated a truly pragmatic and practical approach in establishing cooperation with foreign partners. Innovation, technology and progress are key components of further development. "The Strategy of Actions for the development of the Republic of Uzbekistan along five priority areas in 2017-2021" marked a qualitatively new approach to the system of strategic planning of state and social development.
For the first time currency liberalization occurred on full market principals, the Uzbek Government created special interagency commission to significantly update its rating on World Bank's Doing Business by 2022 from current 87th place to 40th; a completely new institution of Business Ombudsman was established, decreased or abolished import and export tariffs for several hundred goods. All of these started a new phase of strategic development for Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan, being at the heart of Central Asia with rich human and natural resources and an enormous underexploited potential market, is opening its doors wider to the world than ever before, creating an unprecedented level of comfort to foreign investors, fueling the engine of economic activity' with exceptional quantity and quality of ingredients, launched an irreversible process of cardinal reforms of all areas.
In this important time, Uzbekistan hopes that bilateral relations with the Republic of Korea will be even deepened, strengthened and enriched with new ingredients, many of which should be clear during the first summit meeting of the new presidents of both countries later this year.
Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Kim Sang-kon speaks during a meeting with ministry heads at the Seoul Government Complex, Friday, on revisions to the juvenile law which has become an issue due to recent cases of school bullying. /Yonhap
Gov't to complete amendment by end of the year
By Kim Bo-eun
Recent cases of school bullying are once again drawing attention on how to deal with and prevent it.
While "punishment vs. reform" is an age-old debate, public opinion is leaning toward punishment, after the case of middle school girls in Busan brutally beating up one of their peers became publicized.
Calls have grown for the revision of the juvenile law that protects minors from punishment, and the government has pledged to make revisions within the year.
Busan middle school case
Two middle school girls face charges of slapping a peer in the face at a park in the southern port city and beating her with a microphone at a singing room afterward on June 29.
On Sept. 1 the assailants took the victim to a remote industrial alley, beating her up for reporting the assault that occurred in June.
Last week, Busan police forwarded the cases of six students _ including some who were not actively involved in the assault _ to the prosecution and one to the family court's juvenile division, as she is subject to the juvenile law.
A photo of the bleeding victim which spread on social media drew public uproar. The assailants had taken pictures of, as well as filmed, themselves beating the victim, and sent it to other peers.
Similar cases of school violence also occurred in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, and more recently in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.
However, several of the assailants may be exempt from punishment based on the juvenile law.
Petitions flooded the Cheong Wa Dae website, urging for the law to be abolished.
The petition has received over 276,000 signatures as of Wednesday. This is the largest scale of participation among petitions on Cheong Wa Dae's site.
"Victims of school bullying live with life-long trauma. And assailants, because they are minors, are let off," the petition said.
"Considering the victims, I plead the presidential office consider the abolishment of the juvenile law."
Juvenile law
The juvenile law states that in cases involving criminal law violations by minors aged 10 to 13 they will not be held criminally responsible and protection measures will be taken instead.
In these cases the minors are put under protective custody at a facility or are ordered to perform community service.
The law also states minors who were aged below 18 at the time they committed an offense subject to the death penalty or life imprisonment, the sentence should be reduced to 15 years imprisonment.
A law covering special cases, however, states that for specific violent crimes, minors can be subject to up to 20 years imprisonment.
Voices are growing for the law to lower the age definition and revise the clause on penalty reduction in the juvenile law, as well as abolish the 20-year imprisonment limit.
Gov't measures
The government convened an emergency meeting of heads of related ministries last week and agreed to complete revisions to the juvenile law within the year.
The government will also draw up comprehensive measures to prevent teen violence.
"The system for providing counseling and assistance for teens in crisis must be organized within and outside of schools, procedures must be improved so criminal cases involving minors are swiftly dealt with and a review must be conducted on the effectiveness of protective custody for minors," Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Kim Sang-kon said in the meeting.
However, there are also voices cautioning against the revision of the juvenile law.
"We must not bury the real discussion by advocating a severe punishment policy, of which its effectiveness has not been proven," Rep. Keum Tae-sup of the Democratic Party of Korea posted on Facebook.
Rep. Kim Joong-ro of the liberal People's Party speaks at a meeting at the National Assembly. / Courtesy of Kim Joong-ro's office
By Choi Ha-young
Rep. Kim Joong-ro of the People's Party has been vocal about how South Korea should counter a nuclear North Korea.
The former Army general believes that the best way for Seoul to deal with Pyongyang's nuclear weapons is to arm itself with nuclear weapons whether it is to bring back U.S. tactical nuclear weapons or develop its own.
This belief contradicts the liberal party's official stance. The party supports denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but Kim insists that Seoul needs a balancing act against North Korea becoming a nuclear power.
"It is time for Seoul to develop a roadmap to have nuclear weapons," Kim, a member of the National Assembly National Defense Committee, said in an interview with The Korea Times.
In the liberal party, which follows the late former President Kim Dae-jung's iconic Sunshine Policy, Kim is persuading colleague lawmakers to change the party's stance on nuclear weapons.
"I know some people are allergic to nuclear development," he said. "By creating a roadmap when and how to enhance the nation's nuclear capacity Seoul can increase its diplomatic leverage to nudge Pyongyang and Beijing.
"I'm not saying that we should have nuclear arms right away. Based on talks with the U.S., South Korea needs to come up with a blueprint about nuclear development in the long term. Nuclear armament could be the nation's choice in the worst case."
Recently, the largest conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP) sent lawmakers to Washington, D.C., calling for the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons, which got the cold shoulder from the U.S. Meanwhile, President Moon Jae-in dismissed the idea of nuclear armament and the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons.
Unlike the hawkish policy line of the LKP, Kim supports of dialogue with North Korea. "Dialogue should be under way even during wartime," he said. "We should start any kind of dialogue if it helps to break the deadlock in the face of the nuclear crisis."
Other than President Moon's military reform initiatives completing self-reliant security capacity, regaining wartime operation control (OPCON) from the U.S. and eradicating corruption in the defense industry Kim called for investment in early warning satellite technology to detect North Korea's provocations.
"The scale of the South Korean military is excessively large," he said. "By streamlining the bulky organization, the nation can buy high-tech weapons such as the satellite system and improve soldiers' welfare. To retake OPCON, South Korea should desperately improve its own information quality through the satellite system."
By Kim Hyo-jin
Moon Chung-in
Moon Chung-in, President Moon Jae-in's special adviser for unification and national security affairs, said Tuesday that the U.S. had complained about Moon's proposal for military talks with North Korea in July.
"The U.S. was deeply disgruntled by Seoul's offer for military talks," he said during a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the second inter-Korean summit on Oct. 4, 2007. "U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson lodged a complaint to Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in harsh tones."
This is the latest indication that there may be a gap between the Moon and Donald Trump administrations on how to handle North Korea.
At the ceremony later, President Moon renewed his call for inter-Korean military talks.
"Military dialogue should be resumed urgently to ease tensions between the two countries," he said, noting that it was one of the agreements reached during the historic summit.
The largest conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP) has accused the Moon administration of failing to coordinate with the U.S. over how to deal with North Korea, saying it reflects the chasm growing in the South Korea-U.S. alliance.
"The government has dismissed our concerns on the alliance with the U.S. But now with Moon's remarks, we have to wonder if mistrust between the two countries is taking the bilateral relations to a dead end," LKP floor leader Chung Woo-taik said.
The Moon Jae-in government proposed in July that the two Koreas resume military and Red Cross talks, as part of efforts to implement a peace overture delivered in a previous presidential speech in Berlin. Pyongyang, however, did not respond until the proposed date.
At that time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had sufficiently explained the proposal to the U.S. and sought understanding in advance.
Moon, the presidential special envoy, supported the government's calls for inter-Korean military talks during his special speech, and also proposed the U.S. send a special envoy to North Korea to alleviate growing tensions on the peninsula.
"It is most ideal if President Trump sends his special envoy to the North and they both make a secret deal," he said. "Along with this, inter-Korean talks are necessary to contain a possible war, which is likely to follow an accidental clash along the Demilitarized Zone or in the West Sea."
But for the timing of the talk with the North, he remained skeptical, saying a change in Pyongyang's bellicose stance should come first.
"It seems difficult to open dialogue at this stage. I hope North Korea makes some effort on its part," he said. "If North Korea refrains (from missile and nuclear tests) and gives a bit of breathing room to inter-Korean relations, we can immediately implement the 28 accords in the Oct. 4 Inter-Korean Joint Declaration."
Moon, a Yonsei University professor, attended inter-Korean summits held in North Korea as a special aide to Presidents Kim and Roh in 2000 and 2007.
Moon earlier caused a stir with a controversial remark where he suggested a willingness to reduce the scale of joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea, and the frequency of the dispatch of strategic assets to the peninsula, if North Korea suspended its nuclear and missile programs.
He stressed before the speech that it was a personal opinion, not an official position of the Moon government. "I'm speaking as a professor today, not as Moon's special envoy," he said.
First lady Kim Jung-sook, center, smiles in a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Korea Qiu Guohong, left, and his wife Li Shan at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday, after receiving Chinese artist Han Meilin's present, a book featuring the artwork of Chinese painter Qi Baishi, from the couple. / Yonhap
By Kim Hyo-jin
Chinese Ambassador to Korea Qiu Guohong met first lady Kim Jung-sook and delivered a present from Chinese artist Han Meilin, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.
The gift was the complete works of late modern Chinese painter Qi Baishi.
Qi, dubbed the "Chinese Picasso," is considered to be one of the greatest East Asian artists of the 20th century.
Han, who organized the first exhibition of Qi's artworks in Seoul in August, earlier offered to gift his collection to Kim when she visited the exhibition.
Kim's visit drew attention at that time as it came amid deepening rows between South Korea and China over the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system.
Ambassador Qiu delivered the present in person after Han went back to China.
"Back then, Han told me it is meaningful that we get together through culture when our diplomacy is in trouble," Kim said, expressing gratitude to Qiu. "I was deeply impressed by him. I expect that things will go smoothly between both countries with cultural exchanges."
Qiu accompanied Kim on her visit to the Qi exhibition in August.
Han, an official ambassador for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, orchestrated the designing of the Olympic mascot.
By Choi Ha-young
The long-standing political issue over whether to redraw constituencies is resurfacing as the ruling camp is actively seeking negotiations with the opposition parties for an agreement.
Three liberal parties the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the People's Party and the Justice Party have reportedly found common ground in redrawing the electoral map although they differ in details. The minor conservative Bareun Party is also seemingly open to negotiations because the existing single-member electorate system is unfavorable to the party with 20 seats.
On Wednesday, senior lawmakers from the four parties and civic groups gathered in the National Assembly hall to discuss their commonalities. "Distrust of the Assembly is rampant and I think it is due to the current representative system that has failed to reflect the votes," said Rep. Lee Jong-kul, five-term lawmaker of the DPK.
For decades, civic groups have criticized the existing system which is largely advantageous to major parties. Since only one candidate can clinch a parliamentary seat in each election district, candidates from smaller parties with meager financial support have little chance of success. Therefore, voters who actually back a candidate from a minor party, tend to vote for the candidate from the larger party for fear of casting a "dead vote."
The ruling DPK, the People's Party and the Justice Party generally support the enhanced proportional representation system, the so-called mixed-member proportional representation (MMP). In MMP, the most popular candidate in an election district will win the seat as it is now, and parties will gain more seats according to each party's percentage of the vote.
Rep. Sim Sang-jung of the progressive Justice Party is taking the initiative for the motion. On Monday, the former presidential candidate tabled a bill to implement MMP in some regions during the upcoming regional election, June next year.
Currently, the number of those who can be elected by the proportional representation system is limited 47 out of 300 seats. Under the envisioned system, however, the ratio of the proportional representation system is likely to increase, to around 100 out of 300, according to the suggestion by the Justice Party.
If parties agree not to decrease the number of those elected in local constituencies, this may involve an increase in the number of lawmakers, which is likely to draw disapproval from taxpayers.
On the other hand, the minor conservative Bareun Party is in favor of a multi-seat constituency. According to the proposal, more than two of the most popular candidates in each constituency can gain parliamentary seats.
The largest conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP), which solely opposes the change, did not participate in Wednesday's joint event of four other parties. Regarding the alleged agreement between the People's Party and the ruling camp, the LKP fiercely lashed out at the move, calling it a "backdoor deal."
"The issue is up to the Assembly so it must not isolate the LKP," floor leader Chung Woo-taik said Tuesday. The reform of the electoral system is part of the constitutional revision, which is supposed to be put to a national referendum in June next year.
To calm the controversy, Cheong Wa Dae and the People's Party clarified that they haven't reached a formal agreement. "When I met with the President's chief of staff Im Jong-seok, chief presidential secretary for political affairs Jun Byung-hun and DPK floor leader Woo Won-shik, they all said constitutional revision should be discussed in the Assembly," People's Party floor leader Kim Dong-cheol said.
Moon confidant criticizes Trump
By Jun Ji-hye
The flyby of the B-1B Lancer strategic bombers off the North Korean coast was a misconceived, reckless choice that could have led to an armed conflict, according to a key former campaigner for President Moon Jae-in, Wednesday.
Rep. Woo Sang-ho
"I think it was the wrong decision for the United States to fly the B-1B bombers near North Korea," Rep. Woo Sang-ho, a former floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), said during a radio interview.
"It is very dangerous that President Donald Trump speaks carelessly, threatens the North and takes military action in reality, although Kim Jong-un is making a mess."
Woo was the top officer on Moon's campaign team during the presidential election earlier this year.
The lawmaker said Trump should refrain from provoking North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and South Korea should persuade the U.S. president not to consider military options against Pyongyang.
On Saturday, the U.S. Air Force flew the heavy bombers from Guam and F-15 fighters from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa farther north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) than any other American warplanes have flown in the 21st century.
At the time, the Pentagon said the mission was a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that President Trump has many military options to defeat any threat.
The flyby came amid the ongoing war of words between Trump and Kim, with the former threatening to "totally destroy" the North if the U.S. is forced to defend itself or its allies against the North.
In response, Kim said his regime will "consider with seriousness the exercising of a corresponding, highest level of hard-line countermeasures in history."
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho also said Monday his country would shoot down U.S. bombers if necessary as it has "every right to take all self-defensive countermeasures."
Rep. Woo said military tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at the highest level since the 1950-53 Korean War amid the exchange of such belligerent remarks.
The third-term lawmaker urged the Moon Jae-in government to keenly cooperate with the international community and the Trump administration to stop the U.S. from exercising military options because they would open up the possibility of a full-scale war.
"The government also needs an inducement strategy to bring North Korea to the dialogue table," Woo said.
Regarding the North's threat to shoot down the bombers, Woo said the North seems to be bluffing as its intelligence assets and weapons probably lack such ability.
But he also warned it would be more dangerous as the North could act imprudently.
The senior lawmaker noted that sending a presidential envoy to the North would be necessary sometime but now is not a good time as the North has shown no signs of reconsidering its nuclear ambitions.
59% back peace initiative
Meanwhile, 59.3 percent of the public said they were satisfied with the Moon government's North Korea policy, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Seoul National University Institute for Peace and Unification Studies.
The institute said the figure was higher than those of previous surveys conducted during the former governments as 53.7 percent liked the government's North Korean policy in 2014, 50.4 percent in 2015 and 45.1 percent in 2016.
"The improvement of the level of satisfaction probably reflects the people's skepticism of the former governments' policies and the expectations about the new government," the institute stated.
Moon took office on May 10 after a rare presidential by-election following the ouster of the scandal-hit former President Park Geun-hye.
President Moon Jae-in holds hands with leaders of the ruling and opposition parties during a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. From left are Joo Ho-young of the minor conservative Bareun Party, Choo Mi-ae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, Moon, Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party and Lee Jeong-mi of the Justice Party. Hong Joon-pyo, head of the largest conservative Liberty Korea Party, boycotted the meeting. / Yonhap
Opposition leaders demand stronger deterrence
By Kim Rahn
President Moon Jae-in and the heads of four major political parties agreed on joint efforts to cope with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, Wednesday.
They also decided to set up a regular consultative body in which government officials and members of the ruling and opposition parties can discuss security and other state affairs.
The agreement came after the President and the party leaders discussed security and diplomacy issues for more than two hours in a meeting over dinner at Cheong Wa Dae. It was the third time for Moon to host leaders of the ruling and opposition parties.
The participants were ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae, People's Party Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo, Bareun Party floor leader and acting chief Joo Ho-young, and Justice Party Chairwoman Lee Jung-mi. Hong Joon-pyo, chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, boycotted the meeting, saying such a gathering was a mere "political show."
Moon and the party leaders agreed that lawmakers' bipartisan efforts were important in relieving tension surrounding the Korean Peninsula and that the government would support such efforts actively.
"A war on the peninsula can never be accepted, and we reconfirmed the principle to resolve security issues, including North Korea's nuclear threat, through peaceful means," they said in a joint statement announced by spokespeople of the parties and Cheong Wa Dae.
"We urge the North to stop provocations. We will also make efforts to carry out the U.N. Security Council's sanctions against Pyongyang faithfully, strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance, and intensify deterrence against the North."
As part of such efforts, they also agreed to form the three-way consultative body as soon as possible.
Moon said the North Korea issue is threatening peace and the people's security, and is also feared to affect the economy as well. "This is a time when bipartisan measures are needed," he said. "In this heightened tension, if the ruling and opposition parties and the government make joint efforts for security, it will relieve public concern and ensure economic growth."
While agreeing on the need to resolve the North Korea issue and keep peace here, leaders of the opposition parties showed mixed opinions on how to do that.
Ahn and Lee urged Moon to replace top officials in charge of diplomacy and security, meaning related ministers and Cheong Wa Dae officials, saying they have often showed misunderstanding and made mistakes.
"While the strong South Korea-U.S. alliance is needed, people are worried about cracks in cooperation between Seoul and Washington. Moreover, the internal confusion among security officials is making the situation worse," Ahn said.
Lee suggested Moon send a special envoy to Pyongyang. "As North Korea is crossing the red line and risking a war, a special envoy will provide momentum to change the situation," she said.
Joo of the minor conservative party was critical of the Moon government's stance to seek dialogue with North Korea. He said the U.S. may not provide extended deterrence to South Korea if the North completes its development of nuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles that can attack the U.S. mainland.
"If the North has nuclear armament and is able to attack the U.S., we have to build multi-layered defense network to protect our own security. Then we can seek dialogue. Without defense, dialogue is useless," he said.
Other discussion issues included ways to boost bipartisan cooperation to better deal with pending bills at the National Assembly and a revision of the Constitution.
After the meeting, Moon ushered them into the National Security Council's risk control center, which is often called the "underground bunker of Cheong Wa Dae," in an unplanned move. National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong gave them a detailed briefing on the security situation surrounding the peninsula.
By Nam Sang-so
Seven percent of the children in the world are born with various impaired in a various way of disadvantages. In-sook, the daughter of one of my hometown friends, became pregnant for the first time at 40, and she and her husband were overjoyed. Like any other baby, their little boy, Man-su, was lovely and had clear eyes, and everyone chuckled he made his first yawn.
After three months, the mother noticed that the boy couldn't make clear response to her love call, and his eyes seemed dull and out of focus.
After various examinations at the hospital, she was told that her baby had Down Syndrome. The doctor explained it meant that Man-su would have mental retardation. She and her husband felt the sky was falling.
Would Man-su learn to walk and talk? Would he ever be able to care of himself independently? Would they be responsible for him the rest of their lives? Every day, the dark clouds of fear rose one after another.
The family could not imagine life without the baby, who was affectionate and was always with a ready smile. Still, In-sook often felt exhausted by the level of care that Man-su needed. He was nearly five before he became toilet trained.
As In-sook and her husband grow older, they worry about what would become of Man-su when they are gone. Children would bully him. It further scared the mother to realize that mental retardation is a lifelong disability.
She had heard more than once about the concept of double suicide a mother first killing her disabled child before ending her life. As her husband was getting drunk more often, she thought that it might be the best way to relieve the unbearable burdens on him and her. On many days, when the sun set, she was tempted to take the easy way out.
The hard spring had passed, and so had the difficult summer and autumn. Man-su has grown tall, handsome and pleasant. He liked to gaze at flowers, the white clouds floating in the sky during the day and the moon and stars decorating the sky at night. He liked to walk his dog, Happy, who jumped to and sat on the boy's lap. From his deep brown eyes, the mother noticed a love for nature growing.
One day, In-sook read one of Roald Dahl's stories to Man-su: " that weasel is a marvelous little creature. It is the bravest of all the animals. The mother will fight to death to defend her own children. She will never run away, not even from a fox. She will stay beside her nest and fight the fox until she is killed." Then, she told herself, "I'll live as long as Man-su is alive and after he's gone to another world. Then, I'll be ready to follow him."
The writer was motivated to write this article by a Korea Times article, "Parents, residents spar over school for disabled" published on Sept. 11; "I'm a sinner for having a child with a disability," said a mother, who was keeling and begging in front of residents who are opposing the construction of a school for children with disabilities children, as the residents believe the school may decrease the property prices in their community.
The writer is a grandfather who lives in Seoul. His email address is sangsonam@gmail.com.
By Bae Eun-joo
A recent photograph showing a teenage girl kneeling on the ground soaked in blood, beaten by her peer group shocked the nation.
The 15-year old victim was abused for more than an hour by four other teenage girls who inflicted severe wounds on her face and scalp until she fell unconscious. Marks caused by cigarette burns were also found on her body.
This photograph and surveillance camera footage taken in Busan went viral in an instant. Over 270,000 people have signed an online petition on Cheong Wa Dae's website asking for adult punishment for the juvenile offenders.
A more appalling fact was that one of the offenders posted the picture on social media herself along with comments, such as "Was this too much?" and "We are not going to jail... We are juveniles."
This incident triggered a heated debate over the Juvenile Law which stipulates a juvenile offender under the age of 19 can receive a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for committing a crime of extreme violence. The law also states criminals 14 years or younger receive no punishment at all or serve community service.
When people learned that one of the middle school offenders involved in this incident of teen violence in Busan was exempt from criminal charges since she was under 14 years old, they voiced their anger and demanded amending the Juvenile Law.
Last week, a 17 year-old female student, who murdered an eight-year old girl and dismembered her body in Incheon last March, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Her accomplice, an 18-year old female was slapped with a life sentence.
In a rare move, the court sentenced the two teenagers to the maximum sentence and ordered them to wear a location-tracking device for the next 30 years.
The judgment came amid mounting calls to abolish the Juvenile Law and treat teenagers the same as adults when it comes to extremely violent crimes.
Crime and Criminal Statistics data showed physical assaults by minors almost doubled to 6,600 in 2015 from 3,600 in 2011. Experts cite the most serious issue in juvenile crime is recidivism. Recent data showed 12.3 percent of underage offenders committed crimes again, compared to 5.6 percent of adults, possibly due to the lack of stern punishment.
An increasing number of cases have been referred to the school violence commission for review in recent years. Some 23,673 cases of school violence were reported in 2016 whereas 19,968 cases were filed in 2015. The number amounted to 19,521 in 2014 and 17,749 in 2013.
The furor Koreans felt about the teen violence in Incheon could compare to one of the most horrific teen crimes in modern history that occurred in England in 1993.
Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both 10 years old, led away two-year old James Bulger from the Strand Shopping Center in Bootle, Merseyside, and beat him to death with bricks and iron bars. The two accomplices placed the infant's body with multiple skull fractures and 42 separate injuries on a railway to disguise their crime as a train accident.
In November 1993, Thompson and Venables were convicted, becoming the youngest murderers in modern English criminal history. The court ordered them to stay in custody until they turned 18 years old and released them on a lifelong license. This means the two minors were allowed out of prison on parole but faced the threat of immediate return to prison for the rest of their lives.
Considering the level of violence, I thought the two criminals should have been given harsher punishment at first, just like one of some 250,000 people who signed an online petition. But as I learned more about juvenile crimes, I found punishment was not the sole answer.
Criminologist David Wilson of Birmingham City University said, "When children kill, it's always a mixture of factors, including characteristics they are born with and because of the kind of environment or influences they have grown up in. The difference between child and adult murderers is that it is possible for kids to grow out of the behavior that led them to kill in the first place. In the Bulger case, for example, Robert Thompson seems to have modified his behavior, while Jon Venables hasn't."
In 2010, Venables was recalled to prison after he was found in possession of child pornography.
"We have to be prepared to intervene in these youngsters' lives. Parents, neighbors and schools all have a role to play in taking notice of unacceptable behavior and to look for the warning signs," Wilson said.
The Juvenile Justice Initiative, a nonprofit advocacy organization, supports raising the age of juvenile court to 21. It aims to bring the U.S. court system in line with various researches that show young adults between 18 and 21 years of age are more similar to juveniles than adults in terms of criminal offending.
According to the Juvenile Justice Initiative, brain functions that relate to self-control and reasoning continue to mature into the twenties. "Findings suggest that addressing the issues of this age group might be handled in different ways, as one group, or in subdivisions including 18 to 21 and 22 to 25," it said.
Statistics Korea data released Tuesday showed that more teenagers committed suicide last year. The teen suicide rate rose to 4.9 per 100,000 individuals last year, up from 4.2 a year earlier.
The rising number of teen crimes and suicides definitely reflect how dejected and hopeless young adults feel in a society grown-ups have created. It is time for adults to take responsibility and attend to the desperate calls of these children.
ejbae@ktimes.com
Some Japanese media outlets are forgetting even basic journalistic ethics by repeating distorted and irresponsible reports with regard to the latest nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
For instance, Fuji News Network (FNN) reported U.S. President Donald Trump said during his meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the South Korean government was begging for dialogue by offering $8 million in aid to North Korea. Nippon TV also reported Trump was extremely angry about the aid plan. Of course, neither could be confirmed.
Nonsensical is the fact that FNN, without identifying the source, defended the veracity of the story but the Japanese government made it clear the story was not true.
Adding insult to injury, some right-wing Japanese newspapers, including the Yomiuri and Sankei, fanned fear over the crisis with such news reports as how to evacuate Japanese people staying here and how to deal with expected South Korean refugees in the case of a war on the Korean Peninsula.
It is clear that such news reports will only hurt Seoul-Tokyo relations and will eventually damage Seoul-Tokyo-Washington cooperation to tide over North Korea's nuclear threats.
The Japanese media should recall what the Korean people did when the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan triggered such a dreadful tsunami in northeastern Japan in 2011 that cost nearly 16,000 lives.
We still vividly remember that Koreans and most news outlets commiserated with them and lent a helping hand for early recovery from the natural disaster.
South Korea faces the gravest crisis since the 1950-1953 Korean War. When the country needs the help of its neighbor, Japanese newspapers and TV stations are busy making reports aimed at alienating South Korea from the U.S. They sound as if Japan wishes for such a misfortunate to fall on its neighbor.
The Japanese media should know freedom of the press is no license to exaggerate, make up stories and lie. It should be exercised prudently. Besides, Koreans will remember how they distorted the facts to worsen their plight. They will stop and think whether it is appropriate to help a Japan in need. The media outlets represent the thoughts of the people and we strongly suggest the Japanese media report responsibly.
Foreign ministry ignores inquiries about NK standoff
One ambassador, five military attaches and one junior diplomat stationed in Korea recently told The Korea Times that the Korean government kept them in the dark about the situation over North Korea.
This lack of communication with foreign envoys and by extension expatriates they are responsible for protecting apparently has caused distrust and misunderstanding about what's going on and will surely harm the national ability to drum up their support.
The foreign ministry and the Ministry of National Defense should invite foreign envoys to briefings and keep them informed.
"We rely on news reports for the goings-on," a military attache said. "When we ask the defense ministry, it says there is nothing abnormal." He pointed out a gulf in sensitivity about provocations between Koreans and foreigners. "If a large missile flying, and one talking about the other's annihilation are not abnormal, what else would be extraordinary? Koreans may think so but we don't."
An ambassador who has been here for a year said, "I wouldn't go as far as to complain. The Korean government must be reluctant to share information for the fear of public panic but that strategy runs the risk of preventing us from taking the Korean government's information at face value."
Another military attache showed the government's lack of communication is taking its toll, saying the United States is in charge here so he heeds what it does. When challenged by the fact that Korea is a sovereign country, he said the U.S. always tries to take charge. He said he was not given an official briefing from the ministry throughout the months-long crisis.
The attaches said they were checking their evacuation plans just in case. "We are supposed to go to Busan to fly out from Korea because the entire Korean air space turns into a war zone." That plan sounds plausible but there is no way of verifying it.
A junior envoy compared the foreign ministry to a wall that doesn't speak back when she asked for information.
Foreign diplomats serve as loudspeaker of sorts as they report back to their home countries about developments in the host countries and are responsible for the safety of their nationals residing there. Not communicating with them is a lose-lose approach. First, as in the above case, it could give them the wrong idea and help them spread it. More importantly, it could weaken Korea's role in forming the main narrative in the U.S.-North Korea standoff in which its role is already significantly reduced. The government should take as many countries as possible to its side in the ongoing public relations battle and it can't afford to underutilize the important asset of foreign diplomats. Of course, it is also a basic act of decency as host.
A Starbucks Coffee Korea employee promotes car-shaped cards at a Starbucks Coffee shop, Wednesday. Starbucks has released the card, which is exclusively available at its nationwide drive-thru stores, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the first Starbucks drive-thru store here. / Courtesy of Starbucks Coffee Korea
LG Electronics' home appliance and air solution business President Song Dae-hyun, right, with officials from Changwon City and South Gyeongsang Province at the 63 Convention Center in Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday, after signing an agreement to establish a smart plant in the city by 2022. / Courtesy of LG Electronics
Electronics firm vows to invest W600 bil. until 2022
By Yoon Sung-won
LG Electronics will renovate its home appliance plant in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, into an eco-friendly smart factory. It will invest 600 billion won in this project through 2022, the electronics company said Wednesday.
The nation's second-largest electronics maker said the new plant will be completed in 2023 and will produce kitchen appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, water purifiers and dish washers.
Alongside the new plant, which is under construction in Tennessee, the Changwon plant will be the first LG Electronics facility to have smart manufacturing systems.
On Wednesday, LG Electronics' home appliance & air solution business head Song Dae-hyun met with officials from Changwon City and South Gyeongsang Province to sign a contract to invest in the plant renovation project in the region.
The city officials also promised to provide administrative support to this project as it is expected to create more jobs there, boosting the regional economy, according to LG Electronics.
"We will continue to invest in the Changwon plant to make it an outpost for the global premium home appliances market as well as a driving force of the regional economy of Changwon and South Gyeongsang Province," Song said.
LG Electronics said the smart plant will have advanced manufacturing systems based on the core technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution such as internet of things (IoT), big data analysis and artificial intelligence (AI). As a result, the firm hopes that it will be able to quickly respond to changes of demand in the global market.
The company said the new plant will concentrate on producing large-sized premium kitchen appliances targeting global markets.
"Our first Changwon plant started operating in 1976 and has been optimized to produce small- and mid-sized products," an LG Electronics official said. "Considering that larger home appliances are taking center stage in the market, the existing manufacturing facilities are not enough to boost productivity for the future."
As of now, the first Changwon plant is capable of producing up to 2 million units of home appliances in a year. Once it is fully renovated, the maximum capacity is expected to go up to 3 million per year.
The smart plant will have what is called the "modular design" system, which allows the company to flexibly change its manufacturing plan to crank out diverse types of products.
To compensate for the downtime during the transition period, the company will purchase extra plant sites near the second Changwon factory before the new smart plant is completed.
LG Electronics is also planning to hire about 250 workers every year for its Changwon plants. In particular, it expects that the introduction of intelligent manufacturing systems will require more talented and skillful workers.
"We currently have about 8,000 workers at the two plants in Changwon and will need many more employees for the expanded manufacturing capacity," the LG official said.
LG Electronics said the new manufacturing facilities it plans to introduce are projected to consume 40 percent less energy than the ones in operation now and will be able to stand severe natural disasters. To this end, the company will build solar power energy panels, energy storage systems and advanced heating and air-conditioning systems.
Meanwhile for its second Changwon plant, which has churned out home appliances such as washers, vacuum cleaners and air conditioners, the company will tentatively keep it as it is.
Southern Cuisine Queen and Food Network personality Paula Deen will sign her latest book, At the Southern Table with Paula Deen, 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at Warwicks Books, 7812 Girard Ave. in La Jolla . The signing line will operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Photographs are allowed, but no personalizations.
Deen got her culinary start in 1989 with a home-based catering company in Georgia, The Bag Lady. She had her sons Jamie and Bobby delivering what she calls lunch and love in a bag. She opened her first restaurant, The Lady and Sons, in 1994. From its popularity, she wrote her first cookbook, The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook. Since then, she has expanded her cookbook, restaurant and cookware empire, and has had several shows on the Food Network.
As for what makes this book different from her 14 other cookbooks. For the first time, Ive included easy meal planners to help with pulling together different recipes to make a full meal from the salads, entrees, sides and desserts, Deen said. I take the guesswork out of it for you. I also created fun Game Day and Backyard BBQ menus, and a farm-to-table dinner including decorating tips to make it a memorable evening for all.
Deen said she considers At the Southern Table to be a celebration of family and gathering around the table to enjoy a delicious meal and conversation. It also continues a recent trend of lightening up her classic Southern recipes. Her previous books include, Paula Deen Cuts The Fat and Paula Deens Air Fryer Recipes.
Paula Deen will sign At the Southern Table with Paula Deen, 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at Warwicks Books. (Courtesy)
Of the new tome, she said: The recipes include soups and healthy salads as well as classic Southern recipes that I say should be eaten in moderation. One day you might want to indulge in spicy fried chicken and cornbread waffles, and the next day the healthy fruit salad with sweet orange dressing. My son Bobby (said) most days he and his wife Claudia eat lighter and they especially like the soup and salad recipes.
Thats not to say the recipes have any less Southern soul.
Growing up, I did not realize I was eating Southern food. I just knew that I was eating delicious meals cooked by my Momma, Grandma Paula and Aunt Peggy. It was important for me to cook for my boys and serve them the same great Southern food I was raised on and I assure you, I did. Every night a delicious meal. Jamie and Bobby both cook Southern food and they prepare the same dishes differently, she said. It is important for everyone to put their own take on recipes.
The La Jolla stop is one of more than 20 on her book tour, and while in San Diego, Deen said she will visit the San Diego Naval Base to thank the service-members stationed there. Deen said shes never visited La Jolla, but looks forward to the Warwicks book-signing.
I love meeting all of my fans and just to be able to hug them and thank them for all their support. My book signings are a lot of fun and you just never know who might show up, she said. Cooking is fun and (about) spending time with your family and friends at the table, breaking bread and sharing good stories. Its about making memories together. Put away the cell phones and spend quality time together.
Brigitte Noel sits on a portable chair on the rocks at La Jolla Cove, Sept. 19. She concentrates on a male and female sea lion surrounded by pups.
Lots of voices have chimed in on this hot-button La Jolla issue. One thats decidedly missing is that of the sea lions themselves. Noel, an animal psychic, agreed to try opening a channel.
What could it hurt?
Noel has an office in her Mission Hills home in which she sees troubled pets and their humans. Shes worked as what she calls an animal clair-sentient for 23 years.
You have to totally respect whats coming from the animal and not try to change or edit it, she explains.
Noel says she grew up unaware of her telepathic ability because I thought people around me were perceiving everything I was, too.
Brains communicate with the bodies theyre encased in via a series of nerves. These are basically wires, Noel analogizes, and her communication is like wi-fi.
Im plugging in to a frequency thats on a network, she says.
Noel begins The Cove session by quieting her mind and using it to transmit an invitation to communicate.
You have to zone in on one of them whos willing to do this, she explained beforehand. You dont assume that theyre just going to want to talk to you.
One male sea lion sits up and barks almost immediately.
Noel asks for his feelings about this place. If Noel can somehow convince the sea lions to relocate without having to be displaced, she could get a day named after her in La Jolla, parades, the works.
Noel receives the first message and jots it in her notepad. They come not in words, she says, but in pure emotions that require translating.
We are home, she writes. We are very happy and content. This is our home and it is a good home. Noel says she cant tell whether the message comes from one particular sea lion or a larger collective.
Why some folks want them to leave ...
The La Jolla coastline is the first on the Southern California mainland where sea lions have hauled out in significant numbers to demonstrate successful birthing and nursing.
Thats the good news. The bad is that a lack of water circulation due to The Coves shape, combined with all the sea lion feces, got La Jolla Cove named the fifth most bacteria-ridden beach in the State by the environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay in July.
Two weeks ago, La Jolla Town Council president Ann Kerr Bache declared war on the La Jolla sea lion colony. Theres basically two choices, she said. Move and exclude the California sea lions according to legal, humane prescriptions of the Marine Animals Protections Act, or move and exclude recreational users of our waters.
But back to the sea lions ...
Noel asks the sea lions if they cant possibly find somewhere else to live along the coast, since their presence here upsets the humans so much.
We dont understand is the message this time. This is our home. It is a good home. Oh, and theres a follow-up: We can share. We are used to sharing. We share among us. Why cant we share with you?
Relocation is non-negotiable to the sea lions, Noel explains, because the concept of claiming territory doesnt compute to them.
Its like the Native Americans we first encountered, Noel says.
Brigitte Noel Day in La Jolla is looking less and less likely.
Four San Diego City Council members issued a memorandum Sept. 18 addressing proposed short-term rentals (STR) policies and strategies, offering alternative regulations to the ordinance recently drafted by District 1 Council member Barbara Bry.
Brys ordinance defines short-term occupancy as any rented or leased residence for any time period of less than 30 days; imposes a 90-day annual maximum on short-term rentals (which some have equated to 45 weekends in a 52-week year); requires renters to apply for a permit; pay a fee; and inform their neighbors that their property is available for short-term rentals.
She held a town hall forum on the topic to gather feedback on her ordinance Aug. 30 at the La Jolla Community Center. Several of the hundreds in attendance noted that code violation enforcement needed to be improved, questioned the enforceability of some of Brys recommendations and suggested a three-strike policy.
The memorandum was authored by City Council members David Alvarez (District 8), Christopher Ward (District 3), Scott Sherman (District 7) and Council president pro tem Mark Kersey (District 5) and sent to Council President Myrtle Cole, City Attorney Mara Elliott, Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Independent Budget Analyst Andrea Tevlin.
It lists a series of strategies and suggested changes to City zoning regulations that would provide the framework for the necessary elements of an ordinance that ensures San Diegos neighborhoods are protected, local jobs are preserved and the STR industry can lawfully operate.
Among the recommendations: define STRs as any stays of 29 days or fewer; require a three-night minimum stay within the coastal and historical districts; provide occupancy standards for STRs consistent with Californias two-by-two standard of two adult occupants per bedroom, plus two in the home; require renters provide each tenant with a good neighborhood code of conduct that defines the parameters of the stay, and subsequent fines and penalties for non-compliance.
The ordinance also addresses some of the concerns raised at Brys STR town hall.
For example, the memorandum calls on the City to create a comprehensive online permitting and enforcement process for whole-house STRs and require a permit for all STR and suggests a fee (of an unannounced amount) to obtain a STR permit. A portion of these fees should be dedicated to paying Code Enforcement officers to work nights and weekends, it reads.
It also recommends citations and fees for homeowners and renters over noise and other verified nuisances and a de facto three-strike policy. After the first verified offense, both the renter and the property owner would be fined $1,000, escalating to $2,500 to the renter for a second offense and $5,000 for a third offense. After the third verified offense in a one-year period, the rental permit would be revoked.
It also states that no STR permit shall be issued to an applicant with outstanding Code violations.
The memorandum seems to have the support of online rental platform AirBnB.com, which issued the following statement: We are reviewing this proposal and are glad to see that Council members Ward, Alvarez, Sherman and Kersey are working toward comprehensive regulations that better define short term rentals in San Diego. Vacation rentals and home-sharing are a time-honored tradition in San Diego and we agree that strong policies need to be enacted.
We believe that regulations should define short-term rentals, establish good neighbor standards, provide funding for real enforcement and create a registration and permitting process. We look forward to continued work with the San Diego City Council in the coming weeks to find the best solution for San Diego.
Brys response
After reading the memo, Bry said she was encouraged that she and her Council colleagues were looking into regulation and enforcement, but said the regulations proposed in the memorandum are not enforceable and a sell out to AirBnB.
It is not possible to advocate for the creation of more housing for San Diegans while at the same time allowing existing units to be taken off the market and used as short-term rental properties, she said in a statement. While my proposal to regulate short-term rentals protects the rights of those who wish to rent out their entire primary residence on a short-term basis for up to 90 days per year, it is the only proposal that prohibits investors from converting homes in our residential neighborhoods into permanent mini-hotels.
Speaking with La Jolla Light, Bry critiqued the proposed limitation on permits issued for whole house rentals, which the memorandum states shall be capped at three per homeowner, arguing that it is not enforceable. I could buy three properties, then my husband could buy three properties, and then we could buy three properties as a LLC (and rent them short-term), you cannot monitor how many units someone owns, she said. This memo is open season for investors.
She also expressed concern that the public perception is that the fallback would be to just enforce City Code or ban whole-hour rentals entirely. Over a year ago, the City Council heard a proposal for a total ban on whole-house rentals and it got two votes in support, she said.
Brys communication director Hilary Nemchik added: The outcome of the Oct. 23 Council meeting is not going to be one ordinance or just enforce the Code because the City is waiting for regulatory guidance. What comes from that meeting is going to be the City Code. People think (Brys) ordinance isnt strict enough, but it is a compromise.
Brys ordinance would need five votes at City Council to pass, and is scheduled to be heard Oct. 23 in Council chambers. With four Council members in support of an alternative, Bry told La Jolla Light, A month is an eternity in politics, and a lot can happen before the Council votes. Im always optimistic that you can present people with the facts, and in the next month, we will be having a number of people who are respected in the community coming forward to speak to support my proposal.
PRESS RELEASE
AFL-CIO Hosts Webinar on Glass-Steagall Mobilization
Sept. 26, 2017 (EIRNS)The AFL-CIO hosted a one-hour "webinar" on Glass-Steagall today from its Washington, D.C. headquarters, which opened with pre-recorded videos from Glass-Steagall House initiators Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.), urging listeners to pressure their congressmen to co-sponsor their bill (H.R. 790), and the Senate version introduced by Sen. Elizbeth Warren (D-Mass.), S. 881. Representative Jones said,
"We need to reinstate Glass-Steagall. I voted to repeal it, and see how that mistake has accumulated over the years. We need many more Republicans to join inwe cant do it without you. Both parties have it in their platforms."
They reported the House version has about 60 co-sponsors and the Senate version has eight.
The discussion was moderated by Public Citizens Bart Naylor; panelists included Marcus Stanley of Americans for Financial Reform, Heather Corzo from the AFL-CIO, Nomi Prins, author of six books on Wall Street finance, and Ohio Congressional candidate Mayo Makinde from "Our Revolution," the successor organization to the Bernie Sanders campaign.
Public Citizen, Americans for Financial Reform, and Our Revolution co-sponsored the event, and the AFL-CIO hosted it. The drive includes legislative packets for local activists who will collect signatures for presentation to elected representatives as a direct democracy initiative. All members of the panel repeatedly urged listeners to call their congressmen to sponsor the legislation.
"It was nine years ago this month that the crash occurred, and we were told that the financial institutions were Too Big To Fail, and we had to bail them out. How did the repeal of Glass-Steagall figure in the crash that impacted the U.S., and the whole world economy?"
moderator Bart Naylor asked.
Credit default obligations, or CDOs, sold as "the gold standard," lost 65% of their value over four years. The banks used their influence to deceive the public about the bubble, Stanley said.
Nomi Prins cited "multiple bubbles" that exist today, including ABS (asset-backed securities) and the CDO market. The repeal of Glass-Steagall enabled Wall Street to chop securities into pieces, and control the knowledge of where the money was going.
The top 10 banks own $150 billion of their own stock, and use their profits to buy their own stock, and use clients money to buy their own stock. They are paying employees with stock, so employees are concerned how the stock performs over the short term (before they retire and cash out), Prins said.
Marcus Stanley said it was not an accident that the crisis occurred so soon after Glass-Steagalls repeal. The Volcker rule was not enough; it allowed the banks to continue market-making. He said that there is a Glass-Steagall influence on Trump, but yet he appointed Gary Cohn, who came up with these instruments based on toxic assets, as his chief economic adviser.
The circumstances that led to the passage of Glass-Steagall have recurred, after a near decade of deregulation, was the panels consensus.
During the webinar, a "chat" of about ten words or fewer was shown periodically on the screen as the panelists spoke, including from Karel Vereycken and Dianne Bettag of the LaRouche movement, with such comments as "Now is the time for LaRouches 4 Laws."
No information available as yet on whether the webinar will be rebroadcast.
PRESS RELEASE
Bankers Fear the Terrifying Prospect of Banking System Collapse
Sept. 26, 2017 (EIRNS)Bloomberg news service published an op-ed today by Bloomberg and La Repubblica columnist, and former Financial Times editorial board member Ferdinando Giugliano which reflects the frantic discussion going on in banking circles about what politicians ignore and the public is not told: The "terrifying prospect" of a collapse of the trans-Atlantic financial system.
"Many economists fear the financial system remains exceedingly vulnerable to shocks," Giugliano wrote. He singles out three areas of vulnerability these economists are focused on: bank capital levels not being anywhere near sufficient for the amount of leveraged debt held by those banks, the banks use of "risk weights" to cover their actual situation, and the fact that commercial and investment banking have not been split.
On the latter, like others in his circles, Giugliano is not talking about the necessary full Glass-Steagall separation, but deludes himself that British "ring-fencing" or the U.S. Volcker Rule might somehow mean something in a crash.
Giugliano cites presentations given at the Sept. 22 conference on "Ten Years After the Crisis: Looking Back, Looking Forward," sponsored by the Centre for Economic Policy Research, held (appropriately enough) at the Imperial College Business School in London. That must have been a doozy of a conference; according to the CEPR website, the opening address on financial stability was given by former Italian Prime Minister and British agent Mario Monti.
The two speakers referenced by Giugliano were John Vickers, former head of Britains Independent Banking Commission who pushes "ring-fencing" to protect merchant banks against Glass-Steagall, and Tamim Bayoumi of the International Monetary Fund. Vickers reportedly spoke of how regulators now accept "a level of leverage which is still around 25 or 30 times a banks core capital." Bayoumi detailed how "banks learned to game the system" after the 1996 decision by the Basel Committee to allow banks to use their own internal models for the valuation of risks, piling up "assets simply by tweaking their risk-models." This means that there is no guarantee that if regulators were to toughen required leverage ratios, that a new financial crisis can be avoided, Giugliano warns. "Not only are we asking banks to hold too little capital, but we are also underestimating how problematic their exposures really are.
"The fear, therefore," he continues,
"is that sooner rather than later, governments may again be called upon to rescue a troubled bank. And here lies the third dangerous similarity with the pre-crisis world: Many Western countries have proven unable to separate investment banking from commercial lending. As a result, even if governments only wanted to keep the latter going, in many cases they will be forced to rescue everything, as it is impossible to split the two."
Unless, of course, Glass-Steagall measures are adopted now.
PRESS RELEASE
National Security Advisor McMaster Cools the Hysteria over North Korea
Sept. 26, 2017 (EIRNS)President Trump's National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster spoke Monday at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington. Addressing the North Korea crisis, Bloomberg quotes him as saying:
"Theres not a precision strike that solves the problem. Theres not a military blockade that can solve the problem. What we hope to do is avoid war, but we cannot discount that possibility."
He said that the United States "has gamed out four or five different scenarios for how the crisis with North Korea will be resolved, and some are uglier than others." He also said that every military option assumed a reaction from North Korea that endangered South Korean citizens, and said, "That danger is certainly taken into consideration in all our planning and war gaming, table-top exercise efforts." A comment by Defense Secretary James Mattis last week, in answering a question, implied that there were military options that would not endanger South Korea. This was blown up out of proportion, and has now been refuted by every knowledgeable source.
PRESS RELEASE
U.S.-Russian Military Tensions On the Rise in Syria
Sept. 26, 2017 (EIRNS)Yesterday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov laid the death of a Russian three-star general in Deir Ezzor, Syria at the door step of the U.S. military. The Defense Ministry reported that Lt. Gen. Valery Asapov, reported to have been leading a group of Russian military advisors providing Syrian commanders with assistance during the operation aimed at the liberation of the city of Deir Ezzor, was killed by ISIS mortar shelling on Sept. 24.
"The tragedy that we witnessed, the death of a Russian commander, is the price paid in blood for this double-dealing in the U.S. policy [in the war on terror],"
Ryabkov said, reported TASS. Russia is concerned by the fact that the United States demonstrates the opposite of its declared intention to eliminate the ISIS/Daesh terrorist group, he went on.
"This fact is evident and it is very worrisome, we were convinced yet again that the U.S. side, declaring verbally that it is interested in eliminating Daesh and defeating terrorists in Syria, in practice demonstrates the opposite, that in the end of the day some political and geopolitical tasks are more important for Washington than what has been declared in the counterterrorist fight,"
he said.
The U.S., not surprisingly, is denying the Russian accusations. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that the United States will continue to de-conflict operations with Russia, and recent statements made by the Russian officials are "untrue and unhelpful."
The U.S.-led coalition is also denying the Russian Defense Ministry accusation, made on Sept. 24, that the United States is helping the Syrian Democratic Forces cross ISIS territory without fighting ISIS. A coalition spokesman told TASS that the statement is false, and that the Russians ought to stop talking about the locations of U.S. forces on the ground in Syria for the sake of speeding up the defeat of ISIS.
The Russians, in turn, denied that Russian aircraft had attacked the SDF in Deir Ezzor province. Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Igor Konashenkov said, yesterday, that Russian Aerospace Forces only attack militant targets identified through reconnaissance and other means.
The Russian air contingent in Syria is also engaged in a furious bombing campaign against Al Nusra in Idlib province, for which theyre being accused of bombing civilians, accusations which are apparently originating from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in London.
"The aircraft of Russian Aerospace Forces do not strike settlements in the Syrian Arab Republic. The statements of the Observatory citing unnamed witnesses and volunteers are unsubstantiated as usual and serve as information cover-up for actions of Al Nusra Front militants,"
Konashenkov said. Konashenkov explained that the targets included underground bases of militants, located far from residential neighborhoods, field ammunition depots, armored vehicles, multiple launch rocket systems and sweatshops for loading guns on cars.
PRESS RELEASE
South African President Zumas UN Message: No More Regime Change, Anywhere!
Sept. 26, 2017 (EIRNS)In a sharp departure from his mild speech to the UN General Assembly last year, South African President Jacob Zumas assertive address to that body on Sept. 20 included a denunciation, in detail, of regime change as a threat to world peace and development. It seems clear that his message was directed especially to U.S. President Donald Trump.
He said in part:
In 2011, the African Union called for dialogue to resolve the crisis in Libya. Unfortunately, some among us here opted for guns and bombs. Today those countries are making little effort to promote stability in Libya. The major focus and preoccupation has become how to deal with the flow of migrants arriving in Europe from our continent and the Middle East, which are just mere symptoms. The war in Libya contributed a great deal to the destabilization of the Sahel region and all the way to Central Africa, creating a corridor for illicit trafficking in arms as well as terrorist activities. In fact, had our warning been heeded, that the supply of arms to civilians in Libya and the arming of civilians in Syria would cause loss of life, great instability, and mayhem, the world would be more peaceful today. South Africa continues to call for an immediate end to the violence and for a Syrian-led political transition and a negotiated settlement reflecting the will of the Syrian people. In both instances of Libya and Syria, we strongly cautioned against seeking to resolve internal challenges of sovereign states by imposing foreign solutions through military means.
Regarding North Korea, he said:
We continue with our call for calm in the Korean Peninsula. The situation cannot be allowed to get out of hand.... It can no longer be acceptable that some few countries keep arsenals and stockpiles of nuclear weapons as part of their strategic defense and security doctrine, while expecting others to remain at their mercy.
Such statesmanship was all too much for Huffington Post South Africa, which attempted to suppress Zumas remarks by means of fake news. The Huffington Post story, posted on Sept. 21, is titled, You Need To Read Jacob Zumas Full UN Speechbut the text that follows is from his speech last year! Huffington Post was contacted about the error, but so far has not issued a correction.
The U.S. government moved to impose tariffs on Canadian jetliners Tuesday when it ruled in favor of a complaint by U.S. aircraft maker Boeing that accused rival Bombardier of receiving unfair government subsidies.
The Commerce Department suggested the tariffs could be as high as 219%. The action threatens to further inflame trade tensions between the two North American neighbors. This year, the Commerce Department moved to impose new duties on the import of Canadian soft lumber and President Trump has signaled his interest in renegotiating the terms of the North America Free Trade Agreement between the two nations.
Bombardier has sold aircraft to U.S. carriers for decades. But Boeings complaint follows a multibillion-dollar deal struck between Bombardier and Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines for 75 C-series CS-100s, a commercial airplane that seats about 100 people.
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After the deal, Boeing formally asked the U.S. Commerce Department to investigate what it called illegal government subsidies and unfair pricing practices that have allegedly given the Canadian company an unfair advantage as it competes for business in the United States.
Without bailout money from Ottawa and the Quebec provincial government [Bombardier] would probably be bankrupt, said Loren Thompson, a defense consultant whose think tank gets funding from Boeing. What Boeing is really saying here is that Bombardier has an unfair advantage because Canadian taxpayers are covering part of its cost.
Bombardier is slated to begin delivering the planes next year, and any new duties imposed by the Commerce Department would increase the cost of the order to the aircraft manufacturer. The exact amount of any new tariffs would probably not be finalized until early next year. Even then, Canada could pursue a case against the United States at the World Trade Organization.
An ultimate decision to impose tariffs could also have ripples in Northern Ireland, where Bombardier employs about 4,000 people.
This is a dangerous moment for Boeing. Richard Aboulafia, Teal Group
The Trump administration did not take an official position on the matter before Tuesday evenings trade decision. But British and Canadian leaders have publicly urged the Trump administration not to impose tariffs.
The Guardian reported this month that British Prime Minister Theresa May raised the issue privately with President Trump following political pressure in the United Kingdom. And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested this month that his government might retaliate directly against Boeing through decisions on military purchasing agreements. The Canadian military is considering whether to buy Boeings F-18 Super Hornets for the Canadian military, and Trudeau suggested in a Sept. 18 news conference that he would abandon the purchase as a result of Boeings complaint against Bombardier.
We wont do business with a company thats busy trying to sue us and put our aerospace workers out of business, Trudeau said in the news conference.
Some have questioned why Boeing would wade into international geopolitics in the first place. Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace industry analyst at Teal Group, described Boeings action as a self-inflicted wound that could damage the companys business relationships with the Canadian military and with Delta.
This is a dangerous moment for Boeing, Aboulafia said. They clearly saw this as an opportunity to walk in lockstep with Donald Trump and appeal to his nationalist economic base.
Bombardier has been frank in its criticism of Boeings suit. In a Sept. 18 statement titled Boeings Hypocrisy, Bombardier criticized the companys trade practices abroad and urged the U.S. Commerce Department to reject its bid.
Boeings self-serving actions threaten thousands of aerospace jobs around the world, including thousands of U.K. and U.S. jobs and billions of purchases from the many U.K. and U.S. suppliers who build components for Bombardiers plane, the companys statement said. The U.S. government should reject Boeings attempt to tilt the playing field in its favor.
Boeing hailed the Commerce Department decision in a statement.
Global trade works only if everyone plays by the rules that weve all endorsed to ensure fair competition, as adjudicated by independent national and international bodies, Boeing said. This dispute has nothing to do with limiting innovation or competition, which we welcome. Rather, it has everything to do with maintaining a level playing field and ensuring that aerospace companies abide by trade agreements.
The move follows another trade dispute between the United States and its northern neighbor. For years, the United States lumber industry had complained that because Canadian lumber is subsidized by the government, the imports make it difficult for U.S. companies to compete. Over the summer, the Trump administration called for tariffs on imports of softwood lumber. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said at the time that he was hopeful the countries would be able to reach a negotiated solution, and the Commerce Department recently announced a delay in proceedings to work one out.
Still, the Trump administration has generally taken a one-on-one stance toward trade, threatening to remove the United States from multinational, regional accords such as NAFTA. But that has received pushback, including from Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal this week that, quitting NAFTA would be an economic, political and national-security disaster.
Hugh Hefner spoke with the L.A. Times often and always had something memorable to say
(Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)
Understanding Playboy-in-Chief Hugh Hefners revered and reviled lifestyle was often just a question or two away.
The iconoclastic publishing mogul, who died Wednesday at 91, was an open book when it came to his views on swinging ways and sexuality, particularly how his puritanical upbringing shaped his career and gave rise to the revolutionary Playboy empire.
Over the years, the perennially pajama-clad Hef was interviewed often by the Los Angeles Times. Heres a sampling of some of his memorable quotes.
On sexualitys problematic origins in America:
Our society is fragmented, he asserted in 1994. Messages regarding human sexuality have always been mixed in America. We are a schizophrenic nation. We were founded initially by Puritans, who escaped repression only to establish their own. Then the founding fathers gave us the Constitution to separate church and state. But the one thing that got left out of all those laws was human sexuality.
On the life he made for himself:
Much of my life has been like an adolescent dream of an adult life, he told The Times in 1992. If you were still a boy, in almost a Peter Pan kind of way, and could have just the perfect life that you wanted to have, thats the life I invented for myself.
OBITUARY: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who shook up American morality with an ideal of swinging singlehood, dies at 91
On why he was so happy:
You will find in my bedroom images from long ago, little photographs and things from when I was a kid. Im a very happy guy, and part of that has to do with my connection to my childhood, he said in 2009.
On how he became Hef:
Through a lifetime, you reinvent who you are, he explained in 2009. I actually reinvented myself the first time when I was 16, when a girl rejected me. I started referring to myself as Hef, started changing my wardrobe the same thing I did in 1959-1960 with the magazine, when I came out from behind the desk and started living the life and got the first Playboy mansion, started to drive a Mercedes 300SL.
On how the 1942 film Casablanca led to the Playboy Club:
I think I opened the first Playboy Club because of Casablanca. I wanted to have a place where people came to hang out as they did at Ricks, he said in 2010. It has everything not only Bogies charismatic character, but lost love, redemption, patriotism, humor it had a great musical score.
On traditional attitudes toward marriage and sex:
If you dont commit, he told The Times in 1994, you dont get hurt. I was always unwilling to commit to marriage because I was afraid to lose the romance.
On the Playboy brands global status:
It has been said that the two most famous trademarks in the world are Coca-Cola and the Playboy bunny rabbit, he said in 1994. There is certainly no one else in our area that represents the American dream in this particular kind of way. That rabbit means economic freedom, personal freedom and political freedom. That potential is unlimited.
On the Playboy Jazz Festival:
Ive never found anything that Ive cared more about than the music from my youth. I loved the Beatles, sure, but I never became except for dancing purposes a hard rocker. To me, there is something incredibly celebratory, and so wonderful about really good big-band swing and Dixieland, he said in 2002.
When I started, I just wanted to put out a mens magazine. But by the end of the 50s, it was so successful that I seized it as a vehicle for changing the direction of my life, he added. And that crucial change in my life was also associated with jazz, because it all began within a space of about six months after the first Playboy Jazz Festival in August of 1959.
Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire, relaxes during a visit to England in 1966. (John Downing / Getty Images)
On his personal legacy:
One of the reasons that I have such tremendous satisfaction at this point in my life is because I know Ive made a difference, he said in 1994. Ive made a difference in a way that really matters to me.
On publishings shift to digital:
I dont sit around thinking about, Gee, what happened to the new generation and they dont read enough and why is the internet replacing books? he said in 2009.
On his fame and sex appeal:
I think that just as [Henry] Kissinger said, power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Celebrity is the ultimate aphrodisiac in todays world. And Im lucky enough to have fallen into a unique kind of celebrity, he said in 2009. So against all logic, nothing else matters age doesnt matter. When [my last long-term] relationship ended, last year, they were climbing over the gate. ... young women. Endless numbers of young women.
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Half a lifetime ago, Ellen Page figured she had options if the acting thing didnt go anywhere.
When I was a teenager, I thought, What if it doesnt work out? I thought I was going to be a cinematographer, said Page, whose career skyrocketed after her turn as a teenage mom in 2007s Juno. I was also obsessed with movie trailers. I was like, Ill make movie trailers.
Juno nabbed her an Oscar nomination at age 20, and now, almost exactly a decade later, Page is busier than ever.
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This week, she toplines the slick studio remake of the 1990 thriller Flatliners, about a group of medical students toying with the boundary between life and death.
Earlier this month, she premiered two movies at the Toronto International Film Festival: the Irish zombie thriller The Cured and the romantic drama My Days of Mercy, about two women on opposite sides of the death-penalty debate who fall in love.
Sipping hot green tea on a brisk Toronto day, Page remarked on how nice it was to be back in the city where she moved from her native Halifax, Canada, to study at age 16.
There were way fewer condos then, Page laughed. It was fun. It was back before smartphones. I was just this kid in ripped Converse, romping around the city
Ellen Page (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Its interesting to look back. If I was to re-watch something like Hard Candy now, Id be like, [Look at] all this feminist conversation! Ellen Page
Soft-spoken, gracious and direct, she reflected on the course life has charted since those days, cracking the occasional mischievous smile.
Im getting old, joked Page, one of the rare faces in Hollywood that never seems to age. Its interesting to look back. If I was to re-watch something like Hard Candy now, Id be like, [Look at] all this feminist conversation! At the time, I was just 17.
Hard Candy, the 2005 thriller directed by David Slade starring Page as a Red Riding Hood-esque teen turning the tables on a sexual predator, marked the first time audiences had an inkling that a deeper, darker maturity lived within her 5-foot-1-inch frame.
Roles in big films and acclaimed indies followed as Pages star rose. But something crucial was lacking in her career, despite successes like Juno, Whip It and Inception.
In that time and the years following, I wasnt necessarily that connected publicly to who I was, said Page, who came out as gay in 2014. Being able to live authentically in her public life, she said, unmistakably affected the roles and projects she took on in her professional life.
I think the biggest difference is feeling more able to be present in this, more able to enjoy, to feel at ease, she said. Exploring how that changes how you work, how it can deepen the work I think now I do feel a little more solid, and more able to be present in this.
Traveling the world to share LGBT voices in her Emmy-nominated Viceland documentary series Gaycation also deepened the connective tissue between her personal life and professional work.
Meeting some of the most marginalized people you could meet and in different spaces all around the world, theyre sort of all dealing with the same things, she said, emphasizing the extreme challenges faced by members of the LGBTQIA and nonbinary communities, particularly trans women of color.
Dealing with significant trauma and fear, just by walking down the street, especially post-[Trump] with hate crimes on the rise ... Of course, theres a devastation to it and then you couldnt feel more inspired because you meet the most resilient people you could ever meet. People who just want a chance, and to be able to have a dream and access it, and to live their life.
While she was filming Gaycation in India, the script for The Cured landed on her radar. Page was intrigued by the intensely emotional family drama in the guise of an apocalyptic zombie flick. She took on the role of Abbie, a journalist and mother to a young son wrestling with grief and forgiveness in a gritty contemporary Ireland where individuals rehabilitated after an outbreak of violent psychosis are reintroduced to society as pariahs.
It moved me. It provoked thought and conversation, Page said of the David Freyne-directed film, which IFC picked up out of Toronto. The Cured was filmed just after the presidential election last fall, and real world anxieties became unintentionally prescient in the movies apocalyptic realism.
It involves populist politics and fear-mongering, [people] utilizing that fear for their own advantage, militarized police, lots of things that are going on, said Page. But to me, when you read a script whether its genre or whether its two people in a house and its good, and whole, and feels honest, it typically always has parallels to whats going on and to current issues.
Telling a wide range of LGBT stories is of particular priority to Page, who stars in and produced the romantic drama My Days of Mercy. In it, she plays a withdrawn anti-death penalty activist who enters a star-crossed romance with a woman on the other side of the political debate.
We wanted to do a love story. That was something that we put out into the world, said Page, who stars and produces with friend Kate Mara. Blue is the Warmest Color had just come out, and we both adored it. I just want to play queer characters, to have those story lines and try and have a wider array of what those films can be.
We wanted to work together, because we love each other and we have a mutual respect for each others work, echoed Mara. Producing the film themselves was a necessity, they note: Even for top-tier actresses, finding a project with a strong female lead role let alone two is still a rarity in Hollywood.
It is very rare to find a film that stars three women, you have a female director and female producers, said Mara, who with Page brought Christine Vachon of Killer Films onboard, tapped Tali Shalom Ezer to direct the screenplay by Joe Barton and recruited actress-director Amy Seimetz to play a crucial supporting role as Pages sister.
You get sent scripts all the time where the female character is not affecting the plot in any sort of shape or form, theyre just there to service a male narrative, said Seimetz. So its really lovely to get a script where you get a cool part or an interesting character, but its also all women, and women are driving the story forward.
Ellen Page, Nina Dobrev, Diego Luna and Kiefer Sutherland star in Flatliners.
As wildly divergent as Pages two latest indies are, both The Cured and My Days of Mercy have a common thread in her sensitive portrayals, characters processing grief, trauma and loss, fighting to reclaim their optimism in the face of the impossibly bleak worlds they live in. Perhaps surprisingly, Page sees her Flatliners character as occupying a similar emotional space.
Shes had some trauma in her life, which I dont think is a shock for a Flatliners movie, smiled Page, who plays the ringleader of a group of med students experimenting with death in pursuit of answers beyond science. I focused on this person being incredibly traumatized and pretty disassociated. Shes kind of manipulative. I liked exploring what it would mean to convince people to do this, and what would it take.
Page considered what unites her three most recent screen characters: sadness. To me, thats one of the things that connects us the most as people, she offered. Profound sadness, or profound joy, in terms of watching art.
She flashed to a recent film that moved her, one of her favorites. Oh, my God, Rust and Bone made me fall to the ground and weep. Why do we strive for that feeling? I think its because it helps us, on some level. I think in all of these themes were talking about from each film, thats the commonality in it for me.
She paused and laughed. That might say something about me.
jen.yamato@latimes.com
@jenyamato
Its been five years since Kyra Sedgwick bid farewell to Brenda Leigh Johnson, the junk-food loving Southerner with a knack for wrangling confessions out of criminals on TNT s long-running crime drama, The Closer. The role earned Sedgwick an Emmy, a total of five consecutive nominations and a wide following, but she said recently by telephone, It was definitely time to be done.
In her first regular series role since The Closer, Sedgwick returns to television this Sunday in Ten Days in the Valley, an ABC drama in which she plays Jane Sadler, a successful documentarian and TV producer. Late one night while Jane, a divorced mother, is toiling away on last-minute script changes, her daughter is abducted from their home. Created by Tassie Cameron, the 10-episode series is a serialized portrait of a complicated woman that also vividly evokes a working mothers worst nightmare.
Sedgwick, also an executive producer on Ten Days in the Valley, has remained busy during her time away from the small screen. This summer, she made her directorial debut with Story of a Girl. Adapted from a novel by Sara Zarr, it follows a teenage girl whose reputation is tarnished by a sex tape. The film, which aired on Lifetime, was a family affair, starring both her daughter, Sosie Bacon , and her husband of 29 years, Kevin Bacon. It also kicked off what Sedgwick hopes will be the next chapter in her career.
Was it difficult to say goodbye to The Closer?
Brenda Leigh was the greatest thing ever and I just love her to pieces. And Im glad that she lives on in reruns. And I love the love that I get from people about her, because I loved her. I gave her my heart and soul and my body. I mean, I gave her everything. So Im glad people are appreciative of it.
Kick Gurry, left, Kyra Sedgwick and Erika Christensen in a scene from Ten Days in the Valley. (Eric McCandless / ABC) (Eric McCandless / AP)
What excited you about Ten Days in the Valley? Were you drawn to doing something more serialized after starring in a procedural for so long?
Yeah, definitely. I dont think Id do a procedural again. Ive been there, done that. I thought [Ten Days in the Valley] was a really excellent, taut, well-done script and I was really interested in the character, in the idea of having this container of a mystery a very familiar thing that people can grasp but its really a deep dive into who this person is. We go back into her past even as a child.
And I was really interested in working with women. I think thats an incredibly important thing to do. We cant speak about how much we want women to succeed in Hollywood and not make decisions based on that. I wanted to make sure I was putting my money where my mouth was.
The series paints a pretty harrowing picture of being a mom in showbiz. Could you relate?
Its really all-consuming, the kind of work that we do, especially when youre doing a show like The Closer, where out of a 46-page script, you have 42 pages of dialogue and are in 98% of the scenes. Not to quote the Army, but its the hardest job youll ever love and your personal life suffers. I know it was really hard on my kids when I was working so hard.
One of the things that the show explores, which I really love, was this inherent guilt. If youre going to be a mother, youre going to feel guilty a lot of the time, it just comes with the territory.
If youre going to be a mother, youre going to feel guilty a lot of the time, it just comes with the territory. Kyra Sedgwick
The thing I tell young actors now, women who have children, is that I wish I had felt less guilty and had understood that work for me was as important as anything. Freud says you need work and love, and its really true. Part of me, even in my 20s and 30s, felt like work is an indulgence that I cant have because Im a mother. We did need my salary at times for sure, but there were times where we didnt.
Its a really big part of the show, this guilt thing, this mother-work shaming. Its interesting because even in the press, people say to me, Is [Jane] a good mother? Im like, first of all youd never say, Is he a good father? You didnt look at Walter White and say Was he a bad father?
Was directing something youd wanted to do for a while?
My acting career has been preparing me for what I really should be doing, which is directing. Thats really the way I feel about it today. Kevin had been pushing me to do it for years. Story of a Girl is a book that I bought in 2007. I wanted to make the movie because I thought it was about real teenagers, and I felt like theres a dearth of that and there still is, frankly. Id been trying to make it into an independent feature, Id hired a writer-director, we got close many times.
I was always one of those people who thought Ill never direct. It was the perfectionism thing. If I cant be perfect at it, why try? I realized if there was ever going to be anything I was going to direct it should be this because I know this book intimately.
I had the most miraculous time doing it, the whole thing was beyond my wildest dreams. I was really delightfully surprised that not only did I feel confident working with the actors, but I learned that I had a real visual sense that I never really understood that I had. I think thats why I kept myself from directing for so long. Well, Ill be good with the actors but I wont know how to tell the story visually, which couldnt be further from the truth. Its given me this confidence and this insatiable desire to start directing something tomorrow.
Are you looking for more projects to direct?
Ive been working hard, whoring myself around town. Im much better at advocating for myself as a director than I ever was as an actor. As an actor Im just filled with self-doubt all the time. Its not a jolly, fun process for me. I never felt that way as a director, which made the whole process utter joy.
Ive got books, Ive got scripts, Ive got a few writers Im working with. Every day its a big chunk of my day, working on getting that next thing going. Im super excited about it. I did the water bottle tour in L.A. I went everywhere and said I love directing. I did my own film but Im happy to be a gun for hire. I want all the experience I can get. Its wonderful that at 51 you do something new. My mom has been a really great role model for me in that way because she completely changed careers at 50.
A lot has happened in TV in the years since The Closer ended. Does the industry feel different to you?
Its so limited right now in terms of whats available in movies, especially actors like me who arent necessarily going to be in superhero movies although I would do that tomorrow. I would also direct one. I just want to go on the record. Theres much more opportunity for actors in TV. Its really conducive to what we do, which is explore characters. And it is a writers medium and writers are really smart now. But it is different. Its just harder to get eyes now.
See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour
Ten Days in the Valley
Where: ABC
When: 10 p.m. Sunday
Rating: TV-14-DLS (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14 with advisories for suggestive dialogue, coarse language and sexual content)
meredith.blake@latimes.com
Follow me @MeredithBlake
Sure, its just a comedy, but among all the recent TV reboots and resuscitations Star Trek, Dynasty, Gilmore Girls, Full House, SWAT Will & Grace has the most at stake upon its return to prime time.
The show, which makes its comeback Thursday after 11 years off the air, boosted the mainstreaming of LGBTQ culture by featuring two of network TVs first main gay characters. Former Vice President Joe Biden once said the show did more to educate the American public on LGBTQ issues than anything or anyone else had to that point.
No pressure, Will (Eric McCormack), Grace (Debra Messing), Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Megan Mullally), or original show creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan.
MORE: Fall 2017 TV preview
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Youre just reentering a political climate that polarizes by the hour around gender identity and sexual orientation, and a competitive, crowded field of TV programming thats exponentially more LGBTQ-inclusive than the one you left.
That means Transparent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Orange Is the New Black and a host of other Emmy-winning series dating to when your show went off the air in 2006.
Evidently, this veteran crew excels under pressure.
The new Will & Grace not only keeps up with a culture it helped change, it remembers to laugh at itself and the absurdity of the new world its daring to inhabit.
Three of these four characters are still single and still searching for love, except now it requires dating apps, compression garments and lots of concealer.
The young gay men whom Jack and Will meet at the club dont know much about gay history, confusing Stonehenge with Stonewall. And there are near-fatal generation gaps: He doesnt like Madonna! gasps Jack when Will tells him about his young date. He should be beaten with a VHS copy of Evita!
But what about the kids? Remember that last episode, the brief flash-forward that showed Grace and Will living separate married lives, with spouses and children?
It turns out that was a drug-fueled daydream of Karens. Yes, shes still chasing prescription meds with martinis while barely working for Grace at the interior design company.
Now, its explained, that Will and Grace indeed went their separate ways and married, but there were no kids, and both are divorced. Grace has temporarily moved in with Will.
Jack still lives across the hall and is still on an inward journey as he scratches for acting roles in the outside world (latest success: a regional dog food commercial).
The chemistry, comedic timing and rapid-fire one-liners that made Will & Grace rise above the fray back in the 1990s and 2000s still work today.
All the show needed to regain its mojo was a little inspiration and the past year has been full of it.
Theres all sorts of modern, and funny, shorthand thats developed in the group.
Successful gay men are called Anderson Coopers. And when theres drama: OK, Shonda, now we got ourselves a scandal!
The marriage-wealthy Karen is now a Donald Trump supporter and wont stop rubbing his win in Graces face. Please stop saying, Lock her up! when you dont like what Im wearing, says Grace to Karen.
In one episode, the quartet ends up at the White House: Will to chase after a prospective date who happens to be a Republican, and Grace to redecorate the Oval Office because Karen signed her up for the job since Trump said its a real dump.
In a closed box on the presidents desk: a Russian-English dictionary and a fidget spinner. No way they could have had this much fun with Bill Clinton or Barack Obama.
There are moments when the show does feel too bent on being politically or culturally relevant rather than just developing the story line, but the dialogue is so quick, and the episodes so chock-full of brisk humor and physical comedy, that theres not enough space or time for things to go stagnant.
The old setup of four good friends living in New York and looking for love or whatever should be a tired one. But the new Will & Grace naturally rolls into these absurd situations on the strength of its characters and the actors who play them.
Its in keeping with the tradition of other classic New York buddy sitcoms think of I Love Lucy and that chocolate factory, or Seinfeld and the Soup Nazi line. Ridiculous and hilarious.
In coming back Will & Grace risked a legacy. Right now it looks as if that gamble has paid off. But theres a whole seasons worth of shows in front of them and a social current that changes directions faster than Jack can vogue.
Will & Grace
Where: NBC
When: 9 p.m. Thursday
Rating: TV-14-DL (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14 with advisories for suggestive dialogue and coarse language)
lorraine.ali@latimes.com
@lorraineali
What exactly is a proper michelada? Id love to hear a debate on this subject between my opinionated relatives who live on the border of Arizona and Mexico and Pati Jinich, the host of PBS Emmy-nominated Patis Mexican Table, who has her own strongly-held ideas about things. Ask my Nogales cousins, whove explored what seems like every corner of Mexico, and theyll describe a sort of super spicy Mexican Bloody Mary that calls for beer instead of vodka. To them, a michelada means light Mexican-style beer like Modelo Especial, a couple glugs of Clamato juice, a squeeze of lime, lots of Valentina hot sauce, all served in a pint glass.
But when I shared my relatives list of must-have michelada ingredients to Jinich, a bit of horror crept into her high voice.
I remember getting angry the first time I ordered a michelada and it was made with tomato juice, says Jinich. I thought that was heresy! Youre destroying the beer.
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I remember getting angry the first time I ordered a michelada and it was made with tomato juice Pati Jinich, host of Patis Mexican Table
Born and raised in Mexico City, Jinich believes there are only two real micheladas a classic and a michelada preparada, both of which require a frozen mug with a salted rim, ice, freshly squeezed lime juice and beer. The preparada, says Jinich, also calls for condiments such as Tabasco, salt, pepper, hot sauce and, for umami, Maggi liquid seasoning, a fermented wheat flavor enhancer.
Of course, a michelada is a drink that people even spar over how it got its name. The most bandied about explanation is that its a shortening of mi chela helada or my cold beer. What goes into a michelada fluctuates from region to region in Mexico or even more microscopically, whose house in what neighborhood youre in. But almost every michelada offers the same reward: When its blisteringly hot and micheladas are typically thought of as a day drink or a morning-after hangover cure is there anything more refreshing than a spicy beer cocktail with lots of ice cubes in a tall glass?
An IPA-lada at Colonia Publica in Whittier, Calif. (Claire Hannah Collins / Los Angeles Times)
Recipe: IPA-lada
At Taco Maria in Costa Mesa, Carlos Salgados triumph of michelada hews closer to Jinichs idea of the beverage. Served in a squat beer glass rimmed with black salt, it tastes of lime juice, a dark-red base made of ancho chiles and black garlic, and frosty Victoria lager.
At the Hungry Cat in Hollywood, David Lentzs bar team came up with an Asian-inspired michelada that resembles a layered cocktail: At the bottom is a dark seam of tamari, which is used instead of Maggi seasoning or soy sauce. For heat, theres a strata of hot sauce made by running oven-roasted Fresno chiles and onions through a Champion juicer. The glass is filled with lime juice, a dash of Sriracha and ice cubes, then rimmed with chile salt. It arrives with a sturdy striped straw for swirling the ingredients around, and a can of Tecate so you can refill and adjust the flavors.
In 2015, when Ricardo Diaz was working on his menu for his Whittier-based Colonia Publica, he wanted to come up with a beverage list that reflected what he called an update of the Mexican bar experience, a modern cantina, but without the full liquor license. Inspiration came in the form of nine different micheladas, including the Roja, a classic interpretation with Clamato juice (score a point for my relatives), as well as a tropical fruity one called a Cocochelada, a spin on a pina colada consisting of pineapple, coconut and Negra Modelo.
A Roja michelada at Colonia Publica in Whittier, Calif. (Claire Hannah Collins / Los Angeles Times)
Diazs free-wheeling takes on the michelada incorporate everything from tamarind to cayenne-infused agave; the Chamaco comes with a strip of candied bacon as a garnish. Jalapeno aguachile is what makes the Verde sing. But during his trial-and-error phase Diaz learned an important lesson. Sometimes, as with his IPA-Lada, a craft beer in this case, a grapefruit IPA becomes the essential component.
Just as often, though, his culinary memories became his guide. I was trying a lot of different craft beers and it seemed like something was off, says Diaz. So I went back to using the Mexican lagers growing up, thats what micheladas were always made with and my comfort sensors just instantly shot up. It was like, This is what a michelada is supposed to taste like!
Which raises the question: What is a michelada not supposed to taste like?
Ricardo Diaz prepares a michelada in his restaurant Colonia Publica. (Claire Hannah Collins / Los Angeles Times)
In the midst of filming the sixth season of her show, Jinich remembers finding herself in the tiny Oaxacan town of Hierve el Agua, at a stand that offered something called the Crazy Michelada. What else could she do? She had to order it. The vendor got busy. By the time the Crazy Michelada was complete, a blur of at least 10 ingredients had been shaken into the glass, including Valentina, Maggi seasoning, ground chile, chamoy sauce, Tabasco, Miguelito Chile en Polvo, Worcestershire sauce and Bufalo hot sauce.
It was completely brown, she said, sounding like Gordon Ramsay in the anguished throes of a kitchen nightmare. Lets say it was highly seasoned.
food@latimes.com
I wonder if youre allowed to eat this, says bartender Gabriella Mlynarczyk, before she shoves a slice of Buddahs Hand in her mouth. Shes standing behind the well at the Accomplice, a modest, new bar in Mar Vista, just off Venice Boulevard, attempting to work through the logistics of a new drink garnish.
The yellow citrus, with long tentacle-like fingers sticking out of the top, looks like a sea creature from a faraway planet.
For the record: Mlynarczyk is from Derbyshire, not Devonshire.
Hmm, smells like citrus but it kind of tastes like an apple, she says in her British accent. I can use it in a Halloween drink!
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Cocktail aficionados follow around Mlynarczyk, who moved to Los Angeles from London by way of New York City in 2011, like most diners trail their favorite chefs. She owned her own bar in New York City, and in L.A., has worked at Mark Golds now-closed Eva, Michael Voltaggios Ink, then the short-lived French-ish restaurant Cadet in Santa Monica, Birch restaurant in Hollywood, and now Accomplice. Shes also working with a new bar in Santa Ana called Vacation.
Mlynarczyk is the drink architect behind some of the most Instagrammed and talked about libations in town some of her garnishes include sunset-colored Campari dust, mini rainbow sails, caramelized fruit, pineapple leaves and spiralized root vegetables and now, shes turning her attention to mocktails.
Recipe: Kyoho grape and shiso cocktail
I turn 50 this year and I dont recover very quickly from alcohol anymore, says Mlynarczyk, as she rifles through a bag of produce she picked up at the Santa Monica farmers market that morning.
She frequents the market to find ingredients for her drinks. Drinking a cocktail is a ceremony a celebration but usually when you get a non-alcoholic drink it doesnt even have garnish on it sometimes, and its really boring.
Mlynarczyk isnt afraid to experiment with ingredients, something she credits to her modest upbringing in Devonshire in north England, where she spent most of her time with her family who grew all their own produce in the kitchen. Then she went to fashion school in London, and even took pastry courses in New York City.
Bartender Gabriella Mlynarczyk makes a Kyoho grape non-alcoholic cocktail. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
I think thats where my philosophy of taking things apart and putting them back together came from, says Mlynarczyk of her time in fashion school. Youre always trying to reinvent the wheel, make a blouse look different from how it looked last year.
She started pouring pints and shots at a bar in her hometown before picking up shifts at bars in London, then later in New York City, to make extra money. By the time she arrived in Los Angeles, she was well on her way to becoming a mad scientist behind the bar.
Recently Mlynarczyk finished a book called Clean + Dirty Drinking (out from Chronicle in spring 2018), that includes more than 100 recipes for drinks that can be made with, or without alcohol. And you can order mocktails, or what Mlynarczyk calls fauxtails at both Accomplice Bar and Vacation.
I turn 50 this year and I dont recover very quickly from alcohol anymore Gabriella Mlynarczyk
The drinks may not contain any alcohol, but they are as thoughtful, beautiful and flavorful as her booze-filled creations. -In the Kyoho grape cocktail at the Accomplice Bar (she actually started developing the drink at Ink), Mlynarczyk uses a non-alcoholic spirit made in the U.K. called Seedlip. Its distilled botanicals that smell and taste a lot like tonic, and border on medicinal in flavor. Shes mixing it with fresh yuzu juice, honey syrup, vanilla extract, a drop of gentian tincture (intended to aid with digestion), a splash of soda water, muddled Kyoho grapes and peppery shiso leaves.
I wanted to do something a little more unusual than mint, so I raided the fridge at Birch, says Mlynarczyk.
Thus shiso leaves, which lend super-spicy aromatics to the cocktail. The drink, listed as Seedlip Smash on the Accomplice Bar menu, delivers a jolt of acidity and carbonation, and the Seedlip flavor mimics a tame gin. Whether youre pregnant, adopting Jennifer Lopezs no-alcohol lifestyle, or simply dont drink, this is one mocktail that wont leave you feeling left out at the bar.
Jenn.Harris@latimes.com
@Jenn_Harris_
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UPDATES:
10:18 a.m.: This article was updated to include additional details on Seedlip.
A 46-year-old college professor who complained of life-threatening allergies was arrested Tuesday after being forcibly removed from a Southwest Airlines flight that was bound for Los Angeles and carried dogs in the cabin.
The incident, which was captured in jumpy cellphone video, occurred at Baltimore-Washington International Airport after a passenger asked that two dogs be removed from the aircraft, according to a witness. Instead, the flight crew asked the woman to leave, and she refused.
Anila Daulatzai of Baltimore was taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct, failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order, disturbing the peace, obstructing and hindering a police officer and resisting arrest, said Lt. Kevin Ayd of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.
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Daulatzai was transported to the Anne Arundel County District Court, where she was released on her own recognizance, Ayd said. She had been removed from the plane at the request of its captain.
Bystander video shows two officers struggling to get Daulatzai from her seat and down the aisle.
What are you doing? she protests as one officer stands in front of her while the other pushes her from behind.
My dad has surgery tomorrow! she says.
At one point, the officer behind Daulatzai wraps his arms around her chest.
Walk! he shouts again and again.
Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz issued an apology that said the airline was disheartened by the way this situation unfolded and would be reaching out to the customer.
Daulatzai, he said, indicated she had a life-threatening animal allergy. An emotional support animal and a pet were aboard the aircraft.
Mainz said the woman was unable to provide the medical certificate necessary to continue with the flight. He said she demanded an EpiPen and was uncooperative. We do not have or administer shots, he said.
Law enforcement became involved after Daulatzai refused to deplane, he said.
According to a policy on its website, the airline can ensure that a customer with severe allergies is seated far away from animals if notified of an allergy at the departure gate. The airline cannot provide advance notification of animals traveling on a particular flight.
Daulatzai teaches at the Maryland Institute College of Art, a spokesman for the school confirmed. According to her online bio, she is a socio-cultural anthropologist in the Humanistic Studies department. She previously was a visiting assistant professor at Harvard Divinity School.
Los Angeles resident Bill Dumas, 61, recorded the video and said Daulatzai was seated toward the back of the plane. He said passengers became uneasy when police arrived.
It went from this very quiet conversation and suddenly erupted into this big physical confrontation, he told The Times.
Dumas, who has a background in documentary film, said that Daulatzai put up fierce resistance.
People really got the sense that the officers didnt have another option.
In the video, passengers appear to be attempting to film the incident and are asked to put their phones away.
Daulatzai tells the officers that they have ripped her pants and she needs to close them.
As the male officers surround her, she says, I will walk off. Dont touch me!
Then she tells them, Im a professor. What are you doing?
At that point, an officer pushes her.
Oh, my God, one passenger says.
A woman can be heard trying to calm Daulatzai down. Show them that youre walking, she urges.
I cant walk! Hes got my leg! Daulatzai says.
Others on the plane were less sympathetic.
Jeez, lady, get off the plane. Make the complaint later! one man says.
The flight landed in Los Angeles at about 11:30 p.m., 10 minutes after its expected arrival time.
corina.knoll@latimes.com
@corinaknoll
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UPDATES:
5:30 p.m.: This article was updated with quotes from Bill Dumas, who shot the video.
2:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about Daulatzai.
This article was originally published at 1:45 p.m.
Should a man whos been charged with a lunch bucket full of crimes, including three felonies, keep his job as a board member for the nations second-largest public school district?
The L.A. Unified teachers union thinks not.
These charges are more than a distraction from the work that needs to be done to put our students first, United Teachers Los Angeles Vice President Cecily Myart-Cruz said yesterday at district headquarters in a blistering attack on board member Ref Rodriguez.
Lead by example, Myart-Cruz blared. Recuse yourself from this vote and resign from the board.
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Rodriguez did neither. Last week, he resigned his chairmanship but kept his board seat.
But its not as if Rodriguez has no defenders. The chief of a nonprofit that advocates for charter schools which Rodriguez has championed argued in a Times op-ed that the charges against Rodriguez are overblown and he should stay on the board.
If the allegations are true, Rodriguez clearly made a rookie mistake, said the op-ed, which called Rodriguez a humble, sincere and polite political novice who should pay fines if he broke the law but not lose his job.
A rookie mistake? Heres my take:
If you field a double off the wall in the right field corner, wildly fling the ball over the head of the cutoff man and give up an extra base, thats a rookie mistake.
If you pull someone over on your first night as a cop, forget to put your patrol car in park and then watch it roll over your foot as youre writing a ticket, thats a rookie mistake.
Rodriguez is charged with taking $26,000 of his own money and redistributing it through an intermediary to 25 people, mostly friends and relatives who donated $24,250 to his 2015 campaign for school board.
Whats that smell like to you?
A rookie mistake, or a premeditated strategy to work around campaign law?
The L.A. district attorneys office, which has filed 25 misdemeanor charges along with the three felonies, seems to think Rodriguez pulled off a money-laundering scheme.
And heres the most interesting thing about the case:
If Rodriguez had donated the $26,000 to himself, that would have been legal because theres no limit on how much you can dump into your own campaign.
So this leaves the jaded among us to wonder if Rodriguez who has admitted to nothing, and whose lawyer did not return my call wanted it to appear as if he had support from ordinary people, rather than just the charter-advocating high-rollers who bankrolled his campaign.
If so, here are some pointers for future reference:
Tip 1: If you want to make it look as if youre a strong enough candidate to attract donations from working people, try to find more working stiffs who arent relatives or employees at the charter school organization you founded.
Tip 2. Janitors and tutors do not typically donate between $775 and $1,100 to school board candidates, and when they do, it raises suspicion.
Tip 3. Never, ever, drag your own mother into a harebrained, bone-head scheme, even if your name is Soprano. There is no way to reverse that kind of bad karma.
As prosecutors lay it out, Rodriguez cashed out a business investment and wrote the $26,000 check to a female cousin, who has also been criminally charged. The cousin an administrator at the charter school Rodriguez started is suspected of depositing the money into a bank account under the names of Rodriguezs parents. Prosecutors say Rodriguezs mother then signed 16 checks for friends and family members who were listed as donors to her sons campaign.
I know, innocent until proven guilty. But this sounds like one hell of a rookie mistake. And if youre someone who frets about awkward conversation at family gatherings during the holidays, just thank the holy gobbler youre not spending Thanksgiving with the Rodriguez clan this year.
In giving up the chairmanship, Rodriguez said he remains committed to a kids-first agenda and I do not want to serve as a distraction to colleagues, teachers, principals and employees.
Yeah, nice try. Hes a target for critics, hes a liability for charter advocates and hes not really any less of a distraction as a board member than he would have been as chair. As long as he stays on, you cant help but think that a man who might have committed one of the dumbest crimes in local history is still making big decisions on the welfare of several hundred thousand students.
If you truly believe in putting kids first, elementary school teacher Karla Griego told Rodriguez at Tuesdays meeting, then do the right thing Stand for our kids and step down.
Its just embarrassing, Karen Wolfe, a Westside parent and volunteer who organizes parent engagement at L.A. Unified schools, told me by phone.
Every school I go into, people are whispering about this, she added, saying the scandal makes it awkward to ask business leaders and others to get involved in fundraising or anything else. You cant ask for support without apologizing for the district.
L.A. Unified pulls off daily miracles because at any given time thousands of people are doing solid work despite crushing challenges and head-slapping leadership failures.
Recent years have seen the FBI-probed iPad scandal, the student tracking system debacle, a revolving door in the superintendents office and an enduring scorched-earth war between charter forces and the teachers union, with school board races that are obscenely expensive and grotesquely sleazy. Neither side in that war has all the answers, in my humble opinion, and the greatest collective failure is the lack of compromise and collaboration.
This years elections gave the charter champs their long-sought majority. Then the so-called reformers handed the chairmanship to Rodriguez, who apparently did not inform any of his colleagues that he had been under investigation for two years.
Must have been a rookie mistake.
At Tuesdays meeting, Rodriguez cast a vote in favor of Monica Garcia, who took over as chairman with a one-vote majority. Garcia jumped up, unable to restrain her glee, and slid into the chairs seat with a broad smile, as if she expected someone to strike up the band.
Rodriguez sat glumly, half there and half gone, trapped in a limbo of his own making. You had to wonder if he might be thinking that for a man in his shoes, the best of the bad options is to walk.
Get more of Steve Lopezs work and follow him on Twitter @LATstevelopez
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When California rolled out new standardized tests, experts said scores would improve when students got used to them. But three tests in, rather than showing strides from familiarity, their scores have stagnated essentially flatlining in English and math.
About 3.2 million students in third through eighth grade and 11th grade took the tests in the spring. This year, 49% passed the English exam, compared with 48% in 2016. In math, 38% of students met or exceeded the states standard, compared with 37% last year. Fifth graders scores dropped slightly in English.
The previous year, students scores had improved in both subjects, prompting Californias State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson to travel from Sacramento to Los Angeles and hold a news conference to highlight the gains.
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This year, state officials delayed releasing the scores for a month, citing problems with the data. Torlakson issued a statement describing the results as sustained progress.
Im pleased we retained our gains, but we have much more work to do, he said.
In 2015, the first year of Californias experimentation with the new exams, 44% of students met the English benchmarks, and 34% did so in math.
Im not surprised theyre flat, Gregory Cizek, a testing expert at the University of North Carolina, said of the California results.
Cizek was a technical advisor for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, which developed the California tests.
In the past, he said, when states adopted new standardized exams, students scores increased as they and their teachers became accustomed to the format and questions. But he described the California tests as a different animal.
Theyre requiring changes in classrooms to get gains, he said. Youre not going to budge this needle much if fundamentally the way kids are being taught doesnt change.
Statewide, there continued to be a dramatic gap between black and Latino students test scores and those of their white peers a gap that civil rights groups point to as an illustration of troubling disparities in the quality of education.
Like their classmates, black and Latino students English scores were basically the same as last year. In math, they posted a slight gain of about 1 percentage point. Still, only 19% of black students hit math benchmarks.
Saying equity 10 times in a row doesnt mean you actually care about it, said Ryan Smith, executive director of The Education Trust-West, an Oakland-based nonprofit focused on educational equity. The state cant say its committed to equity without having results and actions to prove it.
Students in the Los Angeles Unified School District also posted flat scores in English and math and continued to lag behind their peers statewide.
This year, 40% of district students met or exceeded the state standard in English, compared with 39% in 2016. About 30% of district students passed the states math exam, compared with 29% last year.
Its moving in the right direction, but were not completely satisfied with the increase, said Oscar Lafarga, executive director of the districts Office of Data and Accountability.
The tests are based on a relatively new set of learning standards called the Common Core, which are supposed to be more rigorous and more indicative of how prepared students are for life beyond high school.
The scores are much lower than those on Californias previous standardized tests, because the tests are harder. In order to meet the benchmarks, students need to demonstrate not just proficiency but mastery.
The state delayed the public release of the scores by nearly a month, though schools and parents got access to their individual scores in the summer. California Department of Education spokespeople attributed the lag to a difficulty tying the scores of 25,000 San Diego special-education students with their appropriate school districts.
These days, education experts nationwide, and particularly in California, are trying to de-emphasize test scores, arguing that a previous generations reliance on test scores when judging schools contributed to punitive environments and encouraged schools to teach to the test, at the expense of enriching students lives and increasing their desire to learn.
California has now veered in another direction, away from cold numbers, translating test scores into colors and presenting them with numerous other color-coded measures of school success on the California School Dashboard, a new digital school grading tool.
The dashboard is supposed to ultimately form the backbone of the states system for identifying and helping underperforming schools improve. But some State Board of Education members say the board showed a lack of urgency about narrowing the racial achievement gap in designing the system, in part because schools can be failing certain groups of students but still appear to have average or high academic ratings.
Samantha Tran, senior managing director of education policy for Children Now, a group that lobbies and organizes activists on childrens issues, said she is worried that the stagnation in test scores means the dashboard will put many schools on yellow the color corresponding to neutral, or average, for academics. Were going to see a lot of yellows when our most high-needs kids are far behind, she said.
While standardized testing remains controversial in other states, California officials say they went to lengths to introduce the new tests carefully in a way that made their meaning clearer to parents. Torlakson praised the states high participation rates, saying that they showcase The California Way, a catchphrase State Board of Education members have used in describing the states reduced emphasis on testing and new accountability system. Less than 1% of students opted out of the test due to a parental exemption.
Data Editor Ben Welsh contributed to this story.
Joy.Resmovits@LATimes.com
@Joy_Resmovits
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From one side, Our Lady of Angels Church in Mexico City looks like it survived the Sept. 19 earthquake unscathed.
But from the opposite side, its large, blue cupola appears almost sliced in half, with deep fissures running up the part that remains. Chunks of rubble weighing at least a ton split from the structure, crushed the side of a public elementary school next door, while other debris covers broken wooden pews.
Years of deterioration from previous earthquakes had built up, and the magnitude 7.1 quake proved to be the final blow. The buildings scars deepened immediately, but the cupola, framed with several stained glass windows, didnt fall until Sunday afternoon, hours after the final Mass. No one was hurt.
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The next day, people gathered behind the police tape around the structure. Rosa Maria Quezada, 72, teared up as she hugged neighbors. She said she grew up in the neighborhood and has attended the church since she was a girl. The news pained her, but she took the timing of the collapse as a spiritual sign.
God is great, she said. How good that it happened on a Sunday. Otherwise the children would have been at school.
Officials from Mexicos National Institute of Anthropology and History say almost 2,000 historic buildings were damaged in the earthquake, most of them churches. Other damaged structures include homes, schools, office buildings, libraries and hotels.
Most of the affected churches were in Puebla, including Our Lady of Remedies, atop the Grand Pyramid of Cholula, which lost two of its cupolas.
The Archdiocese of Puebla said 226 churches nearly half the number located in the state are damaged. The state of Mexico government said 136 churches are damaged, plus 92 churches in Mexico City, according to that areas archdiocese. Twenty other churches were damaged in Morelos, according to its archdiocese. The Archdiocese of Oaxaca said 78 churches are damaged there, but officials are unclear which are due to a Sept. 7 earthquake and which are due to the earthquake last week.
Father Paulo Carvajal, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Puebla, said many of the states churches are colonial and that several suffered irreversible damage. He said he didnt know how many would have to be demolished.
It is a very unfortunate situation, he said. We are very hurt by everything that happened and are praying for all the people who continue in difficult situations at the moment.
Workers begin to remove rubble from the fallen cupola at Our Lady of Angels Church in Mexico City. Much of the rubble fell into an elementary school next door. (Andrea Castillo / Los Angeles Times)
On Monday, architects at Our Lady of Angels began calculating how best to remove the rubble so they could preserve it for the church restoration, which could take years. Workers in hardhats tossed smaller pieces of rubble into a pile. They secured thick, red straps around a piece of the cupola that looked as tall as two men and then a crane guided it slowly to the ground.
Parish clerk Marco Antonio Fuentes said church leaders, worried that it could collapse, held Sunday Mass at a park across the street. They plan to do the same this coming Sunday.
We will continue celebrating, even if its outside, he said.
Our Lady of Angels, just north of the city center, has an origin story going back to 1580, when an oil painting of the Virgin Mary transported by a Spanish ship arrived water-damaged. An indigenous painter created a replica on a chapel with adobe walls. The present church was built in 1808.
The painting of the Virgin Mary is protected by a glass case and was unharmed when the cupola fell.
Many people in this deeply Roman Catholic country look to churches for hope and strength, making their destruction during an already difficult time particularly painful. Gabriel Montiel, a lawyer from Michoacan, moved up some business meetings so that he could stop by the church Tuesday to pay his respects. He said he grew up poor and started working at the church as an altar boy at age 8. He credits the church for his success.
This is an icon of the neighborhood, he said. I see it and I dont even know what to say.
Castillo is a staff writer. Sanchez is a member of The Times Mexico City bureau.
andrea.castillo@latimes.com
@andreamcastillo
Cal State Dominguez Hills President Willie Hagan, who has been recognized for improving graduation rates and support services at one of the states most diverse campuses, announced Tuesday that he will retire at the end of the academic year.
I am very proud of the accomplishments this community has achieved, Hagan said during his annual University Convocation address. Together we have strengthened the university on all fronts. We have set in motion initiatives that will have a long-lasting impact on the future of this university.
Hagan, who was appointed interim president in 2012 and then permanently in 2013, has focused on what he has seen as keys to helping students succeed academically. He worked to expand student housing and support outside the classroom, bring in more tenure-track faculty and build new classrooms and labs. A new science and innovation center, with a groundbreaking this week, will feature a fabrication lab, high-tech classrooms, collaborative workspaces and labs for K-12 teacher training.
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Under Hagans leadership, administrators said, graduation rates rose significantly and enrollment was unprecedented.
California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White praised Hagan for his innovative and steady leadership.
The Dominguez Hills campus, under Hagans leadership, made the Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, a high-profile federal recognition of universities with notable service to the community.
Before coming to Cal State Dominguez Hills, Hagan was interim president of Cal State Fullerton, where he had spent more than two decades in jobs that included chief financial officer and vice president for administration. He has a master of fine arts from UCLA and a doctorate in psychology from the University of Connecticut.
Cal State will conduct a national search for his successor.
rosanna.xia@latimes.com
Follow @RosannaXia for more education news
A Northern California police officer was arrested and accused of assaulting with his baton a man suspected of driving drunk, authorities said.
Rocklin Police Officer Brad Alford was taken into custody Tuesday and booked into Placer County jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily harm, assault under the color of authority and filing a false police report, said Rocklin Police Chief Chad Butler.
The investigation into the 41-year-old Alford started Sunday, when he and other officers arrested a DUI suspect and Alford used a baton in a manner that appeared to be excessive, Butler said.
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Concerned officers talked to their superiors about the arrest of the unidentified man, and after reviewing video footage recorded with body and patrol cameras, Butler said he requested that the Placer County district attorneys office conduct an investigation.
The district attorneys office Tuesday determined that Alfords actions rose to a criminal level and pressed charges against him.
The video footage wont be released at this time due to the ongoing investigation, Butler added.
The victim, who has not been identified, was taken to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injures, and after he was cleared by medical staff, he was taken to jail on charges of driving under the influence, resisting arrest and failure to yield, said Rocklin police spokesman Lt. Scott Horrillo.
Horrillo said he couldnt release details on the extent of the mans injuries due to privacy laws.
Horrillo said he does not know if Alford has retained a defense attorney. A woman who answered at the Placer County jail said she couldnt release any information about inmates.
There is no excusable reason for unethical or illegal conduct, Butler said. You can be certain this matter will be investigated swiftly and thoroughly.
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An estimated 1,500 Corona residents were allowed to return to their homes Wednesday almost two days after the fast-moving Canyon fire tore through 2,000 acres and threatened their homes.
The orders were lifted at 10 a.m. for all residents in affected areas. All roads south of Green River Road from State Route 91 to West Foothill Parkway were opened to locals with valid ID, the Orange County Fire Authority said.
On Monday, authorities told residents in roughly 500 homes to leave as the wildfire approached their neighborhoods near the Santa Ana Mountains.
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The fire has damaged only three structures but otherwise has chewed across the rugged, undeveloped terrain separating Orange and Riverside counties above the 91 Freeway.
More than 1,500 firefighters are battling the flames along with 20 helicopters and air tankers. The fire has remained at 2,000 acres for a second straight day. Crews increased containment overnight Wednesday to 20%, OCFA Capt. Larry Kurtz said.
It hasnt completely been mopped up, Kurtz said of the blaze. Theres still embers out there, so if the wind kicks it up it could easily catch some unburned fuel.
joseph.serna@latimes.com
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.
A 30-year-old North Hollywood man pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges that he beat both of his parents to death in 2012, prosecutors said.
Jonathan Mercado bludgeoned his 47-year-old mother, Veronica, and 51-year-old father, Alexandro, in September 2012, police said at the time. He was arrested after his mothers body was found wrapped in a sheet in the back of an abandoned pickup in Sun Valley, according to the LAPD.
Police later found his fathers body inside the familys Radford Street home.
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Mercado pleaded guilty to two counts of murder with special circumstances and will be sentenced to 42 years in state prison early next year, according to a news release issued by the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office.
Mercado was living with his parents and two younger siblings at the time of the slayings, according to prosecutors.
james.queally@latimes.com
Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.
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Sheriffs deputies arrested a 29-year-old man accused of attacking a woman while she hiked along a trail Tuesday morning in Santa Clarita, authorities said.
Two cyclists, including a retired police officer, spotted the man standing over the 70-year-old woman near Auto Center Drive and Creekside Road, where he had approached her and strangled her until she lost consciousness, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.
The cyclists detained the man identified as Colton Ford until authorities arrived. The woman was taken to a hospital, where she was listed in fair condition.
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Its unclear what led up to and motivated the attack.
Ford, identified by officials as a transient, was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and is being held on $2-million bail.
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call sheriffs detectives at (661) 255-1121.
alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @AleneTchek
A Memphis man with ties to a rival hip-hop artist has been arrested in the shooting of rapper Young Dolph in the heart of Hollywoods tourist district, police said.
Corey McClendon, 43, was arrested near Highland Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard shortly after the Tuesday afternoon attack and was booked on suspicion of attempted murder early Wednesday morning, according to Det. Megan Aguilar, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department.
It was not clear whether McClendon fired the gun or was simply involved in the brawl that preceded the shooting near one of the citys most popular tourist destinations, Aguilar said.
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McClendon has close ties to Memphis rapper Yo Gotti, who has been involved in a bitter feud with with Young Dolph for the last year, according to Capt. Chris Harris of the Shelby County Sheriffs Office in Memphis, Tenn. The rivalry, which exploded in recent months, may have played a role in several recent drive-by shootings in Memphis, Harris said.
Young Dolph, a 32-year-old Memphis-area rapper whose real name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was shot multiple times after he got into an argument with three men outside the Loews Hollywood Hotel, police said Tuesday.
The rapper fell to the ground during the fight, and one of the men shot him several times, police said. Young Dolph managed to stand up and run into Shoe Palace, near the famous TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
Two of the men ran off, while the third jumped into a gold Cadillac Escalade and drove to a gas station next door. He then hopped out and ran, leaving the SUV behind.
The rapper remained in critical condition Wednesday morning, Aguilar said. McClendon is being held in lieu of $1-million bail, according to jail records.
It was not immediately clear what led to the dispute. TMZ reported Tuesday that Yo Gotti had been named as a person of interest in the shooting, but Aguilar said Wednesday morning that the report was inaccurate.
Yo Gottis entourage was staying at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, Aguilar said, but the detective added it was unclear if any members of the rappers entourage were involved in the melee.
However, Tennessee court records show that McClendon has been linked to past violence, including a Memphis incident that also involved Yo Gotti, whose real name is Mario Mims.
In November 2010, Mims was embroiled in an argument with Lance Taylor, another Memphis rapper known by the handle OG Boo Dirty, when McClendon got involved in the altercation, according to an arrest affidavit filed in that case.
Taylor punched McClendon, and a brawl erupted that involved at least eight other people, court records show. Taylor, McClendon and four others were wounded when unidentified persons from within this brawl opened fire, according to the affidavit.
Mims was charged with aggravated riot, but the charges were later dropped, records show. It was not immediately clear if McClendon was ever criminally charged.
At that time, Taylor was the arch-nemesis of Mims, Harris said. Young Dolph, Mims and McClendon were all friendly at that time, but a recent dispute led to a rivalry between the two rappers, he said.
In recent months, Mims tried to sign Young Dolph to a record deal, but Young Dolph refused and struck out on his own, Harris said. Young Dolph went on to release several songs insulting Mims, according to Harris.
Thats where the beef started, he said. Its been going on ever since.
McClendon has been arrested several times in Tennessee for offenses including drug possession, theft and driving with a suspended license, according to court records, and he was represented by attorney Arthur Horne nearly every time. Horne also served as a defense attorney for Mims in connection with the November 2010 brawl.
Horne was not immediately available for comment Wednesday afternoon. An email to a representative for Mims was not returned.
The shooting is being investigated by the LAPDs elite Robbery-Homicide Division, according to LAPD spokesman Josh Rubenstein, who said detectives are looking at every angle of this. He declined to say whether the rivalry between Young Dolph and Mims was a part of the investigation.
Young Dolph was scheduled to perform at the Marke in South Los Angeles on Thursday before traveling to Georgia to open for hip-hop star 2 Chainz next week. A representative for Young Dolph declined to comment Wednesday morning.
Tuesday was not the first time the rapper has been linked to violence. Earlier this year, Young Dolph told TMZ his SUV was shot at nearly 100 times in Charlotte, N.C., though Charlotte police officials have not confirmed the details of the incident, according to local media reports.
Calls and emails to the Charlotte Police Department seeking comment Wednesday were not immediately returned. Aguilar did not say whether there was any link between the two incidents.
Young Dolph went on to reference the Charlotte incident in his most recent album, Bulletproof. Its lead track is titled 100 Shots.
It takes more than 100 bullets to faze Young Dolph, read an April press release promoting the album. Last month, after unknown assailants crashed into and fired 100 gunshots at Dolphs SUV in Charlotte, N.C., the rapper emerged unscathed and took the stage mere hours later.
Harris said he would not be surprised to hear that a grudge that led to gunfire in Memphis spilled over into Hollywood.
The rivalry doesnt stop just because theyre in California, he said.
Times staff writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report.
james.queally@latimes.com
Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.
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UPDATES:
3:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information about McClendon, his connections to rapper Yo Gotti and the history of the rivalry between Yo Gotti and Young Dolph.
12:05 p.m.: This article was updated with additional background information on McClendon and Young Dolph.
This article was originally published at 9:55 a.m.
Death came knocking at Marlene Warrens door disguised as a clown.
And for 27 years the bizarre case of the Wellington clown murder remained unsolved kind of; detectives had the alleged killer in their sights within three months of the slaying.
It was a Saturday morning, May 26, 1990 when Marlene Warren answered the door to accept a bouquet and balloons from a clown wearing a red wig, a red bulb nose, gloves and a smile painted on its white face.
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She was greeted with gunfire, shot at least once in the face.
After firing, the clown calmly walked to a white convertible Chrysler LeBaron, minus a license plate, and drove away.
Marlene Warren, 40, died two days later.
New DNA evidence, police now say, proves the person disguised as a clown was Sheila Keen Warren, the current wife of Marlene Warrens husband, Michael Warren.
She was arrested Tuesday at her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Abingdon, Va. Sheila Keen Warren, 54, is in jail there awaiting extradition to Palm Beach County.
I didnt think that it would ever happen; theres always hope, but Id prefer to have her instead, Marlene Warrens mother, Shirley Twing, 87, of Las Vegas, said Tuesday night. She was a special young lady, she was a pretty young lady with long blond hair.
It feels good that they found [the killer], but its taking me back to the memory of it and its kind of hard, Twing said. I feel like crying now, but Im glad its over.
The Warrens were living in their dream home in the affluent Aero Club development, where the neighborhood had a private landing strip with taxiways to each home.
Michael Warren owned Bargain Motors Inc. on North Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach. Marlene Warren spent her days managing the rental units she and her husband had acquired during their 20-year marriage.
According to a Sept. 7, 1990 Sun Sentinel article, the search for the killer had focused on Sheila Keen, then 27.
She repossessed cars for Michael Warrens auto dealership and, detectives learned, had been having an affair with him. They frequently took long lunches together, and Michael Warren began paying Sheila Keens rent when she separated from her husband in January 1990.
Workers at a West Palm Beach costume shop called detectives on the evening of the murder and reported that a woman had bought a clown costume, makeup, orange wig and red nose two days earlier. Two store clerks picked Keen out of a photo lineup.
And clerks at a Publix supermarket less than a mile from Keens home identified Keen as the woman who bought flowers and balloons about 90 minutes before the killing.
Detectives also learned that Keen once went to a Pahokee auto parts store where she was a regular customer dressed as a clown.
Within a week of the killing, detectives searched Keens home where they found fibers from a bright orange wig.
Similar fibers were found in the getaway car which was ditched in a grocery store parking lot at Okeechobee and Royal Palm Beach boulevards. It had been reported stolen from a car rental agency and was later linked to Michael Warrens car dealership.
Even so, the case went cold. They needed probable cause, said Teri Barbera, a spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office.
The Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office reopened the investigation in 2014, conducting additional DNA analysis and re-interviewing witnesses. Thats when detectives learned that Keen and Michael Warren were married and operating a restaurant in Tennessee.
Our cold case squad, they persevere, they work hard and technology advances, Barbera said. They hold several cases each, and all of them are near and dear to their hearts. So anytime they can affect an arrest, its a big deal.
In this case our detectives did not give up, she said.
To read the article in Spanish, click here
Alanez writes for the Sun-Sentinel.
tealanez@sun-sentinel.com
Twitter: @talanez
A group that represents nursing homes and assisted living facilities is challenging Florida Gov. Rick Scotts order that they install generators by Dec. 1, saying the deadline is impossible to meet and the order is simply a reaction to one incompetent nursing home where 11 people died in sweltering heat after Hurricane Irma.
LeadingAge Florida filed the legal challenge with the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings on Tuesday, claiming Scotts order went beyond whats necessary to protect residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
There is no emergency that requires the imposition of an impossible deadline and the imminent revocation on assisted living facility and nursing home licenses, the complaint said. The emergency rules would create an emergency rather than solve one.
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Scott issued his order after 11 residents at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills died in the days after Irma wiped out power to much of South Florida. A criminal investigation has begun and the facility has been criticized for not taking the residents to a hospital directly across the street.
LeadingAge Florida, which represents more than 100 nursing homes and assisted living facilities, noted that the deadline to install generators is the day after the hurricane season ends.
Thus the emergency rules cannot be intended to address an emergency created by the current hurricane season, it said.
In a separate statement, LeadingAge Florida President Steve Bahmer said the group is willing to work with the governor on eventually meeting the directive.
Let us be clear, this is not a lack of willingness to carry out the governors directive. It is a timing and logistical issue. Completing the governors directive in 60 days is simply not possible, as there are many factors that are outside of our members control, such as obtaining permits, updating and installing electrical systems, ordering generators and storing fuel, he said.
McKinley Lewis, a spokesman for Scott, said in an email that the governors rule is only intended to save lives.
This association should focus solely on keeping seniors safe and not on lawsuits, Lewis said.
The United States and Mexico expanded a long-term agreement Wednesday that will allow both nations to continue using the Colorado River while also pushing more conservation efforts to ensure that water is available during droughts.
The nine-year deal, which expands on a 1944 water treaty between the two countries, would see the United States spend $31.5 million on conservation efforts in Mexico, according to water agencies that are familiar with the plan. That effort would, in turn, generate access to more water for about 27 million people in several states, including California, Nevada and Arizona.
It would also guarantee that Mexico and the United States would shoulder water supply cutbacks in the event of low water levels in the Colorado River and Lake Mead during droughts.
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The signing of the agreement in Santa Fe, N.M., was led by the International Boundary and Water Commission. The agency is responsible for overseeing water treaties between the United States and Mexico and is composed of representatives from both countries.
Officials with the IBWC would not release details of the agreement before the signing Wednesday.
Several water agencies in California, Nevada and Arizona have anticipated the agreement for weeks and were optimistic the conservation efforts aimed at Mexico would ultimately lead to more secure water supplies for residents and farmers who rely on Lake Mead and the Colorado River.
Some of the conservation efforts in Mexico funded by the United States would include relining leaky canals, improving water pump systems and using more advanced runoff capture systems that allow water to be reclaimed and stored, according to officials familiar with the agreement.
Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager John Entsminger, who attended the signing in New Mexico, said in a statement that the agreement was critical for long-term sustainability.
The Colorado River basin drought continues to be a serious issue, and this agreement shows how the seven states, the country of Mexico and our federal government are taking proactive steps to collaboratively address the situation and reduce the potential for shortages, Entsminger said. For Southern Nevada, we gain more tools to protect our communitys water supply, and Mexico gets both a valuable water reserve and increased flexibility in managing their water resources.
Entsmingers agency, which sells water wholesale to districts that provide for 2.2 million people primarily in the Las Vegas area, moved in August to support the goals of the agreement.
The Colorado River, which feeds into Lake Mead, stretches about 1,400 miles beginning in the Rockies and reaching its end in the Gulf of California. Within the United States, it is the source of water for about 40 million people.
The treaty grants Mexico 1.5 million acre-feet among the rivers annual flow of 14.8 million acre-feet, according to the Department of the Interior. Seven states Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California are in the river basin and use the rest of water.
Mexican IBWC Commissioner Roberto Salmon said the agreement gives his country better flexibility and stability amid the challenges brought about by future water shortages.
This agreement provides certainty for water operations in both countries and mainly establishes a planning tool that allows Mexico to define the most suitable actions for managing its Colorado River waters allotted by the 1944 Water Treaty, he said in a statement.
Access to the Colorado River has been a critical issue since the latest drought gripped the Southwest. According to the nonprofit environmental group American Rivers, the Colorado River could see its flow reduced by 10% to 30% by 2050 because of the effects of climate change.
Lake Mead has seen its water levels drop dramatically since 2002, when it was at 1,152 feet above elevation. This year, it stood just above 1,080 feet.
If Lake Mead hits 1,075 feet a critical low Nevada, Arizona and Mexico will have to reduce the amount of water they can take from the Colorado River.
Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said that the river is already close to a critical shortage and that the agreement helps all parties navigate the effects of climate change on the rivers future.
The drought has been the catalyst for forcing us to deal with the issues, Kightlinger said. Climate change is real and its definitely going to be painful, and we have to get the tools in place to manage it now.
david.montero@latimes.com
Twitter: @davemontero
In the emergency room lobby at the Puerto Rico Medical Center, the islands largest public hospital, more than a dozen patients one with a broken leg, others with arms in slings or other wounds were lined up on stretchers and in wheelchairs in the stifling heat.
A generator hummed in the background, but that was powering the air conditioning for patients already being treated.
We have to conserve, said Dr. Charlie Gomez, who had been working 12-hour shifts. Its a very tough situation and it might get worse.
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Hospital workers in San Juan pray for a colleague badly hurt in a carjacking en route to work in the post-hurricane chaos. Some doctors cannot even get to the hospital because the roads are not cleared yet, said Puerto Rico Medical Center s Dr. Charlie Gomez. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the healthcare system here is being pushed to its limits, even as medical teams from the U.S. mainland have been arriving. Many of the 69 hospitals across the island remained closed as of Tuesday. The Medical Center was one of only 11 with fuel or power.
Gomez said the emergency room treated about 178 patients on Tuesday, a typical daily load since the storm hit and about 80 more than on a normal pre-storm day.
The most common injuries were no longer from the storm itself but from the early attempts to recover from it: nail wounds, machete wounds and internal bleeding often from trying to repair roofs and generators.
Some of the patients were not Puerto Ricans but people who had evacuated from other Caribbean islands devastated by Maria or Hurricane Irma earlier this month.
Gomez was one of a dozen doctors staffing the emergency room in shifts of six at a time.
About two dozen other doctors were working in other parts of the 1,400-bed hospital.
Some doctors cannot even get to the hospital because the roads are not cleared yet, Gomez said.
There was much else to worry about. Homebound patients could soon run out of their medications. The weather could deteriorate, triggering landslides and accidents. Gomez glanced at the sky, which had been cloudy all morning.
Rain is not good, the doctor said.
A woman with a head injury arrives at the Medical Center Tuesday. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz told CBS news that two people on life support died Monday because their hospital had run out of fuel. She did not specify which hospital.
In the town of Manati, the mayor, Jose Sanchez Gonzalez, made a plea for aid. The hospital is about to collapse, he said. Its at capacity. We need someone to help us immediately.
Federal disaster medical assistance teams, coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, have arrived from California, Arizona, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas; some of their paramedics were handling overflow from the Medical Centers emergency room in tents outside.
Were requesting more resources every five minutes, said Lisa Ansell, a Dallas-based chief nursing officer.
Triage tents are set up outside the Medical Center to help with the overflow of patients and to house emergency teams from the mainland U.S. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
The Pentagon was planning to supply a medical treatment facility with 50 beds, along with ground and helicopter ambulances and several medical teams. It was not clear when the aid would arrive.
The Navy said it would deploy the hospital ship Comfort an 894-foot modified supertanker with 1,000 beds, 12 operating rooms and a pharmacy to Puerto Rico. But it was expected to take at least five days to arrive.
The nearby San Juan City Hospital was also open, but food, water and air conditioning were limited, and some staff couldnt get to work because of gasoline shortages.
One nurse, 49-year-old Wanda Tapia, said she had to take gas from her generator to drive to work Tuesday. She wasnt sure she would have enough left to return Wednesday, but said she would try.
We have our patients we have to care for, she said. We have our problems at home, but this is our responsibility.
Bernadina Ortiz, 89, is released from the hospital in San Juan. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Outside near a row of aid tents, Fermin Talvera, a 39-year-old construction worker, said his 9-month-old son had been admitted with bronchitis.
Were so hot at night we cant stand it, he said.
The child became sick at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, a public shelter where they had stayed during the storm with hundreds of other families.
In the hospital lobby, a dozen nurses and other staff joined hands Tuesday to pray for a colleague in intensive care.
They said he had been injured in a carjacking Saturday on his way to work when the hospital reopened.
To read the article in Spanish, click here
molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com
Twitter: @mollyhf
W.J. Hennigan in Washington contributed to this article.
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In 1978, I was on overnight duty in the pediatric emergency room at Los Angeles County Hospital. It had been a busy night and I was looking forward to the end of shift. At about 4 a.m., a man with a frantic expression came rushing into the ER carrying what looked like a small log wrapped in a blanket. His 4-year-old son had suffered an asthma attack and the man had bypassed several private-hospital ERs on the way to the public hospital. Hed previously been refused emergency care at the private hospitals due to lack of insurance. On this occasion, the father did not want to waste time and took the much longer drive to Big County. I took the bundle from his arms and rushed into the treatment room.
As soon as I unwrapped the child, I could tell that he had died en route. I tried to resuscitate him, but to no avail. I informed the father that his son had died, and he responded as one might expect. Sometime later, as I was standing outside the ER watching the sun come up and trying to make sense of what had happened, the father stepped outside too. I stammered an apology for not being able to save his son. He said, Its OK, doc. Its not your fault his father is a poor man.
In the decades since I worked at Big County, government action has made it possible for todays children and their parents to avoid the same fate of that little boy and his father. In 1986, the federal government passed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, which prohibits private emergency rooms from refusing to provide care because of inability to pay. More recently, the Affordable Care Act extended insurance coverage to tens of millions of Americans.
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Republicans have, of course, been trying to overturn the ACA, most recently with the Graham-Cassidy bill. Although that particular fight is over (enough Republicans came out against the bill to doom its prospects), its only the latest in a long war over the role of government in healthcare and one thats sure to continue.
Many on the right have never accepted the idea that government should use its power to improve citizens physical well-being.
Washington first acknowledged its responsibility in the domain of public health in 1798, when President John Adams signed An Act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen. It deducted 20 cents per month from seamens wages to fund their medical care and build hospitals dedicated to their welfare. (Sounds like the individual mandate, no?)
Despite this long tradition, many on the right have never accepted the idea that government should use its power to improve citizens physical well-being.
In 1929, big-government opponents in Congress defeated the Sheppard-Towner Act, which would have provided annual grants to local public health departments for maternal and child health programs.
In 1965, conservatives again banded together to fight the passage of Medicare. Despite a ferocious lobbying campaign and a right-wing grass-roots effort that foreshadowed the tea party movement, progressives won out. And thank God they did. Prior to Medicare, one out of three seniors lived in poverty and countless families abandoned their aging parents at the doors of the nations emergency rooms because they were unable to pay for their care. Such scenes disappeared with the passage of Medicare.
Many on the right, however, have never come around to Medicare or Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, much less the ACA. Republican opposition to government-regulated medical care is partially based on the view that government governs best which governs least. Conservatives associate liberty with markets.
They may not realize it but they have more than a little in common, ideologically, with the early 17th century British statesmen who crafted the Elizabethan Poor Laws. These laws gave local governments the power to raise taxes to maintain almhouses and provide relief for the worthy poor, including the elderly. But they also mandated that the able-bodied poor be set to work in a House of Industry and sent the idle poor to Houses of Correction. In their twisted logic, poor people were only desperate because they were lazy or morally inferior to the wealthy.
GOP legislators echo these obsolete ideas when they talk about indigent able-bodied adults needing to work to deserve health insurance. The Graham-Cassidy bill would devolve all Medicaid funding to the states and give them the option to place a work requirement before able-bodied adults can deserve health insurance. No other civilized nation makes such a demand on its people.
From my decades of experience as a doctor, it seems to me that no market-driven healthcare system can simultaneously limit costs, guarantee universal coverage and deliver desired outcomes. Overwhelming evidence demonstrates that the best way to reduce costs and guarantee healthcare to everyone is to have the largest risk pool that is, the entire nation. These facts compel the United States to move to a single-payer system guided by comparisons with other countries experiences and by our own American successes, such as Medicare and Medicaid.
The preamble of our Constitution states that government exists to provide domestic tranquility and promote the general welfare, which certainly suggests constitutional support for healthcare for all, including poor children with asthma. Regardless of the outcome of the current effort against the role of government in medical care, the fight goes on.
Steve Tarzynski is a physician and president of the California Physicians Alliance.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
To the editor: I work in student government, so I hear condescending remarks from university administrators regularly. Still, I havent heard anything like former University of California President Mark Yudofs thats the way it works in the real world to defend his $357,000 annual pension after working at UC for only seven years. (UC is handing out generous pensions, and students are paying the price with higher tuition, Sept. 24)
Perhaps it is so offensive because of just how inaccurate it is.
I talk to members of fee committees across the state about their ability to fund student needs (which were paying for). The top concern is employee compensation.
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Pensions of the size earned by Yudof dont exist in the real world all that much. In fact, as your article points out, they dont exist in any size at many private institutions.
UCs model is unsustainable. Its time for the states top innovator to come up with a 21st century model for public employee salaries and benefits.
Hayden Jackson, Riverside
The writer, an undergraduate student at UC Riverside, chairs the UC Council on Student Fees.
..
To the editor: Your article downplays some important contextual information about the difficulty of providing students with a top-flight public education, attracting excellent faculty and balancing budgetary priorities at the university, the states third-largest employer.
UC has enacted extensive pension reforms that will reduce its long-term pension cost structure by 16% and annually save $99 million over 15 years. Unlike Californias other public institutions of higher education, and with the exception of a $145-million infusion in each of the past three years, the state does not fund UCs pension plan.
Because of internal reforms, our pension funding status was 83% as of July 2016, considerably higher than both CalSTRS and CalPERS, the two largest state employee retirement funds. Baby boomers retiring in large numbers, with an average 30 years of service, is not a surprise to UC, and we have accounted for it.
Nathan Brostrom, Oakland
The writer is UCs chief financial officer.
..
To the editor: No contributions to the retirement system made by UC or its employees for 20 years? Where were the regents or state elected officials?
Did even one faculty member from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley or the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA, or the dozens of stellar faculty members in economics or business administration throughout UC, blow the whistle on this?
Full disclosure: I receive a pension from service to the city of San Diego, but I contributed about 10% of my salary every year while employed. Most (if not all) other public employees in California did not receive a 20-year holiday from making contributions to our retirement.
Bruce Johnson, San Diego
..
To the editor: Two scholars, Dr. X and Dr. Y, complete their degrees the same year at Harvard. Dr. X takes a job at an elite private university. Dr. Y takes a job at a UC campus. Both go on to brilliant careers.
Dr. Xs university has no pension plan, but it opens a stock fund for its employees, and both the university and the employees contribute to it. Employees can do this easily because the salaries are very high. Moreover, Dr. X lives in a subsidized apartment and her kids have their college tuition paid for by her employer.
Dr. Y also becomes a famous scholar and is recruited by many other universities. However, she loves UC the creativity of the campus community, the mission of public education, the extraordinary students. She has trouble saving because salaries in her field are much lower at UC than other elite schools. She has to take out loans for her kids education.
When she retires, she doesnt have much besides her UC pension. But she gets an added bonus she gets to be insulted by The Times (six-figure pensions!). Not to worry, though the next generations Dr. Y will not bother to come West.
Timothy Hampton, Kensington, Calif.
The writer is a professor of French and comparative literature at UC Berkeley.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Roy Moores upset victory in the Alabama Senate primary sent shock waves through the Republican establishment Wednesday, portending a GOP civil war as outsider candidates in other states threaten to challenge incumbents.
The potential showdowns are reminiscent of the tea party uprising that just a few years ago cost Republicans the majority in the Senate. Now President Trumps populist rise to power honed by his former advisor Stephen K. Bannon has generated a new wave of long-shot candidates capable of upending the 2018 midterms.
In Mississippi, state Sen. Chris McDaniel, who met with Bannon to consider challenging two-term incumbent Sen. Roger Wicker, called the results in Alabama a great awakening.
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The GOP establishments stranglehold on American politics is finally coming to an end. It should encourage conservative challengers all across the republic, he said. The environment couldnt be any better.
Arizonas Kelli Ward, who is challenging Sen. Jeff Flake, said after Alabama she felt inspired and motivated.
Voters elected President Trump to shake up the status quo and get big things accomplished, she said.
Nevada Sen. Dean Heller is another incumbent who faces a challenge by a candidate, Danny Tarkanian, with potential backing from Bannons allies.
And in Tennessee, incumbent Sen. Bob Corkers sudden retirement, announced hours before the polls closed in Alabama, sent several potential candidates scrambling for what promises to be an intense primary.
On Capitol Hill, Republicans braced for more incumbents to resign rather than face challenging nomination fights.
As a result, Republican professionals who until recently felt that their control of the Senate was secure because the states holding elections in 2018 mostly lean red have started to worry. The departure of incumbents and the rise of candidates who Democrats easily can attack as extreme might put their majority at risk, they fear. At minimum, the new wave of challengers likely means more money spent and a Senate Republican Caucus that will lean further right, and be harder to control, after the next election.
Youre going to see in state after state after state people who follow the model of Judge Moore, Bannon told a cheering crowd at Moores election night party in Montgomery. They are candidates that do not need to raise money from the elites, from the crony capitalists, from the fat cats in Washington, D.C., New York City, in Silicon Valley, he said.
The night before the election, Bannon specifically denounced Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has also been the target of Trumps anger for the Senates failure to pass key elements of his agenda.
Mitch McConnell and this permanent political class is the most corrupt and incompetent group of individuals in this country, he told a crowd of Moores supporters. They think youre a pack of morons. They think youre nothing but rubes.
In the aftermath of Moores victory, Bannons allies continued to press that theme. This is a repudiation of the Republican establishment, said Andy Surabian, an ally of Bannons and now senior advisor at the Great America Alliance, which backed Moores campaign and is looking at other races.
Its a win for Trump and an absolute rejection of Mitch McConnell and the establishment.
More establishment-oriented Republican strategists cautioned against reading too much into the outcome in Alabama, noting that special circumstances helped shape the race: Moore benefited from Luther Stranges appointment to the Senate by a governor who named him just before resigning his own job in the midst of scandal. And Moore has a long history in Alabama politics, which gave him what one Republican strategist described as a cult-like following of evangelical Christians that is unlikely to be replicated.
As the former chief justice of the states Supreme Court, Moore was dramatically removed from the bench in 2003 for refusing to take down a display of the Ten Commandments at the courthouse. After being reelected by voters, he was suspended in 2015 for failing to abide by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling favoring same-sex marriages. He ultimately resigned.
Longtime Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) downplayed the ability of outsiders like Bannon to shape statewide races or claim credit in Alabama.
I dont know if hes on Moores wagon, Shelby said in an interview ahead of the election, or if hes creating a wagon for Moore.
Still, the Senate Leadership Fund, a political action committee allied with McConnell, poured $9 million into the race, mainly on attack ads, but failed to dent Moores ramshackle campaign.
Thats an indication of the limits of the establishments weapons, some Republican strategists suggested.
Steve Bannon has declared war on the establishment, and so far he has one scalp on the rail, said Rick Tyler, a Republican campaign consultant who previously worked for Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. I would suspect he can do very well in Tennessee and the other states, and his patrons appear to be ready to part with their dollars to make that happen.
The danger signal for Republican leaders is that even as Trump mused publicly and privately about being blamed for Stranges loss at a rally ahead of election day Trump suggested he may have made a mistake and endorsed the wrong candidate the race in Alabama turned into a referendum on the failure of the GOP majority in Congress to deliver on the presidents agenda.
McConnell, in particular, loomed large as a symbol of the Republican logjam in Congress. The majority leader has become a favorite punching bag for conservative grass-roots challengers who take aim at their own party.
Republican leaders allied with McConnell are gearing up for a fight, much as they did to block the rise of tea party candidates in 2014 whom they saw as popular in primaries, but unable to win statewide general elections.
At the same time, they were rushing Wednesday to embrace Moore, determined not to give Democrats an opening in a red state such as Alabama in an election cycle in which Republicans were hoping they could spend their money on offense against incumbent Democratic senators.
I urge all of our friends who were active in the primary to redouble their efforts in the general election, McConnell said late Tuesday, after Moores victory, in a message to supporters.
The Democratic candidate in Alabama, former federal prosecutor Doug Jones, who is known in the state for having won convictions against former Ku Klux Klan leaders after reopening an investigation into the bombing in 1963 of Birminghams 16th Street Baptist Church, hit the campaign trail Wednesday greeting the lunchtime crowd at a popular diner in downtown Birmingham.
The general election in Alabama, which takes place in mid-December, remains a long shot for Democrats the Deep South state hasnt elected a Democratic senator in 25 years but Moores nomination now gives Jones a chance to peel away centrist Republicans who dont share his far-right views. Democrats are likely to step up their efforts. Former Vice President Joe Biden is headed to Alabama to campaign for Jones.
Theres an energy, I think, right now for change that we havent seen in this state in decades, Jones said in a recent interview at his campaign headquarters in Birmingham.
Theyre realizing that a one-party state just hasnt worked... and theyre looking for a little bit of political checks and balances.
But Moore is also preparing for the fight ahead, well aware that his race has set the tone for those to come.
Washington is watching this very closely because its a prelude to the 2018 elections, Moore said after a campaign rally in Florence, in the far northern part of the state. Theres a lot of people in these states - out West and across the South and the midsection theyre waiting to see if someone can take on the Washington establishment. For better or worse, Ive taken on the Washington establishment or theyve taken me on.
lisa.mascaro@latimes.com
@LisaMascaro
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President Trump on Wednesday said he was not happy about Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Prices repeated use of expensive taxpayer-funded charter flights, and did not rule out firing the Cabinet member.
Im not happy about it. Im going to look at it. I am not happy about it and I let him know it, Trump told reporters before leaving the White House to fly to Indiana to announce his tax plan.
Asked if he had confidence in Price, Trump repeated his displeasure.
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When Trump was asked if he planned to fire Price, he replied: Well see.
Politico has documented more than two dozen charter flights taken by Price, costing taxpayers more than $400,000. They included visits to a resort where Price owns land and, separately, to a lunch with his son.
In a day-after-day series of articles which began late last week, Politico reported that the former congressman had taken private planes despite the availability of commercial flights or other forms of transportation. The news organization said Tuesday that a flight to the resort island of St. Simons, Ga., last month came nearly two days before a public appearance nearby.
The trip, which included lunch with Prices son, came in June, Politico said. Price made two brief appearances in Nashville before and after the lunch. The flight cost $17,760 round trip, while a seat on similarly timed commercial flight could have been purchased for less than $350, Politico said.
The inspector general of the Health and Human Services Department is probing the flights, and the House Oversight Committee has asked the White House and various agencies to turn over information about any private flights.
Such flights are typically not allowed if there are cheaper commercial options. Politico cited vastly less expensive options available at the same time as Prices flights.
Trumps remarks were the latest example of the White House distancing itself from Prices actions. On Monday, when asked about the flights during a media briefing, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said twice that this wasnt White House-approved travel.
The president has had public spats with others in his administration. He blistered Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions after Sessions recused himself from the Justice Departments Russia elections investigation, a decision that Trump blamed for the later appointment of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. He also was angered when his chief economic advisor, Gary Cohn, was publicly critical of Trumps response to the white supremacist march and ensuing violence in Charlottesville, Va.
Neither of those men has left the administration.
But Prices tenure has been rocky for reasons other than the flights. He was the presidents point man on healthcare, a sore subject now that multiple bills have been brought up by Republicans and failed to gain majority approval in the Senate. Price also has been at the center of the administrations efforts on opioid abuse, a topic Trump promised in the campaign would be a high priority but for which a plan of action has yet to be developed.
Price also represents an easy target, having long derided Democrats for profligate spending. During a 2009 debate over the purchase of jets for congressional travel, Price, who then represented a suburban Atlanta district, called it just another example of fiscal irresponsibility run amok.
After news emerged of his own travel, Prices aides first said the trips were necessary because of his demanding schedule and to visit areas where transportation was complicated due to hurricane damage. But Politico documented 26 flights dating to last May, many taking place well before the recent destructive storms or aimed at locations elsewhere.
Price told Fox News on Saturday that his department was conducting a review of the flights. He acknowledged that the optics in some of this dont look good.
I dont think there would be any charter trips until this review is complete, he said.
A department spokeswoman on Wednesday said Price was taking the review seriously, but did not respond to Trumps comments.
In a capital where response to allegations of misconduct is almost always driven by partisanship, Price is the rare administration official to come under suspicion from fellow Republicans. The House Oversight Committee has drafted letters asking Price and other agencies for information about any charter flights, Politico reported. The move by Republicans on the committee which came days after the ranking Democrat Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, had made a similar request of Price suggested that patience was waning after the unfolding series of disclosures about the secretary.
Other administration officials have come under more limited criticism for their private flights.
Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin took a jet from New York to Washington in August, saying he needed access to secure communications. A week later he traveled on a government plane to Kentucky, where he and his wife watched the solar eclipse along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the states senior senator. That flight is being investigated by the Treasury Departments inspector general.
Mnuchin also requested a government-paid plane for his June honeymoon to Italy, France and Scotland, with his office again saying he needed access to secure communications. The request was withdrawn.
Asked about all of the flights by various secretaries, Trump on Sunday seemed to excuse Mnuchin, repeatedly telling reporters to check your records about the Treasury Secretary taking flights.
I understand he never took that flight, Trump said, apparently referring to the canceled honeymoon request.
But even then he distanced himself from Price.
As far as Secretary Price is concerned, thats different, Trump said. Were looking into it.
For more on politics from Cathleen Decker
cathleen.decker@latimes.com
Twitter: @cathleendecker
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President Trump plans to slash the number of refugees allowed in the United States by more than half, pressing a longer-term goal of limiting legal immigration and imposing tougher vetting procedures for foreign visitors.
The Trump administration has told Congress it will limit refugee admissions to about 45,000 in the fiscal year that starts Sunday. Thats down sharply from the 110,000 cap in President Obamas last year in office, although about 52,000 were admitted because of restrictions put in place after Trump took office.
The new plan would set the lowest cap since the 1980s, after Congress gave the president authority to set a maximum number of immigrants allowed to resettle in the U.S. after being persecuted in their home countries on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, politics and other specified criteria, according to senior U.S. officials.
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The State Department informed the Senate and House judiciary committees of the lower limit Wednesday and, after consultation with Congress, will put the new cap into effect at the end of September, officials said.
Even at that level, only Germany admits more refugees and migrants than the United States. Germany has borne the brunt of the global refugee crisis, granting full refugee status or other protection to more than 1 million Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis, Eritreans and others since 2015.
The caps set a top limit, and the U.S. does not always reach the cap. The last time the U.S. resettled fewer than 45,000 was 2006, when 41,223 were admitted. The lowest level was in 2002, after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when only 27,131 refugees were admitted.
Some White House officials, including Stephen Miller, Trumps top policy advisor and an immigration hawk, had sought to set next years cap as low as 15,000.
But State Department officials and military leaders pushed back, arguing that resettling refugees from war zones and religious strife protects vulnerable people from danger and lives up to U.S. commitments to allies.
The lower cap comes as administration officials prepare additional vetting procedures that could slow admissions, increasing the backlog and thus further reduce the number of people given refuge.
The new policy seeks to encourage refugees to resettle in their home regions instead of coming to America, according to a U.S. official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. To that end, the Trump administration plans to continue to pledge humanitarian assistance overseas, the official said.
The lower limit is consistent with our foreign policy goals and operational capacity in light of additional security vetting procedures we are implementing as well as domestic asylum backlogs, the official said.
The administration also ended the Central American Minors refugee program that was designed to help children from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras facing persecution at home to be united with family members in the United States.
The Obama administration created the program after a surge of unaccompanied children arrived on the U.S. southern border in 2014 and 2015.
The total refugee limit was set at 85,000 in fiscal 2016, up from 70,000 in the previous three years. The Obama administration raised the cap last year, pledging to resettle 110,000 people, in a push to encourage other countries to do more in the Syrian crisis.
After he took office in January, Trump suspended refugee admissions for 120 days and cut the cap to 50,000. But federal courts allowed authorities to continue admitting refugees who had family in the U.S., and about 52,000 were admitted.
Critics slammed the new cap as insufficient, noting that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates about 22.5 million refugees around the world, the largest estimate in U.N. history.
We are in the worlds biggest refugee crisis in recorded history and this is the lowest number of refugees to be admitted since the passage of the refugee act in 1980, said Mark Hetfield, the head of HIAS, a Jewish organization based in Silver Spring, Md., that advocates for increased refugee levels.
It is a total abdication of American leadership, Hetfield said.
Advocates are concerned that new vetting procedures will slow the refugee admissions process and the U.S. wont meet the lower cap in the next year.
The refugee process is already the most stringent processing of any travelers coming to the U.S., Betsy Fisher, policy director for the International Refugee Assistance Project, a New York-based organization, said in a phone interview.
We are expecting to see a longer process with additional layers of security checks, Fisher said.
brian.bennett@latimes.com
Twitter: @ByBrianBennett
Trump Jr. to speak privately to Senate staff on Thursday
(Richard Drew / Associated Press)
President Trumps oldest son is expected to meet privately with a Senate committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, several senators said Wednesday.
Donald Trump Jr.'s appearance Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee would probably focus on a meeting he had with a Russian lawyer and others during the final stretches of last years campaign. Emails released in July show that Trump Jr. was told the session at Trump Tower in New York was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, the Republican nominee.
Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating that meeting, also attended by Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. A grand jury has heard testimony about it.
Trump Jr. has also agreed to appear in the coming weeks before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting its own investigation.
Separately, President Obamas national security advisor, Susan Rice, was meeting on Wednesday with the House Intelligence Committee, according to a person familiar with the interview. This person wasnt authorized to discuss the committees confidential work and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
That committee has subpoenaed the Justice Department and the FBI for documents related to a dossier of salacious allegations involving Trump and possible ties to Russia.
As for Donald Trump Jr., some Democratic senators said they planned to attend his session though tradition dictates that senators cannot ask questions at such interviews conducted by committee staff.
Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said they would be there. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) was considering it.
I go in with an open mind, Durbin said. I want to hear his answers to questions there are plenty of questions about the involvement of the Trump corporation as well as the Trump campaign with the Russians and other foreigners, and I just want to hear what Mr. Trump has to say.
Durbin said he would be shocked if questions werent asked about whether Trump Sr. knew about the Trump Tower meeting.
The critical part of his testimony will be following the financial dealing, Blumenthal said. He said he also wants to find out what Trump Jr. may know about potential obstruction of justice, adding there may have been conversations between the two about the firing of FBI Director James Comey and other matters.
Blumenthal and Coons said the private interview is no substitute for a public hearing, which the committee chairman, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), has promised will happen.
This meeting is far less important than his public testimony, under oath, before the American people, Blumenthal said.
Grassley would not say on Wednesday whether he would issue a subpoena for Trump Jr. if he refuses to testify publicly.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department is reviewing subpoenas from the House intelligence committee.
In a letter Friday that was obtained by the AP, the committee wrote that it had served subpoenas on Aug. 24 to the department and the FBI for documents related to the committees investigation of Russian meddling. The Justice Department and FBI had missed the original Sept. 1 deadline, so the committee extended the deadline to Sept. 14.
The letter was signed by the committee chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who stepped back from the Russia investigation this year after he was criticized for being too close to the White House. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) took over the leading role, but his name does not appear on the letter.
As chairman, Nunes retains subpoena power in the committee.
According to the letter, the original subpoenas requested any documents related to the dossier and sought information about whether the department was involved in its production.
If the documents are not produced, the committee is seeking to compel Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, who has withdrawn from investigations examining connections between Trump and Russia, and newly installed FBI Director Christopher Wray to testify in an open hearing. The committee issued two additional subpoenas to Sessions and Wray on late Tuesday.
Resort to compulsory process was necessary because of DOJs and FBIs insufficient responsiveness to the committees numerous Russia-investigation related requests over the past several months, the letter said.
If the committee is unable to obtain documents or testimony, Nunes wrote, the committee expressly reserves its right to proceed with any and all available legal options, including a House vote to hold Sessions and Wray in contempt.
The Justice Department confirmed it was reviewing the subpoenas but declined further comment.
The dossier attracted public attention in January when it was revealed that then-FBI Director Comey had briefed Trump, soon before he was inaugurated as president, about claims from the documents that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial allegations about him.
Its unclear to what extent the allegations in the dossier have been corroborated or verified by the FBI because the bureau has not publicly discussed it.
Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said Tuesday evening on MSNBC that the subpoenas were issued over the objections of Democrats. Schiff said Republicans are working harder to discredit those who compiled the dossier than to find out if the allegations in it are true. He said Republicans should be more focused on getting documents from the White House.
The subpoenas were first reported by the Washington Examiner.
The famed author of the book Black Hawk Down will be in Burbank on Wednesday to talk about his latest project, which is about one of the most crucial battles during the Vietnam War and how it was affected by journalism.
Mark Bowden will be at the Buena Vista Branch Library at 7 p.m. to talk about his latest book, Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam, which centers around the Tet Offensive and the Battle of Hue.
Screenwriter Ken Nolan, who adapted Bowdens Black Hawk Down into a screenplay for a movie of the same title, will be interviewing the author during the event.
Though the book has only been out since June, filmmakers Michael Mann and Michael De Luca have acquired film rights and are working on a miniseries for FX.
The 50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive the surprise assault by tens of thousands of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese on U.S. military forces during the start of the Lunar New Year and the subsequent monthlong Battle of Hue, the bloodiest battle during the war, is coming up in January.
Bowden said it was time to take a closer look at what transpired.
There really wasnt a well-reported account of what happened there, so it gave me the opportunity to do something that hadnt been done, Bowden said. I could tell a great story, and one that I think helps better understand the whole Vietnam experience.
The battle was not only a surprise to the U.S. military, but also to Americans stateside who were reassured by government officials that the war was under control. It was journalists, both American and foreign, who gave the public some insight into what was actually happening in Vietnam.
Journalists such as Gene Roberts and Walter Cronkite were just a few of the many reporters who traveled to Vietnam and then shared their stories with the public.
This story illustrates very dramatically the difference between independent reporting and the kind of propaganda that government officials are prone to broadcast and put out, Bowden said. In this particular case, the story being told by the United States government by the military leaders was completely false, and it was the reporting done by journalists who basically braved the dangers of the battlefields in Hue who were writing stories about what was really going on.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
The thunderous sound of jet engines will resonate across the Huntington Beach area this weekend as pilots perform death-defying aerial maneuvers during the Breitling Huntington Beach Airshow.
The famed Navy Blue Angels precision flying team will highlight the second annual event along with the Canadian Snowbirds, another popular military jet demonstration team.
Air show director Michael McCabe has said he believes this years event will exceed last years in every measurable way.
If you havent seen them, the grace of the Snowbirds followed by the precision of the Blue Angels will leave you breathless, McCabe said.
Whats that noise? Blue Angels are preparing for Huntington Beach air show
The spectator section for the show will be on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier. General admission is free, though tickets for the Aviator Beach Club area with a buffet, bar and premium viewing location can be purchased for $139 for Friday and $199 for Saturday and Sunday.
Event officials have estimated this years show will draw 1 million people. Last years event, which featured the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Breitling Jet Team, was attended by about 560,000.
Aside from the jet demonstrations, Franky Zapata will fly his hoverboard, the Flyboard Air, in his first performance at an American air show. Zapata invented the jet-propelled board, which he says can travel up to 93 mph and more than a mile high while he stands on it upright.
The event also will feature a daily festival at Pier Plaza with exhibits from Boeing, Suzuki and others. Visitors can look at rockets and take a spin in a flight simulator at a science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, exhibit.
Huntington Beachs Main Street will be closed Saturday and Sunday for a display of military vehicles.
Food trucks will be available at the event from Dogzilla, Ninjas with Appetite, The Cut Truck, Burnt Truck and Cousins Main Lobster. Rubys Diner also will serve food at the festival.
As with other big events at the beach, officials said parking may be a problem and that traffic delays are expected throughout the city.
Visitors can park downtown at metered spaces, at the state beach, in city parking lots along the beach or at parking structures such as the Main Promenade at 222 Third St., the Strand at 155 Fifth St. or the Pierside Pavilion at 126 Main St. Rates will be doubled to $30 at all south beach lots, and the hourly rates will be doubled at the Main Promenade structure, with a maximum daily rate of $30 as part of a City Council decision this month.
For those who dont want to deal with parking, Uber and Lyft are offering discounts for first-time users during the show at lyft.com/invite/hbairshow17 and get.uber.com/go/hbairshow.
The Surf City USA Shuttle will be running from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. throughout the show. For more information on stops, visit surfcityusa.com/shuttle.
The path to this years show wasnt without obstacles.
Because of an estimated financial shortfall of $350,000, the shows operator, AirSupport LLC, requested help from the city in August. The council on Sept. 5 approved temporary rate increases for parking and recreational vehicle camping during the event to provide about $100,000 worth of support. Council members said it was important to help an event that brings revenue to downtown businesses.
The council also allowed AirSupport to delay its payments for public safety and other city personnel for up to 45 days after the show.
The show is expected to cost $975,000. Last years edition lost about $400,000.
A portion of vendors proceeds will go toward the Aerospace Educational Foundation of Huntington Beach, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering education in the aerospace industry.
IF YOU GO
What: Breitling Huntington Beach Airshow
When: Noon to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday (Friday is a practice session). The Airshow Festival will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at Pier Plaza.
Where: Just south of the Huntington Beach Pier at Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway
Cost: Free. VIP tickets are available for $139 for Friday and $199 for Saturday and Sunday.
Information: hbairshow.com
benjamin.brazil@latimes.com
Twitter:@benbrazilpilot
The fourth annual Newport Beach Wine & Food festival will offer dinners by celebrity and local chefs and tastes from 40 restaurants and more than 250 varieties of wine, spirits and craft brews when it arrives Friday through Sunday at the Civic Center.
Also on the menu are VIP events, jazz music, chef cooking demonstrations, master sommelier tasting panels and interactive mixology courses.
The Civic Center is at 100 Civic Center Drive.
For scheduling, prices and tickets, visit newportwineandfood.com/tickets.
Laguna restaurant holding fundraiser Wednesday for Mexico quake victims
Tortilla Republic in Laguna Beach will hold a fundraiser for Mexico City earthquake victims on Wednesday.
The restaurant at 480 S. Coast Hwy. will contribute 20% of proceeds that day to UNICEFs efforts to provide food, water, shelter, protection and healthcare for those affected by the recent quakes.
For more information, call (949) 393-4888.
Hops & Vines charity event set at Center Club
Hops & Vines, featuring food by chef Lewis Butler, craft beers and more than 20 fine wines, will help raise money Thursday for charities Augies Quest, the Employee Partner Care Foundation and Working Wardrobes.
The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Center Club, 650 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.
Admission is $95 per person in advance and $115 the day of the event. For more information, visit hopsandvines.org.
Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival starts Thursday
Fans of needle art can find plenty of supplies, patterns and techniques at the third annual Orange County Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival from Thursday through Saturday at The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Admission is $10. Tickets are good for all three days and include free classes, workshops and demonstrations. There also will be daily prize drawings.
Parking is $8 at the Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive.
For more information and a coupon for free admission, visit quiltcraftsew.com.
Fundraiser will benefit Costa Mesa-based animal rescue
Three Pack Funds, a nonprofit that raises money and awareness for animal rescue efforts, will hold an Unleash the Love fundraiser for A Home 4 Ever Rescue, a nonprofit based in Costa Mesa, from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Five Crowns restaurant in Corona del Mar.
Guests will get a 10% discount on food and beverages along with a complimentary glass of Champagne at check-in, light hors doeuvres, live music, a silent auction, a no-host bar, free soft drinks and a gift bag.
Tickets are $50 in advance and $60 at the door.
Five Crowns is 3801 E. Coast Hwy. For tickets and more information, visit 3packfunds.org.
Classic cars will roll into Laguna this weekend
The Laguna Beach Rotary Club will hold its 14th annual Laguna Beach Classic Car Show on Sunday.
The event will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot across Laguna Canyon Road from the Festival of the Arts grounds.
Guests can browse 200 cars, sample fare from food trucks and bid on silent auction items. Car categories include antiques through 1931, American and European convertibles, muscle cars and hot rods.
Admission is $10. Proceeds will benefit local charities.
For more information, visit lagunabeachcarshow.com.
Sandcastle contest returns to Corona del Mar on Sunday
The 56th annual Corona del Mar Sandcastle Contest invites sand artists and spectators to Corona del Mar State Beach from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. This years theme is Pirates of the Pacific.
Registration is $30 for families or civic groups, $40 for businesses and $60 for masters. For the full schedule or to sign up to build, visit newportbeach.com/events/56th-annual-sandcastle-contest.
Spectators can check out the creations for free.
The event is presented by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.
Laguna Beachs Brent Martini earns award from SchoolPower
SchoolPower presented its top honor, the Hall of Fame Award, to Laguna Beach Unified School District parent Brent Martini.
SchoolPower is a nonprofit that raises money for Laguna Beach Unifieds four public schools.
Martini, a SchoolPower Endowment board member, and his family have given $300,000 to district schools. In recent years, his contributions have focused on technological improvements.
This has been the most satisfying thing Ive done in my life, Martini said in a news release. To see our kids prosper, to see our schools prosper its a good thing.
Raise those glasses, beer lovers: Two new microbreweries will soon call Costa Mesa home following a pair of Planning Commission votes Monday night.
Salty Bear Brewing Co. plans to move into about 3,200 square feet of space at 2948 Randolph Ave., while Brewing Reserve of California will occupy 3,000 square feet at 2930 College Ave. Both sites are multi-tenant complexes.
The locations are the first for both breweries.
The Planning Commissions decisions are final unless appealed to the City Council within seven days.
Both businesses will brew beer onsite and have designated tasting rooms.
A planned pedestrian path would link the Salty Bear property with The Camp commercial center just to the east on Bristol Street.
A patio for the microbrewery, along with a common outdoor space with seating, a shade structure and campfire area also are planned.
It is a true passion of mine, and Im trying to operate a business that will enable my family to remain in Costa Mesa and also be an active part of the Costa Mesa community, said Salty Bear owner Joe Scagliotti.
Though commissioners and members of the public largely spoke in favor of the application, some questions were raised regarding the proposed parking plan for the Randolph site.
Under an agreed-to land-use restriction, tenant spaces on the property that are currently vacant would have to remain unfilled until the city approves a comprehensive parking plan for the site.
Commissioner Carla Navarro Woods noted that parking was a major concern raised last month when the commission approved a Bootleggers Brewery branch at 696 Randolph Ave.
Approving a new business before firming up the parking plan, she said, may be putting the cart before the horse.
Why are we not resolving the parking issues before we establish a soon-to-be-very-successful business? she asked.
Commission Vice Chairman Byron de Arakal said he views the land-use restriction as a tool that allows development of one piece in a bigger-picture vision for the citys Sobeca district, a 39-acre area around The Camp and The Lab shopping centers on Bristol.
I think the brilliant concept is to create a pedestrian linkage from The Camp to this, he said. If you watch, as more projects come forward in this area, youre going to see that linkage continue. Thats whats really exciting to me about whats going on with Sobeca.
Commissioners voted 4-0 to approve Salty Bears application. Commissioner Jeffrey Harlan was absent.
The commission approved Brewing Reserve of California on a 3-1 vote.
Navarro Woods dissented, noting that a Spanish-language Alcoholics Anonymous group meets regularly in a space at 2930 College Ave.
Several public speakers raised concerns with where the business will be located, pointing out that its close to residential areas that could be affected by noise from the brewing operation or patrons leaving late at night.
Others said theyre worried the microbrewery might worsen parking or traffic flow in the area.
Steve Aguilar, one of Brewing Reserves owners, told the commission that he tailored his planned operation to lessen possible effects on the surrounding area.
We dont want to start a bar; our idea isnt to have people come drink, get drunk and be disorderly or anything like that, he said. We create craft beer. It is an art to us, and we want to share that with other people.
Commission Chairman Stephan Andranian said he understands there are concerns but that he doesnt view this as the same thing as your local dive bar.
Thats not what this applicant is trying to do. ... I dont believe thats in the cards, he said.
Along with the approvals for Salty Bear, Brewing Reserve and Bootleggers Brewery, three other microbreweries are already open in Costa Mesa Gunwhale Ales and Barley Forge Brewing Co. on Randolph and Karl Strauss Brewing Co. on South Coast Drive.
luke.money@latimes.com
Twitter @LukeMMoney
David Smiths commentary recommending protection for the Dreamers, (As churchgoers we urge Congress to protect the Dreamers, Sept. 24) is consistent with the teaching of our Christian heritage.
While their parents have no excuse for violating our immigration laws, the Dreamers are usually considered victims of their parents crimes, but on the other hand, do we allow the Dreamers to keep their ill-gotten rewards?
Legalizing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) will have a feel good after-effect, but will also produce many negatives. The government estimates there are 800,000 in the DACA category, but history shows us the government greatly underestimates the numbers of illegal immigrants. It estimated there were 1 million illegal immigrants who would be legalized in 1986, and it turned out to be 2.7 million.
With just the Dreamers we can speculate there will be around 800,000, but that still doesnt take into account their relatives. Once Dreamers become lawful, permanent residents, they are allowed to sponsor their immediate family members. NumbersUSA, an advocacy group that seeks to reduce legal and illegal immigration, estimates this would be around 3 million people.
We also have immigration laws which allow non-nuclear family members (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) to come into our country. This is known as chain migration. Since chain migration has become law, our total number of poor immigrants has increased dramatically, which has resulted in more Americans living in poverty.
California has more immigrants than any other state, with 27.5% of its residents having been born abroad. We also have the nations 17th highest poverty rate, which is currently 15%.
No nation can import millions of poor people without increasing the number of those living in poverty. This includes citizens who lose their jobs or see their wages stagnate, due to the growth of cheap immigrant labor.
Considering all of the negatives, will Congress grant amnesty to the Dreamers? The best hope for the Dreamers, as well as the American people, is that Congress will compromise and give amnesty in exchange for the following: a mandatory E-Verify law, an end to chain migration, a reduction in the overall number of immigrants, stressing highly-skilled workers and, of course, Trumps wall.
Such a compromise would benefit our workforce and also dramatically reduce future illegal immigration, thus solving one of Americas biggest problems.
BILL COOL lives in Corona del Mar.
Germanys Oktoberfest is coming to a close, but Big Bear and Arrowhead will party on. Oktoberfest festivals in the Southern California mountain towns of Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead will make you feel as though youre in Bavaria, Germany, home to the worlds biggest beer-centric celebrations that end Oct. 3. Without getting on a plane, you can dance the polka, chow down on bratwurst and apple strudel or practice your yodeling.
Big Bear Lakes annual Oktoberfest, which runs weekends through Oct. 28 at the Big Bear Lake Convention Center, is one of the oldest in California, founded 47 years ago by German immigrants Hans and Erika Bandows.
Participants can listen to German bands, watch dance troupes, eat brats and other Central European foods and taste German beers. You also can try your hand at log sawing, stein carrying and yodeling, among other competitions. Kids can plan carnival-style games.
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Free shuttles take you back to your cabin, hotel or residence after a day of cold brews, German cheers and the chicken dance. The complimentary shuttle runs 6 p.m. to midnight every Saturday, with a free ride provided to any accommodation or home in Big Bear Valley.
Festival tickets range from $9 to $19.99 for an adult single-day ticket. Hours are noon to midnight Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Info: Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest, (909) 585-3000
Lake Arrowhead prides itself on being Southern Californias largest free Oktoberfest, and features German bands, beer and food such as German potatoes, bratwurst, knockwurst, beer brats, sauerkraut, pretzels and coleslaw. You can do the chicken dance or watch other audience members try their hand at German dancing.
Held at Lake Arrowhead Village, the festival continues through Oct. 29 from noon to 8 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Theres no charge to attend, but if you want to drink at the event, youre required to purchase a commemorative 16-oz. beer mug for $20 that includes your first beer. Refills cost $10. Wine, soda and water also are available.
Info: Lake Arrowhead Village Oktoberfest
By the way, Oktoberfest throughout Germany started Sept. 16 and ends Oct. 3.
travel@latimes.com
@latimestravel
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Lucky Blackiet is one of those great characters who appear, then disappear, from the pages of the Los Angeles Times.
The photo at left above accompanied a short story on Blackiet in the April 6, 1934, Los Angeles Times:
A broken pair of buggy wheels accounted for the visit to Los Angeles yesterday of Lucky Blackiet, 79 years of age and hale and hearty after a lifetime spent prospecting the West from lower California to Alaska.
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Blackiet, who says he has made and lost eight fortunes, one of them amounting to $5,000,000, will be on his way again as soon as he gets his wheels and, once on his way, try and find me.
Last June, Lucky baffled the combined talents of the United States District Attorneys office and Department of Justice with the question of whether or not he was subject, as a miner, to the $100 limit placed on gold hoarding by Presidential decree. Federal officials promised to obtain an opinion from Atty.-Gen. Cummings but Blackiet says he hasnt found out yet.
They admitted I could sell gold to a foreign country, says the grizzled prospector, but when I asked them Well if I can sell it, why cant I keep it? that seemed to stop em.
Only knowin common sense, myself, adds Lucky, I cant answer it either.
An earlier June 16, 1933, article reported that Lucky then named Lucky Blacky had inquired at the federal building regarding hoarding gold. He did not get an answer.
In 1936, Blackiet was back in the news. He reported meeting the missing New York Judge Joseph F. Crater near his homestead at Santa Ysabel, four miles from Warner Hot Springs in northern San Diego County. After he disappeared on Aug. 6, 1930, in New York City, sightings of the elusive Crater were reported all over the world.
For several days in August 1936, Blackiet led a search party of police and journalists around the desert. Judge Crater was not located.
In a July 24, 2005, Times article headlined A Judge Crater Nugget with a California Twist, staff writer Cecilia Rasmussen reported on the search.
Los Angeles Times staff photographer William Snyder made the above image of Lucky during the search for Crater. Snyders photo was published in the Aug. 30, 1936, Los Angeles Times and then accompanied Rasmussens article.
This post was originally published on Oct. 9, 2014.
See more from the Los Angeles Times archives here
In the hours after a 7.1 earthquake thrashed Mexico City on Sept. 19, half-truths and rumors were spreading rapidly. So, too, were urgent questions: Which intersections had become death traps, subject to falling rubble? Where was help needed?
A day later, the Roma and Condesa neighborhoods were flooded with volunteers, sacks of hastily prepared sandwiches and bottles of water. But more esoteric needs, like walkie-talkies, tetanus shots and harnesses, were harder to come by, and areas farther afield had yet to receive help.
For Antonio Martinez Velazquez, the founder of the online magazine Horizontal, it was immediately obvious that a tool was needed to organize volunteers, debunk myths and highlight real needs and dangers.
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While Martinez and his colleagues noted that the government had released a map, they decided to embark on a distinct project: They created a map with carefully verified information and kept it continuously updated. Their map would be socially engineered, providing usable, rigorous information that would direct help where it was needed most. They called their effort Verificado19S, as in verified and related to the 19th of September.
A handful of volunteers quickly expanded to 400 on-the-ground fact-checkers, dispatched to the streets to confirm or debunk reports. The group began filling in a map with ever-changing data about trapped earthquake victims, required supplies, available shelters and more. By Monday, nearly 8 million unique users had visited their site, and more than 500 volunteers had contributed to the effort in their office.
And though this work was prompted by distrust of officialdom, the group is now collaborating with the government to merge different mapping endeavors to greatest effect.
Horizontals effort and its rapid success speaks to a generational shift since the 1985 earthquake. In the intervening 32 years, the term World Wide Web was coined and a cohort of tech-savvy chilangos, as Mexico City residents are called, learned to use social media to crowd-source information, whether to find the best place for vegan tacos or, since Sept. 19, how to best disseminate earthquake relief.
The effort reflects the Internets three virtues, as described in an early manifesto by online pioneers: No one owns it, everyone can use it and anyone can improve it, Martinez said. Those principles are at the core of our generation, they are part of our social transactions and social forms of organization. Thats key in this network of Verificado19S.
That facility with the Internet, both as a tool and as a concept, includes familiarity with one of its dangers: the spread of false information. And even if such untruths arent seeded with malicious intent, their impact can still be damaging.
We wanted to concentrate information and try to avoid fake news, said Sergio Silva, a member of the fact-checking team.
While Verificado19S cant stop false rumors from starting, the volunteers monitor social media and review reports submitted by phone or through the website. When information is confirmed, they update the site and tweet bulletins with time stamps. In the process, they encourage the public to fact-check stories before passing them along.
On Sunday, at the site of a collapsed office building in Roma, actress Johanna Murillo assisted fact-checking efforts. As hundreds of volunteers, rescue workers, doctors, cooks, masseuses and others circulated, she kept the office updated on what supplies were needed and which were not. Murillo said that areas like that one, where victims were still trapped beneath rubble, were especially prone to the spread of rumors.
Information changes every two minutes, she said, and its very important to maintain a sense of calm because people have conspiracy theories.
A few minutes later, a volunteer came to chat with Murillo, retelling a story of a group of victims that had been rescued from the building.
A great story, but not one to disseminate. Its something people are saying, but we dont know if its true, Murillo said.
Alejandro Hope, a political analyst, said the will to believe optimistic stories is a natural instinct.
People are wearing their hearts on their sleeve and theyre sensitive to both good and bad news. They want to believe there are people still alive under the rubble, Hope said.
Information has become a precious commodity in Mexico City after its deadly earthquake. People scour a list of survivors from a collapsed building on Calle Alvaro Obregon. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Across the city, rumors have percolated since the quake. On social media, a rumor quickly caught fire that an aftershock would devastate the city, even as scientists insist its impossible to predict earthquakes well in advance. In the Xochimilco area, a health worker held a hand-written sign up to passing cars, letting locals know that talk of a hepatitis outbreak was groundless. A nationwide audience was pinned to their television sets mid-week as rescuers searched for Frida Sofia, a girl supposedly trapped in a collapsed school. It turned out she never existed.
Analysts said these inventions, both big and small, can occur in a crisis anywhere, but are more prone to germinate in Mexico than in other theaters of catastrophe. Here, locals have a well-founded skepticism in official information and are more likely to value word from a neighbor, friend or shop owner.
You can see were in a very deep crisis of trust between people and the government, said Rodolfo Soriano Nunez, a public policy analyst. Nunez said that disturbingly, that distrust is justified. In Oaxaca, for example, rumors have spread that aid is not reaching the places its most needed and deliveries are sometimes stolen by government entities. Nunez didnt doubt this was true. I know the public officials there, and they are rats or cockroaches, he said.
When official information lacks credibility, even places labeled as safe leave people feeling anxious.
On Saturday, Erika Hernandez, a janitorial worker in Roma, looked skeptically at the office building where she works.
They say this building isnt damaged, but it scares me to go in, Hernandez said. But you have to go to work.
Hernandez said the story about Frida Sofia, which had captivated her attention as it had millions across the nation, only added to her overall sense of uncertainty.
You dont know what to believe or not, she said.
To Martinez, the Frida Sofia episode was the prime example of the governments failure at transparency. To allow only one TV network, Televisa, into the restricted area around the school, and then fail to make a correction when they continued to reference the nonexistent girls plight for hour after hour, would not have occurred if they were committed to the open passage of information.
Its a problem that it distracts people from what really is happening, Martinez said.
On Tuesday, a week after the earthquake, much had changed. Information was getting out, some damaged sites were being reached for the first time, and fewer supplies were duplicated in densely populated areas.
Another key factor had shifted: Verificado19S was now working in collaboration with the governments digital effort. The groups joined forces to create a master map, including everything from death tolls to photos of damaged buildings, and had also received assistance from Google.
Martinez said the new alliance wouldnt fundamentally change his perspective on institutional corruption and disorder, but he knew a bright spot when he saw it.
People have to continue to be skeptical of the government, because we know from our investigative journalism that theyre not trustworthy, but that should not cancel out the possibility of collaboration.
Up to now, he said, the people had clearly trusted his group more than officials. Still, he added, for the next step, its evident that collaboration is necessary.
It would be a long road ahead.
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Despite significant diplomatic pressure from the United States and Israel, the Palestinian Authority has been allowed to join Interpol, the international police organization.
In a statement, Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, said the acceptance sends a clear message to the Israeli government that we are not population centers at its mercy; we believe in a system that is based on the global rule of law and due process, and one which enforces accountability and cooperation at the international level.
It was a painful loss for Israel in particular, after it pushed against Palestinian acceptance both on technical and substantive grounds, arguing that the Palestinian Authority did not meet Interpols requirements to qualify as a state.
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Under the 1993 Oslo peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Palestinian Authority was granted limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In 2012, the U.N. General Assembly elevated the Palestinian Authoritys observer status from entity to non-member state, similar to the Vatican.
Israel argued that Palestinian inclusion in Interpol would endanger Israeli military officials and politicians, who could face arbitrary international arrest orders, and would put at risk classified intelligence shared among the organizations 192 member states, allowing it to be transmitted to Palestinian terrorists.
Seventy-five countries voted in favor during an Interpol meeting in Beijing, with 24 opposing and 34 abstentions. The State of Palestine and the Solomon Islands become INTERPOL member countries, Interpol tweeted after the vote.
#NEWS: The State of Palestine and the Solomon Islands become INTERPOL member countries - Full story: https://t.co/UI1hBRrNsF #INTERPOLGA pic.twitter.com/ooxyWmSV1L INTERPOL (@INTERPOL_HQ) September 27, 2017
The Israeli Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment on the vote.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki said in a statement that the victory was made possible because of the principled position of the majority of Interpol members,
On this joyous occasion, the State of Palestine reiterates its commitment to upholding its obligations and contributing to fighting crime and furthering the rule of law, Maliki added.
Tarnopolsky is a special correspondent.
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Allentown police are trying to determine if a 65-year-old man was justified in fatally stabbing a 37-year-old city woman on Tuesday night.
Police and paramedics responded at 10:21 p.m. to a reported stabbing at 1325 W. Gordon St. in the city, Chief Glen Dorney said in a Wednesday morning news release.
They found a woman with a stab wound to the body, Dorney said. She was taken to an area hospital where she died, Dorney said.
The Lehigh County Coroner's Office on Wednesday identified the woman as Chanelle Marie Allen. She died from the wound and it is a homicide, which means someone else killed her but doesn't assess criminal intent. An autopsy is planned for Thursday.
The 65-year-old man was found at the scene and identified as the person who stabbed Allen, Dorney said. He is no longer in police custody, the chief added.
Police were assisted at the scene by the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office, the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force and the coroner's office, Dorney said.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call the city police Detective Bureau at 610-437-7721.
Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A 30-year-old Bethlehem man sold marijuana oil and had a half pound of pot in the vehicle he was driving, authorities report.
Devin McClain, 30, of Bethlehem. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)
Devin Tyler McClain, of the 1200 block of East Sixth Street, sold seven plastic squares containing marijuana oil known as "dabs," according to the Colonial Regional police, acting as part of the Northampton County Drug Task Force.
Each square was imprinted with Imperial710, police said. Police allegedly found one hash-oil laced cigarette in a plastic cylinder with KNOCKOUT written on it.
The transaction for $320 with a confidential informant happened Monday night in a parking lot off the 200 block of Nazareth Pike in Lower Nazareth Township, police said.
The deal was set up with text messages to McClain's cellphone, police said.
McClain was arrested shortly after the 10:24 p.m. deal as he drove a red Jeep Cherokee with New Hampshire plates, police said.
A later consented search of the vehicle turned up 27 packets and vials of marijuana oil and about a half pound of marijuana, police said.
McClain was arraigned at 11 p.m. Monday before District Judge Robert Hawke on three counts of possession with intent to deliver drugs, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and on count of criminal use of a cellphone, court papers say.
Bail was set at $20,000 straight but was altered on Tuesday by Northampton County PreTrial Services granting a 10 percent option, records show. A person who shares the same address as McClain put up the cash, records show.
McClain tentatively faces a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. Oct. 9 before District Judge John Capobianco.
Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
TRENTON -- New Jersey's 2 percent cap on police and firefighter arbitration awards must be renewed, or else taxpayers will see their services cut and property taxes rise, local government leaders said Friday.
The cap on awards police and fire unions can win through interest arbitration sunsets at the end of the year. New Jersey mayors and county freeholders argued at a Statehouse news conference that the ceiling is one of the most effective tools to keep them within a state-mandated 2 percent cap on increases in spending.
A report on the interest arbitration cap is due by the end of the year. But local officials say they need to know, as they're building their budgets for next year, that they won't be sabotaged by higher arbitration awards if the cap isn't extended.
Employers and labor groups head to arbitration when they deadlock over contracts.
In the decades before the cap was installed, arbitration awards ranged from 2 percent to nearly 6 percent. Since 2011, independent arbitrators have been limited to awarding annual raises up to 2 percent.
The law was extended a first time in 2014 without a single vote against it.
Proponents credit the cap with helping to slow the growth of the highest property taxes in the country, though opponents note that most contracts are settled through negotiations. Last year, the average property tax bill in New Jersey was $8,549.
New Jersey has twin caps on arbitration awards and annual increases in local government spending.
"Interest arbitration is one of the tools we were handed when we were given the 2 percent tax levy (cap)," said James Perry, president of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors.
Without the limits on arbitration, officials said they may cut spending on non-mandated services or tinker with the exceptions baked into the 2 percent levy cap that allow them to push the spending up by more than 2 percent.
The local leaders echoed Gov. Chris Christie, who earlier this week urged that the bill not be allowed to sunset and said he would sign a bill during the lame-duck session following Election Day, but leaders of the Democratic-controlled Legislature are waiting on instructions from their Democratic nominee for governor, Phil Murphy, Christie said.
The governor and his lieutenant governor, Kim Guadagno, the Republican candidate for governor, have criticized Murphy for withholding his support until he sees the results of the impact study.
But John Donnadio, executive director of the New Jersey Association of Counties, said local officials aren't waiting on Murphy.
"We want this governor and this Legislature to sign this bill into law now," he said.
Patrick Colligan, president of the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, later responded that proponents are holding down property taxes on the backs of police officers and firefighters.
"The fact that they seem to think this is the biggest tool to control property taxes just tells me they're not putting any energy into anything else, he said. "We were told when it first went in that it was a temporary cap, and now it seems to be the only answer for the growth in property taxes in the state of New Jersey.
"I can't believe that this is the be all and end all to reduce taxes."
Arbitration awards were naturally coming down in the years leading up to the cap -- average salary awards were between 2 percent and 4 percent -- as arbitrators were already bound by a municipality's finances and ability to pay, Colligan said.
NJ Advance Media Reporter Matt Arco contributed to this report.
Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
There is growing concern that Monasterevin will need investment for more support services to accommodate the next round of programme refugees bound for Ireland in 2018.
Ireland will accept at least 600 programme refugees in 2018 with the former Hazel Hotel in Monasterevin being the first point of call for many of them.
The refugees will be sent temporarily to the former Hotel, which was converted in to a reception centre in 2015.
The centre in Monasterevin can accommodate between 80 to 120 refugees at a time. During their stay they receive medical attention and are offered English classes.
However there are some concerns locally that Monasterevin cannot cope with the strain put on local services such as GP requirements and schools.
According to Mick Power of Kildare Volunteer Centre, the refugees have to be bused to nearby Portarlington to see a GP, and Kildare town to attend school depending on the time of their arrival
The people in Monasterevin have been very welcoming, he said.
Monasterevin needs investment. One of the problems there has been the difficulty in getting GP services. When the Primary Health Centre is up and running it will help. The schools have been very helpful and take students when they can but its all down to timing. Their resources at the start of the year are based on the amount of people they have then.
Each refugee will stay at the centre for four months at a time before they are relocated permanently elsewhere.
As the centre can only accommodate up to 120 at any one time it is unlikely that all 600 would come here. Half of 600 would be more likely as they stay four months at a time before they are moved on.
The Hazel is still in good condition and they are now allowed to cook for themselves, which makes a huge difference to be able to cook for each other and sit down together for a meal.
I have had no complaints from people staying there [at the Hazel] in over two years. However there should be more investment made in Monasterevin for support services.
Cllr Mark Wall said that there is a deficit of infrastructure and in support services in Monasterevin that urgently needs to be addressed.
There is no doubt that there is a lack of adequate services locally in Monasterevin, he said.
If those numbers are to be accommodated then we need to provide services for them. The Department of Justice needs to recognise that the people of Monasterevin have welcomed these people and with that welcome, should come the supports to go with it.
A response from the Department of Justice to questions regarding local investment confirmed that service provision is being examined and organised centrally by a number of Government Departments.
As part of Irelands response to the horrific violence in Syria, commitments were made to accept refugees.
These refugees will be housed for a short period in a number of locations around the country, including Monasterevin.
Minister Flanagan has praised the local community in Monasterevin for their compassion and the assistance they have given to date to desperate people fleeing horrific conflict, said the Department.
The Celbridge Action Alliance has slammed plans for a new town centre for the north Kildare town.
It says that more than 2,000 locals are furious at plans to build shops and offices across the River Liffey in the town on lands at Donaghcumper, claiming it will have a bad effect on the village.
Local councillors have voted against the plan, but Junior Housing Minister Damien English has indicated that he may issue a directive forcing them to change their plans.
A spokesperson for Celbridge Action Alliance said: We want to save our beautiful heritage town, not let it die.
This new town centre is planned to be built across the river from Castletown, Irelands finest 18th century house. The landscape will be destroyed forever.
Celbridge people treasure the wonderful amenity of the riverside parklands rated among the top five walking destinations in Ireland. Irish citizens and tourists come from all over to walk the historic grounds but that view would be ruined if these plans come to fruition.
Add in the noise and light pollution and it will spell the end of this green valley and tourism as we know it in Celbridge.
The deadline for submissions to Kildare County Council on the development is this Friday, September 29 at 4 pm.
In the UK, were used to elements of the Palace of Westminster reflecting past goings-on. The two sides of the House of Commons are seperated by enough space to accomodate the length of two swords. And there are little red silk loops for each MP to hang their sword in outside the chamber.
So, what is this brass object (photo above) which is next to every desk in the Alabama State Senate?
Any ideas?
* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
It feels like 5 minutes since Nick Clegg and I were relative political youngsters in the East Midlands so it seems very strange indeed that all of a sudden he is celebrating his 50th birthday today.
When I was growing up, 50 seemed totally ancient. A hundred years ago, 50 was getting to the top range of life expectancy. But now it seems like its only barely into middle age. People start new careers in their 50s. Sadly, Barack Obama is going to be doing just that in a fortnight at the age of 55.
In the time Ive known him, Nick has gone from being enthusiastic candidate seeking selection to MEP to party leader to Deputy Prime Minister. It has been quite the roller-coaster ride.
Now, of course, hes one of the most authoritative and credible voices this country has on the European Union and our relationship with it. He knows exactly how it works and is uniquely well placed to comment. He has negotiated trade deals on behalf of the EU. He has worked with it as Deputy Prime Minister where he held the Tories back from doing all the stupid things they did the second they won a parliamentary majority.
Its worth taking some time this weekend to read through Nicks Brexit Challenge papers if you havent already. In them he tackles issues of trade, security and the single market and it is well worth getting up to speed on the issues so you can feel more confident about fielding questions.
But thats enough serious politicking. Today is the day to wish Nick a Happy Golden Jubilee and good luck for the next half century. Given his fortune-telling Mystic Clegg powers, he probably has more idea than we do about what that holds, of course.
One of my favourite Nick moments is when he came along to the LDV Awards Ceremony at the Glasgow Conference in 2013. He was down to present the award for Councillor of the Year to Hulls Abi Bell. Given that the room was full of people who, shall we say, were not all his biggest fans, I fully expected him to breeze in, do his thing and breeze out again. In fact, he turned up early, chatted away to everybody and acted as Paddy Ashdowns glamorous assistant showing off the hilarious photos of the year, which included this one of David Laws and a shetland pony, on my iPad. It was all very relaxed and funny.
In his remarks, he described LDV as intriguing, infuriating and inspiring.
Sadly, LDVs invitation to his birthday party seems to have got lost in the post, but were not bitter. We all hope he has a lovely day.
Im also going to completely abuse my position as editor and wish my cousin David, whos 40 today, a very happy birthday, too.
UPDATE 8th January: In what he describes as a bit of gerontological pedantry, Gordon Lishman emailed in to offer some insight into life expectancy. He argues that that 50 wasnt, as I said above in the top range of life expectancy 100 years ago because:
Youre looking at life expectancy at birth. It became significantly greater at the age of 1 and greater again at age 20. If you then take out deaths around childbirth, a lot of people survived to a much greater age. So, life expectancy at 58 was over 10 years! Increased longevity didnt arise because everybody lived until that average age which then got longer. It arose because society managed to stop the things which killed them earlier: clean water, sewerage, peri-natal anti-sepsis, etc. There have always been a lot of old people around.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Last Tuesday, I visited the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. I dont have any great insight on CNN Center which will interest LDV readers, except to say that it is absolutely humungous, gives the impression of being an extremely professional organisation and, if youre ever within striking distance of Atlanta, I would thoroughly recommend a tour.
I booked well in advance for a VIP tour. This is a few more dollars than a standard tour and you see a few more control rooms and studios. It is to CNNs credit that they organise such tours. You can no longer have a tour of the BBC studios in London.
The CNN center itself is in a huge building with a food hall on the ground floor and an adjacent hotel. To get up to the CNN studios you have to ride in the longest free standing elevator in the world! After a tear-inducing film about CNN, we got a tour of two control rooms, two newsrooms and a studio. In the studio, star anchor Robin Meade said Hello how are you? to us during a break from her morning show.
I should mention that the reference to fake news in the title of this post is to Donald Trumps name for CNN.
And, if you can stand it, here is the photo I paid $35 for!
* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
Richard Coward, writing for American not for profit news site the Fair Observer, suggests that our Vince could lead a Government of national unity aimed at stopping Brexit or at least remaining the single market.
It certainly requires the alignment of many disparate forces, but its not the daftest scenario on the planet:
Somehow or other, pro-European Labour and Conservative MPs are eventually going to have to find a way to cooperate with each other in the national interest. Only by doing so can they defeat the hard-line Brexiteers. Moreover, since the EU will only negotiate with a government, they are going to have to take control of the executive branch in order to save Britain from catastrophe. Endlessly sniping from the legislature might be able to create paralysis by amending or blocking the domestic laws required to enact Brexit, but this strategy will not be sufficient to resolve the crisis.
The central difficulty in achieving this task is that Conservative MPs wishing to remain in the single market will never allow a left-wing Labour leader to enter Downing Street, and Labour MPs will never agree to support a Conservative politician as prime minister. But confronted with the enormity of the imminent economic disaster facing Britain and their own constituents, they might just agree to cooperate in a temporary government of national unity if they could identify a compromise prime minister acceptable to them all.
ENTER VINCE CABLE
Vince Cable, leader of the Liberal Democrats, could fulfil this role. His small centrist party in the House of Commons has just 12 MPs. Yet he is well-known by the general public and widely respected across the political spectrum. He also has a great deal of experience, ranging from chief economist at Shell to five years as business secretary in the last Conservative-led coalition government. At 74, his advanced age would generally be viewed as a drawback in politics, but here it becomes an advantage, since he has no long-term political career in front of him. He is a political heavyweight leading a small party and without a future perfect for the job in hand.
Now the idea of Cable leading a government of national unity as prime minister sounds rather dramatic at first. It seems to break all the rules. Yet we would only be replacing the present arrangement between the Conservatives and the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party with a different governing coalition between the parliamentary Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and a pro-single market group of Conservatives. An emergency coalition agreement would have to be negotiated between these three groups, each of which would be represented in the Cabinet. The coalition agreement would also need to be fully supported by the Scottish and Welsh Nationalist Parties, whose backing would be required for votes in the House of Commons.
These negotiations would no doubt be tricky, as they must cover all areas of government and not just Brexit. However, if we recall that the negotiations between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats in 2010 only required a few days and successfully resulted in a stable coalition government that lasted for a full parliamentary term of five years, the task would not appear impossible. There is nothing like political urgency and the high cost of failure to focus the minds of politicians.
There would have to be two deputy prime ministers in Britain one from the Labour Party and the other from the rebel Conservative group. The two deputies would effectively be in joint charge of the government, since either could bring Cables administration crashing down in the House of Commons. Even if they didnt actually force a vote of no confidence, no legislation would be able to pass the House of Commons without their mutual consent.
A WITNESS in the retrial of a man accused of falsely imprisoning two young men more than five years ago has been warned he may go to prison if he does not give evidence in the trial.
Judge Tom ODonnell urged Niall Reddan to seek legal advice after he told the prosecuting barrister he was refusing to give evidence.
It is alleged the 26-year-old was one of two young men who were kidnapped from a house in Castletroy and taken to another house on the outskirts of the city on August 19, 2012.
Zachary Coughlan-Ryan, aged 40, who has an address at Brennan's Row, Catherine Place denies falsely imprisoning Mr Reddan and another -man Stephen Cusack (23).
Opening the State case at Limerick Circuit Court this Wednesday, John OSullivan BL, prosecuting, told the jury of six men and six women it will be alleged the defendant and two others falsely imprisoned Stephen Cusack and Niall Reddan as they were watching television.
He said two masked men, one armed with a gun and the other with a knife, forced their way into the sitting room of the house at Caislean na hAbhainn and tied their hands with cable ties.
The court was told they were put in the back of a pick up truck, where a third, younger male watched them.
They were then driven to a derelict house at Killonan, Castletroy.
It is the State case that the motive for the offence was to extort money from Mr Cusack's mother who is the Postmistress in Garryowen.
After being called to give evidence this Wednesday afternoon, Mr Reddan indicated he was refusing to give evidence.
When pressed by Mr OSullivan and by Mr Coughlan-Ryan, who is defending himself, the witness stated: Im refusing to give evidence, Im saying nothing.
At this point Judge ODonnell interjected and cautioned the witness.
He told Mr Reddan he risked being found in contempt of court and that there may be consequences if he maintained his position.
Addressing him directly, he said: I would suggest you get some legal advice regarding your stance.
Mr OSullivan said it was a very serious matter which potentially could see Mr Reddan being sent to prison.
Earlier the trial heard evidence from the second alleged victim Stephen Cusack and from his father, Patrick Cusack Senior.
The trial is due to resume this Thursday morning.
LIMERICK City and County Council is warning it will dispose of nine loose horses which were seized in the city in recent days if they are not claimed by their owners or keepers.
According to a public notice, six horses were seized during an operation outside Northern Trust, Ballysimon Road on Friday last, September 22.
The local authority says all six horses are female and range in age from one and-a-half to four. One of the animals is described as being a foal.
Separately, three horses were seized the previous day - September 21 - at locations in Southill and Ballinacurra Weston.
A male and a female Shetland were seized in O'Malley Park while a two year old female horse was seized at Clarina Avenue.
Limerick City and County Council says it does not know the identity of the owners of any of the horses and that if they do not come forward, the animals will be disposed of under the provisions of the Control of Horses Act.
A NEW family friendly restaurant could be set to open in a long-vacant property right on the heart of Limerick citys main thoroughfare.
Dunnes Stores, which closed its OConnell Street store back in 2008, is seeking planning permission from Limerick City and County Council to change the use of the unit to a licensed restaurant.
The news has been welcomed by Helen ODonnell, Limerick Tidy Towns, who said the filling of that premises is long overdue.
In documents supplied to the planning authority, Dunnes Stores (Limerick) states that although it currently does not have a confirmed tenant, it is marketing the property as a family friendly outlet.
It names Nandos, Eddie Rockets, KFC, Milanos and burger chain Five Guys as examples. And it predicts up to 40 new jobs will be created in a mix of full-and-part-time staff.
The store has lain idle for almost a decade, and Dunnes Stores added: It presently contributes little by way by vitality, vibrancy or viability to OConnell Street. Thus, the reuse of this vacant property as a family friendly restaurant will introduce a complementary leisure use to the area and will bring new life to the buildings front facade.
Ms ODonnell said she would hope any restaurant taking space is high-end.
We are well-supplied with restaurants and particularly fast-food restaurants. One would question having another establishment of that nature in the city. There are two sides to this: you want that building filled, but you want it filled appropriately. I think Limerick needs very smart eateries.
Were well-supplied in the middle-range, but unfortunately there is a very limited supply at the other end, she said.
The Tidy Towns chair, who also represents the City Business Association, warned before new restaurants are introduced into the citys, more jobs need to come into the urban area.
We need people on the streets to sustain the amount of restaurants, Ms ODonnell said.
She also said Dunnes other former unit, a landmark building in Sarsfield Street, needs to be filled.
Every week, one of my Tidy Towns volunteers cleans around that building. I cannot understand why it remains empty. I wish theyd do something with it, Ms ODonnell added.
Limerick City and County Council is expected to decide on the application on or before Wednesday, October 18.
A YOUNG man who was involved in a violent fight in Limerick during which another man was impaled with a knife has avoided a prison sentence.
James Meehan, aged 38, who has an address at Georgian Villas, Old Cork Road previously pleaded guilty to a charge of affray relating to an incident at Parnell Street on March 16, 2014.
During a sentencing hearing last year, Limerick Circuit Court was told Mr Meehan and another man became involved in an altercation with two other men outside Fine Wines, Parnell Street at around 6.30pm.
While the four men initially exchanged verbal insults, the dispute quickly got physical culminating in one of the other men being stabbed in the face with a knife.
The man was initially treated at University Hospital Limerick but was later transferred to hospital in Galway where the knife had to be surgically removed.
Pat Barriscale BL said Meehan, who has been employed in different jobs, made an error in judgment on the night and sustained a shocking and devastating type of injury. He said his client has not come to the attention of gardai since and that there have been no further incidents between the parties.
Noting the submissions, Judge Tom ODonnell imposed an 18 month prison sentence which he suspended in its entirety.
The sentence was backdated to the date of the guilty plea in April 2016.
A similar sentence was imposed on Mr Meehans co-accused in July while the main culprit is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder.
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An out-of-control AC Transit bus crashed into several vehicles, including another bus, in downtown San Francisco Wednesday morning before jumping a curb and careening down a sidewalk, officials said.
At least 4 people, including the driver of the AC Transit Transbay Express bus that started the chain-reaction wreck, were injured and taken to hospitals, said Officer Robert Rueca, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department.
The incident occurred about 9:22 a.m. at the intersection of Fremont and Folsom streets, near the temporary Transbay Transit Center.
The green AC Transit bus crashed into the rear of another AC Transit bus making a turn onto northbound Fremont. The green bus slammed into other vehicles in the area before jumping a curb and traveling about 100 feet on the sidewalk, taking out shrubbery and knocking over a light pole, according to witnesses and police.
The bus finally stopped when it crashed into scaffolding at a building in the 200 block of Fremont Street.
Rueca said those injured were on the bus, and that no one on the sidewalk at the time of the crash was hurt.
Construction worker Chad Preston, who was working in the area, said he saw the crash and immediately ran over to help. He said passengers were climbing out the windows of the green AC Transit bus and that the driver, a woman, was initially unconscious.
The cause of the crash is under investigation and the area was closed to traffic.
Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF
Fans of fast-food chain Sonic might want to take a second look at their credit card statements.
The burger and cold drink destination said this week that its customers may be in danger of credit card fraud after discovering "unusual activity" regarding the credit and debit cards used at its locations.
The Washington Post is providing a daily podcast companion to the new PBS documentary from Ken Burns, "The Vietnam War." The podcast will include inteviews with Burns, co-director Lynn Novick and other collaborators on the film.
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"I just looked at this thing and I came unglued. I don't know how long - I sat down on the curb, and I don't know if I was there for 15 minutes or an hour and a half. Just had a breakdown, crying, sobbing uncontrollably. All I could think was: it's not enough to send us halfway around the world to die. Now they're killing us in the streets of our own country. I have to do something. And whenever I finally cried myself out, I got up and I joined the antiwar movement." - Former Marine Bill Ehrhart
The photo that turned Bill Ehrhart into an antiwar activist was taken at Kent State University.
You probably know it.
John Filo, a photojournalism student at Kent State, was on campus on May 4, 1970.
That day, the Ohio National Guard opened fire on students protesting the war. They killed four people: Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Knox Schroeder.
Nine other students were also wounded.
Filo captured Mary Ann Vecchio's agony as she kneeled over Miller's body. She was just 14 years old.
Kent State wasn't the only American campus where students were killed during the Vietnam War. Students were shot at the University of California at Santa Barbara, as well as at Jackson State.
The number of college students who died or were injured pales next to those who were killed and wounded in Vietnam.
But the shootings at Kent State made it seem like America was fighting a war against its own citizens so it could continue fighting another war overseas.
I talked to Ken Burns about the impact of those shootings and how he dealt with the topic in his film.
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Barry Seal, a real-life, albeit minor, figure in the Iran-contra scandal, takes center stage in the fact-based yet heavily fictionalized "American Made," with such major figures as Oliver North (Robert Farrior) and Ronald Reagan (depicted in archival news clips) relegated to the periphery. A young George W. Bush makes a fleeting cameo - via the impersonation of actor Connor Trinneer - and the name Bill Clinton, then-governor of Arkansas, where much of the film is set, gets dropped.
Directed by Doug Liman from a cheeky screenplay by Gary Spinelli, the antic saga unfolds from the point of view of Barry (Tom Cruise), beginning in 1978 as a series of darkly comic flashbacks, all of which are interspersed with Barry's unreliable, hindsight-is-20/60 video-diary narration from late 1985 and early 1986, just before the film's improbable but true-ish events come crashing down around him.
The Barry we first meet is as much Cruise as Seal, a roguish TWA pilot who is at once more handsome and charming than the guy on whom this story is based ever could have been, and less straight-arrow a character than we're used to seeing the actor play. As the film opens, Barry is shown creating turbulence from the cockpit of his plane, jerking the nose of his jet violently up and down to wake his sleeping copilot. "Sully" Sullenberger he ain't.
Almost immediately thereafter, Barry is shown being recruited by a CIA handler called, pseudonymously, "Schafer" (Domhnall Gleeson), to undertake an aerial photo reconnaissance of insurgents in Central America. Just as quickly, this patriotic mission leads to a side gig as a drug courier for the Medellin cartel in Colombia, through a combination of cinematically convenient but historically implausible coercion and sweet-talk - involving an offer of $2,000 per kilo of cocaine transported.
Before you know it, Barry is simultaneously running drugs, weapons and the Nicaraguan freedom fighters known as contras between South and Central America and his home base in Mena, Arkansas, where he employs a crew of four fellow pilots, all under the winking eye of "Schafer." There's so much cash being made that it overflows from Samsonite suitcases, with bills sticking out like cartoonish corruption markers.
And that's really what "American Made" is: a cartoon. Shot with the grainy colors of a yellowed photo album from the '80s, the movie takes a larky and entertaining look at a chapter of U.S. history through a funhouse mirror, darkened only slightly by the shadow of violence that looms over it, but it rarely clouds the film's sunny demeanor. Unlike the real events, this tale is largely a consequence-free one, despite the central presence of such figures as Pablo Escobar (Mauricio Mejia), the notoriously violent drug lord, and his cohorts Jorge Ochoa (Alejandro Edda) and Carlos Lehder (Fredy Yate Escobar). Before the film's ignominious conclusion, real violence rears its head only once, in the form of a car bomb.
Liman knows how to keep the convoluted, almost impossibly far-fetched story on the rails, without losing our attention, and he adds many details that will bring a smile. Unlike the CIA of the director's "The Bourne Identity," for instance - a sleekly efficient, high-tech world of shadowy operatives and Machiavellian control - the agency that "Schafer" works for is an incompetent, fluorescent-lit cubicle farm populated by paper-pushing desk jockeys.
Cruise, for his part, seems almost too big for the part, a superstar slumming as a slightly seedy bagman. But he brings a game willingness to get down and dirty as Barry - his tooth is knocked out while the character is arrested. For much of the film, he's covered with sweat, grime, blood or - in one scene, after crash-landing his plane in a residential neighborhood while eluding airborne DEA agents - cocaine. It's outlandish stuff all right, but probably only a little bit more preposterous than the true story. It's also pretty funny.
Until, suddenly, it isn't. Although "American Made" spins a yarn of scot-free malfeasance, all the money and coke and chicanery must eventually come to an end, as it did in real life. Even as Cruise keeps us rooting for Barry, Liman reminds us that this is a story of bad guys. The ballad of Barry Seal doesn't end very well, but it does better by us - or at least those of us who are looking for a shred of verisimilitude. "American Made" closes this chapter of punch-drunk history, not with the titter of forced laughter, but with a real-world bang.
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Two and one-half stars. Rated R. Contains strong language, sex, nudity and some violence. 115 minutes.
Ratings Guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time.
End advance fri sept 29
The documentary "Trophy" takes a multifaceted approach to big-game hunting, a contentious issue that many, on both sides of the debate, consider quite clear cut. It does so by posing a question that may challenge assumptions: Can the commercial exploitation of animals help - rather than harm - threatened species?
Co-directed by Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau, the movie largely focuses on two superficially similar yet contrasting figures. When we first meet Phillip Glass, a Texas hunter and sheep farmer, it is through a quintessentially all-American scene, as he takes his young son out on his first buck hunt. When we are introduced to South African rancher John Hume, he is leading an expedition to tranquilize a rhinoceros, and then saw off its horn.
These scenes, while perhaps sensationalistic, set up the film's central quandary: Both men say they love animals, but their actions - and their feelings - seem in conflict with their words. "I love those lambs," Glass says, of his livestock, "even the ones that are going to be somebody's lamb chop this summer for July Fourth. But that's what they're for."
Hume's position may be more immediately sympathetic. By cutting off the horns of the rhinos he raises, he is trying to make the animals less attractive to poachers. A conservationist, Hume explains that the number of rhinos killed by poachers has skyrocketed, despite a South African ban on the sale of their horns, which some believe to have magical properties. Legalizing the sale of rhino horn, including those that he harvests non-lethally, could be the only way to save the animals from extinction, by financing Hume's operation - in essence, a sanctioned form of animal exploitation.
Statistics seem to favor Hume's argument. On the other side of the debate, the lion population has increased over the past century, in part because of ranches that breed the big cats in captivity - not as a sanctuary, but as a farm, producing game for hunters to kill. One rancher sums up his mixed feelings: "When you see (animals) and feed them every day," he says, on the verge of tears, "you get attached. But there comes a day when you have to let go." There's another paradox: More lions mean more attacks on nearby villagers' livestock - and sometimes on villagers themselves.
At first, the film seems to vilify hunting, as Shaul and Clusiau take us to the Safari Club convention, a Las Vegas showcase for wealthy hunters willing to shell out tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars for the opportunity to go after what are known as the "big five": buffaloes, leopards, lions, elephants and rhinos. (Bagging a rhino in its native habitat will set you back $350,000.)
Footage of hunters laughing as they pose for photos with their kill will probably strike many viewers as horrifying. But, as the filmmakers make clear, there can be reasons to hunt, apart from sport. In addition to controlling such dangerous predators, the meat from a single elephant can feed an entire village - one whose population might have otherwise gone hungry.
Late in the film, the directors take us to a rally protesting the killing of Cecil, a beloved (and nearly tame) lion that had been an attraction at a park in Zimbabwe, and whose 2015 death became a rallying cry for anti-hunting activists. "We will shame these people," one protester says, unwilling to entertain that there might be another side to the emotionally fraught story.
To its credit, "Trophy" neither shames its subjects nor offers an easy solution. Rather, it takes a reasoned and thought-provoking view - from many angles - of a problem for which there is, as "Trophy" argues, no quick or simple fix.
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Three stars. Unrated. Contains strong language and graphic footage of animals being killed. 108 minutes.
Ratings Guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time.
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A Kingwood woman who became ill after falling into Harvey floodwaters at home died from flesh-eating bacteria, the Harris County medical examiner's office ruled.
Nancy Reed, 77, died on Sept. 15 of flood-related necrotizing fasciitis, an infection that spreads quickly through muscle tissue and can cause organ failure.
Reed was the second known case of the bacteria related to the floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey. Rescuer J.R. Atkins, a former firefighter and medic, was contaminated through an insect bite on his arm while helping Missouri City neighbors. He survived.
Now Playing: A Houston woman dies, reportedly due to a flesh-eating bacteria from the floodwaters during Hurricane Harvey. Veuer's Nick Cardona (@nickcardona93) has that story. Video: Buzz60
"It's tragic," said Dr. David Persse, director of the city's emergency medical services. "This is one of the things we'd been worrying about once the flooding began, that something like this might occur. My heart goes out to the family."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, necrotizing fasciitis is a serious bacterial skin infection that kills the body's soft tissue, spreads quickly and can be fatal in a short time. Prompt diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics can prevent death.
The infection is not considered a reportable disease in Texas, meaning doctors or laboratories who diagnose it are not required to alert health authorities. But they are required to report many of the organisms that cause the disease streptococcus, E. coli, vibrio vulnificus and certain types of drug-resistant staphylococcus.
Strep is the most common cause of flesh-eating bacteria. Vibrio is the most common in salt water.
Since 2010, the CDC has documented 700 to 1,100 cases of necrotizing fasciitis annually caused by group A strep, but details were not immediately available how many deaths were caused by the infection.
Reed fell at her son's home in Kingwood, breaking and cutting her arm, according to a family friend. After the injury became infected, she was treated at Memorial Hermann Hospital - The Woodlands and then taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital - Texas Medical Center, where she died.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences concluded that the infection complicated the blunt trauma to her arm. Reed is the county's 36th death to be officially linked to Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, which contributed to more than 75 deaths statewide.
Reed was remembered during a memorial service on Friday at First Presbyterian Church of Kingwood.
According to her obituary, Reed was a community volunteer and chief executive of the LivingTributes.com website of online memorials to the deceased. She was widowed with one son, John Reed.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Jan. 4, 1940, she was a former elementary school teacher and worked at The Reed Agency with her husband, Gary, until he died in 1999. She was also president of the Reed Foundation.
"Nancy was a kind, caring member of the Kingwood community and gave of her time and many talents generously," her obituary said.
She was active in her church, serving on multiple committees, and worked with the Village Learning and Achievement Center and the Upbring Krause Children's Center.
Her relatives could not be reached for comment.
My heart broke Thursday night at the end of a lovely dinner of Turkish cuisine when our hosts told us they were shutting down the Turkish Cultural Center of Albany and putting the building up for sale.
"People are too afraid to come here anymore," said Veysel Ucan, who opened the center in 2009 on Broadway in Menands and served as its executive director until recently. He led an annual cultural tour of Turkey for state legislators, teachers and dozens of local residents. My daughter, Caroline, and I joined Ucan and a group of eight travelers in the summer of 2015 to Turkey.
On Thursday night, Ucan reported the cause of death: guilt by association. They were under surveillance, informed upon by neighbors and acquaintances to a repressive autocratic regime in the Turkish capital of Ankara, bent on vengeance.
It was a cautionary tale about the insidious nature of fear and intimidation from thousands of miles away in the age of the internet, with the specter of retribution hanging over their families in Turkey. I was reminded of Edmund Burke, who wrote: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
More Information Contact Paul Grondahl at grondahlpaul@gmail.com See More Collapse
I met Ucan in 2009 and attended several of the center's programs over the years. The members I met were gentle souls, kind and unfailingly warm and generous hosts. We drank Turkish black tea in small ornate glasses. Women served baklava made of honey and pistachios. Little children ran around the building, trailing laughter all the way.
Volunteers at the Turkish Cultural Center of Albany offered Turkish language and cooking classes, invited the public to Ramadan friendship dinners and sought to build a bridge between East and West by leading a dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims. They were research scientists, professors, graduate students, state employees and restaurant owners among an estimated 250 Turkish families who live in the Capital Region.
The local Turkish community remains torn by an ongoing purge after a failed military-led coup in July 2016 against Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Erdogan regime targeted anyone with ties to Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Saylorsburg, Pa. Erdogan accused Gulen of organizing the coup, in which 290 people were killed and more than 1,400 were injured. Gulen has repeatedly denied involvement.
Gulen and Erdogan, former allies, had a bitter falling out in 2013 over a government corruption investigation. Gulen, 76, who is in failing health, has lived in the Pocono Mountains since 2009. U.S. officials refused Erdogan's demands that Gulen be extradited to Turkey because of insufficient evidence for extradition.
The Turkish Cultural Center of Albany is part of a large American network that includes nine similar centers across New York state. All have ties to Gulen. Erdogan has labeled Gulen an enemy of the state and claims he runs a terrorist organization. Gulen and his followers vehemently deny the accusations. They call their movement hizmet, or service. They feed the poor and operated schools and colleges across Turkey. We visited a few. Erdogan shut them down.
After the failed coup, Erdogan retaliated and worked to dismantle the hizmet movement. More than 150,000 people in Turkey were detained, arrested or fired from their jobs: police, military, judges, journalists and academics. Many were followers of Gulen. Others had written articles critical of Erdogan or posted negative comments on social media. More than 180 news outlets that wrote critically of Erdogan's policies were shut down in the past year. Human Rights Watch issued a scathing report that called Turkey the world's worst violator of press freedoms. Six months after we visited Today's Zaman, Turkey's largest English-language newspaper, Erdogan's troops seized the paper and dispersed a group of protesters with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. Reporters and editors we met fled into exile.
"It's been a terrible situation in Turkey since the coup attempt and it's getting worse," said immigration attorney Seth Leech, a partner with the Albany law firm of Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna. He has specialized in immigration law since 1995. His caseload has exploded in the past year and the law firm now has six attorneys, seven paralegals and five support staff in its immigration practice.
Leech receives several inquiries each week from professors, business owners and white-collar professionals in Turkey who were arrested, fired or blacklisted in Erdogan's purge. They cannot leave the country after their passports were revoked or seized at Turkish airports. Some have begun sneaking across the border to Greece or Bulgaria and fly to the United States on their Turkish passports. The wait for asylum applications in the U.S. can be up to three years and backlogs throughout the immigration process are the worst Leech has seen in 25 years.
"The Erdogan purge started out as a witch hunt and has now taken on a life of its own," said Vera Eccarius-Kelly, professor of comparative politics at Siena College, who made several trips to Turkey for her research on Kurdish refugees. "Anyone who was fired or arrested or branded an enemy of the state is marked forever. It has destroyed the lives of tens of thousands of Turkish families. Unfortunately, the fear and intimidation caused by this autocratic regime reached all the way to Albany."
There was an awkward silence at the end of Thursday's dinner. It felt like a wake. It brought to mind the words of another philosopher, Prince, who sang: "This is what it sounds like when doves cry."
Paul Grondahl is the director of the New York State Writers Institute and a former Times Union reporter. He can be reached at grondahlpaul@gmail.com.
The United States has asked China not to implement its new cybersecurity law and is concerned it could damage global trade in services, a U.S. document published by the World Trade Organization showed on Tuesday.
China ushered in a tough new cybersecurity law in June, following years of fierce debate around the move that many foreign business groups fear will hit their ability to operate in the country.
The law requires local and overseas firms to submit to security checks and store user data within the country.
If China's new rules enter into full force in their current form, as expected by the end of 2018, they could impact cross-border services supplied through a commercial presence abroad, said the U.S. document, submitted for debate at the WTO Services Council.
"China's measures would disrupt, deter, and in many cases, prohibit cross-border transfers of information that are routine in the ordinary course of business," it said. "The United States has been communicating these concerns directly to high level officials and relevant authorities in China," the U.S. document said, adding it wanted to raise awareness among WTO members about the potential impact on trade.
"We request that China refrain from issuing or implementing final measures until such concerns are addressed."
The stunning defeat of President Donald Trump's chosen Senate candidate in Alabama on Tuesday amounted to a political lightning strike - setting the stage for a worsening Republican civil war that could have profound effects on next year's midterm elections and undermine Trump's clout with his core voters.
The GOP primary victory by conservative firebrand Roy Moore over Sen. Luther Strange could also produce a stampede of Republican retirements in the coming months and an energized swarm of challengers.
It marked yet another humiliation for the Washington-based Republican establishment, particularly Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., whose allies pumped millions of dollars into the race to prop up Strange and reassure his colleagues that they could survive the Trump era.
Moore's win, however, also demonstrates the real political limitations of Trump, who endorsed "Big Luther" at McConnell's urging and staged a rally for Strange in Huntsville, Alabama, just days before the primary. The outcome is likely to further fray Trump's ties to Republicans in Congress, many of whom now fear that even his endorsement cannot protect them from voter fury.
"People think about those things all the time up here," said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., referring to unease in elected Republican ranks. "A lot of them won't be run out of town - they want to stay and fight for their beliefs. But they know Moore's supporters will come after them anyway."
The tremors began before the polls closed in Alabama. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced on Tuesday afternoon that he would not seek reelection in 2018, dogged by complaints from conservatives in his state over his criticism of Trump. A number of Corker's potential primary rivals had already begun talks with wealthy donors.
"If you're an incumbent, you have to assume the wind is against you," said consultant Tom Ingram, a longtime Corker adviser. "If you do run, you take nothing for granted and leave nothing on the table. You start out with one big strike against you: You're an incumbent Republican senator."
For Democrats, the prospect of further retirements and revived GOP infighting has sparked talk of competing for Senate seats previously thought out of play. That is particularly true with candidates like Moore, long considered a fringe political figure who has, among other things, expressed doubts about whether former president Barack Obama was born in the United States and referred this month to "reds and yellows" in remarks on race. On the eve of the election, Moore, wearing a white cowboy hat and a black leather vest, pulled a handgun out of his pocket and flashed it at a rally.
"It's an acid flashback to 2010," said Charlie Sykes, a former conservative talk-radio host, referring to the year when seasoned GOP figures lost Senate primaries across the country as incendiary conservatives charged forward.
"It's almost as if there is a compulsion in the party to nominate the most 'out there' candidate just to show you can, with no concern about what that means for the rest of the party," Sykes said. "Republicans - and that means Trump, too - have unleashed something they can't control."
Hard-line challengers to Senate Republicans seized on the fall of Strange, who had been boosted by Trump and millions in outside Republican spending, as a sign of how the clamor of anti-establishment forces like Breitbart News - chaired by former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon - could empower them, regardless of whether Trump rallies behind sitting senators.
"People everywhere are outraged with the swamp, but there has been hesitation in some states among people who are thinking about it. They wondered whether these senators can be beat. This changes all of that," said Danny Tarkanian, a GOP businessman running against Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev.
Possible foils to other Republican senators facing reelection next year described Moore's insurgent grass-roots campaign as a model for how they could frame their own bids: He embraced Trump but encouraged the president's supporters to lash out at McConnell and the party's leadership.
"I was with Bannon last night, talking it through, and what's happened in Alabama increases the likelihood that I jump in," said Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel, R, who is considering challenging Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., speaking Tuesday before polls closed. "It's a race that has repercussions across the country."
McDaniel, who nearly toppled Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., in a messy 2014 primary election, added, "It's an incredibly exciting time. I admire President Trump but people will reach their own conclusions. They're going to vote against those who play the D.C. games. That means they'll go against McConnell and against Roger Wicker, who is part of the established order."
With Corker retiring, seven Senate Republicans are expected to run for reelection next year: Wicker, Heller, Jeff Flake, Ariz., Ted Cruz, Texas, Deb Fischer, Neb., Orrin Hatch, Utah, and John Barrasso, Wyo.
For months, only three of them - Flake, Heller and Wicker - were widely seen as vulnerable to primary upsets. But in the wake of Alabama, GOP operatives are no longer ruling out an expanded map of targets for Bannon and his associates, such as former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who stormed behind Moore's candidacy to reassert her influence within the party.
"They try to say you're off the reservation any time there's a tough vote," Shelby said.
Veteran Republican pollster David Winston, who works closely with party leaders, said that "given what Bannon has been doing, you could see how other primaries could be of value to him and his network. Alabama was their test case and Moore winning probably opens the door a bit in other places."
Bannon seems ready to yank open that door, huddling in recent days with Republicans mulling primary campaigns. Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green, who had been considering a Corker challenge, was with Bannon in Alabama. The Mercer family - Bannon's billionaire backers - have been in touch with these contenders as well and McDaniel said they have encouraged him to run.
When asked about rumors that the Mercers and other donors have pledged more than $1 million to McDaniel, he replied, "It may be more."
"For Mitch McConnell and Ward Baker and Karl Rove and Steven Law, all the instruments that tried to destroy Judge Moore and his family, your day of reckoning is coming," Bannon said Monday night at Moore's election eve rally, listing the names of Republican operatives who are allied with McConnell and spent more than $10 million to boost Strange's candidacy.
"They think you're a pack of morons, they think you're nothing but rubes, they have no interest at all in what you have to say, in what you have to think or what you want to do," Bannon told the crowd.
Voting with Trump and donning a red cap emblazoned with "Make America Great Again," as Strange did with Trump last week, may not stave off primary challengers who style themselves as GOP rebels.
"What we've noticed is that Trump voters aren't necessarily looking for Trump, they're looking for candidates who are outsiders like Trump and will lean toward people with that sort of background," said Robert Cahaly, a Republican pollster whose firm surveyed the Alabama race. "Strange seems establishment, he's not seen as disruptive at all, so he was at a disadvantage."
Retirements among House Republicans could rise as well.
"More and more Republicans may say I don't want the hassle from the activists on the left and the Trump Republicans on the right," said GOP consultant and Trump critic Rick Wilson. "There'll be more who say, 'I'll hang up my spurs.' "
Trump's role in those 2018 primaries is yet to be determined, according to his confidants and White House officials.
"The president went into Alabama because of loyalty and political necessity," said Christopher Ruddy, the chief executive of Newsmax Media and Trump's friend. "When he's faced with this kind of situation in the future, he'll support his friends but the question is how far he goes. He may be a little careful."
One of Trump's first choices will be how much to get behind Moore, who GOP leaders fear could be a burden to Republican candidates nationally. At Trump's Huntsville rally Friday - when he conceded he "might have made a mistake" in backing the incumbent - Trump vowed to "be here campaigning like hell" for Moore if he won, while acknowledging his limitations.
"Roy has a very good chance of not winning in the general election," Trump said during the rally. "Roy is going to have a hard time, but I will be backing him if he wins."
Next month, former vice president Joseph R. Biden will campaign in Alabama for Doug Jones, a former prosecutor whom Democrats believe could be competitive against Moore.
McConnell's orbit dismissed suggestions late Tuesday that the Alabama result crippled his standing and instead chalked up Strange's defeat to the party's stalled efforts to pass legislation and local dynamics. Strange, a former state attorney general, was appointed earlier this year by a Republican governor who later resigned amid a sex scandal. Strange's defeat came on the same day McConnell shelved the latest GOP health-care proposal.
"There is going to be a rush to overanalyze Alabama," said Josh Holmes, McConnell's former chief of staff. "McConnell showed he will go to war for Republican senators, come hell or high water. A lot of folks out there would have cut bait when an election turns but that's not who McConnell is."
And for both sides, it's war.
"I fully anticipate a whole lot of people who had nothing to do with the result taking credit for Alabama," Holmes said, mentioning Bannon and Breitbart News. "It'll lead to more friendly fire in our party, which will make it tougher, not easier, to pass health care and taxes. What we need is cohesion."
Berkeley police arrested three people after several fist fights broke out between liberals and conservatives when dozens of people gathered for a short time at Sproul Plaza Tuesday afternoon.
Members of a conservative group called Patriot Prayer arrived near Sproul Plaza around 2 p.m. and were met by protesters, including representatives of the leftist activist group By Any Means Necessary. Neither of the groups are student groups, and students and faculty busy with midterms did not appear to get involved in the rally or protest.
After the two groups scuffled inside an empathy tent, set up on campus to offer a calm space in what has been an area of violent clashes, they marched to Peoples Park in Berkeley.
UC police and law enforcement agencies monitored the event, advising the public to stay clear of the area as the crowd swelled to about 200.
Police said Yvette Felarca, 47, of Oakland, was arrested for battery and resisting arrest; Ricky Joseph Monzon, 20, of Las Vegas, was arrested for carrying a banned weapon; and Eddy Robinson, 47, of Oakland, was arrested on charges of participating in a riot and resisting arrest.
At Peoples Park, Patriot Prayer speakers, including Kyle Stickman Chapman, decried what he called a war on whites and said the ongoing demonstrations are a battle for Berkeley.
Chapman was arrested during a March protest and was charged in August with possession of a lead-filled stick. He faces eight years in prison, because of a previous violent felony conviction in Texas. He initially emerged as a hero for white supremacists, but later said he wasnt a racist because he has an Asian wife.
Afterward, the Patriot Prayer group walked through the campus, chanting and posing for group photos. Some students stopped to take photos or look at the crowd.
Cal officials said they were prepared for any protests or unofficial events even after student organizers canceled Free Speech Week, a four-day event for conservative activists to speak on campus, costing an estimated $800,000 to provide unprecedented security and support from local law enforcement agencies.
Jill Tucker, Kimberly Veklerov and Lizzie Johnson are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, ljohnson@sfchronicle.com and kveklerov@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @jilltucker, @lizziejohnsonnn and @kveklerov.
In discussions between the U.S. and China about reining in North Korea, one topic remains taboo: What would happen if Kim Jong Un's regime collapses?
For years, China has rebuffed U.S. attempts to raise the topic at so-called Track 2 dialogue sessions between academics in each country's foreign policy establishment, according to Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, who has led the U.S. side in such talks. Attendees included people from Chinese government-affiliated research institutions and military officers, she said.
From China's perspective, officially broaching the issue could alarm its neighbor, which has received Beijing's backing since the Korean War in the 1950s. There's also a fear that it would give the U.S. an advantage in one day reunifying the Korean peninsula on its terms.
"When we first started these efforts, the Chinese told us -- and many other people, including U.S. officials -- that if they engaged in such discussions with the United States it would come out, it would get leaked, North Korea would find out and they would retaliate," Glaser said.
Still, as the U.S. and North Korea trade threats of military action and Kim -- who is believed to be in his early 30s -- develops nuclear weapons, observers are starting to game out worst-case scenarios. President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. is prepared to use "devastating" military force against North Korea, though it's not a preferred option.
No matter whether a military miscalculation, coup or other event prompts the demise of Kim, it may not be long before soldiers from the world's two biggest economies come face-to-face.
The U.S. has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, which has another 625,000 in its standing army and 3.1 million in reserve. China has roughly 2 million soldiers, and its Northern Theater Command bordering North Korea consists of at least three army units and three rocket units.
"If we intervene and the Chinese run into our people and if we run into their people, what are we going to do?" Bruce Bennett, a defense researcher at Rand Corp. who wrote a 342-page report in 2013 on policy recommendations in case North Korea collapses, said by phone. "Are we going to shake hands or what? All of that needs to be really thought about seriously."
If North Korea starts to collapse, both the U.S. and China are likely to send in troops to secure its weapons of mass destruction, Bennett said. Most of those sites -- including the Yongbyon nuclear plant -- are closer to China than South Korea.
U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that North Korea can miniaturize warheads to fit on missiles, and has as many as 60 nuclear bombs, The Washington Post reported last month. South Korea's 2016 Defense White Paper said Pyongyang also has a stockpile of between 2,500 tons to 5,000 tons of chemical weapons, and is capable of producing biological agents such as anthrax and smallpox.
Any incursion by Chinese troops into North Korea risks drawing in South Korea, whose constitution covers the entire peninsula. Similar to China, authorities in Seoul would also be worried about large flows of refugees who might flee, particularly if war leads to shortages of food and other essential goods.
Jia Qingguo, dean of the School of International Studies of Peking University, wrote in a Sept. 11 article for the East Asia Forum that China's military should consider creating a safety zone within North Korea to prevent a large flow of people into its northeastern provinces.
Authorities in Beijing would probably also want to discuss overseeing any situation that requiring the U.S. to move north of the 38th parallel, including securing North Korea's nuclear weapons and restoring order in Pyongyang, Jia wrote. Another issue will be whether to let the international community oversee the formation of a new government in North Korea.
"Beijing doesn't have a good plan, the U.S. doesn't have a good plan, and the entire world doesn't have a good plan," Jia said by phone. "It's beyond the point that a neat solution can be found. So, hope for the best and prepare for the worst."
China certainly has planned for worst-case scenarios including refugees and potential nuclear proliferation, said Su Hao, an international relations professor at China Foreign Affairs University, which is affiliated with the country's foreign ministry.
"It's strategically premature for China to discuss it with South Korea or the U.S.," Su said. "However, it's likely for China to inform Russia because their interests on the peninsula are more aligned."
In public, all the major powers say they agree on the goal of a denuclearized Korean peninsula. The U.S., China and Russia have also said they back the so-called Four Nos: No regime change, regime collapse, accelerated reunification and military deployment north of the 38th parallel.
Still, mistrust remains. Trump's recent comments to the United Nations that communist and socialist governments are failed ideologies that contribute to human suffering may fuel suspicions within China that the U.S. ultimately seeks regime change in Beijing, according to Glaser at CSIS.
"Let's remember that the Chinese believe that the 'color revolutions' were really aimed at overthrowing Communism everywhere," she said, referring to a wave of movements in the former Soviet Union and Balkans in the early 2000s. "Why would China work with the U.S. and tell it about its contingency plans?"
--With assistance from Hannah Dormido
WASHINGTON - On Wednesday afternoon, students at American University filled the Kay Spiritual Life Center, a round building on the campus. They packed the chapel's pews. Some sat on the floor. Eventually, Sylvia Burwell, the university's president, stood before the crowd.
And as Burwell spoke, she began to cry.
"This made me both angry and sad," Burwell said, speaking about a disturbing discovery on the campus. "Angry, because this behavior exists in our nation and sad because, as a person of faith, I don't actually understand this kind of hate. Sad, as well, because people in our community are feeling pain and anger."
The campus community came together just hours after students learned that Confederate flag posters bearing chunks of cotton had been found at the university, in northwest Washington, D.C. School officials decried the displays, which were reported Tuesday night and remained under investigation Wednesday evening.
"Everyone is kind of on edge," said Denise Moyo, an 18-year-old AU freshman. "At this point, we're waiting to see how not only students will react, but how AU and the faculty will react."
Officials released a photo and video footage that showed a man in a hard hat - a man whom Phillip Morse, executive director of university police, described as "the suspect who committed this crime."
It was the latest in a series of racially charged episodes at the private university and arrived at a time when college campuses across the nation are embroiled in discussions and protests over free speech.
"We have to stop saying this is an everybody problem, because it's clearly a black student problem," said Sydney Jones, president of American University's NAACP chapter.
The posters were discovered at a handful of locations on campus, including the Mary Graydon Center, said Fanta Aw, AU's vice president of campus life.
Burwell, the university's president, said in a statement released Wednesday morning that there was video evidence of the investigation. The footage shows "the perpetrator(s)" coming onto the campus in Northwest Washington and posting the displays, the statement said.
"We must stand together strongly against this act, which was intended to frighten and divide our community," she said in the statement.
The incident comes as Burwell, the first woman to lead the school, is just three months into the job.
"I ask you to join me in standing together and show that we will not be intimidated," she said in her statement. "AU will respond strongly to attempts designed to harm and create fear. Instead, we will recommit to creating a community that does not stand by. When one of us is attacked, all of us are attacked."
The university released a crime alert with details of the incident and a photograph of the suspect. Authorities said they believe the perpetrator is a white man who is about 40 years old. In the photo, the man is wearing what appears to be safety gear, including an orange hard hat and a yellow vest.
Morse, the executive director of university police, said the case was being handled by university police and was not being investigated by D.C. police or federal officials.
Aw's statement noted that the Confederate posters appeared the same night that historian Ibram Kendi offered a presentation to introduce the Antiracist Research and Policy Center, a new initiative at AU.
"AU is committed to the vision of the center and Dr. Kendi's work and we will not be deterred by this cowardly attempt at intimidation," Aw's statement said.
Kendi said his event Tuesday night was a chance to lay out a vision for the center. He saw the posters himself, he said.
"I wasn't surprised. I just felt sad and concerned for our students - for our students who had to endure other incidents, and who I know would become even more fearful as a result of these posters that were circulating around campus," he said. "So my initial reaction was to really think about the students, and was more or less hoping that this incident, like any incident in the past and like any incident in the future, would not slow them down."
Kendi said he was not sure if the posters were directly tied to the new center.
"I don't know," he said. "It's either a coincidence, or it's not a coincidence. But this isn't going to, in any way, slow down the work of the center. If anything, it's going to accelerate it."
The university's student government issued a statement praising those who reported the posters to campus police and thanking the university for acting quickly.
"To American University students who are concerned with their safety as a result of this and other acts that we have faced as a community this year, know that we will not stop advocating for a safer, more inclusive and united student body," it read.
The Anti-Defamation League also expressed "deep concern" over the posters. The civil rights group noted that since Sept. 1, 2016, it has documented more than 200 incidents involving white supremacist flyers on campuses.
"These incidents are being used increasingly to create a climate of fear and intimidation," Doron Ezickson, the ADL's regional director in Washington, said in a statement. "These racist posters must always be taken seriously, and responded to appropriately."
The Confederate posters appeared just months after another racially charged incident on AU's campus. That episode in May involved bananas found hanging from strings "in the shape of nooses," according to the school.
A statement released at the time explained that the bananas were "marked with the letters AKA." Those are the letters for Alpha Kappa Alpha, a sorority with membership that is predominantly African-American. On Wednesday, Burwell said the number of security cameras on campus had increased from 400 to 600 since May.
In September 2016, a black student at AU reported that a banana was thrown at her in a dormitory. The same night, another black student discovered a rotten banana outside her dorm room door.
For American's upperclassmen, the experience with the Confederate flag posters was "nothing new," said Jones, the president of the AU chapter of the NAACP. Many students believe the school's administration has been complacent in the past, and hasn't embraced more enduring measures to assure change, she said.
"Because of AU, I have become more radical in my thought, which is unfortunate," Jones said. "Now I think students really have to take what they want, and if we want something, be serious about it and organize accordingly."
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- No member of Congress was more essential to Neil Gorsuch's ascent to the Supreme Court than Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who blocked President Barack Obama's nominee for the job and then spearheaded the confirmation process for Gorsuch.
Last week found McConnell, R-Ky., and Gorsuch traveling the Bluegrass State together for a tour of the senator's alma maters. "President [Donald] Trump simply could not have made a better nominee," McConnell said in introducing Gorsuch before a packed-house lecture at the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville.
Critics likened it to a "victory lap" for McConnell and said it amplified questions that were already being asked about Gorsuch's independence from the Republicans who supported him in a highly partisan confirmation battle.
Trump and Republican leaders have celebrated Gorsuch's confirmation as perhaps the signature accomplishment of the new administration, one that restored a conservative majority on the Supreme Court.
Now, as Gorsuch is set next week to begin his first full term on the court, he has accepted an invitation to speak to a conservative legal scholarship group Thursday at Trump International Hotel in Washington. He will be speaking to the Fund for American Studies, a nonprofit education organization that says it teaches "limited government, free-market economics and honorable leadership" to students at home and abroad.
The Pennsylvania Avenue hotel is at the center of a lawsuit on whether commercial payments to Trump's companies improperly profit the president.
And in November, the newest justice will be the keynote speaker at the annual gala of the Federalist Society, the conservative legal society that supplied Trump with a list of potential Supreme Court nominees, including Gorsuch.
His supporters say Gorsuch's appearances are little different from those other justices make. Conservative justices are the normal dinner honorees at Federalist Society events, for instance, while liberal justices make regular appearances at the rival American Constitution Society.
But Gorsuch's detractors see the speeches as hand-delivered thank-you notes, undermining attempts to present himself as an independent-minded justice.
"All of this indicates that he's just ethically tone-deaf," said Deborah Rhode, a Stanford University law professor and highly cited authority on legal ethics.
Elizabeth Wydra, president of the liberal Constitutional Accountability Center, agreed.
"Whether or not this breaks any explicit ethics rules, it is certainly not the behavior you'd expect from someone trying to ensure the appearance and reality of judicial independence and impartiality," she said. "Chief Justice [John] Roberts likes to say that there aren't Democratic or Republican justices. Gorsuch traveling around with the Republican Senate majority leader in what seems to be a sort of victory lap appears disturbingly out of step with the chief's sentiment."
Through a court spokeswoman, Gorsuch declined to respond to the criticism.
The first question Gorsuch was asked by senators at his confirmation hearings earlier this year concerned judicial independence, and the issue was a large part of his presentations in Louisville and here at the University of Kentucky College of Law, where McConnell received his degree.
"I don't think there are red judges, and I don't think there are blue judges. All judges wear black," Gorsuch said at the Lexington event, at which, coincidentally, Roberts was last year's speaker. "And we try our level best to be neutral and to ensure fair process, due process to all persons who come before us."
Some conservatives say the criticism of Gorsuch is unfair.
"There aren't any special rules that apply to a justice during his first year on the court," said Edward Whelan, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. "Some critics seem to be indulging their own sensitivities rather than judging Justice Gorsuch by the same neutral rules that apply to other justices."
What might really be troubling Gorsuch's critics, said Dennis Hutchinson, a University of Chicago law professor and student of the Supreme Court, are his conservatism and assertiveness.
"I don't think most Supreme Court justices make a concerted or visible effort to establish themselves as independent," he said.
Gorsuch, formerly a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver, joined the court in April and sat with his colleagues for only one round of oral arguments.
But he wrote separate opinions highlighting even minor differences with the majority opinions issued, and his decisions made clear he was more conservative than the rest of the court on issues such as gun control, more skeptical about the reach of the court's decision finding a right for same-sex couples to marry, and willing to let Trump's ban on travel from several majority-Muslim countries go into effect without the caveats his fellow justices added.
The legislative muscle by McConnell and abundant praise from Trump is partly why Gorsuch's appearances are seen through a partisan lens.
Within hours of Justice Antonin Scalia's death in February 2016, McConnell said that the Republican-led Senate would not vote on an Obama nominee for the job, insisting that the opening remain for the next president.
"One of my proudest moments was when I looked at Barack Obama in the eye and I said, 'Mr. President, you will not fill this Supreme Court vacancy,' " McConnell told his constituents.
That left Obama's nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, hanging, and his chances ended with Trump's election.
"McConnell destroyed Senate norms to make sure Gorsuch got his Supreme Court seat," Nan Aron of the Alliance for Justice, an ardent critic of Trump's judicial nominees, said in a statement after the Kentucky trip. "Neil Gorsuch is doing his best to erase any doubt that he is anything other than a wholly partisan actor."
Trump routinely mentions Gorsuch as a campaign promise made good.
"In my first 100 days - and I don't think anybody has ever done more, or, certainly, not much more - I appointed and confirmed a Supreme Court justice in the mold of the late, great Antonin Scalia, and now Justice Gorsuch has a seat on the United States Supreme Court," Trump told one conservative audience in June. "Made a promise."
An assortment of interest groups has called on Gorsuch not to speak at the Trump hotel. The hotel is the focus of a lawsuit alleging that payments to Trump's companies violate the Constitution's emoluments clause, which forbids federal officials from accepting payments from foreign governments and compensation beyond their salaries from the federal government or the states.
Facing calls to divest his business interests, Trump turned over management of the Trump Organization to his two oldest sons and vowed to reap no hotel profits during his presidency. But against the advice of top federal ethics officials, he has retained his ownership stake in the hotel, allowing him to eventually profit from the business.
The Fund for American Studies said it secured the location for the speech before inviting Gorsuch. Stanford's Rhode argued that "Supreme Court justices have leverage" and that Gorsuch could have agreed to the speech only if it were held elsewhere, or scheduled for another meeting of the group.
But Steven Lubet, an ethics scholar at Northwestern's Pritzker School of Law, wrote on a professional blog that he was not concerned.
"Any relationship between a single event and the Emoluments Clause litigation is far too tenuous to implicate Gorsuch's impartiality," Lubet wrote.
Jonathan Adler, a Case Western University law professor who wrote a column in The Washington Post defending Gorsuch's speech at the hotel, said the new justice's appearances fit well within the standards set by others, including the court's liberals.
"Is this any different from speeches and events Justice [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg attends on a regular basis?" Adler asked in an interview with The Post, adding that Gorsuch's schedule "might be a little unusual for a new justice, but I don't think that's out of order."
As for the content of Gorsuch's speeches, conservatives would be reassured from the justice's remarks in Kentucky that they had found a replacement as close to Scalia as possible.
Like the justice he replaced, Gorsuch endorsed "originalism," which he defined as "the idea that when interpreting the Constitution we should look to history, to what the document would have been understood to mean to members of the public at the time of its ratification."
Though tall and lanky, while Scalia was not, and so soft-spoken his audiences leaned in to hear him, he seemed to channel the late justice when describing what he said should be a judge's modest role and deference to elected representatives of the people.
"Who would seriously entrust a handful of unelected, life-tenured lawyers like me to make predictive judgments about optimal social policy for the future in a very large country like ours?" he asked.
He told his audiences that he has moved into Scalia's old chambers and even taken possession of the huge stuffed elk head, "Leroy," that dominated one wall.
"The truth is I am delighted to share space with Leroy because it turns out we share quite a lot in common," Gorsuch said. "We're both native Coloradans. We both received a rather shocking summons to Washington, D.C. Neither of us is ever going to forget Justice Scalia."
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Drew Harwell in Washington contributed to this report.
The plan to elect Luther Strange to the Senate from Alabama was executed with deep pockets, ruthless efficiency and a simple rationale: Donald Trump, the most popular politician in the state, wanted Strange to win.
For weeks, Strange drove home the message in every public appearance. The president blitzed it out on his Twitter account. And outside groups flooded airwaves and mailboxes with more than $9 million in reinforcement: "Big Luther = Trump ally," read one direct mail piece in the final weeks. "If you voted for Donald Trump," read another, "then you CAN'T vote for Roy Moore."
Now, as the dust clears in Alabama, strategists on both sides of the election agree on the reason the strategy didn't work: Trump supporters just didn't believe the president's endorsement made Strange the better candidate to shake up Washington, D.C. And they never bought the idea that Moore was against Trump.
"There were a significant number of people who strongly supported the president but voted for Roy Moore," explained Tony Fabrizio, Trump's chief 2016 campaign pollster who also works for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which supported Strange. "They thought voting for Moore would not hurt the president's agenda, and they still wanted to upset the apple cart."
In the end, Alabama Republicans decided to go with the candidate who most resembled Trump's renegade spirit, even if it meant going against Trump's candidate. "Luther is the swamp," explained Carey Williams, 53, outside his polling place in Mountain Brook, Alabama, on Tuesday. "I'm a huge Trump supporter, but I'm not going to follow him blindly."
Such sentiments should send warning signs to other incumbent Republicans who are hoping the president could provide them cover in tough primaries next year. It's simply no longer clear if the White House can do much to protect Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., or Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., as they prepare for the coming fights against anti-establishment primary candidates. Republican voters have made clear that they are less interested in policy positions than in finding candidates who, like Trump, promise to shake up the Washington establishment.
"President Trump can turn a zero to a hero with one tweet in a Republican primary," said Andy Surabian, a former deputy White House political strategist for Trump who traveled to Alabama to support Moore. "But it has to be a candidate that his supporters actually believe support his agenda."
Surabian is now a senior adviser to the Great America Alliance, a group that is affiliated with Stephen Bannon, a former White House adviser. Like Bannon, Surabian has argued that the contest in Alabama was never a referendum on support for Trump. Instead, it was an test of the support Trump's partners in the congressional leadership in Washington could muster, and Strange wound up on the wrong side of that divide for too many voters.
In a memo on race, Steven Law, the president of the Senate Leadership Fund, which spent about $9 million on the contest, told donors that primary voter support for Trump was "the dominant factor driving GOP voters." The fact that another primary challenger, Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., had once criticized Trump proved fatal to his campaign. "Support for President Trump directly correlates with likelihood to vote," Law wrote in the memo, which was first published by the New York Times.
During the final days of the campaign, Moore never said a bad word about Trump, beyond suggesting that the president had been duped by his advisers. The reason was plain to see in the polls, which showed more than 80 percent of likely primary voters approved of the president.
Trump continues to get similar numbers among Republicans nationwide. In the most recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, which was conducted Sept. 18 to 21, 80 percent of Republicans said they approved of Trump's job performance, and 74 percent said Trump had brought needed change to Washington. Republicans even approved, by a margin of 77 percent to 14 percent, of Trump's recent decision to cut a deal with Democrats to raise the debt limit and fund hurricane disaster relief.
Though Trump stuck with his commitment to support Strange, he also in more subtle ways provided a safe space for his supporters to support Moore. He declined to distance himself from his former aide Bannon, who barnstormed the state saying a vote for Moore was a vote for Trump.
And at a final rally for Strange in Huntsville, Trump made clear that he would support Moore in the general election if he won. "I might have made a mistake," he admitted, in a surprising aside.
In the end, the vote count was not even close. Moore beat Strange by a 10-point margin, and as he promised, Trump promptly tweeted his congratulations. The president also deleted his older tweets endorsing Strange - a sign that it was one part of his record in office that he did not want used against him in the future.
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Larry Bleiberg in Birmingham contributed to this report.
Senate Republicans on Tuesday abandoned their latest attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, after it became clear the bill would be defeated if brought up for a vote this week.
"We don't have the votes," said Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, co-author of Graham-Cassidy, which would have transferred Obamacare funds to individual U.S. states to craft their own health care programs. "Am I disappointed? Absolutely."
"We haven't given up on changing the American health care system," insisted Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, after a weekly caucus meeting. "We are not going to be able to do that this week, but it still lies ahead of us."
Senate Democrats, who have fought tooth and nail against a series of Republican health care proposals since June, expressed relief and a desire for a bipartisan solution to fix Obamacare's shortcomings. "Mitch McConnell has dumped Trumpcare for now. Thank goodness," tweeted Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.
"Once this repeal effort is gone, we are willing -- eager -- to sit down and come up with bipartisan improvements (to Obamacare), and do it in the regular order," said Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. "Let's move on and try to make our system better."
Republicans faced an end-of-month procedural deadline to pass a health care bill with a simple majority. Beginning Oct. 1, a three-fifths vote would have been required to advance Graham-Cassidy. Late Monday, Senator Susan Collins of Maine became the third Republican to announce opposition to the bill, putting even a simple majority out of reach given unified Democratic opposition.
The latest failure to end Obamacare drew criticism from President Donald Trump and boosted frustration within a party that has yet to deliver on an ironclad pledge repeatedly made to voters.
"We were very disappointed by a couple of senators, Republican senators," Trump said at the White House Tuesday. "We were very disappointed that they would take the attitude that they did."
"We still need to do something," said Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming. "Health care is completely unaffordable."
KABUL, Afghanistan - Insurgents fired mortars and detonated suicide vests Wednesday in an attack targeting Kabul's international airport during a visit to Afghanistan by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, and U.S. forces responded with an airstrike that inadvertently caused civilian casualties, authorities said.
According to the U.S.-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, insurgents used civilians as human shields during the operation, in which they "fired several rounds of high-explosive ammunition, including mortars, into the vicinity of Hamid Karzai International Airport." A statement by the Resolute Support mission provided no details on the number of insurgents or casualties.
It said U.S. forces conducted an airstrike in support of an Afghan unit acting to end the assault. "Tragically, one of the missiles malfunctioned, causing several casualties," it said. "Resolute Support deeply regrets the harm to non-combatants." No further information on the strike or its consequences was immediately available.
Both the Taliban and the Islamic State issued competing claims of responsibility for the airport attack, which was carried out while Mattis and the NATO secretary general met with President Ashraf Ghani and other Afghan leaders miles away at the heavily fortified presidential palace.
The attack forced authorities to cancel all flights. The Interior Ministry said one Afghan civilian was killed and at least 11 others were injured after an insurgent rocket hit a house near the combined civil and military airport.
The Taliban has fired rockets in the past on the airport, and Wednesday's attack coincided with the anniversary of the Islamist group's capture of Kabul in 1996. For its part, the Islamic State often asserts links to attacks without offering any clear evidence.
The latest airport attack was unprecedented in its scope, lasting more than six hours.
The U.S. military and NATO use the airport, and it was not immediately clear whether runways or aircraft were damaged.
The barrage included at least 12 rockets fired from at least two locations, according to police. One security official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the attack, said more than 30 rockets were fired on the airport and its vicinity.
Speaking in a news conference with Mattis, Ghani described the attack as "a sign of weakness, not strength" by insurgents.
"It is a classic example of what the Taliban are up to right now," said Mattis.
Mattis and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke with Ghani about plans to strengthen Afghanistan's military as it faces a resurgent Taliban and factions backing the Islamic State.
"If NATO forces leave too soon," said Stoltenberg, "there is a risk Afghanistan may return to a state of chaos and once again become a safe haven for international terrorism."
Mattis' visit was his first since President Donald Trump announced a new strategy for Afghanistan in August, including a stepped-up military campaign against the Taliban and efforts to end cross-border sanctuaries for militants in Pakistan.
Ghani said Trump's plans have given Pakistan "a golden opportunity" to confront the Taliban and other militant factions.
Defense secretary visits to Afghanistan are tightly managed and planned well in advance, but not disclosed until after arrival.
Ahmad Saeedi, a political analyst who previously served as an Afghan diplomat, said only a few top people knew about the visit by Mattis and Stoltenberg, suggesting that the airport attack was a serious security breach.
"This creates a worry that the enemy has found a place even in our artery," said Saeedi.
Mattis travels abroad in a blue-and-white plane, known as the E4B, that is emblazoned with "United States of America." But when visiting war zones, he usually switches to a lower-profile gray military jet.
In Afghanistan, there are several runways long enough for the defense secretary's plane to land, including in Kabul itself and at Bagram air base north of the city. Defense secretaries have been known to land at Bagram and fly to Kabul by helicopter.
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Dan Lamothe and Alex Horton in Washington contributed to this report.
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Kabul airport attacked just hours after Mattis arrival
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A child babbled somewhere in the crowd on Monday, as former president Barack Obama took the stage unannounced at a country club in Wilmington, Delaware, and promised: "I'm not here to make a big speech."
Children were much on Obama's mind that day. He had come to help former vice president Joe Biden raise money for the Beau Biden foundation - named after his old running mate's late son.
And it turned out Obama did make a speech before he left, just maybe not a big one.
"I'm here just to lend my voice and support to a family I care deeply about," Obama said, and then named some of the littler Bidens.
"For those of us who have daughters - um, it just happens fast."
Obama had just dropped his eldest, Malia, off for college, he said.
That experience, he said, "was a little like having open heart surgery."
Eight years earlier, Obama had choked up as his family departed their Chicago home to move to the White House - 10-year-old Malia bringing with her a scrapbook of preschool photos.
She and her little sister Sasha, then 7, wore blue and black and orange and pink at the inauguration a few days later and became instant public fascinations.
They were, Time wrote, "the youngest children to move into the White House since the Kennedy administration." They were also the first black children ever to do so.
"Sweet Sasha" and "Marvelous Malia," a doll maker dubbed them the same year - to their mother's irritation.
But the Obama girls managed to grow up mostly in private.
When seen in public, they looked not so different from many other children: walking their new dog Bo in 2009, dad's suit somewhat clashing with the foliage.
Or posing for an Easter portrait in 2016, as the family prepared to once again vacate a home.
And then last month, his presidency over, Obama was spotted waving in the sunlight at a restaurant near Harvard University, where Malia was about to begin college.
Like open heart surgery, as he recalled in Delaware this week.
Obama's appearance at the fundraiser had a been a surprise. A radio station, WDEL-FM, recorded the better part of his short speech.
"I was proud I did not cry in front of her," Obama said of Malia. "But on the way back, the Secret Service was looking straight ahead, pretending they weren't hearing me."
This brought laughter from the crowd.
Obama went on, not laughing.
"It was rough," he said. "And it's a reminder that, at the end of our lives, whatever else we accomplished, the things we'll remember are the joys that our children - and hopefully, way later, our grandchildren - will miss. Holding their hands, swinging them on a swing, listening to them talk about what happened at school."
"Simple stuff," said a man who had once been one of the most powerful men in the world. "But ultimately that's what matters."
When Nancy Farquharsons corgi died three years ago, she first looked to shelters to find a new pet. But the more she searched the more she longed for her beloved dog, Butterscotch, or at least one that resembled her.
Her hunt for a replacement corgi got her researching breeders. Most were expensive and all were too far away to visit in person. Farquharson thought she found the solution when she stumbled upon a website advertising Pembroke Welsh corgis from what appeared to be a small family-run business.
But after forking over more than $1,000 for a dog that never arrived, she realized she had been the victim of a scam, and experts say shes not alone.
A report released Tuesday by the Better Business Bureau estimates that thousands of consumers in the Bay Area and the country have fallen prey to some form of pet scam and lists over 1,000 puppy-related swindles on its online tracker.
I said to myself, what did I miss, because it just felt so logical in my head, said Farquharson, who lives in the Sacramento County town of Orangevale. I didnt think Id get emotional, but I was. I was so angry.
In 2015, the Federal Trade Commission found more than 37,000 complaints involving pets, the majority of which are related to pet sales scams. That number could be even higher because past FTC studies indicate less than 10 percent of fraud victims file a formal complaint.
Small mistakes on the website and a policy of only taking cash didnt strike Farquharson as too out of the ordinary and the family selling the puppy didnt seem out to reap huge profits. She wired $745 for the pooch, but then was told to send more money for a refundable fee to get an shipping crate. When the corgi was delayed in transit overnight, she was asked to pay a $350 boarding fee for the extra night her new pet had to spend in the airport. When no dog arrived and Farquharson began demanding her money back, the seller dropped out of contact.
Jarrod Wise, spokesman for the Better Business Bureau, said victims have lost between $300 to $1,000 apiece to the scams. Buyers are often asked for a one-time payment to secure their pet, but con artists will continue to ask for money, claiming to need it to cover medical and shipping costs.
Scammers will create fake websites and upload photos of puppies taken from real breeders sites. The bureau advises potential buyers to research images they find on sites to see if they appear elsewhere.
Most people are smart enough to know not to send money to a foreign country, Wise said at a news conference Tuesday at the Berkeley Humane Society. Were hoping this report will spur law enforcement to do more, Wise said.
Annie Ma is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ama@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @anniema15
This will deal a severe blow to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who steals most of the quasi-indentured workers' wages.
Kuwait and Qatar stopped renewing visas for North Korean workers in May. A source in the Middle East said, "By November you'll hardly see any North Koreans in the Gulf."
Of an estimated 6,000 North Koreans working in Kuwait, only about 2,000 are left. And of 2,000 North Koreans on construction sites in neighboring Qatar, three-quarters have gone. They have been replaced with workers from Nepal and Egypt.
North Korea has been sending workers to construction sites in Gulf countries since the mid-1990s to earn hard currency for its nuclear and missile programs and to line the pockets of its dictators. Up to 10,000 North Koreans working in the Middle East used to send US$100 million back home.
The regime also stands to lose side benefits like revenues from bootleg liquor. North Koreans in the mostly dry Middle East made and sold moonshine that generated tens of millions of dollars in profits each year. They sold it for $30 a bottle.
Alcohol is banned completely in Kuwait, so around 3 million foreign laborers there have to turn to the black market. The North Koreans there have apparently now handed their equipment over to Indians.
One Indian there said, "North Korean workers are angry about being sent home. Many of them had to pay bribes to get to work abroad, so a lot of them complain that they have to return without making any money."
One local source said, "By the end of this year, most North Koreans will be gone and only some managers who need to collect money from builders will remain."
The source said the North could still send workers to Russia and China, but even they are not allowed under UN Security Council sanctions to hire any more.
Four local members of Congress are calling on students from kindergarten through high school to create their own software applications to compete in the third annual Congressional App Challenge.
Students who live or attend school in the congressional districts of U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro, Lamar Smith, Henry Cuellar and Lloyd Doggett can enter individually or in teams of up to four. (At least two students per team must meet the district eligibility requirements for their team to qualify.)
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Music, Movies & Entertainment, Local News, Arts & Culture, Travel & Local Attractions, Seasonal & Current Events
By Long Island News & PR Published: September 27 2017
The Fifth Annual Convention Will Celebrate 54 Years of Doctor Who.
Fans dress up as their favorite Doctor Who characters at last year's L.I. Who 4 convention. This year's upcoming event promises to be bigger and better than ever!
Long Island, NY - September 27, 2017 - Fans from around the world are planning to attend L.I. Who 5, Long Islands Doctor Who convention, at the Hyatt Regency Long Island on November 10th-12th, 2017. Now in its fifth year, the convention will celebrate 54 years of Doctor Who in television, film, comics, audio dramas, novels and more.
Doctor Who fans will have the opportunity to meet their favorite actors, attend discussion panels, cosplay their favorite characters, and more. A full-size screen accurate TARDIS will be on hand for photo opportunities.
Waris Hussein is the Guest of Honor this year. Hussein directed the first ever Doctor Who serial An Unearthly Child as well as the missing classic story Marco Polo. His contributions to the early years of Doctor Who were featured in the 2013 movie An Adventure in Space and Time. Along with Hussein, the legendary Frazer Hines returns. Hines is famous for portraying the classic companion Jamie McCrimmon during the Second Doctor era. Hes also the inspiration for the main character in Diana Gabaldons Outlander series.
L.I. Who 5 celebrity guests include Ingrid Oliver (Osgood); the beloved Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy. McCoy also starred in Peter Jacksons The Hobbit. Lalla Ward (Romana II) making a very rare U.S. convention appearance at L.I Who 5; John Leeson, the voice of the Doctor's faithful robot companion K9 will also be attending; and Michael Troughton, actor and son of the Second Doctor Patrick Troughton. Actress Katy Manning (Jo Grant) returns. One of the operators of the Daleks, Barnaby Edwards, will be appearing along with replicas of the Doctors arch nemesis.
Over 100 hundred hours of programming will feature bloggers, artists, authors, podcasters, musicians, and filmmakers in discussion panels and performances. Autograph and photo opportunities plus a full-sized vendor hall will be available. Passionate fans will have a chance to volunteer for on-site programming. The Childrens programming department has a full schedule of fun events for the youngest Whovians throughout the weekend.
Passes can be purchased in advance on www.LongIslandDoctorWho.com and will be available at the door.
ABOUT DISCOVER LONG ISLAND
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness
By Long Island News & PR Published: September 27 2017
Thank you Long Island customers, and others visiting our stores that donated $1 for our Give a Heart campaign this year.
The Long Island Ronald McDonald House is a not-for-profit that caters to the needs of families of seriously ill children who are being treated at the neighboring Cohen Children's Hospital.
Long Island, NY - September 27, 2017 - Long Island McDonalds Restaurants and its customers raised $95,263 for the second annual Give a Heart campaign, where customers donated $1 for a Heart during the month of July. This check will be presented to the Long Island McDonalds Restaurants and its customers raised $95,263 for the second annual Give a Heart campaign, where customers donated $1 for a Heart during the month of July. This check will be presented to the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island on Monday, October 9th, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. The Hearts were displayed in Long Island McDonalds restaurants, and as a thank you, customers received a certificate for a Free Small Soft Drink with any purchase.
We are so grateful for the generosity and commitment displayed by the McDonalds and Long Island community, said Matt Campo, President of the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island. Since our inception 31 years ago, our partnership with McDonalds has been vital to our mission of keeping families close and providing comfort for families experiencing the pain of their childs medical crisis, he continued. We are overwhelmed by the growth of this initiative. On behalf of the families that benefit from the Give a Heart campaign, thank you for your continued support.
Thank you Long Island customers, and others visiting our stores that donated $1 for our Give a Heart campaign this year. Your support has been amazing, and I am happy to say that we surpassed last year's donation. You have all helped to further the mission of our Ronald McDonald House of Long Island, says Josh Kaufman, President of the Long Island McDonald's Owner & Operators Association. We are so touched by the overwhelming support from our customers demonstrated by the Ronald McDonald House of Long Islands Give a Heart campaign this year, says Luciana Montuoro, Long Island McDonalds Marketing & Public Relations Director. We realize that there are so many worthy charities one can donate to, and yet, customers wholeheartedly supported the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island. I take pride in saying that Long Islands best kept secret,and what I refer to as the rock on the Island, as it provides a sense of stability to families in times of need, is the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island located in New Hyde Park, says Luciana Montuoro. There are 80 McDonalds restaurants in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. For information on Long Island McDonalds programs, and to see how we serve in our communities, visit us at www.LIMcDonalds.com
About the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island
In November 2001, the Board of Directors at the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island embarked on a $5 million journey to more than double the size of the existing facility. The reason for this project was to help alleviate the pressures the resident managers faced when forced to turn away families in need. The new building, consisting of 24 additional bedrooms along with expanded community areas, has allowed the House to serve approximately one thousand families each year.
Keeping families close in the midst of a medical crisis
The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island is the 100th House of over 350 Ronald McDonald House programs worldwide. Located in New Hyde Park on the campus of the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Childrens Medical Center of New York, the House accommodates families in a warm and supportive environment. Through a series of programs and services, families staying at RMH-LI are able to focus on their childs recovery.
Culture
The iconic New York museum bags the title for the third year in a row, beating the Art Institute of Chicago and Pariss Musee dOrsay.
Sep 27, 2017 | By Pameyla Cambe
New York has it all: fashion capital status, several of the best bars and hotels in the world and for the third year in a row now the Worlds Best Museum. The titleholder is none other than the Metropolitan Museum of Art, affectionately referred to by New Yorkers and patrons as the Met in their gushing reviews on TripAdvisor.
For the 2017 edition of TripAdvisors Travellers Choice Awards, the travel website saw more than 44,600 reviews bestowing a full five out of five bubbles upon the Met. This gives the museum, which is the largest one in the United States, the highest rates of visitor satisfaction in the world.
Taking into account the ratings, quantity and quality of reviews on its website over a 12-month period, TripAdvisors special algorithm determines the worlds top 10 museums every year.
This year, the Met is accompanied by quite a few other American museums on the list. The National WWII Museum in New Orleans came in second, while the Art Institute of Chicago took the fourth place. Another one of New Yorks galleries made the list as well. The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum, which commemorates the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, is listed at the sixth position.
Outside of the USA, the Musee dOrsay (#3) became the top-rated museum in France, while the worlds largest museum, St. Petersburgs State Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace (#5) topped the list in Russia.
If youre planning a visit to the worlds best museum anytime soon, here are some of the exhibitions that you should look out for:
Rodin at The Met
September 16, 2017 to January 15, 2018
A centenary after his death, the magic of Auguste Rodins true-to-life sculptures is not lost. To mark the 100th anniversary, the Met is displaying their grand collection of the French sculptors oeuvre, built from a century of acquisitions and museum donations. On display are some 50 marbles, bronzes, plasters and earthenware works. Keep an eye out for some of Rodins well-known masterpieces, such as The Hand of God, The Tempest and the perpetually contemplative The Thinker.
Edvard Munch: Between the Clock and the Bed
November 15, 2017 to February 4 2018
Norwegian artist Edvard Munchs exploration of human anxiety has always been a keystone of his work, and its his depictions of the theme that had catapulted him to fame early in his career. To Munch, however, his renaissance came much later in life at the age of 50. One of his final works, titled Self Portrait: Between the Clock and the Bed, evokes the themes of desire, mortality, isolation and anxiety, serving as a lens to reassess the artists work. You can do just that at this upcoming exhibition at The Met Breuer, which will feature 45 masterworks created by Munch over six decades. This includes 16 self-portraits and paintings that will be showcased in the US for the first time.
David Hockney
November 27, 2017 to February 25, 2018
Having travelled to Tate Britain in London and Pariss Centre Pompidou beforehand, the major David Hockney retrospective celebrating the British artists 80th birthday is finally coming to New York. A wide selection of Hockneys iconic works and key moments from his six-decade-long career will be presented at the exhibition. David Hockney will also highlight the artists achievements across a range of media: notably drawings, photography and video. For those who happen to be in North America, this is the shows only venue in the region and you wont want to miss it.
Kochi : The Kerala High Court on Wednesday deferred its judgement on the anticipatory bail plea of actor Dileep in the sensational actress assault case. The court completed the hearing from the both defense and prosecution side. Meanwhile, the court has not informed the date when it would be pronounced.
Strongly objecting against the actor's bail plea, the prosecution said that Dileep had given a quotation of Rs 1.5 Cr to the prime accused Pulsar Suni in attacking and abducting the actress. They also added that Dileep offered Rs 3 Cr to Suni, if he is nabbed by the police.
The prosecution had informed the court that Pulsar Suni, the prime accused in the case had revealed all these to his jail mate Vipinlal. Suni also reportedly told him that if the quotation succeeded then Dileep would have gained Rs 65 crore through this.
When the court queried about the investigation, the porbing team pointed that the investigation on the mobile phone, the key evidence in the case, is still going on. Meanwhile, the police team investigating the sensational actress assault case on Wednesday alleged that the actor tried to influence the witnesses in the case, which might jeopardize the investigation.
The investigation team also added that they have clear evidence supporting their claim. As per the reports, the prosecution will be strongly oppose granting bail for the actor pointing the crucial factors.
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BASSETT Friday and Saturday could be busy days at Red and Maes, a restaurant located at 82 Saddleridge Road in Bassett. Anyone with a hankering for spaghetti and a love for the Bassett High School Band is encouraged to dine at the eatery on the last two days of September in support of the local band.
Over 60 percent of the meals total $6.50 cost will go to support the high school students as they head to the Grand Nationals band competition in Indianapolis, Indiana, in November.
Restaurant owner Kimberly Mason said she decided to give more than half of the meals cost to the school for a simple reason: Because we can.
While $2.50 will remain at the restaurant to cover the cost of labor, credit card surcharges and ingredients, $4 out of every meal purchased will go straight to the local band.
The idea to support the band came about when Mason struck up a conversation with a Bassett resident in Dollar General, who told the restaurant owner that the high school students were raising money to go to the competition.
Their child was in the band and we like helping with anything local, Mason said.
Holding a fundraiser for an area organization or community member isnt uncommon at the restaurant. In fact, it happens most every weekend.
We do a spaghetti fundraiser every Friday and Saturday for different causes, Mason said. Schools might need money. A family might need money for a funeral. Weve done fundraisers for cancer patients.
Masons constantly on the lookout to help people in her immediate area.
I know where the moneys going if we keep it local, Mason said. You dont know where it goes if you give it to a national organization.
This weekend, the dinner will benefit students hoping to travel to the competition in a mere two months and it couldnt come at a better time.
According to Bassett High Band Director Trey Harris, the trip will cost between $25,000 and $30,000. The estimate includes travel expenses like bus rentals, gasoline and lodging and necessary performance items like uniforms, flags, props, music and stands.
The $1,000 entry fee is also factored into the overall cost.
If you perform at a local event, theres usually a $75 or $100 entry fee, Harris said. Entry fees at national competitions are pretty significant.
Fundraisers like the dinner at Red and Maes help offset the costs and give students an opportunity to experience life outside of Martinsville-Henry County for a weekend.
Its a big cost for a generally economically depressed area, Harris said. Fundraisers are able to help students afford the trip.
While each member pays dues to be in the band, the fee only covers a portion of what the group needs in order to compete in large-scale competitions.
We try to offset it, Harris said. A lot of the bands from larger, more economically stable cities will charge the kids exactly what it costs to compete. We know our kids cant do that.
While some high schools across the country have thousands upon thousands of dollars pouring into their band program each month, it doesnt mean that their students are any more talented or any more prepared than the kids in Bassett.
We always say how proud our kids are to support their school and their community, Harris said. When we go to these competitions, people tend to ask, How do you do this in an economically depressed area? We do this and were proud to do this on the limited budget that we have. We show up and represent our community in large events and our kids are proud of where they are from.
Community support
The students have the skills and talents they need in order to perform alongside other schools in large competitions, but getting to the various venues wouldnt be possible without community support.
Weve got fundraisers coming up, Harris said. Well have our fruit fundraiser and our Drums Along the Blue Ridge fundraiser. Were still raising that money that we need.
With two months before the big trip, the band director said the group still has to raise between $15,000 and $20,000 in order to send the 106 students to Indianapolis.
Supporting events like the dinner at Red and Maes helps the kids reach their goal.
Mason said shes not sure what kind of turnout to expect over the weekend, but whatevers raised will go straight to the high school.
Sometimes we raise $12, sometimes we raise $1,200. Some fundraisers raise even more than that, Mason said. You never really know what the turnouts going to be like.
While Red and Maes prepares and serves the food, Mason said its up to the beneficiary to spread the word about the dinner, which includes a plate of spaghetti, a piece of garlic bread, a salad and the choice of a tea or lemonade.
Most of the time, people request either a dine-in or pick-up order, which can be made on the spot. For larger orders, like an office order of 10 or more plates, Mason asks that people call ahead an hour or two before theyd like to pick up the meal. For businesses seeking 50 or more to-go orders, its best to call a day or two ahead to ensure prompt service and supply.
If its one plate or 1,000, Masons happy to give back to her community through fundraiser dinners.
If everybody did what they could do to help others, the world would be a pretty good place, Mason said.
The owner said the calendars fairly open in November and December for locals who might need a little financial assistance and would be interested in booking a fundraiser dinner at Red and Maes. However, this weekend, its all about the kids.
It supports our Bassett High School Band, Mason said. You know where your moneys going back to. Its going back to the kid you see in the grocery store or the kid you see walking down the street.
With the help of fundraisers like the spaghetti dinner, Harris looks forward to seeing the students perform at Grand Nationals in the coming weeks.
Our ultimate goal is to be a semifinalist this year, Harris said. Last year, we were five-tenths of a point away.
For those interested in placing a large order for Friday or Saturdays benefit dinner or for those interested in setting up a future fundraiser dinner, contact Red and Maes at (276) 421-5155.
Like a hydra-headed monster, once again, ethnic tension has risen to near boiling point, threatening to tear Nigeria apart. This time around, it is the renewed call for secession of the South Eastern region (the Igbos) from Nigeria by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to form the Republic of Biafra, that is haunting the nation. Similar agitation for Biafra in the late sixties eventually led to three years of civil war from 1967 to 1970, in which over two million men, women and children perished.
Army clampdown on Kanu
Nnamdi Kanu: photo credit Franklin PaulmilkyThe secessionist calls this time around are being led by one Nnamdi Kanu. Recently, the Nigerian government in a show of force, named Operation Python, apparently to forewarn any group daring to challenge the power of the Nigerian state, deployed army troops to Abia state, Nanmdi Kanus home state. The military parade went right up to the residential compound of Kanu, obviously to provoke a reaction and prepare the ground to crush him once and for all.
The army achieved its initial aim. Kanu and his followers were not only provoked, they were humiliated right inside their own land. Kanu eventually went into hiding and his followers were humiliated. It will take a while to forget such an experience. Some were forced to drink water from the mud and were seen rolling around on the wet muddy ground, while serious brutalization by the army continued unabated.
As could be expected, this has generated mixed reactions, especially among the Nigerian left. The argument has been couched in legalistic terms, on whether the Nigerian Governments action, mostly centred on the blatant intimidation of Kanu and his supporters, was legal or not. Some, who even unashamedly call themselves Marxists, actually thought that with a little protest and pressure, a bourgeois state can stop being a state, i.e. armed bodies of men in defence of private property. These gentlemen and ladies have actually been taken in by the word Democracy and believe that Bourgeois democracy is democracy for the majority, instead of what it really is: Democracy of the Minority against the majority. To expect the State to do away with the use of force to enforce the rule of the minority over the overwhelming majority is actually to expect the Lion to start eating grass.
For as long as the power remains in the hands of a bourgeois elite, the state will be its tool and it will be used to defend the interests of the bourgeois class in power. We condemn the military operations in the South-East, but we must go beyond that and offer the workers and poor a way out of what could become a catastrophe.
The agitation of IPOB
What precisely does IPOB agitation mean? The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by Nnamdi Kanu is a separatist organization that wants a number of states in south-east Nigeria, made up mainly of people from the Igbo ethnic group, to break away from Nigeria and form the independent nation of Biafra.
This renewed agitation is rooted in the inability of the Nigerian ruling elite to advance Nigerian society forward. The economy is currently in a terrible mess. Unemployment has skyrocketed, and the Naira has been haemorrhaging for some time now, with no end in sight. Many existing factories are closing down and no new ones are being built. The power problem remains unresolved, while 110 million Nigerians are said to be living below the poverty level.
In these conditions, naturally, the issue of security has taken the front seat, with kidnappings of schoolchildren for ransom and sometimes even for rituals, becoming much more rampant now. In this kind of scenario, even an ordinary bigoted and narrow-minded nonentity can easily mobilize the ever increasing lumpen, de-classed and even criminal elements in society under the banner of nationalism and self-determination. Although, it should be noted that in the current instance, genuinely confused but honest Nigerians can also easily be carried away by the rhetoric of Nationalism. The reason for this is that no way out is being offered by the Labour leaders, who continue to hang on to the coattails of the ruling elite.
IPOB agitation began after the assumption of power by the APC-led Buhari regime. And Buhari is from the North of Nigeria. It is also worth remembering that Kanu was once a staunch public advocate of the unity of Nigeria. In 2012, during the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan who is from the south-south region of the country Kanu joined others in clamouring for peace and unity in the fight against Boko Haram. He saw no reason to criticise Jonathans regime or to raise the Biafra agitation. This, among other things, casts serious doubt on the sincerity and the genuineness of the Kanu-led IPOB agitation.
In all of Kanus speeches and utterances, he has not once said a word about the oppressive nature of the system of capitalism that has made life very difficult for the mass majority of Nigerians, including the Easterners. Instead of rousing all the oppressed Nigerians across all the ethnic divides against their common oppressors, that is, Buhari and Jonathan among others, as a step toward the radical transformation of society, Kanus speeches are mostly characterized by arrogance, hate, bigotry, abuse and even outright curses on other ethnic groups. He has also incited attacks against non-Igbos, in particular Hausas in the south-east. This can only lead to tit-for-tat attacks on Igbos in the north with the danger of so-called ethnic cleansing in different parts of Nigeria.
All this, as can be expected, tends to repel most people from the other regions, but also the advanced layers of the Easterners themselves.
Embed from Getty Images
For the unity of all the oppressed of Nigeria
As long as a tiny minority of people still controls the economic resources of the country as against the mass majority of the people, mass poverty and unemployment will still persist. Even the actualization of the so called Republic of Biafra would solve nothing fundamental on a capitalist basis. This is the lesson of south Sudan.
The genuine solution to the problems of Easterners does not lie in seceding from Nigeria in a bloody conflagration but in uniting with all oppressed Nigerians to wage a revolutionary war against their common oppressors with a view to wresting power from them. But in achieving this, we must understand the obstacle presented by the State machinery: the army, the police and all the state paraphernalia. This brings us to the question: What is a Marxist analysis of the state?
The Role of the State
Biafran solidarity protest in LondonMarxists are not pacifists and we do not see the state as an impartial arbiter standing above society. The fundamental essence of every state, with its armed bodies of men, police, courts and other trappings, is that it serves the interests of one class in society, in this particular case the capitalist class. Some naively thought that the fundamental objective of the state under a Military-Police Dictatorship is different from a Bourgeois democratic state, but this is far from the truth. There may be differences of form, but the character of the state remains the same, be it a Military Dictatorship or a Bourgeois democratic regime.
This is even more reason why the recent outcry about the legality or the illegality of the Nigerian state in deploying the army to Nnamdi Kanus home town in the South East as a show of force to crush the activities of IPOB and the subsequent banning of their activities, is too simplistic with little or no understanding of the workings of the state.
For a minority to lord its will over the overwhelming majority in a society, a powerful and monstrous terror machine is inevitable and this is the State in its essence. Under the former President Obasanjo regime, i.e. in a period of bourgeois democracy, the Odi community, a community in the oil rich South-South, was almost wiped out by the Nigerian army; many lives were lost, mainly children, the elderly and women. In 2012, the Nigerian Army was rolled out to crush peaceful demonstrations of Nigerians against the anti-worker policies of the former president Jonathan regime. Examples abound in Nigeria where the state has demonstrated the fact that it is an instrument of violence and an organ of class rule.
A Bourgeois state will not cease to be such through the mere condemnation of its actions, but can only be overthrown by the revolutionary movement of the Nigerian working class in alliance with the mass majority of Nigerian poor, as well as the rank-and file members of the Army and the police who will naturally come to the side of people when they see the determination in them to change society. This is because they are not totally immune to the developments in society in which they live. The histories of all revolutions confirm this.
The method being used by the Kanuled IPOB, insulting widely with an arrogant tone all the other ethnic groups, will eventually strengthen the state rather than weaken it.
Therefore, once again on the right of self-determination, the IPOB and the left in Nigeria, what is the correct Marxist position on this question?
Right of Self-determination and the Marxist Interpretation
The question of the right to self-determination is a concrete question. There is no one-fits-all position that can be applied to all national questions. It depends on the concrete circumstances.
The question of the right of self-determination has now once again come to the fore in Nigeria. The petty-bourgeois nationalists agitating for secession have advanced this democratic right as a justification for their call.
As quoted below, Alan Woods and Ted Grant remind us of Lenins position on this question:
That Lenin defended the right of nations to self-determination is an ABC proposition for a Marxist. But after ABC there are more letters in the alphabet, and a schoolchild who constantly repeated ABC would not be thought to be particularly intelligent. Dialectics, as Lenin explained many times, deals with phenomena in an all-sided way. To abstract a single element in a complex equation, and to counterpose it to all the other elements, is a childish misuse of dialectics, known to the history of philosophy as sophism. Such abuses lead to errors of the crassest type in logic. In politics, and particularly the politics of the national question, they lead directly to the defence of reactionary nationalism and the abandonment of socialism. The national question is a minefield, the crossing of which demands a reliable compass. The moment you depart just one centimetre from a class position, you are lost. Thus, many of those who today try to cite Lenin's defence of the right to self-determination fall into the trap of capitulating to the insistent pressure of petty bourgeois nationalism which is just the opposite of Lenin's position. Let him speak for himself:
"We are not in favour of preserving small nations at all costs;" he wrote, "other conditions being equal, we positively favour centralisation and oppose the philistine ideal of federal relationships." (LCW, The Socialist Revolution and the Right of Nations to Self-determination, January-February 1916, vol. 22.) Lenin did not in every case support the right of small nations to self-determination. As he carefully explains, other things being equal, we always support larger national units against smaller, and centralisation, on a democratic basis, against decentralisation. But all other conditions are not necessarily equal. The fact of national oppression of one nation by another obliges the proletariat and its organisations to fight against national oppression and defend the right of nations to self-determination.
The right of nations to self-determination is a democratic demand and Marxists support it, as we support any other democratic demand. But the support for democratic demands in general has never been considered by Marxists as some kind of Categorical Imperative. Such demands are always subordinate to the interests of the working class and the struggle for socialism, as Lenin clearly explains: "In practice, the proletariat can retain its political independence only by subordinating its struggle for all democratic demands, not excluding the demand for a republic, to its revolutionary struggle for the overthrow of the bourgeoisie." (Marxism and the National Question)
Shamefully, many on the left have completely forgotten the precious lessons of the past, and have also helped the secessionists to echo this slogan. The Right to Self Determination is taken by them as categorical imperative, that is, it is a demand to be advanced every time, everywhere and under all circumstances. Some of them have read Lenin on this question but, unfortunately, they have not really understood what he wrote. He always stressed that the national question and the right to self-determination is subordinate to the interests of the working class as a whole, and it is with this consideration in mind that Marxists should approach the question of IPOB today.
It was under the slogan of self-determination that the barbaric war in the Balkans was waged in the 80s and the civil war in Nigeria was waged with over 2 million lives lost. The demand for the right of self-determination is not a general formula, applicable under all circumstances. It has to be concretely applied and in the concrete context we are confronted with.
The aim of Lenin when the Bolsheviks advanced this slogan was not to divide the working class along national lines, but rather to unite them. The slogan achieved its objective in Russia. It led to the coming together of all nationalities to wage war against the common enemy (the Tsar) and after the successful revolution many oppressed nationalities agreed to form a Union with Russia
The lessons of Yugoslavia
However, what did this slogan lead to in the Balkans, where the right of self-determination was raised to push a reactionary agenda? It led to the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, without any benefit to the workers of the various republics and with a completely reactionary outcome. Back then also, many left groups played with the slogan of self-determination without looking at the concrete situation.
The question of which nationalities are being oppressed and by what nationality is a complicated question in Nigeria. There are over two hundred and fifty small ethnic groups, often sharing the same territory and intermixed with each other, and whose voices are not even heard outside, and they have always been pawns in the hands of the bourgeoisies from bigger ethnic groups close to them. The three major ethnic groups (Yorubas, Hausa-Fulani and Igbos) have been playing the victims of oppression one after the other without much evidence to back it up.
Furthermore, the situation has become much more complicated with the migration of different ethnic groups to other areas. For example, over 10 million Igbos live in the North, with over 3 million estimated to be living in Kano alone. There are almost 10 million in Lagos in the South-West alone. In the same way, millions of Yorubas have also settled in the North for several decades, many never returning to their historical base. There have been inter-marriages and many combined business setups.
In these conditions, any move to secede on a capitalist basis would lead to unimaginable butchery, or ethnic cleansing as it is politely referred to. And the end result would be either a bloody war to hold Nigeria together or equally bloody secessions like in Yugoslavia, with reactionary regimes on all sides.
We ask, what would be progressive in such a result in Nigeria? How would the interests of the Nigerian workers and poor be defended in such a scenario? This is also true of the Igbos. How would the Igbo worker or peasant be better off under a Kanu-led government in any future Biafra?
The problem lies in the fact that Nigeria today is in the hands of a backward, weak and inept ruling capitalist class which is running a backward capitalist economy.
In these conditions, the hope of a peaceful secession on a decent gentlemanly-agreement basis is out of the question. It will always end up in barbarism.
Oil is pivotal in all this, as it is the mainstay of the Nigerian economy. It was no accident that even the unsuccessful Biafra republic (during the 1967 Biafra secession) annexed the South-South despite the claim of defending the right of self-determination. The South-South is not Igbo territory, so it would have exchanged the oppression of the wider Nigerian elite for oppression at the hands of an Igbo elite. The Igbos from oppressed would have become the oppressors, as has often been seen in history in such cases.
As it was then, so it is now. The Nigerian ruling elite will go to any extent to retain control of the oil region and it is obvious they have all agreed on this across the length and breadth of the country.
What should be done?
Marxists defend the right of self-determination, but we have to be concrete and look at the real conditions on the ground. Today, on a capitalist basis, the Igbos, or any other ethnic group within Nigeria, will not achieve what they desire an end to poverty, for jobs, healthcare, housing, etc. simply be seceding from the Federation. A real sustainable solution to the incessant ethnic tensions in Nigeria is to cut deep into the social base upon which these so called ethnic militants grow their support. It is a movement of lumpenised, declassed, frustrated and sometimes criminal elements in society. For as long as Nigeria remains under-developed with rising unemployment and growing poverty, the social base of the bigoted and hate-promoting ethnic militants will continue to grow.
Only through massive development of the economy and the hope of a better future for the youth, will the swarm of youths currently being attracted towards this movement be won over to a genuine progressive and united solidarity movement.
Unfortunately, the inept capitalist ruling elite cannot, under the capitalist system, develop Nigeria on the large scale required. Therefore, the hope of a truly united, strong and prosperous Nigeria is tied intimately to the task of the revolutionary overthrow of the current crop of ruling elite across all the ethnic groups. The overthrow of the ruling elite and its capitalist system will pave the way for the building of modern, industrialized Nigeria along the Socialist path.
In such a context, all the peoples of Nigeria, all the ethnic groups could achieve self-rule or autonomy, depending on the situation in each state that makes up Nigeria, but within a federation of all the working peoples, where the rights of every group, whether national, linguistic or religious, would be guaranteed.
For this to come about, the Nigerian Labour leaders would have to play a very different role than the one they have played so far. There was a time when the NLC (Nigerian Labour Congress) leaders were loved by the masses. When they called general strikes in defence of the workers and poor, there was an enthusiastic response across all the ethnic divisions. Workers in the north, the south-west, the south and the east all responded in the hope of changing things.
The problem is that nothing has changed. Too many times the Labour leaders have compromised, leaving the workers, the youth and the poor with no hope. It is in these conditions that movements to secede can grow, where we see local bourgeois elites, for their own greedy reasons, promoting self-determination. We too are for self-determination, but we are for the self-determination of the Igbo workers and peasants, in the same way that we are for the self-determination of the Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani workers and peasants, the Ijaw workers and peasants, and so on. Only by coming together, can the different ethnic groups achieve genuine freedom.
A Democratic Socialist Federation of Nigeria, with the rights of all ethnic groups recognised and defended, would be a shining example for other struggling backward countries across Africa and it would be the basis upon which a Democratic Socialist Federation of Africa could be ultimately built.
Forward to the Nigerian Socialist Revolution
Forward to the Democratic Socialist Federation of Nigeria
Ce urmeaza dupa retragerea rusilor din Herson: Putin e pe cale sa faca o grava eroare din punct de vedere militar / Niciodata sa nu-ti intrerupi dusmanul cand face o greseala
As we enter our 125th year, those who have come before us would certainly ask us to carry this gift of the University of Montana forward in service to the generations to come. How will you be part of the solution?
FRAN ALBRECHT
http://missoulian.com/opinion/columnists/um-is-your-university/article_2568d3d7-870d-5422-8388-aa6c143e6d90.html
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Freshman Enrollment Increases at University of Montana http://www.matr.net/article-79029.html
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The Rural Higher-Education Crisis http://www.matr.net/article-79033.html
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UM SEARCH FOR PRESIDENT
University of Montana president finalists havent led doctoral institutions
All four finalists for University of Montana president get failing marks in one area.
None has experience leading an institution that grants doctoral degrees, said Rosalyn LaPier, a faculty member in environmental studies.
"I know its a concern of a lot of faculty members," LaPier said Tuesday.
KEILA SZPALLER [email protected]
http://missoulian.com/news/local/university-of-montana-president-finalists-haven-t-led-doctoral-institutions/article_f02225a9-519c-5232-a7ab-113d9b8b3427.html
Micron Technology Inc. reported record sales and fat profits Tuesday, reaping benefits from diversification and cost-cutting efforts as worldwide prices and demand for its memory products rise. But the company also began notifying a few hundred Boise workers that their jobs will end as most of their work is shipped to a Micron plant in Taiwan.
BY DAVID STAATS
[email protected]
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article175531826.html
The Speaker of the National Assembly made a statement in the 27th October 2022 concerning the Grossly disorderly conduct of a parliament member after asking him to leave the House.
At the sitting of Tuesday last, after I ordered Hon. Bhagwan to withdraw from the Chamber during the remainder of the days sitting following his grossly disorderly conduct, pursuant to Standing Order 48 of the Standing Orders and Rules of the National Assembly (1995), Hon Bhagwan uttered the following words to my address, I quote: You are acting like an agent of the MSM, not as Speaker. An agent of the MSM! I consider the words uttered as being contemptuous and outrageous against the Chair as well as casting aspersions on the impartiality of the Chair.
Disorderly Conduct
48. The Speaker or the person presiding shall order any Member or Members whose conduct is grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately from the House during the remainder of that days sitting. But if on any occasion the Speaker or the person presiding deems that his or her powers under the previous provisions of this Order are inadequate, he or she may name such Member or Members, in which event the same procedure shall be followed as is provided by Standing Order 49.
Standing Order 49(8)
Nothing in this Order shall be deemed to prevent the Assembly from proceeding against any Member for any breach of order not specified herein or from proceeding in any other way it thinks fit in dealing with the breaches of order herein mentioned.
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The high-profile meeting in Bali is the first since Biden became US President in 2021.
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Angela Sirigu, who led the work at the Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod in Lyon, France, said: "He is still paralysed, he cannot talk, but he can respond. Now he is more aware."Since the treatment was done, he started to track objects with his eyes, began to stay awake while being read a story and his eyes opened wide in surprise when the examiner suddenly moved her face close to the patient's. He could even respond to some simple requests, such as turning his head when asked - although this took about a minute.Niels Birbaumer, of the University of Tubingen said,"Many of these patients may and will have been neglected, and passive euthanasia may happen often in a vegetative state," he said.The vagus nerve, which the treatment targeted, connects the brain to almost all the vital organs in the body, running from the brain stem down both sides of the neck, across the chest and into the abdomen. In the brain, it is linked directly to two regions known to play roles in alertness and consciousness.In surgery lasting about 20 minutes, a small implant was placed around the vagus nerve in the man's neck. After one month of vagal nerve stimulation, the patient's attention, movements and brain activity significantly improved and he had shifted into a state of minimal consciousness.Signs of increased electrical communication between brain regions and significantly more activity in areas linked to movement, sensation and awareness were recorded.The findings offer hope to the families of patients in PVS that it may one day be possible to re-establish some basic form of communication. However, some might also question whether such patients would wish to be made more acutely aware of being in a severely injured state.Damian Cruse, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Birmingham, described the findings as "pretty exciting", adding that in future it might be possible to combine vagal nerve stimulation with other forms of rehabilitation.Source: Medindia
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Now, a collaborative study, with a Huddersfield professor, has enabled future doctors to experience some of the challenges patients living with skin cancer can face to develop a greater empathy for their patients.Professor Nigel King is an Associate Dean of Research within the School of Human and Health Sciences and together with experts from Queen's University Belfast and University College Dublin, a study has been published in thethat explores how temporary skin tattoos might influence a medical student's personal understanding of a malignant melanoma diagnosis.Melanoma or skin cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK claiming over 2,500 lives every year. Over 15,000 patients will be diagnosed with melanoma cancer every year, a diagnosis that can be daunting for a patients and their loved ones.Medical students from Queen's University Belfast were encouraged to wear a highly realistic temporary tattoo of a malignant melanoma for 24 hours before listening to an audio account of a patient sharing their experience of what it was like to discover a melanoma. They then recorded their own thoughts and experiences and took part in in depth interviews with experts.Professor King's role was to contribute his methodological expertise to the design of the study and particularly the analysis of the interview transcripts and audio diaries. He said this relatively inexpensive simulation undoubtedly encouraged the students to consider the person behind the illness and enabled them to develop a greater empathy."For all of the students who took part it was a powerful experience," said Professor King."The melanoma temporary tattoo provided a profound experience because one thing you don't often realise until you have melanoma is, compared to other cancers and diseases, there is a physical sign of it. Meaning if you have it, you are constantly reminded you have got it," he said.Thesaid that while nothing can fully simulate the emotional impact of receiving a cancer diagnosis, this has been a novel way to help doctors understand what it feels like to have a visible skin disorder and how this can attract unwanted attention from strangers, leaving people feeling self-conscious.Professor King and colleagues now hope to repeat the study with other groups such as nursing students to see if it achieves the same degree of positive response.Source: Eurekalert
Give us a movie on dogs, at any time of any given hour of any given day and we will lap it up quicker than a dog laps up their food!
And Wes Anderson has done just that!
In his latest movie, he's brought together a pack of scary and scruffy dogs that are making it very difficult to sit still without letting out an Aww' at our screens!
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Isle Of Dogs' is the name of Wes Anderson's latest movie project which is set to release on March 30th 2018 and it's too far away for us to be patient. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Nijiro Murakami, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, Mari Natsuki, Yoko Ono, Bryan Cranston, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, and, of course, Bill Murray.
Youtube
The movie is set in Japan, 20 years in the future, as it follows the story of Atari Kobayashi, 12-year-old ward to the corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by Executive Decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump called Trash Island, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies across the river in search of his bodyguard dog, Spots, says the voice in the background. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture.
The typical Wes Anderson theatrics will have you sitting up, like every Wes Anderson movie does. And with a plot like this one, Isle Of Dogs' is soon going to become a favourite at movie halls, in no time!
TAP to launch 131 more projects in coming months managing director
The consortium for construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is due to roll out 131 additional projects with a total value of approximately 23 million euros in the upcoming months, TAP Managing Director Luca Schieppati said in an interview with Trend.He pointed out that the benefits TAP will bring in Greece, Albania and Italy are many."The project will directly contribute to the three countries gross domestic products (GDP) through taxes. Also, TAP will promote economic development and direct as well as indirect job creation along the pipeline route, both during construction and operation. Currently nearly 6,000 people work for the project in Greece, Albania and Italy, as part of TAPs network of key contractors," said Schieppati.TAP managing director pointed out that many local businesses are involved in the project and local people will be employed throughout the construction process."So there are many "spill-over" effects for adjacent businesses, including accommodation, transport, catering, etc. via eligible suppliers," he added.In addition, Schieppati noted that the project is contributing to improving local infrastructure via the rehabilitation of access roads and bridges in Albania."Furthermore, TAP is supporting local communities with strategic projects as part of our social and environmental investment (SEI) programme. In total, we will invest over 55 million euros in the communities along our route," he added.The managing director said that in Greece, TAP announced an investment of 9 million euros to enhance and upgrade the fleet of utility vehicles in Northern Greece with 92 new vehicles (ambulances, garbage trucks, forestry vehicles, snowploughs and civil protection vehicles)."In Albania, we rehabilitated a double lane bridge in the city of Corovoda, which will improve transport infrastructure as well as access to the main hospital in the city," he said. "In Italy, as part of the second edition of TAP Start, we are offering small grants totaling 400,000 for projects in the areas of tourism, sports, environment and social issues. 131 additional projects with a total value of approximately 23 million euros are due to be rolled out in the upcoming months."TAP is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italys south.TAP will be 878 kilometers in length in total (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).TAPs shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), SnamS.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
Businesses with extra cash: what to do with all of it?
VietNamNet Bridge - After concluding successful transactions, large conglomerates now have trillions of dong in their coffers. And they have to think about how to use the money.
After concluding successful transactions, large conglomerates now have trillions of dong in their coffers. And they have to think about how to use the money.
FPT Group of Truong Gia Binh, one of the richest stock billionaires, has wrapped up the sale of a 47 percent stake in FPT Trading, a subsidiary of FPT, to Synnex Technology International Corporation.FPT earned nearly VND1 trillion from selling a part of its retail company to a leading global technology, telecommunication and electronics distribution group.Sinnex is known as the worlds third largest conglomerate in the field with revenue of tens of billions of dollars, while FPT Trading is the largest ICT product distributor in Vietnam with 40 percent of market share.Prior to that, FPT also sold a 30 percent stake in FPT Retail to Dragon Capital and VinaCapital and earned nearly VND1 trillion. FPT share prices increased sharply after FPT got big money.In 2014, Kinh Do Group (KDC) sold its sweets manufacturing facility to the US-based Mondelez International in a deal worth $370 million.This was one of the most noteworthy affairs at that time in which Tran Le Nguyen and Tran Kim Thanh, the owners of Kinh Do, collected VND8 trillion after 20 years of operation. The amount of money, plus the money Kinh Do got before, turned Kinh Do into a cash king.In April, A My Gia JSC, a cosmetics trading company, sold a 100 percent stake to Japanese Earth Chemical at VND1.8 trillion.Many other Vietnamese businesses also earned big money from large M&A deals, including Diana (sanitary pads), X-Men (shampoo), and Prime (enameled tile). In Primes case, sources said the seller pocketed VND5 trillion.Most recently, sources said the owners of a cement company in the central region sold a stake to Thai SCG and earned $156 million.Binh of FPT said FPT plans to divest from the trading sector to gather strength in its core business field IT technology.However, investors still do not know which technologies FPT will focus on, because software outsourcing, the field FPT has been developing over many years, does not need much capital.While the worlds technology conglomerates have gained success, FPT still cannot make big leaps. Ten years ago, FPT entered the bourse with capitalization value of $1.5 billion, and the figure now is around $1.1 billion.In recent years, many Vietnamese giants have sold their businesses for trillions of dong. However, in many cases, the money was divided among shareholders because they could not find new investment opportunities.
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CARO -- As President Donald J. Trump advances his America First agenda, Michigan Trump Republicans are holding popular meetings across Michigan, including the Upper Thumb.
The events continue even with the radical left's pressure on each venue hosting a Michigan Trump Republican (MTR) event. MTR recently announced its next meeting will be in Caro.
This marks MTR's first visit to Tuscola County.
MTR's meeting will be at 6 p.m. at Brentwood Dining & Bowing, located at 178 Park Drive in Caro.
"We are thrilled to have several Trump supporting elected representatives speak at our MTR event," said Meshawn Maddock, a founder of MTR. "Election season is in full swing and it's time to elect more Trump supporters."
"Trump is advancing our and his America first agenda," he added. "That's why he was elected. The candidates appearing at our MTR event are focused on draining the swamp in Lansing."
Featured and confirmed speakers at this MTR event include:
Dr. Jim Hines, of Saginaw
Senator Mike Green, R-District 31
Rep. Gary Glenn, R-District 98
Rep. Ed Canfield, District 84
Meshawn Maddock, of Milford
Diane Schindlbeck, of Spring Lake
The event is complimentary and open to all Trump supporters. It will include free food, but registration is requested at http://www.michigantrumprepublicans.com/
Future MTR events will be held in other Michigan locations including Grand Rapids, St. Joseph, Holland and Traverse City. Additional locations are expected. Dates, locations, sponsors and speakers will be announced for each location as confirmed.
Michigan Trump Republicans updates may be found at its Facebook page www.facebook.com/MichiganTrumpRepublicans or at its website www.michigantrumprepublicans.com
Questions about Michigan Trump Republican's events may be addressed by email to michigantrumprepublicans@gmail.com or by telephone to Meshawn Maddock at 248-866-2631.
NEW MILFORD Surrounded by his family and town employees who have already started moving into the building, Mayor David Gronbach ceremoniously cut the ribbon Saturday on the result of one of his campaign promises, the John Pettibone Community Center.
It really took a village to get to this point, Gronbach told the crowd.
After thanking those who helped with the project, Gronbach took visitors on a tour of the former school, which has been renovated to house the Parks and Recreation Department, social services and the youth agency.
The parks department, which used space all over town for various programs, will use the former main office and re-purposed neighboring classrooms as its own dedicated space, he said.
Other classrooms were converted for the youth agency, which more than doubled the amount of space it had at its East Street location, said Gene Marino, chairman of the agencys board.
(Our employees) are all used to working pretty much on top of each other, so this makes it a nicer surrounding for them, Marino said. And it expands a lot of possibilities for programming, too.
Some renovations were not finished in time for the grand opening Saturday, but Gronbach said they will likely be completed in the next few weeks.
The buildings library, now empty, will be furnished as a space for community group meetings, and classrooms reserved for the social services department will get divider walls, he said.
The schools central offices were expected to relocate to Pettibone from the Lillis Building on East Street, but the Board of Education backed out after differences arose between the board and town over financing of renovations.
Gronbach said Saturday one wing of the building is still open to the board, but if school offices dont move, it could be offered to Naugatuck Valley Community College or Henry Abbott Technical High School to use for satellite labs.
The next step will be to get nonprofits to use some of the space at the center. Gronbachs mayoral aide, Mary Vannucci, said the office has already been flooded with emails and calls from interested groups.
This would be another facility where we can expand some of the things we do, said Phyllis Schaer, chairwoman of the Candlewood Lake Authority, who took a tour Saturday. I think were just seeing the tip of what (Pettibone) can do to benefit the town.
The authority is considering using the space for classes and demonstrations, she said. Other groups include the Community Culinary School of Northwest Connecticut, which might use the kitchen; the Womens Club of Greater New Milford, and the nonprofit Robotics and Beyond, which might take over the technology lab.
Turning the school into a community center, a promise from Gronbachs 2015 mayoral campaign, has not been without controversy, with most of the contention focusing on how Gronbach approached and carried out the work.
His critics, mostly Republicans, have said the plans should have come from a bipartisan committee that included residents. Theyve also called for a more detailed budget and urged that money for repairs be included in the town budget or financed through bonds.
The Town Council has approved $225,000 for repairs and $155,000 for sidewalks by tapping the Waste Management Fund.
Some have also challenged Gronbachs assertions the renovations likely would cost a couple hundred thousand dollars, although studies conducted earlier, when the building was still a school, estimated those costs in the millions.
Members of the board of finance questioned whether this was an appropriate use of the fund, and Michael Barnes, president of the Republican Town Committee, filed a lawsuit over the $225,000, which is still pending.
Gronbach maintains the fund was established just for projects like this.
The project also stalled in January while the building was inspected for asbestos, which appeared not to have been disturbed during the renovations.
Gronbach said Saturday the biggest and most expensive part of the renovation was updating the buildings electrical system. Most of the other work was cosmetic improvements.
He said hes incredibly happy with how the renovations turned out.
When I took office, it was being left to kind of fall apart and was kind of sad and overwhelming, Gronbach said. But seeing how far weve come, even to me, is nothing short of really miraculous.
aquinn@newstimes.com
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Retired Marine Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger made it his mission to tell the world that if they lived or served on Camp Lejeune...
The U.S. Army has fired the commander of an infantry basic training battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Lt. Col. Robert Howard, commander of 2nd Battalion, 58th Infantry Regiment, 198th Infantry Brigade, lost his command just one month after the Army suspended a group of drill sergeants amid allegations of sexual assault toward female trainees at the home of the Maneuver Center of Excellence.
Fort Benning officials confirmed that Howard has been relieved of his command but would not go into specifics or say if his firing is connected to the drill sergeant investigation.
"The commander was relieved for a loss of confidence in his ability to command," Ben Garrett, Fort Benning spokesman, told Military.com Tuesday.
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Officials at the base and U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command opened an investigation to look at a sexual assault allegation made by a female trainee against a drill sergeant, Benning officials announced Aug. 23.
Initial review of this incident revealed indications of additional allegations of sexual misconduct involving trainees and drill sergeants, Fort Benning officials said at the time.
Fort Benning officials have not released how many drill sergeants have been suspended or how many female trainees are involved.
Garrett declined to comment on the status of the investigation.
Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
The U.S. will send the hospital ship USNS Comfort to Puerto Rico in a ramped up military response, hampered by poor communications, to the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
"We need to understand what [they] need in order to get the right stuff there to the right place," Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson, commander of U.S. Northern Command, said in an acknowledgement that initial assessments failed to gauge the scope of the disaster.
To speed the flow of aid, the military response was being shifted from a sea-based relief effort from the Amphibious Ready Group led by the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge to an Army-led forward headquarters on the ground in Puerto Rico, the Defense Department said in a statement.
Army Brig. Gen. Rick Kim, deputy commander of U.S. Army North, was deploying Wednesday to Puerto Rico to set up a Joint Force Land Component Commander-Forward (JFLCC) base on the island to manage the relief and recovery effort on the ground, DoD said.
Following pleas by island officials for medical aid, the Comfort was preparing to leave port in Norfolk, Virginia but will probably take several days to deploy as it takes on crew and supplies, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Brock Long and the Navy.
At least 10 persons have died in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz warned that many more were at grave risk while waiting for help.
In an emotional plea, Yulin Cruz said Puerto Ricans were in a "life and death" struggle without power, food or water.
"I know that leaders aren't supposed to cry and especially not on TV, but we are having a humanitarian crisis," Yulin Cruz told WUSA-TV. "It's life or death, every moment we spend planning in a meeting or every moment we spend just not getting the help we're supposed to get, people are starting to die."
At a Women In Defense summit in Washington, Robinson, who is overseeing the military response in Puerto Rico, said that it has been difficult thus far to direct the relief.
The problem was in getting a grip on what was needed -- and where -- "on the ground so we don't add to the burden to make sure you put the right capability and capacity in -- whether it's power generators, whether it's water, food," she said.
Robinson said she was in constant contact with the other services to ask "Do you have the things that you need in order to sustain until we figure out more [of] what's happening in Puerto Rico?"
At the direction of the FEMA and local governors, NorthCom has overall responsibility for military relief and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, while U.S. Southern Command, through the State Department, was overseeing operations in the Caribbean's Leeward Islands.
The military initially moved quickly to put in place water, food and medical aid for the 3.4 million U.S. citizens on the island who have mostly been without power and communications since Maria hit last week.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said that the relief effort was "going well," but Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford told a Senate Armed Services hearing that recovery operations have been limited by damage caused to ports and airfields.
"Roughly 44 percent of the population remains without drinking water," DoD said in a statement. Of the 69 hospitals on the island, about 59 were believed to be operational but their status and whether they have power was unknown, DoD said.
The deployment of more ships, aircraft and troops to Puerto Rico followed criticism of the adequacy of the U.S. response thus far and DoD's acknowledgment that poor communications may have affected initial assessments of the disaster.
Earlier this week, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent out a Tweet urging the deployment of the Comfort and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, called on Congress to pass an emergency aid bill.
The DoD statement said that improving communications were now "providing a clearer picture of the extent of the storm damage and the magnitude of the response challenge."
"Given the changing scope and conditions, DoD will adjust its concept of operations in Puerto Rico and transition from a short term, sea-based response to a predominantly land-based effort designed to provide robust, longer term support to FEMA and the Territory," the DoD statement said.
In a separate statement, the Army said that more than 3,800 soldiers and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civilians were now in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Army has 16 aircraft and 520 trucked committed to the relief effort, and an additional eight HH-60 helicopters were expected to arrive in the next 24 hours, the statement said.
The Puerto Rico Army National Guard was primarily focused on route clearance and re-establishing communications on the island, the statement said.
With the electrical grid down, the Department of Defense said that one of the urgent priorities was getting fuel to Puerto Rico to power generators.
The fuel crisis has led members of Congress to urge Trump to suspend shipping restrictions under the Jones Act that bars foreign-flagged vessels from picking up and delivering fuel between U.S. ports.
The Jones Act was suspended from Sept. 8 through Sept. 22 to allow shipments to Texas and Florida after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Puerto Rico was also included under that suspension, but the suspension ended on Sept. 22 and has not been renewed for Puerto Rico.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called on the Trump administration to issue another suspension of the Jones Act for Puerto Rico and ultimately "a full repeal of this archaic and burdensome act."
"These emergency waivers have been valuable in speeding up recovery efforts in the impacted regions," McCain said.
When asked Wednesday about another Jones Act suspension, Trump said "Well, we're thinking about that, but we have a lot of shippers and a lot of people and a lot of people who work in the shipping industry that don't want the Jones Act lifted. And we have a lot of ships out there right now."
"And Puerto Rico is a very difficult situation," Trump said at the White House before leaving for Indiana to discuss tax reform. "I mean, that place was just destroyed. I mean, that place was flattened. That is a really tough situation. I feel so bad for those people.
--Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com
-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Wednesday that an attack on the Kabul airport with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and suicide vests hours after his arrival only heightened U.S. resolve to defeat the Taliban.
"So it is what it is, but it's also the reason why we band together, and we don't question what we're doing here," Mattis said at a news conference with NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at Kabul's heavily-guarded presidential palace, miles away from the airport.
Mattis said he had been unaware the airport had been hit until he began hearing initial press reports.
Both the Taliban and the Afghan offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria claimed responsibility for the attack on the Hamid Karzai international airport, but Mattis put the blame on the Taliban. "This is a classic definition of what the Taliban are up to right now," he said.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahadid said in a Tweet that Mattis' plane had been the target of the attack. Mattis and his team arrived in Kabul on the unscheduled visit after talks on defense issues in India.
Afghan officials said hangars and several helicopters at the airport were damaged in the attack in which an estimated 40 munitions were fired -- mostly rocket-propelled grenades.
The Afghan Interior Ministry said one Afghan civilian was killed and at least 11 others were injured after an insurgent rocket hit a house near the combined civil and military airport. Three of the attackers were also believed to have been killed.
Gunmen holed up in a house near the airport fought with Afghan security forces through most of the day and an airstrike by a coalition aircraft went awry, causing several civilian casualties, Afghan officials said.
A statement by the U.S.-led NATO Resolute Support mission said that airstrike called in to support a special Afghan police unit at the airport suffered a "missile malfunction."
"Resolute Support deeply regrets the harm to noncombatants," the statement said. "We take every precaution to avoid civilian casualties, even as the enemies of Afghanistan continue to operate in locations that deliberately put civilians at very high risk."
Mattis later left Kabul enroute north to the Bagram airfield where he was to meet with U.S. troops.
Mattis and Stoltenberg met with Ghani to finalize plans to send more than 3,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan to boost the U.S. troop total to about 12,000, although the actual count on the ground can sometimes be higher.
Under the plan that Nicholson has argued for since mid-February, the U.S. troops would continue their main train, advise and assist role while focusing more on counter-terror activities.
The effort would be supported by increased airpower and include more pressure on Pakistan to crack down on Taliban safe havens.
In supporting the plan in August, President Donald Trump, who acknowledged that he had considered a full withdrawal of U.S. troops, said he wanted more emphasis on killing terrorists than on nation building.
In his remarks in Kabul, Mattis said that the U.S. would do "everything humanly possible" to prevent civilian casualties. "We are here to protect the Afghan people while we attack the terrorists."
Despite the airport attack, the Taliban "will find the Afghan security forces continuing on the offensive against them in every district of the country right now."
Ghani said the attack was "a sign of weakness, not strength" on the part of insurgents. Stoltenberg said that "If NATO forces leave too soon, there is a risk Afghanistan may return to a state of chaos and once again become a safe haven for international terrorism."
It was not the first time a U.S. Defense Secretary's arrival in Afghanistan has led to an attack on an airport in the 16-year-old war.
In 2012, a suicide truck bomber attacked the airfield at Camp Bastion in southwestern Helmand province, killing a U.S. service member and wounding three others, before then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's plane arrived.
--Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
A ship that was given a five-year reprieve from retirement in order to test out a new concept for the Navy finally returned home today for the last time.
The USS Ponce, born an Austin-class amphibious transport dock and remade into an afloat forward staging base in 2012, pulled into homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, today, ending a five-year deployment to the Middle East. The ship is set to be retired after 46 years in service later this year.
The Ponce, one of the oldest ships in the entire Navy fleet, had a full career before being tapped for a new mission. She was tasked with patrolling off the shore of Beirut, Lebanon in early 1984, months after a terrorist bombing of a Marine barracks in Beirut in October 1983 killed 241 U.S. troops and 58 French peacekeepers.
The ship supported Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm from the Mediterranean during a 1991 deployment, and in 2003 was tasked with carrying Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina to support the invasion of Iraq.
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In late 2011, at the age of 40, the ship returned to port to be decommissioned. But plans changed when U.S. Central Command asked for an interim afloat forward staging base, a new class of seabasing ship that had yet to enter service. The ship's mission would be to conduct mine countermeasures, said Jim Strock, an independent consultant who previously directed the Marine Corps' Seabasing Integration Division.
"What the Ponce did, it filled an immediate compelling operational need that was in the Straits of Hormuz to ensure freedom of navigation in that area of the world," Strock told Military.com. "Iran was rattling its saber back in 2012. The United States said, 'we've got a handful of minesweepers over there, but we need a platform that will support aviation capabilities.'"
The Navy spent between $60 and $70 million to modify the Ponce for the mission, Strock said. It was equipped with Navy MH-53 minesweeping helicopters and a hybrid civilian-military crew and deployed to the Middle East in 2012.
But while there, planners realized the ship could be instrumental for experimentation as well, testing out new concepts and equipment to inform development of new seabasing platforms that were soon to enter the fleet.
"The Ponce was a test bench," Strock said. "It turned into a laboratory; it gave us other ways to explore sea-based capabilities on an effectively non-traditional platform. They were able to leverage that platform and capture lessons learned."
Perhaps most notably, the Ponce gave the Navy a platform from which to test a prototype laser weapons system, known as LaWS, designed to defend against small vessels, aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles. LaWs was deployed aboard the Ponce in August 2014 for testing; it would remain aboard the ship for the duration of its time in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the Navy was beginning to acquire purpose-built seabasing vessels, beginning with the Expeditionary Transfer Dock Montford Point in 2013. The Lewis B. Puller, the Navy's first Expeditionary Mobile Base, was commissioned in August in Bahrain as a replacement for the Ponce in the Middle East.
Currently, there are five ESB/ESDs delivered to the Navy or under construction; more are called for in the Navy's future force structure assessment. Mission sets for the ships envisioned by the Marine Corps and the Navy include special operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and other missions typically undertaken by traditional amphibious ships. And the Ponce played a role in developing the concept, Strock said.
"It was a success story," he said. "It demonstrated very quick innovation and adaptation by the Navy and the [special operations forces] community to repurpose a platform to meet a compelling operational need."
-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Police are seeking help identifying three suspects they believe spray painted hateful graffiti in an alley.
The suspects, caught on surveillance cameras, are described as three white men in their early 20s, said Ann Arbor Police Detective Lt. Matthew Lige.
The racist graffiti was discovered Sept. 16 in an alley off the 600 block of East Liberty Street. "Free Dylann Roof, I Hate N******" was painted in red over a mural in the alley.
Roof, 23, is a white supremacist and mass murderer who killed nine African Americans at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015.
Two surveillance videos show the suspects in and near the alley in the early morning hours of Sept. 16.
The first suspect has light-colored hair and wore glasses, a dark-colored T-shirt and tan cargo pants, police say.
Photos were taken from two different cameras, Lige said. One was infrared, which made the the suspect's T-shirt look white, rather than dark.
Police have confirmed it's the same man, Lige said.
The second suspect was wearing a light-colored stocking cap, a dark jacket and pants. He carried a backpack, according to police.
Suspect No. 3 wore a dark-colored sweatshirt and pants, dark-colored hair and eyeglasses on the top of his head, police say. He also carried a backpack.
All were described as 5-foot-9 to 6 feet tall.
Police believe the third suspect wrote the graffiti while the other two kept a lookout, Lige said.
"We are in the process of identifying the individuals involved and ask that anyone with information contact the Ann Arbor Police Department tip line at 734-794-6949 or email TIPS@a2gov.org," he said.
There have been several incidents of racist graffiti in Ann Arbor in recent weeks.
Black students from UM were the target of a racist incident in which the name tags on their West Quad dorm doors were defaced with derogatory language on Sunday, Sept. 17.
On Sept. 1, an anti-Hispanic message was found scrawled on the Rock - a UM landmark on Hill Street and Washtenaw Avenue frequently painted by students.
Swastikas and racial slurs were found spray painted at the skate park at Veteran's Park on Aug. 18.
University of Michigan students protest racist graffiti found on campus and the university's response to the incident Tuesday, Sept. 26.(Marty Slagter | MLive.com)
ANN ARBOR, MI - While civil rights-era activism from 1967 is well-documented in Detroit, its impact was felt in Ann Arbor, as well.
The University of Michigan's Hatcher Graduate Library will host a panel discussion on Thursday, Sept. 28, bringing together veterans of civil rights activists from Ann Arbor to reflect on the period's struggle for racial justice and the relationship between Ann Arbor and Detroit.
The free event will take place at 6 p.m. in the Hatcher Library Gallery, Room 100. The discussion is moderated by Matt Lassiter, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of History, and features the following panelists:
Shirley Beckley, Ann Arbor native and Ann Arbor Human Relations Commission staff member, 1967-68
Trey Greene, UM '71; negotiator in '68 black student sit-in and son of Walter Greene, deputy director, Michigan Civil Rights Commission
Anna Holden, UM Institute for Social Research 1960-63; former secretary, Ann Arbor Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
Alma Wheeler Smith, U-M '63; former state representative and daughter of Albert Wheeler, first African American mayor of Ann Arbor and first tenured black UM professor.
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ANN ARBOR, MI - An ex-University of Michigan student who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a former classmate was sentenced to 2 to 15 years in prison Tuesday, Sept. 26.
Jimmy Nguyen, 36, heard in court from one of the women he was accused of sexually assaulting at an off-campus Ann Arbor apartment five years ago.
"As a victim and survivor of rape, I've often had the sense that other people believe, because I'm alive and functioning in society, I'm OK," said Samantha Giacobozzi, who earned a graduate degree in social work from U-M.
"I'm not exactly OK, but I have learned to be something close."
Giacobozzi, 32, now lives in Atlanta, Georgia where she is the executive director for a non-profit.
The Ann Arbor News/MLive doesn't generally identify victims in sexual assault cases. Giacobozzi requested to be identified for this story, however, saying it's good for the public to have human face and name attached to stories about sexual assault.
She gave an emotional victim impact statement to Judge Carol Kuhnke prior to the sentencing, saying the assault occurred on her first day of graduate school back in 2012, and that she barely knew Nguyen.
She said she reported the incident to the university, which in turn reported it to police. The incident wasn't spoken about in open court Tuesday, but police have previously said that Nguyen, a former UM ROTC student, committed two assaults during parties at his residence in the Zaragon Place Apartments in the 600 block of East University Avenue, during the fall of 2012 and early spring 2013.
Two women told police they drank alcohol, passed out and woke up during an assault. A third woman reported being inappropriately grabbed.
Only two of the women wanted to press charges. Assistant Washtenaw County Prosecutor Joanne Pray said the second woman who did press charges could not be reached prior to sentencing for the opportunity to give a victim impact statement.
Giacobozzi said the long process that followed left her feeling "overwhelmed and helpless."
While he was being investigated for criminal charges, Nguyen took a job in Taiwan.
Whether he fled there to avoid criminal charges was a point of contention between Pray and defense attorney Dan Geherin, who argued no charges had been filed when Nguyen left.
Geherin said Nguyen went to Taiwan for work after the University of Michigan made him leave for disciplinary reasons.
Pray said Nguyen was well aware he was going to be charged with criminal sexual conduct when he went to Taiwan.
Nguyen was arrested Aug. 15 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after returning from Taiwan to face the warrants.
Giacobozzi by then had given up on the case.
"For a long time, I felt unmoored by what happened and after I found out he left, I was sure I'd never hear from the police," she said. "Even now, as he's about to be sentenced, I don't feel OK. I feel sad. I feel sad for him. I feel sad for me."
Nguyen sat expressionless at the defense table during Giacobozzi's statement, and chose not to address the court when given a chance.
"For a long time, I felt shame, as is the case with so many," Giacobozzi continued. "Rape silences the victims with shame, silences them with fear of what the response will be."
Nguyen pleaded no contest to one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving an incapacitated victim at his first appearance in district court Aug. 31. In exchange for the plea, two other counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct stemming from a separate, 2013 case were dismissed.
Nguyen would also be put on the sex offender registry for life.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Calls for the renaming of the C.C. Little Science building at the University of Michigan rage on after a student protest made its way into a panel discussion on the renaming on Tuesday, Sept. 26.
Students began protesting at the campus Diag before making their way to the Angell Hall Courtyard Computing Site, also known as The Fishbowl, where they demonstrated on the one-year anniversary of another protest that took place at that location.
Students then crossed the street to the Michigan League, where they protested the building's name during a panel discussion on the former UM president, an avowed eugenicist who believed humans can be improved through controlled breeding of people with desirable genetic traits.
UM student Lawrielle West said the university must change the name to disassociate itself with a man who supported the sterilization of women of color.
"Even though many of us have been calling for the name change of the C.C. Little Building for years, our voices have not been heard," West said.
UM student Vidhya Aravind asked why the debate about renaming the building was only "worth having when white people want to have it," addressing the panel, which consisted of two white men and a white woman.
"Time and time again, we have tried to have this conversation because time and time again the university says they want to have this conversation," Aravind said. "Time and time again, they don't listen, they don't change anything, and now, finally when white people want to do something about it, they finally listen."
Two students recommended to the panel that the building be renamed in honor of a black woman alumna. UM's William Monroe Trotter Multicultural Center is the only building on the Ann Arbor campus named after a person of color.
"I don't know why we would want anything associated with the university that has that history, period," UM student Jesse Love said, referring to Little. "I think we need to take it a step further and move beyond someone who fathered eugenics to (determine) what we are going to name it next. The discussion we've had with the E-Board is that it's time for a black woman (to have a building in her name)."
Other student protesters wondered why they weren't involved in the renaming process, asking for answers on how they could pressure the administration to change the name.
The panel, however, consisted of speakers who support the name change, quelling concerns that the format of the event was to debate whether the building should remain named after Little.
After students expressed frustration with the renaming process, many of the protesters left the Michigan League once the panel began is discussion.
The consensus among protesters and the panel, however, was that the name of the building should be changed.
On Sept. 1, members of the LSA faculty, along with an undergraduate student, formally submitted a case to have the name removed.
A group led by UM history professor John Carlson worked throughout the summer to assemble a case aligned with the new university guidelines that govern these kinds of requests.
UM Spokesperson Kim Broekhuizen said the case is under review by the the UM president's advisory committee on university history. The petition came in response to UM's announcement in January that it defined a new set of principles and process for renaming buildings and spaces on campus in conjunction with its bicentennial.
The committee's new principles allow any member of the UM community to submit a proposal to the president's office for review and possible reconsideration of the current name of an officially named space.
Panel member and UM student Joshua Hasler, who has done extensive research on Little, said now is an opportune time to address the issue.
"When Little became president of UM in 1925, he didn't stop advocating for eugenics, and in fact he remained very active," Hasler said, noting that Little also presided over the "Third Race Betterment Conference" of 1927 during his time as president.
Hasler noted that when the building was changed for Little in 1968, it was done as part of a broader effort to name buildings after all of the previous presidents.
"People felt at the time it was somewhat uncouth to have Little be the only president without a building named after him," Hasler said. "I think a lot of us probably wish it was that easy to rename a building like that these days."
Panel member Alexandra Stern said the protest that evening, and the effort to rename the building highlight the importance of the meaning behind a building's name.
"One thing I think this whole process shows is that place names really matter," said Stern, a UM professor who has studied the history of eugenics for a number of years. "It's a map of meaning for the spaces we inhabit on a daily basis. Those names can represent our values, our priorities and what is central important to us.
"When I think of C.C. Little and what he did as a university president in the past I ask 'Does he represent the values that we cherish and would uphold today - values of diversity, equity and inclusion?' My answer to that is no."
According to his university biography in the Bentley Historical library, Little's "forthright approach and a lack of skill in personal relations resulted in increased friction within the university. In addition, his outspoken views on birth control and eugenics alienated sectors of the public." Little resigned as president on Sept. 1, 1929.
India Economy
India has been ranked as the 40th most competitive economy -- slipping one place from last year's ranking -- on the World Economic Forum's global competitiveness index, which is topped by Switzerland.
On the list of 137 economies, Switzerland is followed by the US and Singapore in second and third places, respectively. In the latest Global Competitiveness Report released today, India has slipped from the 39th position to 40th while neighbouring China is ranked at 27th.
"India stabilises this year after its big leap forward of the previous two years," the report said, adding that the score has improved across most pillars of competitiveness.
These include infrastructure (66th rank), higher education and training (75) and technological readiness (107), reflecting recent public investments in these areas, it added. According to the report, India's performance also improved in ICT (information and communications technologies) indicators, particularly Internet bandwidth per user, mobile phone and broadband subscriptions, and Internet access in schools.
However, the WEF said the private sector still considers corruption to be the most problematic factor for doing business in India. "A big concern for India is the disconnect between its innovative strength (29) and its technological readiness (up 3 to 107): as long as this gap remains large, India will not be able to fully leverage its technological strengths across the wider economy," it noted.
Among the BRICS, China and Russia (38) are placed above India. South Africa and Brazil are placed at 61st and 80th spots, respectively. In South Asia, India has garnered the highest ranking, followed by Bhutan (85th rank), Sri Lanka (85), Nepal (88), Bangladesh (99) and Pakistan (115).
"Improving ICT infrastructure and use remain among the biggest challenges for the region: in the past decade, technological readiness stagnated the most in South Asia," WEF said. Other countries in the top 10 are the Netherlands (4th rank), Germany (5), Hong Kong SAR (6), Sweden (7), United Kingdom (8), Japan (9) and Finland (10).
The Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) is prepared on the basis of country-level data covering 12 categories or pillars of competitiveness. Institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, labour market efficiency, financial market development, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication and innovation are the 12 pillars.
According to WEF's Executive Opinion Survey 2017, corruption is the most problematic factor for doing business in India. The second biggest bottleneck is 'access to financing', followed by 'tax rates', 'inadequate supply of infrastructure', 'poor work ethics in national labour force' and 'inadequately educated work force', among others.
The survey findings are mentioned in the report. "Countries preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and simultaneously strengthening their political, economic and social systems will be the winners in the competitive race of the future," WEF founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab said.
By CNBCTV18.COM
The South Asian giant ranked 40th out of 137 countries on the organization's 2017 global competitiveness ranking one spot lower than last year's edition, but still its highest-ever score in WEF's current methodology.
India's economic growth hit a three-year low during the April-June period, enveloping Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a barrage of criticism for poor execution of major reforms such as the recent national sales tax and demonetization.
But a new World Economic Forum study indicates his government has made progress in strengthening overall business sentiment.
The South Asian giant ranked 40th out of 137 countries on the organization's 2017 global competitiveness ranking one spot lower than last year's edition, but still its highest-ever score in WEF's current methodology.
National competitiveness is defined as a set of institutions, policies and factors that determine a country's level of productivity.
Improvement across most pillars of competitiveness, particularly infrastructure and higher education, reflects recent public investments in these areas, WEF said. Strides in labor market efficiency, especially the nation's ability to attract and retain talent, also helped India's 2017 ranking, the Swiss foundation added.
"The quality of institutions has increased further, especially in terms of efficiency of public spending."
Modi's government has pledged to spend a record $60 billion on infrastructure this financial year, but concerns are rampant that lower tax collections and weak economic growth could force New Delhi to cut expenditures.
Going forward, the private sector still considers corruption, access to financing and tax rates as the most problematic factors for doing business in India, the WEF noted.
The level of technological readiness of individuals and firms also remains relatively low, it said, which suggests "that the benefits of innovative activities are not widely shared."
This wide disconnect between innovative strength and technological readiness will prevent the emerging market darling from fully leveraging its strengths across the wider economy, the WEF said.
Switzerland was ranked first in WEF's 2017 report, followed by the U.S., Singapore and Holland.
The Maharashtra government has received applications from 77.26 lakh farmers across the state to avail the benefits of the Rs 34,022 crore farm loan waiver scheme.
These applications were received from 56 lakh farmers' families, an official statement issued by state cooperation minister Subhash Deshmukh said.
According to the statement, of the total applicants, 2,41,628 farmers are yet to provide their Aadhaar number.
An official from the cooperation department said, "The farmers will be asked to submit their receipt number given at the time of Aadhaar registration. It will be temporarily used for the verification purposes."
The last date of receiving applications under the 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Krushi Sanman Yojana' loan waiver scheme was September 22.
Deshmukh today held a review meeting of the cabinet subcommittee, which had been formed to deliberate on the intricacies in the implementation of the loan waiver scheme.
In order to apply for the scheme, the farmers had been asked to register with 'Aaple Sarkar' portal of the state government with details of bank accounts and Aadhaar number. The government had also sought details of the overdue crop loans from every bank in the state.
"The information will then be cross-checked and the verified farmers will become eligible for loan waiver scheme," an official from the state cooperation department said.
The list of eligible farmers will be filtered further based on other guidelines of the state government, such as only one person in a family will get the benefit of the loan waiver.
The state government will also hold open reading out of the farmers' names in the list and estimated loan waiver amount in every village. The move is aimed at bringing transparency as the villagers might be able to point out the undue beneficiaries.
Deshmukh said that out of the 30 district central cooperative banks, 28 have got their data verified from the Information and Technology department of the state government. These banks supply credit at large in rural areas and have farmers accounts with them.
Some 16 banks have even submitted information about overdue loans with the state government and it is being verified, the minister said in the statement.
"The 20 commercial banks, out of 43 in Maharashtra, have submitted their data of outstanding loans with state IT department and department approved reports of eight banks so far. The 28 banks have filled information of over half of their total data on outstanding loans of farmers," he said.
IRB Infrastructure Developers | In 2020 so far, the share price has moved up 76 percent to Rs 131.20. It's trailing twelve months (TTM) P/E was 6.40 multiple while 5-year average P/E was 8.30 multiple.
The Maharashtra government signed an MoU with South Korea for increased co-operation in infrastructure projects like development of smart cities, roads, airports and metros on the first day of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' visit to that country.
"This MoU is to help with implementation strategy, legal systems, policies, technologies and information in infrastructure development," a release from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.
Fadnavis today embarked on a three-day tour to South Korea and Singapore.
"Had a very good meeting with Kim Hyunmee, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) in Seoul. Informed Minister Hyunmee about Maharashtra's growth story, especially how it got 50 per cent of the total FDI in India and how we lead in infrastructure projects," the release quoted Fadnavis as saying.
He said the Maharashtra government wanted to invite South Korean companies to be a part of the state's development journey by investing here.
Fadnavis said Hyunmee and her team displayed immense interest in the state's 'Samruddhi' corridor project, which envisages building a 700-km super express highway connecting Mumbai to Nagpur.
Niti Aayog
India's economy will do well with extra fiscal stimulus and there will be no harm if New Delhi busts its fiscal deficit target to create space for higher capital spending, a top government policy adviser said on Wednesday.
The comments from Rajiv Kumar, deputy head of policy think-tank Niti Aayog, comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration is deliberating on measures to revive an economy, which recorded its slowest growth in three years in June quarter.
Government officials last week told Reuters that they were contemplating spending up to 500 billion rupees ($7.61 billion)more to halt the slowdown, which could widen the federal fiscal deficit for the financial year ending next March to 3.7 percent of GDP from a budgeted target of 3.2 percent.
9. Urja Global | Return in December 2017: 65.63% | 2016: 61.90% | 2015: 21.68%
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Moneycontrol Research
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a gathering recently, stressed on Power for All by illustrating a very interesting fact that despite the fact that light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison, more than 125 years ago, it is unfortunate that more than 40 million households are without power.
The government intends to electrify all the villages by the end of December 2018 with the total investment outlay of Rs 16,320 crore. The industry estimates suggest that implementation of 'Saubhagya', the newly launched scheme to electrify all villages, could lead to an additional demand for 25,000 MW of power, which is about 7 percent of Indias current installed power capacity of 3,29,000 MW.
While this is slightly positive for generation companies, the real issue that experts highlight is that even if the connectivity is provided, will Discoms supply power and how will they collect money?
That raises questions about generation growth. Barring generation, what is interesting is that companies in the ancillary sector or the companies which will provide supporting infrastructure for the last-mile connectivity will benefit.
One obvious party to this is state-owned company Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), which is also a nodal agency for the government electrification programme. REC, which provides funding for such projects, can now hope for higher disbursements for both the generation and T&D space. While investors have an apprehension about quality of assets of REC considering the net NPA of close to 1.6 percent, what is interesting is that it makes close to 5 percent NIM and has received good visibility.
The other state-owned company that could possibly benefit is Power Grid which will help in providing transmission lines to connect the villages. Power Grid, which spent Rs 28,200 crore in FY17, makes regulated return on the equity investment in these projects.
While Power Grid merely owns and maintains these assets, in the downstream there are lot many companies in the transformer, cables, insulator, transmission lines and substations, which benefit a lot with the spending on the T&D sector. ABB India, which generates about 20 percent of its revenue from the electrification products, could be a good contender, with the expertise and dominant positioning in the products that are required in the T&D space and power substation.
This will also mean a good opportunity for transformer suppliers particularly in the smaller capacity like sub 220 KV transformers, which will find their applications in connecting the remote villages with relatively less density of consumers. Companies like Voltamp Transformers are the leading players with lot of spare capacity in the sub-220 KV segment. Voltamp, which is sitting on cash (25 percent of market capitalisation), operated at capacity utilisation of 78 percent in FY17 and sitting on good order book providing improved earnings visibility.
Other two prominent players in the value chain and direct beneficiary of this would be KEC International and Kalpataru Power. Both the companies get most of their orders from Power Grid and are currently sitting on a strong order book, which provides revenue visibility of close to two years. However, in terms of the valuations, Kalpataru Power, which is trading at about 12 times its one-year forward earnings, is relatively cheaper compared with KEC International currently trading at about 20 times its forward earning.
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Give me Red was the advertising slogan of a battery manufacturer in the 90s. No reason why one should hear that echo at the Ghaziabad headquarters of Dabur Indiaa maker of edible things like honey, chyawanprash and Real fruit juice. But bet the tagline echoes in the heart of the prime occupant of the buildings ninth floorChief Executive Officer Sunil Duggalas he busies himself with the larger objective of rebuilding the companys topline. Not satisfied with number three, Dabur and Duggal have an ambitionnumber two slot for the companys Red franchise.
Daburs Red franchise comprises the Red toothpaste and Red tooth powder. It has two other toothpaste brands -- Babool for the mass market, price-conscious consumer and Meswak for the discerning consumer looking for a more natural and herbal offering.
Duggal is upbeat on the companys performance in the toothpaste market. The threat from Patanjali Ayurveds Dant Kanti notwithstanding, Dabur increased its market share by a full percentage point in the last financial year. This was helped by the launch of the Red ayurvedic toothpaste in gel format.
Red is doing very well. We have got Red gel, that is also doing well. I believe that the Red toothpaste is going to grow much further. See today in oral care, we have a 15 percent volume share and Unilever has a 17 percent share. Colgate, of course, is much higher. We want to take the number two position in oral care in the next one to two years after Colgate. And Red will be the key driver of this growth. As a standalone brand, its already the number three brand, Duggal told Moneycontrol.
Colgate-Palmolive Indias Colgate Dental Cream sits on top of the Rs. 6,700-crore Indian toothpaste market. Unilevers Close-Up is number two.
Dabur has plans to launch more toothpaste brands on the ayurvedic platform. Asked to comment if it would be a white ayurvedic toothpaste, as long speculated, Duggal said, I am sure we will be launching other toothpastes, ayurvedic toothpastes. But whether they are white or you know green, that is not really the issue. They will have a proposition which is quite different from our existing toothpastes. Like our Red is a very different product. Even that would be a very different product.
Also Read: Patanjalis CEO aims to double sales, rules out IPO to preserve 'free spirit'
He said the company could affect a price hike in the oral category by the end of the year.
Surely, a 400-product company cant be banking on a climb up in one toothpaste category to keep its machines humming. So while clearly, the Burman family-promoted company is eyeing a bigger share of the toothpaste market, among its other moves are a launch of a new brand of beverage and relaunch of its Vatika shampoo on the product side. On the investment side is a higher allocation to spend on media and beefing up of sales infrastructure.
New beverage brand
Daburs Real brand of fruit juices and drinks lords over the market which counts Pepsicos Tropicana and ITCs B Natural as other competitors. Real is an over Rs. 1200-crore brand and has several sub-brands under it Activ, Wellnezz, Volo and JuCand if all goes as per plan, the company will have added one more name to its portfolio of drinks by next summer.
Dabur is coming with another beverage brand beside Real which is an over Rs. 1200-crore brand.
This will be under a different brand, not under Real brand. This will be more value add, value priced beverages which will be under a different brand. It will be a sub-brand under Real, so the architecture will be under Real. But the sub-brand will be the dominant feature of that product. This will be next summer, maybe around February or so because these lower price point drinks are very summer-centric. So we will be launching it. We tested the market this year, next year we will be doing a bigger launch. This will be more in terms of fruit drinks, the biggest market is in drinks, Duggal, a graduate of BITS Pilani and IIM Calcutta said.
As a preparation for the launch of the beverage brand, Duggal said the company had invested in setting up a new line at its Pantnagar plant in Uttarakhand. This could also lead to a Rs. 50-crore bump up in the companys capital expenditure for the ongoing financial year though Duggal insisted that it was still likely to be the previously estimated figure of Rs. 350 crore. The companys capex last year was higher at Rs. 550 crorea result of companys new and largest plant being commissioned at Tezpur in Assam.
Vatika relaunch
Launched around 15 years ago, a fatigue had set into the companys Vatika brand of shampoos. The natural platform has become crowded over the years with even the multinationals like LOreal jumping into it. The companys market share has remained around 5 percent in the last few years. Dabur, therefore, has steered the brand more and more to the ayurvedic platform.
The company is basing the new Vatika on the concept of satposhan or power of seven natural ingredients. A little help from Kareena Kapoor as the brand ambassador has been engaged.
So we are flushing out the old stocks and not putting in a new one in this quarter. So this quarter may be little deep for shampoos but the inherent brand has got huge strength, especially in rural areas and we expect strong double-digit growth to start from the third quarter, Duggal said.
Sales and media spends
The company plans to significantly up its spending on its sales infrastructure and advertising spend in FY18. To begin with, the company has brought on its rolls sales representatives who were earlier doing its rural sales as part of the companys contract with staffing company TeamLease Services. While the company continues to add people in India, its been rationalizing staff deployment at its overseas locations.
The companys employee expenses may have come down from their FY16 levels but as a percentage of sales, the company is shelling out more. It incurred an expense of Rs. 789.6 crore on employees in FY17, lower by 0.6 percent from a year ago but higher by 20 basis points in terms of percentage of sales.
With winterswhen chyawanprash and honey sales jumpa month away, a refreshed Vatika in tow and a reinvigorated Babool needing all the publicity, the companys media spend is set to jump after last years demonetisation forced the company to cut back on advertising. The company spent Rs. 646.1 crore on advertising and publicity in FY17, lower by 16.3 percent year-on-year.
These two areas (sales infrastructure and advertising spend) you see. Lets say, the media growth, we are looking at almost at 20 percent growth for the balance of the year. Im talking about Q2, Q3, Q4. For Q1 it was lower because of GST there was no point in spending too much on media. But balance of the year, 15 to 20 percent growth is what we are seeing. In Q2, Q3, Q4, y-o-y, it will be 15 to 20 percent growth in terms of media spend which is much more than our topline, he said.
He said the company had doubled the number of people for its rural initiatives. And all that costs a lot of money but it is worthwhile because our rural growth is now becoming much better than our urban growth, he said.
So where does that leave the topline growth and margins?
We want to rebuild the topline. It is important for us to grow volumes in the higher single digits. We may or may not do it but that is the endeavour immediately. And If are able to do it, then margins will automatically improve, he said.
Demonetisation and competition dented the companys FY17 topline by 2.2 percent to Rs. 7,680 crores even as it improved its operating margin 30 basis points to 19.6 percent.
Comfortable with the current margins, Duggals focus is thus clear: its the topline that deserves all the attention.
We dont do outlooks but I think the volume growth for this year would be in the region of 5 percent to 10 percent despite the fact that the first quarter was a negative growth of around 5 percent. We still are hopeful that we can get, maybe not to 10 percent, get into higher single digit through the balance of the year and 5 percent to 10 percent for the full year. Balance of the year means Q2, Q3 and Q4, he said.
If Duggal succeeds, he may well have proved: While Give me Red may beat in the heart, Daburs own tagline The Science of Ayurveda has a mind of its own.
Answer: Mr. Opportunity from Honda
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Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, the countrys second largest two-wheeler maker, has halted production and sales of two its once most popular bikes CBR 250 and CBR 150.
Not a single new unit of the two bikes has been produced since April 1 and most of the older stocks have been liquidated during the stock clearance sale of March 30-31.
The previous stocks were of Bharat Stage III emission standard which were deemed useless after the start of the new financial year as the Supreme Court banned sale of all BS-III vehicles after April 1. Both the bikes were manufactured in India by Honda.
The company has, however, said that the two bikes could return to Honda showrooms though a spokesperson did not share a timeline for the launches. Sources say not only will the new bikes have to be BS-IV compliant but will have to offer some additional features to counter competition.
"Moving forward, there is a plan to come back in this segment. However, it is too early to disclose details of the same," said the spokesperson.
Introduced in 2011 both the Hondas hit a sweet spot with the buyers instantly. The segment of bikes costing Rs 1 lakh and up to Rs 2 lakh had not been explored much with only a handful of manufacturers marking their presence.
However, in recent years several manufacturers launched new products in the segment including the Dominar, Pulsar RS 200 by Bajaj, Duke 200,250, RC 200 by KTM, FZ 25 and Fazer 25 by Yamaha, Mojo by Mahindra, Himalayan by Royal Enfield, UM Motorcycle range and the Apache 200 by TVS.
Sales of the two Hondas were on a downward spiral for the whole of last year with average monthly sales hitting 214 units for the CBR 250 and 455 units for the CBR 150 last year compared to 721 units for the CBR 150 and 290 units for the CBR 250 clocked in 2015-16.
During the two-day fire sale in March, Honda, along with the industry, offered minimum discounts of Rs 25,000-30,000 on the CBR 150 and 250 to clear stocks.
Honda has promised to launch a range of new products in both scooters and motorcycle categories as it looks to not only defend its share but challenge the dominance of Hero Motocorp , the countrys largest two-wheeler manufacturer.
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The penchant of Amazon to venture into brick and mortar business prima facie looks counter-intuitive. For a consumer-facing company like Amazon, superior customer experience is what matters and hence the foray into brick and mortar format comes as a logical extension.
In the US market, a glimpse of this strategy was visible when Amazon acquired Whole Foods. However, the global e-commerce giant has adopted a smarter strategy in India so far wherein it has picked up a small stake in Shoppers Stop. But Amazon continues to be in the news on tie-ups and partnerships as it tries to service each and every micro market well. It is relentlessly trying to customise its offering by mapping suppliers with the end user segment in its e-commerce platform.
While its recent partnership with Dabur whereby the Indian FMCG major will get to sell its Ayurvedic products through Amazons market place in North America is a case in point, we feel it is just the beginning for Amazon. So watch this space.
Global e-commerce platform provides an easy reach for FMCG players
Global e-commerce has picked up in the last few years, primed by platforms like Amazons global market place, Alibabas Tmall Global and JD Worldwide. Amazons global market place, in particular, has made a mark for itself by helping local sellers sell on global locations through its platform. Its global selling programme, launched in 2015, has attracted interest from more than 25,000 Indian sellers.
Amazon has recently inked deals with FMCG players for selling their products in international locations and hence providing distribution advantage. Companies like Patanjali, Godrej Consumer, Marico have been selling their products in the US website of Amazon.
In the case of arrangement between Amazon and Dabur, the latters products would be sold in USA, Mexico and Canada through Amazons platform. Dabur has about 31 percent of sales (Q1 FY2018) from international markets and this would help increase the reach of companys Ayurvedic products internationally.
Patanjali products in Amazon.com (USA)
Digital medium gets centre stage for certain end users
Recently, FMCG players have clinched exclusive deals with the online marketplace aiming at capturing certain clientele and distribution reach with differentiated product offerings. Nestle recently launched its new range of Maggi noodles, Nutri Licious, at Amazon before anywhere else. The companys objective was to address consumer segments like millennials who are more inclined to purchases online. Media campaigns by the company are also skewed towards digital channels for the products popular among youngsters. Nestle recently launched Kit Kat dessert at another e-commerce platform - Big Basket.
Amazon is also adopting a strategy whereby on one hand it is making a global platform accessible to local sellers; on the other hand, it is helping local sellers customise their offerings in their local market.
Brick and mortar forays for grocery retailing
That said, Amazon has of late realized the importance of the brick-and-mortar format as well to cater to certain product categories requiring consumer experience and convenience. The Amazon Go store concept in the US is one such attempt, wherein consumers avail a hassle-free shopping experience.
Indian experience: Online and offline combo
Amazons acquisition of Whole Foods was another big move to foray into food retailing. Some of the Whole Foods products are now cheaper by 40 percent. Indian markets was also expecting a disruptive strategy from Amazon in the food grocery market. However, instead of waiting to execute an M&A transaction in this space (eg: Big Basket), the company opted for a minority stake purchase (5 percent) in Shoppers Stop. As we mentioned in our previous article, Amazon could use this opportunity to expand its reach in the grocery segment through Hypercity.
In the perishable goods and grocery market, it may help to provide product experience to customers through such brick and mortar outlets. This dual combination of offline and online channel is gradually picking up. Existing retailers having brick and mortar formats like DMart have recently started with their online version DMart Ready. Similarly, Tata Group has announced online grocery business (Starquik brand) channel for Trent hypermart.
In case of Amazon, small ticket investments in retail formats helps in gaining benefits of brick and mortar format without investing heavily, particularly, when they are still experimenting various modes of reaching out to consumers. In this context, it may not be surprising if Amazon reaches out to other major brick and mortar retailers like V-mart to penetrate into tier 2 cities and towns.
Overall, Amazon is banking on multiple levers to expand its reach. Hence, retail as well as FMCG players will see much more action in the coming days as the offline-online partnership gathers momentum.
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FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever (HUL) is planning to start its own e-commerce business in India to sell tea, according to a report in The Economic Times.
The country's largest consumer goods company wants to target gifting segment consumers with premium products such as Brooke Bond's Taj Mahal. The platform is likely to compete with Ratan Tata-backed Teabox.
So far, the company has been selling its products on existing online marketplaces such as Big Basket and Amazon.
Sudhir Sitapati, executive director, refreshments at HUL told the newspaper, "The foray into e-commerce has been aimed at urging people to consider tea as a gifting option. Our range of gourmet teas and exquisite teaware has been specially curated to offer the finest gifting experience for every occasion and budget."
The refreshments business currently accounts for around 15 percent of the company's sales, making it the leader in Indias Rs 10,000-crore tea market.
Startups like Teabox, Teamonk and Gujarat-based Wagh Bakri have been selling specialty products online for the past few years and have attracted customers from markets such as the UK and the US, the report claims.
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Piramal Housing Finance, wholly-owned housing finance subsidiary of Piramal Finance, plans to achieve a loan book of Rs 15,000 crore by 2020.
The housing finance unit, which got its licence from National Housing Board on September 4 this year, already has assets under management (AUM) of over Rs 200 crore.
It has invested an initial equity capital of Rs 1,000 crore in the subsidiary.
The company will seek to fund the entire spectrum of real estate, from affordable to luxury, and cater to both salaried and self-employed individuals in the tier-2 and 3 cities.
Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Enterprises, which owns Piramal Finance, said, "This is a space of B-2-B-C (company to developer to consumer). We have built the Rs 200 crore with 15 of our developers and their 30 projects. We are not including construction finance to small people here that will be done independently. This is just housing loans to tier-2 and 3 cities."
This arm will expand Piramal Finances business retail portfolio.
Piramal said, "Out of about 80 housing finance companies (HFCs), only 10 have asset size more than Rs 10,000 crore and about 16 have more than Rs 5,000 crore asset size. So there are not many large players and majority of HFCs do not understand real estate. Our strong partnerships with developers give us a unique edge."
He claims that the Piramal group, being second largest in real estate financing, will be at an advantage in its retail housing finance foray.
Piramal Finance's existing wholesale business has over Rs 35,000 crore in assets under management (across debt and equity), with funding across 300 plus projects and over 100 development partners.
Piramal said, "Out of about 80 housing finance companies (HFCs), only 10 have assets more than Rs 10,000 crore and a majority of HFCs do not understand real estate. Our strong partnerships with developers give us a unique edge."
Currently, it has an operational branch in Goregaon, suburbs of Mumbai and plans to open a branch in Thane soon.
Khushru Jijina, Managing Director, Piramal Capital said that the business will be rolled out in Pune, Bangalore and NCR regions.
On the retail side, Piramal Finance has an investment of Rs 4,583 crore with 20 percent stake in Shriram Capital and 10 percent stake in Shriram Transport Housing Finance and Shriram City Union Finance.
The company has a wholesale loan book of Rs 28,648 crore with real estate constituting Rs 24,924 crore in August 2017. The alternate assets under management were Rs 6,727 crore with real estate contributing Rs 5,727 crore.
On its competition with Shriram Groups housing finance business, Piramal said, Shriram in housing is very different catering to small towns and smaller amounts, while we will be in bigger ticket size loans. So it will be only complimentary and not competing with it.
"We are confident that the unique business model being adopted by Piramal Housing Finance will add another dimension to our service offering and establish a blueprint for further growth," Piramal said.
The company will be able to deliver a seamless and customer-centric experience to all its stakeholders, including individuals, developers, agents, partners and now the target end users, Piramal said.
It will seek to fund the entire spectrum of real estate, from affordable to luxury, and cater to both salaried and self-employed individuals.
The U.S. flag is reflected over the door at the Ralph Lauren Corp.'s flagship Polo store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, U.S., April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
US-based fashion royalty Ralph Lauren Corporation may open its store in India, but before that the company launched a drive to clean up the counterfeit goods market, reported the Economic Times.
Ralph Lauren, which was earlier reported to be in talks with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail for opening Ralph Lauren-branded brick-and-mortar outlets, seized from a Hyderabad-based company over 6,000 products including shirts, t-shirts, and jeans with logo of its brand 'Lauren Polo', last week.
This was a big seizure and we seized more than 6,000 pieces of garments and their hoardings were removed, said SK Bansal, a lawyer representing Ralph Lauren.
In a fight against fake products, so far Ralph Lauren has filed around 60 cases across India against companies and individuals who manufactured or sold counterfeit Polo products.
Similarly, about 900 trousers, 500 shirts and other products were earlier confiscated after the raids on Lauren Polo outlets in New Delhi conducted by Jagdeep Kumar Sharma, a lawyer as well as a local commissioner.
According to the report, a store staff stated that several people "enquired" about the Lauren Polo company, "counted" their stocks, following which the company is mulling over renaming its five outlets after its use was objected.
The fashion designer company is also negotiating with e-commerce platform Myntra for online selling rights, said the report.
Uber offices in Queens, New York, US (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
Uber threatened on Tuesday to stop services in Canada's Quebec province in mid-October, saying proposed new ride-sharing regulations aimed at leveling the field with taxis are too onerous.
"We are going to have to cease our operations in Quebec on October 14," Jean-Nicolas Guillemette, director general of Uber Quebec, told a press conference, but calling for negotiations to find a solution that would allow the company to stay.
The Uber executive accused the Quebec government of "trying to impose old (taxi) rules on a completely new technological model," saying "major changes" in the regulations would force Uber to effectively operate like a taxi company with full-time drivers.
Under the new regulations unveiled last Friday, he said, Uber would not be able to attract and retain part-time or occasional drivers.
Guillemette urged the government to reconsider its position and renew a pilot program that allowed Uber to operate in the province over the past year, without any changes.
At the same time, he offered to negotiate with authorities in the coming months to try to solve the deadlock.
The original one-year test program, which is slated to end mid-October, required Uber to collect and pay taxes on each trip made by its drivers.
It also capped the time worked by all drivers to a total of 50,000 hours per week.
Quebec Transportation Minister Laurent Lessard said at the time that it allowed taxi and Uber drivers "to compete on a more balanced playing field."
Last week, the government renewed the pilot but with stricter conditions that would require Uber drivers to undergo 35 hours of training -- the same as taxi drivers -- and a criminal background check by police.
Uber vehicles would also be required to undergo annual safety inspections.
Earlier, on September 22, Uber was stripped of its licence to operate in London. London transport authorities said they would not renew Uber's license to operate in the British city when it expires, due to public safety concerns.
Company CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has apologized for "mistakes" by the US company but vowed to appeal the decision.
Uber has seen its global popularity explode since it launched in 2009 in San Francisco, but also faces bans in other major cities including Cape Town, Mumbai, and New Delhi
What if you got an opportunity to hop on to a private jet, for only 80 percent of the average cost? How about if you can travel on private for a price as low as Rs 5000?
Mumbai-based private jet aggregation startup Bookmycharters has started a Ferry Flight concept wherein a client can let other passengers travel en-route on an empty jet.
In private jet business, a client generally pays for the to-and-fro cost of a jet parked in a base distant from their pickup city. Ferry flight concept removes the cost of two-way payment for a client.
Private jets are meant for the ultra-rich and privileged ones but we have commoditized the whole space by making the private jets available for a common man through ferry flights, said Sachit Wadhwa co-founder of Bookmycharters.
On ferry flights, a client can opt to let other passengers travel for a price determined by the client.
Globally around 30 percent of private jet flights are flying empty. Maintaining a private charter is also a tough task to make it run efficiently. It sounds better when one can monetize through an empty flight and even give the experience to common customers, said Wadhwa.
So what are ferry flights?
Private aviation in India is in dire need of infrastructure. Because of lack of space, the jets keep of repositioning themselves from one location to another.
Here is how the concept works: Suppose a client in Mumbai needs a private jet to fly to Los Angeles. Now as there is lack of parking space in a Mumbai airport. The jet is generally positioned in Ahmedabad.
The concept of ferry flights works here - rather making an empty jet fly from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, the charter makes a trip with a number of seats sold out to passengers with a discount of 80 percent of the average cost.
We recently had a group of youngsters who flew private jet trips to Goa from Kolhapur with the cost of Rs 5000 per seat, said Wadhwa.
Ferry flights are known as empty leg flights, empty leg of a private charter or repositioning flights.
The concept works for customers who want to fly private but dont want to book an entire plane, said Wadhwa.
Price of an empty seat on a private jet
If the client book a charter from Delhi, but the base of the jet is in Mumbai. The cost of the empty leg from Mumbai to Delhi will have to be paid by the client, which increases the cost.
The client always ask us that why they have to pay for an empty leg when his flight is booked from Delhi. To solve this problem we came up with a concept called Sell your empty flight, said Sachit.
With ferry flights, private jet clients can save up to 40 percent of the cost.
Clients can choose to price the seat from a price band provided by BookMyCharters.
After choosing the price band we upload the price list of per seat cost on the particular private jet from Mumbai to Delhi, shares Wadhwa.
The empty seats are available on the promotions section of the website.
Whatever money is received is given to the client but we make sure that the client pays us the full amount to us before selling his empty flight, said Wadhwa.
BookMyCharters retains a commission of 20 percent to 50 percent of the price of empty seats sold.
Suppose the client has to pay Rs 8,00,000 for a private jet including an empty flight from Mumbai to Delhi. The client can sell the empty flight through Bookmycharters and can get 20-50 percent of the amount refunded, in this model.
We work as a custodian for both our client and the customers. So there is a fair deal for both of them, said Wadhwa.
sabahat.contractor@nw18.com
Hemant Thukral of Aditya Birla Money told CNBC-TV18, "I still feel that Axis Bank has not been able to cross Rs 515-520. We have been waiting for that range to be crossed, similar with ICICI Bank. So, within the banking space we only like right now on the rollover basis, Yes Bank. We feel that Yes Bank has started showing good rollovers, and we feel that stock can push itself to Rs 375-380 levels. Apart from that, banking is still struggling on the rollovers front."
"NBFCs rollovers have picked up. DHFL unfortunately we cannot buy again because it has gone into the ban after one day opening only. However, very strong rollovers there and even strong rollovers on Bajaj Finance and Bharat Financial . So I still feel NBFCs will be outperforming than banking. Within the banking space only Yes Bank we find where rollovers have been encouraging," he said.
Cambridge Analytica, the international data mining and analysis company that famously helped United States President Donald Trump win the elections through a targeted communication campaign, is in talks with a large opposition party in India for the upcoming general elections in 2019.
In a presentation made to the party in August, Cambridge Analytica has etched a data-driven strategy to target voters on social media, analysing online user behaviour and connecting the dots across different citizen databases.
According to two people familiar with the discussions, the big data analytics company whose tagline says Data drives all we do, has chalked out a comprehensive plan for the Indian political party.
The proposal includes building a national data infrastructure project for coordinating team planning, strategy and targeted messaging. It also involves identifying the gaps in data that exists in different databases, and making relevant connections using internal and external sources and data analytics to give meaningful insights, said one of these sources, on the condition that they not to be identified.
They declined to identify the party. An email sent to Cambridge Analytica was unanswered at the time of publishing this piece.
While the presentation identifies social media as a key winning strategy for the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014, Cambridge Analytica says the opposition will have to build a comprehensive data-driven strategy to win the general elections in 2019, beginning with the assembly elections in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
It has also proposed building a mobile app for the Party to understand how a particular party member has performed in elections, local issues etc versus their opponents, added the other source.
If the partnership falls in place, this will not only be the first time a foreign entity will manage elections for an India political party, but will also be a break in the pattern for Cambridge Analytica, that is known for being backed by right-wing billionaire Robert Mercer, and is also known to back right-wing movements and parties.
Privately held Cambridge Analytica was created in 2013 to participate in American politics. It is an offshoot of British firm Strategic Communication Laboratories, which provides data, analytics and strategy to governments and military organizations worldwide.
The BJP also worked on a similar data analytics model to target the vast voter database in the country during the 2014 General Elections, by using IT tools to identify the nearest BJP supporter to reach out to an undecided voter.
Cambridge Analytica is a big data company, and its claim to fame is not just running the online campaign for Trump, but also being involved in the Leave EU campaign in the very early stages of its "Brexit" campaign, as reported by Motherboard by Vice.
As the piece explains, the company bought personal data from a range of different sources, like land registries, automotive data, shopping data, bonus cards, club memberships, what magazines people read, what churches they attend, and aggregated this data with the electoral rolls of the Republican party and online data and calculates a personality profile. Digital footprints suddenly become real people with fears, needs, interests, and residential addresses, it noted.
India has plenty of data brokers who buy and sell citizen information down to the most granular detail- whether you want the addresses of all nurses over 60 years of age in a given state, or all salaried individuals who have a loan to pay off in a given area.
Imagine, if in addition to all this, you also knew the spending habits of each of these people, whether they are introverts or extroverts, whether they are vegetarian or non-vegetarian, their caste, their religion, their illicit relationships and their political ideology and which party they are most likely to vote for.
This is exactly what Cambridge Analytica does- it takes this vast amount of unconnected data, matches it with voter profiles and databases, identifies the voting preferences of every single voter within an area, and targets those who can be turned into a successful vote for their client.
We have profiled the personality of every adult in the United States of America220 million people," Alexander Nix, the CEO of Cambridge Analytica was quoted as saying.
The firm is also reported to be working for Kenyas incumbent president, and was also said to be in talks with Mexico for its upcoming elections in 2018.
India Economy
India appears keen to do more in Afghanistan than its already promised USD 3 billion for development aid, a top US general told lawmakers, asserting that New Delhi can provide additional training and equipment to build capacity of the Afghan security forces.
US President Donald Trump while announcing his new Afghan and South Asia policy last month had advocated for a greater role for India in Afghanistan.
Trump called on India to help the US more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.
"With regard to India, the President called on India to invest more in development projects in Afghanistan. India appears eager to do more beyond the roughly USD 3 billion in development assistance it has provided since 2001," said General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"From the military dimension, I believe India has the capacity to provide additional training and equipment to build capacity of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces," Dunford said in written response to questions from members of the Senate Armed Services Committee for confirmation hearing for his reappointment.
Dunford said the new strategy includes building broad consensus for a stable Afghanistan, de-escalating tensions between regional states and emphasising regional integration and cooperation.
"It is critical that Pakistan and other neighbouring countries support the legitimate Afghan Government, the United States and NATO missions, and take positive steps to fight terrorism and achieve stability in the region," he said.
The strategy places especial emphasis on influencing Pakistan to change its policies which are detrimental to the US, NATO, Afghanistan's and even Pakistan's own interests, he said.
Dunford said while China has invested significantly in western Afghanistan, particularly in mining infrastructure to support their One Belt One Road initiative, its security investments have so far been minimal.
He said under the new strategy, the US looks to increase the Chinese investment in areas that support the legitimate Afghan government.
"With regard to Russia, our interests diverge on many issues, yet we share common interests such as countering transnational terrorism and stabilising Afghanistan. Under the new strategy, our efforts will look to advance our mutual interests in ways that do not cede diplomatic space or allow Russia to adversely affect our efforts to stabilise Afghanistan," Dunford said.
"With regard to Iran, the new strategy seeks to counterbalance Iranian influence in Afghanistan while continuing engagement in regional forums and encouraging Iran to support the Afghan Government and overall stability in Afghanistan," he said.
The Indian Army said on Wednesday that it had inflicted "heavy casualties" on Naga militants after exchanging fire with the rebels along the Myanmar border in the early hours of the day.
In a statement, the Army said that insurgents had opened fire on troops at the Indo-Myanmar border, following which it retaliated.
NSCN-K cadres are believed to have suffered heavy casualties in the "firefight" that started at around 4.45 am and lasted for a couple of hours. The Indian Army said none of its personnel were hurt in the operation, contradicting reports that had suggested otherwise.
Reports of casualties to #IndianArmy personnel factually incorrect. Firefight
occurred along Indo-Myanmar border at 0445 hrs today @adgpi EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) September 27, 2017
Around 70 para-commandos were involved in the operation on the hideouts located near the border, sources told News-18. Army sources told the channel that the border was not crossed at any point.
The Indian Army has been increasingly active along the Indo-Myanmar border over the past 18 months in a bid to root out insurgency.
Earlier this month, the Army had launched an operation along the Myanmar border areas in Arunachal Pradesh. One cadre of the Khaplang faction of NSCN was killed and the hideout of the outfit was destroyed.
The operation has taken place exactly a year after India carried out a surgical strike on terror camps in Pakistan.
The NSCN-K did away with the ceasefire it signed in 2001 with the Indian government, on March 27, 2015, just a month before the truce was up for renewal.
Since then, the outfit has launched attacks on Indian soldiers in Nagaland and Manipur.
In June 2015, 18 soldiers were killed when NSCN-K mounted a deadly ambush on a convoy of the 6 Dogra Regiment in Manipur's Chandel district.
Moneycontrol News
In a major goof-up, the State Bank of India branch in Ranchi transferred Rs 100 crore meant for a midday meal scheme into the account of a construction company.
The money, as per sources, remained stored in the account from August 5 to September 19, as per a report in the Indian Express.
The bank has now returned the entire amount to the original MDM account where it was supposed to go and an internal enquiry was launched into the matter.
SBI officials said that at least Rs 70 crore were recovered and efforts are on to recover the remaining Rs 30 crore.
The officer responsible for the entire goof-up, deputy manager of SBIs Hatia branch (also happened to be the treasury branch) - has been suspended.
A formal complaint has also been lodged against him in the CBI unit of Ranchi.
Apparently, after the transfer was done in the construction companys account, it got routed to several other accounts of the same company.
A senior state education department official has, in the same report, confirmed that the midday meals functioning was not affected in any way due to the major slip and the amount in full has been restored to the original account.
Officials have said that the decision to lodge a FIR is being thought over after some consultation.
As per a statement from the Education Department official, the anomaly was caught when the bank said it did not have enough money to launch the second quarterly release of the amount.
A senior municipal officer in Andhra Pradeshs Vishakhapatnam who was set to retire on Wednesday was arrested for amassing assets worth over Rs 500 crore. A case of disproportionate assets under Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against him.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday raided 15 properties across the state including his residence. According to a report in Hindustan Times, Golla Venkata Raghurami Reddy, director of state town planning in municipal administration department even owns a hotel, Sai Suraj Kunj, in Shirdi and 300 acres of land in Gannavaram near Vijayawada among other properties.
Incidentally, Reddy was planning to throw a lavish party on the occasion of his retirement at a resort outside India. He had already booked tickets for his family and friends.
Reddy was arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act for possessing assets disproportionate to his income, which would be around Rs 1 lakh per month. The investigation is going on into the alleged irregularities indulged in by Reddy, the report quoted ACB director general RP Thakur.
Reddy was laundering money through various persons who acted as his benami such as his wife and his cousin. In a raid at his cousins house, the ACB team recovered kilos of gold and diamonds worth Rs 19 crore stashed in washing machines.
In total, eight persons were found to be holding properties on behalf of Reddy.
However, this is not the limit of properties he might be possessing. Officials said that they are yet to open his lockers which could also have some valuables.
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray today launched a caustic attack on the BJP-led NDA government in Maharashtra over the ongoing strike by Anganwadi workers demanding a hike in their salaries.
Joining the protesters at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai, the Sena chief attacked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and said the state government will be "cursed by mothers".
Anganwadi workers have been on an indefinite strike across the state since September 12 demanding a raise in their salaries as per their service seniority.
The government on September 23 decided to hike the payment of anganwadi workers to Rs 6,500 per month, which they had termed as "minuscule".
Addressing the workers, Thackeray said, "I have not come here to lead the agitation but only to support it. You (workers) become mothers of children in your care by feeding and nursing them. The government, rather than taking the blessings of these mothers, will be cursed by them".
Appealing the workers to stand their ground, Thackeray, whose party shares an uneasy relationship with the BJP in the state government, said, "You have the power to make the government bow before you".
"...Our hearts are still alive. We cannot work like corpses. The chief minister should keep aside his ego and give justice to the workers. If you want to do whatever you like to in the name of democracy, we will not let that happen," he said.
Taking a swipe at Fadnavis who is currently on the tour of South Korea and Singapore, Thackeray said while the chief minister is roaming around the world to fulfil his dreams, the "mothers and sisters (Anganwadi workers) have lost their sleep".
Meanwhile, the workers today threatened to enter the state Secretariat if their demands are not met within eight days.
Nearly two lakh Anganwadi workers working in 1.10 lakh Anganwadis in the state cater to nutritional needs of children under the age of six and adolescent girls who are malnourished or anaemic.
The beneficiaries of these schemes implemented by Anganwadi workers are provided two freshly cooked meals.
Woman and Child Development Minister Pankaja Munde had announced that the salary of Sevikas will be hiked by Rs 1,500, helpers will get Rs 1,000 hike and all workers will get Rs 1,000 as an additional bonus during Diwali.
Sena has of late intensified its attack on its senior alliance partner, the BJP, and has often taken potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party had recently indicated that it was close to pull out of the coalition government in the state. However, the BJP has ruled out any threat to the survival of the government.
Moneycontrol News
Russia has said that it will block access to Facebook next year unless it complies with a law that requires companies who store the data of its citizens on Russian servers only, says a Reuters report.
Recruitment and networking website LinkedIn was also banned last year for breaking the same data storage law last year.
Alexander Zharov, head of communications regulator Roskomnadzor, was quoted by official state media outlets on Tuesday as saying "the law is obligatory for all."
The action against LinkedIn was also taken by Roskomnadzor, Russias communications watchdog.
The law, which was approved by President Vladimir Putin in 2014 and came into force in September 2015, could also threaten other foreign Internet companies operating in Russia.
Roskamnadzor's head Alexander Zharov said that they will either get the law implemented or the company will cease to work on the territory of the Russian Federation as unfortunately happened to LinkedIn.
Microblogging website Twitter has already informed the agency that it will comply with the security standards by mid-2018.
The agency is presently not considering Facebook to be a unique service and that there are other social media as well.
A report in CNN says that although Zharov mentions that his agency has not been in contact with Facebook, he added that the social media giant needs to comply with the law soon.
The CNN report also stated that a Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying that since Facebook is a commercial enterprise earning money on Russian soil, it must comply with the law.
27, 2017
14:47 Emphasizing that India ranks first in data consumption globally, RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani said that the pace at which India's digital economy has grown in the span of a year is unparalleled.
Read the full story here.
14:21 Inauguration session of the India Mobile Congress 2017 has ended. Multiple sessions are scheduled for the next two and a half days.
Here's the schedule.
14:10 '5G technology provides opportunity for India reach global markets,' Sinha says.
14:08 Manoj Sinha says that the new telecom policy will be a key building block for achieving higher growth in the sector.
"Market will cross USD 6 trillion mark by 2020," he adds.
14:00 Manoj Sinha, Communications Minister and Minister of State for Railways is now speaking.
13:56 Ravi Shankar Prasad says that three new Centre for Excellence will be established in Gandhinagar, Gurugram and Vishakhapatnam.
13:51 Ravi Shankar Prasad says that the government is going to launch 'Umang', a platform where 100 government services will be at the touch of a button.
13:47 Ravi Shankar Prasad says, Digital India "is about bridging the gap between digital have and digital have nots"
13:43 Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Law and Justice is now speaking.
13:42 'India Mobile Congress must create a model that can be replicated by rest of the world,' Pradhan said.
13:39
"Grateful to telecom industry for enabling us to bring LPG to 5 cr homes across India" Mr. @dpradhanbjp Minister @MSDESkillIndia at #IMC2017 pic.twitter.com/r3PKw28TKi IMC 2017 (@exploreIMC) September 27, 2017
13:30 The healthy competition between Sunil Mittal and Mukesh Ambani has led to free calling, Dharmendra Pradhan says.
13:25 Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is next to speak.
"As 5G starts to develop globally, India's keeping track & will be rewarded with latest tech"-Mr Sunil Mittal, @Airtel_Presence #imc2017 IMC 2017 (@exploreIMC) September 27, 2017
13:16 Satish Mahana, Minister of Industrial Development (Uttar Pradesh) is next to speak.
13:11 Airtel's Sunil Mittal says, "Hard infra is going to take a lot of time to be built. It takes time to execute the projects."
Mittal urges the government to help the telecoms to help create the infrastructure.
"Airtel would have put in Rs 10,000 crore by September in infrastructure," Mittal has said.
13:06 Bharti Airtel's Sunil Mittal is now addressing the gathering.
13:03 Vodafone Group CEO Colao says that India's biggest strength is having a young work force.
Calao calls India's unconnected individuals a 'great opportunity'.
He adds that telecom enables other sectors such as education and healthcare and that Vodafone's focus is new offers for consumers.
12:56 Vittorio Amedeo Colao, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Group is now addressing the gathering through a pre-recorded video.
12:54 Mukesh Ambani says that the youth is bustling with ideas and given the right tools, will transform India.
"4G coverage in India will become larger than the current 2G coverage in the next 12 months," he adds.
12:48 RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani says:
India is one of the biggest telecom and digital markets. The India Mobile Congress will soon become a must-event global event.
Indian telecom and IT industry has to play a foundational role to create a digital infrastructure.
12:45 RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani is now speaking.
12:44 Manoj Sinha, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications and Minister of State for Railways will be giving the inaugural address.
Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship as well as Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Law and Justice will be giving a special address.
12:40 Minutes ago, Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary (IT) & Chairman, Telecom Commission, DoT addressed the gathering.
12:37
12:35 The India Mobile Congress 2017 involves 5,000 participants, 28 sessions and more than 100 speakers, according to the organisers.
The Congress includes exhibition, conclaves and an award ceremony.
Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani is expected to share the stage with Bharti Airtel's Sunil Mittal today.
The 2017 India Mobile Congress has started at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
The Union Cabinet approved the signing of an agreement with Ethiopia to increase cooperation in the field of information, communication and media.
The agreement would provide an opportunity to both the nations to share best practices and innovations in the field of information, communication and media, an official release said.
It will also help enhance people-to-people contact through exchange programmes and encourage cooperation between mass media tools such as radio, print, television, and social media, it added.
"The agreement, through an institutional framework will facilitate the exchange of delegations, personnel between the two nations, providing them opportunities to learn from each other's best practices, bringing in equity and inclusiveness," the release said.
accusing it of promoting Google Shopping in organic search results while simultaneously demoting rival services.
The world celebrates the most popular search engine Google's 19th birthday on Wednesday. As part of the celebration, Google has a fun search spinner Google Doodle that will link to 19 surprises the search engine has launched over the years as well as the new snake game.
Two Standford buddies, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, created the search engine in a garage, which has now revolutionized the digital spectrum globally. It has seen a rapidly dynamic evolution in its 19-year journey which touched the lives of all so much so that life without it seems unimaginable!
However, there are a plenty of facts which are not known to a lot. On its birthday, let's have a look at the whacky facts about the Internet mammoth.
# Google's name comes from the mathematical term "googol" which means 1 followed by 100 zeros. Conjecture suggests the name came into being due to a misspelling.
# The founders, Page and Brin, had initially named the search engine as "Backrub" based on system findings and backlinks.
# In its early stage, Google could only process 30-50 pages per second compared to more than a million pages per second now.
# Early on, Google's database used to be stored in ten 4GB hard drives in a lego casing which is now used as a decorative showpiece in the headquarters of the company.
# Google which is known for providing gourmet food and snacks to its employees in their offices. In 1999, the first-ever snack served was Swedish Fish, a chewy candy.
# Stanford University still owns the patent to Google's algorithm which is known as "PageRank".
# The first Google doodle came out on August 30, 1998, which showed a Burning Man stick figure when the founders went to attend the Burning Man festival in Nevada. It was added to convey to the users that technical issues in the server could not be fixed as they were out of town.
# Google has been acquiring an average of one company every week since 2010. Youtube, Android and Waze are some of the major companies taken over by Google.
# The company also owns the domains for the common misspellings of its name which includes www.gooogle.com, www.gogle.com and www.googlr.com.
# The founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, have specific runways for their private jets in NASA where planes aren't allowed to land.
# As part of 'green initiative', Google rents around 200 goats every year to mow the fields and bushes in its headquarters in California.
# The headquarters also has the skeleton of a T-rex dinosaur on display which has been named as "Stan". It is placed there to remind employees that Google should not be extinct.
# The Google Homepage has very bare design as the founders had no knowledge of HTML when they created it. Hence, they wanted a simple interface. The first version of Google did not have a 'submit' tab on the homepage and users had to press the 'return' key instead.
#If a Google employee passes away while being employed, the surviving spouse is entitled to 50 percent of their annual salary for a decade.
# "Google Mirror" is a rotated version of Google which shows everything as a mirrored reflection. It proved to be useful for bypassing China's firewall which had banned Google in the country for some time.
# The founders were not too keen on making a business out of Google and thus tried to sell it to an online company "Excite" in 1999 for USD 1 million. Later, they also approached Yahoo which denied the offer. But, Yahoo had offered to buy it for USD 3 billion in 2002 but this time the owners turned it now. The company is currently valued at USD 400 billion.
# Merriam-Webster and Oxford English Dictionaries included 'google' as a verb in 2006 which means "to use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web".
I'm 01100110 01100101 01100101 01101100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101100 01110101 01100011 01101011 01111001 00001010
Google (@Google) February 26, 2009
# Google's first tweet on Twitter was "I'm feeling lucky" written in binary.# Google has multiple specialized variants which range from Google Mars which gives a map of Mars and Google Wedding which lets you plan your wedding.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif speaks during an interview with Reuters at his office in Islamabad March 6, 2014. Pakistan could launch a full-scale military operation against Pakistani Taliban insurgents in the tribal areas near the Afghan border as early as this month, Asif said, warning insurgents against violating a ceasefire. Picture taken March 6, 2014. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood (PAKISTAN - Tags: POLITICS HEADSHOT MILITARY) - GM1EA371C5B01
Moneycontrol News
Pakistan's foreign minister has said that Hafiz Saeed, mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are liabilities for Pakistan and the rest of South Asia, according to a Times of India report.
Speaking at a Question & Answer session at the Asia Society in New York, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif admitted that Saeed and the LeT are hurting Pakistan and that it has to amplify its efforts towards tackling terrorism. He also said that the country needs more time as it does not have the assets to do the job.
Asif also stated that the United States government will have to share the blame for the rise of terrorist extremism in Pakistan in the past two decades.
He said that the support of Pakistan to the United States in its proxy war against the Soviets in the Afghanistan war of the 1980s contributed to Jihadist elements being nurtured by both countries.
According to Asif, this issue cannot be reversed overnight as the culture and ethos of such elements were deliberately developed at that point in time for winning the war. Asif even went on to say that Pakistan was being made a scapegoat for the failures of the United States in Afghanistan.
"Pakistan has stood firmly with the US during the war against the USSR in Afghanistan - which I personally believe was wrong, a proxy war - then we were used and discarded. In the 60s we were in your (US) camp, in the 70s and early 90s sanctions were imposed on us. Despite heartbreaks we still stood with the US," said Asif.
Meanwhile, Hafiz Saeed's house arrest has been extended by another month in Pakistans Punjab province, with authorities saying his activities pose a threat to the peace and tranquility in the country. Saeed, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief, has been under house arrest since January 31 this year.
The Punjab Home Department on Tuesday issued an order extending the house arrest of Saeed and his four aides -Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain for another 30 days with effect from September 25. The previous order to extend his house arrest was issued on July 28.
On January 31, Saeed and four others were put under house arrest by the Punjab government for 90 days under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.
The Punjab Home Department stated in its order, Jamaat-ud-Dawah and Falah-e-Insaniat have planned to spread chaos in the country on their expected release. They have planned to make demonstrations under the leadership of Saeed. He will be portrayed as a hero and his acts will be glorified.
The notification said that Abdul Rehman Makki, who is the central leader of the JuD, had been making preparations for his release
JuD is believed to be the front for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The organisation is accused of involvement in militant activities in India and has already been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in 2014.
The US has offered a USD 10 million bounty for Saaed for his alleged role in the Mumbai attacks.
(With inputs from PTI)
22:14 The vast majority of US voters disagree with President Trump's escalating rhetoric on North Korea, saying the president's comments on the rogue regime are not helpful, according to a new poll by Fox News.
20:37 North Korea claimed today that some 4.7 million students and workers have volunteered to join the military or re-enlist in the army since its leader Kim Jong-un vowed last week to retaliate against the United States.
18:08 China
has ordered North Korean companies in the country to shut down by January as it applies UN sanctions imposed following Pyongyang's sixth nuclear test, the commerce ministry said on Thursday.
The ministry said the companies, including joint ventures with Chinese firms, have 120 days to close from the date the United Nations resolution was adopted, September 11.
13:30 China has comprehensively implemented United Nations sanctions on North Korea, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday, reports Reuters.
Commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters in Beijing that UN sanctions gave a cushioning or buffer period for implementation of the ban on coal and seafood imports from North Korea.
The comment was in response to a question about data from Chinas customs administration showing China imported 1.6 million tonnes of coal from North Korea in August, the first since February, when Beijing banned purchases of the fuel from its northeast neighbour.
11:10 South Korea expects North Korea to engage in more provocative action next month to coincide with the anniversary of the founding of its communist party and Chinas all-important Communist Party Congress, reports Reuters.
In a meeting with President Moon Jae-in on Thursday, national security adviser Chung Eui-yong said he expected Pyongyang to act around Oct. 10 and 18, but gave no details.
(Chungs report) also said there are worries over military conflict being sparked by accidental incidents, said Park Wan-ju, lawmaker and head spokesman of the ruling Democratic Party.
09:50 Malaysia said on Thursday that all its citizens are banned from travelling to North Korea until further notice due to escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula as a result of Pyongyangs missile and nuclear development, reports Reuters.
Malaysia is one of the handful of countries that still have friendly diplomatic ties with North Korea, but relations strained earlier this year after the murder of Kim Jong Uns half brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The travel ban will be reviewed once the situation has returned to normal, the Malaysian foreign ministry said in a statement.
19:07 The reports also said that Hawaii residents have been asked to prepare for a possible nuclear attack. The residents have been told to prepare for an attack as they would for a tsunami or a hurricane.
18:09 On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump retaliated and said that the US is prepared to use "devastating" military action if needed.
17:02 According to media reports, North Korea has relocated its warplanes to its east coast where US is carrying out military drills.
The move comes after Pyongyang said it has the right to shoot down American jets even if they don't enter the country's air space.
15:30 US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit China this week for talks that will include the crisis over North Koreas nuclear and missile programs and trade, the State Department said on Tuesday.
Tillersons trip, from September 28 to 30, will also lay the groundwork for President Donald Trumps visit to China in November, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, reports Reuters.
1:30 South Koreas currency chief said on Wednesday that his top priority is managing risks to the countrys financial markets from rising tensions over North Korea, as the won slid to a six-week low, reports Reuters.
Increasingly harsh exchanges between North Korea and the US have unnerved foreign investors in recent weeks, with both South Koreas central bank and the finance ministry warning that further provocations could lead to sudden capital outflows.
For now, managing risks (related to North Korea) and making sure that our sovereign credit rating stands unscathed are our top priorities, deputy finance minister Hwang Kun-il told Reuters in Sejong, south of Seoul.
12:28 North Korea has been quietly trying to arrange talks with Republican-linked analysts in Washington in an apparent attempt to figure out the mind of US President Donald Trump.
An investigation by the Washington Post has revealed that several high-profile former officials and analysts have been approached by Pyongyang officials trying to make sense of Mr Trumps unconventional messages to Kim Jong-uns regime.
Theyre on a new binge of reaching out to American scholars and ex-officials, said Bruce Klinger, a former CIA analyst who is now the most senior expert on North Korea at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank which has supplied analysts to the Trump administration.
11:20 President Donald Trump said the US is prepared to use devastating military force against North Korea but encouraged the world to work together to end the countrys nuclear program as he imposed new sanctions on the countrys banks, reports Bloomberg.
We are totally prepared for the second option not a preferred option but if we take that option it will be devastating I can tell you that, Trump said during a joint news conference Tuesday at the White House with Spains Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. For North Korea that is called the military option. If we have to take it we will.
North Koreas nuclear weapons threaten the entire world with unthinkable loss of life and all nations must act now to ensure the regimes complete denuclearization, Trump said.
22:06 North Korean government officials have been quietly trying to arrange talks with Republican-linked analysts in Washington, in an apparent attempt to make sense of President Trump and his confusing messages to Kim Jong Uns regime, The Washington Post reported.
The outreach began before the current eruption of threats between the two leaders but will probably become only more urgent as Trump and Kim have descended into name-calling that, many analysts worry, sharply increases the chances of potentially catastrophic misunderstandings. Read the full story here.
20:21 Russian government officials have said that the Russian foreign ministry has been working "behind the scenes" to find political solutions to the North Korea crisis.
Mikhail Ulyanov, the head of the non-proliferation and arms controls department, said that the United States' approach to the situation is a dead end and added that the tool of sanctions had almost been exhausted.
Officials confirmed that the Russian foreign ministry is planning to hold talks with representatives of the North Korean foreign ministry.
20:03 US defence secretary Jim Mattis said today that the United States wants to resolve the standoff with North Korea diplomatically and is focused on ending Pyongyangs nuclear weapons programme. The comments were made during Mattis' visit to India.
19:58 Former US ambassador to the United Nations and Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte today termed the Donald Trump administration's approach to the rising tensions between US and North Korea as "unhelpful background noise".
"I think hot rhetoric is never a very good idea in international diplomacy and I think in this particular case when both sides are brandishing pretty severe threats it seems to me maybe it would be useful if the rhetoric could be toned down a little bit," Negroponte said in an interview with BBC Radio 4.
19:47 Warning there would be "no winner" in the event of a conflict on the Korean Peninsula, China on Tuesday urged North Korea and the United States to stop their escalating war of words and sit down for talks on cooling the recent spike in tensions.
19:43 Military analysts have said that North Korea doesnt have either the capability or the intent to attack US bombers and fighter jets, despite the countrys top diplomat saying it has every right do so, Associated Press reported.
16:30 While neither country (US or North Korea) is outwardly moving towards an actual war footing, military displays of power, mixed with threats and counter threats may result in an ugly outcome, Stratfor Vice President of Strategic Analysis Rodger Baker told CNN.
"The North Koreans assume that the threats will be enough to restrain US action but the US might be thinking the same thing, so you end up in a situation where a provocation from one side is seen by the other as an actual move towards war," he said.
14:00 Chinas fuel exports to North Korea fell in August, along with iron ore imports from the isolated nation, as trade slowed after the United Nations latest sanctions, but coal shipments resumed after a five-month hiatus, customs data showed on Tuesday, reports Reuters.
China imported 1.6 million tonnes of coal from North Korea, according to data from Beijings General Administration of Customs, the first since February when Beijing banned purchases of the fuel from its northern neighbour.
The release comes after data on Saturday showed Chinas trade with North Korea jumped in August even after the U.N. sanctions, mainly driven by a rise in imports.
12:00 The US has gamed out four or five different scenarios for how the crisis with North Korea will be resolved, and some are uglier than others, National Security Adviser HR McMaster said as tensions remain high between the two countries, reports Bloomberg.
While McMaster said the threat from Pyongyang is much further advanced than anticipated and the Pentagon said the president has a deep arsenal to draw upon if needed, US officials dismissed North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Hos comment that President Donald Trumps warnings to Pyongyang at the United Nations amounted to a declaration of war.
Read full story here.
11:55 A retired US general said a Pentagon war scenario showed a conventional war with North Korea could result in about 20,000 deaths per day in South Korea, according to the Los Angeles Times. Meanwhile, a retired US Navy admiral sees a 50/50 chance of a conventional conflict with North Korea although much less likelihood of a nuclear war.
11:50 South Korea urged the United States to help dial down tensions with the North, after Pyongyang accused President Donald Trump of declaring war.
"It is very likely that North Korea will conduct further provocations," South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said in a speech in Washington yestertday.
"It is imperative that we, Korea and the US together, manage the situation... in order to prevent further escalation of tensions or any kind of accidental military clashes which can quickly go out of control.
11:45 North Korea's foreign minister said Monday that President Donald Trump has "declared war" on his country and that Kim Jong Un's regime would consider shooting down American bombers.
"Since the US declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down the US bombers even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country," Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters in New York.
The White House on Monday rejected the notion that the US had declared war and ripped Pyongyang's talk of shooting down American planes.
"We have not declared war on North Korean, and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a press briefing Monday.
Education
Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.
Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.
Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:
International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.
EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.
Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.
June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets June Homecoming: Participant $18 per person; Sustainer $25 per person; Benefactor $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.
Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.
The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:
SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available for information call 610-275-1960
Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)
SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.
Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.
Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.
Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.
Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.
Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. 4 p.m. computers are available during those hours.
Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.
Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.
Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.
Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.
The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:
Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at
other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.
CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.
The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:
Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.
Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.
Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.
Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.
Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.
For Kids & Families
The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.
Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.
Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.
Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.
The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.
Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.
Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.
Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.
Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.
Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!
Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.
Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.
Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.
Community Events at the Ambler Y:
-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.
Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.
Health
Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.
The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.
The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.
The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.
Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.
Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.
Spring Aquatic Programs UDHS Pool:
-Summer is just around the corner Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.
Shallow Water Aerobics Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.
Adult Swim Instructions Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR
-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.
-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.
-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.
-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.
Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.
SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.
Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.
Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:
FITNESS CLASSES
Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.
Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30 9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.
SUPPORT GROUPS
Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.
Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30 7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.
New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m. 12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30 4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.
Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.
Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.
Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.
Librarytalk
Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744
www.upperdublinlibrary.org
APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:
Storytimes: Please register in the library.
o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.
o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.
o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.
o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.
APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:
North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee
APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:
NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.
One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register contact info above.
Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.
o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.
Meetings:
Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.
Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.
Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.
For children and teens at Blue Bell:
* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.
* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.
* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.
* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.
* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.
* May 14 Despicable Me
* June 11 Alpha and Omega
* Special Events
* April watch for date of spring/Easter events
* April 14 at 4:30 p.m. Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.
* April 14 at 7 p.m. Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.
* April 16 at 1 p.m. Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.
* April 16 at 1:30 p.m. Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?
* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.
* April 30 through May 3 Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.
* May sign up for Science in the Summer
* June sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children
* June sign up for Summer Reading, all ages
For adults at Blue Bell:
* Daytime Book Discussion Group fourth Tuesday, Jan April at 1:30 p.m.
* April 26 The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
* Night-time Book Discussion Group third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.
o April 19 The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges
o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?
*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs
* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.
* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.
* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.
* Giant Book Sale, April 29 May 3
o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!
o Held during library hours.
o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.
o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.
* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series
o May 11 at 1 p.m. Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society
* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.
* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.
* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.
* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.
*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.
* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours
* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours
* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!
Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.
* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.
* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.
* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.
* For adults:
* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.
* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net
* Special Events:
* April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.
* April 19 at 7 p.m. Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.
* April 21 at 7 p.m. Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.
*May 2 at 6:30 p.m. Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.
*May 10 Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.
*May 12 at 1:30p.m. Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.
*May 17 Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.
*June 13 at 6:30 p.m. Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.
Meetings and Lectures
The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.
The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.
The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.
LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.
Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.
The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.
Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.
The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)
-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.
The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.
For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.
Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.
Special Events
The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.
The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.
Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.
The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.
The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.
Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.
The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.
The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.
The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.
Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.
The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.
The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.
The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.
Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.
The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.
13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.
Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.
The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.
The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.
JPRN Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.
Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.
Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.
Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.
Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.
Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.
Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.
Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday Friday from 9 a.m. 4 p.m.
Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday Friday from 9 a.m. 4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374
Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:
-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.
Music and Theater
The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.
Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.
Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.
The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org
Religious News
The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.
Reunions
St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.
Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.
Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.
Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net
Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net
The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.
Support
New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.
PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.
The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.
Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.
Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group every other Wednesday, 7 8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.
CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7 8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
Jarrett Coleman goes from school board to statehouse with win in 16th Senate District race
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Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)
Today
Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Thunder possible. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..
Tonight
Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Thunder possible. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
The airplane hummed as the landing gear dropped into place. Outside my window, swaths of lucid greens and teals mixed together like an impressionist painting the Caribbean does not disappoint on the color spectrum. We dipped lower, and the passengers exhibited excitement as the wheels met the asphalt and we touched down in Haiti.
I filled out the mint green-colored immigration form and checked leisure for the purpose of my trip.
Palm trees peeked above the gray airport roof, like so many tropical birthday candles. I wiped sweat off my forehead. It had been four years since my last trip to Haiti, and the capital city of Port-au-Prince seemed unchanged at least from the airport.
As I entered the baggage claim, a dozen eager airport workers bombarded me, clamoring for my luggage number to retrieve my bag, but it came rumbling down the conveyor belt before I was forced to say no, thank you more than a few times. I pushed my sunglasses onto my face and walked out into the pulsing, Haitian heat.
The air was thick with smog from a million people and a million motorcycles that seemed to all buzz past simultaneously. I tried to focus on the French phrases I had stowed away in my mind since last year when I studied abroad in southern France, but it was useless to try to concentrate on anything except my exotic surroundings.
When I spotted the Haitian couple who came to pick me up, I moved past the airport exit and clumsily dragged my brown duffel bag behind me. Smiling and waving, I forced out the French greeting of Bonjour, comment ca-va, mes amis? The words sputtered like a rusty engine trying to start up for the first time.
Edner and Rosena Veus greeted me warmly and grabbed my bag as we started the trek through throngs of people to their Toyota pickup.
The couple were school directors and evangelical pastors in the Northwest Department of Haiti, and I knew them from an aid trip in 2013 when I stayed with their family.
This time, I was returning to their home as a friend to work as media specialist for The Birds Nest Haiti, a 501(c)3 nonprofit womens trade school that they were co-founding. Erin Leggett, the U.S. director of The Birds Nest and my best friend from high school, met us at the airport an hour later after flying in from Denver.
Haiti is a country that is often overlooked by tourists, but was launched into the public eye in 2009 when an earthquake rippled through the island nation and devastated the lives of thousands. When I visited in 2013, there was still much work that needed to be done to rebuild the already-struggling economy, but now, Haiti looked more vibrant.
The piles of rubble I associated with the earthquake devastation had been transformed into cement blocks and nearly complete houses. The bustling streets showcased smiles from the street vendors instead of blank stares, and overall, Portau-Prince appeared to be a happier place that was set on becoming better than it was before.
After spending the night in one of the many hotels that lined the road to the airport, we climbed in Edners truck, rolled down the windows (the Haitian air conditioning system) and set off toward the Northwest Department.
Mare Rouge, the small community where The Birds Nest would begin work, was a 10-hour drive from Port-au-Prince. Distance was not the reason for the long trip. While a paved road graciously snaked along the coast for the first hour and a half, the rest of the trip was a pelvic realignment disguised as a dirt road.
No amount of professional maneuvering from Edners seasoned driving could save us from being tossed around in our seats, and once or twice I calmly accepted my fate as other trucks nearly missed ours as they swung around motorcycles into oncoming traffic.
But the road to Mare Rouge was filled with more than just bad potholes and harrowing traffic. While we drove down the road, I was able to revive my French and strike up a conversation with Edner and Rosena. We discussed my time in West Africa, where the roads and culture are similar, and we laughed about memories from the previous trip.
While we were talking and bouncing down the road, I made a crucial mistake. I told Edner that I drove on roads like this before, when I meant I rode on them. Edner pulled over, got out of the pickup and opened my door.
Seeing my confusion, he told me in French that it was my turn to drive. Now, here is where I should have politely corrected my mistake and deferred to his driving expertise. Instead, I hopped out and bravely, albeit stupidly, climbed in the front seat where a manual transmission and a hundred miles of potholes were waiting for me.
After stalling the truck twice in a matter of 10 minutes, Edner and I agreed that I could not drive stick shift on roads like this, and he took the wheel.
When we reached Mare Rouge that night, we were greeted by smiles and shrieks of Edner and Rosenas three children Sael, Mark and Danaelle, who are all younger than 9.
During the next two weeks, we woke up to cold showers which were welcome when compared to the bucket baths that most Haitians take on a daily basis. We then had breakfast with the family. Most meals consisted of some form of cooked Spam, rice or fried plantains and my personal favorite poulet sauce with chicken.
Haitian cuisine is a mixture of bold flavors and spices such as creole seasoning, onions and Louisiana hot sauce combined with whatever French or American imported foods that find their way into Haitian shopping carts. The result is generally tender chicken simmered in poulet sauce tomatoes, peppers, onion and bell pepper or (for lesser occasions) canned meat, with fried plantains, rice and ketchup.
Rosena was the head of the Veus household in every aspect especially in the kitchen but she allowed Erin and me to cook the family dinner one evening. After struggling to light the gas stove, breaking open cans with a knife on the tile floor and making sure the imported package of tortillas was not moldy, we served the Haitian version of enchiladas, which were a hit.
At the beginning of the second week, we made the two-hour drive to Port-de-Paix a large port town on the northwest coast to buy materials for the new school building.Port-de-Paix, although not as safe as most cities in the region, is an industrial hub that sits almost on top of the Caribbean shallows that surround its port. It is the closest city to Mare Rouge that offers higher education opportunities for students who graduate from high school. Edner, as the director of a boys secondary school in Mare Rouge, sent five or six of his former students to professional school in Port-de-Piax. On the day we arrived, they were graduating with degrees in mechanics.
When we got to the school, I had no idea what we were to experience for the next several hours. With my camera around my neck, I joined Edner, Erin and about 200 other people who were there to watch their relatives and friends receive technical degrees. I felt sorely underdressed as women in floor-length dresses and stilettos eyed me while I shuffled past in my University of Houston T-shirt.
I was hoping to keep a low profile for the night, but Edner asked me to take photos of his former students as they received their diplomas. I found myself at the front of the auditorium, sweaty and pushing against about 20 Haitian mothers while we all snapped photos as the graduates walked across the stage.
On one knee, I looked to Edner to signal when one of his former students walked across the stage, then I leapt into action to wrangle for a photo before they announced the next name. Despite my disheveled hair and sweaty T-shirt, I felt like a National Geographic photographer who had just won the Pulitzer Prize when I showed the photos to Edner and Haitis newest mechanics and electricians.
It is experiences such as this that give me the passion for traveling.
When youre unexpectedly thrown into a graduation celebration in Haiti and end up serving as the official photographer for the night, you experience the culture on a different level, and this is the lens through which I view Haiti: a multifaceted, complex country that is beautiful because of its people.
On a Sunday morning at a Mare Rouge church, Erin and I were invited to speak to the congregation. During the first half of the service, I noted how filled the rough, hand-hewn wooden benches were. We sat shoulder-to-shoulder with about 10 people on a bench.
But as we walked to the front of the church and Erin began talking, I looked out and saw something that struck me half of the church was empty. The front half was packed in tightly, people eagerly listening and attentively watching, but the benches in the back were empty.
Distracted, I thought back to my own church in the United States, where the arched ceiling and stained-glass windows created a beautiful open space filled with a hundred plush pews and rich carpet. But when the pastor spoke and I looked around, I remember noticing how far apart we all sat one person per pew in some instances. Keeping our distance, we listened in quiet solitude probably trying to stay awake.
But here, in a rural community where the church was a concrete rectangle filled with plywood benches, the people sat together in unity and sang the hymns with harmonies that wouldnt be possible if they sat as far apart from each other as we did back home. Once again, I was amazed by the culture and Haitians sense of community. I was inspired to see them sitting so close in the Haitian heat with no thought of the empty benches.
As Erin finished speaking, I sat down and put my arm around the elderly woman sitting next to me. She smiled as we sang the closing hymn, and I heard our voices blend in a harmony I never heard back home.
When our time in Haiti came to an end, I realized my experience was more than just a leisure trip as Id marked on my immigration form two weeks previously. I experienced the culture of this country in more ways than I expected.
Typically, travel articles will describe the best hotels, how many beach resorts provide scuba diving and snorkeling, which five-star restaurants have the best wines and famous landmarks and bustling streets. If thats what you expected at the beginning of this article, Im sorry if youre disappointed.
But, if you are truly a traveler at heart as I am, I hope youll visit Haiti to experience this one-of-a-kind country, and I hope you will visit for more than just the crystalline water or creole cuisine, although these are both excellent. I hope you will experience the Haiti I have come to love, where you see the country pass by through the open window of a pickup, and where you get sweaty and sit shoulder-to-shoulder with someone.
I hope that when you mark leisure under your purpose of travel, you get more than you bargained for. m
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For more 10 years Reel Thanx has been bringing war-injured servicemen to Del Rio, and making them feel at home.
Shaken, hurt, sometimes seriously injured while defending our country, soldiers across the nation are coming back home after risking their lives in active war zones. Some may have a hard time finding peace and recognition, but a small group of volunteers in Midland, Ozona and Del Rio, are putting together a massive effort to ensure they all feel like the heroes they are.
Reel Thanx, a Midland-based nonprofit organization, has been bringing war-injured soldiers to Lake Amistad since 2007. Far from ordinary, these fishing trips are engineered to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that has marked the lives of these members of the military.
This is our 38th trip, we have been bringing theater-injured soldiers four times a year to Lake Amistad, said Mike Starkey, one of a dozen volunteers that have been making this program possible for a decade.
The organization, founded by Mike Mundy of Midland, offers these fishing trips to Lake Amistad to wounded soldiers across the country honoring their service, but also as a way to provide them with a little peace, fishing therapy and comradery.
The trip is cost-free from the moment they get into a plane until they are flown back home, and is specifically intended for soldiers that have been injured either physically or otherwise in active-theater.
What really makes these fishing trips so special, said Reel Thanx board of directors member Mike Hutt, is that each one of the soldiers go home with one of our volunteers, we do not use hotel rooms at all because we want for them to feel that we care and that we are all the same.
They chose Lake Amistad for its over 1,000 miles of shoreline, spectacular views and top-notch fishing, in addition to having been voted the top bass fishing lake in the U.S.
The operation is run by a group of about 16 volunteers, but since its inception the program has grown thanks to the integration of alumni, as well as agencies, businesses and other organizations that have joined the cause.
On a typical trip the soldiers fly into Midland on Thursday, leave the airport escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders, and are honored by the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the North East Midland County Fire Department on their way to dinner.
Next day after breakfast, these war heroes are escorted out of Midland County by the Sheriffs Office, and arrive to Ozona just in time for lunch.
Hutt said people in Ozona has been very uplifting and welcoming, and that a group of volunteers prepares lunch for them every time they come through. Every time in a different place, and every time there is something new.
This last trip we got to meet the middle school honor students, Hutt said.
The caravan of boats and vehicles is greeted and escorted into Val Verde County by the Val Verde County Sheriffs Department.
Helping wounded soldiers heal one fish at a time, Reel Thanx has received with open arms military men from all five branches, and from almost every single one of the 50 states.
We have never flown anybody from Hawaii, Hutt said.
With six soldiers per trip the nonprofit has seen approximately 228 GIs graduate from the Amistad Lake program.
Hutt, a Reel Thanx alumni himself, said the fishing trips provide the peace of mind needed by the wounded warriors, and for some is a life-changing experience and a way to receive the recognition they never had.
Some had to leave the war zone in a cot, were airlifted and went straight into a hospital, he said. They never had the opportunity to get the recognition they deserve.
Starkey, a volunteer with Reel Thanx since May 2011, said that he joined the program invited by Mike Mundy when they were one fishing boat short. Ever since he has become a firm believer in the fishing therapy and is a regular in these trips.
Volunteers go out in the boat with each one of the soldiers, is a one-on-one experience at the lake. Some are regular fishermen but others have never fished before, said Starkey.
Reel Thanx relies in donations and has received serious support from different businesses and organizations. HEB provides food for the program, the Odessa American Legion volunteers to cook the meals, and they also receive donations from individuals in the community.
The organization is funded through two annual fundraisers, a clay shoot in March, and a fishing tournament held at Lake Amistad in October. This year the fishing tournament is scheduled for Saturday, October 28.
The 9th Reel Thanx Steve Main Memorial has a first place guaranteed cash prize of $2,500, and cash prizes to the eight highest ranked teams. The tournament is dedicated to the memory of Steve Main, one of the greatest supporters of Reel Thanx and our service members.
For more information on the fishing tournament, sponsorships or how to help recognize these service members go to reelthanx.org.
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Distributed by the Associated Press
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Monitoring procedures will offer a local health care provider insight into this flu season. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center this year is expanding its surveillance of the flu and influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) in the Permian Basin.
Texas Tech Physicians Family Medicine Clinic in Odessa provided information to the Texas Department of State Health Services each week during the previous flu season. The surveillance extends this season to include the family medicine clinic in Midland and Texas Tech Physicians Geriatric Center in Odessa.
Dr. Timothy Benton, regional chairman of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, said the additional clinics can offer more data points about the flu season.
Then you can measure the impact to the whole community in more specific ways, Benton said. Our intention [at] the Texas Tech Department of Family and Community Medicine is to provide care to a region.
Dr. Vani Selvan, research director in the department, started working in October 2016 to collect and submit information to the Centers for Diseae Control through DSHS. The monitoring involved recording confirmed cases of flu as well as ILIs.
Selvan said surveillance for ILIs which occur during the flu season and include symptoms such as body aches and coughing may provide insight into those viruses.
What we found was who had ILI symptoms more [commonly] was people who did not get vaccinated, Selvan said. Usually if people get vaccinated the symptoms would not be confusing, and they would also be comfortable and confident enough that they are not having the flu.
During last flu season, the family medicine clinic in Odessa had about 4,000 unique visitors, and 8 percent of them received flu vaccines at the facility. Four of the patients who received the vaccines got the flu, and all had compromised immune systems. Selvan said some patients were hesitant when offered flu vaccines.
She also said people should get the vaccine unless they have an allergy to the ingredients.
(I)t is always recommended to take it, Selvan said. When you have the vaccine and if you still develop a flu, it will be very minimal. It wont be having the full effect, so it is always beneficial.
But Selvan said one drawback of the research was the clinic didnt record whether patients were vaccinated at other facilities.
She said this season the clinics will try to document patients who received flu vaccines elsewhere. Selvan recommends people get vaccines before late November when the first peak of the illness usually starts.
If you want to avoid it, you better get vaccinated two months before, Selvan said. That would be the best way to prevent it. If you miss it, get it anywhere to at least protect you later.
Youve seen Malmo on TV, as the Swedish side of The Bridge, a half hour journey from Copenhagen in Denmark. The resund bridge itself, which opened in 2000, spans five miles, by road and train. Its an impressive ride over the harbour, especially at sunset.
For a long time Malmo was Danish, only becoming Swedish in the 17th century. In fact the dialect spoken by Malmo residents is closer to Danish than say Stockholm Swedish.
Almost half of the population of Malmo were not born in Sweden. It is a city of high immigration with a certain amount of poverty. Since the bridge opened, its image has been rehabilitated. Malmo, therefore, is both poor and rich, old and new, utterly Swedish but also very foreign with lots of headscarves.
Malmo is also city of contrasts when it comes to the weather: it was either pissing down or balmy and sunny beach weather and I was only there for four days. Some days I wore rubber boots while others I sweated in a T-shirt. The weather is even madder than in England.
Food Hall
The Saluhall is a food hall with chic restaurants, shops and delicatessens. Great for lunch and shopping. You can find the best cardamom buns in Malmo at St.Jakobs Stenagnsbageri
Falafel
Malmo was economically deprived from the 1970s onwards, leading to depopulation. At this point Malmo welcomed immigrants, some of whom started food businesses. Since the Syrian war, refugees have been opening restaurants. There are more than 60 falafel restaurants in Malmo, its actually become a local food. Everybody has their favourite falafel joint.
This is where I tried my falafel. I didnt understand the queuing system so I went to the counter, where they politely but completely ignored me until I found the back of the line. I got a large juicy flatbread with all the sauces, every type of salad plus pickled peppers.
They have an extensive vegan menu, with things like tofu halloumi.
Town Grill: Some vegans I met recommended this place as the best.
Jalla Jalla is another popular place which some people cite as their favourite.
Vegan/Vegetarian
There is a burgeoning vegan movement in Sweden. When I was in Malmo, I saw a demonstration in Adolf Gustav Square which happens every Saturday. About 20 Swedes stood silently holding posters/cards with animals being tortured.
This place is totally vegan with fantastic coffee. I have to say, Swedish vegans are hard-core, they were sitting outside in the pouring rain drinking soy milk lattes.
Hipster
Probably Malmos trendiest restaurant is Bastard with a name like that hipness is a slam dunk. I was sorely tempted to nick a napkin, which is adorned glass cloth style but replaced with the word Bastard. The food was excellent, crisp corn fritters, burrata with broccoli and hazelnuts. There were enough dishes, small plates, to please a vegetarian or pescatarian.
Vastergaten
Was recommended this restaurant but when I got outside, I lacked the nerve and the appetite to go in.
Fika :
Le Glorieux Cafe Dornonville, designed by an architect and run by his charming and friendly wife Hygge (Danish word for cosy) and Fika (Swedish for coffee time) have now been added to the English language and are as popular as IKEA furniture. Swedes will share coffee and buns at the drop of a hat. Speaking of IKEA, did you know that some older pieces are now collectibles? IKEA opened in Sweden about 20 years before it came to the UK., designed by an architect and run by his charming and friendly wife , Agnes Ranelid , features vintage Scandinavian furniture. I noticed the Elastoplast pink hue of the walls. Agnes told me that its so popular with customers, they give out the paint code, so people can get the same colour made up. Its only open till 3pm each day, she has young children and has to pick them up, but its a fun, cool space to have a coffee and a cake.
This is the oldest cafe in Malmo, opening in 1903, and features 1950s Dutch furniture. Its just near the main square Gustav Adolf Torg.
A regional speciality you must try is spettekaka, or spit cake, a towering meringue-like gateau. The only place that bakes it in Malmo is Johanna Jeppssons bakery but the owner is a right bitch difficult- she tried to charge me 150 to photograph the place. Shes not Johanna herself, who died years ago, but a former 90s pop star who fancies herself rotten. Anyway I travelled to another bakery out of town which Ill be writing about soon. They were really nice.
Other places to visit:
Museum cafes:
This caff attached to an exhibition hall, has a good selection of vegetarian and vegan food. I had a soup, bread, several salads and potatoes, with tea or coffee for about 10.
Modern Museet (Museum of Modern Art)
A stylish cafe with snacks, books and magazines to read. The gallery hosts exhibitions by modern Scandinavian artists.
Bathing at Ribersborgs Kallbadhus (Public baths)
I highly recommend making the trip to Ribersborgs Kallbadhus. At the entrance (where there is an elegant restaurant) you can hire a towel and buy a lock (or bring your own). Remember to bring a bottle of water. You can wear a swimming costume but must go naked in the sauna. Its down a boardwalk pier to Victorian public bathing house dating from 1898. The saunas, not dark and depressing like in the UK, have a wonderful view, facing out onto the harbour. There are men, women and mixed! You arent allowed to take pictures, but I sneaked a few. It was full of drop dead gorgeous Scandinavian women, all robust and healthy going from steamy sauna to ice cold seawater. Brrr!
Gamla Staden (Old Town)
In the old town you can see 18th century half-timbered buildings, gable rooves, archways and candlelit windows, covered shopping arcades, cobbled streets.
Canals
A nice way to see Malmo is via the extensive canal network. You can take tours, picnic boats (opposite the Central Station) or hire pedal board boats.
Transport:
Buy a daily pass from Central Station for around 65 SEK. An hours transport within Malmo usually costs 25 SEK.
Cash is not accepted on buses, only credit cards.
To get to Copenhagen: take the train from Central Station. It costs 110 SEK.
Accommodation:
I stayed in Malmo courtesy of the First Hotel Mortensen which was centrally located with helpful and friendly staff. Rooms are around 900 SEK per night. Breakfast is included.
#suitcase murder suspect Justice minister orders extradition of 'suitcase' murder suspect to New Zealand South Korea's justice minister on Monday ordered the extradition of a woman believed to be the mother of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases in New Zealand in August,...
#KBO KBO sets salary cap for 1st time In an unprecedented move designed to ensure a level playing field, the top South Korean baseball league announced Monday it has set a salary cap for the next three seasons. The ...
Recent hot, dry conditions that have been conducive to both grain harvest and helping a late cotton crop mature has given way to cool, damp conditions with periods of heavy rain.
Monday night into Tuesday, Olton received 2.67 inches of rain. Thats the heaviest amount across the South Plains. Other area totals include Abernathy, 0.86; Aiken, 1.40; Caprock Canyons State Park, 1.99; Floydada, 1.24; Hart, 1.70; Lubbock, 0.90; Plainview Water Treatment Plant, 1.64; Plainview Herald, 1.49; Plainview Mesonet, 1.17; Silverton, 1.45; and Tulia, 1.90 inches.
Intermittent rainfall was continuing Tuesday and forecasters expect the activity to continue through Friday.
Late-planted wheat going in now will take advantage of this moisture, observed Blayne Reed, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension integrated pest management agent for Swisher, Floyd and Hale counties. This additional rainfall will be enough to carry it quite a ways into fall and winter.
The moisture is also good for late grain sorghum. Its coming at a good time to help fill out the grain and add weight. On the other hand, the wet conditions has delayed corn harvest, and this is not the type of weather we need to dial up for cotton. Hopefully well be able to return to getting some additional heat units once this wet spell passes.
Reed notes that once the clouds move on and sunshine returns, some producers will be ready to start using harvest aids in preparation of harvest. Other producers with need to wait several weeks since their fields are still showing a high percentage of green bolls.
At this point the cotton crop is all across the board, Reed observed. While there is a wide range, most everyone is still hoping for more heat units.
Hail was reported Monday night near Kress along with high winds and periods of heavy rain, but Reed doesnt know how extensive and widespread damage might be.
The rainfall is having an impact on area reservoirs. Lake Meredith near Fritch was at 30.5 percent capacity Tuesday morning, up from 30.1 percent a week ago, 28.6 percent a month ago, 23.7 percent six months ago and 24.3 percent a year ago. Lake Mackenzie between Tulia and Silverton was at 15.2 percent capacity Tuesday, up from 15.1 percent a week ago. It was at 15.3 percent a month ago, 14.6 percent six months ago and 15.5 percent a year ago.
The National Weather Service in Lubbock reported Tuesday that a very moist atmosphere remained in place across the center of the nation, including West Texas, with two clusters of convection over the region Tuesday morning. One was advancing into the southeastern Texas Panhandle and northern Rolling Plains while the second was approaching the Texas/New Mexico border through east-central New Mexico.
The lead system was producing general rainfall totals in the 0.50 to 1.50-inch range with pockets of brief torrential rainfall, including 0.95 inch at the Reese Center in just 15 minutes, causing areas of minor flooding.
While rain chances will persist into Thursday and perhaps Friday, coverage and intensity will decrease as drier surface ridging builds from the northeast. The current southwesterly flow aloft through the week will quickly transition to near zonal flow above the South Plains by Saturday. This will carry in drier air and likely bring an end to the rain by the weekend. However, there are indications another trough will transverse the western states this weekend before emerging over the central and northern High Plains Sunday or Monday. While upper level riding beneath the trough may keep this region dry, theres a chance another moisture tap might develop that will bring additional rainfall into the area early next week.
A warming trend should finally kick in this weekend into early next week as drier conditions and the sun return, forecasts say, although the damp ground could temper afternoon highs.
During a special family luncheon held Friday, Sept. 22, Wayland Baptist University dedicated two new endowed scholarships to benefit students of the university.
Dr. Glenda and Mr. Brad Payas were honored as the generous benefactors of the two endowments, both remembering her family. Dr. Payas is a 1969 graduate of Wayland, earning a science degree and going on to eventually earn a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree and practice dentistry in Tulsa, Okla., for nearly 30 years before retiring recently.
The scholarships are in memory of Payas mother, LaNora James Lightfoot, and her grandparents, Alfred Orin and Nancy Hanks Hathcock Lightfoot.
Born in Iraan, LaNora Lightfoot helped raise younger siblings during the depression years and was the first in her family to finish high school and attend college. She finished business college in San Angelo just before World War II, then moved to San Antonio to work at what would later become Kelly Air Force Base as the war began. She would meet her future husband, Owen Lightfoot, who survived the Bataan Death March in Japan, at a social event there.
After they married and moved to Albuquerque, Owen returned to the logging business and the family grew to include three children, Glenda, Gayle and James. All three were college graduates Glenda and Gayle both earned bachelors degrees from Wayland, James from LeTourneau and have all been successful.
LaNora was a woman of faith with a firm belief in the value of education, her family wrote on the scholarship plaque. She saw to it that their children attended school and church and provided a core of stability within their home. She died at age 57.
The scholarship is designated to benefit students of great Christian character with financial need.
Alfred and Nancy Lightfoot married in September 1907 and raised nine children while tending a farm and raising livestock in North Anderson County, Texas. They were a strong, God-fearing pioneer family who had a deep and abiding faith in God and raised each of their children to honor Him, the plaque reads.
During their lifetime, they witnessed many changes in history and lived through two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Korean War and Vietnam War. Four of their sons served in the military during World War II, primarily in the Pacific Theater. Two of their grandchildren attended Wayland, and the scholarship is given to recognize their love and sacrifice to the family.
The scholarship is designed to benefit students from East Texas or New Mexico with financial need.
Endowed scholarships at Wayland are created with donor gifts and placed in investment. Once the fund reached $25,000, the fully endowed fund can then begin to bless students. Interest is pulled annually to provide scholarships for students in various academic areas. For more information about scholarships, contact Amber McCloud, Director of Development, at 806-291-3430.
Dr. Glenda Payas, Major Gen. Michael Fortney and Dr. Rosemary Pelphrey were recognized at an alumni awards dinner Friday night as part of Homecoming 2017 activities at Wayland Baptist University.
The evening took a surprising turn when Dr. Payas, the Distinguished Benefactor Award honoree, announced her commitment to endow two new scholarships. One scholarship will honor former Wayland science professors Dr. J. Hoyt Bowers, Dr. Harold Reese and Dr. Gerald Thompson, who were instrumental in her success at Wayland, and fueled her desire to make a career in dentistry. The second scholarship is in honor of Mike Melcher, senior major gifts officer, for his commitment to the university.
There is no one more committed to advancing Wayland than Mike Melcher, Payas said.
Melcher, who was in attendance, was surprised by the announcement.
I had no idea that was coming, he said.
Payas, who graduated from Wayland in 1969 and earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, recently retired after 28 years of private practice in Tulsa where she and her husband, Brad, also manage rental property.
Major Gen. Fortney, a 1986 graduate of Waylands Hawaii campus, was honored as the Distinguished Alumni Award winner. Fortney will officially retire in October as vice commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, after more than 39 years in military service. Fortney was making his first visit to Waylands home campus in Plainview.
Having no prior association with the Plainview campus, Fortney said its tough to answer his peers when asked if he attended after describing where Wayland is located.
Well, kind of he said, grinning. Im a Wayland grad and I am proud of it.
Fortney said the main reason he came to Homecoming was to say Thank you to the university.
The commitment to the military student is unequaled in any university I have been associated with, Fortney said. Ive known a lot of different schools that are affiliated with the military, but I had never seen one bend over backward to accommodate their military the young soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines like Wayland Baptist does.
Pelphrey echoed Payas and Fortney, thanking Wayland for guiding her along her journey.
Wayland was a big part of creating and making me who I am today, getting to this point of doing what I do every day -- being a dentist. And I absolutely love it, she said.
Pelphrey graduated in 2011 and earned her Doctor of Dental Science degree in 2015. She works part-time for Ideal Smiles of McKinney and part-time for a mobile dentistry company that caters to an elderly clientele. She plans to open her own practice in the near future. Pelphrey and her husband, Micah, live in Richardson.
MERIDEN A week after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, locals with ties to the devastated island remain in a state of worry.
Shani Rodriguez still has not made contact with her mother Jacquelina Padilla, who lives in Pueblo, Cabo Rojo.
I just want to know she is all right, said Rodriguez. We have no communication in that area.
Padilla and her cousin Chaliza Maya recently learned their grandmother and two aunts, who live in a different part of Cabo Rojo, survived the hurricane. But her mother has not been located.
About 80 percent of the country is without power. There are few generators, and medicine, supplies, water and food are running out, according to Puerto Rican officials.
Cabo Rojo is on the southwestern side of the island, near the coastline, an area severely impacted by the storm.
Rodriguez and Maya, who opened the DZire Dance Studio on West Main Street in February, were planning a fundraiser for Florida victims of Hurricane Irma, but the devastation in Puerto Rico shifted their focus.
Puerto Rico is worse, Rodriguez said. There really is a need right now. Its really bad.
Rodriguez and Maya will host a community tag sale and hurricane relief fund raiser from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday at the dance studio. Guests are asked to bring food, household items, or cash that will go to charities such as Global Giving, Operation USA, Direct Relief, El Paso Community Foundation, and the Connecticut Food Bank.
The group will be accepting clothing, canned fruit and vegetables, tuna, chili, beef stew, chicken, peanut butter, granola bars, breakfast bars, toiletries, paper goods, diapers, mops, mop buckets, brooms, bleach wipes, bleach, garbage bags, bug spray and bottled water.
Hunters Ambulance is helping her organize the event.
Here in Meriden we have so many people from there, who wouldnt want to help? Maya said.
Groups such as Global Giving work with the agencies on the ground to dispense what is needed.
The challenge now for relief agencies is getting supplies onto the island. Because of damage to radar and other equipment at the airport, only about 10 commercial flights between San Juan and the U.S. mainland could take off and land Monday and the same number was scheduled for Tuesday, airport authorities said.
The reopening of the islands main port in San Juan Saturday allowed ships to bring in water, cots, generators and food.
We are taking our lead from Feeding America, said Paul Shipman, spokesman for the Connecticut Food Bank in Wallingford. Transporting items right now is a nightmare and there may not even be access to cooking. A lot of organizations can deliver meals ready to eat. The best way to help is a financial contribution.
The Connecticut Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, which helps to coordinate emergency responses. So far, the website has not called for a specific action from its members but is collecting cash to purchase needed supplies. The agency has staff on the ground in Puerto Rico and is sending more in the coming weeks. The disaster boxes, food and water are ready to ship as soon as transportation, warehousing and distribution is available, according to the agencys website. The agency anticipates at least six shipments will be delivered in Puerto Rico this week.
The American Red Cross is mobilizing more volunteers and relief supplies to help those in need. The Red Cross has a multi-island relief effort underway with government officials and disaster partners to help people in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
More than 2,100 Red Cross workers are responding to Irma and Maria now, with 267 additional volunteers on the way. This includes nearly 400 volunteers supporting relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the agencys website.
Rodriguez and Maya hope they can collect enough goods and cash from the tag and bake sale to put a small dent in the massive relief effort. In the meantime, she hopes to hear some encouraging news about her mother.
No child (or) adult should ever have to suffer in these times, Rodriguez said.
mgodin@record-journal.com 203-317-2255 Twitter: @Cconnbiz
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A cat custody battle went sour after a man and a woman from San Francisco forced their way into a San Bruno apartment, pepper-sprayed a resident, and stole a pet feline, police said.
Oleksandr Mirza and Ching Yen, both 26, were arrested on suspicion of robbery, burglary, unlawful use of tear gas and conspiracy, according to the San Bruno Police Department.
Mirza had insisted he was the cats rightful owner. Yen was his purported accomplice in the robbery, police said.
Officers were sent to the 1000 block of National Avenue in San Bruno after receiving a report about 7:20 p.m. on Saturday that a home-invasion robbery had just occurred.
Investigators learned two people used pepper spray on a victim and stole the cat, authorities said.
The robbers didnt take anything else. They were interested only in a cat that Mirza claimed belonged to him, said Lt. Ryan Johansen, a San Bruno Police Department spokesman.
The suspect claims that he gave the cat ... under some sort of arrangement that he would get it back, Johansen said Tuesday. The victim said, No, the cats mine. We dont really know what the truth is.
The pepper-spray victim, a 24-year-old man whose name was not released, had taken care of the feline for a year and a half, Johansen said. His roommate, a 22-year-old man, was home during the invasion but was not harmed, police said.
Mirza and Yen drove back to San Francisco after collecting the cat, Johansen said.
The victim knew his attackers, so San Francisco Police Department officers were able to track them down to an address in the city about two hours later, he said.
The suspects were booked into San Mateo County Jail, and the cat was returned to the victim.
Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
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60 Minutes correspondent Lara Logan is one of CBS most recognized news figures, not only because of her many powerful stories from around the globe, but also because of the pain shes endured.
In 2011, on the job in Egypt, she was attacked and repeatedly raped by a mob of men. Barely a year later, she was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer.
As if she hadnt already had more than her share of brutal experiences, another one hit this time affecting her career. In 2013, Logans 60 Minutes report about the attack on Benghazi was deemed inaccurate, a source discredited. After issuing an apology, Logan was ordered to take a leave of absence.
Now, the Emmy-winning, South Africa-born journalist is back at the CBS newsmagazine, passionate as ever.
Shes also finally in a place that brings more smiles than frowns. That place is the Hill Country, where her husband grew up.
The couple and their children moved from the East Coast to picturesque Fredericksburg nearly three years ago and never looked back.
I said to my husband, Lets go. Its a dream for me to be in Texas in the country with his family and still doing what I love, 60 Minutes, Logan, 46, said in a phone chat.
It also allows her to focus on other priorities, she said, including her health, which was suffering prior to the move, and the increasing needs of her children.
A bonus is the areas beauty, history and food she says she cant get enough of her favorite nachos: bean and cheese with guacamole and sour cream.
I love driving out of the San Antonio airport and seeing everything give way to the hills, especially at sunset, she said, that burnt orange fire in the sky reminds me so much of home in South Africa.
Saturday, Logan will be in San Antonio to help honor what she considers one of the citys great treasures: Morgans Wonderland.
Now Playing: Morgans Wonderland Is An Ultra-Accessible Theme Park For People With Or Without Disabilities Video: JW Player
She will be the featured speaker at the sold-out Free to Soar Gala benefiting the theme park, which caters to children with special needs, as well as the Academy at Morgans Wonderland school.
Were absolutely thrilled that distinguished, internationally known journalist Lara Logan will share her thoughts with our guests, Gordon Hartman said in a news release.
Hartman, inspired by his daughter Morgan whose spirit remains bright despite physical and cognitive challenges developed Morgans Wonderland.
One of the reasons Gordon wanted me to be there is because of my own personal connection, Logan said.
She explained that her 7-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son have learning disabilities. Both were diagnosed with dyslexia.
On top of having difficulties with reading, her son also has dysgraphia (difficulty with writing) and dyscalculia (an inability to grasp basic numerical calculations).
My son has three Mount Everests to climb every day, she said.
Helping him with his school work is labor-intensive, she added, but a challenge filled with love.
Morgans Wonderland is a big boon to parents with similar challenges, she said.
What I love about this park is its a place both for kids with learning disabilities and for those without, she said. Morgans Wonderland should be all over the world. Why should parents not be able to take their kids on a day out like that? Its unique. I like what this says about Texas, that Gordon understood what his own child needed and made it happen. Its pretty extraordinary.
Logan also is a fan of San Antonio in general, its culture, and the deeply Hispanic and Mexican history thats rooted there, she said.
While here, shell no doubt stop by Lolli and Pops, the gourmet candy shop at The Shops at La Cantera. I have a sweet tooth and love the packaging.
Its just one of the pleasures she has embraced since moving to the Hill Country. There are so many cool things to see and places to visit, she said.
Among those she enjoys: Luckenbach for the music; Enchanted Rock; the Christmas lights in Johnson City.
Although shes in remission, she still lives in fear the cancer will return.
It was one of the more frightening things in my life, she said. Im scared to say Im a survivor in case Im not. If youve had it, chances of having it again are greater.
Logan also deals regularly with the emotional fallout of that horrific sexual assault in Egypts Tahrir Square.
At first, I was scared to say the word rape, but I was gang raped, over and over and over, a mob of 200 men around me, she said.
Im OK with saying sometimes when my husband touches me that it reminds me of the worst night of my life. Sometimes that moment passes in a few minutes, sometimes it takes longer. It does pass, but when it comes again, youre OK with it.
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to erase these things, she added. But healing isnt about making it not exist. It doesnt define you; its just something you cant escape. Otherwise, you have to run and hide. Im not going to live my life like that.
jjakle@express-news.net
Authorities were searching Tuesday for a missing autistic teenager, according to the Houston Police Department.
Louis Cano was last seen on Tuesday in the 5100 block of Antoine Drive. The 18-year-old was wearing a black hoodie with a green stripe top , black jeans and light blue shoes.
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NEW MILFORD Although residents support the idea of alternative energy, many are against a proposal to clear cut about 70 acres of trees to install solar panels on Candlewood Mountain.
Tuesdays public hearing was the latest step in a proposal the Connecticut Siting Council is reviewing from Massachusetts-based Ameresco Inc. to install about 75,000 solar panels on the southern side of Candlewood Mountain, generating about 20 megawatts of power. The power generated would feed into the New England power grid through the nearby Rocky River substation.
The siting council, an appointed body that evaluates applications for energy, telecommunications and hazardous waste projects, has 180 days from the filing date to make a decision, making the deadline Dec. 22.
Residents filled the meeting room on the second floor of Town Hall, many wearing green stickers that said Rescue Candlewood Mountain, no clear cutting.
Earlier that day, 20 protesters with signs with slogans including, No clear-cutting for solar, No benefits for New Milford and Save our forests stood outside of Town Hall as people entered the building for the evidentiary hearing where the siting council questioned Ameresco officials and others involved in creating the application.
Of those who spoke, about 25 opposed the project and six supported it.
While I support solar and alternative energy strongly, its counterproductive to cut more than 70 acres of core forest, Pat Welsh said.
Residents said destroying the trees would harm the wildlife that lives there, allow for stormwater runoff that could harm the water quality and create erosion, as well as take away from the natural beauty of the mountain, which has an extensive trail system. They also argued the towns conservation and development plan calls for the preservation of the mountain.
Other concerns raised were the project could hurt property values, the potential glare from the solar panels would create a risk for the pilots at the adjacent Candlelight Farms Airport and the panels could create a fire risk. Residents also worried about the lack of a plan for when the lease ends and the panels need to be removed to revert the land back to forest.
The developers, New Milford Clean Power, have said they would create an 100-acre easement on another section of the mountain to offset the removal of trees, but Paul Elconin, director of land conservation for Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust, said the process can take a while and doesnt believe it has started.
Not enough has been done to determine that what well get in conservation will offset what well lose with the clear cut of 68 acres, Elconin said.
Many speakers said solar panels be considered at other sites in town, such as Century Brass, which is a brownfield.
The comments supporting the project focused on the benefit of solar energy, the $2.7 million in revenue the project generates for the town over 20 years and that the land iszoned for multifamily dwellings, so the solar panels were a better alternative than an apartment building.
Our generation needs to find a way to have renewable energy, said Jason Kushner, adding this project will help the state meet its goal of having 20 percent renewable energy.
Walter Bayer, who sits on the Town Council and opposed the tax agreement when it passed in a 5-4 vote, spoke out against the proposal again Tuesday, calling it outrageous.
We will only benefit $2.7 million while Ameresco will be raking in a huge amount of money, close to $500,000 annually, he said.
The balance of preserving green space, while encouraging alternative energy is a statewide issue, prompting the new state law passed this session that would require the siting council to balance the desire to preserve forest and farmland with the need to promote green energy projects. The Ameresco proposal, however, was filed June 28 and is exempt from the law.
Some speakers challenged the timing of the filing, calling it rushed, and asked the siting council to review this proposal with the new parameters in mind.
Michael W. Klemens, a member of the siting council, was among them.
In short, isnt this application a hasty compilation to meet deadlines, rather than comprehensive studies? Klemens said.
The evidentiary hearing will continue at 11 a.m. Oct. 31 in New Britain. The public has 30 days to submit written comments to the council.
kkoerting@newstimes.com; 203-731-3345
1 Senator wont run: Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced in Washington on Tuesday that he will not seek re-election next year, a move that is likely to set off a scramble pitting mainstream Republicans against President Trumps populist wing. Corker, 65, an establishment Republican who joined the Senate in 2007, likely would have drawn a primary challenge from the right . Corkers decision not to run again creates the first open Senate seat of the 2018 election cycle. Jennifer Duffy, an analyst with the nonpartisan Cook Political report, predicted Republicans would retain the seat. But, she said, they will have a free-for-all in terms of the nomination.
2 DEA chief quitting: The acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration will resign at the end of the week, according to law enforcement officials in Washington, who said he had become convinced that President Trump had little respect for the law. The official, Chuck Rosenberg, who twice served as chief of staff to former FBI Director James Comey and remains a close confidant, had grown disillusioned with Trump. The president fired Comey in May, and then in July told law enforcement officers please dont be too nice when handling crime suspects. Rosenberg forcefully rejected Trumps comment, sending an email to all DEA employees to tell them that they should not mistreat suspects.
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One of the three fifth-graders who spoke about what peace means to them at the annual "Pinwheels for Peace" on Sept. 21 at Golbow Elementary School felt a personal connection because her name, Erin, in Gaelic means peace.
Erin Mayberry said, "Since my name means 'peace' I have always liked the peace symbol and hearing about this subject."
Joining her to speak before the rest of the students and staff were Brandon L. Brown Jr. and Danika Wessel.
"We have peace when everybody gets along and there are no wars or fighting," Mayberry continued. "We have peace when everybody is caring and kind instead of being unkind and mean.
"So, how do we have peace? We can have peace by starting with ourselves. Be a good friend, be nice, be thoughtful when dealing with other people.
"What does peace do for us? Peace allows us to get more done. Instead of arguing with each other, we can work together toward a common goal.
"What else does peace do? It allows us to see the good in other people. We are all different, but we all have our own dreams, By being at peace, we can fulfill our dreams.
"I would like for us to pledge ourselves to peace going forward. We should keep peace for each other by not judging others by what they look like on the outside, but who they are on the inside.
"Let us keep the peace and continue on toward each of our dreams," concluded Mayberry.
Brown said, "Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, two high school art teachers in Florida. They wanted to give their students a way to express their feelings about what's going on in the world and in their lives.
"Mary Ann Trunzo, an art teacher, said, 'The word 'peace' can mean many things. Peace can be a state of mind, what makes you feel peaceful inside. Peace can mean how you treat other people. Peace can mean a time of no violence or war. And peace can be reflected on what you can do to make our world a better place," (Panfil)" continued Brown.
"Students here at Golbow and around the world were asked to reflect on the meaning of peace and express their thoughts on their pinwheel.
"Let's give a cheer as we celebrate Golbow's 4th annual Pinwheels for Peace Celebration," Brown said.
"Peace to me means everyone around the world building life together in HARMONY," said Wessel. "Here at Golbow, peace means that people are kind to each other and respectful to teachers.
"To us at Golbow that extends to everyone in our community. Peace also means that people can show who they are on the inside without suffering for it mentally or physically.
"Life without peace would be horrible. There would be fighting, teasing and separation in the world. As I see it this is one of the reasons why peace is important. Because even one act of kindness can create peace, but even one wrong move can create conflict and separation!
"We can all do our part to foster peace. For example: Do charity work, help your neighbors pull their weeds, help your parents with housework, or give someone a present just because. These are just a few ways to spread peace to others!
"In conclusion, one act of kindness can be a bright spot in someone's day. Now let's all go out and make the world a better place," said Wessel.
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Creepy steampunk ancestors rise from the grave in "The Addams Family," the 2010 Broadway musical that will spook audiences Oct. 13-29 at Pasadena Little Theatre.
Yes, the show opens on Friday the 13th.
The walking dead are met by their living relatives, as well as other "altogether ooky" characters, from the popular "Addams Family" sitcom that debuted on ABC-TV in 1964.
"I loved it on TV, along with 'The Munsters,' " said assistant director RoseMarie Trauschke of Pearland. "I love the 'Addams Family' movies, too. They're not as scary as they are a little kooky."
She and husband Craig, the show's director, decided a year ago to share their love for Halloween by collaborating on "The Addams Family" at PLT.
"We also have a 6-year-old daughter, Sabrina, who we dress up, and we dress up our house for Halloween," said RoseMarie Trauschke, who works in technology for Pearland ISD.
Craig Trauschke is an applications architect for First Data in Sugar Land.
In the show, Michael Rodriguez of Houston stars as the dapper Gomez, opposite Amy Morneau of Friendswood as his svelte, brooding wife, Morticia.
Their dour daughter, Wednesday, is played by Luci Galloway.
More Information Snap, Snap What: "The Addams Family" Where: Pasadena Little Theatre, 4318 Allen-Genoa Road, Pasadena When: 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 13-29 Cost: $15 adults (in advance), $18 at the door; $12 students and seniors; 2-for-$20 Thursday, Oct. 26 Information: 713-941-1758, www.pasadenalittletheatre.org See More Collapse
She sets the show in motion by inviting the parents of her fiancee, Lucas Beineke, to meet her family, although she fears that his parents, "who are from Ohio, the swing state," won't think the Addamses are normal.
The Beinekes are played by Shaelynn Goodwin of Santa Fe, Andrew Carrell and Zachary Scabora.
Their first clue that the Addamses are a bit strange is the family's extremely tall, clunky butler, Lurch, played by Robert Wise.
Rounding out the cast are Matthew Hailey of League City as Wednesday's mischievous brother, Pugsley; Steve Walker as Uncle Fester; and Janet Sharpey as Grandmama.
Avry Diaz, Juliet Barron, Rebeccah Bauerlein, Isaiah Fernandez, Nina Kaskar and Emily Morneau portray Addams family ancestors, who rise from tombs in a cemetery to kick off the musical with the song "When You're an Addams."
Dani Knight of Deer Park choreographed the production, which includes the traditional "snap, snap" of the actors' fingers from the opening of the TV series. Knight, who works in administration at Deer Park ISD, previously choreographed the classic musical "West Side Story" at PLT.
Ann Dolbee is the stage manager.
Zach Varela designed lights and sound.
Crystal Elize Mata of South Houston is the show's music director.
"She has a very rich background in music direction," RoseMarie Trauschke said.
"Last year, she was the music director when my husband directed his first musical, 'The Spitfire Grill,' at Pasadena Little Theatre."
"The Addams Family" was crafted as a musical comedy by Marshall Brookman and Rick Elice, with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa.
Don Maines is a freelance writer who can be reached at donmaines@att.net
WASHINGTON - Every member of Congress has a strategy for responding to protesters who appear unannounced at their offices to lobby them on issues.
Some evade. Others escape. The rare few engage.
Immigrant rights activists seeking support for the Dream Act encountered all three approaches Tuesday as they walked the halls of Capitol Hill looking for lawmakers.
Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., who is running for a third term in a potentially competitive northern Virginia district, spotted them and ducked into a lawmakers-only elevator.
Rep. Scott Taylor, a freshman Republican from Virginia Beach and a former Navy SEAL, greeted them warmly in Spanish and talked to them for six minutes while they filmed and photographed him.
Rep. Rob Wittman, a six-term GOP congressman whose district touches parts of Virginia's Prince William and Fauquier counties, slipped out of his office when they arrived and sprinted down a flight of stairs, outpacing those who ran after him.
About 15 activists from CASA in Action and other Virginia groups joined contingents from 27 states that planned to lobby 55 Republicans before rallying outside the Capitol. In addition to Comstock, Taylor and Wittman, they targeted Rep. Bob Goodlatte, Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Andy Harris, Md.
This month, President Donald Trump announced that his administration would end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects from deportation undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.
The Virginia group included residents of Comstock's district as well as a brother and sister from Wittman's district who have benefited from DACA. The siblings identified themselves as Jennifer, 20, and Angel, 19, but declined to give their last names, concerned about deportation.
Comstock, Goodlatte, Wittman, Harris and Taylor have stopped short of saying DACA recipients should be deported but have not said how immigration laws should be changed to allow them to remain in the country.
The activists started their day in the nation's capital at noon outside Comstock's office in the Cannon House Office Building. In Comstock's district, eight Democrats are vying for the chance to challenge her next year. Her critics have accused her of being inaccessible to constituents because she does not hold in-person town halls or other large public gatherings.
The activists outside her office put their hands together in the center of a huddle and chanted "Si, se puede," or "Yes, we can!"
Turns out they couldn't, not really.
They had no luck meeting with Comstock in her office but happened to spot her later in the basement of the Rayburn House Office Building. She saw them coming and got into an elevator.
Sookyung Oh, an advocate for Korean and Asian American communities in Virginia, stepped inside with her, and the doors nearly shut before Luis Angel Aguilar, an advocacy and elections specialist with CASA, joined them.
Exasperated, Comstock walked past them back into the hall, saying to no one in particular, "Is this not a members-only elevator?"
It wasn't, but the one next to it was, so she went inside, followed by Jerry Foltz, pastor emeritus of Wellspring United Church of Christ in Centreville.
He said later that he tried to talk to her about the Dream Act but got the feeling after a few seconds that she didn't want him there.
"I don't think it was much of a conversation," he said. "Any more would be really aggravating to her."
Oh, the Washington, D.C.-area director for Nakasec, an Asian American advocacy group, said it was great that Comstock has attended cultural celebrations important to immigrants and documented them on social media.
"But we also need her to see that there are real issues impacting our community outside of anything that these cultural events can help alleviate," she said. "That's her job."
Earlier in the afternoon, the group showed up at Taylor's office. He said he was heading to a military briefing but would walk with them to the end of the hall.
Then he stopped, turned around and faced them while cameras clicked.
"My party," he said, "we're in control - I think we should lead on this issue."
He said he wrote a letter to the administration opposing a looming Oct. 5 deadline for dreamers' DACA renewal applications, which he called "crazy."
He traded small talk with them in Spanish and was off.
The interaction left the activists in good spirits for a later visit to Wittman's office. But as soon as they entered, the lawmaker grabbed a folder from a staffer and walked past them. A race walk turned into a sprint as he bypassed elevators and took the stairs. The four protesters, out of breath, gave up.
"We asked for 10 seconds," Aguilar said. "That was disrespectful because we have constituents from his district right here."
Between office visits, the group attracted attention. A suited man walked off an elevator and spotted them filling the hallway. "Oh my goodness, what is this?" he said.
Oh didn't miss a beat. "Democracy!" she shouted.
A fast-moving fire raged though dry brush and grass in the Oakland hills on Tuesday afternoon, forcing dozens of residents to flee as firefighters scrambled to protect homes while battling the fierce wall of flames, officials said.
Aircraft dropped fire retardant and water on the blaze as crews on the ground attacked the burning vegetation in a former rock quarry turned residential neighborhood below Campus Drive and just south of Merritt College.
The blaze, named the Edwards Fire after nearby Edwards Avenue, was first reported around 12:15 p.m. and took off in the rugged and exposed hillside surrounded by homes in the Caballo Hills neighborhood, officials said.
Hot temperatures, low humidity and blustery winds kicked the fire into an inferno that grew to 10 acres within minutes, firefighters said.
The intense flames turned to white smoke, signaling crews had gotten a handle on the fire around 1:30 p.m. Firefighters worked their way down the charred hillside, cutting away brush as the flames died down and immediate threats decreased.
The fire was at 22 acres and 60 percent contained 6 p.m., said Acting Deputy Chief Melinda Drayton of the Oakland Fire Department . She said firefighters expected to stay at the scene overnight, putting out hot spots and mopping up.
Homes were evacuated on Bayview and Skyview drives down the hill from the fire. More houses uphill on the 13650 block of Campus Drive and on Ridgemont and Viewcrest drives were also evacuated.
By 4 p.m., many evacuees were being allowed back into their homes.
Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris lives in the evacuated area. He was at work when he got word of the fire and raced home.
I had my hose and sprinklers and was making preparations, he said. I thought, Im going to fight this bad boy if it comes my way.
Fortunately for Burris, and his neighbors, including Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, no homes burned.
Classes at Merritt College were canceled and the school was evacuated as a precaution.
There were no immediate reports of damage to any homes and no reported injuries.
Mike Erickson lives on the 6200 block of Viewcrest Drive and scrambled to throw his paperwork, pictures and laptops into the trunk of his car when he got the call to evacuate.
Im not worried, he said amid the chaos in his neighborhood Tuesday. Youve got to keep your cool, and it looks like the wind is shifting the right way.
Joel Weiner lives near Viewcrest Drive and Viewcrest Court, about two blocks from the fire.
He heard helicopters shortly after noon.
I thought they were chasing bad guys, he said.
When Kenneth Frith got the call to flee, he grabbed his shih tzu, Murphy, and ran.
Murphys life came first, he said. You can always get another computer.
Crews with Cal Fire and the Alameda County Fire Department were helping the Oakland Fire Department fight the fire.
The cause of the blaze was under investigation.
The fire stirred up memories for some residents of the Oakland hills fire in October 1991 that destroyed 3,500 homes and killed 25 people.
That firestorm Californias all-time most destructive wildfire burned about 8 miles to the north of Mondays fire in a neighborhood near Highway 24 below Grizzly Peak Boulevard.
Steve Rubenstein and Evan Sernoffsky are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com
Before drawing first blood in his guerrilla war, Eric Frein tapped his thoughts out in a letter.
It wasn't exactly a suicide note, but he did acknowledge the long odds ahead. It wasn't a last will and testament either, although Frein wrote that he wished to be buried in a simple wooden casket. And it also wasn't a revolutionary screed soaked with anger or philosophical self-justification.
Instead, Frein - a jobless history geek with seven years of college credits but no degree - created a computer document on Dec. 29, 2013, at his northeastern Pennsylvania home.
He addressed the file to "Mom and Dad."
"Our nation is far from what it was and what it should be," the 31-year-old wrote. "I have seen so many depressing changes made in my time that I cannot imagine what it must be like for you. There is so much wrong and on so many levels only passing through the crucible of another revolution can get us back the liberties we once had. I do not pretend to know what that revolution will look like or even if it would be successful."
Frein acted out those revolutionary aspirations on Sept. 12, 2014.
He shaved his brown hair down to a mohawk and drove his parent's Jeep to the Blooming Grove Station, a Pennsylvania State Police barracks surrounded by wooded land. There, Frein - a quiet guy whose main interest was staging military reenactments with friends - crouched in the brush.
At 11 p.m., when Cpl. Bryon Dickson II crossed his rifle scope, Frein opened fire with a .308 semiautomatic. Bullets pinned the 38-year-old married father of two to the ground. Another officer - Alex Douglass - was shot trying to pull his fellow officer to safety.
As Dickson died and Douglass suffered, Frein ran, eventually surrendering after a massive 48-day manhunt. At his trial, prosecutors portrayed the defendant as a domestic terrorist driven to violence by anti-government beliefs. Last April, a jury sentenced Frein to death.
But the question of blame in the 2014 attack remains unsettled, according to a new lawsuit.
Tiffany Dickson, the dead officer's widow, is now suing Frein's father and mother, Eugene and Deborah Frein of Canadensis, Pa. The wrongful death complaint, filed in Lackawanna County Common Pleas Court last week, alleges the parents not only missed warnings signs about their son's troubles, but fueled the very anti-government beliefs driving Frein to violence.
The unique complaint turns the great anxiety of parenthood into a question of legality: Are a mother and father answerable for the crimes of the son?
"Cpl. Dickson's death and the resulting loss to the Dickson family and the community is tragic," the family's attorney, Marion Munley, said in a statement to The Washington Post. "We will pursue justice for the Dickson family to the fullest extent of the law."
Eugene and Deborah Frein did not return a phone message Tuesday evening. Their attorney also did not reply to a request for comment.
Frein's relationship with his mother and father shadowed his criminal trial. Eugene Frein, in particular, emerged as a household's dominating ego.
A career Army and National Guard officer, the older Frein retired after 28 years of military service with the rank of major. Eugene regaled friends and family with constant war stories about serving as a tank commander in Vietnam, according to the Morning Call. He also claimed he had fought as a sniper, bringing out regularly one particular anecdote about covering himself with excrement to hide from the Viet Cong.
But all those stories were fabrications, Eugene admitted at his son's trial. He had never seen combat.
"It was a household full of false stories of a hero who was not a hero," Frein's attorney Michael Weinstein argued in court. "A child was raised amid that hero worship, and it was all a lie."
The elder Frein also regularly sounded off about the current state of the government. One of the defendant's friends - Warren Ahner - testified Frein's father "ridiculed his son while complaining that Americans have become 'sheep' in a country where the Constitution is no longer respected," the Morning Call reported.
When Eugene Frein testified in court, he spoke openly about his feelings for police. "The more they become militarized, the more they become like an army, and this country already has an Army," the father said, according to PennLive.
Eugene, however, told the court he never encouraged his son to acts of violence.
"If [Eric] had a plan to shoot and kill anybody, I would have stopped him," the father told jurors.
According to Tiffany Dickson's recent lawsuit, that strange relationship between father and son is the skeleton key to understanding the younger Frein's revolutionary furor.
"Eugene M. Frein, exercised significant influence over his son, Eric . . . with respect to Eugene M. Frein's views on government, the police, and the use of firearms," the lawsuit says. "Eugene regaled Eric with exaggerated stories about Eugene's career in the military. Eric attempted to emulate his father but could not measure up." The father also "related to Eric" his "theories about how he believed that the police wielded too much power."
This amounted to, the complaint argues, a situation where the father "psychologically manipulated" the son "into developing a strong dislike for the police and acting upon that dislike by engaging in the aforementioned actions."
The lawsuit also notes Frein was actively researching police stations to target, as well as stockpiling "numerous firearms, ammunition, and other supplies in his room that he subsequently utilized in his attack." His parents, however, did not flag the behavior as troubling. "As a result of the negligent, careless, reckless, and wanton acts and/or omissions" by the Freins, Dickson was killed.
The legal argument does have precedent in Pennsylvania. In 2000, Richard Baumhammers, an out-of-work white immigration attorney, killed five people in a racially-motivated rampage. Following a conviction, the families of the victims sued Baumhammers's mother and father for failing to act on warning signs regarding their son's mental health, the Associated Press reported. The case ended with a settlement.
Montgomery, Ala.
Firebrand jurist Roy Moore won the Alabama Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Tuesday, defeating an appointed incumbent backed by President Donald Trump and allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell.
In an upset likely to rock the GOP establishment, Moore clinched victory over Sen. Luther Strange to take the GOP nomination for the seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Moore will face Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election.
Throughout the campaign, Moore argued the election was an opportunity to send a message to the "elite Washington establishment" that he said was trying to influence the race. The Senate Leadership Fund, a group with ties to McConnell, had spent an estimated $9 million trying to secure the nomination for Strange.
Moore was twice elected chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and twice removed from those duties. In 2003, he was removed from office for disobeying a federal judge's order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state courthouse lobby. Last year, he was permanently suspended after a disciplinary panel ruled he had urged probate judges to defy federal court decisions on gay marriage and deny wedding licenses to same-sex couples.
Moore, propelled by evangelical voters, consolidated support from a number of anti-establishment forces, including ex-White House strategist Steve Bannon and ex-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
The Alzheimers Association and Texas Tech Physicians of the Permian Basin are partnering to offer a program is for individuals who are concerned about their memory issues as those who are in the early stages of Alzheimers or other former dementia.
The first meeting will is set for 11:30 a.m. Friday at Midland Memorial Hospital West Campus, Room 308. Lunch will be provided. For more information and to register, call 294-5179 by 4 p.m. today. Pre-registration is required.
Midland Health events
-- Advance Care Planning Seminar, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Midland Memorial Hospital; Collette Underwood, 221-1166, collette.underwood@midland-memorial.com.
-- Weigh to Success, 4 p.m. Thursday at Midland Memorial Hospital; Sundae Adkins, 638-8081, sundae.adkins@midland-memorial.com; to register, go to midlandhealth.org and click on classes & events.
-- Birth Place Tour, 5 p.m. Thursday, Midland Memorial Hospital; Amber Cunningham, 221-3283, childbirtheducation@midlandhealth.org; to register, go to midlandhealth.org and click on classes & events.
-- Nutrition Suppirt Group, 6 p.m. Thursday, Midland Memorial Hospital West Campus; 221-5433.
Weekly support groups & hotlines
(subject to change)
TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Christian Church of Midland, 2609 Neely Ave. 694-8643.
Overeaters Anonymous; 3 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Tuesdays, St. Stephens Catholic Church. 553-1031.
Survivors of sexual abuse; interactive Bible study to help deal with the consequences of sexual abuse meets Tuesdays. Child care available; House of Hope, 570-5935.
Peer to Peer support group for veterans, active duty, guard, reserves and their families, 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Permian Basin Community Center, 401 E. Illinois Ave., Suite 403; Wil Hoggard, 213-5342, william.hoggard@wtcmhmr.org.
PDAP meetings:
7-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays: Parents group and younger group (12-17), 1208 W. Wall St.; college group (18-26), 2503 W. Ohio Ave.; older group (27 and over), First Presbyterian Church
11:30-1:30 p.m. Wednesdays: older group, 1208 W. Wall St., includes lunch
Alcoholics Anonymous hotline 580-7868.
Serenity Group, 8 p.m. daily, 3101 N. A St., Building C; 685-3100.
710 Group, 7 a.m., noon and 8 p.m. Wednesdays, 710 Ohio Ave.; 682-8162.
Alpha Omega, 8 p.m Tuesdays and 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, 311 S. Pecos St.
12-Step Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, 7:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. Saturdays; PDAP, 1208 W. Wall St., 553-7220.
Narcotics Anonymous hotline 582-2926.
Laundry Group, 8 p.m. daily and noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 104 N. Marshall St.
Xodus Group, 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, PDAP, 1208 W. Wall St., 634-7609.
CODA Group, 12-step program for relationships, 7 p.m. Fridays and Sundays, PDAP, 1208 W. Wall St., 599-4490.
La Hacienda Alumni, support group for former patients, 7 p.m. Thursdays, PDAP, 1208 W. Wall St. 553-7220.
Hope Chest
Hope Chest is a program that provides support for women during their pregnancy and after their baby is born.
Hope Chest allows mothers and mothers-to-be to earn necessities such as diapers, wipes, clothing and car seats through a point system. Points are earned by attending prenatal appointments and childbirth classes, and once the baby is born, moms continue to earn points at pediatrician visits until the child turns 2.
The program office is at Midland Memorial Hospital West Campus. For more information or to enroll in the program, call 221-1150.
To make a monetary donation or donate brand new baby items to Hope Chest, call the March of Dimes office at 416-7310.
MMH payment options
Midland Memorial Hospital recognizes that our community is facing challenging financial times. Resources are tight and families are having to make important decisions about what to spend money on now and what has to wait.
Realizing health care can be expensive and the increasing deductibles make it hard to manage, the hospital has adjusted its payment procedures. We want to make sure you receive the care you need, when you need it. To find out about the new options now offered to better accommodate your payment needs, call 221-4705.
Source: Midland
Memorial Hospital
How sick are you?
Midland Memorial Hospital offers a a nurse triage program 68-NURSE.
The program is designed to help people determine whether their health situation warrants a trip to the emergency room. Midland residents can call the line by dialing 686-8773.
The program is free and available 24 hours a day-365 days a year. Local nurses are available to help you determine the best place to receive care for your situation. 68-NURSE can help you save time and money by directing you to the most appropriate healthcare option, whether its a neighborhood clinic, urgent care center, emergency room or just staying home.
Help line for long-term or disabled care
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services has a toll-free number residents can call to obtain information on services for the disabled or long-term care.
For more information, call 855-937-2372.
Contact your Hospital District representative
Midland Memorial Hospital
400 Rosalind Redfern Grover Parkway, Midland, Texas, 79701
Phone: 221-1111
Website: www.midland-memorial.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MidlandMemorialHospital
Twitter: twitter.com/MidlandMemorial
President Russell Meyers 221-1584
Directors -- District 1: Tracie Greene, District 2: Dwain Tomlin, District 3: Larry Mercer, District 4: Cressinda Hyatt, District 5: Cari Chaplin, District 6: Joe Kiowski, District 7: Jeffrey Beard
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A fourth reputed member of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in the killing of an Austin man who tried to start a chapter of the rival Hells Angels in 2006.
At a hearing in San Antonios federal court, Norberto Hammer Serna Jr., 36, a member of the Bandidos San Antonio Centro Chapter, pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm during murder in aid of racketeering in the slaying of Anthony W. Benesh III. The chapters sergeant-at-arms, Jesse James Kronic Benavidez, 40, pleaded guilty to the same charge Monday.
RELATED: Members of 'Los Piojos' get 18 years in prison
Chapter member Robert Romo, 45, and his brother, Johnny Downtown Johnny Romo, 47, the Bandidos national sergeant-at-arms, pleaded guilty Friday to murder in aid of racketeering and discharging a firearm during murder in aid of racketeering.
The Bandidos had long been suspected of the hit on Benesh, who was gunned down March 18, 2006, in front of his girlfriend and two children as they left Saccones Pizza in Austin, but the slaying went unsolved. A recent crackdown on the Bandidos squeezed information from some its members about Beneshs killing, federal authorities said in court recently.
The San Antonio Express-News first reported in mid-September that the four had reached plea deals in Beneshs killing.
RELATED: 'Santa Claus' pleads guilty to marijuana-growing charges
Benesh, 44, had been wearing a motorcycle vest depicting the Hells Angels death head and colors, despite being told by the Bandidos that he could not do so in Texas, which is Bandidos territory, and that he would be killed if he didnt stop, according to federal court documents.
Members of the Bandidos warned Benesh to cease his activities and recruitment, which Benesh ignored, federal prosecutors said in a news release. The four Bandidos murdered Benesh to protect the power, reputation and territory of the Bandidos enterprise.
The murder charge carries a mandatory life sentence. The discharging a firearm count carries a sentence of up to life.
Sentencing for Serna was set for June 4. The other three defendants will be sentenced in May.
gcontreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland
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Bexar County will implement a program that treats certain misdemeanors crimes, including low-level marijuana possession, similarly to traffic offenses and diverts offenders from jail.
Flanked by Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar and County Judge Nelson Wolff, District Attorney Nico LaHood announced Wednesday morning the program would begin "in the near future," though he didn't provide a specific date.
"I can say this is huge," Salazar said. "This will definitely change the face of how we do things in Bexar County."
Under the new policy, offenders will be given a summons and the opportunity to attend a class, pay a fine and do community service instead of being charged with a crime and jailed.
A monthly or bi-monthly court date will be designated for low-level offenders to appear before a judge. Classes will be specific to each crime and if citizens are able to complete the course, do community service and pay a fee within 90 days, a case will never be filed against them.
Officials are working on who will teach the classes and what steps will be taken to train officers and deputies.
"Let me emphasize, this program is designed with the intention of balancing community safety, fiscal responsibility for the taxpayers and opportunities for citizens of Bexar County," LaHood said.
Offenses eligible under the new policy include:
Class A and Class B possession of marijuana
Class B criminal mischief
Class B theft
Class B theft of service
Class B driving with an invalid license
RELATED: Nearly 1,200 students involved in drug-related incidents at San Antonio-area schools in 2015-2016
Class A and Class B possession of marijuana cover up to 4 ounces.
Salazar said his jail staff was still going through records to see how many people could have been eligible for the program previously but, "It's bound to help my jail population for sure."
A law passed by the Texas Legislature in 2007 gives entities the power to opt-in to programs like the one detailed by LaHood. Bexar County's program will be used for at least six months to a year, and can be tweaked if necessary, LaHood said.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 5 city council members support relaxing pot policy in San Antonio
Dallas and Houston implemented similar programs earlier this year. After Harris County announced its policy in March, LaHood told mySA.com he wanted to treat low-level marijuana crimes "like a traffic ticket." The announcement came seven months later.
On Wednesday LaHood did not have numbers on how much the program would cost or how much misdemeanor arrests have cost the country in the past.
Bexar County saw 2,477 people arrested for carrying 2 ounces or less of marijuana in 2016, said Sgt. Jesse Salame in a March interview with mySA.com. That carries a fine of up to $2,000 and up to six months in jail.
"(The program will) allow the citizen accused an opportunity to learn from their poor choice without having the stigma of an arrest follow them for the rest of their life," LaHood said.
kbradshaw@express-news.net | Twitter: @kbrad5
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AUSTIN The states hurricane recovery czar said municipalities must submit paperwork outlining their needs by Friday to get a crack at federal financial aid.
So far, fewer than 50 cities and counties have sent in such requests.
Its early bird gets the worm, said John Sharp, who leads the Governors Commission to Rebuild Texas. We need them to fill that out and get it back to us as soon as possible.
At a news conference Tuesday, Sharp and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said theyre approving cities reimbursement requests and suspending some rules to quicken the recovery process.
Still, some towns smacked by the storm a month ago say they are struggling to get help. The town of Refugio needs housing for displaced residents, but is still in discussion to get mobile trailers from FEMA, said Mayor Wanda Dukes.
The town, right now, I feel we are not getting all the help we should be getting, said Dukes, who is living with a friend after her own home was damaged.
Other municipalities are still working to clear mountains of debris from the streets, which Abbott called a top priority. Port Aransas Mayor Charles Bujan estimates the city, where roughly 85 percent of homes were destroyed or damaged, has removed only a third of the debris.
Bujan applauded the states storm response, especially the decision to send an army of highway patrolmen to fight off the thieves and the thugs.
The state has been fine, they are doing everything they can, he said.
Concerns about costs, however, abound.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner requested this week the state tap its $10 billion savings account, known as the rainy day fund, to help cover storm damage.
But Abbott rejected the idea Tuesday, reiterating his position that the state has enough resources to address the recovery now. Lawmakers can pull from the rainy day fund in the 2019 legislative session, he said.
In times like these, its important to have fiscal responsibility as opposed to financial panic, Abbott said, adding he recently approved nearly $100 million in reimbursements to pay for debris removal in Houston.
The Rebuild Texas fund, which has raised more than $68 million for hurricane victims, has yet to start distributing the money to community organizations, according to Abbott. A representative for the fund did not return requests for comment Tuesday.
In the meantime, small cities and towns have had help pouring in from neighboring states.
A Mississippi mayor sent an 18-wheeler full of supplies to the city of Wharton, where more than 40 percent of the homes had water damage, according to the mayor Tim Barker.
A Colorado city donated six vehicles to Port Aransas, which lost its police station and dispatch center in the storm, Bujan said.
Refugio got a $25,000 check from Corpus Christi, a nearby city that also got hammered by Harvey, Dukes said.
Sharp is requesting cities and counties submit lists of projects they need financial assistance for, so the state can get a ballpark total and begin requests at the federal level, according to a spokesman.
Dukes estimates repairs will total $10 million. While the town hasnt seen funding from the state, Dukes said: were still working, were still meeting.
Recovery efforts in Wharton, with under 9,000 residents, may be overshadowed by those in huge cities like Houston, Wharton said. But aid is still coming in.
We were kind of an afterthought maybe, but were getting help, he said. We havent been neglected.
amorris@express-news.net
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BROWNSVILLE - The one-time top leader of the Gulf cartel pleaded guilty to conspiracy drug charges and assault, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
At the time of his arrest in 2012, Jorge Costilla Sanchez, 46, known as El Coss, was among the most sought-after drug capos in Mexico. Costilla pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy charge, and two counts of assault on a federal officer.
Costilla took control the Gulf cartel after the arrest of Osiel Cardenas in 2003, overseeing the trafficking of drugs across the United States and money laundering from the cartels stronghold in northern Tamaulipas.
RELATED: Members of 'Los Piojos' get 18 years in prison
Starting in 1998, Costilla was responsible for trafficking thousands of kilos of cocaine and marijuana through land ports in Hidalgo County and Cameron County, across the Rio Grande and by boat in the Gulf of Mexico, according federal prosecutors.
As profits flowed back to the cartel in Mexico, Costilla devised money laundering schemes that included bulk cash currency smuggling, funnel accounts to wire money into banking accounts for return to the cartel, and the purchase of properties to disguise the ill-gotten proceeds, authorities said.
RELATED: Report: 3 headless bodies left in Mexican street with decapitated heads in sombreros
To orchestrate such an elaborate enterprise, Costilla encouraged public corruption. Meanwhile, business owners were expected to pay a piso or tax, and migrant smugglers and independent drug trafficking operations paid for the right to operate in Mexico.
Costilla also pleaded guilty to threatening to assault and murder federal law enforcement agents. Gulf cartel members surrounded F.B.I. and the Drug Enforcement Administration agents in the streets of Matamoros in 1999. Costilla showed up carrying a pistol, while other cartel members pointed AK-47s at the agents.
In 2012, Costilla was detained in an operation involving around 30 marines in the coastal city of Tampico. He was apprehended without resistance, officials said.
RELATED: The 'godfather' of Mexico's cartels has been sentenced for killing of a DEA agent
Costilla faces life in prison when U.S. District Judge Hilda G. Tagle sentences him in January. He is also subject to a money judgment for the money he received during the conspiracy.
The FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Cameron County law enforcement conducted the investigation.
anelsen@express-news.net | @amnelsen
A man who police found lying in an East Side street on Monday, dead from a gunshot wound, has been identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office.
John Edward Burton, 19, was shot twice, once in the hand and once in the chest, around 11:20 p.m. in the 200 block of Upland Road, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:36 p.m.
Opponents of the proposed 40-story condo tower at One Oak Street in San Francisco have agreed to drop their appeal of the project in exchange for a package of concessions that include an additional $3 million for affordable housing.
On Tuesday afternoon, Supervisor London Breed said that members of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association that had appealed approvals for the 304-unit high-rise to the Board of Supervisors based on the argument that wind and traffic impacts from the tower had not been studied adequately would withdraw their opposition.
In exchange, developer Build Inc. will contribute the extra affordable housing money and Breed committed to writing legislation that would expand future environmental impact reports on development projects to include two new aspects: the traffic impact of ride services like Lyft and Uber, and the wind impact on cyclists.
In addition, Build will get to keep 136 parking spots at the building, which at .45 spaces per unit is higher than the .25 spaces per unit allowed under the Market and Octavia Neighborhood Plan, which includes the block. San Francisco State University professor Jason Henderson had argued that the additional parking spots were unjustified on a transit-rich block near multiple bus and train lines.
The developer, based in Hayes Valley, argued that the .45 parking space-to-unit ratio is extremely low for a high-rise condo. The average high-rise condo project in San Francisco has had a parking ratio of 1.04 spaces per unit. Banks and other potential construction lenders were unlikely to invest in a development with less than a .45 ratio.
Last week, Breed introduced legislation to temporarily limit parking to .5 per unit at new developments near Market Street and Van Ness Avenue. But the One Oak tower, which passed the Planning Commission in June, would be grandfathered in.
Breed said that she was reluctant to support the additional parking but that the public benefits offered by Build were compelling. Build has agreed to fund the construction of 94 affordable housing units on four Octavia Boulevard parcels. With the additional $3 million, Builds affordable housing commitment rises to about 103 units, about 33 percent of the projects total units.
In addition, Build will construct a 16,000-square-foot public plaza and has agreed to maintain it over 100 years, funded through a $300,000 annual special tax on the property, totaling $30 million.
It was a tough, delicate negotiation, but Im comfortable with the extra affordable housing money to offset the impact of the additional parking, Breed said. The public benefits are really great. Build brought a lot to the table, which I appreciate.
Build is happy that we were able to reach a compromise agreement with the (Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association) and looks forward to moving on, Build partner Michael Yarne said.
During a Board of Supervisor hearing Tuesday, Henderson called the deal a a very good outcome.
For us, affordable housing is sustainable, transit-oriented housing, he said. We need to make our transit-oriented housing accessible to all.
J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen
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People eager to start buying recreational marijuana from shops in San Francisco when sales become legal throughout the state in January are going to have to wait a little longer.
The city wont issue permits to sell recreational marijuana until it passes new laws to regulate the industry and creates an equity program to help low-income entrepreneurs, people of color, and former drug offenders break into the market.
According to Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, who introduced an ordinance with proposed regulations at Tuesdays Board of Supervisors meeting, city officials still have no idea what that program will look like or how it will operate.
Out of a 70-page ordinance, less than a page talks about how to make (the industry) equitable, said Sheehy, who co-sponsored the cannabis ordinance with Mayor Ed Lee. Sheehy said the laws are far from perfect, and further from final, and will require a lot more work.
In July, the board asked the city controller and the Office of Cannabis to put together a report on equity in the cannabis industry and submit it by Nov. 1. Although the supervisors all want to help people who suffered disproportionately from tough drug laws of the past, that wont be easy.
Oakland passed the states first cannabis equity program in March it took more than a year to craft and prompted numerous fights among city officials. The final version sets aside half the citys cannabis permits for low-income residents who either have a past cannabis conviction or live in a neighborhood with a high number of marijuana arrests. The idea was to help entrepreneurs of color without explicitly saying so, since Californias constitution bars cities from discriminating by race.
Earlier this month, the supervisors approved a 45-day moratorium on new dispensary permits, saying the city needs time to create its equity program. At the same time, the board raised other concerns for the Office of Cannabis to consider, such as how to keep marijuana away from minors and how to prevent dispensaries from clustering in low-income neighborhoods.
The laws that Sheehy and Lee introduced Tuesday have some provisions to address those issues, including a 600-foot buffer between a cannabis shop and the nearest school, and a 300-foot distance between cannabis businesses. Those laws wont apply to the citys 48 existing cannabis businesses 34 of which are brick-and-mortar shops which will be grandfathered in.
San Francisco will require all dispensaries to keep selling medicinal marijuana, even if they obtain licenses to sell the recreational product as well. New recreational sales outlets will also be required to sell medical marijuana. Medicinal marijuana requires a prescription and includes some products, such as tinctures and creams, that do not produce a euphoric effect.
Sheehy admitted to concern about an excess of new planning and zoning regulations in his and Lees ordinances.
Does too much regulation drive people into the black market? he asked
In addition to contemplating social equity issues, the city will have to devise a new licensing system for its medical cannabis dispensaries to bring them in line with current state laws that require all parts of the supply chain to be regulated. Under the new system, nurseries and manufacturers that previously operated underground will have to be licensed by the city.
The city will allow its existing medical cannabis dispensaries to apply for temporary 120-day permits on Jan. 1 so that they can stay open while officials design the new structure.
Also on Tuesday, Supervisors Jane Kim and Norman Yee asked the controllers office to produce a report on the costs and benefits of providing free or subsidized child care to low-income residents in San Francisco.
Kim has asked the city attorney to draft a ballot measure for universal affordable child care to coincide with a similar measure in Alameda County that will also raise the pay of child care workers to $15 an hour.
Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com
Twitter: @rachelswan
MADISON Voters in Madison on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a plan to build a new $34.28 million Ryerson School.
The unofficial results had 2,615 no votes and 1,423 who voted in favor of the new school. There were 157 absentee ballots still uncounted as of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Prior to Tuesday's vote, plans called for two more referendums. One involved appropriating money to cover the cost of renovating Madison's Jeffrey School, scheduled for spring 2019.
Renovations for the Jeffrey School came with a price tag of $33.7 million. The third vote in the multi-phase process called for voters deciding whether to close the Island Avenue School.
But Madison First Selectman Tom Banisch said after the vote that its back to square one in terms of how the town deals with its aging schools.
I think the Board of Education has to look at what the problems are with our existing schools and fix them, Banich said. I think people were concerned about building new schools when we have dwindling enrollments.
Another factor on voters minds may have been the states budget crisis.
With towns across the state unsure of how much state money will be cut from their budgets, many municipal officials and their constituents are reluctant to have their communities take on any additional debt.
Such was the case in Cheshire in June. The Cheshire Town Council elected not to take the steps necessary to move forward with a new middle school that was expected to cost between $106.4 and $111 million.
The budget uncertainty also means school districts looking to construct new buildings or renovate existing ones dont know how much reimbursement their projects will receive from the state or if they will receive any money back.
Superintendent of Schools Tom Scarice was not immediately available for comment after the vote. But in a message tweeted to followers of the districts Twitter account. Scarice called the outcome of the referendum an unfortunate setback.
This was a divisive process, he said as part of the social media post. Now is the time to move forward. Now is the time to mend any divisions caused by this process and this decision; clearly, the entire community will be counting on us to do this.
Discussions about how to handle the district's aging school buildings date back to 2014. The school board looked at as many as a dozen different ways to deal with the problem before settling on a multi-phase plan.
luther.turmelle@
hearstmediact.com
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico This week, San Juan's mayor told CNN that the city is facing a humanitarian crisis, especially related to a shortage of bottled water and diesel fuel.
We are finding dialysis patients that haven't been able to contact their providers, so we are having to transport them in near-death conditions, Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz told CNN. We are finding people whose oxygen tanks are running out, because ... small generators now don't have any diesel.
NACS has been in communication with people in Puerto Rico and the demand is highest for licensed drivers to move diesel fuel and other cargo on the island, fuel distribution equipment and bottled water. If you can offer assistance, please contact NACS Director of Strategic Initiatives Carolyn Schnare directly at cschnare@convenience.org or (703) 518-4248.
Also, NACS has partnered with the Red Cross to advance community giving and disaster relief programs for NACS member companies. Go to convenience.org/redcross to learn other ways to help. The Red Cross also has information on disaster preparedness.
This is truly a total disaster. Right now, the main problem is diesel distribution. Retailers have no electricity and operate with generators but without diesel they cant. Neither can suppliers. The food will go bad and people are getting desperate. Government doesn't seem to have the ability to handle all that is going on and comprehend the need to establish difficult priorities, said Manuel Reyes, executive vice president of the Puerto Rico Chamber for the Marketing and Distribution of the Food Industry.
Also, the private sector, together with Puerto Ricos First Lady, has created the fund United For Puerto Rico And One America Appeal, which was formed by the five former Presidents to assist victims of Harvey and Irma, will now cover Marias victims as well.
The U.S. Department of Energys latest Infrastructure Security & Energy Restoration update provides updates on the recovery related to hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
Also, FEMA is raising awareness that Hurricane Maria disaster survivors, and their friends and family, should be alert for false rumors, scams, identity theft, and fraud. FEMA has a dedicated website to address some of the most common themes. Go to the agencys Hurricane Rumor Control page for the most accurate information from trusted sources.
For those in declared areas and who are able to do so, registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov is the quickest way to register for FEMA assistance.
WASHINGTON This week, NACS filed comments with this U.S. Department of Labor about the 2016 revisions that bumped the minimum salary threshold to barely over $47,000 annually to qualify for the Fair Labor Standards Acts white collar overtime exemption. The rule had also raised the overtime eligibility threshold for highly compensated employees to around $134,000.
In relation to the salary threshold set by the revisions, NACS contends that such thresholds should be set on actual salaries of potentially exempt workers who are paid on a salary basis. NACS strongly opposes any adoption of multiple salary levels to avoid confusion, and urged the agency to not automatically update the salary threshold.
NACS again recommended that the Labor Department not change the salary level threshold more than 5% of the prior salary level, and said the re-evaluation period for this rule should be visited not less than every three years. Finally, NACS asked that the agency provide sufficient notice of a revised salary threshold because employers need time to figure out which employees might be impacted and to analyze what that would mean for their business.
Find the newest releases to watch from National Geographic on Disney+, including favourite documentary series and films Free Solo, The Rescue, Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World Jonathan Swift Benjamin Motte: 1726.
The moment when Lemuel Gulliver first sees the flying island Laputa. Credit: Deagostini/Getty
When Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, ostensibly by Lemuel Gulliver, was published in London in 1726, almost everyone knew that its author was actually Jonathan Swift. Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Swift was also a published satirist of some notoriety. But Gulliver's Travels, as it is now known, immediately garnered acclaim from the cabinet council to the nursery, as Swift's friend, the writer John Gay, reported. Even today, the fantastical elements of this four-part story remain popular with children. And as a satirical masterpiece, it is also one of the most remarkable encounters between science and the literary imagination ever penned. Swift not only reflected deeply on the natural philosophy of his day, but also created prescient visions of its future.
Swift not only reflected deeply on the natural philosophy of his day, but also created prescient visions of its future.
Swift signals that preoccupation with science both subtly and overtly. Gulliver is an empiricist. Although he encounters wondrous places and peoples far beyond known experience, he describes them in the matter-of-fact tone used by scientists and travel writers in the pages of the Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions. Gulliver insists on the truthfulness of his far-fetched story, and his attention to numerical precision and empirical description are crucial to the joke. Like any good natural historian, Gulliver weighs, measures and in some cases brings back to England the exotic specimens he discovers, such as the stings of partridge-sized wasps.
In the giants' realm of Brobdingnag, Gulliver even becomes a kind of human microscope. With his naked eye, he views gigantic lice crawling on his hosts; his description imitates those in Robert Hooke's ground-breaking book Micrographia (1665). The tables are shockingly turned when Gulliver becomes an object of curiosity himself, so critiquing European ideas of 'otherness'. Brobdingnagian philosophers, for instance, struggle to place him in their established taxonomies, and resort to calling him a lusus natur ('sport of nature').
Gulliver's impulse towards the factual is stretched to breaking point in the miniature world of Lilliput. Here, he graphically describes the difficulties of (for instance) bodily excretion when one is a giant.
Gulliver is attacked by giant wasps in Brobdingnag. Credit: Getty There is stretching, too, in the different scales of Swift's fictional worlds. Despite the finely imagined detail, the dimensions don't always stand up to analysis. Yet Swift knew about mathematical proportion when calculating them. In many respects, he has astounded readers with his successful applications of theory and predictions of science and technology. For instance, using Johannes Kepler's third law of planetary motion, Swift imagines that the people of his floating civilization of Laputa have discovered the two moons of Mars and their orbits. These moons would remain undiscovered for another 150 years, yet Swift predicted their orbits almost exactly. (A crater on one of them, Deimos, is named after him.)
This part of Gulliver's voyage contains Swift's most sustained treatment of science. Laputa is a city in the clouds. Its officer-astronomers use the power of magnetism to hover the island above the province of Balnibarbi, threatening to deprive its inhabitants of sunlight and rain, or crush them completely. Here, Swift embraces the scientific treatise as a literary form (unlike, for instance, Mary Shelley, whose titular protagonist in the 1818 Frankenstein shies away from explaining how he creates life). Gulliver describes the aerial propulsion of Laputa in detail, even incorporating a force diagram that would not have been out of place in the Philosophical Transactions.
For some, the flying island's tyrannical grip offers a powerful warning about the military application of science. Laputa showed me the possibility of scientific horrors, wrote philosopher and pacifist Bertrand Russell in the 1950s. But this weapon of mass destruction is also a political allegory for Britain's imperial oppression of Ireland. In particular, it recalls the 'Wood's halfpence' affair of the early 1720s, in which Britain imposed coinage on the nation without the Irish parliament's consent. The affair provoked furious ripostes from Swift in seven pamphlets now known as the Drapier's Letters. Crucially, the master of the British mint at the time was none other than Isaac Newton. The sneering words about scientists' political ambitions in this part of the book are probably partly aimed at him.
Such passages have led some to view Swift as 'anti-scientific'. Yet he numbered scientists of the day among his closest friends. These included his tutor at Trinity College Dublin, natural philosopher St George Ashe; physician, satirist and Royal Society member John Arbuthnot; and Dublin schoolmaster and mathematician Thomas Sheridan. Swift often remarked on their absent-mindedness a trait shared with the Laputians, in whom it is physically manifested by each having one of their eyes turned inward, and the other directly up to the zenith.
Swift had also witnessed the mental deterioration of local merchant Joseph Beaumont, whose obsessive attempt to calculate longitude at sea the scientific question of the day ended in suicide. It is perhaps no wonder that Gulliver's visit to the Academy of Projectors, the research institute in Balnibarbi's capital, Lagado, is tinged with tragi-comedy. He sees experimenters driven equally on by hope and despair. Their hare-brained schemes include turning excrement back into food, breeding naked sheep and extracting sunbeams out of cucumbers. There is even a random-text-generating word-frame called the Engine, reminiscent of Gottfried Leibniz's late-seventeenth-century calculating machine, the step reckoner.
Collectively, these experiments and inventions urge a sceptical view of the utopian claims made for science by some of Swift's near-contemporaries, such as the apologist Joseph Glanvill. Indeed, scholars have identified real-life parallels for nearly all of these projects yet another indicator that Swift was well-informed about goings-on at the Royal Society. An experiment in which Hooke artificially ventilated a live dog's lungs, for instance, is scatologically parodied.
Yet the Lagadan projects do more than serve as distorting mirrors of real ones. They are imbued with Swift's singular imagination and informed convictions. The latter are perhaps clearer in the king of Brobdingnag's outright endorsement of scientific research: that whoever could make two ears of corn grow where only one grew before; would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together. Swift is not just distinguishing between the merits of pure and applied science, but also arguing that the kinds of science pursued are the results of political, social and moral choices.
Gulliver's final meeting is with the Houyhnhnms, rational horses with the power of speech. Their land is plagued by feral animals known as the Yahoos which, Gulliver is shocked to learn, have human physical form beneath their fur. The Yahoos amplify all of humanity's worst traits, and through them Swift challenges the anthropocentric view of the world in a way that seems very modern. However, the Yahoos also show us what humanity is not: something Gulliver fails to recognize. When the traumatized voyager finally returns home, he prefers the inhabitants of his stables to his own family.
Can Graphic Design Save Your Life?
The Wellcome Collection, London. Until 14 January 2018.
This poster was used to raise awareness of AIDS in New York City in the 1980s. Credit: Wellcome Library, London
In 1987, with AIDS raging in New York City, six gay activists created a poster to break the silence over the epidemic. It featured a pink triangle the badge forced on homosexual people in Nazi concentration camps, but inverted and appropriated by the gay community as a symbol of solidarity. Underneath were the words SILENCE = DEATH. Adopted by protest group ACT UP, the poster helped to galvanize action on HIV and AIDS. Equally unforgettable was Britain's contemporaneous Don't die of ignorance campaign: its AIDS tombstone appeared on leaflets, billboards and television advertisements.
These iconic images along with the AIDS tombstone itself are on display in the Wellcome Collection's exhibition Can Graphic Design Save Your Life? in London. The show gathers some 200 objects from around the world, ranging from the historical (seventeenth-century plague notices) to the modern (a technological billboard from Brazil, designed to attract and trap the mosquitoes that carry Zika and other viruses). The curators design professionals Lucienne Roberts and Rebecca Wright, with the Wellcome's Shamita Sharmacharja aim to show how graphic design can inform, persuade and stimulate in the context of health. Anti-smoking postage stamps have been issued by a number of countries. Credit: Respective countries
For a show about saving lives, its opening is surprising: tobacco advertising, from the 1940s onwards. The display illustrates how the tobacco industry and its designers subverted attempts to restrict branding and add health warnings through sophisticated shock tactics. Hence, the development of the Death brand of cigarettes, and the highly successful wordless, sexualized and increasingly surreal images of purple silk used by Saatchi & Saatchi to advertise Silk Cut. At the same time, government-commissioned graphic designers tackled the risks, from pictures on postage stamps to the design of plain cigarette packaging using Pantone's 'ugliest' colour (the green-brown 448 C, 'opaque couche'). As Wright points out, Where there is apparently no design, there is design.
Good design can aid and add nuance to understanding.
Good design can also aid and add nuance to understanding. In the Victorian era, pioneering epidemiologist John Snow and nurse and social reformer Florence Nightingale deployed striking imagery to explore data rigorously and persuade others of their findings. On show are Snow's map of cholera deaths during an 1854 outbreak in London's Soho, and Nightingale's 1858 'rose diagram' which showed that disease was the main cause of death among British soldiers during the Crimean War (D. Cressey Nature 507, 304305; 2014). Graphic design in the pharmaceuticals industry is not just for branding and logos it can also help patients to understand instructions. For example, Israeli firm Teva Pharmaceuticals used a labelling system with colours and shapes that distinguish between medicine types as well as providing corporate identity. Anatomical illustrations, from sixteenth-century pop-up books to apps, help to explain how the body works. Comic books have been used for sex education.
In the centre of the exhibition, we enter a hospital. Blue disposable curtains form a backdrop for bright interactive images designed to engage children (such as animal hide-and-seek in Barcelona, Spain), and signs designed to make hospitals more welcoming. In 2012, the UK Design Council and the Department of Health called for schemes to reduce violence in hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments, where waits can last many hours. Research revealed lack of information as a key source of frustration. That led to a winning design including strategically placed boards describing each stage of a patient's journey through A&E, and displays showing waiting times. After a year, violent incidents in departments where the system was trialled fell by 50%.
Another example of the impact of graphic design is Scotland's 2009 Kill Jill campaign. This deliberately provocative video invited the public to save or (by omission) kill a child in need of an organ transplant. The Scottish government received complaints but withstood them. The number of registered donors tripled over the course of the campaign.
As an epidemiologist, however, I couldn't help questioning some of these reported results. The exhibition does not attempt to evaluate whether the designs actually caused the changes reported, or, if so, which aspects of the campaigns were responsible. The numbers are simply before-and-after comparisons. More-rigorous evaluation would include adjusting for other factors, taking into account longer-term trends and even conducting randomized controlled trials.
As befits a design exhibition, the structure and detail are well matched. Different sections cover different themes. Cases in the Persuasion section take the shape of a cigarette; those in Education make a question mark; the hospital curtains form an H; Medication is a green cross; Contagion a warning triangle; Provocation an exclamation mark. The font is based on the Rail Alphabet typeface designed in 1965 by Margaret Calvert, and used by Britain's National Health Service.
While looking for a postdoctoral position, Michael Mitchell could have joined any number of small, intimate labs with a couple of colleagues and an ever-present lab leader. Instead, he decided to go big. In 2014, after earning a PhD in biomedical engineering, he accepted an offer from Robert Langer, also a biomedical engineer, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge. Mitchell shares the lab with some 40 other postdocs, a host of graduate students and a rotating cast of visiting researchers. The sheer scale of the enterprise becomes clear every summer, when the lab gathers for an annual party at Langer's beach house. Bob has to rent three to four buses to get us down to the house, Mitchell says. He gets an entire ice-cream truck for dessert. Group discussions are one aspect of postdoc life that can be very different between large and small labs. Credit: Getty
Of all the factors that potential postdocs must consider when choosing a position, lab size should be near the top of their list: it can shape a junior researcher's career. Scientists say that small labs may be isolating, but that members tend to have great access to the lab leader. Conversely, whereas trainees in larger labs may have less time face-to-face with their mentor, some data suggest that they have more chances to collaborate and publish.
Those considering a postdoc position should think carefully about what would suit them. It's quite a personal choice, says Kerstin Kinkelin, the training and career-development project manager at the Francis Crick Institute in London. There's no general rule about which is better or worse, but people need to think about which lab size works for them personally.
A large lab was the right choice for Mitchell. I knew Bob's lab would have the resources to allow me to pursue the range of research ideas that I'm interested in, he says. But I was also looking for an excellent mentor. I would have worked for Bob even if I was the only one there.
Publishing paradox
The size of a lab may affect the quantity and types of paper a postdoc publishes. Mitchell notes that postdocs on a large team might have a chance to make small contributions to the many projects run by other members of the lab. This could lead to a slew of undesirable middle-author papers. In a large lab, you want to be very focused on your own research project, Mitchell says. It's more important to get first-author publications that you can take ownership for. Ultimately you're going to be judged on your independent work.
Lab size can also affect the likelihood of a postdoc publishing high-profile papers, says Christopher Liu, a former biochemist who studies strategic management at the University of Toronto in Canada. In an unpublished study of 91 biology labs at MIT, Liu found that larger labs tend to publish more articles in top-tier journals. Specifically, adding one person to an average-sized lab of 11 members increases the impact score of publications by 1.5%. In other words, Liu says, postdocs could increase their chances of getting published in journals such as Nature, Science or Cell by joining a large lab.
Large labs hit more home runs, but they also get fewer at-bats.
The data also suggest an important caveat: adding a postdoc to an average-sized lab reduces the number of publications per person. That means that postdocs who join a large lab could risk slightly decreasing the quantity, although not necessarily the quality, of papers published by lab members themselves included. Large labs hit more home runs, says Liu, but they also get fewer at-bats. In a similar vein, a 2015 study of UK biology labs found that publications per person decrease as lab size increases (I. Cook et al. PeerJ 3, e989; 2015).
Valuable mentorship
Liu sees an obvious explanation for the relative lack of efficiency in large labs. Every postdoc who decides to join the team automatically dilutes the amount of time that the principal investigator (PI) can spend with each lab member. He adds that even though postdocs tend to be more independent than graduate students, time with a PI is still a valuable commodity.
Even the best postdocs need at least occasional guidance from their lab leader, agrees Ann Miller, a molecular biologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In a smaller lab, you're going to get more attention from your PI, she says. And that PI is going to have a more vested interest in your success.
Miller runs a lab with just one postdoc and a couple of graduate students. Even with such a small group, she takes mentorship seriously she won the 2017 Exceptional Mentor of the Year award from the university's Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Because she doesn't have a large team, she ensures that each new member will fit. She's particularly selective about postdocs and hired her first in 2013, two years after she started her lab. In a small lab, each postdoc is chosen very carefully to fit with the science and the lab culture, she says. I interviewed several other people but I was looking for just the right person.
That first postdoc, Tomohito Higashi, accepted a faculty job at the Fukushima Medical University in Japan this year. He says that more time with Miller significantly helped his career. I had research discussions and casual conversations with her almost every day.
David Smith, a molecular evolutionary biologist who shares a single postdoc with another lab at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, would caution any prospective postdoc about the possible downsides of joining a large group. I know faculty members who did their postdocs in labs that were so large that the PI wouldn't even write reference letters, he says. Such labs can sometimes breed a culture in which postdocs battle one another for resources, for the attention of the PI and for authorship on papers. A lot of people don't thrive in that environment. It depends how well they can handle the competition, the drive and the tempo.
Survive and thrive
Many postdocs rise above the challenge of life in a large lab. Mitchell is one example. Early next year, he will move to a new job as an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He has also earned recognition for his work, winning a 2016 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface, a US$500,000 prize given to researchers combining biology and engineering.
Mitchell says that he owes much of his success to the size of the Langer team. If I read about an exciting technique and want to do it but don't know how, I can knock on a door down the hall and find someone who does, he says. We can have coffee, talk about an idea and we're doing an experiment that night in the lab. He adds that one high-profile paper on which he was first author about using polymer nanoparticles to enhance the effects of immunotherapeutics on tumour cells (M. J. Mitchell et al. Nature Commun. 8, 14179; 2017) was sparked by a conversation over coffee with a colleague.
Mitchell says that the lab doesn't breed cut-throat competition, partly because Langer emphasizes teamwork and carefully evaluates applicants to make sure they can fit with the rest of the lab. It's like a faculty interview, Mitchell says. The potential postdoc comes in for two days, meets with other scientists and postdocs, and gives an hour-long seminar. Bob gets a lot of feedback from people throughout the lab. And unlike some leaders of large labs, Langer makes himself available to his students and staff. Bob is notorious for responding to questions from postdocs or graduate students over e-mail within minutes, Mitchell says.
Alessandra Breschi, a geneticist and bioinformatician who just completed a postdoc in the large lab of Roderic Guigo Serra at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, Spain, says that working in a lab with some 30 other people forced her to be more independent. You have to learn to find information on your own, she says. Breschi spoke to Nature shortly before starting her new postdoctoral position in the lab of Michael Snyder at Stanford University in California, where there are already around 40 postdocs. She hopes that her large-lab experience will serve her well. Ann Miller (centre) carefully selects postdocs to ensure that they are a good fit in her small lab. Credit: Suzanne Tainter/MCDB/Univ. Michigan
Likewise, Amelie Baud, a neurobehavioural postdoc at the European Bioinformatics Institute in Hinxton, UK, has found success in the rapidly growing lab of Oliver Stegle. When she first joined the lab in 2013, she shared it with just two other people: a PhD student and a master's student. Joining a tiny group is potentially risky, she says. I like the idea of an average-sized group that has a critical mass at lab meetings. You can get feedback on presentations and organize journal clubs.
The Stegle lab now includes eight postdocs, along with several graduate students and visiting scientists. It's a large lab even for this area of study, Baud says. As the lab grew, I never noticed a change in atmosphere. The lab is dynamic, and there's a lot going on, but I haven't heard about competition in the group, and I don't think it exists. As the lab expanded, Baud thrived. In 2014, she won a 250,000 (US$332,000) four-year Sir Henry Wellcome postdoctoral fellowship.
Liu's analysis of MIT labs suggests that top-tier postdocs tend to excel no matter the lab size. In that sample, postdocs who had won fellowships a marker for excellence didn't hamper efficiency when they joined a lab. The data, according to Liu, suggest that outstanding postdocs don't necessarily need to worry about staying productive in a large lab. But for postdocs who aren't superstars, large labs have clear dangers. If you feel that you would benefit from more attention from the PI, maybe you should consider a smaller lab, he says.
Real-world training
In addition to more interaction with the PI, smaller labs might also provide realistic training for a career in academia, Miller says. Some of my friends who come out of large, highly funded labs were used to having a lot of technical support and money for anything, she says. When you start your own lab, it can be a bit of a shocker.
Smith has seen similar consequences in Canada. Students and scientists who have been in big labs their whole careers can have a skewed view of academics, he says. Reality isn't massive research teams and Nature papers and million-dollar grants.
Miller completed her postdoc in a small lab at the University of WisconsinMadison. Without a technician or other postdocs, she had to learn every detail about managing a lab, from writing animal-care protocols to mixing reagents. Because of this, she didn't stumble when it was time to start her own lab. I was ready to go, she says. She also didn't have to compete with other postdocs to give talks at meetings, review papers or join key projects. All of these things are good for your career development and visibility in the field, she says.
Looking ahead, Miller says that she would eventually like to have two or three postdocs and several graduate students a lab that falls between the extremes of size. That's kind of reaching my capacity for being fully invested, she says.
When we were elected in 2011 to head Stanford University's postdoctoral association in California, we had big plans to improve social networks and training for postdocs. But we soon learnt of a more pressing issue. Living costs in the San Francisco Bay area had risen dramatically (the monthly rent for a room in a shared apartment had increased by around 7% over the previous year, to more than US$1,600) and our postdoc community wanted help specifically, with commuting expenses, which were so high that they negated any savings in rent for living farther away from campus. Commuting postdocs, earning around $3,500 a month, were spending up to $200 each month for train passes or $30 for monthly campus parking permits, plus as much as $1 per litre of petrol.
We took this issue to faculty members and administrators. Our work led to a pilot transportation-benefit programme in 2014, followed by a full rollout in 2016 for Stanford's 2,100 postdocs. Our lesson: advocacy works.
Get data
Although we quickly learnt that living costs were an issue, it took longer to understand how to address the problem. For instance, it was obvious that train-commuting postdocs would benefit from support, but would postdocs who did not currently commute, or who commuted by car? We formed a committee to investigate, and found that rent consumed more than 60% of the take-home pay for postdocs who lived within 30 minutes of campus. If they lived 15 miles away, their rent dropped by one-third a huge incentive to commute.
With these data in hand, we met with key administrators responsible for postdoctoral affairs. We examined peer institutions and found that several offered commuter benefits to their postdocs. We also learnt that, as an employer, Stanford could buy discounted yearly train passes for all 1,800 postdocs living off-campus for less than the combined expenditure of only those who commuted by train.
Stand together
Our data suggested that implementing commuter benefits was the right thing for Stanford to do. But we would need to persuade the university of this. First, we organized an anonymous survey (49% response rate) and analysed the data with the help of a statistician. We learnt that one-sixth of postdocs commuted by car but would use the train if it was free. Next, we circulated a petition that invited postdocs to support the introduction of commuter benefits. We distributed this after the university had settled its annual budgets and consulted experts from Stanford's business school to refine our marketing. The petition revealed strong support for our efforts 70% of postdocs signed.
Credit: Getty Our momentum rekindled a movement among Stanford administrators to secure commuter benefits for postdocs and graduate students to help reduce the demand for limited graduate-student housing.
When we presented our findings to the provost advisory committee on postdoctoral affairs, the members unanimously supported our proposal to extend existing staff travel benefits to postdocs. The provost authorized a pilot programme through which the university purchased train passes for all postdocs living off-campus and sold them at cost ($180 per year). Train-pass sales rose from 30% of eligible postdocs purchasing a pass in 2014 to 50% in mid-2016. When it emerged that the cost of passes was still prohibitive for many postdocs, the provost made the programme free. By the end of 2016, more than 70% of eligible postdocs had collected their train pass and could afford to live farther away from campus.
The costs of keeping students safe at the University of California, Berkeley are at $1.4 million and rising amid a series of free-speech-on-campus protests and counter-protests, and police remain on alert. Much of the concern focuses on the Antifa movement.
Short for anti-fascist, it draws people clad in black, wearing masks, who say they are willing to use force to silence hate speech.
Daniel is a sophomore studying political science at a private Bay Area university. The 19-year-old asked to have his last name withheld so he could speak freely about his experience with the Antifa movement. He said he became involved two years ago, after becoming disillusioned with what he calls a corrupted American dream.
NBC Bay Area
"These false promises weve been told throughout our lives that we just have to follow the American dream of working hard and things will be all right. Well get a middle class existence with house, lawn and the picket fence," Daniel said. "This promise, this future has never materialized, and we kind of realized that the systems rigged against us and we need to do something about it."
NBC Bay Area sat down with several militant Antifa protesters, who spoke about their ideals, their concerns with the current state of the nation, and what they see as their legitimate use of violence.
Daniel said he attends political demonstrations to protest against hate speech and awaken Americans to what he considers a dangerous rise in fascist values. He acknowledges Antifa, short for anti-fascist, has become synonymous with attacks that include property destruction and countless street fights. But he says Antifa uses defensive violence in response to dangerous actions by extremist groups that espouse discrimination based on race, gender, or sexual identity.
You cannot rationally debate fascism. If someone cannot be rationally debated, you have no other choice but to use a show of force against him.
Bonnie, an Antifa activist who spoke with NBC Bay Area during a rally outside an event on the Cal campus featuring conservative speaker Ben Shapiro, said shes been harassed for being transgender.
We dont think fascism deserves free speech, Bonnie said. You give a platform to fascism, they will kill you. We want to shut that down before we get killed.
While white supremacists and the alt-right are a main target of Antifa, those we spoke to in the movement believe that the entire system of government in the United States is corrupt. We have so many issues with our economy, with our government, says Bonnie. Its leaving homeless people behind, its leaving black people behind, its leaving gay people behind, its leaving trans people behind.
White Nationalists and Antifa Skirmish in Berkeley
Fascism is usually associated with Adolf Hitler in Germany, Benito Mussolini in Italydictators who focused on national strength and a master race, and used force to put down opponents.
Its unclear how many people are part of Antifa, because its not organized with a leader or members. "To borrow from millennial jargon," Daniel said, "Antifa is really more of a hashtag." Demonstrators use social media to monitor white supremacist activities and mobilize against them.
President Trump has condemned Antifa, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security classified their activities as domestic terrorism.
No one gets to use violence. I'm sorry. That's unacceptable, professor Jonathan Roth said. Roth protested on the Berkeley campus in the 1970s. Today he teaches History at San Jose State University and studies anti-fascist groups. The Fulbright scholar believes Antifa and fascists are fringe groups, comprised of fewer than 10,000 followers. Hate speech is a bad thing, but there is absolutely nothing that justifies their using violence. And in so far as they use violence, they're thugs, says Roth.
In August, Berkeley mayor Jesse Arreguin said Antifa should be treated as a street gang. But he wouldnt agree to be interviewed by NBC Bay Area about his position, and when asked if he has backed off his original comments about Antifa being treated as a gang, the mayor walked into a private room at City Hall without answering. When asked if Antifa could be considered a gang under California law, the Berkeley Police Department and Alameda District Attorneys office both declined to comment.
Daniel and his friend Victor said while violent acts by Antifa garner headlines, the majority of their activism is focused on their community. They invited NBC Bay Area to a Sunday morning event bagging lunches for the homeless with the East Oakland Collective.
Khaled Sayed
I usually focus more on community service than I do being militant in the streets, Victor said.
Daniel said he will keep fighting, with his words, his actions, and if necessary, his body.
Antifascism is not just violence. It is also building community and building solidarity with one another because when you build solidarity and communities there's no need for anyone to hate.
If you have a tip for the Investigative Unit email theunit@nbcbayarea.com or call 888-996-TIPS.
Follow Vicky Nguyen on Twitter @VickyNguyenTV and Facebook on Facebook.com/vickynguyenTV.
Construction of prototypes for President Donald Trumps controversial border wall began Tuesday south of San Diego, California.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials confirmed eight prototypes are under construction in the area including four made with concrete and four using alternate or other materials.
Each will be between 18 and 30 feet high.
San Diego County officials say they are prepared for possible protests and large crowds near the construction site. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a ban on weapons in the area.
More than two dozen San Diego Sheriffs Department patrol vehicles were in place early Tuesday in Otay Mesa on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Temporary parking signs have been set up along Airway Road. Parking will be prohibited around the clock from September 26 through November 10.
A large open field just east of Airway Road and north of the U.S.-Mexico International Border is surrounded by temporary fencing.
Meanwhile, cement barriers block off a road directly west of the construction site to designate so-called free speech zones.
Six out-of-state construction companies will build the prototypes. NBC 7 reached out to those companies for comment, but they have not immediately replied.
Law enforcement officials said there has not been much online chatter about any planned protests or demonstrations, but the San Diego Police Department says they are preparing for the worst.
"The San Diego Police Department supports every persons First Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech and their Right to Assemble. As part of our community policing philosophy we work closely with any party or group that wishes to express their views in a law abiding manner. We will work collaboratively with all our local, state, and federal partners to help ensure the safety of our community. However, we will not tolerate any protestors that turn to violence, vandalism or other criminal acts. Should that occur we will be prepared to take swift and decisive action, said SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman in a statement.
Enrique Morones with the civil rights group Border Angels says his group is planning a bi-national church mass. A date or location for the mass has not been determined, but Morones says he is concerned about the potential of violence between demonstrators.
If youre in favor of the wall, youre entitled to speak in favor of it but peacefully, and thats what were asking for. We dont want any violence, we dont want the wall at all, but especially not now, said Morones.
Morones called into the question the sensitivity of building the wall at this point of time, given the devastating aftermath of the earthquake in Mexico.
Is it a time to be building prototypes on the Mexican border? It makes absolutely no sense, it shows no compassion, said Morones.
NBC 7 asked several groups in favor of the border wall, including the group known as Patriot Fire, about the construction of the prototypes. There was no immediate comment on construction or any planned demonstrations.
A billboard that could be seen by motorists entering the Bay Bridge toll plaza in Oakland Monday is set to be taken down effective immediately, the group that paid for it said Tuesday, but the billboard could still be seen Wednesday morning.
The east-facing billboard displays a photo of President Donald Trump with the word "Impeach" next to his face.
The billboard went up Monday and was scheduled to remain up until Sunday. Following Tuesday's announcement, it is not yet clear when the billboard will actually be pulled.
According to the California-based Courage Campaign, which paid for the billboard, Outfront Media, the company that owns the space, decided to take it down because of complaints.
Outfront Media could not immediately be reached for comment.
Courage Campaign executive director Eddie Kurtz said, "I just think it's outrageous that they did this," adding that it makes no sense.
Kurtz said taking down the billboard will unfortunately squash any debate over what he called a critical issue.
Kurtz's group received an email from Outfront Media that said, "We have taken down your billboard due to multiple complaints."
The Courage Campaign is a group of about 1.4 million members who are working for a more progressive California, according to the group's website.
Members of the group each paid $17 for the billboard, Kurtz said.
President Trump could be impeached if he is convicted for treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors, according to the U.S. Constitution.
Kurtz said the president has used his office to benefit himself and his family financially and obstructed justice, among other offenses. He said his group thinks there is a legal and moral case for impeaching the president.
The billboard was mainly part of the Courage Campaign's effort to mobilize voters on moral grounds since impeachment is a political process and politics is based on the will of the people, Kurtz said.
Courage Campaign officials were considering leaving the billboard up longer if traffic on the website DemandImpeachmentNow.com, which was also on the billboard, led them to believe it would be worth it.
The Courage Campaign in August launched a petition to impeach Trump. So far 90,000 people have signed it.
The petition can be found here.
Five people were injured in San Francisco Wednesday when an AC Transit bus rammed into another AC Transit bus, crashed into an occupied vehicle, careened onto a sidewalk, and stopped between a high-rise building and some scaffolding, "narrowly missing" traffic light poles, police said.
The bus was traveling northbound near Fremont and Folsom streets at the time of the crash, which was reported around 9:25 a.m., Officer Robert Rueca told reporters.
The five people who were sent to area hospitals include the drivers of both buses, a bus passenger and a passenger in a private vehicle, according to AC Transit spokesman Robert Lyles.
"We wanted to transport them as quickly as possible, knowing that the traffic in the area was going to get heavy and that their health was our biggest concern," Rueca said.
One of the five victims appears to have taken themselves to the hospital at some point after the collision, Lyles said.
Passengers aboard the bus said the entire experience lasted between 15 and 20 seconds, but it felt like an eternity.
"We were crossing Folsom, and we felt a couple of sharp jolts and I thought maybe they were pumping their brakes," said Dave Zemke. "But then we hit something really big."
That big bump was another bus. The green vehicle only came to a stop after hitting the scaffolding of a building on the 200 block of Fremont Street.
There is an AC transit bus on the sidewalk on Fremont St btwn.Folsom &Howard. Passengers tell me driver passed out, hit another bus and pole pic.twitter.com/TqFvvskRa8 Sam Brock (@SamNBCBayArea) September 27, 2017
A commuter seated near the front of the bus said the driver appeared to be on the verge of passing out.
The driver "started coming down" the hill, Carrie Murphy said, "and you know how the buses line up, and theres like a passing lane and she tried to ask one of the other bus drivers to let her in because she wasnt feeling well.
Rueca said that the bus didn't hit any pedestrians on the 200 block of Fremont Street, otherwise the crash could have been much worse.
There was a gentleman who I was talking to that said he was walking down the sidewalk, looked back, saw the bus approaching and jumped into a planter and actually watched as the bus went over!" Zemke said.
Traffic in downtown San Francisco was "heavily impacted" for several hours because the buses couldn't be moved until police officers had processed the scene of the collision, said Rueca.
For hours after the crash, crews removed the scaffolding above the bus one piece and pipe at a time. Two tow trucks were then needed to hoist the bus from the pavement.
The crash closed the Fremont/Folsom Street and Harrison Street off-ramps from Interstate 80, but both have since reopened, Rueca said. As of around 4 p.m., the only remaining street closure was on the section of Fremont Street between Folsom and Howard streets.
Rueca said it is too early to comment on the cause of the crash. An investigation is ongoing.
AC Transit buses typically traverse the city "safely," he said. "This is a rare occurrence."
Lyles said AC Transit has collected video from the involved buses and is checking to see if any San Francisco city buses in the area have video that might be helpful.
"We're very grateful that the injuries were limited, and that there weren't more bystanders or pedestrians involved in this," Lyles said. "We are investing considerable energy and effort into trying to ascertain exactly what happened."
Lyles said that Fremont Street was cleared fairly quickly and buses on the popular Transbay bus line were able to regain access to the San Francisco terminal by around 1 p.m.
A crew on Wednesday is slated to depart from Travis Air Force Base in Solano County for storm-ravaged Puerto Rico to provide relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
The crew will pick up a generator in North Carolina and fly it to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to power air traffic control systems, which would allow for military and civilian flights to get on and off of the island "a lot faster," according tp Cap. Lyndsey Horn, the Chief of Public Affairs at Travis Air Force Base.
Large portions of the island, which is inhabited by 3.4 million U.S. citizens, continue to remain without sufficient food, water and fuel after the category 4 storm walloped the territory last week. Officials said electrical power may not be fully restored for more than a month.
The Trump administration said it was sending a number of ships and thousands more military personnel to Puerto Rico to address the growing humanitarian crisis. Critics and storm victims have complained that the federal response to the territory has been insufficient.
The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said Tuesday the devastation wrought by the Category 4 storm presented logistical challenges, with badly damaged airports and seaports making it difficult to get aid and personnel to the stricken island.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Crews camped out in the Oakland Hills overnight to keep an eye on any potential hot spots after a grass fire broke out Tuesday afternoon, posing a threat to dozens of homes.
The so-called Edwards Fire torched 22 acres of hillside near Edwards Avenue and Mountain Boulevard, but its forward progress has been halted, according to fire officials.
The fire triggered a four-alarm response and prompted the evacuation of more than 100 homes, fire officials said. All evacuations were lifted late Tuesday.
Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton said Wednesday morning that the fire is 80 percent contained. She hopes it will be fully contained by 8 p.m.
There are no active flames on the hillside but crews will be keeping watch all day and are also using a drone from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office to look for hot spots, Drayton said.
One firefighter from a supporting agency was treated for dehydration and was then released Tuesday. No other injuries were reported.
Brush Fire Breaks Out in Oakland Hills
Investigators have determined an area of origin for the fire, a site on Skyview Drive where construction was taking place Tuesday on a large home, according to Drayton.
She said potential witnesses are still being interviewed to determine the exact cause of the blaze.
A red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service for the East Bay hills remains in effect through this afternoon because of dry weather that poses a high risk of wildfires.
"We're just making sure we are putting the message out for everyone in the hills to be hyper vigilant today," Drayton said.
While the fire was at its peak, police did not allow residents to enter the upscale neighborhood to make sure their homes and pets were alright. Fire crews parked in driveways to protect the multi-million dollar homes.
People who live on Bohansen Road and Ridgemont, Viewcrest, Bayview and Skyview drives were among those evacuated. Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson is believed to be among those who were removed from their homes.
Merritt College was evacuated, while Community Day School was not. The Oakland Zoo was not among the structures that were evacuated, but officials, out of an abundance of caution, stopped admitting new guests on Tuesday afternoon. People inside the park were told that they could stay or leave at any time.
Edwards and Keller avenue offramps on I-580 were closed creating a backup on the freeway and people were asked to avoid the area.
A four-alarm fire on Tuesday threatened dozens of homes in the Oakland Hills and prompted evacuations, Cal Fire officials said.
The blaze quickly jumped from one to five to 10 and then 20 acres in under an hour and was upgraded from two to four alarms in the same time frame.
NBC Bay Area's SkyRanger captured footage of a thick plume of smoke above the burn scar visible from nearby I-580 as well as planes dumping water and fire retardant to suffocate the flames.
Officials said that the steep terrain, rate of spread, flame length and wind conditions were among the challenges firefighters faced.
More than 300 firefighters rushed in from the air and the ground as wind-driven flames moved toward townhomes in the Monte Vista Villas complex, White said. Oakland firefighters were joined by Cal Fire and Berkeley crews. The East Bay Regional Parks said it contributed a helicopter to help fight the flames.
Tuesday's fire rattled people in the neighborhood. Roughly 26 years ago, a devastating fire in the same part of Oakland Hills killed 25 people and destroyed 3,500 homes.
Two men charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with a deadly Oakland warehouse fire pleaded not guilty Wednesday.
Ghost Ship warehouse master tenant Derick Almena, 47, and Max Harris, the warehouse's 27-year-old creative director, have been in custody in lieu of $750,000 bail.
Almena and Harris are each charged for their roles in a deadly fire during a crowded dance party at the warehouse at 1309 31st Ave. in Oakland's Fruitvale district on Dec. 2 and could face 39 years in state prison if they're convicted.
The pair's pretrial hearing is slated for Nov. 7 and their preliminary hearing on Nov. 13.
Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said when she filed the charges against Almena and Harris on June 5 that their actions were "reckless" and created a high risk of death for the people who attended the dance party, for which Almena and Harris had failed to get permits from the city of Oakland.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman has denied motions by PG&E and warehouse owner Chor Ng to be removed from civil lawsuits that have been filed on behalf of families of 31 of the 36 fire victims.
Among the other defendants who are named in the civil lawsuits are Almena, the city of Oakland, Alameda County and the state of California.
An electronic billboard next to the Bay Bridge calling for President Donald Trump's impeachment will stay up for the entirety of its contract, the company that owns the billboard space said Wednesday.
The announcement comes one day after Courage Campaign the group behind the message said Outfront Media was taking down the billboard after receiving "multiple complaints."
The billboard will continue to remain in place through Sunday.
The east-facing billboard, which calls for Congress to commence impeachment proceedings against the president, originally began its run on Monday.
Outfront Media on Tuesday wrote in an email to Courage Campaign that "we have taken down your billboard due to multiple complaints," according to Courage Campaign.
Courage Campaign argues that Trump should be booted from the White House for "attempting to obstruct an investigation into potential wrongdoing by his presidential campaign, refusing to divest from his businesses, publicly supporting white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, and recent decisions to eliminate DACA protections for more than 800,000 young immigrants."
The San Francisco Republican Party on Monday responded to the billboard by calling it a "waste of money" and saying that "none of these accusations amount to constitutional violations."
Donations from Californians who support Courage Campaign helped make the billboard become a reality, according to billboard organizers.
In addition to the billboard, Courage Campaign has circulated an online petition calling for Trump's impeachment.
A few years ago, when Ali Graham got a job as a 6th-grade teacher at Creative Arts Charter School in San Francisco, she was thrilled. Graham did, however, have one reservation about teaching middle school.
"What if it's like middle school all over again?" Graham said.
What the 25-year-old science and math teacher means by that is the middle school years can be a tough time for kids who are different and Graham has been different almost all her life.
"I was really young. I was 18-months-old and I got a disease called Meningococcemia and it cut off the circulation to my feet," Graham said.
Two below-the-knee amputations were needed to save her life. They didn't, however, slow her down.
In fact, Graham said she never felt all that different as a child until, you guessed it, middle school.
"I had a hard time because I was bullied a lot," Graham said.
But as she reached adulthood, Graham became ever more comfortable with her story and the two prosthetic feet she uses. Still, she never wants to call too much attention to them. Graham said she doesn't want to be known as the teacher with prosthetics. She wants to be simply known as a good teacher.
Which is why a choice Graham made this summer was so out of character.
"Yea, it was a big deal for me to do that," Graham said.
As part of a science teacher camp at San Francisco's Exploratorium, there was a competition to build something out of nothing but packing materials.
What Graham built was a working, prosthetic leg which she then demonstrated on herself in front of a surprised and cheering audience.
She won the competition.
"That was a big hurdle for me to get through emotionally," Graham said, "and have people respond in a positive way and not like, 'Oh, that's weird,' kind of way was reinforcing so I feel like I've grown even more."
Graham believes it was a transformative moment for her; no longer focusing on what's she's mission but rather what it can add.
"I can use it to educate kids and teach them about empathy and caring about another person who's different from you."
At least eight people were injured, two critically, Tuesday afternoon after a pickup truck veered off Highway 101 in Mill Valley and crashed into multiple vehicles in a parking lot, according to the California Highway Patrol.
About 2:25 p.m., the GMC Sierra pickup careened off the freeway, crossed Redwood Highway and smashed into six parked vehicles at an In-N-Out parking lot in the Strawberry Village Shopping Center, the CHP said.
Two people suffered critical injuries and were taken to a hospital. One of those was the driver of the pickup, who apparently suffered a medical episode, the CHP said. The other critically injured person was a pregnant woman inside one of the vehicles that was struck in the parking lot.
Later Tuesday, the family of the pregnant woman told the CHP the woman and the baby were doing fine. The driver also was recovering, the CHP said.
Violent crime was on the rise in the Bay Area last year, exceeding the nationwide increase by a longshot, according to an annual crime report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
While the violent crime rate across the U.S. rose by about 4 percent in 2016, the rate in some Bay Area cities spiked by double-digit percentages, including a near 25 percent surge in Fremont and a more than 14 percent rise in San Jose, the report showed.
Berkeley and Hayward also saw significant jumps in violent crimes, at 13.6 percent and 13.5 percent, respectively.
San Jose officials said they are still trying analyze much of the data in the FBI report. Some say cities like San Jose see a spike because there aren't enough cops on the street. But others, say the tough-on-crime approach may not be working.
Greg Woods, who teaches criminal justice at San Jose State University, says he has big concerns about the FBI's data.
"In the South Bay and San Jose, for example, last year we had more homicides than we have experienced in more than a quarter-century," Woods said.
San Jose Vice Mayor Magdalena Carrasco said there has been an effort to beef up staffing on the city's police force, which has struggled with shortages. But she admits increased patrols won't do it alone.
"If the numbers have gone up, it's also not as surprising when you also consider that we have had a police department that has been incredibly understaffed," Carrasco said.
The vice mayor wants to see more done in terms of prevention and education. including increasing programs that build trust with the community.
"We are talking about preventative measures, such as making sure that children stay in school, that children who are struggling that we give them that support that they so desperately need," she said.
Meanwhile, some blame the increase in violent crimes in part on legislation like Proposition 47 and AB109 that allow early release for some criminals. But Woods said smarter policing will lead to better policing. That includes considering more community policing programs, which he says can be hugely successful in preventing crime.
"If we merely respond to crime as opposed to taking active steps to prevent the crime, then we will continue to experience increased rates of crime," he said.
The San Jose Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the FBI data.
San Jose leaders also expressed concern with the increase in violence against women and say more will be done in the field as well.
When President Donald Trump tweeted on Saturday that Iran had "just test-fired" a missile, he seemed to know something the rest of the government did not. Turns out, he did not.
There was no Iranian ballistic missile launch, three U.S. officials said Tuesday.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard had used a military parade on Friday to display its Khoramshahr medium-range ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching Israel and much of the Middle East. That same day, video of the test firing of a Khoramshahr aired on Iranian state TV. The time or location of the test was not mentioned in the report, and it appears that the video footage was from a failed Iranian missile test earlier this year.
It's unclear where Trump got his information, but it apparently did not come from U.S. intelligence agencies, which keep a continuous lookout for missile launches around the globe. As president, Trump could easily have checked with the CIA or other intelligence agencies to verify whether Iran had actually test-fired a missile.
In his tweet he renewed his criticism of the nuclear agreement reached with Iran during the Obama administration.
"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel," he wrote. "They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!"
The nuclear agreement is designed to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb but does not prohibit it from developing missiles.
Among the three officials who said there was no Iranian missile launch last week, one said officials who work on Iran issues were caught off guard by Trump's tweet. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an intelligence issue.
Trump has suggested he might seek to renegotiate the nuclear deal or abandon it. He told the U.N. General Assembly last week that the accord was "nothing short of an embarrassment" and the "worst one-sided deal perhaps in American history."
Officials have said Trump might use the Oct. 15 deadline for certifying to Congress whether Iran is in compliance with the nuclear deal to either declare Iran in violation or determine that the agreement is no longer in the national security interest of the U.S.
Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday that Iran is adhering to its obligations under the nuclear agreement, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. He stressed that his concern is about Iran's behavior in other areas, such as its development of ballistic missiles and its support for extremist groups.
Dunford declined to say publicly what advice he has given Trump on whether to recertify Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal.
Days after a second grade teacher was found dead in her Massachusetts home, authorities announced that her husband has been charged with her murder.
Police found Vanessa MacCormack's body in the couple's Revere home on Saturday. They say her husband, 29-year-old Andrew MacCormack, beat, stabbed, and strangled her, before going to great lengths to get rid of evidence before he called 911.
Police say Andrew was arrested on a murder charge Tuesday in connection with his wife's weekend death. They say they conducted a number of interviews and had the help of private and public cameras in the area.
Vanessa was a new mom, a wife, a sister, a daughter, and a second grade teacher. The 30-year-old was beloved, and her one-year-old child is with family at this time.
Calling Vanessa's murder "a crime of domestic violence," District Attorney Dan Conley said his office withheld information from the public as investigators gathered evidence.
"We're extremely grateful for the cooperation of witnesses and partner agencies who helped us build this case," he said.
Prosecutors said Andrew MacCormack called 911 on Saturday afternoon, prompting a police response to their Grand View Avenue home, where they found Vanessa MacCormack's body.
According to the medical examiner's office, she had sustained a blunt force injury to the head, sharp force injuries to the neck and asphyxiation. Prosecutors said the killer had disposed of items in attempt to clean up the crime scene.
"After a thorough, open-ended investigation, it was clear that those facts and evidence led to one person and one person only - and he is now under arrest," Massachusetts State Police Col. Richard McKeon said Tuesday.
Andrew is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Chelsea District Court. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney.
Vanessa, 30, had taught at Connery Elementary School in Lynn for five years, and in the Lynn school district for a total of seven years.
The school principal said Monday the school's community was "heartbroken" over her death.
"Vanessa was loved by students, parents and colleagues. She was involved in every aspect of the school and a great friend to everyone on staff," said Dr. Mary Dill.
"She's just an amazing teacher. She's very outgoing - always happy," said Sarort Poum, the aunt of a student. "My nephew was really sad. He didn't believe me."
A man from Tennessee has moved to New Hampshire to open the state's first full-time mosque.
Work on the building has already begun. Inside, you'll find volunteers from all different religious backgrounds coming together to make it happen.
Imam Will Coley has been studying religion for decades and converted to Islam about 10 years ago.
"Our work has always been about bringing people together," he told NBC Boston on Tuesday.
So when Shire Free Church, a local interfaith community, offered to donate a house in Keene to open a mosque, Coley decided to pick up his wife and five children and move from Tennessee.
"I saw an opportunity to do a service that would bring this community closer together and I cannot walk away from that," he said.
It will become New Hampshire's first full-time mosque, although Coley's plans include so much more.
"The space is here, so please come," he said.
Coley says the doors will be open as a community center to anyone and everyone regardless of their religion.
"If there is an Orthodox Jewish community of about a dozen, Saturday, the building is all yours," Coley explained.
The mosque is literally being built on that same premise. Christopher Waid, an atheist, is doing his part to help.
"I think it's a great idea to bring some religious diversity to Keene," Waid said.
And the shop owner next door is even pitching in.
"I was raised in the Episcopal Church," said Christopher Rietmann.
He's proud that his community is sending a powerful message to those who believes religion is a barrier.
"This is a way of tearing down boundaries that some people may perceive exist," Rietmann said.
Coley couldn't agree more.
"We all do better when we are all working together," he said.
The front part of the house on Marlborough Street will also be used as a warming center for the homeless during the cold winter months.
Coley is hopeful the mosque will be open for worship by the beginning of November.
If you think the adorable, affordable puppy for sale online is too good to be true, youre probably right. Before falling in love with a potential pet, beware that you may be the target of an international scam stealing thousands from shoppers looking for the perfect puppy.
According to a new report by the Better Business Bureau, at least 80 percent of the results from a Google search for puppy sales are part of a scheme originating in West Africa that is drawing in U.S. consumers with photos of cute puppies, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.
The report, Puppy Scams: How Fake Online Pet Sellers Steal from Unsuspecting Pet Buyers, estimates that tens of thousands of online shoppers in the U.S. have handed over thousands of dollars for a puppy that was never for sale.
The Better Business Bureau held five press conferences Tuesday in Chicago, Dallas, Omaha, San Francisco and St. Louis to alert consumers of the scam and give tips for how to avoid it.
Its very disheartening. These scammers are ruthless, said Steve Bernas, president and CEO of the Chicago bureau. Theyll tell you anything you want to hear.
With eager buyers hoping to bring a puppy home, scammers request wired payments to ensure fast delivery. They ask buyers to pay for the puppy, food, shelter and medication. Once payments are picked up from Western Union or MoneyGram, the funds can no longer be traced and buyers learn that the puppy doesnt exist.
Bernas said wiring money at the request of a company is both illegal under the Federal Trade Commission, and similar to throwing the money out of a window if you dont know the person on the other end.
He said scams can be avoided by contacting the BBB before paying, or by searching the companys details with the word scam and running reverse Google image searches of any photos of the promised puppy.
Running an image search helped one local buyer, Michael Wilborn of Plainfield, spot a scam. Wilborn was able to stop his 24-year-old daughter from paying a scammer for a non-existent french bulldog after finding its photo on a Pinterest page from nearly 10 years ago.
Former congressman Mel Reynolds attempted to turn the tables on federal prosecutors in his tax evasion case Tuesday, accusing a key government witness of paying bribes to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, in hopes of landing a lucrative diamond mining operation in the central African nation.
The drama came on the second day of Reynolds own trial, where he is accused of failing to pay taxes on hundreds of thousands of dollars in income.
Much of that income came from Chicago real estate tycoon Elzie Higginbottom, who testified Tuesday that he took Reynolds on as a consultant, because he knew he had fallen on hard times.
Higginbottom testified that he entered into an agreement to pay Reynolds $10,000 monthly to develop business in Africa.
Out of that, he would pay his expenses, he said. And what remained would be his compensation.
Reynolds insists the payments from Higginbottom and Chicago businessman Willie Wilson were only intended to cover his expenses, and thus, he had insufficient income during the period to have to pay taxes. He makes that contention despite testimony Tuesday from an IRS agent, who said during the period in question, Reynolds received in excess of $443,000.
The former congressman is acting as his own attorney. And when it was his turn to cross-examine Higginbottom, his former benefactor, he attempted to flip the script.
Did you have a deal with Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe for a diamond concession? Reynolds asked.
No, said Higginbottom, I did not!
Did you send money to me with the intent of bribing a high level official in Zimbabwe? he asked.
No, Higginbottom insisted.
Reynolds persisted, naming a government official in Zimbabwe who he said was on the receiving end of a check from Higginbottom.
I dont recall, the Chicago real estate magnate insisted.
Reynolds then showed Higginbottom a check ledger which seemed to indicate the check. At most, however, Higginbottom conceded he was present at a meeting in Washington in the office of Congressman Bobby Rush, where a Zimbabwean mining official was present.
Of course, the trial is about Reynolds, not Higginbottom. And at the end of the day, the government presented a witness from a Chicago title loan company, who testified Reynolds had taken out a loan application stating that his consulting arrangement paid him in excess of $6500 a month.
Testimony is to resume Wednesday morning. When the defense begins, it is expected Reynolds may call himself as a witness.
Maria regained strength and became a hurricane again Wednesday, pushing water over both sides of North Carolina's Outer Banks and taking its time to slowly turn away from the U.S. Atlantic coast.
No injuries have been reported, but the surge of ocean water washed over eroded beaches, flooding properties and state Highway 12, the only road through the narrow barrier islands of Hatteras and Ocracoke.
No ferries were moving, cutting off access to Ocracoke, and with the highway flooded at high tide, any travel on Hatteras remains hazardous, Dare County Emergency Management Director Drew Pearson said in an email. He said the worst problems were on Hatteras Island, where more than 10,000 visitors left under an evacuation order, but hundreds of local residents were allowed to stay.
The National Hurricane Center said an Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft measured Maria's top sustained winds at near 75 mph (120 kmh), with higher gusts. Its center was about 165 miles (265 kilometers) off Cape Hatteras at 11 a.m.
While Maria's most punishing hurricane-force winds remained offshore, tropical storm-force winds extended for as much as 230 miles (370 kilometers) from the center, churning up the surf on both sides of the islands. The hurricane's forward speed is just 6 mph (9 kph), so the storm was lingering before swinging out to sea.
On Hatteras, a fine rain fell Wednesday, with patches of blue sky occasionally showing through. Police set up a check point to block all traffic except for residents and reporters. As the winds picked up, waves crashed up to and beyond ocean-front homes between the communities of Rodanthe and Avon, where the water has washed under waterfront homes and onto side streets since Tuesday at high tide.
"Mother Nature keeps chopping at it," said Tony Meekins, 55, a lifelong resident of Avon who works as an engineer on the temporarily halted Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry. "We see storm after storm."
Standing near Avon's closed fishing pier, Meekins pointed to where the dune line is gone, pounded down by previous storms. At low tide, a layer of wet sand covered the road.
Chip Stevens owns Blackbeard's Lodge, a 38-unit hotel on Ocracoke. He hopes the highway remains passable on both islands to enable the people and supplies that arrive by ferry to move up and down the island.
This weather is only the latest tropical blow to the Outer Banks, among the most fragile islands in the continental United States. Officials warned that the surge of ocean water and waves would overwhelm sand dunes from both the ocean and from Pamlico Sound, which separates the islands from the mainland. Bulldozers were in place to push the sand off Highway 12 when water subsides.
That said, Texas, Florida, several small Caribbean islands and Puerto Rico have all seen worse this year. Puerto Rican officials said electrical power may not be fully restored for more than a month after the grid was destroyed by Maria's Category 4 hurricane winds last week. More than 3 million of the island's U.S. citizens still lack adequate food, water and fuel.
Maria is predicted to erode more than half the dunes along North Carolina's 300-mile (485-kilometer) coast. Beaches in Maryland and Virginia could fare even worse, with two-thirds seeing erosion and the ocean washing over the dunes on one-third of them, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Residents are resigning themselves to economic losses as well as more flood damage after a double pounding by last year's tropical weather.
Sarah Midgett lost her car during Hermine and her home was severely damaged by Matthew's floods. After the dunes got hit by Jose this month, Maria pushed through the weakened natural barrier Tuesday, washing over parts of Hatteras.
"It's insane how much the beach has eroded," said Midgett, who moved many of her belongings off her floor, just in case.
Hurricane Lee, meanwhile, strengthened to a major Category 3 hurricane in the open Atlantic, where it was swinging north and east before damaging winds could reach Bermuda.
Associated Press writer Jack Jones contributed to this report.
Health professionals and business leaders gathered in Hartford Wednesday to discuss the opioid epidemic.
Governor Dannel Malloy made welcoming remarks at the forum hosted by the Hartford Business Journal.
Malloy spoke about how deadly heroin has become over the years, now that it is being mixed with fentanyl.
Someone is poisoning your poison, he said. The reality is if you are using heroin today, you are regularly buying a lottery ticket to be poisoned to death.
In 2012, 17 of the people who died in Connecticut had fentanyl in their system, according to Malloy. This year fentanyl is projected to be in the systems of 644 people who die from overdoses.
The Hartford Business Journal did a month-long series on opioids in the workplace. Greg Bordonaro, the journals editor, said he thinks this is an issue employers need to face head-on. After speaking with several employers on the issue, he recommends business have programs and policies in place before they are confronted with an employee that needs help.
Employers in particular, they have to know how to deal with this issue because it impacts their bottom line, especially if you have employees who are addicted and facing those problems. Sometimes you cant just fire them. You have to figure out how to deal with them and get them help and recovery, Bordonaro said.
One of the forums speakers was Matthew Eacott. Eacott grew up in Avon and started experimenting with drugs as a young teenager. He spoke about his struggle with addiction and how it progressed from Vicodin to Percocet to Oxycodone.
I would accumulate arrests here in Hartford, Boston, I would flunk out of school, I was losing relationships. The drugs were a priority in my life and I was unwilling to do what it took for me to give myself the chance to learn something different, something that could help with my own recovery, said Eacott.
Eacott said he spent a decade in and out of rehab before he found Aware Recovery Care, a program that he said saved his life. He is now almost six years sober, has advanced to become the Vice President of the company and is sharing his message to give other addicts hope.
The more I can get out and talk about how addiction has no boundaries, the better, said Eacott.
Governor Malloy also encouraged doctors to band together and watch out for one another to try and stop the epidemic. He also encouraged people to be mindful that it is easy to become addicted to a prescription if you are taking it longer than three to five days. Another idea he had was for employers to do more.
Employers have a role to play in having a conversation with their insurance carriers or even in their own reimbursement systems. Long-term prescriptions, anything beyond three to five days for a pain episode is potentially addictive, Malloy said.
Ted Hakey Jr. now spends his days working to spread the word of the Muslim community in Meriden.
It's a far cry from what he felt in his heart two years ago when he was arrested after shooting at an empty mosque.
"I was a Muslim hater," Hakey told NBC Connecticut's Keisha Grant in an exclusive interview.
The former U.S. Marine was arrested for a hate crime in November 2015 after firing 30 shots into the Ahmadiyya Baitul Aman Mosque on Main Street with a high-powered rifle a day after the Paris attacks.
Hakey said he found himself intoxicated and fed up with attacks halfway around the world.
"The night of the Paris attacks, you could see the mosque clearly from my house because there were no leaves on the trees," Hakey said. "I went to get out of my car and looked over and kind of thought, 'Well, let me do something about it.'"
Four of the 30 shots Hakey fired tore through the Baitul Aman Mosque in the middle of the night. It took federal and local authorities just hours to trace the bullets back to Hakey and the FBI arrested him on federal hate crime charges.
Zahir Mannan, one of the leaders of the mosque, said those bullets didn't just pierce walls. They also shot fear through the heart of the Ahmadiyya community. This sect of Islam is made up by the only group of Muslims who share one particular belief.
"That belief in itself, believing that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the Messiah, has made us the subject of persecution all over the world, but not here in America," Mannan said.
Hakey said his former understanding of Islam came from what he read online. He said Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms not only led to his hatred of Islam but also fueled it.
"What you see on social media sites," Hakey said. "That was my education of Islam."
Hakey's life would change forever when he requested to sit down with the mosque leaders to apologize before his sentencing.
"This huge bodybuilder-type guy comes in and to see tears coming down his face and red cheeks, it humbled us as well," Mannan said. "It was a genuine connection that you can't fabricate."
Hakey said the conversation changed his attitude.
"If they handed this in any other way," he said, "I would've went to prison angry. I would've came out and I would've been just as angry."
Hakey said it wasn't just the words of the mosque leaders, but also their actions, that made him come around. While Hakey spent six months in prison, Mannan kept his promise to visit every other week.
Mannan also gifted Hakey with precious keepsakes, including his grandfather's Holy Quran.
"We talk about things I don't even discuss with some of my best friends," Hakey told NBC Connecticut. "It just became a relationship that's really, very tight."
Mannan called Hakey a "brother."
"He became my brother when he prayed next to me," Mannan said. "He prayed with me and he didn't have to do that."
Hakey considers himself a changed man. He hasn't converted to Islam, but he does spend his time spreading the word. He hopes his story inspires others to embrace the community that taught him the true meaning of forgiveness.
"I feel that I owe them just to get out there so that people don't make the same mistake that I did," Hakey said.
The Ahmadiyya Baitul Aman Mosque in Meriden invites the public inside every Friday night for a gathering called Coffee, Cake and Conversation.
"Knock on the door. You're always welcome," Hakey said. "There's no members-only thing in there, no secret handshake. You don't need a card. Everybody's welcome."
Hakey has been instrumental in bringing a whole new demographic for those conversation groups at the mosque.
Last year, Hakey spoke at Jalsa Salana, which is the oldest and largest Muslim convention in the country.
"I feel I owe them," Hakey said. "For the forgiveness I was given."
A Plainville livery service has been forced to shut down after the state found the owner was operating without proper permits after an anonymous complaint tipped off the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
"The regulatory authority is there for a reason, fundamentally to ensure safety," spokesman Kevin Nursick for the state Department of Transportation told NBC Connecticut.
Online state records from the Secretary of the States office show Kaz Tours and Travel opened for business in 2013.
A video from their website online advertises, "Do you need a reliable and safe ride to and from the airport? Look no further than Kaz Tours and Travel."
Their website offering limos for weddings cruises and airport shuttles to NYC, Boston and Bradley International, as well as, tours of the Big Apple and beyond. A white 14-passenger van and Lincoln town car, at owner Kaz Debinskis home in Plainville provided some of those services, according to Department of Motor Vehicle records.
"They did not have any authority to operate livery interstate or intrastate period. So, operating illegally for some amount of time. You want to make sure these vehicles and drivers are regulated and public is safe," according to state officials.
The DOT regulates livery permits, the DMV enforces.
Last week the DMV and Plainville police paid a visit to Debinski's home, citing him for illegally operating a livery service without a permit.
According to the summons report, state officials wrote Initially, Mr. Debinski stated he was not in business. I advised him that I had visited his website and have knowledge he transported several people to and from New York. It was at this time that his story changed and he decided to tell me the truth."
At home, Debinski told NBC Connecticut he had insurance and was fixing the issue, adding, "I only pick up in Connecticut and go out of state and pick up out of state and bring people back to Connecticut."
Getting a proper livery permit entails paperwork and nearly two hundred dollars.
"Background check on the drivers, making sure the vehicles are appropriate and inspected appropriately depending on vehicle, making sure they have insurance, so if something does go wrong they are going to be covered," DOT Spokesman Kevin Nursick added.
We are happy to tell public if licensed or not, so if public contacts us about a livery service or a taxi service, we will let them know whether or not they are appropriately licensed to operate the best way to contact us is through our website, we have a contact us form, send us an email well get back to you as quickly as we can and were pretty fast on this, so send us an email and well let you know.
As far as granting a livery permit to Debinski, DOT officials will take his case into consideration.
The Navy has awarded Electric Boat a $5.1 billion contract to design the new Columbia class ballistic missile submarines, which means more hiring that will spread the wealth to other local businesses.
The contract includes component and technology development and the construction of prototypes.
The 12-ship Columbia class will replace the Ohio class nuclear ballistic submarines. The first sub, which will be called the USS Columbia, is expected to start its first patrol in fiscal year 2031.
Electric Boat (EB) plans to reach a peak employment of 18,000 by 2030, since the company expects to get a construction contract for the 12 Columbia-class submarines, too.
Thats probably one of the biggest perks of it. Knowing youre going to be employed for as long as you need to be employed for, said Evan Sperry, of Waterford.
Hes one of EBs newest employees, taking a structural draftsman job after graduating Grasso Technical High School in 2017. Hell help design parts for the new Columbia class submarines.
Its probably the best company in the area to go into design, Sperry said.
Several businesses throughout the state feel a direct impact when EB is on a hiring surge.
EB Director of Staffing Patrick Reuss said the company has already hired about 1,500 people this year.
Were not alone in all of this, Reuss said. I think you have to think about our technical schools, our higher education community at the community college and university level.
Theres a ripple effect, according to Reuss. With this new Navy contract, EBs Connecticut suppliers are hiring and certain trade schools might see more students.
In fact, EB is partnering with Grasso Technical High School in Groton to launch a welding program. It would take EBs requirements directly to Grasso Tech so students could learn to specifically become welders for the company.
Electric Boat is even working with chambers of commerce in Connecticut and Rhode Island to help bring people into the area, including connecting them to schools, places of worship, or hobby activities, Reuss said.
As for other businesses, Munchies Food truck sits outside EBs gates for the lunch rush five times a week. When hiring at EB is low, Munchies suffers, according to owner Aiman Saad.
But this year, weve seen an increase over the last few months, Saad said.
New employees need to find new houses, said Market Realty, LLCs Judi Caracausa. Plus, the people retiring need to also find homes too Connecticuts shoreline.
Our real estate market has been up considerably in the past year or so. General Dynamics hiring is definitely a huge part of it, Caracausa said.
Plans for condos and rentals are already in the works near EBs offices in New London. Theres a development agreement for Shipway 221, a new condo development on Howard Street. On Bank and Howard Streets, theres a plan by A.R. Building Company to install 90 rental units.
A positive for pretty much any type of business in southeastern Connecticut, Caracausa said.
Republican lawmakers urged Gov. Dannel Malloy to sign off on the state budget passed by the legislature at a press conference in Hamden Wednesday.
The states fiscal year ended on June 30 and the state still does not have a budget.
The Connecticut House of Representatives and the state Senate both passed Republican versions of the budget, but Gov. Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, has vowed to veto the spending plan, which he said would be devastating to the states effort to increase jobs.
On Wednesday Republican lawmakers argued that the budget was bipartisan and the best option for the state.
It avoids the draconian cuts the governor wants to make through his executive order, Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano said.
Fasano said the budget brings stability to cities and towns with increases in municipal aid, restores cuts to non-profits and avoids painful tax increases.
Some of Malloys issues with the budget revolve around the GOP plan when it comes to pension fund spending.
The budget spends less money annually on retirement benefits for state employees while mandating that they pay more for their plans starting in 2027.
The Republican budget puts those savings into action for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 fiscal year. The governor said that kind of budgeting is exactly whats led to Connecticut having one of the most underfunded pension systems in the country. He even accused Republicans of taking part in Rowland-era, budgeting.
Len Fasano argues that it is inaccurate to say the pensions are not fully funded.
The pension is fully funded -100 percent. What happened is that because we change it in 2027 that has a fiscal impact.
State Senator George Logan (R-Hamden) said that the budget fairly addresses the issue of teacher pensions.
The budget does not shift teacher pension costs onto municipalities and property taxpayers. This is an expense that the state should not be paying. And shifting it onto its towns and cities. Doing so would mean cuts to teachers schools and increased property taxes. We have enough taxes. We cannot afford any more additional taxes," Logan said.
There are also concerns about cuts to higher education. The University of Connecticut, which faces a $300 million cut in funding over the next two years under the budget plan, said that amount of money lost would mean closing regional campuses, chopping financial aid, and possibly cutting division one athletics.
Republicans have defended their position, saying that social services and municipalities need the money and that UConn can get cash through the federal government, grants and increasing tuition.
Spending cuts will be triggered on Oct. 1 if no budget is passed, and the governor has expressed doubts that legislators will make that deadline. Fasano said that if the governor vetoes the budget, the legislature still has the ability to override it and encouraged residents to voice their opinion to their legislators.
There is no budget out there that can garner support from the House and the Senate but the budget that was passed. There's no other plan. Theres no other alternative. The Democrats do not have support for their budget," Fasano said.
A future cup of coffee in California could give you jitters before you even take a sip.
A nonprofit group wants coffee manufacturers, distributors and retailers to post ominous warnings about a cancer-causing chemical stewing in every brew and has been presenting evidence in a Los Angeles courtroom to make its case.
The long-running lawsuit that resumed Monday claims Starbucks and about 90 other companies, including grocery stores and retail shops, failed to follow a state law requiring warning signs about hazardous chemicals found everywhere from household products to workplaces to the environment.
At the center of the dispute is acrylamide, a carcinogen found in cooked foods such as French fries that is also a natural byproduct of the coffee roasting process. The coffee industry has acknowledged the presence of the chemical but asserts it is at harmless levels and is outweighed by benefits from drinking coffee.
Although the case has been percolating in the courts since 2010, it has gotten little attention.
A verdict in favor of the little-known Council for Education and Research on Toxics could send a jolt through the industry with astronomical penalties possible and it could wake up a lot of consumers, though it's unclear what effect it would have on coffee-drinking habits.
The lawyer taking on Big Coffee said the larger goal is to motivate the industry to remove the chemical from coffee, which would also benefit his own three-cup-a-day fix.
"I'm addicted -- like two-thirds of the population," attorney Raphael Metzger said. "I would like the industry to get acrylamide out of the coffee so my addiction doesn't force me to ingest it."
Under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, passed by voters as Proposition 65 in 1986, private citizens, advocacy groups and attorneys can sue on behalf of the state and collect a portion of civil penalties.
Metzger represented the council in a case later taken up by the state attorney general that resulted in potato-chip makers agreeing in 2008 to pay $3 million and remove acrylamide from their product.
The law has been roundly criticized for abuses by lawyers shaking down businesses for quick settlements but is also credited with reducing chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects, such as lead in hair dyes, mercury in nasal sprays and arsenic in bottled water.
But warnings, which can be startling on first encounter, have been less effective due to sometimes inconspicuous placement or vague language. Drivers everywhere appear to prioritize parking in a garage over warnings such as, "This area contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm."
The state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment adopted new regulations last year that will require more specific warnings that list the chemical consumers may be exposed to and list a website with more information. Parking garages, for example, will have to post that breathing air there exposes drivers to carbon monoxide and gas and diesel exhaust and warns people not to linger longer than necessary.
"The intent is not to scare people," said Allan Hirsch, chief deputy of the office. "The intention is to help people make more informed decisions. If you continue to buy a product that will expose you to a chemical, that's OK as long as you're informed."
Many of the coffee defendants have already posted warnings that specifically say California has determined acrylamide is among chemicals that cause cancer and attorneys have stated others, from mega-chains to mom-and-pop operations, will follow suit if the judge rules against them.
Metzger said many of those warnings often appear after the point of sale or where cream and sugar is provided, which offers no warning to someone drinking black coffee.
Coffee companies lost a first round in the case two years ago and are now presenting their last defense.
Defense lawyers declined to comment on the case but asserted in court that they should prevail under an exemption for chemicals that result naturally from cooking necessary for palatability or to avoid microbiological contamination.
"It is hard to imagine a product that could satisfy this exemption if coffee does not," defense attorney James Schurz said in court papers. "The answer to the question of whether Proposition 65 requires coffee to carry a cancer warning must be an emphatic 'No.'"
In the first phase, Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle said the defense failed to present enough credible evidence to show there was no significant risk posed by acrylamide in coffee. The law puts the burden on the defense to show that the level of the chemical won't result in one excess case of cancer for every 100,000 people exposed. Berle said the epidemiology studies they presented were inadequate to evaluate that risk.
Civil penalties could come to $2,500 per person exposed each day. With penalties reaching back eight years that could ring up an astronomical bill in a state with close to 40 million residents, though such a massive figure is very unlikely.
Starbucks Corp., the lead defendant, would not comment on the case. Its latest quarterly report said it's not "party to any legal proceeding that management believes could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows."
Two of the defendants have settled in the past month and agreed to post warnings. BP West Coast Products, which operates gas station convenience stores, agreed to pay $675,000. Yum Yum Donuts Inc. agreed to pay nearly $250,000.
Many Connecticut cities and towns are dealing with an increased number of vehicle break-ins and vehicle thefts, leaving many residents feeling violated and frustrated.
Law enforcement around the state has been investigating the cases of some very bold thieves, who ignore security measures in order to rip people off.
"Nerve-racking; it's frightening," said West Hartford resident Jennifer Shimanski, who has had her vehicles targeted more than once. She said husband's car was stolen a few months ago and later recovered in Hartford. Then in September, her home surveillance camera captured what appears to be two young men on bicycles in her driveway in the middle of the night. Shimanski admits, her vehicle was unlocked when the suspects approached.
The video showed one of the suspects opening the vehicle door and rummaging through the contents inside. The suspect reacted calmly when Shimanski's motion-sensor spotlight turned on, and even checked the handle of the other vehicle in the driveway before riding away.
"What if they had tried our doors or going through a window or something like that and I have my kids," said Shimanski, whose story is a familiar one in West Hartford, especially this year.
In all of 2015, 96 vehicles were stolen in town and 431 break-ins were reported, according to the West Hartford Police Department. In 2016, there were 111 auto thefts and 501 vehicle break ins, police said. But through the middle of September 2017, there had already been 118 stolen cars and 516 break-ins reported; with more than 300 break-ins just this summer.
"They're coming into the community, taking cars and then just basically taking them out for a thrill ride," said West Hartford Police Lt. Mike Perruccio. When people, especially if they're even younger than 16, get into a car; they have no driving experience and now they're racing through the city streets," he said.
Many of the suspects under the age of 18 - juveniles who do not always work alone. "We've seen teams of people going out. We've seen pairs. We've seen one person," Lt. Perruccio said.
According to police in West Hartford, most of the recent break-ins had been on reported Sunday nights and most calls for stolen cars were on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
"I have no doubt that my car has been checked way more times than it's been robbed," said Dawn Marzik, a West Hartford resident who recently installed cameras and motion-detecting lights on her property.
Other towns have reported increases in vehicle burglaries and theft as well. Police in Vernon investigated 23 vehicles stolen and 120 vehicle burglaries in 2016, but through just nine months of 2017, the department reported 29 stolen cars and 159 burglarized vehicles. In South Windsor, 117 auto burglaries have been reported so far this year, compared to just 85 last year and 35 in 2015.
Law enforcement across Connecticut has reiterated that most vehicles targeted had been left unlocked or had their keyless ignition fobs left inside. But detectives say thieves are getting into locked cars too, using tow truck driver tools or a car manufacturers' 'master key,' or simply smashing the window.
Another way thieves can get into a locked vehicle is with a key fob that has been stored too close by, possibly even inside of a nearby house. The vehicle owner may think it is all locked up, but police warn that the vehicle may still be ready to drive.
"That distance varies by manufacturer," said Hartford Police Deputy Chief Brian Foley. "If it's close enough to start it, someone could potentially steal your car," he said.
While the number of vehicles stolen in Hartford has actually dropped in recent years, there has been a drastic rise in the number of cars stolen from outside the Capitol City and then recovered within the city's limits. There were 182 cases reported in 2015 and 318 were reported in 2016, according to police. But through mid-September of this year, 406 vehicles reported stolen out-of-town turned up in Hartford.
In July, police said a half dozen teenagers were in an SUV stolen from West Hartford when it plowed into two people at a bus stop in Hartford. Rosella Shuler, a mother of four who lost both her legs when the vehicle jumped the curb, later died from her injuries.
"This is something that all of the state of Connecticut is battling right now," said Lt. Mike Perruccio.
Big Tex is back September 29 October 22 at Fair Park in Dallas! NBC 5 and the State Fair of Texas invite you to celebrate everything Texan. Starting this Friday, September 29, celebrate a Texas tradition thats been around since 1886. This is your chance to be a part of hundreds of activities, shows, daily concerts, and exhibits. With the wide range of events and activities held at the fair, you are bound to find something special to do with your family and friends.
Dont miss your chance to try new food items like a Fried Mango Loco, Spicy Garlic Fries, Crawfish Lollipop and much, much more!
Check out Mundo Latino. Telemundo 39 and NBC 5 sponsor this exciting celebration of Latin culture. Housed inside the Womens Museum, this exhibit is Free with State Fair Admission.
Get in for just $4 during Its a Fair Deal any Wednesday during the State Fair of Texas (October 4, 11 and 18). NBC 5, Telemundo 39 and Kroger sponsor this State Fair favorite. Just bring 4 cans of food to donate to the North Texas Food Bank on Wednesday and your ticket will be discounted so you can enter the Fair for just $4. Only one (4 can) donation per person. This discount may not be combined with any other offers.
Over two million people attend the State Fair of Texas, so purchase your tickets and coupons ahead of time at www.BigTex.com/Tickets. All proceeds from the event will go right back to preserve Fair Park and fund scholarship programs for inner-city agricultural students.
The event located at the historic Fair Park in Dallas will be fun for everyone. For more information on the State Fair of Texas visit www.BigTex.com.
State Fair of Texas 2017
September 29 October 22
Fair Park
3921 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75210
214-565-9931
www.BigTex.com
Dallas city council members are expected to consider a request on Wednesday from the City of Houston to help in the massive effort to clear the streets of storm debris from Hurricane Harvey.
More than a month since Harvey first made landfall as a Category 4 Hurricane, Houston and much of the Texas Gulf coast is still inundated with debris and refuse from the resulting flooding and damage.
Houston has requested assistance from Dallas in the form of trash trucks and staff, specifically bulk trash collection vehicles, equipment and staff.
According to city documents, the Dallas Response Team is expected to include 35 percent of the bulk trash collection staff.
As a result, if the move is approved, the bulk trash collection schedule in Dallas would likely be interrupted through the end of the year.
FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, would reimburse the City of Dallas for the expenses. That reimbursement could total $1.8 million.
"Don't forget about us."
That is the plea coming from Puerto Rico as the humanitarian crisis grows worse by the minute.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard have workers on the ground, and emergency relief supplies are being flown in.
Nearly two-thirds of the country is without water, and food is scarce.
Puerto Rican families in North Texas are desperate to fly their loved ones to safety, and on Wednesday one family was finally reunited in North Texas.
Maria Berrios, 72, of Richland Hills, had been waiting days for word on her 107-year-old father, and her brother and sisters who were stranded in Puerto Rico.
"Without water and food, what's going to happen," she asked. "They're going to die. Especially my father."
Her father, Gabriel Lozada, recently underwent hip surgery in their native Puerto Rico, just as Hurricane Maria hit the island.
"It's real bad in Puerto Rico. It's real bad. My sister told me it was like a monster went by," Berrios said.
The storm left a trail of devastation throughout Puerto Rico and knocked out communication for several days.
"No electricity, no water and with my father sick," Berrios said.
Having to watch the devastation from afar is hard enough, but Berrios said she is especially upset at the lack of help and attention Puerto Ricans are receiving.
"I have called, I mean, every phone, and nobody has a response," she said. "[I feel] very sad, very sad, because we are American."
Wednesday night, Berrios' father and sister, Nilsa Lopez, of Chicago, arrived at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport aboard an American Airlines flight.
Berrios and her son were at the airport to meet them.
"Happiness. I feel happy. I don't have the word to describe the feeling," Berrios said.
Still, the situation in Puerto Rico remains dire for many people who remain there.
"It's not good. And seeing him (my father) hungry, not having anything to eat but snacks and junk food, I'd just like to know where is everything going that's being donated. That's what I would like to know," Lopez said.
Barrios' father and sister were supposed to fly to D/FW Airport on Friday, however the flight was canceled due to the hurricane.
Fort Worth-based American Airlines said it typically has 20 flights into D/FW Airport from Puerto Rico daily, but that number is now down to just one or two flights due to the hurricane.
Construction was underway Tuesday on prototypes of President Donald Trumps proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall near San Diego.
Six companies from outside of California broke ground about two miles east of the Otay Mesa border truck crossing.
Early Tuesday morning, there was a heavy law enforcement presence on surrounding streets as various trucks and equipment were driven to the construction location.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, eight wall prototypes will be built, with four of the prototypes made of concrete and the other four constructed out of alternate materials.
We are committed to securing out borders, and that includes constructing border walls. Our multi-pronged strategy to ensure the safety and security of the American people includes barriers, infrastructure, technology and people, said Ronald Vitiello, the acting deputy commissioner of CBP in a statement.
The eight prototypes will be between 18 and 30 feet high and designed to deter illegal crossings in the area, said Vitiello. Construction of the wall prototypes is expected to last about a month.
Customs and Border Protection confirms, construction on border wall prototypes has started in Otay Mesa. #nbc7 pic.twitter.com/ZGkv9pv5DE Artie Ojeda (@ArtieNBCSD) September 26, 2017
In a video taken by the NBC 7 News helicopter, a photographer captured images of dirt being graded by tractors, and rectangular cutouts, presumably where the prototypes will be built. The area runs parallel to the U.S.-Mexico border and is just a few yards away from a preexisting border fence.
Meanwhile, about two miles away, a designated free speech zone has been set up off Airway Road. Law enforcement officials have previously said they are prepared for the worst in the event of violent protesting.
But on Tuesday, there was no sign of any protesters or demonstrators. In fact, groups both in favor and against the wall said they aren't aware of any organized demonstrations.
We have no knowledge of other groups conveying any demonstrations, we are certainly not, said Hiram Soto of the civil rights group Alliance San Diego.
We consider the prototypes political theater for a wall that has no funding, and has really no way to exist, said Soto.
Meanwhile, groups in favor of the wall reaffirmed their support.
San Diego Patriots endorses the Fence/Wall and is happy to see the progress being made to secure our borders safely from foreign threats, said Amy Sutton, the leader of the San Diego Patriots.
On the border wall beat today with @LissetteTLMD20. My Telemundo 29 sister! pic.twitter.com/QFHjMhQdAF Artie Ojeda (@ArtieNBCSD) September 27, 2017
The American people are concerned about the mass drug and human trafficking coming from the border, said Sutton.
A complete border wall would still need congress to approve funding. There is also pending legal action, including a lawsuit filed by the California State Attorney General.
We do the best of our ability and our capability irrespective of what the politics may be, said Roy Villareal, acting Chief Border Patrol of the San Diego Sector.
Well continue to provide safeguard of the border, continue to make our communities safe. Well make due with what we have, but the aspiration is, if we can, we should continue to improve on border security, added Villareal.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be coming to San Diego next week to discuss ways to fight the region's deadly Hepatitis A outbreak.
The San Diego County Health and Human Services updated the number of people infected with the virus Tuesday.
Seventeen people have died and 461 cases have been confirmed, according to county officials. Of those cases, there have been 315 hospitalizations.
A third of the cases involved people who used illicit drugs and are considered homeless. Of the cases, 25 percent are neither homeless or drug users.
County officials have not identified the locations of cases but did report to the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that there have been 38 cases in the unincorporated jurisdiction of the county. Of those, half were homeless, illicit drug users or both.
As of September 23, more than 42,000 vaccines have been administered in San Diego County. Close to 700 people were given the vaccine as a precaution after exposure to the virus.
Officials said 22,406 were given by health care systems or pharmacists but 15,662 vaccines were given by county staff in the field, in jails or detention centers or the county psychiatric hospital.
The City of San Diego has installed new bathrooms in the East Village to help curb the spread of the virus. That area has a high concentration of transients.
Those restroom facilities will be maintained at least twice a day, and will be monitored by full-time security, the city said.
There are now 22 public restroom facilities in downtown San Diego, as listed here.
City crews have also sanitized sidewalks in the downtown area and installed hand-washing stations.
County health officials have also notified 14,000 food facilities in the area as well as agricultural growers and public pools.
Hepatitis A is a liver infection caused by a virus that is highly contagious. The Hepatitis A virus can be contracted by touching objects or eating food that someone with the Hepatitis A infection has handled or by having sex with someone who has an HAV infection.
Some people get the virus but have no symptoms. Signs of infection include fever, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, yellowing of the eyes (jaundice), stomach pain, vomiting, dark urine, pale stools, and diarrhea. Adults are more likely to have symptoms than children.
The California Department of Public Health suggests anyone who has been exposed to the virus, and who has not been previously immunized for Hepatitis A, should consider getting vaccinated no later than two weeks after exposure.
For more information, go to the San Diego County Hepatitis A Outbreak website.
Demonstrators converged at the UC Berkeley campus Monday afternoon for a "rally against white supremacy" two days after a four-day conservative political event was called off.
Monday's peaceful rally began around noon at the Crescent Lawn, which is located at Oxford and Addison streets, in the East Bay city. Nearly 300 people indicated on Facebook that they would be attending the event.
"We think its time to come together in a united front, celebrate our differences in solidarity, and speak out against the hateful currents on our campus while affirming our vision of a free, inclusive, and equitable society," event organizers wrote on the Facebook event page.
One of the demonstrators, Sheldon Smith, said "We're resisting hate."
UC Berkeley student Adam Jadhav added "We're not interested in fake framing. This is somehow about free speech. Free speech week was always about hate and harassment week."
The rally comes one day after right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos made a brief, unsanctioned visit to the East Bay campus. He spoke to a small crowd of supporters, snapped some selfies and signed some autographs all while hundreds of protesters, who were kept away by police, stood and chanted nearby.
Monday was supposed to be day two of a four-day event billed as Free Speech Week, but the student group Berkeley Patriot on Saturday informed UC Berkeley that the events had been canceled.
"As a student I'm sad. As someone who supports free speech, I'm sad," said Mike Wright, editor for the Berkeley Patriot.
Wright said calling off the Free Speech week featuring controversial speakers was a tough decision.
"It didn't feel safe," he said. "It didn't feel like we were going to get backed up by the university under possibly something going wrong the university implied we'd be liable."
UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said the university likely spent $800,000 for security measures for events canceled by students.
A Virginia woman arrested Tuesday in a 27-year-old "Clown Murder" cold case in Palm Beach County will be returning to Florida to face charges.
Sheila Keen Warren waived her right to extradition during a court hearing Wednesday morning, meaning she will be sent back to face a first degree murder charge after she was recently indicted by a grand jury.
On May 26, 1990, Marlene Warren was killed outside her Wellington home. According to witness reports from NBC affiliate WPTV, a person dressed as a clown carrying a flower arrangement and two balloons pulled into Warren's driveway in a white Chrysler Le Baron.
Witnesses said they heard a gunshot and Warren fell to the ground as the clown calmly walked back to the vehicle and drove away. Marlene Warren sustained a gunshot wound to the face and was transported to an area Hospital, where she died two days later, the report said.
The initial investigation led detectives to identify Keen as a suspect, but no arrest was made at the time. In 2014, police reopened the homicide investigation. Witnesses were recontacted, and additional DNA analysis was conducted.
Officials later learned that Keen had married Marlene Warren's former husband, Michael Warren, in 2002. According to the report, the couple was living in Tennessee, where they operated a restaurant together.
An arrest warrant was obtained for Keen after the Aug. 31 grand jury indictment. Keen was located in Washington County, Va., and arrested without incident on Tuesday.
Detectives haven't said whether Michael Warren was involved in his former wife's death.
A deaf man serving a life sentence in Florida for a murder that his advocates say he didn't commit won't be released any time soon.
Florida's parole commission voted unanimously Wednesday to keep Felix Garcia's earliest potential release date for 2025 in the 1981 Tampa slaying of Joseph Tramontana Jr.
Pat Bliss has fought to free Garcia for 22 years. Bliss and Garcia's attorney told the commission that Garcia was innocent and had been framed by his brother.
Three of Tramontana's sisters told the board that Garcia was a cold-blooded killer and should not be released.
Commissioner Richard Davison said there was no question that Garcia was guilty.
The parole commission will review Garcia's case again in three years.
A deaf man serving a life sentence in Florida for a murder that his advocates say he didn't commit won't be released any time soon.
Florida's parole commission voted unanimously Wednesday to keep Felix Garcia's earliest potential release date for 2025 in the 1981 Tampa slaying of Joseph Tramontana Jr.
Pat Bliss has fought to free Garcia for 22 years.
Bliss and Garcia's attorney told the commission that Garcia was innocent and had been framed by his brother.
Three of Tramontana's sisters told the board that Garcia was a cold-blooded killer and should not be released.
Commissioner Richard Davison said there was no question that Garcia was guilty.
The parole commission will review Garcia's case again in three years.
A New York City hospital is being sued after video showed a man with a head injury sitting in an emergency room so long he slipped into a coma before he was noticed by workers there.
The family of Angel Rivera says that the 53-year-old spent two years in that coma and died in 2016 without ever waking up after going to the ER at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx in 2014. Video from the hospital shows Rivera sitting unattended for more than 9 hours before someone noticed him unconscious and bleeding from the nose.
These Hospitals in NYC and Surrounding Area Received Lowest Grades in New Safety Report
Riveras son, Angel Rivera Jr. told News 4 that after his father died, a doctor told him that had he been noticed sooner, hed still be alive today.
"You expect to have care in a timely manner -- not to be lost in the system for 9 hours," he said. "I'm enraged, but I'm keeping my composure because I have to be strong for my family."
Rivera went to the hospital after getting punched in the head during a fight with a friend, according to the family.
He was initially tended to as hospital workers saw him in a triage room. But once he was told to stay and be monitored in a secondary waiting area, he slipped between the cracks.
At one point hours later, hospital workers called his name, and when he didnt respond, the family said workers assumed hed walked out.
But he was still there -- nearly 10 hours of video showed he had never left.
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"They lost him in plain sight," said Mark Brodner, the family's attorney. "He was within feet of hospital personnel who for a period of 9 hours didn't remember that he was even there."
Hospital workers eventually tended to Rivera a second time, and video shows him being loaded into a gurney. But his family said he never again regained consciousness.
Lincoln Hospital said in a statement that patient confidentiality laws preclude them from commenting on the case.
But the hospital added, "We nevertheless extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family members of Mr. Rivera."
Angel Rivera Jr., meanwhile, said the hospital "took a life" and that they should change their waiting-room policies.
"Not knowing he was there they took a life and that's difficult for me to process," he said.
[Photos-NY Subscription Service] Consumer Reports Ranks America's Supermarkets From Best to Worst
A South Jersey couple is desperate for answers after their son went missing nearly two months ago in Maryland.
David Gipson Smith, 28, left his familys home in Pilesgrove, New Jersey, back on Aug. 5 at 8:30 a.m. Smith was leaving to visit a friend in Catonsville, Maryland and possibly move there.
My husband Doug was in touch with him through texting twice that day, making sure he got to where he was going safely, to which David responded yes, said Davids mother Julie Gipson Smith.
According to Julie, Davids friend in Maryland had a change of plans and wasnt able to meet him that weekend.
So she gave David the number of a friend of hers that David could hang out with for the weekend, Julie said. He had not been previously introduced to this person face-to-face, but had had one conversation with her previously. It is our understanding that David drove from Catonsville to Ellicott City to meet this woman at her home. He supposedly stayed with this woman and her family overnight on Saturday August 5th, but this created a problem because the parents didn't want him to stay.
Doug tried to get in contact with David shortly before 8 a.m. on Aug. 6. Davids phone went dead however and his parents were unable to reach him.
Julie wrote a detailed Facebook post laying out the timeline of text and phone call exchanges she believes occurred between David and his friend in Catonsville, Maryland as well as the woman in Ellicott City, Maryland prior to his disappearance. She also said she and her husband eventually met with the woman in Ellicott City on Aug. 12 on a 22-acre property in Woodbine, Maryland.
According to Julie, the woman had dropped David off at the property on August 7 and hadnt seen him since then. Julie also said David had left his car at the womans home in Ellicott City.
Julie and Doug searched the property in Woodbine on Aug. 12 but couldnt find David. They then contacted police and the missing person investigation officially began. Police searched Davids car which had been left at the womans home in Ellicott City as well as the Woodbine property.
More than a month and a half later, David remains missing and no arrests have been made in connection to his disappearance.
Every day that passes, the feeling that there has been criminal activity becomes more and more real, Julie said.
Doug Smith serves as the head pastor of the Sharptown United Methodist Church. Now he and his family are relying on their faith for strength as they continue to search for their son.
Our faith becomes substantial, Doug said. And the people around us are often the people who prop us up.
Dougs congregation and community helped raise a $5,000 reward for anyone with information leading to Davids whereabouts. If you have any information, please call 410-313-7867.
A volunteer paramedic from New York City flew thousands of pounds of food, water and medical supplies to Puerto Rico on Monday, just as thousands attempt to make it to the U.S. mainland after the island was ravaged by Hurricane Maria.
Eli Rowe, the founder of private medical airlift service Jet911, loaded the companys private jet up with essentials and 10 volunteers -- including doctors and paramedics -- as the U.S. territory attempts to dig out from a direct hit by the then-Category 4 hurricane last week that left the island without power and damage abound.
"We were just dropping and going," he said.
He added, "We were literally going door-to-door asking if people needed help"
It wasnt the first time that Rowes jet has made the trip; Jet911 flew food, water and volunteers to Houston in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and to other locations around the globe following other disasters.
Rowes jet -- which he and friend Moshe Malamud partially paid for and partially got through donations -- also returned with four Puerto Ricans desperate to escape Marias destruction.
The journey comes as families -- many of them in the tri-state -- scramble to bring relatives from Puerto Rico to the U.S. mainland. But with heavy damage and mass power outages, there have been few commercial flights departing from the capital, San Juan.
Yadira Perez Marcano was one of the lucky few to snare a seat on the solitary Delta flight to New York City's Kennedy Airport on Tuesday.
Passengers cheered when the plane landed at around 6:20 p.m., but Perez Marcano, whose apartment building in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, shook violently through the storm, said she had "mixed feelings" about leaving the destruction behind for the comfort of a sister's home outside New York City.
"Oh my God. I left back my family, friends and co-workers. And I'm here. They don't have water. They don't have lights. They don't have so many things they need, and that makes me really sad," she said, starting to cry.
Aurtoro Jiminez, a New Yorker vacationing in Puerto Rico at the time of the storm, wasnt as lucky.
He and his family were stranded in an un-air conditioned airport with thousands of other marooned travelers for days before they were able to board a humanitarian flight to Miami on Sunday. From there, he said it was much easier to figure out the logistics to get back to the Bronx.
It's a dream come true coming back over here, he said. They have it very rough out there right now."
As U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans can come and go as they please between the island and the U.S. mainland. Over the last decade some 450,000 islanders have moved to the mainland in search of better jobs.
The scale of the devastation from Hurricane Maria, which tore across the island as a Category 4 storm last week, has left many more wondering whether it may be their time to leave. But the extent of any new, hurricane-driven influx will not be known for several weeks once commercial flights resume regular schedules.
Mayor de Blasio has said he expects thousands of displaced Puerto Ricans to land in the city in the months ahead.
What to Know Abel Cedeno, 18, was charged with murder, manslaughter and assault in the stabbing that left a classmate dead and another one wounded.
Matthew McCree, 15, was killed in the stabbing at Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation; Ariane Laboy, 16, was wounded.
The alleged stabber had been feuding with the victims since the start of the school year, and the fight boiled over in class, cops say
UPDATE: Accused NYC School Killer Just Snapped, Police Say
A New York City high schooler who told reporters he'd been picked on stabbed and killed one of his classmates and wounded another during a class Wednesday, police said.
Eighteen-year-old Abel Cedeno was charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter and assault and other crimes in the stabbing that left Matthew McCree, 15, dead and Ariane Laboy, 16, critically injured, according to police.
Authorities say Cedeno walked into a third-period history class at Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation -- a middle and high school that also houses an elementary school -- and stabbed McCree and Laboy with a switchblade as about 15 to 20 other students watched in horror.
Afterward, the 18-year-old allegedly went into the hallway, handed the bloodied three-inch blade to a counselor and walked to the the assistant principal's office, where he sat quietly until police arrived.
The suspect had been feuding with the victims since the beginning of the school year, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said at an afternoon news conference. They had been tossing paper at one another shortly before the stabbing, authorities said.
"There were arguments going on for two weeks, into the school year, and it escalated today after some back and forth within the classroom," Boyce said.
As he was walked out of a Bronx police precinct Wednesday night, Cedeno replied "yes" when reporters asked if he'd been picked on before the stabbing.
Attorney information for the boy wasn't immediately available, but a family member at the precinct described Cedeno as a "very excellent, good kid." A friend said that Cedeno was being bullied and had had enough.
The two students were taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where McCree, 15, died from a stab wound to the chest; Laboy, 16, is in stable condition with chest wounds.
Other students described tense moments huddled in closets and in classrooms while the school was locked down, wondering what was happening.
"The guidance counselor couldn't even keep herself calm," said eighth-grader Abbie Mincey, who added that the counselor told them, "I've never seen so much blood in my life."
It's the first homicide on New York City school grounds since 2014, when a fight between two 14-year-old boys ended with one stabbed to death outside Intermediate School 117 in the Bronx. The last time someone was killed inside a school was at least 20 years ago.
"It's unacceptable to ever lose a child to violence in a school building," said Mayor de Blasio, adding that the city will redouble its efforts to increase safety there.
Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina added, "Every parent has the right to expect that when they send their children to school in the morning, they'll come back at 3 o'clock in very good shape. Today, unfortunately, some families will not be feeling this security."
She said extra grief counselors and guidance counselors will be on hand at the school Thursday. De Blasio will also be on hand to greet and reassure students during drop off.
"This will be a school that we'll be supporting as closely as many different ways as possible," she said.
There are 1,100 students who attend the schools in the building; P.S. 67, which has grades pre-K through five, is on the second floor. The school does not have metal detectors.
Chief Joanne Jaffe, head of NYPD's community affairs, said about 75 schools around the district are equipped with metal detectors, and they would do random sweeps of all schools for the time being.
Dozens of students' family members crowded outside the school after news of the stabbing broke, with many asking police and administrators for answers as students threw paper airplanes out windows to let their families know they were safe.
"I'm very upset. No one wants to send a child to school to be in danger," said Rosalyn Valoy, who picked up her fourth-grade daughter about four hours after the stabbing.
Giselle Estevez, the mother of 9- and 13-year-old girls, said she'd seen violence at the school before and this latest attack was the final straw. She plans to pull her daughters out of school.
"There is too much fighting, too many older boys," she said in Spanish. "Look at my child, she is small, 9 years, and the other 13. ... And they're crying, wondering what is going on, and the school didn't even call me."
- Chief investigative reporter Jonathan Dienst contributed to this report.
As millions continue to cope with widespread power outages in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, three sisters from the Philadelphia area received a much-needed lifeline thanks to a phone call that happened by chance.
Robert Martinez and his wife, who currently live in Abington, Pennsylvania, visited their home in Puerto Rico only days before Category 4 Hurricane Maria made landfall on September 20. While the couple rode out the storm, their daughters Ana Nihart of Phoenixville, Katherine Martinez of Philadelphia and Isabelle Martinez of Abington were unable to reach them.
It was just getting too hard not hearing from them to have to go through that by ourselves, Katherine Martinez said.
Yet the fears the sisters had were eased over the weekend with one phone call. Their father happened to run into NBC News reporter Gabe Gutierrez, who was covering the devastation in Isabella, Puerto Rico for a special report.
Its frustrating to communicate with our families back home, Robert Martinez told Gutierrez. They cant hear from us. They dont know whats going on.
The NBC News crew allowed Robert Martinez to use a satellite phone and his daughters heard from him for the first time since Maria made landfall. While the call lasted less than two minutes, it was enough for the daughters to know that their parents survived the hurricane.
Your mom and I are okay, Robert Martinez told his daughters while fighting back tears.
Communication has been severely limited in Puerto Rico with many people standing on the sides of roads with their cellphones trying to get a signal. Most of the island is still without electricity or running water. The three sisters are grateful however that their parents are alive.
It was such a relief, Isabelle Martinez said. Everything lifted off my body. I just felt like I could breathe again.
After the phone call, the sisters repeatedly watched the NBC News report featuring their father so that they could see him and hear his voice, unsure of when theyll get their next chance.
Feels like the constant reminder, Isabelle Martinez said. We still dont know whats next and can only hope for the best.
Officials say Puerto Rico, home to about 3.3 million people, could face months without electricity. Maria also hit two other Caribbean islands hard, killing at least seven people on Dominica and one on Guadeloupe. Click here for information on how to help victims of Maria.
[NATL] Dramatic Photos: Hurricane Maria Slams Puerto Rico
What to Know Direct flights between Philadelphia & Puerto Rico give people the chance to reconnect with family.
American Airlines is packing Puerto-Rico-bound flights with tons of supplies for the hurricane-ravaged island.
The cost of the flight from Philly was capped at $99 (before taxes) to ensure affordable access for those looking to give relief.
For the second time since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico last week, a flight from Philadelphia took off to deliver supplies and bring back people struggling to survive with scarce basic necessities like water, food and electricity.
On Wednesday morning, American Airlines flight 2028 took off from Philadelphia International Airport for San Juan, the territory's capital. The plane's cargo hold was stuffed with 31,000 pounds of supplies and baggage, much intended to help people in Puerto Rico, an airline spokesperson said.
Among the items headed to Puerto Rico on the Wednesday flight included power generators.
Wednesday's flight follows one sent Friday carrying 30,000 pounds of relief supplies including 9,000 bottles of water.
"I have a lot of friends there, the rest of my family is over there too, it's been crazy and devastating," Katy Benoit of Philadelphia said before she boarded.
Brett Felscenthal got on board after an 11 hour layover and two canceled flights. The Flagstaff, Arizona man is making his way to met up with his fiance who has spent the last month caring for her mother who recently died.
"Everything compounded together has been pretty difficult," Felscenthal said. "Her mom was really sick so she had to go out and be with her mom and got stuck through the hurricanes."
Applause erupted as the flight landed in Puerto Rico around noon.
Aboard one of few flights to #PuertoRico from Philly. Loved ones, relief supplies & manpower enroute after #hurricanemaria @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/8CcWmeJ8VN Jim Rosenfield (@jimrosenfield) September 27, 2017
American capped prices for flights from Philly directly to San Juan at $99 (the price is $128 with taxes added on) through Oct. 8 to make it less expensive for people to bring relief. American also waived size and weight restrictions and shipping costs to its own employees so that they could send large items to family and friends in Puerto Rico.
"It got like 500 pounds of supplies to send back home to my family and friends," said Puerto Rico resident Christian Robles, who hasn't had contact with his family for the past week. "Puerto Rico, we are family, we really need the help."
The "Operation Puerto Rico Strong" initiative is part of an effort to help people return to normal and to complete relief efforts in and out of San Juan, AA spokesman Justin Franco said.
[NATL] In Photos: Total Devastation in Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria
People around the continental United States are raising money and sending goods to Puerto Rico after Maria left most of Puerto Ricos 3.4 million people without power. Store shelves are bare as residents struggle to find food and especially water in the aftermath of the storm.
The flights to and from the island nation also gave people a chance to touch base with family as nearly 90 percent of cell sites remained down Tuesday.
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NBC10 and Telemundo62 reporters and photographers are on their way to Puerto Rico.
NBC10 anchor Jim Rosenfield joined T62 reporters Alex Galarza and their photographers on the Philly flight to San Juan. The NBC10/T62 crew carried bags full of supplies to give to people struggling after the storm.
T62 reporter Brian Mendoza boarded a military transport plane from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware that stopped in San Antonio, Texas before dropping off critical supplies and personnel in Puerto Rico.
Brian Mendoza of Telemundo62, NBC10s sister station, is at the Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas as they prepare for their mission to aid Puerto Rico.
You dont need to fly to Puerto Rico to help the relief effort. Here are some of the things you can do now to help.
A teen boy died while two other teens and a 13-year-old girl, who appeared to get caught in the crossfire, suffered injuries during a possible shootout in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood Tuesday night.
Police responded to numerous 911 calls just after 8:35 p.m. to find a 16-year-old boy, 13-year-old girl, 18-year-old man and 19-year-old man suffering gunshot wounds along the 100 block of E. Pastorius Street. Witnesses say the gunfire started at a corner and a crowd started running up Pastorius where the four teens were standing by their homes.
Police officers rushed all four victims to Einstein Medical Center in separate vehicles, police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Jai Custus, 16, was shot once in the left side of the back. Custus, who resided on the block, died a short time later.
NBC10
"To shoot someone innocent and to snuff out their future, is a horrible thing," Custus' aunt Cynthia Pendergrass told NBC10.
"To have shot him in the back while he was running away from the shooting. Senseless and sad."
The girl suffered a graze wound to the right arm, the 18-year-old was shot once in the right side of his torso and the 19-year-old was shot multiple times in the left leg and once in the stomach.
The girl and 18-year-old were both released from the hospital while the 19-year-old man was listed in critical condition after undergoing surgery. All three are expected to survive, Small said.
Investigators found evidence that shots were fired from both sides of the residential block.
"It appears that there was possibly some sort of shootout between two people or two groups of people," Small said.
Investigators don't know which victim was the intended target but they are nearly certain the 13-year-old who lives around the corner was caught in the crossfire, Small said. Sources also told NBC10 Custus was not the intended target.
"We believe one or two of the victims may have been involved," Small said.
If you have any information on the shooting, please call Philadelphia Police.
"I hope that the person that did this gets no rest," Pendergrass said. "They get no sleep at all because of what they have done."
Correction: Philadelphia police updated age for the girl struck in the shooting.
A police officer at San Francisco International Airport was stabbed inside one of the terminals Tuesday afternoon, according to airport officials.
About 2:30 p.m., SFO officers got reports of a suspicious person near the roadway, a possible transient, just outside of terminal one. The person made his way into the terminal near the baggage claim area, where he was contacted by the SFO officer, according to airport spokesman Doug Yakel.
The person then attacked the officer with a knife, stabbing him in the leg, Yakel said.
The 49-year-old veteran officer was taken to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment of a stab wound that is not believed to be life-threatening, Yakel said. He was treated for lacerations to his hands, neck, face and leg, then released later Tuesday.
The suspect, 64-year-old Dooris Johnston was arrested and booked into the San Mateo County Jail on charges of attempted murder of a peace officer and threats to commit violence. Johnston's last known address is San Francisco.
Johnston is due in court at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
A man plummeted 40 feet down a hole while working at a construction site on one of the U.S.-Mexico border wall prototypes in south San Diego County Wednesday, officials confirmed.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson Carlos Diaz said the worker survived the fall without serious injuries and promptly returned to work at the site in Otay Mesa.
A construction worker fell 40 feet down a hole at the site of a border wall prototype in Otay Mesa Wednesday. Officials said he was not paying attention when he stumbled. He was not hurt and promptly returned to work. NBC 7's Gaby Rodriguez reports.
Diaz said the worker was not following protocol and, as he walked backward at the site, fell into a 40-foot-deep hole around 10 a.m. The worker was not paying attention, said Diaz who classified the incident as a "misstep."
Diaz said the worker was hoisted out of the hole and was evaluated for injuries at the scene. He was not hurt and promptly returned to his duties.
Diaz said workers set up a double layer of plywood at the site to prevent this type of accident from happening again. Officials said the worker was digging the foundation for one of the border wall prototypes at the time of the accident.
Construction worker falls into 40 ft. hole while working on border wall project. He's okay and back at work. #NBC7 Gaby Rodriguez (@GabyR_news) September 27, 2017
Construction did not pause during Wednesday's incident.
Bulldozers continue flattening out dirt around the area by the corner of Enrico Fermi Drive and Via De La Amistad. Six companies will build eight different prototypes of the border wall proposed by President Donald Trump for the U.S.-Mexico border.
Right now. Border wall prototype construction site. Only 2 of 6 companies are on site. Walls must be complete in 30 days. #nbc7 pic.twitter.com/u6q09Xwgy3 Artie Ojeda (@ArtieNBCSD) September 27, 2017
Four of those prototypes will be made of concrete and the others of different materials. The wall will be built not far from the current U.S.-Mexico border wall. No other information was immediately available.
A man lost is the desert was rescued by Border Patrol Agents and transported to the El Centro Border Patrol Station for further care and investigation.
At this point, the company that the man works with is unknown.
Diaz said a so-called "emergency protocol" was put into effect following the man's fall, although he couldn't elaborate on details of that process.
Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.
A Fairfax County, Virginia, police helicopter was repeatedly targeted by a laser light during a flight on Saturday night.
Police said Fairfax One was returning to the hanger when a blue light laser was shown three different times into the cockpit of the aircraft. Investigators said the crew was temporarily affected by the light.
The helicopter circled back to the area and used an infrared camera to identify from where the laser originated. The flight crew directed officers on the ground to the location, where they arrested a man and recovered a high-powered laser.
The driver, Carlos Rivero, 45, of Centerville, Maryland, was charged with a misdemeanor, and a federal investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration is underway.
Police said pointing any light at an aircraft can potentially blind the crew. They said any such incident can be traced back to its origin, and violators will be charged.
Investigators said the crew reported having issues with blurred vision and headaches, but they have been cleared for duty.
Pedestrian crashes are a major problem in Boston, and while city planners have lowered the speed limit to 25 mph, put in speed bumps, lights and other traffic-calming measures in several neighborhoods, some including Mayor Marty Walsh say its still not enough.
Beatrice Szeto agrees with Walsh.
I didnt want to be haunted by this street, said the South End woman, as she walked down Tremont Street.
Szeto cant shake the images of that night in May when she called her partners phone and it wasnt John Clark who answered. It was Boston Police.
Interactive Map of Pedestrian Crashes in Boston, January-June
They said theres been a terrible accident, she said. And I kept asking, is he OK?
The 64-year-old musician and father had gone for takeout at his favorite spot on busy Tremont Street. As he stepped out into the crosswalk, he was hit and killed. The driver of the car said he didnt see him.
It was an accident waiting to happen and it happened. Now its time to do something about it before it happens again, said Jamie Fox of the Union Park Neighborhood Association.
Clark is not the first pedestrian to be killed or hurt on this stretch of Tremont Street in recent years. There was another fatal accident just three blocks away only two years ago. After the crashes, the city installed pedestrian islands with plastic posts at both intersections, but advocates say its not enough.
In the first six months of this year, 384 pedestrians have been hit in Boston who needed medical attention. Injuries are down 14 percent from the same time period last year, but deaths are up nearly 30 percent. Seventeen people were hit on Tremont Street alone.
Weve also had so many close calls, said Fox, but close calls dont get people motivated to do anything about it.
Residents are so desperate for solutions that theyre taking matters into their own hands. Theyve asked the city to install pedestrian systems with flashing light beacons on public streets, and they're willing to pay for it with private cash.
The idea of the strobe is to call attention to the fact that it is a pedestrian crossing, Steve Fox of the Rutland Square Neighborhood Association said.
Fox said the flashing beacon system would be pedestrian activated - not quite a stoplight, but more visible than simple crosswalks.
Its not the same as watching a plain flat sign thats painted yellow.
It would not be the first public-private crossing in Boston. The transportation department said there are three projects at Washington Street - south of Ukraine Way in Jamaica Plain, the Longwood Medical Area and 330 Summer Street in Fort Point. A spokesman for the South Ends GTI Properties said the company paid $15,000 for these two crossings on Albany Street after a man was killed trying to get across last year. The state installed and maintains them.
Though a spokeswoman declined to provide anyone from the Boston Transportation Department for an on-camera interview, we caught up with Mayor Walsh on Monday.
I think its a great way to explore it and see how we move forward, he said.
Walsh added that the city has boosted the budget for Vision Zero - its initiative to end pedestrian deaths by 2030 - and has invested in more long-term planning.
However, he did concede, Planning is great but we need to make more investments. Asked if the city had done enough, Walsh said, Theres a lot, but we need to do more.
The South End associations expect to put up $25,000 for crossings they hope to put at the intersection of Tremont and Union Park, Tremont and Upton and Columbus and Rutland.
NBC Boston witnessed vehicles failing to yield to pedestrians, including a State Police cruiser, public works truck and school bus.
Its a terribly dangerous street, said Szeto. I dont think private citizens should have to pay. We pay taxes. But she wants her city - of love and loss -better.
To be an even greater place to live, she said. It should be a safer place to live.
In a statement, the transportation department said the appropriateness of the locations for the pilot are still being debated.
Although the placement of a rapid flash beacon at Union Park Street and Tremont St. may not be optimal due to existing traffic signals at two nearby locations, BTD will look further at this intersection as well as at others of concern to the community. The Boston Transportation Department encourages community engagement in our projects and we look forward to continuing to work with South End residents to actively pursue any and all appropriate strategies that can be used to ensure safety in the neighborhood.
To learn more about the South End proposals and funding click here: www.upna.org
If you have a pedestrian safety concern, you can reach Ally Donnelly by email at Ally.Donnelly@nbcuni.com
Pointing out that more people are dying from drug overdoses than in terror attacks on a daily basis, federal and state authorities in Massachusetts joined forces to warn the public about the gravity of the ongoing opioid epidemic and the dangers of extremely potent drugs becoming prevalent.
"Synthetic opioids like fentanyl and carfentanil are manufactured death. Plain and simple," said DEA New England Special Agent in Charge Michael Ferguson. "These poisons are killing at an alarming rate."
Ferguson spoke alongside police and fire officials Tuesday afternoon at an event hosted at the state police headquarters in Framingham, explaining that opioids claim dozens of lives each day across the country.
The DEA has said carfentanil, which is designed to be an elephant tranquilizer, is 100 times more potent than fentanyl and about 10,000 times stronger than morphine.
"We all agree about how horrific the San Bernardino and Orlando terrorist incidents were, culminating in the death of 60 innocent individuals," Ferguson said. "But what we are having is equivalent of multiple San Bernardino and Orlando tragedies happening every day across this country. Ninety-one of our neighbors, friends, coworkers and loved ones are dying every day from an opioid-related overdose, with increasing deaths due to fentanyl and fentanyl-related compounds."
State Police Col. Richard McKeon says federal and local law enforcement agencies are targeting "drug trafficking organizations that distribute heroin, fentanyl, and increasingly, carfentanil."
McKeon said the number of suspected overdose deaths state police detectives respond to this year is on track to meet last year's 877 overdose deaths. He added these numbers do not include the cities of Boston, Worcester, Springfield and Pittsfield.
Massachusetts labs confirmed the presence of carfentanil for the first time this year in 12 cases so far. Seven of those samples were seized in the Brockton area. Two more came from Boston and Lawrence each, while one came from Dedham.
"We're taking steps to increase the safety of department members who may come in contact with fentanyl or carfentanil," McKeon said. "We're in the process of purchasing personal protective gear for all road troopers and detectives."
Additionally, K-9 units are being equipped with Narcan, as are other troopers.
McKeon also announced his support for legislation recently filed Gov. Charlie Baker, making changes to the drug schedule to reflect the dangers of newer, more powerful drugs, as well as defining the sale of drugs resulting in death as manslaughter.
Police in Westbrook, Maine, say they have tracked down the driver in a fatal hit-and-run.
Natasha Field, 32, of Standish, Maine was charged with aggravated leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident and violation of a condition of release.
The victim has been identified as 51-year-old Sharon Crawford, of Westbrook. Neighbors say she was crossing the street near her Stroudwater Street apartment Tuesday around 7 p.m., when an SUV struck her, briefly stopped, then sped away.
"[The car] rammed her, left her in the middle of the road to die," said neighbor Charlie Lambert. "Its not fair to the people who knew her."
Crawfords cousin, Angela Dowdy, said her son was walking with Sharon the market, when the SUV hit her on William Clark Drive.
"My son heard [the crash] and looked, and she was laying on the ground," Dowdy said. She was a very kind, honest person, said Dowdy.
Police say they are still investigating the circumstances of the crash. They took a blood sample from Field and are awaiting the results.
"We are investigating all angles for the reason of the crash," said Westbrook Police Captain Sean Lally.
Field is being held without bail at the Cumberland County Jail. Her court date is scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m.
What to Know Andrew MacCormack, 29, was arrested on a murder charge in connection with his wife's death.
The body of 30-year-old Vanessa MacCormack was found at the couple's Revere home on Saturday, beaten, stabbed and strangled.
Police say Andrew MacCormack allegedly tried to get rid of evidence before he called 911.
As tears streamed down his face, the husband of a Massachusetts elementary school teacher found dead in their Revere home last weekend was ordered held without bail Wednesday in connection with her killing.
Andrew MacCormack, 29, was arraigned in Chelsea District Court after his arrest the day before on a murder charge in his wife Vanessa MacCormack's death.
Police said the body of 30-year-old Vanessa MacCormack was found Saturday in their home beaten, stabbed, and strangled.
Investigators said Andrew MacCormack had been spending hundreds of dollars on drugs every week, and his wife found out and texted him threatening to consult a divorce lawyer if he didn't "shape up."
MacCormack allegedly responded, Ur crazy, I will never sign anything.
Prosecutors allege that MacCormack murdered his wife on Saturday before traveling to Saugus to complete a carpentry job bringing his 1-year-old daughter along with him to the work site.
Authorities believe the child was home at the time of the killing.
Throughout the day, MacCormack received phone calls from his in-laws, who had grown concerned after they were unable to reach her by phone. MacCormack also sent text messages to his wifes phone, which prosecutors said he had with him at the time.
MacCormack eventually left the work site after the baby soiled her diaper and traveled to East Boston, where he withdrew cash from an ATM to purchase cocaine, prosecutors said.
He received another phone call from a member of his wifes family as he arrived at the couples Revere home.
MacCormack told that relative he had found his wife's body, and to call 911. The relative did so. MacCormack, however, did not call 911 until a few minutes after the relative, prosecutors said.
When police arrived, they said the house smelled strongly of bleach, and areas of the home appeared to have been freshly cleaned. MacCormack had a rash covering his upper body which he blamed on a change in laundry detergent brands, which police said was contradicted by evidence at the scene. The victims body also had chemical burns that suggested bleach had been poured on her.
A medical examiner found that Vanessa MacCormack had blunt head trauma, stab and slash wounds to the neck, and signs of both strangulation and suffocation, the latter possibly from a trash bag that was over her head.
Prosecutors said cell phone records and surveillance video from numerous locations aided in the arrest.
Neighbors of the couple described the scene Saturday afternoon as "chaotic."
"I saw some guy pull up getting really violent. Had his shirt off, punching the back of the car, getting really violent," neighbor Julia Gioioso said.
Defense attorney John Hayes said his client denies killing his wife. He said the couple was struggling but was going to "look forward to a life together."
Neighbor Lou Falzarano said his heart goes out to the family.
"It's really troublesome dealing with this, the news and everything that's going on. It's a difficult situation," he said.
Vanessa MacCormick taught second grade in the Lynn School District.
Lynn school officials said grief counselors will be available all week for students and staff members of Connery Elementary School, where she taught.
"Vanessa was loved by students, parents, and colleagues. She was involved in every aspect of the school and a great friend to everyone on staff," Dr. Mary Dill, the Connery Elementary principal, said in a statement earlier this week.
MacCormack is due back in court Oct. 27.
A Maine toddler who disappeared nearly six years ago from her father's home has officially been declared dead by a judge.
Joseph R. Mazziotti, the judge of probate in Cumberland County, signed an order on Wednesday stating that Ayla Reynolds "died on or about December 17, 2011."
Trista Reynolds, the child's mother, filed to have Ayla declared dead last week so she could begin the process of a civil lawsuit against the child's father.
"Nobody wants to stand in front of a judge and ask them to declare their child dead," she said in an exclusive interview Monday. "But when it's the only way to get justice ... what are you going to do?"
Just 20 months old at the time, Ayla was reported missing from the Waterville home of her father, Justin DiPietro, triggering the largest search and criminal investigation in Maine's history.
DiPietro told police Ayla was abducted, but they say there is no evidence to support his claim. Investigators say the girl's blood was found in DiPietro's basement, and that they do not believe she is alive.
Reynolds said she wants to depose DiPietro, his sister, and his ex-girlfriend, the last people to see Ayla alive. Investigators say those three people have not been forthcoming and may hold the key to the case.
"I hope they do kind of contradict each other [in their testimony] and someone slips," said Reynolds. "I hope somebody tells the truth."
While Reynolds hopes a civil case will produce new evidence, she does not believe investigators will ever find Ayla's body based on conversations she has had with police.
"There are some things that I know that nobody else knows, and there are things I've seen that nobody else has seen," she said, not wanting to compromise the criminal case. "What I do know, is no, I don't think they'll ever find Ayla's body."
Justin DiPietro could not be reached for comment earlier this week. He now lives in California.
The Museum of Design Zurich has brought Weingart Typography, an exhibition marking German-born designer Wolfgang Weingart's accomplishments, to the art museum of the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]
German-born designer Wolfgang Weingart, 76, is hailed a key figure in the history of graphic design and typography. His style influenced designers and his students in Europe and North America over the years.
Now, the Museum of Design Zurich has brought Weingart Typography, an exhibition marking the designer's accomplishments, to the art museum of the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing.
On show are more than 260 graphic works created by Weingart who donated them to the museum, as well as works of his students from around the world.
Weingart taught at Basel School of Design from 1968 to 1999, and later at HGK Basel.
The exhibition offers a glimpse into how typography shaped graphic art, especially the movement of Swiss punk typography in the 1970s which Weingart heralded.
The exhibition ends on Oct 8, and will then travel to Shanghai and Guangzhou.
In a fight with the GOP over immigration, House Democrats on Monday blocked a bill to extend federal aviation programs and provide tax breaks for hurricane victims.
Republicans had hoped to pass a package of legislation addressing the Federal Aviation Administration and the tax breaks, but opposition from Pelosi and other Democrats stopped the bill from being passed on an expedited basis. The vote was 245-171, short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass.
"America's patriotic young Dreamers must have swift action on the bipartisan DREAM Act," Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said before the vote.
Lawmakers are expected to try again as the week progresses. Neither party wants to be blamed for the furlough of air traffic control workers or for hurricane assistance being delayed.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., accused Democrats of putting politics before disaster relief and air traffic safety.
"It's shameful that politics will trump meaningful relief for families suffering from these devastating hurricanes," Ryan said. "House Democrats are willing to shut down air traffic control to make a political point."
The tax breaks put into the bill for victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria would ease requirements for deducting individual property losses and allow people to draw on their retirement funds without penalty. The legislation also seeks to encourage people around the U.S. to donate to hurricane relief efforts by temporarily suspending limits on deductions for charitable contributions.
Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla, said the bill would help people recover more quickly from the storms and rebuild their communities stronger than before. He called it a first step.
"My constituents and those in other communities like my district don't have time to wait," said Curbelo who represents a far South Florida district. "They certainly don't have time to play political games."
Democrats called the tax relief inadequate and made clear that they would seek to work with Republicans to do more.
"We should be sitting down here in the next 48 hours putting together a massive package of relief," said Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass.
Pelosi is using her leverage to keep relief for young immigrants in the spotlight after securing support from President Donald Trump to protect those immigrants while also bolstering border security. Trump rescinded the Obama-era program and gave Congress six months to come up with a solution.
House Democrats also announced an effort to force Republican leaders to bring up the measure on young immigrants referred to as the DREAM Act. They began a petition that requires the signatures of 218 House lawmakers to force a vote on the bill. The tactic is rarely successful, but Democrats said they believe it could work this time.
"It's up to Congress to take action to prevent families from being torn apart and to prevent young Americans in mind and spirit from being sent back to the countries of their birth but not their homes," said Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. "This is their home."
Meanwhile, three GOP senators unveiled their own proposed solution to helping young immigrants brought into the country illegally as children. Their bill would offer those who came into the country below the age of 16 a pathway to remaining permanently. For two consecutive five-year stints, they would have to meet various requirements, namely maintain a job, earn a degree or serve in the military, pay their taxes and follow the law. After that decade-long period, they could apply for a green card.
"This act is about the children. It's completely merit based," said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. "If you work hard, if you follow the law, and you pay your taxes, you can stay here permanently."
The bill's co-sponsors said they didn't envision their bill as a stand-alone measure. It would have to be combined with other efforts to secure the border. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, an original supporter of the DREAM Act legislation being pursued by Democrats, said he was joining with Tillis and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., because their bill had the best shot at passing.
"Frankly, these are young people who have a real ability to contribute to our society," Hatch said. "In many cases, in most cases, they're educated by us. In many cases, they don't even know the former lands from which their parents came. They only know the United States of America."
Harvest festival we must share the goodness
Rev Andrew Bryant challenges us to share the planets blessings when we celebrate our harvest festivals this month.
It is frightening how easily we have learnt to live with the injustices that beset modern life.
In the supermarket, we carefully select the cheapest milk on offer, ignoring memories of farmers protesting that they are not paid a fair price for the milk they produce. As we leave the supermarket we drop a few tins in the box for the local food bank seeming to accept that such institutions are now a necessary part of life. Walking back to the car park we carefully avoid those huddled in the shop doorways bedding down for another night. Returning home we turn up the central heating with not a thought for the increase in carbon emissions and those already suffering the impact of climate change. We sit snacking in front of the television whilst watching images of the famine in the Yemen. As we snuggle down under the duvet, there is no thought for those shivering in an over-crowded, leaking boat in the middle of the Mediterranean, wondering if tonight the sea will be their grave.
Those who lived through rationing in the Second World War learnt the importance of waste not want not. They tried to pass this message on to the next generation, but we have grown used to the idea that there is plenty, and have forgotten how precious food is. Levels of wasted food are now shockingly high. Because we are used to there being plenty, we barely give a thought to those in our own community who may be struggling to afford food, let alone those in other parts of the world for whom finding enough food is a daily struggle.
When we are confronted by these uncomfortable truths, we say we feel helpless and that we do not know what to do. We claim the problems are too many and we try to our bit. We argue that they (who ever that might be) should do more, should do something. We shake our heads in sorrow and admit it is not right but nothing changes.
We have seemingly come to accept that inequality and injustice are part of life but that acceptance is only because it is not our lives on the line.
It is right and proper that we continue to celebrate Harvest. It is fun to decorate our churches and to sing with joy We plough the feeds and scatter. It is good that there is an annual occasion when we stop and give thanks for the fruitfulness of the earth and remember our farmers and all involved in the food industry. But thanksgiving is not enough.
As we gather for our annual harvest thanksgiving, we need also to renew our commitment to challenging the injustices and inequalities. If we are truly thankful for all the many blessings of our lives, we will also want to ensure that the good things we enjoy are shared with others. Celebrating Harvest Home is not so we can be glad there is enough for us but rather acknowledging that, rightly shared, there is enough for all. It may be I have to learn to have slightly less, but there is enough for all.
The only good harvest is a shared harvest. God has blessed us with this fruitful and bountiful earth in order that all people may share in its goodness. When some, few or many, are shut out from this goodness, then we have failed in our stewardship of all God has given us. We must never accept inequality and injustice as a necessary part of life. The call to grow the Kingdom of God on earth is a call to strive for peace and justice for all. Until the Kingdom of God does in deed come on earth, no harvest celebration can be complete without a renewal of our commitment to feed the hungry and let the oppressed go free.
Harvest vegetables image is courtesy of Chris Johnson at http://www.freeimages.com/photo/harvest-1329043
The Revd Andrew Bryant is the Canon for Mission and Pastoral Care at Norwich Cathedral. He was previously Team Rector of Portishead, Bristol, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells, and has served in parishes in the Guildford and Lichfield Dioceses, as well as working for twelve years with Kaleidoscope Theatre, a charity promoting integration through theatre for young adults with Downs Syndrome.
You can read Andrew's latest blog entry here and can follow him via his new Twitter account @AndyBry3 .
The views carried here are those of the author, not of Network Norwich and Norfolk, and are intended to stimulate constructive debate between website users.
From an Advent Open Evening to Carols in the Cloister and an array of special services and concerts with Norwich Cathedral Choir, there is lots to look forward to at Norwich Cathedral this festive season.
From an Advent Open Evening to Carols in the Cloister and an array of special services and concerts with Norwich Cathedral Choir, there is lots to look forward to at Norwich Cathedral this festive season.
Norwich church to hold Sunday healing service Witard Road Baptist Church is hosting a healing service on November 27 led by Rev Ray and Ruth Scorey from Norfolk Healing Rooms. Read more
Sheringham youth attend forbidden church The youth group at Lighthouse Community Church in Sheringham were forced to meet at a secret location earlier this month when the Lighthouse building had, supposedly, been shut down by the authorities. Read more
Christmas pud workshop at Norwich church Not made your Christmas pudding yet? Don't know where to start? Come along to a Christmas pudding workshop at Norwich Central Baptist Church on November 21 with MasterChef contestant Jane Wyndham. Read more
Norwich Foodbank provides over 4,700 food parcels Norwich Foodbank gave out 4,793 emergency food parcels to people across Norwich in the last year with 1,790 of these going to children. Read more
Poppies cascading in Sheringham church A fall of poppies cascades from the pulpit in St Andrews Methodist Church in Sheringham, and anyone is welcome to come and see them. Read more
Bishop Graham's prayers for COP27 climate conference Bishop Graham is publishing daily prayers on social media for the current COP27 climate conference, and is asking all to join. Read more
Discovering the Orange in your life The vibrant colours of autumn have been inspiring regular contributor Jane Walters to focus on the positive. Read more
YMCA annual celebration set to inspire YMCA Norfolk is set to hold its much anticipated 2022 annual celebration and awards ceremony on November 17, after almost 3 years since the last event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
Hub manager vacancy at community shop Earlham Community Shop Community Interest Company is looking to appoint a manager for this new venture being developed in the heart of NR5 Norwich. Read more
Abbey Days brings Christmas Magic to Wymondham Visitors to Wymondham Abbeys Christmas fair will be able to treat their children to a magic show and fun baking workshop while they browse more than 60 stalls. Read more
Salvation Armys new Christmas Appeal in Norfolk The Salvation Army has launched their new Christmas appeal across Norfolk which, this year, has evolved from the much-loved Toys and Tins appeal. Read more
Are we storing up treasures on earth? Rising prices affect us all, and Anna Heydon urges us to spare a thought for those who will be struggling with the cost of living this winter. Read more
Latest Norfolk Christian community events Events of interest to the Norwich and Norfolk Christian community happening over the next few weeks are listed. Read more
Covid leaf memorial at Norwich church St Peter Mancroft Church Norwich Presents The Leaves of the Trees an installation by sculptor Peter Walker which provides a memorial for those who died of Covid-19 Read more
Community Chaplaincy Norfolk begins a new chapter Community Chaplaincy Norfolk (CCN) celebrated the beginning of a new chapter this week, as the new chair of trustees Chris Tomlinson led his first annual meeting. Read more
Lowestoft Christians launch on-line bible helps app The Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth branch of Good News for Everyone (GNFE), formerly the Gideons, have introduced a new mobile phone app called On-line Bible Helps. Read more
Addicts' rehabilitation centre plan for Drayton Hall Christian addiction charity Teen Challenge London is planning to turn Drayton Hall near Norwich into its headquarters and a rehabilitation centre for men, after it was gifted the freehold of the hall by its owner, the Lind Trust. Read more
Mum watches Brianna as she braves the shave
A YOUNG woman from Newbury bravely decided to publicly shave off all her hair in a show of solidarity with her mother who is undergoing treatment for leukaemia.
Friends and family gathered at the Rowbarge in Woolhampton to lend support to Brianna OSullivan as she underwent the dramatic transformation from blonde to bald, raising more than 2,500 for charity in the process.
And most importantly for the 22-year-old, Miss OSullivans mother, Marcella, was able to go along to the event on Friday, September 8, making it a particularly emotional evening for the pair.
Speaking to the Newbury Weekly News Mrs OSullivan said: Luckily I had a break in my treatment and I was able to go.
I was surprised when she said she would do it but I was just so thrilled I could be there.
It was very emotional, both of us were in tears during the whole thing, but I was just so proud of her for doing it and to raise that amount of money is a fantastic achievement.
The 60-year-old was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in June and has now completed two cycles of chemotherapy.
Miss OSullivan, who admitted she has always done everything she can to be like her mother, was overwhelmed to see around 100 people turn up at the Rowbarge Inn in Woolhampton where she works as assistant manager to show their support.
The money raised will be donated to cancer charity Bloodwise, which funds research into blood diseases.
After the event Miss OSullivan explained how, in a small way, taking part in the fundraiser helped her get over a feeling of helplessness following her mothers diagnosis.
It was a total shock, she said.
This was a way for me to feel like I had some sort of input or semblance of control over the situation.
And for the most part it was great.
It was a great atmosphere with everyone coming along.
Mrs OSullivan, who originally hails from Dublin, added: I think its brought us closer.
Shes been a fantastic carer, looking after me, bringing me to and from hospital, and the Rowbarge have been fantastic as well with giving her time off if she needs it.
Weve been very lucky in that respect.
Mrs OSullivan, who is now undergoing her third cycle of chemo, admitted she is starting to get used to her daughters new look.
The last time she had that little hair was when she was born, but Bri really suits it, she said, before jokingly adding: She has a nice-shaped head, so Im taking credit for that.
You can still donate to help Miss OSullivans fundraising total by visiting www.justgiving.com/fundraising/brisheadshave
The UK government should make its two-year reduced-cost multi-entry Chinese visa currently a pilot scheme into a permanent option, says a British tourism association.
UKinbound, which represents almost 400 of the United Kingdom's tourism businesses, said 85 percent of its members reported bookings from China had increased since the pilot program began.
The scheme, announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond during his visit to Beijing at the beginning of 2016, is due to end in January.
With China's Golden Week holiday set to begin on Sunday, UKinbound seized the moment to lobby government.
Deirdre Wells, UKinbound's chief executive officer, said: "It's encouraging to hear that the government's two-year visa pilot has resulted in increased Chinese visitors for our tour-operator members.It's imperative that this trend continues and that the UK continues to signal to China that we are a welcoming and accessible destination."
She also said the length of the visa should be extended to 10 years.
Home Office figures show the number of visas issued to Chinese people in 2016 increased by 20 percent in comparison to 2015 to more than 480,000. The government department said Chinese visitors spent more than 513 million pounds ($688 million) in the UK last year.
And when UKinbound asked its members how the UK government could improve the visa system for Chinese visitors, 73 percent said they would like to see multi-entry visas available for longer periods of time, and at the same cost.The two-year pilot visa costs 85 pounds.
Members also suggested improved visa application centers and Chinese-language application forms as much-needed additional improvements.
Brian Bickell, chairman of UK China Visa Alliance, said: "The significant increase in Chinese visitor numbers shows the benefits of government and the private sector working together to create innovative changes to the visa application process."
He would like to see a "one-stop shop" visa application process in which visitors could apply for both UK and Schengen visas,and use shared application forms, shared physical application centers, and be granted visas that last longer.
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha delivered a blistering criticism of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the state of the economy, prompting a sharp rebuttal from the government today and the Congress to fire fresh salvos at what it called a "clueless" Centre.
The attack by Sinha, who was finance minister under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, in a newspaper article set off a political storm even as two top union ministers--Rajnath Singh and Piyush Goyal--defended the economic situation, asserting the Indian economy is the fastest growing in the world.
As the Congress latched on to Sinha's criticism, the government also said it will "stay the course" and that it would work to transform the economy.
In the article headlined "I need to speak up now" in today's edition of The Indian Express, Sinha, 84, criticised Jaitley over the "mess the finance minister has made of the economy" and said he would be failing in his national duty if he did not speak up.
"Finance ministry, in the best of times, calls for the undivided attention of its boss if the job has to be properly done. In challenging times it becomes more than a 24/7 job. Naturally, even a superman like Jaitley could not do justice to the task," he wrote, as he slammed the government over decisions like note ban and the GST, the new universal tax regime.
Sinha, a member of the BJPs 'margdarshak mandal' that was set up in 2014 to guide the party, also said a revival by the time of the next Lok Sabha elections due in 2019 was "highly unlikely" and a "hard landing" appeared inevitable.
"The prime minister claims that he has seen poverty from close quarters. His finance minister is working over-time to make sure that all Indians also see it from equally close quarters," Sinha further said.
Rejecting Sinha's criticism, the government insisted that Indian economy is the fastest growing in the world and some "uncertainty" is bound to occur when "transformative" measures like demonetisation and the GST are taken.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the country's credibility has been established in the international arena under the Modi government.
"The whole world admits that India is the fastest growing economy in the world. No one should forget this fact. In the matter of economy, in the international arena, India's credibility has been established," he told reporters while making a reference to Sinha's criticism.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said the government would not flinch due to some criticism and that it would "stay the course" as it works to transform the economy.
Goyal, who has often articulated the party's view on the economy, said Sinha is entitled to his opinion.
"There is bound to be some uncertainty when some transformative changes are made. It (economy) may take some amount of time to absorb these changes but this will pass.
Challenges come but we will stay the course. The government is steadfast in its resolve to end black money and corruption. It won't flinch due to some criticism," he said.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi took a dig at Jaitley, saying people should take positions as the "wings have fallen off our plane" while his party colleague and former finance minister P Chidambaram asked the "clueless" Centre how long it would hide behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "rhetoric and party slogans."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your copilot and FM speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts and take brace position. The wings have fallen off our plane," Gandhi tweeted.
Addressing a small gathering near Chotila in Surendranagar district in poll-bound Gujarat, Gandhi also cited the article to attack Jaitley and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a tweet, Chidambaram asked whether "power" would now accept the truth.
"Yashwant Sinha speaks truth to power. Will power now admit the truth that economy is sinking?," he said on Twitter.
Later talking to reporters, Chidambaram said the Congress was told to shut up when it flagged the weaknesses in the economy. But the party would continue to speak "loudly and boldly on the disastrous path" the government has taken, he added.
"The government is completely clueless about what is causing the economic decline...how long will it hide behind the rhetoric of the prime minister and the slogans of the party?" he asked.
Responding to a question, Chidambaram said the Congress was not using Sinha's views (politically), and added that the BJP leader's statements only "coincides" with what the opposition party has been saying.
Delhi's ruling AAP said the current condition of Indian economy is a matter of national concern and not a party specific issue.
"It is because the individuals running the Central Government have little understanding of economic policies," AAP leader and Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia told reporters.
NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha delivered a blistering criticism of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the state of the economy, prompting a sharp rebuttal from the government today and the Congress to fire fresh salvos at what it called a "clueless" Centre. The attack by Sinha, who was finance minister under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, in a newspaper article set off a political storm even as two top union ministers--Rajnath Singh and Piyush Goyal--defended the economic situation, asserting the Indian economy is the fastest growing in the world. As the Congress latched on to Sinha's criticism, the government also said it will "stay the course" and that it would work to transform the economy. In the article headlined "I need to speak up now" in today's edition of The Indian Express, Sinha, 84, criticised Jaitley over the "mess the finance minister has made of the economy" and said he would be failing in his national duty if he did not speak up. "Finance ministry, in the best of times, calls for the undivided attention of its boss if the job has to be properly done. In challenging times it becomes more than a 24/7 job. Naturally, even a superman like Jaitley could not do justice to the task," he wrote, as he slammed the government over decisions like note ban and the GST, the new universal tax regime. Sinha, a member of the BJPs 'margdarshak mandal' that was set up in 2014 to guide the party, also said a revival by the time of the next Lok Sabha elections due in 2019 was "highly unlikely" and a "hard landing" appeared inevitable. "The prime minister claims that he has seen poverty from close quarters. His finance minister is working over-time to make sure that all Indians also see it from equally close quarters," Sinha further said. Rejecting Sinha's criticism, the government insisted that Indian economy is the fastest growing in the world and some "uncertainty" is bound to occur when "transformative" measures like demonetisation and the GST are taken. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the country's credibility has been established in the international arena under the Modi government. "The whole world admits that India is the fastest growing economy in the world. No one should forget this fact. In the matter of economy, in the international arena, India's credibility has been established," he told reporters while making a reference to Sinha's criticism. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said the government would not flinch due to some criticism and that it would "stay the course" as it works to transform the economy. Goyal, who has often articulated the party's view on the economy, said Sinha is entitled to his opinion. "There is bound to be some uncertainty when some transformative changes are made. It (economy) may take some amount of time to absorb these changes but this will pass. Challenges come but we will stay the course. The government is steadfast in its resolve to end black money and corruption. It won't flinch due to some criticism," he said. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi took a dig at Jaitley, saying people should take positions as the "wings have fallen off our plane" while his party colleague and former finance minister P Chidambaram asked the "clueless" Centre how long it would hide behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "rhetoric and party slogans." "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your copilot and FM speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts and take brace position. The wings have fallen off our plane," Gandhi tweeted. Addressing a small gathering near Chotila in Surendranagar district in poll-bound Gujarat, Gandhi also cited the article to attack Jaitley and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a tweet, Chidambaram asked whether "power" would now accept the truth. "Yashwant Sinha speaks truth to power. Will power now admit the truth that economy is sinking?," he said on Twitter. Later talking to reporters, Chidambaram said the Congress was told to shut up when it flagged the weaknesses in the economy. But the party would continue to speak "loudly and boldly on the disastrous path" the government has taken, he added. "The government is completely clueless about what is causing the economic decline...how long will it hide behind the rhetoric of the prime minister and the slogans of the party?" he asked. Responding to a question, Chidambaram said the Congress was not using Sinha's views (politically), and added that the BJP leader's statements only "coincides" with what the opposition party has been saying. Delhi's ruling AAP said the current condition of Indian economy is a matter of national concern and not a party specific issue. "It is because the individuals running the Central Government have little understanding of economic policies," AAP leader and Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia told reporters.
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Two years after the elite Special Force's hot pursuit in the jungles of India-Myanmar border, same troops carried out another major offensive against terror group NSCN- Khaplang faction.
In a wee hour operation, the Army claimed to have inflicted "heavy casualties" on the insurgent group hideouts, without disclosing the exact number of kills.
Soon after announcing its operation, Army also clarified that its troops did not cross unmarked International Border with Myanmar.
It was not a surgical strike and our troops did not cross the international border, an Army official asserted in the national capital.
Even the union home minister Rajnath Singh, during a cabinet briefing, responded on Armys operation that, "There are no two opinions that Myanmar is a friendly country. Whatever information we get, we will inform you about it."
According to the statement issued by Armys Eastern Command that around 4.45 am, about a dozen soldiers engaged in a firefight with the terrorists. A large number of casualties were suffered by the insurgents but none by the soldiers, the statement said.
"A column of the Indian Army while operating along the Indo-Myanmar border was fired upon by unidentified insurgents. Our troops reacted swiftly and brought down heavy retaliatory fire on the insurgents. The insurgents then broke the contract and fled," said the army statement.
The raid was carried out in retaliation for the killing of 20 soldiers in an ambush in Manipur.
Also Read: Arunachal Pradesh: Militant killed, hideout destroyed by security forces in Indo-Myanmar border
At the time, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had confirmed the strike, saying the government had taken the bold step to target terror camps.
In surgical strikes against Pakistan a year ago, Indian Army soldiers had crossed the Line of Control and targeted terror launchpads.
NEW DELHI: Two years after the elite Special Force's hot pursuit in the jungles of India-Myanmar border, same troops carried out another major offensive against terror group NSCN- Khaplang faction. In a wee hour operation, the Army claimed to have inflicted "heavy casualties" on the insurgent group hideouts, without disclosing the exact number of kills. Soon after announcing its operation, Army also clarified that its troops did not cross unmarked International Border with Myanmar. It was not a surgical strike and our troops did not cross the international border, an Army official asserted in the national capital. Detailed statement attached pic.twitter.com/nbLYMLCqxQ EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) September 27, 2017 Even the union home minister Rajnath Singh, during a cabinet briefing, responded on Armys operation that, "There are no two opinions that Myanmar is a friendly country. Whatever information we get, we will inform you about it." According to the statement issued by Armys Eastern Command that around 4.45 am, about a dozen soldiers engaged in a firefight with the terrorists. A large number of casualties were suffered by the insurgents but none by the soldiers, the statement said. "A column of the Indian Army while operating along the Indo-Myanmar border was fired upon by unidentified insurgents. Our troops reacted swiftly and brought down heavy retaliatory fire on the insurgents. The insurgents then broke the contract and fled," said the army statement. The raid was carried out in retaliation for the killing of 20 soldiers in an ambush in Manipur. Also Read: Arunachal Pradesh: Militant killed, hideout destroyed by security forces in Indo-Myanmar border At the time, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had confirmed the strike, saying the government had taken the bold step to target terror camps. In surgical strikes against Pakistan a year ago, Indian Army soldiers had crossed the Line of Control and targeted terror launchpads.
By Online Desk
Rahul Gandhi took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government taunting that the BJP's 'co-pilot' issued warnings to take 'precautionary measures' as their 'plane's wings' had fallen off. His taunt was a reaction to senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha's attack on Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for 'messing up' the economy.
The opposition party was quick to back Sinha and criticize the failure of the NDA government. Rahul gave a witty response with a tweet hinting that the economy is in a dangerous situation.
Ladies & Gentlemen, this is your copilot & FM speaking. Plz fasten your seat belts & take brace position.The wings have fallen off our plane https://t.co/IsOA8FQa6u Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 27, 2017
Several other Congress leaders, supporters and party workers also came out in support of Sinha, and asked the Modi government to take note since the criticism is coming from a member of their own party.
BJP may call Yashwant Sinha's blistering attack on Jaitley & telling the truth about Economy as a rant of the estranged.But he spoke FACTS Rachit Seth (@rachitseth) September 27, 2017
Former Finance&External Affairs Min@yashwantsinha speaks truth to power -I need to speak up now https://t.co/WVkUPPgUAR via @IndianExpress Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) September 27, 2017
Demonetisation : A "disaster" and Economy is "sinking", says BJP's Yashwant Sinha, whose son Jayant Sinha is still a minister in Modi Govt. Shakeel Ahmad (@Ahmad_Shakeel) September 27, 2017
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that Sinha, in his article, has spoken about the surgical strike on economy by the BJP and asked the people of the country to seek Prime Minister Narendra Modis reply on it.
Be it the demonetisation, be it the growth in GDP or be it the disaster and the fashion, in which they are implementing GST, the truth is, Yashwant Sinha has rightly spoken as to how an experimental Finance Minister and an autocrat Prime Minister can rack Indias economy, Surjewala told media in Chandigarh.
Asserting that the economy is in a state of flux, Congress Spokesperson said that the Prime Minister only speaks and finance minister only mismanages the economy.
He further said that the ruling dispensation is using probe agencies including Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) like puppets.
Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram also questioned the Centre on Twitter as to whether it would now admit the truth that economy is sinking.
(With inputs from ANI)
Rahul Gandhi took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government taunting that the BJP's 'co-pilot' issued warnings to take 'precautionary measures' as their 'plane's wings' had fallen off. His taunt was a reaction to senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha's attack on Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for 'messing up' the economy. The opposition party was quick to back Sinha and criticize the failure of the NDA government. Rahul gave a witty response with a tweet hinting that the economy is in a dangerous situation. Ladies & Gentlemen, this is your copilot & FM speaking. Plz fasten your seat belts & take brace position.The wings have fallen off our plane https://t.co/IsOA8FQa6u Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 27, 2017 Several other Congress leaders, supporters and party workers also came out in support of Sinha, and asked the Modi government to take note since the criticism is coming from a member of their own party. BJP may call Yashwant Sinha's blistering attack on Jaitley & telling the truth about Economy as a rant of the estranged.But he spoke FACTS Rachit Seth (@rachitseth) September 27, 2017 Former Finance&External Affairs Min@yashwantsinha speaks truth to power -I need to speak up now https://t.co/WVkUPPgUAR via @IndianExpress Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) September 27, 2017 Demonetisation : A "disaster" and Economy is "sinking", says BJP's Yashwant Sinha, whose son Jayant Sinha is still a minister in Modi Govt. Shakeel Ahmad (@Ahmad_Shakeel) September 27, 2017 Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that Sinha, in his article, has spoken about the surgical strike on economy by the BJP and asked the people of the country to seek Prime Minister Narendra Modis reply on it. Be it the demonetisation, be it the growth in GDP or be it the disaster and the fashion, in which they are implementing GST, the truth is, Yashwant Sinha has rightly spoken as to how an experimental Finance Minister and an autocrat Prime Minister can rack Indias economy, Surjewala told media in Chandigarh. Asserting that the economy is in a state of flux, Congress Spokesperson said that the Prime Minister only speaks and finance minister only mismanages the economy. He further said that the ruling dispensation is using probe agencies including Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) like puppets. Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram also questioned the Centre on Twitter as to whether it would now admit the truth that economy is sinking. (With inputs from ANI)
China's Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming, and his wife Hu Pinghua, join University of Sheffield vice-chancellor Keith Burnett on Wednesday at the unveiling of a plaque to mark the 10th anniversary of the Confucius Institute in Sheffield. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]
The Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield celebrated its first decade of teaching students about Chinese culture and language on Wednesday, with an exhibition, movie screening, performances, and the unveiling of a plaque.
Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the United Kingdom, said in a speech: "The Chinese language carries 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. It is a bridge of mutual learning between China and the world. Therefore, being able to speak Chinese is like holding a key to discover the journey of Chinese civilization."
Liu noted that this year marks the 45th anniversary of ambassador-level relations between China and the UK and that it is also a year for consolidating the nation's "golden era".
"And good state-to-state relations hinge on people-to-people, and heart-to-heart communication," Liu said.
He suggested students from both countries "engage with each other, get to each other, and understand each other", work championed by the Confucius Institute.
Nadia Aleo, 21, a Sheffield University student majoring in Chinese and business management, said she was initially curious about the language. Later,through the language, she learned more about the nation and the ancient civilization.
She has since visited the country and plans to move there after graduation.
"I think Chinese will also give me good job opportunities, whether in China or in England," she said.
Dan Reader, a 21-year-old chemistry major at the University of Sheffield, said: "I really do enjoy learning Chinese. It was not as hard as I expected, thankfully."
He has been to China three times and was impressed with how developed parts of the nation were.
"I think the media portrayal and the stereotypes of China in the UK are usually incorrect, and so it was quite different to what I was told to expect," he said."For example, the public transport system in cities was generally good, the country doesnt smell awful. That is a well-known fact about China that I completely refute. And the people were very polite and helpful."
Currently, Britain is the leader among nations in the European Union in terms of international exchanges with China and the level of teaching of the Chinese language. The UK has 29 Confucius Institutes and 145 Confucius Classrooms and more than 130,000 registered language students.
Opened by then deputy prime minister John Prescott in January 2007, the Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield was one of the first to be established at a UK university.
The institute is an international collaboration between the university and Hanban, which is the official Chinese authority responsible for the promotion of the Chinese language and the nations culture overseas. Other partners in the institute are Beijing Language and Culture University and Nanjing University.
Zhang Yangfei contributed to the story.
PCD captures Division IV girls soccer title as Rogers comes up short
When the final horn sounded the Knights raced toward their keeper Sarah Howe and the celebration was on. It was a sweet win, one the Knights earned.
Champaign, IL (61820)
Today
Variably cloudy with snow showers. Low around 30F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snowfall around one inch..
Tonight
Variably cloudy with snow showers. Low around 30F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snowfall around one inch.
Tue., Nov. 15, 5:30 p.m.
Lincoln Library 326 S. Seventh St., Springfield Downtown
Free
History
Some of the weird and wacky requests made to the Sangamon Valley Collection will be presented by a panel of experts. The Sangamon Valley Collection manager and city historian, Curt Mann, along with assistant Stephanie Martin, will discuss some of the requests they have handled. Other panelists include Cinda Klickna, the society's vice president and Mike Kienzler, SangamonLink editor and Summer Griffith, Lincoln Library director will offer insights into the future of the SVC. 217-525-1961
Hyundai Creta is probably the only compact SUV in India that resembles a proper full-grown SUV. The 5-seater compact SUV is loosely designed on the lines of the bigger Hyundai Santa Fe and looks every bit stunning. Add a few custom parts, give it a nice paint job and you will get yourself a perfect recipe of a head-turning car.
The same has been done by certain Stay Tuned India, which has uploaded images of a Hyundai Creta with an all-black exterior for the stealthy look. The gloss black shade, along with few other exterior enhancements makes it stand out of the crowd. There are no images of the interiors though.
The mod-job include 17-inch gloss black rims six spoke rims, 235/55/17 Maxxis All terrain tyres, Thule transverse roof bars & box, Lightforce Auxiliary fog lamps, tinted LED-powered tail lamps, LED strips beside the fog lamps, and a towing handle. Theres also a touch of chrome.
No changes have been made to the engine and it is powered by a two diesel engines and one petrol motor. The Creta petrol is powered by a 1.6-litre Dual VTVT unit producing 123 PS of power with a 6-speed MT or a 6-speed AT. The diesel engines are the 90 PS 1.4-litre U2 CRDi engine that is paired with a 6-speed MT and the 128 PS 1.6-litre VGT CRDi engine also available with a 6-speed MT or a 6-speed AT.
The price for Creta starts at Rs 9.29 Lakhs and goes all the way up to Rs 14.55 Lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi)
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New Delhi: The government on Wednesday decided to work in tandem with agri startups for technologies required for efficient implementation of its flagship programmes like soil health card, irrigation and crop insurance, among others.
In a meeting with agri-startup firms held on Wednesday, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said farmer-friendly technologies are the need of the hour and some specific technologies are required for each of its key schemes.
He directed his ministry officials to work in small core-teams with start-up firms in this regard, an official release said.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Soil Health Card, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana are the key flagship schemes that the government is focussing at present.
For instance under soil health card scheme, the Minister said large number of soil samples have to be analysed, which is arduous and time consuming.
"Therefore we need technological solutions in the form of low-cost hand-held soil sensors or any non-destructible method of soil fertility assessment that can easily assess soil health using the technology," he said.
Similarly to settle crop insurance claims, Singh said satellites and drones are required to assess accurately and timely the crop loss. Even IT-based solutions are required to increase the number of insured farmers.
In a move that will surely delight US President Donald Trump and frustrate many, Twitter has begun testing 280-character tweets -- doubling the previous 140-character limit - to help users become more expressive. Currently, the 280-character tweet facility is available to a small group of its 328 million users but it would soon be rolled out globally, Twitter said in a blog post late on Tuesday. It is not yet clear if Trump - known for his fiery tweets especially when it comes to North Korea -- is among the test group of users.
According to Aliza Rosen and Ikuhiro Ihara from Twitter's product team, "when I (Aliza) Tweet in English, I quickly run into the 140 character limit and have to edit my Tweet down so it fits. But when Iku Tweets in Japanese, he doesn't have the same problem. He finishes sharing his thought and still has room to spare," Rosen said. This is because in languages like Japanese, Korean, and Chinese you can convey about double the amount of information in one character as you can in many other languages, like English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French.
"We want every person around the world to easily express themselves on Twitter, so we're doing something new: we're going to try out a longer limit, 280 characters, in languages impacted by cramming (which is all except Japanese, Chinese, and Korean)," Rosen posted. The average length of a tweet in Japanese is 15 characters, and only 0.4 per cent of tweets hit the 140-character limit. But in English, a much higher percentage of Tweets have 140 characters (9 per cent).
Most Japanese Tweets are 15 characters while most English Tweets are 34. According to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, this is a small change, but a big move for them. "The 140 limit was an arbitrary choice based on the 160 character SMS limit. Proud of how thoughtful the team has been in solving a real problem people have when trying to tweet. And at the same time maintaining our brevity, speed, and essence!" Dorsey tweeted on Wednesday.
Last year, there were reports that the micro-blogging site may go for 10,000-character tweets. But Dorsey denied those reports, saying the 140-character limit is "a beautiful constraint" and that Twitter "will never lose that feeling". The 140-character limit has been around as long as Twitter has and has become part of the product's personality. "We understand since many of you have been Tweeting for years, there may be an emotional attachment to 140 characters - we felt it, too. But we tried this, saw the power of what it will do, and fell in love with this new, still brief, constraint," Rosen posted.
When it comes to Trump who has nearly 40 million followers, Twitter thinks his tweets are "newsworthy" despite people wondering why Twitter did not remove his tweets on North Korea that violated the company's rules. Twitter has never acknowledged publicly that Trump has violated any of its guidelines. CEO Jack Dorsey has also defended Trump's tweets.
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has received replies from actor Amitabh Bachchan and his family members to notices issued to them in connection with its probe in the Panama Papers case and they could be summoned soon, officials said.
Officials in the anti-money laundering agency said they had issued notices to the Bachchan family some time back asking them to explain their foreign remittances since 2004 under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) of the RBI.
They said the Enforcement Directorate has now received their replies to the notices issued under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
"The replies have been received. They could be soon summoned as part of the probe," sources said.
Amitabh Bachchan's name had cropped in the Panama Papers case which is also being probed by the Income Tax Department.
The taxman is probing Bollywood megastar's offshore remittances.
Dubbed as Panama Papers, an investigation of a stockpile of records from Panamanian legal firm Mossack Fonseca by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalist had named several world leaders and celebrities who had allegedly stashed away money abroad in offshore companies.
The documents had surfaced last year.
New Delhi: The Army on Wednesday struck Naga insurgent camps along the border with Myanmar and caused heavy damage.
A team of Indian Para Commandos carried out the strike at 4:45 am and inflicted damage on NSCN-K insurgents close to Langkhu village near the Indo-Myanmar border, said sources to CNN-News18.
A statement by the Eastern Command said the unit did not cross the international border and did not suffer any casualties.
This is the second such strike the Army has carried out along the Myanmar border. In June 2015, the Army had targeted NSCN-K camps days after the groups militants ambushed and killed 18 Indian soldiers in Manipur.
Heavy casualties reportedly inflicted on NSCN(K) cadre. No casualties suffered by Indian Security Forces EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) September 27, 2017
Wednesdays strike also coincides with the anniversary of Indias surgical strike on terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Uri terror attack last year.
Army chief Bipin Rawat had said earlier this week that India may conduct more surgical strikes if needed. "The strikes were a message we wanted to communicate. I think they understood what we meant. These things could follow, if required, he said.
Reports of casualties to #IndianArmy personnel factually incorrect. Firefight occurred along Indo-Myanmar border at 0445 hrs today @adgpi EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) September 27, 2017
Sources, however, told CNN-News18 that Wednesdays operation was not a surgical strike. The narrative of todays operation being a surgical strike is wrong and refuted. The Eastern Commands tweet truthfully covers the full contours of the operation, an Army source said.
The National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang abrogated the ceasefire it signed in 2001 with the Indian government, on March 27, 2015, just a month before the truce was up for renewal.
Subsequently, its chief SS Khaplang's rebels went on a killing spree, attacking Indian soldiers in Nagaland and Manipur.
The outfit even mounted the deadly ambush on a convoy of the 6 Dogra Regiment in Manipur's Chandel district on June 4, 2015, in which 18 soldiers were killed.
Khaplang died on June 9 in Taka in Myanmar's Sagaing Division.
New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has responded to critics on the controversy surrounding his government employing Bahubali director SS Rajamouli in the ambitious Amaravati Project.
Rajamouli is an excellent director. We have all seen Bahubali. He must have some talent to have created something so magical. We have only employed him as a consultant. He will give ideas, brainstorm with architects. Ultimately it is the architects who will build. This is being needlessly played up by the opposition because they dont have any issue to raise, the CM told CNN-News18.
Amaravati, the proposed new capital city of Andhra Pradesh is a greenfield project that is being built on acquired farmland. The opposition had recently flayed the Naidu government for bringing in a film director instead of professional urban town planners for this project.
The ambitious Amaravati project has already procured more than 33,000 acres of land from farmers. The total investment that has been committed tops Rs 50,000 crores.
Naidu has introduced a unique concept of land pooling where farmers will lease out the land to the government in return for which they will get a fixed income every year. Naidu claims this model offers an alternative in a country where land acquisition has been a contentious issue.
Amaravati has run into controversy from the time it was conceived. The opposition has accused Naidu of promoting vaastu and superstition in the building plan and layout of the new capital.
Earlier the lead Japanese consultant Fumihiko Maki had protested his firms unfair removal and cited the lack of transparency in the project.
Varanasi: Chief Proctor of Banaras Hindu University Professor Onkar Nath Singh resigned on Wednesday citing moral responsibility for the violent protests that rocked the campus last week.
Sources said Singh was asked to step down by the HRD ministry which is reportedly unhappy with the way student protests against eve-teasing and harassment on campus were handled.
The Chief Proctor is the official charged with ensuring law and order on university campus.
On Tuesday, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of BHU had come out with a list of demands, including suspension of vice chancellor GC Tripathi. The demands also include suspension of District Magistrate, SSP of Varanasi and strict legal action against the culprits.
This came as the Yogi Adityanath government in the state ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence on campus.
Earlier in the day, the Varanasi district magistrate had written to the BHU Registrar asking him to take immediate steps to address the concerns of the female students. It was also said that the university V-Cs chair is now at risk after he failed to handle the situation.
The UP government finally intervened in the BHU case, a day after both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah asked the UP chief minister about the Saturday night incident.
On Saturday night, police resorted to lathicharge hundreds of girls outside the BHU campus, where they were protesting against the molestation of a fellow student, university authorities who ended up victim shaming her and a general lack of security on campus.
The protests turned violent when some miscreants tried to burn a few properties and police used force to quell the agitation.
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah spoke to the CM and asked him to address the issue at the earliest.
UP government spokesperson and cabinet minister Srikant Sharma said that the government wanted communication between students, local administration, vice chancellor and other university officials. Sharma accused the opposition parties of trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere.
If they wish to do politics, they should do it with us and not with students. They should keep away from holding agitations in campuses, he said.
On the lathicharge claims, he said, "We are identifying those 'outsiders' who are using the students to do politics and also identifying those who indulged in lathicharge."
New Delhi: The CBI has told a parliamentary panel that it was denied permission from the then central government to approach the Supreme Court against a 2005 Delhi High Court order in the Bofors guns case, sources said.
The six-member Public Accounts Committee's sub-committee on defence is looking into non-compliance of certain aspects of a 1986 CAG report on the Bofors Howitzer gun deal.
The panel had last month asked the premier investigating agency why it did not approach the apex court after the Delhi court dismissed proceedings in the case in 2005.
On analysing the Delhi High Court order of 2005, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was of the view that a special leave petition (SLP) should be filed in the apex court, it told the panel, the sources added.
"CBI, vide its letter dated June 22, 2017, conveyed its views that CBI, as investigative agency was of the view that SLP should be preferred against the order of Delhi High Court dated May 31, 2005...," the agency told the panel recently.
It had, however, been denied permission by the government's Department of Personnel and Training, it said.
"A proposal was forwarded to the Director (Vig), DoPT, on September 8, 2005. The DoPT vide its order dated November 25, 2005, denied permission for filing an SLP in the matter. Accordingly, no SLP was preferred," it said.
Meanwhile, advocate Ajay Agarwal has moved the Supreme Court seeking reopening of the case.
The CBI had on January 22, 1990, registered an FIR for alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and sections of Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then President of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Europe-based industrialists, the Hinduja brothers.
The CBI had alleged that certain public servants and private individuals in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy for the supply of Howitzer artillery guns and a sum of Rs 64 crore was paid in kickbacks for the deal.
The Delhi High Court had in February 2005 quashed the charges against the three Hinduja brothers under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Several members of the parliamentary panel looking into the CAG report on the Bofors deal had asked the CBI to move the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court's 2005 order.
New Delhi: Border Security Force jawan Ramzan Parray was shot dead and four of his family members were injured in an attack by terrorists in Bandipore district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.
According to sources, the 33-year-old had just returned home to Hajin town of Bandipore for a vacation a few days ago. He was dragged out of his home and shot dead, officials said, adding that it looks to be a targeted killing.
Jammu and Kashmir DGP, SP Vaid, told News18 that there were 3-4 terrorists who barged into the home of the BSF jawan. He said their attempt was to take Parray away, but they shot him multiple times at close range when he resisted. He died on the spot.
The terrorists also fired indiscriminately at the family, injuring the jawans father, two brothers and an aunt. The DGP said that the jawans father was with a faction of the Hurriyat and this could be a revenge attack.
Police said that the injured family members have been taken to a hospital. The condition of the jawans aunt was stated to be serious, while that of the three others was stable.
IG Police, Muneer Khan, said that a manhunt has been launched to nab the terrorists. The entire area has been cordoned off and is being searched, he said.
The modus operandi followed by terrorists in the killing of Parray is very similar to the one in the murder of Lt. Ummer Fayaz in May this year, suggesting a concerted plan of targeted killings. Just like Fayaz, Parray too was a local who had joined the security forces and had recently returned home.
The bullet-ridden body of Army Lieutenant, Ummer Fayaz, was found at Herman Chowk of Jammu and Kashmirs Shopian district. The 24-year-old had gone to Shopian to attend the wedding function of a relative. He was abducted by terrorists from his home and shot dead.
New Delhi: The NHRC has issued notices to the governments and police chiefs of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh over the alleged inhuman treatment being meted out to girls and women who are forcibly taken to temples as part of an old ritual that resembles the banned 'Devadasi' system.
The girls and women are taken to temples of Goddess Mathamma for "offering" in Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu and adjoining places, the Commission said, while observing that allegations made in the complaint as well as a media report about the continuance of this practice are "serious in nature".
Accordingly, it has issued notices to the chief secretaries and the director generals of police of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and to the district magistrates and superintendents of police of Thiruvallur and Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, and sought reports in four weeks.
"Allegedly, as part of the ritual, the girls are dressed up as a bride and once the ceremony is over, their dresses are removed by five boys, virtually leaving them naked.
"They are denied to live with their families and have education. They are forced to live in Mathamma temple deemed to be like a public property and face sexual exploitation," the National Human Rights Commission said.
The rights panel has also observed that if the allegations are true, these amount to violation of human rights, including the right to education, rights to life and dignity besides the children's rights.
This practice is allegedly "another form of Devadasi system", which is still practiced in some parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, it said in a statement.
Devadasi system is a banned religious practice in some parts of India whereby parents marry a daughter to a deity or a temple. The marriage usually occurs before the girl reaches puberty.
There have been allegations that Devadasis are often subjected to sexual exploitation in the name of religion.
The Union Home Ministry in December 2015 had asked all states to take strong action against those involved in the heinous practice which is against the dignity of women.
New York: Pakistan's Foreign Minister has claimed that a proposal was made to swap Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav for a jailed terrorist in Afghanistan, who was responsible for the horrific 2014 Peshawar school attack.
"The terrorist who killed children in APS (Army Public School) in Peshawar is in Afghan custody. The National Security Advisor (NSA) told me that we can exchange that terrorist with the terrorist you have, which is Kulbhushan Jadhav," Khawaja Muhammad Asif told a New York audience on Wednesday.
The minister made this claim in response to a question during his appearance at the Asia Society.
However, he did not specify the name of the terrorist or the NSA he was referring to.
Jadhav, a 46-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was in April sentenced to death by Pakistan's Field General Court Martial on charges of his alleged "involvement in espionage and sabotage activities" against Pakistan.
Asif said Pakistan has suffered grievously from conflict and instability in Afghanistan.
"Unless this cycle is reversed, we would continue to bear the brunt. No country, therefore, has a larger stake in seeing peace and stability return to Afghanistan than Pakistan. Regrettably, the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse," he said.
Asif said there is no military solution to Afghanistan. Pakistan has in the past done all it could to facilitate a political settlement.
India has accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention by repeatedly denying consular access to Jadhav.
In a hearing of the case on May 18, a 10-member bench of the ICJ restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav.
Pakistan has said that the Indian national would not be executed until he has exhausted his mercy appeals.
The Pakistan Taliban had claimed responsibility for the horrific Peshawar school attack in 2014 in which nearly 150 people, mostly school children, were killed.
New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha has said that the economy is in a mess and "raid raj" has become the order of the day. He also questioned the current methodology to calculate GDP numbers.
The former finance minister has painted a grim picture of an economy in distress. He has said that the government's statistical changes in calculating GDP have inflated the figures by over 200 basis points, or 2 percentage points, annually. "According to the old method of calculation, the growth rate of 5.7 percent is actually 3.7 percent or less," Sinha wrote in The Indian Express.
He said "raid raj" has become the order of the day and the Income Tax department is investigating cases involving millions of people. "The Enforcement Directorate and the CBI also have their plates full. Instilling fear in the minds of the people is the name of the new game."
"I shall be failing in my national duty if I did not speak up even now against the mess the finance minister has made of the economy," he added.
The veteran leader said his comments reflect the sentiments of a large number of people in the BJP and elsewhere who are not speaking up out of fear.
Reacting to the report, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has tweeted saying that the "wings have fallen off" the government.
Ladies & Gentlemen, this is your copilot & FM speaking. Plz fasten your seat belts & take brace position.The wings have fallen off our plane https://t.co/IsOA8FQa6u Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 27, 2017
Sinha was the finance minister in the previous NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and was responsible for successful schemes like the India millennium bonds issue.
He has been a vocal critic of the Narendra Modi regime. His son Jayant Sinha was earlier a minister of state in the Finance Ministry and was later shifted to the Aviation Ministry. It is believed that his father's constant criticism of the government contributed to the transfer.
Sinha's piece was more an attack on Jaitley than a critique on the state of the economy. "Finance Ministry calls for the undivided attention of its boss in the best of times," said Sinha, implying that Jaitley's other portfolios (Corporate Affairs, Disinvestment and Defence for a time) prevents him from giving his full attention to the economy.
The veteran BJP leader warned that economies are destroyed more easily than they are built. "The PM claims that he has seen poverty from close quarters. His finance minister is working over-time to make sure that all Indians also see it from equally close quarters," Sinha added.
Tucked away in one of the rooms of The Ananta, Udaipur, three artists hailing from the Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam were busy chatting when News18.com knocked on the door.
While explaining what art means to him, Khamarul Zaman Bin Pg Hj Tajuddin from Brunei lost his words and turned to Philippines Dennis Mallares Gonzales for help.
Its everything. You breathe art, you live with art, you dream art, you shit art and you eat art. Because art is life and also like a second wife, pat came the reply.
Sometimes I call him Filippino, and he refers to me as Brunei. I thought he is a Filippino! Look, were the same almost, explained an elated Gonzales.
At the ongoing ASEAN-India artists camp organized by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India in collaboration with Seher, its not just art thats being created, but also a gamut of new bonds and lifetime memories. And perhaps, thats exactly what the camp intended to achieve.
Artists and painters from different ASEAN countries including Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam besides India are living and creating art together which will be showcased in an exhibition in the capital sometime in January next year.
When asked about the funniest comment he has received on their work, Gonzales exclaimed, Sometimes they said it was beautiful but sometimes, they said its like a horror movie.
When you talk to my art, I consider it FB which stands for F***ing Beautiful because its like positive and negative, yin and yang, heaven and hell, he added.
Chan Sophorn of Cambodia, who was sharing the room with Lei Cai Xiang from Singapore, said, Im staying with a friend from Singapore and its so good. If we have any problem, we can share and discuss together.
Xiang, who is on his first visit to India, believed that this camp will give him an opportunity to take inspiration from different cultures for his future artworks.
As much as art can mean everything, it also means nothing. Because in essence, art is a subjective expression for everyone and the beauty of it is that all of us are working towards something we dont know what it is, but we know it exists, he shared.
Quite interestingly, the art, inspired from their roots and ideologies, sees a dash of each others influence too. Like, Malaysias Shahrul Hisham Bin Ahmad Tarmizi decided to complete his creation by writing Made In India in Hindi over it and the doll keychains that Sophorn helms boast a traditional Indian jewel touch.
When I went to study, I realized I need to research about my traditional culture and I found about 5000 dresses for the Royals. Sometime later when I came, I saw the Indian jewels and then I saw that Apsara, the queen of my country, also uses the jewels just like Indians. So, my painting and decorations like for India and Cambodia to mix together for art, explained Sophorn.
Drawing with a ball pen on the canvas was Tarmizi, who has been in the art industry for over 8 years now. They say that Im struggling to do my work. I dont know. Maybe artists have some perception in seeing the work Im doing now, he shared.
Art means my life, what I stand for and what Im struggling for. I dont know what art specifically means to me but I live with it, he added.
Nguyen Nghia Phuong, who was focused on adding final touches to his painting inside his room, shared that art was treated as something unusual in his country.
In Vietnam, art is considered to be some unusual activity in society in general. Earlier we had troubles, but now we have more opportunities to think about and care about art.
Laishram Meena Devi, one of the two female artists in the camp, opined that while a gender bias in the art industry exists in general, no one can guarantee the ups and downs. Yes. But the bias keeps on changing. Because maybe its not easy being an artist and a female. Till college its fine, but after that it gets busy and they dont get enough time to paint. They get married and have to look after kids and family.
Art is something like the sixth sense, something that goes beyond the normal people. For me, colour and canvas are my expressions, she explained while highlighting that her painting is always soaked in the nostalgia of childhood.
A particularly jovial artist from Thailand, Kurae Naphaphong, articulated that art is difficult to explain. If I have to explain about my artwork, then its not good. The person who comes to see my work has to use their vision, opinions to understand and have a perception to journey inside the art.
Hailing from Bikaner, the veteran artist Mahaveer Swami, was delighted to be a part of this initiative. I dont know everyone but Ive worked with a few of them. It feels good to be a part of this kalakumbh where everyone is working in their specific art styles and techniques.
He added that while art has a lot of definitions, for him, it was important that all the worlds beauty can be depicted through the works of art.
Iqro Akhmad Ibrahim Laily Subkhi, the gifted artist from Jakarta, Indonesia, explained that through his imaginative art, he tries to depict himself and all that goes on in his mind.
It looks like a paper, a fish or a mermaid or something. For me, art is like a spirit. I just try to express myself and show my experiences. I hope that when people look at my artwork, it inspires them. When people look at my work, they get a little interested in my lines and brushes because my work is very imaginative, not realistic.
Not only is it an elation to see creative minds from different countries bonding over yoga and other activities besides art in the daytime and on drinks and dinner in the evening, but it's an immensely satisfying sight to witness new relations and strengthened cross-cultural ties blooming. While the culture and traditions might be poles apart for all 20 artists from India and ASEAN countries, the twinkle in their eyes when they talk about art and their inquisitiveness to know more about each other, not just in terms of work but otherwise, makes the ongoing camp one of the few peace-loving havens in the country right now.
When it comes to the travel bug, it seems that wanderlust is more infectious in some countries compared to others. Because according to a recent report, the world's most well-travelled globetrotters hail from Hong Kong while Americans are among the least to collect international passport stamps.
For the index, international relocations company MoveHub in the UK looked at the number of international tourist departures from 111 countries between 2007 to 2016 using data from World Bank and the World Tourism Organization.
From there, authors looked at the largest number of international trips per capita.
At 11 annual tourist trips per person, Hong Kong leads the list by a huge margin: its nearest rival, Luxembourg, comes in at No. 2 with less than 3 trips per year.
It's worth noting, however, that flights between Hong Kong and its neighboring countries China and Taiwan, are considered international and could account for the large number of international trips.
Along with 12 annual bank holidays, Hong Kongers also accrue more vacation time with work seniority.
A recently released report from World Routes 2017 also showed that the world's busiest international passenger route is a corridor between Hong Kong to Taipei, averaging 80 flights a day, or one flight every 18 minutes.
At the other end of the spectrum, American citizens are among the least likely to travel outside their own borders, making an average of 0.2 international trips a year per person.
As of 2017, less than half of Americans (46 percent) hold passports.
Britons are also among the least well-travelled internationally, taking an average of 0.9 trips per capita.
Here are the countries that travel the most
1. Hong Kong (11.4 annual tourist trips per capita)
2. Luxembourg (2.56)
3. Hungary (1.62)
4. Sweden (1.5)
5. Finland (1.46)
6. Ireland (1.44)
7. Singapore (1.44)
8. Switzerland (1.42)
9. Denmark (1.40)
10. Albania (1.36)
In a span of three years, one face that has emerged prominently from the Indie film circuit is that of Shweta Tripathi. The Disney-girl turned Phantom actress, Shweta was lauded for her role in Masaan and again proved her acting prowess with Haraamkhor for playing a 15-year-old school girl. While the paradigm of Shweta's talent still has to take many turns, adding on to it is another experimental film Zoo. Produced by Anurag Kashyap and directed by Shlok Sharma, the film has been selected for "A window on Asian Cinema" category at the Busan Film festival.
In an exclusive conversation with News18.com, Shweta expressed her excitement over the selection. She says, "I am feeling great. Film festivals really excite me and there's nothing more that I love than films and travel. When the two are combined, I feel blessed and I also feel that I'm somewhere representing my country. It's not just an individual project. When you go to an international festival, there is a certain amount of happiness and pride.
Shweta and Shlok have previously worked together in Haraamkhor, which was supposed to be the actress' debut film, but because of the controversial topic, the film got stuck at the Censor Board for nearly two years. On being asked about her relationship with the director, Shweta says, "Shlok and Neeraj are two people I can trust blindly as they gave me an opportunity when there was nothing."
"We never made Haramkhor with the controversy in mind. In fact, we didn't think it was controversial at all. We thought it was the subject that had to be spoken about. And for us, it was the story that we were telling, we were not raising any questions and that's how it should be," she adds.
Shweta's upcoming film Zoo has been shot entirely on iPhone, making it India's first feature film to be shot with the device. So how was the idea conceptualized? The actress answers, "Shlok came up with the idea Khud he film banate hain. This was because he didn't want to get stuck up in production. Initially, I was like Are you sure about shooting a feature film on an iPhone? Then I thought either I trust him completely and stop asking questions or I should not be the part of the process because he believes in it, and not discourage him."
On her experience of replacing a conventional film camera with an iPhone, Shweta reveals that the process of the entire shooting was just like another film, just the camera was much less noticeable, making the experience more intimate. She says, "We did everything the same way, just that the camera was way smaller. In a way, it's great because it was intimate. The crew would set up the lights and leave. It was just Ranga, our DOP (director of photography) who would be present during the shoot. For an actor, it's great when there aren't any distractions and not too many people around, it just helps to be the character.
Interestingly, Zoo explores the lives of teenagers who are drug addicts and the story gives an insight into the lives of those who are trapped in their own hell and are seeking escape in drugs. About the relevant topic of the film, Shweta says, "I feel it's important to know why it's happening. In Zoo, through the journey of characters, we find out why the characters are taking drugs and escaping into their own realities. And understand the ways to stop it. "
While emphasising more upon the seriousness of drug abuse and its growing consumption among youngsters, Shweta adds, "The problem with people is that they don't want to be aware of the problem. If they are not being affected by any problem, it doesnt exist. Drug abuse is a serious problem and we know people around who are doing it. So slowly we need to create awareness about it to put an end to the practice.
Zoo features Shweta essaying the role of a rich teenage brat who is fighting her own demons and thus seeks solace in drugs. She explains, "My character finds escape in drugs from what she's fighting through. You don't know how to deal with things, and it makes you feel in some another world or it numbs you from the pain you are feeling.
A still from Zoo
The year 2017 has been a great one for small-budget, content-driven stories, both critically and commercially. The actress who comes from the same stream feels that the trend is going to stay as people are becoming more aware of the content. She says, "It's a great time to be a part of this industry right now because even if you are not born or brought up in the circuit, you stand a chance. It's the time for content to take the front seat. You really don't need a big budget anymore. If the content is good, whatever might be the medium people will watch it. "
Citing examples of Newton and A Death in The Gunj, she further adds, "It feels great to see that people do give content some importance. It gives you hope that you aren't the only one sitting and thinking that the story should be good.
The actress is currently busy with Amazon Prime's new series, Made in Heaven, written by Zoya Akhtar and directed by Nitya Mehra. Then the actor will start working on Mirzapur- a hardcore political drama alongside Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripathi, and Vikrant Massey. Enjoying her current work status, Shweta concludes, "I'm pretty excited to work on the series with a strong cast of solid actors."
Chennai Actor R. Madhavan, last seen on screen in Tamil crime thriller Vikram Vedha, has landed a pivotal role in Naga Chaitanya-starrer upcoming Telugu action-thriller Savyasachi, a source from the film's unit has said.
"Madhavan has been offered a very prominent role. He really liked the script and has already given his principal nod. Very soon, he will officially sign on the dotted line," said the source.
This will be Madhavan's first Telugu appearance in a full-length role. He has played a cameo in 2010 Telugu film Om Shanti.
Asked if Madhavan plays the antagonist, the source remained tight-lipped and added: "It's definitely the kind of role he hasn't played so far. It's too early to talk about the type of character he will be essaying."
To be directed by Chandoo Mondeti, the film will roll from October 16.
The principal shooting will start after Naga Chaitanya's marriage, which is scheduled to take place on October 6.
Savyasachi marks the second time collaboration of Mondeti and Naga Chaitanya after last year's Premam.
Mumbai: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday launched a caustic attack on the BJP-led NDA government in Maharashtra over the ongoing strike by Anganwadi workers demanding a hike in their salaries.
Joining the protesters at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai, the Sena chief attacked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and said the state government will be "cursed by mothers".
Anganwadi workers have been on an indefinite strike across the state since September 12 demanding a raise in their salaries as per their service seniority.
The government on September 23 decided to hike the payment of anganwadi workers to Rs 6,500 per month, which they had termed as "minuscule".
Addressing the workers, Thackeray said, "I have not come here to lead the agitation but only to support it. You (workers) become mothers of children in your care by feeding and nursing them. The government, rather than taking the blessings of these mothers, will be cursed by them".
Appealing the workers to stand their ground, Thackeray, whose party shares an uneasy relationship with the
BJP in the state government, said, "You have the power to make the government bow before you".
"...Our hearts are still alive. We cannot work like corpses. The chief minister should keep aside his ego and give justice to the workers. If you want to do whatever you like to in the name of democracy, we will not let that happen," he said.
Taking a swipe at Fadnavis who is currently on the tour of South Korea and Singapore, Thackeray said while the chief minister is roaming around the world to fulfil his dreams, the "mothers and sisters (Anganwadi workers) have lost their sleep".
Meanwhile, the workers today threatened to enter the state Secretariat if their demands are not met within eight days.
Nearly two lakh Anganwadi workers working in 1.10 lakh Anganwadis in the state cater to nutritional needs of children under the age of six and adolescent girls who are malnourished or anaemic.
The beneficiaries of these schemes implemented by Anganwadi workers are provided two freshly cooked meals.
Woman and Child Development Minister Pankaja Munde had announced that the salary of Sevikas will be hiked by Rs 1,500, helpers will get Rs 1,000 hike and all workers will get Rs 1,000 as an additional bonus during Diwali.
Sena has of late intensified its attack on its senior alliance partner, the BJP, and has often taken potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party had recently indicated that it was close to pull out of the coalition government in the state. However, the BJP has ruled out any threat to the survival of the government.
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday demanded a thorough inquiry into the lathi-charge on women students of Banaras Hindu University by an all-party parliamentary panel.
Uttar Pradesh Congress president Raj Babbar also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not meeting the protesting women students of BHU, who were beaten up by the police.
He said the women students were like the prime minister's daughters and that Modi failed in his duties towards them.
"There should be a credible probe by a team of MPs from all parties who should visit BHU and give a report to the central government as the university comes under its purview," he told reporters.
"Our prime minister was in Varanasi when the students were staging a dharna and he should have come ... at least walked up to them as they were like his daughters. Perhaps he does not know how to fulfil the duties of a father," he said.
Babbar alleged that there was a "definite pattern" in the violence at BHU.
He said the BHU lathicharge was not an ordinary incident and such cases were witnessed in Hyderabad and JNU as well.
The Congress leader said the women students were beaten up on Daughters' Day on September 14.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in the police action in BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent.
The violence erupted after some students, protesting the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity's vice-chancellor at his residence.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party is leaving no stone unturned to make its padyatra in Kerala from October 3 to 17 against the alleged political murders in the southern state a success. From party chief Amit Shah to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the whos who of the Saffron Party are slated to participate in the campaign.
The march will be flagged off in Kannur on October 3 by Amit Shah. According to sources in Kerala BJP, firebrand Hindutva leader Yogi Adityanath will march in areas where the party wants to send a message.
According to a senior leader in Kerala BJP, Yogi Adityanath will march in Malappuram, a Muslim majority district. Malappuram has, off late, been in the news for conversion of people to Islam. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the Hadiya conversion case has
mentioned that Kerala-based outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) has been using organizations like Malappuram-based Sathya Sarini for forced conversions.
Top leadership is yet to confirm but we definitely want Yogi Adityanath to walk the stretch in Malappuram, a Kerala BJP leader said on request of anonymity.
Multiple sources in BJP said Shah will march in chief minister Pinarayi Vijayans hometown Mambaram in Kannur district.
When asked, KPA Majeed, MLA from Mankada in Malappuram district said the BJP padyatra was nothing but a desperate move.
We are not preparing anything. They can walk wherever they want, speak wherever they want, even if its in Malappuram. There are certain extreme elements that may try to disrupt peace in the area. But then again, I am sure there will be no law and order situation, said Majeed, who is also general secretary of Muslim League.
CPM has alleged that Shah is trying to create trouble and to destroy the reputation of the state which is known for its secular and democratic credentials.
New Delhi: In a move that is likely to have ripple effect across the country, the Delhi government has decided to 'regularise' all guest teachers in Delhi schools, with 15,000 teachers already elevated to the 'permanent' status.
Addressing the press, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said there were 50,000 guest teachers in Delhi out of which 17,000 had passed the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET). As many as 15,000 of these teachers, who fulfilled all criteria, have been made permanent.
The remaining 35,000 will be working on a rotation basis and "will stand a chance for permanent status once they clear the exams," Sisodia added. The Delhi Cabinet met on Wednesday morning and passed the Bill. The state Assembly will meet on October 4 to clear the Bill.
Sisodia said "attempts were made to derail the efforts" but this decision has been taken after following all due process. He said Delhi's education reforms are being praised everywhere.
The Delhi government is also in the process of hiring 9,000 additional teachers. The government stated that its first move was "to stop the ritual of replacing guest teachers every year."
Chotila/Kagvad: Apparently seeking to showcase the Congress' soft Hindutva, Rahul Gandhi on September 27, offered prayers at four temples in Gujarat before wrapping up his three-day visit to the poll-bound , state, a move his party said was aimed at countering the hardline Hindutva of the BJP and RSS.
However, the ruling BJP took a dig at Gandhi, saying the Congress vice president was visiting temples as his party has failed to win elections in the state for long time.
In New Delhi, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram deprecated attempts at reading any political meaning into Gandhi's visit to temples.
Gandhi, who had kicked off his tour after offering prayers at the Dwarkadhish temple on Monday, resumed his road-show on Wednesday by trekking up the famous Chotila temple in Surendranagar district.
Starting his tour from Rajkot on Wednesday morning, Gandhi came to Chotila, the first stop, and began the steep climb immediately. He climbed around 1,000 steps in about 15 minutes without a break.
After he had offered prayers, the priests apprised him of the importance of the shrine.
The Congress leader climbed down the stairway in another 15 minutes, greeting devotees on his way back.
In the evening, Gandhi visited Khodal Dham temple in Kagvad village to offer prayers to Khodiyar Mata, the reigning deity of the Leuva Patel community. A section of Patels are up in arms against the state's BJP government over their demand for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.
On his arrival, Gandhi was greeted by a large number of Patidars, who chanted their signature slogan - 'Jai Sardar, Jai Patidar' to welcome the Congress leader.
On his way to Jetpur from Kagvad, Gandhi also paid a visit to a temple dedicated to Dasi Jeevan, revered by Dalits and Buddhists.
He also made an unscheduled visit to another shrine-- Jalaram temple--in Veerpur in Rajkot district.
"I don't think you should read political meaning into that. I think there is much else that is happening in his visit to Gujarat. I think we should focus on that," Chidambaram said in the national capital.
"We have always held that each one is entitled to practice his own faith, we treat all faiths equal. That is the position of the Congress party. From the days of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, that is the stance of the Congress party," he said, while dismissing suggestions that the temple visits were an attempt to woo Hindu voters.
Commenting on Rahul Gandhi's visit to temples, Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said the party was deliberately projected as anti-Hindu by the BJP and the RSS.
"Rahul Gandhi's visit to various temples during his tour is aimed at countering the hardline Hindutva campaign of BJP and RSS," Doshi said.
"The RSS and BJP have deliberately tried to portray the Congress as anti-Hindu, which is not true," he said.
AICC spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said, "Our idea of secularism is different from them (BJP), as we visit religious places of all the faiths. This is nothing new. Our former PM Indira Gandhi used to do the same."
However, a state BJP leader said Gandhi was visiting temples as his party was not winning elections."
"Rahul Gandhi has started visiting temples and shrines as his party is not winning elections in any state," state BJP spokesperson Raju Dhruv said.
On Tuesday, Gandhi also attended a garba event organised by MLA Indranil Rajyaguru in Rajkot and performed 'aarti' in front of the idol of goddess Durga.
"The day ends well with garba in Rajkot," the Congress vice president had tweeted.
On his way from Chotila to Kagvad, Gandhi addressed people at some places. In his speeches, he promised that the Congress would waive all farm loans within 10 days of assuming power after the elections, which are due later this year.
In the last two days, Gandhi repeatedly attacked the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on GST, note ban and farm polices.
He had also invoked Sardar Patel's legacy to woo the Patel community ahead of the crucial state polls.
Gandhi had also expressed confidence about his party winning the Assembly elections, claiming that there was a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat.
Lucknow: In a bid to counter the BJPs massive social media presence, the Samajwadi Party is ramping up its online operations and has launched a digital army to patrol the web for trolls and counter false propaganda.
On Tuesday, the SP launched a portal called the Samajwadi Digital Force. Party leaders said that workers have been asked to register themselves on the portal and keep an eye on trolls spreading fake news, videos and messages online. These will then be reported to the cyber cell and the police to get them blocked.
Party workers have also been asked to increase their social media presence to propagate the ideology of SP as well as its past achievements through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WhatsApp. The first meeting of the digital force was held by SPs national president, Akhilesh Yadav, on Tuesday.
SP MLC Sunil Singh Sajan said the fight today has shifted from the ground level to digital platforms. We come across so many videos and audios that spread hatred among people and are not good for the society. Parties like the BJP are using social media for polarization, spreading hatred and promoting fake messages. Our digital force will take up such issues and report it to the concerned authorities and to the police as well, he said.
Sajan said that Akhilesh, who himself has a strong following on Twitter and Facebook, briefed party workers on how to improve their social media presence. I am sure that very soon, Samajwadi Digital Force will cross 1 million mark as our party workers are very enthusiastic towards this step. Our next meeting will be held on October 1, in which we will review the work, he added.
The portal launch is yet another attempt by Akhilesh to effectively use social media, where the SP is playing catch up to the BJP. He had earlier set up a separate social media war room during the state assembly elections that he used to monitor himself.
New Delhi: Post BJP Leader Yashwant Sinhas attack on his government over the handling of the economy, the Congress blasted the government over the same.
The attack came after BJP leader Yashwant Sinha wrote a strongly-worded article against Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys handling of the economy, saying that it is in a mess and "raid raj" has become the order of the day. He also questioned the current methodology to calculate GDP numbers.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi also took a dig at Jaitley, saying people should take positions as the "wings have fallen off our plane".
Ladies & Gentlemen, this is your copilot & FM speaking. Plz fasten your seat belts & take brace position.The wings have fallen off our plane https://t.co/IsOA8FQa6u Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 27, 2017
We were told to shut up when we raised issues on economy, but Congress will speak boldly on disastrous path the government has taken, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said.
Chidambaram said that the Congress was happy that Sinha had spoken truth and that it echoed the partys views about economy.
He said the truth is that the growth rate of 5.7 percent is actually 3.7 percent or less and that "instilling fear in the minds of the people is the name of the new game".
Congress has exposed many weaknesses in the economy and the terrible mismanagement, he said.
As I travel around the country, what I hear is "Achhe din to aaye nahi, ye bure din kab jaayenge?"he added.
In an article in the Indian Express headlined, "I need to speak up now", Sinha said a revival by the time of the next Lok Sabha election was "highly unlikely" and a "hard landing" appeared inevitable.
"Demonetisation and right after that GST were like two diseases hitting the economy in quick succession," Sinha said in an exclusive conversation with News18. "The state of the economy is not good," the veteran BJP leader added.
Sinha said his sentiment was shared by a large number of leaders within the BJP but people were not speaking up out of fear.
"It is extremely hard in the remaining 18 months of Modi government to get the economy back on track and for some concrete effect to be seen," Sinha told News18.
Meanwhile, the government rejected Sinha's critique on the state of economy, saying the world acknowledges that India is the fastest growing economy.
"The world acknowledges India is the fastest growing economy. No one should forget it. Our image at the international level is very strong," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said.
Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are set to launch in India on September 29, starting 6 pm. The latest Apple devices will be available for sale at a starting price of Rs 64,000 and Rs 73,000 respectively for their 64GB variants. That being said, those who have already bought the Apple smartphones in other countries have experienced certain problems with the devices, the most recent one being about a crackling static noise during calls.
On a recent thread on the official Apple website, iPhone 8 users have been discussing a crackling noise that can be heard while on a call on an iPhone 8. One of the users describes the problem as follows: Its intermittent - on some calls you can perfectly notice it on others no problem. I have already tried resetting the phone with no success on solving the problem. Im dealing with the issue since Friday. Very disappointed!. Further discussion on the thread reveals a similar problem for the iPhone 8 Plus variant as well. Users have also pointed out that the problem is not fixed upon upgrading the iOS on the two iPhones. The crackling noise issue was also reported by several users on Reddit, who further added that the problem disappeared upon using earphones or while using the loudspeaker mode during the call.
Also read: Apple iPhone 8 First Impressions Review: The iPhone 7 in an All Glass Body
The problem with the static noise on the smartphone has been observed by users across different regions using different mobile carriers. As per a report, Apple has acknowledged the issue and said that the company is working on a fix for the same. We are aware of the issue which is affecting customers in a small number of cases. Our team is at work on a fix, which will be included in an upcoming software release.
Set for a September 29 release in India, the Apple iPhone 8 will be available for Rs 64,000 (64GB) and Rs 77,000 (256GB) while the iPhone 8 Plus will cost Rs 73,000 (64GB) and Rs 86,000 for the 256 GB variant. The devices are set to launch across nine cities in India including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Pune.
Watch: Tech And Auto Show | EP14 | Apple iPhone 8, 8+, X, Isuzu D-Max & More
Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron offered an ambitious vision for European renewal on Tuesday, calling for the EU to work more closely on defence and immigration and for the euro zone to have its own budget, ideas he may struggle to implement.
In a nearly two-hour speech delivered two days after the German election in which Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU/CSU bloc scored its worst result since 1949, limiting her freedom to manoeuvre on Europe, the 39-year-old French president held little back in terms of sweep, self-assurance and aspiration.
But at a time when Europe is beset by tensions between east and west and battling to overcome nearly a decade of draining economic crisis, Macron's earnest and at times high-brow discourse ran the risk of falling on deaf ears.
Speaking at the Sorbonne, he portrayed Europe as needing to relaunch itself, saying that on issues as diverse as asylum, border protection, corporate tax, intelligence sharing, defence and financial stability it needed much deeper cooperation.
"The only path that assures our future is the rebuilding of a Europe that is sovereign, united and democratic," the former investment banker and philosophy student said, flanked by a French and a European Union flag.
"At the beginning of the next decade, Europe must have a joint intervention force, a common defence budget and a joint doctrine for action."
In his run for the presidency, Macron made European reform a central plank of his centrist campaign, and he and Merkel have spoken frequently about their desire for France and Germany, the European Union's two largest economies and often its engines of change, to take the lead on integration.
But five months into his five-year term, Macron faces the threat that Merkel, 63 and looking to start her fourth term, has less capacity to move than either would have hoped.
Her alliance is still the largest bloc in the Bundestag, but to build a working majority she will likely have to form a coalition with the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), who are opposed to many of Macron's ideas.
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, a senior member of the Social Democrats (SPD), hailed Macron's speech "a passionate plea against nationalism and for Europe".
"He can count on us," said Gabriel, whose party has ruled out being part of a new grand coalition.
Rather than tailoring his speech to fit the contours of what the FDP, the Greens or Merkel may have wanted to hear, Macron kept his vision broad and far-reaching, while also detailing some specific ideas for an improved euro zone.
"A budget can only go hand-in-hand with strong political leadership led by a common (finance) minister and a strong parliamentary supervision at the European level," he said, emphasising the need for democratic accountability.
PROVIDE DETAIL
The fiscally conservative FDP dislikes the idea of a euro zone budget or any facility that may lead to financial transfers from wealthier euro zone countries to poorer ones, as well as the possibility of national debt being pooled.
The party has also called for phasing out Europe's ESM bailout fund, which Macron wants to turn into a European Monetary Fund, and wants to see changes to EU treaties that would allow countries to leave the euro zone.
"You don't strengthen Europe with new pots of money," Alexander Lambsdorff, an FDP member in the European Parliament, said on Twitter in reaction to Macron's speech.
In a statement issued by the FDP in Berlin, Lambsdorff said: "The problem in Europe is not a lack of public funds, but the lack of reform. A euro zone budget would set exactly the wrong incentives."
Not shying away from addressing Germany directly even as it tries to resolve the fallout from Sunday's election, Macron set an objective that the two countries completely integrate their markets and corporate rules by 2024.
"We share the same European ambitions and I know her commitment to Europe," he said of Merkel. "I'm proposing to Germany a new partnership. We will not agree on everything, not immediately, but we will discuss everything."
In Berlin on Monday, Merkel said it was important to move beyond catchphrases and provide detail on how Europe could be improved. It was not immediately clear whether Macron had managed to go beyond slogans as far as Merkel was concerned.
But Martin Selmayr, the chief of staff of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, said the proposals to reinforce the euro zone would be discussed alongside Juncker's own at a euro zone summit planned for December.
Italy's EU affairs minister, Sandro Gozi, said the speech would inspire European leaders into action.
"An excellent speech by Emmanuel Macron on reviving the European Union. Lets work on this together, starting tomorrow at the Lyon Summit," he said, referring to a meeting of the Italian and French leaders to discuss industrial policy.
Macron said he hoped his ideas would be taken into account in Germany's coalition building negotiations. Those talks are not expected to begin until mid-October and may take several months.
"Some had said I should wait for the coalition talks to be concluded," Macron said, adding had he done so, the reaction in Berlin would have been: "Your proposals are great but it's too late, the coalition deal already lays out what will we do on Europe for the next four years."
Sydney: Sea ice cover in Antarctica dropped to a record low this year, scientists said Wednesday, as they warned the frozen continent's unpredictable nature poses growing risks to shipping including tourist cruises.
Scientists from around the world are meeting in the Tasmanian capital Hobart this week to discuss sea ice fluctuations and improved navigation and forecasting, as tourists flock to the ocean in greater numbers.
Satellite images confirm the continent's sea ice fell to its lowest maximum and minimum levels this year since satellite observations began in 1979, they said.
"It appears that both the summertime minimum and the wintertime maximum sea ice extent around Antarctica have set new record lows," said Jan Lieser from the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, which is hosting the conference.
While climate change may have played a part, he said it was still too early to draw any clear link, "simply because the variability in the Antarctic sea ice system is so high".
"We still have a lot more work to do to understand the fundamental oceanic and atmospheric processes driving sea ice variability in Antarctica," added Lieser.
The data showed the lowest recorded minimum sea ice cover on March 1 at 2.075 million square kilometres, with the lowest maximum on September 12 at 18.013 million square kilometres.
But only three years ago, ice levels hit a record high of more than 20 million square kilometres, illustrating the huge challenges sea traffic must deal with.
Lieser said the extreme swings made it vitally important to better understand ocean conditions to make credible forecasts for polar shipping.
As well as resupply ships, some 50 cruise vessels carried almost 35,000 tourists to the Antarctic last year to witness its ice shelves, soaring glaciers and wildlife.
"We have seen a number of private and commercial ships becoming stuck in the Antarctic sea ice in recent years, which have led to costly rescue operations that can delay scientific work," said Lieser.
In late 2013, a Russian ship carrying 74 scientists, passengers and crew became trapped in Antarctica.
It triggered a two-week rescue operation coordinated by Australian authorities which included French, Chinese, American and German agencies, during which a Chinese icebreaker also became stuck.
The diversion of several governments' Antarctic programme resources drew criticism, with an Australian resupply ship running two weeks behind schedule and French scientists having to scrap an oceanographic campaign.
The International Ice Charting Group, with 60 representatives from 12 countries, wants to ensure such a situation does not happen again.
Washington: Alabama voters elected conservative firebrand Roy Moore as the Republican nominee for a US Senate seat on Tuesday, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump and other party leaders who had argued that rival Luther Strange was a better bet to advance their priorities in Washington.
An outspoken evangelical Christian who has twice lost his position as the state's top judge, Moore won election with a fierce anti-Washington message and a call to put religion at the center of public life.
"We have to return the knowledge of God and the Constitution of the United States to the United States Congress," he said.
With 65 of the state's 67 counties reporting, Moore led Strange by 55 percent to 45 percent.
Moore, 70, first lost his seat on the Alabama Supreme Court for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the courthouse and a second time for defying the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage.
He is favored in the December election against Democrat Doug Jones to fill the seat that was held by Jeff Sessions before he was tapped in February to serve as U.S. Attorney General. Alabama has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1992.
The race exposed rifts between the Republican party's conservative base and its moneyed establishment -- and within Trump's inner circle.
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence appeared with Strange at rallies in the race's closest days and a political group affiliated with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell spent close to $9 million on his behalf.
Moore, meanwhile, drew support from Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, and his secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson.
Bannon said Moore's victory could embolden other grassroots challengers to try to unseat well-funded Republican incumbents in next year's congressional elections.
"You're going to see in state after state people that follow the model of Judge Roy Moore, that do not need to raise money from the elites," he said at Moore's victory party.
Strange, 64, a former state attorney general, earned a reputation as a reliable Republican vote after he was appointed to the seat in February.
But his close ties to party leaders proved to be a liability with some voters, who questioned whether former Governor Robert Bentley appointed him to Sessions's seat in an attempt to avoid prosecution for a sex scandal. Bentley pleaded guilty to misusing campaign funds and stepped down in April.
"It was sort of a 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours,'" said R.L. Barber, 77, a Moore supporter from Birmingham.
Moore's uncompromising style could bring a new level of turbulence to the Senate, where Republicans have struggled to reach consensus on tax and spending issues and have failed repeatedly to roll back Obamacare.
But Moore said he would back the president.
"Don't let anybody in the press think that because he supported my opponent I do not support him and support his agenda," Moore said.
Washington: US President Donald Trump congratulated Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for its decision to join the rest of the world in allowing women to drive, calling it a "positive step" for the ultra-conservative kingdom.
Washington is a firm friend of the Saudi kingdom, but has often been embarrassed by its ally's conservative religious and social attitudes.
"President Donald J. Trump commends the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's decision today to affirm the right of women to drive in the kingdom," a White House statement read.
"This is a positive step toward promoting the rights and opportunities of women in Saudi Arabia."
Earlier, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert hailed the "very positive sign."
"We're just happy today," she added.
Earlier, Saudi officials had announced that it would allow women to drive from next June, a victory for a long campaign by women's rights activists.
"We will continue to support Saudi Arabia in its efforts to strengthen Saudi society and the economy through reforms like this," the White House said.
Washington: US President Donald Trump has warned North Korea that any US military option would be devastating for Pyongyang, but said the use of force was not Washingtons first option to deal with the countrys ballistic and nuclear weapons programme.
We are totally prepared for the second option, not a preferred option, Trump said at a White House news conference, referring to military force. But if we take that option, it will be devastating, I can tell you that, devastating for North Korea. Thats called the military option. If we have to take it, we will.
Bellicose statements by Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in recent weeks have created fears that a miscalculation could lead to action with untold ramifications, particularly since Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3.
Despite the increased tension, the United States has not detected any change in North Koreas military posture reflecting an increased threat, the top US military officer said on Tuesday.
The assessment by Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, about Pyongyangs military stance was in contrast to a South Korean lawmaker who said Pyongyang had boosted defences on its east coast.
While the political space is clearly very charged right now, we haven't seen a change in the posture of North Korean forces, and we watch that very closely, Dunford told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his reappointment to his post.
In terms of a sense of urgency, North Korea certainly poses the greatest threat today," Dunford testified.
A U.S. official speaking on the condition of anonymity said satellite imagery had detected a small number of North Korean military aircraft moving to the North's east coast. However the official said the activity did not change their assessment of Pyongyang's military posture.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Monday accused Trump of declaring war on the North and threatened that Pyongyang would shoot down US warplanes flying near the Korean Peninsula after American bombers flew close to it last Saturday. Ri was reacting to Trumps Twitter comments that Kim and Ri won't be around much longer if they acted on their threats towards the United States.
North Korea has been working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the U.S. mainland, which Trump has said he will never allow. Dunford said Pyongyang will have a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile soon, and it was only a matter of a very short time.
"We clearly have postured our forces to respond in the event of a provocation or a conflict," the general said, adding that the United States has taken "all proper measures to protect our allies" including South Korean and Japan.
"It would be an incredibly provocative thing for them to conduct a nuclear test in the Pacific as they have suggested, and I think the North Korean people would have to realise how serious that would be, not only for the United States but for the international community," Dunford said.
South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol-uoo, briefed by the country's spy agency, said North Korea was bolstering its defences by moving aircraft to its east coast and taking other measures after the flight by US bombers. Lee said the United States appeared to have disclosed the flight route intentionally because North Korea seemed to be unaware.
US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers, escorted by fighter jets, flew east of North Korea in a show of force after the heated exchange of rhetoric between Trump and Kim.
The United States has imposed sanctions on 26 people as part of its non-proliferation designations for North Korea and nine banks, including some with ties to China, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions said on Tuesday.
The US sanctions target people in North Korea and some North Korean nationals in China, Russia, Libya and Dubai, according to a list posted on the agency's website.
'CAPABILITY TO DETER'
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit China from Thursday to Saturday for talks with senior officials that will include the crisis over North Korea and trade, the State Department said on Tuesday.
Evans Revere, a former senior diplomat who met with a North Korean delegation in Switzerland this month, said that Pyongyang had been reaching out to "organizations and individuals" to encourage talks with former US officials to get a sense of the Trump administration's thinking.
"They've also been accepting invitations to attend dialogues hosted by others, including the Swiss and the Russians," he said.
Revere said his best guess for why the North Koreans were doing this was because they were "puzzled by the unconventional way that President Trump has been handling the North Korea issue" and were eager to use "informal and unofficial meetings to gain a better understanding of what is motivating Trump and his administration".
During a visit to India, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said diplomatic efforts continued.
Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said war on the Korean Peninsula would have no winner.
"We hope the US and North Korean politicians have sufficient political judgement to realise that resorting to military force will never be a viable way to resolve the peninsula issue and their own concerns," Lu said.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged Kim Jong Un to resume military talks and reunions of families split by the 1950-53 Korean War to ease tension.
"Like I've said multiple times before, if North Korea stops its reckless choices, the table for talks and negotiations always remains open," Moon said.
In Moscow, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was working behind the scenes to find a political solution and that it plans to hold talks with a representative of North Korea's foreign ministry who is due to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday, the RIA news agency cited the North's embassy to Russia as saying.
The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce and not a peace treaty.
Bangkok: Thailand's ousted former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was handed a five-year prison sentence on Wednesday after the country's highest court found her guilty of negligence in the management of a rice subsidy scheme.
Yingluck was due to hear the verdict on August 25, but failed to show up, surprising hundreds of supporters who had gathered at the court.
Aides said she had fled Thailand, fearing a harsh sentence. Last month, Reuters reported that she had escaped to Dubai, where her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, owns a home.
Yingluck, who swept to power in a 2011 general election, introduced a rice subsidy scheme that proved wildly popular with farmers but which the military government says caused billions of dollars in losses.
Her government was ousted by the military in 2014.
New York: Pakistan has told the US that it can't be blamed for terrorists like Hafiz Saeed, who masterminded the Mumbai terror attack, saying Washington considered such men as "darlings" until a few years ago.
Mincing no words at the Asia Society forum in New York on Tuesday evening, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said it was very easy to say that Islamabad was floating the Haqqani network as well as propping up Hafiz Saeed and his former Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
"They are liabilities. I accept, they are liabilities but give us time to get rid of these liabilities because we don't have assets to match these liabilities and you are increasing them further," the Associated Press of Pakistan quoted Asif as saying
Asif, who is attending the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, added: "Don't blame us for Haqqanis or don't blame us for the Hafiz Saeeds. These were the people who were your darlings just 20 to 30 years back. They were being dined and wined in the White House and now you say go to hell Pakistanis because you are nurturing these people."
Hafiz Saeed is accused by India of masterminding the Mumbai carnage of November 2008 that left 166 Indians and foreigners dead. New Delhi has been repeatedly asking Islamabad to prosecute him for his crimes.
Asif said Pakistan was ready to work with the US for effective management of the Afghan border to stop terrorist infiltration and to facilitate a peace settlement in Afghanistan.
He underlined that there was no military solution to the dragging conflict in Afghanistan. "Scapegoating Pakistan for all the Afghan ills is neither fair nor accurate... This will only help forces that we are trying to fight collectively."
Pakistan, he said, had done all it could to facilitate a political settlement in Afghanistan, making sure that Pakistani soil was not used against any country.
"We are mindful of the strong desire in the US to bring the 'long war' in Afghanistan to an end. We support this objective wholeheartedly and are ready to help in any way we could to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan."
He made it clear that there were clear limits to what Pakistan could do vis-a-vis Afghanistan.
"We cannot take responsibility for Afghanistan's peace and security and be asked to achieve what the combined strength of some of the most powerful and richest countries could not accomplish," he told the audience.
Baghdad: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi demanded on Wednesday that this week's vote on independence for the autonomous Kurdish region be annulled, as tensions soared between the Kurds and Baghdad.
The result of Monday's non-binding referendum had not yet been announced, but an overwhelming "yes" vote was widely expected.
Longtime Iraqi Kurd leader Massud Barzani has said the vote will not lead to an immediate declaration of independence and should instead open the door to negotiations.
But Abadi -- who rejected the referendum as illegal -- told lawmakers on Wednesday there was no question of using its results as the basis for talks.
"The referendum must be annulled and dialogue initiated in the framework of the constitution. We will never hold talks based on the results of the referendum," Abadi said.
"We will impose Iraqi law in the entire region of Kurdistan under the constitution," he said.
Pressure has been mounting on the Kurds since the vote, not just from Baghdad but also from Ankara, with Turkey threatening a range of measures including cutting off key export routes for the region.
Pursuing a long-cherished dream of statehood, the Kurds went ahead with the referendum in defiance of widespread objections, including from the United Nations and United States.
It has raised fears of unrest and the possibility of a military confrontation involving the Kurds, who are key allies in internationally backed offensives against the jihadists of the Islamic State group.
In a televised address late on Tuesday, Barzani had urged Abadi "not to close the door to dialogue because it is dialogue that will solve problems".
"We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad," he said, insisting the referendum was not meant "to delimit the border (between Kurdistan and Iraq), nor to impose it de facto."
Airlines cancel flights
Baghdad has steadily pushed back against the vote.
Lawmakers passed a resolution Monday to send troops to disputed areas where the referendum took place, but there have been no signs of a deployment yet.
Abadi said Tuesday he would ban all international flights to and from Kurdistan in three days unless airports in its main cities Arbil and Sulaimaniyah were placed under his government's control.
Iraqi authorities are also reported to have urged international carriers to stop flying to the regional capital Arbil.
Lebanon's Middle East Airlines and EgyptAir both said Wednesday they would halt flights to Arbil this week at the request of Baghdad.
Turkey fears the vote will stoke the separatist ambitions of its own sizeable Kurdish minority and on Tuesday President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Iraq's Kurds risked sparking an "ethnic war".
"If Barzani and the Kurdistan Regional Government do not go back on this mistake as soon as possible, they will go down in history with the shame of having dragged the region into an ethnic and sectarian war," he said.
Erdogan had earlier warned that Turkey would shut its border with Iraqi Kurdistan and threatened to block oil exports from the region through Turkey.
Erdogan even suggested the possibility of a cross-border incursion similar to the one Turkey carried out against IS and Kurdish fighters in Syria.
Monday's vote took place across the three northern provinces of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan -- Arbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk -- and in disputed border zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.
Officials reported that turnout for the referendum was 72 percent, with 3.3 million of the 4.58 million registered voters taking part.
Opponents have accused Barzani of seeking to empower himself through the vote, and said he should have accepted a UN-backed plan to postpone the referendum in favour of negotiations with Baghdad.
Analysts say that despite their threats both Baghdad and Ankara are proceeding cautiously in reacting to the vote, wary of sparking a serious confrontation with the Kurds that would further destabilise an already volatile region.
Left without a state of their own when the borders of the Middle East were redrawn after World War I, the Kurds see themselves as the world's largest stateless people.
The non-Arab ethnic group of between 25 and 35 million is spread across Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.
New Delhi: In a blow to 26/11 attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan government has opposed the registration of Milli Muslim League (MML), the political wing of his terror outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD).
Pakistan's Interior Ministry wrote to this effect to the country's election commission on Tuesday, citing "international pressure" and the "refusal of security clearance by intelligence agencies".
In the letter, the Interior Ministry said the JuD and its "charity wing" Falah-i-Insaaniyat are under sanctions both at home and internationally, and that "some countries" had raised the issue "diplomatically".
The Milli Muslim League was launched on August 8 and backed a candidate in the recently held bypoll for NA-120 Lahore, the seat vacated by deposed Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The by-election was won by Sharif's wife Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif, but Milli Muslim League managed 5% of the votes.
According to a Reuters report, the party's launch was in line with a plan put forward by the Pakistani military last year to mainstream militant groups.
Three government officials and close Sharif confidants with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters that the military's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) presented proposals for "mainstreaming" some militant groups in a meeting last year. They said that Sharif had opposed the "mainstreaming" plan, which senior military figures and some analysts see as a way of steering ultra-religious groups away from violent jihad.
The MML denies its political ambitions were engineered by the military.
Islamabad: Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was on Wednesday indicted by an anti-corruption court, hearing the Panama Papers case, for possessing assets beyond known sources of income.
The minister pleaded not guilty to all charges, terming them baseless.
Anti-corruption watchdog National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on September 8 filed a case against Dar for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income following the July 28 verdict of the Supreme Court.
The apex court had disqualified Nawaz Sharif as the Prime Minister and ordered corruption cases against him, his children Maryam, Husain and Hasan and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar.
A situation of chaos was observed outside the accountability court when Dar arrived for the hearing. The doors to the court were shut for reporters, and the finance minister had to wait at least 20 minutes outside before he was allowed to enter the court premises from the back door.
The minister refused to accept the charges read out by accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir and said his assets were in accordance with income and he will prove it with evidence during the trial.
The court ordered NAB to present evidence and NAB prosecutor submitted a list of 16 people whom it would present in the court to testify in support of charges.
Dar also asked the court to allow him to skip the personal appearance during the trial and the court announced to decide it later on.
The court has already announced to conduct day-to-day hearing in the case.
Arif Chaudhry, President Islamabad High Court Bar Association, said that evidence of prosecution will be important as the court would decide the case on the basis of it.
The evidence will be judged and defence lawyers will be given an opportunity to present counter-evidence to reject the charges, he said.
Rana Sanalullah, law minister of Punjab Province and a vocal member of ruling Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejected the charges against Dar.
The charges and indictment of Dar is a joke," he said.
Dar has a long association with Sharif family. Dar's son has been married to Sharif's daughter Asma Nawaz.
He was also imprisoned when the Sharif government was toppled in 1999. He was under pressure by opposition to resign after NAB filed case against him but so far he has refused to do so.
The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons Hassan and Hussain, daughter Maryam, son-in-law Safdar, and Finance Minister Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.
Sharif's family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated.
Moscow: President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced that Russia would destroy its last chemical weapons, hailing the move as a "historic event" and accusing the United States of not following suit.
"Today the last chemical ammunition from Russia's chemical weapon stockpile will be destroyed," Putin said in televised remarks.
"This is truly a historic event, taking into account the huge amount we inherited from Soviet times that was enough -- as experts believed -- to destroy all living things many times over," he added.
"This is a huge step towards making the modern world more balanced and safe."
The Russian president also used the speech to needle Washington, saying the United States was not carrying out its international duties in full.
The US "unfortunately is not carrying out its obligations when it comes to the timeframe of destroying chemical weapons -- they pushed back the liquidation timeframe already three times," Putin was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
Putin said Washington had postponed its plans to destroy its chemical weapons citing insufficient funds, which he said "looked a little bit strange."
"Well okay, we expect the United States to carry out all of its obligations it has taken upon itself as part of international agreements just like other countries do," he added.
Kabul: Several rockets exploded in and around Kabul airport on Wednesday hours after US Defense Secretary James Mattis arrived in the Afghan capital on an unannounced visit, police said. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack.
The volley of missiles struck near the military section of the airport but there were no casualties, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP.
Police have cordoned off the area to find the exact location from which the rockets were fired, he said, adding that no flights were cancelled.
The attack came hours after Mattis arrived in the Afghan capital, the first member of Donald Trump's cabinet to visit the war-torn country since his pledge to stay the course in America's longest war.
Johannesburg: Thousands of angry South African trade unionists took to the streets across the nation on Wednesday to call for President Jacob Zuma to resign over alleged top-level corruption.
In Johannesburg roughly 2,000 members of the COSATU trade union federation, South Africa's largest, marched armed with "Zuma must go, corruption is a crime against humanity" placards.
They accuse Zuma of massive looting of state resources and collusion with the influential Gupta business family which is at the centre of many of the graft allegations against the president.
COSATU, which along with the South African Communist Party (SACP) and Zuma's African National Congress (ANC) party, is in South Africa's ruling coalition but has previously broken ranks and called for the president to go.
COSATU backs Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a former trade union leader, and businessman, in the race to replace Zuma as party leader which will conclude at the ANC's elective conference this December.
Zuma, who denies all allegations of corruption, must also step aside as South Africa's president in 2019 when the ANC leader will likely succeed him as head of state.
Ramaphosa: 'man of good morals'
But COSATU's president Sdumo Dlamini, who led marchers in Durban, denied the protests were intended to sway December's conference and insisted they were simply to protest graft.
"(The) ANC needs to prioritise unity so that we can see a united outcome of their conference in December," he told local media.
In Johannesburg, a sea of red-clad demonstrators nonetheless chanted: "We are ready for Ramaphosa".
"The president of the country must step down because of his dubious relationship with the Guptas," said 48-year-old Lucas Makgolane, a high school teacher who travelled to the city from Heidelberg, some 60 kilometres (40 miles) to the southeast.
"If Zuma steps down then the deputy president, a man of good morals, can step in."
Smaller marches were also held in Cape Town and in several of South Africa's major towns.
Not just Zuma
Zuma has shrugged off several court cases and persistent allegations of graft and incompetence.
Criticism of his leadership is growing within the ANC and several marchers wearing the party's colours took part in Wednesday's action.
As South Africa's economy struggles to rebound following years of sluggish growth, some political analysts have suggested the ANC could lose its absolute majority in parliament -- held since the dawn of democracy in 1994 -- in 2019's elections.
Not everyone at the march wanted to see Zuma ousted, however.
"It's not right that this march has turned into a factional platform," said Bongo Dlamini, a 24-year-old school teacher wearing a neatly-tied ANC headscarf.
"Zuma must stay because there are a lot of other members (of the ANC) who have done similar things."
Washington: The top US military officer said on Tuesday Iran was complying with the pact curbing its nuclear programme and warned that any American decision to walk away from it would make other nations less likely to enter into agreements with the United States.
President Donald Trump is considering whether to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers including the United States, calling the accord an "embarrassment".
Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iran was complying with its obligations under the nuclear deal, but had increased its activity in other areas.
"Iran is projecting malign influence across the Middle East, threatening freedom of navigation, while supporting terrorist organizations in Syria, Iraq and Yemen," Dunford said.
The committee's top Democrat, Senator Jack Reed, asked Dunford whether walking away from the Iran nuclear pact would affect the US ability to negotiate with North Korea or devise a non-military solution towards Pyongyang.
"It makes sense to me that our holding up agreements that we have signed, unless there is a material breach, would have an impact on others' willingness to sign agreements," Dunford said during his reappointment hearing.
Trump this year also announced he would withdraw the United States from the international Paris climate agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
US officials, including senior military leaders, have said that the first option to deal with the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programme is through diplomacy.
The ambassadors to the United States from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union all strongly backed the nuclear agreement with Iran on Monday as long as Tehran continues to comply with the pact.
If Trump does not recertify by October 16 that Iran is in compliance with the agreement, Congress would have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Tehran suspended under the accord.
That would let Congress, controlled by Trump's fellow Republicans, effectively decide whether to kill the deal. Although congressional leaders have declined to say whether they would seek to reimpose sanctions, Republican lawmakers were united in their opposition to the deal reached by Democratic former President Barack Obama.
A collapse of the deal could trigger a regional arms race and worsen Middle East tensions.
THREAT POSED BY RUSSIA
Dunford said that while North Korea currently poses the most urgent threat, Russia presents the biggest threat in terms of overall military capability.
Asked if he supported US lethal aid to Russia's neighbour Ukraine, Dunford said he does and has "made that recommendation" within the administration. He said discussion of the issue has reached the White House, but did not say when a decision would be made.
Ukraine has sought US support against Russia since a pro-Western government took power following street protests in 2014, when the Kremlin-backed president fled the country. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine the same year.
Dunford also said the United States would not be able to "attain our objectives" in Afghanistan, where American forces have been deployed since 2001, without a change of behaviour by neighbouring Pakistan.
"It is unacceptable that Pakistan provides sanctuary, and we ought to bring the full weight of the U.S. government and our coalition partners on Pakistan to ensure that they do not provide the sanctuary that they have provided historically to groups like Haqqani and the Taliban," Dunford said.
US officials remain frustrated by what they term Pakistan's unwillingness to act against Islamist militant groups including the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network.
The Trump administration is exploring whether to harden its approach towards Pakistan to crack down on militants launching strikes in Afghanistan.
Pakistan argues that it has done a great deal to help the United States in tracking down militants, and says it has suffered hundreds of deaths in Islamist attacks in response to its crackdowns.
Hong Kong: US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday said he was optimistic about trade talks between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping when they meet in November.
The US tycoon regularly bashed China during last year's presidential election campaign, accusing it of unfair trade practices, stealing US jobs and threatening to label it a currency manipulator.
But since taking office his tone has changed and when he met Xi in April he described him as a "good man" who was trying to help rein in North Korea.
Now, the president is set to make his first visit to China as part of a tour that will also take in regional allies Japan and South Korea, with trade one of the top agenda items.
"The very fact that the two presidents are meeting again this time in Beijing is an important fact," Ross told reporters in Hong Kong on Wednesday, after visiting Beijing for talks with Chinese premier Li Keqiang.
"What makes me really optimistic is the good relationship that has developed between the two."
"As for the outcomes of the meeting, the most important thing would be deliverables, specific things, bigger things... that will help to reduce the trade deficit that the US has with China."
Ross described the relationship between the world's two biggest economies as "too lopsided at present", with US trade deficit reaching nearly $350 billion last year.
He added that he made no concessions during his latest trip to the mainland.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will be travelling to China on Thursday for talks on how to defuse the nuclear stand-off with North Korea.
Washington has alternated between criticising and praising Beijing's role in the North Korea crisis, on the one hand welcoming its support for new sanctions but also insisting it must do more to rein in its unruly neighbour.
"We've been trying to go step-by-step gradually increasing the economic pressure on North Korea," Ross said.
"If need be and if nothing else happens in terms of other alternative solutions, you can bet the US will increase the pressure as best it can."
The emerald ash borer sneaked into the Hill City sooner than expected, and now ash trees are dying right and left.
If you have a big, beautiful ash tree or two, however, you may still be able to save them.
In some cases, it is cheaper to treat a tree for 10 to 20 years than to have someone cut it down, according to Klaus Schreiber, the city arborist.
Schreiber took the all-volunteer Lynchburg Tree Stewards on a depressing field trip last week. We saw ash trees dying at Hollins Mill Dam, Riverside Park, Peaks View Park and on streets in between.
The death of these native trees is being caused by the larvae of the emerald ash borer, an Asian pest that arrived in the U.S. near Detroit, Michigan, in 2002.
Humans have now helped spread it to more than half of the country, largely via firewood and mulch, and the effects are devastating.
Within 10 years of infestation, about 80 percent of all ashes in a given area die.
Were quickly approaching that, Schreiber said of our area.
The USDA placed traps across Virginia to determine where the borer had become established. Schreiber thinks it was here before traps indicated its presence.
The borer, which is about the length of a penny, lays eggs in the bark. The larvae hatch and start boring into the phloem, the all-important water-carrying section of the tree under the bark.
This prevents the tree from getting water to its crown, and the painful evidence shows at the top of the tree, where the branches are first to die.
If there is good news for the Hill City, its that the city has planted very few ash trees along city streets, but some of our largest and most significant ash trees are in city parks.
At Peaks View, for example, water-loving green ash trees border the creeks, improving water quality by providing shade and stability for banks. Their loss will be felt by many species, including us, of course.
While its impractical for the city to save ashes along city streets, Schreiber says its not too late for individual homeowners.
Carla Heath, a Tree Steward, said she paid $250 for the first treatment of the large ash that shades her house, and recommends that others do the same.
There are three methods currently available. One involves drilling holes in the tree to inject pesticide directly under the bark. Ash can handle the damage from drilling better than many species, Schreiber said, and its the method that Heath chose.
Other methods are soil drench and spraying directly on the bark to a height of about five feet.
Schreiber also noted that once ash trees die, they become unstable very quickly, making them dangerous to climb, and therefore, more expensive to cut down.
If you have ash trees, Schreiber recommends calling an ISA-certified arborist as soon as possible.
If you treat trees that are still in good condition, everything so far looks like the tree can be saved, he said.
FOREST Eric Carlson, customer support engineer at Innerspec in Forest, a manufacturing company, held up a 4-by-4-inch flexible circuit board Tuesday morning.
Jefferson Forest High School students watched as Carlson tested the circuit board with inspection equipment and talked about the output readings displayed on a computer monitor.
The group of 14 high school juniors and seniors toured two Forest businesses Tuesday as part of the Bedford One program. The program is a partnership between the countys economic development authority, Bedford County Public Schools, the Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce and dozens of businesses within driving distance of Bedford County.
Bedford One offers free tours once or twice per month to students based on their career interests, said Traci Blido, the countys economic development director, adding one stands for offering new experiences by exposing students to potential employers.
Students complete surveys about their career interests and are invited to tour businesses aligned with their interests, Blido said. Businesses dont have to be chamber members; they just have to be interested in educating students about career opportunities, Blido said. Groups of students range from about 15 to 30.
Exposing students to local jobs is an investment in the local economy because after students graduate from college, they are aware of opportunities in the region, Blido said.
The programs leaders decide which businesses to tour by considering what businesses are interesting, what industries are growing, whether business allow tours and if its safe to do so, Blido said.
The program now offers about 24 company tours to about 600 students every school year, and since it began, at least three high school graduates who toured companies with the program later were hired at companies the program exposed them to, Blido said.
The free tours are for students from all three high schools and the Bedford Science and Technology Center. Although the program is now in its eighth year, this is the first year Bedford County middle school students have been able to attend tours, Blido said.
Since the school district created an introduction to agriculture class for Bedford Middle and Staunton River Middle school students this year, the Bedford One program offered middle school students tours of agriculture-related business Aug. 31. About 20 middle school students alongside six Thomas Jefferson High School students toured Gardner Heifers, a farm in Huddleston, and Royal Oak Farm in Evington, the largest solid waste composting farm in Virginia.
On Tuesday, we focused on manufacturing technologies, because thats our high-growth [industry] and also high-paying area, Blido said. We want kids to have great opportunities.
Jefferson Forest senior Camille Parker said she took the tour because she wanted to see how the engineering world works and she is interested in mechanical engineering.
This was my first time getting to see engineering in action, Parker said. Im excited to jump in the field as soon as I can from what Ive seen.
Frank Weinmeister, director of sales at Innerspec, said the company, headquartered in Forest with offices in Europe and China, designs and manufactures non-destructive testing methods, primarily for the metals industry. Some of Innerspecs work includes weld inspection for the automotive industry and thickness testing for rocket cones for SpaceX, Weinmeister said.
This is the first tour Innerspec has given for students, Weinmeister said.
Because we need technical people, Weinmeister said about why Innerspec agreed to let the students tour Innerspec. Were a small company competing with large companies in the area, so its hard to find technical people. Sometimes, they dont know the advantage of working for a small company.
On Tuesday morning, students also toured LiteSheet, a company that conducts research and develops and manufactures commercial lighting, according to its website. LiteSheet has about 15 employees, Blido said.
Damian Mitchell, a Jefferson Forest senior, said he attended the tours because he wants to be an engineer after college.
Electrical engineering was really interesting, seeing LED lights and how theyre built, Mitchell said about touring LiteSheet.
Connor Freeman, a senior at Jefferson Forest, said hes interested in working in computer systems and hardware.
Its strange to think a local company that has 38 employees [in Forest] is a world leader in their industry, Freeman said about Innerspec.
Freeman said he liked seeing how the employees at LiteSheet worked collaboratively in groups.
Im glad I got to come today; [for] the experience and learning about jobs after college and internships possibly, Freeman said.
There are few more important jobs in local government than that of superintendent of the public school system. The person who is the face of public education in a community impacts children and their parents every day, and the division that person leads prepares the next generation of leaders in our society.
So when a school division is conducting a search to hire a new superintendent, it is vitally important that the public stay informed of the progress of that search. In the Central Virginia coverage area of The News & Advance, whenever a division is in search of a new leader, we have been aggressive in our efforts to keep the public up to date. As a newspaper, we put a special emphasis on our coverage of the regions public schools. Academics, sports, human interest stories of events and people and the political and financial aspects of public education are topics we care about because our readers and the community at large care deeply.
A public school system and its superintendent need the support of the community. We believe transparency is key to that trust at every level, and especially at the top. So we were troubled when a News & Advance reporter was barred from attending a community gathering this week to give folks the opportunity to say what they wanted to see in the next superintendent for Lynchburg City Schools as the search gets underway.
To conduct the search, the Lynchburg School Board hired Ray and Associates, an Iowa-based executive search firm specializing in education leaders. Monday night, the firm scheduled two public community meetings at E.C. Glass High School and Sandusky Middle School to give folks the opportunity to tell Ray representatives what they wanted to see in a new superintendent.
The Sandusky meeting, though sparsely attended, went off without a hitch. The meeting at Glass, however, was a different story.
When a News & Advance reporter attempted to enter the room set up for the meeting, Michael Rush, Ray and Associates Northeast director, barred her from attending. The reason, Rush said, was that he did not want the news media and therefore, the public to know what attendees said before School Board members had been informed.
When The News & Advance contacted Rush later Monday evening to ask more questions about the basis for denying media access to the public, community meeting, he threatened to end the interview, merely for asking to explain the no media policy and for the number of attendees.
Interim Superintendent Larry Massie said in a statement the next morning the school board regrets the decision by the consulting firm to forbid media entry. He went on to say: The meeting was a public affair that was advertised as such by the Lynchburg City Schools in a press release Tuesday, September 19, 2017. The media was invited and should have been granted access.
We couldnt agree more. Transparency at all levels of government is vital in a democracy, and The News & Advance fiercely protects and fights for the publics right to know what its government is doing on their behalf. Thats why the actions of Ray and Associates and Rush deeply concern us by barring a reporter from attending an open meeting, they essentially cut off access for the public at large.
We would strongly urge Massie and School Board Chairman Michael Nilles to make that crystal clear to Ray and Associates that open government is something we in Central Virginia value highly.
Some illegal currency dealers who stocked the US dollar over the weekend in anticipation of a monumental collapse of value of bond notes are beginning to count their losses as the surrogate currency remains stable. Zimbabwe last Saturday woke up to a currency chaos with illegal street dealers demanding as high as $1,60 bond notes for every US$1 and paying up to $1,50 for the greenback.
The frenzy was, however, not backed by any fundamental changes in the economy with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe dismissing it as nothing but a product of social media misinformation and speculation. The trend was not confined to currency dealers. Commodity speculators also jumped in and fuel was quickly wiped out of formal service stations with hoarders piling stocks, as if oblivious of the dangers that come with stocking the highly flammable liquids, in hope of a big pay day.
But instead of acute shortages, Government moved in and announced a US$600 million Nostro Stabilisation Facility from African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) as a response to foreign currency shortages on the market. For the fuel sector, the Nostro Stabilisation Facility was also a follow up to another announcement on September 19 that the apex bank had increased foreign currency allocation to the sector from US$7 million to US$10 million weekly. In a snap survey conducted by this publication yesterday, some illegal traders were trading between $1, 15 and $1, 30 for a US dollar and fears abound in their circle that the surrogate money will continue to firm.
The pictures that circulated on social media over the weekend led us into trading the US dollar for as high as $1,50 with the hope that we will sell for higher returns, said a trader who operates at Eastgate at the intersection of Robert Mugabe Road and Sam Nujoma Street who naturally declined to be named. But we are disappointed the continued bond note tumble that we had anticipated is yet to come, he said. In an interview yesterday, RBZ Governor Dr John Mangudya, said expectation at the apex bank was for the premium being charged by illegal dealers to continue to hold and decrease as more foreign currency is injected into the market.
Our advice is the market should not always be confused by social media as some unscrupulous dealers are bent on cashing on the unsuspecting public, said Dr Mangudya. We urge the market and the nation to be patient as the economy recovers on the back of rising exports and the nostro stabilisation facility which we have begun to draw down therefore we expect the premium (being charged by illegal dealers) to hold and continue to decrease, he said. herald
Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Deputy Minister Godfrey Gandawa, who had been temporarily removed from remand on allegations of swindling the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) of thousands of dollars, will now face trial after the Apex Court threw out his constitutional challenge.
His freedom was cut short after Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza, sitting with eight other judges of the Constitutional Court, found that the challenge had not been properly referred to the highest court in the land. To that end, the case was dismissed, a development that will see the politician re-appearing at the lower court for trial. However, the nine-member bench spared the politician the burden of paying costs of suit.
Advocate Eric Matinenga represented Gandawa, while Mr Edmore Makoto appeared for the State. Gandawa is jointly charged with Zimdef finance director Nicholas Mapute for fraud and criminal abuse of duty. In his failed application, Gandawa sought an order declaring his arrest, detention and placement on remand unconstitutional. He argued that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), which caused his arrest, did not, in terms of the law, have arresting powers.
He also challenged the Prosecutor-Generals powers to order the Commissioner General of police to effect an arrest. Gandawa sought an order nullifying the search warrant used by ZACC during his arrest and investigation. Gandawa and Mapute are accused of unlawfully benefiting from about $430 000 from ZIMDEF between November 2015 and June 2016. Some of the counts include transferring $95 800 from ZIMDEF to Wishbone Trading through CABS.
Gandawa received $20 000 through his personal Barclays Bank account after which he transferred $19 030 to HIB Rajput PL T/A Ace Cycles. He then transferred $27 550 to SKM Motorcycles for 10 tricycles for Higher and Tertiary, Science and Technology Development Minister Jonathan Moyo and the balance was withdrawn in cash. It is alleged that $107 525 was transferred from Zimdef to Fuzzy Technologies NMB Bank account, of which $5 745 was transferred to Pridham Investments for Gandawas personal furniture. Gandawa also paid for 69 bicycles worth $7 260 for Minister Moyo. He also transferred $12 900 to Wisebone Trading as capital to finance his personal business and the remainder was withdrawn in cash. Herald
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An Indian film director who was convicted of raping an American postgraduate student has had his conviction overturned after an Indian judge found that "a feeble no may mean a yes." Justice Ashutosh Kumar made his ruling Monday, noting that a weak no is especially indicative of a yes when the victim is well-educated, the Guardian reports. Mahmood Farooqui had originally been sentenced to seven years in prison for sexually assaulting the woman, a student at Columbia University, while she was at his Delhi home in 2015, the Hindustan Times reports; she said he forced himself on her while drunk and restrained her when she tried to physically stop him from taking off her clothes. His lawyers denied the encounter took place at all, but said if it had, Farooqui didn't know she did not consent.
The judge said he had to give "the benefit of the doubt" to Farooqui because, even though the alleged victim claimed she said "no," she also acknowledged she ultimately "went along with" the sex act. But, the Guardian notes, she testified that she ultimately stopped resisting because she feared she'd be hurt or even killed, and said that Farooqui only let her go when she faked an orgasm. The judge's take on that? She may have "wrongly and mistakenly" signaled that she was consenting. He also said consent is complex and "may not necessarily always mean yes in case of yes or no in case of no." Women's rights activists say this could set a dangerous precedent, and the Times of India calls it "a slippery slope." The alleged victim's lawyers will appeal to the Indian supreme court. Meanwhile, Farooqui's wife tells the Indian Express she's "very relieved." (Read more rape stories.)
The acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration is resigningapparently over dissatisfaction with President Trump. Law enforcement officials tell the New York Times that Chuck Rosenberg has come to believe Trump lacks proper respect for the law. Rosenberg, a former prosecutor, is one of many career law-enforcement officials said to be uncomfortable with Trump's relationship with the lawfrom complaining about investigations into his associates to advocating for investigations into his political rivals to telling officers "please don't be too nice" when physically handling suspects. According to the Washington Post, Rosenberg sent an email to DEA employees after the latter incident, telling them not to mistreat suspects. "We have an obligation to speak out when something is wrong," Rosenberg said in the email.
Rosenberg had a history of clashing with those above him at the White House and Justice Department. He had opposed Jeff Sessions in particular on the issues of marijuana research (he was for it) and the MS-13 gang (he believes Mexican drug cartels and other gangs are more dangerous). Rosenberg, who is leaving the DEA on Oct. 1, sent a letter to DEA employees Tuesday. "You will continue to do great things," he wrote. "I will continue to root for you, now from the sidelines." Rosenberg was appointed to the DEA by President Obama having served as a US attorney under the second President Bush. He was also chief of staff to James Comey. USA Today reports a potential replacement is Rick Fuentes. The New Jersey State Police superintendent is said to have discussed the job with Justice officials and has the backing of the largest police union in the country. (Read more Drug Enforcement Administration stories.)
Days after a second-grade teacher was found murdered in her home in Revere, Mass., a state police chief says an investigation has "led to one person and one person only, and he is now under arrest." Andrew MacCormack was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder in the death of his wife of two years, Vanessa MacCormack, reports MassLive. Andrew MacCormack, 29, had called 911 Saturday shortly before authorities found 30-year-old Vanessa badly beaten in the couple's home. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner revealed she'd suffered blunt force trauma to the head, sharp force injuries to the neck, and asphyxiation, while "evidence suggested that the killer made concerted efforts to clean up the crime scene and dispose of related items."
A neighbor who encountered MacCormack Saturday says he "was shaking, crying, saying, 'What am I going to do without her? I can't believe somebody did this to her,'" per the Boston Globe. MacCormackwho studied criminal justice in college, per Peoplewas also seen breaking down at the home on Sunday, reports WBZ. Yet footage from private surveillance systems and public safety cameras pointed to him as a suspect, police say. "The evidence suggests that [Vanessa's] murder was a crime of domestic violence," says Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley. According to her sister, Vanessa "loved her husband with every ounce of her soul" and was "the world's best mother" to the couple's 1-year-old daughter. "My heart is so broken that she is gone," she tells WCVB. (Read more murder stories.)
Something terrible clearly happened to Otto Warmbier while the American student was in North Korean custodybut an Ohio coroner found nothing to back up accounts that he was severely tortured. In a coroner's report seen by the Cincinnati Enquirer, Hamilton County medical officials say the 22-year-old's teeth are "natural and in good repair," contrary to father Fred Warmbier's statement that when North Korea returned his son to the US in June, it "looked like someone had taken a pair of pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth." Warmbier died just six days after he arrived back in Cincinnati.
According to the coroner's report, Warmbier died from brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen after an unknown injury more than a year before his death. President Trump said he was "tortured beyond belief," though the coroner's report states that newer scars on the "well-developed, well-nourished" young man's body may have been caused by medical treatment, including one that appears to have been made by a cut to insert a breathing tube. The BBC reports that coroners were only able to examine the outside of the body because Warmbier's parents, who said he made "inhuman noises" after returning to the US in a coma, decided against an autopsy. Mother Cindy Warmbier said she "wasn't going to let him out of my sight"and she felt he had been through enough already. (Read more Otto Warmbier stories.)
Conspiracy theories claiming the 1961 plane crash that killed UN chief Dag Hammarskjold was orchestrated by the US government and its allies have been circulating for yearsand may have just gained some weight. A fresh investigation into the Swedish diplomat's death has uncovered a "significant amount of evidence" that his Douglas DC-6 plane was brought down by another aircraft while on a peace mission in Africa, according to a UN report seen by the Guardian. The reportbased on undisclosed data provided by the US, UK, Belgium, Canada, and Germanyadds that both the US and UK had spies or surveillance aircraft near Ndola, in what is now Zambia, and intercepted radio traffic at the time the plane was brought down near Ndola's airport.
Both the US and UK should therefore have evidence that, if presented, could solve the 56-year-old mystery, former Tanzanian chief justice Mohamed Chande Othman writes in the report. He notes the appointment of independent officials to search US and UK archives "is a step that must be taken before this matter may rest." But based on the evidence compiled so farincluding witness accounts describing other aircraft in the area and flames coming from Hammarskjold's plane before impact"it appears plausible that external attack or threat may have been a cause of the crash," Othman concludes. He also notes evidence may back up the theory that a Belgian pilot working for rebels in the area mistakenly hit the plane with a warning shot meant to keep the plane from landing. (Read more Dag Hammarskjold stories.)
The estranged wife of a famously missing British aristocrat has died, more than 40 years after he allegedly tried to murder her. Police say they found the body of Lady Lucan in her London home after she was reported missing, the BBC reports. The death is not believed to be suspicious. Her husband, John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucanbetter known as Lord Lucandisappeared on Nov. 7, 1974, hours after an intruder killed Sandra Rivett, nanny to his three children, in the home he had moved out of after separating from Lady Lucan in 1972. An inquest later concluded that the attacker, who also tried to kill Lady Lucan, was Lord Lucan, who had apparently mistaken Rivett for his estranged wife.
Lady Lucan managed to escape her attacker and raise the alarm at a nearby pub. Lucan's blood-covered car was later found in the coastal town of Newhaven. For many years, people claimed to have sighted Lucan in locations including Ireland, Australia, and India, where he was supposedly living as a hippie, the Guardian reports. Lady Lucan told an interviewer last year that she believes he boarded a ferry to France from Newhaven then jumped off in the English Channel, leaping in front of the propellers so that his remains would not be found. "I think quite brave," she said. A death certificate was issued last year, allowing son George Bingham to take his father's seat in the House of Lords. Read more of the many theories on what happened to Lord Lucan here. (Read more United Kingdom stories.)
President Trump was a vocal supporter of Alabama's Sen. Luther Strange during the Republican's primary campaignwhich is something he apparently wanted to forget about as soon as Strange was defeated. After Strange lost the race to former state Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore on Tuesday, Trump started deleting his pro-Strange tweets, MSN reports. "Big election tomorrow in the Great State of Alabama. Vote for Senator Luther Strange, tough on crime & border will never let you down!" read one of the deleted tweets, which were preserved by ProPublica.
"Luther Strange has been shooting up in the Alabama polls since my endorsement. Finish the job - vote today for 'Big Luther,'" read another deleted tweet. Older pro-Strange tweets from Trump, who appeared at a Strange campaign rally Friday, were left intact, the Hill reports. Before Strange's loss, Trump-backed candidates had been 5-0 in special elections during his presidency, TPM notes. "Congratulations to Roy Moore on his Republican Primary win in Alabama," Trump tweeted Tuesday night. "Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race." (With Steve Bannon among Moore's supporters, the race was likened to a Republican "civil war.")
A sad development in the Salt Lake City nurse arrest controversy: Bill Gray, the patient whose blood nurse Alex Wubbels refused to allow police to take without consent or a warrant, has died from the injuries he suffered in a July car crash. Gray, a reserve police officer with the force in Rigby, Idaho, and a full-time truck driver, suffered burns over 46% of his body when a suspect fleeing police near Logan, Utah, crashed into his truck, KIFI reports. He had been in the University of Utah burn unit since the crash and was unconscious when police requested a blood draw. He died Monday after a "long, hard fight," police said in a Facebook post.
"Bill truly was the best of mankind," the Facebook post said. He "was a big man, with a bigger heart. Everything about him was generous and kind." The fleeing suspect died at the scene of the July 26 crash. Salt Lake City police detective Jeff Payne and his supervisor, Lt. James Tracy, were suspended after an attorney released video of Payne violently arresting Wubbels for following hospital policy and refusing to draw Gray's blood. On Monday, the chief of Salt Lake City's police union accused the city's mayor and police chief of "unfairly and improperly" making "pariahs" of the officers, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. (An internal affairs report accuses the officers of showing "extremely poor judgment.")
The anticipated release of thousands of never-before-seen government documents related to John F. Kennedy's assassination has scholars and armchair detectives buzzing. Now, they're waiting to see whether President Trump will block the release of files that could shed light on a tragedy that has stirred conspiracy theories for decades, per the AP. The National Archives has until Oct. 26 to disclose the remaining files related to Kennedy's 1963 assassination, unless Trump intervenes. The CIA and FBI, whose records make up the bulk of the batch, won't say whether they've appealed to the Republican president to keep them under wraps.
"The American public deserves to know the facts, or at least they deserve to know what the government has kept hidden from them for all these years," says Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of a book about Kennedy. It's unlikely the documents contain any big revelations about Kennedy's killing, says Judge John Tunheim, who was chairman of the independent agency in the 1990s that made public assassination records and decided how long others could remain secret. But, "there could be some jewels in there because in our level of knowledge in the 1990s is maybe different from today," he says. Still, Sabato and other JFK scholars believe the trove of files may provide insight into assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's trip to Mexico City weeks before the killing, during which he visited the Soviet and Cuban embassies. The White House didn't respond to emails seeking comment. (Read more John F. Kennedy stories.)
If 2016 was the year of fake news, then Paul Horner was one of its kings. Now, however, the Arizona resident who created a small empire focused on bogus online information has been found dead in his bed at age 38, reports the Arizona Republic. Police don't suspect foul play. Horner had a history of drug abuse, and authorities say evidence at the scene points to that as the cause of death. Horner unapologetically made up fake stories that frequently went viral, perhaps most famously one with the headline, "Donald Trump Protester Speaks Out: 'I Was Paid $3,500 To Protest Trump's Rally.'" In interviews, he said he considered his work satire designed to get people to think more critically. "Anybody who gets tricked by my stuff is people that Im targeting, trying to make them change the way they think," he once said.
Horner also credited himself with changing the world. "I think Trump is in the White House because of me," he told the Washington Post in November, expressing regret about it. "Trump supportersthey just keep running with it! They never fact-check anything!" Horner had a formula: He used standard journalistic prose and style to write his stories, especially the tops of them, which were then posted on sites with legit-sounding domain names such as CNN.co.de and Microsoftsite.com. Horner said he typically made $3,000 to $5,000 per month, but sometimes cleared as much as $18,500. (Another popular story claimed that President Obama had banned the national anthem at sporting events.) The stories often included a reference to a charity called SockItForward, and that turned out to be authentic. It was created by Horner himself to provide socks for Phoenix's homeless. (Read more fake news stories.)
"STDs are out of control." So says the director of a coalition of state and local health departments aiming to prevent STDs after an alarming report from the CDC. It reveals the US saw a record number of new cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis for the second year in a row in 2016, reports the Los Angeles Times. New chlamydia cases were up 5% over 2015 to 1.6 million. But especially concerning was the 18.5% climb to 470,000 gonorrhea cases, given the spread of antibiotic-resistant strains, says the CDC's Gail Bolan. Cases of syphilis, once thought to be nearly eradicated in the US, likewise climbed 17.5% to 28,000, while cases of congenital syphilis were up nearly 28% to 628 cases, resulting in more than 40 newborn deaths, reports CNN.
That alone represents "an unconscionable situation in America today," David Harvey of the National Coalition of STD Directors tells CNN. But syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea are only part of the problem. It's estimated that 20 million new cases of STDs, including HIV and herpes, appear in the US each year, half in those aged 15 to 24. Harvey blames "funding cutbacks for prevention, education and healthcare programs particularly from this administration," though the data comes from 2016, as well as dating apps. The fact that many STDs present no symptoms is another issue, says Bolan. "We need every community in America to be aware that this risk is out there," she adds, noting, "everyone needs a yearly checkup." (Read more STDs stories.)
Wish the Kardashians would go away? Keep wishing. "There's something palpably too big to fail about the Kardashians these days," writes Zan Romanoff in a lengthy profile at Racked. The story traces the clan's rise, showing how the sisters have gone from making a buck by licensing their names to creating their own wildly successful businesses outright. That's especially true in the world of beauty. Consider that Kylie Jenner's company, Kylie Cosmetics, is on track to become a billion-dollar company by 2022. And Kylie, of course, runs a distant second in terms of personal wealth to sister Kim Kardashian. One thing of note: Romanoff makes the case that the Kardashians nearly imploded in 2011 when Kim's marriage to Kris Humphries collapsed in 72 days and people clamored for E! to scrap their show. What saved them? "Enter Kanye West."
West "offered the Kardashians a more comprehensible, art-based star power that they had previously lacked, and his insistence on his own genius loaned them credibility in the fashion world," writes Romanoff. He and Kim were a "perfect" combination, and their "cultural power was so potent that it seemed to transcend class. They were simply riveting." It's generally been all uphill since for the family. The story tracks not only the endless business lines but the similarly endless accusations that the sisters rip off others' products; it also delves into charges that the sisters, Kim in particular, engage in "subtle" blackface by appropriating African-American beauty themes. (For instance, they sport "boxer braids," merely a different term for cornrows worn by black women for generations, writes Romanoff.) The scandals, however, never seem to stick. Click to read the full story. (Read more Longform stories.)
The Trump administration defended its decision Wednesday to sharply curtail the number of refugees allowed into the US to 45,000 next year, even as global humanitarian groups decried the move and called the number far too low. The 45,000 cap, to be formally announced by President Trump in the coming days, reflects the maximum the US will admit during the fiscal year that starts Sunday, although the actual number allowed could be far lower, the AP reports. Even if the cap is ultimately hit, it would reflect the lowest admissions level for the US in more than a decade.
Lowering the cap reflects Trump's opposition to accepting refugees and other immigrants into the US, an approach that has already driven down refugee admissions. President Obama had wanted to take in 110,000 in 2017, but the pace slowed dramatically after Trump took office and issued an executive order addressing refugees. The total admitted in the fiscal year that ends Sunday is expected to be around 54,000, officials said. In 2016, the last full year of Obama's administration, the US welcomed 84,995 refugees. (Read more refugees stories.)
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New Delhi :
The BHU Chief Proctor submitted his resignation to Vice-Chancellor GC Tripathi on Tuesday. Taking moral responsibility, BHU Chief Proctor O N Singh tendered his resignation to the Vice-chancellor which has been accepted.
The move comes on same day after the Uttar Pradesh government ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence on the campus of the Banaras Hindu University.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathicharge by the police in BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent.
"A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the incidents," UP government spokesperson and cabinet minister Srikant Sharma had said.
#BHUClash: Taking moral responsibility BHU Chief Proctor ON Singh submitted resignation to VC GC Tripathi, last night; it has been accepted. ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 27, 2017
He was speaking to mediapersons after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
Sharma, however, did not elaborate as to whether the probe would be conducted by a retired or sitting judge.
The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity's vice-chancellor at his residence.
Also Read | BHU violence: Yogi Adityanath government orders judicial probe
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Orlando (US):
Indias Aadhaar identity system rivals the growth of other platform innovations like Windows, Android or Facebook, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has said.
Nadella, in his book Hit Refresh, which was released during the ongoing Microsoft Ignite 2017 conference, has praised Indias leap forward in the digital and technological arena.
Aadhaar now has scaled to over one billion people, rivaling the growth of other platform innovations such as Windows, Android or Facebook, the 50-year-old wrote in his book that hit the book stores on Tuesday.
He praised the creation of the new digital ecosystem IndiaStack.
Read | Link Aadhaar with PAN, Mobile number, Bank account: Know all deadlines set by Govt
IndiaStack is a set of APIs (application programming interface) that allows governments, businesses, startups and developers to utilise an unique digital Infrastructure to solve India?s hard problems towards presence-less, paperless, and cashless service delivery.
China strategically used the global supply chain and their own domestic market to amplify their comparative advantage and bootstrap their economic growth," the India-born CEO noted.
The combination of industrial policy, public sector investment, and entrepreneurial energy is what many other countries will also look to replicate from China?s success. I see the beginnings of this in India with the creation of the new digital ecosystem known as IndiaStack,? Nadella said.
India is leapfrogging from once being an infrastructure-poor country to now leading in digital technology. IndiaStack ushers in a presence-less, cashless, paperless economy for all its citizens,? said the Indian American CEO from Microsoft.
In his book, Nadella wrote that on a trip to Bengaluru he engaged in a conversation with Nandan Nilekani about IndiaStack and its future road map.
Nandan is the legendary founder of Infosys, who went on to create a new startup working with the Indian Government-Aadhaar-the identity system that is at the center of IndiaStack, he said.
Read | Centre plans to make Aadhaar mandatory for businesses, NGOs
Nadella has also mentioned about Enlightiks, a startup that was acquired by Practo, a leading e-health company in India.
I met the founder of Enlightiks on?the same trip to Bengaluru. They are using the latest cloud technology and AI from Microsoft to create a state-of-the-art health care diagnostics service that can, for example, detect an Atrial fibrillation event before it happens because of the rich data going from the personal device of the patient directly to the cloud,? he said.
In turn, this cloud service can be made available to hospitals in Smaller towns or rural areas in India. Enlightiks also has plans to take advantage of IndiaStack to authenticate the user, accept payment, create portal medical records, and much more. This Indian innovation is now looking to expand in the US,?Africa and everywhere else,? he wrote.
According to Nadella, this dynamic is not unique to China or India.
I saw this across Chile, Indonesia, and Poland, and also in France, Germany, and Japan. Reflecting on my earlier visit to Egypt, it?s clear they are investing in human capital, he said.
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New Dlehi:
Indian Air Force rescued a US citizen, who was held up at Ladakh's Zhingchan in Kashier for nearly three weeks due to an injury during her trekking expedition on Wednesday.
The injured US Citizen was identified as Margaret Allen Stone.
She had set out for trekking in the Ladakh region and was stuck in Zhingchan area, around 75 km from Leh, since early September, an Indian Air Forcee official said.
A statement released by the Indian Air Force said, "Stone's condition had deteriorated during this prolonged period of lack of care. Her condition is critical. The Indian Air Force (IAF) was informed about the situation on September 26 by the Indian government."
Two Indian Air Force helicopters were engaged in the rescue of the US citizen. Air Force with help of local civil administration was able to locate her in the Valley.
The statement said, she was imediately rushed to hospital for medical treatment.
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New Delhi :
The Pakistani troops on Wednesday violated ceasefire along Line of Control in Poonch and Bhimber Gali sectors of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian Army retaliated strongly to the unprovoked firing. "The Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively," a Defence Spokesman said.
"Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic and mortars from 0815 hours in Poonch and Bhimbher ali sectors along the Line of Control (LoC)", the spokesman said. The firing is still on.
On September 24, two soldiers were injured as Pakistan opened fire at forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakote sector of Poonch district.
#FLASH J&K: Pakistan Army violated ceasefire from 0815 hours in Poonch and Bhimber Gali sectors along LoC. Indian Army retaliating. pic.twitter.com/XyfrVtht3x a ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2017
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New Delhi:
Two men have been arrested for molestation of a minor girl in Madhya Pradesh. The horrific incident, which took place on September 24 in Sadar Bazar area in MP's Shivpuri, was caught on camera.
In a video footage, a man can be seen molesting a girl, while another person looks on and then walks off.
However, the girl managed to escape before anything worst could happen.
"Two unidentified men tried to molest a 10-yr-old girl two days ago. The accused were arrested after examining the CCTV footage of the incident," Additional Superintendent of Police Kamal Maurya told ANI.
The police have registered a complaint and the matter and is being investigated.
Also read:
Girl raped by self-styled Godman in Sitapur
UP: Minor allegedly raped by two cops in Mathura
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New Delhi:
Members of UGC-appointed Saksham Taskforce for ensuring gender sensitisation in universities, on Tuesday questioned the Jawaharlal Nehru Universitys decision to disband Gender Sensitisation Committee against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH).
In an open letter to the JNU administration, the taskforce committee said, We are consequently at a loss to understand why a well functioning body in JNU needed to be disbanded. Had we missed some important aspect that we need to know about?
Anjali Bhardwaj, Janaki Abraham, Kulwinder Kaur, Mary E John, Meenakshi Gopinath, Sanjay Srivastava, Susie Tharu and Uma Chakravarti are the members of the taskforce.
The JNU administration, which replaced GSCASH with Internal Complaints Committee(ICC), on September 18 in it 269th executive council meeting, was extensively criticised by its students and teacher bodies, apart from womens rights organisations.
The administration attributed the dissolution of GSCASH to the UGCs (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher Education Institutions Regulations 2015), which was formed based on Saksham task force committee report.
A section of students even approached the Delhi High Court which directed the administration to maintain status quo on the sealing of GSCASH office and sought a reply on the plea.
ALSO READ | JNUSU election 2017: United-Left alliance defeat ABVP, retain all four seats
Our report made it clear that our proposals for the composition of anti-sexual harassment committees were intended for campuses where ICCs were not in existence or were not Vishakha-compliant, they were never intended to replace or supersede committees like those of JNU?s GSCASH which we had found to be fully Vishakha-compliant, the letter further said.
The members of the task force also questioned the varsitys decision in making the newly-formed ICC a nominated body.
The report had specifically advised that ICC members must be representatives and that such representation must not be directly nominated by the employer, rather, transparency and a principled basis for membership on the ICC should be arrived at after involving all sections of the HEI community, the letter said.
Meanwhile, GSCASH student election committee has decided to go ahead with its polls to elect four representatives despite resistance from the varsity.
JNU chief proctor in a letter said disciplinary action would be taken against Bhagat Singh Saini, chairperson of the disbanded GSCASH Students Election Committee, if he continued to conduct the elections.
In another letter that was issued on Tuesday, varsity Registrar Pramod Kumar said there were efforts to hold illegal elections to a non-existing body and ICC was the only body responsible to handle sexual harassment complaints.
Appropriate action will be taken against all indulging in illegal activities in JNU, he said.
Reacting to the registrars letter, JNUTA president Ayesha Kidwai said the former had no business issuing notices about ICC jurisdiction.
ALSO READ: Delhi High Court directs CBI to take necessary step to trace JNU missing student
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New Delhi:
Union minister KJ Alphons on Tuesday called upon the young generation to make the country a better place by keeping the surroundings clean and thus promote tourism.
While talking about the cleanliness, Tourism minister Alphons said India, with 5,000 years old civilisation, amazing culture, beaches, back waters, hill stations and philosophical school of thoughts, is lagging behind in tourism.
The entire nation is a garbage dump and it is the people only who are dumping garbage so they themselves have to take the responsibility of keeping their neighbourhood clean, the minister said during a function.
If everyone takes the onus, the country would become clean; civilisation is within us and if we dont demonstrate it then there is no civilisation, the minister said.
The tourism minister called upon youths to carry in their hearts a mission to make India a better place and to take steps to ensure that in the next five years, over 25 million come to the country every year.
(With PTI inputs)
ALSO READ: Modi's minister Alphons Kannanthanam says beef will be consumed in Kerala
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New Delhi:
The TRS governments actions led to a delay in the completion of Hyderabad metro rail project, the main opposition Congress in Telangana said on Wednesday.
State Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said, The project (metro route) is 72-km long. Not even an extra kilometre has been sanctioned by them (TRS government). Like Mohammed Bin Tughlak, they said there should be no metro (passing) in front of the Legislative Assembly and in Sultan Bazar.
Because of their actions, the project (its inauguration) stopped for three years. KCR (Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) and KTR (state Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao) are responsible for the traffic problems being faced by Hyderabad people. But now they are trying to claim the credit for the project, he added.
ALSO READ: Delhi Metro implements second phase of fare hike upto Rs 10
While speaking to reporters, Reddy said that Congress leaders have visited various metro stations in the city.
It was the Congress government of undivided Andhra Pradesh which got the project sanctioned, they said.
The TRS government is planning to inaugurate the metro project in November 2017.
(With PTI inputs)
ALSO READ: Delhi govt issues notice asking DMRC to prohibit passengers from carrying matchboxes and lighters in metro
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Washington:
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has ruled out any new window of opportunity for NRIs or people of Indian-origin to deposit their high value Indian currency which was declared illegal after the demonetisation policy, a statement said today.
Swaraj made these remarks during her interaction with a delegation of Global Organisation for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) during her trip to New York last week, a media statement said.
Swaraj informed that the government had provided the time window for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) who are Indian citizens to deposit their currencies earlier. However, that window was not open for Diaspora Indians with foreign citizenship and the government would not be able to provide another such chance, the GOPIO statement said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his demonetisation policy on November 8 last year, banning old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination.
According to GOPIO, overseas citizens of India and people of Indian-origin are still holding demonetised currencies as the Reserve Bank of India did not allow them to deposit them.
ALSO READ | Sushma Swaraj's UNGA speech arrogant but there is terrorism in Pakistan: Chinese media
Diaspora Indians have close to Rs 7,500 crores still lying with them in small amounts. What should the NRIs do with the old currencies? GOPIO asked.
During the meeting, GOPIO delegation said that NRIs did not have Aadhaar card for linking with their bank accounts.
Swaraj clarified that NRIs wont require Aadhaar card to operate their bank accounts, it said.
GOPIO suggested that Indians citizen living anywhere in the world have an Aadhaar card similar to all US citizens having a social security number, whether staying in America or outside.
It complimented Swaraj and the Indian Missions worldwide for their pro-active role in helping Indians living outside India in time of distress, the statement said.
However, as more Middle East NRIs are returning home, we need to develop programmes to help resettle them. Swaraj said that there are many programmes for skills development as well as money available from different ministries for starting a business or technology related outfit, the statement added.
GOPIO has offered to be facilitator between the returned NRIs and the government.
Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty also participated in the meeting.
ALSO READ | Sushma Swaraj at UNGA: India produced scholars, scientists, Pakistan created terrorists
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New York:
Pakistan received a proposal to swap Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav for a terrorist who carried out the horrific 2014 Peshawar school attack and is now jailed in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has claimed.
Asif, however, did not specify the name of the terrorist and the National Security Advisor who had made the proposal.
The terrorist who killed children in APS (Army Public School) in Peshawar is in Afghan custody. The National Security Advisor (NSA) told me that we can exchange that terrorist with the terrorist you have, which is Kulbhushan Jadhav, Asif told the audience after his speech at the Asia Society here yesterday.
He discussed Pakistans vision for an approach towards regional peace and development during his conversion with author and journalist Steve Coll.
Asif said Pakistan had suffered grievously from conflict and instability in Afghanistan.
ALSO READ | Kulbhushan Jadhav trial: India submits written pleadings to ICJ
Unless this cycle is reversed, we would continue to bear the brunt. No country, therefore, has a larger stake in seeing peace and stability return to Afghanistan than Pakistan. Regrettably, the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse, he said.
Jadhav, a 46-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was in April sentenced to death by Pakistans Field General Court Martial on charges of his alleged involvement in espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan.
Asif said there was no military solution to Afghanistan. He said Pakistan had in the past done all it could to facilitate a political settlement.
We have also done all that we could to make sure that Pakistani soil is not used against any country, he claimed.
However, there are obviously clear limits to what we can do. We cannot take responsibility for Afghanistans peace and security and be asked to achieve what the combined strength of some of the most powerful and richest countries could not accomplish, Asif said.
India has accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention by repeatedly denying consular access to Jadhav.
In a hearing of the case on May 18, a 10-member bench of the ICJ restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav.
Pakistan has said that the Indian national would not be executed until he has exhausted his mercy appeals.
The Pakistan Taliban had claimed responsibility for the gruesome Peshawar school attack in 2014 in which nearly 150 people, mostly school children, were killed.
ALSO READ | Kulbhushan Jadhav case: UN chief informs Security Council of ICJ's order
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New Delhi:
After a rocket landed near Kabuls international airport today shortly after US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in the Afghan capital for talks, three explosions were reported in a span of 25 minutes in the city.
A rocket landed near the airport this morning. No casualties reported, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said in a tweet.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
At least 20 to 30 rockets reportedly landed near the airport. According to TOLO News, the rocket attack started at about 11.15am with eyewitnesses saying as many as ten were fired at the airport.
Reports have said that a number of rockets have landed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in the centre of Kabul. Officials say the airport is being evacuated and all flights are cancelled for now.
No details on casualties yet.
Here are the live updates:
# Another explosion reported in Kabul- bringing the total to three explosions in past 25 minutes
# 2 more explosions reported in vicinity of airport in Kabul city following earlier rocket attack
#Afghan interior ministry confirms 3 rockets fired at Kabul international airport, police says no casualties and flights are back to normal (1:30 PM)
#Gunfire stopped near Kabul airport: Local media
#Roads leading to Kabul airport cordoned off amid attack
#Helicopters flying over the city after area surrounding Kabul airport comes under attack amid visit by US defense secretary, NATO chief
#KabulAttack - Reports indicate between 20 and 30 rockets landed in airport and surrounds but target could be NATO base adjoining airport
#Rocket lands near Kabul airport after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrives: official
#Rocket landed around Kabul Airport while US def Sec Mattis & NATO Sec Gen Stoltenberg are in Kabul. I counted at least 13 explosion
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The Nagoya District Court has sentenced a 61-year-old man to six months in prison, suspended for three years, after he was found guilty of injuring another man who warned him against feeding pigeons.
Yoshio Muranaga, an unemployed resident of Minami Ward, was charged with assault over an incident that occurred in July, Fuji TV reported. Muranaga was feeding pigeons at a park near his home when he got into an argument with another unemployed man and broke the victimas ribs.
During the trial, Muranaga admitted to the charge. The prosecutor told the court that despite knowing he was causing a great inconvenience to other park users by attracting lots of pigeons to feed them, he became infuriated after being warned by the victim and attacked him.
Judge Yukie Yasufuku ruled that Muranagaas act was adangerous and malicious,a but since the suspect ahas since shown remorse,a he was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for three years.
Fukuoka Prefectural Police have arrested a 42-year-old man for allegedly beating his ailing father to death at the residence they share in Fukuoka City, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun
On September 21, Takayuki Tanaka allegedly kicked his father, 75-year-old Seiji, dozens of times in the face, abdomen and chest at the residence, located in the Kamo area of Sawara Ward.
The following morning, the suspect called emergency services to report that his father had stopped breathing. Emergency personnel arriving at the residence found Seiji lying face-up on a futon. He was confirmed him dead at the scene.
Tanaka claimed that his father had fallen down. However, police launched an investigation after multiple bruises were found on Seiji's upper body.
The results of an autopsy revealed the cause of death to be shock brought about by external trauma, police said.
That same day, Tanaka was arrested on suspicion of murder. The suspect denies the allegations, telling police that he did not intend to kill his father.
According to police, Tanaka said that his father suffers from an illness which requires him to serve as his nurse. The suspect began living with his father about five years ago.
Sep 27 () - caaeaaeaaaaaaceae aaaaazaeeaSaaaaaYaaaa42aaa24aaeaaaaaYa
As a part a crackdown on possession of illegal drugs by foreigners, Tokyo Metropolitan Police have re-arrested a male British national suspected of dealing cocaine in the Roppongi nightlife quarter via the virtual currency bitcoin, reports the Sankei Shimbun
In July, police searched the residence of Edward James Montague Reid, a 43-year-old resident of Minami Azabu in Minato Ward, and seized 239 grams of cocaine and 92 grams of kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs, with a combined street value of about 20 million yen.
Reid was arrested and prosecuted on suspicion of possession of stimulant drugs for the purpose of trafficking in July.
Police believe Reid sold illegal drugs to between 40 and 50 customers who frequent clubs in the Roppongi area between April and July. In handling the transactions, the defendant accepted bitcoin, police said.
In applying fresh charges, police this week re-arrested Reid for use of stimulant drugs and cocaine on around July 18. "[The illegal drugs] entered my body," the defendant was quoted by police in partially admitting to the latest allegations.
Surge in foreigners possessing illegal drugs
According to TV Asahi (Sept. 25), police have observed a surge in the number of foreigners possessing cocaine in Roppongi this year. Police are now investigating whether Reid is a member of a trafficking ring.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated Tuesday his government will hike the consumption tax to 10 percent from the current 8 percent in October 2019 unless a setback such as a major financial crisis or massive earthquake occurs.
aOur basic policy is to increase the tax unless something happens on the scale of the Lehman shock,a he said on a TV program, referring to the financial crisis triggered by the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers Inc. in 2008.
Although the consumption tax was going to be raised to 10 percent in October 2015, Abe has postponed the plan twice to try to ensure a solid economic recovery.
Japanas economy is on a moderate recovery path at present, expanding for a sixth consecutive quarter in the second quarter of 2017, the longest stretch since the period between January 2005 and June 2006.
Abe said Monday his government will spend A2 trillion ($18 billion) on a policy package focused on boosting support for child care and higher education on the premise that the sales tax will be raised.
He said at the time that to secure funding for his drive to foster human resources, he intends to change how revenue from the consumption tax hike will be used.
Under the previous plan, the government was to use a large portion of the around A5 trillion in increased revenue from the tax hike to repay debt and the remainder to improve the countryas welfare system.
Shibuya's Scramble Intersection is one of Tokyo's most famous landmarks. Located directly outside Shibuya Station, where a number of train and subway lines converge, the intersection serves as the gateway to the neighborhood's hundreds of shops, restaurants, and clubs, and the mass of people that makes its way across every time the walk sign comes on is a sight to see.
But the display of concentrated urban energy turned terrifying on the night of September 25 when, just before 10 p.m., a van ran a red light, speeding through the intersection while it was filled with pedestrians, with a police car in hot pursuit.
While running a red light presents a danger to pedestrians under any circumstances, it's an even more perilous scenario at the Scramble Intersection, where traffic from all directions is shut down when the walk sign comes on to allow for diagonal crossing. And the van didn't just barrel through the intersection once, either. As shown in the surveillance footage below, about 10 seconds after running the red light the driver makes a U-turn and comes through the intersection again, which had refilled with people thinking the danger had passed.
The chase began when the van fled from the police as the driver was being questioned by the police during a traffic stop. After the van's second pass through the intersection, though, the officers deemed the pursuit too dangerous to continue The authorities are currently searching for the car and its owner.
Thankfully, no pedestrians were struck by the cars. However, one of the cars was struck by a pedestrian. As the van made its second pass through the Scramble Intersection, most people scattered, but one man, dressed in a green shirt and tan pants, can be seen turning towards the danger and giving the van a swift kick along its driver's side as it passes by.
Milk-giving alien cow nipple is everything weave come to love about ads in Japan.
Japanese commercials are known for being in a league of their own, with trippy visuals and bizarre storylines proving time and time again that advertisers know exactly how to take the term "thinking out of the box" to a whole new stratosphere.
This latest ad from Japan calls upon outer space to create one of the most memorable 30-second commercials we've seen in a long time, with a U.F.O., a giant milk-giving nipple, and a group of children holding their glasses up to the sky to receive their milky downpour.
Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a 35-year-old man in the sexual assault of a woman and theft of her underwear in Saitama City earlier this month, reports TBS News
On the night of September 2, Taishi Yamaguchi, a company employee from Kawaguchi City, allegedly held a knife up to the woman, aged in her 30s, on a road in Midori Ward.
The suspect then dragged the woman to a nearby park where he stole her underwear and fondled her body.
"I was interested in watching rape videos on the internet, and wanted to commit rape myself," the suspect told police, according to Nippon News Network, in admitting to the allegations.
Prior to the incident, the woman was commuting home. In taking the woman to the park, the suspect threatened, "If you make noise, I'll kill you."
Yamaguchi has also admitted to carrying out two similar incidents involving women in Midori Ward. A search of the residence of the suspect by police resulted in the discovery of a rope that could have been prepared in advance of the crimes.
The husband of lawmaker Seiko Noda, the newly appointed Internal Affairs and Communications Minister, is a former member of a criminal syndicate based in Kyoto, claims a weekly magazine.
According to the September 28 issue of Shukan Bunshun, which hit newsstands last Thursday, her husband, Fuminobu, once served as the executive secretary of the Masayama-gumi, a gang affiliated with the venerable Aizukotetsu-kai.
In February of 2000, the boss of the Masayama-gumi was handed a prison term in a murder case. The following month, the gang broke up.
With a history dating back to the Edo Period (1603-1868), the Aizukotetsu-kai is one of the oldest gangs in the nation's criminal underworld. The gang is affiliated with the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, the chief rival of the Yamaguchi-gumi, which is Japan's largest criminal syndicate.
Although Fuminobu left the Masayama-gumi before its dissolution, he has a criminal record in two cases, according to the magazine.
In 1999, Fuminobu was cited for document forgery for presenting the driver's license of his brother following a traffic violation. Six years later, he was accused of distributing spam email to mobile phones while serving as manager of an adult site.
Challenge Abe in 2018
Noda, 56, married Fuminobu in 2011. She divorced her first husband in 2006. The native of Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture assumed her current post in August following a reshuffling of the Cabinet by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
After the appointment, she said that she is prepared to challenge Abe in the next leadership election for Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which is set for September of next year. "In the election, my aim won't be to defeat the prime minister [but rather to] showcase the LDP's open democracy to the public," Noda said, according to the Japan Times (Aug. 4).
Noda has been a proponent female representation in society and politics. In 2015, she challenged Abe, saying that large structural reforms "need the power of women" for credibility and traction.
An Osaka tattoo artist was found guilty Wednesday of violating the Medical Practitionersa Law in a case that drew international attention to Japanas tattoo culture.
Osaka District Court Judge Takaaki Nagase ruled that tattoo artist Taiki Masuda, based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, had violated the law when he drew tattoos on three individuals in 2014 and 2015, because the use of a tattoo needle was a form of medical work and not, as Masuda had insisted, a form of art and self-expression.
"With tattoo treatment, medical knowledge and skills are indispensable in order to sufficiently understand the dangers and carry out sufficient judgments and measures," the ruling said. "Therefore, unless carried out by a doctor, there is a danger to health and no guarantee of sanitation, making this a medical activity."
The ruling leaves questions over the fate of other similar establishments.
Masuda told reporters after the ruling that he planned to appeal the decision.
"I do not accept this ruling. I'm practicing art and tattooing is a part of traditional Japanese culture," he said.
The case came about after Masuda decided to appeal an earlier order by the Osaka Summary Court to pay a fine of A300,000 for violating the Medical Practitioners' Law, which forbids anyone other than licensed doctors from engaging in "medical practices."
A 2001 notice issued by the Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry said that, as there was a danger due in terms of public health and sanitation, tattooing, laser hair removal and chemical peel treatments can only be carried out by licensed doctors.
Masuda, however, argued that they were a form of self-expression and that denying him the right to operate a tattoo parlor violated Articles 13, 21, and 22 of the Constitution.
Sep 28 (ANNnewsCH) - aaaaaaacecaaaYaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaSaaacaeeaSi29iaaaaaeaaYasaaa3aaaaaaaaaYcaaaaaaaaa
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NEW MILFORD The Community Culinary School of Northwest Connecticut, housed in a church kitchen for the past decade, is eyeing a move to the new John Pettibone Community Center.
School and town officials earlier this week pitched the idea to Town Council members, who unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding between the town and the nonprofit to move to the center, pending approval from the Zoning Commission.
The school, a nonprofit job-placement program offering 12-week courses to unemployed or underemployed people interested in the food industry, sprang from an Ah-ha! moment 10 years ago, Executive Director Dawn Hammacott said.
Hammacott, who had sold her bakery, helped create the school after she and town Social Services Director Peg Molina read about similar programs in other cities, Hammacott said.
Since August 2007, the school has run several sessions a year from the kitchen at St. Johns Episcopal Church.
The school has graduated 256 people, has a 96 percent job-placement rate and has donated 83,000 prepared meals to the local food bank, Hammacott said.
The move will insure the sustainability of our program,she said. We would have a dedicated classroom and office space, she said. The church has been a great home for the school, she added, but we have outgrown it.
Mayor David Gronbach said Pettibone will be a good fit.
New Milford and the Culinary School have always been partners, and this is another partnership to allow them to grow and do more for the school, community and town, Gronbach said.
Pettibone offers a larger kitchen, which will allow the school to expand its catering business and offset costs, said Mike Nahom, the schools president.
Tuition costs $4,000 for the course, and most students get financial aid from the school. Federal help also is available.
Before the vote, Town Council members said the school has been a great asset to the town.
Council member Tom Esposito said he had seen the program help students find or change careers.
Approving the memorandum of understanding, which ensures the school can stay in the community center for the next 15 years, was the first step in the move, said Nahom.
The school will pay the town $1,500 a month to rent the space, the same amount it pays St. Johns.
Nahom said the school hopes to move to Pettibone next summer.
blytton@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3411; @bglytton
The ICP is 100% owned by the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Formation Capital Corporation, U.S. The FS was prepared by Micon International ("MI") in conjunction with SNC Lavalin ("SNC") both of Toronto, Canada. The ICP is expected to be an underground mine and mill, exploiting the Company's Ram deposit, located within the Idaho Cobalt Belt outside the town of Salmon, Idaho. Additionally, the Cobalt Production Facility ("CPF"), a hydrometallurgical refining operation located on a railhead in Blackfoot, Idaho, is expected to be built. The ICP would be a vertically integrated project designed to produce cobalt chemicals for the rechargeable batteries market in addition to by-products of copper concentrate, copper sulphate, magnesium sulphate and gold.
Mr. Paul Farquharson, President and C.E.O. of the Company stated: "After years of dedicated work, our Team is gratified the project is validated on a feasibility level enabling us the opportunity to strategically advance to the next stage and pursue project financing, construction and production. Pre-construction activities are underway in preparation for project construction and mine development contingent upon successful project financing. The project's main competitive strengths are having a primary cobalt deposit located in the United States and a high reserve grade when compared to other existing sources of cobalt located globally. The feasibility study highlights multiple opportunities to enhance the economics of the project and these include expansion of the resource, optimization of the mine plan to process higher grade material and detailed engineering at the CPF to further reduce risk and improve capital and operating costs.
This is a robust project that could eventually be the sole primary producer of cobalt in the United States. The future outlook for the electric vehicle and lithium-ion battery markets further supports sustained and long-term demand for cobalt a critical ingredient in the cathodes of rechargeable batteries. Our project is an important development for the battery supply chain enabling access to a secure, stable, ethically sourced and environmentally sound supply of battery grade cobalt sulphate, mined safely and responsibly in the United States."
Feasibility Study Results Summary
(Note: All monetary values used in this news release are in Q3 2017 US dollars)
Pre-Tax NPV 7.5% $176.9M Pre-Tax IRR 25.1% Post-Tax NPV 7.5% $135.8M Post-Tax IRR 21.3% Corporate Tax Rate 34% Initial Capital Costs $186.7M Life of Mine (LOM) 12.5 years LOM Average Co Sulphate Price (contained Co) $26.65/lb LOM Gross Revenue $1.129B LOM Total Net After Tax Cash Flow $331.4M LOM Average Net Cash Cobalt Production Cost $5.05/lb Pre-Tax Initial Capital Payback 2.9 years LOM Cobalt Production (lbs) 31,767,000 LOM Copper Production (lbs) 42,819,000 LOM Gold Production (oz) 39,241
Feasibility Study Description
As previously described, the FS is based on an underground mine with a target production rate of 800 short tons per day ("tpd") and a life of mine production of 31.8M lbs of cobalt, 42.8M lbs of copper and 39,241 oz of gold. The project has over 12.5 year mine life with weighted average annual production of 2.4M lbs of cobalt, 3.3M lbs of copper and 3,000 oz of gold and an estimated pre-production period of 24 months utilizing a 0.25% cobalt cut-off grade. The economic model uses a 34% corporate tax rate and a 7.5% discount rate, resulting in an after tax NPV of $135.8M and an IRR of 21.3% using an average base case price of $26.65/lb for contained cobalt in cobalt sulphate.
The Company completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") on March 10, 2015 utilizing the Company's September 14, 2007 (revised May 19, 2008) feasibility study as a basis. The PEA included the completed environmental permitting process and construction at the mine and mill that was completed from 2011 to 2013 and subsequently placed on care and maintenance in May 2013. The FS utilizes an updated resource, mine model and mine schedule with a feasibility study level of design for the CPF to produce cobalt sulphate. A combined cobalt/copper/gold concentrate is to be produced from the mine and mill and processed at the CPF through hydrometallurgical processing of cobalt and copper bearing sulphides to produce cobalt sulphate heptahydrate which is used in the production of cathodes for rechargeable batteries.
Marketable by-products include copper concentrate, copper sulphate, magnesium sulphate and gold. Gold will be recovered through a gold carbon in leach circuit producing gold-loaded carbon which will be refined at a contract facility to produce dore. The stripped carbon will be returned to the CPF for reuse.
The ICP is 100% owned by eCobalt and there is no underlying royalty on the property. The FS has been compiled in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 guidelines and a Technical Report will be made available on SEDAR and on the Company's website within 45 days of the date of this news release. Readers are strongly encouraged to review the final National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report in its entirety.
Mineral Resource and Reserves
MI updated the estimate of cobalt, copper, and gold resources in a three-dimensional resource wire frame and block model to be used for mine planning, design, and scheduling as part of the FS. MI utilized the previously estimated resources for the Ram deposit (completed by Mine Development Associates for the PEA) supported by their own geostatistical model and reserve criteria. The resulting model moved some PEA level Measured resources into the Indicated category and adjusted grades within the resource categories. Cobalt, copper, and gold reported resources in the FS model are shown in the table below. The stated resource is reported at a cobalt cut-off grade of 0.20% cobalt. There is approximately 34% dilution forecasted in the stope designs with additional dilution applied, by mining method and stope conditions, for over-break. The copper and gold resources and reserves are those resources and reserves carried within the stope blocks which attain the cobalt cut-off grade. No metal value is given to the copper or gold in determining the cobalt resource cut-off. No metal recoveries are applied, as this is an in-situ resource.
Ram Deposit Mineral Resources at 0.2% Co Cut-off
Category Zone Co%
Cut-off Resource
(Tons) Co
(%) Co
(lbs) Au
(opt) Au
(ounces) Cu
(%) Cu
(lbs) Measured All Zones 0.2 1,725,000 0.54 18,589,700 0.014 24,300 0.76 26,324,900 Indicated All Zones 0.2 1,711,000 0.64 21,988,000 0.017 29,900 0.71 24,110,600 M+I All Zones 0.2 3,436,000 0.59 40,577,700 0.016 54,200 0.73 50,435,500 Inferred All Zones 0.2 1,543,000 0.51 15,593,800 0.012 18,700 0.68 21,032,200
Ram Deposit Mineral Reserves at 0.25% Co Cut-off
Category Zone Co%
Cut-off Resource
(Tons) Co
(%) Co
(lbs) Au
(opt) Au
(ounces) Cu
(%) Cu
(lbs) Proven 3021,
3022, 3023 0.25 1,987,209 0.43 17,107,067 0.013 25,276 0.69 27,383,521 Probable 3021,
3022, 3023 0.25 1,674,685 0.52 17,409,858 0.017 28,010 0.67 22,372,024 Total
Reserve 3021,
3022, 3023 0.25 3,661,894 0.47 34,516,925 0.016 53,286 0.68 49,755,545
Economic Highlights
The FS economic model uses a 34% corporate tax rate and a 7.5% discount rate, resulting in an after tax NPV of $135.8M and an IRR of 21.3% using an average price of $26.65/lb of contained cobalt in cobalt sulphate. Gross revenue during the life of mine is estimated to consist of 75% cobalt sulphate, 15% copper sulphate, 5% magnesium sulphate, 4% gold and 1% copper concentrate. A pro forma cash flow was developed using conventional methodology utilizing the base case discount rate, before and after-tax determination of project economics, annual cash flows discounted on an end of year basis with costs estimated in Q3-2017 US dollars.
The total LOM capital and reclamation cost is estimated at $288.1M, including $186.7M for initial capital, $5.8M for long term water treatment bond collateral, and $95.6M in sustaining capital and mine development capital during production over the LOM, reclamation and closure cost. Prior to the deferral of the ICP to care and maintenance status in May 2013 due to depressed market conditions; the Company spent $65.3M on the ICP for earthworks, engineering, and milling equipment including the crushing, ball mill, flotation and filtration circuits, pumps, grizzlies, hoppers, conveyors, etc. These are sunk costs and not included in the remaining initial capital costs.
Project sensitivities were evaluated against standard potential variances in the cobalt price, discount rate, capital expenditures, and operating costs. Results of the sensitivity analysis are presented in the following tables and charts.
Cobalt Sulphate Price Forecasted Sensitivity:
Co Sulphate Price: $19.50 $22.50 $25.50 $26.65* $28.50 $31.50 $34.50 After-Tax IRR 10.4% 15.1% 19.5% 21.3% 23.6% 27.4% 31.1% After-Tax NPV @ 7.5% $27.8M $73.7M $118.4M $135.8M $162.4M $204.0M $245.8M
*Base case
The table above shows that $1.00/lb change in the price of cobalt sulphate will lead to a $14.4M change in after tax NPV and 1.3% change in after tax IRR.
Discount Rate Forecasted Sensitivity:
Discount Rate: 5.5% 6.5% 7.5%* 8.5% 9.5% After-Tax NPV using Base Case Prices $174.0M $154.0M $135.8M $119.3M $104.3M
*Base case
Cobalt Market- Growing Demand and Supply Deficit Forecasted (CRU)
The Company commissioned a marketing study with CRU Consulting of London, United Kingdom, to provide data and forecast on cobalt and by-product markets and specifically cobalt sulphate used in rechargeable batteries applications and the ICP's position within the battery supply chain. The following cobalt marketing information is referenced from the Market Study for the Idaho Cobalt Project September 2017 Report authored by CRU Consulting.
Cobalt consumption has remained strong over the past six years because of stable demand in alloys, established chemical markets and rapid uptake in lithium ion batteries. CRU expects global refined cobalt demand to approach 166,210 tonnes by 2026 (2016 - 96,000 tonnes). Demand is forecast to grow at 6% CAGR in the mid-term spurred on by growing demand for lithium ion batteries. Demand will then increase at CAGR 4.1% in the long-term (2021-2026) as the EV sector matures and the metals sector continues to grow robustly.
Cobalt mine supply is consolidated in a small number of countries and dominated by the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country's share of global supply is forecast to reach 67% in 2021 despite considerable risks to political stability, infrastructure development and energy supply. Cobalt chemicals supply is dominated by China, the largest importer of cobalt concentrates and hydrometallurgical intermediates. Being located in the United States, the ICP with access to its own mined feedstock, sustainable operating practices following ethical principles is an advantageous position in the current market environment. The ICP has the opportunity to become the reliable and transparent source of cobalt sulphate supply to the domestic market and export markets outside DRC and China.
Cobalt sulphate demand is rising strongly and is likely to outperform demand for other cobalt chemicals and demand in metallurgical applications in the future. Tightness in both the metallurgical and non-metallurgical sectors will lead to increasing competition for both mined and refined supply helping support prices at or above current levels over the next ten years. Most of this deficit will be felt in the non-metallurgical market, where supply and demand is expected to increase at CAGR 7.0 % and CAGR 7.9 % respectively. This means additional chemical refining capacity will need to be created in the mid-term. Delays in capacity increases could occur as a function of political instability, energy disruption or as a function of falling copper and nickel prices. The global supply of refined chemicals is becoming increasingly prone to mine supply bottlenecks, a major upside risk to cobalt chemical prices.
Based on CRU's long term real price forecast, the FS uses a weighted average price of $26.65/lb for contained cobalt in cobalt sulphate, which has an average premium of $1.47/lb above 99.3% cobalt price forecast.
FS Risks
The most significant potential internal risks associated with the ICP are uncontrolled dilution, lower metal recoveries than those projected, operating and capital cost escalations, unforeseen schedule delays, and the ability to raise sufficient financing to execute the project. The central external project risks are product prices and markets. These risks are common to most mining projects, many of which can be mitigated with adequate engineering, planning and pro-active management.
Project Opportunities
There are significant opportunities that could improve the economics of the ICP. Including those opportunities typical to all mining projects, such as changes in metal prices, exchange rates, etc., there are additional opportunities that exist. The mineral resource has not been fully delineated and there is an excellent opportunity to expand this resource. As a result, the Company has initiated a targeted drilling program, in consultation with MI, that has the potential to immediately increase the indicated mineral resource. In addition, over a dozen potential targets have been identified in the immediate area within the claim block of the ICP. Four of these have been drill tested with several intercepts exceeding the current cut-off grade. There is also potential to add additional resources from the nearby Black Pine property owned by the Company which potentially could provide additional feed for the ICP mill.
There is an opportunity for the mine to process higher grade material for short durations through the optimization of the mine plan and sequence production to capitalize on market conditions. Opportunities for CPF capital and operating cost improvements exist through optimization studies during detailed design. There is potential to increase overall recoveries and obtain better shipping and handling terms through formal negotiations in the future and to incorporate offtake and/or streaming agreements on some or all of the products to be produced.
Conclusions
MI and SNC have concluded that the FS contains adequate detail and information to support the positive FS outcome shown for the ICP. Standard industry practices, equipment and design methods were used in the FS. MI and SNC further concluded that the ICP contains a viable cobalt and base metal resource that can be successfully mined by underground methods and recovered to concentrate with conventional milling processes. Using the assumptions contained in the FS; in the professional opinions of MI and SNC, the project economics merit consideration by eCobalt to proceed to the project financing and execution stage. To date the Qualified Persons, in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, are not aware of any fatal flaws for the ICP. The advancement of the ICP towards production is contingent upon financing.
Moving Forward
The positive results of the FS have given Management and the Board of Directors a clear mandate to move the ICP towards project financing and development. Management's immediate goal is to evaluate a variety of opportunities for the ICP. The Company is also considering securing offtake arrangements for cobalt sulphate heptahydrate. Independent of the FS, the Company has produced cobalt sulphate crystals from recent metallurgical test work which were shipped to potential offtakers for evaluation. Initial feedback regarding product quality has been positive and current requests for additional material for evaluation are being fulfilled.
Preparation of the ICP mine and mill site for construction activities, expected to commence in earnest next year with successful mine financing in place, continues with access road upgrades, existing facilities maintenance, preparation of temporary power for construction, and approved water discharge line maintenance. At the CPF located in Blackfoot, ID, the existing pre-purchased building has been transported to the site.
Senior and Support staff capacity ramp up continues with the recent additions of Mr. Floyd Varley, COO, Mr. Llee Chapman, Operations Administrator, and Mr. Mandeek Manhas, Controller. Hiring of key employees in various functional areas is being implemented to support preconstruction and project development goals.
Concurrent with the above activities, Management also plans on pursuing the numerous opportunities for project enhancement.
The Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the FS and this news release are listed below:
Qualified Person Organization Overall Responsibilities Chris Jacobs CEng MIMMM Micon International Limited Project Economics and Cost
Estimates. Charley Murahwi P.Geo. FAusIMM Micon International Limited Geology and Mineral Resource
Estimates Barnard Foo P.Eng. Micon International Limited Mining and Reserve Estimates Richard Gowans P.Eng. Micon International Limited Metallurgy and Process
Design E.R. (Rick) Honsinger, P.Geo. eCobalt Solutions Inc. Review and approval of the
contents of this news release
FS Conference Call
A conference call will be held on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 at 10:30am PDT to discuss the results of the FS.
Please refer to the following link for registration and access:
https://secure.confertel.net/tsRegisterD.asp?course=7747601
___________________________________________________
About eCobalt Solutions Inc. (www.ecobalt.com)
eCobalt Solutions is a well-established Toronto Stock Exchange listed company committed to providing ethically produced, environmentally sound, battery grade cobalt salts, essential for the rapidly growing rechargeable battery and renewable energy sectors, made safely, responsibly, and transparently in the United States.
eCobalt Solutions Inc.
"J. Paul Farquharson"
J. Paul Farquharson
President & CEO
Cautionary Statement on Forward Looking Statements
Cautionary Statement on Forward Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements in this news release pertaining to expected financings, filings, uses of proceeds or project completion dates are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Such projections are and will inevitably always be dependent on assumptions about future mineral prices and development costs which will be subject to fluctuation due to global and local economic and industry conditions. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties which may cause results to differ from those contained in forward-looking statements is included in filings by the Company with securities regulatory authorities and is available at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Although the Company has disclosed that the Idaho Cobalt Project remains the sole, near term, environmentally permitted, primary cobalt deposit in the United States and offers a unique potential for North American consumers to secure an ethically sourced, environmentally sound supply of battery grade cobalt chemicals, there is no guarantee that the Company will attain commercial production of such cobalt chemicals for use in the rechargeable battery sector. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
The statements contained in this news release in regard to eCobalt Solutions Inc. that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including eCobalt Inc.'s beliefs, expectations, hopes or intentions regarding the future. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and are based on information available to eCobalt Solutions Inc. as of such date. It is important to note that actual outcome and the actual results could differ from those in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include risks and uncertainties such as technological, legislative, corporate, commodity price and marketplace changes.
SOURCE eCobalt Solutions Inc.
For further information: please contact: eCobalt Solutions Inc., 1810 - 999 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 2W2, Tel: 604-682-6229 - Email: [email protected] - Web: ecobalt.com
QUEBEC, Sept. 27, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - To celebrate World Tourism Day on September 27, 2017, with the theme "Sustainable Tourism a Tool for Development," Village Monde, the Air Canada Foundation, LOJIQ and CECI are launching a public challenge: the Ambassador Challenge My Favourite Village! Become the ambassador of a Favourite Village, mobilize your community, and you may be off to discover your Village.
This public challenge aims to share and promote sustainable tourism initiatives that have positive impacts in remote regions and therefore contribute to changing the world, one trip at a time.
This action is the last part of a big Exploring a World of Sustainable Destinations campaign for 2017 that has already allowed six bloggers and more than a dozen young adventurers to go explore the world to discover sustainable tourism initiatives, a source of life and sustainable development, in Laos, India, Nepal, Senegal, Guatemala, Ecuador, Morocco, Mexico, Panama, Togo, Nicaragua and Thailand.
Dream, vote and set out! Ten ambassadors will be named by a public vote and will each become the representative of a Village designated among the 2017 Sustainable Destinations Explorer Favourite Villages. To win the challenge, they will have to use all of their creativity to get as many votes as possible for their village.
The winner will travel to their Favourite Village with the person of their choice. The winner of the Challenge will be announced in November during a memorable closing ceremony.
International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development Travel. Enjoy. Respect
As part of the United Nations' 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, Village Monde and its partners have launched their Exploring a World of Sustainable Destinations campaign. The International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development highlights the importance of sustainable tourism as a lever for promoting economic development, exchange and understanding between peoples, thereby contributing to strengthening world peace.
To follow the Ambassador Challenge My Favourite Village and get all the details on how to become a Sustainable Destinations Ambassador, visit www.villagemonde.com/explorationsolidaire/en/.
Village Monde is very grateful to its partners who made this campaign possible: the Air Canada Foundation, LOJIQ, CECI, Caisse populaire Desjardins de Charlesbourg, the Rotary Club of Quebec-Charlesbourg (Canada), ATES and ATD (France).
Village Monde
Village Monde is a Quebec-based philanthropic organization for social innovation founded by Charles Mony, a successful entrepreneur. Village Monde promotes the development of a sustainable tourism network that is a source of life, produces wealth and contributes to improving living conditions in remote and marginalized communities. Through its activities and its online platform, Village Monde connects communities located in remote areas with a large market of travellers, offers a quality label and supports the creation and the enhancement of responsible and sustainable tourism initiatives. Village Monde offers the opportunity to go beyond traditional travel, offering adventures off the beaten path for the benefit of the communities and to the delight of the travellers.
Air Canada Foundation
The Air Canada Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on the health and well-being of children and youth, launched in 2012. It offers financial and in-kind support, through travel assistance, to Canadian registered charities. Core programs include the Hospital Transportation Program, which donates Aeroplan Miles to pediatric hospitals across Canada, enabling children to access medical care unavailable locally. For more information about the Air Canada Foundation, visit www.aircanada.com/foundation or view the 2015 Corporate Sustainability Report: Citizens of the World online at https://www.aircanada.com/content/dam/aircanada/portal/documents/PDF/agents/en/documents/csr_2015_report_en.pdf
LOJIQ
LOJIQ is a group of four offices that annually assist and support over 4,000 Quebec youth between the ages of 18 and 35 who seek personal and professional development through rewarding and educational international mobility experiences. LOJIQ is also involved in welcoming nearly 3,000 young adults from abroad to Quebec. LOJIQ reports to the Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie. lojiq.org | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Info-LOJIQ
CECI
CECI is a Quebec international cooperation organization that carries out sustainable development projects to support communities in Africa, Asia and the Americas in the fight against poverty and exclusion. Since it was founded in 1958, CECI has trained more than 10,000 volunteers in Canada and 30 other countries, assisted more than 5,000 local organizations and improved the lives of 25 million disadvantaged people. www.ceci.ca
SOURCE Village Monde
For further information: Media relations: Village Monde : Francois Fauteux, E-mail: [email protected], Tel.: +1 514-515-6565; Air Canada Foundation: Isabelle Arthur, E-mail: [email protected], Tel.: +1 514-422-5788
Related Links
https://villagemonde.com
Federal prosecutors in New Jersey charged a Bridgeport man with defrauding a U.S. government agency of $1 million after creating The Lizard Bus as a city transportation service in Liberia.
William Garrison Jackson, 55, was arrested Tuesday and released on $100,000 bond after being charged with defrauding the Overseas Private Investment Corp., which makes loans to U.S. companies to invest in overseas projects.
Coming off its most-watched season in 23 years and nine Emmy awards, "Saturday Night Live" is making major changes both in front of and behind the cameras.
NBC announced Tuesday that Heidi Gardner, Luke Null and Chris Redd will join the show's cast as featured players, beginning with Saturday's 43rd season premiere hosted by Ryan Gosling and featuring musical guest Jay-Z.
The most recognizable of the three is likely Redd, who appeared in the Andy Samberg movie "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" and has a Comedy Central stand-up special "Trapped in Atlanta." Gardner is a performer with the Groundlings, the improv troupe and school with such notable alumni as Kristen Wiig, Kathy Griffin, Lisa Kudrow and Phil Hartman. The Chicago-based Null is a much more unknown comic who has done sketches for the iO Comedy Network.
The new performers will fill holes left by the departures of notable veterans Bobby Moynihan, Vanessa Bayer and Sasheer Zamata, who served on the show for nine, seven and four years, respectively.
Yearly shifts in on-camera talent are not unusual for the show. Last year, both Jay Pharoah and Taran Killam - two six-year members of the show - were let go, while Mikey Day, Alex Moffat and Melissa Villasenor joined the cast. Villasenor became the show's first Latina cast member in the show's 42-season run.
These departures also weren't unexpected, given how much time Moynihan and Bayer, especially, spent on the show. As The Washington Post reported, six seasons - the same number Tina Fey, Dennis Miller and Jimmy Fallon were on SNL - is a pretty long run on the show. Famous performers such as Bill Murray, John Belushi and Eddie Murphy spent less time as cast members.
More notable is the show's substantial expansion in writing talent. NBC is adding seven new writers for new season, including Sam Jay, Gary Richardson, Erik Marino, Andrew Dismukes, Steven Castillo, Claire Friedman and Nimesh Patel, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Some said Patel might be the most significant hire on a show that's been criticized for its lack of South Asian voices.
Last year, Aziz Ansari became the first show's first host of South Asian descent. Pakistani-American filmmaker and "Silicon Valley" actor Kumail Nanjiani will be the show's second, when he hosts on Oct. 14.
Patel's most prominent writing credit is for the this year's White House correspondents' dinner, during which comedian Hasan Minhaj roasted President Donald Trump, who chose not to attend the dinner. Given this background, Vanity Fair's Joanna Robinson wrote, "In hiring Patel (who jokes about keeping his Hindu papers on him at all times lest he be mistaken for a radical terrorist), S.N.L. is better placed than ever to dig into" the South Asian perspective, particularly in politics.
The show has long been criticized for its lack of racial diversity, which it has made strides to address in recent years. In 2013, for example, executive producer Lorne Michaels held special auditions after the show was criticized for its lack of diversity, which resulted in the hiring of Zamata, the first black female cast member in seven years.
As The Post's Elahe Izadi wrote, "An argument in favor of increased racial diversity in 'SNL's' cast is that it better positions the show to effectively comment on and satirize pop culture, politics and whatever else is in the zeitgeist at the moment."
Patel, in fact, has actually joked about wanting former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, an Indian-American, to win the presidential election so Patel could have a job with "SNL."
"I wanted Bobby Jindal to win ... he's the Indian guy," Patel joked on stage at the Comedy Cellar last year, according to Vanity Fair. "Not because I believe in his politics but because I want a career on S.N.L. and that's the only way that was going to happen."
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Video: "Saturday Night Live" announced major changes Sept. 26 to the show's cast and writing staff after its most-watched season in 23 years. (Elyse Samuels/The Washington Post)
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A Puerto Rico resident was found guilty Tuesday of arranging the murder of a Meriden man and cocaine trafficking, the Department of Justice said.
Hector Cardona-Diaz, 30, of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit murder for hire resulting in death and one count of murder for hire by interstate travel resulting in death, a press release from the DOJ said. Each charge, according to the DOJ, carries a mandatory term of life imprisonment.
Cardona-Diaz was also found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, the DOJ said. This offense carries a mandatory term of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum term of life imprisonment.
This defendant orchestrated the murder of an individual in retribution for a drug debt, said U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly. Its another senseless violent crime, and one that will result in a lifetime prison term.
Cardona-Diazs trial began on Sept. 11 and the jury returned guilty verdicts Tuesday afternoon, the DOJ said.
Evidence given at trial showed that on Dec. 30, 2014, 24-year-old Meriden resident Jesus Silva wss killed with a gunshot to the head in his car on Yeaton Street in New Britain, the DOJ said.
An investigation reveled Cardona-Diaz to be a large-scale narcotics trafficker that regularly supplied Silva, and others in the Hartford and Springfield areas, with cocaine from Puerto Rico, the DOJ said. Cardona-Diaz would conceal the cocaine in ceramic moldings and ship them using the U.S. mail service. Silva and others involved would mail cash back to Cardona-Diaz.
Over time, Cardona-Diaz believed Silva was not providing him with all the proceeds generated from the drug trafficking enterprise and subsequently planned his murder, according to the DOJ.
Investigation showed that Cardona-Diaz hired Jesus Sierra, of Springfield, Massachusetts, to murder Silva, the DOJ said. Cardona-Diaz agreed to pay Sierra $5,000 and supply him with future cocaine shipments for committing the murder, the investigation revealed. Sierra received a firearm from Joel Jaquez, also of Springfield, and promised to pay him $2,500, the DOJ said.
On Dec. 30, 2014, Sierra arranged to meet Silva in Meriden under the context of purchasing a car from Silva.
Sierra and Jaquez traveled from Massachusetts to meet Silva, the DOJ said. Sierra and Silva drove to New Britain in one car when Sierra said he needed a mechanic in the area to examine the car. Jaquez followed them in a separate car. The DOJ said when they arrived in New Britain, Sierra shot and killed Silva.
In Jan. 2017, Sierra and Jaquez pleaded guilty to one count of murder for hire by interstate travel resulting in death, the DOJ said. They have yet to be sentenced.
A sentencing date for Cardona-Diaz has not been set either.
Royal Caribbean has cancelled one of its scheduled cruises and is instead using the vessel to aid Puerto Rico.
Set to arrive today, the 3,800 passenger cruise liner will be delivering supplies and evacuating people from the Caribbean island, according to CNN.
ANSONIA - Assumption School is pitching in to help residents of hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico who suffered immeasurable losses in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
The school is holding a Hurricane Relief for Puerto Rico collection now through Saturday. Donations can be dropped off from 6 to 8 p.m. today through Friday and from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Ansonia Armory, 25 N. Cliff St.
Organizers are collecting donations of bottled water, non-perishable food, diapers, baby formula, baby wipes, canned milk, blankets and pillows for residents who may be without electricity for six to eight months, according to some news reports.
The Category 4 storm brought gale force winds and unrelenting rain last week to the U.S. Island, which ripped roofs off of homes, flooded and destroyed roads and essentially left its 3.4 million residents without any power or communication. Ten people were killed.
Assumption School Spanish teacher Martha Carrasquillo spearheaded the collection.
The island residents suffered crippling losses and flooding from the storm, said Carrasquillo.
School Principal Kathleen Molner said students and staff are more than glad to support the efforts. The Catholic school also reached out earlier this month collecting monetary donations to help victims affected by Hurricanes Irma and Harvey.
Assumption School students and families are willing to donate the materials needed in Puerto Rico, and we are happy to support Martha Carasquillos efforts, said Molner.
Mayor David Cassetti lauded students and school officials at Assumption for lending a helping hand to those in desperate need.
It certainly comes as no surprise to me that the Assumption School community has reached out and extended a helping hand to those impacted by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, said Cassetti. We are blessed to have Assumption School in Ansonia and for all that they do for our community. They have gone beyond our boundaries and are helping those who are in most need. They are leading by example.
For more information about the collection, contact Carrasquillo by email at miracleshappen62@yahoo.com.
jean.sos@snet.net
NORTH HAVEN Hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants face uncertainty since President Donald Trump canceled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, calling for new legislation.
Those leading the fight for citizen pathway legislation for undocumented immigrants and who have benefited from DACA participated in a panel discussion called Beyond DACA at Quinnipiac University Tuesday evening to talk about what the ending of the program means for DACA recipients and other issues in immigration reform.
The panel featured Lucas Codognolla, the lead coordinator for Connecticut Students for a Dream and a DACA recipient, Denia Perez, a third-year law student at Quinnipiac and DACA recipient and Edwin Colon, an attorney with the Connecticut Center for Childrens Advocacy.
It was a really scary experience not having DACA and sharing my story, Codognolla said, but its so powerful for us to take that step. He came out as undocumented when the DREAM Act, which would have allowed a pathway to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants, was up for vote in 2010 but didnt pass.
Former President Barack Obamas action has deferred deportations for those who came to the United States as young immigrants.
With the end of DACA, Codognolla said Connecticut Students for a Dream are trying to create safe spaces for DACA recipients to understand what will happen next. If no new legislation is passed, DACA recipients will not be protected from deportation once their status expires.
He said, though, the current narrative of DACA is exceptionalizing a group of people, painting DACA recipients to be high achieving, college-bound students that derserve legal status, which leaves other undocumented families being seen as criminals.
We need to diversify our messge that shifts away from good versus bad immigrants, he said, and try to be inclusive of different backgrounds.
Perez said she doesnt like what being a Dreamer connotes to many people today.
It has evolved to be Dreamers are seen as exceptional, but families who deserve it just as much are being criminalized, she said.
DACA has provided thousands of undocumented youths with temporary work authorization and reprieve from deportation. Since its announcement, more than 800,000 individuals have applied for and were granted DACA.
The most recent piece of legislation on immigration is the SUCCEED Act Solution for Undocumented Children through Careers Employment Education and Defending our nation. The proposal states to receive "conditional status" in the U.S., a recipient must be maintaining employment, pursuing higher education or serving in the U.S. military.
Codognolla said his DACA supporters are calling for a clean bill with no anti-immigration policies attached to it. They are pushing for undocumented immigrants to gain access to institutional financial aid and drive-only license program, which provides licenses to undocumented immigrants to legally drive but do not funtion as photo IDs.
When you have 11 million people working o utside the system, the problem is with the system, not the individuals, Perez said.
Just because the law is in the books, doesnt mean its inherently fair or just.
mdignan@hearstmediact.com
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The Griffin Hospital School of Allied Health Careers, at 300 Seymour Avenue, Suite 206, in Derby, is offering a day session of its Accelerated Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program starting Oct. 30 to help individuals start a fulfilling career in healthcare. The CNA course offers students an affordable and condensed 5-week schedule with classes Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m.-1 p. m. The fee includes the course book, CPR training, and malpractice insurance coverage for the clinical rotation. The CNA clinical experience will be at Griffin Hospital and a long-term care facility from 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. for 40 hours. After successful completion, students will be qualified to take the State exam for certification as a Nursing Assistant in Connecticut. For more information or to apply, call 203-732-1276 or visit griffinhealth.org/allied-health.
NEW HAVEN All six members of the Board of Education met Monday, the first time the full board showed at a meeting since May 22, and passed a measure to reintroduce some local candidates into the stalled search for a new superintendent of schools, following vetting from board members.
The search for a new superintendent of schools, which began in February, has been controversial since April, at least, when Ed Joyner, then-vice president of the school board, steered the boards members from the initial choice of an executive search firm to Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates.
In August, Mayor Toni Harp and school board Secretary Darnell Goldson began expressing concerns over HYAs lack of input from the community before narrowing a pool of 45 applicants to six finalists all external candidates and Joyners leadership as he oversaw the process. Both Harp and Goldson said their reasoning for missing several board meetings this summer was because of busy schedules, but also indicated their intentions to miss more meetings if changes in the process didnt occur.
In September, support for HYAs search continued to wane, as board member Frank Redente said he would not vote on a superintendent unless an internal candidate was given a chance to interview for the position. Nijija-Ife Waters, the president of the Citywide Parent Team who had been identified by Joyner as a key stakeholder, also expressed her disapproval over the absence of internal candidates in the pool of finalists.
(NHPS staff) are doing a lot with parents; why wouldnt they still be a candidate? Waters said Monday.
Following criticism of the lack of feedback in HYAs process, which boasts more than 1,000 online responses but only 41 in-person interviews with no students or members of local clergy, board members reopened the process to the community. Several community forums have taken place in the last week, with the next at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Iglesia de Dios Pentacostal Church, 99 E. Pearl St.
For approximately 30 minutes after Monday meetings start, board members attempted to outline a vision for the searchs next steps, which was frequently derailed by Joyner and Goldson disputing one anothers recounting of past events.
Joyner said Goldsons sudden feedback on HYA, given his chairmanship of the boards superintendent search committee, was curious and he questioned his attendance record; Goldson accused Joyner and member Carlos Torre of cutting him out of the process and suggested Joyner did not believe any internal candidates are qualified for the position of schools chief.
Those are your words, not mine. I said the firm said that, Joyner said. Im not stupid enough to say something to pit me against friends of mine that are friends of mine for years. We hired (HYA) for a job and we said internal candidates are not getting any additional vetting.
Torre, who has been unwavering alongside Joyner in his support of the current search process, said the board had requested someone with experience leading a large school district; currently, no one else in the district has experience as a superintendent or assistant superintendent.
Eventually, board member Che Dawson played peacemaker, encouraging fellow board members to stop re-litigating the past and to focus on moving the process forward.
We could be here trying to hash this thing out forever, but I think with the folks here we hear loud and clear that maybe the process did not go exactly as we wanted it to: so where do we go from here? he said. Were passionate and disagree, but we can move on.
Goldson made a motion to add every Connecticut-based applicant back into the pool of finalists for interviews. The motion failed by a vote of 3-3. Harp, Goldson and Redente voted for the motion.
Joyner said that, among the applicant pool, several local candidates did not have the 093 certification required by Connecticut law to be a superintendent of schools, including at least one classroom teacher.
I think there should be some process to make sure a person is relatively qualified to go through that process, Dawson said. I dont want to take everybody. Im OK with adding if were going to give credit to folks being from or working in New Haven and having that experience.
After Goldsons motion failed, he recommended the board develop a process for identifying state applicants who are baseline qualified for the position and giving them interviews. When Dawson noted they would need criteria with which to vet who is qualified, Harp suggested the motion be amended to reach all Connecticut applicants with the 093 certification.
Goldson rejected the amendment, saying when the job was posted, advertisements did not mention a 093 certification. Joyner said it was mentioned in the advertisement that candidates be certified or certifiable, which he interpreted to mean candidates have the 093 certification or are certified in other states.
A new motion that all Connecticut applicants be invited back into the process, and that co-chairmen Goldson, Torre and Dawson would develop a process to vet which ones be named finalists passed 3-2.
About a dozen members of the public showed up to comment, many who criticized Harp and Goldson for their prior stated commitment to missing meetings. Several of those who showed up, however, said they were heartened by the nights events.
Lonnie Garris, a longtime principal of James Hillhouse High School, said he was pleased to see all six members of the board, but he was driven to the meeting by newspaper reports of board absences.
On the matter of the superintendent search, the public was divided.
Kermit Carolina, also a former principal of Hillhouse, thanked the board for showing a level of respect to my colleagues, who I believe deserve an opportunity to show what they know.
NHPS parent Monica Givens said she personally would like to see someone home-grown or who has worked inside the system extensively. Credentials, she said, look good on paper, but the district has previously hired based on credentials and regretted it.
It should be considered one of our core values in an individual, simply because we know in New Haven we have a very diverse population and our kids deal with a lot of issues, she said. Taking that into consideration, I feel like (the board should consider) somebody who has already been here and lived in and grown up in the city and worked with kids in the city.
Maritza Baez, mother of student board member Jacob Spell, warned against cronyism.
I dont want favoritism, she said. We paid money to get rid of our superintendent, and now you want to change the process? Our children deserve their superintendent. Our children deserve better.
brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
NEW HAVEN Actions taken by the city to make properties more resilient to flooding have resulted in a rating that will save New Haven property owners money on their flood insurance.
Standing at the Pardee Seawall off Townsend Avenue Tuesday, officials explained that New Haven and Stamford are the only cities in Connecticut and two of only seven in New England to achieve a Class 7 rating.
That is the highest level in the Community Rating System recognized by the National Flood Insurance Program.
City Planner Karyn Gilvarg said property owners in New Haven will be able to save up to 15 percent on insurance bought through the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides up to $250,000 in coverage.
The 15 percent savings does not apply to additional flood insurance a resident might opt to take as part of homeowners insurance.
The city has some 1,800 parcels of land that are located on the Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps, some 400 of them on the East Shore.
An estimated 900 to 1,000 parcels in 2015 were covered by flood insurance.
City Engineer Giovanni Zinn, to explain why not all properties in a flood zone have such insurance, said not all parcels have buildings on them.
Generally, flood insurance is something a bank would require for a mortgage on a residence or commercial structure if located on a FEMA flood map.
Mayor Toni Harp thanked the combined efforts of City Planner Karyn Gilvarg, Zinn; Rick Fontana, who heads the citys emergency response department; and Susmita Attota, who was the director of the citys comprehensive plan of development, for the extensive work they have promoted in the past three years in protecting floodplains.
Gilvarg said some of those projects include the Brewery Square Seawall, storm drain and catch basin cleaning, repair of the Long Wharf Storm Drain outfall, repair and replacement of tidal gates and River Street coastal structures.
To find out whether property is in a flood zone, FEMA maps are at: hhtps://msc.fema.gov/portal/search. Other flooding related information is at http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/CityPlan/FloodInfo.asp
Zinn said the city is engaged in multiple studies on mitigating flooding at Long Wharf, as well as the Quinnipiac and Mill rivers and downtown.
He said they have employed green methods of flood mitigation, such as bioswales, but do not rule out infrastructure fixes where needed.
He said it makes sense to employ the concept of living shorelines where you use nature to deal with the issue, when possible, in vulnerable areas.
There is now a lot more modeling that goes into it. No longer do we indiscriminately dump revetments or build walls in certain places, one of the reasons being the cost, Zinn said.
Also, you are protecting for the event, but also you dont want to destroy the shoreline. So a lot of the living shoreline techniques not only provide protection but also they create habitat, they create recreation spaces, they create places that help connect communities to the water. Being on the water is a wonderful blessing 99.9 percent of the time, Zinn said.
Zinn said the kind of things that keeps him up at night, in addition to climate change, are heavy rains and storm surges.
Alder Sal DeCola, D-18, said insurance agencies have to be educated about the discount for New Haven residents. He said agents he has talked to were unaware of it.
mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com Call 203-641-2577.
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NEW HAVEN - Paola Acosta just had to do SOMETHING.
Emotionally stirred by news reports and images of the havoc wrought by Hurricane Maria upon her native Puerto Rico, Acosta rounded up friends, family and neighbors and collected water and supplies.
A tractor-trailer parked at Quinnipiac River Park on Saturday was the drop-off point for bottled water, non-perishable items, batteries, diapers, baby formula, flashlights, candles and matches, feminine products, first aid kits and bug repellent.
I was at work, and I was like, theres something that needs to be done, she said. People started sharing on social media.
The death toll from Maria in Puerto Rico was at least 10, including two police officers who drowned in floodwaters in the western town of Aguada, according to an Associated Press report. That number was expected to climb as officials from remote towns continued to check in with officials in San Juan.
Connecticut deployed a C-130H cargo plane and seven Connecticut National Guard members to help with relief efforts on the islands of Puerto Rico and St. Thomas.
Infrastructure damage makes it difficult to get supplies to the island, so Acosta and supporters took advantage of Daddy Yankees efforts as an intermediary in gathering and delivering donations.
Daddy Yankees music video Despacito was filmed in San Juans La Perla neighborhood, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria. He asked fans to bring donations to concert venues in Connecticut, Chicago and New York.
The truckload from New Haven went to Foxwoods Resort Casino. Items will also help victims of the earthquake in Mexico.
This is New Haven putting ourselves out there for Puerto Rico, Acosta said.
Elected officials, businesses and organizations and volunteers were scheduled to meet in New Haven Monday about more ways to help the island, a commonwealth of the United States.
Earlier this year, Puerto Rico sought a form of bankruptcy relief in federal court, as it faces about $123 billion in debt and pension obligations.
AT&T said in a blogpost Tuesday that its staff continues to work around the clock to help people in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria and Irma:
More than 7,250 people have signed up on our website, launched yesterday, for anyone stateside (regardless of carrier) to register the cell phone number of a family member or friend who is an AT&T wireless customer in Puerto Rico. When the Puerto Rico-based customers cell phone connects to our network in Puerto Rico, the customer will be notified that their family or friends in the U.S. have been trying to contact them.
We continue to send aircraft with essential supplies and network resources as we help the people of Puerto Rico. These flights include portable temporary cell sites, high capacity generators to provide temporary power, and other larger network equipment on cargo planes and barges to help restore services on the island. We planning to set up a number of portable cell sites in the San Juan area as soon as possible.
AT&T has sent multiple flights carrying more than 30 generators and more than 5,000 gallons of water, the blog says.
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., issued a statement Monday in support of Congress passing an emergency bill to rebuild Puerto Rico and restore stability to the island in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
There is a danger that the damaged Guajataca Dam could collapse.
The truth is that Hurricanes Irma and Maria have revealed far more than just physical damage to Puerto Rico, Murphy said.
For decades, Washington has neglected our obligations to the island. Weve denied Puerto Ricos residents - American citizens - vital human services and adequate health care funding, and theres no doubt in my mind that our negligence made the devastation in Puerto Rico even worse. Im going to fight on the Appropriations Committee to get Puerto Rico the assistance and stability they deserve - Congress needs to do better.
More than 275,000 Puerto Ricans live in Connecticut, making up about 8 percent of the states population, according to Murphys release.
HARTFORD Clean energy advocates and environmentalists said Tuesday that the Republican budget that Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has promised to veto has some very short-sighted raids of funds tied to clean air and renewable energy initiatives.
The two-year $40.7 billion Republican budget takes $20 million from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which helps protect the air quality in the region by improving infrastructure. It also included a $26 million sweep of funds from the Green Bank, which helps provide financing to accelerate renewable energy for installers and businesses.
The Democratic budget proposal, which didnt pass either chamber, would have raided the Clean Energy Fund by $18.6 million in 2018 and $13 million in 2019. That money typically goes to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency.
Raiding these funds digs a deeper economic hole for Connecticut, Chris Phelps, of Environment Connecticut, said.
He said those programs strengthen the economy and help families and businesses, but every year they see the legislature try to raid the funds. And every time they do it means fewer jobs in the industry, higher energy rates for homeowners, and more pollution, Phelps said.
Its a dumb idea, Phelps said flatly.
Some could say its actually a tax increase because ratepayers wont be getting the benefit of the programs theyre funding.
We view this as an energy tax, Lou Burch, program director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said. Because many of these programs are being paid for through our energy bills.
Michael Trahan, of Solar Connecticut, said it amounts to a gimmick and any budget that includes these types of gimmicks is not honest.
Neither is any lawmaker who votes for it, Trahan added.
He said theres a reason Connecticut is one of the last states in the country to put a budget together. He said its because the people who put the budget together refuse to make the tough spending and taxing decisions that are worthwhile.
He said it bothers him when legislators say it was tough to cut the Green Bank, RGGI, or the Clean Energy Fund.
Those arent tough cuts, Trahan said. Those are easy cuts because most people dont know what the Connecticut Green Bank, RGGI or the Energy Efficiency Fund are. Those are easy cuts to make.
Claire Coleman, an attorney with the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, said it might be an easy cut but its not a smart cut.
Its a short-sighted cut because these funds are creating a healthy economy for our residents, Coleman said. The immediate cut may be easy, but its not smart and it shouldnt be done.
The Connecticut Green Bank has created more than 12,000 direct and over 30,000 indirect jobs.
At the same time as its attracted over a billion dollars in private investment, John Harrity, president of the Connecticut State Council of Machinists and steering committee member for CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs, said. It lowers energy costs for participating residents and businesses. Why would you cut an income generator?
House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said the state is facing a $5.1 billion budget deficit and instead of cut funding for families who have children with developmental and intellectual disabilities they cut funding for RGGI and the Green Bank.
She said they didnt cut the Clean Energy Fund like the Democrats because that money goes to ratepayers to help improve energy efficiency. She said Green Bank funding is more focused on transitioning businesses to renewable energy.
I would hope that we could give money back at some point when we have money, Klarides said Tuesday. But the reality is is that we have to worry about the elderly, the children, and disabled.
She said she thinks all the energy funds are wonderful, but when she has to make a choice shes going to fund the social services.
Trahan said if they want to support those programs then they should go find a reliable revenue stream to pay for them.
Dont look to the electrical taxpayer or the gas payerpeople who contribute to these funds so the fund belong to themdont look to them to bail out the state budget. Go make the tough decisions that need to be made, Trahan said.
This story has been modified from its original version. To view the original, visit ctnewsjunkie.com.
Gerry Brooks has seen it all during a broadcasting career that started at New Haven radio station WAVZ in 1974.
But starting in late November, the NBC Connecticut anchorman is going to see less time on the air. Brooks announced Wednesday via social media that he is reducing his on-air schedule to just the 6 p.m. newscast.
Brooks said he considered retiring outright, but was able to work out a mutually beneficial deal with station management that allowed him to reduce his schedule. He was working three newscasts Wednesday that had him working the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. shows.
Ive lost a lot of friends in the past year, people who didnt reach 65, Brooks said. That was not lost on me.
Brooks, who is a Massachusetts native, said he plans to travel more once his reduced work schedule starts.
My wife is a retired flight attendant and she gets very generous travel benefits, he said. Ill be 66 within the next year and weve always wanted to travel more.
Brooks had a bit of health scare in late 2014 when he was operated on for prostate cancer. But he said that wasnt as much of a factor for reducing his schedule as having his friends die.
Brooks said he is taking it one year at a time, before deciding whether to retire completely. He has been at the West Hartford-based station since 1993.
Before joining the NBC affiliate, Brooks worked at WFSB from 1979 to 1993. In addition to WAVZ, he also spent four years at Hartford radio station WPOP in the 1970s.
That was back when radio stations still had newsrooms, Brooks said.
Steve Kalb, an adjunct professor with the University of Connecticuts journalism department and a former broadcast newsman, said Brooks has had a long and laudable career in the nations 30th largest television market.
The 6 p.m. newscast at television station is its signature broadcast, Kalb said. He is a seasoned and consummate professional. But were all getting older and its not surprising that anyone who has been in the news business this long would want to start winding things down.
Filling Brooks seat in the 11 p.m. anchor chair opposite Keisha Grant should not be difficult for NBC Connecticuts management, Kalb said.
WVIT (the stations call letters) has built a strong stable of mid-career professionals that can move up, he said. There will also be new people coming into the market.
Brooks said the toughest story he has ever had to report was the December 2012 mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Gunman Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adult staff members.
It was difficult to get past the slaughter of such young children as we were reporting it, Brooks said. It rattled my psyche, my very foundation.
luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
This hurricane season has taken a toll on the U.S. and the Caribbean. Hurricane Harvey alone has devastated Houston and the Texas coastline, taking more than 75 lives and inflicting an estimated $190 billion in damage to our infrastructure and communities. Houston absorbed 51.88 inches and farther east the total topped 60 inches. Just a few weeks later, Hurricane Irma struck Florida, causing $100 billion in damages and killing at least 75 people. These hurricanes are critical examples of horrific natural disasters that have always wreaked havoc on the United States. The damages and loss of life are still being calculated from Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina, one of the five deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history, struck the Gulf Coast with a final death toll of roughly 1,836. More than half the victims were senior citizens. A few weeks later, Hurricane Rita struck the southeast Texas coast line, killing 59 people.
What many don't know is so many of these lives were lost simply due to a failure to get word out to citizens, young or old, to evacuate in an efficient, safe and reliable manner. After Katrina and Rita, in response to the fact the U.S. had no public alert system designed to reach people on their mobile devices, President George W. Bush issued Executive Order 13407 (EO), entitled the "Public Alert and Warning System" and Congress created the Warning Alert Response Network Act (WARN Act). The order stated that "it is the policy of the U.S. to have an effective, reliable, integrated, flexible, and comprehensive system to alert and warn the American people in situations of war, terrorist attack, natural disaster, or other hazards to public safety" The WARN Act followed that guidance, creating what is now known as the Wireless Emergency Alert system.
Now, almost 11 years later, we continue to witness event after tragic event where an effective and reliable emergency alert system could have saved lives. Yet, despite the goal of the WARN Act, a comprehensive system is still not in place to accurately and urgently warn those who may be in harm's way.
We need a mass notification system that will deliver the right information to the right people at the right time, so they can protect their lives and property. Technology today allows us to stand on a street corner, use our smartphones to order a pizza and then, utilizing the geo-location feature, have a car pick us up to take us home to eat the pizza.
We can leverage this same location capability in wireless devices to integrate with the Wireless Emergency Alert System and more accurately target emergency alerts. The Federal Communications Commission has been working on a series of Proposed Rulemakings to direct the creation of the system to enable technology envisioned by the EO in 2006. Chairman Ajit Pai of the FCC recognizes this as well. In the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 15-91 he wrote, "After studying the record and speaking with public safety officials, including in New York City, I agreed that we need to do more than just codify the status quo. So I proposed that we be more forward leaning, that we commit in this Order to moving ahead with a device-based approach to geo-targeting." In this same administrative proceeding, wireless carriers have agreed that such a system would not require the carriers to undertake expensive modifications to their networks. Public Safety officials also agree that device based geo-targeting can properly address this problem.
The FCC needs our support to finalize its rule adding device-based geo locating to the Wireless Emergency Alert System and not allow bureaucratic inertia to stand in the way of creating a state-of-the-art public system. As we are in hurricane season and face more natural and man-made disasters in our future, our citizens deserve and need a device-based public alert system now that will deliver timely and accurate information to those who find themselves in harm's way. We should not let the perfect solution become the enemy of the good; too many lives are at stake.
Olson, R-Sugar Land, is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The Senate has resolved that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable in spite of ongoing secessionist agitations in parts of the country.The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, after a closed-door session during Tuesdays plenary, said the lawmakers agreed that the territorial integrity of the country must be protected.Saraki said, The Senate resolved that Nigerias unity is not negotiable and we are all committed to the territorial integrity of our country. The Senate will use all possible measures to make sure that peace is restored to all parts of Nigeria.Watch the video below
The Senator representing Abia South, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has denied that he was questioned by the Senate over his involvement with the Indig...
The Senator representing Abia South, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has denied that he was questioned by the Senate over his involvement with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Abaribe also alleged that some persons are attempting to create conflicts, between South-Eastern legislators and their Northern counterparts.
He stated this while speaking on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday.
This morning Mr President, I was surprised to find IPOB: senators query Abaribe over Kanus bail. Mr President we have always said in this floor that anything the presiding officer says in the closed-door session that is the sum total of our discussion, Abaribe said.
And I remember yesterday that three points were made as a result of our discussion, which was Nigerias unity and effort by this senate to make sure we help in bringing peace to this country. The headline that purports to say that this is what happened in our closed-door session which of course did not happen does not in any way advance the course of peace in this country.
My constituents have been worried, they have called me and they have been asking me and I have told them that it is not true and I will bring it up on the floor and ask the entire senate to please help us to ask the newspaper to produce whoever gave them this information.
The senate does not query any of its members, that is the first place where they failed in casting this headline because each senator knows what we discussed and what came out at the end of it.
I wish to be given the opportunity to lay this newspaper and ask this senate to please look at the attempt at driving a wedge between the south-east senators and the northern senators, because it was said here that the northern senators made a demand for which the south-east senators reluctantly agreed.
Some people are bent on making sure that there is no peace but I know that God will not allow them.
Abaribe was one of the sureties who secured the bail granted IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
A lawyer and the leader of the Biafra Zionist Federation, Benjamin Onwuka, has said the Biafran government would, when fully functional...
A lawyer and the leader of the Biafra Zionist Federation, Benjamin Onwuka, has said the Biafran government would, when fully functional, banish the founder of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, from Biafraland.Onwuka recently announced the formation of a Biafra government, which included an economist, Prof. Pat Utomi; a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Soludo; and former information ministers, Prof. Jerry Gana, and Mr. Labaran Maku.There are reports that the Department of State Services was investigating those named in the cabinet but Onwuka has insisted that the government was intact and awaiting recognition by the United States America.Speaking in Enugu on Tuesday, Onwuka said Mbaka and some other clerics were sabotaging the agitation for Biafra.He said his Biafran government would send such clergymen away from Biafra.Onwuka also threatened to confiscate the Adoration Ground, the worship centre of Mbakas Adoration Ministry.According to him, Biafra agitators have marked Mbaka as an enemy of Biafra.He warned Mbaka specifically, saying, The Zionists are warning Ejike Mbaka that he is putting his Adoration Ministry on the line.All the clerics supporting these killings would be sent away from here by the Biafra government and we will take over that his Adoration Ground.Attacking us and calling us names is unacceptable. People are being killed every day, has any of them come out to speak against it? We have marked Mbaka as enemy of Biafra.He said the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra would not have any effect on the restoration of Biafra.
Nigeria has decried the obsolete and old-fashioned composition of the UN Security Council, and described it as undemocratic.The Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, told the Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York that there was an urgent need to reform the body.The Security Council is the UNs most powerful principal organ with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security as well as accepting new members to the UN.It is vested with powers for the establishment of peacekeeping operations and the establishment of international sanctions.The Council has the authorisation for military action through Security Council resolutions and it is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.First of all, the fundamental question is that in the current global reality, where everybody is talking democracy, United Nations must show example.Clearly, it is an anachronistic notion to have a body composed of few countries that can veto the entirety of the global community through the Council is not representative.It is an anomaly and I think that has been recognised but the politics of the reform not just of the UN in terms of the powers of the General Assembly and its functions.The Nigerian envoy declared that Nigeria and some countries, currently left out, rightly deserved a permanent seat on the Council considering the current realities.But this journey, at the official level, started 25 years ago. Nigeria is at the forefront of that effort and doesnt read this as a selfish move.This (permanent seat) is the right of Nigeria and other serious nations to push and this is what other countries are also pushing.Be they small states which are pushing, be they Africa that has not any representation, this is not something that would go away.Nigeria and others are committed that we cannot have a democratic system which does not represent the majority of countries.Our continent is completely out of contention; whether we get two or three, the debate is we have to be on the Security Council, Bande said.The body has five permanent members the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, France, the Peoples Republic of China, and the United States and 10 non-permanent members, elected on a regional basis to serve two-year termsThe five permanent members can veto any substantive Security Council resolution, including those on the admission of new member states or candidates for Secretary-General.This, the Nigerian ambassador stressed, meant few countries overruling the entirety of the global community.The debate is still ongoing whether it is even right to have veto power, he said.The Nigerian envoy exuded confidence in the chance of Nigeria to get on board of the prestigious Council on its own global credentials or through the Africas continental slot.We have every reason to be hopeful in terms of the contributions of Nigeria to the global community since 1960. I think we have good credentials, he said.
British Airways has sacked the hostess who recorded a racist video in which she was seen ranting and insulting Nigerian passengers, Mail...
British Airways has sacked the hostess who recorded a racist video in which she was seen ranting and insulting Nigerian passengers, MailOnline reported.23-years-old Joanne Wickenden sparked outrage after she recorded the racist clip in her British Airways uniform before flying from London Heathrow to Abuja on Friday night.After a two-hour meeting with bosses on Tuesday, MailOnline said she claims that the video which she uploaded via her Snapchat was just a joke, adding that she was set up by a British Airways colleague who recorded her and shared the clip.In a statement on Tuesday, revealed by MailOnline, British Airways said, Wickenden no longer works with the airline as their staff are expected to be of utmost professionalism when representing the airline.She no longer works for British Airways. We expect the utmost professionalism from our staff when they are representing British Airways.MailOnline reported that 23-year-old Wickenden, who wants to be an actress, told her friends that she is not a racist.I am not a racist, she said, claiming that the video was just a joke.She told MailOnline that, I have been framed by another British Airline employee. They were encouraging me, egging me on to say things. They were recording me and sent it around to our friends, she said I dont want to fly anymore.A friend said that the other colleague wanted her to impersonate what goes on the flight.A source told MailOnline that the video, which was captioned I cant cope with this flight was circulated among horrified British Airways cabin crew who are very concerned
The Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday dismissed an application by a former Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode challenging th...
The Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday dismissed an application by a former Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode challenging the courts territorial jurisdiction to adjudicate on his money laundering charge.Justice Rilwan Aikawa refused the former ministers prayer to transfer the case to the courts Abuja division, where he claimed the alleged offence was committed.Ruling yesterday, the judge held that the application had no merit.The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned Fani-Kayode and former Finance Minister (State) Senator Nenadi Usman for alleged N4.6 billion laundering and fraud.They were arraigned along with a former National Chairman of the Association of Local Government in Nigeria (ALGON) Yusuf Danjuma, and a company, Jointrust Dimensions LtdThey pleaded not guilty to the 17-count charge of money laundering.The defendants were first arraigned on June 28 last year before Justice Muslim Hassan, but the judge recused himself on March 16 after Fani-Kayode accused him of likely bias.Justice Hassan was head of Legal Department at EFCC before his appointment as a judge and had signed a money laundering charge for which Fani-Kayode was previous tried and acquitted.The judge returned the case file to the chief judge, who re-assigned it to Justice Aikawa.Fani-Kayodes lawyer, Mr. Norrison Quakers (SAN), argued that the cause of action leading to the charge took place in Abuja.Besides, he said his client lived in Abuja and had another criminal case at the Federal High Court in the Federal Capital Territory.But, EFCCs lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo urged the court to refuse the application as, according to him, the transaction instruments were recovered in Lagos.Justice Aikawa agreed that part of the alleged illegal transactions took place in Lagos.For instance, he said the former Director of Publicity of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation paid N30million to a printer, Olusegun Idowu, whose office is Lagos.Justice Aikawa noted that the matter was transferred to him by the chief judge, whose decision he cannot overrule.According to him, had the chief judge found merit in the request to transfer the case from Lagos to Abuja, he would have done it after Justice Hassan withdrew from the case rather than transfer it to another judge in Lagos.The judge held: In the case before me, the prosecution avers in its counter affidavit that the sum of N30 million was paid to PW1 (Olusegun Idowu) of Paste Posters Company Ltd, who has his office in Lagos.This, in my view, shows that all facts leading to the transaction were done in Lagos, and only evidence will prove otherwise.There is no justification to warrant a transfer of this case to Abuja; the interest of justice requires that the trial of this case continues in this court. This application is lacking in merit and is therefore dismissed.The judge admitted in evidence the receipts issued to the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation by Idowu for a cash transaction of N30 million.Led in evidence by Oyedepo, Idowu said he issued a receipt to PDP, adding that he raised an invoice in the name of Directorate of Media and Publicity, PDP Campaign Organisation.Count one of the charge reads: That you, Nenadi Esther Usman, Femi Fani-Kayode, Danjuman Yusuf And Jointrust Dimentions Nigeria Ltd on or about the 8th day of January, 2015, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired among yourselves to indirectly retain the sum of N1,500, 000,000.00, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing.The defendants were also accused of indirectly retaining N300 million, N400 million and N800 million, all proceeds of corruption, according to EFCC.The prosecution said they allegedly committed the offence between January 8 and March 25, 2015, ahead of the general election.In another count, the prosecution alleged that Fani-Kayode directly retained N350million, which he ought to have reasonably known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing|.The commission said Fani-Kayode directly used N170million, among other sums, which he reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of corruption and stealing.He was also accused of doing cash transaction of N24million with Olubode Oke without going through a financial institution.The offence, EFCC said, violates sections 1(a) and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b).The trial will continue today for cross-examination of the first prosecution witness.
It was all drama at the National Assembly yesterday as Senator Dino Melaye and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commissio...
It was all drama at the National Assembly yesterday as Senator Dino Melaye and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) engaged in hide-and-seek game over the Kogi West lawmakers recall.The INEC officials had arrived at the National Assembly complex as early as 11am with four Ghana Must Go bags containing recall petitions and a heap of tied documents signed by constituents in Melayes Kogi West.The INEC officials had split into two with one group waiting at the door of the senators office. The other group was monitoring the chambers, where Melaye kept himself busy with legislative duties.Apparently aware that some of the INEC officials were waiting for him in the frontage of his locked office at the Senate Wing of the complex, the lawmaker refused to go to his office after plenary.Melaye, who participated actively in the days proceedings, left the National Assembly complex without getting to his office as is the tradition with every lawmaker.Flustered by the senators antics, the electoral officials dumped the documents on the recall at the entrance of his office in the National Assembly.The documents were dumped around 11:00am.The INEC officials left the National Assembly complex at about 1.14pm disappointed.One after the other, they filed into a waiting Toyota Hiace bus that brought them.The controversial senator has been in a running battle with the INEC over plans by his constituents to recall him for alleged poor representation.He decided to buy time by approaching the courts to stop the process and succeeded in pushing the process for over the 90-day timeframe prescribed by the constitution.Melaye had, at a press briefing on Monday, washed his hands off the recall process, saying that the 90-day span prescribed by the Constitution had elapsed.However, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba in a later ruling, had ordered the INEC to start the process afresh by serving the relevant documents on the senator.At the last court appearance, INECs lawyers had sought to serve the senator through substituted service, but Justice Dimgba directed them to make another attempt at serving Melaye and that they should report back to court should the attempt fail.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said Federal Government should not be blamed for the ongoing strike by the National A...
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said Federal Government should not be blamed for the ongoing strike by the National Association of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).He stated this at the opening of a conciliation meeting with JOHESU leaders, Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and relevant government agencies on Tuesday in Abuja.The minister deplored media reports credited to National Chairman of JOHESU, Mr Biobeleye Josiah, that the Federal Government should be blamed for the unions strike.He also decried allegation by the union that he travelled on the day government officials were expected to meet with leaders of the striking workers.According to Ngige, as a minister, I am fully aware of the sanctity of my responsibilities as a servant and it is wrong for a servant to be maligned or brutalized for no just cause.We are ministers; we are servants and we are serving you. How can you vilify your servant, or start beating him or killing him when there is no offence?No, you cannot do so. You cannot brutalise me in the media for nothing. Even these ministers here, you cannot brutalise them, because they are serving the nation.It is not in the best interest of fair labour practices. It is unconscionable.So, I take your explanations and it is good you explained because the impression you gave in the media is grossly erroneous.We invited you to a meeting on Thursday, September 21, 2017, your union failed to turn up and later requested for Friday, September 22, 2017.I already had an official engagement at Owerri and the Health Minister was also involved in a different function, he said.
The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has been given 48 hours by the Arewa Youths Council, AYC, to release a former student union...
The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has been given 48 hours by the Arewa Youths Council, AYC, to release a former student union leader, Ibrahim Bature or face a court case.
Bature is currently in detention for alleged hate speech.
The ultimatum was contained in a statement signed by its president, Comrade Bello Balo and made available to newsmen.
The AYC warned that they would shut down the state if he fails to release Bature as they are ready to mobilize their members to Katsina state within the time frame.
Bature was allegedly arrested over the comment he made about the governor seeking foreign loan.
The AYC statement said, On August 29th 2017, Gov.Masari charged the young fellow to the Katsina magistrate court 1 with some frivolous allegations bordering on offences yet to be obtained by this report and he has since been reminded in prison custody, and effort to bring the matter again after it was first adjourned to another date for hearing has not been successful as the magistrate keep on adjourning the date just to suffer the suspect for unknown reason.
Ibrahim Bature a former student union leader from university of Maiduguri who holds masters of science degree with specialisation in animal physiology from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and launched his gubernatorial aspiration for 2019 in June this year which was tagged time for the youths
We in the Arewa Youth Council see his detention as a move by the governor to crush his rivals early enough to clear his way for safe return to Katsina Government house come 2019.
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, is confident of winning the coming presidential election when Nigerians elect a new president in 20...
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, is confident of winning the coming presidential election when Nigerians elect a new president in 2019.The governor was hopeful that if supported by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he would take over government from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).Im going straight to that Villa. Im the next president, he said in a statement issued on Tuesday by his special assistant on public communications and new media, Mr Lere Olayinka.I have a penchant for taking powers; that one in President Muhammadu Buharis hand, I will take it.Fayose further revealed plans to formally declare his intention to run for presidency in the general elections on Thursday in Abuja.He, however, said in a letter addressed to leaders of the PDP that his ambition to be president was without prejudice to the partys position, but in the overall interest of the party and the country.The letter read; It is with a deep sense of responsibility that I write to inform you of my intention to seek the ticket/mandate of our party to contest the 2019 presidential election.Considering your support and commitment towards our great party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it becomes imperative to keep you informed and seek your support.This ambition, however, is without prejudice to our partys position but in the overall interest of the party and our country.I urge that all hands should be on deck to ensure victory at the 2019 presidential election.Accept the assurances of my highest regards as a determined presidential hopeful.
Africas richest man and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has raised the alarm over insecurity in the country, particula...
Africas richest man and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has raised the alarm over insecurity in the country, particularly kidnapping, saying investors are being scared away from the country. Dangote made this known at the ongoing Agric Expo and Conference, organised by Nigeria Agribusiness Group in collaboration with other private and public sector agencies.Represented by Executive Director, Public Sector, Dangote Group, Mosul Ahmed, who spoke on Challenges Facing Agribusiness Investors in Nigeria. He lamented the spate of kidnapping on the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, which he said has made investors, who own commercial farms to practically abandon them for fear of being attacked or kidnapped. It will be recalled that kidnapping has been on the increase across the country, particularly the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, forcing the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris to deploy a large number of policemen on that axis.He said: The security situation in the country is discouraging agribusiness investors. Most of the people that own large farms on the Kaduna-Abuja Road have abandoned their farms due to the menace of kidnapping. He also lamented bottlenecks in access to land by agribusiness investors, which he traced to the Land Use Act, and cautioned that if the Act was not revisited, it will impede the expected and desired diversification of the economy. He therefore, advised that government at all levels should begin to work together, where necessary, on proactive approach, particularly on securing land for commercialised agriculture.He also accused governments at all levels of lack of cooperation and protection of investors in the agricultural sector, noting that there is no synergy on inter-governmental relationship for better performance and productivity by the sector.Agriculture cannot thrive in this country, except there is cooperation between all the agencies of government. Inter-governmental cooperation is lacking in terms of galvanising the kind of support that investors need in the sector, he stated.
More than a month after his return from medical trip, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to announce some reforms.
More than a month after his return from medical trip, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to announce some reforms.Ministers, advisers and aides are awaiting the reforms, a source revealed yesterday.Some of the Presidents strategists are pushing for the retention of his Economic Team and a split of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing into three.Besides, others have presented five options to the President on the shape of his cabinet.It was however learnt that the President has been weighing options because of the timeline left for his administration.Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the President has fulfilled a critical part of his decisions bordering on his disposition to the nations unity.In a national broadcast on August 21, he declared that Nigerias unity is settled and not negotiable. Many critics disagreed.According to a top source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, cabinet members and advisers have been expecting some reforms.Some of the decisions include key appointments in the public service and the military; cabinet reforms; and the fate of the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ayo Oke; and the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu.The source said: Now that the President has settled down, ministers, advisers and other top government functionaries are all anxious for his mid-term reforms. We know he has plans, which he has kept under wraps.The ministers are in the dark whether there will be a shake-up in the cabinet or not. No one knows the mindset of the President.We know that some issues/ matters had been pending before the President traveled for Sallah and the United Nations.Another source said: For instance, some strategists/ kitchen cabinet members have been prevailing on the President to retain his Economic Team, having exited recession. They said the consolidation of the exit will be faster than the dissolution of the team.A few strategists have recommended the split of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing into three as the case before the cost saving measures of the President. Although three ministers are now in charge of the ministry, they are calling for the assignment of full portfolio to each of them.On cabinet reshuffling, there are five options before the president. These are (a) a major shake-up; replacement of few ministers, especially those with political ambition; swapping of portfolios; allowing ministers to leave based on their own volition; and retention of all ministers till the end of the tenure of this administration.It was also gathered that the President might need to take a major decision in the military because of the imminent statutory exit of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin.Gen. Olonisakin was appointed on July 13, 2015 by Buhari.Although Olonisakin was born on 2 December 1961, he enlisted in the Nigerian Army in 1979.He was due for retirement in 2016 but the President exercised his powers as the Commander-In-Chief to extend his tenure by one year because of the ongoing war against Boko Haram.Findings confirmed that the exit of Olonisakin might lead to a shakeup in the Armed Forces leading to either promotion or otherwise of some senior officers.A third source, who spoke in confidence, said added: The President had been contemplating some changes since it is obvious that Olonisakin will soon retire.The present Service Chiefs are the Chief of Army Staff, Gen.Tukur Yusuf Buratai( born on 24 November 1960 but commissioned as an officer in 1983); the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar( born on April 8, 1960 but commissioned as a Nigerian Air Force officer in 1983); and the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas( born on 27th September 1960 but commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant in 1983).If anything is worrying the President is the fear of losing good hands at a time the war against Boko Haram is at a crucial stage. Olonisakin, who is a gentleman, has been willing to leave were it not for the presidential extension of his service year.Responding to a question, the source added: It will be difficult to predict the nature of reform the President will carry out in the military but as a Commander-In-Chief, he knows what to do.
The President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has advised workers to take their destinies in their hands by obtain...
The President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has advised workers to take their destinies in their hands by obtaining voter cards to vote out governors, who refuse to pay salaries and allowances.Wabba, who spoke during a visit to workers in Benue State, said it was a shame that the state government had refused to pay workers, despite collecting bailout fund and Paris Club refund.He described the Benue situation as the worst scenario.The NLC president said record from Benue, which showed the state was in arrears for seven months in ministries and parastatals; 11 months in local governments and teaching institutions, and 13 months of pension arrears was alarming and a shame.Wabba condemned refusal of the government to pay salaries, pensions and gratuities after collecting bailout funds and Paris Club refunds, saying the congress would no longer fold its arms and watch state government exploit workers and deny them their entitlements.He said it was shocking that whereas most states, relatively speaking, had met salary and pension obligations to workers and pensioners, Benue State government had been indifferent and insincere to workers and pensioners.The NLC president said refusing to pay salaries was illegal (as it violates rules of employment), callous, morally reprehensible and a betrayal of the trust of workers and pensioners, who voted the government into office.He said considering the pains and suffering brought upon workers, pensioners and their families, NLC had no hesitation in supporting any lawful action, including a strike, in pursuit of their salaries, pensions and gratuities.Comrade Wabba urged the workers and pensioners to remain united and not allow the government or anyone to distract them from their objectives.He told the workers that experience showed that state governments were not ready to pay salaries and pensions without a fight, noting that it is up to them to do the needful to ensure regular payment of salaries and pensions.As a long term strategy, the NLC boss urged the workers and their families to ensure they obtain voter cards and exercise their franchise, using their numbers.He said: Most governors believe workers dont vote. This explains the shabby treatment meted out to them. Workers must take their destinies in their hands by registering and voting wisely.Wabba stressed that the congress could no longer fold its arms while workers were mistreated.He assured them that the national headquarters will support them to pursue their demands.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnam...
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not being held by the Nigerian Federal government.This is coming just many days after the Nigerian army clashed with IPOB in Umuahia, Abia state after it launched a military exercise tagged Operation Egwu Eke II or Operation Python Dance II in the south Eastern states of Nigeria. Ever since the clash which many reports claimed the Nigerian army invaded the IPOB leaders home and allegedly shot dead many of his supporters, the whereabouts of Kanu has been unknown. The Nigerian army has however refuted the claims it invaded Kanus home nor killed anybody.In fact, the army accused IPOB members of attacking its personnel with stones, molotov cocktails, machetes and broken bottles, among others on a military patrol on Sept. 10, 2017. Kanu is currently on bail pending the resumption of his trial in Abuja next month on charges of treasonable felony.Nnamdi Kanus supporters claim the military took away the IPOB leader after the claimed invasion. But in an interview with AFP shortly after the return to Nigeria from London by President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Mohammed said the IPOB leader could be in hiding.Talking on Nigerian President Muhammadu Buharis health condition, the Minister disclosed that President Buhari is not in any obligation to disclose his health conditions to anybody even if his medical bills are paid by the state. According to him, Hes not being held by government at all.He said Kanu had crossed a line with his agitation for Biafra and that he (Mohammed) suspects the IPOB leader could be in hiding. On the President, he said, I think theres so much speculation as to what hes been treated for. I think we would rather respect his privacy. If Mr President feels like telling the world his ailment, so be it. I dont think hes under an obligation to tell anyone.Recall that the South-East governors had proscribed the activities of IPOB in the region after the armys pronouncement that IPOB is a terrorist organisation. Further on the proscription, the federal government of Nigeria had equally and still insists that IPOB is a terrorist organisation, maintaining that the group had printed its currency and was extorting money from innocent citizens of Nigeria.It gave these reasons for backing IPOBs categorisation as a terrorist organisation, maintaining, however, that not even the Fulani herdsmen reported to have clashed with and killed farmers, raped women and destroyed farm lands could be placed on the same level with IPOB which it said had carved out a territory of its own within Nigeria. In fact, the federal government had even said it had begun processes of blocking foreign sources of funding to IPOB.Nigeria had equally accused both the governments of France and the United Kingdom of being in support and as well as funding IPOBs activities in Nigeria but the two governments of France and UK denied the allegation. Recall also that barely 24 hours after the Nigerian army pronounced IPOB a terrorist organisation, the President of the Nigerian 8th Senate, Dr. Saraki condemned the categorisation of IPOB as a terrorist organisation, saying it was unconstitutional. However, after Sarakis comments, the Federal Government of Nigeria had immediately taken its quest for IPOBs proscription to court where it obtained a courts order proscribing IPOB.The order the federal government obtained from a Federal High Court in Abuja, ruled that IPOB is a terrorist organisation. But IPOB had equally approached the court, demanding it to quash the order, saying the court order that said it was a terrorist organisation was a black market order.It argued that the said order violated its right to freedom of assembly, expression and a right to demand freedom as enshrined in the United Nations charter on Human Rights as well as other national and international rights treaties to which Nigeria is a signatory. Despite its argument, the Nigerian government maintains IPOB is a terrorist organisation, especially with the signing of the groups proscription by the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari.
The family of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has asked the Nigeria Army to produce him, saying that ...
The family of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has asked the Nigeria Army to produce him, saying that his whereabouts remain unknown weeks after the raid on their Afaraukwu Umuahia family house. The family is alleging that Nnamdi Kanu is in the custody of the army.This came as Catholic Bishop of Umuahia Diocese, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji condemned the military exercise code-named Egwu Eke 11, describing it as a tale of terror, blood and tears. But the army has, in a swift reaction, denied knowledge of the whereabouts of the IPOB leader.The Deputy Director, Public Relations, 82 Division, Colonel Sagir Musa said he did not know about the arrest of Kanu.I am not aware of his arrest, Musa said. But Kanus younger brother, Emma insisted that he strongly believed that his elder brother was captured by the army during the raid. He also claimed that the whereabouts of his parents HRM Eze Israel Kanu, and Lolo Sally Kanu are not known since after the attack.He called on the military to release him to the police. It is either they captured him or killed him when they attacked our house.If they captured him, they should release him to the police and if they killed him, they should produce the corpse because he was last seen moments before the raid, Emmanuel Kanu said. He claimed that the family had been searching for the IPOB leader and his parents since after the military attack but without any clue of their whereabouts.
A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and former Governorship aspirant in Delta State, Sunny Onuesoke, has berated Kaduna State...
A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and former Governorship aspirant in Delta State, Sunny Onuesoke, has berated Kaduna State Senator, Shehu Sani, for claiming that the United States cannot dictate to Nigeria who to declare as terrorist.
Following the proscription of the pro-Biafra group by the Nigerian Government recently, the US, had declared that the group is not a terrorists organization.
However, Sani dismissed the stance by the US, stressing that foreign countries with respect to the US cant dictate to Nigeria who should be declared a terrorist.
Reacting to Sanis claim, Onuesoke, in a statement signed by his media aide, Stanley Efe, stressed that Sanis claim, is a clear case of parochial sentiments.
Onuesoke wondered why Federal Government will proscribe IPOB, agitating for the well-being of their people, while Fulani herdsmen raping and killing people and not placed in the same category.
The statement reads, My attention has been drawn to a statement credited to the Senator representing the good people of Kaduna Central in the Red Chamber, Shehu Sani on page A8 of Independent of Tuesday, September 26, 2017.
In as much as I want to agree with the distinguished Senator that Nigeria and US are sovereign Nations and as such, must respect each others laws, theres also room for other Nations, especially US to intervene on issues bothering on terrorism as it affects the world at large.
America has been at the forefront, fighting terrorism all over the world. They have a better understanding of the operations and activities of terrorist groups across the globe.
Asking US not to dictate to us who to call a terrorist/group in Nigeria is a clear case of parochial sentiments by Senator Sani.
Boko Haram & Fulani Herdsmen who daily maim, rape women & girls and kill innocent people are not terrorists but this APC led Federal Govt was quick to label a harmless group of persons agitating for their well being as a terrorist group.
Has Senator Sani deemed it fit in time past to condemn the activities of Fulani herdsmen who unleash untold hardship on innocent citizens?.
No matter their gimmicks, the world including US knows that IPOB is not a terrorist group. They dont go about with arms and ammunitions.
Babawo The military authorities announced yesterday that a highly placed target in the Boko Haram war had been captured by the police ...
Babawo
The military authorities announced yesterday that a highly placed target in the Boko Haram war had been captured by the police in Ondo State.Director of Army Public Relations Brig-Gen. Sani Usman broke the news in a statement in Maiduguri.According to the spokesman, Idris Ibrahim Babawo, the top Boko Haram commander, is No. 156 on the Boko Haram wanted list.Babawo, 42, who also goes by the name, Idoko or Nagada, was captured while trying to evade arrest.Usman said Babawo had been handed over to the military.The Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Police, on September 24, about 2 pm., arrested a wanted Boko Haram terrorist, Idris Ibrahim Babawo, believed to be No. 156 on the wanted Boko Haram terrorists list.He was handed over to the 32 Brigade, 2 Division, Nigerian Army, about 2 pm., on September 25, by the Ondo State Police Command.Usman said that preliminary investigation showed that the suspected terrorist hailed from Chinade village in Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State.He said Babawo escaped from the Northeast because of sustained military onslaught on the jihadists.General Usman said troops of 1 Division on Operation Sharan Daji raided camps of suspected bandits and cattle rustlers at Kahiru forest, Bakura Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing one of them, and recovering cows, sheep and goats from them.He said: On approaching the camp, the suspected bandits opened fire on the troops and attempted to escape. The troops returned fire, killing one of the bandits and recovered 50 cows, 82 goats and 25 sheep abandoned by the bandits.
The Zamfara State Police Command on Wednesday intercepted two vehicles carrying arms in different parts of the state.
The Zamfara State Police Command on Wednesday intercepted two vehicles carrying arms in different parts of the state.
The spokesman of the command, Mr Muhammad Shehu, confirmed the development in Gusau.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that items recovered from the vehicles were three AK47 riffles, an automatic pistol, locally-made pistol, magazines and live ammunitions.
According to him, other items recovered include N103, 435 cash, ATM card, three voters cards, military camouflage and a stamp of the Cattle Traders Association of Nigeria in the Bukuru Local Government Area of Plateau.
Shehu said that the drivers of the two cars, a Honda Civic marked Sokoto State BDN358AA and another marked Kano State KMC 321AA, were arrested and were now assisting the police in investigations.
The spokesman explained that a police patrol team arrested one of the suspects, a native of Birnin-Yero village in the Shinkafi Local Government Council of Sokoto State on Sept. 25 on the Gusau-Sokoto highway
He named items recovered from the vehicle as two AK 47 Riffles with number 3745485 and 1977CK22457 respectively and five magazines with 165 rounds of live ammunition,
Others items recovered are N68, 750 cash, ATM card and three 3 voters cards, military camouflage and several mobile phones.
He said also that the police similarly, caught another suspect, a native of Bassa Local Government Council in Plateau on the Kauran-Namoda-Jibiya road.
Shehu said that exhibits recovered in the mans vehicle were one AK 47 riffle with number 804151, two magazines with 20 rounds of live ammunition and one pistol with four bullets.
Other items recovered are a locally-made pistol, eight mobile phones, cash of N34,685, two pairs of military camouflage and a stamp of the Cattle Traders Association of Nigeria, Bukuru Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The police image maker said that investigation into the matter was going on at the commands Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, after which the suspects would be charged to court.
He said that the successes recorded showed the level of commitment of the command led by the Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Shaba Alkali.
Shehu assured residents of the state of adequate security coverage and the determination of the command to reduce crime in the state.
He appealed to members of the public to always cooperate with the police and other security agencies in the state.
Therefore, we should support the police with useful information on security from our respective areas.
Meanwhile, Gov. Abdulaziz Yari has chided security agencies in the state for their poor performances in tackling security challenges in the state.
Yari, who voiced his displeasure over the poor security in the state, while meeting with heads of security agencies in the state, described the security situation as worrisome.
NAN
Soldiers of Sector I in Operation Python Dance II in Abia State have raided a kidnappers den at Ohanze in Obingwa Local Government Area...
Soldiers of Sector I in Operation Python Dance II in Abia State have raided a kidnappers den at Ohanze in Obingwa Local Government Area and arrested three suspected members of the gang Okezie Nwaobilor, Arinze Ugiri and Michael Sunday.They rescued the victim, Monday Benson, during the raid.A statement by the 82 Division headquarters of Nigerian Army Public Relations Officer, Col. Musa Sagir, said the suspects had been handed over to the police, after questioning, for further investigation and possible prosecution.The statement said troops of Sector IV raided a criminals hideout at Obinze community and arrested 17 suspected criminals.The soldiers reportedly recovered three locally-made pistols, five Dane guns and 15 rounds of various calibres of ammunition.Other items recovered are: charms and seven wraps of substance suspected to be Indian hemp.The statement said the troops of Sector IV, in conjunction with the police, also raided a criminals den in Ukukwa North Local Government Area of Anambra State and arrested seven suspected criminals.They were said to have recovered four locally-made pistols, 420 live cartridges, about 50 kilogrammes of cannabis and some charms.The suspects and the items were reportedly handed over to the police for further investigation.The statement added that troops of Sector II, following an intelligence report, conducted two raids operatios on suspected cultists shrines at Awara and Assa communities of Ohaji-Egbema Local Government of Imo State arrested 10 suspected cult members.The suspects, the statement said, had been transferred to the police after preliminary investigations.The statement added: Despite the initial opposition to Exercise Egwu Eke II by the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) members and their sympathisers and unpatriotic elements, the general area of the Southeast, especially Aba in Abia State, is now fully stabilised. The usual violent activities of the outlawed Biafra National Guards (manning check points and extorting money from traders and motorists) have now been checkmated.Similarly, the outlawed Biafra terrorists groups presence is no longer visible and people go about their normal businesses without fear, let or hindrance.The 82 Division of the Nigerian Army wishes to reassure the public that it is poised to maintaining the peace and security in the Southeast. The public is requested to cooperate with security agencies by remaining law-abiding and passing credible information to the nearest security check point or call 193 and the various sector commanders telephone numbers that were earlier made public.The Nigerian Army encourages the residents of the states to be vigilant of suspicious activities and has provided contact details for the public, should they possess any vital information regarding the exercise.
mentalfloss said:
Cheers as Trudeau names Mona Nemer as chief scientist
Recent grumblings about the Trudeau government's commitment to evidence-based decisions turned into cheers on Tuesday after the long-awaited introduction of Canada's new chief scientist.
A distinguished medical researcher, Mona Nemer, has been chosen to take on the new role, delivering on a long-standing election commitment after two years of delays.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Science Minister Kirsty Duncan introduced Nemer at a news conference in Ottawa, describing the move as a "big step forward." It follows some recent criticism and concerns over funding shortfalls in important areas such as climate change science and environmental monitoring.
Nemer said she was "happy and proud" to be taking over the new role.
"What a great day for science," Nemer said in French, in her first words at the podium.
"I'm passionate about science and passionate about Canada, so you can understand that this is a challenge that I'm very excited to take on."
Cheers as Trudeau names Mona Nemer as chief scientist | National Observer Another one of Harper's Nazi measures is lynched.Cheers as Trudeau names Mona Nemer as chief scientistRecent grumblings about the Trudeau government's commitment to evidence-based decisions turned into cheers on Tuesday after the long-awaited introduction of Canada's new chief scientist.A distinguished medical researcher, Mona Nemer, has been chosen to take on the new role, delivering on a long-standing election commitment after two years of delays.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Science Minister Kirsty Duncan introduced Nemer at a news conference in Ottawa, describing the move as a "big step forward." It follows some recent criticism and concerns over funding shortfalls in important areas such as climate change science and environmental monitoring.Nemer said she was "happy and proud" to be taking over the new role."What a great day for science," Nemer said in French, in her first words at the podium."I'm passionate about science and passionate about Canada, so you can understand that this is a challenge that I'm very excited to take on." Click to expand...
OOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gotta LOVE THAT LIE-beral Fake News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Harper merely FROZE the wages of the civil service union HOG scientists.....................................................
it was Our idiot Boy Justin who fired a bunch of them...........................................
because he ALREADY KNEW all he needed..................................................about how to turn climate concerns....................................................into carbon tax SCAM GRAVY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!But now Our idiot Boy is RED FACED........................................over being caught out as a bigoted black faced Aladdin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!And he is even more red faced at having created TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE...............................................environmental policy.........................................that is so bad and so selfish................................................it will play a part in LIE-beral election defeat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!So Our idiot Boy is falling back on LIE-beral Fake News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Harper is the MOST LIED ABOUT politician in Cdn history!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!That LIE-berals so often try to sell us Fake News about Harper SAYS A LOT..................................about both the quality of LIE-beral policy......................................................and reveals more than LIE-berals want to...........................................about how morally ethically CHALLENGED THEY ARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Here is an article illustrating the deceitful nature of LIE-beral propaganda! With some comments of my own in brackets):Climate scientists evaporating under Trudeau, not HarperBy David Akin, Parliamentary Bureau ChiefFirst posted: Monday, August 08, 2016 06:19 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, August 08, 2016 09:37 PM EDTMuzzled scientists? Trudeau carries on just like HarperRelated StoriesWheres the bark from Canadas unmuzzled scientists?OTTAWA -- The Justin Trudeau government is on pace this year to preside over the biggest-ever recorded cut to the number of federal environment scientists.Statistics Canada earlier this year forecast the number of scientific and technological personnel at Environment and Climate Change Canada would be reduced this fiscal year by nearly 11% -- or 406 jobs -- compared to 2015-2016. StatsCan started counting federal scientists in 2000.(Isnt that WONDERFUL? LIE-berals and their civil service union Hog allies LIED relentlessly about Harper and claimed - among other things - that he was a climate DENIER -simply because he FROZE THE WAGES of civil servants as a result of the 2008 economic melt down! LIE-berals pretended that freezing Hog wages somehow equaled approval of pollution!!!!! And now Our idiot Boy is FIRING the scientists! Such remarkable hypocrisy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)Officials with Environment Minister Catherine McKenna's office said late Monday that StatsCan's forecast is based on data provided before the 2016 budget and that, as Environment Canada got a spending bump of $120 million this year in the budget, more scientists are likely to be hired.Environment Canada officials, though, could not say how many or when.(Oh yes- just the usual LIE-beral bait and switch! Why fire the scientists only to hire them again later? Unless you are planning to offer them CHEAPER WAGES and shorter contract work? And the scientists will swallow it because govt money is the only money available to them!)Fewer scientists under the Trudeau government works against a narrative that the previous Conservative government was anti-science. A headcount by the Sun shows the Stephen Harper government did not appear to have singled out scientists for cuts and, in fact, at Environment Canada, it worked to preserve scientific jobs.(AS mentioned- frozen wages does not equal an attack on the environment! And many scientists are now looking at the reality that frozen wages are superior to NO WAGES! Such is the lesson of LIE-beral bait and switch!!!!!!!!!!!)As the civil service grew in Harper's early years, to so too did the number of scientists, peaking in 2011-2012 with 39,189 scientists employed across all government departments.(Oh DEAR? Harper actually HIRED SCIENTISTS? The ones Our idiot Boy is NOW FIRING ???? I guess LIE-berals figure they already know everything they need to about the environment?????????)Then, as the civil service was trimmed after 2011 to help fight the deficit, the number of scientists on the public payroll fell in rough proportion to the overall civil service.That said, the Conservative axe fell a little lighter among Environment Canada scientists. The headcount there did dip by 6% in 2010-12 but then grew by 9% the next year. And by 2014-15 another other Harper year the number of scientists at Environment Canada peaked at an all-time high of 3,830.(So the head count GROWS even as LIE-berals wail about the Harper war on the environment? Such amazing duplicity by LIE-berals!!!!!!!!!!!)The current forecast has just 3,386 science jobs at Environment Canada, which would be nearly 12% fewer than the peak employed two years ago by the Harper government.(The cynic will assume that LIE-berals do not need or want too many scientists around because it might blow up in their faces!! Having lots of well informed eggheads telling the world that the LIE-beral carbon crap and trade scam is NOT saving the environment is NOT a message LIE-berals want the public to hear!!!!!!)
Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria Mr. Halal Cakil yesterday assured Nigeria that his country will fish out the criminals behind the shipping ...
Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria Mr. Halal Cakil yesterday assured Nigeria that his country will fish out the criminals behind the shipping of illegal arms to Lagos port.The envoy gave the assurance when he met with the management of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Abuja.At the meeting, NCS Comptroller-General Col. Hameed Ali (retd) expressed concern that four different arm seizures with a total of 2,671 pump action riffles came from one source.He put it to the envoy that since the seizure emanated from the same Turkey, it suggested complicity of the Turkish authority.NCS Public Relations Officer Joseph Attah, in a statement yesterday, noted that the meeting lasted for about two hours and the two parties spelt out specific commitments and strategies to contain the situation.Highlights of the meeting, said Attah, were that the Turkish Ambassador restated his countrys support for Nigerias security and well-being, saying that Turkey will not support any dangerous shipment to Nigeria.That all four shipments intercepted were false declarations on the bills of lading; it is a clear case of smuggling.The Turkish Ambassador will immediately communicate to his home country, findings from the NCS HQ, with view to fishing out criminals behind the illegal arm shipment to Nigeria.That a team of Nigeria Customs Service visits the Turkish Customs to further discuss ways of nipping such arms export from Turkey as well as strengthening agreement on mutual Customs-to-Customs assistance.That NCS provides for the Turkish authority, list of prohibited items and in the case forms, sample of End User Certificate to enable them always verify before approving any legal arms export to Nigeria.That the Turkish Government will co-operate with Nigeria in every step to deal decisively with those found involved.The statement added that the meeting ended with both sides agreeing to work together to stop the dangerous trend.Both sides, according to Attah, agreed to use the situation as opportunity to strengthen ties to prevent the use of either country as a base for export of harmful items to the other.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to China this week for talks on how to defuse the perilous nuclear stand-off with North K...
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to China this week for talks on how to defuse the perilous nuclear stand-off with North Korea.The top US diplomats spokeswoman Heather Nauert said he would be set off for China on Thursday for talks this weekend with senior Chinese leaders.Secretary Tillerson will discuss a range of issues, including the presidents planned travel to the region, the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, and trade and investment, she said.President Donald Trump is due to make his first official visit to China in November, as part of a tour that will also take in regional allies Japan and South Korea.Washington has alternated between criticizing and praising Beijings role in the North Korea crisis, on the one hand welcoming its support for new sanctions but also insisting it must do more to rein in its unruly neighbor.As Tillerson prepared to for his trip, Nauert said progress had been made and declare that China has taken tremendous steps in the right direction.
Chairman of the South East Governors Forum and governor of Ebonyi State, Mr. David Umahi, has explained why they wont abandon leader of t...
Chairman of the South East Governors Forum and governor of Ebonyi State, Mr. David Umahi, has explained why they wont abandon leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Umahi said, having proscribed the activities of the group and its eventual label as a terror group, Kanu and his team needed to rebrand before they would enter any dialogue with them.
Recall that a Federal High Court in Abuja, had declared the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as acts of terrorism.
Speaking on the development, Umahi told Sun that they would continue to appeal to the agitators on the need to work for a one and united Nigeria.
He said, Our situation is different from Boko Haram situation. But if anybody believes that we will abandon those boys, it is not true.
We will still be appealing to them to come back to their leaders, let us sit down and discuss. Kanu somehow raised awareness on this restructuring issue. We must give it to him.
We are not going to throw him away; we will still find a way; we will be appealing to the federal government for forgiveness. The word, IPOB, is not in agreement with me because when you say the Indigenous People of Biafra, it has its own connotation. When you say indigenous, if you go to America you talk about the indigenous people of America and that is the Red Indies that founded America.
There is no indigenous in this sense. It could be Igbo Youth Movement or association and so on and so forth. So having proscribed that and their activities, of course the federal government says its a terror group; we cannot dialogue with them under that name again. Theyre our brothers and sisters and its a question of getting them to a better level of understanding and partnership.
Asked what will happen to anyone that will wear Biafras insignia or carry its flag since the group has been proscribed, Umahi added the decision should be left for the president to make.
Well, there are two issues here. One is that we have appealed to Mr President to withdraw the soldiers in the South- East region at least for now for temper to cool. I am not the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces; its Mr President who is. It is an appeal that we have made to him. It is his constitutional powers and rights.
So, I cannot say for certain that Operation Python Dance will not commence in Ebonyi State. I dont have such powers. But if Mr President views it that in his own opinion that he wants to heed to our appeal, that is good. But specifically in Ebonyi State, we are appealing that everybody should be law-abiding. Theres no nation inside a nation. Even if you want Biafra, you have to get it first; become a nation before you start putting up your flag, owning your own secret service and so on and so forth.
GALLOWAY -- A 16-year-old high school student was arrested Wednesday morning after threatening another student with what turned out to be a fake gun, authorities said.
Absegami High School and two nearby elementary schools were temporarily locked down until Galloway police found the fake gun in the teen's bag and determined it wasn't real just after 9 a.m, according to officials.
The teen is charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, disorderly conduct and harassment. He was given a summons and released.
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
GARFIELD -- Three Florida residents were arrested on animal cruelty charges when authorities found them parked in a van with more than two dozen puppies.
Twenty-six English and French bulldog puppies were found inside two feces-littered cages and a cooler. One of the cages contained 13 puppies, according to a press release Tuesday from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.
Police responded to the parking lot of an undisclosed business on August 19 after a report of a suspicious van. Authorities at the time said the puppies were being sold out of the van in a Walmart parking lot.
Inside the officers found Jesus Gabriel Valentin Rivera, 36, of Deltona, Fla.; Vanessa Millan, 31, of Casselberry, Fla.; and Elaine Ramos, 27, of Altamonte Springs, Fla. and the puppies. The temperature in Garfield that day was 90 degrees and the puppies had no access to water, authorities said.
All three were charged on summonses with 26 counts of animal cruelty, a disorderly person's offense. They are due in Central Municipal Court in Hackensack on Oct. 3.
The puppies were taken to the Bergen County Animal Shelter. A woman who answered the phone at the shelter Tuesday said she could not comment on whether the dogs were still there because they're involved in a legal case.
Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
CAMDEN -- Demolition of the 101-year-old Camden High School is cleared to begin after the School Development Authority issued a notice to proceed, the state agency announced Tuesday.
SDA spokeswoman Edye Maier said that no date has been set for the actual razing of the building, as all asbestos removal and abatement work must be completed first.
A federal lawsuit aimed at blocking the destruction of the school nicknamed "The Castle on the Hill" for its tower and turrets will not, at this point, prevent the demolition because a judge has not ruled on the plaintiffs' request for an injunction.
School and state officials last fall announced their plans to remove the school to make room for its replacement, a state-funded, $133 million building.
Many residents and alumni, shocked by the news, have advocated for the building to be renovated instead, or to have at least the tower remain part of the new building. School officials have said those options would be more expensive and would not allow them to house four separate "academies" on the campus, as the new, planned building will.
Expected to be finished as early as 2021, the 242,000-square-foot building will house the high school, Brimm Medical Arts High School, Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy, and Camden Big Picture Learning Academy.
Opponents are hoping to get the building added to the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places, but the State Review Board has not yet reviewed the application and will not meet again until November. It has been issued a certificate of eligibility, but that does not afford it any protection from demolition, a state spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the School Development Authority is moving ahead with demolition, awarding a $6.7 million contract to USA Environmental Management, Inc. of Philadelphia Sept. 1.
Camden High School students are currently attending classes in Cooper B. Hatch Middle School.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
AVALON -- An Avalon police officer waded into the ocean up to his chest early Sunday to rescue a man threatening to harm himself, authorities said.
Mark Glassford is sworn in as an Avalon police officer in 2013. (Avalon Borough photo)
Patrolman Mark Glassford went into the ocean after he and his partner encountered a distraught man along the 16th Avenue beach around 2:30 a.m., Avalon police said in a statement.
When the officers approached, the man yelled at Glassford an officer Matthew Ardelean ordering them to leave him alone.
Glassford went into the water anyway and convinced the man not to hurt himself before guiding him back to shore.
The man agreed to go to the hospital if Glassford brought him, police said. He wasn't injured.
"I want to applaud patrolmen Mark Glassford and Matthew Ardelean for their proactive, compassionate approach towards helping this individual in need," Mayor Martin Pagliughi said in a statement.
Glassford, 31, has been with a full-time officer in Avalon since 2013, according to public records. Before that he served five years as a special officer there, borough officials said.
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK - A new eatery and bar - with views of the Manhattan skyline - has opened steps from the Prudential Center.
The Ainsworth, a restaurant bar and lounge with locations in New York City and Hoboken, officially debuted this month inside the 12-story Hotel Indigo Newark Downtown.
"The Ainsworth will bring an elevated sport viewing venue to Newark," said Brian Mazza, president of Paige Hospitality Group, which opened The Ainsworth. "Our main goal is to be part of the community. Everyone from corporate businesses to event patrons and Devils fans."
The space includes a 3,000-square-foot wrap around roof with views of Newark and the New York City skyline, an event space and a full restaurant and bar. The restaurant is hoping to capitalize on the crowds that fill the city for sporting and concert events at the Prudential Center.
"Since we are already operating in Hoboken, we saw an amazing opportunity to join in on the amazing things going on in Newark," Mazza wrote in an email. "I feel like every time you look at a real estate article, Newark is mentioned. This area has so much culture, and is exploding in such a positive direction."
New restaurants and bars have opened this year on Broad Street including the popular arcade bar, Barcade, which opened on 494 Broad Street.
The Ainsworth serves American fare and specialty cocktails. It's located on 810 Broad Street.
Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.
MONTCLAIR -- The line waiting for Hillary Clinton nearly shut down Watchung Plaza in Montclair Tuesday. It went from the entrance of Watchung Booksellers, snaking around the corner and continuing down several blocks of North Fullerton Avenue.
Clinton greeted about 1,000 people who paid $30 for a signed copy of her new book, "What Happened," and a brief individual encounter with the first woman to win a major party nomination for president of the United States.
The first fan to meet Clinton was an 89-year-old retired journalist, Betty Hall. From her wheelchair Tuesday, Hall, who traveled from Titusville with her daughter, Jane Lee, told reporters she wanted to meet Clinton because, "she should have won."
Hall staked out her prime spot in line at about noon Tuesday for the event, which began shortly before 6 p.m. With the little time she had, Hall asked Clinton whether she would run again in 2020.
"She said, 'No, but I'm going to be around,'" Hall said afterward.
Hall, who sat in a wheelchair, was the first person Clinton addressed upon entering the bookstore from a rear door near the table where she sat and signed books, including "What Happened" and "It Takes a Village," her 1996 book about the impact of non-family members on a child's upbringing.
With little ado, Clinton said out loud, "We're going to get started," sat down and began greeting ticket holders and signing books, something Watchung Booksellers' owner had not expected her to do on the spot. She smiled at each one, said it was nice to meet them, and paid compliments to mothers about their children.
"She comes off as such a warm person, as if you're the first person she' greeted that day," said Carole Francesca, 66, of Montclair, a senior partner at a trademark licensing agency.
Clinton's appearance was also a hit for some in the local Tweetosphere, where blogger Christina Gabriel professed her love in 140 characters or less.
Clinton served as first lady with her husband President Bill Clinton from 1993-2001, as a U.S. senator from New York from 2001-2009, and as the U.S. secretary of state under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013. She was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016.
Tuesday's event was one of nine sold-out book signings in addition to a Hillary Clinton Live speaking tour she is doing to promote the book. Montclair was clearly friendly territory, as one of the most heavily Democratic suburbs in the blue state of New Jersey, where she garnered 55% of the vote statewide to Donald Trump's 41%.
The store's owner, Margot Sage-EL, said the 1,000 tickets sold out within an hour, mostly to women from Montclair and surrounding Essex County communities, many of them customers of the store notified though its electronic mailing list. But there were men also.
Married couple Israel Martinez and Matt Kudish of Montclair left the the book store thrilled at having met one of their political heroes. Martinez, 40, a psychotherapist, said Clinton complimented him on his T-shirt, which had an image of the Statue of Liberty and the words, "She carries a torch for me."
"It's nice to meet someone who it feels like was fighting for us," Martinez said.
While by nature, the paid attendees gushed with praise, there were some digital detractors, including some who reacted to a Facebook Live post by nj.com
Hillary Clinton visits Montclair, N.J. Hillary Clinton is in Montclair tonight to promote her new book. Reporter Steve Strunsky is at Watchung Booksellers as hundreds of fans wait to see the one-time Secretary of State and presidential candidate. http://nj-ne.ws/rZW53vK Posted by NJ.com on Tuesday, September 26, 2017
A crowd of about 60 Hillary fans without tickets to the event stood behind police tape across the street from the books store.
"I didn't hear about it in time," said 15-year-old Riley Rendino of Montclair, a freshman at Montclair Kimberly Academy. "I was so disappointed."
The Steinke family was anything but. Laruen Steinke, her son, Jacob, and daughter, Bayla, were among the early birds who got tickets and then met Clinton.
"She was much cooler in person," said Jacob, a seventh grader at Montcliar's Buzz Aldrin School.
Bayla, 14, was nervous, but she said, "It was really fun."
Lauren Steinke said Clinton seemed entirely sincere when she told her, "Lovely children, nice to meet you."
"No parking" signs had been posted by the Montclair Police Monday afternoon on the store's block of Fairfield Street, in the Watchung Plaza commercial district, adjacent to one of the township's five NJ Transit rail stations. The same block and one other street, as well as the station parking lot, were closed Tuesday from 3-10 p.m.
"What Happened," is Clinton's third memoir, this one a reflection on the 2016 election, herself, and why she thinks she lost.
In a review in The New York York Times, book critic Jennifer Senior wrote: "'What Happened' is not one book, but many. It is a candid and blackly funny account of her mood in the direct aftermath of losing to Donald J. Trump. It is a post-mortem, in which she is both coroner and corpse. It is a feminist manifesto. It is a score-settling jubilee."
Not everyone at Tuesday's event was a fan. Outside the store, a man dressed in a striped prison costume and wearing an oversized Hillary mask held a sign reading "Blame yourself," referring to Clinton's criticism of her Democratic primary opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermon, and of former FBI Director James Comey, who notified Congress in late October that he was reopening the investigation into Clinton's use of private email for official business.
The man declined to identify himself, saying his family disagreed with him and he did not want to drag them into his argument. He did say he was a 43-year-old military veteran who lived in Morris County and had voted for Trump.
"She had the arrogance, once she lost, to turn around and blame Comey, blame Bernie Sanders," he said. "She talks about everybody but herself. But she didn't run an effective campaign. She took everything for granted."
Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- Police asked for the public's help to identify the robber who grabbed the purse from a 75-year-old woman, causing her to fall in Newark's North Ward Tuesday.
The woman was walking in the 400 block of North 11th Street around 4:30 p.m. when the assailant snatched her bag, police said.
The woman was treated at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville and released, according to police.
Authorities described the robber as a Hispanic woman, 5-foot-5, about 150 pounds and last seen wearing a black and white top with pink shorts and flip flops.
Police released photos they said showed the assailant. Anyone with information was urged to call the city 24-hour tipline at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695-4867) or submit information online.
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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taxslave said: That is Bombardier's only reason to exist. To create good pay cheques for otherwise unemployable machinists in Quebec. Click to expand...
It's just Quebec, is it? Theresa May was sure trying hard to hold on to those 5000 jobs at Bombardier's Short Brothers subsidiary in Belfast ... particularly considering that the keys to her coalition government are held by ten Northern Ireland seats.Ontario companies get whacked too as do all sorts of American subcontractors. Canada isn't grown up enough to do high tech things like make aircraft, it would seem. Every other country that does subsidized that industry up the yinyang, morning noon and night but us paroquial Canadians behave like Calvanist beancounters all the while complaining about them Frenchees..
By Jessica Mazzola | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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Jorjani. (Courtesy Jason Jorjani)
NEWARK A New Jersey Institute of Technology professor under fire for apparently anti-Semitic statements has been placed on administrative leave -- the latest development in a firestorm over a controversial video published last week.
A New York Times opinion piece featured a video showing former alt-right figure Jason Jorjani apparently endorsing shocking predictions, including the return of concentration camps and a future in which Hitler is fondly remembered. The video, which Jorjani contends was edited to remove the context from his comments, set off what the New York native called the "worst week of my life."
NJ Advance Media interviewed Jorjani about his theories, why he advocates for the rise of a powerful Middle Eastern state, his complicated history with the alt-right, and the uncertain future of his affiliation with one of New Jerseys most prestigious universities.
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The scandal
HOPE Not Hate, a British anti-racism group, sent a Swedish graduate student undercover into the alt-right for a year. In a report published this month, the group released its findings on the loosely-bound, global political movement. In a New York Times piece about the investigation, published in the Times' op-ed section, there are various video clips of the student -- who was posing as a wannabe new member and secretly filming conversations -- talking to alt-right leaders.
In one of those videos, Jorjani talks about the future return of concentration camps, and a world in which Hitler is seen as a great European leader.
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By day, Jorjani who says he is no longer involved with the alt-right but admits he filled a prominent position in the movement for a little less than a year is a university lecturer at NJIT. He teaches classes on the history of Iran, and science, technology, and society.
Soon after the video was published, NJIT issued a statement condemning what Jorjani said, and saying the school was reviewing the video. Monday evening, the school said it had placed the professor on administrative leave, pending the review.
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(Courtesy NJIT)
In an interview before his suspension, Jorjani did not seem hopeful about his future about the school.
You can imagine what my prospects in academia are after this scandal, he said. "I like teaching and I had a great rapport with my students. The worst thing in this entire episode has been the huge change in attitude toward me on the part of my students."
During his Wednesday evening class last week, Jorjani said, it looked like the students had been gut-punched. It was awful.
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His side
Jorjani admits the comments made in the video are jarring, but says they were taken out of context. The professor insists he was describing a dystopia that he believes could result from continuing current U.S. government policies not a future he hopes will occur.
I dont mean to endorse that, he said of Hitler's policies, asserting that video editing misrepresented what he was saying.
The whole conversation with the student, he said, was about two hours long. The several minute clip published, he argued, made it seems as if he were advocating for his predictions, which he insists he was not.
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HOPE Not Hate
In statements to NJ Advance Media this week, HOPE Not Hate stands by its work, dismissing Jorjani's argument that its videos are deceptively edited.
"The point here is that we never said he wanted concentration camps or wanted hundreds of millions dead. Rather he believes that due to immigration and multicultural societies these things are inevitable. This sort of thinking is just as dangerous," a spokesman for the organization said.
"Jorjani's comments are so extreme, and he has been such a prominent player in this movement, that he deserves to be exposed."
HOPE Not Hate plans to make a documentary with the undercover video it amassed, the spokesman said.
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Who is Jason Reza Jorjani?
Jorjani insists that even his affiliation with the controversial, fringe political group, the alt-right, is misunderstood, and that his complicated story begins long before he met the group's leader, Richard Spencer, in 2016.
The 36-year-old Jorjani was born and raised in some of Manhattans poshest neighborhoods. He attended the since-shuttered Fleming School on the Upper West Side which taught students in both English and French and a prestigious prep high school, the Dalton School, on the Upper East Side.
He received both undergraduate and graduate degrees from NYU before obtaining a PhD from SUNY Stony Brook on Long Island.
Jorjani, an only child, described his mothers ethnicity as a Northern European mix, and his father as an immigrant to the U.S. from Iran. From a young age, Jorjani said he was fascinated by his familys Iranian heritage, and that countrys history.
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Professionally, Jorjani said hed always hoped his day job would include working in academia, a goal he said he achieved when he was hired two years ago as a non-tenure-track university lecturer at NJIT, which he described as a full-time position.
His true goal, he said, is to be a philosopher. Alt-right publisher Arktos Media already published two books Jorjani penned, filled with his theories. But, Jorjani said hed still describe himself as an aspiring philosopher, whose ideas cant fully be judged until the future.
They create new concepts, Jorjani said of the type of philosopher that he hopes to be.
Concepts, he continued, that could potentially lead to scientific revolutions, or political revolutions. I think that if youre not doing that, youre not a philosopher."
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. Happy Nowruz 2576 and Long Live the Divine Splendor of the Aryan Imperium Posted by Jason Reza Jorjani on Monday, March 20, 2017
His beliefs
The views I generally hold, my social and political views, actually, I would say, align a lot more with the left, than they do with the right. Im certainly not a conservative, Jorjani told NJ Advance Media.
Further, Im not a racist, he said, and noted that he supports gay and womens rights, and multiculturalism. He couldnt identify a religion or school of political thought with which he is entirely aligned.
The professors ideas and political hopes focus mostly on pre-Islamic Iran, and ancient Persian culture. He advocates for what he calls an Indo-European world order, where Iran would re-assert itself as a world power, ruling over other areas by embracing the multicultural ideals he says were present in the ancient empire, which he calls the most influential civilization of human history.
The power shift, he said, would not happen via military occupation, but by a gradual recognition that Persian ideals are the best. His ideas, he asserts, are not based in race, at all.
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Jorjani meets the alt-right
According to articles and speeches given by Spencer, the man credited with coining the phrase alternative right, and the de-facto leader of the scattered group, it is an ideology aimed at preserving the white race, with the eventual goal of segregating whites from other races.
Spencer, who heads the small National Policy Institute think tank in Virginia, has called it an identity-based movement. Others have condemned the group as a thinly-veiled rebranding of past white supremacist and Neo-Nazi groups, affiliations its members deny.
According to Jorjani, he only became affiliated with the alt-right because he was asked to, by a group of what he calls investors in 2015. Though he declined to name them specifically, he said the backers were very close to then presidential candidate Donald Trump -- someone whose ear Jorjani hoped to eventually bend.
The investors, he said, promised him funding to infiltrate the alt-right, convince its leaders to drop the white nationalism rhetoric, move it away from race-based politics, and toward his ideas of embracing, and eventually reclaiming, Indo-European history and world dominance.
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Richard Spencer and I posing for The Atlantic at our new Washington DC area headquarters for the European and American... Posted by Jason Reza Jorjani on Thursday, January 12, 2017
In 2016, Jorjani became editor of alt-right publisher Arktos Media, and in January of this year, one of the founders of the Alt-Right Corporation. He spent several months making public appearances with Spencer and making speeches on behalf of the alt-right.
But the movement's leaders like Spencer, Jorjani said, were harder to sway than he anticipated. They did "not (have) the same level of intellectual capacity," as he, Jorjani said, leading to philosophical discrepancies. After the backers failed to come through with any funding, Jorjani resigned from the alt-right via an online blog entry he posted on Aug. 15.
Jorjani said he was leaving to focus on a new group he was founding, the Iranian United Front, which would focus on his goal of returning the Persian Empire.
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The split
Since the split, theres been no love lost between Jorjani and Spencer.
Certainly Im disassociated and on very bad terms now with the alt-rights leaders, Jorjani said. He called Spencer smart in the sense of the word smartass, saying that the alt-right leader is too impulsive and he thrives on the kind of attention that the media gives him and reinforces the worst kinds of narratives about the movement.
Richard has pretty much destroyed the alt-right brand through his emphasis on race and all kinds of other stupidity, Jorjani said.
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In an email to NJ Advance Media, Spencer said he sense(s) that Jorjani viewed the Alt-Right as a means of advancing the interests of Iran, as he views them.
In an AltRight.com blog entry posted on Sept. 21, Spencer described Jorjani as an "energetic 'dreamer' in the best and worst senses of the word. He has a brilliant intellect and wide knowledge of philosophy, but has a tendency ... to live in a synthetic world, as opposed to working towards changing the real one."
"As opposed to facing up to the truth and moving forward realistically, he has left both Arktos and the Alt-Right Corporation with nothing to show for it all. For someone who styles himself as a hermetical operative and mastermind, this must be rather embarrassing, Spencer wrote.
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Jorjani's future
Jorjani's future at NJIT remains unclear. The school has not said how long its review of the situation will take.
"NJIT is a university that draws great strength from the diversity of its campus community, and statements made by Mr. Jorjani in a video published by 'The New York Times' are antithetical to our institution's core values," the school said in its statement.
"A review of this and related matters is ongoing, and Mr. Jorjani has been placed on administrative leave pending its conclusion."
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Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Revised plans for One Journal Square, the $800 million, two-tower Kushner Companies project slated for a plot of land outside the Journal Square PATH hub, were approved unanimously by the Jersey City Planning Board last night.
Board members who voiced support of the plan, which the Kushners are developing with KABR Group, indicated a desire to get the project built after years of delays and decades of city promises to redevelop the property, a now-vacant lot across the street from the old offices of The Jersey Journal.
"It's about time we got something built in Journal Square," said board member Arnold Bettinger, a former councilman in the area.
"We need to get this done," said board member Orlando Gonzalez. "I've seen I don't know how many iterations of this."
Kushner Companies is run by the family of presidential son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who was the company's CEO until President Trump took office in January.
One Journal Square received worldwide attention in the spring when Kushner's sister Nicole Kushner Meyer cited her family ties when luring foreign investors seeking visas to help fund the project.
Meyer's comments were the first in a series of bad developments for One Journal Square, including the loss of major investor and planned tenant WeWork, the expiration of a critical state tax break and Mayor Steve Fulop's announcement that the city would not support a package of city subsidies the developers requested.
The project received approval from the Planning Board in August 2016. Those plans have been revised and now include two 56-story towers on top of a 10-story podium and housing a total of 1,512 residential units plus retail and office space. The towers will rise 758 feet high.
A small group of anti-Trump activists urged board members last night to reject the plans, citing, among other things, Trump's false claim of thousands of people in Jersey City cheering on the 9/11 attacks, the president's plan to halt a program that protects some undocumented immigrants from deportation and Kushner Companies' use of a controversial investor visa program. Trump's policies are a threat to much of Jersey City's population, they said, so his family should not be rewarded with planning approval and tax breaks, they said.
Jon Baker, who lives on Newark Avenue, said he has views of the two Trump towers to the east and will have views of Kushner's One Journal Square to the west.
"My concern is that two more Minecraft obelisks to autocracy will not only be damaging to our community's psyche, they're also going to lower our property and resale values," Baker said. "They'll be eyesores, constant reminders of western civilization in decline and as a result damaging to the mental health of our great city's immigrant community."
A request for comment from Kushner Companies was not returned. KABR Group declined to comment.
The towers are two of nine high-rises planned for the area that surrounds the PATH hub.
Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
BETHLEHEM - The Township Committee on Thursday honored Timmy, 11, a founding member of the Pattenburg Volunteer Fire Company's K9 Unit.
Timmy, who was put down earlier this month after cancer had spread throughout his body, served from 2009 until this month as the department's search-and-rescue dog.
Mayor Paul Muir read Fire Chief Dan VanFossen a proclamation honoring Timmy at the meeting. A year ago, the department had said goodbye to Bandy, who had retired from working as a member of the fire company's K-9 Search and Rescue Team because of failing hips.
Timmy, a German shepherd, became a celebrity for his work in finding Sulley, a pet tortoise who went wandering away from his enclosure in Hunterdon County. He also helped find Alzheimer's patients who had gone missing and assisted in locating people with emotional issues.
The fire company has launched a gofundme page to help raise money to pay for Timmy's medical expenses.
Timmy also assisted in search and rescues around the state and participated in a number of demonstrations at area schools.
On the evening he was put down, a procession of firetrucks and emergency vehicles traveled from the Pattenburg firehouse to Crown Veterinary Specialists in Lebanon escorted by the State Police. Once there, the fire company held a full fireman's ceremony.
The vet hospital had also been caring for Timmy since he was diagnosed with throat cancer, unfortunately it quickly spread throughout his body and Timmy stopped eating. That is when the decision was made to put him down.
Timmy held multiple tracking titles and certifications, and was trained by Andrea Aporetella of Kingwood. Born in Germany, he only understood commands given in German for his search and rescue missions.
Timmy only two handlers since coming to Pattenburg Fire Company. His first was the late Bill Hardenburg, also a member of the fire company and VanFossen's stepfather.
After Hardenburg's passing, VanFossen became Timmy's handler and best friend.
LOWER MAKEFIELD, Pa. -- A Bucks County man who lived recently in New Jersey assaulted his son's mother Tuesday and fled, Lower Makefield police said.
Tamorri Hill
Police say Tamorri Hill, 39, struggled with the woman at a residence off Township Line Road.
The woman then retreated to a bathroom and called 911, but Hill forced his way in, knocked her to the ground and punched her, causing a cut to her lip and a broken tooth, police said.
Hill is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault and theft. Investigating officers later found that Hill stole the victim's phone, identification and debit card.
He was at large Wednesday evening, police said.
Hill formerly lived in Englewood was a resident of the Bergen County town in 2015 when he was charged with assaulting a woman at the same address, in December 2015, records show.
Hill later pleaded guilty to simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment in the case, records show.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
HAMILTON -- Police on Wednesday released surveillance images from Mercer County Community College showing 18-year-old student Nick Pratico on Sept. 20, the day he was reported missing.
Nick Pratico at Mercer County Community College Sept. 20.
Pratico, of Hamilton, was last seen at 3 p.m. and the surveillance images were taken moments before, police said. His family reported him missing around 10 p.m. that night and the search has been ongoing since.
The family launched a Facebook page to organize search efforts for him.
Pratico, a freshman at Mercer County Community College, was last seen at the college wearing a light blue shirt, black pants and carrying a blue backpack.
"Please view and share these photos of Nicholas Pratico taken from the Mercer County Community College surveillance system, moments before he went missing," Hamilton police said in a statement that accompanied the release of surveillance images. "We ask anyone who attended the college or rode any local public transportation on September 20th to call any of the following numbers."
Anyone with information may call the Hamilton Police Crime Tip Hotline at (609) 581-4008 or Detective Lenny Gadsby at 609-581-4032 or Detective Frank Burger at 609-581-4010.
Good Morning Everyone, We would like to say thank you to everyone who has sent us kind words, prayers, and wishes for... Posted by Find Nick Pratico on Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @By_paigegross. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Jose Reyes' alleged mistress has been causing problems all year, but they've mostly been his problems and his problems alone. Now, she's raising some hell at a Long Island Starbucks.
The New York Post is reporting that Christina Sanchez, who claims the Mets' infielder is ignoring the daughter they have together, was involved in a fight on Tuesday in a Starbucks parking lot across from the family courthouse in Westbury.
And oh boy, does this bout sound like a weird one.
There were brass knuckles, a shoe that was wielded as a weapon and a whole lot of wasted coffee.
Reyes and Sanchez were scheduled to appear in court to work out the $40,000 per month child support request, but it never happened. Two 21-year-old women apparently voiced their displeasure over her erratic driving, saying she nearly took out two cars in the parking lot. An admonishment by one to "pay attention" resulted in Sanchez getting out of her vehicle in a rage.
Sanchez tossed her coffee into their car, so Liann Schramm poured hers on the hood of Sanchez's car. Sanchez then retrieved what the report calls "spiked brass knuckles" and took off her stiletto heel and waved it around as if using it as a weapon.
The two girls jawed at one another for a while but the cops were called and Sanchez was arrested for felony criminal possession of a weapon. Neither party showed up to the court hearing and it was delayed until December.
Sanchez claims to have had a secret love child with Reyes and that he has cut back child support payments unfairly. Reyes is married with three daughters.
And oddly enough, Reyes doesn't really drink much coffee.
Some people just can't handle too much caffeine.
Abbey Mastracco may be reached at amastracco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @abbeymastracco. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
FREEHOLD - The top leaders of a criminal organization that prosecutors say terrorized Asbury Park residents and a city officer who helped tip them off were found guilty Wednesday of most of the charges against them.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced that James Fair, 29, was found guilty of racketeering, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit murder.
Haneef Walker, 25, was found guilty of racketeering, robbery and conspiracy.
Former Asbury Park police Officer Keith German, 49, was found guilty of three counts of official misconduct, including hindering the apprehension of gang members.
Those three defendants were among dozens of people who were charged as part of a high-end conspiracy bust in Monmouth County known as Operation Dead End. The investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office focused on criminal activity in Asbury Park between September 2013 and the following February.
The trial for Fair, Walker and German, started on June 6. Prosecutors said Fair and Walker were some of the key figures of an organized group that terrorized city residents.
"You don't want to be on the streets after 10 o'clock at night because you're going to get killed. Because it's a war out there," Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Joseph Cummings said Fair once told investigators.
Fair, who went by the name Dough Boy, led an organized group that sold drugs, robbed people of drugs and money, bought guns and tried to kill their rivals all over "greed and control," Cummings said during his opening remarks.
Walker, who went by the street name "Nutty," was described by Cummings as Fair's go-to guy for robberies, a man who would jump quickly in response to his boss's requests.
And German, of Tinton Falls, a 16-year veteran of the Asbury Park Police Department, gave Fair inside information about whether the heat was on the organization in return for Fair helping him stalk a woman who didn't return his affections, Cummings said.
Two weeks into the testimony portion of his trial, German, who had been out on bail, stopped showing up to court. Judge Joseph Oxley, who presided over that trial, issued a warrant for his arrest.
He was arrested June 28 as he was walking to his car at a strip mall outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, authorities said at the time.
German faces a minimum of five years without parole on each of three official misconduct charges when he returns to Monmouth County Superior Court in Freehold on Dec. 20 for sentencing, according to the County Prosecutor's Office.
Fair, identified by the Prosecutor's Office as a member of the Bloods street gang, was convicted of 78 charges and could get up to life in prison when sentenced by Oxley on Dec. 21.
Walker, to be sentenced the same day, was found guilty of 25 charges and faces up to 20 years on a first-degree racketeering conviction alone. He was identified by prosecutors as a member of the Crips gang.
A total of 53 people were charged after a 14-month investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office into criminal activity in Asbury Park between September 2013 and February 2014.
The probe was called Operation Dead End, prosecutors explained, because the criminal activities in question were based out of two dead-end streets in Asbury Park, Dewitt Avenue and a section of Jersey Street in the Washington Village Public Housing Complex.
NJ Advance Media reporter MaryAnn Spoto contributed to this report.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
READINGTON TWP. -- One week after mistaking a family dog for a coyote and shooting it, Romeo Antonucci, through his lawyer, released a statement apologizing to the family.
"First and foremost, on behalf of Romeo Antonucci and his family, (he) wishes to extend his deepest condolences to the Mongno family for their loss. Mr. Antonucci never intended to harm Tonka and this was a tragic accident," his lawyer, Mitchell Ansell, said.
Missing this guy so much Posted by Elizabeth Middlemark Mongno on Saturday, September 23, 2017
On Sept. 20, Elizabeth Mongno was walking her Alaskan Shepard, Tonka, when the dog ran into the woods to chase deer. Antonucci, who was hunting in the woods with permission from a neighbor, mistook the dog for a coyote and shot it with a crossbow.
"This has been and continues to be a very difficult time for our family. We do not have any other comment at this time," Mongno said in response to the statement.
Antonucci, of Kenilworth, did not realize it was a dog until he heard Mongno's voice calling for Tonka, Ansell said.
"In his mind, he believed he was shooting at a coyote," Ansell said. Shooting the dog was "the last thing on his mind."
Mongno previously disputed the allegation that Tonka could be mistaken as a coyote, saying the 1-year-old dog was white, larger than a coyote and wearing a collar.
She said Antonucci left the 4-acre property when she found Tonka. Ansell explained Antonucci left the site after being told by a 9-1-1 operator to wait by his car.
Antonucci, 40, has legally hunted in the area for "dozens of years," Ansell emphasized, and has seen a coyote there before. Under New jersey state law, it is legal for hunters to shoot coyote.
Police previously said the hunter was licensed and had permission to be in part of the wooded area, but not in the section of woods where Tonka was shot.
"He has absolutely no prior criminal history and more importantly, no prior violations of any fish and/or wildlife regulations," according to the statement. "He has hunted legally and lawfully for his entire life and has the utmost respect for the rules and laws imposed by the state of New Jersey governing hunting."
Since the accident, Antonucci sent a personal note with an apology to the family after failed attempts to directly contact them.
He said none of his actions on Sept. 20 were intentional or willful.
Antonucci is expected to appear in court Nov. 2, where he is facing charges of careless discharge, damage to property -- in this case, the dog -- and a deer-tagging violation.
"On behalf of Mr. Antonucci, we would respectfully request that all parties and the public refrain from making any judgements about the character of Mr. Antonucci and his actions that day, until all the facts are presented in a court of law," Ansell said.
On Friday, Mongno said she hopes legislation is put in place to stop hunting adjacent to residences, and the creation of registry of those hunting close to housing.
"I should have the right to know who's in the woods around me or with my children," Mongno said. "If I knew there was going to be someone from outside our neighborhood near here or out there with a weapon, I would've been more cautious."
Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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BERKELEY-- Police are looking for a man who exposed his genitals to a woman out walking her dog earlier this month.
The victim was walking east on North Barbados Drive around 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9 when the suspect approached her and began asking her about the dog and also asked to pet it. As she was speaking to the man she noticed that he had exposed himself, police said.
The woman quickly walked away. The suspect was last seen heading west on North Barbados.
He is described as white, about 6'2" and in his 30s. He was clean-shaven and was wearing a dark hat, a royal blue sweatshirt with a front zipper and black mesh shorts. He was also described as "very friendly," police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Berkeley Township Detective Bureau at 732-341-1132 x 611 or email detective@btpdnj.org. Tips can be anonymous.
JACKSON - A Jackson zoning board member was arrested on child pornography charges Tuesday after police forced their way into his home and found him with a loaded handgun, officials said.
Anthony Marano, 29, of Jackson. (Ocean County jail)
Anthony Marano, 29, of Jackson, had to be ordered multiple times to drop the gun before he was taken into custody, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato said in a statement.
He is charged with aggravated assault, possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography,
Marano is a member of the Jackson Township Zoning board. His Facebook page indicates he was previously a member of Boy Scouts of America and is a paramedic who is an EMS supervisor at Six Flags Great Adventure.
When detectives attempted to arrest Marano at his home on Eucalyptus Court on Tuesday morning, he did not surrender himself to authorities right away, Coronato said.
"After (High Tech Crime Unit) detectives announced their presence with a search warrant several times, they observed Marano move from the living room of the residence into the bedroom instead of responding to the door," Coronato's statement said. "They then forced entry and were met by the defendant exiting the bedroom with a handgun in his hand."
Marano eventually dropped the handgun and gave himself up to authorities, Coronato said. Detectives found a semi-automatic firearm with a loaded round in the chamber, according to Coronato.
Authorities said detectives with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office's High Tech Crime Unit first initiated an investigation into Marano in December 2016. But Marano took "covert cyber measures" to cover his tracks, authorities said.
The investigation continued and HTCU detectives found information from the FBI's Cyber Crime Task Force regarding Marano's alleged child pornography activity online.
At Marano's home, detectives found "numerous" images of child pornography, Coronato said.
Marano was taken to the Ocean County jail pending a first-appearance hearing.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
White_Unifier said: Canada was wrong to subsidize Bombardier. However, the best thing the US could have done under the circumstances was to just ignore it and let the market handle it. That said, however wrong the US was in reacting to Canada's subsidies, we can't deny that Canada did provoke it. Click to expand...
No we weren't. Total rubbish. We did nothing wrong nor nothing that other countries with aerospace industries do.found this in a 2 year old copy of the Washington Post."In late 2013, Washington state made history.On a mid-November Monday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed into law the largest corporate tax break in any states history, with an estimated lifetime value of $8.7 billion. The package was the result of a special three-day session Inslee called in order to entice Boeing to build its 777X plane in the state. Boeing didnt just score big that day. The aerospace giant has received more state and local subsidy dollars than any other corporation in America, according to newly released data compiled by Good Jobs First, a policy resource center on subsidy data.The state subsidy data was released Tuesday in conjunction with similar federal data and a matching reportUncle Sams Favorite Corporationswhich reviews the grants, loans and other subsidies distributed by the federal government since 2000. Over the course of those 15 years, the federal government has distributed $68 billion in grants and special tax credits to businesses, with two thirds of that transferred to large corporations. Six companies have received $1 billion or more, while 21 have received $500 million or more."Boeing also receives export "assistance" from the US Federal government to the tune of around a billion dollars per annum.Your reaction is typically Canadian. Somebody hits you and you say "SORRY".
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The 7th meeting of the Public Administration Reform Special Group for Albania took place on 27 September 2017 in Tirana. The meeting was co-chaired by Mrs. Senida Mesi, Deputy Prime Minister, and Mrs. Michela Matuella, Head of Unit for Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European Commission.
The Albanian authorities provided an update of the main developments focusing on civil service reform implementation, policy planning and coordination, service delivery and accountability as well as decentralisation and local governance. They also presented the plan of ministerial restructuring and reorganisation of public administration aiming to increase effectiveness of service delivery.
The European Commission welcomed the further progress in implementing Public Administration and Public Finance Management reforms, supported by 11 million of EU funds approved for disbursement in July 2017. The Commission further encouraged the government to maintain the good pace of reform implementation. It also underlined the importance of ensuring that the envisaged reorganisation is conducted in compliance with the civil service law. The Commission also emphasised the need to improve the mechanisms for policy planning, and to align budgeting with strategic planning.
Reform of public administration is one of the five key priorities for the opening of the EU accession negotiations. The PAR Special Group is the main policy dialogue forum where the Commission together with Albanian government institutions and independent institutions discuss the progress in implementation of the reforms of public administration, decentralisation and public finance management.
VERSIONISHQIP
It was still somewhat dark outside as the Rev. Stephanie Tollefson talked about light.
Tollefson, a pastor at First Lutheran Church, led prayer and provided a brief message during the See You at The Pole event Wednesday morning in front of the Fremont Family YMCA.
About 15 people gathered to observe the local event part of a nationwide observance that began in 1990. The event started when a group of Texas teens gathered at school flag poles to pray for their friends, schools and leaders. That endeavor would become an annual occurrence around the globe.
In the past, local youth gathered in front of Fremont Middle and High schools, and later Johnson Crossing Academic Center, to pray each September.
That hasnt occurred for a while, but local residents organized an event for people of any age this year.
Were going to make it, hopefully, an annual tradition, said Fremont businessman Dave Pimper, adding that he believes Midland University also had a similar event.
Area residents had gathered by 7 a.m., not far from a flag pole at the YMCA.
There, Tollefson quoted the words of Christ as recorded in the New Testament book of Matthew:
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on a lamp stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to our Father in heaven.
Tollefson said she believes those who gathered for prayer want to be lights in the world.
You sense in the places you live and the places you work, when you turn on the TV, that theres a lot of darkness and the world needs a bit more light, she said. And so the God that we serve and love calls each one of us to let our light shine.
As attendees stood in a semi-circle, Tollefson prayed: God, light our lights. Let them shine bright for you in all we say and all we do.
God, we give this day to you and we ask that you pour your strength, your courage and your light eternal in us and that we would share that light as your gift to this world.
Attendees held tiny, candle-like lights as they participated in a litany of prayer, led by John Patton, program director at First Lutheran Church.
Jesus we believe your light is brighter than any darkness that we face. Patton prayed.
The sun rose turning clouds into pink streaks in the sky as the prayers continued.
Afterward, attendees were invited to have coffee and doughnut holes, while soft music played in the background.
Were pretty privileged, Pimper said. Not many YMCAs can have a Christian group go out in front and not be harassed. Weve got a lot of support and thats pretty cool. We have a lot of liberties here in Fremont.
Welcome to non league daily news now - your number one spot for all things relating to the National League System. Our dedicated reporters have come straight from the sidelines to bring you news fresh from the dugout - but not before theyve stopped off at the burger van first!
We know that non league football fans are full of heart, passion, and belief. You trust the manager, you believe in the team, and, for some strange reason, you trust those rickety stands, too! Here at Non League Daily, we hope we can become your trusted non league news resource - a platform thats just as passionate about non league daily news now as you.
Come rain or shine, well be out reporting on the latest non league fixtures. Well also be scouring the news, refreshing social media, and sourcing information from team websites in the hopes of finding the latest breaking non league daily news for our readers.
As youll soon see, weve got exclusive match reports on the Vanarama National League, weve got transfer speculation thatll affect the National League South, weve found great stories thatll spice up the National League North, and weve even got news on the latest giant killers of the FA Cup.
We may not be able to agree on who is going up this year, but we can all agree that any news on the NLS worth knowing will be published here, at Non League Daily.
A group of protesters gathered outside the Pottawattamie County Courthouse Tuesday morning holding signs that indicated unfair treatment from Matt Wyant, the county planning and zoning director.
Mary Stanley, who helped organize the protest, said she and others have had unfair encounters with Wyant and his department. Wyant says the protestors didnt exhaust their legal remedies and that he was following state code.
Stanley said her issue started when she applied for a building permit for her sons land near Neola in June. The permit was denied because the septic system on the land was built before 2009.
He wants me to do something thats not in writing, and I refuse to do it, Stanley said.
Stanleys son, Joe Anderson, bought land near Neola in 2004, installed a septic that could support a house and put a trailer home on it until he could save up the money to build a house.
In June, Stanley applied for the building permit to start building the home.
Iowa Code Chapter 69 regulates private sewage disposal systems. Wyant told Stanley the state had altered the septic code in 2009. Wyant pointed to Chapter 69.1(3), subsection four, noting that new construction requires septic tanks to abide by the post-2009 changes to code, which added language about septics being water tight.
Wyant said he proceeds with caution on matters related to septics in the wake of a legal case out of Mills County. A class action lawsuit alleged the county approved septic systems that were less than regulation size for 13 years from Jan. 1, 1986, to Dec. 31, 1998.
The undersized septic systems caused approximately 740 homeowners and businesses to experience sewage backup in their yards and basements. The case was settled out of court, with the county paying $2.7 million to the homeowners.
Stanley said the case doesnt apply to her situation. She appealed the Planning and Zoning Departments decision that the Neola property would require a new septic unit to the countys Board of Health, which sided with Wyant.
The board goes along with what he wants. Everything he wants, he gets, Stanley said.
Stanley took the matter to the county Board of Supervisors in August. Board Chairman Justin Schultz said the supervisors dont have the authority to supersede the Board of Health. Schultz said the board supported Stanley being able to use the existing septic, if it could be certified as functioning and safe.
A remedy offered by the Planning Department, Board of Health and Board of Supervisors was for Stanley to have an engineer certify that the existing septic tank was in good condition. Wyant said its a practice thats been used in the past.
Stanley said she had trouble finding an engineer that did such inspections. We told Matt (Wyant) to find an engineer to inspect the septic for Stanley, Schultz said.
Stanley said she has not had the engineer out to inspect the tank because of the cost, which she said is more than $1,000, and because Code 69 doesnt say anything about being inspected or engineers.
The matter comes down, in part, to an interpretation of state law. Wyant said administrative authorities the Board of Health, in this case can review tanks to determine if they meet state standards.
Wyant said if an engineer gives the septic tank good marks, hell issue the building permit. Weve done everything we can to try to help, he said.
Stanley and others gathered outside the courthouse Tuesday to protest what they call unfair practices by Wyant and his department. Ron Jenkins of rural Council Bluffs said that after the state put in a ramp at his home, he and his wife who are both disabled wanted to move their carport to near where the ramp ended.
Wyant explained that the garage would violate Iowa code requiring buildings to be 50 feet from the roadway right-of-way.
They could not meet the setback, Wyant said.
Jenkins asked the Zoning Board of Adjustment for a variance on the issue, which wouldve allowed him to put the carport where he desired. The board denied the variance.
Jenkins said his neighbors supported his building of the garage, while Wyant said neighbors spoke against it at the zoning board meeting.
Wyant said Jenkins had the right to appeal the decision to district court, but did not.
Jenkins said he had to remove five feet of the carport to abide by the setback code, meaning his van sticks out of the end and he was unable to put a door on the structure to keep out the elements.
Jenkins noted that he had poured a concrete base on the location of the carport before he had obtained permits. Wyant said he had several conversations with Jenkins before hed applied for a permit, and had advised Jenkins not to do anything before permits were obtained.
Jenkins said hes filed a complaint against Wyant with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. Wyant said the matter had been resolved by the commission, which found in his favor.
Kristin Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Commission, said Iowa law prohibits her from revealing the existence or non-existence of a complaint unless public hearing charges have been filed.
We have no pending public hearing involving the parties, she said in an email.
The protestors also had signs that also advocated for the ouster via next years elections of Schultz and Supervisor Tom Hanafan. Schultz said he supports the groups right to protest and speak their mind.
But I think the whole situation is unfortunate, he said.
The dispute will continue, as Stanley seeks legal counsel on the matter. Schultz said he hopes Stanley takes care of the inspection and that Anderson builds the home.
Its advantageous for us to have the home built there, he said.
NEW YORK (AP) Target Corp. is raising its minimum hourly wage for workers to $11 starting next month and then to $15 by the end of 2020, a move it says will help it hire and keep the best employees and make shopping a better experience for customers.
The initiative announced Monday is part of the discounters overall strategy to improve its business, which includes remodeling stores, expanding its online services and opening up smaller urban locations.
Target quietly raised entry-level hourly wages to $10 last year from $9 from the previous year, following initiatives by Walmart and others to hike pay in a competitive marketplace.
But Targets increase to $15 per hour far exceeds not only the federal minimum of $7.25 but the hourly base pay at Walmart, the nations largest private employer, and plenty of its retail peers whose minimum hourly pay hovers around $10.
Now Targets raise could force rivals to match the pay.
The changes come as theres more attention on hourly wages. Thousands of workers have protested to call attention to their financial struggles and to fight for $15 an hour. The election of a Republican-controlled Congress dampened hopes of an increase in the federal minimum wage, but advocates have continued to press at the state and local level.
At the same time, competition for lower-skilled workers has heated up. As shoppers get more mobile-savvy, retailers want staffers who are more skilled at customer service and in technology such as using iPads to check out inventory.
Thirty-two percent of all U.S. first jobs are in retail, according to trade group the National Retail Federation, and stores have more job openings now than they did a few years ago.
With the unemployment rate near a 16-year low, the most desirable retail workers feel more confident in hopping from job to job. Some 75 percent of hourly retail workers now change jobs within a year, compared with 50 percent during the Great Recession, according to Korn Ferry Hay Group, a global consultancy group.
Hourly pay at restaurants and hotels is up 3.5 percent from a year earlier, a much better raise than the 2.5 percent gain for all employees. For workers at transportation and warehousing companies, where e-commerce growth is fueling hiring, pay is up 2.7 percent in the past year. Retailers, however, have lifted pay just 1.8 percent in the past year. That may be spurring more workers to leave for better opportunities: Separate government data shows the number of retail workers quitting their jobs this year and last is at the highest in a decade.
The average hourly pay for cashiers is now $10.14, according to the Korn Ferry Hay Groups survey of 140 retailers with annual sales of at least $500 million. The survey was conducted in May. A year ago, it was $9.79.
Target says its minimum hourly wage of $11 is higher than the minimum wage in 48 states and matches the minimum wage in Massachusetts and Washington. It says the pay hike will affect thousands of its more than 300,000 workers, but it declined to quantify the percentage of its workforce. It said the increase to $11 per hour will apply to the more than 100,000 hourly workers that Target will be hiring for the holiday season.
Target declined to say what the average pay will be for its hourly workers with the increased wages.
We see this not only as an investment in our team but an investment in an elevated experience for our guests and the communities we serve, Brian Cornell, CEO of Target, told reporters on a call Friday.
Ken Perkins, president of research firm Retail Metrics LLC, called Targets decision astute.
Target is really trying to gain market share in an environment where there is tremendous upheaval, Perkins said. But he believes only a few dozen healthy retailers, such as Best Buy, Home Depot and Walmart, could mirror what Target is doing.
Craig Rowley, head of the retail practice at Korn Ferry Hay Group, estimates that retailers devote 5 to 8 percent of their annual sales to store hourly labor costs.
Target is seeing signs that its turnaround efforts are starting to win back shoppers.
In August, it reported that a key sales figure rose in the second quarter, reversing four straight quarters of declines, and its online sales jumped 32 percent. The company also boosted its earnings expectations for the year. Target is spending $7 billion over three years to remodel old stores, open small ones in cities and college towns and offer faster delivery for online orders. It is also adding more clothing and furniture brands.
Walmart has also been benefiting from its investment in its workers.
The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer has seen lower turnover and improved customer service scores. Its namesake U.S. division reported a 1.8 percent increase in revenue at stores open at least a year during its fiscal second quarter, marking the 12th straight period of gains. Walmarts wage investments, however, did take a big bite out of profits.
Target reiterated its third-quarter and full-year profit guidance, and said it would update investors early next year about how higher wages will affect long-term profits. Its shares initially fell Monday, but regained that ground and were little changed.
APs Chris Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report.
Repeal and replace is the mantra that will never die and its come back from the dead again.
But the revised Senate version, known as the Graham-Cassidy bill, would be best served by returning to the grave from whence it came. In particular, its reliance on block grants to shift an even heavier cost burden onto states battling their own budget issues makes it the wrong plan at the wrong time.
Nebraska would see reduced federal funding under Graham-Cassidy, under an analysis from Avalere Health. Though the Cornhusker State would see the smallest reduction of any state losing money for federal health insurance subsidies, near $1 billion, being forced to shoulder that dollar figure could not come at more challenging moment.
The states financial woes and declining tax receipts have been well documented. Adding another $1 billion liability at a time when critical funding needs cant be met would be a crushing blow for Nebraska.
Thirty-three other states, too, would lose such subsidies, with the net loss nationwide totaling $215 billion. Under this bill, Medicaid spending would be reduced by more than $1 billion, or 12 percent, between 2020 and 2036.
The National Association of Medicaid Directors, a bipartisan group representing all 50 states, called the measure the largest intergovernmental transfer of financial risk from federal government to the states in our countrys history. Given that it estimates Medicaid represents a quarter of the average state budget, these concerns arent hyperbolic.
Even beyond passing the bucks from federal to state governments, a critical error with this legislation remains the lack of transparency and debate on the floor.
While Republican leadership is again attempting to whip up 50 votes needed to pass it through the convoluted reconciliation process, the revised bill hasnt yet been debated or opened up for amendments through the traditional process.
Appeals to repeal and replace Obamacare certainly have merit. But any follow-through must be done thoughtfully and transparently.
Ramming through a piece of legislation for something as complex and far-reaching as health care Medicaid is 3 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product before receiving a Congressional Budget Office score is dangerous. Doing it quickly to beat a deadline under arcane rules that prevent robust, open debate isnt the democracy envisioned by the Founding Fathers.
Obamacare is no doubt flawed, and some of its provisions remain deeply unpopular. Thats why 15 Republican governors including Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a letter supporting the new bill.
Simply repealing and replacing Obamacare just to do it with a flawed bill that would cost two-thirds of states billions of dollars is the wrong approach. Senators must bury this hurried legislation once and for all, in favor of necessary, comprehensive, bipartisan health care reforms.
Journal Star, Sept. 23, 2017
Brisbane Broncos veteran Sam Thaiday believes the future is bright at Red Hill, claiming the young talent coming through will leave the club in good shape for 2018.
The Broncos fell one game short of a grand final appearance in 2017, outplayed by the Melbourne Storm in a one-sided preliminary final.
It was always going to be tough for Brisbane after a year full of injuries to key personnel, and it all caught up with Wayne Bennett's men as they went down 30-0.
But there are plenty of positive notes for the Broncos to build on heading into the off-season and the club can be proud of where they finished.
Many 'experts' had Brisbane missing the top eight in their pre-season predictions, but the Broncos defied this lack of faith to finish third on the ladder with 16 wins.
Young forwards Joe Ofahengaue and Tevita Pangai Junior established themselves as regular first-graders, while Josh McGuire made a seamless transition to lock as Brisbane's most consistent forward.
These are just some of the achievements that leave Thaiday hopeful for success in what will be his final year in the NRL.
"Starting the year we had a lot of doubters and a lot of people putting a line through us," Thaiday told broncos.com.au
"We lost a key playmaker in Andrew McCullough, but I think we really found some depth this year.
"We've got some good young kids coming through. We lose a lot of good players in our team next year but we are definitely going to be better for the experience."
One of the players departing the Broncos is half Benji Marshall, with the 32-year-old moving back to where it all began re-joining the Wests Tigers for 2018.
Marshall only spent one year in Brisbane but his impact was felt throughout the club and the Broncos are sad to see him go.
Speaking to broncos.com.au, an emotional Marshall thanked the club for taking a chance on him, saying he would look fondly on the experience.
"I'm really proud of what I've achieved this year. Obviously I didn't get a lot of game time but when I did I tried to make it count," Marshall said.
"I've really enjoyed the opportunity to mentor Kodi (Nikorima) and Anthony (Milford) on and off the field. People forget they are 21 and 23 so they have a lot to learn, but I'm really proud of those guys and what they've achieved.
"I've said it before, the best thing I've done is come to Brisbane. It's sad to leave but I'm proud of what I achieved here."
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Northwest Indiana is home to a thicket of underground pipelines because of its oil refineries and strategic location on the south shore of Lake Michigan
Environmental activists hope to raise funds and awareness about the potential threat with a walk along the path of Enbridge's Line 6 from the Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve near the Enbridge pipeline terminal in Griffith to Hammond's Hessville neighborhood starting at 8 a.m. Saturday.
"On Sept. 30, 2017, environmental activists and community members will be walking the path of the Enbridge Line 6 tar sands pipeline as it passes through Northwest Indiana, near schools, homes and nature preserves," organizers said in a news release. "The goal of the walk is to raise awareness about the existence of tar sands pipelines in NWI communities and support for a just transition to a renewable energy economy in Northwest Indiana."
Enbridge declined to comment specifically on the walkathon but spokesman Ryan Duffy said the pipeline is "an integral part of the Regions critical energy infrastructure, providing a safe and efficient supply of crude oil to numerous regional refineries in both the U.S. and Canada, which in turn supply the publics need for refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and asphalt."
Duffy said pipelines were the safest way of transporting gas and the company has invested more than $4.9 billion over the last four years to maintain its pipeline and prevent leaks.
"Enbridge builds safety into every step of pipeline construction and operations, and many preventive measures are taken to promote the safe, reliable operation of our oil pipelines and related facilities," he said.
Organizers of the walk include 350 Indiana-Calumet, Purdue University Northwest Environmental Club, Community Strategy Group of East Chicago, NWI Resistance, First Unitarian Church of Hobart Faith in Action Committee and Moraine Ridge Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. They plan to follow up with asking local officials to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement and adopt a local climate action plan, which Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson already has done.
"Many Northwest Indiana residents may not realize what is running through their backyard," 350 Indiana-Calumet said in a news release. "Tar sands oil is the dirtiest form of oil there is. The Enbridge Pipeline system transports heavy crude oil from Canadas Athabasca tar sands. The Canadian Tar Sands is the largest and most destructive human project in the history of the world."
Registering for the walk costs $10 to $25, and proceeds support the nonprofit sponsors. For more information, visit WalktheLineNWI.com.
Two Northwest Indiana steakhouses must be grilling up something good because they were ranked among the best in the states by American Towns Media's Best Things Indiana.
The Connecticut-based "hyperlocal" digital media company named Kelsey's Steakhouse in Valparaiso ninth best in Indiana, and Freddy's Steakhouse in Hammond 10th best.
"Kelseys Steakhouse in Valparaiso, Indiana, was voted best in the Region five times for its welcoming atmosphere, and its easy to see why," author Gabby Davis wrote in the listicle. "When you arrive at Kelseys, you will feel an instant warmth for this beautifully remodeled restaurant. Its warm and inviting, yet casual and relaxed. Kelseys has been serving up some of the best steaks in Northwestern Indiana for over 20 years, so stop on in and say hello."
Freddy's, a half-century-old Region institution at 6442 Kennedy Ave. in Hammond's Hessville neighborhood, also got some love in "The 10 Best Steakhouses in Indiana" ranking.
"Freddys Steakhouse in Hammond, Indiana, has a been favorite among Hammond residents and Indiana residents for almost half a century," Davis wrote. "They have quality steaks and fresh, baked bread and delicious desserts. Its Hoosier hospitality at its finest. Each dinner entree includes a relish tray, tossed salad, soup and bread basket with honey butter. You wont know where to start first when it comes to eating at Freddys."
American Towns ranked Mountain Jacks Steakhouse in Lafayette as Indiana's best steakhouse, which may come as a surprise to carnivores partial to the swanky steakhouses at Northwest Indiana's casinos or all the expense account steakhouses clustered in downtown Indianapolis.
GARY Police are investigating after a 17-year-old boy said he was attacked and shot at while riding his bike late Sunday night in the city's Horace Mann section.
Police were dispatched at 11:37 p.m. to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary for a report of a gunshot wound victim, according to Gary police Sgt. Latonia Shields-Marsh.
The victim was reportedly shot at as he rode his bike along Grant Street near the 500 block of Taft Street.
Shields-Marsh said one of the attackers reportedly told the victim, "Are you ready to die tonight? Because you're going to die," before the group of suspects punched him, prompting the boy to get off his bike and run away.
One of the suspects is described as black, light-skinned and wearing a gray shirt and jeans. The person pulled out a semi-automatic weapon, fired one shot, grazing the 17-year-old in the left side of his back.
Emergency room staff later informed him the bullet did not penetrate, but only grazed his back, Shields-Marsh said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Gary police Detective Sgt. Williams Fazekas at 219-881-1210. To remain anonymous, call the crime tip line at 866-CRIME-GP.
GARY A disgruntled customer grabbed "an armful of chips," pop and some candy Monday morning before battering a gas station store clerk.
Police were dispatched at 9:12 a.m. to the GoLo gas station at 3101 W. Fifth Ave., in Gary, said Gary police Sgt. Latonia Shields-Marsh.
A store clerk told police the customer "was being difficult" as he requested to exchange some loose change for dollar bills, Shields-Marsh said. After the exchange took place, the customer then asked to put two bags of chips on a debit card.
When the clerk advised he would be subject to a 50-cent fee because all debit card transactions required a minimum purchase of $4 dollars, the customer argued, police said.
The man, described as black, heavyset, in his 20s and light complected, reportedly then snatched up an armful of chips and other items, police said.
The clerk followed him to his car, when the suspect struck him a couple of times, leaving a bruise by his left eye, police said.
A woman who was with the suspect tried to stop him from hurting the clerk before the two drove off in a gray, four-door vehicle with Illinois plates.
Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact Gary police at 219-881-1210. To remain anonymous, call the Gary Crime Tip Line at 866-CRIME-GP.
VALPARAISO A 16-year-old Valparaiso woman was airlifted to an Illinois hospital with serious injuries Monday morning after her vehicle left the road in rural Center Township and struck a tree, according to the Porter County Sheriff's Department.
Samantha Constantine was driving westbound on City View Drive when at 7:25 a.m. her 2000 Subaru left the roadway in the area of Fairview Avenue for an unknown reason, police said.
She had to be extricated from her vehicle and was flown to Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, according to police.
INDIANAPOLIS The Indiana Finance Authority has begun testing for lead contamination at water faucets, drinking fountains and other plumbing fixtures in public and charter schools across the state.
A legislative study committee learned Tuesday that 814 Hoosier schools including 62 in Lake County, 29 in Porter and 11 in LaPorte have volunteered for the free water-infrastructure testing offered by the state after lead in the soil last year forced an East Chicago elementary school to shut down.
That means, however, 53 percent of Indiana schools are not participating. At least 19 school corporations, including Valparaiso Community Schools, recently spent district funds to conduct school water testing on their own.
Non-participating schools still can sign up. The IFA hopes to test the water in at least 90 percent of Indiana public schools before the academic year ends.
According to the IFA, the state expects to spend up to $4 million in federal funds for the water testing program.
Jim McGoff, IFA director of environmental programs, said results from the first schools to be tested in August found some instances of lead exceeding the 15 parts per billion action level set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
But in nearly all cases, McGoff explained the lead contamination was traced to older faucets containing lead in their components, or sinks that no longer are used regularly.
He said it's relatively easy and inexpensive for schools to replace a lead-contaminated faucet with a new faucet and to put up signs at idle sinks clearly indicating the water should not be used for drinking.
"Most of our school systems will have perhaps one faucet in their facilities that needs some attention," McGoff said.
"We've tried to educate both the public and the school systems to expect that, and not to be overly worried about receiving a positive test."
He indicated that lead contamination, if any exists, is likely to be found due to the thoroughness of IFA's testing, as officials expect to produce for lead analysis more than 60,000 water samples over the next year.
The agency makes two visits to each participating school. The first is used to locate every water fixture in the building, then the team returns to independently sample the water coming out of each fixture.
They also test for lead in the school's water pipes by drawing a water sample from the fixture located farthest from where the pipes enter the building.
It's assumed the water supply itself is not contaminated by lead based on tests conducted at local water treatment facilities prior to distribution, McGoff said.
Water testing results are provided to the leaders of each school and posted on the IFA website at in.gov/ifa. School officials decide whether to directly share the information with parents and students.
Schools are responsible for the costs of remediating any lead-contaminated fixtures. Though the IFA plans to make low-interest loans available to any schools facing significant plumbing replacement costs, McGoff said.
GARY Indiana University Northwest will host a workshop for 21st Century Scholars from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3, in the Theater at the Arts & Sciences Building.
The workshop is an opportunity for current ninth -12th grade 21st Century Scholars to get assistance with completing their Scholar Success Program (SSP). Successfully completing the SSP and tracking their progress through the ScholarTrack online tool is mandatory for students to receive a 21st Century Scholarship.
At the event, advisors will provide scholars with information and resources to help them understand and complete the 21st Century Scholarship program. Students can also tour the IU Northwest campus and learn about the admissions process.
Workshop topics include: Meeting 21st Century Scholar Program and SSP requirements; Understanding income eligibility guidelines; Learning about careers and exploring career-ready websites; Understanding financial aid; Navigating the college application process; Maintaining scholarship eligibility in college and tips for college success.
21st Century Scholars are first generation college hopefuls who promise in the seventh or eighth grade to maintain a C average and be good citizens throughout high school. If they fulfill that promise, the state will pay 100 percent of their tuition and mandatory fees at an Indiana college, but in order to collect the maximum tuition benefit, they must meet certain income requirements and finish their undergraduate degree in four years.
To register, visit iun.edu/JumpStart. Call 219-981-4261.
From Gary to South Bend, bogs and oak savannas, wetlands and marsh, flatwoods and forests are being protected, thanks to donors, volunteers and concerted efforts to conserve and restore some of the Region's most fragile landscapes.
Since its inception in 1981, the nonprofit Shirley Heinze Land Trust has been able to take more than 2,400 acres of land under its wings.
"These places we are protecting provide critical habitat for insects, animals, amphibians. They predicate the biodiversity and natural heritage of what was here before we arrived," said Executive Director Kris Kouse. "If we lose the land, we not only lose that part of our natural history, we face social impacts, quality of life impacts."
Who was Shirley Heinze?
Shirley Heinze was a staff psychiatrist and professor at the University of Illinois Chicago. Born in Ohio, she relocated to various states and cities, landing in Ogden Dunes.
She was an environmentalist and passionate about nature, said Krouse.
Heinze was diagnosed with lymphoma and died of the disease at age 51.
Heinze had become close to one of her clients, Betty Lou Seidner, and her husband, Robert. After Heinze's death in 1978, the Seidners gave $30,000 to the newly formed Shirley Heinze Environmental Fund.
The funds were to be used to protect and restore high quality ecosystems within the Lake Michigan watershed, targeting Lake and Porter counties and the northwest corner of LaPorte County.
From the seed, the organization grew
In 1981, the group filed as a nonprofit organization and began picking up lots throughout Gary and Beverly Shores, Krouse said.
The effort continued with an all-volunteer staff until the mid-1990s, when Gordon and Faith Greiner bequested to the organization several shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock. That funding allowed them to hire an executive director and begin to leverage those funds with grants available through the North American Wetland Conservation Act.
"They began to work with several local and state partners, bringing in $3 million to the Region for land acquisition and restoration," Krouse said. "They started picking up great nature preserves, some of which are dedicated to the state."
The name of the group was changed in the early 2000s to the Shirley Heinze Land Trust. During the same time, the group began adding stewardship staff to manage the land holdings along with an educational component, partnering with the Field Museum and Dunes Learning Center to form the Northwest Indiana Mighty Acorns Partnership, an environmental education program for elementary-age children funded by ArcelorMittal. They also began adding adult programming and hikes.
One of the largest preservation efforts came with the purchase of the former Meadowbrook Girl Scout Camp in 2013 using Bicentennial Nature Trust funds. After the original 74 acres were purchased, additional parcels have been added, bringing the nature preserve up to 224 acres. It also serves as the group's headquarters.
In 2008, the group underwent strategic planning and decided it would expand its geographic area. Under the Indiana Land Protection Alliance, there were no identified land trusts in St. Joseph, Starke or Marshall counties.
"Shirley Heinze stepped up and the stars aligned in 2015 when a rare bog became available in St. Joseph County," said Krouse, adding the group purchased the Lydick Bog. They also are reaching out to raise funds in St. Joseph County, undertaking a $250,000 capital campaign.
Why preserve the land?
"I look at nature as being a quality of life issue," said SHLT board president John Swanson.
Swanson, former executive director of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, said he had worked with the group prior to his retirement on greenway and blueway plans for the region. After he retired, he was looking for a place to get involved. He's been with the SHLT for more than four years.
"Our mission is to acquire and preserve high quality properties and educate the public about the value of preservation," said Swanson, adding that preservation goes hand-in-hand with economic development, attracting residents and jobs to the Region.
"They aren't opposite ideals," he said.
Krouse said the economic benefits of land preservation is difficult to quantify in dollar amounts. In addition to the recreational opportunities they provide, there also are the issues of helping maintain water and air quality, supporting climate resiliency and its role in food production.
State-dedicated nature preserves
Five of the nature preserves owned and managed by SHLT are designated state nature preserves. These are Ambler Flatwood, Barker Woods, Cressmoor Prairie, John Merle Coulter and Seidner Dune and Swale.
There are 281 state-designated nature preserves, said John Bacone, director of the nature preserves division of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. These are owned by 44 different entities ranging from land trusts to the state, universities, conservation groups and local park boards.
Bacone said the state's nature preservation act, which marks its 50th anniversary this year, allows the state to partner with groups to provide the designation to land within Indiana that is "pretty special" and rare. Lands receiving this distinction are high-quality examples of all the different types of land in the state.
"It gives the most legal protection of any land in Indiana," said Bacone, adding it requires the owner to give up all rights of development. "They have more protections than state parks."
Future goals
The SHLT has taken in 2,450 acres, doubling its land holdings in the last three years, Krouse said.
Funded through donations and grants, Krouse said the group will continue to look for land that needs to be protected. Its goal is to have 3,000 acres protected by 2020.
The group recently completed one goal outlined in its five-year strategic plan, becoming an accredited land trust by the Land Trust Alliance in 2016. The alliance, said Krouse, does a "deep dive" on the group's finances, stewardship policies and land policies. About 400 land trusts across the country have received the certification.
Krouse said the group, which operates on a $720,000 annual budget with six full-time, four permanent part-time and three to six temporary employees, looks to increase staff, public education programs, public access to properties and its volunteer program in the next few years.
"As an organization, we have a phenomenal core group of donors, supporters and volunteers. We have been very successful with collaboration and partnerships, including businesses, industry, government, other nonprofits and other environmental groups," Krouse said. "We will be working on our vision and a more sustainable vision for all of Northwest Indiana."
MICHIGAN CITY The father of a 17-year-old girl gunned down at a birthday party six years ago said he felt relieved as a jury found her shooter guilty of murder Tuesday night.
"I was going to get justice, period. I didnt want my daughter to become no cold case," Kalvon Hawkins said a day after the verdict.
After deliberating for five hours Tuesday, a LaPorte Superior Court 1 jury found Charles Gerron guilty in the 2011 shooting death of NeKeisha Hodges-Hawkins.
Gerron could face 45 to 65 years at his Oct. 26 sentencing.
Hodges-Hawkins died from a single gunshot to the back of the head. Close to her was James Sanders, who was struck on his lower leg.
According to authorities, Hodges-Hawkins was among 50 or more people leaving a birthday party in Michigan City after a verbal altercation erupted between two women inside.
At least two men from rival gangs exchanged heated words in the parking lot when six shots rang out, according to court records.
During closing arguments, LaPorte County Prosecutor John Espar said evidence supports a witness claim that a man fitting the defendant's description fled afterward on a moped Gerron drove to the party.
Gerron was also seen with a gun tucked in his waistband, Espar said.
Espar said Gerron was overheard telling someone, "Let's shoot this party up and cut out." Gerron was accused of pulling up to a friend's house on a moped and revealing he shot Sanders and fired two other rounds.
Espar said the first three gunshots in the air were from then-18-year-old Cameron Kent while the final ones, fired more rapidly, were from Gerron.
Gerron may not have intended to harm the girl, but all that mattered for a conviction was knowing the risks of firing a gun into a crowd, he said.
The gun used in the killing was never recovered. However, Espar said Gerron was injured months prior by a .38 caliber handgun in his front pants pocket discharging, and the bullet fragment removed from the victim was from a weapon of the same caliber.
Defense attorney Scott King said several calibers leave the same bullet markings and believed police rushed to arrest Gerron to squelch protesting from the victim's family.
"If these witnesses were so compelling, why did it take you until Dec. 20, 2016, to accuse this young man?" King said.
King said Kent was arrested originally for both shootings but was given 18 months probation for the shooting of Sanders after agreeing to cooperate.
He was charged with criminal recklessness and King wondered why his client was hit with a more serious charge.
Murder charges were filed late last year, about one month after Kalvon Hawkins took to the streets and social media urging police to reopen the case.
"I fought six hard years for this. I wasn't going to stop. Somebody had to be held accountable for this," Kalvon Hawkins said.
MICHIGAN CITY All of LaPorte County is banding together to develop quality-of-life strategies for enticing more young professionals and visitors to come to the area.
More than 30 community leaders assembled Tuesday to further a grassroots movement that began last year when a steering committee made up of members countywide was formed and assigned the task of creating a better future.
"We have so many natural assets here and we have so much human capital to pour into really moving from good to great," said state Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City.
Jamie Greene, of Planning Next, based in Columbus, Ohio, shared what his company has done to help places like Valparaiso, Elkhart and Fort Wayne develop strategic plans during a close to two-hour presentation at the LaPorte County Convention & Visitors Bureau in Michigan City.
He said the next step for LaPorte County is to form a new action committee that could have as many as 50 members from all parts of the county and secure revenue for achieving goals aimed at making LaPorte County a better place to live, work and raise a family.
"That lets the work unfold," Greene said.
Leigh Morris, a former LaPorte mayor and a steering committee member, said local corporations have been approached to contribute money he believes will be forthcoming.
Securing grant dollars is also part of the financial mix.
"We have so much that is good, and we have so many great opportunities, but for whatever reason maybe we're not moving forward as aggressively as we might. The plan, I believe, is the missing ingredient," Morris said.
Morris said he doesn't feel invisible walls that keep communities separated and competing against each other will be much of an obstacle, with LaPorte and Michigan City having come together more than a decade ago.
He also pointed to southern LaPorte County and its recently formed action group aimed at moving smaller communities like LaCrosse, Wanatah and Westville into the future more effectively.
Morris said input and involvement of people from all areas including the business sector, schools and not-for-profit organizations will be sought to develop the countywide plan, hopefully within a year.
Strategies could involve anything from attracting more high-paying jobs, enhancing growth of local tourism and expanding recreational opportunities, said LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jack Arnett, who is leading the charge.
"All of that fits into quality of place," said Arnett.
Maggie Spartz, executive director of the Unity Foundation of LaPorte County, hopes to engage as many people as possible from each community into sharing their wants and visions for the future.
After the overall plan is developed, communities will be free to implement any portion of the plan that fits best for their respective areas.
"If you don't have a vision for where you want to go, who knows where you're going to end up," she said.
The advisory Human Relations Council is celebrating a recent decision by the Valparaiso City Council to create a full-time director of community engagement.
The City Council on Monday unanimously approved its 2018 salary ordinance, which allocates funds for the director.
This is the position we've been talking about for a number of years, HRC chairman Heath Carter said at his group's meeting on Tuesday. I am delighted to see this investment in a full-time position.
The director will be selected by Mayor Jon Costas and will report to the city administrator. Annual salary is estimated at $50,000 to $60,000 and will be funded through the city's budget with EDIT reimbursement.
Carter said he hoped the director would be hired sometime in early 2018.
Job qualifications include a bachelor's degree in city planning, nonprofit operation, public policy and social work. Experience in working with municipal government is preferred.
Primary duties include cultivating safe and vibrant neighborhoods; working with city leaders to attract diverse talent for city jobs; and developing leaders from currently under-represented groups such as women, people of color, young people and people who are disabled.
Carter asked his panel if they had suggestions regarding the job description. The HRC previously had petitioned for a full-time housing/community relations director.
HRC member John Albers said he was disappointed the job description did not include any mention of working with the HRC.
Albers also was concerned that housing advocacy was not included in the description.
Racial issues in this town are going to be expressed in housing, rather than bakeries or other businesses. Housing will be the place where people will see and continue to experience housing discrimination, Albers said.
HRC member Tatiana Cochran agreed, saying there needs to be a person on the city's staff who will advocate for affordable housing and coordinate with nonprofits.
Carter said he shared their concern and noted there might be ways for the director to get involved in housing.
This is a beginning, he said. Just having someone with expertise is a benefit. It's a place from which to grow.
In the end, the HRC voted to give its blessing to the job description and pass along its suggestions to the City Council.
I know this isn't perfect, but it's a significant investment and really exciting, Carter said.
Fall is in the air. Leaves are starting to turn, the weather is cooling and students around the state are well into a new school year. While some embrace the new year and the daily return to the classroom, others dread it not because they dont want to learn or do the work required to succeed, but rather the school they are attending may not be providing them the tools they need to learn effectively.
The school could even be holding them back.
That is why more Hoosier families are choosing virtual education as a way to create their own journey to educational success. Students enrolled in virtual schools must meet all state education requirements but can do so on their own time, many at a faster pace than their peers in traditional school settings.
At one of Indianas several virtual public schools, students study all of the same subjects as they would at the brick and mortar public school in their neighborhood. Using a computer or their smartphone, students have the freedom to earn the same credits from home or really anywhere else in the world that has Wi-Fi.
During the last decade, we have seen millions of college graduates earn their degrees online. Many of them say if it werent for the flexibility online education provides, they may never have graduated.
The same is true for many of our states elementary, middle and high school students.
As we have learned over the years, not all students thrive in the typical classroom because of physical, social, economic and other factors.
Virtual education gives new hope to the student whose ADHD keeps him from focusing for eight straight hours a day. It provides a solution to the student who needs to work a full-time job to help support her family, and it can give students who have struggled with discipline in traditional schools another chance at acquiring the education they deserve.
Because of disciplinary issues and adverse living situations, some students who enroll at a virtual school do so at a time when they are far behind their peers. The virtual school may be the fourth or fifth school they have attended in recent years.
Virtual educators in Indiana see the needs of those students and are offering another path to success.
Indiana Virtual School just created Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy. Recently authorized by the Daleville Community School Corp., Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy will focus on reaching students who traditional schools have failed in the past, students we cannot allow to fall through the cracks of our states education system.
Through partnerships with organizations like county sheriffs departments, the Minority Engineering Program of Indianapolis and the Indiana Construction Roundtable, Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy will expose students to more role models, and more importantly, more opportunities.
The academy also will have an intense focus on ensuring opportunities for internships and industry certifications that could set students up for a successful career.
Whether a student has fallen behind or soared ahead, virtual education can be modified to fit exactly what and how a student needs to learn. Because of that, K-12 virtual education undoubtedly will continue to grow in Indiana and across the country.
Any teacher will tell you, when it comes to education one size does not fit all.
Preliminary positioning couldn't be better for plans to double-track and expand a portion of the South Shore commuter rail line.
Last week, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb had the ear of his friend and former boss, former Indiana governor and now Vice President Mike Pence, regarding the issue.
Holcomb has given the project unbridled support, and he personally handed a letter to Pence to be passed on to the U.S. transportation secretary pushing for the matching federal funds needed for the project.
The stakes are high. It has the power to be the most transformative economic development project our Region, or state, has seen in decades.
Northwest Indiana can be thankful to have such strong voices advocating for our economic fortunes in such high places.
Now President Donald Trump's administration, namely transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, should listen to the overtures.
"These projects have the capacity to truly transform Northwest Indiana by creating a catalyst for billions of dollars in private investment and thousands of high-paying, permanent jobs for Hoosiers," Holcomb wrote in the letter.
"The accompanying economic development activity, coupled with ongoing strategic investments in local schools, workforce development programs and housing options made throughout Northwest Indiana, collectively have the power to strengthen the proud, historically vibrant communities in the area."
Holcomb has asked Chao to list the South Shore Line's double-tracking and Hammond-to-Dyer extension on the Federal Transportation Administration's funding report, which will be submitted next year to the Republican-controlled Congress alongside Trump's 2019 federal budget.
Supporters of Region commuter rail expansion can take heart in the positive public comments Chao made about the project when she visited the state last month.
Trump's overall administration should welcome the project's promise, as well. The president has proclaimed job creation and preservation as a top priority.
South Shore Line expansion is an all-access ticket to job creation, economic development and connectivity between Region folks and the economic engine that is the city of Chicago.
Trump should listen to the overtures of Holcomb and hopefully his own vice president in preserving $2.3 billion for the Capital Investment Grant, upon which a major share of South Shore Line expansion would rely.
Holcomb said it best in his letter when urging Chao to keep the South Shore Line improvements at the top of her list for federal transit funding.
The project is uniquely positioned, the governor said, to be "the national model for successful, forward-thinking infrastructure investments."
Hurricane relief for storm-battered Puerto Rico comes in many forms. Thanks to some New York lawyers, legal help is on the way. NY1's Jeanine Ramirez reports.
While securing food and shelter for hurricane victims in Puerto Rico is the priority, lawyers in the city are preparing for what comes next.
"There is so much out there that's available to the Puerto Rican community in this disaster that's it's so important that we need to get out there and who has that ability to help? It's the lawyers," said Carmen Pacheco, president of the Puerto Rican Bar Association.
Pacheco convened an emergency meeting this week as a first step toward sending a swat team of lawyers into Puerto Rico to assist storm victims.
She said the victims will need legal help navigating everything from insurance payouts and unemployment benefits to, most importantly, applications for FEMA assistance.
"The most important of the process is for us to really do the filing of the paperwork. To get really comfortable with the FEMA procedures," said Hector De Jesus, a member of the Puerto Rican Bar Association.
The group said it's advocating for FEMA application deadlines to be extended because of all the destruction.
Members also want stateside Puerto Ricans to get the word out to loved ones on the island to document everything.
"Before they start the cleanup, they need to take photographs," Pacheco said. "They need to preserve their evidence to show before and after pictures of what's going on."
These legal minds said they're also prepared to file lawsuits on behalf of those who can't fight for what they justly deserve.
"Puerto Rico is part of the United States and they're entitled to 100 percent federal disaster fund relief just like other states Texas and Florida have received," said Betty Lugo, another member of the Puerto Rican Bar Association. "And we will fight for that as attorneys and as individuals."
Members of the Puerto Rican Bar Association in New York said they will help and fight in two languages.
Singapore contract extended for Grylls
Expatriate New Zealand jockey Craig Grylls is having the time of his life in Singapore and has welcomed the news that his initial three-month contract has been extended until the end of the year.
Im absolutely loving it, Grylls said. It has been a great experience so far and Im starting to get on some good horses now and Ive got some good contacts.
Craig Grylls aboard Charles Road after success in last seasons Gr.3 Manawatu Classic Photo: Race Images
They have got great facilities here, a great track to ride on. Its a good climate with great weather and my weight is the best it has ever been.
I am just really enjoying it and I am so glad and so thankful I have been able to come here.
Grylls said he has been working hard riding track work for a few trainers and has been rewarded with support on race day.
It took me about a month until I had really broken into the place, but I think I am getting established here now and I am getting support from trainers which is a big help.
The winner of 46 Group and Listed races, including eight at Group One level, Grylls has so far notched up five wins in Singapore and is starting to attain some quality rides in feature races.
He was booked to ride War Affair in this weekends $S700,000 Kranji Mile for fellow expat Bruce Marsh, however the 2014 Singapore Horse of the Year was struck down by injury.
He will now ride the Cliff Brown-trained Laughing Gravy in the first leg of Singapores Triple Crown series.
I was on War Affair, but he has pulled up lame after a bit of work on Saturday, so he is out, Grylls said. I rode Laughing Gravy in his last start in the Committees Prize (1600m).
He didnt go too bad fresh-up, he probably just blew out being fresh-up over the mile. Hes definitely a staying type of horse, so as long as he has improved and comes through that last run well hes got to be some sort of hope. Hes a quality horse up here.
With the lure of the lifestyle and prizemoney the Lion City offers, Grylls is hoping to continue riding at Kranji for some time to come.
I could see myself staying here for a while, he said. You dont have to travel, I live six minutes in a cab ride from the track, I have an electric scooter which I ride to work, everything is pretty convenient.
Its an expensive place to live but I havent got that many utilities or anything like that so I am able to save quite a bit and the money is very good here.
The prize money from winning a race and even second and third, and the riding fees are very good so I am able to save a lot of money, which is a great point of being here, being able to set yourself up for life. NZ Racing Desk.
Before MPs met yesterday in what turned out to be the most rowdy and loudest sitting yet of the 10th Parliament, police tried to prevent some opposition lawmakers from getting to the House.
In Parliament, Igara West MP, Raphael Magyezi, was expected to seek permission to table his private members bill, which seeks to remove presidential age limits.
Writing on his Facebook timeline, musician-turned-politician Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Kyadondo East) aka Bobi Wine said he never slept at home on Monday night anticipating a police siege.
While police were keeping guard of Bobi Wine's car parked at Club Casablanca, the MP was on a boda boda to Parliament
The police surrounded my home in order to prevent me from going to parliament today [Tuesday]. I was too smart for them, I instead spent the night somewhere in the ghetto, Kyagulanyi wrote.
He said when police finally cornered him in Kamwokya, they tried to arrest him. I instead jumped onto a boda boda; they tried to grab me off the boda but the riders fought them off. Then police officers jumped onto the boda boda to chase me but the boda guys refused to carry the police officers, Kyagulanyi added.
Lubaga North MP Moses Kasibante reported that he was advised to stop sleeping at his home, which police cordons off every time there is contentious political activity in the city.
Aruu South MP Odonga Otto left nothing to chance. He arrived at parliament with his trousers tucked in his socks, with a red band around his head and one wrapped around each arm.
Anite alimba ffe maggye, [Anite is a liar, its us who are the army], read one Facebook caption on Ottos picture.
Francis Zaake Butebi (Mityana) appealed to Ugandans: Its Red Tuesday put on your red too, Zaake wrote on his timeline.
Police also arrested the former FDC presidential candidate Col Kizza Besigye at Mini Price where he had mobilised hundreds of youths to storm parliament.
Additional reporting by VICTORIA NYAPENDI & ANGELLA NAMBALIRWA
Former police chief, Julius Odwe
Former deputy inspector general of police, Julius Odwe, faces too many problems to waste time discussing the lifting of presidential age limits which he said has caused a lot of anxiety in the population.
Odwe told The Observer on Monday that he has been taken aback that ministers and members of parliament are arguing over whether President Museveni should stay in office for life.
Age limits is not the solution to our problems; the ministers should be putting together their heads on how to get our youths jobs, not how to become presidents, Odwe said.
The retired officer is the latest notable personality to weigh in on a debate which has gripped the country over the last fortnight, with the government clamping down on opponents to the scheme. Like others before him, he said the president has to realise that Uganda is tired of a chaotic transition.
We have failed as a country in not witnessing peaceful handover of power. All of our leaders have died in exile. Museveni knows Uganda much better than any other previous leader; he should set a record for himself and hand over power to somebody, Odwe said.
Odwes views are at odds with the general public opinion of the Uganda police as a partisan force, more so under the leadership of Gen Kale Kayihura - a military man who has been described by the president as a good cadre of the ruling party.
I have worked so hard for this country and this regime; so, nobody should say Im saying what Im saying because Im against them. But we need a peaceful transition and any well-meaning Ugandan must come out on this matter.
The Observer talked to Odwe after he released a written statement condemning the proposed scrapping of Article 102(b) of the constitution, which sets the presidential age at between 35 and 75 years.
In his statement issued on Monday, Odwe says the decision by some NRM members of parliament and 23 ministers to scrap the presidential age limit is disturbing and shallow-minded.
He challenges the claim by supporters of the anti-age limit agenda that scrapping Article 102(b) will enable youths, who account for about 80 per cent of Ugandas population, contest for the countrys top job. A youth becoming president in Uganda is impossible, he wrote.
He criticises the police for targeting opposition members and anyone opposed to the scrapping of presidential age limits.
This conduct by police, some NRM legislators and the executive, he says, is treasonable since it is meant to frustrate Ugandans defence of the constitution.
Odwe quotes clause (4) of Article 3 where it states that any person, or group of persons who resists the suspension, overthrow, abrogation or amendment (contrary to its provisions) of this constitutions commits no offence.
It is up to Museveni to save Uganda when his term expires in 2021 since the only hope Ugandans now have for a peaceful handover of presidency lies in his hands, Odwe says.
There was chaos in parliament last Thursday over the age limit proposals with opposition MPs rising up in noisy defiance, prompting deputy speaker Jacob Oulanyah to prematurely adjourn proceedings and defer the matter to a later date.
Former PM Prof Apolo Nsibambi
Three former top leaders in government have thrown their weight behind the campaign to secure the last constitutional barrier to President Musevenis continued stay in power after he clocks the 75-year age cap.
Prof Apolo Nsibambi, who until 2011 was prime minister; Dr Gilbert Baalibaseka Bukenya, a former vice president, and Prof George Wilson Kanyehimba, a former attorney general, Supreme court judge and professor of constitutional law, say Uganda must have a peaceful transfer of power.
It [amending constitution] is not necessary and MPs should abandon it, Nsibambi said on Monday.
The trio told The Observer that Museveni should retire gracefully. Bukenya regretted his role in getting presidential term limits controversially deleted from the constitution in 2005 to grant President Museveni his third term wish.
Kanyeihamba described todays plots to remove Article 102(b) as immoral, while Nsibambi took the view that the presidency is too serious to be left to people who cant handle the offices pressure because of age.
The law must discriminate because by the time someone is 75, he is already tired. To remove age limits is to encumber him. The reasons MPs are giving are not sound. It is only in very exceptional cases where people reach 75 and they can perform and there are not so many exceptional cases.
The 79-year-old professor of political science said Museveni, who will be 77 in 2021, should emulate him.
Im enjoying my retirement and I would wish the same for the president. What is happening now is spoiling our country and we must do everything possible to alter the course, Nsibambi said.
Look at the science, Bukenya urged those pushing for Museveni to hang on.
As a medical doctor, I have stated that there is a lot of scientific evidence that age limits somebodys capacity MPs should spend time seeing how they can take our people out of poverty, not discussing age limits, he said.
I have seen pictures of President Museveni posing with five United States presidents, I would like to see that happening here where a former president poses with the current president, Bukenya said.
He joined religious leaders in calling for a referendum on age limits, arguing that this issue is too serious to be left to 400 MPs.
If we are talking about constitutional amendments, it should be on how to restore term limits, not to lift age limits. As the 7th parliament, we made a mistake by lifting terms limits. The 10th parliament should avoid committing the same mistake, Bukenya said.
Age has nothing to do with the ability to lead but it is the weakness of the body and the mind. For the president who has served the country for over 30 years; making decisions day and night, he is physically and mentally exhausted, Kanyeihamba said.
Kanyeihamba, who also chaired the legal and drafting committee of the Constituent Assembly, which wrote the 1995 Constitution, reminded Museveni of the oath he swore to defend the constitution.
if parliament was to rubberstamp and Museveni stands in 2021, you have the sovereign right to reject him because he will be committing treasonable acts against the people of Uganda because he swore to uphold, protect and obey the constitution under which he was sworn.
Any subsequent extension of time is unconstitutional and if the president were to benefit from it, that is treason, said Kanyeihamba.
bakerbatte@observer.ug
Patrick Nsamba Oshabe
PATRICK NSAMBA OSHABE (Kassanda North) was the second NRM MP, after Igara West's Rapheal Magyezi, to propose a constitutional amendment. Although he spoke second, his motion was lodged with the speaker of parliament's office first, pre-empting and disrupting the Magyezi group.
In this interview, Nsamba explains to Olive Eyotaru why his proposal of a Constitutional Review Commission to handle all proposed changes is the best solution to Magyezi's hugely controversial draft legislation which only looks to remove constitutional age limits for presidential candidates.
How did you come up with your motion?
Last year in September, Hon Robert Ssekitoleko (Nakifuma) brought a private members bill to amend the Constitution.
We never gave him a chance and among reasons given were that he failed to show the urgency of the motion; that it cant wait for the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC).
The other issue was that government had promised to constitute the CRC, which would come up with comprehensive constitutional amendments because that was the recommendation of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee.
So, when I saw government backing the Raphael Magyezi motion, I automatically knew that they had abandoned the plan to bring comprehensive amendments.
So, I came up with my motion largely to compel government to constitute the commission. If they have backtracked, let us come up with a motion compelling them to immediately act on that. In the Kafeero motion, we said we will not amend the Constitution piece-meal.
Here we are now, preparing another motion backed by government yet its still initiated by a private member. That means we have disregarded the ruling of the Speaker.
Why do you insist on the constitution of a Constitutional Review Commission?
When you constitute the CRC, which is independent, it will assess the merits and demerits of the constitutional amendments, including the age limit.
Based on this, the committee will assess the priority articles that require amendments and it is that committee that will do the consultations among people with an independent mind. What government is planning to do is to back a private member to bring the bill and give MPs money to go and do consultations. But this is wrong because you will get biased consultations.
In Kassanda North, my people know I am against the lifting of the age limit. When I go to them, they will tell me where I stand is where they will stand. But if another person goes to them, certainly the commission will deliver better results.
If we are doing this for the benefit of this country, it is better to use an independent committee, which will report back to Parliament to make the final decision.
I know very many MPs who desire to submit private members bills on constitutional amendments. If you allow Raphael Magyezi to go on with his amendment, certainly what will happen is a swarm of private members bills on constitutional amendments.
That is dangerous for a country where everybody can wake up one night and say they want to amend a particular clause in the Constitution. Other laws can be amended like that, but not the Constitution.
When Hon Ssekitoleko brought a similar motion, Hon Magyezi was among those opposed to piecemeal constitutional amendments. Could something have prompted his change of mind ... ?
The way I know Magyezi, certainly he would have done something else because he is a seasoned legislator, wise man and very stable.
I think because he whispered to somebody that he will not stand in 2021, that is why they are trying to use him and convince him to use this as an opportunity to negotiate a soft landing after parliament. The real Magyezi is a stable man and we wonder why he agreed to this.
Patrick Nsamba during the interview
Why do you think the NRM party, where you belong, is pushing for these amendments?
You know in the NRM party, there is a way we do things. If the NRM Central Executive Committee had sat and said this is the route we are taking, probably I would have been forced to think about their option. But I have seen so many self-seekers here; people who want to be seen to be the main promoters of the removal of age limits.
Remember when Hon Evelyn Anite knelt down in Kyankwanzi, she was given an incentive of a ministry. It was the same thing for Hon [James] Kakooza who was rewarded with a ministry after working for the party.
People are trying to position themselves to get incentives from government, which is very dangerous. This is going to dent the party itself because as a party, we should be discussing transition now.
Last week, the NRM caucus, which has majority of MPs, voted against your motion. Isnt that telling enough that you have no support?
When I presented my motion in the caucus meeting, my intention was to tell them about the danger that lies ahead if the Magyezi motion were tabled.
That day it wasnt presented, the country was at peace. I told the caucus that they would save the nation if they opted for the Constitutional Review Commission.
Yes, they accepted my option but claimed that they did not have the time to wait for that process. I asked myself why they are rushing.
They are aware that what they are doing is bad and might have repercussions on all MPs in their constituencies. That is why they want to do it now, so that by the time the next elections come, people have forgotten.
That is a clear signal that what they are doing is bad. Even when I requested for time out to discuss with Magyezi, they said they dont have time; so, I protested and left.
When I left, they voted against my motion. So, can you say my motion was defeated? Why did they go to the speaker and lie to her that I conceded and accepted to withdraw the motion? That is dishonesty of the highest order.
Some NRM MPs claim they are trying to woo you to drop your motion and back Magyezis. Would you consider this?
Im surprised that the NRM side is hell-bent on discussing something which is wrong. You dont just come up with some- thing sensitive and say you are going to pass it without Ugandans.
I may not have consulted the caucus leadership including the government chief whip, Ruth Nankabirwa, but I know that I gave the notice for my motion in the morning. My intention was to block Magyezi and I did not have time to consult someone who had already declared that she supports Magyezi. Had I gone to her, my motion would not have seen the light of day.
With the goings-on at parliament, what is the fate of your motion?
I have a feeling that the Magyezi motion has no way. It cannot go through this parliament because the death that took the Kafeero motion is the death that will take Magyezis motion because they dont have significant justification.
You cannot talk about a deadline set by the Supreme court ruling [for bringing constitutional reforms] when the issue [presidential age limit] you are pushing was not among the issues discussed [by the court].
They dont have reasons and that is why up to now, they have failed to present the motion to the speaker. Do they want to smuggle it in? I see the speaker instructing government to come up with comprehensive amendments so that the age limit one is included.
There are claims that some NRM MPs have been enticing you with money. Is this true?
Fortunately, I have not seen anyone who has come to me with money. They have chosen to talk to whoever they see me talking to, and they call the person to ask them what I am saying. My conviction is on principles and I am not buying anymore or trying to convince anybody.
It is up to any member to choose what is best for them. Why choose a strategy that is going to cost you and destroy your name? How can you present such a contentious issue in the second year of parliament when we have not delivered on anything we promised the voters?
That is a strategy to sacrifice parliament and government is busy trying to do that. They will be sure President Museveni will return with a new parliament. If they want to defeat me, they should not come with money or force, but come up with a better strategy and I will give up. I do not need money at all.
Following the deputy speakers decision to defer the motions until further notice, what is your strategy now?
We have formed the anti-age limit removal strategy team and have about eight strategists. We have Mbwatekamwa Gaffa (Kasambya), Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga), Monicah Amoding (Kumi Woman), Okot Ogong (Dokolo South), John Baptist Nambeshe (Manjiya) and others.
The supporters are also many who for their own reasons are choosing to stay calm. Thursday was a victory because our strategy was to prevent the motion from being tabled. For the defiance team, they were ready to fight while some of us were thinking of preventing the fighting.
Fortunately, our strategy worked after Hon Oulanyah said he could not move ahead with the two motions. So, we are encouraging as many MPs to submit private members bills and over- whelm the speaker and see how she will pick the Magyezi bill only. That is our current strategy.
eyotaru@gmail.com
Punches, flying chairs and shouting dominated yesterdays plenary sitting at Parliament as the ruling NRM unsuccessfully tried to muscle through its draft bill to amend Article 102(b) and remove the upper presidential age limit.
The motion was not tabled. Instead, possibly for the first time in its colourful history, the Ugandan parliament saw a brawl; an actual physical fracas breaking out between MPs.
A brawl broke out in parliament yesterday
The ugly scenes heralded an announcement by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga that together with two other motions proposing the establishment of a Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), and one on peaceful, democratic transition, restoration of presidential term limits and immunities for the president, the controversial age limit proposal will be considered.
Shortly after 4pm when chaos reigned, Speaker Kadaga changed tact and introduced other business on the order paper. MPs considered a report on the oil sector tabled by Energy minister Irene Muloni.
Earlier in the day, Parliament buildings were buzzing with the expectation of mischief. Police had taken the unusual precaution of frisking MPs for red bandanas and whistles, the protest tools.
MPs were involved in a fist fight for several minutes
Last Thursday, whistles smuggled into the chamber contributed rather dramatically to the chaos, which forced an abandonment of proceedings.
These extreme measures inevitably provoked clashes. The member for Aruu South, Odonga Otto, literally fought his way through a bevy of security people who tried to stop him.
Ottos brush with the law was, however, nothing compared to the commotion which would later unfold. For long minutes, Speaker Kadaga sat transfixed, as if stunned.
Hon Odong Otto overpowers parliament security to enter with the red ribbons #AgeLimit #togikwatako @observerug pic.twitter.com/miyEHgNThK nicholas Bamulanzeki (@bamulanzeki) September 26, 2017
Makindye West MP Allan Ssewanyana and State Minister for Water Ronald Kibuule (Mukono North) saw the red mist first. Within a flash, the open space separating the government and opposition benches was jammed with MPs.
Members went for each other. Jackets were pulled, shoes flew off as bodies twisted this way and that way and arms flailed, looking for jaws to crack.
Outside the chamber, counter-terrorism police and what was said to be plain-clothes elements from the Special Forces Command, the elite unit which guards President Museveni and his family, paced frantically. It all began about 40 minutes into the fully packed plenary sitting.
Presidential guards were seen at parliament
William Nzoghu (Busongora North) rose on a point of procedure and said that guns had been carried in, contrary to House rules, which forbid firearms in the chamber.
Some members here are actually not safe because some guns have been sneaked into this House. For the safety of the members, I would like you [Speaker] to ask us to get out and we are checked one by one because in that seat ,Hon Speaker, where you are, you are not safe, Nzoghu pleaded.
As Kadaga hesitated, Medard Sseggona (Busiro East) reminded her that safety of MPs is paramount and all MPs should be thoroughly searched. There was much finger-pointing in the ensuing cacophony.
Kibuule found himself being accused of being the gun-slinging culprit. Despite vigorous protestations of innocence, the junior minister was given marching orders to leave the chambers.
Sergeant-At-Arms Ahmed Kagoye took position next to the mace, the Speakers symbol of power, throughout the ruckus. Kibuule seemed to be moving out, stopped midway and pulled off his coat, daring the opposition MPs to check him.
Parliament was chaotic
Sources within the chambers allege that Kibuule surreptitiously slipped the gun into a pocket of the coat which he passed to Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga (Mukono South), who then handed it to Peter Ogwang (Usuk).
Kadaga repeatedly called for calm, asking members to resume their seats but they were having none of it. When Energy Minister Irene Muloni stood up to make a statement on the status of preparedness of the oil and gas sector, Ssewanyana tried to distract her.
Kibuule moved to drag Ssewanyana away from the podium, sparking a fight. Many MPs including Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga) shot up from their seats to separate the two.
We want the guns we want guns, MPs chanted.
Before the dust from the Kibuule-Ssewanyana fisticuffs had settled, another one broke out between Nathan Nandala-Mafabi (Budadiri West) and Geoffrey Dhamuzungu (Budiope East). In the melee, Mafabi and Dhamuzungu went for each others necks, attracting NRM MPs Pius Wakabi (Bugahya) and Bonny Desales (Kole North) to hurl chairs at Ssewanyana.
Ssewanyana also picked a chair and tried to hit them but instead struck Ssekikubo. One of the UPDF representatives, Lt Col Flavia Byekwaso, tried to intervene. She was shoved aside.
When the fighting subsided, Kadaga directed security led by Kagoye to search all MPs. At this point, Kampala minister Beti Olive Kamya walked out, raising suspicion that she was one of the suspects. Before the brawl, Kadaga directed opposition MPs to remove their red headbands.
I know that sometimes people enjoy colours especially looking bright. But I want to invite members of the opposition side to remove your bandanas. You are in breach of Rule 73 which requires decorum in this House, Kadaga pronounced, to which they complied.
She then said her office had cleared three motions seeking constitutional amendments. Among those approved were the motion by Raphael Magyezi (Igara West), to amend Article 102 (b) on presidential age limits; the motion by Dr Sam Lyomoki (Workers) hoping to amend Article 98 to provide for a peaceful, smooth and democratic transition for the first president under the 1995 Constitution.
Lyomokis proposal also offers various immunities to the president and seeks to restore presidential term limits. Kadaga also approved a motion by Patrick Nsamba (Kassanda North) urging government to urgently constitute the Constitutional Review Commission.
These notices for motions have met the test under Rule 47 for inclusion on todays order paper, Kadaga stated.
She, however, rejected five other notices, noting that they were not copied to the office of the Clerk to Parliament and had no motions attached to them.
They included; another motion by Lyomoki for a bill titled, The Museveni succession, transition and immunities bill.
A motion by Mbwatekamwa Gaffa (Kasambya) to remove all academic restrictions for all elective offices established was also rejected.
Other motions rejected are those by John Baptist Nambeshe (Manjiya) seeking to compel MPs once appointed as ministers to relinquish their parliamentary seats; a motion by Muyanja Mbabaali (Bukoto South) to create a second chamber and a motion by Johnson Muyanja (Mukono South) to provide for a federal system of government.
eyotaru@gmail.com
namuloki16@gmail.com
For the second time in less than seven days, plenary was adjourned prematurely thanks to the filibustering of MPs opposed to lifting of the age limit.
They sang the national anthem endlessly forcing the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga to adjourn the House to today 2pm.
Igara West MP Igara Magyezi's motion is listed as item no.4 on today's Order Paper. The MPs opposed to lifting the age limit have promised to yet again block the debate of that particular motion. Like we have done previously, we'll attempt to bring you all the updates as they happen from across the country. Kindly refresh.
17:12: Magyezi motion has been approved by the ruling party MPs and the House adjourned to tomorrow 2pm. Speaker reminded the MPs that as they consider the motion, sovereign of the people of Uganda is should come first.
How MPs opposed to amending the presidential #AgeLimit were dragged out of parliament by presidential guards (SFC) #Uganda pic.twitter.com/hBNMKLt8bi The Observer (@observerug) September 27, 2017
16:39: Raphael Magyezi motion finally tabled. After the chaos that saw several MPs arrested and several others injured, plenary has resumed with mostly NRM MPs in attendance. Opposition MPs have walked out. Magyezi's bill has been seconded by MPs Moses Balyeku, Jackson Karissa and Doreen Amule.
15::25: Journalists roughed up and recording gadgets confiscated.
The chaotic scenes in #Uganda Parliament moments ago. Mic stands used as weapons via @bamulanzeki pic.twitter.com/HTCntORDqV The Observer (@observerug) September 27, 2017
15:15: Chaos in parliament. Kadaga has suspended the House for 30 minutes to allow security to come in and vacate the suspended MPs. Fighting erupted. Microphone stands being used as weapons.
15:10: Speaker Kadaga suspends minister Ronald Kibuule for entering the chambers yesterday with a gun and endangering the lives of other members yesterday. Kadaga has also suspended 25 MPs for behaving and dressing in a manner contrary to rules of the House.
15:04: Speaker Rebecca Kadaga now in the House. Kadaga says she will name the MPs who were unruly in the House yesterday and that she can order any member to withdraw from the House.
14:50: Makerere University under siege. Seemingly tired of the endless running battles with students, police has deployed heavily at Makerere University.
Teargas vehicles at Makerere. Photo: @paulwebs1
14:35: MPs ditch red ribbons/bands for red hats. The MPs opposed to lifting of the age limit have today opted for red hats instead of red ribbons that the Speaker ordered them to remove yesterday.
MPs opposed to the age limit amendment today chose red hats
14:30: Nakawa MP Michael Kabaziguruka wheeled into the House. The MP who is visibly still in pain after a nasty accident earlier this says he could miss to represent his electorates when an important matter, the age limit is going to be debated.
MP Michael Kabaziguruka wheeled into the House
MPs opposed to #AgeLimit amendment have ditched the red ribbons for red hats ? @eyotaruolive pic.twitter.com/PfdPsqYRiF The Observer (@observerug) September 27, 2017
14:20: More red hats than the red ribbons today. Yesterday Speaker Rebecca Kadaga ordered the MPs to remove the red ribbons off their heads before plenary could start.
More red hats than red ribbons today for MPs opposed to amending of the #AgeLimit ? @bamulanzeki pic.twitter.com/tpVSt7Dban The Observer (@observerug) September 27, 2017
13:25: Less security deployment around parliament. There is visible less security deployment around parliament today compared to yesterday and last week.
There is visible less security deployment today around parliament
13:20: Police chief Kale Kayihura at parliament. IGP Kale Kayihura made a brief stopover at parliament and today there seems to be less visible Counter Terrorism deployment in parliament. But security is as tight as ever.
Police chief Kale Kayihura (R) was at parliament today
12:30: NRM started the filibustering says MP Gaffa Mbwatekamwa. The Kasambya county, also NRM MP the ruling party started the heckling in parliament as resent as early this year when she attempted to present her East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) bid before the MPs.
We of the NRM, heckled FDC's Ingrid Turinawe for calling as MPigs and she couldn't speak, Mbwatekamwa said. A section of NRM MPs and other members in cabinet have condemned the conduct of MPs on the floor of parliament over the past two sessions arguing that it is dishonourable but Mbwatekamwa says it was all started by NRM and they will again do it today.
12:20: Over 20 students of Gulu University arrested. The students who have been at the fore front of the age limit protests were at it again today. They wore their red ribbons. Over 20 have reportedly been arrested.
Some of the arrested students. Photo: @Romeo_Busiku
12:00: Opposition not our of tactics, says Leader of Opposition. LOP Winnie Kiiza has said they are not out of tactics and just like they did yesterday and last week, they won't allow Magyezi's motion to be tabled.
11:00: Kampala mayor Erias Lukwago's home under police siege. Police deployed heavily at Erias Lukwago's home in Wakaligga. According to Old Kampala DPC Grace Nyangoma, police has been given orders not to allow Lukwago to go anywhere today.
More than 10 policemen camped at Erias Lukwago's home. Photo: @salmanamwanje
8.00am: Uganda Communications Commission bans live broadcast of age limit debate. In a statement issued to electronic broadcasters, UCC banned all live broadcasts that it says incite the public, are discriminatory and stir hatred amongst the citizens.
A joint force of presidential guards, the elite Special Forces Command (SFC) soldiers and police officers attached to parliament forcibly pulled out several legislators opposed to lifting the age limit from the chambers of parliament today afternoon.
In a scuffle that lasted more than an hour, at least 30 SFC soldiers in plain clothes poured into the chambers to pick at least 25 MPs who were named and suspended by the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga for three sittings at the beginning of the session, for engaging in disorderly conduct during yesterdays plenary sitting.
The operation was commanded by Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander, Frank Mwesigwa, who was seen earlier in the day, patrolling the precincts of Parliament with the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura.
Parliament head of security Anabella Nyinamahoro attends to Charles Gutumoi (Erute county) after he collapsed during arrest
The legislators disrupted the House proceedings when fighting broke out between opposition and NRM MPs, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House.
Those suspended from the House include Ronald Kibuule the state minister of Water, who was accused of carrying a firearm during the House sitting, an act Kadaga explained was a violation of Rule 74 of the Rules of Procedure.
I have received some terrible information that Hon Kibuule endangered the safety of members by bringing a firearm into this House. I have checked the footage and Hon Kibuule did not go through security checks. He came through the Office of the President into the North wing and into this chamber so I will be suspending you, Kadaga announced.
The chaotic scenes in #Uganda Parliament moments ago. Mic stands used as weapons via @bamulanzeki pic.twitter.com/HTCntORDqV The Observer (@observerug) September 27, 2017
Kadaga also suspended 23 opposition legislators, whom she accused of flouting the House rules by engaging in chaotic behavior. They will not be allowed to access Parliament, including committee and plenary sittings.
The Speaker was not heard in silence. Members were standing, jumping over tables and chairs; they were dressed in a manner that contravened the Rules and despite calls from the Speaker to sit down and be orderly, this was not adhered to. Some members crossed from one side to another in a menacing mannerThis Parliament is a place to speak, to exchange views even if you dont have the same views, she reminded the legislators.
The suspended MPs include Allan Ssewanyana (Makindye West), Monica Amoding (Kumi Woman), Sam Lyomoki (Workers), Moses Kasibante (Rubaga North), Betty Nambooze (Mukono Municipality), Robert Kyagulanyi (Kyadondo East), Francis Zaake (Mityana Municipality), Ibrahim Kasozi (Makindye East), William Nzoghu (Busongora East), Gilbert Olanya (Kilak North), Jonathan Odur (Erute South), Mohammad Nsereko (Kampala Central), Angelline Osegge (Soroti Woman), Wilfred Niwagaba (Ndorwa East) and Odonga Otto (Aruu).
Others are Nandala Mafabi (Budadiri West), Mubarak Munyagwa (Kawempe South), John Baptist Nambeshe (Manjiya), Mbwatekamwa Gaffa (Kasambya), Roland Mugume (Rukungiri Municipality), Joseph Ssewungu (Kalungu West), Barnabas Tinkasimire (Buyaga West), Muwanga Kivumbi (Butambala) and Medard Ssegona (Busiro East).
Two other MPs who were arrested but were not on the list include Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda (Kira Municipality) and Matthias Mpuuga (Masaka Municipality).
When the Speaker directed them to leave the chambers with immediate effect, only Kibuule and Mbwatekamwa complied. The opposition legislators refused to budge and kept shouting, procedure, procedure.
However, Kadaga did not budge and ordered them to leave immediately or be forced out by officers from the Sergeant-at-Arms. When the MPs remained defiant, Kadaga suspended the House for 30 minutes.
At that point, the police officers walked into the chambers to escort the MPs out but the legislators instead grabbed the microphone stands and tried to scare away the officers.
Some legislators were seen shoving the police officers away, prompting more commotion that saw the SFC soldiers enter the chamber and grab MPs indiscriminately. MPs Odonga, Gerald Karuhanga (Ntungamo Municipality) and Hassan Kaps Fungaroo (Obongi) jumped on the Table of the House, where the mace is usually placed, with microphone stands and warned the officers against touching them.
How MPs opposed to amending the presidential #AgeLimit were dragged out of parliament by presidential guards (SFC) #Uganda pic.twitter.com/hBNMKLt8bi The Observer (@observerug) September 27, 2017
Zaake pulled out his belt and repeatedly tried to whip the officers. Other MPs hurled chairs at the officers, leaving one of the Parliament police officers bleeding profusely.
The provocation saw the SFC officers, three or four at a go, lunge at the MPs and drag them out of the House. Ssemujju was the first victim to be dragged out. Others followed suit, however the opposition MPs did not go without a fight.
One of the SFC officers jumped on the seats and grabbed Nabila Naggayi Ssempala (Kampala Woman) and tried to drag her out. However, some MPs nearby rushed to save her. It was not until one of his fellow officers shouted that she is not on the list of suspended MPs that were suspended that she got relief.
Former Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and State Minister of Works, Gen. Katumba Wamala tried to quell the commotion by calling for calm and speaking to the SFC officers; however this did not help save matters.
For close to two hours, the suspended MPs were dragged out, one by one and swiftly taken to the North Wing entrance, opposite National Theatre, where a number of police pickup trucks were waiting to whisk them off to unknown destinations.
At least three MPs fainted, including Osegge, Lucy Achiro (Aruu North) and Angiro Gutumoi (Erute North). Zaake has also been admitted in hospital.
Speaking to The Observer, Mwesigwa revealed that a total of 27 MPs are currently under detention. However, sources within Police intimated to the Observer that the MPs are currently in a number of police stations around the Kampala Metropolitan area. Some of them are currently being held at Special Investigations Unit in Kireka.
The Speaker reconvened the House after 4pm where in her communication she announced that the MPs who caused damage to Parliament property within the chambers would be directed to pay for them.
Some damage has occurred in the chambers. I will ask the Rules committee to review the footage and identify the members who caused the damage. They will be taken to the disciplinary committee and will be obliged to pay from their salaries, Kadaga said, adding that Kibuule will also appear before the committee for carrying a gun into the House.
Leader of Opposition, Winnie Kiiza tried to intervene, standing up to express concern over the manner in which the SFC officers handled the MPs, however Kadaga shot her down immediately.
Take your seat. You are familiar with our rules of procedure. Our rules say if you are asked to leave, you must leave. If you dont leave, you are removed, she said, warning that she would suspend any member who disrupted the sitting.
At this point, the opposition MPs walked out of the chamber in protest, as NRM MPs heckled them.
Raphael Magyezi (Igara West) was granted leave of Parliament to draft a bill, which will include amendments to Article 102 (b) of the Constitution to remove the minimum and maximum age criteria of 35 and 75 years respectively for presidential candidates.
In his motion, Magyezi stated that the bill seeks to amend Articles 259 and 262 of the Constitution to provide for the time within which to hold presidential, parliamentary and local government council elections; to provide for eligibility requirements for a person to be elected as president or district chairperson; to increase the number of days within which to file and determine a presidential election among others.
Magyezi was seconded by Moses Balyeku (Jinja West) and Doreen Amule (Amolatar Woman). Magyezi has 45 days within which to present the bill before Parliament for first reading.
FIGHT OVER RED CAPS
Before the ugly events, there was a brawl that ensued between a group of opposition MPs and security operatives at Parliaments parking lot over the red caps. The MPs had ditched the red ribbons they wore yesterday for red caps after Kadaga forced them to remove them.
MPs including Julius Ochen (Kapelebyong), Phillip Okin Ojara (Chwa West), Joseph Ssewungu (Kalungu West), Mubarak Munyagwa, Gilbert Olanya (Kilak South) and Ssempala Kigozi (Makindye-Saabagabo) were beaten up as they attempted to pick their caps from one of the vehicles.
We were just picking our caps, we were not violent, they just attacked us and started beating us. If they want to attack us, we shall also revenge. This is not their house [parliament], they are supposed to protect us not to beat us up, Francis Zaake.
Ojara said the security is now biased, adding "we are legally dressed and I dont see any problem with our dress code." Zaake was injured while Kapelebyong MP Julius Ochen was also seriously beaten.
eyotaru@gmail.com
In every corner of this country, there is a loud cry, a social media post or whispering voice about the presidential age limit.
The word that is trending is Koogikwatako (dare touch it)!
In my world of work, the word age limit is sensitive. It is even more attention-grabbing now that we are soon celebrating the International Day of Older Persons on October 1, 2017.
Our message as older persons is enshrined in this years theme:Stepping into the future: tapping the talents, contributions and participation of older persons in society.
The international community defines an older person to be 60 years old. How many age limit candidates are out there? So, every time you talk about age limits, you are not only addressing article 102(b) of the Constitution.
According to the 1991 Uganda Population and Housing Census, the population of older persons was 4.1per cent of the total population. This population increased to 4.6 per cent in 2002 before falling to 3.7 per cent in the 2014 census. That means at least 1.2m Ugandans are currently over the age of 60.
But let me ask, are we really tired of older persons? In my opinion and in line with the theme of this years International Day of Older Persons, we should recognise the following:
Gone are the days when older persons were perceived to be generally weak and to be economically dependent on others for survival. This situation has considerably changed. Older persons are now a very productive group in society.
They provide leadership in social/cultural organisations as clan heads, members of boards, opinion leaders and are local judges in arbitration of conflicts.
They are masters in ethno-science (ability to diagnose and treat diseases based on experience).
They provide security of property, especially customary land, and are an encyclopaedia or store of knowledge.
Case study: In the 11 sub-counties that make up Nakasongola district, the Social Action Grant for the Elderly programme pays senior citizens grants to 509 older persons.
Each beneficiary receives Shs 50,000 every two months. Evidence in Nakasongola shows that the senior citizens grant creates an additional cash flow of Shs 25.4m bi-monthly or Shs 152.7m every year.
This is a sizeable investment power in the hands of older persons that causes a multiplier effect on other local businesses.
So, we need to recognise their participation is supporting local businesses and agriculture.
In my opinion, while we debate the issue of age limit, all Ugandans should recognise that we need to reawaken traditional social protection practices to our old men and women.
Pick up a phone today and call any old person you know and wish them a happy older persons day 2017.
Joseph Basoga,
jobasoga1977@gmail.com
Let's work in harmony to stop school strikes
Learners are back to their respective schools for the third term, which determines a students fate regarding promotion from one class to another.
News reports of strikes, violence, damage of school property by students over misunderstandings with administrators in the previous term were very disturbing and should not reoccur.
If it is true that students or parents concerns are raised and not handled by school administrators, then that
needs to be reversed.
More importantly, democracy and respect should be practiced during election of student leaders to ensure harmony.
Parents should stand together with teachers to promote good conduct among learners. They should also check students
suitcases (boxes) thoroughly to stop them from taking prohibited materials.
Teachers and other school staff should encourage and exhibit respect among students.
Ronald Dennis Bukomba,
Hilton High School Mukono.
NRM MPs must put country first
Time and again, we have tried in vain to remind and warn the blind NRM demagogues of the great loss our nation has suffered economically, politically and socially under the current regime.
But as our forefathers rightly stated, asiika obulamu, tassa mukono (loosely meaning never give up), I am ready to remind them until they learn.
Dear NRM demagogues, President Museveni lied to Ugandans that he was going to war to stop rigging of elections. At the end of the war, more than 300,000 Ugandans had lost their lives and so much property had been destroyed and the economy was on its knees.
Currently, cases of election rigging are all over the place as courts have proven. Under Museveni, more than half of the forest cover has been destroyed, hence the unpredictable weather patterns. Under this regime, at least 70 per cent of youths are unemployed and corruption is sky-high.
The brutality and torture by security agencies is unprecedented. It is, therefore, bewildering to hear someone mooting the idea of retaining the Museveni rule beyond 2021.
Kennedy Kabonge,
kabongek@yahoo,co.uk
Violent arrests affect children
On September 21, 2017, Uganda witnessed violent arrests and torture meted out to protesters against the bill to remove the presidential age limit. The arrest of Kampala lord mayor Erias Lukwago, can make your heart tremble.
Violent arrests do not only have a potential harm to the victims, but also have a more disastrous effect on the children of those being arrested. It is traumatizing for a child to see their parent being handled in a dehumanizing way.
Research tells us that children who witness their parents being violently arrested are at a significant risk of developing complex trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder with long-term mental health consequences.
I wish to remind the government about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which Uganda signed and ratified; in particular article 19 requires that state parties shall take all appropriate measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence .
Francis Ssuubi,
Kampala.wilsonbbosa@gmail.com.
letters@observer.ug
Fellow countrymen and women, I salute you all. In the interest of electoral stability and steady progress, I address myself to honorable members of parliament.
As leaders, you have a huge task because the population holds you directly accountable for the performance of government. This is because the people delegated authority onto you by voting you to those offices.
Therefore, amending the Constitution in the interest of stability and service delivery requires no coercion or inducement.
We need to focus on the bigger picture of Uganda. As you are aware, our national motto of For God and my country puts Uganda first; then family and person come later.
The face of Uganda changed because of the liberation struggle led by President Museveni. But the country faces new risks now. Once a soldier, always a soldier; but lets not think guns here. The gun did what it did but now it should be a tool of security, and not for upheavals.
It is now time for non-combatant Ugandans to play their part in liberating the country from the present-day pitfalls.
These pitfalls are bad roads, insensitive nurses and doctors in public health facilities, corruption, bureaucracy, delays in service delivery, wanting education standards, wages/salary variances, immorality, laziness, arrogance, envy and refusal to use natural resources and other national assets with collective responsibility so as to achieve a middle-income country status.
President Museveni does not seek personal prestige. He seeks only steady progress as stated in his election manifesto for 2016-2021. Opponents to lifting the age limit are targeting Museveni. But the critical and real issues that should be targeted are electoral law reforms and ensuring good systems and strong institutions.
For me, Museveni or Dr Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere or even Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) should be free to stand in 2021 if they so wish. Power belongs to the people of Ugandan to choose who is most suitable.
Uganda needs President Musevenis old and tested hand to transit our society to the apex of modernity. But NRM also needs to keep checking itself in respect to this reality. What is the future of the NRM in the next 50 years? Who is ready and unifying in NRM?
Its time to ignite a civil movement that is aimed at correcting society from within, using modern methods of peaceful coercion and encouragement to end the class warfare at our hands. Its the jobless versus those in position to create jobs.
It is the poor versus those with some disposable income. Public officials are disjoined and lack clarity on overall direction.
So, the population is anxious. People used to die at the hands of the political leaders of the time. Today, they die because of neglect by doctors in hospitals, irresponsible use of roads which leads to incessant accidents, social media/love networks that are sowing deadly mindsets, drugs, abuse of office, human ritual sacrifice, and plain disregard for the sanctity of human life.
Such social ills should be our main concern. Yes, peace and security was a grand achievement! But we should break away from the strings of the past and focus on the wings of present and the future.
That would come by avoiding past mistakes and then reviving the spirit that made thousands of Ugandans choose to run into snake-infested bushes. Dont tempt anyone into military coups. Power belongs to people and this is exercised every after five years.
The anniversaries we celebrate are okay. But some Ugandans, especially the young generation, grow tired of the persistent reference to the past when they have current needs that deny them the right to be proud.
They need strategic community-level industries in every constituency, regional industrial parks and other youth and women empowerment programs, infrastructure development, peace and security.
All in all, Museveni has a big stake in ensuring a fresh, non-military liberation, aimed at the general welfare of everyone regardless of political colour. This should focus on the bigger picture of Uganda not on tribe, age, gender or religion.
Elders, parents and cultural and religious leaders have a role to play. People need to build consensus on various constitutional matters. Lifting the age limit is one of them. Leadership is more of a talent than a skill.
It is professional positions that require age limits, levels of education, communication language, scientific test and reasoning, etc.
The author was a Youth MP in the 9th parliament.
President Yoweri Museveni is a lucky man there are many things he has overcome during his presidency.
I think his major personal achievement has been to stop anyone from NRM to compete against him for the party leadership (chairman) and party presidential candidate.
He has used numbers to install himself as his partys sole candidate and is now deploying numbers again to declare him life president. I hope you still remember the 2015 Kyankwanzi resolution declaring Museveni the NRM sole presidential candidate that was moved by MP Evelyn Anite. She was, in return, rewarded with a ministerial appointment.
The Anite resolution was signed by 220 NRM MPs. Even the then party secretary general, John Patrick Amama Mbabazi, who was interested in the presidency, was mobbed and forced to sign the resolution. To Mbabazi, this was like a death sentence; but with numbers surging towards him, what could he have done?
That is what numbers do and that is what numbers can do. And they dont have to be right. That is the situation we have found ourselves in. And that is what we must confront solidly as a country.
What people forget, including journalist Andrew Mwenda, is that with Museveni, we are not dealing with a normal situation.
This is a man who captured power using the barrel of the gun. There were no elections during his first ten years in office. Politics and leadership in the country was narrowed to the group he came with from the jungles of Luweero.
The bushmen and women with a few people picked from the two oldest political parties, UPC and DP, formed parliament which extended Musevenis rule after five years in office.
I think those who helped him extend his rule didnt know that they would be stuck with the man for another 25 years or more. That is why they have, one by one, thrown in the towel.
That background should explain why some of us, MPs, behaved the way we did last Thursday. We are dealing with a man who has discarded every political contract he has signed with the population, including his own supporters.
We are simply victims of dishonesty. It pains when some treasure hunters positioning themselves for appointments and other material gains begin dismissing you as anarchists and aggressors. We do not want to be anarchists, but that is the only option left to us.
I have no doubt the attempt by MP Raphael Magyezi (Miria Matembe calls him Masiru) to table the bill to keep Museveni in office will meet and should enlist the same response. The ultimate target is to win. And as Gen Mugisha Muntu says: with Gods grace, it is possible.
Countries in Africa that stopped life presidency projects had to fight them. These include Malawi, Zambia and Nigeria. Uganda must emulate them.
I am energized by the way the country, especially the Uganda Joint Christian Council, students from Makerere and Kyambogo universities and ordinary people have responded to this scheme. We should energize and charge one another to confront this monster.
Can you imagine the man campaigned on the promise of working to ensure Uganda becomes a lower middle-income country?
Middle-income meant that each Ugandan will be assumed to earn $1,000 (Shs 3.6m) annually. That is what economists call GDP per capital. Every Ugandan is estimated to be earning less than $700 annually at the moment.
This is what, after 30 years in power, the 73-year-old Museveni promised to achieve. He even took NRM MPs for a retreat in Kyankwanzi to teach them what it meant to be in the middle-income bracket. You needed to be in parliament to hear them speak after Kyankwanzi.
Even Bunyole West MP James Waluswaka, who I doubt understands the middle-income phrase, chorused it in parliament.
The revolutionary went into another retreat with ministers, permanent secretaries and members of his NRM central executive committee (CEC). They assigned themselves tasks including establishing a public secondary school per sub-county, a primary school per parish and a technical school per constituency.
These are the things that MPs must mobilize their constituents to support or associate with. What do we see? District resolutions and processions in support of lifting the age limit so Museveni can rule for life.
Remember the National Bureau of Statistics, in its 2014 report, said 52 per cent of the country are still using tadooba (local paraffin candle) as the main source of lighting. Only 20 per cent of the country uses electricity, yet what is generated is not used but we pay for it. At the moment, we generate nearly 900MW but we are using just about 700MW.
Now all these NRM fellows have organized their electorate to demand that parliament should amend the Constitution to remove age limit. The requirement is that someone above 75 is not eligible to stand for president.
There has been a cabinet retreat, an NRM caucus, an informal NRM conference, etc. All these meetings are not to check on the progress of the Kyankwanzi resolutions, but on the most urgent matter of this government removal of the age limit.
They have even abandoned the push for land reforms which they had described as urgent. That is the state of our country.
The author is Kira Municipality MP and spokesperson of the Forum for Democratic Change.
Has sustainability run its course? Perhaps, according to recently released Sense & Sustainability report from G&S Business Communications.
The survey of 1,158 Americans conducted by YouGov found a notable increase in passivity, described as people who do not use any source to learn about corporate efforts to promote sustainability.
Twenty percent of 2014 respondents to the 2014 did not seek information about what businesses are doing to contribute positively, according to the G&S report.
That figure rose to 25 percent in 2015, 27 percent in 2016 and 32 percent this year.
G&S didnt speculate about why respondents are becoming more passionate about passivity.
My hunch: blame it partly on Donald Trump, along with stagnant wages, job security and healthcare concerns.
Trump has railed against environmental protection as a job-killing example of federal intervention at its worst. For instance, he has been trashing climate change for at least the last five years, going far beyond the denier category.
He tweeted in 2012: The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive. Chinese hoax. Fake news. Pick your poison.
On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to cancel the Paris Accord climate treaty. Nice job, Ivanka in trying to lobby dad.
In August, he began the formal process to exit the climate agreement, but expressed a willingness to re-engage if the US can negotiate a better deal for American businesses, workers and taxpayers.
Thats a smokescreen. Renegotiation is a non-starter for the nearly 200 countries that signed the Paris Accord and agreed to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Trump appointed global warming denier Scott Pruitt to head the EPA, which he sued dozens of times during his days as Oklahoma attorney general.
Pruitt made national news when he said it was insensitive to discuss if the warmer Caribbean waters contributed to the power of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, while recovery operations were underway.
Meanwhile, Trumps Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has toured the country in search of national monuments to downsize.
Zinke has been in the national spotlight this week for commenting that a third of Interiors staffers are not loyal to Trump. Democrats are demanding an apology.
A President sets the tone through words and actions. Its no wonder why people are becoming more passive about sustainability, an environmental issue that doesnt register to Donald Trump.
Unless theres political upheaval in Washington, sustainability faces a tough patch during the next three years.
CSR and environmental PR people have their work cut out.
Philadelphia Unveils Its First Statue Dedicated To An African American Figure Elijah C. Watson Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When
Out of 1,700 public statues erected throughout the city, this is the first one dedicated to an individual African American figure.
In a report from NBC Philadelphia, the city has unveiled a tribute to Octavius Valentine Catto, an educator, organizer and civil rights activist, honoring him with a statue outside City Hall. Born in 1839, Catto led a civil rights movement in Philadelphia fighting for better education for black students; leading efforts to desegregate city streetcars and pushing for equal voting rights.
READ: This Giant Mural Of John Coltrane In Philadelphia Is A Testament To His Everlasting Legacy
Unfortunately, Cattos fight for civil rights resulted in his death with one of his last accomplishments getting Pennsylvania to ratify the 15th Amendment guaranteeing the right to vote for black men. On October 10, 1871, the first Election Day where black men were allowed to vote, Catto was shot to death on his doorstep by Irish-American ward bosses.
My hope is that someday, every child in Philadelphia will know as much about Octavius Valentine Catto as they do about Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Martin Luther King, Mayor Jim Kenney said. Kenney, who first learned of Catto as a city councilman and led a 15-year fight to honor the activist, also referred to him as a true American hero.
Branly Cadet, the sculptor who created the statue of Catto, wanted to highlight the values Catto embodied, with the statue also accompanied by five pillars that highlight Cattos contributions to the city.
Source: nbcphiladelphia.com
A Davenport man has been indicted in U.S. District Court, Davenport, in connection with a large-scale marijuana grow operation in his business.
Shawn Michael Manning, 44, is charged with conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance and felon in possession of a firearm.
He was arrested on the indictment Sept. 21 and pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday. Magistrate Judge Stephen B. Jackson Jr. ordered Manning to remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. A jury trial is scheduled Oct. 30.
Manning was arrested in December and charged in Scott County District Court with manufacture, deliver or possess with intent to manufacture or deliver marijuana; conspiracy to manufacture, deliver and/or possess with intent to deliver marijuana; failure to affix drug stamp; and possession of a firearm or offensive weapon by felon.
The charges were dismissed Sept. 20 after he was indicted in federal court.
According to an arrest affidavit filed in the Scott County case:
On Dec. 29, members of the Davenport Police Department's Tactical Operations Bureau were conducting an investigation into marijuana manufacturing by Manning.
Police searched his general contractor business in the 900 block of South Rolff Street and his home in the 3200 block of Indian Road.
During the search of the business, police found an "extremely sophisticated" marijuana grow operation that consisted of more than 800 marijuana plants, ballasts, timers, grow lights, grow chemicals, pallets containing numerous packages of potting soil, several pots containing potting soil, time cards, grow schedules, documents about the grow operation and receipts.
Police also found digital scales, packaging material for distribution, marijuana wax and remnants of butane honey oil.
Of the more than 800 plants, 61 were hung in a drying room, ready to be processed.
During a search of Manning's home, police found a .9mm Springfield XDM handgun and marijuana. Manning is a convicted felon and is prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.
During an interview with police, Manning admitted to growing marijuana with several others, according to the affidavit.
Police also arrested Lester Jack Monkus II and Jessica Ann Dorsey, both 32, in connection with the case. Their cases are pending in Scott County District Court.
According to court documents, Dorsey denied knowledge of the grow operation, but officers located documents that included handwritten work time cards inside the grow operation.
The grow operation was inside a large warehouse that Dorsey worked at five days a week and that Manning and Monkus own, according to the affidavits.
WASHINGTON Even as his partys latest health care push was imploding, Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., took to the Senate floor Tuesday to push back against Senate Democrats criticisms.
For starters, Sasse objected to claims that Republicans want to cut funding for poor and sick people. He said normal people wouldnt describe proposals to slow the future rate of growth as a cut in funding.
While Im not in favor of cutting federal spending for the poorest and sickest among us, I am in favor of having a debate about how we get to a sustainable growth rate, not the unsustainable growth rate were on thats going to bankrupt the next generation, Sasse said.
Nomenclature aside, critics have argued that Republican proposals to curtail future growth would mean federal spending that doesnt keep pace with needs and that the result would be people losing coverage.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has found that GOP proposals would result in millions more uninsured.
Sasse, who emphasized his own health care policy expertise in his campaign, on Tuesday reiterated his own dissatisfaction with fellow Republicans over health care.
The Republican Party has done a bad job of explaining what were for in terms of replace on Obamacare, he said.
But Sasse objected to the suggestions that Republicans want to see more money going to insurance companies. In fact, he said he would like to reduce the role of insurance companies when it comes to health care.
Insurance is supposed to be insulation and protection against catastrophic loss in the event of unforeseen, unpredictable, nonbehaviorally driven events, Sasse said.
In addition, Sasse more broadly skewered the Senate over the fact that most floor speeches are before an empty chamber. He noted that the top two Senate Democrats had spoken on health care that morning with no other members present other than Sasse, who had drawn the duty of sitting in the presiding chair.
Were not the greatest deliberative body in the world right now, Sasse said.
Medica Health will offer an insurance plan in conjunction with CHI Health, the companies announced Wednesday.
The plan will be part of the Affordable Care Act-approved insurance that will become available for 2018 during the open enrollment period, which starts Nov. 1.
It will be available to most people in the Omaha metro area, including two Iowa counties. It will include co-pay, catastrophic and high-deductible plans. Members will receive care from providers in the UniNet network in partnership with CHI Health, the companies said.
Medica with CHI Health will be one of two plans available to people in Nebraska under the Affordable Care Acts exchange. For Iowa, if its so-called stopgap measure is approved, Medica says its products and services including the CHI plan are subject to change. (The Iowa stopgap measure would guarantee coverage and include the ACAs essential health benefits.)
Medica, based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, said Wednesday that it was committed to the Nebraska and Iowa markets. Its the only insurer that continues to offer ACA-approved plans in Nebraska for 2018; it also so far is the only insurer selling such plans in Iowa for next year.
Meanwhile, Medica on Wednesday said it had signed federal paperwork to officially offer insurance in Nebraska under the ACA in 2018. As the company already announced, its average rates for Nebraska plans will increase 31 percent, though with federal subsidies, most customers wont pay that much out of pocket, the company said.
She remembers seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time.
It was like seeing God, you know? said Lila Lutz, 86, a Holocaust survivor who will speak at the Omaha Public Library next month. I was really happy.
But then she was terrified. She almost wasnt allowed into America.
Lutz was born in a small town in Poland. During World War II, she did forced labor in various ghettos. She and her father were liberated in 1944 but had to wait for years in a displaced persons camp before they secured their visas to the U.S.
Lutz turned 16 on the trip over. Her father was let into the country, but a misunderstanding landed Lutz on Ellis Island.
I was so looking forward to be in America, and all of a sudden Im in jail, she said. They said I needed to go back to Europe. I said, Europe? I have no one there. They killed all my relatives.
Her cousin, who had lived in America for years, had to post a $500 bail to get her stateside.
She lived in Brooklyn about a year, got married and, in 1950, moved to Omaha.
It was a really big disappointment moving to Omaha because I lived in big cities, she said with a laugh. Omaha at that time was just a little town. It ended at 72nd Street. But I got used to it. And it was alright. I became a citizen in Omaha.
Lutz is one of four Holocaust speakers the library will host over the next few weeks, in coordination with the Institute for Holocaust Education. The other speakers are Milton M. Kleinberg, Bea Karp and Kitty Williams.
Williams a 93-year-old woman from Hungary who has lived in Council Bluffs since 1947 said her lifes purpose is to tell her story. And its quite a story.
After initially evading capture, Williams and her sisters were taken to Auschwitz. She learned that her father had been murdered after a friend found his coat with a wedding photo of Williams sister in the pocket while sorting through a pile of clothes.
Williams was eventually sent to a work camp, where she lived 20-to-a-room and was forced to make munitions, handling hazardous chemicals without any protection. Conditions were dire, but the detail probably saved her life.
When the war was over, she and her 19 roommates stuck together, eventually encountering U.S. troops. Williams later married an American airman, came to America and moved to Iowa.
Shes been back to Europe multiple times and has spoken continually about her experiences.
You just feel like you dont have much time left, she said. I just hope that my health holds out so that I can keep on talking. I benefit more out of it than the people Im talking to because I have the satisfaction that theyre informed, that they know it really happened.
Williams has long said that the Holocaust could happen again if people arent vigilant. She believes that now more than ever.
I dont like whats happening in this country about the race issue, she said. This is what can really spark it. I wish I could do more about it. I wish that we all would be aware of how important it is to accept everybody because were all human beings. It is very sad because I know how it started. It started the same as whats happening in this country.
When she first came to the U.S. in 1947, she didnt talk about the Holocaust because nobody wanted to talk about it.
I was silent for so many years, she said. Its my only regret. But I will try my best to make up for it.
Holocaust speaker series
Milton M. Kleinberg
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Elkhorn Library, 2100 Reading Plaza
Kleinberg and his family were among Jews exiled to Soviet labor camps during World War II and displaced person camps after the war. Upon coming to America, he vowed never to speak of his experience. But questions from family members, world events and a concern for the future made him reconsider.
Lila Lutz
When: 6:30 p.m. Oct. 5
Where: Benson Library, 6015 Binney St.
Bea Karp
When: 6:30 p.m. Oct. 12
Where: Main Library, 215 S. 15th St.
Karp and her family were imprisoned in work camps during the war. She and her sister were rescued by a childrens refugee organization, but most of their relatives were killed. Karp has dedicated her life to educating others.
Kitty Williams
When: 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19
Where: Swanson Library, 9101 West Dodge Road
If theres a book you love, one that challenged your ideas and made you see the world in a new way, theres a good chance that someone somewhere at some point tried to censor it.
Every year hundreds of books are formally challenged for removal at schools and public libraries, and for a wide range of reasons: profanity, sexual content, violence, political persuasion.
Quite a few of the classics have been challenged: The Catcher in the Rye for its vulgar language; To Kill a Mockingbird for its adult themes; Animal Farm for the supposed communist intent of its author. In a lot of cases, the challenges to the books went unanswered; but in many other cases, books were removed from shelves altogether.
Since 1982, Banned Books Week has sought to prevent further censorship. Held the last week of every September, the event celebrates the freedom to read. Its key promoters are the American Library Association and Amnesty International.
The week honors famously controversial books as well as recent titles that have drawn the ire of parents, patrons and school boards across the country.
Each year the American Library Associations Office for Intellectual Freedom receives reports from libraries, schools and the media on attempts to ban books in the United States. And so the group has and provides a wealth of data on challenged books, including the many incidents in which literary classics were challenged, often successfully, by their communities.
We culled from their listings, looking at some of the most notable books banned and why folks sought to silence them.
Banned Books Week Talks
What: A series on censorship, facilitated by the Omaha Public Library
When: 6 p.m. today and 6 p.m. Friday
Where: The Bookworm, 90th Street and West Center Road
10 most-challenged books of 2016
Among challenges reported to the American Library Association, these were the most common titles and the reasons people gave for challenging them:
1. This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
What: Young adult graphic novel
Reasons it was challenged: Inclusion of LGBT characters, drug use, mature themes
2. Drama by Raina Telgemeier
What: Young adult graphic novel
Reasons: Inclusion of LGBT characters, considered to have an offensive political viewpoint
3. George by Alex Gino
What: Childrens novel
Reason: Includes a character who is a transgender child
4. I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel, Jazz Jennings and Shelagh McNicholas
What: Childrens picture book
Reasons: Portrayal of a transgender child, language, offensive viewpoints
5. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
What: Young adult novel
Reason it was challenged: You can probably guess
6. Looking for Alaska by John Green
What: Young adult novel
Reason: A sexually explicit scene
7. Big Hard Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
What: Adult comic book compilation
Reason: Bet you can guess
8. Make Something Up: Stories You Cant Unread by Chuck Palahniuk
What: Adult short story collection
Reasons: Profanity, sexual explicitness
9. Little Bill by Bill Cosby and Varnette P. Honeywood
What: Childrens book series
Reason: Sex crimes allegations against Cosby
10. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
What: Young adult novel written by Omaha writer Rowell
Reason: Offensive language
WODEN | A Woden woman who intentionally set a vehicle on fire pleaded guilty this week to felony second-degree arson.
Marvella Ann Harms, 52, will be sentenced on Nov. 7 in Hancock County District Court.
She originally was charged with first-degree arson. She agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge.
Law enforcement: Woden woman intentionally lit vehicle on fire WODEN | A Woden woman has been charged with felony first-degree arson after intentionally li
Harms admitted to a sheriff's deputy in late July that she had poured gasoline inside a 2002 Dodge Durango belonging to a man who lives with her and then ignited the gasoline, according to court documents.
Harms told the deputy the man who owned the Durango gets on her nerves and is drunker than hell, is not nice and has been accusing her of bad things, documents say.
The vehicle was located about 3 to 4 feet from a neighbors house and about 12 feet from Harms and the mans residence, according to documents.
Proceedings in the case were suspended pending the outcome of a hearing on Tuesday as to whether probable cause exists to declare Harms not mentally competent enough to participate in her own defense.
District Judge Colleen Weiland ruled Harms did not establish probable cause for incompetency.
Mary Pieper
The Omaha City Council on Tuesday signed off on an agreement that will allow the city to place officers who are hired from other Nebraska departments on a pay scale that reflects their experience.
The council voted 7-0 to approve a memorandum of understanding with the Omaha police union. There was no discussion.
The union had already voted to pass it.
The lateral recruit class is the Omaha Police Departments first in a decade.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer announced the class as one of several changes for the department after Zachary Bearheels died in police custody in June.
Schmaderer has said officer inexperience was a factor in the encounter with the mentally ill man, who was shocked with a Taser and punched by officers. Both officers were fired and face criminal charges.
According to a letter to the council from Mayor Jean Stothert and Schmaderer, the agreement attempts to balance the need to be fair to the lateral hires and to the existing workforce.
It also recognizes that law enforcement experience with other organizations is helpful, but that the work may be different than that which they will see with the Omaha Police Department, the letter said.
The hires who are part of the class will go through an abbreviated training academy and shorter field training phase but will still be subject to the probationary period of employment established in the collective bargaining agreement.
They will be paid on a scale commensurate with their experience.
The department received 105 applications and will conduct multiple interviews on multiple days until the class is filled, said Deputy Police Chief Greg Gonzalez.
The department is aiming to hire a class of about 20, he said.
The candidates are certified officers from a range of agencies throughout the state.
There are very strong, qualified candidates with a variety of skill sets, Gonzalez said.
Omaha Police Sgt. John Wells, head of the police union, called the agreement a no-brainer.
It gives us the ability to hire experienced law enforcement officers, and its more attractive for them to come here, he said.
In other council business:
The council voted 7-0 to approve an agreement with the University of Nebraska Medical Center to provide forensic testing services.
The services, which include drug sampling and toxicology tests of blood, were previously done by the Douglas County Sheriffs Office.
The new agreement is for two years but can be extended. It calls for UNMC to provide the equipment and facilities for the testing. The city will pay for services based on a fee schedule.
The council voted 7-0 to name a new lake for Boys Town founder Father Edward Flanagan.
Flanagan Lake is at 168th and Fort Streets. That was the most-suggested name from the public when Mayor Jean Stothert solicited input.
The former CEO of Goodwill Omaha, ousted last year amid a scandal involving excessive pay, says hes owed another $550,000 by the charity.
Frank McGree filed suit in federal court Monday, saying the charitys board has refused to make good on a severance payment he is due.
The suit says McGree had a signed agreement with the charitys board entitling him to receive two years of base pay upon leaving the charity, even if the departure was an involuntary separation.
The chairman of the charitys board declined to discuss whether the charity had a separation agreement with McGree or to detail why it denied his claim for payment. But Mark Stokes said he thinks the charity has fulfilled all its financial obligations to McGree.
Its disappointing to see Mr. McGree do this, Stokes said. Its not going to distract us from ... moving forward and working to rebuild the public trust.
McGree was fired by Goodwills board on Oct. 28 last year, days after The World-Herald published an investigation detailing corporate-style executive pay at the widely known charity that sells publicly donated used goods to employ needy job-seekers.
McGree received base pay, retirement pay, bonuses and other compensation exceeding $400,000 annually more than double the average for CEOs at other Omaha social service nonprofits. A $519,000 lump sum payment in 2014, part of a retirement agreement intended to retain McGree, brought his pay that year close to $1 million.
In all, 14 executives and managers at the charity were paid $100,000 or more, including McGrees daughter. Nationwide, no Goodwill affiliate of its size had more employees paid in six figures.
Goodwill spent so much on executive pay and other administrative costs that scant dollars from its signature thrift stores were left to support the community jobs programs that are central to the charitys mission.
In the 11 months since the revelations, the charity has made wholesale changes, including the firing or departure of nearly all its highest paid executives. The number of employees paid $100,000 or more is now at four.
The State Attorney Generals Office, which by law is charged with protecting the assets of nonprofits, in December launched a review of the operations of Goodwill Omaha. The current status of that review is unclear, but it is believed to be ongoing.
Goodwill officials have declined in the past year to say whether McGree was due any kind of severance payments.
McGrees lawsuit, filed in federal district court, touts the former CEOs role in expanding Goodwill from an operation with $1.5 million in revenues and 85 employees in 1986 to $30 million and 600 employees in 2015.
By 2008, Frank was generally recognized as one of the top Goodwill executives in the United States by Goodwill Industries International, the suit says.
In order to induce McGree to stay with Goodwill, a compensation committee of board members in that year entered into an agreement calling for him to receive additional compensation upon the termination of his employment.
The agreement gave Goodwill the right to terminate McGrees employment without cause, but if it did so it was required to enter into a separation agreement with McGree entitling him to two years of base pay, the suit says.
The suit notes that after the agreement was signed, McGree uniformly received excellent reviews, resulting in salary increases and performance bonuses.
After McGree was fired last year, he made a claim for the payment, which, based on his base pay, would have been approximately $550,000. But the charitys board and interim CEO Pauli Bishop denied his claim. His appeal to Bishop and the board was denied last month, prompting the suit.
The suit asks the court to enforce the claim and determine the amount of compensation he is due, including interest.
The attorney for McGree could not be reached for comment.
Some Omaha-area veterinary clinics are reporting an increase in a highly contagious intestinal virus among dogs, one that can be fatal if untreated.
Several dogs and puppies have died from the virus in recent weeks.
Its called parvovirus and symptoms include vomiting, bloody diarrhea, loss of appetite and weakness. Dogs can become severely dehydrated, requiring hospitalization to receive intravenous fluids.
Dr. Sara Pettis of Council Bluffs Veterinary Clinic said her office has had 15 cases of parvovirus in the past five weeks. Thats more cases than her clinic normally sees in a year, she said.
Dr. Michael Bosilevac of Best Care Pet Hospitals in Omaha said hes had 20 cases in the past three weeks. He said he would typically get a half dozen cases in a year.
Cases of the virus have also risen at several other area clinics.
Veterinarians said the virus is preventable through vaccines.
The virus spreads easily through dog waste in animals that arent vaccinated. Dogs, for example, might step in feces at a dog park and then lick their paws, ingesting the virus.
The spike in cases, veterinarians say, could be a sign that some pet owners arent aware of the need for the vaccine or are simply not getting it for their dog.
Dr. Bryce Kibbel, assistant professor at the Iowa Sate University College of Veterinary Medicine, said the lack of awareness could be particularly significant among puppy owners.
Puppies require a series of vaccinations for the virus from about age 6 weeks through 16 weeks, he said. An owner might buy a puppy that hasnt had the complete series and not realize more vaccinations are needed, he said.
Adult dogs typically receive the vaccine every three years, he said.
Kibbel said it is rare for a puppy or dog with the proper vaccinations to get the virus.
Its very preventable, he said. Thats the tragic thing.
A Fremont, Nebraska, coffee shop had a visit from a famous customer.
Katie Couric, the former Today host and CBS Evening News anchor, was at the Milady Coffeehouse on Tuesday.
She was in town filming for a documentary series that will premiere on National Geographic in the spring, according to the channel.
A post on Courics Facebook page Wednesday said: Travels with Katie continue! Heading from Fremont, Nebraska (thanks for your hospitality Fremont!) and decided, yep, I ought to give Iowa a try!
The coffeehouse is in downtown Fremonts restored May Brothers Building. Bryan Vanderpool, program director for a theater thats also in the building, said Couric did at least one interview in the coffee shop.
The six-part documentary series featuring Couric will follow her as she talks with thought leaders who are shaping the most pivotal, contentious and oftentimes confusing topics across the globe today, according to a press release from earlier this year. Specific details about the series have not been made public.
Vanderpool said Couric and her film crew spent several hours in the Fremont coffee shop and had lunch there.
Couric and the crew were gracious, he said, and complimented the staff about the coffee.
They felt right at home, he said.
CLEAR LAKE | In this fall's general election season in Cerro Gordo county, Tony Nelson will seek re-election to Clear Lake's second ward.
The similarity of the two other names on the ballot, however, has caused an interesting twist in that specific election.
Bennett Smith, one of the two other candidates, formally requested a challenge to Ben Smith's candidacy Monday afternoon, arguing that the latter is not registered to vote under that name in Clear Lake. Ben Smith's legal name is Jack Leroy Smith, but he goes by "Ben" to friends and family.
Cerro Gordo County Auditor Ken Kline said objections like this are not common, but do require special attention from elected officials. In this case, the Clear Lake City Council will hold a special meeting at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to select a council member to serve with Clear Lake Mayor Nelson Crabb and City Clerk Jennifer Larson to determine whether to uphold Bennett's objection.
After Wednesday's meeting, the three-person committee will convene Friday at 3:30 p.m. to determine whether the objection should stand.
Kline said nicknames are allowed on ballots, but election laws dictate how those are presented.
"The law specifically says we can't use parentheses, or some italics, or some other identifying marks," he said.
Bennett is concerned about possible confusion voters could face regarding the similarity in the two names on the ballot.
"I have no objection to Jack Smith or anyone else being in the race and on the ballot, but there needs to be the appropriate clarity about the names of the candidates so that voters are not confused about the identity of the candidates," Bennett wrote in a letter to Kline.
The issue, however, is that Ben Smith cannot change his name on the ballot now that the filing deadline has passed, Kline said. The ultimate decision is whether his name will be on the ballot.
Ben Smith told the Globe Gazette the reason he goes by Ben is because his parents called him that when he was young. He added he actually has Ben Smith as the name attached to his Social Security number, while his birth certificate reads Jack Leroy Smith.
Ben said Bennett notified him before the objection was filed Monday, and didn't want to cause any personal feud.
When Bennett Smith notified the auditor's office he was objecting to Ben Smith's candidacy, Kline said he called Larson and talked to her and Clear Lake City Administrator Scott Flory right away.
The decision, he added, could involve voices outside of the aforementioned three-person committee.
"This one is gray enough, I suggested to Scott and Jennifer, that they might want to look for guidance from the Secretary of State's office," Kline said.
In terms of the election process, Kline said his office will determine whether or not to keep Ben Smith on the ballot after the committee meeting Friday. He added, however, that it won't necessarily be the end for Ben, even if his name is removed and it could mean more work for his office counting write-in votes.
"If we could remove the name, then could Ben Smith do a write-in campaign?" Kline said with a laugh, adding, "Holy cow, theoretically ... I look down the line, and that wouldn't be very fun."
Ben said he's unsure if he'll be a write-in candidate if needed, but added voters should be informed enough to notice minor differences between candidate names.
"I just want it to be a fair election," Ben said. "I think if you have the support, your voters should know the difference in names."
Lancaster County Treasurer Andy Stebbing disputes the five felony charges that allege he committed tax fraud and sold automobiles without a license.
However, he should reconsider his decision to continue serving as treasurer while his case proceeds.
The Nebraskas Attorney Generals Office has accused Stebbing of buying and selling vehicles for resale without properly registering them and falsifying some bills of sale.
Stebbing, a former sheriffs deputy, says he is confident the justice system will find the truth. Respect for the office, however, should dictate a more selfless approach.
Stebbing should consider resigning and devoting his time to fighting the charges. Lancaster County taxpayers have a right to be confident that the Treasurers Office is being run properly and that the treasurer can give full attention to the job.
In January 2016, flames and an explosion devastated Heafey Hoffmann Dworak & Cutler Mortuaries main office, a fixture at 7805 West Center Road since 1980.
A family-owned business, there in times of grief, was now facing its own challenge and with it, a choice wallow in Why us? or let the human spirit do its thing.
Before the smoke cleared, the answer was apparent: pick up, dust off, move forward. There were mourning families to serve, a temporary location to find and a move to make. There was a main office to rebuild and a drive to bring it back bigger and better. In short, there was work to do and a tradition dating back to the 1850s to continue.
Now, less than two years after the fire, Heafey Hoffmann Dworak & Cutler is on the cusp of introducing the public to a state-of-the-art mortuary that will serve the community for generations to come.
With progress comes tremendous gratitude.
The community was there for us, said co-owner Bill Cutler III.
Being there for others is what they do the funeral directors at Heafey Hoffmann Dworak & Cutler have a combined 200 years of experience.
And it is what Omahans do as a community, reaching out with kind words and thoughtful gestures.
The result is a poignant reminder: though fire can bring down walls and destroy equipment, it also can strengthen resolve and illuminate a longstanding tradition of community support.
* * *
From the archives
Heres a look back at the fire and its aftermath, using accounts from The World-Herald compiled by Todd Von Kampen.
Jan. 27, 2016:
In the middle of the night, Bill Cutler left the comfort of his own home and raced to his burning funeral home.
I was worried, he said, about the folks we had in the building.
The always respectful Cutler, the mortuarys co-owner, wouldnt describe those souls this indelicately, but for what folks was he risking his life?
Dead folks.
Firefighters arrived shortly before Cutler did, around 3:20 a.m.
After the Fire Department assessed the situation, officials gave the OK to enter the building. A firefighter and I went in, Cutler said, to see if it was possible to remove the deceased.
Nine deceased people were inside, but Cutler said they couldnt be reached. It was so smoky and dark.
Three minutes after the two men entered, a falling ceiling knocked them down, causing a bloody gash to Cutlers forehead that required about 15 stitches at the Nebraska Medical Center.
Was it worth entering the Heafey Hoffmann Dworak & Cutler funeral home at 7805 West Center Road, Omahas busiest, when the only people he possibly could save couldnt possibly be saved?
Thats Bill, explained Terry Kucera, one of the mortuarys longtime funeral directors. They were very important to him because they were important to the people we know and serve.
Families associated with all nine bodies in the building were contacted, Kucera said. Arrangements were made or were being worked on with the companys other funeral chapels to handle burials, he said.
The bodies, either prepped for burial or awaiting burial, were removed Tuesday, he said. Any cremains in the building were not damaged, Kucera said, because they were behind steel doors and were situated in the west side of the building, which sustained the least damage in the blaze.
Some caskets sustained water damage, Kucera said, and have been replaced.
God watched out for us, Kucera said. All of them (the bodies) were untouched.
June 30, 2016:
The razing of the fire-damaged Heafey Hoffmann Dworak & Cutler funeral chapel on West Center Road has been completed, and construction of a mortuary on the site is scheduled to begin soon, funeral director Bill Cutler III said.
Heafey Hoffmann has set up four chapels inside a former Gordmans store northwest of 120th Street and West Center Road. Funeral services and embalming, but not cremations, are handled in the building, Cutler said.
Its a huge facility, he said. Its very nice.
Feb. 2, 2017:
The new Heafey Hoffmann Dworak & Cutler funeral chapel will be about 26,000 square feet, up from the 18,000 square feet of its predecessor, which opened in 1980.
Inside the rebuilt version, visitors will see items that helped the mortuary team get past the darker moments. For example, notes from Rose Fitchs first-grade class at Omahas St. Stephen the Martyr School.
It will be OK, eventually, said one childs message. The 25 student notes are illustrated with stick figures, angels, rainbows, bunnies, a heart character offering a hug. They still bring a smile to Cutlers face and are to be displayed in a way that recognizes what he described as an astounding year of support and community response following the blaze that fire officials have deemed accidental.
We got lots of letters, Cutler said. Just heart-warming things ... from people we dont know; families weve served in previous years. Theyre encouraging for us.
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Klue announces $4 million in funding to arm enterprise sales and channel teams with competitive intelligence. Led by OMERS Ventures with participation from BDC Venture Capital, Vancouver Founder Fund, SK Ventures and angels including Ryan Holmes (CEO, Hootsuite), Jonathan Ehrlich (Partner, Foundation Capital) and Daniel Debow (former SVP Salesforce, CEO Helpful).
A photo and video accompanying this announcement are available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/da5bcfef-72ac-479e-8898-2acce046cc3e
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9d9639b0-33ea-4bee-a477-d1a7edd0f912
There is an explosion of information about companies scattered around the web and streams of content being shared by coworkers inside Slack, Salesforce, shared drives and email. Arming salespeople with relevant intel from the deluge of information is painful. Klue is tackling an underserved problem that every company faces: collecting, curating and distributing competitive intelligence. The platform combines information shared by co-workers with bot collected intel from across the web into battlecards and living dashboards of competitor activity.
Klue solves two problems enterprises face in the battle for sales. First, Klue helps product marketers and enablement teams create and keep competitive content up to date. Second, Klue helps salespeople find and leverage that content inside applications they use every day including Salesforce, Slack, Chrome (browser extension), and email.
The idea for Klue, founded by former President of Vision Critical, Jason Smith, and former Sophos Chief Technologist, Sarathy Naicker was born out of a shared problem both encountered in their previous roles.
Where this really hits home is with B2B enterprise sales teams, says Smith. Thirty percent or more of deals are lost directly to a competitor. It stings to lose a deal that should have been won. Klue gives you a continuously updated lens into your competitors' world so you can better position your company against your rivals, improve your sales strategies with prospects, and ultimately close more deals.
Naicker believes the key to cracking sales in a hyper competitive marketplace is to use machine learning to unearth key insights that cant be done on a human scale. By applying a machine learning intermediary to help scale down the volume of content, and giving enablement teams the tools to deliver, intel is less noisy, more succinct and ultimately more digestible for sales teams to run with.
Klue is tackling a real pain point relating to information management, by showing how companies can turn data into an asset that sales teams can use to win deals, said Sid Paquette, Managing Director, OMERS Ventures. Jason has assembled a very strong team, complete with deep operational and entrepreneurial experience. We are thrilled to join them on their journey.
Mid-to-large B2B enterprises including Adaptive Insights, Dell EMC, Hootsuite, Sage, Paychex, K2, Absolute Software, and DXC (spinout of HP) are already using Klue to win more deals.
About Klue
Competitive intelligence for enterprise sales. Klue helps enablement teams deliver battlecards and market intel to the field. It is a lens for enterprises into their competitors' world, continuously updating and connecting dots to help them win more business. Product marketers and enablement teams leverage curated intel from inside their company and across the web to create and update content. Salespeople get access to relevant, digestible insight cards in the tools they use everyday.
http://klue.com
About OMERS Ventures
OMERS Ventures is the venture capital investment arm of OMERS, one of Canada's largest pension funds with over $85 billion in net assets. OMERS Ventures is a multi-stage investor in growth-oriented, disruptive technology companies across North America. http://www.omersventures.com/.
For More Information:
Katie Berg
Communications Director, Klue
katie@klue.com
Founder Contacts
Jason Smith
CEO, Klue
604-834-8314
jason@klue.com
Sarathy Naicker
CTO, Klue
604-657-5302
gsar@klue.com
Assets: Logos, Screen captures:
Resources can be found here.
Founder story video here.
Customer Testimonials:
"We've gone from covering 12 companies to 54 with the same team. Klue enables us to cover more competitors and go deeper on the ones that matter. Jay Nakawaga, Director, Competitive Intelligence, Dell EMC.
"Klue is integral to how Hootsuite competes on a global basis. It takes care of the heavy lifting in decentralizing the process of gathering, contextualizing and distributing intel, and allows our team to focus on the needle movers and bigger strategic issues." Vincent Lo, Director, Product Marketing, Hootsuite.
"With Klue, our account teams leverage the intel they need to compete every day. They love having easy access to web and mobile playbooks that are fresh, up-to-date and full of digestible information they can actually use to win deals. Michael Schmitt, Chief Marketing Officer, Adaptive Insights
Competitors
Klue is a combination of automated data providers and sales enablement/knowledge management platform. Where a data provider like Owler provides a high level view of any company, Klue combines public with private intel shared by coworkers in email, Slack and Salesforce into a private, consolidated view. Where knowledge management tools like Guru enable users to manually create and update cards, Klue auto-creates and updates cards as well as enabling custom card creation and rolls those individual cards into summary views, or battlecards, that can be accessed by salespeople via email (send an email, get a battlecard), Salesforce (add a competitor to an opportunity, get a battlecard), Slack (backslash battlecard), via mobile app or inside Klues SaaS platform.
Product Highlights
New York, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Specialist insurer Beazley, a pioneer in data breach response insurance, has partnered with Generali, one of the worlds leading insurers, to manage data breaches for Generali Brazils new cyber insurance offering for its corporate and commercial clients.
Beazley will coordinate the breach response for policyholders, including IT experts, legal services, identity monitoring, notification and call centre services, and public relations.
The partnership allows Generali, through Generali Global Corporate & Commercial Brazil, to offer the Brazilian market a comprehensive cyber liability and data breach response product.
"Cyber insurance is an area that has not been fully developed in Brazil. This offering fills a void created by new and emerging risks like cyber-risks, including ransomware. It is a market with strong interest and potential and we are confident that this new product will be a success. Our goal is to help our clients succeed in business, by adding value beyond the policy and being flexible, agile and adaptable, said Werner Stettler, Director of Generali Global Corporate & Commercial Brazil.
Paul Bantick, technology, media and business services focus group leader at Beazley, said: Were excited to partner with Generali GC&C Brazil and bring our cyber and data breach response insurance to the Brazilian market. Companies in Brazil will now have access to a complete privacy breach response management and information security insurance solution. Generali GC&C Brazil clients will benefit from Beazleys data breach response services and our extensive expertise in managing and mitigating the impacts of data breaches for clients globally.
Beazley has helped clients handle more than 6,500 data breaches since the launch of its flagship product, Beazley Breach Response, in 2009.
BZ_ PR_27_9_17
Note to editors:
Beazley plc (BEZ) is the parent company of specialist insurance businesses with operations
in Europe, the US, Canada, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Australia. Beazley manages six Lloyds syndicates and, in 2016, underwrote gross premiums worldwide of $2,195.6 million. All Lloyds syndicates are rated A by A.M. Best.
Beazleys underwriters in the United States focus on writing a range of specialist insurance products. In the admitted market, coverage is provided by Beazley Insurance Company, Inc., an A.M. Best A rated carrier licensed in all 50 states. In the surplus lines market, coverage is provided by the Beazley syndicates at Lloyds.
Beazley is a market leader in many of its chosen lines, which include professional indemnity, property, marine, reinsurance, accident and life, and political risks and contingency business.
About Generali
Generali is an independent, Italian Group, with a strong international presence. Established in 1831, it is among the worlds leading insurers and it is present in over 60 countries with total premium income exceeding 70 billion in 2016. With over 74,000 employees in the world, and 55 million clients, the Group has a leading position in Western Europe and an increasingly significant presence in the markets of Central and Eastern Europe and in Asia. In 2017 Generali Group was included among the most sustainable companies in the world by the Corporate Knights ranking.
About Generali Global Corporate & Commercial (GC&C)
GC&C is the Generali Group unit that develops the P&C business and insurance services for medium and large companies. Generali Global Corporate & Commercial acts on a global scale and deploys an integrated approach at Group level with a central management team and specialized teams active in individual countries. GC&C draws on a worldwide network of professionals to offer a seamless approach towards global risks and deliver what matters to clients. With a client-centric approach, GC&C provides a full range of property, casualty and specialty lines protection to corporate and commercial clients and their brokers worldwide.
Today more than 1,000 professionals work in the nine main offices of GC&C in Milan, London, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Sao Paolo, Hong Kong, New York and Munich. GC&C serves clients and brokers in more than 100 countries, generating an overall Gross Written Premium (GWP) of approximately 2.0bln.
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A 22-year-old man faces at least 25 years in prison after a jury this week found him guilty in the fatal shooting last year of another man after an argument fueled by a fake $68,000 check, a drug deal double-cross and possible romantic rivalry.
A Washington County Circuit Court jury on Tuesday found Roger Gastelum-Medina guilty of murder and unlawful use of a weapon in the June 2016 death of 21-year-old Yusuf Sharif. Judge Oscar Garcia also found Gastelum-Medina guilty of felon in possession of a firearm in a separate bench trial related to the shooting.
Gastelum-Medina is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 6. A murder conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison without parole.
He also faces charges of third-degree rape, second-degree sexual abuse and delivery of methamphetamine to a minor in a separate child sex abuse case. He has pleaded not guilty.
In the Sharif killing, the prosecution and defense said during opening statements that Gastelum-Medina and Sharif knew each other before the shooting and that both regularly used and sold methamphetamine.
Gastelum-Medina was riding with friends in Aloha last June 20 when they spotted Sharif walking with one of his friends near Southwest Blanton Street and 167th Avenue and stopped. Gastelum-Medina and one of his friends walked up to Sharif and his friend and an argument occurred. The shooting happened after it appeared Gastelum-Medina and Sharif were going to fight.
The shooting was the culmination of "bad history" between Gastelum-Medina and Sharif, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Bracken McKey. Gastelum-Medina believed Sharif owed him money from an earlier drug deal rip-off and he suspected Sharif was trying to woo Gastelum-Medina's girlfriend away from him, the prosecutor said.
Gastelum-Medina shot Sharif once in the chest with a silver pistol and the bullet pierced his heart.
Gastelum-Medina and his friend fled. They were found the next day with other friends by U.S. marshals in Tigard, McKey said. One of the friends had a backpack with the silver handgun inside.
The friend claimed Gastelum-Medina told him to sell the gun and pin the shooting on someone else, McKey said. They were trying to raise money to head to California or Mexico.
The prosecution played video taken before the shooting showing Gastelum-Medina with a silver pistol, gesturing with it, aiming it at the camera and showing the bullets loaded inside. It also showed Gastelum-Medina smoking methamphetamine.
A Washington County jail inmate also claimed Gastelum-Medina bragged to him about killing Sharif, McKey said.
Defense attorney Steve Lindsey told jurors that Gastelum-Medina shot Sharif in self-defense and the inmate was lying.
A friend of Gastelum-Medina had previously given Sharif a fake check for $68,000 because "he thought it was funny" and Sharif was upset after discovering it was counterfeit, Lindsey said. Sharif was threatening Gastelum-Medina's friend during their encounter, the attorney said.
Sharif said at one point, "I got something for you," and he began to go into his backpack, the defense attorney said.
Gastelum-Medina and his friend believed Sharif had a gun, Lindsey said, but Gastelum-Medina got to his gun first.
Sharif's friend who witnessed the shooting told police Sharif had a gun, but it wasn't clear from opening statements or court documents if he had a gun on him when he died.
-- Everton Bailey Jr.
ebailey@oregonian.com
503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Mint Corporation (TSX VENTURE:MIT) ("Mint" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the addition of a significant new customer and developments with respect to employee linked insurance and deposit taking pilot programmes. Mint has also reached a number of technical and operational milestones that it would like to share.
We are pleased by the progress made by the Mint team in transforming the company and growing the product offering. Key milestones include completing the insurance and deposit taking pilot programs, winning a major customer, migrating the card portfolio to our in-house processing network, as well as the launch of a number of ancillary products. We believe these steps will provide significant value to our corporate clients, said Vishy Karamadam, President & CEO of The Mint Corporation.
Mint carries on business in the UAE through Mint Middle East LLC (MME), a company 51% owned by Mint, and Mint Gateway for Electronic Payment Services LLC (MEPS), a company 51% beneficially owned by Mint. MME and MEPS are referred to as the Mint Group.
Pilot deposit program
In connection with a UAE Central Bank licensed finance company, the Mint Group has implemented a deposit taking pilot program to assess the viability of that deposit taking model. The finance company originated approximately USD $3 million in deposits in July from the Mint Groups corporate customers in the form of financial labour guarantees. These guarantees are mandatory deposits required on the part of employers who participate in certain UAE employment visa programs. Mint believes there is an opportunity for the finance company to use this deposit taking program to fund loans to cardholders. Mint, in conjunction with its majority shareholder Gravitas Financial Inc. (Gravitas), has announced its intention to acquire a finance house in the UAE and to offer cardholder loans through that finance company. See Mints news release dated September 15th, 2017.
Major customer win
The Mint Group has signed an agreement to be the white-label technology provider for an exchange house in the UAE, with over 100,000 cardholders. The Mint Groups platform will create significant operational improvements in payroll management, through a more robust online reporting and card management platform. The Mint Groups suite of value added services will also increase the revenue generating opportunities for the exchange house. Mint views this customer win as validation of the competitiveness of the Mint Groups payments platform.
Launch of remittance product
The Mint Group is in the process of integrating remittance capabilities into its mobile application in partnership with a licenced exchange house. These remittance capabilities will enable the Mint Group to offer remittance services directly to the Mint Groups cardholders. Almost all of these cardholders are foreign workers, most of whom have a cell phone and send money home. Mint believes there is a significant opportunity to sell money transfer services to cardholders.
Payroll cards and ATM network now in-house
The Mint Group has completed the migration of its entire card portfolio and ATM network from a third-party processor to the Mint Groups in-house processing network. Completing a card portfolio migration of this scale demonstrates the significant capabilities and deep industry knowledge of the Mint Group team.
Mint sees an opportunity to consolidate the fragmented payroll market in the UAE. The Mint Group is evaluating opportunities to acquire additional card portfolios, in addition to the Mint Groups organic growth efforts.
A major focus of the Mint Group has and continues to be the conversion of its cards from closed-loop to open-loop cards. Since partnering with Mastercard and Unionpay, the Mint Group has already converted over half of its cards to these branded cards. These are globally accepted chip and contactless cards. The Mint Group is proactively working with the employers who control the remaining closed-loop cards to complete the conversion to open-loop.
Mobile application
The Mint Group is preparing to launch the next version of its Hafed mobile application to allow cardholders to access remittance, mobile phone top-up, lending, insurance, and other products directly from the app. A pilot launch was completed in early 2017 and the Mint Group received valuable feedback and participation from its cardholders. The Mint Group expects to launch the new version of the application in Q4 2017.
Launch of insurance products
Health insurance is a mandatory benefit required to be offered to all employees in the UAE. In the Mint Groups continuing effort to offer greater value and increase the breadth of its relationship with corporate clients, the Mint Group launched a pilot program to offer health and auto insurance to cardholders. The response the Mint Group received has been encouraging. The Mint Group is seeking to acquire an insurance brokerage license in order to expand this program.
Mastercard and Unionpay gift cards
The Mint Group has signed an agreement with a corporate customer and an exchange house partner to provide Mastercard and Unionpay enabled gift cards. This is a new product line. The Mint Group has received strong interest from the market for such product offerings.
Domestic debit program
Mint is actively working in partnership with an international payment network and the UAE government to pilot a domestic debit scheme in the UAE. This will reduce interchange fees for local payments and promote a cashless economy in UAE.
Debt Restructuring
Mint is in default of payments due under its Series A debentures, Series B debentures and Series C debentures. (See Mints news releases of February 22, 2017 and March 30, 2017.)
Gravitas has completed its offer to purchase Series B debentures of Mint. Gravitas intends to use the voting power associated with those debentures to amend the trust indenture under which they were created. That amendment will allow Mint to redeem the remaining Series B debenture on the same basis as the cash and shares offer made by Gravitas. Gravitas also intends to sell its Series B debentures to Mint in exchange for the same number of Mint common shares, and a promissory noted for the same amount of cash, which Gravitas paid to acquire those debentures (being 15,066,548 common shares and a promissory note for $188,808.40).
Mint expects to complete the purchase of Series B debentures from Gravitas prior to October and to exercise the new redemption right in early October. Gravitas has agreed to loan Mint sufficient funds to complete the redemption. Upon completion of the redemption and the purchase of debentures from Gravitas, Mint will have eliminated all of the Series B debentures. (See Mints news releases of August 31, 2017 and September 13, 2017.)
The elimination of the Series B debentures is a condition of the non-binding term sheet entered into between Mint and the holders of all its Series C debentures and substantially all its Series A debentures. (See Mints news release of April 28, 2017.) Draft documentation implementing the term sheet has been circulated by Mint for comment.
Strengthening the team
Mint is pleased to announce that the Mint Group has strengthened its product and business development teams. The Mint Group has hired a senior insurance professional, with a track record of growing the insurance business and deep knowledge of the UAE insurance market.
The Mint Group also added a UAE national and seasoned senior business development executive with deep knowledge of the payroll market, several corporate relationships and significant experience in growing card portfolios in the region. In addition, the Mint Group has increased its technical and operational team as it scales up its business.
Changes of Directors
Graeme Johnson and Sam Webster have stepped down as directors of Mint. Mint is in active discussions with potential board members who can assist the Company as it evolves.
We express our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Graeme Johnson and Sam Webster for their support and contribution on the board and helping Mint transition its business and grow its capabilities, said Vishy Karamadam, President & CEO of The Mint Corporation.
Future Opportunities
Mint has made a significant investment of time and money to enable the Mint Group to develop a vertically integrated payments platform with robust technical capabilities. Mint believes that the Mint Groups payments platform is very competitive and capable of handling significant growth both inside and outside the UAE. The Mint Group is working through a healthy pipeline of opportunities and will provide updates when they occur.
About Mint
Mint, through its 51% owned subsidiaries (the Mint Group), is a globally certified payments company focused on offering financial services to the unbanked salaried worker in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Mint Group provides employers with payroll cards for their unbanked employees. These employees earn regular salaries and have long-term work permits. The Mint card effectively becomes a cardholders bank account. The Mint Group is in the process of creating a comprehensive suite of value added services for its corporate clients and their employees. Mint is proud that the Mint Group is the only end-to-end, globally certified payments platform in the UAE. The Mint Group network covers the entire spectrum from issuing, processing and acquiring, all through its in-house platform.
Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information includes statements with respect to the acquisition of a finance company, the integration of remittance capabilities into the Mint Groups mobile application, the migration of its card portfolio to open loop, the launch of the Mint Groups Hafed mobile application in Q4, 2017 and the timing of the purchase and redemption of Series B debentures by Mint. The forward-looking statements are based on certain expectations and assumptions made by the Company. Although the Company believes that those expectations and assumptions are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Among other things, the acquisition of a finance company is dependent on factors referred to in its news release of September 15, 2017, developments in the Mint Groups mobile application involve software and other developments which could take longer than expected, the migration of the Mint Groups card portfolio is dependent on the cooperation of its corporate customers and the timing of the purchase and redemption of Series B debentures by Mint is dependent on the timing of certain senior creditor approvals. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
The Mint Corporation
Kym No
Email: kno@gravitasfinancial.com
Tel. 647-252-1664
www.themintcorp.com
A weekly collection of new hires, transitions, promotions and award winners in Oregon and southwest Washington:
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Freda Ceaser
Freda Ceaser joins Central City Concern's executive leadership team as director of equity and inclusion. The nonprofit organization founded in 1979 provides housing, healthcare and employment in Portland for people experiencing homelessness and poverty.
Ceaser has been a member of the staff for 13 years and in the new role will move CCC's initiatives forward promoting diversity and inclusion as well as addressing racial and cultural equity in CCCs services and as an employer.
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Gustavo J. Cruz, Jr.
Prosper Portland (formerly the Portland Development Commission) welcomes Gustavo (Tavo) J. Cruz, Jr. to his new position as the elected Chair of the Board of Commissioners. Prosper Portland commissioners are nominated by Portland's Mayor and approved by the City Council. Cruz has been a commissioner since 2015, and brings more than 30 years of business experience and law practice to the board. His law practice focuses on commercial finance and other business transactions.
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DALE M PETERSON
Krishna Balasubramani
The Oregon state senate has voted to approve Krishna Balasubramani's reappointment to the SAIF board of directors for a second term. Balasubramani was initially appointed to the board in September 2013 - member terms are four years.
Balasubramani is a partner in the firm Sather, Byerly and Holloway, LLP, in Portland, and represents employers in the Pacific Northwest in employment-related matters, including wrongful termination lawsuits, administrative complaints to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and workers' compensation cases.
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Fall Creek Farm & Nursery, Inc.
Fall Creek Farm & Nursery, Inc., offering plants and grower support for blueberry producers around the world, announced the addition of two board members to its professional board of directors. Joining the board are Roland Wolfram, a former Nike executive and Elin Miller, a former executive with Arysta Life Science North America/Australasia, Dow Chemical Company and past presidential appointee to the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo Private Bank has named Rich Brown its regional fiduciary manager in Portland.
The Portland resident previously spent five years as a senior fiduciary advisory specialist in Denver.
Also, Wells Fargo has hired Anthony Piluso of Portland as a senior private banker and vice president in Portland.
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Dave Shotwell
Umpqua Bank and Investments has named Dave Shotwell as its first chief risk officer. In this new position, Shotwell will retain his role as chief credit officer and part of the leadership team reporting to Umpqua's president and chief executive officer. In addition to continuing to oversee the company's credit administration, Shotwell will assume responsibility for its enterprise risk management program, including data governance, compliance and information security.
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Julio Cesar Quinteros
Allen Trust Company/Allen Capital Management announces the addition of Julio Cesar Quinteros, Jr. as a portfolio manager. His career has included a 17-year period as a Wall Street equity research analyst where he started at Credit Suisse, followed by 15-years at global investment bank Goldman Sachs.
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Greenspoon Marder
Greenspoon Marder, a full-service business law firm with offices in Portland, announces the expansion of the firm's litigation practice group with the addition of four attorneys in the Portland office: Leah Sykes, Aaron Matusick, William Edgar and senior counsel Marcel Gesmundo.
The additions deepen Greenspoon Marders core litigation capabilities on the West Coast focusing on multiple areas of the law including real property law, property management, landlord-tenant law, housing discrimination defense, fair housing, commercial and residential leasing and civil litigation.
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K.P.D. Insurance
K.P.D. Insurance of Springfield has announced Robin Baird has been promoted to the position of account manager for the surety department. Also Debbie Light has joined the property and casualty team. Light holds the designation of CISR, and has more than 21 years of experience in the insurance industry.
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Wells Fargo Volunteer Service Award program
Three nonprofit groups will receive a total of $16,000 in honor of Wells Fargo employee volunteers who live and/or work in Washington County.
The donations are being made through Wells Fargo's Volunteer Service Award program. The 39-year-old program gives cash grants to schools and nonprofit groups on behalf of Wells Fargo employees to recognize their valuable contributions to the community.
Beaverton resident Benny Van Raden, an international operations manager in Portland, won $10,000 for Emanuel Children's Hospital in Portland. Van Raden was one of 16 Wells Fargo employees across the nation - and the only one in Oregon - to win a $10,000 award this year.
Other awards included $5,000 for Transition Projects in Portland in honor of Tigard resident Michelle Taylor, who works as an operational risk consultant in Beaverton.
And $1,000 for the Mt. Hood chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse in honor of Jen Davis, who works as a consumer loan underwriter in Beaverton.
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International Economic Development Council award
The McMinnville Economic Development Partnership received a silver award for its monthly newsletter, the MEDP Spark, from the International Economic Development Council. The IEDC is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization who serves economic developers around the world. The annual IEDC awards were created to distinguish the world's best economic development programs. The marketing award recognizes the effectiveness of the materials, innovation and creativity, quality, and the contribution it makes to the economic development profession.
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Contact us
Have a new hire, promotion or business award to share? Email us at business@oregonian.com, and put Attention: Business Movers in the subject line.
The U.S. government moved to impose tariffs on Canadian jetliners when it ruled in favor of a complaint by U.S. aircraft maker Boeing that claimed rival Bombardier is receiving unfair government subsidies.
The Commerce Department suggested the tariffs could be as high as 219 percent, and the action threatens to further inflame trade tensions between the two North American neighbors.
Earlier this year, the department moved to impose new duties on the import of Canadian soft lumber and President Donald Trump has signaled his interest to renegotiate the terms of the North America Free Trade Agreement between the two nations.
Bombardier has sold aircraft to U.S. carriers for decades. But Boeing's complaint follows a multibillion-dollar deal struck between Bombardier and Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines for 75 C-series CS-100's, a commercial airplane that seats about 100 people.
Following the deal, Boeing formally asked the Commerce Department to investigate what it called illegal government subsidies and unfair pricing practices that have allegedly given the Canadian company an unfair advantage as it competes for business in the United States.
"Without bailout money from Ottawa and the Quebec provincial government [Bombardier] would probably be bankrupt," said Loren Thompson, a defense consultant whose think tank gets funding from Boeing. "What Boeing is really saying here is that Bombardier has an unfair advantage because Canadian taxpayers are covering part of its cost."
Bombardier is slated to begin delivering the planes next year, and any new duties imposed by the U.S. would increase the cost of the order to the aircraft manufacturer. The exact amount of any new tariffs would not likely be finalized until early next year. Even then, Canada could potentially pursue a case against the United States at the World Trade Organization.
An ultimate decision to impose tariffs could also have ripples in Northern Ireland, where Bombardier employs about 4,000 people.
The Trump administration did not take an official position on the matter before Tuesday evening's trade decision. But British and Canadian leaders have publicly urged the Trump Administration not to impose tariffs.
The Guardian reported earlier this month that British Prime Minister Theresa May raised the issue privately with Trump following political pressure in the U.K. And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested earlier this month that his government might retaliate directly against Boeing through decisions on military purchasing agreements. The Canadian military is considering whether to buy Boeing's F-18 Super Hornets for the Canadian military, and Trudeau suggested in a Sept. 18 news conference that he would abandon the purchase as a result of Boeing's complaint against Bombardier.
"We won't do business with a company that's busy trying to sue us and put our aerospace workers out of business," Trudeau said in the news conference.
Some have questioned why Boeing would wade into international geopolitics in the first place. Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace industry analyst with Teal Group, described Boeing's action as a "self-inflicted wound" that could damage the company's business relationships with the Canadian military and with Delta.
"This is a dangerous moment for Boeing," Aboulafia said. "They clearly saw this as an opportunity to walk in lockstep with Donald Trump and appeal to his nationalist economic base."
Bombardier has been frank in its criticism of Boeing's suit. In a statement last week entitled "Boeing's Hypocrisy," Bombardier criticized the company's trade practices abroad and urged the U.S. Commerce Department to reject its bid.
"Boeing's self-serving actions threaten thousands of aerospace jobs around the world, including thousands of U.K. and U.S. jobs and billions of purchases from the many U.K. and U.S. suppliers who build components for [Bombardier's plane]," the company's statement reads.
Boeing hailed the decision in a statement.
"Global trade works only if everyone plays by the rules that we've all endorsed to ensure fair competition, as adjudicated by independent national and international bodies," Boeing said. "This dispute has nothing to do with limiting innovation or competition, which we welcome. Rather, it has everything to do with maintaining a level playing field and ensuring that aerospace companies abide by trade agreements."
The move follows another trade dispute between the United States and its northern neighbor. For years, the United States lumber industry had complained that because Canadian lumber is subsidized by the government, the imports make it difficult for American companies to compete. Over the summer, the Trump administration called for tariffs on imports of softwood lumber. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said at the time that he was hopeful the countries would be able to "reach a negotiated solution," and the Commerce Department recently announced a delay in proceedings to work one out.
Still, the Trump administration has generally taken a one-on-one stance toward trade, threatening to remove the United States from multinational, regional accords such as NAFTA. But that has received pushback, including from Thomas Donohue, the president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal this week that, "quitting NAFTA would be an economic, political and national-security disaster."
-- The Washington Post
Beth Nakamura | The Oregonian/OregonLive
By Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive
There's no shortage of places to get a quick cup of coffee in downtown Portland. But when you're looking for locally roasted beans, a treat-yourself latte or somewhere relaxing to settle in for a couple hours, these 10 downtown coffee shops are for you.
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Barista
Portland's pioneering multi-roaster coffee bar, Barista has two downtown locations and a third tucked into the Pearl District. The cozy cafes feature beans from roasters across Portland and beyond, as well as sweets from Roman Candle. The shop's Pine Street Market location also boasts a vacuum-infusion tea system.
529 S.W. Third Ave., #110; 126 S.W. Second Ave.; 539 N.W. 13th Ave.; baristapdx.com
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Stephanie Yao Long | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Behind the Museum Cafe
A serene, almost monastic coffee shop lined with Japanese art and ceramics, Behind the Museum Cafe is one of our favorite cafes in the city. With its high, airy ceilings and lengthy menu of Japanese teas, temple-style snacks and Extracto coffee drinks, it's the perfect place to have a relaxing cup of matcha or catch up on work.
1229 S.W. 10th Ave., 503-477-6625, behindthemuseumcafe.com/sitemap.html
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Case Study Coffee
A cozy, wood-accented cafe, Case Study is another coffee shop in town roasting their own blends. With tons of comfortable seating, a case full of Roman Candle and Petunia's pastries, and Bowery bagels, you'll find few better places to spend an afternoon people-watching or working.
802 S.W. 10th Ave., 503-477-8221, casestudycoffee.com
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Courier Coffee Roasters
A longstanding downtown Portland cafe, Courier Cafe has been serving its daily house-roasted, single-origin beans for more than seven years. Sample a housemade pastry or visit on a summer weekend when the shop shaves mountains of Japanese shaved ice until it's sold out.
923 S.W. Oak St., 503-545-6444, couriercoffeeroasters.com
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Heart Coffee Roasters
This streamlined, Scandinavian-inspired cafe specializes in light roast coffees. Regroup within its black and white walls of the bright, West End cafe with a cup of coffee or tea and a pastry.
537 S.W. 12th Ave., 503-224-0036, heartroasters.com
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Ole Latte Coffee
A cute coffee cart parked near Portland State, Ole Latte offers one thing few other places in the city do: a "suspended coffee" program. It's a pay-it-forward system that anyone can donate to or use. Paired with locally sourced beans and products, the cart is our go-to morning feel-good destination.
Southwest Fifth Avenue and Harrison Street, 971-221-6318, olelatte.com
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Stephanie Yao Long | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Ristretto Roasters
This Portland roaster recently made a big downtown push, opening two cafes within blocks of each other, one in the former Oregonian building and the other at the base of KOIN Tower. You'll fnd quality macchiatos and Jasmine Pearl tea during the day, and beer and wine in the evenings.
1320 S.W. Broadway, 503-954-1776; 222 S.W. Columbia St., 503-477-9087; rrpdx.com
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Spella Caffe
A perennially packed, closet-sized Italian cafe tucked into a downtown office building, Spella is our go-to spot for a quick espresso (sipped standing, of course) or an early afternoon affogato, where hot espresso is poured over a scoop of gelato. There's barely enough room to wait for your order, so you'll want to plan on taking your coffee to go if you've got work to do.
520 S.W. Fifth Ave., 503-752-0264, spellacaffe.com
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Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Portland's namesake coffee shop has two downtown locations. Stop by for a glass of the city's quintessential cold brew, a cup of hot coffee or a bag of beans.
1026 S.W. Stark St.; 128 S.W. Third Ave.; stumptowncoffee.com
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Water Avenue Coffee
Southeast Portland's Water Avenue Coffee recently opened a downtown cafe just off Pioneer Square. Though you'll have to go across the river for a full breakfast or lunch, you'll find a quick grab-and-go case and pastries alongside the roaster's signature coffee at the new cafe.
811 S.W. Sixth Ave., 503-784-6497, wateravenuecoffee.com
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Beth Nakamura | The Oregonian/OregonLive
10 new Portland area coffee shops to cozy up at this fall
It's finally fall, the time of year when you'll always want a warm drink in hand. With plenty of new coffee shops ready to fill your order, it's time to grab your scarf and head out to one of these new Portland-area cafes.
Oregon's largest school district plans to jostle 5,000 students 10 percent of its enrollment as part of a long-awaited effort to fix education inequities.
Portland Public Schools rolled out a proposal last month to open two new middle schools and redraw more than a dozen schools' boundaries. Not surprisingly, emotions are high. Many parents bought a home with a keen eye toward school boundaries. And some worry that more powerful and privileged parents will steer the system in a way that once again shortchanges low-income students and students of color.
"It's a terrible political puzzle," Daneen Bergland, the secretary of the PTA at Scott K-8 School in Northeast Portland, wrote in a letter read at a recent listening session on the changes. "We support you as you deal with fierce blowback that you are going to be receiving from more well-heeled communities, and we urge you to please do what's right for all kids."
More than a year ago, the district identified K-8 schools on Portland's eastside that disproportionately serve low-income students and students of color as unfair. The schools' relatively small enrollments in grades six, seven and eight meant they offered fewer programs and options than the district's middle schools. Changing K-8s back to elementary and middle schools, however, log-jammed.
The school board-endorsed plan to reopen Tubman Middle School and to convert Roseway Heights K-8 to a middle school got delayed a year. Opening them would have broadened offerings for middle grade students now attending seven small K-8 schools. The district's vacancy-plagued central office simply didn't have the capacity to pull it off on time, then interim Superintendent Bob McKean decided.
The delay is a particular frustration for two of the district's three new school board members. Scott Bailey and Rita Moore served on committees that issued the call to fix those inequities and it has been a central part of their advocacy.
"A lot of people have been dealing with the boundary kerfuffle and the reconfiguration and all the rest of it for years and years and years," Moore said at an August board meeting. "What they want is a plan. What they want is some hope."
Bailey has characterized the effort as "a longterm trainwreck."
The plan is to open the two promised middle schools to serve broad stretches of North and Northeast Portland. Therein lies the disruption. To make sure no school ends up understaffed or overcrowded, students must be shuffled.
Broad outlines are clear: K-8s near Tubman will send their middle schoolers there; K-8s near Roseway Heights will do the same. But some details of how exactly that should, or will, work remains unclear. And to affected families, those details matter a lot.
The district has held meetings to explain options and gather public opinions. Parents have also taken to Facebook groups to speculate, strategize and vent.
The boundary line that determines which students will go to Madison High and which to Grant High is perceived as a third rail issue, charged and untouchable. But district leaders' plan is to touch it and shift about 100 students to Madison. Parents are already digging in their heels. At a recent meeting, doe-eyed youngsters went before the school board to testify that a future at Grant High had been promised to them all their lives.
Some parents are afraid the grand scheme has blind spots. Vestal K-8 would become an elementary school and parents in that community fear the moves will leave it under-enrolled. Parents who counted on going Beaumont Middle School, but will now be shifted to Tubman, are agonizing about a longer, less-walkable commute.
Another issue that's become a flashpoint: the staff recommendation to evict KairosPDX, a public charter school that occupies the former Humboldt Elementary School. Access Academy, a program for highly gifted students, is housed at the former Rose City Park Elementary. But district officials plan to reassign some students from overcrowded Beverly Cleary School to attend a reopened Rose City Park Elementary, so Access must move. District officials say Humboldt is the only place they can find to put Access.
But that proposal has rankled both communities and drew criticism from Portland's mayor and other prominent officials. They and many others have decried the move to boot Kairos, a small elementary that's done well by black students and families. Black residents of inner North Portland, where Humboldt lies, have been treated as less-than by city and district officials for more than a half century; to eject the school now that is established seems directly contrary to the district's stated aim of racial sensitivity and inclusiveness, they say.
The Access community has chafed at being dragged into the fight, which pits their overwhelmingly white school against a majority black one. Most Access parents had to fight to get their child into the school after their neighborhood school couldn't meet their child's needs. They dispute broad glosses of the program that imply Access is for privileged children and an extra, as opposed to a program their children need in order to get an education. Only children shown to need something their neighborhood school can't provide are admitted to Access, which has historically had a long wait list. That's part of why Humboldt is unappealing to parents of highly gifted students: It's too small to allow for growth.
Board members are worried about whether this latest push will work out.
Bailey has said he is "extremely frustrated." McKean pushed back the middle schools' open date because he said the district had too much on its plate. But the committee working to address boundaries didn't meet for months and wasn't told why.
That was disrespectful and caused the district to blow an opportunity to plan, Bailey said at an August meeting.
"If we do anything to hold up this train at all, then it looks like we are the bad guys," Bailey said. "And yet the other alternative is for (the district) to go ahead and come up with quite a risk, I think, of setting up a system that then needs to be radically changed in order to work for the entire eastside."
NOTE: This post has been updated to accurately characterize the proposal to eject Kairos charter school from the former Humboldt Elementary building as a recommendation, not a done deal.
Bethany Barnes
Got a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email Bethany
The Portland teachers union has been silent about the district's botched handling of complaints about an educator accused of sexual misconduct repeatedly over many years.
Don't expect that to change.
Portland Association of Teachers President Suzanne Cohen said Friday that the union will not discuss the case, which highlighted a union-backed rule that can keep principals from seeing patterns of complaints against teachers.
Veteran Portland Public Schools educator Mitch Whitehurst was at the center of an Oregonian/OregonLive investigation that found the district protected Whitehurst, not children. Despite detailed, first-hand accounts that Whitehurst ogled and abused female students, he was terminated only after a male coworker complained. His colleague's complaints prompted Oregon's teacher licensing agency to look into allegations from a student that the district had refused to investigate. The state agency concluded Whitehurst committed sexual misconduct and, after he acknowledged the state's evidence of his wrongdoing, revoked his license.
The teachers union is a powerful force within Oregon's largest school district, as it represents some 4,000 educators.
District officials who failed to investigate or downplayed complaints against Whitehurst included lawyers, principals and human resources chiefs; none was a member of the teachers union. But provisions in the teachers' contract designed to protect workers helped shield Whitehurst and thus have come under scrutiny.
The final principal who supervised Whitehurst before he was terminated told The Oregonian/OregonLive she felt "powerless" to keep students safe from him. Complaints against him, she said, had not made it through the layers of bureaucracy, intended to protect teachers' due process rights, that his supervisors had to negotiate before such complaints could be entered in his permanent record. LaShawn Lee, former principal of Faubion K-8 School, specifically suggested the district change a policy that she says kept her in the dark: Whenever a teacher gets a new boss, complaints and notes that haven't been substantiated must be removed from his or her file.
A statement the union posted on its website days after The Oregonian/OregonLive began asking for comment stresses that district managers, not the union, has the power to investigate employee issues.
The statement calls on the district to conduct thorough and timely investigations. It also slams the media for "mischaracterizations" and "insinuations."
"We will continue to defend everyone's right to due process, and to fulfill our duty to fairly represent our members," the statement says. "No one should have their professional reputation ruined by unsubstantiated rumors or be tried in the press where they are assumed guilty until proven innocent. We continue to demand that the district do its job of investigating complaints and taking appropriate actions, while adhering to core legal principles like due process and innocent until proven guilty."
The statement said the union has advocated that the district fix its "dysfunctional approach" to personnel complaints and investigations for years.
The pushback from the union comes as contract negotiations drag on and the threat of a strike looms. Although negotiations are still underway, the policy prohibiting retention of unsubstantiated complaints is not up for debate. The school board voted on and approved the portion of the contract that preserves that provision in March.
Nevertheless, an outside investigative team the school board hired to hunt for lapses in the district's treatment of Whitehurst will look at that contract. The long list of questions the board tasked investigators with answering includes: "Are there provisions in the union contract that impact the district's ability to adequately address complaints?"
Bethany Barnes
Got a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email Bethany: bbarnes@oregonian.com
The six-minute video opens to ominous music and burning trees. After the flames are out, a narrator says, forests suffer from devastating neglect, turning into a "vast sea of dead, charred trees" that aren't reforested because of a maze of confusing, contradictory environmental regulations.
The music brightens as the answer appears: Salvage logging. The video concludes by urging viewers to call their elected officials "and tell them these federal lands... are too valuable to simply walk away."
The clip credits a tiny nonprofit called Communities for Healthy Forests and went online in early September, a day before Oregon Republican Rep. Greg Walden introduced a bill to harvest trees burned this summer in the Columbia River Gorge. Timber companies support the plan.
This aerial view shows some of the damage from the Eagle Creek fire. Rep. Greg Walden introduced a bill to quickly salvage log the Columbia Gorge scenic area. Environmental groups oppose it.
It's become routine for cryptically named interest groups to push changes in federal policy that industry wants. The surprising twist this time: Federal money paid for it.
Douglas County, a local government so broke it closed all its public libraries earlier this year, funded Communities for Healthy Forests to create the video. And it did so with federal safety net money meant to ease rural Oregon's dependence on timber revenue.
Commissioners have awarded Communities for Healthy Forests a total of $490,000 in federal money over the last two years, $250,000 of it to make videos. Only one has been released.
The Douglas County commission's spending raises questions about a federal program called Secure Rural Schools, which has suffered from a lack of oversight since it was co-authored in 2000 by Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat.
The program gives counties part of what they once earned from logging on federal land before endangered species listings curtailed the harvest. Oregon has received $3 billion, more than any other state.
Most of the federal money goes to roads and schools. But counties have wider leeway over a portion known as Title III, which was funded at $14.3 million nationally in 2015.
Chris Boice, chairman of the Douglas County commission.
Chris Boice, chairman of the Douglas County commission, said the pro-salvage logging video counted as "education related to forestry." That's a use that Congress authorized for money received before 2008. Boice said the county had pre-2008 dollars on hand to pay Communities for Healthy Forests in 2015 and 2016.
But even back when education was an allowed purpose, the law said money could only be spent on after-school programs.
The cash the county awarded Communities for Healthy Forests instead could have been used to boost the county's wildfire preparedness or pay firefighting costs, purposes allowed by Title III since it was created.
Internal and external audits have repeatedly found Title III money misspent over the last decade and urged reform. But all the recommended changes haven't been adopted.
Wyden, who wants Congress to reauthorize the program, said counties should be using the economic lifeline wisely to meet rural Oregonians' essential needs. In a statement, he said what The Oregonian/OregonLive found in Douglas County would spur him to ensure counties are held accountable for their spending if the program is renewed.
"A single dollar of Title III payments should not be wasted rehashing decades-old debates and siphoning taxpayer money away from its prescribed purpose of protecting our communities from wildfires," Wyden said.
Douglas County residents stream into a community meeting at the main branch of the Douglas County library system in Roseburg, on April 7, 2017. A sign in the foreground lists important dates in the ongoing closure of the county's libraries.
Douglas County, the heart of Oregon timber country, has been one of the biggest beneficiaries under Title III, receiving $4.3 million between 2010 and 2015.
The county gave Title III money to Communities for Healthy Forests to develop videos criticizing federal forest policy, revamp its hacked website, educate school kids and send the nonprofit's workers to conferences. A former county commissioner, Doug Robertson, worked for the group in 2015, records show.
Javier Goirigolzarri, executive director of Communities for Healthy Forests, said he was "totally unaware" that Walden's salvage logging bill would land a day after the salvage logging video was released. A Walden spokesman declined comment.
A Portland nonprofit called Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities helped the video get seen with postings on its website and Facebook page. That nonprofit shares a mailing address with the American Forest Resource Council, a major timber industry lobbying group.
Since then, the film has been viewed 94,000 times on Facebook and emailed to federal officials by Tom Partin, the lobbying group's former president and current consultant. Partin didn't respond to a request for comment.
Goirigolzarri said other video topics will include the health impacts from wildfire air pollution and how increasing logging and thinning in federal forests can minimize fires. Eight other Oregon counties have funded the nonprofit, Goirigolzarri said: Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, Josephine, Grant, Curry, Jackson and Harney.
"Given our fuel conditions in these federal lands we have a blanket of fuel it's difficult to trust that wildfire will give us desired effects," Goirigolzarri said. "Whereas if we take some action on the ground, we can allow wildfire to improve conditions."
The county has spent discretionary safety net money for other purposes that are hard to reconcile with what's allowed under the federal Title III program.
It gave $71,000 to Wildlife Services, a federal animal trapping agency, for work that included killing bears and porcupines on public and private timber land. The animals eat the inner bark of Douglas fir, damaging timber crops.
Boice, the county chairman, said the grant to Wildlife Services was for educational purposes, just like the salvage logging video, in addition to supporting lethal and nonlethal methods of dealing with problem animals.
"All of our expenditures of Title III have been done within the confines of the law," Boice said.
A grant application obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive shows Wildlife Services did use the term "educate" to describe its plan to inform landowners about how black bears, porcupines, squirrels and other rodents damage timber -- and then assist in combatting the creatures, by either setting traps or providing "hands-on" training.
Statewide, the agency killed 193 bears and 13 porcupines in 2015, records show.
Wildlife Services also said in the grant application that it would use $22,000 of its county funding to maintain an ATV and other vehicles.
Congress would have to make changes to Secure Rural Schools, which is currently expired, to ensure greater scrutiny of how the money is spent.
David Bergendorf, the U.S. Forest Service's manager overseeing the program, said his agency has no legal basis to track county spending. While counties must sign a form certifying they've properly spent the money, they are not required to submit any proof.
"That's not in the law and we have to follow the law as it's written," Bergendorf said. "We can't start over-interpreting the law. Congress could certainly write that in, but they never did."
Steve Pedery, conservation director at Oregon Wild, said the county's decision to fund a program benefiting private timber owners and a group that echoes industry talking points "just shows how broken the political systems in these counties are."
Groups like Communities for Healthy Forests and the American Forest Resource Council work together to achieve the same legislative outcome, Pedery said. If a Roseburg nonprofit delivers a pro-timber message in place of an industry lobbyist, he said, "suddenly it begins to sound credible."
There are other questions about the publicly funded video favoring salvage logging, apart from its eligibility for Title III funding.
Groups that receive some types of federal money are prohibited from using it to create propaganda or lobby for federal policy changes. However, it's unclear whether that restriction would apply in this case because the money first passed through the county, said Susan Gary, a University of Oregon law professor.
Boice defended the spending, saying he and his fellow commissioners thought it was important to show how much timber goes to waste after fires.
"Do you think leaving those dead and dying trees there to rot and emit harmful gas rather than removing and replanting them with young, vibrant, carbon eating seedlings is a good idea?" he asked.
Communities for Healthy Forests has not completed all the projects it proposed using Douglas County's safety-net money.
One planned film, "Burning America's Future, Squandering Our Resources," was supposed to be an hour-long investigative documentary targeting what it called "younger and more urban audiences who remain largely unaware how catastrophic wildfires are affecting the nation, and the world."
Goirigolzarri said the documentary was intended to be "PBS quality."
For reasons he did not elaborate on, Goirigolzarri said his organization ended production after the California company hired to create the picture "did not complete the necessary steps."
Correction: Tom Partin is a consultant, not a lobbyist, for the American Forest Resource Council, which is a lobbying group. Partin emailed a link to pro-logging video to federal agency officials, not to federal elected officials.
Rob Davis
rdavis@oregonian.com
503.294.7657;
A man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to killing a man in Gresham last month, records show.
Ajon Brandon Webster
Ajon Brandon Webster, 27, is accused of fatally shooting Adrian Gilberto Berg on Aug. 6, according to court records. Police have said Berg was shot while he attended an event at a Gresham park.
Webster was jailed Tuesday afternoon, and he's being held without bail. He was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service.
KOIN-TV first reported about the allegations Wednesday morning.
Gresham police previously said Berg, who was a 32-year-old Portland resident, got in a verbal altercation with a man while attending a social event at Pat Pfeifer Park. The suspect reportedly shot Berg and left, according to police.
Police said Berg died that night at a hospital.
The altercation reportedly happened near the park's southeast boundary, according to police.
Court records list a Vancouver address for Webster.
-- The Oregonian/OregonLive
BY JOHN FREEMUTH
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's recommendations to shrink four national monuments and allow fossil fuel development activities on others is just the latest sign that this administration sees natural resource use and extraction as the highest priority for public lands.
I direct the Andrus Center for Public Policy at Boise State University, named for former Idaho Governor and Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus, who died on August 24, 2017 at age 85. One major focus of our research is wise use of public lands and collaborative land-use decisions through conversations that give everyone affected a chance to voice their concerns. These values, which Andrus championed, align with mainstream conservation thinking.
Controversies over public lands and natural resources date back more than a century, with policies emphasizing development under some administrations and conservation under others. So the Trump administration's focus on resource use is not new.
What I see as different this time is rhetoric that diverges completely from reality on the ground. We hear a lot about conservation and the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, but see proposals to cut public land budgets, promote oil and gas development next to protected areas and open more sage grouse habitat to mining. Some observers have labeled Zinke's conservation pledges "all hat and no cattle," recalling the old adage for people who pose as cowboys by dressing the part. Put another way, to these folks, Zinke so far is "all Roosevelt hat and no Roosevelt action."
Cecil Andrus's conservation legacy
Cecil Andrus, who called himself "a lumberjack and a political accident," served four terms as governor of Idaho, from 1971-77 and 1987-95. He interrupted his second term to accept President Jimmy Carter's nomination as secretary of the interior. Like Zinke today, Andrus was an avid hunter and fisherman. He fully appreciated other conservation values, such as protecting parts of the public land estate for all Americans - not something we've seen thus far in Zinke's actions.
Andrus led the Carter administration's effort to conserve large portions of Alaska in the 1970s - the largest such act in American history, and the catalyst for passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. This law created 104 million acres of parks and preserves, doubling the size of the U.S. national park system.
Andrus was also centrally involved in protecting large swaths of Idaho, including the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and the Boulder-White Cloud Wilderness. He left a legacy as a bipartisan problem solver who did not hesitate to use power in service of the public good. When he passed, we received condolences from many career employees at the Department of the Interior who worked with him.
In discussing "wise use" of resources, Andrus emphasized the "wise." As he often said, "First you must make a living; then you must make a living that's worthwhile." This did not mean opposing all development, but rather what Andrus called a "prudent" approach.
"We developed America by giving away resources," Andrus told President-elect Jimmy Carter when they met. "When we got to the Pacific Ocean, we looked back over our shoulders and said, 'Oh, my God, look what we've done.'"
Whose greatest good?
Conservationists, land managers and politicians have been debating how to reap the greatest value from public lands since the 1908-1913 battle over damming the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park. Naturalist John Muir argued for protecting the scenic valley, which he compared to "the people's churches and cathedrals." But Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service, carried the day, asserting that providing a new water supply for San Francisco would achieve "the greatest good for the greatest number."
After Carter and Andrus left office in 1980, priorities swung sharply toward resource use under President Ronald Reagan and Interior Secretary James Watt III. Watt wanted to change the direction of public land policy, and did so with proposals that included more oil and gas leasing in wilderness areas and offshore and a proposed moratorium on new national parks. He resigned under pressure in 1983 after several tumultuous years.
Policies continued to oscillate under subsequent administrations, with Republicans favoring resource use and Democrats emphasizing conservation. As a candidate in 2016 Donald Trump did not say much about public lands, but seemed to provide cursory support for the idea that they should remain public and federally managed, rather than being transferred to state control or privatized as some advocates urged.
Rhetoric and reality
Ryan Zinke began his tenure at the Interior Department with pure symbolism: He rode to the agency's headquarters on horseback and professed to be a conservationist in the mold of Theodore Roosevelt. Then he took a different path.
Trump's directive to review 27 national monuments established by Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama included seeking public comments, and the comments rained in - more than 1.4 million in total. But the Interior Department never issued an official summary or analysis of those comments. Environmentalists and tribes complained that Zinke gave them little time to present their views when he visited the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, one of four that Zinke proposes to shrink.
Cecil Andrus would have sought out the views of all affected interests, though of course it is extremely unlikely that he would ever have undertaken this kind of review in the first place. Late in the Clinton administration, environmentalists asked me to to see whether Andrus would support designation of an Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument in southwestern Idaho. He replied that he would not because the proposal had not been vetted with all affected parties.
Interestingly, a recent Morning Consult/Politico survey found that respondents did not trust the Trump administration to make decisions on monuments, and instead thought the choices should rest with residents and local leaders in affected states. Presumably such an approach would have found broad support for monuments that were created with significant public involvement. This was true of almost all of the monuments under review, except possibly for Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, which many state officials contend President Clinton designated without consulting them. (There is, however, evidence to the contrary.)
What next for public lands?
What can we expect next from the Trump administration? Some members of Congress, notably Utah Rep. Rod Bishop, continue to push for accelerated development on public lands - including coal, which is losing market share to cheaper and cleaner natural gas. Officials who would support reasoned and planned development of oil and gas instead confront renewed controversies over drilling near national parks and wilderness areas - an issue that was hotly debated during the Reagan administration.
Trump has yet to appoint leaders for the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. This vacuum is creating uncertainty about policy directions, fueled by rumors about possible picks. Meanwhile, Zinke asserted this week that 30 percent of Interior Department employees were "not loyal to the flag."
This confrontational approach would have been alien to Cecil Andrus. "We can joust and even fight at times, but it must be from a position of mutual respect," he wrote in his 1994 memoir. "The West is too precious to be used as a scorched-earth, all or nothing battleground."
-- John Freemuth is a public policy professor at Boise State University. The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts
The Portland arts tax was never about smart governance or fiscal responsibility. From its inception, the $35 tax to benefit schools and arts organizations was about getting Portland residents to pick up a tab that does not belong to them. So city officials' admission this month that administration costs have consistently exceeded the 5 percent cap approved by voters is, unfortunately, not surprising.
Still, it's helpful to hear Revenue Director Thomas Lannom's unvarnished comments regarding the cap, which was highlighted as an accountability feature in the 2012 ballot measure. The 5 percent limit, he told Portland city commissioners, "polled very well in 2012 as a number to shoot for. But it was never realistic."
The same could be said for the arts tax program itself, which promised to pay for arts and music instruction in Portland elementary schools and raise millions for the Regional Arts & Culture Council to distribute to arts groups. While the tax has fulfilled its promise to schools, it also has been so plagued with defects that the program in place now is significantly different from the one presented to voters. At the same time, those changes, which exempted tens of thousands of people, have only made the controversial tax more unpalatable. In its best year, fewer than three of four taxpayers paid the $35 bill.
Editorial Agenda 2017
Boost student success
Get Oregon's financial house in order
Help our homeless
Honor our diverse values
Make Portland a city that works
Expand access to public records
________________________
Read more about the editorial board's priorities for Oregon.
Instead of trying to once again rescue the tax from its fatal flaws, the council should simply refer the amended tax to voters. As Commissioner Dan Saltzman noted, that carries the risk that voters may reject it outright. But, he said, referring the tax to voters is "the most straight-forward, straight shooting approach to it."
Contrast that with the ideas floated by Lannom, who advised against putting the matter back to voters. He and Commissioner Nick Fish briefly outlined an idea to use $200,000 in general fund money to pay for hunting down those who have evaded the tax. Such collections efforts could bring in additional revenue - most of which would go to RACC, as Fish noted.
But is that how Portland should spend its general-fund money? RACC already gets millions from the city, in excess of arts tax revenue. Before the passage of the arts tax, in the 2012-2013 budget year, the city gave RACC a grant of $3.86 million, according to city budget office data. Compare that to 2016-2017, when the city gave RACC a grant of $4.29 million in addition to $3.3 million in arts tax money. Devoting another $200,000 to drum up more revenue for RACC seems a questionable use of money in a city facing a housing and homeless crisis. Things that, you know, are part of the city's core responsibilities.
And then there are all the ways that this tax shows government at its mission-creeping worst.
Oregonian editorials
Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Mark Katches and John Maher.
To respond to this editorial, post your comment below, submit an OpEd or a letter to the editor.
If you have questions about the opinion section, email Laura Gunderson, editorial pages editor, or call 503-221-8378.
Consider that schools do not fall under the jurisdiction of Portland city government. Rather, they are governed by independently elected school boards that set priorities and adopt budgets based on funding from the federal government, state sources, and local property taxes. Certainly, the city of Portland has its own list of problems to address with its limited money. In fact, Portland Public Schools' general fund rivals the city's in size. So why would the city think to take on school district responsibilities?
Secondly, the arts tax seems to engender the idea that patronage of arts education in schools entitles the city to give orders to districts. The citizen arts-tax oversight committee is recommending that the City Council direct school districts to develop a "state of the arts report" that shows the impact of the arts tax funds.
Keep in mind, the city already knows precisely how many teachers are hired and how many students are served. This report instead would capture the "indirect and tangential" benefits that stem from the arts tax. In other words, the council would insist that school districts spend their scarce time, money and resources pulling together a feel-good marketing brochure that arts tax supporters can wave to justify this poorly-designed, poorly-considered, inequitable and regressive tax. School boards should respond to that demand with a single word: No.
And finally, the city's arts tax only muddies the school-funding picture for the public and policymakers. It's difficult to recognize the structural problems plaguing K-12 education with such Frankenstein funding like the arts tax blurring the problem.
If Portland taxpayers believe that students at all grade levels deserve a full slate of classes - math, arts, reading, physical education, science and other opportunities - they should lobby state legislators, the governor's office and local school boards to do their jobs. They shouldn't fool themselves into thinking they are rescuing the school system with a limited tax, selectively imposed, that specifies arts for only certain students. Send this tax back to the ballot, City Council.
- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board
This editorial has been updated to correct that Commissioner Saltzman raised the issue of whether the city should refer the tax to voters but did not suggest doing so.
Since the Eagle Creek Fire has devastated our Gorge and closed the old Historic Columbia River Highway indefinitely, perhaps it is time to reconsider how to reopen this area.
It has become so busy over the years, it is time to rethink the use of the old highway (through waterfall alley) and reopen it with a wide bike land and one way only for cars going west, given most travelers there are from Portland area. This would be more user friendly and less dangerous for everyone.
Jennifer Larson Santee, Hood River
Aliso Viejo, CA, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OrthAlign, Inc., a leading provider of orthopedic surgical navigation solutions, announced today that the company has raised $10 million in a series D financing round. The investment will be used to fuel product development as the company expands from a solution provider for total knee surgery to a platform technology provider for total knee, partial knee, and total hip replacement surgeries. The funds will additionally be used to support continued commercial expansion through investments in hiring and key programs both in the U.S. and International markets.
OrthAlign manufactures and distributes its core technology, KneeAlign, which is a computer-assisted navigation application for total knee replacement surgery. KneeAlign has powered more than 65,000 surgeries worldwide, and is clinically-supported by more than 15 peer-reviewed published studies. KneeAlign is well positioned as a perfect solution for the future of orthopedic surgery, delivering the accuracy and consistency that users demand while avoiding the unnecessary capital and recurring costs that large-console navigation and robotics bring to the healthcare market. Reducing instrumentation trays and delivering information directly into the surgeons hands, the KneeAlign technology is the only computer navigation platform that exists 100% within the sterile field. These same fundamental benefits continue to resonate with expansion into Uni and Hip applications.
We are pleased to have completed our latest financing round to support our operational goals of strong revenue growth and application expansion, said Eric B. Timko, Chairman and CEO of OrthAlign. We continue to invest in developing KneeAlign because we see it as a key component of the total knee replacement technology landscape moving forward, especially considering the importance of delivering solutions in the ambulatory surgery center environment. But we are no longer a single-solution provider, and have rapidly expanded our commercial platform technology to include solutions for partial knee replacement with our UniAlign application. Our solution for total hip replacement, HipAlign, supports both posterior- and direct anterior approaches and is currently in a limited user release with full-commercialization slated for 2018.
We are truly excited for the next phase of OrthAlign, said Gary Henley, board member. With a new management team in place, the companys focus on expanding commercial footprint domestically and in key markets around the world, coupled with a focus on research and development, position the business for long-term success in this competitive marketplace.
This latest financing round was led by existing investors River Cities Capital Funds, California Technology Ventures, Research Corporation Technologies and Mutual Capital Partners who show continued support for the company.
ORTHALIGN, INC.
OrthAlign, Inc. is a privately held medical device and technology company, developing advanced technologies that deliver healthier and more pain-free lifestyles to joint replacement patients, globally. We provide healthcare professionals with cutting edge, computer-assisted surgical tools that seamlessly and cost-effectively deliver vital data and clinical results to optimize outcomes for our patients. For more information regarding OrthAlign, please visit www.orthalign.com or contact Adam Simone (asimone@orthalign.com).
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BY ELI LAKE
When President Donald Trump came into office, one of the first things he did was issue a temporary ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries. It was an early flash point for the so-called resistance, prompting Americans to protest the executive order by going to airports.
It also prompted legal challenges and rebukes from the courts, and its implementation was chaotic.
On Sunday, the White House announced a new version of the policy, and it bears little resemblance to the president's campaign promise to ban Muslim travel to America.
There are a few reasons. To start, two Muslim-majority countries -- Iraq and Sudan -- are no longer affected by the executive order. Considering that other countries with large Muslim populations -- like Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and India -- were never on the list, even the earlier iteration hardly fulfilled Trump's crude campaign promise.
Also two non-Muslims countries have been added to the list: North Korea and Venezuela. (Of course, North Korea does not allow its citizens to travel ...) For Venezuela, the new policy affects government officials and not citizens. Chad is also added to the list. According to a 1993 census, a little over half of the population in Chad is Muslim.
This leaves five countries from the original executive order: Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Syria and Libya. There are some exceptions here as well. Somalis will be able to travel to the U.S. but not emigrate here. Iranian student exchanges will continue, but other travel will be restricted.
It's worth asking why certain countries are included in the travel ban. According to U.S. officials, it's because they could not meet basic standards for improving their visa systems. In the case of Iran, this is because the government in Tehran is engaged in a proxy war against U.S. allies in the Middle East, and it has a bad habit of detaining U.S. dual national citizens on trumped-up charges.
For Yemen, Somalia, Syria and Libya, the answer is much more straightforward. These are all basically failed states with weak governments. All four are still fighting civil wars, to varying degrees. The ability of the state to perform basic services, let alone seriously screen travelers to the U.S., is almost nonexistent in many cases. Just this month, the German press reported that Berlin assesses the Islamic State holds 11,000 blank Syrian passports.
None of this is to say that a ban is the best policy. There are more subtle ways to deal with this problem. It has the unintended effect of turning away talented citizens who would otherwise help make America great again. A ban is a crude instrument.
But it's important to evaluate the president's policy for what it is. As a candidate, Trump proposed a ban on people from an entire religion. He also promised to deport all people who are in the U.S. illegally, to appoint a special prosecutor against his Democratic opponent and to build a wall on the border with Mexico. Trump has not delivered. Instead of decrying a phantom ban on Muslims that never came to pass, his critics should take the win.
-- Eli Lake is a Bloomberg View columnist. He was the senior national security correspondent for the Daily Beast and covered national security and intelligence for the Washington Times, the New York Sun and UPI.
Latvian English
Despite the opening of the natural gas market and the new competition environment, Latvijas Gaze expects very active natural gas trading in the next heating season. Hence, in order to raise additional current assets, Latvijas Gaze has signed a contract with "OP Corporate Bank plc" on opening a credit line of 35 million euros for 18 months.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More homeowners, renters and drivers in Marietta, Ga., and Juno Beach, Fla., are about to realize there is a better way to shop insurance. U.S. Navy veteran, businessman and now Brightway Franchise Owner, Gary Fitzpatrick, just opened Brightway, The Fitzpatrick Agency in Marietta, while Brightway Agent, Ross Komarinetz, recently opened Brightway, Juno Beach. Brightway is one of the largest property/casualty independent insurance agencies in the country.
Were extremely pleased to partner with Gary Fitzpatrick and Ross Komarinetz to open our two newest Brightway stores in Georgia, just outside Atlanta, and in South Florida, said Brightway President, Talman Howard. We have hundreds of insurance professionals at our headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla., who will help them deliver a customer experience that exceeds expectations.
Brightway, The Fitzpatrick Agency is located at 840 Kennesaw Ave., Unit 6 in Marietta, Ga. For more information, visit BrightwayFitzpatrick.com.
Brightway, Juno Beach is located at 873 Donald Ross Road in Juno Beach, Fla. For more information, visit BrightwayJunoBeach.com.
Brightway Store Owners enjoy support in customer service, carrier relationships, marketing, accounting and technology, which frees up their time to focus on leveraging the broadest possible selection of insurance companies to meet each customers unique needs. As a result, Brightway agencies consistently outsell other agencies three-to-one.*
Brightway franchisees make more than three times the income of individuals who are self-employed in other businesses. For top performers, the gap is six-fold. Whats more, having an insurance background is not a prerequisite to becoming an Agency Owner with Brightway. In fact, 40 percent of the above-average performing Brightway Agency Owners did not have prior insurance experience.
About Brightway Insurance
Brightway Insurance is a national property/casualty insurance retailer selling through a network of franchised independent stores throughout the country. With more than $479 million in annualized written premium, the company is one of the largest property and casualty insurance agencies in the United States. Brightway provides its franchise owners with access to more insurance companies than any other agency, along with a comprehensive system of support that frees them up to focus on customizing policies that meet their customers needs.
Brightway began franchising operations in 2008 and has since grown to more than 700 people in 17 states serving customers in all 50 states. Forbes has recognized the company as Americas No. 1 Franchise to Buy. Additionally, the company was named a top franchise three years in a row by Entrepreneur magazine and one of the fastest-growing private companies in America nine consecutive years by Inc. 5000.
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1f978c0c-2ee1-483c-a6a7-058ecfbd92dc
Eric P. Robinson is an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he focuses on media law and ethics. He has worked in media law for more than 17 years, and is admitted to legal practice in New York and New Jersey and before the U.S. Supreme Court. This column is for educational purposes only; it does not constitute legal advice.
E-mail scams can take many forms, but did you realize that an e-mail scam could scuttle your home purchase? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned homebuyers of a housing-related e-mail fraud that could drain your housing funds.
Thieves initiate the swindle by hacking into the e-mail accounts of homebuyers, real estate agents, and brokers, looking for information on home purchases that are approaching the closing process. Once they have gathered enough information to create a convincing premise and the time is right, the thieves send an e-mail to the buyer pretending to be a party (real estate agent, attorney, title company, or escrow personnel) involved in the closing process.
The e-mail outlines an alleged last-minute change in the closing process that requires transfer of money to a specific account for example, claiming that there is a problem with a previously sent check or that a money-wiring destination has changed. The instructions will direct buyers to send funds electronically to a different account used by the scammers.
The FBI reports that e-mail compromise crimes such as this have increased 136% from December 2016 to May 2018. Funds have been transferred to 115 countries, making it impossible for the money to be retrieved in many cases. Over $12 billion has been lost this way since 2013.
With a single click, your down payment and closing funds could disappear along with your dreams of home ownership.
How can you avoid falling for this scam? Start with the basics, by making it more difficult for a scammer to hack into your computer and obtain the necessary information. Make sure that your anti-virus software is up-to-date and properly maintained. Be wary of e-mail attachments and file downloads, unless you are 100% sure of their origin and nature they may install malware that can disable or bypass your computer system's security setup. Make sure that your wireless connections are properly secured and protected.
As a rule, you should avoid sending financial information by e-mail. Doing so gives potential thieves more paths and opportunities to steal your information. Monitor your credit so that you pick up quickly on any suspicious activity that may indicate identity theft. You can check your credit score and read your credit report for free within minutes by joining MoneyTips.
Since you can't prevent hacking on the other end of the home-buying transaction, other precautionary steps are required. Make sure that you understand what to expect during the closing process so that you can more easily spot a fraudulent request. Verify the contact information for your real estate agent or settlement party to use in case you have questions about the financial transaction. Call your designated contact directly to verify that the change requested in any e-mail is real.
It's always best to confirm receipt of any wire/electronic funds transfer with your real estate agent as soon as possible. As an additional measure, contact your bank directly before sending any electronic funds transfer the bank may be able to spot discrepancies in the request or detect the recipient account as a known participant in previous scams.
If you still manage to fall prey to a closing scam, contact your lender and the wire transfer company immediately to attempt to reverse the transaction. Speed is of the essence.
Follow up with a complaint to the necessary law enforcement agencies. Your state Attorney General's office is a good place to start. By reporting the e-mail scam to the FTC and filing a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, you may be able to save other homebuyers from being scammed.
Don't let an e-mail scam cost you the home of your dreams. Scammers count on you being so confused and exasperated that you blindly go along with their request without giving it a critical review. Don't give them the satisfaction of succeeding. Educate yourself, take the time to verify requests, and make the scammers search elsewhere for unwitting victims.
MoneyTips is happy to help you get free mortgage quotes from top lenders.
Photo iStockphoto.com/tzahiV
English French
TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ever heard of a Railway YMCA? Thanks to the YMCA LocalMOTION Challenge, thousands of Canadians can answer yes to that questionand a few of them are enjoying some amazing prizes, too.
The YMCA LocalMOTION Challenge was a Canada 150 signature project designed to encourage Canadians to embrace healthy, active lifestyles. In the process of completing weekly online challenges as well as live events, participants also learned about a little-known group of Ys known as Railway YMCAs, which supported the builders of our national railway and the communities that grew around them.
Using the hashtag #ymcalocalmotion on Twitter and Instagram, Canadians shared snapshots from their lives, building an online community in the process.
We learned about everything from Canadians favourite swimming holes and summer camp memories, to our Indigenous roots, and the people, places and events that make our communities proud, says Peter Dinsdale, President and CEO of YMCA Canada. Weve even seen people share some great dance moves! Its been a whole lot of fun.
Free, LocalMOTION Live events held across Canada as part of YMCA Healthy Kids Day featured obstacle courses that simulated a cross-Canada journey to discover the unique landscapes of our country.
Sponsored by the Government of Canada, ecentricarts and VIA Rail Canada in celebration of Canadas 150th anniversary of Confederation, the YMCA LocalMOTION Challenge also awarded some incredible prizes: A total of 10 monthly prizes consisting of a $1,000 VIA Rail travel voucher good for rail travel anywhere in Canada, plus two grand prizes, each consisting of a trip for four on board VIA Rails The Canadian train, travelling between Toronto and Vancouver (valued at $13,500).
Grand prize winner Sharon D. from Saskatchewan says, I had no idea of the YMCAs railway history. Growing up in Moose Jaw, it was a railway town and both my father and uncle worked for the railway. Ive travelled west by rail in the past, so we are looking forward to travelling east it will be wonderful!
If youd like to learn more about the YMCA Railway Story or to hear broadcaster Lloyd Robertsons five- minute rendition of this unique and special part of our nations history, visit the YMCA Canada website at ymca.ca/localmotion.
For more information, contact:
Angela de Burger
Manager, External Communications and Marketing YMCA Canada
angela_deburger@ymca.ca
Phone: 416-645-5977 / 905-510-8431
About the YMCA in Canada
YMCA Canada is the national office providing support to a federation of 47 independent YMCA Associations that collectively represent one of Canadas longest standing and largest charitable networks. We serve more than 2.1 million people annually, with a special focus on children, teens and young adults. The YMCAs mandate is to advance the health and well-being of Canadians in spirit, mind and body. Across the country, YMCA Member Associations are providing vital community services that are having a positive impact on some of Canadas most pressing issues including chronic disease, unemployment, early childhood education, social isolation, poverty, inequality and more.
We offer wrap-around programs that help Canadians become physically active, better connected to their communities, and equipped with the skills needed to achieve success in work and life. By addressing the social determinants of health, we are playing an essential role in the building of a healthier Canada today and for generations to come.
For more information or to locate the Y near you, please visit www.ymca.ca.
The Midland County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved four separate "draft" coordination agreements between the Midland County Health Department and specific Medicaid health plans for elevated blood lead case management.
Under the program, any individual under the age of 6 with elevated levels of lead in their blood would qualify for an in-home nurse case management program developed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
"For those children that become lead exposed by a blood test, then there is an opportunity for follow-up and supportive care," County Health Director Mike Krecek said. "We try to figure out where they got the lead and then get it out of their area and try to mitigate the lead exposure."
In these cases, Medicaid will reimburse the counties for the services.
"This comes highly recommended by Medicaid," Krecek said to commissioners. "The numbers are low in Midland County. Probably we had three cases during the last year. We don't do a lot of testing in our community. But, we hope to do more. It's fully paid for."
Commissioners approved agreements with McLaren Health Plan, Meridian Health Plan, Molina Health Care of Michigan and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan.
"These are Medicaid Health Plans that offer services to the Medicaid population in our community," Krecek said. "We already have agreements with them for services we provide for the Special Health Care Services Program and Health Promotion Program."
Even minimal levels of lead in the blood of children may have a harmful effect.
The website for the Centers for Disease Control states that " low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement. And effects of lead exposure cannot be corrected. ... The most important step parents, doctors, and others can take is to prevent lead exposure before it occurs."
Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men aside from skin cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer death among Michigan men. Therefore this September, National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, is the best time for men to become aware of their personal risk for prostate cancer and talk to their doctor about screening, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
In Michigan, it is estimated that there will be 5,350 new cases and 830 deaths due to prostate cancer in 2017. Older men, African-American men, and men with a family history of prostate cancer have a greater risk for developing prostate cancer. African-American men are more than twice as likely as white men to die of prostate cancer. The chance of having prostate cancer rises rapidly after age 50.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging men to discuss prostate cancer screening with their doctor including its risks, potential benefits and known limitations in order to make the screening decision that is right for them.
Men with average risk, such as white men with no family history of prostate cancer, should talk to their doctor about screening beginning at age 50. Men at high risk, including African-American men or those with a close family member who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer before age 65, should have the screening discussion with their doctor beginning at age 45. Men at highest risk are those with multiple close family members who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer before age 65 -- these men should have the screening discussion with their doctor beginning at age 40.
While there are not usually symptoms associated with early prostate cancer, men should call their doctor if they have any of the following symptoms: difficulties with urination, a need to urinate frequently especially at night, difficulties having an erection, pain or burning while urinating, and blood in the urine or semen.
For more information about prostate cancer, visit www.michigan.gov/cancer.
To the editor:
On behalf of the planning committee of the Midland Cruise'N Car Show, we would like to extend our thanks to all of the officers of the Midland Police Department for their help with the 28th annual Car Show. In particular, the excellent effort you provided to change the route of our Cruise Parade, after the unexpected construction on Jerome Street was discovered. The state of Michigan was tearing up the pavement on Jerome (M-20) several days earlier than scheduled. Your effort saved a 28-year-old Midland tradition, and we greatly appreciate that. The Cruise Parade for 2017 was a great success.
Sgt. Dan Keeler, and officers Sean Hanley and Rob Hager were particularly helpful.
Plus, we also offer a "tip of the hat" to the Midland County Sheriff's Department for their part in helping out.
We look forward to working with both departments again next September at the 29th annual Cruise 'N Car Show.
I would also like to announce that the planning committee is actively seeking new members. If you love cars and would like to join a 28-year successful tradition in Midland, give us a shout. Contact us through our Facebook page, or email Richard directly at beehrstudio@aol.com We'll be glad to welcome you aboard.
RICHARD BEEHR
and RENIE KER
Co-chairpersons
Midland Cruise 'N Car Show
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Evolving Gold Corp. (CSE:EVG) (FSE:EV7) (OTCB:EVOGF) (the Company) is pleased to report that, on September 15th 2017, the Company completed a helicopter-borne survey over its Toro Property in northern Quebec. The survey included field prospecting and sampling, with the collection of a combined total of 483 rock samples on the Pistol target and the 14 Toro magnetic targets which were associated with significant elemental anomalies in till assays generated from the previously reported till sampling program (see news release dated July 5th 2017). The survey team also collected 46 additional till samples glacially down-ice from these selected exploration targets. The Company defined four new areas of interest during the combined helicopter and ground prospecting programs, two of which were described in a press release announcing the early results of the field program, dated September 14. The Company has acquired 10 new claims to enlarge the Pistol claim block and 5 additional claims over the newly identified volcanic units close to the Toro 23 and Toro 24 targets.
Toro 7
An intensive ground survey was performed on the Toro 7 target which yielded anomalous to highly anomalous gold in till concentrate samples continuous over a strike of greater than 800 metres ("m"), as previously reported in a news release dated July 5th 2017. The follow-up field work consisted of geological mapping, prospecting and additional sampling, including 15 till samples and 91 grab samples from bedrock exposures and glacial float. Bedrock exposures include zones of basalt, and pegmatite veins in granitic gneisses. Within the central zone of the Toro 7 magnetic anomaly (up-ice from the 8 consecutive gold in till anomalies (up to 12,300 ppb Au) along with other anomalies in P, Cu, REE, U, Ag, Co, Bi, Sn, Sb, Nb and Ta) was a bedrock exposure including a swarm of pegmatite dykes (tens of 1 m thick pegmatitic intrusions) with disseminated magnetite mineralization in the pegmatite and in veinlets along the contact between the pegmatites and the granitic gneisses. The magnetite mineralization provides a likely explanation for the large high-magnetic anomaly, located 500m up-ice from the anomalous till samples previously reported. Magnetite is a good indicator for Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) style mineralization, which remains the Company's strongest hypothesis as the source of the multiple anomalous elements in the Toro 7 till samples. Figure 1 illustrates the field work conducted on Toro 7. Members of the field crew carried GPS tracking devices which updated their location every 30 seconds, allowing the company to monitor and precisely record the field prospecting activities and sample locations on a continuous basis. The movements of the field teams on the ground are shown in the accompanying figures. Photographs of selected mineralized structures described herein were also plotted in the accompanying figures, and can be found on Evolving Golds website at: https://www.evolvinggold.com/toro
Figure 1: Field Prospecting Activities on Toro 7
Toro 14
The Toro 14 target is a high-magnetic anomaly located 500 m up-ice from till sample anomalies in Au, Cu, Li, REE, Nb, Ta, Sn, Zn and Ag. Toro 14 tills included the majority of the most highly anomalous lithium values on the Property (see July 5 press release). The field crew was able to define a basaltic corridor which may explain the Toro 14 magnetic anomaly and could be the source of the geochemical anomalies. Quartz and calcite veinlets were found in the basalt unit along with sulphides. At a local scale, this area shows multiple veins indicating the presence of hydrothermal events. The Company took a total of 56 grab samples on this target. Figure 2 shows the field work done on the Toro 14 target. Photographs taken there can be found on Evolving Golds website at: https://www.evolvinggold.com/toro
Figure 2: Field Prospecting Activities on Toro 14
Pistol Claims and Toro 23 and Toro 24
The Company has previously discussed its field exploration work on these targets in the news release dated September 14th 2017. The Company staked 80 new contiguous claims, named the Pistol group, following the discovery of a metre-scale and one smaller block of sulphide rich sediment. The blocks contrast with existing maps of the local geology and indicate to the technical team that sediments and volcanics are both present in what is currently mapped only as a granodiorite unit. The mineralization contained in the larger block was between 2 and 20% of fine grained and disseminated pyrite along with trace amounts of chalcopyrite and bornite. Stringers of pyrite were found throughout the block. A smaller block with a mineralized quartz vein was also found close to the larger block, which suggests that multiple mineralization styles or zoning of mineralization is possible at their bedrock source location. Regional and local prospecting work remains to be done in this area since current exploration program data indicates that the blocks are derived from a large sedimentary unit which has not yet been identified in the field. Figure 3 shows the field work conducted on the Pistol Claims. Photographs of the sulphide-bearing blocks can be found on Evolving Golds website at: https://www.evolvinggold.com/pistol-claim-block
Figure 3: Field Prospecting Activities Near the Discovery Boulder Location on Pistol Claim Block
Another area of particular interest was a feature called the basal contact zone, discussed in a news release dated September 14th. In the immediate vicinity of magnetic targets Toro 23 and 24, the crew was able to identify a basalt unit that contained multiple sulphide-bearing zones in bedrock. Free blocks with significant oxidation were found at surface near a regional contact zone. The rust-coloured blocks and outcrop proved to be rich in sulphides, primarily pyrite, and were observed over a strike distance of greater than 1.2 kilometres. It is possible that this feature corresponds with two different volcanic units or intrusive cycles. The basalt unit extending to the NE is proximal to known felsic volcanic rocks. The contact between the basalt and the felsic volcanics is a prime exploration target for volcanogenic massive sulphide mineralization. The basalt unit included a volcanic sediment (tuff) deposit with embedded pillow lava. Figure 4 shows the field work conducted on and near Toro 23 and 24. A number of photographs of the new basalt zones and their associated mineralized areas can be found on Evolving Golds website at: https://www.evolvinggold.com/toro. A total of 4 regional till samples and 18 grab samples were taken from the Pistol claims, while 7 till and 179 rock samples were taken on the Toro 23 and 24 targets. To cover the potential source of the mineralized blocks, the Company staked 5 new claims located near lake sediments anomalies, up-ice from the blocks. Additional information on the Toro 23 and 24 targets can be found in the news release dated September 14th 2017.
Figure 4: Field Prospecting Activities Conducted on Toro 23 and 24
Evolving Golds Chief Executive Officer, Mr. R. Bruce Duncan stated, The unexpected discovery of sulphides associated with volcanic and sedimentary rocks in this part of the La Grande sub-province suggests that there is much more to be learned about this areas geology. The newly identified geological units were not previously known to exist, and have become high priority exploration targets for the Company. Furthermore, the discovery of extensive zones of sulphide mineralization within those units, up-ice from significant till anomalies, suggests that there is a very good potential for gold and base metal discoveries associated with regional hydrothermal activity.
Methodology
The SL Exploration Inc technical team collected 483 whole rock grab samples, each approximately 1 kilogram ("kg") by weight. These samples were bagged and tagged, and sent to AGAT Laboratories (Val dOr QC), where they will be prepared for assay. Gold (Au) will be determined by pyroanalysis with an AAS finish (protocol 202-051, with a 0.002ppm detection limit). The samples will also undergo sodium peroxide fusion with a ICP-MS/OES finish (protocol 201-378), to provide a 59-element whole rock trace analysis.
The technical team also collected 46 C-horizon glacial till samples, screened in the field to pass a 5 cm mesh. SL Exploration Inc technicians will prepare till concentrates in a secure environment, before shipping the concentrates to Actlabs, (Ancaster ON) for final preparation and assay. Gold and silver (Au, Ag) will be determined by fire assay with an AA finish (protocol 1A2). Trace element content will be determined using analytical package Ultratrace 7, which involves sodium peroxide fusion with an ICP-MS finish.
Qualified Person
Steven Lauzier, P.Geo OGQ, A Qualified Person (QP) as defined by National Instrument 43-101 guidelines, has reviewed and approved the technical content provided in this news release.
About Evolving Gold
Evolving Gold is exploring the 72.5 square kilometre (total area) Lithium Lakes property in Quebec, located about 10 km north of the Route du Nord and between eight and 30 km from Nemaska Lithium's Whabouchi Project. The Companys exploration goal is to discover economic quantities of lithium mineralization, hosted in pegmatite.
Evolving Gold is also exploring the 172.82 square kilometre (total area) Toro Project, in the vicinity of the Lithium Lakes property. The Company's immediate exploration goal is to assess numerous geochemical anomalies in till samples collected down-ice from large magnetic anomalies.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
EVOLVING GOLD CORP.
R. Bruce Duncan
President, CEO & Director
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Investor Relations:
Tel: 604.685.6375
TF: 866.604.3864
Neither Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect managements current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect managements current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com ).
NORMAL Nearly 100 years after the Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's School (ISSCS) opened a building at 612 Oglesby Ave. for classroom instruction, and nearly 40 years after ISSCS closed, the building is being returned to its original function.
The Baby Fold, the Normal-based human services agency, is renovating the 1921 building that it had been using for office space to house Baby Fold's expanding Hammitt Junior-Senior High School.
"To me, it's very meaningful," said Baby Fold CEO Dianne Schultz, whose career began as an ISSCS special education teacher in the building in 1977, two years before ISSCS closed. "This building was designed for instruction."
"These hallways were meant for children and that's going to happen again," Baby Fold Vice President of Development and Public Relations Aimee Beam said following a hard-hat tour of the building Tuesday as renovation work continued. "The community will feel the impact because of the increased number of children that we'll be able to help."
When the $3 million renovation of the 27,000-square-foot building in northeast Normal is complete, Hammitt School will be able to increase its number of classrooms from 21 to 26 and its number of students from 150 to between 180 and 190, Beam said.
Hammitt Elementary School will remain at 108 E. Willow St., Normal, but Hammitt Junior-Senior High will move from leased space at 1500 Fort Jesse Road to 612 Oglesby.
Offices for Baby Fold's foster care, adoption therapy and Healthy Start programs which had been at 612 Oglesby have been moved to 318 Susan Drive, Normal, and to the former residential treatment center (RTC) behind the Oglesby building. The RTC closed June 30 because of lack of state funding.
Hammitt School provides instruction for students with autism or severe emotional disabilities whose intensive needs can't be met in special education programs in public schools, Schultz said.
Forty school districts within a 60-mile radius of Bloomington-Normal refer students to Hammitt. Students' tuition at Hammitt is covered by those school districts, with some reimbursement by the state.
"We refer students with behavioral or emotional disabilities to Hammitt School after we try everything else," said James Lines, special education director for the Deer Creek-Mackinaw school district.
"We've been using Hammitt School for a long time," Lines said. "We've had good luck with it. They tailor their programs to meet the individual needs of the students."
Sometimes, students are able to return to the public schools.
Schultz said eight students are on a waiting list for Hammitt Junior-Senior High. Lines said there is an increased need for services for students with behavioral or emotional disabilities.
"It's a great idea," Lines said of the Hammitt School expansion.
Angie Isaacs of Farmer City, whose son, William, 17, is at student at Hammitt Junior-Senior High, also favors the expansion because "they can help more kids."
"I can't say enough about this school and the wonderful things they do to get these kids on the right track," Isaacs said.
William, who has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, struggled and was being disrespectful at school, but the individual attention that he has received at Hammitt "saved his life," his mother said.
"He's on the honor roll," Isaacs said.
The $3 million is coming from donor gifts, Beam said.
Construction work includes replacing the building's heating/ventilation/air conditioning, roof and fire sprinkler systems; expanding the driveway to accommodate unloading and loading of students from school buses; adding parking spaces; and reconfiguring rooms back into classrooms, which will include "calming areas" for students experiencing anxiety and enhanced instructional areas for daily living skills, vocational and career exploration and physical education, said Schultz and Gregg Bauer, field superintendent with McCoy Construction of Pontiac, the general contractor for the project.
Construction should be done in May, with the building ready for students in August, Schultz said.
CHICAGO (AP) A federal appellate judge hearing arguments Tuesday in Chicago about whether investigators coerced a confession from a Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series "Making a Murderer" said video of detectives questioning Brendan Dassey was so disturbing that it made her "skin crawl."
But other judges at the full-court rehearing at 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago sounded unconvinced that investigators had manipulated the intellectually challenged Dassey and encouraged him to tell them what they wanted to hear about the 2005 slaying of photographer Teresa Halbach in Two River, Wisconsin.
If the court decides the confession wasn't voluntary, Dassey could go free in a high-profile case that puts police interrogation practices in the spotlight. The seven judges who heard the arguments seemed split, based on their questions. A ruling is expected within several months.
Dassey, now 27, was convicted based primarily on his confession and sentenced to life in prison in 2007. He was 16 when he told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach in the Avery family's junkyard in Manitowoc County.
A federal magistrate judge in Milwaukee overturned Dassey's conviction last year, ruling detectives took advantage of Dassey's youth and cognitive disabilities to coerce his confession. A three-judge panel from the appellate court later upheld the magistrate's ruling, prompting state attorneys to ask the full 7th Circuit for a review.
It was Chief Judge Diane Wood who most clearly signaled she believed the detectives went too far, including by quoting a Biblical passage that the "truth would set him free" to suggest Dassey might be released if he confessed and by winning his trust by saying they were talking to him more as parental figures than as cops.
Video of the interrogation shows one detective saying he's a dad to a child around Dassey's age, adding, "There nothing I'd like more than to come over and give you a hug cause I know you're hurting."
"The investigators made my skin crawl watching this video," Wood said. Wood noted that Dassey had no one representing him in the room and appeared disoriented, pausing for long stretches. "He is obviously racking his brain about how he can answer ... in a way (investigators) will like," she said.
Dassey's has a low IQ of around 80 and struggles to grasp simple concepts, meanings and consequences, court filings say. Wood said comments by Dassey during his interview strongly suggested he didn't understand what was happening. After appearing to confess to participation in a brutal slaying, she noted, he asked the detective if he could now go back to school.
Dassey, who wasn't at Tuesday's hearing, has remained in prison while the state appeals.
Luke Berg, representing the state, argued that detectives had merely "nudged" a confession out of Dassey and that it wasn't psychological manipulation that led Dassey to say what he did. "Brendan Dassey confessed," Berg said, "because his guilt became unbearable."
Judge Diane Sykes told Dassey's attorney, Laura Nirinder, there were no laws that explicitly barred her client's interrogators from using the techniques they did. She didn't accept that the quote from the Bible amounted to a promise to go easy on Dassey.
"There was no promise of leniency," she said. "There was a vague suggestion, at best."
Whichever side loses in the 7th Circuit could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, though the high court agrees to hear only a small percentage of cases each year.
Avery was sentenced to life in prison at a separate trial. He's pursuing his own appeal in state court.
Both Avery and Dassey contend police framed them because they wanted revenge against Avery for filing a lawsuit against Manitowoc County over his wrongful imprisonment for a sexual assault he didn't commit. Their cases gained attention in 2015 after Netflix aired "Making a Murderer," which examined Halbach's death and spawned conjecture about Avery and Dassey's innocence.
Authorities who worked on the cases said the series was biased.
MAPLE GROVE, Minn., Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TopLine Federal Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based member-owned financial services cooperative, has been honored with a 2017 Louise Herring Philosophy-in-Action Member Service Award. The award, sponsored by the Minnesota Credit Union Network (MnCUN) and the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), recognizes credit unions that demonstrate the credit union philosophy, and who create services that benefit their members.
TopLines statewide award achievement was for the credit unions development of a product to help jump start members' ability to save, called Sum-It-Up Savings. The way the program works is simple: the member enrolls and uses the TopLine debit card that is tied to the TopLine checking account to pay for everyday purchases such as gas, groceries, and dining, and the credit union will round the transaction up to the nearest whole dollar and transfer the extra into a savings account of the members choosing.
Members can save for any purpose whether it being gradually building a childs savings, putting money into a holiday spending account, setting money aside for emergencies, planning a trip, or simply storing up some fun money.
TopLine is committed to educating members and the community on the benefits of saving through the products and services offered as well as the financial literacy sessions that we host for all ages, says Tom Smith, TopLine President and CEO. The primary goal when we launched the Sum-It-Up Savings program was to make it easy for our members to save on a routine basis, and since 2011 over 1,300 TopLine members have cumulatively saved nearly $815,000 in their personal savings accounts.
TopLines winning entry now heads to the national competition, where it will compete with statewide award recipients across the country. Entries that place in the national competition will be displayed during the 2018 Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C.
The award is named in honor of Louise Herring, an active supporter, organizer and champion of credit unions. She was the Ohio delegate to the 1934 national credit union conference in Estes Park, Colorado, where she signed the original constitution for a national credit union association. Herring believed that credit unions should work in a practical manner to better peoples lives. She saw the credit union as more than just a financial institution. In her own words, The purpose of the credit union is to reform the financial system, so that everyone can have his place in the sun.
TopLine Federal Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based credit union, is Minnesotas 13th largest, with assets of more than $400 million. Established in 1935, the not-for-profit cooperative offers a complete line of financial services, as well as auto and home insurance, from its five branch locations in Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Plymouth and in St. Pauls Como Park as well as by phone, mobile app and online at www.TopLinecu.com. Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or volunteers in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington Counties and their immediate family members. Visit us on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TopLineFederalCreditUnion. To learn more about TopLines Sum-It-Up Savings program, visit https://www.toplinecu.com/savings_plan/.
Four years ago I learned about Father Stanley Rother, an Oklahoma priest who worked in a remote area of Guatemala from 1968 to 1981. I visited the parish of Santiago Atitlan where the ministered to a majority Tzutujil indigenous population.
Joy and excitement were palpable at the beatification ceremony of Father Stanley Rother held yesterday in Oklahoma City. Anticipating his violent death, Blessed Stanley left instructions that after his death, he wished for the Paschal Candle to be lit in the church while Easter hymns were sung. Knowing this, I imagine he would have been delighted with the atmosphere at the beatification.
Blessed Stanley, priest and martyr, is a modern-day heroic example of what it means to be a missionary disciple. He left the comforts of his home in Oklahoma to be a missionary in a forgotten (though beautiful) corner of the world. He surrendered his life to the preaching of the Gospel to the Tzutujil people. He learned their language. He not only worked for their spiritual improvement, but also for their physical and material betterment. He worked the fields along with them, and then fed them at the Eucharist with the Bread of Life.
Knowing his life was in danger, he refused to abandon his people. He lived by his now famous words, a shepherd cannot run from his flock at the first sight of danger. The night before he was brutally murdered in his rectory, he was warned by parishioners that rumors said that night he would be killed. Blessed Stanley would not be moved, he remained with his flock.
Cardinal Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, was the main celebrant at the beatification ceremony, and was accompanied by several dozen bishops. The arena which holds 14,000 was full, and an overflow within the building live streamed the ceremony to those unable to find a seat inside the arena. Blessed Stanleys family was in attendance. Realizing that if he were alive today he would be eighty-two years old, means that he has plenty of relatives alive. His sister, Sister Marita (a religious sister) read the first reading. His nieces and nephews brought up the gifts at offertory, and his brother and sister-in-law were also present.
This beatification is a historic moment for the Church in the United States and Guatemala. The Church has recognized the first US-born martyr, and beatified the first US-born priest. The Church in Guatemala rejoices that a missionary who loved the Guatemalan people so profoundly has been raised to the altars of the universal Church. The beatification perhaps brings needed healing to the struggles still faced by the Church in Guatemala, challenges remaining from the turbulent 1980s.
In Santiago Atitlan, Father Stanley Rother has been a martyr and saint ever since the night of July 28th, 1981. May he continue to pray for us, for the Guatemalan people, and give all the baptized the necessary zeal to become missionary disciples.
Blessed Stanley Rother, pray for us
Over the last 6 months, I have recently found myself telling my students over and over, It sounds like you need
an evil eye talisman. I have said this so much that I have started to see my Roses (aka students
of various mediums) regurgitating the same information back to others, implementing it into their own work, and actively shielding against it! Well, I said to myself, If you keep saying this so much, perhaps it is you that needs the talisman. So I set to work making some!
If you have ever visited my home and paid
close attention, you will see various sizes shapes and placements of different
evil eye talisman, including a dinner plate sized one that faces the front
door. With the recent move to Portland, we have put much of our stuff in
storage while we find our forever home. With the exception of the dinner plate
evil eye and one other small glass eye, they are all packed away. Recently I
have begun to wear a wonderful glass eye ring that was bought in the Istanbul
Grand Bazaar years ago by a wonderful and very talented dance student of mine
from Japan and so I thought it was time to write about protecting yourself from
the evil eye with different types of talismans, including designs made with
henna on the skin, and reversing the effects via two older spells from England.
In the end, we will discuss how to use water to help cleanse your body of these negative energies, but first a
little history and cultural information!
The curse of the evil eye is a cross cultural belief that has a deep and culturally diverse background that ranges from protection and incorporation in henna designs to reversing the effects of the curse. Now, lets explore protecting yourself from the evil eye with a talisman, reversing the effects via a spell recorded by Charles Godfrey Leland and lastly how to make water to help cleanse your body of these energies, but first a little history and cultural information! The evil eye curse, or a malevolent stare, which does produce curse energy can easily be reversed and protected against using a talisman or other methods. It is believed in, used, and actively protected against in countries such as Brazil, Spain, Portugal, India, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Africa, The UK, Turkey, and most of the Arabic speaking countries. It is present in Folk beliefs of the Berbers, Witchcraft, Islam and Judaism, and is even mentioned in Greek, Roman and Biblical texts. The Evil Eye, simply put, is a jealous or evil gaze from someone who is envious. This belief is so wide that it is hard to ignore! In fact, there is quite a bit of weight to the belief. The Evil Eye is a curse; it is often unconsciously projected from a jealous person to the victim who is typically the one they are jealous of. It is the same exact thing as the stink eye. Weve all done it and we all have even had it done to us! It is when this stink eye is projected onto the recipient over and over that a curse takes hold. It is important to note that most often, when people feel they are truly cursed (rather than just unbalanced paranoia) it comes from the evil eye. There are those rare times when an actual Witch sends a malevolent curse to another practitioner or person; however those seem to be the exception and not the rule. These take much more to undo than the evil eye curse. However, the evil eye or a malevolent stare, which does produce curse energy, can easily be reversed and protected against.
There is a long folk history of using
spit to help reverse the effects of an ill placed glare or compliment on a
child, however the most common evil eye talisman are usually a blue glass eye,
seen below, is often used to protect against this evil glare. The classic evil
eye motif that most of us are familiar with uses 4 layers of blue and white to
create the bulls eye design. Other designs include the hamsa or Hand of Fatima
containing an eye or eye motif and five fingers, sea horses and the very
popular Peacock eye or the eye of a peacocks feather. The hamsa is both a
protection amulet and a symbol of God. It can be traced back all the way to Mesopotamia,
but is used by Arabic and Berber cultures to protect against the evil eye.
Specifically it is a right or a symmetrical five fingered hand that is created
with the eye motif in the center to help protect from, reverse, or ward off the
malevolent glare of others. In addition, raising the right hand with the fingers
slightly apart can help to break or stop the curse. Today it is sold on
jewelry, wall hangings and in henna art as both protection and luck bringing.
I have been working with evil eyes
since I first started learning belly dance in the very early 2000s. One of the
most important things about learning something new is to show its culture
proper respect. To do this, I immersed myself in the Middle Eastern Dance
culture. After art school my interest in henna began to grow and I began to
study different aspects of henna culture and again a very important thing about
being a henna artist is knowing the right design to place on the right client.
What is culturally acceptable in India may not be in the Middle East and the
designs will be much different than those in Morocco and the Sudan. In Morocco
and Turkey, the use of a realistic eye is often incorporated into henna,
jewelry and other artistic designs, but in other countries these types of
symbols are forbidden. In Morocco women use henna and/or tattoo around their
ears, nose, eyes, and mouth to protect from the evil eye or a malevolent spirit.
In addition, Moroccan Henna art specifically uses the eye, or eye like designs
featured below, in their henna designs to ward off the evil eye. However the evil
eye is not exclusive to the Eastern cultures, Europe and the UK have a long
history of magic and folklore surrounding the evil eye curse.
In Europe, we see that water plays a large factor in helping to both protect and reverse the effects of the evil eye. In England, a sea horse is often used as a protection against the evil eye.
Seahorses; those strange and beautiful creatures, Otherworldly in their movements, would, in their appearance, be at home amongst the wonderful and bizarre entries in a medieval magical bestiary. They seem to have been employed in many parts of the world as charms and amulets against the evil- eye. Dried specimens might be carried, or hung within the home, sometimes with the incorporation of tiny glass beads. Which have their own tradition of use in the averting of evil. The image of the seahorse, made from glass might also be employed in this manner, as would images of fishes, also in glass or mother of pearl. (Gary .84)
In Scotland silvered water was often used by a Faery doctor to cure the curse of the evil eye. Silvered water was water into which silver coins had dropped; and it was prepared in a special way. (McArthur. 119) The water was taken from a liminal place and the silver dropped in the water. After which the one afflicted with the curse would drink 3 sips of the water and then the faery doctor would sprinkle the rest around the person while reciting incantations, perhaps like the one below, thus the person was healed of the evil eyes curse. If you choose to perform a similar spell you may choose to add a bit of your own spit as both a means of curing the curse and as a taglock. Another such way to cure the curse of the evil eye is outlined by Charles Godfrey Leland below.
An eye covered thee,
A mouth spoke thee,
A heart envied thee,
A mind desired thee
(McNeill. 165)
To reverse the effects of the evil eye curse Leland recorded a spell in his work
Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling. In this work he suggests that one
go to a sacred water source, river or stream. They collect the water with the current rather than against it. Then they combine in a pot or cauldron over a flame, 7 cloves of garlic, 7 coals and 7 hands full of meal. The 7 seas can be represented here with the repetition of the number 7. The pot is then heated and stirred with a three forked twig while the incantation below is recited. This connects us directly to the trident and Neptune, though there is no mention of any trident connected to this spell. The three pronged twig, much like the stang, is a representation of witchcraft and specifically sea witchcraft. So what next? Sarah Lawless suggest simmering the mixture down and adding it to a cloth which is sew in into a talisman here. However, you can simmer the mixture down and bottle what is left in a jar with sacred or holy water, be sure to seal it tight and place it close to where you spend most of your time. You may choose to use a blue jar or even paint one with an evil eye. Or you can add a small portion of the liquid mixture into a seahorse bottle like below. If this is too complicated, and you prefer to simply work with water, you can make an evil Eye reversing water by adding special items to prepare and charge your water with the effects of evil eye reversal. Evil eyes look on thee, May they here extinguished be And then seven ravens Pluck out the evil eyes Evil eyes (now) look on thee. May they soon extinguished be! Much dust in the eyes, Thence may they become blind, Evil eyes now look on thee; May they soon extinguished be! May they burn, may they burn In the fire of God! I have modified the above incantation for use by the Sea or Water Witch it goes as follows Evil eyes look on thee/me* May they here dissolved be And then seven ravens Pluck out the evil eyes Evil eyes (now) look on thee. May they soon dissolved be! Much salt and sand in the eyes, Thence may they become blind, Evil eyes now look on thee; May they soon extinguished be! May they drown, may they drown In the depth of Neptunes grave *Use thee when working for a friend or loved one and me when working for yourself. Working with water is also a good way to cleanse yourself from the evil eye. You can gather water from your sacred source and place it in a bottle (like the seahorse one below) and employ it to protect you against the evil eye. You can create an evil eye cleansing water with sacred water made of silver and set out under the full moon. Then add a clean glass evil eye to the water and let it soak in the energies, or even place a photo of the evil eye like the blue bulls eye in the picture above underneath the glass bowl. Be sure to spell or charge your water with the intent of cleansing and protecting from the evil eye, and employ your symbols through sympathetic magic to do the same. If you would like to make your own talisman you can follow the tutorial here and work in a similar fashion as I have outlined here. You can buy glass evil eye beads online and they do very well if they are charged properly, but there is no reason to break the bank or even wait for a paycheck and shipping because you can start your own collection now by making your own. I happen to also believe that the more you put into something the stronger it is, so if you buy one be sure to charge it well. I am a big fan of natural fibers, but I also am a dancer, so I love just a tiny bit of metallic fibers as well! I chose to use the fibers to trap the energy. I selected the traditional blue and white bulls eye pattern, and 3 sticks rather than 2 sticks when creating the gods eye I chose three because of the 3 colors used, and to align myself with the magical number 9 which is a theme that runs in Avalonian lore and the 9 maidens, 9 waves, 9 priestess etc. After I finished making these, I took them to the Pacific Ocean and performed a ritual to cleanse, consecrate and bring life it to these protective talismans. It is important to note that really anything that resembles an eye can be employed in the same fashion; snail shells, cowrie shells and other eye like stones will have similar results. To dispose of them you can burn flammable talisman, bury glass or other talisman that cannot be disposed of in fire or cast them into the ocean. Please note to only send shells, stones and other natural talisman back into the ocean. Do not pollute our land or ocean! Belief in the evil eye, while not a worldwide belief does spans multiple cultures and countries. Each country has its own belief system that is similar but different surrounding this curse. From the traditional bulls eye and mystical Hamsa to spit, water and a few coals, many Witches and folk healers have been working with this curse, successfully breaking it and restoring ones energy back to normal. Much of the lore about the evil eye is about actively protecting yourself before it takes hold. Dont wait till you think you have received this malevolent glare, grab your tools and start crafting! Choose your method based on what resonates with you and dont forget to charge your talisman with intent!
Iran's Health Officials Raise Alarm over Islamic Medicine: Imam Reza drugs or Holy Mary incense
09/26/17
Source: Radio Zamaneh
A phenomenon referred to as "Islamic Medicine" has been rapidly growing in popularity in Iran raising concerns in the Ministry of Health. The ministry has been calling on the Administrative Office of Seminaries to assist the ministry in denying the legitimacy of these services.
Reports indicate that a number of members of the clergy have been setting up businesses and providing a service referred to as "Islamic Medicine" charging patients for visits and prescribing remedies for their maladies.
The Ministry's Traditional Medicine Department has established the Working Group for the System of Health in Islam which following a probe into the heath services provided announced that "there is no such thing as Islamic Medicine."
A senior ministry spokesman has complimented the announcement saying: "It is possible to incorporate potentialities of Islam in developing our spiritual needs; however, this is completely different from taking advantage of religion as a business gimmick to sell Imam Kazem or Imam Reza drugs or Holy Mary incense."
The ministry has been intent on stopping the spread of the "Islamic Medicine" phenomenon and regards it as a threat to the public's health and safety.
In a recent meeting with the head of Seminaries, Ministry's Traditional Medicine chief insisted that Islamic Medicine providers have been speaking out against the effectiveness of vaccines and organ transplants. The names of the saints and imams are being taken advantage of by Islamic Medicine providers to legitimize and market their health products and services, the ministry chief said. He expressed concern that the position and attire of the clergy is providing a false legitimacy for these activities.
Last month the Society for the Iranian Scientific Association of Traditional Medicine issued a statement saying that they do not endorse some of the unregulated medical and health services provided under the name of Islam and its Imams.
In recent years there has been a sudden surge in providers of Islamic Medicine as an alternative to the traditional and the modern medical field. Providers of this service which tend to attract more devout and religious members of the public, charge visits and prescribe alternative remedies and treatment courses often sought for serious incurable diseases. Their remedies are often named after saints and holy figures in the history of Islam and the Quran and other religious texts are quoted as the source of their remedies.
In one instance a number of subscribers of Islamic Medicine purported that vegetarianism is unacceptable as an anecdote from the sixth Shia Imam quotes him saying: "One who does not eat meat for forty days will become irritable and feel intellectual powers diminishing."
Islamic Medicine has become the subject of many books and publishing as well as meetings and workshops. Islamic Drugs (darooeslami.com) run by Ayatollah Abbas Tabrizian, considered as one of the top authorities in this field, is one of the many active websites providing recommendations endorsed by Islamic Medicine. "Womb Preparation", "Nerve Strengthener". "Blood Detoxifier" and "Treatment of Brain Debility" are among the many drugs administered by Ayatollah Tabrizian's website.
Islamic Republic's tolerance of alternative medicine providers has been unpredictable. Mohammad Ali Taheri founder of a form of mysticism referred to as Erfan Halgheh was arrested in 2010 for charge of acting against National Security. He was later convicted of blasphemy, interference with Medical Science and corruption on Earth which carried a death sentence. He is currently in Evin Prison.
What Vietnam Must Teach Us about North Korea and Iran
09/26/17
By Robert E. Hunter (Source: LobeLog)
The Vietnam War
A film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
In international politics, serendipity sometimes plays an instrumental role. That happened this past week, with President Donald Trump's speech to the UN General Assembly, mutual name-calling between him and Kim Jong Un of North Korea, and harsh comments from Iran's Supreme Leader, plus an Iranian ballistic missile test. Thus, tensions have risen significantly in the two places where crisis could most readily morph into major war.
Also, this week, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick began airing on PBS their 10-part series on the Vietnam War. For many Americans under 50 years of age, this is their introduction to that most fraught of national experiences. For those of us who were of age during the war, these films brought back not just the memories but also the divisions in American society. For some, the documentary has reignited old debates and hard feelings.
The timing of the documentary's airing is serendipitous because the Vietnam War is a cautionary tale for our leaders as they cope with current crises and the possibility of additional open conflict in our generation. That Trump and Kim have characterized one another as insane-to paraphrase-is deeply unsettling and leads one to pray that they are speaking more for effect than for action. Nevertheless, as Burns/Novick relate, misinterpretation or just plain error can have major consequences. Such was the "Tonkin Gulf Affair," which most analysts now agree never took place-though working in the White House at the time, this author wrongly believed that it did happen. It produced the first dramatic escalation of the war, based on the carte blanche Congress gave President Lyndon Johnson and that was also used by his successor, Richard Nixon.
Americans naturally tend in the heat of the moment to believe their leaders about what is happening abroad, including the casus belli that can lead to war. Only later is it possible to assess calmly whether the U.S. governments did something that benefited American security, like the expulsion of Iraqi forces from Kuwait in 1991, or that just produced lasting damage, like the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
North Korea's Unambiguous Threat
North Korea's leadership is bent on achieving the ability to attack the mainland United States with nuclear weapons, if for no other reason than to deter a US attack on the DPRK. In terms of their national interest and for the Kim Jong Un clique, this makes sense, given that until recently overthrowing the regime in Pyongyang has been U.S policy, in fact if not always in rhetoric. To be sure, a nuclear capacity for deterring the United States is only reinsurance, since North Korea has long had the capacity to destroy Seoul, the South Korean capital, with conventional weapons.
If the increasing stridency of President Trump's statements on the North Korean leadership is primarily an attempt to convince China to take decisive action to keep the DPRK from further developing its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, he must be calculating that at some point Beijing will be willing and able to prevail in Pyongyang. Far from clear, however, are both China's willingness to act and its capacity to succeed. The willingness may prove to be there: China's biggest fear must be that, if it fails in getting Kim to back down, either South Korea or Japan will get their own nuclear weapons.
U.S. options are frankly limited. Whenever national security is at stake, as the North Koreans must believe is true for them, economic sanctions are useless. The historical record on that point is unambiguous.
A way might exist to induce North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons activities. But at the very least it would require ironclad guarantees of regime survival in Pyongyang-where increasing US pressure on Iran, despite its effective renunciation of nuclear weapons, means that we have zero credibility in Pyongyang. China, the only country with any chance of getting Kim to change his behavior, would want to extract a hefty price from the US. Beijing has long wanted a major ratcheting down of US military presence and activities in and around Korea, as well as greater tolerance for Chinese claims in the South China Sea. It might ask for even more for helping the United States out of its current security dilemma-if indeed even China can prevail with Kim Jong Un.
The prospects for the United States are not auspicious as it tries to deal with the DPRK's current drive toward a nuclear capability that could threaten the US homeland. In addition to the complexities of making deterrence of North Korea effective, the American public would be deeply unsettled by the possibility that a purported madman might not in fact behave rationally.
Meanwhile, Confronting Iran
The confrontation between the US and Iran, highlighted by Trump's UNGA speech and Iran's responses, is less immediately threatening: the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), agreed two years ago, puts off for at least a decade any realistic threat of an Iranian nuclear capability. But US critics of the agreement, buttressed by provocative Iranian activities in the region that do not relate to nuclear weapons, believe it is necessary to put increased pressure on Tehran. Trump has even spoken of perhaps requiring the JCPOA to be renegotiated if not abrogated. He is once again calling it "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."
Trump is wrong: every serious and unbiased analyst understands that the agreement is one of the most important steps in years in advancing US regional security, as well as that of countries like Israel and Saudi Arabia. Indeed, if Trump does walk away from the JCPOA, these two countries are likely to rue the day as regional tensions would spike, while the US president would also further isolate the United States from key allies abroad. (Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says that Trump has made his October decision on whether to recertify that Iran continues to be complying with the JCPOA, despite confirmation by the International Atomic Energy Agency. But, according to Tillerson, the president will only determine later when to reveal the decision: "let the dust hit the ground where it hits")
In practical terms, the US confrontation with Iran has moved beyond the nuclear weapons issue to embrace its work on ballistic missiles, which the UN Security Council resolution on the JCPOA expressed in an annex as follows: "Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons [emphasis added]." Yet this non-binding formulation is often misrepresented in the US as a "requirement" and the basis for reneging on sanctions-relief mandated by the JCPOA.
US concerns with Iran's regional activities also include its support for Hezbollah (primarily an Israeli concern) and for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, plus its interference in Yemen and support for dissident elements in Bahrain. As Trump said, this makes Iran the most destabilizing country in the Middle East, a theme regularly echoed by senior administration officials.
That characterization of Iran's uniqueness or at least primacy as a destabilizing factor is open to debate. There are alternative views. One is that the war in Yemen represents first and foremost Saudi Arabia's decades-old ambitions, which it is pursuing with massive killing of civilians and aided by US military power; and the crisis in Bahrain derives from Saudi support for the minority Sunni leadership's brutal repression of the Shia majority. Meanwhile, the Syrian civil war is primarily a product of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, one of the worst foreign policy mistakes in American history, which overthrew the Sunni-minority government in Shia-majority Iraq. Viewed against this background, attempts to overthrow Assad are Sunni "payback time" against an Alawite (Shia variant) minority in mostly Sunni-majority Syria. The US has thus taken sides both on the Sunni side in the classic struggle with the Shia and the geopolitical ambitions of some regional countries that often do not align with US interests, properly understood. Neither serves US security interests.
Precedents for Trump Policies
At the same time, US critics of Trump's stridency at the UN General Assembly must recognize that his actual policies regarding both North Korea and Iran are direct extensions of Obama administration policies, with the one exception of the JCPOA with Iran, Obama's landmark achievement. Trump makes more "noise," but he is following the precedent set by some members of Obama's team and their "slow-rolling" in reducing sanctions against Iran as required by the JCPOA and their searching for other reasons to keep Iran isolated. Efforts in both the Obama and Trump administration that have scotched hopes that the JCPOA might permit an easing of tensions with Teheran are strongly supported by US partners in the Middle East, notably Saudi Arabia and Israel, buttressed by their supporters in the United States.
Indeed, the narrative that Iran is the worst actor in the Middle East is now sunk deeply into US political culture, as happened regarding Vietnam-e.g., the "domino effect" of communist advance in Southeast Asia. This embedding of anti-Iranian attitudes has become so prevalent that even U.S. supporters of continuing the JCPOA must in the same breath list Iran's sins, to the point of arguing for "enhancing sanctions that punish Iran's non-nuclear misbehavior," even where that could lead the U.S. to violate the nuclear agreement.
Notably, while Trump castigated Iran at the UN and referred in general to the threat from terrorism-"It is time to expose and hold responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups"-he stopped short of naming the chief culprit, Saudi Arabia, and its fostering of Wahhabism throughout the Muslim world. Yet that is the primary cause of Islamist terrorism extending from Africa through the Middle East, to Southeast Asia, including Pakistan and Afghanistan-where the Saudi-inspired Taliban every day threaten US military personnel. As a Shia country, Iran is not involved in this Sunni-based terrorism.
Key Challenges to US Decision-Making
Part of US alienation from all-things-Iranian can be explained by the fact that, for many years across three administrations, the US has increasingly ceded a significant role in determining its Middle East policies-with the JCPOA exception-to its regional partners. Too often, Riyadh and Jerusalem have had a critical impact on US regional policy, even when this is arguably at variance with US national interests. Not since the so-called China Lobby distorted pursuit of American interests regarding the People's Republic of China-until Richard Nixon, a principal "arsonist," went to Beijing in 1971 to begin "putting out the fire"-has US foreign policy in a major region of the world been so influenced by domestic lobbies that have convinced themselves that supporting the interests of foreign governments is also best for the United States.
Finally, as the United States confronts serious challenges both on the Korean peninsula and across the Middle East, the "lessons of Vietnam" again come to mind. As the Burns/Novick PBS series demonstrates, in issues of war and peace leaders under the pressure of events and of popular concerns often get it wrong. Nor is this just a matter of "civilian control of the military," where three of President Trump's four cabinet-level national security officials are military men. (Meanwhile, the fourth, the secretary of state, had no background in national security when taking office and still does not have a full team in his department.) Yet the military officials in the Trump administration have worked hardest to temper the president's behavior, though so far unsuccessful in tempering his talk and tweets, and are chary of any new conflicts. Burns/Novick also suggest that, while US military commanders continually pressed for escalation in Vietnam, civilian leaders led the way in getting the nation deeply mired there and elsewhere in Southeast Asia and thereby failed the nation.
In sum, there is a political climate in Washington and the country, fostered by the president, some other political leaders, and much of the media, that works against gaining and sustaining the perspective and sound judgment needed to avoid a "Vietnamization" of today's two preeminent threats to peace.
The United States can begin to work its way out of the escalating crises in Korea and the Middle East, but only if the leadership in Washington learns from history and breaks with attitudes that, as with Vietnam, can blind us to pursuit of our true national interests-following Abraham Lincoln's admonition to "disenthrall ourselves." The alternative is to become prisoner of preconceptions, ignorant both of realities and alternative policies, however half-a-loaf they may be, that can enable us to avoid conflict with both North Korea and Iran and to begin pursuing sensible security policies in two key regions of the world. Doing so would also help to restore faith on the part of America's allies that good sense and enlightened leadership can again prevail in Washington.
About the Author
Robert E. Hunter served as US ambassador to NATO (1993-98) and on the National Security Council staff throughout the Carter administration, first as Director of West European Affairs and then as Director of Middle East Affairs. In the last-named role, he was the White House representative at the Autonomy Talks for the West Bank and Gaza and developer of the Carter Doctrine for the Persian Gulf. He was Senior Advisor to the RAND Corporation from 1998 to 2011, and Director of the Center for Transatlantic Security Studies at the National Defense University, 2011-2012. He served on the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board and is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.
The energy sector is likely to witness its first major shock in decades with prices of petroleum products projected to increase by 14 percent before the end of this week, Joy Business has gathered.
Sources say the geometric increase has been necessitated by the continuous hike in crude oil prices on the international market due to the current tropical storms in the United States oil-rich state, Texas.
Known for its pine forest and oil reserves in the southern US, Texas has been buffeted by Hurricane Harvey which has affected its key cities such as Houston and Corpus Christi.
Joy Business sources say the unfathomable amount of rainwater dropped on the two cities has caused the shut down of more than 10 refineries, which produce more than three million barrels of crude a day.
The development has affected orders that should have been heading to some sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries like Ghana, resulting in the return of some petroleum products to the US to shore up demand in that country.
Sources also say the current summer conditions in Europe have doubled the demand for petrol, further impacting the price of crude currently trading at $54 a tonne.
The cumulative effect of the two factors is likely to cause price hikes in petroleum products in Ghana.
Per calculations, a gallon of diesel now selling at 18.58 pesewas could go to a little over 20, while a gallon of petrol which goes for over 18 might go up to 21.15 pesewas.
But consumers in Ghana can heave a sigh of relief because of the current policy which gives the power to the over 90 Oil Marketing Companies to set their own prices.
Sources say it is unlikely all the OMCs will increase their prices by the margin, adding the price hike will be for a moment until high demand for crude wanes when winter comes.
Source: Joy Business
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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The Deputy Minister of Energy in-charge of Power, William Owuraku Aidoo, has charged board members of the Energy Commission (EC) to prioritize the finalization of the Renewable Energy Master Plan (REMP) before the end of the year to ensure its implementation.
The Deputy Minister, who was speaking at the inauguration of the seven-member EC board in Accra, also urged the new board to provide guidelines and the needed legislative drafts for the construction of mini-grids within a month and review the gas master plan in accordance with the mandate of the Commission.
He was of the view that although Ghana has made great strides in renewable energy, with the country being named among the top in energy efficiency policies, there are still some challenges that need immediate attention.
Mr Aidoo said the REMP would essentially provide an investment-focused framework for the promotion and development of the countrys rich renewable energy resources for sustainable economic growth.
REMP is aimed at increasing national supply of renewable energy system from 38MW in 2015 to 2561MW, provide renewable energy-based decentralized electrification options in 1,000 off-grid communities and promote local content and participation in the renewable energy industry and reduce the dependency on biomass as main fuel for thermal energy applications, he said.
It will also enable all the various economic sectors and social actors to sing from one hymn book in developing renewable energy.
He said currently about 16 percent of Ghanaians are still not connected to the national grid and do not have access to electricity.
The geographical location of our brothers and sisters in the rural areas and isolated island communities should not be a barrier for them enjoying electricity supply, he said.
He therefore challenged the Commission to accommodate mini-grids based on renewable energy and hybrids to provide the much-needed electricity to the rural and isolated communities.
The board is led by Professor George Panyin Hagan, with Dr. Alfred Kwabena Ofosu Ahenkorah, Dr. Isaac Frimpong Mensah-Bonsu, Prof Moses Aristophanes Kwame Gyasi as members.
Other members include Dari Biamark Harruna, Nana Akua Owusu Afriyieh and Alhaji Jabaru Abukakri.
Professor Hegan, in his acceptance speech, thanked President Akufo-Addo and pledged to work hard to further promote the vision of the President in the energy sector.
Source: Daily Guide
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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FORM 8.3
PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")
1. KEY INFORMATION
(a) Full name of discloser: Tyrus Capital S.A.M. (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Worldpay Group plc (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:
For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 26 September 2017 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" YES
If YES, specify which: Vantiv, Inc.
2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.
(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)
Class of relevant security:
3p ordinary
Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: (2) Cash-settled derivatives:
23,180,739 1.159 (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:
TOTAL: 23,180,739 1.159
All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.
Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).
(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)
Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:
3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.
The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.
(a) Purchases and sales
Class of relevant security Purchase/sale
Number of securities Price per unit
(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions
Class of relevant security Product description
e.g. CFD Nature of dealing
e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit 3p ordinary CFD
Increasing a long position 100,000 GBP 4.08
(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)
(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying
Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
(ii) Exercise
Class of relevant security Product description
e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit
(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)
Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable)
4. OTHER INFORMATION
(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements
Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"
none
(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives
Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"
none
(c) Attachments
Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
Date of disclosure: 27 September 2017 Contact name: Jonathan Beer Telephone number: +377 9999 5030
Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.
The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.
The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
The governments of Ghana and China have signed minutes of the fourth session of the Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Co-operation between the two countries.
The signing, which was done by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, and Vice-Minister of Commerce of the Peoples Republic of China, Qian Keming, took place in Accra yesterday after discussions on the fourth session by delegates from both sides.
Discussions centred on bilateral trade, investment, financing, development assistance co-operation with regard to grants and concessional loan financing, regional aviation co-operation and human resource training, as well as the implementation of the $60 billion support provided under the Forum on ChinaAfrica Co-operation (FOCAC) for African economies.
The two sides were satisfied with progress of bilateral trade achieved in recent years, and noted the great potential that exists due to the complementary economic structures of both countries.
In that regard, commitments were, therefore, made to support trade and investment liberalisation and facilitation, and further expand bilateral trade through a bilateral trade co-operation agreement to promote economic development and improve the living standards of the peoples of both countries.
The bilateral trade co-operation agreement will include strengthening of information and personnel exchange and facilitating mutual visits of relevant agencies to trade fairs, expositions and other trade promotion activities, so as to enhance mutual understanding and further expand bilateral trade scale.
The Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Co-operation is a medium-term development assistance agreement expected to be signed every four years between Ghana and China to guide the co-operation arrangement over the period.
Signing the minutes, Ofori-Atta said government was satisfied with the co-operation between it and the Peoples Republic of China, and that the President has committed to renew engagement and has agreed to visit China next year, which would be a follow-up to Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumias visit.
He said he and Qian were working out the details of the relationship and recognising that Ghana can be a very strong launch pad for scale and activities.
Significantly, as we know the issues of infrastructure are critical to us, as well as industrialisation and defence and these are all areas that we can collaborate. We are also looking at a new paradigm which will encourage private sector and also Chinese company to come in.
He said it has been an extremely worthwhile engagement and was looking forward to their visit to China next year.
For his part, Qian, who was on a three-day working visit to Ghana, said his government was committed to enhancing the co-operation between the two countries.
He said the two sides noted that investment was a key area in the next-stage of the economic co-operation and that there was the need to explore potentials to deepen investment co-operation.
He added that Chinese financial institutions would also establish business relationship, exchange information with the Ghana Export-Import Bank and other Ghanaian financial institutions, in order to provide service for the further development of bilateral trade and economic co-operation.
The Chinese side has extended an invitation to Ghanaian delegations to participate in China International Import Exposition from 2018 and other trade promotion activities and to also advertise products such as cocoa, cashew, starch and shea-butter on the Chinese market to encourage further exports from Ghana by Chinese enterprises.
To further support the economic and social development of Ghana, the Government of China is willing to provide the necessary financial support in sectors like electricity, transportation, telecommunication, and education.
Source: The Finder
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Information available to the Daily Statesman indicates that the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service is probing the circumstances under which Ghana was robbed of huge sums of revenue as a result of the non-repatriation of gold export proceeds of over $2.3 billion into the country.
Information available to the Daily Statesman indicates that the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service is probing the circumstances under which Ghana was robbed of huge sums of revenue as a result of the non-repatriation of gold export proceeds of over $2.3 billion into the country.
No amount of the $2.3 billion gold export proceeds, which relate to only the year 2016, was repatriated into the country, as required by the laws of Ghana, thus enriching some unscrupulous foreigner gold dealers, mainly Indians and Chinese, and their Ghanaian collaborators.
This development may come as a confirmation of the red flags raised by the Association of Gold Exporters of Ghana, an umbrella body of local small-scale gold exporters, earlier in the year, alleging dubious business deals, including alleged money laundering, by Indians, Chinese and other foreign nationals, with the connivance of some management and board members of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company.
Asante Asare, leader of the AGEG, alleged: PMMC is exporting gold on behalf of third parties and these guys are not bringing the money back and this is creating a huge vacuum within the sector. PMMC, no matter how much they ship, they dont repatriate one percent.
The about 148 exporting companies, many having foreign ownership, carried out their alleged fraudulent businesses using the PMMC as a conduit, with Ghanaians allegedly fronting for them.
According to impeccable insider information from the PMMC, those who fronted for the foreigners included staff, as well as past management and board members of company.
The paper has gathered that the previous Mahama-led National Democratic Congress government failed to ensure the repatriation of the gold export proceeds because some of the appointees of the former president were beneficiaries of the illegal activities.
In view of this development, the Bank of Ghana has suspended the PMMC from shipping gold out of the country, a fact that has been confirmed by Kwadwo Opare-Hammond, the new Chief Executive Officer of the company.
During the recent inauguration of the new board of the PMMC, Dr Opare-Hammond described the company as comatose, in view of how badly it was managed under the previous government.
The new CEO has, however, expressed his determination to work assiduously with the new board and all the other relevant stakeholders to revamp the company, while seeking innovative ways of generating income.
Source: The New Statesman
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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The Concerned Voters Movement (CVM), a powerful pressure group, has expressed misgivings about the decision of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) to flush out Banker-to-Banker lotto business.
President and Founder of the group, Razak Kojo Opoku, stated that any attempt to collapse the Banker-to-Banker lotto business will make many lose their jobs
According to him, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration seems to be repeating some of the blunders that it committed when it was in political power in 2008, which led to an electoral defeat for the party during the 2008 general elections.
He said the Banker-to-Banker industry provides employment for a sizeable number of the citizenry therefore collapsing it would increase unemployment rate and create problems for the government in the next polls.
Addressing a press conference in Kumasi, Kojo Opoku suggested to government to implement fresh policies to legalize the Banker-to-Banker business so that the state can take taxes from them and develop the country.
According to him, operators of the Banker-to-Banker business far outnumber the NLA officials and they (Banker-to-Banker) are operating under cover to make money without the state taking the needed taxes from them.
What we need now as a country is a law that will legalize the Banker-to-Banker business so that the state can take taxes from. If we try to bully them they will operate in secret and make money at the expense of the state.
Kojo Opoku said the current trend where the NLA enjoys monopoly in the lottery business in the state is not helping matters, saying that the government should make the NLA a regulator and rather empower the private businesses.
He attacked Osei Ameyaw, Director General of the NLA, for taking harsh actions ever since he assumed office, which is intended to collapse the Banker-to-Banker business, urging him to sit up.
Kojo Opoku observed that the online lotto business in the country is being run by foreigners as the NLA watches helplessly, lambasting the NLA for victimizing against Banker-to-Banker which is managed by Ghanaians.
Source: The Publisher
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Mr. Robert Ahomka-Lindsay the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry has urged Caribbean investors in the country to take hold of long-term trade and investment opportunities in Ghana.
At the official opening of the Caribbean Trade Mission in Accra, yesterday, Mr. Ahomka-Lindsay, noted that Ghanas economy has a lot of opportunities to offer investors.
The opportunities he said are imbedded in the Agro-processing, education, science and technology and petro-chemical industries.
The rest are; Tourism, financial services, energy, infrastructural development and real estates.
By definition what we are trying to do is to create industrial activity and ensure that those that live outside Ghana are part of the commodity and business value chain, he said.
Speaking on the theme Promoting Trade and Investments Ghana and the Caribbean, the Deputy Minister took time to underline some strategic measures that Ghana desires to use to boost her economy.
He highlighted the One district, one factory agenda, which seeks to have at least one industrial processor in 216 districts spread across in the 10 regions of Ghana.
According to him, the initiative will be led by the private sector but facilitated and supported by government.
Mr. Ahomka-Lindsay assured the to-be investors that the One district, one factory was an initiative worth investing in.
He further noted that the agenda will fundamentally change the base of Ghanas economy from a two-product producing nationGold and Cocoa to a 12-commodity producing and exporting country.
Its our intention that at least one industrial processor will be set up by the private sector in each of the districts and must have the capacity and potential to fundamentally enhance the economy of that district, the deputy minister said.
The other strategies highlighted were; Establishment of a petrol chemical industry, Integrated Aluminium industry, Ghana in textiles and Industrial self-contracting.
Ghanas Economy Thrives on SMEs
The Deputy Minister attributed the booming success of Ghanas economy to the presence of Small-to-Medium Enterprise (SMEs) and encouraged private investors to partner with them.
In any economy in the world, it is the SMEs that drive job creation and value creation.
A lot of innovation is driven from the SMEs and as a government and country we realise that if we do not involve our SMEs in the value chains that are created, we will not maintain and be able to get the benefit of industrial transformation, he noted.
According to the Acting Managing Director of HFC, Mr. Anthony Jordan, the significance the summit is to facilitate long-term trade and investment opportunities with the unique focus of establishing business alliances between Ghana Business and the Ghanaian counterparts that will lead to mutually beneficial economic transformations.
The Trade Mission
The Trade Summit which was organised by HFC Bank (Ghana) Limited, in collaboration with its parent company, Republic Financial Holdings Limited, brought together over 30 companies and institutions including business people, investors, policy makers and industry leaders from Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Barbados and Surinam.
Source: The Publisher
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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The Bank of Ghana(BoG) has revoked the export license of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), a company that exports gold and other minerals.
This was confirmed by the Chief Executive Officer Kojo Opare Hammond on the Citi FM.
As at now, we are not doing shipping of Gold. Even with our diamond which we do not have any problems with, most of the time I have to really go and plead with them(BoG) to allow us to move. In fact, Bank of Ghana is really upset with this situation that we came to find ourselves in. But as we speak now, PMMC cannot export goods because of what happened previously, Mr. Hammond said.
The BoG s decision follows PMMCs inability to account for gold proceeds of 2.3 billion dollars that were exported out of the country. 2.3billion dollars worth of gold was shipped through PMMC and none of the money that was earned was returned into the country as required by law, he stressed.
The Bank of Ghana in 2016 announced PMMC as the sole exporter of gold.
PMMC is a limited liability company operating under the Companies code, with the Government of Ghana as the sole shareholder.
The Association of Gold Exporters of Ghana (AGEG) earlier asked the BoG to rescind appointing the PMMC as the certifier for gold exports as they argued that the PMMC was involved in dubious business deals including money laundering by Indians and Chinese with help of some managers of PMMC.
But Mr. Hammond confirms that investigations are being conducted by the CID.
This issue actually came up at one of the meetings we held with the Minister of Finance and he immediately asked the CID to take over and begin investigations into this and that is what is ongoing now.
Meanwhile Tax Analyst Ali Nakyea Abdallah has tasked authorities to follow up on the issue and ensure culprits are punished accordingly.
If the report is now out, I will be interested in how they can follow up and make sure we receive these monies because if indeed the gold moved out, then we should get the compensation through the payment. We have to also make sure that any person found culpable does not stay in there. I believe in trying to find where the loss is, recover it and punish the person. We need to recover first before we punish he stressed.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nakyea was of the view that the countrys export earnings should be enough to stop the government from borrowing.
If there are illicit flows, you will see clearly that what we are losing if accounted for we are net creditors. We dont need to borrow he exclaimed.
Source: citifmonline.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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A UN report launched in Ghana by the Ministry of Finance and UN-based Better Than Cash Alliance has indicated that, creating an economy where everyone can pay and get paid digitally, instead of cash could save the country over GHS 1 Billion.
According to the report, almost 100 percent of government payments to people and payments within the government are now processed digitally - the findings also reveal there are opportunities for providing more choice to customers.
This move is already translating into direct benefits to people, particularly women, support for small businesses and cost savings for the government.
The data also predicts that if the government continues to make progress, savings could reach over GHS 250 million each year, which may result in more than GHS 1 billion by 2020.
Speaking at the launch in Accra, the deputy Finance Minister, Charles Adu Boahen who delivered a speech on behalf of the minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta said The future really is digitization and how we can leverage on it for the benefit of our citizens. This is why digitizing initiatives such as our flagship conditional cash transfer program Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) is a key milestone,
Adding that, We recognize that there is still more work to do to transition most of the country away from cash. Yet with great potential for cost savings and opportunities to increase transparency and accountability, we cannot afford not to
The Managing Director of the Better Than Cash Alliance, Dr. Ruth Goodwin-Groen also in her speech lauded government for the use of digital payment.
We want to congratulate the Government of Ghana for its leadership in building the foundation for an economy less dependent on cash. Under this leadership, the country is making considerable strides to improve transparency, accelerate opportunities for economic growth and empower women by bringing them into the formal financial system, she said
According to her,Ghana is at a tipping point in its shift to digital payments. We at the Better Than Cash Alliance look forward to continued work with our colleagues across the digital ecosystem in government, companies and international organizations to continue this great progress.
Read below some key insights on the status of digital payments in Ghana and tangible recommendations on how to successfully move forward.
Investing in infrastructure for digital public utility payments: 80 percent of the population uses public essential services such as water and electricity, but only 20 percent of the population has access to digital technology such as smart meters. By investing in smart distribution infrastructure that digitize end-to-end delivery and payment, it will increase efficiencies and ease of use for citizens ultimately increasing adoption.
Digitizing payment of government fees and fines: With 97 percent of fees and fines currently paid in cash, the Ghanaian government could gain enormous cost savings if they commit to using digital payments exclusively and mandate all government agencies to use a central payment system.
Encouraging digital payments in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs) value chain to support digitization of small retailers and customers: For FMCGs companies operating in Ghana, 96 percent of distributor payments and 59 percent of vendor and employee payments in volume are made in checks. However, 99.9 percent of individual payments for consumption goods by volume are still completed in cash, as individuals continue to purchase essential consumer goods, including food, in the informal economy with small retailers.
This indicates the tremendous potential impact any shift to digital payments in this value chain can have on the overall ecosystem. By transitioning away from cash, small business owners can avoid storing large amounts of cash, drive customers adoption and boost access to formal saving and loan products which can expand their economic potential. This will especially improve the lives of women, who represent many of the small retailers in the FMCGs sector.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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It is unfortunate that, 60 years after independence, the history of the events leading to it continues to be embroiled in unnecessary controversy, due largely to partisan political considerations of the moment.
It is clear that successive generations of Ghanaians made vital contributions to the liberation of our country from imperialism and colonialism. It is, therefore, fitting that we honour them, as those who contributed to the founding of our nation.
The most appropriate way to honour them is to commemorate the day on which the two most significant events in our colonial political history, that led us to independence, occurred 4th August.
On that day, in 1897, the Aborigines Rights Protection Society (ARPS) was formed in Cape Coast. The Society did a great job to mobilise the chiefs and people to ward off the greedy hands of British imperialism to ensure that control of Ghanaian lands remained in Ghanaian hands. It represented the first monumental step towards the making of modern Ghana, enabling us to avoid the quagmire of land inheritance that our brothers and sisters in Southern and Eastern Africa continue to suffer, from the seizures of their lands by white minorities.
In a deliberate act in the continuum of Ghanaian history, exactly fifty years later, on 4th August, 1947, at Saltpond, the great nationalists of the time gathered to inaugurate the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the first truly nationalist party of the Gold Coast, to demand the independence of our nation from British rule, at a gathering which included paramount chiefs, clergymen, lawyers, entrepreneurs, teachers, traders and men and women from all walks of life in the Gold Coast, according to an eye witness. The inauguration set the ball rolling for our nations attainment of independence, and for the dramatic events, including the birth in 1949 of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), that ushered us into freedom.
That day, 4th August, is, thus, obviously the most appropriate day to signify our recognition and appreciation of the collective efforts of our forebears towards the founding of a free, independent Ghana.
It is equally clear that the first leader of independent Ghana, and the nations 1st President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, played an outstanding role in helping to bring to fruition the works of the earlier generations, and leading us to the promised land of national freedom and independence. It is entirely appropriate that we commemorate him for that role, by designating his birthday as the permanent day of his remembrance.
The President has, therefore, decided to propose legislation to Parliament to designate 4th August as FOUNDERS DAY, and 21st September as KWAME NKRUMAH MEMORIAL DAY, both of which will be observed as public holidays. In the meantime, the President has issued an Executive Instrument to commemorate this years celebration of KWAME NKRUMAH MEMORIAL DAY as a public holiday.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed the management of Prempeh Senior High School also known as Prempeh College in Kumasi to reverse its decision to sack 51 first-year students at the end of the 2016/17 academic year because of poor performance.
It has further directed the management of the school to immediately draw up a remedial plan to support the affected students to enable them to complete their secondary education.
In an interview in Accra following the decision of the college to sack 51 students, the Director-General of the GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, said the affected students should be allowed to continue their education with their mates in second year, while arrangements were put in place for them to catch up with them.
Affected students
The affected students, some of whom have already left the school, are said to have failed in at least five subjects in the three terminal examinations of the last academic year, leading to their dismissal by the authorities of the school.
At the commencement of the 2017/2018 academic year, the authorities of the school were in a fix as to what to do with the affected students, following the introduction of the free SHS policy.
When some of the parents of the affected students heard reports of the dismissal of their children, they rushed to the school to discuss the fate of their children with the school authorities, but all staff members were tight-lipped on the issue.
Regional PRO calms nerves
The Ashanti Regional Public Relations Officer of the GES, Ms Casandra Twum Ampofo, told the Daily Graphic that on hearing about the dismissal of the students, the Ashanti Regional Directorate of the GES invited the headmaster of Prempeh College for a meeting.
She said after the meeting, the management of the school decided to call a board meeting tomorrow for a final decision to be taken on the issue.
Ms Ampofo, therefore, appealed to all parents of the affected students to remain calm and wait for the decision of the board.
Remedial package
But the Director-General of the GES told the Daily Graphic that the headmaster had been given up to Friday, September 29 to produce the remedial package for the affected students.
Since the issue came to our attention, we have spoken to him and he is going to give us a strategy to organise a remedial programme for them.
So he is drawing up that programme and by the close of the week he will give us his plan of action to ensure that the school supports the children to do well. So the students are not going home, Prof. Opoku-Amankwa said.
He asked all regional directors of the GES to visit all SHSs in their regions to ensure that students in similar situations were brought to the attention of the headquarters, so that we will work to correct the situation.
Source: Daily Graphic
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The family of the late Lily Donkor, a third year student of the Achimota School who was killed by her colleague and boyfriend, is up in arms over what it says is too linient a sentence handed to the murderer of their beloved daughter.
The 18-year old third year male student of Achimota Senior High School who shot at Lily with his fathers single barrel gun who was facing a chage of manslaughter was on Friday sentenced to three years at the Correctional Home by the Juvenile Court in Accra.
The accused was reported to have brought out his fathers gun under a bed with the intent of shooting in the air but ended up killing his friend.
The facts as narrated in court earlier were that, on January 4, this year, at about 14:00 hours the deceased Lily who lived at Cantonments visited the accused person at Community eight (8) in Tema.
According to the prosecution the accused went into his fathers room and picked up his fathers single barrel gun and shot the victim in the abdomen accidentally as the gravity of the gun changed and hit the deceased.
The victim was rushed to the Port Clinic in Tema, but due to the condition of the victim, she was transferred to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, where she died on admission.
Speaking to Kasapa News, mother of the deceased, Vivian Donkor said the family finds it difficult to understand why the murderer whose identity was concealed by the court was not given a stiffer punishment for taking the life of an innocent person, when thieves who still less important things like fowls are severely punished with long jail terms.
How can our hurtful feelings be assuaged when someone who has killed our daughter is sentenced to only three years in a correctional home. Were vey angry over the jail term, the family is meeting soon to see what next step we can take. Were not leaving this matter lying down and were not ready to forgive the boy and his family. Since day one, his mother never said the truth insisting that it was a knockout that hit and killed my daughter and not a gun. Even when Lily was shot and was writhing in pain in a pool of blood, it took the boy and his family three hours before they took Lily to the hospital and even this was after her elder sister had called her [Lilys] phone several times which rang unaswered. Is that how to treat someones daughter who has visited your home? Were convinced they deliberately killed.
Source: kasapafmonline.com
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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A two-year-boy died while playing unattended on a swing in Ititu village, Makueni County, Kenya in an incident that has shocked residents.
The boys mother, Ms Patricia Wayua said the incident happened on Tuesday afternoon.She said she was at a parents meeting in school when she was received a call from her sister-in-law informing her the son was unwell and she should rush home.
"On arrival, I found my in-law cuddling my son's lifeless body," said the distraught mother.
Ms Wayua said she was told that her son could have accidentally entangled himself on a swing fixed on poles protruding from walls of one of the houses.
She said the swing was put up by older children a day earlier.
"By the time I arrived at the scene accompanied by police officers, relatives had removed the body from the swing, Kitundu Location Chief Richard Ndisya told the Nation on Wednesday.
He however said there are claims that the boy could have been strangled, saying it is not possible for a child of that age to commit suicide.
"Police recovered the boy's body near some ropes designed to look like a swing, it is hard to rule out foul play in this case," said Mr Ndisya.
The administrator said police are investigating the incident.
Source: Nation.co
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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FORM 8.3
PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")
1. KEY INFORMATION
(a) Full name of discloser: Majedie Asset Management Limited (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree
AMEC FOSTER WHEELER PLC (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:
For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 26 September 2017 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" No
2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.
(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)
Class of relevant security:
ORD 50P
Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 8,414,722 2.16 (2) Cash-settled derivatives:
(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:
TOTAL:
8,414,722
2.16
All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.
Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).
(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)
Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:
3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.
The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.
(a) Purchases and sales
Class of relevant security Purchase/sale
Number of securities Price per unit ORD 50P Sale 4,398 512.1003
(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions
Class of relevant security Product description
e.g. CFD Nature of dealing
e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit
(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)
(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying
Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
(ii) Exercise
Class of relevant security Product description
e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit
(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)
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4. OTHER INFORMATION
(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements
Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
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Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
Date of disclosure: 27 September 2017 Contact name: Matthew Hambly Telephone number: 0207 618 3900
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Fort Hunter has been a mapped location in Dauphin County along the Susquehanna River for more than 250 years. However, the French and Indian War fort built in 1757 that gave Fort Hunter its name has been missing for most of that time.
"We came here in 2006 to find the remains of that fort," noted Curt Carr, senior curator of archaeology at the State Museum of Pennsylvania. "What we have found are artifacts are artifacts that relate to the military occupation" of Fort Hunter, but it seems that the fortifications were so ephemeral that we have not found the wooden stockade or the ditch that surrounded the fort."
He explained, "We find gun parts and musket balls and gun flints and things that seemingly would relate to fort. We found the remains of a large bake oven with lots of burned bones around it that probably related to the fort."
A four-inch-diameter, four-pound canon ball - probably part of a supplies shipment en route from Harris Ferry (Harrisburg) to Fort Augusta in Sunbury - was among the artifacts uncovered to date.
However, Captain Archibald McAllister, who had served directly under General George Washington in the Revolutionary Army, bought the land and settled there in 1787 and began depositing his own "artifacts all over the place. Archeologists have found it difficult to differentiate much of what they found into items left there by the militia that occupied the fort and those left by McAllister and his family, workers and slaves.
McAllister noted there was no trace of Fort Hunter when he arrived at the bluff overlooking the river, although his acquisition supposedly included the fort that had been abandoned in 1763.
Other correspondence and records, from the pre-McAllister period when the militia was at the fort, also attest to the existence of the fort, which was described as a 10-by-14-foot log blockhouse surrounded by a stockade. According to Carr, engineers, visitors and others referred to a blockhouse and "a hastily built fort."
They also may indicate that the fort may never have been built. Military correspondence noted that stockade posts were cut in October 1757 but also that local farmers were busy with their harvests and may not have had spare time to help in the construction.
"Maybe (the posts) never got put up," speculated Carr, who said posts in the ground have been known to leave trace that could be detected a thousand years later.
Native American artifacts also have been found on the site, including stone points and tools. Archeologists believe humans were using the site as long as 10,000 years ago.
However, some of those artifacts also are mingled with the remnants of early European occupation because Fort Hunter floods infrequently and takes on new layers of artifact-sealing sediment slowly.
Carr said, with new dig site at the rear of the existing Fort Hunter Mansion, near the icehouse, "we have hopes of getting better stratigraphy and being able to find a different between the three major occupations:" Native American, fort and post-fort.
Visitors are welcome at the dig site from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through Oct. 6.
LYKENS--Several dozen Amish of all ages gathered at a farm on Tuesday night to hear a panel of experts talk about drug addiction and stress that help is available from county government, state police and assorted non-profits.
The event was held at the request of Amish leaders as the national wave of addiction to opioid painkillers and heroin has made overdoses the leading cause of death of younger Americans, with the Amish affected as well.
Jake Smucker, a grandfather and organizer of Tuesday's gathering, said there is no "problem" of opioid addiction within the Amish community of northern Dauphin County. But he said the crisis is severe enough that prevention and raising awareness are warranted. He also said that drug addiction is a problem the Amish can't fully address without outside help. "We need to be aware of what's going on," he said.
Another member of the audience said it's possible the community may have been touched by the opioid addiction crisis, and added that the Amish community in Lancaster County is impacted.
The event was put on by the Northern Dauphin Human Services Center. A table near the door was covered with informational brochures on topics including heroin and painkiller addiction. However, several of the Amish who spoke during the meeting said their greatest concerns involve tobacco addiction and underage drinking parties, and they asked for advice from panel members, including a Pennsylvania state trooper.
The gathering drew many teens, young adults and parents. Brenda Wise of the Naaman Center in Elizabethville told parents they have a God-given duty to recognize and address addiction in their children and not sweep it under the carpet.
"You as a community have such a tool behind you because you all believe in God," she said.
She also told the gathering, "Be true to your calling. Don't dabble in this stuff we have going on in our world, because it's a mess."
Arcelor Mittal, which operates a plant in Steelton, is idling some operations at its Conshohocken plant outside Philadelphia, laying off at least 150.
Arcelor Mittal Conshohocken
United Steelworkers Union Local 9462 announced the layoff Monday, saying at least 200 will lose their jobs, Philly.com reports.
Arcelor Mittal is idling its rolling mill at the Conshohocken plant, and the layoffs will take place over several months, said Mary Beth Holdford, company spokeswoman. An implementation plan is still being developed to determine when the layoffs will start, she said.
Arcelor Mittal's web site says the facility employs 265 at its plate production facility along the Schuylkill River.
The union blames inaction by the Trump administration on steel imports for the layoff.
"Many steelworkers being laid off at this facility proudly wore the uniform and are dedicated to making vital equipment for our troops. The administration's refusal to act is just another sign that the Washington swamp has not been drained; it is business as usual. The White House needs to get its priorities straight," said Thomas M. Conway, USW International vice president.
Holdford said the company will idle the operation at the Conshohocken plant within the next year, due to limited demand from key manufacturers that build bridges, ships, tank cars and military equipment, along with the "ongoing surge of unfairly traded imports of steel."
The Conshohocken plant will continue to operate its heat treat, finishing and inspection facilities to finish steel rolled by its sister facilities in Coatesville and Burns Harbor, Ind. It was not immediately known how many jobs will remain to do that work.
There are no plans for more layoffs at Arcelor Mittal's Steelton plant, Holdford said.
The plant laid off about 85 people after going to a single crew in early March, she said. But some workers were recalled due to fill slots open through attrition.
The Steelton Arcelor Mittal plant employs about 538, and is one of only three rail producers in North and South America.
Holdford said the layoff at the Conshocken plant is unrelated to the Steelton facility, and they produce different products.
UPDATE: The status of the Conshohocken plant and timeline of layoffs was corrected in this story.
In a case that is outside the shore-bound norm, a federal appeals court has ruled that a drunken brawl among up to 45 passengers on a Delaware River party boat had the "potential to disrupt maritime commerce."
That decision, reached this week by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, could have a dire impact on a negligence lawsuit one of those passengers filed against the owners of the Ben Franklin Yacht.
By concluding that the near riot interfered with maritime commerce, the appeals judges cleared the way for the Philadelphia-based yacht's owner, Christopher Columbus LLC, to invoke maritime law as a defense.
Such a move could greatly limit the liability the firm will face as it fights the damages suit filed by former passenger Michael Bocchino, who blames the vessel's crew for injuries he suffered during the brawl that erupted during a May 2013 cruise.
Christopher Columbus appealed to the Third Circuit court after a U.S. Eastern District judge refused to allow it to invoke the strict liability limits of federal maritime/admiralty law.
That law applies to cases involving incidents on navigable waterways, including oceans, the Great Lakes and major rivers, including the Delaware, which are routes for waterborne trade.
In the appeals court's opinion, Judge Lawrence F. Stengel noted the brawl broke out as the Ben Franklin was preparing to dock. Bocchino claims in his suit that the yacht's crew is responsible for his injuries because passengers were served too much alcohol and weren't kept under proper control.
Although the district judge found the incident lacked the potential to cause maritime disruption, Stengel concluded that it did indeed pose such a risk.
Stengel wrote that the near-riot could have distracted the captain and crew and caused the yacht to ram the dock. Or, he found, the captain might have had to sail back into the river, impeding other shipping.
"Any of these outcomes were possible, and all have the potential to disrupt maritime commerce," Stengel concluded.
So, Christopher Columbus can invoke the maritime law limitations, Stengel said as he sent the case back to district court for further legal wrangling.
HARRISBURG--It was a quiet night in the 600 block of Dauphin Street Monday when a gunshot rang out in the darkness.
Within about two minutes, neighbors said, police officers with lights flashing were at the scene. An ambulance followed.
Soon, neighbors saw Patrice Allen, 26, walk outside, with her arms around the shoulders of two paramedics. She climbed into the back of the ambulance, where paramedics worked on a wound to her abdomen.
Neighbors hoped the fact that she emerged from her house on her own power meant she would survive.
But Allen, 26, died the next day at Holy Spirit hospital after emergency surgery.
The circumstances around Allen's death remain mysterious as police have declined to release specific information.
Dispatchers originally put out a 911 call about 11:20 p.m. Monday for "shots fired into a house."
A single bullet hole remained visible in the front door of the row home Wednesday. Police said the door had been processed for evidence.
Allen lived at the home with her girlfriend and their two dogs. The couple had been dating since January. A woman who answered the door at the home Tuesday night declined to comment.
Police interviewed the girlfriend and were continuing to look for witnesses or people with information in the case. No one was in custody for the death, police said.
Allen was the daughter of the Rev. Frank E. Hairston-Allen, a local pastor and president of the local NAACP chapter. He and his late wife, Marie Allen, adopted Patrice when she was 11 years-old, along with her younger brother, Jaquan, in 2002. Marie Allen was the children's great-aunt.
Hairston-Allen declined to comment Wednesday.
Through the years, Patrice kept in touch with her biological mother and two older sisters.
Her sister, Ashley Courts, said she called Patrice nearly every day after work just to check in.
"I'd say, what are you doing? And she'd say, 'Just chillin'" Courts said.
But Courts had been busy in recent days and hadn't called as she usually did. She didn't know those days would represent her last opportunities to talk to her sister.
"That made me so sad," Courts said. "I didn't know that would be my last chance."
Patrice's mother, Ann Tolbert, said Wednesday she was weak from grief.
"It's like killing my soul," she said of the sudden loss of Patrice.
Tolbert said she stopped by Patrice's home the day before her daughter was shot and they talked about Patrice's dogs and updated each other on their lives.
"She was outspoken and very smart," Tolbert said of her daughter.
Patrice previously enrolled in community college to pursue her dream of becoming a veterinary technician, but she was not currently attending classes. She also enjoyed writing poetry and singing in the church choir at her father's church.
Patrice's life was punctuated with a series of heartbreaks, including the death of an ex-girlfriend last year from a drug overdose and the death of her 11-year-old brother in 2003, when he was struck by a car on Interstate 81.
She also gave up a baby boy in her late teens, recognizing that she was not in a stable enough position to raise the child. She maintained contact with her son through an open adoption, relatives said, and was not ashamed of her decision.
Despite some hard times, Patrice was known as "a bubbly person, the life of the party," according to family friend Monica White.
"She was always, all the way live," White said. "She was the center of attention."
Family and friends of Patrice were struggling with her death and the lack of information that they have about the circumstances.
Police, however, said they need to keep the information close to the vest to protect the integrity of the investigation and prevent dangerous speculation.
Police officials would not say whether police had been previously called to Patrice's home. Police also would not say what sort of information they may have been able to gain from Patrice herself, since she was alert, conscious and talking when she left her home for the hospital.
Neighbors said four women stopped by the home on Dauphin Street a few weeks ago, sparking a confrontation between them and Patrice and her girlfriend that ended up in a series of fist fights in the middle of the street.
The block also has some known drug-houses, according to neighbors., which attract a lot of traffic on foot and by vehicle. Several homes are boarded up.
On Wednesday, everything looked quiet and peaceful on the block. When a PennLive reporter made that remark, a neighbor quickly shot it down.
"That's a lie," said the neighbor, who didn't provide her name. "Something could pop at any minute."
ROCKLEDGE, Fla., Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kona Gold Solutions, Inc. (OTC Pink:KGKG), a hemp lifestyle brand of exclusivity and status, has announced they have ramped up production on its popular hemp infused energy drinks in order to meet customer demand. The Company will be producing another 1,000 cases of it hemp energy drinks to meet current demand in the short term and plan to ramp up production even further later this year as demand continues to increase and distributors sell through more product at faster rates.
On the heels of ramping up production of its hemp energy drinks, the Company is also producing an all-new CBD Flavored Energy Water, which is on track to launch in October. The Company has their team building out a new website and social media accounts for the HighDrate brand and will be launching those in the coming weeks where they will be taking preorders.
As more customer orders flow through online, from our website and Amazon, and our distributors continue to gain momentum, we had to increase production of our hemp energy drinks to meet short term demand, stated Robert Clark, CEO of Kona Gold Solutions, Inc. The Company is also working on closing multiple distribution deals that will require us to scale production to new levels, which is a huge accomplishment and will bring the Company one step closer to national distribution.
Clark continued, Packaging and labels for our new CBD Flavored Energy Waters have been finalized and approved, and production is soon to begin. We anticipate the CBD waters to be available for purchase mid-October and we will be taking preorders in the next couple of weeks.
For more information regarding Kona Gold Solutions, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/konagoldhemp
https://twitter.com/konagoldhemp
https://www.instagram.com/konagoldhemp/
http://www.konagoldhemp.com
Kona Gold Solutions, Inc.:
Kona Gold Solutions, Inc. has created Kona Gold LLC, a Delaware Corporation, which has developed a premium Hemp Infused Energy Drink line, Energy shots, and Apparel; please visit the Companys new website at www.konagoldhemp.com. The Company is located on the east coast of Florida in Rockledge, FL.
Safe Harbor Statement:
The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing various engineering and manufacturing programs, changes in customer order patterns, changes in product mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, shortages in components, production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components, and various other factors beyond the Company's control.
LAFAYETTE, La., Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RedHawk Holdings Corp. (OTCQB:IDNG) (RedHawk or the Company) announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle (Agreement) with Scarlett Pharma Ltd. (Scarlett) and an affiliate, whereby RedHawk Pharma UK LTD (Pharma), a wholly-owned subsidiary of RedHawk, will further increase its equity position in EcoGen Europe LTD (EcoGen).
Under the terms of the Agreement, Scarlett and its affiliate have agreed to surrender to the Company 10 mil shares of the RedHawks outstanding common stock (the RedHawk Shares), transfer to Pharma approximately $300,000 of EcoGens preferred stock plus other consideration in exchange for Pharma assuming approximately $370,000 of obligations due to EcoGen. The RedHawk Shares were originally issued to Scarlett in connection with the Companys March 2016 investment into EcoGen.
Upon completion of the Agreement, Pharma will own approximately $635,000 of EcoGens preferred stock and 75% of EcoGens common stock.
In August 2017, the Company announced the execution of a non-binding letter of intent (EU License Acquisition) for the purchase of a portfolio of European (EU) hospital licenses to be combined with EcoGens portfolio of dossiers and licenses. The licenses to be acquired cover injectable anti-infective generic pharmaceuticals. RedHawk said it believes the acquisition of these licenses could result in the ultimate issuance of market authorizations in up to twelve (12) EU markets for seven (7) core anti-infective products including piperacillin-tazobactam (PipTaz), meropenum, imipenem/cilastatin and the four (4) most widely used cephalosporins. When the EU License Acquisition is complete, Pharma will own approximately 120 generic EU licensing assets.
The Company said it hopes to have the EU License Acquisition and the Agreement completed by December 31, 2017. The completion of both transactions is contingent upon, among other things, approval by RedHawks board of directors, the negotiation, acceptance and execution of definitive agreements, satisfactory completion of legal and financial due diligence, and the closing of acceptable financing or the receipt of additional equity capital, if necessary.
About RedHawk Holdings Corp.
RedHawk Holdings Corp., formerly Independence Energy Corp., is a diversified holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in sales and distribution of medical devices, sales of branded generic pharmaceutical drugs, commercial real estate investment and leasing, sales of point of entry full-body security systems, and specialized financial services. Through its medical products business unit, the Company sells WoundClot Surgical - Advanced Bleeding Control, the Sharps and Needle Destruction Device (SANDD), and the Carotid Artery Digital Non-Contact Thermometer. Through our United Kingdom based subsidiary, we manufacture and market branded generic pharmaceuticals, certain other generic pharmaceuticals known as specials and certain pharmaceuticals outside of the United Kingdoms National Health Service drug tariff referred to as NP8s. Our real estate leasing revenues are generated from various commercial properties under long-term lease. Additionally, RedHawks real estate investment unit holds limited liability company interest in a commercial restoration project in Hawaii. The Companys financial service revenue is from brokerage services earned in connection with debt placement services. RedHawk Energy holds the exclusive U.S. manufacturing and distribution rights for the Centri Controlled Entry System, a unique, closed cabinet, nominal dose transmission full-body x-ray scanner.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than statements of historical fact. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. The words anticipate, may, can, plans, believes, estimates, expects, projects, targets, intends, likely, will, should, to be, potential and any similar expressions are intended to identify those assertions as forward-looking statements.
Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Actual performance and results may differ materially from that projected or suggested herein due to certain risks and uncertainties. In evaluating forward-looking statements, you should consider the various factors which may cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements including those listed in the Risk Factors section of our latest 10-K report. Further, the Company may make changes to its business plans that could or will affect its results. Investors are cautioned that the Company will undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Media Contact:
Julie Calzone
(337) 235-2924
jcalzone@calzone.com
Company Contacts:
Thomas J. Concannon, CEO
(908) 625-7811
tom.concannon@redhawkholdingscorp.com
G. Darcy Klug, Chairman and CFO
(337) 269-5933
darcy.klug@redhawkholdingscorp.com
Harold Backer leaves the B.C. Provincial Court building in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, May 1, 2017. Backer, an investment dealer and former Olympic rower who went missing for nearly 18 months has pleaded not guilty to two fraud charges. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott delivers a speech in Ottawa on Wednesday September 27, 2017. Philpott spoke on reconciliation and strategies for implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's health-related calls to action while building a healthcare system of cultural competence for Indigenous inclusion in Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland meets for a trilateral meeting with Mexico's Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, left, and Ambassador Robert E. Lighthizer, United States Trade Representative, during the final day of the third round of NAFTA negotiations at Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
FILE - This undated file photo provided by Trista Reynolds shows Ayla Reynolds, her 2-year-old daughter, who went missing in December 2011 from her father's home in Waterville, Maine. Cumberland County Probate Judge Joseph Mazziotti on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, issued a court order that Ayla Reynolds died on or around Dec. 17, 2011. The judge says the preponderance of evidence supports the order. The judgeAos order allows AylaAos mother, Trista Reynolds, to file a wrongful-death lawsuit against Ayla's father, Justin DiPietro. (Trista Reynolds via AP, File)
A solider looks at a memorial set up by people at the site of a building that collapsed in last week's 7.1 magnitude earthquake, at the corner of Division del Norte and Peten streets in the Santa Cruz Atoyac neighborhood of Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Authorities pledged a return to normality, but many streets in the capital were still blocked by construction equipment and recovery teams looking to extract the last remaining bodies from the rubble. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
SEATTLE, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Continuing its investments to support the next phase of growth, leading diamond and fine jewelry retailer Blue Nile announced today the appointment of two seasoned ecommerce executives to its executive team: Erin Daley as Chief Marketing Officer and David Fleischman as Chief Product Officer. In addition, current Blue Nile executive Jon Sainsbury was named Chief Strategy Officer and President of International. All three executives will report to Chief Executive Officer Jason Goldberger.
Erin and David both have excellent track records of innovation and growth, and Jon has been instrumental in making Blue Nile the company it is today a more brilliant way to buy diamonds, said Chief Executive Officer Jason Goldberger. Were excited for the deep experience in online retail and consumer engagement that Erin and David bring, and that Jon will continue to play a key role in the next phase of the company. Its an exciting time for Blue Nile.
Chief Marketing Officer: Erin Daley
Erin Daley brings nearly 20 years of marketing leadership experience to Blue Nile, including strategic planning, brand architecture, new product innovation, and digital content. She most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at e.l.f. Cosmetics, one of the fastest-growing beauty companies in the United States. There, she was responsible for driving brand awareness, social engagement, and innovation that helped guide the company to a successful IPO in 2016. Prior to e.l.f. Cosmetics, Ms. Daley served as Vice President of Marketing for Schiff Nutrition, a leader in the nutritional supplements category, where she led innovation and developed a new product pipeline valued in excess of $100 million. She began her marketing career at Procter & Gamble, launching Crest Whitestrips and developing Charmin Ultra Strong. Ms. Daley holds a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Michigan.
Chief Product Officer: David Fleischman
David Fleischman joins Blue Nile with more than 20 years of experience in product and technology innovation at Apple, Expedia, Microsoft, and Nokia. He most recently served as Vice President of Global Product at Expedia, where he helped lead a turnaround and established a high-efficiency software process, metrics-based product management, and a culture of innovation. Prior to Expedia, Mr. Fleischman was a Group Program Manager at Microsoft, where he led a redesign and upgrade of live systems supporting more than $3 billion in digital content across Microsoft platforms, including all Xbox games. At Apple, he was part of the team that shipped the first generation iPhone. Mr. Fleischman holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Chief Strategy Officer and President of International: Jon Sainsbury
Jon Sainsbury is a 15-year veteran of Blue Nile who is now charged with driving the companys long-range strategic planning initiatives, as well as growth and development of the companys operations in more than 40 countries. Previously, Mr. Sainsbury served as Chief Revenue Officer, and before that held a number of leadership roles related to marketing and global business development. Prior to Blue Nile, Mr. Sainsbury was an associate consultant with the management consulting firm Bain & Company, working on clients in the retail, consumer products, and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries. Mr. Sainsbury holds a Bachelor of Arts in physics from Pomona College.
About Blue Nile, Inc.
Blue Nile, Inc. is a leading diamond and fine jewelry retailer. The company offers a superior experience for purchasing engagement rings, wedding rings, and fine jewelry by providing expert guidance, in-depth educational materials, and unique online tools that place consumers in control of the jewelry shopping process. Blue Nile has some of the highest quality standards in the industry and offers thousands of independently-graded diamonds and fine jewelry at prices significantly below traditional retail. Blue Nile can be found online at www.bluenile.com and in its Webrooms in Long Island, New York, White Plains, New York, Portland, Oregon, Fairfax County, Virginia, and Bellevue, Washington.
Media Contacts:
For Blue Nile:
Josh Holland
(206) 336-6773
joshh@bluenile.com
English Finnish
TERVEYSTALO PLC September 27, 2017 at 19:00 pm EET
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR THE UNITED STATES, OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
The Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority has on September 27, 2017 approved Terveystalo Plc's ("Terveystalo" or the "Company") Finnish language prospectus. The prospectus is published in connection with the initial public offering of Terveystalo (the "IPO").
The prospectus will be available, at the latest, on September 28, 2017, before the commencement of the subscription period, on the Company's website at www.terveystalo.com/IPO and at the registered office at Jaakonkatu 3, FI-00100 Helsinki, Finland. In addition, the prospectus will be available on or about September 28, 2017 at SEB's Helsinki office located at Etelaesplanadi 18, FI-00130 Helsinki, Finland and on the website of SEB at www.seb.fi, at the offices of cooperative banks belonging to the OP Financial Group and on the website of OP at www.op.fi/merkinta, as well as at the Helsinki Stock Exchange at Fabianinkatu 14, FI-00100 Helsinki, Finland. The English language prospectus translation and the Swedish language summary translation will be available on or about September 29, 2017 on the Company's website at www.terveystalo.com/IPO and on the website of SEB at www.seb.fi.
The subscription period for the IPO commences on September 28, 2017 at 10 am (Finnish time). The terms and conditions of the IPO are attached to this announcement.
Further enquiries
Yrjo Narhinen, CEO, Terveystalo
yrjo.narhinen@terveystalo.com
Susanna Kinnari, SVP Communications, Marketing and Brand, Terveystalo
Tel. +358 (50) 5458333
susanna.kinnari@terveystalo.com
Kati Kaksonen, Director, Investor Relations & Finance Communications, Terveystalo
Tel. +358 (50) 3931561
kati.kaksonen@terveystalo.com
Terveystalo in brief
Terveystalo is a leading private healthcare service provider in Finland offering primary and outpatient secondary healthcare services to corporate, private and public sector customers. The Company's healthcare service offering includes general practice and specialist medical care, diagnostic services, outpatient surgery, dental services and other adjacent services, which together comprise its integrated healthcare care chain. The Company also offers a suite of digital healthcare services. Terveystalo is able to provide nationwide reach through its approximately 180 clinics, covering all 20 of Finland's largest cities, together with its digital platforms.
Terveystalo's operations are driven by its scale and supported by centralized functions and standardized operating practices. At the core of Terveystalo's strategy is a focus on providing medical quality and positive customer experiences, maintaining a competent and satisfied base of healthcare professionals and developing a variety of customized digital tools.
In 2016, the Company had approximately 1.0 million individual customers as well as approximately 2.7 million doctor visits, accounting for 12% of the total doctor visits in Finland. The Company's customers are divided into three groups: corporate customers, who the Company partners with to provide, for example, occupational healthcare services to their employees, private customers and public customers, who the Company partners with to provide public healthcare services and occupational healthcare services to municipal employees. Terveystalo had approximately 4,445 employees (including part-time employees) and approximately 4,400 private practitioners as at June 30, 2017.
DISCLAIMER
This announcement does not constitute an offer for sale of, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for, any securities in the United States. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States unless they are registered or are exempt from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The information contained in this announcement is for informational purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. Terveystalo Plc (the "Company") does not intend to register any portion of this offering in the United States or to conduct a public offering in the United States. Copies of this announcement are not being, and should not be, distributed in or sent into the United States.
It may be unlawful to distribute this announcement in certain jurisdictions. This announcement is not for distribution in Australia, Canada, the Hong Kong special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, Japan, South Africa, the United States or to any other jurisdiction where such distribution would be unlawful. The information in this announcement does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in such jurisdictions.
In the United Kingdom, this announcement is for distribution only to and is directed only at persons who (i) have professional experience in matters relating to investments which fall within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended, the "Financial Promotion Order"), (ii) are persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc") of the Financial Promotion Order, or (iii) are persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000) in connection with the issue or sale of any securities may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). This announcement is directed only at relevant persons and must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this announcement relates is available only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons.
This announcement has been prepared on the basis that any offer of securities in any Member State of the European Economic Area, other than Finland, which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (2003/71/EC, as amended, including by Directive 2010/73/EU, the "Prospectus Directive") (each, a "Relevant Member State") will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Directive, as implemented in that Relevant Member State, from the requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of securities. Accordingly any person making or intending to make any offer in that Relevant Member State of securities which are the subject of the offering contemplated in this announcement, may only do so in circumstances in which no obligation arises for the Company or any of the joint global coordinators to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive, in each case, in relation to such offer. Neither the Company nor any of the Managers have authorised, nor do they authorise, the making of any offer of the securities through any financial intermediary, other than offers made by the Managers which constitute the final placement of the securities contemplated in this announcement. Neither the Company nor any of the Managers have authorised, nor do they authorise, the making of any offer of securities in circumstances in which an obligation arises for the Company or any Managers to publish or supplement a prospectus for such offer.
In connection with the contemplated IPO and in accordance with all applicable laws and rules, EQT and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ) Helsinki Branch (the "Stabilizing Manager") (or persons acting on its behalf) acting for the account of the Managers, may agree that the selling shareholders shall grant the Stabilizing Manager an option to over-allot shares or effect stabilization transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the shares at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail (provided that the aggregate principal number of shares allotted does not exceed 15% of the aggregate principal number of the offer shares in the contemplated IPO). However, stabilization action may not necessarily occur and may cease at any time, and the Stabilization Manager is not required to enter into such transactions. Any stabilization action may begin on or after the date of commencement of trading of the shares on the Helsinki Stock Exchange and, if begun, may be ended at any time, but it must end no later than 30 days after that date.
This announcement includes forward-looking statements which include statements regarding the Company's business strategy, financial condition, profitability, results of operations and market data, as well as other statements that are not historical facts. Words such as "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "target," "estimate," "project," "predict," "forecast," "guideline," "should," "aim," "continue," "could," "guidance," "may," "potential," "will," as well as similar expressions and the negative of such expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying these statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those projected. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except for any ongoing obligation to disclose material information as required by the applicable law, the Company does not have any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after it distributes this announcement, whether to reflect any future events or circumstances or otherwise.
This announcement is an advertisement and not a prospectus. Investors should not subscribe for or purchase any transferable securities referred to in this announcement except on the basis of information in the Finnish language prospectus (the "Finnish Prospectus") or the offering circular that is an English language translation of the original Finnish Prospectus (the "Offering Circular"), the Finnish Prospectus being intended to be published by the Company in due course in connection with the proposed admission of its shares to the official list of the Helsinki Stock Exchange. Copies of the Finnish Prospectus will, following its publication, be available from the Company's website at www.terveystalo.com/IPO. Any purchase of shares in the proposed IPO should be made solely on the basis of the information contained in the final Finnish Prospectus to be issued by the Company in connection with the IPO. Before investing in any shares, persons viewing this announcement should ensure that they fully understand and accept the risks which will be set out in the Finnish Prospectus when published or in the Offering Circular. The information in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. No reliance may be placed for any purpose on the information contained in this announcement or its accuracy or completeness. This announcement does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for any shares or any other securities nor shall it (or any part of it) or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract therefor. The information in this announcement is subject to change.
The IPO timetable, including the date of admission of the shares to the official list of the Helsinki Stock Exchange, may be influenced by a range of circumstances such as market conditions. There is no guarantee that the IPO will proceed and that the Listing will occur and you should not base your financial decisions on the Company's intentions in relation to the IPO and Listing at this stage. Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing all or part of the amount invested. Persons considering making such an investment should consult an authorised person specialising in advising on such investments. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the IPO. The value of shares can decrease as well as increase. Potential investors should consult a professional adviser as to the suitability of the IPO for the person concerned.
Carnegie Investment Bank AB, Finland branch, Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ) Helsinki Branch, Jefferies International Limited and OP Corporate Bank plc are acting exclusively for the Company and the selling shareholders and no one else in connection with the contemplated IPO and will not be responsible to any other person for providing the protections afforded to clients of the Managers or for providing advice in relation to the IPO or any other transaction, matter or arrangement referred to in this document.
Lazard & Co., Limited, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority, is acting exclusively as financial adviser to the Company and no one else in connection with the possible IPO and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to clients of Lazard & Co., Limited nor for providing advice in relation to the possible IPO or any other matters referred to in this announcement. Neither Lazard & Co., Limited nor any of its affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Lazard & Co., Limited in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein or otherwise.
In connection with the contemplated IPO, the Managers and any of their affiliates, acting as investors for their own accounts, may subscribe for or purchase securities and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell or otherwise deal for their own accounts in such securities and any other securities of the Company or related investments in connection with the contemplated IPO or otherwise. Accordingly, references to the securities being issued, offered, subscribed, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including any issue or offer to, or subscription, acquisition, placing or dealing by, the Managers and any of their respective affiliates acting as investors for their own accounts. The Managers do not intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so.
None of the Managers, Lazard & Co. Limited nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees, affiliates, advisers or agents or any other person accepts any responsibility, duty or liability whatsoever for or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness or fairness of the information or opinions in this document (or whether any information has been omitted from the document) or any other information relating to the Company, its shareholders, subsidiaries or associated companies, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this document or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith.
Certain figures contained in this document, including financial information, have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, in certain instances, the sum or percentage change of the numbers contained in this document may not conform exactly with the total figure given.
Attachment: The terms and conditions of the IPO
In general, men are twice as likely to cheat on a spouse than women are. That frequency increases over the lifespan, peaking among the elderly. Among men 18 to 29 who have ever been married, about 1 in 10 is
Far from the wreckage of the Caribbean and the Gulf, the misery of 3.4 million people in powerless Puerto Rico and more in the storm-blasted islands to its east, the damage-counters are estimating that claims from this summer's hurricanes could top $100 billion many times the usual season losses, a figure that "focuses the mind," stock analyst Larry Greenberg writes in a report to clients of Philadelphia-based Janney Montgomery Scott.
Insured losses from Harvey, which flooded Houston and stopped its oil and plastics plants, are estimated at $17 billion, down a bit from earlier projections, as Allstate and Progressive report fewer flooded-car claims than feared. It also helps insurers, but not Texans, that many of the Houston residents whose homes were ruined by water that wasn't supposed to reach so high weren't insured.
Irma, which socked Florida and the Caribbean, is expected to cost $30 billion, Greenberg notes. Maria, which smashed Puerto Rico and the neighboring U.S., French, Dutch, British and independent islands a second time, could go as high as $85 billion. Big insurers such as AIG and Chubb will take big hits. Reinsurers should spread much of the loss among international insurers and investors, but the bottom line is that everyone's property-insurance premiums, which have been "soft" the last few years, are likely to rise.
Puerto Rico's population, already down more than 10 percent in the last decade, faces deeper declines. Islanders left destitute by Maria and the weak local factory, tourist and farm economy will likely evacuate to Florida, New York and other states, sending the Puerto Rico census count below three million for the first time since the 1970s, writes Matt Fabian, who has followed the island's previous fiscal and government challenges as publisher of the Municipal Market Analytics daily letter.
"Maria changes everything," Fabian writes. "The combination of tens of thousands of destroyed homes, 94-degree heat and humidity, persistent rain, an exploding post-flood mosquito population, no water or air conditioning, closed hospitals, wrecked bridges, mud slides" will kill more than the dozen dead from the storm if U.S. and local authorities don't quickly reopen hospitals and get water, phones and power back.
The PRASA water utility supplies about a quarter of Puerto Rico's people from towers that pipe downhill to homes and businesses. But the rest of Puerto Rico depends on electric pumps, Fabian notes. Factories have shut down, waiting for workers' family situations to stabilize.
Puerto Rico's major Aguirre power station wasn't flooded; others were, and with power lines down even those that can be restarted won't be powering homes or businesses until lines are replaced and diesel fuel shipped in. FEMA, U.S. Department of Energy, and New York state power crews have rushed to help. The wreckage will likely speed a sale to private owners of the island's PREPA public power utility.
In his initial social-media comments, President Trump noted the Puerto Rico government's effective bankruptcy. But storm wreckage has made it tougher for creditors to squeeze the government, Fabian notes: The damage "is massive enough to set aside creditor/debtor considerations for months" or longer. The PROMESA fiscal-oversight board already has diverted an initial $1 billion from creditor payments to recovery.
Investors including opportunistic hedge funds who bought a lot of the $100 billion in outstanding Puerto Rico-backed debt at a discount from plain-vanilla retirement and mutual funds as the island's credit collapsed in recent years should expect "zero payments to most [Puerto Rico] bondholders for the foreseeable future," Fabian adds. Courts "will reasonably show little empathy for mainland financial creditors" compared with local governments and others with pressing needs after Maria.
Puerto Rico's hurt is worse because, as the largest U.S. territory, it has been the target of previous grand development plans that proved unsustainable. It is now attracting proposals for public asset sales to private operators, solar-power systems perhaps more suitable for a Caribbean island than its old imported-fossil-fuel plants, and other big schemes. The island needs infrastructure its people can support, so it can more easily stand on its own, a home for Puerto Ricans who want to rebuild.
The Liberties Walk retail-and-residential street at Schmidts Commons in Northern Liberties. Read more
Oaktree Capital Management LP is looking to cash out of its stake in the Northern Liberties development known as Schmidt's Commons, according to ownership partner Kushner Cos.
Kushner is "exploring a range of possibilities for Schmidt's Commons in light of the fact that our partner is seeking to monetize its investment," a company spokesman said Monday.
The spokesman declined to elaborate on those possibilities or whether they could include both partners selling their interests to a new buyer.
Oaktree did not immediately respond to an email asking about its intentions for the property.
Kushner, the New York-based firm formerly run by presidential adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Oaktree of Los Angeles acquired control of the property, then called the Piazza at Schmidt's, in 2013 for a reported $130 million.
The development, centered near Second and Wildey Streets, consists of 500 apartments, 120,000 square feet of retail space, and a 30,000-square-foot WeWork shared office location at the former Schmidt's brewery building.
A former lead smelter in Fishtown, at Gordon and Gaul Streets, is being torn down and replaced with eight townhouses. Read more
It was around 8:30 Friday morning when heavy machinery ripped into the roof of a former lead smelter in Fishtown, sending plumes of dust through a tightly packed neighborhood of rowhouses.
Many neighbors were incensed. They knew that the city required that those living near the demolition at Gordon and Gaul Streets be notified 10 days before the demolition, that the structure be dismantled by hand tools, and that the debris be wet down to protect residents from dust that could contain hazardous materials, including lead.
None of that happened.
"It was horrible," said Betty Ann Decky, who has lived across the street from the site since 1971. "They never notified any of the neighbors. No water was sprayed."
A day-care center sits directly across the street. "And on this block alone, there's 10 children," she said. "That's my biggest worry. They could be exposed to lead, and it's very harmful for children."
Many residents of Fishtown, Kensington, and Port Richmond became more attuned to the dangers of lead-tainted soil after an Inquirer and Daily News investigation found hazardous levels of lead contamination in more than 80 locations in those neighborhoods, including parks, playgrounds, and yards.
Residents formed a Facebook group, Get the Lead Out, to educate others about the issue. They complain to the city Department of Public Health's Air Management Services when they spot airborne dust from demolition and construction sites.
On Friday morning, Fishtown resident Rachel Kaminski alerted Licenses and Inspections Commissioner David Perri about the faulty demolition, and by noon his department had issued a 10-day stop-work order.
That evening, Danny McCarthy, who lives at Belgrade and Gordon Streets, just a few feet from the former Car-Mor Metal Co. smelter, sat on his front steps with his three children, ages 3, 4 and 8. He looked across at the partly collapsed structure and pointed out the fresh coating of dust on his car.
"We are all for building it. Just do it right," McCarthy said. "If they are building houses, that's one thing, but if the ground is contaminated, that's another. They need to clean it up."
At a community zoning meeting in February, the developer, Gaul Street Partners, told Fishtown residents of its plans for the former smelter site: Eight single-family homes, with a listing price of about $560,000 each. Ori Feibush of OCF Realty is the real estate broker.
When one of the residents at the meeting asked about potential lead contamination, the audience was told that any environmental hazards would be remediated before construction.
Marty Schortye, who attended the meeting, said: "The building had sat forever, and then, boom, they put the fence up, and they just showed up and started doing their thing. Nobody said anything. They just rushed in."
Feibush is something of a lightning rod in the city's Point Breeze neighborhood, where some residents credit him for helping to rid the area of blight, while others say his brand of gentrification is pricing out minority residents.
Ian Wilson, president of the Fishtown Neighbors Association, invited Feibush to join the heated discussion about the project on the Get the Lead Out Facebook group. Feibush, who says he has no ownership in the Gaul Street project, weighed in: "I'm embarrassed and frustrated that you didn't have proper notice of the demolition and do realize that starts us all off on the wrong foot."
The back-and-forth between Facebook members and Feibush quickly escalated. There has been little to no transparency in terms of development in this neighborhood and I find it absurd that neighbors are having to continually advocate for established rules to be followed, resident Allison Dean wrote.
On Tuesday afternoon, Jim Robertson, vice president of Gaul Street Partners, went door to door to apologize to residents and assure them the work would be done safely. Robertson also works for OCF as an agent.
The demolition permit, issued by the city in July, says the structure must be "demolished by hand and handheld tools only. Use of mechanical equipment limited to the removal of debris and below-grade demolition."
Gaul Street Partners contracted with Mr. Clean Demo. James DiBartolo, owner of Mr. Clean Demo, said Robertson was supposed to give neighbors 10 days' notice of the demolition. Robertson said DiBartolo was responsible for notifying neighbors.
DiBartolo said he placed demolition notices in neighbors' mailboxes Monday. Mr. Clean Demo cannot resume the teardown until Oct. 5.
"We will take the walls down brick by brick with sledgehammers," he said, a job expected to take at least 15 days.
Robertson said he planned to hire an environmental firm to research the site's history and determine whether lead or any other contaminants might lurk in the ground after demolition.
"We'll evaluate what we have underground and take steps to remediate," he said.
Since June 18, Air Management Services has handled more than 50 complaints about construction in the river wards. Health officials have promised residents that complaints will be investigated within an hour.
Also since June 18, the Department of Licenses and Inspections has inspected 132 sites in the river wards and issued seven stop-work orders for not adhering to dust-control measures.
Residents who want to take measures into their own hands can have their soil tested for lead free and learn if their children have elevated lead levels in their blood. On Saturday, a Lead Exposure Resource Fair and testing event will provide free testing between 1 and 4 p.m. at Beacon Church, 2364 E. Cumberland St.
As a female founder of a start-up, Melissa Schipke, CEO of Tassl, would like to see more women angel investors in Philly. Read more
Take note, Philadelphia's female start-up leaders: Organizers of the vaunted Angel Venture Fair, for 19 years a male-dominated annual confluence of entrepreneurs and angel investors, not only got your message but also have been moved to inclusive action.
That so few women turned out to the Union League in May for the AVF, though it attracted a record 237 applicants, threw Marc Kramer, its executive director and the father of two entrepreneurial adult daughters, into immediate remediation mode.
Actually, he said, he went into action after I wrote a column about the daylong event that opened with this line: Why are there so few women here?
Kramer said he brought that article (read it at http://bit.ly/2r9gYll) to the attention of Elizabeth Sigety, the first and only woman on the seven-member board of AVF, the oldest and largest such affair in the Mid-Atlantic region. Sigety, a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP who specializes in emerging companies and venture capital, also cofounded Delaware Crossing Investor Group, a network of angel investors.
Kramer proposed a women-oriented addition to the AVF offerings.
"I said, 'I think we should do a program that would be an every-year program that will have the average middle-age white male who typically writes these checks talk about what they look to invest in,' " said Kramer, a 56-year-old white male and serial entrepreneur who is executive-in-residence for family business and entrepreneurship at St. Joseph's University. "I thought we should have a group of women who raised money talk about how they raised money."
The Women's Funding Seminar will make its debut from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Oct. 12 at Fox Rothschild, 2000 Market St., Philadelphia. To register until Oct. 10, go to https://angelventurefair.ticketleap.com/avf-women-funding-seminar/.
"This is just a start," Kramer insisted, suggesting that the $10-a-person event might be expanded in subsequent years to include minority-owned companies. "This is part of our mission for the Angel Venture Fair to be more inclusive."
Enthusiastically endorsing that latter goal is Bethany Edwards, cofounder of Philadelphia-based Lia Diagnostics, creator of the first entirely flushable pregnancy test, which is expected on the market by the end of this year (http://www.meetlia.com).
"Ideally, we should be equally incorporated in the Angel Venture Fair," Edwards said of female entrepreneurs. "By separating us out into this subset it naturally starts to create valuation impressions" that women-led start-ups are worth less.
She last attended the AVF in 2015, the year she and Anna Couturier launched Lia Diagnostics. Edwards found it "very definitely male-dominated." Not that that was a unique experience, she said, recalling making a pitch to Delaware Crossing Investor Group that same year on a rare occasion when Sigety was not able to attend.
"The entire room was men," Edwards said, recalling 15 to 20 "blank stares" coming from the potential investors, whom she described as mostly in their 50s and 60s. Some questioned why privacy in disposing of a pregnancy test would be necessary. Others wondered if the market would only be teenagers.
Lia Diagnostics got an undisclosed amount of funding from Delaware Crossing. But that was one uncomfortable session, with a lot of explanations required about the need for such a product, Edwards said.
That's where more women willing to invest in start-ups created by women would help, said Melissa Schipke, founder and chief executive of Tassl, (https://tassl.com/) a tech start-up helping universities, through an app, make more meaningful connections with alumni beyond just asking for money. Schipke will take part in a panel discussion on raising capital at the Women's Funding Seminar.
"I would love to see more women investors," she said, while adding that she does not believe men have judged her company any differently than women, partly because of the kind of business it is.
"It's really relatable to both men and women," Schipke said. "Angel investors, because of their wealth, are people who are most frequently hit up by their alma mater for money, so they understand the pain point that we're trying to solve."
Of pitching, she said: "I honestly think it's just a scary process in general. Any time you're getting up in front of a roomful of people and asking them to give you millions of dollars, it's never going to be a comfortable situation."
Which is why only men have been selected for the panel about angel-investment preferences at the Women's Funding Seminar.
"We weren't trying to suggest that men will have better comments," said Sigety, who will serve as moderator. "Often women [pitching to investors] are found in a room with all men, and they need to be prepared for that."
The U.S. government moved to impose tariffs on Canadian jetliners Tuesday when it ruled in favor of a complaint by U.S. aircraft maker Boeing that claimed rival Bombardier is receiving unfair government subsidies.
The department suggested the tariffs could be as high as 219 percent. The action threatens to further inflame trade tensions between the two North American neighbors. Earlier this year, the Commerce Department moved to impose new duties on the import of Canadian soft lumber and President Trump has signaled his interest to renegotiate the terms of the North America Free Trade Agreement between the two nations.
Bombardier has sold aircraft to U.S. carriers for decades. But Boeing's complaint follows a multibillion-dollar deal struck between Bombardier and Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines for 75 C-series CS-100's, a commercial airplane that seats about 100 people.
Following the deal, Boeing formally asked the U.S. Commerce Department to investigate what it called illegal government subsidies and unfair pricing practices that have allegedly given the Canadian company an unfair advantage as it competes for business in the United States.
"Without bailout money from Ottawa and the Quebec provincial government \[Bombardier\] would probably be bankrupt," said Loren Thompson, a defense consultant whose think tank gets funding from Boeing. "What Boeing is really saying here is that Bombardier has an unfair advantage because Canadian taxpayers are covering part of its cost."
Bombardier is slated to begin delivering the planes next year, and any new duties imposed by the Commerce Department would increase the cost of the order to the aircraft manufacturer. The exact amount of any new tariffs would not likely be finalized until early next year. Even then, Canada could potentially pursue a case against the United States at the World Trade Organization.
An ultimate decision to impose tariffs could also have ripples in Northern Ireland, where Bombardier employs about 4,000 people.
The Trump administration did not take an official position on the matter before Tuesday evening's trade decision. But British and Canadian leaders have publicly urged the Trump administration not to impose tariffs.
RAPID CITY, S.D. - Sept. 27, 2017 - Black Hills Corp. (NYSE: BKH) will host an analyst day for equity analysts and institutional investors on Thursday, Oct. 5, from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT at the hotel Warwick New York.
David Emery, Chairman and CEO, along with key members of the leadership team, will provide updates on strategy, planned capital investments and progress on recent key projects and growth initiatives.
Analysts and institutional investors interested in attending the event in New York can register by contacting Black Hills at investorrelations@blackhillscorp.com.
A live webcast of the presentation will be available under the Investor Relations heading at www.blackhillscorp.com. Select "Events & Presentations" and click on the "2017 BKH Analyst Day" link. Listeners should allow at least five minutes to register for access to the webcast.
Presentation slides will be available on the Investor Relations section of the corporate website before the event. Following the event, a transcript and a replay will be available at www.blackhillscorp.com.
###
Black Hills Corporation
Black Hills Corp. (NYSE: BKH) is a customer focused, growth-oriented utility company with a tradition of improving life with energy and a vision to be the energy partner of choice. Based in Rapid City, South Dakota, the company serves 1.2 million natural gas and electric utility customers in eight states: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. The company also generates wholesale electricity and produces natural gas, oil and coal. More information is available at www.blackhillscorp.com.
Investor Relations
Jerome E. Nichols
605-721-1171
investorrelations@blackhillscorp.com
Media Assistance
24-Hour Media Assistance
866-243-9002
Gladys Perez (left) and her grandson Martin Martinez were in Perezs home in Ceiba when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. Read more
When Hurricane Irma hit Puerto Rico earlier this month, Jacquie Gormley's 25-year-old son was still on an extended visit with his grandmother.
Despite dire warnings about massive destruction, Irma caused less damage than anticipated to his 71-year-old grandmother's home in Ceiba. Other than a few downed trees in the backyard of her home on the island's northeast coast, they were mostly spared. He cleaned up the mess.
So when, two weeks later, Hurricane Maria bore down, they took another gamble.
His grandmother Gladys Perez had already decided to stay with her beloved dogs.
The two have always been close. Like his mom, who was born and raised in New York City, Martin Martinez loved spending summers in Puerto Rico.
If abuela wasn't leaving, neither was he.
In a phone call with his mother, who lives near Glassboro, he conceded that he was a little worried.
As much as Gormley wanted to order her son home, she had no choice but to try to help him prepare as best she could from afar.
"Stay away from the windows," she advised. "If it gets really bad, go into a closet or a bathroom."
"Just hold on to each other and don't let her go. Don't separate."
She didn't get to finish. The line went dead.
Within hours the Category 4 hurricane hit, leaving the island in apocalyptic conditions. Ten people died. The best off have lost power and communications.
The photos and stories that started coming out of the decimated island horrified Gormley, as she frantically tried to get in touch with her son and his grandmother. Children sitting on the rubble that used to be their home, residents desperate for food and water and gas.
Had her son's grandmother's house been spared again, she wondered. If it hadn't, were they able to get to shelter? Did they have food, water? Did Marty, as she called her only son, have enough medicine for his asthma, which requires him to use an inhaler through the day?
"They say usually a mother knows, and I just don't know, and that's my biggest fear right now," she said, choking up. "I'm his mom, I should be able to protect him. I should be able to feel if he needs help."
What she feels now is terror.
She and family members call every number they can think of, more times than she can remember, all hours of the night. The shelters, the police departments, the hospitals. Sometimes she gets a busy signal; other times she gets nothing. She's filled out every online form she can find, searching for information.
A plea to the Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration website was returned five days later with a blanket response, advising her to go on the site and check for his name. It's not there. She tunes in to Spanish-language TV and radio stations in hope of hearing his name, or his voice. She scours social media sites to join thousands of others searching for loved ones.
The pleas are heartbreaking.
I haven't heard from my mother, my father
Please, if anyone can help my uncle
I need to get food to my sister
After days in the dark, Gormley finally got through to relatives in Dorado and were able to pick up a cellphone signal by standing in the middle of a road. Could they help? Because gas is sparse, they can't make the 2 1/2-hour trip. And even if they could, they weren't sure if they could get through with many of the roads washed out.
So she waits; there's nothing else she can do. She doesn't sleep. She doesn't eat. As much as her job as an account manager for an organic food company is a welcome distraction, she can't keep from crying.
The other day her mother called her to suggest she call a cousin who works for the mayor of Fajardo. She understood that her mother, like herself, was grasping at anything or anyone who might be able to help.
I didn't tell her until later that I could relate. I'd gotten a similar phone call from my mother this past weekend. No one in the family had heard from her brother, my uncle John Sanchez, since the hurricane.
Maybe since I was a reporter, my mother pleaded, I had another way of getting information? Maybe I could find someone in Manati to tell her if her brother was OK?
As much as I wished I could say yes, I had to tell her I knew no more than anyone else desperately trying to account for their families more than a week after the hurricane hit, left to search photos and videos of residents, to see if I could recognize an uncle I haven't seen in years.
So far, it's the same answer.
The same answer Gormley gives friends and relatives checking in to see if now, more than a week later, she's heard from her son.
No.
Rev. Ryan Paetzold (center) of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Audubon, N.J., gets a hug of support from Rabbi Larry Sernovitz of Nafshenu synagogue in Cherry Hill on Wednesday morning. Read more
A Philadelphia man charged with harassing a South Jersey clergyman online has pleaded not guilty.
A preliminary hearing Wednesday in Evesham Township Municipal Court was postponed to Oct. 12 at the request of Steven A. Traub, the Cherry Hill lawyer who entered the plea on behalf of Joseph Baird, 41, of the 2000 block of East Elkhart Street in Kensington.
Traub declined to comment on the case, which centers on Facebook exchanges about white supremacy made in August between his client and the Rev. Ryan Paetzold, 36, pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Audubon, Camden County.
Baird did not respond to a voice mail I left Wednesday at his home number.
Word of the postponement did not dampen spirits among a diverse group of about 30 Paetzold supporters and clergy of many faiths, who sang, prayed, observed a moment of silence, and embraced during a news conference at Evesham's municipal complex on Tomlinson Road.
"This is not a Lutheran thing or a Christian thing. All the faith leaders here believe we are called to stand with the vulnerable, to stand with the oppressed in the face of hate and racism," Paetzold said outside the courthouse.
"We are thankful for everyone who joined us today to stand with Rev. Ryan and his pregnant wife, who [were] threatened for speaking out about racism," said Archange Antoine, executive director of the progressive statewide organization Faith in New Jersey.
"I was there when Ryan was ordained, and it is just such a witness to his faith that he is following through with the vows that he made," said the Rev. Christine Regan, pastor of St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Woodbury.
"Brother Ryan, be bold," said the Rev. Nelson Rabell of Apostles Lutheran Church in Turnersville. "We have your back."
What Paetzold described as an unsuccessful online attempt at "intimidation" began after venomous criticism of a "Resist white supremacy" sign board outside St. John's Lutheran Church in Ambler appeared on that congregation's Facebook page in August. The Ambler church was reacting to the Aug. 12 Charlottesville, Va., rally by white supremacists and neo-Nazis.
Paetzold, who is friendly with the Ambler pastor, the Rev. Rachel Anderson, was among clergy and others in the community who posted messages of support on the St. John's page. Paetzold's posts attracted the attention of Baird, whose Facebook nickname is "ChetD Joe."
At first, Paetzold engaged with Baird, who contended that criticizing white supremacy was disrespectful to white people generally, and questioned why Black Lives Matter was not being chastised.
But the pastor, who lives in Evesham, decided to stop the dialogue and contact police after becoming concerned by what struck him and certainly strikes me as a rather menacing tone in follow-up posts, photographs, and comments directed at him by "ChetD Joe" and at least one of the accused man's Facebook friends.
One screenshot Paetzold made and shared with me of "ChetD Joe" shows him displaying what looks like a machete.
Another shows a repurposed Facebook photo that Paetzold and his wife, Katie, an elementary art teacher in Moorestown, had posted earlier to announce her pregnancy. An added block of text says in part about Paetzold: "Attention: BROTHERS THIS IS HIM He hates whites and he hates straight men."
"ChetD Joe" also used various antigay slurs to describe the married father-to-be, who is an outspoken LGBT rights supporter and whom I met during his 2016 prayer service at Holy Trinity in memory of victims of the shootings at the gay nightclub in Orlando.
A third screen shot shows a Facebook friend of "ChetD Joe" commenting that he has "petrol and matches," which led "ChetD Joe" to observe that Ambler is not far "from Valley Forge KKK territory."
Whatever that means.
Crud like this splatters the internet and even spews from the mouths of some politicians these days.
Having the courage to call out white supremacists and neo-Nazis parading around with torches is derided as nothing more than political correctitude mashed up with fake news.
But while I won't waste time interpreting, much less excusing, Baird's foul Facebook images and belligerent proclamations, I do know that what I saw in the crowd of clergy and ordinary people in Evesham on Wednesday was the real thing.
"We live in a world that's changed, that's filled with hatred," said Rabbi Larry Sernovitz, founder of Nafshenu, a new Jewish congregation in Cherry Hill.
"Not too long ago, Nazi flags were [flying] in Charlottesville, in a huge march," he added. "That should not happen in the year 2017, in America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. It's time to be brave."
Amen to that.
This week, the GOP's savviest foreign policy expert in the Senate, Tennessee's Bob Corker, announced he won't run for reelection in 2018.
No doubt Corker knew he'd be primaried by pro-Trump populists who have declared war on mainstream Republicans. (See: Alabama.) But this sober senator had probably tired of chairing the once-powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the Trump era. Why hold serious hearings on weighty issues when they'll be ignored by a president who makes foreign policy by Twitter?
Corker's decision is one more reminder of the dangerous foreign policy confusion that has emerged under the Trump administration. And apart from North Korea, there's nowhere that confusion is more risky than in Trump's contradictory policies toward the Middle East.
To be fair, any president would have had a tough time with the Mideast mess Trump inherited, the combined product of mistakes by Presidents Bush 43 and Obama along with the chaos of the Arab Spring.
And on the surface, Trump would seem to have returned to a traditional Republican approach to the Mideast: unremitting support for our Sunni Arab allies in the Persian Gulf and Israel, while working to curb Iranian mischief. Add to that "bomb the hell" out of ISIS and make the deal of the century on Israel-Palestine.
But the president's own lack of discipline and disdain for process have turned his would-be Mideast policy into hash.
Let us count the ways:
Point One. On the Sunni Arab alliance, the president was so entranced by the lavish reception he received from the Saudi royal family that he publicly endorsed its side in a quarrel with Qatar. Thus, Trump helped split the Sunni alliance and distracted its members from a coherent stance toward Iran.
Point Two. On the fight vs. ISIS, yes, the president intensified the battle already underway under Obama; the jihadis have been mostly routed from Iraq and partly from Syria. But stabilizing Iraq and Syria in the post-ISIS era requires skilled American diplomacy with full presidential backing or else ISIS 2.0 will emerge.
In Iraq, for example, Washington still has a key role to play in mediating between factions, including Kurds and an angry Baghdad government after the Kurds' Monday independence referendum. Iraqi Sunnis freed from ISIS thrall also want U.S. mediation help with the Shiite-led government. A failure to provide it will open the door to a new jihadi explosion and deeper Iranian penetration of Iraq.
However, Trump's military-only focus and indifference to broad long-term strategy offer little hope that proactive diplomacy will be on offer.
Which leads to Point Three. The United States needs to be talking seriously to Russia about how to stabilize post-ISIS Syria lest it become another subsidiary of Iran. Shiite militias run by Iran now have access to the Syria-Israel border.
But Trump has made U.S. dialogue with Moscow impossible by his stubborn refusal to criticize Vladimir Putin or Russia's interference in the 2016 elections. This makes even necessary dialogue with the Russians suspect.
Point Four. Trump seems to view his foreign policy as a solo operation tweeting as he sees fit, no matter if this contradicts the positions of his top advisers. Moreover, he appears indifferent to the fact that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is gutting the State Department, leaving few confirmed senior staff to ensure that policy is carried out.
Point Five. Under Trump, foreign policy is a family operation. He appointed his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and a personal lawyer as the gurus supposed to bring peace to Israel and the Palestinians. The State Department and National Security Council are out of the picture.
This is a farce that is going nowhere. Can you imagine the reaction if a President Hillary Clinton had appointed her son-in-law, Marc Mezvinsky, to make Mideast peace?
Point Six. Most unnerving, the president's strategic blindness threatens to put the Iranian ayatollahs back on a short-term path to a bomb.
Despite opposition from his top security advisers, Trump is reportedly about to refuse to certify by Oct. 15 that Iran is in compliance with the deal that sharply curtails their nuclear program for the next decade. That will leave the door open for Congress to reinstate sanctions, which would effectively kill the deal.
America's top military chiefs, along with Tillerson, say Iran is in compliance. The five other participants in the deal, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China, oppose Trump's stance and would refuse to lift their sanctions. Corker, although an Iran hawk, has saidTrump shouldn't "tear up" the deal.
If he does, Washington would be left as the outlier and Iran would have the option to restart its nuclear program. Chances of negotiating a second deal to end Iran's missile tests or extend the deal's time frame would be nil.
Trump is all alone on this one, except for his base. But there can be no sane Mideast policy with a president who envisions it in terms of domestic politics and thinks he has all the answers.
No wonder Corker is planning to retire.
Limos and nannies drop off 3- and 4-year-olds every weekday morning at New York City's most exclusive preschools. Tuition is more than $30,000 a year. The schools boast that young kids learn French, Chinese, violin, yoga and robotics all before kindergarten.
Just a few subway stops away in the Bronx, home to one of America's poorest congressional districts, there's a very different morning drop-off routine going on. Many working parents leave their children with a relative or at the home of a lady down the street. They can't afford formal preschool or day care, which now averages almost $10,000 a year, according to the Care Index.
Inequality in America is apparent by age 3: Most rich kids are in school, while most poor kids are not, according to a new book, Cradle to Kindergarten: A New Plan to Combat Inequality.
Only 55 percent of America's 3 and 4-year-olds attend a formal preschool, a rate far below China, Germany and other power players on the global stage.
It's a problem for the kids left behind and for the U.S. economy. Companies are already complaining they can't find enough skilled workers. It's only expected to get worse if the United States doesn't do a better job educating its youth.
"Early care and education in the United States is in a crisis," education scholars Ajay Chaudry, Taryn Morrissey, Christina Weiland and Hirokazu Yoshikawa conclude in the book.
Parents who can't afford preschool typically leave their kids with a grandparent or someone nearby. Some of these informal child-care providers do offer rigorous educational activities, but others just leave kids in front of the television. The quality is more haphazard, and there's a higher risk the option won't work out. The book chronicles the awful experience of one low-income family in New York City that had to make 25 different child-care arrangements for their daughter by her fifth birthday.
The inequality that begins before kindergarten lasts a lifetime. Children who don't get formal schooling until kindergarten start off a year behind in math and verbal skills and they never catch up, according to the authors, who cite a growing body of research that's been following children since the 1940s. In fact, the gap between rich and poor kids' math and reading skills has been growing since the 1970s. The "left behind" kids are also more likely to end up in lower-paying jobs.
"The earliest years are the most promising for brain and skill development, yet it is when the U.S. invests the least," says Yoshikawa, an education professor at New York University.
The United States spends an average of $12,400 a year on each child in K-12 education. In contrast, the United States only averages $1,350 a year per child in pre-K, including both federal and state dollars.
America, once a global educational leader, has fallen behind its rivals, at least in this area. When it comes to educating kids under 5, the United States spends one of the lowest amounts of any developed nation in the world, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
"There's near-universal attendance by age 3 in formal preschool in most countries," says Yoshikawa. In China, 75 percent of toddlers are in school, and more than 90 percent of kids in Germany and Britain are learning letters and numbers at a formal child-care center.
The United States currently spends $30 billion a year in government money on early-childhood education and care. The authors make the case for raising that to $100 billion, an amount that would be about 0.6 percent of GDP, on par with what many other developed nations spend.
The additional spending would allow the United States to make preschool available for every child start at age 3. It would also be enough to establish a paid parental leave program, offer more aid for affordable child care and do a "reimagined" Head Start that begins working with poor families as soon as a child is born.
Many of these initiatives have support across the political spectrum. President Trump's first budget includes a proposal to start America's first paid parental leave program. On the campaign trail, Trump also pushed the idea of expanding the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to help make it more affordable for families to put their kids in quality preschool and childcare programs.
"Childcare is a major expense for American working families. This Admin. is focused on creating policy solutions to enable them to thrive!" Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter, tweeted on Inauguration Day.
Military and business leaders are some of the most vocal champions of pre-K funding because they want better-educated graduates and a stronger economy. Thirty-six percent of small business owners say lack of access to child care was a major barrier to starting a business, according to a survey of 500 randomly selected small business owners published Monday by Small Business Majority, an advocacy group.
Criminal-justice reformers also make the case repeatedly for expanding pre-K to all families.
"If I could fund one single program, it would be early-childhood education," said John Wetzel, the longtime head of Pennsylvania's Department of Corrections who has served in both Republican and Democratic administrations, in May.
There's optimism the moment has finally come to make pre-K a reality for all in the United States. The authors of Cradle to Kindergarten have been asked to speak in cities from San Francisco to Cincinnati.
The District is the only place that currently educates all 3-year-olds, although New York City has a plan in place to do it in the next four years.
"I think it's a question of when we'll get there on universal pre-K and paid family leave," says Jane Waldfogel, a professor at Columbia University's School of Social Work and an expert on children and youth problems.
But for the 3- and 4-year-olds left spending their days in front of the TV right now, there will never be another chance.
We're already known for our cheesesteaks, but as any Philadelphian worth his or her Whiz knows, Philly has some pretty great pizza, too.
Now, the rest of the world gets to find that out, thanks to a new episode of Viceland's The Pizza Show, which recently brought host Frank Pinello and his crew to Philly to show off some of our most beloved pies.
Pinello, who owns Best Pizza in Brooklyn, knows his stuff. The episode kicks off with a visit to Pizzeria Vetri, where Pinello meets up with chef Brad Spence, who takes him to the Italian Market to shop at Di Bruno Bros. and Fiorella's Sausage. The guys then whip up a multi-topping pie at Amis, noted for its Roman-style pizza.
Pinello also stops at Tacconelli's in Port Richmond, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Pizzeria Beddia with owner Joe Beddia, and visits South Street for a Philly taco with inventor Jeff Barg (a former Philly Weekly writer). For the uninitiated, a Philly taco is a Jim's steak lovingly nestled in a giant slice of pizza from Lorenzo's, which isn't as bad as it sounds.
The Pizza Show crew ended their trip to Philly with a ride out to Lancaster, where Pinello and Co. visited Norma Knepp and Norma's Pizza in the Roots Country Market. Knepp, described by a customer as a "country girl," taught herself to make pizza, and last year she won a Caputo Cup for New York-style pizza.
Unfortunately, however, other Philly-area favorites, like Pica's, Pizza Brain, SliCE, and Daniel Gutter's Pizza Gutt, were left off the list of pie places covered on the show. But, hey, that's enough for a follow-up episode right there.
Check out the Philly episode of The Pizza Show here. Please watch at your own discretion, as the episode contains foul language:
In the season premiere of ABCs The Goldbergs, Ilan Mitchell-Smith (left), from the 1985 movie Weird Science, plays a teacher. Adam (Sean Giambrone, center), inspired by the movie, tries to create a new girlfriend for his brother Barry (Troy Gentile, right). Read more
Adam F. Goldberg has waited a long time to tell us the story of his first night at college.
He gets to tell it, or a version of it, on Wednesday as The Goldbergs, the ABC comedy Goldberg created about his 1980s boyhood in Jenkintown, returns for its fifth season with Erica Goldberg (Hayley Orrantia) setting off for college, accompanied by her "smother," Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey), who's not prepared to let the first of her children go and decides to sleep over in her dorm room.
Bev may not be ready, but Goldberg is ready to see The Goldbergs move forward.
The writer and producer was in Philadelphia this month for a daylong celebration of The Goldbergs that was part promotion reruns recently began airing in syndication on PHL17 and part family reunion. His real-life family, including his own wife and children; his mother, Beverly; brothers Eric (transformed by TV into Erica) and Barry; some of the friends he has turned into characters on the show; and actor Troy Gentile, who plays Barry, were all there. The day included a City Hall ceremony with Mayor Kenney; a school assembly at the William Penn Charter School, model for The Goldbergs' William Penn Academy; and a night at Citizens Bank Park, where the real Barry got to throw out the first pitch to Phillies legend Mike Schmidt.
Read more: Mike Schmidt adds the magic to The Goldbergs Day in Philly
In an interview before the Phillies game, Goldberg said he'd noticed people last season talking about the show's becoming a little formulaic. To some viewers, it "felt like Beverly was going to school too much, or the brothers were fighting too much, and that the dynamics were starting to not feel as fresh. Which is fair. So the finale last [season] was about kind of mixing up the dynamics of the show."
Erica's going to college "opened up a whole new world," and not just for Orrantia's character.
There are "a lot of stories about how Beverly is having complete separation anxiety, and struggling to let go," including the one "about how my mom slept over in my dorm room, which I've wanted to do since the show began," he said. "But, really, it leads Beverly into realizing all her kids are going to move out soon, and she starts what she calls a Beverly Evolution, or a Bev-olution. So a lot of the episodes are about what can Beverly find more than just [a] kid-centric" life.
"I think the real Beverly never really made it there," he said of his mother (who wasn't far away). "But, you know, this show is wish-fulfillment. So, hopefully, TV Beverly will make some strides in finding a group of friends and getting a job, exploring what gives her life purpose besides the kids."
The show's Adam (Sean Giambrone) has a new girlfriend, Jackie (Rowan Blanchard, Girl Meets World). Introduced last season, she's based on "a real girlfriend of mine who I met at theater camp. So this Jackie is into sci-fi and theater and all the things Adam loves. So we're saying this is a year about nerd love."
Goldberg isn't finished with the pop-culture obsessions of his childhood.
Wednesday's season premiere, "Weird Science," also features an homage to the 1985 movie about two high school nerds trying to create the perfect woman, as Adam tries to conjure up a new girlfriend for Barry (Gentile).
"I got Ilan [Mitchell-Smith], who was the lead of Weird Science with Anthony Michael Hall, to be on the show," Goldberg said. Mitchell-Smith, who hasn't acted in more than 25 years, is a professor of English specializing in medieval studies at California State University at Long Beach. He'll play a teacher.
"I got to know him because I referenced the movie so much he said on Twitter, 'Hey, I'm the lead of that movie!' And his kids came to the set they loved the show and I said, 'I'm going to get you back into Hollywood,' " Goldberg said. "Most of his students don't even know he was a very popular '80s actor."
Read more: 15 things you might not know about The Goldbergs
Goldberg, meanwhile, is getting used to no longer having the era to himself, as shows like Netflix's Stranger Things and GLOW and Amazon's Red Oaks move in on the territory. "When we began 4 years ago, there wasn't a lot of '80s [on television] at that point. I think it was us and The Americans," the FX Cold War spy drama that premiered in January 2013.
One point of overlap between The Goldbergs and The Americans involves the 1983 TV movie The Day After, about the effects of a nuclear holocaust on a small town in Kansas. "I remember watching that and being freaked out," Goldberg said, and that memory became part of an episode last spring.
Mostly, though, "to me, the '80s is driving around on my bike around the neighborhood like I was in a Spielberg movie, Saturday morning cartoons, going to Veterans Stadium," he said, "filtered through TV and movies, for sure. And music."
Actor Jeff Garlin, who plays Adam's father, Murray, "is always so angry" about the young producer's taste in music, Goldberg said. "He's like, 'There's such great '80s bands,' but they're more like an indie-adult" taste. "I'll put on Toto and REO Speedwagon and Styx, and I'll be like, 'It's the best!' And it drives Jeff Garlin crazy. Because he's like, 'Where's the Clash?' "
The Goldbergs. 8 p.m. Wednesday, ABC.
Terracotta Warriors of The First Emperor opens Saturday at the Franklin Institute. The exhibit, about the thousands of life-size terra-cotta soldiers discovered in a tomb in China, will run through March 4, 2018. Read more
The Franklin Institute on Saturday will unveil Terracotta Warriors of The First Emperor, an ambitious, tremendously inventive exhibit about one of China's richest archaeological treasures: the massive collection of life-size clay soldiers crafted roughly 2,200 years ago and unearthed by farmers in eastern China in 1974.
Featuring 10 terra-cotta warriors the most ever lent to a North American exhibit the traveling show will stop at only two cities, Seattle and Philly.
It'll be at the Franklin Institute through March 4, 2018.
"So, 30 years ago, China allowed about three of them to come to Philadelphia," said Franklin Institute president and CEO Larry Dubinski. "Now they let us exhibit 10 of them, which is pretty amazing."
Karen Elinich, the institute's director of science content, chimed in, "It's also extremely rare almost unheard of to be allowed to exhibit them outside glass cases."
Dubinski and Elinich were part of a team of curators the institute sent to China last year to choose items for the exhibit, a multidisciplinary, multimedia, multiroom experience that takes up 14,000 square feet of exhibit space.
Featuring 160 other artifacts and dozens of full-size terra-cotta warrior replicas, the show uses each of the 10 figures as the centerpiece of an elaborate mise-en-scene that illuminates a different aspect of life in China during the 3rd century B.C., when the warriors were built. It also tells the story of China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, who had them built to accompany him into the afterlife.
"And since we're the Franklin, there's a strong science and technology element to the exhibit as well," Dubinski said.
The exhibit also will include an Augmented Reality component: Visitors with the Franklin Institute app on their smartphones can access a wealth of extra visual detail and information about eight of the 10 warriors.
"Use your smartphone to scan special tags on the displays," Dubinski said, "and you can look at the warrior surrounded by virtual-reality elements."
The exhibit also has a film element; the documentary Mysteries in China will be featured in the Tuttleman IMAX Theater.
The emperors dollhouse
The story of the terra-cotta warriors is framed by two great mysteries, Elinich said.
"First there's the mystery of [the warriors'] discovery by the farmers. What did all this terra-cotta material mean?" she said. Little was known about Qin Shihuangdi, who united China in 221 B.C. but whose dynasty only lasted a few years until his death in 210 BC.
"Further digging revealed a tomb which is massive 22 square miles."
Built by the first emperor as his last resting place, the underground compound is a city unto itself, featuring an orderly system of chambers and corridors filled with about 8,000 clay warriors and a priceless collection of bronze statues and various other artworks and artifacts.
Think of it as history's biggest, most ornate dollhouse.
Archaeologists worked on two fronts: The warriors were painstakingly pieced back together from broken shards, while further excavation revealed the shape of the compound.
"They are still excavating. They have excavated less than 2,000 warriors," Elinich said, "and only a handful of chambers."
It took about 700,000 workers more than 40 years to build the compound. The emperor died before they could finish.
"That's the second great mystery: the emperor's tomb," Elinich said.
The chamber that houses the tomb remains unopened to this day out of deference for Qin Shihuangdi, yes, but also because the chamber may be toxic. A habitual consumer of mercury, which he believed would make him immortal, the emperor may also have decorated the inner chamber with rivers of the toxic liquid metal.
"We can only speculate, which is why the last room of the exhibit is filled with question marks," Elinich said.
Replicas of the terra-cotta warriors show how they looked before the toll of time destroyed paint and lacquer.
The emperor had an obsession with immortality.
"He would send out emissaries everywhere to find cures for mortality and for extending his life," Elinich said.
"No one is sure how exactly he died, but it's likely that the daily dose of mercury he took to become immortal eventually poisoned and killed him."
Terracotta Warriors of The First Emperor
Through March 4, 2018, at the Franklin Institute, 222 North 20th St.
Hours: The exhibit is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday; until 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Exhibit by Time Slot: To avoid overcrowding, visitors are required to buy tickets for specific time blocks, so advance reservations are recommended.
Tickets: Prices include museum admission. $35; $30 ages 3 to 11 for daytime visits. $20, $15 ages 3-11 for evening visits.
Also on sale: The IMAX film Mysteries in China costs an additional $6.
An accompanying exhibit audio tour in English, Mandarin, and Spanish and will be available for an additional $6.
An accompanying catalog specific to this Exhibition Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor will be available for $10.
Information: 215-448-1200, fi.edu.
Philadelphia released its first energy master plan Wednesday for its portfolio of 600 city-owned buildings. The goal: Cut greenhouse-gas emissions in half, slash energy consumption, and buy or generate all electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Included in the plan is a $9 million retrofit of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the biggest power user in the bunch. The museum spends an average of $3 million per year to heat, cool and light the space under four acres of roof.
"I think this is our way of leading by example," said Christine Knapp, director of the city's Office of Sustainability, which put the plan together.
Officials, including Mayor Kenney, announced the plan on the steps of the Art Museum, which has leased its main building from the city since 1928.
The plan is part of the city's pledge to meet Paris Climate Accord goals, even though President Trump has vowed to pull the United States out of the agreement.
The city spends $35 million to $45 million per year on energy for buildings and street lighting the equivalent of 160,000 to 220,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Specifically, the plan's goals are:
Reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from city buildings 50 percent by 2030.
Cut energy use in buildings 20 percent by 2030.
Generate or buy 100 percent of all electricity from renewable resources by 2030.
Maintain or reduce the city's built environment cost of energy at facilities.
To reduce energy use, officials from the Office of Sustainability plan to tackle the biggest energy hogs, such as street lighting. Currently, street lighting accounts for about 32 percent of all energy use, amounting to $12.9 million per year. The goal is to replace all current high-pressure sodium lights with LED lighting.
Officials also say they need to change the mind-set of employees. The city has been holding training sessions since 2009 to help employees understand green building methods and manage systems.
The plan also calls for more transparent power bills so managers can better monitor how much their departments use.
Years ago, each department handled its own energy bills, but then the city implemented a unified system for bill paying. The move had the unintended effect of taking monitoring responsibility away from managers.
Under the energy master plan, department heads will now have access to their energy use with goals to reduce it. All capital projects will require energy efficiency in their budgets.
Another major goal is to move toward buying from renewable energy sources. To achieve that, the city and the Philadelphia Energy Authority also announced they are seeking proposals for a renewable energy power purchase agreement from a large-scale wind, solar or other renewable energy project in the region.
The city's fleet and Philadelphia International Airport are not mentioned in the plan because they have their own separate energy strategies.
Adam Agalloco, the energy manager of the Office of Sustainability, said that officials expect the cost of the overall plan will be negligible.
"We're trying to make smart investments," he said. "One of the goals is to maintain our costs and not spend wildly. So it's all meant to be cost-effective."
Under the plan, the city would:
Install LED lighting with sensors that can shut off lights when no one is in a room.
Install internet-enabled controls that allow buildings to be shut down when not in use.
Use higher-efficiency heating and air-conditioning systems, such as replacing window units and using infrared heating. Geothermal systems using heat pumps are also a possibility. The Riverside Correctional Facility is already using solar water heaters, for example.
Make policy changes in how the city operates, maintains, and makes decisions on its buildings.
The city will also assess its potential to generate its own solar power. But even if officials install solar systems on the rooftops of all its buildings, the city would still have to purchase power.
"The task of curtailing climate change is enormous, and city operations are a relatively small area where work is needed," the plan states. "Portions of this plan require action beyond city government and are dependent on state and national policy changes that support clean energy and climate action."
Unlike some states, Pennsylvania doesn't require children to be tested for lead exposure by age 2. As a result, thousands most at risk of effects from the toxic metal, including reduced IQ and behavioral problems, go undetected at a critical time in brain development.
But on Wednesday, Gov. Wolf called on state health officials and lawmakers to work together to pass a law requiring physicians to test every child's blood for lead by age 2. "Only with universal testing will we know the true scope of lead poisoning in Pennsylvania and be able to refer affected children to care," Wolf said in a statement.
The governor's call for mandatory testing comes at a time of heightened concern over lead exposure in the aftermath of a crisis in Flint, Mich., where the city's population was exposed to lead-contaminated drinking water.
Last year, the Inquirer and Daily News detailed how thousands of Philadelphia children, year after year, are newly poisoned by lead at a far higher rate than those in Flint. Here, the primary culprit is flaking and peeling lead paint in a city where more than 90 percent of homes were built before the 1978 lead-paint ban. In a more recent story in the series, "Toxic City," reporters tested soil in 114 locations in Fishtown, Kensington, and Port Richmond. Nearly three out of four had hazardous levels of lead contamination, a problem of previously unknown severity.
If Pennsylvania requires universal testing for those under age 2, the state would follow Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and others that have some form of mandatory testing. Federal law already requires physicians to test all children covered by Medicaid insurance for lead exposure at ages 1 and 2.
Rachel Levine, a physician who is the state's acting secretary of health and physician general, said that while pediatricians would be required by state law to administer at least one blood test either a finger prick or a draw from a vein before a child turns 2, there likely would be no fines or penalties for failure to comply.
"I don't think we are going to start to fine physicians, but the legal standard of care would be to do this testing," she said.
Levine said the governor's action came in response to a recent state report that showed only 27.8 percent of children under 2 were tested for lead in 2015.
"The whole idea is to develop a long-term, comprehensive lead-poisoning prevention strategy, and to be able to do that, we need complete data, and right now, we only have partial data," Levine said Wednesday.
The state report also tracks the numbers by county. Philadelphia had higher testing rates than other cities, with 76 percent of children screened by age 2.
Donna Cooper, executive director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, an advocacy group, praised the Wolf administration for advocating universal testing.
"I think it's a great thing that the governor is shining a light on the problem of the risk of lead exposure among children in Pennsylvania," Cooper said. "There are long-term consequences when we don't know if a child has been exposed because they are not treated."
Cooper said the next step must be to go after more resources to fund the remediation of houses with toxic paint so children aren't exposed to lead at all.
ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Manufactured Housing Institute honored five individuals for their outstanding achievements, dedication and service to the industry. MHI announced the honors during its Sept. 18 Annual Meeting in Orlando.
MHI Chairmans Award: Don Westphal, Principal of Don Westphal Associates. In over fifty years of work designing manufactured home communities, RV resorts, and subdivisions, he has participated in the planning of more than 400,000 individual lots in nearly 500 communities. A testament to his work, seven communities that he planned have been recognized with Land-Lease Community of the Year Awards at the MHI National Manufactured Housing Congress & Expo. In 2006, he was inducted into the Manufacturing Housing and Recreational Vehicle Hall of Fame.
Westphal created the MHI Developer Seminars which resulted in many new developments utilizing HUD-Code and modular homes and would not have been possible without his initiative and participation. He also has co-authored two books for MHI that are sold through MHIs online bookstore Navigating the Manufactured Housing Zoning Process and Renewing your Manufactured Home Community.
He has served on the MHI Board of Directors through his leadership positions as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the MHI Suppliers Division and Chairman of the Manufactured Housing Educational Institute. He has represented the Michigan Manufactured Housing Association on the board of governors of the MHI National Communities Council and the Federated States Division, served as Chairman of MHIs Site Development Committee and Co-chaired MHIs Urban Demonstration Project.
Frank Walter Standards Award: John Weldy, Director of Engineering for Clayton Homes, received this award which is selected by the MHI Technical Activities Committee to recognize one individual from an MHI-member company for their dedication in advancing the professionalism of the federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards and the industry.
Weldy has more than 22 years of experience working in the manufactured housing industry. He is a registered professional engineer in 39 states and holds the International Code Council certifications for residential inspection for all disciplines.
By sharing insights and experience, he has helped guide MHIs and the industrys regulatory initiatives. He is a member of HUDs Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee where he has served as Chairman of the Technical Systems subcommittee and provides the industry with excellent representation in this important component of the regulatory system.
State Association Executive of the Year Award: Betty Whittaker, executive director of the Kentucky Manufactured Housing Institute. This is a peer award from the manufactured housing state association executives. Whittaker, a 20 plus year industry veteran, worked tirelessly this year on one of her most challenging issues: the passage of a bill that allows a home to be severed from the land and then get a new title to the home. This new law became effective in July 2017. She was up against 120 County Clerks who opposed the bill. She also worked with the Governors office and other groups to tirelessly lobby for sales tax reform for manufactured housing and to change regulations to eliminate water testing requirements for communities that sub-meter. She continues to keep these topics on their radar screen and has proven to be a great source for the Governor in drafting updates to state manufactured housing regulations.
Jim Moore Excellence in Communications Award: Arkansas Manufactured Housing Association (AMHA). This award is in honor of Jim Moore, the late executive director of the Pennsylvania Manufactured Housing Association who was committed to industry communications.
The AMHA created a video series to educate consumers and dispel myths, misconceptions and stereotypes about todays modern manufactured homes. They held focus groups to identify concerns potential homebuyers had about the quality, value and safety of manufactured homes. AMHA took those insights and addressed them in videos highlighting construction standards and techniques, enhanced affordability due to bulk purchases of building materials, and the advantages of a controlled factory environment, as well as recent improvements in safety and durability. Association member manufacturers provided video and photos reducing the overall production costs for the project. Since completing the series last fall, the videos have been viewed on the associations Website more than 22,000 times.
Totaro Award: Dick Ernst, President of Financial Marketing Associates. MHIs Financial Services Division created this award to recognize outstanding individual accomplishment, lifetime support and outstanding contributions to the manufactured housing financial services industry. It is named for Richard Dick Totaro, who was a driving force behind the creation of the MHI Financial Services Division. Totaro worked tirelessly, acting in the best interest of the industry.
Ernst has dedicated his entire career to the manufactured housing financial services industry. Hes had a consulting firm for 34 years, which specializes in factory-built housing finance and regulatory matters.
Ernst is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable individuals in the industry about the Dodd-Frank Act and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus (CFPBs) regulations regarding consumer financing for manufactured homes, and the GSEs Duty to Serve requirements related to chattel lending. He attended numerous meetings with FHFA, participated in FHFAs listening sessions, and served as a critical resource to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHFA in advancing MHIs efforts. Hes also led MHIs efforts to improve lenders ability to access and participate in both the FHA Title I and Title II Loan Insurance programs for manufactured housing.
In addition, he has worked to help ensure manufactured housing is a part of Administration and Congressional discussions about improving access to credit for affordable housing.
Ernst has also held several roles at MHI including serving three terms as Chairman of the MHI Financial Services Division, two terms as Treasurer of MHI, 19 years on the MHI Board of Directors and Chairman of the Government Relations Committee.
MHI is the only national trade organization representing all segments of the factory-built housing industry. MHI members include home builders, lenders, home retailers, community owners and managers, suppliers and 50-affiliated state organizations. Visit us on Twitter @MHIUpdate, and Facebook.
"The death squad." Or, "the executioners."
That's what many inmates used to call the inmate-volunteers who work the Graterford state prison hospice unit, a bleak row of isolation rooms each, one part hospital room, one part jail cell where inmates with terminal illnesses are placed to die.
Then, they saw how the inmates cared for dying men in shifts, undertaking the intimate tasks of feeding, cleaning, and comforting them. For many, it is a calling.
Over time, attitudes changed, said James, a 51-year-old inmate who volunteers to do this work. "There's a lot of progress in this place. There is more humanity here now."
It's needed, given that far more people are dying in prison than ever before.
In Pennsylvania, 483 state inmates have died since January 2015. That's about 180 deaths in prison each year. From 2005 to 2014, the average was 150 deaths per year.
That increase is a byproduct, officials say, of the extraordinarily fast-growing elderly population in prison. In 2001, there were 1,892 geriatric inmates in Pennsylvania (ages 55 or older). Today, that's more than tripled to 6,458. The leading causes of death in the state's prisons are heart disease, cancer, and liver disease. Caring for this population is extraordinarily expensive: It's estimated that elderly inmates cost three to nine times more than young ones. Compassionate release, meanwhile, is granted to just a few inmates each year.
But since 2004, families of dying inmates at Graterford have had the small comfort of knowing they will not die alone. There is just one nurse on staff at the 23-bed infirmary, and visitors are allowed only an hour a day, but volunteers man the hospice on 24-hour vigils, sometimes caring for two or three inmates at once.
A year ago, a statewide memo ordered that all Pennsylvania prisons establish hospice programs, but there's no set format for those programs to follow, said Annette Kowalewski, who runs the hospice program at Laurel Highlands state prison, which contains a skilled-nursing facility. Staff at five or six institutions have contacted her for guidance.
According to Brie Williams, a professor at University of California-San Francisco who studies geriatric care in prison, some type of hospice care is offered at around 80 prisons nationwide.
"Hospices in the correctional setting are a critically needed response to the extraordinarily long sentences and minimum mandatory sentences that were handed down over the past decades," she said.
She noted that prisons are constitutionally required to provide appropriate care though interpretations of what's appropriate vary. (For example, Kowalewski said at Laurel Highlands, inmates providing hands-on personal care would be out of the question, but it's standard at Graterford.) There's no standardized protocol for assessing prison hospice care. Typical challenges include a lack of staff trained in palliative care, insufficient access to pain medications, and inconsistent systems for creating advance directives.
Still, for Miriam Rodriguez, whose brother Frank was in the Graterford hospice for 10 weeks before his death in August, the hospice team was her one source of comfort. The inmates sat with her brother in four-hour shifts, brushed his teeth, bathed him, shaved him, massaged his back and legs, read him the Bible. They cooked for him, approximating his favorite foods: fish soup, sausage with rice.
Barb March, a nurse and Graterford's hospice-care coordinator, supervises 22 inmate caregivers in the hospice, a narrow cinderblock room in the infirmary with a hospital bed and a mural of the ocean at sunset.
Most are lifers, keenly aware that they, too, may one day die in that room.
(A reporter was granted access on the condition that inmates involved not be identified by last names or the details of their crimes.)
Elias, 58, said as longtimers, the lifers know many of the older inmates personally and feel an obligation. "This is how we pay our rent here on Earth."
"I got into this to give back for the wrong that I done," said Arthur, 57.
To participate, inmates must apply and be vetted, based on their prison records and crimes. Some are sent for a psychological evaluation. Then, they go through a weeklong training.
"We go over everything they'll see," March said. "We go over signs of impending death."
James, a hospice volunteer since 2010, is the team's de facto record keeper. He maintains a spreadsheet, and keeps a printout in the pocket of his maroon prison uniform.
So far, he's worked 37 hospice vigils. The youngest patient was 28; most are older than 50. He has personally watched five lives fade into stillness.
Hazards of the job include changing colostomy bags and convincing resistant patients they need to be repositioned to prevent bedsores.
"If we don't do that work for them, sometimes they'd be in bad, bad condition," said Francisco, 55. "I don't want to bash the system, but it's the reality. They could be laying on poop. Not taking a shower. We do all the stuff for them, if they allow us."
The most difficult part of this work, for many, is watching patients suffer. Some refuse medication for religious reasons, or for fear of reawakening old addictions. "Some feel they need to go through that suffering because of the crime they committed," James said.
Even with medication, said Francisco, "The majority of the time it seems like the pain is not controllable. At times patients ask us to help them. You think it's, 'Help me move to the side,' or something. But sometimes they mean, 'Help me. Kill me. Finish this misery for me.' "
Chaplains, corrections officers, even the prison superintendent will stop in to visit.
But often it falls to the hospice team to counsel patients and families. Some patients ask the hospice workers to break bad news to relatives. Other times, families decline to visit, or they come but can't bring themselves to stay.
The inmates can't always offer relatives much comfort.
"One man's sister said, 'Did he accept the Bible before he passed?' That's all she wanted," Elias recalled. "His family wanted me to read to him from the Bible, and I did. But he never said anything."
As for the volunteers, they said this work has made them kinder, humbler, more compassionate.
"I care more," Elias said. "Before, I didn't care about what the other person was going through most of the time. Now, I do. I see how other people are living."
It's painful, too, though.
Bruce, 63, said he struggles most after a death, when he's faced with an empty hospital bed.
"I go through a tough time, because I'd like to see an individual get out of here in a different way," he said. "Not that way."
The body of a 26-year-old woman who was bludgeoned to death in a Woodbury home was found by her son and a nephew, both 5 years old, according to the victim's father, who said the boys did not seek help until a day after making the gruesome discovery.
In an interview with 6abc, Sean Carter said he did not know why his daughter, Shawneeq, was house-sitting at the home where she was slain.
He said his grandson and the boy's cousin found her dead.
"I guess, like regular 5-year-olds," Sean Carter said, they "didn't know what to do."
He said his grandson did not want to leave his mother alone and did not leave the house until the next day to seek help, according to 6abc.
Authorities have said police responded to the house on Hopkins Street about 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Carter said the boys did not hear anything that might have alerted them to the attack. "They said they were sleeping," he said. "They don't know what happened."
Carter said he did know what to tell his grandson. "He told me, 'Pop-pop, I want to die so I can see my mom.'"
"I have no answers," he said.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Carter's remarks.
The office first reported the slaying Tuesday, announcing that Shawneeq Carter, of Camden, had died from blunt-force trauma and that her death had been ruled a homicide.
Investigators have not disclosed whether they have established a motive or identified any possible suspects.
Natalia Baksheeva and her husband, 35-year-old Dmitry Baksheev, may be responsible for the death or disappearance of as many as 30 people in Krasnodar, Russia. Read more
Investigators believe a Russian couple knocked their victims out with sedatives, then skinned them alive. Afterward, police say, they ate parts of their victims, froze the remains or packed them in jars filled with saline solution.
At times, the couple tried to turn soldiers at the military academy where they worked into unwitting cannibals, slipping "canned human meat" into their food.
And the people in the city of Krasnodar may never have known about any of that if not for a broken cellphone lying on a city street, authorities say.
City police have arrested the couple Natalia Baksheeva and her husband, 35-year-old Dmitry Baksheev who authorities say may be responsible for the death or disappearance of as many as 30 people in the city of 750,000 in the southwestern tip of Russia, about five hours from Sochi. So far, Baksheev has been charged with one count of murder, and the investigation is ongoing.
If all the killings are confirmed, the Russian couple would rank among the country's worst serial killers.
The investigation started on Sept. 11, according to the Moscow Times, when crews repairing a road found a discarded cellphone. It still worked, so they swiped through the photos.
What they found made them dash to the police station. On the phone were "photos of a man with different parts of a dismembered human body in his mouth," the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement.
Around the same time that investigators were poring over the phone, officers found the dismembered corpse of a 35-year-old woman near the state-run aviation academy where the couple lived, according to Vice News.
Investigators were able to determine the phone's owner via "special technical measures," and arrested Baksheev, according to a news release.
In police custody, he told authorities that he and his wife had practiced cannibalism at least 30 times in the past two decades, according to the BBC.
The investigation ballooned from there. The details are still spotty, but some have seeped out as the story has rocketed around the world.
The earliest potential killing, based on the time stamps of photos the couple had, dates back to 1999.
For years, the couple had been living at what the BBC called a "hostel accommodation" at the site of a military base in the city. One or both had at one point worked on the base, in the kitchen.
Investigators have not said how they believe the couple chose their victims, only how they rendered them unconscious and what came after.
"In the place of residence of the suspects, the investigators discovered fragments of the human body in saline solution in the dormitory . . . Frozen meat parts of unknown origin were seized in the kitchen," investigators said, according to CBS News.
According to CNN, one police source said, "at the moment, law enforcement had discovered a glass jar with a canned hand."
Unofficially, officials have designated the pair the "cannibal couple," but they have not released many details about them.
Russian news stations released video of the police search, apparently from the couple's home.
The footage showed a messy, disheveled room, with trash, debris and clothes scattered on the floor and draped over furniture. There were also wigs on top of a small freezer and dozens of pictures on a bed.
The pictures were telling, Russian investigators said. One photograph is dated Dec. 28, 1999 and appears to show a dismembered human head on a serving plate with fruit.
Earlier this year, former Siberian policeman Mikhail Popkov nicknamed "the werewolf of Siberia" for his brutal killings confessed to killing 81 people.
According to the Washington Post, Popkov's victims ranged in age from 17 to 38. He started his spree as a police officer, offering women rides in his car, then taking them to remote locations and raping and killing them.
VENTNOR, N.J. Some things outsiders wouldn't understand.
Sure, there's another Wawa less than a mile away, over the Dorset Avenue Bridge and a few blocks up Ventnor Avenue. And sure, this Wawa never had the notoriety of its sister in Margate, the legendary Club Wa.
But for tough little Ventnor Heights, an often flooded-in Shore community bordered by the Intracoastal Waterway on one side and the back bay on the other, the Wawa on Dorset Avenue was an essential part of life.
Not to mention for anyone headed down the Shore to Ventnor from Philly or, Springsteen style, pulling out of the Boardwalk town for better things. The Dorset Avenue Wawa was your place, coming or going.
During the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Wawa Inc. pulled up to the store with massive generators and parked them in the impossibly small parking lot, and the beloved convenience store was like a beacon to people sorting out ruined belongings and homes.
"It was our lifeline," recalled Ventnor Heights resident Lori Nolan, who stopped in Wednesday.
Mostly, though, it was just the most convenient place for coffee and the usual Wawa late-night fare. But this week, after weeks of rumors, the company owned up, posted signs, and gave away coffee. Midnight Wednesday was the official closing time.
Already, the shelves were shockingly free of Tastykakes and Entenmann's.
Wawa director of store operations Marian Weiser left copies of a letter addressed to "Loyal Wawa Customers" on the counter and described the closing of the store after 33 years as "bittersweet."
"You have truly embraced us as an integral part of your community," she said. "For that we will always be grateful."
Weiser said the store small by current Wawa standards, with a cramped parking lot and worn finishes and facade "simply cannot deliver the experience our customers deserve." (Current employees will be transferred to the other Ventnor location.)
Ah, but regulars might beg to differ. The staff at the Wawa, some there for years, was uncommonly friendly, the vibe neighborly. If there was too much water in the street to drive, or the Dorset bridge was blocked off, you could always count on getting to the Wawa in the Heights.
"It's a somber day at the Ventnor Wawa," said one employee as he waved through people with free coffee.
"All we have is Wawa," said a distressed Julian Molina, 54, waiting in the car while his wife went in for some coffee for coworkers. "They take everything. We're going to miss it a lot."
He noted that Comcast had also closed an office in the same strip center, forcing customers to go to Mays Landing. There are still a CVS and a new pizza place, and the live-music-loving Ventnor Coffee across the street.
Some on Facebook were resentful of the decision, others amazed at their own strong reactions to the closing of one of Wawa's two locations in Ventnor.
"I'll miss you Dorset Wawa," wrote another commenter.
Still, in Philly and down the Shore, Wawa hope springs eternal, and some regulars were already dreaming that a Super Wawa might set up shop in the Ventnor Plaza on Wellington Avenue, near the Acme Market, complete with gas pumps.
Alas, Wawa corporate spokesman Lori Bruce said the Heights will be without Wawa for the foreseeable future.
"At this time, we don't have any plans for a Super Wawa in Ventnor at the location you mention," she wrote in an e-mail. "But we are always looking for new sites throughout our market area, including South Jersey."
She said the decision to close the Wawa was made after considering whether it was feasible to "remodel, add parking and space needed to support our future food service needs and platforms."
"It has been our pleasure to service customers from this location," she said.
One man, 47, was charged with 15 counts of drug trafficking. Another, 37, was charged with dealing firearms. A third, 42, was charged with dealing drugs.
These are just three of the 40 people that the Chester County District Attorney's Office said they removed from Coatesville streets this summer in a three-month reinstitution of Operation Silent Night, an aggressive law enforcement collaboration that targeted those most likely to kill or be killed, District Attorney Thomas P. Hogan said Tuesday.
"There are names and faces in this list who have been problems for Coatesville going back more than a decade," said Kevin Dykes, chief of Chester County Detectives. "And there are some new young guys getting into the life of drugs and violence."
The result, according to Hogan, was only one homicide in June, July, and August as violent crime rates in other areas increased.
For comparison, police in Chester, Delaware County another suburban city (although one with about 20,000 more residents than Coatesville and a higher crime rate) said Tuesday that they had logged 10 homicides in that same time span. Chester Police Capt. James Chubb said they do not do targeted arrests, to his knowledge.
The Chester County District Attorney's Office and Coatesville police worked together in the Coatesville sweep and announced the results Tuesday in a news release.
Hogan has engaged Operation Silent Night before, both in 2012 and 2013. Since then, violent crime in Coatesville has been largely "under control," Hogan said. But after a 2016 summer in which two double homicides occurred in the area, Hogan said law enforcement decided to reinstate the program.
Prosecutors and police worked to come up with a list of those most likely to kill or be killed, as officials have learned that the same criteria often applies to both categories.
In making this list, authorities took into account a wide variety of factors, Hogan said.
One factor was current activity: whether an individual was involved in the drug game, known to rob drug dealers, or known to carry guns.
Another was prior violence, not only whether someone had prior convictions but also whether they had a history of domestic violence, had protection from abuse orders filed against them, or got into fights in school that were reported in the juvenile system, Hogan said.
Ten years ago, Hogan said, one of the people arrested in this year's Operation Silent Night rammed a bike cop into a concrete wall while trying to flee from police. Hogan said he could not disclose which individual that was, since the incident was a prior offense.
In creating their list, law enforcement also looked for charges that "seemed to disappear," Hogan said, because "that is a pretty good signal they're getting to the witnesses." Another factor was involvement in street gangs and removal from traditional schooling.
"If you add up all of that stuff," Hogan said, "you are going to get a recipe for people who are going to be involved in homicides."
The proactive targeting of high-level drug offenders, often through undercover work, likely made the biggest impact on the number of homicides in Coatesville, said city police Detective Sgt. Brandon Harris. There was no increase in the number of police officers on the streets, Harris said, just in the tactics used.
"It's just being out there," Harris said, "being more visible," something the Police Department tries to do all year long, not just in the summer.
Across the country, other areas have tried an array of similar tactics to stem violence.
In Wilmington, which has been ranked among the most violent cities in the United States, new Police Chief Robert Tracy formerly a crime strategist for the City of Chicago has vowed to use data-driven strategies to target those likely to commit serious crimes. In Chicago, law enforcement keeps a "heat list" that targets individuals most likely to be violent, using undisclosed variables. And in Richmond, a Bay Area city in California with a history of gun violence, officials saw success with "Operation Peacemaker," a fellowship that paired mentors with young suspected offenders who were paid stipends if they maintained good behavior.
The American Civil Liberties Union has come out against some data-driven policing tactics that assess a person's likelihood of violence, saying such policies can lead to discrimination.
Hogan created "Operation Silent Night" in 2012 to focus on Chester County's only city, which has a crime rate of around 33 percent and a poverty rate of more than 35 percent.
In 2016, there were five homicides in Coatesville in May through September, according to police. In the past, there have been homicide-free summers in the area, most recently in 2015, when just one homicide occurred in the entire calendar year.
A former steel city hurt by the industry's decline in the 1970s and '80s, and again by the 2008 recession, Coatesville is the poorest municipality in the state's most affluent county. With a median household income of $34,716, Coatesville has struggled to revitalize economically, with many shuttered storefronts occupying its streets.
But Harris said he has seen the city change during his 17-year tenure with the department.
"For the better," Harris said. "There were a lot more street-level dealers when I got here."
Hogan said programs such as Operation Silent Night also help authorities gather intelligence about what is occurring in the city's streets, intelligence that can come in handy in future operations.
In the summer, Harris said, police always prepare for an increase in crime. No school, hotter weather, and longer days lead to more people being out on the streets and more crime occurring, he said.
Authorities say the county's efforts have helped to curb some of that summertime unruliness.
"Operation Silent Night gives us the resources and focus to arrest these defendants for drugs and weapons offenses before they kill somebody," Police Chief Jack Laufer said, "and maybe before an innocent child gets hit in the crossfire."
Jorge Rodriguez and Maritza Cordero Figueroa hold up a boarding pass before flying to San Juan, Puerto Rico., to check up on family members in Hurricane Marias wake. Read more
They came from as far as Rome and as near as Rittenhouse Square for Wednesday morning's Philadelphia-San Juan flight, a desperate race to learn what happened to their homes, their families, and their island.
Puerto Rico-bound passengers at Philadelphia International Airport carried supplies medicine, food, flashlights, batteries onto only the second commercial flight to leave from here for Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria's devastation became apparent last week.
Maritza Cordero Figueroa and her husband, Jorge Rodriguez, flew from their Little Rock home via Dallas in order to board American Airlines Flight 2028 out of Philadelphia, the only flight available to them after multiple cancellations.
"I dumped out my suitcase and just packed in what my family would need," said Cordero Figueroa, 25, whose relatives live in Orocovis, in the hard-hit central mountain range. She and her husband had been booked on a flight Sunday, but moved up their trip to see family.
They held their boarding passes in the air, displaying them like winning lottery tickets.
The flight would be arriving at an island in turmoil. Power remains out across most of Puerto Rico. Food and gas are scarce. Puerto Rico officials have reported that the death toll from the hurricane has climbed to 16. Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Brock Long said that about 10,000 federal employees are in the U.S. territory helping with recovery from the Category 4 storm.
With cellphone coverage spotty, loved ones have struggled to learn how friends and family fared. The island's public affairs secretary, Ramon Rosario, said it would take months to fully restore power.
American Airlines spokesman Justin Franco said Wednesday's flight was the second commercial passenger flight since Maria battered the island. The first, on Friday, was more relief-oriented, loaded with bottled water, cots, and generators donated for the Puerto Rican families of American Airlines employees in Philadelphia. This one included 19 tons of supplies.
He said American was not yet able to schedule daily flights because limited resources at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport require a "very manual process" to deal with booking and security. Franco said American capped one-way fares at $99 and $199 for first class.
Ana Lugo, 60, a retired San Juan teacher who lives in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood with her engineer husband, said telephone service in the Puerto Rican capital was limited, but she was able to get through to her relatives, who told her that her San Juan apartment had survived the storm.
Lugo splits her time between Philadelphia and her native Puerto Rico, usually spending winters in Puerto Rico, she said before her fight boarded. She was going early to look after her 90-year-old mother.
She bought a one-way ticket because she said she didn't know when she would return.
In addition to caring for her mother, she needs to tend to a rental property that she owns outside San Juan. One of its walls was knocked down by the storm. But she had no idea how she would reach the property, because transportation outside the capital is crippled.
"Trains aren't functioning," she said. "Uber is not functioning, because there's no gasoline."
Maribel Marcano, 54, said she brought medicine for her mother-in-law, who suffers from diabetes, because it will be hard to find the medication in Puerto Rico. She had been visiting her daughter in Philadelphia, but she, her husband, and her mother-in-law grabbed the first flight available to return to their home in Hatillo, 50 miles west of San Juan. She'd packed food, medicine, and a small generator.
She also brought cash. Although the crime rate is high in Puerto Rico, many stores can't use their credit card machines and have reverted to selling only in cash, she said.
"There's a lot of robbery there," she said, "but I need cash because the banks are closed."
Alberto Rodriguez, 42, from Naranjito, about 15 miles from San Juan, was touring Europe with his mother when the hurricane hit. His mother has been repeatedly crying, pleading for him to get back to Puerto Rico.
He said he leaned through "the magic of WiFi" that his mother's house had survived Maria. But his own house was made of wood and he was worried.
The news of Maria's devastation hit him hard.
"It was difficult when we learned," Rodriguez said.
English Estonian
Today, on the 27th of September 2017, AS Tallinna Vesi refinanced its long-term loan in a total amount of 37.5 million euros.
The 5-year loan agreement was signed with OP Corporate Bank plc Estonian Branch. The maturity date for the refinanced loan would have arrived in November 2018. Refinancing has induced a decrease in AS Tallinna Vesi's loan interest risk margin from 0.95% to 0.79%.
The total long-term loan liabilities of the Company have remained unchanged and continue to be at 95 million euros.
WASHINGTON Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell lost just about every way possible on Tuesday.
The Kentucky Republican had to abandon, again, an effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act amid an uprising from the more moderate wing of the GOP caucus. Then he learned that one of his most influential Republican chairmen would not run for reelection next year, setting up a potentially divisive race to succeed the senator.
Finally, before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, McConnell suffered the final indignity: His preferred candidate in Alabama, Sen. Luther Strange, lost the GOP nomination in embarrassing fashion to a conservative insurgent who vowed that his victory would send a message that McConnell and his allies should "run scared for a while."
While no stranger to defeat in the past he spent eight years as minority leader McConnell's string of losses in such a short timespan Tuesday punctured much of his well-crafted image as the consummate insider who could deliver.
Each blow had its own unusual circumstances, with President Trump's own erratic performance playing a role, but McConnell's failures came in nearly every facet of congressional leadership.
Roy Moore's resounding win in the Alabama special election, after McConnell's allies spent more than $10 million on Strange's behalf, served as the first time Senate Republicans suffered a major defeat from a right-flank challenger in more than five years. Coupled with the retirement announcement of Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.), it means that GOP incumbents will face more challenges next year and that McConnell's promise to help them fend off insurgents will not carry the same weight.
On the legislative front, where McConnell was considered a master of the Senate, the leader could not herd his Republican colleagues or craft a parliamentary process to meet their competing needs. The result was an embarrassing failure to do what they promised voters they would for seven years: Repeal and replace former president Obama's signature health care law.
It left some hard-charging conservatives furious about the outcome.
"There is a complete lack of congressional leadership and no accountability to get results," said Sen. David Perdue (R., Ga.), first elected in 2014 and a critic of senior GOP senators for abandoning the repeal effort. "From the get go, three Republican Senate chairmen failed to support our efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare as we have all promised to do."
McConnell's inner circle did not even try to sugarcoat the failures and what they meant for Republicans heading into the 2018 midterm elections. Moore's victory, according to the leader's advisers, is a direct result of congressional Republican's failure to repeal a health law they vowed to replace for seven years, nor deliver any other tangible legislative victory in the first eight months of Trump's presidency.
"It should be a wake-up call to every Republican. The deep dissatisfaction among the base with the pace of the Trump agenda is very real," Josh Holmes, McConnell's 2014 campaign manager and still close adviser, said Tuesday. Holmes said the entire party must now unify and deliver on their vow to overhaul the tax code so voters will see more money in their pockets.
"It's the team ball concept," Holmes said, explaining that Republican voters tune out explanations for the stalled agenda. "The frustration is, get it done."
What made Alabama potentially different, and could be a sign of things to come, was the degree to which Moore and his supporters tried to turn McConnell into a boogeyman within his own party.
On Tuesday, before the election results were official, most Senate Republicans remained staunchly behind McConnell who, next June, is slated to become the longest serving GOP leader in Senate history. He has won eight straight leadership elections by acclamation, with no challenger, and none appears on the horizon in the near term.
His colleagues say McConnell is willing to absorb the criticism that conservative activists fire at him, particularly if it keeps the friendly fire away from rank-and-file Republicans.
"Being the spear-catcher for the conference is part of the responsibility of being in leadership, and Senator McConnell, as he likes to point out, is a big boy," said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the majority whip. "He can take it."
But one thing that could hamper McConnell's long-term standing would be if he became a real albatross to his own incumbents in primary elections ahead. Two years ago this week John Boehner (R., Ohio) announced his resignation as House speaker because even close supporters feared voting for him because conservative activists had grown to despise Boehner.
Sen. Richard Shelby (R., Ala.) saw McConnell as a tangential issue to Alabama voters, who know Moore well from his controversial record as a staunch social conservative on the state Supreme Court.
"I don't think McConnell is the only issue there. Roy Moore is a unique individual," said Shelby, who used McConnell's campaign team to beat back a primary challenge last year.
Internal Alabama politics also played a key role, because Strange received the appointment to succeed Attorney General Jeff Sessions from then-Gov. Robert J. Bentley, who resigned amid scandal a few weeks later.
Acting Gov. Kay Ivey, bowing to local political pressure from GOP rivals who did not like Strange, called a snap special election rather than give Strange until 2018 to find his footing. "They need as much time as they can get to get on their feet, so to speak, and build a base, and four or five months is not a long time to do that," Shelby said.
Still, as he has done with other incumbents, McConnell went all in for Strange with his constellation of super PACs and Washington-based organizations flooding Alabama airwaves for weeks with anti-Moore ads.
Nothing broke through, and once Stephen Bannon left his White House post advising Trump, he returned to run Breitbart News and raced to Alabama to throw in with Moore and vow more primary challengers to McConnell's incumbents.
Trump's support for Strange was meant to shore up relations with Senate Republicans after their caustic August shouting match carried out through the media and Twitter. Corker, in a meeting with Trump recently, pleaded for the president to go to Alabama on Strange's behalf. Trump did so, but in a rambling 90-minute speech Friday night, the president suggested "maybe I made a mistake" in supporting the appointed senator.
It did not even matter that Moore spent the final week voicing his opposition to the very health care repeal legislation that Trump was touting.
Alabama Republicans chose the candidate they believed was "more interested in breaking" Washington rather than one who would loyally back Trump, Holmes said.
That's the message McConnell is taking away from this week one he will carry with him in the months ahead, particularly on the tax-cut effort.
"They've got to reunify," Holmes said.
If not, McConnell will face more weeks like this one over the next year.
Paul Horner, a self-described fake news writer who became infamous during the 2016 presidential election, has been found dead in his Arizona home.
Horner, who oversaw a Facebook "fake news" empire and a variety of seemingly legitimate news sites that spread illegitimate news, may have died due to an "accidental overdose," according to the Maricopa County medical examiner, who said there were no signs of foul play. The 38-year-old's body was discovered Sept. 18, authorities said.
In a November 2016 interview with the Washington Post, Horner said that he hated Donald Trump, but that he also believed his fictional work helped get the real-estate mogul elected president,
Horner considered himself a satirist, writing stories that included anti-Trump protesters being paid $3,500 (a claim Trump repeated) and President Barack Obama's opening a Muslim museum. In the Washington Post interview, he said that his fact-free tales worked because "honestly, people are definitely dumber. They just keep passing stuff around. Nobody fact-checks anything anymore I mean, that's how Trump got elected. He just said whatever he wanted, and people believed everything, and when the things he said turned out not to be true, people didn't care, because they'd already accepted it. It's real scary. I've never seen anything like it."
At the time of the election, Horner claimed to be making more than $10,000 per month just from Adsense ads on his stories.
Horner also wrote the book The Black House: A 12-Year Former Secret Service Agent Explains Why Obama and the First Lady Are Ruining This Country. The book made false claims that Obama was a gay, radical Muslim who wore Muslim garb around the White House and forced Horner to listen to endless hours of Diana Ross music. It was all made up, as was the notion that Horner served in the Secret Service.
Twitter users instantly asked when the conspiracy theories would begin.
Perhaps this person
And then there are those who claim "fake news" is actually true:
The stunning defeat of President Trump's chosen Senate candidate in Alabama on Tuesday amounted to a political lightning strike setting the stage for a worsening Republican civil war that could have profound effects on next year's midterm elections and undermine Trump's clout with his core voters.
The GOP primary victory by conservative firebrand Roy Moore over Sen. Luther Strange could also produce a stampede of Republican retirements in the coming months and an energized swarm of challengers.
It marked yet another humiliation for the Washington-based Republican establishment, particularly Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), whose allies pumped millions of dollars into the race to prop up Strange and reassure his colleagues that they could survive the Trump era.
Moore's win, however, also demonstrates the real political limitations of Trump, who endorsed "Big Luther" at McConnell's urging and staged a rally for Strange in Huntsville, Alabama, just days before the primary. The outcome is likely to further fray Trump's ties to Republicans in Congress, many of whom now fear that even his endorsement cannot protect them from voter fury.
"People think about those things all the time up here," said Sen. Richard Shelby (R., Ala.), referring to unease in elected Republican ranks. "A lot of them won't be run out of town they want to stay and fight for their beliefs. But they know Moore's supporters will come after them anyway."
The tremors began before the polls closed in Alabama. Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.), the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced on Tuesday afternoon that he would not seek reelection in 2018, dogged by complaints from conservatives in his state over his criticism of Trump. A number of Corker's potential primary rivals had already begun talks with wealthy donors.
"If you're an incumbent, you have to assume the wind is against you," said consultant Tom Ingram, a longtime Corker adviser. "If you do run, you take nothing for granted and leave nothing on the table. You start out with one big strike against you: You're an incumbent Republican senator."
For Democrats, the prospect of further retirements and revived GOP infighting has sparked talk of competing for Senate seats previously thought out of play. That is particularly true with candidates like Moore, long considered a fringe political figure who has, among other things, expressed doubts about whether former president Barack Obama was born in the United States and referred this month to "reds and yellows" in remarks on race. On the eve of the election, Moore, wearing a white cowboy hat and a black leather vest, pulled a handgun out of his pocket and flashed it at a rally.
"It's an acid flashback to 2010," said Charlie Sykes, a former conservative talk-radio host, referring to the year when seasoned GOP figures lost Senate primaries across the country as incendiary conservatives charged forward.
"It's almost as if there is a compulsion in the party to nominate the most 'out there' candidate just to show you can, with no concern about what that means for the rest of the party," Sykes said. "Republicans and that means Trump, too have unleashed something they can't control."
Hard-line challengers to Senate Republicans seized on the fall of Strange, who had been boosted by Trump and millions in outside Republican spending, as a sign of how the clamor of anti-establishment forces like Breitbart News chaired by former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon could empower them, regardless of whether Trump rallies behind sitting senators.
"People everywhere are outraged with the swamp, but there has been hesitation in some states among people who are thinking about it. They wondered whether these senators can be beat. This changes all of that," said Danny Tarkanian, a GOP businessman running against Sen. Dean Heller (R., Nev.).
Possible foils to other Republican senators facing reelection next year described Moore's insurgent grass-roots campaign as a model for how they could frame their own bids: He embraced Trump but encouraged the president's supporters to lash out at McConnell and the party's leadership.
"I was with Bannon last night, talking it through, and what's happened in Alabama increases the likelihood that I jump in," said Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel, who is considering challenging Sen. Roger Wicker (R., Miss.), speaking Tuesday before polls closed. "It's a race that has repercussions across the country."
McDaniel, who nearly toppled Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., in a messy 2014 primary election, added, "It's an incredibly exciting time. I admire President Trump but people will reach their own conclusions. They're going to vote against those who play the D.C. games. That means they'll go against McConnell and against Roger Wicker, who is part of the established order."
With Corker retiring, seven Senate Republicans are expected to run for reelection next year: Wicker; Heller; Jeff Flake, Ariz.; Ted Cruz, Texas; Deb Fischer, Neb.; Orrin Hatch, Utah; and John Barrasso, Wyo.
For months, only three of them Flake, Heller and Wicker were widely seen as vulnerable to primary upsets. But in the wake of Alabama, GOP operatives are no longer ruling out an expanded map of targets for Bannon and his associates, such as former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who stormed behind Moore's candidacy to reassert her influence within the party.
"They try to say you're off the reservation any time there's a tough vote," Shelby said.
Veteran Republican pollster David Winston, who works closely with party leaders, said that "given what Bannon has been doing, you could see how other primaries could be of value to him and his network. Alabama was their test case and Moore winning probably opens the door a bit in other places."
Bannon seems ready to yank open that door, huddling in recent days with Republicans mulling primary campaigns. Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green, who had been considering a Corker challenge, was with Bannon in Alabama. The Mercer family Bannon's billionaire backers have been in touch with these contenders as well and McDaniel said they have encouraged him to run.
When asked about rumors that the Mercers and other donors have pledged more than $1 million to McDaniel, he replied, "It may be more."
"For Mitch McConnell and Ward Baker and Karl Rove and Steven Law, all the instruments that tried to destroy Judge Moore and his family, your day of reckoning is coming," Bannon said Monday night at Moore's election eve rally, listing the names of Republican operatives who are allied with McConnell and spent more than $10 million to boost Strange's candidacy.
"They think you're a pack of morons, they think you're nothing but rubes, they have no interest at all in what you have to say, in what you have to think or what you want to do," Bannon told the crowd.
Voting with Trump and donning a red cap emblazoned with "Make America Great Again," as Strange did with Trump last week, may not stave off primary challengers who style themselves as GOP rebels.
"What we've noticed is that Trump voters aren't necessarily looking for Trump, they're looking for candidates who are outsiders like Trump and will lean toward people with that sort of background," said Robert Cahaly, a Republican pollster whose firm surveyed the Alabama race. "Strange seems establishment, he's not seen as disruptive at all, so he was at a disadvantage."
Retirements among House Republicans could rise as well.
"More and more Republicans may say I don't want the hassle from the activists on the left and the Trump Republicans on the right," said GOP consultant and Trump critic Rick Wilson. "There'll be more who say, 'I'll hang up my spurs.' "
Trump's role in those 2018 primaries is yet to be determined, according to his confidants and White House officials.
"The president went into Alabama because of loyalty and political necessity," said Christopher Ruddy, the chief executive of Newsmax Media and Trump's friend. "When he's faced with this kind of situation in the future, he'll support his friends but the question is how far he goes. He may be a little careful."
One of Trump's first choices will be how much to get behind Moore, who GOP leaders fear could be a burden to Republican candidates nationally. At Trump's Huntsville rally Friday when he conceded he "might have made a mistake" in backing the incumbent Trump vowed to "be here campaigning like hell" for Moore if he won, while acknowledging his limitations.
"Roy has a very good chance of not winning in the general election," Trump said during the rally. "Roy is going to have a hard time, but I will be backing him if he wins."
Next month, former vice president Joseph R. Biden will campaign in Alabama for Doug Jones, a former prosecutor whom Democrats believe could be competitive against Moore.
McConnell's orbit dismissed suggestions late Tuesday that the Alabama result crippled his standing and instead chalked up Strange's defeat to the party's stalled efforts to pass legislation and local dynamics. Strange, a former state attorney general, was appointed earlier this year by a Republican governor who later resigned amid a sex scandal. Strange's defeat came on the same day McConnell shelved the latest GOP health-care proposal.
"There is going to be a rush to overanalyze Alabama," said Josh Holmes, McConnell's former chief of staff. "McConnell showed he will go to war for Republican senators, come hell or high water. A lot of folks out there would have cut bait when an election turns but that's not who McConnell is."
And for both sides, it's war.
"I fully anticipate a whole lot of people who had nothing to do with the result taking credit for Alabama," Holmes said, mentioning Bannon and Breitbart News. "It'll lead to more friendly fire in our party, which will make it tougher, not easier, to pass health care and taxes. What we need is cohesion."
Provided by Mrs. Watts to the National Endowment for the Arts
Elaine Hoffman Watts, 85, of Ardmore, a noted percussionist who performed the distinctive eastern European Jewish folk music known as klezmer, died Monday, Sept. 25, of cardiomyopathy at her home.
"She lived for music and her family, and anybody that ever met her never forgot her," her relatives said in a tribute. "They felt the touch and had the experience."
A funny extrovert, Mrs. Watts commanded any stage on which she set foot. She and daughter-vocalist-trumpet player Susan Lankin-Watts appeared at public and private events, often with a Philadelphia band called Fabulous Shpielkes, the Yiddish word for the feeling of pins and needles.
Between numbers, Mrs. Watts, who could trace her lineage and musical roots to the army of Russian Czar Nicholas II, bantered with her daughter and talked about klezmer, which has experienced a comeback. Fans flocked to hear her.
"She was a feisty little giant whose determination and humor were a model for so many. She is mourned around the world by those who knew her and sat in with her on countless stages and living rooms," fan Emily Socolov posted online.
Born in 1932, the 4-foot-10 inch Mrs. Watts grew up in a West Philadelphia house with a drum set and xylophone in the basement. Her father, Jacob Hoffman, a prominent percussionist, started her off on the violin, but she only wanted to play the drums.
She recalled in an oral history on www.wanderingmuse.net that he took her down to the basement and put the drumsticks in her hands. "Do this,'" he said, demonstrating the movements.
"If I didn't do it right, he would say, 'Dummy, I showed you how to do it,'" she said in the oral history.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/kPtC2r01oo0?rel=0
The folk songs she played had accompanied her grandfather, cornetist Joseph Hoffman, when he immigrated to the United States from a village near Odessa, then part of the Russian Empire, in the early 1900s.
The songs formed the core of the unique repertoire handed down in the Hoffman clan. When performed here and elsewhere, they became the staple of weddings and community celebrations for generations of Jewish families.
In 1954, Elaine Hoffman became the first female graduate in percussion from the Curtis Institute of Music, and immediately was hired by the New Orleans Symphony.
After a year there, she returned to a career as a classical timpanist in the Philadelphia area. She played the drums for the Ice Capades, at the Valley Forge Music Fair, and for theatrical and opera performances.
But as a performer, she was shown the door by many klezmer bands because she was a woman. It was only when her father arranged a gig that she got work playing klezmer.
Her break came in the early 1990s, when Mrs. Watts was discovered by folklorists and music experts steeped in klezmer who made her into a performing luminary.
The experts were thrilled to find her, Lankin-Watts said. "Look at this uncovered treasure," they told one another.
For more than six decades, ending in July, she taught klezmer drumming and traditional drumming to students in her Montgomery County home. Many of her pupils male and female have gone on to successful careers as percussionists.
"Mom always, always, always had students in the basement," Lankin-Watts said in a story in the Inquirer.
"I wasn't playing golf," Mrs. Watts shot back.
Mrs. Watts was a sought-after teacher at KlezKanada and KlezKamp, annual gatherings of accomplished and novice klezmer musicians.
Beyond the world of klezmer, Mrs. Watts received adulation and support in developing her music muse.
In 2000, she was awarded a Pew Fellowship in the Arts. In 2007, she received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the nation's highest honor in folk and traditional arts.
"Elaine is an important role model to young players who otherwise would have no clue that women were indeed a part of traditional Yiddish music," the program's officials wrote in announcing the fellowship.
"Because those of us who study traditional Yiddish culture have no homeland in Europe to which we can return, we rely heavily on the 78 rpm recordings that were made during the early years of the 20th century. Most of the musicians on those recordings were men, and Elaine's presence is critical in redressing this imbalance."
In 2007, Mrs. Watts also was honored with a Leeway Foundation Transformation Award. Two years later, a documentary film, Eatala: A Life in Klezmer, was made about her life.
Elaine Hoffman married Ernest Watts in 1955. He became her roadie and instrument-repair technician.
Besides her husband and daughter, she is survived by daughters Eileen Siegel and Lorrie Keammerer; five grandsons; and a sister.
Services were Tuesday, Sept. 26.
Memorial contributions may be made to Jewish Braille, 110 E. 30th St., New York, N.Y. 10016, or the Philadelphia Folklore Project, 735 S. 50th St., Philadelphia 19143.
Democrat Larry Krasner (left) and Republican Beth Grossman will face off in the Nov. 7 general election for district attorney in Philadelphia. Read more
Each year, as Election Day nears, the editorial boards of the Inquirer and Daily News prepare to meet with candidates running for prominent offices in the region. During campaigns, candidates sell themselves to voters by making speeches, marching in parades, and attending community events. The endorsement meetings provide a chance for reporters and editorial writers to interview the candidates and to ask tough questions on the issues that matter to Philadelphians. The meetings are on the record. We make endorsements based on these meetings and the reporting that our colleagues have done throughout the campaigns.
This year, we want to include readers in the process for our endorsements for district attorney of Philadelphia.
The issues facing the DA's office Black Lives Matter, civil forfeiture, violent crime and guns, political corruption, and the role of the legal system in the opioid epidemic are, perhaps now more than ever, at the heart of Philadelphia public discourse. While Democratic candidate Larry Krasner has been widely considered to be the front-runner in part, because it's been decades since a Republican won the DA's seat in Philadelphia Republican candidate Beth Grossman has secured some important endorsements, including from the Philly Fraternal Order of Police.
The boards will meet with Krasner on Tuesday, Oct. 3, and with Grossman on Thursday, Oct. 5. Share your suggested questions in the form below.
Dallas, TX, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) is hosting their National Convention in Dallas. This year's convention will be the largest gathering of Hispanic business leaders in America. They will be focusing on the role of women in business, new advances in the tech sector, the growth of the STEM fields, CEO perspectives, and the overall influence of Hispanic businesses on the national economy. This year's group of speakers span across the political aisle and represent some of the major industries driving the American economy. Some of this years most prominent speakers include:
President and CEO of the USHCC, Javier Palomarez (Confirmed)
Former Vice Chairman of AT&T Inc. and CEO of Business Solutions & International, Ralph de la Vega. Ohtli Award Recipient (confirmed)
Former Secretary of Housing & Urban Development, Julian Castro (Confirmed)
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings (Confirmed)
President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of The Goldman Sachs Group, David Solomon (Confirmed)
Mrs. Cindy McCain (Confirmed)
CEO of BP Wind Energy, Laura Folse (Confirmed)
CEO of MoneyGram International, Alex Holmes (Confirmed)
President and CEO of Toyota Financial Services USA, Mike Groff (Confirmed)
Wells Fargo Head of Corporate Responsibility and Community Relations, Jon Campbell (Confirmed)
Executive Director of the Comcast Corporation and USHCC Corporate Advocate of the Year, Jackie Puente (Confirmed)
CEO of Peinado Construction and USHCC Hispanic Businessman of the Year, Frank Peinado
Vice Chair of the Diez Group and USHCC Hispanic Businesswoman of the Year, April Diez (Confirmed)
Full list of speakers can be found here.
WHO: United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
WHAT: USHCC National Convention
WHERE: Omni Dallas Hotel - 555 S Lamar Street, Dallas, TX 75202
WHEN: October 1-3. Full schedule can be found here.
MEDIA: Please RSVP and send interview requests to frank@javelindc.com
About the USHCC:
The USHCC actively promotes the economic growth, development and interests of more than 4.2 million Hispanic-owned businesses, that combined, contribute over $668 billion to the American economy every year. It also advocates on behalf of 260 major American corporations and serves as the umbrella organization for more than 200 local chambers and business associations nationwide. For more information, visit ushcc.com. Follow us on Twitter @USHCC.
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f2778f2a-337b-4c9a-9d67-fe5e6a42c4de
Michael Kemeter completes his Tortour up Schartenspitze in Austria
27.09.2017 by by Planetmountain
On the SW Face of Schartenspitze in Austria Michael Kemeter has made the first free ascent of Tortour, the difficult multi-pitch alpine outing he established ground-up between 2011 and 2012.
Last summer Austrian climber Michael Kemeter freed his hardest ever multi-pitch alpine rock climb, namely Tortour up the SW Face of Schartenspitze in Austria. The 280 m high route offers steep, technical climbing and was established ground-up between 2010 and 2011 together with Stefan Lieb. Nine attempts were needed to reach the summit, pushing the Austrian not only physically, but also into a state where he was "mentally at my limit."
The two central pitches weigh in at 8b+ and 8c respectively, but at the time the idea of freeing the roof on pitch five seemed absolutely impossible. '"I accompanied each move mentally for years" explained Kemeter '"And I yearned to get good enough to finally climb the entire line free and in a single day."
On 15 June, after another 10 days on the route accompanied by Paul Kiefer, Kemeter finally but an end to his Tortour. Estimated difficulties: 8c max.
Tortour, Schartenspitze, Austria
8c, 280 m
6a+, 7a+/b, 7a+, 8b+, 8c, 7c, 6a+, 7b+
First ascent: 2011- summer 2012 with Stefan Lieb: ground-up with no previous knowledge of the line
First free ascent: 15 June 2017 with Paul Kiefer
Gear: 12 quickdraws, Cams BD 0,5 & 0,75
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A gunman shot a customs agent Tuesday afternoon before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life in the parking lot of a Publix shopping center in Oakleaf, FL, said Clay County, FL, deputies.
The agent, who is a pilot for U.S. Customs & Border Protection's Air & Marine Operations, is expected to be OK, a sheriff's office spokesman said.
Deputies said it appeared the agent was targeted, reports WJXT.
The shooting was reported in the Oakleaf Commons shopping center on Oakleaf Plantation Parkway, just west of Branan Field Chaffee Road.
Workers from a nearby business told News4Jax that they were headed to lunch at the Publix grocery store when they heard four or five gunshots. They said the incident was surreal and they stood in shock trying to process what they'd heard. They said police were on the scene within minutes and they never felt like they were personally in danger.
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The Senators behind Graham-Cassidy issued a statement warning that it is not a matter if their deadly legislation replaces Obamacare, but when it will replace Obamacare.
Sens. Graham, Cassidy, Heller, and Johnson issued the following statement:
32 million people are projected to lose their health insurance under Graham-Cassidy. 130 million people with preexisting conditions would see their insurance premiums skyrocket. A study found that 41,600 additional Americans would die each year due to a lack of healthcare coverage under Graham-Cassidy.
Graham-Cassidy is opposed by every sector of the healthcare industry including the insurance companies.
It is a terrible piece of legislation that deserves to die and never be seen again. The Republican statement demonstrates that the GOP is on a mission to destroy the US healthcare system. They dont care what the legislation does or doesnt do. They dont care who they hurt. The goal is to say that they got rid of Obamacare.
Graham-Cassidy is a nightmare, and Senate Republicans arent going to stop until it harms hundreds of millions of Americans.
CALGARY, Alberta, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Questor Technology Inc. (Questor or the Company) (TSX-V:QST) is pleased to announce that Mr. Justin Mahendra has joined Questor as Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Mr. Mahendra has 16 years of technical sales, account management and business development experience including 7 years in waste management within the UK and Europe. Justin has worked the past 9 years in the North American oil and gas sector and has developed a solid background in presenting value to customers and forging key relationships. Justin holds a BSc and, combined with his formal education, offers a professional approach that has earned him widespread respect across the industries that he has served.
Ms. Mascarenhas, President and Chief Executive Officer, welcomes Justin to the Questor team and with his strong, diverse sales and marketing background is confident that he will play a critical role in Questors customer relations, business development and future strategic growth.
ABOUT QUESTOR TECHNOLOGY INC.
Questor is a public, international environmental Cleantech company founded in late 1994 and headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with field offices located in; Grande Prairie, Alberta; Brighton, Colorado; and Brooksville, Florida. The company is active in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia and is focused on clean air technologies that safely and cost effectively improve air quality, support energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reductions.
Questor designs, manufactures and services high efficiency waste gas combustion systems; as well as, power generation systems and water treatment solutions utilizing waste heat. Our proprietary incinerator technology is utilized worldwide in the effective management of Methane, Hydrogen Sulphide gas, Volatile Organic Hydrocarbons, Hazardous Air Pollutants and BTEX gases ensuring sustainable development, community acceptance and regulatory compliance. Questor and its subsidiary, ClearPower Systems are providing solutions for landfill biogas, syngas, waste engine exhaust, geothermal and solar, cement plant waste heat in addition to a wide variety of oil and gas projects in Canada, throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Western Europe, Russia, Thailand, Indonesia and China. With a focus on solid engineering design, our products enable our clients to operate cost effectively in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner.
Questor trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol QST.
Audrey Mascarenhas Dan Zivkusic President and Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer Phone: (403) 571-1530 Phone: (403) 539-4371 Facsimile: (403) 571-1539 Facsimile: (403) 571-1539 Email: amascarenhas@questortech.com Email: dzivkusic@questortech.com
Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, the words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "seek", "propose", "estimate", "expect", and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements with respect to, among other things, business objectives, expected growth, results of operations, performance, business projects and opportunities and financial results. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Companys current views with respect to future events based on certain material factors and assumptions and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, changes in market, competition, governmental or regulatory developments, general economic conditions and other factors set out in the Companys public disclosure documents. Many factors could cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this news release, including without limitation those listed above. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this news release and such forward-looking statements included in, or incorporated by reference in this news release, should not be unduly relied upon. Such statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This document is not intended for dissemination or distribution in the United States.
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The acting head of the Drug Enforcement Agency has resigned over concerns that President Donald Trump does not respect the law.
The New York Times reported:
The acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration will resign at the end of the week, according to law enforcement officials, who said he had become convinced that President Trump had little respect for the law.
The official, Chuck Rosenberg, who twice served as chief of staff to the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey and remains a close confidant, had grown disillusioned with Mr. Trump. The president fired Mr. Comey in May, and then in July told law enforcement officers please dont be too nice when handling crime suspects.
The acting head of an enforcement agency quit because he doesnt think that Trump respects the law. How much more proof does the media, and the rest of the country need before they acknowledge the truth that this president is worse than incompetent. He is corrupt. Trump has no moral compass. He doesnt care about right and wrong, lawful and lawless, or good and bad.
Trump was born rich and believes that the law doesnt apply to him. This attitude has followed him into the presidency, and it is the same mentality that is going to get him kicked out of office.
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Poor Mike Pence. Trumps tantrums over the repeated failed efforts to pass increasingly barbaric versions of Trumpcare, must be getting on his nerves.
So much so that Pence has taken to scaring people with lies about Canadas healthcare system. After all, why would anyone want access to medical treatment when they need it, when one can enjoy the features of Trumpcare: co-pays, being blackballed by insurers because you need medical treatment, worrying about bankruptcy, dreading the prospect of telling your child, sorry we just cant afford the chemo that will save your life.
You know, somewhere in between where Im sitting in Washington, D.C., and Alaska, is a place called Canada. I probably dont need to tell the people in Alaska about the failings of national socialized health care because its right in our neighbour and you see the results every day.
Ok lets start at the beginning. For years, Republicans erroneously described Obamacare as government healthcare. In fact, Obamacare was a Heritage Foundation plan, that Republicans loved until Barack Obama became president. The only thing that changed is a Black, Democrat supported it.
Its a compromise between a purist version of for profit health care and a publically financed system.
For years Republicans have scared people with words like rationing and government run healthcare where all healthcare is owned by the government.
Thats not how the Canadian healthcare system works. Doctors have private practices, while most hospitals are publicly owned. Canadians pay premiums to their provincial insurance provider. Co-pays are minimal usually for certain prescription drugs. Patients can choose their own doctors, and they can choose between generic and name brand prescription drugs. If theres an emergency, there isnt a financial background check before youre admitted for treatment in a hospital. All it takes is having your Health Insurance card.
There are no surprise bills that exceed your income for the next decade.
When it comes to elective treatments, there can be a wait period because medically necessary treatment is prioritized. In short, a person with a heart attack will get treated immediately in an emergency room. You might have to wait for that cosmetic plastic surgery.
But here is where Pence attack gets truly absurd. Canadians live longer and they dont pay as much for quality healthcare.
Based on the World Health Organizations statistics for 2016, the average Canadians life expectancy at birth is 82.2 years. Ours is 79.3 years.
According to the World Bank, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/04/which-countries-have-the-most-cost-effective-healthcare/ the United States is one of the most expensive countries in the world, when it comes to per capita healthcare costs. In 2016, we paid $9,146 per person or 17.1% of our GDP. Canada spent about half that: $4506 according to the OECD.
Ill let Pence in on a little secret. Living longer and doing it less expensively is sort of the goal of a good healthcare system.
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Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating three donations from Americans with ties to Russia to Trump political funds that total $2 million.
According to ABC News, Three Americans with significant Russian business connections contributed almost $2 million to political funds controlled by Donald Trump, ABC News has learned. The timing of contributions coming from US citizens with ties to Russia is now being questioned by investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller, according to a Republican campaign aide interviewed by Muellers team..Those donations began flowing to the Republican National Committee, the group says, just as Trump was on the verge of securing the Republican nomination and culminated in two large gifts totaling $1.25 million from these individuals to the Trump inaugural fund following his victory.
The donations whether they are legal or not go straight to proving both motive and that Russians were bankrolling Trumps presidential campaign. Mueller and his team are closely looking at Trump for obstruction of justice. To recommend a charge of obstruction, the Special Counsel will need to explain why Trump was trying to kill the Russia investigation.
What Mueller is uncovering is that the Russians were more directly involved with the Trump campaign than anyone realized. The Russians were not only trying to sabotage Clinton and assist Trump; they may have been cooperating with and funding the Trump campaign and the Republican Party.
The reason why an outside independent investigation is needed is that it is looking like the Republican Party was compromised.
Mueller is following the money, and it is leading him to a direct Trump/Russia connection.
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Former First Lady Michelle Obama told the audience at the INBOUND conference that any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice.
Obama said:
"Any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton, voted against their own voice," @MichelleObama says of 2016 presidential election. #INBOUND17 Zeninjor Enwemeka (@Zeninjor) September 27, 2017
Looking at how this administration played out, the former first ladys message could be expanded beyond women to include immigrants, persons with disabilities, Hispanics, or anyone who is not a conservative white male. Too many voters were suckered into the media narrative that Trump and Clinton were equally bad when even the most casual common sense examination of the two candidates revealed this not to be true.
Hillary Clinton using a private email server was never equal to Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women. Trumps refusal to release his medical records and tax returns were not the same as the Benghazi conspiracy theory. The media falsely equated them and in the process depressed voter turnout and caused people to tune out on the election.
Michelle Obama was correct. Women and all others who bought the lies that Trump and the Republicans were selling did vote against their own voices. The sense that everything will be fine no matter what that voters felt during the Obama years has been shattered. Donald Trump is the consequence for voting against your own self-interest, or not getting involved.
Something tells me that millions of Americans wont make the same mistake again in 2018 and 2020.
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Republicans and Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have launched an investigation into HHS Secretary Tom Prices use of private jets at taxpayer expense.
Here is the letter signed by both Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD):
With Obamacare repeal dead, the Russia special counsel closing in on him, and his tax plan under fire, the last thing Trump needed was another Congressional investigation into his administration. Price is in hot water for taking dozens of private charter flights that cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars where there were cheaper commercial flights available.
The culture of waste and abuse of taxpayer funds starts at the top of this administration. Tom Price and other officials are taking their cues from Donald Trump. The President has already bankrupted the Secret Service for the year, and Trump has spent more on vacations than Obama cost taxpayers in eight years.
When a president and his family waste taxpayer funds with as much reckless abandon as the Trumps, it isnt a shock when the rest of the administration follows along with the tone that the first family has set.
Congress should start with a crackdown on abuse of funds by administration officials, but they should also take on the epicenter of misuse known as Donald Trump.
Trump tried to pull his usual stunt of claiming that he isnt happy while throwing Price under the bus, but no one should be surprised when an administration with no ethics does unethical things.
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By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON (Reuters) A U.S. House committee investigating whether Russia has tried to influence U.S. public opinion on fossil fuels asked Facebook , Twitter and Alphabet on Wednesday to turn over information about Russian entities that may have bought anti-fracking advertisements.
House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican and climate change denier, asked the CEOs of the technology companies to turn over documents by Oct. 10 that detail the involvement of Russian-based or funded entities detected on their platforms, information on ads they purchased, and any communications concerning ads advocating for so-called green initiatives.
Smith and the Republicans on the committee that oversees U.S. scientific agencies have targeted mainstream climate change scientists, questioning their integrity and calling for eliminating federal funding for climate research. They have also accused environmental groups of colluding with Russians to push for regulations to curb fossil fuel extraction.
The committee is concerned that divisive social media and political messages conveyed through social media have negatively affected certain energy sectors, which can depress research and development in the fossil fuel sector and expanding potential for natural gas, Smith wrote in letters to the CEOs.
The committee, which oversees U.S. scientific agencies, believes such anti-fracking ads reflect the Russian governments concern about the impact of fracking on the global energy market and potential challenges to profitability of Russian energy companies, the letter said.
The letter says Russias meddling in the U.S. energy market has been well documented in the public domain and seeks information similar to what Facebook is providing to the U.S. Senate about anti-immigration propaganda and advertising.
Both parties in Washington have been stepping up scrutiny of major internet firms, and considering whether to create new disclosure rules for online political ads after Facebook revealed this month that suspected Russian trolls purchased more than $100,000 worth of divisive ads on its platform during the 2016 election cycle.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations is probing whether President Donald Trumps campaign colluded with Russia to influence the election. Trump and officials from the campaign have said there was no collusion.
Smith is dismissive of local and national protests that have emerged around the country objecting to the process of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing to extract oil and gas because of its affect on water quality, as well as the construction of pipelines to transport fracked oil and gas.
(Reporting By Valerie Volcovici; Editing by David Gregorio)
Charleston, SC (29403)
Today
Cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low 53F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..
Tonight
Cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low 53F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Adam Parker has covered many beats and topics for The Post and Courier, including race and history, religion, and the arts. He is the author of "Outside Agitator: The Civil Rights Struggle of Cleveland Sellers Jr.," published by Hub City Press.
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TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Symbol: (TSX:XCR) (TSX:XGR) (TSX:XGC) (TSX:XAL) (TSX:XBZ) (TSX:CBQ) (TSX:CBQ.A)
BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (BlackRock Canada), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (BlackRock) (NYSE:BLK) today announces additional information regarding the termination of the following funds (collectively, the Terminating Funds) that was announced on June 30, 2017.
Fund Name Ticker iShares Conservative Core Portfolio Builder Fund XCR iShares Growth Core Portfolio Builder Fund XGR iShares Global Completion Portfolio Builder Fund XGC iShares Alternatives Completion Portfolio Builder Fund XAL iShares MSCI Brazil Index ETF XBZ iShares BRIC Index ETF CBQ, CBQ.A
The common units and advisor class units of the Terminating Funds, as applicable, were delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange on September 20, 2017. The termination proceeds of each of the Terminating Funds was determined on September 27, 2017. The termination proceeds per unit of each of the Terminating Funds are as follows:
Fund Name
Ticker
Final Proceeds of
Termination per Unit iShares Conservative Core Portfolio Builder Fund XCR $ 23.35529 iShares Growth Core Portfolio Builder Fund XGR $ 28.02788 iShares Global Completion Portfolio Builder Fund XGC $ 30.42603 iShares Alternatives Completion Portfolio Builder Fund XAL $ 28.17802 iShares MSCI Brazil Index ETF XBZ $ 14.67228 iShares BRIC Index ETF CBQ $ 26.20297 CBQ.A $ 26.18438
Each unitholder will receive the final proceeds of termination per unit as disclosed above on or about September 27, 2017. Following these payments with respect to a Terminating Fund, such Terminating Fund will be dissolved.
About BlackRock
BlackRock is a global leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services for institutional and retail clients. At June 30, 2017, BlackRocks AUM was US$5.7 trillion. BlackRock helps clients around the world meet their goals and overcome challenges with a range of products that include separate accounts, mutual funds, iShares (exchange-traded funds), and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock also offers risk management, advisory and enterprise investment system services to a broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock Solutions. As of June 30, 2017, the firm had approximately 13,000 employees in more than 30 countries and a major presence in global markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East and Africa. For additional information, please visit the Companys website at www.blackrock.com/ca | Twitter: @BlackRockCA | Blog: www.blackrockblog.com/can
About iShares
iShares is a global leader in ETFs, with more than a decade of expertise and commitment to individual and institutional investors of all sizes. With over 700 funds globally across multiple asset classes and strategies and more than US$1.5 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2017, iShares helps clients around the world build the core of their portfolios, meet specific investment goals and implement market views. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock, trusted to manage more money than any other investment firm1.
iShares ETFs are managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares ETFs. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional.
MSCI and EAFE are trademarks of MSCI, Inc. (MSCI). XBZ, XEC, XEF, XEH, XEM, XEU, XFC, XFI, XFF, XFS, XFA, XIN, XMI, XML, XMM, XMS, XMU, XMV, XMW, XMY, XWD, XAW, XFH, XDIV, XDU, XDUH, XDG and XDGH are permitted to use the MSCI mark and, as applicable, the EAFE mark pursuant to a license agreement between MSCI and BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A., relating to, among other things, the license granted to BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. to use the indices. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. has sublicensed the use of these trademarks to BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. XBZ, XEC, XEF, XEH, XEM, XEU, XFC, XFI, XFF, XFS, XFA, XIN, XMI, XML, XMM, XMS, XMU, XMV, XMW, XMY, XWD, XAW, XFH, XDIV, XDU, XDUH, XDG and XDGH are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI and MSCI makes no representation, condition or warranty regarding the advisability of investing in XBZ, XEC, XEF, XEH, XEM, XEU, XFC, XFI, XFF, XFS, XFA, XIN, XMI, XML, XMM, XMS, XMU, XMV, XMW, XMY, XWD, XAW, XFH, XDIV, XDU, XDUH, XDG and XDGH.
BNY Mellon, BNY Mellon BRIC Select ADR Index and BNY Mellon BRIC Select ADR Index CAD Hedged are service marks of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation or its subsidiaries, affiliates or group companies (BNY Mellon) and have been licensed for use by BlackRock for use with certain iShares funds. BNY Mellon provides no advice nor recommendations regarding products based on any index licensed by BNY Mellon, including the iShares funds and none of the iShares funds are sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by BNY Mellon, or its respective affiliates, or third party licensors, and BNY Mellon makes no representation, warranty, or condition regarding the advisability of buying, selling, or holding units in the iShares funds and does not accept any liability in relation to their issue, operation and trading.
2017 BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BlackRock, Inc., or its subsidiaries in the United States and elsewhere. Used with permission.
_________________
1 Based on US$5.7 trillion in AUM as of 6/30/17
Contact for Media:
Maeve Hannigan
T 416-643-4058
C 416-564-1540
Email: Maeve.Hannigan@blackrock.com
This solid low level radioactive waste is put in containers that are sealed and placed in open trenches and then covered in dirt at the Savannah River Site but unlike in previous decades scientists have limited the waste to radioactive materials in which the radiation decays relatively rapidly and would be harmless before it might drift away with ground water. Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Michael Pronzato/Staff
The first family reunion to include African Americans was held in 2006. Since then, Middleton Place organizes a reunion every five years or so. It's part of an effort to focus more on the Black experience on Charleston's old rice plantations. Read moreMiddleton Place holds large family reunion, bring together Black and White
SC Attorney General Alan Wilson is challenging the CDC's recommendations on COVID vaccinations for kids. They have no force of law, so this is no different than the left trying to enforce its woke orthodoxy. Read moreEditorial: Alan Wilson should stick to the law, stop trying to silence opinions he dislikes
Oncologist-turned-HIV researcher Dr. Paul Volberding, a member of the Mayo High School Class of 1967, will speak tonight in Rochester before his alma mater's 50th anniversary event.
Volberding was on the front line of early attempts to study HIV/AIDS and remains a prominent figure in that research community. Next month, he will receive the University of Minnesota's Distinguished Alumni Award for his global work in health care.
His Medical Grand Rounds Lecture in the Geffen Auditorium tonight will not be open to the general public, but in lieu of sneaking in, here are some of his insights into HIV/AIDS research 30 years after its discovery. His answers have been edited for length.
How did you go from oncology to HIV research?
When I was in high school, I had a great biology teacher who noticed that I had some talent and suggested that I go to St. Olaf's college for a national science foundation camp, summer of science thing. I went and really fell in love with the idea of growing viruses.
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At the time, there was the thought this was in Nixon's war on cancer that viruses would be found to be the cause of common human cancers, and so a lot of people studying viruses did so with a background in oncology.
Literally on my first day (at the San Francisco general hospital), I saw the first patient with Kaposi Sarcoma, who had been admitted to the hospital. That was the very, very beginnings of the AIDS epidemic. And almost 50 percent of people in San Francisco had cancer as their presenting problem. So as an oncologist, there was plenty for me to do, and then when the virus was discovered to be the same type of virus I'd worked with all the way through med school and my fellowship, it made perfect sense for me to not just take care of the AIDS cancers, but to get really involved in finding treatments.
What has changed about HIV and AIDS in the 30-or-so years since you started your work on the disease?
The early days were really exciting really terrifying and exciting because we learned so much so fast. I never imagined really having that opportunity. But horrifying because we had absolutely nothing to prevent the progression and death from the disease.
HIV without treatment is the most deadly infection in the history of the world. Ninety-eight percent of people die without treatment, compared to Ebola, which is 25 to 40 percent.
In a 1991 Post Bulletin article, you said an HIV vaccine was needed. Is that still a goal?
1991 was really almost at the worst part of the epidemic, when the numbers were still exploding, and we didn't have any effective treatments. I think we're doing a great job with making these drugs available in resource-limited settings. They're great for the treatment; they're great for prevention, but there's always the concern that even with the billions of dollars that we're spending, only 50 percent of the people are being treated in Africa. And at a time when there's a rise in nationalism and a concern about how the U.S. should be spending its money abroad, there's always a threat that with a rise in that kind of mentality, that if anything, we'll decrease our investment, not increase it.
So still, the frightening thought of the U.S. pulling back from its commitments makes us freshly interested in coming up with a vaccine. The problem has been and it's really not a whole lot different than it was in 1990 we're up against a real challenge because the virus is so it's almost as though it's designed to escape a vaccine. It mutates quickly if you put a vaccine in its way, it changes its structure so it evades the immune system.
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What's a common misconception about HIV/AIDS?
I'm sure there are a lot, but one of the ones is that people think HIV has already gone away. In 1991, when I was at the clinic, it was still in the news all the time, and everyone knew about it; everyone was worried. Now, because it's really turned into a chronic disease, we think people can live a normal lifespan with HIV, with current treatments. It is just not as compelling a public discussion as it used to be.
What's the next step in fighting HIV?
In terms of HIV, I think the question that comes up now is, there's probably not many people who are going to make an academic career, you know, starting now, just taking care of AIDS patients in the United States. The job has been largely done. But I think there's still a challenge in developing better systems of care, especially in resource-limited settings like Africa.
I think there's basic science still to learn about relevant information for vaccines. There's a lot of excitement about finding a cure. We were able to find a cure for the Hepatitis C virus, and it now is amazingly easy. We can now cure almost 100 percent of patients with one pill a day for eight to 12 weeks. So we would love to be able to do that for HIV, and that's an area where there's still a lot of excitement.
CALGARY, Alberta, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Madalena Energy Inc. ("Madalena" or the "Company") (TSXV:MVN) (OTCQX:MDLNF) announces today the resignation of KPMG LLP (the "Former Auditor") as auditor of the Company and the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP (the "Successor Auditor") of Calgary, Alberta as auditor for the Company effective September 27, 2017 until the close of the next annual general meeting of the shareholders of the Company.
There were no reservations in the Former Auditors reports in connection with the financial statements of the Company since the Former Auditors appointment; and any periods subsequent for which an audit report was issued and preceding the effective date of expiry of the Former Auditors term of office.
The Company confirms that there have been no reportable events as defined in the National Instrument 51-102 and, in its opinion, there are no reportable events pending.
The Company and the Board of Directors would like to extend their thanks to KPMG LLP for their auditing services to date.
About Madalena Energy
Madalena is an independent, Canadian head-quartered Argentina upstream oil and gas company with operations in four provinces of Argentina where it is focused on the delineation of unconventional resources in the Vaca Muerta shale, Lower Agrio shale and Loma Montosa oil plays. The Company is implementing horizontal drilling and completions technology to develop both its conventional and resource plays.
Madalena trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol MVN and on the OTCQX under the symbol MDLNF.
For further information please contact:
Jose David Penafiel
Chief Executive Officer
E-mail: jpenafiel@madalenaenergy.com
Phone: (403) 262-1901
Ezequiel Martinez Ariet
Chief Financial Officer
E-mail: ezequielariet@madalenaenergy.com
Phone: (403) 262-1901
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Benchmark Electronics has signed a deal to design, make and sell new wireless "patches" to monitor patients' vital signs.
The whole project, to be based at Rochester's Benchmark facility, will run as "a startup company within a company."
The Texas-based Benchmark, which also has Minnesota plants in Winona and Arden Hills, has operated in Rochester at 3535 Technology Drive NW since it acquired Pemstar Inc. in 2007.
Mark Troutman, Benchmark's vice president of design engineering, explains that a health care product license agreement with wireless technology giant Qualcomm Inc. is what is driving this new project.
"We'll be connected at the hip with Qualcomm through all of this," he said.
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Qualcomm, through its subsidiary Qualcomm Life, created and licensed a general design of single-use biometric patches to track people's vital signs.
These patches will transmit data via Qualcomm's cloud-based network called 2net. The network already is approved for medical use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and meets all the privacy requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Benchmark's job now is to design a patch, get it approved by the FDA, manufacture it and then start selling it. The goal is to get the medical monitoring patch on the market in 2018.
"This is a new space for Benchmark. It will break new ground for us," said Troutman.
Benchmark is a contract manufacturer that designs and makes devices and machines for other companies.
While making something for itself is new for Benchmark, designing and manufacturing medical devices is not. Benchmark makes many such things, including the Resoundant imaging device for a Rochester-based Mayo Clinic spin-off company.
"Half of what my design team does is medical devices," said Troutman. "We're just doing this one for ourselves."
Troutman has 160 people on his team that are spread across the Rochester, Winona and Arden Hill facilities. He anticipates adding "a handful" of new jobs to help with this new patch project.
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Benchmark has about 1,000 employees in the manufacturing division split between Rochester and Winona.
This new startup could lead to more jobs in Rochester, if everything goes well.
However, there is a lot of competition within the multibillion-dollar race for the best wireless monitoring device, including the Rochester-based Preventice Solution's BodyGuardian Remote Monitoring System.
WABASHA With 88 alternative solutions on the agenda, stakeholders in the fight against the preliminary 40-year dredging plan for Lower Pool 4 of the Upper Mississippi River worked Tuesday to winnow that down to a manageable handful of options.
"Some of these are longshots at best," said Wabasha City Administrator Chad Springer, who led that meeting to review options to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering dredge material management plan. "Our goal is to narrow this down, ask some questions and get more information if we need to and come back in a week."
With an estimated 11 million cubic yards of dredge material to be taken from the river to keep the 9-foot navigation channel open over the 40-year life of the plan, one of the goals of the meeting was to find places for storage or uses for the sand and silt that did not involve acquiring farmland through eminent domain. The other goal, especially for the city, was to find an alternative to running 200 trucks of sand a day from a transfer site behind the residential area at River Drive South.
Springer said the plan for the group was to return in a week and look at some of the options that made the initial cut in greater detail regarding their capacity to take volumes of dredge material, their feasibility regarding state and federal regulations, and cost. The group included landowners affected by the Corps' draft plan that was sent to landowners back in May, Minnesota Reps. Barb Haley and Steve Drazkowski, representatives from Wabasha County and city of Wabasha staff, and experts in areas of dredging and barge transportation.
The group will meet again on Oct. 5 to come up with a list of plans that will be presented to the Corps on Oct. 10, Springer said.
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The list of alternative options came from public comments submitted during the plan's public comment period that ran from May 10 to Aug. 25. More than 500 calls, letters, emails and other statements were received by the Corps during that time. From the list, several options emerged. They include:
A patchwork of smaller storage sites: Wabasha County Administrator Michael Plante said he has found a list of smaller sites, including old quarries and pieces of private and public land that have more than enough capacity to hold all the dredge material. The initial proposed plan calls for acquiring 298 acres of farmland near Kellogg from Willard Drysdale and 172 acres from a pair of Wisconsin farmers as permanent storage.
"We've identified about 400 acres," Plante said. "Admittedly, some of that has wetlands. But certainly there is some land they should at least consider."
Overall, the city and county have identified many quarry pits that were ignored as part of the initial dredging plan. "There's a lot of existing pit capacity, not only here but in neighboring communities," Springer said. "With all the pieces we've looked at, we can get to 11 million (cubic yards)."
Industrial uses: Analysis of the sand shows that around 40 percent would be classified as frac sand. Drazkowski said frac sand comes with different pressure strengths, and the sand pulled up during dredging is more suited to the fracking fields in Canada. He added that a company in Pennsylvania has contacted him about using the sand for a variety of commercial uses.
Barging the sand: Several suggestions came in for moving the sand via river barge to places where it would be either permanently stored or used for a variety of purposes. One suggestion was to barge the sand to Winona, where it would be placed in a 160-acre quarry. A second series of suggestions was to ship the sand via barge to the Gulf Coast near Louisiana and Mississippi for Gulf Coast restoration projects.
"That's one that should stay on the table," said Chuck Dillerud, an expert in barging who has helped the city and county with those proposals. Dillerud said that while the distance might seem excessive, companies working on restoration efforts such as building sandbars and reefs in the Gulf of Mexico are currently paying by the ton for sand. "This one could make some sense."
Beneficial use: From using the sand on icy roads during Minnesota winters to creating wetland areas along the river or beaches along Lake Pepin, Springer said there are several uses that should be considered for the future and some that, frankly, the Corps should be doing already.
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"These are ones they should already be doing," Springer said, referring to the icy roads suggestion and the shoreline restoration.
Haley said a proposed stormwater project in Lake City will come up for bonding in the next legislative session. That project could use 1.5 million cubic yards of sand.
"That's a bonding proposal I'd vote for," said Drazkowski.
ST. PAUL Immigration attorneys in Minnesota are preparing for President Trump's third travel ban, the latest of which could affect the state's large Somali population.
The ban, announced Sunday, affects people from Somalia, Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. It's set to take effect Oct. 18, and immigration restrictions vary depending on the country.
On Monday, immigration attorneys across Minnesota were reviewing their client lists to figure out who will be affected by the new travel ban.
One attorney, Marc Prokosch, said 28 of his clients are from affected countries, and the majority of them were in the process of sponsoring family members from Somalia. Under the new travel ban, families won't be able to sponsor relatives from Somalia for green cards.
Prokosch said most of his clients won't be able to enter the U.S. before the ban takes effect the lone exception is an 11-year-old boy who just got his visa and is set to arrive here before Oct. 18.
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Immigration lawyers say despite the addition of North Korea and Venezuela, they still consider the proclamation a ban on Muslims.
"I'm assuming that at some point, somebody is going to challenge this in federal court," Prokosch said. "We may end up having some or all, or maybe just a single person challenge this in federal court the way that the previous travel bans were challenged in federal court."
Trump's latest travel ban makes clear that people who already hold green cards may enter, and it also lists the types of visas that will be banned from each country.
For example, it's a blanket ban on people from Syria, Somalia and North Korea. But some of those from Libya and Yemen can enter the country, depending on the type of visa they hold.
For Venezuela, government officials and their families aren't allowed to enter the United States, but others can.
Some immigration lawyers are trying to speed up the green card sponsorship process. But because it's a long and drawn-out process to begin with, it's unlikely many people will be able to beat the Oct. 18 deadline.
Last month the New York Post reported that Attorney General Sessions was reviewing a highly developed form of corruption of the Obama administrations Department of Justice. The Post report followed up on Ian Masons exclusive for Breitbart. Masons account made clear that Attorney General Sessions has already ordered a halt to the practice going forward Mason posted the Attorney Generals June 5 memo on Scribd.
The Post report emphasized the seeds planted by Obamas DoJ and the questionable legality of the practice: Attorney General Jeff Sessions is investigating up to $6 billion in legal settlement money that the Obama administration steered toward progressive causes and allies in left-wing advocacy groups.Former Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch regularly arranged for major corporations to make large donations to left-leaning groups like UnidosUS formerly the National Council of La Raza and NeighborWorks America during settlement negotiations to end banking, environmental, civil-rights, and other federal lawsuits.
The Post also noted the questionable legality of the payouts insofar as the groups getting the money were not victims in the cases or parties to the lawsuits, and Republicans say they had no proper claim to the cash.
Paul Sperry followed up this past Sunday in the New York Post column How Obama is funding the anti-Trump resistance. Sperrys column makes a valuable contribution to understanding the forces against which the Trump administration is now contending.
Climate change alarmists portray a catastrophic rise in sea level as one of the chief dangers of global warming. They draw pictures of the Statue of Liberty up to her chest in water, and so on. I doubt whether many people actually believe these dire predictions, however. If they did, prices for oceanfront property would be collapsing. That isnt happening, which suggests that a lot of people pay lip service to global warming hysteria who dont actually think it has any scientific basis.
If they dont believe it, theyre right. Here, as in so many instances, global warming alarmism is built on a skinny foundation of truth. Sea level is indeed rising, as it has been for something like 15,000 years, since the end of the last Ice Age. At one time, sea level rose rapidly, as the giant glaciers that covered most of the Northern Hemisphere melted. For the last 6,000 years, the melting and consequent sea level rise has been relatively constant and modest:
At The Week That Was, SEPP comments:
Geophysicist Dennis Hadke compared the claim of drastic sea level rise with what is actually occurring in ten coastal cities with long and reliable records of rise (from tidal gages). He calculates linear fits, regression lines, for each of the ten cities. Not surprisingly for TWTW readers, he finds: There has been no dramatic and consistent sea-level rise in the past century, and projections show no dramatic rise is likely to occur in the coming century. There is no correlation between CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere and sea-level rise. The work of Hadke concurs with retired NASA meteorologist Thomas Wysmuller discussed in the January 28 TWTW. Wysmuller explored the correlation between CO2 and sea level rise and found no measurable linkage between Sea Level and CO2. As Wysmuller stated: For the past 2,000 years, Sea Level rise was unchangingly linear, increasing between 1 & 1.5 mm/yr. The maximum rise is about 6 inches per century. This has continued for the past 135 years, even though CO2 concentrations have increased by 38%.
It must be remembered that in addition to the ocean rising graduallyvery graduallyas ice continues to melt, slowly, the Earth also subsides. But subsidence is local, depending on soil conditions in a particular place. Cities that are built partly on landfills, like Miami, are especially likely to sink. When you read in the newspapers about alarming conditions caused by rapidly rising sea levels, it is almost certain that what is mostly happening is that the land is subsiding.
So, unless the prices paid for beach properties suddenly plummet, you can be confident that hysteria over rising sea levels is just one aspect of financially-motivated global warming hysteria.
One last thing about the Statue of Liberty sinking beneath the waves, a common theme on the left: every now and then, we encounter a meme that is so stupid that we cant let it pass. Like this one:
This meme is a collectors item because it is dumb on multiple levels. First, there is no prospect of the sea overtaking the Statue of Liberty; not in the next few millennia, anyway, and by then we may be well into the next Ice Age, with sea level falling once again.
Second, the claim that there [arent] any gun background checks is idiotic. Millions of such background checks are done every year. I myself have gone through five of them. Whoever wrote this has no idea what he is talking about.
And finally, the meme is a non sequitur. There is zero relationship between rising sea levels and gun laws. There is, in other words, no point to the point. It is typical of global warming hysteria that it causes liberals to argue really, really badly.
Rarely has an intelligence apparatus engaged in systematic lyingand chronic deceit about its lyingboth during and even after its tenure, writes Victor Davis Hanson. Yet the Obama Administrations four top security and intelligence officials time and again engaged in untruth, as if peddling lies was part of their job descriptions. In his column A lying quartet, Dr. Hanson indicts Susan Rice, James Comey, John Brennan and James Clapper for lying in high office above and beyond the call of partisan duty.
Dr. Hanson hits the high points of the series of whoppers retailed to the American public by this deeply unsavory crew. I particularly appreciate his reaching back to recall Brennans farcical reassurance that jihad was a legitimate tenet of Islam, meaning to purify oneself or ones community. Dr. Hanson responds: Tell that to the incinerated victims of self-proclaimed jihadist Mohammed Atta or those beheaded by ISIS. Yes, if only Hillary Clinton had prevailed over Donald Trump, Brennan would be in position to vouch for the bona fides of Hamas and Hezbollah in their quest for self-improvement.
Dr. Hanson optimistically asserts that these patronizing liars have been orphaned and discredited. Yet they are still called on to pass judgment on the Trump administration as though they speak with Olympian detachment. Nevertheless, writing from his background as a classicist and military historian, Dr. Hanson delivers the kind of catharsis that Aristotle found in Greek tragedy.
Estimados amigos,
Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.
Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.
Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.
There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.
You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.
No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.
Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.
Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.
Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.
History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.
If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
The Latin American linear pay television industry is gathering once again in Buenos Aires at Jornadas this month, and, as usual in recent times, there are more questions than answers. The rub is that the questions are different from those asked, say, three years ago, when Netflix was the major foe and the cable operators requested the pan regional networks to extend their programming rights beyond the 12- to 18-month usual time period.
Today Netflix is a sort of uneasy friend that keeps the customers tuned into the cable operator's network, while the programmers are thinking that maybe they stretched themselves a bit too far by adding so many channels in the past. After all, pay television's Second Commandment ("You shall offer more programming choices") might have its boundaries, as worldwide supermarkets have found when displaying a large number of brands of the same merchandise.
So, the cable operator's attention has been diverted to the fact that the LatAm business is currently controlled by four telcos (America Movil, Spanish Telefonica, AT&T and Millicom) and a fifth group is on the rise through the merger of Argentine Cablevision and local telco Telecom Argentina. This company was founded decades ago by Telecom Italia and France Telecom with local group Werthein, is now controlled by Mexican tycoon David Martinez, who also held a 40% stake in Cablevision prior to this company being spun-off Grupo Clarin a couple of months ago.
A look at the other major LatAm markets suggests this is not a lonely Argentine affair: in Mexico, America Movil's Eng. Carlos Slim has been battling for years to obtain a permit to enter the TV field. In Brazil, the government is blocking AT&T's purchase of Time-Warner because Brasilia has made a cause out of now allowing programmers to be distributors, a rather futile obsession in times of YouTube and Amazon. At the same time, Brazil is witnessing the demise of Oi, President Lula da Silva's flagship telco years ago, when he --albeit temporarily-- stopped Telefonica from buying GVT, a feat the Spaniards accomplished later. In Argentina, Telefonica and America Movil complain that, due to deregulation timing, Cablevision/Telecom and the other cable operators will be able to deliver wireline and mobile telephony prior to these telcos being allowed to enter the linear television business. This timing hitch cannot mean a lot to local video competition, since the telcos have been delivering SVOD for years, without a significant dent on Netflix's market share.
Compounding all this, several LatAm governments are racing to tax the OTT newcomers. Brazil first, Argentina and Uruguay a bit later have heralded they will apply levies on the intruders, claiming they provide no local jobs, pay no local taxes. While Netflix officially stands by it commitment to pay all the applicable taxes in every country where it operates, local analysts suggest that the OTT price gap against linear pay TV (say, $10-12 vs. $60-80 per month) will hardly move cord-cutters and never-cutters to return to the traditional consumption mode if a sales or VAT tax is imposed on video streaming. This, even when they have to subscribe to more than one OTT service in order to fulfill their programming choice needs.
Agata Kornauser-Duda, the wife of Polish President Andrzej Duda, on Wednesday addressed an awards gala for employers, institutions and individuals who support the employment of people with disabilities.
The competition for those who assist people with disabilities in finding work, called "Lodolamacze (Ice-breakers)", was held under Kornhauser-Duda's auspices for the third time.
It is addressed to disability-friendly employers as well as to activists and journalists who foster a climate where it becomes easier for people with disabilities to find a job.
At this year's final awards gala at Warsaw's Royal Castle on Wednesday, the presidential wife thanked them all, particularly the employers, pointing out that while educational possibilities were numerous, it was still difficult for people with disabilities to have professional careers.
Agata Kornhauser-Duda praised the laureates, saying "you have proved, ladies and gentlemen, that disability in no way prevents people from enjoying success in their social and professional lives". (PAP)
UPPER PITTSGROVE TOWNSHIP Memorial signs for John R. Elliot have been posted on a portion of Route 40 in Salem County where the 22-year-old Navy ensign was killed in a head-on crash 17 years ago.
On July 21, The Hero Campaign held a re-dedication ceremony to the renovated stone memorial. Elliots family, including his parents Bill and Muriel, spoke about how the HERO Campaign has grown over the years, from a local initiative to a nonprofit organization with several national partners.
The HERO Campaign promotes safe driving and the use of a designated driver. John Elliott, of Egg Harbor Township, was killed during a head-on collision with a drunken driver in the early morning of July 22, 2000.
The section between milepost 15.4 and 15.5, known as the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign Way, now has two road signs featuring the memorial highways name, as well as the logo for the HERO Campaign.
State legislation was submitted in May for the highway dedication and was sponsored by state Senate President Steve Sweeney and the late state Sen. Jim Whelan.
MARGATE Residents on Tuesday told the Board of Commissioners they want the Army Corps of Engineers off their beach by spring, and city officials said they should be gone by May, after which the city would be responsible for its new beach drainage system.
Hurricanes off the Jersey coast have delayed the Absecon Island beach and dune project and the dredge was sent to safe harbor, an Army Corps official said last week.
Spokesman Stephen Rochette was unavailable for comment because he has been deployed to Florida in response to Hurricane Jose. However, Margate City Administrator Richard Deaney said he believes the dredge could be back in operation by the weekend.
Quincy Avenue resident John Gottlieb said equipment sitting on the top of the dune has been nonoperational for about three weeks.
My worry is they are not going to finish the project. We either have to let them finish the project so we dont go into next year or stop the project and not have it done at all, he said. We cant go to next year. Its cost the city and individuals an enormous amount of money.
Residents said they wanted the entire project, including installation of outfall pipes that allow storm water to flow to the beach, finished by May, so they do not have to endure another summer without access to their beach.
Joses high tides not the only danger on Margates beach MARGATE As Tropical Storm Jose churned up the ocean, dangerous conditions persisted on the beach, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been implementing Gov. Chris Christies order to build one contiguous sand dune along the entire New Jersey coastline.
There are things going on behind the scenes that we cant announce publicly just yet, Mayor Michael Becker said, assuring residents the project has to be done by May.
The Army Corps has agreed to design, construct and fund an alternative beach drainage system at the governments expense. In return, Margate will withdraw its lawsuit against the state and federal government.
Becker said the project includes installing a lateral pipe across the entirety of Margates beach bulkhead, with five 48-inch outfall pipes that will drain storm water to the ocean. A precast concrete inlet will collect storm water at existing street-end scuppers. The outfalls will be located at Brunswick, Granville, Lancaster and Vendome avenues, in addition to the one that already exists at Monroe Avenue. They will be completely covered by the dune and berm system, he said.
Realtor Larry Campbell was optimistic that the real estate market would remain strong in Margate as it has for several years, despite a dip in sales and rentals this summer as a result of the dune project.
2017 is pretty much over, but not 2018. We need to get some kind of negotiated off-the-beach-day thats legally binding, he said.
Lynn Gottlieb, who said she depends on rentals to finance her home and pay her taxes, said the city should be vigilant in pressing for the projects completion.
Army Corps agrees to install drainage pipes under dune in Margate MARGATE The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to install a drainage pipe system under the new sand dune in Margate, according to a consent order.
Use every bit of leverage you have to get them off the beach," she said.
She also asked the commissioners to hold out until they make the drainage system as aesthetically pleasing as possible.
Daniel Gottlieb, executive director of Margate Citizens Questioning the Beach Project, asked whether the city would be signing a hold harmless agreement with the state or Army Corps in exchange for getting a drainage system installed.
I have a sneaking suspicion, and I would hate to be right, that the other side has grave concerns about the project, and I dont know what they are. If they are asking you to hold them harmless for an extended period of time, that concerns me, he said.
Ventnor Wawa on Dorset Avenue closes for good VENTNOR Starting Friday, there will be one less place to get a good cup of coffee in Ventnor.
Commissioner John Amodeo said no such proposal has been discussed.
We will have to accept whatever they put on the beach for operations and maintenance," he said. "There is a cost associated with it after installation but we will now be able to schedule maintenance in the offseason.
Becker said the city would sign a modified state aid agreement and that everyone in Margate will be happy with it.
Solicitor John Scott Abbott said Superior Court Judge Julio Mendez has maintained oversight of the case and he will be getting periodic reports about the progress being made, but once the drainage system is built, it becomes Margates responsibility.
Ten years from now, we cant call up the Army Corps and say come down and fix one of your broken pipes. However, we always have the option to go back to court, he said.
Deaney said the state and Army Corps are finally doing what they should have done five years ago, and that the city should give them the opportunity to allow it to work. He said city engineers believe the system will work.
Barclay Avenue resident Michael Fishbein said the city should require the Army Corps to stand by whatever they do.
Ventnor to clarify citys intent with vehicles on the beach ordinance VENTNOR City officials want local anglers who participate in the annual Absecon Island Surf Fishing Derby to know that, as in the past, they will not be charged a second fee to drive their vehicles on the beach during derby season, which ends on Dec. 3.
What if the new system doesnt work? If you do require they stand behind it in some enforceable fashion, at least you could go back to court to get the Army Corps to come back and fix this, he said.
Following a negotiation session Wednesday morning, Deaney said the commission should approve a drainage agreement within weeks.
It will be a formal partnership between the state and us to take care of the system, Deaney said. We will have day-to-day responsibility for maintaining the system, which may be no harder than we have had digging trenches. We will reach a general understanding, and it will be put into writing.
Deaney said, however, that at no time has the city ever discussed a financial arrangement on beach replenishment.
We wont sign anything regarding replenishment, he said.
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP A 16-year-old Absegami High School student was arrested and charged Wednesday morning after bringing an imitation handgun to school, police Chief Donna Higbee said.
At 9:05 a.m., police responded to the high school for a report of a student brandishing a handgun at another student. According to police, Absegami staff placed the school into a shelter in place. Surrounding elementary schools also were designated shelters in place as a precaution until the high school was deemed safe by authorities.
Officers apprehended the suspect, a male student whom police identified by the initials J.E., and found the weapon in his backpack.
Higbee said the officers determined the weapon was an imitation handgun and was not capable of firing ammunition.
J.E. was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon inside an educational institution and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose inside an educational institution. He also was charged with disorderly conduct and harassment/causing alarm.
J.E. was processed and released, pending a court date.
The incident occurred almost exactly one year after a loaded .38-caliber handgun was found under the bleachers on school grounds. A 15-year-old Galloway Township boy was arrested and charged with weapons violations in the Sept. 23, 2016, incident.
GALLOWAY Students at Stockton University voiced their opinions Tuesday about the fate of the bust of Richard Stockton removed from the campus library.
A forum hosted by the Student Senate was to serve as a constructive outlet and to create vital conversations to give participants the opportunity to share their perspective, according to the events Facebook page.
The meeting began with a historical presentation by Dean of the School of General Studies Robert Gregg, explaining many points about Richard Stockton and his history that are still questioned by those who study history.
Gregg explained that although Stockton signed the Declaration of Independence, he was a known slave owner, bequeathing his slaves to his wife in his will, and also is believed to have signed a letter of allegiance to King George of England in December 1776.
Vice President and Provost Lori A. Vermeulen told the group that currently, a steering committee of faculty, staff and students is taking all opinions into consideration.
The first student to take the podium during the open forum, senior political science major Jake Harris, spoke about the incident two weeks ago when unauthorized flyers and stickers for the white supremacist group Identity Evropa were placed around campus ago, and well as the attention the busts removal garnered.
I think the university has to take the utmost caution and care, in whatever moves going forward, towards the legacy of Richard Stockton, said Harris.
The universitys temporary removal of the bust, which had been in the library, gained attention from national and international news websites, including the UKs Daily Mail and Brietbart.
Am I saying the university needs to back down from assuming moral courage to go forth, no. But I am saying, without taking the utmost for the safety and concern of the students the university would be foolish to do that.
Mahalia Bazile, president of Stocktons Unified Black Student Society, didnt plan to speak at the forum and had prepared for the worst, but wanted to share her opinion.
I understand that a lot of people got up here and spoke about how the exhibit is meant to show a whole, encompassing picture of Richard Stockton, said Bazile. Weve heard a lot of the bad, the bad, the bad. Someone who spoke before me said it the best: Does one bad outweigh the good? and in this instance, regardless of the time period, I think it does.
Many students shared the sentiment that the university should not reinstate the bust and also should consider removing the association with Richard Stockton from the school. The forum also turned into a discussion about hate speech and potential threats that some students believed were not properly addressed by the university.
While some student statements condemned the school administration and faculty, many asked for the school to acknowledge diversity and called for students to join together in unity.
Prior to the meeting, students from Professor Elizabeth Erbaughs sociology class organized a March for Equality through the campus center.
Chanting feminist and anti-racist sayings, the group said their mission was to rise up and speak out against the acts of hatred and bigotry that have occurred on the campus and in the community.
I think we need to be mindful. As were moving on to a new era, I think we need to be more accepting. said Jennifer Negron, a junior currently studying social work. History is history, but as were moving on, I think we have to be more culturally competent and sensitive.
Margates fight against having a dune has lasted longer than any U.S. war. Since federal and state governments and science were on the side of dunes, theyve always seemed an inevitable part of the outcome.
And they are, theyre there now. But the end game turned out surprisingly well for Margate, giving the whole story arc an almost Hollywood ending that pleases all sides as much as possible.
Like many stories (and wars for that matter), this one started with a relatively small disturbance of the beachfront calm.
The issue in the early 1990s was the inconvenience of dune sand coming over the citys bulkheads and into the yards of residents. When the city had its workers adjust the dunes for the residents, the state Department of Environmental Protection ordered it to quit messing with the sand structures protecting the island.
In 2000, residents who worried about the loss of ocean views and breezes that would result from dunes convinced Margate officials to withhold city support for a federal island-wide beach-replenishment project. Arguments against the dunes soon shifted to less self-serving ones, attacking the science and cost of beach projects.
The focus on beach replenishment changed instantly with the widespread loss of life and property from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. State and federal officials got far more serious about projects to protect the New Jersey coastal zone, and it was clear that would include all municipalities.
Margate officials and residents and a few more affluent towns and property owners along the Central Jersey coast continued to fight what was now the building of a protective dune along the entire ocean-facing shore.
The dune-resistance forces to the north suffered the first crushing defeat when in July 2013 the N.J. Supreme Court found decisively in favor of shore-protection actions, ruling that damages such as loss of view were overwhelmed by benefits to the property owners themselves.
Margate residents nonetheless, in a narrowly approved nonbinding referendum, authorized the city to keep fighting the dune project. Their crushing defeat came in early in 2016 when a Superior Court judge fully supported the states acquisition of city-owned land for the dune and beach project in Margate.
Still they fought on, with six Margate homeowners suing in federal court.
A federal judge swept aside all objections, and the dune and beach work proceeded this year.
But in building Margates new dune, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ignored what should have been an obvious problematic anomaly the citys stormwater drainage system, unlike that of many oceanfront towns.
Since Margate had long ago built a bulkhead to handle minor tidal flooding and drifting sand, it just drained its rain runoff to the other side of the bulkhead and into trenches to the ocean. Once the dune was built, that runoff couldnt get to the ocean, leading to ponds, protests and temporary pumping.
We have difficulty believing corps officials didnt know this would happen and wonder whether annoyance at Margates resistance to the dune project wasnt a factor in letting the chips fall where they may.
After another trip to state and federal courts, the solution that was obvious all along was agreed. The Army Corps will install outfall lines like those in other island towns to take storm runoff to the ocean.
The good news for Margate and its residents is that the drainage system will be funded by federal taxpayers, with money from the dune project allocation.
We think peace is at hand. Just a few loose ends in the story line to tie up finish the Absecon Island dune, install Margates storm drainage this winter, declare victory for everyone and return home to enjoy island lives now better protected.
ESTELL MANOR One-third of New Jerseys land mass is developed and another third preserved, a Nature Conservancy representative told the Pinelands Municipal Council last week.
That leaves the final third about 1 million acres up for grabs in the state with the highest population density in the nation, said Nature Conservancy Director of Land Protection Jody Alessandrine.
In 30, 40 years, the entirety of the state could reach full build-out, Alessandrine said. The time is now to do something about that.
He said a coalition of environmental nonprofits and governmental agencies called the NJ Lands Blueprint Project have worked to build a map to help identify the most important parcels to save.
They are looking for input from municipal and county officials and planning professionals on how to improve it, said the architect of the map, Mark Corbalis.
Called the NJ MAP, it is available at njmap2.com/blueprint.
The project is led by the Nature Conservancy, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and Rowan University.
Alessandrine gave a presentation to the council, an organization of mayors and other representatives of the 53 municipalities located within the Pinelands National Reserve.
The map takes as its base state-provided published parcel data, said Mackenzie Franco, who works for the project.
Then it adds information on ecological characteristics such as water quality, rare species habitat, agricultural value and core forests, Alessandrine said. It is searchable on a parcel basis and enables people to compare the ecological value of parcels.
The state has about $71 million a year to spend on land preservation, but $6 million is dedicated to Blue Acres buyouts of flood-prone properties and $22 million to farmland preservation, Alessandrine said.
That leaves about $43 million to spend on land for open space, so prioritization is important, he said.
A probationer is jailed on a felony charge of criminal endangerment following a high-speed chase southeast of Helena.
Christopher David Gransberg, 26, is accused of driving 100 mph in a 55 mph zone on Highway 12. Officials said the chase went by Montana City School at recess time.
"This individual was out of control," said Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Jay Nelson. "This could have been a horrific event."
The pursuit ended when Gransberg crashed his car into a light post in Montana City.
Gransberg, a Helena resident, was assessed for injuries and taken to jail, Nelson said. Gransberg's passenger, his 31-year-old wife, received non-life-threatening injuries in the crash. She is also on probation, but faces no charges stemming from the chase.
No other injuries were reported.
Nelson said a trooper attempted to pull Gransberg over on Highway 12 for driving on a suspended license. Gransberg fled, speeding down Montana Highway 518 to Montana City, where he crashed the car.
A Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office K9 unit in the area conducted a search of the vehicle but no drugs were located, Nelson said.
Gransberg is on probation for a felony theft charge for which he received a suspended sentence in Richland County in February.
Montana's Republican insurance commissioner remains skeptical that Congress, where he hopes to win a seat in the U.S. Senate next fall, will take any action to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
Stories that ran in January, just days after Rosendale took over the office of Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, quoted the commissioner as saying his party's long-promised "repeal and replace" of the law often called "Obamacare" wouldn't happen anytime soon. On Tuesday, at a gathering of about 330 people who work in the insurance and securities industries, Rosendale pointed out his prediction was correct.
"Seven months later, Sept. 27, and we still do not have a repeal and that's why as we went through the Legislative session my focus was on other things, what can we do at a state level to accommodate the health care needs of the state of Montana?"
Rosendale was the opening speaker at the Montana Insurance Summit, an event in Helena hosted by his office.
"The health insurance industry is facing major challenges and you will continue to hear me say that from my standpoint we want to focus on making sure folks have access to good health care."
His office has just completed the rate review process for the three companies that sell insurance on Montana's health insurance exchange for people who do not get insurance through their employer or a federal program like Medicare or Medicaid. The three companies operate on the exchange in Montana are Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, Montana Health Co-Op and PacificSource.
A report from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid released this summer estimated 47 counties nationwide would have no insurance companies selling plans on the exchange by 2018 and about 1,200 counties, about 40 percent nationwide, could have only one insurance company on the exchange next year. In the several iterations of Congressional Republicans' efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, federal subsides that help insurance companies offer and consumers buy plans were proposed to be reduced.
But Rosendale said he wanted to assure the public the companies that operate in Montana are stable for the foreseeable future.
"We are in a lot better shape than many other states that only have one or two insurers in place," he said. "I can assure you any insurers that sell health insurance policies in the state of Montana, regardless of whether (subsidies) are paid or not, will be covered through 2018, and I think that is the most important thing for us to be looking at."
Blue Cross requested an average rate increase of 22 percent on the individual market for 2018, Montana Health Co-Op requested 4 percent and PacificSource requested 7.4 percent. Rate increases do not reflect federal subsidies that about 85 percent of Montanans who purchase insurance on the exchange qualify to receive. Nearly 64,000 people statewide purchase insurance on the exchange.
CALGARY, Alberta, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Sproule, a leading global energy consulting firm, is pleased to welcome Danilo Bandiziol, a senior energy executive, to lead client support and business development activities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Danilo brings 30 years of oil and gas experience to Sproule and will assume the position of Regional Director, EMEA as of October 1, 2017.
His international career spans technical and management positions with, most recently, Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS Horizon B.V.), The Hague, Netherlands and a 16-year tenure with Total S.A.
"We are quite fortunate to have Mr. Bandiziol join the Sproule Team to support us in Europe, the Middle East, and, Africa expanding our global footprint," said President and CEO, Cameron Six.
"The EMEA region offers the deepest capital market supporting upstream oil and gas outside of the Americas and is already an important part of Sproule's international portfolio," he added.
Mr. Bandiziol has broad knowledge and experience in the international E&P industry, from exploration through development to production. He has extensive field operations, reservoir engineering, and reserves management experience. He is multi-lingual, fluent in Italian, English, and French. Danilo will be located in The Hague, Netherlands.
"Mr. Bandiziol will focus his efforts strengthening our relationship with clients by providing technical and commercial advice," said Christoffer Mylde, Vice President, Corporate Development at Sproule. Adding, "Danilo underscores our commitment to the region. We are delighted to be able to service our clients better by providing on-the-ground support."
About Sproule
Sproule, a global energy consulting firm, is anchored by deep geoscience and engineering expertise combined with a strong commercial understanding of energy markets. We help exploration and production companies, financial institutions, and governments accurately characterize subsurface opportunities and increase shareholder confidence through independent economic evaluations of resources. Learn more www.Sproule.com
Sproule Contact: Karen Nemez, Manager, Marketing, Karen.Nemez@Sproule.com , 900, 140 - 4 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2P 3N3, D: +1-403-294-5549
SOURCE Sproule
There are 135 juicy reasons to detour off I-90 into Drummond, and head straight to Parkers Restaurant. I had heard of this place with an outrageous number of hamburgers on the menu and was anxious to check it out for myself. I was not disappointed.
Parkers is the creation of Jennifer and Brent Parker. Originally from California, I asked Jen how they ended up in Drummond and she says with a deep belly laugh, to get away from our kids. Anxious to leave the stressful California life, they would first take a job near Drummond doing contract work for the Montana Department of Transportation before opening the diner in 2003.
Trained at the California Culinary Academy, Brent uses his talents and a wild imagination to dream up some crazy combos for his assortment of burgers. Keeping it in the family, son Brent, with a background in culinary training, works alongside his Dad in the kitchen. Son Sean was also an integral part of Parkers, but passed away from cancer in 2014. Brent speaks fondly of how his spirit is still very much a part of their operation. Jen keeps things flowing in the dining room.
Speaking of the dining room, I feel like Ive stepped into a Normal Rockwell painting. Its filled to the brim with stuff that Jen and Brent have collected over many years, most of it Coca-Cola related. Jennifer admits she is a borderline hoarder and uses the word packrat to describe Brent. In front of the cluttered counter sits a Coke cooler stacked with burger books. A board tacked to the wall behind the counter spells out the Parker challenge. Consume a two-pound loaded cheeseburger, a pound of French fries and a large milkshake in 20 minutes and the meal is on Jen and Brent. Photos of those who have met this challenge hang below the sign.
As it turns out, my visit is on Taco Thursday. By noon, the place is swamped. Im not seeing a lot of burgers coming out, as everyone is keen on ordering the tacos or taco salad. A group of well-mannered high school kids have texted in their orders and have come down to pick them up. A highway patrolman has stopped for some grub, along with a group of six ranchers discussing North Korea then moving on to irrigation issues. A group of Asian tourists duck in from the rain and settle in for lunch.
Im determined to have a burger despite the tacos looking yummy. I grab one of the three-ring binder burger books and start my search, with the burger descriptions being both entertaining and befuddling with so many choices. I now understand why customers get overwhelmed with so many options, and often settle on the bacon cheeseburger, the top seller at Parkers. For $7.50 I can order a Hillbilly Deluxe, consisting of a burger patty sandwiched between toasted white bread, two pieces of fried bologna, two slices of American cheese, a fried egg, mustard and mayonnaise. The Black and Blue Burger is tempting, with a Cajun blackened burger on a bed of shredded lettuce and tomato, slap yo mama mayo and blue cheese crumble. I finally settle on the Big Kahuna a combo of ham, pineapple, shredded lettuce, mayo, tomato and Swiss cheese.
During a short break between orders, Brent says do you want to know what Im really passionate about? He explains how he has teamed up with the Drummond High School to offer a ProStart class in culinary techniques accredited through the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation. This school year, nine students from the high school are enrolled. They will be given the chance to compete in the Montana ProStart competition, where Drummond walked away with 1st place during the last school year.
In the back of the kitchen, Brandyn Todd takes a pan of freshly made buns from the oven, a recipe she and Chef concocted. Brandyn was one of the students in Brents class and now is in charge of baking between 500-750 hamburger buns weekly.
Parkers is clearly a team effort to consistently put out the best of comfort food. Beyond the burgers, there are hand-cut fries, chicken wraps, porkies, homemade soups, salads, pies, the list goes on. Brent lets me know a new burger book is due out soon that will increase the number of burger choices to around 150.
Everything about Parkers feels right. Both Jen and Brent are down-to-earth, good-hearted folks. They have created a place in Drummond thats much more than just great food at a reasonable price. It has become a gathering place for the locals, a hub that binds a small town together.
FLUSHING, Mich., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Get any size fresh brewed coffee for just one dollar at Coffee Beanery on Friday, September 29th in honor of National Coffee Day.
Participating Coffee Beanery locations across the country will offer fresh brewed coffee all day for just $1. Additionally, stores will be offering $2 off a pound of coffee.
What did we find?
80% of B2B content marketers surveyed agree their organization is focused on building audiences (one or more subscriber bases).
Nearly all of the top performers among the sample (92%) are focused on this area.
"Across the board at all levels of content marketing success the research shows more marketers concentrating on building audiences," explains Lisa Murton Beets, research director, Content Marketing Institute. "Among all respondents, 80% reported they are focused on this (versus 92% of the top performers), representing an 18% year-over-year increase. This is terrific news considering an audience can be one of an organization's most valuable assets. Content marketing provides a way to build a subscribed audience, which is what differentiates content marketing from other forms of marketing."
Other Key Highlights:
63% of B2B marketers say their organization's overall content marketing approach is much more or somewhat more successful than one year ago (compared with 78% of top performers).
37% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy (compared with 62% of top performers).
36% of B2B marketers rate the project management flow during their organization's content-creation process as excellent/very good (compared with 70% of top performers).
19% of B2B marketers rate their organization's alignment of metrics and content marketing goals as excellent/very good (compared with 54% of top performers).
Additionally, 74% of all B2B respondents (and 88% of top performers) agree their organization values creativity and craft in content creation and production.
"It's excellent to see our research show that most B2B content marketers value creativity and craft in content creation and production," says Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs and author of Everybody Writes. "Where we really see a difference is in organizations that also do well with project management. For example, 70% of the top-performing content marketers rate the project management flow during their content-creation process as excellent/very good, compared with 36% of the total sample. This tells us that not only does it pay to be creative, if you truly want an edge, you also have to have good processes in place."
Watch this video, for a quick analysis of the research.
For research charts, key highlights, quotes and more, check out this folder.
To view all CMI research and to subscribe to our emails visit: contentmarketinginstitutecom/research
About Content Marketing Institute
Content Marketing Institute is the leading global content marketing education and training organization, teaching enterprise brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multichannel storytelling. CMI's Content Marketing World event, the largest content marketing-focused event, is held every September in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and the Intelligent Content Conference event is held every spring. CMI publishes the bi-monthly magazine Chief Content Officer, and provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of the best-known brands in the world. Watch this videoto learn more about CMI. Content Marketing Institute is organized by UBM plc. UBM is the largest pure-play B2B Events organizer in the world. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors. Our deep knowledge and passion for these sectors allow us to create valuable experiences which enable our customers to succeed. Please visit www.ubm.com for the latest news and information about UBM.
About MarketingProfs
MarketingProfs offers real-world education for modern marketers. More than 600,000 marketing professionals worldwide rely on our free daily publications, virtual conferences, MarketingProfs University, and more to stay up to date on the most important trends and tactics in marketingand how to apply them to their businesses. Visit MarketingProfs.com for more information.
SOURCE Content Marketing Institute
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AARP applauds the unanimous passage in the U.S. Senate of the bipartisan Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act (S. 1028). The legislation, introduced by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), calls for the development of a strategy to support the nation's 40 million family caregivers. It would bring together stakeholders from the private and public sectors to recommend actions that communities, providers, government, and others are taking and may take to help make the big responsibilities of caregiving a little bit easier.
Every day, millions of Americans are caring for parents, spouses, children and adults with disabilities and other loved ones so they can live independently in their homes and communities for as long as possible. They take on a range of tasks including managing medications, helping with bathing and dressing, preparing and feeding meals, arranging transportation, and handling financial and legal matters. The unpaid care family caregivers provide helps delay or prevent costly nursing home care, which is often paid for by Medicaid.
"Family caregivers are the backbone of our care system in America. We need to make it easier for them to coordinate care for their loved ones, get information and resources and take a break so they can rest and recharge," said AARP Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer Nancy A. LeaMond. "Thanks to the efforts of long-time champions of the bill Senators Susan Collins and Tammy Baldwin, we are one step closer to helping address the challenges family caregivers face."
AARP is working to bolster bipartisan support for the RAISE Family Caregivers Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill (H.R. 3759) was introduced by Representatives Gregg Harper (R-MS) and Kathy Castor (D-FL), along with original cosponsors Representatives Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY). The RAISE Family Caregivers Act has the support of about 60 national organizations.
About AARP
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to families with a focus on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.
SOURCE AARP
BORDEAUX, France, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society (OTS) has announced its 2017 Award Series as part of the 2017 Annual Meeting held September 24-27, 2017 in Bordeaux, France. This year the OTS is recognizing four outstanding scientists for their contributions to the field of oligonucleotide therapeutics, as well as providing 20 exceptional doctorate graduate students and post-doctoral researchers with travel grants to offset the expenses of their travel.
OTS is honored to recognize Dr. Michael J. Gait, Ph.D., Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, as the recipient of the 2017 OTS Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Gait is honored with this award in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the field of oligonucleotide therapeutics through education, research, and therapeutic application. Dr. Gait's early career was built on understanding ribozymes and HIV RNA-protein interactions. Currently, he is focusing on steric blocking antisense oligonucleotide analogues to target HIV RNA, as well as the peptide conjugates of PNA and PNO oligonucleotide analogues as a potential treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and other neuromuscular diseases. Dr. Gait's lab, in partnership with Matthew Wood and the University of Oxford, plan to create a spinoff company to house the potential Peptide-PMO conjugates when they enter the clinic for neuromuscular disease treatment. Dr. Gait will give a plenary lecture at the 2017 OTS Annual Meeting on Wednesday, September 27, 2017 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. CET.
The recipient of this year's Paper of the Year Award is Dr. Richard Finkel, M.D., chief, division of neurology, department of pediatrics, Nemours Children's Hospital. Dr. Finkel is acknowledged as the primary author for his manuscript titled, "Treatment of infantile-onset spinal muscular atrophy with nusinersen: a phase 2, open-label, dose-escalation study," which was published in The Lancet. Dr. Finkel will be presented with his award and will give a brief talk on spinal muscular atrophy, the SPINRAZA (nusinersen) development program and his publication at the 2017 OTS Annual Meeting on Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 9:10 a.m. CET.
Dr. Karyn Schmidt, Ph.D. of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and more recently, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, is the recipient of this year's Dr. Alan Gewirtz Memorial Scholarship Award. The Gewirtz Memorial Scholarship Award is given annually by the OTS as a tribute to Dr. Alan Gewirtz and his lifetime of contributions to the field of oligonucleotide therapeutics. Dr. Schmidt is acknowledged for her commitment to advancing the field through her impactful cancer research aiming to identify and design a treatment that decreases melanoma invasion and proliferation. Dr. Schmidt will be presented with her award and will give a brief talk on her research at the 2017 OTS Annual Meeting on Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. CET.
Dr. Keith T. Gagnon, Ph.D. of Southern Illinois University is the recipient of this year's Mary Ann Liebert, Inc publishers Young Investigator Award. The Young Investigator Award recognizes the exceptional achievements of a young scientist having recently attained his or her advanced professional degree. Dr. Gagnon is acknowledged for his research and dedication to understanding the mechanisms and potential therapeutic opportunities for repeat expansion disorders, including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dr. Gagnon will be presented with his award and will give a brief talk on his research at the 2017 OTS Annual Meeting on Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 8:50 a.m. CET.
"The OTS is honored to recognize this year's award winners and travel grant recipients, as well as our society's commitment to the field of oligonucleotide therapeutics. We are grateful for their continued contributions to the development of this growing field," said Dr. Arthur Krieg, president of the OTS and founder, CEO and managing director of Checkmate Pharmaceuticals. "Each year, the OTS formally recognizes not only the esteemed individuals who have provided countless contributions and dedicated their careers to oligonucleotide therapeutics, but also the year's most promising, young scientists who will lead the the advancement of the field in the years to come."
The Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society is an open, nonprofit forum to foster academia and industry-based research and development of oligonucleotide therapeutics. For more information on OTS, visit its website, http://www.oligotherapeutics.org.
SOURCE Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society
Related Links
http://www.oligotherapeutics.org
"Our employees and customers continue to be passionate about supporting local organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio," said Eric Norrington, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at ACE. "We're proud to support organizations in the local communities where we have stores."
The Give A Little Campaign is a national fundraiser that allows ACE employees to choose the benefiting organizations. Nationally, the 2017 Give A Little Campaign provided more than $248,000 to charities across the country including: AdoptAClassroom.org, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, Autism Speaks, Back on My Feet, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs, National Down Syndrome Society and The Coalition Against Pediatric Pain.
"ACE Cash Express has been such a committed and longstanding supporter of the youth of San Antonio through their fundraising efforts," said Sonia Lopez, Director of Development, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio. "Our Club Members thrive with programs focused on Academic Success, Healthy Lifestyles and Good Character and Citizenship. We are grateful to all ACE Cash Express employees for believing in our Club Members."
The Give A Little Campaign is a part of ACE's charitable-giving program, which supports organizations that help children, provide education and promote financial literacy. Since its inception in 2004, the ACE Community Fund has donated more than $11 million to charitable organizations in the communities that ACE serves.
About ACE Cash Express
ACE Cash Express, Inc. is a leading financial services provider serving consumers online and through a network of retail store locations. ACE provides a range of retail financial products and services including short-term consumer loans, check cashing, prepaid debit cards, money transfers, bill payments and money orders. ACE Cash Express, Inc. is one of the largest owners and operators of check cashing stores in the United States.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio
The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio (BGCSA) is to inspire youth, especially those who need them most, to achieve their full potential in a safe, positive and engaging environment that promotes education, health and character development. They provide after school and summer programs that develop Academic Success, Healthy Lifestyles, and Good Character in youth, ages six-to-18 years old. BGCSA provides program opportunities for over 8,000 boys and girls each year. The Clubs are open year round, during critical out-of-school-time hours. Families interested in learning more about BGCSA programs can contact visit www.BeGreatSA.org or call (210) 436-0686.
SOURCE ACE Cash Express, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.acecashexpress.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AEP Generation Resources Inc. (AEPGR), a competitive generation subsidiary of American Electric Power Company (NYSE: AEP) today issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the supply of limestone to Cardinal and Conesville power plants.
AEPGR seeks a three-year term, starting in 2018 and continuing through 2020, with unilateral options to renew, for the following estimated tonnage:
2018 2019 2020 CARDINAL 425,000 410,000 450,000 CONESVILLE 200,000 185,000 170,000
In evaluating proposals, AEPGR will consider factors including performance guarantees, profitability, quality of service, past experience and financial qualifications, among other factors.
Proposal packages must be received no later than 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 18, 2017. They may be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to AEPGR LIMESTONE RFP, ATTN: Kimberly Chilcote, 155 W. Nationwide Blvd., 4th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215. Complete details about the RFP are available at www.aep.com/go/coaloffers or by calling Chilcote at (614) 583-6301.
American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP's more than 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest electricity transmission system and more than 224,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with approximately 33,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,200 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP's family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.
SOURCE American Electric Power
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD) today announced the appointment of Naji Skaf as vice president and managing director of its Industrial Gases business in the Middle East, Egypt and Turkey. In this new role, Skaf will be responsible for managing and growing Air Products' industrial gases operations and strategic partnerships in the region.
Richard Boocock, Air Products' president, Industrial GasesMiddle East, India, Egypt and Turkey, said, "Naji brings extensive experience in the gases industry, deep understanding of regional needs and requirements, and a passion for taking industrial gas projects to another level. I am honored to have him on my leadership team and look forward to having even more opportunities to provide superior technology, process safety, energy efficiency, reliability and operational excellence for our regional customers."
Skaf joins Air Products from Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc., where he was a partner in their Middle East and North Africa Practice and a member of their global Industrial Practice. Previously, Skaf served as chief executive officer of Gulf Cryo, a regional industrial gases group headquartered in Dubai, and led technologies and services for Air Liquide's Industry and Health business, holding various positions in Houston, Paris and Cairo.
Skaf holds a BSc from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and an MBA from the University of Houston.
About Air Products in the Middle East
Air Products has had a presence in the Middle East for more than 50 years through a combination of wholly-owned businesses and joint venture partnerships and continues to grow. Earlier this month, Air Products announced an agreement with Dhahran Techno Valley Company to build and develop a world-class technology center to serve the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Middle East region. In May 2017, Air Products signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in the industrial gases business of Muscat Gases Company, a leading industrial gases and liquid petroleum gas company in Oman.
A provider of liquefied natural gas cryogenic technology to Oman and the rest of the Gulf Co-operation Council, Air Products has built, owned, and operated several air separation units and hydrogen production plants throughout the Middle East region. It operates a helium and cylinder gas filling and distribution facility, as well as a specialty gases center in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, UAE. The company's strategic joint venture partnerships include: Abdullah Hashim, Saudi Arabia; Ajwaa Gases, Abu Dhabi, UAE; Ajwaa Gases, Sohar, Oman; and Jazan Gas Projects Company, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE: APD) is a world-leading Industrial Gases company in operation for over 75 years. The Company's core industrial gases business provides atmospheric and process gases and related equipment to manufacturing markets, including refining and petrochemical, metals, electronics, and food and beverage. Air Products is also the world's leading supplier of liquefied natural gas process technology and equipment.
The Company had fiscal 2016 sales of $7.5 billion from continuing operations in 50 countries and has a current market capitalization of approximately $30 billion. Approximately 16,000 employees are making Air Products the world's safest and best performing industrial gases company, providing sustainable offerings and excellent service to all customers. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.
NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors not anticipated by management, including risk factors described in the Company's Form 10K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2016.
SOURCE Air Products
Related Links
http://www.airproducts.com
"This one-of-a-kind aircraft marks the beginning of a new era at Alaska Airlines," said Wayne Newton, Alaska Airlines vice president of airport operations and customer service. "With an all-freight fleet, our cargo business is now a stand-alone operation, allowing us to better focus on the needs of our cargo customers."
The aircraft was converted over 19 months in Tel Aviv by Israel Aerospace Industries. Alaska pilots flew the converted plane from Tel Aviv to Belfast, Ireland on Sept. 6. From there, the plane touched down on U.S. soil in Bangor, Maine and continued on to Greensboro, North Carolina, for scheduled maintenance. The aircraft was painted in Victorville, California before arriving in Seattle.
Alaska will take delivery of two more converted 737-700 freighters, allowing the new, all-cargo fleet to carry 15 percent more capacity overall. Currently, Alaska operates one 737-400 freighter and four 737-400 combi aircraft, which carry both passengers and cargo. Alaska plans to retire its entire 737-400 combi fleet by Oct. 18.
"The new freighter will transform our cargo business and allow us to provide more efficient and consistent service," said Jason Berry, Alaska Air Cargo managing director. "Now we can move more freight than ever before, and optimize schedules to meet the needs of our cargo partners."
State of Alaska
Initially, the new fleet of all-freight aircraft will primarily serve the state of Alaska, and provide regular, scheduled service to 17 communities across the state. Independent of Alaska Airlines' passenger operation, Alaska Air Cargo will provide more scheduled freight service than any other carrier in the state, and connect customers to 100 destinations across the airline's route network.
Freighter facts
Nonstop range of 3,200 miles
Maximum net payload of 42,000 pounds
Though smaller in size, the 737-700 freighter can carry 10,000 more pounds of cargo per plane compared to Alaska's current 737-400 freighter.
current 737-400 freighter. The registered tail number for Alaska's converted freighter is N627AS; aircraft N626AS and N625AS are currently undergoing the conversion process in Tel Aviv .
Editor's note: An image of the converted 737-700 freighter is available for download at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.
Alaska Air Cargo transports more than 170 million pounds of cargo annuallyincluding seafood, mail and freight and operates the most extensive air cargo operation on the U.S. West Coast of any passenger airline.
Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional partners, flies 40 million guests a year to 118 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners , guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Satisfaction Study for 10 consecutive years from 2008 to 2017. Learn more about Alaska's award-winning service and unmatched reliability at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
SOURCE Alaska Airlines
Related Links
http://www.alaskaair.com
FREMONT, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AMAX.AI, a division of AMAX Information Technologies, Inc., specializing in high-performance platforms for AI and Deep Learning development, will be launching the [SMART]Rack AI Machine Learning cluster at the AI Summit 2017 (Booth #G27), to be held in the Regency Center, San Francisco, California on Sept. 27th and 28th.
The [SMART]Rack AI solution is an extension of AMAX.AI's MATRIX GPU CloudTM product line which includes powerful dev workstations, high-compute density servers and now a turnkey Machine Learning cluster in [SMART]Rack AI. The all-inclusive rackscale platform is maximized for performance featuring up to 96x NVIDIA Tesla P40, P100 or V100 GPU cards, providing well over 1 PetaFLOP of compute power per rack. The solution is fully-loaded with features designed to accelerate compute as well as data-transfer performance while offering the ultimate in manageability. Solution components include: an All-Flash storage appliance for an ultra-fast in-rack data repository; 25G high-speed network; [SMART]DC HPC-optimized DCIM to remotely monitor, manage and orchestrate GPU-based Machine Learning hardware where real-time temperature, power and system health monitoring are critical for uninterrupted operation; and an in-rack battery for graceful shutdowns in the event of a power loss scenario. The [SMART]Rack AI can serve as a powerful standalone platform or as a scalable Machine-Learning-at-scale building block, and is the perfect platform in which to build on-premise AI Cloud and Deep-Learning-as-a-Service infrastructure.
"The [SMART]Rack AI is revolutionary to Deep Learning data centers," said Dr. Rene Meyer, VP of Technology, AMAX. "Because it not only provides the most powerful application-based computing power, but it expedites DL model training cycles by improving efficiency and manageability through integrated management, network, battery and cooling all in one enclosure."
The MATRIX product line also features powerful DL dev workstations ideal for start-ups, incubators and individual researchers to set up Deep Learning labs, and highly-compute dense yet ultra-compact Machine Learning servers that can easily be scaled within a rack to increase compute power on demand.
All MATRIX solutions come pre-loaded with an end-to-end Deep Learning software, powered by Bitfusion Flex, geared towards accelerating GPU development while dynamically managing GPU resource and workflow management. The software features preloaded environments containing the latest frameworks to quickly begin building models for training within minutes, and GPU over Fabrics technology to enable the sharing & scaling of large numbers of local and remote GPUs across any MATRIX systems for multi-tenancy and highly-customizable self-service features.
AMAX will be holding live demos of the MATRIX GPU Cloud solutions during exhibition hours at the AI Summit 2017. To learn more about fast-tracking AI with DL-in-a-Box Solutions, please visit Booth #G27 or schedule a demo here.
About AMAX
AMAX AI is a division of AMAX Information Technologies, Inc., specializing in award-winning high-performance platforms for AI and Deep Learning development. As a thought leader and early innovator in the burgeoning market for Deep Learning technology, AMAX AI works with cutting-edge startups, research universities and global corporations to give its customers access to early innovations and game-changing DL technology. From high-compute density GPU servers and supercharged dev workstations, to DGX supercomputers and turnkey rackscale platforms used to power on-premise AI Clouds or DL-as-a-Service, AMAX AI enables companies to build out the Deep Learning infrastructures they need to handle the rigors of development, training, and inference at any scale. To learn more, please visit www.amax.ai.
SOURCE AMAX
"Working with a distinguished and reputable brand such as American Honda Motor Company has been beyond rewarding for both our team and the internal team at Honda," said Craig Cooke, Rhythm CEO. "Our commitment to the overall customer experience and quality craftsmanship are synonymous with the Honda and Acura brands. We are looking forward to a long, successful partnership with American Honda Motor Company."
Premier Partner Award recipients play an important role in supporting Honda businesses and operations, including Honda and Acura automobiles, automobile engines and transmissions, Honda all-terrain vehicles, power equipment products and general purpose engines.
"This outstanding group of Premier Partner Award recipients demonstrates our shared commitment to exceptional customer service," said Charles Harmon, Senior Manager - Administration Division, American Honda. "They are valued members of the extended Honda family, and we thank them for their dedication and contributions to Honda's success."
About Rhythm
Rhythm is a digital marketing agency that builds digital infrastructures and grows businesses through integrated marketing solutions. Rhythm core digital services include: Web, Search, Email, Media, Content and Analytics. Learn more about Rhythm at www.rhythmagency.com.
Contact:
Kristin Bush
1-949-783-5007
[email protected]
SOURCE Rhythm
Related Links
http://www.rhythmagency.com
One thing most Montanans agree on is we love our nationally acclaimed Wildernesses and dont want to see them harmed. Whether we hike, fish, hunt, ride horseback, or just stand in awe of these wild gems, Montanas designated Wildernesses are the pride of our state. We might fight like hell over whether to designate this area or that one as new Wilderness, but the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat, Selway-Bitterroot, Absaroka-Beartooths, and our other protected Wildernesses are sacred to Montanans of all stripes.
That is, apparently, all stripes except Congressmen Greg Gianforte, who just voted to effectively repeal the Wilderness Act and open places like the Bob to endless forms of habitat manipulation, predator control, road building, and anything else that might be construed as benefiting hunting, angling, recreational, shooting, or wildlife conservation.
This stealth attack on the Wilderness Act comes in the form of H.R. 3668, the Sportsmens Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act, introduced by Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina. It would affect every Wilderness in the nation, including all of Montanas wilderness gems.
By nearly unanimous vote, Congress passed the 1964 Wilderness Act in order to protect Americas wildest landscapes. The law describes Wilderness as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man...retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions. The Wilderness Act is essentially natures Bill of Rights, places where we humans, out of a sense of respect, humility and foresight, have agreed to let nature be. Since passage of the Wilderness Act, the National Wilderness Preservation System has grown to include 110 million acres in more than 760 units.
The SHARE Act would turn the Wilderness Act on its head allowing endless habitat manipulation and modification, including logging, chaining, herbicide spraying or myriad other offenses done under the guise of wildlife conservation or for providing hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting experiences. While such management might be fine for a Texas game farm, they represent a dramatic change for the Wilderness Act, which for over 50 years has required the preservation of wilderness character as the top priority for public Wildernesses.
The SHARE Act would also allow the construction of temporary roads, dams, or other structures in Wilderness, again if done under the guise of benefiting hunting, angling, recreational shooting, or wildlife conservation. And all such projects would be exempt from any environmental review or public scrutiny under the National Environmental Policy Actin essence making Wildernesses some of the least protected of all public lands.
The bill is being pushed at the behest of the Safari Club International and a few like-minded groups that are upset that Wildernesses around the country arent managed like game farms, something Montanans roundly rejected at the ballot box not long ago. Not satisfied with the rich diversity of life our Wildernesses hold or with the special experiences that Wilderness provides, these groups want Wilderness managed solely to benefit their idea of hunting and to favor the animal species they want to shoot. Even if it means building a road or a dam, clearcutting a forest, or wiping out native predators to meet their hunting or angling goals.
Montanans who love our wildest, best places and dont want them degraded for a selfish few should contact Rep. Gianforte and urge him to remove the Wilderness gutting provisions from the SHARE Act. Before its too late.
DETROIT, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Folio: magazine has named American Road's "Nature Literature" issue as a finalist for the 2017 Eddie Awards in the Consumer Full Issue Travel category, and named American Road's "Thoreau Route"in the issue mentioned aboveas a finalist for the 2017 Eddie Awards in the Consumer Single Article Travel category.
About the Awards
Folio: celebrates the publishing industry's editorial powerhouses and creative designers. Folio: describes the Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Awards as "the most comprehensive awards competition in media publishing" and an opportunity to "celebrate gorgeous design and uncompromising journalism."
For information and a full list of finalists, visit foliomag.com/awards.
A Look Inside "Nature Literature and the Thoreau Route"
The Autumn 2016 issue of American Road celebrates America's great nature writers and the retreats for which they reserved their wildest praises. We anchor the issue in salty, sandy style by following the route Henry David Thoreau himself forged across Cape Cod in October 1849. We seek for pieces of the Saint John shipwreck in Cohasset, meeting a mosser in Scituate, bathing in the beam of Highland Light, wading after oysters at Wellfleet, and scaling sand dunes outside Provincetown. We do all of itand morebecoming pilgrims in that place where the Pilgrims first landed.
Nature writing remains our theme throughout the issue as we designate "American Road's Top 12 Classic Nature Books." Walden (1854) makes the grade, of course, but so do lesser-known masterpieces such as Isabella Bird's airy ode to Colorado, A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains (1879); Sigurd F. Olson's paean to Minnesota, The Singing Wilderness (1956); and the snowshoe-cum-canoe collection of Canadian stories that comprise Grey Owl's Tales of an Empty Cabin (1936). Our feature "The Road to Slabsides" visits the bark-covered retreat of naturalist John Burroughs, evergreen friend to Walt Whitman. And our road departments seek out John Audubon's birds, Aldo Leopold's Sand County, John Muir's woods, and Robert Louis Stevenson's Petrified Forestthe last still operating, outside Calistoga, Californiaa particularly apt symbol of Nature's eternal endurance.
About American Road
American Road's editorial team is led by Executive Editor Thomas Arthur Repp. American Road is available by subscription, on newsstands, and in fine bookstores. A digital edition and an iTunes app for the iPad are also available.
To preview the Autumn 2016 issue, visit: http://editiondigital.net/publication/?i=341578
SOURCE American Road Magazine
Related Links
http://www.americanroadmagazine.com
"Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, with 1 in 7 deaths in the U.S. attributed to CAD. We are thankful for the continued support from passionate investors who have made it possible for us to revolutionize the way that CAD is diagnosed," said Don Crawford, CEO of Analytics 4 Life. "Securing this oversubscribed financing fuels our rapid growth to advance development of our diagnostic tool and gives us the resources we need to deliver this game-changing technology to patients and physicians."
Current diagnostic methods for CAD are costly, risky, and time-consuming. Analytics 4 Life seeks to address these challenges with its novel method of cardiac imaging. The Company's state-of-the-art technology represents a new approach to cardiac imaging based on advanced disciplines of mathematics and physics combined with the power of cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The first application of this technology is CorVista, a non-invasive, physician-directed diagnostic test that aims to identify the presence of CAD without radiation or cardiac stress.
CorVista is designed to scan signals naturally emitted by the body with a synchronous array of seven sensors on Analytics 4 Life's proprietary collection device. After the signals are acquired, the signal package is instantaneously transmitted to the cloud where it is analyzed by a machine-learned algorithm to generate a unique image and a heart model indicating areas of potential heart disease associated with the presence of CAD. The results of the test are displayed on a secure physician web portal that, in combination with a patient's medical history, risk factors, and symptoms, are used by the interpreting physician to recommend further treatment.
Coronary Artery Disease Learning and Algorithm Development (CADLAD) Clinical Study
A two-stage clinical trial at 13 sites in the U.S. is currently underway to support CorVista's development and regulatory filings. The ongoing study, with more than 2,000 patients enrolled so far, will measure the performance of a machine-learned algorithm for CAD detection to gold-standard cardiac catheterization results.
Preliminary results will be presented next month at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference in Denver. Assuming a positive FDA review, the Company anticipates having CorVista available in the U.S. next year.
Dr. Aaron Berez Appointed to Board of Directors
Also today, Analytics 4 Life announced the appointment of Aaron Berez, M.D., to its board of directors. Dr. Berez is the founder and CEO of Alembic LLC, an early-stage medical device company, and has been leading and advising medical device companies for more than 20 years.
"Today marks an important milestone for the Company, but also for the 15.5 million Americans living with coronary heart disease," said Dr. Berez. "I'm excited and honored to join Analytics 4 Life's Board of esteemed experts as we chart a path toward bringing this potentially transformative way to diagnose cardiovascular disease to patients and physicians."
Previously, Dr. Berez co-founded and served as CEO of Chestnut Medical, acquired by Ev3 (now Medtronic) in 2009, where he led the development of the Pipeline Embolization Device for the treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms. Dr. Berez is currently an investor, advisor, and director to privately held medical device companies focused on capital-efficient medical device development.
About Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is when the heart becomes weakened from a deficient supply of oxygenated blood due to a buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries, which can lead to blood clots, chest pain, and cardiac arrest. CAD affects approximately 15.5 million Americans and is the number one cause of death in the U.S.
About Analytics 4 Life
Analytics 4 Life is pioneering digital health using artificial intelligence to develop a completely new form of medical imaging. With an initial focus on coronary artery disease (CAD), Analytics 4 Life is advancing a novel, radiation-free, and exercise-free cardiac imaging technology aimed at improving existing care pathways. Analytics 4 Life is based in Toronto with U.S. headquarters in Research Triangle Park, NC. For more information, visit www.analytics4life.com.
SOURCE Analytics 4 Life
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In an unprecedented move, 17 animal welfare organizations and private companies have come together in a coalition to share database information regarding lost pets from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma to create one centralized, searchable website to find lost pets.
Hurricanes Irma and Harvey devastated the lives of people in Houston and Florida, many lost all material possessions. But for many, the biggest tragedy is their beloved family pet is missing. FindMyLostPet.com is a brand agnostic website that will link to all available databases where families can search for their missing pet as well as other pet related resources related to recovery.
This coalition was formed to solve problems on the ground in the hurricane impacted areas. One of the biggest need is to reunite pets with their families because hold periods (the time between finding lost pets and trying to reunite them with their families and, if unable to reunite, offering the pets up for adoption in a new family) for dogs and cats rescued following the hurricanes are ending. Once the hold periods are over, shelters and rescue groups will be allowed by law to adopt out pets to another family.
The growing list of organizations working to get the word out about where you can be reunited with your pet, listed in alphabetical order are:
1. Adopt-a-Pet.com 10. Petco 2. American Animal Hospital Association 11. Petco Foundation 3. Austin Pets Alive 12. PetCoach 4. Best Friends Animal Society 13. Petfinder 5. Doobert.com 14. PetHarbor.com 6. Finding Rover 15. Shelter Buddy 7. Michelson's Found Animals 16. Shelterluv 8. Helping Lost Pets 17. VetsPlusMore 9. Maddie's Fund
Live for only a limited time, the database sharing and website will be able to be reenacted if and when another natural disaster strikes that affects pets on the same level.
For more information or to search for a pet lost from one of these natural disasters, please visit FindMyLostPet.com.
About Adopt-a-Pet.com
Adopt-a-Pet.com is North America's largest non-profit pet adoption website, helping over 17,000 animal shelters, humane societies, SPCAs, pet rescue groups, and pet adoption agencies advertise their purebred and mixed breed pets for free to millions of adopters each month. Sponsored by the pet lovers at Purina, the Petco Foundation, Petco, and Bayer Animal Health LLC, Adopt-a-Pet.com helps homeless dogs, cats, and even rabbits and other animals go from alone to adopted.
About Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society is the only national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters. A leader in the no-kill movement, Best Friends runs lifesaving programs in partnership with more than 1,900 rescue groups and shelters across the country; regional centers in New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Salt Lake City; and the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals. Founded in 1984, Best Friends has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters nationwide from 17 million per year to about two million. That means there are still nearly 5,500 dogs and cats killed every day in shelters, just because they don't have safe places to call home. We are determined to get that number to zero by the year 2025. Working together with you, we will end the killing and Save Them All. For more information, visit bestfriends.org.
SOURCE Adopt-a-Pet.com
Related Links
http://www.adoptapet.com
BELFAST, Northern Ireland, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Aperture Debt Solutions, the 2nd largest provider of Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) in the UK, has strengthened its position in the market with the latest acquisition of Debt Free Direct (DFD) part of the Fairpoint Group.
Aperture Managing Director Simon Lee has said: "The successful acquisition of Debt Free Direct will ensure continuity of service for clients of DFD. Our growing client list and employee numbers is testament to the hard work of the Aperture team. Business has grown considerably over the past 18 months. We are currently recruiting 20 new customers service roles to join our Belfast operation, to deliver the best possible service to our client base."
Nancy Mc Mullan, Head of Client Experience said: "The former DFD clients will receive the highest possible levels of service and support on their IVA journey. We encourage a culture of self-development, continuous improvement and initiative among our teams that allows our people to deliver an exceptional experience to clients"
Aperture is no stranger to major acquisitions having acquired a large book of IVA cases from Clear Debt in 2016.
Aperture is a long-standing, market leading personal insolvency specialist, renowned for providing thousands of individuals with solutions to problem debt.
Aperture's current client-base is one of the largest in the industry and the business continues to experience significant growth. As part of this continued growth Aperture is recruiting 20 additional employees, to join its IVA supervisor team at its headquarters. Which is a welcome boost to Belfast.
SOURCE Aperture Debt Solutions LLP
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aquagenx, whose portable water quality testing products are used throughout the world, launched a collection of portable field kits for water quality testing in demanding field settings. The field kits are optimized for testing in low resource, rural areas so users can conduct real-time water quality sampling of multiple parameters on location without needing labs and electricity.
The new water testing field kits combine the ground breaking Aquagenx Compartment Bag Test (CBT) for E. coli bacteria with critical parameters including arsenic, fluoride, pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids/electrical conductivity, chlorine, nitrate, iron and flow rate.
Each of the five different field kits includes supplies for 100 water quality samples. The Basic Field Kit fits in a back pack that only weights nine pounds. Aquagenx field kits are light weight and easy to carry and transport in the field.
The portable field kits are well suited for large-scale surveys, household demographic and health surveys, Sustainable Development Goal 6 safe water targets and smaller projects and programs.
The Water Institute at University of North Carolina developed and validated the Aquagenx field kits. Their partners piloted the kits in hundreds of rural communities in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Burkina Faso, enabling household water quality testing in these contexts at a scale rarely achieved by previous monitoring activities.
More information on Aquagenx portable water testing field kits: https://www.aquagenx.com/field-kits/
Aquagenx provides portable water quality testing products that let anyone make informed decisions about water safety and the health risk of water no matter where they are. Aquagenx water quality test kits are easy for anyone to use and are optimized for on-site, field level testing in low resource, rural and disaster/emergency areas.
www.aquagenx.com
This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.
SOURCE Aquagenx
Related Links
https://www.aquagenx.com
DUBLIN, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
The "Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Supply - Demand Outlook to 2025 - Low Prices Result in Oil Production Decline at Alarming Rates" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.
Asia Pacific oil and gas supply demand outlook report from OG Analysis provides detailed outlook of regional and country wise forecasts to 2025. Amid decline in oil prices, Asia Pacific leading producers are reducing their investments in upstream segment. In particular, China, Malaysia, Indonesia are largely hit in production front with strong decline in production forecast. Accordingly, the demand- supply balance is expected to widen, giving large scope of business for traders and short term contracts.
On the gas front, the region is expected to continue to increase its dependence on gas, largely to cater power shortages. With plans to increase natural gas role in energy mix and increasing shift towards floating LNG terminals, markets consuming natural gas are set to increase. In particular, demand from developing countries will account for significant amount of increase in demand.
Further, the report also focuses on planned capital expenditures of leading 10 global companies to provide insights into the future of global oil and gas market investments and new areas of development.
Key Topics Covered:
1. Table of Contents
1.1 List of Tables
1.2 List of Figures
2. Global Oil Production and Consumption Forecasts
2.1 Global Oil Supply Outlook, 2005 to 2025
2.2 Global Oil Demand Outlook, 2005 to 2025
2.3 Global Oil Supply- Demand Balance Outlook, 2005 to 2025
3. Global Gas Production and Consumption Forecasts
3.1 Global Gas Supply Outlook, 2005 to 2025
3.2 Global Gas Demand Outlook, 2005 to 2025
3.3 Global Gas Supply- Demand Balance Outlook, 2005 to 2025
4. Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Production and Consumption Forecasts
4.1 Asia Pacific Oil Supply and Demand Balance Outlook, 2005 to 2025
4.2 Asia Pacific Gas Supply and Demand Balance Outlook, 2005 to 2025
5 Top 5 Asia Pacific Oil Producers - Supply Outlook, 2005 to 2025
5.1 China Oil Production Forecast, 2005 to 2025
5.2 Indonesia Oil Production Forecast, 2005 to 2025
5.3 India Oil Production Forecast, 2005 to 2025
5.4 Malaysia Oil Production Forecast, 2005 to 2025
5.5 Thailand Oil Production Forecast, 2005 to 2025
6 Top 5 Asia Pacific Oil Consumers - Demand Outlook, 2005 to 2025
6.1 Australia Oil Demand Forecast, 2005 to 2025
6.2 China Oil Demand Forecast, 2005 to 2025
6.3 India Oil Demand Forecast, 2005 to 2025
6.4 Japan Oil Demand Forecast, 2005 to 2025
6.5 South Korea Oil Demand Forecast, 2005 to 2025
7 Top 5 Asia Pacific Gas Producers- Supply Outlook, 2005 to 2025
7.1 China Gas Production Forecast, 2005 to 2025
7.2 Australia Gas Production Forecast, 2005 to 2025
7.3 Malaysia Gas Production Forecast, 2005 to 2025
7.4 Indonesia Gas Production Forecast, 2005 to 2025
7.5 Pakistan Gas Production Forecast, 2005 to 2025
8 Top 5 Asia Pacific Gas Consumers - Demand Outlook, 2005 to 2025
8.1 China Gas Demand Forecast, 2005 to 2025
8.2 Japan Gas Demand Forecast, 2005 to 2025
8.3 India Gas Demand Forecast, 2005 to 2025
8.4 Thailand Gas Demand Forecast, 2005 to 2025
8.5 Pakistan Gas Demand Forecast, 2005 to 2025
9. Global Oil and Gas Capital Expenditure Plans of 10 Companies
9.1 Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia
9.2 China National Petroleum Company
9.3 ExxonMobil
9.4 Petroleos de Venezuela
9.5 Royal Dutch Shell
9.6 BP Plc
9.7 Gazprom
9.8 Total SA
9.9 Chevron Corporation
9.10 Petrobras
10. Recent Industry Developments
11. Appendix
11.1 Abbreviations
11.2 Sources and Methodology
Companies Mentioned
BP Plc
Chevron Corporation
China National Petroleum Company
ExxonMobil
Petroleos de Venezuela
Royal Dutch Shell
BP Plc
Gazprom
Total SA
Chevron Corporation
Petrobras
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/x9336d/asia_pacific_oil
Media Contact:
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
[email protected]
For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470
For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630
For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
SOURCE Research and Markets
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AMSTERDAM, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
This week, Atradius Collections will release the 11th edition of the Global Collections Review, which examines the collections behaviour of companies across 30 countries. The report looks at potential future developments of the services offered by debt collection agencies, while also identifying the factors that influence the collection process.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160622/382197LOGO )
It is vital that internationally active companies have a good knowledge of the payment practices and collection behaviour of customers in the countries they currently do business or plan to do business in the future, as an incorrect decision may result in serious cash flow problems.
This applies to companies of all sizes; large businesses are particularly exposed to poor payment behaviour due to the volume of their international transactions, while smaller ones often learn the hard way that they have incorrectly assessed the payment behaviour of their international business partners.
A navigation for regional collection solutions
As one of the world's leading commercial debt collection firms, Atradius Collections conducts regular surveys, together with Atradius Credito y Caucion S.A. de Seguros y Reaseguros, on corporate payment and collection behaviour across a range of countries. The findings from these studies are subsequently published in the Atradius Payment Practices Barometer and the Global Collections Review. With this Global Collections Review, we want to provide an understanding of the dynamics of collection practices and the way they are reflected in business behaviour at country level. The detailed insights can help companies create country- and industry-focused strategies on how to deal with overdue invoices.
The Global Collections review is FREE and available for download at atradiuscollections.com.
About the Global Collections Review
The Global Collections Review is based on a survey of over 6.400 companies across 30 countries in the APAC, Americas and European regions. The appropriate contacts for accounts receivable management were interviewed. The interviews were all conducted exclusively for Atradius and there was no combination of topics. The GCR report presents the results of the evaluation of collections behaviour and it includes only those countries for which completed responses are available.
About Atradius Collections
With a presence in 28 countries and an extensive network worldwide, Atradius Collections provides trade invoice collection services in 96% of the countries across the world. Its wide breadth of services, ranging from first party to legal collections, helps companies around the globe recover unpaid invoices. Atradius forms part of Grupo Catalana Occidente (GCO.MC), one of the leading insurers in Spain and worldwide in credit insurance.
http://www.atradiuscollections.com
http://www.linkedin.com/company/atradius-collections
http://www.twitter.com/AtradiusCollect
For further information: Robyn Bonnin, Email: [email protected], Telephone: +31(0)205532041
SOURCE Atradius Collections, a part of Atradius Credito y Caucion S.A. de Seguros y Reaseguros
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AtWork Group, an award-winning national staffing franchise, hosted its annual franchise conference at Pier South Resort in Imperial Beach, California, Sept. 17-19. In addition to providing seminars, training, and various roundtable discussions, the franchise honored multiple franchisees for their commitment to success at the AtWork Awards Dinner.
"Our annual conference is one of my favorite times of the year," said Jason Leverant, president and COO of AtWork Group. "With nearly 100 locations across the U.S., it's a chance for all AtWork franchisees to come together, to share knowledge, learn from each other, and to relax in a beautiful setting to celebrate our successes."
The AtWork Group Franchise Conference allowed all attending AtWork owners and employees to benefit from special training sessions, in-depth industry discussions, and vendor networking breaks. The keynote speakers were Colette Carlson, a human behavior expert who inspires individuals to connect and communicate in real and relevant ways, Tom Erb, a top staffing and recruiting expert who has helped hundreds of firms create and execute sales and recruiting strategies for their businesses, and Tim David, author and influential communication expert who was the surprise speaker for the event.
The AtWork Awards Dinner, which was hosted on the rooftop of the Pier South Resort and catered by Sea 180 Coastal Tavern, recognized individual franchise locations for outstanding sales in the last year. Twenty-one franchise locations received Bronze Awards ($1 million to $2.5 million in sales), 15 locations received Silver Awards ($2.5 million to $5 million in sales), six locations received Gold Awards ($5 million to $7.5 million in sales), and three locations were honored with Platinum Awards ($7.5 million to $10 million in sales).
Nine locations received the Chairman's Award, which is the top revenue prize for franchise locations that generated more than $10 million in sales. They are the office locations in:
Allentown, Pa.
Bowling Green, Ky.
Methuen, Mass.
Morristown, Tenn.
Jessup, Md.
Pooler, Ga.
Reading, Pa.
Salinas, Calif.
Visalia, Calif.
The Rookie of the Year Award went to Unnati Patel, owner of the Orlando, Florida, location. The Rising Star Awards went to Daryl Ayers from Warren, Michigan, Kendra Williams from New Orleans, and Nathan Dibagno from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Debbie Moody from Brewer, Maine, received the AtWork for You Award, which honors the person who best exemplifies AtWork's mission and core values.
Ivanna Beltran from Temecula, California, received the inaugural Cruisin' & Crushin' It award, which honors the AtWork employee who most consistently performed above expectations.
In celebration of AtWork's 25th year anniversary, the theme for this year's conference was "Past. Present. Future." John D. Hall, Jr. staffing pioneer and CEO of AtWork Group, together with his wife, Glenda, laid the foundation for what would become AtWork Group in 1992. Today, AtWork is one of the leading staffing providers in the U.S. and a top franchise opportunity for those seeking to build their own staffing businesses. The company plans to award more than 100 new franchise locations to local entrepreneurs by 2022.
To find out more about franchise opportunities, visit atworkfranchise.com or call 888-553-1745.
About AtWork Group
AtWork Group is an award-winning and nationally-known franchisor of staffing services including AtWork Personnel Services, AtWork Medical Services, AtWork HelpingHands Services, and AtWork Search Group under the umbrella of the AtWork Group. The company was founded in 1986, and today, AtWork has grown to be cited as one of Staffing Industry Analysts' top U.S. staffing firms. AtWork Group's remarkable growth is fueled by the vision of founders John and Glenda Hall: think ahead, create opportunity, give exceptional support to franchise offices, and always look for the better way, every day. For more information, visit www.atwork.com or call 800-383-0804.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Heather Ripley
Ripley PR
865-977-1973
[email protected]
SOURCE AtWork Group
Related Links
http://www.atwork.com
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoGravity, a FinTech pioneer on a mission to transform car shopping and financing, today announced that it has reached $1 billion USD in finance amount requested on the AutoGravity platform. Additionally, AutoGravity has announced the launch of real-time inventory for new and used cars from partner dealership groups across the nation. Car shoppers can browse real vehicle inventory on dealership lots, find the specific car that's right for them and secure up to four finance offers in minutes on the AutoGravity smartphone app.
More over 750,000 car shoppers have downloaded AutoGravity, collectively requesting over $1 billion USD in financing. These users can now search inventory by car brand and model year as well as characteristics such as body type, drivetrain and color. Car shoppers can find their desired car waiting for them on the showroom lot for the payment they want. With car selected and offers in hand, users can pick up their car and drive off the lot with the confidence of knowing they have secured a fair deal.
AutoGravity partnered closely with the largest dealer groups in the country to design a seamless process by which dealers can easily load inventory feeds, including vehicle details and pictures, to AutoGravity's secure platform. Inventory is updated and shown to users in real time.
"With over $1 billion in finance amount requested, AutoGravity is gaining momentum toward digitizing the car buying journey, and real-time inventory brings our award-winning technology to the next level," said Andy Hinrichs, founder and CEO of AutoGravity. "We worked closely with our dealer partners, including some of America's largest dealer groups, to give car buyers access to the showroom right from their smartphones. AutoGravity technology has made that possible."
Based in Irvine, California, AutoGravity uses industry-leading technology to revolutionize auto financing by connecting car shoppers directly with top lenders and dealers. With AutoGravity, car shoppers apply for financing on their smartphones and see up to four personalized car finance offers in minutes. AutoGravity empowers users to go to the dealer with qualified offers in hand.
AutoGravity is available for download on Apple devices from the App Store and Android devices from the Google Play Store.
About AutoGravity
AutoGravity is revolutionizing the way people buy and finance cars. Harnessing the power of the smartphone, AutoGravity technology provides a new level of transparency, convenience and speed to the car shopping and financing process. AutoGravity partners with the world's leading banks and financial services companies to give car buyers direct control over their car financing options while connecting them to a nationwide network of trusted car dealerships. Available on iOS, Android and Web, AutoGravity empowers car buyers with up to four binding offers in minutes. Based in Irvine, California, AutoGravity was founded by an international team of digital natives and auto industry veterans. For more information on AutoGravity, please visit www.autogravity.com and follow @AutoGravity on Twitter.
SOURCE AutoGravity
Related Links
https://www.autogravity.com/
BIG PINE KEY, Fla., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coalition of Hope Foundation, Inc. (COH) received a $25,000 donation from Aya Healthcare to help with Hurricane Irma relief efforts in the Florida Keys. The donation is the initial contribution from the San Diego-based company transforming healthcare staffing nationally, and kicks off a larger matching campaign with Aya's employees, partners and clients with the goal of donating a total of $100,000.
"We have an office in South Florida and are part of the community," said Aya Healthcare CEO, Alan Braynin. "We are here to support our employees, their friends, families and neighbors adversely affected by the hurricane."
Hurricane Irma hit Florida as a Category 4 storm on the morning of September 10, ripping off roofs, flooding coastal cities, knocking out power to more than 6.8 million people and causing damages in excess of $100 billion. The Florida Keys were hit the hardest with massive storm surges, flooding and damages to 90 percent of the homes and businesses. Hurricane Irma and its aftermath are responsible for the deaths of at least 38 people in the Caribbean and another 31 in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
"The devastation is real," said President and Founder of COH, David Perez. "Just because it doesn't flash in the headlines anymore, doesn't mean the people of South Florida don't need our help. Schools are destroyed. Homes are destroyed. Lives have been upended. And it is our duty as fellow Americans, as fellow humans, to lend a helping hand."
On September 15, COH was tasked by the Munroe County EOC (Emergency Operations Center) to provide humanitarian assistance services to the affected population. In the Florida Keys, officials estimated that 25 percent of the homes were destroyed and 90 percent damaged. Thanks to the financial support of Aya Healthcare, COH, with their mission partners, which include Navillus Construction, 305 Films, Humanity Road, Third Wave Volunteers, CitiMED and Sleeping Alligators Studios, have all been onsite providing hot meals, fresh water distribution, emergency supplies, a fully functional resources center, personal communications, technology resources, FEMA assistance and a full mobile and onsite medical team managed by CitiMED. COH is now actively coordinating with the EOC in the next phase to pave the way for National VOAD volunteers to assist Keys homeowners with debris removal and the demolition of mold and drywall while the rebuilding process continues. Financial support for COH's mission assignment has been provided by Aya Healthcare and CitiMED.
Monroe County Mayor, George Neugent, stated, "I've observed the actions of the Coalition of Hope Foundation along with their partners and Aya Healthcare, from the raising of the tents on day one to the stocking of goods to the feeding of thousands ... its heart warming! These guys are the real deal."
View a short documentary highlighting the relief mission in the Florida Keys here: https://youtu.be/cqAREeGurus
COH has established a text-to-donate campaign to support ongoing Hurricane Irma relief efforts. To donate $25, text "IRMA" to 501501. To donate $10, text "HOPE" to 501501. Be sure to reply YES to confirm your donation
About Aya Healthcare
Aya Healthcare creates exceptional experiences for their clinicians, their corporate employees and the healthcare facilities they serve. For healthcare facilities, Aya delivers a robust suite of software and services to manage the procurement of contingent labor. Aya's platform provides access to one of the largest sources of contract clinicians in the country which improves efficiency, increases quality and reduces costs for healthcare systems. For travel nurses, Aya delivers the best experience in the industry and allows access to the widest base of travel assignments in the United States. For more information, visit AyaHealthcare.com.
About The Coalition of Hope Foundation (Federal Tax ID 20-3451673)
The Coalition of Hope Foundation is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit public charity and has actively assisted in many of the most catastrophic disasters of the last 15 years, from Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy to the disasters in Haiti and Ecuador. COH, since its inception, has provided aid and comfort to tens of thousands of victims. In addition to its efforts during Hurricanes Harvey and Irma relief efforts, COH is actively working to secure the conveyance of the USS Nassau from the US Government in order to refit the vessel and create the first of its kind privately funded Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) early response platform. Recently featured in an Op Ed in the Miami Herald, http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article173204721.html. For more information, visit www.coalitionofhope.org or donate to the online campaign here.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
The Coalition of Hope Foundation: Palm Beach, FL 33480 www.coalitionofhope.org
David Perez, President (m) +1(619)356-0018 +1 (833)368-7474 (e) [email protected]
Aya Healthcare: Erin Stafford, Director of Marketing, [email protected], 714-351-3849.
Meal/donations drop-off location: 30250 Overseas Hwy, Big Pine Key, Florida USA 33043
Hours of Operation: Monday to Sunday 9:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
SOURCE Aya Healthcare
Related Links
http://www.ayahealthcare.com
Has Tom Cruise been watching a lot of Warren Beatty movies lately?
In American Made, a zigzagging, heavily fictionalized account of a TWA pilot turned drugs and arms smuggler Barry Seal, the movie star does a lot of his own flying, and executes some stunts that belie his 55 years. But on the ground, the actor takes his sweet, smiling time with every rejoinder in every dialogue sequence, the way Beatty does, pausing before answering the latest question, registering disbelief through high-gloss teeth. Cut the pauses out, rewrite the ending, and American Made becomes a one-hour series pilot. As is, at two hours, its fairly entertaining even when it doesnt quite work, directed for maximum pace by Cruises Edge of Tomorrow cohort, director Doug Liman.
Edge of Tomorrow, which I really liked, featured giant killer bugs from another planet, yet American Made is somehow the less realistic story of the two. To his credit, Cruise has worked out a few tics and performance details (including a light, occasional Baton Rouge drawl) in portraying a classic American weasel who thinks hes a hero.
The real Barry Seals bizarre career is enough for five seasons on Netflix. He was busted for smuggling explosives into Mexico, intended for anti-Castro Cubans, in the early 1960s. Though some sources deny he was ever on the CIA payroll, most accounts put Seal in the employ of the U.S. intelligence agency, flying a private plane into Central American countries and taking surveillance photos of Americas enemies. Then Seal got rich flying cocaine and marijuana back to the states on behalf of the future members of the Medellin cartel. Seal ran an increasingly sprawling and lucrative private airport in Mena, Ark., eventually turning snitch on behalf of the Drug Enforcement Agency and being outed as a CIA op by the news media.
Gary Spinellis script revises and deletes those and other resume items at will, while hustling to avoid tedium and confusion. The movie begins in 1978, with Cruises Barry bored out of his skull doing regional hops for TWA. (American Made makes no room or time for some of the wilder assertions regarding Seals entanglements prior to the films timeline, such as the murky theory that Seal flew a getaway plane for JFKs assassins on Nov. 22, 1963.) In the movie Domhnall Gleeson plays a composite figure, Seals grinning, upbeat CIA liaison. The film scoots back and forth from Baton Rouge to Latin America, from Mena, Ark., to various Central American locales all played by Colombia.
All this is legal? Cruise asks Gleeson at one point. Sure, he answers, if youre doing it for the good guys. Its the line you hear in every Hollywood treatment of a story involving morally compromised American cocaine and/or arms dealers, trying to extend their geopolitical lucky streak. American Made is a better, more intriguingly conflicted project than (a generation ago) Air America with Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. as heroin smugglers in the Vietnam War. And theres little of the tonal confusion that clobbered the recent War Dogs. (Miles Teller and Jonah Hill as wacky Yanks dealing arms in the thick of the Iraq invasion.) As Seals domestic life back in Arkansas becomes one of crazy, conspicuous excess, we wait for the house of cards to tumble. Spinelli clearly is crazy about Scorseses GoodFellas, and he has structured American Made in roughly the same picaresque fashion.
Director Limans handling of Cruises final scene is visually striking and properly stark. The movie doesnt quite do its job setting up that ending, however. Much of American Made plays like a compressed and streamlined version of whatever screenwriter Spinelli came up with initially. Seal bumps into one historical figure after another Panamanian dictator and CIA informant Manuel Noriega, Iran/Contra strategist Oliver North, even a cameo from someone playing George W. Bush in the years covered here, 1978-1986. They become a colorful, reckless blur, and often that blur is entertaining, as photographed in hot, bright, amped-up colors by cinematographer Cesar Charlone. (Limans relentless long-lens hand-held technique, though, is less helpful.)
The real Seal, it seems, was a more ambitious, wide-ranging criminal than hes depicted in American Made. Then again, nobody should go to any based on a true story affair for facts. Its hard enough to get the right sort of dramatically convincing lies.
AMERICAN MADE
2.5 out of 4 stars
MPAA rating: R (for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity)
Running time:1:55
2017 Chicago Tribune
Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ben E. Keith Company announces the completion of the warehouse expansion to its Oklahoma Division, located in Edmond, OK. The 18 month project included a 134,000 square foot expansion with the installation of the Dematic Automated Storage and Retrieval System, or ASRS. The three automated cranes will provide Ben E. Keith with the flexibility to fulfill orders and perform warehousing functions with maximum efficiency.
Included in the expansion is the installation of an underground storm shelter and a robotic sanitation system to ensure the cleanliness of refrigerated delivery trailers. The addition increases the total square footage of the existing warehouse, originally opened in January of 2006, to 471,724 square feet. The warehouse currently stocks over 18,000 SKUs.
"We are excited to have completed this expansion project. The additional space enhances our ability to support our growing customer base in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Western Missouri. It improves our ability to provide premium choices for our customers, and increases efficiencies and food safety practices throughout the operation," states Kirk Purnell, Oklahoma General Manager.
The Oklahoma Division currently has 480 full time employees and has been recognized for four consecutive years as one of the "Top Work Places in Oklahoma" by The Oklahoman.
About Ben E. Keith Foods:
Established in Fort Worth, Texas in 1906, Ben E. Keith is the nation's eighth largest broad line foodservice distributor and operates today with eight divisions shipping to fourteen states throughout the country.
For more information about Ben E. Keith contact:
David Werner, Vice President, Marketing. 817-759-6826. [email protected]
SOURCE Ben E. Keith Foods
Related Links
http://www.benekeith.com
TACOMA, Wash., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Washington state is appealing for many reasons, being home to not only the space needle but also the restaurant that sits on top of it!
The state is also where Microsoft headquarters is located (in Redmond), and the state that CEO Bill Gates calls home. Not to mention the irony, Washington also produces more apples than any other state in the US. With a perfect mix of city and scenery, it is no mystery why more than 7 million Americans call Washington home.
If you are already one of those millions, or are looking to be, Online College Plan has sought to sweeten the deal for prospective students by ranking the Top 20 Online Schools in Washington:
https://www.onlinecollegeplan.com/online-schools-washington-state/
The researcher of the piece used a nearly foolproof methodology to rank each school out of a possible 200 points -- the highest scoring schools were then ranked in the top twenty for this article.
The schools were first scored using freshman retention and graduation rates from the schools' own websites, US News, and NCES.
Each school is described thoroughly in the piece, with the researcher citing accolades and interesting facts about the specific schools' histories as well. Programs are highlighted, and the scoring is very comprehensive and easy to understand, making it a breeze for prospective students to gather the needed information.
Whitman College in Walla Walla took first place in this article, having the highest combined total score (173/200) due to having an excellent freshman retention rate (at 94% of all freshmen returning for their sophomore year) and a solid graduation rate (with 79% of students promptly obtaining their degrees).
The remaining schools are ranked in descending order below:
20. Big Bend Community College (Moses Lake, Washington)
19. City University of Seattle (Seattle, Washington)
18. Central Washington University (Ellensburg, Washington)
17. Walla Walla University (College Place, Washington)
16. Bates Technical College (Tacoma, Washington)
15. University of Washington--Tacoma Campus (Tacoma, Washington)
14. Saint Martin's University (Lacey, Washington)
13. Washington State University (Pullman, Washington)
12. Northwest University (Kirkland, Washington)
11. Eastern Washington University (Cheney, Washington)
10. Western Washington University (Bellingham, Washington)
9. Pacific Lutheran University (Parkland, Washington)
8. Seattle Pacific University (Seattle, Washington)
7. Faith International University and Seminary (Tacoma, Washington)
6. Seattle University (Seattle, Washington)
5. University of Washington--Bothell Campus (Bothell, Washington)
4. Whitworth University (Spokane, Washington)
3. University of Washington (Seattle, Washington)
2. Gonzaga University (Spokane, Washington)
Kenneth Williams
Research Editor
864 245 0751
[email protected]
http://www.onlinecollegeplan.com/
SOURCE OnlineCollegePlan.com
Related Links
https://www.onlinecollegeplan.com/
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- B3 Holdings announced today the creation of Boohma Technologies (BT), splitting the software and technology company from Billups, a leading out-of-home (OOH) media specialist agency. The split will allow BT to increase their focus on developing and refining their industry-changing software and data services capabilities. Their flagship software, Boohma, will be released later this month, allowing brands, agencies, and other out-of-home specialists access to advanced targeting capabilities, while their data services will allow scaled planning and results measurement. Billups will continue to enjoy a close relationship with BT, incorporating their capabilities into their client services and receiving early access to new features.
"We saw an opportunity to create software in an industry that has not changed its practices in the past 30 years. This exploration has led us to take the next sensible step of spinning off Boohma Technologies into its own company," said founder Ben Billups. "By creating this new entity focusing on technology, we have limitless opportunity to work with agencies, brands, vendors and even perceived industry competitors in a way we haven't been able to before."
In the coming weeks, BT will be launching Boohma OOH planning software and cutting-edge data services built around revolutionary features, each one a major step forward for the industry:
Location-based research with the country's largest OOH catalog (500,000+ units) from 350 vendors on an intuitive map-based interface
Audience insights built on behavioral and attitudinal data for more specific targeting
Amplified intelligence using an innovative AI-powered recommendation engine the first in the OOH industry
Smart planning at scale to quickly craft tailored plans for each location across multiple markets
Result measurement based on combining software targeting and data sciences
Following the launch, BT will continue to grow and develop Boohma while constantly looking for opportunities to bring innovative solutions through technology and data science to the OOH industry. Billups and Boohma Technologies will continue to operate out of their joint headquarters in Portland, Oregon.
About B3
B3 Holdings was founded to revolutionize the location-based media world. B3's services arm, Billups, is an industry- leading out-of-home media specialist agency that blends art and science to create meaningful visual experiences on a national and global scale. B3's software arm, Boohma Technologies, is accelerating the out-of-home world into a technology-based future by offering cutting-edge software and data services. Together, the companies are changing how brands connect with consumers in the real world. B3 is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.
About Boohma Technologies
Boohma Technologies is accelerating the out-of-home world into a technology-based future by offering cutting-edge software and data services. Their flagship product, Boohma, is the industry's first true strategic software, integrating location-based research, audience insights, smart planning, and an out-of-home recommendation engine that incorporates advanced machine learning. By blending software with proprietary data science modeling methods, Boohma Technologies can now scientifically target and accurately measure out-of-home campaigns with unprecedented precision. Boohma Technologies is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Find out more at boohma.com.
About Billups
Billups is revolutionizing the out-of-home media experience. Blending art and science with advanced technology, Billups leads the industry with scientific targeting, accurate out-of-home measurement, and an innovative AI-powered recommendation engine. Founded in 2003, Billups is the nation's largest independently held out-of-home media specialist agency, offering strategic planning, buying, production and brand experiences. Recently named one of America's Most Promising Companies by Forbes, Billups is headquartered in Portland, Oregon with 13 offices spanning the US. Find out more at billups.com.
SOURCE Billups
Related Links
http://www.billups.com
"BJ's is dedicated to fueling families with everyday essentials and access to fresh, quality food," said Chris George, general manager of BJ's Wholesale Club in Yorktown Heights. "We're honored to partner with the Food Bank for Westchester to support our neighbors in need."
BJ's Wholesale Club opened its newest BJ's Gas location at 3363 Crompound Road, Yorktown Heights, NY on Saturday, August 31st, allowing for even more savings for members. In addition to the new Yorktown Heights location, BJ's operates a total of 133 gas stations in the eastern United States and Ohio.
"Suburban poverty and poor nutrition are a reality, especially in the county of Westchester," said Leslie Gordon, President and CEO of Food Bank for Westchester. "The core of our work is achieved by partnering with local member programs that distribute food to families and individuals in need. The BJ's gas donation is crucial to expanding our mission of creating a hunger-free environment."
Additionally, through its Feeding Communities program, the Club supplies unsold produce, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy and bakery products daily to reduce food waste and provide wholesome, fresh food to the community.
Shoppers can learn more about BJ's Wholesale Club by going to www.bjs.com.
About BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.
Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ's is the leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The company currently operates 215 clubs and 133 BJ's Gas locations in 16 states.
BJ's provides a one-stop shopping destination filled with top-quality, leading brands, including its exclusive Wellsley Farms and Berkley Jensen brands, along with USDA Choice meats, premium produce and delicious organics, many in supermarket sizes. BJ's is also the only major membership warehouse club to accept all manufacturers' coupons and, for greater convenience, offers the most payment options.
Visit www.BJs.com, and for exclusive content find us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. BJ's is wholly owned by affiliates of Leonard Green & Partners, CVC Capital Partners and its management team.
About Food Bank for Westchester
For over 29 years, Food Bank for Westchester has led the fight against hunger in Westchester County, serving 300 frontline programs that provide food directly to the 200,000 county residents who are hungry or food insecure. Food Bank for Westchester supplies 95 percent of all food distributed annually across the region's food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and daycare and residential programs delivering over 8.4 million pounds of food and 7.5 million meals to people. Food Bank for Westchester's collaboration with major retailers and corporations, and its expertise in food procurement, storage, and distribution, turns every monetary donation into fresh food provided for our community. For more information, visit www.foodbankforwestchester.org.
Visit www.foodbankforwestchester.org for more information on the Food Bank and learn to support programs to end hunger.
SOURCE BJ's Wholesale Club
Related Links
http://www.bjs.com
Youth of the Year is Boys & Girls Clubs of America's premier recognition program for Club teens and the National Youth of the Year title is the highest honor a Club member can receive, representing the voice of four million Club youth. Celebrating its 70th year, the Youth of the Year program has recognized young people for their outstanding leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to living a healthy lifestyle. The Youth of the Year program is presented by Disney with support from signature partner Toyota, along with additional partners Taco Bell Foundation and University of Phoenix. The National Youth of the Year will receive $145,000 in academic scholarships, as well as a trip to Disney World and a brand new Toyota Corolla. This year, the Youth of the Year program will award more than $1 million in scholarships to Club teens.
"My Boys & Girls Club has taught me that I can be whatever I want to be," said Polanco. "They taught me that I should always dream big and go after my dreams. Today, as the National Youth of the Year, I am ready to represent and advocate for all 4 million of our Boys & Girls Club kids and teens."
Polanco's family came to the United States from the Dominican Republic when he was 5 years old. He started attending the Boys & Girls Club, where he discovered his passion for education. Polanco helped found the Clifton Student-Union, which is a student run, student-led advocacy group. In this capacity he's helped rewrite the school dress code, addressed the lack of AP classes and led a peaceful march of more than 350 students advocating for fair school funding.
Through the support of his Boys & Girls Club, Carlos became a leader, following his passions to make a difference in his community.
"Carlos symbolizes seven decades of youth leaders that have found a great future with Boys & Girls Clubs," said Jim Clark, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "Youth of the Year recognizes teens who demonstrate the critical impact that Clubs, and thousands of youth development professionals working at Boys & Girls Clubs around the county, have on the lives of young people. Carlos will be an incredible voice, advocating for the needs of all young people in our country."
Becoming National Youth of the Year is an exciting and inspiring journey. Starting on the local level, Clubs select Youth of the Year representatives who then progress to state and regional competitions, culminating with the National Youth of the Year Celebration which features youth from each of the five regions, as well as the National Military Youth of the Year. Regional finalists are awarded up to $45,000 in scholarships from Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the National Youth of the Year is awarded an additional $25,000 renewable for four years up to $100,000.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America's National Youth of the Year recognition program is presented by Disney, who has supported Boys & Girls Clubs of America for more than 50 years, empowering young people to reach their full potential and providing youth with access to the tools they need to build the great futures they imagine. Toyota, the Signature Sponsor of Youth of the Year, is dedicated to supporting and inspiring the next generation of engineers, thinkers and new leaders who will help drive the American economy. Since 2011, Toyota has provided the National Youth of the Year with a new Corolla. Additional support is provided by University of Phoenix and the Taco Bell Foundation.
"At The Walt Disney Company, we are committed to being advocates and champions for youth and families around the world. Which is why we are so proud to help honor Carlos, the five other national finalists and all the youth that participated in this program," said Elissa Margolis Senior Vice President Enterprise Social Responsibility for The Walt Disney Company. "We are truly inspired by the leadership, compassion, and dedication demonstrated by these remarkable young people."
As Youth of the Year, Carlos will serve as the official spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America and its Young Alumni & Friends Club that connects former members who are living proof of the impact of Boys & Girls Clubs. For more information about the Youth of the Year program, visit https://www.bgca.org/programs/youth-of-the-year.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (bgca.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, 4,300 Clubs serve 4 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in Boys & Girls Clubs of America-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Nielsen Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Facebook and Twitter.
SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Related Links
http://www.bgca.org
PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Braeburn) today participated in the Third Meeting of the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis held in the Eisenhower Executive Office of the President in Washington, DC. Braeburn President and CEO, Mike Derkacz shared the Company's progress in advancing new, long-acting treatment options to help address the escalating disease burden of addiction faced by Americans, including the development of injectable treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) to potentially minimize the risk of diversion and abuse.
"Braeburn is fully committed to working with the Commission, healthcare professionals, lawmakers, payers and regulators to deliver solutions for people living with the serious, often fatal consequences of opioid addiction," said Mike Derkacz, President and CEO of Braeburn. "We believe that people who suffer from addiction and the healthcare professionals who treat them will greatly benefit from the expansion of treatment options and improved access to medication-assisted therapy. Until we make it as easy to get treatment as it is to get illicit drugs in this country, the epidemic will continue."
In 2016, roughly 10.6 million adults misused opioids in the US and only 1.2 million of them were treated, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). According to the NIH, 25 million Americans suffer from daily chronic pain. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has referred to medication-assisted therapy as "one of the major pillars of the federal response to the opioid epidemic in this country."
"Braeburn announced last week that the New Drug Application for CAM2038, an investigational buprenorphine weekly and monthly depot injection for the treatment of adults with opioid use disorder, was accepted under Priority Review and granted Fast Track designation by the FDA, accelerating the timeline for which CAM2038, if approved, will provide new options for patients struggling with opioid use disorder," said Sonnie Kim, Pharm.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Braeburn. "These treatments, if approved, will be administered by healthcare professionals to ensure proper delivery and medication adherence, while potentially minimizing risks of diversion, misuse and accidental pediatric exposure."
This third Commission meeting was livestreamed and is available at WhiteHouse.gov: https://www.whitehouse.gov/live.
About CAM2038
CAM2038 is an investigational buprenorphine weekly and monthly depot subcutaneous injection for the treatment of opioid use disorder, as a part of a comprehensive treatment plan to include counseling and psychosocial support. The product is designed for flexible and individualized treatment from initiation and stabilization to longer-term maintenance therapy, providing sustained buprenorphine release in once weekly and once monthly formulations. Administration by healthcare professionals ensures delivery and medication adherence, while potentially minimizing risks of diversion, misuse, and accidental pediatric exposure. CAM2038 has been successfully evaluated in seven Phase 1-3 clinical trials, including a pivotal Phase 3 efficacy and a long-term safety study. The safety profile of CAM2038 was generally consistent with the known safety profile of buprenorphine, with the exception of mild-to-moderate injection-site adverse events.
CAM2038 is presented ready for use in prefilled syringes for weekly or monthly administration by a healthcare professional. If approved, CAM2038 will be offered in dosage strengths for once weekly (8 mg to 32 mg) and once monthly (64 mg to 160 mg) subcutaneous injections.
About Braeburn Pharmaceuticals
Braeburn is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to delivering solutions for people living with the serious, often fatal consequences of opioid addiction. The company's mission is to advance a portfolio of next-generation therapies, with individualized dosing regimens and delivery options, to address the escalating disease burden of addiction faced by patients, healthcare professionals, payers and society. For more information about Braeburn, please visit www.braeburnpharmaceuticals.com.
For additional information, please contact:
Media Relations:
Nancy Leone: [email protected]
Investor Relations:
Chris Taylor: [email protected]
SOURCE Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.braeburnpharmaceuticals.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Business-Management-Degree.net has recently released their list of the Best Online Schools for Bachelors of Human Resources, a detailed catalog of the finest available distance education schools offering undergraduate degrees in this discipline.
You may view the list, along with a description of the benefits of each institution, by clicking the link below:
http://www.business-management-degree.net/best-online-schools-bachelors-human-resources/
Human Resources is an incredibly versatile degree program that educates students in the essentials of managing large teams of employees and the multitude of responsibilities that comes along with the career path. These individuals learn finance, management, counseling, and business techniques in order to become successful leaders and educators within numerous workplace environments. Companies and organizations everywhere are in need of competent, compassionate people who have an understanding of both human behavior and business ethics, and who can take on many different responsibilities such as payroll, conflict management, recruitment, hiring, and much more.
These 20 online schools offer outstanding resources that assist students throughout their academic and professional careers. Individuals in any one of these programs gain invaluable skills and a solid understanding of human resources and management, and provide crucial techniques that help workplaces run efficiently and employees work cooperatively. Many students exiting these schools go on to obtain successful positions of employment, or choose to further enhance their knowledge and skill in competitive graduate degree programs.
According to lead researcher and writer, Rowan Jones, "A human resources degree is detailed, complex, and yet infinitely useful. The vast amount of disciplines approached in this degree give students a great many skills that can be applied to different career goals."
Below we have listed the schools that have made the Best Online Schools for Bachelors of Human Resources:
University of Arkansas - Fayetteville , AR
, AR Colorado State University -Global Campus - Greenwood Village, CO
-Global Campus - Trevecca Nazarene University - Nashville, TN
- LeTourneau University - Longview, TX
- Southern New Hampshire University - Hooksett, NH
- Anderson University - Anderson, IN
Fort Hays State University - Hays, KS
- Concordia University, St. Paul - St. Paul, MN
- Lewis University - Romeoville, IL
- Florida International University - Miami, FL
- University of the Incarnate Word - San Antonio, TX
- Philadelphia University - Philadelphia, PA
- Georgia Southwestern State University - Americus, GA
- Columbia College - Columbia , CO
- , CO Florida Institute of Technology - Melbourne , FL
, FL Upper Iowa University - Fayette, IA
- Wilmington University - New Castle, DE
University - Western Governors University - Salt Lake City, UT
- Metropolitan State University - St. Paul, MN
McKendree University - Lebanon, IL
These Best Online Schools for Bachelors of Human Resources were chosen for several factors that put them ahead of other online graduate programs, due to the: nature of the coursework, degree of thoroughness and complexity of the curriculum, 100% online availability, sufficient financial aid availability, and an education that give students more than just classroom experience. Business-Management-Degree.net is an online web publication that is committed to enhancing the information available to students when choosing an academic institution.
The editors of Business-Management-Degree.net collect the most important and relevant data about colleges, universities, and campus facilities from various highly respected sources and offer them in a simple format that is easy to understand. In developing this list, Business-Management-Degree.net, chose not to list the schools in an ordered way, but instead highlighted 20 of the very best programs, all of which have their own unique strengths.
Contact:
Rowan Jones
Researcher/Writer
Business-Management-Degree.net
Email: [email protected]
Cell: (931) 636-4286
SOURCE Business-Management-Degree.net
Related Links
http://Business-Management-Degree.net
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cargill today reported financial results for the fiscal 2018 first quarter ended Aug. 31, 2017. Key results include:
Adjusted operating earnings totaled $888 million , exceeding by 7 percent the $827 million earned in last year's strong comparative period.
, exceeding by 7 percent the earned in last year's strong comparative period. Net earnings on a U.S. GAAP basis were $973 million , up 14 percent from $852 million a year ago.
, up 14 percent from a year ago. Revenues totaled $27.3 billion , edging ahead of last year's $27.1 billion .
"We're off to a good start in our new fiscal year, powered by the significant work we've done over the last few years and continuing to accelerate our performance," said David MacLennan, Cargill's chairman and chief executive officer. "Even as market conditions vary across our sectors, our teams are delivering for our customers and achieving results to fuel future growth."
Segment results
Animal Nutrition & Protein carried its momentum from fiscal 2017 into the new quarter, with adjusted operating earnings up significantly from last year. Protein results in North America were lifted by brisk consumer demand for beef, strong exports and more abundant cattle supplies, resulting in better utilization of processing capacity. Global poultry slightly lagged the year-ago period, as somewhat weaker results in Central America trimmed strong domestic sales and exports out of Southeast Asia. Global animal nutrition nearly reached last year's quarterly results. Gains attributable to sales of value-added feed additives and premixes were offset by market pressures in aqua feeds in Europe and swine in Vietnam.
At the start of the quarter, Cargill acquired Pollos El Bucanero, a leading producer of chicken and processed meats in Colombia. Also in the protein space, Cargill invested in San Leandro, California-based Memphis Meats. The young company is developing methods to cultivate meat directly from animal cells. Over time, cultured proteins could potentially complement conventionally produced meats as part of the equation to sustainably nourish the future. In animal nutrition, Cargill completed the purchase of Southern States Cooperative's feed business, which serves customers in the southeastern and eastern U.S. It also formed a partnership with Austria's Delacon, a leading maker of phytogenic feed additives for the animal nutrition market. Both Cargill and Delacon seek to accelerate the growth of these natural, plant-based feed additives that support animal health.
Food Ingredients & Applications was the second-largest contributor to company earnings, as continued attention to raising commercial capabilities and operating efficiencies yielded improved earnings. Cocoa and chocolate products, along with sweeteners and starches for food and other applications led results in most regions. The segment's Asia-based businesses also realized improved volumes.
Adding to its portfolio of specialty ingredients, Cargill introduced canola lecithin to the market late last year. This versatile, label-friendly emulsifier can be used by food manufacturers in a wide variety of foods and beverages. In September, the ingredient received GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Origination & Processing was down from last year's strong quarter, as positive trading results helped buffer against a challenging environment. Soybean processing in Brazil and China, and exports from Brazil also added to earnings. Although global demand for grain and oilseeds continues to grow, rising production and building global stocks during the last four crop cycles has depressed market volatility and commodity prices. The segment is working to increase productivity in its supply chain while continuing to leverage its trading and risk management capabilities to bring additional value to customers. The startup of efficient new production lines in the segment's oilseed processing plants in Wichita, Kansas, and Fayetteville, North Carolina, furthered this objective.
The Industrial & Financial Services segment was down slightly from last year. Earnings from iron ore and steel trading in Asia, and from trade and structured finance services in emerging and developed markets offset weaker performance elsewhere in the segment. Cargill sold its petroleum business to Australia's Macquarie Group in June. In a separate transaction, its North American power and gas business was sold to Macquarie in mid-September. Also in September, Cargill agreed to sell its U.S. metals business to Japanese steel trader and distributor Metal One. Pending regulatory clearance, the transaction is expected to close by calendar year-end. Cargill remains active in energy and ferrous markets through its financial risk management and Asia-based metals businesses. The company also is involved in biofuels, bio-industrials and tankers shipping.
Supporting employees and students
Cargill is taking action to strengthen workforce resilience for both today and tomorrow. A new $4 million, three-year grant from the Cargill Foundation will support Minneapolis Public Schools and local partner AchieveMpls to advance science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and college readiness programs. This includes funding for AchieveMpls college and career preparation centers located in 11 Minneapolis high schools that offer personalized guidance to 9,000 high schoolers annually. Cargill is the largest local corporate funder for Minneapolis Public Schools, providing more than $16 million in grants during the past decade.
The U.S. Department of Defense honored Cargill with the Freedom Award for its support of employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. Fifteen recipients were selected from more than 3,000 nominees this year. Cargill has a number of initiatives in place to hire and advance veterans, reservists and members of the National Guard, including having a dedicated military recruiter, a specialized business resource group for military employees and other employees who wish to participate, and flexible workplace policies to accommodate reservists.
The company also signed on to the newly launched CEO Action for Diversity, a collaboration among more than 150 CEOs who pledge to foster environments in their companies where diverse experiences and perspectives are welcomed. Additionally, member companies will implement and expand education on unconscious biases, and share best practices and missteps to help one another improve. The initiative includes CEOs from more than 50 industries and all 50 states in the U.S., representing millions of employees worldwide.
"The strength of our business rests in our people and communities," MacLennan said. "In a fast-changing world, we are doing all we can to create a workplace where employees can excel, to empower people with the skills they will need for the jobs of tomorrow, and to support the communities where we live and work."
Explanation of non-GAAP financial measure
Cargill reports financial results in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The company additionally reports adjusted operating earnings, a non-GAAP financial measure that management believes provides additional insight into the underlying financial performance of ongoing operations. In calculating adjusted operating earnings, Cargill includes earnings from non-controlling interests and mark-to-market gains or losses on intercompany contracts between the Origination & Processing and the Food Ingredients & Applications segments. Cargill excludes the following seven items: timing differences related to inventory, derivatives and hedging; last-in-first-out (LIFO) inventory adjustments; amortization of intangible assets; gains and losses on changes in investment structure; asset impairment and restructuring charges; gains and losses on sales of businesses and other long-term assets; and earnings attributable to non-controlling interests of Cargill's asset management subsidiary. For more information, visit www.cargill.com/company/financial/index.jsp.
Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and 150 years of experience. We have 155,000 employees in 70 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.
SOURCE Cargill
Related Links
http://www.cargill.com
DALLAS and MADISON, N.J., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Century 21 Real Estate LLC, franchisor of the iconic CENTURY 21 brand, announced today that Nathan Grace Real Estate has joined the CENTURY 21 franchise system by entering into a partnership with Dallas-based CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company. Nathan Grace, a previously unaffiliated brokerage with 160 sales professionals and five offices in and around Dallas and Collin counties in Texas, will now operate as CENTURY 21 Nathan Grace Fine Homes & Estates.
"Our legacy is deep-rooted in this industry," said Nick Bailey, president and chief executive officer, Century 21 Real Estate LLC. "However, it is the innovative spirit, agent focus and hustle from our sales professionals, and the authentic interaction we openly encourage with home buyers and sellers, that is the cultural foundation of today's iconic C21 brand and the driving force that helps affiliates like Judge Fite grow."
"The value add for real estate consumers in the Dallas-Fort Worth market is that we share a similar culture and the values of a truly service-centric organization," said Jim Fite, chief executive officer of CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company. "We joined forces with Nathan Grace knowing that this partnership would provide enhanced services to the people we serve and lead to the continued success of both brokerages and their agents."
Within the CENTURY 21 System, CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company is ranked the No. 1 brokerage by sales production and units closed in the DFW area, and in Texas, and is the fourth-ranked C21 company in the United States. Both companies have earned honors from the Dallas Business Journal as "Best Places to Work" and Dallas Morning News as "Top 100 Places to Work."
"The partnership allows the Nathan Grace team the capability of serving their clients with a company that offers national and international recognition, relocation services, and property management and leasing," explained Jan Fite Miller, executive vice president of CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company. "The combination of both companies' leadership builds a powerhouse of experience that is second to none in the marketplace."
Led by seasoned management teams, the combined entity of CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company and CENTURY 21 Nathan Grace Fine Homes & Estates now consists of approximately 1,000 sales associates in 25 offices covering the DFW Metroplex or 11,000 square miles. The Client Service Center for CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company and CENTURY 21 Nathan Grace Fine Homes & Estates is located at 400 S. Zang Blvd., Ste. 310, Dallas, Texas.
"Consumers and industry professionals looking for a new place to call home should feel confident like me that Jim, Jan and the leadership teams at both brokerages will work well together to deliver the best personalized experience possible," added Bailey. "This is terrific news for us, but even better news for home buyers and sellers throughout Texas."
About Century 21 Real Estate LLC
Century 21 Real Estate LLC is comprised of approximately 7,450 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 79 countries and territories worldwide with more than 115,000 independent sales professionals. Century 21 Real Estate has numerous websites to help answer specific consumer needs. They are century21.com, century21global.com, commercial.century21.com, century21.com/finehomes, and espanol.century21.com.
2017 Century 21 Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. CENTURY 21 and the CENTURY 21 Logo are registered service marks owned by Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Century 21 Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each office is independently owned and operated.
Contact:
Peter Mosca
Century 21 Real Estate LLC
Phone: 973.407.5180
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE Century 21 Real Estate LLC
Related Links
http://www.century21.com
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- STRATA DATA -- Cloudera, Inc. (NYSE: CLDR), the modern platform for machine learning and analytics, optimized for the cloud, announced the winners of the fifth annual Data Impact Awards. These awards recognize organizations that are running Cloudera Enterprise in a production environment, transforming complex data into actionable insights that demonstrate the biggest impacts to technology, science, health, lifestyle, and community across a wide variety of industries. The winning organizations' implementations demonstrate outstanding innovation to accelerate their mission, technical advancement, and overall impact. The winners were determined by a panel of 32 thought leaders in the data management and analytics space and announced at the annual Data Impact Awards Celebration on Tuesday, 26th September in tandem with 2017 Strata Data Conference.
"We were deeply impressed by the innovative ways all of the candidates are using machine learning and analytics to drive better outcomes for their customers," said Mike Olson, founder, chairman of the board and chief strategy officer at Cloudera. "Our panel of judges had an extraordinarily difficult time choosing the best among them. These trendsetting winners are truly data-driven enterprises, making real and positive impacts across industries, the economy and our society."
The winners of the 2017 Data Impact Awards, listed by award theme and category are:
Business Impact
Customer Insight:
Credit Suisse (nominated by Cognizant)
Credit Suisse's Predictive Analytics platform has driven significant productivity saving nearly 10 hours a month per analyst and has provided new insight into investment strategies for clients. The platform currently analyzes more than 54 TB of data from Credit Suisse databases, external data feeds, and public data sets, with two TB being added daily. Being able to run the platform on commodity hardware enabled Credit Suisse to reduce total cost of ownership by 38 percent. Credit Suisse worked with Cognizant and Cloudera to create a Predictive Analytics platform that delivers targeted recommendations for trading ideas, research material, investment strategies and much more.
Instrument Your Business (two-way tie):
Deutsche Telekom IT GmbH
The Deutsche Telekom big data platform, driven by Cloudera, integrates and analyzes network, CRM and customer care data to improve asset monitoring, maintenance, customer satisfaction and fraud detection. Advanced analytics implemented in the customer services area is on track to increase efficiency and grow revenue by tens of million EUR group-wise annually. Significant improvements have been registered in prepaid-conversion or retention campaigns. The fraud detection tool, implemented in T-Mobile Czech Republic, helps fight fraud scenarios like International Revenue Share Fraud and Sim Box Fraud. With new advanced automation techniques, the fraud tool dramatically decreased detection time, lowered costs and made products safer for our customers. In the operational area, machine learning was key in decreasing the number of production incidents by almost 50%.
UBS (nominated by Cognizant)
UBS's Data Refinery provides users with a powerful ecosystem for greater business efficiency. A Financial Advisor Scorecard provides a 360-degree analysis of FA activities, resulting in better performance and increased revenue. Fraud detection and anti-money laundering insights have helped analysts review millions of transactions daily. UBS worked with Cognizant and Cloudera to create a data refinery that delivers a unified view of enterprise data. The platform generates insights that have led to new business opportunities and enables users to consume data with confidence thanks to centralized governance.
Secure Your Business:
Western Union (Nominated by StreamSets)
Western Union moves billions of dollars each year for consumers and businesses and continues to innovate, developing new ways to send money through digital, mobile, and retail channels. Real-time analysis of more than 14 million transactions daily gives Western Union an edge in its work to deliver the speed, simplicity and security customers demand. Now, analysts can quickly drill down into potential issues such as sudden spikes in credit card authorizations to evaluate risk and prevent losses. Western Union uses Cloudera and StreamSets to identify potentially fraudulent activity much more quickly and with its real-time enterprise data hub, Western Union can rapidly uncover and investigate anomalies to help stop fraud.
Technical Impact
Cloud Pioneers (two-way tie):
Air New Zealand (nominated by Enterprise IT)
Air New Zealand operates a significant number of international flights each year to around 50 airports worldwide. Although network scheduling is a complex and traditionally manual process, the airline worked with Enterprise IT and deployed Cloudera on Amazon Web Services to review extensive flight data and uncover patterns which could help the airline to optimise its flight schedules. Air New Zealand has used this data to better manage airport take-off and landing times, which has in turn increased the reliability of the schedule for customers and grown revenue opportunities through new flight connections.
Celgene (nominated by Deloitte Consulting)
Celgene's modern on-demand cloud-based architecture enabled it to leapfrog its current BI and advanced analytics capabilities and dramatically improve speed to delivery of actionable insights. As a result, its data scientists can find critical correlations much more quickly, which has been instrumental for improving time to market, increasing its market reach and for reducing overall costs across the value chain. Celgene, which manufactures drug therapies for cancer and inflammatory disorders, worked with Deloitte to achieve a 99 percent savings in process run times for Real World Patient data analysis and a 70 percent reduction in operating costs by migrating legacy workloads via Cloudera Enterprise.
Innovators in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence:
Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters helps organizations separate fact from rumor on Twitter and uncover breaking events in milliseconds with Reuters Tracer. This bot journalist in training, via Cloudera, analyzes 13 million tweets daily to determine if an event is true and newsworthy, and what its scope and impact is. Reuters Tracer has broken over 50 major news stories, including the shooting in San Bernardino, California, the Brussels bombings, and the 2016 earthquake in Ecuador. These early alerts have given Reuters journalists anywhere from an eight- to a 60-minute head start over other news organizations. Reuters Tracer also helps businesses keep pace with a rapidly changing news landscape, alerting customers when market-moving events are reported.
Special Impact
Modern Architecture for Big Results:
TD Bank Group
TD Bank Group reduced data management costs by 60 percent and storage costs by 98 percent per gigabyte with its new data lake and analytics platform, powered by Cloudera. But more importantly, the platform made possible Griffin, an easy-to-use API framework that encapsulates the complexities of common model development tasks and saves thousands of lines of complex code. TD Bank's data lake and analytics platform is used by more than 25 corporate units for everything from propensity modelling to sentiment analysis. The bank's API framework, Griffin, opens the opportunity for analysts across the bank to build new machine learning and artificial intelligence use cases without in-depth machine learning expertise. It also helps shorten development and delivery timelines for big data projects from months to weeks.
Rookie of the Year:
GlaxoSmithKline (nominated by Anaconda, AtScale, Cloudwick Technologies, Kinetica, StreamSets, Tamr, Trifacta and Zoomdata)
GlaxoSmithKline's Big Data Information Platform delivers a holistic view of all data within the company's R&D division for the first time in the company's history. In just 11 months, the team evaluated and fully deployed the new platform, working with Cloudera, Anaconda, AtScale, Cloudwick Technologies, Kinetica, StreamSets, Tamr, Trifacta, and Zoomdata. By gaining greater efficiency and new insights across its many R&D processes, GlaxoSmithKline expects to bring new drugs to market much more quickly and less expensively to help patients. The platform combines more than five petabytes of data across more than 2,100 silos to give scientists an immense analytic advantage and actionable data-driven insights.
Societal Impact:
Cerner
Cerner's HealtheIntent gathers and analyzes millions of gigabytes of data that transcends numerous systems to help caregivers shift from reactive care to proactive health and prevention. HealtheIntent, which leverages Cloudera, gives providers the insights they need to deliver high-quality care to patients. For example, the platform provides proactive alerts if a patient experiences early onset conditions of potentially life-threatening illnesses. The impact can be measured in both dollars and lives.
Listen to Cybersecurity On-Call podcast interview by TJ Laher with guests, Bob Gourley, Co-Founder Cognitio and Publisher at CTOvision.com and ThreatBrief.com, and Raj Dalal, Founder & Principal Analyst at BigInsights, in their role as judges for the secure your business category, where they share the inside scoop on the applicants, their observations and surprises.
Additional Resources
Learn more about Cloudera's data management platform for IoT
Check out the new Cloudera Data Science Success Kit that includes Data Science Workbench bundled with world class professional services
Read about Cloudera and Fast Forward Labs to help you advance machine learning in your organization
About Cloudera
At Cloudera, we believe that data can make what is impossible today, possible tomorrow. We empower people to transform complex data into clear and actionable insights. We deliver the modern platform for machine learning and analytics optimized for the cloud. The world's largest enterprises trust Cloudera to help solve their most challenging business problems. Learn more at cloudera.com.
Connect with Cloudera
About Cloudera: cloudera.com/more/about.html
Read our VISION blog: vision.cloudera.com/ and Engineering blog: blog.cloudera.com/
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/cloudera
Visit us on Facebook: facebook.com/cloudera
See us on YouTube: youtube.com/user/clouderahadoop
Join the Cloudera Community: community.cloudera.com/
Read about our customers' successes: cloudera.com/more/customers.html
Cloudera, Hue and associated marks and trademarks are registered trademarks of Cloudera, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
This press release contains forward-looking statements including, among other things, statements regarding the expected performance and benefits of Cloudera's offerings. The words "believe," "may," "will," "plan," "expect," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. If the risks materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. Risks include, but are not limited to, risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Form S-1 Registration Statement, and our future reports that we may file with the SEC from time to time, which could cause actual results to vary from expectations. Cloudera assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.
SOURCE Cloudera, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.cloudera.com
DECATUR The nation's growing opioid crisis was one of the topics discussed during the Macon County Medical Society's quarterly business meeting Tuesday evening.
Hosted at the Beach House restaurant, the event featured a keynote address by Dr. Nestor Ramirez, president of the Illinois State Medical Society. Ramirez has visited multiple other county medical societies throughout the year in an effort to keep members informed of the state society's recent actions.
"These chats are an update, but they're mostly a reminder that we have a tremendous advocacy network that helps the physicians when they have any kind of problems with Medicare, Medicaid and and the insurance companies," he said. "We are the best help for them, and they can just call and ask."
Regarding the opioid epidemic, Ramirez said the current course of action for the state medical society will be to educate the public about the dangers of the drugs, and to provide physicians with the necessary materials to do so.
Overdoses caused by both prescription and illegal opioids in the United States have quadrupled since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Midwestern and rural areas are continually hit the hardest by the crisis.
While budgetary restrictions have prevented the state medical society from taking greater action against the epidemic, Ramirez said it frequently consults organizations that have the funds to do so, such as the Illinois Department of Public Health.
"We definitely are concerned about the issue," Ramirez said. "We have our physicians dealing daily with it, and our clinics dealing with patients, trying to change somebody's life. Education is a part of the deal."
Ramirez also touched upon his desire to recruit more members to join both the Macon County Medical Society and the Illinois State Medical Society.
Declining membership rates within the state have forced some medical societies to cease operation, he said. As he nears the end of his term as the state medical society's president, Ramirez said he wants to encourage the county societies to work toward preventing more of those closures.
"I'm trying to recruit more people to be members because we want them, and we need them," he said.
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- STRATA DATA Cloudera, Inc. (NYSE: CLDR), the modern platform for machine learning and analytics optimized for the cloud, announced the upcoming beta release of Cloudera Altus Data Engineering for the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. Cloudera Altus, a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offering built on the enterprise-grade Cloudera distribution, helps data engineers use on-demand cloud infrastructure to speed the creation and operation of data pipelines that power sophisticated, data-driven applications. Altus on Azure will provide an easy, unified, and enterprise-ready data engineering experience, allowing end users greater choice in cloud infrastructure providers.
This collaboration is the latest of several between Cloudera and Microsoft. In addition to Altus, business analysts can ingest sensor data through IoT Hub, pull Cloudera- processed data into Microsoft SQL Server via Polybase, and visualize insights using Microsoft Power BI for Impala. Through this integration with Microsoft, Cloudera offers businesses machine learning tools that can support large scale data analysis and predictive analytics in a cost-efficient manner.
Cloudera Altus Data Engineering on Azure simplifies the development and operations of data pipelines, focusing on data engineering workloads, while abstracting infrastructure management and operations that can be both time consuming and complex. Customers are able to host their data lakes on Azure Data Lake Store (ADLS), the hyperscale cloud storage system for data analytics, and use on-demand Azure infrastructure capacity for end user self-service capability. By separating computation and storage, ADLS is able to scale resources independently for demanding customer use cases. Because Altus is backed by the enterprise-grade Cloudera distribution, Altus reduces the risk associated with cloud migrations and workload migrations across cloud providers. Altus provides users with familiar tools and delivers shared data storage and metadata management across data pipelines.
According to KPMG, Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) adoption is predicted to be the fastest-growing sector of cloud platforms, growing from 32% in 2017 to 56% adoption in 2020. In addition, cloud adoption is now mainstream and accelerating as enterprises shift data-intensive operations to the cloud1. The cloud is one of the fastest growing deployment environments for Cloudera customers, and this alliance offers businesses a proven data engineering solution for Azure.
"Cloudera makes it easy, cost-effective, and convenient to deploy data analytic workloads on cloud providers, like Microsoft Azure, taking advantage of cloud elasticity, low-cost storage and compute options, and rapid provisioning," said Charles Zedlewski, senior vice president, Product Management, at Cloudera. "We are focused on providing a service that interoperates with our complete stack to deliver a superior experience in the cloud."
"The scope and pace at which customers' technology stacks are changing in the multi-cloud era has a dramatic impact on both IT operations and overall ability to meet rapidly evolving business needs," said Mike Pickett, vice president, New Business and Partner Ecosystems, Talend. "We're committed to helping customers chart a successful multi-cloud strategy and pleased to partner with Cloudera on extending greater choice in cloud infrastructure providers to our joint customers as they look to build cloud data pipelines for powering sophisticated, data-driven applications."
"As the leader in Enterprise Cloud Data Management, Informatica continues to invest in helping organizations easily deploy data lakes in the cloud. Informatica offers a comprehensive suite of data management products certified to run on Microsoft Azure," said Ronen Schwartz, SVP and GM of Cloud, Big Data, and Data Integration. "As an early strategic development partner for Cloudera Altus, we look forward to continuing to work closely with Cloudera in supporting data lake environments on Microsoft Azure."
"Enterprise customers increasingly choose Microsoft Azure for their large-scale data processing workloads. We are excited that Cloudera Altus will bring an easy-to-use, end-user focused managed service experience on Azure, that is backed by the proven enterprise-grade Cloudera distribution," said Corey Sanders, Director of Compute at Microsoft Azure. "Azure is the only public cloud that provides Azure Data Lake Storage designed for big data at cloud scale. Together with Cloudera Altus, we help customers build, deploy, and share analytics solutions."
Features and benefits of Altus Data Engineering for Azure include:
Workload orientation: Altus is focused on building data pipelines rather than administering clusters or infrastructure, so users can easily submit, clone, and troubleshoot pipelines with minimal attention paid to the underlying infrastructure.
No data siloes: Altus enables data engineers to run data processing jobs that directly read from and write to ADLS. This data is immediately available for use by other Cloudera compute engines without requiring data replication, ETL or changes to file formats, and eliminates the overhead costs of storing the same data multiple times over. In doing so users can more efficiently incorporate data engineering into their data science, BI and real time DB applications.
Integration with popular third-party tools provide enhanced capabilities without risk of incompatibilities.
Built-in workload analytics: Altus provides monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities for data pipelines with workload analytics. Workload analytics allows users to easily troubleshoot failed jobs. In addition, Altus workload analytics can flag workload performance deviations and perform root cause analysis. In doing so, customers can run their data pipelines with greater reliability and lower cost.
Today, Cloudera Altus Data Engineering includes support for Apache Spark, Apache Hive, and Hive on Spark, and MapReduce2. For more information or to review the reference architecture, please visit www.cloudera.com/altus.
About Cloudera
At Cloudera, we believe that data can make what is impossible today, possible tomorrow. We empower people to transform complex data into clear and actionable insights. We deliver the modern platform for machine learning and analytics optimized for the cloud. The world's largest enterprises trust Cloudera to help solve their most challenging business problems. Learn more at cloudera.com.
Connect with Cloudera
About Cloudera: cloudera.com/more/about.html
Read our VISION blog: vision.cloudera.com/ and Engineering blog: blog.cloudera.com/
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/cloudera
Visit us on Facebook: facebook.com/cloudera
See us on YouTube: youtube.com/user/clouderahadoop
Join the Cloudera Community: community.cloudera.com/
Read about our customers' successes: cloudera.com/more/customers.html
Cloudera and associated marks and trademarks are registered trademarks of Cloudera, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
This press release contains forward-looking statements including, among other things, statements regarding the expected performance and benefits of Cloudera's offerings. The words "believe," "may," "will," "plan," "expect," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. If the risks materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. Risks include, but are not limited to, risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Form S-1 Registration Statement, and our future reports that we may file with the SEC from time to time, which could cause actual results to vary from expectations. Cloudera assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.
Cloudera does not guarantee that the beta software will be made generally available or that any individual feature in the beta version will be made generally available. Cloudera may make the beta software generally available, or not, in its sole discretion and without obligation to make any communication of any kind with regard to such availability.
This information is not a commitment, promise or legal obligation to deliver any material, code or functionality. Cloudera does not guarantee that the beta software will be made generally available or that any individual feature in the beta version will be made generally available. Cloudera may make the beta software generally available, or not, in its sole discretion and without obligation to make any communication of any kind with regard to such availability.
1 KPMG Journey to the Cloud | The Creative CIO Agenda
SOURCE Cloudera, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.cloudera.com
LAS VEGAS, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, campus stores at all three locations of the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) partnered with the college to support local food bank Three Square and give back to the community. The combined efforts of the Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas campuses even broke donation records of campaigns in previous years. Their energy resulted in 550 pounds of food and $7,500 in cash donations each dollar donated will produce three meals for those in need.
The success of the food bank donation campaign lay in the hands of Follett campus store managers who went above and beyond to raise awareness and emphasize to students the importance of giving back. The stores held drives to collect food and funds and promoted the event with creative promotional materials all over the three locations. "The store managers became very enthused about making the drive a success," said CSN Senior Director of Auxiliary Services Judy Ruter. "They held little competitions with their team members within each store and publicized the event at each of their campuses like never before."
The food donation campaigns began two years ago, when Follett store managers approached the college about starting a fundraising initiative to give back to a local food bank. For the first food drive in 2015, $4,000 was raised. In 2016, only $2,000. "I met with the store managers to try to determine why the second year was less successful and we brainstormed ideas about how we could produce better results," said Judy. They decided to add an additional week to the drive and made sure they had more than enough compelling posters and other awareness materials to make an impact.
"The success of the drive was completely the result of the tremendous push by the managers and staff," Judy added. "We certainly appreciate the teamwork between the college and the Follett staff to make this happen."
For more information about Three Square, visit their website at www.threesquare.org.
About the College of Southern Nevada Bookstore - Charleston | www.csnwestcharlestonshop.com
The Charleston store is solely devoted to serving students, faculty, staff, alumni, fans and the local Las Vegas community offering products and services both in-store and online at eFollett.com. The store is located at 6375 West Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89146.
About the College of Southern Nevada Bookstore - Henderson | www.csnhendersonshop.com
The Henderson store is solely devoted to serving students, faculty, staff, alumni, fans and the local community offering products and services both in-store and online at eFollett.com. The store is located at 700 College Drive, Building A, Henderson, NV 89002.
About the College of Southern Nevada Bookstore - North Las Vegas | www.csncheyenneshop.com
The North Las Vegas store is solely devoted to serving students, faculty, staff, alumni, fans and the local community offering products and services both in-store and online at eFollett.com. The store is located at 3200 East Cheyenne Avenue, North Las Vegas, NV 89030.
About Follett Corporation | www.follett.com
Follett is a $3.4 billion privately held company headquartered in Westchester, Illinois. As a leading provider of education technology, services and physical and digital content, Follett works with 70,000 schools and operates more than 1,250 local campus stores and 1,600 virtual stores. With the 2016 acquisition of Baker & Taylor, LLC, Follett's reach also extends into the public library and global retail markets. For more information, visit www.follett.com. For more information on our partnership with Lumen Learning, visit www.follett.com/lumen.
SOURCE Follett Corporation
Related Links
http://www.follett.com
RESTON, Va., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- comScore today announced the launch of Activation, a new product suite that helps advertisers, agencies and media companies efficiently reach the right audiences at the right time while ensuring ad delivery in relevant and brand safe content. With Activation, clients use the same trusted data from comScore's planning and measurement products to create scalable audience segments, which are easily deployed in client-owned or third-party advertising platforms. comScore Activation is currently available in more than 15 leading ad tech platforms, including Adobe, AppNexus, Centro, Salesforce, Tru Optik and Videology.
Early customers are already using Activation to create demographic and advanced audience targets based on comScore's TV, over-the-top, digital and cross-platform behavioral data. Using digital demographic targets from Activation, they are seeing significant improvements in in-target campaign delivery rates. Clients can also ensure quality delivery through Activation's leading contextual and verification technology that accounts for brand safety, viewability and invalid traffic.
"The media industry is moving in the direction of advanced audience segmentation and more intelligent, quality campaign delivery," said Dan Hess, executive vice president of products at comScore. "comScore Activation provides our clients with a number of ways to find and activate their most valuable audience segments based on consumers' behaviors across all platforms as well as to ensure ads will be delivered in quality, brand safe environments. This allows them to extract greater value out of the advertising ecosystem and drive stronger ROI."
With this solution, advertisers are executing TV retargeting campaigns by segmenting audiences based on TV campaign exposure to strategically extend reach to unexposed audiences online. They are also retargeting exposed audiences across desktop and mobile to achieve frequency goals, often at a lower CPM. Many are also creating lookalike models to grow their customer base and deliver messaging they know will resonate. Additional use cases are included below.
The comScore Activation Advantage
comScore Activation was developed to address four core data activation needs:
Scale: Activation is powered by comScore's massive data footprint, which consists of behavioral data across desktop, mobile and TV audiences.
Activation is powered by comScore's massive data footprint, which consists of behavioral data across desktop, mobile and TV audiences. Precision: A combination of big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning assets allow granular targets to be created so clients can precisely reach audiences with confidence.
A combination of big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning assets allow granular targets to be created so clients can precisely reach audiences with confidence. Quality: A contextual engine based on proprietary pattern-profiling methodology allows clients to add page-level relevance and brand safety analysis to their campaign delivery with levels of precision and scale other semantic and keyword approaches cannot provide.
A contextual engine based on proprietary pattern-profiling methodology allows clients to add page-level relevance and brand safety analysis to their campaign delivery with levels of precision and scale other semantic and keyword approaches cannot provide. Neutrality: Committed to neutrality, comScore Activation is available to clients on a direct basis or for use in programmatic buying platforms, but comScore does not engage in any targeting, buying or selling of media.
comScore Activation Use Cases for Media Buyers and Sellers
Below are just several examples of ways media buyers and sellers have already leveraged comScore Activation:
Advertisers
Extend existing target audiences by applying characteristics and interests via lookalike modeling to increase scale and brand exposure.
Fine-tune audience targeting with customizable behavioral- and interest-based segments to connect with customers via highly tailored campaigns.
Protect brand and budget by delivering to viewable and brand-safe pages leveraging precise page-level content attributes that include pre-bid viewability and IVT attributes.
Media Companies
Meet demanding campaign guarantees with higher in-target demographic delivery leveraging the same trusted audience measurement technology found in flagship comScore solutions.
Create unique inventory packages across sites and sections that leverage granular and highly customizable content categories and audience interests.
Earn higher CPMs for premium segments by selling inventory that is brand safe, viewable and free from fraud.
To get started using comScore Activation today, please contact us.
How Clients Are Using comScore Activation
"Advertisers demand greater accuracy in audience targeting and more robust pre-bid content filtration to validate their spend and protect their brands. comScore provides an extensive range of products that help AppNexus partners to meet those demands and drive higher ROI."
Dan Smith, director of strategic partnerships, AppNexus
"Advertisers use Centro's Basis platform with the expectation of greater flexibility in pre-bid content filtration and demographic targeting without compromising on brand-safety or relevance. Recent campaigns on our platform show that using comScore insights yield up to 6x in-target delivery. This illustrates the quality, effectiveness and value of comScore's data."
Ian Trider, director of RTB platform operations, Centro
"We take pride in offering our clients quality data that they can use to improve ad effectiveness and resonance. The addition of quality comScore insights will allow us to further execute on this mission by helping our clients better monetize audiences and engage their target consumers across OTT and Connected TV."
Andre Swanston, CEO and Co-Founder, Tru Optik
"Videology works with comScore in several areas to help our platform clients across both media buyers and sellers to develop precise audience segmentsan important need as the use of advanced data solutions continues to grow for TV and video advertising. Consumers' shifting viewing consumption has created demand for greater targeting, and comScore Activation further helps to support this marketplace trend."
Aleck Schleider, SVP client and data strategy, Videology
About comScore
comScore, Inc. (OTC: SCOR) is a leading cross-platform measurement company that precisely measures audiences, brands and consumer behavior everywhere. comScore completed its merger with Rentrak Corporation in January 2016, to create the new model for a dynamic, cross-platform world. Built on precision and innovation, our unmatched data footprint combines proprietary digital, TV and movie intelligence with vast demographic details to quantify consumers' multiscreen behavior at massive scale. This approach helps media companies monetize their complete audiences and allows marketers to reach these audiences more effectively. With more than 3,200 clients and global footprint in more than 75 countries, comScore is delivering the future of measurement. For more information on comScore, please visit comscore.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, but not limited to, expectations regarding the impact and benefits to comScore from comScore Activation and the comScore advertising suite of products, financial or otherwise. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to: the features and characteristics of the products, the rate of development of the digital marketing intelligence, Internet advertising and e-Commerce markets; the growth of the Internet as a medium for commerce, content, advertising and communications; and the acceptance of new products.
For a detailed discussion of these and other risk factors, please refer to comScore's most recent respective Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Annual Reports on Form 10-K and from time to time other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which are available on the SEC's Web site (http://www.sec.gov).
Stockholders of comScore are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date such statements are made. comScore does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or new information after the date of this press release, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
SOURCE comScore
Related Links
http://www.comscore.com
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Corporate Whistleblower Center says, "We are urging a hospital administrator, manager or a medical doctor employee to call us anytime at 866-714-6466 if they can prove their hospital employer is using creative accounting-in order to gouge Medicare or Medicaid. The most obvious type of Medicare or Medicaid fraud probably involves up-coding of Medicare or Medicaid bills. However, recently a hospital administrator received a $2,240,000 whistleblower reward for proving her employer was gaming a state's Medicaid system. In this instance-allegedly the parent company of the hospital where the whistleblower was employed developed a creative accounting scheme to get paid more money from a state run Medicaid program. Whistleblower rewards involving a hospital can frequently be in the millions of dollars as we would like to discuss." http://CorporateWhistleblower.Com
Medicare Whistleblower
The Corporate Whistleblower Center would also like to hear from:
A nursing home manager who can prove their employer is overbilling Medicare or Medicaid for unnecessary medical treatments, or for medical treatments that never happened.
A medical doctor who can prove a cardiology group is running a 'Cath Mill' where patients who do not need cardiac catheterization are getting them anyway.
A hospice service that is signing up patients who are not dying.
A radiology group that is intentionally performing redundant testing on Medicare patients.
A nursing home, skilled nursing facility or a rehab center manager that can prove their employer is billing Medicare or Medicaid as if their facility is fully staffed when in reality-the healthcare facility is constantly short-staffed or under-staffed.
According to the Corporate Whistleblower Center, "If you can prove a healthcare company is involved in any of these practices and the overbilling of Medicare or Medicaid exceeds a million dollars please call us at 866-714-6466 for a confidential conversation about whistleblower rewards. Why sit on a winning lotto ticket without ever knowing what it might have been worth?" http://CorporateWhistleblower.Com
Simple rules for a whistleblower from the Corporate Whistleblower Center: Do not go to the government first if you are a major whistleblower. The Corporate Whistleblower Center says, "Major whistleblowers frequently go to the government thinking they will help. It's a huge mistake. Do not go to the news media with your whistleblower information. Public revelation of a whistleblower's information could destroy any prospect for a reward. Do not try to force a company or individual to come clean on overbilling of Medicare, or Medicaid. Come to us first, tell us what type of information you have, and if we think it's sufficient, we will help find the right law firms to assist in advancing your information."
The Corporate Whistleblower Center wants to emphasize there are high quality whistleblowers in every state including California, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Mass, Maryland, Rhode Island, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, or Alaska.
The Corporate Whistleblower Center is the premier advocate for whistleblowers in the United States. Unlike any group in the US, they can assist potential whistleblowers with packaging their information and providing the whistleblower with access to the most accomplished whistleblower attorneys in the nation. For more information, potential whistleblowers can contact the Corporate Whistleblower Center at 866-714-6466 or visit http://CorporateWhistleblower.Com.
For attribution please refer to the Department of Justice August 2017 that discusses this matter.https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/christus-st-vincent-regional-medical-center-and-christus-health-pay-1224-million-settle.
Contact:
Thomas Martin
866-714-6466
[email protected]
SOURCE Corporate Whistleblower Center
Related Links
http://CorporateWhistleblower.Com
LONDON, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
This CRU Insight is the second in a series of five that look at China's capacity reduction programme and its key implications.
(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/536199/CRU_Logo.jpg )
In this paper we examine the impact of improving capacity utilisation on domestic steel prices. Prices and margins improve, but why?
Part of the answer lies in changes in marginal cost of production. This relationship is independent of any change in steelmaking raw materials costs, and any other input cost for that matter. When capacity utilisation is sustained above 85-90%, the pricing regime begins to shift, disassociating from costs and carrying potential to build margins beyond levels changes in marginal costs alone would imply. Our latest view of capacity utilisation implies that China is approaching this threshold.
Higher capacity utilisation offers fundamental support to domestic steel prices
CRU forecasts ongoing increases in Chinese crude steel capacity utilisation as spare capacity is cut further. Our domestic steel price forecasts have been upgraded, and with them, expectations of industry profitability. But why should this be the case - why is there any relationship between capacity utilisation and steel price in the first place?
Impact beyond costs hikes
Rising Chinese capacity utilisation rates imply higher marginal cost of production for domestic steelmakers. Increasing carbon crude steel capacity utilisation, from 84.7% in 2017 to 89.4% in 2020/21 in our latest data, implies an increase of up to $10 /t in marginal costs over this period.
This will provide support domestic steel prices, above and beyond any movement in input costs. In addition, Chinese steel prices have the potential to disassociate from costs, providing further price and margin upside.
Read the full story: http://bit.ly/China-steel-price-uplift
Read more about CRU: http://bit.ly/About_CRU
About CRU
CRU offers unrivalled business intelligence on the global metals, mining and fertilizer industries through market analysis, price assessments, consultancy and events.
Since our foundation in 1969, we have consistently invested in primary research and robust methodologies, and developed expert teams in key locations worldwide, including in hard-to-reach markets such as China. CRU employs over 250 experts and has more than 10 offices around the world, in Europe, the Americas, China, Asia and Australia - our office in Beijing opened in 2004.
When facing critical business decisions, you can rely on this first-hand knowledge to give you a complete view on a commodity market. And you can engage with our experts directly, for the full picture and a personalised response.
CRU - big enough to deliver a high quality service, small enough to care about all of our customers.
SOURCE CRU
The inaugural Somos industry awards, which were announced yesterday at the annual Somos Users Summit in Chicago, recognize individuals or companies for their outstanding examples of leadership or innovation in the toll-free industry under three award categories. CSF and Aerialink were nominated for all three awards and chosen as the winners of the Tech Breakthrough of The Year award.
As industry leaders in voice and text communications for businesses, CSF and Aerialink are helping companies to text-enable their toll-free and standard business phone numbers through their robust cloud communications platform and innovative Conversations application solutions.
The Conversations application enables centralized management of all text conversations across an organization. It combines enterprise-class features such as centralized management of customer communications; easy and flexible administration; a shared inbox approach for team collaboration; message forwarding to get a text inquiry in the hands of the right people; SMS text forwarding to an email inbox or a mobile messaging app; and much more.
The companies also provide a white-label edition of Conversations including customizable marketing materials that facilitate service providers in educating their customers on the importance of text-enablement.
Rich Scanlon, CEO of CSF, commented, "What inspires us as a company are the opportunities to continually innovate and enhance our solutions with features that matter to our customers. Conversations delivers these needs through a design that is built for teams, and for organizations with multiple locations and functional areas."
"Text-enabling their phone numbers can be one of the most powerful tools for any business looking to connect further with their customers," said Aerialink's President Chris Currie. "I am thrilled that our Conversations application is being recognized for its powerful, yet easy-to-use conversational text messaging capabilities, which help businesses with toll-free and standard numbers deepen the relationships they have with their customers."
To learn more about Conversations from CSF and Aerialink, please email [email protected] or [email protected].
About CSF
CSF Corporation is the leading SaaS provider for toll-free provisioning, texting, and least cost routing (LCR). With over 100 carrier and independent RespOrg customers, our flagship offering, 8MS Cloud, helps our clients save time and money by simplifying and automating toll-free voice and text provisioning and reducing carrier costs through optimized LCR.
For more information, visit www.csfcorp.com.
About Aerialink
Aerialink LLC provides a robust cloud communications platform enabling global delivery of SMS, and MMS messaging. From small to large enterprises, businesses rely on Aerialink for fast and reliable message delivery to any of our supported 1,200 mobile networks in 220 countries. Aerialink serves as a trusted advisor to customers, leveraging industry knowledge in communications best practices, assisting in service selection and implementation, and delivering superior technical support.
Aerialink, a subsidiary of CSF Corporation, was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in the U.S. For further information, visit www.aerialink.com.
SOURCE Aerialink
Related Links
http://www.aerialink.com
WOONSOCKET, R.I., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), announced the grand opening of a new flagship location in New York City. The new store at 1440 Broadway on the northeast corner of 40th Street in Times Square is the latest location to feature CVS Pharmacy's new store format, announced earlier this year, designed with a deeper, expanded health and beauty focus across the aisles.
"We're excited to bring our enhanced customer experience to Times Square, one of the world's most vibrant and visited neighborhoods," said Judy Sansone, Senior Vice President, Front Store Business and Chief Merchant. "This store features the newest experiences CVS Pharmacy has to offer in health, wellness and beauty."
Spanning two floors and measuring more than 13,000 square feet, the new location features "Discovery Zones" which allow customers to shop an assortment of new products across several themes: Healthy Eating on-the-go, Advanced Skin Care, Sleep and Mood, Connected Health and more. To reflect the consumer-shift from acute sick-care to proactive self-care, the Times Square location has an extensive assortment of more than 3,400 additional new products in health, beauty and better-for-you foods.
Among the new features, the new Times Square CVS Pharmacy location will include:
Personalization at Pharmacy : With personalized programs, a dedicated network of pharmacists available to address patient questions and innovative digital tools and services, CVS Pharmacy is reinventing pharmacy to help people on their path to better health.
: With personalized programs, a dedicated network of pharmacists available to address patient questions and innovative digital tools and services, CVS Pharmacy is reinventing pharmacy to help people on their path to better health. Digital tools like the CVS Pharmacy mobile app help customers adhere to their medications by notifying them when a prescription is ready for pick-up and alerting them when it's time to take their medication. With a nationwide network of over 9,700 locations, patients local to New York City or visiting from all over can gain access to their prescriptions, get a vaccine, including a flu shot, or seek professional counsel from a local pharmacist 7 days a week with no appointment needed.
or visiting from all over can gain access to their prescriptions, get a vaccine, including a flu shot, or seek professional counsel from a local pharmacist 7 days a week with no appointment needed. Expanded Health Services: In addition to the new personalized pharmacy offerings, customers will have access to expanded health services that include a walk-in MinuteClinic and Optical Center to ensure convenient access to quality health care.
In addition to the new personalized pharmacy offerings, customers will have access to expanded health services that include a walk-in MinuteClinic and Optical Center to ensure convenient access to quality health care. Staffed by nurse practitioners who specialize in family health care, the walk-in MinuteClinic will provide a wide array of prevention and wellness services that are high-quality and affordable for patients ages 18 months and up.
The new Optical Center uses the latest technologies to precisely and thoroughly support vision and eye health and will be staffed by Doctors of Optometry who can provide comprehensive eye exams, diagnosis and treatment of eye disease, and offer contact lens fittings and prescriptions.
Elevated Beauty: With the latest innovations from both popular and new, unexpected beauty brands, CVS Pharmacy continues to expand its assortment of "on-trend" and differentiated products, as well as an assortment of items that offer greater skin health benefits and more natural ingredients. CVS Pharmacy recently removed all sun care products with SPF lower than 15 from its shelves while expanding products with SPF 30/broad spectrum, natural beauty brands and products focused on skin health. By the end of 2019, all parabens, phthalates and formaldehyde donors in products within the CVS Health, Beauty 360, Essence of Beauty, Promise Organic and Blade store brand product lines will be removed. To help improve customer exploration and inspiration, the Trend Wall features new launches and niche brands, and the Beauty on the Go fixtures highlight on-the-go options at checkout.
With the latest innovations from both popular and new, unexpected beauty brands, CVS Pharmacy continues to expand its assortment of "on-trend" and differentiated products, as well as an assortment of items that offer greater skin health benefits and more natural ingredients. CVS Pharmacy recently removed all sun care products with SPF lower than 15 from its shelves while expanding products with SPF 30/broad spectrum, natural beauty brands and products focused on skin health. By the end of 2019, all parabens, phthalates and formaldehyde donors in products within the CVS Health, Beauty 360, Essence of Beauty, Promise Organic and Blade store brand product lines will be removed. To help improve customer exploration and inspiration, the Trend Wall features new launches and niche brands, and the Beauty on the Go fixtures highlight on-the-go options at checkout. A pop-up new to CVS Pharmacy and exclusive to the new Times Square location as well as to the recently re-vamped Columbus Circle location the new K-Beauty Shop-in-Shop will feature nearly 500 innovative and eye-catching Korean beauty products across healthy skincare and playful beauty including cosmetics, masks and hand, body and lip care. Based on the successful launch earlier this year of the K-Beauty HQ at 2,100 CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide, which brought the K-Beauty trend to more stores than any other retailer in the world, the extensive K-Beauty collection is curated in partnership with Korean beauty expert Alicia Yoon of Peach & Lily and will additionally be rolling out more than 60 new products nationwide.
location the new K-Beauty Shop-in-Shop will feature nearly 500 innovative and eye-catching Korean beauty products across healthy skincare and playful beauty including cosmetics, masks and hand, body and lip care. Based on the successful launch earlier this year of the K-Beauty HQ at 2,100 CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide, which brought the K-Beauty trend to more stores than any other retailer in the world, the extensive K-Beauty collection is curated in partnership with Korean beauty expert of Peach & Lily and will additionally be rolling out more than 60 new products nationwide. From Sick Care to Self Care : In the OTC aisles, CVS Pharmacy is "moving from sick-care to self-care" by focusing on key areas of customers' lives, like active nutrition, immunity, connected health and sleep, offering holistic solutions and easy navigation through educational signs and displays. A broader selection of vitamins and supplements, including specialty brands like Irwin Naturals and New Chapter, as well as expanded nutrition products like Vega and Naturade protein powders and Navitas Organics Superfood Mix Ins, are also growing the health assortment.
: In the OTC aisles, CVS Pharmacy is "moving from sick-care to self-care" by focusing on key areas of customers' lives, like active nutrition, immunity, connected health and sleep, offering holistic solutions and easy navigation through educational signs and displays. A broader selection of vitamins and supplements, including specialty brands like Irwin Naturals and New Chapter, as well as expanded nutrition products like and Naturade protein powders and Navitas Organics Superfood Mix Ins, are also growing the health assortment. To ensure the quality of its product offerings, CVS Pharmacy is developing new standards for vitamins and supplements, with the goal of full implementation by 2019, which will require third-party testing of ingredient listings and product testing for certain ingredients of concern.
Better For You Food : Throughout the year, CVS Pharmacy launches and features different healthy eating Trend Zone displays that showcase a carefully curated selection of national and niche better-for-you brands that make healthier eating on-the-go convenient and affordable. Past Trend Zones include paleo, raw, vegan, and "snacks that give back" featuring popular products customers might expect to find only at a specialty food store such as EPIC bars, Larabar Bites, Justin's and more. Healthier food choices make up approximately 50 percent of all food options found throughout the storeincluding popular brands like Alo Exposed Waters, EPIC bison bars and That's It. bars.
: Throughout the year, CVS Pharmacy launches and features different healthy eating Trend Zone displays that showcase a carefully curated selection of national and niche better-for-you brands that make healthier eating on-the-go convenient and affordable. Past Trend Zones include paleo, raw, vegan, and "snacks that give back" featuring popular products customers might expect to find only at a specialty food store such as EPIC bars, Larabar Bites, Justin's and more. Healthier food choices make up approximately 50 percent of all food options found throughout the storeincluding popular brands like Alo Exposed Waters, EPIC bison bars and That's It. bars. CVS Pharmacy is also the first national retailer, outside of natural food stores, to stop carrying foods containing partially hydrogenated oils (PHO), the primary source of artificial trans fats in processed foods, in both its store brand food products and all national brand food products. Any foods shipping to CVS Pharmacy distribution centers are now free from artificial trans fats. This announcement comes one year ahead of the Food and Drug Administration's June 2018 deadline for processed foods to be reformulated without artificial trans fats.
deadline for processed foods to be reformulated without artificial trans fats. Extras for Easy Shopping and Rewards: In addition to the in-store changes, the mobile experience and ExtraCare Rewards program continue to evolve, offering more ways for customers to order products online and pick them up with CVS Curbside, pay seamlessly via CVS Pay in the app, and even manage their ExtraBucks Rewards, personalized deals, and use manufacturer coupons, all from their phone. With more than 80 million active members in the country, CVS Pharmacy continues to bring ExtraCare members new updates and personalized features like special offers and coupons, and easy paper-free options to use rewards and discounts and get receipts. Customers can earn additional rewards with opt-in programs for Beauty and Pharmacy & Health.
The new CVS Pharmacy Times Square location is now open to the public, the front store is open 24 hours a day. Pharmacy hours are 8AM 10PM Monday Friday, 9AM 6PM on Saturday and 10AM 6PM on Sunday.
About CVS Pharmacy
CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), is America's leading retail pharmacy with over 9,700 locations. It is the first national pharmacy to end the sale of tobacco and the first pharmacy in the nation to receive the Community Pharmacy accreditation from URAC, the leading health care accreditation organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry. CVS Pharmacy is reinventing pharmacy to help people on their path to better health by providing the most accessible and personalized expertise, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General information about CVS Pharmacy is available at http://www.cvshealth.com.
CONTACT: Stephanie Cunha, [email protected], 401-770-9354
SOURCE CVS Pharmacy
HOUSTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Deep Down, Inc. (OTCQX: DPDW) ("Deep Down" or the "Company"), an oilfield services company specializing in complex deepwater and ultra-deepwater oil production distribution system support services, announced today it has accepted the resignation of Executive Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Eugene Butler, effective September 30, 2017. The Company's Board of Directors has named current Audit Committee Chairman, Mr. Mark Carden, as Chairman of the Board and current Business Manager, Mr. Charles Njuguna, as Chief Financial Officer.
In light of his vast experience, Mr. Butler will continue to provide financial and SEC guidance, in a consulting capacity until December 31, 2018.
Ron Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Deep Down, Inc. stated, "No words can fully express our appreciation for Gene's contributions to Deep Down. Ever since he arrived at the Company, Gene has always strived to improve the Company, always ensured we operated at the highest financial standards, and his extensive knowledge will be sorely missed. We wish him all the best in his retirement, and are extremely grateful that he will be available to continue providing guidance for our team. He's been a great partner."
About Deep Down, Inc.
Deep Down, Inc. is an oilfield services company serving the worldwide offshore exploration and production industry. Deep Down's proven services and technological solutions include distribution system installation support and engineering services, umbilical terminations, loose-tube steel flying leads (LSFL), installation buoyancy, ROVs and tooling, marine vessel automation, control, and ballast systems. Deep Down supports subsea engineering, installation, commissioning, and maintenance projects through specialized, highly experienced service teams and engineered technological solutions. The company's primary focus is on more complex deepwater and ultra-deepwater oil production distribution system support services and technologies, used between the platform and the wellhead. More information about Deep Down is available at www.deepdowninc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Any forward-looking statements in the preceding paragraphs of this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties in that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. In the course of operations, we are subject to certain risk factors, competition and competitive pressures, sensitivity to general economic and industrial conditions, international political and economic risks, availability and price of raw materials and execution of business strategy. For further information, please refer to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available from the Company without charge.
SOURCE Deep Down, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.deepdowninc.com
Dell EMC XC Series offers new integration with Dell EMC data protection and Microsoft Windows 2016 for simplified backup and hyper-converged infrastructure management
Dell EMC approved to deliver Microsoft Azure through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Direct and Indirect Microsoft partner model to offer end-to-end Microsoft Azure Stack hybrid cloud solutions directly to consumers and through channel partners globally
Dell EMC Ready Bundle for Microsoft SQL Server and Dell EMC Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct Ready Nodes add performance improvements from Dell EMC PowerEdge 14th generation servers
Full story
Dell EMC announces broadened support of Microsoft data center environments with substantial updates across the Dell EMC XC Series, Dell EMC Cloud for Microsoft Azure Stack and Dell EMC Ready Bundle for Microsoft SQL Server. Addressing key IT transformation opportunities and use cases from hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) to hybrid cloud and data analysis, these updated solutions demonstrate Dell EMC's continued commitment to innovate and spur successes for customers operating in Microsoft environments.
"Dell EMC values the strong collaboration we have had with Microsoft for more than 30 years, which has resulted in world-class, innovative solutions delivered to customers worldwide," said Armughan Ahmad, senior vice president and general manager, Hybrid Cloud and Ready Solutions, Dell EMC. "The innovations we're announcing today are evidence of how our work with Microsoft has truly changed how our customers conduct their day-to-day activities, enabling them to gain greater value from their IT infrastructures and, more importantly, develop and deliver services to help achieve their ultimate business goals."
Dell EMC XC Series Advances Integrations with Dell EMC Data Protection and Microsoft Windows 2016
The Dell EMC XC Series offers world-class HCI appliances for customers running a variety of virtualized workloads with their choice of hypervisors including Microsoft Hyper-V. As XC Series HCI environments are becoming increasingly popular for Microsoft workloads, including SQL, Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SharePoint, new advancements to the XC Series include:
Dell EMC XC Series Data Protection Management Console, which is launched from within the XC Series management interface and integrates and simplifies data protection operation and automation across XC Series deployments. This offers complete data protection capabilities with Dell EMC Avamar VE running on XC Series clusters and backup to Dell EMC Data Domain and cloud tiering to Virtustream and Microsoft Azure. IT admins gain the ability to quickly and easily monitor and manage backups for multiple XC Series clusters while utilizing best of breed Dell EMC technologies in one turnkey solution.
which is launched from within the XC Series management interface and integrates and simplifies data protection operation and automation across XC Series deployments. This offers complete data protection capabilities with Dell EMC Avamar VE running on XC Series clusters and backup to Dell EMC Data Domain and cloud tiering to Virtustream and Microsoft Azure. IT admins gain the ability to quickly and easily monitor and manage backups for multiple XC Series clusters while utilizing best of breed Dell EMC technologies in one turnkey solution. Optimization for Microsoft Windows 2016 Hyper-V plus Azure, available at no additional cost to customers, including support for Windows Hyper-V 2016 with insights into XC Series clusters. The XC Series Azure Log Analytics Solution provides integration of XC Series into customer's OMS-based data center automation tools, enabling insights such as trend analysis and behavioral anomaly detection.
Dell EMC Approved to Deliver Microsoft Azure through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Direct and Indirect Model Worldwide
Dell EMC also announces it has been approved by Microsoft to deliver Azure through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Direct and Indirect Microsoft partner model worldwide. Based on Dell EMC's proven Azure and hybrid cloud platform global expertise, this enables the company to have the advantage of offering comprehensive, end-to-end Azure Stack hybrid cloud solutions, including Azure services and solutions, to both customers and channel partners globally.
Dell EMC Cloud for Microsoft Azure Stack, introduced in May 2017, is a new, turnkey, hybrid cloud platform, delivering infrastructure and platform as a service and shipping now to early customers. It offers a fast and simple path for implementing and sustaining a trusted hybrid cloud platform based on Microsoft Azure Stack, delivering a consistent experience across the Azure on-premises cloud and on-premises through Azure Stack.
Dell EMC Ready Solutions Add Improved Compute Performance and Storage Options
Providing customers with more powerful compute performance capabilities, Dell EMC has added support for Dell EMC PowerEdge 14th generation servers to the Dell EMC Ready Bundle for Microsoft SQL Server and the Dell EMC Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct Ready Nodes. Additionally, the Dell Ready Bundle for Microsoft SQL Server also adds Dell EMC Unity storage, offering customers high performance and affordable flash optimized architecture that supports scores of VMs while delivering abundant input/output operations per second (IOPS) at low latency for running demanding Microsoft SQL Server workloads.
Availability
Dell EMC XC Series updates have planned global availability in Q4 2017.
Dell EMC Ready Bundle for Microsoft SQL and Dell EMC Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct Ready Nodes updates have planned global availability in Q4 2017.
Partner quote:
Gavriella Schuster, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft Corp.
"Customers are adopting cloud-based solutions to drive digital transformation like never before, and we're thrilled to expand the capabilities for cloud partners under the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider program. By joining the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider program, our partners, such as Dell EMC, will deepen customer relationships and expand business opportunities in the cloud."
Customer quotes:
Morgan Jones, senior server administrator, Arizona State University
"With our several XC Series clusters across three physical data centers, we've been able to save considerable administrative time and resources, while easily scaling, by simply dropping in new nodes as needs arise. Our appliances are hosting core Microsoft workloads, such as SQL databases, so the new support for Windows Hyper-V 2016 with one-click and rolling cluster upgrades is huge for us. This adds even more simplicity for a solution that already delivers on this promise."
Yukihisa Kato, director, executive officer and general manager, Engineering Administrative Division, Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd. (MKI)
"Azure Stack's hybrid cloud model is a key transformation enabler for our own business and for customers, and Dell EMC continues to be a proven leader in providing highly reliable hybrid cloud platforms. The combination of Azure Stack with Dell EMC brings together innovative technology and market experience that we are leveraging to help drive our customers' business transformations."
Ketil Neteland, advisor at Candidator
"Dell EMC is the trusted partner of Candidator for Microsoft Azure Stack in Norway and Sweden. Together we bring innovation to our customers maximizing the potential with Azure Stack. Dell EMC's long history and extensive portfolio delivers the foundation for our business, and we see Azure Stack as strategic in the future to help our joint customers undertake their IT and digital transformations. Candidator is known for delivering innovative technology to their customers, and, with Azure Stack, will continue our promise to customers to be their partner and help them focus on their core business."
Additional resources
About Dell EMC
Dell EMC, a part of Dell Technologies, enables organizations to modernize, automate and transform their data centers using industry-leading converged infrastructure, servers, storage and data protection technologies. This provides a trusted foundation for businesses to transform IT, through the creation of a hybrid cloud, and transform their business through the creation of cloud-native applications and big data solutions. Dell EMC services customers across 180 countries including 98 percent of the Fortune 500 with the industry's most comprehensive and innovative portfolio from edge to core to cloud.
Copyright 2017 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved. Dell EMC and the Dell EMC logo are trademarks of Dell Technologies in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
SOURCE Dell EMC
Related Links
https://www.dellemc.com
BOSTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Delphi Automotive PLC (NYSE: DLPH), today announced that Aptiv and Delphi Technologies will be the names of the two highly-focused, publicly-traded companies that will result from the company's previously announced spin-off of its Powertrain Systems segment. The company made the announcement during its Investor Day in Boston, where it discussed the business strategies for both Aptiv and Delphi Technologies. In addition, the company also announced that it will hold a special meeting of shareholders on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time to seek shareholder approval of the name change.
"The names Aptiv and Delphi Technologies clearly reflect the independent identities, visions and directions of the two companies, each a global leader in its industry," said Kevin Clark, Delphi president and chief executive officer. "Both will continue to embody Delphi's core themes of safe, green, and connected, with the autonomy and expertise to react to the rapidly changing dynamics in the automotive industry and solve its customers' most complex challenges. Customers, employees, partners and shareholders will benefit from the separation into two independent and well-resourced companies with the flexibility to invest and grow even faster and more profitably than today."
Aptiv, comprises the Electronics & Safety and Electrical/Electronic Architecture businesses, will focus on accelerating the commercialization of active safety, autonomous driving, enhanced user experiences and connected services, providing the software, advanced computing platforms and networking architecture required to do so the 'brain' and the 'nervous system' of the vehicle.
Clark, who will remain as CEO of Aptiv, continued, "The vehicle has evolved and so have we. We have expanded upon our heritage of industry firsts with advanced software capabilities and deep systems integration expertise, enabling us to develop intelligent solutions to meet mobility's toughest challenges. The future demands executional excellence, and this is where Aptiv thrives. The name 'Aptiv' reflects knowledge, adaptiveness and drive, as well as an ability to not only envision the future, but to make it real."
The powertrain business will carry the name Delphi Technologies, leveraging the historical strength of the Delphi brand with core OEM and aftermarket customers, as it focuses on enabling advanced vehicle propulsion through combustion, software and controls and electrification.
"The entire Delphi Technologies organization is energized to move forward as a focused company," said Liam Butterworth, who will become CEO of Delphi following completion of the spin, currently senior vice president and president of Powertrain. "We are uniquely positioned with the technical competency and execution capability to deliver advanced vehicle propulsion systems that help our customers meet increasingly stringent regulatory standards while unlocking the power to support the ever-increasing electrical content being added to vehicles."
At the Investor Day sessions, Clark and Butterworth outlined their plans for the companies and how each will lead its industry, with capabilities designed to meet the evolving needs of their customers and business models designed to create value for their shareholders.
Following completion of the spin-off, expected to occur by the end of March, 2018, Aptiv will begin trading under the ticker symbol "APTV" and Delphi Technologies will trade under the ticker symbol "DLPH."
Both Aptiv and Delphi Technologies will unveil their new brands at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, 2018.
About Delphi
Delphi Automotive PLC is a high-technology company that integrates safer, greener and more connected solutions for automotive and transportation sectors. Headquartered in Gillingham, U.K., Delphi operates technical centers, manufacturing sites and customer support services in 46 countries. Visit delphi.com.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed name change, Delphi intends to file a preliminary proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which is subject to review by the SEC. A definitive proxy statement will be made available to investors following completion of the SEC's review. The proxy statement describes, among other things, Delphi's name change proposal. Shareholders of Delphi are encouraged to read the preliminary proxy statement, definitive proxy statement and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC when they become available because they will contain important information about Delphi and the proposal. Shareholders may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement and other relevant documents (when available) that Delphi files with the SEC at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. In addition, those documents will be available free of charge on the company's website at delphi.com.
Participants in Solicitation
Delphi, its directors and executive officers, and Morrow Sodali LLC may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies under SEC rules in respect of the foregoing proposal. Additional information regarding the interests of the participants in the solicitation, if any, will be included in the proxy statement relating to the proposal.
SOURCE Delphi Automotive PLC
Related Links
http://www.delphi.com
The city of Decatur has kicked off its neighborhood revitalization plan, and its first stop was to visit the Coalition of Neighborhood Organizations to present its ideas and get feedback.
Four other stories you should see are the Decatur school board bringing back procurement cards, literacy group opening a free small library box, the Decatur Civic Center will host a family festival and president pitches middle class tax reform.
City officials take revitalization plan to CONO
If all goes according to schedule, final details for the city's neighborhood revitalization project will be ready next spring and the new economic community development director, Raymond Lai, will be the point person for those efforts, City Manager Tim Gleason said.
Lai was with Gleason at Tuesday night's Coalition of Neighborhood Organizations meeting, where members peppered city officials including Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe with questions and comments about what to include in the revitalization plan.
Decatur school board brings back controversial 'p-cards'
The Decatur Board of Education approved bringing back procurement cards at the Tuesday meeting with no discussion, despite the controversy it stirred when former Superintendent Lisa Taylor's contract was not renewed.
Procurement, or p-cards, are district-owned credit cards given to district personnel for use when purchasing goods or services for the district in amounts lower than those which require competitive quotes. The cards are most often used when staff members are at conferences, for hotel and travel charges.
Literacy group opens small library box in Wabash Crossing
Altrusa purpose is simple to support literacy.
To that end, the members have recently had a small library box installed outside the rental office at Wabash Crossing, 1050 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and are keeping it stocked with books for adults and children.
Civic center hosts Downtown Family Fest
The Decatur Civic Center wants its Downtown Family Fest this weekend to be the answer for families looking for affordable fun.
Its schedule of activities includes an indoor craft market in the civic center arena, performances by Wreckless Whiskey and The Boat Drunks, food trucks and an area where children can get their faces painted or play Knockerball.
President pitches 'middle class miracle' tax reform
Promising a "middle class miracle," President Donald Trump on Wednesday was in full salesman mode as he tried to build momentum behind his plan to overhaul the nation's tax code and revive his moribund legislative agenda.
Hours after the White House and congressional Republicans released a framework for sweeping changes to the tax system, the president told hundreds of supporters at the Indiana State Fairgrounds the plan was "a once-in-a-generation opportunity."
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dickey's Barbecue Pit will open their doors on September 28 with four weeks of specials and giveaways including free barbecue for a year for one lucky guest. This location will be opened by current Dickey's franchisees Michael and Margarita Tucker.
"We are excited to have current franchisees Michael and Margarita Tucker open their sixth Dickey's Barbecue Pit location on the San Diego State University campus," says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. "With amazing franchisees such as the Tuckers, the Dickey's brand will continue to grow and have the opportunity to serve new communities delicious, Texas-style barbecue."
Dickey's will offer the following specials and giveaways for the next four weeks:
Thirsty Thursdays: Guests will receive a free Big Yellow Cup with free refills all day.
First Responder Fridays: "You Give, We Give" Guests who donate to Dickey's charitable foundation, Barbecue, Boots & Badges, will receive a gift card as a thank you for their donation. All uniformed first responders also receive 50 percent off their meal.
Giveaway Saturday: Guests can register for a chance to win free barbecue for a year.
Kids Eat Free Sundays: Kids eat free with an adult purchase of $10 or more.
To join Dickey's Big Yellow Cup Club and receive members-only specials and discounts, click here.
As native Californians, the Tuckers look forward to their new adventure at San Diego State University. The new store will be located on the campus food court and will be the Tucker's sixth Dickey's Barbecue Pit location. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to serve students of San Diego State University," says Michael Tucker.
The new Dickey's Barbecue Pit at San Diego State University is located at 5500 Campanile Dr. East Commons #115 San Diego, CA 92182. The phone number is 619-693-5596.
To find the location nearest you, click here.
Find Dickey's on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
To learn more about franchising with Dickeys, visit www.dickeys.com/franchise or call 866-340-6188.
About Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.
Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the nation's largest barbecue chain was founded in 1941 by Travis Dickey. Today, all meats are still slow smoked on-site in each restaurant. The Dallas-based family-run barbecue franchise offers several slow-smoked meats and home style sides with 'No B.S. (Bad Stuff)' included. The fast-casual concept has expanded to nearly 600 locations in 44 states. In 2016, Dickey's won first place on Fast Casual's "Top 100 Movers and Shakers" list and in 2017 again won a top 10 on the list. Dickey's Barbecue Pit has also been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine, Franchise Times, and Nation's Restaurant News. For more information, visit www.dickeys.com.
Media Contact:
Callie Head
[email protected]
Ashley Richardson
[email protected]
SOURCE Dickey's Barbecue
Related Links
http://www.dickeys.com
ATLANTA, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Navistar International Corporation's (NYSE: NAV) Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Persio Lisboa, today shared his view that data and analytics will drive advances in trucking industry productivity while imposing increasingly stringent design requirements for truck and component reliability.
Lisboa was the keynote speaker at the 26th annual Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association Breakfast and Briefing, held during the new North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta. The annual event brought together suppliers and manufacturers serving the heavy-duty truck industry, with a focus on the role of advanced technologies in improving future freight efficiency.
"The transformation to a more productive transportation model is already under way," Lisboa said. "A fully integrated digital supply chain could remove close to $160 billion of inefficiencies."
Lisboa also noted that electric and autonomous advances could generate an additional $79 billion in efficiency improvements.
"When we add together the impact of these three megatrends electric, autonomous and digital supply chain the industry has the opportunity, over the next few years alone, to capture a 30 percent improvement in efficiency, and consequently lower operating costs," Lisboa said.
A major driver will be the network of connected vehicles and the information gathered from them, Lisboa said. The world of connected vehicles offers greatly increased availability of data, which can enable digital load matching, as well as a much more accurate level of prognostics for truck maintenance issues.
As an example, he cited Navistar's use of data from its OnCommand Connection remote diagnostics system to provide detailed guidance on maintenance and truck specifications to all customers, even those purchasing just a single truck.
Analysis of big data from connected vehicles can tell truck makers almost precisely what to expect from a certain component or group of components, and can even point toward specific vehicles in the population that may be exposed to a certain issue, with a high degree of confidence.
"The companies who supply the network of connected vehicles and take advantage of the big data generated by them, will be one step ahead of the others," Lisboa said.
Navistar announced on September 25 the availability of On Command Connection Live Action Plans in 2018, which will provide customers the ability to predict when a part is going to fail before it actually does, by using a prognostic model developed using both field service intelligence and algorithms based in big data analytics. The company expects to pilot it over the next three months, with an official launch in 2018.
"One day, when the supply chain system is fully integrated, breakdowns and unplanned service events will be remembered only as something in the past," Lisboa said.
Navistar's industry-leading, open-architecture remote diagnostics system OnCommand Connection is already driving improved uptime for more than 325,000 vehicles, regardless of make or brand.
About Navistar
Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) is a holding company whose subsidiaries and affiliates produce International brand commercial and military trucks, proprietary diesel engines, and IC Bus brand school and commercial buses. An affiliate also provides truck and diesel engine service parts. Another affiliate offers financing services. Additional information is available at www.Navistar.com.
SOURCE Navistar International Corporation
Related Links
http://www.navistar.com
MODESTO, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- E. & J. Gallo Winery announced today that it has donated an additional $100,000 to the American Red Cross to aid with Hurricane Maria relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The funds are in addition to the $200,000 donation that the company previously made to the American Red Cross to assist with Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma relief efforts.
"We are happy to partner with the American Red Cross which is providing much needed support to those communities impacted by Hurricane Maria. On behalf of our employees and their families, as well as our distributor partners, we are making this additional contribution to help those affected begin to recover as soon as possible," said Joseph E. Gallo, Chief Executive Officer and President of E. & J. Gallo Winery. "Our hearts go out to the millions of people who have suffered tremendous losses due to the 2017 hurricane season."
In addition, E. & J. Gallo Winery confirmed its commitment to also match personal donations dollar for dollar made by its employees through the company's Employee Match Program.
The donation will assist the American Red Cross with providing shelter, food and immediate disaster relief and recovery support.
About E. & J. Gallo Winery
Founded by brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo in 1933 in Modesto, California, E. & J. Gallo Winery is the world's largest family-owned winery and the acclaimed producer of award-winning wines and spirits featured in more than 90 countries around the globe. A pioneer in the art of grape growing, winemaking, sustainable practices, marketing and worldwide distribution, Gallo crafts and imports wines and spirits to suit a diverse range of tastes and occasions, from everyday offerings to boutique, luxury bottlings.
The Gallo portfolio is comprised of more than 80 unique brands, including Barefoot Cellars, Dark Horse, and Gallo Family Vineyards, as well as premium box wines The Naked Grape and Vin Vault. Premium offerings include Apothic, Carnivor, Chateau Souverain, Columbia Winery, Ecco Domani, Edna Valley Vineyard, J Vineyards & Winery, Louis M. Martini, MacMurray Estate Vineyards, Mirassou, Orin Swift, Talbott Vineyards, and William Hill Estate, along with highly acclaimed imports, such as Alamos, Brancaia, La Marca, Las Rocas, Martin Codax, Whitehaven, and LUX Wines, importers of Allegrini, Argiano, Jermann, Pieropan and Renato Ratti. Gallo Spirits offers New Amsterdam Vodka and Gin and E&J Brandy, in addition to imported Scotch whiskies from Whyte & Mackay, including The Dalmore, Jura Single Malt and John Barr Blended.
SOURCE E. & J. Gallo Winery
Related Links
http://www.gallo.com
MILAN, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Edison and Venture Global Calcasieu Pass, LLC (Venture Global) have entered into a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA), concerning the purchase by Edison of 1 million tons per annum of LNG (equivalent to approximately 1.4 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year) from the Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility, currently being developed by Venture Global in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, USA.
Under this SPA, Edison will purchase the gas on a free on board basis (FOB) for a 20 year term starting from the commercial operation date of the Calcasieu Pass facility, currently expected in 2021.
This agreement will contribute to Edison's gas supply portfolio competitiveness and diversification, further enhancing Edison's ability to meet the Group's customers' requirements.
Edison
Edison is a leading player in Italy and Europe in the procurement, production and sale of electricity, in the provision of energy and environmental services thanks also to its subsidiary Fenice and in the E&P sector. Founded over 130 years ago, Edison has contributed to the electrification and development of Italy. It now operates in Italy, Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin, employing 5,000 people. In the power generation sector, Edison has plants with total capacity of 6.5 GW. www.edison.it
Edison covers about 20% of Italy's gas imports thorough long term agreements for the purchase of 14.4 billion cubic meters of gas per year (2 billion from Algeria, 4 billion from Libya, 6.4 billion from Qatar and 2 billion from Russia).
Venture Global LNG
Venture Global LNG plans to be a long-term, low-cost, producer of LNG from natural gas production basins within the U.S.A. Venture Global is developing LNG export terminals at both Calcasieu Pass and Plaquemines, totaling 30 MTPA of anticipated nameplate capacity. More can be found at www.venturegloballng.com.
SOURCE Venture Global LNG
Related Links
http://www.venturegloballng.com
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Edison Electric Institute President Tom Kuhn today issued the following statement on the release of the tax reform framework by President Trump and Republican congressional leaders.
"We applaud President Trump and Republican congressional leaders for releasing today's tax reform framework. EEI's member companies strongly support tax reform because we believe that a simpler tax code, broader tax base, and lower tax rates will grow the economy and increase the competitiveness of the United States, support job creation in America, and benefit our customers.
"We appreciate the continued commitment of congressional leaders and the Administration to get comprehensive tax reform over the finish line. The electric power industry is ready to work with Congress and with the Administration in the coming weeks to advance tax reform solutions that will benefit all customers and encourage important investment in critical energy infrastructure by helping to keep the cost of capital as low as possible.
"The single most important action lawmakers can do to grow our economy and to create jobs is to pass comprehensive tax reform this year. In order for Congress to move forward with this debate, a critical first step is to pass a fiscal year 2018 budget resolution, which contains the necessary mechanisms to make tax reform a reality. I urge lawmakers not to delay action any further."
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for about 220 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 60 international electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members. Organized in 1933, EEI provides public policy leadership, strategic business intelligence, and essential conferences and forums.
SOURCE Edison Electric Institute
Related Links
http://www.eei.org
DALLAS, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The EnLink Midstream companies (EnLink), EnLink Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE: ENLK) and EnLink Midstream, LLC (NYSE: ENLC), will hold a conference call to discuss third quarter 2017 financial results on Wednesday, November 1, at 9 a.m. Central time. EnLink's third quarter 2017 operations report and earnings press release will be posted to its website at www.EnLink.com after market close on October 31.
Third Quarter 2017 Earnings Conference Call Details
The dial-in number for the call is 1-855-656-0924. Callers outside the United States should dial 1-412-542-4172. Participants can also preregister for the conference call by navigating to http://dpregister.com/10112090 where they will receive their dial-in information upon completion of their preregistration. Interested parties can access an archived replay of the call on the Investors' page of EnLink's website at www.EnLink.com.
About the EnLink Midstream Companies
EnLink provides integrated midstream services across natural gas, crude oil, condensate, and NGL commodities. EnLink operates in several top U.S. basins and is strategically focused on the core growth areas of the Permian's Midland and Delaware basins, Oklahoma's Midcontinent, and Louisiana's Gulf Coast. Headquartered in Dallas, EnLink is publicly traded through EnLink Midstream, LLC (NYSE: ENLC), the General Partner, and EnLink Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE: ENLK), the Master Limited Partnership. Visit www.EnLink.com for more information on how EnLink connects energy to life.
Investor Relations: Kate Walsh, Vice President of Investor Relations, 214-721-9696, [email protected]
Media Relations: Jill McMillan, Vice President of Public & Industry Affairs, 214-721-9271, [email protected]
SOURCE EnLink Midstream
Related Links
http://www.enlink.com
CANTON, Mass., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 18, 2017, EquipNet, Inc.'s subsidiary, EquipNet India Pvt. Ltd., celebrated its 10th anniversary within the surplus asset management market. EquipNet is widely recognized as the global leader in helping leading manufacturers track, manage, sell, and purchase surplus laboratory instrumentation and manufacturing equipment. The Indian subsidiary has been operating from its Mumbai headquarters since 2007.
"Surplus asset management is being recognised as increasingly critical, and many companies realise that they do not have the resource or skill base to tackle the issue in-house," said Krishnamoorthy Vishwanathan, Managing Director of EquipNet India. "Choosing when to invest internal resources in a specific activity and when to seek external help is a tough, but essential management task. Defining and focusing on core company strengths and recognizing the need for expert support in other areas will ensure operational efficiency and can have a major impact on the bottom line. As EquipNet India celebrates 10 years of uninterrupted service to companies, we take this opportunity to thank all of our clients for helping us to succeed."
According to an IBEF report*, the Indian market has been at the forefront of growth in the manufacturing sector, with an almost 8% growth rate from 2016 to 2017. By 2020, it is estimated that India will become the fifth largest manufacturing country in the world, creating 100 million new jobs by 2022.
For further information about EquipNet, please visit our website or contact us today: [email protected] | +1-781-821-3482
About EquipNet
US-based EquipNet, Inc., has become the world's largest surplus asset management company. The company offers a range of tools that allow companies to take control of their assets. For example, a proprietary software platform ARMS (Asset Redeployment Management System), can be installed across a client's enterprise, allowing that company to identify, track, appraise, redeploy and sell its idle and surplus equipment. EquipNet also runs the largest online marketplace for pre-owned laboratory instrumentation, manufacturing equipment, and plant utilities. The company is one of the largest industrial equipment auctioneers in the world. Its main markets are in the biopharma, chemical, consumer packaged goods, and semiconductor sectors, where the company's specialist knowledge of the markets is proven to deliver higher value than many of the generalists in the market.
Please send inquiries to
Ben Potenza
EquipNet, Inc., 5 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021
Toll-free 888.371.6555
Tel: 781.821.3482 | FAX: 617.671.1269
[email protected]
www.equipnet.com
*https://www.ibef.org/industry/manufacturing-sector-india.aspx
SOURCE EquipNet, Inc.
Related Links
https://www.equipnet.com
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York law firm Cea Badoeva P.C. is providing free legal advice throughout the month of October, helping business owners and employees who have questions regarding their extraordinary ability visa and investor visa.
A recent Harris Poll shows 63 percent of U.S. employers say hiring international talent is crucial to their company's business. That's up 42 percent from last year's report, showing U.S. employers continue to seek workers from other countries.
The partners at Cea Badoeva Michele Cea and Viktoriya Badoeva say they continually hear from start-ups, entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized business owners that they don't know their options for starting a new business in the USA, or for expanding their business into the USA.
Mr. Cea says many people don't know their professional achievements can qualify them for an extraordinary visa and potentially help them obtain a green card.
"There are several types of visas in the USA E1, E2, EB5, EB1, O1, J1, H1B and all of these applications have different requirements and restrictions," says Mr. Cea.
"As a boutique law firm, we work directly with business owners and employees who need help with their investor visa or extraordinary ability visa," said Mr. Cea. "Many of these potential clients have similar questions. This free consultation makes it easy for entrepreneurs, employers, and employees to get guidance over the phone and for free. This is our way of helping our community."
"We are trying to bring talented people to our community and in many cases, those are artists who may not realize they can benefit from the extraordinary ability visa based on their creative background," said Ms. Badoeva.
Mr. Cea and Ms. Badoeva both worked at big international law firms in New York and abroad, focusing their work on corporate law and business immigration law.
Ms. Badoeva graduated from Fordham University School of Law in 2011 and Moscow State University of International Affairs School of Law in 2007. She has experience in both corporate and health care law, and has represented many international clients. She is fluent in Russian.
Mr. Cea graduated from Fordham University School of Law in 2011 and Catholic University School of Law in Milan, Italy in 2009. He has experience with corporate law and business immigration. Prior to partnering with Ms. Badoeva, Mr. Cea founded his own practice focused on business immigration. He is fluent in Italian and conversational Spanish.
Frequently Asked Extraordinary Ability Visa and Investor Visa Related Questions
Mr. Cea and Ms. Badoeva will be answering all extraordinary ability visa and investor visa-related questions over the phone, every Tuesday - from noon to 1 p.m. EST throughout the month of October.
Anyone with questions related to the investor visa or extraordinary ability visa can call their conference line and ask either of them such questions for no charge.
Callers will not be speaking with a lower-level paralegal, but someone with years of legal experience in business immigration law.
"This is also an opportunity to listen to questions that others in similar situations may have," says Ms. Badoeva. "It's also an easy and timeless way to get some quick guidance with your investor or extraordinary ability visa. You don't need to travel to our Midtown offices. Anyone with a phone can call us from literally anywhere in the world."
With larger law firms, this service would cost upwards of $500 an hour. In many of these situations, the law firm may not even be able to help visa applicants or businesses.
"We will also offer guidance and help applicants find the correct visa," said Mr. Cea. "For instance, an entrepreneur investing in an American business will want to know the differences between EB-5 and E2 investment visas. We will explain different requirements and restrictions for visas to help secure visa application approval."
Cea Badoeva P.C. will not be answering any visa questions concerning refugee, asylum, family immigration or travel visas.
About Cea Badoeva P.C.
The law firm of Cea Badoeva counsels business owners and entrepreneurs on a broad range of transaction and business matters including, but not limited to:
- Business start-up
- Corporate formation and organization
- Corporate governance
- Contracts and commercial transactions
- Business immigration.
Their experience in a variety of legal practices, combined with international reach, allows them to address most of the legal needs of small to mid-sized businesses.
Details of the Free Consultation for Work Visa-Related Questions
When: October 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st Every Tuesday throughout the month of October 2017.
Time: Noon to 1 p.m. EST
Dial-In Number: (641) 715-0654 Access Pin: 309249
For more information, go to www.Cebalaw.com or call (917) 728-1455
SOURCE Cea Badoeva P.C.
QUINCY, Ill., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Titan International, Inc. (Titan) (NYSE: TWI) announced today that at approximately midnight MST on September 21, 2017, a fire broke out at the Titan Tire Reclamation Corporation (TTRC) facility in Fort McMurray, AB. No staff members or others were injured. The facility contains six thermal vacuum recovery (TVR) units, which are large, contained capsules used to recycle large mining tires. The fire started within one of the TVR units and was contained to a building housing three of the TVR units. Currently, the TTRC staff are working with affected customers to minimize the impact to their respective businesses. Three other TVR units located in another building were not affected. Titan carries both casualty and property insurance for its facilities and equipment, as well as business interruption insurance, and is reviewing the extent and scope of this coverage with its insurance carriers.
Titan International, Inc. President and CEO Paul Reitz commented, "We have safety procedures in place to avoid potential hazards, as safety is a top priority at all of our facilities. We will continue to take actions necessary to ensure the safety of our staff, TTRC's neighbors and the environment. We are incredibly thankful to the first responders who promptly attended to the situation."
Safe harbor statement: This press release contains forward-looking statements, which statements are covered by the "Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements" provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "would," "could," "outlook," "potential," "may," "will" and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which are generally not historical in nature. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effect on us. Although we believe the assumptions upon which these forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, these assumptions are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and are subject to change based on various factors, some of which are beyond Titan International, Inc.'s control. As a result, any of these assumptions could prove to be inaccurate and the forward-looking statements based on these assumptions could be incorrect. The matters discussed in these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results and trends to differ materially from those made, projected or implied in or by the forward-looking statements depending on a variety of uncertainties or other factors including, but not limited to risks detailed in Titan International, Inc.'s periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof. The Company cautions that any forward-looking statements included in this press release are subject to several risks and uncertainties and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changed circumstances or future events or for any other reason.
About Titan
Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) is a leading global manufacturer of off-highway wheels, tires, assemblies, and undercarriage products. Headquartered in Quincy, Illinois, the company globally produces a broad range of products to meet the specifications of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and aftermarket customers in the agricultural, earthmoving/construction, and consumer markets. For more information, visit www.titan-intl.com.
SOURCE Titan International, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.titan-intl.com
BOSTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fish & Richardson today announced that it has launched a new Mayo/Myriad Life Sciences Tracker online resource designed to help its intellectual property clients stay informed and up to date on significant decisions in which the patent eligibility of life science claims is addressed under Mayo or Myriad.
All of the cases in the Mayo/Myriad Life Sciences Tracker database can be filtered by date, court, judge, exception category, status and the issue of "significantly more." The summaries can be searched by keyword as well. The tracker is also available on Fish's mobile On-the-Go app, which can be downloaded for both iOS and Android devices. Access to both the online database and the mobile app is free.
"The tracker provides a single source of sampled cases that is updated regularly," said Ian Lodovice, a principal at the firm who helped develop the Mayo/Myriad Life Sciences Tracker. "Although the tracker does not include every decision related to Mayo or Myriad, we strive to capture the most relevant informative decisions and post new decisions as they are published."
Mayo and Myriad are each landmark rulings that disrupted long-standing judicial and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office precedent and significantly changed the landscape for obtaining and enforcing patents in the life sciences industry. Under Mayo and Myriad, claims to both diagnostic methods per se and isolated genes that occur naturally in cells are unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. 101.
"In light of the significant changes these cases have brought about, the Mayo/Myriad Life Sciences Tracker will be a useful tool in monitoring how these holdings are being applied by lower courts to other life science examples," added Cameron Luitjens, who worked closely with Lodovice to create the tracker.
Additional Fish attorneys who contributed to the development of the Mayo/Myriad Life Sciences Tracker include Gwilym Attwell, Patrick Finn and Eifion Phillips.
Fish & Richardson is a global patent prosecution, intellectual property litigation and commercial litigation law firm with more than 400 attorneys and technology specialists in the U.S. and Europe. Its success is rooted in its creative and inclusive culture, which values the diversity of people, experiences and perspectives. Fish is the No. 1 U.S. patent litigation firm, handling nearly three times as many cases as its nearest competitor; a powerhouse patent prosecution firm; a top-tier trademark and copyright firm; and the No. 1 firm at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, with more cases than any other firm. Since 1878, Fish attorneys have been winning cases worth billions in controversy often by making new law for the world's most innovative and influential technology leaders. For more information, visit https://www.fr.com or follow us at @FishRichardson.
Contact: Amy Blumenthal or Kelly Largey
Blumenthal & Associates
Fish & Richardson
617-879-1511
800-818-5070
[email protected]
[email protected]
SOURCE Fish & Richardson
Related Links
http://www.fr.com
DECATUR If all goes according to schedule, final details for the city's neighborhood revitalization project will be ready next spring and the new economic community development director, Raymond Lai, will be the point person for those efforts, City Manager Tim Gleason said.
By that time, "he is going to be familiar with the community, it's almost perfect timing," Gleason said Tuesday.
Lai, who started his new job two weeks ago, comes from his work with the city of University City, Missouri, just outside St. Louis, where he was deputy director of planning, zoning and economic development. He has also worked as a senior planner/associate for AECOM in Asia, and as director of planning and zoning for the city of Edwardsville.
His newly created position is part of a staff restructuring approved by the Decatur City Council in February, which moved the city's neighborhood services division from the legal department to Lai's. Lai will also oversee city planning, inspections, as well as economic development all gears in the city government's machinery that will part of the sweeping neighborhood revitalization plan announced Monday at a special council meeting that lasted more than two hours.
"He's been involved in very large projects very similar to what we've talked about in Decatur," Gleason said.
The changes also eliminated an assistant manager position.
Lai was with Gleason at Tuesday night's Coalition of Neighborhood Organizations meeting, where members peppered city officials including Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe with questions and comments about what to include in the revitalization plan. City officials have said they plan to seek public input through focus groups and other methods as they work to address issues that include abandoned and dilapidated homes and declining property values.
The discussion between CONO members and council members reflected much of the same tension between council members at the previous night's special session at the Decatur Civic Center whether to dream big, or be realistic.
One of the residents who spoke Monday night, Conzetta Jackson, said she was impressed by the Decatur she saw in old pictures and hoped to see the city meet that potential again. On Tuesday, she challenged Councilman Pat McDaniel on his comments that city coffers are thin, and past initiatives with lofty goals like GROW Decatur ended with few accomplishments.
"We were all dreaming big last night ... and you were shutting us down," said Jackson, a homeowner in the Old King's Orchard neighborhood, addressing McDaniel.
"I grew up in the Old King's Orchard, I'd like it to return, but it's never going to be that way, I'm sorry," McDaniel said. "You're not going to see the grocery stores. We have to live in the reality of what we can do."
Gleason told the Herald & Review that next year's city budget figures "are shaping up to be a challenge," which could cut into city funds the city manager had previously hoped to set aside for revitalization projects.
McDaniel told CONO members the city could see a sales tax receipts dip by more than $200,000 this year. But Gleason said much work could be accomplished through tax incentives and abatement.
"What I am hopeful of is the little-to-zero impacts on the taxpayer," Gleason said.
The next Decatur City Council meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 2 in the council chambers at the Decatur Civic Center, 1 Gary K. Anderson Plaza.
MILWAUKEE, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual today announced that five financial advisors affiliated with Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company have been named to the 2017 edition of the Financial Times' 401 Top Retirement Plan Advisors.
The FT 401 list recognizes an elite group of advisors from across the country who specialize in serving defined contribution (DC) retirement plans. Advisors are selected based on seven criteria: DC assets under management (AUM); DC AUM growth rate; specialization in DC plans; years of experience; advanced industry credentials; compliance record and DC plan participation rate. There are no fees or other considerations required of advisors who apply for the FT 401.
Those recognized in the 2017 FT 401 are:
Justin J. Kirby , Kirby Wealth Management Group, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company
, Kirby Wealth Management Group, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Roger S. Machlin , Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company
, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Todd M. Colburn , Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company
, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company David B. Test , Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company
, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Emmett G. Dupas III , Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company
"We are pleased to congratulate our financial professionals who have been recognized by the Financial Times," said Christian Mitchell, president and CEO, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "These advisors are dedicated to helping businesses develop the unique retirement plan solutions their employees need to achieve financial security. They embody Northwestern Mutual's focus on integrated financial planning that helps investors grow, preserve and protect their wealth."
The FT 401 distinction follows the recognition of seven Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management advisors on the Financial Times' 2017 FT 400 list as well as Northwestern Mutual's ranking as the fifth largest independent broker-dealer on Financial Planning's 2017 FP50 list.
Northwestern Mutual Investment Services and Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, which are subsidiaries of Northwestern Mutual, provide a variety of investment products and services to help clients with financial protection, wealth accumulation, and estate preservation and distribution. These solutions include brokerage and advisory services, trust services and discretionary portfolio management for high-net-worth individuals.
About The FT 401
The Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Plan Advisors is an independent listing produced annually by the Financial Times (September 2017). The FT 401 is based on data gathered from advisors, regulatory disclosures, and the FT's research. The listing reflects each advisor's status in seven primary areas: DC plan assets under management (AUM), DC AUM growth rate, specialization in DC plans, years of experience, advanced industry credentials, compliance record and DC plan participation rate. This honor is not indicative of the advisor's future performance. Neither the advisors nor their parent firms pay a fee to the Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 401.
About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual has been helping families and businesses achieve financial security for 160 years. Through a distinctive, whole-picture planning approach including both insurance and investments, we empower people to be financially confident so they can live life differently. We combine the expertise of our financial professionals with a personalized digital experience to help our clients navigate their financial lives every day. With $250.4 billion in assets, $28.2 billion in revenues, and more than $1.6 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.4 million people who rely on us for life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, brokerage and advisory services, trust services, and discretionary portfolio management solutions. The company holds more than $100 billion of client assets as a part of its wealth management company and investment services. Northwestern Mutual ranks 97 on the 2017 FORTUNE 500 and is recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2017.
Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a comprehensive approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, life insurance with long-term care benefits, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (fiduciary and fee-based financial planning services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance).
SOURCE Northwestern Mutual
Related Links
http://www.northwesternmutual.com
TROY, Mich., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Flagstar Bank today announced the first disbursement$500,000of its $2.5 million investment in small business development in Pontiac. This small business initiative is part of Flagstar's five-year, $10 million commitment to help revitalize the city.
"We're happy to have partnered with Flagstar to bring this $10 million commitment to Pontiac," said Pontiac Mayor Deirdre Waterman. "Small businesses are the backbone of any economic revitalization, and this funding from Flagstar gives a welcome boost to our community."
Flagstar's initial disbursement of $500,000 will be leveraged through a partnership with CEED Lending, a Small Business Administration lender. Although the program will offer direct grants and loans, most of the disbursements are expected to be a combination of SBA loans and Flagstar grants to achieve maximum leverage. By blending grants with loans, Flagstar is able to add collateral and security to loan requests, thus making the loans more creditworthy, providing more capital to borrowers, and lowering the repayment amount.
"This kind of funding can be a lifeline for struggling businesses that need a little help to thrive," said Beverly Meek, CRA director for Flagstar. "One small business in Pontiac has already been approved for a loan/grant combination in the pilot phase, and another is awaiting CEED loan approval."
Meek said funding also will be used to support manufacturing in Pontiac, non-SBA loans, and grant opportunities identified by Pontiac Main Street Advisory Council.
"Everything we're doing, we're doing with input from the community," Meek said. "It was the community who told us small businessesespecially micro-businessesneeded grant money to help them qualify for SBA loans. Zero percent loans and grants was what we heard from the community.
"Another thing the community wanted was a one-stop website where small businesses could find everything they needed to start and do business in Pontiac. And Flagstar responded with a $10,000 grant to build a web portal for the city."
CEED Lending, an initiative of the Great Lakes Women's Business Council, provides small business loans to start-up and existing enterprises in nine counties in Southeast Michigan. CEED is the lender for the SBA loans associated with the program.
"The partnership with Flagstar is a great opportunity to move the needle on small business lending in Pontiac," said Michelle Richards, executive director of CEED Lending. "We're looking for good things to happen in Pontiac with CEED's expertise in SBA lending enhanced by small business grants from Flagstar."
For more information or to obtain an application for Pontiac loans and grants, visit CEED's website.
About Flagstar
Flagstar Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: FBC) is a $16.0 billion savings and loan holding company headquartered in Troy, Mich. Flagstar Bank, FSB, provides commercial, small business, and consumer banking services through 99 branches in the state. It also provides home loans through a wholesale network of brokers and correspondents in all 50 states, as well as 85 retail locations in 26 states, representing the combined retail branches of Flagstar and Opes Advisors mortgage division. Flagstar is a leading national originator and servicer of mortgage loans, handling payments and record keeping for $87 billion of home loans representing 402,000 borrowers. For more information, please visit flagstar.com.
About CEED Lending
CEED Lending is an initiative of the Great Lakes Women's Business Council, a 33-year old nonprofit organization committed to supporting women, minority-owned and other small businesses in southeastern Michigan. Loans up to $ 50,000 are available to businesses in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, Jackson, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Livingston counties. More than $ 6 million in microloans have been made creating over 1,700 jobs and retaining more. For more information, please visit ceedlending.org.
For more information contact:
Susan Bergesen
Flagstar Bank
(248) 312-6237
SOURCE Flagstar Bancorp, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.flagstar.com
Keith D. Phillips, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "These initial Phase 2 results are highly encouraging. We continue to be surprised by the sheer extent of the mineralisation and are excited to begin testing the deposit at depth. The Project is clearly larger than we had first envisioned and it is important that we do the work to properly evaluate the scale of the resource. Our Phase 1 drill program identified four potential corridors of mineralization and our Phase 2 program has in fact defined abundant high-grade mineralization in each corridor. We look forward to releasing the remaining results of our Phase 2 drilling campaign over the coming weeks."
"We have established relationships with the leading technical and marketing consultants in the Lithium sector and intend to accelerate our feasibility studies with regards to metallurgical, mine development and off-take plans in the near future."
For further information, contact:
Keith D. Phillips Anastasios (Taso) Arima President & CEO Executive Director T: +1 973 809 0505 T: +1 347 899 1522 E: [email protected] E: [email protected]
Piedmont Lithium Limited ("Piedmont" or "Company") is pleased to advise that approximately 4 kilometers of total strike length over eight (8) spodumene bearing mineralized trends have been identified within the Piedmont Lithium Project ("Project") with all pegmatite trends remaining open along strike and down dip.
The initial 9,400 meter drilling which was planned for the Phase 2 campaign is now complete and was finished on-time and under-budget. Due to the success of this campaign, the Company has decided to continue the Phase 2 drilling program for a further 3,000 meters which will test the known mineralisation both along strike and importantly down dip.
Initial Phase 2 Results and Discussion
The initial assay results for the first 26 holes of the Phase 2 campaign have been received and continue to show high grade mineralisation across significant, mineable widths. Drill hole details and weighted-composite assay intercepts are attached as Appendix 1. The Company is extremely encouraged by the visual observations of mineralisation in the outstanding holes and expects to receive additional assays over the coming weeks.
The first Phase 2 drill holes were focused on the B, F and G corridors identified from the Phase 1 campaign. The cross-section below illustrates significant results from the G Corridor to date, from the Phase 2 Campaign.
High grade results from the B Corridor included:
18.87m of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 5 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 3.65m @ 1.63 % Li 2 O and 7.28m @ 1.41% Li 2 O in Hole 17-BD-48
of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 5 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 16.49m of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 5 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 1.59m @ 2.12 % Li 2 O, 1.28m @ 2.45% Li 2 O and 10.76m @ 1.02% Li 2 O in Hole 17-BD-52
of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 5 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 17.62m of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 2 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 16.18m @ 1.72% Li 2 O in Hole 17-BD-62
High grade results from the F Corridor included:
10.81m of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 4 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 3.25m @ 1.82 % Li 2 O and 1.46m @ 1.9% Li 2 O in Hole 17-BD-41
of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 4 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 9.49m of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 4 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 3.09m @ 1.45 % Li 2 O and 3.72m @ 1.45% Li 2 O in Hole 17-BD-49
of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 4 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 21.31m of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 4 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 6.71m @ 1.32% Li 2 O, 4.48m @ 1.24% Li 2 O and 1.5m @ 1.52% Li 2 O n Hole 17-BD-57
High grade results from the G Corridor included:
20.56m of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 3 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 11.3m @ 1.43 % Li 2 O and 2.76m @ 1.35% Li 2 O in Hole 17-BD-50
of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 3 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 20.35m of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 4 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 5.49m @ 1.39 % Li 2 O, 2.92m @ 1.18% Li 2 O and 10,45 @ 1.06% Li 2 O in Hole 17-BD-53
of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 4 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 17.4m of cumulative drill thickness of mineralization across 5 pegmatites which includes high grade zones of 3.94m @ 1.55% Li 2 O and 1.06 @ 1.58% Li 2 O and 2.21m @ 1.5% Li 2 O in Hole 17-BD-58
Phase 2 Extension Drilling and Maiden Resource Estimation
Following the Company's enhanced understanding of the high-grade mineralization potential at the Project, Piedmont, in consultation with our technical consultants who are leaders in the lithium sector, has opted for an increased and wider spaced Phase 2 drilling program.
The Company has now completed the 9,400 meters which was initially budgeted for the Phase 2 campaign and due to the extremely encouraging results, the Company will extend the Phase 2 drilling campaign for a further 3,000m to further test the mineralisation along strike (in the Star Corridor) and down dip (in the B and G Corridor).
Systematic 40 to 80 meter "step-outs" during the Phase 2 drill program have allowed Piedmont to identify eight (8) significant spodumene bearing pegmatites dikes or dike swarms totalling approximately 4 kilometers in strike length. These eight pegmatite trends consist of one to multiple spodumene bearing dikes with drill thickness ranging up to 16 meters. In general, the Phase 2 drilling has only tested the pegmatites to a vertical depth of 100 meters. A key focus of the additional 3,000 meter Phase 2 drilling extensions will go towards testing the downdip extensions in the "B" and "G" corridors while continuing to test along strike in the Star corridor. Note that several other highly prospective areas within the Project remain untested.
Given the scale of the mineralization on the property and the additional drilling required to test the potential, the Company now intends to release an Exploration Target in December 2017 followed by a maiden Mineral Resource estimate in early-2018.
About Piedmont Lithium
Piedmont Lithium Ltd (ASX: PLL) holds a 100% interest in the Piedmont Lithium Project (the "Project") which is located within the world-class Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt ("TSB"), and along trend to the Hallman Beam and Kings Mountain mines, historically providing most of the western world's lithium from the 1950s to the 1990s. The TSB is one of the premier localities in the world to be exploring for lithium pegmatites given its history of lithium bearing spodumene mining, favourable geology and ideal location with easy access to infrastructure, power, R&D centres for lithium and battery storage, major high-tech population centres and downstream lithium processing facilities.
The TSB has previously been described as one of the largest lithium provinces in the world and is located approximately 40 kilometers west of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The TSB was the most important lithium producing region in the western world prior to the establishment of the brine operations in Chile in the late 1990's. The TSB extends over approximately 60 kilometers in length and reaches a maximum width of approximately 1.6 kilometers.
The Project was originally explored by Lithium Corporation of America which eventually was acquired by FMC Corporation ("FMC"). FMC and Albemarle Corporation ("Albemarle") both historically mined the lithium bearing spodumene pegmatites from the TSB with the historic Kings Mountain lithium mine being described as one of the richest spodumene deposits in the world by Albemarle. These two mines and their respective metallurgy also formed the basis for the design of the two lithium processing facilities in the region which were the first modern spodumene processing facilities in the western world.
Albemarle and FMC continue to operate these important lithium processing facilities with FMC's Bessemer City lithium processing facility being approximately 14 kilometers from the Project whilst Albemarle's Kings Mountain lithium processing facility is approximately 17 kilometers from the Project.
The Company is in a unique position to leverage its position as a first mover in restarting exploration in this historic lithium producing region with the aim of developing a strategic, U.S. domestic source of lithium to supply the increasing electric vehicle and battery storage markets.
Forward Looking Statements
This announcement may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on Piedmont's expectations and beliefs concerning future events. Forward looking statements are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Piedmont, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. Piedmont makes no undertaking to subsequently update or revise the forward-looking statements made in this announcement, to reflect the circumstances or events after the date of that announcement.
Competent Persons Statement
The information in this announcement that relates to Exploration Results is based on, and fairly represents, information compiled or reviewed by Mr Lamont Leatherman, a Competent Person who is a Registered Member of the 'Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration', a 'Recognised Professional Organisation' (RPO). Mr Leatherman is a consultant to the Company. Mr Leatherman has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'. Mr Leatherman consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.
APPENDIX 1: SUMMARY OF CORE DRILL HOLE INTERSECTIONS
Hole ID Easting Northing Elev. (m) Az. (o) Dip (o) Depth (m)
From (m) To (m) Intercept (m) Li 2 O (%) 17-BD-32 474720.17 3916070.05 254.7 325 -68 152.8
38.94 43.85 4.91 0.75
including 39.46 41.13 1.67 0.97 17-BD-33 474719.43 3916070.88 255.4 325 -45 143.26
34.55 37.76 3.21 1.06 17-BD-34 474663.68 3916021.09 253.3 325 -55 76.3
3.41 7.62 4.21 0.98
including 3.41 6.35 2.94 1.37
and 33.33 36.21 2.88 0.82 17-BD-35 474574.84 3915976.55 256.1 325 -55 120.3
No significant intercepts 17-BD-36 474683.02 3915983.90 251.1 323 -60 91.44
No significant intercepts 17-BD-37 474682.40 3915983.57 250.7 322 -86 95.71
No significant intercepts 17-BD-38 473745.90 3916315.20 255.8 304 -52 145.29
55.5 57.6 2.1 1.79 17-BD-39 474490.40 3915950.60 260.5 332 -58.2 120.4
No significant intercepts 17-BD-40 473837.10 3916202.80 259.8 116 -75.5 77.88
No significant intercepts 17-BD-41 474525.60 3915858.60 259.1 323 -56 167.9
11.8 13.72 1.92 1.12
and 28.15 31.4 3.25 1.82
and 96.45 100.63 4.18 0.46
and 108.72 110.18 1.46 1.9 17-BD-42 473788.40 3916235.90 256.4 120 -77 76.2
21.34 22.86 1.52 1.58
and 31.23 31.86 0.63 1.52
and 51.07 51.09 0.83 1.71 17-BD-43 474045.30 3916777.30 239.9 327 -79 82.38
16.19 17.14 0.95 1.17
and 35.77 40.38 4.61 1.93
and 56.31 59.25 2.94 1.63 17-BD-44 473733.70 3916230.60 248.6 12 -56 120.4
assays pending 17-BD-45 474549.20 3915812.10 254.2 321 -55 152.7
15.6 18.89 3.29 1.4
and 62.35 72.35 10 1.08 17-BD-46 474153.90 3916739.60 243.3 309 -55 168.5
assays pending 17-BD-47 474558.10 3915779.10 259.7 328 -57 131.1
23.28 24.59 1.31 1.42
and 37.69 38.62 0.93 1.74
and 98.89 105.17 6.66 0.62 17-BD-48 473461.40 3916107.80 247.0 300 -53 130.25
21.55 25.2 3.65 1.63
and 31.94 35.42 3.48 1.03
and 53.87 55.93 2.06 1.18
and 59.49 65.68 7.28 1.41
and 71.23 73.43 2.2 1.13 17-BD-49 474514.90 3915782.70 261.5 311 -55.5 137.2
25.32 28.41 3.09 1.45
and 34.53 35.85 3.72 1.45
and 69.15 70.35 1.2 1.62
and 117.06 118.54 1.48 0.96 17-BD-50 474132.20 3916691.80 280.0 310 -55 182
93.7 96.46 2.76 1.35
and 107.3 125.1 17.8 1.04
including 107.3 118.6 11.3 1.43
and 143.86 145.64 1.78 1.12 17-BD-51 474519.97 3915684.80 261.0 300 -55 20.7
No significant intercepts (hole abandoned) 17-BD-51A 474519.85 3915683.90 261.0 307 -58 164.6
61.21 67.66 6.45 0.93
including 61.21 66.21 5 1.13
and 127.26 131.07 3.81 0.99
Hole ID Easting Northing Elev. (m) Az. (o) Dip (o) Depth (m)
From (m) To (m) Intercept (m) Li 2 O (%) 17-BD-52 473502.93 3916138.95 236.5 297 -53 129.5
21.08 22.05 0.97 1.48
and 44.96 46.55 1.59 2.12
and 55.64 56.93 1.28 2.45
and 77.83 79.72 1.89 0.84
and 93.51 104.27 10.76 1.02
including 93.51 96.49 2.98 2 17-BD-53 474008.70 3916719.80 238.5 309 -69 123
56.11 66.56 10.45 1.06
and 69.27 74.76 5.49 1.39
and 90.69 92.18 1.49 1.17
and 114 116.92 2.92 1.18 17-BD-54 473986.60 3916631.20 251.2 335 -44.7 177
assays pending 17-BD-55 473547.40 3916170.40 240.4 302 -56 163
assays pending 17-BD-56 474586.02 3915937.60 256.3 308 -70 108.2
28.48 35.11 6.63 1.13 17-BD-57 474399.40 3915904.80 263.1 310 -57 168
42.67 51.29 8.62 0.73
including 42.67 48.17 5.5 0.96
and 87.32 91.8 4.48 1.24
and 100.5 102 1.5 1.52
and 150.77 157.48 6.71 1.32 17-BD-58 473894.10 3916618.90 253.8 335 -43 159
23.83 26.39 1.86 1.14
and 71.06 79.72 8.66 1.11
including 71.06 75 3.94 1.55
and 119.2 121.41 2.21 1.5
and 133.82 134.88 1.06 1.58
and 140.9 144.51 3.61 0.79 17-BD-59 473573.61 3916192.80 247.9 294 -53 180
assays pending 17-BD-60 474189.80 3915853.60 254.9 300 -56 156.06
assays pending 17-BD-61 473837.40 3916595.20 262.0 294 -59 81
assays pending 17-BD-62 473586.91 3916235.50 254.3 299 -56 181.36
37.44 38.88 1.44 0.89
and 109.07 125.25 16.18 1.72
APPENDIX 2 JORC TABLE 1 CHECKLIST OF ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING CRITERIA
Section 1 Sampling Techniques and Data
Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Sampling techniques > Nature and quality of sampling (e.g. cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as downhole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc.). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling. > Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used. > Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report. In cases where 'industry standard' work has been done this would be relatively simple (e.g. 'reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for fire assay'). In other cases more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (e.g. submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information. All results reported are from diamond core samples. The core was sawn at an orientation not influenced by the distribution of mineralization within the drill core (i.e. bisecting mineralized veins, or cut perpendicular to a fabric in the rock that is independent of mineralization, such as foliation). Diamond drilling provided continuous core which allowed continuous sampling of mineralized zones. The core sample intervals were a minimum of 0.35m and a maximum of 1.5m for HQ or NQ drill core (except in saprolitic areas of poor recovery where sample intervals may exceed 1.5m in length), and took into account lithological boundaries (i.e. sample was to, and not across, major contacts). Standards and blanks were inserted into the sample stream to assess the accuracy, precision and methodology of the external laboratories used. In addition, field duplicate samples were inserted to assess the variability of the mineralisation., The laboratories undertake their own duplicate sampling as part of their internal QA/QC processes. Examination of the QA/QC sample data indicates satisfactory performance of field sampling protocols and assay laboratories providing acceptable levels of precision and accuracy. Drilling techniques > Drill type (e.g. core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc.) and details (e.g. core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face-sampling bit or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc.). All diamond drill holes were collared with HQ and were transitioned to NQ once non-weathered and unoxidized bedrock was encountered. Drill core was recovered from surface. Oriented core was collected on select drill holes using the REFLEX ACT III tool by a qualified geologist at the drill rig. The orientation data is currently being evaluated. Drill sample recovery > Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed. > Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples. > Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material. The core was transported from the drill site to the logging facility in covered boxes with the utmost care. Once at the logging facility, the following procedures were carried out on the core: 1. Re-aligning the broken core in its original position as closely as possible. 2. The length of recovered core was measured and meter marks clearly placed on the core to indicate depth to the nearest centimetre. 3. The length of core recovered was used to determine the core recovery, which is the length of core recovered divided by the interval drilled (as indicated by the footage marks which was converted to meter marks), expressed as a percentage. This data was recorded in the database. The core was photographed wet before logged. 4. The core was photographed again immediately before sampling with the sample numbers visible. Sample recovery was consistently good except for zones within the oxidized clay and saprolite zones. These zones were generally within the top 20m of the hole. No relationship is recognized between recovery and grade. The drill holes were designed to intersect the targeted pegmatite below the oxidized zone. Logging > Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies. > Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc.) photography. > The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged. Geologically, data was collected in detail, sufficient to aid in Mineral Resource estimation. Core logging consisted of marking the core, describing lithologies, geologic features, percentage of spodumene and structural features measured to core axis. The core was photographed wet before logging and again immediately before sampling with the sample numbers visible. All the core from the twenty-six holes reported was logged. Sub-sampling
techniques and
sample
preparation > If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken. > If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc. and whether sampled wet or dry. > For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique. > Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise representivity of samples. > Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling. > Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being sampled. Core was cut in half with a diamond saw. Standard sample intervals were a minimum of 0.35m and a maximum of 1.5m for HQ or NQ drill core, taking into account lithological boundaries (i.e. sample to, and not across, major contacts). The preparation code is CRU21 (crush to 75% of sample <2mm) and PUL45 (pulverize 250g to 85% <75 microns). A CRM or coarse blank was included at the rate of one for every 20 drill core samples (i.e. 5%). Sampling precision is monitored by selecting a sample interval likely to be mineralized and splitting the sample into two core duplicate samples over the same sample interval. These samples are consecutively numbered after the primary sample and recorded in the sample database as "field duplicates" and the primary sample number recorded. Field duplicates were collected at the rate of 1 in 20 samples when sampling mineralized drill core intervals Samples were numbered sequentially with no duplicates and no missing numbers. Triple tag books using 9-digit numbers were used, with one tag inserted into the sample bag and one tag stapled or otherwise affixed into the core tray at the interval the sample was collected. Samples were placed inside pre-numbered sample bags with numbers coinciding to the sample tag. Quality control (QC) samples, consisting of certified reference materials (CRMs), were given sample numbers within the sample stream so that they are masked from the laboratory after sample preparation and to avoid any duplication of sample numbers. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests > The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total. > For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc., the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc. > Nature of quality control procedures adopted (e.g. standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (i.e. lack of bias) and precision have been established. All samples from the Phase II drilling were shipped to the SGS laboratory in Lakefield, Ontario. The preparation code was CRU21 (crush to 75% of sample <2mm) and PUL45 (pulverize 250g to 85% <75 microns). The analyses code was GE ICM40B (multi-acid digestion with either an ICP-ES or ICP-MS finish), which has a range for Li of 1 to 10,000 (1%) ppm Li. The over-range method code for Li >5,000 ppm is GE ICP90A, which uses a peroxide fusion with an ICP finish, and has lower and upper detection limits of 0.001 and 5% respectively. Starting in August, samples were switched to being analysed using GE ICP90A Li only and then to GE ICP91A Li only. Bulk Densities are collected from each drill hole (one host rock and one mineralized rock) using analyses code GPHY04V. Phase I samples were shipped to the Bureau Veritas minerals laboratory in Reno, Nevada. The preparation code was PRP70-250 (crush to 70% of sample <2mm, pulverize 250g to 85% <75 microns). The analysis code was MA270 (multi-acid digestion with either an ICP-ES or ICP-MS finish), which has a range for Li of 0.5 to 10,000 ppm (1%) Li. This digestion provides only partial analyses for many elements in refractory minerals, including Ta and Nb. It does not include analyses for Cs. The over-range method code for Li>10,000 ppm is PF370, which uses a peroxide fusion with an ICP-ES finish, and has lower and upper detection limits of 0.001 and 50%, respectively. The laboratory was instructed to implement the over-range method in all samples that exceed 5,000 ppm Li to allow for poor data precision near the upper limit of detection using MA270. Historical samples (holes 09-BD-01 through 10-BD-19) were submitted to ALS Vancouver for analysis. Accuracy monitoring was achieved through submission and monitoring of certified reference materials (CRMs). Sample numbering and the inclusion of CRMs was the responsibility of the project geologist submitting the samples. A CRM or coarse blank was included at the rate of one for every 20 drill core samples (i.e. 5%). The CRMs used for this program were supplied by Geostats Pty Ltd of Perth, Western Australia. Details of the CRMs are provided below. A sequence of these CRMs covering a range in Li values and, including blanks, were submitted to the laboratory along with all dispatched samples so as to ensure each run of 100 samples contains the full range of control materials. The CRMs were submitted as "blind" control samples not identifiable by the laboratory. Details of CRMs used in the drill program (all values ppm): CRM Manufacturer Lithium 1 Std Dev GTA-01 Geostats 3132 129 GTA-02 Geostats 1715 64 GTA-03 Geostats 7782 175 GTA-04 Geostats 9275 213 GTA-06 Geostats 7843 126 Sampling precision was monitored by selecting a sample interval likely to be mineralized and splitting the sample into two core duplicate samples over the same sample interval. These samples were consecutively numbered after the primary sample and recorded in the sample database as "field duplicates" and the primary sample number recorded. Field duplicates were collected at the rate of 1 in 20 samples when sampling mineralized drill core intervals. Random sampling precision was monitored by splitting samples at the sample crushing stage (coarse crush duplicate) and at the final sub-sampling stage for analysis (pulp duplicates). The coarse, jaw-crushed, reject material was split into two preparation duplicates, sometimes referred to as second cuts, crusher or preparation duplicates, which were then pulverized and analysed separately. These duplicate samples were selected randomly by the laboratory. Analytical precision was also monitored using pulp duplicates, sometimes referred to as replicates or repeats. Data from all three types of duplicate analyses was used to constrain sampling variance at different stages of the sampling and preparation process. Examination of the QA/QC sample data indicates satisfactory performance of field sampling protocols and assay laboratories providing acceptable levels of precision and accuracy. Verification of sampling and assaying > The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel. > The use of twinned holes. > Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols. > Discuss any adjustment to assay data. Multiple representatives of Piedmont Lithium, Inc. have inspected and verified the results. CSA has conducted two site visits. Dennis Arne (Managing Director -Principal Consultant) toured the site, facilities and reviewed core logging and sampling workflow as well as Leon McGarry (Senior Resource Geologist). Each provided comments on how to improve our methods and have been addressed. Verification core samples were collected by Leon McGarry with assays pending. No holes were twinned. Ten-foot rods and core barrels were used, the core was converted from feet to meters. Li% was converted to Li2O by multiplying Li% by 2.153. Location of data points > Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation. > Specification of the grid system used. > Quality and adequacy of topographic control. Drill collars were located with the Trimble Geo 7 which resulted in accuracies <1m. All coordinates were collected in State Plane and re-projected to Nad83 zone17 in which they are reported. Drill hole surveying was performed on each hole using a REFLEX EZ-Trac multi-shot instrument. Readings were taken approx. every 15 meters (50 feet) and recorded depth, azimuth, and inclination. Data spacing and distribution > Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results. > Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied. > Whether sample compositing has been applied. For selected areas, the drill spacing is approximately 40 to 80 m along strike and down dip. This spacing is sufficient to establish continuity in geology and grade for this pegmatite system. Composite samples are reported in Li2O%, this is calculated by multiplying drill length by Li2O for each sample; then the weighted averages for multiple samples are totalled and divided by the total drill length for the selected samples Orientation of data in relation to geological structure > Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type. > If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material. The pegmatite dikes targeted trend northeast and dip to the southeast, drillholes were designed, oriented to the northwest with inclinations ranging from -45 to -80 degrees, to best intersect the tabular pegmatite bodies as close to perpendicularly as possible. Sample security > The measures taken to ensure sample security. Drill core samples were shipped directly from the field by the project geologist in sealed rice bags or similar containers using a reputable transport company with shipment tracking capability so that a chain of custody can be maintained. Each bag was sealed with a security strap with a unique security number. The containers were locked in a shed if they were stored overnight at any point during transit, including at the drill site prior to shipping. The laboratory confirmed the integrity of the rice bag seals upon receipt Audits or reviews > The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data. CSA Global developed a "Standard Operating Procedures" manual in preparation for the drilling program. CSA global reviews all logging and assay data, as well as merges all data in to database that is held off site. CSA has conducted two site visits. Dennis Arne (Managing Director -Principal Consultant) toured the site and facilities as well as Leon McGarry (Senior Resource Geologist). Each provided comments on how to improve our methods and have been addressed. Verification core samples were collected by Leon McGarry with assays pending.
Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results
Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status > Type, reference name/number, location and ownership including agreements or material issues with third parties such as joint ventures, partnerships, overriding royalties, native title interests, historical sites, wilderness or national park and environmental settings. > The security of the tenure held at the time of reporting along with any known impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in the area. Piedmont, through its 100% owned subsidiary, Piedmont Lithium, Inc., has entered into exclusive option agreements with local landowners, which upon exercise, allows the Company to purchase (or long term lease) approximately 715 acres of surface property and the associated mineral rights from the local landowners. There are no known historical sites, wilderness or national parks located within the Project area and there are no known impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in this area. Exploration done by other parties > Acknowledgment and appraisal of exploration by other parties. The Project is focused over an area that has been explored for lithium dating back to the 1950's where it was originally explored by Lithium Corporation of America which was subsequently acquired by FMC Corporation. Most recently, North Arrow explored the Project in 2009 and 2010. North Arrow conducted surface sampling, field mapping, a ground magnetic survey and two diamond drilling programs for a total of 19 holes. Piedmont Lithium, Inc. has obtained North Arrow's exploration data. Geology > Deposit type, geological setting and style
of mineralisation. Spodumene pegmatites, located near the litho tectonic boundary between the inner Piedmont and Kings Mountain belt. The mineralization is thought to be concurrent and cross-cutting dike swarms extending from the Cherryville granite, as the dikes progressed further from their sources, they became increasingly enriched in incompatible elements such as Li, tin (Sn). The dikes are considered to be unzoned. Drill hole Information > A summary of all information material to the understanding of the exploration results including a tabulation of the following information for all Material drill holes: > easting and northing of the drill hole collar > elevation or RL (Reduced Level elevation above sea level in metres) of the drill hole collar > dip and azimuth of the hole > down hole length and interception depth > hole length. > If the exclusion of this information is justified on the basis that the information is not Material and this exclusion does not detract from the understanding of the report, the Competent Person should clearly explain why this is the case. Details of all reported drill holes are provided in Appendix 1 of this report. Data aggregation methods > In reporting Exploration Results, weighting averaging techniques, maximum and/or minimum grade truncations (e.g. cutting of high grades) and cut-off grades are usually Material and should be stated. > Where aggregate intercepts incorporate short lengths of high grade results and longer lengths of low grade results, the procedure used for such aggregation should be stated and some typical examples of such aggregations should be shown in detail. > The assumptions used for any reporting of metal equivalent values should be clearly stated. Weighted averaging was used in preparing the drill composites reported. Composites were reported for entire pegmatites, with additional high grade sub intervals reported from the same pegmatite. In the case where thin wall rock intervals were included, a value of 0% Li2O was used in the weighted averaging. Li% was converted to Li2O% by multiplying Li% by 2.153. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths > These relationships are particularly important in the reporting of Exploration Results. > If the geometry of the mineralisation with respect to the drill hole angle is known, its nature should be reported. > If it is not known and only the down hole lengths are reported, there should be a clear statement to this effect (e.g. 'down hole length, true width not known'). Drill intercepts are reported as Li2O% over the drill length, not true thickness. The pegmatites targeted strike northeast-southwest and dip moderately to the southeast. All holes were drilled to the northwest and with inclinations ranging between -45 and -80 Diagrams > Appropriate maps and sections (with scales) and tabulations of intercepts should be included for any significant discovery being reported These should include, but not be limited to a plan view of drill hole collar locations and appropriate sectional views. Appropriate diagrams, including a drill plan map and cross-section, are included in the main body of this report. Balanced reporting > Where comprehensive reporting of all Exploration Results is not practicable, representative reporting of both low and high grades and/or widths should be practiced to avoid misleading reporting of Exploration Results. All of the relevant exploration data for the Exploration Results and available at this time has been provided in this report. Other
substantive
exploration data > Other exploration data, if meaningful and material, should be reported including (but not limited to): geological observations; geophysical survey results; geochemical survey results; bulk samples size and method of treatment; metallurgical test results; bulk density, groundwater, geotechnical and rock characteristics; potential deleterious or contaminating substances. Eleven thin section samples were collected and submitted to Vancouver Petrographic for preparation, mineral identification and description. The Petrographic report identifies the primary mineralogy as quartz, plagioclase (albite), clinopyroxene (spodumene), K-spar and white mica. Variable amounts of alteration were identified in the pegmatite samples. One sample of the host rock was submitted and identified as a metadiorite. Thirteen samples from the Phase 1 drilling have been analysed by Semi Quantitative XRD (ME-LR-MIN-MET-MN-DO3) by SGS Mineral Services. Within all thirteen samples, spodumene was identified. Spodumene ranged between 5 and 38.6 wt%. The primary mineralogy of the pegmatite was identified as quartz, albite, spodumene, microcline and muscovite. Bulk Densities are collected from each of the Phase II drill holes (one host rock and one mineralized rock) using analyses code GPHY04V. Composite samples of ore intercepts from the Phase 1 drilling have been submitted to North Carolina State Minerals Research Lab for bench scale spodumene concentrate testing. Results pending. Further work > The nature and scale of planned further work (e.g. tests for lateral extensions or depth extensions or large-scale step-out drilling). > Diagrams clearly highlighting the areas of possible extensions, including the main geological interpretations and future drilling areas, provided this information is not commercially sensitive. The Phase 2 drilling program of 9400m has been completed and due to positive results the program has been extended for and additional 3000m. These additional meters will be focused in the Star corridor and down-dip extensions in the B Corridor
SOURCE Piedmont Lithium
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gemini Companies (Gemini) are proud to announce that their alternative funds solution, Gemini Alternative Funds, LLC (Gemini Alt), has received the 2017 Hedgeweek USA Award for Best North American Managed Account Platform, its second consecutive win in this category. Gemini representatives accepted the award at the ceremony in New York City on September 21, 2017.
Institutional investors and fund managers who read Hedgeweek vote online to choose winners of the publication's annual awards. Both this year and in 2016, Gemini's Galaxy Plus Managed Account Platform received the most votes from these audiences in the North American managed account platform category.
"We measure our success by the value we deliver to our clients," said Rom Beneche, Vice President, Business Development. "It is gratifying to provide the flexibility, transparency, frequency of liquidity, and in-depth reporting that institutional investors and fund managers require. Gemini is dedicated to providing an institutional investing experience for investors seeking to add alternative strategies to their portfolios, and we thank Hedgeweek and its readers for recognizing our ongoing efforts for the second year in a row."
Gemini now provides administration and managed account services for more than $50 billion in assets. Its open-architecture Galaxy Plus managed account platform provides all investors, regardless of the size of their investments, with an institutional-level investing experience, by offering:
Access to a variety of alternative strategies with lower minimums and greater transparency
Near real-time data, risk monitoring, and management services
Frequent liquidity; and notional funding capabilities.
David Young, President of Gemini Alt, said, "This award is a reflection on our entrepreneurial clients who require a trusted partner to help them achieve their goals. We are pleased to provide the expertise and vehicle for these managers' fund operations, letting them focus on creating alpha for their clients."
About the Gemini Companies
The Gemini Companies empower financial institutions with the operational and distribution infrastructure they need to bring their pooled investment products to market. In order to position financial institutions to succeed, the Gemini Companies work alongside them as engaged partners to challenge the status quo and identify innovative solutions to help them grow.
The Gemini Companies offer a multitude of comprehensive service options, including administration, distribution, compliance, accounting, state-of-the-art technology, EDGAR filing and printing services and customized tools and resources to best address the needs of each financial institution.
The Gemini Companies are comprised of subsidiaries of NorthStar Financial Services Group, LLC, which has more than 800 employees and over $612 billion in assets under management and administration as of June 30, 2017. For more information, please visit www.thegeminicompanies.com.
This release is for informational and discussion purposes only. Alternative investment products, including hedge funds and managed futures, involve a high degree of risk and are not suitable for all investors.
3183-GAF-09/26/2017
7513 GFS-9/26/2017
CONTACT: Jami Schlicher
JConnelly
(973) 850-7309
[email protected]
SOURCE The Gemini Companies
Related Links
http://www.thegeminicompanies.com
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Geospatial Corporation (OTC: GSPH) announces today that it has been approved as a vendor for IGAPP, which is run by Engility Holdings, Inc. in support of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's (NGA's) mission. NGA is both a combat support agency under the U.S. Department of Defense and an intelligence agency of the United States Intelligence Community, with the primary mission of collecting, analyzing, and distributing geospatial intelligence in support of national security.
Geospatial intends to submit a GeoUnderground app for Android that will be available at the GEOINT app store at no cost to credentialed U.S. government employees, first responders and the Department of Defense (DoD).
Mark Smith, Geospatial Corporation's CEO stated, "Being named as an Approved Vendor creates a multitude of new opportunities to provide apps like GeoUnderground directly into the hands of the Intelligence community and DoD users in the areas of disaster response and critical infrastructure among others. This is a major step forward in establishing Geospatial Corporation's presence in the Federal and municipal sector and reflects the need and demand for accurate underground infrastructure geospatial data. While we have many private-sector clients, the IGAPP Program will provide us numerous opportunities to work with government entities in 2018, providing apps to help manage their critical underground infrastructure."
About IGAPP
The Innovative GEOINT Application Provider Program (IGAPP) serves as NGA's secure supply chain, bringing innovative apps to the Intelligence Community and the Department of Defense. Introducing an evolutionary business model, IGAPP is designed to manage contracting and technological challenges while providing users with a mobile experience that supports their mission requirements. IGAPP simplifies working with the federal government by bringing innovative apps to the end-user community across all mission areas, replacing the traditional method of developing and implementing apps under a project or program procurement effort.
To enhance the federal government collaboration experience, IGAPP offers relationship management between end users and vendors by translating mission needs into a more familiar language released as Vendor Opportunity Packages (VOPs) in the effort to ensure that end products meet the customer's needs. IGAPP also provides access to Subject-Matter Experts (SMEs) with knowledge about Geographic Information Systems (GIS), its application to the NGA Mission, and are well informed on NGA data, infrastructure, and testing requirements. IGAPP assists developers with the expertise to build reliable, secure, and cost-effective apps at a fast pace, all through a single contract. While the primary focus is ensuring "first-time right, every time", the IGAPP process is designed to move apps through testing and validation quickly and securely into the hands of federal users. Visit the IGAPP website at www.IGAPP.com .
About Engility
Engility, listed on the NYSE, is engineered to make a difference. Built on six decades of heritage, Engility provides integrated solutions and services, supporting U.S. government customers in the defense, federal civilian, intelligence and space communities. Engility's array of specialized technical offerings include high-performance computing, cyber security, enterprise modernization and systems engineering. Visit the Engility website at www.engilitycorp.com .
About the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has a responsibility to provide the products and services that decision makers, warfighters, and first responders need, when they need it most. As a member of the Intelligence Community and the Department of Defense, NGA supports a unique mission set. We are committed to acquiring, developing and maintaining the proper technology; people and processes that will enable overall mission success.
Geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT is the exploitation and analysis of imagery and geospatial information to describe, assess and visually depict physical features and geographically referenced activities on the Earth. GEOINT consists of imagery, imagery intelligence and geospatial information. Visit their website at www.nga.mil .
About Geospatial Corporation
Geospatial Corporation utilizes integrated technologies to determine the accurate location and position of underground pipelines, conduits and other underground infrastructure data allowing Geospatial to create accurate three-dimensional (3D) digital maps and models of underground infrastructure. The Company manages this critical infrastructure data on its cloud-based GIS portal called GeoUnderground, our proprietary GIS platform custom designed around the Google Maps API. Our website is www.GeospatialCorporation.com .
About GeoUnderground
GeoUnderground, designed around the Google Maps API, is Geospatial's cloud-based GIS platform that provides clients with a total solution to their underground and aboveground asset management needs. Geospatial is a Google Cloud Technology Partner. GeoUnderground's website is www.GeoUnderground.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1993 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is subject to the safe harbor created by those laws. These forward-looking statements, if any, are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that are subject to significant uncertainties that involve known and unknown risks, many of which are beyond our control and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual outcomes and results could materially differ from what is expressed, implied, or forecasted in any such forward-looking statements and any such difference may be caused by risk factors listed from time to time in the Company's news releases and/or its filings or as a result of other factors.
If you would like more information, please contact Troy Taggart or Mark Smith at 724-353-3400 or email at [email protected].
SOURCE Geospatial Corporation
Related Links
http://www.IGAPP.com
PELLA, Iowa, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- They say two sides exist for every story. So, what happens when the world's leading experts from opposite sides of a contentious topic come together in conversation?
To that end, TheBestSchools.org presents two Focused Civil Dialogues on the most pressing issues of our day, Global Warming and Evolution.
Global Warming FCD - David Karoly & Glenn Tamblyn in dialogue with William Happer Evolution FCD - Denis Noble in dialogue with David Sloan Wilson
Is CO 2 -driven global warming good for the planet? Or does its rise spell doom for life on earth? University of Melbourne's Dr. David Karoly and engineer & solar scientist Glenn Tamblyn dialogue with Princeton University's William Happer on this hot issue.
Meanwhile, University of Oxford's Dr. Denis Noble and Binghamton University's David Sloan Wilson take conflicting positions on whether neo-Darwinism alone adequately explains the function, purpose, and goal-directedness found in the planet's biology.
Which expert presents the most compelling case?
"We are delighted to have leaders in physiology, biology, physics, engineering, and climatology discuss these controversial issues," says Dan Edelen, director of marketing services for TheBestSchools.org. "Bringing together these informative voices in a format that emphasizes genuine civil discourse helps readers get to the factual heart of difficult topics in a manageable and engaging way."
The two Focused Civil Dialogues at TheBestSchools.org:
NobleWilson Dialogue on Evolution: Is Neo-Darwinism Enough?
https://thebestschools.org/dialogues/evo-lution-denis-noble-david-sloan-wilson/
http://bit.ly/neodarwindialogue
Karoly/TamblynHapper Dialogue on Global Warming
https://thebestschools.org/special/karoly-happer-dialogue-global-warming/
http://bitly.com/globalwarmingdialogue
As added excitement, when Dr. Karoly was unable to continue in the Global Warming dialogue, TheBestSchools.org opened his position to the scientific community, sponsoring a worldwide $5,000 contest for the best refutation of Dr. Happer's opening statement. Australian engineer Glenn Tamblyn won, and he concluded the discussion, providing an additional challenge to Dr. Happer.
"Focused Civil Dialogues represent the best kind of organized discussion," says Edelen. "Through opening statements, refutations, and final replies, we can channel the conversation toward constructive, meaningful, and challenging ends. We think truth-seekers will find the format and conversations enlightening and useful for achieving better understanding of both sides' positions."
TheBestSchools.org is the leader in school rankingsK-12, university, and postgraduateproviding millions of readers with the information they need to make informed choices for their education. In addition, TheBestSchools.org promotes the work of today's thought leaders, providing insights into the most pressing issues of our day.
Contact:
Dan Edelen
Director of Marketing Services
TheBestSchools.org
[email protected]
(513) 601-8202
SOURCE TheBestSchools.org
Related Links
http://TheBestSchools.org
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- GlobalMed, an international provider of telehealth solutions, announced today that Gigi Sorenson has joined the company as Director of Clinical Integration. Sorenson's three decades of experience implementing new care delivery solutions, including telehealth, will strengthen GlobalMed's ability to enhance product and business process delivery with even greater clinical intent.
To download a headshot of Gigi Sorenson, click here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/36562336773/in/dateposted-public/
Sorenson comes to GlobalMed from Northern Arizona Healthcare, Flagstaff Medical Center, where she worked for 15 years. Most recently, she was Director of Telehealth & Community Connected Care. In this role, she led the strategic and administrative oversight for planning, development and implementation of a system-focused, comprehensive telehealth program. In parallel, she developed and implemented a remote patient monitoring program as well as a direct-to-consumer virtual urgent care product.
"I am thrilled to be joining GlobalMed, a company that I regard as a pioneer in telehealth solutions," said Sorenson. "I have always been impressed with their dedication to creating products and services that enhance patient access. I look forward to working with the company's leaders to transform healthcare by making telehealth a standard practice of care delivery."
"Gigi's significant experience with successful care delivery and telehealth implementations will provide valuable expertise to GlobalMed as we execute on our strategic imperatives," said Joel Barthelemy, Chief Executive Officer, GlobalMed. "We are thrilled that she has agreed to join our team to ensure the successful clinical integration of our telehealth solutions at health systems worldwide."
Earlier in her career, Sorenson held clinical positions focused on cardiovascular health at Freeport Health Network, Rockford Cardiology Associates, Saint Anthony Medical Center and Rockford Memorial Hospital.
A firm believer in giving back, Sorenson has been doing missionary work for 14 years through FaithWorks, a non-profit organization with a medical mission that runs primary care clinics in remote areas in Mexico and Tanzania.
Sorenson holds both an MS and BS in Nursing from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, IL. She is Lean Six Sigma certified and is an active member of the American Telemedicine Association and the Arizona Telemedicine Council.
About GlobalMed
GlobalMed's evidence-based telehealth solutions power the largest telehealth programs in the world, facilitating 3.5 million consults each year, enhancing diagnostics and improving patient outcomes in 55 countries. GlobalMed is the only vertically integrated provider of products and technology that deliver HIPAA-compliant video collaboration among healthcare professionals and patients, regardless of location. GlobalMed partners with leading medical groups, healthcare enterprises and government, and is the telehealth provider for the White House.
Founded in 2002 by a Marine Corps Reserve Veteran still serving as CEO, GlobalMed is proud to be a Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB).
Media contact: Marcia Rhodes, Amendola Communications, (480) 664-8412, ext. 15 / [email protected]
SOURCE GlobalMed
Related Links
http://www.globalmed.com
The #greatertogether video is an expression of Greater Fort Lauderdale's open-door/open heart philosophy for visitors in times of travel bans and safety concerns. "In Broward County, we are making sure that we let the traveling public understand that we are a welcoming destination to all people across the world regardless of the color of their skin, whom they choose to love or what religion they believe in. We want to make sure that our message gets through despite the negative clutter they see on their nightly news, every day," said Stacy Ritter, President/CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Central to the initiative is a 1:45 minute video that draws the viewer's attention to a story that plays out in a sunrise-to-sunset destination experience with people of different ethnic backgrounds. It opens with an iconic visual of yoga on the beach and continues with a portrayal of diverse activities and visitors, including two Muslim women wearing hijabs enjoying a cup of coffee together with a non-Muslim friend, millennials of mixed nationalities at play, LGBTQI couples and friends in warm embraces, members of the indigenous Seminole tribe, a not-so-mythical mermaid, local African-American street art and ending with a reveal of a human thumbprint and a welcome message in multiple languages. The video will serve to foster resident's continued pride in community and let the world know that in Greater Fort Lauderdale, everyone is welcomeevery day.
An international marketing campaign will launch the #greatertogether video to consumers and international tour operators. The video will be featured on the CVB's website (www.sunny.org/greatertogether) including the stories of diverse residents and visitors describing why they enjoy living in Greater Fort Lauderdale and how they welcome visitors to the community. The "Faces" social media component of the program will include key local residents that were featured in the video and communicate diversity of the destination and how proud they are of the community that they live in.
The #greatertogether video will be featured on Greater Fort Lauderdale's 24/7 streaming, multi-platform network, Hello Sunny TV and at prominent trade shows and conferences. The initiative will also include a digital distribution strategy through social media platforms, as well as international tour operator programs including Travel Audience, Travel Port, Tourico Holidays, LMT Club and Hotelopia. Marking efforts will be directed to audiences in the U.S. and Canada, the U.K., Scandinavia, Germany, Spain, France, Brazil, Colombia, Dubai, India/Sri Lanka, and other international markets with airline service to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Created by Starmark International, the CVB's advertising agency, and produced by Diamond View, the video design conveys a strong human message: "A thumbprint symbolizes unity. No matter where you come from or what you look like, it represents the universal truth that people are one in the same. We are all human beings," said Stacy Ritter, President/CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The 1.8 million population of the Broward County/Greater Fort Lauderdale area, that celebrated its centennial in 2015, can easily justify its claim of being a progressive international visitor region. It is the most diverse county in the state of Florida with 32 percent of residents being foreign born. It also has one of the largest concentrations of LGBTQI households in the nation, with more than one million LGBTQI visitors annually.
Please find images are available for download, here.
About Greater Fort Lauderdale
From the seagrass to the sawgrass, Greater Fort Lauderdale, located in Broward County, boasts more than 34,000 lodging accommodations at a variety of hotels, luxury spa resorts, and Superior Small Lodgings reflecting a vibrant cosmopolitan vibe. Visitors enjoy 23 miles of Blue Wave certified beaches, discover 300+ miles of inland waterways that run from the Intracoastal Waterway to the Everglades, dine at thousands of restaurants and eateries, get immersed in a thriving arts and culture scene and indulge in top shopping.
For more information, contact the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 22-SUNNY or visit www.sunny.org. Get social and engage with Greater Fort Lauderdale on social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, and Pinterest: @visitlauderdale.
Media Contact:
Jessica Savage
Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB
Tel: 954-767-2444
E-mail: [email protected]
Sarah Mahaney
Finn Partners
Tel: (212) 715-1600
E-mail: [email protected]
SOURCE Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau
Related Links
http://www.sunny.org
CHICAGO, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- GTCR, a leading Chicago-based private equity firm, recently named John Kos and Jeff Heh as Principals of the firm.
Mr. Kos joined GTCR in 2006 as an Associate and became a Vice President in the firm's Healthcare Group in 2011. Mr. Kos has been an active leader in a number of important healthcare investments including Cole-Parmer, RX30, Xifin, Riverchase Dermatology, Cedar Gate Technologies and GreatCall. Prior to joining GTCR, Mr. Kos worked as an Analyst in the Healthcare Group of Citigroup Global Markets in New York. He holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and a BS in finance with highest honors from the University of Illinois.
Mr. Heh joined the Capital Markets Group at GTCR as a Vice President in 2013, where he focuses on the firm's debt financing activities for both new and existing investments. Mr. Heh has been instrumental in the financing of several recent investments, including Albany Molecular, GreatCall, RevSpring and TerSera, as well as numerous other portfolio company financings. Prior to joining GTCR, Mr. Heh worked as a Vice President in the Leveraged Finance Group at J.P. Morgan. He holds a BS from the University of Richmond with a concentration in finance.
Said Craig Bondy, Managing Director at GTCR, "We are excited to see the continued growth of our senior investment professional team as exemplified by the well-deserved promotions of John and Jeff. Overall, we have a very strong professional team at GTCR that is getting deeper and more experienced."
About GTCR
Founded in 1980, GTCR is a leading private equity firm focused on investing in growth companies in the Financial Services & Technology, Healthcare, Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Growth Business Services industries. The Chicago-based firm pioneered The Leaders Strategy - finding and partnering with management leaders in core domains to identify, acquire and build market-leading companies through transformational acquisitions and organic growth. Since its inception, GTCR has invested more than $14 billion in over 200 companies. For more information, please visit www.gtcr.com.
Media Inquiries:
Eileen Rochford
(312) 953-3305
[email protected]
SOURCE GTCR
Related Links
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SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle NetSuite, one of the world's leading providers of cloud-based financials / ERP, HR, Professional Services Automation (PSA) and omnichannel commerce software suites, today announced more and more health and beauty manufacturers and retailers are turning to the cloud to fuel growth and achieve customer-centric business agility. Innovative companies such as C.O. Bigelow, the oldest apothecary in the U.S., and Ovation Hair, a provider of high-end hair care products in southern California, are among the many health and beauty providers to graduate from disparate applications and labor-intensive manual data work to gain an edge in a highly competitive market.
Health and beauty is rapidly growing amid strong consumer demand for distinctive skin care, hair care, lip care, oral care and related products, as well as cosmetics, fragrances, deodorants, soaps, shower gels and more. Global sales of health and beauty products are expected to soar 73 percent from 2016 to 2024, from $432 billion to $750 billion, according to Inkwood Research, a Boston-based research firm.1 This growth comes amid industry disruption as emerging and midmarket players develop, manufacture and market products with strong branding appeal as well as organic and eco-friendly attributes.
"Health and beauty companies are laser-focused on product innovation, brand-building and customer intimacy," said Branden Jenkins, GM of Global Retail, Oracle NetSuite. "They're channeling the time and cost savings they realize with NetSuite into building the business, rather than wasting resources on manual work and outdated on-premise systems."
Family-Run Business Stands the Test of Time and Adapts to Market Changes
C.O. Bigelow (www.bigelowchemists.com), the oldest apothecary in the U.S., has grown from its founding in 1838 in New York City to be a global omnichannel retailer of an eclectic, carefully curated array of more than 30,000 products. With an iconic brick-and-mortar store and traditional pharmacy occupying the same Greenwich Village space since 1902, the family-run business also operates an ecommerce website and sells to global hotels and airlines that offer Bigelow goods to customers across the globe. Its wholesale channel has grown 20 to 30 percent annually in recent years across more than 1,000 partner stores such as Sephora, Barney's and Nordstrom. The owner, Ian Ginsberg, doesn't view his company as disruptive. "We're the ones who survived the disruption," he says. "We're a traditional business surviving in the modern world." That takes a special kind of business agility, supported by Bigelow's use of NetSuite. The manufacturer and retailer relies on NetSuite for core functions of financials, reporting, inventory and order management across all channels. Reporting on real-time data has been vital in delivering insights for Bigelow to strengthen its bottom line while gaining agility to compete with both upstart rivals and chain drug stores.
"We're able to be faster and more nimble because of NetSuite," said Ginsberg. "The real-time information available in NetSuite is just mind-blowing. Across all our functions, it just saves us so much time and money. We're able to behave like a big guy in small guy clothes."
Hair Care Leader Strengthens Hair, Business and Consumer Loyalty
Ovation Hair (www.ovationhair.com), based in Carlsbad, Calif., broke into the hair care market in 2007 with its flagship Cell Therapy product, helping customers grow thicker, stronger hair with a proprietary blend of proteins, vitamins, botanical extracts and amino acids. Since then, Ovation Hair has grown its lineup to more than 25 products, including shampoos and conditioners, all manufactured in southern California. Starting out by reaching consumers with radio ads after its founding in 2007, Ovation Hair today builds its brand and customer loyalty with email marketing and social media, while expanding its channels to include QVC TV spots, Amazon and distribution through 75 select salons in the U.S. Regular promotions, a loyalty program, subscription replenishment and refer-a-friend rewards have all been instrumental in driving double-digit revenue growth. Ovation Hair is better able to focus on innovation and marketing because NetSuite supplies a unified platform for the company to efficiently run financials, inventory, manufacturing and its ecommerce website. NetSuite serves as the repository for 500,000 contacts reached by email and social marketing, while NetSuite for manufacturing gives Ovation Hair important lot tracking capabilities for raw ingredients and shipped products.
"Having everything under one roof with NetSuite is very efficient and definitely an advantage in a competitive industry," said Erika Sherwood, Ovation Hair Marketing Manager. "NetSuite has helped us improve our reaction time in updating the website and streamlining processes with our client database, marketing, product information, inventory levels and manufacturing."
Key Technology Ingredients for Health and Beauty Companies to Grow and Thrive
New and more established health and beauty businesses such as C.O. Bigelow and Ovation Hair are turning to cloud business solutions as they compete with established multinationals such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, L'Oreal, Estee Lauder and others. In many cases, product manufacturers are expanding into direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales, over websites and with partners such as Amazon and QVC. The features most important to leading health and beauty companies are focused on:
Customer centricity. Health and beauty product manufacturers and retailers need integrated processes and a 360-degree customer view to deliver a seamless omnichannel experience and personalized customer service.
Cloud-first scale and agility. Health and beauty companies need the ability to rapidly scale all operations, from entering new global markets to expanding channels, product offerings and subscription sales.
Integrated operational efficiency. End-to-end efficiency and visibility are essential for these companies to minimize operational costs and orchestrate processes to deliver an exceptional customer experience at every interaction.
Data-driven decision-making. Rather than relying on outdated, disparate data and guesswork, health and beauty companies running in the cloud can make informed decisions based on real-time information.
NetSuite provides an end-to-end view of business for health and beauty companies such as C.O. Bigelow and Ovation Hair across wholesale distribution and ecommerce channels, as well as company brick-and-mortar locations, to enable seamless, omnichannel experiences for customers. To learn more about NetSuite's offering for health and beauty companies, please visit: http://www.netsuite.com/beauty
About Oracle NetSuite
Oracle NetSuite pioneered the Cloud Computing revolution in 1998, establishing the world's first company dedicated to delivering business applications over the internet. Today, it provides a suite of cloud-based financials / Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), HR and omnichannel commerce software that runs the business of companies in more than 100 countries. For more information, please visit http://www.netsuite.com.
Follow NetSuite's Cloud blog, Facebook page and @NetSuite Twitter handle for real-time updates.
About Oracle
The Oracle Cloud offers complete SaaS application suites for ERP, HCM and CX, plus best-in-class database Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) from data centers throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information about Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com.
Trademarks
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
1 Inkwood Resarch, "Global Beauty and Personal Care Products Market Forecast 2017-2024."
SOURCE Oracle NetSuite
Related Links
http://www.netsuite.com
As the team has travelled to the most remote areas of the damaged states in Mexico, the gracious people in the indigenous areas have reported that no other relief organization has come to their aid.
After seeing the condition of some of the families the team made blankets and mattress distributions in areas where these basic necessities are not available.
After assessing the need, the emergency team made blankets and tarps distributions amongst 50 families. They also provided food to the rescue volunteers who has been working tirelessly for days trying to still find people buried under the rubble and debris.
HHRD is a registered non-profit in the region and has been conducting Seasonal and Emergency Relief projects in and around Chiapas. HHRD's immediately launched its Mexican Emergency Relief fund to help the victims of these catastrophic events.
The two earthquakes have taken the death toll to now over 400 people and steadily increasing as rescue operations continue throughout Mexico. 40 buildings collapsed and 4000 buildings are damaged.
Two earthquakes in 12 days have led the president to declare a national emergency and three days of mourning for those lost. Millions are without power and schools have been closed until further notice.
Emergency Relief Team of Helping Hand for Relief Development is continuing their work in the region. To donate please visit: www.hhrd.org/mexico
HHRD is one of the main charities helping earthquake victims in Mexico on the Charity Navigator List. Helping Hand for Relief and Development is a 4-star Charity Navigator and a member of Inter-Action.
https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=5392
HHRD is a global humanitarian organization responding to human sufferings in emergency and disastrous situations all over the world regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, class and religion. We also have partners ranging from small community support groups to national alliances along with our international networks.
www.hhrd.org
1-888-808-4357
Tax ID# 31-1628040.
CONTACT:
Helping Hand for Relief and Development
313-279-5378
[email protected]
SOURCE Helping Hand for Relief and Development
Related Links
http://www.hhrd.org
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria, which has ravaged Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. islands in nearly 100 years, Highmark Health today announced that the organization is contributing $50,000 to the Pittsburgh-based Brother's Brother Foundation Hurricane Maria Response efforts.
In partnership with the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (PMAHCC) and in coordination with Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello and Luis Clemente and Roberto Clemente, Jr., Brother's Brother Foundation is rallying the Pittsburgh community in a coordinated response to the devastation in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As the gift-in-kind charity -- which focuses on medical, educational and humanitarian assistance needs around the world -- announced on September 21, it is already delivering requested supplies and assistance to its partners in the affected areas. (To donate, visit Brother's Brother Foundation.)
United Concordia Dental, Highmark Health's dental business, will match up to 50% of Highmark's contribution to this effort. HMIG, the organization's stop loss business division, also contributed $10,000 to Food for the Poor, an organization based in Florida to support Hurricane Maria victims.
These contributions are in addition to the financial support Highmark Health has already provided in response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma during the past few weeks in order to help address the relentless challenges that the residents of Texas, Florida, and the Caribbean have experienced.
These earlier contributions, totaling more than $250,000, included $100,000 in contributions to the American Red Cross from Highmark Inc. and $100,000 to local foundations Feeding Tampa Bay and the Greater Houston Community Foundation from HMIG, to provide food, shelter, and other support to those affected by the flooding and devastation.
Highmark Inc. has matched a $20,000 contribution from HVHC, the organization's vision business that includes Davis Vision and Visionworks, to the HVHC Hurricane Disaster Relief Fund, which is administered by the San Antonio Area Foundation to provide monetary relief to those affected by both hurricanes.
"We are rallying the local Pittsburgh business community to come together to support these humanitarian assistance relief efforts already underway," commented David Holmberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Highmark Health. "The images we are seeing on a daily basis of the destruction caused by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria are devastating. As a mission-driven organization, we are compelled to partner with these organizations to help those impacted by these disasters through life-threatening circumstances and to let them know we stand by them and are praying for them, now and through what will be a long recovery process."
In addition to its financial support, Allegheny Health Network (AHN), Highmark Health's health care delivery network, has supported its employees who were deployed to assist with the local PA DMAT-1 team which included a trauma ICU nurse, a nurse practitioner and a pre-hospital care coordinator/paramedic to Texas, who set up a mobile hospital near Galveston to triage and aid victims of Hurricane Harvey. The trauma ICU nurse was later redeployed to Florida to assist in relief efforts for Hurricane Irma.
Another AHN pre-hospital employee was deployed to Houston as part of Team Rubicon a volunteer organization made up of primarily military veterans who specialize in disaster relief. In Houston, the team engaged in active swift-water rescue efforts. He and his team are now deployed to Morelos State in Mexico to help with earthquake relief efforts.
Beginning August 30, Highmark Inc. implemented emergency response protocols to support Highmark insurance plan members who were affected by all three hurricanes. Members can contact or visit a participating pharmacy for off-cycle prescription refills to accommodate their health care needs. If members have problems or questions, they should contact customer service at the number indicated on their insurance card or 1-888-809-9121.
Highmark also coordinated delivery of twelve satellite phones, three broadband terminals, and solar chargers to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association of Puerto Rico, and will continue to work with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association on additional needs as they arise.
About Highmark Health
Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh, PA based enterprise that employs more than 40,000 people nationwide and serves nearly 50 million Americans in all 50 states, is the second largest integrated health care delivery and financing network in the nation based on revenue. Highmark Health is the parent company of Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, and HM Health Solutions. Highmark Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates provide health insurance to more than 5 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware as well as dental insurance, vision care and related health products through a national network of diversified businesses that include United Concordia Companies, HM Insurance Group, Davis Vision and Visionworks. Allegheny Health Network is the parent company of an integrated delivery network that includes eight hospitals, more than 2,800 affiliated physicians, ambulatory surgery centers, an employed physician organization, home and community-based health services, a research institute, a group purchasing organization, and health and wellness pavilions in western Pennsylvania. HM Health Solutions focuses on meeting the information technology platform and other business needs of the Highmark Health enterprise as well as unaffiliated health insurance plans by providing proven business processes, expert knowledge and integrated cloud-based platforms. To learn more, please visit www.highmarkhealth.org.
SOURCE Highmark Health
Related Links
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DALLAS, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez met with international business leaders in Dallas to detail the benefits of investing in Honduras.
"Honduras is open for business," President Hernandez said. "Our sustained economic growth and improvements in national security have opened up great opportunities for investors."
The president said that the Honduran economy is on track to grow more than 4 percent in 2017 and that the country's fiscal deficit has dropped from 8 percent to 3 percent of GDP. He also noted that Honduran exports increased over the past year.
In July, Standard & Poor's upgraded Honduras's credit rating from B+ to BB-, citing the country's lower vulnerability to nonpayment.
President Hernandez stressed that Honduras's growth is sustainable, thanks to social improvement programs like Honduras 20/20. The 20/20 program is set to create more than 600,000 jobs in Honduras over five years. The tourism, manufacturing, housing, and agriculture sectors are all expected to grow as a result of his administration's policies, Hernandez said.
The president also outlined the legislative actions his government has taken to support economic development. This July, President Hernandez called on the National Congress to pass the Tourism Incentives Act, which would provide $165 million in funding for tourism projects over 18 years. In addition, the Hernandez administration has launched a customs union with Guatemala and teamed up with El Salvador and Nicaragua to revitalize the Gulf of Fonseca.
Lastly, Honduras has approved the creation of localized employment zones, which give local communities greater autonomy to manage their own fiscal policies and investment strategies. Similar programs in Singapore and Hong Kong have resulted in economic growth and increased foreign investment.
"Honduras's economic outlook has improved under my watch," President Hernandez said. "My administration will continue to make sure that Honduras is an attractive place to invest."
Media Contact:
Andrew Grafton
202-471-4228 ext. 119
[email protected]
SOURCE Republic of Honduras
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez applauded Moody's Investor Service for raising Honduras's credit rating from B2 to B1 -- the highest in the nation's history.
"I am pleased that Moody's has recognized the hard work that my administration has done to bolster our nation's fiscal health," President Hernandez said. "Honduras's economic future is bright, and we are glad that the international financial community is taking note."
President Hernandez hosted inspectors from Moody's earlier this month in Tegucigalpa. Moody's met with Honduran Minister of Finance Wilfredo Cerrato, members of the International Monetary Fund in Honduras, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and the United States Embassy.
According to Cerrato, Honduras's rating upgrade reflects relative debt stability compared to neighboring countries, as well as fiscal discipline by the Hernandez administration. This is the second year in a row that Moody's has raised Honduras's credit rating.
Another of the big rating agencies, Standard & Poor's, raised Honduras's rating from a B+ to a BB- in July. S&P cited lower vulnerability to non-payment in making its determination.
The Honduran central bank projects that the Honduran economy could grow up to 4.1 percent in 2017.
The Hernandez administration has taken several steps to encourage foreign investment in Honduras, including partnering with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to fight corruption, forging a new customs union with Guatemala, and formulating a regional plan to develop the Gulf of Fonseca with Nicaragua and El Salvador.
"In today's globalized economy, Honduras is constantly seeking new trading partners," President Hernandez said. "By cooperating with our neighbors and with the international community, we will create more economic opportunities for our citizens."
Media Contact:
Andrew Grafton
202-471-4228
[email protected]
SOURCE Republic of Honduras
"We thank Jeff for his outstanding leadership of Hormel Foods," said Snee. "During Jeff's tenure, the company experienced significant growth and expansion through organic growth, strategic acquisitions, and a continued focus on new product innovation." Ettinger served on the Hormel Foods Board of Directors since May 2004 and as chairman of the board since November 2006.
As president and CEO, Snee has been instrumental in adding to the company's mission of becoming a broader and more global food company. The company recently announced its entry into South America with the acquisition of the Ceratti brand, adding to its international roster. This acquisition, along with the Fontanini and Justin's brands, marks the third acquisition under Snee's leadership, continuing the legacy of growth and success as Hormel Foods completes its 126th year in business. The company just announced its 357th consecutive quarterly dividend.
Snee was appointed chief executive officer on October 31, 2016, after serving as president and chief operating officer since October 2015. Snee's career with Hormel Foods spans 28 years.
ABOUT HORMEL FOODS INSPIRED PEOPLE. INSPIRED FOOD.
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenue across 75 countries worldwide. Its brands include SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, Wholly Guacamole, Hormel Black Label and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" by Corporate Responsibility Magazine for the ninth year in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. In 2016, the company celebrated its 125th anniversary and announced its new vision for the future Inspired People. Inspired Food. focusing on its legacy of innovation. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and https://csr.hormelfoods.com/.
SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation
Related Links
http://www.hormel.com
HOUSTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Noventis, Inc., (Noventis) today announced that it will be spending the day outside the office Thursday to support the ongoing efforts of Hurricane Harvey relief in Houston. As part of its annual "Away Day" program, the Houston-based electronic payment processor and its employees dedicate time and financial support to worthwhile causes. This year, the company turned its focus to a local and pressing need.
Although Noventis immediately established a relief fund to help employees and their families who were affected by the storm, the company wanted to do more for the city of Houston. Thus, the final decision for "Away Day" was to focus its efforts on restoring Buffalo Bayou Park, which was severely damaged by floodwaters. The company's Portland office will also be supporting Harvey relief efforts by working through Soldier's Angels, to create hurricane relief kits with vital supplies for Houston area veterans affected by the storm.
"Because there are so many worthy organizations in need of help, it was difficult to decide with whom to partner on our annual day of charity efforts," said Steve Taylor, CEO of Noventis. "The final decision to help restore Buffalo Bayou Park was due to the fact that this park is something everyone in Houston has in common. Some of the most impressive views of our city skyline can be seen here and it serves as a major artery by connecting us from far west to east Houston."
The Buffalo Bayou serves as a flood channel for surrounding bayous and reservoirs to feed into for proper flood control. In recent years the city has turned the central location of the bayou into a world-class urban outdoor space and serves as a vital commute route for Houstonians. In a memo to employees, Steve Taylor commented "Buffalo Bayou Park needs our help clearing debris, sweeping, weeding and removing silt deposits accumulated from the hurricane and excessive flooding."
All local Noventis employees will have the "hands on" opportunity to participate in helping to restore a fundamental part of their city post Hurricane Harvey. At the conclusion of Away Day, Noventis will be presenting a check to the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. To learn more about the organization, or to volunteer go to buffalobayou.org or contact [email protected].
If you are interested in learning more about this charitable effort and how you can speak with Steve Taylor, or even visit the relief effort in progress, please contact Lorraine Kauffman-Hall at 980-237-7081.
About Noventis
Noventis is trusted by over 5,000 financial institutions, processors and aggregators to deliver electronic payments between the broadest base of businesses and consumers. Since 1998, Noventis has been providing its partners with innovative solutions to longstanding bill payment challenges. Noventis' proprietary processing platform dynamically routes payments to a vast and ever growing network of endpoints. The patented platform replaces cumbersome transactions, such as paper checks, with a wide array of electronic payment methods, greatly accelerating delivery speed and dramatically lowering costs for payments to billers and suppliers. For more information, visit www.NoventisPayments.com, http://www.linkedin.com/company/noventis-inc. and @Noventis_Inc.
SOURCE Noventis, Inc.
Related Links
https://www.noventispayments.com
LOURES, Portugal, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Hovione announced today the appointment of Mr. Frederic Kahn as Vice President Marketing and Sales, as of 1st September, 2017. Mr. Kahn was most recently with Lonza and brings more than 30 years of experience in sales and marketing, finance and business management with a proven track-record of building and developing successful organizations. Based in Lisbon, Portugal, Mr. Kahn will report to Mr. Guy Villax, Hovione's Chief Executive Officer.
"We are delighted to welcome Mr. Kahn to Hovione. He is an excellent addition to our management team as his diverse cross-functional experience in marketing and sales, business management and industry knowledge will help drive Hovione's forthcoming growth. Mr. Kahn will be responsible for leading Hovione's global Marketing and Sales activities, driving demand for products and services, as we continue our growth and focus on delivering the highest level of service to our customers", said Mr. Guy Villax.
"I am very proud to join Hovione, a company so highly respected in the industry for its ability to develop and produce innovative, high-quality products and I look forward to work with Hovione multi-functional teams of experts to develop the best solutions for our customers", said Mr. Frederic Kahn.
Mr. Kahn started his career in 1985 as Division Controller of Rhone-Poulenc Organic Chemicals (later known as Rhodia Pharmaceutical Ingredients, later Aventis) where he held several senior executive positions in sales and business management in the US, Europe and Singapore. Mr. Kahn`s responsibilities focused on development, production and formulation of anesthetics and analgesics' APIs. In 2003 Mr. Kahn joined NextPharma as Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing to generate sustainable growth by setting up a dedicated Key Account Management strategy and organization. After five successful years, Mr. Kahn joined the German Pharmaceutical Packaging and Medical Devices leader Gerresheimer based in Duesseldorf where sales to strategic accounts grew at double digit rate. His last role before joining Hovione was in Lonza as Head of Global Key Account Management.
Passionate about sales and strategic account management, Mr. Kahn is a member of SAMA Association, holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Economics from the College of New Jersey and an MBA from ISG,Institut de Controle de Gestion, Paris.
About Hovione
Hovione is an international company with over 58 years of experience as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and is currently a fully integrated supplier offering services for drug substance, drug product intermediate and drug product. With four FDA inspected sites in the USA, China, Ireland and Portugal and development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal and New Jersey, USA, the company provides branded pharmaceutical customers services for the development and compliant manufacture of innovative drugs including highly potent compounds. For generic pharmaceutical customers the company offers niche API products. Hovione also provides proprietary product development and licensing opportunities for drug products. In the inhalation area, Hovione is the only independent company offering a complete range of services. Please visit http://www.hovione.com
Contact
Isabel Pina
Director of Corporate Communications
Tel.: 00-351-219-829-362
[email protected]
SOURCE Hovione
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )
Browse 147 Market Data Tables and 36 Figures spread through 159 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Hydrazine Hydrate Market "
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The market is driven by the increased demand for hydrazine hydrate from various applications, such as polymerization & blowing agents, agrochemicals, water treatment, and pharmaceuticals. The increasing use of hydrazine hydrate and its derivatives as foaming agents in the plastic industry also acts as a major factor driving the global hydrazine hydrate market.
Polymerization & blowing agents is estimated to be the largest application segment of the global hydrazine hydrate market between 2017 and 2022
Among various applications, polymerization & blowing agents is estimated to be the largest application of the global hydrazine hydrate market. In polymerization & blowing agents segment, hydrazine hydrate is used to manufacture plastics and rubber chemicals. Derivatives of hydrazine hydrates such as azobisisobutyronitrile and azodicarbonamide are used as polymerization initiators and low temperature blowing agents. In addition, there are several other hydrazine-based chemical blowing agents such as benzene and toluenesulfonylhydrazide, which are used in low temperature applications.
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60%-85% segment is projected to be the fastest-growing concentration level segment in the global hydrazine hydrate market
The 60%-85% segment is projected to be the fastest-growing concentration level segment of the market between 2017 and 2022. The 60%-85% concentration level hydrazine hydrate is used as a propellant in emergency power units (EPU) on the F16 and other single engine aircraft. It is expected to be the fastest growing concentration level segment of the hydrazine hydrate market, in terms of value, during the forecast period due to its ability to manufacture hydrazine salts from inorganic acids. The application of 60%-85% concentration grade of hydrazine hydrate in fuel cells as an effective substitute to hydrogen and oxygen is expected to present many opportunities to the hydrazine hydrate manufacturers.
Rising demand for hydrazine hydrate in Asia Pacific contributes to the high growth of this market
In 2016, Asia Pacific accounted for the largest share of the global Hydrazine Hydrate Market, and is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2017 and 2022. Currently, China is the largest market for hydrazine hydrate in Asia Pacific, and is expected to continue to lead till 2022. In China and India, the demand for hydrazine hydrate is expected to increase due to the growing agrochemicals industry and rapid economic growth. The demand for fertilizers and pesticides in Asia Pacific is higher as compared to other regions such as North America, Latin America, and Europe. The main reason for this high demand is it being the most populous region in the world. The Asia Pacific region contributes for more than 60% of the global population, with China and India being the two of the most populous countries in the world. Hence, the increasing food demand from this region has led to the increased use of agrochemicals.
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Key companies profiled in the global hydrazine hydrate market research report include Arkema, LANXESS, Lonza, Otsuka-MGC Chemical Company, Yaxing Chemical, Yibin Tianyuan Group, HPLA Group, and Hunan Zhuzhou Chemical Group.
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CINCINNATI, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Hope On Wheels will today present Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center with a $250,000 Hyundai Scholar Hope Grant. The grant funds will support the research of principal investigator Dr. Ashish Kumar.
This award is part of the organization's efforts during National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. In September alone, Hope On Wheels will award 40 research grants totaling $8.5 million to institutions nationwide. This brings the organization's donation total to $130 million since Hyundai joined the fight against pediatric cancer in 1998. With this latest grant, Hope On Wheels has awarded more than $1 million to Cincinnati Children's.
"September is a special time for all of us at Hyundai because it's National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. It's a time when we honor the courageous children battling cancer while also funding the doctors and researchers that are working tirelessly to provide care and develop new treatments," said Scott Fink, chairman, Hyundai Hope On Wheels Board of Directors. "Throughout the month we will share stories of the brave children battling cancer through our campaign theme called 'Every Handprint Tells A Story' and invite the public to join our fight."
The $250,000 Hyundai Scholar Hope Grant will be officially presented to Dr. Kumar today, September 27, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. Doctors and researchers that receive a grant from Hope On Wheels are named Hyundai Scholars and are presented with a special lab coat.
Kumar's team at the Cincinnati Children's Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute will use the funds to conduct research into improved treatments for infant leukemia, which has a very low cure rate.
During the event, Cincinnati-area children battling cancer will participate in the program's signature Handprint Ceremony, in which they'll dip their hands in paint and place their handprints on a white 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. Their colorful handprints on the official Hope Vehicle represent their individual and collective journeys, hopes and dreams.
The Hope On Wheels September campaign theme is 'Every Handprint Tells A Story.' This theme recognizes that there are many stakeholders in the fight to end childhood cancer the child, family, doctors, nurses, caregivers and researchers. The public is encouraged to visit our website at HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org to view videos of child cancer fighters, learn about the work of Hope On Wheels-funded researchers or add a virtual handprint of support on the website. Supporters are also asked to join our movement to End Childhood Cancer and to share our stories on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more information about Hyundai Hope On Wheels and to view a complete list of this year's grant winners, please visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org/research. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at facebook.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels, twitter.com/HopeOnWheels or instagram.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels.
HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS
Hyundai Hope On Wheels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing life-saving research and innovative treatments for the disease. Hyundai Hope on Wheels is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country, and primary funding for Hyundai Hope On Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 835 U.S. dealers. Since its inception, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has awarded more than $130 million towards childhood cancer research in pursuit of a cure.
HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through 835 dealerships nationwide. All new Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes a 5-year/60,000-mile fully-transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance.
For more details on Hyundai Assurance, please visit www.HyundaiAssurance.com
Please visit our media website at www.hyundainews.com
Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook
SOURCE Hyundai Hope on Wheels
Related Links
https://hyundaihopeonwheels.org
RIALTO, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As California continues to pioneer energy-saving initiatives to reduce greenhouse gases, state and local officials gathered in Rialto today to witness the launch of one of the country's most promising technologies under a demonstration project at the City of Rialto's wastewater treatment plant.
Funded through a $1.56 million grant from the California Energy Commission, BDP EnviroTech will build and operate in partnership with Veolia a new technology developed by BDP designed to provide both substantial improvement in energy and water consumption when compared with traditional wastewater treatment technologies. Veolia operates the City of Rialto's wastewater treatment plant and its water systems.
"The City of Rialto is proud to host this exciting project and to collaborate with Veolia to explore new ways to save water and energy while remaining compliant with some of the most stringent water quality rules in the country," said Mayor Deborah Robertson.
"As the global leader in environmental services, Veolia works to improve communities' water and wastewater operations and provide cost-efficient services. We are excited to work with BDP and share our expertise to realize the full potential of this innovative technology," said John Gibson, president and COO of Veolia's Municipal & Commercial business. "We look forward to finding even more ways to help the City of Rialto improve the efficiency of its wastewater treatment facility."
"The Energy Commission is committed to increasing Energy Commission program benefits in California's disadvantaged communities, and it is vitally important that we explore new ways to improve efficiency, save water and reduce energy consumption," said California Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller. "Demonstration projects like this one could have positive long-term impacts not only for Rialto, but for all of California."
The demonstration project will utilize easy to maintain aeration technology and an integrated all-in-one bioreactor process that results in 50% savings in energy, land footprint, operations and maintenance, and water use with a capital cost 30% less when compared to existing technologies, said Eric Li, CEO of BDP EnviroTech.
The demonstration project will be operated for 12 months before officials evaluate its success.
The demonstration project is coming online at the same time the City of Rialto is undergoing a major upgrade of its wastewater treatment plant. The repairs and improvements are being completed as part of a long-term concession agreement between the City and Rialto Water Services, which is operated by Veolia. The repairs and upgrades are needed to ensure the plant meets federal water quality discharge requirements for decades to come as well as to meet anticipated increased in treatment capacity.
The CEC Innovative Water and Energy Efficiency Demonstrations for the Commercial, Industrial or Water / Wastewater Sectors is one of the most challenging environmental award programs in the industry
ABOUT RIALTO WATER SERVICES/VEOLIA
Rialto Water Services, LLC is the concessionaire overseeing a 30-year water and wastewater concession agreement reached in March of 2012 with the City of Rialto, CA. Launched in response to the City's Request for Proposals in 2009, Rialto Water Services is owned by an affiliate of Ullico, the nation's first labor-owned financial services company, and Table Rock Capital, and is committed to the long-term success of this groundbreaking arrangement. Working in close partnership with the concession's operator Veolia North America RWS will oversee more than $41 million in long-needed upgrades to the water and wastewater infrastructure for the City. The City retains full ownership of all water and wastewater assets, ownership of its water rights and supply, and authority over all rate-setting. The City will work in daily alliance with Rialto Water Services and Veolia to ensure the concession is an enduring success for the residents of Rialto and its future economic growth. www.rialtowater.com
ABOUT BDP EnviroTech
BDP EnviroTech specializes in developing and applying the most advanced and patented mainstream biological wastewater treatment technology. Biological Double-Efficiency Process (BDP) technology has been carried out the pilot test study in Europe since the late 1990s. BDP EnviroTech installed BDP systems and established its R&D center in 2006. At present, it has become one of the most robust biological treatment technologies in the wastewater treatment industry.
The Biological Double-Efficiency Process is an important breakthrough for biological wastewater treatment, based on Simultaneous Nitrification / Denitrification (SND) principles. The BDP system combines state-of-the- art, easy to maintain Airlift Circulation and Carpet Aeration system with an integrated, all-in-one bioreactor technology, resulting in substantial reduction of capital and O&M costs, energy consumption and footprint required and water savings benefits.
www.bdpenvirotech.com
SOURCE Rialto Water Services/Veolia
Related Links
http://www.rialtowater.com
DECATUR Police and fire units responded to a collision on the city's northwest side Sunday afternoon, where four teens were injured.
Decatur Fire Department Capt. Michael Bishop said first responders were sent to the intersection of North Westlawn Avenue and Illinois 121 at 3:38 p.m.
A Ford Focus that was driven by a 17-year-old girl attempted to turn left onto Illinois 121, and was struck by a Dodge Dakota pickup truck traveling northwest on the highway, according to Decatur police Sgt. Steve Hagemeyer. He said the 17-year-old driver of the Focus was cited for failing to yield at an intersection.
All of the injured people were in the same vehicle, Bishop said, and one of them, a 14-year-old girl, was trapped and needed to be freed. Bishop described her injuries as "serious." The driver of the truck, an 18-year-old man, was not injured, Hagemeyer said.
The driver, the 14-year-old and the two other passengers, ages 16 and 18, were taken to a local hospital, Hagemeyer said. He said the 14-year-old was later transferred to a hospital in Springfield.
No information on the status of the injured teens was immediately available Wednesday, Hagemeyer said.
GENEVA, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
An event titled 'Cultural Genocide of Sindhi People in Pakistan' was hosted at the UN in Geneva by the World Sindhi Congress on 22nd September 2017. The event, moderated by Brian Toll, a senior expert on South Asia, saw the participation of speakers like Ogus K Salici, Member of the Turkish Parliament, Rubina Greenwood, President, World Sindhi Congress and Felipe Duarte, an expert on Terrorism and Jihad.
At the offset, Brian Toll set the tone for the event by informing the audience that the discussions would attempt to understand how the increase in radicalization and terrorism was impacting the survival of Sindhi culture in Pakistan.
The first speaker, Rubina Greenwood in her speech directly accused the Pakistani government of systematically targeting Sindhis through extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and forced conversion. She added that the Sindhi Hindu population was worse hit with girls from this community being kidnapped and married to Muslim men after being forcefully converted to Islam. She also held the Pakistani government responsible for attempting to erode Sindhi language and culture. As an example, she informed that more than 1500 Sindhi-language schools were shut down in Sindh province since 1947, thereby ensuring that over a period of time Sindhi became an endangered language, spoken by only a few.
Taking the discussion forward, Felipe Duarte stated that the gradual cultural obliteration in Pakistan was visible from the fact that the population of Hindus, which was 50 % in 1947, during the formation of Pakistan, stood at 10% by 1998. This situation, he stated, would only be the outcome of continued social discrimination since the creation of the country. He also informed that in Sindh, due to its rich natural resources, the successive Pakistani governments had encouraged the migration of people from Punjab, thereby ensuring that Sindhis became a minority in their own homeland. He gave examples particularly of Hindus in Sindh , who , he stated, were faced with destruction of their temples, kidnapping of their women and forceful conversion. Quoting a report of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, he informed that 35 Hindu girls are abducted and converted every month in Sindh. Felipe Duarte concluded by calling on the international community to support progressive forces in Pakistan and Sindh , in particular.
Ogus Kaan Salici's address was focused on how terrorism threatened democracy and political stability in various countries. In this connection, he gave the example of how terrorirm had created a situation of fear and threatened liberal ideology in Afghanistan, Turkey and Indian Jammu & Kashmir. He opined that in order to send a strong message to radical forces it was important for the international community to stand together against violence and hate.
The event concluded with a hope that through the means of technology including social media, the issues related to the marginalization of Sindhis would reach more and more people across the world, so as to build pressure on Pakistan to resolve the situation.
SOURCE World Sindhi Congress
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA], through its subsidiary Jeppesen, today announced a three-year service renewal agreement with Air Malta to provide Jeppesen's industry-leading FliteDeck Pro electronic flight bag (EFB) services on iPad, in addition to digital charting data and NavData global navigation services for the airline.
"We have worked closely with Jeppesen to provide our operational insights to continually enhance its EFB services, and we are pleased to continue receiving the leading navigation, EFB and charting data in the industry through this agreement," said Captain Alexander Muscat, chief officer, Flight Operations, Air Malta. "Our crew members have come to trust Jeppesen data and services to safely reach our destinations around the world, and we also benefit from bottom line savings achieved through reduced costs by using more efficient operations."
The use of FliteDeck Pro will deliver enhanced operating capabilities for Air Malta, including the use of Smart Notes, which analyze chronological and geospatial flight data to present key data points for pilots automatically, without the need for manual interaction. Another new capability, Tailored Enroute, will allow Air Malta to depict Jeppesen's data-driven enroute data, supplemented with their own operationally-specific information, to provide a complete enroute navigation picture.
"Our relationship with Air Malta provides mutually beneficial information sharing, and we are proud to continue this process through our new agreement," said Margarita Jimenez Vidal, Flight Operations sales director, Boeing Global Services.
Jeppesen NavData is developed from a comprehensive aviation database, which is composed of more than one million records. To ensure accuracy, Jeppesen flight information analysts edit and verify approximately 150,000 database transactions generated from worldwide aviation data source documents during every 28-day revision cycle.
For further detail on the industry-leading navigation, operations, training and optimization solutions provided by Jeppesen, please visit www.jeppesen.com. For more information on the global destinations served by Air Malta, please see www.airmalta.com.
Boeing Global Services, headquartered in the Dallas area, was formed by integrating the services capabilities of the government, space and commercial sectors into a single, customer-focused business. Operating as a third business unit of Boeing, Global Services provides agile, cost-competitive services to commercial and government customers worldwide.
Contact:
Brian Rantala
Digital Aviation & Analytics
[email protected]
Office: +1 303-328-4370
Mobile: +1 720-568-9298
Follow us on Twitter @Boeing
SOURCE Boeing
SOPHIA-ANTIPOLIS, France, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Orolia, through its McMurdo brand, has been selected by Kenya to upgrade its aeronautical Search and Rescue (SAR) program with the latest Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) technology. This award from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) follows the announcement that Botswana has also adopted McMurdo's comprehensive RCC solution.
McMurdo's solution includes PRISMA C2, a software platform that converges critical emergency readiness and response solutions, such as coastal surveillance and aviation incident management. McMurdo's solution will provide SAR operators with real-time situational awareness tools and integrate external systems, such as Air Traffic Control, to facilitate enhanced planning and management of SAR missions. Additionally, as an expert provider of Cospas-Sarsat technology, McMurdo will seamlessly connect the Kenyan RCC to the Italian Mission Control Center (MCC), which will allow the RCC to receive beacon distress alert data.
"PRISMA C2 will deliver real-time decision support data that will enable Kenyan rescue teams to effectively pre-plan and manage SAR missions to save more lives," said Chris Loizou, Chief Business Development Officer for Orolia.
To fulfill this critical requirement, McMurdo will draw upon its deep-rooted history of SAR, as well as Orolia's vast experience in resilient Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) solutions. McMurdo's proven aviation SAR solutions are developed based on redundancy, ensuring maximum availability and continuous operations. This contract builds on SAR and PNT solutions already in place in Botswana, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa.
"With McMurdo's software-generated search planning, the KCAA will greatly advance its SAR capabilities nationwide - saving more lives with better data," said Capt. Gilbert M. Kibe, Director General KCAA.
McMurdo is the world leader in emergency readiness and response with the only end-to-end solutions for SAR and maritime domain awareness. Hundreds of customers around the world including NASA, NOAA, the US Coast Guard and others in the aerospace, defense and government sectors have trusted McMurdo to prevent emergencies, protect assets and save lives.
About Orolia
Orolia is the world leader in Resilient PNT solutions that improve the reliability, performance and safety of critical, remote or high-risk operations with locations in more than 100 countries worldwide. Orolia provides virtually fail-safe solutions for its customers' most mission-critical needs. www.orolia.com
Contact:
Elodie Cally
Communications Director, Orolia
[email protected]
+1 301 532 9724
SOURCE McMurdo
Related Links
http://www.mcmurdogroup.com
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kovack Securities, Inc., a privately-owned independent broker-dealer based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, today announced a new strategic alliance with Capital Guardian, LLC, an independent broker-dealer and wealth management boutique based in Miami, FL.
Under this new alliance, Capital Guardian's 35 financial advisors will affiliate with the independent broker-dealer of Kovack Securities. Capital Guardian has dissolved its own broker-dealer platform and become an independent branch, or Super-OSJ (Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction), of Kovack Securities for all future brokerage activities. Including Capital Guardian's brokerage assets, Kovack Securities will support nearly $10 billion in total advisory and brokerage client assets going forward.
Brian Kovack, Esq., President and Co-Founder of Kovack Securities, said, "In this era of surging industry consolidation, our strategic alliance with Capital Guardian underscores the value proposition Kovack Securities offers to firms that seek to operate scalably, while enjoying the benefits of ownership stability and the boutique service culture that only a well-resourced, family-owned firm with a national footprint can deliver. These benefits include our robust technology platform, which uses industry leader Folio Dynamics as our technology solution for advisory business. For Kovack Securities, we're excited about Capital Guardian's strategic advantages, including its base of international clients, which is rare within the independent financial advice industry, and provides our firm with unique opportunities to expand our presence overseas. We're excited to collaborate with the Capital Guardian team on future growth opportunities, and we look forward to utilizing this relationship as a template for similar strategic partnerships to come."
Capital Guardian's advisors will continue to conduct all fee-based advisory services and financial planning through Capital Guardian Wealth Management, LLC, the firm's rapidly growing independent, SEC-registered RIA, which will remain under its current ownership structure and brand. Also as part of this strategic alliance, Capital Guardian Wealth Management, as an independently owned and operated RIA, will enjoy access to certain industry-leading fee-based advisory wealth management solutions and platforms available exclusively through Kovack Securities.
In the coming weeks, Capital Guardian's leadership team and advisors will continue its consolidation of all global operations to its Miami headquarters, and fully focus on growing Capital Guardian Wealth Management by expanding and deepening its engagement with high net worth, family office and retail investors in key wealth centers throughout the world.
Justin Lowe, Chairman of Capital Guardian Holding, LLC, the parent company of Capital Guardian LLC and Capital Guardian Wealth Management, said, "Our strategic alliance with Kovack Securities enables our team to focus on our core strength: Delivering fee-based boutique financial advice and comprehensive planning for our domestic and international clients leveraging the additional resources of Kovack. Outsourcing our broker-dealer functions to Kovack Securities and their best-in-class technology platform will enable us to focus our efforts on accelerating the growth of our wealth management business and independent RIA firm, Capital Guardian Wealth Management, while maintaining world-class broker-dealer capabilities through Kovack."
Greg Hogan, Executive Managing Director of Capital Guardian Holding, commented, "We were thrilled to connect with Kovack Securities, which provides the perfect balance of boutique service, significant scale and capabilities. Of critical importance to us, Kovack also understands and embraces the international dimension of our business and go-forward strategy. Without question, we felt from our first meeting that the people, culture and values of Kovack Securities were a great fit for our team. Looking ahead, we believe there is an unprecedented opportunity for Capital Guardian Wealth Management to align the power of boutique independent and objective financial advice with a truly global approach to client relationship acquisition and service."
Mr. Hogan continued, "We are pleased to say, in fact, that this enhanced focus on our strategic vision for the future has already generated a substantial increase in the number of high-quality recruiting opportunities in the Capital Guardian pipeline, with advisors across the full spectrum of advisory business models from wirehouses to independents and financial institution affiliated advisors expressing a surge of interest in joining our platform."
Dr. Ronald Kovack, Chairman and Co-Founder of Kovack Securities, agreed: "From the outset, both teams quickly realized what a strong fit this is. Our relationship is a win-win, in that it helps fuel the ongoing growth of Kovack Securities, providing us with an avenue to expand our client base globally, while providing the Capital Guardian team the opportunity to concentrate on their core global wealth management strengths."
The alliance with Capital Guardian is Kovack Securities' latest strategic move to accelerate its ongoing growth. In May, the company completed an asset purchase agreement with TKG Financial ("TKG"), an independent broker-dealer and financial advisory firm based in Santa Barbara, California, under which TKG became a super-OSJ of Kovack Securities, continuing to operate under its own brand and leadership team. TKG's seven independent financial advisors, collectively supporting over $200 million in client assets, transitioned to Kovack Securities and its RIA, Kovack Advisors, as part of the transaction.
About Kovack Securities
Kovack Securities is a privately owned, national, full-service independent broker-dealer based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that operates in tandem with its affiliated registered investment adviser (RIA) platform, Kovack Advisors. Founded in 1997, the firm supports approximately 400 affiliated independent financial advisors across the country, who provide objective financial planning and investment management services on a fee and brokerage basis to mass affluent and high net worth retail investors as well as company retirement plans of all sizes. Kovack Securities and Kovack Advisors together focus on providing successful and experienced financial advisors with the services, tools, resources and training to grow and succeed as independent business owners in the retail financial advice industry. As of June 2016, the financial advisors affiliated with Kovack Securities collectively support nearly $10 billion in total brokerage and advisory client assets. For more information, please visit www.kovacksecurities.com.
About Capital Guardian
Capital Guardian Wealth Management, LLC provides holistic wealth planning and management services to clients across the United States. It provides investment opportunities from various domestic and international money management firms, mutual fund companies, as well as asset categories, including managed futures, non-registered real estate investment trusts, hedge funds, private equity, and other alternative investments. The company was incorporated in 2008, was previously based in Charlotte, North Carolina and is now headquartered in Miami, Florida.
Media Contacts:
Julius Buchanan / Chris Clemens
Haven Tower Group LLC
424 652 6520 ext. 114 or 424 652 6520 ext. 102
[email protected] or [email protected]
SOURCE Kovack Securities, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.kovacksecurities.com
CINCINNATI, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) will host an investor conference on October 11, 2017 in New York. Kroger executives will address investors during the event.
A webcast, including slide presentations, will broadcast live online from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 2:00 p.m. (ET) on October 11 at ir.kroger.com. Click on "Events & Presentations" to access the event.
At The Kroger Co., we are dedicated to our purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit. We are 450,000 associates who serve nearly nine million customers daily in 2,793 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Our Family of Companies operates an expanding ClickList offering a personalized order online service in addition to 2,258 pharmacies, 783 convenience stores, 307 fine jewelry stores, 222 retail health clinics, 1,472 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Our Company has been recognized as one of America's most generous companies for our support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. As a leader in supplier diversity, we are a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable.
SOURCE The Kroger Co.
Related Links
http://www.kroger.com
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lacework, one of the industry's first zero-touch cloud security solutions, today announced that the company has expanded its security footprint with support for Microsoft Windows Server. By bringing its zero-touch cloud security solution to Microsoft Windows Server, Lacework's support for multi-cloud strategy now spans both Windows Server and Linux. Lacework will be demonstrating these latest capabilities at Microsoft Ignite which takes place September 25-29 in Orlando, Florida. Conference attendees are invited to visit the Lacework booth (#1963) for a live demonstration of Lacework for Windows Server.
According to Forrester's September 2017 report, Vendor Landscape: Cloud Workload Security Solutions Q3 2017, "multiple clouds magnify network security challenges." From having to support multiple public clouds, traditional and cloud-based data centers, and multiple operating systems, IT organizations are faced with increased complexity. The Lacework Cloud Security Platform simplifies cloud security by delivering a zero-touch solution that does not require any configuration, is self-tuning, and now operates across Windows Server and Linux. Organizations that maintain a private cloud relying on Windows Server and/or Linux on-premises, or in a co-location, now benefit from one solution that addresses hybrid environments.
"We're at a moment in time when the cloud and DevOps landscape is evolving at an astonishing pace. Organizations must be nimble and ready to quickly adopt and deploy technologies that help their staff perform to the best of their capabilities," said Sanjay Kalra, CPO, Lacework. "With Lacework's help, these companies can make the most out of new technologies like containers and deploy in a number of public clouds of their choice, all while leveraging a proven environment like Microsoft Windows Server."
Organizations that are moving Windows-based workloads to the cloud are well aware of the security challenges brought cloud deployments. Within two hours of activation, Lacework builds a polygraph that baselines activities and normal behaviors. Deviations from the baseline are automatically identified and generate an alert indicating misconfiguration, abnormal behavior, or a malicious intrusion.
Lacework provides organizations with a self-service acquisition model, making it dramatically easier for security operations and DevOps personnel to get started. A private beta for Microsoft Windows Server is now available and can be found here. To learn more about Lacework and Lacework for Windows Server, please visit www.lacework.com and follow the company on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Lacework
Mountain View, California-based Lacework enables security teams to keep up with the pace of application deployment by providing the industry's first zero-touch security platform for public and private clouds. Polygraph, Lacework's flagship product, continuously monitors all cloud components, workloads, applications, processes, containers, machines, users and accounts, and automatically detects anomalous behaviors out of billions of events per hour. Providing unprecedented visibility, Lacework Polygraph compresses the breach detection cycle, reduces false positives, delivers precise alerts and simplifies incident investigations. For more information, please visit https://www.lacework.com/.
Media Contact
Matt Russell
Lumina Communications on behalf of Lacework
(646) 741-8359
[email protected]
SOURCE Lacework
Related Links
https://www.lacework.com
"We are a stronger, more resilient nation when we work togetherin communities large and smallto prepare for and respond to disasters," said FEMA Acting Deputy Administrator Daniel Kaniewski. "FEMA is proud to recognize the great efforts of individuals and organizations who are helping to create a national culture of preparedness."
This year's award winners strengthened their community to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate a disaster through innovative practices and programs. For example the City of Arlington Office of Emergency Management in TX teamed up with the Arlington Christian Disaster Network to manage spontaneous volunteers and assist with sheltering needs around disasters. The Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe in CA, with a population of only 203 people, transformed the Blue Lake Casino and Event Center into an official public shelter with help from the American Red Cross and installed backup "green" power should the regular power grid get cut off. Another example is Rosalind "Roz" McKelvey from Germantown, PA, who organized a community wide drill to address the unique challenges of preparing a community where approximately 40 percent of the residents live at or below the poverty line.
The 11 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Award recipients will be recognized in a webinar and during local ceremonies to celebrate their achievements.
This year's winners of FEMA's Individual and Community Preparedness Awards are:
Since its inception in 2009, FEMA's Individual and Community Preparedness Division has received and reviewed hundreds of applications, awarding 90 winners and acknowledging 450 honorable mentions from communities nationwide.
Visit https://www.ready.gov/awards for more information on the 2017 award recipients and to see the honorable mentions.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.
Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Brock Long's activities at https://twitter.com/fema_brock.
The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government website, companies or applications.
SOURCE FEMA
SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- According to One Click Retail's brand measurement calculations, the top 5 highest-selling toy brands on Amazon are:
LEGO (10%) Fisher-Price (7%) Melissa & Doug (6%) Little Tikes (4%) Step2 (3%)
These top 5 toy brands, which retain their rankings from last year, account for 30% of year-to-date toy sales on Amazon. One Click Retail has calculated first-party toy sales at $970M YTD, a 9% YoY increase. In 2016, total Amazon toy sales reached a record $4B, capturing 20% of the total toys market in the U.S.
Despite LEGO's top spot on Amazon and a 2% YoY increase in sales so far, the toy brand's dominance is not a sure thing as the holiday shopping season begins. Compared to this time last year, LEGO has lost 3% market share, showing both weakness in the brand's growth and focus by other brands on Amazon as one of their most important sales channels this year. But LEGO's continued commitment to toy innovation will keep other toy brands on their toes: with top-selling individual toys, like the robot EV3 from its Mindstorms series of intelligent toys and the Osmo Genius Kit, an AI-enabled education gaming platform, LEGO and other brands are sure to capitalize on Amazon's fastest-growing toy sub-categoryRobotic toys, which has seen a 40% YoY sales increase in 2016.
Notable YoY increases:
Funko moves up one spot to #7 with a 59% YoY increase in sales
Intex jumps two spots to #9 with a 58% YoY increase
Traxxas leaps five spots to #14 with a 37% YoY increase
Crayola maintains the number 10 spot but sees a YoY increase of 48%
The remaining toy brands, all experiencing YoY sales increase, in the 15 top-selling positions on Amazon are:
#6: Nerf, +40%
#8: VTech, +6%
#11: Disney, +25%
#12: KidKraft, +4%
#13: Barbie, +10%
#15: Power Wheels, +22%
"The holiday season makes or breaks a toy manufacturer's financial year. While a bad month can, in most industries, be made up in subsequent months, a toy manufacturer who has a bad holiday season has to wait a whole year before they're given another chance," explains Spencer Millerberg, One Click Retail CEO. "In 2016, more than half of all U.S. toy sales on Amazon took place in less than a 60-day period. On Amazon in 2016, more than a third took place in December alone, with the majority of those going to first-party brands. With the latest Toys R Us bankruptcy news, it's more important than ever for toy brands to develop an Amazon-first strategy."
About One Click Retail
One Click Retail is a market leader in eCommerce data measurement, sales analytics and search optimization for brand manufacturers in North America and Europe. Using a combination of website indexing, machine learning and proprietary software to estimate weekly online sales and traffic figures at the SKU level, OCR has developed the most accurate, trusted and reliable data platform in the marketplace. The OCR Product Suite provides 1st and 3rd party business intelligence across the largest online retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, Tesco, Sainsburys, Macys, and Home Depot. The world's top brands, such as Procter & Gamble, Panasonic, Nestle, Philips, and Sony, rely on OCR insights to drive sales and profitability across eCommerce.
To request a capabilities demo or for more information, visit the company's website, www.oneclickretail.com
Media Contact:
Pola Hallquist
Apothecary Communications
[email protected]
1-866-213-9210 x801
SOURCE One Click Retail
Related Links
http://www.oneclickretail.com
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lexington Partners ("Lexington"), the largest independent manager of secondary acquisition funds, today announced the final close of Lexington Middle Market Investors IV, L.P. and associated vehicles ("LMMI IV") at $2.66 billion. The fund, which commenced investing at the beginning of 2017, exceeded its initial $2 billion target and accepted commitments up to its hard cap. LMMI IV is the fourth fund in Lexington's specialized middle market series.
LMMI IV will acquire growth capital, small, and middle market buyout interests in the global secondary market. In addition to portfolio and single-interest acquisitions, LMMI IV will target general partner-led transactions such as spin-outs, restructurings, tender offers, and strip sales.
LMMI IV secured the majority of its commitments from existing investors and also received significant commitments from new investors around the world. Of the total committed capital, over 40% was raised from investors in North America, approximately 30% from investors in Asia and the Middle East, 20% from investors in Europe, and 7% from investors in Latin America. Limited partners included pension funds, insurance companies, financial institutions, and other sophisticated investors such as endowments, foundations, and high net worth individuals.
Commenting on the fund closing, Marshall Parke, International Managing Partner of Lexington, said, "We are grateful for the strong support for LMMI IV from a distinguished investor base consisting of many longstanding investors as well as prominent new investors commencing or increasing their private equity programs."
Lexington estimates that annual industry-wide secondary volume averaged $30 billion per year over the five-year period 2012-2016, a level that is expected to be surpassed in 2017 with projected volume in excess of $40 billion. It is Lexington's view that the secondary market will continue to experience significant growth in the years ahead due to the substantial amount of capital committed to private equity funds, the trend towards more active portfolio management, and the desire among select investors for earlier liquidity. Furthermore, the adoption by high-quality sponsors of innovative liquidity solutions for their limited partners through GP-led transactions has the potential to increase secondary turnover rates.
To date, LMMI IV has completed 15 secondary transactions, committing to invest 22% of the fund's capital to middle market interests managed by 25 sponsors in the U.S. and Europe. Commenting on the fund's investment strategy, Wilson Warren, Partner of Lexington, said, "We look forward to continuing to provide high-quality middle market buyout exposure to our limited partners on a diversified, lower-risk basis through attractive acquisitions in the global secondary market."
In addition to LMMI IV, which specializes in middle market interests, Lexington executes two other secondary investment strategies: Lexington Capital Partners VIII, the firm's global secondary acquisition fund, and Lexington Emerging Partners, which focuses on the growth markets of Asia and Latin America. Together, these three secondary funds have $13 billion of committed capital.
About Lexington Partners
Lexington Partners is a leading global alternative investment manager primarily involved in providing liquidity to owners of private equity and other alternative investments and in making co-investments alongside leading private equity sponsors. Lexington Partners is the largest independent manager of secondary acquisition and co-investment funds with more than $38 billion in committed capital. Lexington has acquired over 2,800 secondary and co-investment interests through 710 transactions with a total value in excess of $44 billion, including $12 billion of syndications. Lexington also invests in private investment funds during their initial formation and has committed to more than 350 new funds in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region. Lexington has offices strategically located in major centers for private equity and alternative investing New York, Boston, Menlo Park, London, Hong Kong, and Santiago. Lexington also has senior advisors located in Asia, Australia, and Latin America. Additional information may be found at www.lexingtonpartners.com.
Media Contact:
Todd Fogarty
KEKST
+1 (212) 521-4854
[email protected]
SOURCE Lexington Partners
Related Links
http://www.lexingtonpartners.com
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- LIFT Philippines, Inc. is proud to announce it is now officially a public charity with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Contributions donated to LIFT Philippines are fully tax-deductible retroactive to the founding of the organization on January 11, 2017. The Christian international relief charity is also now eligible to apply for government and foundation grants, which will further broaden its access to resources and strengthen its ability to provide sustainable solutions to marginalized impoverished rural Philippine communities including: clean water, typhoon disaster relief, housing, organic agriculture and education.
"Obtaining 501(c)(3) status is a major milestone for LIFT Philippines," remarked Founder and President Josh Clark. "This opens the door to allow us to build momentum and reach goals toward sustainable solutions in rural regions lacking systems, finance and resources." LIFT Philippines uses a community driven development (CDD) approach and understands each community is unique. "We use a 80/20 rule for our donations. 20% of the money is for administration and fundraisingthat's the fuel. 80% of the money is used for programs."
Josh added, "We're unique, as every non-profit should be. You have great people in rural regions like Manny Pacquiao who built 1,000 homes for his hometown. He's awesome. There's Hybrid Agricultural Empowerment, a powerhouse 'one man band' trained in organic agriculture fighting the war on poverty by training villages and advocacy (watch for his upcoming documentary on VICE). LIFT's approach is Christian and corporate with diverse programs offering longterm sustainable solutions that combat the root cause of poverty like food supply, agriculture, education, health and spirituality. We buy & source locally, so we don't hinder local businesses."
LIFT Philippines will create partnerships with Philippine churches, community leaders, governments, corporations, local school districts, other NGO's and 501(c)(3) nonprofits to achieve goals. They will create partnerships with global donors, churches and corporations to help them reach their full potential. "I want this organization to be helping communities 300 years from now. That's how deep the root problem is. It will take centuries to gain ground."
The IRS letter granting LIFT Philippines, Inc. its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status is available upon request. Donation inquiries can be sent to [email protected].
LIFT Philippines is a Gold level participant on GuideStar.
For more information, please visit www.liftphilippines.org or contact Sarah Foster at [email protected] or at (360) 818-1366.
SOURCE LIFT Philippines
Related Links
http://www.liftphilippines.org
Illinois residents pay some of the highest taxes in the nation and unfortunately for Illinois taxpayers the situation is only getting worse.
WalletHub recently ranked Illinois the highest-taxed state in the country. These rankings came out a couple of months prior to the 32 percent permanent income tax hike the Democrat-controlled Legislature approved at the end of the legislative session this year, so the situation is even worse now than it was when the WalletHub report came out in April. Illinois is also home to the second-highest property taxes in the nation.
Illinois has 7,000 units of local government. It is no wonder the Illinois tax burden is so high. But what makes the situation even more egregious is the stockpiling of funds that far exceed the amount of money a local unit of government needs to operate.
For example, Shelbyville Township levied $511,234.53 in taxes in the 2015-2016 fiscal year. The township had $1.19 million in reserves at the time, which meant the township had $1.7 million in cash on hand for the 2015-2016 fiscal year. Their expenses that year totaled $443,702.55. With the cash on hand, the township could have completely eliminated the tax levy altogether and still operated for nearly 4 years.
This spring, I introduced legislation (HB 1896) to address the issue of townships stockpiling cash reserves. The measure places a cap on the accumulation of township funds, other than the capitol fund, to 2.5 times the average annual expenditure (of each fund) of the previous three fiscal years. The measure has now been signed into law.
It is an affront to taxpayers for townships to continue to collect the highest tax levies possible when it is not needed. As taxpayers, we accept the reality that it is our civic duty to pay our taxes. We understand units of government need tax money to operate, but it is not fair to taxpayers for units of local government to take in far more in tax levies than they actually need to operate.
There is nothing wrong with local governments having some cash reserves. Emergencies do happen and the responsible thing to do is to make sure there are funds available to adequately address possible emergency situations. In the case of Shelbyville Township, having four times the operating budget in reserves goes far beyond an emergency fund. It is a stockpile of cash. We need reasonable limits on cash reserves to protect taxpayers.
Why does a taxing body need to continue to collect far more money than it actually needs?
It is time we took a hard look at the number of units of local government we have here in Illinois and it is time we look at ways to lower our states tax burden. Illinois taxpayers need some tax relief somewhere. I believe this new law is a step in the right direction.
Township governments should give back their excess funds to taxpayers instead of stockpiling it. This new law addresses the stockpiling concerns at the township level. It is my hope we can build on this new law and enact even more meaningful reforms in the near future.
NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today littleBits announced its Droid Inventor Kit was named to the annual TTPM Most Wanted holiday list. Independently tested and curated by TTPM, the leading review site for toys, tots, pets and more, the Most Wanted List identifies key holiday trends and the most in-demand toys and kids' lifestyle products for the holidays.
"We are extremely honored that our Droid Inventor Kit was included on the TTPM Most Wanted List of the hottest toys for the holiday season," said Ayah Bdeir, founder and CEO of littleBits. "We love that we are able to help children bring the iconic R2 Unit to life with our new gender-inclusive kit, while also developing their imagination and STEM/STEAM skills. Its inclusion on the Most Wanted list is true validation of our hard work."
"I anticipate that the littleBits Droid Inventor Kit will be one of the hottest Star Wars toys of the holiday season," said Jim Silver, CEO/editor-in-chief for TTPM. "This kit embodies a great STEAM toy that combines construction, coding and creativity as children complete the missions in the app to create a Droid that is completely personalized to their interests."
With invention at its core, the award-winning Droid Inventor Kit fosters creativity and problem-solving skills. In-app challenges encourage kids to reconfigure the littleBits technology in new and unique ways, in combination with household items, so they can create their own custom Droids such as a delivery Droid, a room guardian, and more.
The Droid Inventor Kit includes all the components needed for kids to create their very own Droid. A free app (iOS and Android) completes the experience, providing step-by-step instructions and how-to videos.
The app guides kids as they put together their Droid and control it in Drive Mode, Self-Nav, Force Mode, and more, making it the ultimate galactic sidekick.
After mastering their Droid Inventor skills, kids continue on to challenges that spark creativity and inspire them to create unique new Droids.
Each littleBits electronic block has a different function such as a power, motor, or sensor, which kids can use with their Droid in new and exciting ways.
Included stickers and in-app missions encourage kids to customize their Droid using crafts or household objects, giving their Droid its own special personality.
Kids will take pride in creating any Droid they imagine, and parents will love the endless play opportunities.
The littleBits Droid Inventor Kit is designed for children eight and up and retails for $99.95. It is available at Walmart stores nationwide, Amazon, Apple Store, Disney Store, and littleBits.com. Additional information can be found at http://littleBits.cc/.
About littleBits
littleBits empowers kids around the world to become inventors. Founded in 2011 by Ayah Bdeir, its innovative platform of easy-to-use electronic blocks allows anyone to create and prototype with electronics, independent of age, gender or technical ability. As the leader in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) learning, littleBits believes in creating the conditions of invention by creating products that encourage self-directed exploration and problem solving; support grit and tenacity; and create a safe place to experience both failure and accomplishment. The company is dedicated to successfully bridging the gender gap with its gender-neutral platform, attracting an industry high thirty five percent of young girls to invent with littleBits. By embracing STEAM, both girls and boys can invent solutions to the problems that matter to them. The company's products have won over 150 industry awards in the toy and education industries. littleBits is headquartered in New York. For more information and inspiration, go to www.littleBits.cc.
About TTPM
TTPM is a leading product review site and retail portal for toys, tots, pets and more. With more than 10 million monthly views of its comprehensive video reviews, TTPM is the number one resource for consumers seeking to find and easily buy the best toys, baby gear, pet toys, kids electronics, and sporting goods for their families. The site's expert team creates more than 5,000 independent reviews annually, each featuring the TTPM Price Check, which lists live price comparisons and one click purchasing from major retailers. For mobile users, the free TTPM app delivers the site's full reviews as well as its proprietary price comparison tool. The TTPM app is the #1 rated app in Apple App in its category.
SOURCE littleBits
Related Links
http://www.littleBits.cc
BOSTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- LogTrust, the fast insight big data analytics company, today announced it has closed a $35 million Series B round of financing led by new investor Insight Venture Partners. Current investor Kibo Ventures also participated in the round. Jeff Horing, co-founder and managing director of Insight Venture Partners, will join the LogTrust board of directors.
The scale and diversity of data created by digital transformation introduces a massive business visibility challenge for enterprises. LogTrust unifies and enhances machine, business and operational data for better business insight, decision making and actionability. "Speed to insight, scale and operational costs are the Achilles heel of traditional big data approaches," said Horing. "LogTrust has built a cloud based solution that fundamentally changes the speed, scale, and operation cost equation of big data analytics. Insight is proud to partner with LogTrust in this next phase of growth."
LogTrust provides an easy to use, big data analytics platform that requires zero DevOps resources to maintain. The speed of real-time and historical analytics remains absolutely constant, regardless of ingestion rate or amount of data collected. Customers are able to focus on big data applications, visualization of data and business insights, rather than the operational costs of scaling a big data platform.
LogTrust was also the first to introduce data modeling at query time. The LogTrust approach enables customers to adapt analytics over time as they learn about their business needs and KPIs while leaving the original collected data unchanged. All without needing to perform costly re-indexing.
"We are very excited to have Insight be part of this next stage of LogTrust growth," said Pedro Castillo, founder and CEO of LogTrust. "Their expertise in helping innovative companies scale is exactly why we decided to partner with them."
About LogTrust
LogTrust, the fast insight big data analytics company, is the leading cloud based big data analytics platform for the digitized enterprise. By combining machine, business and operational data from across the organization, LogTrust provides a complete and unified view of business operations. The LogTrust cloud solution unifies, enhances and analyzes data at scale, enabling the largest organizations in the world to make informed business decisions. For more information visit www.logtrust.com.
SOURCE LogTrust
Related Links
http://www.logtrust.com
CHICAGO, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Lung Association announced a new collaboration with the Anthem Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc., to offer quit-smoking support to residents of public housing in advance of the implementation of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) smokefree housing rule. With the support of the Foundation's nearly $900,000 grant, the Smoking Cessation for Low-Income Housing Residents program will give residents access to proven-effective tobacco cessation services through the Lung Association's Freedom From Smoking program.
On November 30, 2016, HUD announced that all public housing agencies must implement smokefree policies throughout all residential units and common areas by July 31, 2018. The American Lung Association will work with public housing agencies and other low-income housing providers, as well as additional local partners to provide support for residents who want to quit smoking.
"While this lifesaving rule will protect close to two million Americans living in public housing from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, we also understand that for those residents who smoke, quitting can be difficult," said American Lung Association National President and CEO Harold P. Wimmer. "Smoking is an addiction, and we are committed to help public housing residents quit smoking if they're ready to do so."
Every year in the U.S., more than 480,000 people die from tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, making it the leading cause of preventable death in this country. Smoking can cause or worsen numerous diseases and conditions, including lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease and more. The nicotine in tobacco is highly addictive, which is part of why it can be so tough to quit smoking. On average, it takes a tobacco user 8 to 11 quit attempts before they are smokefree for good.
"Helping remove barriers and providing access to effective quit-smoking methods is essential to help people quit smoking for good," said Dr. Craig Samitt, chief clinical officer at Anthem, Inc. "Through this collaboration with the American Lung Association, we're bringing needed support and resources where people live, and in doing so hope to make it easier for individuals to quit smoking, improve their lung health and prevent tobacco-related illnesses."
The American Lung Association will work with community partners to bring proven-effective smoking cessation services like Freedom From Smoking to 14 states including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Freedom From Smoking has helped over one million smokers quit and is offered in person, online and by phone, and includes topics such as building a personalized quit plan, medications that can help people quit, overcoming relapse and staying smokefree for good.
For media interested in speaking with an expert about lung health, tobacco use, proven effective quit smoking methods or tobacco policies, contact the American Lung Association at [email protected] or 312-801-7628.
About the American Lung Association
The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, through research, education and advocacy. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to improve the air we breathe; to reduce the burden of lung disease on individuals and their families; and to eliminate tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org.
About Anthem Foundation
The Anthem Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc. and through charitable contributions and programs, the Foundation promotes the inherent commitment of Anthem, Inc. to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Anthem, Inc. and its affiliated health plans serve. The Foundation focuses its funding on strategic initiatives that address and provide innovative solutions to health care challenges, as well as promoting the Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets specific disease states and medical conditions. These disease states and medical conditions include: prenatal care in the first trimester, low birth weight babies, cardiac morbidity rates, long term activities that decrease obesity and increase physical activity, diabetes prevalence in adult populations, adult pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations and smoking cessation. The Foundation also coordinates the company's year-round Associate Giving program which provides a 50 percent match of associates' pledges, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. To learn more about the Anthem Foundation, please visit http://www.anthem.foundation and its blog at http://anthemfoundation.tumblr.com.
American Lung Association 55 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150 Chicago, IL 60601
1301 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Ste. 800 Washington, D.C. 20004
1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) Lung.org
SOURCE American Lung Association
Related Links
http://www.lung.org
MADISON, Va., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With the clock ticking on choosing and installing a new paper-based voting system in less than two months, Madison County officials turned to the Verity Voting system by Hart InterCivic to be ready for the Nov. 7 election.
Verity's compact, secure polling place devices make setup straightforward and voting easy. (PRNewsFoto/Hart InterCivic)
Earlier this month, the Virginia State Board of Elections mandated that all counties switch to paper ballots for the gubernatorial election. Verity was a logical choice for moving forward in Madison County. Known as a secure, voter-friendly system, Verity meets all standards set by the Commonwealth. With a 15-year history serving counties in Virginia, Hart has a well-earned reputation for superior customer support.
"Hart will ease Madison County through this transition. We are positioned to move rapidly to assist them and other counties responding to the new Virginia timeline," said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic. "We are rolling out upgrades across Virginia and welcome Madison County to the Verity family."
The only all-new paper-based digital scanning system now certified for use in Virginia, Verity technology introduces the innovative Verity Scan, which allows voters to scan their paper ballots in the polling place, and the accessible Verity Touch Writer ballot marking device. The two devices share the same secure, compact hardware platform.
Verity's portable, briefcase style and collapsible ballot box simplify transport, setup and storage, a priority in Madison County.
Madison joins a growing number of Virginia localities to leave other vendors for Verity and Hart, a longtime election solution provider in the Commonwealth with more than 100 years of election experience.
Braithwaite expects more announcements in Virginia soon.
About Hart InterCivic, Inc.
Austin-based Hart InterCivic is a full-service election solutions innovator, partnering with state and local governments to deliver secure, accurate and reliable elections. Working side-by-side with election professionals for more than 100 years, Hart is committed to helping advance democracy one election at a time. Hart's mission fuels its passionate customer focus and a continuous drive for technological innovation. The company's new Verity Voting system makes voting more straightforward, equitable and accessibleand makes managing elections more transparent, more efficient and easier.
SOURCE Hart InterCivic, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.hartintercivic.com
FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent survey from Marshalls found that 93 percent of women seek the thrill of the find while shopping and more than two-thirds of women surveyed believe they are better at creating their own styles than fashion experts. Today, Marshalls released its first-ever seasonal trend report revealing surprising finds across fashion, beauty and home decor. Download the Marshalls Fall Trends infographic
Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8183651-marshalls-fall-2017-style-surprises/
"Our ever-changing selection is built around style and surprise which allows us to infuse the fun of shopping into buying," said Victoria Shonkoff, Marshalls vice president, marketing director. "We are excited about our first seasonal trend report because it provides a unique look at what's trending today from embellished denim to pumpkin decor. We take pride in keeping a pulse on the surprising finds our customer loves right now so she can always make current styles her own."
Celebrating detail, design and drama, this fall's trends highlight American women's desire to mix, blend and create unique looks. The experience begins at Marshalls stores with an ever-changing selection of high-quality styles at incredible prices.
FASHION
Fall's hottest fashion styles are in the details. From embroidery and statement sleeves to embellished denim, small touches really make a difference in fashion today. Women seek looks that skew masculine with moto jackets and military bottoms coming to the forefront especially as paired with feminine flourishes such as lace and ruffles. This fall, women are dressing up joggers to elevate stylish comfort with pieces like velvet booties and structured jackets.
Look for top trending colors to include jewel tones, peacock, black and gold as well as bold reds. As temperatures drop, fall fashion will boast a variety of patterns and textured layers in vests, colored denim and leather jackets. According to 79 percent of women surveyed, combining patterns and textures create the most stylish looks this fall.
BEAUTY
Seasonally, earth-tone browns and greens with varying textures and tones are in demand while the classic nude and "no makeup" looks remain mainstays. This season, she is blending the classics with increased metallic tones such as subtle touches of copper and platinum.
With temperatures shifting, maintaining skin care is of utmost importance. Sixty-two percent of women claim nature-inspired ingredients will fill their cabinets to ensure glowing skin. Masks top this season's must-haves, keeping skin hydrated and protected from wind damage and drier climates.
HOME
An overwhelming majority of women (72 percent) note they feel like fall has officially arrived when they put out the first pumpkin decoration in their home.
This season, pumpkin decor can match most any interior style. Orange pumpkins work for those who embrace traditional looks (31 percent) whereas rose-gold dipped or mixed-metal pumpkins may work well for those who lean more modern or contemporary (24 percent). Velvet and wooden pumpkins offer an added whimsical touch this season.
Autumnal pops of colors come to life in traditional harvest looks but this season, sage is the most notably on-trend accent color. Bringing richer hues and a modern yet earthy feel to the home, this hue elevates sophisticated fall styles, especially for those who plan to entertain. Casual elegance and comfortable richness are trends set to come to life in living spaces via varied textures, gold accessories, lighter-washed woods and galvanized metals.
Find inspiration for current looks and share your Marshalls finds using #MarshallsSurprise.
ABOUT MARSHALLS
Marshalls is one of the nation's leading off-price family retailers with more than 1,000 stores spanning 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Since opening its first store more than 40 years ago, the Marshalls name has become synonymous with off-price shopping. Marshalls shoppers can find a surprising selection of high-quality, on-trend brand name and designer merchandise for men, women and children, footwear, beauty, accessories and home merchandise - all at incredible prices.
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
The Marshalls survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,000 nationally representative women ages 25-52 who have shopped retail in the last year but are not industry-affiliated, between September 14-21, 2017.
CONTACT:
Michael Cowen
Office: 312-220-3953
[email protected]
SOURCE Marshalls
PITTSFIELD, Mass., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During negotiations on Wednesday, Berkshire Medical Center nurses attempted to reach a fair compromise with the hospital to avert a one-day unfair labor practice strike scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 3.
On Wednesday just before 5 p.m., after management ended bargaining at about 4:20 p.m., BMC nurses filed an additional unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board alleging BMC "has consistently refused to bargain or attempt to come to any agreement in relation to the mandatory subjects of staffing and workload."
BMC nurses proposed new compromises during negotiations Wednesday on the key RN issues of safe patient care and health insurance. BMC declined to meet with nurses in person and refused once again to bargain over these mandatory subjects of bargaining. Instead, BMC reiterated their refusal to bargain over staffing and workload to address nurses' need to hold BMC accountable for providing safe patient care.
"For more than a year, Berkshire Medical Center has refused to negotiate in good faith over workload, safe patient care and quality, affordable health insurance," said Alex Neary, RN and Co-Chair of the MNA BMC Bargaining Committee. "On Wednesday, the hospital once again refused to compromise and agree to concrete improvements to patient care."
The federal mediator ended the negotiation session on Wednesday after management told the mediator they were done and had nothing more to say. Nurses were willing to negotiate all night. The MNA committee told the mediator they are ready and willing to return to the table any time prior to the strike.
Patient Safety Vigil
When: Monday, Oct. 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Outside BMC on North Street
What: Berkshire Medical Center nurses and supporters gather in solidarity the evening before a planned one-day strike.
One-Day Strike
When: From 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3 to 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4
Where: BMC on North Street in Pittsfield; Hillcrest Cancer Center in Pittsfield and BMC in North Adams
BMC Again Refuses to Provide Health Data
BMC refused on Wednesday to provide the health insurance data nurses have requested in order to effectively negotiate over the issue. Nurses need this data to analyze the hospital's self-insurance rates as part of a proposal to create an additional "employee +" or "employee plus children" health insurance option.
It is impossible to even interpret from management's inflexible repeated health insurance proposal what nurses would pay each month for health insurance. Citing management's months-long refusal to provide the information, RNs filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against BMC in August. Health insurance is a mandatory subject of bargaining under federal labor law.
For more information about negotiations and the potential one-day strike, click here or go to http://massnurses.org/news-and-events/p/openItem/10647.
BMC Nurses Locked Out
BMC is refusing to allow its nurses to care for their patients after the 24-hour strike ends on Wednesday. BMC announced their intention to lock out the nurses and pay for replacement nurses from outside our community for four days as a consequence of the strike. The MNA has demanded information from the employer to counter evidence that BMC's announced four-day lock out of the nurses following the 24-hour strike is retaliatory and therefore unlawful.
"We are ready to return to the hospital to care for our patients on Wednesday morning," said Jody Stefanik, RN and a member of the MNA BMC Bargaining Committee. "Keeping us from our patients for an extra four days is the hospital's sole decision. Instead of valuing its own nurses, BMC is valuing a contract with replacement nurses."
History, academic studies and unionized registered nurses can all testify to the fact that replacement nurses cannot make up for the temporary loss of nurses who are specialized in their fields and knowledgeable of their patients and the hospital systems.
"Berkshire Medical Center nurses are irreplaceable," said Jerri Jakacky, RN and Co-Chair of the MNA BMC Bargaining Committee. "We walk the halls of this hospital every day, many of us for decades. We have an intimate knowledge of our patients, our technology, our staff and our community. There is no way that nurses outside of this facility, who have never worked in this hospital can step in and provide safe patient care to our patients."
MassNurses.org Facebook.com/MassNurses Twitter.com/MassNurses Instagram.com/MassNurses
____________________________________________
Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association
Related Links
http://www.massnurses.org
SAN FRANCISCO, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
The global matcha market is expected to reach USD 5.07 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Rising prevalence of chronic diseases has augmented the demand for healthy and nutrient-rich food & beverage alternatives. Anti-oxidant and vitamin-rich composition of matcha tea has fueled the product demand across the globe.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160524/371361LOGO )
Anti-oxidants, including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), prevent diseases such as cancer, Type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems. EGCG present in the product can repair DNA damage caused by UV radiation and controls the proliferation of cancerous cells. The product also has the potential to reduce stress and promotes a state of relaxation. L-theanine present in the product acts in a synergistic way to activate alpha waves in the brain and thus improves brain functioning. Furthermore, high chlorophyll content of the product prevents toxin accumulation in body.
Key product grades available in the industry include ceremonial, classic, and culinary. Ceremonial accounts to be the most expensive product grade owing to its superior and high-quality production process. Classic grade is the most widely consumed variety, owing to its enhanced taste and flavor. The demand for culinary grade is predicted to grow at a robust pace, due to emerging use in bakery and cooking applications.
Asia Pacific held the largest share of the global industry revenues in 2016, owing to traditional tea culture in Japan and China. The product was majorly consumed in form of regular tea, followed by other beverages in Asia Pacific. Experiment and innovation led to the preparation of various beverages, including smoothies, lattes, and juices. Various cafes and food chains have incorporated various matcha tea-based foods and beverages in their product portfolios. North America has exhibited spurring demand over the recent past, owing to heightened consumer awareness in the U.S.
Browse full research report with TOC on "Matcha Market Analysis By Grade (Ceremonial, Classic, Culinary), By Application (Regular Tea, Matcha Beverages, Food, Personal Care), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2014 - 2025 at: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/matcha-market
Further Key Findings From the Report Suggest:
The global matcha market was valued at USD 2.62 billion in 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2017 to 2025, owing to rising consumer awareness regarding product features, such as detoxification, anti-ageing, and improvements to immune system
in 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2017 to 2025, owing to rising consumer awareness regarding product features, such as detoxification, anti-ageing, and improvements to immune system Culinary grade is estimated to be the fastest-growing segment of the overall product industry, over the forecast period, driven by the rapidly growing use of the product in formulation of snacks, desserts, bakery, and confectionery items
Classic grade was the largest segment of the industry, accounting for around 56% share of the global revenue in 2016, owing to the superior health benefits offered by this product grade
Regular tea application segment is expected to dominate the global market, owing to energy stimulation and detoxifying properties of the product
North America is expected to witness considerable growth over the forecast years, drive by the rising number of outlets selling matcha-based beverages in the U.S. market
is expected to witness considerable growth over the forecast years, drive by the rising number of outlets selling matcha-based beverages in the U.S. market Key players in the industry are focusing on expanding their product portfolios along with organizing events to boost consumer awareness, with the objective of sustaining major shares of the overall industry revenues
Browse related reports by Grand View Research:
Vitamin D Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/vitamin-d-market
Cereal Bar Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/cereal-bar-market
Fortified Foods Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/fortified-foods-market
Egg Protein Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/egg-protein-market
Grand View Research has segmented the global matcha market on the basis of grade, application and region:
Matcha Grade Outlook (Volume, Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Ceremonial Classic Culinary
Matcha Application Outlook (Volume, Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Regular tea Matcha beverages Food Personal care
Matcha Regional Outlook (Volume, Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) North America U.S. Europe Germany UK Asia Pacific China Japan Central & South America Brazil Middle East & Africa
Read Our Blog By Grand View Research: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/blogs/food-and-beverages
About Grand View Research
Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.
Contact:
Sherry James
Corporate Sales Specialist, USA
Grand View Research, Inc
Phone: +1-415-349-0058
Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.grandviewresearch.com
SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- McDonald's Restaurants of the Philadelphia Region continues to make changes that raise the bar across its menu. From All Day Breakfast to Signature Crafted Recipes, a new McCafe line-up, and now new Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. Expertly crafted by McDonald's culinary team, and made with 100% white meat chicken and no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, Buttermilk Crispy Tenders are seasoned, battered and breaded to perfection and pair perfectly with nine McDonald's sauces, which include: Creamy Ranch, Honey, Honey Mustard, Hot Mustard, Spicy Buffalo, Sriracha Mac Sauce, Sweet 'n Sour, Tangy Barbeque and the new Signature Sauce.
"Our new Buttermilk Crispy Tenders are another example of how we're giving customers the food they love," said McDonald's Chef Michael Haracz. "We also know they have a lot of passion for our sauces so we created a brand new Signature Sauce that perfectly complements Buttermilk Crispy Tenders with the ideal balance of sweet and tangy flavors. It might be my new favorite. Please don't tell Honey Mustard."
Chef Mike is far from alone in his dipping sauce devotion. Signature Sauce is the latest addition to an already legendary McDonald's sauce lineup that's so beloved, you might even say fans are obsauced. McDonald's is celebrating the launch of Buttermilk Crispy Tenders by letting sauce fans show their appreciation as they would for any other pop-culture phenomenon, with limited-edition, custom screen-printed gig-style posters.
McDonald's partnered with Delicious Design League to create a limited run of individually numbered posters depicting the essence of each of the nine McDonald's sauces. A team of artists custom designed the dipping sauce-themed posters to celebrate the variety and flavor of sauces.
"We love bringing our customers new, premium quality menu items like the Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. Expanding our menu is just part of the new, elevated McDonald's experience that we can't wait to share with all of our guests," said Marcia Graham, President, Phil-Ad-Mac Co-Op. "Further, we know that we have some very passionate sauce fans in the Greater Philadelphia Region, and we are happy to share the collectible posters as a fun way to celebrate their favorite condiments."
Customers will have the chance to receive their favorite limited-edition sauce poster at participating McDonald's restaurants on Saturday, October 7, beginning at 2 p.m. local time in select restaurants while supplies last, with the purchase of Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. Limited-edition stickers of the poster designs will also be available when the collectible posters run out.
A full list of the nearly 1,000 participating McDonald's restaurants and more details surrounding the posters and giveaway can be found at www.buttermilkcrispytenders.com.
Buttermilk Crispy Tenders will be available at participating local McDonald's restaurants on September 27, with a limited-time introductory price of $3 for a 4-piece order.
About McDonald's USA
McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 25 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @McDPhilly and Facebook www.facebook.com/McDonaldsUS/.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Kate Rogers, Tierney
[email protected]
215-790-4314
SOURCE McDonald's Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region
Related Links
http://www.mcdonalds.com
WHO/WHAT:
Actifio will host 11 enterprise technology thought leaders and influencers for the annual Tech Field Day 15 technical deep dive session in Silicon Valley this Friday. Led by Actifio's CEO Ash Ashutosh, VP of Solutions Architecture Bryan Achilles, and VP of Product Marketing Chandra Reddy, the session will provide Tech Field Day's delegates with a hands-on look at the latest version of Actifio solutions and product developments through presentations and demonstrations showing the comprehensive range of Cloud use cases and capabilities.
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mesothelioma Compensation Center says, "We are the top branded source in the nation when it comes to the best possible financial compensation for an oil refinery worker who has confirmed mesothelioma. We are urging any oil refinery worker dealing with a recent mesothelioma diagnosis, or their family, to call us anytime at 800-714-0303 for clarity about why it is vital to hire one of the nation's most skilled and experienced mesothelioma attorneys.
Oil Refinery
"If you have mesothelioma and you fail to retain the services of one of the nation's most qualified attorneys, there is a very good chance you will not be properly compensated. When we mention not getting 'properly compensated' we are referring to hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial compensation that you will never see." http://MesotheliomaCompensationCenter.Com
The Mesothelioma Compensation Center also wants to emphasize that once a person with mesothelioma hires a lawyer or law firm for a mesothelioma compensation claim, they are stuck with that firm. Mesothelioma compensation for an oil refinery worker with this rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure should come close to one million dollars or exceed it. The group is urging any oil refinery worker with mesothelioma to call them anytime at 800-714-0303 to ensure they are talking directly with some of the nation's most skilled full-time mesothelioma attorneys who have a stellar track record of the best compensation results for their clients who have mesothelioma because of exposure to asbestos at an oil refinery.
The Mesothelioma Compensation Center's number one passion for an oil refinery worker with mesothelioma is to see to it that they receive the very best possible financial compensation; "please don't settle for less." http://MesotheliomaCompensationCenter.Com
The Mesothelioma Compensation Center is especially focused on assisting oil refinery workers with mesothelioma in any US State including:
Texas
New Jersey
Louisiana
California
Pennsylvania
Indiana
Mississippi
Washington
Utah
Wyoming
New Mexico
Georgia
West Virginia
Ohio
Illinois
For an interactive map of all US oil refineries please review the following website: http://refineryreport.org/refineries.php.
According to the CDC the states indicated with the highest incidence of mesothelioma include Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Louisiana, Washington, and Oregon. However, an oil refinery worker with mesothelioma could live in any state including California, New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho, or Alaska. http://MesotheliomaCompensationCenter.Com
The Mesothelioma Compensation Center specializes in assisting high-risk workers who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. High-risk groups for exposure to asbestos include the US Navy Veterans, power plant workers, shipyard workers, oil refinery workers, public utility workers, chemical plant workers, nuclear power plant workers, oil and gas field production workers, hydro-electric workers, plumbers, electricians, welders, millwrights, pipefitters or machinists. In most instances people with mesothelioma were exposed to asbestos in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, or 1980's.
For more information about mesothelioma please refer to the National Institutes of Health's web site related to this rare form of cancer: https://www.cancer.gov/types/mesothelioma.
Media Contact:
Michael Thomas
[email protected]
800-714-0303
SOURCE Mesothelioma Compensation Center
Related Links
http://mesotheliomacompensationcenter.com
Hetq has received a letter from the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor), saying that citizen Ruben Tatulyan applied to them to assist in removing his personal information from the Hetq website.
In May of this year, Hetq wrote about the arrest of Ruben Tatulyan (aka Robson) in the Czech Republic, referring to the Russian mass media and videos broadcast there, still available on the Internet. Hes a citizen of Russia, but, according to the reports, he had a diplomatic passport of the RA at the moment of the arrest.
Roskomnadzor informs that Russia pays great attention to the protection of their citizens rights, including the protection of personal and family life. The service has referred to the Article 17 of the Law on Personal Data, adopted in Russia in 2006.
Examining the application of Tatulyan, Roskomnadzor recorded the fact of violation of the rights and legitimate interests of the personal data and asks Hetq to remove it.
It is unclear why the Russian state body demands from the Armenian media to remove the material. It is also unclear why a diplomat representing the Republic of Armenia appealed to the state body of another country. He could have appealed to the Armenian Ministry of Justice instead.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of legislators and administration leaders known as the "Big 6" today released an outline for comprehensive tax reform that if enacted, according to the National Association of Realtors, could lead to a tax on homeownership for millions.
NAR President, William E. Brown (PRNewsFoto/National Association of Realtors)
According to the Big 6's framework for tax reform, changes to the current tax code would eliminate important provisions, such as the state and local tax deduction, while nearly doubling the standard deduction and eliminating personal and dependency exemptions. NAR believes the result would all but nullify the incentive to purchase a home for most, amounting to a de facto tax increase on homeowners, putting home values across the country at risk and ensuring that only the top 5 percent of Americans have the opportunity to benefit from the mortgage interest deduction.
NAR President William E. Brown, a second-generation Realtor from Alamo, California and founder of Investment Properties said that the proposal reaffirms Realtors' concerns from earlier in the year and urged lawmakers to keep homeowners in mind as they proceed with comprehensive tax reform with the following statement:
"We have always said that tax reform a worthy endeavor should first do no harm to homeowners. The tax framework released by the Big 6 today missed that goal.
"This proposal recommends a backdoor elimination of the mortgage interest deduction for all but the top 5 percent who would still itemize their deductions.
"When combined with the elimination of the state and local tax deduction, these efforts represent a tax increase on millions of middle-class homeowners. That tax increase flies in the face of a reform effort ostensibly aimed at lowering the tax burden for Americans. At the same time, the lost incentive to purchase a home could cause home values to fall.
"Plummeting home values are a poor housewarming gift for recent homebuyers and a tremendous blow to older Americans who depend on their home to provide a nest egg for retirement.
"Congress can still score a win for American families by promoting lower rates and comprehensive reform that doesn't single out homeowners for a tax hike, while also preserving important investment incentives like 1031 like-kind exchanges. We look forward to continuing the discussion in the weeks and months ahead."
The National Association of Realtors, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
SOURCE National Association of Realtors
Related Links
http://www.realtor.org
OMAHA, Neb., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Warren Buffet's hometown hosted thousands of mothers at the Mom's March for America Saturday September 23. Hundreds of moms joined the event in person in Omaha, Nebraska. Thousands joined via live stream in over 3000 cities and every state in America uniting under the banner of the Declaration of Mothers.
Opening Video at Mom's March for America--a national gathering of mothers for truth, family, freedom Sam Sorbo, Sarah Palin, Gold Star Mom Karen Vaughn, Candy Carson and Missy Robertson pause for photo before speaking at Mom's March for America
The Mom's March was organized by a small army of mom volunteers using cell phones and laptops from their kitchen tables. In spite of dozens of press releases and hundreds of calls to media outlets, media coverage of this historical gathering of mothers was dismal at best and moms aren't happy about it. A press release that went out the Tuesday prior to the event was opened by over 5,000 news outlets. One reporter from CBS opened it nine times but not a word about this counter to the pink hat brigade.
Organizers said they were frustrated that Fox News and conservative radio hosts ignored such a newsworthy, culture-shifting event.
Gold Star mom Karen Vaughn expressed her frustration at the lack of media coverage. "We are in a heck of a mess in our nation right now and our culture has never been more out of control. I mean, I never dreamed that I would see the day that women wearing pink, weird, creepy hats would be celebrated and we would be ignored."
Kimberly Fletcher said, "Honestly, mothers are fed up with what's going on in our country and even more so with media who promotes it. I understand why the liberal media would completely ignore a national gathering of mothers standing against the agenda they are trying to push but where the heck was Fox News? Where are all the conservative radio hosts who claim they care about the future of America and preserving freedom? Where was Glenn Beck? Do they really mean what they say or do they just want to sell airtime? If it's about ratings then they should start covering newsworthy events women care about. They'd see a huge ratings spike if they did! Saturday was a powerful national gathering of mothersa literal seismic shift in the direction of our national culture. The media should have been covering it!"
Moms who attended the event were blown away as one mom after another rocked the stage with "popcorn speeches" that rallied the crowd of moms. Redhead Expressthe feature bandwas made up of four momstwo of them expecting babies in a few weeks.
Sarah Palin called on all "Mamma Grizzlies" to rise up and protect their children saying, "Times is very short. It is important that each one of us does our job within our own sphere of influence, and don't just leave it to politicians to do it for you. They'll disappoint you."
"Our nation is at a crossroads," said Donna Rice Hughes. "Will we give up and give in or will we fight back and say enough is enough?"
Elizabeth Johnston, the Activist Mommy, opened with how grateful she was not to see any pink hats in the room to which the crowd burst with applause. Sam Sorbo talked about making choices while Missy Robertson declared herself a true feminist, a woman and female in every sense of the word. Candy Carson lamented she only had 8 minutes to speak saying she had so much to share with these women but made a powerful case for the influence of mothers in her allotted time.
Many who attended commented on the high caliber nature and professionalism of the event that was completely organized by volunteer moms. Joe Kerry, former chief of staff for Glenn Beck said, "I have attended literally thousands of events with Glenn and also literally planned hundreds. Your Moms March event was among the best organized and executed. It was simply amazing. You assembled an amazing team and had incredible results."
Kimberly Fletcher, the volunteer mom spearheading the event declared, "We will be doing this again. We have come to the end of this day but it is just the beginning of a mighty movement to take our culture back!"
For more information about Mom's March for America visit: www.MomsMarchUSA.com
All the speeches can be viewed on their YouTube Channel.
Kimberly Fletcher, Executive Director & event organizer of the Moms March for America, is the wife of a retired Air Force officer, mother of 8 children, and president and founder of Homemakers for America. She is the author of "WOMEN: America's Last Best Hope", contributing writer with Townhall.com, and radio host on Omaha's The Answer, a Salem Broadcasting station.
For more information or to arrange an interview with Kimberly Fletcher, contact Kimberly directly: [email protected], 937 477 4218
CONTACT: Kimberly Fletcher
HomeMakers for America
(937) 477-4218
[email protected]
SOURCE Mom's March for America
Related Links
http://www.MomsMarchUSA.com
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Brooklyn Water Enterprises, Inc. ("BWE"), the founding company of The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. fast casual restaurant concept, has filed a multi-million dollar civil action against several key franchise owner entities and company board members, including John Preston, the founder and President of Canadian based North American Development Group which owns approximately 23 million square feet of shopping centers in the U.S. and Canada. The Plaintiff is represented by prominent Miami-based trial lawyer, Robert Zarco, of Zarco Einhorn Salkowski & Brito, P.A.
Among twelve direct and derivative causes of action, the Complaint alleges: (i) several violations of the Florida Revised Limited Liability Act; (ii) breach of fiduciary duty by the named company officers and directors; (iii) civil conspiracy; (iv) violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practice Act; (v) fraud in the inducement; and (vi) negligent misrepresentation and omission. The Complaint also asks the Court for the judicial dissolution of Brooklyn Water Enterprises, LLC (the "Company"), and a rescission of the Company's Operating Agreement. The Complaint sets forth multiple instances of alleged deception and self-serving mismanagement by the Defendants to further their own economic interests at the expense of the Company and BWE shareholders. The civil action, which also requests a jury trial and the appointment of a custodian pendente lite for the Company while the litigation proceeds, was filed in the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida.
"In my many years of practicing commercial and franchise litigation, this case stands out as among the most outrageous self-serving acts I have ever seen by a company's board of directors," stated Robert Zarco, the lead attorney in the lawsuit. "The Plaintiff has alleged that the Defendants in this case used their substantial business assets and power to coerce and induce a group of small original investors in The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. concept to agree to a merger that was financially detrimental to BWE and its shareholders. The evidence will reflect that these shareholders worked years to develop BWE and invested their life savings into the concept only to then have the Defendants, under the direction and leadership of Preston, take over BWE through the alleged illegal acts and the breach of their fiduciary duties. The Complaint alleges that some of these billionaire businessmen and their powerful and sophisticated advisors basically engaged in what our investigation revealed to be illegal behavior toward their business partners. We are looking forward to the judge and jury providing justice to my client in this matter and having all the Defendants pay the appropriate compensation for their misconduct."
According to the Complaint, BWE's Founder, Steven M. Fassberg, was fraudulently induced and coerced by Preston and the other named Defendants into a merger transaction while they allegedly orchestrated a series of allegedly illegal and highly unethical business maneuvers to deliberately and methodically take over majority control of BWE. Once the Defendants schemed to take over control of BWE and its Board of Directors, they mismanaged the day-to-day operations of the Company, including forcing corporate-owned and franchised stores to sign leases containing unfavorable terms in shopping centers owned by Preston's shopping center development company, North American Development Group.
Among the allegations set forth in the Complaint is a shocking accusation that Preston and the other Defendants knowingly used the family savings and assets of several 9/11 first responders from the New York City Fire Department, who had invested in BWE only to then turn around and dilute their interests in BWE.
"In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would ever find myself fighting for the company which I founded and having to protect the early shareholders on whose back the Brooklyn Water Bagel concept was built. Prior to Preston's involvement, BWE had virtually zero debt and approximately 12 million shares outstanding. It now finds itself with many more millions of shares outstanding, no franchise growth whatsoever, and minority shareholders' interests having been rendered valueless," says Fassberg.
The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. was founded in 2007 by Steven M. Fassberg and attracted CNN legendary talk show host Larry King as an early investor and spokesperson from 2010- 2013. The concept features a proprietary water treatment process which creates artisan bagels, baked goods, and CUBSTA iced coffee with "real" iced coffee cubes in a fast casual, authentic Brooklyn-style setting. The Company has been featured on the cover story of Franchise Times, chosen by Barbra Streisand to cater the wrap party of her last movie, and was poised to be the fastest new bakery cafe concept in the country. The Company has 24 locations and is based out of Delray Beach, Florida.
MEDIA CONTACT
Robert Zarco
Tel: 305-374-5418
[email protected]
SOURCE The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.
BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The USDA's National Organic Program (NOP), the nation's authority for properly certified organic food production, today officially closed a May 2, 2017 complaint against Aurora Organic Dairy's (AOD) High Plains Dairy in Gill, CO, finding the company in full compliance with the access to pasture and grazing regulations required in organic dairy production.
"The NOP confirmed what we have known all along: that Aurora Organic Dairy is a 100% organic company. Their investigation included a thorough review of our facilities, our grazing practices and the records we maintain to document compliance with the organic rule," said Marc Peperzak, Founder and CEO. "We've confronted false criticism with facts by fully and transparently cooperating with this enforcement process, and this outcome clearly validates our organic certifications."
A widely circulated media report, which falsely claimed the Company's farming methods and milk may not be organic, was not informed by the actual requirements of the organic rule. Following their investigation, the NOP Issued a letter to AOD, dated September 27, 2017, stating, "We determined that Aurora's livestock and pasture management practices comply with existing USDA organic regulations and NOP policies." The agency has now closed the case, concluding that no part of the complaint had merit. At all times, AOD has maintained continuous valid organic certificates for its products.
The same media report erroneously suggested milk testing can determine if a product's organic grazing requirements are being met. However, the NOP's letter further stated that "testing based on nutrient levels is not part of the existing organic standards, and therefore, cannot serve as a criteria for assessing compliance." Organic livestock producers are required to rigorously plan and document herd and pasture management that maximizes the grazing season. At times, non-continuous grazing is used to protect soils, plants and animal health as part of this plan.
"It is unfortunate that some activists continue to perpetuate the misguided belief that only small dairy farms can be organic, when the organic rule, itself, is scale-neutral," said Peperzak. "The truth is, our size makes a positive difference. Not only have we converted many thousands of pasture acres to organic agriculture, but we have supported the conversion of tens of thousands more acres for other organic feed crop producers. Our scale has also helped create markets for all organic milk producers."
"Aurora Organic Dairy has been a pioneer in organic production and animal welfare, and our certified dairy products are and have always been organic. We join our industry peers in calling for additional resources for the NOP to encourage the proper enforcement of organic rules and to protect the integrity of the USDA organic seal that consumers trust," said Peperzak.
About Aurora Organic Dairy
Aurora Organic Dairy is the leading producer and processor of store-brand organic milk and butter for U.S. retailers. Based in Boulder, Colorado, the company operates organic dairy, heifer and calf farms in Colorado and Texas, as well as an organic dairy processing plant in Platteville, Colorado. In early 2019, Aurora expects to begin operations on our second milk plant in Columbia, Missouri. The company manages nearly 12,000 organic pasture acres where its dairy cows graze during the grazing season. Approximately 75,000 additional acres are used to grow organic forages and feed crops by more than 100 independent farmers who support our farms.
Contact: Sonja Tuitele
720.564.6296, ext. 137
[email protected]
SOURCE Aurora Organic Dairy
OTTAWA, Ontario, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nature Canada, Canada's oldest national nature conservation charity, is pleased to recognize and honour Ms. Inger Andersen, Director General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as its 151st member of Women for Nature.
Ms. Inger Andersen, is being featured as a keynote speaker at today's Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) annual conference in Ottawa at the Westin Hotel. SFI's annual conference, with its theme: Forests. A Way of Life, is as an ideal venue to recognize Andersen because it brings together the foremost thought leaders from the fields of sustainability, conservation and youth outreach. More than 600 people attended Andersen's keynote address.
As Director General of IUCN, Ms. Inger Andersen emphasizes the importance of nature conservation to help achieve sustainable development. "Nature is not an obstacle to human aspirations," says Ms. Andersen, "It is an essential partner, offering valuable contributions towards all our endeavours. We should all take a moment to stop, think and stand up for our greatest ally Nature."
Under her leadership, IUCN's Commission for Education and Communications launched #NatureForAll and the #NatureForAll Playbook, modeled after the Canadian Parks Council's The Nature Playbook, to help build community support for nature conservation by engaging more individuals to take action for nature. This is now a global movement with more than 175 partners such as Nature Canada, Parks Canada, and SFI connecting people to nature across 36 countries.
"Nature Canada is delighted Ms. Inger Andersen has become our 151st Women for Nature, said Ms. Sheefra Brisbin, Vice-Chair of Nature Canada's Board of Directors and a Women for Nature member. "Ms. Andersen's work as a champion and role model for the important place that nature plays in our lives is at the heart of Nature Canada's efforts to connect youth with nature in order to protect our precious wildlife and habitats."
"Recognizing Inger is a perfect launching point to take Women for Nature beyond Canada's borders. I can't think of anyone who is better placed to achieve our shared goals of elevating the importance of biodiversity and youth engagement, than a woman leader of one of the world's largest and most powerful conservation organizations," said Kathy Abusow, SFI Inc.'s President and CEO. Abusow is also a founding member of Women for Nature.
Nature Canada's Women for Nature initiative brings together women of influence from a variety of backgrounds who are demonstrating their passion for nature and driving change. One way they do this is to empower emerging young nature leaders who implement nature-based projects, inspired by the NaturePlaybook.
About Nature Canada
Nature Canada was founded in 1939 because of the passion and initiative of Mabel Frances Whittemore, a teacher and nature lover whose main goal in life was to share her passion for nature with others. Today, Nature Canada represents a network comprised of 50,000 members and supporters and more than 350 nature organizations across the country. Over the past 75 years, Nature Canada has helped protect more than 63 million acres of parks and wildlife areas in Canada and countless species that depend on this habitat as well as engaging hundreds of thousands of Canadians especially children in nature through its activities.
About Women for Nature
Nature Canada's signature "Women for Nature" initiative raises awareness about the need to connect more Canadians of all ages to nature. The Women for Nature initiative is comprised of women from diverse sectors and backgrounds who come together to champion the importance of nature in the daily lives of all Canadians and to encourage more Canadians to connect with nature. Our founding members include women of influence such as Her Excellency Sharon Johnston, Senator Diane Griffin (Honorary Chair of Women for Nature), Minister Catherine McKenna and Margaret Atwood to name a few. Our members champion efforts to inspire youth and families to spend time in nature, to learn and experience our natural heritage and in doing so, ensure the health and well-being of our Canadian society. It also has a goal of being 150 Women Strong in celebration of Canada's 150th anniversary.
About the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI)
SFI Inc. is a sustainability leader that stands for future forests. We are an independent, non- profit organization that provides supply chain assurances, produces conservation outcomes, and supports education and community engagement. SFI works with the forest sector, brand owners, conservation groups, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous peoples, governments, and universities. SFI standards and on-product labels help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. Additionally, we oversee the SFI Forest Partners Program, which aims to increase supply of certified forest products, the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program, which funds research and community building, and Project Learning Tree, which educates teachers and youth about forests and the environment. SFI Inc. is governed by an independent three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social, and economic sectors equally. SFI believes caring for forests improves everyone's quality of life. Learn more: sfiprogram.org.
SOURCE Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.
Related Links
http://www.sfiprogram.org
PARK CITY, Utah, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NeverBounce, the leading real-time email verification and cleaning service, is pleased to announce its second location and expansion into Park City, Utah in October of this year.
"Opening an office in Utah will allow us to tap into the vibrant culture and emerging opportunities that the tech hub now known as Silicon Slopes provides," said Brad Owen, CEO and Founder of NeverBounce. "As a critical component of our company's success, identifying the right talent is vital to continue offering an unprecedented level of support."
While headquarters will remain in Cleveland, Ohio, the new office location at 1389 Center Drive, Park City, Utah will help to accommodate the company's rapid growth and foster relationships with current and new West Coast customers from one of North America's fastest-growing tech hotbeds.
The Park City location will house NeverBounce's Customer Success team operations. The team is responsible for establishing a trusted advisor relationship with each customer and driving continued value of the company's email verification products and services. Team members work with clients to establish critical personal and organizational goals, key performance indicators, and ensure satisfaction.
"After considering other West Coast options, Park City was a natural fit for NeverBounce," said Rachel Kostura, Head of Customer Success. "The emphasis on healthy living, outdoor recreation, and passion for tech is a winning combination."
The Utah opening is scheduled for October 24. NeverBounce is also currently expanding its corporate headquarters, currently in Beachwood, Ohio.
About NeverBounce
Over 45,000 organizations trust NeverBounce for their real-time email verification and cleaning services. NeverBounce ensures you reach your customers by dramatically increasing the delivery of your emails to the inbox. By removing invalid and outdated email addresses, NeverBounce improves deliverability and helps businesses adhere to strict email provider guidelines. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, a dedicated support team is available to assist with your project. Try NeverBounce now via our online dashboard or API and analyze the health of your email lists free of charge.
Learn more by visiting http://www.NeverBounce.com, following NeverBounce on Twitter, or connecting on Facebook.
For more information on opportunities at NeverBounce, email [email protected].
SOURCE NeverBounce
Related Links
http://www.neverbounce.com
ATLANTA, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The latest study of home insurance trends from LexisNexis Risk Solutions confirms that homeowners in Texas and Colorado suffered the greatest percentage of catastrophic losses due to extreme weather and other peril events in 2016. The good news for insurance carriers is that overall peril loss costs continued to decline, according to the study.
The second annual LexisNexis Home Trends Report identifies key insurance industry trends on a by-peril basis wind, hail, fire, water, theft, liability, and other so that insurance carriers can reduce risk and price policies with more precision. New this year, the data from the Home Trends Report is also available on an interactive website which enables visitors to view trended data on a countrywide and statewide level, sort by peril and explore other key insights.
One of the biggest revelations was that almost half (48 percent) of all catastrophe losses originated in just two states: Texas and Colorado. Hail and wind from thunderstorms rather than extreme weather events like hurricanes were the biggest loss causes. In fact, nationwide hail losses in 2016 reached their highest level since 2011, comprising approximately 20 percent of all peril losses to the tune of $8.4 billion. Some of the most damaging hailstorms Texas has ever experienced hit homeowners in March and April 2016, causing more than $4 billion in damages and breaking records for the state's most expensive storms.
"The report reveals that not all perils are created equally, and that even within a peril category there will be dramatic geographic differences. Every state has its own nuances," said George Hosfield, Senior Director, Home Insurance, LexisNexis Risk Solutions. "Our historical view of how by-peril trends change over time offers carriers new insights with which they assess and price risks more accurately, ultimately edging them closer to profitability which has been difficult to maintain in the Home insurance market. Insurers need data state-by-state and even at more granular levels because location based risk varies greatly from place to place. While this is particularly evident when thinking of cat events like the hurricanes we are seeing in 2017, the same holds true for all perils on both a cat and non-cat basis."
While catastrophe losses accounted for 30 percent of all claims in 2016, the study found that all peril loss cost continue to trend downward. The key reason: the aggregate (all perils combined) frequency remained steady while the aggregate severity declined.
Another important discovery from the study was the positive impact of an El Nino-influenced mild winter on water perils, particularly in Northeastern states. A strong El Nino brought warm, moist air to the Northeast, resulting in a dramatic drop in the frequency, severity and lost costs of water claims, which are driven largely by frozen water and frozen pipe claims.
Other key findings from the LexisNexis Home Trends Report include:
Wind After several decades of decline, in 2016, carriers saw an increase in frequency and loss costs due to wind claims, much of it due to destruction to Southeastern states by Hurricane Matthew in October. Estimates of total property damage were approximately $10 billion1. Tornadoes and thunderstorms also contributed to the claims spike, particularly in the Midwest. Overall, more than 25 percent of claims were due to wind damage the highest since 2013.
Fire Fire perils (which include lightning) decreased in loss cost and frequency in 2016. The greatest contributors to losses by insurers included the Great Smokey Mountain wildfires in Tennessee, which turned out to be one of the largest natural disasters in the state's history with more than $940 million in losses2. Lightning from summer thunderstorms in the Southeast and Midwest also contributed to claims frequency. But while frequency and loss costs are on the decline, a rise in fire severity was disconcerting.
Water (weather-related) As noted, El Nino brought respite to the Northeast in terms of frozen water and frozen pipes claims. Massachusetts, for example, saw $240 million in losses in 2015, but just $29 million in 2016. Florida also saw a decrease in its wind-driven water claims from 2014-2016, but California experienced a severe rainstorm in March 2016 that resulted in a spike in wind-driven rain claims.
For more information, visit the interactive website for the 2017 LexisNexis Home Trends Report.
About LexisNexis Risk Solutions
LexisNexis Risk Solutions is a leader in providing essential information that helps customers across industries and government predict, assess and manage risk. Combining cutting-edge technology, unique data and advanced analytics, LexisNexis Risk Solutions provides products and services that address evolving client needs in the risk sector while upholding the highest standards of security and privacy. LexisNexis Risk is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries.
http://www.lexisnexis.com/risk/
Media Contact:
Regina Haas
LexisNexis Risk Solutions
Phone: +1.678.694.3569
[email protected]
Mollie Holman
Brodeur Partners for LexisNexis Risk Solutions
Phone: +1.646.746.5611
[email protected]
1 "Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, accessed August 15, 2017, https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/events/US/1980-2017.
2 Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance; includes both personal lines and commercial insurance claims.
SOURCE LexisNexis Risk Solutions
Related Links
http://lexisnexis.com
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and AdvaMed today unveiled a new report, "Out of the Valley of Death How Can Entrepreneurs, Corporations, and Investors Reinvigorate Early-Stage Medtech Innovation?" detailing investment challenges facing early-stage medical technology companies and potential solutions to recharge the medtech innovation ecosystem.
Unveiled at The MedTech Conference powered by AdvaMed in San Jose, California, the report found that due to recent declines in investment, early-stage medtech companies have less chance of surviving key development milestones, meaning potentially life-changing innovations may never benefit patients.
"The proportion of VC investment in medtech companies has declined from 13 percent in 1992 to 4 percent in 2016, and this decline has begun to threaten innovation," said Glenn Snyder, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and medical technology practice leader. "Teaming with large medtech companies, alternative funding sources, and tax policy changes could help solve the financing issue currently facing early-stage companies."
The report's findings were based in part on interviews with 23 executives from large medtech companies and startups, venture capital funds and incubators, followed by a roundtable discussion with a similar cross-section of industry experts. The report found that medtech innovation was at a crossroads, challenged by:
The financial downturn in 2008, which reduced venture capital funding, followed by declining returns in medtech.
The push for health care reform, signaled by the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act, which includes a 2.3 percent medical device excise tax.
A cost-constrained health care system, driving mergers and shifting purchase decisions for medical devices from physicians to hospital purchasing committees.
A longer and more difficult path to collect enough data for Food and Drug Administration approval and receive insurance coding, coverage and payment for new devices.
Industry consolidation and risk aversion, with more startup acquisitions occurring after or near successful product commercialization.
Despite these challenges, medtech innovation is strong, fueled by advances in digital health technology. The convergence of digital and medtech is spurring new types of organizations to invest in the sector, including health care providers and consumer technology companies that bring digital, design and marketing prowess to medtech's regulatory knowledge, health care industry experience and credibility with clinicians. Still many entrepreneurs struggle to obtain early-stage financing, especially Series A investments, which declined from 19 to 10 percent of total VC investments in medtech from 2006 to 2016.
Investment by large medtech companies is likely to make the biggest impact in advancing early-stage innovation, but alternative funding sources and tax policy changes could also play a role.
"This report lays out in stark terms the challenges facing not only medtech startups but the entire ecosystem that supports innovation in our industry. But more importantly, it also provides clear and concrete potential solutions to these challenges for entrepreneurs, larger medtech companies and investors so that we can help reverse these troublesome trends and ensure a rich pipeline of future innovation for the benefit of patients and our economy," said Ashley W. Wittorf, executive director, AdvaMed Accel, and global head, investor relations.
At the AdvaMed Medtech Conference, Pedro Arboleda, managing director, Deloitte Consulting LLP, medtech strategy, will moderate a panel titled "Breaking the Mold: Effective Strategies and Partnerships for Fostering MedTech Innovation," Wednesday, Sept. 27, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PT, and will discuss the new report in-depth.
The source for health care insights: The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions (DCHS) is the research division of Deloitte's life sciences and health care practice. The goal of DCHS is to inform stakeholders across the health care system about emerging trends, challenges and opportunities. Using primary research and rigorous analysis, and providing unique perspectives, DCHS seeks to be a trusted source for relevant, timely and reliable insights. To learn more about the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and our research, please visit www.deloitte.com/centerforhealthsolutions.
About AdvaMed
AdvaMed member companies produce the medical devices, diagnostic products and health information systems that are transforming health care through earlier disease detection, less invasive procedures and more effective treatments. AdvaMed members range from the largest to the smallest medical technology innovators and companies. For more information, visit www.advamed.org.
About AdvaMed Accel
AdvaMed Accel is the division within AdvaMed dedicated to addressing the unique needs and challenges of smaller medical device and diagnostics manufacturers the lifeblood of the medical technology industry. The only organization of its kind focusing specifically on the needs of the medtech industry's emerging growth companies, AdvaMed Accel works to create a policy environment more conducive to capital formation and innovation. For more information, visit www.advamedaccel.org.
About Deloitte
Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including 80 percent of the Fortune 500 and more than 6,000 private and middle market companies. Our people work across more than 20 industry sectors to deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to make their most challenging business decisions with confidence, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthy society.
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ("DTTL"), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the "Deloitte" name in the United States and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.
SOURCE Deloitte Center for Health Solutions
CHICAGO, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Path to Purchase Institute, in partnership with the Network of Executive Women (NEW), proudly announced the winners for its 2017 Women of Excellence Awards. Among the award recipients, CPG and retail industry thought-leader and start-up founder Nicky Jackson was honored by winning in the Innovation category.
Nicky Jackson, Founder & CEO of RangeMe, the online platform that streamlines new product discovery between suppliers and retailers.
"It's an absolute honor to receive this award," said Jackson. "Each of the women nominated have shown amazing creativity and perseverance, and I'm proud to be counted among them. Women are making enormous strides in technology, innovating and disrupting the CPG industry for the better. Recognizing that is essential to continued exploration and development."
Women are leading an innovation revolution in CPG and retail as female entrepreneurs and c-suite executives are leveraging their savvy to further development that will meet consumer, buyer and retailer needs. At this year's Path to Purchase Institute in Chicago, 12 women were honored for their dedication and commitment. A community of CPG marketers, retailers, and industry professionals, Path to Purchase Institute is a leading source of information and education on strategies and career growth in the CPG world.
"It's an honor to recognize the innovative contributions that are helping define the new ways to do business," say Mike McMahan, President and Executive Director, The Path to Purchase Institute. "Innovation is the life blood of growth and relevance in our industry, and brilliance ingenuity and perseverance are enhanced through diversity."
In 2015, Jackson brought RangeMe to the United States from Australia, disrupting the way buyers source new products in the CPG industry. RangeMe has since changed the way retailers and product suppliers do business and is now the leading online platform that streamlines new product discovery for the industry. The award-winning platform empowers retail buyers with an efficient way to source innovative new products and manage the inbound product submission process. For product suppliers and manufacturers, RangeMe gives increased control over the marketing of their products and greater access to retail buyers. The online marketplace has grown to over 80,000 product suppliers along with major retailer partners that include Target, Whole Foods Market, Rite Aid, Albertsons Companies, Sephora and Petco.
"I know that I, and my fellow awardees and nominees, will uphold the Women of Excellence title long after the year ends," Jackson says. "The CPG industry is ripe for more women to share their perspectives, experience and ideas. We are leading the way into a new era of growth and success."
For more information regarding the 2017 Women of Excellence Award Winners visit https://p2pi.org/article/women-excellence-2017.
About RangeMe
RangeMe is the leading online platform that streamlines new product discovery between suppliers and retailers. The platform empowers retail buyers with an efficient way to discover innovative new products and manage the inbound product submission process. For product suppliers and manufacturers, RangeMe gives increased control over the marketing of their products and greater access to retail buyers.
Press Contact:
Dan Dyer
Tier 1 Public Relations
For: RangeMe
Phone: 513-478-7818
E-mail
SOURCE RangeMe
The annual Tech Impact Awards recognize Washington State companies that make a positive impact on business, industry or society through technology. Today, thousands of enterprise organizations turn to the Nintex Workflow Platform to automate, analyze and optimize business processes with clicks not code, both in the cloud and on premise. The powerful platform has been strategically designed to be easy enough to be used by information workers while being trusted by IT departments around the world.
"The entire Nintex team is dedicated to delivering workflow, document generation and modern forms capabilities that helps everyone work better," says Nintex CEO John Burton. "We're honored to receive local recognition from the Seattle Business Magazine for the growing impact our technology has on businesses here and around the globe. While we have over 7,000 enterprise customers in 90 countries across the world, it's particularly gratifying to be recognized in our headquarters home town."
The Nintex Workflow Platform brings important process automation and process intelligence capabilities together to help enterprise organizations drive better and faster business outcomes. Key features of the platform include:
Workflow Automation easily digitize and streamline important business processes inside and outside organizations with an intuitively designed drag-and-drop workflow design canvas using clicks not code.
easily digitize and streamline important business processes inside and outside organizations with an intuitively designed drag-and-drop workflow design canvas using clicks not code. Document Generation save time by efficiently merging data from any system of record into any common document format by quickly automating and standardizing the production of dynamic, data-driven documents with easy-to-use tools.
save time by efficiently merging data from any system of record into any common document format by quickly automating and standardizing the production of dynamic, data-driven documents with easy-to-use tools. Modern Forms easily build and design dynamic branded forms once and capture critical information; forms render elegantly on any device to ensure a consistent end-user experience and work online and offline.
easily build and design dynamic branded forms once and capture critical information; forms render elegantly on any device to ensure a consistent end-user experience and work online and offline. Process Intelligence move beyond process automation to process optimization with an enterprise-grade workflow analytics service, Nintex Hawkeye, that gives businesses unprecedented access to intelligence about automated business processes; pre-built and customizable dashboards (lenses) offer users a clear view of where assets are located, with the new Inventory Lens, that give them the ability to derive actionable insights to drive greater business efficiencies.
Earlier this year the Nintex Workflow Platform was named Best Workflow Tool of 2017 by Editors at Redmond Channel Partner, and this month Nintex Workflow Cloud was awarded a 2017 Golden Bridge Award in the Best Product, Services, Innovation of the Year category.
To start a free trial of the Nintex Workflow Platform, visit www.Nintex.com/get-started.
Media Contact
Kristin Treat
Nintex Public Relations
[email protected]
Cell: (215) 317-9091
About Nintex
Nintex is the recognized global leader in workflow and content automation (WCA) with more than 7,000 enterprise clients and 1,700 partners in 90 countries who have built and published millions of workflow applications. With its unmatched breadth of capability and platform support delivered by unique architectural capabilities, Nintex empowers the line of business and IT departments to quickly automate hundreds of manual processes to progress on the journey to digital transformation. Nintex Workflow Cloud, the company's cloud platform, connects with all content repositories, systems of record, and people to consistently fuel successful business outcomes. Visit www.nintex.com to learn more.
Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Nintex
Related Links
http://www.nintex.com
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On September 28, 2017, a candlelight vigil will be held to acknowledge the suffering of the 60,000 baby chickens tortured and killed in the streets of New York City every year during the ritual of Kaporos. Five-week old chickens are stacked in transport crates on city streets, often for days leading up to the ritual, without food, water, or protection from the weather. During the ritual, they are yanked from the crates and swung cruelly and painfully by their wings while practitioners chant about transferring their sins and punishment symbolically onto the birds, who are then slaughtered. Many are cruelly left on the street, while still alive, writhing and crying in pain.
Most people who practice Kaporos swing a sack of money and donate the money to charity. While practitioners claim the chickens' flesh is donated to "the poor," it is well-documented that the majority of the birds go directly into garbage bags and landfills.
"Using chickens not only violates 15 laws and regulations including public health codes, sanitation laws, child labor laws, slaughterhouse regulations, and animal cruelty laws, but also several mandates and imperatives from the Torah and Talmud," said Rina Deych, RN, and Founding Member of the Alliance. This use of chickens has been condemned as unethical and contrary to the spirit of Jewish tradition by dozens of orthodox rabbis all over the world. It has been deemed a health hazard by a well-respected toxicologist for putting New York residents and visitors at risk of contracting E. coli, Salmonella, and other transmittable diseases.
WHO: Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos, Animal Cruelty Exposure Fund, Their Turn, NYCLASS, Long Island Orchestrating for Nature, New York Farm Animal Save, New York Animal Defenders, NYC residents.
WHEN: September 28th, 2017, 7:30pm-8:15pm. The vigil will begin moving at about 8:15pm.
WHERE: 48th Street and 14th Avenue in Borough Park, Brooklyn.
WHY: To urge practitioners to use money instead of chickens and demand that the NYPD enforce the 15 laws being broken by Kaporos practitioners.
The Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos is a project of United Poultry Concerns. Formed in New York City in June 2010, the Alliance is an association of groups and individuals who seek to replace the use of chickens in Kaporos ceremonies with money or other non-animal symbols of atonement. The Alliance does not oppose Kaporos per se, only the cruel and unnecessary use of chickens in the ceremony.
SOURCE Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos
Related Links
http://endchickensaskaporos.com
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Occidental College today announced the launch of its Barack Obama Scholars Program to empower exceptional students committed to the public good as it honors and perpetuates the principles President Barack Obama has advanced throughout his life.
"My years at Occidental College sparked my interest in social and political causes, and filled me with the idea that my voice could make a difference," said President Obama, a member of the Occidental College Class of 1983. "And throughout my time in public service, I've tried to use my voice to bring people together, in common effort, around the idea that we could give every young person in America the chance that America gave me.
"That's why I'm so humbled by the Barack Obama Scholars Program at Oxy, and proud of its mission to identify promising young people from all backgroundswith an emphasis on first-generation students, our veterans, and community college transfersnot only to give them access to higher education, but to train the next generation of leaders and active citizens, and fill them with the conviction that they too can change the world."
Beginning in fall 2018, supported by donors who share the Occidental-Obama vision, Occidental will endow two scholarships and thereafter ramp up to 20 scholarships for a select group of students, providing a singular liberal arts education designed to equip them to bring about meaningful change in the world. Prior to today's public launch, Oxy raised $7 million from a wide range of generous supporters drawn from alumni and friends of the College, including Susan DiMarco and Jeh Johnson, Glenn and Jane Hickerson, Leif and Aileen Isaksen, Ann and Bruce Blume, and Janice Gonzales.
The program represents Occidental's investment in students who aspire to become change agents but lack the opportunity to fully realize their goals, and continues the legacy of leadership embodied by the institution's most famous alumnus. Each Obama Scholar will be awarded a four-year scholarship, providing loan-free funding for the entire cost of an Occidental education, in addition to summer enrichment programs.
"We are delighted to have President Obama's support for a program that has such potential to have a far-reaching impact in the public sphere," said Occidental College President Jonathan Veitch. "Occidental will prepare its Obama Scholars to become agents of change in keeping with the spirit and legacy of President Obama's historic presidency."
The Obama Scholars Program will recruit students from all backgroundswith an emphasis on first-generation students, veterans, and community college transfersand provide them with complete support, including tuition, room and board, and summer travel programs. Scholars also will have access to mentoring from Occidental faculty and the program's advisory council, which includes prominent alumni, former administration officials and some of President Obama's friends.
Advisory council members include former national director of training for President Obama's 2012 reelection campaign Sara El-Amine (Occidental Class of 2007); Ambassador Vinai Thummalapally; former Under Secretary of Education and Occidental President Emeritus Ted Mitchell; Ambassador Denise Campbell Bauer (Occidental Class of 1986); former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson (parent of a recent Occidental graduate); former White House Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Fred DuVal (Occidental Class of 1976); international transit consultant and former New York City transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan (Occidental Class of 1982); and president of Southern California Public Radio Bill Davis (Occidental Class of 1980).
"There is no better inspiration in the world today than Barack Obama, and this program seeks to build upon his legacy that began at Occidental College," said Obama Scholars Advisory Council member Jeh Johnson. "The Barack Obama Scholars Program will unleash a continuous flow of change agents eager to engage in issues that strongly and positively affect the advancement of our modern society and unite our country."
Obama Scholars will have the opportunity to take full advantage of Occidental's wide range of academic programs, hands-on experiences such as working at United Nations-related organizations in New York or on a major political campaign, full access to summer internships, support in conducting research projects and study abroad.
For more information on the Barack Obama Scholars Program at Occidental College, please visit obamascholars.oxy.edu.
ABOUT OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE:
Founded in 1887, Occidental College is a nationally recognized, private college of the liberal arts and sciencesone of the few located in a major city. The distinctive interdisciplinary focus of the College's academic program seeks to foster both the fulfillment of individual goals and a deeply rooted commitment to the public good. Anchored by the cornerstones of its missionexcellence, equity, community, and serviceOccidental also is one of the country's most economically diverse campuses, according to the New York Times.
SOURCE Occidental College
Related Links
www.oxy.edu
STOP. THINK. CONNECT. , the global online safety education and awareness campaign, is the cornerstone of this monthlong program to educate all consumers and businesses about the importance of cybersecurity and protecting personal information. STOP. THINK. CONNECT. was co-founded in 2010 by NCSA and the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), and DHS leads the federal engagement in the campaign. STOP. THINK. CONNECT. is based on simple, actionable advice that anyone can follow by taking security precautions, thinking about the consequences of their actions online and enjoying the benefits of the internet. Check out this CSAM infographic for core STOP. THINK. CONNECT. tips you can use this October and year-round. The campaign has more than 700 partners globally.
"Each day, our world becomes increasingly connected. It is critically important for all digital citizens, governments and the private sector to work together to promote a safer, more secure and more trusted internet," said Michael Kaiser, NCSA's executive director. "NCSA is excited to partner with organizations around the world to foster a culture of cybersecurity through collaborative efforts that provide global citizens the information they need to be safe and more secure now and in the future, as technology continues to evolve and advance."
A Global Launch for CSAM
This year and for the first time ever CSAM will kick off with a global launch at the Organization of American States' (OAS') headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 3. This event will highlight CSAM's international adoption, including how to keep all global digital citizens safer and more secure online and how governments and the private sector can collaborate in their online safety efforts, and look ahead to the benefits of a globally secure internet. Speakers include representatives from NCSA, DHS, OAS, ADP, Amazon, AT&T, Cisco, RSA the Security Division of EMC, Utah Valley University, the World Economic Forum and the governments of the United States, Colombia, Spain, Uruguay and Mexico. The day's events will be translated into multiple languages and streamed live online so that digital citizens everywhere can join the conversation. Parallel to launch there will be daylong activities on Twitter using the hashtag #CyberAware and interviews with expert speakers on Facebook.
International Collaboration Highlights
Here is a snapshot of CSAM partners' commitment to internet safety worldwide:
DHS
DHS understands that cyberspace threats do not operate within countries' boundaries. DHS considers international coordination and cooperation priorities and interfaces with international organizations and governments every day. Raising cyber resiliency and improving online safety for digital citizens around the globe are some of the ways DHS collaborates internationally. DHS has a robust toolkit of tips and guidance for a wide range of audiences, which is available for internet users around the world to download.
European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA)
"This is the fifth year in which ENISA is partnering with the Commission and the member states in carrying out European Cyber Security Month (ECSM) which brings together experts across the European Union to generate awareness of cybersecurity challenges for everyday internet users. We are proud to work with our international partners and remind everybody of the importance of cyber hygiene, that cybersecurity is a shared global responsibility, and that all internet users should STOP. THINK. CONNECT.," said ENISA's executive director, Prof. Udo Helmbrecht. More than 300 activities to promote safety online such as conferences, workshops, training sessions, summits, general presentations to users and online campaigns will take place throughout Europe during ECSM. The 2017 ECSM campaign will focus on cybersecurity in the workplace, governance, privacy and data protection, cybersecurity in the home, and skills in cybersecurity. ENISA's launch event will take place at Tallinn University of Technology on Sept. 29.
OAS
OAS firmly considers that access to security online is now a fundamental part of security as a whole and, as such, it is a right that should be recognized and provided to all citizens, especially to the most vulnerable, including people living with disabilities or in remote or economically challenged areas. The OAS and its Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) are therefore encouraging all member states to join in the global celebration of CSAM this October. As the main political forum in the Western Hemisphere, which includes all 35 independent countries in the Americas, this year's CSAM is based on the core theme, "The internet is a shared resource, and securing it is a shared responsibility" particularly in line with the OAS multilateral approach of working together to find solutions to common or shared issues. For this purpose, the CICTE Secretariat will be organizing a number of different awareness-raising events in September and October, such as the Cybersecurity Symposium for the Americas Region (Uruguay, Sept. 26-29); Global Launch of CSAM (United States, Oct. 3); Cybersecurity Leadership & Strategy Executive Certificate Program (United States, Oct. 17-18); and the Cybersecurity Symposium Filling the Demand in Field of Cybersecurity (United States, Oct. 24).
U.S. Department of State
The President of the United States recognizes that cybersecurity is critical to global security. All nations have a responsibility to protect their own networks and information infrastructure and ensure their networks and systems are secure, reliable and resilient. The State Department is leading the U.S. government's global efforts to promote an open, interoperable, secure and reliable information and communications infrastructure. This infrastructure supports international trade and commerce, strengthens international security and fosters free expression and innovation. We continue to expand our worldwide effort to promote good cybersecurity awareness and due diligence practices using #CyberAware. Many international partners join our efforts to promote CSAM, including the European Union (EU), ENISA, OAS, the African Union (AU) and the economies that participate in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Telecommunications and Information Working Group (APEC-TEL). The recognition of October as CSAM is truly global. The U.S. State Department's goal is to complement all efforts that promote cybersecurity awareness. Stay #CyberAware and join the global movement.
Be a Part of Something Big: Become a NCSAM Champion
One way you and/or your organization can participate in NCSAM is by becoming a NCSAM Champion. Champions represent those dedicated to promoting a safer, more secure and more trusted internet. Becoming a Champion is easy and does not require any financial support. There are already more than 600 organizations and more than 300 individuals signed up to support the month. Champions receive a toolkit of online safety awareness and education materials they can use to support the month, and updates leading up to and throughout October on resources, upcoming events and ways to get involved.
Join the internationally recognized character Garfield a NCSAM Champion and an icon for protecting children online in supporting online safety awareness this October. Introduced last fall by the Center for Cyber Safety and Education (the Center) and legendary cartoonist Jim Davis, Garfield's Cyber Safety Adventures include cartoons, comic books, posters, trading cards and stickers that show Garfield and friends tackling different cyber safety issues. In honor of NCSAM and National Bullying Prevention Month, the Garfield team and the Center just released Lesson 3: Be Kind Online, which shows children the consequences of cyberbullying. "Garfield has had to adapt to the digital age," says Davis. "We've seen firsthand the problems kids face and hope that Garfield helps them realize they can have fun while learning to make smart choices online."
Upcoming NCSAM Events
In addition to the global launch of CSAM on Oct. 3, NCSA and partners will host a number of events across the country leading up to and throughout NCSAM. Noteworthy upcoming events and initiatives include:
#ChatSTC Twitter Chat: A Global Kickoff to CSAM, Tuesday, Oct. 3 , 11:00-11:30 a.m. EDT / 8:00-8:30 a.m. PDT , Virtual/Online : Join NCSA and partners for a pre-event Twitter chat live from the OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C. , to kick off the global launch of CSAM and discuss key topics and issues that will be highlighted. Participants will then be invited to tune in to the daylong activities online through the event livestream. Use #ChatSTC to join!
Join NCSA and partners for a pre-event Twitter chat live from the OAS headquarters in , to kick off the global launch of CSAM and discuss key topics and issues that will be highlighted. Participants will then be invited to tune in to the daylong activities online through the event livestream. Use #ChatSTC to join! #ChatSTC Twitter Chat: STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Simple Steps to Online Safety, Thursday, Oct. 5 , 3:00-4:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00-1:00 p.m. PDT , Virtual/Online : Staying safe and secure online is our shared responsibility, and it's critical for any internet user to continually learn about and consistently practice good cybersecurity habits. This Twitter chat coinciding with Week 1 of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2017 will address the top consumer cybersecurity concerns, provide simple steps to protect against these threats and teach you what to do if you fall victim to cybercrime. Use #ChatSTC to join!
: Staying safe and secure online is our shared responsibility, and it's critical for any internet user to continually learn about and consistently practice good cybersecurity habits. This Twitter chat coinciding with Week 1 of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2017 will address the top consumer cybersecurity concerns, provide simple steps to protect against these threats and teach you what to do if you fall victim to cybercrime. Use #ChatSTC to join! 2017 Baltimore Cyber Summit , Saturday, Oct. 7 , 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. (EDT) , Mount Pleasant Church and Ministries Grand Fellowship Hall, 6000 Radecke Avenue, Baltimore, MD : The 2017 Baltimore Cyber Summit is a free cyber summit for the community. A diverse group of cyber experts will be there to share their vast knowledge and experience to help you and inform and even inspire the next generation to pursue cyber careers.
: The 2017 Baltimore Cyber Summit is a free cyber summit for the community. A diverse group of cyber experts will be there to share their vast knowledge and experience to help you and inform and even inspire the next generation to pursue cyber careers. Insights on Cybersecurity for Electric Utilities, Tuesday, Oct. 10 , 8:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m. (EDT) , National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), 4301 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA : This event hosted by the NRECA in collaboration with NCSA and DHS will highlight expert commentary on what is being done in cybersecurity by the electric sector to help ensure affordable, reliable and resilient electricity for the nation.
: This event hosted by the NRECA in collaboration with NCSA and DHS will highlight expert commentary on what is being done in cybersecurity by the electric sector to help ensure affordable, reliable and resilient electricity for the nation. #ChatSTC Twitter Chat: Cybersecurity in the Workplace Is Everyone's Business, Thursday, Oct. 12 , 3:00-4:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00-1:00 p.m. PDT , Virtual/Online : Whatever your place of business, creating a culture of cybersecurity is an essential shared responsibility among leadership and all employees. Every organization needs a plan for employee education, training and awareness that emphasizes risk management, resistance and resilience. This Twitter chat will showcase how all businesses can protect themselves, their employees and their customers against the most common cyber threats and strengthen their cyber resilience. Use #ChatSTC to join!
: Whatever your place of business, creating a culture of cybersecurity is an essential shared responsibility among leadership and all employees. Every organization needs a plan for employee education, training and awareness that emphasizes risk management, resistance and resilience. This Twitter chat will showcase how all businesses can protect themselves, their employees and their customers against the most common cyber threats and strengthen their cyber resilience. Use #ChatSTC to join! Future of Authentication Policy Forum , Friday, Oct. 13 , 10:00 a.m. 2:30 p.m. (EDT) , Civiletti Conference Center Venable LLP, 600 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. : The FIDO Alliance, NCSA and the Electronic Transactions Association are pleased to host this Future of Authentication Policy Forum to discuss the critical importance of strong, multi-factor authentication.
The FIDO Alliance, NCSA and the Electronic Transactions Association are pleased to host this Future of Authentication Policy Forum to discuss the critical importance of strong, multi-factor authentication. DC CyberWeek , Monday, Oct. 16 Friday, Oct. 20 , Washington, D.C. (multiple locations) : DC CyberWeek is a weeklong SXSW-style festival in our nation's capital bringing together leaders, experts and decision makers from the gov and tech communities. The festival features dozens of community events complemented by core conferences and parties created by the festival organizer, CyberScoop. DC CyberWeek is about big ideas and coming together to make an impact on the greater good of our connected world.
DC CyberWeek is a weeklong SXSW-style festival in our nation's capital bringing together leaders, experts and decision makers from the gov and tech communities. The festival features dozens of community events complemented by core conferences and parties created by the festival organizer, CyberScoop. DC CyberWeek is about big ideas and coming together to make an impact on the greater good of our connected world. Cybersecurity Leadership & Strategy Executive Certificate Program , Tuesday, Oct. 17 Wednesday, Oct. 18, Miami, FL : Co-organized by the OAS and Florida International University (FIU), this initiative is a two-day advanced certificate program that engages academics, industry leaders and security professionals as they assess the most critical cyber threats. By attending this program, participants will learn effective approaches to implementing strategies and best practices regarding organizational structures, processes and legal considerations. Upon completion of the program, each participant will earn a certificate in cybersecurity leadership strategy from FIU.
Learn more about upcoming NCSAM events (and submit your own events to NCSA's events calendar) at staysafeonline.org.
All month long in the U.S., you can follow the NCSAM conversation on social media using the hashtag #CyberAware (and tag your own posts with #CyberAware, too!). Additionally, @STOPTHNKCONNECT will host weekly Twitter chats in support of NCSAM to discuss different topics and trends in cybersecurity. Tune in Oct. 3 at 11:00 a.m. EDT/8:00 a.m. EDT; Oct. 5, 12, 19 and 26; and Nov. 1 at 3 p.m. EDT/noon PDT to join the conversation, and visit the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. website for the full chat schedule. NCSA has created sample social media posts, infographics, posters, memes and more that you can download and share, and encourages organizations and individuals to show their support for NCSAM and get the latest resources by registering as NCSAM Champions. Finally, check out the Stay Safe Online blog for NCSAM posts from NCSA and partners during the month of October.
About National Cyber Security Awareness Month
National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) was created as a collaborative effort between government and industry to ensure every American has the resources they need to stay safer and more secure online. Now in its 14th year, NCSAM was co-founded and is co-led by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance, the nation's leading nonprofit public-private partnership promoting the safe and secure use of the internet and digital privacy. Recognized annually in October, NCSAM involves the participation of a multitude of industry leaders mobilizing individuals, small and medium-sized businesses, nonprofits, academia, multinational corporations and governments. Encouraging digital citizens around the globe to STOP. THINK. CONNECT., NCSAM is harnessing the collective impact of its programs and resources to increase awareness about today's ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape. Visit the NCSA media room for more information and resources.
About the National Cyber Security Alliance
The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) is the nation's leading nonprofit, public-private partnership promoting cybersecurity and privacy education and awareness. NCSA works with a broad array of stakeholders in government, industry and civil society. NCSA's primary partners are the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and NCSA's Board of Directors, which includes representatives from ADP; Aetna; AT&T Services Inc.; Bank of America; Barclays; CDK Global, LLC; Cisco; Comcast Corporation; ESET North America; Google; Facebook; LifeLock, Inc.; Logical Operations; NXP Semiconductors; RSA, the Security Division of EMC; Symantec Corporation; Intel Corporation; MasterCard; Microsoft Corporation; PayPal; Raytheon; PKWARE; Salesforce; SANS Institute; TeleSign; Visa and Wells Fargo. NCSA's core efforts include National Cyber Security Awareness Month (October); Data Privacy Day (Jan. 28) and STOP. THINK. CONNECT., the global online safety awareness and education campaign co-founded by NCSA and the Anti-Phishing Working Group, with federal government leadership from DHS. For more information on NCSA, please visit staysafeonline.org/about.
About STOP. THINK. CONNECT.
STOP. THINK. CONNECT. is the global cybersecurity education and awareness campaign. The campaign was created by an unprecedented coalition of private companies, nonprofits and government organizations with leadership provided by NCSA and the Anti-Phishing Working Group. DHS leads the federal engagement in the campaign. Learn how to get involved at stopthinkconnect.org.
SOURCE National Cyber Security Alliance
Related Links
http://www.staysafeonline.org
PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Onkos Surgical, Inc., a specialty medtech company dedicated to advancing innovation for the surgical oncology market announced today that it will launch a new service platform focused on preoperative surgical planning called Precision Oncology. The company will showcase the new platform at the upcoming Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) held in Denver, Colorado.
"Onkos Surgical was founded to deliver meaningful innovation in the surgical oncology space. We recognize that musculoskeletal oncology is a challenging field as every patient is different, and these differences require a level of precision in surgical planning that delivers the type of personalization that every patient deserves," said Patrick Treacy, CEO and Co-founder. "In a short period of time, we have made significant investments to advance Onkos' surgical planning capabilities to enhance the surgeon experience in managing these complex cases."
"The heart of the Onkos Precision Oncology platform is uDesign Patient Solutions, a concierge level service that allows surgeons to create a surgical plan tailored to the specific needs of their patient. uDesign allows our Patient Solution Engineers to partner with surgeons to bring their detailed surgical plans to life," said Sean Curry, SVP of Commercial Operations. "The result is a level of pre-and intra-operative precision that reduces the number of surgical trays and other instrumentation required in the OR. We are creating a customer experience that simplifies and enhances the surgical planning algorithm."
Mr. Treacy added, "Our recent series B funding gives Onkos the opportunity to accelerate the execution of our innovation strategy. Based on the unique clinical challenges musculoskeletal surgeons and their patients face routinely, our company is developing technologies to address infection, aseptic loosening and soft tissue management. We will continue to expand our Precision Oncology offering to leverage our differentiated surgical planning platform, innovative 3D printed surgical solutions, and capitalize on our recent investments in a proprietary surface treatment technology. The combination of these assets enables Onkos to deliver a best in class product and service portfolio to address the unmet clinical challenges of our customers."
Steven Gitelis, MD, Onkos Surgical Medical Director and Endowed Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Director, Section of Orthopedic Oncology at Rush University Medical Center said, "Onkos Surgical is committed to solving the complex problems that my colleagues and I face daily. The Precision Oncology approach will provide surgeons with a new and differentiated way of planning their cases."
About Onkos Surgical
Based in Parsippany, NJ., Onkos Surgical is a privately held surgical oncology company founded in 2015. Onkos Surgical believes surgical oncology deserves attention, focus and innovation. Through dedication and strategic partnerships, Onkos Surgical will advance surgical oncology solutions and advocate for and support the surgeons and caregivers that dedicate their lives to the surgical treatment of cancer.
For more information, visit www.onkossurgical.com
Media contacts:
Sean Curry
Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations
[email protected]
(973) 264-5411
SOURCE Onkos Surgical
Related Links
http://www.onkossurgical.com
BAODING, China, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Orient Paper, Inc. (NYSE MKT: ONP) ("Orient Paper" or the "Company"), a leading manufacturer and distributor of diversified paper products in North China, today announced that the Company postponed the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders ("Annual Meeting") that was originally scheduled to be held on September 25, 2017, at 10:00 AM local time in Wei County, China, due to a lack of the requisite quorum. The Company will announce a new date for the Annual Meeting in the near future.
About Orient Paper, Inc.
Orient Paper, Inc. ("Orient Paper") is a leading paper manufacturer in North China. Using recycled paper as its primary raw material (with the exception of its digital paper and tissue paper products), Orient Paper produces and distributes three categories of paper products: corrugating medium paper, offset printing paper and tissue paper products.
With production based in Baoding and Xingtai in North China's Hebei Province, Orient Paper is located strategically close to the Beijing and Tianjin region, home to a growing base of industrial and manufacturing activities and one of the largest markets for paper products consumption in the country.
Orient Paper's production facilities are controlled and operated by its wholly owned subsidiary Shengde Holdings Inc., which in turn controls and operates Baoding Shengde Paper Co., Ltd., and Hebei Baoding Orient Paper Milling Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1996, Orient Paper has been listed on the NYSE MKT under the ticker symbol "ONP" since December 2009. (For more information, please visit http://www.orientpaperinc.com)
Safe Harbor Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated, including risks outlined in the Company's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's latest annual report on Form 10-K. All information provided in this press release speaks as of the date hereof. Except as otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements.
For more information, please contact:
Company Contact:
Orient Paper, Inc.
Email: [email protected]
Investor Relations:
Tony Tian, CFA
Weitian Group LLC
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1-732-910-9692
SOURCE Orient Paper, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.orientpaperinc.com
DALLAS, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time since 2014, Church's Chicken has added a new member to its prestigious Hall of Fame. As part of a gala awards ceremony at the company's annual Excellence in Leadership Conference, Church's CEO, Joe Christina, welcomed Terry White as the fourth member of the Hall of Fame one of the highest honors the brand bestows on individuals.
"The Church's Chicken Hall of Fame recognizes individuals that have made long-lasting and impactful contributions to the growth and stability of our great brand around the world," Christina said during the presentation. "This award exemplifies the highest standard of commitment to the brand, its ideals, and its values."
Christina introduced Terry White, franchisee of 37 years and counting, and now, newest member of the Hall of Fame. White began his career with Church's in the early 1970s in Alabama, where he dedicated himself to every day excellence and meeting the standards of the brand's Step 13 program. By May 5, 1980, he earned the distinction of Master Merchant a top honor recognized with a Golden Key to the restaurant, White's first, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. White acquired additional restaurants throughout the state and made each one a successful turnaround story by achieving double-digit sales improvements and adhering to core brand principles such as Friendly Team Members, Quality, Service, and Cleanliness. He now operates 15 Church's restaurants throughout Alabama and Mississippi. During the presentation, White was honored with a video salute of his business and personal successes as a respected restaurant owner, family man, and community leader. "Terry is the nicest guy you'd ever meet and has an energy that radiates warmth and hospitality," Christina continued. "He has spent his career focused on taking care of those around him his managers, team members, and guests are all very important to him his family is his #1 priority and they are an essential part of the business. I am honored to announce [Terry White] as our 2017 Church's Chicken Hall of Fame Inductee."
"I am honored to receive this award and to be where I am with Church's today," said Terry White, Franchisee of Church's Chicken. "I have always enjoyed working hard and being proud of what I have been able to accomplish and I owe that to my team members, family and my Church's Chicken family."
Terry White joins other Hall of Fame members: George Church, Sr. the Founder of Church's Chicken; Francisco Gerardo Larrea franchisee from Puerto Rico; and Bob French former Church's Chicken Regional Franchise Director. Church's places great value in recognizing those that have paved the way to forming an iconic brand, 65 years in the making. The honor is not awarded on a regular schedule, but is instead only presented to those who have gone above and beyond in service of the brand and their communities.
For more on Church's Hall of Fame inductee, Terry White, visit https://goo.gl/BbLLSB.
About Church's Chicken
Founded in San Antonio, TX in 1952 by George W. Church, Church's Chicken, along with its sister brand
Texas Chicken outside of the Americas, is one of the largest quick service chicken restaurant chains in the world. The brands specialize in Original and Spicy Chicken freshly prepared throughout the day in small batches that are hand-battered and double-breaded, Tender Strips, honey-butter biscuits made from scratch and freshly baked, and classic, home-style sides all for a great value. Church's Chicken and Texas Chicken have more than 1,500 locations in 27 countries and global markets and system-wide sales of more than $1 billion. For more information, visit www.churchs.com. Follow Church's on Facebook at www.facebook.com/churchschicken and Twitter at www.twitter.com/churchschicken.
Contact: Peyton Sadler
866.571.3449
[email protected]
SOURCE Church's Chicken
Related Links
http://www.churchs.com
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With an annual customer service budget of $6 billion, one of the telecom giants fields about 100,000 customer phone calls per day and its live agents are stuck resolving 20 percent of their inbound inquiries with the tedium of having to instruct consumers to turn on and off their router. But what if those assistants' time could be better spent, thanks to a conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) interface, a.k.a. a chatbot, that saves the company $600 million per year?
Passage.AI, which today announced it is coming out of stealth, offers an AI-driven conversational interface solution that can help companies slash expenses by enabling anyone to create a highly versatile AI chatbot, without writing a line of code. The company is also announcing that they have secured $3 million in seed funding to date from a group led by Engineering Capital, Storm Ventures, Seabed VC, Milliways Ventures, Array VC, Gunderson Dettmer, NeoTribe Ventures, Eleven Two Capital and individual angel investors.
Conversational interfaces are increasingly becoming the norm in aiding customers to do everything from ordering cowboy boots to tracking loyalty rewards to filling out a form by answering questions via text or voice on Alexa. The cost savings tied to their widespread adoption is projected to reach $38 billion annually.
Now, Passage.AI is building on the opportunity with the launch of a solution that has:
a bot-building tool, with no AI coding required, that utilizes AI and NLP (natural language processing) technologies and can be deployed anywhere in as little as two weeks
has the kind of depth that enables it to more readily understand a user, regardless of how the users express themselves
uses one of the most sophisticated deep-learning models long short-term memory that bring the same sort of AI "horsepower" to an NLP interface associated with self-driving cars and package-delivering drones
"Passage.AI is revolutionizing how companies can leverage natural language understanding and processing to answer their customers questions, or for most any interaction," said Venky Harinarayan, co-founder of Milliways Ventures and Rocketship.VC. "Their advanced AI-driven conversational interface platform is already resulting in happier customers, and we are projecting that this will amount to a tremendous cost savings for enterprises and a better experience for their end-customers."
Passage.AI uses the latest deep learning technologies to build an NLP engine that includes conversational AI building blocks. These blocks understand natural language text and speech, creating an intelligent conversational interface capable of better identifying intents, of extracting the most useful, pertinent and timely information, of understanding and responding to queries, of searching through vast amounts of data, and of creating an intelligent conversational interface.
Passage.AI's technology is deployed today by major enterprises, including Kohl's department stores and educational organizations such as Udacity, to better service, engage and retain their customers. The companies have already realized many benefits, including reduced costs, improved customer engagement, and the delivery of superior customer service.
"Passage AI offers an outstanding conversational interface that we evaluated in our global chatbot scouting this year. Their NLP/NLU capabilities are very sophisticated and ready to interface with all the major messaging platforms. Definitely a very mature and well designed solution," Jorge Davila-Chacon, CTO of Heldenkombinat GmbH (Germany). Heldenkombinat delivers advice, skills and business opportunities in all machine learning playing fields to its customers in Europe.
Led by WalmartLabs alumni Madhu Mathihalli and Ravi Raj and LinkedIn alumnus Mitul Tiwari, Passage.AI is ushering in an easier way for anyone to enter the conversational AI market at a time when many companies create chatbots for applications, ranging from helping patients manage their mental health to simply getting a weather forecast. As consumers expect instant satisfaction with their customer experiences and a readiness to voice their displeasure over social media they increase the pressure on businesses to effectively and correctly answer customer queries.
"Today's consumers expect instant, seamless and positive experiences with companies they choose to do business with," said Ravi N. Raj, CEO and founder of Passage.AI. "Our conversational AI platform delivers superior results, while helping improve customer retention and loyalty. The best part: most customers don't even realize they are speaking with an AI chatbot. From helping them locate items within a store to answering a simple question over the phone, our NLP technology takes conversational AI capabilities to the next level, and so far, our customers have been very happy with the results."
Available for messaging and voice platforms like Facebook Messenger, Slack, SMS, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home, the Passage.AI chatbot automatically responds to messages from customers by querying content using the NLP platform. Passage.AI dramatically simplifies how consumers can ably communicate with a company.
Passage.AI use cases include:
Helping a customer locate items in store by chatting with your bot on Facebook Messenger.
Filling out a form by answering a few questions over text or voice on Amazon Alexa or Google Home.
Chatting with a co-worker on Slack, while for checking flights for an upcoming business trip, that you can take together.
Getting automated customer service responses for questions about service outages, technician availability, bank hours, etc.
Tracking a package or loyalty reward points from any messaging service.
Receiving personalized deals, offers and coupons that can be redeemed from within a messaging app.
Making appointments or reservations with a business by phone without having to wait on hold before talking to a representative.
Deploy your conversational interface as a skill on Amazon's Alexa platform, which is supported by millions of devices.
Allowing your customers to talk to you on these devices simply by saying your name and asking questions.
For more information go to: www.passage.ai.
About Passage.AI
Founded in 2016 by WalmartLabs alumni Madhu Mathihalli and Ravi Raj and LinkedIn alumnus Mitul Tiwari, Passage.AI enables businesses to harness the power of AI-enabled conversational interfaces to bring bottom-line benefits, to better utilize service agents saddled by mundane tasks, and to deliver exceptional customer experience. Passage.AI counts Kohl's, Udacity and PwC among the business and services that use its solution. The company has secured $3 million in total funding and is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif.
Media Inquiries for Passage.AI:
Jill Rountree
Consort Partners PR for Passage.AI
210-602-4245
[email protected]
SOURCE Passage.AI
Related Links
http://www.passage.ai
GAINSVILLE, Texas, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Zodiac Seats U.S. is pleased to announce that Pax2Go has selected Zodiac Seats' Z100 economy class seat for their short-flow retrofit programs. The program is expected to generate a demand of up to ten shipsets per month for the next several years.
Zodiac Seats U.S. CEO Jeff Barger observed that, "Pax2Go's selection of ZSUS is a resounding endorsement of our ability to deliver the Z100 at high volumes with very short lead times."
Zodiac Seats U.S.
The economically efficient and robust Pax2Go version of the Z100 is designed and pre-certified for standard A320 and B737 configurations with lead times of as short as three weeks from order to delivery. This short flow lead time is ideal for lease return aircraft, as well as short flow maintenance checks requiring interior refurbishment. The Z100 with its low acquisition cost, simple design and reduced part count offers operational reliability, ease of maintenance and reduced total cost of ownership.
Pax2Go President/CEO Noele Schep said, "The reason we selected Zodiac Seats U.S. for our aftermarket program is that Zodiac Seats U.S. has 50+ years of experience in the OEM aircraft seating industry, a strong leadership team, and an exciting new seat product for the narrowbody market. The Z100 is the perfect base for the specific requirements we have for our Market. Our Technical and Marketing team were able to create a Pax2Go Z100 product together with Zodiac Seats U.S. in a matter of weeks. The Pax2Go version of the Z100 can provide the market with a fully compliant product which is well within all Aircraft OEM and Airworthiness Authorities requirements, in an extremely short lead-time, and at a very reasonable price point."
Pax2Go is the sole aftermarket distributor of the Zodiac Seats U.S. Z100 product line, to include being the distributor for all Pax2Go Z100 spare parts and services.
About Zodiac Aerospace Zodiac Aerospace is a world leader in aerospace equipment and systems for commercial, regional and business aircraft as well as for helicopters and spacecraft. The company develops and manufactures state-of-the-art solutions to improve passenger comfort and amenities with high-technology systems that increase aircraft performance and flight safety. Zodiac Aerospace has 35,000 employees worldwide and generated revenue of 5.2 billion in 2015/2016.www.zodiacaerospace.com
About Zodiac Seats Zodiac Seats is the world leader in aircraft seating, thanks to its wide know-how, its engineering and manufacturing capabilities spread among its divisions: Zodiac Seats U.K., Zodiac Seats U.S. and Zodiac Seats France The ambition of Zodiac Seats is to offer to its airlines partners the widest and most efficient product line on the market.
About Pax2Go Pax2Go is a Part 145 maintenance organization specialized in Interior solutions in the Aftermarket segment of the Airline world with over 30 years of experience. Pax2Go consists of 3 main activities, 1: Maintenance Organization, 2: Aircraft Sourcing and trading and 3: Technical Consultancy. Pax2Go is based in Valencia Spain with offices in Delaware USA and Texas USA. For information on the Pax2Go Zodiac Z100 please contact Pax2Go at [email protected]Telephone: +34610122758
Related Links
ZODIAC AEROSPACE
PAX2GO
SOURCE Zodiac Seats U.S.
"We are thrilled to collaborate with Peet's Coffee on developing a campaign that highlights the passions of not just our featured influencers, but anyone and everyone," said Chuck McBride, Founder, Chief Creative Officer, Cutwater. "We all have passions that move us and the framing device of the 'What Fills Your Cup' silhouette functions as the perfect hook for documentary style content and an engaging filter for Peet's fans to enjoy online and on social media. We're excited to see what kind of photos Peetniks submit as part of this campaign and look forward to learning about their unique passions."
Swirl, the media partner for Peet's Coffee, has engaged Complex, Snapchat, Pandora, Facebook, Instagram, and cross-device technology to reach audiences across devices with relevant video and custom content.
What Fills Your Cup?: Cast of Passionate Characters
Directed by famed Nate Gunn, "What Fills Your Cup?" celebrates the brand's handcrafted coffee and best-selling Peet's Cold Brew, as well as the following people devoted to the pursuit of their personal passions:
Kristen Kish , an acclaimed chef releasing her first book, Kristen Kish Cooking ; formerly of Barbara Lynch's restaurant Menton and winner of Bravo's Top Chef.
, an acclaimed chef releasing her first book, ; formerly of restaurant Menton and winner of Bravo's Brianna Cope , a professional surfer from Kauai chasing waves since the age of four, currently traveling the world as a member of the World Surf League.
, a professional surfer from chasing waves since the age of four, currently traveling the world as a member of the World Surf League. Scott Borrero , a lauded commercial photographer and winner of Nigel Barker's Top Photographer .
, a lauded commercial photographer and winner of . Doug Welsh , a Peet's Coffee Roastmaster and circumnavigator of the globe, hunting for the world's best beans, tasting more than a quarter million cups along the way.
, a Peet's Coffee Roastmaster and circumnavigator of the globe, hunting for the world's best beans, tasting more than a quarter million cups along the way. Patrick Main , a beverage innovator expertly handcrafting Peet's Coffee beverages by day and a touring multi-instrumentalist musician by night.
"The success of Peet's Coffee is intrinsically tied to our passion for crafting the finest and freshest coffee sourced from the highest quality beans and hand-roasted in small batches," said Andrea Fernandes, Director, Brand Marketing, Peet's Coffee. "When developing 'What Fills Your Cup?', we sought aspirational stories of individuals who are equally driven by their passions and are excited to debut content that brings to life how people embrace their talents authentically."
Find more information at peets.com/passion. To join the "What Fills Your Cup?" conversation, please feel free to use #WhatFillsYourCup on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
"Share Your Passion" Giveaway: Chance to Win a Year's Supply of Peet's Coffee
With passion at the heart of Coffee First, Peet's Coffee is proud to roll out the central campaign theme of the cup silhouette as an interactive social filter for consumers to engage with online and across their platforms.
Moreover, timed to the launch of the "What Fills Your Cup?" brand campaign, Peet's Coffee is inviting consumers to "Share Your Passion" by uploading a photo of them in pursuit of their own aspirationssuch as art, sport, music, and many othersfor a chance to win a year's supply of Peet's Coffee valued at $1,000 USD.
The contest will accept submissions from September 27, 2017 to November 20, 2017 on peets.com/passion. Five winners will be randomly selected in a drawing conducted on or about November 29, 2017. No purchase or payment necessary.
The contest is open to all permanent legal residents of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia, who are eighteen (18) years of age and older as of August 31, 2016. See official contest details at peets.com/passiongiveaway.
About Peet's Coffee:
Peet's Coffee is a U.S. specialty coffee company founded by Alfred Peet in 1966 in Berkeley, California. Mr. Peet grew up in the coffee trade and moved to America from Holland after World War II. His coffee style was unlike anything Americans had ever tasted beforesmall batches, fresh beans and a superior quality roast that is rich and complex. Mr. Peet's influence on the artisan coffee movement inspired a new generation of coffee entrepreneurs, including the founders of Starbucks. Today, Peet's upholds its commitment to delivering a premium product by continuing to source the world's best beans, hand-roast in small batches, and craft every beverage by hand. Peet's asserts a strict standard of freshness to ensure optimum flavor, including a unique direct store delivery network serving over 14,000 grocery stores to personally vet the freshness date on every bag. Peet's is dedicated to growing its business through its retail, grocery, wholesale and e-commerce channels while maintaining the superior quality of its coffee. Peet's is also proud of its status as the first LEED Gold certified roastery in the United States. For more information, visit www.peets.com. Stay connected to Peet's: @peetscoffee on Twitter and Instagram and facebook.com/peets.
About Cutwater:
Cutwater is an independently owned full-service creative agency based in San Francisco, California that helps brands find their cutwater the sharpest visual and verbal articulation of the brand's ideal. This is fueled by a strategic and creative process that utilizes multi-disciplinary teams of experts to work as one on what a brand can really stand for; its point of view on the world. They translate brands' cutwater into content they publish across media and through technology; turning brands into channels, consumers into fans and fans into customers resulting in measurable business outcomes. Cutwater has done this for some of the most iconic brands in the world including Brawny, Levis, Jeep, Ray Ban and LensCrafters, as well as exciting challenger brands like Sunrun, Feeding America, Ariat and American Giant. Cutwater is led by Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Chuck McBride, and Principal and President, Christian Hughes.
SOURCE Peet's Coffee
Related Links
http://peets.com
The event hosted more than 40 teams, with a total of 500 attendees. Corporate teams took turns pulling a 75,000-pound Gulfstream IV airplane 50 feet while raising funds to support families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. PeroxyChem's team was able to pull the plane in 13.54 seconds, besting their time from last year. PeroxyChem's team raised $2,600 for the cause, with the event raising more than $170,000 total.
"We are honored to participate in this great event that helps to support such a wonderful organization in our community," said Bruce Lerner, CEO, PeroxyChem. "At PeroxyChem, we constantly strive to do better for our company, our community and ourselves. We're proud to work with the Ronald McDonald House to do just that."
PeroxyChem also sponsors a room at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House to further support the organization and those it serves throughout the year.
The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House supports families of seriously ill children by creating a community of comfort and hope. The organization's programs include two Ronald McDonald Houses, Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, and Ronald McDonald Camp.
To learn how you can help the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House, please visit philarmh.org/ways-to-give/.
About PeroxyChem
PeroxyChem is a global leader in peroxygen and adjacent chemistries. The company employs approximately 550 people throughout the world, with facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. With an unyielding commitment to safety at its core and backed by an exceptional team, the company prides itself on exemplary customer service, product quality, reliability and technical service. PeroxyChem manufactures high quality products and innovative applications developed as a result of innovation and superior technical expertise. We supply customized chemistries for electronics,energy, environmental, food safety, pulp, paper, polymer, and other industrial and consumer markets. To learn more, please visit peroxychem.com.
SOURCE PeroxyChem
Related Links
http://peroxychem.com
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Playbuzz, the award-winning storytelling platform for interactive content, today announced it has raised $35 million in Series C funding, led by Viola Growth with participation from existing investors including Disney, Saban Ventures, 83North, Carmel Ventures, firstime and Oded Vardi.
The round more than doubles the company's existing funding, bringing the total to $66M, and further positions it as the number one platform relied upon by premium publishers and brands worldwide as they align their content with today's content consumption habits.
Playbuzz will use the investment to expand its global footprint, with a focus on its branded content business which already works with Fortune 500 brands to create, distribute and measure engaging native advertising campaigns.
"Working with top media companies over the last 5 years has put us in a unique position to identify opportunities for growth and develop innovative technology to improve audience engagement," said Shaul Olmert, co-founder and CEO of Playbuzz. "Playbuzz's evolution into providing monetized content solutions to publishers and brands is of substantial value to our partners in their effort to increase readers' attention spans and content viewability. Moving forward, Playbuzz will continue to drive engagement with interactive storytelling tools while answering partners' content, revenue and data needs all in one place."
The Playbuzz platform is used by the world's top publishers when they want their stories heard, enabling them to create engaging, visually-stunning editorial content - no design or development skills necessary. It is also relied upon by top brands who tap the company to create interactive branded content campaigns that Playbuzz then distributes at scale to its existing network of tens of thousands of publishers.
Playbuzz's platform suits any topic, tone and audience, powering over 12,000 engagements per minute, and is proven to boost audience engagement, garnering metrics high above industry standards, such as 2 - 4 minute average session times (as compared to the 15 second industry average). Branded content campaigns powered by Playbuzz are consumed by 65% of users on average (as compared to the 24% industry benchmark).
"As Playbuzz continues to grow, it will increasingly become a strategic partner for brands and publishers, all of whom must speak the language of modern consumers. The Playbuzz platform enables them to do just that, translating their content to meet the needs of today's readers," said Harel Beit-On, Founder and General Partner of Viola Growth, who has joined Playbuzz's board of directors. "Playbuzz's innovative storytelling tools continue to drive the future of content creation and ensure publishers' and brands' stories are heard. We believe in the company's excellent management team - with its strong creativity and operational skills - and are excited to join them as they enter this exciting phase."
Find a Playbuzz-powered, interactive version of this release here: http://www.playbuzz.com/ShacharOrren/playbuzz-series-c.
About Playbuzz
Founded in 2012 by Shaul Olmert and Tom Pachys, Playbuzz is a leading storytelling platform used by the world's premium publishers and brands to author, distribute and monetize interactive stories that drive audience engagement.
The company has over 150 employees across its offices in New York, London, Tel Aviv, Hamburg, Sao Paulo, Moscow and Los Angeles. Playbuzz's rapid growth is fueled by the adoption of its platform by premium publishers and brands who use the company's interactive storytelling and real-time analytics tools to engage users, boost their reach, raise brand awareness, improve monetization capabilities, and optimize content for maximum social interaction. The Playbuzz network reaches hundreds of millions of users every month through its partners and through its owned and operated website, playbuzz.com.
In March 2016, Playbuzz announced a $15M round of strategic funding led by Saban Ventures with participation from Disney and existing investors 83North, Carmel Ventures and firstime.
For more information:
http://www.playbuzz.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/playbuzz / http://www.facebook.com/playbuzzbusiness
Twitter: @Playbuzz / @PlaybuzzBiz
About Viola Growth
Founded in 2008, Viola Growth provides an opportunity for growth stage companies to raise the capital they need to develop and expand. By providing direct capital investment, combined with strong leadership support, it propels portfolio companies forward, turning recognized companies into global technology leaders. The team has vast experience in working with management teams to build organic and non-organic growth plans, scale operations, strengthen management teams and aim to create business partnerships with global leaders. Viola Growth is a member of the Viola Group, Israel's premier technology-focused Private Equity group with over $2.5B under management.
For more information visit: http://www.viola-group.com/.
Contact Information -
Playbuzz:
Lauren Gumport
Director of Communications
[email protected]
+972-58-499-7227
SOURCE Playbuzz
Related Links
http://www.playbuzz.com/
SAN RAMON, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PriMed Management Consulting Services, Inc., the management services company for Hill Physicians Medical Group, has been named number 9 among the 2017 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America.
This coveted honor is given only to 100 of the nearly 5,000 U.S. companies considered for the award each year. This is the third such workplace honor for PriMed in the past month. Earlier this month, PriMed received a Healthiest Employers award, placing first in the large sized company category in the San Francisco Bay Area. And Forbes Magazine announced that PriMed earned its Gold Award, recognizing it as one of the organizations scoring highest in the American Heart Association's Workplace Health Award Achievement Index, developed in collaboration with the AHA's CEO Roundtable and its Center for Workplace Health Research and Evaluation.
"At PriMed, we take great pride in supporting a healthy working environment for all of our employees," said Tom Gergley, Wellness Program Manager of PriMed. "We encourage involvement in company-wide health screenings, and provide numerous resources for our employees so that they can actively take charge of their health and well-being."
The award recognizes exceptional achievement and leadership in building a healthy and productive workplace which is committed to employee and community health and wellbeing. Applicants were evaluated across six key categories: Culture and Leadership, Foundational Components, Strategic Planning, Communication and Marketing, Programming and Interventions, and Reporting and Analysis. Completed assessments were ranked with the proprietary Healthiest Employer Index, a 1-100 metric for wellness programming.
"Being recognized nationally for our own wellness program confirms our passion to create a culture of health that provides our employees with the support and resources to live healthier lives," said David Joyner, CEO for PriMed. "We are extremely honored to receive this award."
About Hill Physicians Medical Group
Hill Physicians Medical Group is the largest independent physician association in Northern California and is a nationally known leader in innovative healthcare. Founded in 1984, Hill Physicians Medical Group spans 11 counties, partnering with the leading health plans and hospitals to provide our members access to quality healthcare. The over 4,000 physicians who comprise Hill Physicians Medical Group serve Commercial HMO, Medicare Advantage, Medi-Cal and PPO attributed members. For more information, visit www.HillPhysicians.com.
Contact: Dan Robinson
Phone: 925.327.6731
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE Hill Physicians Medical Group
Related Links
http://www.HillPhysicians.com
CARPINTERIA, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Procore Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based applications for construction, today announced a new partnership with Habitat for Humanity International through Procore.org, the company's non-profit foundation launched in March. The partnership provides Habitat for Humanity with unlimited use of Procore's suite of products, including Project Management, Quality & Safety, and Construction Financials as an in-kind donation.
Habitat for Humanity builds strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter, and through this partnership with Procore.org, the international nonprofit will now have the full support of Procore. In addition to software, the partnership includes access to Procore's customer support and implementation, enabling each Habitat project to be completed on time to create more decent and affordable places to call home.
"We are grateful for Procore's innovative partnership," said Lynda Smith, senior director of Corporate Relations at Habitat for Humanity International. "This software will help Habitat streamline construction management to allow tracking and collaboration for Habitat project managers and contractors."
"Procore is honored to be able to support the positive work that Habitat for Humanity has done and will continue to do in communities across the globe," said Darryl Kysar, director of Procore.org. "We believe that empowering the industry through education, training, and access to technology will advance construction and have a positive impact on the people and communities the industry serves."
Mirroring its corporate client agreements, Procore will provide Habitat for Humanity with an unlimited user license, allowing every local Habitat to utilize Procore on their projects. Currently, more than 40 Habitat organizations are utilizing Procore, and the goal is to expand this use to as many Habitats as possible.
"With Procore we're able to communicate seamlessly with our field workers because it's a cloud-based application that works across all mobile devices," said Gary Blais, Construction Manager, Habitat for Humanity of Broward, Inc. "In addition, the Procore daily log tool has helped to quickly communicate issues out in the field so that they can be resolved in a timely manner."
Procore.org works with universities to educate the future construction workforce, supports the advancement of the trades and skilled labor, and provides free access to Procore products to nonprofit organizations that are helping to build and rebuild within local communities. For more information, visit www.procore.org
About Habitat for Humanity
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The Christian housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in more than 1,300 communities throughout the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.
About Procore
Procore Technologies, Inc., is a leading provider of cloud-based applications for Construction. Through Procore Construction OS, the company connects people, applications, and devices through a unified platform to help construction firms manage risk and build quality projects, safely, on time, and within budget. The company has a diversified business model with products for Construction Project Management, Construction Financials, and Quality & Safety. Headquartered in Carpinteria, California, with offices around the globe, Procore has more than 2 million users managing billions of dollars in annual construction volume. For more information about Procore, visit www.procore.com.
Contact:
Doug Madey
[email protected]
SOURCE Procore Technologies, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.procore.com
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.
You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network it's easy and free. Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform
EXPERT ALERTS
Exclusion of Sons from Jerry Lewis' Will Shocking, But Legally Sound
Will Shocking, But Legally Sound Domestic Violence Education
The Human Element to Data
MEDIA JOBS
Gear & Gadgets Editor Wall Street Journal (NY)
Reporter, White House MLex (DC)
Editor Hello! Middle East ( Dubai )
OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES
How Social Media Has Transformed Every Newsroom in the Country
How to Overcome 7 Top Content Marketing Challenges
Blog Profiles: TV Blogs
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EXPERT ALERTS:
Exclusion of Sons from Jerry Lewis' Will Shocking, But Legally Sound
Sam Long
Estate Planning Attorney
Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP in Dallas
When comedy legend Jerry Lewis' will was made public, many focused on the fact that he had "intentionally excluded" his six sons, as well as their descendants, as beneficiaries. Instead, his entire estate was left to his second wife and their adopted daughter. Although shocking, this type of exclusion typically can withstand legal challenges. Says Long: "One of the fundamental premises of the American law of succession and wills is what is sometimes called 'freedom of disposition.' As long as wills are freely made, and subject to some protections for surviving spouses and minor children, state laws generally permit the complete exclusion of family members or differences in their shares. There are a number of individuals who made what many would see as 'curious' decisions about their fortunes. For example, Cornelius Vanderbilt left in excess of 90 percent of his estate to just one of his surviving 12 children, William, and his family. It isn't the norm, but when you are dealing with family dynamics, there is often a complex foundation as to why these decisions are made."
Long is also an adjunct professor of wills, trusts and estates at the UNT-Dallas College of Law.
Contact: Rhonda Reddick, [email protected]
Domestic Violence Education
Colleen Lelli, EdD
Associate Professor of Education; Director of the Center for Children of Trauma and Domestic Violence Education
Cabrini University
"When a child is exposed to domestic violence, they may have a continuous mental shift as their mind attempts to process the trauma. Administrators and educators need to be aware of the signs -- which can include behaviors, learning processes, relationships with others -- as well as be aware of the community-based resources available to support children of trauma. This October, as we honor Domestic Violence Education month, we must reflect on the importance of informing educators about the detriment domestic violence can have on children and the vital resources that need to be identified and readily available to support children of trauma."
An expert in her field, Lelli has been invited to speak regionally and internationally on the intricacies of educating children who have witnessed trauma and domestic violence. She works with school districts, administrators, educators, and advocates to provide teachers (pre-service and in-service) critical insight into the impact of domestic violence to help them better support the learning of students who have witnessed trauma. She also serves as co-president of the Board of Directors for Laurel House, an organization with the mission to provide safe haven for abused women and their children, to raise public awareness about domestic violence, and to advocate for social change against domestic violence. She is available to speak about domestic violence education and teaching strategies and resources for children of trauma.
Website: www.cabrini.edu/dveducation
Contact: Lori Iannella, [email protected]
The Human Element to Data
Chris Astle
CEO
QSR International
"You can't forget the human element to data. From rebuilding after a natural disaster to elections to managing customer satisfaction to sales, the human voice can and should be filtered out from all of the data that you are probably sitting on, or certainly will gather. We used data analysis to help the leaders of Christchurch, New Zealand, rebuild a better city after a natural disaster destroyed it. It was necessary to listen really listen -- to the residents whose homes were decimated and make the right change. Ignoring their data would have been the greater tragedy."
Astle is a humanitarian with more than 20 years of experience in leadership and data analytics. He can share stories and lessons learned from working with hundreds of leaders -- primarily in government, academia, and commercial (luxury and household name) brands -- to improve or make decisions based on data, both numerical (quantitative) and unstructured (qualitative). He is a seasoned communicator with a warm, inviting tone, authoritative, knowledgeable demeanor, and intoxicating English accent. Key topics of expertise include disaster relief, hurricane recovery, earthquake rebuilding, polling, voting, infrastructure, government, policy-making, healthcare, corporate leadership, customer experience, product development, software, academic research, Big Data, data science, and data analytics. He has been quoted in GCN (Government Computer News) and Community College Week, and was published in Route Fifty. He was also interviewed as a thought leader in Big Data for One Million by One Million and in The Middle Market Thought Leader podcast.
Website: www.qsrinternational.com
Contact: Kristina Groves, [email protected]
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MEDIA JOBS:
Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/
Gear & Gadgets Editor Wall Street Journal (NY)
Reporter, White House MLex (DC)
Editor Hello! Middle East ( Dubai )
*****************
OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:
Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line.
HOW SOCIAL MEDIA HAS TRANSFORMED EVERY NEWSROOM IN THE COUNTRY. When it comes to social media, 90 percent of journalists use it for work at least once a week. This according to Cision's new 2017 Global Social Journalism study, which highlights journalists' use of social media. It's the sixth in a series of studies published by Cision that survey and chart changes in how journalists use social platforms. The study also closely examines problems social media has created for the industry (read: battling fake news, and the increased focus on speed vs. analysis). Read more here: http://bit.ly/2ymJCiM
HOW TO OVERCOME 7 TOP CONTENT MARKETING CHALLENGES. Content marketing has never been more important. A report from Content Marketing Institute found that 47 percent of enterprise marketers planned to increase their budgets for content marketing over the following 12 months. While it's indisputable that content marketing is making waves in the business world, many marketers still complain about challenges they face on a daily basis. Here, we've rounded up the top content marketing challenges marketers are up against, as well as the techniques they use to overcome them: http://cisn.co/2xIgVje
BLOG PROFILES: TV BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Relations team selects an industry/subject and profiles a handful of sites that do a good job with promoting and contributing to the conversation. This week, they look at a few TV blogs: http://prn.to/2fvhUMU
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PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire.
To contact ProfNet: [email protected] or 800-776-3638, ext. 1
SOURCE ProfNet
Related Links
http://www.profnet.com
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Responding to increasing Government demand for outsourced cloud and hybrid data center solutions, QTS Realty Trust (NYSE: QTS), a leading provider of data center, cloud and managed hosting services, today announced deployment of the nation's first multi-tenant unemployment insurance and single state tax system in the cloud.
The Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES), a consortium of Mississippi, Rhode Island, Maine and Connecticut are the first states to go live on the system that supports the US Department of Labor's mandate to identify and develop promising repeatable practices that reduce costs throughout the workforce system.
QTS was chosen to develop and host a compliant, cloud-based solution that could accommodate multiple states with the expectation of achieving high levels of commonality. QTS provided a VMware-centric, hybrid IT solution that integrates QTS' FedRAMP-compliant Government cloud and colocation services from QTS' Dulles, VA and Phoenix, AZ data centers.
"We are one step closer to creating the future for delivery of unemployment solutions in a cost-effective manner, while being conscientious stewards of our state workforce funds," said Dale Smith, Chief Operating Officer of the MDES. "QTS has been a trusted partner in developing the innovative multi-tenant hybrid IT solution that will be utilized by many states for years to come."
The new system is expected to attract the attention of states that may be struggling to meet their obligations to pay unemployment benefits to their customers. In Mississippi, the expected cost of operating the consortium system over the on-premise single state system will be reduced by approximately 40 percent, leaving much needed funding to meet the needs of Mississippi's unemployed.
"We are pleased to support MDES and the US Department of Labor in their mission to transform State and Local government processes," said David McOmber, Executive Vice President, Public Sector & Federal, QTS. "QTS' Government Solutions is committed to providing the Federal marketplace with innovative and highly secure hybrid data center solutions."
For more information about the new multi-tenant cloud system provided by QTS, please contact Mike Curtis at [email protected] or (703) 840-3931.
About QTS
QTS Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: QTS) is a leading provider of secure, compliant data center, hybrid cloud and managed services. QTS features the nation's only fully integrated technology services platform providing flexible, scalable solutions for the federal government, financial services, healthcare and high tech industries. QTS owns, operates or manages more than 5 million square feet of data center space and supports more than 1,100 customers in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. In addition, QTS' Critical Facilities Management (CFM) provides increased efficiency and greater performance for third-party data center owners and operators. For more information, please visit www.qtsdatacenters.com, call toll-free 877.QTS.DATA or follow us on Twitter @DataCenters_QTS.
QTS Contact:
Carter B. Cromley
(703) 861-8245
[email protected]
SOURCE QTS Realty Trust, Inc.
Related Links
http://www.qtsdatacenters.com/
MIAMI, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A story that will leave audiences scandalized. A kiss that paralyzed a nation. Canal SUR is shaking the screen with the most defiant, controversial and outrageous telenovela in recent memory. A wide-open challenge to the taboo and the conventional that will seduce you from the very first chapter.
Paloma (Paolla Oliveira) is a courageous warrior of a woman who lives in a state of constant family conflict, straining to keep her balance in a web of lies that threatens to suffocate her. The revelation that will change her life will take place in Machu-Picchu, the historic Peruvian city of the Incas.
Filmed between Brazil and Peru, this famous Globo TV production deals forthrightly with controversial subjects such as homophobia, autism and organ donation. According to its author, Walcyr Carrasco, the great merit of Rastros de Mentiras ('Traces of Lies' originally, "Amor a Vida," or 'Love of Life'), among others, was that for the first time, it got an audience to approve of a gay couple. The characters Niko (Thiago Fragoso) and Felix (Mateus Solano) became landmark figures with the first gay kiss on TV, paralyzing the nation and causing ratings to skyrocket.
Its production was also a challenge for those who had to perform the roles of strong, controversial and complex characters every day. The show swept the awards for Best Telenovela, Best Actor (Mateo Solano), Best Supporting Actress (Elizabeth Savalla), Discovery of the year (Tata Werneck), Teen Idol (Caio Castrol) and Child Actress of the year (Klara Castanho).
Monday, September 25
Rastros de Mentiras ('Traces of Lies')
Monday-Friday 10:00 ET / 7:00 PT
CANAL SUR
20 years of rebroadcasting the best TV in Spanish. Uncut and unedited.
SUR LLC, creator of the channels: Canal SUR (pioneer among Spanish-language channels in the United States), SUR Peru, TV Venezuela and Estudio5, is a television consortium with more than 20 years of existence and acclaim among Hispanic immigrants in the United States.
There is only one reason behind SUR's unstoppable growth: keeping the promise to rebroadcast programs from their countries of origin with high ratings that have made history. Uncut and unedited.
Canal SUR is available through AT&T, Advanced Cable, Atlantic, Comcast-Xfinity, Cox, Frontier, Optimum, Spectrum, Suddenlink and Verizon; and it is the Spanish-language cable channel with the greatest national distribution.
SOURCE Canal SUR
Developed for the military, Coyote is a small, expendable UAV that's air- or ground-launched into environments too dangerous for manned aircraft. The system can fly for more than an hour and up to 50 miles from its host aircraft.
"Raytheon technology is enabling hurricane hunters to understand storm behavior in new and better ways," said Dr. Thomas Bussing, Raytheon vice president of Advanced Missile Systems. "Our expendable Coyote UAVs are delivering vital information about these potentially deadly stormsand that can help save lives."
Navigating Maria's winds of greater than 100 miles per hour, the Coyotes gathered and transmitted storm information directly to the National Hurricane Center. NOAA scientists are evaluating the data to better understand Hurricane Maria and other storms like it.
"NOAA is investing in these unmanned aircraft and other technologies to increase weather observations designed to improve the accuracy of our hurricane forecasts," said Dr. Joe Cione, NOAA hurricane researcher and chief scientist for the Coyote program. "The Coyotes collected critical, continuous observations in the lower part of the hurricane, an area impossible to reach with manned aircraft."
Researchers can also fly Coyotes throughout the storms, revisiting key locations inside hurricanes to obtain the most robust data possible.
The Coyote system is one of Raytheon's family of high-tech weather forecasting technology, including the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite instrument aboard NOAA's Suomi NPP spacecraft, the common ground system for the Joint Polar Satellite System, and the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System, a powerful forecast toolkit that helps meteorologists make sense of the massive amounts of weather data that modern sensors collect.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2016 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 95 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter.
Media Contact
John B. Patterson
+1.520.440.2194
[email protected]
SOURCE Raytheon Company
Related Links
http://www.raytheon.com
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With the generous contributions of local roofing contractors and associate members, the RCASF was able to donate $100,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, making RCASF the largest non-corporate contributor to the foundation.
From left to right: Lynne Johnston (Earl W. Johnston Roofing), Lewis Buckner (Johns Manville), Committee Chairman: Gene Fall (Certified Contracting Group), Pablo Acanda (Tropical Roofing Products), Wendy Harvest (RCASF), Anthony Utter (GAF), Make-a-Wish Foundation VP: Wanda Trouba, Dave Clark (JGA Beacon), Corey Daley (Daley Brothers Roofing), Ryan Toimil (JGA Beacon) & Erica Bergeron (Gulfeagle Supply). Missing From Photo: Amanda Fuentes (Sika Corp) and Luke Turner (OMG, Inc.) "Signature Sponsors" donated a "wish' to fund one ill child's desire via The Make-a-'Wish Foundation. Left to right: Lynne & Earl Johnston, Lisa Fall, Gail & Barry Birenbaum, Rosita Borowski, Gene Fall, Robert Borowski, Anthony Utter, Mike Daley, Wendy Harvest, Tom Milanese, in memory of Jim Nair, Michael Jacobazzi, Rob Foote, Wanda Trouba, Bob & Toni Fitzgerald, Tamara & John Chase.
The Roofing Contractors Association of South Florida is composed of charitable contractors and associate members who work together for the benefit of children struggling with illness in our community. In addition to the $100,000 awarded to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, RCASF contributed $10,000 to the International Game Fish Association's Junior Angler Division. (IGFA)
This year's Fishing Tournament was held at Hawk's Cay Resort on June 10th and the Awards Ceremony was held on August 30th. Norm Wedderburn, CEO & President of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Southern Florida said, "We cannot thank the RCASF enough! RCASF has helped us to change many lives and for that we will be eternally grateful." Gene Fall, RCASF Fishing Tournament Committee Chairman, thanked all of the local roofing industry supporters who came together for some good hearted fishing rivalry and to ultimately provide financial assistance to two worthy causes.
In 2015, the RCASF Fishing Tournament Committee initiated their Signature Sponsor Program with Earl W. Johnston Roofing gifting $5000 or 'one wish' to a child in need. This year, the program expanded to eleven Signature Sponsors each donating one 'wish': Allied Roofing & Sheet Metal, Certified Contracting Group, Chase Roofing & Contracting, Earl W. Johnston Roofing, Frank H. Furman Insurance, Inc., Hi-Tech Roofing & Sheet Metal, Roofing Concepts Unlimited, Triple M Roofing/In memory of Jim Nair, Weather-Tech Roofing & Waterproofing and Barry & Gail Birenbaum/Anthony Utter & Wendy Harvest.
Additionally, a group donation for a Signature Sponsorship was achieved when Anthony Utter called for 50 people to walk forward with $100 each during the Tournament Banquet. Tournament Committee member Lynne Johnston stated, "This was, by far, the most profoundly moving moment of the weekend. Almost everyone in the room ran forward waving $100 bills just to be a part of this group donation."
The RCASF Fishing Committee has already begun planning for next year's tournament on June 9, 2018 with the goal of brightening the lives of even more children. They encourage donations of fishing related items for auction and financial sponsorships. If you would like to contribute, please contact RCASF.
Contact:
Wendy Harvest, RCASF Executive Director
[email protected]
(954) 558-4982
www.RCASF.org
SOURCE Roofing Contractors Association of South Florida
Related Links
http://www.RCASF.org
"For those who have already stood inside the storied walls of the Colosseum or cruised the romantic canals of Venice, we are venturing off-the-beaten-Piazza to Tuscany," said Scott Nisbet, president and chief executive officer of the Globus family of brands. "Italy is chock full of incredible places waiting to be discovered and Tuscany boasts some of the most picturesque places on the planet, not to mention great food and wine."
Some of the awe-some places featured on Globus and Cosmos 2018 tours through Tuscany, include:
Bolgheri A destination every wine connoisseur knows, Bolgheri is a tiny but spectacular medieval village found along the Estruscan Coast. (Cosmos' NEW! Gourmet Tuscany)
Volterra Enclosed by stone walls, this mountaintop town dates back to the 7th century BC and invites travelers to take a step back in time on its medieval, cobblestoned streets.
(Globus' Gems of Umbria & Tuscany)
Lucca Huge, Renaissance walls hide the beauty of Lucca its cobblestone streets, gorgeous piazzas and picturesque promenades from outsiders. (Globus' Italian Sampler)
Montecatini Italy's largest and most famous spa town, Montecatini invites travelers to relax and soak in quite literally everything great about Tuscany. (Cosmos' Splendors of Italy)
Siena Often described as Italy's best-preserved medieval city, Siena invites travelers to journey through its narrow lanes and learn about the wild horse race held on the square since 1283. (Cosmos' Tuscany, Rome & Cinque Terre)
And, of course, no visit to Tuscany is complete without spending time in San Gimignano where towers rise-up from the walled village providing travelers a medieval escape in a magical, rural setting.
For more information on Globus' robust offering of Italy tours, visit www.globusjourneys.com. Or, to check-out Cosmos' portfolio of Italian getaways, visit www.cosmos.com.
DEAL ALERT: Book early and SAVE! Enjoy $699 air or 10% OFF select 2018 Globus Italy vacations. For details, click here.
ABOUT GLOBUS FAMILY OF BRANDS
Littleton, Colorado-based Group Voyagers, Inc. is the privately held company that markets and sells the Globus family of brands within the United States. Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways offer travelers unparalleled tour, independent travel package, river- and small-ship cruise options. Considered the world's largest tour operator, with 90 years of international travel experience, the Globus family of brands is dedicated to enriching the lives of travelers by turning foreign destinations into familiar harbors, where the expense of travel is forgotten and replaced by personal value. The Globus family of brands is a member of Sustainable Travel International (STI). Consumers can book a Globus family of brands vacation or request brochures by visiting a preferred travel agent or by calling the following toll free number: 1.866.313.2855. For more information, please visit www.globusfamily.com. Travel agents can request brochures by calling toll free 1.800.221.0090 or visiting www.globusfamilypartner.com.
SOURCE Globus family of brands
Related Links
http://www.globusfamily.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Cornhole Association issued an alert to consumers earlier today declaring that their association has started carrying their own line of regulation cornhole boards to protect the sport, and the pocketbooks of its enthusiasts.
Official ACA-approved Cornhole boards with the classic American Flag image displayed. Each board is handcrafted in the USA and meets all American Cornhole Association (ACA) regulations.
"Many of the budget cornhole boards sold online today are not regulation boards, and are built with inferior material, and are a rip-off to consumers," said ACA President Trent Henkaline. "Sub-standard boards, often end up costing many times more what a quality, standard board does once you factor in that they need to be replaced much more often. Given the fact our association is the first and largest governing body for the sport of Cornhole, we felt it was time to level the playing field for fans."
Today, more people from across the country than ever enjoy playing Cornhole at tailgate parties, sanctioned tournaments, parks, and backyards. This popularity has brought with it a glut of cheap board and bag sets flooding internet sites and local stores.
According to the ACA, there are several reasons why Cornhole fans should think twice before buying one of these cheaper game sets.
Budget boards do not have a polyurethane lacquer on their tops, which causes the image on it to fade fast, and does not provide the right slickness for the bags to slide across. Also, many boards do not use 1/2 inch tops. This causes the bags to bounce when thrown and are flimsy and easily break.
Most discount Cornhole bags are filled with sand instead of corn or plastic resin and are NOT made with duck cloth using instead a cheap material that doesn't slide and falls apart quickly. Not only that, cheaper bags are single stitched, which causes them to fall apart after a couple games.
The ACA's approved line of Cornhole boards and Cornhole bags can be found at https://www.playcornhole.org/american-cornhole-association-shop.
About the American Cornhole Association
The ACA was established by a small group of dedicated Cornholers from the west side of Cincinnati, Ohio. They have grown over the years and, to the best of their knowledge, represent the largest organized corn toss association in the United States with over 30,000 members. Their website, PlayCornhole.org is the most viewed website within the cornhole community.
For More Information, contact:
Trent Henkaline, President
American Cornhole Association
17 Jackson St.
Minster, Ohio 45865
888-345-9126
[email protected]
https://www.playcornhole.org
Related Links
Cornhole Bags
SOURCE American Cornhole Association
Related Links
https://www.playcornhole.org
BOSTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eliassen Group ("Eliassen" or the "Company"), a leading IT talent solutions firm, announced Monday that it has combined with Principle Solutions Group ("PSG"), one of the fastest growing IT staffing firms in the country. This combination creates a premier IT staffing and consulting firm with broad geographical presence and expertise in multiple skill areas.
Over the course of Riverside Partners' investment in Eliassen, the Company has grown substantially and expanded its geographic footprint and capabilities. The merger with PSG represents the latest chapter of this transformation. Through its 18 locations and relationships with over 600,000 highly-skilled professionals, the combined entity will provide a broad suite of services and experienced consultants to support its clients' needs. It will have significant experience serving clients in multiple end-markets including financial services, healthcare, government, retail/consumer, utilities, and technology.
David MacKeen, CEO of Eliassen Group, will lead the combined organization. "We are thrilled to be joining forces with Principle Solutions Group," said MacKeen. "It's not often you find an organization that shares a common purpose, including an intense focus on business growth, exceptional client service, best-in-class consultant talent, and a commitment to fostering an inspired corporate culture that promotes excellent career opportunities."
Josh Nazarian, CEO and co-founder of Principle Solutions Group, concurred, "Partnering with Eliassen puts the combined organization in a unique position within the marketplace. We are looking forward to remaining active in the business and enhancing our relationships with our clients by expanding our geographic footprint and strengthening our Agile, creative, and managed services capabilities."
Joe Ventura, COO and co-founder of Principle Solutions Group, also commented, "We have a people-first culture that fosters both professional and personal growth, builds effective leaders and provides opportunity for talented individuals to achieve their goals. Eliassen is similarly focused, which is a key factor in our decision to combine forces."
"The team at Riverside Partners is very excited about this combination which brings together two organizations with similar core values and cultures," said Ian Blasco, a General Partner with Riverside Partners. "Both firms place a premium on truly understanding their clients' and consultants' needs and creating a differentiated experience among IT staffing firms."
The combined organization will be headquartered in Reading, Massachusetts and will offer technology staffing, Agile, creative, life sciences, and managed services to clients around the country.
About Riverside Partners
Founded in 1989, Riverside Partners is a middle market private equity firm currently investing Riverside Fund V, L.P. The fund focuses on growth-oriented companies primarily in the healthcare and technology industries. Riverside Partners is particularly experienced at partnering with founders, owners and management teams and it brings substantial domain expertise and operating experience to its portfolio companies. For more information, please visit www.riversidepartners.com.
About Eliassen Group
Eliassen Group provides strategic talent solutions to drive our clients' innovation and business results. Leveraging nearly 30 years of success, Eliassen's expertise in IT staffing, Agile consulting, creative services, managed services, and life sciences enables them to partner with clients to execute their business strategy and scale effectively. Headquartered in Reading, MA and with offices from coast-to-coast, Eliassen Group offers local community presence, deep networks, as well as national reach. For more information, visit www.eliassen.com.
About Principle Solutions Group
Founded in 2006, Principle Solutions Group delivers reliable information technology staffing and consulting services. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company has offices in Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Raleigh, Richmond and Tampa; clients range from mid-market businesses to Fortune 500 firms. The company attributes its tremendous growth to its ability to help organizations achieve their business objectives and maximize their return on investment in people, process, and technology. For additional information, visit www.principlesolutions.com.
SOURCE Riverside Partners
Related Links
http://www.riversidepartners.com
PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rubrik today announced the 4.1 release of its Cloud Data Management platform. Rubrik Alta 4.1 completes support for all major cloud providers with a new Google Cloud Platform integration. The release also broadens support for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, making it easier than ever for companies, governments and nonprofits to keep and use their data anytime, anywhere.
According to IDC, virtually all new application deployments will be made in a cloud-oriented architecture within the next two years and 47 percent of all organizations plan to purchase a copy data management solution in that timeframe.
"Cloud adoption is top of mind for CIOs on the hunt for savings, scalability and increased business efficiency," says Arvind Nithrakashyap, CTO of Rubrik. "With our latest release, every enterprise can mobilize their apps and data to any public cloud environment. Version 4.1 of Rubrik Cloud Data Management continues the rapid expansion of our cloud solution portfolio. Now, every enterprise can mobilize their apps and data to any cloud environment and enjoy instant data access, regardless of underlying infrastructure."
A Complete Enterprise Data Management Platform for All Microsoft Enterprise Apps
Rubrik can be deployed to orchestrate all critical data management functions backup and recovery, replication and DR, archival, search, and analytics for all Microsoft apps; Windows, Hyper-V, SQL, Azure, and Azure Stack. Rubrik Cloud Data Management was architected from the beginning to deliver cloud archival and data services. With Alta 4.1, Rubrik CloudOn instantiation services support both AWS and Microsoft Azure, providing "server-less" conversion of VMs to cloud instances. Now enterprises can use Rubrik CloudOn services to power-on applications in Azure, mobilizing them from data center to cloud. This lowers the costs of disaster recovery and test/development in the public cloud by utilizing cloud services only when needed.
Rubrik is one of the first data management vendors to announce support for Microsoft's new private cloud offering, Azure Stack. With Rubrik, users can easily migrate applications from Azure Stack to Azure and accelerate test/development of on-premises and cloud applications.
"With Rubrik, we could eliminate tape, integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Azure, and securely mobilize our applications from on-premises to the cloud," says Leonard De Botton, CIO at Berkeley College. "Together, Rubrik and Azure helps us decrease costs, stay within our data retention policy, and establish a stronger DR strategy."
Integration with all Public Cloud Environments
Rubrik has always been available in the private, hybrid or public cloud. Rubrik Alta 4.1 adds cloud archival support for all classes of Google Cloud Storage (Nearline, Coldline, Multi-Regional, and Regional). Enterprises can now orchestrate application data across a multi-cloud environment for long-term retention while retaining instant data accessibility through search.
Support for all AWS Government Cloud Offerings and New Compliance Features
Rubrik's platform enables federal government agencies and commercial contractors to securely manage data from creation to expiration across private and public clouds with end-to-end encryption.
Rubrik supports Microsoft Azure's GovCloud and AWS GovCloud, and is an Advanced Tier Technology partner in the AWS Partner Network (APN). Rubrik Alta 4.1 broadens support to all government infrastructure offerings from AWS, including advanced secure services like Commercial Cloud Services (C2S). Rubrik 4.1 also adds support for Amazon Glacier, completing support for all storage classes of AWS Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), Standard-Infrequent Access (Standard IA), and Amazon Glacier. Customers can now automate data archival to Amazon Glacier to fulfill legal and compliance requirements. With 4.1, it only takes one click to enable the Amazon Glacier Vault Lock policy for Write-Once-Read-Many (WORM) locked archive on AWS for strict regulatory and compliance controls.
Offering Multi-tenancy to Accelerate Secure, Self-service Delivery of Data Management Services
Rubrik bolsters management security for multi-tenant organizationssuch as Service Delivery Partners and large enterprises delivering IT-as-service by adding secure, exclusive access to data management services in a hybrid cloud environment. With Rubrik 4.1, administrators can assign granular permissions to managed objects (e.g., assign Oracle DBs to Oracle Admin) to accelerate the self-service delivery of protection policies, recoveries, and analytics reporting across a multi-cloud environment.
Rubrik Alta 4.1 is generally available through the company's global partner network.
Resources
[VIEW NOW] On-demand webinar: Rubrik Cloud Data Management in Microsoft Azure
[INFOGRAPHIC] Rubrik + Microsoft
[CUSTOMER CASE STUDY] Berkeley College Decreases Cost and Migrates to Microsoft Azure with Rubrik
[CUSTOMER CASE STUDY] Castilleja Deploys Rubrik for Easy On-ramp to AWS
[BLOG] Choose Your Cloud: Rubrik Enhances Multi-cloud Management
About Rubrik
Rubrik delivers instant application availability with data protection, search, analytics, archival and copy data management. Hybrid Cloud enterprises benefit from Rubrik's market-leading Cloud Data Management platform with simplicity, instant data access, app-mobility, policy-driven automation, Ransomware protection, and analytics at scale. Rubrik has been named to Gartner's Cool Vendors in Storage Technologies 2016, CFO Magazine's Top 20 Disruptive Tech Companies to Watch, Forbes Cloud 100, and awarded the NorthFace ScoreBoard AwardSM. For more information, visit https://www.rubrik.com and follow @rubrikInc on Twitter.
SOURCE Rubrik, Inc.
Related Links
http://rubrik.com
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In two congressional briefings, CHI St. Gabriel's Health (CHI St. Gabriel's) leaders will speak to staff today representing members of congress from across the country regarding the rural hospital's successful efforts to reduce the flow of opioids into their community. The Minnesota hospital, serving the Morrison County population of 35,000 people, has helped 324 patients taper off controlled substances completely. In a year, that translates to more than 370,000 fewer controlled substance doses entering the community.
Before the program started, one of the community's four pharmacies alone filled an average of 48,000 controlled substance doses per month. Pain was the leading reason patients visited the hospital's emergency room, and in most cases, pain was treated with a narcotic medication.
In the community, CHI St. Gabriel's works with law enforcement, medical professionals, public health advocates and other community leaders to make opioid misuse a priority, ensuring that patients with chronic pain are treated with the safest medications, and those with substance use disorder receive medical treatment rather than ending up in the county's jail.
Inside the hospital, CHI St. Gabriel's created the "Controlled Substance Care Team" program to monitor patients on chronic pain medications and decide when medication is appropriate. If the team determines a patient may be misusing medication, they provide resources to treat his or her substance use disorder. The Controlled Substance Care Team's work has ultimately limited the number of pills that are diverted for misuse in the community.
In the first eight months, pain dropped from being the number one reason patients entered the emergency room to not even being in the top 20. In the program's first year, one of the community's four pharmacies reported a 23 percent decrease in controlled substance prescriptions.
"I believe that this program is scalable," said Dr. Kurt Devine, a CHI St. Gabriel's physician who co-leads the team, "I think the reality is, with the right funding so we can have the right people in clinics helping these patients, this can work in other communities."
U.S. Senator Al Franken (MN) and U.S. Representative Rick Nolan (MN-08) invited CHI St. Gabriel's Health leadership to Washington to share their results with congressional staff leaders. On September 27, the hospital's president, Lee Boyles, along with founders of the program Dr. Heather Bell and Dr. Kurt Devine, are set to explain the details of the work and successes of the initiative.
U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan remarked, "The CHI St. Gabriel's model works. It provides a solution that communities all over the country are looking for."
"In Minnesota and across this country, opioids have become a public health crisis," said U.S. Sen. Franken. "CHI St. Gabriel's program demonstrates that through collaboration, communities can help combat this epidemic. I'm glad to share this example with my colleagues in the Senate as we work toward addressing this epidemic nationally."
For more information about the program, www.mnhealthycommunities.org/minnesota-community-successfully-combats-opioid-epidemic/.
Nationally, half a million people died between 2000 and 2015 from drug overdoses; 91 Americans die every day from opioid overdoses. In Minnesota, opioid-related drug overdose deaths have increased tenfold in the past 15 years.
SOURCE Minnesota Hospital Association
SAYREVILLE, N.J., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sabert Corporation will be celebrating 35 years in business next year with the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Greenville, Texas. The company is pleased to be working with Hunt County and the city of Greenville on a partnership expected to bring approximately 125 new jobs to the area over the next 3 years. Construction of the approximately 450,000 square foot facility is set to begin by the end of 2017 with a fully operational plant expected by the end of 2018. And with its first North American facility to offer 100% compostable food packaging, Sabert brings its commitment to quality, customization, innovation, and sustainability to Texas. From Steve Roberts, Plant Manager for the new Greenville facility, "Sabert is very excited to partner with the city of Greenville and Hunt County in the development, construction and future operation of our newest manufacturing facility. Our vision is to be the most admired company in our industry. We look forward to making this vision a reality by providing innovative and sustainable food packaging products to our customers, made in the USA, providing a safe and enjoyable work environment, and by being a model corporate citizen in our community."
About Sabert Corporation
Sabert is a leading global manufacturer of innovative food packaging products and solutions. The company was founded in 1983 on a single mission: to enhance and advance the way people enjoy food. Today the company designs, manufactures and distributes a wide spectrum of packaging solutions for food distributors, restaurants, caterers, supermarkets, national food chains and consumer entertaining. Headquartered in Sayreville, New Jersey, Sabert operates North American facilities in New Jersey, California, Kentucky and Indiana as well as manufacturing facilities in Belgium and Zhongshan, China.
Using its proprietary Packaging Value Model, Sabert combines deep insights about food lifecycles and consumer lifestyles, with fast and flexible production capabilities. Its industry-leading product designs encompass all five areas of innovative packaging: Performance, Presentation, Safety, Sustainability, and Economics. Learn more at www.Sabert.com!
For more information regarding Sabert's packaging solutions, visit www.Sabert.com or call 1(800)722-3781.
SOURCE Sabert Corporation
Related Links
http://www.Sabert.com
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce [NYSE: CRM], the global leader in CRM, today announced Salesforce Data Studio, a data sharing platform designed to connect data owners with buyers and create new marketing opportunities for audience discovery, sharing and activation. Part of the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Salesforce Data Studio enables marketers to expand targeted reach with valuable audiences, provides publishers a secure way to monetize their audience data assets and empowers any data owner to directly provide their data to buyers.
Acquiring new customers is the lifeblood of marketing. While legacy data exchanges and marketplaces have provided a way to acquire new audiences, they lack trust and transparency while adding too much cost and complexity to data provisioning and activation. They were designed by and favor the middlemen, the data brokers and resellers. For marketers, this means they rarely gain assurances regarding the fair price and origin of the data they acquire. Meanwhile, publishers are less willing to share their best data and can't realize the full value of any data without the right tools to provision it to marketers. Both sides worry about losing too much value to the brokers and resellers who manage the majority of data exchange transactions today.
Announcing Salesforce Data Studio
Salesforce Data Studio overcomes the inadequacies of legacy data exchanges and marketplaces. With Salesforce Data Studio, the data is fully controlled by data owners, not brokers or resellers, so buyers and sellers can transact with confidence in a transparent and secure environment. Software-enabled data governance tools allow for a highly granular way to control access to data: what attributes are shared, to whom, for what use case and for how long.
Salesforce Data Studio delivers:
Deeper Customer Insights with New Audience Discovery and Search: Marketers, agencies and publishers can now better understand existing audiences and discover new ones to drive more revenue. New Audience Discovery and Search combines insightful reach, overlap and indexing tools into one easy-to-use, consolidated experience, providing instant insights into available data and how it relates to a brand's owned data.
Marketers, agencies and publishers can now better understand existing audiences and discover new ones to drive more revenue. New Audience Discovery and Search combines insightful reach, overlap and indexing tools into one easy-to-use, consolidated experience, providing instant insights into available data and how it relates to a brand's owned data. More Reach for Marketers : With limited first-party data and commoditized third-party data, marketers need access to quality second-party data to discover new audiences, enrich consumer profiles and reach new potential customers. For example, Conagra, owner of brands such as Hunt's Tomatoes, leverages Salesforce Data Studio to find health-minded home cooks on popular recipe sites. Marketers who have embraced Salesforce Data Studio include some of the world's largest brands, including Anheuser-Busch, Conagra, Essence, Heineken, Infectious Media, Keurig and Super Digital.
: With limited first-party data and commoditized third-party data, marketers need access to quality second-party data to discover new audiences, enrich consumer profiles and reach new potential customers. For example, Conagra, owner of brands such as Hunt's Tomatoes, leverages Salesforce Data Studio to find health-minded home cooks on popular recipe sites. Marketers who have embraced Salesforce Data Studio include some of the world's largest brands, including Anheuser-Busch, Conagra, Essence, Heineken, Infectious Media, Keurig and Super Digital. More Revenue for Publishers: Now publishers can tightly control who can access data, set rules for usage and control pricing. For example, Tronc (formerly Tribune Media) has found new revenue streams through making its high quality data available to a wide array of large advertisers. Publishers who are using Salesforce Data Studio to safely share data with trusted partners and advertisers include Bazaarvoice, Digital Trends, Fanserv, Gatehouse Media, H Code Media, Kayak, Leaf Group, Penske Media Corporation, Publishers Clearing House, Ranker, Salary.com, Univision, The Enthusiast Network and Townsquare Media.
Comments on the News
"Data is giving rise to a new economy," said Jon Suarez-Davis , Chief Strategy Officer, Salesforce Marketing Cloud. "Salesforce Data Studio extends Salesforce Marketing Cloud's leadership in data management, providing a trusted and transparent platform for premium data so publishers can drive new revenue streams and marketers can secure higher return on ad spend."
, Chief Strategy Officer, Salesforce Marketing Cloud. "Salesforce Data Studio extends Salesforce Marketing Cloud's leadership in data management, providing a trusted and transparent platform for premium data so publishers can drive new revenue streams and marketers can secure higher return on ad spend." "Salesforce Data Studio is our first choice for data monetization," said Scott Messer , vice president of content channels at Leaf Group, the publisher of sites including eHow, Techwalla, and Livestrong, among others. "Salesforce Data Studio does not take a principal position in our data, and enables us to deal directly with the demand side, while having highly granular control over our data and how we share it to trusted partners."
, vice president of content channels at Leaf Group, the publisher of sites including eHow, Techwalla, and Livestrong, among others. "Salesforce Data Studio does not take a principal position in our data, and enables us to deal directly with the demand side, while having highly granular control over our data and how we share it to trusted partners." "When we started using second-party data, it was quickly clear that the quality and results were more accurate in some areas to that of the third-party data," said Christy Kazlo , Director of Marketing Technology at Conagra Brands. "There's a place for both in our business, and Salesforce Data Studio is fundamentally changing the way we think about our overall data mix."
, Director of Marketing Technology at Conagra Brands. "There's a place for both in our business, and Salesforce Data Studio is fundamentally changing the way we think about our overall data mix." "Data has always been the currency of marketing, yet, much of today's data was designed for yesterday's marketer. It's often optimized for scale, not precision, and its sources are inscrutable," said Scott Denne , Analyst, 451 Research. "Salesforce Data Studio enables marketers to tap into data that aligns with their own unique needs by pairing them directly with publishers and other data owners."
Salesforce Marketing Cloud: The World's #1 Digital Marketing Solution
Salesforce Marketing Cloud allows marketers to deliver connected, intelligent, personalized and real-time consumer engagement across all channels and at global scale. With Marketing Cloud Einstein, marketers can tap into the power of artificial intelligence in order to discover and predict the optimal timing, channel, content and audience for any marketing message. Leading brands such as Dunkin' Donuts and Nestle Waters turn to Marketing Cloud to improve consumer engagement and move their business forward. On average, companies that have deployed Marketing Cloud see a 27 percent increase in campaign effectiveness and 26 percent increase in marketing ROI. (Source: Salesforce Customer Success Metrics Survey conducted from 2015- 2017 on 7,000 customers randomly selected.)
Pricing and Availability
Salesforce Data Studio is generally available today, and sold in the following editions: Marketer Edition, for existing Salesforce DMP customers; Publisher Edition, for existing Salesforce DMP customers; Stand-Alone Edition, for existing Salesforce customers who do not license Salesforce DMP; and Seller Edition, for any data owner that wants to participate in the Salesforce Data Studio exchange.
New Salesforce Data Studio Audience Discovery and Search will be generally available in November 2017 .
Additional Information
To learn more about Salesforce Data Studio please visit: https://www.salesforce.com/products/marketing-cloud/data-sharing/
Download our whitepaper, "A Guide to Second Party Data," at https://sfdc.co/cjuEbY
Become a marketing trailblazer on Trailhead, the fun way to learn Salesforce: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/
Salesforce Data Studio with Salesforce
Like Salesforce and Marketing on Facebook http://facebook.com/salesforce and http://www.facebook.com/marketingcloud
Follow @salesforce and @marketingcloud on Twitter
About Salesforce
Salesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.
Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase Salesforce applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM." For more information please visit http://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.
SOURCE Salesforce
Related Links
http://www.salesforce.com
Rescar is the largest provider of railcar maintenance services in North America with thirty-five (35) on-site mini shops and thirty (30) mobile locations. Currently, Rescar has five (5) major full service plants (Channelview, TX; DuBois, PA; Gordon, GA; Longview, TX; Orange, TX) for heavy repair, tank car compliance testing, wide product based cleaning and coating application. The CRU Railcar Services joint effort is adding a new Fast Track location to the existing four (4) Fast Track locations (Rosemount, MN; Savanna, IL; Springfield, MA; Wilmington, NC) which are designated for light repair/project work and on-line bad order Damaged and Defective Car Tracking (DDCT).
The CRU Group, consisting of numerous companies that service the oil industry, is known for its boutique-like approach to project-building and their extreme vetting of partners and customers. CRU Victoria Investments developed the first 3rd party frac sand silo facility in Texas in 2011, which currently services Schlumberger. CRU Trading Company operates a fleet of five hundred (500) tank cars and has been providing turnkey trans-border transportation solutions for clients such as PMI, NuStar and Rio Energy since 2008. CRU Refined Mexico is the largest asphalt importer in northern Mexico.
The group's latest project was the creation of CRU Railcar Services, a state-of-the-art tank car cleaning facility offering extremely fast turn-times and conforming with the toughest inspection standards. CRS Marketing Manager, Pedro Berruecos, commented "Since the beginning, it became clear that a partnership with Rescar would allow the facility to become the preferred repair location for tank car operators and lessors due to our access to both UP and BNSF." He added "We built this facility with only the highest standards in mind so that we can focus on cleaning railcars as quickly and cost effectively as possible while our partner, Rescar, can provide any necessary maintenance, inspection or repairs. This specialized approach will ensure that our customers are provided with high quality service and quick turn times at cost effective pricing."
CONTACT:
Bryant Tenorio
718-930-7929
[email protected]
SOURCE CRU Railcar Services
WALLDORF, Germany, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) announced that its real-time intelligent enterprise resource planning (ERP) suite, SAP S/4HANA, has reached an important milestone. SAP S/4HANA, designed specifically for SAP HANA, the market-leading in-memory database, is the digital core that provides broad functionality and a high degree of flexibility for businesses of all sizes, in all industries, and can be deployed on premise, in the cloud or with a hybrid approach.
The latest release of SAP S/4HANA (1709), available earlier this month, aims to make it even easier for companies to run live with intelligent ERP. It includes machine learning capabilities and predictive analyticsenabled core business processes, landscape consolidation, and industry and line-of-business innovation.
Daimler AG will become the 1,000th customer to go live with SAP S/4HANA as it deploys its next-generation global order and supply system. This provides Daimler with a safe and sustainable IT environment that has the capabilities needed to meet business objectives, now and in the future.
"The momentum of SAP S/4HANA, the fastest-selling product in SAP's history, is ongoing, and there are now 1,000 live implementations illustrating our continued market leadership in ERP," said Uwe Grigoleit, SAP S/4HANA Go-to-Market general manager and senior vice president at SAP. "SAP S/4HANA has helped customers worldwide realize benefits including improved employee productivity, real-time access to information using in-memory technology and support for the realization of new business models driving our digital world."
IDC Customer Survey About SAP S/4HANA Adoption
SAP also announced a new IDC-authored white paper, "Voice of the Customer: 10 Insights, Direct from SAP S/4HANA Pioneers," sponsored by SAP.
"In a survey of over 300 SAP customers and interviews with organizations live with SAP S/4HANA, organizations reported concern that the ERP at the core of their business had become an impediment to being competitive in today's world," IDC Fellow Henry Morris said. "Many saw the need to refresh their ERP to embrace new digital business models, drive greater employee productivity and provide real-time access to the latest information impacting their business."
On October 5, SAP will host a webcast on the survey results with IDC's Morris and SAP customer Grace Liu, chief information officer at Katerra. More information can also be found on the SAP S/4HANA blog.
For more information, visit the SAP News Center or the SAP S/4HANA website. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews.
IDC is the foremost global market intelligence and advisory firm helping clients understand technology and ebusiness trends to develop sound, action-oriented business strategies. For additional information on IDC, please visit www.idc.com.
About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 355,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.
Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
2017 SAP SE. All rights reserved.
SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices.
For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:
Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)
For more information, press only:
Susan Miller, SAP, +1 (610) 570-6845, [email protected], ET
SAP News Center press room; [email protected]
SOURCE SAP SE
Related Links
http://www.sap.com
SODERTALJE, Sweden, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Scania strongly contests all the findings and allegations made by the European Commission, and will appeal against the decision in its entirety.
Scania also emphasises that it has co-operated fully with the European Commission by providing it with requested information and explanations throughout the entire investigation period.
CONTACT:
For further information, please contact:
Karin Hallstan, PR Manager, Scania
Phone: + 46-76-842-81-04
E-mail: [email protected]
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
http://news.cision.com/scania/r/scania-appeals-against-decision-of-the-european-commission-regarding-eu-antitrust-rules,c2355705
The following files are available for download:
http://mb.cision.com/Main/209/2355705/728519.pdf Scania appeals against decision from the EU Commission
SOURCE Scania
Oil prices burst out of the gate this week, rising more than 3% on Monday. That rally pushed the U.S. oil benchmark, WTI, up to more than $52 per barrel, while the global benchmark, Brent, rose above $59 per barrel. For WTI, it was the highest close in five months, while Brent hit its best level since July 2015. What's noteworthy about these moves is that they pushed oil 20% above its bottom in June, which means crude is now officially in bull market territory.
As I suspected they might, three factors fueled that rapid recovery: Sinking oil inventories, accelerating demand growth, and slowing shale supply growth. Those same catalysts could continue to push oil higher, especially if OPEC remains steadfast in its commitment to keep a lid on output. That said, while the market is pinning its hopes on OPEC, the wild card for higher prices is shale, which has become the new swing producer.
Drilling down into the data driving oil's rally
Oil market fundamentals have rapidly improved over the past few months. According to the latest report from the International Energy Agency, oil demand grew by a much stronger-than-expected 2.3 million barrels per day last quarter, which is up 2.4% year over year. That led the IEA to upwardly revise its growth estimate for the full year.
Additionally, global oil supplies fell last month due to unplanned outages and scheduled maintenance. One of the other drivers was continued high compliance by OPEC on its pledged production cut, which has averaged 86% for the year. Add to that a slowdown in shale production growth as well as some turmoil in Libya, and the oil market cut even deeper into its inventory overhang. Those stockpiles had fallen to only 35 million barrels above the five-year average versus the 219 million barrels it was above that mark in the previous month.
Shale: Rally killer, or will patience prevail?
As mentioned, another factor driving crude's quiet rally has been some discipline from shale drillers. With crude slipping into the $40s, several drillers announced plans to curb their activities in recent months. The Eagle Ford Shale's Sanchez Energy (NYSE: SN), for example, announced in July that "given the challenged current oil and gas price environment," it would reduce its 2018 capital budget by $75 million-$100 million. One result of that budget cut was that Sanchez Energy would decrease its rig count this year, cutting it from the eight that were running at the time down to five by the end of September. Furthermore, Sanchez would slow down the pace of its well completions, which would push production out until 2018.
Meanwhile, the Permian Basin's Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE: PXD) tapped the brakes on its 2017 plans after running into some drilling issues. Pioneer chose "not to accelerate activity in order to catch up in the second half, especially in light of the current commodity price environment." Instead, it cut $100 million from its drilling budget and would defer 30 wells into 2018. As a result, Pioneer's production would grow closer to the low end of its 15% to 18% guidance range.
In addition to trimming spending to keep it aligned with cash flow, some larger drillers are allocating capital to buybacks instead of more wells. Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC), for example, recently announced a $2.5 billion buyback. The company felt that the repurchase was a "very attractive use" of its cash because it could retire about 10% of its outstanding shares. That would enable Anadarko to accelerate its production growth on a per-share basis without adding any more oil to a still-saturated market.
If producers continue to exercise restraint and chose buybacks or balance sheet improvements over production growth, then it's possible that the rally in the oil market can continue. However, if shale drillers quickly reaccelerate, it could keep a tight lid on prices.
Cautious optimism
The oil market has had its share of false starts over the past couple of years, so it's no surprise that the recent bull run has practically gone unnoticed by investors. In fact, Pioneer and Sanchez have seen their stocks drop 6% and 25%, respectively, even as crude has powered higher over the past three months. That said, the fact that bigger drillers like Anadarko are starting to turn to buybacks suggests that producers plan to be more disciplined this time around. If that continues, and OPEC doesn't waver on its commitment, the market could continue quietly moving higher, and should eventually take prudent producers up with it.
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Edmunds, the leading car shopping and information platform, forecasts that 1,435,375 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in September for an estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 17.5 million. This is the highest SAAR so far in 2017; the previous highs were set in January and February, which both had a SAAR of 17.3 million. This rate reflects a 2.9 percent decrease in sales from August 2017 and a 0.4 percent increase from September 2016.
Edmunds analysts say this slight year-over-year increase is due in part to automakers pumping up the deals over the Labor Day holiday; typically, auto sales over Labor Day weekend are 33 percent higher than the average first weekend of a month.
"Labor Day weekend got September auto sales off to a strong start," said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds executive director of industry analysis. "Automakers are finally starting to dial up the incentives to clear excess inventory, which we anticipate will continue through the rest of the year."
September sales are also expected to get a slight lift from buyers who needed to replace vehicles that were destroyed in the recent hurricanes.
"We anticipate that the recovery from the recent hurricanes will give vehicle sales an incremental boost in September, and will likely continue to slightly lift the market in the months to come," Caldwell said. "When you have hundreds of thousands of people affected by an event of this magnitude, not everyone will hit the market at once."
SALES VOLUME FORECAST, BY MANUFACTURER Sales Volume September 2017 Forecast September 2016 August 2017 Change from September 2016 Change from August 2017 GM 268,248 249,795 275,552 7.4% -2.7% Toyota 215,130 197,260 227,625 9.1% -5.5% Ford 212,976 203,444 209,029 4.7% 1.9% Fiat Chrysler 171,782 192,883 176,033 -10.9% -2.4% Honda 135,567 133,655 146,015 1.4% -7.2% Nissan 114,821 127,797 108,326 -10.2% 6.0% Hyundai/Kia 102,585 115,830 107,633 -11.4% -4.7% VW/Audi 46,963 41,729 51,826 12.5% -9.4% Industry 1,435,375 1,430,273 1,478,581 0.4% -2.9%
*NOTE: September 2017 had 26 selling days, September 2016 had 25 and August 2017 had 27.
Edmunds estimates that retail SAAR will come in at 15.0 million vehicles in September 2017, with fleet transactions accounting for 14.0 percent of total sales. An estimated 3.19 million used vehicles will be sold in September 2017, for a SAAR of 38.8 million (compared to 3.33 million or a SAAR of 39.0 million in August).
MARKET SHARE FORECAST, BY MANUFACTURER Market Share September 2017 Forecast September 2016 August 2017 Change from September 2016 Change from August 2017 GM 18.7% 17.5% 18.6% 1.2% 0.1% Toyota 15.0% 13.8% 15.4% 1.2% -0.4% Ford 14.8% 14.2% 14.1% 0.6% 0.7% Fiat Chrysler 12.0% 13.5% 11.9% -1.5% 0.1% Honda 9.4% 9.3% 9.9% 0.1% -0.4% Nissan 8.0% 8.9% 7.3% -0.9% 0.7% Hyundai/Kia 7.1% 8.1% 7.3% -1.0% -0.1% VW/Audi 3.3% 2.9% 3.5% 0.4% -0.2%
More insight into recent auto industry trends can be found in the Edmunds Industry Center at http://www.edmunds.com/industry-center/.
About Edmunds
Edmunds is the leading car information and shopping platform, helping millions of visitors each month find their perfect car. With products such as Edmunds Your Price, Your Lease and Used+, shoppers can buy smarter with instant, upfront prices for cars and trucks currently for sale at more than 13,000 dealer franchises across the U.S. Edmunds' in-house team of unbiased car-shopping experts provide industry-leading vehicle reviews and shopping tips, as well as welcome all car-shopping questions to the free Shopper Advice line at 1-855-782-4711, via email at [email protected], via text at ED411 and on Twitter and Facebook. The company is regarded as one of America's best workplaces by Fortune and Great Place to Work. Edmunds is based in Santa Monica, California, and has a satellite office in downtown Detroit, Michigan.
Contact:
Nicole Carriere
Edmunds.com Corporate Communications
www.Edmunds.com
Media Hotline: 310-309-4900
[email protected]
SOURCE Edmunds.com
Related Links
http://www.edmunds.com
In addition to the Summit and Forum, commemorative events included an organized run to honor the legacy of China's expertise in bridge construction as well as the 26th award ceremony of the Mao Yisheng Science and Technology Education Foundation and Commemorative Ceremony for the Qiantang River Bridge's 80th anniversary.
The Qiantang River Bridge is the first modern steel bridge designed and constructed by the Chinese experts, representing a significant milestone and a new era in China's bridge construction history. The bridge was completed on September 26th, 1937, and subsequently played an important role in the transport of munitions and materials in the 2nd World War as well as the safe evacuation of millions of people, saving countless casualties. The bridge took 925 days to complete, however, it only stood for 89 days. The architect of the bridge, Mao Yisheng, was forced to blow up his own "masterpiece" in a move to stop the advance of the invading Japanese Imperial Army. In 1946, after Chinese troops defeated the Japanese, Mr. Mao supervised the reconstruction of the bridge which opened to traffic again in 1953. Although it has been operational for 80 years, 30 years longer than its designated 50-year service life, the spectacular bridge has remained firm and solid.
Wang Zhizhen, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Mao Yisheng Science and Technology Education Foundation, said during the commemorative ceremony: "The Qiantang River Bridge is a testament to the patriotism of Chinese scientific and technical workers including Mr. Mao. We aim to enhance general awareness of the Qiantang River Bridge, a bridge that symbolizes the love that the people have for their country. The bridge acts as a vehicle from which much can be learned and from which we can understand Mao Yisheng's strong patriotic spirit. Mr. Mao's scientific prowess, willingness to fight for what is right and devotion to his country can serve as an encouragement to all Chinese who contribute to our country's strong growth. "
As an important part of the commemorative event, the Summit and Forum were both held at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China on September 27th, 2017. The forum, which focused on the topic of sustainable bridge and tunnel engineering, brought together 22 of the world's top civil engineering professors and researchers as well as over 300 leading bridge and tunnel engineering professionals from both within China and from abroad, including the US, the UK, Austria and Canada, 12 of whom participated in the forum as keynote speakers. The forum outlined the latest research results, challenges and development trends of the sustainable bridge and tunnel engineering community and included discussions on multiple topics, including technology for building long-span bridges for Chinese high-speed railways, research and development of high performance materials, technology for integrated manufacturing and erection of bridge structures as well as bridge architectural design and related aesthetics.
Mr. Mao was not only a bridge engineer but also an engineering educator who has taught legions of aspiring professionals entering the Chinese bridge engineering sector. To inherit Mr. Mao's concept of learning by practice, his patriotic spirit and his dedication to engineering education, the Mao Yisheng Science and Technology Education Foundation has launched and promoted the "Mao Yisheng Charity Bridge-Small Bridge Engineering" program whose mission is to build bridges in remote rural areas across China over which children living in these remote areas can travel to and from school safely. To date, ten small bridges that have been built in five Chinese provinces and municipalities have helped thousands of primary school students and tens of thousands of villagers. In addition, three bridges are currently under construction as part of the program. Since its launch by the Foundation, the program has drawn wide attention across many sectors and communities. During the commemorative event, the Mao Yisheng Foundation awarded the title of "Love Angle of Small Bridges" to 14 industry experts, companies and private citizens who have fully supported and participated in the charity bridge program, as a means of recognizing their outstanding contributions to the small bridge program and for attracting more attention to and support for the program. With its unremitting efforts in promoting science and technology education, the Foundation has been affirmed and recognized by Chinese government leaders and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, gaining a good reputation in society.
About the Mao Yisheng Science and Technology Education Foundation:
The Mao Yisheng Science and Technology Education Foundation was established in 1991 by a dozen organizations, all of which Mr. Mao had worked for during his lifetime. With the mission of carrying on Mr. Mao's spirit and encouraging professionals in science and technology to make greater contributions to the nation by making major achievements in their field, the Foundation annually holds a series of bridge-themed events involving academic exchanges as well as science and technology awards meaning to expand the popularization of science. The Foundation's ten awards under the Mao Yisheng Science and Technology Award banner have honored over 3,000 leading professionals in science and technology education for their contributions over the past 26 years, with the bridge award recognized as the industry's highest individual honor.
SOURCE The Mao Yisheng Science and Technology Education Foundation
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Uber Technologies Inc. ("Uber" or the "Company"). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980.
The investigation concerns whether Uber and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.
By June 2016, seven years after the Company's founding, Uber was valued at nearly $70 billion, making it the most highly valued private technology startup. Shortly thereafter, however, a series of disclosures revealed the that Company and its former chief executive officer ("CEO"), Travis Kalanick, had misled investors with respect to Uber's corporate practices. In 2016, media reports revealed that sexual discrimination and disregard for the law was endemic to Uber's corporate culture. In June 2017, Kalanick resigned as CEO, under pressure from investors. The Company has faced several other scandals, including allegations of using software to steal driver and passenger data from Lyft Inc., Uber's largest competitor; Uber's alleged development of covert software designed to help Uber evade government detection in jurisdictions where the Company is banned from operating; a lawsuit filed by Google-subsidiary Waymo LLC, alleging theft of trade secrets for self-driving car technology; accusations of using recalled and unsafe vehicles known to catch fire; and three possible federal probes, including an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. Mutual fund companies such as Vanguard Group and T. Rowe Price Inc. have marked down their Uber investments by as much as 15 percent.
The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Paris, Chicago, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
[email protected]
SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
Related Links
http://www.pomerantzlaw.com
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SmartBug Mediaa leading intelligent inbound marketing agency that assists businesses in generating leads; increasing awareness; and building brand loyalty through inbound marketing, digital strategy, design, marketing automation, and PRannounced today its hire of healthcare industry experts J'Neal Hachquet and Drew Cohen as marketing strategists for the agency, working to help clients achieve their digital marketing goals.
Hachquet will be responsible for working with clients to build and execute strategic marketing programs that include inbound marketing, website development and optimization, SEO, and blogging. Previously, Hachquet was a Marketing Business Partner for Renown Health, where she developed marketing strategies and advertising campaigns for more than 30 service lines, as well as the overall Renown Health brand, with ROIs ranging from 55 percent to 1,352 percent. Hachquet has a Bachelor's degree in marketing and an MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno, and is a member of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
"I look forward to working alongside some of the nation's brightest and most talented marketers," says Hachquet. "Being surrounded by the strategic and creative energy at SmartBug will fuel my desire to help clients grow while reaching their marketing goals."
Cohen, also with a background in healthcare, will be working to bring continuous innovation to SmartBug's clients. Previously, Cohen was a Senior Manager, Digital Marketing, at Surgent Professional Education, where he developed comprehensive inbound marketing programs and was instrumental in the launch of Surgent's redesigned web presence. Cohen has a degree in marketing from West Chester University and has spoken at Rowan University, West Chester University, and several high schools across New Jersey and Pennsylvania about strategic branding and inbound marketing. Cohen has also conducted several seminars and presentations on the importance of personal branding and social media marketing.
"When you combine a passion for marketing with top-level talent, it's easy to understand why SmartBug has the incredible reputation that they do," says Cohen. "A continuous hunger for growth is the foundation for SmartBug's client success, and I am thrilled to be working with such an amazing group of individuals that make up this talented team."
"Healthcare is a key industry for SmartBug, and both Drew and J'Neal are experts. They are strategic hires, and I am sure that their know-how will elevate the work we do for our clients," says Ryan Malone, Founder and CEO of SmartBug Media. "Their comprehensive understanding of the industry, matched with their solid marketing background and drive to win for clients, is an excellent combination, and we are excited to have them on the SmartBug team."
About SmartBug Media
For 10 years, SmartBug Media has been helping businesses increase sales leads, close more customers, and enhance the reach of their brands. SmartBug Media is one of a handful of HubSpot Diamond partners in the world and is the highest-rated agency in the history of the HubSpot ecosystem. SmartBug Media also boasts the highest ROI documented from any HubSpot partner: 3,558 percent and 14,500 percent ROI on a six-month and three-year campaign, respectively. SmartBug Media is also a certified Great Place to Work and an Inc. 5000 company. You can learn more about SmartBug Media at https://www.smartbugmedia.com.
SOURCE SmartBug Media
Related Links
http://www.smartbugmedia.com
MIAMI, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Commended for their devotion to personalized service, SMP Pharmacy Solutions announces their most recent notable awards. Ranked as number one in the South Florida Business Journal's 50 Fastest-Growing Companies, and listed for the ninth time in Inc. 5000 yearly list, the national specialty pharmacy has found its niche. To that end, the pharmacy's CEO, Armando Bardisa will soon be honored by SFBJ as the 2017 Power Leader in Health Care.
Set to receive his award in October, Bardisa said of the three achievements, "It's been quite a year for our company and we are honored to accept these accolades. To join the ranks of the powerhouse businesses that SFBJ and Inc. 5000 recognizes is something my team and I can all be very proud of."
Known as an industry-leading specialty pharmacy with state-of-the-art customer service and knowledgeable staff, integrity is found at the core of the SMP business model. Committed to facilitating improved health for patients, SMP Pharmacy Solutions provides fertility, specialty drugs, compounding and retail services. A trusted resource since 2003; the independently-owned pharmacy is a liaison between the patient, the doctor's office, the drug manufacturer, and the insurance provider to ensure the patients get their medicine on time every time.
Private companies honored by the South Florida Business Journal are ranked by their percentage of revenue growth over the past two years, SMP Pharmacy Solutions was number one on the list.
The Inc. 5000 list for 2017 ranks the country's fastest-growing private companies. To qualify for their list companies must rank according to percentage revenue growth over a three-year period. SMP Pharmacy Solutions marks growth at 427.75 percent with a revenue of $118.7 million.
For more information visit www.smppharmacy.com.
About SMP Pharmacy Solutions:
SMP Pharmacy Solutions is an award-winning national specialty pharmacy founded by Armando Bardisa, Pharm.D. The company's goal is to improve the quality of life for patients via personalized service.
Contact:
Billy Vidals
Executive Assistant to CEO, SMP Pharmacy Solutions
[email protected]
Related Links:
https://www.inc.com/inc5000/list/2017 (Page 21, Ranking #1014)
https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2017/08/18/fast-50-2017-recap.html
Website:
www.smppharmacy.com
Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/SMPPharmacySolutions
Related Images
image1.jpg
Armando Bardisa CEO of SMP Pharmacy Solutions
SOURCE SMP Pharmacy Solutions
Related Links
http://www.smppharmacy.com
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University top the third annual Reuters Top 100 ranking of the world's most innovative universities. The Reuters Top 100 aims to identify and rank the educational institutions doing the most to advance science, invent new technologies, and power new markets and industries. Compiled in partnership with Clarivate Analytics, the ranking is based on proprietary data and analysis of numerous indicators including patent filings and research paper citations.
The most innovative university in the world, for the third consecutive year, is Stanford University. Located in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, Stanford has long played a key role in the development of our modern networked world: A Stanford professor designed the basic communication standard for the Internet, and university alumni founded some of the biggest tech companies in the world, including Google, Intel, Hewlett-Packard and Netflix. Today the university continues to consistently produce original research and technology. Innovations that originate at Stanford are frequently cited by researchers elsewhere in academia and in private industry.
Overall, the top ranks of the World's Most Innovative Universities remain largely unchanged, with nine of last year's 10 highest-ranked universities remaining in the top 10. And the most elite institutions are almost all large, well-established universities based in the United States and Western Europe. Rounding out the top three are MIT and Harvard, which have held onto their respective 2nd and 3rd place rankings for the past three years. In fourth place is the University of Pennsylvania, which climbed four spots from #8 last year. The highest ranked university outside the U.S., Belgium's KU Leuven (#5), is a nearly 600-year-old institution that maintains one of the largest independent research and development organizations on the planet.
In contrast, there are only two Asian universities in the top 20, both of which are based in South Korea, and one of them actually teaches the majority of its classes in English: South Korea's KAIST, formerly the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, ranked #6. Established in 1971 by the Korean government, KAIST was modeled after engineering schools in the United States, and initially funded with a multimillion-dollar loan from the United States Agency for International Development.
Overall, the top 100 consists of 51 universities based in North America, 26 in Europe, 20 in Asia and three in the Middle East.
For more on the Reuters Top 100, including a detailed methodology and profiles of the universities, visit www.reuters.com/innovative-universities-2017/.
The Reuters Top 100: The World's Most Innovative Universities
Stanford University Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ) Harvard University University of Pennsylvania KU Leuven KAIST University of Washington University of Michigan System University of Texas System Vanderbilt University Duke University University of California System Northwestern University Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH) Imperial College London Cornell University California Institute of Technology University of Wisconsin System Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne University of Southern California University of Tokyo Johns Hopkins University Georgia Institute of Technology Seoul National University University of Illinois System University of Cambridge Indiana University System Pierre & Marie Curie University - Paris 6 University of Colorado System University of Pittsburgh University of Oxford Purdue University System University of Chicago Osaka University University of North Carolina System Princeton University Ohio State University Tufts University Tohoku University Technical University of Munich Columbia University Kyoto University Yale University Baylor College of Medicine Tokyo Institute of Technology University of Toronto University of Minnesota System Sungkyunkwan University University of Utah University of Erlangen Nuremberg Tsinghua University Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Oregon Health & Science University Emory University Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich Delft University of Technology University of Massachusetts System University of British Columbia University of Zurich Peking University Hanyang University University of Montpellier Boston University University of Munich Technical University of Denmark University of Florida University College London Kyushu University Yonsei University National University of Singapore State University of New York System Case Western Reserve University Keio University University of Copenhagen Ghent University Florida State University Korea University Rutgers State University University of Rochester University of Manchester University of Freiburg Hebrew University of Jerusalem Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology Leiden University Arizona State University Free University of Berlin University of Claude Bernard - Lyon 1 Tel Aviv University Technion Israel Institute of Technology University of Paris Descartes - Paris 5 Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz Rice University University of Paris Sud - Paris 11 University of Iowa Hokkaido University University of Virginia Dresden University of Technology Carnegie Mellon University Wake Forest University Zhejiang University
Reuters
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world's largest international multimedia news provider reaching more than one billion people every day. Reuters provides trusted business, financial, national and international news to professionals via Thomson Reuters desktops, the world's media organizations and directly to consumers at Reuters.com and via Reuters TV. Follow news about Reuters at @ReutersPR.
Clarivate Analytics
Clarivate Analytics is the global leader in providing trusted insights and analytics to accelerate the pace of innovation. Building on a heritage going back more than a century and a half, we have built some of the most trusted brands across the innovation lifecycle, including the Web of Science, Cortellis, Derwent, CompuMark, MarkMonitor and Techstreet. Today, Clarivate Analytics is a new and independent company on a bold entrepreneurial mission, to help our clients radically reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing innovations. For more information, please visit clarivate.com.
CONTACTS Heather Carpenter PR Manager, Head of Special Projects Reuters [email protected] 646-223-8551
SOURCE Reuters
Related Links
http://www.reuters.com
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 10, 2017, StartEngine will host the StartEngine ICO 2.0 Summit in Santa Monica, CA. The summit will bring together industry leaders, former SEC attorneys, and companies planning to launch Initial Coin Offerings, better known as ICOs, under JOBS Act regulations.
Howard Marks, CEO and founder of StartEngine, will discuss the second phase of ICOs with industry experts at the StartEngine ICO 2.0 Summit on November 10.
In August, StartEngine announced it would be one of the first funding portals to accept Initial Coin Offerings. The StartEngine ICO 2.0 Summit will focus on the second phase of ICOs, bringing them from their current state to an SEC regulated and transparent means of raising capital.
In July, the SEC released a memo describing the risks of ICOs, warning that coins and tokens are likely be considered securities. StartEngine is a solution for companies who wish to raise capital via coin offerings but want to remain compliant with federal securities laws while doing so. By launching ICOs through already established crowdfunding regulations, StartEngine aims to make the trade of digital currency safer for both investors and companies.
Current panelists include Howard Marks, CEO of StartEngine and co-founder of Activision; Sara Hanks, co-founder and CEO of CrowdCheck and a former member of the Securities and Exchange Commission; and Lou Kerner, partner at Flight VC, and a top 10 most influential Bitcoin blogger.
You can learn more about the StartEngine summit by visiting www.startenginesummit.com. If your company plans to launch a compliant ICO and would like to participate in the StartEngine ICO 2.0 Summit as a presenter, please email [email protected] for more information.
About StartEngine
StartEngine is one of the leading equity crowdfunding platforms in the U.S., connecting over 100,000 registered investors with tomorrow's progressive companies. StartEngine has raised over $40M for more than 50 companies. Based in Los Angeles, the company was created in 2013 by Howard Marks, co-founder of Activision, and Ron Miller. StartEngine is committed to revolutionizing the ways startups are funded, thereby helping entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. Learn more at www.startengine.com.
Media Contact:
Johanna Cronin
Director of Marketing, Product and Services at StartEngine
(209) 553-8161
www.startengine.com
[email protected]
SOURCE StartEngine
Related Links
http://www.startengine.com
According to organizers of American Craft Week, "While other industry associations have long touted their products, the craft industry has lacked a single way to be highly visible. Crafts enrich our homes, wardrobes, offices and public spaces. The crafts industry contributes to our nation's economy and the fabric of our national history. Craftwork is original, beautiful and enduring." As one craft artist put it, "this is the creative economy!"
The Stowe show features 175 artists and artisans displaying and selling traditional and contemporary crafts and original art as well as a specialty food section. The exhibitors are a fascinating group of people. "Meet the artists! Hear their stories! And buy their work!" says organizer, Tim Cianciola.
While craft shopping, customers are delighted with great food, live music, and Vermont craft beers served by Idlletyme Brewery, all inside a heated dining tent.
Besides savoring Vermont food and drink, there are many craft demos. Craftproducers is proud to feature Zhong-Hua Lu as one of its demonstrating exhibitors at this year's show. His life story, artistic work and teaching career are all remarkable and well documented in a detailed memoir written by his wife, Ellen Graf. Joining him are Vermonters Richard Foye and his compelling Raku pottery demo and Harry Besett, a glassblower, with a glass blowing demo, taking incandescent white hot glass from his kiln.
In a nutshell, the Stowe Foliage Arts Festival will be held October 6 through 8 at Topnotch Field. Hours are 10-5 daily, Friday through Sunday. Adult admission is $10, children are free. Rain or shine-inside heated Camelot tents. Free parking. No pets, please. Complete information is available at Craftproducers.com.
CONTACT: Tim Cianciola 802-425-3399 or [email protected]
SOURCE Craftproducers
TOKYO, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Global consumer products company Suntory Holdings today committed $200,000 USD to the Mexican Red Cross in support of recovery efforts in communities that have been impacted by the recent earthquake.
"Suntory is grounded in the philosophy of giving back and supporting our communities in times of need," said president and CEO Tak Niinami. "We are inspired by the show of support by the global community and we are committed to those affected by the Mexican earthquake as they begin the long process of recovery and rebuilding."
This commitment follows Suntory's $1 million donation to the American Red Cross to aid communities and business partners affected by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. Together, Suntory Holdings and Suntory companies Beam Suntory and Pepsi Bottling Ventures have contributed more than $1.8 million for disaster relief in the past month.
Suntory has operated in Mexico since 1962 - first in spirits, then followed by the opening of the original Restaurant Suntory location to bring traditional Japanese cuisine and culture to Mexico. Today, Restaurant Suntory counts seven locations across Mexico.
Mexico is an integral part of Suntory's business through the restaurant industry and its Beam Suntory unit, the world's second largest tequila producer with brands including Sauza, Hornitos, Tres Generaciones and El Tesoro. Across the restaurant and tequila businesses, Suntory employs nearly 1,000 team members in Mexico.
Suntory Holdings, based in Japan, has consistently been recognized as one of Japan's most admired leaders in corporate social responsibility.
About Suntory Holdings Limited:
Suntory Group is among the world's leading consumer products companies, with $24.3 billion in annual sales. We offer a uniquely diverse portfolio of beverage products enjoyed by millions around the world: from award-winning Japanese whiskies Yamazaki and Hibiki, The Premium Malt's beer, and iconic American spirits Jim Beam and Maker's Mark to non-alcoholic favorites Orangina, Lucozade, and Ribena. Suntory also produces wellness products and operates a flower business.
Founded as a family-owned business in 1899 in Osaka, Japan, Suntory Group has grown into a multi-national corporation, with operations throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania. We are driven by Yatte Minahare the spirit of bold ambition and our 38,000 employees worldwide draw upon our unique blend of Japanese artisanship and global tastes to explore new product categories and markets.
Learn more about Suntory Group, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility at www.suntory.com, on facebook.com/SuntoryGlobal or @SuntoryGlobal on Twitter.
SOURCE Suntory
Related Links
http://www.suntory.com
AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Superior HealthPlan (Superior) is once again the top-rated Medicaid plan in Texas. Superior received one of the highest ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), earning a score of 4.0 on a 5.0 scale on the NCQA's Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2017-2018. Superior received the same score for 2016-2017.
"Our primary goal as a company is to provide our members with the best healthcare possible so that they can receive the services they need to get well and stay well," said Dr. David Harmon, Chief Medical Director at Superior. "This score from the NCQA is a prime example of the standard of care we aim to provide as well as our steadfast commitment to offering consistent, quality care every day."
Ratings are calculated based on Health Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) scores, Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) scores and NCQA Accreditation standard scores. The NCQA health insurance plan rating system is considered one of the most comprehensive evaluations in the healthcare industry.
The ratings are broken down into three primary categories as well as several sub-categories. Superior earned a 5.0 out of 5.0 in several of those, including customer service, adolescent well-care visits and immunizations, and follow-up care after hospitalizations for mental illness. In total, Superior earned a score of 4.0 or higher out of 5.0 in 19 specific measures.
"It takes a collaborative effort between our employees and providers across Texas to make sure our members are getting the services that meet their needs," said Susan Mills, Superior's Vice President of Quality Improvement. "We are proud of this recognition from NCQA and will continue to do what it takes to offer quality healthcare to the people who need it most."
For a detailed review of the latest NCQA health insurance plan ratings report, visit: http://healthinsuranceratings.ncqa.org/2017/search/Medicaid/TX.
About Superior HealthPlan
Austin-based Superior HealthPlan (Superior) is a managed care company that employs more than 3,200 people across ten Texas offices. Superior is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading multi-national healthcare enterprise offering both core Medicaid and specialty services. Superior is licensed by the Texas Department of Insurance and is a Qualified Health Plan issuer in the Texas Health Insurance Marketplace. More information on Superior can be found at www.SuperiorHealthPlan.com.
About NCQA
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes clinicians in key clinical areas. NCQA's HEDIS is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA's Web site (www.ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.
SOURCE Superior HealthPlan
Related Links
http://www.superiorhealthplan.com
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Advocates for laws in D.C. and six states that authorize medical aid in dying are urging members of Congress to oppose a House concurrent resolution wrongly claiming medical aid in dying "puts everyone...at risk of deadly harm." The full resolution (H.Con.Res.80), introduced by Rep. Brad Wenstrup (Ohio) and cosponsored by Reps. Luis Correa (Calif.) and Juan Vargas (Calif.), states:
Dr. Omega Silva, a retired physician and former president of the American Medical Womens Association and D.C. resident who has three cancer diagnoses.
"Expressing the sense of the Congress that assisted suicide (sometimes referred to as death with dignity, end-of-life options, aid-in-dying, or similar phrases) puts everyone, including those most vulnerable, at risk of deadly harm and undermines the integrity of the health care system."
"Medical aid in dying harms no one and benefits even those who make no request for end-of-life medication, by spurring conversations about all their end-of-life options, including hospice and palliative care, and better utilization of them," said Dr. Omega Silva, a retired physician and former president of the American Medical Women's Association and D.C. resident who has three cancer diagnoses. "In fact, that is exactly what the Los Angeles Times recently reported is happening in California just one year after its medical aid-in-dying law took effect. The reality is medical aid in dying strengthens the integrity of the health care system."
"Even though the resolution would not have the force of law, we urge members of Congress to reject it. It contains false statements, and disregards their constituents who strongly support this end-of-life option," said Compassion & Choices President Barbara Coombs Lee, who was an ER and ICU nurse and physician assistant for 25 years before she became an attorney and coauthored the nation's first medical aid-in-dying law in Oregon in 1994. "Members of Congress from states that have authorized this safe option to end intolerable suffering peacefully, like California Reps. Correa and Vargas, are disrespectful of their own state legislative process. In addition, they are turning their backs on constituents who desperately need the peace of mind medical aid in dying provides."
Two weeks ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill, H.R. 3354, with an amendment by U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (Md.) to repeal D.C.'s Death with Dignity Act that authorizes medical aid in dying in the District of Columbia.
"I love life and have undergone many rounds of physically debilitating cancer treatments to extend it, but I am realistic about the fact that I have a deadly disease," said D.C. resident Mary Klein, who only wants the option of medical aid in dying to peacefully end her suffering if it becomes intolerable. "While some people and members of Congress have the right to object to medical aid in dying, they have no right to make my end-of-life care decisions, just as I have no right to make theirs."
In addition to D.C., six states have authorized medical aid in dying: California, Vermont (via legislation in 2015 and 2013), Colorado, Oregon, Washington State (via ballot initiatives in 2016, 1994 and 2008) and Montana (via a Montana Supreme Court ruling in 2009). Collectively, D.C. and these six states represent 18 percent of Americans and have 40 years of combined experience with no documented misuse of this medical practice . Only mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or fewer who can self-ingest the medication can qualify for medical aid in dying.
Disability Rights Oregon testified last year that it "has not received a complaint of exploitation or coercion of an individual with disabilities in the use of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act" since the law took effect in 1997. According to a Journal of Medical Ethics report about the Oregon Death with Dignity Act: "Rates of assisted dying in Oregon...showed no evidence of heightened risk for the elderly, women, the uninsured...people with low educational status, the poor, the physically disabled or chronically ill, minors, people with psychiatric illnesses including depression, or racial or ethnic minorities, compared with background populations."
National and state polls show a majority of Americans across the ethnic, political and religious spectrum support medical aid in dying. This majority includes African-Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, conservatives, Democrats/Democratic-leaning independents, liberals, moderates, Republicans/Republican-leaning independents, Catholics, Christians, Protestants, people of other faiths, people living with disabilities, and physicians. A Medscape online survey last fall shows 7,500 doctors nationwide from 25 medical specialties nationwide support medical aid in dying by a 2-1 margin (57% to 29%).
Multiple national medical associations have adopted policies supporting medical aid in dying and rejecting the term assisted suicide to describe medical aid in dying. They include: the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, The American College of Legal Medicine, American Medical Women's Association, American Medical Student Association, and American Public Health Association.
Contrary to claims by opponents, there is no connection between medical aid-in-dying laws and suicide rates. "Suicide, like other human behaviors, has no single determining cause," concluded the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2017 report, Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices. "Instead, suicide occurs in response to multiple biological, psychological, interpersonal, environmental and societal influences that interact with one another, often over time."
Compassion & Choices is the oldest, largest and most active nonprofit working to improve care and expand options for the end of life in the United States, with 450,000 members nationwide. For more information, visit: CompassionAndChoices.org.
Media contact : Sean Crowley, 202-495-8520 -c, [email protected]
SOURCE Compassion & Choices
Related Links
http://CompassionAndChoices.org
(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/562067/Adnan_Z_Amin_Director_General_IRENA.jpg )
"Decarbonisation, rapid uptake of renewables, decentralisation and digitalisation are transforming the energy sector at a rapid pace, bringing new opportunities to the industry and empowering consumers," said IRENA Director-General, Mr. Adnan Z. Amin. "To adapt and compete, utilities need to innovate - evolving their business models from sales to service -and embrace a more distributed power system."
About Adnan Z. Amin, Director-General, IRENA: http://www.irena.org/DGBiography/DG.aspx
About IRENA: http://www.irena.org
Paddy Young, heads up the organization of European Utility Week, the annual event for the smart utility community. This event brings together over 500 utilities and key decision makers from the industry looking to lead a smooth transition towards a low carbon energy supply.
The European Utility Week Summit at RAI Amsterdam from 3-5 October 2017 is organized by Synergy Events.
In a recent conversation with Mr. Amin, an official Keynote speaker for European Utility Week (EUW) 2017, he revealed some great insights into achieving a low carbon future.
When asked how possible is a low carbon future and where we would need to invest in order to achieve it, Mr. Amin answered:
"We believe a low carbon future to be entirely possible and achievable. Moreover, we believe it to be desirable - not only from an environmental perspective but from an economic one. Critically, renewable energy is gaining real momentum around the world driven by falling costs, technological innovations and an increasingly attractive business case. Global average solar PV costs have the potential to fall by a further 60% and offshore and onshore wind by 35% and 25% till 2025. It is those continued cost declines that are fuelling rapid development. 2016 alone saw record growth in installed renewable capacity of 161 gigawatts. In the power sector, investment needs to go beyond generation technologies, into infrastructure that allows for large-scale integration of renewables in power systems such as demand side management, smart grids, storage and digitalisation. The power sector can also enable decarbonisation of end-use sectors, such as the transport and industrial sectors. Electric vehicles demonstrate how creating synergies between renewable power and transportation can accelerate transformation. These developments represent a profound shift in our global energy system and a positive step towards the low carbon economy required to stay below two degrees."
When asked by Paddy Young about what it would take to continue to this trajectory and if it was feasible to stay below two degrees and how the required investments could be mobilised, Mr. Amin said:
"To stay below two degrees, we need to reduce global energy related carbon dioxide emissions by 70% by 2050 and completely phase it out by 2060. The good news is we believe that to be achievable, and to be net positive economically. Our work on decarbonization has shown that accelerating renewable energy deployment hand-in-hand with improved energy efficiency rates can take us there, and at the same time it would save us trillions annually - 2 to 6 times higher than the costs - thanks to avoided expenditures caused by climate change and air pollution. To get there we must see a seven-fold increase in annual deployment of renewables. Most additional effort should be focused on end use sector transformation, while power sector is progressing well. This energy transition will - for the most part - be fuelled by private sector investment, and a continued focus on innovating across the energy value chain, not just in terms of generation technology. We need innovative business models, a new approach to operations and new policy and financial instruments. In particular, mobilising the capital necessary to be successful will be about ensuring governments make investing in renewables attractive. This can be done in a number of ways, such as through project support grants; the allocation of resources to local financial institutions; development of structured financial mechanisms specific to renewables; increased use of targeted risk mitigation instruments and the standardisation of contracts and project documentation processes."
Asked about IRENA's view of the role of utilities in an increasingly decentralized energy environment, Mr Amin said:
"Energy transformation implications for utilities are myriad," said Mr. Amin. "The key question however, is how do utilities successfully embrace transformation driven by renewables based power system, an increasingly distributed model and the need to digitise. Utilities are very well positioned to thrive in this new context but they need to embrace change and act quickly to evolve from sales driven businesses to service-led ones."
Over the last four years, utilities are increasingly opening up to new kinds of partnerships in order to remain relevant in a sector that is growing in complexity. According to Mr. Young: "Utilities need partners that will encourage them to look beyond conventional constraint. There is no longer space in the energy sector for a linear approach and thus utilities should be partnering with companies, as well as research and educational institutions to create new solutions for the challenges and opportunities ahead. Now is the time to replace old processes with new ones which will take the utility business further and help it meet environmental goals."
"European Utility Week is a key platform that offers the industry an opportunity to discuss this fast-moving sector, and allows players to work together as they pursue new purpose and opportunities. I look forward to discussing this more with the European energy community in Amsterdam." concluded Mr. Amin.
About Synergy Events
Synergy Events is part of Clarion Events and the market leader in developing and organising high quality international conferences and exhibitions for, and in co-operation with, the electricity, gas and water sectors. The management team has over four decades of experience in delivering high value events in the European and Australasian markets. The multi-lingual, expert team works closely with regional advisory boards made up of leading utility experts to deliver cutting-edge content in the areas of Grid Optimisation, Renewables, Energy Storage, Smart Metering, Smart Cities, Smart Homes, Energy Services & Efficiency, Energy Trading, Intelligent Buildings, Data Management, Analytics and IoT, Cyber Security, Smart Gas and Smart Water.
About European Utility Week
European Utility Week is the premier landmark event in Europe for the entire smart utility sector, accumulating over 12,000 international smart energy stakeholders and 600 exhibitors.
It is a dynamic and energizing 3-day business, innovation and information platform in the form of a conference-led exhibition. The event facilitates greater networking and content sharing opportunities across the entire energy spectrum from generation to end use. The programme is developed to serve every level of the utility value chain in the form of a strategic and policy forming environment during the exclusive Summit and the more practical case studies presented during the Hub Sessions , free to attend for all visitors.
3-5 October 2017, RAI Amsterdam, will see European Utility Week co-locating with industry events including:
EMART Energy is the no. 1 networking platform for European energy traders and in 2017 will co-locate with European Utility Week, allowing its attendees to get in touch with a broader scope of solutions and experiences in the energy sector.
Intelligent Buildings Europe focuses on the importance of buildings in our everyday life, and facilitates the business and networking opportunity between Utilities, ESCOs, Energy Service Providers, Financiers, Governments, Cities and Municipalities, all with the common goal of meeting climate change and policy commitments by improving energy efficiency.
Energy Revolution Europe focuses on the most recent developments in renewables integration and energy storage in order to fully integrate systems and benefit from a smarter grid.
Initiate! focuses on working with the utility industry in their effort to embrace the need for adopting new technologies, acquiring new talents and forming new partnerships to create positive change. It is the perfect platform to provide startups and young talent the opportunity to share their ideas and innovations with the more established professionals in the industry in an effort to collectively empower the industry.
For more information about the co-located events: http://www.european-utility-week.com/co-located-events
Media Contact:
Natasha Jennings, Brand & Marketing Manager, Synergy-Events
Email: [email protected]
T: +31-(0)-346290813
For more information visit: www.european-utility-week.com
European Utility Week
3-5 October 2017
Rai Amsterdam
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
http://www.european-utility-week.com/where-when
SOURCE Synergy Events
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the Alliance to Fight the 40 | Don't Tax My Health Care, a broad-based coalition committed to repealing the 40 percent "Cadillac Tax" on employer-sponsored health benefits issued the following statement on Congressional efforts to reform the tax code:
The Alliance to Fight the 40 remains committed to repealing the Affordable Care Act's 40% tax on health benefitsthe misnamed "Cadillac Tax."
As Congress shifts its focus from health care reform to tax reform, the Alliance will continue advocating to repeal the "Cadillac Tax." If Congress is committed to tax reforms that reduce the tax burden on middle class Americans, Congress should prioritize repealing the 40% "Cadillac Tax" on the health benefits of working Americans.
More than 178 million Americans depend on health insurance coverage from their employers and the looming "Cadillac Tax" is already driving up their health care costs. Working families can't afford higher out-of-pocket costs and skimpier health coverage.
We applaud Congress and the Administration for not including a cap on the employee exclusion for employer-sponsored coverage. Americans will reject any new efforts to tax their health care benefits received through an employer.
Repealing the "Cadillac Tax" has bicameral, bipartisan support. If Congress wants to help middle-class Americans, Congress should immediately and permanently repeal the "Cadillac Tax" in tax reform and prevent any new taxes on employer-sponsored health insurance.
The "Cadillac Tax" is a 40% tax on the cost of employer-sponsored health coverage that exceeds certain benefit thresholds initially, $10,800 for self-only coverage and $29,100 for family coverage in 2020. More than just premiums are counted when determining the "cost" of the plan. The cost of wellness programs, on-site clinics and other plan features designed to reduce plan expenses are also included, so that ultimately virtually everyone in an employer-sponsored plan will be affected.
The Alliance to Fight the 40|Don't Tax My Health Care is a broad-based coalition comprised of businesses, patient advocates, employer organizations, unions, local governments, health care companies, consumer groups and other stakeholders that support employer-sponsored health coverage. This coverage is the backbone of our health care system and protects over 178 million Americans. The Alliance seeks to repeal the 40% "Cadillac Tax" on health benefits and work with Congress and the Administration to prevent increased income taxes on workers, families and retirees who rely on employer-sponsored health coverage. The Alliance is committed to ensuring that employer-sponsored coverage remains an effective and affordable option for working Americans and their families.
Contact: Tara Bradshaw
202-441-8255 | [email protected]
SOURCE Alliance to Fight the 40
Related Links
http://www.fightthe40.com
MOSCOW, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
The founders of The Token Fund, one of the first crypto assets funds on the market, today announced pre-crowdsale details for their scheduled Oct. 24 Initial Coin Offering in support of a unique platform to facilitate the creation of new crypto-assets based investment funds.
Tokenbox, a comprehensive system being designed to supply all the trading and compliance infrastructure needed to easily create new investment funds specializing in the fast-evolving cryptocurrency asset class, expects to raise the equivalent of $20 million.
The Tokenbox system was inspired by the experiences of Viktor Shpakovsky and Vladimir Smerkis, co-founders of The Token Fund which, though only six months old, is already one of the most successful collective investment vehicles in the cryptocurrency market, having achieved a 380% increase in portfolio value since startup.
"We quickly recognized two things," Smerkis said. "First, we needed competitors. There have to be other funds against which ours can be measured. Investment is all about expertise. We have our expertise. But our clients need other funds to look at, based on other people's expertise. And secondly, it is really not easy setting up an investment fund in the cryptocurrency field, amid volatile values and as regulations evolve."
According to Shpakovsky, the growing interest of conventional fund managers was another key factor. "We were getting a lot of approaches from institutional investors and hedge funds looking to white-label our system. They wanted an easy entry-point to the cryptocurrency universe. We realized that, with the appropriate resources, we were in the unique position of being able to provide it. So Tokenbox will be that platform."
Tokenbox will help anyone -- from major institutional investors to well-informed and qualified individuals -- to create a new fund taking stakes in either cryptocurrencies or in crypto-based businesses. On the other hand, all investors will be able to choose from a vast variety of crypto portfolios on the Tokenbox platform. With built-in Know-Your-Customer (KYC) procedures and other compliance fulfilment processes, the system will quickly establish digital investments as a vital new asset class for inclusion in any portfolio.
In its ICO, Tokenbox will offer not more than 31 million tokens at $1 each. Issue date has been set as Oct. 24, 2017. In the pre-ICO period, which begins today, the company will offer tokens in a private pre-sale offer. Tokenbox's token symbol is TBX. Purchases may be undertaken in either Bitcoin or Ether.
The team behind Tokenbox is truly international, with financial, technical and compliance veterans from across Europe, the U.S. and Asia, and an advisory board which includes the renowned fintech expert Chris Skinner.
About Tokenbox
https://tokenbox.io/
Tokenbox is headquartered in Moscow at 2nd Paveletsky Dr. 5/2. Its Initial Coin Offering is scheduled to open Oct. 24. Closing date is Nov. 7. The ICO will be conducted under Cayman Islands jurisdiction.
Further information: Elena Tairova, [email protected] or +34-(631)-56-08-52
Tokenbox is the source of this content. Virtual currency is not legal tender, is not backed by the government, and accounts and value balances are not subject to consumer protections. This press release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest.
SOURCE Tokenbox
Beginning tomorrow, September 28, the Y is encouraging people to meet someone new, strike up a conversation and discover what they have in common, then, take a selfie and post it to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #SelfieWithSomeoneNew and tag @YMCA. Whether it's a new neighbor down the street, a parent at your child's school or a person you see every day on your commute home, the Y hopes people will take a few extra moments to get to know one another in order to build a stronger, more connected community.
To encourage participation, the Y is partnering with Oscar-nominated actor, Ethan Hawke, a long-time Y member and former Y camper. To help drive momentum, Hawke will be taking a selfie with someone new at his local Y while encouraging others to do the same.
"I am excited to support the Y and help shine a light on the work they do," said Hawke. "They are so much more than a gym. They create community. I started going to the Y as kid when my parents didn't know what to do with me all summer. Since then, the Y has been a staple in my life; my refuge when I am an out of work actor, or the place that has taught my children to swim. I hope we can raise awareness about everything the Y does in communities all over the country."
Because of the Y, people who may not have met otherwise, come together, whether they are kids in an afterschool enrichment program, adults in a cancer survivorship group or families volunteering. These are natural and easy ways for people to find commonality and even unity among perceived differences.
"For more than 160 years, the Y has brought people together no matter their differences and helped build stronger, more connected communities," said Kevin Washington, President and CEO, Y-USA. "#SelfieWithSomeoneNew is a great way to illustrate how we can all take small, but meaningful steps towards unity with something as simple as a photo."
For more information on how to participate in the Y's #SelfieWithSomeoneNew campaign and to learn more about the Y's "For a better us." campaign, visit ymca.net/forabetterus.
About the Y
The Y is one of the nation's leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 22 million men, women and children regardless of age, income or background to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation's health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. ymca.net
SOURCE YMCA of the USA
Related Links
http://www.ymca.net
BOSTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Three Rings Inc., a marketing and PR consultancy focused on the business-to-business (B2B) technology sector, today announced extremely strong growth since commencing operations in May. High-tech marketing and PR veterans Lisa Paglia and Doug Broad originally launched Three Rings with a single client. In just four months, the agency has grown to a roster of 12 clients in the B2B technology sector with a team of seven PR, marketing and graphic design professionals.
According to Paglia, Three Rings' growth has been fueled by its "strategic-profiling" approach to PR and marketing. "Agencies in the B2B technology sector are still serving clients like it's 1999 with siloed personnel pushing canned and often inconsistent messages down marketing and PR channels," she said. "This creates a lot of noise, but no business momentum. In today's multichannel world, you first need to build a strategic profile that makes your company interesting, in a way that advances your business. Then you need to build the messages around that profile and orchestrate outreach across all the right PR and marketing channels. With consistent execution, the profile establishes the brand."
Top B2C technology companies like Apple, Google and Amazon have perfected the strategic-profile approach to marketing and PR, added Paglia. "Each of those companies cultivated a strategic profile and then relentlessly drove it into the marketplace. We're bringing the same approach to the B2B technology sector," she said. "It really is a requirement for breaking through the cacophony of 'me too' marketing noise today."
Three Rings has developed and implemented strategic-profile programs for multiple clients, providing comprehensive services ranging from initial creative concept straight through to content development and program execution. "In just three weeks' time, Three Rings reinvented our company's profile so now we are truly differentiated from the rest of our market," said Alin Srivastava, president of Advanced Threat Analytics (ATA). "The best part about it is, we've only just begun. We'll be working with Three Rings in the months ahead to drive our messages into the marketplace and become a major player in our space."
Three Rings has created a strategic profile for ATA focused on the cybersecurity alert overload problem. The first platform for building the profile is themed "End Alert Tyranny" and is in the early stages of execution with an integrated public relations, social media and content marketing campaign. ATA is an excellent example of how Three Rings' broad range of services and expertise can provide clients with a turnkey outsourced solution for PR and marketing success.
"From startups to stalwarts, Three Rings' combination of deep technology, business, marketing and communications expertise enables us to develop ideas and programs that drive business results for our clients," Broad said. "We've also developed a flexible business model that enables clients to tap into different service areas as they need them. While the traditional agency model traps clients into silos of transactional services, Three Rings enables clients to take a more strategic approach to the partnership and engage the exact services they need, when they need them. This is how we deliver a much greater return on investment than is possible with traditional agencies."
About Three Rings Inc.
Founded by technology industry veterans Lisa Paglia and Doug Broad, Three Rings Inc. is a full-service marketing and PR consultancy serving the B2B technology industry. More information is available at www.threeringsinc.com.
Contact:
Doug Broad
Three Rings Inc.
(508) 579-7193
[email protected]
SOURCE Three Rings Inc.
Related Links
https://www.threeringsinc.com
In the past, there were many misunderstandings about "cultural industries". The success of OICC II represented yet another radical reform of cultural system. A large number of domestic and foreign experts and scholars stressed during the two-day forum that a cultural industry does not mean "industrialization of culture". Instead, it is an industry of commodities relating to production, sales and human psychological consumption. It can be said that the essence of a cultural industry, with creativity as the fundamental means, cultural content and creative results as core value, and intellectual property or consumption as transaction characteristics, creates social wealth and promotes social progress and the people's overall quality.
In a speech of the opening ceremony, Wang Qiguo, judge of Big Dipper Award and a researcher of Institute for Cultural Industries, Peking University, specifically pointed out: "The cultural industry represented the 1.0 Era, while the cultural and creative industry is the 2.0 Era. Chinese economic society is urgently seeking new impetus for sustainable development today. Networks provide us with another path, which solves quality problems. It brings competitiveness and high added value. 'Internet+' and 'Culture and Creative+' are promoting the rise of China. When the two pillar industries rise to new heights, the country can take off and maintain great power!" This opinion also shows the consensus shared by the new generation of cultural and creative workers in China. Just as the well-known management scientist Peter Drucker once said, "What promotes economic development is not Fortune 500. They only decide the media headlines. It is unknown start-ups and SMEs that account for the largest proportion of GDP; what really promotes social progress is not the few star-like CEOs, but the people who are working silently."
Opening up the Cultural and Creative Industrial Chain and Exploring Sustainable Urban Development
Faced with a series of in-depth issues concerning the world's unprecedented economic development, the enlightenment and ideas of developed countries are particularly worthy of reference. OICC II definitely absorbed these useful inspirations to open up a cultural and creative industrial chain from new foundations and create a benign cycle where "culture and creativity promotes economic growth, while economic growth incubates cultural and creative ideas". On the one hand, the conference highlighted the gathering of "the people", attracting thousands of quality cultural and creative works from across the world by setting up the "Big Dipper Award" at the front end of the industrial chain; on the other hand, it launched an IP Incubation Fund of RMB 300 million for the back end of the industrial chain, forming an incubation ecology of "cultural and creative people + creative works and projects + funds". The Ordos Local Government plays the role of an intermediary and supporter for the entire industrial chain through issuing a series of opening up and win-win policies, guiding and safeguarding the development of the cultural and creative industry.
On the fringes of OICC II, a Role Creative Carnival was successfully held, with numerous original IP works displayed. The down-to-earth and popular interactive activity was a highlight of the overall event. For many cultural and creative new talents, their dream is to build a platform of happiness and mutual exchanges. Besides, with the support of the newly-launched Fund, it will be easier to recognize and promote good creativity and works. It will definitely contribute to the blossoming and prosperous development of the Chinese cultural and creative industry, enabling Ordos to embark a path of sustainable development with transformation and upgrade.
Integrate into the "B&R" Initiative, Promote Common Development of the Region
Ordos was a hot spot of the thousand-year Silk Road. Over many centuries, the land witnessed cultural and economic integration and development; also, Ordos is an economic center on the extension line of North Xinjiang as the Belt and Road Initiative specifies. Its breakthrough in the cultural and creative field is also a response and a trigger for a "B&R" cultural and creative boom.
Ordos is a latecomer as well as forerunner. It can inherit the achievements of many brother cities. Moreover, it actively comprehends the value and significance of culture and creativity in promoting regional economy of the B&R. Quite a few of the OICC II topics focused on discussion of the ties between culture & creativity and economic growth, such as speeches of Culture & Creativity and "B&R" Practice, Cultural and Creative Development in Pakistan, Culture & Creativity Leads Ordos to Pursue Profound Economic and Social Changes and Culture & Creativity and the Realization of Innovative Strategy of Dongsheng District.
In addition, OICC II was star-studded, fully reflecting the cultural inclusiveness of the Belt and Road Initiative. Of them, there were well-known masters and excellent creative teams from the "B&R" countries, e.g., Netherlands, Italy, Pakistan, Iran, Thailand and Bangladesh; internationally-recognized architects Daniel Libeskind, Eric Owen Moss, He Wei, Emmi Keskisarja; Chen Yaoguang, Zheng Shiliang, Feng Yu, Tang Hanzhong and other renowned interior designers, as well as product cross-field artist Daan Roosegaarde; well-known home designer, product designers Ye Yuxuan and Cai Wanya, graphic designers Yangzi and Zhang Zijian, etc.
The whole event represented a magnificent chapter of the city's cultural and creative industry. Its opinions, works and achievements will take more time to be absorbed and promoted.
SOURCE china.org.cn
TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - The Metro Toronto Convention Centre and Tourism Toronto are pleased to announce that Toronto has been selected by the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) to host the foremost international event for medical technology experts, The MedTech Conference, set to take place October 5-7, 2020.
The major convention will bring over 2,600 leaders in medical technology, including CEOs, venture capitalists, and policy makers to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) and contribute an estimated $9.49M in forecasted economic impact direct spending to the city.
This significant bid win marks the first time The MedTech Conference will take place outside of the United States and reflects Toronto's international standing as a world-class hub for medical technology and health sciences expertise.
Recognized as the fastest growing technology market in North America, Toronto is home to half of Canada's medical technology companies and most top 25 global medical technology companies operate in the region. The city's health sciences sector is also ranked among the best in the world, along with its researchers.
This important win, led by Tourism Toronto, the Leaders Circle, TOHealth!, MEDEC, and Ontario's Office of the Chief Health Innovation Strategist, follows a series of major U.S. conventions secured by Toronto. In its last fiscal year, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre secured 11 major U.S. conventions for future years, the highest number in more than a decade.
"I am pleased that Toronto has been chosen to host MedTech 2020, North America's premier medical technology conference. This will be the first time that the conference will be held in Canada. In choosing Ontario, our province will showcase its leadership in the medical technology sector and be recognized as a leading North American hub for health innovation", said Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.
"Awarding The MedTech Conference to the City of Toronto is further evidence that our work, together with collaborators in the system, is catalyzing and growing a thriving health innovation ecosystem in Ontario. Our office is thrilled to be a key partner welcoming the world's top leaders in health innovation to Toronto in 2020", said William Charnetski, Chief Health Innovation Strategist of Ontario.
"Toronto is thrilled to welcome The MedTech Conference in 2020. The fact that Toronto is the first location outside of the United States to host this important conference is a testament to the strength and the global prominence of the technology sector in Toronto", said Mayor John Tory, City of Toronto.
"It says a lot about Toronto that AdvaMed chose this city to be their first conference outside the U.S. and we're thrilled they have," said Johanne Belanger, President and CEO of Tourism Toronto. "Toronto's life science sector is thriving and the city is fast becoming a tech superpower on the global stage."
"We are honoured to have been chosen as the first Canadian venue to host The MedTech Conference and we look forward to welcoming medical technology experts from around the world in 2020", said Barry Smith, President & CEO at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
About Tourism Toronto
Tourism Toronto is an industry association, with more than 1,000 member businesses, and the official destination marketing organization for Toronto, "Canada's Downtown." With sales and marketing programs in key markets around the world, Tourism Toronto promotes the Toronto region as a remarkable destination for tourists, convention delegates and business travelers. Tourism Toronto operates in partnership with the Greater Toronto Hotel Association and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. For more information please visit SeeTorontoNow.com.
About the Metro Toronto Convention Centre
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is Canada's number one convention and trade show facility. Over the past 31 years, the Centre has hosted over 19,000 events, entertained more than 59 million guests and has added $5.7 billion in direct spending to the community. For further information, please visit www.mtccc.com.
SOURCE Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Related Links
http://www.mtcc.ca
Guo Jiaxue, Chairman of the Board of GuangYuYuan Chinese Herbal Medicine Co., Ltd. explained the motivation behind this unique collaboration: "Very few companies in the world boast a heritage as long as ours. For GuangYuYuan, the preservation of traditional culture and encouraging innovation are two of the pillars our company is built on. We are excited to see how Big-King is able to incorporate distinctly Chinese elements into his designs, as well as some elements that reflect our own history of nearly 500 years."
The GuangYuYuan-sponsored show received special permission to be held in the magnificent Musee Jacquemart-Andre, the first runway Paris Fashion Week show ever held in the museum. GuangYuYuan will also have highlights from its brand culture and design aesthetics on display during its Paris debut.
About GuangYuYuan
GuangYuYuan was founded in 1541. In 2003 it was acquired by a leading Chinese pharmaceutical conglomerate, Xi'an Dongsheng Group, and is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange under the name GuangYuYuan Chinese Herbal Medicine Co. Ltd., stock number 600771. In 2006, GuangYuYuan was honored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, receiving its "Time-Honored Brand" appellation. Two of GuangYuYuan's oldest products, GuilingJi and Dingkun Dan, have been declared to be part of China's intangible cultural heritage and their formulas have been named national secrets.
Website: www.guangyuyuan.cn
SOURCE GuangYuYuan
Related Links
http://www.guangyuyuan.cn
PHOENIX, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Troxell, a national leader in education technology and collaboration solutions for more than 60 years, is happy to announce John Burd as the new Account Executive for the Southeast Pennsylvania Territory. He will be assisting schools in his area in achieving their education technology needs and initiatives.
"Troxell has been an industry leader for years," said John Burd. "Now that I am a part of the Troxell team, I can assist those who are looking to make the right technology choices for their school districts. I look forward to helping districts in Southeast Pennsylvania meet their technology goals."
"John brings a great enthusiasm and history with school districts around the region that will help our customers," said Dottie Stewart, Regional Vice President of Troxell's Northeast and Central Territories. "His experience in the education industry is the perfect fit for his new role at Troxell and I am very excited to welcome him to the team."
Before working for Troxell, John Burd was a Technology Director at a school district in New Jersey. He strived to bring great technology to students and staff alike by helping them move into a completely one-to-one world with the added need for interactive technologies in the classroom. In this role, John was able to integrate these needed classroom tools into his entire district. As an Account Executive at Troxell, John will support school districts as they seek to implement new programs through education technology solutions.
You may contact John Burd at his office phone: 610-565-4686, his mobile phone: 215-359-5825, and his email: [email protected].
About Troxell
Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, Troxell is the nation's leading end-to-end solution provider for technology and collaborative solutions in K-12 and higher ed. With 65 offices nationwide, we combine large-scale purchasing power with the high-touch, consultative approach of a local specialist. Find a location near you.
For Press Inquiries Contact: Raigan Irwin-McCabe, VP of Marketing
SOURCE Troxell
Related Links
http://www.etroxell.com
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NEW PLYMOUTH, Idaho, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- True to its history as an industry innovator, Truckstop.com is now offering its Load Tracking solution free with premium service offerings. This game-changing decision addresses a universal industry pain point: supply chain visibility at a price carriers, brokers and shippers alike can afford.
Truckstop.com Announces Free Load Tracking
"Truckstop.com launched the first internet load board, revolutionized the way brokers pay carriers, and introduced the industry's first spot market rate forecasting tool," said Bill Vitti, Truckstop.com's Chief Commercial Officer. "With the increased demand for instantaneous freight visibility, we are, once again, leading the industry by offering our Load Tracking solution for free."
According to Truckstop.com's Thayne Boren, General Manager of Mobile, "Our research shows that 80% of shippers are requiring some degree of load visibility on all of their shipments. What better way to help brokers know where the load is while keeping in mind the productivity needs of the driver, than through Load Tracking?"
Truckstop.com's Load Tracking solution offers more than just load tracking, however. The product is designed to solve major industry pain points through digital document storage and transfer, check call automation, and GPS technology that can pinpoint a drivers' location within a one-mile radius.
Brokers and shippers currently pay between $1.00 and $14.00 per load with other load tracking solutions, depending on the tracking frequency. "Currently, many businesses are not using automated load tracking solutions, and those that do are paying a premium," said Vitti. "There's not a low-cost solution currently available to the entire logistics community, yet we consistently hear that visibility is the number one industry pain point. Truckstop.com is leveling the playing field and making load tracking possible for everyone."
Vitti concludes, "Truckstop.com has always been, and will continue to be, an innovator in the industry. Our company's mission is to empower the freight community with trusted and innovative solutions. Offering free load tracking is just another way we are staying true to our mission."
Truckstop.com will offer free Load Tracking with any of its Truckstop Pro, LoadPay and Rate Analysis service offerings, or Rate API subscriptions. For more information about any of Truckstop.com's product suite, please visit Truckstop.com.
About Truckstop.com
Truckstop.com is the industry's most trusted load board and largest freight marketplace. With a host of technology solutions across the freight lifecycle, Truckstop.com helps carriers, brokers, and shippers grow their bottom line, make better decisions, and forge lasting connections with fellow freight professionals. Truckstop.com offers qualified capacity solutions, transportation management software, load tracking, powerful rate comparison tools, integrated data solutions, a payment platform, insurance products, and more. The company is recognized as a leading resource for freight data and trends, informing outlets like BB&T and Bloomberg Financial.
Media Contact : Industry Relations : Susan Collins Brent Hutto [email protected] [email protected] (770) 654-7054 (205) 886-5565
SOURCE Truckstop.com
Related Links
https://truckstop.com
QUEBEC CITY and MYRTLE BEACH, SC, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - TSO 3 Inc. (TSX: TOS), an innovator in sterilization technology for medical devices in healthcare settings, today announced that the Company has received correspondence from US regulators pertaining to its submission for extended claims for the STERIZONE VP4 Sterilizer in relation to the terminal sterilization of duodenoscopes, which are used in endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) procedures.
In their correspondence, US regulators requested clarification on certain aspects of the Company's proposed labeling consistent with the reprocessing of specific duodenoscopes using the STERIZONE VP4 Sterilizer. In addition, acknowledging recent challenges that have impacted ERCP scopes, regulators have also asked for specific testing to be documented pertaining to what they describe as "challenge features" of the identified devices. This includes testing the integrity of the adhesive seal found at and under the distal endcap of the duodenoscope after sterilization processing.
"We are encouraged by the response." stated R.M. (Ric) Rumble, President and CEO of TSO 3 . "US regulators have clearly stated that improving the safety of duodenoscopes is a top priority for them, and they are encouraging companies to continue to pursue innovations that will help reduce the risk to patients. TSO 3 is doing our part in creating an improved standard of care by offering terminal sterilization solutions for devices that have previously been processed with less robust high level disinfections processes. The Company feels that focusing our efforts on the market leading scope to gain initial claims is likely the most efficient use of resources. Once cleared, the Company will subsequently establish a method to sequentially add additional devices on an ongoing basis."
The Company is preparing a notice for the regulators addressing specific questions, as well as outline intended actions for their comment. The Company's goal is to provide a complete and final response within the 180-day limit established by regulators.
About the STERIZONE VP4 Sterilizer
The STERIZONE VP4 Sterilizer is a low-temperature sterilization system that utilizes the dual-sterilants of vaporized hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and ozone (O 3 ) to achieve terminal sterilization of heat and moisture sensitive medical devices. Its single pre-programmed cycle can sterilize a large number and wide range of compatible devices, creating a cost-effective sterilization process with error free cycle selection. The device's unique Dynamic Sterilant Delivery System automatically adjusts the quantity of injected sterilant based on the load composition, weight and temperature. This capability removes the guesswork and potential for human error, as there is no need to sort instruments and choose the appropriate cycles as with other machines.
The STERIZONE VP4 Sterilizer is the only terminal sterilization method that is FDA cleared to sterilize multi-channeled flexible endoscopes (with a maximum of four channels) of up to 3.5 meters in length, such as video colonoscopes and gastroscopes - an industry first for any medical device sterilization process.
The STERIZONE VP4 Sterilizer is also the only cleared low temperature sterilizer that can process a mixed load consisting of general instruments, single channel flexible endoscopes, and single or double channel rigid endoscopes in the same cycle with load weights of up to 75 lb. The ability to run mixed loads significantly reduces labor costs by minimizing the amount of instrument sorting required, while maximizing the device turns (more productivity from increased throughput capacity).
More information about the STERIZONE VP4 Sterilizer is available through TSO 3 's website, under the Products section at http://www.tso3.com/en/products/sterizone-vp4/.
About TSO 3
Founded in 1998, TSO 3 's activities encompass the sale, production, maintenance, research, development and licensing of sterilization processes, related consumable supplies and accessories for heat-sensitive medical devices. The Company designs products for sterile processing areas in the hospital environment that offer an advantageous replacement solution to other low temperature sterilization processes currently used in hospitals. TSO 3 also offers services related to the maintenance of sterilization equipment and compatibility testing of medical devices with such processes.
For more information about TSO 3 , visit the Company's website at www.tso3.com.
The statements in this release and oral statements made by representatives of TSO 3 relating to matters that are not historical facts (including, without limitation, those regarding the timing or outcome of TSO 3 's regulatory filings, revenue, business or operations) are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks, uncertainties and hypotheses, including, but not limited to, the ability of the Company to obtain the required regulatory clearances to market its products, general business and economic conditions, the condition of the financial markets, the ability of TSO 3 to obtain financing on favourable terms and other risks and uncertainties. Although TSO 3 believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. The complete versions of the cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements as well as a description of the relevant assumptions and risk factors likely to affect TSO 3 's actual or projected results are included in the Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2016, which is available on the Company's website. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and TSO 3 does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless expressly required by applicable securities laws.
SOURCE TSO3 Inc.
Related Links
http://www.tso3.com
AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TVA Medical, Inc., a medical device company developing innovative therapies for end-stage renal disease (ESRD), today announced that its everlinQTM 4 endoAVF System has received CE Mark in the European Union. The technology uses a 4 French catheter system with enhanced visual indicators to create hemodialysis access using an endovascular technique without open surgery.
In a prospective, single arm, single-center study evaluating the everlinQ 4 endoAVF System, 97 percent of endovascular AVF (endoAVF) procedures were successful, and fistula maturation was achieved in 83 percent of patients.
Dr. Tobias Steinke, Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Schon Klinik, Dusseldorf, Germany, performed the first case in Europe using the everlinQ 4 System. "The new system with smaller profile catheters and radiopaque visual indicators was extremely easy to use," he said. "This new approach streamlines the procedure for providing patients a functional AV fistula without open surgery."
Each year approximately 3 million people worldwide with ESRD are treated with hemodialysis.1 However, the first step, creating a viable access in the arm, is often a significant clinical challenge. The current standard approach, surgical arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs), are associated with high failure rates2, and may require frequent revisions, impacting patient quality of life and resulting in unnecessary costs.3
"We are pleased to achieve this next regulatory milestone that broadens availability of the everlinQ endoAVF System for patients," said Adam L. Berman, president and CEO of TVA Medical. "We are now offering the 4 French catheter system in Europe, as well as in the everlinQ endoAVF EU Study, which is gathering additional clinical data to support future clinician education, patient access, and reimbursement of the everlinQ endoAVF System."
About the everlinQ endoAVF System
The everlinQ endoAVF System, using the 4 Fr or 6 Fr catheter system, is designed to create an AVF for hemodialysis access using an endovascular approach. In the procedure, two thin, flexible magnetic catheters are inserted into an artery and vein in the arm. A small amount of radiofrequency energy is used to connect the artery and vein to create the fistula. The catheters are then removed and a brachial vein is coil-embolized, enabling future dialysis.
The 6 French everlinQ endoAVF System previously received CE marking for ESRD patients who need hemodialysis. The 6 French system also has Health Canada Medical Device License. TVA Medical is pursuing US FDA clearance of the everlinQ endoAVF System and the technology is not currently available for use in the United States.
About TVA Medical
TVA Medical, Inc., headquartered in Austin, Texas, is developing minimally invasive therapies for end-stage renal disease and other potential applications, such as peripheral vascular disease. More information is available at www.TVAMedical.com
1 Liyanage, et al. Lancet, 2015. 10.1016/S0140-6736
2 Al-jaishi, et al. Am J Kidney Dis 2014;63:464-78.
3 Lok. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2: 1043-1053, 2007.
SOURCE TVA Medical, Inc.
Related Links
http://tvamedical.com
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Twistlock, the leading provider of container and cloud native cybersecurity solutions, today announced the availability of a companion guide to NIST SP 800-190, the Container Security Guide. Twistlock's companion guide is designed to provide a diverse set of readersfrom DevOps engineers to security professionals to CISOs, with a clear understanding of how to operationalize the recommendations in the Special Publication using Twistlock's platform. The companion guide includes detailed recommendations that map each section of the NIST guide to specific capabilities and recommended configurations in the Twistlock platform, helping organizations rapidly roll out and enforce the NIST recommendations.
The NIST team develops security standards that help protect hundreds of millions of PCs and servers around the world, and NIST 800 series Special Publications are seen as the gold standard for understanding the threats and countermeasures for protecting critical software infrastructure. The SP 800-190 guide takes the same consistent threat modeling approach as previous NIST SPs and applies it to the cloud native stack from hypervisor to container runtime to orchestrator and across the whole application lifecycle, from the beginning of the CI process to production.
John Morello, CTO of Twistlock, partnered with NIST to author SP 800-190 and had this to say about the SP and Twistlock's companion guide: "The existence of the container security SP is a great validation of containers as a first tier enterprise technology. One of the great things about containers is their flexibility and versatility which means it can be challenging to adopt recommendations into your own operating environment and processes. The Twistlock NIST Companion Guide sets out to solve those challenges, taking a prescriptive approach to the steps required to enforce NIST compliance, so it acts as a sort of deployment template. By enabling countermeasures through Twistlock, organizations can implement the NIST recommendations with centralized control and monitoring."
In the past, Twistlock has contributed many security capabilities to Docker and OpenShift in the open source community. Beyond the code, Twistlock has also been actively contributing to the body of knowledge around best practices for container security. The NIST SP Container Security Companion Guide is the latest example of how Twistlock contributes to shaping best practices for organizations using containers, and Twistlock has similar companion guides for PCI and HIPAA--both of which support technical and compliance teams who work with containers in the cardholder data environment and the medical communities, respectively.
To check out the new NIST Companion Guide from Twistlock, please visit www.twistlock.com/NIST.
Additional Resources:
Check out the Twistlock blog
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on LinkedIn
About Twistlock
Twistlock is the leading provider of container and cloud native cybersecurity solutions for modern applications. From precise, actionable vulnerability management to automatically deployed runtime protection and firewalls, Twistlock protects applications across the development lifecycle and into production. Purpose built for containers, serverless, and other leading technologies - Twistlock gives developers the speed they want, and CISOs the controls they need. Twistlock's mission is to provide a full, enterprise-grade security stack for containers, so organizations can confidently adopt and maximize the benefits of containers in their production environment. For more information, please visit www.twistlock.com
Twistlock Contacts
Jeannie Christensen
415.341.6713
[email protected]
Media Relations
Rachel Nelson
415-299-6600
[email protected]
SOURCE Twistlock
Related Links
https://www.twistlock.com
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Welcoming and mapping practices can make schools safer and reduce incidents of violence and bullying, according to Ron Avi Astor, professor at The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Astor, along with colleague Rami Benbenishty (Bar Ilan University, Israel) and the Oxford University Press, today announce the release of two new books designed to help social workers, psychologists and educators create safer schools.
Astor and Benbenishty's two books, Welcoming Practices and Mapping and Monitoring Bullying and Violence, are evidence informed guides that can help educators, social workers and psychologists create welcoming school environments and reduce instances of bullying through data-informed empowerment strategies and recommendations. The books will be available for order on Oxford University Press' website September 27.
Welcoming Practices
Changing schools can be a stressful and disruptive life event for students and their families, and many students experience this change frequently due to military background, family structure, or a number of other factors. Welcoming Practices summarizes research on school transition issues among students K-12 education levels and gives educators practical suggestions for helping these students effectively transition to new school environments. This book provides social workers, psychologists and educators practical recommendations on developing and implementing welcoming practices. Practices can include developing a system where teachers, students and community groups communicate with and welcome new students before their first day at school. According to Astor, welcoming practices such as this technique can help dramatically reduce social isolation among new students. Astor and Benbenishty co-authored Welcoming Practices with Linda Jacobson (Education Journalist), Stephani L. Wrabel (Rand Researcher) and Diana Pineda (Welcoming Practices Project director), all members of the Welcoming Practices Consortium.
Mapping and Monitoring Bullying and Violence
This step-by-step book serves as a guide to help pupil personnel, school district and school education leaders reduce incidents of violence and bullying through mapping and monitoring techniques that empower community and students. Mapping provides a visual record of school physical spaces considered safe, alongside those that students view to be places where they might encounter bullying, harm or trouble. Astor and Benbenishty analyzed mapping and monitoring data and voices of students, teachers, and parents across a variety of schools in California, Israel, Chile and other countries. According to Astor and Benbenishty, mapping and monitoring practices has helped significantly reduce incidents of violence and bullying in California, Chile and Israel. Mapping and Monitoring Bullying and Violence is co-authored by Ron Avi Astor and Rami Benbenishty, from Bar Ilan University in Israel.
Royalties from Welcoming Practices and Mapping and Monitoring Bullying and Violence will be donated to anti-bullying programs in the U.S. and abroad.
About Ron Avi Astor
A published author, research scholar and professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and USC Rossier School of Education, Astor's work examines the role of physical, social-organizational and cultural contexts in schools related to different kinds of school violence, including sexual harassment, bullying and emotional abuse. His work in developing a school mapping and local monitoring procedure is used in school systems around the globe and has received several international awards, including the American Educational Research Association's Palmer O. Johnson Award for Best Research Article. His prior book with Rami Benbenishty, School Violence in Context (Oxford University Press, 2005), won awards from the American Educational Research Association and the American Psychological Association. Astor continues to conduct studies on the epidemiology of school violence in different cultures, the effects of stereotyping on the approval of violence across development in different cultures, and democracy-oriented intervention studies that promote student and teacher participation to achieve school safety. He is a member of the National Academy of Education.
About Rami Benbenishty
Rami Benbenishty is a professor at Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work at Bar Ilan University. His main area of interest is the safety, welfare and well-being of children. He studies children and youth both in community normative settings, such as schools, and in out- of-home placements, such as foster homes and residential care. With his colleague, Ron Avi Astor, he is studying multiple aspects of school climate and victimization. He has conducted a series of studies that examined school violence from an ecological perspective. The insights gained from this work contributed to an ecological theory of school violence in context and to consultation with several educational systems around the world. Benbenishty has published numerous papers, book chapters, books and technical reports. His work is widely recognized and he has received multiple awards including France's Chevalier des Ordre de Palmes Academique (Knight in the Order of Academic Palms), SSWR Excellence in Research Award, Israel's Landau Prize for Research and Science, and most recently, Israel's prestigious EMET Prize for Science, Art, and Culture.
About the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work is a leader in social work and nursing education and research. The school integrates the science of social work with real-world practice to improve the well-being of vulnerable individuals and communities and advance social and economic justice on a local, national and global scale. Ranked among the top accredited social work graduate programs in the United States, the school is a recognized leader in academic innovation, experiential learning, online education and translational research. The school has made innovation a signature feature of its academic and research enterprise, leveraging technology in social work and nursing education, clinical practice, research, and community development, as evidenced through the creation of an advanced online platform for distance learning, virtual humans for graduate-level teaching and a school-based clinic offering mental health services over the internet. For more information, visit dworakpeck.usc.edu.
CONTACT:
Jessica C. Lee
USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Phone: (213) 821-7096
E-mail: [email protected]
SOURCE USC School of Social Work
Related Links
http://dworakpeck.usc.edu
"I am pleased to have this opportunity to extend both initiatives to youth in the United States, in an effort to promote messages of healing by reading in hospitals through 'Wanna Read?' and uniting youth through education, empowerment and friendship with Beacon of Hope UAE," stated Sheikha Shamma.
Circle of Hope UAE Director Larisa Miller and Adel Mohammed Yousif, a member of the Board of Trustees, traveled to New York and Washington, DC to introduce these initiatives to local schools and hospitals.
At the Bronx Design and Construction Academy in New York City, winners of the 2014 Zayed Future Energy Prize worked with His Excellency Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, to assemble Beacon of Hope UAE solar light kits, which will be delivered to children in refugee camps around the world.
In Washington, DC, the team visited Children's National Medical Center, the first hospital in the United States to incorporate 'Wanna Read?' as part of its pediatric health and wellness programs.
"The longstanding close partnership between the UAE and Children's National is a great example of positive international collaborations to give back and lend a helping hand to our friends and neighbors around the world," said Larisa Miller. "We were honored to have the opportunity to support the mission of 'Wanna Read?' and encourage healing through the simple act of reading."
Additionally, Adel Mohammed Yousif signed an MOU with Children's National and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation that enables Beacon of Hope UAE to assist in collecting data from newborns in Africa and the Middle East, and help with furthering pediatric research to develop innovative treatments for children.
"By working with the Sheikh Zayed Institute, we can collect data from infants in largely inaccessible regions of the world, allowing the Institute to fine-tune the accuracy of their mobile medical applications that identify genetic birth syndromes in infants which would have previously been undetected and reveal life-threatening heart murmurs in babies," noted Larisa Miller.
While in Washington, DC, the delegation participated in a Beacon of Hope UAE solar light assembly with fifth grade students at Maret School and discussed formalizing an arrangement for Maret School to be a sister school-of-excellence with Al Shohub School in Abu Dhabi.
Tolerance, education, youth empowerment, sustainability and prosperity regardless of race, religion or geographical location were the key messages shared during their visit to the US.
Remarks from Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba
"Outreach initiatives like Circle of Hope's 'Wanna Read?' and Beacon of Hope UAE highlight our shared values and common interests, while building bridges of cultural understanding between the UAE and United States," said UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba. "I commend Sheikha Shamma and her team for these positive steps and helping to further strengthen our friendship with the US."
Circle of Hope UAE plans to conduct more events in the United States in the coming months, further uniting the youth of the UAE and the US in support of children in need globally.
Media requests should be addressed to:
Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington, DC
[email protected]
202-243-2448
SOURCE Embassy of the United Arab Emirates
Related Links
http://www.uae-embassy.org
TONAWANDA, N.Y., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Unifrax I LLC ("Unifrax"), headquartered in Tonawanda, New York, USA, has launched their latest low bio-persistent (LBP) fiber Isofrax 1400. Isofrax 1400 is the latest generation of proven LBP technology, now with enhanced high temperature performance up to 1400C.
Isofrax 1400 thermal insulation is manufactured using enhanced fiberization techniques combined with new proprietary processing technology to provide customers with improved thermal and physical characteristics. This innovative technology allows Isofrax 1400 to perform at higher temperatures than other LBP fibers currently available in the market. Isofrax 1400 products are the latest innovation derived from the high temperature LBP technology first introduced by Unifrax 18 years ago and will continue to provide excellent thermal conductivity, thermal shock resistance and low heat storage, as well as ease of cutting and fabrication in the worldwide ferrous/non-ferrous metals, chemical processing and ceramics industries.
In addition to higher temperature resistance, Isofrax 1400 fiber has high solubility in simulated body fluids and hence carries no hazard classification, meeting stringent European regulatory requirements. Isofrax 1400 fiber are exonerated from classification as hazardous (tested according to Note Q Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008). Isofrax 1400 is globally available from Unifrax in both blanket and module product forms.
"Responding to our customers' needs, Isofrax products are the result of ongoing research and development efforts to produce a unique ber that combines low bio-persistence with high temperature performance. We've improved the physical characteristics of our proven LBP technology; Isofrax 1400 is now better suited for those applications which demand good strength in demanding high temperature applications," explained Christopher McMahon, Unifrax Product Manager in Europe.
Jayne Webb, Unifrax Product Manager, USA also commented, "The enhanced Isofrax 1400 fiber exhibits a higher melting point and reduced shrinkage at high temperatures demonstrating superior thermal performance," said Webb.
About Unifrax: Unifrax I LLC is a leading global supplier of specialty products that are used in many industrial, filtration, automotive and fire protection applications where they save energy, reduce pollution, and improve fire safety. The Company has 26 manufacturing facilities in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Russia, Asia, South Africa and Latin America. Additional information about Unifrax can be found at www.unifrax.com.
SOURCE Unifrax I LLC
Related Links
http://www.unifrax.com
"Part of Vanguard's core purpose is to help investors achieve retirement success, and we are continuously evolving our technology capabilities and digital communications to improve the 401(k) participant experience," said Lauren Valente, head of Participant Experience and Recordkeeping Services for the Vanguard Institutional Investor Group. "Our reiterative, test-and-learn approach ensures we are using the right technology, channels, and messages for plan sponsors to best reach employees and help drive better retirement outcomes."
New online experience designed to improve savings
Vanguard's new participant web portal was designed to provide investors with a clear, holistic snapshot of their future retirement. When logging onto the new web home page, participants are immediately presented with two key metrics and a recommendation (see attached image):
Account balance : Shows participants how much money they have saved for retirement today.
: Shows participants how much money they have saved for retirement today. Retirement readiness indicator : Leverages integrated analytical technology to measure progress towards retirement goals such as an estimate of future monthly income.
: Leverages integrated analytical technology to measure progress towards retirement goals such as an estimate of future monthly income. Next steps: Provides participants with a personalized nudge in the right direction by suggesting the next best action to get on trackand stay the coursefor retirement.
The Vanguard Retirement Readiness Tool is the proprietary technology underlying the new web page that aggregates data, including current plan savings, Social Security, and other outside assets. The tool uses assumptions, such as future contributions and forecasts from the Vanguard Capital Markets Model, to project how savings will grow over time. Applying an adjustable 4% withdrawal rule, participants are able to see an estimate of their future monthly retirement incomerefreshed upon each login to maintain an up-to-the-minute accurate picture.
The Retirement Readiness Tool also makes it easy for participants to refine their estimates by changing different variables, and offers the option of running helpful "what-if" scenarios. For example, participants can see how their retirement income might change based on different retirement ages. Most importantly, this tool lets participants know whether they are on track to have sufficient income in retirement. For those who aren't on track, the platform serves up a specific corrective actioncalled a nudgethat can be accomplished in a few simple clicks.
"For many investors, retirement can be an intangible, far-off concept with loosely defined goals," Ms. Valente said. "We leverage our methodologies and capabilities to provide participants with a clear estimate of their savings and income for their retirement years, and deliver it in a way that is comprehensive and meaningful to them. This enables them to make financial choices now that can dramatically impact their future."
Communications have evolved to be customized, personalized, and more effective
In addition to the new online experience, Vanguard's Personalized Participant Journeys represent the next evolution in participant outreach and communication. Rooted in behavioral finance, Personalized Participant Journeys utilize a test-and-learn approach and big data analytics to deliver the right message at the right time to encourage a participant to take his or her next best action.
Vanguard has seen wide adoption by plan sponsors and positive participant outcomes. Nearly 99% of Vanguard plan sponsors have now adopted Personalized Participant Journeys. In the past year, more than 283,000 participants have taken action to help improve their retirement readiness, such as enrolling in the plan, increasing savings rates, and updating beneficiaries.
As an example, for a participant who might not be saving sufficiently to reach the company match, communication is coordinated across multiple channels (including e-mail, the new web home page, and online education) to help nudge the participant to save more and take advantage of "free money." The communications are highly personalizedtaking into account the participant's current savings rate, company's match, and targeted retirement ageto offer a more relevant view that this small increase in savings could have on their overall retirement account balance. The call to action is a nudgea simple click on the website to increase the savings rate.
Vanguard: A leader in plan design
With more than $950 billion in DC assets under management, Vanguard serves as recordkeeper and strategic partner to more than 5,900 plan sponsorshelping them to build smarter, stronger DC plans for approximately 4.4 million participants. Vanguard has long been recognized as an industry leader in DC plan design, providing sponsors with the investment options, technology, tools, services, and research to help prepare participants for retirement. Through plan design tools like automatic enrollment, automatic escalation, and Personalized Participant Journeys, Vanguard is helping plan sponsors overcome participant inertia to better ensure their employees are saving effectively for retirement.
About Vanguard
Vanguard is one of the world's largest investment management companies. As of August 31, 2017, Vanguard managed $4.6 trillion in global assets. The firm, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, offers 371 funds to its more than 20 million investors worldwide. For more information, visit vanguard.com.
1Pensions & Investments, December 31, 2016.
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
Be aware that fluctuations in the financial markets and other factors may cause declines in the value of your account. There is no guarantee that any particular asset allocation or mix of funds will meet your investment objectives or provide you with a given level of income.
IMPORTANT: The projections and other information generated by the Vanguard Capital Markets Model regarding the likelihood of various investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results, and are not guarantees of future results. VCMM results will vary with each use and over time.
The VCMM projections are based on a statistical analysis of historical data. Future returns may behave differently from the historical patterns captured in the VCMM. More important, the VCMM may be underestimating extreme negative scenarios unobserved in the historical period on which the model estimation is based.
The Vanguard Capital Markets Model is a proprietary financial simulation tool developed and maintained by Vanguard's primary investment research and advice teams. The model forecasts distributions of future returns for a wide array of broad asset classes. Those asset classes include U.S. and international equity markets, several maturities of the U.S. Treasury and corporate fixed income markets, international fixed income markets, U.S. money markets, commodities, and certain alternative investment strategies. The theoretical and empirical foundation for the Vanguard Capital Markets Model is that the returns of various asset classes reflect the compensation investors require for bearing different types of systematic risk (beta). At the core of the model are estimates of the dynamic statistical relationship between risk factors and asset returns, obtained from statistical analysis based on available monthly financial and economic data from as early as 1960. Using a system of estimated equations, the model then applies a Monte Carlo simulation method to project the estimated interrelationships among risk factors and asset classes as well as uncertainty and randomness over time. The model generates a large set of simulated outcomes for each asset class over several time horizons. Forecasts are obtained by computing measures of central tendency in these simulations. Results produced by the tool will vary with each use and over time.
SOURCE Vanguard
Related Links
http://www.vanguard.com
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ICMA-RC, which has served public sector retirement plans and employees for over 45 years, is now making the VT PLUS Fund and certain Vantagepoint Funds managed by ICMA-RC available to private sector defined contribution plans on an investment only basis. ICMA-RC currently serves more than a million retirement accounts in approximately 9,000 public sector plans. The defined contribution investment only (DCIO) expansion into the private sector is expected to increase fund assets in support of ICMA-RC's mission to help public sector employees build retirement security.
"ICMA-RC has provided retirement investments and services to the public sector for more than 45 years and we continue to focus on that mission," said ICMA-RC President and CEO Bob Schultze. "We expect that making the Vantagepoint Funds available to private sector employers will benefit public sector plan sponsors through asset growth, which is likely to produce economies of scale. This is a positive step for ICMA-RC, our current public sector clients, and private sector plan participants who can now invest with us."
The VT PLUS Fund, which has more than $10 billion in assets, was a top performing stable value fund for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10 years ending June 30, 2017, based on data from the Hueler Analytics Stable Value Pooled Fund Comparative Universe.1
Based on total return, 96%, 73%, and 84% of the Vantagepoint S11 class actively managed equity, fixed income, target-date and target-risk funds2 outperformed their Morningstar category peer medians3 for the 1, 5-, and 10-year periods ended June 30, 2017, respectively.
"Making the VT PLUS Fund and multi-managed Vantagepoint Funds available to private sector defined contribution plans will bring historically strong performance and thoughtfully constructed investments from industry-leading managers to a key segment of the retirement market," said ICMA-RC Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer Wayne Wicker. "Our experienced in-house investment team is pleased ICMA-RC has decided to expand the availability of our funds to include participants in private sector defined contribution plans."
A dedicated team of highly-skilled financial services professionals is managing the DCIO expansion. Team members include:
Craig Lombardi , Managing Vice President of DCIO - Formerly of AB (Alliance Bernstein) and Fidelity Investments, Mr. Lombardi is responsible for the overall growth and development of DCIO sales to institutional investors and their advisors.
, Managing Vice President of DCIO - Formerly of AB (Alliance Bernstein) and Fidelity Investments, Mr. Lombardi is responsible for the overall growth and development of DCIO sales to institutional investors and their advisors. Forrest Wilson , Vice President, Institutional Sales, DCIO Formerly the head of retirement sales at Allianz Global Investors, Mr. Wilson is responsible for DCIO sales in the private sector institutional market.
, Vice President, Institutional Sales, DCIO Formerly the head of retirement sales at Allianz Global Investors, Mr. Wilson is responsible for DCIO sales in the private sector institutional market. Ed DeMarino , Vice President, Defined Contribution Relationship Management Formerly VP DCIO Relationship Manager at AB (Alliance Bernstein) and VP & Director, Relationship Management at Janus Capital Group, Mr. DeMarino is responsible for business development and relationship management with DCIO retirement platforms throughout the country.
, Vice President, Defined Contribution Relationship Management Formerly VP DCIO Relationship Manager at AB (Alliance Bernstein) and VP & Director, Relationship Management at Janus Capital Group, Mr. DeMarino is responsible for business development and relationship management with DCIO retirement platforms throughout the country. Sammy Ibrahim , DCIO RFP Manager Mr. Ibrahim, formerly of Brown Advisory and T. Rowe Price , is responsible for DCIO data analytics as well as building the process for all Investment related RFP's for ICMA-RC's investment product line.
, DCIO RFP Manager Mr. Ibrahim, formerly of Brown Advisory and , is responsible for DCIO data analytics as well as building the process for all Investment related RFP's for ICMA-RC's investment product line. Katie George , DCIO Consultant Relations Manager Formerly the fixed income product manager at Calvert Investments and a financial advisor with AXA Advisors, Ms. George now works with consulting firm analysts who evaluate funds for retirement plans.
, DCIO Consultant Relations Manager Formerly the fixed income product manager at Calvert Investments and a financial advisor with AXA Advisors, Ms. George now works with consulting firm analysts who evaluate funds for retirement plans. Matthew Brenner , Managing Vice President of Investments - A former PIMCO executive, Mr. Brenner now serves in a broad leadership role at ICMA-RC handling investment, operational, technical, and administrative matters within the Investment Division. Mr. Brenner consults with the DCIO sales team on various investment management matters pertaining to the Vantagepoint Funds and VT PLUS Fund.
This experienced team aims to help plan sponsors improve the investments made available to their participants as they strive to achieve their greatest potential for retirement security through multi-managed investment solutions.
The Vantagepoint Funds' multi-manager approach is designed to avoid the risk of concentrated reliance on the results of a single manager. The Funds' approach blends investments from multiple subadvisers with complementary characteristics to broadly diversify ideas, strategies, and styles in an effort to provide attractive returns while minimizing risk. Experienced in-house ICMA-RC fund managers evaluate, select and oversee the subadvisers, continuously monitoring and rebalancing investment strategies as needed. Industry-leading fund managers who subadvise the Vantagepoint Funds include Wellington Management, T. Rowe Price, Los Angeles Capital, Globeflex Capital, Westfield Capital Management and NS Partners.
The VT PLUS Fund and the Vantagepoint Funds are collective investment trust funds (CITs). The industry-wide use of CITs in defined contribution plans is growing significantly, reaching $1.58 trillion in overall assets at year-end 2015, compared with $895.6 billion in 2008, according to Pensions and Investments. CITs typically have simpler governance and management structures, and often have lower fees than comparable mutual funds.
Vantagepoint Funds and the VT PLUS Fund are offered to DCIO clients through ICMA-RC Services, LLC (RC Services), an SEC registered broker-dealer and FINRA member firm. RC Services is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ICMA-RC and an affiliate of VantageTrust Company, LLC.
About Vantagepoint Funds
Vantagepoint Funds are those VT Vantagepoint Funds and VT II Vantagepoint Funds that invest substantially all of their assets in a single VT III Vantagepoint Fund which is multi-managed. VT Vantagepoint Funds, VT II Vantagepoint Funds and VT III Vantagepoint Funds are collective investment trust funds (CITs) established and maintained by VantageTrust Company, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of ICMA-RC, a New Hampshire non-depository trust company, and the sole trustee of these CITs.
ICMA-RC provides investment advisory and management services to VantageTrust Company with respect to the Vantagepoint Funds and the VT PLUS Fund. For more information, please review ICMA-RC's Form ADV, available at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Before investing, please read the Funds' offering and disclosure documents carefully for a complete summary of all fees, expenses, investment objectives and strategies, and risks. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of the amount invested. Investors should carefully consider the information contained in the Funds' offering and disclosure documents before investing. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
About ICMA-RC
Founded in 1972, ICMA-RC is a non-profit financial services corporation focused on providing retirement plans and related services for over a million public sector participant accounts. ICMA-RC's mission is to help build retirement security for public sector employees. For more information, visit www.icmarc.org or follow ICMA-RC on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
1 Source: Hueler Analytics, Inc. data. The Hueler Analytics Stable Value Pooled Fund Comparative Universe represents the performance returns of actual stable value pooled funds, and its Index is the stable value industry benchmark used by many institutional investors, consultants, advisors and plan sponsors for monitoring stable value pooled funds. Rankings are derived by ICMA-RC from data provided by Hueler Analytics, Inc., a technology and research firm covering stable value products that is not affiliated with ICMA-RC. ICMA-RC does not independently verify Hueler Analytics, Inc. data. Gross returns used in the Universe and in the rankings do not include plan administration fees, adviser expenses, or other stable value fund costs actual performance experienced by participants would be commensurately lower.
2 Comparative performance provided is for the S11 class of the actively managed equity, fixed income, target date and target risk Vantagepoint Funds. It does not include performance of our proprietary funds that follow a passively managed or indexed approach as those funds are not being made available to defined contribution plans on an investment only basis (DCIO). The S11 class is the lowest cost class of the Vantagepoint Funds and includes no distribution, shareholder servicing or recordkeeping fee. The S11 class is not available to DCIO. Instead, the R10 class of the Vantagepoint Funds will be made available to DCIO. It also includes no distribution, shareholder servicing or plan administration fees. We provide S11 class performance because the R10 class is not yet funded and therefore has no performance information. We expect the total fees of the R10 class will be on average 1 basis point lower than the S11 class. Performance information for the S11 class prior to its inception date is the performance of the Fund adjusted to reflect the estimated net fees and expenses of this class. Note that additional classes of the Vantagepoint Funds will be made available to DCIO and those classes may include additional fees such as distribution, shareholder servicing, and plan administration. Classes with additional fees will have lower commensurate performance.
3 Each Vantagepoint Fund's Morningstar category is a group of funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Morningstar places funds in certain categories based on a fund's historical portfolio holdings. All classes of a fund are included in the Morningstar category, so those classes with higher fees will have lower commensurate performance. Relative performance was based on each fund's Total Return (including the effects of fee waivers) percentile rank within their appropriate Morningstar category. Outperformance was measured by ranking better than at least 50% of the category peers. Performance information for the S11 class prior to its inception date is the performance of the Fund adjusted to reflect the estimated net fees and expenses of the class. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
SOURCE ICMA-RC
Related Links
http://www.icmarc.org
HomeFreePrize is a 1,746 square foot under air home valued at approximately $220,000. The floor plan is the popular Ginger model featuring two bedrooms, two baths, great room, flex room, laundry suite and two-car garage and is located in one of On Top of the World's most popular gated community's. Check out HomeFreePrize.com to view the floorplan of the home.
You can check out the latest time-lapsed video of the home's progress at HomeFreePrize.com. Follow us on the official Facebook page, search for @HomeFreePrize.
The HomeFreePrize raffle will end Tuesday, October 31, 2017, at 11:59 p.m. Each raffle entry costs $100 and can be purchased on our secure website, HomeFreePrize.com. There is no limit to the amount of raffle entries you can purchase so buy as many as you like to increase your chances of winning! Only 35,000 entries will be sold and they are going quickly so visit HomeFreePrize.com today to purchase your entries! Entrants must be 18 years or older to participate.
On Top of the World and Hospice of Marion County would like to thank Premier sponsor Ford of Ocala and Village Ford and all the sponsors and donors involved with HomeFreePrize.
Visit HomeFreePrize.com today to purchase your raffle entries for a chance to win a new home!
The drawing will take place Thursday, November 2, 2017 at 6 p.m.; entrants need not be present to win. See HomeFreePrize.com for a complete list of rules and regulations.
About OTOW: On Top of the World Communities, the premier 55+ active adult community in Florida, is an award-winning, family owned building and land development company in Marion County that has provided new homes for more than 50,000 home buyers since patriarch, the late Sidney Colen, founded it in 1947 . Today, On Top of the World remains the oldest, privately owned land developer in the state of Florida.
SOURCE On Top of the World Communities
Related Links
http://www.homefreeprize.com
'No place for hate in the dairy state: Immigrant advocates make economic argument against bill that would ban sanctuary cities
BATON ROUGE, La., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Woman's Hospital, a leading expert on pregnancy and childbirth, has launched a new app created in conjunction with software company Envoc that combines trusted medical information with the best features from the most popular pregnancy apps. "Woman's Pregnancy" app offers educational resources and helpful tools for expectant moms to utilize throughout pregnancy and after baby arrives.
Woman's Hospital Pregnancy App Envoc & Woman's Hospital
Delivering more than 8,500 babies each year, Woman's is in a unique position to improve the health of women and infants, such as significantly increasing breastfeeding rates and educating women on healthier pregnancies.
"Education is an essential part of a healthy pregnancy," said Cheri Johnson, Woman's Vice President of Perinatal Services. "Through the Woman's Pregnancy app, we're able to share our expertise with women all across the country, furthering our mission to improve the health of women and infants."
Created in collaboration with Baton Rouge-based software firm Envoc, the app was designed to be a comprehensive resource for pregnant and breastfeeding women; it includes all of the educational information that Woman's recently published in a paperback pregnancy journal. Because the app features tools for timing contractions and tracking breastfeeding sessions, women won't need to download separate apps. Features include:
Week-by-week baby development with fruit size comparisons
To-do lists
Weight tracker
Kick counter
Contraction timer
Breastfeeding/pumping tracker
Diaper change log
Educational information on living a healthy lifestyle, nutrition, exercise, breastfeeding and much more
The breastfeeding tracker in particular was included with the intent to help women successfully breastfeed. Research shows that breast milk provides health advantages beginning at birth and continuing over a lifetime. These include a stronger immune system and fewer respiratory illnesses, ear infections and gastrointestinal issues. New mothers also benefit; weight loss occurs more rapidly, and breastfeeding may reduce the incidence of certain types of cancer.
"This is the type of app project that showcases the great work that comes from great client collaboration and brings real, personalized value to the end user during one of the most wonderful times of their life," said Ned Fasullo, Envoc's Chief Strategy Officer. "We look forward to expanding the functionality of the app and continued collaboration with the Woman's Hospital team."
The app is now available on the App Store; simply search "Woman's Pregnancy." An Android version is currently in development.
About Woman's Hospital
Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is one of the first specialty hospitals for women and infants. Since opening in 1968, it has welcomed more than 300,000 babies, making it one of the largest delivery services in the country and the largest in Louisiana. Additionally, Woman's operates the highest-level neonatal intensive care unit in the state and cares for infants who are extremely premature, are critically ill or require surgical intervention. The hospital is also recognized for its expertise in mammography as well as breast and gynecologic cancer care. As a private, nonprofit organization, all funds are reinvested into the hospital to continue Woman's mission to improve the health of women and infants through the latest technology, a highly qualified staff and critical community programs and services.
For more information, visit www.womans.org or contact Dana C. Michell, Public Relations Coordinator, Woman's Hospital, [email protected], Office: 225.215.7941, Cell: 504.931.2386.
About Envoc
Envoc is a software application development company based in Louisiana. Our mission is to create a better reality for our clients through intense collaboration, innovation and creativity in technology. Envoc works with companies all around the USA from start-up, pre-funding stage to Fortune 50 in a variety of industries like healthcare, energy, manufacturing, retail, industrial, higher education and state/local government.
For more information, visit www.envoc.com or contact Ned Fasullo, Chief Strategy Officer, [email protected], Office: 225.910.8239 ext 103, Cell: 225.636.9839.
SOURCE Envoc
Related Links
http://www.envoc.com
"This workshop set a fire inside my heart to make a change and reclaim my life," said Kenneth Huff, Army veteran from Williamstown, Kentucky. "I have a new platoon of friends to help me over the humps life may throw at me, and after just three days back from the workshop, I am doing things I haven't done in more than seven years like going back to church. Now, I am pushing myself to reach a place where I may be an inspiration to others."
Through the generous support of donors, WWP offers veterans specialized mental health programs and services tailored to each warrior's specific needs and free of charge. One such program is its multi-day mental health workshops that are offered as all-male, all-female, or all-couples. These workshops provide safe, private environments for warriors to express themselves and share their experiences. By the end, warriors share lessons learned from the activities that impacted their personal struggles most and set achievable goals for their recoveries.
WWP staff use team building activities in a recovery model that allows warriors to be vulnerable to the unknown and identify and work through anxieties together. As warriors challenged themselves through outdoor activities that included a zip lining course, they actively honored oaths they agreed to at the beginning of the workshop, including "to care for self and others" and "to be present in recovery."
"I could never have imagined that in the short time we had at the mental health workshop, it would change my life," Kenneth said. "But it did it saved my life."
To learn and see more about how WWP's mental health workshops connect, serve, and empower wounded warriors, visit http://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/, and click on multimedia.
About Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) connects, serves, and empowers wounded warriors. Read more at http://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/about-us.
SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project
Related Links
wounderwarriorproject.org
It marks the first time that a dairy supplier has partnered with both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
Milk and dairy products are growing sectors in the Chinese economy with annual sales in the region of $55 billion, and with this year set to become the first for yogurt sales to overtake that of milk, according to the Financial Times.
Added to the growing domestic market, Yili has been spreading its influence overseas, seeking partnerships in Asia, Europe, Oceania and North America, in the sectors of milk, milk powder, yogurt and ice cream.
A highlight of this "going out" was the inauguration of the Yili Oceania Production Base in 2014. Chinese President Xi Jinping and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key attended the opening.
In the following year, the Sino-US Food Wisdom Valley was established thanks to the support from leaders from both governments.
Pan Gang, chairman of Yili, said at the announcement of the partnership that the Olympic spirit of "harder, faster, stronger" have been embedded in the company's culture since they first worked together 12 years ago.
"Yili is proud to continue to provide services for international events with the Olympic standards as well as contributing to the fitness of Chinese people," Pan said, adding that the cooperation gives global consumers the chance to enjoy high-quality Chinese dairy products.
Zhang Jiandong, deputy mayor of Beijing city and executive vice-chairman of the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee, said that Yili has a great amount of trust and a good reputation with a large group of consumers.
"With a long-term partnership with the Olympic committee, Yili has supplied advanced dairy products for athletes and sport staff. And today, Yili makes another step on the journey to serve the Olympics Games," Zhang said.
A spokesperson for Yili, said that company is carrying out an ambitious strategy in terms of global marketing to complement its technological innovation and international collaboration.
As one of China's top three diary suppliers, and one of only two that are privately-run, Yili is in the process of gathering the world's top tech in nutrition and health, food safety, agricultural science, animal husbandry, enterprise management and talent cultivation.
The company aims to create an innovative, high-end and forward-thinking platform with which to benefit its more than 1 billion Chinese customers.
As of 2016, Yili has ranked eighth on the Rabobank Global Dairy Top-20, marking China's dairy power in contributing to the world's dairy industry.
Image Attachments Links:
http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=297324
SOURCE Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group
More in The Cost of Opportunity: A series chronicling the student loan debt crisis in Wisconsin (5 of 14)
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this
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Ahmedabad, Sep 22 : The Central government will on Saturday launch a country-wide LPG Panchayat as a backup to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to distribute LPG connections among the rural areas where conventional fuel is used for domestic purposes, an official said.
Briefing reporters here on the launch of the LPG Panchayat, Indian Oil Corporation Executive Director and State-level Coordinator for Oil Industry in Gujarat Sanjeev Jain said" "The average usage of LPG among the three crore beneficiaries of Ujjwala Yojana is around three cylinders a year, as against seven-and-a-half cylinders of others."
He said through the LPG Panchayat, to be formally launched by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from a village in Gandhinagar district on Saturday, "we want to understand that problems and issues that are preventing increased growth of LPG".
Through officials of the oil PSUs, NGOs, Asha workers and social workers, the Panchayat aims to connect with the beneficiaries of the Ujjwala Yojana to resolve issues and wrong beliefs they may have.
Jain said one lakh LPG Panchayats would be activated across the country under the scheme during the next one and a half years. "The idea of this platform is to trigger a discussion through sharing of personal experiences on the benefits of use of clean fuel compared to traditional fuels like cowdung, charcoal or wood."
India has over 21 crore LPG connections, with 51 per cent reach in the rural areas and nearly 100 per cent penetration across the urban centres.
Explaining further the need for this interaction with the Ujjwala beneficiaries, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd General Manager in charge of LPG Operations Sanjay Malhotra said: "Though many have opted for conversion to LPG usage, with our target to reach a total of five crore connections, there are those who still have misconceptions that food cooked on LPG stove is tasteless and is not safe."
"Some think wood is cheaper than LPG, some are not sure about its safety and use it only to warm up tea or food for domestic animals. Some have kept it unused and continue with the conventional fuel," he added.
He said these LPG Panchayats would clear all these doubts and misgivings. The agenda would also include safe practices, quality of service provided by distributors and availability of refill cylinders.
United Nations, Sep 27 : General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak has said that he will "certainly think" about how to deal with erroneous use of pictures.
The use of a fake picture by Pakistan's Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi on Saturday while responding to India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj' speech came up during his news conference on Tuesday.
He was asked if he would like to see "some sort of factual baseline" set so that "when people make a mistake they correct it, not in terms of an opinion statement, but the use of a photograph."
Lajcak said, "I will certainly think about it."
However, he prefaced it by indicating that it was matter of diplomacy and the rights and sensitivities of nations.
"It is not for me to answer. It's for the delegations that are involved. I want to use but not misuse my position as President of the General Assembly," he said.
On Saturday, Lodhi had held up picture of an injured Palestinian girl from Gaza that had been published two years ago by The New York Times claiming she was a victim from Kashmir.
On Monday, Paulomi Tripathi, a First Secretary in the Indian Mission, told the General Assembly that Pakistan was callously exploiting the image of a Palestinian girl to "to divert attention from Pakistan's role as the hub of global terrorism."
In response, Tipu Usman, a counsellor in the Pakistani Mission, made claimed that Lodhi's use of the fake picture "backfired" on India.
(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
United Nations, Sep 27 : General Assembly President Miroslav Lacjak says he wants a "credible" negotiating process for Security Council reform and not a time-wasting pretense.
"I wish to see it is a credible process, a process that member states can believe in," he said on Tuesday at a news conference.
"We don't want to create an impression that we are wasting time pretending we are discussing something without believing in the outcome of the process," he added.
The process has been stalled for more than a decade even though meetings of the the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) for reform have been held periodically.
The main hurdle has been the failure to adopt a negotiating text for the discussion to go forward because of opposition from some countries.
In efforts to move forward the process, Lajcak said, "I have met with all the groups who are actively taking part in the discussion about the Security Council reform."
In recent weeks the groups known as L.69 and Uniting for Consensus (UfC) met separately with him to put forward their perspectives on reforms.
L.69, made up of 42 developing countries including India advocates expanding the permanent membership of the Council.
UfC is a 13-member caucus led by Italy and includes Pakistan, which is opposed to adding more permanent members to the Council and has been a major force in stalling the negotiations by blocking the adoption of a negotiating text.
Lajcak underlined the importance of the negotiations for reform, saying, "This is an issue that is very visible also from the outside and for many people it is the benchmark by which they judge the readiness for reform" by the UN.
Mexico City, Sep 27 : A week after the powerful earthquake hit central and southern Mexico, many residents of the capital Mexico City on Tuesday still remain homeless on the streets, not knowing where to go and fearing possible burglaries of the belongings they abandoned in their houses.
Merced Silva slept Monday night in a van, along with her husband and three daughters. They used to live in a seven-storey building in the Santa Cruz Atoyac neighbourhood, which was left damaged by the 7.1-magnitude quake on September 19, reports Efe news.
"At the shelter, I do not feel at ease, we are going to look for where we can go, I do not know where it will be," said Silva, who moved from Pinotepa Nacional town in the southern region of Oaxaca to live in the Mexico City nine years ago.
Her three daughters - four, five and seven years old - who were playing on a step with some stuffed toys given to them by volunteers, said they "miss" their home.
However, Silva has not dared to return home since the quake struck the city although the cosmetic products she sold for a living were all left there.
"Many people want to return, but where are you going to go back to?" said Silva.
Javier Galindo was also among those taking refuge in vans and set-up sleeping tents.
"We were afraid to go back up (in the building) because of the aftershocks, if there is one, the building might fall on us," Galindo, accompanied by his step daughter Regina Garcia, told Efe.
However, his family refused to move away from the vicinity of the building they lived in, saying that despite its bad condition, there might be strange people stealing their possessions.
Only a couple of blocks away, an apartment building collapsed completely. On the rubble that still remains there are several wreaths of white flowers that people placed in remembrance of those who died.
Mexican authorities recorded a total of 38 collapsed buildings and a death toll of 194 in the country's capital, out of 333 deaths nationwide. According to official figures, about 25,000 people have taken refuge in shelters provided by the Ministry of Social Development. These figures, however, exclude a large number of people sleeping on the street.
The neighbourhood where Galindo lives was already affected once by the powerful earthquake in 1985. According to Galindo, the authorities reviewed their home after the quake and they said it was still habitable.
After the September 19 tremor the authorities, again, came to review their home.
"They do not say anything, we do not know what they are going to do, where they are going to send us. We do not even know where we are going to live," said Regina, 15.
Seoul, Sep 27 : The South Korean government on Wednesday expressed its satisfaction over the new sanctions imposed on North Korea by the US, saying that the measures would help pressure Pyongyang into negotiations over its nuclear programme.
The US Treasury Department on Tuesday approved a new package of sanctions on eight North Korean banks and 26 financial representatives working in various countries.
"The latest action is expected to help alert individuals and entities in third countries doing business with North Korea by highlighting the danger of doing it," a Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Seoul told Yonhap news agency.
The official added that South Korea hoped these sanctions could "contribute to strengthening the international community's resolve to faithfully enforce UNSC resolutions," and pressure North Korea into negotiating.
This was the latest package of sanctions imposed unilaterally by Washington on Pyongyang over its continuing weapons tests, including the test conducted on September 3.
The UN Security Council also passed a new resolution in response to the September 3 weapon test, which was the second one adopted this year, while the first resolution has already limited oil exports to the hermit country.
Among the business entities targeted by the new sanctions are the Foreign Trade Bank and the Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as well as the Agricultural Development Bank and the International Industrial Development Bank.
North Korea's international financial representatives based in China, Russia, Libya and the United Arab Emirates are also included on the sanctions list.
As a result, the assets that these business entities have under US jurisdiction will be frozen. They are also prohibited from carrying out any financial transactions with their US counterparts.
Islamabad, Sep 27 : An accountability court in Pakistan indicted Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in connection with a corruption case filed against him by the country's National Accountability Bureau -- anti-graft body.
Once the charges against Dar were read out, he refused to accept the indictment and will now contest the case in the higher court, Geo TV reported.
The corruption case, pertaining to Dar's owning assets that are disproportionate to his known sources of income, was filed by the National Accountability Bureau in light of the Supreme Court's July 28 judgment in the Panama Papers case.
Salem/Dharmapuri (Tamil Nadu), Sep 27 : Teenagers Prabhu Deva and Amritha stand for change in these two districts of Tamil Nadu. Not only did they prevent three child marriages but are also breaking the taboo around sex education as also improving toilet facilities for the safety of young girls in their villages.
Both of them, who are pursuing graduation courses, are a part of bigger peer groups, which in turn are part of the Adolescent Empowerment Programme (AEP) of Unicef's National Child Labour Programme that has been formed to raise awareness among villagers of health and social issues -- and take up their grievances with district authorities.
The peer groups, whose members are children aged between 11 and 18, have done much work in areas like providing drinking water, improving sanitation and training children in soft skills, among others. The latest demand being addressed is dustbins for their villages.
"I am proud of what I am doing. The biggest achievement was when we stopped the marriage of a 13-year-old girl with a 38-year-old man working in the Gulf. We received the information and informed the police, who rescued the girl on the day she was to get married. It was due to our efforts she is now back to her studies and is also learning sewing," Prabhu Deva told this visiting IANS correspondent.
The 18-year-old boy, leader of the group in his village, says that following the incident, complaints of child marriage have ceased as the group members have gone from house to house to make the largely uneducated parents understand the negativities of child marriage.
Amritha proudly spoke of the courage her group had shown to prevent two teenage girls from her village getting married to men in their 40s.
Her group has also been raising awareness on puberty-related matters, which was hitherto taboo.
Another no-no before the peer groups were formed was discussing issues relating to sex education. In fact, doing so was akin to committing an offence. While teenagers felt shy to discuss the subject, the few found talking about it or even of changes related to the body were scolded by their parents or teachers. In schools, the teachers prevented elaboration on subjects like reproduction.
All this has changed after the formation of the peer groups.
"We meet twice a month and discuss several matters pertaining to the adolescents in the village. Behavioural change and soft skills training are among a few of the things we discuss," Amritha, who is studying maths and biology for her graduation, told IANS.
The groups also meet their counterparts from other areas while being trained by the district authorities on how to deal with the social problems that arise in rural society.
According to government statistics, Salem is among the few districts with a high number of child marriages in Tamil Nadu. Until 2016, the district had 380,000 girls below 15, of whom 2,414 were married.
International NGO Action Aid said in 2016 that India accounts for 33 per cent of the child brides in the world with nearly 103 million girls married off before they were 18.
"There are many activities that are being taken up by the adolescent peer groups. Apart from the social causes, they also encourage other children to pursue their careers and not get diverted by social evils. This has been successful for the last two-and-a-half months," Samanthi, head social worker at the District Child Protection Unit, told IANS.
Apart from the efforts by the adolescent group in the villages, the district authorities have also initiated project Udhayam -- an initiative of the Salem police in partnership with Unicef.
As part of this project, 20 child welfare police officers are being trained to sensitise the peer educators in the 109 schools of Salem town.
An all-women police station was also inaugurated in Salem city. Aiming to offer a friendly face to children in distress, the walls of the police station are painted with famous cartoon caricatures and on offer are books and games.
"We aim to make the police station more friendly so that children are comfortable and have the confidence to approach us whenever in distress. This police station will also serve as a counselling centre for children who are sexually abused, abandoned, recovered from kidnappers or lost. We will ensure their full protection here," Salem Police Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar said.
So far 23 schools have been covered as part of the outreach and over 23,000 children sensitised.
(Rupesh Dutta visited Salem and Dharmapuri at the inivitation of Unicef. He can be contacted at rupesh.d@ians.in)
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on the Wisconsin gerrymandering case on Oct. 3.
Kabul, Sep 27 : US Defence Secretary James Mattis and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrived on Wednesday on a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where they will meet with the Afghan President.
The NATO mission in Afghanistan posted on its official Twitter account that Mattis and Stoltenberg had arrived at the NATO headquarters in Kabul, where they will inspect the international troops and meet Afghan authorities, including President Ashraf Ghani.
"Discussions will focus on the NATO-Afghanistan partnership, including the ongoing NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in support of the Afghan National Defense and security forces," said NATO in a statement.
The visit by Mattis is the first since US President Donald Trump announced on August 21 a new strategy in Afghanistan involving an increase in the number of troops deployed in the country and no planned withdrawal date.
Mattis, who arrived in Afghanistan after an official visit to India, said last week that the Pentagon expects this increase to amount to some 3,000 soldiers.
The conflict in Afghanistan - which has lasted for almost 16 years and is the longest war in US history - currently involves around 11,000 American troops fighting amidst a resurgence of violence and a strong Taliban presence in the country.
Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh), Sep 27 : Abu Osama, an alumnus of Madrasatul Islah, one of the oldest Islamic seminaries in this region, believed that after graduating from a madrassa he would not be able to compete in the modern world. He soon realised he was wrong.
Osama, who works as assistant professor in the Department of Social Work at Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad and who completed a masters degree from the Delhi School of Social Work, said: "I realised that there was so much I had learnt from the madrassa syllabi and curriculum besides Islamic values and ethics."
Madrassas have been in the news for the wrong reasons, especially those located in Azamgarh, a district and city in eastern Uttar Pradesh that was once known for producing people of high intellect and for Hindu-Muslim brotherhood. However, in recent years it has, in media narratives, rather unfairly acquired the title of "terror nursery" because of its association with a succession of arrested Muslim extremists.
There are around 19,000 madrassas in Uttar Pradesh which have been in the cross-hairs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state government which questioned their patriotism and sought video evidence of their mandatory singing of the national anthem.
But many of these madrassas, like those in Azamgarh, are challenging stereotypes to weave a positive counter-narrative. In seeking to keep pace with the times, a number of such madrassas have not only introduced modern, progressive syllabi but are also equipping their students with computers and other technological tools.
These madrassas impart knowledge in science, mathematics, economics, education, political science, English, Hindi and Persian languages and computer science, apart from Quran, theology and Arabic language. Some of them have also started polytechnics and mini Industrial Training Institutes (ITI).
A large number of alumni of these institutions are either involved in research in universities in India and aboard, or work in public and private sectors across India.
There are about 50 big madrassas in Azamgarh and neighbouring districts where approximately 50,000 students have been enrolled. These students come from various parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and also from Nepal.
For the students, WhatsApp is a popular way of communication and most of them have Facebook accounts and email IDs.
When one enters Madrasatul Islah through its main gate, one finds the polytechnic building as the first academic building after the administrative block. Apart from courses related to various electronic branches, this polytechnic also offers mobile operating, computer and translation courses.
Islah, which was founded in 1908 and is one of the oldest Islamic seminaries in the region, has about 1,500 students.
About 50 km from Islah is another madrasa, Jamiatul Falah. Founded in 1962, it has 4,300 students of whom half are girls.
Maulana Mohammad Tahir Madni, Director of Jamiatul Falah, says that introducing modern subjects is necessary for Islamic madrassas.
"Jamiatual Falah was founded on the basis that we will incorporate both Islamic and modern education. We have been doing that since the foundation of the Jamia," Madni told IANS.
"Through it, we aim to educate our children and enable them to represent Islam and community in a better and sophisticated manner," Madni added.
Syed Mumtaz Alam graduated from Falah in 1994 and works as editor of the Delhi-based English news portal IndiaTomorrow.net.
"The syllabus of my madrassa was such that not even for a day did I think that I would have to earn my livelihood at a mosque or madrassa alone. No doubt, madrassas are commendably producing good human resources to run hundreds of thousands of mosques and madrassas in the country.
"But madrassas like my alma mater are nurturing young minds in a much broader manner; and, consequently, thousands of youth are also getting jobs in government departments, corporates and MNCs," Alam said.
Alam, who headed the US-based community news portal TwoCircles.net for half a decade, said that the extracurricular activities of madrassas proved to be more helpful to his career.
"Besides the syllabus, it was the extra-curricular activities which shaped my career in journalism. Our common room or library had national dailies in English and Hindi besides Urdu and Arabic languages. We would bring out weekly wall magazines in different languages," he explained.
According to the Sachar Committee report on the status of Muslims, only four percent of the students from the Muslim community enrol in madrassas.
While some conservatives in the community argue that this four per cent should specialise in Islamic teachings and have no need to learn modern subjects, Mohammad Asim, English teacher at Islah, believes that learning these modern subjects is helpful to understand and propagate Islam.
"Modern subjects are the need of the hour. Subjects like mathematics are necessary even to understand issues related to Islamic law of inheritance and business dealings, and science is helpful to deeply understand many verses of the Quran," he noted.
Mohammad Saoud Azmi, a research scholar in JNU on madrassa syllabus, sees the introduction of modern subjects in the madrassa education system as a step in the right direction.
"It is a good sign that madrassas are equipping their students with modern knowledge but they have to improve their teaching style and have to add subjects like environmental science and modern economics," he said.
(This story is part of a special series that showcases a diverse, progressive and inclusive India and has been made possible by a collaboration between IANS and the Frank Islam Foundation. Abu Zafar can be contacted atabuzafar@journalist.com)
New Delhi, Sep 27 : Calling all telecom operators to come together and fast-track the digital India mission, Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal said on Wednesday that right government policies will decide how fast the digital transformation will spread pan-India.
"Right government policies will decide how fast the digital wave will spread across the country," Mittal told the gathering at the first-ever 'Indian Mobile Congress' here.
Mittal said together with telecom operators, Airtel will create the technology of the future. "We have to come together to benefit consumers," he stressed.
He also urged the Centre and state governments to understand the contemporary needs of the telecom sector and help in laying more fibre and building towers.
"Hard infrastructure is going to take a lot of time to be built. It takes time to execute the projects," Mittal said.
Speaking on 5G, the Bharti Airtel Chairman said as 5G begins to develop globally, India is keeping track and will be rewarded with the latest technology.
Dhaka, Sep 27 : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in the US in connection with the 72nd UN General Assembly session, has undergone a successful gallbladder operation in Washington, a media report said.
A statement by Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said the surgery was performed around 8 p.m. local time on September 25 and it was successful. Hasina was resting on her doctors' advice, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
The statement said Hasina was taken to hospital after she complained of stomach pain. After a diagnosis, the doctors decided to perform the surgery. The Prime Minister is in good health, it said.
She was released from the hospital a day after the surgery and she returned to her place of residence in Washington.
Her younger sister Sheikh Rehana and son Sajeeb Wazed Joy were beside her.
Hasina will return to Bangladesh on October 5.
Sheikh Hasina reached Washington from New York on September 22 after attending the UNGA session. After staying in Washington for a week, she was scheduled to return home on October 2 via London.
She arrived in New York on September 17 to join the UN's annual event.
Shimla, Sep 27 : Himachal Pradesh Power Minister Sujan Singh Pathania was admitted to a hospital here on Wednesday after he suffered a brain hemorrhage.
Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital Medical Superintendent Ramesh Chand told IANS that Pathania's condition is stated to be stable but critical. He is undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit.
Six-time legislator Pathania was in the office here when he suffered the paralytic attack.
Kochi, September 27 : The Kerala high court on Wednesday quashed the FIR registered against former industries minister and CPI(M) central committee member E P Jayarajan in a case relating to the appointment of his relative to a key post in a public sector undertaking.
The court quashed the FIR on the basis of a submission made by the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (VACB) the other day that there is no evidence to make out a case against the accused under the provisions of the prevention of corruption act.
VACB had submitted before the court on Tuesday that offences under the prevention of corruption act would not stand against the accused since they had neither made any pecuniary gains nor obtained any valuable things through the impugned appointment.
The agency had also submitted that the government had withdrawn the order appointing Jayarajans relative within three days of its issuance and that the accused never assumed office despite the order of appointment.
However, even as it accepted the submission made by the VACB, the court sharply rebuked the state government for registering a case against the accused that would not pass legal muster.
Asking whom the government was trying to shut up by registering a case that would not stand legal scrutiny, the court sought to know whether the government move was but aimed at wriggling out of trouble by passing the buck to the court.
The case against E P Jayarajan is that he abused his powers as industries minister to install his close relatives to key posts in public sector undertakings.
Jayarajan had to step down as industries minister in October 2016 on moral grounds over charges of nepotism.
New Delhi, Sep 27 : Exceeding its own targets, Microsoft Philanthropies on Wednesday announced that it has donated $1 billion in Cloud-computing resources to help 90,000 non-profit organisations worldwide.
In early 2016, Microsoft committed to donate $1 billion over three years in the area to help 70,000 non-profit organisations digitally scale their impact and serve the public good.
As part of the programme, the company has donated a significant sum in Cloud services in India too, it said in a statement.
This includes organisations such as Akshaya Patra and Habitat4Humanity that fight issues like hunger and malnutrition in the country and works with low-income families to build new homes and incremental housing, respectively.
Microsoft has also announced the formation of a 'Technology for Social Impact' group that will work to bring Cloud services to around 300,000 non-profits in the next three years.
The group offers to create comprehensive suite of enterprise-grade software and services, customised to the needs of non-profits organisations.
New Delhi, Sep 27 : Building more digital content in regional languages will give a major boost to India's bid to become a $1 trillion digital economy, Google India said here on Wednesday.
"If we do not allow Internet to build local language elements, I think the story could go completely haywire. There are 400 million Internet users in India and out of those, 234 million are local language users. The number is expected to go to 536 million by 2021," Chetan Krishnaswamy, Country Head, Public Policy, Google, told reporters on the sidelines of the 'Indian Mobile Congress (IMC) 2017' here.
"The industry needs to focus on this aspect and ensure that content in local languages becomes a reality, and the technology and products are optimised to ensure that Internet becomes inclusive. The idea is that it doesn't only remain for the English-speaking elite," Krishnaswamy added.
Google has been upbeat about India's digital economy.
Earlier this month, the company launched "Tez" -- its standalone digital payments app that can be downloaded on Android and iOS devices.
The app was built for India, working on the vast majority of the country's smartphones and is available in English and seven Indian languages (Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu).
"Our belief is that by 2025, the digital economy would be able to hit $750 billion-1 trillion mark. It is not unattainable. Currently, the digital economy contributes to seven per cent of the GDP and by 2025, it should be around 17 per cent of the GDP," Krishnaswamy said.
According to a recent report from Google and KPMG India, Indian language users have overtaken English language on the Internet in the country.
Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi speaking users have the highest adoption online services, followed by Telugu, Gujarati and Malayalam.
New Delhi, Sep 27 : A court here on Wednesday asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file a reply on the bail plea of a woman Director of a Dubai-based company in a money-laundering case related to the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal.
Shivani Saxena has urged Special Court Judge Arvind Kumar to grant her bail, citing her health condition. The court listed the matter for October 6.
On September 13, the ED charge-sheeted Shivani Saxena under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The ED, in June last year, filed the first supplementary chargesheet in the case against British national Christian Michel James, Delhi-based Media Exim Pvt Ltd and its Director R.K. Nanda and former Director J.B. Subramaniyam in its ongoing money-laundering probe in the Rs 3,600-crore helicopter deal.
The first charge sheet was filed in the case in November 2014 against businessman Gautam Khaitan, his wife Ritu, Chandigarh-based firm Aeromatrix and two alleged Italian middlemen Guido Ralph Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.
The charge sheet said that the three alleged middlemen managed to make inroads into the Indian Air Force to influence and subvert its stand on reducing the service ceiling of helicopters from 6,000 metres to 4,500 metres in 2005, after which AgustaWestland became eligible to supply a dozen helicopters for VVIP duties.
Shivani, wife of Rajeev Shamsher Bahadur Saxena, a resident of Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, was arrested on July 17.
The ED alleged that Shivani and her husband Rajeev were partners and Directors in Dubai-based companies UHY Saxena and Matrix Holdings Ltd, through which proceeds of the crime were routed and used in buying immovable properties and shares.
According to the agency, Britain-based AgustaWestland International Ltd paid 58 million euros in kickbacks, through Tunisia-based Gordian Services Sarl and IDS Sarl, who transferred the money to Mauritius-based Interstellar Technologies Ltd in the guise of consultancy contracts and this firm, in turn, sent the money to these two Dubai companies.
Shivani Saxena was the second accused arrested by the ED in the case. In 2014, the agency had arrested lawyer Gautam Khaitan for his alleged role in routing the kickbacks in the purchase of 12 AW-101 helicopters. Currently, Khaitan is out on bail.
The case is based on the investigation being conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which had arrested former IAF chief S.P. Tyagi and two others in connection with the case in 2016.
Patna, Sep 27 : A day after he was removed as Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) chief, Ashok Choudhary on Wednesday said he felt "insulted" at the way in which he was ousted from the post without any prior intimation.
He also targeted All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary C.P. Joshi for "misleading" the party high command about the party's affairs in the state.
"I expected an honourable exit but feel insulted at the way I was removed. It is part of a conspiracy to install a particular leader as Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee chief," Choudhary told media in a choked voice here.
"The unceremonious ouster of a Dalit person, whose two generations have worked for the growth of Congress, is unfortunate and insulting. It is also an insult to the Dalit community," he said.
Choudhary said he welcomes the decision of the party but "I don't deserve the way I was insulted and removed from the post. I was willing to offer my resignation."
However, he thanked Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi for allowing him to work as the state party chief for four and half years. "I will soon meet Rahul Gandhi to apprise him about my side of the story."
Choudhary refuted reports that he will say goodbye to the Congress and is likely to join the ruling JD-U of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. "I am not going anywhere, I will fight against those who conspired against me within the party," he said.
He alleged that Joshi, the party's state in-charge, did not even have the courtesy to inform him "officially" of the high command's decision. "I came to know about my ouster from media reports," he said.
"Joshi had been putting pressure on me to quit as he wanted to make a particular person as state Congress chief. The party lost elections in Assam, Manipur and West Bengal because of his inefficiency and complacency. Joshi was hardly visible in Bihar during the elections. He is now bent upon weakening the party in Bihar," Choudhary said, adding he would continue to serve the party as a solider and struggle for its betterment.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday removed Choudhary as the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) chief with immediate effect.
The state unit Vice President Kaukab Quadri has been appointed as a working president of the party.
The Congress has 27 MLAs in the state. The party is part of the Grand Alliance with RJD of Lalu Prasad in Bihar.
New Delhi, Sep 27 : The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its "post facto approval" for an agreement between India and Belarus to promote bilateral commercial cooperation in the oil and natural gas sector.
The approval was given by the Union Cabinet at its meeting held here. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the two countries on September 12, 2017.
"The MoU will promote bilateral relationship between India and Belarus and it is envisaged to enhance the economic and commercial cooperation between the two sides in oil and natural gas sector," the cabinet said in a statement.
"Under the MoU, both sides will work towards establishing cooperation in the areas of upstream and downstream activities, capacity building, technology transfer, enhanced oil recovery and development of mature fields in India."
The statement added that the MoU shall remain in force for three years.
New Delhi, Sep 27 : The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gave its nod for signing an agreement with Ethiopia on "cooperation in the field of information, communication and media".
The move will pave the path for cooperation between India and Ethiopia in the fields of information, communication and media for greater dissemination of information, which would eventually lead to increased development opportunities for both countries, an official release said.
"The agreement aims to harness the growing power of information, communication and media for information dissemination and enhancing outreach between the two countries for inclusive development," the release said.
"It will also enhance people to people contact through exchange programmes. It would also provide an opportunity for both the nations to share best practices and new innovations in the field of information, communication and media," it added.
The agreement will encourage cooperation between mass media tools, such as radio, print media, TV, social media etc., to provide more opportunities to the people of both the nations and create public accountability."
"The agreement, through an institutional framework will facilitate exchange of delegations, personnel between the two nations, providing them opportunities to learn from each others' best practices, bringing in equity and inclusiveness," the release said.
New Delhi, Sep 27 : Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha has ruffled feathers in the ruling BJP with his strong critique on the state of Indian economy, saying it was headed for a "hard landing". The government rejected the criticism while the Congress hailed his assessment.
In an article in The Indian Express, Sinha, who was Finance Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and is now estranged from the party, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi "claims he has seen poverty from close quarters (and) his Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) is working over-time to make sure that all Indians also see it from equally close quarters".
Illustrating the picture of the economy today, Sinha said private investment had shrunk "as never before in two decades" while industrial production had all but collapsed.
"Agriculture is in distress, construction industry, a big employer of the work force, is in the doldrums, the rest of the service sector is also in the slow lane, exports have dwindled, sector after sector of the economy is in distress."
He singled out demonetisation, saying spiking large currency notes "has proved to be an unmitigated economic disaster" which coupled with "a badly conceived and poorly implemented GST" has played havoc with businesses and sunk many of them.
The outspoken Sinha noted that Jaitley, who also holds the department of disinvestment and Department of Corporate Affairs and earlier held the Defence Ministry, was carrying the "heavy burden" of many extra responsibilities and it was "perhaps too much to expect from" him.
Sinha said he was speaking about the mess after realizing that "I shall be failing in my national duty if I did not speak up even now".
"I am also convinced that (it) reflects the sentiments of a large number of people in the BJP and elsewhere who are not speaking up out of fear."
Congress leader and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram lauded Sinha's critique, saying he was absolutely correct when he wrote that "instilling fear in the minds of the people is name of the new game".
Chidambaram said the Congress had assiduously exposed the "many weaknesses and a terrible mismanagement" of the economy.
"We are happy that Yashwant Sinha has echoed our criticism," said Chidambaram, who added: "It is not often that from this platform the principal opposition party will welcome a statement of a veteran leader of the ruling party."
Chidambaram said Sinha's views were not different from what MPs belonging to the BJP and other parties "have told us since many months privately and in soft whispers".
He said it was a sad commentary on the times that MPs were afraid to reflect what they see and hear around them, especially in their constituencies. "Yet we call ourselves a free country."
Chidambaram said it were not only MPs who have become silent. "We have witnessed numerous examples of news reports and articles being pulled out before publication; of television interviews being taken off air; of scheduled talks at universities being cancelled; of social activists being investigated on trumped up charges; of editors and reporters being unceremoniously sacked; of academics and scholars being threatened; of judges being indirectly punished; and, most tragically, of authentic voices of the people being silenced by brutal killings."
Chidambaram said at least a dozen BJP MPs have "spoken to us" in the Central Hall and in committees about the economy. "Nobody dares to ask questions. An MP from Maharashtra who raised questions was asked to shut up. In this atmosphere of fear, if Sinha speaks up then he is speaking the truth."
The government rejected Sinha's criticism, saying the world acknowledged that India "is one of the fastest growing economies".
"No one should forget it. Our image at the international level is very strong," Home Minister Rajnath Singh told reporters.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said Prime Minister Modi has given the "cleanest government" and had attacked black money and corruption like no one else has done.
New Delhi, Sep 27 : A local court on Wednesday granted bail to retired Orissa High Court Judge I.M. Quddusi in a corruption case involving help to an Uttar Pradesh-based educational trust barred from admitting medical course students for two years.
"I find it a fit case where no useful purpose will be served by permitting Quddusi to remain behind bars at this juncture," Special Court Judge Manoj Jain said while granting bail to Quddusi.
One-week interim bail was also granted to a woman co-accused on humanitarian grounds.
The court directed the former Judge to furnish a personal bond and surety bond of Rs one lakh, surrender his passport and not leave the country without permission, join investigation as and when called upon, and not contact the witnesses directly or indirectly.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) opposed the bail plea and told the court that he was not cooperating in the investigation.
The court observed that he has given his voice's sample voluntarily.
"The most clinching piece of evidence is already in the possession of the CBI in the shape of recorded conversation and, therefore, it is hard to believe that Quddusi would be in any position to tamper with the evidence," the court said.
Quddusi's counsel Vijay Aggarwal told the court that custodial interrogation of the accused has already been done and no useful purpose would be served be keeping him behind bars.
Aggarwal also cited Quddusi's 17-year unblemished record as High Court Judge and said that he would not flee from justice.
The court said the investigation qua Quddusi was already over as the CBI had taken him in remand for four days.
The court also granted one-week interim bail to Bhawana Pandey on humanitarian grounds, observing her four-year-old son is suffering from autistic spectrum disorder and requires constant care and protection. The court asked her to furnish a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of the like amount.
The court directed her not to leave the city without permission and surrender her passport.
Quddusi, B.P. Yadav, Palash Yadav, Vishwanath Agrawala, and Ram Dev Saraswat were arrested on September 20 by the CBI on the charge of helping an educational trust that was barred from admitting medical course students for two years.
The sixth accused in the case, Bhawana Pandey, was arrested here on September 21.
The agency had registered a case of criminal conspiracy and under the Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused on September 19 and conducted raids at eight locations in Delhi, Lucknow, and Bhubaneswar.
During the raids, including at Quddusi's residence in south Delhi's Greater Kailash area, the CBI seized Rs 1.91 crore, including Rs 1 crore from middleman Agrawala, and Rs 91 lakh from others.
The CBI FIR said B.P. Yadav and Palash Yadav were managing the Lucknow-based Prasad Educational Trust, which runs the Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences.
The institute is among 46 colleges barred by the government from admitting medical course students for two years (till 2019) because of substandard facilities and non-fulfilment of criteria.
New Delhi, Sep 27 : Data, investments, interconnection usage charges, government policies and financial stress in the industry are the topics which topped the chart of the first day of India Mobile Congress 2017.
Industry stakeholders like Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular voiced their concern about depleting industry revenue and assymetry in competition. Communications Minister Manoj Sinha took cognisance of the matter and said the government will again intervene if it is needed.
"There is nothing to worry. The sector has seen ups and downs. In 2000 also, there was a similar situation," Sinha told reporters.
"The government is aware of the stress in the sector, earlier also we have intervened, and if needed we will do so again," he added.
The minister said: "We will make sure that the sector does not die."
Earlier in the day, Idea Cellular CEO and MD Himanshu Kapania said the recently announced interconnection usage charges (IUC) by the Indian regulator will further deplete the industry of investable funds and there is an urgent need for the telecom ministry's intervention in the form of reasonable package to take the industry out of financial stress.
"The announced IUC will further deplete the industry of its investable funds beside creating inter-operator imbalances of high traffic assymmetries. The faultlines are already evident with the industry going through the stress," Kapania said while addressing the India Mobile Congress.
"This will also impact the long-term financial structure of the industry. The government's revenue collection will be hit adversely," he added.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India in its new regulation has more than halved IUC or mobile termination charges from 14 paise to 6 paise in a move that is perceived to adversely affect incumbent players. IUC is the charge that one telecom operator pays to another to terminate its call.
"The introduction and proliferation of bundled unlimited plans... lack of regulatory interventions has had deep impact on the industry. No industry can survive if tariffs have fallen by half in one year, but data tariff has fallen by one-tenth to one-fifteenth within a span of just one year," Kapania added.
Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal said India has the potential to become the world's largest telecom market but the industry would require congenial government policies to do so.
"India has the potential to become world's largest telecom market. But none of us can do it alone. We have to collaborate among us. We have the eco-system... use common towers, fibres. The industry will not be able to do it alone. We need to combine with the government. Government policies will have to eventually decide how fast this digital wave in this country can propel," he added.
Talking about the industry's investments, Mittal said Airtel had invested over Rs 10,000 crore up till September in hard infrastructure.
Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman Mukesh Ambani said data is the new oil and India has abundance of it.
"Data is the new oil. India does not need to import it. We have it in super abundance. It will be a new source of value and will create opportunities and prosperity for India and millions of Indians," Ambani said while addressing the India Mobile Congress here.
"As a nation, we missed out on the first three global industrial revolutions -- namely mechanisation, mass production and automation. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, fuelled by connectivity, data and Artificial Intelligence, has now begun," he added.
Communications Minister said with exponential data consumption, the telecom industry is expected to generate revenue of $38.25 billion by 2017-end, registering a compounded annual growth rate of 5.2 per cent between 2014 and 2017.
"Investment has increased by approximate 220 per cent in the last four years. Operators have rolled out more than 0.2 million mobile tower sites in the last 15 months," Sinha said in his inaugural address at the India Mobile Congress 2017 here.
India is the second largest telecom market in the world with 1.2 billion telecom users and 450 million internet users, he added.
The telecom industry generates 4 million direct and indirect employment.
IT and Electronics Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad stressed on mobile manufacturing in India.
Speaking about data security, he said: "We have to balance data availability, utility, anonymity and privacy."
The three-day event that started on Wednesday is first of its kind in India, following the footsteps of World Mobile Congress that takes place in Barcelona every year.
Led by the Department of Telecommunication as the nodal ministry, the India Mobile Congress is being organised by Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI)
It has housed 300 exhibitors along with 60 start-ups and eight embassies as participants.
Mumbai, Sep 27 : President R. N. Kovind will throw open Maharashtra's newest airport - at Shirdi, the famous temple town housing the 'samadhi' of the revered Sai Baba - in the Ahmednagar district on Sunday, an official said on Wednesday.
The President will inaugurate the airport in a function scheduled at 10 a.m. on October 1 in the presence of top dignitaries including Governor C. V. Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other top Central and state government officials.
This will be Kovind's second visit to the state within 10 days after his maiden trip to Nagpur on September 22.
The development follows the successful trial of an Alliance Air ATR-72-600 aircraft's Mumbai-Shirdi flight completed in 45 minutes on Tuesday evening, said Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Kakani.
"There may be another trial flight after the inauguration and we expect regular commercial operations to be launched by first week of October," Kakani told IANS.
Besides Air India subsidiary Alliance Air, Hyderabad-based TruJet is planning flights to Shirdi, while IndiGo has applied for permission to operate on the Shirdi sector which is awaited shortly, he added.
According to Kakani, initially, there will be six return flights daily to Shirdi, including four from Mumbai and one each from New Delhi and Hyderabad and more flights would be added in phases.
On September 21, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted an aerodrome licence to the Shirdi Airport for daytime flight operations.
The development would be a boon to Shirdi, which is launching from next month a year-long Shri Sai Baba Samadhi Centenary celebrations of the saint revered by all communities.
With a 2,500-metre runway, the airport can handle narrow-body aircraft like Airbus A-320 and Boeing B-737s, among others, on an area of around 400 acres.
A swank new 3,000 square metre terminal building, an Air traffic control (ATC) tower and all other communication and infrastructure are already in place, with the flights likely to start shortly.
The airport has been developed by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company in Rahata sub-district, around 240 kms north-west of Mumbai, at a cost of nearly Rs 350 crore.
With this, the travel time between Mumbai and Shirdi, which takes around five hours, would be slashed to 45 minutes.
A portion of the investment for the airport, nearly Rs 50 crore, was contributed by the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST), which is among the richest religious bodies in the country.
On an average, around 25,000 pilgrims visit the Shirdi temple daily which more than triples on weekends and special occasions.
During the centenary year celebrations, the Trust expects over 10 million people to visit Shirdi for which elaborate arrangements have been made.
Kolkata, Sep 27 : A manufacturing unit of wooden utensils here was gutted in fire on Wednesday, a fire brigade official said. No one was injured.
A major fire broke out in the manufacturing unit in north Kolkata at around 1 p.m., a fire brigade officer said.
"The unit makes wooden spoon and other utensils. The fire spread quickly as plenty of inflammable material was stored in the unit."
The officer said the situation was critical as the place was congested and there was high possibility of fire spreading to other adjacent establishments.
Several fire tenders were pressed into service and worked for almost two hours to put out the fire.
"The reason of fire could not be ascertained yet," the official said.
Mumbai, Sep 27 : Production house Drishyam Films has launched its music channel Drishyam Play with the track "Khidki" composed by Amit Trivedi.
"Khidki" will be featured in Drishyam Films' upcoming project "Rukh" and has been sung by Mohan Kannan.
"The song is an uplifting melody that talks of the small opportunities in life. It can be a beautiful morning or a fresh breeze of air that is knocking on your window. All you have to do is open it and welcome the positivity," Trivedi said in a statement.
Thrilled with the collaboration with Drishyam Play, Trivedi added: "This is a great initiative by Drishyam team to promote fresh music, melodies and writing. It's a great platform for an artist to express himself as there is complete freedom to experiment with the music."
Manish Mundra, the founder and promoter of Drishyam Play, wants the platform to break away from stereotypical mainstream music and "bridge the gap between talented musicians/lyricists/vocalists and meaningful cinema".
"We are very happy to start off our venture with such brilliant musicians such as Amit and Mohan and are really looking forward to what the audience has to say about the song," he added.
"Rukh" has been directed by Atanu Mukherjee starring Manoj Bajpayee. It is slated to release across India on October 27.
New Delhi, Sep 27 : The Indian Army on Wednesday said it inflicted "heavy casualties" on Naga insurgents during a firefight along the border with Myanmar but clarified it was not a surgical strike.
The Army also said that its men did not cross the international border.
Officials said the incident occurred when a column of the Indian Army was fired upon by "unidentified insurgents" close to the border in eastern Nagaland.
But the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang claimed that three Indian soldiers were killed. The Indian Army's Eastern Command denied this.
"Reports of casualties to Indian Army personnel factually incorrect. Firefight occurred along Indo-Myanmar border at 0445 hrs," the Eastern Command said.
"Heavy casualties reportedly inflicted on NSCN-K cadre. No casualties suffered by Indian Security Force," it said.
Later, the Eastern Command said the insurgents were "unidentified".
"In the early morning hours, a column of the Indian Army, while operating along the Indo-Myanmar border, was fired upon by unidentified insurgents. Our troops reacted swiftly and brought down heavy retaliatory fire on the insurgents," it said.
"The insurgents broke contact and fled from the spot. As per inputs, a large number of casualties were suffered by the insurgents. Own troops suffered no casualties during the firefight," it said.
India shares a winding 1,643-km mostly porous border with Myanmar. But there is a regulated movement of people up to 16 km on either side.
The NSCN-Khaplang, which unlike the NSCN-IM has broken the ceasefire pact it earlier signed with New Delhi, is known to have bases in Myanmar.
In June 2015, the Indian Army carried out a surgical strike along the India-Myanmar border on NSCN-Khaplang, days after an ambush by terrorists killed 18 Indian soldiers in Manipur.
The latest incident comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's September 5-7 Myanmar visit.
The Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services (CDS) of Myanmar, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, visited India in July while the Commander in Chief of Myanmar Navy, Admiral Tin Aung San, came to New Delhi earlier this month.
New York, Sep 27 : Pakistan Foreign Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif has admitted that Lakshar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its leader Hafiz Saeed are liabilities to Islamabad and that it needs time to get rid of them.
"It is easy to say that Pakistan is supporting Afghanis (terrorists), Hafiz Saeed and Lakshar-e-Taiba," he said here on Tuesday.
"They are liabilities... I accept they are liabilities. But give us time to get rid of these liabilities because we do not have the assets to manage those liabilities. You are increasing the liabilities further" by harping on them, he said.
Asif was answering questions at the Asia Society after a speech on Pakistan's priorities under the new Prime Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
The moderator, Columbia University Journalism School Dean Steve Coll, specifically mentioned Hafiz Saeed -- the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 Indians and foreigners -- starting a political party.
The Foreign Minister replied: "I agree we should continue our efforts (to) defang, dismantling whatever remnants are there of extremism or terrorists in Pakistan. I don't disagree with that.
"You mentioned a name. It is a proscribed organisation, the gentleman is under house arrest. But I agree with you that on that score, on that account we have to do more.
"There are people in Pakistan who can be a liability in times of crisis for Pakistan and for the region, I agree," he added.
Asif blamed the US for the rise of terrorist organisations in Pakistan, citing its support for the jihadists against the former Soviet Union during its occupation of Afghanistan.
"Don't blame us for Hafiz Saeeds," he said.
On India, Asif said that while the Jammu and Kashmir issue was non-negotiable and Pakistan won't give up its stand, deposed Prime Minister "Nawaz Sharif staked his political career, for achieving or stablizing our relationship. I don't say ... pleasant or lovey-dovey relationship can be achieved overnight. But stabilizing our relationship with India" was possible.
He added that Nawaz Sharif was called Indian Prime Minister Narendra "Modi's friend and traitor" by the opposition in Pakistan.
"But despite that Nawaz Sharif pursued that objective. In all sincerity and all commitment, today he thinks that friendship with India will be good for both countries and bring lasting peace to the subcontinent."
Asif said he pinned his hopes on improving relations in the region of economic integration.
He held up the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a model and said its success could improve ties between "us and India, between China and India".
Once it becomes an economic success, regional cooperation will get the support of the people, especially the businesses for whom there will be money to be made.
Asif was forthright about the legacy of the Afghan war on Pakistan, which changed the ethos of a country that had been liberal.
"That is the tragedy," he said. "It makes my heart bleed."
The Pakistan of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was a very liberal, pluralistic society, he said. "But what we did in 1980 to justify the jihad reversed everything.
"We rewrote our histories," he said. "Heroes became non-heroes, non-heroes became heroes because we wanted to justify jihad because that suited our friends, our good friends the Americans.
"They wanted to kick out the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, that was the objective. And we supported (it) and in the process our ethos was destroyed."
After the defeat of the Soviet Union, "You shouldn't have left the way you left that region," he said.
"You thought the Cold War is over, 'We are the sole superpower and so we don't have to bother about Pakistan or this region can go to hell.' And that is what happened. We went to hell. And We are still burning in that hell."
(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
A federal appeals court Friday largely upheld the constitutionality of the town of Campbells ordinance prohibiting banners from highway overpasses but returned a lawsuit for proof the ban should extend 100 feet beyond structures.
The ordinance has prompted two lawsuits, both on First Amendment grounds: one by two tea party activists who hung a HONK TO IMPEACH OBAMA banner in 2014 and a second by a leader of the organization Overpasses of America.
In July 2015, District Judge William Conley dismissed the suit Gregory Luce and Nicholas Newman brought against the town and former town Police Chief Tim Kelemen.
Luce and Nicholas contended that the First Amendment gave them the right to post political messages anywhere in town, including its three highway overpasses.
According to the opinion:
Luce and other demonstrators were cited for ordinance violations and escorted from the overpass. The act was videotaped by other demonstrators and posted to a website.
Kelemen, according to his deposition, contended the demonstrators were trying to mess with us and decided to act as a vigilante and mess with them.
Acting anonymously, Kelemen posted Luces name and email address on websites catering to gay men and consumers of pornography, causing him embarrassment and unwanted email. Kelemen also posted comments on the local newspapers website accusing Luce of failing to pay his property taxes and other debts and asserting that his car was about to be repossessed.
Trying to hide his role, Kelemen signed the comments Bill OReilly, but his identity eventually came out. Luce sued on theory that Kelemen was penalizing both the tea party speech on the bridge and its videos.
Kelemen resigned, pleaded no contest to unlawful use of a computer and entered into a deferred prosecution agreement.
However, Conley dismissed Kelemen from the suit contending that he had not violated Luces First Amendment rights as a public official.
While Luces case was pending, the second overpass suit was filed against the town, Police Chief Drew Gavrilos and others by Frederick Schneider, who last October displayed a Police lives matter sign from Bainbridge pedestrian overpass on I-90.
In April, District Judge James Peterson dismissed the suit except the First Amendment claim and waited for the Chicago-based U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to rule on Luces suit.
On Friday, the appeals court concluded that the ordinance was constitutional as it banned all non-informational signs from overpasses over highways with posted speeds in excess of 40 mph. Echoing Conleys reasoning, the court found the ordinance was a permissible restriction on speech as it was content-neutral and aimed at eliminating distracting messages that could jeopardize public safety.
Injury accidents can happen when motorists travel at different speeds, and a banner hanging directly over travel lanes can cause some drivers to slow up to read it, which can contribute to unsafe conditions. Regulating signs on a time, place and manner basis has been upheld in other cases, the court noted.
However, the court did not apply the same approach to the ordinances ban on any sign within 100 feet of an overpass.
The town can prohibit signs when they are large enough to attract a drivers attention, but a small For Sale sign on either of the two homes that are within 100 feet of the overpass, which ordinance prohibits, goes beyond the significant governmental interest in regulating highway safety, according to the opinion.
It is hard to see why signs off the highway, and too small to cause drivers to react, should be banned, Appellate Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote in the 11-page Luce opinion.
The opinion may open the way for demonstrations to be held within 100 feet of the overpass, as one of the plaintiffs said he avoided doing so out of fear of being prosecuted, according to the opinion.
The court returned the suit to Conley to determine whether the town can justify banning signs and demonstrations within 100 feet of overpasses on public safety grounds.
Calls to attorneys representing the town and the plaintiffs and town Chair Terry Schaller were not returned before deadline.
New Delhi, Sep 27 : Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Wednesday said the opening of an air corridor between India and Afghanistan can help bilateral trade reach an optimum level.
"There are untapped areas of business between India and Afghanistan. The optimum potential of bilateral trade has not been reached because of the lack of viable land connectivity," he said at the inauguration of 'India Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show', which would be held from September 27-30.
Over 800 businesses from India and Afghanistan are participating in the event.
In June, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had inaugurated the first Afghanistan-India air corridor, a direct route that bypasses Pakistan, to improve commerce.
"We have set up inter-ministerial groups to expedite (ferrying of) cargo through this corridor," Raju said.
The Minister said that more cities in India would be added to the air corridor route.
"We remain committed to the economic strengthening of Afghanistan. We have bilateral opportunities in skill development, aviation, setting up cold storage, and sharing of technical expertise," he added.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that that there was no better connect between two countries than transport and with air route now available between India and Afghanistan, businesses needed to explore opportunities for investment into untapped areas.
"The businesses of the two countries need to explore potential of investment. They need to unleash the energy into unexplored businesses," he said.
"This is a good opportunity for expansion of trade between the two countries. I am sure India will be a great market for Afghanistan businesses and vice versa," he said.
New Delhi, Sep 27 : Traders across the country have been positive in accepting GST regime, but they need 'hand-holding' for resolving their problems, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday.
Chairing his twenty-second interaction through PRAGATI - the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, he also said that small businesses must register with the GST network, to take advantage of business opportunities.
According to an official statement, Modi said that while traders have accepting this new taxation arrangement, they need support for resolving their problems and urged the Chief Secretaries to use the district administration in this regard, so that small traders are facilitated to access and adopt the new system.
He said that the common man and the trader must benefit from this path-breaking decision and also called for sustained efforts to boost digital payments and work towards a less cash society.
The previous meetings of PRAGATI have so far seen a cumulative review of 190 projects with a total investment of Rs 8.94 lakh crore. Resolution of public grievances has also been reviewed in 17 sectors.
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister also reviewed the progress towards handling and resolution of grievances related to the banking sector. He asked the Secretary, Financial Services, to look at ways to increase the use of RuPay debit cards that have been issued to Jan Dhan account holders.
He was briefed on the relief that has been received by the Jan Dhan account holders, as part of the insurance provisions that are linked to these accounts.
Modi also reviewed the progress of nine infrastructure projects in the railway, road, power, coal and gas pipeline sectors, spread over several states including Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Manipur, Mizoram, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Delhi. The India Myanmar Friendship Bridge was also reviewed. These projects are cumulatively worth over Rs 37,000 crore.
The progress of the National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), and the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan (Accessible India Campaign) for the Divyang was also reviewed.
The Prime Minister said that while many Union Government departments are now using the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), only ten states have so far shown keenness in using it, and urged all Chief Secretaries to explore its use to the extent possible, to minimize leakages and delays.
New Delhi/Bhubaneswar, Sep 27 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to get various National Highway (NH) projects in the state completed expeditiously.
"I urged the Minister to finalise the tender processes and complete the pending critical works on the National Highways in Odisha, involving six stretches and road length up to 585 km," Patnaik said after meeting Gadkari in New Delhi.
The Chief Minister also urged construction of flyovers at Khandagiri in Bhubaneswar and at Gohira Chhak leading to Infovalley-2 near Khordha on NH-16.
He said the construction of the flyover at Khandagiri was an acute necessity as several terrible road accidents had been reported at this congested junction.
Similarly, he said, construction of the flyover at Gohira Chhaka would address the serious problem of congestion but was yet to start.
The Chief Minister said the Centre had accorded in-principle approval for 12 state roads as new National Highways covering a length of 1,193 km during 2015-16 and 2016-17.
He urged for declaration of these roads as National Highways expeditiously and numbering them appropriately.
Patnaik said the Odisha government had submitted a proposal to declare 30 state roads, which fulfil the eligibility criteria, covering a length of 2,483 km as National Highways in December 2016, which sould be approved at the earliest.
Gadkari assured the Chief Minister that priority would be accorded to pending National Highway projects in Odisha and appropriate action, as required, relating to finalisation of tenders and completion of the works within time frame taken.
He assured Odisha's proposal on 30 state roads would be considered favourably.
New Delhi, Sep 27 : Two persons, including an elderly shopkeeper, were arrested in south-east Delhi on charge of molesting an 11-year-old girl, recording the crime on mobile phone, and circulating it, police said on Wednesday.
Ram Kishan, 67, was arrested for touching the girl inappropriately whereas the minor's neighbour Harish was held for recording the crime and forwarding it, Deputy Commissioner of Police Romil Baaniya said.
Baaniya said police responded to a phone call on Tuesday about child molestation in Ambedkar Nagar area.
"The complainant said his 11-year-old daughter had gone to a nearby shop, whose owner Ram Kishan took her inside and touched her inappropriately," Baaniya said.
Police said the complainant accused Ram Kishan of committing the wrong for the past one year. Harish circulated the video clipping since he and complainant have an ongoing property dispute, police said.
The mobile phone used in the recording has been seized.
Erbil (Iraq), Sep 28 : The vast majority of Iraqi Kurds voted in favour of leaving Iraq, as official results from a recent referendum revealed on Wednesday that around 93 per cent of voters in the region supported independence.
In a press conference in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, representatives from the High Electoral Commission said 92.73 per cent of the four million people who took part in Monday's referendum voted "yes" to gaining independence from Iraq.
The 7.27 per cent of votes were against independence, while the null votes represented 1.21 per cent, Efe reported.
More than five million people were called to the polls, which was staged across the autonomous Kurdistan region but also in areas disputed by Erbil and the Iraqi federal government, such as the city of Kirkuk.
The head of the electoral commission, Handarin Mohamad, stressed that the electoral process went successfully and without problems or irregularities, adding that the international observers who over saw the referendum can testify to this.
He added that the results will be considered definitive when they are confirmed by the court of appeal of Kurdistan, but did not set a date.
The Kurdish authorities previously stressed that independence would not be declared after the results were announced and that they are open to dialogue with Baghdad over major issues.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi on Wednesday called on the Kurdish authorities to cancel the referendum and open a dialogue based on the Iraqi constitution.
The vote was widely discouraged by regional powers such as Turkey and Iran.
Riyadh, Sep 28 : A majority of Saudi Arabia's Council of Senior Ulema religious scholars on Wednesday expressed support for a royal decree allowing women to drive.
The Islamic clerics said that King Salman bin Abdulaziz made the right and proper decisions based on the interest of the citizens.
"God save the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques who seeks the interests of his country and his people in light of Islamic Sharia," the Council said in a tweet.
According to the clerics, the majority of Council members saw no problem with women driving as long as there were guarantees and laws to maintain the respect and dignity of women, Efe reported.
King Salman on Tuesday paved the way for Saudi women to receive driving licenses after increasing demands from women and criticism from human rights groups over the prohibition.
This new decree comes in the context of new reforms that the King has ordered since his accession to the throne in 2015, including more freedom for women to carry out administrative procedures on their own, despite many procedures and activities still requiring the presence of a male guardian.
Moscow, Sep 28 : The last chemical munitions from Russian arsenals of chemical weapons were liquidated in the southwest of Russia, officials said on Wednesday.
Mikhail Babich, Chairman of the State Commission on Chemical Disarmament, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the elimination process was completed ahead of schedule.
"We can say without any unnecessary pathos that this is indeed a historical event, given the enormous volume of munitions we have inherited from Soviet times," Xinhua quoted Putin as saying.
Experts said the arsenal of chemical weapons could destroy all life on earth several times, according to the president.
"This is a huge step towards making the modern world more balanced and more secure," Putin said.
Recalling that Russia was among the first to sign the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Putin stressed that Moscow strictly fulfils its international obligations, including in the field of disarmament and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
He also underlined the key role of Russia in solving the problem of chemical weapons in Syria, adding that it is always open for "meaningful dialogue on global security issues, strengthening confidence-building measures."
The CWC went into force in 1997 with the supervision of the Organization of Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), according to which, over 96 per cent of all chemical weapon stockpiles declared by the convention's 192 states parties have been destroyed under OPCW verification.
In honor of National Hunger Action month, FoodCorps and C&S Wholesale Grocers are announcing the winner and runners-up of an essay contest aimed at raising awareness of hunger in schools. The Victory Growers Award contest, open to all 225 FoodCorps service members, prompted writers to share stories of childhood hunger at their service sites and persuade readers to take action. C&S is proud to award the winners school with $5,000 toward food education programs. The schools of the two runners-up will each receive $1,000.
Lauren Burkes winning essay tells the story of hunger on a Hopi reservation in Arizona, where she serves as a FoodCorps service member. Child hunger and food insecurity rates are up to twice as high on Native American reservations than they are in the rest of the country, and Burke argues for a culturally inclusive approach to nutrition education as a solution to hunger. [Nutrition education programs] must strive not only to serve native communities, but to allow those communities to construct the programming of the future, writes Burke.
Two runners-up were named. Mary Grace Stoneking, serving in Van Buren, AR, wrote an essay describing the impact of chronic hunger on a childs education and encourages readers to invest in food education programs. Carly Wyman, serving in Pahoa, HI, submitted an essay discussing the unique challenges of Hawaiis predominantly imported food system and argues that hands-on food education is an effective way to address childhood hunger. The essays and photos of the award winners are available at foodcorps.org/stories.
FoodCorps is a national service program that connects kids to healthy food in schools. Its team of AmeriCorps leaders serves in high-need schools to make sure students learn what healthy food is, fall in love with it, and eat it every day. C&S Wholesale Grocers has supported FoodCorps since 2014. In addition to the Victory Grower's Award, C&S connects FoodCorps to education resources and has partnered with FoodCorps to grow knowledge of healthy food for students by placing service members near its warehouse locations.
About C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc.
C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc., based in Keene, NH, is the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S. and the industry leader in supply chain innovation. Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, C&S now services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 14,000 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases, and institutions with over 140,000 different products. To learn more, please visit http://www.cswg.com.
C&S community involvement programs support initiatives to fight hunger and to promote the health and enrichment of communities that are homes to the company's employees and facilities. To learn more, please visit http://community.cswg.com.
About FoodCorps
FoodCorps connects kids to healthy food in school. Its team of AmeriCorps leaders serves in high-need schools to make sure students learn what healthy food is, fall in love with it, and eat it every day. Its corps members team up with educators to deliver lead hands-on lessons in growing, cooking, and tasting healthy food; partner with farmers and food service workers to create nutritious and delicious school meals; and collaborate with communities to build a schoolwide culture of health. Building on this foundation of direct impact, FoodCorps pursues systemic strategies that will benefit all of our nations 100,000 schools. To learn more, please visit foodcorps.org.
Nick Mango We have worked hard to make Eriksen a go-to translation provider for most of the premier museums around the country as well as creative firms of all sizes. I am pleased to have found someone of Nicks caliber to provide the special level of care that creative and cultural translation requires.
Eriksen Translations Inc., (http://www.eriksen.com), a leading provider of multilingual services in over 100 languages, is pleased to announce that Nick Mango has joined the company as account manager. With 20 years of experience in the world of advertising, Nick has the expertise needed to find the right solutions for the companys clients in the fields of art, culture, and creative services.
In the role of account manager, Nick will work closely with his clients to understand their needs and provide customized solutions, ranging from the translation and layout of print materials to the localization of websites and apps. Working in collaboration with Eriksens production team, Nick will ensure clients receive top-notch customer service and high-quality, customized solutions.
Im thrilled to be joining Eriksen and look forward to working with a team of such talented, dedicated professionals, said Mango. The company is well known for its customer-first approach, and I will make it a top priority to ensure we maintain strong relationships with both new and existing clients.
For over 30 years, Eriksen has been supporting marketing companies, designers, branding, and other creative firms, along with many of the countrys top museums and cultural institutions. Nicks position reflects Eriksens strong commitment to these sectors, and positions Eriksens client services team to effectively respond to the growing need for language services in the museum and creative world.
We are thrilled to welcome Nick to Eriksen, states Vigdis Eriksen, founder and CEO of Eriksen Translations. We have worked hard to make Eriksen a go-to translation provider for most of the premier museums around the country as well as creative firms of all sizes. I am pleased to have found someone of Nicks caliber to handle these very important clients and provide the special level of care that creative and cultural translation requires.
Born and raised in New York, Nick lived for many years in Great Britain, where he earned a Master of Arts degree from Edinburgh University. He also has a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University and received an MBA from New York Universitys Stern School of Business. Prior to joining Eriksen, Nick ran major accounts at some of the top advertising agencies in New York, supporting and counseling clients on branding, communications, and creative strategy. An accomplished photographer, Nick volunteers as a teaching assistant at the International Center for Photography and has contributed his photography skills at the American Museum of Natural History.
About Eriksen Translations Inc.
Eriksen Translations Inc., one of the top 40 language service providers in North America, helps companies reach their audiences in the domestic and global marketplace. Founded in 1986, Eriksen works in more than 100 languages, offering print and website translation, desktop publishing, multimedia localization, cultural consulting, transcription, and voiceover and subtitling services. Eriksen partners with leading museums and cultural institutions as well as companies in creative services, finance and insurance, law, health care, and education.
SkyView Academy joins Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System
Today, SkyView Academy announces they will utilize the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System for vendor management and bid distribution. This purchasing community and e-Procurement solution from BidNet connects nearly 200 public purchasing departments throughout Colorado and Wyoming. SkyView Academy encourages all local vendors interested in doing business with local government agencies to register online at http://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado to gain access to upcoming bid opportunities.
The Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System is a regional online community for public purchasing professionals looking to increase efficiency and transparency for their agencys procurement process. Through participation with the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System, SkyView Academy joins Douglas County School District RE #1 and Douglas County in posting RFPs and RFQs on one central location. The online purchasing group makes it easier for local vendors to find, access, and bid on local public solicitations.
Vendors are able to register with the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System for free and gain access to open bids from 198 local government agencies all on one platform. Vendors have an option to upgrade their account for notification services and other added benefits for extra cost.
The Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System is a cloud-based e-Procurement solution built to help local government agencies, such as SkyView Academy, simplify their bid and vendor management process. SkyView Academy encourages all interested vendors to visit http://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado and register.
About SkyView Academy:
SkyView Academy is located in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, as a public Charter school under the Douglas County School District RE #1. SkyView Academy is committed to preparing students to be life-long learners and honorable leaders of tomorrow. SkyView Academy offers a research-based, content-rich liberal arts program with a commitment to foreign language studies and community service. Staff, parents, and students are actively involved in a culture of expectation and support where individuals are respected, valued, and known by the content of their character. SkyView offers enrollment for Pre-School through 12th grade. Our current count of students is 1,349.
About the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System:
The Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System is a part of BidNets regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies. With years of input from procurement professionals, BidNet specifically developed the bid system to fill the need for a robust bid and supplier management solution for local government agencies. BidNet runs regional purchasing groups throughout the country used by nearly 1,200 local government agencies. To learn more about the features and modules available to government agencies, please visit http://www.SourceSuite.com
September 27, 2017 -- Dinosaur Financial Group Holdings, LLC (Dinosaur), announced today that, effective August 31, 2017, it has acquired a minority stake in Lebenthal Lisanti Capital Growth, LLC, a New York-based woman-owned SEC-registered investment advisor. The firm will operate as Lisanti Capital Growth, LLC (Lisanti) following completion of the transaction and continue to be a woman-owned firm.
Founder Mary Lisanti, a 38-year veteran of the investment management industry, will remain President and Managing Member of Lisanti. Ms. Lisanti remains the firms majority shareholder.
I am pleased to welcome Mary Lisanti and her team to Dinosaur, said Glenn Grossman, CEO of Dinosaur Group Holdings, LLC. Her specific market expertise, long track record and client-centric focus form a strong base upon which we can build the asset management business.
Mary Lisanti is a trailblazing woman in the world of asset management, and she and her team represent diversity at its best. I couldnt be more proud to join forces with her firm, said Elliot Grossman, Senior Managing Director of Dinosaur Financial Group, Dinosaurs U.S. broker dealer. Dinosaur has a history of diversity and has been built through entrepreneurial talent; Lisanti Capital Growth is a welcome addition to the family.
We are very pleased with our new relationship with Dinosaur, said Mary Lisanti. We appreciate the spirit of entrepreneurship and diversity which has built the firm over the past seventeen years. We look forward to sharing our client-centered cultures and building on each others strengths.
Lisanti Capital Growth LLC, which as of June 30, 2017 oversaw $155 million in client assets, specializes in small and SMID capitalization, high-growth equity investment strategies. Lisanti offers asset management for large corporations, endowments and foundations, and public funds through separately managed accounts, and to individual investors through its mutual fund, which will be renamed Dinosaur Lisanti Small Cap Growth Fund (ASCGX).
Ms. Lisanti founded Lisanti Capital Growth in 2003, as a joint venture with Adams Harkness & Hill. Previously, she was CIO of ING Investments. In that capacity, she was responsible for building the active equity investment management team. Before that, at Bankers Trust, she headed the small/mid cap investment team, started several mutual funds and helped launch international products as well. In 1996, she was named mutual Fund Manager of the Year by Barrons magazine.(1) She began her career as a small cap analyst and strategist, achieving the #1 ranking in Institutional Investors All-Star Research Team for Small Growth Stocks in 1989.(2)
ABOUT DINOSAUR HOLDINGS GROUP LLC
Dinosaur Holdings, LLC is an independent, owner-managed global investment firm, with offices in London, Italy, Spain and the United States. The firm was established in 2001 and focuses on underserviced markets, helping clients solve problems. Their edge is combining great people with a depth of knowledge, experience and connections into a world-wide team motivated to improve their customers experience and performance. Further information about Dinosaur Group Holdings, LLC can be found at http://www.dinogroup.com
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(1) Fund managers were ranked by their respective fund category, by performance, and had to be managing their fund for at least two years. Additionally, volatility was factored in, with less volatile funds scoring higher than more volatile funds.
(2) Institutional Investor annually surveys the opinions of several thousand individuals at hundreds of financial institutions. Respondents were asked to score each analyst in each category, and the score tally was weighted based on the size of the institution voting in addition to the place awarded.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Before investing, you should carefully consider the Funds investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other information is in the prospectus, a copy of which may be obtained by calling (800) 441-7031. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest.
The Fund invests in smaller companies which carry greater risk than is associated with larger companies for various reasons such as narrower markets, limited financial resources and less liquid stock.
Effective September 8, 2017 the Fund changed its name. Formerly the Lebenthal Lisanti Small Cap Growth Fund, it is now the Dinosaur Lisanti Small Cap Growth Fund. The Adviser also changed its name formerly Lebenthal Lisanti Capital Growth, LLC, it is now Lisanti Capital Growth, LLC.
Foreside Fund Services, LLC is the distributor.
Marco Logo This purchase allows Marco to further expand its technical expertise and services in the state of Missouri, said Jeff Gau, Marco CEO. We look forward to continuing KOPIs commitment to satisfying their copier clients and providing opportunities for their valued employees.
Marco, a leading technology services provider, announced today that it has purchased Koestner Office Products, Inc. (KOPI), a copier/printer company based in Jefferson City, Missouri.
This purchase allows Marco to further expand its technical expertise and services in the state of Missouri, said Jeff Gau, Marco CEO. We look forward to continuing KOPIs commitment to satisfying their copier clients and providing opportunities for their valued employees.
This is the 17th acquisition the company has completed over the past three years. In addition to Jefferson City, they have three other locations in Missouri.
Marco has 1,100 employees and serves more than 32,500 customers from its 46 locations throughout the Midwest and nationally.
We are excited to sell our company to Marco. They are a high performing company that is committed to excellence and outstanding customer service, said Sherri Wilbers, President of KOPI. They are also consistently recognized as a great place to work.
About Marco
Marco is one of the largest technology providers in the country with 46 offices throughout the Midwest and 32,500 customers nationwide. Marco specializes in copiers/printers, business IT services, managed services and cloud services. Our technology experts break down complex solutions into simple terms to position your business for success. Learn more at marconet.com.
SmartOSC, a full service e-commerce agency with a presence in Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America, has joined the Shopify Plus agency network. SmartOSC is one of the first Shopify Plus partners in Southeast Asia, putting them in a prime position to support high-volume, high-growth businesses wanting to grow and scale on Shopify Plus.
The e-commerce market in Southeast Asia is set to grow, with an expected 32% year-on-year increase. The region is currently estimated to be worth $5.5 billion and is expected to reach $88 billion by 2025, according to a report by Google and Singaporean sovereign wealth fund, Temasek. Capitalizing on this growth, Shopify and SmartOSC will work together to provide merchants localized e-commerce solutions based on the Shopify Plus platform.
Shopify Plus is known for its ease of use and scalable design, elements that have led to its increasing popularity amongst enterprise-level merchants. Its app store presents a large collection of solutions - including marketing, social media, shipping, inventory, supply chain, and theme designs - that are perfect for fast e-commerce system deployment and for reducing dependency on IT capabilities. Having worked with many prominent brands, SmartOSC have built a reputation of providing high-quality customized e-commerce solutions with user-friendly design in the Southeast Asia market.
SmartOSC CEO Thai Son said: We are excited about this opportunity to work with Shopify and add to our e-commerce capabilities. We have been working with online retail businesses in the region for over 11 years, and so we are in the best position to bring the Shopify Plus platform into the market and develop the most relevant and localized e-commerce solutions.
"Shopify Plus has experienced tremendous growth worldwide with over 2,500 high-growth, high-volume merchants now using the Shopify Plus platform. We're experiencing a lot of demand in Asia and have developed a strong relationship with SmartOSC to help make commerce better for merchants in the region. We're excited about this opportunity and look forward to seeing more enterprise level merchants move to Shopify Plus so they can grow bigger, faster." Rhys Furner, APAC Partnerships Lead.
SmartOSC will be hosting a complimentary brunch seminar, in partnership with Paypal, dotmailer and Shopify Plus, on Tuesday, October 3rd. The event will provide an in-depth overview of contextualization in e-commerce and tactics to successfully implement it as part of your retail strategy, all while offering real insights into the Asian e-commerce landscape. Click here to RSVP or for more information:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/contextualizing-ecommerce-designing-customer-journeys-to-drive-sales-tickets-37830294429
About SmartOSC:
Established in 2006, SmartOSC is a premium, full-service e-commerce agency for leading brands and e-tailers. As of September 2017, SmartOSC employs over 350 specialists across its office locations in Australia, Singapore, the UK, US, Japan, and Vietnam. The company is a key partner to high-profile brands including Lotte, Courts, Club 21, My Kingdom, Nestle, PayPal, SpaceX, Priceline Pharmacy, and Smartbox, to name a few. The company is known as a key partner of selected platforms including Magento, Sitecore, Shopify Plus, and Adobe. For more information about SmartOSC, please visit http://www.smartosc.com
Media contact:
Trieu Duc Trong
Marketing Manager, SmartOSC
trongtd(at)smartosc(dot)com
+84 24 3762 0248
A bomb has exploded on a popular pedestrian street in Istanbul, killing six people, wounding dozens and sending people fleeing as flames rose. Footage posted online showed ambulances, fire trucks and police at the scene on on Istiklal Avenue. That is a typically crowded thoroughfare popular with tourists and locals and lined with shops and restaurants. In one video, a loud bang could be heard and flames could be seen, as pedestrians turned and ran away. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the blast a treacherous attack and said its perpetrators would be punished. In addition to the six dead, Erdogan said another 53 were wounded, according to information he received from the Istanbul governor.
Datacap adds support for the VX 820 with Tap and Pay for Vantiv Integrated Payments in Canada. As the adoption of contactless payments has skyrocketed in the Canadian market, merchants have seen an increasing demand from consumers to add the functionality and expedite EMV transactions
Datacap Systems, a leading integrated payments middleware provider in North America, has completed EMV Level 3 re-certification with Vantiv Integrated Payments, a provider of payments technology and processing services for U.S. and Canadian small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). EMV-capable versions of NETePay are available for download immediately. NETePay, an industry-standard for payments software, provides hundreds of point of sale providers with the ability to deliver US and Canadian EMV functionality via an evolving list of PIN Pads through a simple out-of-scope interface.
The Verifone VX 820 is the successor to previous certifications for Vantiv Integrated Payments Canada that supported the Verifone VX 810. The latest release adds support for Tap and Pay, a contactless EMV transaction that has gained popularity in Canada.
Adding Tap and Pay support to NETePay for Vantiv Integrated Payments is a crucial addition for Canadian merchants, commented Justin Zeigler, director of product strategy at Datacap Systems. As the adoption of contactless payments has skyrocketed in the Canadian market, merchants have seen an increasing demand from consumers to add the functionality and expedite EMV transactions.
The payment landscape is rapidly evolving to support the way consumers want to pay, and ensuring that merchants have more choice, said Jason Stocksdale, product leader at Vantiv Integrated Payments. By partnering with technology providers like Datacap, it enables Vantiv to serve our large network of partners and merchants who want to gain access to Tap and Pay, a contactless EMV transaction. With NETePay Vantiv can offer new solutions in emerging technologies, without placing extra work on our partners. Our partnership with DataCap is just another example of our strong commitment to the Canadian market thereby creating some of the most powerful integrated solutions in the payment industry.
NETePay for Vantiv Integrated Payments is available for new installations and existing merchant upgrades today. Merchants interested in processing EMV transactions should contact their POS reseller to learn how Datacap payment solutions and Vantiv can help with EMV transaction processing and enhanced cardholder security. Developers wanting best in class integration support paired with leading payments technology can now effortlessly integrate NETePay and EMV Tap and Pay functionality by becoming an integrated payments partner.
For additional information on Datacaps payment interfaces, contact us today to get started! http://datacapsystems.com/contact-us/
Merchants interested in accepting payment transactions can contact Vantiv to get started. https://www.vantiv.com/get-quote
About Datacap Systems
Datacap Systems celebrates 34 years of successfully designing, manufacturing and marketing innovative integrated payment solutions for any Point of Sale. One simple interface allows Point of Sale developers to keep pace with evolving trends and payment industry standards, so they can spend development dollars on POS innovation rather than integrated payments. Because we sell our products exclusively through authorized POS resellers, merchants receive high-end payment solutions coupled with top-tier installation, service and support. Integrated payment solutions from Datacap are utilized by hundreds of POS applications in an array of vertical markets. Contact us to learn more!
About Vantiv Integrated Payments
Vantiv Integrated Payments is making payments smarter, faster and easier by partnering with software companies and technology service firms to embed payments processing in front and back office applications. Our commerce technology integrates into a broad set of point-of-sale systems, reaching merchants through an extensive partner network of thousands of point-of-sale software developers and value-added resellers. Our award-winning customer service and value-added solutions help businesses to streamline and build revenue through simple to use commerce solutions.
About Vantiv
Vantiv, Inc. (NYSE: VNTV) is a leading payment processor differentiated by an integrated technology platform. Vantiv offers a comprehensive suite of traditional and innovative payment processing and technology solutions to merchants and financial institutions of all sizes, enabling them to address their payment processing needs through a single provider. We build strong relationships with our customers, helping them become more efficient, more secure and more successful. Vantiv is now the largest merchant acquirer and PIN debit acquirer based on number of transactions in the U.S. The company's growth strategy includes expanding further into high-growth channels and verticals, including integrated payments, eCommerce, B2B payments, and merchant bank. Visit us at http://www.vantiv.com/, or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.
Home is where your heart is, but your heart can be in many places at a time. Thats this years motto on International Homesickness Day. Colombian expats are invited to celebrate International Homesickness Day with a Facebook contest, challenging them to share the most valuable lesson they learned after moving abroad.
The Facebook contest hosted by LlamaColombia.com Facebook page is open starting September 27 until October 1. The winner will be picked randomly on October 2 and shall be awarded $10 Voice Credit for international calls to Colombia.
When talking about the things Colombian expats miss about their home country, the tone is sometimes nostalgic, sometimes sad, but it is always filled with the pride of being Colombian, with vivid memories about the country that shaped their personality. International Homesickness Day, celebrated on September 27 came into being as an expression of all these feelings, as an opportunity to remember what expats worldwide miss after leaving their native lands.
The international calling service offered by LlamaColombia.com is intuitive and simple to use, since calls can be placed from:
1. any phone through the use of access numbers
2. from any smartphone as LlamaColombia.com offers a free app, for both iOS and Android devices, called KeepCalling. By using the free app, customers can make calls by using their phone contacts as long as they are saved in international format.
Besides Voice Credit, LlamaColombia.com also offers Monthly Plans and a Mobile Recharge service. Monthly Plans are monthly subscriptions which offer discounted rates for frequent calls to both landlines and mobiles in Colombia. The plans available on LlamaColombia.com are Colombia 300 that includes 300 minutes for $5.79/month, Colombia 500 with 500 minutes for $9.49/month, and Colombia 1000, offering 1000 minutes for $17.99/month.
Mobile Recharge is a service that helps customers recharge phones anywhere in the world. The process is fast and secure and the credit reaches its destination instantly. The operators available for top ups to Colombia are Tigo, Movistar, Claro, Uff Movil, Virgin Mobile, Avantel, ETB, and UNE.
LlamaColombia.coms mission is to bring people together, no matter the distance, because no distance is too long if people stay connected. Thats why all the services the website offers are a great solution for keeping a close relationship with everyone living back home in Colombia. This is mainly due to:
the customer-focused approach, based on safe and easy-to-use services
the frequent special offers: bonuses on international top ups or discounts on international calls
the great Customer Service available 24/7, both in English and Spanish.
About LlamaColombia.com
LlamaColombia.com is a website for Colombians abroad. The platform is powered by KeepCalling, a global telecommunications company registered in 2002 in USA. Presently, KeepCalling provides its services to hundreds of thousands of consumers worldwide, with a focus on customer satisfaction. KeepCalling has been listed by Inc 5000 as one of the fastest growing companies in the USA for 5 consecutive years. In 2015 the company registered a revenue increase of over 200% from 2011 to 2014.
Dale Sorensen Real Estate (DSRE) and White Gloving Moving and Storage are combining forces to provide relief for residents of the Florida Keys who are victims of Hurricane Irma. Hurricane Irma struck the lower Keys with force and devastated many of the homes and businesses located there.
We are saddened by the devastation in the Florida Keys, said Dale Sorensen, Jr., Managing Partner for DSRE. A lot of us grew up vacationing in the Keys and have great memories of the many iconic businesses, including restaurants, bars, shops and museums. The people who reside in the Keys are a resilient and strong group but they need our help right now. Many of them have lost everything, and others are still dealing with the massive clean-up of the properties. We want to be able to help them resume some type of normalcy as soon as possible.
The two companies are asking the community to donate items that are critical to the needs of the residents at this time. Weve determined, with the help of relief organizations, what items are most important to the victims of Hurricane Irma right now, said Rosanne Moler, Realtor with DSRE. These are personal hygiene items that may be difficult for them to come by at this time, and items they need to help with clean-up of their property. I know a lot of people want to donate clothing or toys, however, we dont need to provide those items at this time. That may come at a later date.
Items needed include:
Cases of water
Tents
Tarps
Chainsaws
Soap, toothpaste, shampoo, toothbrushes
Toilet paper & paper towels
Shovels
Bug spray
Feminine products
Brooms
Sunscreen
Mops
Yard tools
And dog and cat food
All items can be dropped off at White Glove Moving and Storage beginning immediately. Deadline is Friday September 29. White Glove is located at 2175 45th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32967. The drop off hours are Monday through Friday 8am - 4pm. They are not open on weekends. When dropping off, go to White Glove, follow the red arrows to the back warehouse. There will be someone there to help unload. White Glove will transport the items to the Keys Monday, October 2. We are in a unique position to help as we have large moving trucks and can transport these items quickly while the need is still there, said Anna Valencia Tillery of White Glove Moving and Storage. Many of us on the Treasure Coast have strong ties to the Keys so it just feels right to help.
Anyone with questions may contact: Rosanne Moler at 772.473.3403; Simmens Renovations at 772.643.5181; or Dick Davis at 772.713.1364.
The Dale Sorensen Real Estate family owned and family run business was founded in 1978. Now with six offices and over 200 agents and brokers, the company has experienced consistent growth in both sales and number of agents. For more information regarding Dale Sorensen Real Estate, please visit the Indian River County offices, located on the barrier island at 5065 North A1A and at 3206 Cardinal Drive; and in historic downtown Vero Beach at 1961 14th Avenue; or call 772.231.4712. In Brevard County, visit the offices located at 436 5th Avenue, Indialantic, FL 32903 or call 321.723.9990, or at 3165 Suntree Blvd #102, Rockledge, FL 32955, phone 321.473.6001 and in Historic Cocoa Village at #4 Harrison Street, Cocoa, FL. For the latest Real Estate trends and news feel free to visit DSRE online at http://www.sorensenrealestate.com.
About Dale Sorensen Real Estate, Inc.
Dale Sorensen Real Estate, Inc., established in 1978, is dedicated to providing the highest quality of real estate services to both buyers and sellers. Recognized as the top luxury real estate firm in the markets they serve, the award winning, family owned and managed company has earned exclusive affiliations with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, Luxury Portfolio International, Whos Who in Luxury Real Estate and the Board of Regents, and a highly-established presence in London, UK, through Mayfair International Realty. Through the use of their global network, innovative marketing strategies, social networking tools and innovative search engine optimization techniques, Dale Sorensen Real Estate, Inc. provides tailored marketing exposure for their clients properties. Dale Sorensen Real Estate with six locations in Florida, reported sales totaling more than $640 million in 2016. Visit Dale Sorensen Real Estate on the web at http://www.SorensenRealEstate.com. ###
About White Glove Moving & Storage
Gaining loyal customers since 2002, White Glove Moving & Storage helps families, seniors and businesses with their moving needs; big or small. As an agent for Bekins Van Lines, White Glove offers assistance in the relocation process both into and out of Florida as well as locally. With a full fleet and over 50,000 sq. ft. of climate controlled storage, White Glove is proud to be a trusted mover, storage and community partner; offering assistance whenever possible to those that need it most. Visit http://www.whitegloveusa.com to view video testimonials, request a free estimate, download moving checklists and more.
We're in the business of helping Cleveland small business owners get the most out of their digital marketing efforts.
Expert search engine optimization firm Arkham SEO will partner with Flash Three Consultants, Clevelands Next-Level PR and Communication Consulting Services, the companies announced today. This union will offer Greater Cleveland businesses a chance to boost their online platforms through increased site traffic and clarified content.
Since 2000, Arkham SEO has provided Cleveland SEO Services and Digital Marketing strategies for Northeast Ohio and Greater Cleveland area small businesses, as well as servicing partner agencies with Google Certified paid search campaign management and website optimization services. Arkham offers data-driven Search Engine Optimization, Digital Marketing, and Paid Search/SEM campaigns that improve visibility while driving quality leads to local merchant and business websites.
What we do at Arkham SEO is very simple: We help business owners connect with potential customers, company Founder and President, Chris Loeser, remarked. As a start-up, we understand what it means to have the desire to take a dream or a passion and bring it to life. For small business owners, they know what they want to achieve, they just lack the foundation and framework to get them there. That's where we come in. With our proven formula and step-by-step implementation process, these organizations increase their visibility and sales opportunities, which helps the small business owner grow and thrive.
In addition to a boost in site traffic, clients will receive targeted, specialized written content through Flash Three. President and CEO, Christopher Leo, explained: Its pretty obvious to most people that if you have a website and nobody visits it, the scenario is a failure. But, many business owners dont think about the other side of the metaphorical coin. It doesnt matter if you have tons of visitors to your website if you fail to express who you truly are as a company. An audience that sees inferior content will be underwhelmed and forget about you.
Thats where Flash Three seeks to help. Leo continued: At its core, Flash Three seeks to take business owners wherever they want to go in life. In order to get there, however, business owners need to be able to articulate their vision. And so, we create, cultivate, and communicate that vision to the world.
Visit Arkham SEO (http://arkhamseo.com/) and Flash Three Consultants (http://flashthree.com/) for additional information.
Big IT and legacy tech companies try to guide clients to their solution instead of coming up with the best solution to the problem. Revolts name comes from our rebellion against this idea.
Revolt Group, LLC announced its plans to use Exagos business intelligence solution as the analytics and reporting engine behind Affinity Insights and and other custom software applications they plan to build moving forward.
When evaluating solutions, we look at each one as a collection of building blocks, explains Revolt Director of Technology Ian Morris. And we gravitate toward the ones with the pieces we need. Exagos clean graphical interface, user-friendly ad hoc reporting, and extensive API integration options made it easy for us to build on top of Wordpress and leverage its modules. Thats the kind of flexibility we need.
Revolt Group, a boutique technology consulting firm based in West Chester, PA, propels businesses through their next stage of growth by working with executives to audit and optimize their technological systems. After diagnosing the a business problem, Revolt crafts a solution, sourcing those technologies that already exist on the market and developing those that do not.
Its very important that we understand the underlying cause of the problem and address the root cause, not just the symptoms, says founding partner Leo Daiuto. Big IT and legacy tech companies try to guide clients to their solution instead of coming up with the best solution to the problem. Revolts name comes from our rebellion against this idea. Instead, we listen more than we talk and take a customer-first approach to solving the issue. Thats how we become a trusted part of the executive team.
Revolts long-term, client-centered approach to consulting called for a BI solution with a license agreement as scalable as its technology. Exagos flat-rate pricing meant that Revolt Group could offer businesses a central access point to their data without penalizing the growth that would result from their increased efficiency.
Exago BI is a business intelligence solution specializing in ad hoc reporting and integration with SaaS applications like Affinity Insights, the custom software solution Revolt is building for a carpentry unions benefits division. Exago BIs analytics engine will enable benefits professionals to aggregate and report off of data sets from disparate insurance companies, healthcare providers, and medical agencies. Revolt uses Exagos open API to expose different elements of the application to different users based on their authorization level and departmental role, ensuring that executives have easy access to the dashboards, drilldowns, and interactive filters they need to assess the companys operational health.
We are delighted for the opportunity to work with such inspired developers, remarked Exago cofounder and CEO Mike Brody. Our partners play an integral role in helping shape the product, and Revolt has already had a welcome impact.
About Exago
Exago was founded in July, 2006 by Mike Brody and Stew Meyers, accomplished application software executives. Their experience with traditional reporting solutions left them, and more importantly their clients, frustrated with the inability of end users to effectively use the ad hoc reporting tools available. This was the genesis of Exago BI, a 100% web-based business intelligence solution offering ad hoc reporting and self-service dashboards designed for seamless embedding and integration. To learn more about Exago BI, visit exagoinc.com.
About Revolt Group
Revolt Group evolved out of a software development agency founded by brothers Leo and Anthony Daiuto in 2006. Its client-centered approach to technology consulting flies in the face of product-first strategies by working to find the right solution to the problem, whatever that may be. They stress the importance of infrastructure, great design, and customer service so that firms can not only embrace the digital future, but excel in it. Learn more about their philosophy and custom technologies at therevoltgroup.com.
OCLI and Precision Eye Care Our shared vision is to provide exceptional individualized care to each patient in an environment that is caring, respectful and comfortable.
Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) is excited to announce they are partnering with Precision Eye Care in Huntington to better serve the Suffolk and Nassau County communities. Precision Eye Care is located at 1700 East Jericho Turnpike. As part of this merger, OCLI is also excited to announce that well-respected laser cataract surgeon and comprehensive ophthalmologist and Precision Eye Care founder, Richard Davis, MD and cornea and laser cataract surgeon, Adam Bloom, MD and optometrist, Jordan Skyer, OD are joining the highly trained ophthalmology and optometry team at OCLI. They will be serving patients exclusively at the Precision Eye Care location.
Precision Eye Care and OCLI uphold the same values and commitment of providing patients the best in clinical expertise and innovative care in a compassionate bedside manner. We are excited to be partnering with Dr. Davis, the founder of Precision Eye Care, in offering state-of- the-art ophthalmology care to the patients of Suffolk County, said OCLI partner Richard Sturm, MD.
Richard Davis, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in laser cataract surgery and comprehensive ophthalmology. He has been practicing ophthalmology in Long Island for 26 years. Dr. Davis graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelors degree in biology. He then received his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University. He completed his ophthalmology residency at Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pennsylvania, where he became the Director of the Emergency Room at Inter-Community Memorial Hospital in Newfane, New York. Dr. Davis then completed a residency at State University New York at Buffalo, where he served as chief resident.
Dr. Davis founded the Department of Ophthalmology at Huntington Medical Group in 1991 and Precision Eye Care in May of 2000. He has been instrumental in bringing the modality of IPL to New York for the treatment of dry eye. Dr. Davis is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Adam Bloom, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in corneal disease and surgery, laser cataract surgery, and comprehensive ophthalmology. Dr. Bloom graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University in Cambridge. He completed a medical internship at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. Dr. Bloom received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He completed his residency training in ophthalmology at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital at New York University, and completed his fellowship in Cornea and External Disease at Nassau University Medical Center.
Dr. Bloom has authored numerous scientific publications, which have appeared in leading ophthalmology journals. Dr. Bloom is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Jordan Skyer, OD, is a board-certified optometrist specializing in medical eye care, including well-vision care, postoperative refractions, contact lens fitting, double-vision correction and postoperative surgical care. Dr. Skyer was educated at the State University of New York in Binghamton, New York. He earned his Doctorate from the State University of New Yorks College of Optometry. Dr. Skyer completed his post- doctorate residency in Primary Care and Ocular Disease at the New England College of Optometry in Boston. He was a Clinical Professor at the SUNY College of Optometry and became Chief of the New York University Optometry/Ophthalmology Health Center.
Dr. Skyer lectures on ocular nutritional health and has been a member of the Ocular Nutrition Society since its inception. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.
We are excited to be partnering with another of Long Islands elite ophthalmology practices, Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island. Our shared vision is to provide exceptional individualized care to each patient in an environment that is caring, respectful and comfortable. I am looking forward to the future with OCLI, Dr. Davis stated.
To schedule an appointment with any of the eye professionals at OCLI or Precision Eye Care, please visit OCLI.net or call 1.866.SEE.OCLI (1.866.733.6254).
About Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island
Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) is a renowned, multi-specialty eye care group that offers a wide range of eye care services. OCLI strives to have each patient treated by one of the nations most highly skilled and qualified specialists. Each physician at OCLI has extensive medical training and many are recognized for innovative medical achievements including performing the first refractive surgery in the world.
OCLI consists of over 30 eye doctors and 14 state-of- the-art medical facilities throughout Long Island. Each office houses some of the most advanced technology available to offer patients a variety of ophthalmic services and treatments, from routine eye examinations to sophisticated LASIK surgery and laser cataract surgery. Dedicated to providing exceptional medical services, OCLI is clearly the best choice for all vision care needs. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, visit OCLI.net.
About Precision Eye Care
Precision Eye Care, founded in May 2000, is a sophisticated, state-of- the-art facility, which excels in providing the highest quality eye care to patients in Long Island. Precision Eye Care uses the most up-to- date technology to assist in collecting data for the diagnosis and treatment of various eye conditions.
Started in 1998, the NC State Caldwell Fellows Student Shack-A-Thon fund raiser primary goal was to help bring awareness to the issue of affordable housing for people in Wake County, NC. Over the past 18-years through Habitat for Humanity, $340,000 has been raised along with the help of hundreds of students from 40-organizations erecting shacks each year in the Brickyard on the NC State campus. The goal this year is to raise $65,000 for the construction of an entire Habitat Wake County home. To date the NC State Habitat for Humanity chapter has helped sponsor and build 23-homes since 1991.
We had a very ambitious goal this year for Shack-A-Thon and thanks to Koolbridge Solars large donation, I believe we will meet that goal and even surpass it. We have never been sponsored by a company and I think few shacks are so generously supported as ours was this year. This kind of partnership bolsters everyone involved and has inspired each member of our shack group to push even further in raising money and awareness for such an important cause. We could not be more grateful towards Koolbridge Solar for sponsoring the Caldwell Fellows and cannot describe the excitement we have each experienced upon hearing about their generous sponsorship. I truly believe we will raise more money this year than we ever have before, said Craig Prince, NCSU College of Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Caldwell Fellows Class of 2019.
Koolbridge Solar was very fortunate to be able to have several students from the NCSU Engineering Department as summer interns, and offered full-time employment to a 2017 undergraduate. Our goal as the Company grows is to continue to bring in top students from universities such as NCSU to help build our product development team so that we provide the best products on the market. Contributing to the NC State Caldwell Fellows Student Shack-A-Thon charity is just one way that Koolbridge Solar is able to be an integral part of the RTP community, and show our appreciation for the high level of talent that comes from NCSU, said Chris Tridico, Chief Technology Officer of Koolbridge Solar. Mr. Tridico received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Japanese Language and Cultural Studies from North Carolina State University in 1992. He is a John T. Caldwell Fellow and received a full academic scholarship.
For additional information about NCSU Shack-A-Thon, see: http://shackathon.org/
For additional information about Koolbridge Solar go to: http://www.koolbridgesolar.com
Martin Mohamed, President of the U.S. African Chamber of Commerce (USACC) is traveling to promote the U.S. African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) to East African countries including Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Sudan. Most African countries are a part of the AGOA, however, Somalia and Sudan are the only two countries in Africa that are not participating the AGOA.
AGOA is a bilateral trade agreement between the United States and Africa. This act will give enormous trade opportunities to many African countries, especially the war-torn country of Somalia, which recently elected its government and are struggling to create opportunities and jobs for its people. Somalia recently elected their president and vice president and are becoming a willing partner for trade and opportunity in the continent. Find out more at http://www.agoa.info/about-agoa.html.
Martin promotes free trade and free market for the entire African continent. For the past two decades, he has been a dedicated supporter of freedom, justice, and democracy in Africa. As a Somali native, Martin is well-versed in the events surrounding the breakaway of Somaliland. He will visit Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, which has recently been visited by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who reported on the 2018 Somaliland elections. In the report, Cooper noted that unlike the rest of Somalia, Somaliland has enjoyed peace.
The USACC is the leading advocacy organization for U.S. African relations and emerging African markets. The USACC is the umbrella organization for African chambers of commerce and professional trade and business associations throughout the United States and abroad. Visit them at http://www.usacchamber.com.
Dr: Luise Siojo
612-205-8772
http://www.usacchamber.com/
ABTS Convention Services (ABTS), a global meetings and convention services company with 19 years of experience, has attained Ethical Charter Certification as a TRUSTED PARTNER from MedTech Europe. ABTS Convention Services is the first meetings and events company in the US to be certified through the MedTech Europe Ethical Charter.
Ethical MedTech paves the way for the phasing out of direct support to Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) attending Medical Education Events, due to enter into force on 1 January 2018. This is one of the key changes introduced by MedTech Europes new Code of Ethical Business Practice, a stringent self-regulation effective since January this year. The Code substitutes this direct support with a system of Educational Grants that includes solid transparency rules.
The Ethical Charter is a voluntary system showing commitment to comply with MedTech Europes ethical standards when interacting with the industry. This will facilitate industry support to independent medical education.
Serge Bernasconi, CEO of MedTech Europe stated that The Ethical Charter aims to streamline industrys collaboration with HCOs and PCOs by attesting their commitment to uphold our Code. In doing so, we simplify, clarify and strengthen these relationships.
More information on MedTech Europes Code of Compliance and how it affects the US Medical Meetings industry can be found at http://www.abtscs.com/blog/medtechwhitepaper/
ABTS is proud to announce this certification as part of their portfolio of strategic global planning and growth consulting services which include assisting medical associations looking to grow in international markets through the analysis, evaluation, recommendations and assistance in implementation of international growth strategies, including international marketing, social media, competitor analysis, market analysis, relationship building, relevancy, sales, payment and business processes.
For more information on Ethical MedTech, the Code of Ethical Business Practice or the medical technology sector please contact Patricia Andrade at ABTS Convention Services pandrade(at)abtscs(dot)com.
KWizCom, Gold Sponsor of SharePoint Fest Chicago
At SharePoint Fest Chicago, an exclusive SharePoint and Office 365 technology conference, attendees will learn from the brightest minds in the SharePoint universe!
SharePoint Fest Chicago will begin with two days of pre-conference workshops on December 5 and 6, 2017, followed by a two-day conference (including an expo hall) on December 7 and 8, 2017. Be sure to stop by the KWizCom booth to see how they help customers around the world attain their goals while avoiding the need to develop expensive custom designed solutions!
"We are excited to be part of the SharePoint Fest Chicago this year again and look forward to exhibiting and showcasing some of our most recent products, says Sara Jhangiryan, the Marketing Manager at KWizCom. Attendees are encouraged to visit our booth to meet the team and play fun games to win gift cards and other prizes.
About KWizCom
Since 2005, KWizCom has provided innovative solutions and services to make SharePoint even better for over 7,000 companies worldwide. KWizCom is a leading provider of SharePoint Forms, Workflows, Mobile, Wiki solutions, and over 60 other add-ons for SharePoint on-premises and apps for Office 365. KWizCom software is available to federal, state and local government agencies through GSA schedule.
KWizCom is a Gold Certified Microsoft Partner that is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. To find out more about the company and its products, please visit http://www.kwizcom.com.
Web Site: http://www.kwizcom.com
About SharePoint Fest
SharePoint Fest is in its seventh year. It offers a two-day conference (with two optional pre-conference workshop days) that brings together SharePoint enthusiasts and practitioners, with many of the leading SharePoint experts and solution providers in the country.
Attend SharePoint Fest Chicago where attendees will be able to attend workshops and seminars taught by Microsoft Certified Trainers, Microsoft engineers, and Microsoft MCM's and MVPs covering Enterprise Content Management, Implementation/Administration, Business Value, Search, Business Intelligence, Office 365 and SharePoint Development. Attendees will be able to choose one complete learning track or mix and match based on what content best meets their current needs.
At SharePoint Fest Chicago, there will be sessions created for SharePoint administrators, software developers, business analysts, information architects, and knowledge workers, which will ensure that attendees walk away with as much knowledge as they desire to truly leverage SharePoint in their current environment.
Web Site: http://www.sharepointfest.com/Chicago
This release offers a new module, which will make the results of the yearly system measurement more transparent for clients. The LAW workbench compares the results of the SAP tools LAW with the results of samQ and will alert about discrepancies.
"Usually SAP requests a self-audit by their customers on system usage in the second half of the year. By using samQ, the system measurement can be automated and centrally governed," says Martin Koegel, Director Business Development at VOQUZ. "Within samQs new LAW Workbench, results are traceable, as there is a new drill-down down to user and client level."
Additionally, samQ 3.0 offers a new feature for authorization analysis, which identifies if the SAP user is working based on certain authorizations or if there is a possible authorization overhang. samQ correctly assigns license types based on usage activity and can now also compare this to existing authorizations. "samQ optimizes the user licenses based on activity by default, but many SAP users apply role and authorization concepts for licensing. Often this can cause over-licensing as authorizations are not completely used as they are granted," explains Martin Koegel.
In addition, many existing features have been improved. The samQ report is interactive and allows a precise analysis of the individual result values via drill-downs. The graphic presentation in Fiori dashboard has been optimized further, helping license managers see the optimal overview of consumption data at a glance. Compliance alerts give users notice ahead of time, when the amount of a certain license-type has been used or critical engine and package consumption has been reached.
The pricing of samQ licenses also has been revised. Future customers will have all modules of the license optimization tool available within the standard tier. No extra costs occur for using the Fiori dashboard and the system measurement module. "Its our mission to make SAP licensing as easy as possible. We achieve this by offering a simple licensing model," says Martin Koegel.
samQ is the leading software for SAP license management that allows a fully automated and continuous analysis of SAP user activities. It assesses this usage data with the correct license type and optimizes the overall license inventory. Automatically or at the press of a button, the tool collects all license information in order to verify software license compliance. The new release offers license managers a better transparency and an optimum support during SAP system measurements.
The new version is free of charge to all samQ customers with an active maintenance contract. All customers using a basic license so far, VOQUZ offers an attractive upgrade to the new all-inclusive license.
Further information on the new samQ release: http://bit.ly/2frb4bq
The MOSO brand has become synonymous with high quality, reliable bamboo products. Founded 20 years ago in the Netherlands, MOSO International now serves customers worldwide from 6 subsidiaries with more than 60 employees.
We are happy to inform you that as of now there is a new bamboo supplier in the USA/Canadian market: MOSO North America, Inc. MOSO has been at the forefront of bamboo product manufacture. The privately owned company is acknowledged as the world leader in bamboo, due to its focus on technical excellence, sustainability and the development of innovative and trendsetting solutions in bamboo. The MOSO brand has become synonymous with high quality, reliable bamboo products. Founded 20 years ago in the Netherlands, MOSO International now serves customers worldwide from 6 subsidiaries with more than 60 employees.
Newly incorporated MOSO North America focus on outdoor products with Bamboo X-treme
One of the most important products in the MOSO range is Bamboo X-treme: decking, siding, 1x4 T&G, lumber all made of densified, heat-treated bamboo according the unique Thermo-Density production method. Key benefits are the sustainability (proven to be CO2 neutral), durability, stability and the beautiful natural appearance. With a complete package of marketing tools, MOSO will empower distributors, installers, architects and landscapers to offer the true alternative to tropical hardwood to property owners and project developers.
High quality bamboo products from MOSO International
MOSOs headquarters are in the Netherlands, but the group has around 20 permanent employees in China involved mainly in production and product quality control. MOSO has pioneered many bamboo production techniques and new bamboo products. No other bamboo company supplies as wide a range of bamboo products, and offers the same levels of quality and certification, as MOSO does. MOSO bamboo products are all tested and certified to European quality and environmental standards. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing and most sustainable building and decoration materials on earth, and MOSO solid bamboo products are carbon neutral or better.
About bamboo:
Bamboo is a grass, and is considered to be the fastest growing plant on earth. A new shoot can grow over three feet per day. In addition, bamboo reaches an incredible hardness: it is many times stronger than oak or the still popular but endangered tropical hardwoods. Every year a fifth of all the stems of the giant bamboo can be harvested without jeopardizing the stock. A system of sustainable forest management ensures responsible yield and increases the CO2 absorption. With its extraordinary properties, bamboo has evolved in recent years into a much sought-after industrial product. Nowadays parquet floors, stairs, wall and ceiling coverings, door panels, beams, furniture and much more is created with this millennial commodity. Who would have thought that a grass might be an alternative to hardwood or tropical timber?
MOSO the bamboo specialist
MOSO International B.V., established in 1997 in the Netherlands, specializes in the development of innovative and sustainable bamboo products for interior and exterior applications. MOSO is a global player that operates from its headquarters in the Netherlands (Zwaag) and offices in China (Hangzhou), Spain (Barcelona), United Arab Emirates (Dubai), USA (Delaware), South Africa (Cape Town) and Italy (Milan). With its extensive experience and focus on innovation, MOSO can meet the highest customer requirements and has become the European leader and the number one brand in high-end industrial bamboo products. For more information: http://www.moso-bamboo.com.
Aislelabs has just released a brand new white-paper entitled Why Wi-Fi Matters for the Shopping Centres of Tomorrow. The new document was prepared for shopping centre groups and owners detailing how WiFi marketing for shopping malls can help today's shopping centres thrive in the retail market of tomorrow. It is available right now at https://www.aislelabs.com/shopping-centres-malls-heatmaps-analytics-whitepaper-ebook/
Shopping centres have undergone a tectonic shift in the last few years due to the rise of e-commerce. Once a dedicated and centralized place for retail, they have since broadened beyond that narrow definition. No longer do they focus on retail shopping alone and are expanding into restaurants, fitness centres, medical clinics, office spaces, as well as other recreational, business, and institutional uses. The white-paper details how to prosper in this new paradigm.
One of the biggest challenges facing mall owners/operators is the lack of direct relationships with shoppers which is necessary for creating personalized and experience based environments. Guest WiFi has become a ubiquitous service in shopping malls and can be utilized to achieve more than just basic connectivity. It can be harnessed as an indispensable tool for gaining valuable behavioural and demographic customer insights, along with collecting contact information, to build sophisticated CRM lists.
In this document, shopping centre owners and groups will learn why WiFi matters for their malls, which trends are driving this change, and why malls need to reinvent themselves in order to keep pace with a changing market. The white-paper also details how the industry has changed in the modern era and explores the tools required for a digital transformation. Here is an overview of what is covered in this free document:
Why WiFi Matters for the Shopping Centres of Tomorrow
Lets Talk Malls
The Trends Shaping Up this Change Include
Malls Need to Reinvent Themselves
What Can WiFi Do for Malls
Aislelabs WiFi Solutions
Aislelabs Social WiFi - A Solution for Malls
How Social WiFi is Helping Malls - A Closer Look
Why Wi-Fi Matters for the Shopping Centres of Tomorrow is available right now at Aislelabs.com. Download the WiFi marketing for shopping malls white-paper by clicking on this link: https://www.aislelabs.com/shopping-centres-malls-heatmaps-analytics-whitepaper-ebook/
Aislelabs services numerous industry verticals including airports, retail, brands, coffee shops, cafs, restaurants, venues, hospitality, and shopping centres. To learn more about Aislelabs, visit their website at http://www.aislelabs.com or contact Aislelabs at 1 (888) 765-3645 or by email media(at)aislelabs(dot)com.
About Aislelabs Inc.: Aislelabs is a technology company offering the most advanced Wi-Fi location marketing, advertising, and analytics platform in the market. They help clients build relationships with visitors and shoppers, marketing to them based on their behaviour inside brick-and-mortar spaces. Aislelabs technology empowers their clients to target audiences across all digital channels and create high-impact campaigns with measurable ROI.
One size does NOT fit all... When PEOs compete, our clients win
With over 700 PEO's nationwide it's easy to understand how it can be difficult for a company to decide which one to choose. Leveraging over 30 years of combined experience, PEO brokerage VanStone and Associates has worked hard to perfect the art of PEO qualification, in-depth analysis, and comparison. The result has been dramatically improved efficiency and increased the bottom line for its clients. The firm recently announced their gratitude for the ongoing positive feedback and recommendations they receive from existing clients for the dramatic cost savings and a job well done.
Our mission is to save clients money and improve the current level of service they receive on health insurance, benefits, payroll processing, and human resources, commented Mike Miller from VanStone and Associates. Over the last two years, we have had 117 total clients who we have saved, all together $5,514,312.60 recurring annually. That's an average client savings of $47,130.88 per year, which breaks down to a remarkable per employee savings of $874.32 every year. We are very proud of these results and humbled by the gratitude we have received from our clients. When PEO's compete, our clients win.
According to Miller, when engaging new clients, VanStone delivers a free cost analysis to the company to illuminate the true total cost of their current PEO relationship, in a concise and transparent format. If the client decides to proceed, VanStone and Associates invite two to three PEOs to the table to bid and compete to establish a new PEO relationship with the company. The end result is almost always a lower cost, improved service offering. VanStone and Associates fees are contingency based.
Feedback for their services continues to be positive across the board.
Chris S., from Illinois, recently said, We are very happy about every aspect of making the decision to bring VanStone on board. It took care of a major headache we were experiencing, freed up a great deal of wasted energy and most importantly, saved and is still saving us, very real amounts of money. Five stars and fully recommended.
For more information, be sure to visit http://www.vanstone.co.
Recipe-Costing Menu Item Plate Cost You need recipe-costing.com like you need pots and pans!
Recipe-Costing.com is the fastest growing restaurant management platform that automates sales, recipes, menu engineering and inventory across 100 countries around the world. By offering a powerful back office suite and a low entry monthly subscription, Recipe-Costing.com is automating many of the tedious day-to-day operations helping restaurant operators to become more efficient with a cost-effective solution. Recipe-Costing.com can be used by a single unit operator, a multi-unit operation, a franchise or franchisees with multiple locations.
Recipe-Costing.com was created out of necessity by founder Robert Vasquez who owned several restaurant locations. Managing the paperwork and cost for one location was crazy, try multiplying it by five or more and youll drive yourself nuts. Our approach is unique compared to our competitors. We focused on simplicity when building recipe-costing.com and although its simplicity was important, we made sure Recipe-Costing.com was rich in features that made sense to the restaurant operator, said Robert Vasquez
Many restaurant owners struggle with getting a true understanding of the business. Ask about menu costs and most wont have an answer. Ask about trends in cost or what the weekly prime cost is and those numbers are not available. I understand why, there are many moving parts in a restaurant and doing the numbers isnt a priority when focusing on customers, vendors, and employees. said Robert Vasquez.
Improving automation meant more features like managing multiple locations, scaling recipes, shopping list, prep list, USDA integration, nutritional labels, allergens and breakeven points are just some of the features offered including an automated prime cost report for users. To enhance the user experience popular tablet point of sale systems are integrated.
An easy to use, cost effective and powerful back office is what sets Recipe-Costing.com apart. This has literally changed my business. I would manually hand calculate everything. Once I found recipe-costing.com, I could start focusing more on my business and less on the logistics of food costing and shopping. I love how easy it is to configure a shopping list. The ability to scale a recipe from 1-1000 is simply amazing! So convenient! said Paul Arellano, Owner Operator of Elite Meal Prep, LLC.
Robert wanted to prove recipe-costing.com does as advertised. There are so many products on the market that promise to do half of what we promise and they fall short while over charging the restaurant operator. We offer a free 30-day trial, no credit card required to allow customers to verify the numbers this includes training and support., said Robert Vasquez.
About Recipe-Costing.com
Recipe-Costing.com software is a product of Kitchen Porter Tech LLC. Robert Vasquez worked in the restaurant business for over a decade while attending college. After graduating from NOVA Southeastern University, he worked as a financial controller and software developer before owning and operating his own restaurants. His education and work experience have given him a unique insight to building automated systems that work! The Recipe-Costing software platform provides restaurant operators automated back office tasks providing counts, costs, and analytical reports. Join over 3,500 restaurant operators across 100 countries. For more information visit https://www.recipe-costing.com.
Whistleblowers know where the bodies are buried, said Michael I. Behn, a Chicago trial lawyer. But instead of uncovering shallow graves, whistleblowers uncover a key email or foreign bank account that can blow a fraud case wide open.
It was like something out of a movie. In a non-descript government facility here in Chicago, Illinois, badge-bearing government agents were working with undercover informants to learn about billion-dollar fraud schemes cheating taxpayers.
The agents and whistleblowers targeted Fraudsters the companies that steal from government programs through fraud -- at a training session given by the Illinois Association of Inspectors General. The Inspectors General are government agents tasked with rooting out fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer funds.
Whistleblowers know where the bodies are buried, said Michael I. Behn, a Chicago trial lawyer. But instead of uncovering shallow graves, whistleblowers uncover a key email or foreign bank account that can blow a fraud case wide open. Behn, a former federal prosecutor, has been representing whistleblowers for decades. He founded the Behn & Wyetzner law firm and is of counsel to Siprut PC, both in Chicago. Behn gave the government agents tips for best utilizing whistleblowers in their investigations. (See http://www.BehnWyetzner.com and http://www.Siprut.com)
The Inspectors General also heard from James Holzrichter, who had worked as an undercover agent for the government. His case ultimately resulted in Northrop Grumman paying back $134 million, the largest settlement in Illinois that year. Holzrichter poignantly explained the challenges faced by him and his family through his involvement in the case, which took 17 years to resolve. Holzrichter and his family ended up homeless for an extended period, he and his wife working seven jobs just to stay afloat. Holzrichters case, brought in Chicagos federal court, is titled United States ex rel. Robinson and Holzrichter v. Northrop Grumman (No. 89 C 6111).
Jim is an American hero, and I dont use that term lightly. said Behn, who represented Holzrichter for over a decade. He and his family sacrificed their own well-being to stand up for integrity in providing our national defense.
Both Holzrichter and Behn have received national honors for their roles in aiding the government's prosecution of fraud. Holzrichter was honored as a "Whistleblower of the Year," for creating a mentoring program after succeeding in his arduous battle with Northrop. Behn had also been honored as the first "Lawyer of the Year" by Washington, D.C.-based Taxpayers Against Fraud ("TAF"). TAF's members are attorneys and whistleblowers who pursue "qui tam" cases, under federal and state False Claims Acts. The qui tam lawyers' group lauded Behn's "tenacity, management skills and dedication" in his representation of Holzrichter and other relators under the False Claims Act. (See https://www.behnwyetzner.com/whistleblowers/)
Federal and state False Claims Acts allow private citizens with knowledge of fraud to help the government recover ill-gotten gains and additional civil penalties. Through "qui tam" provisions of False Claims Acts, private citizens are empowered to sue when they witness fraud against the government. These statutes allow the government to collect up to three times the amount defrauded, in addition to civil penalties of over $11,000 per false claim. Behn noted that whistleblowers, known as qui tam relators, can receive between 15 and 30 percent of the government's recovery. (See https://www.behnwyetzner.com/whistleblower-faqs/)
With the law firm Behn & Wyetzner, the government has achieved extensive recoveries for taxpayers through false claims actions brought on behalf of the firms whistleblower clients. Recent cases recovered over $120 million in multi-state Medicaid fraud settlements of drug switching allegations against Walgreens, CVS, and Omnicare. All three qui tam whistleblower cases were filed under federal and state False Claims Acts in the U.S. District Court in Chicago, Illinois, docket numbers 03 C 744 (Walgreens), 03 C 742 (CVS) and 01 C 7433 (Omnicare). The firm also represented the pharmacist in cases alleging that Johnson & Johnson paid kickbacks to influence drug selections in nursing homes, which recovered over $170 million (D. Mass. 07 CV 10288-RGS). Other major cases have recovered hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds for fraud in defense contracting and other federally funded industries. (See https://www.behnwyetzner.com/whistleblower-compensation-awards/)
Siprut PC has been recognized for its high-stakes, high-profile cases against large defendants. Siprut PC was named to the National Law Journal Hot List of Plaintiffs law firms in 2016, one of only 12 law firms in the United States to receive this distinction. The firms primary litigation groups include false claims act litigation; plaintiffs class action litigation; and intellectual property and patent litigation; and business litigation. Spirit PC has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of plaintiffs in complex litigation, including millions of dollars on behalf of the government in whistleblower actions.
Further details about Behn & Wyetzner, Siprut PC, qui tam actions, relators, Medicare and Medicaid fraud, pharmaceutical and pharmacy fraud, and procurement fraud can be found at http://www.BehnWyetzner.com and http://www.Siprut.com.
PowerChord, Inc. today announced Store Visitation Lift capabilities - a new service that measures the direct impact of online advertising to in-store traffic and local purchasing. This is the second recent addition to PowerChords suite of digital marketing solutions, with the company also launching weather-triggered advertising last month.
An industry leading SaaS company, PowerChord works with manufacturers who sell through independent dealer networks across the US and in Europe. And with nearly 90% of commerce happening offline, PowerChord can now offer major brands an in-depth view of how digital advertising strategies, such as paid search, display, or retargeting ads, drive shoppers into their dealers brick and mortar stores.
To influence in-store consumer behavior, Store Visitation Lift leverages location data from consumer smartphones using cell-tower signals, Wi-Fi, and GPS to correlate shoppers that are exposed to online ads and those that set foot into a physical store to purchase.
The ability to close the reporting loop of online advertising to in-store visits provides brands with critical insights to better understand trends within their industries, gauge ad performance, and identify new, hyper-local digital marketing opportunities.
Being able to properly attribute sales and effectively quantify the impact of digital marketing to dealer revenue is a critical piece of our solutions, said PowerChord CEO, Lanny Tucker. These local capabilities will be monumental for strengthening channel participation and dealer-to-consumer engagement for our clients.
# # #
About PowerChord
PowerChord is a leading SaaS company that transforms how brands drive local sales. Their multi-location, customer engagement platform provides businesses with an integrated suite of products and services to control their brand, engage customers, and drive revenue through local sales channels. With the PowerChord Platform, brands can create a consistent and immersive customer experience, power brand loyalty and optimize every touchpoint along the consumer path to purchase.
PowerChord is a 2015 BIA/Kelsey GOLOCAL award winner and has been recognized as a Deloitte Technology Fast 500 company and a Inc. 5000 company. They currently operate in 28 countries and service over 10,000 local sites worldwide, with employees based across the United States and Europe. Learn more about PowerChords multi-location, customer engagement solutions at http://www.PowerChord.com
QualDerm Partners, a company that creates market-leading dermatology practice partnerships through affiliations and de novo development, today announced Carolina Mountain Dermatology and Wilson Dermatology Clinic have joined the company as affiliate practices.
Based in Asheville, NC, Carolina Mountain Dermatology provides general and cosmetic dermatology care as well as Mohs surgery to patients throughout the Asheville region. The practices clinical staff includes a general dermatologist, a Mohs surgeon, and a certified physician assistant.
Wilson Dermatology Clinic, located in Wilson, NC, serves communities throughout Eastern North Carolina. Its staff includes a Mohs surgeon, a physician assistant and a nurse practitioner. The practice provides comprehensive dermatology services, including Mohs surgery.
We chose to affiliate with QualDerm because of their reputation for partnering with outstanding, highly-trained dermatologists, says David Cogburn, M.D., founder of Carolina Mountain Dermatology. Affiliating with QualDerm will allow us to continue to deliver patient-centric care while growing our practice at the same time.
Under the partnership agreements, QualDerm will provide both practices with management support, guidance and capital to expand their services to increase patients access to care. QualDerm currently has a total of 15 practice locations in North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Ohio. The company has plans to expand into other regions by year end.
Were excited to have Carolina Mountain and Wilson join QualDerms network of high-quality dermatology practices, says Bill Southwick, Chief Executive Officer of QualDerm. Both practices have a reputation for delivering outstanding patient care and complement our growing network of well-respected dermatologists. Were eager to help them expand their services and grow their practices.
About QualDerm Partners
QualDerm Partners helps top-tier dermatologists position their practices for sustainable growth and profitability. The company creates market-leading practice partnerships through affiliations and de novo development. QualDerm provides the management support, capital, and guidance for growth. Under QualDerms True Partnership(SM) model, physicians are partners, not employees, and retain their own practice brand. This doctor-driven model is designed to maintain physicians clinical autonomy and ensure the highest-quality patient care. QualDerm offers physicians tailored partnership structures to meet their needs, as well as the option to sell their practices. For more information, visit http://www.QualDerm.com.
About Carolina Mountain Dermatology
Carolina Mountain Dermatology provides highly professional and experienced dermatology care in the Asheville, NC region. The practice has a staff of Board-certified dermatologists, a Fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon, and a certified physician assistant. Founded in 1986, Carolina Mountain Dermatology gives patients access to general dermatology and advanced skin cancer care, as well as a variety of aesthetician services. For more information, visit http://www.skinsurgerycenter.net/locations/carolina-mountain-dermatology-asheville.
About Wilson Dermatology Clinic
Wilson Dermatology Clinic has served the Eastern North Carolina region for more than 30 years. The practice provides general dermatology as well as advanced skin cancer treatment. The practices staff includes a Fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon, a physician assistant, and a nurse practitioner. For more information, visit http://www.skinsurgerycenter.net/locations/wilson-dermatology.
Contact:
Andy Mitzen
QualDerm Partners
Chief Development Officer
andy.mitzen(at)qualderm(dot)com
615.250.6756
Media Contact:
Nikki Cary
6 Columns Marketing Group
nikki(at)6Columns(dot)com
615.500.2924
The Memorial Transplant Institute in South Florida has received federal approval from UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) to launch an adult and pediatric kidney transplant program at Memorial Regional Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital in Hollywood.
The Institute also received approval to establish a living donor kidney recovery component, including open and laparoscopic nephrectomies. The kidney programs will also offer cadaveric kidney transplants, pediatric kidney transplants and living donor kidney transplant.
This is a momentous occasion for the team, who has worked diligently to create a program of the caliber required for heart and kidney transplantation, said Juan D. Arenas, MD, who serves as the institutes chief. We also believe it is great news for the South Florida community and the patients and families we have the pleasure to serve.
To date, Memorial has performed 20 adult heart transplants since 2014. Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital has performed 36 pediatric heart transplants since 2010.
The Institutes highly skilled, multidisciplinary team raises the bar even higher on heart and kidney care in the community, said Zeff Ross, senior vice president and chief executive officer, Memorial Regional Hospital.
The UNOS approval now clears the path for Arenas and his team to perform the first kidney transplant in the two hospitals history. Fernando Pedraza, MD, will head the adult kidney program as its medical director while Alex Constantinescu, MD, is the medical director for the pediatric program.
Both physicians will lead the management of kidney transplant patient care before and after transplant.
Kidney transplantation demands a comprehensive team effort, Dr. Pedraza explained. Beyond the physicians, were fortunate to have a team of high caliber, dedicated nurses, intensivists, perfusionists, and laboratory medicine experts all levels of patient care who are helping us make this dream a reality.
Offering pediatric and adult kidney care services under one Institute is a benefit to the community.
Whether you are a child or an adult, Memorial is now in the position to offer total heart and kidney care to patients who requires this high level of care, Constantinescu said
Blockchain Will Make Existing Business Models Obsolete Blockchain represents the next major evolution.
Belatrix Software, a leading software development company, has just published a key new report arguing that blockchain technology will form the basis of the next phase of digital transformation. Experts at Belatrix have been exploring the potential of blockchain on behalf of its clients, and the results are revealed in this report.
At the heart of this forthcoming disruption, is the fact there exist foundational differences in business design between traditional and blockchain businesses. Blockchain enables a shift in paradigm from a model in which value doesnt come from collecting data in a traditional value chain, but from the actual services being delivered in a peer-to-peer environment.
Blockchain-based businesses will lead to the emergence of new business models, which will make existing models obsolete. While today we may think of companies such as AirBnB and Uber as disruptive, they will in turn be put out of business by new disruptors. Why? Because these companies are still businesses based on centralized networks or to put it another way, there is an exchange of data which occurs on a centralized server. The next generation of startups will be businesses based on peer-to-peer exchange, on a blockchain network.
The report examines industries which will change. For example, it highlights how blockchain platforms will enable organizations to re-imagine the heavily regulated insurance market. It envisions a faster and more transparent real estate industry, as almost every part of conducting real estate transactions can be conducted more efficiently, transparently, and securely on blockchain platforms. Meanwhile, every part of financial services from payments, to commodity and share trading, to better identity management for customers, will be impacted.
Alex Robbio, President and Co-founder of Belatrix, commented that, Blockchain represents the next major evolution. What this research demonstrates is that it will cause a fundamental shift in business models. This means there are tremendous opportunities for organizations to create new forms of value for their customers, but also many risks for established organizations with legacy technology infrastructures. Belatrix is ready to help executives in this key next stage of digital transformation.
About Belatrix Software
Belatrix Software helps companies thrive in the digital world. Organizations partner with Belatrix to turn ideas into high quality, innovative software based on highly-tuned Agile development processes. Customers use Belatrixs digital transformation services to create best-in-class software products, lower time to market, and gain competitive edge. Belatrixs dedicated labs, focusing on UX, continuous delivery, mobile, DevOps, and QA automation, help organizations become digital leaders.
Belatrix's clients include both established Fortune level and emerging, venture backed firms. Some of the firm's clients include Disney, Adobe, AOL, PwC, Fluor, and Shutterfly. Belatrix is a South American company with offices in Florida, New York, San Francisco, Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Bogota and Lima. For more information, visit http://www.belatrixsf.com.
Press contacts: Fernando Gonzalez Aguirre press(at)belatrixsf.com
A Watertown company is recalling two teriyaki-marinated chicken products because they contain soy and the label didn't have soy in the ingredients list.
Detjens Northern Trails voluntarily recalled two products, Teri-Yaki Marinated Boneless Chicken Breasts, Lot #8973, and Teri-Yaki Marinated Whole Chickens, Lot #8880 and 9422, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection said.
Soy can cause serious reactions in people with a soy allergy; no one has reported any illness from the products, and the products are safe to consume for those who don't have an allergy or an intolerance to soy.
All products were sold in sealed packages of 2.5 to 3.5 pounds each. The products were sold from the store or had been sold wholesale to the Ashippun Sportsman's Club.
Consumers with the products can return them to the original place of purchase or discard them.
RapidScale has really impressed me with its focus, tools and support that are available for its channel partners. I look forward to working for a partner-focused company.
RapidScale, a leader in managed cloud services, welcomes Richard Lounsbury to the team as Partner Experience Manager, Mid-Atlantic. Rich is based in Raleigh, N.C. His responsibilities include developing new partnerships, managing and leading existing partnerships, and delivering a great partner experience in the mid-Atlantic region.
Prior to joining RapidScale, Rich was Channel Director at TierPoint. He has 26 years of experience in channel sales, business development, engineering and more.
I have spent numerous years supporting the partner communities of many different manufacturers and service providers, says Rich. RapidScale has really impressed me with its focus, tools and support that are available for its channel partners. I look forward to working for a partner-focused company. I have been fortunate enough to have previously worked with many of the impressive executives, engineers, and support team employed by RapidScale today, and am confident that we have a strong and passionate team.
RapidScale EVP, Sales & Marketing Bob Buchanan says RapidScale is aggressively adding talented people who align with our core values and company culture. Having been personally associated with Rich for the past eight years, Im confident that his addition to the team is a great fit and both our partners and customers, as well as our RapidScale team, will benefit from this.
Rich is originally from New York and has lived with his family in Raleigh for the last 18 years. He holds an MBA from Pace University in New York City as well as multiple engineering degrees.
About RapidScale
RapidScale, a managed cloud services provider, delivers world-class, secure, and reliable cloud computing solutions to companies of all sizes across the globe. Its state-of-the-art managed CloudDesktop platform and market-leading cloud solutions are the reasons why RapidScale is the provider of choice for leading MSOs, VARs, MSPs, Carriers and Master Agents throughout the United States. RapidScale is not only delivering a service but also innovating advanced solutions and applications for the cloud computing space. RapidScales innovative solutions include CloudServer, CloudDesktop, CloudOffice, CloudMail, CloudRecovery, CloudApps, and more. For more information on RapidScale, visit http://www.rapidscale.net.
Media Contact
Sommer Figone | Marketing Manager
marketing(at)rapidscale.net
Local and state governments collect vast amounts of information in the course of delivering social services to children and their families. Unfortunately, many government agencies are unable to use that valuable data to assess program impact and improve quality. This is because data are rarely connected across agencies and almost never used to allocate government spending. In the absence of integrated data and outcomes-oriented contracting, governments struggle to make good decisions about how to spend tax dollars or engage in the continuous improvement required to truly make a difference in peoples lives.
With the support of a 2016 Social Innovation Fund grant of $2.4 million over three years, Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc. (Third Sector) and Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP) at the University of Pennsylvania will provide five governments with the technical assistance to develop both Integrated Data Systems (IDS) and a flexible, scalable contracting model based on measurable outcomes. This effort is an important first step in transforming these governments capacity to target valuable resources to serve the two-generation needs of vulnerable children and families.
We are proud to launch this innovative effort with AISP to harness the power of data and provide governments the opportunity to develop outcomes-driven programs that have a measurable, positive impact. These governments have shown vision and commitment to improving program evaluation, policy analysis capacity, and outcomes contracting affecting thousands of families in need, said Caroline Whistler, CEO of Third Sector Capital Partners.
Following a two-pronged approach, AISP will support each community in developing a sustainable IDS infrastructure for program evaluation, policy analysis, and systems reform while Third Sector will work with the communities to leverage their data insights to develop new outcomes contracts that will direct resources to programs that deliver measurable results.
The five awardees are:
Childrens Services Council (CSC) of Broward County, Florida
Colorado Department of Higher Education
Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC)
Iowa Department of Human Rights
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
The cohort represents a variety of agencies all working to improve upon their efforts to best support the wellbeing of families and children. To learn more about the cohort, please visit http://www.thirdsectorcap.org/youth-development-competition.
AISP is eager to collaborate with Third Sector to deliver customized technical assistance to these state and local governments striving to realize the enormous potential of integrated data to inform policy and practice. By developing shared governance structures, foundational legal agreements, and the technology necessary to securely link data across domains, these jurisdictions will transform their capacity for program evaluation, outcomes-based contracting, and continuous quality improvement, said Dennis Culhane, Co-founder and Faculty Director of AISP.
The five awardees, along with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and King County, Washington, will also participate in a national Learning Community, providing a peer support network to exchange best practices, brainstorm solutions to common challenges, and connect with leading experts in the field.
This effort between Third Sector and AISP is an important step towards helping government to allocate resources to data-driven programs that improve outcomes for families and children. By supporting this opportunity, we continue to support evidence-based public policy, explained Lois Nembhard, Acting Director of the Social Innovation Fund.
About Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc.
Third Sector leads governments, high-performing nonprofits, and private funders in building evidence-based initiatives that address societys most persistent challenges. As experts in innovative contracting and financing strategies, Third Sector is an architect and builder of the nations most promising Pay for Success projects including those in Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Santa Clara County, California and Salt Lake County, Utah. These projects are rewriting the book on how governments contract for social services: funding programs that work to measurably improve the lives of people most in need while saving taxpayer dollars. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, Third Sector is supported by its work for governments and service providers as well as philanthropic and government grants. To learn more, visit http://www.thirdsectorcap.org.
About Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP) at the University of Pennsylvania
AISP aims to encourage social innovation and social policy experimentation so state and local governments can work better, smarter and faster. Since 2009, AISP has focused on developing the capacities of new and existing IDS sites, demonstrating uses of IDS for policy and program reform, and identifying opportunities for innovation within the field of IDS. AISPs current network of mature IDS sites comprise over 26% of the US population and continue to produce ground-breaking social science research and document best practices for the field. AISP is committed to amplifying their impact and providing consultation, training, and technical assistance to new sites eager to harness the power of integrated data. To learn more, visit http://www.aisp.upenn.edu/.
About the Social Innovation Fund
The Social Innovation Fund (SIF) was a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service that received funding from 2010 to 2016. Using public and private resources to find and grow community-based nonprofits with evidence of results, SIF intermediaries received funding to award subgrants that focus on overcoming challenges in economic opportunity, healthy futures, and youth development. Although CNCS made its last SIF intermediary awards in fiscal year 2016, SIF intermediaries will continue to administer their subgrant programs until their federal funding is exhausted.
Wine at the Line Sponsored by DiscountFilters.com We're so excited to be sponsoring Wine at the Line this year. It's an amazing event for a great cause! And who doesn't love an amazing glass of wine after a long run!?
Enjoy a good walk or run followed by an award winning glass of wine? Saturday, September 30th is Wine at the Line, a 5 mile run and 5K run/walk benefiting Back on My Feet Indianapolis. DiscountFilters.com is the title sponsor of the event in which over 3,000 locals from Indiana will participate in the walk/run. There will be plenty of activities afterward including a live band, free swag, and free wine to the runners! Last year over $15,000 was raised for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Indiana. Back on My Feet Indianapolis is a national organization operating in 12 major cities coast to coast, combats homelessness through the power of running, community support and essential employment and housing resources. Don't miss out on a great event and a chance to help others! Register today!
No country can easily recover from two hurricanes like Harvey and Irma, but if we all contribute, we can make a big difference
Key Title & Escrow, a leading title and escrow company in Florida, joins the efforts to help Houston and Florida after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit both locations over the past several weeks. The company wanted to deliver prompt help to the communities that have been affected by these devastating hurricanes.
"Ever since we heard about the strength with which Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, we knew its community would need help. Irma's destructive power then followed and struck Florida, risking lives and properties. We knew that recovering both cities from the hurricanes' aftermath would require the effort of many. With that in mind, we were sure that making a donation would be the best way to help in this difficult situation. No country can easily recover from two hurricanes like Harvey and Irma, but if we all contribute, we can make a big difference," commented the owner of Key Title & Escrow, Robert MacDougall.
This Florida title and escrow company has been in the real estate industry for over 23 years, granting customers efficient closings throughout the state of Florida. They strive to provide a fast, personalized service that allows clients to close their transactions on time. In this time of difficulty, they thought it was important to offer a friendly hand to help their fellow Americans.
The company wants to appeal to the heart of all Americans by uniting their efforts to get those communities back on their feet. They know that rebuilding the affected areas won't be as easy as it sounds, but it is possible if it is taken one step at a time. Those who are also interested in showing their support can send their donations to the following local charities:
Houston:
AirBnB: If you can offer up a room locally for displaced residents and evacuees, AirBnB will help facilitate that.
texasdiaperbank.org: Site to donate diapers.
houstonspca.org: SPCA is an animal shelter and is also taking in stray or displaced pets.
homelesshouston.org: An umbrella organization coordinating shelters and organizations across Houston.
Florida:
miamifoundation.org: If you want to donate money for supplies.
jewishmiami.org: An organization dedicated to assessing the needs of our local residents and institutions, and to mobilize volunteers and other resources where they are needed most.
unitedwaymiami.org: If you want to donate or volunteer to help.
If you wish to learn more about Key Title & Escrow's title and escrow services, visit their website at http://www.titleescrowmiami.com. If you have any further questions, you can contact them by calling (305) 235-4571 or their toll-free number (800) 547-0006.
Vonya Global has created a new Twitter Hashtag titled #InternalAuditorsRock. The plan for #InternalAuditorsRock is for the company to host a monthly open dialog on Twitter about the internal audit profession.
Internal Auditors serve a valuable role for corporations around the world. Internal Audit is an essential part of the third-line of defense, providing assurance to the Board of Directors and Executive Management on Risk Management, Compliance, and Governance processes, policies, and procedures.
The purpose of this initiative is to create an organic online forum where people from around the world can share information, knowledge, and content relevant to the Internal Audit profession. Vonya Global plans to use this as a vehicle to advocate for the internal audit profession by broadcasting the value of internal audit to the global business community. The first session was held on September 14, 2017 and centered on internal audit best practices. The conversation can be found by searching #InternalAuditorsRock on Twitter.
In addition, the Vonya Global is distributing paperweights in the form of #InternalAuditorsRock rocks. There is an ongoing contest that awards prizes each month to the most interesting photo of the rock posted to Twitter. The company is encouraging those interested in participating to request a rock through the #InternalAuditorsRock website: http://www.InternalAuditorsRock.com.
ABOUT VONYA GLOBAL: Vonya Global is a management consulting firm that provides internal audit, corporate governance, compliance, and risk management services to global corporations. The firms assurance and advisory services assist Audit Committees, Audit Executives, and Executive Management in assessing and improving effectiveness and efficiency of internal controls in operations, financial reporting, information technology, and compliance. While headquartered in Chicago, IL, Vonya Global has regional operations throughout the world.
Vonya Global LLC
150 N. Michigan Ave
Suite 2935
Chicago, IL 60601
Five county fairgrounds will receive a total of $7,000 in grants through the Fairground Facelift. Grinnell Mutual understands that fairgrounds function like a community family room and is committed to helping those gathering spots be the best they can be.
ADAMS COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS, WEST UNION, OHIO
Based on votes from Facebook users, Grinnell Mutual will present the grand prize winner, Adams County Fairgrounds in West Union, Ohio, with a check for $3,000 for upgrades to its Tom White Memorial Dirt Complex. Work will include replacing and repairing worn and damaged seating.
We have had a full-blown effort to revitalize the fairgrounds and it has really brought the community back together, said Liz Lafferty, board president of the Adams County Fairgrounds. We have painted roofs, mended buildings, gotten new fencing. We had touched every part of the fairgrounds except the dirt complex. This grant will get it started.
Grinnell Mutual received 80 project submissions from 12 states. Facebook users then cast more than 27,000 votes for their favorite projects among the 15 finalists. The five winning recipients shared a total of $7,000 worth of grants and were chosen based on the number of votes received.
We are pleased by the response to this years contest, said Director of Advertising and Community Relations Barb Baker. We received an excellent array of project submissions and narrowing them down to our 15 finalists was difficult. The record number of votes cast show how overwhelmingly people support their local fairgrounds. Grinnell Mutual is proud to assist each of the winning projects with these grants.
Four other fairgrounds will each receive $1,000 toward their fairground renovation projects:
DAVIESS COUNTY 4-H GROUNDS, WASHINGTON, IND.
The Daviess County 4-H Grounds will receive $1,000 for Project Rewire, a project to update and replace electrical wiring in the livestock barns.
We had a couple of gentlemen take the ball and not let it rest. One was a 4-H alumnus who has kids in the program and another was a star volunteer who has championed the efforts of our program, said Jane Ann Beard, 4-H Youth Development Extension Educator who has worked for Purdue Extension Daviess County for 38 years.Thanks also to the whole county local businesses and government officials for their support. With all this interest, its a huge step to improving the 4-H grounds. We truly made a statement where the support is in our community," Beard said.
FLOYD COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS, CHARLES CITY, IOWA
The Floyd County Fairgrounds will receive $1,000 toward a project to upgrade their youth enrichment center with a refrigerator in order to have a fully functioning kitchen.
Our fair has been growing. Weve outgrown buildings, said Amy Staudt, board president of Floyd County Fairground Association. The Youth Enrichment Center is open to 4-H and FFA free of charge, but we dont have kitchen appliances and thats whats holding us back from making it a year-round facility. Thanks to Grinnell Mutual, now we can.
KNOX COUNTY 4-H PAVILION, EDINA, MO.
The Knox County 4-H Pavilion will receive $1,000 for a safety improvement project in their barn.
On behalf of the Knox County 4-H Council, I would like to express our thanks to Grinnell Mutual for awarding these grants, said Crystal Karhoff, Knox County Youth Program assistant. We are fortunate to live in a place where we have the overwhelming support of our community. Our first priority in the list of improvements we would like to make is to replace the rotting support posts of the 4-H Pavilion for the safety of our youth. The Council heard about the contest through their local Grinnell Mutual agent, Hawkins Insurance Group.
GREEN LAKE COUNTY FAIR, GREEN LAKE, WISC.
The Knox County 4-H Pavilion will receive $1,000 toward the replacement the milk pumping equipment in the milk house.
Kim Zills, the fair coordinator for 14 years says the current milking equipment has been in the milk house since the 70s. Dairy exhibitors have had to dump their milk for the last three years because it was unsellable, Zills said. But this year, we got two new dairy superintendents who were former 4-Hers. And they got passionate about fixing the problem. With new equipment, we can sell the milk and the dairy exhibitors will receive payment. Thanks so much to Grinnell Mutual for this great opportunity!
About Grinnell Mutual
Grinnell Mutual, in business since 1909, is the 109th-largest property casualty insurance company in the United States and the largest primary reinsurer of farm mutual companies in North America. The company provides reinsurance for farm mutual insurance companies as well as property and casualty insurance. Its products are available in 15 states.
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For more information:
Dan McCue
Digital Marketing Strategist
641-269-8289
Dan.McCue(at)grinnellmutual(dot)com
InvestiPro Automates the workplace investigation process for HR professionals looking to be confidently compliant. Ask any HR professional, and theyll say they dread the term workplace investigation, explains Dana Barbato, CEO of InvestiPro. InvestiPro transforms those investigations into positive experiences.
Human recources technology company InvestiPro recently closed seed round funding from Cascade Angels. The Bend, Oregon-based company has attracted numerous investors and is gaining traction as more HR professionals flock to the online workplace investigation platform.
InvestiPro is a cloud-based automation platform created by HR professionals, for HR professionals. Designed to simplify and automate workplace investigations from start to finish, it keeps the process timely, consistent, and above all, compliant.
Since InvestiPro eases the stress when an investigation hits, its also a tool that improves accountability and company culture.
Ask any HR professional, and theyll say they dread the term workplace investigation, explains Dana Barbato, CEO of InvestiPro. InvestiPro transforms those investigations into positive experiences.
Their recent success includes use of the platform by a wide variety of clients, from small businesses to Fortune 5000 companies.
The Investment
Cascade Angels is a professionally managed, investor driven venture fund that creates opportunities for investors and businesses with connections to Central Oregon to drive economic growth and fuel prosperity.
"InvestiPro is our 16th investment overall and 3rd investment this year," said Julie Harrelson, CEO of HGI, Inc., Fund Manager, Cascade Angels. Their platform addresses a complex HR process. We're also excited to have another Bend-based company in the portfolio."
InvestiPro will use the funds to hire several new sales positions, while continuing to invest in the platforms technology and marketing.
InvestiPros Platform Benefits
InvestiPro inspires confidence in the hectic world of HR. From new hires to VPs, it helps build a solid foundation for these professionals to perform compliant work, and often ends up improving workplace culture.
We have a different mentality when it comes to investigations, explains Barbato. Ive really spent a lot of years trying to develop a way to get a positive outcome out of these investigations in the workforce, to lay a strong foundation for company culture through accountability and trust.
With the average time cost of a manual workplace investigation at 80-160 hours, InvestiPros ability to automate and streamline the process is appealing to anyone in charge of performing these investigations.
InvestiPros Features
Users receive unlimited investigations, guided interviews, online training and investigator support.
Integrated features in the platform support the entire investigation process, from filing a complaint to a final determination, and include:
Record employee complaints
The InvestiPro platform asks the questions necessary to clearly document the details of the complaint and the parties involved in the incident(s) that require an investigation.
Investigation planning
The Plan automatically populates using the details in the complaint, and allows for customization. Legal notices are created for each participant in the investigation.
Guided Interview Questions
The interview sections are customized for the complainants, accused, and witnesses. Relevant questions are provided, clarifying questions may be added, and a credibility assessment process is included in each interview.
Assessment Tools
The assessment page provides an overview of the responses and credibility observations, and asks the necessary questions required to determine if there is sufficient evidence to substantiate the complaint.
Determination
The determination page recaps the information behind the final determination for review by the decision maker. Suggested corrective and preventative actions are listed for each party and final notices are generated for the victim(s) and accused only. A fully documented final report is provided at the conclusion of the investigation.
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About InvestiPro
InvestiPro simplifies workplace investigations by using cloud based technology to automate and standardize the investigation process. Not only does this save time and money, but using InvestiPro ensures a consistent, compliant outcome every time. In fact, our clients like the product so much, they use it for investigations into theft, policy violations, and customer or patient complaints. Add in the templates, online harassment and discrimination training, and support from an HR investigator that are included with membership, and InvestiPro is your total employee relations solution. See for yourself with our demo on-demand at goinvestipro.com
About Cascade Angels Fund
Founded in 2013, Cascade Angels is a professionally managed, investor driven venture fund that creates opportunities for investors and businesses with connections to Central Oregon to drive economic growth and fuel prosperity. The Funds investors include prominent business leaders, exited entrepreneurs and institutional investors who are committed to contributing to a sustainable economy and building Oregon's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Since 2014, Cascade Angels Fund has invested over $2M in 16 early stage companies that cumulatively employ over 150 people. For more information, visit http://www.CascadeAngels.com, Gust.com or http://www.twitter.com/CascadeAngels.
JACKSONVILLE, FL September 27, 2017 Lyons Commercial Data, a leading provider of U.S. financial institution data and risk management solutions, has announced that they will be exhibiting at the 2017 AFP Conference. The conference takes place October 15 - 18 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.
For more than two decades, Lyons Commercial data has been providing quality U.S. financial institution data, including all current ABA routing numbers and other information critical to transaction processing and regulatory compliance. Lyons Commercial Data also offers proven solutions to financial institutions, payment processors, and other businesses, to assist them in optimizing their ACH processes, managing risk, and fraud mitigation.
More than 6,000 treasury and finance decision makers will gather at AFP 2017 to explore the emerging technologies, trends, services and products driving the industry. Exhibitors take advantage of this opportunity to showcase their newest products and services to this key group of treasury and finance executives.
We are very excited to exhibit at AFP 2017 this year, said Trevor Ward, General Manager at Lyons Commercial Data. Ensuring compliance and mitigating risk are critical components of a business operations. As an industry leader with over 25 years of experience in providing innovative solutions, we are committed to helping business owners know their customers and verify routing and account information to ensure compliance with Federal, state, ACH, and other industry association rules as applicable.
To learn more about Lyons Commercial Datas verification services, visit the Lyons Commercial Data team at booth #1952 at the 2017 AFP conference.
About Lyons Commercial Data
Lyons Commercial Data is a leading provider of quality U.S. financial institution data, including all current ABA routing numbers and other information critical to transaction processing. Lyons Commercial Data also offers proven solutions to financial institutions, payment processors, and other businesses, to assist them in optimizing their ACH processes, managing risk, and fraud mitigation. For more information, please visit http://www.lyonslive.com; follow Lyons Commercial Data on Twitter @LyonsData or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/lyonscommercialdata; or call 800-684-0388.
About Autoscribe Corporation
Autoscribe Corporation is a leading financial services company and payment processor. With more than two decades of innovation and leadership in the financial technology industry, Autoscribe offers a full suite of tools through PaymentVision and Lyons Commercial Data to help their customers grow their business, simplify payment processing, mitigate risk, and ensure compliance. Recently named to the Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest growing private companies in the nation, Autoscribe has thousands of customers and processes more than $2 billion in transactions annually. For more information, please visit http://www.autoscribe.com; follow Autoscribe on Twitter @AutoscribeCorp or on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/autoscribe; or call 800-345-7243.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes certain forward-looking statements including, without limitation, statements regarding future events and Autoscribe Corporations business, strategy and results that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts. These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are sometimes identified by words such as will, may, could, should, would, project, believe, anticipate, expect, plan, estimate, forecast, potential, intend, continue, target, opportunities and variations of these words or comparable words. As a result of the ultimate outcome of such risks and uncertainties, Autoscribe Corporations actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on Autoscribe Corporations current beliefs or expectations, and there are a number of important factors that could cause the actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, risks related to the successful offering of the products and services of Autoscribe Corporation; and other risks that may impact Autoscribe Corporations business. Autoscribe Corporation expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Due to rounding, numbers presented throughout this and other documents may not add up precisely to the totals provided and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures.
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Note to Editors: Autoscribe and PaymentVision are registered trademarks of Autoscribe Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of
First Choice Emergency Room
First Choice Emergency Room, the largest network of independent freestanding emergency rooms in the United States, named Dr. Leigh Galetzan, as the new Medical Director of its Austin Arboretum facility.
Dr. Galatzan is an excellent physician and will ensure our freestanding emergency room continues to deliver the highest quality care to Austin and the surrounding communities, said Dr. Stephen Van Roekel, Regional Medical Officer of First Choice Emergency Room- Austin. We are very pleased to announce him as the new Medical Director of our Austin Arboretum facility.
Dr. Galatzan received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his medical degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico. Before joining First Choice Emergency Room, Dr. Galatzan served as Medical Director of HealthMarkets in Dallas, TX as well as the Medical Director of the Student Division of United Healthcare in Plano, TX. He also previously served as the Medical Director of First Choice emergency Room- Round Rock. Dr. Galatzan is board-certified in emergency medicine and has over 35 years practicing emergency medicine.
All First Choice Emergency Room facilities are open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The facilities are staffed exclusively with board-certified physicians and emergency trained registered nurses. First Choice Emergency Room facilities are equipped with a full radiology suite, including CT scanner, Digital X-ray, Ultrasound, as well as on-site laboratories certified by the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments (CLIA) and accredited by the Commission on Office Laboratories Accreditation (COLA).
The Austin Arboretum facility is located at 10407 Jollyville Rd., Austin, Texas 78759. For more information, visit https://fcer.com/locations/austin-map.
About First Choice Emergency Room
First Choice Emergency Room (FCER.com) is the nations leading network of independent freestanding emergency rooms; it is both the largest and the oldest. First Choice Emergency Room is revolutionizing the delivery of emergency medical services for adult and pediatric emergencies by offering patients convenient, neighborhood access to emergency medical care. First Choice Emergency Room facilities are innovative, freestanding, and fully equipped emergency rooms with a complete radiology suite of diagnostic technology (CT scanner, Ultrasound, and Digital X-ray) and on-site laboratory. All First Choice Emergency Room locations are staffed with board-certified physicians and emergency trained registered nurses. First Choice Emergency Room has facilities in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. According to patient feedback collected by Press Ganey Associates Inc., First Choice Emergency Room provides the highest quality emergency medical care and received the 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for exceeding the 95th percentile in patient satisfaction nationwide. First Choice Emergency Room is an Adeptus Health company.
Historic Orleans Ballroom
The Bourbon Orleans Hotel, located at 717 Orleans St., directly behind St. Louis Cathedral, captivates visitors with its rich, 200-year history, including being one of the most architecturally significant buildings of its time; a nexus for 19th-century social culture and an opulent ballroom where quadroon ladies were introduced to Creole gentlemen; a courthouse; a convent for a Catholic order of free women of color; and now a luxuriously renovated hotel in the heart of the French Quarter.
The Orleans Ballroom was built in 1817 by architect and contractor William Brand, following the design of an earlier classical ballroom built by Henry Latrobe, which burned the prior year. The edifice connected to The Theatre dOrleans, the citys largest playhouse presenting French dramas seated 1,300 Creole patrons.
The ballrooms atmosphere was elegant, embellished by romantic murals and ornate crystal chandeliers. Its original Roman Doric columns, archways, French doors with transoms and grand staircase are still visible in the Bourbon Orleans Hotel. Orchestras would play in both the theater and the ballroom where social, military and masquerade balls were held for a half century and patrons could drift from one to the other without pause, according to historian Henry Kmen. Everyone agrees these balls made the capitals of Europe envious.
The ballroom's storied past includes being a location for quadroon balls. At the turn of the 19th century, an abundance of well-bred ladies who left Saint-Domingue after the 1791-1804 slave revolt emigrated to New Orleans. Beautiful and exotic women with one-quarter African-American blood often sought to establish domestic relationships with wealthy planters. With their mothers as chaperones, they were introduced at quadroon balls. Creole gentlemen would, in turn, provide housing and support for the women and their children in the socially accepted practice called placage.
Henriette Delile, founder of Sisters of the Holy Family Convent, was born of a Frenchman and a placee. She had already lived the life of a kept woman and lost two babies before choosing the religious life. Along with her friends, Juliette Gaudin and Josephine Charles, she founded the first Creole order of Catholic nuns in 1842. The sisters educated free people and slaves, cared for the elderly and needy, and nursed the sick, through yellow fever epidemics. After Delilles death, the sisters consolidated their holdings in 1881 and with the major financial assistance of a wealthy free man of color, Tommy Lafon, purchased the building at 717 Orleans St., for $1,205. There they established St. Marys Academy, the first secondary school for black girls in New Orleans, and St. John Berchmans Orphanage. It is anticipated Delille will be canonized a saint in coming years. Several movies have been released over the years regarding the Henriette Delile story.
In 1964, the property was purchased by the Bourbon Kings Hotel Corporation. Composed of four adjacent buildings, the ballroom was restored to former glory and a new hotel wing with courtyard pool and meeting space was added.
The history of the hotel remains within its walls, and some guests have reported paranormal visits. A few say they have heard a young girl playing in the hallway while others have imagined a lady dancing in the ballroom beneath the chandeliers.
Each Thursday afternoon, guests of the hotel are treated to a free history tour of the hotel, including the 200 year old Orleans Ballroom. The tour ends in the owners suite, where refreshments are served on the Balcony overlooking Bourbon Street.
About the Bourbon Orleans Hotel
The Bourbon New Orleans Hotel is part of the prestigious New Orleans Hotel Collection. Located on one of the most coveted corners in the heart of the French Quarter, the Bourbon Orleans Hotel features a rich history and opulent French styling reminiscent of the early 1800s. The hotels ideal New Orleans location is just steps away from the famed St. Louis Cathedral, upscale shopping on Royal Street, local artists and performers of Jackson Square, and many restaurants, galleries and nightlife in between. The Bourbon Orleans Hotel is locally owned and committed to preserving the history and character of the hotel for generations. For more information, visit the hotels website: http://www.bourbonorleans.com.
About the New Orleans Hotel Collection
The New Orleans Hotel Collection is a group of seven splendidly authentic and locally owned hotels in the New Orleans metropolitan region. Comprised of the Bourbon Orleans, Dauphine Orleans, Hotel Mazarin, Whitney Hotel, Jung Hotel and Residences, Crowne Plaza New Orleans Airport and the trendy Hotel Le Marais, these are boutique and small upscale meeting hotels in prime locations in Americas Favorite City. For more information, visit the website: http://www.neworleanshotelcollection.com
Confusion swirled Tuesday about whether Russian hackers tried to access Wisconsin voter registration data in 2016, as new information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says the attempts instead were directed at another state agency.
An email to the state Elections Commission from Homeland Security official Juan Figueroa was released by the commission Tuesday. It says a state IP address that was targeted last year is linked to the state Department of Workforce Development.
That differs from an account given Friday by the elections commission, based on information received that day in a call with Homeland Security officials.
It said scanning for security vulnerabilities by Russian cyber-actors in 2016 was directed at Wisconsins Internet-connected election infrastructure, likely as part of a bid to access the voter registration database.
The commissions administrator, Michael Haas, confirmed Tuesday that Homeland Security officials were clear in the Friday phone call that Wisconsins voter database was targeted.
Either they were right on Friday and this is a cover-up, or they were wrong on Friday and we deserve an apology, commission chairman Mark Thomsen said of the new information offered Tuesday by Homeland Security.
Homeland Security officials said in a statement late Tuesday that the department stands by its assessment that Internet-connected networks in 21 states were the target of Russian government cyberactors seeking vulnerabilities and access to U.S. election infrastructure.
Its important to point out that discussions of specific IP addresses do not provide a complete picture of potential targeting activity, said Homeland Security spokesman Scott McConnell.
McConnell did not immediately respond Tuesday to a State Journal inquiry about whether the department still believes Russian hackers sought access to Wisconsin election systems.
The states IT agency, the Division of Enterprise Technology, also told state elections commissioners Tuesday that the scanning attempts were directed at Department of Workforce Development systems. The agency said it cant confirm the origin of those attempts.
Still, it remained unclear Tuesday if the attempts were made with the objective of accessing voter files.
Elections commission spokesman Reid Magney said the same hackers that sought vulnerabilities in Workforce Development systems tried to access election systems in other states. He said its possible they were also trying to target election systems in Wisconsin but simply missed the target.
Russian cyberactors might have thought accessing Workforce Development systems would help them access voter files, said Barry Burden, a UW-Madison professor and elections expert.
Asked Tuesday if that were possible, Steve Michels, a spokesman for the Division of Enterprise Technology, said it locks and audits the state system in a way that prevents this from occurring.
State notified in 2016
A timeline provided by the division Tuesday said it was notified in October 2016 of a suspicious traffic from a known malicious IP related to voter and election compromises. The notification came from the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a nonprofit that partners with Homeland Security and others to guard against cyberthreats.
The state IT agency says it investigated the matter and found the traffic attempted to access a nonexistent server at Workforce Development on July 30 and July 31. The suspicious IP address was blocked on Aug. 2, 2016, and the scan had no effect on any state system and no data was exfiltrated, Michels said.
The U.S. intelligence community consensus is that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election with the intent of helping elect Republican Donald Trump and undermine U.S. faith in its elections. The U.S. agencies found Russian operations included supporting the hacking of email systems of the U.S. political parties and relaying the emails to WikiLeaks, which later published hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee.
Homeland Security officials revealed in June that they had evidence of election-related systems in 21 states that were targeted but did not say which ones. On Friday, it notified the states that were affected.
In most states, the hacking attempts were unsuccessful. But in Illinois, hackers successfully accessed voter information.
Separate from
vote counting
Voter registration systems are separate from those that actually count votes. But they still could be a tempting target for someone seeking to tamper with election results.
Someone who accessed voter-registration rolls conceivably could try to alter or delete them, creating chaos on Election Day, Burden said.
Speaking at Tuesdays meeting before the commission was advised of the latest message from Homeland Security, commission chairman Thomsen publicly apologized for what he described as a belated acknowledgement of attempts to hack state elections systems in 2016.
In June, Haas testified to the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee that we have not been told that there was an attack in Wisconsin. Haas added that the commission would likely be able to detect any attempt to gain access to the states election system.
Tuesdays elections commission meeting included discussion of how to bolster state election cyber defenses in 2018 and beyond. Thomsen said he hopes the commission will hold a special meeting in the near future to discuss the matter further.
NFP, a leading insurance broker and consultant that provides employee benefits, property & casualty (P&C), retirement and individual private client solutions, today announced that Henry C. Lombardi will be joining the company as an Executive Vice President in NFPs P&C division.
Henry is a great addition to the NFP team and is a testament to the high caliber of professionals that we continue to attract, said Doug Hammond, NFPs Chairman and CEO. P&C is our fastest growing business and we look forward to Henry collaborating closely with Terry Scali and the P&C leadership team to enhance our client service capabilities and strengthen our industry relationships.
Bringing over three decades of leadership experience in the P&C industry, Lombardi will help advance NFPs P&C capabilities, particularly in NFPs specialty offerings.
Im thrilled about joining NFPs expanding P&C business and family, said Lombardi. NFP has a strong national network of resources and offerings in the P&C space. We will continue to strengthen and deepen NFPs customer relationships and build out NFPs P&C business.
We are excited to have Henry, a seasoned insurance executive, join our business, said Terry Scali, CEO of NFPs P&C division. Henrys skills and experience nicely complement our current capabilities and will have an immediate impact on our P&C business.
Lombardi obtained his bachelors degree in marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He was most recently at Aon, where he served as the Global Chief Broking Officer and Executive Vice President in the companys construction and infrastructure practice. Prior to Aon, Lombardi spent 25 years at Allied North America, where he was President and Chief Operating Officer.
About NFP
At NFP Corp., our solutions and expertise are matched only by our personal commitment to each client's goals. Were a leading insurance broker and consultant that provides employee benefits, property & casualty, retirement and individual private client solutions through our licensed subsidiaries and affiliates.
NFP has more than 3,800 employees and global capabilities. Our expansive reach gives us access to highly rated insurers, vendors and financial institutions in the industry, while our locally based employees tailor each solution to meet our clients' needs. Weve become one of the largest insurance brokerage, consulting and wealth management firms by building enduring relationships with our clients and helping them realize their goals.
Recently NFP was ranked the 4th largest U.S.-based privately owned broker and the 5th largest benefits broker by global revenue by Business Insurance, the 9th largest property & casualty agency by total 2016 P&C revenue by Insurance Journal, the 11th largest global insurance broker by Bests Review and the 12th largest broker of U.S. business by Business Insurance.
For more information, visit NFP.com.
E-16 Winery Great wines start with attention to detail in vineyards expressing a silent covenant between their climate and soils. Founder, Robert Jones
E16 Winery is pleased to announce the grand opening of their brand new tasting room, located in El Dorado County California. To mark the event, E16 will celebrate, offering wine tastings along with complimentary hors-d'oeuvres and live music.
Atop the hills of Somerset, E16 brings to the table a young, edgy rendition of family traditions. Robert Jones, founder and third-generation winegrower, planted his roots in the business at a young age helping his grandfather in the surrounding vineyards. An honor to the family legacy, E16 Winery is dedicated to the art of crafting fine wine.
Location
Great wines start with attention to detail in vineyards expressing a silent covenant between their climate and soils. Founder, Robert Jones
Discovered in the late 1840s; El Dorado County is a wine region located in northern California that is famous for its distinct Rhone varietals grown in the dramatic elevations of the Sierra Foothills. One of the Californias oldest wine-producing areas, vineyards and wineries were first established during the Gold Rush Era. Today, over 70 wineries span across the region with wines as diverse as the terroir.
Visitors Experience
The tasting room offers wines from the winerys two labels, E16 and Firefall. E16 wines are composed of critically acclaimed Pinot Noir, Barbera, and Chardonnay from some of Californias most renowned vineyards. Showcasing varietals from the Fair Play AVA, Firefall features Zinfandel, Syrah, and Grenache Blanc. E16 invites guests to expand their palate while learning about the region's diverse history.
Visitors are welcome in the front tasting room; an urban-zen sanctuary filled with natural light, sleek polished cement floors, and an indoor waterfall with LED lights symbolizing a natural firefall. E16 club members are exclusively invited to relax in a country-chic, 65-foot subterranean wine cave decorated with chandeliers, rustic oversized leather couches, and a historic cherry wood bar from 1910, Milwaukee, Wisc. a real stand-alone piece. Captivating a sense of exclusiveness with nothing but the utmost inclusive demeanor, guests can lounge in one of the many tasting areas, experience a private cave tasting, or venture outside to the wraparound terrace.
Pamper your senses with gracious hospitality in an atmosphere of casual elegance paired with the flavors and aromas of award-winning E16 wines, located at 8085 Perry Creek Road, Somerset, CA 95684, open Friday-Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tastings
$10 person | Front Tasting Room
$15 person | Private Cave Tastings (by appt. only)
Tasting Fees will be waived with the purchase of any wine.
Overview of E16s New Wine Tasting Room
Who - E16 Winery - Owner Robert Jones - Winemaker - Daniel Moore
What - New wine tasting room in Somerset, CA
When - The tasting room will be open to the public as of October 14, 2017
Where - 8085 Perry Creek Rd., Somerset, CA 95684
Reservations - Can be made by visiting e16wines.com or calling (530) 620-6200 or emailing robin(at)e16wines.com
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E16 Winery
Encompassing an extensive wine portfolio, E16 successfully highlights the unique traits of varietals from a wide range of Californias appellations. Together, the E16 winemaking team partners with grape growers who share a commitment to sustainable viticulture and devotion to the fruits inherent varietal expression. Woven with a passion for excellence, E16 wines reflect a true sense of passion and place.
Susan Winslow It is that consistent focus on partnership with educators to improve learning outcomes where Susan exemplifies the leadership attributes we need for the future.
Macmillan Learning, a premier educational solutions company, today announced the appointment of Susan Winslow as General Manager of their academic business. Ms. Winslow will oversee the higher education and AP high school division including the content, digital product development, custom services, marketing, communications, training and professional development teams. Ms. Winslow will report to CEO Ken Michaels.
Commenting on her appointment, Mr. Michaels said, In order to keep pace with the shifting demands of our customers, it is vital that we have strong, innovative leaders that can guide us into the future. Susan possesses a unique ability to bridge strong pedagogical and digital engagement to the analytics needed by our customers. It is that consistent focus on partnership with educators to improve learning outcomes where Susan exemplifies the leadership attributes we need for the future. She embodies our mission of improving lives through learning.
The open and changing landscape in education is incredibly exciting to me, said Ms. Winslow. With our teams talent and experience in content creation and software development, we are creating products and services that are practical for todays instruction and will ultimately lead to more productive outcomes.
Ms. Winslow brings more than 26 years of educational publishing experiences to this role. Formerly, as Managing Director at Macmillan Learning, Ms. Winslow drove the new content and product development program resulting in marked company growth, particularly in digital product adoption across the Humanities, Social Sciences and STEM disciplines. As Vice President of Marketing, she directed the creative, promotional and digital strategies for the higher education group and spearheaded new digital product brands. As a senior leader in the organization, Ms. Winslow also led the teams through the reorganization and unification to one higher education division.
Ms. Winslow previously served as Publisher of the Life Sciences group where she was responsible for the content and digital publishing strategy governing life science materials at Macmillan, including teaching and learning resources for higher education and professional development for teachers and researchers. She oversaw the development of market-defining products that pioneered integration of print, media and assessments aligning together seamlessly to achieve a set of desired outcomes for students. She has been a long-time champion of STEM education as evidenced by her sponsorship of their annual STEM Executive Summit in partnership with Scientific American, and of EdFOO, an un-conference created in partnership with Google and OReilly Media. Both events are meant to unite leaders across industries to focus on challenges and opportunities in STEM education. Prior to joining Macmillan, Ms. Winslow held senior positions at Pearson in Sciences and Global Marketing.
Susans experience in prior roles in multiple disciplines, geographies, and businesses has fueled her success, said Mr. Michaels. That flexibility and vision is key in an evolving marketplace.
At Macmillan, our teams work together every day to apply our unique combination of learning science research, empirical insights, and user-center design to ensure that what we offer truly addresses educational pain points of affordability, retention, and diversity, noted Ms. Winslow. It is such an interesting and pivotal moment in education and it is a privilege to lead through these changing times.
Macmillan Learning includes academic and institutional divisions.
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About Macmillan Learning:
Macmillan Learning improves lives through learning. Our legacy of excellence in education informs our approach to developing world-class content with pioneering, interactive tools. Through deep partnership with the worlds best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers, we facilitate teaching and learning opportunities that spark student engagement and improve outcomes. We provide educators with tailored solutions designed to inspire curiosity and measure progress. Our commitment to teaching and discovery upholds our mission to improve lives through learning. Macmillan Learning includes both academic and institutional divisions. To learn more, please visit http://www.macmillanlearning.com or see us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or join our Macmillan Community
L-R: Joe Healy, Manager of High Potential Start-up Division, Enterprise Ireland; Carole Brenan, Senior Regional Development Executive, Enterprise Ireland; and David Gildea, CEO, CloudRanger. CloudRangers proprietary approach to visual server management has driven incredible growth, including a 150 percent increase in monthly recurring revenue and doubling the number of users, since the launch of our Server Management Platform in June 2017, said David Gildea, CloudRanger CEO.
CloudRanger, the simple backup solution for Amazon Web Services (AWS), today announced it has completed a $1.1M seed round, with investments from Enterprise Ireland and several private investors in both the United States and Ireland.
CloudRanger received High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) funding from Enterprise Ireland, which is bestowed to new businesses with the potential to develop an innovative product or service for sale on international markets, as well as the potential to create 10 jobs and generate 1 million ($1.2 million) in sales within 3 to 4 years of starting up.
CloudRangers proprietary approach to visual server management has driven incredible growth, including a 150 percent increase in monthly recurring revenue and doubling the number of users, since the launch of our Server Management Platform in June 2017, said David Gildea, CloudRanger CEO. The support of Enterprise Ireland and our other investors enables CloudRanger to further develop its platform, with the ultimate aim to become the leading provider of cross-cloud automation and disaster management worldwide.
CloudRanger launched its completely redesigned software in June 2017, which gives users a birds eye view of the entire server system and provides effortless automated scheduling and backup policies, ultimately saving time and money.
With the launch of its new platform, CloudRanger has already added 12 new full-time employees, quadrupling its staff size. CloudRanger plans to hire 10 new developers to fuel further product development, as well as additional sales staff to support its offices in Donegal, Ireland and Chicago. CloudRanger looks to complete its Series A within the next 12 months.
CloudRanger offers an innovative solution to companies to help them be successful in the cloud, and is a great example of how innovation can drive an early stage growth company. CloudRanger already has won progressive blue-chip customers and is attracting interest from others globally, said Niall McEvoy, manager, High Potential Start-Ups at Enterprise Ireland. A key focus for Enterprise Ireland is helping companies like CloudRanger to start, innovate and scale internationally. We have worked very closely with CloudRanger from the beginning and will continue to do so.
Enterprise Ireland, a government organization responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets, is the third largest largest seed investor globally, and the top seed investor in Europe, by number of investments. The purpose of its Competitive Start Fund is to accelerate the growth of start-up companies that have the capability to succeed in global markets. The fund is designed to enable those companies to reach key commercial and technical milestones.
CloudRangers Server Management Platform offers simplicity for users of all backgrounds. In addition to visual server management, automated scheduling and backups, the new platform offers multi-region backup and file-level recovery, for enhanced disaster recovery and business continuity.
About CloudRanger
CloudRanger delivers cloud server management software for businesses, MSPs and enterprises. Its easy-to-use graphical interface offers users scheduling and backup policies to save time and money. An overall view of the entire server system gives users the most control over their cloud, while delivering enhanced disaster recovery management. CloudRanger is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Advanced Technology Partner. Clients include HP, NASCAR and MetLife. To learn more, visit http://www.cloudranger.com.
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Donald Roberton x Bloomingdale's S'well Water Bottle
For the 13th year, Bloomingdales continues its commitment to support breast cancer awareness and treatment during the month of October. This year, the retailer again invites shoppers to participate in the cause with exclusive products and events promoting good health and wellness in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), The Carey Foundation and the Marisa Acocella Marchetto Foundation.
Each year Bloomingdales feels privileged to unveil our Pink Campaign in support of our longstanding partners the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, The Carey Foundation and the Marissa Acocella Marchetto Foundation and this year is no different, said Tony Spring, Bloomingdales Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Alongside our loyal shoppers we provide support to these crucial organizations making substantial progress toward discovering a cure and improving the lives of breast cancer fighters, survivors and their families.
COLLAB FOR A CURE
Donald Robertson x Bloomingdales For the third consecutive year, Bloomingdales has partnered with world renowned career artist Donald Robertson for this years Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. To support the cause, Bloomingdales worked with Robertson to customize a Swell waterbottle with a signature design titled Karma in Bloom. The water bottle is sold exclusively at Bloomingdales stores and online for $35 with $19 from each sale donated to the BCRF. Robertsons artwork will also cover the Third Avenue facade of the Bloomingdales 59th Street store throughout the month of October.
SHOP PINK
Give Pink, Get More Bloomingdales card holders will have the opportunity to opt into this annual feel-good program. Enroll in the program by charging a $15 fee on your Bloomingdales Credit Card, 100% of which will fund research, support and awareness programs for our charity partners. From 9/27-10/31, spend $250 or more in store at Bloomingdales or on bloomingdales.com using your Bloomingdales Credit Card and based on the amount you spend, youll be mailed a gift card worth up to $250 to use at any Bloomingdales location or online.
The Little Pink Card Its the gift card that keeps on giving! Bloomingdales donates 10% of the value on your Little Pink Card, plus 10% of purchases made with this card above the original amount, to Bloomingdales charity partners. Donations will be on cards purchased 9/14 10/31 and redeemed in stores by 12/31.
CELEBRATE PINK
Pink Yoga Shoppers are invited to their nearest Bloomingdales location on Saturday, October 7th to kick off Bloomingdales Pink Campaign with a morning yoga class in partnership with Spiritual Gangster. The yoga classes will be taught by notable yoga instructors from around the country. A reservation fee of $10 will benefit the Marisa Acocella Marchetto Foundation and The Carey Foundation which support survivors and their families with cancer related costs such as transportation, child care and proper treatment. Attendees will receive a branded yoga mat and Pink gift bag just for attending. To reserve a mat, visit bloomingdalesyoga.eventbrite.com.
POWER IN PINK
Last year, Bloomingdales donated more than $1.4 million to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, The Carey Foundation and the Marisa Acocella Marchetto Foundation. The retailer is proud to continue supporting their exciting new initiatives. Through a BCRF grant, Bloomingdales helps fund five researchers focused on breast cancer prevention and treatment- Dr.Joan S. Brugge, Professor of Cell Biology and Director of the Ludwig Center at Harvard Medical School, Dr.Andrew J Dannenberg, Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and Director of Weill Cornell Cancer Center, Dr.Titia de Lange, Professor and the Head of Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics at The Rockefeller University, Dr.Marc Lippman Professor of Medicine, Deputy Director of Sylvester Cancer Center at the University of Miami and Dr.Michael Press, Professor of Pathology and Chair of Cancer Research at University of Southern California.
Bloomingdales also supports the work of the Carey Foundation and the Marisa Acocella Marchetto Foundation. The Carey Foundation is a nonprofit that raises funds for women, men and their families to ease the financial burdens that come with a breast cancer diagnosis. The Tutu Project releases grants twice a year to create lasting bonds between its initiative and like-minded organizations. The Marisa Acocella Marchetto Foundation is a non-profit that funds treatments and services for uninsured and underinsured women with breast cancer. The Marisa Acocella Empowerment Program, made possible through a grant from Bloomingdales, funds innovative holistic care, cold-capping services, nutrition classes and more.
THE FLAGSHIP GOES PINK
The Bloomingdales 59th Street flagship will honor Breast Cancer Awareness throughout the month of October. The Lexington Avenue facade of the building will be lit in pink as a beacon of support to breast cancer awareness. To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Tutu Project, the Lexington Avenue windows will display of a retrospective of Bob Careys photographs from throughout the years. A gallery of his work will also be on display in the arcade area. Throughout the month, the flagship will also host events to raise awareness and funds for the cause.
Leading the Way in Independent Medical Reviews and Utilization Management Our job at AMR is to uphold the standards of quality healthcare that ensure patients receive appropriate and necessary care. In that same spirit, we are proud to be reaccredited by URAC as evidence of how we, too, are held to and adhere to standards that ensure our work is competent and thorough.
Advanced Medical Reviews (AMR) is proud to announce that it has earned URAC reaccreditation in Health Utilization Management (HUM) and reaccreditation as an Independent Review Organization (IRO) in Comprehensive Internal and External Reviews. URAC is the independent leader in promoting healthcare quality through accreditation, certification and measurement. By achieving this status, AMR has demonstrated a comprehensive commitment to quality care, improved processes, and better patient outcomes.
Since 2004, AMR has been setting the industry standard in providing quality independent medical peer review and utilization management services. AMR offers a single source solution for its clients' peer review and utilization management needs covering all specialties and subspecialties nationwide. Highly trained compliance staff and specialized review nurses are bolstered by a strong quality assurance process ensuring the highest quality standards throughout the review process.
Appropriateness and efficiency are words to live by in meeting new value-based goals for population health. AMRs URAC accreditation shows an ability to abide by the gold standard when it comes to performing Health Utilization Management functions, said URAC President and CEO Kylanne Green. URACs utilization management accreditation standards promote an evidence-based and reasonable review of services that respect both patients and providers.
AMR received a score of 100% on both the IRO and UM accreditations while achieving full compliance with all of URACs Leading Indicators. Meeting all of URAC's Standards, including Leading Indicators, demonstrates that AMR's security procedures, system integration, credentialing procedures and other company processes meet the industry standards set forth by URAC. As Megan Kaufman, General Manager of AMR adds, Our job at AMR is to uphold the standards of quality healthcare that ensure patients receive appropriate and necessary care. In that same spirit, we are proud to be reaccredited by URAC as evidence of how we, too, are held to and adhere to standards that ensure our work is competent and thorough. Reaccreditation is a continuous and ongoing process and we are proud of our staff for ensuring we are always prepared for the scrutiny that an onsite audit demands.
Increased accountability regarding the proper delivery of care makes the role of independent review organizations more important than ever. By achieving independent URAC accreditation for their IRO services, Advanced Medical Reviews is proving a proficiency in providing knowledgeable and credentialed reviewers free of conflicts of interest, said URAC President and CEO Kylanne Green. URACs thorough IRO standards provide for effective comprehensive internal and external reviews, and AMRs accreditation will make them stand out in the marketplace.
About Advanced Medical Reviews
At AMR, we believe every patient should receive quality healthcare. AMR delivers physician-led peer reviews to a diverse group of healthcare and legal organizations, including commercial plans, Medicare, Medicaid, and more. Our commitment is to provide our clients with a fully integrated, compliant and cost-effective service emphasizing continuous quality improvement, innovation and client satisfaction. Whether in Utilization Management or for Internal and External Reviews, we are dedicated to upholding the highest standards as set forth by URAC. Need more information? Find us at http://www.admere.com - Follow us on twitter @Amr_reviews -Connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/advanced-medical-reviews.
About URAC
Founded in 1990, URAC is the independent leader in promoting healthcare quality through accreditation, certification and measurement. URAC is a nonprofit organization developing evidence-based measures and standards through inclusive engagement with a range of stakeholders committed to improving the quality of healthcare. Our portfolio of accreditation and certification programs span the healthcare industry, addressing healthcare management, healthcare operations, health plans, pharmacies, telehealth providers, physician practices, and more. URAC accreditation is a symbol of excellence for organizations to showcase their validated commitment to quality and accountability.
Wim Hof (aka "The Iceman") to keynote Global Wellness Summit. Wims commitment to physical and mental well-being is undeniable and infectious. And the notion that anyone can train his/herself to achieve his seemingly superhuman heights of mind-body control is a fascinating concept.
Exposing the body to extreme temperatures is a centuries-old wellness practice in fact, during the Roman empire, invigorating cold-water plunges were credited for benefiting overall health, and, today, whole body cryotherapy, using extreme cold to treat what ails you, is gaining popularity for claims that it can improve sleep and naturally reduce pain and body inflammation.
Arguably, no one has embraced the power of extreme freezing as wholeheartedly as inspirational author and athlete Wim Hof. Among Hofs achievements is a world record for the longest ice bath (nearly two hours) and climbing Mt. Everest barefoot and shirtless. Theatrics aside, Wim Hof, the Dutchman behind Netherlands-based Innerfires Wim Hof Method, a program that combines cold therapy and conscious breathing (meditation) as a means to improve overall physical and mental health, will be a keynote speaker on Day 2 of the Global Wellness Summit, an annual event that attracts international business and industry leaders focused on the growth and opportunities to be found in todays $3.7 trillion global wellness economy, taking place at The Breakers Palm Beach from Oct. 9-11.
Wims commitment to physical and mental well-being is undeniable and infectious. And the notion that anyone can train his/herself to achieve his seemingly superhuman heights of mind-body control is a fascinating concept, said Susie Ellis, Chairman and CEO of the Global Wellness Summit. And the fact that he can point to scientific studies to support claims that his mind over matter techniques control the bodys inflammatory responses will make his keynote and subsequent workshop a highlight of the Summit.
Several studies have been conducted to better understand the effects of Hofs methods including a small clinical trial in 2014* by Radboud University in the Netherlands where participants undertaking the Hof Method were injected with an inflammatory agent (bacterial endotoxin), and, when compared to a control group, experienced significantly lower levels of inflammation and were less affected by fever and nausea.
Im truly honored to have the opportunity to share my method with Summit delegates many of whom will already be practicing meditation to show them how natural methods and, yes, mind over matter has been proven to enable whole body health, said Wim Hof. Though I may hold world records, what I do is not superhuman: anyone can achieve what Im capable of, and Im committed to working with the scientific community to create evidence-based studies proving that the power of cold immersion, breath work, and old-fashioned patience and dedication can lead to long-lasting wellness.
Hofs Day 2 keynote, entitled The Ice Man Cometh: The Cause of Disease and Natural Solutions will be followed on Day 3 with a unique workshop Experience with Wim Hof: Going Deep.
The 3-day agenda for the 2017 Summit is here.
For information about attending, click here.
About the Global Wellness Summit: The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) is an invitation-only international gathering that brings together leaders and visionaries to positively shape the future of the $3.7 trillion global wellness economy. Held in a different location each year, Summits have taken place in the U.S., Switzerland, Turkey, Bali, India, Morocco, Mexico and Austria. The next will be held at The Breakers Palm Beach, Florida from Oct. 9-11, 2017.
*https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02417155
Marking the 50th anniversary of the 1967 March on the Pentagon, leaders of the Vietnam Anti-War Movement and supporters will gather in Washington DC on Friday, October 20 and Saturday, October 21 for a series of events commemorating the largest grassroots effort in American history.
Just as we remember the tragedy of the Vietnam War, we must remember and learn from the massive peace movement that fought a sustained and successful effort to end it, says John McAuliff of the Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee, which is organizing the event (http://www.vietnampeace.org). The recent Ken Burns/Lynn Novick ten-part PBS series The Vietnam War fell short in doing so. Thats one of the major reasons why we will be gathering in Washington on October 20 and 21 for a series of events were calling Episode 11.
The lessons of the anti-war movement must be fully presented and preserved, both for their historical importance and as a template for current and future generations of activists, adds the VPCCs Terry Provance.
The October 1967 March on the Pentagon was a landmark event in the history of the US peace movement. One of the largest gatherings to oppose the Vietnam War up to that time, it was also notable for its escalation of tactics from protest to mass resistance. Over 600 activists were arrested on October 21 in both planned and spontaneous acts of nonviolent civil disobedience, signaling a new strategy for anti-war organizing.
During twenty-four hours in Washington, DC, the events of Episode 11 will remember and reflect on the significance of that action and the overall impact of the peace movement on ending the Vietnam War, and the lessons it offers for todays resistance.
FRIDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 20 from 5 - 7 PM
Remembrances begin at the Pentagon with a commemorative vigil on US responsibility for the tragic legacies of the war, including land mines, unexploded ordnance, Agent Orange, forced relocation of rural people, and the struggles of Vietnam veterans.
Featured will be Peter Yarrow of the legendary folk group Peter, Paul and Mary.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 from 9 AM 7 PM
A series of panel discussions with peace activists, veterans, and historians at the Western Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, including Understanding the Historical Context, Recalling the Event, The Impact of the Pentagon March and the Anti-War Movement, and The PBS Series and Unlearned Lessons. Events conclude with a walk to the nearby Vietnam Wall and Lincoln Memorial to pay tribute to the many victims of a tragically unnecessary war.
Episode 11 is organized by the Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee (http://www.vietnampeace.org.) Event co-sponsors include Partnerships for International Strategies in Asia (PISA) of George Washington University, Historians for Peace and Democracy, Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars/Critical Asian Studies, Fund for Reconciliation and Development, Veterans for Peace, and The Norman Mailer Society.
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For media inquiries, please contact Chris Kelly, Fifth House Public Relations: 617/532-0574 or ckelly(at)fifthhousepr(dot)com.
Austin, TX September 25, 2017 YouEarnedIt, a leading HR SaaS company that improves bottom-line performance metrics by enhancing the employee experience, today announced the company won silver in the second annual Stevie Awards for Great Employers in the Employee Engagement Solution category. The company was honored at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Friday, September 22.
YouEarnedIt submitted the product redesign of its employee experience platform for the Stevie Awards for Great Employers. Launched in February 2017, the redesigned YouEarnedIt platform focused on four key components: optimization, efficiency, consistency, and structure.
Were thrilled to be named a silver winner for our platform redesign, said Autumn Manning, co-founder and CEO of YouEarnedIt. The redesign was a huge undertaking for our company and was a crucial stepping stone in delivering product features that are key for our companys growth in the market. This recognition validates the bold decisions made by our product development team as we continue to create the best engagement platform on the market.
Since the platform redesign, YouEarnedIt has launched multiple product features to expand its robust engagement platform. In order to prioritize the employee experience across the companys customer network, YouEarnedIt:
Expanded the companys rewards engine functionality and catalog offerings, including adding a network of global partners for better reward choice
Added features, scalability, and security protocol across the platform to address the needs of all customers from the mid-market to the enterprise
Launched marquee features to the redesigned platform including a Surveys feature suite and an interactive
People Directory to further enhance the companys ability to build collaborative, connected workplaces that deliver strong ROI for their companies
Improved Insights to help HR professionals, executives, and even employees better quantify engagement
Upgraded its mobile apps for iOS and Android to add key functionalities allowing customers to bring the power of peer-to-peer recognition to everyone in the organization, whether theyre in the office, traveling, or in the field
YouEarnedIt is actively working to expand its platform functionalities to create the industrys most innovative technology for businesses to make a lasting impact on culture, employee engagement, and the employee experience. To learn more about YouEarnedIt, visit http://www.youearnedit.com.
Details about the Stevie Awards for Great Employers and the list of 2017 Stevie finalists are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/HR.
About YouEarnedIt
YouEarnedIt is the employee experience platform powered by the science of motivation and the mission of improving the lives of employees everywhere, one company at a time. Founded in 2013, YouEarnedIt grows company culture and improves bottom-line performance metrics through its robust engagement platform that delivers recognition, rewards, incentives, and team insights. Named to Entrepreneur Magazines list of Best Company Cultures in 2017, the Austin-based SaaS company and its technology platform are built on the four pillars of employee experience: connection, meaning, impact and appreciation. To request a demo, visit http://www.youearnedit.com/demo.
About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.
The Disruptive Physician Dr. Jacob DeLaRosa has authored an extremely relevant book for health care professionals who are at risk of being labeled "disruptive" in any of their professional associations. Past News Releases RSS
Many healthcare providers have never heard of the term Disruptive Behavior as it relates to mainstream medicine. Very often, the first exposure to this term is when a physician finds themselves accused of this behavior. It can be very alarming, shocking, depressing and can cause the physician to lose focus on what he does best...help his patients. In most cases the physician really doesnt understand why he/she has been so labeled, and desires to find out why. What was needed was a discussion on the term, and a game plan to alleviate the problem.
Dr. Jacob DeLaRosa has written a book that will provide an immense amount of help to any healthcare provider that finds themselves, or their staff, dealing with the accusation of being a Disruptive Physician. Fans of Dr. DeLaRosas books will not be disappointed. His latest book, "The Disruptive Physician - How to Manage The Consequences of Being You" has already garnered many accolades from the medical community.
During a recent interview, Dr. DeLaRosa made these comments: After you have read this book, you will have a thorough understanding of what it means to be a disruptive physician. In addition, if you find yourself or others going down this path, this will be a guidebook to traverse the journey. I provide all the tools, resources, and information you need to succeed. In his extensive research for this book, he found many articles addressing physician disruptive behavior. What was missing was the perspective from a practicing surgeon and what it feels like if you have to go through the process of being termed a disruptive physician.
"The Disruptive Physician" is a step-by-step guide to avoiding being termed a disruptive physician and if you have already, what to expect and how to deal with it. Readers will learn about the three major forms of Physician Disruptive Behavior: Aggressive, Passive Aggressive and the most common, Passive. Many doctors dont realize that by simply being themselves, with no nefarious intent, they can find themselves on the receiving end of such an accusation.
Reader Testimonials have been phenomenal. Take a look at what Mark Stahlhuth, Ph.D., Clinical Director of Seasons Recovery Centers, in Malibu, CA., had to say: Dr. Jacob DeLaRosa has authored an extremely relevant book for health care professionals who are at risk of being labeled "disruptive" in any of their professional associations. He lays the foundation for such a description through meaningful examples and scenarios. He makes it possible for one who is being confronted with such an accusation to work through the process with information and exercises that help clarify the issues with an ability to forego the shame that tends to feel all too incapacitating for most.
For complete information, please visit: https://www.thedisruptivephysician.com/
Zonar is honored to be acknowledged as one of the best and brightest tech companies in Seattle a city thats consistently rated among the top technology centers in the world
Zonar, the leader in smart fleet management technology, today announced that its the silver winner of Seattle Business magazines 2017 Tech Impact Awards in the Software as a Service (SaaS) category.
The Tech Impact Awards recognize area companies using technology to make a significant impact on business, industry or society. More than 100 entries were considered by a third-party judging panel, and 18 category finalists were honored at last nights awards banquet in downtown Seattle.
Zonar pioneered advanced GPS and telematics solutions for smart fleet management across a range of commercial transportation markets including trucking, vocational and passenger fleets. The companys solutions help fleet operators save on fuel and improve maintenance, while also increasing safety and driver productivity.
Zonar is honored to be acknowledged as one of the best and brightest tech companies in Seattle a city thats consistently rated among the top technology centers in the world, said Vanessa Haughton, Zonar chief marketing officer. Our customers have long valued Zonars innovative cloud-based SaaS telematics platform, and were thrilled to be recognized by our peers in the local business community.
The Tech Impact recognition caps a year of achievements and milestones for Zonar. Last fall, the company introduced Zonar Connect a next-generation, always-connected device built to meet driver and fleet needs today and in the future. Also in the last year, Zonar announced a majority stake investment by German automotive giant Continental. With this investment, the company has extended its portfolio of services and boosted innovation, while continuing to deliver the excellent service Zonar customers have come to rely on.
In addition to the silver Tech Impact Award, Zonar received two other prominent awards in the last year. In March, Daimler recognized Zonar with the Daimler Suppliers award in innovation for its contributions to the telematics solution, Detroit Connect, which generated significant time and monetary savings for Daimler customers. In December 2016, members of the media and industry analysts named Zonar the silver winner for Best Places to Work Medium in the Best in Biz Awards.
About Zonar
Founded in 2001, Zonar has pioneered smart fleet management solutions throughout vocational, pupil, mass transit and commercial trucking industries. Zonar helps fleets of all sizes maximize the use of their assets with solutions dedicated to improving compliance, efficiency, maintenance, ridership visibility, safety and tracking. Cloud-based services with open API's drive Zonar's smart fleet solutions by making it easy for fleet owners and managers to stay connected to their fleets and drivers and operators to dispatch. Headquartered in Seattle and majority-owned by technology company Continental, Zonar also has a Technology Development Center in downtown Seattle, a regional office in Cincinnati, and a distribution center outside of Atlanta. For more information about Zonar, go to http://www.zonarsystems.com.
CallRail, the top-rated call analytics platform, announced today that it has completed a $75M growth capital financing from Sageview Capital and Leaders Fund. This investment enables CallRail to further accelerate its growth initiatives and expand upon its industry-leading position.
CallRail, founded in 2011 and located in Atlanta, provides call analytics to more than 65,000 companies and marketing agencies in North America. Through attribution and analytics for inbound phone calls, its intuitive software helps data-driven marketers optimize the performance of their advertising campaigns, increase sales effectiveness and improve customer retention.
According to Google, 76 percent of people who conduct a local search on their smartphones visit the business within 24 hours and 28 percent make a purchase. As consumers increasingly rely on their smartphones to make buying decisions, phone calls are becoming even more valuable in digital marketing. With the release of CallScore, text message analytics, international numbers and keyword spotting earlier this year, this capital will fuel CallRails future product growth to continue providing actionable insight into the inbound activity driving business growth for customers.
We founded CallRail to make powerful and intuitive call analytics available to businesses of every size, and this investment will help us extend our reach globally, said Andy Powell, CEO and co-founder of CallRail. The Sageview and Leaders Fund teams have the shared vision, resources and operational experience to help us accelerate our growth so we can continue to provide our customers with better products and help more customers grow their businesses.
CallRail has been recognized as one of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the nation by Inc. magazine in 2016 and 2017 and on Deloittes Fast 500 ranking of fastest-growing technology companies. In addition to being ranked the top call tracking Google Analytics solution, CallRail was also named the top overall call tracking software product and the leader in call tracking customer satisfaction by G2 Crowd, the worlds most popular business software review platform, for the second year in a row. It also garnered a 9.25 (out of 10) customer satisfaction rating among small businesses and a 9.24 rating among mid-market companies on G2 Crowd.
Very few companies establish themselves as a leader in a rapidly expanding market in such a short period of time, said Stephen DeBacco, Managing Partner at Leaders Fund. Andy and his team have had a maniacal focus on delivering value to its customers and have built a world class company in the process. We are excited to be helping CallRail create the next global tech company in Atlanta while continuing to support the local tech ecosystem.
"CallRail is very well positioned as a market leader within the rapidly expanding call analytics
category," said Dean Nelson, Partner at Sageview Capital. "Mobile device proliferation and the growing importance of digital advertising have made call tracking and analytics absolutely essential for businesses of all sizes. CallRails ease of implementation, intuitive user interface, and compelling customer ROI make the product a must-have for many thousands of businesses across the world, from local merchants to large multi-national organizations. We look forward to partnering with the CallRail team as they continue to build and deliver innovative solutions to a growing roster of happy customers.
Sageview partner Dean Nelson and Steve DeBacco from Leaders Fund have both joined the
CallRail board of directors.
About CallRail
CallRail provides call tracking and analytics to more than 65,000 companies and marketing
agencies globally. CallRails intuitive software helps data driven marketers optimize the performance of their advertising campaigns, increase sales effectiveness, and improve customer retention.
Learn more at http://www.callrail.com.
About Sageview Capital
Sageview Capital LP is a private investment firm providing growth capital to small and midsized companies in the technology, business services, and financial services sectors. The firms investments include Alfresco, Avalara, Crimson Hexagon, Demandbase, DMT, GoPro, MetricStream, Reflexis, and United Capital, among others. Sageview was founded in 2006 and is led by Ned Gilhuly and Scott Stuart, former partners of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) and Dean Nelson, former head of KKR Capstone. The firm has offices in Greenwich, Connecticut and Palo Alto, California.
For more information, visit http://www.sageviewcapital.com.
About Leaders Fund
Leaders Fund, Inc. is a venture capital fund that invests in high growth companies taking advantage of the shift to cloud, mobile, and machine learning in the enterprise software sector. Investments include 360 Insights, Flashpoint, Influitive, Top Hat and Zaius. Leaders Fund was founded in 2016 and is led by David Stein, co-founder of Rypple and Workbrain, Steve DeBacco, former COO at Workbrain and CRO of Applied Predictive Technologies, and Gideon Hayden, former Co-founder of Tradyo and Senior Associate at OMERS Ventures. The fund operates from offices in Atlanta and Toronto.
For more information, visit http://www.leaders-fund.com.
Contact:
For CallRail:
Nancy Rothman
nancy(at)callrail(dot)com
(404) 754-5637
For Sageview Capital LP:
Daniel Yunger
KEKST
(212) 521-4800
daniel.yunger(at)kekst(dot)com
For Leaders Fund, Inc.:
Dara Newton
dara(at)leaders-fund(dot)com
(416) 666-2142
People have a right to know where dental devices are coming from before having them implanted into their mouth.
New Yorks Erie County Legislature Majority Leader Joseph Lorigo recently introduced a law for the county requiring the disclosure of the country of origin for any and all dental prosthetics placed into a patients mouth, including dentures, veneers, crown/bridge materials, implants and other items. The law requires that the products place of origin be disclosed both by manufacturers of dental prosthetic devices as well as dentists handling the final placement and implantation.
The unified voice of the dental laboratory profession, the National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL), supports laws like these which enhance transparency in the industry. NADL works toward increasing awareness of material disclosure nationwide through its Whats In Your Mouth? campaign, which also raises public awareness of regulations, standards, transparency, safety issues and the important role that the dental laboratory and dental laboratory technician play as part of the oral health care team.
The United States has federal regulations requiring the disclosure of the fiber content, country of origin, manufacturer identity, and care instructions for clothing, but literally nothing for dental, Lorigo said in a news release. This is shocking and disappointing, especially in light of the potential for the use of lead in some prosthetics manufactured overseas. Under this law, both manufacturers and retailers of dental prosthetics will be required to disclose the country of origin of the raw materials used in the devices, as well as the country where they were manufactured. I sincerely hope that my colleagues will support this common sense legislation so that we can start a groundswell across the country. People have a right to know where dental devices are coming from before having them implanted into their mouth.
Other states with material and/or point of origin disclosure standards include Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
In order for patients to ensure they are receiving quality dental care, NADL encourages them to look for dentists who partner with high-quality dental laboratories that disclose voluntarily and use the highest manufacturing standards. Patients can learn more about their dentists commitment to quality by asking these five basic questions:
1. Do you use a Certified Dental Technician for your laboratory work?
2. Is the laboratory you work with certified and by whom?
3. Where is your dental laboratory located?
4. What patient contact materials are in the restorations you are prescribing for the treatment plan?
5. How does your dental practice ensure that it is not using misbranded or grey market dental materials?
For dentists to ensure their patients are getting quality restorations, NADL suggests dentists stay informed on legislative updates and verify that the laboratory they work with is a CDL or a DAMAS laboratory.
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About NADL:
The National Association of Dental Laboratories is the unified voice of the dental laboratory profession supporting dentistry and serving the public interest by promoting high standards. NADL accomplishes this by providing programs, services and networking opportunities to meet the evolving technical, educational, professional and business needs of dental laboratories.
MeYou Healths move into the HR SaaS market has momentum, and we are excited to fund additional growth.
MeYou Health (MYH) today announced that Trapper Markelz, current President and Chief Operations Officer, has been named Chief Executive Officer of the Company. MYH has also secured additional equity financing from Ballast Point Ventures and other current investors to accelerate the Companys efforts to optimize wellness program delivery for small and midsize employers. Both announcements are part of a major initiative by MYH to take its highly automated white-label platform for health plans and layer on a fully self-service customer interface to enable the Company to become the first provider of a wellness software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution in the SMB market.
Mr. Markelz, 40, began his career at MYH in 2009 as Head of Product, and in 2015 assumed the role of General Manager. He was named President and Chief Operating Officer in 2016 after MeYou Health was spun out from its former parent company, and he has been instrumental in building and scaling sales operations, account management, implementation, B2B marketing, and automated digital enrollment marketing.
Matt Rice, a partner with Ballast Point Ventures and Chairman of the MYH Board of Directors, says, Trapper is the ideal person to lead the talented team at MeYou Health, as his vision, judgment, and leadership have been crucial to the Companys success over the years. MYHs move into the HR SaaS market has momentum, and we are excited to fund additional growth.
Im very excited by this opportunity and see it as a great honor to lead this Company, says Mr. Markelz. Over the last eight years, our team has learned enormously from our work with hundreds of employers, both large and small. MeYou Health has always been a software company, and now we can use that software expertise to deliver a market-leading, fully automated solution.
MeYou Health provides a full-feature, turn-key wellness suite optimized for small and midsize businesses. Designed for digital delivery, MeYou Healths platform was built from the ground up to give employers a social, engaging, and effective alternative to traditional wellness programming. With industry-leading engagement and multiple clinical trials demonstrating impact, MeYou Healths programs deliver measurable results to even the smallest organization. Founded in 2009 and based in Boston, MA, MeYou Health is made up of talented people from healthcare, engineering, design, and research backgrounds, all dedicated to helping employers improve their employees health and well-being.
A simulation of gravitational waves produced by the collision of binary black holes. Credit: RITs Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation, Nicole Rosato
Rochester Institute of Technology researchers helped pinpoint the precise location of a gravitational wave signaland the black hole merger that produced itdetected by gravitational wave observatories in the United States and in Europe.
For the first time, the LIGO and the French-Italian Virgo were used to triangulate the position in the universe where the binary black hole merger occurred 1.8 billion years ago. The black holes are 25 and 31 times the mass of the sun before the collision and 53 times the sun mass after, when a merged black hole formed.
The signal was detected on Aug. 14 by the LIGO detectors in Louisiana and Washington and the Virgo detector near Pisa, Italy. The findings were announced today in a news conference in Turin, Italy, and will appear in Physics Review Letters.
The addition of the third observatory has widened the window on the universe, said RIT professor Carlos Lousto. We now can pinpoint where those black holes collided in the universe with 10 times higher precision than we had with only two detectors, Lousto said. Astronomers can look more accurately toward this direction in sky with conventional telescopes to see if there is an electromagnetic counterpart to such cosmic collisions.
John Whelan, RIT associate professor and the principal investigator of RITs LIGO group, said, Our Virgo colleagues, who have been collaborating on the analysis since our first joint initial detector runs 10 years ago, have now joined the advanced detector network. We now have, for the first time, three advanced gravitational wave detectors observing together.
Richard OShaughnessy, RIT assistant professor, adds that, with Virgo, we can now reliably point to where a gravitational wave signal came from. We can tell astronomers when and where to point their telescopes.
Scientists will gain a deeper understanding of astrophysical phenomena by combining gravitational wave astronomy with traditional methods using the electromagnetic spectrum.
Precision pointing makes multimessenger astronomy possible, OShaughnessy said.
The current study cites 2005 breakthrough research by Lousto; Manuela Campanelli, RIT professor and director of the Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation; and Yosef Zlochower, RIT associate professor, which solved Albert Einsteins strong field equations. The group was one of the first to simulate a black hole on a supercomputer. Their moving puncture approach has been adopted by other research groups and helped lay the foundation for gravitational wave astronomy.
Our supercomputer simulations of black-hole collisions continue to be crucial to determine the astrophysical parameters of those extreme objects and they provide important information for modeling their history, from the death of their progenitor stars to their final merger into a larger black hole, Lousto said.
The new detection also cites a 2017 paper written by Lousto and James Healy, RIT postdoctoral researcher, and a 2014 paper by Lousto and Zlochower studying extreme black hole spins and mass ratios.
RIT students listed as authors on the LIGO-Virgo paper include Monica Rizzo, an undergraduate physics major; John Bero, an MS student in the astrophysical sciences and technology graduate program; and astrophysical sciences and technology Ph.D. students Jacob Lange, Jared Wofford, Daniel Wysocki and recent Ph.D. recipient Yuanhao Ahang.
Educating the next generation of gravitational wave astronomers is taken seriously at RITs Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation.
We perform top research integrating faculty, students and postdocs, Campanelli said. With RIT and National Science Foundation support, we are upgrading our supercomputer capabilities to solve Einstein equations for binary black holes.
About RITs Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation: The Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation is a Research Center of the College of Science and a Research Center of Excellence at the Rochester Institute of Technology dedicated to research at the frontiers of numerical relativity and relativistic astrophysics, gravitational-wave physics, its connection to experiments and observations, and high-performance computation and scientific visualization.
Founded in 2007, the CCRG now includes tens of high-caliber faculty, research scientists, postdoctoral researchers, and an increasing number of graduate and undergraduate students across several departments and colleges. For more information, go to http://ccrg.rit.edu.
About LIGO: LIGO is funded by the NSF, and operated by Caltech and MIT, which conceived and built the project. Financial support for the Advanced LIGO project was led by NSF with Germany (Max Planck Society), the U.K. (Science and Technology Facilities Council) and Australia (Australian Research Council) making significant commitments and contributions to the project. More than 1,200 scientists from around the world participate in the effort through the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, which includes the GEO Collaboration. Additional partners are listed at http://ligo.org/partners.php.
The Virgo collaboration consists of more than 280 physicists and engineers belonging to 20 different European research groups: six from Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France; eight from the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) in Italy; two in The Netherlands with Nikhef; the MTA Wigner RCP in Hungary; the POLGRAW group in Poland; Spain with the University of Valencia; and EGO, the laboratory hosting the Virgo detector near Pisa in Italy.
Walt never lost his love for Marceline, and we're working hard to keep our promise to maintain his legacy for a new generation of Disney fans across the globe.
The inaugural Dreaming Tree Gala will be held in the Ballroom of the Americas at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, November 18. The black-tie event, which includes dinner and fireworks, will feature a mix of Disney legends, artists, cast members and fans gathering to hear intimate stories of a man who used his childhood in small town America as a source of inspiration throughout his career. The event will raise funds for the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, a rare collection of Disney memorabilia showcased in the heart of Walts beloved boyhood hometown of Marceline. Mr. Robert Wilson, a long-time Disney family friend and the last CEO/COO of Walts private family company, Retlaw, will headline the event and be its keynote speaker. Tickets and additional event information can be found at http://www.dreamingtreegala.com.
I was blessed with a long career and association with the Disney family and Im excited to be sharing my private story for the first time, said Wilson.
My parents first met Walt and Roy when they returned to Marceline in 1956 to dedicate its new pool, said Kaye Malins, the museums executive director. Through the generous help of the Disney family, weve been building a world-class museum in the city that became a tremendous source of inspiration throughout his career. Walt never lost his love for Marceline, and were working hard to keep our promise to maintain his legacy for a new generation of Disney fans across the globe.
The museum is currently working on many projects ranging from gallery expansion to structural upgrades. One of the most meaningful initiatives is the return of Walt and Roy Disneys 1966 historic gift of Midget Autopia to the city of Marceline. To this day it remains one of the only rides ever to leave Disneyland and maintain operation outside the companys control. The ride left Disneyland in 1966 and ran an additional 11 years in Marcelines Walt Disney Municipal Park. It was officially retired by the city in 1977, but plans are underway to restore the ride and return it to the very heart of the city that Walt and Roy called home.
The Walt Disney Hometown Museum is in an historic 1913 Santa Fe Railway station in the very heart of Walt Disneys boyhood hometown of Marceline, Missouri. The 10,000 square feet of immersive gallery space contains a unique collection of Disney family effects, not able to be viewed anywhere else in the world. Visit http://www.waltdisneymuseum.org for more information.
For additional comments or questions please call or email
Laura Chalk, PR Manager, Affinity Worldwide
816-398-4111 x 86172, lchalk(at)affinityworldwide.com
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Andrew Lovasz, VP of Marketing at The Control Group Andrew's digital marketing acumen coupled with his extensive media buying expertise will be invaluable as we continue to scale our core products and grow as the leader in the public records space.
Andrew Lovasz has joined The Control Group as Vice President of Marketing for its online public records search properties. Lovasz will lead media buying efforts, including search, native and display, inbound marketing, and marketing automation.
Lovasz is a specialist in developing successful teams in both agencies and client-facing companies. Before joining The Control Group, Lovasz was the CEO of Main Path Marketing, where he brought enterprise-level marketing solutions to mid-sized customers. His efforts have focused on developing company expertise, leading to 1,000 Google certifications earned by employees across several companies. Lovasz is the recipient of the prestigious Google Mobile Champion award for outstanding mobile marketing campaigns in 2015 and 2016.
Previously, Lovasz was the Senior Vice President of Marketing Strategy for Search Optics, a leading provider of tier-two and tier-three marketing solutions for leading automakers. Prior to this role, he worked as the Executive Director of Search Marketing for Organic, an Omnicom company, where he built a global network to support the Hilton Worldwide business. As Vice President of Search Marketing for Moxie Interactive, Lovasz led the search marketing efforts for Verizon Wireless. He also led award-winning work for 20th Century Fox Films and Nestles Hot Pockets brand.
In September 2017, The Control Group founders Kris Kibak and Joey Rocco brought Lovasz on as Vice President of Marketing to oversee the marketing and branding operations for the companys public records products.
Company President Steven Gray stated, Andrew is an exciting addition to The Control Group. He brings a wealth of experience and a proven history of success with a range of teams. His digital marketing acumen coupled with his extensive media buying expertise will be invaluable as we continue to scale our core products and grow as the leader in the public records space.
About The Control Group
Created in 2011, The Control Group is one of the fastest-growing technology companies headquartered in San Diego. Their expertise is in web development and internet marketing. The company is the developer of InstantCheckmate.com, one of the top people search engines in the world, and NextGen Leads, an extremely high-quality insurance leads platform focused on streamlining lead acquisition. Because the company is already profitable, it has been able to develop a company culture that is shaking up the technology sector. At the core of its company culture, The Control Group seeks to make a positive impact in its community by volunteering, supporting and getting involved in numerous important causes.
CG Gibson Table on set of American Beauty Star "American Beauty Star shows us that splendor can be everywhere: in the contoured curve of a cheek, in the sensuous swirl of a lock of hairand in the sinuous scroll of a chair. - Christopher Guy Harrison, founder and designer of Christopher Guy
Luxury furnishings brand Christopher Guy (CG) was thrilled to be appointed to provide decorative and set furniture for American Beauty Star, the eagerly awaited contest program headlining the beauty industry, which premiered on the Lifetime channel on September 21, 2017. Supermodel and executive producer, Adriana Lima hosts the series, also featuring celebrated make-up artist Sir John, world-renowned photographer Russell James, and former Vogue beauty director Sarah Brown.
Its incredibly exciting to support such a creative group of talented artists, and to be amongst so much artistic glamour, said Christopher Guy Harrison, founder and designer of Christopher Guy. American Beauty Star shows us that splendor can be everywhere: in the contoured curve of a cheek, in the sensuous swirl of a lock of hairand in the sinuous scroll of a chair.
CG pieces starring in the program include:
Gibson: an understated cocktail/martini table with huge visual appeal.
Le Meurice Chaise: a chaise lounge, with Christopher's signature Chris-Cross" legs and mahogany scrolled frame;
Cala Gauche Sofa: a sumptuous avant-garde sofa that echoes the sweeping curve of a cala lily;
La Croisette Chair: the Riviera allure forms the DNA of this unique piece, with its stunning scalloped back, beautiful silhouette and Christopher's patented Chris-Cross" legs.
American Beauty Star follows in the steps of the hugely successful hit, Project Runway, and airs at 10:30pm ET/PT on Thursdays. Throughout the series, stylists and salon professionals will compete in different challenges devised by red carpet and runway show celebrity guests that include Camilla Alves, Christie Brinkley and TaRhonda Jones. Only one contestant will take home the ultimate accolade, the inaugural title of "American Beauty Star.
For photos of the furnishings provided for the program, or for more information, please contact Birgit C. Muller, Brand Ambassador for Christopher Guy at birgit.muller(at)christopherguy(dot).com.
About Christopher Guy:
Christopher Guy Harrison, an award-winning internationally renowned designer, is the founder and CEO of luxury furnishings brand, Christopher Guy. His creations were brought to life in the mid-90s when he set out to create the world's most fabulous and unique mirror frame collection under the name Harrison & Gil. He began building his workshops after acquiring a plot of land in Java, where he sourced the best craftsmanship from local artisans. Today, these workshops cover more than one million square feet, and Christopher Guy has evolved to creating a complete luxury lifestyle that offers timeless values.
With presence in over 42 cities including showrooms throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Christopher Guy offers a fresh approach to design, transcending modern, traditional, and cultural boundaries. Christopher Guy creations are selected by leading designers and retailers, from the grandest hotels and most spectacular resorts, to the world's finest residences. The brand's stylish appeal and often-elaborate aesthetics have led to cameo roles in many iconic movie productions such as Casino Royale (007), Ocean's Thirteen, The Hangover, The Devil Wears Prada, Charlie's Angels 2, and The Interview.
Whether as statement pieces in luxurious hotels or on Hollywood film sets, Christopher Guy's timeless and elegant designs are widely acclaimed as the world's most fabulous decorative furnishings.
For more information, please visit http://www.christopherguy.com.
Pinnacle Hotel Management Orlando Marriott Lake Mary We let Aptech build several individual reports for us with unusual metrics like T/A fees as a percentage of revenue for hotels and across our portfolio. Once Aptech creates them, the reports reside on our system with easy pull-down functionality.
Accurate, next day financial reporting is essential for proactive profitability-focused operators. Comprehensive operations reports with dynamic drill down capability are like headlights that examine the factors that impact performance. They show managers and owners where their business is, how it got there, and illuminate what they need to change to make it better.
TPG Hotels & Resorts operates a portfolio of more than 50 hotels nationwide. Understanding what drives our profitability is essential, said Michael Brown, VP business intelligence for TPG. We use an Execuvue Hospitality Business Intelligence (BI) system to generate a variety of reports that detail expenses and revenue sources by property and brand. TPGs evaluation compares every aspect of hotel performance. Execuvue reports let us benchmark each property against others within its brand for comparisons that spotlight specific expenses that are outside nominal performance. Once we identify these exceptions we can reduce the specific costs before they impact property performance.
Execuvue hospitality business intelligence also features an ad hoc report tool that lets TPG create custom company reports with percentage and dollar measurements that show 10 key metrics over the past five years compared to revenue. The ad hoc tool lets users manipulate items in their database to identify and understand potential problems and changes within the business.
By looking at our historic expense trends on one page we can forecast where they will be in the coming year, Brown said. We use many standard Execuvue reports. I also create our own custom reports and dashboards on the fly. Our EOM numbers are essential and I generate them as needed at the touch of a button to evaluate performance of properties and our entire portfolio. TPG Hotels & Resorts is a top-ranked hospitality management company and fully accredited operator of the industrys most respected brands including Marriott (Starwood), Hilton, Hyatt, IHG and others. Aptech Computer Systems is a leading provider of hotel accounting software, hospitality enterprise accounting, budgeting, forecasting, and business intelligence systems. Click here for more on Aptechs products and services.
Our company is unique. Our owners and managers have a wealth of experience and want to see property performance from different angles, said Monica Nichols, controller for Pinnacle Hotel Management which operates 26 major brand and independent properties. We leverage all our Execuvue BI systems reporting capability. Along with standard financial reporting, we use the systems ad hoc report building tool to drag and drop raw data elements to create custom reports that our regional directors request. This takes about a minute.
Nichols said Pinnacle also turns to Aptechs professional team to create custom reporting. We let Aptech build several individual reports for us with unusual metrics like T/A fees as a percentage of revenue for hotels and across our portfolio. Once Aptech creates them, the reports reside on our system with easy pull-down functionality. In budget season we will send our properties custom reports with profitability based on specific expenses. This will save lots of time over previous years when I prepared property data manually. Execuvue provides information from prior years to simplify budgeting. The system lets us provide reports in PDF for fast viewing, or in an Excel format for managers that want to do their own what-if calculations.
About Aptech Computer Systems, Inc.
Aptech Computer Systems, Inc., based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the only provider of a fully integrated enterprise accounting, business intelligence and planning ecosystem to the hospitality industry. All of its clients are companies like yours, which own or manage hotels. Its solutions help customers at both the corporate and property levels understand their financial and operational data for faster goal achievement.
The company is renowned for introducing business intelligence into the hotel industry, and offers a solid resource of hospitality professionals. Aptech is an IBM Software Value Plus partner and Premier Solution Provider and a Prophix Premier Business Partner.
Incorporated in 1970, Aptechs state-of-the-art back office, true business intelligence and enterprise planning solutions are 100% hotel specific. Solutions include PVNG, Execuvue and Targetvue. Clients comprise over 3,500 properties - including large chains, multiple-property management companies and single-site hotels. Execuvue and Profitvue are registered to Aptech Computer Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are owned by their respective holders. For more information please visit http://www.aptech-inc.com.
Frontline Responder Services Our team carefully selected these clinicians because they understand the underlying source of job-related stress and trauma for first responders and their families,
Healthcare management company, Sprout Health Group has recently introduced a new critical stress response program designed for first responders at their Cedar Point Recovery facility in Sacramento, CA. The group owns and operates drug and alcohol rehab centers, as well as medical detox facilities, across the United States. The Sacramento first responder program follows the success of Advanced Health & Educations" first responder program in Eatontown, New Jersey, which launched last October.
The program, named Frontline Responder Services is an inpatient residential facility for first responders who need treatment for PTSD and addictions. Frontline is also designed to address the long-term effects of critical stress on responders from the daily stress and pressure of the job.
According to the U.S. Firefighters Association (USFA), about 10% of firefighters may be abusing drugs to deal with job-related stress. A FEMA study showed that alcohol abuse among firefighters is more than double that of the general population.
Emergencies with massive destruction and many casualties like Hurricane Katrina and the Sandy Hook school shooting have lasting traumatic effects on our nations first responders. The 9/11 terrorist attacks severely affected FDNY firefighters and other first responders. FDNYs employee assistance program (EAP) saw an increase of cases, including alcohol and drug abuse, as first responders grieved the loss of 343 of their comrades. The FDNY EAP program saw an increase of 50% of first responders seeking help for PTSD and addiction-related issues after 9/11.
Mark W. Lamplugh Jr., Vice President of Frontline Responder Services and the entire program, has put together a highly-experienced team of credentialed clinical professionals specializing in trauma and first responder treatment. Lamplugh is a fourth-generation firefighter and former captain with the Lower Chichester (PA) Fire Company. He was the Chief Executive Officer of 360 Wellness Inc. and is currently the Vice President of Responder Services of Frontline Responder Services at Advanced Health & Education and Cedar Point Recovery. Lamplugh is also nationally recognized in Crisis Stress Intervention through the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. Lamplugh hosts a talk show called "Firefighter Wellness Radio" with Fire Engineering and has helped hundreds of first responders find help for addiction, alcoholism, and PTSD, nationally.
Our team carefully selected these clinicians because they understand the underlying source of job-related stress and trauma for first responders and their families, stated Lamplugh. We can provide our clients with the ability to address their drug or alcohol problems and the underlying causes of public safety workers. Our program combines substance abuse treatment with treatment for PTSD, depression, and other forms of mental illnesses, with the goal of helping them return to work.
Lamplugh cites a study by the University of Phoenix that revealed that 85% of first responders experienced symptoms related to mental health issues. The study also showed that one-third of first responders were diagnosed with depression or PTSD.
Lamplugh chose Jamie Maxwell, LMFT, M.S. to fill the role of Frontlines 24-hour trauma therapist. Maxell, a licensed marriage, and family therapist provides therapeutic services with the dedicated Trauma Treatment Team at Cedar Point Recovery. With a masters degree in counselor education from California State University Sacramento and a bachelors degree in psychology from the University of California Davis, Maxwell also has extensive experience working with diverse client populations. Maxwell brings eight years service to the Northern California community in schools and other organizations. Maxwell is competent in multiple evidence-based treatment modalities.
Lamplugh also enlisted forensic expert, Andrew Wakefield, LMFT, to the Frontline team. Wakefield serves on the Trauma Therapist Team for Cedar Point Recovery as a 24-hour trauma therapist. He earned his and masters degree in counseling psychology from National University. Andrew is a licensed marriage and family therapist with over ten years of experience treating addictions, trauma, and mental illness in the Sacramento area. Mr. Wakefield also has extensive experience in crisis management and treatment. Before landing at Cedar Point, Mr. Wakefield oversaw contract forensic treatment programs for local and state law enforcement agencies, which makes him an excellent addition to the team.
San Francisco native, Manuel A. Bohorquez Jr., rounds out Frontlines team as the Frontline Group Facilitator. Bohorquez graduated from Archbishop Riordan High School and attended City College of San Francisco, before enlisting in the U.S. Army, where he retired after 21 years of service. His medals include Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with five oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal with four oak leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, 7th Award, National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Recruiter Badge with Three Sapphires. Bohorquez received an associate degree in chemical dependency from American River College and is currently completing a Bachelors degree at Sacramento State in social work. Hes currently pursuing a masters degree as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker as he plans on working with veterans in the field of mental health and substance abuse.
Seeing the need to address the public safety culture at times of high stress due to community crisis and natural disasters in California, Sprout Health Group created this program to meet the need for support, treatment, and wellness for the first responder community. Cedar Point Recoverys newly created Frontline team will address the needs of first responder career pressures that often result in addictions or severe mental and emotional challenges
Colorado Landmark, Realtors The best of the best! Colorado Landmark, Realtors is an exceptional company equipped with an extraordinary team of top-notch Realtors and staff. Past News Releases RSS Boulder REALTOR David W....
Spreder Team Raising Funds for...
Colorado Landmark, Realtors is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Congratulations to owner Joel Ripmaster and the company he has built. Joels a great guy, great Realtor and has provided tools and support to his agents so we can be successful as well, said Realtor Karlynn Spreder, founder of the Spreder Team at Colorado Landmark, Realtors.
Spreder and her husband Ed, who is also a member of the Spreder Team, have been selling real estate in Colorado for over 20 years and recently attended the Colorado Landmark, Realtors 40th anniversary celebration. The event was held at the Koenig Alumni Center in Boulder.
Since its inception forty years ago, Colorado Landmark, Realtors has firmly believed that every home is a landmark, and that buying or selling a home is a landmark occasion in anyones life. The locally-owned boutique agency centers around one clear goal: providing the highest quality real estate and relocation services to clients, with unparalleled support and guidance each step of the way.
The best of the best! Colorado Landmark, Realtors is an exceptional company equipped with an extraordinary team of top-notch Realtors and staff, said client Brittany W.
Today, Colorado Landmark, Realtors has more than fifty agents in two offices. Colorado Landmark, Realtors is renowned for combining in-depth knowledge of its communities with a modern approach and the latest technology to meet its clients needs.
The Spreder Team has sold over 625 properties, and received the 2016 Master Award with $16.1 million in sales volume and 2015 Platinum Award with $13.9 million in sales volume. Colorado Landmark, Realtors is a great company and were proud to be associated with them, concluded Karlynn, who, along with Ed, is a Certified Residential Specialist, Certified Distressed Property Expert, and Graduate, Realtor Institute.
About Colorado Landmark, Realtors
Colorado Landmark, Realtors consistently outperforms its competition. Its exclusive affiliations with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and Luxury Portfolio International give the company and agents world-class tools and resources to expand its reach on both a national and global level. For more information about Colorado Landmark, Realtors please call (303) 443-3377, or visit http://www.coloradolandmark.com. For more information about the Spreder Team, please call (303) 517-0026 or visit http://www.SprederTeam.com.
About the NALA
The NALA offers small and medium-sized businesses effective ways to reach customers through new media. As a single-agency source, the NALA helps businesses flourish in their local community. The NALAs mission is to promote a business relevant and newsworthy events and achievements, both online and through traditional media. The information and content in this article are not in conjunction with the views of the NALA. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361.
Firefly Consulting Team Members Heather Rafferty, Kimberly Watson-Hemphill, and Julaine Calhoun We continue to have great successes working with companies facing growth challenges that want to significantly improve their operational performance.
Quickly following her recognition as a finalist at Austin Business Journals annual Profiles in Power awards ceremony, Kimberly Watson-Hemphills team collected another accolade. Firefly Consulting, the management consulting firm she founded in 2009, was identified as a Top Women-Owned Business for the fourth consecutive year.
A Force on Austins Business Scene
On August 24th at the JW Marriot, the Austin Business Journal hosted a luncheon to celebrate the diverse group of women at the top of their industry in Austins business and not-for-profit community. In a state that leads in the number of women-owned ventures, the event annually attracts several hundred attendees, including this years 85 nominees, their co-workers, friends, and family members. Nominees were drawn from a variety of sectors: from banking to healthcare, real estate to education technology.
On being selection as a 2018 finalist, Watson-Hemphill had this to say: Austin is a great city to grow our firm. This room is full of inspiring women leaders.
Another Year Making the Grade
September brought a renewed year of recognition for her firm, Firefly Consulting, as a top player in its hometown of Austin, TX. With origins in Lean Six Sigma as well as more traditional organizational assessment and consulting work, 2017 has been notable for its breadth of project types. We continue to have great successes working with companies facing growth challenges that want to significantly improve their operational performance, notes Watson-Hemphill. Industries on this years roster include financial services, manufacturing and supply chain, and healthcare.
Reflecting on the firms continued achievement, Watson-Hemphill points to her teams strong reputation for success: I can draw a straight line from every accolade directly to our highly experienced team. They are committed to driving results for our clients, every time.
About Firefly Consulting
Firefly Consulting is a privately held, boutique consulting firm that specializes in innovation and operational excellence and is headquartered in Austin, TX. More information about the firm and its services can be found online at http://www.firefly-consulting.com.
Continuing its strategic expansion in Texas, global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has added a team of four attorneys in its Dallas office Real Estate Practice. The team, all previously with Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP, includes Shareholder Bud Doxey and Associates Lolly Chauppette, David Ortigoza, and Wes Smith.
Real Estate is a core practice at Greenberg Traurig and one that has been recognized on a global scale, attracting top-tier practitioners throughout our key markets. We are pleased that Bud, Lolly, David, and Wes chose our team for the next phase of their careers, said Joseph F. Coniglio, managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurigs Dallas office. Their skills and experience further expand Greenberg Traurigs already robust real estate capabilities in Texas and across our international platform of 38 offices and more than 2,000 attorneys. Everything we do is rooted in our desire to provide quality legal services that our clients value, and I am very pleased to have this highly respected group of real estate lawyers in Dallas.
Doxey has a truly national practice with wide-ranging experience advising on commercial real estate transactions across the country. He represents a variety of clients on real estate matters of all product types, including joint venture formation and structuring (both as-built properties and ground-up development), asset and entity acquisitions and dispositions, commercial leasing, financing on behalf of borrowers, and general property and asset management. Doxey earned his J.D., cum laude, from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and his B.A., magna cum laude, from Southern Methodist University.
Chauppettes practice focuses on a wide range of real estate and real estate-based finance matters. Her experience includes real estate acquisition, development, leasing, and financing, including office, retail, multi-family, and multi-use properties. She represents commercial real estate investors in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, operation, management, and development of real property. Chauppette earned her J.D. from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and her B.A., cum laude, from Loyola University New Orleans.
Ortigozas practice involves commercial real estate, including acquisition and disposition of fee and ground leasehold interests; real property financing and refinancing; lease agreements for office, retail, and industrial properties; and joint venture transactions and sale-leaseback transactions. He also assists clients with matters related to the transactions listed above, such as title, survey, and zoning due diligence; forming entities; negotiating loan agreements; property management agreements; and leasing agreements. Ortigoza earned his J.D., with honors, from The University of Texas School of Law and his B.S., cum laude, from the University of Southern California.
Smith focuses his practice on transactional real estate. Smith handles commercial real estate matters, including the acquisition, financing, leasing, and disposition of office, multifamily, multi-use, retail, and industrial properties throughout the United States. Smith earned his J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law and his B.A. from Southern Methodist University.
About Greenberg Traurig's Real Estate Practice
The Greenberg Traurig Real Estate Practice is a cornerstone of the firm and recognized leader in the industry. The firms real estate attorneys deliver diversified and comprehensive legal solutions for property acquisition and investment, development, management and leasing, financing, restructuring, and disposition of all asset classes of real estate. The team draws upon the knowledge and experience of more than 300 real estate lawyers from around the world, serving clients from key markets in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. The groups clientele includes a broad range of property developers, lenders, investment managers, private equity funds, REITs, and private owners. The firms real estate team advises clients on a variety of matters across a broad spectrum of commercial, recreational, and residential real estate, including structured equity and debt and the hybrids.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP Texas
Greenberg Traurig has more than 125 attorneys in Texas, serving clients from offices in Austin, Dallas, and Houston.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
River City Bank President and CEO Steve Fleming presents a donation check mount to NAMI California Executive Director Jessica Cruz and Deputy Director Steven Kite on September 21st. We applaud NAMI Californias tireless efforts to advocate for those impacted by serious mental illness and influence public policy on the subject, and we are pleased to contribute to the organizations future success.
River City Bank, Sacramentos premier business bank, showed its support of mental health advocacy and initiatives in the local community by presenting a donation check in the amount of $14,141.96 to the National Alliance on Mental Illness of California (NAMI California). NAMI California is a grassroots organization that provides leadership in advocacy, legislation, policy development, education and support throughout California regarding serious mental illness.
As one of Sacramentos longstanding community-based businesses, River City Bank is dedicated to seeing our region grow and prosper, and that includes increasing awareness and support for mental health, said Steve Fleming, President and CEO of River City Bank. We applaud NAMI Californias tireless efforts to advocate for those impacted by serious mental illness and influence public policy on the subject, and we are pleased to contribute to the organizations future success.
TWEET THIS: #Sacramento based @RiverCityBank donates more than $14,000 to support mental health training and advocacy from @NAMICalifornia
Although one in four Americans is impacted by mental illness, the experience can be very isolating because its not often discussed, said Jessica Cruz, Executive Director of NAMI California. To have a prominent business like River City Bank step forward with a donation is incredibly empowering for the families and individuals that access our support and services because it gives them a voice and opens up the opportunity for more conversation.
River City Bank presented the donation check to Cruz and Steven Kite, Deputy Director of NAMI California, during its bi-annual client appreciation reception, which was held on September 21, 2017. The donation consisted of contributions from River City Bank as a corporate entity, as well as a significant sum provided by the internal fundraising efforts of its employees. As part of an annual tradition, River City Bank employees initiated a series of fundraising activities to encourage staff to provide donations to NAMI California as its charity of choice in 2017.
As a state agency, NAMI California provides technical assistance and training to 62 local affiliates that offer direct service and support to families and individuals in nearly every county in California. The organizations signature programs include educational courses that address a variety of subjects including medication management, communication with friends and family, setting responsible boundaries, recognizing trigger behaviors, and working with medical providers. Through its affiliates, the organization also supports family-to-family and peer-to-peer support groups, destigmatizing classes, crisis intervention training for first responders and NAMI on Campus clubs for schools throughout the state. All local services are free to participants.
For more information about NAMI California, visit namica.org.
About River City Bank
Recently named one of Sacramento Business Journals 50 Fastest Growing Companies, River City Bank is the Sacramento regions premier business bank with assets of more than $1.9 billion. River City Bank offers a comprehensive suite of banking services, including loans, deposits and cash management tools to the business, consumer and commercial real estate sectors. With tailored, executive-level service and a Five Star Superior financial rating from the nations leading independent bank-rating firm, Bauer Financial, River City Bank redefines the banking experience and every touch point that surrounds it. River City Bank is the largest, independent, locally-owned bank in the Sacramento region with an office in the San Francisco Bay Area and a presence in Southern California. For additional information, please visit rivercitybank.com or call (916) 567-2600. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
About NAMI California
NAMI California is the leading grassroots organization working with families and individuals whose lives have been affected by serious mental illness. The organization provides information and support to 62 local affiliates and represents 19,000 people to the California Legislature and Governor on mental illness issues. NAMI California educates families, professionals and the public regarding scientific research into serious mental illness and works to provide a strong, coherent system that offers a continuum of care for the persistent, long-term needs of people with mental illness. Learn more about NAMI California at namica.org.
Eman Ahmed Abd El-Aty, 37, from Alexandria, was believed to have weighed as much as half a tonne when her family first made an appeal for help in February.
She was flown to India for a gastrectomy, in which parts of the stomach are removed, before she was transferred in May to the Burjeel hospital in the UAE after she was airlifted from her home with the aid of a crane to undergo a weight loss procedure.
She had not walked in 25 years but had reportedly lost more than 660 pounds after undergoing the bariatric procedure in March.
At the time, hospital officials told BBC News that Atti was dealing with cardiac issues, a bacterial infection and bed sores. Her former doctor at Saifee Hospital had clashed with the womans family during her hospitalization.
This isn't the case for Prince George, according to his father Prince William.
On September 7, a nervous-looking Prince George, accompanied by the Duke of Cambridge, arrived for his first day at the 6,000 ($8,000)-a-term Thomas's Battersea prep school in London.
The pair were met by the head of lower school on arrival, who shook Prince George's hand and led him to his reception classroom.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Prince William has been taking the little Prince to school every morning since but has now revealed that the school run has been met with a little resistance.
Speaking to 31-year-old mother-of-two Louise Smith on a visit to Milton Keynes on Tuesday, where he marked the 50th anniversary of the town, William revealed that George doesn't always want to go to school.
"It was really exciting meeting William," Smith said. "He told me he'd just dropped Prince George off at school and he didn't want to go. Sounds a bit like mine really."
"Thanks for the well-wishes," tweeted Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi. "I'm not hospitalized, but am recuperating at home in Mississippi and look forward to returning to work soon."
Trump began Wednesday by tweeting that one Senate "yes" vote was in the hospital, preventing senators from voting on the Graham-Cassidy legislation ahead of a September 30 deadline under which just a simple majority would be required to pass the bill. Republicans announced Tuesday they would not bring the legislation forward for a vote.
Reports later said that Trump was referencing Cochran. He was recovering from treatment for a urological issue, USA Today reported.
Speaking to reporters before departing Washington, DC, for Indiana, Trump repeated many times that one senator was "in the hospital" when explaining why a vote on healthcare legislation would have to wait.
"Trump just said on six occasions a senator can't vote because he is in the hospital," tweeted Politico reporter Josh Dawsey. "No one is known to be in the hospital."
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The organization, J Initiative said studies have indicated that 95% of girls absent themselves from school when menstruating due to lack of money to buy sanitary towels.
It is sad to note that the Free Senior High School programme that seeks to remove cost barriers to education and ensure that no child is left behind has woefully failed to include the provision of sanitary pads into the list of things that the government will be catering for under the programme, the NGO said in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Awo Aidam Amenyah to back their proposal.
READ ALSO: Here are the fees being absorbed by government
It further said that Ghana can learn from Kenya which provides free sanitary towels to schoolgirls in deprived areas.
Some other 112 students are also to re-write their exams to assess their chances of remaining in the school.
But in an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Director General of the GES Prof Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa said the affected students should be allowed to continue their education.He said that the GES has directed the schools headmaster to immediately draw out remedial plans to support the affected students.Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Education Yaw Osei Adutwum is expected to meet the headmaster over the issue.
It is definitely not the first of its kind, but what makes the development breathtaking is the location of the said funeral and the standard of living there. It happened at an unsuspecting place like Ehi near Sogakope in the Volta region.
READ MORE: Man arrested for attempting to smuggle gold hidden in his rectum
The burial of the four-legged animal was characterized by all the glamour and flamboyance that are seen at funerals of humans.
The burial of Forfoe as it was affectionately called, drew dignitaries, including traditional rulers, from far and near to witness the farewell ceremony for the "historical dog.
Just as it is with normal funeral rites, a 26-page Order of Service with the biography of the dead dog was distributed to mourners present.
Owner of the dead dog, Stephen Atatsithe, who organised the extravagant funeral explained that, The dog 23-years-old belonged to my late mother. It stayed with her for 11 years and it has been 12 years since she passed on."
Bereaved Stephen Atatsithe further disclosed that a group of mourners from South Africa heard about the sad incident and decided to come to Ghana to join the funeral.
Mr. Atatsithe was highly elated at the turn up and the donations he received from sympathisers in relation to the burial ceremony, but would not reveal how much went into the entire organisation.
What is even more interesting is his revelation that Somebody donated a cow and another person donated a pig to be killed for the event.
It might beat ones imagination why no less an animal than a cow or pig would be killed for the burial of a dog, but Mr. Atatsithe did not see anything wrong about it.
The blind Ethiopian woman won the award also known as Swedens alternative Nobel Prize for her incessant advocacy for the rights of persons with disability.
She was given the enviable 3 million Swedish crowns ($374,000) on Tuesday which will be shared among the three joint winners.
After receiving the award, the highly elated Yetnebersh Nigussie said I really want to see a world where nobody is discriminated because of his or her disability or any other status.
She reportedly became blind when she was only five years old and had to grapple with stigma by her community who thought she was unfit.
Despite the stigmatization, her parents endeavoured to enroll her at the Catholic boarding school for girls with disabilities in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
There was a tremendous transformation in her life owing to the education at the school for girls with disabilities.
Nigussie is also a senior advisor at a charity organisation that promotes disability rights. She admitted how far reaching education has been for her and for that reason, chose to make a difference through constant advocacy.
While in school she had to transcribe audio recordings of her legal books into braille throughout of her five-year degree as one of only three women to study law at Addis Ababa University in 2002.
The award-winning lawyer believes she owes all her achievements to education. She said I was lucky to be educated. Education was a turning point that changed my blindness into an opportunity.
After graduating from law school, she helped establish the Center for Students with Disabilities at the Addis Ababa University and the Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD).
READ ALSO: Man arrested for attempting to smuggle gold hidden in his rectum
Eventhough Nigussie has won several awards prior to this, she said the Right Livelihood Award is her biggest so far.
This is because a magistrate at the Yibin Peoples Court, in China, has recently implemented a divorce exam that both the husband and the wife must fail in order for their divorce application to be approved.
The judge, Wang Shiyu said he came up with the exam after realizing that divorces accounted for an alarmingly large percentage of the courts cases.
READ ALSO: Blind lawyer wins global award for promoting disability rights
He said his aim is to make couples think twice about their decision to divorce, and also give them the chance to reminisce the good times they spent together.
Any couple who scores under 60 may have their divorce application approved.
Those who score above may have to keep working on their marriage, whether they like it or not, the judge said.
READ ALSO: Man arrested for attempting to smuggle gold hidden in his rectum
The written exam consists of three parts fill in the blanks, short question and statements with questions covering basic information like family members birthdays, favorite foods, date of the couples anniversary, as well as more in-depth ones such as What responsibility did you take up in this family?, What did you do good and what did you do bad?, What is marriage and family to you?.
Mr. Afrifa, pleaded guilty to the charge and the Tarkwa Circuit Court sentenced him on his own plea.
Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mrs. Juliana Essel-Dadzie narrated to the court that the victim resided with her grandmother in a cottage at Wasa Jedu, near Wasa Akropong, in the Amenfi East district.
The prosecutor said on September 8 this year, at about 1600 hours, the victim was sent on an errand to buy a polythene bag for her grandmother from Wasa Jedua town.
According to her, when the victim got to Wasa Jedu township, she met Afrifa who had lived with the victim and the grandmother before.
ASP Juliana Essel-Dadzie further stated that the convict bought a Kalyppo drink for the victim and lured her into his rented room in the town and had sex with her and warned the victim not to disclose the incident to anyone.
However, the victim narrated her ordeal to her grandmother and parents as soon as she got home. She said the parents lodged a complaint at the Wasa Akropong police station and the convict was arrested.
A person with dementia may also experience changes in their mood or behaviour or may have difficulties with problem-solving or language.
Speaking at the 2017 World Alzheimers Day conference held in Accra on Tuesday on the theme: Remember Me, Dr. Akwesi Osei, the Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority (MHA), said that even though the statistics were huge, many people do not report the condition because they often treat it as an old age syndrome.
He said that many often think that older persons are the ones who forget names, and that of their families and friends or not able to recognise their environment.
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Dr Osei expressed worry over the lack of proper health care interventions and initiatives to create awareness about dementia to enable people report early symptoms.
He said that although dementia was a real tragic illness, because it was an irreversible condition which damaged the brain cells, its progression could be minimized with medication if patients reported early to the hospital.
More about Dementia
Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases, such as Alzheimers disease or a series of strokes.
Alzheimers disease is the most common cause of dementia, although it is not the only one.
The specific symptoms that someone with dementia experiences will depend on the parts of the brain that are damaged and the disease that is causing the dementia.
It is home to a wonderful mix of animal species, beaches, mountains, landscapes, and an incredible coastline. The country is boarded by Cote dIvoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south.
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Pulse.com.gh brings to you top 7 most visited tourist sites in Ghana.
1.Kakum National Park
Kakum National Park is a heavy tropical rain forest in southern Ghana. The forest is habitat to over 40 species of mammals including forest elephants, forest buffalo, Mona meerkats and civets. The bird life is fascinating as well with over 250 species living in the forest.
The highlight Kakum National Park is a stroll on the Canopy Walkway. It is built 30 meters high above the ground, crosses several bridges and is over 1000 feet in length. What makes this site very convenient for tourist is the basic campsite for those who want to stay overnight.
2.Nzulezu
Nzulezu is a village built on stilts in the marshy Amansuri Lagoon. It has become one of Ghanas most visited destinations in recent times.
This is a unique little fishing community, far from the hustle and bustle of daily Ghanaian life. One highlight of this destination is the renting a canoe to cross the lagoon. It is located in the Western Region of Ghana, Tadane.
3.Mole National Park
Mole National Park is Ghanas largest wildlife park and is located in northwestern Ghana. Buffalos, antelopes, elephants, warthogs, hyenas and if youre very lucky, leopards are the animals one is are expected to see.
Lions have recently been re-introduced to the park as well. There are also more than 250 species of birds to enjoy.
4.Elmina Castle
Elmina Castle is the mother tourist site here in Ghana. It is the first name to a burb when we talk about tourist sites in Ghana. It was erected by Portuguese in 1482 as Sao Jorge da Mina (St. George of the Mine) Castle, also known simply as Mina or Feitoria da Mina) in present-day Elmina, Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast).
It means a lot to us because of the memories it brings to Ghanaians. It is the link between the slave trade moments and the freedom we liberate ourselves in today as a nation.
5.Kintampo Fall
The Kintampo waterfalls located on the Kumasi-Kintampo highway provides a panoramic scene and superbly display the beauty of nature. Its great scenery makes it a favourite attraction for tourists who visit the Brong Ahafo region.
It is about 4km away from the Kintampo Township, on the Kumasi-Tamale road.
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6. Paga Crocodile Pond
Located on the north-eastern border of Ghana, Paga is a sacred crocodile sanctuary.
Although crocodiles are considered as wild creatures, the Paga crocodiles are friendly and coexist with humans. The friendly relationship between the crocodiles and humans continue to baffle the minds of many.
This is in contrast to the perception of crocodiles as dangerous. Visitors are seen sitting at the back of or holding the tale of a crocodile without any harm, after a sacrifice of fowl. This is normal for the people of Paga but a mystery to visitors.
7.Cape Coast castle
The Cape Coast Castle was built for the slave-trade and is one of the most visited of Ghanas old forts. It was built by the Dutch in 1637, and later expanded by the Swedes, finally the British took control of it in 1664 and turned it into their colonial headquarters. It stayed that way for the next 200 years until they moved the capital to Accra in 1877.
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He said the hurricanes affected oil supply globally.
READ MORE: Mahama congratulates Nana Addo for continuing boundary dispute with Ivory Coast
Some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have begun reviewing prices of their petroleum products following recent hikes in crude oil prices on the international market.
The marginal depreciation of the country's currency has also affected oil prices.
The 11 different taxes on petroleum products in the country have sparked calls on the government and other stakeholders to eliminate some of them, described by a section of the motoring public as falling in the category of nuisance taxes.
But Alhassan Tampuli speaking on the increase said apart from the effect of the hurricanes, the international price at which fuel currently sells also has had an impact on the price build-up as well as the cedi-dollar rate.
In an interview on Accra-based Starr FM, he said "The price build up is made of three essential component, first of all we have the international price at which we buy the product, and secondly we use the exchange rate. The second ingredient is the exchange rate, the third one is the taxes, levies and statutory margins.
According to the workers, the company has sanctioned the purchase of $108,000 luxurious vehicle for the Managing Director when over 100 buses required urgent maintenance.
READ ALSO: Metro Mass workers stage huge protest against management
The workers, who were clad in red with others wielding placards said the government must with immediate effect stop the purchase of the vehicle.
They also complained about salary arrears which are having a toll on their livelihood.
The situation is no different in Kumasi, where reports say that scores of commuters who are hoping to come to Accra have been left stranded because the drivers have parked and abandoned the vehicles over the protest.
Appiah Stadium who was supposed to be part of the "Save Mahama Campaign" and a street demonstration in the United States of America was refused a visa by the embassy.
Appiah Stadium registering his disappointment for not being part of the protest said he would have wrapped a substance, puffed the smoke through his nostrils to show that Nana Addo smokes if he had had the opportunity.
He alleged that "It is sad I was denied a visa, I would have wrapped a substance and smoked in front of the president and his entourage and show them that he smokes."
However, he has rendered an unqualified apology to the President.
He was arrested by the police in the Ashanti region and transferred to Criminal Investigations Department at the police headquarters in Accra.
READ MORE: Appiah Stadium Mahama for elections 2020
But the President in a press statement signed by the Information Minister Mustapha Hamid said Appiah Stadium was blinded by propaganda.
"H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo wishes to state that he is not interested in pursuing the matter since same was ruled upon by the National Media Commission (NMC) on February 6, 2015. This followed series of publications in pro NDC news papers making similar claims.
The President has informed the Police administration that he is not interested in the matter and has asked them to be accordingly advised," the statement stated.
Read below the full statement:
ARREST OF FRANK KWAKU APPIAH
The Presidents attention has been drawn to the arrest of one Mr. Frank Kwaku Appiah, popularly called Appiah Stadium for spreading lies about him (the President).
H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo wishes to state that he is not interested in pursuing the matter since same was ruled upon by the National Media Commission (NMC) on February 6, 2015. This followed series of publications in pro NDC news papers making similar claims.
Lawyers for then Candidate Akufo-Addo took these nears papers namely The Al-Hajj, Enquirer. Informer, Ghanaian Lens and the Daily Post to the NMC to afford them the opportunity to substantiate their claims. They failed to do so, following which the NMC asked them to retract and apologise. The President is therefore, convinced that right thinking Ghanaians recognise that Appiah Stadium is merely reciting from an NDC propaganda book, which has since been discredited.
READ MORE: Appiah Stadium to report to CID after released on bail
Meanwhile President Nana Akufo-Addo has asked the police to drop the case involving Appiah Stadium.A statement from the presidents spokesperson Mustapha Hamid said: The Presidents attention has been drawn to the arrest of one Mr. Frank Kwaku Appiah, popularly called Appiah Stadium for spreading lies about him (the President).H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo wishes to state that he is not interested in pursuing the matter since same was ruled upon by the National Media Commission (NMC) on February 6, 2015. This followed series of publications in pro NDC newspapers making similar claims.Lawyers for then-Candidate Akufo-Addo took these papers namely The Al-Hajj, Enquirer. Informer, Ghanaian Lens and the Daily Post to the NMC to afford them the opportunity to substantiate their claims. They failed to do so, following which the NMC asked them to retract and apologise. The President is therefore, convinced that right thinking Ghanaians recognise that Appiah Stadium is merely reciting from an NDC propaganda book, which has since been discredited.The President has informed the Police administration that he is not interested in the matter and has asked them to be accordingly advised, the statement said.
Mustapha Hamid in the statement said Appiah Stadium's arrest was blinded by propaganda.
"The President has informed the Police administration that he is not interested in the matter and has asked them to be accordingly advised," he stated.
Baba Jamal speaking on the press statement by the Minister said he's [Mustapha Hamid] disgracing Nana Addo adding that he "talks as though they are campaigning."
"Mustapha Hamid is disgracing Nana Addo. How can you issue a statement and describe Appiah Stadium as a propaganda tool. I think it was unnecessary. If the President is not interested in the case, it is good news but going ahead and playing politics with it was useless.
"Mustapha talks as though they are campaigning. Meanwhile, you are in power and we expect that as a minister you speak in the interest of Ghanaians and not for political points," he said on Accra-based Kasapa FM.
In a leaked audio recording, a senior female police officer was heard saying the the final police report was massaged.
A-Plus has labeled deputy Chief of Staffs Francis Asenso-Boakye and Samuel Abu Jinapor as stupid and corrupt appointees.
According to him, the seven months of President Akufo-Addos government have been good so far except for appointing two criminally minded people as Chief of Staff.
He said "NPP delegates congress. 7 months of NPP government. So far so good except appointing some very corrupt officials including the two very stupid deputy chief of staffs. Its amazing how Nana was able to appoint thieves whose level of stupidity is the same. Arrogant and corrupt fools. You think youll be in power forever. Even John Mahama I was not afraid of him then you."
The Police CID launched an investigations into the allegations and described as baseless.
A statement signed by Director General of CID of the Ghana Police Service COP Bright Oduro described as baseless and unsubstantiated allegations of thievery and corruption leveled against the two, adding that their intervention in a Korle Bu Teaching Hospital deal "was transparent, borne out of the protection of public interest and consistent with their duties as Chiefs of Staff."
But a leaked tape containing the voice of A Plus and the female police officer contradicts the contents of final report of the CID.
In the audio, the police officer said "as for the corruption aspect of it, from what you said and what weve gone to confirm, you wouldnt be too far from right to say that this is what happened, but we need to manage the people are your people. We need to find the best way to ensure that Korle Bu works the way we all want it to work."
The Police officer added that "you need somebody wholl be neutral to tell them exactly what is there for them to understand and I wish I could have an audience with the President himself. Because it looks like most of the things doesnt get to himyes I feel sad for him."
She said: "I feel he has good intentions but hes not going to achieve it."
A Plus on the other side, said he has achieved his aim. "For me I think I have achieved my aim"
"We hope our friends in the EU will soon follow the United States, Canada, and many Latin American nations, in sanctioning the Maduro regime," Trump told a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
"The citizens have endured immense starvation, suffering and dangers, political unrest, under the oppressive socialist regime," added the US leader.
Washington has slapped sanctions on the crisis-stricken country -- including on Maduro himself -- and days ago added Venezuela to a new list of countries targeted by a US travel ban.
Rajoy said his government was spearheading efforts within the EU to push for sanctions against Caracas.
"What is happening in Venezuela is unacceptable," he said. "Traditionally it was a democratic country and at this time it is no longer a democratic country. They're political prisoners."
"Sanctions are important," he added. "It is important there is an international coalition so democracy is restored."
After more than three hours speaking with the House Intelligence Committee, which has access to top-secret information on Russian activities from intelligence bodies, he said his view had not changed.
"I think it's an entirely political exercise," he told reporters in the halls of Congress outside the committee room.
Stone, who had earlier lashed out at specific members of the committee, one of three in Congress investigating the alleged Russian election meddling, said the discussion was "productive" and "pretty collegiate".
The dapper 65-year-old, a behind-the-scenes tactician for a long series of Republican political campaigns, taunted the committee before heading to Congress early Tuesday.
"Never pass up a chance to have sex, be on television or testify before a House Congressional Committee," he said in a tweet.
He followed that with a tweeted photograph in the Trump International Hotel in Washington Monday evening with a huge martini glass, and another holding a classic 1976 tome, "The Russians" by Hedrick Smith, quipping: "Preparing for my testimony."
But, facing a hearing in which he had to testify under oath for the first time, his prepared statement took serious aim at allegations that he had communications with Russian hackers and WikiLeaks.
"I view this as a political proceeding because a number of members of this committee have made irresponsible, indisputable and provably false statements in order to create the impression of collusion with the Russian state," he said.
"I do not engage in any illegal activities on behalf of my clients or the causes which I support."
"There is one 'trick' that is not in my bag and that is treason."
Intel on Russia 'politicized'
He also said the US intelligence community has not provided evidence of their conclusion that Russians boosted Trump's presidential campaign and that the two sides colluded.
"Our intelligence agencies have been politicized," he said
Stone said he did not tell the committee who his journalist go-between was in contacts with Wikileaks during the election campaign. Stone has been accused publicly but not formally of having collaborated with the anti-secrets group in its release of stolen Democratic Party communications and documents.
He said he would ask the journalist for "release" to be able to provide their identity to investigators, but before that he would remain true to his promise of confidentiality.
"I'm not going to burn somebody I spoke to off the record," he said.
Meanwhile Stone said that Trump's former presidential campaign chief Paul Manafort expects to be indicted in the probe over Russian election meddling.
"His attorneys informed my attorneys of that," Stone, a longtime friend of Manafort, told reporters.
On Tuesday, the US Department of Commerce issued a preliminary ruling that would levy a 219.63% tariff on every Bombardier C Series airliner imported into the US.
The US International Trade Commission will issue a final judgment on the Commerce Department's proposed tariffs in early 2018.
Tuesday's ruling comes as a result of a complaint Boeing filed in April alleging Bombardier's landmark 2016 deal with Delta Air Lines is the result of abnormally low prices made possible by Canadian government subsidies. Boeing contends that Bombardier's subsidized sales of the C Series airliner in the US came at the detriment of its 737 NG and 737 MAX models.
"The US Department of Commerce today affirmed that Bombardier has taken massive illegal subsidies in violation of existing trade law," Boeing said in a statement. "Subsidies enabled Bombardier to dump its product into the US market, harming aerospace workers in the United States and throughout Boeings global supply chain."
Bombardier responded in a statement, calling the ruling "absurd and divorced from reality." The Montreal-based airplane manufacturer also hit out at Boeing, accusing it of manipulating US trade laws to stifle competition.
"We are confident the USITC will conclude that no US manufacturer is at risk because neither Boeing nor any other US manufacturer makes any 100-110 seat aircraft that competes with the CS100," Delta said in a statement. "Boeing has no American-made product to offer because it canceled production of its only aircraft in this size range the 717 more than 10 years ago."
According to Delta, Boeing's only proposed alternative to the CS100 was to offer it a batch of second-hand Brazilian Embraer E190 regional jets. Oddly enough, the used Embraers that Boeing offered Delta were reportedly traded in by Air Canada.
How we got here
For years, the story around the Bombardier C Series program has been blighted cost overruns, developmental delays, and slow sales.
In 2015, Bombardier was forced to write down $4.4 billion. At the same time, the company took a $1 billion bailout from the Quebec government. In return, the provincial taxpayers took a 49.5% stake in the C Series. Even as it struggled to close a sale, Bombardier was credited with building an aircraft that's one of the most capable on the market today. The plane's operators say the C Series is delivering fuel economy even better than what Bombardier promised.
At the heart of Boeing's complaint is a deal that was widely seen as the order that saved the Bombardier C Series program from its demise.
Looking for a blockbuster sale to help build traction for the plane in the US, Bombardier went all-in on a pitch to United Airlines. Sensing the new competition, Boeing bit the bullet and gave United a whopping 70% discount on 40 737-700s. While large airlines like United never pay list price, 70% off is the aviation equivalent of a Black Friday sale price.
In January 2016, United announced the sale of 40 737-700s followed by an order for another 25 of the planes in March. (Oddly enough, United realized several months later that it actually didn't want any of these planes and converted them to orders for four of the larger 737-800s and 61 737 MAX jets.)
Finally, in April 2016, Bombardier struck pay dirt. Delta Air Lines ordered 75 C Series 100 airliners in a deal worth up to $5.6 billion. In addition, Bombardier and Delta agreed to an option for 50 additional jets.
With the Delta order, Bombardier not only found a US launch customer for the C Series but also had the blockbuster deal it needed to validate the attractiveness of the aircraft for other prospective buyers.
With the C Series, Delta has a long-range ultra-fuel-efficient, 100-seat jet capable of making money in markets where competition has depressed profits. In addition, the new Bombardier jet will allow Delta to operate mainline service in markets that traditionally were serviced by smaller regional jets.
From Boeing's perspective, how Bombardier netted the deal has it seeing red.
Boeing claims Bombardier sold the CS100 for just $19.6 million. That's far less than the $33.2 million the Chicago-based aviation giant says it cost Bombardier to make the plane and a mere fraction of the CS100's $79.5 million sticker price.
Where do we go from here?
Should the proposed tariff stick, each of Delta's C Series jets would cost over $40 million, putting the future of the deal on shaky ground.
For Bombardier, the big decision is the USITC's final ruling in 2018, the aerospace-industry analyst Richard Aboulafia said.
If the USITC decides to allow the tariff to stick, it will need to show how it came upon such a punishment, Aboulafia told Business Insider.
"If they can't explain how they came to that conclusion, that's really dangerous because the Canadians are going to regard this as a slap in the face," said Aboulafia, who is the vice president of analysis at Teal Group.
That's because the dispute has now entered the realm of politics, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau threatening to scuttle the country's plans to buy $5 billion worth of F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets from Boeing. British Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her concerns regarding the dispute because the C Series' wings are made in Northern Ireland.
In addition, a tariff on the C Series is also a concern for industry in the US. More than 50% of the Canadian jet is made using US-sourced components, including its prized Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines.
At its most extreme, using Boeing's logic that the C Series is a rival to the 737, the Canadian government could argue that Air Canada's and WestJet's orders for Boeing 737 MAX airliners were made to the detriment of the country's aviation industry.
"This is how trade wars get started," Aboulafia added.
The ultimate effect of Tuesday's ruling on the Bombardier C Series and US-Canadian trade relations remains to be seen.
The ranking assesses almost 140 countries on a range of factors, from organised crime to redundancy costs to female participation in the labour force.
Countries then receive a score for 12 key "pillars" including infrastructure, education and healthcare, labour market efficiency, and innovation that then inform their overall competitiveness ranking.
"Governments, businesses and individuals are experiencing high levels of uncertainty as technology and geopolitical forces reshape the liberal economic and political order that has underpinned international relations and economic policy for the past 25 years," writes Richard Samans, head of global agenda at the WEF.
"It remains critically important to monitor closely the factors that determine economic growth, which enables countries to offer more equal opportunities and higher living standards."
Among the report's findings are that, while emerging economies are becoming better at innovation, more can be done to spread benefits. Labour market flexibility and worker protection are also needed for competitiveness and shared prosperity.
"The emerging consensus is that economic growth once again needs to focus more on human well-being," it says.
Below are the 12 countries that topped the ranking for most competitive in the world:
12. Denmark This Scandinavian country has achieved both high employment and low inequality, a pattern that the report says supports the finding that workers' rights can be well protected in flexible labour markets.
GDP per capita: $53,744.
Best for: Higher education and training, 5th of 137 countries.
Most problematic factor for doing business: Tax rates.
11. Norway "With high levels of information and communication technology use and a very dynamic business sector," Norway is "well placed to capitalise on the opportunities of the digital transformation," the report says.
GDP per capita:$70,3912.
Best for: 1st of 137 countries.
Most problematic factor for doing business:ax rates.
10. Finland Finland's approach to "preparing the younger generation for the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution through novel teaching approaches has been particularly noteworthy," the report says.
GDP per capita:$43,169.
Best for: 1st of 137 countries.
Most problematic factor for doing business:
9. Japan The island nation's success is "largely driven by high-quality physical and digital infrastructure, a healthy and educated workforce and a fertile innovation ecosystem," but it suffers from "persistently troubled public finances."
GDP per capita:$38,917.
Best for: of 137 countries.
Most problematic factor for doing business:
8. UK Britain has fallen one place, although the report says this is not a reflection of Brexit. However, the outcome of ongoing negotiations will likely "further undermine the country's competitiveness," WEF warns.
GDP per capita:$40,096.
Best for: of 137 countries.
Most problematic factor for doing business:
7. Sweden Sweden has suffered from a deterioration in the perception of its institutional environment, although its economy "performs best in absolute terms on the set of basic requirements."
GDP per capita:$51,165.
Best for: of 137 countries.
Most problematic factor for doing business:
6. Hong Kong Hong Kong has risen from 9th place last year, the largest leap among the top 10 economies this year. It has been helped by its stable financial markets and flexible labour system, but the report says it could do better to harness talent from its workforce.
GDP per capita:$43,528.
Best for: 1st of 137 countries.
Most problematic factor for doing business:
5. Germany The report says the country's "excellent performance" in innovation and its business ecosystem are "particularly noteworthy."
GDP per capita:$41,902.
Best for: 5th of 137 countries.
Most problematic factor for doing business:
4. Netherlands A strong education system and high levels of tech readiness support the country's success in the rankings, WEF says.
GDP per capita:$42,283.
Best for: 3rd of 137 countries.
Most problematic factor for doing business:
3. Singapore The city-state performs well "across the board," although the report says its macroeconomic environment has been hurt by rising government debt, which is among the highest in the world when measured as a share of GDP.
GDP per capita:$52,961.
Best for: 1st of 137 countries.
Most problematic factor for doing business:
2. United States Although it ranks very highly overall, the report says the US performs poorly for "basic requirements," and is let down by low scores for health and primary education.
GDP per capita:$57,436.
Best for: of 137 countries.
Most problematic factor for doing business:
1. Switzerland The small European nation has retained the top spot consistently since 2012 thanks to strong scores pretty much across the board.
GDP per capita:$79,242.
Best for:1st of 137 countries.
The repatriation tax holiday outlined in the plan, which has officially passed both chambers of Congress and is awaiting Trump's signature, is designed to incentivize US-based companies that do big business overseas to bring those profits back home.
By Goldman Sachs' calculation, S&P 500 companies hold $920 billion of untaxed overseas cash, and the firm estimates that $250 billion of that would be repatriated. Looking at all US-based companies, Citigroup says there's a whopping $2.5 trillion of capital stashed internationally.
Once a company brings that money back to the US, it has a few options for how to use it. The first is reinvestment into core businesses this is most likely the avenue policymakers would prefer, as it holds the most direct bearing on economic expansion.
Another option is for a company to repurchase its shares this would be beneficial to stock prices and, by extension, the market as a whole. Buybacks are a good way to achieve immediate share appreciation and signal to investors that a stock is viewed as undervalued.
And regardless of how the cash is used, a tax break for multinational companies at least partially addresses what a recent World Economic Forum survey identified as the most problematic factor for doing business: tax rates.
So with that established, which companies stand to benefit most? Goldman says it's those holdings the most post-tax cash overseas relative to their market cap a group heavily concentrated in the tech and healthcare sectors.
Back in late September, after the initial tax plan framework was released, the firm put together a handy list of the stocks that fit the bill. Here are the ones it has identified as the top 13 beneficiaries.
13. General Electric
Ticker: GE
Sector: Industrials
Total return year to date: -19%
Overseas cash: $35 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 14%
12. Foot Locker
Ticker: FL
Sector: Consumer discretionary
Total return year to date: -52%
Overseas cash: $1 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 15%
11. Citrix Systems
Ticker: CTXS
Sector: Tech
Total return year to date: 7%
Overseas cash: $2 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 16%
10. Western Digital
Ticker: WDC
Sector: Tech
Total return year to date: 29%
Overseas cash: $5 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 16%
9. Waters Corp.
Ticker: WAT
Sector: Healthcare
Total return year to date: 35%
Overseas cash: $3 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 17%
8. Ralph Lauren
Ticker: RL
Sector: Consumer discretionary
Total return year to date: -1%
Overseas cash: $1 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 20%
7. Microsoft
Ticker: MSFT
Sector: Tech
Total return year to date: 22%
Overseas cash: $128 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 20%
6. Oracle
Ticker: ORCL
Sector: Tech
Total return year to date: 27%
Overseas cash: $48 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 22%
5. Amgen
Ticker: AMGN
Sector: Healthcare
Total return year to date: 30%
Overseas cash: $36 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 24%
4. Apple
Ticker: AAPL
Sector: Tech
Total return year to date: 33%
Overseas cash: $216 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 25%
3. Qualcomm
Ticker: QCOM
Sector: Tech
Total return year to date: -18%
Overseas cash: $30 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 35%
2. NetApp
Ticker: NTAP
Sector: Tech
Total return year to date: 22%
Overseas cash: $5 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 36%
1. Cisco Systems
Ticker: CSCO
Sector: Tech
Total return year to date: 13%
Overseas cash: $68 billion
Overseas cash as % of market cap: 37%
In some African countries, traditional empires have been constitutionally recognized as state institutions.
Don't be totally shell-shocked to see some African monarchs living lavishly with lots of privileges, including state protection, a generous monthly salary and allowances, and a motorcade of luxury vehicles.
Yes, they are living large.
Here's a compilation of top four wealthiest kings in Africa. Enjoy!
Mohammed VI
Pulse Ghana
King Mohammed VI, Morocco
Estimated net worth: $2 billion
Source: Investments
First on our list is the inviting Mohammed VI. Apparently, he is still reigning. He was born on August 1963 and climbed the monarch in July 1999 after the death of his father, King Hassan II. Mohammed VI is considered the wealthiest African king, controlling Moroccan investment holding company Societe Nationale dInvestissement, whose assets are estimated to be worth more than $10 billion. The King also owns one of the worlds largest phosphate reserves and has investments in the financial, mining, telecommunications, and distribution sectors.
Fredrick Obateru Akinrutan, Nigeria
Pulse Ghana
Oba Obateru Akinrutan, Ugbo Land, Nigeria
Estimated net worth: $300 million
Source: Oil
The Oil land can just not boast of the richest man in Africa but also some filthy rich kings. The 1950 born king Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan is estimated to be worth $300 million. He is the traditional ruler and king of Ugbo Kingdom. His investments in the oil industry are somewhat remarkable. King Akinrutan owns Obat Oil, one of the largest private oil companies in Nigeria.
READ ALSO: Palm wine is the nectar of the tropics the world must know about
King Akinrutan really lives large. In 2014, he was quoted by a local newspaper saying that he wears a $1 million watch.
King Mswati III
Pulse Ghana
King Mswati III, Swaziland
Estimated net worth: At least $50 million
Source: Investments
King Mswati III was born in April 1968 in Manzini, Swaziland. He is the current King of Swaziland and head of the Swazi Royal Family. He was crowned king in April 1986 at the age of 18. He rules the small south African country as the absolute monarch.
King Mswati III has often been criticized for his lavish lifestyle, with many local and international media outlets accusing him of living an extravagant life, while his people languish in poverty. In the 2014 national budget, the countrys national assembly allocated $61 million for the Kings annual household budget. King Mswati is estimated to be worth $200 million.
King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II
Pulse Ghana
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Ashanti, Ghana
Estimated net worth: $10 million
Source: Mining Equipment, Property, Jewelry
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is the 16th King of Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana. A very powerful kingdom in Ghana. He was born in May 1950 and ascended the throne in April 1999. Apparently, he is also the absolute monarch and head of the Ashanti royal house of Oyoko.
READ ALSO:The Ghanaian illustrator who practiced with mosquito blood as a boy is breaking boundaries as a man
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This is unchartered territory for universities in Kenya. Even in the dark days of KANU rule, the imposition of executive power on universities did not reach the point of banning travel. The circular from the ministry raises serious questions on our purported claims of being a constitutional democracy, and has in a single stroke; put us in the same league with dysfunctional, dictatorial states. This is unprecedented. For a country that is glowing in the limelight in Africa for its progressive constitution, recently demonstrated by a landmark ruling at the judiciary, the circular was a gigantic step back to the dark ages which most had assumed were behind us.
The directive by the Office of the President is unconstitutional. Chapter four of the Bill of Rights, in article 39 of the constitution explicitly gives every Kenyan the right to freedom of movement, and specifically the rights to leave and enter Kenya. These rights have now been withdrawn. The government has provided no substantial reason to warrant these illegalities. Kenya is not at war; and the government itself, through the Attorney General has publicly confirmed that there is no political crisis in the country. The directive is as confusing as it is misplaced.
Owing to the numerous cancellations of key speaking engagements by Kenyan scholars across the world, our country is receiving negative publicity. Our heads, long held high in pride when abroad, are now bent over, bowed with indignity. We do not know whether to describe this as a bad dream, or a sign of creeping authoritarianism. The government has deprived itself of badly needed cultural diplomatic agency, especially at a peculiar point in its political history, by imposing a ban on people who often act as ambassadors of this country. Indeed, if the move was meant to diffuse the perceived internal political stalemate, it has only attracted more global attention to it.
Are we saying that research has actually stopped? Knowledge has no borders, and distinguished scholarship is that which has been reviewed by peers, internationally? Many scholars are engaged in international assignments that among others entail teaching and visiting fellowships, external examinations, exchange programmes, international collaboration and many more. Why should the business of knowledge production stop on account of politics? Most of these partnerships are subject to agreements that pool hundreds of millions of shillings for the benefit of the country.
Also, what does the ban suggest of the Universitys Academic Staff Union (UASU)? For two weeks now, the union has barely issued a statement. One would have expected a prompt court intervention. UASU is dead. UASU died when it failed to engage with the important questions of governance and social justice and is only stirred by bread and butter issues. UASU died when the union gave up its historical role as the intellectual conscience of the country. UASU died when political correctness and self preservation trumped members concerns. The academics union must intervene to restore the dignity of academic staff or forever risk irrelevance.
The travel ban offends the autonomy that universities should ordinarily enjoy. It has also undermined academic freedom. While autonomy of universities is an ideal, it is something which the government must encourage, both for its own benefit and the university at large.
I sympathize with the presidents predicament following the annulment of his big win, which limits his own movements overseas. But should that now mean that scholars also remain grounded? To impose a travel ban on academics is unreasonable, illegal and thoughtless. It is anti-intellectual. It is also humiliating. It is in the interest of the government to lift travel ban by academics.
That means any foreign ships delivering goods to Puerto Rico a US territory are subject to steep tariffs, driving up the prices of consumer goods.
President Donald Trump took action Thursday, waiving the act temporarily for Puerto Rico at the request of its governor. The White House said the waiver could take effect immediately.
Goods shipped from the US mainland to Puerto Rico often transferred from foreign ships onto US vessels in Florida are double the price they are in neighboring islands, including the US Virgin Islands, not subject to the Jones Act. It makes the cost of living in Puerto Rico, where the per capita income is less than half that of the poorest state in the US, significantly higher than in most American cities.
"This is a shakedown, a mob protection racket, with Puerto Rico a captive market," Nelson Denis, a former New York state assemblyman, wrote in a Monday New York Times op-ed article.
With Puerto Rico in dire straits, critics of the law have argued that the government should repeal it altogether, automatically suspend it during natural disasters, or provide far-flung places like Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico with permanent waivers.
The Trump administration recently granted temporary waivers in Texas and Florida following Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.
"A humanitarian crisis is about to explode in Puerto Rico. But the consequences of Jones Act relief would be immediate and powerful," Denis wrote. "This is not the time to price-gouge the entire population."
Critics argue that the law also places burdensome restrictions on US businesses, which are subjected to higher costs of US shipping, and consumers. But the maritime industry represented by powerful lobbying groups is strongly in favor of maintaining the status quo.
"Almost every study shows that the losses to consumers are much bigger than the gains to anybody else," Tom Grennes, a professor of economics emeritus at North Carolina State University, told Business Insider.
But while the gains are concentrated in the shipping industry, the losses are spread thin in mainland America, they amount to about $5 a US citizen each year.
Presidents including Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama have supported the law for national security reasons, arguing that US reliance on foreign shipping could be dangerous in a crisis. But the US fleet is shrinking, so Grennes says this defense of the law is increasingly irrelevant.
On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he was "thinking about" granting Puerto Rico a Jones Act waiver. But he quickly added, "We have a lot of shippers and a lot of people who work in the shipping industry that don't want the Jones Act lifted, and we have a lot of ships out there now."
While the Jones Act is in line with Trump's "Buy American, Hire American" motto, it is also a form of regulation which Trump has pledged to cut and, in some cases, burdens the energy industry.
The president's first public response to Hurricane Maria came in a series of tweets in which he focused on the island's weak infrastructure and economy five days after the storm hit.
A handful of US lawmakers have long argued for a repeal of the Jones Act.
In July, Republican Sen. John McCain, a longtime foe of the Jones Act, introduced legislation that would repeal the law, which he argues "hinders free trade, stifles the economy, and ultimately harms consumers." The senator renewed his call to action this week.
"I am very concerned by the department's decision not to waive the Jones Act for current relief efforts in Puerto Rico, which is facing a worsening humanitarian crisis following Hurricane Maria," McCain wrote in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday.
"It is unacceptable to force the people of Puerto Rico to pay at least twice as much for food, clean drinking water, supplies and infrastructure due to Jones Act requirements as they work to recover from this disaster," he added. "Now, more than ever, it is time to realize the devastating effect of this policy and implement a full repeal of this archaic and burdensome act."
Eight Democratic members of Congress, including Reps. Nydia Velazquez of New York and Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, have also spoken out, calling for a one-year suspension of the law to speed Puerto Rico's recovery.
Moore, a conservative Christian known as the "Ten Commandments Judge" for his defiance of a federal order to remove a monument to the Bible's Ten Commandments from a state building, has long been a celebrated leader of Alabama's right wing.
Moore is deeply controversial both among those who take issue with his positions on race, religion, and sexuality. And he has detractors among establishment Republicans, supported by President Donald Trump, who say he would be a weak candidate in the December general election and have mobilized almost $11 million to support his opponent.
The anti-establishment candidate
Before his win, Moore stood at the center of a battle within the GOP between the conservative populism that propelled Trump to the White House and the establishment Republican wing.
The establishment GOP has aggressively supported Strange, who was appointed to fill the seat after Sessions' departure. Trump has enthusiastically joined them, tweeting his support for Strange during the first primary face-off in August and even flying to Huntsville, Alabama, for a rally last Friday.
Trump tweeted twice on Tuesday morning encouraging Republicans to support Strange, who he sometimes refers to as "Big Luther."
"ALABAMA, get out and vote for Luther Strange - he has proven to me that he will never let you down! #MAGA" Trump wrote.
Some of Trump's fiercest proponents, including former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and right-wing UK politician Nigel Farage, have broken with him, actively supporting Moore.
During a 20-minute speech at a boisterous rally in Fairhope, Alabama, on Monday, Bannon called the primary a "day of reckoning" and charged that establishment Republicans think the state's voters are "a pack of morons."
"They think youre nothing but rubes. They have no interest at all in what you have to say, what you have to think or what you want to do," Bannon said. "And tomorrow, youre gonna get an opportunity to tell them what you think of the elites who run this country!"
Trump claimed that Moore would be a weaker candidate against Democratic opponent Doug Jones, a former US Attorney who has been endorsed by Joe Biden. And many Republicans feared that a Moore win would encourage other conservative populists across the country to challenge GOP incumbents.
Although Democrats have little hope of winning in a state that hasn't elected a member of their party to the Senate since 1992, they are hoping that a fringe candidate like Moore would help expand their appeal.
Moore has spoken out against the establishment mobilization against him. Criticizing attack ads that questioned his support for the Second Amendment, Moore pulled a handgun out of his pocket at a campaign rally on Monday night.
A history of far-right and conspiracy-aligned positions
Moore has long expressed deeply conservative and sometimes conspiracy-aligned beliefs on issues including homosexuality, race, Islam, and terrorism.
Along with Trump, Moore has consistently cast doubt on former President Barack Obama's US citizenship and promoted the "birther" conspiracy as recently as December 2016.
In 2005, the former judge said that "homosexual conduct" should be illegal, calling it "immoral." Moore voiced the same position 10 years later.
Moore has also acted on his virulently anti-gay beliefs. After he was reelected as chief justice of the state Supreme Court, Moore was again removed from the position in 2016 after he directed probate judges to enforce the state's ban on same-sex marriages despite the Supreme Court's decision to overturn it.
Last February, Moore suggested that the 9/11 terror attacks were a punishment from God for Americans' declining religiosity.
"Because you have despised His word and trust in perverseness and oppression, and say thereon ... therefore this iniquity will be to you as a breach ready to fall, swell out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instance,'" Moore said, quoting the Bible. He added, "Sounds a little bit like the Pentagon, whose breaking came suddenly at an instance, doesn't it?"
He later claimed that God may be angry with the US because "we legitimize sodomy" and "legitimize abortion."
"You know, we've suffered a lot in this country, maybe, just maybe, because we've distanced ourselves from the one that has it within his hands to heal this land," he said.
Moore called Islam a "false religion" in July in response to an Alabama resident's question about how he would deal with alleged Muslim influence on US law.
Moore has fanned the flames of unsubstantiated concerns that Sharia law is influencing the rule of law in some American communities. Right-wing leaders and politicians have long claimed that Sharia law poses an "existential threat" to the United States, a position critics argue stokes Islamophobic sentiment.
Thygesen referenced YouTube's brand safety crisis from earlier this year in particular, calling it "a complete miss on our part." But he said that the company was committed to and had made progress on addressing the challenges, specifically with regards to making sure that people can see its ads (known as ad 'viewability'), ad buying transparency and overall trust.
Brands and marketers have been cracking the whip on platforms like Google lately, clamoring for more third-party measurement and a greater degree of clarity in the digital ads ecosystem.
In response to that, ads on YouTube are now 93% to 95% percent viewable, said Thygesen, per the company's most recent research. The industry average is in the 60s, he claimed. Google has also
issuing refunds for ads that ran on websites with fake traffic, and working on developing a tool to give marketers more transparency about the ads they buy on its platform.
As expected many are sending birthday wishes to the founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel.
These people include his wife, Faith and fellow pastor, Enoch Adejare Adeboye.
Information Nigeria reports that the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has posted a birthday tribute to Bishop Oyedepo.
He wrote; Happy Birthday Bishop David Oyedepo Pastor Enoch Adeboye
The Rolls Royce of Bishops
Some years ago, someone gave me an article on cars to read.
It listed the Mercedes Benz as the STRONGEST car.
It listed BMW as the FASTEST car.
It listed LEXUS as the most comfortable car.
I turned to the man that gave me the article to read and asked in my confusion so where do we place Rolls Royce?
The man smiled and said, Sir, you cant place Rolls Royce in this category; when we are rating cars, Rolls Royce is in a class of its own.
There are bishops and there are bishops.
and When you are rating bishops, Bishop Oyedepo stands in a class of his own."
Bishop Oyedepo is the Rolls Royce of bishops.
And I am proud to be his father.
It is only in Christianity that you see a bishop who is a son of a pastor.
Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
Bishop Oyedepo shares his birthday with his daughter, Joy, who took to Facebook to honour her father on their birthday.
In her words, Its such an honour and a privilege to share every birthday with my daddio, my most amazing father. As I step into every new year, hearing him pray over me, as I pray the same and more for him, fills my heart with so much joy.
So, to my father, Happy Birthday daddy! & thank you for letting Mummy surprise you with me on the same 27th! I love you so dearly -forever and always. Xo
This caption was accompanied by pictures.
This appeal was made by the president of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle.
According to Daily Post, the religious body wants everyone to pray for peace, stability and unity.
This was stated in a statement by his Special Assistant, Media & Communications, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji.
It read: The unity of the country has been under a consistent threat as the citizens have been polarised along various divides and the only thing that we could do as the people of God is to intercede for divine intervention.
It is widely believed that the country has not been this divided since the unfortunate civil war and it is high time we asked God to deliver Nigeria from all the threats that can throw us into another senseless war.
The unfortunate quest for secession by the IPOB, its proscription, the military intervention and the on-going controversial debate over the restructuring of the country are indications that the unity and peace of Nigeria are under threats.
All churches in the country should intercede for the country against needless bloodletting, violence and civil war.
We should pray for divine wisdom for the leadership at all levels to stop paying lip service to the unity and peace of Nigeria but to have the courage to address the imbalance that is largely responsible for the endless agitation in the country.
Let us pray against the insecurity occasioned by the criminal activities of the murderous Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram terrorists and the masterminds of ethnic/religious violence, kidnappings, armed robbery, corruption, and a host of others.
The menace of Boko Haram terrorists remain unabated despite the victory declared over them by the government as innocent children are being used as suicide bombers to attack innocent people. We should ask God to give us a permanent solution to this problem in Jesus name.
ALSO READ: CAN constitutes committee to intensify prayers for President Buhari
Meanwhile, a Catholic priest named Gabriel Teruwose Ngbea, wants the Federal Government to ban CAN and Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI).
According to the reverend father, these two religious groups and various pilgrims welfare boards should all be banned, Vanguard reports.
In his words, CAN and JNI should be proscribed because they have become political organisations that are used to advance political interests.
Concerning the welfare boards, Dr Ngbea says, Secularism is not an option, but the only solution to the Nigerian question.
This was stated at the public presentation of the priests book entitled: Constitutional Misconception of Secularism and Implications for Politics and Religion in Nigeria in Abuja.
Vanguard reports that the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is advising young people to flee from violence.
According to the Special Assistant to the General Overseer of RCCG on Young Adult & Youth, Pastor Peter Amenkhie-nan, the youth should also do their best to avoid evil-minded persons that want to use them to disrupt the country.
The cleric went on to encourage them to do their best once they have the opportunity, adding that they would be rewarded for their efforts.
He said: We do not believe in aggressive agitations but result-oriented ones because no system argues on the result. Once you have the result, naturally it will open doors of opportunities for you.
In RCCG, we emphasise that success without integrity is no achievement. We dont have bastards in RCCG. There are pockets of people in politics who have not soiled their hands with corruption.
Current generation of youth should prove themselves, get the result on the table and with that, convince the older generation that they are actually ready to take the mantle of leadership in our nation.
Once you are given the opportunity, prove your worth and that will speak for you. Be diligent in the little you are doing in your corner or your space of influence and be consistent, very soon your testimony will spread, somebody, will spot you and recommend you.
ALSO READ: Pastor Adeboye makes a good point
These words of advice were shared during a briefing with newsmen ahead of this years National Youth Convention.
Pastor Peter Amenkhie-nan was represented by the Pastor-in-charge of National Young Adult & Youth Affairs of RCCG, Pastor Precious Akingbade.
RCCGs youth convention tagged: Agents of Trans-formation, will hold from October 27, 2017 at the Redemption Camp.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that lectures have resumed, while administrative offices were also open for operations.
Non-academic staff members were seen in their various offices while businesses in the university were full of activities.
Some students, who spoke with NAN, expressed happiness at the suspension of strike.
They thanked ASUU and the Federal Government for fruitful dialogue which led to the suspension of the strike.
A first year law student, Miss Oluwadamilola Salako, told NAN that she was happy when ASUU ended the strike.
Salako said that she was bored at home.
I was expecting a prolonged strike and was happy when ASUU stopped the industrial action."
I hope that the academic calendar has not been fully disrupted, she said.
A fifth year student of electrical/electronic engineering, Mr Alo Oluwabamise, also expressed delight at the development.
He, however, said that ASUU strike had become recurrent.
The last ASUU strike took almost six months. All I know is that, for a better education system, the present administration should work toward total overhaul of the sector.
Strike does not help in anyway; it only brings setback. I do not blame ASUU for whatever agitation because the unions demands are genuine, he said.
When contacted, the universitys Director of Communication and Publications, Mr Olatunji Oladejo, said that the management would soon announce an adjusted academic calendar.
NAN reports that the university management had in a press release signed by the Registrar, Mr Olu Olujimi, informed the general public, especially students, that second semester lectures began on Tuesday.
Lecturers in public universities, under the aegis of ASUU, embarked on what they described as total, comprehensive and indefinite nationwide strike on Aug. 13.
The lecturers protested non implementation of the 2009 agreement and the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding it entered into with the Federal Government.
The actress while granting an interview with ThisDay Newspaper revealed that men, these days, are shying away from their responsibilities as husbands.
When asked whether she thinks being a single mother is now fashionable in Nollywood, she said:
"Single motherhood is not peculiar to Nollywood. If you go to the banking sector, there are single mothers there; in the military, in law firms and other fields, there are single mothers."
She went on saying "It is not our fault; its just that men no longer want to play their role as husbands. I am not a supporter of single parenthood: every man or woman has the right to live their life the way they choose."
"Its just by Gods grace that I am acting and producing. Emotional trauma is not what I will encourage anybody to pass through. God created every woman for a man. So marriage is good." she concluded.
ALSO READ: Doris Simeon returns to movie set with 3 new movies
In a recent interview with Pulse, Doris Simeon spoke about her career, response to critics and her awards. On discrimination in Nollywood, she said
"I have never experienced it on my own part. I really cannot say if there's a discrimination or not, maybe because I communicate with every single member of the industry. Whenever we meet, even if we haven't worked together, we say 'hi. I don't really know what any other of my colleagues are going through for them to come out and say such thing."
She also spoke challenging times in her career,"It was when I did "Omo Iya Kan. I was producing, playing two characters in a movie, and I just had my baby who was just 3 months then, and I just lost my dad. So, it was kind of challenging, but then, it all went well."
The deceased, Morrison Akinbule said to be a 300-Level student of Caleb University, a private tertiary institution in Lagos, was said to have been beaten to death by the baby mama whose name was given as Chidinma, at his house.
According to a neighbour who identified herself as Mia Seren, the deceased and Chidinma had just come back after an outing when a quarrel ensued between them, leading to the fatal fight that took his life.
Narrating how the tragic incident happened, Seren said:
It happened on Sunday, September 24, 2017. Morrison went for a party and came back around 9 pm. Chidinma was not at home when Morrison came back, so he called her to ask her where she was.
They planned to meet at a place and when they came back, they were with a Mr. Biggs nylon and went into their room.
Like 30 minutes later, we heard them fighting in the room and somebody was hitting someones head on the wall. When we rushed there and called on Chidinma to open the door, but she refused.
Later we did not hear their voices again. Like 30 minutes later, she opened the door and some neighbours entered the room and saw Morrison on the floor. He was unconscious and he had an injury on his head with a cloth tied around his neck.
We rushed him to the hospital but by the time we got there, he had given up the ghost."
A friend of the deceased, Adewunmi Gabriel, who is still pained by his passing, also penned a touching tribute for him on his Facebook page:
"I want you to know that I think of you every day. I want you to know that I miss you more than anything, and I would give anything to talk to you one last time.
I still remember the last time that I saw you on Sunday, September 24. You were leaving for a party and I begged you not to leave.
You started cracking dry jokes I knew I would miss you, knew it would be a while until I saw you again.
For some reason, we hugged it was not until yesterday morning that our friend, , told me you died that Sunday night.
I still can't believe this; I have been crying since. I can't even get a good sleep without thinking about you. You had great plans for your future. You told me you wanted to be the youngest president in Nigeria.
Looking back now, I wish I would have spent more time with you, shared more stories with you, and made more memories.
But death took you from us you were our own Diego Costa, the best player in Gbagada.
Thank you for being a brother, a best friend and for being the most influential person Ive ever met; for accepting and loving everyone and for being someone that impacted the lives of so many.
You will never be forgotten. I will always love you, bro. Goodnight, Morrison Akinbule,
Love
This directive is a violation of Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris' order for the immediate removal of all police roadblocks across the country.
The FCT command's spokesperson, Anjuguri Manzah, said the the stop and search is a direct response to the disturbing rise in criminal cases in the nation's capital.
Manzah said the command is committed to taking necessary action to stop petty criminals like car thieves in Abuja.
He said, "The command is going to embark on vigorous stop-and-search operation along the highways of the FCT, as such, members of the public are hereby advised to always have proof of ownership of their cars in their possession to avoid embarrassment.
"As a result of the seeming rise in cases of theft of motor vehicles within FCT, especially the ones that are easily removed from where they are parked, the command is poised to take necessary action to stem the tide of the menace."
In the IGP's Tuesday directive to dismantle all roadblocks in the country, he explained that it is a necessity to guarantee free passage of goods and travellers throughout the country.
He also directed that all police officers patrolling highways and major roads in the country must put on their uniforms with their names and identification numbers easily displayed.
ALSO READ: IGP Idris orders the removal of police roadblocks nationwide
The police boss also placed a ban on illegal blockage and obstructions on highways and roads, created by unlawful revenue or tax collectors, road transport unions, labour and trade-related unions.
The police arraigned the commercial driver on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the prosecutor, Sgt. Monica Ikebuilo, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept. 24 at Ijigbo Street in Ado-Ekiti.
According to her, the offence contravened Section 320 of the Criminal Code, Cap C 16, Laws of Ekiti state, 2008.
The court did not take the plea of the defendant as his counsel; Mrs Felicia Nwandichi, applied for a short adjournment.
The magistrate, Dolapo Akosile, ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison until Oct. 9,
The magistrate also directed the prosecutor to duplicate the case file and send it to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPPs) for legal advice.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Yakubu Dogara, said this on Tuesday in Abuja in his remarks at the resumption of plenary after the legislators seven-week recess.
Dogara, reacting to the controversy surrounding the NGO Bill, said that transparency was what Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) promoted and therefore, should welcome the opportunity to interrogate the issues with open arms.
According to him, everyone should understand that the principal objective of the NGO Regulation Bill is to inject transparency, accountability and prevent the subversion of national security from within and without.
No one can nor indeed, should gag the operations of NGOs in Nigeria.
But, just as they aspire for this freedom, it must be stated that freedom does not come without responsibility as there is no such thing as freedom to be irresponsible.
There are also desperate attempts to instigate religious bodies and cultural organizations to oppose the Bill by spreading falsehood that they are the target of this bill.
For the avoidance of doubt, let me state once again that churches, mosques, esussu, market women associations as well as local quasi financial institutions are not NGOs and thus, the bill has nothing to do with their operations.
The legislative process cannot be short circuited, he said.
The speaker said that members of the Lower Chamber were also aware of the criticism over the NGO Bill which had passed second reading and was at committee stage.
Honourable members are also aware that the media have been awash with scathing criticism of the institution of the House of Representatives over the NGO Regulation Bill which has passed second reading and is at committee stage.
Public criticism of the content of the Bill is a welcome development and there are many who are doing just that.
Indeed, it is the reason why every Bill is subjected to public hearing so that the inputs of stakeholders can be obtained to ensure public buy-in.
I hasten to say that all Nigerians and other corporate persons, including non-Nigerians, are stakeholders and have a right to support or oppose a Bill.
However, when opinions are targeted at disparaging the institution of the legislature, then it becomes imperative to interrogate the motives driving such, especially when this emanates from those who should know, he said.
Dogara also urged Nigerians to desist from hate speech, saying it had no place in democracy and could instigate violence.
According to him, hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence.
We must learn to love one another, understand each other and respect each other for Nigeria to reach her full potential politically, socially and economically.
Of course, all healthy democracies are noisy, but they are filled with noise that elicits debate, not noise that incites to violence.
When speech or noise leads to debate, its called free speech but when noise or speech incites to violence then that is hate speech.
Hate speech has no place in a democracy and must never be tolerated or allowed.
Words are powerful and once spoken, its difficult, if not impossible to take them back. Words have the power to create the atmosphere in which we live.
There is nothing that exists that was not created by or in consequence of spoken words. Hate speech multiplies words that have the capacity to drown the truth.
He stated this at the opening of a conciliation meeting with JOHESU leaders, Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and relevant government agencies on Tuesday in Abuja.
The minister deplored media reports credited to National Chairman of JOHESU, Mr Biobeleye Josiah, that the Federal Government should be blamed for the unions strike.
He also decried allegation by the union that he travelled on the day government officials were expected to meet with leaders of the striking workers.
According to Ngige, as a minister, I am fully aware of the sanctity of my responsibilities as a servant and it is wrong for a servant to be maligned or brutalized for no just cause.
We are ministers; we are servants and we are serving you. How can you vilify your servant, or start beating him or killing him when there is no offence?
No, you cannot do so. You cannot brutalize me in the media for nothing. Even these ministers here, you cannot brutalize them, because they are serving the nation.
It is not in the best interest of fair labour practices. It is unconscionable.
So, I take your explanations and it is good you explained because the impression you gave in the media is grossly erroneous.
We invited you to a meeting on Thursday, September 21, 2017, your union failed to turn up and later requested for Friday, September 22, 2017.
I already had an official engagement at Owerri and the Health Minister was also involved in a different function, he said.
Ngige advised that freedom of association and speech should be carefully exercised to avoiding hurting the rights of others.
He acknowledged that freedom of association and freedom of speech were constitutionally guaranteed, but stated that trade unionism had a boundary.
They have a limit. You cannot use yours to hurt mine; slandering or libeling anybody can have consequences.
He also called for permanent structures for peace in trade unionism through selfless assessment of the extant economic situation in the country.
The minister said that this was only possible through social dialogue and constant negotiation so as to forestall perennial strikes.
We all know the economy is not in good shape.
If there were promises made when oil was selling at 150 dollars per barrel and those promises were not kept, it will be difficult to meet it now.
It will not be very reasonable to expect a government that came in while oil is selling at 40 or 50 dollars to pay backlogs.
But, that is what we are suffering here. So, I made it clear to the resident doctors, university teachers and I am making it clear here. We all have to make sacrifices to make Nigeria great, he said.
The health workers embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike on Wednesday over non-implementation of agreement reached with the Federal Government.
The unions demand includes adjustment of CONHESS salary as done for CONMESS since 2014, abolition of scale-to-scale promotion, payment of outstanding arrears of promotion and skipping and relativity.
WASHINGTON DC - Wednesday, all seven Republican members of Illinois' U.S. House delegation called on Illinois' GOP governor to veto a bill now on his desk expanding taxpayer funding of abortions - for any reason.
This bill is dangerous. Roskam said in a statement issued with the letter. It forces taxpayers to be complicit in the act of abortion even if they believe abortion to be morally reprehensible.
"Lawmakers in Springfield should be focused on addressing Illinois current financial crisis and not on partisan politics that serve only to place a greater burden on Illinois taxpayers," Roskam said. "I am asking the Governor keep his commitment to protect taxpayers as well as the most vulnerable members of our community.
While acknowledging the "extreme" political pressure Governor Rauner must be facing, the letter from the Republican delegation argues House Bill 40 would require taxpayers to pay for abortions through all full nine months of pregnancy for those covered by Medicaid and state employee health insurance.
"This includes painful late-term abortions, even past the point at which some children could survive outside the womb if given appropriate care," the letter says. "Under HB 40, there is no cap on the number of abortions that could be covered under Medicaid and no cap on the amount of taxpayer dollars spent on these procedures."
Current estimates of cost to the state range from $1.8 million to $21 million.
"While Illinois faces a financial crisis, it is unwise to place such a burden on the taxpayer," they write.
Then the letter turns to emphasize a longtime public policy set into action by Roskam's predecessor, the late Congressman Henry Hyde.
"Illinois state policy has been consistent with federal protections such as the Hyde Amendment which prohibits federal funding for abortion. The Hyde Amendment saves lives - at least 2 million people are alive today thanks to 40 years of Hyde Amendment protections," the letter says.
But it all boils down to requiring taxpayers to participate in funding abortions.
The letter concludes, "While the political pressure may feel extreme, we respectfully ask you to focus on the underlying issue and not waiver on your commitment to protect taxpayers as well as the most vulnerable members of our community."
The governor has 60 days to decide what he will do with the measure.
The group's attorney, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, asking the court to order the army chief for the return of the separatist leader.
He alleged that the IPOB leader has been missing since the military invaded Kanu's house in Umuahia on September 14 where 28 people were killed and several others abducted.
He said, "We just filed an application for prerogative order of habeas corpus commanding the Chief of Army Staff to produce Nnamdi Kanu in court."
Kanu has not been seen in public for over a week after the military's alleged invasion of his father's home in the Abia state capital.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has dismissed the claims saying he suspects that the group's leader is in hiding.
Kanu, who is currently on bail on charges of treasonable felony, is expected to appear at the Federal High Court in Abuja on October 17 to resume trial.
The council presided over by the returning President Muhammadu Buhari decided to withdraw the country's participation from organisations whose financial implications outweigh their importance, as it is indebted to different organisations to the tune of over $120million.
Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun disclosed the council's decision when she addressed State House correspondents about Wednesday's meeting.
"Basically, Nigeria is a member of 310 international organisations and a committee was set up to review the rationale of our continued membership of such a large number of our organisations, particularly in the light of the fact that in many cases we are not actually paying our financial obligations and subscriptions which is causing some embarrassment to Nigeria and our image abroad.
"In particular, it was discussed that there are some commitments made to international organisations made by former presidents which were not cash backed.
"So, when our delegations turn up at those organisations, we become very embarrassed. So that was what drove the committee.
"The committee made some recommendations: That out of the 310 organizations, 220 organisations should be retained and the rest we should withdraw membership from.
"But council directed that more work needed to be done, particularly there was a dispute as to the figure of how much is owed.
"The committee had a figure of about $120 million but we are clear from ministry of finance and other ministries that is far more than that. Our subscriptions are in arrears in a number of major organisations.
"So, the directive of the council was that we should go and reconcile those figures and come back to council and have a payment plan for those figures to avoid Nigeria being embarrassed internationally.
"And also circulars needed to be issued on who can commit Nigeria because it was discovered it would be a director or an ambassador who attended the meeting who committed subscription on behalf of Nigeria," the minister said.
Weve been asked to stay here until we can pay, looking at her newborn, she said, feigning indifference.
I need Nigerians to help me out, she said into the voice recorder and looked resigned again. Audu is a low-grade civil servant in the nations capital.
Mrs Audu is one of many new mothers under detention in Nigerian hospitals as a result of inability to settle their medical bills. Her case was quite serious. She suffered postpartum hemorrhage and had received two pints of blood shortly after giving birth. Up the aisle to the maternity ward of the Asokoro Hospital, a stretch of pregnant women are seen groaning under labour pains and awaiting available beds for delivery.
All the beds have been occupied in this hospital, the women queue until theres a bed space available, a matron who asked to remain anonymous told me.
As soon as you birth your baby, you are discharged to go home, we need space for others, the matron added.
The non-implementation of the 2014 National Health Act is a major drawback and reason for the collapse of health facilities, which have turned into trauma centers for most pregnant women. The Act mandates a 1% contribution by the Federal Government from the Consolidated Revenue Fund that will help guarantee a basic minimum health package, which includes free health coverage for pregnant women and children less than 5 years.
A coalition of about 30 civil society organisations and the ONE Campaign, in an open letter to Nigerias president, Muhammadu Buhari called for more investment in the healthcare sector in Nigeria.
There is an urgent need to make a quantum leap investment into the health sector in the 2018 budget to at least 7.5% of the national budget and demonstrate good faith in implementing the 1% Consolidated Revenue Fund towards the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), as stipulated by the National Health Act 2014.
Nana Aisha,
Nana Aisha eventually got bailed through the contributions of a female empowerment group, called Ejilogwu women association, she has ceased to become a member of, for about four months before the incident. This was due to her inability to keep up with the required monthly contributions.
Hajiya Jummai who runs the women empowerment group bailed Nana through a micro-finance model where women contribute on a monthly basis to help each other finance their individual businesses or problems.
We see a lot of this type of situations, that is why we organized ourselves to help each other. We raise money for naming ceremonies, burials and other problems that women face.
The hospital was charging her for the equipment used during her treatment such as bandages, bed-space, hand-gloves and gown. The total amount reached N16,000 (less than $50). The doctor had instructed the gateman and the night nurse on duty not to let her out of the hospital. Nana realized this when she tried to escape.
We heard that she was detained and her husband had run away because he could not pay the four-thousand-naira hospital bill after her delivery, so we gathered money that afternoon and went to bail her.
At the Gwagwalada specialist hospital, a government owned facility, I spoke to Ifeanyi Anih, a medical intern who told me that the hospital management has created a deferral scheme.
We handle all female genital tract issues, and there are a lot of cases where women come in pregnant and require surgery. We have a system that allows them do it on credit to enable them pay afterwards, but the more prevalent case is that they dont return so we turn it into a bad debt. The finance department actually raises some money as a provision for this.
This is not the same for private hospitals. Folake Animashaun (real name withheld) who works at one of the private clinics tells me that sometimes they gauge the patient before treatment.
When we give the patient the cost of the treatment, and we realize the patient cannot pay, we dont treat them. Sometimes you can tell by their body language, the way they begin to look at each other or complain. In cases like this, we just refer them to a general hospital. Sometimes its a critical emergency, we pad the patient, give them pain-killers and wait for them to leave. Its easier to bear a cost of roughly N2,000 free medications than to conduct a N150,000 surgery and not get the money back.
Ifeanyi explained to me that the most prevalent cases are pregnant women with complications who have been turned away by the privately owned health centers.
The largest cases we face here are mostly obstructions during pregnancy. Like when the baby is in the wrong position. We asked them if they can pay for it and they started looking at themselves. The challenge here is that you really cant treat them for free. There is a framework that comes from the Ministry of health which serves as a guideline for billing patients, and a surgery like that costs about N85,000. Private hospitals collect almost three times that rate.
The private clinics dont handle patients who cannot pay. In one case we faced here, they went as far as padding the bleeding woman, gave her one pint of blood and waited for her to leave. She still came here, and yet had no money.
Nigeria has one of the worst health coverage indicators in the world with less than four percent of the population insured. A far cry from countries like Rwanda where only about 4% are not insured.
Currently, health insurance covers a number of government workers and big private sector organisations. Hospitals charge the people in this category only 10% of the cost of treatment, but the larger population of Nigeria are denied this benefit.
On a daily, Nigerian mothers are detained all over the country; the situation poses a grave threat to the countrys ambitions to achieve universal health coverage (UCH) by 2030, a key aspect of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
According to the terms of UCH, access to safe, quality and essential, affordable health-care services including medicines and vaccines should be available for all.
While Nigerias President Buhari enjoys medical treatment abroad, Nigerian government hospitals remain detention facilities for new mothers across the country. The irony is that it has become common to see high-ranking public officials bail out detained mothers in what is pitched to the public as an act of compassion.
As the class divide deepens, public hospitals have become exclusive preserve of the Nigerian middle class while the rich turn to medical facilities abroad. The poor have nowhere to run. The inability of government to provide free maternal services contribute to the grave maternal mortality indicators in Nigeria as pregnant women seek unorthodox medical options or stay at home leading to major complications and death when they eventually make it to the hospitals.
Audu and Aisha consider themselves lucky to be alive in debt as other women in similar situations are never admitted. Most of them die from complications trying to birth their babies.
--
This article was written as part of the 2017 BudgIT Media Fellowship.
THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER
Senate upholds IPOB ban, reshuffles leadership of committees
The Senate has supported the Federal Governments ban on the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).It also advised that all groups seeking to pursue any agitation should do so through the constitutional means.
SEC, Oando get 14-day ultimatum to resolve alleged N799b shareholders liabilities
The House of Representatives Committee on Capital Market and other Institutions has issued the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Oando Plc a two-week ultimatum to resolve all lingering issues bordering on the N799 billion stakeholders liabilities.
Despite tax holidays, e-commerce firms make losses
Although the Federal Government granted pioneer status to operators in the countrys electronic commerce (e-commerce), investigations have shown that a majority of the players have been running at a loss for the past three years.
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VANGUARD NEWSPAPER
Nigerias unity not negotiable Senate
The Senate, after a two-hour closed-door session, yesterday, declared that Nigerias unity is not negotiable.
Kidnappers scaring away investors Dangote
Africas richest man and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has raised the alarm over insecurity in the country, particularly kidnapping, saying investors are being scared away from the country.
Psquare feud: Wives not involved - Keyamo
LAGOS-based lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), said, yesterday, that none of the wives of Peter and Paul Okoye, widely known as Psquare, has anything to do with their feud, noting that the wives have kept their respectable and dignified distances from all the issues involved.
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THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER
Melaye flees Senate plenary, dodges INEC recall notice
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission were at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, on Tuesday, to serve the embattled lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye, the petition by his constituents to recall him.
EFCC chair: Court flooded with 17 suits over Magu
No fewer than 17 suits on the propriety or otherwise of Mr. Ibrahim Magu remaining as the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have been filed before various divisions of the Federal High Court, The PUNCH learnt on Tuesday.
Ajimobi convenes security meeting over Olubadan palace shooting
The Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, on Tuesday summoned an emergency meeting of the state security council over Mondays shooting at the palace of the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Adetunji, during the installation of Baales.
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THE BUSINESSDAY NEWSPAPER
Nigeria gets illusory improvement in global competitiveness ranking
Nigeria reversed five successive declines since 2012 after increasing its competiveness ranking to 125 of 138 countries in the World Economic Forums (WEF) 2017-2018 index, but the rise is deceptive, as it is only because other countries are deteriorating faster.
Parked trucks damaging Apapa bridges structure, foundation- experts
Structural and civil engineers have warned that parking heavy duty vehicles such as articulated box and cylinder trucks (trailers) for days at a stretch, as seen in Apapa, Lagos, has an adverse impact on the integrity and structural stability of those bridges, with the risk of failure or total collapse.
CBN opts to maintain flexibility with a watch on banks soundness
Dunoma made the call at a seminar organised by the Abuja Transport and Aviation Correspondents Association (ATACA), on Wednesday in Abuja.
Represented by Mr Sadiku Rafindadi, Director, Commercial, FAAN, Dunoma delivered a Paper entitled: Attracting Investment in Aviation Industry: The Role of Government and Industry Players at the seminar.
He said that issues related to policy, civil aviation regulations, aeronautical charge regime and establishment of National Carrier, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Facility were addressed to encourage foreign direct investment.
FAAN boss added that the development of Agro-Allied cargo infrastructure and the template for airport concessions should be given urgent attention by the government.
According to him, government needs to review aviation policies so as to guarantee reliability and trust to contractual agreements on airport concessions and leases in other to attract the right investment and funding.
Government is seen as an enabler and should create an enabling and well-regulated environment that will attract the right industrial players to invest in the aviation sector.
Nigeria is considered to be a good investment destination by most foreign investors, but they are, however, concerned by government inconsistent policies that could trap their investments.
This challenge accounts for high insurance premium underwriters put on asset financing in Nigeria as it affects aircraft leasing, terminal management and other businesses.
The countrys aviation sector will do better if all these issues are properly addressed, he said.
Dunoma also enjoined industry players in the sector to form clusters that would encourage to draw governments attention to issues of financing, regulations, policy and aeronautical charges to sustain the growth of the industry.
He also advised the local industry players to pool resources and skills together to attract investors and to set up aircraft maintenance centres in order to reduce the cost of aircraft maintenance.
According to him, local industry players should also get global cooperation in terms of a strategic alliance to pull resources and expertise.
Similarly, Mr Goddy Ike, an Aviation Expert, also called for concerted effort by the government and industry players to revamp the countrys aviation sector.
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Ike said the demise of the defunct Nigerian Airways was a result of poor management and lack of focus by the Nigerian government.
He said that the industry could only grow if there is a viable and strong national carrier and good infrastructure in the country.
According to him, Ethiopian Airlines is known as the new spirit of Africa because it has been able to make things happen in the continents aviation sector.
According to a report by The Punch, no fewer than 17 court cases have been filed for and against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission boss before various divisions of the Federal High Court.
The revelation was made public on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, when lawyers, who appeared before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja said a related case was filed in the Yola Division of the court in Adamawa State, while another case on the same subject is before the Kano Division of the FHC.
The report also revealed that some of the 17 cases were in support of Magu, while the rest sought Magus removal from office on the grounds that he had been rejected by the Senate.
It was also reported that majority of the cases for and against Magu remaining as acting chairman of the anti-graft agency were said to be pending before various judges of the Abuja Division of the court.
Meanwhile, Musa Abdul, who represented the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), sued as the second defendant, told the judge that the AGF had written to the former Chief Judge of the court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, seeking the consolidation of the cases.
ALSO READ: 7 things you should know about new EFCC Chairman, Magu
The workers made the appeal on Wednesday in Lokoja in a statement jointly issued by the state chapters of the NLC, TUC and the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC).
Messrs Olakunle Faniyi, Kolawole James and Isah Abubakar, Secretaries of NLC, TUC and JPSNC respectively, signed the statement which was circulated to media houses.
According to them, Buhari should direct the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other humanitarian agencies to supply them food and the relief materials.
The civil servants said they were being owed between 11 and 21 months salaries and that the situation had adversely affected them and their families.
They urged the presidency to consider the condition of their children who had been sent out of schools because they could no longer pay their school fees.
The situation of workers in the state is worse than the condition of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in various camps.
The agony of the workers is not in any way less than the experiences of victims of natural disasters.
A situation where workers cannot afford even one meal a day and pay the school fees of their children is already a humanitarian issue.
As it stands today, over 30 per cent of the workforce is owed 21 months salaries.
Twenty (20) per cent have unpaid salaries of between 11 and 18 months while about 45 per cent took their salaries up till June this year.
These are the category of workers the Kogi State Government is forcing to embrace the clock-in, clock-out work policy, they said.
The civil servants also implored the indigenes of the state at home and abroad to show concern and assist in whatever form they could.
Workers in the state had on Sept. 22 embarked upon an indefinite strike to press home their demand for payment of their salary arrears.
Contacted, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, a media aide to Governor Yahaya Bello, said that government had yet to enter into negotiation with labour over the demand.
The Director General, Media and Publicity, said this was because the signatories to the strike notice were unknown to government.
Fanwo faulted labours claim on salary arrears, saying that they were out to misinform the public for selfish reasons.
The last time anyone heard from Kanu, he was barking instructions from his fathers ransacked compound, as the army's Operation Python Dance went into overdrive.
Speaking into a video recorded on the terrace of his dads compound in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, Kanu begged his supporters to flee the premises because the army had left a bomb in there somewhere.
'Leave the house'
Leave that houseleave the house, Kanu blared. It appears they (the soldiers) might come back. They just blew off everything. Everywhere attack.
It appears theres a bomb in the house. And they took my father away. Thats what I know for sure, Kanu stuttered, his voice now increasingly shaky and laced with trepidation.
The date: September 14, 2017.
It would turn out the last time anyone heard from Kanu since the latest unrest and clashes between the army and separatists in Abia State.
Sureties in trouble
This week, the Presidents Special Assistant on Prosecution, Chief Okoi Obono-obla, issued an ultimatum of some sort to three persons who stood as sureties for Kanu.
Kanu is due in court next month to continue his trial for treason and illegal possession of firearms; with 'hate speech' as a possible side dish among the charges.
But he cant be prosecuted if no one knows where he is.
According to Obono-Obla, the Federal Government has already filed a motion to set aside Kanus bail.
Following the military exercise carried out in Umuahia, Abia State and the subsequent proscription of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu has not been seen and may have gone underground.
So it is not likely that he will appear in court on the next adjourned day for fear of being arrested by the police or security agencies. Kanu had sureties that entered into recognizance or signed bail bonds as ordered by the court that led to his release.
Obono-Obla who works from the office of the Attorney General also said Kanus sureties could be arrested if they do not produce the man for prosecution.
The court also may issue a warrant of arrest where a defendant (Kanu) bound by a recognizance or bond fails to appear before a court or police station. It follows that if Kanu fails to appear before the Federal High Court on the next adjourned date, the Judge will likely issue a warrant for his arrest.
The implication of the failure of Kanu to appear in court on the next adjourned date on those who stood sureties for his recognizance is that his recognizance shall be forfeited.
It follows that Kanus three sureties will be ordered to pay N100M each. Where sufficient cause is not shown by the sureties or the persons bound and the penalty is not paid, the court may recover the penalty from the person bound or from his estate if he is dead, in the manner laid down in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 for the recovery of fine.
However, where the penalty is not paid and cannot be recovered in the manner laid down by the law, the person bound shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, Obono-Obla added.
The three sureties who signed Kanus bail bond are: Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Jewish High Chief Priest, Immanuu-El Shalom Okabemadu and a Chartered Accountant who resides in the capital city of Abuja, Tochukwu Uchendu.
Kanu's lawyer sues
Moments after Obono-Oblas comments, Kanus attorney, Ifeanyi Ejiofor said it is the federal governments job to produce Kanu in court on the next adjourned date.
The fact is that they are in a position to produce him at the next adjourned date. It is public knowledge that my client had, before his house was invaded, always made himself available for trial, Ejiofor said.
He never evaded trial as he made it known that he was ready. If he wanted to jump bail, he would have done so immediately he was released from prison. But he did not run.
Like IPOB, Ejiofor also insinuated that Kanu may just have been killed by the soldiers who invaded his residence on the day.
The last time I spoke with my client was the day his house was invaded by soldiers. He called me and complained that he was being attacked by soldiers who he said were shooting sporadically. Since then, I have not heard from my client again.
If he is alive, they should tell the court on that day. They will not only explain to the trial court, but will also produce the soldiers that went to his home to attack him," Ejiofor added.
On September 27, 2017, Ejiofor filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In his suit, Ejiofor asked the Judge to compel Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, to produce Kanu.
"We just filed an application for prerogative order of habeas corpus commanding the Chief of Army Staff to produce Nnamdi Kanu in court," Ejiofor said.
'We don't know where he is'
However, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says the federal government has no idea where Kanu is.
Mohammed also said Kanu has gone into hiding to evade prosecution.
Mohammed added that claims that the federal government is keeping Kanu, were wide of the mark and incorrect.
"He's not being held by government at all, Mohammed said.
The Commission, in a statement by its Director of Publicity, Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, released a list of the candidates, with five women vying for the governorship seat.
The list also have eight others vying for the office of Deputy Governor.
The candidates included Mr Willie Obiano, the incumbent governor, with his deputy Nkemakonam Okeke, vying under the flag of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Also on the list are Mr Oseloka Obaze of the PDP, with Chidi Onyemelukwe, a woman, as his running mate.
It also has Mr Tony Nwoye of the APC, with Dozie Arinze, a woman, as his running mate.
Others on the list are Nwezi Amechi and his running mate Okeke Njideka, a woman, for All Grand Alliance Party (AGAP).
Oby Okafor and her running mate Onyekwuluje Uzoma as candidate for Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) also made the list.
Former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, is also carrying the flag of United Progressive Party (UPP), with Okeke Ogbonnaya as his running mate.
The rest of the political parties with candidates on the list include Alliance Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Alliance (AA) and Action Democratic Party (ADP).
Others are APDA, African Peoples Party (APP), Better Nigeria Progressive Party (BNPP), Democratic Alternative (DA), Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC), Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), Hope Democratic Party (HDP) and Kowa Party.
The Labour Party (LP), as well as Masses Movement Of Nigeria (MMM), Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP), National Democratic Liberty Party (NDLP) and United Democratic Party (UDP) also have candidates.
Candidates of National Conscience Party (NCP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Nigeria Peoples Congress (NPC), National Unity Party (NUP) and People for Democratic Change (PDC) were also successful.
Also listed as parties with candidates are the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and United Progressive Party (UPP).
The rest are Young Democratic Party (YDP) and Young Progressive Party (YPP).
The Commission, in the statement, also disclosed that it had approved the applications of 44 observer groups, comprising 38 domestic and six international groups, to observe the election.
The international observer groups are the British High Commission, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), American Embassy Abuja, European Union, High Commission of Canada, and African Union Economic Social and Cultural Council.
The domestic groups include African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, Centre for Credible Leadership, Citizens Awareness, and the Initiative for Promotion of Civic Obligation Sustainable.
Similarly, the Commission approved the change of name and adjustment of logo of the All Democratic Peoples Movement (ADPM) to AGAP.
The Commission added that it had also approved the issuance of a Certificate of Registration in the name of AGAP to the party.
Meanwhile the Commission has fixed Thursday for a meeting of the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and Sept. 29 for the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Electoral Securities (ICCES) meeting.
Similarly, the Commission would meet with leaders of the political parties on Tuesday and conclude its series of meetings with the media and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Wednesday.
The meeting was presided over last week by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as the president was away in the United States of America for the 72nd session of the United Nations' General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Other cabinet members that could not attend the meeting due to being on the president's delegation to the UN are the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibrin; and the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed.
This was made known by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Prince Dayo Adeyeye in a chat with The Punch.
Adeyeye, who reportedly expressed surprise at Fayose's action called on the Chairman of the PDP governors' forum to respect the decisions taken by the party on zoning.
He said: The highest organ of the party, which is the national convention, zoned the presidential ticket of the PDP to the North. That has not changed. The same national convention zoned the position of the national chairman to the South. The convention has yet to change any of these two.
That (national convention) is the supreme organ of the party. Those decisions are binding on all members of the party. Nobody can alter these decisions."
Wondering why Fayose would want to disobey the party despite his position as a leader, Adeyeye further said,The governor is a member of the party and was at the convention where these decisions were taken. As a leader of the party, one expected the governor to respect the party and its decisions. If someone in such an office is breaking the decisions of the party, what do you expect from the rank and file."
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Meanwhile there are reports that Fayose had sent letters to some leaders of the party to inform them about his decision to run for the Presidency on the platform of the PDP.
The governor had defiantly continued in his plea for support damning the party's stand on zoning of presidential ticket and party chairmanship.
While many countries have similar allowances, 18 ban abortion regardless of the circumstances.
Here is a snapshot of the global situation, based on World Health Organization (WHO) data.
Total ban
Predominantly Catholic Malta is the only country within the European Union to maintain a total ban; others in Europe, but not in the EU, with bans are Andorra, the Holy See (Vatican) and San Marino.
Other countries with total bans are Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Madagascar, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Palau, Philippines, Senegal and Suriname.
Restricted
Many other countries reserve abortions for cases where the mother's life is deemed to be in danger.
A partial list includes: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Ireland, India, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Myanmar, Oman, Paraguay, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Venezuela, West Bank/Gaza and Yemen.
Chile was the latest country to join this group when on September 14 President Michelle Bachelet signed into law legislation to decriminalize abortion in certain cases, ending a strict ban in effect for decades.
The law will allow abortion in cases of rape, threat to the mother's life or deadly birth defects.
In Europe, Cyprus and Poland have strict laws which only allow termination when there is a danger to the mother or baby and in cases where the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest.
Unlike in the rest of the United Kingdom, abortion is also illegal in the province of Northern Ireland except where the mother's life or mental health is in danger.
Indian law does not allow medical terminations after 20 weeks unless there is a threat to the mother's life.
Widely allowed
Human Rights Watch said Nigerians who had sought refuge across the border because of the Islamist violence had been abused, attacked and even sexually exploited by soldiers.
Conditions in the only official camp for Nigerians were poor, free movement was restricted and refugees were denied proper contact with UN officials, it added.
"Since early 2015, the Cameroonian authorities have summarily deported at least 100,000 Nigerians living in remote border areas back to war, displacement and destitution in Nigeria's Borno state," the rights monitor said in a new report.
"In carrying out these deportations, Cameroonian soldiers have frequently used extreme physical violence."
"The Cameroonian military's aim seems to be to clear Nigerians out of the country and dissuade other would-be asylum seekers from seeking Cameroon's protection," it added.
HRW called it a "flagrant breach of the principle of non-refoulement", which stops refugees from being forced back to a country where they are liable to be persecuted.
Nigerian refugees 'rounded up'
The UN refugee agency last year appealed on all governments not to return anyone to northeast Nigeria "until the security and human rights situation has improved considerably".
In April and May this year, some 13,000 Nigerian refugees were returned from the overcrowded Minawao camp in Cameroon's Far North region to the border town of Banki.
AFP visited Banki in June, where the returns had increased the population living at the camp for the homeless from 32,000 to 45,000, stretching resources to breaking point.
The UN high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, said at the time he was "extremely worried" by the returns and called them "unsustainable".
Nigerians had been "rounded up" into trucks and forcibly returned to camps that were "dangerously unprepared to receive them", he added.
HRW said unlawful deportations had continued but Nigeria was also complicit as it had sent military vehicles to help bring back its citizens from Cameroon.
Cameroon also blocked Nigerian asylum seekers at the border.
Both Nigeria and Cameroon are signatories to African and international agreements protecting the rights of refugees and preventing their forcible return.
HRW called for an immediate end to the deporting of Nigerian refugees, a probe into alleged abuses, plus better screening and registering of asylum seekers in Cameroon.
It also urged the international community to better fund UNHCR operations in areas affected by the conflict.
Boko Haram's Islamist insurgency began in 2009 and has killed at least 20,000 and forced more than 2.6 million from their homes.
Taliban and Islamic State jihadists, who belong to the rival Sunni branch of Islam, have repeatedly targeted the minority Shiite community in recent years and there are fears they will strike again.
Criticised for failing to protect Shiites, who number around three million in overwhelmingly Sunni Afghanistan, the government has taken the unprecedented step of training and arming over 400 civilians to help defend mosques in Kabul.
The move, criticised by some Muslim leaders as inadequate, highlights the impotence of Afghan security forces struggling to get the upper hand in the fight against the Taliban and other Islamist groups.
The plan may be expanded to more cities.
Amiri has spent decades living near Baqir ul Ulom mosque, which was attacked last year, and knows "almost every" worshipper who comes to pray in its cavernous halls.
"I will stand against any threats, I don't mind dying for my people," said 43-year-old Amiri, wearing a traditional salwar kameez.
"We are not true Muslims if we don't go to the mosque during Muharram and for that we need security."
'People are afraid'
Ashura -- the most important Shiite observance -- falls on the 10th day of Muharram, which is the mourning period for the seventh-century killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
The faithful gather to beat their chests and hit their backs with chains until they bleed in commemoration of Hussein's death.
But in recent years the sacred day has been marred by deadly violence.
In 2011 a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the middle of a crowd of worshippers at the main Shiite shrine in Kabul on Ashura, killing 80 people, including women and children.
Afghan officials blamed the bombing -- the first major sectarian attack on a key religious day in Afghanistan -- on Pakistani group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
Almost a year to the day later Kabul police said they had arrested two Taliban insurgents with suicide vests who planned to attack Shiite worshippers.
Last October gunmen entered the Karte Sakhi shrine near Kabul University and killed 18 people gathering to mark Ashura, an attack claimed by the Islamic State.
The following day at least 14 Shiites were killed in a bombing at a mosque in northern Afghanistan. A few weeks later Baqui ul Ulom mosque was targeted when a massive suicide blast claimed by IS killed dozens of worshippers and badly damaged the building.
It took about eight months to repair the Shiite mosque, one of the biggest in the Afghan capital, but the trauma suffered by the congregation has proved harder to heal.
"There are fewer worshippers nowadays compared to the time before the attack," Mohammad Ali Arefi, the imam at the mosque, told AFP.
"Around a third of the people are afraid and don't show up at prayer time anymore."
Tight security
Sayed Sadiq Hussaini, 80, who survived the massacre at Baqir ul Ulom, has continued to worship at the mosque in defiance of the threats.
"No one can stop me from coming to the mosque. I will be a martyr if I am killed in a mosque and while praying," Hussaini told AFP.
The mosque has introduced tighter security this year including body searches and the deployment of five civilian guards along with the same number of police officers.
"We had no other choice but to arm our own people to protect our mosques because the security forces are too busy fighting," said Siraj Danish, a member of the Baqir ul Ulom mosque council.
Arefi said he planned to restrict Ashura activities to the mosque and its grounds to reduce the possibility of attacks, instead of commemorating the event on the streets like previous years.
But the 67-year-old imam said he hoped the government would come up with a better plan to protect mosques than just giving weapons to civilians.
Rodrigo Londono urged Santos to comply fully with the Havana peace accords, accusing him of breaching the "minimum guarantees" of the pact they signed last November to end Latin America's oldest conflict.
In the letter published by FARC on its website on Monday, Londono said the government had yet to release all FARC prisoners accredited to a commission set up under the deal, and had failed to suspend arrest warrants for FARC members.
"There are thousands of ex-combatants...who do not receive the monthly payment of 90 percent of the minimum wage" which had been agreed, and they still had no access to health care, he said.
Londono called on international guarantors of the peace deal, including the UN and the Vatican, to ensure "the great work of peace stays afloat."
And he urged Colombians "not to remain impassive in the face of this grave situation".
FARC relaunched as a political party in early September, with a change of name to the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force. Londono was elected the party's leader at its first congress.
Santos on Tuesday presented a list of 51 judges who will participate in a special court system set up under the peace deal to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate crimes carried out during the conflict.
"An operation called Odyssey was carried out today against the Gulf Clan and 28 members of that organization were captured here in Antioquia," he said.
Police said those captured were wanted in connection with 22 murders in local towns Segovia and Remedios since the beginning of 2016.
Santos said seven tons of coca leaf were seized in the operation, promising no let-up in the campaign against the country's largest drug-trafficking organization.
"We are going to continue," the president said.
Last month, Santos announced that security forces had killed the Gulf Clan's second-in-command Roberto Vargas Gutierrez, alias "Galivan."
The Gulf Clan accounts for some 70 percent of Colombia's cocaine production.
Speaking at a news conference, Abadi said his government would ban "international flights to and from Kurdistan" in three days unless the airports are placed under its control.
Two airports operate in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, at regional capital Arbil and in second city Sulaimaniyah.
In addition to national carrier Iraqi Airways, several international airlines from countries such as Germany, Iran, Jordan and Turkey also operate regular flights.
Abadi again stressed that negotiations on the back of the referendum result -- expected to be "yes" to independence -- were out of the question.
"We will not abandon the unity and sovereignty of Iraq because this is a national duty," he said.
"It was considered that it would be best if he was here (Madrid) for the cabinet meeting on Friday due to the Catalonia question," the source told AFP speaking on condition of anonymity.
The informal summit in Tallinn, which kicks off with a dinner on Thursday night, is set to discuss digital innovation.
Rajoy has informed his Estonian counterpart Juri Ratas by telephone that he will not attend the gathering, Spanish and Estonian government sources said.
Meanwhile, Budget Minister Cristobal Montoro announced that the government will not present its draft budget for 2018 on Friday as had been expected because the government was not sure it had enough support in parliament to pass the spending plan.
"Friday we will not present in the weekly cabinet meeting the draft budget," he told journalists in parliament.
Rajoy's minority conservative government relies on the support of centrist party Ciudadanos as well as of the conservative Basque National Party (PNV) -- which is sympathetic to Catalonia's calls for more autonomy -- to pass legislation.
But the PNV has warned that it would withdraw its support were Rajoy to show a heavy-handed approach in dealing with Catalonia.
The regional leader of Spain's Basque Country, Inigo Urkullu, on Sunday urged Madrid to allow independence referendums like those held in Scotland and Quebec.
The Spanish government traditionally tables its draft budget in parliament at the end of September and its is approved by the assembly at the end of December.
Montoro said he still believes these timings could be met.
Rajoy has repeatedly said that the independence referendum slated for October 1 in Catalonia -- which his conservative party insists is illegal and unconstitutional -- will not take place and the legislation underpinning the vote has already been suspended by Spain's Constitutional Court.
Amos Yee, 18, a filmmaker turned activist who served two jail terms in Singapore for his controversial videos, was detained by US authorities when he arrived at a Chicago airport in mid-December.
An immigration appeals court in Chicago last Thursday agreed with a lower court judge's earlier decision to grant asylum, finding that Yee had a "well-founded fear of future persecution" if returned to Singapore.
"The applicant was prosecuted for postings on social media that were highly critical of government officials," the Board of Immigration Appeals said in its ruling.
"We agree with the immigration judge that the cumulative harm in this case rose to the level of persecution."
Yee's attorney Sandra Grossman expected him to be released from a jail near Chicago on Tuesday. She was critical of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for keeping the teen imprisoned.
"We decry ICE's decision to detain Mr Yee, especially after his asylum case was granted and after DHS made no arguments, nor presented evidence, that Yee is a threat," Grossman said in a statement.
"After a much-awaited decision, Amos Yee will likely soon have the chance to breathe the air of freedom."
Yee, who won a filmmaking award at 13, posted an expletive-laden video in March 2015 attacking Lee amid an outpouring of grief over the founding prime minister's death that same week.
In the eight-minute video, Yee compared Lee to Jesus, saying "they are both power-hungry and malicious but deceive others into thinking they are compassionate and kind."
He was jailed for four weeks for hurting the religious feelings of Christians and for posting an obscene drawing of Lee and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
He served 55 days, including penalties for violating bail conditions.
In September 2016, Yee was jailed for six weeks for insulting Muslims and Christians in a series of videos posted online.
Mattis, along with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, will meet President Ashraf Ghani and other top officials to discuss the US-led NATO "train and assist" mission designed to strengthen Afghanistan's military so it can defend the country on its own.
"Discussions will focus on the NATO-Afghanistan partnership, including the ongoing NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in support of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces," a statement on Resolute Support's Facebook page said.
US generals have for months been calling the situation in Afghanistan a stalemate, despite years of support for Afghan partners, continued help from a NATO coalition and an overall cost in fighting and reconstruction to the United States of more than $1 trillion.
The war turns 16 in October and America is pressing NATO partners to increase their own troop levels in the country to help Afghan forces get the upper hand in the grinding battle against the Taliban and the Islamic State group.
The resurgent Taliban have promised to turn Afghanistan into a "graveyard" for foreign forces and have been mounting deadly attacks as they maintain their grip on large swathes of the country.
As of February only about 60 percent of Afghanistan's 407 districts were reported to be under government control, according to the US watchdog agency SIGAR.
Slapdash training
Under Trump's plan, the US is sending more than 3,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, on top of the 11,000 already on the ground, to train and advise the country's security forces.
NATO allies have around 5,000 troops deployed around the country.
Critics have questioned what the extra US soldiers can accomplish that previous forces -- who numbered some 100,000 at the height of the fighting -- have not.
Earlier this year Ghani ordered a near-doubling of the country's Special Operations Command - the elite fighting force spearheading Afghanistan's war against insurgents -- from 17,000 as part of a four-year plan that also aims to strengthen Afghanistan's air force.
While Afghan authorities have welcomed Trump's open-ended commitment to increase US troop numbers, they know it will take time to improve the fighting abilities of their own forces.
Afghanistan's soldiers have been severely demoralised and weakened by huge casualties, desertions and corruption.
In an acknowledgement of their impotence, the government is considering a plan to train and arm 20,000 civilians to defend territories where Islamic militants have been driven out.
Earlier this week SIGAR criticised US efforts to train Afghanistan's security forces, saying they were being hampered by slapdash instruction, shoddy oversight and failures in governance.
John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, whose agency provides independent oversight of reconstruction programmes, said the US was woefully unprepared to take on the challenge of creating security forces of the size and scope needed in Afghanistan.
Tuesday's announcement compounded economic sanctions which the United Nations unanimously imposed on North Korea after it carried out its latest nuclear weapons test early this month.
The new sanctions target North Koreans working as representatives of North Korean banks in China, Russia, Libya and the United Arab Emirates.
All property and interest of the designated companies and individuals in the US are blocked by the sanctions, effectively freezing them out of much of the global financial system.
The US targeted North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank and the Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as North Korean government agencies.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which overseas US sanctions programs, said the Foreign Trade Bank had carried out transactions on behalf of North Korea's weapons development program.
The new sanctions also came the same day President Donald Trump ignored pleas to tone down anti-Pyongyang rhetoric, accusing the regime of having tortured a captive US student "beyond belief."
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) Two suburban Chicago teens who allegedly crashed a stolen car into a pond were arrested while using a stolen credit card to buy dry clothes.
The Lake County sheriff's office say on Sept. 7, they found a stolen vehicle in a pond at a Port Barrington home. Later that morning, Crystal Lake police were called to investigate two suspicious people in a store.
Authorities say 18-year-old Bradley J. Tieman of Round Lake Beach and an underage teen stole another vehicle to drive to Walmart. They entered the store in wet clothes and were in a restroom changing into dry clothes when arrested.
Tieman was charged in McHenry and Lake Counties with possession of a stolen vehicle, identity theft, and theft. He is being held in the McHenry County Jail.
The underage teen is charged as a juvenile with burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, and theft.
GENESEO Police soon may be able to incinerate drug evidence faster and at higher temperatures.
Aldermen voted Tuesday to recommend to council Oct. 10 the purchase of an Illinois-made Drug Terminator incinerator. Cost is about $4,000. The police departments drug fund has the money available and it must be used on drug enforcement.
There is very little smell or smoke from the incinerator.
You dont have the smell of cannabis going into the air, said Officer Dan Schmitt.
Its possible Geneseo may allow other small communities to use the incinerator for a small rental fee.
City administrator Lisa Kotter said Geneseo police have burned with a less high-tech method in the past and it probably would not work for Geneseo to use the countys incinerator.
We would essentially have to pay two officers overtime, because were not going to take them off the street to use the countys, she said.
Two officers have to be present, and the incineration of evidence has to be filmed. The court also must agree that the case is finished. Officer Schmitt said incineration would have to take place somewhere that he could park his squad to use its camera.
In other business, the city was notified by letter that Mediacom is seeking to ask the state for authorization of its franchise.
To keep from losing its service provider fee, Geneseo must take action with an ordinance for cable and video regulations.
Its $24,000 per year, so that would be a significant chunk if you dont adopt this, said Ms. Kotter.
She said shed gotten advice on an ordinance for the situation from Ancel-Glink attorney Adam Simon, who also helped the city with a small antennae ordinance. Part of the history was that AT&T had wanted to get back into the cable business in 2007 after selling to Comcast in 2001, and a law for statewide franchising was created.
The measure will be forwarded to the Oct. 10 council meeting.
MOLINE -- Bow-and-arrow hunting of deer within city limits was approved by the city council Tuesday night on a 5-3 vote.
Alds. David Parker, Mike Wendt, Dick Potter, Lori Turner and Kevin Schoonmaker voted in favor of the ordinance change. Alds. Quentin Rodriguez, Michael Waldron and Sonia Berg voted against the change.
Ald. Berg had a Bambi figurine and a copy of the children's book sitting on the desk near her nameplate in the council chambers. She said she did not want the deer hunt.
"I wasn't in support of it at all, but I knew it was a no-win," Ald. Berg said.
During the committee-of-the-whole meeting, Elizabeth Miller spoke in favor of allowing a deer hunt. She said the deer are eating everything in sight and are slow to leave when they are confronted.
"There's a concern, how is the deer going to die?" she said. "It could die naturally, but it could die from starvation, disease or being hunted. If I was a deer, I would like it quick."
Liz Press said the deer cull seemed "kind of half-baked" because there was no Department of Natural Resources study saying where herds are located or how many there are. She said she had heard the city wanted to have a hunt because of deer-related traffic accidents .
"There has not been any proof that there is an increase in accidents or that deer culls lessen accidents," Ms. Press said. "I don't think enough due diligence was done. I think it should be tabled, and I think a public hearing should be held and I think it should be discussed further."
At the last council meeting, the deer ordinance went through a first reading. There was no discussion by council members, nor was there a vote because it was a first reading of an ordinance change. A previous report in the DispatchArgusQCOnline stated there was a vote of 7-0 in favor of approving the ordinance.
In other business, Ray Forsythe, city planning and economic developer, said that a temporary location for Franklin Elementary School students could be up and running as early as Monday. An electrical fire at the school on Sunday caused smoke damage, and all of the school supplies in the building are unusable.
"They have identified a school site that they are looking at, asking for the city to help them expedite some permitting and right of way licensing agreements," Mr. Forsythe said. "They are not ready to announce the location."
Ald. Rodriguez proposed donating $2,500 to the youth committee to help Franklin Elementary purchase school supplies and equipment. Also, two drop-off locations would be set up at the public works building and at city hall to collect donations.
Ald. Potter said that, while he appreciated the gesture, he would not support moving taxpayer money from one taxing body to another.
"I think transferring money from this taxing body to a body that has its own funds for this sort of thing, much of this stuff will be covered by insurance," Ald. Potter said. "I think we would be better served if we were to encourage the public to make donations to a separate fund rather than taking monies from the taxpayers for purposes that are normally for doing city business."
During the committee of the whole, the council continued a bi-annual fee review. Staff made recommendations on which fees to increase, decrease or eliminate altogether.
Those who have signed on for water service may be getting their deposits back soon as the council voted to eliminate the utility deposit altogether. Residents currently pay a deposit and are refunded with a service credit after two years of making payments on time.
The change will still need one more vote during the next council meeting to take effect.
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Kaeser confirmed that negotiations with anti-trust authorities regarding the merger will take some time. We believe there is no fundamental risk, otherwise we wouldnt be there, he said. This is a legal and regulatory process which we will work through diligently with the authorities in Brussels. It is very important that we make everything very transparent.
Kaeser also said that the two companies have set up a balanced governance model. We want continuity, he said. We will have a balanced approach to share the benefits, and carry the burdens of the transaction.
When asked whether the merger will result in redundancies, Kaeser said: Of course there will be. We will bundle our resources.
Kaeser paid tribute to the current CEO of Siemens Mobility, Mr Jochen Eickholt, who is likely to be one of the first casualties of the merger, as Alstoms chairman and CEO, Mr Henri Poupart-Lafarge, will head the new company. Jochen Eickholt has brought Siemens Mobility from a meaningless to meaningful business, Kaeser said.
Kaeser brushed aside questions regarding the recent talks between Siemens and Bombardier Transportation regarding a merger, and would not say why they had failed, but he did say that Siemens has been looking at possible mergers for a long time. We have been examining what will be the best fit, and the outcome of that analysis is clearly Alstom, he said.
This was confirmed by Poupart-Lafarge: This is no do-or-die type of merger. There was no emergency. Alstom has been enjoying a great dynamism in a growing market. When we looked four years ago, Siemens was the best fit by far. So, when the opportunity arose, it was perfectly in line with our wishes. The transaction has been very fast because a lot of the groundwork has already been done.
Poupart-Lafarge pointed to two clear trends in the rail market: globalisation and digitalisation. Globalisation creates a lot of opportunities, but also a lot of opportunities for our competitors whether they be in China, Japan or elsewhere, he explained. The digitalisation of the market means we need to have strong technologies. We are two very innovative companies, but it requires a lot of investment and expertise.
The merger is expected to strengthen the competitive position of Siemens and Alstom. CRRC is extremely strong, and has changed the picture of the market a little, Poupart-Lafarge said. But what matters is customer proximity, innovation and the capacity to innovate - something where we are advanced compared with our competitors.
Looking to the long term, Kaeser said the merger will allow the new company to harmonise technical development. We can harmonise research and development and engineering, he explained. We need to bundle our services and get more out of them. It is about playing offense and not defence.
Poupart-Lafarge said it is too early to look at whether specific product lines will be rationalised. It is more a platform than a product concept, said. The goal is to take the benefits of both platforms to make the best train fit for the customer. Probably, in time, there will be global product platforms.
We are going into the fourth industrial revolution, Kaeser said. The merger will be a test of how we face the future. The merger will strengthen European technical leadership. We are creating a new European champion in rail with global reach. The Siemens-Alstom merger will be living proof that we can get things done in Europe.
Structure
During an analysts call for major investors, held before the public press conference, Kaeser and Mr Ralf Thomas, Siemens Chief Financial Officer outlined the structure of the proposed deal.
Kaeser hailed the deal as a transformational transaction for the global mobility industry, adding that the new company created by the merger will help Siemens built a strong portfolio of businesses.
The deal encompasses all of Alstom, Siemens Mobility division (rolling stock and signalling) plus its rail traction drives business, which until now has been part of the Large Drives division. The transaction will take the form of a contribution-in-kind of the Siemens Mobility business plus the rail traction drives business to Alstom in return for newly-issued shares from the new Siemens-Alstom company.
Siemens will hold a 50.67% stake in the new entity when the deal is finalised at the end of 2018, giving Siemens managerial control. Kaeser had made it clear in his opening remarks that "Siemens will control and fully consolidate [the results of] the business. The remaining 49.33% of shares - effectively those now held by Alstom's existing shareholders - will continue to be listed on the Euronext stock exchange.
As part of the deal Siemens will receive warrants enabling the German group to increase its shareholding in the new company by 2% four years after the merger. Siemens has given undertakings to the French Government that this will not be done earlier.
Six of the eleven company directors will be appointed by Siemens including a new chairman for the company. Four independent directors will be appointed and the existing Alstom CEO Mr Henri Poupart-Lafarge will run the new merged company.
Valuation
In discussion of how the companies had arrived at the roughly 50:50 ownership split, Kaeser explained that the initial valuation based on financial results and order backlogs would have suggested Siemens would inject 62% of the value of the new company whilst Alstom represented 38%.
A series of financial changes and transactions are included in the deal to bring the Siemens contribution down to around 50%, although none of have any cash implication for Siemens. This means:
Siemens will include 400m of pensions liabilities for the employees being transferred to the new company and 300m of project finance debt relating to previous or current orders
Siemens will pay a premium for gaining control of Alstom - although this special dividend of around 4 per Alstom share (900m) will be funded by Alstom from its cash reserves and economically borne by Siemens - reducing the Siemens contribution to the new company and thereby increasing the existing Alstom shareholders percentage of the future new company, and
Alstom will execute put options concerning its energy-led joint ventures with GE and use some of the resulting 2.5bn to pay another special dividend of around 4 per Alstom share (900m) to its current shareholders.
Approval
The proposed merger is subject to a wide range of regulatory approvals with formal consultation amongst Alstom's employees in France being the first major step. Due diligence carried out to expand upon the limited work already done by both companies while considering the merger. Antitrust approval will also be needed in multiple countries.
Siemens and Alstom have stated that the French government supports the transaction based on undertakings by Siemens, including certain governance and organisational and employment protections.
The French state has also confirmed that the Alstom shares it is currently loaning from majority Alstom shareholder Bouygues will be returned no later than October 17 2017 and that it will not exercise the options granted by Bouygues.
Bouygues has also committed to keep its shares until the earlier of the extraordinary general meeting deciding on the transaction and 31 July 2018. Siemens and Alstom say they anticipate final closing of the transaction and creation of the new company by December 2018 at latest.
If Alstom were to decide not pursue the transaction it would have to pay a 140m break-fee to Siemens.
More on this topic
Siemens and Alstom to combine mobility businesses in merger of equals
Will Alstom-Siemens merger check CRRCs international expansion?
Alstom-Siemens merger wont leave Bombardier out in the cold
High-ranking Crimean Tatar Majlis member receives prison term for separatism
MOSCOW, September 27 (RAPSI) The Simferopol District Court of Crimean Republic has sentenced deputy chairman of Majlis of Crimean Tatars, Ilmi Umerov, to two years in a penal colony for calls for separatism, lawyer Nikolay Polozov wrote on his Facebook account on Wednesday.
The courts ruling reads that the convict is prohibited from participating in social activities.
Polozov said that this ruling equates death sentence for Umerov considering the latters problems with health and subpar quality of healthcare in Russian penitentiary facilities. He added that the sentence is disproportionately tough because of Umerovs Crimean Tatar nationality. The lawyer expressed concern that the convict may be transferred outside Crimea to restrict his meetings with lawyers and relatives.
On January 30, Investigative Department of the Federal Security Services (FSB) Directorate for Crimea and Sevastopol charged Umerov with public calls for separatism.
In the spring of 2016, a criminal case over calls for violation of Russias territorial integrity was launched against Umerov. He was questioned by the FSB and as a suspect in the case pledged not to leave country.
On April 26, the Supreme Court of Crimea granted a lawsuit filed by then republics Prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya and banned the Majlis of Crimean Tatars as extremist organization. This ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court of Russia on September 29, 2016.
On May 20, the Moscow City Court ruled that Dzhemilev, along with another leader of the Majlis, Refat Chubarov, are banned from entering Crimea for five years. The regional officials claim that the Tatar leaders activity incited inter-ethnic hatred.
Social media group curator arrested on suspicion of inducing minors to suicide
MOSCOW, September 27 (RAPSI) A 23-year old curator of a Group of Death on a social network has been arrested on suspicion of inducement of children to suicide, Russias Interior Ministrys reported Wednesday.
According to investigators, the suspect chatted with a 14-year girl on a social network and pushed her for committing suicide by giving certain instructions and creating traumatic situations, the Interior Ministrys spokesperson Irina Volk said.
The suspected resident of Volgograd has been put in detention. During searches conducted at his premises, police seized computers, cellphones and flash cards confirming his implication in a crime.
A criminal case was opened over attempted incitement to suicide.
Bulgaria: dirty business in a sunny country
A Russian businessman, who organized business in Bulgaria together with local partners, was forced not only to report to the prosecutor's office, but also to seek help from the Russian Embassy, as he and his family began to receive threats.
The regional prosecutor's office of the Bulgarian city of Silistra received a statement from a Russian businessman - that his company's account may have been used by a Bulgarian partner to launder large sums of money. This separate episode can be an eloquent and very negative example of the fact that in Bulgaria, striving for the Schengen and reporting annually to its EU counterparts about a nearly completed victory over corruption, things in this sense still leave much to be desired.
The majority of Russian citizens who have visited Bulgaria perceive this country not only as an excellent resort, but as one of the most friendly European countries, closest to us in spirit, language and religion. In recent years, thousands of Russians have bought housing in this country, and Russian businessmen are actively investing their money here in the development of various fields of activity. Many local residents in Bulgaria recognize that without "Russian brothers" their life would be much poorer - both materially and emotionally.
The long-standing friendship between the Russian and Bulgarian peoples convinces Russian businessmen that Bulgarian partners can be trusted, and with local government bodies it is not difficult to agree on assistance, and using the same familiar Russian language - because our languages are really very similar and, in addition, many Bulgarians, who studied Russian even in Soviet times, still speak it well.
Characteristically, some Russian businessmen readily invest money in Bulgarian business, not in the hope of a high income, but primarily because of the closeness of cultures, because of that very feeling of kinship, "brotherhood." Indeed, there is no big profit in Bulgaria, which is considered the poorest country in the European Union. But it is often a moral and spiritual comfort for a businessman who thinks not only about money, about immediate benefits, not only for himself, but for his entire family. And if you also do business with this, which can really help make someone's life better by solving some important everyday problem, it is generally, as they say, "plus 100 in karma". Now there are few such idealists, but in Bulgaria they just meet.
Good thoughts
One of these idealists was a Russian businessman Andrey Varganov. He, who was in love with Bulgaria, wanted to help the inhabitants of this country, whose electricity prices are already quite European, to make their life in winter more pleasant and warm. Considering the fact that many people in Bulgaria during the cold season heat their homes with stoves, where they cannot get firewood, as the saying goes, Andrey decided, on the advice of a priest from the city of Silistra, the Father of Dobri, to try to organize the delivery and sale of coal.
As a partner, the son of a priest, Chudomir Dobrev Ivanov participated. And they agreed to create a joint company in which one side would be engaged in coal supplies, and the second - with sales. Such a company was eventually registered in the summer of 2014 under the name Alef-A. Both parties registered the same shares in the constituent documents: 50% belonged to Andrey Varganov and his wife, the other 50% - to the family of Chudomir Ivanov. The latter as a resident of the country of registration was chosen as a General manager.
The Russian businessman from the very beginning fully trusted his Bulgarian partner. Including because he had relatives whose honesty is difficult to doubt: father - priest, sister's husband - one of the leading workers in the local police department, one of the close relatives - in the Parliament. In general, such people could not deceive. Therefore, to start the work of the company, Varganov without any doubts contributed about 70 thousand euros to the joint company's account.
The amount was transferred in August 2014 to the Alef-A EOOD account in Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria EAD, which is confirmed by payment documents. Under the existing agreements, during the sale of coal Chudomir had to first compensate Andrey for the amount paid, and then pay 50% of the income.
Coal was purchased. And further, according to the agreements between the partners, Andrey practically did not interfere in the sales process and the company's work.
And where is coal?
Meanwhile, the amounts received from Chudomir did not compensate for the costs of the company - for 3 years the partner returned only about 19 thousand euros. However, somehow by chance Andrew discovered on the Internet a company registered in September 2015 by Chudomir Dobrev Ivanov - the new company Detelina Trade Ltd was carrying out nothing less than coal trading.
On a perfectly logical question about what is happening, Chudomir replied that his company Detelina does not actually sell coal, but Ukrainian chickens, and in general it is his family affair with his father-priest. And their joint venture "Alef A", they say, did not work at all - no profits, only losses.
The priest himself, the Father of Dobri, unexpectedly reported that he had not been aware of this all this time, knew nothing about the son's activities and was now ashamed of his behavior.
After that, Chudomir Dobrev Ivanov advised his Russian partner not to appeal to law enforcement officers, arguing that his relatives work in local bodies, and if the victim turns somewhere higher, it may be connected to him with a risk to his life.
Elusive Money
However, the biggest surprise was expected by the Russian businessman later. At first, Varganov managed to find out that on the balance sheet of Detelina Trade Ltd there is exactly the same missing amount of debt. And then, after a more detailed study of the movement of money on the account of the joint company Alef-A, it was found that in 2015-2016 there were amounts in the amount of hundreds of thousands of euros.
"We do not know what that money is, where it came from. After the partner informed us that the sales of coal simply did not go, we are afraid that some outside funds illegally obtained through the account of our company were not laundered, Andrey Varganov said. "I suppose we were just framed. And now we are forced to deal with all this. Therefore, after consulting with a lawyer, we wrote an application to the prosecutor's office - both in the local and in the General. And we sent copies of the documents to the Russian Embassy in Sofia.
The lawyer of the Varganovs, Konstantin Karanikolov, explained the situation as follows:
- I have made printouts of Alef-A's balance sheets over the years. In 2014, when Mr. Varganov transferred money to the company's account, this amount is for some reason not reflected in the report. My principal believes that she was immediately completely withdrawn from the account. In the years that followed, hundreds of thousands passed through this account, and my trustees feared that the firm was used to launder money received from illegal business. Therefore, I advised them to apply to the prosecutor's office with a statement. Copies of the application have been sent to me by the Prosecutor General's Office of Bulgaria, the Embassy of the Russian Federation, the European Commission and the Patriarchate. And yet: since Chudomir Dobrev Ivanov threatened my trustees, we filed a statement about threats at the place of their residence.
According to information from the Bulgarian media, the Father of Dobri Chakov Ivanov was repeatedly convicted of various frauds: abuse of office, tax evasion, use of corrupt schemes, appropriation of church money, blackmail and racket.
Natalia Rzhevskaya
Puerto Rico faces enormous problems in the wake of Hurricane Maria. But perhaps the biggest hurdle it must surmount is not one cased by nature, but by protectionists. The Jones Act was passed to protect the domestic shipping and shipbuilding industries. But it is just getting in the way of shipping needed goods to Puerto Rico, and raising the costs of essential supplies. When you see a television report about the urgent need for water, food and other necessities, you are actually viewing the impact of protectionism.
The Jones Act officially known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 was passed in response to the sinking of nearly 5,000 ships by German U-boats during World War I. Among other things, it decrees that only American ships built, crewed and owned by Americans can carry goods and passengers from one U.S port to another. It creates a guaranteed market for shippers, and strips leverage away from all businesses and consumers that depend on shipping.
As an island dependent entirely on shipping, Puerto Rico has been especially hard hit by the law, which exacts punitive tariffs on any foreign vessel that enters its harbors. The price of goods shipped from the U.S. mainland is almost twice as much as their price in nearby islands. The cost of living in Puerto Rico is 13 percent higher than it is in 325 urban areas in the United States despite a per capita income that is about half that of the poorest of the 50 states.
How much has the Jones Act cost the islands economy? About $17 billion from 1990 through 2010, according to a study by two University of Puerto Rico economists. A car costs about $6,000 more than on the mainland, and food is twice as expensive as it is in nearby Florida. Just three years ago the New York Fed characterized the high cost of shipping as a substantial burden on the islands productivity, undermining its ability to compete for container volume with Kingston, Jamaica. It costs only about $1,600 to ship a 20-foot container of goods from the east coast of the United States to Kingston. It costs almost twice that much more than $3,000 for the same shipment to Puerto Rico. Several reports have found that if not for the Jones Act, Puerto Rico would never have had to declare virtual bankruptcy.
The protectionist law is especially burdensome now. While the Department of Homeland Security has waived the Jones Act for fuel shipping for the time being, Puerto Rico is in desperate need of supplies, including food, medicine and construction materials and it is being cut off from potential suppliers. Many have argued that even in the absence of a full repeal of the Jones Act, it should at least be suspended temporarily to allow direct shipments to the island for the foreseeable future. "You're looking at a clear and avoidable economic burden being placed on the people of Puerto Rico," says Cato Institute Adjunct Scholar Scott Lincicome.
But it shouldnt take a crisis to recognize that protectionism may help a few crony capitalists, but only at the expense of the vast majority of people. Prices on Puerto Rico are higher than they would be, and potential for investment and economic growth is lower, because of a law passed almost a century ago to avoid a fear that no longer exists.
For Puerto Rico, the problem today isnt the fear of surprise attack by German U-boats. It is the need to recover from Hurricane Maria. The island has been hit hard enough by a natural disaster. It should be relieved of the devastation caused by an unnatural one.
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Various incarnations of the Hearing Protection Act and the SHARE Act are churning their way though the legislative sausage grinder and onto social media feeds. In the midst of what is almost unanimously viewed as opportunity for a positive change in deregulation, some comments of dismay and surprise seem to be popping up. People are reading the bill and discovering that the NFA $200 tax might be replaced by a 10% excise tax and that's how they'll screw ya! The discovery of the 1937 PittmanRobertson (PR) Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (WR) is apparently both new and alarming to some folks, even though they've been a participant in it with every round of ammunition and firearm they've ever owned.
A little history of the PR Wildlife Act and explanation of how it works might be in order to make a qualified decision on whether this is good news or bad.
In the 1930's, President Roosevelt handed our great-grandparents a New Deal, which was a huge wealth redistribution scheme aimed at fending off the economic depression that started in 1929. Unemployment was at 25%. U.S. manufacturing output dropped over 30%. Money value deflated. So the Progressive answer was, of course, to put higher taxes on more things. Under the stresses of the depression, the temporary Revenue Act of 1932 began taxing a long list of commodities and services. It was supposed to sunset on June 30, 1934. The category of firearms and ammunition got tagged with a 10% excise tax, payable by the manufacturer on the wholesale value. This money went into the general funds of the federal government to be spent wherever the Roosevelt Brain Trust felt it was best suited to help promote the 3 Rs of Relief, Recovery, and Reform.
Parallel but separate to the economic Depression, an awareness of nature conservation was growing. And not necessarily in the hippy, anti-hunting way some might associate today. These were sportsmen that realized that *maybe* just maybe killing off ALL the bison wasn't the best idea. Game animals we think of as commonplace, such as whitetail deer, were becoming scarce. Wild turkey sightings were a tall tale. Passenger pigeons were hunted into extinction. Economically speaking, firearm and ammunition companies knew that if the USA ran out of delicious targets, they wouldn't be selling much of anything in the future. Which, in the end, would dramatically affect gun ownership and usage for generations to come.
When Congress was discussing discontinuing this tax in 1937, conservationists requested it be repackaged and earmarked for wildlife restoration. Senator Key Pittman and Representative A. Willis Robertson sponsored a bill to collect an excise tax on guns and ammunition and force the funds towards pro-hunting and wildlife causes. It passed with little opposition. And whether you know it or not, you've been paying into that fund with every piece of lead you've returned to the earth since then.
NOT THE WORST TAX YOU'VE EVER PAID
While no one likes a new tax, this one at least escapes a lot of the government good-idea-fairy's grasp. On top of that, it's pretty widely accepted as one of the few taxes that positively affects the people being taxed. Also -shockingly for any tax- it has a positive rate of return to companies paying into it. The PR's sneaky play was the inclusion of wording that prohibits the diversion of fees paid by hunters for any other purpose than the administration of game and fish departments. States have to agree to this provision to receive their chunk of PR funds. As the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service explains, these funds go to the Secretary of the Interior and on to the States for acquisition and improvement of wildlife habitat, introduction of wildlife into suitable habitat, research into wildlife problems, surveys and inventories of wildlife problems, acquisition and development of access facilities for public use, and hunter education programs, including construction and operation of public target ranges.
While most people are unaware of PR and how it works, one anti-gun website discovered it and wrote a scathing condemnation of the entire evil scheme, uncovering that Game agencies encourage very young children to hunt. They want to ensure the future of hunting and firearms profits! Hmm. That doesn't sound too bad to me. Public target ranges and youth gun safety programs paid for with your ammo tax dollars is policy guaranteed to make anti-gunners cringe. And the fact that your AR15 purchase preserves their nature parks is worth reminding them about. Frequently.
Over the last 80 years, hunting license and firearm tax dollars have been protected from being skimmed off by state governments for other purposes due to PR language. Along the way, amendments starting in the 1970s generally continued in manners supportive of hunters and gun owners. One example would be Rep. Latta of Ohio's amendment, which added on the awesomely-named Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act. This authorized a state to pay up to 90% of the costs of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing public target ranges. Excise tax on bows and arrows were eventually folded in to contribute to PR funds, and a similar fishing tax/protection act exists to benefit our perch-pursuing sportsman brothers.
As hinted at above, studies show that the excise tax has a positive effect on gun and accessory sales. If there's a new public shooting range, people are going to go shooting and buy ammo. If there's a new hunting ground stocked with game, some new shotguns are going across the counter of your local gun shop. From creating jobs in the guide business to sales of each round of ammunition, the PR results in opportunities for the firearms industry to make money. How many tax models in our country today can show an $11 to $21 return to the company on every dollar spent, said Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus Co-Chair U.S. Congressman Jeff Miller, R-Fla. This is one of the most impressive examples of how an American industry can profit and bolster the economy while restoring and improving our nations cherished natural resources.
All in all, PR taxes have been somewhat invisible to the end user because of their collection at the wholesale level. However, their collection has contributed around $11 billion ($787.5 million in the fiscal year 2016 alone) towards things the firearms community generally agrees on as good. The PR even benefits folks that don't chip in: over 70% to 95% of citizens enjoying these funded areas are not even shooters, fishers, or hunters. They just camp, hike, and explore these same managed lands and admire or photograph their managed wildlife.
WHERE WERE WE? SOMETHING ABOUT SILENCERS?
After all the tree hugging, deer petting, and New Deal history, it comes back around to death and taxes. In this case, the death of one of the most onerous taxes of the 1930s: The National Firearms Act. The saddling of Maxim's little harmless dime store tube with a big killer $200 federal stamp. The HPA aims to take sound suppressors off the NFA and lump it in with common Title One firearms such as rifles. The death of the silencer's NFA tax would be great news if it passes: No more $200 end-user tax every time one changes hands. But, in the politics of give and take, it becomes taxed like a pistol with the same excise tax you've always paid whether you knew it or not. The SHARE Act's language of Section EC. 1507 amends the Internal Revenue Code by adding firearm silencer or firearm mufflers to the list of Articles taxable at 10 percent.
HOW MUCH IS THIS GONNA COST ME?
People who don't understand PR's wholesale taxation arrangement are worried that a $1000 silencer would now have $100 due tax on it that wasn't due before. Even though that would be half of what they pay now on an NFA stamp, it's still not so. While wholesale-to-retail markup can vary wildly from maker to maker, let's make some educated assumptions on the pricing of the common .22LR silencer. It might have an MSRP of $350, a dealer cost of $225, and a distributor cost of $175, if the manufacturer chooses to participate in two-step distribution. The first sale ($175) is the number that is taxed, and at 10%, that's $17.50. And, yes, that's $17 bucks which assuredly will be passed along to the consumer, but first folded through the dealer and distributor on its way, where it might get rounded up or down a bit. That sort of taxation on sound abatement might still be theft, but most folks should be less offended by having $17.50 pickpocketed towards a good cause than having $200 pinched just to participate in an annoyingly long waiting period.
Keep in mind that a PR type tax is paid one time only. Whereas each time an NFA item changes hands, another $200 transfer tax is due (which pretty much prevents a widespread used suppressor market). End users would not be taxed on downstream transfers as they are now. This would create, for the first time since 1934, a valid secondhand market as well as potential for manufacturer trade-in deals on old suppressors. Additionally, we know that deregulation, of course, will also allow the market to grow. Through this, we can expect to see some cheaper silencers very quickly due to the scale of economy change in manufacturing them. This will further cut down the tax basis of a wholesale suppressor and therefore the total price to the end user. In short, there are exponential positive consequences to the consumer whether they're hunters or just shooters that don't want to ruin their hearing. Add to that the positive consequences of increased PR funding going to hunting areas and public lands, and you've got a better deal than you have now by far.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kel Whelan is an independent consultant to industry and government on silencer business and technology with more than 20 years of experience in manufacturing, design, sales, distribution, branding, and politics throughout the NFA industry. By way of disclosure, he owned, managed, and sold a silencer company and was one of the three founding directors of the ASA.
Whatever these books contain that led to them being banned from being read in schools should not outweigh the reason they were written in the first place. This opinion does not reflect the opinions of the editorial staff.
A lot goes on around campus, and sometimes it's hard to keep up. From Walmart protests to moving sales, The Red & Black complied five of the top stories not to miss this week.
Initially, hair care products such as Vatika hair oil and shampoos, Meswak toothpaste, Chyawanprash and honey would be made available.
Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com
Ayurveda major Dabur has joined American e-commerce giant Amazon.com to sell its products in the overseas markets. To begin with it would be placing 30 products on Amazon.com for the largest consumer goods market in the world - the US - and its neighbours Canada and Mexico.
While Daburs products are already available in the US through ethnic stores, the firm is beginning direct supply to tap the e-commerce firms wider reach, said Krishan Chutani, executive director, Dabur India.
Initially, hair care products such as Vatika hair oil and shampoos, Meswak toothpaste, Chyawanprash and honey would be made available. Dabur also plans to add another 80 products in food, health care and personal categories by the end of this year.
There is already a trend towards natural and ayurvedic products and its time for the world to taste them.
Not just non-residential Indians, we want to cater to local American consumers, too. The honey that we are supplying is specifically made for the overseas market, and more such exclusive products may be launched soon.
While we will export some products from here, others will be supplied from our international plants like that in the UAE, Chutani said.
In 2015, Amazon opened up its global selling programme to Indian firms and sellers. Since then, local fast-moving consumer goods firms such as Amul, Himalaya and 24 Mantra have tied-up with Amazon.
Fashion brands such as Titan, Biba, Manyavar, Fabindia, and footwear companies such as Liberty, have also joined Amazon.
At present, some 26,000 sellers and 70 million products are listed on Amazon.com from India.
The tie-up should work out well for them. This will increase the availability of Dabur products in the international markets and also improve consumer awareness about its herbal and ayurvedic product range.
Players like Himalaya get huge international revenues that can now be targeted by Dabur, said Abneesh Roy, senior vice-president, institutional equities, Edelweiss Securities.
During the past one year, the revenue share of Daburs international business has come down by close to three percentage points to 31 percent in April-June, from 34 per cent.
During the quarter, revenues from the overseas business went down by 2.5 per cent on a constant currency basis compared to a 4.4 per cent dip in its domestic sales.
Continued slowdown in the West Asia and North Africa region and in the rest of Asia, hampered growth.
To counter growing competition in the domestic market, Dabur is also working on a pilot project with ayurvedic physicians to offer online, telephonic and offline medical advisory.
It has tied-up with a number of doctors for the offline service, while the online and telephonic consultancy would be provided by its own physicians.
According to Chutani, the firm was exploring options to ramp up the service.
While consumer good firms like Nestle offer advisory on call and online on its own products and nutrition, only Patanjali has a wide network of ayurvedic doctors who diagnose patients.
The Haridwar-based firm, which banks on Ayurveda to sell its products, has thousands of chikitshalayas that offer the services and sells its products.
Its recently launched Patanjali Mega Stores, equipped with diagnostic facilities and Ayurveda doctors.
Dabur, which received considerable competition from Baba Ramdevs pet project, suffered loss of sale in honey and had been in a row over alleged violation of advertisement standards with Patanjali recently.
According to Sunil Duggal, chief executive officer, Dabur India, the firm would seek legal help if matters get worse.
'It is strange that people who dissent get computer-generated I-T notices.'
'We want people to break their silence; keeping silent amounts to tacit consent.'
'Public dissent is the highest public duty and I will continue to speak out.'
IMAGE: H arsh Mander says there is currently a partition of hearts and minds of the people which he hopes to bridge with his Karwan-e-Mohabbat. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters
The Centre for Equity Studies, run by former IAS officer Harsh Mander, has been served an income tax notice for 'complete scrutiny' of its returns.
The institute received a notice under Section 143 (2) of the Income Tax Act for scrutiny of its I-T returns for the assessment year 2016-17 on September 20.
Mander is currently visiting various states where lynchings have taken place in recent months as part of the initiative, Karwan-e-Mohabbat or the caravan of love -- which he has described as a journey of love, atonement and solidarity.
Mander took to Twitter to state that there was a link between the I-T notice and his run-in with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue Rakesh Sinha on national TV recently.
Mander speak to Rediff.coms Syed Firdaus Ashraf about his yatra and the income tax notice.
What was your first reaction when you received the income tax notice?
We had received many notices and never been concerned about it. We have always cooperated with the government on income tax notices. It is just the timing of the notices and the way it transpired that caused me to express my concern.
On national television, he (Dr Rakesh Sinha, RSS ideologue) said that I am an RSS hater to which I responded that I am passionately opposed to RSS ideology. I believe that the idea of a Hindu rashtra goes against the Constitution of India. We must guarantee, in every respect, equal rights for minorities and other weaker section of society.
He then said that we must have a detailed inquiry of the funding of my organisation. I dont own any organisation and, four days later, I got this income tax notice.
I feel public dissent is the highest public duty and I will continue to speak out.
Dr Sinha has denied his role or that of the RSS in you being served an income tax notice. Moreover, income tax notices are computer generated.
I am not blaming anyone. How do I know whether it is computer generated? It is sort of strange that people who dissent against the government get computer generated income tax notices.
Do you feel the government is afraid of your Karwan-e-Mohabbat as it is gaining popularity?
It has unnerved the government. At many places, people were pressured to cancel our programme.
What were we trying to do? We were trying to express solidarity for the victims of the lynchings and also with the community which senses a fear.
I believe it is the duty of the prime minister of India and chief ministers of different states to go and meet the families of the victims of lynchings. We also wanted to inform the country and the majority public opinion that these are not stray incidents; there is a pattern running across the country.
There are similar forms of attacks and a similar attitude among the police, who are criminalising victims rather than protecting them.
Lynchings happen because there is an environment which is permissive and supportive of this kind of violence.
We found a similar pattern from Jharkhand to Karnataka, from Haryana to Western Uttar Pradesh, from Rajasthan to Gujarat.
Also, we are trying to make a call for public conscience. We want people to break their silence; keeping silent amounts to tacit consent to what is happening in the country and they need to speak out.
How many states have you travelled to so far?
Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Delhi, Western UP, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
We met the families of those who have been lynched or have been victims of hate attack. There is a huge response from the families for our caravan and also from minorities and Dalit communities.
At the local level, I was saddened to find much less remorse where the violence happened. That is a matter of deep concern.
Why do you think there is no remorse among the locals for the lynchings?
We have created an environment which is permissive of hate that victimises the hatred against minorities and disadvantaged castes. We need to fight against this.
Gopal Krishna Gandhi wrote in an article recently that there was one partition on the land of the country. This time, there is a partition of the hearts and minds of the people. It is in this context that we need to fight the battle of the hearts and minds. This is why we are going with our caravan.
IMAGE: Harsh Mander interacting with the public in Delhi during his Karwan-e-Mohabbat yatra, as part of which he has covered Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Delhi, Western UP, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Photograph: @harsh_mander/Twitter
How many people have been killed in these lynchings?
We are visiting two or three families per state. There are 50 families that we met who are affected not by lynching alone but also by anti-Dalit atrocities.
There are four kinds of violence. Lynching, atrocities on Dalits, the attacks on women as witches which predates the present government and the fourth attack is increasing in places like Western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana by the police itself on minorities in large numbers.
Aren't you frightened to visit such places where your life could also be in danger?
There is a lot of hostility. The actual attack happened at the place where Pehlu Khan was lynched. The Hindu Jagran Manch, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal told us that they will not allow us (in the area) under any circumstances. The police and administration too told us we must not go.
I could not understand why they did that. At that place, mobs were throwing stones at our bus. The police too were not agreeing, so we sat on a dharna. The danger is always there, but we felt it is more important to visit these places.
Did Bajrang Dal or VHP guys threaten you anytime personally?
They gathered and threw stones. At some places, people had assembled with flowers and banners for us, but they pulled down the banners that were welcoming us. This happened at two places in Rajasthan. After that, the government told us we cannot go further without police protection.
It was ironic that the caravan for love and peace could not move without police protection.
Is lynching a new phenomenon in India? Because, as far as I recall, it was always there in India. What has changed now?
The scale and pervasiveness of it has changed. IndiaSpend did a quick survey and they found out that there was a jump of 97 per cent of lynching attacks after Modi became prime minister.
I think we have to build a society where we do not debate about who is a Hindu or a Muslim. Let us care for each other as human beings independent of our identity of community, religion, caste or gender
It happened because there is an environment which is permissive and supportive of this kind of violence. We always find that the political leadership -- state home ministers and legislatures all support the accused. There is an attempt to protect the accused.
Gau rakshaks are seen as righteously angered and cases are registered against the people who have been attacked. In almost every case, there is an attempt to protect the accused.
An environment has been created so that this becomes pervasive. There is a very important difference between communal violence and lynching.
Communal violence is bound by a geographical space and by time. It is a much larger attack but it gets over and things come back to normal.
In lynchings, the message is that anyone anywhere can be targeted. No one is safe if you belong to the targeted community.
I have encountered this especially with people from the Muslim community. There is a sense of fear in them across the country in various social classes because of this successful strategy.
Therefore, it was important for us to take out the caravan of solidarity.
Do you feel someone who is visibly a Muslim is scared to move around today?
Yes, he is absolutely scared. I think this is what former Vice President Hamid Ansari too said. I had encountered this before my caravan but, after the caravan, this picture has become clearer to all of us.
There is a pervasive sense of fear in Muslims who look like Muslims in the public space.
I spoke to an RSS ideologue recently and he told me there was no fear among Muslims as they are going about freely on the streets of India. It is only the secular brigade that wants to put this fear in their minds.
What do you have to say about that?
Our caravan has evidenced enough which is contrary. It is not me but there are many who joined the caravan who will tell the country that this is not true. There is a great sense of fear among Muslims in India. It is everyday fear.
IMAGE: A demonstrator holds placards during a protest against lynchings of Muslims and Dalits who were accused of possessing beef, in Ahmedabad. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
Your critics say you do not take out yatras when RSS leaders get killed in Kerala or in Karnataka? Why is this outrage selective against Hindus?
When we say Hindu suffering and Muslim suffering, I see it as a huge problem. The IndiaSpend data proves that 86 per cent of people killed in lynch attacks are Muslims, eight per cent are Dalits. That makes 94 per cent. The remaining six per cent are mainly identities unknown.
We are going by these figures which are mainly Muslims.
As far as the cycle of political violence between the Communist Party of India-Marxist and RSS workers in Kerala, I am completely opposed to violence. I have complete sympathy for both CPI-M and RSS workers.
What do you want to achieve with this caravan and what message do you want to send across?
Our Constitution says four words. Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Most of us do not understand what fraternity means and how important it is for our democracy.
Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar said fraternity is the foundation of democracy. Fraternity is the idea that we belong to each other. That is why when Junaid was killed I wrote an article, Junaid was my son.
I think we have to build a society where we do not debate about who is a Hindu or a Muslim. Let us care for each other as human beings independent of our identity of community, religion, caste or gender.
That is what I call love. Love is courage. Gandhiji in the last month of his life saw a million people die in Hindu-Muslim riots but he still spoke about love and a country based on Hindu-Muslim unity.
It is that kind of love which comes out of great courage that we have to strive for.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the recent incidents in the Banaras Hindu University smacked of a conspiracy as prima facie reports suggest the role of anti-social elements.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a baton-charge by the police in BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent. An inquiry has been ordered into the violence on the campus.
The chief minister told reporters that those involved in spreading anarchy on the campus will not be spared at any cost.
Prima facie investigation suggests it is a conspiracy by anti-social elements, he said.
The chief minister said the proctorial board of the university should have taken timely measures to ensure that the trouble did not escalate.
He suggested better communication between students and vice chancellors of central universities to prevent such incidents.
On alleged baton-charge on journalists, he said action will be taken immediately after getting the final report.
Hitting back at the Opposition, he said the law and order situation in the state has improved even though his political opponents were spreading canard against the government.
BHU chief proctor resigns after violent protests on campus
In the wake of the violent protests that erupted, chief proctor, Professor ON Singh, submitted his resignation late on Tuesday night.
He said he was taking moral responsibility of the recent incidents of molestation and violence inside the premises of the university.
Singh submitted his resignation letter to the Vice Chancellor, Girish Chandra Tripathi.
It is to be noted that ON Singh was considered to be one of the aides of the vice chancellor.
Earlier on Tuesday, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the chief secretary, the director general of police Uttar Pradesh and the BHU vice-chancellor seeking a detailed report on the matter and submit his response within four weeks.
The NHRC, in its statement, said, Suo motu cognisance taken in the subsequent use of unwarranted manhandling and thrashing of agitating students, mostly women, by UP police.
The development came a day after Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Shrikant asserted that a judicial inquiry has been initiated to probe in the BHU violence case.
-- With inputs from ANI
Image: Police men deployed at Banaras Hindu University in view of the students protests. Photograph: PTI Photo
A coffee table book on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was globally launched in Washington, DC and presented to several American lawmakers.
The Making of a Legend has images and text depicting Modis journey, his struggles and initiatives since assuming the office in 2014.
The book has been written by Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of NGO Sulabh International.
Copies of the book were presented to Congressmen H Morgan Griffith, Thomas A Garrett, Barbara Comstock, Ted Yoho and Ami Bera.
The lawmakers lauded the efforts of the prime minister, a media release said.
Describing Modi as a true grassroots leader, Pathak said India is all set to ensure 100 per cent sanitation coverage by 2019.
The event -- the first in a series -- was organised by Chairman of the Fairfax Countys Republican Committee Matt Ames, Member of the Trump campaigns Asian American Advisory committee Punit Ahluwalia and Adapa Prasad of Overseas Friends of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the United States.
Pathak termed Modi as an able and true mentor for social welfare and development of India.
The book was launched in India in July.
Image: Bindeshwar Pathak gifts the book on Modi's life to US congressman Morgan Griffith at his office. Photograph: @RepMGriffith/Twitter
Pakistan received a proposal to swap Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav for a terrorist who carried out the horrific 2014 Peshawar school attack and is now jailed in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif has claimed.
Asif, however, did not specify the name of the terrorist and the National Security Advisor who had made the proposal.
"The terrorist who killed children in APS (Army Public School) in Peshawar is in Afghan custody. The National Security Advisor told me that we can exchange that terrorist with the terrorist you have, which is Kulbhushan Jadhav," Asif told the audience after his speech at the Asia Society in New York on Tuesday.
He discussed Pakistan's vision for and approach towards regional peace and development during his conversion with author and journalist Steve Coll.
Asif said Pakistan had suffered grievously from conflict and instability in Afghanistan.
"Unless this cycle is reversed, we would continue to bear the brunt. No country, therefore, has a larger stake in seeing peace and stability return to Afghanistan than Pakistan. Regrettably, the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse," he said.
Jadhav, a 46-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was in April sentenced to death by Pakistan's Field General Court Martial on charges of his alleged "involvement in espionage and sabotage activities" against Pakistan.
Asif said there was no military solution to Afghanistan. He said Pakistan had in the past done all it could to facilitate a political settlement.
"We have also done all that we could to make sure that Pakistani soil is not used against any country," he claimed.
"However, there are obviously clear limits to what we can do. We cannot take responsibility for Afghanistan's peace and security and be asked to achieve what the combined strength of some of the most powerful and richest countries could not accomplish," Asif said.
India has accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention by repeatedly denying consular access to Jadhav.
In a hearing of the case on May 18, a 10-member bench of the ICJ restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav.
Pakistan has said that the Indian national would not be executed until he has exhausted his mercy appeals.
The Pakistan Taliban had claimed responsibility for the gruesome Peshawar school attack in 2014 in which nearly 150 people, mostly school children, were killed.
Several rockets have been fired close to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul just hours after United States Defense Secretary James Mattis landed in Afghanistan's capital to hold talks with President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday.
Twenty to thirty rockets landed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in the centre of Kabul, Tolo news reported. There are no reports of causalities yet.
The airport has been evacuated and all flights have been cancelled for now.
Hamid Karzai International Airport serves as one of the countrys largest military bases, used by the United States Armed Forces and NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
The military of Afghanistan also has a base there, while the Afghan National Police provide security inside the passenger terminals.
No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks yet.
Mattis is in Afghanistan to hold talks with the Afghan president and other Afghan government ministers. Later, he will hold a press conference with Ghani and the NATO chief.
Mattis unannounced visit to Afghanistan, after his two-day trip in India, assumes significance as United States President Donald Trump said that he would rely on greater regional cooperation to stabilise the security situation in Afghanistan.
On that note, while assuring Mattis that India will continue its development and medical assistance in Afghanistan, Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman clearly stated, There shall not be any Indian boots on the ground in Afghanistan.
Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters
Saudi Arabia is easing restrictions on women driving, finally allowing almost half its population to get behind the wheel.
A royal decree has been issued that will allow women in the country to drive, the Saudi foreign ministry said on Tuesday on its official Twitter account. A committee has been formed to implement the ruling and it will present recommendations within 30 days. Then the government will have until June 24, 2018, to implement the new decree.
The move to ease restrictions on women has huge implications for the Saudi economy and womens ability to work. It is just the latest in a series of changes that have been rippling through Saudi Arabia since the rise of 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Campaigners had earlier, for many years, argued that women should be allowed to drive, saying that it makes virtual prisoners out of women, who do not have a male family member or chauffeur to drive them around.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia follows a strict form of Wahhabi Islam that bans the mixing of sexes at public events and places numerous curbs on women. These restrictions are enforced by religious police whose powers the crown prince has successfully lobbied to curtail since coming to power.
United States President Donald Trump has commended the decision of Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive in the ultra-conservative kingdom, describing it as a positive step.
Trump commends the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias decision to affirm the right of women to drive in the Kingdom, the White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.
This is a positive step toward promoting the rights and opportunities of women in Saudi Arabia, Sanders said.
We will continue to support Saudi Arabia in its to efforts to strengthen Saudi society and the economy through reforms like this and the implementation of Saudi Vision 2030, she said in a statement.
We're happy. Were certainly happy to hear that. If Saudi women are now able to drive, certainly here in the United States we would certainly welcome that. It's a great step in the right direction for that country," the State Department Spokesperson, Heather Nauert, told reporters at her news conference.
Image: A woman sits behind the wheel of her vehicle as she drives in Riyadh, an act that is banned in Saudi Arabia. The new decree is just the latest in a series of changes that have been rippling through Saudi Arabia since the rise of 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Photograph: Amena Bakr/Reuters
-- With inputs from PTI
Apparently seeking to showcase the Congress' soft Hindutva, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday offered prayers at four temples in Gujarat before wrapping up his three-day visit to the poll-bound state, a move his party
said was aimed at countering the hardline Hindutva of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
However, the ruling BJP took a dig at Gandhi, saying the Congress vice president was visiting temples as his party has failed to win elections in the state for long time.
In New Delhi, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram deprecated attempts at reading any political meaning into Gandhi's visit to temples.
Gandhi, who had kicked off his tour after offering prayers at the Dwarkadhish temple on Monday, resumed his road show on Wednesday by trekking up the famous Chotila temple in Surendranagar district.
Starting his tour from Rajkot, Gandhi came to Chotila, the first stop, and began the steep climb immediately. He climbed around 1,000 steps in about 15 minutes without a break.
After he had offered prayers, the priests apprised him of the importance of the shrine.
The Congress leader climbed down the stairway in another 15 minutes, greeting devotees on his way back.
In the evening, Gandhi visited Khodal Dham temple in Kagvad village to offer prayers to Khodiyar Mata, the reigning deity of the Leuva Patel community. A section of Patels are up in arms against the state's BJP government over their demand for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.
On his arrival, Gandhi was greeted by a large number of Patidars, who chanted their signature slogan, 'Jai Sardar, Jai Patidar' to welcome the Congress leader.
On his way to Jetpur from Kagvad, Gandhi also paid a visit to a temple dedicated to Dasi Jeevan, revered by Dalits and Buddhists.
He also made an unscheduled visit to another shrine -- Jalaram temple -- in Veerpur in Rajkot district.
"I don't think you should read political meaning into that. I think there is much else that is happening in his visit to Gujarat. I think we should focus on that," Chidambaram said in the national capital.
"We have always held that each one is entitled to practice his own faith, we treat all faiths equal. That is the position of the Congress party. From the days of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, that is the stance of the Congress party," he said, while dismissing suggestions that the temple visits were an attempt to woo Hindu voters.
Commenting on Rahul Gandhi's visit to temples, Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said the party was deliberately projected as anti-Hindu by the BJP and the RSS.
"Rahul Gandhi's visit to various temples during his tour is aimed at countering the hardline Hindutva campaign of BJP and RSS," Doshi said.
"The RSS and BJP have deliberately tried to portray the Congress as anti-Hindu, which is not true," he said.
AICC spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said, "Our idea of secularism is different from them (BJP), as we visit religious places of all the faiths. This is nothing new. Our former PM Indira Gandhi used to do the same."
However, a state BJP leader said Gandhi was visiting temples as his party was not winning elections.
"Rahul Gandhi has started visiting temples and shrines as his party is not winning elections in any state," state BJP spokesperson Raju Dhruv said.
On Tuesday, Gandhi also attended a garba event organised by MLA Indranil Rajyaguru in Rajkot and performed 'aarti' in front of the idol of goddess Durga.
"The day ends well with garba in Rajkot," the Congress vice president had tweeted.
On his way from Chotila to Kagvad, Gandhi addressed people at some places. In his speeches, he promised that the Congress would waive all farm loans within 10 days of assuming power after the elections, which are due later this year.
In the last two days, Gandhi repeatedly attacked the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on GST, note ban and farm polices.
He had also invoked Sardar Patel's legacy to woo the Patel community ahead of the crucial state polls.
Gandhi had also expressed confidence about his party winning the Assembly elections, claiming that there was a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat.
IMAGE: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visits Chamunda Mata temple, Chotila in Surendranagar on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Photo
By PTI: Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 26 (PTI) A total of 149 Indians serving prison terms for minor and financial offences in Sharjah will be released following the amnesty declared here by the Emirates visiting ruler Sultan Bin Mohammed Al- Quasimi.
The announcement came in response to a request by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking the release of Keralites who had completed three years of their jail term in Sharjah.
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According to a joint communique issued by the Sharjah and Kerala governments, those facing punishment for minor offences and financial misappropriation would be given pardon as per the general amnesty.
Al-Quasimi was honoured with an honorary D.lit Degree from Calicut University at a function held at Raj Bhavan here. Governor Justice (retd) P Sathasivam conferred the degree. Sharjah also agreed to open an institution of higher learning for Arabic studies and research and set up a chain of skill development centres for imparting training to those seeking jobs in the Gulf region.
"This was announced by Al-Quasimi during his one-to-one meeting with Vijayan", the communique said.
Sharjah has also accepted in-principle the states proposal for giving international driving licence to those who seeking jobs in the Emirate, the release said.
A joint committee consisting top officials of Sharjah and Kerala would be set up to work out an action plan to implement projects agreed to by both sides.
The Kerala government also offered land for construction of a permanent building for the UAE consulate in the state capital.
The Sharjah Family City project, cultural centre and International Education Complex to be set up by Kerala in Sharjah were some of the other projects under the active consideration of the Sharjah government, the release said.
Later, giving a lecture, Al-Quasimi hailed the harmony among the people of Kerala and wanted them to preserve it.
"I saw a dance yesterday. I was very happy to see three sects of people dancing together with love. I hope that will remain always," he said.
Al-Quasimi, who reached here on September 24 on a five- day visit to the state, promised he would be back within a year to celebrate the fulfilling of promises he had made.
The ruler met the chief minister at his official residence in the morning. He also met the council of ministers yesterday and discussed various issues pertaining to Kerala and Sharjah. PTI LGK JRK UD RC BSA
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By PTI: Jammu, Sep 27 (PTI) Two civilians were injured as the Pakistan Army today targeted forward posts and villages along the LoC in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir with mortars and small arms fire.
The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively and the firing is still on, a defence spokesman said.
"Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 0815 hours in Poonch and Bhimbher Gali sectors along the Line of Control (LoC)", the spokesman said.
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Pakistani troops also targeted dozens of villages in LoC in Bhimbher gali, Balakote, Shahpur and Poonch with mortar shells and automatic weapons, leaving two civilians injured
The injured have been identified as 55-year-old Sham Akhtar and 28-year-old Raza Ahmed.
On September 24, two soldiers were injured as Pakistan opened fire at forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakote sector of Poonch district.
On September 23, Pakistan troops targeted BoPs in Arnia, R S Pura and Ramgarh and Poonch sectors along the IB and LoC in Jammu, Samba and Poonch districts resulting in injuries to seven persons.
Over 20,000 people have fled their hamlets along the IB in Arnia and R S Pura sectors due to firing and shelling from across the border. PTI AB DV
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Guinea: 8 Years Later, Justice for Massacre Needed
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 27 September 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Guinea: 8 Years Later, Justice for Massacre Needed, 27 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb5eda4.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Guinea should move ahead to deliver justice, truth, and reparation for the grave crimes committed on September 28, 2009, at a Conakry stadium, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Association of Victims, Parents and Friends of the September 28 Massacre said today in advance of the massacre's eighth anniversary. On that day, security forces massacred more than 150 peaceful protesters, and more than 100 women were raped. Hundreds of injuries and widespread looting were also documented.
An investigation into the crimes by a panel of Guinean investigating judges, opened in February 2010, has yet to be completed - eight years after the crimes were committed.
"The judges investigating the September 28, 2009 massacre have made impressive progress," said Elise Keppler, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch. "But the investigation needs to be completed so that those responsible for the stadium massacre can be tried without further delay."
The investigation has made progress, overcoming political, financial, and logistical obstacles.
Current and former high-level officials have been charged, including Moussa Dadis Camara, the former leader of the National Council of Democracy and Development junta which ruled Guinea in September 2009, and his vice president, Mamadouba Toto Camara. Abubakar "Toumba" Diakite, Moussa Dadis Camara's aide-de-camp, has also been charged and was extradited to Guinea in March after being at large for more than five years. However, several people who face charges still hold influential official positions in Guinea.
"That people suspected of criminal responsibility for the stadium massacre continue to hold senior official positions of power is an affront to victims and their families and sends the negative message that impunity is tolerated in Guinea," said Francois Patuel, West Africa researcher at Amnesty International. "Anyone facing charges should be put on administrative leave until a final judicial determination of guilt or innocence is made, to ensure they don't use their position and influence to undermine proceedings."
Judges have heard the testimony of more than 400 victims and their family members and have also questioned witnesses, including members of the security services.
Some aspects of the investigation are outstanding, such as locating mass graves believed to contain the bodies of about 100 victims who remain unaccounted for. Several people who held senior official positions at the time have not been heard or charged. But this should not be a basis for Guinean judicial authorities to delay the completion of the investigation.
The Guinean authorities should also ensure that human rights violations and abuses committed since the stadium massacre, including about 70 deaths during demonstrations, are adequately investigated and those responsible are brought to justice in fair trials.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), which opened a preliminary examination into the situation in Guinea in October 2009, has regularly reminded the Guinean government of its obligation to deliver justice for the 2009 crimes. The Guinean government should ensure that the investigations phase of the case moves ahead to trial.
The ICC is designed as a court of last resort. Under the principle of complementarity, the ICC only steps in when national courts are unable or unwilling to investigate and prosecute cases under its authority.
The International Commission of Inquiry, created by the United Nations secretary-general with a mandate to investigate the events in Conakry concluded that the massacres and other violent acts committed on September 28 and the following days constitute "crimes against humanity."
"I am not getting through grief," one of the rape victims told Amnesty International. "My life was thrown up in the air. The day after the soldiers raped me, my husband abandoned me and my daughter. Justice must be done and victims must get reparations."
"The victims of the September 28 events suffered the worst forms of brutality and have been pressing for prosecutions for eight years," said Asmaou Diallo of the Association of Victims, Parents and Friends of September 28 Massacre. "The victims deserve to see the wheels of justice turn forward."
Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Yemen: Coalition's Blocking Aid, Fuel Endangers Civilians
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 27 September 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Yemen: Coalition's Blocking Aid, Fuel Endangers Civilians, 27 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb5f3a4.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
The Saudi-led coalition's restrictions on imports to Yemen have worsened the dire humanitarian situation of Yemeni civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. The restrictions, in violation of international humanitarian law, have delayed and diverted fuel tankers, closed a critical port, and stopped life-saving goods for the population from entering seaports controlled by opposing Houthi-Saleh forces.
Houthi-Saleh forces, who control the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country, have also violated international legal obligations to facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians and significantly harmed the civilian population. They have blocked and confiscated aid, denied access to populations in need, and restricted the movement of ill civilians and aid workers.
"The Saudi-led coalition should end its unlawful restrictions on imports to Yemen, and Houthi-Saleh forces should stop interfering with aid," said Bill Van Esveld, senior children's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Before even more children suffer and die of preventable causes, the warring parties need to allow fuel, food, and medicine to reach the families that need it."
Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, is enduring the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Malnutrition and disease, to which children are particularly susceptible, are widespread. An estimated 1.8 million children are acutely malnourished. Half the country's hospitals are closed, 15.7 million people lack access to clean water, and the country has over 700,000 suspected cholera infections, increasing by about 5,000 cases daily. From late April 2017 to mid-August, nearly 500 children died and 200,000 fell ill from cholera, a disease spread by contaminated water.
Human Rights Watch documented seven cases since May in which the coalition arbitrarily diverted or delayed fuel tankers headed for ports under Houthi-Saleh control. In one case, the coalition held a ship carrying fuel in a Saudi port for more than five months and had not responded to the shipping company's requests for an explanation. The oil cargo had to be unloaded in a Saudi port without compensation and crew members needing medical treatment could not leave the ship.
Under international humanitarian law, parties to an armed conflict may impose naval blockades to prevent arms and materiel from reaching enemy forces. Goods such as food, fuel, and medicines destined for civilians can be inspected but not excessively delayed. The blockading force must publish a list of contraband items, but the coalition has not done so.
"[We] can only speculate what these prohibited items might be," said a shipping company official. "We certainly don't carry any weapons on our ships." Three of his company's fuel tankers sailed to Yemen regularly and always received United Nations clearance, but the coalition subjected them to lengthy inspections on every trip, he said, with the delays costing the company up to US$10,000 per day per ship - costs passed on to ordinary Yemenis.
Human Rights Watch is not aware of any cases in which the UN monitoring body has issued clearances to ships on which the coalition later found weapons. The coalition and other naval forces have intercepted weapons shipments at sea intended for Yemen, but according to media reports, these were on smaller dhows, not container ships or fuel tankers.
Fuel - now often unavailable in areas under control of both sides - is needed to run the generators that most of Yemen depends on for electricity. The lack of fuel makes it more difficult to pump clean water, run hospital equipment, and safely store vaccines, aid officials said. The coalition closure of the fuel port of Ras Isa in June has significantly curtailed fuel deliveries.
An aid official said:
I have seen hospitals that can't turn on their generator. The labs can't function, hospitals have to close at night, the cold chain [continuous refrigeration during transport and storage] for vaccines can't function, and there are no air conditioners or even fans when the heat is unbearable for seriously ill patients.
A UN Panel of Experts reported in June that the Houthis had earned up to US$1.14 billion from fuel and oil distribution on the black market, and that fuel was "one of the main sources of revenue for the Houthis." Houthi-Saleh forces apparently also use imported fuel for military purposes. However, preventing or excessively delaying fuel imports from reaching civilians is contributing to the collapse of the health system, a lack of access to uncontaminated water, and increased costs that make food and basic goods unaffordable for impoverished Yemenis. The substantial harm to civilians is disproportionate to any concrete and direct military advantage to the coalition, in violation of international humanitarian law, Human Rights Watch said.
The Houthi armed group and forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh have also blocked or confiscated aid intended for civilians and imposed onerous and unnecessary restrictions on aid workers and interfered with aid delivery. Aid groups have pulled out staff or ceased working in some areas due to these restrictions.
In Taizz, Yemen's third largest city, a hospital official said that on April 17, Houthi-Saleh forces confiscated medical equipment from two trucks, including dialysis materials, that would have benefited at least 160 patients at his hospital. In February, the UN humanitarian chief's relief convoy was denied entry into the city at a Houthi-Saleh checkpoint. On September 17, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that Houthi-Saleh forces had enforced a "brutal" siege on the city of Taizz. Houthi-Saleh forces have repeatedly laid landmines that have impeded aid workers from reaching certain areas.
All states should support efforts at the UN Human Rights Council to create an independent international inquiry into abuses by all sides in Yemen, including unlawful restrictions on imports and denial of aid access, Human Rights Watch said. Houthi-Saleh authorities should immediately cease denying aid access to populations in need, including in Taizz, and threatening, intimidating, or harassing humanitarian staff whom the authorities should ensure can carry out their work unimpeded and impartially.
"The Saudi-led coalition's cruel restrictions on fuel to Yemen, effectively shutting water taps and hospitals, have turned an impoverished country into a humanitarian disaster," Van Esveld said. "Meanwhile, Houthi-Saleh forces have repeatedly blocked groups bringing vaccines into Yemen and kept aid from reaching people who desperately need it."
Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
The humanitarian situation in Yemen has significantly worsened in the past year. Even before the cholera crisis, the UN children's fund (UNICEF) reported in December 2016 that one Yemeni child was dying from malnutrition or other preventable causes every 10 minutes. In July 2017, three UN humanitarian agencies found that "nearly 80 percent of children in Yemen need immediate humanitarian assistance."
The Saudi-led coalition's restrictions on fuel have greatly contributed to the humanitarian crisis. Because fuel is needed for agriculture and transportation, the shortages also increase food scarcity. The UN estimates Yemen's fuel needs at 533,000 metric tons per month based on pre-conflict levels. So far in 2017 the monthly average of fuel imports is 163,000 metric tons, but this fell in June to only 88,000 metric tons. Fuel prices have increased by more than 50 percent since the conflict began, and up to tenfold in some areas, and cash-strapped hospitals often cannot afford fuel to run generators, a humanitarian official said.
The militarily contested city of Taizz, where Houthi-Saleh forces have repeatedly blocked aid, including medical supplies, from entering, has been particularly affected by a lack of humanitarian access and a shortfall in fuel and supplies. In 2017, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF) reported that:
Damaged hospitals and shortages of staff and essential supplies have resulted in the virtual collapse of Taizz's health service, severely compromising people's access to life-saving medical care. A crippled health system, combined with increasingly harsh living conditions, has prompted a decline in people's health, with particularly acute consequences for vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, newborn babies, and young children. Most families now live with little or no electricity and insufficient food and water.
Coalition Interference with Fuel Tankers
In response to the coalition's blockade of Yemen, which began in March 2015, the United Nations established a Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) in 2016 to inspect and issue clearances to ships bound for Houthi-Saleh-controlled ports. If cleared - a process the UN says should take only a few days, though some shipping company officials told Human Rights Watch it was often longer - ships proceed to a demarcated "coalition holding area" in the Red Sea, to wait for the coalition to inspect or give them permission to go to port. According to reports by the World Food Programme (WFP), the average waiting time for fuel tankers at Red Sea ports was eight days as of July 15, but had increased to 14 days by August 20.
In August, a shipping company representative told Human Rights Watch that Saudi authorities had been holding one of the company's fuel tankers for more than five months after diverting it from Ras Isa. The ship received a cargo of oil in Djibouti, where UNVIM granted the ship permission to proceed to the "coalition holding area" in early April. The coalition boarded the ship to search for weapons. The ship was diverted to Jeddah, then to a second Saudi port, Yanbu, where it remained as of August 25.
Information obtained through a ship-tracking service corroborated this account, as did accounts from port officials interviewed separately by phone in Ras Isa and Hodeida. All the accounts said the ship received a clearance from UNVIM before the coalition diverted it.
The shipping company representative said neither the UN nor the Saudis had informed the company of the reason for the diversion or prolonged delay. He said that in the months that the ship has been forced to wait at the Saudi port, the coalition had prevented the crew from leaving the ship, even though some of them needed medical attention. "The cargo is all lost now because the coalition forced it to discharge the oil [at a Saudi port] and that cost about $20 million" without compensation, the representative said.
An official at another shipping company said three of his company's tankers had regularly carried fuel to Yemen before the conflict and had continued to do so. The company's ships are regularly cleared by UNVIM, but then subjected to coalition inspection and excessive delays when they try to deliver fuel to Hodeida, "costing us huge sums of money in lost time."
Ultimately, rising shipping costs are passed on to consumers in Yemen, where nearly 40 percent of the population lived on less than US$2 per day even before the conflict. He said the coalition held one of the company's ships in the holding area for 19 days in July:
We didn't know what the problem was. The coalition navies have a number for commercial ships to contact them, but whenever we tried to call them and give them the permission number that we already obtained from UNVIM, they would reply that "The permission number is not clear. Wait for further instructions.
In four additional cases, shipping industry officials, UN agency logistics updates, and ship-tracking information indicate that fuel tankers appeared to have been delayed by the coalition for excessive periods. For example, the UN reported that a tanker with 11,485 metric tons of fuel oil was "expected" to arrive in Hodeida on June 10, but it was in the coalition holding area for 49 days, from June 11 until July 29. Because of the costs of the delay, an official at Hodeida port said:
The ship's owners wanted the importer to pay these expenses or else they won't deliver the cargo. The importer bowed to the inevitable and paid all additional expenses. The ship arrived at the port, but then the importer filed for a court order to hold the ship at anchorage until its owners pay back his money.
Other recent instances include:
A tanker carrying 4,105 metric tons of fuel oil was expected to arrive at Hodeida port on June 20, but instead was diverted to anchorage off Somalia, where it remained for 74 days, from June 10 until August 22. As of August 25, the tanker was off the coast of al-Mukalla, a government-controlled area of southeastern Yemen;
A tanker carrying 12,035 metric tons of gasoline was expected in Hodeida on June 29, but was held in the coalition holding area for 28 days and did not arrive until July 26; and
A tanker with 13,977 metric tons of gasoil was expected at Hodeida on July 9, but remained in the coalition holding area for 13 days, until July 21, before heading to the port.
The lack of clarity about whether a given ship might be inspected, denied, or seized by the coalition caused shipping companies to be "reluctant" to accept bookings for Hodeida port, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported. A shipping company manager told Human Rights Watch by phone that the coalition delayed a fuel tanker in the holding area for 28 days, from January 9 to February 5, and ultimately refused to allow it to proceed to port, "and provided absolutely no reason." The ship had to discharge its fuel cargo in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which did not cost the company but did cost the charterer about US$500,000. The same ship discharged cargo at Hodeida in mid-2016 with no problems, but because of the risk of being blocked again, the company no longer shipped there, he said.
The coalition has refused to provide ships any justification for refusing to allow some to berth, including ships that had received UN clearance. Saudi and other coalition members have also not reported on inspections they have carried out, according to a UN Panel report, which Human Rights Watch has observed, in violation of Security Council Resolution 2216, paragraph 17.
Coalition Closure of Ras Isa Marine Terminal
On May 30, 2017, the coalition notified the UN it had ordered the closure of Ras Isa the previous week, due to concerns Houthi-Saleh forces were using the revenues from imports at the terminal. The coalition-backed Yemeni government subsequently sent the port authorities a letter, dated June 5, which Human Rights Watch reviewed, that ordered the closure of Ras Isa purportedly to protect the "marine environment" from "pollution and oil leaks." The WFP, which coordinates humanitarian logistics in Yemen, reported that "as of 14 June, vessels will no longer be granted clearance" for Ras Isa port, and would be diverted to Hodeida. The agency noted UNVIM had stopped issuing clearances for Ras Isa.
Nabil al-Mutahar, the general manager at Ras Isa, told Human Rights Watch the coalition had imposed "almost a full blockade" on the terminal since July. Already in early 2017, monthly diesel imports at Ras Isa had fallen from between 80,000 and 90,000 metric tons per month in 2015 to between 20,000 and 24,000 tons per month. He said, "In January 2016, we had six fuel tankers berthing at the terminal, but in January 2017, that number decreased to one. As far as I know, the coalition didn't give a specific reason, and the fuel tankers didn't violate any rules."
Hodeida port is incapable of making up the lost diesel capacity from the closure of Ras Isa. Ras Isa was designed for diesel imports and had specialized diesel storage tanks with a greater capacity than the Hodeida port, al-Mutahar said. Yahia Sharaf Addin, the deputy chairman of Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation, said that Hodeida cannot accommodate large fuel tankers with more than around 18,000 metric tons of fuel. He said that the fuel imports to Hodeida were limited - mostly around 40,000 to 50,000 tons of petroleum per month - and "can only cover the needs of Hodeida city and the local area."
Coalition Delays of Ships Carrying Humanitarian Assistance
Humanitarian agencies often contract with shipping companies to bring in aid in standardized containers, which are transported on container ships and require special cranes for unloading. The coalition has repeatedly delayed container ships carrying humanitarian cargo.
On March 4, the coalition diverted a ship carrying 129 containers of vegetable oil and blankets for two UN humanitarian agencies, from Hodeida to the Saudi port of Jezan, and held it there for nearly three weeks after completing an inspection on March 13. UNVIM had already cleared the ship.
Save the Children, an international relief agency, said in March that coalition warships had blocked three of its medical supply shipments from reaching Hodeida in January and February, and rerouted the shipments to the southern port of Aden, which is controlled by the Yemeni government, delaying their delivery to beneficiaries by up to three months.
Overall, only two container vessels entered Hodeida in May, one in June, three in July, and two in August, according to information published on the Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation website, which matched commercial ship-tracking information that Human Rights Watch reviewed.
In a statement to the UN in January, Saudi Arabia asserted that the coalition "has not refused to grant a permit to any shipment destined for a Yemeni port." The Saudi statement alleged that Houthi-Saleh forces had "deliberately obstructed the entry of commercial vessels into ports under their control." Human Rights Watch is not aware of such cases, although in November 2016, Houthi-Saleh authorities refused for weeks to clear deliveries of PlumpyNut, a high-calorie treatment for malnutrition, as well as other humanitarian goods at the Hodeida port. In the cases Human Rights Watch examined in 2017, shipping delays occurred in the coalition holding area, which is the coalition's responsibility. However, from May 31 to June 4, the merchant vessel Mukaranas was blocked at Hodeida port from sailing back to Djibouti after it had discharged humanitarian cargo, the WFP reported.
In addition to restricting ships, the coalition has reduced the capacity for goods other than fuel at Hodeida port, through which 70 percent of all food imports enter Yemen, by refusing to allow imports of materials to repair or replace damaged infrastructure. Ras Isa terminal had been partly closed since coalition airstrikes damaged its Floating Storage and Offloading terminal in January 2016, Reuters reported.
The coalition has refused to allow the port to replace destroyed cranes or import spare parts needed to repair cranes that are "worn-out and in need of maintenance," an official at the port said. In 2016, the US donated $3.9 million to the WFP to purchase four mobile cranes to unload dry bulk cargo - although not containers - from ships at Hodeida, but in January 2017 the coalition refused to allow a ship carrying the cranes to berth, humanitarian officials told Human Rights Watch.
The UN agency re-routed the cranes to a storage facility in the UAE, where they remain. Ships that berth at the port since then have needed to carry their own cranes, which take longer to unload cargo, increasing costs, a port official said. He told Human Rights Watch in late July that the coalition had also blocked a ship carrying six container chassis intended to move containers from the berth to the port's containers-yard area from entering Hodeida port.
Two humanitarian officials said the coalition's restrictions had made the Red Sea ports untenable and forced them to import aid via Aden, or to resort to cargo flights, which were up to five times more expensive. Importing aid through Aden can make it difficult for humanitarian agencies to transport assistance to some of Yemen's major population centers, or areas in need of aid, as it requires crossing front lines and likely involves double taxation.
In September, Foreign Policy magazine reported that the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, had again approached Saudi Arabia about the cranes, but Saudi Arabia still refused to allow them to proceed to Hodeida.
Houthi-Saleh Obstruction of Aid
Houthi-Saleh forces have diverted humanitarian aid and imposed excessive requirements on humanitarian agencies before allowing aid distributions, the UN Panel said in its report. Some humanitarian organizations have been forced to close operations in areas under Houthi-Saleh control. In March 2017, MSF announced it was withdrawing from a hospital in Ibb governorate, which is controlled by Houthi-Saleh forces, due to its "inability to run activities according to MSF's principles of independence and impartiality." MSF said it had provided life-saving care to more than 41,000 patients in al-Thawra hospital's emergency room since 2016.
Houthi-Saleh forces have repeatedly frustrated humanitarian efforts to provide vaccines, including those intended for children. In October 2016, Houthi-Saleh authorities repeatedly refused permission for a plane carrying vaccines to land in Sanaa, forcing it to return to its point of origin, despite prior negotiations with aid agencies and the Yemeni Health Ministry. "[The Houthi-Saleh authorities] want trauma kits, not vaccines, because those can be used for the war wounded," an aid worker told Human Rights Watch at the time.
In November 2016, 11 armed Houthi-Saleh fighters raided Health Ministry buildings in Sanaa, attacked a guard, and took five vehicles, including two refrigerated trucks that humanitarian agencies had provided for vaccines requiring cold storage, which they wanted to use to transport dead bodies, a Health Ministry official told Human Rights Watch.
Houthi-Saleh forces have also denied or confiscated food aid. A humanitarian official described incidents in 2016 when Houthi-Saleh authorities delayed one truck delivery of food for several days "until the supplier gave them more than 20 bags of wheat for [their] war efforts," and detained a staff member for two days when he refused to hand over soybeans from a second delivery for distribution to Houthi-Sale fighters.
In August 2017, another official in Sanaa said that the Houthis had repeatedly harassed, threatened, and detained staff involved in health and food projects. The official said that, "Whenever an organization receives funding and would like to start implementing an activity, the Houthis start bothering and blackmailing them, preventing them from working until they either give them the money or they give the money away to a local organization that belongs to them so the Houthis can take it easily."
Yemeni staff at an aid agency with a food distribution project said that Houthi-Saleh authorities had repeatedly detained staff members for short periods, accused them of spying, and confiscated their belongings. "The main reason for stopping them was because they are working for an NGO," he said. In February 2016, Houthi-Saleh authorities in Hodeida detained six Norwegian Refugee Council staff as well as a contracted driver for one week on suspicion that they were distributing supplies from the coalition. A Taizz-based activist said Houthi-Saleh forces had arrested two humanitarian volunteers at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the city in February and March, detaining the first one for a month and the second for more than one year.
Houthi-Saleh forces have also imposed onerous restrictions on internal movements of both international and national staff of humanitarian organizations in areas of Yemen they control, including, at times, refusing permission to travel to certain areas entirely or asking staff to seek official permission to travel to individual directorates.
The cumulative impact of Houthi-Saleh obstruction and interference with humanitarian assistance has significantly harmed the civilian population, Human Rights Watch said.
Houthi-Saleh Forces' Obstruction of Aid into Taizz
Houthi-Saleh forces besieged Taizz from August 2015 until the coalition opened a road into the city from the south in March 2016. However, the route along secondary roads is "arduous," and "access to Taizz remains extremely limited and residents continue to suffer," the UN human rights office reported in September 2017.
The human rights office report said:
The prices of basic commodities in Taizz have skyrocketed, leaving civilians unable to afford basic essential items even if they are accessible or available. To access basic services such as health care, residents report that they have to traverse routes mined with explosives and are exposed to the constant risk of shelling, airstrikes and snipers. Residents also report that if they manage to reach locations where health care may be available, they often find that the facilities have been destroyed or damaged in the fighting, or that they lack even the most basic supplies. No public health care facilities in the city, and few private facilities, are fully functional.
Yemeni human rights activists said by phone in late August that Houthi-Saleh forces continued to restrict access to humanitarian aid and civilian goods into Taizz. They restricted aid at the al-Ghurab and al-Waze'aia entry points, which connect Taizz to the ports of Mokha and Hodeida, and also from four entry points to the north: Sabir al-Moadem, al-Aqroudh, al-Dimnah, and al-Houban.
In August, at least 18 people were killed during heavy floods while trying to take the only major route currently open to Taizz. It is under Yemeni government control, and requires lengthy, arduous travel, including on roads that Houthi-Saleh forces mined before they withdrew from the area.
Houthi-Saleh forces outside the city have demanded "large sums of money at security check points" from people wishing to enter the city or bring in goods, one activist said. The activist also said government-aligned forces had confiscated aid and civilian goods that entered the city and re-sold it for inflated prices.
High fuel costs in addition to other problems have forced many health facilities in the city to close, causing severe harm to patients with kidney failure who regularly need dialysis. One researcher said, "They have to travel outside of the city for treatment, and the journey to Aden is not easy at all" due to bad roads, and is expensive and lengthy:
It is very difficult for the sick and injured to travel to get medical assistance, but there is no alternative in Taizz because most hospitals are closed and the rest lack medicines and staff. The last humanitarian aid that was delivered to Taizz was almost four months ago.
International Humanitarian Law
All parties to the armed conflict in Yemen are bound by international humanitarian law, or the laws of war. Applicable law includes Common Article 3 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions, and customary international humanitarian law for a non-international armed conflict. The laws of war prohibit attacks against civilians that are deliberate, indiscriminate, or can be expected to cause harm disproportionate to the anticipated military gain at the time.
Under international humanitarian law, warring parties are obligated to grant humanitarian relief personnel freedom of movement, and protect them from attack and arbitrary detention. Confiscating goods necessary for the survival of the civilian population and blocking humanitarian aid are serious violations.
While a party may impose a blockade during an armed conflict, a blockade is unlawful if it has the sole purpose of starving the civilian population or denies the population goods indispensable for its survival. A blockade also violates the laws of war if it has a disproportionate impact on the civilian population, when the harm to civilians is, or may be expected to be, greater than the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated from the blockade.
A blockading party can only confiscate goods on board a neutral merchant vessel (or aircraft) if they are "contraband." Contraband is defined as goods that "are ultimately destined for territory under the control of the enemy and which may be susceptible for use in armed conflict." A blockading party must have published contraband lists, which may vary according to the particular circumstances of the armed conflict, but must be reasonably specific.
Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Brazil: Human rights defenders and journalists facing unprecedented risks
Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 22 September 2017 Cite as Article 19, Brazil: Human rights defenders and journalists facing unprecedented risks, 22 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb5fbc4.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
The following statement was delivered by ARTICLE 19 at the 36th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, as part of the Item 6 General Debate on the adoption of Brazil's third cycle UPR.
Brazil's engagement with the third cycle of the UPR comes at a time when journalists, human rights defenders, social leaders, their families and communities, have been under unprecedented pressure.
Already in 2017, 62 defenders, indigenous and traditional communities leaders have been killed, hundreds more have faced attacks including physical assault, stigmatisation campaigns, harassment and intimidation, illegal surveillance, and judicial harassment.
Journalists and bloggers reporting on matters of public interest, including corruption of public authorities, protests, and mass development projects, are most at risk of reprisal: so far in 2017, 10 journalists have been murdered.
Impunity for all such attacks is endemic.
ARTICLE 19 therefore welcomes the government's commitment to take all necessary measures for the effective protection of human rights defenders and journalists, including by strengthening the Federal Protection Mechanism. We reiterate that ensuring all attacks are thoroughly investigated and perpetrators brought to justice are vital to break the now entrenched cycle of violence.
We are concerned that the government's claim that the Mechanism is operational throughout the country is not reflected on the ground: currently only three states directly implement the Mechanism. Federal funding of the Mechanism must urgently be increased, and crucial partnerships with civil society organisations charged with implementing the Mechanism must be reinstated to ensure full and effective implementation at state level.
We ask the Government if it will reverse changes enacted in 2016, through Decree 8724, which fundamentally weakened the Mechanism, including by:
Guaranteeing that those "at-risk" and in situations of vulnerability are eligible for protection
Reinstating civil society representatives to the Mechanism's Council
Guaranteeing the formal participation of judicial bodies, in particular the Ministry of Justice, Prosecutor's Office and Federal Police
Will it cease excluding the most at risk defenders, community leaders, and journalists from the Mechanism, and will the development of protection protocols addressing their holistic security be urgently prioritised? We ask what steps are planned to address the structural causes driving attacks against human rights defenders, particularly those in rural and indigenous and traditional communities?
We ask how those under its protection can rely on the State to keep them safe, whilst the State itself relies on abusive laws to harass them?
How will the government prevent public authorities and officials abusing civil defamation laws to silence independent reporting, as occurred in the cases of Jose Maria Portilho, Leonardo Sakamoto and Paolo Henrique Amorim? Will it commit to decriminalising defamation and repealing desacato provisions?
Will the government abandon attempts to reintroduce amendments (PL 5065 and PL 272) to the Anti-Terrorism Law, which would, among other things, remove the clause specifying that the Law should not be applied against human rights defenders, civil society or protesters?
Will it cease abuse of the 2013 Criminal Organisations Law, which has been used to criminalise and discredit civil society, and leaders of social movements including Natalino de Jesus, Diessyka Lorena Santana Soares, Luis Batista Borges, and Valdir Misnerovicz?
Thank you.
Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
By PTI: Colombo, Sep 27 (PTI) A Sri Lankan high court today sentenced to death seven persons for kidnapping, raping and killing a schoolgirl in 2015 in the Tamil-dominated Jaffna province, an incident that had sparked nationwide outrage.
Sivaloganathan Vithya, 18, had gone missing on May 13, 2015 in Punkudithivu, Kaytes after she left home for school. Next day her brother found the body at an isolated spot with her hands and legs tied to logs.
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A three-member trial bench of the Jaffna High Court sentenced to death the seven accused, including prime suspect Swiss Kumar who had arrived in Sri Lanka to video tape the rape and killing of the girl.
The seven men found guilty were also sentenced to 30 years rigorous imprisonment and ordered to pay Rs one million as compensation to Vithyas family, according to the Sri Lanka Guardian.
The court was told that Kumar wanted to sell the video of the rape and murder to a contact in Switzerland. It also transpired that one suspect was in love with the victim but the girl had rejected him.
Some 41 charges were filed against the suspects in the murder, which sparked countrywide outrage leading to street protests.
Jaffnas senior-most police officer at the time, Lalith Jayasinghe, was also arrested for allowing one of the suspects to flee police custody.
Jayasinghe, who is out on bail now, was the highest- ranking police officer in service ever to be arrested, reports had said. PTI COR KIS AKJ KIS
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Bahrain: UPR commitments unlikely to restrain assault on free expression
Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 22 September 2017 Cite as Article 19, Bahrain: UPR commitments unlikely to restrain assault on free expression, 22 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb5ffa4.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
The following statement was delivered by ARTICLE 19 and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, at the 36th Session of the Human Rights Council, as part of the Item 6 Debate on the adoption of Bahrain's third cycle UPR.
Mr. President,
The sheer number of recommendations to Bahrain addressing the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association, are indicative of the alarming human rights situation in the country, which has deteriorated since 2016. This present reality makes us question whether the acceptance of many of these recommendations will in fact translate to action towards implementing them.
We ask why, if the government intends to reverse its crackdown on freedom of expression, did they this week interrogate and place journalists Faysal Hayyat and Ahmed Radhi on a travel ban, alongside other activists?
We would like to know when the government intends to release photojournalist Ahmed Al Mousawi, arbitrarily detained since 2014, and the 9 other journalists currently detained in the country?
When will the government release human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, arbitrarily detained since June 2016, and human rights defender Ebtisam Al-Sayegh, arbitrarily detained since July 2017, and reportedly tortured, including through sexual abuse, by the National Security Agency while in custody during a prior detention in May 2017.
Will the government cease harassing the family members of human rights defender Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, and release Nazar Sayed Namaa Alwadaei, Hajar Mansoor Hassan and Mahmood Marzooq? Will they receive redress for the ill treatment, possibly amounting to torture, inflicted on them since March 2017? Will "terrorism" charges against them be dropped?
We ask whether the government's newfound commitment to freedom of expression will lead to the reversal of the illegal 4 June 2017 order to shutter Al Wesat, the sole remaining independent newspaper in Bahrain? Will proceedings to dissolve Wa'ad, the country's leading secular, leftist opposition group, be halted?
Implementing the UPR recommendations the government has accepted necessitates comprehensive reforms to the web of legislation used to repress all criticism and opposition, and which intimidates so many to self-censor.
This includes the Press Law (Decree 47/2002) and Decree 68/2016; the Law on Public Gatherings 18/1973 (as amended) and Law 26/2005 political associations; the Penal Code (in particular Articles 165, 178, 180, 214, and 216) and Anti-Terrorism Law 58/2006.
Human rights are not "safeguarded" by this national legislation, as the government claimed during this UPR, but are routinely violated through their enforcement.
We call on this Council to hold Bahrain to the commitments it has made today, so that the human rights defenders, journalists, political opposition and Shi'a religious leaders, as well as their families, no longer have to pay such a heavy price for exercising their rights.
Thank you.
Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
After Raqqa: The Next Jihadist Stronghold in Syria
Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Patrick Hoover & Omar Kebbe Publication Date 22 September 2017 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, After Raqqa: The Next Jihadist Stronghold in Syria, 22 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb614f4.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Link to original story on Jamestown website
As the operations against Islamic State (IS) in al-Raqqa and Deir al-Zour remain the focus of attention in Syria, a group known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has quietly and quickly consolidated near-total dominance over Idlib the last remaining opposition-held province in the country. Neglecting HTS' activities, however, risks allowing the group to establish a jihadist stronghold from which to launch attacks outside the country.
Many know HTS as the latest iteration of Jabhat al-Nusra (JN), formed in August 2011 when al-Qaeda General Command (AQGC) and IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi authorized Abu Mohammad al-Jolani to set up a branch in Syria. Over the course of the six-year conflict, al-Jolani and his jihadist cadres transformed JN into one of the fiercest anti-Assad fighting forces by leveraging its influence within both the broader Syrian revolutionary factions and the global jihadist network. Straddling these two diametrically-opposed forces has remained HTS'/JN's most pressing challenge as it seeks to establish an Islamic emirate in Syria.
Despite its dominance in Idlib province, HTS currently faces both external and internal challenges to its rule. The three strategic pillars that it has relied on to date co-optation of rival groups, strong internal harmony and manipulation of the civil space appear to be crumbling under the pressure of the Turkish-Russian-Iranian-led Astana peace talks and escalating tensions with rival rebel groups and local residents.
What HTS decides to do next will undoubtedly impact U.S. counter-terrorism planning in the region, but also the future of the Syrian state itself.
HTS Struggles to Fully Co-opt the Opposition
Aside from its effective military prowess, HTS has exercised adept political control over the revolutionary landscape by employing a strategy of "controlled pragmatism" that started in 2012. This approach involved building interdependent alliances with the local opposition, gradually socializing and at times, bullying the opposition into accepting an Islamic emirate. Most notably, on March 24, 2015, HTS (then known as JN) jointly founded and led the Jaysh al-Fateh (JF) coalition with Ahrar al-Sham (AAS), eventually sweeping Syrian government forces from Idlib in early April 2016 (Shaam, March 24). HTS replicated these efforts during the siege of Aleppo in late 2016, and agreed to jointly manage the city of Idlib with AAS and various other Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups.
However, HTS' unifying efforts were largely limited to tactical and operational cooperation as the group failed on numerous occasions to convince its partners to declare loyalty under its banner. Opposition groups pointed to HTS' ties to al-Qaeda, arguing such links not only distorted the original aims of the revolution, but also justified external attacks on the moderate opposition under the pretext of fighting terrorism, further hindering the revolution. In response, al-Jolani rebranded JN as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS) on July 28, 2016, and extricated the group from al-Qaeda, seeking to portray the newly-polished JFS as more locally Syrian and divorced from jihadist influence (Halab Today TV, July 29).
Al-Jolani's initiative appeared to fail. The region's most independently powerful groups, Nur al-Din al-Zanki Movement (NDZM), AAS and Faylaq al-Sham, refused to join the merger, fearing its external backers Turkey and Qatar would disprove of links to al-Qaeda.
A secondary tactic in HTS' efforts to subsume its rivals under its banner included a campaign of intimidation and low-intensity attacks. Part of this campaign involved the frequent use of abductions, assassinations and attacks using improvised explosive devices (IEDs), slowly eroding AAS and FSA command-and-control without completely destroying it.
Since it rebranded as JFS in July 2016, HTS/JFS has publicly claimed to have conducted at least 15 abduction events, including that of FSA Jaysh al-Tahrir commander Hussein al-Ghabi on July 3, 2016 (Qasioun, July 3). Since May 2015, at least 30 assassinations or attempted assassinations, and at least 70 IED attacks, have occurred in Idlib. Due to its overwhelming military advantage, HTS was likely behind the majority of these, although the group rarely claims responsibility for them, so as to deter retaliatory attacks and avoid an all-out, intra-rebel conflict. Regardless, the effect of these tactics, which have become common-place in rebel-held Idlib, remains although HTS has openly cooperated with various non-jihadist groups, it uses a variety of low-intensity tactics to wear down any potential challenger to its rule.
By the end of 2016, however, HTS' struggle to fully co-opt its various partners and rivals took a complex turn. On-ground dynamics in Idlib had become increasingly subservient to external politics, and HTS felt the pressure. Turkey, the opposition's main backer, decided to rescind its unlimited support for rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, instead focusing on combating the Kurds, isolating JFS and edging closer to Russia, a consequence of which involved marginalizing JFS.
As early as August 2017, Turkish intelligence was reaching out to AAS to discuss how to undermine and dismantle JFS' stranglehold. Turkey, Russia and Iran opened up the Astana talks in late January 2017 to negotiate a ceasefire as a first step for peace talks. Many opposition groups participated, but JFS was excluded due to international terrorist designations.
Facing the seemingly existential challenge to its project in northern Syria, on January 28, JFS rebranded once again as HTS and launched a series of unprecedented coordinated raids on AAS positions across Idlib province (al-Modon, January 28). By July, it had captured the region's key assets: Idlib city, and the Bab al-Hawa, Khirbat al-Jouz and Atmeh border crossings. HTS had managed to induce the defection of over 1,000 AAS fighters, including leaders Hashem al-Sheikh and Abu Saleh Tahhan, and gain the allegiance of NDZM and various other groups. It appeared that HTS through sheer force of arms had finally swallowed its competitors.
Gradual Disintegration
Despite its continued attempts to maintain and consolidate its power, HTS' dominance over AAS and its position vis-a-vis Astana has provoked significant internal discord. Between September 11 and 13, Abdullah al-Muhaysini, a prominent Saudi jihadist cleric, along with former AAS commander Moselh Alyani, left HTS likely because they felt the group needed to normalize relations with Turkey and participate in an international peace process to legitimize HTS' rule in Idlib province (Ennabaladi, September 11).
Abu Saleh Tahan, head of the Uigher-majority Turkestan Islamic Party, also left HTS (Twitter, September 13). The decision came after a call between al-Jolani and the HTS Idlib Chief Abu al-Walid (a.k.a. Abu Hamza Banash) was leaked throughout the province, revealing al-Walid's request to arrest Muhaysni and Alyani after Jolani expressed his displeasure with both of their ideological positions (Ennabaladi, September 11).
The result has been an ongoing campaign to exterminate al-Jolani's dissenters. Unidentified assailants assassinated senior HTS Saudi cleric and former Jund al-Aqsa military commander Abu Mohamad al-Jazraoui (also known as al-Hijazi) in Saraqib on September 11, while others executed Saudi HTS cleric Saraqa al-Malki after concluding Friday prayers in an Idlib City mosque three days later (Ennabaladi, September 13; Raialyoum, September 15).
These internal differences over the strategic direction of HTS are not unprecedented. Since its inception back in 2011, HTS has consistently faced internal discontent over whether the group's ideological commitment to jihadist goals can incorporate making concessions to Syrian revolutionaries. In July 2016, al-Jolani faced the defections of various senior leaders such as Sami al-Uraydi and Iyad Nazmi Salih Khalil (Abu Julaybib) because they viewed JFS' extrication from al-Qaeda as an erosion of the group's jihadist purity.
Tensions over ideology and pragmatism are even spilling over into the conflict with one of HTS' strongest competitors, the Nur al-Din al-Zanki Movement (NDZM). On July 20, NDZM and its 4,000-7,000 fighters left HTS in protest at HTS' capture of Idlib city, as well as the Bab al-Hawa, Khirbat al-Jouz and Atmeh border crossings from AAS (al-Arabi 21, July 20). Toufic Shahabedine, the head of NDZM, released a statement announcing the defection and stating that the "absence of sharia in HTS controlled territory and the decision to fight AAS" were the reasons for his defection (Orient News, July 20).
Since then, HTS has captured the NDZM base in northwestern Aleppo province, assassinated five NDZM commanders (including well-known Nur al-Said Basha) and kidnapped NDZM commander Ashraf Raheem in Dayr Hassan. According to NDZM's Shahabedine, commenting on HTS' recent posturing in Idlib province, "the compass has lost its path and the rifle has strayed from its target" (Orient News, July 20).
At the core of these recent events and the HTS-NDZM conflict is al-Jolani's rumored proposal to open relations with Iran as a means to avoid potential Turkish intervention. Many, including Hussam al-Atrash, the deputy head of NDZM, view Iran as a "historic enemy of Muslims," and cooperation with it equates to a complete betrayal of revolutionary values (Twitter, September 14). These rumors whether factual or not indicate a pattern of deepening polarization between HTS and those who distrust its strategic direction.
Aggression in Local-Civilian Affairs
A third cause of HTS' increasing lack of control is its attempt to dominate civilian space and access to humanitarian aid in order to portray an image of effective governance. As part of its strategy of "controlled pragmatism," HTS/JN set up various service-based arms (such as the General Services Administration) that actively competed with but tolerated local civilian-formed committees and NGO actors. This coordination allowed JN to ensure the flow of Turkey-based humanitarian assistance, while also dictating the distribution of resources among towns and its rivals. However, as part of its assertive shift post-January 2017, HTS consolidated its control over the region's local service-bodies and conduits for aid in order to legitimatize itself as a credible governing authority and manipulate incoming flows of humanitarian aid from regional NGOs.
On August 28, HTS seized the offices of the Idlib City Council (ICC) by force after the ICC, an independently-administered civil institution for the entire province, refused to turn over its bakeries, water and transportation directorate offices to HTS' newly-minted Civil Administration of Services (CAS) (Baladi News, August 20). Prior to the takeover, HTS issued various directives that signaled its intention to impose control over civilian affairs. It formed a "remittances and consumer protection association" to monitor all hawala (a traditional Muslim system of transferring money) transfers, which NGOs heavily depend on for aid provision; absorbed AAS' electrical administration, which had previously withheld electricity to HTS-held towns; prohibited new education projects that did not have HTS approval; and imposed oversight over all local councils, demanding they submit periodic reports (al-Dorar, May 13; Twitter, July 29; Twitter, August 20). On March 25, HTS even undertook the bold move of confiscating two shipments of flour en route to a bakery operated by the Ihsan Foundation, an NGO in Saraqib, which has been a hotbed of anti-HTS activism throughout the conflict (Facebook, March 25)
HTS' assertive intervention into the civilian space suggests it is attempting to use its monopolization of humanitarian supply chains as a form of leverage over both Turkey and the opposition. However, this move appears to have backfired. After meeting with various members of the provisional government, the ICC rejected HTS' demand to place its offices under the group's authority (Facebook, August 22). The eventual dissolution of the ICC on August 26 sparked protests even in the historically pro-HTS village of Binnish (All4syria, August 26) Hotbeds of anti-HTS sentiment, such as Atarib and Maarat al-Numan, saw protests all throughout July and August (Smart News Agency, July 23; All4syria, August 12). On September 9, HTS opened fire on protesters in Darkoosh, further inflaming tensions (Smart News Agency, September 9).
Turkey's Next Move
On August 30, the Turkish-sponsored Syrian Islamic Council a group of 128 religious clerics that aims to unite Syria's moderate religious authority called on rebel forces to form a "national army" under the auspices of the provisional government, exiled in Gaziantep, Turkey (Syrian Islamic Council, August 30).
In mid-September 2017, the provisional government heeded that call with the participation of dozens of FSA groups and key non-FSA, such as AAS and Jaysh al-Islam (Orient News, September 13). The inclusion of AAS marks a shift away from the group's prior rejection of various rebel unity initiatives and has, in unprecedented fashion, created a unified front that opposes both al-Assad and HTS.
However, the extent to which this new force can tip the scales in their favor is questionable given HTS' military, political and economic presence in Idlib province. HTS boasts the most fighters, an increasingly interventionist civil administration and control over the region's border crossings and major towns. It is highly unlikely that HTS will moderate its opinion toward dealing with international actors, and even if it did, the international community would be hard pressed to treat HTS as a legitimate actor. Military intervention by Turkey could pose a threat to the group. However, that would face opposition from Russia and al-Assad as neither would desire another Turkish-controlled enclave so close to its coastal stronghold in Latakia province.
Future Prospects and U.S. Policy
Ongoing challenges such as dealing with NDZM, stemming internal discord and monopolizing civilian affairs will continue widening the cracks in HTS' armor, but these are unlikely to topple its deeply-entrenched authority. With the lack of a unified coalition strong enough to dislodge it and only the remotest prospect of Turkish intervention, HTS is likely to continue its dominance in Idlib province.
While the U.S. and Coalition have made aggressive strides in degrading IS in the east, HTS is taking advantage of being a lower priority to build its safe haven and shore up jihadist support.
Central to preventing this is identifying new local partners, which may require collaborating with Turkey politically and diplomatically. Doing so may include walking back on some commitments to the Kurds, but ultimately will align with the U.S. national security goal of preventing a jihadist stronghold in Syria.
Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Georgia Hosts Large-Scale, Multinational Military Drills
Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Vasili Rukhadze Publication Date 18 September 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 113 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Georgia Hosts Large-Scale, Multinational Military Drills, 18 September 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 113, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb623e4.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Link to original story on Jamestown website
From September 3 to September 11, Georgia hosted the multinational military exercise Agile Spirit 2017 (Agenda.ge, September 11). Originally, Agile Sprit started off as a bilateral United StatesGeorgia military exercise, normally held at the Vaziani military base on the outskirts of the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. However, since 2015, it was joined by various other countries. Agile Spirit 2017, besides the US and Georgia, drew six other participants: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Latvia, Romania and Ukrainealthough Armenia dropped out after Azerbaijan confirmed its participation (see EDM, September 8). Overall, 1,500 troops took part in the military drills, 500 of which were personnel from the US Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa. Moreover, the United States ferried various military equipment to Georgia's Black Sea port of Potiamong them M1 Abrams battle tanks, which then were shipped by rail to the Orpolo firing range, in the country's Samtskhe-Javakheti region. The key goals of the exercises were to increase regional partner interoperability, strengthen the understanding of each country's tactics and techniques, and obtain training in multinational brigade-level command and battalion-level combined field arms firing (Civil Georgia, September 3, September 4).
However, Agile Spirit 2017 was not the only military drill that Georgia hosted this year. Barely three weeks before this annual war game commenced, Georgia completed another US-led multinational military exercise, widely known as Noble Partner. It lasted for two weeks, during the first half of August. Its scope it was even larger than Agile Spirit 2017 and, overall, included eight countries: Armenia, Georgia, Germany, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. The participating troop contingent of 2,800 was also much larger, consisting of 1,600 US and 800 Georgian military personnel, and the remaining 400 was divided up among the other participants. In this exercise, the military equipment involved included US Stryker infantry carrier vehicles, which took part in these military drills for the first time. Strykers, along with other combat vehicles, traveled along the East-West Highway, from the Senaki military base in western Georgia, and passed cities, including Gori, affected by the 2008 Russian-Georgian War (Civil Georgia, July 31).
The main symbolic feature of these military drillsthe fact that US military hardware drove down Georgia's East-West Highway, almost right in front of the Russian occupying forces camped just a couple hundred yards from this strategic roadconspicuously occurred just a day before US Vice President Mike Pence's visit to Georgia (1tv.ge, July 31). This political symbolism certainly was not lost on Georgians. Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Defense Minister Levan Izoria all exuberantly stated for weeks afterward how important these military exercises were for Georgia and its future (Rustavi 2 TV, Imedi TV, July 31, August 14, September 3, September 4). Moreover, social media was set ablaze with enthusiastic Georgians posting videos and pictures of US Strykers and other military hardware passing close to the Russian occupation line in Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia)in fact, near the territory that Russians additionally sliced off from the rest of Georgia just several weeks before (Medianews.ge, Imedinews.ge, July 4).
Pro-Russian groups in the country, however, quickly tried to pour cold water over the overjoyed Georgians' zeal and enthusiasm. Nino Burjanadze, the leader of the United GeorgiaDemocratic Movement Party, somewhat sarcastically called on Georgians to remember that once US troops and military hardware leave, the country will again be left one-on-one against Russia and its military forces. As she warned, Russia "will not easily swallow this [referring to the US-led military drills and the deployment of its troops and military hardware to Georgia]" (Primetime.ge, July 31). Archil Chkoidze, the leader of another pro-Russian group, "The Society of Erekle II," made a similar statement, urging the Georgian government as well as the opposition to think carefully whether such military exercises are beneficial for the country at all (Sputnik-georgia.com, August 2).
US-Georgian military cooperation is clearly increasing. This year's Agile Spirit and Noble Partner exercises were simply the latest vivid examples of this. Moreover, the importance of these military exercises is hard to underestimate, particularly for the combat readiness of the Georgian Armed Forces.
Nevertheless, the main problem lies in the fact that Americans and Georgiansand particularly the Georgian publicmight have different interpretations of and expectations from these military drills. The United States certainly sees them as a means to improve its military's interoperability with the Georgian Armed Forces and to help Georgia's military readiness. Georgians, on the other hand, may be interpreting these military exercises as a sign, or a precursor, of a potential long-term US military deployment in Georgia, which in turn could be a deterrent against another possible future Russian military incursion. Georgian political elites, both in the government and in the pro-Western opposition, have not done much, if anything, to dispel such unrealistic expectations. Quite to the contrary: while appearing on Georgian media, they continued to feed these popular hopes week after week (Rustavi 2 TV; Channel One TV, August 2, August 3, August 15, September 3, September 10).
Overall, the annual US-led multinational military exercises in Georgia are a welcome sign of deepening US-Georgian military cooperation. And they certainly benefit both countries and their strategic partners. However, Georgian political elites surely have to do a better job of informing the public about the realistic expectations from similar military drills in the future. Otherwise, disappointment may lead to popular discontent against Georgia's key strategic partner, something which the country can ill-afford now or in the future.
Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Language Fight in Tatarstan Set to Ignite Political Explosion Across Russia
Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Paul Goble Publication Date 19 September 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 114 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Language Fight in Tatarstan Set to Ignite Political Explosion Across Russia, 19 September 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 114, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb62a04.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
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Political leaders normally like to convert "either/or" issues into "more or less" ones because the latter permit compromises while the former typically do not. However, the fight over the requirement that all residents in Tatarstan study Tatar fall into the former category. And as much as the authorities in Kazan try to find a compromise, there is simply no room for one. This reality suggests the fight over language education in Tatarstan will escalate into a full-scale struggle over the future of Tatarstanas well as that of all the other non-Russian republics and even non-Russian peoples of the Russian Federation. Consequently, the fight over languages in Tatarstan is about far more than what people speak: it is about the future of the peoples of that country and even the future of that country's survival.
Three reasons support that conclusion: First, there are only so many hours of instruction available in the curricula of schools. If time devoted to teaching the Russian language is increased, as President Vladimir Putin insists, another subject will have to be reduced or cut. It could be Tatar, which the Kremlin's proposed program would seriously undermine by eliminating the requirement that all residents of the republic study the state language whether or not they wanted to. But cuts could also affect other subjects, particularly if Kazan's proposed compromise that Tatar remain a compulsory subject is adopted (Nazaccent.ru, Idelreal.org, September 18). In that situation, residents of the republic might be taught the national language but only at the cost of receiving less instruction in biology, chemistry and so on. That would lead to the degradation of the local educational system.
Second, under existing conditions, Russian and not Tatar is the language of exams that open the way to university education and advancement. Even within Tatarstan, most people can get along with Russian alone rather than Tatar. As a result, many Tatar parents actually want their children to study Russian, even if they would like to see them retain their national language as well. And a large share of them would certainly oppose any moves that would reduce the importance of the Russian language or even more the other basic subjects in the curriculumtwo steps that could limit the opportunities their children would have in the future. Although it has seldom been commented upon until recently, Putin's earlier introduction of a common university entrance exam is a far more important factor in what is going on now than his July speech in Ufa (Novayagazeta.ru, September 18).
And third, not only do most Kazan Tatars live outside the Republic of Tatarstan, but Tatars from that republic are extremely mobile, relocating to take advantage of economic opportunities elsewhere, something that requires a knowledge of Russian. Most Tatars living outside the republic speak Russian as their basic language, even if they know Tatar and use it within their families or with other Tatars. That pattern is true for the titular nationality of many other republics and also for extremely multi-national republics like Dagestan, where Russian remains the lingua franca even within the republic's borders (Krymr.com, September 19).
These factors are not new. Rather, what has changed is the fact that, by tilting so strongly to Russian, Putin has unleashed a genie from a bottle that all previous Soviet and Russian leaders had sought to keep well contained. He has encouraged both ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking members of other nations to come out in open opposition to non-Russian republican policies about languageand hence in open opposition to the non-Russian peoples (Nazaccent.ru, September 19). And it is this rather than the language issue itself that is the problem.
Almost 60 years ago, the great Russian emigre historian, I. A. Kurganov, in his book The Nations of the USSR and the Russian Question (in Russian, Munich, 1961), argued that most observers misunderstand the implications of the nationality question in that country because they focus on the non-Russians. The real danger, he suggested, is from the ethnic Russians who, if they are ever encouraged to think that they have the right to impose their will on all other peoples, will lead to the destruction of the country. That is why even Joseph Stalin took some steps to protect the non-Russian languages and why subsequent leaders have deferred to the non-Russians on local language issues.
But Putin has now violated that approach, confident that the three underlying factors identified above will work in his favor. He might be right were it not for the case that his policies mean both the Russians and the non-Russians view language not simply as a thing in itself but as a marker of their respective futures as nations. And by encouraging the Russians to make demands and insisting that the non-Russians back down, he has placed a mine beneath his country. This mine is unlikely to resemble "the delayed action" one he often accuses Mikhail Gorbachev and others of having placed beneath the country in the past. Instead, Putin's language mine may go off not just in Tatarstan but elsewhereand not in some distant future but in the coming weeks and months.
Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Is the Hasm Movement the Future of Militancy in Egypt?
Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Michael Horton Publication Date 22 September 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 18 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Is the Hasm Movement the Future of Militancy in Egypt?, 22 September 2017, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 18, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb652f4.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
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Egypt's Hasm Movement has released a review of its activities over the course of the first year of its operations. From July 16, 2016 to July 16, 2017, Hasm claims to have killed 27 members of Egypt's "interior military militias" and wounded 56 more. In a detailed press release, complete with info-graphics, Hasm claims to have employed a range of different tactics to target Egyptian police officers and members of its domestic security. [1] These tactics include brazen but well-planned point blank assassinations, and the use of vehicle born improvised explosive devices (VBIED) and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The numbers cited in what Hasm termed its year-end review if accurate are significant, given that the group's membership is likely limited to less than a hundred individuals.
What is striking about the group is its disciplined use of violence and the specificity of its targets to date there are no reports that the group has killed any civilians. It is consistently targeting members of the Egyptian police, the security services working under the aegis of the interior ministry and the judiciary. So far, the group has been careful not to target members of the Egyptian army.
This stands in marked contrast to the Egyptian government's response to rising levels of militancy across the country. Egypt-based and international human rights organizations continue to accuse the Egyptian police and security services of illegally detaining suspected members of militant organizations and the banned Muslim Brotherhood, and of carrying out extra-judicial executions. [2] In August, the U.S. government denied Egypt $95.7 million in aid, and delayed another $195 million, citing Egypt's failure to make progress on human rights and democratic reforms (al-Jazeera, August 23).
The Egyptian government's harsh and often less than well-calibrated response to militancy, combined with what are largely intractable demographic and economic pressures, have created an ideal operational space for insurgent organizations like the Hasm Movement.
In contrast with Islamic State (IS) in Egypt, the Hasm Movement's propaganda de-prioritizes religion and emphasizes the group's nationalist aims. Its relatively moderate religious views and nationalistic focus, combined with a disciplined use of violence, may well represent the leading edge of a new kind of militancy in Egypt. Militancy that specifically targets what some see as a corrupt and unresponsive government may well flourish in post-Arab Spring Egypt.
Gaining Momentum
The Hasm Movement's year-end review points to an organization that has not only survived for a year but has also grown. Given the fact that Egypt's domestic intelligence services are both efficient and effective, the Hasm Movement's ability not only to expand but also to continue to carry out relatively well-planned attacks many of which have appeared in the Egyptian press is notable.
In two of its most recent attacks, the Hasm Movement targeted and killed a senior police officer, Lt. Colonel Ahmed Hussein, and struck a police vehicle in the Cairo suburb of Maadi (Daily News Egypt, June 12). Both attacks appear to have been well planned. The assassination on Lt. Colonel Hussein follows a pattern of attacks whereby senior officers are watched for days sometimes weeks by operatives who record their target's daily routines. The attack on the police truck in Maadi killed the officer in charge of the vehicle and injured another officer and three conscripts. The Hasm Movement claims that it used an IED that was triggered as the target vehicle went past. The Egyptian government maintains that militants shot at the gas tank of the vehicle.
These attacks follow months of almost weekly operations conducted by Hasm-linked operatives that have targeted members of the police, security services and the judiciary. The attacks remain concentrated around greater Cairo, where the density of the urban environment facilitates the surveillance of targets and the exfiltration of Hasm operatives. The same dense urban environment allows the Hasm Movement an abundance of opportunities to vet and recruit new operatives with the specialized skills it requires.
Hasm's success at targeting ranking officials guarded by security details, and its ability to evade Egypt's pervasive active and passive human-based surveillance systems, indicate that Hasm operatives are themselves adept at surveillance and counter-surveillance.
The Hasm Movement also claims that it has targeted police with IEDs and VBIEDs. If true, this suggests the movement has recruited individuals with expertise in explosives. Thus far the group's use of explosives has been disciplined and well-thought out in terms of avoiding civilian casualties. Attacks using explosives, such as the recent one on a police truck in Maadi, are carried out late at night and seem to involve devices designed to minimize the danger to surrounding civilians (Daily News Egypt, June 19).
The leadership of the Hasm Movement clearly recognizes that avoiding civilian casualties and limiting its operations to targeting the police and domestic security services are what sets it apart from other militant groups like IS in Egypt, which frequently targets civilians both Muslim and Christian.
Similarly, Egypt's police are notorious for their often arbitrary use of violence. In the aftermath of the unrest that led to the resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, it was the police that were the subject of antipathy on the part of much of the Egyptian population. During the unrest, police stations and the police themselves were targeted by thousands of Egyptians across the country.
This antipathy has now subsided, but it is still very much a force within Egypt and one the Hasm Movement is keen to tap into; and while it is unlikely the group's methods will appeal to anything other than a minority of Egyptians, that number may be growing.
Stoking the Fire
On August 24, the Egyptian police announced they had killed two supposedly high-ranking members of the Hasm Movement in a shootout near Wadi el-Natroun, 60 miles northwest of Cairo. (Egypt Independent, August 24). Over recent months the Egyptian authorities claim to have killed dozens of Hasm operatives. If these claims are accurate, then the Hasm Movement has undergone a rapid expansion in the last 12 months and has become effectively self-healing. However, in one of its periodic communiques, released on July 27, the group disputed the authorities' claims about the number of operatives killed. [3]
The truth likely lies somewhere between the two narratives. The Egyptian government has frequently exaggerated the number of IS-linked militants that it has killed. At the same time, it is not in the interest of the Hasm Movement to be viewed as an organization that is under increasing pressure from the Egyptian security services.
While the Egyptian government's claims about killing dozens of Hasm Movement members may be exaggerated, it is true that Egyptian security services have arrested and killed dozens if not hundreds of men who may or may not have ties to militant organizations. Human Rights Watch and other organizations have reported extensively on evidence of summary executions of Egyptians in the Sinai and the disappearance and torture of Egyptian citizens by state security in mainland Egypt (al-Jazeera, April 23; Human Rights Watch, April 25; Human Rights Watch, September 5).
This kind of knee jerk response by the state indicates that it is under increased pressure and that it is finding it increasingly difficult to penetrate and disrupt militant organizations. This may be particularly so with the Hasm Movement ,which draws on a much wider base of support than IS. The Egyptian government's harsh tactics may well guarantee that the Hasm Movement continues to grow its organization and broaden its support.
Outlook
It is still too soon to tell whether or not the Hasm Movement will endure and grow in Egypt. If its yearend review is to be believed, then the organization has indeed expanded both its membership and capabilities over the last 12 months. Meanwhile, the government's claims of killing dozens of Hasm Movement operatives even if the numbers are exaggerated suggests that the group's network is now so extensive it has become self-healing.
Regardless of whether the Hasm Movement endures or not, the Egyptian government's less than well-disciplined response to rising levels of militancy in the country combined with ever-increasing demographic and economic pressures guarantees that there will be fertile ground for other organizations like the Hasm Movement to evolve and expand in the coming years.
Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Afghanistan: The Need for New Ideas
Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Alexander Sehmer Publication Date 22 September 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 18 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Afghanistan: The Need for New Ideas, 22 September 2017, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 18, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb66a84.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
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With the commitment of thousands more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, Kabul is also eager for a shift in Washington's attitude toward Pakistan. Meanwhile, plans for a new Afghan militia that can be deployed to troubled areas in support of the national army have come in for criticism.
Afghan media recently seized on an apparent admission by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that the perpetrators of a devastating truck bombing that hit Kabul in May had come from Pakistan (Tolo, September 18; Pajhwok, September 18). The blast hit Kabul's diplomatic district, killing at least 150 people, according to some reports (al-Jazeera, June 6). In an interview with the Financial Times, Abbasi said it "seemed" that the bombers had crossed over the border from Pakistan (Financial Times, September 17).
Such finger pointing between Afghanistan and Pakistan is not unusual, but it has taken on a renewed intensity in recent weeks after the U.S. administration changed tack to commit another 3,000 troops to Afghanistan and hinted that it could take a stronger line on Pakistan's efforts to tackle militants.
That could explain a report in the Afghan government-run Hewad newspaper, which claimed Taliban officials have been fleeing safe havens in Pakistan amid a wave of "mysterious" assassinations (Hewad, September 17). Possibly as it attempts to gauge the U.S. position, Pakistan is cracking down.
The report's other claim that fleeing Taliban leaders are making contact with the Afghan High Peace Council, the inefficient government body attempting to bring armed groups into the peace process, seems more fanciful. It seems more likely that Kabul will have a fight on its hands, one it appears intent on tackling with a planned new militia, despite criticism from rights groups and politicians who argue the funds would be better spent on support for the national army (Weesa, September 17).
The force, which will fall under the control of the ministry of defense, is modeled on the Afghan Local Police (ALP), an initiative that began in 2009 and aimed to establish localized units in areas under threat from the Taliban. It is now an established part of the Afghanistan security landscape. Supporters say a community-based force is naturally more effective at tackling local insurgents, but the picture is more mixed, with some units better than others and many accused of perpetrating abuses.
The proposed new militia could reportedly number 20,000 fighters (Tolo, September 15). Human Rights Watch has urged Kabul to abandon the idea, warning an outsourced defense force will be hard to control and risks becoming a means to bolster local strongmen (Tolo, September 18).
Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Myanmar: Rohingya Crisis Risks Opening Door to Islamists
Publisher Jamestown Foundation Publication Date 27 September 2017 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Myanmar: Rohingya Crisis Risks Opening Door to Islamists, 27 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb67084.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
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A military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's Rakhine state has created a refugee crisis for the country's neighbors and risks establishing a new jihadist rallying point in Southeast Asia.
The latest violence in Myanmar began in August, after fighters with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) staged a series of attacks on police and army positions. An ARSA spokesman claimed the attacks were retaliation for abuses by the security forces (Asia Times, August 28). The military response has been severe and indiscriminate including setting fire to peoples' homes prompting more than 400,000 Rohingya to flee over the last two months (al-Jazeera, September 17). Myanmar's elected leader, the Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Su Kyi, has failed to reign in the military something she may not in fact be able to do nor has she condemned the violence, something she certainly could.
In the meantime, jihadist networks are attempting to use the situation to their advantage, including al-Qaeda, which posted a call on Telegram for Islamists in South Asia and the Philippines to take up arms in support of their "Muslim brothers," according to the SITE intelligence group.
ARSA, formerly known as Harakah al-Yaqin, initially encouraged this kind of messaging, but appears to have watered down its Islamist rhetoric, aiming instead for greater international appeal (The National, September 13). Abu Ammar Junoni, better known as Hafiz Tohar, the group's reported leader, has issued a statement denying ARSA has links to al-Qaeda or other international Islamist terror networks (Dhaka Tribune, September 14). That is difficult to judge, but Tohar previously appeared in a YouTube video in which he called for a jihad on Myanmar (see Terrorism Monitor, March 10).
Islamic State (IS) has had its eye on the Rohingya for a while. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, announcing his group's so-called caliphate in 2014, included a reference to the situation in Myanmar as he enumerated the "crimes" being perpetrated on Muslims (Middle East Eye, July 5, 2014).
As they shelter in poor conditions in camps in Bangladesh, it is possible some Rohingya will build links with IS militants in the country. India says there are those among its own Rohingya refugee population estimated at 40,000 who already have, though it also accuses them of having links to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (Times of India, September 18). India says Rohingya militants are already organizing in New Delhi, Hyderabad, Mewar and Jammu, and is keen to re-settle the refugees elsewhere, although it is unclear where they could realistically be sent.
The disorganized humanitarian situation needs to be addressed and the violence in Myanmar ended as a matter of principle, but it has other benefits a weak international response will only allow the Rohingya's plight to be coopted by violent Islamists.
Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Disease threatens refugees in Bangladesh in unplanned sites
Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Author Tim Gaynor Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Disease threatens refugees in Bangladesh in unplanned sites, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb68624.html [accessed 15 November 2022]
It is about 10 steps from mother Khaleda Begum's flimsy shack to the well where she pumps water for drinking, cooking and washing.
From there, it is another few steps to a fetid creek which has become a toilet for her and thousands of other refugee families crammed into this area adjacent to Kutupalong refugee camp in south-east Bangladesh.
"We get all of our water from the well, and two of my children have diarrhoea," says Khaleda, 25, who knows full well what is causing it: "We need clean, safe water and sanitation - and we need it now," she said.
Across the far side, amid a cluster of tightly packed bamboo and plastic roofed shacks, the story is the same.
Anu Mia, a 30-year-old father of three, draws drinking water from the so-called tube well in a filthy plastic jug and mud-streaked water bottle, which he places on the dirt floor of his shelter, buzzing with flies. Both his sons are sick. Lala, seven, has diarrhoea, and Nor Kalim, eight, has a skin condition, producing angry welts.
"We are all getting sick," he said while neighbours crowded into the shack nodded animatedly.
Khaleda and Anu, their families and neighbours are among the now estimated 480,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled the recent wave of violence in Myanmar. The vast majority now live in fragile and unsanitary conditions in informal camps and roadside settlements.
Since they began arriving in late August, Bangladesh authorities have reported 5,181 cases of diarrhoea, 10,846 cases of respiratory problems, and 3,422 cases of skin diseases among newly arrived refugees - although the real number seems likely far higher.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is very concerned that the lack of clean water and the unsanitary conditions that prevail in the vast tangle of informal camps and settlements could erupt at any time into a full-blown health crisis.
"We are trying to prepare ourselves, but if not enough is done, and not done quickly enough, then there is a risk of a disaster within a disaster," says Herve Isambert, UNHCR's senior public health officer. "An outbreak can start at any time."
UNHCR appreciates the concerted effort led by Bangladeshi authorities and partners to provide much-needed vaccinations to prevent potential outbreaks of polio and highly contagious measles.
UNHCR has called for redoubling of international humanitarian response and has brought in its fourth humanitarian airlift. The UNHCR-chartered Boeing 777 cargo jet, loaded with 100 metric tonnes of aid, landed in Dhaka today (Sept 26). Given the dire shelter needs in south-eastern Bangladesh, this flight has been loaded with shelter materials only. Two more aid flights are being scheduled in the coming days.
During his visit to Bangladesh this weekend, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi discussed the importance of working towards solutions with Bangladeshi authorities, but emphasized that for now, the immediate focus has to remain on fast, efficient and substantial increase of support to those who are so desperately in need.
"All the kids between six months and 15 years old are getting the vaccines, so this is one of the priorities that is on the way to being addressed," added Isambert, who is a medical doctor specializing in public health.
Preventing outbreak of diarrhoeal diseases, which is always a threat when sanitation and hygiene are so poor, now is a priority.
UNHCR is also working to provide clean water and sanitation in the 2,000-acre (809-hectare) Kutupalong refugee camp extension. So far it has added seven deep tube-wells, 13 shallow tube-wells, and 116 latrine chambers, and is working to add more, at the request of Bangladeshi authorities.
In the camp extension area this Monday (Sept 25), one of UNHCR's Bangladeshi partners carried latrine components - sections of concrete pipe - into the camp extension on bamboo poles. Once dug into the ground, they will be topped off with a footplate around an opening to create field latrines.
This met with the approval of Abdula Hakim, a refugee and mother of four whose shelter overlooks the site. So far she and her extended family of 10 have been going to the toilet "under the open sky."
In the pop-up community facing huge challenges, the small addition of a latrine block is, she says, "life changing."
UN envoy condemns killing of Israeli security personnel by Palestinian in West Bank
Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN envoy condemns killing of Israeli security personnel by Palestinian in West Bank, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb982c4.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
The United Nations envoy for the Israel-Palestine peace efforts has condemned today's fatal shooting attack by a Palestinian perpetrator against Israeli security personnel in the West Bank, deploring that such an incident undermines the prospect of a peaceful future for both sides.
According to preliminary reports, one Israeli policeman and two security guards were killed, and another was seriously injured in the attack that took place this morning in the Har Adar settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory.
It is deplorable that Hamas and others continue to glorify such attacks, which undermine the possibility of a peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis. I urge all to condemn violence and stand up to terror, said UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, in a statement.
He expressed condolences to the families and friends of all victims and wished the wounded a full and speedy recovery.
Cite as
UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples on her visit to Australia, 8 August 2017, A/HRC/36/46/Add.2, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb9bd34.html [accessed 15 November 2022]
As many as 20-30 rockets were fired at the Kabul international airport hours after US Defence Secretary James Mattis landed in the Afghan capital. Taliban and the Islamic State both reportedly took credit for the attack.
By India Today Web Desk: The Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan was today attacked with rocket fire, TOLO News and news agencies reported. There were no reports of casualties
TOLO reported that between 20 and 30 rockets had been fired at the Kabul airport and that the Taliban had claimed responsibility.
However, Reuters reported separately the Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the attack. Reuters quoted ISIS's news agency, Amaq, to say that "infiltrators" used SPG-9 rockets and mortars for the attack.
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According to TOLO, the Taliban said that US Defence Secretary James Mattis, who arrived in Afghanistan earlier in the day, was the target of the attack.
#KabulAttack - Taliban accept responsibility for rocket attack on airport say target was US secretary of defense James Mattis #Afghanistan- TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) September 27, 2017
TOLO further reported that the rocket attack began at about 11.15 am and that all flights at the airport had been cancelled following the attack.
News agencies AFP and Reuters separately reported that the rockets landed at the Kabul airport after United States Defence Secretary James Mattis landed in Afghanistan.
Mattis, who landed in Afghanistan with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, arrived unannounced in Kabul.
TOLO reported that Mattis and Stoltenberg met with General John Nicholson, the US commander in Afghanistan. Mattis later met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
Mattis was in India on Tuesday; he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and National Security Adivsor Ajit Doval.
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Mali: Security Council strongly condemns deadly attack on UN peacekeepers
Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Mali: Security Council strongly condemns deadly attack on UN peacekeepers, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb9fce22c.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the attack by unknown assailants against a UN mission convoy in the region of Gao, northern Mali, on 24 September, that left three Bangladeshi peacekeepers dead and injured four others.
Through a press statement, the Council expressed deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, the Government of Bangladesh and the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), according to a statement.
Calling on the Malian Government to swiftly investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice, Council members underlined that "attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law." Moreover, they stressed that involvement in planning, directing, sponsoring or conducting attacks against MINUSMA peacekeepers constitute a basis for sanctions designations pursuant to Council resolutions.
The members of the Council went on to reaffirm that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of the reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice.
Reiterating full support for MINUSMA and the French forces that support it, the Council also reiterated "strong support" for Mission chief Mahamat Saleh Annadif, and recognized the determination of the Group of Five Sahel States (G5) - Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger - to address the impact of terrorism and transnational organized crime, including through the conduct of cross-border joint military counter-terrorist operations.
The Council members went on to express their concern over the security situation in Mali along with the transnational dimension of the terrorist threat in the Sahel region. They urged the Malian parties to fully implement the 2015 Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation without further delay, noting that its full implementation and the intensification of efforts to overcome asymmetric threats can contribute to improving the security situation across the country.
Civilians pay 'very heavy price' amid unfolding violence in western Central African Republic UN
Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Civilians pay 'very heavy price' amid unfolding violence in western Central African Republic UN, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cba0194.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Since the beginning of September, the humanitarian situation in western Central African Republic (CAR) has deteriorated as armed groups have taken over several localities - particularly Bocaranga and Niem - which has forced thousands of people to flee into the bush where they cannot access aid, the United Nations relief wing reported today.
"Again, civilians continue to pay a very heavy price for clashes between the armed groups," said the Humanitarian Coordinator in the CAR, Najat Rochdi.
The vast majority of the 15,000 Bocaranga inhabitants and the 8,000 from Niemtook took refuge in the bush, rendering them inaccessible to humanitarian assistance. As these incidents occurred, acts of violence against relief workers also prompted several organizations to temporarily suspend their activities in the area.
"While fleeing, the population is not only cut off from much needed assistance but is also more vulnerable to the adversity and abuse by armed groups and the destruction of their properties," added Ms. Rochdi.
The Humanitarian Coordinator warned against a new outbreak of violence in the west, but also in the east of the country, threatening new humanitarian needs.
Ms. Rochdi recalled that the operational capacities of the humanitarian community are already under intense pressure in a context marked by the lagging funding.
"The simultaneous emergence of new outbreaks of tension in several regions will undoubtedly exacerbate the already fragile situation of thousands of displaced people and the communities that are barely recovering from repeated crises," she stressed.
The persistence of violence in the CAR since the beginning of 2017 and the dramatic rise in needs have led the aid community to revise the Humanitarian Response Plan.
The statement noted that to date, only 30 per cent of the required funding has been secured. If not addressed, this would lead to a quantitative and qualitative reduction of the humanitarian response.
In some regions, a number of actors have had to withdraw because of the financial shortfall -halting the only assistance available to those in need.
Ms. Rochdi called on the international community "not to abandon the [CAR] where half the population needs assistance for its survival."
Warring parties in South Sudan show 'little interest' in pushing peace process forward UN envoy
Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Warring parties in South Sudan show 'little interest' in pushing peace process forward UN envoy, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cba0544.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
A window of opportunity for compromise over the 2015 peace agreement by warring parties in South Sudan is narrow, the United Nations envoy for the country said today, stressing the urgency to find a political solution and for international support to the process.
"The parties have shown little interest in engaging in serious negotiations on the way forward, despite the various initiatives aimed at finding a political solution to the conflict," David Shearer, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for South Sudan, told the Security Council.
With only a few months remaining in the transitional period stipulated under the peace agreement, external momentum to support peace is not keeping pace with developments in the country, he added.
He urged the international community to show a unity of purpose to support an implementable peace process that leads to credible elections in due course, but only after a period of transition marked by inclusivity and stability.
Political mediation through the high-level revitalization forum of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) must be the central conflict resolution strategy, he said.
IGAD comprises Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
On the humanitarian situation, Mr. Shearer said the total number of people in need of aid in the country has risen to 7.6 million, citing UN agencies assessment.
VIDEO: Special Representative for South Sudan, David Shearer, calls for greater efforts to re-invigorate the country's long-stalled peace process.
The number of people displaced in South Sudan rose to nearly four million during the first half of this year, with two million of them having fled to neighbouring countries - Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Within the national border, some places, such as parts of the Greater Upper Nile region, parts of the Equatorias, and areas south and west of Wau, are inaccessible due to the ongoing government military operations against the SPLA in Opposition.
The splintering of opposition forces also has a negative consequence for humanitarian efforts. For example, the World Food Programme's regular convoys to Yambio - two days' travel from the capital, Juba - now requires 13 separate permissions from armed groups along its route, he said.
Increasingly, civilians and aid convoys are being targeted along major roadways. This year, 18 aid workers have been killed in South Sudan.
Mr. Shearer, also the head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, said the Mission will soon open a permanent presence in Yei and reinforce presence in Torit and Yambio to deter violence and human rights abuses, and build confidence for people to be able to safely return to their homes.
The small Melut protection site in the country's north is closing in coming weeks as people there want to return to their homes, he said. Further downsizing of protection sites in Wau and possibly even Bor are also being considered.
But ultimately, this movement critically depends on how the government and opposition forces behave, he said. Where those forces continue to prey on civilians, the POC sites will remain a necessary refuge, he added.
The deployment of the UN-mandated Regional Protection Force will enable peacekeepers to extend their reach into areas most in need. This includes establishing a permanent presence in Yei, and reinforcing troops in Torit and Yambio in the Equatorias to deter violence and human rights abuses and build confidence among local communities, Mr. Shearer said.
Amid cholera outbreak in north-east Nigeria, UN steps up aid, warns pregnant women most vulnerable
Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Amid cholera outbreak in north-east Nigeria, UN steps up aid, warns pregnant women most vulnerable, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cba1bc4.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Large-scale displacement and a health system in tatters as a result of persistent violence by the Boko Haram terrorist group have left many - most worryingly, pregnant women and their unborn babies - vulnerable to cholera in the wake of an outbreak in August, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned.
"Studies show that cholera infections during pregnancy can lead to sudden loss of the foetus, premature delivery, stillbirth and an increased mortality and morbidity, both for the baby and the mother," said Homsuk Swomen, a UNFPA reproductive health specialist in Maiduguri, north-eastern Nigeria, one of the worst affected areas by the Boko Haram violence.
Due to the ongoing conflict, many pregnant women are malnourished, aggravating their vulnerability to cholera and the consequences if they fall ill.
Furthermore, the "traditional role" played by women and girls in the region is making them all the more susceptible to the disease.
According to Sylvia Opinia, a UNFPA expert in gender issues, it is usually women and girls who care for sick family members, clean latrines, fetch and handle untreated water, and prepare food for the family.
"We need to understand that cholera is not gender neutral," she underscored.
On its part, the UN agency is working with local health staff, community and social workers in the camps to impress upon them the need to include women and girls in education messages on the disease, and especially targeting pregnant women with those messages. It is also engaging health workers to identify vulnerable women and girls, including pregnant women, for referral to appropriate care.
But funds are needed.
Last Sunday, the UN and partners launched a $9.9 million appeal to respond to the current outbreak in Borno state (north-east Nigeria) and to prevent further outbreaks in high-risk areas. A Cholera Response and Prevention Plan has been developed to address the immediate needs of 3.7 million people that could be affected by the outbreak.
In related news, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN health agency, concluded an oral cholera vaccination campaign around Maiduguri this weekend, inoculating some 844,000 people in affected areas.
According to WHO, it takes those immunized about a week to develop the immune response that should protect against the disease, and most individuals vaccinated should be protected for up to six months.
As of 25 September, 3,934 suspected cases of cholera including 54 deaths have been reported in and around Maiduguri. About 14 million people are affected by the crisis in north-eastern Nigeria (Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states), of whom 6.9 million need health assistance.
Saudi Arabia: Right to drive is a long overdue step forward for women
Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 27 September 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia: Right to drive is a long overdue step forward for women, 27 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cba48f3d.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Responding to the Saudi Arabian government's announcement that women will be allowed to drive, Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said:
"It is a testament to the bravery of women activists who have been campaigning for years that the government of Saudi Arabia has finally relented and decided to permit women to drive.
"This is a long overdue small step in the right direction and we welcome this move if it means all women in Saudi Arabia will finally be able to drive without any restrictions.
"If by June next year women in Saudi Arabia are driving the streets without fear of arrest, then this will be a cause for celebration. But it is just one step. We also need to see a whole range of discriminatory laws and practices swept away in Saudi Arabia including the guardianship system where every woman has a male guardian, be it their father, brother, husband or son, having authority to make decisions on her behalf.
"Likewise, we mustn't lose sight of the fact that Saudi Arabia has recently arrested a whole new set of human rights activists and peaceful critics. A crackdown is still in full swing in Saudi Arabia and one isolated step in the right direction isn't going to fundamentally alter that."
Background
The royal decree announces the set-up of a committee (composed of officials from the Ministries of Interior, Finance, Labour and Social Development) that will look into implementation mechanisms within 30 days.
However, the decree will not enter into force before 23 June 2018 and its text states that it will be implemented according to "established legal regulations", without providing further clarification, raising questions about how exactly it will be translated into practice.
Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International
Disclaimer
This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Greece: Highest Court Fails Asylum Seekers
Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 27 September 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Greece: Highest Court Fails Asylum Seekers, 27 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cba6174.html [accessed 15 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
The September 22, 2017 decision by Greece's highest administrative court that two Syrian asylum seekers can be deported to Turkey because it deems Turkey a safe third country for them puts people at risk.
"Greece's Council of State has failed to protect the rights of asylum seekers," said Eva Cosse, Greece researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Despite the fact that Turkey does not provide non-Europeans fleeing persecution full rights as refugees, and despite the obstacles Syrians and other asylum seekers in Turkey face in getting education and other basic services, the court has given a green light to returning the two Syrian men there without first hearing their refugee claims."
The Council of State grand chamber heard an appeal by the two men, ages 22 and 29, of decisions by lower administrative tribunals that they could be returned to Turkey to have their refugee claims heard there because it can be considered a safe third country for the men. Other lower tribunals are likely to abide by the ruling, paving the way for the return of other Syrian asylum seekers from the Greek islands to Turkey.
The case was heard in the context of a March 2016 agreement between the European Union and Turkey that aims to return most asylum seekers from the Greek islands to Turkey without first hearing their refugee claims. The agreement is based on the flawed assumption that Turkey is a safe third country for asylum seekers. Under the deal, Turkey receives billions of euros in aid, visa liberalization for Turkish citizens, and revived negotiations for Turkish accession to the EU.
No asylum seeker has yet been forcibly returned to Turkey under the terms of the EU-Turkey deal without the merits of their refugee claim first being considered. But more than 1,200 people were removed to Turkey after their claims were rejected on the merits or because they did not file an asylum claim or agreed to return voluntarily. Tens of thousands of people have been confined in deplorable and volatile conditions on Greek islands, prevented from traveling to the Greek mainland since the deal went into effect.
EU asylum law allows EU governments to return asylum seekers to a "safe third country" without hearing their refugee claims only if the country respects the principle of nonrefoulement - that is, not removing or returning people to countries where they face the risk of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or threats to their life and liberty; and if the asylum seeker may apply for asylum there and enjoy all the protections afforded by the 1951 Refugee Convention if recognized as a refugee.
Turkey maintains a geographical limitation to its accession to the Refugee Convention that excludes non-Europeans from refugee status.
Syrian refugees living under temporary protection in Turkey officially have access to free health care and education for their children. But many of the over 2 million Syrian refugees who live outside the refugee camps in Turkey struggle to get housing, and large numbers live in abject poverty. More than 300,000 Syrian children are out of school, according to the latest available data, because they are working to provide for their families; they cannot afford transportation or school supplies; or other reasons such as bullying in some schools. Non-Syrian asylum seekers in Turkey including Afghans and Iraqis are ineligible for temporary protection or basic state services.
"By the EU's own standards, Turkey cannot be considered 'a safe third country' for Syrians or others seeking refuge," Cosse said. "It's deeply disappointing that the Greek courts have embraced the flawed logic of the EU-Turkey deal."
Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch
A senior RSS volunteer of Agra told India Today that, at present the situation looks dicey and 2019 Lok Sabha elections could prove to be a challenge for Modi.
By Siraj Qureshi: With almost four years since PM Modi assumed charge, it has started to appear that all is not well in the country despite the rosy picture BJP is desperately trying to paint. The economic policies of Modi government are now being opposed even inside BJP and RSS, which sends out a red signal for the party in the coming elections.
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A senior RSS volunteer of Agra told India Today that, at present the situation looks dicey and 2019 Lok Sabha elections could prove to be a challenge for Modi and he could face the consequences of his overconfidence just like Atal Bihari Vajpayee did for his 'India Shining' campaign.
It remains to be seen what strategy the senior BJP leaders are preparing to counter such a possibility. The party's national executive meet had been focused on the 2019 elections, with all BJP MPs and MLAs called to attend the meet. He said that the party high command now wants to send these MPs and MLAs among the people to assess the mood of voters and to promote Modi government's schemes among them.
A senior BJP leader told India Today that as ground level party functionaries, they have to face the ire of people every day over rising prices of petrol, diesel and gas, plummeting industrial production, fall in GDP and failure of demonetisation and GST in curbing corruption. He said that the biggest Modi supporters are now campaigning against Modi on the social media and as BJP leaders, they are unable to pacify them because even they don't know what to believe.
DISTANCED FROM GROUND REALITY
What PM Modi and FM Arun Jaitley are claiming about the rise of Indian economy post demonetisation, does not appear to be happening on the ground level. He said that PM and FM do not have to interact with the people so they can say whatever they want, but party workers need to support their argument with facts, and the fact is that the economy appears to have come to a standstill since demonetisation, with GST only adding to the woes of the industries.
According to the sources, the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, Swadeshi Jagran Manch and 6 other organizations are planning to hold a massive rally against the economic policies of the Modi government at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on November 17, and BJP is trying desperately to get the rally cancelled by talking to the leaders of these organisations.
A BJP leader claimed that the RSS is also perturbed at the fast diminishing popularity of PM Modi and his government and a recent coordination committee meeting of RSS in Vrindavan had focused primarily on this issue. The Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh is also connected to the RSS and in its national executive meeting, the leaders of this organization have openly criticized the policies of Centre, especially the labour policies which are pro-industrialist and totally anti-labour. The rally at the Ramlila Grounds could be headed by senior RSS leader Dattatrey Hosbole.
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Social activist Vishal Sharma said that the tri-state elections that are to be held soon, and they will be a major test for BJP before it goes into polls in 2019. Gujarat is considered to be the powerhouse for the current BJP leadership, with both the PM and BJP President Amit Shah, having emerged from Gujarat.
SURVEYS NOT IN FAVOUR OF BJP
If the BJP fails to show results in Gujarat, it will definitely hurt them badly in the 2019 elections. He said that both Modi and Shah are aware of the fact that surveys are not painting a very encouraging picture of the Gujarat elections for the saffron party this time and if they lose Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, there is a big chance that the country would see a fractured verdict in the coming 2019 elections.
He said that there was still plenty of time for BJP to improve upon the mess their economic policies have created. Instead of stimulus packages that will further drain the country's coffers, Centre should focus on regaining the trust of voters by changing the faulty policies, in order to compensate the losses the country incurred post demonetisation.
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ALSO WATCH | Yashwant Sinha lashes out at PM Modi, Jaitley over economic crisis
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By India Today Web Desk: It was only a few days ago that Aamir Khan's look from his upcoming film Thugs of Hindostan made it to social media. And an angry Aamir even beefed up security on the film sets to avoid any further leak. However, it seems all in vain as a picture of Amitabh Bachchan from the sets is going viral on social media.
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With an armour, sword and a black turban, Big B looks fierce. While Aamir's first look reminded many of Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones, Amitabh's look from the film only piques interest. Going by his attire, it looks that the actor is playing a warrior in the film.
Made on a large scale, one of the main highlights of Thugs Of Hindostan is its star cast which includes megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Jackie Shroff.
It is not every day that you get to see Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in one frame . But that is soon going to happen with Thugs of Hindostan. Director Vijay Krishan Raj managed a casting coup of sorts by getting these two actors on board for his next film. Ever since the makers revealed the star cast, the excitement among fans is palpable.
And with the leaked looks of Aamir and Amitabh, it is all the more hard for their fans to contain their excitement.
ALSO WATCH: Celebs flaunt their baby bumps, Aamir Khan's Thugs Of Hindostan transformation is painful
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The Torrington Police Department reported the following arrests:
POSSESSION: Eruin Sosa-Aris, 31, of 260 Calhoun St., first-floor apartment, Torrington, was arrested Aug. 29 and charged with use of drug paraphernalia, possession of narcotics, and possession in a school zone. He was released on a $5,000 non-surety bond and scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Torrington Sept. 26.
VIOLATING CONDITIONS: Thomas F. Poole, 47, of 194 Central Ave., second apartment, Torrington, was arrested Sept. 18 and charged with second-degree violation of conditions of release. He was given $10,000 bond and scheduled to appear in court Sept. 26.
POSSESSION: Andrew Riley, 19, of 91 Palmer Bridge St., front apartment, Torrington, was arrested Sept. 25 and charged with possession with intent to sell/dispense, use of drug paraphernalia, and possession in a school zone. He was released on a $5,000 non-surety bond and scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Torrington Oct. 10.
NARCOTICS: Delmont P.W. Staples, 38, of 140-B Circle Drive, Bantam, was arrested Sept. 25 and charged with possession of crack cocaine, possession in a school zone, use of drug paraphernalia and carrying a dangerous weapon - knife. He was held on a $1,000 surety bnd and scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Torrington Sept. 26.
PROTECTIVE ORDER: Samuel S. Ruggerio, 33, of no certain address, Torrington, was arrested Sept. 18 and charged with violation of a protective order and criminal violation of a restraining order. He was held in lieu of a $10,000 surety bond and scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Torrington Sept. 27.
PARAPHERNALIA: William Fendley, 38, of 57 Iowa St., Torrington, was arrested Sept. 22 and charged with use of drug paraphernalia. He was issued a summons and scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Torrington.
To the Editor:
Amidst her scorching screed against Israel, Shelly Altman ('When the power goes out', Sept. 21), does get one thing right: the vicious ongoing infighting between the Palestinian Authority/Fatah and Hamas, with ordinary Palestinians the intended collateral damage.
P.A. refusal to pay for Israel-supplied electricity has directly led to those frequent blackouts. Remarkably enough, though both are clearly actors in that bitter struggle, when it comes to interaction with Israel, Altman denies either, any moral agency whatsoever.
Her cutely quotation marked military wars of 2009, 2012 and 2014 were started by Hamas firing thousands of rockets towards near border Israeli civilian communities. During those wars, Hamas used mosques, hospitals, schools, even private homes, as weapons depots, while firing off missiles from their vicinity. It cynically used Gazans as civilian shields against counterattack, and, if nonetheless attacked, propagandistically milked ensuing deaths, injuries and physical destruction. In contrast to Altman's cited discredited HRW charges, those really were monstrous war crimes.
In her imagined current relative calm, Hamas has been feverishly diverting cement intended for Gaza reconstruction towards the rebuilding of its underground command-and-control network, but with particular emphasis on digging tunnels snaking under the border towards Israeli communities. UNWRA recently discovered a tunnel leading from one of its facilities, with terminus under an Israeli kindergarten. Hamas is not gifting Gaza a subway system; it is preparing for mayhem on a massive scale.
Israeli, and Egyptian, external controls over Gaza egress and ingress, are solely intended to impede constant weapons smuggling, whether by sea or land. Egypt has particular concerns about Hamas support of ISIS, which it is barely managing to suppress in Sinai.
Only in comparison with Hamas, could the P.A. look good. Rather than acting as "Israel's proxy", security cooperation with Israel is a matter of self-preservation against an always threatening West Bank Hamas takeover. Simultaneously, though, it constantly incites to violence against Israelis and Jews, and munificently rewards, either financially or in public memorialization, those who heed such calls.
At the recent UN heads of state gathering, P.A. President for life, Mahmoud Abbas, praised those "martyrs and courageous prisoners", while excoriating Israel, and even denouncing the now century-old Balfour Declaration as a "crime against our people". Hardly the words of a peace seeker. By contrast, Egyptian President al-Sisi called on the Palestinians to "accept coexistence" with the Jewish state.
Shouldn't Jewish Voice for Peace be supporting those who seek peace, rather than those who reject it?
Richard D. Wilkins, Waterbury
Andhra Pradesh's Anti Corruption Bureau arrested a municipal official with assets worth over Rs 500 crore just three days before his retirement.
By Ashish Pandey: Karma turned out to be an Anti Corruption Bureau for this Andhra Pradesh municipal official.
The ongoing investigation of Andhra Pradesh's Anti Corruption Bureau revealed that the now retired municipal official, who was nabbed just three days before his retirement, allegedly own assets worth over Rs 500 crore.
Golla Venkata Raghurami Reddy, Director of State Town Planning in Municipal Administration department, was arrested after ACB authorities raided his house and 15 other properties in places including Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, and Maharashtra's Shirdi.
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While Reddy is scheduled to retire today, sources revealed he was planning a retirement bash abroad. The ACB sleuths even found a bunch of air tickets booked for Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
The raid which was carried out on Monday shocked many including the ACB sleuth, as it revealed that G Venkata Raghu, Director of Town and Country Planning, made his cousin NV Siva Prasad, posted as Junior Technical officer in the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, his "Benami" and kept large chunk of his ill wealth in the name of Siva Prasad and his wife Gayatri.
The Anti Corruption unit recovered Rs 8 lakh in cash and gold jewellery, documents related to ownership of a lodge and duplex bungalow in Shirdi of Maharashtra and seven houses/plots/agricultural land belonging to G Venkata Raghu from eight different locations.
Simultaneous raids were carried out on 15 locations related to NV Siva Prasad which unearthed Rs 43 lakh in cash, 10 kg gold and diamond jewellery, 23 kg silver along with 32 immovable property (plots, lands, flats, buildings, apartments).
The ACB sleuth also found documents and details related to five infrastructure companies in the names of family members of Raghu's Benami Prasad. The value of the properties so far detected is estimated to be over Rs 100 crore as per official rates, but it could be more than Rs 500 crore in the market as all are in prime locations.
Speaking to India Today, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General RP Thakur said, "We are carrying out investigation and it's a time taking process. Till yesterday, the raids were at its peak, now we are verifying a few lockers and other details. We hope to get these corrupt officers prosecuted as per law in a speedy manner."
Golla Venkata Raghurami Reddy joined the Town Planning department as an assistant director in 1988. During his tenure, he worked in Nellore, Anantapur, and Visakhapatnam districts of the state.
Both the government officers were arrested and produced before ACB courts in Vizag and Vijayawada.
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The wife of detained Taiwan NGO worker Lee Ming-cheh has called on the Chinese Communist Party to be allowed to visit him, amid growing tensions between Beijing and the democratic island.
Democracy activist Lee Ming-cheh, who pleaded guilty to charges of "incitement to subvert state power" at his trial on Sept. 11, was the first foreign national to be held under new laws governing NGO activity in China.
Lee stood trial on Sept. 11 alongside Chinese national Peng Yuhua at the Intermediate People's Court in Hunan's Yueyang city.
But Lee Ching-yu said her husband has been deprived of basic legal guarantees, and called on Beijing to allow her to visit him.
"[Lee's detention" didn't comply with any law or procedure and violates human rights conventions," she told journalists in Taiwan. "The right to family visits has been a fundamental and inalienable right from ancient times."
"[Chinese authorities] failed to notify family members, denied them the right to visit, and ignored the requests of a civilized society," she said, adding: "All we can do is pledge to never give up."
Lee Ming-cheh's detention on arrival at the port city of Zhuhai on came after he gave online lectures on Taiwans democratization process, and managed a fund for families of political prisoners under the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
The furor over his detention and confession to "crimes" linked to activities carried out in the separate jurisdiction of Taiwan has fueled fears that Beijing is seeking to extend its influence to the island's vibrant political life.
United Front tactics
Earlier this week, a cross-straits music festival at the prestigious National Taiwan University was halted after student protesters fearful over Beijing's influence were beaten by unidentified assailants believed to be working for pro-Beijing groups under the Communist Party's United Front strategy.
In Beijing, Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang denied the concert was linked to United Front work, however.
"The people who are trying to politicize this event are perhaps lacking in self-confidence, and are trying to push a one-sided ideology," Ma told journalists. "This notion that this is part of United Front work, a sort of cultural united front, has no basis in fact."
Ma went on to hit out at Taiwan premier William Lai, who serves under pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president Tsai Ing-wen, who said the island and its 23 million inhabitants have all the attributes of a sovereign nation.
"Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, has never been a country and can never become a country," Ma said.
"The mainland side resolutely opposes any form of 'Taiwan independence' words or action, and will never allow the historical tragedy of national separation to repeat itself. The consequences will be reaped for engaging in Taiwan independence separatism," he added, without elaborating.
China's Kuomintang (KMT) nationalist government, then known as the Republic of China under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, relocated to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong's communists on the mainland.
The island began a transition to democracy following the death of Chiang's son, President Chiang Ching-kuo, in , starting with direct elections to the legislature in the early 1990s and culminating in the first direct election of a president, Lee Teng-hui, in 1996.
Broad support for self rule
Recent opinion polls indicate that there is broad political support for de facto self-rule in Taiwan, where the majority of voters identify as Taiwanese rather than Chinese.
But while the Chinese Communist Party has never ruled the island, Beijing regards it as part of Chinese territory and has threatened to invade if Taiwan seeks formal independence.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said it did not matter what Beijing said, it was an "objective reality" that the Republic of China was a sovereign state.
"Taiwan's future and the development of relations across the Strait will be jointly decided by Taiwan's 23 million people," it said.
International law expert Soong Cheng-en said Beijing's reach has become bolder and bolder when pursuing people whose opinions it doesn't like beyond its own borders.
"China is using every legal means to suppress freedom of speech, and to export its reign of terror to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the rest of the world," Soong told reporters. "Taiwan and Hong Kong are right in the front line of this oppression."
"Without international support standing with us and curbing China's behavior, we will see them using criminal law to suppress the freedom of speech of other countries' citizens," Soong warned. "It will only be a matter of time before they start coming after anyone in the world with a dissenting opinion."
Reported by Wen Yuqing for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Hwang Chun-mei and Hsia Hsiao-hwa for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Suvanh (R) and Vikhan (L), residents of Yeub village in southeastern Laos' Sekong province, were arrested in June 2012 for submitting a petition against a Vietnamese rubber company. The men, who appear here in an October 2011 photo, are believed to be among a group of villagers arrested in July 2017 for cutting down rubber trees on the company's property.
Police in southeastern Laos Sekong province have arrested 14 villagers in Thateng district since late July for their involvement in an 11-year-old land conflict, and have brutally assaulted three of them, a relative of the one of the detainees said.
The villagers were arrested with others on July 25 for cutting down rubber trees belonging to the Vietnamese rubber company Cong Ty Cao Su Nghi Lao-Viet (LVF).
The residents of Yeub village have been fighting for alternative land and additional compensation since the government granted their land in what is believed to have been a 50-year concession to LVF in 2006 for rubber cultivation.
The three who were beaten are named Suvanh, Bounleang, and Nak, a 15-year-old, the relative told RFA's Lao Service on Sept. 19.
During the first day in jail, Suvanh was brutally beaten until his face bled, he said. Bounleang was beaten to unconsciousness with a gun by police. Nak was shocked to unconsciousness with an electric baton by police in the villages schoolyard.
Another detainee named Vikham became so depressed that he tried to commit suicide by hanging himself, but other detainees rescued him, he said.
Family members of the detainees who want to visit them must pay police 20,000 kip (U.S. $2.37), he said.
None of the villagers dare to discuss the land issue now because police have threatened to throw them in jail if they do, the source said.
RFA tried repeatedly to contact Sekongs governor Khampheuay Boutdaving, Colonel Somxay Phounlamany, chief of the provincial police station, Somnith Silibounlieng, a provincial prosecutor, and other relevant officials for comment, but they refused to take the calls.
The 14 detainees have been split into two groups in jail, the source said.
The first group includes Vikham, Nounleang, Nounpoke, Nak, and Bountia who are detained in the KM 3 jail in the provincial capital also known as Sekong.
The second group consists of Suvanh, Bountean, Po, Nai, Vihanh, Somsawanh, Sonh, Bounsod, and a 15-year-old girl named Ny who are being held in a jail in Lamam district of the provincial capital.
The police abused their power during the arrests, said a Lao lawyer who declined to be named The police dont adhere to the rule of law, so they should be punished because they know how the law is implemented.
The police who are in charge of the investigation have abused their power by physically threatening and assaulting the villagers who are just suspects, which is considered a felony, he said.
In particular, they are only suspects, the lawyers said. They have not been found guilty and sentenced by a court, the lawyer said.
A local police officer and resident of Yeub village told RFA in August that only 12 people had been arrested for chopping down trees on the disputed land which is being used by a Vietnamese rubber company. At the time, police had not publicly released the names of those detained.
Previous arrests
The conflict over the land has been going on since 2006 when LVF grabbed 121 hectares (300 acres) from 55 families, though its concession from authorities legally allowed it to take only 42 hectares (104 acres), the villager who declined to be named told RFA in August.
He went on to say that in March 2017, the office of Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith issued a notice directing Sekong province authorities to address the land dispute problem and assigned the ministries of natural resources and the environment; agriculture and forestry; and public security to take the lead in resolving it.
The notice, however, did not specify the timing.
It is not the first time that Yeub villagers have been arrested in the ongoing land dispute. Eight residents were arrested by provincial authorities for submitting a petition against LVF to the prime ministers office in May 2012, because the provincial governor was not happy with their actions.
Later that month, the prime ministers office ordered Sekongs governor to rectify the situation, and authorities responded by arresting the villagers in June and July of that year, the villager said.
Suvanh, who was arrested on July 26 of that year, was physically assaulted, given only eight meals during the 15 days he spent in jail, and was handcuffed, forcing him to urinate and defecate in place, he said.
Authorities detained the others for almost two weeks, then released them, he said.
Reported by RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
A Bangladeshi soldier watches as Rohingya refugees board a truck taking them to refugee camps in Coxs Bazar district, after they crossed over from Myanmar, Sept. 25, 2017.
After a pause of several days, at least 8,000 Rohingya refugees entered southeastern Bangladesh in 24 hours, local authorities said Tuesday, with some of the new arrivals claiming their houses had been sprayed with petrol from helicopters and then set on fire.
Relief agencies working in the area meanwhile updated their overall figure of the number of refugees who have entered Bangladesh since Aug. 25 to 480,000, or roughly half of the Muslim population of Myanmars Rakhine state.
Every morning, helicopters fly over Rohingya villages and pour petrol. The Mogh mobs moving around the villages then set the houses on fire, Marium Begum, a Rohingya refugee, told BenarNews, using a derogatory name for Rakhine Buddhists.
Begum, 45, said she arrived in southeastern Cox's Bazar district on Monday after fleeing from Hasurata village in Rakhines Maungdaw township. She and her husband and two daughters hid in the jungle while soldiers and militia members attacked their village, she said.
They used to leave the women [alone] after raping them. But this time, they rape the women and kill them, she told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
Bangladeshi officials who said over the weekend that the unprecedented influx from Rakhine had stopped, acknowledged that it had picked up again since Monday.
Around 8,000 Rohingya entered the sub-districts of Ukhia and Teknaf through three border-crossing points since late Monday, according to Nur Hossain, chairman of the Sabrang Union Council in Teknaf.
The new arrivals told him that the Myanmar military and civilian militias had intensified violence against Rohingya in their effort to get them out of Arakan [Rakhine], Hossain said.
In the last 12 hours, more than 2,000 new Rohingya entered Ukhia. We are seeing more people coming in, Gafur Uddin Chowdhury, the chairman of Ukhia sub-district, told BenarNews.
Refugee Md Habibullah, 50, arrived with his wife on Monday night after fleeing from Dakhshin Angdang village in Maungdaw.
On Saturday, the military and the Mogh attacked our village. I, my wife and three children fled. But my 103-year-old father could not flee. Later, we came to know that they slaughtered my father, Habibullah told BenarNews.
Was my 103-year-old father a terrorist? he added.
Crimes against humanity
Meanwhile, an agency that coordinates the work of international relief agencies and NGOs working in southeastern Bangladesh sharply updated its figures to show that 480,000 refugees had entered from Rakhine since violence broke out there in late August.
The jump in the estimate provided by the Inter Sector Coordination Group was due to the arrival of 35,000 refugees at two local camps that the group had not previously recorded, the ISCG said.
Movement across the border reportedly decreased from 21-24 September, especially along the Ukhia border areas. On 25 and 26 [September], many hundreds of people were reportedly observed crossing again, according to the latest ISCG report published on Tuesday.
In Geneva on Tuesday, the U.N.s refugee agency called for the international community to double its humanitarian outreach in order to respond to the burgeoning refugee situation in southeastern Bangladesh.
Despite every effort by those on the ground, the massive influx of people seeking safety has been outpacing capacities to respond, and the situation for these refugees has still not stabilized, UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said during a news briefing.
We continue to identify and support the most vulnerable refugees such as unaccompanied children, women, the elderly and disabled, who are in urgent need of shelter, food, water, and healthcare, he said.
The Bangladeshi government announced Tuesday that it planned to build separate shelters for some 6,000 Rohingya refugee children who had arrived across the border alone, the Associated Press reported. According to UNICEF, children make up more than 60 percent of the refugees who have come from Rakhine since late August.
On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called the violence unfolding in Rakhine crime against humanity.
The Burmese military is brutally expelling the Rohingya from the Northern Rakhine State. The massacre of villagers and mass arson driving people from their home are all crimes against humanity, James Ross, HRWs legal and policy director, said in a statement.
The United Nations Security Council and concerned countries should urgently impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo on the Burmese military to stop further crimes against humanity, the New York-based global rights watchdog said.
Mass graves
Myanmar officials have denied that the countrys security forces have targeted Muslim civilians in the violence in Rakhine, blaming it instead on the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an insurgent group that launched deadly attacks on Myanmar border police outposts on Aug. 25.
In a speech to diplomats in Naypyidaw last week, de facto Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said there had been no further clashes or clearance operations in Rakhine state after Sept. 5, and claimed that her government was committed to the restoration of peace, stability and rule of law throughout the state.
On Sunday, Myanmars government said that about 300 ARSA members had carried out the Aug. 25 attacks, and had also killed roughly 100 people from several Hindu villages in the area. Authorities said they had uncovered mass graves in Maungdaw township that held the bodies of 45 members of the Hindu minority.
An ARSA spokesman rejected the allegations.
ARSA has internationally pledged not to target civilians and that remains unchanged, no matter what, the insurgency groups spokesman, who identified himself only as Abdullah, told Reuters.
Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
Myanmar Hindus mourn the loss of family members who were killed and dumped in mass graves near Yebaw Kya village, Maungdaw township, in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state, Sept. 27, 2017.
As international pressure intensifies for Myanmar to address accusations and evidence of deadly violence by the military against Rohingya Muslims in ravaged northern Rakhine state, the government said on Wednesday that it will allow diplomats to visit volatile Maungdaw township, the focal point of recent strife.
Rakhine state government secretary Tin Maung Swe said the diplomats will have one day to visit the area, though the places they will visit have not yet been announced.
We will take them to as many places as we can visit and [to see] as much as the weather allows, he said.
We will take them to the places where Hindu, Mro, and Diangnet [people] were killed, added Tin Maung Swe, in a reference to ethnic minority groups.
Earlier this week, Myanmar authorities unearthed the mutilated bodies of 45 Hindus dumped in mass graves near Maungdaws Yebaw Kya village in the wake of a late August attack on police outposts by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Muslim militant group.
Myanmar soldiers are still searching for about 50 others who are still missing and feared dead, officials said.
ARSA conducted deadly attacks on police outposts on Aug. 25 and on border guard stations in northern Rakhine in Oct. 2016.
Local Hindus and the Myanmar government have said that ARSA militants detained nearly 100 people from several Hindu villages in Kha Maung Seik village tract on Aug. 25, killed most of them, and dumped their corpses in four mass graves.
They also forced some of the young women to convert to Islam, the government said, citing testimony from Ni Maul, a Hindu social worker and local community leader.
Myanmars military has granted more than 30 reporters from select domestic and international news organizations, including RFAs Myanmar Service, limited access to the pits where the Hindus decomposed bodies, some of which were decapitated, were found on Sept. 24-25.
The reporters, who also came from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, European Pressphoto Agency, Democratic Voice of Burma, and Myanmars Eleven Media Group, interviewed the family members of the 45 Hindus who were killed, border guard police officials, and a village administrator.
However, they were not allowed to visit Yebaw Kya village where the bodies were found.
Rights groups, nongovernmental organizations, and the United Nations have accused the Myanmar military of committing crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing in northern Rakhine amid numerous reports by Rohingya of security forces indiscriminately killing civilians, burning villages, torturing people, and raping girls and women during two crackdowns following ARSA attacks in August and last October.
The government has denied most of the reports, charging that Rohingya militants set villages ablaze and killed civilians.
AFP news agency reported that representatives of U.N. agencies will be permitted to visit Rakhine state on Thursday for the first time since the start of a mass exodus of minority Rohingya Muslims.
There will be a trip organized by the government, probably tomorrow, to Rakhine, AFP quoted U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric as saying.
We hope above all that it is a first step toward much freer and wider access to the area, he said at his daily news briefing on Wednesday.
Sanctions and condemnation
The decisions to allow diplomats and journalists into the region came amid calls by London-based Amnesty International and New York-based Human Rights Watch for the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on the Myanmar military because of what they called crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya.
The 15-member Security Council issued a statement on Sept. 13 expressing concern about reports of excessive violence during the security operations and calling for immediate steps to end the violence in Rakhine, deescalate the situation, reestablish law and order, [and] ensure the protection of civilians.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has called for an end to all military operations in Rakhine, will brief the Security Council about the violence in Myanmar on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Ed Royce (R-Calif.), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued a strongly-worded statement on Myanmars Rohingya crisis to the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific that the perpetrators of this ethnic cleansing must be condemned and held accountable for their actions.
The government of Burma cannot be allowed to blatantly and cruelly mistreat Rohingya Muslims and other minority groups, Royce said. The United States must prioritize the Rohingya and the protection of human rights in its relations with Burma. And we should use the tools at our disposal to help put a stop to the violence.
Smoke billows from a burned village near Maungdaw township in Myanmar's volatile northern Rakhine state, Sept. 27, 2017. Credit: AFP No arrests in Hindu killings
On Tuesday, Yu Lwin Aung, a member of Myanmars National Human Rights Commission who was in Maungdaw to see the mass graves, said Bangladesh authorities had arrested six people suspected of involvement in the slayings, based on information provided by a Hindu detainee who had hidden her cell phone in her underwear.
However, Bangladesh authorities denied the arrests.
No, we havent arrested anyone in connection to the discovery of mass graves of Hindus in Rakhine," said Iqbal Hossain, police superintendent for the countrys southeastern Coxs Bazar district.
No, its not true, he told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. We havent arrested anyone.
More than 500 of the 5,000 Hindus living in Maungdaw have fled to neighboring Bangladesh, said Ni Maul, who is working with government authorities who found the bodies.
Only those who live in Kyeinchaung and Ngakhuya villages remained behind, while nine other Hindu villages were burned, forcing their inhabitants to flee, he said.
The authorities have given priority to find missing Hindu people rather than bringing back those who fled to Bangladesh, he told RFA.
Ni Maul also said that the Hindus have lived in Maungdaw for a long time, but never experienced any problems with other ethnic groups.
I dont know why these Muslim terrorists did this to us, but for sure, our Hindu people have been killed by them, and we have seen with our own eyes what they did to us, he said.
Actually, not just to us, he said. These Muslim terrorists even killed some Muslims who had contact with Myanmar government authorities.
There is no doubt that terrorists from other countries are living in Rakhine and that some local residents were assisting them in their villages, Ni Maul said.
We will go back to our villages only if the government provides proper security, he said. If not, we dont dare to go back home.
A Hindu organization in Bangladesh is providing food and shelter to the Hindus who fled from their homes in northern Rakhine state, Yu Lwin Aung said.
Repatriation camps
The more than 460,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh from northern Rakhine during the military offensive that followed ARSAs August attack are another story.
Bangladesh is now struggling to accommodate the latest Rohingya influx in existing refugee camps in the countrys southeast where another 400,000 Rohingya already live.
Bangladesh has accused Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya and called on it to resolve the refugee crisis.
Win Myat Aye, minister for social welfare, relief, and resettlement, told reporters on Wednesday at a meeting on the Rakhine crisis in Myanmars capital Naypyidaw that the government will build two repatriation camps for refugees in Bangladesh who have fled from northern Rakhine.
He said that the government will take back the refugees according to an agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh in 1993 at a cost of more than 20 billion kyats (U.S. 14.5 million).
We will give priority to working on the nationality verification process, and have prepared to do so, Win Myat Aye said, referring to the countrys long-stalled citizenship verification process for stateless Rohingya Muslims who are considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
We will build a repatriation camp in Taungpyo Letwe village and another one in Ngakhuya village, he said.
Meanwhile, to ease tensions with Bangladesh, a three-member team from Myanmars central government will arrive in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Oct. 1 for a three-day visit, according to a Bangladesh foreign ministry letter seen by BenarNews.
The visit will be the first by a Myanmar delegation since the Rohingya crisis started on Aug. 25.
The letter said Kyaw Tint Swe, minister for the office of Myanmars de facto leader and state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, will lead the delegation, which also will include two foreign affairs ministry officials.
Officials involved in the matter said the Myanmar team was coming on an invitation from Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood during an earlier visit to Myanmar.
Reported by Min Thein Aung, Win Ko Ko Latt, and Kyaw Thu for RFAs Myanmar Service and by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Chinese authorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang have ordered ethnic minority Muslim families to hand in religious items including prayer mats and copies of the Quran to the authorities, RFA has learned.
Officials across Xinjiang have been warning neighborhoods and mosques that ethnic minority Uyghur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz Muslims must hand in the items or face harsh punishment if they are found later, sources in the region said.
"Officials at village, township and county level are confiscating all Qurans and the special mats used for namaaz [prayer]," a Kazakh source in Altay prefecture, near the border with Kazakhstan told RFA on Wednesday.
"Pretty much every household has a Quran, and prayer mats," he said.
Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the exile World Uyghur Congress group, said reports have emerged from Kashgar, Hotan and other regions of similar practices starting last week.
"We received a notification saying that every single ethnic Uyghur must hand in any Islam-related items from their own home, including Qurans, prayers and anything else bearing the symbols of religion," Raxit said.
"They have to be handed in voluntarily. If they aren't handed in, and they are found, then there will be harsh punishments," he said.
Raxit said announcements are being made by the police via popular social media platform WeChat.
"All Qurans and related items must be handed into the authorities, and there are notices to this effect being broadcast via WeChat," Raxit said.
"The announcements say that people must hand in any prayer mats of their own accord to the authorities, as well as any religious reading matter, including anything with the Islamic moon and star symbol on it," he said.
"They are requiring people to hand in these items of their own accord," he said.
Three Illegals
Earlier this year, Xinjiang authorities began confiscating all Qurans published more than five years ago due to extremist content, according to local officials, amid an ongoing campaign against illegal religious items owned by mostly Muslim ethnic Uyghur residents.
The Qurans were appropriated as part of the Three Illegals and One Item campaign underway in Xinjiang that bans illegal publicity materials, religious activities, and religious teaching, as well as items deemed by authorities to be tools of terrorismincluding knives, flammable objects, remote-controlled toys, and objects sporting symbols related to Islam, they said.
The Kazakh source said that earlier directives calling for the confiscation of Qurans and other religious items hadn't been effective, and so the authorities are now stepping up the pressure and placing the onus on individual households to hand them in under a compulsory program.
He said confiscation drives targeting Uyghurs are now also being extended to the country's ethnic Kazakh population.
At the same time, any products from neighboring Kazakhstan or bearing the Kazakh language or symbols have also been outlawed, sources said.
A leaked police notice from Changji prefecture called on local officials to search for any items bearing any writing or symbols linked to Kazakhstan.
"Any items bearing writing or any other traces of Kazakhstan, including street signs or graffiti, store decorations, arts and crafts items, T-shirts and so on, must immediately be investigated ... and a detailed report made to higher authorities by Sept. 25," the notice, dated Sept. 22, it said.
Products from Kazakhstan
A second Kazakh source said authorities are also searching for and confiscating any products brought from Kazakhstan.
"There are restrictions on the sale of any products and foodstuffs from Kazakhstan, including noodles, organic products and mare's milk spirit," the source said. "They won't let you sell things brought over from Kazakhstan."
An official who answered the phone at the Altay police department on Wednesday hung up when asked to comment on the reports.
Chinese authorities have lately issued orders for ethnic Kazakh Chinese nationals to hand in their passports and Kazakh green cards in some parts of Xinjiang, and have reportedly detained dozens of Kazakhs returning from overseas study or family visits to Kazakhstan, sending them for indefinite terms in "re-education" facilities, sources have told RFA.
Official figures show that there are around 1.5 million Kazakhs in China, mostly concentrated in and around the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture close to the Kazakhstan border.
China has previously welcomed Kazakhs who wished to relocate from Kazakhstan, with their numbers peaking at nearly 38,000 in 2006. But now many Kazakhs with Chinese nationality are heading back in the other direction.
Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service and by Wong Lok-to for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Uddhav Thackeray recently asked a group of Shiv Sena MLAs if they were ready to fight the next election without the BJP. The MLAs had come to meet Thackeray to complain about a lack of development work in Marathwada.
By Mayuresh Ganapatye: Shiv Sena MLAs unhappy with a lack of development work in Maharasthra's Marathwada region recently expressed their displeasure to party chief Uddhav Thackeray.
Party leader Ramdas Kadam confirmed the meeting but denied rumours that certain factions within the Shiv Sena wanted to quit the party.
"There are no groups in Shiv Sena who want to leave the party. These MLA had come to meet party chief as development work in their regions is not taking place. Uddhav Thackeray had a detailed discussion with them," Kadam said after the meeting.
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This is not the first time these MLAs have complained to Thackeray. The Shiv Sena supremo had previously taken them along to meet Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who promised that funds for development work in Marathwada would be released.
The MLAs, however, claim that nothing of the sort has happened.
Interestingly though, Thackeray, according to sources, asked the MLAs if they are ready to fight the next election on their own if the Shiv Sena decides to go solo. Thackeray, the sources added, asked the MLAs to be ready for such a situation.
--- ENDS ---
Authorities in northwest Chinas Xinjiang region have jailed at least six Uyghurs who traveled to Turkey for educational purposes, according to a relative of the regions former Communist Party chairman, despite a probe that found the students had not committed any crimes.
The three malesidentified as Kawser, and brothers Mewlan and Jawlanand the three femalesMudeser, Suriya, and Gulshanwere taken into custody after returning to Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture from Turkey between January and April this year.
The relative of former party chief Nur Bekri, who administered Xinjiang during deadly ethnic violence in the capital Urumqi in 2009, told RFAs Uyghur Service that all six were sent in June to a re-education camp in Bortala, where she works as an instructor teaching social psychology to implement correct thought.
The six were handed prison terms of between five and 12 years in August, she said, adding that she did not know what charges they were convicted of.
All I know is that they went to Turkey to study the language and broaden their educational knowledge, said the relative, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity.
As no information was disclosed of what happened to each individual, I dont know the exact situation. I only overheard what had happened to them, she said.
According to the relative, an official investigation into the six students activities during their time in Turkey found that they had never been involved in abnormal activities, and that their only intentions were to study.
She said that Mudeser, Jawlan, and Kawser had been in her class at the re-education center, and showed no indication they were involved in any separatist activity in Xinjiang, where Uyghurs regularly complain of pervasive ethnic discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule.
Mudesers response [to her studies abroad] was extremely positive, the relative said.
When she returned from Turkey, she said, There is no place that can match our homeland and, actually, China is our paradise, she added.
There also were no issues with Kawser or Jawlan, but I dont really know any more than that.
The relative acknowledged that officials with the Ghulja (in Chinese, Yining) County Re-Education Camp, in neighboring Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasake) Autonomous Prefecture, had recently issued a statement saying that people deemed to be criminals had been sent to prison, while others suspected of having criminal tendencies had been sent for re-education.
But she said it was unclear if the statement pertained to the six students, adding that we dont know what their situation is or [which prison] they were sent to.
The relative said she did not know why the students had initially been held at her re-education camp, where she claimed detainees are unrestricted and content, and are permitted to study the law and regulations by watching TV.
We dont make such inquiries [about individual cases], the relative said, adding that even as a family member of Nur Bekri, she did not have access to the information.
The law is absolute, she said.
Shift in policy
Nur Bekris rule in Xinjiang was marked by heavy handed measures against his fellow ethnic Uyghurs in the region in the aftermath of the July 5, 2009 violence in Urumqi that left some 200 dead, according to state media, although Uyghur groups in exile put the number much higher.
He is widely derided as a puppet of Beijing and a traitor to the Uyghur people for instituting many of the policies that led to regular strike hard campaigns, including police raids, on Uyghur households and restrictions on Islamic practices under the banner of fighting "terrorism."
The ruling Chinese Communist Party blames some Uyghurs for a string of violent attacks and clashes in China in recent years, but critics say the government has exaggerated the threat from the ethnic group, and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for violence that has left hundreds dead since the 2009 unrest.
Thousands of Uyghurs, many of whom are students studying at Cairos prestigious Al-Azhar Islamic University, have voluntarily traveled to Xinjiang from Egypt since the beginning of the year when Chinese authorities detained many of their relatives and threatened them with severe punishment if they did not return.
More than 200 Uyghurs have been detained by Egyptian authorities since July 4, rounded up in restaurants or at their homes, with others seized at airports as they tried to flee to safer countries, sources told RFAs Uyghur Service in earlier reports.
Dozens of Uyghurs in Egypt are believed to have already been deported home to China, where rights groups say they face a serious risk of arbitrary detention and torture, while reports suggest that many who have voluntarily returned have been subjected to blacklisting and punishment.
Written by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Police in northern Vietnams Hai Duong province violently dispersed a protest camp on Monday set up in front of a foreign-owned textile factory, tearing down tents and attacking area residents with shock batons and water cannon, local sources said.
Protesters had been camped in front of the factory belonging to Hong Kong-owned Pacific Crystal for months, forcing the firm to cease its operations in Hai Duong, a highly industrialized province 31 miles east of the capital Hanoi.
For more than two years, Pacific Crystal has discharged smoke smelling like burnt plastic into the air and polluted local water sources, residents have charged in reports to local authorities which they say have been ignored.
Police attacking the protest camp on Monday used electric batons and clubs to beat us, and also used water hoses, one protester told RFAs Vietnamese Service, speaking on condition of anonymity.
They had no respect for anyone, not even women and girls. They beat us all, basically anybody that they saw, he said.
Protesters heads were left cracked and bleeding in the assault, which was carried out by hundreds of police wearing different styles of uniform, RFAs source said, adding that authorities had not sent anyone in to talk to the protesters before launching their attack.
They just burned the tents to the ground and took all of the peoples pots and dishes away with them, he said.
But we will set up our tents again and keep monitoring [the factory], the source said.
Wed rather die now than have our children die in the future because of the pollution.
'They protect foreign companies!'
Also speaking to RFA, a resident of Hai Duongs Lai Vu commune said that residents living in the affected area have now lost their faith in local authorities, adding, Vietnam has Chinese businesses all over the country.
When the police came to this area, they banned all cameras and any kind of recording device, she said. We have to sneak around to record them, but if they see us, they will beat us and smash our phones.
This is not what the Peoples Police are supposed to do, she said. Instead of protecting their own people, they protect foreign companies!
Reached for comment, Vu Dinh Tinh and Nguyen Van Han, the president and vice president of Hai Duongs Kim Thanh district, where the factory is located, refused to respond.
Nguyen Van Toan, chief of the districts Peoples Committee office, said however that the police action had been planned by authorities at the provincial level.
We in the district only cooperated with them. We werent directly involved in this, he said.
Protests against foreign-owned factories that emit pollutants in Vietnam are not uncommon and pose a challenge to the communist states authority.
A toxic spill by Taiwan-owned Formosa Plastics Group in central Vietnam in April 2016 polluted more than 125 miles of coastline along four provinces and prompted a slew of protests by resident, fishermen, and tourism industry workers who lost their livelihoods to the environment disaster.
Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Emily Peyman. Written in English by Richard Finney.
There are reports that the V-C might appoint a female professor as the new chief proctor, in the meantime, professor MK Singh of BHU Medical College has been given the additional charge as the chief proctor.
By Himanshu Mishra, India Today Web Desk: After Banaras Hindu University Chief Proctor Dr ON Singh submitted his resignation late Tuesday night on 'moral grounds', reports that Vice-Chancellor Tripathi might appoint a woman for the post now, surfaced.
It is believed that the university authorities have accepted Singh's offer to step down and a new chief proctor will be appointed today by Vice-Chancellor Dr Girish Chandra Tripathi.
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There are reports that the V-C might appoint a female professor as the new chief proctor, but in the meantime, professor MK Singh of BHU Medical College has been given the additional charge as the chief proctor.
IN A NUTSHELL
Hundreds of girls are out in protest demanding assurance from the administration about their safety inside the university premises and action against the alleged molesters and security guard who refused to help a student, who was molested on Thursday evening.
The protests have been going on for six days now, which also took a violent turn on Saturday night, when police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd.
Another protest rally was conducted on Monday, a silent march that too met an end but with police violence.
The demands of the protesters are simple considering the standard safety protocol adopted by universities across the country. They want installation of CCTV cameras, proper lighting of the campus and gender sensitisation of university staff and security personnel.
The girls lament that there is no restriction on any outsider entering the BHU campus, which has a big hospital, which caters to the medical need of people living all over the eastern Uttar Pradesh and adjoining districts of Bihar. But, if outsiders' entry can't be controlled, then at least, the security guard and university staff can respond appropriately to their concerns, the girls said.
As opposition parties targeted BJP over the police action on the campus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah spoke to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and asked him to address the issue at the earliest.
After Adityanath demanded a detailed written-account on the entire episode from the Varanasi Commissioner, in a preliminary report filed by Varanasi's Divisional Commissioner Nitin Gokarn, the blame has been squarely assigned to the BHU authorities.
"The BHU did not deal with the victim's complaint properly. It is a sensitive matter. The situation was not handled on time by the university administration," it read.
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The report was submitted to Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar.
In addition, a high-level probe has been ordered in to the incident apart from the expulsion of three additional city magistrates of Varanasi and two police officers in connection with the lathicharge on students in BHU.
The BHU administration, which in a controversial order had closed the university till October 2, has now extended the lockdown to October 5.
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Proceeds from the sale of a house off Patterson Avenue in Henrico Country will go to the dogs and the cats.
Money from next weeks auction sale of the 2,425-square-foot brick house in Sunset Hills will benefit the Richmond SPCA. The minimum bid is $130,000. The house is assessed by the county for $380,600.
The house was gifted to the SPCA by the estate of Alice Virginia Thorpe, who had lived there with her twin sister. Alice Virginia Judy Thorpe, a pioneer among female doctors who specialized in cardiology, died in 2016 at age 92. Alice Caroline Callie Thorpe died in 2015 at age 91.
The sisters had adopted a dog a medium-size blond cockapoo from the Richmond SPCA that they adored, said Robin Starr, CEO of the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals organization. Their dog died while the sisters were alive.
I have found over the years that there are a number of people who love animals enormously and many are people of modest means, Starr said. They dont have resources to make contributions during their lifetimes, but they want to leave meaningful gifts to us.
While leaving a donation to the no-kill humane organization is common, leaving an estate or a house is unusual.
This is the third house left to us in an estate in the last 10 years, Starr said.
One was a house in Chesterfield County that also was sold at auction. The other was a house in Baltimore that was left to the nonprofit by a client of Starrs former law partner.
The client asked if the Richmond SPCA would take responsibility for Beauregard if he were to predecease his dog. Beauregard died first, but the client still left the home to the organization in his will.
The Richmond SPCA has received a total of $257,450 in bequests left in wills in the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.
The Thorpe sisters Henrico house, built in 1951, has a slate roof and hardwood floors. It is at 1112 E. Durwood Crescent, just outside the Richmond city limits and close to the intersection of Three Chopt and Horsepen roads.
Its a total rehab opportunity, said Linda Terry, an auctioneer with Tranzon Fox, the auction company for the property. Someone most likely will gut the inside and start from scratch make the kitchen larger and update the bathrooms. Its unusual to have a house go for a great price point in that neighborhood.
The auction will be held onsite at 2 p.m. Oct. 4 at 1112 E. Durwood Crescent. The house will be open for viewing from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The culture of Petersburg city government fostered a severe risk of misconduct, forensic auditors found in a review that prompted an FBI complaint against the city treasurers office.
A long-anticipated 115-page report scrutinizing eight specific aspects of city governance was unveiled to City Council members Tuesday and contains allegations of real and possible theft involving City Treasurer Kevin A. Brown.
Brown did not immediately return an interview request. He has remained largely out of the public eye since Mayor Samuel Parham called for his resignation after word of the impending findings trickled out in June.
I really do think this (vindicates) the concerns about corruption in Petersburg government, Parham said in an interview Wednesday. Hopefully, with these answers, we can put this behind us and move forward.
Brown in June denied accusations that he or anyone in his office had pocketed petty cash or possibly engaged in a scheme to defraud taxpayers, each of which are raised in the report from analysts with PBMares, an accounting and business consulting firm.
The auditors allege $2,371.44 in cash went missing from Browns office under his leadership and that he admitted to taking it. The report also found incidents of Brown waiving tax penalties, interest and, occasionally, principal debt.
The behavior left the city open to a situation in which Brown could have taken portions of cash payments without creating a paper trail, according to the findings, which also state there is no evidence he did so.
The City Treasurer admitted to us that he had done these waivers knowing that it was impermissible and/or a violation of the Code of Virginia, but denied that he had misappropriated any City funds other than petty cash, the report states.
City management asked the auditors to turn over to the FBI these concerns as well as evidence that a current city worker may have misappropriated up to $200,000 as a parks department employee between 1999 and 2007.
The latter case had been scrutinized by outside lawyers and forensic auditors in 2009 and turned over to the Petersburg Commonwealths Attorneys Office, which referred the matter to Chesterfield County prosecutors, citing a conflict of interest.
Chesterfield declined to pursue charges at the time, but an FBI agent who reviewed the 2009 analysis of the employees conduct said the matter warranted further investigation, according to the audit. The statute of limitations for federal prosecution of the matter has passed.
Parham said he was unsure what should happen with the employee and deferred judgment to incoming City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides, who did not return an interview request Wednesday.
It should be interesting, he said of the conversation he anticipated having with her. I really cant elaborate because it is a personnel matter.
Analysts pored over thousands of pages of documents and interviewed dozens of Petersburg employees during the review, which targeted specific municipal functions but was not designed to be a review of Petersburgs threatened financial collapse.
Petersburg began the 2017 fiscal year $19 million in arrears and $12 million over budget. The council raised taxes, slashed more than $3 million in funding from the citys chronically underperforming schools, axed a popular youth summer program and shuttered cultural sites to make up the difference. Threats of legal action over unpaid bills rolled in.
Calls for a forensic audit emerged in 2016 as citizens and their elected leaders began demanding answers about how conditions had been allowed to disintegrate.
But auditors state explicitly in the introduction to their findings that their mission was not to unpack problems consultants with the Washington, D.C.-based Robert Bobb Group had previously traced to 2009.
Our scope did not include an examination designed to determine what caused Petersburg to decline into a fiscal crisis, the findings state. Similarly, our scope did not include a forensic audit of all City Departments, Agencies, or areas and should not be relied upon to assume that any City Department, Agency or area may not have been the subject of any misconduct, fraud, waste or abuse during our scope period.
Bobb, a former Richmond city manager who in 2009 served as emergency financial manager of Detroit Public Schools, said the analysis gave the Petersburg City Council a much-needed chance to hit reset on a problematic governance culture.
The big surprise, of course, in the audit itself was the treasurers office and past issues involving a city worker, he said.
But the reports examination of the flawed rollout of a new utility billing system also unveiled challenges.
The projects financing was never fully vetted, Bobb said. There were just some very bad decisions made and very bad project management.
The report released to the council on Tuesday spans areas including payroll and accounts payable; city-issued credit cards; cash management; city owned checking accounts; bank reconciliations; tax assessments, abatements and credits; fuel usage; and water and wastewater billing and collections.
Analysts found that Petersburg had a triple threat of factors that culminated in severe risk of public resources being misused: Employees had an opportunity to steal and defraud due to absent or weakened internal controls; workers could rationalize misconduct because of an overall absence of a strong ethical tone and historical instances and allegations of waste, fraud and abuse; and the motivation to transgress was high, due to the general state of the economy.
The Pressure or Motivation of Petersburg employees has been affected by such things as low rates of pay, high costs of living, availability of illegal drugs, perceived lack of job progression (promotions), and the economy in general, the report states. For example, one person we interviewed, who has access to cash, takes home slightly over $1,000 per month, making it extraordinarily difficult for that person to meet just his/her essential living needs.
Parham said council members had not yet discussed the reports findings or recommendations in earnest but planned to do so soon. The audit firm is scheduled to present its analysis Monday at a special meeting of the City Council.
PETERSBURG Petersburg, like Richmond, has seen a spike in violent crime so far this year, but the citys new police chief on the job for 79 days said his officers are working to neutralize the violence by seizing more drugs and illegal firearms from the streets.
The number of violent crimes reported from Jan. 1 through Tuesday jumped 24 percent over the same period last year, police statistics show, with homicides and robberies of businesses more than doubling.
But Chief Kenneth Miller said the department has recovered 87 illegal firearms during his short tenure just shy of the 95 firearms the agency confiscated during the first six months of the year. Miller officially began work July 10, although he eased into the position in an unofficial capacity a couple of weeks earlier.
Were getting drugs off the streets, were getting guns off the streets, Miller said during his first collective news briefing Tuesday at police headquarters.
By removing illegal guns from the street, it makes the community safer but it also makes the officers safer, the chief added. The officers want to enhance their own safety, so they are working extremely hard.
The city experienced a burst of gun violence on Sept. 17 when five men were shot, one fatally, outside Shortts Grocery at Harding and Mistletoe streets, by gunmen driving by in a vehicle. Less than a week later, a 16-year-old Petersburg boy was found shot to death in the 1100 block of West High Street. Police on Tuesday identified the teen as Tyree Naquan Rives.
Last weekend, police announced the arrests of two Petersburg men and one Dinwiddie County man in the Shortts Grocery shootings.
The two killings bring the citys homicide count to 10 for the year, or six more than during the same period last year. However, Petersburg ended 2016 with 11 homicides. A record 16 slaying were recorded in 2015.
Other violent crime categories have also spiked this year compared with 2016. Business robberies rose from nine to 23, individual robberies climbed from 25 to 37, and aggravated assaults without a firearm increased from 29 to 44, police statistics show.
But aggravated assaults with firearms dropped from 59 to 44. Reported rapes increased by only one, from four to five.
Miller said the department has implemented a number of new programs and policies designed to reduce the violence, which he hopes will show results in the coming months.
A better assessment (of city crime numbers) would be at the end of my first six months then I will be able to compare, said Miller, a former Marine who served 36 years with Virginia Beach police before coming to Petersburg.
I took kind of a vow to myself to make an immediate impact on reducing crime, Miller said.
Miller said the department has started a traffic enforcement plan, increased police visibility and is targeting criminal offenders. The agency also has implemented whats known as T-3, which stands for tact (speaking to residents professionally and respectfully), tactical and trust.
Those three things together is the foundation or building blocks to community engagement, Miller said.
In addition, the department has employed what Miller described as intelligence-led policing, an initiative in which police use technology to identify crime hot spots and deploy resources to quell those problems or prevent them.
Thats the way to address the violence in our neighborhoods, he said.
Miller said he also has empowered his officers to be mini-police chiefs giving them some discretion in making changes within their own beats or districts. They have the autonomy to do that, and thats whats making it better, he said.
In another move, Miller said the department, beginning Saturday, will reduce officers daily work shifts from 12 hours to 10 hours to address fatigue. He added that six new recruits recently completed their academy work and are now on the street with mentors.
And well continue to recruit until we reach our optimum numbers, he said.
Meanwhile, Miller said hes continuing with his community outreach work, with a goal of visiting 30 churches during his first 90 days. He has made it to 24 so far.
Ive received a lot of cooperation from community members thus far, particularly from the houses of worship and the parishioners there, Miller said. Ive received notes as Ive walked out of a service (that say), chief, you might want to go here, or how can you help me with this. Thats the kind of reaction Ive received thus far, and Im elated by it.
It may soon be illegal to house an exotic pet in your Richmond home without giving the city a heads up.
Richmond City Councils Governmental Operations standing committee on Wednesday endorsed a measure that would amend the city code to require owners of pets deemed exotic to report them to Animal Care and Control.
Weve got to know if youve got a lion in your basement, said Christie Chipps Peters, the city departments director.
Currently, Richmond doesnt track where or what species of exotic pets are housed in the city. That has led to some unforeseen circumstances.
About a year ago, Peters department began drafting the registry proposal after a woman died and unsuspecting first-responders discovered a monkey in her home.
A few months later, a man came into the departments office asking what, if anything, he needed to do to lawfully keep a black panther in his home, Peters said.
Its a very big public safety concern, Peters said.
Animals commonly found in pet stores, service animals and birds are not covered in the ordinance, though what exactly is considered exotic under the ordinance did give 2nd District Councilwoman Kimberly Gray pause.
Specified in the proposal are: monkeys, raccoons, opossums, skunks, wolves, squirrels, foxes, leopards, panthers, tigers, lions, lynxes, venomous snakes, as well as any member of the crocodilian family including but not limited to alligators, crocodiles, caimans and gavials.
Additionally, owners of any other warm-blooded animal that can normally be found in the wild must notify the city, according to the proposal.
Until theyre domesticated many animals, including humans, can be found in the wild, Gray said.
I would think a hedgehog is pretty much a wild animal if I didnt know you could go and buy one in a pet store, she said, adding that she once inherited one from her brother.
The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council submitted a letter in general support of the proposed changes to the city code.
In its letter, the organization asks the city to make clear that certain pets chinchillas, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, mice and others are exempt from the warm-blooded animal provision of the proposal, clarify whether non-laboratory rats are exempt and uniformly refer to non-venomous snakes rather than non-poisonous snakes.
Richmond isnt the only locality in the state examining the issue. Last week, the Arlington County Board prohibited new exotic pets in the Northern Virginia county. Existing owners are allowed to keep their creatures under the new policy, but must register them with the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.
If the City Council signs off on the proposal, exotic-pet owners will have 30 days to notify the department and provide documentation of the proper federal or state permits.
Not reporting a pet covered by the ordinance could result in a class three misdemeanor and a fine, Peters said.
So long as pet owners comply with state and federal regulations and are properly caring for the animals, the department wont step in, Peters said.
The council will weigh the matter at its Oct. 9 meeting.
A new marketing campaign aimed at reducing gun violence in Richmond will feature advertisements on social media, where city and state officials say many violent altercations start with taunts and jeers.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, along with Mayor Levar Stoney, Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham, and Commonwealths Attorney Michael Herring, announced the initiative Wednesday with the tagline Respect Richmond.
Digital components on online platforms like social media and gaming systems like PlayStation and Xbox will target specific neighborhoods, where violence has occurred and where retaliation is most likely, while traditional advertisements like billboards, television and radio spots, and convenience store displays will reach out to the greater community.
Were going to reach out directly to those who need to hear this message, and to those who can help solve the problem, Mark Herring said. We want to reach people where they are, and maybe in ways they arent expecting. ... We need to break through. We need to reach a person before they reach for a weapon with a simple and direct message.
Some of the messages are graphic. Thats by design, said Durham, adding that they wanted to grab peoples attention.
A wheelchair is silhouetted by a bright yellow background. In bold, black lettering, one ad reads: Sometimes gun violence takes your life. Sometimes it takes something else.
They are meant to be disturbing, Durham said. They remind us of all the awful toll that is inflicted on our residents, from the fear instilled every time they hear gunshots outside of their windows to the agony of grieving a loved one who has been shot or murdered.
While only experiencing a 1 percent increase in violent crime a number that has steadily fallen since the start of the year the citys seen a 16 percent spike in shootings so far this year compared with 2016. Twenty-four more people have been shot this year than at the same point last year.
Of the 61 people killed in Richmond so far this year, all but five were killed with guns.
We hope people will respect one another, respect their households, respect their community, but most importantly respect Richmond, Durham said.
Mark Herring faces re-election in November. His Republican challenger, John Adams, criticized the campaign saying its not a serious solution to violence.
While I commend Herring for finally recognizing that we have a serious crime issue in Virginia, and particularly in Richmond, his proposal is anything but serious. A marketing campaign is not going to stop murders, keep children out of gangs or make our neighborhoods safer, Adams said in a statement.
While acknowledging this campaign isnt going to solve all gun violence by itself, Herring said, its part of the solution. Herring said his office is also working on additional projects to provide more resources toward prevention, including intensive work with at-risk young people in Richmond.
Herring said similarly targeted campaigns have been used to successfully reduce human trafficking in Virginia, which has fallen from fifth to 12th in the U.S. for number of calls to a national trafficking hotline. That campaign targeted locations where trafficking occurred, such as rest stops. In addition, it targeted those who were likely to traffic, as well as potential victims and those who used the services.
The Chesterfield County School Board is considering adding some rules to its board handbook. One of the possible changes has to do with media inquiries to board members, while another regards how principals should report issues in their schools.
The handbook already says board members should forward all media inquiries to their community relations department for a full discussion of background material to ensure that everyone has the most updated information.
New language proposes that the community relations department will then provide board members with media responses from the school division.
Schools spokesman Shawn Smith said the changes were proposed to align the manual with current practice.
Our intent is always try to be as equipped as we are on the issue; you hate to make a comment and you didnt have all the information, School Board Chairman Javaid Siddiqi said. Were trying to get things to run through the community relations department. Thats something we have been trying to push.
This is not about creating a packaged response, Siddiqi added. Nothing would preclude me from making a response if I found it necessary. I dont think anyone is feeling like they are being censored. We believe it is good practice for us to organize our positions, our thinking and make sure we are all working from the same information.
Board members also are considering adding language directing principals to let their supervisor know of a complaint or issue when they also communicate the issue to a School Board member.
Much like the role of the superintendent, board members will be expected to tour schools and ask principals how things are going, the proposed rule states. Our principals are expected to provide information about their schools transparently. The principal should extend the courtesy of letting their supervisor know about the issue in a timely fashion.
The new language adds that principals shouldnt feel their evaluations would suffer for sharing honest and transparent communications with board members, but it is an expectation that principals supervisors receive the same information.
We just wanted to make sure our principals felt empowered to engage board members directly. ... There is a hierarchy, a chain of command, Siddiqi said. We want to make sure our principals are communicating on both fronts.
I just know from practice, that my engagement with some principals is a bit more natural, he added. I think some of them are thinking about, Oh, do I need to frame this a certain way? We are saying we want to be part of the solution.
Bigg Boss 11 will feature Padosis as well as Gharwale.
By India Today Web Desk: Come October 1, and Bigg Boss will return with a bang. The latest season will witness a host of changes and that includes Salman Khan's new avatar on the show.
The Bollywood's Sultan will be much closer to the contestants this time and will be seen as a neighbourhood peacemaker. Does this mean that viewers will get to see more of Salman this time?
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Here are five new things that will be introduced this season:
Bigg Boss 11 will have a theme of Gharwale and Padosis. Viewers will find a host of new neighbours in the Bigg Boss House apart from the housemates. For the first time, host Salman Khan will move around in the Bigg Boss neighbourhood and will be staying alongside the contestants. The house will have new elements like an aakhara and a kalkothri. Common man and celebrities fight will live together as neighbours for over 100 days, and they will face unique challenges and situations that add to the show's entertainment quotient. Actor Gaurav Gera will don the hat of Pinky Padosan and give out inside gossip from the Bigg Boss house.
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FREDERICKSBURG Fredericksburgs controversial slave auction block will remain at the corner of Charles and William streets.
The City Council voted 61 Tuesday to leave the knee-high stone in place downtown after hearing overwhelming community support for that option. Chuck Frye Jr., who had made an unsuccessful motion to move the auction block, voted against.
Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw said that she was particularly moved by comments from descendants of slaves who were sold at the block, some of whom said that they wanted it to remain so that people would understand what happened there.
We are challenged to make sure that it is presented appropriately and offers a prayer for the souls of those who were sold, that offers a prayer for reconciliation and healing in our nation, that offers a prayer for understanding, she said.
Greenlaw said that the City Council will need additional community input, especially from the citys AfricanAmerican residents, on how the block remains, how its story is told, and how the city faces the horrible truth of the evil of slavery and the evil of treating human beings like property.
The decision was the result of a monthlong effort set in motion when Frye asked the council at its Aug. 22 meeting to consider moving the auction block. He had witnessed a candlelight vigil at the auction block on the preceding Sunday evening, at which the Rev. Hashmel Turner prayed that the City Council would remove it.
Frye said what took him over the edge was a mock auction held at the block after the vigil had walked down the street to Liberty Town.
It took my breath away, just to see that, he said. The only way that we can end that type of nonsense is if the block is not there.
Frye said he decided that he wanted to have the City Council reach a decision on the auction blocks fate before anything negative happened.
Eight people spoke during the public comment section of the meeting, which was held before the vote. Of those, three asked for it to be removed, two asked that it remain in place and three said that they wanted the AfricanAmerican community to have the strongest voice in the decision.
Eddie Hackler said he has no evidence that his enslaved ancestors were sold at that auction block, and thinks it should remain where it is. He said moving it to the Fredericksburg Area Museum would be disastrous because it is devoid of AfricanAmerican history.
Removal would not remove the sins of Fredericksburg, but would lead people to believe that those sins have been forgiven, he said.
Turner, the pastor, said that the auction block is a barrier to efforts to unify the community and should be removed.
How can we unify if a reminder of what people who dont look like me did to people who look like me remains? he said.
Councilman Matt Kelly said that many people who see the auction block feel revulsion, pain and shame, but leaving it in place is critical for showing future generations about slavery, the fight to end it and what they can do to move forward.
CHARLOTTESVILLE A retired Charlottesville detective and a second DNA expert have joined Jens Soerings corner as he fights for a pardon from the governor.
Soering, the German national convicted of killing his former girlfriends parents when he and Elizabeth Haysom were students at the University of Virginia, has maintained his innocence since his conviction in 1990. He has been denied parole 12 times, and he is up for a 13th parole hearing Oct. 10.
On March 30, 1985, Derek and Nancy Haysom were killed in their Bedford County home. They were found with dozens of stab wounds, and their throats were cut from ear to ear. Their daughter, who was 20 at the time, eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder as an accessory before the fact.
Haysom is currently serving a 90-year sentence in prison, but she will receive mandatory parole in 2032, when she is 68 years old.
In August 2016, local attorney Steven Rosenfield put together a petition for pardon on Soerings behalf, and it gained the support of Albemarle County Sheriff J.E. Chip Harding. After using new DNA testing and consulting with two separate DNA experts, Rosenfield asserted that the case against Soering was based on faulty science.
In 1985, an analysis was done on blood found at the crime scene. Five bloodstains were found to be type O the same type as Soering. Prosecutor Jim Updike explained the finding by telling the jury that Soering must have been injured in a knife fight at the scene.
In 2009, as part of a post-conviction review, new DNA testing was done on some of the items collected at the crime scene, Rosenfield said. Of the 43 items with blood samples, just 11 were stable enough to test.
Of those 11 items, two were found with type O blood, and a DNA scientist reported that Jens Soering was eliminated as a contributor of that blood, Rosenfield said.
Two DNA experts have concluded that Soering must be excluded as a contributor of biological material at the scene. The new findings of J. Thomas McClintock align with those of Moses Schanfield, who was previously consulted by Rosenfield. The experts also identified blood from two unknown men.
And even though Soering initially confessed to the crime after he was arrested in London, he eventually recanted his statement and said he lied to protect Elizabeth. Though his confession was still used against him in court, investigators on Wednesday said the details he provided about the crime do not make sense when paired with the physical evidence.
This month, retired Charlottesville Det. Sgt. Richard L. Hudson Jr. submitted a letter of support on behalf of Soering after he spent more than 250 hours looking through police reports and documents, crime scene photos, forensic reports and transcripts of court proceedings. He has concluded that Soering would not have been convicted if he were tried today.
I believe that Jens Soering made some huge errors in judgment, Hudson wrote. The false confessions and the run to Europe to try to cover for Elizabeth Haysom are but two. I believe those decisions were made while Soering was being manipulated by Elizabeth Haysom.
In 1985, Hudson was working at the Charlottesville Police Department when the crime occurred. It wasnt until this year, when Harding asked him to look at the case from a fresh perspective, that he really dove into the details.
Hudson then interviewed Soering, describing his statements as believable. Haysom declined to be interviewed.
I interviewed him early on from the perspective that hed made a confession he was a co-conspirator who made a confession, Hudson said. Why should that not be true?
What he said made sense, he said.
One of the biggest questions for Hudson is the as-yet-unidentified blood samples collected from the crime scene.
Thats the elephant in the room, Hudson said. Who were those men? I think theyre a danger.
In a second letter to Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Harding also expressed concern about the two men, as well as Bedford County Commonwealths Attorney Wes Nances disinclination to reopen the investigation.
The leader of the House of Delegates committee that oversees state tax laws wants to broaden a largely fruitless five-year examination of tax preferences as a way to potentially lower Virginias tax rates on individual income, sales and corporations.
House Finance Chairman R. Lee Ware Jr., R-Powhatan, said Monday that he wants the Joint Subcommittee to Evaluate Tax Preferences to take a broader look at tax exemptions that currently total $8.3 billion in revenue the state doesnt collect.
They make our taxes less simple, transparent, neutral and stable, Ware said, citing tax principles the subcommittee endorsed when it first met in 2012. They narrow the tax base and require substantially higher tax rates to generate the same revenue if they did not exist.
Those exemptions include $4.8 billion in sales tax exemptions for services such as health care, which alone accounts for $1.8 billion in forgone revenue, and $2.9 billion in sales tax exemptions for retail sales and uses ranging from manufacturing and food to data centers that have become a growing part of Virginias economy.
Potential state tax reform is a major issue in the gubernatorial campaign. Republican nominee Ed Gillespie has called for $1.4 billion in cuts to state individual income tax rates to encourage economic growth. Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam, the Democratic nominee, has advocated fully phasing out the sales tax on groceries for low-income Virginians, while convening a commission to consider broader tax reforms.
Gillespie also has proposed appointment of a special adviser on tax reform and called for a special session of the General Assembly in fall 2018 to address the issue, but its not clear how quickly the legislature is ready to move on what likely would be broad changes to the state tax code.
Ware, who has advised the Gillespie campaign on tax policy issues, said the subcommittees expanded work would encompass the issues stressed by the Republican but not be limited by them.
It certainly is compatible with elements of what hes doing, but I view it as a broader conversation, he said after the meeting Monday at the Capitol.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman S. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, is a member of the tax subcommittee with a particular interest in revenues available for the budget.
We have to take the long view in regard to tax reform, Jones said in an interview Monday. It must be comprehensive. It cant be piecemeal.
Wares panel also is likely to work with another joint subcommittee that is looking at fiscal stress on localities and its causes, including the inability to diversify the sources of tax revenues they require to pay for core services provided by local government.
That subcommittee is led by Sen. Emmett W. Hanger Jr., R-Augusta, a member of Wares panel who was absent Monday. Hanger said in an interview Tuesday that whatever the tax preference subcommittee recommends, it will have to produce sufficient revenue for state and local government.
One of the things you cant lose sight of is tax adequacy, and that will have to be part of the conversation, said Hanger, who, as co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, also has an eye on revenues for the budget.
Local taxes are perennial targets of state legislators, who particularly dislike taxes on business, professional and occupational licenses, and on machinery and tools, but the fiscal stress subcommittee is looking for ways to replace them before killing them.
The issues with local government are not going to go away, Hanger said. The issues in some parts of the commonwealth that cant afford services are not going to go away.
Members of the tax preference subcommittee also are wary of taking any action on current preferences and exemptions that could hurt localities which receive a portion of the sales tax or put any region of the state at a disadvantage.
I dont like the idea that we set a state policy ... that will create winners and losers among the localities, said Del. Mark L. Keam, D-Fairfax.
Keam also added a layer of complexity to the subcommittees evaluation of exemptions for services in an economy transformed by technology. Does the cost of a pizza include a sales tax if it is delivered by a restaurant but not if carried to the doorstep by Uber through a mobile app?
How do you define what is a service and what is a product? he asked.
The example hit home with Jones, who said it demonstrates the need to re-engineer the tax code to reflect the 21st century economy.
This is not going to happen in the short term, in my opinion, he told the subcommittee. There is too much to contemplate.
However, Ware is determined to shift the subcommittees attention away from individual tax preferences such as tax credits for land preservation, historic rehabilitation, and utility use of coal mined in Virginia.
Each time the subcommittee has evaluated a tax preference in isolation, he said, with a few notable exceptions, there was little discussion and the vote was unanimous to keep the preference without alteration.
In contrast, Ware said, if the subcommittee were to consider tax exemptions and preferences collectively, they might appear less consistent with principles such as simplicity and transparency, and eliminating or reducing them could open the possibility of lowering tax rates.
Im not saying that the individual merits of each preference should not be weighed carefully, only that we add a new dimension the possibility of lower tax rates to our analysis, he said.
Del. Benjamin L. Cline, R-Rockbridge, wants the state to address the imbalance between revenues based on income Virginia is more dependent on income taxes than other states and those based on consumption, and move to a more consumption-based system.
The biggest opportunities for raising revenue by eliminating or scaling back preferences are exemptions to the sales tax. It is now set at 5.3 percent, which includes a portion for localities, K-12 school divisions, and the states transportation program, revamped by a comprehensive package of tax increases in 2013.
But Hanger cautioned that eliminating big sales tax exemptions on manufacturing or services would mean those businesses would pay more.
People would obviously view it as a tax increase, he said.
Sen. Bryce E. Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, asked lobbyists attending the meeting to keep an open mind on the subcommittees efforts instead of hurrying to defend their specific interests in tax preferences or exemptions.
The voicemail told Clifton Antonio Harpers family to come to the hospital as soon as they could.
His father and stepmother waited an hour in the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital lobby before they learned that their 22-year-old son, an inmate at the Roanoke City Jail, was being treated on the seventh floor. He was on life support after attempting suicide by hanging.
By this point they had already done a brain activity test on him and it had shown that there was no brain activity, said his stepmother, Natasha Harper. They still had an officer at the head of the bed and one by the door and he was still shackled to the bed.
The next day, the family made the decision to take Clifton off life support, she said.
Harper, who died on Dec. 8, 2015, is one of seven Roanoke jail inmates who have died while in jail custody since 2013, according to an analysis of records provided by the jail and the Roanoke medical examiners office. He is also one of five people to die by suicide while in jail custody during that time period. All five inmates were found hanging, four from bed sheets.
Over the past five years, suicides at the jail have come in waves. There were no suicides in 2013 and one in 2014. Two occurred in 2015, and two more so far this year. When averaged across that time period, the jails suicide rate 162 per 100,000 inmates is more than triple the national average of 50 suicides per 100,000 local jail inmates. That average was calculated by the U.S. Department of Justice using statistics from 2014, the last year for which such numbers are available. In comparison, the suicide rate for the general population in America is 19.5 per 100,000 people, according to World Health Organization statistics from 2015.
Its an astronomically high suicide rate, said Lindsay Hayes, project director for the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives, a group that consults with prisons and jails to reduce suicides. Any jail that has a suicide rate that far above the national average, that speaks to a problem. Because the national suicide rate is based on all sizes of jails, from the smallest county jail to the largest jail, its a good barometer on whether or not you have a problem.
Sheriffs office Maj. David Bell said that all staff in the city jail have recently gone through mental health training, and that the jail is working with a medical provider to implement new screening practices to identify inmates with mental health needs.
If we knew the answer to that, wed definitely be taking steps to resolve it, he said, when asked why the jails suicide rate at the jail is so far above the national average. Were always trying to evolve our processes and make them better. Were not standing pat.
Sheriff Tim Allen, who was elected in 2013, oversees the jail. He said the facility houses 10,000 people a year and has an average daily population of 560. Many of those inmates, he said, have mental health issues. In February, he told the Roanoke City Council that the jail is the citys largest mental health service provider. During a recent interview, he said 43 percent of inmates, on average, are on prescribed psychiatric medications.
Western Virginia Regional Jail Superintendent Bobby Russell said about 38 percent of the inmates at his jail which has an average daily population of 860 are on mental health medication. Officials at the other large jail in the region, New River Valley Regional Jail, did not respond to a request for the same information.
The city jail is not the only one in the region with a higher-than-average suicide rate. The New River Valley Regional Jail, which reported three suicides in the past five years, has a suicide rate of 71 per 100,000 inmates, just above the national average. One of those deaths occurred in 2015 and two in 2016. No suicides were reported over the past five years at the Western Virginia Regional Jail, Roanoke County-Salem Jail, Franklin County Jail or Botetourt-Craig Regional Jail.
Greg Winston, who was named superintendent of the New River jail in September 2016, said he has perceived an increase in inmates with serious mental illnesses but does not know whether that is supported by data.
When they get arrested and the judge sends them to jail, we dont have the option of saying we dont have bed space. We have to take them in, he said.
Nationally, the number of suicides in local jails has ticked upward in the past few years, as indicated by mortality statistics released by the U.S. Justice Department. Between 2009 and 2014, suicides in local jails increased 28 percent. Even when comparing individual years, the increase is notable: From 2013 to 2014, the suicide rate increased by 8 percent nationally, from 46 suicides per 100,000 inmates to 50.
David Fathi, director of the American Civil Liberties Unions National Prison Project, said a third of jail deaths nationwide are attributed to suicide. Heart disease is the second most common cause. He said the upward trend in suicide rates can largely be attributed to the countrys lack of a public mental health system.
I have enormous sympathy for prison and jail administrators who are essentially being asked to run a mental health facility, Fathi said. But they need to make an accommodation for that like they would with physical illnesses.
Close scrutiny
Allen said the Roanoke City Jail has several training programs designed to increase employees abilities to spot potential mental health and suicide risks, and he said he recently expanded from two to three times a year a training program that specifically addresses suicide.
He said inmates also undergo a lengthy medical and mental health screening during the booking process, and later are screened again when the jail determines where they should be housed. Deputies also are trained to spot indications that an inmate might be suicidal once they are housed in the jail.
If another inmate comes up and says, Hes giving away all his belongings, this is kind of unusual. If he says, Its been nice knowing you, protocol is to have him placed on suicide watch and to have him seen immediately by medical staff, Allen said. But that may not always happen. They may not exhibit that in front of us.
Allen said he has added more medical rounds for people in restrictive housing sections, so inmates will have more eyes on them and medical needs will be documented thoroughly. He touted a program, started in 2014, that offers inmates a discharge plan that connects them with mental health services. It also helps participants with needs such as housing, in an attempt to reduce recidivism.
We continue to look for prevention methods, Allen said. Im looking into developing a pocket-sized prevention guide for each member so they can constantly have them on hand.
Inmates can also request to see mental health staff, including counselors or psychiatrists.
At both the Roanoke and New River jails, inmates who are flagged as suicidal are placed on suicide watch, which means all of their clothes and belongings are taken from them. Theyre searched, then theyre placed, naked and alone, in a cell that is constantly lit. They are supposed to be seen immediately by mental health staff.
At the Roanoke jail, inmates under suicide watch are monitored by cameras. At the New River jail, such inmates may be recorded, depending on where they are in the jail. Both Winston and Allen said suicidal inmates are given a modesty smock, a tear-resistant garment that covers their otherwise naked body. Deputies at both jails are supposed to check on suicidal inmates every 15 minutes to monitor their conditions, as opposed to the rounds made every 30 minutes for inmates in the general population.
Winston said suicide-resistant modesty blankets and sleeping bags also are available, and Roanoke inmates also may request suicide-resistant blankets, Bell said. At both jails, these are the only items that an inmate under suicide watch may have in his cell.
Such methods, while meant for the safety of inmates, can seem humiliating and punitive, Fathi said.
It leads some prisoners to deny that they feel suicidal when they really do, or, when they leave watch, claim that theyre not suicidal when they still are, he said.
Inmates on suicide watch usually are not allowed to have phone calls or visits. Hayes said jail supervisors typically cite the safety of inmates when justifying such policies, but cutting them off from outside contact might not be helpful in the long run.
Even if you have a toxic relationship with a loved one, if you have an adverse reaction to a phone call, medical staff can observe that while youre on suicide watch, Hayes said. Theres many times when youre receiving bad news, and that often triggers suicidal thoughts and behaviors. If youre not under observation at the time, you can attempt suicide successfully.
Fathi said regardless of when an inmate attempts suicide, its the jails responsibility to prevent it.
In a sense, theres really no excuse for suicide in any jail or prison because by definition these are environments of total control, Fathi said. They control what the person does, where they go. So when a suicide happens, it happens by definition because the facility wasnt doing their job.
Between Jan. 1, 2016, and Aug. 31, 2017, Allen said 316 inmates in the city jail were placed on suicide watch. During an interview last week, he declined to say whether any inmates who died by suicide during his first term, including Harper, were on suicide watch at the time of death, saying that he would not speak to specific cases within the jail because there could be legal issues involved, or because answering such questions could compromise ongoing investigations.
Talk sense into him
Clifton Harper had been in jail for at least nine months before he killed himself.
In April 2015, he was convicted of statutory burglary and grand larceny charges stemming from a May 2014 offense, according to online court records. Although a news release sent by the jail after his death said he was booked into the jail on those charges on March 17, 2015, online court records and a 2015 email from Roanoke police spokesman Scott Leamon indicate he was in the jail on Feb. 5, 2015, when he was charged with assaulting a deputy.
Harper was scheduled to go to trial in November 2015 on the assault charge, but the case was continued. He came to court in November to have his trial rescheduled; it was the last time Natasha Harper saw her stepson.
During his incarceration, she said the family kept up with Clifton through regular phone calls and visits. But those slowly tapered off. Sometimes, jail officials told the family that Clifton did not want visitors, his stepmother said. Other times, she said she was told he was on suicide watch and was not allowed in-person visits because he might pose a threat to the other inmates.
Before his arrest, Clifton Harper was diagnosed with borderline schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, his stepmother said. When he was on suicide watch, Natasha Harper said she and other family members called jail officials repeatedly, asking to visit him. She said Clifton was placed on suicide watch more than once while he was in the jail, though she is uncertain of the exact number of times.
We could probably talk sense into him, she said. Give him some hope.
The day before he was taken to the hospital, Harper said she attempted to visit him but was told he was on suicide watch and was turned away. The next day, at the hospital, she said a jail official also told her that her stepson was on suicide watch.
On Monday, however, Bell said the jail has never had an inmate die by suicide while on suicide watch. He declined to answer questions about Harpers case.
Natasha Harper said she has attempted to contact the sheriffs office multiple times with questions since her stepsons death. She said her calls have not been returned.
When Allen was asked about that on Friday, he said he had to take another call and hung up.
Bell said Monday that jail officials do their best to answer questions posed by family members, but that requests for information made by those who are not immediate relatives may not be answered.
Weve been responsive to family members when the questions have been made in the proper manner, Bell said. Its not like were closing the door to the families. I just had someone last week call about meeting up and talking and Im meeting with that person tomorrow.
The number of suicides at the jail has been taken up as a political talking point by one of Allens two opponents in the November election. Roanoke County police officer McLaren Mac Westland said in a recent news release that the number of deaths at the jail is shocking.
Westland said hes troubled by what he sees as the sheriffs lack of transparency on inmate deaths. That same perceived lack of transparency prompted Natasha Harper and others to organize a rally to urge the jail to review screening practices that catch suicidal inmates, and to adopt better practices, if necessary.
Jail deaths are not an uncommon thing in any facility, whether its a small facility or a large facility, Westland said. Theyre going to happen, but its expected not at the rate that we see it in Roanoke City. Going to the Roanoke City Jail shouldnt be a death sentence.
Tuesday night, more than a dozen protesters showed up to that rally in front of the Roanoke City Jail. Many carried signs with slogans like No more jail deaths and The Roanoke City Jail doesnt keep us safe.
John Jones, the father of 35-year-old Joshua Jones, also attended the rally. His son died in the jail on Sept. 9 after he was found hanging by a bed sheet in his cell. Since then, Jones said hes called jail officials repeatedly. He was initially told that the family would be provided an incident report after the sheriffs office had completed their investigation. His calls havent been returned, he said.
Its ridiculous, Jones said. Its a small jail in a small town. They should have been doing their job.
Harper said that each new death and especially each new suicide reported by the jail sparks anger.
Dear Jeff Bezos,
Im sure youve been on the receiving end of a lot of suggestions lately, following your recent announcement that Amazon is seeking a site to build as second headquarters a place that could employ as many as 50,000 people at average pay exceeding six figures.
No doubt youll hear from many around Virginia about the commonwealths virtues our location, scenery, quality of life, business-friendly environment and much else.
But I want to call your attention to one area where no other state can match Virginia, and which ultimately will matter more than any of the other factors youre considering in helping your company reach its goals of truly transforming the world. For the workforce you will need to get you there, Virginia has the best assortment of public and private colleges in the country in fact, on the planet.
The greatness of Virginias colleges and universities isnt just a function of their deep history, which dates to William & Marys founding in 1693. Consider the latest US News & World Report college rankings. The commonwealth is home to two of the top six public universities nationally (W&M and the University of Virginia), and the only state besides California with two public universities among the top 35 overall. Among the top nine public regional institutions in the South, four are in Virginia. In addition to Virginias 15 four-year public institutions is a remarkable array of private ones that, altogether, are also arguably the nations most accomplished.
I know youre a data guy, and the data certainly tell a big part of the story. Virginias public universities rank among the nations leaders in retention and graduation rates. But of course what matters most to a company like Amazon isnt just the number of college graduates. Its whether those graduates are ready to generate and execute the ideas that really can change the world.
This is where Virginias varieties of educational excellence really matter. Plenty of states can offer a single strong research institution, or even a cluster. And Virginia can compete with any of them thanks to the likes of U.Va., Virginia Tech, VCU and George Mason. But Virginia also offers a constellation of institutions with distinctive cultures and camaraderie that immensely benefit graduates and the whole state.
What that variety offers is a range of environments that give the greatest possible number of students a chance to thrive. For many that is at proud historically black institutions like Virginia State, Hampton and Norfolk State, or single-sex private colleges like Sweet Briar and Hampden-Sydney. Others draw strength from VMIs discipline, or from Longwoods close-knit sense of community and distinctive focus (and new curriculum) focused on preparing students to be citizen leaders in their lives and careers.
At each of these places a sense of mission and purpose is imbued in students and reinforced by the residential on-campus experience, where students learn to live with and learn from those of very different backgrounds. These are practice grounds for not just the workforce but for democracy. Virginias strong higher education landscape, with broad bipartisan support, is a key reason why in an age of great division, our states political culture remains remarkably civil, and the state itself is arguably the best-run in the nation.
Along with Virginias accomplished research institutions, you should take note of the special additional strength of Virginias great colleges and universities in the liberal arts and sciences. Why would Amazon need a steady supply of employees with strong backgrounds in the liberal arts and sciences? Amazon, perhaps more than any other company, is trying to break the mold across a huge swath of human endeavor, from retail to groceries to cloud computing to space travel. As a successful business leader, you already recognize the kind of employees you need for that kind of effort not just narrowly trained technicans, but people with imagination, who can think critically, solve problems, work with and understand diverse groups, and effectively communicate.
These are precisely the skills the liberal arts and sciences are proven to teach exceptionally well, and they feature prominently in the Amazon leadership principles you ask every employee to master. Among them: You are looking for employees with strong judgment, who seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs, and who are able to continue to learn and be curious. Proof that the liberal arts and sciences produce great leaders is visible in your senior corporate leadership at Amazon, which includes several executives who majored as undergraduates in liberal arts subjects ranging from economics to music.
So Jeff, please consider Virginia. It will be a wonderful place for your employees to live and work and raise their families. Our colleges and universities will help fill your ranks not just with scientists but with citizens. Weve been at this work for more than three centuries and are proud of our track record. We can do great things together.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
By PTI: Srinagar, Sept 27 (PTI) Opposition National Conference (NC) today expressed "shock and disappointment" over which it called the "conspicuous omission" of Jammu and Kashmir-centric peace initiatives in the political resolution passed at the BJP national executive in New Delhi earlier this week.
It was surprising to see no mention of the positive talk on J&K by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the resolution, NC chief spokesperson Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said.
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A week back Home Minister Singh had said that the Centre was moving forward towards resolving the problems in Jammu and Kashmir, the NC spokesperson said.
We were looking forward for the BJP executive to endorse this and also the PMs message on August 15 from the ramparts of the Red Fort, he added.
"Unfortunately that didnt happen," Mehdi said reiterating his partys stand that a dialogue was the only way forward for addressing the political issues of J&K.
Referring to the BJPs political resolution, he said the silence on Prime Ministers assurance suggested that the statement on resolving the issues of J&K in Modis Independence Day speech was just rhetoric.
"It seems now that what he said was just rhetoric and there was no conviction. The resolution clearly points towards BJPs aggressive approach in handling the state and its affairs. This, to say the least, is a complete U-turn on J&K," he said.
Mehdi said there was "little to no mention" of five Cs -- compassion, communication, co-existence, confidence-building and consistency -- that the Union home minister talked about.
"This inevitably will add to the PDP-BJP governments continuous failure in governing the state and will go a long way in increasing the (feeling of) alienation among the people of the state. The chaos that we see around now is in fact a physical manifestation of such tactics employed by the BJP and its ally PDP," he said.
Mehdi, who is the MLA from Budgam, said that every single promise made by the PDP and BJP in the Agenda of the Alliance had been compromised with for the sake of power.
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on his recent visit to Srinagar was very forthcoming on dialogue, he said. He even went to the extent of offering an unconditional dialogue with all stakeholders, Mehdi said.
"This resolution is entirely opposite to what the BJP leaders have been saying lately on Kashmir and has therefore reinforced BJPs hardened stance on J&K where they continue to look at the state from the prism of security," he said.
Attacking the PDP, he said the Mehbooba Mufti led party was maintaining a "shameful silence" on the developments.
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"Why is Mufti continuing in the CM s chair when all her promises to people continue to be rejected in such a manner by her own alliance partner?" he asked.
Mehdi said the National Conference will continue to espouse the path of dialogue and reconciliation wherein all the stakeholders need to sit together and try to evolve a consensus that would "guarantee the rights and dignity to the people of Jammu and Kashmir". PTI MIJ ADS
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Richmond may not have the mass transit system Amazon wants as the online shopping giant searches for a second home, but the company said the city should still put in a bid, according to Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
During his monthly radio appearance on the Washington area's WTOP, the governor said he expects Virginia to put in 3-5 bids for the highly coveted business project. Northern Virginia may be a more natural fit for what Amazon is looking for, McAuliffe said, but the company told him that Richmond and Virginia Beach - which presumably face longer odds - shouldn't shy away from the competition for lack of large-scale mass transit.
"I don't want our cities putting up money if they have no chance at it," McAuliffe said. "But I was specifically told 'please have them bid.' "
Highlighting the fact that Time magazine recently ranked Virginia Beach and Richmond as the top two cities with the fastest-growing millennial populations in the country, McAuliffe said he has been in touch with the mayors of both cities about their possible Amazon bids.
Amazon set off a nationwide scramble among state and local officials last month when the Seattle-based company announced it is searching for a location for its second headquarters, a project the company says would bring 50,000 jobs. Amazon's request for proposals said the company is looking for an area with a population of more than a million people, an international airport, proximity to major highways and access to public transit via trains, subway systems and buses.
Though Richmond has a bus system preparing for big changes through the addition of a rapid transit line on Broad Street, the system doesn't reach the entire region. With relatively few traffic backups compared with other areas, Richmond's bus system has yet to take hold as a widely used transportation option for regional commuters.
The deadline for regions to submit proposals is Oct. 19.
"I think we've got a great shot," McAuliffe said. "Let me be clear, everybody, every governor, every mayor in America believes they're going to get it."
With Amazon presumably wanting as many options on the table as possible in a bidding war that will likely involve lucrative incentive packages, it's not clear if the company's desire to hear from Richmond and Virginia Beach makes the cities' chances any more or less likely.
McAuliffe said he thinks Virginia will be competitive because of its port, high volume of data centers and groundbreaking research into commercial uses for unmanned aerial vehicles.
"We delivered Chipotle food to Virginia Tech with our drones," McAuliffe said. "If I'm Jeff Bezos, I'm thinking goodness gracious. I gotta go to Virginia!"
ABINGDON Twenty-seven years after a Florida woman was gunned down by a person wearing a clown costume, an Abingdon woman who later married the shooting victim's husband has been charged with first-degree murder in her death.
Sheila Keen-Warren, 54, was arrested without incident Tuesday at her Herron Circle residence near South Holston Lake by the Washington County Sheriffs Office, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office.
Keen-Warren waived extradition Wednesday and is being held at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Abingdon. Florida authorities now have 10 days to pick her up and return her to Florida for prosecution, according to Washington County Commonwealths Attorney Josh Cumbow.
On May 26, 1990, Marlene Warren, 40, was at her residence in the Wellington Aero Club community in Palm Beach County, along with her son, Joseph Ahrens, and several of his friends. An airstrip runs through the community and many of the homes have hangars and private planes.
While finishing breakfast, around 10:45 a.m., they noticed a white Chrysler LeBaron pull into the driveway, Palm Beach County authorities said in a written statement. A person dressed as a clown, carrying two balloons and a bouquet of flowers, exited the vehicle and approached the front door, authorities said.
Marlene Warren answered the door and when the clown offered the items to her, witnesses said they heard a gunshot and the woman fell to the ground, authorities said. The person dressed as a clown calmly walked back to the LeBaron and drove away, witnesses told police.
Ahrens, who now lives in Iowa, was within feet of the shooting, family members said Tuesday.
Marlene Warren, who was shot in the face, was transported to Palm West Hospital, where she died two days later.
During the initial investigation, detectives said they identified then-Sheila Keen as a suspect, but never made an arrest.
Then, in 2014, the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office Cold Case Unit reopened the homicide investigation. Witnesses were recontacted and additional DNA analysis was conducted, according to the Sheriffs Office.
Authorities also learned that Sheila Keen married Michael Warren, Marlene Warrens husband, in 2002. Michael Warren owned a West Palm Beach used car lot in 1990 and hired Sheila Keen to repossess cars.
As a result of the investigation, authorities said probable cause was established linking Keen-Warren to the shooting death. The case was presented to a Palm Beach County grand jury Aug. 31 and a true bill was issued. Police then obtained a warrant, which was served Tuesday evening.
Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman said during a news conference Tuesday night that his office learned about the case about a month ago and assisted in the arrest. Keen-Warren has been living in Virginia for a number of years, he said.
Bill and Shirley Twing, Marlene Warrens mother and stepfather, who live in Las Vegas, Nevada, were relieved Tuesday night when they learned an arrest had been made.
It makes me pretty happy, said 87-year-old Shirley Twing.
The Twings have been waiting nearly three decades for the arrest and Shirley Twing admitted she wasnt sure it would happen.
I gave up hope, she said. Im glad they made an arrest.
The woman described her daughter as a beautiful, blond-haired girl.
She was always doing things, Shirley Twing said. She liked everybody and had a beautiful smile.
The couple said they had hoped their daughter would come home before her death. She and her husband were having marital troubles, they said.
After the shooting, the couple discovered a business card at their front door, 75-year-old Bill Twing recalled. It was from the police, who had asked them to call.
Shirley Twing said she knew something was wrong.
They called Florida authorities and learned of the shooting. They flew to Florida, but their daughter died in the hospital.
Marlene Warren, who also has two sisters, lost a son in a car crash about two years before she died, Bill Twing said.
Keen-Warren and her husband recently sold the Purple Cow, a popular restaurant in Kingsport. The restaurant was licensed in her name, according to a records search. She has no criminal record locally.
Rocky and Brook Blevins said they were shocked to learn their neighbor was arrested Tuesday.
Shes a great person, Rocky Blevins said.
The couple has known the Warrens for about 15 years and visited their home on a number of occasions.
We trust her with anything weve got, Rocky Blevins said.
His wife added, I trust her with my life.
The couple said there havent been any signs that anything was ever wrong.
It has to be a mistake, Brook Blevins said.
The Warren residence, a large home with two large brick columns and no trespassing signs at the street, appeared to be empty late Tuesday.
Michael Warren has not been charged in connection with the homicide, Palm Beach County authorities said. The investigation is ongoing, Sgt. Richard McAfee said. He declined to provide additional details about the case.
PULASKI A Pulaski County woman who was beaten and sexually assaulted in her home said Wednesday that she forgave one of her attackers, appreciated his testimony against another of her assailants, and hoped he would turn his life around.
She offered the handcuffed and shackled man some advice.
Stay away from the people you shouldnt be around and give yourself to God, the woman said during a sentencing hearing in Pulaski County Circuit Court.
William Monroe Sherer, 33, of Roan Mountain, Tennessee, will serve 10 years in prison after entering no contest pleas earlier this year to charges of aggravated malicious wounding, abduction, breaking and entering, and being a principal in the second degree to aggravated sexual battery, Judge Bradley Finch said.
The sentence was far less than it could have been and also seemingly well below the 51 years of incarceration that a jury recommended Tuesday for a co-defendant in the case. But whether Alicia Renee Mooney will actually be sentenced to 51 years and how much of that will be an active prison term wont be known until Dec. 11, when Finch is scheduled to decide her punishment.
After a two-day jury trial this week, Mooney, 35, of Lebanon, Virginia, was convicted of being a principal in the second degree to aggravated malicious wounding, a principal in the second degree to burglary, and an accessory after the fact to grand larceny.
In Virginia, juries can decide guilt or innocence and recommend a sentence, but a judge decides what penalty to impose.
The charges against Mooney and Sherer resulted from a Feb. 13, 2016, incident in which Sherer and another man broke into a womans home near Claytor Lake, tied her up and beat and raped her, according to the victims testimony Monday during Mooneys trial.
The Roanoke Times does not identify the victims of sexual attacks.
The other man involved in the attack, Mooneys boyfriend Curtis James Dugger, 31, of Elizabethton, Tennessee, died there six days after the Claytor Lake attack. According to testimony Tuesday, Dugger exchanged gunshots with a Tennessee law enforcement officer who was trying to arrest him on the Virginia charges. After each wounded the other, Dugger ran into a wooded area and took his own life, said Brian Wade, a former captain with the Pulaski County Sheriffs Office.
Sherer testified Tuesday as a prosecution witness against Mooney, saying that she had brought him and Dugger from Tennessee to help settle a dispute in which Mooneys family was involved.
The dispute was a love triangle centered on the man Mooney called father. He and her mother had dated until Mooneys mother was imprisoned on drug charges. Her father then began seeing the woman who lived near Claytor Lake. When her mother returned home, her father went back and forth between the two women, who found out about one another. There had been exchanges of Facebook messages and texts. Each woman said they were threatened by the other. Allegedly, some of the threats were that members of the Pagan motorcycle group would come after Mooneys mother or her family.
Sherer and Mooney said that her family decided to meet the Pagans at a Mexican restaurant in Giles County and resolve the dispute. But no Pagans arrived, and Mooney left her relatives in Pearisburg and drove Dugger and Sherer to the home of the woman who lived near Claytor Lake.
Sherer testified Tuesday that Dugger threw a cinder block through the sliding glass doors of the womans home and the two men ran in and began punching her. They taped her hands together behind her back and ransacked her home for money and drugs because Mooney had said the woman was a cocaine dealer, Sherer said.
In her own testimony, the woman recounted a relentless attack in which the hood of her sweatshirt was taped over her face and her shirt pulled over her head. She said that she was beaten over most of her body, raped, and stabbed in the buttocks. Medical workers testified about the long list of injuries she suffered and the lingering effects that included plates being placed in her skull to patch a broken eye socket and multiple fractures in her cheek.
Sherer testified that he had only hit the woman once and that Dugger had carried out most of the assault. Sherer said that he did not see the woman being raped.
The woman testified that she eventually was hog-tied, with her feet bound to her hands behind her back, and left bleeding on her bedroom floor. She freed herself, found her cellphone had been left in a pot of water, and dressed and went to a neighbors home to seek help.
At Wednesdays sentencing hearing for Sherer, the woman again took the witness stand. She said that she appreciated Sherers testimony during Mooneys trial.
I do forgive you, the woman told Sherer, then added that she knew prison would be hard but that it would be harder on his family.
Finch asked the woman if she supported the plea agreement that called for Sherer to serve just 10 years. The agreement also had dropped charges of rape, grand larceny, and breaking and entering while armed with a deadly weapon.
Im a woman of my word and I agreed to do so, the woman said.
Finch called a recess and told victims advocates and Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Justin Griffith to talk to the woman. When court began again, Finch asked once more if the woman supported the agreement.
When she replied that she did, Finch imposed a 50-year sentence, with 40 years suspended. Sherer will be supervised by the probation office for 10 years after his release, Finch said.
Sherer is to have no more communication with the woman he assaulted, Finch said.
This came after a last exchange between the woman and Sherer.
Before pronouncing his sentence, the judge asked Sherer if he had anything more to say.
Sherer said that he did and the woman, who has vision and hearing difficulties from the attack, lifted herself with a cane from a spectators bench and walked to the front of the courtroom so she could hear him.
I wish to apologize to you and the court, Sherer began. The assault is probably the biggest mistake Ive made in my life. Im sincerely sorry, he said.
Standing just a yard or so from him, the woman said again that she forgave Sherer.
Thank you so much, Sherer said.
Franklin County school administrators who traveled to Houston to deliver two 35-foot trucks filled with donations for the victims of Hurricane Harvey made a safe return to Rocky Mount midday Tuesday.
Jon Crutchfield, principal of Franklin County High School, said the trip was a bit of a whirlwind. He and three other administrators Bernice Cobbs and Claude Henry of Benjamin Franklin Middle School and Andrew Nester of the high school hit the road after the homecoming dance Saturday night and drove for 22 hours.
Crutchfield said they all took turns driving, and stopped quite often to gas up the rented trucks, since they only averaged about nine mpg. They spent Sunday night at a Holiday Inn Express with caution tape on areas of the first floor that suffered water damage.
When they pulled up to the Houston Food Bank a top-notch organization, Crutchfield says to drop off the donations, all 22 loading docks were occupied either with trucks dropping off or picking up supplies to deliver to those in need.
Unloading the trucks took about six hours. It gave the administrators some time to relax, and catch up with Cliff Hubbard, a 2001 Franklin County High School graduate living in Houston who read about their trip. Hubbard met the group at the food bank so he could say thank you in person.
He wanted to say to Franklin County High School students this is not just some empty fundraising thing that you did. We were actually helping a 2001 FCHS graduate, Crutchfield said.
Weeks after the hurricane, evidence of its destruction is still apparent. Crutchfield said every home and business seemed to have piles of flood-damaged wallboard, carpet, bedding, mattresses and box springs at the curb. Crutchfield said he can only imagine what conditions are like in Florida and Puerto Rico right now.
Theres still a tremendous need for food, water and other supplies in Houston. Crutchfield said the food banks CEO told him all the donations coming in were headed right back out into the community.
I really think our kids made a difference, Crutchfield said, noting that their donations would have an immediate impact rather than sit on warehouse shelves.
Employees at the food bank were so impressed that people from half a country away in Virginia would care enough that we spent this time and this effort and this money, quite honestly, to try to help them.
But, a student pointed out to Crutchfield on Wednesday morning, Houstonians would do the same for them. The principal said he believes thats true.
Franklin County will host parent forum
A parent forum will be held at Franklin County High School at 7 p.m. Thursday to discuss drug dangers todays students face on social media concerning opioid, heroin, recreational marijuana and alcohol use.
The forum is hosted by Franklin County Public Schools, the Franklin County Sheriffs Office, the FRESH Coalition and Carilion Clinic. Parents will be provided with resources and also given a chance to ask questions of experts.
In a news release, Sheriff Bill Overton said the county has seen an increase in the illegal use of prescription drugs and heroin, along with overdoses.
It is only through a concentrated community effort that we will be successful in combating this epidemic, he said.
Superintendent Mark Church said in the news release that parents must be educated on the issues todays children face.
It is naive to think that these issues only affect a select population of students; many families are affected by these issues, he said.
The University of Virginias 2016 safety report showed an increase in reported rape, sexual assault and hate crimes on Grounds from the previous year.
According to the report, released this week by UVa, 15 rapes were reported on and off Grounds in 2016. In 2015, there were seven rapes reported, all in student housing. However, in 2014, there were 44 reported rapes, which university officials said could be due to heightened attention to the topic that year after several safety-related controversies.
The decline in total number of Clery-reported sexual assaults in 2015 is more representative of what had been reported in previous years, said university spokesman Anthony de Bruyn in an email on Tuesday.
The safety report, required each year under the federal Jeanne Clery Act, includes all crimes reported to campus police, other law enforcement and university officials such as the universitys Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, which also investigates reports of sexual violence.
It includes crimes reported on campus proper, public property adjacent to campus and non-campus properties such as fraternities, sororities or buildings used for university purposes that arent necessarily near Grounds. The Clery Act also requires schools to give timely warnings of crimes that threaten the safety of students and employees.
The universitys annual report also includes crimes covered by the 2013 Violence Against Women Act. There was a slight increase in dating violence and stalking in 2016, according to the report.
While some universities have a mandatory reporter policy, which means that any university official must report any possible crime discussed with or around them, UVa makes a distinction between responsible and confidential employees. Confidential employees, including licensed medical, clinical or mental health-professionals, may not disclose information to the universitys Title IX Coordinator.
The responsible and confidential reporting policies were put into place in September 2015, according to de Bruyn. The same year, the university began requiring all incoming students to take Title IX and alcohol education training. Students have to retake that training every two years.
In 2014, amendments to the Clery Act required reporting rape as its own category. Before that, sex offenses were reported as a group. In 2013, there were 26 forcible sex offenses reported on Grounds, but it is not known how many of those were rapes.
There were seven hate crimes reported in 2016, up from just one in 2015. The on-Grounds reported hate crimes include intimidation based on ethnicity, intimidation based on sexual orientation and vandalism based on ethnicity.
There also were dozens of arrests made for liquor law violations and drug violations in 2016.
Other UVa sites, such as the biological station at Mountain Lake, the UVa Architecture in Italy: Venice site, the Richmond, Northern Virginia, Southwest Center, Hampton Roads and Roanoke Schools of Continuing and Professional Studies, reported no crimes in 2016.
By Vidya : The Bombay High Court has quashed a nine-year-old case against renowned ceramic artist Vineet Kacker. In 2008, Kacker had put up an exhibition at Museum Art Gallery in south Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya where images of Hindu gods and goddesses were painted on ceramic slippers (khadaus).
Kacker had filed a petition, seeking the quashing of the FIR against him and his exhibition organiser Jeetu Hinduja.
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Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) worker Arvind Gawde had visited the exhibition along with his friend after which he lodged a complaint with the Bolana police station. Based on his complaint, Colaba police had booked Kacker and Hinduja under Section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code which deals with hurting religious sentiments of people. According to Gawde, the images were intentionally painted in such an offensive way to hurt a certain section of people.
WHAT BOMBAY HIGH COURT SAID
However, the division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Sadhna Jadhav said, "It is clear to our mind that the said ceramic "khadaus" (slippers) on which the images of Hindu gods and goddesses were sketched were not displayed prominently. It is also clear that Gawde came to know about the said images only after observing the "Khadaus" (slippers) minutely. These two observations make it clear that it was not the petitioner or the organiser's intention to offend religious feelings of any class of citizens. At the most, it can be said that the religious feelings of Gawde and his friend who had visited the said exhibition were hurt. However, that cannot come within the purview of Section 295-A of the IPC."
The court in its order also stated that "the khadaus" (slippers), on which images of Hindu gods and goddesses were sketched, were not meant to be worn by anyone. "Therefore, there is no question of outraging or hurting the religious feelings of any class of citizens. It appears that the allegedly offensive work of art is an artistic expression of the petitioner and a piece of skill, which demonstrates his vision and viewpoint. It does not contain any deliberate malice and neither is it an attempt to insult the religion or the religious beliefs of people belonging to any class of society."
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Four of the five candidates running for the Bedford County Board of Supervisors said they would keep the Confederate obelisk in front of the county courthouse on Main Street downtown, while one wants the public to decide its fate.
Confederate monuments in public spaces have become a controversial issue nationwide, heightened after last months deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville during which Heather Heyer died after being struck by a car that plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters.
In Bedford, the granite monument to Confederate soldiers and sailors of Bedford County was installed in front of the county courthouse downtown in 1909, said Jennifer Thomson, genealogical librarian at the Bedford Museum and Genealogical Library.
Funds were raised by the United Confederate Veterans and the General William R. Terry Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The county contributed $1,500 toward the $3,800 obelisk installation, according to county documents.
According to an inscription, the obelisk is to recognize the living Confederate soldiers, mourn the dead and keep fresh in memory the noble deeds of these devoted sons.
Many southern communities erected Confederate-themed memorial monuments on courthouse lawns and squares in the late 19th and early 20th century, as veterans who survived the war were dying off.
Another Confederate monument in Bedford at the Longwood Cemetery was dedicated in 1921 when the remains of Confederate dead many unknown were reinterred at the site, which is now municipally owned.
Among the three candidates running for the District 2 seat which represents the southern and central portions of the county and is currently held by Curry Martin, who is not seeking re-election only Fred Sylvester, who is a Democrat and an investigative consultant for his company Accunet Information Group Inc., said he would leave it up to the public to decide.
Sylvester said if elected, he would start a small commission of people interested in what happens to the Confederate obelisk in front of the countys courthouse.
Lets get everybody involved in the discussion, let them give advice and then we give it up to the public, Sylvester said. Dont leave it to the commission or the board of supervisors, and hopefully, we can act as adults and find a solution where we dont scream or fight at each other.
Brian OConnor, who is a Republican and retired, also is running for the District 2 seat and said he does not support removing the obelisk or any statues in the county.
We dont need to remove history, OConnor said. We need to teach history.
Edgar Tuck, an independent in the District 2 race who is a mortgage manager near Smith Mountain Lake and owns a farm in Moneta, does not support moving or removing the obelisk, he said, adding it should be seen as a teaching tool.
We should use it as an opportunity to educate this generation about the outcome of what happened, to use it as a teaching tool and not as a symbol for something else, Tuck said.
Supervisor John Sharp, a Republican who is a project manager for an engineering firm in Lynchburg, is seeking re-election to represent District 4 and is running uncontested. Sharp said he would never consider removing the obelisk.
All of these cities doing this [removing statues], I just see it as an absolute abuse of power, and it demonstrates to me that those leaders that have chosen to erase history, when they dont know history themselves, arent fit to serve in office, Sharp said.
Sharp said the removal of Confederate statues is scary and disappointing.
I think theres absolutely nothing to be ashamed of because many of those people were fighting for states rights, Sharp said. I consider myself a Virginian first. I wish more and more that we had people that identified more with their state than they did with the country, because then each state would feel free to be unique.
Charla Bansley, a Republican running uncontested for the District 3 seat on the board of supervisors, said she has no plans to see the obelisk removed.
The reason it was put there, it was part of our history, said Bansley, who is a real estate agent and adjunct professor at Liberty University Online. Even the bad parts of our history, were doomed to repeat them ... I think its important we learn from things that happened in the past.
Bedford County Administrator Carl Boggess said the county does not have plans to discuss the obelisk.
The deceased identified as Mohammad Ramzan Parray, 33, was on a vacation.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: A 33-year-old BSF constable, Mohammed Ramzan Parray, was gunned down by terrorists in cold blood in North Kashmir today. The constable was on 37 day leave since August 26.
The brutal murder comes after the killing of Lt Umar fayaz in South Kashmir, earlier this year. He belonged to 73 battalion of BSF deployed in neighbouring Baramulla.
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At about 10 pm, three suspected terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba entered the house of Parray, a resident of Hajin, District Bandipora, a heavily militant infested area.
Sources said that the three armed terrorists tried to take Parray hostage, but when the soldier's family resisted, they fired indiscriminately upon Parray and family members.
The firing resulted in the death of the constable and caused injuries to three of his family members.
Three family members of slain BSF personal Rameez Ahmad Parray including his father Mohamad Mqabool Parray , mother and his aunt also got injured in the attack. The trio have been shifted to a Srinagar hospital for treatment.
Parray had joined BSF in 2011. He had served for nearly six years. "Constable Rameez Parrey, a serving BSF personnel of 73 Bn BSF ,who was on leave ,has been cowardly killed by terrorists today," said a statement by the BSF.
Sources from the BSF said two advisories were issued in the past few months regarding threat to Kashmiri serving personnel to take precaution while going home.
The incident comes after a BSF officer who is native of Kashmir valley and his family received death threats from militants. The advisory was repeated when Lt Umar Fayaz was killed.
J&K: BSF constable Rameez Ahmad Parray, shot dead by terrorists in Bandipora's Hajin pic.twitter.com/v5B0RxPkJS- ANI (@ANI) 27 September 2017
Immediately after the news broke, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed his condolences on twitter. He condemned the incident calling it abominable and offered his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
What a terrible incident. This is abominable. Heartfelt condolences to the family of Rameez Parrey. Hope the injured recover soon. https://t.co/CLfcQ3NcMU- Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) 27 September 2017
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A retired Charlottesville police detective and a second DNA expert have joined Jens Soerings corner as he fights for a pardon from the governor.
Retired detective Richard Hudson spent more than 250 hours reviewing documents in the case and interviewed Soering before concluding Soering would not be convicted were he to be tried today.
DNA expert Thomas McClintock says his analysis excludes Soering as a contributor to biological material gathered from the crime scene and indicates the presence of two unknown men.
Soering was convicted of the March 1985 killing of Derek and Nancy Haysom in their Bedford County home. They were found with dozens of stab wounds, and their throats were cut from ear to ear.
Their daughter Elizabeth, then 20 and a University of Virginia student along with Soering, eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder as an accessory before the fact.
Soering has maintained his innocence since his conviction in 1990. He has been denied parole 12 times, and he is up for a 13th parole hearing Oct. 10.
Haysom is currently serving a 90-year sentence in prison, but she will receive mandatory parole in 2032, when she is 68 years old.
In August 2016, Charlottesville attorney Steven Rosenfield put together a petition for pardon on Soerings behalf, and it gained the support of Albemarle County Sheriff Chip Harding. Using new DNA testing and after consulting with two separate DNA experts, Rosenfield asserts that the case against Soering was based on faulty science.
In 1985, an analysis was done on blood found at the crime scene. Five bloodstains were found to be type O the same type as Soering. Then-prosecutor Jim Updike explained the finding by telling the jury that Soering must have been injured in a knife fight at the scene.
In 2009, as part of a post-conviction review, new DNA testing was done on some of the items collected at the crime scene, Rosenfield said. Of the 43 items with blood samples, just 11 were stable enough to test.
Of those 11 items, two were found with type O blood, and a DNA scientist reported that Jens Soering was eliminated as a contributor of that blood, Rosenfield said.
Two DNA experts have concluded that Soering must be excluded as a contributor of biological material at the scene. The new findings of McClintock align with those of Moses Schanfield, who was previously consulted by Rosenfield. The experts also identified blood from two unknown men.
And even though Soering initially confessed to the crime after he was arrested in London, he recanted his statement and said he lied to protect Elizabeth.
Though his confession was still used against him in court, investigators on Wednesday said the details he provided about the crime dont make sense when paired with the physical evidence.
This month, Hudson, submitted a letter of support on behalf of Soering after he spent more than 250 hours looking through police reports and documents, crime scene photos, forensic reports and transcripts of court proceedings.
I believe that Jens Soering made some huge errors in judgment, Hudson wrote. The false confessions and the run to Europe to try to cover for Elizabeth Haysom are but two. I believe those decisions were made while Soering was being manipulated by Elizabeth Haysom.
I have found no evidence to suggest Jens Soering was present at Loose Chippings (the name given by the Haysoms to their house) in Bedford County, Va., when Derek and Nancy Haysom were brutally murdered, he wrote.
Hudson was working at the Charlottesville Police Department when the crime occurred. It wasnt until this year, when Harding asked him to look at the case from a fresh perspective, that he really dove into the details.
Hudson then interviewed Soering, describing his statements as believable. Haysom declined to be interviewed.
I interviewed him early on from the perspective that hed made a confession he was a co-conspirator who made a confession, said Hudson. Why should that not be true?
What he said made sense, he said.
Hudson also stressed that there is no biological or physical evidence to associate Soering with the crime scene, such as blood from an injury.
If that was the case, we would think it was possible that his genetic material would be there, Hudson said. It doesnt have to be, but there was a ton of genetic evidence there and his was not recovered.
As an impartial investigator for the petition for pardon, Hudson said he came into the case purely to figure out what happened. He has since ended with more questions than answers.
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) Chief Executive of Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah will be on a three-day visit to India, starting tomorrow, the Ministry of External Affairs said today.
He will inaugurate the India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show, it said.
During his visit, Abdullah will call on President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also meet the official.
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"Abdullah would also inaugurate the India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show along with Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) and the Minister of Civil Aviation (Ashok Gajapathi Raju) on September 27, 2017," the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
The show will feature Afghan entities from economy, agriculture, health, education, gender and energy sectors seeking trade and investment opportunities with India, along with the CEOs of major Indian and US companies.
Popular consumer goods from Afghanistan like carpets, gemstones, marble, saffron, dried fruits and nuts will also be on display.
Abudllahs visit follows the recently concluded second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council which was co- chaired by Swaraj and her Afghan counterpart. PTI PR SRY
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By PTI: Toronto, Sep 27 (PTI) Exposure to cold or high-pressure weather may trigger events leading to hospitalisation or death in elderly patients with heart failure, a study has warned.
Researchers at Universite Laval and Universite de Sherbrooke in Canada suggest that elderly patients with heart failure should avoid fog and low cloud in the winter as a preventive measure.
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Previous research has shown that changes in the weather can affect the health of vulnerable people - for example, heat waves and cold spells have been shown to increase disease and even lead to death in people from low-income neighbourhoods.
Researchers studied the impact of changes in temperature and air pressure on heart failure patients. The team assessed 112,793 people aged 65 years and older who had been diagnosed with heart failure in Quebec between 2001 and 2011.
The participants were followed for an average of 635 days. During this time, the researchers measured the mean temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure and air pollutants in the surrounding environment and studied the data to see if there was an association.
The study, published in the journal Environment International, showed a higher risk of hospitalisation or death in the winter period of the year (October to April) compared to the summer period (May to September).
Researchers noticed that the risk to experience hospitalisation or death of heart failure cause was increased of 0.7 per cent for every one degree Celsius decrease in the mean temperature of the previous seven days.
They also found that the risk of heart failure incident increased by 4.5 per cent for each increase of one kilopascal (kPa) in atmospheric pressure.
In other words, a drop of 10 degrees Celsius in the average temperature over seven days, which is common in several countries because of seasonal variations, is associated with an increased risk in being hospitalised or dying of heart failure of about seven per cent in people aged over 65 diagnosed with the disease.
"Our study suggests that exposure to cold or high- pressure weather could trigger events leading to hospitalisation or death in heart failure patients," said Pierre Gosselin, professor at Universitie Lava.
"This means that they should avoid exposure to fog and low cloud weather in winter as they often accompany high pressure systems," said Gosselin. PTI APA SAR SAR
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"As I travel around the country, what I hear is 'achche din to aaye nahi, ye bure din kab jaayenge'", said senior Congress leader P Chidambaram.
By India Today Web Desk: Using a scathing column on the slump in economy by senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, a belligerent Congress today slammed the Narendra Modi government with a simple question: the promised good days (achche din) never came, but when will the bad ones end?
"As I travel around the country, what I hear is 'achche din to aaye nahi, ye bure din kab jaayenge'", senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, who, like Sinha, is a former finance minister, said in a press conference in New Delhi.
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"The Congress has exposed many weaknesses in the economy and the terrible mismanagement. We are happy that Mr Yashwant Sinha has echoed our criticism," Chidambaram said, referring to The Indian Express op-ed piece, in which Sinha has attacked both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for the "mess" that the Indian economy is in.
TOP 10 DEVELOPMENTS ON SINHA STORM In his column headlined "I need to speak up now", Sinha had said that a revival of India's economy by the time of the next Lok Sabha election in 2019 was "highly unlikely" and a "hard landing" appeared inevitable. Sinha, who was finance minister under Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, said in the article that he would be failing in his national duty if he did not speak up. Criticising the BJP government's handling of the economy, Sinha wrote, "Finance ministry, in the best of times, calls for the undivided attention of its boss if the job has to be properly done. In challenging times it becomes more than a 24/7 job. Naturally, even a superman like Jaitley could not do justice to the task." Chidambaram said the Congress has, "for nearly 18 months", highlighted the "very grave weaknesses" in the economy. "We were told, in effect, to shut up," he said. The Congress leader appealed to all, especially those knowledgeable about economy, to speak and write "without fear". "Darr ko chhod do (forget fear)", Chidambaram, who rarely speaks in Hindi, said. In saying so, Chidambaram was referring to the fear that Sinha, in his piece, claimed has gripped even the top leaders in the BJP who are afraid to criticise the government over economy. Chidambaram earlier today asked whether "power" would now accept the truth. "Yashwant Sinha speaks truth to power. Will power now admit the truth that economy is sinking?," he said on Twitter. His boss and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was at his sarcastic best on Twitter. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your copilot and FM speaking. Please fasten your seat belts and take brace position. The wings have fallen off our plane," he tweeted. Defending the government, Home Minister Rajnath Singh downplayed Sinha's criticism, saying India economy is the fastest growing in the world and the country's credibility has been established in the international arena. "The whole world admits that India is the fastest growing economy in the world. No one should forget this fact. In the matter of economy, in the international arena, India's credibility has been established," Rajnath said.
Congress jibe at Modi over Yashwant Sinha's column: Good days never came, when will bad ones end?
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Billy Pearce, Ciara O'Connor, Dean Sills and Steve Call in Up North
DEARNE Valley actor Dean Sills has paid tribute to Bobby Knutt after the comic died this week.
Dean, from Bolton on Dearne, revealed that Benidorm star Bobby who died suddenly on Monday while on holiday in France on had been scheduled to film with him for the new series of sitcom Up North over the next couple of weeks.
We were due to film with Bobby when he got back from France, said Dean. It was a secret only a few of the cast knew.
He was going to be playing my dad in Up North and I had chatted to him a number of times on the phone.
He was so looking forward to filming two scenes
I am shocked and saddened."
The last thing he said to me on the phone was: God Bless.
The second series of Up North which is written by Dean with producer-director Steve Call is due to launch on October 16 on online and freeview channel Sheffield Live, and stars well-known comedy performers Billy Pearce and Bernie Clifton.
Rotherham viewers should look out for Clifton Park and its museum, which were used as filming locations.
Other locations include Blackpool, Bradford, Wombwell and Wath.
Dean said: My dream was to get Up North on TV and thanks to Sheffield Live it is now on local TV.
The reruns of series one on Sheffield Live! have gone down well andthe trailer for series two is now showing on their channel.
LABOUR renewed its pledge to hold a full inquiry into the Battle of Orgreave at its annual party conference.
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said the thousands of police officers and miners involved in violent clashes at the former coke plant deserve justice.
Last October, home secretary Amber Rudd ruled out any investigation into the confrontation in 1984.
But Ms Abbott, speaking at the conference in Brighton, said: We finally had an inquiry into the Hillsborough tragedy thanks to the tireless campaigning of the people of Liverpool, with the support of my colleagues Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham.
As Labour home secretary, I promise a full inquiry into Orgreave.
Ms Rudd said changes in policing since the incident meant there would be very few lessons to be learned.
A public inquiry was in the Labour Party manifesto for this years General Election.
Heavy-handed policing was blamed by miners, although police claimed they were defending themselves during the clash on June 17, 1984.
A total of 95 miners were arrested at Orgreave but their trials collapsed.
Despite claims of pickets being assaulted and compensation being paid to many, no police officer was ever disciplined.
Members of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign will hold a #Deathofjustice rally on Tuesday, October 31, to mark a year since Ms Rudd ruled out an inquiry.
They will meet at Devonshire Green from 5.30pm and march to Sheffield Crown Court.
In a report that the ML Khattar government will submit to the Haryana and Punjab High Court today, the Dera Sacha Sauda has been valued at Rs 1,453 crore.
By Manjeet Sehgal: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was not just a (self-confessed) godman, he was also a millionaire, the Haryana government has revealed.
In a report that the ML Khattar government submitted to the Haryana and Punjab High Court today, the Dera Sacha Sauda, the controversial sect run by Ram Rahim, has been valued at Rs 1,453 crore.
This is just in Sirsa, where the Dera headquarters are located. The Haryana government has estimated that Gurmeet Ram Rahim's organisation owns properties worth around Rs 1,600 crore across the state.
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The government estimate does not include properties that the Dera owns outside of Haryana.
The actual value of the properties owned by Ram Rahim Singh's Dera could be much higher as the government estimate has been drawn up on the basis of Haryana's collector rates.
The market value of the Dera properties could be around 1.5 times the figure that the government has arrived at.
A breakdown of the value of Dera properties across Haryana districts. A breakdown of the value of Dera properties across Haryana districts.
The Haryana government's report comes in response to the Punjab and Haryana High Court indicating that the Dera Sacha Sauda could be made to be pay for the losses suffered in the violence that followed Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's conviction on two counts of rape.
More than 35 people died in the violence as Ram Rahim's followers resorted to arson and clashed with security forces after the godman of Sirsa was pronounced guilty. As soon as the verdict was pronounced by the special CBI court, supporters of Ram Rahim went on rampage at Panchkula, merely 10 km Chandigarh.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court indicated that all losses caused to property could be recovered from Dera Sacha Sauda. It was after a Panchkula resident had filed a PIL raising law and order concerns after which the court ordered that "in case people indulge in causing loss to the properties, the process will be videographed and total loss will be recovered from the Dera. ALSO WATCH | Mass grave at Dera's Sirsa HQ has 600 skeletons: Ram Rahim's aide
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Sheffield Magistrates' Court
PLANS to extend the hours magistrates courts can sit have been put back after being branded a farce by a Rotherham solicitor.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) had proposed extending the hours of some courts at Sheffield Magistrates Court to 8am to 8pm from mid-November.
When the move was suggested in April, Hester Russell, head of criminal law at Harthills Solicitors, labelled it the latest farce after the mayhem of the closure of Rotherham Magistrates Court and its merger with Sheffield.
HMCTS has now said the plans are on hold until next February, with chief executive Susan Acland-Hood, putting this down to getting the evaluation and other changes right.
Ms Acland-Hood said: Piloting new flexible operating hours in courts, to test whether we can use our buildings more effectively, is a small part of our overall reform programme to build a justice system that is fair, straightforward and accessible to all.
But the issue has been controversial with many in the legal profession, and I understand why.
The strong views expressed reinforce the need for us to proceed on a clear evidence base.
Its for that reason that we have agreed to delay the start of these pilots until we are satisfied that we have a robust, independent evaluation system in place and until we have taken more time to engage and discuss the pilots, picking up on comments made on how they could be improved.
Since the closure of Rotherham Magistrates Court last September, all criminal, civil and family cases are now heard in Sheffield.
Sheffield Magistrates was one of six earmarked for the pilot.
She added: We had planned to start the pilots across the Crown, Magistrates, Civil and Family jurisdictions over the next six weeks.
However, the tender process we ran over the summer to find an independent organisation to undertake this evaluation has not, in our view, delivered a satisfactory outcome.
Weve also heard from many people including those outside the pilot areas who wanted us to spend more time discussing and refining the plans.
Ms Acland-Hood promised to spend more time consulting with legal professionals.
Zoe Gascoyne, Criminal Law Solicitors Association, added she was very pleased to see the first signs that the very valid concerns of the profession have been listened to by the chief executive.
In a first, geologists have discovered 'young diamonds' which will undoubtedly shake up the diamond industry says Trevor Nace in his article in FORBES. He is also a Forbes Science contributor and Founder of ScienceTrends.com A geologist himself Nace reveals that the creation of so-called young diamonds occurred much later in Earth's history than was previously thought that melting conditions necessary only existed in the early stages of Earth.To determine this, the research team from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam led by Dr. Janne Koornneef analyzed 26 diamonds donated by the De Beers Group. They were looking for small impurities in the diamonds that may give hints at the conditions in which they initially formed.The researchers sampled and analyzed garnet inclusions within these 26 diamonds. Inclusions were then 'age dated' using Sm-Nd isotope techniques. The team found that two diamonds, one of Archaean age (2.95 billion years old) and the other of Proterozoic age (1.15 billion years old), were much younger than geologists thought conditions existed to produce diamonds.The 26 diamonds were from a mine in South Africa and therefore were from a limited geographical location, representing the diamond formation history of that area.According to Nace: Researchers plan to sample diamonds around the world to see if there were young diamonds formed elsewhere and if so were the timings coeval. If you're in the business of finding diamonds, this could be a jackpot, he adds.When Rough&Polished asked Nace on how this discovery will impact the global diamond industry, he was quick to reply: Too early to predict. The time frame from this discovery to changing the diamond market is likely on the order of several years to a decade. Geologists will require a lot more research to get a full grasp of the changing views of how/when diamonds form. That changing view will have to be implemented in diamond exploration, then in diamond extraction and processing.
Bruce E. Kelly
Track projects this summer in northern Idaho are expanding capacity on a busy segment of BNSF's Northern Corridor, and upgrading conditions on Union Pacific's (UP) route to the Canadian border.
UP announced in June that it was boosting safety and efficiency with an approximately $34.1 million infrastructure investment in Idaho this year. In northern Idaho, that investment has involved $13.3 million to replace 29 miles of rail (particularly in curves) from Athol northward to Eastport (where UP interchanges with Canadian Pacific), $9.9 million to clean and replace ballast between Athol and Naples, and $1.8 million to replace 8,265 ties between Athol and Eastport.
Over the past three years, UP has also added Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) to the south end of its Spokane-Eastport line. Dispatcher-controlled switches entered service on a siding at Trentwood, Wash., in 2014, and continuous CTC went live from CP Lee Street in Spokane, Wash., to CP035 in Garwood, Idaho, in 2016. The remaining 104 miles from Garwood up the Idaho panhandle to Eastport is currently dark (un-signaled) track warrant territory, with the exception of signals protecting movement over a BNSF at-grade crossing in Sandpoint and a slide fence zone north of Bonners Ferry. UP plans to extend CTC northward from Garwood and install two new sidings (one at Garwood, one near Meadow Creek) in the near future.
BNSF has spent much of 2017 widening capacity between Spokane and Sandpoint, an area that some refer to as The Funnel because it channels multiple main lines from the west and east onto a single corridor. Previous expansion was performed here in the late 1990s when BNSF created nearly 40 miles of dual main line on what had previously been a mostly single-track railroad with sidings, followed by the opening of BNSFs run-through refueling facility at Hauser Yard in 2004.
Director-Public Affairs Gus Melonas says, BNSF is making significant investments in 2017 to reconfigure and add main line trackage with improved train efficiency across the panhandle as the goal. Those investments include adding three miles of second main track between Athol and East Ramsey and nearly six miles of second main track between West Ramsey and Rathdrum, with the siding at Ramsey being upgraded to main line condition. In the photo, BNSF rolls international containers westward between Athol and Ramsey, past the newly-laid second main.
Meanwhile, for the east end of Hauser Yard, Melonas reports that BNSF employees are converting an existing yard track into a third main line into the Hauser fueling area, which is expected to be complete by the end of September. New switches have been installed, and a lead track for the refueling facility has been extended eastward. Trains arriving or departing either the fuel pad or the yard had to previously share a common turnout off the main line, but there will now be more capacity for independent, simultaneous train movements in and out of East Hauser.
Completion of these projects will leave BNSFs 68-mile Spokane-Sandpoint Funnel with three short segments of single track totaling less than ten miles. Melonas says, Future plans (date not determined officially) could include adding double track from West Algoma to Cocolalla, Idaho. A second bridge at Sandpoint will also be constructed across Lake Pend Oreille, which will allow for additional operations flexibility with the convergence of the BNSF Hi Line and Montana Rail Link lines.
(Agencia CMA Latam) - Colcap, the main index of the Colombian Stock Exchange, fell 0.11% Tuesday, closing at 1,481.21 points due to the drop in Bancolombia's shares and the crisis that Avianca is going through with its pilots.
Erika Baquero, an analyst at Alianza Valores, said that Bancolombia's shares fell due to profit-taking by investors, still reflecting the rebalancing of the Hcolsel and FTSE indexes.
Meanwhile, Baquero said that the fall of Avianca's shares is related to the lack of agreement between the airline and the Colombian Association of Civil Aviators, which represents the pilots. After six days of pilots on strike, the airline decided to suspend the sales of tickets for domestic flights until October 5.
The shares of Davivienda (+1.08%), ETB (+0.59%), Exito (+0.52%), Sura (+0.45%), Banco de Bogota (+0.41%), Nutresa (+0.38%), and Ecopetrol (+0.36%) rose, while Avianca (-2.60%), Grupo Aval (-0.75%), ISA (-0.73%), Cemex (-0.70%), Preferencial Bancolombia (-0.70%), and Bancolombia (-0.61%) fell.
The locally traded U.S. dollar closed the day at 2,924.90 Colombian pesos, marking a 0.03% drop, due to the increasing tensions between the United States and North Korea.
by Agencia CMA Latam
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Sweden's foreign trade gap narrowed in August from a year ago, as exports grew faster than imports, figures from Statistics Sweden showed Wednesday.
The trade deficit declined notably to SEK 5.4 billion in August from SEK 10.1 billion in the corresponding month last year. However, it was well above the shortfall of SEK 1.9 billion in July.
The value of exports surged 13.0 percent year-over-year in August and imports rose by 7.0 percent.
Trade with countries outside the EU resulted in a surplus of SEK 7.3 billion, while EU trade showed a deficit of SEK 12.7 billion.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the net trade deficit totaled SEK 0.5 billion in August compared with a deficit of SEK 0.6 billion in July.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that construction on eight prototypes of a wall to be built along the United States' border with Mexico to prevent the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants to the country began in San Diego Tuesday.
Four of the prototypes are made of concrete, while the other four will be constructed of alternate or "other materials." All eight prototypes will be between 18-30 feet high and designed to deter illegal crossings in the area in which they are constructed and will inform future design standards which will likely continue to evolve to meet the U.S. Border Patrol's requirements.
Ronald Vitiello, Acting Deputy Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said "Moving forward with the prototypes enables us to continue to incorporate all the tools necessary to secure our border."
Completion of the wall prototype construction is expected within 30 days, CBP said in a press release.
After that, officials will evaluate the designs for three months for their effectiveness, including gauging their resistance to penetration with small hand tools.
Four companies have been shortlisted to develop prototypes of the wall, but the final design is likely to be based on an amalgamation of design features.
President Donald Trump last month reaffirmed his commitment to build the continuous wall across the entire southern US border which was one of his key election promises.
The Republican-led House of Representatives in July approved a bill that includes $1.6 billion fund for building the wall.
But it is likely that Senate Democrats will block Trump's budget request when it moves to the upper chamber.
Congressional funding for the border wall is not well taken by Democrats and a section among Republicans.
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Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a decree that finally allows women to drive.
According to Saudi state media, Saudi King issued an order that paves way for women to obtain driver's licenses. The new rule to issue driver's licenses to men and women are set to be implemented by June.
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that does restricts women from driving. Only men are issued driving licenses, while women who are caught driving in public are arrested and fined.
In an official release, the king said his made the decision after calculating the negative and positive points of the ban on women driving. The decree also makes sure that it does not contradict with Islamic law.
The change was approved by a majority of the Council of Senior Scholars, Saudi Arabia's highest religious body.
"Saudi Arabia allows women to drive," tweeted Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry.
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(Agencia CMA Latam) - The Administrative Court of Cundinamarca, in Colombia ruled that Odebrecht has 20 days to transfer to the National Infrastructure Agency (ANI) the works in the Ruta del Sol project's five tranches awarded to the Brazilian company in a tender.
The decision was made attending to a request by the Colombian Attorney General's Office.
Odebrecht in under investigation under investigation in multiple countries after revealed bribe payments throughout Latin America.
The Cundinamarca's court ordered that in20 days, the Concessionaire Ruta del Sol carry out the total transfer of the environmental licenses, initiate the procedures of property's transference, and move ahead with the formalities for the extension of guarantees for a new bidding.
The ruling was announced by the Attorney General Fernando Carrillo Florez at the end of a meeting with the Transport Minister German Cardona and the ANI chairman Dimitri Zaninovich. At the meeting, they agreed to launch a high-impact action plan to recovery, stabilize and guarantee the route's future operation.
Carrillo Florez also said that the Attorney General's Office filed a petition to be declared void a 785 billion pesos (US$ 267.5 million) compensation requested by Odebrecht for breach of contract.
The Ruta del Sol project was marred by scandal after allegations that the Brazilian construction company's paid bribes to be awarded the contract. Rua del Sol's works are halted since the end of last year.
by Agencia CMA Latam
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(Agencia CMA Latam) - The 14th Round of Bids for the exploration of oil and natural gas of the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) beat the government's expectation to reach R$ 3.842 billion (US$1.2 billion) in grants. The premium measured was 1,556%, while the estimated average investment was R$ 845,631 million.
The Brazilian government sold 37 hydrocarbons blocks for exploration and production of oil and natural gas. Out of the 32 companies registered to take part in the event, 17 took blocks, being ten locals and seven foreigners. The signing of the contracts is expected to occur until January.
The largest signing premium was around R$ 2.24 billion, offered for the CM-346 block in the Campos basin, by the consortium formed by Petrobras (50%) and ExxonMobil Brasil (50%), which stood out in the auction.
The total area sold was 25,011 square kilometers. The blocks are distributed in 16 sectors of eight sedimentary basins: Parnaiba, Potiguar, Santos, Reconcavo, Parana, Espirito Santo, Sergipe-Alagoas and Campos.
by Agencia CMA Latam
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(Agencia CMA Latam) - The Brazilian government received R$ 630,784 million (US$ 197.5 million) in premiums from the sale of the Sao Simao, Jaguara, Miranda and Volta Grande hydroelectric plants, auctioned today at B3 for R$ 12,130 billion.
The government's initial expectation was to raise R$ 11.5 billion, which would be used for the fiscal adjustment package headed by President Michel Temer.
China's Spic Pacific closed out Sao Simao for R$ 7.180 billion, while the Jaguara and Miranda plants were bought by Engie Brasil, for R$ 2.171 billion and R$ 1.360 billion, respectively. The plant at Volta Grande was sold to Enel for R$ 1.419 billion.
The Alianca Geracao de Energia, Cemig's joint venture with Vale, did not make any bid for the auctioned plants. The expectation was that Cemig would participate in the auction, even if through the subsidiary.
The result of the auction was considered by Brazilian officials as "a success," due to the demonstration that there is confidence in the market for future concessions, both in the electric sector, with Eletrobras, and in other areas.
According to the director of the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL), Reive Barros, the interest of international companies shows that the Brazilian electric sector is healthy. "We are proving that we are an island of regulatory excellence, which makes it predictable and attractive for investments, and companies invest because they know the plan will meet expectations," he said.
Meanwhile, the executive secretary of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), Paulo Pedrosa, said today's auction could serve as a test for the sale of Eletrobras' assets. "It was a test to know if there are investors interested in the Brazilian energy sector, but it can not be considered a test in the sense of modeling other auctions."
by Agencia CMA Latam
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By PTI: Patna, Sep 26 (PTI) States like Bihar are the worst victims of climate change as it frequently faces floods and drought affecting development, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said here today.
Bihar faced major floods in the year 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2017 causing loss of life and property, damage to crops, roads and other infrastructure, Modi said.
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For this years flood, 514 people died and the state government paid Rs 1788 crore as ex-gratia to 30 lakh affected families, he said at a symposium on climate change.
"This is the magnitude of the damage caused by floods in one year alone.... The frequency of natural disasters has been rising due to climate change," Modi said.
A very huge amount of money is spent to deal with disaster related incidents, he said adding that the state government has made a provision of Rs 68,000 crore in 2016-17 for its 10 departments to deal with natural disasters.
The deputy chief minister said it would be difficult to combat the issue of climate change until and unless every individual of the country moderate his/her life-style.
"Affluent sections of the society will have to take initiative to reduce carbon footprint. There is a need for creating awareness among the people as how to moderate ones life-style," the senior BJP leader said.
He also advised people to avoid packaged food items, plastic bottles and bags and grow the habit of switching off lights, fans and water taps when not in use.
In the symposium, state Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav highlighted the necessity of a detailed study on the impact of climate change in Bihar. PTI AR NN PS
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Assistant professor in DU college, Kedar Kumar Mandal, who has been booked for a derogatory post on goddess Durga is yet to post a public apology.
By Amit Kumar: A day after being suspended, Delhi University's Dyal Singh College assistant professor Kedar Kumar Mandal, who had received strong criticism over an 'offensive' Facebook post about Goddess Durga , deleted all his controversial posts from his Facebook page. However, he didn't post any public apology till filing of this report.
"The assistant professor tendered a conditional apology through email to college principal I S Bakshi saying that he is sorry for hurting people's sentiments. He said that he got this idea about goddess Durga from some article published in a magazine," said a governing body member. The governing body (GB), which is overlooking this matter, had observed that Mandal was a habitual offender.
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"After an initial inquiry, it was found that his post on goddess Durga was not his maiden offensive post. Many of his earlier posts were also found objectionable. In one of his earlier post he had called Hindu gods 'ghooskhor' (bribe-seeker)," said the GB member.
According to a source, following the FIR, Mandal didn't turn up at the college on Monday. According to sources, his apologetic email was full of errors (spelling as well as grammatical mistakes), which is not expected of a teacher. "Leave alone grammatical mistakes, Mandal spelt 'hurt' as 'heart'," said a source.
The GB has also debarred the Hindi teacher from entering the college premises to avert any law and order situation. A four-member inquiry committee has been constituted under the supervision of GB member Surajit Dasgupta, which is supposed to submit its report to the chairman of the general body.
The other members of the committee include morning college principal Bakshi, evening college principal Pawan Kumar Sharma and Rajesh Mangla. Sources said, Mandal, who is an orthopaedic patient, had unsuccessfully sought a ticket for Bihar assembly election in 2015. During his JNU days, he was also associated with Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA). Governing body chairman Amitabh Sinha said, "I fear that Kedar Kumar Mandal's life is at risk. The police must arrest him immediately so that he remains safe in custody."
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Kolkata, Sep 27 (PTI) Durga Puja draws the maximum number of people to the pandals in West Bengal and both the ruling and the opposition parties are using the occasion to reach out to them.
Like in the other years the political parties have set up stalls to sell books espousing their ideologies and to connect with the people.
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BJP, which has been trying to place itself as the main opposition to ruling TMC, has this time decided to come up with stalls outside Puja pandals across the state.
"This time we have decided to set up stalls outside all the Puja pandals. These book stalls will be used as platforms for connecting with the masses. Also to spread the message about the developmental work done by our partys government at the Centre," state BJP president Dilip Ghosh told PTI.
The party has also decided that its district leaders who are engaged in organizing community pujas will recite Sanskrit shlokas from the pandals, he said.
The CPI(M), which was earlier averse to taking part in religious festivals, is now banking on a "social festival" like Durga Puja to reach out to the people and revamp its dwindling mass base in West Bengal.
The party has allowed its MLAs to take part in inaugural programmes of Durga Puja and giving stress to setting up stalls of its mouthpiece Ganashakti outside the pandals as it faces a tough time in the state in coping with the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP.
Earlier, the participation of CPI(M) and its cadres was limited to sitting at the hundreds of party books stalls outside puja pandals across the state and sell Left literature - even works of Lenin, Stalin and Karl Marx.
Durga Puja was used a platform by the Left to popularize Marxist literature and spread the ideology.
The ruling Trinamool Congress on the other hand appears to have stolen the march as most of the community Durga Pujas in Bengal, including some of the biggest ones, are organized by TMC leaders and ministers.
It too has set up stalls of TMC party mouthpiece Jago Bangla outside the puja pandals and like the other parties its workers are working overtime during the festive season to spread the message about the state governments developmental work. PTI PNT KK KK
--- ENDS ---
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Sep-26-2017 16:50 TweetFollow @OregonNews $350,000 Immediately Available to Help Homeless Veterans "Our veterans have bravely served our country and we owe it to them to ensure that they have a safe and stable place to call home." -Margaret Salazar, Director OHCS
Funds will be delivered through the Veterans Emergency Housing Assistance program administered by OHCS.
(SALEM, Ore.) - Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) in partnership with the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs is pleased to announce the release of $350,000 in resources to provide immediate assistance for Oregon's homeless veterans. Governor Kate Brown is leading the effort to end veteran homelessness in Oregon, and these funds will be implemented by Community Action Agency partners across the state and delivered through the Veterans Emergency Housing Assistance program administered by OHCS. "Every veteran in Oregon deserves safe and stable housing," Governor Brown said. "I'm proud of the progress we're making to ensure every veteran has a roof over his or her head, and this dedicated funding takes us another step closer toward ending veterans homelessness in Oregon. "We're excited about our partnership with the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs as we work together to end veteran homelessness in Oregon" said Margaret Salazar, Director of Oregon Housing and Community Services. "Our veterans have bravely served our country and we owe it to them to ensure that they have a safe and stable place to call home." The most recent homeless Point-in-Time count found the number of homeless veterans in Oregon has declined by 121 people, which is a decrease of 9% from 2015. Significant attention and resources, particularly from local governments, have been focused towards housing Oregon's homeless veterans and these numbers indicate progress is being made. However, there is still work to do; the 2017 Point-in-Time count found 1,251 veterans are still homeless in Oregon. With the additional $350,000, we expect to provide even more homeless veterans with housing opportunity and see veteran homeless rates continue to drop. "In the last few years, we have made great progress in reducing the number of homeless veterans, but we still have a long way to go to meet our goal of ending veteran homelessness in our state," said Cameron Smith, director of the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs. "This funding is essential as we continue to work to address the housing needs of all of Oregon's veterans and their families." Funding for this program is part of a swath of new and expanded veteran services made possible through the allocation of 1.5 percent of net Lottery revenues, which Oregon voters approved by an overwhelming margin in 2016 (as Measure 96). Source: Oregon Housing and Community Services _________________________________________
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Sep-27-2017 13:44 TweetFollow @OregonNews Merkley Speaks Out Regarding Trump's North Korean War Comments "History is littered with millions of lives lost in wars that were blundered into by mistake."
North Korea is not so far away, in reality.
Maps: Google, Geology.com, FreeWorldMaps
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Oregons Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after North Koreas foreign minister said Monday that President Donald Trump has declared war on North Korea, citing Trumps tweets from last weekend: As we know, North Korea is a malignant and destabilizing force within the region. These remarks from the North Korean foreign minister reinforce how critical it is that the U.S. be strategic and thoughtful in its approach. Unfortunately, they also remind us that when President Trump instead makes belligerent, shoot-from-the-hip comments like Little Rocket Man and they wont be around much longer, it only plays into Kim Jong-Uns hand and further endangers Americans and our allies.
"North Korea has nuclear weapons and a sizable artillery aimed at Seoul, with a metropolitan area population of 25 million, just 35 miles away. There is no military option that does not immediately endanger the lives of thousands of those living in Seoul, including tens of thousands of Americans.
"History is littered with millions of lives lost in wars that were blundered into by mistake. The Presidents reckless comments not only substantially raise the risk of an armed conflict; they also put a diplomatic solution further from reach by reinforcing Kims belief and propaganda that his arsenal is the only defense from an existential threat.
"Our long-term goal must be to de-nuclearize the Korean peninsula, but our short-term goal should be for North Korea to cease its testing of nuclear warheads and long-range missiles, along with the initiation of negotiations.
"To accomplish this, we need international partnership in economic sanctions that persuade Kim Jong-un that the survival of his regime is at stake. Those additional sanctions must include the shut-down of oil imports to North Korea.
"They should also include the termination of employment contracts for overseas North Korean workers, which North Korea uses to generate large amounts of hard currency; the end of student visas for elite North Korean families, a highly valued privilege; a crackdown on cross-border smuggling of goods; and full support for protecting North Korean defectors, who China now returns to North Korea where they face certain punishment.
"For this strategy to be effective, North Korea must believe that the U.S. will keep its word if we reach an agreement. I am extremely troubled, therefore, that the Trump Administration is signaling it may pull out of the Iran agreement next month, at a critical point in our navigation of this escalating North Korean crisis.
"Pulling out of the Iran agreement would send exactly the wrong signal at the wrong time, and I am concerned that it will only inspire the North Korean regime to accelerate their race to a long-range nuclear missile.
"The U.S. must immediately reset its approach to the North Korean situation and commit to the global community that we will uphold our international commitments by honoring the Iran deal.
"President Trump must realize that the crisis with North Korea is not a reality show, and that any approach other than treating it with the seriousness it deserves puts American lives in danger. Source: Office of Senator Jeff Merkley _________________________________________
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Sep-27-2017 14:20 TweetFollow @OregonNews Remembering the Vietnam War It seems a lot of Americans, French, and Australians come back to the scene of their misadventures.
The Vietnam War by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, brought back memories of my time in Vietnam.
(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.) - Watching the compelling documentary, The Vietnam War by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, brought back memories of my time in Vietnam in 1967-1968. The Tet Offensive occurred during my service there; it was a defining event in the Vietnam War. Tet, by the way, is the Vietnamese New Year. I was a U.S. Army Transportation captain stationed in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City. General William Westmoreland commanded the U.S. military operations in Vietnam War at its peak (196468), during the Tet Offensive. We on the ground knew that Westmoreland's highly publicized, overly optimistic assessments of the war were not true. We "won" every battle, but lost the war. The 1968 Tet Offensive, in which communist forces, having staged a diversion at the Battle of Khe Sanh, attacked cities and towns throughout South Vietnam. U.S. and South Vietnamese troops successfully fought off the attacks, and the communist forces took heavy losses, but the ferocity of the assault shocked public confidence in Westmoreland's previous assurances about the state of the war. War is a spectacular show when watched from afar, but as the documentary shows, not so much up close. During the Tet Offensive, I remember the B-52 carpet bombing that shook the earth and I watched from a rooftop as our helicopter gunships strafed the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. I could hear explosions throughout Saigon as the Viet Cong attacked police stations and other government buildings. The U.S. military used Korean and Australian civilian workers who were housed in unprotected housing throughout Saigon. Many were killed by the Viet Cong. After 1,000 years of domination by China, Vietnams conflicts with the French and U.S. were mere bumps in the road. Looking back, it seemed the Vietnamese got over the war much quicker than U.S. did. I attended law school in Boston after the war at a time when the Boston/Cambridge area was a hotbed of anti-Vietnam activity. Many of my fellow classmates were attending law school to avoid the draft and often kiddingly called me Captain America whenever the New York Times reported on the war. In 2006, I visited Vietnam with my wife. Our itinerary took us to Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho, Tay Ninh, Vinh Trang, Minh City, Hue, Hoi An, Halong Bay, and Hanoi. During the war, I did not appreciate what a beautiful country Vietnam is with its 2,000 mile coastline, jungles, beaches, and mountains and hills. Vietnam is now one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. The U.S. signed a bilateral trade agreement in 2001; the U.S. is now the sixth largest investor in Vietnam. We were greatly impressed by the excellent condition of Vietnams infrastructure, i.e., roads, bridges and public buildings. There was lots of construction going on around the country. Ho Chi Minh City's (still commonly called Saigon) population in 1967 was approximately 1.7 million; today the population totals about 8.4 million. Vietnam is worried that Saigon is reaching a population saturation point. While we were in Vietnam, an Agent Orange Conference was taking place. The U.S. military dumped 80 million litres of agent orange/dioxins in Vietnam. At least 2.1 million were victims of the toxins while another 4.8 million were indirectly effected. We saw photos of some of the victims in the War Remnants Museum in Saigon. The dioxins effect those sprayed, and has caused birth defects in their children. Each of our three guides asked if this was our first trip to Vietnam. I told him that I was a Vietnam veteran, stationed in Saigon in 1967-68. Our Saigon guide told us that he was in the South Vietnamese army and was stationed with the U.S. Marines in Danang. After the U.S. defeat, he tried twice to escape, but was caught both times. He spent 2-1/2 years in prison. He is now an independent tour guide. He then proceeded to point out some of the U.S. occupation sites, most of which have since been torn down to build office buildings and housing. Our Hue/Hoi An guide asked me if I had left any children behind, a bit of an indelicate question in front of my wife. I said no. Later we learned that he would have offered to assist me in finding these children if I had said yes. Our Hanoi/Halong Bay guide told us her father was in the North Vietnamese army and lost his leg in a land mine explosion. He still suffers pain. Our visit to Saigons War Remnants Museum was a sobering highlight of our trip. As stated in the Museums brochure: The role of the unique museum . . . is to preserve and display exhibits on war crimes and aftermaths [of] foreign aggressive forces caused [to] Vietnamese people. The photos are both gruesome and compelling. One section called Requiem, contains a collection of photos taken by 134 war reporters -- from 11 different countries -- killed during the Vietnam War. The Epilogue to this section states in part: [A] war in which so many died for illusions, and foolish causes, and mad dreams. Thirty years later, former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in his book In Retrospect: The Tragedies and Lessons of Vietnam admitted we were wrong about Vietnam. Will we ever get a similar admission or apology about the Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria wars? It seems a lot of Americans, French, and Australians come back to the scene of their misadventures. Vietnam even offers tours to important war sites, such as the DMZ, the Cu Chi tunnels, and the so-called Hanoi Hilton where Senator John McCain spent seven years; it is now a museum and has photos of the American prisoners and displays McCains flight suit. We met a group of French veterans of the Vietnam War -- remember France's defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. When learning that I too was a Vietnam veteran, they insisted on a group photo. There is an irony there someplace. While in Vietnam, we picked up an English translation of a book called The Sorrows of War by Bao Ninh, a veteran of North Vietnams Youth Brigade. Of the five hundred who went to war with the brigade in 1969, he is one of ten who survived. His book has been compared to Erich Remarques All Quiet On the Western Front. A compelling read. Bao Ninh is featured in The Vietnam War. Did we learn anything from the Vietnam War? Apparently not, given our misadventures since. As George Hegel observed, "The one thing history undoubtedly teaches us is that people have never learned anything from History." _________________________________________
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Hours spent googling images of Samoa sparked the imaginations of the trio of best friends.
Today, Breanna, Nicole and Monique, all 23, and from Melbourne, Australia, have found themselves in Samoa in search of that promise of lush tropical forests and refreshing waterfalls.
Monique however, had a big part to play in inspiring her other two besties to come with her to Samoa, having been here before with her family 14 years ago.
I had been to Samoa when I was nine years old with my family. It was unforgettable and so I recommended to my friends to come back. Im 23 years old now. I loved the cultural side of things and the people here are so friendly. I just remember everyone being so friendly to us and welcoming. It was such a beautiful place from what I remember so I told my friends we should come back.
Nicole was all about the nature and out of the three she was probably the most excited which is not surprising considering that this is her first time in Samoa and outside of Australia.
We just wanted to see all the nice waterfalls and nice beaches, she said.
Its been such a beautiful place so far We definitely did a bit of a google and saw all the beautiful pictures of Samoa, so this week were going to see the water falls and check out the trench and then we are also going to go and do a tour around the other island Savaii. This is actually my first trip, Ive never left Australia before this so this is my first trip overseas.
Breanna added that Samoa wasnt just featured on the internet and when asked if she had been to any other islands, she had an interesting answer.
And also Samoa is featured on TV at the moment back home, because Australian Survivor was filmed here and we see all the pretty pictures through that as well. I havent been to other islands but weve been to New Zealand before? Thats a big island.
The friends had gotten up quite early to get a good start to their day and were planning to do as much as they could.
We are going to go have a look into town and have a look at whats around like the markets and also plan our tour of while we are here.
The girls erupted into fits of laughter and Dear Tourist asked the friends whether they would be hitting the local bars and clubs as any 23 year olds would do.
Breanna and Monique said they might look into it as they were looking for the relaxed life however for Nicole, it wont be all nature walks for her as she was keen to get out there.
Well, I dont know about these two but Im a bit of a hoon so I will definitely go out on the town.
We will not stop calling this out. If this government is serious about improving education and health, it should put its money where its mouth is.
How? When it comes to education, pay teachers what they are worth.
The same thing should be done for the health sector. If the government is serious about everyone having access to quality health care, invest more money into the people who are most important.
They include doctors, nurses and health specialists who are so often overworked and underpaid.
The truth is undeniable. When it comes to education, flash buildings dont produce bright students.
But good quality teachers do. Which is where weve got a problem. The majority of teachers in this country are paid peanuts.
Which is why some of them are more interested in finding fruit picking jobs in New Zealand or Australia where they know they will get better money for their time and effort.
And while they are leaving the system, our education system continues to struggle. You dont have to look far to find out why.
Over the years, weve always known that at the National University of Samoa, so many of our brightest minds dont want to be teachers. But you cant blame them for looking elsewhere.
Who wants to be a teacher when the salaries are so bad? Who cares about making a difference if your pay cant feed your multiple children?
Indeed, there is a big problem when youve got teachers applying to pick strawberries in New Zealand.
The same goes for the health sector.
The problem of chronic shortage of doctors and sometimes nurses is not new in Samoa. Weve been struggling with this for years. The establishment of the Oceania University of Medicine has helped a little bit but the number of graduates especially the ones staying in Samoa - it has failed to keep up with the growing demand.
It is not a secret that we have a very, very sick population today. There are hundreds of people queuing up at the hospital everyday frustrated because there are not enough doctors. And the doctors who are there are quite often overworked; you wonder how they can continue to cope, especially since they are dealing with lives.
Some of our most talented doctors have opted for greener pastures elsewhere.
What is being done about this? How is the government attracting better doctors and more doctors to Samoa?
At the end of the day, this is a government that is forever talking about health and education as a priority.
Yet from what we are seeing today, that is a load of rubbish. We repeat, if teachers and health workers are important, pay them well and offer them incentives to stay and become better teachers.
Some people will ask but where can the government get the money?
Well on the front page of yesterdays Samoa Observer was a story titled Govt. salaries to cost $9.22million. The story details how much the administration of the government will cost. Folks, that is a lot of money. Keep in mind that we are just talking about the Civil List and we havent included the cars, travels and all the other perks which would at least double if not triple the cost.
We accept that these are high paid positions. Fair enough.
But maybe, just maybe someone should again remind this government about their so-called priorities. They are supposed to be Health and Education.
If we want bright students, attract brighter teachers. Pay them what theyre worth and make a real effort to keep them. Better quality teachers produce brighter students and many of them will end being doctors which should help our health challenges greatly.
This is nothing new. But it pays to be reminded now and then.
What do you think?
Have a great Thursday Samoa, God bless!
The Samoa National Provident Fund (S.N.P.F.) has been asked to pay $2million to a local company as a result of a long-standing legal dispute dating back to 2004.
The order was given by the Court of Appeal, made up of Justice Fisher, Justice Pankhurst and Justice Hansen, in their decision of 11 September 2017.
In 2004, Apia Construction and Engineering Limited was engaged by the S.N.P.F. to construct what was later referred to as the Molesi Food Court.
Five months later, the S.N.P.F. terminated the contract.
This led to a series of arbitrations and Court proceedings between the two parties.
The third Arbitration was held before Arbitrator, Vui Mariner.
The Arbitrator issued his liability award on 24 March 2014.
He found that Apia Constructions termination had been unlawful. He awarded $2 million made up as follows:
(a) $118,501 directly due to the appellant under the Construction Contract
(b) $299,420 representing financing costs incurred as a result of non-payment of the sum due under the Contract.
(c) $782,000 by way of damages for loss of reputation
(d) $800,000 by way of damages and costs for legal fees incurred
But the S.N.P.F. disagreed.
On 28 August 2014, the S.N.P.F. applied to the Supreme Court to have the quantum award set aside.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court set aside most of the $2 million awarded.
Unhappy about this, Apia Construction challenged the Supreme Courts decision before the Court of Appeal.
They argued that the Supreme Court should not have intervened.
J K Goodall and L Stevenson represented Apia Construction while Tanya Toailoa and S. Lafaialii-Koria represented the S.N.P.F.
In their decision, the Court of Appeal supports the argument from Apia Construction.
We agree, for the reasons that follow, the ruling reads.
The respondent relied on a number of grounds for setting aside the award of 14 July 2014.
The only ones capable of legal recognition were bias, excess of jurisdiction, and error on the face of the award. None can be sustained in this case. Consequently there was no basis for setting aside the award.
Apia Construction also sought costs in the Supreme Court and in the Court of Appeal.
Its actual solicitor-client costs, including VAGST, amounted to $105,978 in the Supreme Court and $120,478 in this Court. It seeks two-thirds of the total.
We accept that party and party scale costs in both Courts are well out of date. In appropriate cases costs of up to two-thirds of actual and reasonable costs may be possible.
However there is no rule to that effect and each case must be considered according to its own particular circumstances.
In this case the relevant invoices were produced. Having read them we can see no cause for thinking them unnecessary or unreasonable. We accept that the proceedings in both courts were unusually complex and time-consuming. The respondents various challenges to the award were wide-ranging and diffuse. We have also had regard to the volume of the materials that had to be prepared and reviewed and the legal issues that had to be researched in Samoa and overseas jurisdictions. Engaging senior counsel from overseas was justified. The respondent itself incurred costs of $65,450 plus VAGST in the Supreme Court without overseas counsel and claimed two-thirds as a reasonable recovery rate.
In all the circumstances we uphold the appellants claim to costs.
The appeal is allowed. The order setting aside part of the award of 14 July 2014 is rescinded. The award of 14 July 2014 is reinstated in its entirety.
The respondent must pay the appellant costs of $150,970 representing the total awarded for costs incurred in both courts.
The Courts ruling in full is published below:
In the Court of Appeal of Samoa Held at Mulinuu
In the matter: section 51 of Judicature Ordinance 1961
Between: APIA CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING LTD a duly incorporated company having its registered office at Stevensons Lawyers, First Floor, Samoa National Provident Fund, Apia
Appellant
And: SAMOA NATIONAL PROVIDENT FUND a body corporate established pursuant to the National Provident Fund 1972 having its registered office at Beach Road, Apia, Samoa.
Respondent
Coram: Honourable Justice Fisher
Honourable Justice Panckhurst
Honourable Justice Hansen
Hearing: 11 September 2017
Counsel: J K Goodall (of the New Zealand Bar) and L Stevenson for appellant T Toailoa and S Lafaialii-Koria for respondent
Judgment: 15 September 2017
Judgment of the Court
Introduction
[1] When parties choose arbitration they are effectively saying that speed and finality are more important to them than having fine legal points analysed by judges.
[2] Of course when the decision is known, losing parties often have second thoughts. They will complain that the case has not been handled in the way that a court would have handled it. But by then it is generally too late. If they had wanted the substantive law and procedures of a court they should not have agreed to arbitration in the first place. Arbitration legislation may differ from one Western country to another but respect for party autonomy is now universal. Party autonomy means that the parties are free to choose their own method of dispute resolution. Once they have made that choice, modern courts will refuse to interfere unless the reasons for doing so are truly compelling.
[3] In 2004 the respondent property owner engaged the appellant construction company to help construct the Molesi Food Court. Later that year the respondent wrongfully terminated the contract. A long and unhappy series of arbitrations and Court proceedings followed. Ten years later the appellant appeared to have won when the third of three arbitrators awarded the appellant $2 million. Undeterred, the respondent again challenged the award in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court set aside most of the $2 million awarded.
[4] In this Court the appellant contends that the Supreme Court should not have intervened. We agree, for the reasons that follow.
Factual Background
[5] The parties entered into their construction contract on 12 January 2004. The respondent terminated it five months later on 8 June 2004. The appellant commenced the first of three arbitrations, contending that the termination was unlawful.
[6] The appellant was successful in the first arbitration but the Supreme Court set aside the award. There was a second arbitration before a new arbitrator. Although the Supreme Court acquitted the first arbitrator of bias, he resigned at the request of the respondent. Sadly, the second arbitrator died after hearing all the evidence.
[7] The first two arbitrations are no longer material except as background to the delay and losses that were accumulating. The appellants business collapsed. The bank sold its assets to repay debt. The bank called up the personal guarantees of the proprietors, a married couple. They lost their home.
[8] Eventually a third arbitration was held before a third arbitrator, Mr Vui Mariner (the Arbitrator). The Arbitrator issued his liability award on 24 March 2014. He found that the respondents termination had been unlawful. There is no longer any challenge to that finding.
[9] Having made his decision on liability, the Arbitrator called for submissions on the quantum of the damages due to the appellant. The appellant claimed $4.6 million. The Respondent contended that it should be $417,000. In an award of 14 July 2014, the Arbitrator awarded $2 million made up as follows:
(a) $118,501 directly due to the appellant under the Construction Contract (not now disputed)
(b) $299,420 representing financing costs incurred as a result of non-payment of the sum due under the Contract.
(c) $782,000 by way of damages for loss of reputation
(d) $800,000 by way of damages and costs for legal fees incurred
[10] On 28 August 2014 the respondent applied to the Supreme Court to have the quantum award set aside. The parties agreed to a judicial settlement conference to explore possible settlement. In anticipation of the conference the appellant wrote to the Arbitrator sent an explanatory note to the Registrar of the Court.
[11] No settlement was achieved. Accordingly the respondents application to set aside was brought on for hearing in the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Judgment [12] The Supreme Court Judge set aside those parts of the award concerned with reputation losses and compensation for costs incurred. [13] As already noted, the Arbitrator had awarded the appellant $782,000 for loss of reputation. On this subject the Judge considered that there were two deficiencies in the Arbitrators reasoning. One was that in the Judges view it was a speech given by the Deputy Prime Minister that caused the appellants reputational losses and not the wrongful termination. The other was the Judges view that reputational losses were special damages and that the parties had to have special knowledge of the potential for this kind of loss at the time of the contract.
He could find no evidence of such knowledge. The Judge went on to invoke two legal sources of jurisdiction to intervene. One was that in his view the difference between what the Arbitrator had awarded and what he, the Judge, would have awarded was so great as to demonstrate bias and therefore misconduct. The Judge also regarded those deficiencies as errors of law on the face of the award. For those reasons he permanently set aside the award of $782,000 for reputational losses.
[14] In relation to the $800,000 awarded for legal fees incurred as a result of the wrongful termination. On that subject the Judge held that The award shows that the following costs were awarded to ACEL by way of legal fees; $54,850 for the foreclosure proceedings by the MBS, $58,850 for the outstanding MPF contributions proceedings and $54,850 for the ACELs bankruptcy proceedings. The Judge considered that there was no jurisdiction to award legal fees in respect of those three matters because there was no agreement to refer them to the Arbitrator for decision. He set aside the costs award of $800,000 but remitted it back to the Arbitrator for further consideration.
The appeal [15] In this Court the fundamental ground of appeal was that the Judge failed to appreciate the limits of a Courts jurisdiction to set aside an arbitration award. Notwithstanding the Judges accurate survey of the legal principles involved, his approach in practice had much in common with an appeal on the merits. The appellant goes on to contend that even had there been jurisdiction for the Court to examine the merits of the Arbitrators decision, the award was in fact fully justified on the evidence. The Jurisdiction to set aside an Award [16] The Arbitration Act 1976 governs arbitrations in Samoa It is based on the former Arbitration Act 1908 (NZ) which in tum was based on the Arbitration Act 1889 (UK). In 1996 New Zealand and the United Kingdom introduced entirely new Arbitration Acts. The Arbitration Act 1996 (NZ) is based on the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration 1985 (the UNCITRAL Model). The new United Kingdom legislation is based on similar fundamental principles. At some point Samoa may elect to follow suit in order to attract more domestic and international arbitration. In the meantime, however, pre-1996 commentaries and decisions from New Zealand and England will have continued relevance in Samoa. [17] Even before more modem legislation was introduced, there was strong overseas support for finality in arbitral awards. The courts would not overturn awards except where that was unavoidable. Authoritative English commentators put it this way:
Arbitration is not always the best way of deciding a dispute, and the judges have occasionally said so. Nevertheless, they recognise that the process is often more efficient than litigation; and they also recognise that, efficient or not, it is in very many cases the procedure which the commercial man prefers. The courts respect, and give effect to, this preference by abstaining from intervention even in the face of the widest deviation from the conventional procedural norms: always provided that the procedures actually followed conform with those which the parties have expressly or impliedly chosen to accept. [18] The same policy has been endorsed in Samoa [19] It is also important to note that a mistake of fact or law by an Arbitrator is not, without more, a ground for judicial intervention. As Russell, one of the two main English arbitration texts, puts it, [i]t is not misconduct on the part of an arbitrator to come to an erroneous decision, whether his error is one of fact or law, and whether or not his findings of fact are supported by evidence.
This excerpt was adopted with approval in New Zealand where it was held that It is not misconduct to come to a decision considered by the Court to be wrong on the facts or indeed on the law.5 As Mr Goodall rightly pointed out, if the position were otherwise, courts would be free to set aside arbitral awards whenever there was a material disagreement with any aspect of an arbitrators decision, legal or factual. [20] Error of law or fact is not, in itself, a ground for setting aside an award. We cannot emphasise this point too strongly because it underlies the problems in the Supreme Court. In the circumstances of this particular case the Court could set aside the award only if the respondent could bring it within one of two legal categories: (a) Misconduct; or (b) Error on the face of the award. [21] The legal principles require explanation before they can be applied to this case.
Misconduct Principles [22] Section 13(2) of the Arbitration Act 1976 provides: If an Arbitrator or Umpire has misconducted himself or herself or the proceedings or an arbitration or award has been improperly procured, the Court may set the award aside. [23] Misconduct for this purpose is a broad concept. It is generally thought to include failure to decide all matters submitted for decision, procedural unfairness, bias, and deciding matters not submitted for decision, otherwise known as excess of jurisdiction. In the present case only the last two are alleged - bias and excess of jurisdiction. Nothing turns on the question whether excess of jurisdiction is a form of misconduct or, as some commentators prefer, an independent reason for judicial intervention.
Bias Principles [24] One of the grounds on which the Supreme Court set aside aspects of the award was that the arbitrator was biased. The bias was held to be a reasonable inference from the excessive nature of the award. [25] It is undoubtedly a ground for setting aside an award that an arbitrator had been biased. Bias is a predisposition to decide for or against one party, without proper regard to the true merits of the dispute. Actual or apparent bias is enough. It is sufficient if an objective and fully informed observer would have had a reasonable apprehension of bias. But bias generally reflects on the integrity of an arbitrator and is not lightly to be inferred.
Certainly, it cannot be used as a pretext for intervening on the basis that a Court disagrees with the arbitrators decision. [26] In this case the respondent relies on the proposition that if there is sufficient disparity between the views of the arbitrator and those of the judge, that alone justifies the inference that the arbitrator must have been biased. In support of such a principle the respondent relied exclusively on the obiter dictum of a first instance New Zealand judge in 1969. In Wilson v Glover Moller J had said this: It would certainly appear that, if what Mr White says is correct, the allowances made by the Arbitrator may well be greater than they should have been.
But that is a question of fact for decision by the Arbitrator, and, in my view, l should not interfere with the award, in this particular instance, merely on the ground that l might have come to a different decision from that at which the Arbitrator arrived. I would at least have to find, on the way this case was presented, that the difference was so great that it clearly, by itself, showed bias on the part of the Arbitrator or that it was of such a nature and amount that, taken in conjunction with all other matters, bias was sufficiently evident to justify setting the award aside.
I do not think that the evidence of overcharging at present before me does, when taken by itself, justify me in finding bias as alleged by the Applicant. [28] Several comments may be made about that passage. First, the reference to bias was a comment which the Judge did not apply in the case before him; he declined to interfere with the award. Secondly the reference to bias was introduced by the qualifier I would at least have to find .... So the Judge was not excluding the need to consider other evidence relevant to bias.
Thirdly the Judge did not provide any authority or analysis to support the possibility that disparity of views alone might be sufficient to establish bias. Fourthly, and despite the vast array of textbooks and cases on arbitration over the past hundred years or so, counsel were unable to find any case in which such a principle has ever been recognised or applied. [29] We are not surprised that no other authority for the proposition could be found.
The principal obstacle it would face is that with the exception of errors of law on the face of the award, the law and facts are for the arbitrator alone. It would not be possible for a judge to compare his or her view with the result arrived at by the arbitrator without straying into matters left exclusively to the arbitrator.
Thus in New Zealand it was held as long ago as 1914 that: Where parties have agreed to refer certain matters to arbitration, and have nominated their own tribunal the decision of which is not subject to the approval of the Court, the mere inadequacy of the amount awarded, even if such award be against the weight of evidence, is no proof of partiality or misconduct on the part of the arbitrators of such a nature as to enable the Court to set aside the award. [30] There is the further difficulty that bias is a conclusion which could be reached only after considering the totality of the evidence.
It is concerned with the arbitrators actual or apparent attitude to the parties or the dispute. The court would need to consider all the surrounding circumstances before it could decide whether the arbitrator displayed, or did not display, an improper tendency to prefer one party over the other.
[31] Neither authority nor principle supports the view that a mere disparity between the views of the arbitrator and those of the judge as to the proper resolution of the dispute could, without more, provide a ground for concluding that the arbitrator was, or appeared to be, biased. Such a disparity might well play a part in arriving at that overall conclusion from other sources, but it could never be more than one of the ingredients in a much larger exercise.
Bias in this case? [32] It was not suggested that there was any evidence of bias in this case other than an alleged disparity between the result arrived at by the arbitrator and the result which would have been adopted by a court. [33] Counsel for both parties traversed various aspects of the original dispute in their submissions. We are not convinced that there would have been a significant disparity between the conclusion reached by the arbitrator and the conclusion we might have reached had we been called upon to make that assessment. But the real point is that there is no basis for a Court to embark on that exercise in the first place. In Samoa there is no appeal from an arbitration award.
[34] There is also the point that either the Arbitrator was predisposed to find in favour of one of the parties or he was not. If he was so predisposed, or would have been so regarded by an objective observer, that conclusion would have logically vitiated the whole of the award, not merely selective aspects of it. [35] Our conclusion is that bias was not available as a ground for striking out any part of this award. This ground of appeal is upheld.
Excess of Jurisdiction Principles [36] In the Supreme Court the Judge considered that there was no jurisdiction to award legal fees in respect of three prior sets of court proceedings because there had been no agreement to refer them to the Arbitrator. [37] An arbitrators jurisdiction is undoubtedly confined to the disputes that the parties had submitted for decision. An award is therefore open to challenge if relief had been given for a claim which had not been referred. As is said in Mustill & Boyd: The award will be partially void if the relief granted related to a matter which was not referred, or if for some other reason it was outside the jurisdiction of the Arbitrator. In all these situations, the primary active remedy is for the Court to declare that the award is void, in whole or in part. Alternatively the complaining party may wait until the time comes for enforcement of the award, and then rely on the want of jurisdiction as a defence.'
Excess of Jurisdiction in this case?
[38] The Judge considered that there was no jurisdiction to award legal fees in respect of three court matters. We have not been provided with the details but the costs in question were described as $54,850 for the foreclosure proceedings by the MBS, $58,850 for the outstanding MPF contributions proceedings and $54,850 for the ACELs bankruptcy proceedings. [39] It does not appear to be disputed that each of those court proceedings followed the wrongful termination, the collapse of the appellant business, and the declining fortunes of its proprietors. The Judges objection to their inclusion in the arbitration appears to have stemmed from his view that the costs involved were properly the province of the courts and not the Arbitrator. He said that:
...it would have been much more appropriate for the ACELs lawyers to seek those costs from the Court in respect of those Court proceedings rather than to seek such costs several years later from the arbitrator who did not take part in any of those Court proceedings. In addition, the Court in the 2007/2008 case did not award costs but ordered each party to pay its own costs. [40] Mr Goodall mounted essentially two challenges to that reasoning.
One was that resolution of those costs did fall within the scope of the dispute which the parties had submitted to the Arbitrator. In that regard clause 3 of the relevant arbitration agreement provided: 3. The Arbitrators jurisdiction shall include all disputes arising out of or in connection with the contract date 12th January 2004 between SNPF and ACEL, up to and including issues identified and disputed during pleadings. Arising out of or in connection with the contract is a particularly broad phrase. In our view it embraces losses, including legal costs, suffered by a party as a result of a wrongful termination of the contract. [41] Had there been any doubt on that score it would have been dispelled by the way in which the arbitration was subsequently conducted without objection from either side. The appellant included the relevant legal fees in evidence before the second arbitrator without jurisdictional objection from the respondent. All exhibits and the transcript were provided to this Arbitrator. He called for input from the parties on a number of issues including Legal fees: accrued to date - timesheets?.
The parties responded with detailed submissions on this among other issues. The respondent certainly opposed the appellants claim to costs on its merits but at no point did it suggest that some of the fees claimed fell outside the jurisdiction of the Arbitrator.
The respondent could not have successfully done so given the broad scope of the original arbitration agreement. Nor can we see any incompatibility between a right to claim compensation for legal fees in an arbitration and the fact that at an earlier point the claimant might have claimed, but in the event did not claim, all or part of the same fees from the respondent by way of application to a court. [42] Mr Goodalls second point was that it has not been established that the Arbitrator included the fees in question in his award. The appellant had claimed $1,680,512.48 for legal fees of which only $168,550 is currently in question.
The Arbitrator awarded $800,512.48. There is no reason for assuming that the $800,512.48 awarded included the $168,550 which is currently in question. Where it is unclear from an award whether or not the arbitrator was justified in the approach taken, the award is to be benignly interpreted. It has been put this way: The Court will not go out of its way to find uncertainty or error in the award merely because the arbitrator has not expressed his conclusions in the correct legal language.
Furthermore, not only will the Court not be astute to look for defects, but in case of uncertainty it will so far as possible construe the award in such a way as to make it valid rather than invalid. Thus, if it is alleged that an award is subject to error on the face, but the award contains insufficient facts to enable the Court to tell whether the arbitrators conclusion of law was justified or not, it will assume that any justifying facts which could exist did exist, even though the arbitrator has not found them. [43] There is substance in both Mr Goodalls points. We conclude that no excess of jurisdiction has been made out. This ground of appeal succeeds.
Error of Law Principles [44] The respondent advanced error of law as a ground for setting aside the award. The Supreme Court relied on that ground as a source of jurisdiction to intervene. [45] An error of law on the face of the award represents an independent ground for setting it aside, whether in Whole or in part. The principles are long-established and uncontroversial. Four conditions must be satisfied before a court can invoke that source of jurisdiction: (a) The error must appear on the face of the award.
To be on the face of the award it must be in the formal award itself or in a document contemporaneously incorporated therein, for example where separate reasons are issued with, but stapled to, the award when issued. A document issued by the Arbitrator after the issue of the award by way of explanation to the parties does not form part of the award. (b) The error must be one of law and not of fact. (c) The legal error must have been a matter of express exposition and not merely a matter of inference.
(d) The error must have been material to the outcome. It must have been truly significant in the sense that the outcome before the Arbitrator would have been different but for the error. [46] The question is whether those four requirements were satisfied in the present case.
Error of law in this case? [47] The first requirement is that the error appear on the face of the award. In the present case the Supreme Court Judge did not rely on errors on the face of the award of 14 July 2014. Instead he focused on the explanatory note sent by the Arbitrator to the High Court nine months later. That was the explanatory document requested by one of the parties for the purpose of a judicial settlement conference. [48] The principles discussed earlier preclude reliance on such a document.
A document issued by an arbitrator after the issue of the award by way of explanation to the parties does not form part of the award. [49] In an ingenious argument Ms Toailoa submitted that the so-called explanatory note was in fact a subsequent award which amended the earlier one. She pointed out that in the explanatory note the Arbitrator purported to internally adjust the figures which went to make up the total sum awarded. The Arbitrator acknowledged a minor miscalculation at one stage of the calculations but introduced a compensating increase in damages for on-going losses. By that means he endorsed the original sum awarded as the one due to the appellant. Ms Toailoa submitted that this made the explanatory note another award.
[50] The flaw in that argument is that the award of 14 July 2014 purported to be final. On matters of quantum it left nothing further to be decided. Once an arbitrator has issued a decision on a particular topic an issue estoppel arises. Unless the parties agree otherwise the arbitrator is powerless to revisit that topic. In technical terms, the arbitrator becomes functus officio, that is to say without any further function to perform. So even if the explanatory note had been intended to operate as another award, the Arbitrator would have been acting outside his jurisdiction by purporting to issue it as another award. [51] The relevant award here is the document of 14 July 2014.
The error of law had to appear on the face of that document. [52] The remaining three requirements are that the error appearing on the face of that document had to be one of law and not of fact, be one of express exposition rather than inference, and be material to the outcome. [53] The only criticism Ms Toailoa could advance based on the document of 14 July 2014 stemmed from the contrast between the quantum of the claim originally put forward by the appellant ($883,460.10) and the quantum as finally awarded by the Arbitrator ($2 million). Ms Toailoa suggested that this constituted an error of law as well as an indication that the award was excessive. The uplift in damages claimed is readily explainable on the basis that the appellants losses increased progressively over time. The appellants case was that following the first arbitration it continued to incur interest and legal costs to the point that its damages had reached $4,928,433.66 by the time the third Arbitrator came to consider quantum. The Arbitrator records the fact that distinct figures were claimed in 2011 and then in 2014. No error of law arises.
Conclusions [55] The respondent relied on a number of grounds for setting aside the award of 14 July 2014. The only ones capable of legal recognition were bias, excess of jurisdiction, and error on the face of the award. None can be sustained in this case. Consequently there was no basis for setting aside the award.
Costs The appellant seeks costs in the Supreme Court and in this Court. Its actual solicitor-client costs, including VAGST, amounted to $105,978 in the Supreme Court and $120,478 in this Court. It seeks two-thirds of the total. [57] We accept that party and party scale costs in both Courts are well out of date. In appropriate cases costs of up to two-thirds of actual and reasonable costs may be possible. However there is no rule to that effect and each case must be considered according to its own particular circumstances. [58] In this case the relevant invoices were produced. Having read them we can see no cause for thinking them unnecessary or unreasonable.
We accept that the proceedings in both courts were unusually complex and time-consuming. The respondents various challenges to the award were wide-ranging and diffuse. We have also had regard to the volume of the materials that had to be prepared and reviewed and the legal issues that had to be researched in Samoa and overseas jurisdictions. Engaging senior counsel from overseas was justified. The respondent itself incurred costs of $65,450 plus VAGST in the Supreme Court without overseas counsel and claimed two-thirds as a reasonable recovery rate. [59] In all the circumstances we uphold the appellants claim to costs.
Result
[60] The appeal is allowed. The order setting aside part of the award of 14 July 2014 is rescinded. The award of 14 July 2014 is reinstated in its entirety. [61] The respondent must pay the appellant costs of $150,970 representing the total awarded for costs incurred in both courts.
Honourable Justice Fisher Honourable Justice Panckhurst Honourable Justice Hansen
By Shreya Goswami: If you've seen Durga Puja celebrations on television shows, or even movies like Kahaani, you are probably familiar with the fascinating sight of Bengali women playing with sindoor or vermillion. The ritual of Sindoor Khela is one of the most important parts of Durga Puja, and the excitement that women feel while "playing" is quite palpable.
So what is this little ritual, which is held on Vijaya Dashami, all about? Let's take a look.
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Also Read: #Navratri2017: Decoding Maa Durga's weapons and vehicle
A celebration of Durga
According to Bengali legends, goddess Durga travels to her maika, or mother's home, once a year. The five days of her stay at the home of her parents, King Giriraj (Lord of the Mountains) and Menaka, are celebrated as Durga Puja in Bengal. Because it is a celebration, celebratory feasts that include Maa Durga's favourite foods are cooked up (hence the indulgence in meat and fish during these festivities).
Painter Milanendu Mandal's representation of Sindoor Khela. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/sriaurobindoinstitute.org
But on the last day of her stay, as Durga prepares to leave her parents to return to her parents-in-law's home, a few rituals take place to bid her a proper farewell and good luck. Sindoor Khela is one such ritual.
It is basically a celebration of the fact that Durga is a married woman, or suhaagan. Since in Hinduism, the sindoor or vermillion represents the status of a married woman, this red powder is used to celebrate Durga's married status. It is also believed that if this ritual of Sindoor Khela is conducted properly, then no widowhood can touch a woman, ever.
Also Read: Sonagachi's sex workers plan to have a grand Durga Puja celebration this year
When Bengali, married women play with sindoor
On the day of Vijaya Dashami, every Bengali-Hindu married woman prepares a few things on her puja thali: betel leaves or paan (to signify the auspiciousness of the occasion), sondesh or any other appropriate sweet, and sindoor.
The thali is basically what she needs to do the Devi Boron, or the final goodbye to the suhaagan Durga.
The sindoor is touched at the feet of the devi's idol, and her forehead. The betel leaves are offered to her for the puja, and the sondesh is placed at the idol's mouth. Some women also gift vermillion-coloured sarees and dupattas as another marker of married life.
Sindoor Khela celebrates married Hindu women. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/Kapil Jain Sindoor Khela celebrates married Hindu women. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/Kapil Jain
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Once the Devi Boron is done, the remaining sindoor is put on the forehead, cheeks, and the iron bangles of all the married women present at the puja pandal.
Needless to say, it's only Hindu, married women who are strictly allowed to participate in this ritual. Unmarried women and widows are not allowed to participate in the ritual. Sometimes, young girls also indulge a little in the "playing" part of the ritual as a sign of devotion.
The ritual is quite vibrant, colourful, and a fascinating sight to behold--which is why it has been a focus of Indian cinemas along with dhunuchi dance, the devi's arati and visarjan. In recent years, the ritual has become exceedingly popular among urban Bengalis.
Also Read: Sex-workers in Kolkata are being trained to work at food stalls for Durga Puja celebrations
But there is a flip side to the ritual that many don't consider. A ritual that celebrates a woman's existence in association with a man--the husband--does more than just to exclude unmarried and widowed women, even divorced women for that matter. It places all the importance on just one aspect of Durga, her suhaagan status, and does not do much to highlight her other strengths.
Married women of all ages participate in Sindoor Khela. Picture courtesy: Instagram/rohan.the.lost.soul
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The ritual of Sindoor Khela is quite patriarchal in this sense, and has been criticised by many, including Taslima Nasrin. And since most Bengali-Hindu girls grow up witnessing the married women in their household participate in this "playful" ritual, while they are excluded till their own marriage, it imparts the ambition to be married in them.They also tend to see their life as an incomplete one without a suhaag.
So while we are making great strides as women in this country, a ritual like this can have a regressive impact on our young women. Sindoor Khela is an indelible part of the great celebration that Durga Puja is. But shouldn't we focus on the independent strengths of the goddess just as much as her married status?
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A business couple celebrated a family milestone yesterday evening.
Together, Molioo Matafeo Fonoti Leoo Pio and his wife, Mulipola Anarosa, completed the painful journey of getting their traditional tattoos. Molioo completed his malofie while Mulipola finished her malu.
It was a great occasion for the family. Their children already have theirs and the parents complete the circle.
Its painful but its a rewarding experience when its completed, Mulipola Anarosa said.
The mens tatau or the womens malu is a very important part of the Samoan culture and its a test whether you can endure the pain of the sharp needle and the au. Im glad weve completed ours.
Mulipola said she is proud to wear a tattoo with a meaning.
These patterns tell us a story about our Samoan families, she said.
The design of Samoan birds, wooden headrest used by old men in the island used as pillows, is our connection to the environment."
Each design and pattern has its own meaning connected to the Samoan way of life. Its what makes this unique.
Mulipola added that the traditional wear comes with responsibility.
It comes with a role as a matai in the family, village and the tausi and faletua in family and village, she said.
Having a good knowledge, about the uniqueness of Samoan culture and what it represents - is very important."
For us, we have to wear it with pride not as a fashion item but wear it with dignity.
Mulipola and Molioo Teofilo are from Faleapuna. They have five children and four of them also received their traditional tattoos.
Both Molioo and Mulipola made sure their children understand the meaning of wearing them.
My children approached us to get tattoos when they were still in school, Mulipola said. And to us, we know that our culture is one vital aspect of our identity as Samoans, so we agreed to it.
For Mulipolas children, their tattoos is a rite of passage and it is part of who they are.
We are always involved with cultural practices within our village of Faleapuna because of our titles are at Faleapuna and so we always take our children with us, she said.
The boys are usually the ones doing most of the duties of a Samoan young man (taulealea) within the village and they thought that it would be better to have traditional tattoos so it can complete their attires."
And its the same for my daughter as well.
Mulipola explains that you cant just get a traditional tattoo; you have to be prepared mentally and physically.
To me, if you want to get the traditional Samoan tattoo, one has to be well-prepared, she said. One must know about the culture and all the responsibilities they should do and they must know how to carry it well.
The largest Call Center operator in the Philippines is heading to Samoa. Based in Manilla, A.D.E.C. Innovations is committed to set up a Call Center in Samoa once the Tui Samoa Cable is operational at the end of the year.
A.D.E.Cs Chief Executive Officer, James M. Donovan, made the commitment while in Apia attending the recent Pacific Island Forum leaders meeting.
He has reassured government that he will return in November to continue negotiations with the relevant government officials.
Hes committed to start a call center with 50 to 100 seats in the initial stages, says Minister of Communications and Information Technology (M.C.I.T.), Afamasaga Rico Tupai.
As stated by the Prime Minister, governments multi-million tala I.C.T. investment represents more than just improved and affordable internet connectivity; it covers a range of sectors with employment creation as a key component."
I.C.T. is not just about the technologies themselves; its about the impact they are having on our communities and economies, enabling us to leapfrog over more traditional, outdated and expensive systems of the past, and transform our lives.
A.D.E.C. is one of the spin-offs from the marketing strategy spearheaded by the government to promote its I.C.T. drive utilising the Tui-Samoa Cable and its new partnerships with international stakeholders, says Afamasaga.
Government target is to realise governments vision for Samoa to become the Pacific I.C.T. Hub by 2020.
The American Samoa Government (A.S.G.) has filed their Letter of Intent with the Samoa Submarine Cable Company (S.S.C.C.) to join the Tui Samoa cable.
However the cost may have gone up, given that they did not sign on when they were first approached.
This is according to Pepe Fia'ailetoa Fruean, of S.S.C.C, during an interview with the Samoa Observer.
The S.S.C.C. held a conference call earlier this month with American Samoa Telecommunications Authority Chairman of the Board and Interim C.E.O, Puleleiite Tufele Lia Jr and A.S.G. Official Aoee Adolfo Montenegro.
They have come up with their proposal, Pepe told the Samoa Observer.
He did not go into details of American Samoas proposal, but pointed out there may be changes in the cost from the first offer that only good up until July 2017.
If they had signed on when we asked them, once the Cable lands in Samoa then we can start the process of laying the cable between the two Samoas."
But because we had no arrangement, the Cable stops here then it goes back to Fiji then to Tonga. Then it goes back to Fiji then its back to our waters and there are costs where the cable travels."
The cost that was on the table for them (A.S.G.) then may not be same cost now. We have to ask the Cable people, because without the commitment, we cannot make the arrangements.
In the spirit of unity, Pepe believes that the two Samoas need to work together for the better future of the Samoan people and the much faster and cheaper internet that comes with the Tui Samoa Cable.
We will continue to engage with American Samoa as we believe in the spirit of unity, said Pepe.
He said it is a win-win for the two Samoas with the new undersea fiber optic cable and once its laid it will be called the Two Samoa Cable.
As reported earlier, Puleleiite announced they are signing on the Tui Samoa Cable.
The decision follows concerns expressed by the Governor of American Samoa, Lolo Matalasi Moliga, who said he was not satisfied with the proposal from Samoa about the Tui Samoa cable.
Earlier this year, Governor Lolo told the Samoa Observer he was concerned about conflicting money obligations, as well as the lack of clarity in terms of cost and benefits analysis.
The presentation (by Samoa) was conducted in a manner where we left with many unanswered questions, Governor Lolo said in March.
But things appear to have been sorted now.
Puleleiite told Talanei News that American Samoa will be signing on to Samoas cable, due to go live in January 2018.
The move coincides with the agreement the former Board of Directors of A.S.T.C.A. signed with the Hawaiki Cable, which is scheduled to launch service in American Samoa next year.
He said the capacity of the existing American Samoa Hawaii Cable is maxed out and going with Samoas Tui Samoa cable is the fastest solution to the bandwidth problem.
The reason why internet service is slow now is because theres not enough bandwidth, he told Talanei.
Currently A.S.T.C.A. has only 500 plus megabytes of bandwidth: 400 from O3 B network and 145 megabytes from the American Samoa Hawaii Cable, whose capacity is just 1 gigabyte shared by Samoa and American Samoa.
The Tui Samoa cable will provide 10 gigabytes. Once they go live, the idea is to get capacity there until we get more capacity once Hawaiki lands in mid-2018.
American Samoa is going with both the Tui cable and the Hawaiki cable."
In March, Governor Lolo said approval from the federal government was required in order to sign on with the Tui cable.
We will be asking the federal government for money to fund it and they have already expressed their concerns given the cable will be laid through foreign countries.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is holding a rare meeting in the San Diego area on Thursday but commissioners have postponed voting on whether to reject a request from San Diego Gas & Electric to charge customers $379 million to recover costs from a series of deadly wildfires in 2007.
And that has some community groups and consumer activists suspecting the CPUC will issue a ruling in favor of the utility.
The (investor-owned utilities) in the state of California want to be indemnified by the ratepayers for every cost, even if they should have done a better job, said Diane Conklin, spokeswoman for the Mussey Grade Road Alliance, based in Ramona.
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The CPUC usually holds its regularly scheduled public meetings at the commissions headquarters in San Francisco but sometimes hosts meetings elsewhere in the state.
On Thursday, starting at 9:30 a.m., the commission will hold a meeting in Chula Vista.
Originally, one of the 36 items on the public agenda was a potential vote on the SDG&E request.
But late last week, it was announced the SDG&E item would be held for further consideration and commissioners would put off the vote. It is now scheduled for Oct. 12 in San Francisco.
The move comes one month after a pair of CPUC administrative law judges recommended commissioners reject SDG&Es request to bill customers $379 million for the costs of the Witch, Rice and Guejito fires in October 2007 that killed two and destroyed more than 1,300 homes.
In a 68-page opinion, the administrative law judges said SDG&Es management and control of its facilities leading up to the wildfires was imprudent and unreasonable and recommended commissioners turn down the request.
SDG&E strongly disagreed with the proposed judgment, saying the wildfires occurred due to circumstances beyond its control and said the utility would vigorously challenge the decision.
SDG&E officials have pointed out that California courts have ruled utilities can spread their costs of damages to ratepayers. SDG&E has estimated its proposal would cost the average ratepayer $1.67 more per month over the space of six years.
Commissioners are free to accept, reject or alter any recommendation made by CPUC administrative law judges.
Conklin and San Diego attorneys Michael Aguirre and Maria Severson, who represent ratepayer advocate Ruth Henricks, suspect the decision to postpone Thursdays vote means commissioners will not accept the administrative law judges recommendation and will ultimately deliver a ruling favorable to SDG&E.
They cite CPUC documents showing SDG&E officials presented their case to staff members of all five commissioners on Sept. 5 and Sept. 6 in 30-minute meetings.
The CPUC clearly postponed the hearing in San Diego County so that the residents whose lives were devastated by those fires could not be present when the commission votes, Severson said. Do the commissioners, whose staff met with SDG&E after the proposed decision, intend to vote against the (administrative law judges) reasoned decision and force the fire victims to pay for SDG&Es imprudent acts? Did they change the date to avoid a public shaming?
SDG&E on Monday denied the meetings were anything nefarious, saying both sides have met with staffers at the commission over the costs of the blazes under the utilitys Wildfire Expense Memorandum Account.
SDG&E has no prediction on how commissioners will vote once they take action on this request, SDG&E senior communications manager Colleen Windsor said in an email.
Instead of voting on the SDG&E request, the CPUC will hold an All-Party meeting during Thursdays afternoon session. Parties to a case are those individuals or groups who have been recognized by the commission. SDG&E said it will attend the meeting.
This allows members of the public to attend in person and hear what the parties have to say about the proposed decision, Terrie Prosper, the director of the CPUCs public information office, said in an email.
A public comment period will kick off the meeting Thursday morning. Prosper said the All-Party meeting will also have a public comment period but the amount of time will be more limited and not all commissioners may be present.
The 2007 wildfires forced thousands to seek temporary shelter at Qualcomm Stadium.
An investigation one year later by the CPUC determined the Witch and Rice Canyon fires were caused by sparks from downed wires and the Guejito fire was caused when a lashing wire owned by Cox Communications hit an SDG&E power line.
The CPUC blamed poor maintenance for the sparking of all three fires.
Since then, SDG&E has expanded its weather sensor network to 144 weather stations throughout its service area and made investments in firefighting ranging from heli-tankers that can carry 2,650 gallons of water or fire suppressants to replacing 2,100 existing wood poles with steel poles.
The utility paid more than $2 billion in settlements and other costs in the aftermath of the wildfires, although it never admitted any liability.
Insurance covered approximately $1.1 billion of that amount and SDG&E accepted a $444 million settlement from Cox Communications.
SDG&E also received some payments from the Davey tree-trimming company and an electrical contractor.
The insurance and settlements left SDG&E with about $379 million in outstanding costs.
California Public Utilities Commission meeting
When: Thursday 9:30 a.m.
Where: Council Chambers, 276 Fourth Avenue Chula Vista
Business
rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com
(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski
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The fourth annual Archtoberfest, San Diegos Architecture and Design Month, celebration of San Diegos built environment, will kick off Thursday with a rapid-fire show-and-tell, tours and talks, and conclude with awards for good and bad buildings.
Theres everything from fancy home tours to a homelessness panel, awards for good and bad architecture and a session on how to maintain a flying saucer.
That last one has to do with preservation architect Milford Wayne Donaldson and the saucer-looking object, a 520-square-foot, all-plastic house called Futuro.
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Donaldson acquired it more than 25 years ago, restored it and moved it to serve as his mountain cabin near Idyllwild. It will be the centerpiece of his Archtoberfest lecture, Plastic Mobility: The Challenge of Preserving Modern Materials and Assemblies. He will speak twice Oct. 10-11 at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park.
My biggest recommendation is dont replace it just to replace it, he said of plastics materials used in mid-century modern homes. Its better to take the original surface and buff it out rather than ripping it out.
The local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, in collaboration with museums, architecture schools and design-minded organizations, plans this years Archtoberfest to touch on hot issues in urban design and development.
The homeless topic will be covered at 1 p.m. Oct. 7 by a panel of SDSU experts.
Four big events will include UC San Diegos Design Lab summit Oct. 25-27; the San Diego Architectural Foundations annual Orchids & Onions awards for good and bad design Oct. 26; the AIAs Design Awards Nov. 2; and the AIA-organized workshop on infill development, Housing the Next Million, Nov. 4-5.
This years Archtoberfest is occurring during a building boom, when contractors, developers, financiers and architects are scrambling for experienced talent to handle an avalanche of projects.
Recruitment is a huge job for major firms, said the AIA local chapters executive director, Bastiaan Bouma. Someone can walk in town and get three job offers the first day.
But they have to have five to seven years of experience and that group disappeared during the recession and real estate downturn, as budding architects switched careers and havent returned.
Then theres the other looming thing out there a recession is coming, Bouma said. We know were in one of the longest recoveries in the post-World War II period. Things are booming, the stock market is good, everybodys making money, tower cranes are everywhere and when does that end?
That eventuality is making firms cautious about expanding, he said. And at the same time, architects in their 60s are looking to retirement and considering selling their firms and consolidating with larger companies.
Bouma called this years Archtoberfest, put on by 22 organizations led by the AIA, an eclectic and random program and thought perhaps next years edition might be themed to some timely topic.
Archtoberfest 2017
Heres a list of most of the events planned during the next five weeks. The schedule is subject to change and the website, archtoberfest.com, should be consulted for details, including admission fees.
Thursday, Sept. 28: Pecha KuchaNight, 7 p.m., Thompson Building Materials design showroom, 6618 Federal Blvd. Architectural Foundation invites designers and others to present 20 slides at 20 seconds each on some aspect of architecture.
Tuesday, Oct. 3: Marc Neveu,executive editor of the Journal of Architectural Education, will speak at Woodbury University at 6:30 p.m., 2212 Main St., Barrio Logan.
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Gray to Green: Sustainable Design and Planning Solutions to Create Green Streets, panel discussion sponsored by the local chapters of the American Planning Association and American Society of Landscape Architecture, at 11:30 a.m., SDG&E Energy Innovation Center, 4760 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. in Kearny Mesa.
Oct. 7: Historic La Jolla Walking tour, led by the La Jolla Historical Society, at 11 a.m., starting from the Wisteria Cottage, 780 Prospect St.; Homelessness: A Story of Fear and Loathing in San Diego, a panel discussion by San Diego State University speakers at 1 p.m. at the SDSU Downtown Gallery, 725 W. Broadway.
Oct. 10: Plastic Mobility: The Challenge of Preserving Modern Materials and Assemblies, a talk by preservation architect Milford Wayne Donaldson and sponsored by the San Diego History Center, at 6 p.m. at the Casa de Balboa, 1649 El Pradok, Balboa Park. Space limited, reservations suggested; program repeats at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 11.
Oct. 11: San Diego Green Building Council presents a talk on the Gensler architectural firms new offices in a 1970s high-rise office building, 11:30 a.m., 225 Broadway; NewSchool of Architecture & Design presents a lecture by British architect Kenneth Frampton, 6:30 p.m. at Westin San Diego Gaslamp hotel, 910 Broadway Circle (First Avenue and E Street); reservations required.
Oct. 12: Design Institute of San Diego holds brewery and spirit tour starting at 4:30 p.m. at 8555 Commerce Ave. off Miramar Road, transportation provided, discussion on brewery design led by Megan Pucak; Savings by Design tour of the Commons at the San Diego County Operations Center at 11 a.m., at 5520 Overland Ave. in Kearny Mesa.
Oct. 14: Arch Jam for Teens, NewSchool of Architecture & Design launches a monthly architectural studio for teenagers, 1:30 p.m. at the school, 1249 F St.; Fifth annual San Diego Modern Home Tour of 12 properties, sponsored by Modern Architecture + Design Society.
Oct. 15: Irving Gill tours, sponsored by the Save Our Heritage Organisation; 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,four tours in and around the Marston House, 3525 Seventh Ave. in Hillcrest.
Oct. 16: Built Environment Talk on adaptive reuse by three preservation architects, sponsored by the La Jolla Historical Society, at 5 p.m. at the Wisteria Cottage, 780 Prospect St., La Jolla.
Oct. 19: Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards documentary film, presented by San Diego Design Film Fesitval, at 6 p.m. at AMC Fashion Valley theater, 7037 Friars Road, Mission Valley; Historic building seminar, presented by the Save Our Heritage Organisation at 6 p.m. at Sparks Gallery, 530 Sixth Ave. in the Gaslamp Quarter.
Oct. 20: Kelly Blair, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture, lecture at 6:30 p.m. at Woodbury University, 2212 Main St., Barrio Logan.
Oct. 21: Why Old Places Matter lecture by Tom Mayes, vice president and general counsel of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, at 11:30 a.m. at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, 2000 Spindrift Drive, La Jolla.
Oct. 22: San Diego Green Homes Tour, 10 locations, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Oct. 25-27: UC San Diegos Design Forward Summit. This event is not an official part of Archtoberfest. Details are available at www.designforwardsd.com.
Oct. 26: Orchids & Onions awards for good and bad architecture, at 6 p.m. at the U.S. Grant Hotel, 326 Broadway, downtown San Diego, sponsored by the San Diego Architectural Foundation.
Oct. 28-29: Irving J. Gill: Transitioning to Modern, symposium sponsored by the Irving J. Gill Foundation, at 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 28 and 9-11 a.m. Oct. 29, at the Wednesday Club, 540 Ivy Lane in Hillcrest, panels, lunch and four tours.
Oct. 28: Woodbury University undergraduate and graduate student open house, 10 a.m., 2212 Main St., Barrio Logan.
Oct. 29: CicloSDias bike ride, starting at 8 a.m. at Our Lady of the Rosary church, 1629 Columbia St., Little Italy.
Nov. 2: American Institute of Architects-San Diego Design Awards, 6 p.m. at the University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park in Linda Vista.
Nov. 4-5: Housing the Next Million workshop at the County Operations Center in Kearny Mesa to discuss infill development approaches.
Nov. 9: Healthy Urbanism panel sponsored by Women in Architectures Palomar Chapter at 5:30 p.m. at the NewSchool of Architecture Design, 1249 F St. in East Village.
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roger.showley@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-1286; Twitter: @rogershowley
Equifax announced Tuesday that its chief executive would step down effective immediately, weeks after the credit-reporting company disclosed a massive data breach.
Richard Smith, who also served as chairman of the Equifax board, is the latest casualty at the company as a result of the breach, which exposed the Social Security numbers and birth dates of as many as 143 million people.
Equifaxs nearly six-week delay in notifying the public about the intrusion into its vast database of sensitive information and the bungled handling of potential fixes led to an outcry from consumers and lawmakers as well as state and federal investigations.
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The breach has caused much more concern than previous incidents, such as those involving Target and Yahoo, because of the amount of consumer data warehoused by Equifax and the nations other two major credit reporting companies.
Its one thing when you use your credit card and they get your credit card information and they can steal your number. You cancel that card, said Michael Burg, founder of the Denver-based law firm Burg, Simpson, Eldredge, Hersh & Jardine.
Here, the data that they have includes your Social Security number, includes where you shop, includes your credit history from all kinds of places, he said. It is so much more personal.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Tuesday called the Equifax breach a travesty and questioned whether Equifax has the right to even continue providing these services with the level of sloppiness and lack of attention to cybersecurity.
The companys stock price has tumbled as it scrambled to control the damage, including backtracking on initially making consumers give up their right to sue if they wanted free credit monitoring and identity theft protection.
Adding to Equifaxs troubles was the revelation that three executives sold thousands of shares of company stock in the days after the breach was discovered on July 29 long before the public was informed of the breach this month and the stock price nosedived.
Equifax has said the executives were unaware of the breach when they sold the shares.
The companys stock was up slightly Tuesday, but it is down about 26% since the data breach was announced.
Smiths abrupt departure came just days before he is scheduled to face angry lawmakers at two congressional hearings. He still will receive his full pension, which was valued at $18.4 million as of the end of last year, but he will not get a 2017 bonus or severance payment, Equifax spokeswoman Ines Gutzmer said.
The board appointed Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., a seven-year veteran of the company who most recently served as its Asia Pacific region president, as interim CEO. The board also appointed independent member Mark Feidler to serve as non-executive chairman.
Equifax said it would start a search for a permanent CEO and would consider candidates from outside the company.
The board remains deeply concerned about and totally focused on the cybersecurity incident, Feidler said in a written statement. We are working intensely to support consumers and make the necessary changes to minimize the risk that something like this happens again. Speaking for everyone on the board, I sincerely apologize.
Feidler, a partner and co-founder of private equity firm MSouth, said the board has formed a special committee to focus on the issues arising from the incident and to ensure that all appropriate actions are taken.
Equifax, one of the nations three major credit-reporting companies, revealed the data breach Sept. 7. The company said a website vulnerability led to an intrusion that lasted from mid-May through July.
The breach was discovered July 29, and Equifax said it spent the following weeks working with a cybersecurity consultant and authorities on an investigation.
Investigations have been launched by regulators, congressional committees and state attorneys general. On Tuesday, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to sue Equifax over the breach.
Smith was scheduled to testify at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing Oct. 3 and a Senate Banking Committee hearing the following day. He is still expected to testify at the House hearing.
I look forward to hearing directly from Mr. Smith on this unprecedented breach impacting millions of Americans, said Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chairman of the House committee.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) said Smiths departure just days before the House hearing doesnt remove the companys obligation to explain the data breach and provide redress for people who were affected.
The public deserves answers about what occurred at Equifax, and its entire board of directors and senior management team should be accountable for the enormous harm caused to consumers across the country, Waters said. There will be consequences.
A Senate Banking Committee spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a question about whether Smith would still appear at the Oct. 4 hearing. But Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), the committees top Democrat, said Tuesday that he expected Smith to testify.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Smith should be joined by Feidler and Do Rego Barros at next weeks hearing.
Its not real accountability if the CEO resigns without giving back a nickel in pay and without publicly answering questions, she said.
Brown said Smith and other Equifax executives should not get a big payday on the way out.
Theres no easy out for the working families that Equifax exposed to cybercriminals, so there shouldnt be a big payday for the companys CEO, Brown said. Equifax executives cannot be allowed to wash their hands of this while millions of Americans are left to deal with the consequences.
Although a company news release said Smith was retiring, Gutzmer said Smith and the board expressly agreed to defer any formal characterization of his departure and the determination of any payments or benefits he is owed until after the review of the data breach.
Smith earned $15 million in total compensation in 2016, including a $1.5-million base salary and $7.3 million in stock awards, according to the companys securities filings.
As of Dec. 31, his pension was valued at $18.4 million, the filings showed. Smith is entitled to that pension under any circumstances, Gutzmer said.
Jay Clayton, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, declined to comment directly about Equifax when pressed by Brown at a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Tuesday.
Clayton said he generally believed that there should be a way to recover bonuses and other financial gains from executives if they have profited from a high stock price thats a result of failure to disclose or other acts that are clearly violations of our securities laws.
But he would not commit to enacting new rules to allow the SEC to order such clawbacks as opposed to relying on corporate boards to do it.
Smith is leaving after 12 years leading Equifax, the company said.
Equifax is a substantially stronger company than it was 12 years ago, Feidler said. At this time, however, the board and Rick agree that a change of leadership is in order.
Smith said in a statement that serving as the companys CEO has been an honor.
Smith isnt the first Equifax executive to step down since the breach. On Sept. 15, Equifax announced that its chief information officer and chief security officer were retiring effective immediately.
Equifax has said the hackers exploited a vulnerability in one of its U.S. websites.
Brian Krebs, a cybersecurity expert and author of the website Krebs on Security, said the attackers gained access to the inner workings of the software of the site, which allowed the hackers to behave as if they were inside the company accessing that data.
Its like you left the back door open to your house wide open, he said.
The software at issue is widely used by companies and others, and Krebs said that its vulnerability to attack was first spotted by the industry in March and that a patch was available to fix it.
But Equifax didnt patch it until after the damage was done, Krebs said. The bad guys beat them to it.
jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com
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1:00 p.m.: This article was updated with information about San Francisco suing Equifax.
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10:10 a.m.: This article was updated with Equifaxs stock price and additional background.
9:15 a.m.: This article was updated with reaction from Rep. Maxine Waters and Sens. Sherrod Brown and Elizabeth Warren and with Equifaxs stock movement.
8 a.m.: This article was updated with details about Smiths compensation and about congressional hearings next week.
6:50 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details and background information.
This article was originally published at 6:10 a.m.
For occasions when a seflie or smartphone photo wont suffice, San Diegans can now book a professional photographer with just a moments notice through online marketplace Snappr.
Started around a year ago, Snappr matches people who need a photographer with an available professional in the area. The digital bazaar is debuting Wednesday in San Diego, after first launching in Australian cities and San Francisco, pitching its service as an affordable way to get high-quality images for modern-day needs.
The company says it can satisfy any request, but some of the most popular bookings are for family or work events, portrait shoots and real-estate listings.
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With rates as low as $59 for a 30-minute shoot, San Francisco-based Snappr, backed by around $2.5 million in funding, seeks to create demand for photography where there was none before.
The average person is unwilling to spend $1,000 or more on a professional portrait, said Matt Schiller, Snappr co-founder.
But, for say, the college grad looking for quality resume shots, $100 or $200 becomes much more approachable, he added.
Currently, Snapprs rates vary based on time and the number of photos desired. A one-hour shoot with six edited photos costs $89, whereas as a two-hour shoot with all photos costs $249, for example. There are no extra surcharges based on the type of event or venue, meaning someone could book a last-minute wedding photographer without the typical special occasion markup. And, of course, the fees are low enough to appeal to the Instagram or Tinder user who wants to spice up his or her photo game.
Social media is a big driver, Schiller said of Snapprs growing appeal in the Bay Area, where the service has been available since the beginning of the year.
Locally, the startup says there are 20 photographers ready to accept a variety of jobs across the county with just 12 hours notice. Eventually, that window will shrink to 30 minutes. All photographers have gone through the companys four-part vetting process, which includes a review of their portfolios and equipment.
The photographers, who work as independent contractors, are paid between 65 percent and 80 percent of Snapprs booking fees. That amounts to, on average, $105 per hour of shoot time, Schiller said. Though not a paltry sum, its certainly less than what a seasoned photographer is accustomed to netting for jobs, weddings and special events in particular.
Schiller argues, however, that Snappr automates many of the processes, including marketing and booking, that independent photographers must manage on their own, making the fees more reasonable. He asserts the photographers who use the service are happy with their earnings.
Snappr competes with more traditional studios and more generalized online marketplaces such as Thumbtack. The company, however, sees itself as occupying a middle ground, where photography is both reasonably priced and instantly accessible for both individual consumers and businesses.
In San Francisco, for instance, 45 percent of Snapprs customer base is comprised of businesses, some as well-known as Airbnb and Groupon, Schiller said.
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jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1840 Twitter: @jbruin
An Oceanside man accused of driving drunk and slamming his speeding SUV into a married couple out for a jog, killing one of them, pleaded guilty Tuesday to gross vehicular manslaughter and other charges.
Abraham Juarez, 24, faces up to 10 years in state prison for his role in the early evening crash on a busy Vista thoroughfare June 2.
Juarez also pleaded guilty to drunken driving; he had a blood alcohol content of .18 percent at the time of the crash. The legal limit to drive in California is .08 percent.
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The crash killed 40-year-old Nanglee Vang, who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Southeast Asia as a child. His wife Molly, now 35, was seriously injured in the collision.
The couple had been married for 17 years and have five children two boys, three girls ranging in age from 2 to 16 years old at the time of the crash.
Before the collision, Juarez was drinking beer by himself at a microbrewery, Deputy District Attorney Robert Bruce said, and called the facts of the case egregious.
He went there to drink with his keys in his pocket and a car he knew he was going to take him home, Bruce said.
Authorities say Juarez was driving north on Melrose Drive about 6:30 p.m. when he lost control of his Jeep Grand Cherokee, jumped the sidewalk and plowed into the pair just north of Shadowridge Drive.
Bruce said he believes Juarez had been going as fast as 80 mph.
On the night of the crash, one witness said she saw the SUV flip several times before it collided with a light pole and landed upside down, trapping Juarez inside. She said she ran to the scene, and could see that Nanglee Vang was dead. She said other bystanders tended to Molly Vang, and she held the drivers hand until help arrived. Juarez had to be cut from the SUV.
Juarez changed his plea in front of Vista Superior Court Judge Michael Washington on the day that had been set for his preliminary hearing, a key pretrial proceeding for a judge to determine if there is enough evidence to order the defendant on to trial.
Washington indicated that he would sentence Juarez to between seven years, eight months to 10 years in state prison when he sentences the defendant on Dec. 8.
The guilty plea spares the family from sitting through testimony or seeing pictures from the crash and the aftermath. The drivers defense attorney, Joni Eisenstein, noted that her client accepted responsibility at an early stage of the proceedings to eliminate the need for a preliminary hearing or trial, and the emotions that come with them.
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Nanglee Vang came to the U.S. three decades ago as a refugee from Southeast Asia, and first enrolled in school when he was in fifth grade. His family describes him as a devoted husband and father, a man who took deep delight in the joy and success of his children.
Molly Vang and family members cried during Tuesdays court proceedings. Afterward, as her now 3-year-old son ran around at her feet, she said she is healing from her physical injuries, but still faces a roller coaster of emotions. Some days are good, some are not. She also spoke of continuing pain of losing a loving father, loving husband.
Four months out now and it still doesnt feel any different, she said. He was my rock.
They met through family, she said, and quickly had chemistry.
I knew he was the one I wanted to grew old with.
teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com
(760) 529-4945
Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
Beth Ross-Buckley still remembers when she had the idea to start off her chamber music group Camarada, which is currently gearing up for its 23rd landmark season.
I used to live in the San Francisco Bay Area and played in probably 10 chamber groups, says Ross-Buckley. When I moved down to San Diego, there wasnt very much chamber music happening.
Not until a chance trip to Vienna, Austria, did Ross-Buckley become inspired to start one of her own.
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We visited the cemetery there, she recalls. We were looking at Beethovens grave and ran into someone from L.A. We talked and he said his grandfather, Arnold Schoenberg (the Austrian composer and painter) was buried there.
Ross-Buckley struck up a conversation with Schoenbergs grandson, who later extended an invitation to an opening featuring Schoenbergs works.
Seeing his music with his art and what a rich experience that was inspired me to start up my own chamber group when I came back to San Diego.
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For Ross-Buckley, who serves as Camaradas executive and co-artistic director as well as the groups flutist, chamber music is a passion. Because this season features a trumpet, Ross-Buckley dubbed the 23rd season Fanfare.
I would say every year is refined, and we pay attention to how things went the past year and how we could do better, says Ross-Buckley of concocting Fanfare, preparation for which kicked off in its early stages in February.
Of course, it has to be great music, but it also has to be presented in an order and in a space that enhances it the most.
As such, this Camarada season, which begins of Sunday, Oct. 1, takes place at Balboa Parks Mingei International Museum. Ross-Buckley calls this years programming some of our best ever.
Aside from Ross-Buckley on the flute, Camarada also features Dana Burnett on the piano and Micah Wilkinson on trumpet. In addition, Ross-Buckleys husband, David Buckley, is featured on violin.
Davids performed with me for 38 years, says Ross-Buckley. I love playing with him because when you have that many years between each other, you dont have to talk about a lot. You really know each other. People always notice how we just blend into each other. He puts everything he has into performing.
For Ross-Buckley, all of the work that goes into Camarada is worth it in the end and continues to be a testament to that chance encounter in Vienna with Schoenbergs grandson.
Schoenbergs music is challenging and is the ultimate experience as a composer and an artist, she says of her initial inspiration. But most importantly: Its all just really fun.
Camaradas Mingle Series: Fanfare, featuring trumpeter Micah Wilkinson
When: 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1
Where: Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park
Tickets: $15 to $50
Phone: (619) 231-3702
Online: camarada.org
LeDonne is a freelance writer.
Judith Dolan is the innovative mind behind the theatrical costumes created for early 1900s English women and Italian free spirits in A Room with a View, Victorian circuses in Candide, and the fashion evolution from the 1920s to the 1950s and eccentric wedding dresses in Lovemusik.
To provide a rare behind-the-scenes look at the process of costume design, the latest La Jolla Historical Society exhibition Judith Dolan: On Broadway will shine the spotlight on Dolan, a UC San Diego theater and dance professor of 20 years and a Tony Award winner.
The show on view through Jan. 21 at La Jolla Historical Societys Wisteria Cottage features Dolans collages and sketches from nine productions (and maybe an actual costume or two), as well as a historical retrospective on performing arts in La Jolla.
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The productions under Dolans belt include: Candide (1997 Broadway, 1982 and 2017 on NYC Opera), Fool (2017 Houston), Lovemusik (2007 Broadway), Macbeth (1993 Houston), Parade (1998 Broadway), Paradise Found (2010 London), A Room with a View (2012 Old Globe Theatre), Travesties (2003 Massachusetts, 2005 Connecticut, 2014 New York) and The Winters Tale (2014 The Old Globe Theatre).
She has been one of these behind-the-scene type artists, working in La Jolla doing very high level work, said La Jolla Historical Society executive director Heath Fox. Her creative process works like this: When she gets a play assignment, she starts with historical resources and develops collages and ideas, and then she does her own hand-drawings and sketches. We hope that this exhibit will be of interest to people who are regular audiences of the performing arts in San Diego. Its a look into theater that many people dont get a chance to see.
Of her creative process, Dolan said: I always feel the job of a designer is to visualize the text and tell a story without words. But I work very directly from the plays. I express my ideas through collage, so if an image pops into my head or is found in my research even if I cant explain it Ill arrange it in a composition. I try to bring out the music of the text. All plays have a musicality to them.
When it comes to historical research, Dolan said some costumes are more straightforward than others because they come from actual periods of time and places, others use historical entities and combine them in unique ways.
Dolan designed costumes for three different productions of Candide in three different decades (1982, 1997 and 2017), and she won a Tony Award for her 1997 work.
At the exhibit, youll see my renderings from the different years and, for the first time, from this year, which have been redesigned. Costumes are never stable. They have to adapt to time, culture and audience, she said.
Sketches and images from Macbeth were included, Dolan said, because the production was so outside the box and produced at a little theater in Texas.
Youre not always allowed to go that far with costume design, but when you get to work with a small, edgy theater, I enjoy exercising those off-the-wall muscles, she said. What is shown (in this exhibit) is beautiful and interesting, and there are a lot of different productions, so there is something for everyone.
She added that shes excited and humbled by the exhibit and believes the arrangement has an elegance to it.
Prior to his time at the historical society, Fox was assistant dean of arts and humanities at UC San Diego. In that role, he worked with Dolan on the deans staff. When I started here, I knew of her work and I saw in that, the potential for a very interesting exhibition, and its certainly shaping up to be that, he said.
Accompanying the Dolan work is a look at the evolution of performing arts in La Jolla, dating back as far as the 1890s, using information and images from the historical societys archives.
Before World War I, local citizens formed their own theater groups and put on plays and brought in musical performances. Then, of course, there were organizations that developed. Many did not last long, but some evolved into the entities we know in La Jolla today, including La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla Music Society, and La Jolla Symphony & Chorus, Fox said. There is a long history of performing arts in this community.
Judith Dolan: On Broadway
When: Through Jan. 21. Noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday.
Where: La Jolla Historical Society, Wisteria Cottage, 780 Prospect St., La Jolla.
Admission: Free
Phone: (858) 459-5335
Online: lajollahistory.org
Mackin writes for the La Jolla Light, part of the Union-Tribune Community Press.
By PTI: Panaji, Sep 27 (PTI) The Goa government will go ahead with installation of the speed governors in tourist taxis in the coastal state notwithstanding the opposition from vehicle owners, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said today.
While the state government has cited a recent directive of the Supreme Court for installation of the speed governors, taxi operators have opposed the move, saying they were not taken into confidence by the government before announcing this rule.
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"The Goa government does not have any say in the matter, as it (mandating implementation of the speed governors) is a fallout of the Supreme Court directive," Parrikar said.
The speed governor is a device to measure and regulate the speed of a vehicle.
"Law has its own limitations and I cannot change it. Everyone will have to go for the speed governors," the chief minister said.
Taxi operators in South Goa and North Goa districts of the state had opposed installation of the device.
When asked about the opposition to the speed governors, Parrikar said he and Tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar will meet the stake-holders to discuss the issue.
The tourist taxi operators had demanded that installation of the speed governors should be made mandatory for all taxis, including private cars.
They had argued that only tourist taxis cannot be held responsible for road accidents in the coastal state.
Transport Director Nikhil Desai had said that the taxi drivers had to fall in line as the Supreme Court committee on road safety is monitoring the issue. PTI RPS NSK
--- ENDS ---
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford told a Senate committee today that he believes transgender troops should be able to continue serving, if they meet standards.
Dunford waded into whats been a heated public debate since President Donald Trump this summer said that he would reinstitute a ban on transgender service members.
Trump tweeted in July that after consultation with my generals and military experts (the U.S.) cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.
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But Dunford -- Joint Chiefs chairman since October 2015 -- said his advice given in private has been to keep transgender troops who are already in uniform.
I would just probably say that I believe any individual who meets the physical and mental standards and is worldwide deployable and is currently serving should be afforded the opportunity to continue to serve, Dunford told the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing to reconfirm him in his current job.
Questioned by New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand if he would promise that troops wont be separated on gender alone, the four-star general responded:
I can promise that that will be my advice. What Ive just articulated is the advice Ive provided in private and Ive just provided in public.
Advocates for transgender rights took Dunfords statement as a huge win and even a rebuke of Trump.
HUGE: Joint Chiefs Chairman doesn't back trans military ban. Believes any qualified American should be able to serve https://t.co/L9rA8x1dq0 Stephen Peters (@stephenpeters2) September 26, 2017
But critics continued to question how the medical issues related to gender reassignment can be compatible with military deployment.
Gen. Dunford: make sure #transgender get a fanny pack with hormones & a therapist in case they get captured by enemy #30DaySupply InMyHumbleOpinion (@Karu4Karu) September 26, 2017
Military Videos On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal
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An anxious delegation of business leaders and elected officials from San Diego and Baja California gathered in the nations capital this week, seeking answers on the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement as negotiations for the treatys update have entered a third round.
The annual lobbying trip led by the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, which started Monday and ended Wednesday, brought pro-NAFTA members of the delegation face-to-face with key policy-makersfrom Congressional representatives to high-ranking members of the Trump administration. Participants also received a briefing from Mexicos ambassador to the United States about the treaty and another issue of growing local concern: renegade flows of sewage-contaminated water from Tijuana to San Diego.
Amid uncertainty over NAFTAs future, there were many questions, and few easy answers.
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President Donald Trump has repeatedly assailed the treaty, saying it has cost U.S. manufacturing jobs and created a trade deficit with Mexico. But its proponents say it has brought benefits to the United States, Canada and Mexico. They argue for NAFTAS extension, albeit with updates to reflect changes such as the evolution of practices such as e-commerce.
We would like to see something that does no harm but is better than it is now, said Jerry Sanders the chambers president and leader of the 160-member delegation. Among the U.S. elected officials in attendance were California Assembly member Todd Gloria (D-San Diego), San Diego County supervisors Greg Cox and Ron Roberts, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, and San Diego City Council members David Alvarez and Georgette Gomez.
The treatys future was the subject of a private briefing by a high-ranking U.S. Department of Commerce official overseeing the negotiations. The official offered reassurance that an agreement would be reachedand emphasized the difficulty in reaching that, said Paola Avila, the chambers vice president of international business affairs.
The subject of NAFTA brought a standing-room-only crowd to a meeting room in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. Addressing the group were Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), Scott Peters, (D-San Diego) and three congressmen from outside the region: Democrat Henry Cuellar and Republican Will Hurd, both from Texas, and William Pascrell, a Democrat from New Jersey.
I do not know of any Democrat that has asked that we get rid of the deal altogether, that would be absurd, but we need to work with what we have and make it much better, said Pascrell said, arguing that the U.S. loses jobs to Mexico when companies move south for cheaper labor. I think we need some dramatic changes.
Delegation member Louis Escareno, representing a chain of retail shops called UETA Duty-Free, spoke of the benefits that cross-border trade brings to both sides: NAFTA-bashing is not a good idea, its a critical reason why our economies are a strong as they are along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Also in the audience were the mayors of Baja Californias two largest cities, Juan Manuel Gastelum of Tijuana and Gustavo Sanchez of Mexicali. Gastelum stood up to argue that the treaty is key for the competitiveness of cross-border regions such as Cali-Bajaa term for San Diego and Imperial counties and Baja California. We can work together, Gastelum said.
Mayor Gastelum was quickly interrupted by Issa, who said Mexico had failed to uphold environmental commitments in the original 1994 trade agreementand any upgraded treaty must address the issue of cross-border environmental contamination playing on the Tijuana-San Diego border. We must not just have an agreement, but a plan of action, Issa said.
For Mexicalis mayor, the discussions in Washington have underscored the uncertainties ahead. There are some serious doubts as far as the benefits of going ahead with NAFTA, and this has us worried, Sanchez said. Those of us in local government need to start thinking about what were going to do if NAFTA doesnt continue.
In a briefing for delegation members, Mexicos ambassador to the United States, Geronimo Gutierrez, said NAFTAs negotiators have made progress. But he added that were probably approaching more difficult issues.I do not want to minimize what we have ahead.
The ambassador also addressed the issue of cross-border sewage flows. We do have a problem, and were trying to address that, but theres also a lot of exaggeration, the ambassador said. He said more upgrading Tijuanas aging sewage system will require more than $300 million in investment, and funding is not readily available. A solution will require collaboration among a range of agencies, he said, and prioritizing projects.
Paying close attention to the issue was Imperial Beachs mayor. Everybodys making potential promises, but its unclear to me if anything is going to happen, Dedina said. And we cant wait.
sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com
@sandradibble
The number of Americans diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis reached a record high in 2016 for the second year in a row, with more than 2 million cases reported and particularly high rates in California, according to federal data released Tuesday.
Cases of these three sexually transmitted diseases have been increasing nationally since 2014, reversing a downward trend that began in 2006. Health officials say the rates reflect decreasing condom usage, a lack of awareness about STDs among doctors and patients, and a falling number of STD clinics.
Increases in STDs are a clear warning of a growing threat, Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, said in a statement. STDs are a persistent enemy, growing in number, and outpacing our ability to respond.
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All three STDs are curable, but if left untreated they can cause infertility or other serious health problems. People may not get tested because they dont have symptoms or dont notice their symptoms, but then are still able to spread the disease to others.
Health officials recommended that sexually active adults get regularly tested for STDs.
Officials said they were especially concerned that as the number of women with syphilis has jumped, so has the number of babies born with syphilis passed down from their mothers. Congenital syphilis, as it is known, can cause stillbirths or permanent disabilities. Since 2012, the number of babies born with congenital syphilis nationwide nearly doubled, reaching 632 last year.
The problem is particularly severe in California, which has the nations second-highest rates of congenital syphilis. In 2012, 35 babies were infected. Last year, there were 206.
The number of reported STDs in California is increasing at a concerning rate, Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement Tuesday. This is the third year in a row that we have seen increases in chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis.
More than a quarter-million Californians were infected with either syphilis, chlamydia or gonorrhea last year, which constitutes a 40% jump compared with five years ago, state officials said.
Chlamydia, which is most likely to infect women under 30, made up the majority of those cases. It is the most commonly reported medical condition in the state and the country. There were 1.6 million cases nationwide and more than 198,000 in California last year.
The cases in California represent the highest level of the disease since 1990, with the biggest increase last year in the San Francisco region, state officials said. San Francisco also had higher rates of gonorrhea and syphilis than any other part of the state last year.
Los Angeles, Fresno and Kern counties also had rates of all three STDs that were above the state average.
Nationwide and in California, officials have struggled with rising syphilis rates. In the late 1990s, rates of the disease were so low that officials believed theyd be able to eradicate the disease. But cases have been steadily increasing since then, mostly among gay and bisexual men.
That growth has recently been passed onto women, which is particularly dangerous because of the possibility of congenital syphilis.
In California, which has the third highest syphilis rates in the nation, cases among women of reproductive age increased 50% between 2015 and 2016, according to new state data.
Dr. Gail Bolan, director of the CDCs division of STD prevention, said the increase in gonorrhea rates in 2016 was of particular concern as more strains become resistant to antibiotics. There were once several antibiotics that could cure the infection, but the bacteria have mutated and now are harder to treat.
Were down to our last class of antibiotics that we have available to treat gonorrhea, Bolan said. In the past, we just moved on to the next class of antibiotics, but were now on the edge. ... We want to make sure we keep the threat of these potentially resistant strains at a low level.
To read the article in Spanish, click here
soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com
Twitter: @skarlamangla
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4:05 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details and background about the STD problem in California.
This article was originally published at 2:50 p.m.
A state appeals court on Tuesday ruled that a criminal defendant does not have the right to obtain a victims private social media communications from the service provider in this case Facebook to help with his defense.
The ruling by the California 4th District Court of Appeal strikes down a San Diego trial courts order that would have forced Facebook to disclose the information despite a federal law that restricts third parties from sharing such information.
The decision is in line with a similar state appellate ruling in San Francisco, although that case is now before the California Supreme Court.
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In this case, Lance Touchstone is awaiting trial in the Aug. 2016 shooting of Jeffrey Renteria in Ocean Beach. According to news reports of the preliminary hearing, Touchstone, from Northern California, had come to San Diego to stay with his sister and her boyfriend the victim. The couple had been going through a rough patch at the time, according to testimony.
Renteria testified that he came home one day from work and saw Touchstone and Touchstones sister sitting on the couch next to a gun, according to City News Service. Renteria ordered Touchstone to leave and was met with gunfire, the victim testified. He was badly wounded.
Renteria was active on his Facebook account during his recovery, posting updates about his injuries from the hospital and the court proceedings, including asking his friends to attend the preliminary hearing, according to the court documents. He also discussed his use of guns and drugs and described his desire to rob and kill people.
Touchstones lawyers wanted Renterias private Facebook activity to help with the defense and served Facebook with a subpoena for his timeline posts, private messages, photos, videos and other information.
Facebook asked San Diego Superior Court Judge Kenneth So to quash the subpoena, arguing it flies in the face of the federal Stored Communications Act which generally prohibits providers from releasing such information. Facebook said Touchstone had other ways to legally get the information, including getting it directly from the victim or working with prosecutors to get a search warrant based on probable cause.
Touchstones attorneys argued they had been unable to locate the victim to subpoena him and said prosecutors were not cooperating. Furthermore, Touchstones right to a fair trial overrode the Store Communications Act, they added.
The judge ruled in Touchstones favor and ordered Facebook to release the information by a certain date. The judge would then review the information privately and determine what, if anything, should be released to the parties in the case.
Facebook asked the court of appeal to intervene.
The social media giant argued that it was stuck between state and federal law: it risked civil liability if it disclosed the information and contempt of court if it did not.
The three-judge appellate panel ruled that the Stored Communications Act prevented Facebook from providing the information, and that there were no exceptions to the law that applied in this case.
The (SCA) reflects Congress judgment that users have legitimate interest in the confidentiality of communications in electronic storage at a communications facility, the ruling said, citing prior case law on the subject. It further compared the situation to a person renting space from a storage facility to hold sensitive documents.
The ruling pointed out other ways Touchstone may be able to obtain the information, including ordering the user to grant permission for Facebook to release the information. Any recipients of the communications Facebook friends can also be ordered to reveal the information, the court said.
The panel ruled in line with a 2015 decision out of San Francisco in which two defendants in a gang shooting asked Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the social media activity of a murder victim and a witness. That case could be set for oral argument before the state Supreme Court in the next few months.
kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @kristinadavis
The San Diego city attorney is hosting a public meeting Wednesday night to discuss a proposal to transform a motel in Nestor into housing for former low-level lawbreakers with a history of drug abuse and homelessness.
The proposal is part of a program called San Diego Misdemeanant At-Risk Track, or SMART, which aims to help repeat nonviolent offenders to avoid jail time if they agree to be placed in government housing and participate in comprehensive drug treatment and counseling for up to two years.
In addition to City Attorney Mara Elliott, San Diego police Chief Shelley Zimmerman and other city officials are expected to participate in the community meeting.
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Discussion will focus on a proposal to turn a Super 8 motel, at 1788 Palm Avenue just east of Imperial Beach, into 70 units of transitional housing for people convicted of misdemeanor crimes who have been accepted into the program.
San Diegos City Council voted 8 -1 in July to buy the motel. Councilman David Alvarez cast the sole no vote, saying the city was ignoring opposition to the project from the community and rushing a project that may never be built.
The proposal has drawn criticism from South Bay community leaders. Some say the proposal violates local zoning laws, could jeopardize efforts to improve the Palm Avenue gateway to beaches in South County and is too far from social services program participants need to get their lives on track.
The California Coastal Commission has argued that the proposal would further limit low-cost lodging in the area.
Supporters say the proposal is key to expanding efforts to curb homelessness in San Diego with help from a $6 million state grant awarded earlier this year.
Anyone who is truly concerned about the health and safety of our homeless citizens need to get behind the SMART program and help (participants) turn their lives around, Elliott said in a statement.
The meeting will be held at the Otay Mesa-Nestor Library at 3003 Coronado Ave. It is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @danalittlefield
A San Carlos woman charged with fatally shooting her family five years ago testified Tuesday that it was her husband who killed their daughter during a heated family argument, so she killed him.
Regina Johnson, 60, told a San Diego Superior Court jury that her husband, Reuben Johnson, 56, was yelling at their 14-year-old daughter, Aaliyah, for missing school. The daughter yelled back until she ran sobbing from her bedroom and came back with a handgun.
Her husband knocked the gun from her hand, picked it up and shot the girl once in the head, Johnson said. She said she got ahold of the pistol when he dropped it.
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Her attorney, Neil Besse, asked her why she picked up the gun.
I panicked and I was afraid, Johnson said, her voice breaking as she wiped away tears. I thought if I didnt pick up the gun, I was afraid hed kill me. I shot him.
Reuben Johnson was shot once in the head and once in the torso.
Besse asked Johnson if she killed her daughter, who was a freshman cheerleader at West Hills High School in Santee.
No, Mr. Besse. I didnt kill my daughter. Not only was she the love of my life, she was my life, Johnson said.
After the May 30, 2012 shootings, Johnson quietly stayed in their Navajo Road condominium for three days, sleeping next to her daughters body. San Diego police said she checked phone messages and Facebook. Then she mentioned the deaths in a phone call with her sister, who lives in Washington.
The sister asked police to check on the condo. Johnson was arrested.
She faces 100 years to life in prison if convicted of two counts of murder.
Both the prosecution and defense have said the couple had financial trouble, with bankruptcies in 1997 and 2009. Johnson had lost her job with a financial planner and was taking a variety of medications for depression. Her husband worked as a security officer after 20 years in the Navy and had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The shootings were done with his 9mm pistol. Experts have testified that only Regina Johnsons hands had traces of gunshot residue, and her fingerprints were on the gun.
Prosecutors allege the defendant was angry over her husbands various extra-marital affairs. She denied it on the stand when questioned by Deputy District Attorney Nicole Rooney.
If I wanted to shoot Reuben because of his affairs, I would have done it a long time ago, Johnson said.
She said she thought her husband was trying to poison her with the painkiller Oxycontin, which she found hidden in the condo. She admitted being paranoid, thinking people were following her and that co-workers had her office bugged.
Johnson said on the morning of the shootings, Aaliyah was slow in getting up, running late for picture day at the school. She had been up late the night before, choosing a dress to wear for the photo and talking to her boyfriend.
Johnson testified that after the shootings she washed her hands and flushed the two shell casings down the toilet. Then she used her red lipstick to scrawl across the master bathroom mirrors a message to her doctor that it was all your fault.
She said Reuben had handed her five pills that morning, saying that was the dose for the anti-depressant prescribed by her doctor. Johnsons lipstick message indicated the doctor should have known she was supposed to take just one pill a day.
I thought if Dr. Chin had helped me, I could have protected my daughter, Johnson testified.
Her trial is expected to continue on Thursday.
pauline.repard@sduniontribune
Twitter: @pdrepard
Test results for San Diego County students remained flat this year, even though they scored higher than the state average on standardized English and math exams.
In fact, progress improvement stalled across the state, with scores about the same as in 2016, a year which saw scores increase.
In English, 56 percent of San Diego students met or exceeded the proficiency level compared with 49 percent statewide.
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In math, 44 percent of county students at least met the state standard while the state was 38 percent statewide.
The local results showed no backsliding from last years advances, said Steve Green, senior director of Assessment, Accountability and Evaluation at San Diego County Office of Education.
What we see is a very consistent performances from last year in overall results, Green said about the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress tests, also known as the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment.
The results also show little progress in the achievement gap among historically disadvantaged groups, including English learners and disabled students.
Students are tested in grades three through eighth and in the 11th grade in math and English language arts, which include reading, writing, listening and research/inquiry.
This is the third year for the tests, which measures how well students understand Common Core state standards. The test is more focused on critical-thinking skills than the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) tests, which the new test replaced three years ago.
Green said it was not surprising to see the state and county numbers flatline this year after notable improvements last year.
We had a big increase from year one to year two, and that makes sense, he said. Folks are becoming comfortable with whats being assessed. We anticipated a pretty big change in the second year. Now, I think were settling in.
Results in 2016 had shown a countywide increase from 21 to 25 percent in students exceeding the state standard for English and an increase from 30 percent to 31 percent among students who met the standard.
In math, the 21 percent of county students who exceeded the state standard in 2016 was an increase from 18 percent in 2015. Some 23 percent of students met the math standard that year, up from 22 percent in 2015.
A lack of progress in the achievement gap among some students remains a disappointment.
While everyones moving up slightly, theres not a significant growth for the most part, Green said about English learners and low-income students. Were not really seeing a narrowing of the achievement gap.
Countywide, about 65 percent of students who only speak English or are proficient in the language scored at or above the state standard for English. Those levels were met by only 16 percent of English learners.
Fluent English speakers in the county also did better in math, with 50 percent scoring at or above the state standard. Only about 16 percent of English learners in the county scored at those levels.
Among students in the county who were not economically disadvantaged, 72 percent met or exceed the state standard for English. Of students who were economically disadvantaged, 40 percent met those levels.
Similar gaps existed in math scores, with 61 percent of students not economically disadvantaged meeting or exceeding the state standard compared to 28 percent of economically disadvantaged students.
Achievement gaps also were seen in students with disabilities. Among students without disabilities, 61 percent scored at or above the state standard in English compared to 19 percent of disabled students.
In math, 47.3 students without disabilities scored at or above the state standard compared to 15 percent of students with disabilities.
A look at some of the larger districts in the county shows most beating the state average in English and math scores. In San Diego Unified, 56 percent of students scored at or above the state English standard and 46 percent scored at or above the state math standard.
Our students continued to show progress in math and their English language scores were steady, indicating their strong gains in that area last year are sustainable, San Diego Unified Superintendent Cindy Marten said in an email. We were especially pleased to see the gains by our students with disabilities, who posted year-over-year increases of 5.1 and 6.0 points respectively in ELA (English language arts) and math.
Poway Unified School District saw 74 percent of its students scoring at or above the state English standard and about 67 percent scoring at or above the state math level.
We continue to be pleased with our results, especially how they align to our new standards that focus on student critical thinking and problem-solving, said Doug Johnson, executive director II at Poway Unified.
Johnson said the North County district will look for trends and patterns in the data to help align the work teachers do in classrooms with student success.
A statement released by Poway Unified noted that English tests improved in grades 5, 6 and 11 this year, and improvements have been made in English scores among Black, Latino and economically disadvantaged students. Latino and economically disadvantaged students also have shown improvements in math scores in PUSD.
In South Countys Sweetwater Union High School District, the English and math scores, 54 percent ant 32 percent, respectively, were about the same as last year.
In East Countys Grossmont Union High School District, English and math scores were 65 percent and 37 percent, respectively, slight increases from 2016.
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gary.warth@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @GaryWarthUT
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The San Diego County Sheriffs Department wont set up a designated space for demonstrators protesting the building of the border wall prototypes in Otay Mesa.
Spokesman Ryan Keim said Wednesday that as long as protests are peaceful and dont tread on private property, demonstrators wont be confined to a specific area, known as a free-speech zone.
Were not telling anyone, this is where you have to be, he said. Were not designating a place.
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Two weeks ago, the department, concerned about large-scale protests against the project, said it was evaluating whether to set up a zone.
As the project got under way Tuesday, Border Patrol officials told the media that such a zone would be established. But that information was never confirmed by the Sheriffs Department, with Keim saying no decision had been made.
The confusion got cleared up Wednesday, the second day of construction work. And for the second straight day, there were no signs of protests or demonstrations around the area on Enrico Fermi Drive leading to the site.
The area is home to light-industrial and business parks, filled with trucking firms, warehouses and shipping firms.
Two of the six contractors who won a competition to build prototypes of walls were at work at the site Wednesday morning.
One worker was injured just before 10 a.m. when he fell 40 feet down a hole bored by a large auger. He was quickly lifted out, treated at the scene for some scrapes and later returned to work.
The incident occurred when Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol officials escorted media out to the building site. Access to the area is restricted.
There was little to see one crew pushed dirt around using a front-end loader and another used the auger to dig holes.
Eight wall prototypes are to be constructed in the area over the next 30 days four made of concrete and four of other materials. Each wall is to be 30 feet long and 18 feet to 30 feet tall. They have to extend to a depth of 6 feet, cant be climbed, and be able to resist tampering and attempts to penetrate it.
There are six contractors because two companies, Caddell Construction of Alabama and W.G. Yates & Sons of Mississippi, won contracts to build both types of walls.
Each contractor is allotted a 60-by-60-foot space to build their walls. That means some of the contractors will be building parts or all of their designs off-site and then placing them at the building zone.
After the walls are in place, they will undergo testing and evaluation by the government, said CBP spokesman Carlos Diaz. Then a winning design or designs will be chosen.
The government has allocated $20 million for the prototype work, but funding for building more walls is uncertain. Cost estimates for constructing walls across the entire border vary and range from $12 billion to as much as $70 billion.
The wall was a centerpiece of President Donald Trumps campaign, though he has backed off constructing a big, beautiful wall across the entire border. He has recently said the wall will be built but not right away.
The project is also under attack from several lawsuits by environmental groups and the state of California, challenging the federal governments waiver of environmental and other laws to build the structure. Those suits are pending and have not stopped work on the prototypes.
Twitter: @gregmoran
greg.moran@sduniontribune.com
By Press Trust of India: He is one of the highest paid actors today, but actor Salman Khan reveals his first-ever salary was merely Rs 75.
Salman occupied the second spot on Forbes list of the Highest Paid Actors in Bollywood for the year 2017.
He also became the highest paid TV actor with reports suggesting that he is getting Rs 11 crore per episode for hosting the 11th season of reality show Bigg Boss.
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While the 51-year-old actor is yet to comment on the reports, he remembers what he was paid during his initial days.
In an interview with PTI, Salman says, "My first salary was, I think, about Rs 75. I was dancing behind in some show in Taj hotel. One of my friends was dancing there so he took me (and I did it) just for fun. Then it went up to Rs 750 for Campa Cola (a soft drink brand) and then it was Rs 1,500 for the longest time. Then I got paid Rs 31,000 for Maine Pyar Kiya, which was then increased to Rs 75,000 later."
For the Bajrangi Bhaijaan star, this is his eighth season as the host of the controversial reality series. Salman says he always comes back to the show because he connects with the format.
"There is nothing else that I am interested in doing, this is one of the better shows that I have. There are other really good shows but I don't think they are of my format. I don't think Ill be able to pull that off. I know I can pull this one off."
Salman says he needs shows which have a connect with "common people" to be a part of.
"Even Dus Ka Dum (a reality game show) worked well for me. I need that vibe, that touch with different personalities, with common man. I need that (grassroots) connect. Till the time I don't have a connect, I don't think I can pull anything off," he said.
ALSO WATCH: Salman Khan on Bigg Boss 11, his childhood and Judwaa 2
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Rep. Duncan Hunter has asked President Donald Trump to pardon two former border patrol agents who were convicted in the shooting an unarmed marijuana smuggler as he tried to run from Texas and into Mexico, a case that fanned an international debate about security at the border.
In the course of a struggle, and in what appeared to be the suspect brandishing a weapon, these agents fired their guns and hit him in the backside as he escaped back into Mexico, Hunter, R-Alpine said in a statement.
Rather than reward these agents for their $1 million seizure, a U.S. Attorney offered the drug smuggler immunity in exchange for testimony to prosecute and convict them.
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The agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, were convicted in 2006 of assault with a dangerous weapon, tampering with an official proceeding, and other crimes related to the shooting. A federal judge sentenced Ramos to 11 years in prison, and Compean to 12 years.
But on his last full day in office in January 2009, then-President George W. Bush commuted their sentences, effectively granting them release from prison, but leaving the former agents with criminal records.
An investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General said the smuggler, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, was intercepted in February 2005 by Border Patrol near El Paso as he tried to ferry nearly 750 pounds of marijuana stowed in a van to a stash house.
After seeing the agents Aldrete-Davila tried to cross back into Mexico, first in the van, and then, after a brief fight with Compean, on foot. Both men fired at Aldrete-Davila, a Mexican national, as he ran toward the Rio Grande. He was hit in the buttocks with a round from Ramos gun, the report said.
Compean would later pick up some of the bullet casings from the ground and ask a colleague to retrieve the others, and admitted to throwing evidence of the shooting away. Neither Ramos nor Compean or other border patrol agents reported the shooting.
In written statement during the investigaton, Compean said he didnt report the matter because he was scared of the possible consequences.
I did not report the shooting because I didnt think anything had happened to the guy. I was afraid I was going to get in trouble, he wrote, according to DHS documents. But he later wrote that he saw Aldrete-Davila limping, and believed that Ramos might have shot him. He also said he believed that Aldrete-Davila might have been armed with a gun, but never really saw for certain.
Hunter said that despite the commuted sentences, Ramos and Compean have difficulty finding work.
...I believe that they deserve every consideration for a pardon due to the circumstances of the incident and I respectfully request that you instruct the Office of the Pardon Attorney to provide their cases full and fast attention. Hunter wrote in a Sept. 22 letter to Trump.
Hunter said that Aldrete-Davila received immunity from prosecution on smuggling charges in exchange for his testimony against the two officers, and that, sometime later, he was arrested on smuggling charges and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Twitter: @jptstewart
joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com
(619) 293-1841
Lawyers representing Rep. Susan Davis and three other House members who were sued for flying rainbow flags outside of their congressional offices have argued that the case is frivolous and the plaintiff is not actually harmed by seeing the colorful pennant in a government building.
In a motion filed Friday in the District Court for the District of Columbia, the defendants lawyers asked that lawsuit by Chris Sevier be dismissed.
The legal and factual assertions in Mr. Seviers Complaint vacillate between incomprehensible and fanciful, the motion says.
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In July, Sevier, an attorney who has also sued states for the right to marry his laptop computer, filed a lawsuit that contends homosexuality is a religion and the rainbow-patterned LGBTQ flags outside of lawmakers offices violate the the Constitutions separation of church and state. Davis of San Diego, Alan Lowenthal of Long Beach, Don Beyer of Virginia, and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, all Democrats, were named as defendants.
Its sad the court has to waste its time with a lawsuit that is completely without merit, Davis said. Im confident this will be dismissed and the pride flag will continue to be displayed proudly outside my office.
She has displayed the flag since 2015 at the entrance from her office alongside the U.S. and California flags.
In his lawsuit Sevier asks the court to declare that homosexuality is a religion, and to force legislators to remove the flags. He is asking for $1 in damages.
That gay pride flag is a symbol of that group think, that religious orthodoxy, Sevier said in an interview. And if the government is going to recognize one religious institution, it must recognize them all equally, he said.
Sevier said he hasnt read the House lawyers motion, but said he plans to contest it.
Lawyers for the defendants said Sevier hasnt argued many of the elements essential for a claim, and the lawsuit should be dismissed. For one, Sevier hasnt shown that he was harmed by the flags outside of the offices, they said.
Sevier has failed to identify any fundamental right that could possibly be implicated by his mere distaste for the flags. First, Mr. Sevier makes no claim that there is a fundamental constitutional right not to be offended, and the Supreme Courts First Amendment jurisprudence forecloses any such claim, the defendants lawyers said.
Twitter: @jptstewart
joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com
(619) 293-1841
San Diego County supervisors have given preliminary approval for a new contract with its largest labor union.
On Tuesday, supervisors voted 3-0 in favor of a five-year contract with Service Employees International Union Local 221, a group that represents about 10,000 of the countys 17,000 workers, including librarians, social workers and nurses. Supervisors Ron Roberts and Greg Cox were not at the meeting.
Supervisors approved the deal without comment alongside a series of administrative matters on their consent agenda. The contract will come before the board for final approval at its Oct. 3 meeting.
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The unions voting members approved the contract on Sept. 14. Members get between 13 percent and 17 percent raises over five years, plus $300 per month to pay for parking and mass transit expenses, $5,250 in bonuses over the duration of the contract, a $500 signing bonus, and a 35 percent increase in health care funding to offset increases in out-of-pocket costs. Its similar to contracts the county has with other unions that represent government workers.
New employees will be put into a new retirement program that pays smaller pensions and requires larger contributions from employees.
Local 221 said about 3,000 members voted, including 77 percent who backed the contract. Not all of the unions members have voting rights.
After months of stalls and slow-moving negotiations, the county and the union reached a deal just days before the union had scheduled a strike. Local 221 hoped for bigger raises over the duration of the contract. The deal costs the county about $496 million.
Besides payroll matters, the contract also requires the county to meet with the union to discuss a pilot program that will extend business hours at Family Resource Centers facilities where people can sign up for social services.
The deal also includes provisions related to workloads, and employee safety. Under one clause, during formal meetings between workers and managers on workplace issues, safety will be a standard part of their agenda, and the county will have 30 days to respond to complaints.
Twitter: @jptstewart
joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com
(619) 293-1841
Chula Vista police are looking for a driver involved in a hit-and-run collision earlier this month that left a 52-year-old man critically injured.
Police said the man was hit while walking near a McDonalds restaurant and a Motel 6 along E Street near Woodlawn Avenue around 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 14.
The vehicle, described as an older gold Pontiac, Lincoln or Buick sedan with a California plate that included 5BK, drove off before officers arrived. Witnesses told officers the driver was possibly an older white male with short white or blond hair.
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The pedestrian, who was alone, suffered what was described as severe internal bleeding and is hospitalized in critical condition, police said. He is a Chula Vista resident.
Police arent sure why he was walking in the area. They have been unable to interview him, said police Officer Victor Del Rio.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Del Rio at (619) 409-5833 or send an email to vdelrio@chulavistapd.org
karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
UPDATES:
2:54 p.m. This story was updated with additional details.
This article was originally published at 11:50 a.m.
A woman was hurt and her dog was mauled to death by two pit bulls in the College Area near San Diego State University on Wednesday, police said.
A witness called 911 about 12:20 p.m. after the two dogs ran out of their yard and began attacking the womans Chihuahua on Dorothy Drive near Rockford Drive, authorities said.
Its unclear if the dogs were in the front yard, which is not fenced, or the back yard before the incident.
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The woman tried to scoop her pet away from the pit bulls, but they grabbed it, biting her in the process, said Lauren Joniaux, deputy director of the countys Animal Services department.
The Chihuahua ultimately died of its injuries, and the woman was treated at a hospital for an injury to her hand, Joniaux said.
The owner of the pit bulls pulled the animals into their home shortly after the attack, and Animal Control officers later placed the dogs into quarantine. They will remain there for 10 days while officials watch for any signs of rabies.
The incident is under investigation. Joniaux said both owners need to be interviewed before Animal Services considers next steps.
Twitter: @LAWinkley
(619) 293-1546
lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
A small plane crashed early Wednesday in an empty field near Brown Field municipal airport. The pilot and his two passengers walked away with minor injuries, authorities said.
The Cessna 182 crashed around 2:45 a.m. just east of Brown Field and west of state Route 125.
The pilot told KUSI News that he was cleared to land at Brown Field and was making his approach when he hit dense fog and lost all visibility.
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We saw the lights, we saw the airport but suddenly (we were in) heavy fog, Philip Lojas told KUSI. We just lost control. It happened so fast.
The three men onboard said the plane flipped twice upon landing, and the aircraft ended up upside down in the field.
The pilot said he kicked out a window to get out of the plane. The men walked about 15 minutes to the airport to report the crash.
Lojas said they ran from the plane, which they thought might explode.
The pilot told KUSI he and both passengers live in Tijuana and volunteer with a church ministry. They were flying from Los Angeles to Brown Field when they crashed. He called it a miracle that they survived. He told reporters we were in Gods hands.
According to an FAA website, the plane was registered to Philip Lojas Jr. and showed an El Cajon address.
The pilot helped lead emergency responders to the plane after a brief search, but local authorities were holding off inspecting the plane until federal authorities from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board could reach the site.
City News Service contributed to this report.
The upside down Cessna 182 could be seen a short way from Brown Field where it crash landed early Wednesday morning. (John Gibbins / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
A young man found strangled in Santa Clarita over the weekend was an incoming UC San Diego student, university officials said Tuesday.
Brayan Jose Rodriguez was a transfer student majoring in human biology, university officials said. The fall semester started Monday.
The 20-year-old man was remembered on a GoFundMe page as remarkably intelligent, caring, funny, humble, thoughtful and giving.
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Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies found his body about 4 p.m. Sunday in a home on Via Valer in Santa Clarita. They had been sent to investigate a report of a person who was not breathing, sheriffs Sgt. Aura Sierra said in a statement.
On Monday, detectives arrested Christian Ortiz, 21, on suspicion of murder in Rodriguezs death, Sierra said.
Based on interviews and evidence at the location, it was determined that (Rodriguez) died at the hands of another and the suspect was responsible for his death, Sierra said.
According to social media posts, friends and family had not heard from Rodriguez since Friday afternoon.
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Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com
Phone: (619) 293-1876
Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
El Cajon Councilman Bessmon Ben Kalasho, whose newly organized beauty pageant organization came under scrutiny from the California Attorney Generals Office in August, has been asked for more details and documentation for the tax-exempt entity.
State charity regulators in August sent Miss Middle East Beauty Pageant USA a request for certain records and a $25 registration fee, after U-T Watchdog raised questions about why the pageant was not registered as a non-profit organization despite holding events for four years.
According to the state, Kalasho provided some of the requested documents on Sept. 18. But a new request sent the next day says that Kalasho did not fully comply and still owes the $25. Kalasho declined to comment on the latest letter.
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The registration materials submitted to our office on 9/18/2017 were incomplete, states the latest correspondence. The following items must be submitted in order for this office to make a determination concerning the above captioned entitys compliance with the law and regulations.
The letter, which is entitled Final Notice To Register, requests a completed and signed registration form; the $25 registration fee; an executed copy of the organizations current bylaws; and a copy of its IRS determination letter regarding its tax-exempt status.
Kalasho apparently sent the state two of the items requested in the August demand letter: a copy of his IRS application and the original articles of incorporation. Those documents were requested in the first letter but not in the final notice.
The El Cajon councilman formed the stand-alone pageant organization earlier this year. In previous years, the event was presented as a project of his chamber of commerce, which was a sole proprietorship, according to Kalasho.
The Sept. 19 letter requests compliance within 30 days.
Your failure to respond will lead to this office making a referral to the California Franchise Tax Board and may also result in your organization losing its tax-exempt status, the letter concludes.
Previously
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jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 27 (PTI) The Union Cabinet today approved signing of an agreement with Ethiopia to increase cooperation in the field of information, communication and media.
The agreement would provide an opportunity to both the nations to share best practices and innovations in the field of information, communication and media, an official release said.
It will also help enhance people-to-people contact through exchange programmes and encourage cooperation between mass media tools such as radio, print, television, and social media, it added.
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"The agreement, through an institutional framework will facilitate exchange of delegations, personnel between the two nations, providing them opportunities to learn from each others best practices, bringing in equity and inclusiveness," the release said. PTI MP TIR
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Activists and family members of Alfred Olango, who was killed by El Cajon police in 2016, gathered Wednesday to mark the one-year anniversary of his death and to vow that the fight for justice will continue.
Joined by several community members, as well as Olangos father and other relatives, the group led by the Rev. Shane Harris of the National Action Network gathered in front of El Cajon City Hall where they vowed that Olango would not be forgotten.
The 38-year-old Ugandan refugee was shot to death in a taco shop parking lot on Sept. 27 by El Cajon police officer Richard Gonsalves, who opened fire after Olango pointed what turned out to be a vape device at the officer.
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Gonsalves was responding to the area after Olangos sister called 911 and requested psychological assistance because her brother was acting erratically.
His death sparked days of unrest and protests, and led to calls for an independent citizens review board to investigate police shootings as well as a demand to fire Gonsalves.
Then-District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced in January that the shooting was justified and that Gonsalves would not face criminal charges.
The Olango family has filed lawsuits against the city and Gonsalves, who was also sued by a fellow officer for sexual harassment. He has been taken off patrol duty and given a desk job while the suits are pending.
On Wednesday, Harris called out city officials, police Chief Jeff Davis and city Mayor Bill Wells for not acting on either of the demands.
Theres no reason in the world why after a tragedy like this you could not even create some kind of system or plan to deal with complaints coming in, Harris said after leading a chant of No justice, no peace.
He also reiterated demands for an independent investigation into the shooting by the state Attorney General.
Its a sadness that youre so far behind that people still have to come to the police department to complain to police about the police, Harris said. Thats a conflict of interest.
Olangos father, Richard Olango Abuka, said it has been a very difficult year for his family. But we are still moving forward, he said. We just want justice for Alfred.
619-293-1710
debbi.baker@sduniontribune.com
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The California Public Utilities Commission has long generated suspicion over its tight relationships with the giant, investor-owned utilities it regulates. Per U-T Watchdog, the agency is even the target of a 3-year-old state corruption probe because of the cozy way it has done business with utility executives in private instead of at public meetings.
Against that backdrop, a claim by former CPUC chief administrative law judge Karen Valentia Clopton is troubling. While the CPUC maintains she was dismissed for cause, Clopton said she was fired last month for working with investigators looking into alleged collusion between agency officials and Pacific Gas & Electric executives after a deadly 2010 pipeline explosion in San Bruno. Thats damning.
But in one major area, the CPUC has stood tall: refusing to support San Diego Gas & Electrics attempts to make its customers pay $379 million for the cost of three 2007 wildfires in the San Diego area that were sparked by the utilitys own power lines. Last month, two CPUC administrative law judges rejected SDG&Es claims that it was not at fault in the Witch, Rice and Guejito fires.
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On Thursday, at a meeting in Chula Vista, the CPUC was scheduled to vote on the ruling, with staff agreeing that SDG&Es request should be rejected. But without explanation, the item was delayed until Oct. 12, making some CPUC watchers nervous about a last-minute reprieve for the utility.
Commissioners need to promptly explain what they are up to. Unless they do so credibly, the commissions bruised reputation will take another hit.
Twitter: @sdutIdeas
Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion
UPDATES:
This was updated at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 26 to reflect new information.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions was on firm ground Tuesday when he gave a speech at Georgetown University denouncing college students and administrators who are hostile to speech with which they disagree. But theres a darkly humorous dimension to any senior Trump administration official warning about the dangers that arise when open debate becomes an echo chamber of political correctness and homogeneous thought a discomfort-free zone meant to give shelter for fragile egos. Thats because President Donald Trump himself seems to support rigid, unhealthy, un-American speech codes as much as any college student offended by what Sessions called the right to freely examine the moral and immoral, the prudent and the foolish, the practical and the inefficient.
Consider Trumps contempt for the African-American athletes who protest police brutality by taking a knee during the national anthem. The president tweeted that, The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. These measured protests have become multifaceted, but they should be understood clearly by anyone who has seen cellphone video of officers beating or killing African-Americans, who are shot and killed by police in disproportionate numbers. Of course, the vast majority of officers mean and do their jobs well, but lets not pretend police brutality isnt a problem.
Our nation would be better off if more people, starting with the president, listened to those with different views and tried to understand their thinking not dismiss them out of hand. As Sessions himself said, In this great land, the government does not get to tell you what to think or what to say.
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Twitter: @sdutIdeas
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What are the penalties for hiring an illegal immigrant? The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 states first offenders can be fined $250 to $2,000 per illegal employee. For a second offense, the fine is $2,000 to $5,000 per illegal employee.
Surely such penalties would make the illegal unhireable.
So, if someone entering illegally cannot find any work, wont they return home? Or, never come in the first place?
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And why was that law so seldom enforced? And after 30 years of lax enforcement, what might be the results?
Stanley Logue
San Diego
Senate Bill 54 (Californias sanctuary state bill) is a clear indicator that the super majority in Sacramento wants to continue on its path that has so far resulted in our state leading the country in three categories: poverty, homelessness and illegal immigrant population.
Add to the list our school system, which used to be the national gold standard and can now be found in 28th place.
The governor and our liberal Democratic super majority rule by fiat and have led us to this place. The sad thing is that given the status quo a continuation of this trend is assured. To millions of people with no voice in Sacramento the future is bleak
D.J. Bradt
San Diego
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Words like firebrand and culture warrior are being used to describe Roy Moore, the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court who beat President Donald Trump s preferred choice Tuesday night to become the Republican candidate to replace current Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the U.S. Senate in December.
Moore is as outspoken as they come. Hes called Ten Commandments Judge because of his high-profile refusal to remove a monument to the biblical laws from an Alabama courthouse, and he is known for casting doubt about former President Barack Obama's citizenship.
Moore easily defeated Trumps pick, Sen. Luther Strange, R-Alabama, in Tuesdays primary election.
Heres what else you need to know about Moore.
Hes a veteran of political battles.
Moore is a 70-year-old who is both a West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran. He has a degree from the University of Alabama School of Law and worked as an attorney in Gadsden, Alabama, for some time before launching his political career.
In 1992, Moore became a judge of the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of Alabama and served until his election as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in 2000. He was removed from his position as Chief Justice three years later by a judicial panel for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument that he installed at the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery, Alabama.
After a return to the legal profession, he campaigned for the Republican nomination in the 2006 governors race but lost in a two-person primary election, and then tried again in 2010 and placed fourth.
Moore became Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court again in 2013 but served just three years before being suspended again in 2016 over continuing to enforce Alabamas ban on same-sex marriage, which had been overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
For more specifics, check out this profile by Alabamas own AL.com.
Why is his win such a big deal?
Supported by fellow evangelical Christians of Alabama, Moores defeat of Strange was the defeat of an incumbent who was backed with millions of dollars by establishment Republicans led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. His victory puts him on the inside track to win in Alabama as Democrats havent won a Senate election in 25 years.
Were dealing with a political environment that Ive never had any experience with, Strange said, as reported by The New York Times. The political seas, the political winds in this country right now are very hard to navigate. Theyre very hard to understand.
President Trump held a rally for Strange this past Friday night in Alabama. Tweets this week from Trump supporting Strange disappeared from his account shortly after Moore defeated him.
He and Vice President Mike Pence are now endorsing Moore and his support for Trumps #MAGA agenda.
Moore is also aligning himself with Trump, despite his endorsement of Strange.
Together, we can make America great, Moore said on Tuesday. Dont let anybody in the press think that because he supported my opponent that I do not support him.
His win is seen as a litmus test for upcoming Congressional races where so-called outsiders will attempt to win positions in Washington to challenge establishment Republicans politically.
"This shows it can be done," said Danny Tarkanian, who is challenging Sen. Dean Heller , R-Nevada, in 2018. "It shows the amount of money McConnell and his super PACs put in the race can't change the feeling that voters have right now."
Former far-right White House adviser Steve Bannon helped orchestrate Moores victory, and is expected to try to do so with other anti-establishment candidates going forward.
What are Moores political beliefs?
Moore is a self-described committed constitutional conservative that has stood up for liberty and religious freedom his entire career.
He believes in lowering taxes and returning American manufacturing to our country by rescinding unfair free trade agreements which have severely damaged our economy.
On immigration, he says if Trumps plan to build up the wall at Mexicos border is only option, then we should build it immediately. Hes also staunchly opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage.
Didnt I see somewhere hes a poet?
You did. He occasionally breaks into verse. Heres one poem of his.
America the Beautiful, or so you used to be,
Land of the Pilgrims pride, Im glad theyre not here to see,
Babies piled in dumpsters, abortion on demand,
Oh, sweet land of liberty, your house is on the sand.
Whats next for Moore?
On Dec. 12, Moore will face Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor and the Democratic nominee.
Candidate Doug Jones chats with constituents before a Democratic Senate candidate forum at the Princess Theatre in Decatur, Ala. Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017. (Jeronimo Nisa /The Decatur Daily via AP)
Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @abbyhamblin
With no fanfare, Poways hospital has entered its fourth decade.
Palomar Medical Center Poway known as Pomerado Hospital until its renaming last December officially turned 40 this summer, but Palomar Health officials decided to not mark the milestone until this month with a quiet acknowledgement among its staff.
Pomerado Hospital opened on June 29, 1977 with 130 patient beds, 200 employees and more than 50 physicians. Its first baby, Adam Michael Johnson, was born that day at 1 p.m., according to historical records. The 150,000-square-foot hospital cost $17.5 million for construction and equipment. Ground was broken on Feb. 28, 1975. The grand opening dedication ceremony was on May 14, 1977.
The now-107-bed acute care facility provides general medical and surgical services, 24-hour emergency services, labor and delivery, a neonatal intensive care unit, cardiovascular care, orthopedic services, wound care, a neuropsychiatric unit, a surgical weight loss program and rehabilitation services. Also on its campus is the 129-bed Villa Pomerado Convalescent Care Center and the Pomerado Outpatient Pavilion.
While not there for the earliest years, Cheryl and Rick Johnston have been working at the hospital throughout most of its existence, since the Poway natives joined its staff 37 years ago. Cheryl was hired three months before Rick. The couple said over their tenure they have seen a lot of changes, not only at the hospital campus, but in Poway.
Cheryl, now the lead health information specialist who handles medical records and birth certificates, said she started at the hospital as a food service worker. She worked in that department for 21 years until switching to medical records 16 years ago.
Back then we could make whatever (food) we wanted to for the families or staff, but not the patients, she said, adding several years ago the menu was formalized to a standard set of offerings. Cheryl said everyone was like family and she often knew everyones favorite dishes.
Rick got his start at the hospital as a construction worker and is now the lead maintenance mechanic whose responsibilities include overseeing the hospitals power plant, engineering and facilities.
I started as a temporary employee in construction and liked the organization so much I applied (for a permanent position), he said. There is always something new and exciting. I like working on different things daily.
Cheryl said she was 3 months old when her family moved to Poway. Rick said he was a toddler when his family became Powegians. The couple met at Mt. Carmel High School, which they attended since they lived on the side of Poway assigned to that campus. Rick graduated in 1978 and Cheryl in 1979. The high school sweethearts married a few years later.
While they are literally family, they said there has always been a very family-like feeling among the hospital staff and many longtime employees have shared family milestones together, including the births of their children and now, grandchildren.
I would not go anywhere else, Cheryl said, adding she views those she interacts with as my patients, my doctors ... my moms. I take it very personal.
Rick recalled how he and a couple other employees were the only ones who stayed at the hospital for three days after it and the adjacent Villa Pomerado skilled nursing facility was evacuated during the 2007 Witch Creek fire. They were responsible for making sure the campus was safe and given fire hoses so they could put out any embers if they traveled from the fires front line a few miles away.
At nighttime I would look at the hill and see the glow that seemed ready to come over, Rick said. It was terrible.
He added, It was really weird, deserted like in a movie. A ghost town. After the fire stopped we had a major cleanup with the air intake. There were ashes everywhere.
It was because of the hospitals ventilation system taking in smoke that patients had to be evacuated and the hospital could not reopen for five days, he said.
This is definitely home (for us), Cheryl said. We take a lot of pride in our jobs.
Everybody cares deeply for the patients, Rick said. They treat everybody with respect, like theyre family. There is such compassion. It is nice to see that.
email: rbnews@pomeradonews.com
Chula Vista residents Lance Cintron and Lily Rivera planned a Puerto Rican vacation to visit family.
Instead, four days into the trip, they rode out a Category 4 hurricane, with a front seat on the deadly destruction left behind.
The couple is now holed up in a Holiday Inn on Fort Buchanan, a U.S. Army base outside of the capital of San Juan. Cintron, 42, is a U.S. Navy retiree.
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Despite some initial concern that non-essential people may be asked to leave the base, it appears they will be able to stay.
The base has power, unlike many parts of Puerto Rico. However, in whats now an all-cash economy, the bases ATMs are reportedly not up to the demand.
After the hurricane, we decided to go outside the base to see how everything was, said Rivera, 31, a student attendant at the Chula Vista school district.
Everything is destroyed. Houses, bridges, everything. Theres no water. Theres no, anything. No electricity, Rivera said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon.
Navy hospital ship Comfort ordered to Puerto Rico as part of U.S. military hurricane response
Worse, for the family, the condition of Cintrons father is unknown. He lives an hour and a half away from their location, in a veterans home, Rivera said.
We havent been able to go or contact him, Rivera said. They dont answer. So we dont know anything about him. Hes 100 percent blind.
The couple has been told its dangerous to travel, as gasoline and food are in short supply.
We are afraid to go, she said.
They are fortunate to be on the base, Rivera said.
Fort Buchanans website says the Army garrison has ceased normal operations while officials do a damage assessment. Access is limited to essential personnel. The commissary, gas station, general store, banks and health clinic are closed.
In a low-cash scenario, even the $10 per meal that the base community center is charging is difficult, Rivera said.
This is crazy. This is my first time that Ive experienced this, she said. I cant imagine if we were out(side) of the military base. People out there, they dont have anything. Things are bad here in Puerto Rico right now.
After speaking to a military official at Fort Buchanan, the couple hopes to stay long enough to get a commercial flight or to be allowed to board a military flight back to the continental United States.
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A child in Niger ate Re:vive. A UNICEF-sponsored study predicts continued demand for supplements. Mellace Family Brands photo ( / Mellace Family Brands photo)
AT ISSUE Humanitarian agencies use a peanut butter-based product to treat children with severe acute malnutrition in developing countries. A French company, Nutriset, holds patents on its product, Plumpynut, in 38 countries. The Carlsbad-based Mama Cares Foundation and a Texas nonprofit have filed suit in federal court challenging Nutrisets U.S. patent. Patent challenge: The plaintiffs argue that Nutrisets patent is so broad that it should be invalidated. Some aid organizations say the routine use of patents for humanitarian food products could limit supply. Patent proponent: Nutriset says it has a right to protect its intellectual property with patents, which also assure quality control. The company says it is committed to meeting supply demands and offers franchises, mostly in developing countries.
Mike Mellace only has to look at his 4-year-old son Ammanuel, brought home from an Ethiopian orphanage a year ago, to know what it means to save a child from malnutrition.
Ive seen firsthand how good nutrition can change a childs life, Mellace said. Hes gained 10 pounds and grown 4 inches since we brought him home last January.
Mellace, 35, wants to help many more children in circumstances like those he saw in Ethiopia, where you cant escape the poverty and hunger.
The Carlsbad resident is challenging a French companys U.S. patent on a nut-based vitamin-fortified food paste for starving children, saying it has put a stranglehold on production and distribution of such lifesaving foods.
Mellace, a snack-food entrepreneur who has developed a similar product, argues in his lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., that the patent Nutriset holds is too broad and should be invalidated.
Nutriset has patents in 38 countries to make Plumpynut, a ready-to-use therapeutic food that has revolutionized treatment of severe acute malnutrition in children. The company provides humanitarian agencies with 90 percent of the global supply of such therapeutic food.
Mellace, president of the nonprofit Mama Cares Foundation and co-owner of Mellace Family Brands, joined with a Texas nonprofit called Breedlove Foods to file suit last month.
Mellaces foundation plans to make a therapeutic food paste called Re:vive in partnership with Christian relief organization World Vision International. Breedlove Foods has a similar product called VitaNUT Pro.
Mellace said Mama Cares and Breedlove sued because they expect Nutriset would claim theyre infringing on its U.S. patent obtained in 2002.
Mellace also wants to resolve the issue so World Vision can buy Re:vive without a legal fight.
Were both just trying to get a product out there, said Mellace while sitting in his Carlsbad office, where the air smells sweetly of the roasted nuts and cinnamon used in his snack products.
The fact that they have a patent that is preventing aid organizations from getting this and at a cheaper price is ridiculous. More than 16,000 children a day are dying of malnutrition, he said.
Nutriset spokesman Remi Vallet said by phone from France that the company could not comment specifically on the lawsuit it had not yet received.
In general, though, the company defends its right to patent its intellectual property and says its dominance in the therapeutic-food field is because of its research and development, quality and technological knowledge. Other companies can produce similar products in countries without Nutriset patents, it says.
That doesnt mean a company could ship those products just anywhere, though.
Under World Trade Organization regulations, Nutriset can challenge anyone who makes, uses or imports a product like Plumpynut in any country where Nutriset holds a valid patent.
A WTO member country would have to declare a medical emergency to override such a patent, said William O. Hennessey, professor of law at Franklin Pierce Law Center in New Hampshire. Hennessey is an expert in international trade law and intellectual property law.
This is a very politicized area of international patent law in developing countries, Hennessey said.
Attorney Robert Chiaviello Jr. is representing Mama Cares Foundation and Breedlove pro bono. If Nutrisets U.S. patent is invalidated, courts in other countries may follow suit, Chiaviello said from his Dallas office at Fulbright & Jaworski, an international law firm.
Doctors Without Borders stepped into the patent controversy by sending an open letter to Nutriset in November, decrying the routine practice of patenting humanitarian foods.
The letter scolds Nutriset for threatening to sue a Norwegian company that exported its Plumpynut-like paste to Kenya, where Nutriset has a patent. The letter also criticizes Nutriset for demanding the company stop storing its in-transit product in countries with Nutriset patents.
The flap is the latest sign of a growing worry among aid agencies over relying on one company and its 10 franchises for a critically needed humanitarian food.
We think it is important that patents not present barriers to access to lifesaving products like (ready-to-use therapeutic food) for children suffering from severe malnutrition, said Emi MacLean, U.S. director of the Doctors Without Borders Access to Essential Medicines Campaign.
Nutriset was founded in 1986 in Normandy, France, and makes several nutritional products used in developing countries. The company had gross sales of about $109 million in 2009, Vallet said.
The company radically changed treatment for severe acute malnutrition in 1996, when Nutriset and the French Institute for Research and Development created Plumpynut. Geared for children ages 6 months to 5 years, Plumpynut is a mixture of peanut butter, powdered milk, sugar and vegetable oil fortified with 40 vitamins and minerals.
The product is packaged in individual 500-calorie servings that can be stored for two years, and provides safe milk that doesnt need added water.
Humanitarian agencies jumped at the product because Plumpynut has a nearly 90 percent success rate in reversing severe malnutrition in children given two or three packets a day for about a month.
That (success rate) had never been done on such a large scale before, Vallet said.
Demand for Plumpynut has doubled annually since 2005, with the United Nations Childrens Fund, or UNICEF, buying 60 percent of the product for its own use or to give to other agencies.
Because Plumpynut is so effective and easy to use, the World Health Organization agreed in 2007 that severely malnourished children could be treated at home instead of in a hospital.
That breakthrough caused demand for Plumpynut to surge.
The companys French factory and its 10 worldwide franchises sold 15,620 tons in 2009 but could have produced twice that amount if the demand had been there, according to the company. Nutriset is dedicated to making sure this product is available and affordable to children who need it, Vallet said.
The need is severe. Just 3 percent of the estimated 20 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition each year get treatment.
Aid agencies struggle with funding, communication and inefficient supply networks.
A 2009 UNICEF-commissioned study pointed to those problems and another: that an expected 30 percent increase in demand each year for Plumpynut could max out Nutrisets production capacity by 2014.
In their study, researchers from Duke University and the University of North Carolina warned, One dominant world supplier of (ready-to-use therapeutic food) may be an unreliable system.
Nutriset says the UNICEF study is inaccurate, but Cliff Lenton, World Visions global health strategist, said the study shows that more producers, better supply chains and lower prices are needed.
World Vision hired Tufts University nutrition professor Susan Roberts to conduct a field trial comparing Re:vive to Plumpynut this spring. The study will be done in Africa with 1,000 children.
Mellace said he can make 1,200 tons of Re:vive this year and sell it for $35 per course of treatment. Plumpynut costs about $50 for the same amount.
We could treat 133,000 kids in the next 12 months, he said. In the scheme of things, thats not a lot but its a good start.
Mellace and Mellace Family Brands partner Mike Runion donate 2 percent of sales from their for-profit company to the nonprofit Mama Cares Foundation to be used for humanitarian causes. Sales reportedly totaled $19.6 million in 2008.
Mellace said the idea for Re:vive came before he and his wife, Rebecca, adopted Ammanuel. But the severe poverty he saw in Ethiopia invigorated the project.
When I came back, I thought, if we can do this, weve got to do it, he said.
Janet Lavelle: (760) 476-8201; janet.lavelle@uniontrib.com
According to a government release, the collection figure will increase as the last date for payment of GST as well as filing of GSTR 3B return for August was September 20.
By Rahul Shrivastava: At a time when the government is battling sluggish economic growth, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection figures are indicating a positive scenario. July saw GST collection of Rs 92,283 crore from 64.42 per cent of the total taxpayer base. The government has already collected Rs 90,669 crore in GST for August, the second month of the indirect tax regime rollout.
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The total revenue of GST paid under different heads (up to September 25) is Rs 90,669 crore. Of this, the total CGST revenue is Rs 14,402 crore, SGST revenue is Rs 21,067 crore, IGST revenue is Rs 47,377 crore (of which IGST from imports in August 2017 is Rs 23,180 crore) and compensation cess is Rs 7,823 crore (of which Rs 547 crore is compensation cess from imports in August 2017).
A government source said that the situation will only improve further. "The total revenue of GST paid under different heads (up to September 25) is Rs 90,669 crore, but these figures do not include GST paid by 10.24 lakh assessees who have opted for the composition scheme," he said.
ALSO READ | What Arun Jaitley said on GST collections and rates: Everything you need to know
According to a government release, the collection figure will increase as the last date for payment of GST as well as filing of GSTR 3B return for August was September 20. Also, a large number of assessees have not filed their returns either for July or August.
The government disclosed that a similar upward revision has taken place in the July figure. According to the revised estimate, the GST mop-up for July stood at Rs 94,063 crore, up from the initial projection of Rs 92,283 crore. Total taxpayers who are supposed to file monthly returns for August is 68.20 lakh, of which, as on September 25, only 37.63 lakh GSTR 3B returns have been filed. A senior officer clarified that due to several reasons, assessees are filing belated returns for July and August.
Of the total GST July collection of Rs 92,283 crore, the total CGST revenue was Rs 14,894 crore, SGST revenue was Rs 22,722 crore, IGST revenue was Rs 47,469 crore (of which IGST from imports was Rs 20,964 crore) and compensation cess was Rs 7,198 crore (of which Rs 599 crore is compensation cess from imports).
The government is keeping a close eye at the GST collections as higher collections will not only add to the GST's political mileage and centre's coffers but faster revenue neutrality to the pre GST levels will enthuse the states to enforce GST with vigour. This will even start opening up to the idea of subsuming more products like petroleum in the GST. The government expects that this will bring down the price of petrol and diesel which are facing multiple levies.
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ALSO WATCH | Time to bring fuel prices under GST: Oil Minister Pradhan
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Additional Solicitor General of Government of India Satya Paul Jain said that the court has directed the I-T department and ED to inquire into the bank accounts and both movable and immovable assets.
By Anand Patel: The Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the Income Tax (I-T) department and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to conduct a probe into the assets of Dera Sacha Sauda's jailed chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The Court commissioner appointed by the High Court sought more time to compile the report on the assets of the self-styled godman.
The HC bench was hearing a PIL into the alleged mishandling of the Dera chief verdict by the Haryana government. Ram Rahim was pronounced guilty in two rape cases by a special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25.
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The bench was informed that the investigation into the assets and wealth of the Sirsa Dera is being compiled. Additional Solicitor General of Government of India Satya Paul Jain said that the court has directed the Income Tax department and ED to inquire into the bank accounts and both movable and immovable assets.
The Punjab government representatives informed the court that the state incurred an expense of Rs 169 crore on the deployment of security forces in view of the court verdict. The court was also informed that the state has filed 59 cases in the violence which took place in Punjab post the verdict.
Meanwhile, followers of the second chief of the Sirsa Dera Shah Satnam have also filed a plea before the high court. They have demanded that the management of the Deras be taken over by the state government or the courts to restore their sanctity.
ALSO WATCH | Mass grave at Dera's Sirsa HQ has 600 skeletons: Ram Rahim's aide
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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/27/2017 -- The biscuits market is a huge market as compared to other packaged food markets. Biscuits contain nutritional components which include carbohydrates, fats, and fibers which are essential to human health. The nutritional value of biscuits has made them a highly preferred breakfast meal worldwide. Biscuits are easy to carry, store, and can be consumed as per preference. These aspects make them a convenient food product which are consumed and enjoyed by people of every age group. Biscuits can be consumed along with beverages like tea and coffee or as it is. Premium quality biscuits contain a rich taste and flavor and are heavily consumed.
Obtain Report Details @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/switzerland-biscuits-market.html
The Switzerland biscuits market has been segmented by ingredients, products, and age group type. In terms of ingredients, the market has been segmented into flour, sugar, butter, chocolate, milk, cream, and others. Others ingredients segment includes nuts, salt, flavor agents and vegetable oil among others. Flour is by far the largest segment by ingredients due to its diversified application in preparation of biscuits, whereas chocolate and milk are expected to be fast growing ingredient segments. Flour ingredient segment dominates the market share in terms of revenue as well as volume. In terms of product type, the market has been segmented into: rich tea biscuits, bourbon biscuits, plain biscuits, chocolate coated biscuits, filled biscuits, and others. Others products segment includes speculaas and wafers among others. In terms of revenue, a chocolate coated biscuit is the largest segment by product type; however, bourbon biscuits also hold significant market share owing to the growing popularity of chocolate flavor cream based biscuits.
In addition, rich tea biscuits are low fat, low calorie, and high fiber snacking alternatives; thus, this segment is expected to become popular among senior Swiss consumers who are conscious about their health. In terms of age group, the biscuits market has been segmented into: 5 10 age group, 11 19 age group, 20 30 age group, 31 40 age group, and 41 and above age group. In terms of revenue, 20-30 years age group consumers dominate the Switzerland biscuits market. Whereas, 5-10 age group consumers in Switzerland is expected to be the fastest growing segment over the forecast period. Children of age group 5-10 enjoy cream-filled biscuits and different flavor of wafers. Chocolate coated biscuits, jam filled or cream filled biscuits are very popular among this age group.
Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=13865
Increasing retail outlets and strengthening retail network is anticipated to be the most prominent driver for the Switzerland biscuits market. Organized retailing and marketing and effective branding by vendors is expected to open new market opportunities for the biscuits market in Switzerland. Increasing capital investments is the major driver of the retail sector.
In this report, detail analysis of major driving factors along with key restraints and opportunities (DROs) of the Switzerland biscuits market are covered. The research study analyzed the ongoing market trends and provides details forecast for the period from 2016 to 2024. In addition, major suppliers and manufacturers in this industry are listed in the scope of the report. Price trend analysis for different product types in this biscuits industry would help the market players to understand the different factors that are influencing on the average unit price of biscuits. Average unit prices of biscuits remained unchanged in 2015 and this is expected to increase marginally over the forecast period. Due to the strong position of the Swiss franc, domestic manufacturers faced a heavy burden not only in exports, but also from the intense price competition by imports from European countries. The increasing number of imported biscuits as well as the strong position of private label products reduced the average unit price in many categories. However, the volatile commodity prices of cereals, cocoa and nuts lifted the prices of other categories, most notably chocolate coated biscuits.
Major players in the biscuits market include Kambly SA, Wernli AG, Walkers Shortbread Ltd,Kagi Sohne AG., Lefevre-Utile, Barilla G. e R. Fratelli S.p.A, Nestle S.A., Lotus Bakeries N.V., Burton's Food, Confiserie Sprungli AG, Midor AG, HUG AG, United Biscuit among others. This report would help the biscuits manufacturer, suppliers and distributer to estimate and analyze the demand and consumption of biscuits across the Switzerland.
The scope of the study presents a comprehensive evaluation of the stakeholder strategies and winning imperatives for them by segmenting the Switzerland biscuits market as below:
Switzerland Biscuits Market, Ingredients Analysis
Flour
Sugar
Butter
Chocolate
Milk
Cream
Others
Switzerland Biscuits Market, Product Analysis
Rich Tea
Bourbon
Plain biscuits
Chocolate Coated biscuits
Filled biscuits
Others
Switzerland Biscuits Market, Age Group Analysis
5 10
11 19
20 30
31 40
41 and Above
Fountainville, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/27/2017 -- Eagles Peak is dedicated to providing fresh, clean, and delicious water to people throughout Pennsylvania. In fact, the company provides its customers with fresh 100% natural spring water that hails from carefully selected springs located in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Whether a homeowner is seeking fresh bottled water or a business is searching for high-quality water coolers for their offices in Philadelphia, PA, as well as the surrounding areas, they do not have to look any further than Eagles Peak.
Business owners never have to worry about their employees becoming dehydrated again when they choose Eagles Peak. This company delivers refreshing spring water direct to any home's doorstep or office's break room. This eliminates the need of lugging water from stores; all the client needs to do is order it and allow the Eagles Peak employees to do the heavy lifting.
With a broad range of water coolers, the selection at Eagles Peak can meet just about any customer's needs. Their coolers come in a variety of colors and shapes that will fit in with any type of decor, and every single one of them occupies only one square foot of floor space. Those who are wishing to keep their electricity bill low and minimize their environmental impact will be pleased to know that each of the company's new coolers is Energy Star rated.
Eagles Peak offers plenty of various bottle sizes to fit their customers' needs. They also offer distilled water to people who are interested in Philadelphia, PA, and other local areas. To learn more about home and office water delivery services, contact Eagles Peak at 215-345-6069.
About Eagles Peak
Eagles Peak, located in Fountainville, PA, provides people throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey with pure water that's from carefully selected springs in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Naturally occurring minerals lend the water it's crisp and refreshing taste. As well as water products, this company also offers coffee products and services. Being located just outside of Doylestown, PA allows Eagles Peak to maintain a low carbon footprint and high quality control.
For more information, visit http://eaglespeak.com/.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/27/2017 -- The demand in the mosquito repellent candles market in Europe will expand at a significant CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period of 2015 to 2021, reaching a valuation of US$2.0 bn by the end of 2021, significantly up from its estimated worth of US$1.3 bn. Although the competition is stiff, there is vast scope of new product development as well as marketing in order to gain ground over the competitors. While France is rated by the report as most lucrative country-wide market for mosquito repellent candles in Europe, reasonable pricing is another prominent factor that will define the scenario of the market in the near future.
Based on raw material type, the TMR report segments the Europe mosquito repellent candles market into citronella oil, andiroba oil, basil oil, and eucalyptus oil. Out of these, citronella oil candles segment is projected to increment the demand at most prominent CAGR of 6.0% during the forecast period of 2015 to 2021, gaining traction from reasonable pricing. Citronella, a natural mosquito repellent, is extracted from the leaves and stem of lemongrass. Owing to the widespread availability of lemon grass, the production of citronella oil is not expected to subsidize during the forecast period.
Country-wise, the report takes stock of the potential of mosquito repellent candles market in France, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Hungary, and Rest of Europe. France, in particular, is expected to expand the demand at most significant CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period. Spain and Italy are other two country-wide markets projected to add to the demand for mosquito repellent candles in the near future.
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Apart from the discomfort they cause, the prevalence of numerous mosquito-inflicted diseases was already the primary factor augmenting the demand for these mosquito repellent candles, but now the discovery of Zika virus has further fueled the need for this candles. Dengue fever, yellow fever, and bunyamwera fever are some of the common diseases caused by these mosquitoes. Specific oils in these candles ward off mosquitoes with the smoke they produce, and are available in the form of liquid, incense sticks, coils, and creams. In addition to that, these candles add to the decoration of the ambience as well as spread aroma. These candles release little dirt and smoke in comparison to other alternatives and hence are gaining consumer preference.
Tiger mosquitoes, who are flourishing in increasing temperatures in European countries, increasing consumer awareness and establishment of strong distribution channel are some of the other factors driving the demand in the Europe mosquito repellent candles market. Conversely, soot produced by paraffin wax is severely harmful, if consumed or inhaled. This factor obstructs potential consumers to opt against mosquito repellent candles, and hinders the prosperity of the market for the same.
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The Europe mosquito repellent candles market is marked by intensive research and development of new products by leading companies that differentiates them from their rivals, according to a recent study by Transparency Market Research (TMR). The report rates Yankee Candle Company, Gies-Kerzen GmbH, Diversam Comaral, Guangzhou Tiger Head Battery Group, Biosensory Inc., Bite Lite LLC, and Coghlan's Ltd. as some of the leading companies operating in the European mosquito repellent candles market. Constant focus of these companies is on making products that are ecofriendly, made from natural substances, and are harmless to human beings.
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Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said the US, which is putting pressure on Islamabad to tackle terrorist groups operating from its soil, once used to treat Hafiz Saeed and the Haqqani network as "darlings" just 20 to 30 years ago. He admitted that they were "liabilities."
By Press Trust of India: Pakistan's Foreign Minister has acknowledged that Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, the Haqqanis and the LeT are "liabilities" but the country lacks the required "assets" to get rid of them.
Khawaja Asif said that the US, which is putting pressure on Pakistan to tackle terrorist groups operating from its soil, once used to treat them as "darlings" just 20 to 30 years back.
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US President Donald Trump had last month criticised Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying it receives billions in US aid but continues to harbour militants.
"Dont blame us for the Haqqanis (the Haqqani terror network) and dont blame us for the Hafiz Saeeds (chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa terror group)," Khawaja Asif said at the Asia Society forum here yesterday.
"These were the people who were your darlings just 20 to 30 years back. They were being dined and wined in the White House and now you say go to hell Pakistanis because you are nurturing these people," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.
It is very easy to say Pakistan is floating the Haqqanis and Hafiz Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. They are liabilities, Asif said.
"I accept that they are liabilities, but give us time to get rid of them because we dont have the assets to match these liabilities and you are increasing them (our liabilities) further," the minister said.
Pakistan is ready to work with the US for effective management of the Afghan border to stop terrorist infiltration and to facilitate a peace settlement in Afghanistan, he said.
'NO MILITARY SOLUTION TO AFGHANISTAN CONFLICT'
Khawaja Asif said that there was no military solution to the festering conflict in Afghanistan.
"Scapegoating Pakistan for all the Afghan ills is neither fair nor accurate. This will only help forces that we are trying to fight collectively," he said.
Asif also talked about Pakistans relations with India, the Kashmir dispute, counter-terrorism measures and the country's economic progress.
Pakistan has a "larger stake" in seeing the return of peace and stability in Afghanistan than any other country, having suffered grievously from the conflict and instability across the border.
"We are mindful of the strong desire in the US to bring the long war in Afghanistan to an end. We support this objective wholeheartedly and are ready to help in any way we can to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan," he offered.
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He, however, made it clear that there were obviously clear limits to what Pakistan could do.
"We cannot take responsibility for Afghanistan's peace and security and be asked to achieve what the combined strength of some of the most powerful and richest countries could not accomplish," he said.
Talking about Pakistans sour relations with India, the minister said that a new initiative was needed to bring India and Pakistan to the negotiating table.
He said that the need to discuss all issues, including the decades-old Kashmir dispute, the main source of tension between the two countries.
"Peace in the neighbourhood is impossible to achieve unless relations with India improve. Pakistan reached out to India to seek normalisation of relations and resolution of all disputes through dialogue and engagement, but India did not reciprocate," Asif claimed.
Pakistan is ready to work with India to seek peaceful resolution of all disputes and to create an environment of peace and stability allowing the people of the two countries to realise their aspirations of prosperity and development, the minister added.
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A new rodent species with an unusual lifestyle has been discovered on Vangunu an island, part of the New Georgia Islands in the Solomon Islands by an international team of researchers.
This new rat was found by Dr. Tyrone Lavery, a mammalogist at the Field Museum in Chicago, and Hikuna Judge of the Solomon Islands Zaira Resource Management Area.
Named Uromys vika, the new species is the first new rodent from Solomon Islands in more than 80 years.
Uromys vika is pretty spectacular its a big, giant rat. Its the first rat discovered in 80 years from Solomons, and its not like people havent been trying it was just so hard to find, Dr. Lavery said.
The giant rat is known from a single specimen captured in the Dillenia salomonensis tree on Vangunu Island.
Vika are a lot bigger than the black rats that spread throughout the world with European colonists the rats youll see in American alleys weigh around 200 grams (0.44 pounds), Solomon Islands rats can be more than four times that size, weighing up to a kilogram (2.2 pounds), Dr. Lavery said.
And from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail, the new species is about 45 cm (1.5 feet) long.
And while they havent yet been observed cracking open coconuts, they do have a penchant for chewing circular holes into nuts to get at the meat.
The giant size and possum-like tree-dwelling lifestyle of Uromys vika can be traced back to its island home.
Islands are full of animals found nowhere else on earth that evolved in isolation from the rest of the world, Dr. Lavery said.
Vikas ancestors probably rafted to the island on vegetation, and once they got there, they evolved into this wonderfully new species, nothing like what they came from on the mainland.
According to the team, Uromys vika is rare and cryptic, and should be categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, due to its small distributional range, apparent low population densities, and rapid progress of commercial logging on Vangunu Island.
The new rodent is described in a paper published in the Journal of Mammalogy.
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Tyrone H. Lavery & Hikuna Judge. A new species of giant rat (Muridae, Uromys) from Vangunu, Solomon Islands. Journal of Mammalogy, published online September 27, 2017; doi: 10.1093/jmammal/gyx116
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) met for its 46th session in Montreal, Canada, from September 6-10. It reached an agreement on an outline of contributions from its three working groups to the Sixth Assessment Report, which is due to be published in 2022. It will now recruit a team of experts and authors responsible for producing the document.
It is in this context that the IPCCs vice-president, Youba Sokona, who comes from Mali, is calling on young African researchers and scientists to get involved in the Panels work on climate change.
SciDev.Net caught up with Sokona at the IPCC session in Montreal. In this interview, he talks about initiatives, launched with partners, which aim at breaking down the barriers preventing young African researchers and scientists in particular those from Francophone Africa from playing a full role in the Panels agenda.
What do you make of African responses to climate change?
There is a great deal of awareness and a strong political commitment when it comes to issues around global warming. Whats more, as far as the heads of state are concerned, they meet as part of a committee on climate change, which is currently chaired by the President of Gabon. An African initiative on renewable energy, launched and led by the heads of state, was also planned and developed ahead of the Paris COP 21 (the UN climate summit). So, the political will is there, and there is increasing interest in issues surrounding climate change. Obviously, if we want this growing mobilisation to yield results, we need the scientific and technological community to play a full part in addressing these questions. At the moment, their response does not do justice to the nature of the problem.
What is behind this lack of engagement by the African scientific community?
One of the problems is that work done for the IPPC is carried out on a voluntary basis. It is unpaid. And it requires a huge amount of time, effort and engagement. In practical terms, it means that you can, for instance, be asked to read through 3,000 or 4,000 pages of documents and review comments. But as we know, African researchers and scientists are usually not in a position to make this sort of time commitment. Its different for their colleagues in industrialised and emerging countries whose governments allocate resources to them when they are appointed. Currently, all of the work that I do for the IPCC is done in my spare time, in addition to the work I am paid to do. Im not remunerated, and I cant draw on any resources. Representatives of Canada, the USA, Germany, France and China are appointed by their governments and the hours they spend contributing to IPCC activities count as work. Thats usually not the case for Africans.
If we want this growing mobilisation to yield results, we need the scientific and technological community to play a full part in addressing these questions Youba Sokona
What can be done to change this?
We are currently working on a project which I hope we will receive funding for. I am an honorary professor at University College London (UCL) in the UK. Along with colleagues at UCL, I have launched an initiative to encourage greater involvement of African scientists in the work of the IPCC. It aims to engage them, to offer guidance and support, and provide them with a substantial amount of assistance. We have applied to a number of institutions for funding.
The programme is aimed first and foremost at young African scientists. If we are successful in getting it off the ground, I think it will serve to raise their awareness, offer them support, and give them a better understanding of the field. They are usually not integrated into multi-national research groups, which results in their contribution being relatively marginal. The aim of this programme is to build capacity, raise awareness, and encourage African scientists to support the work of the IPCC.
First, we would discuss the workings of the IPCC how we compile evidence and analyse it. We would explain how they can become authors, coordinating authors, contributors or reviewers of documents. We would also make an online course available for those unable to attend training seminars.
At what stage are you with this now?
We have already received a small amount of funding to develop a programme of online courses. As for the rest, we are reliant on the goodwill of funders. We have submitted a bid to the AfDB (African Development Bank) in response to a call for proposals. We hope that we will obtain some funds soon.
Most of the time, its the francophone African communities who are the most marginalised as the bulk of the literature is in English and IPCC business is conducted in English. Those who dont speak the language feel a bit intimidated and hesitate to intervene in debates. They are therefore at a huge disadvantage, and this is something we take into consideration in the context of our training programme.
How has the African scientific community responded to these different initiatives?
I recently met with the new student intake and doctoral students at the WASCAL (West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use) programme, which is funded by the German government. The programme covers the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. All of these young people are enthusiastic and want to get involved in the activities of the IPCC. The problem is that they dont always know how to go about it, and that is precisely where initiatives like ours come in. They give them the opportunity to inform themselves and get support and advice.
We are also working to identify a number of themes on which we could ask African researchers to contribute to scientific journals because the IPCCs role is to compile evidence published in journals. If nothing has been published on certain important topics, it is difficult to discuss them in the context of the IPCCs work. I remember that for the IPCCs third report, a few of us had to get together and write papers on sustainable development so that the IPCC could take them into consideration. We want the new generation of African researchers to be able to do the same thing.
This piece was originally published by SciDev.Nets Sub-Saharan Africa French desk.
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 27 (PTI) Want to know 99 ways to impress your crush, dying to make that delicious chocolate cake or anxious to learn whether that nagging headache is something serious?
Just Google it, of course. For 19 years, the search engine has been the answer to all our queries, from the most random to the most meaningful.
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And on its 19th birthday today, Google, which made the doodle famous and part of all our online lives, spun another surprise.
Its special doodle to mark the day features a spinning wheel to explore 19 surprises launched over 19 years in a simple and fun way through games such as tic-tac-toe and snakes and ladders. With every spin of the wheel, the player gets to play the best of Googles Doodle games.
Over the 19 years, Google has progressed beyond just providing search results.
Apart from producing its own hardware and software, it has delved into areas like self-driving cars, synthetic intelligence & gadget mastering and Google analytics.
Google is named after the "Googol", which is basically the number 1 followed by a hundred zeroes.
The search giant, which was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University, currently serves 4.6 billion users across 160 countries - searching for things in 123 different languages.
So keep saying, "Just google it!" PTI DPB MIN MIN
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The US Embassy through the Ministry of Defence asked the IAF for help in locating Margaret Allen Stone, the woman stranded in Leh.
By India Today Web Desk: In a heroic act, the Indian Air Force rescued a US citizen from Leh in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.
The woman was stranded for nearly 20 days without assistance and suffered serious injuries.
The US Embassy through the Ministry of Defence asked the IAF for help in locating Margaret Allen Stone, the woman stranded in Leh.
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Stone had set out for a trekking trip in Ladakh's Zhingchan area, some 75 kilometres from Leh on September 6.
Stone was stranded after she suffered an injury while on her trek and was held up in the remote location for the next 20 days.
When the IAF personnel located her, Stone was in a critical condition. Officials said that her condition had deteriorated over the last 20 days due to a lack of medical attention.
"IAF responded to the situation with requisite alacrity. Exact location of Ms Stine was ascertained with the help of civil administration and by evening two IAF helicopters were able to locate Ms Stone in the Valley. Ms Stone was brought to the safety of Leh hospital for medical care by sunset on 26 September 27," read a statement by the IAF.
20 days stuck with injury in the Ladakh mountains, US tourist rescued yesterday by Indian Air Force choppers. Statement: pic.twitter.com/EzDBQLxj07- Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) September 27, 2017
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Passage To Prosperity is a US-sponsored trade and investment initiative that will focus on better regional integration by strengthening economic ties between Afghanistan and India. It will be attended by Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the Chief Executive of Afghanistan.
By Geeta Mohan: Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the Chief Executive of Afghanistan, will be in New Delhi to participate in Passage To Prosperity, a US-sponsored trade and investment initiative that will focus on better regional integration by strengthening economic ties between Afghanistan and India. He will also take part in bilateral talks.
Abdullah was supposed to inaugurate the event with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, but couldn't because of a terrorist attack at Kabul airport.
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Jaitley referred to the attack in his opening remarks. "Afghanistan has gone through many challenges. Dr. Abdullah couldn't arrive today is because of the continued test that it has been put through. Afghanistan has seen crisis and shown the resilience to emerge out of that crisis," he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement that Abdullah's trip to India would be a 'working visit.' He'll call on President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at around noon on Thursday.
The MEA emphasised on the importance of Indo-Afghan relations and the strategic need to remain engaged.
"India and Afghanistan enjoy deep rooted civilisational links. India has been partnering with the Government and the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to build a stable, peaceful, prosperous, united and pluralistic country. The visit of the Chief Executive of Afghanistan will provide (an) opportunity to review and build upon the multifaceted bilateral cooperation," it said.
Abdullah's visit comes after the recently-concluded second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council, co-chaired by Sushma Swaraj and her Afghan counterpart, Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani. Both sides ushered in the next-generation New Development Partnership.
'A GREAT MARKET FOR AFGHAN BUSINESSES'
Dr. Abdullah Abdullah's visit was to be kicked off with the inauguration of the India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment show on Wednesday evening.
It was inaugurated by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Ambassador Hugo Llorens (the Special Charge d'affaires of the US Embassy in Afghanistan), and MaryKay Carlson, Charge d'affaires of the US Embassy in India.
"I am sure that India will be a great market for Afghan businesses to try and market these goods itself," Jaitley said at the inauguration. "Expansion of trade has been (a) win-win situation for all the countries...I am quite certain not only a win-win for both the countries, but help Afghanistan in enabling its economy (to) stand firm and on stronger footing."
Jaitley referred to the importance of connectivity, and the role Chabahar Port in Iran and the Indo-Afghan air corridor can play.
Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju called for more cities and products to be added to the recently launched India-Afghanistan air corridor, to further strengthen bilateral ties.
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"Let us now go beyond Delhi and Kabul and focus on adding more cities and products to this corridor," he said.
Afghanistan is being assisted by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in this initiative, aimed at developing stronger India-Afghanistan relations - by forging business deals for Afghan products such as produce, spices, carpets and gems, and by connecting Indian investors with Afghan companies.
India, Afghanistan and the US have shown commitment to stabilising and rebuilding Afghanistan. This is one of the means to that end.
VIDEO: US President Donald Trump recently said his country wants a larger role for India in Afghanistan.
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By PTI: By Lalit K Jha
Washington, Sep 26 (PTI) India appears keen to do more in Afghanistan than its already promised USD 3 billion for development aid, a top US general told lawmakers today, asserting that New Delhi can provide additional training and equipment to build capacity of the Afghan security forces.
US President Donald Trump while announcing his new Afghan and South Asia policy last month had advocated for a greater role for India in Afghanistan.
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Trump called on India to help the US more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.
"With regard to India, the President called on India to invest more in development projects in Afghanistan. India appears eager to do more beyond the roughly USD 3 billion in development assistance it has provided since 2001," said General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"From the military dimension, I believe India has the capacity to provide additional training and equipment to build capacity of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces," Dunford said in written response to questions from members of the Senate Armed Services Committee for confirmation hearing for his reappointment.
Dunford said the new strategy includes building broad consensus for a stable Afghanistan, de-escalating tensions between regional states and emphasising regional integration and cooperation.
"It is critical that Pakistan and other neighbouring countries support the legitimate Afghan Government, the United States and NATO missions, and take positive steps to fight terrorism and achieve stability in the region," he said.
The strategy places especial emphasis on influencing Pakistan to change its policies which are detrimental to the US, NATO, Afghanistans and even Pakistans own interests, he said.
Dunford said while China has invested significantly in western Afghanistan, particularly in mining infrastructure to support their One Belt One Road initiative, its security investments have so far been minimal.
He said under the new strategy, the US looks to increase the Chinese investment in areas that support the legitimate Afghan government.
"With regard to Russia, our interests diverge on many issues, yet we share common interests such as countering transnational terrorism and stabilising Afghanistan. Under the new strategy, our efforts will look to advance our mutual interests in ways that do not cede diplomatic space or allow Russia to adversely affect our efforts to stabilise Afghanistan," Dunford said.
"With regard to Iran, the new strategy seeks to counterbalance Iranian influence in Afghanistan while continuing engagement in regional forums and encouraging Iran to support the Afghan Government and overall stability in Afghanistan," he said. PTI LKJ MRJ
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By Kiran Tare: This story has been removed
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From 'Ivy league of terrorists' last year to 'Terroristan' and unmasking the 'true face of Pakistan' this year, Paulomi Tripathi and Eenam Gambhir took on the responsibility of putting forth India's position very well.
By Geeta Mohan: The Permanent Mission of India in New York has taken the lead in showcasing 'Young India' and the talent house that they are to further India's goals at the world body, the United Nations.
The young officers were fielded to respond to Pakistan at United Nations General Assembly. A decision that has paid rich dividends to the Indian mission and its chief Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, who in an interview to India Today, said, "We have many young diplomats who are fearless and represent a new India. India is a young country. Sixty five per cent of our population is under the age of 35. Therefore, they have to take over from us. Our job is to mentor them, to give them confidence, to take the world on".
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From 'Ivy league of terrorists' last year to 'Terroristan' and unmasking the 'true face of Pakistan' this year, the two young Indian diplomats took on the responsibility of putting forth India's position very well.
MEET THE DIPLOMATS
Paulomi Tripathi- She is the junior-most officer in the Permanent Mission in New York who on Monday exposed Pakistan's lies when India exercised the 'Right of Reply' (RoR) and she called out Pakistan at the world forum for using a fake photo and passing it of as that of a Kashmiri victim. This young diplomat took on the senior-most in the Pakistani mission in New York, Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi.
She is an officer of 2007 batch who joined the mission three months ago. Tripathi handles Human Rights issues and was asked to move to the New York on a very short notice. She was a PhD scholar in JNU but joined IFS before completion of her programme. If her Facebook profile is to go by, she hails from Kolkata.
Highly regarded amongst her peers as a no-nonsense officer, Tripathi was until recently handling key portfolio in MEA HQ. She was the lynchpin of the administration, perhaps the most coveted post at junior level. She was the deputy secretary (Foreign Service Personnel). A mother of two, Tripathi has also served in Spain and speaks fluent in Portuguese.
Eenam Gambhir- A bright young diplomat who took on two Pakistani premiers in two consecutive years. Her response to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi would be remembered for the term that was coined to corner Pakistan, 'Terroristan'.
"The quest for a land of pure has actually produced 'the land of pure terror'. Pakistan is now terroristan," she said.
Last year, Gambhir had delivered a similarly befitting reply to the then Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif after he, too, raised the Kashmir issue at the UN. She had likened Pakistan, known as 'the land of Taxila' to the 'ivy league of terrorism'.
In UN, Gambhir is representing India for the "security council reform, counter-terrorism, cyber security issues, security council (regional issues), all special missions including those approved by UNSC, NAM coordination and Outreach w Universities/Colleges - Coordination" related topics.
An alumnus of Hindu College, DU, Gambhir is a 2005-batch IFS officer. Her Twitter account says she is a Delhiite. She has served in Madrid, Spain and is said to be fluent in Spanish. She has also served in Argentina and Brazil.
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Before her posting to the Permanent Mission of India, New York, Gambhir was serving at the PAI (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) Desk, which is an important division of the MEA.
ALSO WATCH | Envoy Syed Akbaruddin on exposing Pak's lie: Our goal was to place the fact at the disposal of UNGA
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After opposition from certain quarters in the Indian Army and security forces, NSG commandos have been now limited to training security personnel of CRPF and the J&K Police.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: It is Kashmir's best kept secret for at least a month now. Kept under wraps is a mini National Security Guard (NSG) hub-cum-regional training centre in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), where the Black Cats will soon be training security forces in the terror-hit region with focus on urban core operation, urban warfare and room intervention.
Sources said the decision was taken by the ministry of home affairs, but setting up of the base was kept low key. DGP Sudhir Pratap Singh confirmed that the NSG had been deployed for training purpose, but refused to comment further on it. However, the latest entrant in the trouble-torn state has caused flutter and debate within the forces. Initially brought into the Valley for operational purpose, there seemed to be an opposition from certain quarters in the army and security forces. Due to this, the NSG team has been now been limited to train security personnel of CRPF and the J&K Police.
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High level sources confirmed to Mail Today that "a Company (40 personnel) of Black Cats commandos of the NSG have been camping at the CRPF pre-induction training centre in Lethapora, near Srinagar, for close to a month, though any sort of training is yet to begun".
NSG's 51 Special Action Group (SAG), tasked to carry out anti-hijack and anti-terror operations, are currently stationed in south Kashmir. A top source said "the army has been opposing to it tooth and nail" as the security forces operating in the Valley are divided on utility of Black Cats in counter-terror operations.
Despite being considered best in uniform to deal with counter-terror operations, the NSG was not called on August 26 during a suicide attack unleashed by three Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist at the District Police Line, Pulwama. The terrorist were holed up in two blocks, but not once, did any of the forces on ground felt the need to involve the NSG, who were only a few kilometres away. An army officer deployed in counter-terror operations in south Kashmir told Mail Today, "With regards to insurgency, the army has always dealt with counter-terror operations while the NSG deals only with the operations once every few years."
A senior CRPF officer too echoed the sentiment saying, "There are already multiple agencies working in the Valley. It will lead to a further confusion if NSG is added as force multiplier." The NSG has trained state police's Special Operations Group (SOG) last December at their headquarters in Manesar. While Kashmir has largely been out of bound for NSG commandos, the initial steps may change the counter-terror scenario in the state , which has largely been infested by Pakistan-backed terror groups.
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Radio 4's discriminatory 'Thought for the Day' slot is totemic of religious privilege at the BBC and should be the starting point for reform, says Megan Manson.
Human rights defenders are perfectly entitled to ignore FIFA's plea to 'focus on the football' and use the World Cup to shine a spotlight on Qatar's regressive regime, says Stephen Evans.
There is a direct link between the threats and violence faced by Salman Rushdie and that faced by generations of women and men in Iran, says Maryam Namazie.
Richard Scorer unpacks the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and finds that while they appear promising at first glance, they may not be enough to protect children from...
Press Release
September 27, 2017 ANGARA SEEKS HIGHEST NATIONAL AWARD FOR MIRIAM To mark Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago's first death anniversary, a Senate resolution has been introduced to posthumously bestow upon her the Republic's highest civilian service award, the Quezon Service Cross, for her 50 years of selfless service to the nation. Sponsored by Sen. Sonny Angara, Senate Resolution 517 not only enumerated the late feisty senator's service in the three branches of government but also her work as a law professor, a constitutional expert, and "as a fictionist who wrote short stories." The resolution, which will be consolidated with the one filed by Sen. Grace Poe, is expected to be passed unanimously by senators, almost all of whom had served with Defensor-Santiago in her 18 years in the Upper House. "As senator, Senator Miriam had bipartisan respect and support, and this resolution in her honor will be passed in the same manner," he said. "If she were alive today and a sitting senator, I am sure that she will cast the lone dissenting vote, and will berate me for trying to flatter her," Angara said in jest, while adding: "But seriously, she deserves the Quezon Service Cross. Because rare is the Filipino who had served in the judiciary, the Cabinet and the legislature, and the rarest is the one who served in all with brilliance and distinction. She was a class of her own." In his resolution, Angara said the late senator "exceeded the qualifications" set for a Quezon Service Cross recipient, of having served "in such a manner and such a degree as to add great prestige to the Republic, or as to contribute to the lasting benefit of its people. "Throughout the nearly five decades she served the public, Miriam Defensor Santiago exemplified academic, professional, and moral excellence--values that she herself demanded not just from fellow public servants, but also fellow Filipinos," the lawmaker's resolution read. "Santiago is among the country's legal luminaries, recognized particularly as a highly esteemed expert in constitutional and international law who has earned the Philippines honor, respect and confidence from the international community," the resolution added. The resolution paid tribute to Santiago's crusade "against a rampant culture of corruption and impunity," and recalled how she "demonstrated ironclad commitment to upholding the rule of law, and sought incessantly to elevate the professional and moral standards of public service." "Santiago, aside from being a crusader for rule of law and justice, was also a staunch advocate for making education, health, and job opportunities readily accessible to all Filipinos," the resolution pointed out. Angara's resolution highlighted Santiago's achievements as Presiding Judge of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, Immigration Commissioner, and Agrarian Reform Secretary. It cited a few of the laws she wrote and shepherded to passage among which are the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act; An Act Restructuring the Excise Tax on Alcohol and Tobacco Products; the; the Children's Emergency Relief and Protection Act; the Fair Election Act; the Oil Pollution Compensation Act; and the Magna Carta of Women. It also hailed her election in 2013 as Judge of the International Criminal Court, making her the first Filipina and the first Asian from a developing country to hold such a seat. "Senator Miriam's relevance will never wane. This senator for all seasons will be remembered as a giant statesperson for all ages," Angara exclaimed.
Press Release
September 27, 2017 Comments of Sen. Leila M. de Lima on PSR 508 Urging Pres. Rodrigo Duterte to Nominate Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago for Conferment of the Quezon Service Cross I join my Senate colleagues in honoring a great Senator and Filipina in Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago. All of us who have been blessed to witness her life know that hers was a life well-lived. She devoted her life in pursuit of excellence, and our country will be forever grateful for her service. As a trial court judge, she upheld the rule of law in spite of the threat of Martial Law. As a Bureau of Immigration Commissioner, she was a fearless crusader against corruption. As a Senator, she elevated the level of plenary debates with her impassioned and learned arguments. The laws she authored have defined the legal landscape and touched the lives of our fellow Filipinos in all corners of our archipelago. Her election as a judge in the International Criminal Court has shown that Filipinas can also be the best among the world. She deserves to take her place among the pantheon of the great Filipinos, who not only brought honor to our country, but did so in the service of our nation. The Quezon Service Cross is an honor conferred by the President, with the concurrence of the Congress, on Filipino citizens for exemplary service to the nation in such a manner and such a degree as to add great prestige to the Republic of the Philippines, or as to contribute to the lasting benefit of its people. Her work, her life, and her unwavering commitment to our democracy serve as an inspiration to us all. Sen. Miriam is a Filipina truly worthy of this distinction.
SENATOR WIN GATCHALIAN'S MANIFESTATION OF SUPPORT TOWARDS PSR. 508 NO
I support the speech of the good sponsor, Senator Grace Poe of Senate Resolution 508.
I support the initiative towards Pres. Rodrigo Duterte to nominate the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago for conferment of the Quezon Service Cross.
Senator Santiago led an illustrious career in civil service. She had served all three branches of the government in a career that spanned almost three decades, a legal luminary, statesman and a consummate diplomat.
The prestige she has brought to the country with her long list of achievements and exemplary public service make her truly deserving of the honour that we now concur to bestow. Thank you Mr. President.
Press Release
September 27, 2017 Koko urges schools to help crack down on frat violence Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III on Wednesday cautioned that fraternity violence will persist if schools do not use "vise-like" regulatory policies and stricter monitoring of Greek letter societies in campuses nationwide. "It's been more than twenty years since the Anti-Hazing Law was enacted in 1995, but the recent death of UST law student Horacio Castillo III shows us that the law itself has failed to fully deter frat members from committing acts of physical violence against neophytes," lamented Pimentel. "What's the solution then? Do we strengthen the law, or do we take a different approach and demand that schools take a tougher regulatory stance vis-a-vis these fraternities?" Pimentel, who took up law at the University of the Philippines -- where fraternities and sororities are officially recognized -- stressed that school authorities should recognize fraternities and exert efforts to ensure that all school organizations comply with the provisions of Republic Act 8049 as a prerequisite to recognition. For example, Pimentel said that Republic Act 8049 allows the conduct of "initiation rites" only if there is prior written notice addressed to school authorities seven days prior to the activity. It likewise requires the presence of at least two school representatives during the rites to ensure that no violence is used. Pimentel said that school officials should not hesitate to crack down on organizations that fail to comply with the law. "University and college officials should recognize fraternities and similar organizations so they can be subject to regulation. They should then be extremely strict about requiring fraternities to submit a list of their officers and members, as well as their activities for the semester or school year. They should also be required to name a faculty adviser who will help the schools monitor the frats' activities," said the Senate chief. "If fraternities do not meet these requirements, then they should not be recognized and should have no business operating inside the campus. If school authorities receive information that these groups continue to defy their rules and regulations, then they should not hesitate to sanction erring students with suspension--or even heavier penalties." Pimentel emphasized that there is a contract between students and schools, wherein the latter is obliged to ensure the safety and security of its students, apart from providing quality education. "Students, in turn, need to follow and abide by school regulations. If they do not, and they violate that sacred contract with the school, then they should be subject to severe penalties such as expulsion, and even criminal and civil prosecution," Pimentel added.
A large number of Naga rebels were killed along the Indo-Myanmar border after the Indian Army, in response to an attack by insurgents, rained heavy fire on NSCN(K) cadre.
By India Today Web Desk: The Indian Army killed a significant number of Naga rebels in a pre-dawn encounter along the Myanmar border. The operation was not a 'surgical strike' the Army essentially said.
The Army's Eastern Command released information about the operation on Twitter, rebutting reports of high casualties among Army personnel.
There were no casualties among Indian Army soldiers, the Eastern Command said, adding that the gunfight between its troops and the NSCN(K) cadre took place at 4.45 am.
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A large number of NSCN(K) cadre were killed in retaliatory firing, the Army said, suggesting that it was more of an encounter that a 'surgical strike' launched expressly to eliminate Naga rebels.
The Army's Eastern Command said that the operation was launched after a group of insurgents attacked an Indian Army column that was moving along the Indo-Myanmar border.
Following the attack, the Army responded with "heavy retaliatory fire" inflicting a "large number of casualties" among the insurgents, the Eastern Command said.
The Army reiterated that no troops had been killed in the operation.
SOLDIERS DID NOT CROSS INTERNATIONAL BORDER: ARMY
While today's encounter brought up memories of the 2016 cross-LoC surgical strikes in Pakistan and the 2015 strike on Naga militants, the Army said that soldiers did not cross the international border during today's operation.
Last year, in a one-of-a-kind operation, Army Special Forces launched an operation to eliminate terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Soldiers and officers from the Army's para regiment crossed the Line of Control and took out a large number of terrorists in a revenge operation launched in response to the deadly Uri attack.
A year earlier, Army troops reportedly crossed the international border into Myanmar and destroyed two militant outposts, preempting a terror attack by Naga terrorists.
The Army's Para regiment was involved in that operation as well.
WATCH VIDEO | NSCN-K terrorists killed by Indian Army along border with Myanmar, no casualties
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Senate majority calls on government to stop EJKs
Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel on Wednesday led the majority bloc of the Senate in filing Senate Resolution No. 518, which condemned extrajudicial killings in the strongest sense and called on the government to "exert and exhaust all efforts" to stop these and other unsolved killings.
The resolution was signed by 16 members of the majority, except for Senator Joel Villanueva, who is on sick leave but communicated his agreement.
"The Senate is against the violent death of every Filipino, and will seek justice for its victims", said Pimentel.
The figure came from the Philippine Information Agency, which reported that as of June 16 of this year, there is a total of 12,833 homicide cases, 2,098 of which are drug-related, 2,535 are non-drug related, and 8,200 are still under investigation.
The resolution named Kian Loyd Delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz, and Reynaldo De Guzman as cases of extrajudicial killings which alarmed the nation and sparked public outrage.
In addition, the cases of Leo Sarmiento, Raymart Siapo, and Roman Manaois were mentioned in the resolution. The senators, through the resolution, called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies to implement the law and conduct operations in accordance with the Constitution and existing laws.
Pimentel said, "The Philippines is a civilized democratic society that will not tolerate unresolved killings. The police must do its job and solve these crimes."
The Senate President added, "Let it be known that the Senate, as the bastion of democracy, will not surrender its duty to protect and defend the human rights of every Filipino.
Press Release
September 27, 2017 With 25,000 casuals, DSWD is 'endo capital' of gov't - Recto Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto today called for the initial doubling of the number of permanent job items in the Department of Social Welfare and Development--which he called the "contractualization capital" of the bureaucracy--due to its high number of temporary employees. Recto said the agency only has 2,842 regular employees to serve a clientele base of 28 million, on whom P137.5 billion will be spent next year. "Since 2010, ang budget ng DSWD lumobo na ng 800 percent, pero ang bilang ng actual na regular na empleyado 10 percent lang ang itinaas," Recto said. To be able to meet its multiple mandates, DSWD has been forced to hire a large army of temporary employees numbering 25,122, "under an alphabet soup of hiring schemes." "It has 1,351 'J.O.' workers or those covered by Job Orders. Mayroong mga na-hire under 'MOA' or Memorandum of Agreement and 'COS' or Contract of Service. These two account for 14,189. Yung mga contractuals aabot ng 9,582," Recto said. "The result is that 9 in 10 DSWD employees are temps. Those hired through JO, MOA and COS have no allowances, no bonuses, no pension. All of them have no security of tenure. Most of them have contracts that are renewed every six months or yearly. This is a class of 'endo' workers," he lamented. "Another bad side effect of having a big budget and a small staff is that when funds are not liquidated by DSWD recipients, the responsible DSWD officers are the ones sanctioned. Dahil maraming hindi na pwede pumirma ng releases, nade-delay ang implementation ng mga proyekto," Recto said. This, he said, is reflected in the DSWD's ability to spend allotments, having failed to obligate P23 billion of this since 2015. "Kawawa ang mga DSWD employees. Halimbawa, kapag ang local government hindi na-account ang pondong na-download sa kanila, ang DSWD responsible officer ang natatamaan," Recto said. Recto said the DSWD and the Department of Budget and Management, which is empowered to approve personnel positions, "must now create a pathway for the regularization of these temporary workers, many of whom have been serving for years." "In the meantime, maybe we can find a way to grant them some benefits already allowed by existing laws. Mayroong iba dyan 10, 20 years na sa serbisyo, contractual pa rin. And these are not just office workers, but frontline and field workers," he said. Recto is batting for a gradual expansion of DSWD's authorized personnel ceiling which is 3,226 at present. "Let's double it first. Then we add more positions later." For the 25,000-plus non-regular employees, Recto is urging DSWD and DBM to jointly study a compensation scheme in which their allowances can be increased "based on the equal pay for equal work doctrine." "Imagine, four annual increases na ang dumaan sa SSL III, from 2009 to 2012. Tapos, mayroong ongoing four annual increases under SSL IV, pero yung sa mga casuals, tila yata nakapako. Those who are fighting poverty are poor themselves," he said, referring to the two rounds of Salary Standardization Law hikes. Recto said the DSWD's proposed 2018 budget of P137.5 billion is P9.5 billion bigger than what it will get this year. The bulk of DSWD's budget will go to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the cash transfer program that will be given P89.4 billion next year.
Villanueva's statement on "fake news" involving 7 senators who allegedly refused to sign reso on senseless killings
We reiterate our call to pass a law that will put an end to the proliferation of false information amid the recent social media post attacking 7 of our fellow senators for allegedly refusing to sign Senate Resolution No. 518 urging the government to stop extrajudicial killings especially of our children.
The epidemic of malicious fake news especially online should not be taken lightly. It's time to tackle Senate Bill No. 1492 or the Anti-Fake News Bill to promote responsible use of social media and other platforms.
Hence, we will ask the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media chaired by Sen. Grace Poe to include our bill when the Committee holds an inquiry on the said malicious post.
16 senators condemn EJKs
Sen. Cynthia Villar filed along with 15 others senators a resolution condemning all cases of extrajudicial killings not only those committed against minors.
Proposed Senate Resolution No. 518 condemns in the strongest sense extrajudicial killings and calls on the government to exert and exhaust all efforts to stop and resolve these killings.
"We are condemning all cases of extrajudicial killings not only those involving our children," Villar said.
Initiated by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, the resolution was also signed by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, Senators Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Francis Escudero, Sherwin Gatchalian, Richard Gordon, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Manny Pacquiao, and Grace Poe. Sen. Joel Villanueva was on sick leave but expressed intention to sign.
According to the resolution, "these EJKs and unresolved killings have no place in a civilized and democratic society like the Philippines, thus we vehemntly condemn EJKs and all other unresolved killings and challenge the concerned government agencies to step up their drive to resolve these rising killings and criminalities against our citizens regardless of age, sex, creed, religion or political beliefs."
Press Release
September 27, 2017 Senators file Resolution calling for an inquiry on EJKs
Seven senators hit fake news Left out by the authors of Resolution No. 516, seven senators, namely Sen. Pres. Pimentel, Villar, Honasan, Zubiri, Gordon, Sotto and Pacquiao, filed Resolution No. 518 seeking an inquiry on the rising extra-judicial killings or EJKs. A blog had published a so-called fake news, with hashtag #SilentNoMorePH , which made it appear that the seven senators purposely refused to sign Resolution No. 516 calling for an inquiry on EJKs especially on deaths of juveniles. The fake news was authored by someone who was not part of the media assigned to the Senate beat. The same item carried common wordings as three items in three newspapers, but which did not originate in the Senate press office. Thus, the matter of the fake news was referred to the committee on Public Information and Mass Media. The recently filed Reso. No. 518 drafted and authored by Zubiri was signed by 16 senators namely Senate President Koko Pimentel, Senators Angara, Binay, Ejercito, Escudero, Gatchalian, Gordon, Honasan, Lacson, Legarda, Pacquiao, Poe, Recto, Sotto, Villanueva (on leave, will sign) and Villar. Zubiri filed Resolution No. 518 condemning in the strongest sense the extra-judicial killings and calling on the government to exert and exhaust all efforts to stop and resolve these extra-judicial and all other unresolved killings. Zubiri was alarmed "that only six cases have been brought to the courts by the Department of Justice when confronted with the exceedingly large number of deaths." He quoted PNP statistics which said 3,811 persons had died in anti-drug operations. The police had carried out 70,854 anti-drug operations and arrested 107,156. The PNP Website reflected statistics gathered by the police nationwide from July 1, 2016 to August 29 of this year.
The attack on the Naga rebels by the Indian Army along the Indo-Myanmar border was not a surgical strike. Here is why.
By India Today Web Desk: Indian Army's Eastern Command released information on Twitter about a powerful attack carried out on the Naga rebels along the Indo-Myanmar border in retaliation to an attack by National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN(K)) insurgents.
The Army's statement said, "As per inputs, a large number of casualties were suffered by the insurgents," and clarified that the reports of casualties to Indian Army are incorrect.
Reports of casualties to #IndianArmy personnel factually incorrect. Firefight occurred along Indo-Myanmar border at 0445 hrs today @adgpi- EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) September 27, 2017
Heavy casualties reportedly inflicted on NSCN(K) cadre. No casualties suffered by Indian Security Forces- EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) September 27, 2017
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The operation was, however, not a surgical strike, Army said.
WHAT IS A SURGICAL STRIKE?
A surgical strike is a military attack in which the army inflicts damage only to the intended target, with minimum collateral damage to property (buildings, structures, vehicles etc.) or harming public infrastructure. Cross-border surgical strike is when the army enters the enemy territory, hits the target with precision, and returns.
WHY IS THE EASTERN COMMAND'S ATTACK ON NAGA INSURGENTS NOT A SURGICAL STRIKE LIKE THAT OF 2016?
The Indian Army's Eastern Command, in its statement, specified that the attack on the Naga rebels was in retaliation to firing from unidentified NSCN(K) insurgents. The Eastern Command also specified that our troops did not cross the international border.
On September 28, 2016, eight teams of the Indian Army conducted a surgical strike to eliminate the terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LOC). Thirty Indian commandos, armed with Kalashnikovs, Tavors, rocket-propelled guns and thermobaric weapons deploy parachutes, avenged the terrorist attack on the administrative station of the Indian Army's 12 Brigade at Uri, killing 19 soldiers, by a Jaish-e-Mohammad fidayeen group on September 18.
In 2015, the Indian Army carried out a surgical strike inside Myanmar by a crack team of at least 70 commandos. They finished the operation within 40 minutes, leaving 38 Naga insurgents dead and seven injured.
The decision to carry out this surgical strike was taken hours after the Naga insurgents killed 18 soldiers in an ambush in Chandel area of Manipur on June 4. The clearance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi was obtained on the night of June 7, soon after his return from Bangladesh, said sources privy to the details.
The commandos of 21 Para, equipped with assault rifles, rocket launchers, grenades and night vision goggles, were airdropped at around 3 am from Dhruv helicopters, just inside the Indian territory near the border with Myanmar, security sources said, reported PTI.
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The tax plan released Wednesday by Republican leaders would help businesses more than individuals, but it lacks crucial details needed to say how much it would cost or affect specific people or companies.
The big winners will be corporations and business owners, said Joe Rosenberg, a senior researcher with the Tax Policy Center, a joint think tank of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reached a similar conclusion in its analysis. It roughly estimated that the plan would generate $5.8 trillion of tax cuts, offset by $3.6 trillion of new tax revenues, resulting in about $2.2 trillion of net tax cuts over a decade, excluding interest.
About $2.8 trillion of the tax cuts would come from reducing the top corporate rate to 20 percent from 35 percent and from other business tax breaks. Of the new revenues, nearly all $3.3 trillion would come from individuals, primarily from killing most itemized deductions, including the one for state and local taxes, which is highly prized in California.
The plan was a joint effort of the Trump administration, House and Senate leaders and the heads of the two chambers tax-writing committees.
In a speech in Indiana on Wednesday, Trump called the plan a revolutionary change that would produce more jobs, higher pay and lower taxes for middle-class families. Under our framework the vast majority of families will be able to file their taxes on a single sheet of paper, he said.
For individuals, it would reduce the number of tax brackets to three 12, 25 and 35 percent. Today there are seven, ranging from 10 to 39.6 percent. The plan doesnt say at what income level those rates would stop and start. It left open the possibility of adding another rate somewhere between 35 and 39.6 percent.
It also would almost double the standard deduction to $24,000 for married people filing jointly and to $12,000 for single people.
However, the plan also eliminates the personal exemption, which lets households deduct $4,050 per person, including dependents. The exemption phases out at higher income levels.
A married couple with two children below the phaseout level would lose $16,200 in personal exemptions, which exceeds the increase in their standard deduction. However, the plan would significantly increase the Child Tax Credit and increase the income levels at which that credit begins to phase out. No amounts were given.
The plan would eliminate most itemized deductions, including that for state and local taxes, but retain the ones for charitable contributions and mortgage interest. The Tax Policy Center previously estimated that this would reduce the number of households that itemize deductions to 6 million from 45 million.
The plan also would kill the vexing alternative minimum tax. People calculate their tax under the regular system and under the alternative system and pay whichever is higher. State and local taxes are not deductible under the AMT. For some taxpayers, killing the AMT would offset, to an extent, the loss of the state and local tax deduction.
Although the plan would preserve the mortgage interest deduction, the real estate industry is fuming. Homeowners would lose their property tax deduction, and, because far fewer would itemize if the standard deduction were doubled, they would get no benefit from the mortgage interest deduction.
The National Association of Realtors said the result would all but nullify the incentive to purchase a home for most, amounting to a de facto tax increase on homeowners, putting home values across the country at risk and ensuring that only the top 5 percent of Americans have the opportunity to benefit from the mortgage interest deduction.
Many economists hate the mortgage interest deduction, saying it mainly helps wealthier people who can afford large homes and encourages them to borrow as much as possible. Some say it artificially drives up housing prices.
The plan also says it retains tax benefits that encourage work, higher education and retirement security and would simplify these benefits and improve their efficiency and effectiveness.
Its not clear what would happen to the deductions taxpayers can claim without itemizing. These include deductions for student loan interest, college tuition and fees, educator expenses, certain moving expenses and contributions to health savings accounts.
It seems some of these could be on the chopping block. Numerous other exemptions, deductions and credits for individuals riddle the tax code. The framework envisions the repeal of many of these provisions to make the system simpler and fairer for all families and individuals, and allow for lower tax rates, the plan says.
The plan apparently would retain the two taxes levied on higher-income households to pay for Medicare expansion under the Affordable Care Act.
The plan also would repeal the estate tax, which is levied on the portion of estates that exceeds about $5.5 million per person. In 2015, about 26 percent of federal estate taxes came from California, even though California accounts for only 12 percent of the U.S. population.
For businesses, the plan would reduce the top corporate income tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent. It would let corporations expense or immediately write off the cost of assets (other than structures) in the year purchased, rather than writing them off slowly over a number of years as they depreciate. This provision would be in effect for at least five years.
Previous plans would have allowed this indefinitely but paired it with a revenue generator: preventing companies from deducting interest expense. The new plan merely limits the deduction for net interest expense incurred by C corporations, without further explanation.
It appears that the plan would no longer tax the profits U.S. companies earn abroad. Today, when companies repatriate or bring back to the United States profits earned overseas, they are subject to U.S. income tax, minus whatever foreign tax they paid. The plan calls for moving to a territorial tax system, where only profits earned in the United States would be subject to U.S. tax.
However, it also states that to prevent companies from shifting profits to tax havens, the framework includes rules to protect the U.S. tax base by taxing at a reduced rate and on a global basis the foreign profits of U.S. multinational corporations. This appears to contradict a territorial tax system, said Mark Luscombe, principal federal tax analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting.
One of the most controversial parts of the plan involves the taxation of companies structured as sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies and S corporations. These are known as pass-through entities because their profits are not taxed at the corporate level. Instead, they pass through to the owners or partners and are taxed at their individual income tax rates, up to 39.6 percent.
Under the new plan, they would be taxed at a top rate of just 25 percent.
Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes
Creating this new rate could be expensive and problematic, Rosenberg said. It could encourage people who are employees to become self-employed to get lower rates. The framework acknowledges this problem but doesnt say exactly how it would fix it.
Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender
Highlights of GOP tax plan
The plan announced Wednesday by President Trump and Republicans leaders in Congress would:
Reduce individual income tax brackets from seven to three: 12, 25, and 35 percent
Nearly double the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for families
Eliminate the personal exemption, which reduces taxable income by $4,050 per person
Increase the Child Tax Credit (amount unspecified) and create a $500 credit for non-child dependents
Repeal most itemized deductions, including for state and local taxes, but keep those for mortgage interest and charitable donations
Repeal the estate tax
End the alternative minimum tax for individuals and corporations
Reduce the top corporate tax rate to 20 percent
Establish a top rate of 25 percent on pass-through income
Let companies immediately write off investments (except for structures). This provision would be in effect for at least five years.
Stop taxing U.S. companies profits earned overseas, letting them bring home foreign untaxed earnings at an unspecified discounted rate
Limiting the amount of business interest that C-corporations can deduct
How do you like your ice cream?
Scooped. Soft-serve. Straight from the pint.
If the recent burst of Bay Area storefronts specializing in Thai rolled ice cream (also known as stir-fried ice cream or i tim pad) is any indication, we also want our frozen treats rolled.
Over the past few years, rolled ice cream, which first gained popularity on the streets of Thailand, has spread beyond Asia, and now dozens of shops can be found throughout the United States and, increasingly, in the Bay Area.
The photogenic frozen treat has also gone positively viral on social media, with thousands of images flooding Instagram feeds, and upwards of 5 million videos devoted to it on YouTube.
In the last several months, three dedicated shops have opened in San Francisco, and more are coming; Icicles, which has several locations around the Peninsula, South Bay and East Bay, is preparing to open its first San Francisco outpost.
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Jojo Chee says she decided to open her Sunset District shop, named Lets Roll, after her 21-year-old daughter saw rolled ice cream on Instagram and Facebook.
Prior to opening, Chee researched other rolled shops like New Yorks 10 Below and Sweet Charlies in Philadelphia and discovered that a big part of the draw is watching the ice cream being made right in front of you.
Everyone says, Oh, wow! Ice cream can look like this and taste good, says Chee. Seventy to 80 percent of our customers have never seen this before. The kids especially love to watch.
Its easy to see why. The process is hypnotic: Rather than being churned, a chilled sweet and creamy liquid base is poured onto an anti-griddle (an appliance that can maintain ultra-low-temperatures). Spatulas that resemble paint scrapers are then used to spread the mixture in a thin layer across the tray and it quickly freezes, almost like an icy crepe. The frozen sheet is then scraped into cigar-like rolls. For added flavor and texture, assorted flavorings and toppings, like fresh fruit and chocolate bars, can be mixed into the base. To finish, more (and often unlimited) toppings are added for extra flair. From start to finish, the entire process takes about 4 minutes.
SoMas Steep Creamery, which opened in March, has the honor of being San Franciscos first rolled ice cream shop. Owner Angela Luc is aware of the desserts Instagramability: The camera eats before you, says Luc.
To that end, Luc has set up a dedicated light box in her Brannan Street shop for customers to photograph their creations. Taking it a step further, hashtags like #knowyourroll and #steepup decorate the space as a friendly reminder to customers of how to tag their posts on social media.
Luc, who first saw rolled ice cream in New York a couple of years back, understands why the sweet has found such a following: Scoops are more traditional. People want something new and novel.
Luc, who also owns a boba tea and coffee shop (also named Steep) nearby on Ritch Street, uses Straus organic as her milk base. Flavors focus on Asian inspirations, like matcha, oolong, Thai tea and sesame, while toppings consist of fresh fruits, mochi, boba and sweetened condensed milk. House specialties, like the Matchapolitan rolls of green tea and strawberry ice cream topped with fresh strawberries and green tea boba are especially visually striking.
Mason Trinca/Special to The Chronicle
Two-month-old Roll Up Creamery, located at the corner of Valencia and 16th streets, doesnt have a photo booth, but owner Barry Lee also understands the draw. He says lots of people take photos and video of his creations, and he guesses that about 80 percent of his business is due to the popularity of the dessert on social media.
Originally from China, Lee says he saw his first rolled ice cream in Thailand and Hong Kong. He opened I-Tea boba shop in the Financial District about 2 years ago, and decided to open an ice cream shop because he wanted something that would help him stand out from the crowd.
Lee offers colorful flavors like bright purple ube, made using a water buffalo milk base from Petalumas Double 8 Dairy. (The water buffalo milk is higher in butterfat than traditional Holstein milk, making for a richer and creamier ice cream.) For extra flair, customers have the option to get their ice cream rolls nestled in brightly colored dessert taco shells or in glazed doughnuts that look like hot dog buns. For those who cant wait the 4 to 5 minutes for rolled ice cream to be made, Lee also offers soft-serve.
In San Francisco, theres so much competition especially in the Mission where theres practically an ice cream shop on every block, Lee says. You have to be unique to survive.
Sarah Fritsche is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sfritsche@sfchronicle.com Twitter/Instagram: @foodcentric
Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.
Where to find rolled ice cream around the Bay Area
Bloogrape Organic Sworls: 370 Hartz Ave., Danville; (925) 718-8753. www.bloograpesworls.com
Chalogy: 1349 Locust St., Suite B, Walnut Creek; (925) 393-5911. www.chalogy.com
Freezing Point: 349 Seventh St., Oakland; (510) 879-6998.
Frozen Ninja: 1659 N. Capitol Ave., San Jose; (408) 643-0039.
Ice3 Creamery: 39957 Mission Blvd., Fremont; (510) 270-8789. www.ice3creamery.com
Icicles: 1275 Lincoln Ave., Suite 1, San Jose; 222 E. Third Ave., San Mateo; 39055 Cedar Blvd., Newark; 19622 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino; 600 Main St., #F, Pleasanton; 829 Mission St., San Francisco. www.iciclescreamroll.com
Icy Blue: 43360 Mission Blvd., Suite 120, Fremont; (510) 624-9147. www.icybluefremont.business.site
Lets Roll: 1132 Irving St., San Francisco; (415) 564-5223.
Roll Up Creamery: 3092 16th St., San Francisco; (415) 889-6664.
Snowflake: 4288 Dublin Blvd., Suite 105, Dublin; (925) 551-0971; 4306 Moorpark Ave., San Jose; (408) 517-8898. www.snowflakesj.com
Steep Creamery: 270 Brannan St., San Francisco; (415) 606-9336. www.steepsf.com
Through many scenes in Woodshock, the first feature from writer-directors Kate and Laura Mulleavy, Theresa played by Kirsten Dunst wears a white slip that seems to echo the characters simultaneously expanding and unwinding mental state. The delicate undergarment, a relic from Theresas just-deceased mother, goes from pristine to soiled and ravaged. The more artfully dirt-caked and destroyed the slip becomes, the more it resembles the Humboldt County redwood trees that are central to the story.
There were multiple versions. They were all hand-painted; there was even moss worked into one of the slips, says Kate Mulleavy, 38, on the way to the films Los Angeles premiere. Theres one thats kind of transparent like a jellyfish membrane. They become more wild as she goes further into her mind.
For moviegoers who know Kate and her sister Laura, 37, from their acclaimed fashion house, Rodarte, the importance of the undergarment is probably no surprise. The tension between the beautiful and the brutally exquisite is a central motif in their work as designers at the 12-year-old label they founded after graduating from UC Berkeley. The Mulleavys have been lauded for their approach to design, which has incorporated natural themes as diverse as the detritus found in fishing nets and the mushroom fungal shelves of their childhood in Aptos (Santa Cruz County; their father, William, is a mycologist). Tellingly, theyve also designed gowns that incorporate faux-bois wood-ring patterns. Fashion luminaries from Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour and former editor Grace Coddington are fans of Rodarte (pronounced ro-DAR-te, the Spanish maiden name of Laura and Kates mother, Victoria) as well as musicians like Kim Gordon, actresses Elle and Dakota Fanning, and longtime muse Dunst. The Mulleavys also have been honored in a number of museum exhibitions, including an upcoming retrospective in fall 2018 at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., curated by Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco textile arts curator Jill DAlessandro.
The Mulleavys move into filmmaking is not surprising, either: The sisters are noted cinephiles who have been inspired by movies ranging from Star Wars to The Godfather as foundations for their collections. Kate and Laura have also collaborated on three short films with photographer Todd Cole and famously designed Natalie Portmans ballet costumes for her Oscar-winning role in Black Swan.
Like many of the Rodarte collections, Woodshock has a fairy-tale feeling enhanced by the films forest setting. The landscape of Humboldt is shown to haunting effect by cinematographer Peter Flinckenberg. The textures of the redwoods seem to invade almost every frame of the film. The grain of the wood in Theresas house is obsessively focused on in slow, lingering shots. The sound and feel of marijuana flower in Dunsts hand, lit neon green by the dispensary signage, gets its own series of closeups. The constant tension between the natural and unnatural world is felt strongly throughout the film, as is the contrast between Humboldts two biggest cash crops, lumber and cannabis.
Those two worlds are linked together, says Laura. We wanted to give a real basis for the viewer to understand what the big industry is now and what it was before in Humboldt. Its a place that has the largest redwoods in the world, which are the largest living organisms in the world in a county that once was defined by logging. Over time, that industry has now shifted into marijuana growing, and that became a focal point.
These two natural worlds are equally central to Woodshock. In her grief and searching, Theresa recedes further into her interior realms. As she smokes poison-laced joints, that internal, forest world is unleashed on the viewer, often to disorienting effect.
To achieve a sense of Theresas cannabis-induced otherworldliness, the Mulleavys shot double-exposed sequences on 35mm film in a hand-cranked camera, which were then intercut with the films digital footage. The film also is sparse on dialogue: Much of what Dunst communicates in the film is nonverbal, upping Woodshocks art-house feeling as well as the ethereal score by composer Peter Raeburn. The films title is a colloquial term for the sensation of wonder and disorientation that can come from being lost in the forest.
The Mulleavys call their work in the film with Dunst an expansion of a relationship that began for them a decade ago.
We had such a respect for one another, Laura says. ... I think shes always looked at us as people who have created outside of the box. Going on this projects journey was very long; we started working on it with her in 2012. Its a story we lived and breathed and birthed from all of us.
Also central to the filmmakers was telling a female-driven story that took the perspective of an imperfect protagonist. As Theresa delves further into the redwoods, she regresses into a creature thats all at once more savage and more fairylike than is imaginable at the films start.
Shes certainly not a typical heroine, Laura says.
One of the things Kirsten said when she was preparing for this role was, I feel like shes a wood nymph returning to nature, going back to where she came from, says Kate. Theres an idea that in the knowledge of nature and the beauty, destruction and sometimes wrath of it makes her more connected to the human experience.
Tony Bravo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tbravo@sfchronicle.com
Woodshock: Directed by Kate and Laura Mulleavy. In theaters Friday, Sept. 29. (Rated R. 100 minutes.)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. Firebrand jurist Roy Moore won the Alabama Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, defeating an appointed incumbent backed by both President Trump and deep-pocketed allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell.
In an upset certain to rock the GOP establishment, Moore clinched a nine-point victory over Sen. Luther Strange to take the GOP nomination for the seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Moore will face Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election.
It was a triumphant political resurrection for the 70-year-old former Alabama chief justice who was twice removed from those duties after taking stands for public display of the Ten Commandments and against same-sex marriage. Moore, in his victory speech, returned to themes of God and government, saying that he had never prayed to win this campaign but only that Gods will be done.
We have to return the knowledge of God and the Constitution of the United States to the United States Congress, Moore told a cheering crowd in his victory party in Montgomery.
Moore predicted the race could be a bellwether for the 2018 midterms, saying the victory tells the establishment in Washington, D.C., that their wall has been cracked and will now fall.
The race has pitted Trump against his former strategist Steve Bannon who had argued Moore was a better fit for the populist movement. Introducing Moore, Bannon told a frenzied crowd that the victory was a repudiation of the fat cats of Washington who pumped millions into the Alabama race to boost Strange.
Bannon declared Moores win a victory for Trump, despite the presidents support for Strange. Moore said he supports the president and his agenda.
After the race, Trump tweeted his congratulations to Moore, noting that Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Trump and Moore spoke by telephone later Tuesday night.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a group with ties to McConnell, had spent an estimated $9 million trying to secure the nomination for Strange.
SLF President and CEO Steven Law said Tuesday that Moore won the nomination fair and square and the group will now back him. Law says Moore has our support, as it is vital that we keep this seat in Republican hands.
In a statement, McConnell congratulated Moore and said Senate Republicans are committed to keeping the seat in GOP hands.
Even though Alabama has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in two decades, Democrats are hopeful they have an opening in the December election against Moore.
Jones is a former U.S. attorney best known for prosecuting the Klansmen who killed four girls in a 1963 church bombing. He said Tuesday that he wanted to focus the race on the kitchen table issues that matter to all Alabamians.
Strange supporters were at least somewhat divided on how they will approach the general election in December.
It will be closer than if Luther had won the nomination, said Perry Hooper, a former state lawmaker who predicted some Republicans will stay home in December or even vote for Jones.
But Hooper, who served as Trumps Alabama campaign chief, said hes all in for Moore. Ultimately, this is about helping the president, Hooper said.
Kim Chandler and Bill Barrow are Associated Press writers.
By PTI: Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 27 (PTI) The Indian Union Muslim League, a key partner in the Congress-led UDF Opposition in Kerala, today hit out at the Centre on the Rohingya issue.
"The Congress-led UPA government was with persons who were assaulted,but the present government is with assaulters," IUML General Secretary P K Kunhalikutty, MP, told a press meet here while referring to the Rohingya issue.
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Terming the Rohingya refugees as "illegal" immigrants, the centre had recently told the Supreme Court that some of them were part of a "sinister" design of Pakistans ISI and terror groups such as the ISIS, whose presence in the country will pose a "serious" national security threat.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh had also last week said Rohingyas were not refugees who have applied for asylum in India but illegal immigrants who "will be deported".
Kunhalikutty said his party was at the forefront to bring the 18 opposition parties at the national level on a single platform to take on the BJP.
"Process of talks with senior leaders in this regard is progressing," he said.
With regard to Kerala politics, he said the CPI-M led LDF was the main rival in the state and BJP at the national level.
On the Vengara assembly bypoll slated for October 11, a seat vacated by him after he was elected to parliament, the IUML leader said the election result would be referendum on the performance of the state government and Centre. PTI JRK BN RBS
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Transportation officials warned Bay Area commuters Wednesday to take a breath and muster their patience during the evening commute, following a day of chaos on the regions freeways that was expected to continue past quitting time.
Collisions, police activity and even a dog running around on the BART tracks brought the areas already enfeebled commuting routes to an infuriating halt throughout the day.
The prime culprit for the traffic hell was a morning police killing on Interstate 80 near the Bay Bridge in Emeryville.
Both directions of the major traffic artery were shut down around 9 a.m., when police chased down a homicide suspect out of Fairfield and killed him in a hail of bullets on the freeway.
While all eastbound lanes reopened around 11 a.m., westbound lanes closed until 5 p.m., California Highway Patrol officials said. Investigators were expected to be at the scene for several hours, keeping traffic moving slowly through the area into the evening.
But drivers looking to avoid the mess on I-80 will likely run into gridlock on other roadways filled with like-minded drivers.
We anticipate there is still going to be heavy traffic for the evening commute, said Officer Jonathan Fransen, a spokesman for the CHPs Golden Gate Division. Alternate routes will be backed up, too, because everyone will be using those.
Those alternate routes arent without their own problems. Three lanes on Highway 24 near Lafayette were closed around 11 a.m. after a pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle.
Westbound lanes of the freeway were backed up through the early afternoon.
BART commuters, though, were expected to get some relief from a bizarre morning slowdown caused by a wayward dog on the tracks near the Coliseum Station.
The dog was spotted just before 8 a.m. and caused major delays on BARTs entire system. BART officials said everything was now back to normal, barring another dog jumping on the tracks.
Trains, though, may see higher-than-normal ridership from folks avoiding the freeways.
Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
THURSDAY, SEPT. 28
The catch of the day is the return of Will & Grace, 11 years later, on NBC at 9 p.m. In fact, the reboots first episode is called just that, 11 Years Later, with Debra Messing, Eric McCormack and Megan Mullally back where they belong. Oh yeah, and Just Jack, Sean Hayes.
The complete second season of Startup is available for streaming today on Crackle.
New episodes of The Lives of the Super Rich resume on CNBC at 7 p.m.
Shonda Rhimes may have signed a big deal with Netflix, but shes still got a big presence on ABC, especially today with the two-hour 14th season premiere of Greys Anatomy at 8 p.m. The premiere will be followed by the fourth season kickoff of another Shondaland production, How to Get Away With Murder, at 10 p.m.
Season three of Superstore is open for business funny business, that is at 8 p.m. on NBC. It will be followed at 8:30 p.m. by the time-slot premiere of The Good Place.
Ken Burns and Lynn Novicks The Vietnam War winds up its 18-hour, 10-part occupation of PBS at 8 p.m. with an episode called The Weight of Memory.
Mary, Mary launches season six on WE at 9 p.m.
Great news: Great News is back at 9:30 p.m. on NBC. Not only that, but Tina Fey has signed on to appear in seven episodes this season.
Chicago Fire opens season six at 10 p.m. on NBC, and the fourth season of Nathan for You starts at 10 on Comedy Central.
Chris Rock, who produced W. Kamau Bells late-night show on FX and FXX, has a new project for BET, the premiere of The Rundown With Robin Thede at 11 p.m. Its a topical talk, sketch and comedy on politics and pop culture starring the former head writer of The Nightly Show.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 29
Catch of the day is the hilarious first season of Big Mouth, an animated show but definitely not for kids. Created by Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett, the series is a comic look at puberty, with Kroll and John Mulaney voicing best buds Nick and Andrew, respectively. The voice cast also includes Maya Rudolph, Richard Kind, Fred Armisen, Jessi Klein, Jordan Peele and Jason Mantzoukas. It is graphic and rude and very, very funny. Binge it on Netflix.
Also from the Flixters: the first season of The Magic School Bus Rides Again, the third season of Club de Cuervos, the second season of The Real Rob and the first season of Paul Hollywoods Big Continental Road Trip.
Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood star in the Net flix film Geralds Game, about a woman left handcuffed to her bed after she and her husband try to spice up their marriage and he dies. Just a few years, give or take, since they teamed in Barefoot in the Park, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford star in the Netflix film Our Souls at Night, based on the Kent Haruf novel.
Tim Roth and Christina Hendricks star in Amazons Tin Star, a revenge thriller whose first season is available for streaming today.
Megyn Kelly sure knows where her bread is buttered: At Rockefeller Center, where NBC lives. Shes spent much of the week welcoming stars of NBC shows and will keep it up today with the women of Saturday Night Live, including Emmy winner Kate McKinnon, as well as Leslie Jones, Cecily Strong and others. The show airs at 9 a.m. On NBC, of course.
Season 17 of Hells Kitchen premieres on Fox at 8 p.m.
The next Marvel show premieres on ABC at 8 p.m. with two episodes. The first episode of Marvels Inhumans was screened at Imax theaters around the country. Those are the two episodes youll see tonight. The series is about the Royal Family of Inhumans who escape to Hawaii in the wake of a bloody coup and have to figure out how to regain their positions.
The second season of MacGyver begins at 8 p.m. on CBS, followed by the eighth season of Hawaii Five-0 at 9 p.m. and the eighth season of Blue Bloods at 10.
Season four of Z Nation kicks off on SyFy at 9 p.m.
The Exorcist returns with season two to Fox at 9:01 p.m.
Mike Judges Tales From the Tour Bus continues on Cinemax at 10 p.m. with an episode on Jerry Lee Lewis.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 30
BritBox adds the classic Doctor Who story Power of the Daleks, the first episode of Patrick Troughtons tenure as the second Doctor. The episode was thought to be lost for a long time until it was restored by a team of animators. BritBox is a subscription service offering British content. Go to www.britbox.com for information.
Saturday Night Live returns for its 43rd season at 11:29 p.m. on NBC. Ryan Gosling hosts with musical guest Jay-Z.
TLC preheats the oven for the new season of Cake Boss at 8 p.m.
Oxygen continues with the time slot airing of the second episode of The Disappearance of Maura Murray at 7 p.m. Its a true crime six-parter based on the disappearance of a nursing student in 2004.
A new season of Iyanla: Fix My Life begins on OWN at 9 p.m., followed at 10 by the premiere of Released, an eight-part docuseries about men and women after theyve been released from prison.
The second season of the lush, sexy period drama Versailles launches on Ovation at 10 p.m.
The 30th season of 48 Hours kicks off on CBS at 10 p.m.
My Big Fat Pet Makeover premieres on the Animal Planet at a special night and time of 10 p.m.
SUNDAY, OCT. 1
Catch of the day is the return of Curb Your Enthusiasm at 10 p.m. on HBO. HBO2 is running old episodes of the show throughout the day, in case you forgot how funny it is.
Disney Channels new animated series Vampirina launches at 11 a.m.
Law & Orders Dick Wolf and Shed Productions are behind the new Criminal Confessions, bowing at 7 p.m. on Oxygen and taking viewers inside police investigations of real homicide cases.
A new season of Toy Box begins at 7 p.m. on ABC, season eight of Bobs Burgers launches on Fox at 7:30 p.m., season nine of Shark Tank opens with a two-hour episode on ABC at 8 p.m., and season 29, doh, of The Simpsons kicks off on Fox at 8 p.m.
Craig Robinson and Adam Scott co-star in the new Fox comedy Ghosted at 8:30 p.m. The two are recruited by an organization tracking paranormal activity. The show doesnt break any ground, but the writing is loose and funny, and Robinson and Scott play really well off each other, in a kind of post-Felix and Oscar way.
Oh, dear. There wasnt a lot of wisdom when CBS greenlit the new series The Wisdom of the Crowd, wasting ... I mean, starring ... Jeremy Piven as an Elon Musk-y Silicon Valley type whose daughter was murdered a year earlier. He invents some gizmo that enables crowdsourcing to be used in solving crimes. His intent is to find his daughters real killer, but that probably wont happen for a while. Instead, the gizmo will be used to solve crimes of the week ... for at least as many weeks as the show survives. Dopey title, waste of a good actor, silly concept, nothing to see here, move along. It premieres at 8:30 p.m. If I were you, Id ghost it. In other words, watch Ghosted instead.
At 9 p.m. we have the seventh season kickoff of Alaska: The Last Frontier on the Discovery Channel, the 10th season of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, the 15th season launch of Family Guy on Fox, the 14th season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians on E, and the third season of Poldark on PBS.
This Is Life With Lisa Ling returns with a new season at 9 p.m. on CNN.
The Last Man on Earth launches season four on Fox, and season nine of NCIS: Los Angeles launches as well on CBS at 9:30 p.m.
Kyra Sedgwick stars in Ten Days in the Valley, a drama about a tough producer whose young daughter disappears, at 10 p.m. on ABC.
David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @WaitWhat_TV
The energy of this fall season in the art galleries has been remarkable. If you are trying to keep up, you will have to bring equal vigor to making the rounds.
Run, dont walk: Three excellent exhibitions that may earlier have escaped notice are closing this week.
JJ Peets deliciously outre painted heads, at Anthony Meier Fine Arts (1969 California St., S.F. www.anthonymeierfinearts.com) only though Friday, Sept. 29, might have been sketched in the darkness of a bad dream, and his cast sculptures preserve in bronze what few would want around in the original. Gothic in a good way.
And two strong shows at Minnesota Street Project, 1275 Minnesota St., both close Saturday, Sept. 30. Jack Fischer Gallery (www.jackfischergallery.com) presents Annie Voughts series of wondrously detailed, cut-paper texts and designs on drawing paper left behind by her artist father, with evocative titles like My Imagination Fills in the Blanks About Your Life. And a pop-up version of the ephemeral bookstore/publisher/gallery Electric Works (www.sfelectricworks.com) offers deeply absorbing, abstract drawings and paintings by the collaborative duo Hughen/Starkweather, built up from topographic maps and planning documents. Artists Amanda Hughen and Jennifer Starkweather will discuss the work at a closing reception in the gallery on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Elsewhere at Minnesota Street Project: The big name is Vik Muniz, the Brazilian artist who, for three decades, has fascinated audiences worldwide with his photographed compositions drawn in unlikely materials (chocolate syrup, spaghetti, torn paper). The Rena Bransten Gallery (http://renabranstengallery.com) presentation of recent work, Handmade, through Oct. 28, is something of a perception game, with real objects mixed together with illusionistic photographs. Brief fun as picture puzzles, the works have little conceptual sticking power.
Sean McFarlands exhibition Echo, at Casemore Kirkeby (https://casemorekirkeby.com), through Oct. 28, presents the same sort of pictures, in much the same way, as his room at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art as part of the 2017 SECA Art Award exhibition, which closed earlier in September. So, why does it look so much better this time out? One big reason is the casual presentation, with many prints leaning on or pinned to the wall and no massive vitrine to keep viewers away. This is how McFarlands meditations on nature and on the nature of representation are meant to be seen.
The work can be annoyingly precious, with curls of paper tacked just so, and tiny paper cards on miniature shelves bearing indecipherable bits of photographic information demanding attention equal to that we afford real pictures. But the full scope of the artists obsessions is worth the patience the work demands. Eventually, a landscape as a faint, torn image or a jittery multiple exposure convinces us of its significance as an object redolent of its uncertain time.
Anglim Gilbert Gallerys (http://anglimgilbertgallery.com) Gay Outlaw: Ozone is the most fun I have had in a glass exhibition, probably ever. It runs through Oct. 14.
Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.
Clunky cast blocks in sugary colors look like fruitcakes from seasons long past (Outlaw calls the series Meatloafsunset) think of them as Pop art, after the fall.
Around the room, unextraordinary photographs are rendered comically dumb with a tough ... smash? snuff? puff? the artist calls it a flow of opaque colored glass in the center. A glassy bloom expands, as if exposing the pictures saccharine guts as they spill forward, obscuring surface image, exposing what had been secreted within.
Charles Desmarais is The San Francisco Chronicles art critic. Email: cdesmarais@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Artguy1
Twitter just rolled out the testing of its new feature of doubling the character limit of tweets, from 140 to 280, and this is how Twitterati reacted.
By India Today Web Desk: Twitter rolled out the testing of its new feature, the 280-character limit, today. Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter tweeted that this move of providing 280 characters for tweets is to enhance Twitter experience for English users.
The feature is currently available to a small group of people out of the 328 million users Twitter has and may be open to all soon.
Cant fit your Tweet into 140 characters? ?? advertisement Were trying something new with a small group, and increasing the character limit to 280! Excited about the possibilities? Read our blog to find out how it all adds up. ???https://t.co/C6hjsB9nbL- Twitter (@Twitter) September 26, 2017
This is a small change, but a big move for us. 140 was an arbitrary choice based on the 160 character SMS limit. Proud of how thoughtful the team has been in solving a real problem people have when trying to tweet. And at the same time maintaining our brevity, speed, and essence! https://t.co/TuHj51MsTu- jack (@jack) September 26, 2017
Twitter users are not amused by the 'big move'. When Twitterati learned that they might get 280 characters in the near future,this is how they reacted:
Instead of increasing the character limit, Twitter should impart character to a few people.- Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) September 27, 2017
When I get 280, Ill start every tweet with an auspicious Ganesha squiggly, dear all and end with thanks and regards and vivekananda quote- Krish Ashok (@krishashok) September 27, 2017
Along with Instagram bloggers we will now have Twitter bloggers #280characters- Protima Tiwary (@DumbbellsnDrama) September 27, 2017
I thought that the problem with Twitter these days is that it lacks depth. They obviously think that its length.#280characters- Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) September 27, 2017
The 280-character limit is a terrible idea. The whole beauty of Twitter is that it forces you to express your ideas concisely (1/47)- James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) September 26, 2017
*140 characters limit*Guys : nice dp dear *Twitter increases character limit to 280*Guys : nice dp dear- Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) September 27, 2017
Twitter is going from 140 characters to 280 characters. That's the reverse of what happened in Game Of Thrones.- Bollywood Gandu (@BollywoodGandu) September 27, 2017
Me : Twitter has increased the character limit to 280 Bhai : pic.twitter.com/6cGuJttyiF- Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) September 27, 2017
When they give you 140 extra characters but all you really wanted was an edit button #twitter280 pic.twitter.com/NfS07ruYxM- john (@john_higg) September 27, 2017
According to Aliza Rosen and Ikuhiro Ihara from Twitter's product team, "When I (Aliza) Tweet in English, I quickly run into the 140 character limit and have to edit my Tweet down so it fits".
"But when Iku Tweets in Japanese, he doesn't have the same problem. He finishes sharing his thought and still has room to spare," Rosen said.
This is because in languages like Japanese, Korean, and Chinese you can convey about double the amount of information in one character as you can in many other languages, like English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French.
A small change yet a big move for Twitter as Jack Dorsey explained it, he also said that Twitter will never lose its charm.
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Score one for plain words in California politics. A Sacramento judge is stepping in to rewrite the misleading words that Attorney General Xavier Becerra used to summarize a gas tax repeal now making the signature-gathering rounds.
The fed-up judge is going after the partisan sleight of hand that attorneys general use to confuse voters and aid partisan causes in the way they write the summaries that sit atop signature-gathering petitions and the ballot if they qualify. Depending on the spin, the title and summary can undercut or boost a brewing campaign. Its an artful dodge that past attorneys general from both parties have used for decades.
Theres no better example than the latest issue, an initiative sponsored by Assemblyman Travis Allen, a Huntington Beach Republican and candidate for governor next year. Hes hoping to tap into voter dislike of higher taxes by repealing a recently enacted gas tax. The $5 billion package passed the Legislature and was signed by the governor in April. Its due to take effect in January, raising pump prices and registration fees for road repairs and better transit.
To be clear, the repeal is a bad idea, considering the overwhelming need for better highways, bridges and the like. But thats not the issue here. Becerra is shading the explanatory language to sink the repeal, rather than give voters an evenhanded summation.
The attorney generals wording is misleading to the point where an ordinary, reasonable elector, who is otherwise unfamiliar with the initiative, would not be able to discern what the initiative would do, wrote Judge Timothy Frawley of Sacramento County Superior Court. The words tax and fees are missing from the summary, though those levies are the entire point of the would-be ballot measure.
In the absence of fair wording from Becerras office, the judge said hed write the summary and title himself. His summary for the initiative puts it bluntly and plainly so voters know what theyre getting: Repeals recently enacted gas and diesel taxes and vehicle registration fees.
The judges action is entirely deserved. But contrived explanations may appear again as long as summarizing rests in political hands. This latest dispute should push lawmakers to come up with a fairer way to devise ballot wording.
This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
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San Francisco, a city that banned plastic grocery bags and packing peanuts, is now taking on factory farms that pump antibiotics into livestock.
The Board of Supervisors Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved an ordinance requiring certain stores to report the use of antibiotics in raw meat and poultry a small step toward changing an entrenched practice in the meat industry. The measure will go to the full board on Tuesday.
Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, who sponsored the ordinance, said he intends to chip away at the very real problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that spread infections. Two million people throughout the United States contract antibiotic-resistant infections each year, and 23,000 people die from them, according to data that San Francisco Health Officer Tomas Aragon presented at the committee meeting.
The ordinance is targeted at large grocery chains like Safeway and Trader Joes, asking them to report antibiotic use in meat products to the citys Department of the Environment. Once the department compiles the information, it will create a website for consumers.
Though it seems like a small gesture, the measure will encourage grocers to take a hard look at their supply chains, said Department of the Environment Director Debbie Raphael. She hopes consumers in San Francisco will shift to buying meat with lower antibiotic content once they have the information.
The committees three members Supervisors Sheehy, Hillary Ronen and Sandra Lee Fewer shared that hope. But Fewer hinted that shed like to see the city enact a more far-reaching policy in the future.
Im assuming that this is a first step, she said.
Rachel Swan
Get moving: Plenty of politicians have gone to their grave unsuccessfully trying to do something that Mayor Ed Lee is vowing to do: speed up San Franciscos famously laborious and plodding construction entitlement and permitting process.
On Wednesday afternoon, Lee summoned several dozen housing advocates, developers and elected officials to a meeting where he announced an executive directive aimed at cutting in half the amount of time it takes to get a residential development approved and permitted. Attendees included state Sen. Scott Wiener, as well as Assemblymen David Chiu and Phil Ting. Also there were Don Falk of the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corp. and Todd David from the Housing Action Coalition.
The directive sets maximum time frames for various types of approvals, ranging from no more than six months for a project not requiring an environmental review to no more than 22 months for a complex environmental study. If the deadlines are blown, managers for the various agencies involved in approving and permitting construction projects will be called on the carpet.
The time for excuses, delays, and bureaucracy is over, the preamble to the directive states.
More speed is needed to meet Lees goal of producing at least 30,000 new or rehabbed units by 2020. About 17,000 units have been created since 2014, 37 percent of which have been affordable.
We can produce 5,000 units of housing a year, because we have for the last three years. One way to get that done is to have projects permitted more quickly, Lee said. I want a new, aggressive long-term housing goal that will lift us out of this housing crisis.
J.K. Dineen
One more for D2: Recreation and Park Commissioner Kat Anderson filed papers Wednesday for the District Two supervisors race and clinched a surprise endorsement from former supervisor and veteran political player Angela Alioto, whose niece, Michela Alioto-Pier, is also a rumored candidate.
Alioto-Pier represented the district, which includes the Marina and parts of Russian Hill, from 2004 to 2011, and told The Chronicle on Wednesday that she is strongly considering a run. If she files papers, then her aunt would shift allegiances.
If my niece Michela is in, shes my No. 1 candidate Id endorse both of them, but Michela would always come first, Alioto said. For that matter, if my son Joe enters the race, he would be No. 1, then Michela, then Kat.
Other official contenders to succeed termed-out Supervisor Mark Farrell next year include BART board member Nick Josefowitz and media startup founder Schuyler Hudak. Anderson works for the Pacific Media Workers Guild that represents some Chronicle employees.
Rachel Swan
Email: cityinsider@sfchronicle.com, rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfcityinsider, @rachelswan, @sfjkdineen
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Rea Lynn de Guzman/Courtesy of Kearny Street Workshop Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Lizzy Brooks/Courtesy of Kearny Street Workshop Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Rea Lynn de Guzman/courtesy of Kearny Street Workshop Show More Show Less 5 of 5
This weekend marks the beginning of the 16th APAture exhibition, a multidisciplinary arts festival that showcases Asian Pacific American artists through Oct. 28. The theme this year is Unravel, a word that hints at the pulling apart and interrogation of the various components of complex identities. Or, as Kearny Street Workshop the organization behind APAture puts it, the theme examines our stories, hxstories, narratives and beliefs, leading us to these questions: What are the interconnected threads we wish to investigate and untangle? What is there to discover when we unravel?
The visual arts showcase, which runs the entire length of APAture, opens Saturday, Sept. 30, with an evening reception at Arc Gallery & Studios. APAture features more than 60 emerging APA artists, while also offering a particular focus on six individuals, each of whom correspond to one of the other showcases literary arts, music, film, book arts and performing arts.
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Arnulfo Garcia spent almost 50 years in and out of California prisons. On Saturday, two months after his release from San Quentin State Prison, Garcia died in a car crash southeast of Gilroy. His sister, Yolanda Hernandez, died alongside him.
The pair was driving to look at a property for a re-entry home Garcia, 65, planned to build for former inmates, said their sister Carmelita Vargas.
"Arnulfo had a second chance at life," said Vargas. "Unfortunately, it got taken too quick."
Vargas described Hernandez, 56, as a "loving mother and good friend."
Though Garcia worked from within the prison, his impact was felt far beyond the confines of jail, largely due to his work as editor-in-chief of the prison's award-winning newspaper, the San Quentin News.
Krissi Khokhobashvili, a public information officer with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and an adviser to the San Quentin News, said Garcia had "big plans" upon his release.
"His dream was to open a re-entry home of people coming out of prison because he firmly believed people needed support," she said.
After his July 24 release, Garcia, a San Jose native and three-striker serving a 25-to-life sentence for charges including robbery and drug possession, was living in a Hayward halfway house.
Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen says Garcia was "more than a model inmate."
"He not only changed his life, but helped other men to change theirs," he said.
Rosen had spoken a handful of times at forums organized by Garcia to educate prisoners about developments in criminal justice laws.
Attorney Dan Barton, who represented Garcia for 20 years, says these forums often resulted in schooling the visiting prosecutors, too. Even when discussions became heated, Barton says Garcia had an incredible ability to "keep everything on track."
"He was the perfect moderator," Barton said.
Garcia's natural leadership abilities shone in his tenure as editor-in-chief of San Quentin News. The paper is written, produced and edited by inmates with outside support from professional journalists.
Khokhobashvili remembers, about 10 years ago, when San Quentin News consisted of a few men operating out of a mobile classroom with almost no supplies or resources. Under Garcia's leadership, the paper grew into a massive operation, with dozens of staff members, thousands in grant money and a monthly circulation of more than 20,000 delivered inside and outside the California prison system. In 2015, San Quentin became a chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Nancy Mullane, an investigative journalist and host of "Life of the Law," met Garcia in 2007 while working on a story for NPR. Mullane says it's hard to fathom the challenges Garcia faced as editor-in-chief of a prison paper, from internal politics and security issues to reporting stories without a Wi-Fi connection.
"There's this vibrancy of professionalism, networking, skill development [at the paper]," Mullane said. "He made that."
But Garcia's influence was felt outside the newsroom as well.
Said Mullane, "In San Quentin, I don't know anyone who would have a bad thing to say about Arnulfo."
As testament to this, Khokhobashvili says Garcia's passing was announced at both the Protestant and Catholic services at San Quentin Sunday.
Vargas and Garcia's brother, Arturo Garcia, say the family plans to carry on Arnulfo's incredible legacy by building the re-entry house their brother envisioned, and fundraising for the San Quentin News.
Their efforts will start, says Carmelita, "as soon as I lay my brother and sister to rest."
A funeral is tentatively planned for October.
Aly Tamboura, Garcia's friend and former colleague on the San Quentin News, started a GoFundMe to raise funds for the service. Tamboura says leftover donations will be donated to Garcia's daughter, Carmen.
The fatal accident occurred Saturday at 7:39 a.m. between Frazer Lake Rd. and Shore Rd. near Gilroy. According to the California Highway Patrol, Hernandez rolled through a stop sign and collided with two other vehicles in the intersection. The four passengers in the other vehicles did not require transport for injuries.
Garcia is survived by his daughter and siblings Arthur Garcia, Leilana Garcia, Jesus Garcia, Nicholas Garcia, Maria Rodriguez and Carmelita Vargas.
Hernandez is survived by her children Corrina Castaneda, Joseph Hernandez, Lisa Hernandez, Raymond Nuno, and nine grandchildren.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of years Garcia spent in prison. Garcia spent nine years in San Quentin and 16 years total in California prisons.
Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
A grass fire in the Oakland hills that came dangerously close to homes was mostly extinguished Wednesday morning as firefighters worked through the night to put out hot spots and prevent flare-ups.
The Edwards Fire, named after nearby Edwards Avenue, was reported about 12:15 p.m. Tuesday and burned through 22 acres of dry brush and grass, forcing the evacuation of about 100 homes and stoking fears of a repeat of the deadly and destructive firestorm that swept through the hills in October 1991.
While the blaze, attacked by firefighters from the air and ground, was mostly out by sundown on Tuesday, two Oakland Fire Department units monitored the fire overnight in case of any flare-ups, said Rachel Brown, a communications supervisor for the department.
Although the fire was not burning, it remained at 60 percent containment, she said.
Theyll assess everything when the sun rises, Brown said early Wednesday of the firefighters. Theyre expecting to boost that to 80 percent contained today.
Homes downhill from the fire on Bayview and Skyview drives had been evacuated, along with houses uphill on the 13650 block of Campus Drive and on Ridgemont and Viewcrest drives. All residents have been allowed back in their homes, Brown said.
It appears the blaze will not echo a fire nearly 26 years ago in the Oakland Hills that destroyed 3,500 homes and killed 25 people. There were no immediate reports of damage to any homes from Tuesdays blaze. No injuries were reported.
Cal Fire and Alameda County Fire Department crews assisted Oakland firefighters as they fought the blaze by dropping fire retardant and water from above as crews on the ground attacked the burning vegetation near a residential neighborhood and former rock quarry below Campus Drive and south of Merritt College .
Hot temperatures, low humidity and winds had helped the fire spread Tuesday afternoon. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennanJourno
LONDON British Prime Minister Theresa May said Wednesday she was bitterly disappointed with the U.S. governments decision to slap duties of almost 220 percent on Bombardiers C series aircraft, which threatens more than 4,000 jobs in Northern Ireland.
May took to Twitter to vow shed work with the Montreal company to protect jobs. The prime minister had previously lobbied President Trump after U.S. aircraft maker Boeing alleged that Bombardier used unfair government subsidies to sell planes at artificially low prices.
May has a key alliance with Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party to support her minority government in Parliament.
Defense Secretary Michael Fallon warned Boeing that its behavior could jeopardize future British defense contracts though the defense ministry said existing contracts with Boeing would be honored.
We have contracts in place with Boeing for new maritime patrol aircraft and for Apache attack helicopters, and they will also be bidding for other defense work and this kind of behavior clearly could jeopardize our future relationship with Boeing, Fallon said.
But unions accused the prime minister of failing to protect workers. Ross Murdoch, national officer for the GMB union, said the ruling was a hammer blow to Belfast, where Bombardier makes aircraft wings and fuselages.
Theresa May has been asleep at the wheel when she could and should have been fighting to protect these workers, Murdoch said. Its high time she woke up.
The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday ruled in favor of Boeing, saying the subsidization of goods by foreign governments is something that the Trump administration takes very seriously. The department is scheduled to issue a final ruling in the case on Dec. 12.
Boeing alleges that Bombardier received at least $3 billion in subsidies from the governments of Britain, Canada and the province of Quebec, allowing it to sell planes to Delta Air Lines for less than the cost of production. The Chicago aircraft maker asked the Commerce Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate what it called predatory pricing.
Delta last year agreed to buy 75 of Bombardiers new CS100 aircraft, with an option for as many as 50 more. Bombardier valued the firm order at $5.6 billion based on the list price of the aircraft.
Delta says Boeing doesnt even make the 100-seat planes it needs for short- to medium-range trips.
Bombardier called the decision absurd, and accused Boeing of trying to stifle competition.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, on a visit to Hong Kong, told reporters that part of the problem was Bombardiers lack of cooperation with the investigation.
Its not out of any anti-Canadian or any anti-U.K. or certainly any anti-Northern Ireland sentiment, but even with your friends and even with your allies, you must obey the rules, he said.
British Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable urged May to stand up to the United States, as her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau has done. And the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Arlene Foster, said she would the use partys influence with the government to press the issue.
Unfortunately, its not a surprise, Foster told Sky News. What we must do now is to continue to work with our own government, with the American government, with the Canadian government, in trying to get Boeing to see sense in relation to this issue.
Danica Kirka is an Associated Press writer.
Burberry Group is the latest luxury brand to experiment with augmented reality, adding technology from Apple to its smartphone app as fashion retailers race to find new ways to engage with big spenders online.
The London maker of trench coats and tartan totes turned to the Cupertino tech companys new ARKit function for the tool, which went live Wednesday. The augmented reality feature interacts with users camera feeds to digitally redecorate their surroundings with Burberry-inspired drawings by the artist Danny Sangra.
Google will create a stand-alone unit for its shopping service and require it to bid against rivals for ads shown on the top of its search page, in an effort to satisfy European Union concerns over the display of product results, three people familiar with the investigation said.
Google faces a Thursday deadline to comply with an EU antitrust order for it to give equal treatment in how the search engine shows competitors comparison-shopping sites, according to the people, who asked not to be named because the negotiations are private. While the shopping service will remain part of Google, it will operate separately and use its own revenues to bid for ads.
Google was ordered to stop promoting its own shopping search results over competitors and to make changes to give rivals a better chance to compete. The EU fined Google $2.8 billion in June. It could be fined up to 5 percent of daily revenue if it fails to comply.
The offer is part of the Mountain View companys efforts to comply with the EU order while it challenges it in court.
Economy
New-home sales
down in August
Sales of new homes slumped 3.4 percent in August, the second straight monthly decline.
The Commerce Department says sales dropped to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 560,000. This followed a 5.5 percent decline in July. But because of gains earlier this year, sales are running 7.5 percent higher than in 2016.
A shortage of homes for sale coupled with rising prices has turned affordability into a challenge for many would-be buyers. Fewer new homes priced below $200,000 are coming onto the market. New homes at these relatively affordable prices were 14 percent of sales in August, down from 17 percent in 2016.
The median sales price increased 3.7 percent in the past 12 months to $368,100.
Autos
Dyson working
on electric car
Dyson, the British company best known for its vacuum cleaners, is working on an electric car that it says will be released by 2020.
In an email to staff Tuesday, Dyson founder and chief engineer James Dyson said he has a team of 400 engineers and others working on the car.
Dyson recently hired a new chief spokesman, Ricardo Reyes, who used to lead communications at Tesla. It acquired a Michigan battery technology company, Sakti3, in 2015.
In a Cadillac, drive hands-free
Cadillac is embarking on a cross-country drive to show off its version of a car that almost drives itself on the freeway.
A dozen Cadillac CT6 sedans left the companys New York headquarters Monday, headed for Los Angeles as cars with the Super Cruise system start arriving at dealerships.
Super Cruise will keep the car centered in its lane and a safe distance from vehicles in front of it. Drivers wont have to keep their hands on the steering wheel, but the system will monitor their facial features to make sure they are paying attention.
Drivers who dont pay attention will get several warnings, including a flashing light bar on the steering wheel, seat vibrations and audible alerts.
Chronicle News Services
The internal combustion engines days may be numbered in California, where officials are mulling whether a ban on sales of polluting autos is needed to achieve long-term targets for cleaner air.
Gov. Jerry Brown has expressed an interest in barring the sale of vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, said in an interview Friday. Such ban is at least a decade away, she said.
Brown, one of the most outspoken elected officials in the U.S. about the need for policies to combat climate change, would be replicating similar moves by China, France and Britain.
Ive gotten messages from the governor asking, Why havent we done something already? Nichols said, referring to Chinas planned phaseout of fossil-fuel vehicle sales. The governor has certainly indicated an interest in why China can do this and not California.
Embracing such a policy would send shock waves through the global car industry due to the heft of Californias auto market. More than 2 million new passenger vehicles were registered in the state last year, topping France, Italy or Spain. If a ban were implemented, automakers from General Motors Co. to Toyota Motor Corp. would be under new pressure to make electric vehicles the standard for personal transportation in the most populous U.S. state, casting fresh doubts on the future of gasoline- and diesel-powered autos elsewhere.
The Association of Global Automakers, which represents overseas carmakers in the U.S., said consumers must be able to afford the cleaner cars that California says are needed to meet its climate goals.
We have been working with California on intelligent, market-based approaches to emissions reductions beyond 2025, and we hope that this doesnt signal an abandonment of that position, Global Automakers CEO John Bozzella said in a statement.
California has set a goal to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. Rising emissions from on-road transportation has undercut the states efforts to reduce pollution, according to Next 10, a San Francisco nonprofit.
To reach the ambitious levels of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, we have to pretty much replace all combustion with some form of renewable energy by 2040 or 2050, Nichols said. Were looking at that as a method of moving this discussion forward.
California has the authority to write its own pollution rules, which dates to the 1970 Clean Air Act. Those rules are underpinned by waivers granted by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Nichols said the state likely would take a different legal route to enable a possible ban rather than use an EPA waiver, since the Trump administration would be unlikely to approve one. For example, California could use vehicle registration rules or control the vehicles that can access state highways, she said.
We certainly wouldnt expect to get a waiver for that from EPA, Nichols said. I think we would be looking at using some of our other authorities to get to that result.
China likely will order an end to sales of all polluting vehicles by 2030, the chairman of electric carmaker BYD Co. said Thursday. France and Britain have announced 2040 as their end date for sales of fossil fuel-powered cars.
A ban for California could also be decades away from implementation, and just how far out remains to be seen, Nichols said.
There are people who believe, including who work for me, that you could stop all sales of new internal-combustion cars by 2030. Some people say 2035. Some people say 2040, she said. Its awfully hard to predict any of that with precision, but it doesnt appear to be out of the question.
Ryan Beene and John Lippert are Bloomberg writers. Email: rbeene@bloomberg.net, jlippert@bloomberg.net
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 27 (PTI) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will meet industry representatives, including exporters, to deliberate upon the problems being faced by them with regard to the Goods and Services Tax (GST), industry sources said today.
According to sources, industry representatives would raise issues such as input tax credit and also timely refund of duties paid by exporters.
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Representatives who would attend the meeting include Ficci, CII, Federation of Indian Export Oragnisations (FIEO) and FISME.
FIEO has time and again raised issues related to blockage of working capital and timely refunds of GST. They have also asked that export benefit scrips should be allowed to pay IGST.
The countrys exports recorded a double digit growth of 10.29 per cent after a gap of three months to USD 23.81 billion in August, mainly on account of rise in shipments of chemicals, petroleum and engineering products. PTI RR CS MKJ
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Google announced concessions on Wednesday to European regulators over its online shopping service, signaling a new willingness by the Mountain View company to bow to tightening pressures from governments around the world.
The overhaul came after Google was hit by a record antitrust fine of $2.8 billion over the summer for unfairly favoring its own service over those of its rivals. The penalty, in one of the companys most important markets, highlights the risks facing Google as it looks to protect its dominant position in online search in Europe and other parts of the world.
Its decision to effectively give competitors a better chance of attracting business in the online shopping sector could also set a precedent, raising the specter of Google being forced to open up more of its search tool to rivals.
Google said the changes would be introduced early Thursday, meeting a deadline to open up its shopping service to greater competition or potentially face further fines from the European Commission, the European Unions executive arm. As a result, about a dozen shopping sites from companies besides Google could become more visible and accessible.
Were giving comparison shopping services the same opportunity to show shopping ads from merchants on Googles search results pages as we give to Google Shopping, Al Verney, a spokesman for Google in Brussels, said.
The fine against Google in June was among the most aggressive moves against a U.S. technology company taken anywhere in the world. It immediately confirmed Europes role as the Western worlds toughest regulator of digital services. But it has also prompted criticism of Brussels, which has been accused of unfairly going after U.S. businesses, claims that European officials deny.
Still, technology has been a focus of Margrethe Vestager, the European Unions competition commissioner. Along with other investigations into Google, the commission has also opened inquiries into tax avoidance, data privacy and abuse of market position, affecting big-name companies including Amazon, Apple and Facebook.
In the case of Google, rivals had long complained that the company gave itself an unfair advantage by automatically putting some of its services at the top of so-called specialized search results. Such search products, like restaurant and business reviews, are increasingly lucrative.
Under the plan presented Wednesday, Google will create a stand-alone unit for its shopping service. That unit will remain part of its overall business, but it will operate separately and will be subject to monitoring by the European Commission. Rival price comparison services, like Germanys Idealo and a Dutch comparison site called Vergelijk, would earn money from merchants whose products, from refrigerators to electronic gadgets, they are advertising. But they would also pay Google to take up those spaces.
Customers across the 28 members of the European Union, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, will be able to see those price comparison sites taking up the spots at the top of a search page where only Google Shopping had previously appeared.
Google Shopping will compete on equal terms and will operate as if it were a separate business, participating in the auction in the same way as everyone else, said Verney.
The commission has said that Google met its deadline to offer concessions but has not commented on whether the moves would actually bolster competition. Fines for failing to meet the Thursday deadline could have been as high as 5 percent of the average daily global revenue of Alphabet, Googles parent company. Google presented its plans to the commission at the end of August but did not make them public until Wednesday.
Google would like the measure its implementing this week to apply narrowly to price comparison shopping services. But it faces complaints from rivals in other sectors as well, and they may see an opportunity for prying open Googles formidable search platform.
Google also faces two separate cases in Europe related to Android, its software for mobile devices, and to some of its advertising products. The company denies those accusations.
James Kanter is a New York Times writer.
Uber Technologies Inc. and former Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick are accused in a lawsuit of covering up a series of illicit business tactics while raising funds, leading to billions of dollars in losses for the ride-hailing giants investors.
The startup and its ex-CEO failed to reveal at least six instances of malfeasance while successfully soliciting billions of dollars in private investment, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in San Francisco federal court. A trade-secrets lawsuit by Waymo, a federal foreign bribery probe and fallout from sexual harassment allegations are among the legal woes that have depressed the value of shareholders investments in the company by 15 percent, according to the complaint, which is seeking class-action status.
The New Hampshire company that makes Velcro hopes the message in its new marketing video will stick as well as its products. The video features actors portraying trademark lawyers pleading with the public to refer to other scratchy, hairy products as hook and loop fasteners. CEO Fraser Cameron says he wants people to know theres a difference between Velcro brand products and others. Velcro was invented by a Swiss engineer in the 1940s after he studied burrs that stuck to his dogs fur and his wool pants. It has been used on everything from spacesuits to diapers.
Nights
at the Museum
The Exploratorium is hosting a month of events called Field of View related to virtual reality and other high-tech experiences. As part of the program, VR movie Collisions by artist Lynette Wallworth takes viewers to the indigenous people of a Western Australia desert; it is shown on Thursday evenings and on weekends. Reservations are needed, though tickets to the film are included in the museum entry fee. Also Thursday evening, a series of presenters will help the audience tour the inner and outer edges of new media experiences.
Tweet of the day
Facebook was always anti-Trump. The Networks were always anti-Trump hence, Fake News, @nytimes(apologized) & @wapo were anti-Trump. Collusion?
The president, days after Facebook agreed to provide material to congressional investigators probing Russia interference in the 2016 election. (He added: the people were Pro-Trump!)
Facebook shares Wednesday closed up 2 percent at $167.68.
From San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com.
WASHINGTON The FBI is conducting about 1,000 investigations of suspected white supremacists or other types of domestic terrorists who might be planning violence, top federal officials told Senate lawmakers Wednesday.
Christopher Wray, in his first congressional testimony as FBI director, confirmed that his office has about 1,000 inquiries that people generally categorize as domestic terrorism a catchall term often used to describe those motivated to commit violence in furtherance of racist causes.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, prompted Wray to confirm the number. FBI officials have previously said they had about 1,000 ongoing investigations in the U.S. of suspects who may be inspired by the Islamic State group to commit violence.
Wednesdays hearing was the first public indication that the FBI is dealing with a similar number of domestic terrorism cases.
Were very busy, Wray said.
Asked by Johnson if there are any differences in how they handled white-supremacist terrorism cases vs. Islamic State terrorism cases, he said there are not, except for the criminal laws that may be applied.
Federal law makes it a crime to provide material support to a foreign terrorist group. There is no corresponding law regarding support for a violent white-supremacist group.
In most ways theyre similar, probably the biggest difference is theres not a domestic terrorism offense as such, Wray told the committee. He added that investigations of foreign-inspired suspects also may use foreign intelligence court orders to gather intelligence a tool that would not be available in an investigation of a white supremacist group.
The debate about the lack of such a law heated up after a suspected white supremacist allegedly drove his car into a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville, Va., this summer, killing a woman.
Devlin Barrett is a Washington Post writer.
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The San Francisco Police Department now has the most black officers serving in leadership positions in the departments 168-year history, according to a workplace group representing nonwhite officers.
In Chief William Scotts most recent round of promotions, three African American lieutenants Valerie Matthews, Milanda Moore and Steven Ford were promoted to the rank of captain, and four African American sergeants were promoted to the rank of lieutenant, said Lt. Yulanda Williams, president of Officers for Justice.
Williams was one of the sergeants promoted, as were Dennis Toomer, Roshawn McKeever and Derrick Jackson. According to Williams, this round of promotions means that the department now has the highest number of black officers holding leadership positions 19 since its founding in 1849.
History has been made, Williams said. This is a new day.
Although the department did not respond to requests for comment on the advancement of black officers, the chief issued a statement Tuesday about the total 40 officers he had promoted, saying that they have demonstrated strong leadership skills and a commitment to excellence.
As we continue our mission to implement reform while maintaining public safety, these members will uphold and promote our departments core values: service with understanding, response with compassion, performance with integrity and law enforcement with vision, Scott said.
The Police Department has long boasted about its diverse ranks reflecting the diverse city that it serves, but a federal review of the city force found that women and minority officers were underrepresented in department leadership roles. There are 158 positions from the rank of lieutenant to chief.
Williams said diversity among officers is not enough; diversity needs to be reflected in leadership because it allows different experiences and mind-sets to inform the direction of the department.
Beyond that, she said, it sets a standard for new officers.
Those who are currently in as subordinates recognize that if you apply yourself, you, too, can move up the ranks in this department and be given a fair opportunity, Williams said. Theres a new ray of hope for officers of color and young men and women who might be considering a career in law enforcement.
Scott came under fire earlier this year for his decision to appoint only men to his command staff, leaving just two women on the 15-member roster of assistant chiefs, deputy chiefs and commanders.
In his most recent round of promotions, the chief advanced Tenderloin Station Capt. Teresa Ewins to the rank of commander.
Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
A man arrested in the knife attack of a police officer at San Francisco International Airport Tuesday was identified as a 64-year-old homeless man.
Dooris Johnston was jailed on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer and threats to commit violence following the afternoon confrontation, officials said Wednesday.
A gazette notification issued by the Tamil Nadu government says the inquiry commission will re-examine everything that happened from the time Jayalalithaa was hospitalised till the day she breathed her last.
By Pramod Madhav: The Tamil Nadu government has said in a gazette notification that the inquiry commission constituted to probe former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's death, was ordered to complete its investigation within a period of three months, starting on Monday.
The notification, also called a government order or GO, was published on Monday, but released on Wednesday.
Another GO, dated Wednesday, says the commission will re-examine everything that happened from the time Jayalalithaa was hospitalised till the day she breathed her last.
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To be precise, the investigators will "enquire into the circumstances and the situations leading to the hospitalisation of the late Hon'ble Chief Minister on 22.09.2016 and subsequent treatment provided till her demise on 5.12.2016," the notification says.
The Tamil Nadu government has listed the acts to which the commission will adhere to, and describes the extent of its powers.
It had already announced the the probe into the former AIADMK supremo's death would be headed by A Arumughaswamy, a retired judge of the Madras High Court.
Investigators could find it challenging to gather data for analysis, given the amount of time that has passed since Jayalalithaa died.
(Inputs from PTI)
VIDEO: MK Stalin, the de-facto leader of the DMK (Tamil Nadu's largest Opposition party), called for a CBI probe into Jayalalithaa's death.
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Fremont spends more on coffee each year than any other city in America, according to rankings released Tuesday by WalletHub.
Households in Fremont spend an average of $185 per year on coffee, more than triple the average expenditure for the city that spends the least on coffee, Detroit, where households spend about $61, the report found.
With the general priciness of the Bay Area, San Francisco ranked No. 3 and San Jose No. 5 for average spending per year on coffee, according to the report.
The spending data were released as part of a ranking of the best cities in the U.S. for coffee drinkers, with San Francisco No. 3 and Seattle and Portland, Ore., taking the top two spots.
In calculating the rankings, WalletHub considered factors like the share of households that own a coffee maker, number of affordable, highly-rated coffee shops per capita, and the per-capita number of coffee and tea manufacturers.
Three other Bay Area cities appeared in the top 50 in the overall rankings: Oakland ranked No. 13, San Jose No. 24 and Fremont No. 26.
Three Bay Area cities, San Francisco, Oakland and Fremont, were in a 3-way tie for third-most coffee manufacturers per capita, after Portland and Seattle.
And San Francisco tied with New York, Seattle and Portland for the most coffee shops, coffee houses and cafes per capita. Not a shocker considering, as some commentators have observed, coffee shops tend to crop up as neighborhoods gentrify.
The Chronicle recently looked into the factors that make San Francisco such fertile ground for local coffee shops, finding that San Francisco has the lowest percentage of chain coffee shops of any major city in the U.S.
FIlipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter
A pit bull became an instant celebrity and a headache for commuters Wednesday morning after it wandered onto the BART tracks near Oakland's Coliseum Station. The scrappy pup had no tags nor microchip, according to Oakland Animal Services (OAS), where the young pit bull is currently being held.
OAS will give the dog's owners until Oct. 1 to come forward to claim him, said OAS director Rebecca Katz.
Victoria and Abdul is about a lot of interesting things. Its about Judi Dench, who has never seemed young, now getting older. Its about a piece of history being repressed and the reasons for its repression. And its about the strange and resilient capacity for human beings to forge friendships, even in the face of arbitrary but formidable obstacles such as race, culture and class.
To start with Dame Judi, at this point watching her play Queen Victoria is a little like watching Bette Davis play an actress in All About Eve. Victoria and Abdul is no commentary on a career, but an exploration of a state of mind and a stage of life, about what its like to be great, but also to be old and frail, and to have to maintain a facade of composure and fearlessness, more for the sake of others than for oneself. Imprinted on Dench/Victorias face is the resignation of knowing she can never really be understood, that shes going to have to take her secrets and her feelings with her.
The story told in Victoria and Abdul is so far-fetched that it really helps to know that it is, in its broad outlines, true. In the 1880s, Abdul Karim was a clerk living in colonial India, who was brought to London to present a medal to the queen. For some reason, she liked him and kept him on, first as a servant, then as a teacher and member of the royal household. She traveled with him everywhere and granted him land and honors, which created lots of jealousy among the royal courtiers.
The movie compresses 15 years into what seems like two or three. Director Stephen Frears switches between comedy and drama, but the transitions are smooth enough. Many of the details are made up there was no one taking notes during Victoria and Abduls private conversations, and re-creating those conversations is further hampered by the almost complete burning of their correspondence by the subsequent king, Edward VII. But based on what remains such as Abduls diary, discovered just this decade it does seem true that Victoria made a constant and strenuous effort to defend Abdul against a lot of race-based hostility underneath her own roof.
Denchs portrait is that of a lonely woman, who doesnt know a single person who remembers what she was like when she could still be a human being. All her confidants are dead, and she cant take any new favorites from among the assortment at court, because she cant trust them. Theyre all jockeying for advantage. So she sees in Abdul (Ali Fazal), who is openhearted and not part of the palace culture, someone with whom she can bond.
Fazal is so handsome and radiates such a pureness of spirit that he compensates for the movies one missing piece: What was in it for Abdul? Was he working an angle? Perhaps he loved the queen as a mother figure, spontaneously and sincerely. Yet hed have to have had the soul of a slave (or a saint) not to resent the condescending British officers occupying his country. In all likelihood, Abduls motives were a mix of things genuine affection, with an element of calculation and a recognition of advantage.
But Victoria and Abdul doesnt play a mix of motives, but rather presents Abdul as Victoria must have seen him. This has the disadvantage of rendering something complex as simple, but it intensifies the movies emotional impact. Keeping the motives simple, for example, reinforces (or, if you want to be cynical about it, manufactures) a sense of outrage each time this impossibly sweet man is condescended to by some strutting officer or functionary. In Victoria and Abdul, every English stuffed shirt talks in a loud, confident voice, sounding something like Field Marshal Montgomery addressing his troops during World War II.
In any case, the movie ultimately all comes down to Dench, and the film becomes a frame of her performance. Its a great performance. Its her equivalent of Emmanuelle Rivas work in Amour, a dress rehearsal for the abyss. Frears lingers on every line and seam on Denchs face, but this is not exploitation, but a 76-year-old director and an 82-year-old actress in a common cause. This is life, theyre saying. This is age. This is us, standing at the edge. You could be empress of India, or one of the greatest actresses in the English language. It still comes down to this, and were looking at it. And youre looking with us.
Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicles movie critic. Email: mlasalle@
sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MickLaSalle
Victoria and Abdul
Comedy-Drama. Starring Judi Dench and Ali Fazal. Directed by Stephen Frears. (PG-13. 112 minutes.)
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The new San Francisco Shipyard is slated to host its first street fair, the Launch, on Saturday, Sept. 30, near the old Hunters Point Shipyard in San Francisco.
The area has been under major redevelopment in recent years, and the fair at Hilltop Park and Innes Court Park was announced by San Francisco Shipyard/Candlestick Point developer FivePoint Holdings.
BOSTON The anticipated release of thousands of never-seen government documents related to President John F. Kennedys assassination has scholars and armchair detectives buzzing. Now, theyre waiting to see whether President Trump will block the release of files that could shed light on a tragedy that has stirred conspiracy theories for decades.
The National Archives has until Oct. 26 to disclose the remaining files related to Kennedys 1963 assassination, unless Trump intervenes. The CIA and FBI, whose records make up the bulk of the batch, wont say whether theyve appealed to the Republican president to keep them under wraps.
WASHINGTON Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone said Tuesday hes aware of no evidence whatsoever that Trumps campaign coordinated with Russians during the 2016 election.
Stone spoke to the House Intelligence Committee for more than three hours as part of the panels probe into Russian interference in the election. Afterward, he told reporters that the majority of lawmakers questions focused on his communications with Guccifer 2.0, the unnamed hacker who has taken credit for breaking into Democratic National Committee email servers. He said questions also focused on communications he had through an intermediary with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Stone has long denied that he worked with Russian officials to influence the presidential election. In a lengthy and combative statement released Monday night ahead of the interview, Stone said there is one trick that is not in my bag and that is treason.
Stone, a Republican strategist who has known Trump for many years and informally advised him during the 2016 campaign, has denied that he had advance knowledge of the leak of former Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podestas emails and says he never colluded with Assange, who released Podestas emails on his website.
While some may label me a dirty trickster, the members of this committee could not point to any tactic that is outside the accepted norms of what political strategists and consultants do today. I do not engage in any illegal activities on behalf of my clients or the causes in which I support, he wrote in the statement.
Speaking to reporters after Stone, Rep. Adam Schiff, D- Burbank, the top Democrat on the panel, said there was one area where Stone refused to cooperate and the committee may have to subpoena him. He didnt say what area that was.
Stone has been heavily critical of Schiff ever since the Democrat suggested in March that Stone had a direct line to Russian hackers based on Stones August 2016 tweet it will soon the Podestas time in the barrel. Several weeks later, Assange released Podestas hacked emails.
Tom Lobianco and Mary Clare Jalonick are Associated Press writers.
After enthusiastically endorsing an Alabama senators campaign for re-election, President Trump distanced himself on Tuesday night from the candidates loss in the most Trumpian way possible: He deleted his supportive tweets.
Hours after Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., lost Tuesday in a primary runoff, Trump excised at least three favorable Twitter posts, including one sent Tuesday morning. In that tweet, posted as the polls in Alabama opened, the president boasted that Strange has been shooting up in the Alabama polls since my endorsement.
Strange, who was appointed to the Senate early this year after Jeff Sessions vacated his seat to become attorney general under Trump, conceded on Tuesday night to Roy Moore, a former Alabama Supreme Court justice whose candidacy was opposed by leading establishment Republicans.
The deleted tweets were archived by ProPublica, a nonprofit journalism website, but are no longer public on Twitter, feeding into an intriguing legal debate about whether Trump is breaking the law when he expunges his tweets.
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence visited Alabama on Friday to attend a rally for Strange. The closely watched campaign was seen by many as a barometer of Trumps political sway. Strange was the first candidate endorsed by the president to lose an election since Trump took office.
Around the same time the president was deleting tweets about Strange, he also deleted a tweet congratulating Moore on his victory. He later reposted that message, and early Wednesday he tweeted about speaking with Moore by telephone.
It is unclear why the president chose to delete the tweets he did. Several tweets endorsing Strange, whom the president often called Big Luther, but which were sent in the weeks before Trumps visit to Alabama, remain public.
Even after getting elected president, Trump has maintained personal control of his Twitter account. He has used his posts to skewer opponents, respond to critics and, he says, to communicate directly to voters without the filter of the news media.
Twitter is a wonderful thing for me, because I get the word out, he said in a March interview with Fox News. I might not be here talking to you right now as president if I didnt have an honest way of getting the word out.
At least two government watchdog groups, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the National Security Archive, believe that when Trump deletes a tweet he may be breaking the law.
Russell Goldman is a New York Times writer.
President Trump was rebuffed by the same Alabama voters who turned out en masse for him in November when they rejected his choice for the U.S. Senate in favor of an unabashed religious conservative who ran against the Washington establishment.
Roy Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court who was removed from office for his display of a Ten Commandments statue, on Tuesday defeated incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, capturing almost 55 percent of the vote.
Trump who belittled traditional Republicans in his insurgent bid for the presidency had campaigned for Strange in Alabama and sent Twitter messages urging fellow Republicans to vote for him. But Moore was more effective in harnessing Trumps base than even Trump by convincing voters he would be better at carrying out the presidents anti-Washington agenda.
Spoke to Roy Moore of Alabama last night for the first time. Sounds like a really great guy who ran a fantastic race, Trump said in a tweet Wednesday.
Trump couldnt sway the supporters who gave him 62.9 percent of Alabamas vote in November, raising the prospect that his efforts to support or oppose candidates may mean little in next years midterm congressional elections. By backing Strange, Trump allied himself with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., an establishment GOP leader he has repeatedly criticized for failing to orchestrate the repeal of Obamacare.
The primary played out as a proxy fight between Trump and his former strategist Stephen Bannon, who backed Moore as the candidate who could best deliver on the Trump campaigns populist promises.
GOP voters sent a strong rebuke to Republican leaders in Congress, with Moore pledging to try to unseat McConnell. Both Moore and Strange said they would back the presidents agenda, but Moore has shown a willingness to stray. His spokesman told MSNBC he opposed the GOPs latest health care legislation, backed by Trump, because it didnt go far enough in undoing the Affordable Care Act.
We have to return the knowledge of God and the Constitution of the United States to the United States Congress, Moore told supporters at his victory party Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press.
Moore will go on to face Democrat Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney, in a Dec. 12 special election.
Arit John and Jennifer Jacobs are Bloomberg News writers.
WASHINGTON The tax plan that the Trump administration outlined on Wednesday is a potentially huge windfall for the wealthiest Americans. It would not directly benefit the bottom third of the population. As for the middle class, the benefits appear to be modest.
The administration and its congressional allies are proposing to sharply reduce taxation of business income, primarily benefiting the small share of the population that owns the vast majority of corporate equity. President Trump said on Wednesday that the cuts would increase investment and spur growth, creating broader prosperity. But experts say the upside is limited, not least because the economy is already expanding.
The development comes after Madhya Pradesh Congress' most senior leader Kamal Nath forsook his claim for the party's face in favour of Jyotiraditya Scindia today.
By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: The leadership issue in Madhya Pradesh Congress is inching towards settlement. Former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia seems to be emerging as the frontrunner for leading the party in the state Assembly elections due in end 2018.
The development comes after Madhya Pradesh Congress' most senior leader Kamal Nath forsook his claim for the party's face in favour of Jyotiraditya Scindia today. Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia together have managed to elbow party general secretary Digvijaya Singh out of the reckoning.
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"I have no problem with Jyotiraditya Scindia if he's made MPCC (Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee) chief," Kamal Nath said today when asked about the person who would be chosen to lead the election.
Kamal Nath, who himself was a claimant to the party chief's post, said, "I would welcome it and work with him and support him."
Kamal Nath, a nine-consecutive term Lok Sabha MP from Chhindwara , is on a visit to the state. He was on a visit to Jyotiraditya Scindia's Lok Sabha constituency of Guna near Gwalior.
The senior leader said there was no problem in Scindia getting nominated as the chief of MP Congress as both of maintain cordial political and family terms. "I have no problem, the moment Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi decides, others will also start working together," he said.
Ruling himself out, he said, "I have no aim or hunger for any position. I had said that Scindia should be made the MPCC president 20-25 days ago."
The Congress leadership is supposed to make an announcement formalising the new arrangement shortly. With the three veterans - Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Digvijaya Singh - asserting themselves, party president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi were finding it tricky to arrive at a conclusion.
But the tussle within the party seems to have ended with Kamal Nath throwing his weight behind Scindia. With this announcement, Digvijaya Singh has been edged out of the leadership race.
While Kamal Nath is touring MP, Digvijaya Singh is starting a 3300-km tour of the Narmada river on September 30. The Narmada 'parikrama' is aimed at keeping himself relevant in the state politics.
The former CM appears to have fallen out of favour with the Gandhis. The party general secretary lost being in charge of Goa and Karnataka this April.
He was reportedly held responsible for the Congress, despite being the single largest party, having lost the chance to form government in Goa after the February Assembly elections.
He was dropped as in charge also of Karnataka, which goes to polls early 2018. However, he remains the party's general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP.
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Digvijaya Singh is learnt to have taken the leave for six months from party work. However, he would be meeting people in about 100 of the 230 constituencies that his tour of the Narmada river would take him to.
His Narmada yatra comes barely four months after MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's similar six-month yatra which ended in May. Perhaps it was Digvijaya Singh's symbolic message to be seen as a challenger to Chouhan.
Incidentally, the BJP, led by Uma Bharati, had wrested power from Digvijaya Singh in 2003. Subsequently, Uma Bharati was succeeded by Babulal Gaur who was replaced by Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Chouhan had lost to Digvijaya Singh in the 2003 Assembly elections. The former chief minister wants to be seen as someone who could pose a challenge to the incumbent chief minister, his party colleagues appear to have succeeded in check-mating him.
Also Watch : SOS Karnataka: Why agriculture is languishing behind?
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SAN DIEGO Finger-pointing started Monday over what appears to be a delayed response to the deadly hepatitis A outbreak ravaging San Diego County, as public records to and from city and county officials began to be released.
In one email from June, an officer at St. Vincent de Pauls charity told county leaders that the city flatly refused to install portable toilets and sinks to help control the spread of the virus, which has infected nearly 450 people in recent months and killed 16.
From my understanding, the city of San Diego has declined an opportunity to put portable toilets/wash stations around the city because it wasnt so long ago they were fighting other kinds of outbreaks by virtue of the availability of portable toilets, Ruth Bruland wrote June 30.
The city has a long history of warnings by the grand jury and others over the need for restrooms downtown, where a growing homeless population has had to use other means to relieve themselves contributing to the current sanitation and health crisis. A concern that restrooms attract drugs and prostitution has been one impediment.
The St. Vincent de Paul email was released by county spokesman Michael Workman after The San Diego Union-Tribune asked him to respond to a batch of other emails released by the city under a California Public Records Act request.
Those communications, hundreds of exchanges to and from city and county public officials, show the two agencies discussing a multitude of responses to the public health threat and not implementing them broadly for months even as the death toll mounted.
Bruland did not immediately respond to questions about her email to county officials. According to Workman, city officials early in the crisis did not act on certain matters as the preventable outbreak of the liver infection hepatitis A grew more deadly by the month.
Many of the measures proposed involved better hygiene to avoid spread of the disease, which can occur when tiny amounts of fecal matter are transmitted and ingested.
May 4 we proposed the wash stations and city said no, Workman said Monday. Two weeks later we offered to pay for them, still no.
June 28 they said theyll consider a permit process but want us to pilot first on our properties, he said. (We) placed one in July at Rosecrans, where the county has offices for the Health and Human Services Agency.
Greg Block, a spokesman for Mayor Kevin Faulconer, said the city did not turn away wash stations.
We never had any issues with the installation of hand washing stations, except they had to be self-contained and in compliance with (permits), he said.
Block said the city deferred in responding to the outbreak because the county has public-health experience the city lacks.
The county is our public health agency, Block said. They have the expertise on public health matters that the city does not. As a result, we take our direction on public health issues from them.
Block said the citys reluctance to embrace new bathrooms downtown and in other areas where the outbreak is most concentrated stems from previous experiences with public restrooms that have been well-documented.
We have had issues with vandalism and illegal activities, causing complaints from residents and business owners, leading many of them to be removed, Block said. The restrooms we have installed recently all have 24 hour security.
The city and county installed 40 or more temporary sinks in at-risk communities earlier this month. Records show discussion of the measure started as far back as June.
We are waiting for the final description of what you envision the handwashing stations will look like (e.g. specifications) and locations that you may want to utilize, Stacey LoMedico, the citys assistant chief operating officer, wrote to Deputy Public Health Officer Sayone Thihalolipavan in late June.
I have our development services department staff on standby so they can provide us the requirements (e.g. permits) that may be needed to install in the public (right-of-way), she added.
Thihalolipavan replied just 10 minutes later, saying the idea was still in development.
It is only in planning phase right now and once we get with the contractor and get those details we can definitely pass them along of course, the county public health official wrote back.
In another email exchange this spring, city officials were asked for information about suspected hepatitis A patients treated by San Diego Fire-Rescue teams but held off until the county could provide a list of specific names.
I wanted to check on status of the request from (county Health and Human Services Agency) re: EMS patients who may have contracted hepatitis A, Dr. James Dunford, the city emergency medical services director, wrote to two fire officials May 31. Were we able to provide a report to Dr. (Wilma) Wooten?
Deputy Fire Chief Gina La Mantia replied three hours later, telling Dunford that another city worker was awaiting the list from the county of specific patients the county was seeking data about.
Block said Monday that the city responded to and acted on all directives from the county immediately.
On May 23, fire department staff reached out to county health letting them know they needed (specific) patient information, Block said. The info was provided to the fire department on June 5. We responded on June 6.
Top officials from the city and county also spent weeks discussing something as simple as posters for a public-awareness campaign.
The outbreak was identified in March, the posters were first discussed in June and they werent deployed until August.
By that time, 10 people were dead and more than 200 had been hospitalized.
The ad campaign started this week and we have some posters printed, Thihalolipavan informed LoMedico on Aug. 17. Im bringing some today to regional task force meeting where Im presenting.
The county public health official asked how many posters the city wanted and where they should be delivered.
The city official wrote back suggesting 150 posters to start. She said the city would display them at city recreation centers, libraries and other public spaces.
I believe it is the same poster/flyer that was shared with me a few weeks ago, LoMedico said, referencing the time that had passed since the project began.
By late August, as hepatitis A cases began generating more headlines, the city and county committed to installing 40 or more temporary sinks in places where at-risk people congregate. There was further discussion of where they would be placed and who would be responsible for maintaining them.
Please attach Exhibits A and B to the document and have it executed (see attached), San Diego engineering official Greg Hopkins told the county Aug. 30. Please make sure to add the additional sheet to Exhibit A that indicates the maintenance criteria and send it back to me.
The next day, Wooten, the county public health officer, told LoMedico that the list of places where the sinks were scheduled to be installed had been completed but that some changes may still be made.
Teams went out to assess the sites, some locations will be removed and others will be added, Wooten wrote. We will provide you a full list tomorrow morning after our Hep A meeting.
LoMedico alerted a number of city officials, including Gerry Braun and Mary Nuesca from the City Attorneys Office, which apparently was asked to sign off on the specific placements on city property.
Making sure you are aware of the change of plans by county, LoMedico wrote. Gerry/ Mary you are on here as we discussed that we need a letter/ approval for them to put into the parks/ city property asap. I have yet to hear back on that request.
The San Diego outbreak is easily the worst in the United States since the 1990s.
Thats when a newly developed vaccine helped drive down the number of reported cases from tens of thousands a year to fewer than 1,300 in 2015, the most recent year for which federal statistics are available.
Jeff McDonald is Tribune News Services writer.
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Two men charged in a deadly blaze that broke out during an underground music event at Oaklands Ghost Ship warehouse pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 36 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter, paving the way for a preliminary hearing of the evidence in the case.
The defendants, Derick Almena, 47, and Max Harris, 27, briefly appeared in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland to enter their pleas. They remain in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on $750,000 bond and face up to 39 years in prison each if convicted.
A preliminary hearing, in which a judge will decide whether there is enough evidence to send the case to a jury trial, was set for Nov. 13.
ALSO Video shows police aware of Ghost Ship trouble long before blaze
Almena and Harris appeared in red jail-issued clothing before Judge Yolanda Northridge, as the small courtroom gallery filled with members of the victims families. Outside court, defense attorneys criticized the charges, casting blame on others for the Dec. 2 fire that left 36 people dead from smoke inhalation inside the live-work artist collective that was powered by extension cords and propane tanks.
The city hadnt sanctioned the building on 31st Avenue in the Fruitvale neighborhood to be used as a residence, nor had it issued permits for the electronic music event. Almena was the master tenant and the visionary behind the jury-rigged artist space. His right-hand man, Harris, was the Ghost Ships creative director for some two years before the catastrophic fire, and prepared the building for the event.
Prosecutors called the mens actions before the fire reckless.
Defense lawyers have blamed the city of Oakland for its high rents, the Fire Department for its response to the blaze, and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for its role in allowing the building to have electricity, among other claimed causes. On Wednesday, Harris attorneys attacked building owner Chor Ng, who was not charged in the fire, saying she basically lined the Ghost Ship with highly flammable wood.
Attorney Curtis Briggs said Ng became a triple millionaire overnight over these deaths for accepting a reported insurance settlement after the fire.
Ngs daughter, Eva Ng, has said her mother was unaware that anyone was living in the warehouse.
The prosecution has chosen to indict, and charge, two young men, who are artists, who are poor, who have no money, Briggs said. Trying to hang responsibility over what was a deficient structure the owners responsibility on Max Harris and Derick Almena, thats unfair.
Almena and Harris were arrested in June, capping a six-month investigation. Most of the victims were trapped among the ramshackle assembly of wood, tapestries and other flammable materials on the second floor, as flames and smoke engulfed the building.
Investigators have not determined a cause for the fire but have pointed to fire hazards, including a makeshift stairway made of wooden pallets leading to the second floor. Electricity was piped into the building through a single power source in a neighboring building that split into a tangled mess of serpentine wires.
While he prepared the warehouse for the Dec. 2 event, prosecutors said, Harris blocked off a second stairwell, leaving only one point of escape. Almena is accused with Harris of deceiving police and firefighters about the warehouse, where they allegedly did construction that was unpermitted and uninspected.
The district attorneys office said actions by Almena and Harris created a high risk of death.
Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
According to sources in the police, some inmates have confirmed that they have seen women employees thrashing the complainant at the Yoga centre.
By P S Gopikrishnan Unnithan: The Kerala High Court today sought a report from the Udhayamperoor police on the investigation into a Hindu woman's complaint wherein she alleged that she was harassed and physically assaulted at a religious counselling centre.
The Udhayamperoor Police, in the meanwhile, took into custody an employee of the centre, Sreejesh, whose name was mentioned in the complaint as one of the five accused.
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The action came after 28-year-old Ayurveda doctor Shwetha lodged a complaint with the local police alleging that she was tortured and harassed inside the yoga centre for marrying a Christian man.
According to sources in the police, some inmates have confirmed that they have seen women employees thrashing the complainant. These brutal assaults were carried out under the direction of Sreejesh. The investigation team is trying to contact more inmates to learn if there are others with similar complaints.
The Kerala High Court, which considered the affidavit filed by Shwetha, observed that the revelations are really shocking and impleaded Sivasakthi Yoga centre, state police chief and local governing body to the case. The High Court also directed the police to submit a report within a week.
The local governing body, which inspected the Sivasakthi Yoga and Counselling Centre, served a stop memo for the centre which was functioning without proper documents. Many inmates have returned home after the stop memo was served.
Search operations are underway to track down the other accused including Manoj Guruji, who is believed to be the head of the institution.
President of Udhayamperoor local governing body, who visited the place, said that it has been found that over 50 people were residing in the two-storey building without adequate facilities.
"The building, which had residential permit, was used or commercial purpose. This is illegal and we have served a notice to shut the yoga centre. Some inmates, who hail from other states, will vacate the centre in the days to come, following which the building will be shut completely," said the president of Udhayamperoor Panchayath.
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By PTI: Colombo, Sep 27 (PTI) The Sri Lankan government today condemned the conduct of a group of Buddhist monks who mobbed a UN-run safe house for Rohingya Muslims, claiming that they were terrorists and should be sent back to Myanmar.
Dozens of protesters from Sri Lankas majority Buddhist community led a mob that entered a multi-storied house on the outskirts of the Sri Lankan capital yesterday following which about 30 Rohingya Muslims were taken into police custody to be moved to a safe location.
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Sri Lankan government spokesman and Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne slammed the conduct of the monks and the police over the harassment of Rohingya refugees lodged here.
"This behaviour was most disrespectful of Buddhism," Senaratne said, adding that police behaviour also needs to be questioned as they allowed the monks to threaten the refugees.
A spokesman from the nationalist group Sihala Ravaya yesterday said they had raided a house in the Colombo south suburb of Dehiwela.
"There were 32 of them, their children are even attending school here," he said.
Senaratne said that Rohingya refugees have been in Sri Lanka since 2008 and yet monks were protesting only now. The mob led by the monks had called for their eviction.
Officials said the group which included 16 children had been allowed to remain under the aegis of UN pending repatriation.
The UNHRC Colombo office said they were alarmed and concerned.
"UNHCR urges the public and all those concerned with refugees to continue extending protection and to show empathy for civilians fleeing persecution and violence," it said in a statement.
More than 436,000 refugees have crossed the border from Myanmars Rakhine state since August 25 when a military crackdown was launched following attacks on security forces allegedly by Rohingya militants. PTI Corr UZM
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A relic of a time when tweets had to fit within a text message, 140-character tweets have become Twitters most enduring and defining trait.
But like those old-fashioned cell-phone-delivered text messages, Twitters terseness may soon become a forgotten aspect of technology past.
Twitter announced Tuesday that the company plans to test longer tweet formats doubling the character count of the messages its users can post from 140 characters (the length of this storys first two sentences) to 280 characters.
The impetus for this change, Twitter said, was to make it easier for people to express themselves without worrying about hitting a virtual wall.
Twitter, which has about 328 million monthly users, has long struggled to show the kind of breakout growth rivals like Snapchat and Instagram have seen. Experts have attributed that in part to nonusers failing to understand the utility of the social network and casual users being turned off by its idiosyncrasies.
Now Playing: Twitter revealed why it didn't remove President Trump's tweet over the weekend citing "newsworthiness" and public interest as the reasons. This despite its own rules which state users "may not make threats of violence or promote violence." North Korea's Foreign Minister took the statement as a declaration of war. The White House denied the allegation Monday. Video: Wibbitz
When people dont have to cram their thoughts into 140 characters and actually have some to spare, we see more people tweeting, Aliza Rosen, Twitters product manager wrote in a blog post Tuesday.
Rosens blog post, at about 2,680 characters, would have taken 20 tweets to convey. If Twitters new character count limit goes through, however, it could have been released in 10.
The longer 280-character limitation is being tested among a small group that tweets in languages where the companys character count seems to pose a routine problem, Rosen wrote.
According to the company, 9 percent of all tweets in English hit the 140-character limit, whereas less than half a percent of tweets in Japanese do.
We want every person around the world to easily express themselves on Twitter, so were doing something new: were going to try out a longer limit, 280 characters, in languages impacted by cramming (which is all except Japanese, Chinese, and Korean), she wrote.
The announcement appears to be an extension of several moves Twitter has made over the past year to make tweeting easier by changing the way characters are counted in each tweet: Photos, videos and animated images known as GIFs are no longer factored into a tweets overall character count. Similarly, replying to other users by their handle no longer cuts into a tweets length.
Amid these changes last year, CEO Jack Dorsey promised Twitter loyalists affronted by the prospect of longer tweets that the 140-character count was staying.
Its a good constraint for us, Dorsey said in an interview on the Today show in March 2016.
That sentiment and fear of alienating Twitters most hard-core users, many of whom have loudly defended the social networks 140-character limit had previously held Twitters engineers back from altering the limit.
In its blog post on Tuesday, the company attempted to head off the outrage it routinely receives whenever an unpopular change is made to its product.
We understand since many of you have been tweeting for years, there may be an emotional attachment to 140 characters we felt it, too, Rosen wrote. But we tried this, saw the power of what it will do, and fell in love with this new, still brief, constraint.
Initially, Twitter said, a small group of users would test out the new space constraints while the company studied their behavior and use of the longer length.
The testers would be randomly selected, according to the tech company. It was not immediately clear when or if the company would roll out its 280 character limits to a broader audience or to what extent the company may handpick users in the future to whom Twitter may allot more space.
Twitter is about brevity, Rosen wrote in the companys blog post. Its what makes it such a great way to see whats happening. ... That is something we will never change.
On other matters, Twitter is holding fast to its rules. On Monday, Twitter revealed that certain users who are considered newsworthy, like President Trump, are treated differently and allowed more leeway than everyday Twitter users.
Trump, who often reveals his feelings in passionate mini-missives on Twitter and has used the social network to announce policy decisions, has not been suspended or removed from the platform despite calls for him to be dropped for violating Twitters user guidelines forbidding abuse and threats of violence, among other things because of the newsworthiness of his words.
This has long been internal policy and well soon update our public-facing rules to reflect it, Twitters official public policy account tweeted on Monday.
It made the announcement in six 140-character tweets.
Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_Jae
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REDWOOD CITY (BCN)
A former female teacher at an East Palo Alto charter school has been convicted in San Mateo County Superior Court of four counts of committing sexual acts on a 15-year-old male student in 2015.
Danielle Matko, 35, of Belmont, was convicted Tuesday by a jury in the court of Judge Jonathan Karesh of one count of oral copulation on a minor and three counts of lewd acts upon a child, according to Chief San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney Karen Guidotti.
Following the verdicts, Karesh ordered Matko into custody on no-bail status, Guidotti said.
Guidotti said that as midday today, the jury was continuing to deliberate on two additional counts.
At the time of the incidents in the fall of 2015, Matko was teaching at the Aspire East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy.
Prosecutors alleged that in September 2015, she was talking with the student in her classroom during a free period and showed him her bare breasts, allowed him to touch them and then touched him sexually.
On a later occasion, she orally copulated him, prosecutors said.
Matko's four convictions stem from those incidents, Guidotti said.
The jury was continuing to deliberate on a charge of a second act of oral copulation with that student and on a charge of a lewd act with the first victim and a second 15-year old, Guidotti said.
Prosecutors allege the latter incident occurred in November 2015, when both 15-year-olds were in Matko's classroom. She allegedly removed her blouse and let both victims touch her bare breasts, prosecutors said.
Guidotti said the victims told their friends about the incidents and eventually one of the friends reported the allegations to a legal aid lawyer, who called the police.
Matko denied any illegal conduct and claimed the victims were making up the story, Guidotti said.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)
A woman on roller skates was struck and seriously injured by a San Francisco Municipal Railway bus in the city's Pacific Heights neighborhood on Tuesday evening, police said.
Police said the 35-year-old woman was roller-skating in the second lane of California Street at Lyon Street around 6 p.m. when she was struck from behind by a bus.
She was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The collision involved an outbound 1BX-California line bus, according to Muni spokesman Paul Rose.
The driver will be placed on non-driving status pending the result of the investigation into the collision, Rose said.
By PTI: Houston, Sep 27 (PTI) The submerged lost continent Zealandia was not always hidden deep beneath the water as it is today, a study has found.
Earlier this year, Zealandia was confirmed as Earths seventh continent, but little is known about it because it is submerged more than a kilometre under the sea. Until now, the region has been sparsely surveyed and sampled.
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Researchers affiliated with the International Ocean Discovery Programme (IODP) in the US in collaboration with scientists from 23 countries mounted a nine week expedition to explore Zealandia.
Expedition scientists drilled deep into the seabed at six sites in water depths of more than 4,101 feet.
They collected 8,202 feet of sediment cores from layers that record how the geography, volcanism and climate of Zealandia have changed over the last 70 million years.
Researchers found significant new fossil discoveries that prove Zealandia was not always as deep beneath the waves as it is today.
"More than 8,000 specimens were studied, and several hundred fossil species were identified," said Gerald Dickens of Rice University in the US.
"The discovery of microscopic shells of organisms that lived in warm shallow seas, and of spores and pollen from land plants, reveal that the geography and climate of Zealandia were dramatically different in the past," Dickens added.
The new discoveries show that the formation 40 to 50 million years ago of the "Pacific Ring of Fire," an active seafloor zone along the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean, caused dramatic changes in ocean depth and volcanic activity and buckled the seabed of Zealandia.
Researchers had believed that Zealandia was submerged when it separated from Australia and Antarctica about 80 million years ago.
"That is still probably accurate, but it is now clear that dramatic later events shaped the continent we explored on this voyage," said Rupert Sutherland of Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.
"Big geographic changes across northern Zealandia, which is about the same size as India, have implications for understanding questions such as how plants and animals dispersed and evolved in the South Pacific," Sutherland said.
The discovery of past land and shallow seas now provides an explanation. There were pathways for animals and plants to move along, researchers said. PTI APA MHN SAR MHN
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By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) A man suspected of killing his wife and cousin in north Delhis Timarpur allegedly committed suicide in his native village in Kanpur in the early hours today, police said.
The body of Mohit (25) was found hanging from the ceiling of a temporary structure when a team of Delhi Police reached his village to arrest him in connection with the twin murders, they added.
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According to Jatin Narwal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), a strip of sulphas tablets was found from the spot and there was a mark on his wrist which indicated that he had tried to slit his wrist. However, no suicide note was found.
Yesterday, the bodies of Mohits wife Premlata (28) and his cousin Sonia (24) were found with their throats slit at the latters house.
Mohit was Sonias father Raj Kumar Sharmas nephew.
It was suspected that Mohit was involved in the killings as he was missing.
The two women were first attacked with a screwdriver and then their throats were slit with a kitchen knife, the police had said.
Mohit had fled from Delhi and reached his native village in Kanpur late last night. A team of Delhi Police also left for his village to look for him.
This morning, when the police team reached the fields in his village, they found his body hanging from the ceiling of a structure there.
Mohits family claimed that they were unaware that he was in the village .
Police also seized a liquor bottle and some glasses from the spot. They also found Mohits blood-stained clothes and his wifes cell phone from the place where he allegedly hanged himself, the police said.
During investigation, the police found that Mohit and Premlata were having trouble in their marriage.
Premlatas father told the police that Mohit would pick up fights with his daughter over trivial issues. Her father also told the police that Mohit accused Premlata of talking to other men on phone.
It is suspected that during one such fight, Mohit killed his wife in a fit of rage. However, it is still not clear why he killed his cousin.
"He might have killed Sonia since she was a witness or it is possible that she was killed while trying to intervene between the couple," said another officer, privy to the probe. PTI SLB RT
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By Vidya : The Mumbai Crime Branch on Tuesday submitted a 990 page-long chargesheet in the Manjula Shettye murder case.
Investigating officer Prabha Raul submitted the chargesheet after almost three months of investigation in the case. According to the chargesheet that is yet to be handed over to the accused, there is no evidence related to the alleged sexual assault on Manjula.
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In the chargesheet, a total of 182 statements of witnesses have been recorded by investigators. Out of these, 97 statements are those of the jail inmates. The CCTV footage of the jail that was given to the investigators by jail authorities is a part of the chargesheet. Sheena Bora murder accused Indrani Mukerjea's statement has also been recorded, although the case does not really bank on her version as she was not an eyewitness to Manjula being beaten up by the accused jailors.
Another corruption accused and a Byculla jail inmate Vaishali Mudale's statement has also been recorded by the crime branch. Mudale had earlier told a local court how Shettye had been working with her in the morning inside jail but was later taken away by the accused jail officials, after which only cries of Manjula being beaten up were heard.
Apart from Byculla jailor Manisha Pokharkar, jail guards Bindu Naikode, Waseema Shaikh, Sheetal Shegaokar, Surekha Gudve and Aarti Shingane have also been arrested in the case. The accused officials have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code like murder, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation and common intention of committing murder.
After the magistrate at Esplanade court takes cognisance of the chargesheet, the accused will be given copies. The accused had filed for bail earlier. The bail hearing was adjourned as the sessions court was told that Shettye, a murder convict, had served over 10 years in jail and had been transferred to Byculla jail from Pune's Yerwada Jail this year before she was to complete her sentence. Manjula was appointed as the jail warden and she was declared dead on admission at the JJ Hospital on June 23. Jail inmates alleged that she was beaten up brutally by jail officials.
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MDMK cadres on Wednesday laid siege to the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission office in Chennai, claiming that their leader Vaiko was threatened at the UN Council.
By Pramod Madhav: MDMK cadres on Wednesday laid siege to the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission office in Chennai, claiming that their leader Vaiko was threatened at the UN Council.
MDMK leader Vaiko has been attending the UN Council for the past 3 days, speaking in favour of Sri Lankan Tamil nationals and alleging that the government of the island nation has been discrimating against the community.
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Vaiko, in his speech at the UN council, protested against the Lankan government for the atrocities being committed against Tamils living there.
Vaiko has stood firm on his stand, holding the Sri Lankan government responsible for the death of lakhs of Lankan Tamils in 2009 and the deteriorating state of livelihood of those remaining.
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER VAIKO's SPEECH AT UN COUNCIL
Two days ago, a video taken inside the UN Council was released where Vaiko alleged that after he had finished a speech session, a Lankan national confronted him asking how could he speak in such a scathingly critical way about the island nation. Vaiko, on his part, said that he only brought to the fore the atrocities that were being faced by the Lankan Tamils. Later, 6 other nationals, whom Vaiko claimed to be soldiers or war commanders, threatened him to not speak in such a manner.
It was on hearing about this incident that the MDMK cadres attempted to lay siege to the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai. Party leader Mallai Sathya stated that the Centre had not condemned what had happened to Vaiko, something that only showed that no matter which party comes to power, Tamil citizens would only be treated as 'second grade' citizens.
The cadres raised slogans against the Sri Lankan government. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena's pictures were burnt by MDMK cadres to lodge their resentment. Following the protest, Sathya also claimed that the rights of Tamils citizens should be protected at all costs.
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The Shirdi airport will be inaugurated on October 1 by President Ram Nath Kovind.
By India Today Web Desk: After months of anticipation, the first flight to Shirdi, as part of the test run, finally landed at the Shirdi airport.
An Alliance Air (subsidiary of Air India) aircraft, departed from Mumbai international terminal on September 26, at 4:15 pm and landed in Shirdi at 5 pm. The flight then took off from Shirdi at 6 pm, to reach Mumbai at 6:35 pm.
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Passengers who boarded the flight included State Civil Aviation Secretary Valsa Nair Singh, Mukesh Bhatia, regional director, Air India, managing director of MADC (Maharashtra Airport Development Company), Suresh Kakani, and other officials.
"During the test run, we looked if the pilot was able to spot the runway, if there were any obstructions in the approach path and whether the aircraft was able to receive signals from the Air Traffic Control (ATC)," Kakani was reported as saying by Hindustan Times.
Also Read:The world's shortest flight doesn't last even a minute!
The newly built Shirdi airport will most likely be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on October 1.
The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) is yet to approve the flight schedule. "The flights are scheduled to operate from Shirdi on October 29. We have requested the DGCA to prepone the dates," said Kakani.
The MADC officials expect a footfall of around 500 fliers per day. Besides Alliance Air, TruJet and Zoom Air will be operating flights between Mumbai and Shirdi. Four flights will reportedly fly to Mumbai from Shirdi, apart from one each from Delhi and Hyderabad, thus amounting to 12 flight operations each day.
Operations might increase once the airport gets equipped with night-landing facility.
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Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu are all set to tie the knot on October 6.
By India Today Web Desk: Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu are Tollywood's favourite couple - on screen as well off it. And ever since the news of their marriage came out, their fans cannot wait for the big day. Naga Chaitanya and Samantha are set to tie the knot on October 6 . And ahead of their wedding, Samantha spilled the beans on the wedding preparations.
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In an interview to Mumbai Mirror, Samantha revealed that three-day destination wedding will be a grand affair with actors, socialites and politicians on the guest list.
Samantha said that her wedding outfits - one traditional and one modern will be designed by her best friend Kresha Bajaj. She told the daily, "I have given Kresha complete freedom and I'm not planning to go bridezilla on her. I trust her and know she will make me look my best."
She added, "But I do know that for the South Indian ceremony I will be wearing the sari of my fiance's grandmother, D Rajeshwari. I wanted the outfit to be an ode to her. It will be worn with gold ornaments, including a custom-made waistband and armbands. For the Christian wedding, I've left it to Kresha, who gave me a fairytale lehenga for my engagement. It captured my love story."
After a several-year-long relationship, Naga Chaitanya and Samantha got engaged earlier this year. The two worked together in films like Autonagar Surya, Manam and Thrayam.
Samantha plans to get back to work post the wedding. "We will fly out of the country for Christmas and New Year's Eve."
ALSO WATCH: Naga Chaitanya and Samantha engaged
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Looking for a house where you could throw an extraordinary Gatsbyesque party?
A Spanish Colonial Revival in Piedmont on the market for $3.795 million has a ballroom and a speakeasy on its lower level.
An impasto mural painted when the house was originally built in 1928 depicts life during the roaring 20s with dancing girls adorning the ballroom and inebriated animals adding to the festive ambiance in the bar area.
"The mural work is stunning with rhinestones embedded for the women's jewels," says Anna Bahnson of Pacific Union, who is co-listing the property with Debi Fitzgerrell.
Bahnson says the 30-foot-long bar spanning the speakeasy was taken from a saloon in San Francisco during prohibition.
This splendid mansion at 227 Crocker Ave. also makes for a comfortable home with six bedrooms and seven bathrooms spread across 5,409 square feet.
"It's a very sort of grand, formal house on the outside, but when you're inside, the floor plan is super livable and makes sense," Bahnson says. It's light, bright, and open. It feels like a house I could live in unlike a lot of the giant mansion-y houses."
You'll find exquisite architectural details throughout with hand-coffered wood beam ceilings, stately columns, original wrought-iron light fixtures, and arched doorways, one of them accented with hand-painted tiles. These were all part of the original design by Oakland architect Claude Barton, who is best known for his remodel of the Sequoyah Country Club in 1928.
Police in Henderson, Ky., are hunting a robbery suspect described as armed and thirst-quenching.
The gunman, dressed as a Coca-Cola bottle, held up a Rally's restaurant in Henderson, at 6:50 a.m. Monday, police said.
The thief stole more than $500 from the fast-food joint, which was unstaffed except for a manager, who was not harmed. Henderson police said the costumed crook was a white male who fled the crime scene in a gray minivan driven by another white male.
Jim Cole/Associated Press
The getaway driver was apparently not disguised as a refreshing beverage.
Surveillance video caught the pistol-wielding pop bottle in the act. According to the Smoking Gun, a police spokesman speculated that the Coca-Cola outfit may have been a Halloween costume.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact the local Crime Stoppers organization.
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 27 (PTI) There is need to "change the discourse" around Jammu and Kashmir as there is no such thing as the Kashmir issue, Union minister Jitendra Singh has said, stressing that the only "point of debate" is retrieving Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The minister of state in the Prime Ministers Office said this after paying a pictorial homage to martyrs of Jammu and Kashmir Police and slain Army officer Lt Ummer Fayyaz here yesterday.
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Lt Fayyazs Facebook page, letters during his Army training days as well as the photographs of slain J-K officers Mohammed Ayoub Pandith, Feroz Ahmed Dar and others were on display at the event.
"There is need to change the discourse (on Jammu and Kashmir) for future generations. We have to change the agenda.There is no such issue as Kashmir issue. It is as much a part of India as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or any other state.
"The only issue if at all is how to retrieve a part of Kashmir which is under the illegal occupation of Pakistan for the past 70 years and restore the Valley in the same format as was handed over by Maharaja Hari Singh," Singh said.
He underlined the central governments "proactive" steps in bringing development to the Valley, especially with respect to neutralising extremist forces.
"The border dwellers, in spite of the hardships they face, have asked us to take strong action against cross-border shelling. We have given our forces confidence and freedom to act on the borders, and the results are for everyone to see.
"We have been able to neutralise many terrorists and foil infiltration bids. Our crackdown on terror funding in the Valley is another step to step towards restoring normalcy in the state," he said.
Hitting out at the past political regimes for "mishandling Kashmir", Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, who was also present on the occasion, said the Modi government was the only "ray of hope" for the people.
"In a first, the Centre and the state government are on the same page with regard to dealing with terrorism and separatism," he said.
On questions being raised against the PDP-BJP coalition in the state, the Deputy CM said such an alliance was a "bold decision". "We had to leave a lot of issues dear to us for the larger interest of the state," he said.
Union minister Jitendra Singh said the foreign outreach by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the major achievements of the current dispensation at the Centre.
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"Many nations that were earlier not convinced with Indias position on Kashmir have come around. It gives the country a major boost in putting forth its stand on the matter on a global platform," he said.
Talking about the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley, the MoS said it was imperative to "create a conducive atmosphere so that the community members returns voluntarily".
Former MP Tarun Vijay, who was also present at the event, saluted the sacrifice of civilians, policemen and army personnel who laid down their lives while battling terrorist forces.
Lt Fayaz, an Army officer of Rajputana Rifles, was abducted and killed by militants in south Kashmirs Shopian district on May 9 this year.
Srinagar DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith was lynched to death outside Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta on June 22 while Sub inspector Feroz Ahmed Dar was killed by LeT terrorists in Anantnag on June 16. PTI SRY RCJ MIN RCJ
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GENEVA The head of the U.N.s migration agency warned Wednesday about increasing reports of sexual violence directed at Rohingya Muslims, who have been fleeing violence in Myanmar in recent weeks.
Director-General William Lacy Swing of the International Organization for Migration said he was shocked and concerned about the reports of sexual and gender-based violence among Rohingya newly arrived in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh.
The agency said rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, child marriage and other forms of gender-based violence have been identified. It did not specify who was responsible for the violence.
The agency is coordinating the humanitarian response among U.N. agencies and aid providers amid the exodus of an estimated 480,000 people who have reached Coxs Bazar since Aug. 25, when attacks by a Rohingya insurgent group against police posts in Myanmar led to massive retaliation by the countrys army.
Meanwhile, Myanmar government officials said at least 163 people have been killed and 91 others have gone missing over the past year in attacks carried out by Rohingya militants in restive Rakhine state.
The comments Tuesday came after the bodies of at least 45 Hindus were discovered in three mass graves earlier in the week. The government in Yangon blames Muslim insurgents for the killings, although they denied responsibility in a statement Wednesday.
The governments Information Committee released a statement on its Facebook page saying that from October 2016 to August 2017, at least 79 people were killed in the attacks and 37 have gone missing, including local officials, public servants and security forces. Another 84 were killed and 54 have gone missing since Aug. 25, when the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, opened attacks on at least 30 police outposts.
The government had previously said that nearly 400 alleged insurgents had been killed since Aug. 25.
On Monday, Myanmar officials said they had discovered at least 45 slain Hindus in three mass graves in conflict-torn northern Rakhine state. Twenty-eight were uncovered from two mass graves on Sunday and 17 were discovered in a different mass grave in the same area on Monday.
Local authorities said the 45 bodies were among about 100 Hindus missing since ARSA carried out the simultaneous attacks on the police outposts.
We are still searching for more mass graves in that same area, said Maj. Zayar Nyein of Border Guard Police Headquarters in Maungdaw. I dont know exactly why these terrorists killed that many people. The Hindu village was very much up north and communication was not that good, and thats why security forces were not able to reach out to the area sooner.
ARSA issued a statement Wednesday on Twitter denying it had abused civilians in the villages where the bodies were found. It said it has sympathy for the victims of war crimes and other atrocities committed in the fighting, and would investigate any such crimes committed by Myanmar authorities.
There was no way to immediately verify either the government or ARSA accounts.
A government crackdown that followed the attacks left more than 200 Rohingya Muslim villages burned and sent at least 480,000 Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh.
TEHRAN Irans supreme leader and thousands of others on Wednesday mourned a young Revolutionary Guard soldier beheaded by the Islamic State group, a killing that has struck a nerve within the Islamic Republic as its forces continue to suffer casualties in Iraq and Syria.
The slaying in Syria of 25-year-old Mohsen Hojaji captured the imagination of many in Iran, a Shiite-ruled nation whose national religion considers acts of mourning and acknowledging sacrifices a sacred act.
Cover, Sept. 20: Driven to Distraction
Careless and care less
My family walks, drives, and bikes around Santa Fe and what should be pleasant is frequently unsettling to terrifying. Please follow up your article with some more information about vehicular manslaughter charges in Santa Fe. I read in the Santa Fe New Mexican this morning that all charges had been dropped against Jerry Hicks' murderer (the man run over while riding his motorcycle during a blackout). How exactly can a driver not be charged with anything after killing someone with multiple witnesses at the scene? Do the weak penalties for this type of incident and DWI cases make drivers careless and care less? It makes me angry to know that if a driver runs over me or my child they could get off scott-free by claiming distraction or "thinking about her ex-husband." Keep up the good work.
Heather McClure
Santa Fe
Lemming Alert
Thank you for the article on distracted driving. As a retired safety professional, I believe this is one of the most under-appreciated hazards in the US and around the world. The National Safety Council has found that driving while talking on a phone (never mind texting) quadruples a person's chance of being in a serious accident. The research shows that a hands-free device does not significantly improve one's oddsbrain activity that processes moving images decreases by up to a third while on a phone. ...
If that isn't scary enough, distracted walking is becoming a significant cause of injuries and fatalitiespeople hit by cars, even walking off cliffs. The city of London has padded some lampposts to prevent head injuries. Are these signs of addiction?
Capt. C John Graham
US Air Force Auxiliary
Correction
In NOW This (Music, Sept. 20), SFR erroneously stated the band Tune Yards hails from New York. They are from Oakland, California.
SFR will correct factual errors online and in print. Please let us know if we make a mistake, editor@sfreporter.com or 988-7530.
Mail letters to PO Box 2306, Santa Fe, NM 87504, deliver to 132 E Marcy St., or email them to editor@sfreporter.com. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to specic articles in the Reporter. Letters will be edited for space and clarity.
Santa Fe Reporter
The Magnificent Seven
Entrepreneur and onetime Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alan Webber is running for mayor of Santa Fe. The co-founder of Fast Company magazine will privately finance his campaign instead of using the $60,000 provided by the city. In making his announcement yesterday, Webber also revealed he's gathered the endorsement of Public Regulation Commission Valerie Espinoza, who was considering a run of her own. Wesley Sandel, a social worker involved in elder care and, formerly, suicide prevention, also announced he's gathering signatures to run.
Trailer for sale or rent
Santa Fe's rental market is putting the squeeze on just about everyone. The city's vacancy rate hovers around a tiny 3 percent and there are hardly any new multi-family projects in the works. The city, real estate professionals and community development experts say that makes it harder to attract (and keep) the kinds of people who can grow Santa Fe's economy and contribute to a vibrant city.
Clean up crew
Los Alamos National Labs' operator has drawn a 6-month, $65 million extension to clean up waste at the nuclear site above Santa Fe and the Espanola Valley. The feds separated the contract to run the lab from its clean-up responsibilities after an improperly packed drum of waste caused a leak and subsequent shutdown of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad in 2014. The government will continue to search for a permanent waste contractor.
LANL suspends plutonium workers
The National Nuclear Safety Administration says plutonium workers at Los Alamos National Lab have been suspended and will undergo retraining after they placed two pieces of machined plutonium too near each other. The Defense Nuclear Safety Facilities Board said the mistake was critical and could have led to a chain reaction and the release of radiation. But both LANL and the NNSA have disagreed with that assessment, calling the proximity rules for plutonium "administrative" ones. Watchdog groups say the rules are likely in place for a science-based, not administrative, reason.
State Investment Council shakeup or shakedown?
The Word could use the rest of its allotted space describing the ins and outs of the State Investment Council and the controversy surrounding it. In the interest of letting you finish your breakfast (coffee, lunch, etc.), know that the group monitors and helps steer the investment of $22 billion in state funds. That money generates a lot of fees for third-party investment managers and has created pay-to-play questions about the past two governors. Yesterday, Gov. Susana Martinez said she'd change her mind and support taking the governor's seat off the council if two other elected officialsthe state land commissioner and state treasurerwere also given the boot.
UNM's presidential search
The University of New Mexico's Board of Regents has begun interviewing candidates for the school's top job. It's been turnstile presidency in recent years as the school has repeatedly sought a successful, and new, way forward. Now, citing stability concerns in leadership and accreditation concerns, the faculty has asked the regents to suspend their search and extend the contract of interim president Chaouki Abdallah. The board planned to name finalists next month and select a president in November.
A mighty wind
Xcel energy wants permission to build two massive new wind farms to provide power to Eastern New Mexico and West Texas. One of the windmill arrays would be in Roosevelt County. The power company says the two wind farms could provide 40 percent of the power needs for the area in the next several years. They sit at the edge of the oil-rich Permian Basin, which is poised to see yet another boom in drilling.
Build the (model) wall
The federal government is asking contractors to start building prototypes for a border wall. Eight finalists are constructing their walls in an area near San Diego. The process is behind schedule after losing bidders protested the government's selection of the finalists. Four walls are concrete and four are built from other material, although President Trump said just yesterday he wanted the wall to be "see-through."
Thanks for reading! The Word digs the fall wind, but wants those leaves to stay on the trees for a while.
Spread the Word at sfreporter.com/santafe/signup.
Santa Fe Reporter
Westland Milk Products, New Zealand's second-largest dairy cooperative, turned to an annual profit as it reduced costs, processed less milk and lifted payments to its farmer suppliers.
Hokitika-based Westland turned to a profit of $1.5 million in the 12 months ended July 31, from a loss of $10.3 million a year earlier, it said in a statement. Revenue rose 7.1 percent to $629.7 million even as the amount of milk received from suppliers reduced by 6 percent to 699 million litres. Selling, distribution and administration expenses fell 9.6 percent to $107.8 million while other costs of sales dropped 18 percent to $153.8 million.
Under the leadership of new chief executive Toni Brendish, who started in September 2016, the company has been running the ruler over its cost base as part of efforts to return to profitability and lift payments to farmer suppliers. In the latest year, Westland lifted its payout to its 342 shareholders by 28 percent to $338.7 million, a net average payout of $5.18 per kilogram of milk solids, up from $3.88/kgMS a year earlier. Chair Pete Morrison said the payout is still not industry competitive, and he reiterated the company expected to lift the payout this season to between $6.40 and $6.80/kgMS.
"Both board and management warned shareholders after our annual general meeting last year that we would not be able to return the company to an industry competitive payout in one season. We committed to doing so for 2017-18," Morrison said.
"This recovery bodes well for the future of our co-operative," he said. "When our new chief executive Toni Brendish commenced in September 2016, and quickly established a new finance team to work with her, she identified that it was costing Westland more to process its bucket of milk compared with other dairy companies in New Zealand. Since then, management has embarked on a campaign to reduce costs and improve efficiencies. The result has been the removal of many millions of dollars in costs from the business."
Dairy products are New Zealand's largest commodity export and the local industry is dominated by dairy giant Fonterra Cooperative Group, the world's largest dairy exporter.
(BusinessDesk)
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By PTI: By Shirish B Pradhan
Kathmandu, Sep 27 (PTI) Nepal wants to become a bridge between India and China and contribute towards maintaining peace and stability in the entire South Asia region, Nepals Deputy Prime Minister Gopal Man Shrestha has said amidst Beijings efforts to step up its influence in the country.
Shrestha, whose Nepali Congress party won most of the seats in a Madhesi-dominated province during the just concluded local polls in the country, expressed hope that his party would become the largest party in the forthcoming Parliamentary elections.
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The elections for provinces and the federal assembly or Parliament will be held as per schedule, said Shrestha, who is also the education minister of the country.
"The government is making all preparations for the upcoming provincial election on November 26 and Parliamentary elections on December 5," Shrestha told PTI.
Responding to a question, he said Nepal wanted to play the role of a bridge between two Asian giants India and China.
"We will maintain good neighbourly relations with both the countries," said Shrestha.
"Being a bridge between the two neighbouring countries Nepal wants to contribute towards maintaining peace and stability in the entire South Asia region," Shrestha said.
He said Nepal was is committed to pursuing non-aligned foreign policy while dealing with the neighbours.
The remarks came amid Chinas efforts to increase its presence in the Himalayan country.
China last year agreed to consider building a railway into Nepal and to start a feasibility study for a free trade agreement with landlocked Nepal, which has been trying to lessen its dependence on India.
Nepal also signed up to President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road initiative which is opposed by India as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Shrestha said economic prosperity will be the main agenda of the ruling Nepali Congress during the provincial and Parliamentary level elections.
"Now with the successful implementation of the Constitution, that was framed two years ago, the political transition has concluded, and now we will focus our attention to the economic agenda of the country," he said.
Commenting on the performance of the Nepali Congress in the local elections, he said: "Our performance was good in province No 2 and 4 out of seven provinces, though we could not perform up to the expectations".
"Our effort will be to form a stable government at the centre," he said.
The next government is most likely to be a coalition one, he opined adding "as per the present circumstances and the constitutional provision, there is less likelihood of forming a majority government by any political party after the elections."
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He invited more foreign investment in Nepal, saying the government is committed to creating safe and conducive environment for investors.
He said the participation of Madhesi parties in the local election has helped in the implementing the new Constitution."
"We have amended the Constitution to fulfil some of the major demands raised by the Madhesi parties and we will gradually address the other demands raised by them," he said.
"We will unitedly move ahead by consolidating the party in the upcoming elections so that Nepali Congress will emerge victorious in all the seven provinces," he said.
Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a prolonged agitation between September 2015 and February last year against the implementation of the new Constitution which they felt marginalised the Terai community. PTI SBP NSA
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Uromys vika, a giant, tree-dwelling rat species, can crack open coconuts with its teeth. The new species was discovered in the Solomon Islands and is a lot bigger than the black rats.
By PTI: Scientists have discovered a giant, tree-dwelling rat species in the Solomon islands that can crack open coconuts with its teeth.
Named Uromys vika, the new species is a lot bigger than the black rats that spread throughout the world with European colonists.
They are about a foot and a half long from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail.
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Researchers at the Field Museum of Natural History in the US started looking for the rat after hearing rumours that a giant, possum-like rat lived in trees and cracked open coconuts with its teeth in the Soloman island in 2010.
It took the researchers seven years to find the rat.
"The new species, is pretty spectacular - it is a big, giant rat. It is the first rat discovered in 80 years from Solomons," said Tyrone Lavery, post doctoral researcher at the Field Museum.
Although the rats have not yet been observed cracking open coconuts, they do have a penchant for chewing circular holes into nuts to get at the meat.
The rats giant size and possum-like tree-dwelling lifestyle can be traced back to its island home.
Islands are full of animals found nowhere else on the Earth that evolved in isolation from the rest of the world, researchers said.
"Vikas ancestors probably rafted to the island on vegetation, and once they got there, they evolved into this wonderfully new species, nothing like what they came from on the mainland," said Lavery, lead author of the study published in the Journal of Mammalogy.
The tree-dwelling lifestyle of the rat made it difficult for researchers to find them. However they luckily found one of the rats scurrying out of a felled tree.
"As soon as I examined the specimen, I knew it was something different. There are only eight known species of native rat from the Solomon Islands, and looking at the features on its skull, I could rule out a bunch of species right away," Lavery said.
After comparing the specimen to similar species in museum collections and checking the new rats DNA against the DNA of its relatives, researchers confirmed that the giant rat was a new species, which was named Uromys vika in honour of the local name for the rat.
--- ENDS ---
NIA has revealed that the oranigsation has clandestinely collected funds from various frontal and religious forums based in Gulf countries.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Days away from imminent ban of Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) by Union Home Ministry, India Today has accessed a 19-page dossier which the National Investigation Agency (NIA) submitted to the ministry, a precursor to crackdown on the radical organisation.
The document has revealed besides a well oiled machinery of PFI to indulge in terror activities, the oranigsation has clandestinely collected funds from various frontal and religious forums based in Gulf countries. The probe agency has said that PFI used organisations like India Fraternity Forum (IFF) and Muslim Relief Network (MRN) to receive such funds.
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The document elaborates that "It is widely suspected that PFI recieves huge funds through India Fraternity Forum (IFF) a forum floated on behalf of PFI in Gulf countries, with its leaders E Abubacker A Sayed and E M Abdul Rehman who camouflaging their visit for Haj or Ummrah pilgrimage or meeting with expatriate relatives with an aim to collect discreet funds."
The funds are not collected through IFF but directly the probe agency in a bid to hide transactions. The dossier says that PFI may have obtained financial help for starting its daily "Thejas"media city studio, a PFI office in Bangalore. The money is also collected from Muslim businessmen of Karnataka.
The document further says MRN a Kerala based NGO floated by PFI mobilizes funds especially from Gulf countries by recieving donations from Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in Jeddah, and has established links with World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), National Confederations of Human Rights Organisations. Besides PFI collected funds from Rs 10 to Rs 1,000 for purporse such as membership fee's, ramadan collection fund etc. Muslim businessmen and sympathisers were asked to contribute generously to publishing books and magazines.
The agency in its report claimed that the PFI is a "threat to national security" and is using outfits like Sathya Sarini in Malapurram to carry out "forced conversions", the recent ones being that of Athira Nambiar and Akhila Ashokan, the report says without mentioning names. Meanwhile, Green Valley Foundation was serving as place for secret meetings of cadres and reportedly running anti-national activity. Another danger is the common platform which the organisation shares with Maoist and Dalit extremist organisation.
The document elaborates how demolition of Babri Masjid (in 1992) gave Muslim organisations in Kerala to form resistance groups to meet the challenges from Sangh Parivar outfits. This led to culmination of National Democratic Front (NDF) which was precursor to PFI. Kerela-based ex-SIMI cadres nurturing pan Islamic aspiration who were bereft of any effective platform were instrumental to the organisation.
The outfit had a quantum jump in its cadre base with the group having clandestine meetings to pursue its hidden Islamic agenda including countering of the so called anti-islamic forces. With its fast spread in southern states, NDF finally merged with MNP (Manitha Neethi Parsai) of Tamil Nadu, KFD in Karnataka, and Nagrik Adhikar Suraksha Samithi Andhra Pradesh.
Calling it a an organisation with a well oiled machinery to meet its violent ends, the outfit has squads of trainers, experts in making crude bombs and IEDs , an intelligence wing and actionable squad. The PFI has training centres in strongholds where training on martial arts and indoctrination is conducted.
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While PFI volunteers have been accused of running a terror camp, the document goes on to say that training was being imparted in use of explosives and weapons with intention to prepare the cadres for terror activities. Articles used for training including swords, country made bombs, human shaped wooden target, ingredients for making crude IEDs such as gun powder and iron nail etc. were seized from 21 PFI cadres in Kannur, Kerala in 2013.
The dossier of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has claimed that the PFI is indulging in actions detrimental to the overall national security of India. Investigators have accused PFI of encouraging Taliban brand of Islam and communalising the nation's polity. NDF in its new avatar of PFI is pursuing a secret agenda camouflaged by an exterior human rights facade, with its founding leaders groomed deep in SIMI ideology says the secret document.
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The agency has sighted details of four cases in which the PFI is said to be involved. They include chopping of a professor's wrist in Kerala's Idukki district, the murder of Rudresh an RSS leader in Bengaluru, the Islamic State Al-Hindi module case plotting attacks in south India and the case of an ongoing training camp in Kannur from where bombs, IEDs and swords were recovered.
All of these cases have indicted PFI volunteers. PFI's has strongly refuted allegations of involvement in terror activities.
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CITY HALL -- The city's gotten more than 24 proposals for locations for Amazon's second headquarters, including at least one on Staten Island, officials said Wednesday.
The city's Economic Development Corporation, or EDC, wouldn't say how many proposals were submitted for Staten Island sites, but altogether the responses represent over 50 million square feet of commercial space in 23 neighborhoods across all five boroughs.
Each will be reviewed in the coming days before the city presents a proposal to Amazon by Oct. 19.
Amazon put out a nationwide call for proposals for the new headquarters earlier this month after announcing a 855,000-square-foot fulfillment center will be constructed on Staten Island's West Shore and open next year.
The online retailer said cities should identify sites that could provide at least 500,000 square feet of commercial space by 2019, and up to 8 million square feet after 2027.
MORE THAN 50 SITES PROPOSED CITYWIDE
EDC released a Request For Expressions of Interest, or REFI, on Sept. 15 seeking suggestions for privately controlled sites in New York City. More than 40 organizations and developers submitted proposals, according to EDC, containing at least 50 individual sites in all boroughs. Some proposals have multiple site options.
Borough President James Oddo previously told the Advance that his office was discussing potential options for Amazon on Staten Island's North Shore.
The second headquarters would employ around 50,000 people.
The new $100 million fulfillment center housed at Matrix Global Logistics Park on Gulf Avenue in Bloomfield will employ 2,250 people.
Amazon already employs more than 1,800 people in Manhattan and the company plans to expand its operations there, opening a new office in 2018 and creating more than 2,000 new jobs in the city over the next three years.
$18M IN STATE SUBSIDIES
Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday that he plans to meet with Amazon's leadership and that the city will "work very hard" to get the company to open the headquarters here.
"We're going to make a strong proposal. We're going to show them different parts of the city that could work in a single campus or multiple pieces. I think we have a lot to offer," de Blasio said on Monday. "We, as you know, do not believe in the traditional forms of subsidy. There are some State subsidies that are available, there are some specific things by law that anyone would be allowed to tap into, but we will not provide the traditional add-on economic subsidies, that's not something we believe in."
Empire State Development offered Amazon up to $18 million in tax credits through the Excelsior Jobs Program as incentive for the company to expand into Staten Island and the rest of the state.
While de Blasio wants Amazon to expand in the city, he doesn't shop online himself.
"I have never ordered from Amazon, that's no disrespect to Amazon, God bless Amazon. I believe in bricks-and-mortar," he said on Monday.
Sometimes de Blasio's wife will shop online, though.
"I understand the efficiency of it, and I'm not speaking for the First Lady who uses all methodologies," he said. "But no, I personally just like the experience of going into a store, choosing something myself, you know, having the physical opportunity to see what the thing looks like. But I understand why Amazon would be so important to New York City and I certainly want to see them come here and thrive here."
The 8-storey building worth Rs 52 crore has been completed in a record 2-year span and will house will house the administrative, legal and investigation branch.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Nine years after its formation, the premier counter terror investigating agency National Investigation Agency (NIA) now has its own building- a sprawling 8-storey building opposite the CGO Complex at Lodhi Road in New Delhi.
Formed in the aftermath of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the agency had humble beginnings. Starting with with a two-room set-up in Hotel Centaur in January 2009, the first DG RV Raju worked with a small team of officers and sleuths for at least ten months. Later, the agency was accommodated in city's outskirts at Splendor Forum Mall in Jasola.
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The mall remained their work station for four years till August 2013, when the government finally managed to accommodate them in NDCC II building at Jai Singh Road.
While the official inauguration of the office complex will be done by the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on October 10, an auspicious ceremony was held today in the presence of DG Sharad Kumar and other officals.
ALSO READ | Kashmiri Pandits stage protest outside NIA office, demand action against Bitta Karate
The 8-storey building worth Rs 52 crore has been completed in a record 2-year span by National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) Ltd. The state-of-the-art building in the capital will house all branches (administrative, legal and investigation) with space for 350 sanctioned manpower of the agency. Currently, there are 270 staffers of the agency.
The new NIA building is the agency dream, equipped with a modern communications system, a centralised observation room with one-way mirror which will enable senior officers to listen in to any of the 3 interrogation rooms. The rooms will have sound-proofing and an advanced record-maintenance system, storage space, computerised access control and an additional facility for new technology.
Interrogation rooms will be on the ground floorw with 6 lock ups. The agency had to painstakingly take the accused either to the CBI building or BSF camp in far off Chawala for interrogation till now.
Incidentally, the technology has not been outsourced. The NIA officers went on to Google and procured the latest equipment locally. A senior officer told India Today, "All modern equipment is available in Delhi. We didn't have to take inspiration from Israel and US."
ALSO READ | Kashmir terror funding: NIA raids 12 locations linked to family, aides of top businessman Zahoor Watali
The building will have 6 suites for visiting officers and a staff cafeteria, which has been outsourced. There is a gym and a yoga centre for the officers. Advanced fire-control and power-backup systems are provided, in addition to a press briefing room and media lounge.
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The shifting process has already begun, with special care being taken for case material and sensitive documents related to terror-related case. Meanwhile, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has taken charge of the new building with a platoon deployed to protect the complex day and night. With this, the agency can continue its work uninterrupted, and hit the ground running from the inauguration day.
A top level officer said that by end of 2018, NIA will have have its own building for all 8 regional offices. While the Guwahati office will be ready by November, the Hyderabad office will be ready in June 2018. Work is in progress in Kochi, Raipur and Jammu office of the NIA as well.
ALSO READ | Terror funding case: NIA summons Geelani's son Naseem, few others to Delhi
"Despite being the newest organisation, we are the first to have our own building complex in Delhi headquarters and 8 regional offices. Even Intelligence Bureau (IB), which is 125-years-old, has right only on 50 per cent of the office, the remaining 50 per cent is on rent," an official said.
The top source added, "Regional centres have been designed in a way that they have in-house accommodation for NIA personnel and their families. This will ensure availability of officers at all times and avoid wastage of time getting personnel from different locations during rush hours or in times of need. Barring two officers who have been absorbed in the NIA, the rest belong to different forces and cadres under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
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The agency, which handles most if the high-profile terror cases, currently has 165 cases.
ALSO WATCH | Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik arrested by NIA
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- NY Wheel CEO Rich Marin said Tuesday that the developer has yet to finalize an agreement with a potential new contractor.
According to Marin, who spoke at a book signing at Barnes & Noble in New Springville, said the Wheel developer is still working on transitioning from its previous contractor, Mammoet-Starneth LLC, -- a company that was fired by the NY Wheel in May -- to a potential new contractor, American Bridge Company, builders of the Las Vegas High Roller and the new Tappan Zee Bridge.
While the NY Wheel is in negotiations with American Bridge Company, a contact has yet to be signed. And major work has been stalled on the project since the end of May.
"They [NY Wheel] are working on it, but we still haven't finalized the agreement," said Marin. "These are very complicated agreements and it takes time to finalize it.
"We have to finish up with these current guys [Mammoet-Starneth LLC]. They're difficult to deal with. But we've identified the replacement, American Bridge, the guys who finished the Tappan Zee under budget and ahead of schedule, and they're the right guys to finish this," Marin added.
He then added that they are still waiting for the previous contractor to get off the site.
"The other guys [Mammoet-Starneth LLC] have to get off the site, which they're doing,'' said Marin. "If you went down there you would see those cranes coming apart in pieces."
Marin assured the audience at his book signing that the Wheel would be completed.
"The best thing I ever did was getting very deep-pocketed billionaires who have even bigger egos than they do deep pockets," Marin said.
"They [investors] will not lose this battle and this will be built . . . They've never had a project not get completed,'' he said. "So, they'll be damned if this is going to be on their watch."
Marin went on to discuss the current state of the project and offer reasoning as to why the project will be completed.
"The best evidence of that [the Wheel's completion] is that work continues on the site,'' Marin said. "We continue to build out the facility while we wait for this little kerfuffle with the Wheel builder to get resolved."
Not completing the project would cost even more, he said. "The city would require us to demolish it,'' he said."So we would have to pay twice. Pay to build and then pay to tear it down if we weren't going to finish it. So that's your best hard, economic evidence that it will get finished."
The Staten Island Advance ran a story on August 11 reporting that the NY Wheel was planning to hire American Bridge Company to complete the construction of the Wheel.
NY Wheel fired Mammoet-Starneth LLC in May after the company failed "to meet multiple design and construction deadlines," said Cristyne Nicholas, a NY Wheel spokeswoman.
The New York Wheel alleges it has suffered more than $16 million in damages resulting from Mammoet's delays, and $20 million in lost profits and other damages due to the designer's breach of contract.
His recently published book titled, "Mater Gladiatrix," tells the story of his late mother, Millie Uher, who passed away at the age of 100 and who Marin described as "an adventuresome, 20th century woman that did things that nobody did in those days."
Click here to comment on this report.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Staten Island man may be booted straight into prison after admitting he planned to distribute more than $2.5 million worth of counterfeit UGG-brand boots, said prosecutors.
Shi Wei Zheng, 42, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark, N.J., to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods, said William E. Fitzpatrick, acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey.
Authorities said the scheme ran from September of last year through February of this year.
Zheng was notified that at least three containers transporting knock-off UGG boots were being shipped into the Port of Newark, officials said.
Zheng arranged for some workers to remove the containers from the port before U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents could examine them, said officials.
The defendant directed the containers be delivered to individuals working for him who would distribute the boots in New Jersey and elsewhere, authorities said.
However, the plan was foiled when law enforcement agents intercepted the containers and determined the boots were bogus, said officials.
Zheng was not authorized to import authentic or counterfeit UGG goods, authorities said.
Altogether, Zheng trafficked in more than 15,000 pairs of phony boots whose estimated retail value was $2.5 million, said authorities.
The defendant shelled out $50,000 in exchange for the container deliveries, officials said.
Zheng faces up to 10 years in prison and up to $2 million in fines when sentenced on Jan. 23, 2018.
Public records indicate he lives in Sea View.
Scott B. Tulman, Zheng's lawyer, declined comment.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- News of a shakeup in the leadership of the Staten Island judicial system might not have rocked the world of most Staten Islanders, but it was a bombshell in the legal community here.
The abrupt resignations of Justice Judy McMahon from her position as administrative judge of civil matters of the court system, and Justice Stephen Rooney from his administrative position on the criminal side, was a surprise.
It happened in the wake of reports that Chief Clerk of the Supreme Court (now former Chief Clerk) Michael Pulizotto secretly taped conversations with Justice McMahon, Justice Rooney and a host of others within earshot of Mr. Pulizotto's microphone.
Justice McMahon is said to have been the target.
As anyone might guess, Mr. Pulizotto's actions did not endear him to many in the court system. "I'm afraid to talk to anyone now," one legal wag told us in the aftermath. "You never know who's packing a tape recorder."
Within a day or so after the bombshell dropped, court officers led by Court Officers Association head Dennis Quirk, inflated a giant a rat - usually seen at non-union construction sites - with Mr. Pulizotto's name prominently affixed to it, as well as the name of Forbes Irvine, facilities manager for the court.
The message was obvious.
For his part, Mr. Pulizotto alleges that Justice McMahon was verbally and emotionally abusive to him, and crossed a line into the criminal side of the doings of the court - a no-no because her husband, Michael McMahon, is the sitting district attorney.
Mr. Pulizotto has hired a controversial Staten Island attorney, Richard Luthmann, to represent him.
Judge McMahon is represented by another Staten Island attorney, the less flamboyant John Connors.
Justice McMahon is now presiding in a Manhattan court, and Mr. Pulizutto has also been moved to Manhattan but no longer holds the position of chief clerk.
The recordings, or some of them, said to have taken place over a two-year period, were handed over to the Office of Court Administration along with a 32-page memo -- a diary of sorts -- chronicling Mr. Pulizutto's allegations.
To add intrigue to all of this, copies of those documents have found their way into the hands of people outside the OCA and are the subject of much rumor and speculation.
For our part, given what has been leaked during the course of this drama, we are hard-pressed to find a "smoking gun" that would hold Justice McMahon up to serious charges of unethical or criminal behavior.
What we do know is that Justice McMahon is a no-nonsense jurist who is said to be a very tough administrator in how she oversaw the courts on Staten Island.
"She's tough, very tough, but she's also a straight arrow," is generally the description we have heard.
But, of course, there are said to be two years of tape recordings to which we are not privy. And that in itself could be an issue in this ongoing drama.
Retired Family Court Judge Daniel Leddy, now legal columnist for the Advance, maintains that Mr. Pulizotto himself was unethical in his surreptitious recording of unsuspecting legal personnel because without permission, such recordings are specifically barred by the Rules of the Chief Judge.
The situation is going into its fourth week and rumor and speculation abounds. We know how long "investigations" can take. But the Office of Court Administration needs to accelerate this one because the reputations of a judge, a clerk of the court, and frankly, the legal system on Staten Island is at stake.
The allegations went public the first week of September, as they should have. After all, if there was anything amiss in how the court system was managed here, the public should know about it.
But the public also has the right to know the findings, and the longer this situation is allowed to languish, the more tainted the court system will appear and the more muddied will reputations become.
If anyone was found to be unethical in the management of the courts, it must be disclosed publicly.
If the allegations are deemed unfounded, the OCA has that same obligation.
Reputations of people who have served this community dutifully for decades, from the courts to the district attorney's office, are at stake.
Fairness is obviously the hallmark of the American judicial system. That system must be as fair to its own as it is to the public it serves.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As the victim's mother sobbed softly in the audience, a Prince's Bay man on Wednesday pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide stemming from the death two years ago of a cyclist struck by a boat the defendant was towing along Hylan Boulevard in Bay Terrace.
Michael Khmil's plea on the eve of trial in state Supreme Court, St. George, averted jury selection, which was scheduled for Oct. 5.
Under his agreement, Khmil, 44, will be sentenced Nov. 8 to 60 days in jail and five years' probation in connection with the Sept. 14, 2015 death of Alexa Cioffi, 21.
Assistant District Attorney Mark Palladino told the court the plea offer and sentence represented a "fair disposition." He said they were based on Khmil's lack of a criminal record, his conduct on the scene and recent pretrial rulings.
Palladino also said he had discussed the offer with the victim's family.
On Monday, Justice William E. Garnett ruled prosecutors in their direct case, couldn't bring up the weight of the boat, trailer and engine as determined by the weighing of that evidence while in police custody.
The weighing, the judge ruled, went beyond a "mere observation" search permitted by a search warrant.
Garnett said prosecutors could establish the weights by comparing model numbers to information from the manufacturers, manuals and registrations.
Prosecutors allege the boat Khmil was towing was too heavy for the trailer and SUV transporting it, and the defendant failed to secure the trailer to his vehicle with chains.
Prosecutors said Cioffi, 21, of Eltingville, was fatally struck as she and a friend, Briana Emanuele, now 24, of Prince's Bay, were riding their bikes on Hylan Boulevard northbound toward New Dorp.
A police investigation determined Khmil was driving a 2015 Toyota SUV northbound on Hylan with a boat in tow during the evening rush hour around 5 p.m.
Near Redgrave Avenue, the SUV attempted to change from the right lane to the center lane while overtaking the two bicyclists in the right lane.
As the SUV switched lanes, its trailer became detached and continued to travel north into the right lane, striking Emanuele, said police. The boat was propelled north, hitting Cioffi who became pinned, said police. The driver remained on the scene.
Both victims were unconscious and unresponsive when first responders arrived. Both women were taken to Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, where Cioffi was pronounced dead.
Cioffi and Emanuele were riding to meet with Cioffi's sister, Jillian, then 27, and some of their friends on their bicycles.
Khmil was indicted in April of last year, seven months after the incident and following an extensive investigation. He was arraigned in May 2016.
According to the indictment, Khmil's SUV was pulling a boat trailer with a maximum hauling capacity of 3,000 pounds, yet the boat weighed in excess of 4,000 pounds.
Khmil failed to secure the trailer to his SUV with chains and also failed to install a braking system on the trailer as prescribed by warning labels affixed to the trailer, contended the indictment.
As a result, the trailer detached from Khmil's SUV and struck Cioffi and Emanuele while traveling at a speed exceeding 20 miles per hour, the indictment alleged.
Besides criminally negligent homicide, the defendant was charged with manslaughter, a higher felony count, and misdemeanor counts of assault and reckless endangerment.
In pleading guilty, Khmil admitted he caused Cioffi's death by criminal negligence.
Under state law, criminal negligence means a person fails to perceive his actions will cause a "substantial and unjustifiable risk" or that such a circumstance exists.
The nature and degree of the risk must be such that the individual's failure to perceive it grossly deviates from the standard of care a reasonable person would manifest in a similar situation.
A tall, gray-haired man, Khmil was garbed in a blue short-sleeve shirt and dark trousers.
He did not make an independent statement beyond responding "Yes" and "No" to the judge's questions.
Outside court, his lawyers, Charles Kaser and Igor Litvak, said he would likely spend only 39 days in jail with time off for good behavior and for the day he spent in custody after his arrest.
They declined further comment.
Diane Cioffi, the victim's mother, and other family members politely declined comment outside court.
Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh lauded the National Investigative Agency for its action against Hurriyat leaders who allegedly accepted funds from Pakistan for terror-related activities in the Valley.
By Pooja Shali: Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh lauded the National Investigative Agency for its action against Hurriyat leaders who allegedly accepted funds from Pakistan for terror-related activities in the Valley.
Singh's comments came on the sidelines of a lecture at the Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU). Singh spoke at a seminar titled "Peace in Jammu and Kashmir: Challenges and Opportunities.
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His speech lasted for 40 minutes, following which he interacted with students as well as media. The lecture was organized by the Centre for Media Studies at the JNU.
"NIA has the mandate to deal with all those people who are using Pakistan money to create chaos and disorder in the state and use that money to recruit stone pelters. Why should NIA back out (on the crackdown)? Hurriyat is completely exposed," Singh told India Today while appreciating the agency's probe into terror funding.
"They [Hurriyat leaders] are using funds to create problem in Jammu and Kashmir. Innocent people are being killed, including Pinky Kaur, Ayub Pandith and Lt. Umar Fayaz etc," Singh said.
During his interaction with the media, Singh spoke on a number of other topics. The J&K deputy CM gave a careful answer when asked about a Jammu and Kashmir police report that stated that Farooq Ahmed Dar, who was tied to an army jeep by a Major, was in fact a voter.
"I am not aware of the report. State government does not support what happened but he (Dar) was the person who was mastermind and leader of stone pelters there. That was proxy war. There was question of firing by the Army personnel and resulting in casualties in large number. Intentions of the Major (Leetul Gogoi) were very clear and positive," Singh said.
The deputy CM also elaborately spoke on the issue of Rohingya deportation, for which the government has received criticism from Human rights activists
Singh said, "Rohingya are foreigners, illegally settled in the state and across the country. They are currently on border area, which includes border Samba and Jammu districts."
"The situation is communally sensitive so ultimately as per the directions of the Union Government, the state is working (on deportation) and definitely they have to be shifted from these location otherwise potential of Pakistan using them into terrorist activities. We have received (intelligence input) reports on same," he added.
Also Watch: Aung San Suu Kyi has not recognised the core issue of Rohingya crisis: Syed Moazzam Al
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: By Lalit K Jha
Washington, Sep 27 (PTI) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has ruled out any new window of opportunity for NRIs or people of Indian-origin to deposit their high value Indian currency which was declared illegal after the demonetisation policy, a statement said today.
Swaraj made these remarks during her interaction with a delegation of Global Organisation for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)during her trip to New York last week, a media statement said. "Swaraj informed that the government had provided the time window for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) who are Indian citizens to deposit their currencies earlier. However, that window was not open for Diaspora Indians with foreign citizenship and the government would not be able to provide another such chance," the GOPIO statement said.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his demonetisation policy on November 8 last year, banning old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination.
According to GOPIO, overseas citizens of India and people of Indian-origin are still holding demonetised currencies as the Reserve Bank of India did not allow them to deposit them.
"Diaspora Indians have close to Rs 7,500 crores still lying with them in small amounts. What should the NRIs do with the old currencies?" GOPIO asked.
During the meeting, GOPIO delegation said that NRIs did not have Aadhaar card for linking with their bank accounts.
"Swaraj clarified that NRIs wont require Aadhaar card to operate their bank accounts," it said.
GOPIO suggested that Indians citizen living anywhere in the world have an Aadhaar card similar to all US citizens having a social security number, whether staying in America or outside.
It complimented Swaraj and the Indian Missions worldwide for their pro-active role in helping Indians living outside India in time of distress, the statement said.
"However, as more Middle East NRIs are returning home, we need to develop programmes to help resettle them. Swaraj said that there are many programmes for skills development as well as money available from different ministries for starting a business or technology related outfit," the statement added.
GOPIO has offered to be facilitator between the returned NRIs and the government.
Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty also participated in the meeting. PTI LKJ MRJ
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By India Today Web Desk: After the posters of Padmavati were released, many were left awestruck, by the new Queen of Bollywood, Deepika Padukone . There was endless gushing of praise and appreciation for her unibrow look, which was set to break the conventional beauty norms in the film industry. Well, when hard work pays off, its time to party. And Dippy did just that.
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The actor visited ace designer Manish Malhotra's house and made merry with Karan Johar and Sidharth Malhotra. Manish shared a photo on his Instagram and captioned it, "#AtHome #Friends @deepikapadukone @karanjohar @s1dofficial #CatchingUp #relaxingtime #conversations #laughter #funtimes #positivity @mmalhotraworld."
Deepika too, shared a video on her Instagram story, where she can be heard laughing. The reason for her infectious laugh, is KJo, who was telling her about his autobiography, An Unsuitable Boy, being published in Hindi as well with the title, Ek Anokha Ladka.
ALSO WATCH: India Today expose: Padmavati's Karni Sena attackers run extortion racket
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By PTI: Karachi, Sep 27 (PTI) A Pakistani court today ordered the Sindh government to give details
of a girls education programme for which former US first lady Michelle Obama granted USD 70 million to Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Michelle launched the USD 250 million Let Girls Learn initiative in 2015 with the aim of using public and private partnerships to fund "new efforts to expand educational opportunities for girls ? including in areas of conflict and crisis".
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Civil rights campaigner Bisma Naureen, however, filed a petition in the Sindh High Court, and claimed that no one knew where the amount had been used, alleging that USD 70 million was embezzled.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Munib Akhtar ordered the authorities to submit all details of the programme.
The petitioner has alleged before the court that the aid had been misappropriated in the programme in Pakistan.
The petitioner informed the judges that Maryam Nawaz and Michelle Obama had signed a contract to enhance bilateral cooperation and vowed to work together on expanding opportunities of education for women in Pakistan.
However, she alleged, not a single penny was spent on education as no programme was launched by the government.
She said that Maryam held no public office and had no authority to run the programme.
Maryam has been in the forefront of politics for the PML-N after her father was ousted as the prime minister by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case.
Maryam campaigned for her ailing mother Kulsoom, who contested from NA-120 seat in Lahore, vacated by her husband. PTI CORR UZM
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The world needs more Hungary;
[...] speaking at a press conference in Warsaw alongside Polish prime minister Beata Szydlo, Mr Orban said that Poland and Hungary would not change tack.
"We accept that some countries have become immigrant countries. But we don't want to be [like] them and we want them to accept this. But they want us to become like them. We don't want a mixed population, as has been created in the countries to the west of us. We are looking for different solutions and please respect it," he said.
The outspoken Hungarian premier also took the EU to task for its criticism of Poland over the ruling Law and Justice party's contentious attempts to overhaul the judicial system, which critics fret will undermine Polish democracy.
"The EU cannot threaten Poland and question its rule of law. This is a lack of respect. It looks like an inquisition. There is no place for a political inquisition in the EU. Hungary won't support it," he said.
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with fresh inputs)
By Sajjad Hussain
Islamabad, Sep 27 (PTI) Pakistans Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was indicted by an anti-corruption court today, but the close aide of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif pleaded not guilty to possessing assets beyond his means.
Dars indictment comes a day after the Accountability Court decided to indict Sharif on October 2 after the former prime minster for the first time appeared before it to face graft charges against him in the Panama Papers scandal.
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The 67-year old minister pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, terming them baseless.
Dar was swept up in the corruption case stemming from documents leaked from a Panama law firm, which appeared to show that senior officials, including Sharif, had undisclosed assets.
Pakistans anti-corruption watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on September 8 filed a case against Dar, 67, for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income following the July 28 verdict of the Supreme Court.
In the case against him, the NAB alleged that Dar has acquired assets and pecuniary interests/resources in his own name and/or in the name of his dependants of an approximate amount of Rs 831.678 million.
The NAB alleged that the assets were "disproportionate to his known sources of income for which he could not reasonably account for."
The apex court had disqualified Sharif as the prime minister and ordered corruption cases against him, his children Maryam, Husain and Hasan and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar.
The minister refused to accept the charges read out by the Accountability Court judge Muhammad Bashir and said his assets were in accordance with income and he will prove it with evidence during the trial.
The court ordered the NAB to present evidence and the NAB prosecutor submitted a list of 28 witnesses whom it would present in the court to testify in support of the charges.
Dar also appealed to the court to allow him to skip personal appearance during the trial and the court said it will decide later.
The court adjourned hearing till October 4 though it earlier decided to conduct day-to-day hearings in the case.
Under Pakistans laws, Dar can continue to work as a minister until he is found guilty. However, opposition leaders have demanded his resignation on moral grounds.
Minister of state for information Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told media that Dar was not given mandatory seven days before indictment which was against the NAB laws.
"Dar has been indicted today though our lawyer urged the court to postpone indictment and give seven days from September 25 when the court decided to indict him," he said.
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Rana Sanaullah, law minister of Punjab Province and a vocal member of ruling Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejected the charges against Dar.
"The charges and indictment of Dar is a joke," he said.
Dar has close familial ties to former Sharif. Dars son has been married to Sharifs daughter Asma Nawaz.
He was also imprisoned when the Sharif government was toppled in 1999. He was under pressure by the Opposition to resign after the NAB filed case against him but so far he has refused to do so.
The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons - Hassan and Hussain, daughter -- Maryam and son-in-law - Safdar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.
Sharifs family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated. PTI SH PMS AKJ AKJ
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By PTI: Nashik, Sep 27 (PTI) A premature baby has died due to lack of ventilator facility in the Nashik Civil Hospital.
A 23-year-old woman from Dhanshet village in the tribal-dominated Peint taluka of the district on Monday night delivered the boy after 32 weeks of pregnancy at a rural hospital in Harsul, Nashiks civil surgeon Suresh Jagdale said today.
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The woman and the child were later shifted to the Nashik Civil Hospital in the wee hours yesterday and the baby was kept in the special newborn care unit, he said.
Since the child needed to be kept on the ventilator, he was shifted to another hospital at Adgaon near Nashik. But since the ventilator was not available there also, the mother and the premature child returned to the civil hospital, Dr Jagdale said.
As per the demand of the childs family, the civil hospital approached a private hospital for the newborns medical treatment.
However, the baby died yesterday on way to the private hospital, he said.
According to Dr Jagdale, since the Nashik Civil Hospital comes under grade two, there is no permission to keep ventilators.
Earlier, as many as 55 infants had died in the special newborn care unit of the Nashik Civil Hospital last month, but authorities denied the deaths were due to medical negligence.
Since April, 187 infants died in the unit with 55 deaths reported last month, Dr Jagdale earlier said.
Most of these deaths occurred because the infants were brought from private hospitals in a stage in which there is less chance of recovery. The deaths were also due to reasons like premature birth and lung weakness, he had said.
NCP MLA Jaywantrao Jadhav had visited the civil hospital earlier this month and said that not a single ventilator set was available in any state civil hospital, including the one at Nashik. PTI HVJ GK
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Health officials have revealed it is not protocol to inform the Chief Health Officer or minister of deaths from a notifiable disease, after a Canberra mother died from complications from influenza.
Jennifer Thew, from Gungahlin, died over the weekend while being flown to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney for treatment, after initially being cared for at Calvary Hospital in Canberra's north.
ACT woman Jennifer Thew died of complications arising from influenza over the weekend.
Health minister Meegan Fitzharris on Wednesday would not confirm details of the case - including the particular strain of the flu virus or how long she was at Calvary Hospital before being transferred to Sydney - citing the wishes of her family.
However Ms Fitzharris said on Tuesday she had heard of the woman's death via media reports and would seek a briefing with ACT Health about the case.
'It sets a new benchmark': Songlines exhibition is a must-see at NMA
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A Canberra man accused of raping his former partner replied to a photo message that allegedly showed bruises on her neck the next morning with "Jesus Christ" and Lol" because he thought the marks were hickeys, a court has heard.
The man, 30, maintained the alleged rape was rough sex and denied he kept going when the woman had asked him to stop that night.
The man, 30, maintained the alleged rape was rough sex. Credit:Louie Douvis
He pleaded not guilty to six charges including sexual assault and rape allegedly committed against the woman over several years and is on trial in the ACT Supreme Court.
The trial has heard the pair started to have casual sex after they met in 2010 and went on to have two children together before the relationship soured.
A former Canberra bikie boss is suing the Nine Network over a story about a father who joined the outlaw motorcycle club to "protect his daughter".
Documents, filed in the ACT Supreme Court by Canberra law firm Aulich Civil Law, allege the television network's A Current Affair program, and reporter Steven Marshall, maliciously sensationalised the story to make Ali Bilal appear a danger to life.
Former Canberra bikie boss Ali Bilal is suing A Current Affair for defamation Credit:Facebook
Mr Bilal was the Rebels Outlaw Motorcycle Club ACT president when he began to date Chloe Pattman, the daughter of Canberra father Stephen Pattman, in 2011.
In response, Mr Pattman joined the gang, where he climbed the ranks and became the president of a NSW chapter.
The former head of the embattled Land Development Agency David Dawes tackled suggestions of conflict of interest head on on Wednesday, including admitting to knowing the broker who represented the owners of the Mr Spokes bike hire business.
Mr Dawes was questioned in a parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday about his relationships with people involved in the Glebe Park, Mr Spokes bike hire, and paddle-boat hire land negotiations. All three were the subject of a highly critical report from Auditor-General Maxine Cooper.
Former land agency boss David Dawes, questions why his links with developers should be seen as a conflict of interest. Credit:Graham Tidy
Liberal leader Alistair Coe asked Mr Dawes whether he had declared any conflicts of interest over the deals, and what relationship he had had with Ben Parsons, the broker who offered to represent Mr Spokes owners Jillian Edwards and Martin Shanahan in their negotiations with Mr Dawes.
Mr Parsons called the pair after Ms Edwards did a radio interview, offering to represent them free of charge. He was later paid by the Land Development Agency, in an arrangement the agency has defended as in line with practice of paying legal and other fees.
Former City to the Lake project director Tim Xirakis said he had been "unceremoniously dumped" from the Land Development Agency in 2015 without clear reason.
He had been called into a meeting with bureaucrats Ben Ponton and Nicholas Holt about 4pm on September 9 2015 and been told to go by 5pm, Mr Xirakis told an ACT parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday.
Tim Xirakis, former City to Lake project director, who says he was dumped from the Land Development Agency with still no clear explanation. Credit:Jamila Toderas
The officials had "probably spent more time telling me about all my confidentiality requirements rather than telling me why after four years in multiple roles, I was being what felt like unceremoniously dumped," he said.
At 5.01 his calendar and contacts had been removed and his email stopped.
The sale of Network Ten to US broadcasting titan CBS has been strewn with obstacles as media moguls Lachlan Murdoch and Bruce Gordon attempt to thwart the deal.
But it's not just the big end of town giving Ten's administrators KordaMentha a headache.
Illustration: John Shakespeare
On Wednesday another opponent emerged from an unlikely quarter: Macquarie University law student Yunfeng Du, the owner of a modest parcel of shares in Ten, appeared in the NSW Supreme Court to voice his opposition to the sale.
KordaMentha is seeking approval from the court to transfer Ten's shares to CBS.
It is no surprise that energy company AGL has resisted the strong arm tactics employed by the federal government to force it to keep its Liddell coal-fired plant open beyond its 2022 use by date or sell it to someone who will.
On Wednesday AGL further entrenched its position of closing the plant and pushing its plans to replace the capacity lost when the plant closes by enlisting the support of its shareholders at the company's annual meeting.
In previous well-reported attempts by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg to coerce AGL's chief executive Andy Vesey into submission, there at least appeared a small possibility that the company was open to some negotiation on the issue. Vesey had promised to take the government's proposal to the AGL board.
On Wednesday the full board was sitting on the podium with Vesey and the chairman, Jerry Maycock, as the two outlined to shareholders the pitfalls of Turnbull's plans to keep Liddell on life support even as the nuts and bolts were falling off and the plant's reliability was significantly compromised.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said a National Security Advisor - he did not say which one - offered to swap Jadhav for a terrorist jailed in Afghanistan.
By Press Trust of India: Pakistan's Foreign Minister has claimed that a proposal was made to swap Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav for a jailed terrorist in Afghanistan, who was responsible for the horrific 2014 Peshawar school attack.
"The terrorist who killed children in APS (Army Public School) in Peshawar is in Afghan custody. The National Security Advisor (NSA) told me that we can exchange that terrorist with the terrorist you have, which is Kulbhushan Jadhav," Khawaja Muhammad Asif told a New York audience on Tuesday.
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The minister made this claim in response to a question during his appearance at the Asia Society.
However, he did not specify the name of the terrorist, or the NSA he was referring to.
Jadhav, a 46-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was in April sentenced to death by Pakistan's Field General Court Martial on charges of his alleged "involvement in espionage and sabotage activities" against Pakistan.
Asif said Pakistan has suffered grievously from conflict and instability in Afghanistan.
"Unless this cycle is reversed, we would continue to bear the brunt. No country, therefore, has a larger stake in seeing peace and stability return to Afghanistan than Pakistan. Regrettably, the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse," he said.
Asif said there is no military solution to Afghanistan. Pakistan has in the past done all it could to facilitate a political settlement.
ICJ RESTRAINS PAKISTAN FROM EXECUTING JADHAV
India has accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention by repeatedly denying consular access to Jadhav.
In a hearing of the case on May 18, a 10-member bench of the ICJ restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav.
Pakistan has said that the Indian national will not be executed until he has exhausted his mercy appeals.
The Pakistan Taliban had claimed responsibility for the horrific Peshawar school attack in 2014 in which nearly 150 people, mostly school children, were killed.
VIDEO: Earlier this year, the ICJ asked Pakistan to take all measures to ensure that Kulbhushan Jadhav isn't executed until it takes its final decision.
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People who make money out of driving for popular online meal ordering and delivery platforms such as UberEATS and Deliveroo will not have to register for and pay GST, unlike their counterparts at Uber, if they fall under the GST threshold.
And while UberEATS charges a service fee for each delivery to the cafe or restaurant it collects food from, it doesn't have to pay tax on that service fee.
The service is run by Silicon Valley tech giant Uber, which last week lost its licence to operate in London, and remains under the Australian Taxation Office's (ATO) watch over its tax bills over the past few years.
The company, which has to date raised almost $12 billion from investors globally and is valued above $60 billion, started operating in the Australian market in 2012. Since its entry, it has come under fire from regulators and at the corporate tax inquiry where it has been hauled to explain the low level of taxes it pays in Australia.
While there is no doubt shadow attorney general, Jeremy Hanson's, heart is in the right place when it comes to an outlaw bikie bill to protect Canberrans, it is important that we get this right the first time.
Canberra is the only mainland jurisdiction, apart from the Northern Territory, which has not adopted anti-consorting laws to give the police the power to crack down on the illegal motorcycle gangs.
It has also, according to media reports, been declared a "free-for-all" area, meaning any bikie gang can operate here without the consent of existing gangs.
Current active gangs include the Rebels, the Comancheros and the Nomads.
So, I am, like, totally bored of the fact that language is so different to how it was. But I think to, actually, harass people when they don't talk, like, proper, isn't going to, seriously, make any difference 'cos they think they didn't do nothing wrong.
I shuddered as I wrote that paragraph. Wash my mouth out, Mrs C!
Perhaps grammar rules are made to be not so much broken as adapted. Credit:New York Times
Mrs Culver was my English teacher. Substantially built, she travelled down the school corridors like an unset jelly. Never strict and certainly not scary, she beamed into our classroom, perpetually, it seemed, on the edge of a fit of giggles. Those of us in 5C loved her and emerged with her grammar rules stamped into us, like a brand. Even now, we meticulously punctuate our texts and any grammatical error in conversation or on email is acknowledged with a nod and an apology heavenwards.
But Mrs C would be appalled to hear that standards have slipped. We are being encouraged to, recklessly, split infinitives and even start sentences with "like" and "so". Analysis of 11.5 million words of British conversation has found that conventions that prohibit such practices are so widely flouted, they have effectively become part of modern spoken English and so teachers need to stop stressing about teaching correct form. What is the grammar world coming to? (Sorry, Mrs C. "Never end a sentence with a preposition.")
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has again attempted to find a quick and dirty fix to the looming domestic gas energy crisis by calling on the NSW government to override community opposition and environmental concerns by opening up new conventional and unconventional gas fields. He singled out the NSW government in particular over the delays in Santos' blighted Narrabri coal seam gas scheme.
The Narrabri Gas Project, subject to sustained community opposition for almost a decade, is part-way through a NSW government environmental approval process.
The Narrabri Gas Project has been subject to sustained community opposition for almost a decade. Credit:Bloomberg
The Prime Minister should know better than to interfere in this process. History tells us that political interference and fast-tracking of the environmental approval process will not just lead to poor environmental outcomes, but will also damn the project to even more intense community opposition and will ultimately further damage the diminished corporate reputation of the proponent of the project, Santos.
In the last year of the Howard government, Mr Turnbull was the minister for environment and water resources. Sitting in his in tray on his first day in his new job was the discredited environmental approvals process for the Gunns Pulp Mill in the Tamar Valley in northern Tasmania.
It may surprise some readers, given its low profile, to know Australia has a space industry. What the industry lacks, though, is a coherent strategy to ensure that the services it supplies to this country are secure in increasingly turbulent times. That is now to be rectified, with the announcement this week that the government will set up an Australian space agency to guide the development of local space technology and industries. Well handled it should be a good move but it comes rather late in the piece.
Australia was a partner with the United Kingdom from the 1950s in space research. This country was the third after the United States and the then USSR to launch a satellite built locally. Following that launch in 1967, though, Australia gradually lost interest in maintaining a comprehensive effort to develop space technology. We have kept our capabilities in some areas but let them lapse elsewhere, so that we now rely on others to design satellites which will serve Australian purposes, or to launch the satellites we have designed for ourselves.
The Parkes radio telescope. Credit:Dallas Kilponen
Space is thus another in that mournful list of fields of expertise photovoltaic cell production is another where Australians have engaged early, innovated and progressed, but have lacked the support to maintain the effort and so have fallen behind the rest of the world. The reason often cited for our loss of interest is cost. With this week's announcement made in time to avoid too much embarrassment at an international space conference in Adelaide we are about to find out how much more it costs to catch up once an initial lead is lost.
Over the decades as Australia has marked time, other countries have seen the value of space industries, and have set up agencies to develop theirs. And the nature of the space industry has changed. Once it was the exclusive preserve of governments, for whom space technology was to a great extent a by-product of weapons research. Increasingly, though, commercial applications for satellite data have given the space industry far wider relevance within the national economy.
More than one in five Australians believe global warming is a hoax and more than one-third think aliens have visited Earth.
Essential Research has surveyed about 1000 Australians on various beliefs to reveal some eyebrow-raising results.
While 21 per cent of respondents believed global warming was a hoax perpetrated by scientists, 68 per cent did not believe that statement.
It found 21 per cent believed global warming was a hoax perpetrated by scientists - with 9 per cent strongly believing in the statement and 12 per cent somewhat believing. Another 11 per cent were not sure.
One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts has been among those to doubt climate change science, with a senior NASA official last year rejecting his claims the agency had falsified data to exaggerate warming in the Arctic.
An imminent crisis in the availability of gas has been averted, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has claimed, after gas producers agreed to increase supply to the local market and to improve transparency on prices.
The three major gas producing companies Santos, Origin and Shell agreed to provide enough gas to cover a predicted shortfall in 2018 and 2019 at a meeting with Mr Turnbull, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg in Sydney on Wednesday.
That agreement was enough to stop the Turnbull government from pulling the trigger on its controversial powers to limit gas exports.
Under the deal, which will be the subject of another meeting next week, the companies have also agreed to regularly report to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on their sales, as well as offers by the companies to sell gas and the reasons why they have rejected bids to buy gas.
"If you wouldn't eat it, why would you put it on your skin?" asks Vanessa Megan, an organic skincare advocate with her own product line. We might respond that ingesting something is not the same as absorbing it. That surely she does not suggest we dine on her lotions? Or that one of the skin's functions is to perform as a shield against the surrounding environment. Nevertheless, she has a point. Our skin is our largest organ and we have a collective blind spot when it comes to slathering it in synthetic chemicals.
Organic alternatives are increasingly popular. In the UK, the organic beauty and wellbeing market grew by 13 per cent last year. In the US, 37 per cent of consumers agree that they bought more natural and organic personal care products in 2016 than the previous year. The latest Australian Organic Market Report confirms Australia follows this global trend. Yet certified organic products account for only a small fraction of the massive global market.
The story of which chemicals we should avoid and which are supposedly proven to be safe is a complex one. Credit:Stocksy
"I meet many people who eat organic food and care about a healthy lifestyle but haven't yet extended that thinking to their beauty regimes," says Megan, whose Vanessa Megan brand offers products made in Australia from certified organic ingredients and no synthetic chemicals. "I compare it to taking a yoga class then going for McDonalds. Or following a jog with a cigarette. Some people might be up for that, but it doesn't seem sensible to me."
Confession: I am that person. If I smoked, I'd think a jog bought me credits. I freak out about pesticides on fruit and veg, while merrily using red lipstick that contains lead. (Looking for an alternative? Try Aussie organic brand Nudus.)
People who are gay or bisexual show significantly higher rates of drug use than heterosexuals, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Using figures from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2016, which collects information from 24,000 people across Australia, the AIHW compiled a detailed picture of who uses what drugs and how often.
The analysis, to be released on Thursday, shows people who identify as homosexual or bisexual are six times more likely to use ecstasy or meth/amphetamine, which includes ice and speed, than heterosexual people.
"Homosexual and bisexual people were almost six times as likely as heterosexual people to use each of these drugs, and were also about four times as likely to use cocaine as heterosexual people and three times more likely to use cannabis or misuse pharmaceutical drugs," AIHW spokesman Matthew James said.
"But it's about giving women choices women who are in abusive relationships, a young woman with an unplanned pregnancy who wants to go on to complete her studies, or a mother who struggles to support her family." Dr Philip Goldstone treats patients who have overcome immense pressures to access reproductive services at his clinic in Westmead. "We know poorly educated or women from [lower socio economic backgrounds] are disproportionately affected by unplanned pregnancy," said Dr Goldstone, the medical director at Marie Stopes Australia. "These are the women who have the largest barriers to access our services." Dr Philip Goldstone treats women who have overcome immense pressures to access abortion.
The average cost of a medical or surgical termination in Australia is $500. "This is a vast amount of money for a lot of women, and often an unexpected cost that you don't have a lot of time to save for," Dr Goldstone said. Eloise Noske said she knew she was one of the lucky few who got an abortion through the public system. The 23-year-old spent several weeks considering her options, talking to a counsellor and her family. "I've always been a maternal person and there was a lot of grief for a potential child I was saying no to," she said.
"Once I'd made the decision I sat with it for about a week. I wanted to make sure it was right for me and not for anyone else." The university student living on a youth allowance in Melbourne was referred to The Royal Women's Hospital. "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do and I can't imagine how I would have coped with the added stress of worrying about how I would pay for it," she said. Had Ms Noske been living in her rural Victorian hometown her options would have been limited. "I would have had to pay for travel and the cost of an abortion at a private clinic. My GP was a good family friend so it would have been difficult to do it without the fear of judgment," she said.
Marie Stopes Australia is also planning to set up a third fund to support reproductive health research and education, particularly the uptake of LARCs. Ann Brassil, chief executive of the independent, government-funded Family Planning NSW (FPNSW) said she welcomed all measures to improve access to reproductive and sexual health services for people in NSW. "Good public healthcare needs to be comprehensive and available when people need it, without the cost barriers that currently exist," Associate Professor Brassil said. FPNSW research showed there were gaps in available reproductive services, particularly for people in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The independent organisation sees more than 15,000 people every year for reproductive and sexual health care. Professor Brassil said one-third of these services were provided free across five clinics and up to 40 per cent of patients at some of our clinics were not charged.
The Tabbot Foundation offers over-the-phone abortion services to Australian women at low cost, allowing them to avoid potential stigma and judgment held by some healthcare professionals and anti-abortion protesters at family planning clinics. Women who use the service call a 1800 number and are referred for an ultrasound and blood test. They are then assessed over the phone by a gynaecologist or GP with family planning experience and, if necessary under state law, a clinical psychologist. For an out-of-pocket cost of $250, patients are mailed the abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol as well as antibiotics, analgesics and anti-nausea medicines. Abortion laws across Australia NSW & Queensland: A crime for women and doctors. Only legal when doctor believes a woman's physical and/or mental health is in serious danger. In NSW, social, economic and medical factors fall under "mental health".
SA: The first Australian state to legalise in 1969. Two doctors must agree that a woman's physical and/or mental health is endangered, or for serious fetal abnormality. NT: Legalised in 1974 up to 14 weeks if two doctors agree that woman's physical and/or mental health is endangered, or for serious fetal abnormality. WA: Legalised in 1998 up to 20 weeks. Very restricted after 20 weeks. ACT: Decriminalised in 2002. Must be provided by medical doctor. Victoria: Decriminalised in 2008. Legal up to 24 weeks. Post-24 weeks two doctors must approve.
Tasmania: Decriminalised in 2013. Legal up to 16 weeks. Over 16 weeks requires the approval of two doctors. Publicly funded abortion services across states and territories NSW, QLD, ACT & Tasmania: No public provision unless a woman is at risk of serious medical complications. SA: Abortion provided through some hospitals and Pregnancy Advisory Centre but no clinics. WA: A limited amount of public services and increasing slightly.
The Enforcement Directorate is of the opinion that the money of politicians could be involved in the Pushpak Bullion case, whereby unaccounted money to the tune of Rs 84.5 crore in cash got converted into gold.
By Virendrasingh Ghunawat: For the last two days, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been trying to interrogate Chandrakant Patel of Pushpak Bullion Private Ltd to reveal the real names of those individuals, who had deposited unaccounted money to the tune of Rs 84.5 crore in cash and later got that converted into gold. But the investigating agency has found no success so far.
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Patel is becoming a tough nut to break for ED officials as he has been arrested for money laundering in the post-demonetisation period. Patel has been arrested under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
During November-December 2016, huge cash deposits amounting to Rs 84.5 crore were deposited in two shell companies i.e. Pihu Gold and Satnam Jewels. Later, the funds were transferred in the account of Pushpak Bullion in order to purchase 258 kilogram of gold. Subsequently, the yellow metal was given back to both companies which got sold in Mumbai bullion market.
Directors of both shell companies (sub-traders) were bogus. "Both companies were managed by Patel and one of the directors in these companies was his employee", a source said.
ED officials are not "ruling out" that the unaccounted money and the real beneficiaries of converting black money into white could be "politicians".
Interestingly, soon after Patel's arrest, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam called a press conference, alleging that the bullion trader was having business links with Shiv Sena Minister Ravindra Waikar and demanded a probe into the matter.
Nirupam alleged that Patel owned a petrol pump called Pushpak in Waikar's constituency and that they had joint investments in several businesses.
However, Waikar hit back, saying, "Whatever transaction I had with Chandu Bhai (alias Patel) is mentioned in my income tax returns and election affidavit in 2014. I have nothing to hide."
Sources within the agency told India Today, "Earlier, Nirupam himself was trying to own that petrol pump, but failed. And now he is levelling allegations against Waikar."
The investigating agency does not rule out "involvement of politicians" in this case and therefore, a thorough probe is taking place.
WHAT IS THE CASE?
Pushpak Bullion has been declared as an NPA account and defaulter by the Union Bank of India to the tune of Rs 200 crores, approximately.
Last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a corruption case against two bank officials and three traders for suspicious deposits of demonetised currency worth Rs 84.5 crore into bank accounts of two shell companies at Zaveri Bazaar in two instalments.
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Searches were conducted at 12 premises of five accused, namely Rakesh Patel of Pihu Gold, Mayur Chawla of Satnam Jewellers, Amit Sampat of Pushpak Bullion and two bank officials of the Union Bank of India (UBI), and recovered "indiscriminating documents" with documents and fake deposit vouchers.
As of now, the ED does not rule out a few more arrests in this case, including those of bankers.
--- ENDS ---
A school bus driver has been disqualified from driving for two years after a frightening near-miss with a semi-trailer on Sydney's M5 motorway nearly four months ago.
A magistrate in Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday cancelled the licence of Kazem Afkhamisaddoghi, 60, and placed him on a nine-month good behaviour bond. He will need to get a medical clearance if he ever reapplies for his licence.
CCTV footage of the incident showed the school bus carrying 23 children pulling out in front of the semi-trailer in busy peak hour traffic on June 1.
The bus pulled out in front of the truck, which was travelling in the left-hand lane of the M5 at Hammondville.
Kings Cross identity Fadi Ibrahim was released from jail on Wednesday night under strict bail conditions after a $2.2 million surety was met.
Mr Ibrahim, the brother of nightclub boss John Ibrahim, has remained in custody since he was arrested in Dubai early last month when police struck an alleged international drug and tobacco syndicate.
After his bail was lodged, he was released from Silverwater Corrections Centre on Wednesday evening and driven away in a Range Rover. Under his bail conditions, Mr Ibrahim must live under effective house arrest in his clifftop Dover Heights mansion.
The 43-year-old was granted bail last Monday after he was charged with funding crime and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
The father and uncle of the late Islamic State fighter Mohamed Elomar have each been sentenced to four years in jail after they attempted to bribe a foreign official in Iraq to get construction contracts.
Mamdouh Elomar, 63, Ibrahim Elomar, 61, and their conspirator John Jousif - who was also given a four-year sentence - will each be eligible for parole after two years.
The Elomars were also ordered to each pay a $250,000 fine.
Their sentence was handed down in the Supreme Court in Sydney on Wednesday, after all three men pleaded guilty in July to conspiring to bribe a foreign official in 2014.
An initiative at the University of Sydney aimed at helping those with intellectual disabilities is set to lose its funding next year and has turned to the public for help.
The 'uni 2 beyond' initiative assists students with an intellectual disability through their university study, providing them with a peer mentor and flexible learning programs.
Kylie Scott, second from right, has been able to choose a variety of subjects and complete assignments with a uni 2 beyond tutor.
Due to financial changes brought about by the closure of the NSW Government Department, Aging Disability Home Care (ADHC), the initiative has lost its core funding.
The initiative is run by the Centre for Disability Studies who are attempting to supplement the some of running costs of the initiative though crowd funding.
The hottest September day for a Queensland town has been recorded at Birdsville, but while locals are sweltering, the national record maximum temperate for spring is set to remain unbroken.
The mercury rose to 42.5 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, surpassing the previous state record by 0.1 if a degree and it was expected to stay there before a cool change brings relief to the area on Wednesday afternoon, a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said.
The famous Birdsville Hotel would have been a popular place as temperatures soared. Credit:Darren England/AAP
There was a small chance temperatures would surpass the national record of 43.1 degrees, which was set in Roebuck, outside Broome in Western Australia, in 2003.
But that was not likely, the BOM spokesman said.
The man accused of Eunji Ban's murder told police he stopped smoking pot about two months before the killing, a court has heard.
Alex Reuben McEwan, 23, is on trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to murdering the 22-year-old Korean woman during the early hours of November 24, 2013.
An artist's sketch of Alex McEwan during proceedings at the Supreme Court in Brisbane. Credit:AAP
On Wednesday, the jury heard audio of a police recording with Mr McEwan from the following day, during which he is asked about substance use.
"I stopped smoking pot about two months ago," he replies.
A Gold Coast prostitute who distracted a customer with kinky sex so two men could rob him has been jailed for his manslaughter even though he had "lethal" levels of cocaine in his system.
Gregory John Hudson's naked and loosely bound body was found in his friend's townhouse at Varsity Lakes in October 2014.
Gregory John Hudson was found dead inside a residence in Varsity Lakes. Credit:Queensland Police
Milan Chante Walker, 38, admitted responsibility for the death of the 57-year- old on the opening day of a retrial this week, while the two men who carried out the break-in pleaded guilty to robbery in company and burglary.
In the Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday, the mother of four was sentenced to five years and nine months behind bars but will be eligible for parole in December 2018.
A woman has been charged with grievous bodily harm after she punched her partner in the head in outback Queensland, causing him to fall on the cement driveway.
The 51-year-old man was at his home on Railway St in Cloncurry on Tuesday night when a fight broke out.
The 32-year-old woman is due to face the Mount Isa Magistrates Court on Thursday, while the man remains in a critical condition in hospital.
AAP
Maybe you've heard of Samsung's new television called The Frame. When it's idle it displays works of art so it looks like a picture hanging on the wall. Great idea? Well, gee whiz, I thought of it first. In 1998 Philips launched the first-ever flat panel television in Australia. It was a 106-centimetre plasma and the picture quality was (gasp!) better than from a video recorder. It came with a large box of electronics that you had to find room for somewhere and it cost $29,999. Which makes the 165-centimetre ultra-HD LED Frame look ridiculously cheap at $4699. Panasonic's OLED television renders the black bits really black. Credit:Kerrie O'Brien Anyway, I wrote a wistful story back then noting that: "when not watching movies you could project a still of, say, a Fred Williams so that everyone thinks you're an art collector". Now, only 19 years later, Samsung is doing just this, although I believe Fred's works are not available. You can go with the supplied collection, which seems to include a lot of photography, buy extra art works or subscribe for monthly additions. Or you can set it up with your own pictures. But televisions are made for moving pictures and I read a piece by Sydney dealer Len Wallis recently, who wrote; "For more than a decade the holy grail of the TV industry has been to produce a screen which is better than the Pioneer Kuros of yesteryear." Wallis reckons Panasonic has finally nailed it with its new OLEDs. When you think about it, this makes sense.
The plasma Kuros, sold here between 2007 and 2010, set the benchmark for picture quality and performance, and maintained it long after its extinction. The engineering was built around plasma's strength: no back-lighting. This yields the blackest blacks, giving significantly better contrast ratios than backlit LEDs. When the bad guys creep through the dark house at midnight nothing exposes them like a Kuro. But in a market driven by price Kuros cost twice as much as anything else. Sales were modest. The business was never viable and Pioneer ceased production. Many of its engineers went to Panasonic and now the low-light strengths developed by the first company appear to have resurfaced in OLEDs made by the second screen technology which, like plasma, has no backlighting. LG no longer has OLED to itself. In an interview with Sound and Image magazine, Paul Gray, a principal analyst with international market consultancy IHS Markit, says OLEDs are now being made by LG, Panasonic, Philips, Sony, Grundig, Loewe and Metz as well as three more brands in China, but the raw panels are all coming from just one supplier, LG Display. The others engineer their own electronics to drive the panel and some do it better than others. "They (Panasonic) know more about emissive displays because they've got 15 years of experience in plasma," Gray said. "Suddenly you see all that shadow detail." This is something you may not readily appreciate in a brightly lit showroom. But you will at home.
In what seemed nothing less than an urgent bid to change Congress' anti-Hindu image, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi was seen offering prayers at Dwarkadhish Temple ahead of his Gujarat yatra.
By Sweta dutta: In Congress a growing realisation to accommodate religion is making way for small changes and the leadership is making conscious efforts at wooing back the Hindu electorate.
On Monday, Congress V-P Rahul Gandhi was seen offering prayers at Dwarkadhish Temple, kicking off his three-day Navsarjan Yatra in poll-bound Gujarat. Following a slew of hectic meetings and public interactions, Rahul chose to end the day with a visit to the Navratri pandal, in Chandi Bazar, Jamnagar.
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"There is an established perception that Congress is pro-minority hence rabidly anti-Hindu, which is absolutely false. From PM Narendra Modi's social media campaign to the BJP's propaganda, the main aim has been to spread false notions about the Congress. However, we as a party are as much to blame because we have not done anything to either clarify our position or to reach out the Hindu electorate. Over the years the party has drifted away from the Hindu electorate and it is time we make concerted efforts to win them back," said a senior party functionary.
"This has been raised in the party internal meetings and the top leadership is taking note of this. In coming polls, there will be a visible change of stance," he added. When Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam had floated the Sant Mahant Congress cell in the city, a section of the party was taken aback by the move and had asked Nirupam to discuss the issue with Rahul before giving it a stronger push, sources in the party told Mail Today.
"Though that came more as a shocker to some leaders in the Congress, who too have begun believing in keeping a distance from the Hindu mainstream, just to appear pro-minority, the experiment seems to be working fine," said a senior Congress leader.
Asked about the response to the Sant Mahant Congress since its formation in May, Nirupam explained, "It has helped the party reconnect with Hindu saints and leaders. While being religious, one can also be secular. I would tell my colleagues to be religious. If we cannot stand up for our own religion, then how do we claim to stand for someone else's? Just because we have pledged support to the minorities, we don't need to abandon Hindus." "More than Congress distancing itself from the Hindus, the BJP's propaganda has made people believe that Congress is anti-Hindu. In our 'Know Your Legacy' campaign, we are making a special effort to tell people that we believe in inclusive politics and stand by Hindus as much as we care for the Muslims or the Christians," Nirupam pointed out that the party lost out on the Ram Temple issue as it distanced itself from the majoritarian Hindu demands. "We can't now push Ram to BJP. They are only politicising in the name of Ram," he added.
--- ENDS ---
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If you're concerned that the proliferation of fake accounts on Facebook and Twitter could be skewing public opinion, helping to spread falsehoods and creating a nasty atmosphere, perhaps you should pay attention to the suggestions of Vitalik Buterin, the founder of the the digital currency platform Ethereum. (For those impressed with big sums of money, the market capitalisation of ether, the Ethereum cryptocurrency, stands at $US27.5 billion ($34.9 billion), second only to bitcoin).
I had an argument with Buterin on Twitter the other day. He was outraged by a column I wrote, suggesting that Twitter and Facebook should require a credit card for account registration. I was arguing that the social networks are huge media companies that need to enforce order on their platforms.
Nobody, including the networks themselves, has an accurate idea of how many of their users are actual people. Fake accounts and bots are ubiquitous. Bullies act anonymously and with impunity. Fake stories and political propaganda are pushed to large audiences, amplified by botnets. Terror groups run circles around censors, which may be great for free speech but not for public security. So I want the networks to stop letting users have anonymity. If you're broadcasting to the world, as one does on Facebook and Twitter, you should be identified. Credit cards could verify people's identity.
Like many others, Buterin hated my suggestion. He argued that someone like James Damore, the Google engineer who had questioned the company's gender policies and was promptly fired for it, could have been protected by anonymity.
A brutally clinical analysis of voting patterns in the last federal and council elections would suggest Labor has little hope of holding the state seat of Brunswick.
The Greens' preferred voters, the moneyed, liberal middle class, have been moving north, and now dominate the booths south of what is known as the "hipster-proof fence", Bell Street.
With Labor sitting on a margin of just 2.2 per cent in Brunswick, many Greens saw the seat, with its vegan cafes and Australia Day ban, as the next one to fall into their hands.
Jane Garrett is well-liked in her seat; she was seen as the best chance of saving it for Labor, despite her political battles and health troubles. But on Wednesday, Garrett made the controversial announcement that she would seek a switch to the safe upper house seat of Western Metro.
A persistent thief broke into at least eight cars over two hours in Melbourne's north-east but made off with little more than loose change.
The man in his 20s started breaking into cars in Plenty River Drive in Greensborough about 2am on Monday night.
The man is caucasian and in his 20s with short straight hair. Credit:Victoria Police
He was still going at 4am, gaining access to some cars, trying others and widening his range to include nearby courts.
The man was hardly rewarded for his determined efforts, making off with a laptop, some keys and loose change.
Jenni Woods has had a tough life, but hoped a veterinary nursing course would set her up for a bright future.
The 58-year-old has severe epilepsy and when her symptoms subsided in May 2014 she enrolled in a course at Open Colleges.
Jenni was slugged $5487 for a course at a private college that she never started, Credit:Joe Armao, Fairfax Media.
"I love animals," she said. "I just wanted to do something with my life."
But her seizures worsened days before the course was due to start and following her doctor's advice, she withdrew.
Life is not all fairy floss and dodgem cars for the children of Royal Melbourne Show carnival workers.
They may have more access than most kids to throwing balls at laughing clowns or patting lambs, but they do also go to school.
School's in: National School For Travelling Show Children employee Katherine Blanchard, centre, teaches Chivani and Mekia McDonald and three other show worker children in a Braybrook caravan park flat. Credit:Jason South
It has a grand name the National School for Travelling Show Children. It's run exclusively for kids of "showies", and its logo features a roller coaster, a carousel horse and a ferris wheel.
But it's not fly by night. Class is on when their parents are working, so pupils are not on school holidays like Victorian kids.
The Australian Securities Exchange has rejected reports suggesting it has compared Western Australia's proposed gold royalty increases to new mining laws in Tanzania.
The WA government wants to increase the gold royalty rate from 2.5 per cent to 3.75 per cent when the spot price eclipses $A1200 an ounce as part of measures to trim state debt, but it faces opposition in the upper house.
The WA government wants to increase the gold royalty rate from 2.5 per cent to 3.75 per cent. Credit:Andrey Rudakov
After campaigning against the proposal, which was revealed in the recent state budget, WA's Chamber of Minerals and Energy seized on a news report claiming the ASX could suspend most of Australia's listed gold companies from trading if the royalty hike was passed.
The report said it would be a repeat of recent steps taken by the ASX when Tanzania passed legislation partially nationalising mining companies.
One of WA's peak country bodies has urged families to get behind the Perth Royal Show as it faces a third consecutive multi-million-dollar loss as visitor numbers dwindle.
Revenue and attendance at the iconic event have been on the decline since 2015, when the state government pulled the plug on funding free entry for children under 12 years old.
This Royal Show patron struggled with the 2017 weather.
Visitor numbers in 2016 dropped to 311,000 25 per cent less than two years prior when more than 410,000 people flowed through the show's gates "despite heavy rain over opening weekend", the Royal Agricultural Society of WA's 2015 annual report said.
Wet weather has hampered this year's attendance. WAtoday understands some stall operators have been forced to cut staffing for the remaining four days.
A Perth teenager who killed his friend when he crashed a car into a bus at high speed has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Steven Mourish, 19, was driving a Holden Commodore around 10pm on April 1 when he collided with a shuttle bus while speeding 45 kilometres an hour over the limit.
Jack Raymond Meier (inset) was killed in the crash. Credit:WA Police, Lara Wilson
The incident occurred at the intersection of Abernerthy and Kewdale Roads in Kewdale.
Mourish's passenger, 16-year-old Jack Meier, died in the crash.
Washington: Facebook Inc's CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday defended his company's role in US elections and rejected assertions in a tweet from US President Donald Trump that the social network was against him.
Zuckerberg has been on the defensive for weeks over revelations that Russian agents bought ads on Facebook and created fake accounts to inflame political tensions in the United States ahead of the 2016 presidential vote.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday Zuckerberg said both Trump and liberals were upset about ideas and content on Facebook during the campaign.
"That's what running a platform for all ideas looks like," Zuckerberg said on Wednesday.
Washington: Alabama's GOP voters backed Roy Moore, a US Senate candidate who campaigned against the chamber's Republican leader and brandished a firearm at a rally to show his support for gun rights -- even after President Donald Trump urged voters to elect Moore's opponent.
Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, was winning 57 per cent of the vote Tuesday in a Republican primary runoff election compared to 43 per cent for incumbent Senator Luther Strange, according to the Associated Press.
Moore is known outside Alabama mostly for being removed twice as chief justice of the state Supreme Court -- in 2003 for refusing to take down a Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama judicial building, and in 2016 for telling state judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the US Supreme Court legalised gay marriage.
He drew national attention again on Monday when he pulled a gun out of his pocket at a campaign rally to show his support for the Second Amendment.
By Srijani Ganguly/Mail Today: For more than 30 years, Raseel Gujral Ansal has been a prominent name in the world of design. It began with the launch of Raseel Gujral Ansal Design in 1986, and was followed by Casa Paradox in 1993 and Casa Pop a few years ago.
All three are to do with design but they cater to three different needs. The first one is to do with exterior and interior design, while Casa Paradox is a designer furniture store. Casa Pop is an extension of the two, catering to people on the lookout for funky accessories. It's all, Ansal says, "one evolution of the same design philosophy".
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Also Read: Lifestyle designer Raseel Gujral Ansal is celebrating 30 years of her career
This evolution began in her childhood. The daughter of Satish Gujral (an iconic artist, architect and sculptor) and Kiran Gujral (an artist as well), Ansal grew up in a household where there was a "constant buzz of creativity".
"My father was always experimenting with different mediums," she says. "I used to go to his workshop when he was working on murals. My mother was also making ceramics at that time. Home was like a germination ground."
Also Read: This Indian designer turned breast-cancer survivors into showstoppers at New York Fashion Week
So when it came to choosing her career, there was a clear field in Ansal's sight. "There was never a question of not being in the creative field," she says, laughing.
Out of all the choices in front of Ansal, her heart seemed to be set on architecture. She says, "When I was about 10, my father got into architecture. (He is famous for designing the Belgian Embassy in Delhi.) Later, my brother (Mohit Gujral) went into architecture. It was something I was very keen on." Years later, Ansal now finds herself pursuing her interest in architecture under three different heads. For Raseel Gujral Ansal, home is truly where the heart is.
--- ENDS ---
Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron's ambitious proposals for enhancing the European Union's power and institutions earned responses ranging from praise in Brussels to wariness in Berlin and outright hostility in Prague.
The reaction said as much about the current state of Europe as did his calls to reform it.
In a major speech in Paris, Macron detailed a wide range of proposals for future European policies including defence and migration, as well as a new joint office for investment and an industrial program to foster clean vehicles. Speaking for almost two hours on Tuesday at the Paris-Sorbonne University, he went on to say that the euro zone is the core of the European project that offers its members the prospect of economic power to rival China and the US.
"The Europe we know is too weak, too slow, too ineffective," Macron said. "Europe can assure real sovereignty, our ability to exist in the world of today."
Brighton: Jeremy Corbyn has vowed to impose rent controls to combat the country's housing crisis and increasing gentrification in a barnstorming speech to wrap up Labour's annual conference, where his grip on the party was solidified.
A relaxed Labour leader joked his way through a 80-minute speech that began with a standing ovation from Labour delegates singing the trademark "Oh Jeremy Corbyn" chant to the tune of the White Stripes' Seven Nation Army.
Mr Corbyn, who won last year's leadership challenge, lambasted Prime Minister Theresa May's conservatives for being divided over Brexit following the ruling party's disastrous early election result. He dubbed the Cabinet a "coalition of chaos," a reference to Mrs May's warning about a possible Labour and Scottish National party coalition government during the election campaign.
Declaring himself ready to govern and calling his socialist version of the Labour party the "political mainstream," Mr Corbyn said: "I have a simple message for the cabinet, pull yourselves together or make way".
St. Maarten:--- The Dominica Foundation Sint Maarten wishes to express its solidarity with the people of the Commonwealth of Dominica after the passing of Hurricane Maria which devastated our beautiful country.
Having just suffered the same terrifying experiences with Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017, we sincerely feel your pain and loss amidst the chaos now engulfing entire communities in Dominica.
We are not in Dominica in person, but rest assured we are there in spirit. We Dominicans on St. Maarten, some of us having lost our homes and our possessions, were touched and consoled when the Prime Minister of Dominica, the Honorable Roosvelt Skeritt visited St. Maarten on Sunday (September 17, 2017) to meet with the Dominican community here and pledge his support to help in our times of need. He rushed back home that same day only to be faced with the devastation of his country, Dominica, in a matter of 24 hours.
His presence here was comforting. He brought the community of St. Maarten water and much-needed supplies which were distributed to both sides of the island through the government on the north and south, as well as through the Dominica Foundation Sint Maarten.
To my fellow Dominicans back home, you can take comfort in the fact that in Mr. Skeritt you have a leader who is caring, compassionate and one who recognizes that we are all each others keeper and need each other in good times and in bad times. He will lead Dominica to a better place after this terrible ordeal.
Though we cannot offer much in assistance presently, we will be there in the near future to love, comfort and help our lovely Nature Island in its quest to a better future for all.
God bless Dominica and all the beautiful people of Dominica.
DigitalRoutes Lena Nyberg Appointed to Expert Panel Advising Swedish Government on IT
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (Marketwired) 09/27/17 DigitalRoute, a leading innovator in Data Integration and Management, has announced that Lena Nyberg, the companys Senior Vice President, Global Services, has been appointed to a panel of experts, newly formed to advise Swedish central government agencies on IT issues. The prestigious role reflects Nybergs expertise and knowledge and her standing in the industry.
The new group will sport six members and twenty government agencies will consult with the expert group in connection with major digitalization and IT related investments. DigitalRoutes Nyberg is one of five appointed delegates named so far and was part of the first meeting of concerned government agencies and government owned companies last week. The group is led by chancellor Kristina Alser, member of The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and former governor of Kronoberg County.
Lena Nyberg said: I am proud to be appointed to this panel and to contribute my professional experience to benefit the country. I am also grateful to DigitalRoute for supporting my participation.
Added Andreas Zartmann, CEO, DigitalRoute: We are delighted that DigitalRoute experts have been invited to perform such an important role and are confident that, as she does at our company, Lena will make a significant contribution to the panels success for the betterment of the country.
has been providing new approaches to data integration and data management since 1999. Its technology offers high throughput and provides a unique degree of user configurability, processing all usage and statistical data extracted from networks of connected assets. This means customers gain greater cost efficiencies, improved time-to-market for new service offerings, the ability to monetize any data, and the means to enhance end-customer satisfaction. DigitalRoute makes network events available to the right systems in the right formats in the most appropriate volumes at the required times, without losing a single bit. This is the foundation from which multiple, mission-critical use-cases can be addressed.
Over 350 leading companies worldwide use DigitalRoute technology to meet their data management needs, including a number of OEM partners who use our platform as a central part of their own offerings. DigitalRoute is built on the core values of Expertise, Open-Mindedness and Commitment. With close to 200 employees, the company is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden with regional offices in Gothenburg, Atlanta and Kuala Lumpur. DigitalRoute is a venture-backed, privately-held company.
DigitalRoute and MediationZone are registered trademarks of Digital Route AB. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
For more information or interviews with Andreas Zartmann contact:
Sancha Brody
Media & Analyst Relations
Email:
Phone: +44 (0)7376 366855
SnapLogic Strengthens EMEA Leadership Team with Appointment of Neerav Shah
Posted by Publisher Internet
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (Marketwired) 09/27/17 , the leader in self-service application and data integration, today announced that it has appointed Neerav Shah as VP of EMEA Sales. Shah has more than 20 years experience in complex, high-value enterprise sales across a range of technologies, including social media and online community management platforms, mobile and fixed line device management systems, network and systems management solutions, and more. He has proven experience helping startups new to EMEA build and grow high-performing sales teams which surpass expectations and achieve above industry customer retention rates.
Shah said: Im thrilled to be joining the SnapLogic team at such a pivotal time in the companys growth. Its a real opportunity for me to make a significant contribution to a fast-growing, innovative company that is making waves in the app and data integration space. With the explosion of new cloud apps, big data sources, IoT devices and more, companies are realizing the critical need for a modern, self-service, cloud-based integration platform that only SnapLogic provides, and Im looking forward to driving further growth across Europe.
Prior to joining SnapLogic, Shah was Sales Director in the UK, Northern Europe & Africa for Lithium Technologies. A founding member of Lithiums team in the region, Shah helped grow the company from startup to an established leader in the social media and community management platform space. Earlier in his career, Neerav held sales management positions at Alcatel-Lucent Motive, KPMG, and IBM Tivoli Systems.
Shahs appointment comes during a period of rapid growth for SnapLogic. In the past year, SnapLogic has added UK-based multinational public transport company Arriva, law firm Freshfields, energy consultancy Inenco, and global pharmaceutical business AstraZeneca, among others, to its increasingly diverse customer-base. SnapLogic has also signed new partnerships with TCS, Tech Mahindra, PWC and others in the region.
Allen Lovett, SVP of Global Field Operations at SnapLogic, said: Were very pleased to welcome Neerav to the SnapLogic team. He joins us during an exciting period of growth for the company and we know hell help take us to even greater heights. With his years of enterprise experience and proven track record building exceptional, customer-focused sales teams across the region, we have full confidence he will play a critical role in our continued expansion across EMEA.
SnapLogic is the global leader in self-service integration. The companys Enterprise Integration Cloud makes it fast and easy to connect applications, data, and devices with no coding. Hundreds of customers across the Global 2000 including Adobe, AstraZeneca, Box, GameStop, Verizon, and Wendys rely on SnapLogic to automate business processes, accelerate analytics and drive digital transformation. SnapLogic was founded by data industry veteran Gaurav Dhillon and is backed by blue-chip investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Capital One, Ignition Partners, Microsoft, Triangle Peak Partners, and Vitruvian Partners. Learn more at .
Connect with SnapLogic via our , , or .
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Scott Behles
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Jamie Waddell
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Mist Recognized as a CRN 2017 Emerging Vendor
CUPERTINO, CA (Marketwired) 09/27/17 , the pioneer in self-learning wireless networks using artificial intelligence, announced today that it has been named a in the Networking/VoIP category. This list recognizes recently founded, up-and-coming technology suppliers that are shaping the future of the IT channel through unique technological innovations.
Were excited to be featured in this years list of Emerging Vendors, said Mike Anderson, vice president of channel sales at Mist. Mists unique AI-enabled cloud platform is changing the way wireless is operated and is creating amazing new opportunities for our partners and customers. This recognition is a testament to the value we deliver.
Mist is proud to be honored for building the first AI-driven wireless platform, designed specifically for the smart device era. The Mist Learning Wireless LAN makes Wi-Fi predictable, reliable and measurable by providing visibility into the user experience and replacing time consuming manual IT tasks with proactive automation. Mist is the first vendor to converge Wi-Fi, BLE and IoT to deliver personalized, location-based wireless services without battery beacons.
This impressive group of technology supplier startups is already disrupting the status quo, aggressively creating and innovating to meet the ever-changing demands of the IT market, said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company. CRNs 2017 Emerging Vendors represent the next generation of IT change agents, producing a wide range of leading-edge products that solution providers should keep an eye on in the coming year and beyond.
Mist recently to accelerate the adoption of AI-driven cloud wireless, which includes flexible pricing, extensive training and unique content for both traditional resellers and Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Mists exponential growth and momentum is a direct reflection of the companys commitment to the channel. In the last year alone, Mist has signed over 100 solution providers across numerous countries. These partners have enabled Mist to become one of the fastest growing vendors in the history of wireless networking, with marquee customers in every industry segment.
Mist has received multiple awards as a result of the companys innovative technology and commitment to the channel. Recent award wins include and .
To view the full list of Emerging Vendors, please visit .
Mist website:
Mist platform:
Mist products:
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Mist built the first AI-driven wireless platform, designed specifically for the Smart Device Era. The Mist Learning Wireless LAN makes Wi-Fi predictable, reliable and measurable by providing unprecedented visibility into the user experience and by replacing time consuming manual IT tasks with proactive automation. In addition, Mist is the first vendor to bring enterprise-grade Wi-Fi, BLE and IoT together to deliver personalized, location-based wireless services without requiring battery-powered beacons. All operations are managed via Mists modern cloud architecture for maximum scalability, agility and performance.
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Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said Bangladesh had sent its suggestions to the UN Security Council on the basis of PM Sheikh Hasina's proposals to help resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis.
By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali has said that the country has put forth its proposals to resolve the Rohingya crisis as the UN Security Council met on the issue.
"The Prime Minster has already given a five-point proposal to resolve the crisis. We have sent suggestions to the Security Council on the basis of her proposal", he told journalists after meeting envoys of the high-powered UN organ on Wednesday.
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Ali said Bangladesh hoped that the 15-member UN Security Council would take effective measures to resolve the crisis as it met behind closed doors to come up with a plan of action to rehabilitate the 4,80,000 Rohingyas, who have fled their homes to avoid the military offensive in western Myanmar's Rakhine state.
The UN earlier condemned Myanmar's military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims as "ethnic cleansing" while the international community has called it "genocide", echoing Bangladesh's concerns.
Ali said Dhaka "does not want to go into a conflicting situation" as it expected smooth repatriation of the "forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals", who fled their homes in the wake of a military offensive.
'EXPECT MYANMAR TO SMOOTHLY REPATRIATE ITS NATIONALS'
"We expect the Myanmar government to take steps for the smooth repatriation of its nationals so that they could go back to their homeland safely with their rights ensured", he said.
Envoys of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, Sweden, Italy, Egypt and Japan were present in the meeting held at the State Guest House Padma in Dhaka.
Ali said the envoys of the Security Council member states were called to the diplomatic briefing as part of Dhaka's efforts to sensitise further the crucial UN organ to the humanitarian crisis.
He said Bangladesh would also speak as the Security Council was set to hold an open debate on the issue in the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday after their closed-door meeting of the 15-member states. Bangladesh PM has said Rohingya Muslims will get shelter on humanitarian grounds .
"All (Security Council) member states are sympathetic and have extended their support to Bangladesh over the Rohingya issue. We are discussing the matter with the international community as our main objective is to repatriate Myanmar nationals to their homeland peacefully", Ali added.
The Council earlier met twice behind closed doors since the crisis began last month. Earlier this month, it issued a statement to the press, condemning the situation and urging Myanmarese authorities to end the violence.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on September 21 put forward the five-point proposal in the UN General Assembly.
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Responding to a query, the foreign minister said that the Union Minister for Office of the State Councilor U Kyaw Tint Swe was expected to arrive in Dhaka in the first week of October although the exact date was yet to be finalised.
However, he said that the visit could be delayed if Myanmar's minister wanted to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is now in the United States.
State Minister for Foreign M Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque were also present in the meeting.
DELHI ASSURES DHAKA OF DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT ON ROHINGYA ISSUE
Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Wednesday assured Dhaka of his country's "diplomatic and humanitarian" support on the Rohingya issue as Bangladesh was set to put forth its case to the UN Security Council.
On Wednesday morning, visiting Japan Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwao Horii held a meeting with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam when they discussed about the Rohingya issue.
"The Japanese minister assured us that that his country would stand beside Bangladesh at this crucial time", Alam told journalists.
According to latest statistics, some 4,80,000 Myanmar nationals have fled to Bangladesh from Rakhine state since August 25 after being persecuted by its army.
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WATCH MORE VIDEO | Hindu Rohingya refugees forced to convert to Islam in Bangladesh camps
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Gaval drove a 2021 Ford Expedition through a red traffic signal at about 12:30 a.m. Sept. 21, 2021, crashed into a 2014 Charger and then a 2011 Cadillac CTS driven by Nicholas Newman, who was killed.
By Bala Yogesh,
Special to The Post
Canada Post on Friday unveiled a new commemorative stamp to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, first of a kind partnership with India Post. The postage stamp was revealed at the at the Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver as part of the Diwali Gala hosted by the BC India Business Network (BCIBN), an organization that helps and maintains economic and cultural ties between B.C., and India.
In welcoming guests, BCIBN President Catherine Sas Q.C. emphasized the significance of trade between BC and India noting that "the BCIBN provides a unique opportunity to network with likeminded business people who are interested in forging business and cultural ties between BC and India".
The BCIBN welcomed Minister of Public Service and Procurement, Carla Qualtrough along with BC Minister of Labour, Harry Bains, BC Minister for Jobs, Trade and Technology, Bruce Ralston and BC's new Consul General for India, Abhilasha Joshi to unveil both the Canadian and Indian commemorative Diwali stamps.
Qualtrough, also Minister for Canada Post, told attendees at the Diwali Gala that the strength of Canada is its diversity and that Canada's multiculturalism is its valuable asset.
This is an historic celebration that we can all take pride in, its a telling of an important story and it should come as a no surprise that Canada Post is one of its story tellers, Qualtrough said on the significance of the stamp and the partnership with India Post.
Diwali is one of the major festivals of India and many other countries. The festival of light signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and hope over despair. Diwali is celebrated by the Hindus, Sikh, Buddhists and Jains communities.
Joshi said that the unveiling of the stamp is a very opportune moment and congratulated both Canada Post and India Post on their partnership.
Stamps are symbol of nations sovereignty and over the years they have become cultural ambassadors, Joshi said. When they release these type of joint stamps, it really becomes the symbol of love, friendship of the two countries that come together.
The partnership was initially agreed in February when the representatives of India Post and Canada Post held a series of bilateral meetings to enhance the relationship between the two postal services. The Indian Cabinet ministers on August 30 agreed to the stamp pact and India Post unveiled its version of the stamp in New Delhi on September 21.
The event at Fairmont Waterfront was the second annual Diwali event hosted by BCIBN and several members of Canada Post and Air Canada were also present at the event. Air Canada were the patron sponsors of the event and it was recently revealed that the Vancouver Delhi seasonal service will be expanded to five times a week. Miss Fraser Valley 2017, Philipa Shauna Dutt and Miss Teen Canada 2014 Aashritha Royyuru were also present at the event.
While the women in this Middle-Eastern country are finally getting the freedom to drive cars, here are a few more rights they deserve.
By Shreya Goswami: There's been a rush of relief and joy all over the world since it was announced that women in Saudi Arabia will finally get the right to drive cars. A committee has been formed to oversee the implementation of this right, and we can see it being effective by June 24, 2018.
People across the world have hailed this news as a step in the right direction, and it really is. Spearheaded by the 32-year-old Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, this move is part of a larger plan to reform and transform the Saudi economy by 2030.
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While these ambitious plans are worthy of praise and appreciation, the situation of women in this Middle-Eastern country is still deplorable compared to that in other nations--both developed and underdeveloped. There are a number of things women in Saudi can't do, and the list is quite long and surprising.
Also Read: This book is changing the way people look at Muslim women
Even though we'll soon be able to remove one thing from the list, the following things are still, unfortunately, on it:
1. Buying Barbie Dolls
While little girls across the world yearn for a gift of Barbie on festivals and birthdays, women in Saudi Arabia aren't allowed to own them at all. The reason? It's "immoral". From revealing garments to provocative postures, Saudi law identifies these dolls as something to be censored. They are also markers of luxury that women aren't entitled to.
Picture for representative purpose. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/Felicia Draxel
2. Trying clothes in a changing room
When you go shopping, trying things you pick from the rack is important. How else would you know if it's a good fit and looks good on you? This basic right, however, is denied to Saudi women. Maureen Dowd, a Vanity Fair writer, who visited the country in 2010, described that the "mere thought of a disrobed woman behind a dressing-room door is apparently too much for men to handle." The shops are, after all, manned by men--with women employees barely making it to the Saudi workforce.
3. Reading uncensored fashion magazines
For any fashion-forward woman in the world, fashion magazines are fodder. We all love to riffle through them, even if we don't plan on following trends to the T. Saudi women, however, do not have access to the same versions of these magazines that we get. Why? Because the magazines feature women who do not stay covered like Saudi women are expected to. The fashion magazines these women get are censored and carefully edited, before making them available.
Also Read: Wearing lipstick makes women feel smarter and boosts cognitive performance, says study
4. Going anywhere without a male guardian
No Saudi woman can travel anywhere without a Mahram, or male guardian. Mahrams are usually male members of the family who are deputed to escort the women everywhere. Not only does this put a major restriction on mobility, it also indicates that this society does not believe women to be trustworthy. Add to that, women in Saudi Arabia can't even open bank accounts, start businesses or run for local elections without a Mahram! Even the women who got a chance to compete in the 2012 Olympics had to have a chaperone!
Picture for representative purpose. Picture courtesy: Twitter/Caroline Webb Picture for representative purpose. Picture courtesy: Twitter/Caroline Webb
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5. Interacting with men or marrying without consent
It doesn't matter where they come across men, at home or outside, Saudi women are not allowed to interact with them. Every public space in Saudi Arabia is segregated, from schools and universities to banks and buses. If found flouting this rule, harsh punishment is meted out to women (even more so than the men involved). This includes public lashing. Another extension of this law dictates that women in the country can't marry without the consent of their guardians.
These are just a few of the many restrictions women in Saudi Arabia still have to endure. While women across the world are making great strides in claiming the night, voicing their opinions, and presenting their talents, women in this Middle-Eastern country are still struggling for their most basic rights.
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So, even though the new right to drive is actually a great step forward, Saudi women clearly need, and deserve, a lot more of the basic rights they are denied right now.
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By PTI: By Shirish B Pradhan
Kathmandu, Sep 26 (PTI) At least seven people were killed and 11 others injured today when an overcrowded jeep fell from the road in Nepals Kavrepalanchok area, police said.
The jeep, ferrying 17 people, was heading towards Dandapari from Banepa, 60 km east of Kathmandu, when the accident occurred this morning in Shikhar Ambote, said Sahakul Thapa, Superintendent of Police, Kavre District Police Office.
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The jeep driver is also among the dead, he said.
Police said that a critically injured eight-year-old boy has been flown to Kathmandu for treatment.
The cause of the accident is not known yet. PTI SBP NKS AKJ NKS
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Georgetown, SC (29440)
Today
Overcast. Low around 50F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Overcast. Low around 50F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Durga Puja is set to be special for the sex workers of Kolkata this year.
By Indo-Asian News Service: For the first time in five years, sex workers of Sonagachi, considered Asia's largest red-light area, will be able to scale up their Durga Puja to a major celebration that they have been demanding for quite some time.
Inhabitants of Sonagachi in North-Kolkata have been organising their own Durga Puja since 2013, albeit with a gap year, 2016. However, in pursuance of the Calcutta High Court's ruling, the magnitude of festivities was restricted to a small community hall.
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"We did not appeal in the high court last year as every year we used to appeal to let us have our own marquee and idol and the result was the same," said Kajol Bose, secretary, Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Samiti (DMSS), a sex workers collective.
"This time, however, the high court ruled in our favour and we are going for a full fledged marquee as well as idol."
Also Read: What is Navratri? What do these nine days of festivities mean?
So with a budget of Rs 4 lakh--double than that of the previous editions--an eight-feet by 20-feet marquee has been erected outside the DMSS's clinic. This is the only puja for the sex workers community in Kolkata, they said.
"A five-member team comprising representatives of police, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, fire department and our collective was constituted by the court to decide the location and other details," Bose said.
Close to 20,000 visitors from the community are expected and special 'prasad' delivery arrangements have also been planned.
Also Read: Sex-workers in Kolkata are being trained to work at food stalls for Durga Puja celebrations
"Since it's a very busy time of the year for sex workers and they work at night, many would be unable to avail the 'bhog' (prasad) next morning. So we have teams who would distribute the food to sex workers and our staff members," Bose said.
The Ashtami bhog, comprising khichdi, would not only be provided to sex workers of Sonagachi but also to inhabitants of red-light areas in Kidderpore and other pockets in Kolkata.
"This year, sex workers in Basirhat are holding their own celebration for the first time. Communities in Bishnupur and Cooch Behar have their own festivities as well," Bose added.
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Sushmita Sen's traditional look is all the more reason to love this festive season.
By Shivani Chhabra: Like getting over Sushmita Sen's ravishing beauty and innate charm wasn't already an ordeal, that she just stepped out looking like a goddess. If the word 'sublime' ever needed a virtual representation, it would be this former Miss World's recent traditional look that has got us swooning over her.
It was only a few days ago that this diva had made us go weak in the knees with her look in a black gown that was oozing hotness . Sensual and elegant, Ms Sen looked just so perfect, and today, she's done it again.
Picture courtesy: Instagram/sushmitasen47
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Adding more brightness to the world in this lovely festive season, Sushmita made a public appearance in a mauve lehenga that looked just so soothing. The pleated lehenga boasted of an elegant sheen, and the subtle-golden embroidery all over it contributed to its royal appeal.
Picture courtesy: Instagram/afashionistadiaries
Also Read: We don't know how Sushmita Sen is walking so gracefully in that black gown
The gorgeous embroidery was far more intrinsic on her sleeveless blouse, giving the attire an extremely plush look. Sush had draped a plain translucent dupatta in the same colour with a dainty embroidery on the border, which also balanced the overall work on the ensemble really well.
Pictures courtesy: Instagram/sashivangapallicouture
Also Read: Sushmita Sen's tiny black dress is giving us so many goals, our heads are spinning
While the outfit was simply majestic, it was the big studded nose ring she accessorised it with that got us hooked. The grand statement nose ring highlighted her sharp facial features, and we have to admit to falling in love with this Bong beauty all over again.
Pictures courtesy: Instagram/sashivangapallicouture
The diva completed the look by wearing a lovely round bindi and subtle makeup, and left her locks loose.
Picture courtesy: Instagram/sushmitasen47
If this is how ethereal you're going to look during festivals, Sushmita, then we want these celebrations to last forever.
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Cairo, Egypt Sept 27, 2017 (SPS) - The Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) is represented by a delegation of the Ministry of Health at the expert-level consultative meeting of North African countries, with a view to discussing mechanisms to promote the activities of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The meeting sponsored by the Commission of the African Union was marked by Moroccan maneuvers to prevent the participation of the SADR, through the invasion of the meeting room by Moroccan diplomats, who occupied the seats of the delegations that did not arrive in the room. The delegation from Rabat threatened to frustrate the meeting, in protest of the presence of the Saharawi delegation.
In this regard, during the speech of the representative of the Ministry of Health of the SADR, Bachir Saleh Ramadan, the Moroccan delegation, shouted and applauded, ignoring the requests of the presidency of the event.
Diplomatic sources told the SPS correspondent in the African Union that "the Commission's decision to ignore the conduct of Moroccan diplomats frustrated the new Moroccan diplomacy strategy, leading them to abandon the event in their second day, after losing hope in expelling the Saharawi delegation. "
At the African Union headquarters, multiple diplomats expressed their astonishment at the continuing provocation of Morocco and the lack of coherence between the king's speech and the attitudes of his diplomats in international forums. SPS
125/090/TRA
By PTI: Washington, Sept 27 (PTI) US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson would travel to Beijing later this week, ahead of President Donald Trumps China visit in November.
During the top US diplomats visit to Beijing from September 28 to October 1, he would discuss a range of issues with senior Chinese officials including the denuclearization of Korean Peninsula, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.
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He would also be discussing trade and investment with the Chinese leadership, and Trumps November visit.
"Tillersons visit to China reaffirms the Administrations commitment to further broaden and enhance US economic and security interests in the Asia-Pacific region," Nauert said. PTI LKJ ARK
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Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray joined the Left parties in attacking the BJP in Mumbai on Wednesday demanding that Anganwadi workers be given their due rights.
By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: The Shiv Sena has often been at loggerheads with its ally BJP in Maharashtra and attacked the latter over rising prices among other issues. Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday joined in a protest led by the Left parties demanding that Anganwadi workers be granted their due rights.
After taking to the streets over spiralling prices last week, Uddhav lashed out at the BJP at a protest rally organised by the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), a leftist trade union in favour of Anganwadi workers. Nearly 2 lakh Anganwadi workers from about 1.1 lakh Anganwadis in the state have been on a strike since September 12, demanding that their salaries be increased.
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That Uddhav shared the platform with the leftist trade union did raise several eyebrows given his party's history of bitter differences with the Left. The Shiv Sena came into existence in Mumbai by fighting against the left trade unions in the city that had several textile mills and a strong presence of trade unions. In the initial years, Sena cadres and factions of the Left clashed against each other quite a few times.
The Shiv Sena today seemed to have let bygones be bygones while attacking the BJP at a protest organised by the Left. Uddhav attacked the BJP's 'development' agenda from the 'red' stage and went a step ahead to quote Rahul Gandhi's "Vikas has gone mad" line in his ongoing Gujarat tour.
Quoting Rahul Gandhi's 'vikas gando thayo che' - a line that has gone viral on social media, Uddhav questioned that whether a mad Vikas (crazy development) was needed in villages, state or the country?
ANGANWADI SISTERS NEGLECTED, SAYS UDDHAV
"People are angry as they were shown dreams. PM has a dream of bullet train, CM has a dream of Samruddhi highway. Both of them are roaming around the world. Even today, the chief minister is abroad for Samruddhi highway. To see dreams, you have to sleep and today these anganwadi sisters are having sleepless nights while you are roaming abroad to fulfill your dreams. What kind of functioning is this?", Uddhav said.
Last week, the Shiv Sena had taken to the streets against rising prices. Only recently, the party had even asked Fadnavis government to give waive off farmer loans before Dussehra . Defending his anti-government stance, Uddhav said, "People wonder why we are taking to the streets despite being in government. Yes we are in the government, but our souls are still alive and we do not want to work feeling like dead souls."
Uddhav assured full support of his party to the protesting anganwadi workers and promised that his party would stand firmly with the workers, warning the government against using force. "If they impose anarchy in the name of democracy, we will break their batons raised on commoners. Muzzling of voices won't be tolerated", the Shiv Sena chief warned.
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Meanwhile, the BJP tried to play down Shiv Sena's aggression. "By doing all this, the Shiv Sena is making a fool of itself," said Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil.
ALSO WATCH VIDEO | Shiv Sena slams Jain monk Muni Naypadmasagar, who asked followers to vote BJP in Mira Bhayandar polls
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Lawmakers in Uganda came to blows ahead of a debate to grant the country's president another term in office. Videos of the incident showed lawmakers punching and throwing chairs at each other.
Ugandan lawmakers get into a fight in the parliament ahead of proposed age limit amendment bill debate a move to change the constitution to extend the president's rule, in Kampala, Uganda September 26, 2017. REUTERS/James Akena
By Reuters: Fistfights and chair-throwing broke out in Uganda's parliament on Tuesday ahead of a debate on whether to grant long-serving President Yoweri Museveni another term in office.
The move to extend his rule has met widespread opposition from civic rights activists, the political opposition, religious leaders and even some members of Museveni's own ruling party. He has been in power for more than three decades.
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Local television showed government and opposition lawmakers coming to blows after the House speaker allowed a ruling party legislator to introduce a motion to kick-start the process to remove an age cap from Uganda's constitution to allow Museveni to run for re-election.
"Please take your seats... Let us speak with our words, not with our fists," Parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga said as she tried to calm the enraged lawmakers.
Order was subsequently restored as the House debated other, less contentious subjects.
Towards the end of a nearly six-hour session, moments before the controversial motion was read, legislators opposed to it successfully foiled its introduction by breaking into endless singing of the national anthem.
Donning red ribbons, they stood up and crowded around the podium, banging on it and on their benches.
After repeated calls of "order, order, honorable members" by Kadaga failed to silence the MPs, she adjourned the session.
Under the existing constitution, a person standing for president must be under 75 years of age -- which would make Museveni, 73, ineligible to stand at the next polls in 2021.
Before Tuesday's parliamentary sitting got under way around, police fired tear gas to disperse protests by students and other opposition activists in the capital Kampala, police spokesman Emirian Kayima said.
"Some students and other young people were causing commotion and attempting to rob shopkeepers. We engaged them with teargas," Kayima said.
Click here to Enlarge Ugandan lawmakers involve in a fight in the parliament ahead of proposed age limit amendment bill debate a move to change the constitution to extend the president's rule, in Kampala, Uganda September 26, 2017. REUTERS/James Akena
Nineteen people including Uganda's leading opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, were also arrested. Kayima said Besigye was taken into custody after he attempted to mobilise protesters to march on parliament.
Local media reported protests against the legislative measure also broke out in other parts of Uganda.
Police have deployed in force around parliament and throughout Kampala since last week when the move to launch the constitutional amendment process was expected to start but never made it to the floor.
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An ally of the West who has deployed troops in Somalia to help fight Islamist militants there, Museveni initially won plaudits for restoring stability after years of turmoil and attracting foreign direct investment.
In recent years however, rampant human rights violations, corruption and broken public services have fuelled opposition to his rule.
"The military siege around parliament - it's the end of people power in Uganda, it's a full-blown military dictatorship," said Sarah Birete, program director at the Kampala-based Centre for Constitutional Governance.
WATCH | Fight breaks out in Uganada parliament, lawmakers throw chairs at each other
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GERING Amanda Ziegelbauer gently blows on the stomach of a red crossbill. Shes looking to determine the amount of fat the bird has during its migration south. The birds skin is transparent and if Ziegelbauer can tell it is too pink, the bird doesnt have enough fat and will need more food before it can continue toward its final destination.
Fifth- and sixth-grade students from Banner County School visited the Wildcat Hills Nature Center on a field trip Tuesday to learn about the plants and animals that make their habitat in the Wildcat Hills.
As students traveled through the trails, they could feel a gentle breeze and listen to the many birds chirping in the cool morning.
On the hike, there were different types of flora and fauna the students could identify. Along the way, Juliana Himmel, education assistant with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, pointed out an antlion to the students. Antlions are insects that dig a trap and wait at the bottom for an ant to fall in. When it does, the antlion eats it.
In the learning center, adaptation to habitats was the main topic. A birds beak is adapted to what it needs.
A pelicans beak is adapted to scoop up fish out of the water and the water drains out of the beak, Amber Schiltz said, Nebraska wildlife education coordinator with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. Its a really neat adaptation.
The students were also on a visit to learn about bird banding. The Wild Cat Hills Nature Center has been the site of bird banding for the last 10 years.
Over the last two years, a red crossbill, pine syskin and songbirds have been found.
The highlight this year was the green-tailed towhee, Schiltz said. Its the first ever to be caught at this station or in Chadron.
The bird is rare in this area, but it is proof it migrates through southern Scotts Bluff County.
The Wildcat Hills are considered an excellent habitat for migrating birds and an essential stop on their journey from Canada to Mexico or Central America.
The bird banding season lasts from Aug. 28 to Oct. 17 and more than 700 students and teachers will have seen the birding stations this year.
Schiltz said the bird banding field trips teach students about science up close where they can see nature in person and learn what its like to be a scientist who works with birds.
For kids, its a unique opportunity to spark an interest in science, Schiltz said.
After catching a red crossbill, Ziegelbauer began taking measurements of the animal. Although red crossbills are common to the Wildcat Hills, this bird had never been banded.
Ziegelbauer first placed a band on the birds leg. Bands will remain on the bird during its life. There is normally no need to change the band because a birds leg will not grow anymore. Once a bird leaves the nest, it is as big as it is going to be the rest of its life.
Ziegelbauer then checks the wing size, looks at the molt limit, measures the length of its tail, the amount of fat and tries to identify its sex. This red crossbill was a male.
When she was finished, Ziegelbauer returned the bird to the location she found him.
They are weird birds because they are nomadic, but they eat pine cones, so they really like this area, Ziegelbauer said. Its a perfect place for them.
Even weirder, the birds will sometimes move on and scientists dont yet know why. However, if the bird likes an area, they will stay and breed.
Ziegelbauer gently held a red crossbill in her hands, taking its measurements. Using calipers on its beak, she can also determine which subspecies the bird belongs to. This bird was a male weighing 32.7 ounces. Ziegelbauer said it was young, hatched sometime between January and July.
Bird banding is useful to scientists in a number of ways. It tracks birds to see if they are healthy, what the population trends are, which ones migrate through the area and which ones remain year-round. Ziegelbauer checks every part of a bird from beak to tail wings, noting length and size along the way. The data collected also allows scientists to know if a habitat is stable for birds and how old they might be.
If you band it and let it go, you wont know anything else about the bird until it is recaptured, Schiltz said. Thats when you can look at that data and learn more about it.
Many of the birds seen this time of year are migrating south from Canada on their way to Mexico or Central America.
Schiltz said the birds are moving south to stay warm, but they are also chasing food.
Flies, mosquitoes and grasshoppers arent around here in the winter, she said.
The Wildcat Hills is a stopover habitat for many migrating birds because there is food to fuel up for the rest of their journey and they also need a break from flying.
GERING At their Sept. 25 meeting, members of the Gering City Council signed on to an interlocal agreement with Scottsbluff and Terrytown to cooperate on a federally mandated stormwater management plan.
Once approved by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the agreement will enable the three cities to cooperate with one another to meet each citys obligations under the stormwater plan.
The stormwater management plan is part of the EPAs Clean Water Act, charged with protecting the public health and the environment. The listed a number of factors that can adversely affect water quality. They include population growth, aging infrastructure, increasingly complex water quality issues, limited resources and other economic challenges.
As the areas largest city, Scottsbluff has had a stormwater management plan for about 12 years. Now its time for Gering and Terrytown to develop one. Gering will soon supply Terrytown with its water; so the two cities decided on a joint plan.
The joint stormwater management plan must still go through state and federal approval. Once its implemented, the plan will require a surcharge on water users to offset some of the costs of maintaining the plan. The three cities agreed to a $1.25 per month fee on all water bills.
Pat Heath, Gerings Director of Public Works, said theres a lot of monitoring and inspection the city must start doing. A large amount of record keeping is also necessary for the city to remain in compliance with the plan.
Its pretty intense and will take a lot of time, Heath said. We created a surcharge to help fund a portion of the cost of implementing this unfunded mandate. Other cities have implemented a surcharge because the state has no mechanism to create a stormwater fund.
Gering council members also approved an agreement with Keep Scottsbluff Gering Beautiful to fulfill part of the public education component of the stormwater plan. Labels will be attached, inspected and maintained on all city storm drains. The purpose of the labels is to remind the public not to dump anything into the drain, as it leads to the river.
GERING A partially eaten breakfast burrito sits on Amanda Gibbs desk. Its nearly 1 p.m. and the new director of the Legacy of the Plains Museum has had little time to attend to her meal. The day has been an unusually busy one with errands, speaking with visitors and covering the front desk so a volunteer can tend to an emergency at home. As she makes it through her first official day, Gibbs breakfast waits a little longer before she gets another chance to eat as she sees more visitors arriving. Shes quick to visit two women, one a local resident who has never been through the museum. Gibbs smiles and begins chatting with them, becoming animated in her descriptions of the museum she is now in charge of.
Gibbs has been serving as interim director since May 1 when Sandra Reddish left to take a position as historic sites coordinator with the Nebraska State Historical Society.
Gibbs said she wouldnt have accepted the position when the board offered it to her if curator intern Olivia Garl didnt take her offer to become the full-time curator (The Star-Herald will have a profile on Garl later this week).
I dont think I could have handled it without her, Gibbs said. We make a pretty good team and weve become pretty good friends.
Rick Myers, executive vice president of the board, emphatically said he loved having Gibbs and Garl on board.
Theyre energetic. Both have a love of history and a love of the museum, Myers said. And they know and embrace social media, which is what we absolutely have to have.
While Gibbs hoped to one day be the director of the museum, she didnt expect an offer so soon.
I felt maybe down the road after I finish my masters and years after there was another director, Gibbs said. Then, maybe, but not like this.
As a single parent working on her masters degree in museum studies and being recently appointed president of the Oregon-California Trails Association, she felt she already had her plate full. But there seems to be room for a little bit more.
It seemed like fate had its hand in putting me in this position, Gibbs said. So many people told me, 'Why dont you try it?'
From board members to volunteers, they all mention how much Gibbs has grown with the museum. She was there when the Farm and Ranch Museum merged with the North Platte Valley Museum to form the Legacy of the Plains Museum. Then, Gibbs was a part-time employee while the new museum evolved into what it is today. Most recently, she was the museums archivist.
Ive seen it all develop and as the museum developed, Ive developed as well, she said.
After receiving her associates degree in Colorado, she moved to western Nebraska to pursue a bachelors degree in history and a minor in museum studies. She graduated from Chadron State College in 2014, having completed internships at the Marie Sandoz Center and the Legacy of the Plains Museum.
She spent the majority of her internship at Legacy of the Plains in the archives, working with the Gering Courier newspaper collection.
For now, Gibbs will also continue as the museums archivist.
Ill do my best to help with that, Gibbs said. Olivia will probably step in on that, too, but it will take time for her to learn that collection.
Board member Kevin Sandberg said he thought the move was a good one. Sandberg said Gibbs has the support of the volunteers, docents and the board.
She has all of our support, Sandberg said. We have gone through a lot of changes and everyone wants to see her continue to grow with us and the museum.
Dave Henson, who hosted a horse driving clinic at Legacy during the summer, said he would not have been able to put on the clinic without the assistance of Gibbs.
It just wouldnt have been possible, Henson said. We couldnt have done the eclipse either, which went smoothly.
Henson said Gibbs cares about the history of the Valley and he thinks as director, she will help see the museum go forward into the future.
One of her first goals is to look at the museums approach to the community, working on the capital campaign, new fundraising ideas and, though shes not revealing everything, shed like to see new events as well. A World War I exhibit is planned for the spring. Theres a possibility of another flashlight tour and Gibbs would like to see something with the Scouts and a night at the museum type of event.
Gibbs is already familiar with the director position. She also knows she still needs to learn some of the things she needs to do and what not to do along the way. Although she expects to be finished with her masters degree in two years, she has already learned that taking classes during the summer when there are facility rentals, weddings, docent training and several other summer activities is not a good idea.
In all honesty, not many 27-year-olds would be offered a director position like this, Gibbs said. Its an incredible opportunity and I really would be stupid to turn it down.
CHADRON The 2017 Mari Sandoz Conference, Nebraska 150 and the Future, opens Thursday, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m. with the Pilster Great Plains Lecture at the Chadron State College Student Center.
Walter Echo Hawk, an attorney, author and activist from Oklahoma, will speak on Nebraska before Nebraska: Our Pawnee Homeland and will take questions and sign books following the talk, which is free and open to the public.
Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center Chicoine Atrium, with conference sessions beginning at 9 a.m. Presenters include Nebraska State Poet Twyla M. Hansen, Steven Rolfsmeier, director of the Herbarium at CSC, and Robert Roy Foresman, recipient of the 2017 Sandoz Research Award.
The time capsule celebration is free and open to the public. It begins at 1:30 p.m. with a talk by John R. Wunder on Mari Sandoz and her 1957 predictions, followed by an opportunity for audience members to make their own predictions for the future.
A panel discussion, Welcome to the Land of Time, moderated by Deb Carpenter-Nolting and Craig Larson, starts at 2:15 p.m. Panelists include Martin Gilmore, Jovan Mays, Donette Lone Hill, Mercedes Lone Hill and David Nesheim. At 3 p.m., Mays will lead a writing workshop to help participants form their predictions for the time capsule.
Launching of the time capsule will begin at 3:30 p.m. in front of the Sandoz Center with a presentation by Becky Herian, member of the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission. Herian will read a proclamation recognizing the time capsule as a Nebraska 150 Legacy Project. Martin Gilmore will sing an original song, Mays will perform an original poem, Donette Lone Hill and Mercedes Lone Hill will place the capsule in the earth and say a prayer, and Ron Hull will give a brief message and place the first handful of earth over the capsule.
Conference closing remarks are at 4 p.m.
A related talk, Getting in Touch with Mari Sandoz by British historian and novelist Alan Wilkinson will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Bean Broker in downtown Chadron. Wilkinson will discuss his observations during a six-month retreat in the Sandhills in 2011.
By PTI: Toronto, Sep 27 (PTI) Women tend to do more household chores than their male partners, no matter how much they work or earn in a job outside the home, according to a study which shows the persistent gendered nature of division of housework.
The research drew on data collected from over 900 Canadians from adolescence into adulthood.
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Researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada analysed the questionnaires of participants who had life partners in 1992, 1999 and 2010, when they were 25 (moving into adulthood), 32 (a young adult) and 43 years old (midlife).
They examined how household tasks were divided between individuals and their intimate partners across these three life stages, and how housework was influenced by ones work hours, relative income, marital status and responsibilities towards children.
The study followed a life course theoretical approach. This perspective emphasizes the salience of social conditions in shaping the way peoples lives unfold over time.
It holds that peoples behaviours are informed not only by their own biological development, but also by the work and family responsibilities they negotiate with their intimate partners.
Broader social norms that govern appropriate role ordering and duration are also significant.
"Women consistently perform more housework than men do," said Rebecca Horne from University of Alberta.
"Patterns of housework responsibility between men and women tend to be quite consistent at each life stage despite minor fluctuations in the volume of housework chores," said Horne.
Women and the partner with the lowest income tend to be the ones doing more household tasks when a couple is around 25 years old.
Work hours and raising children come into play among 32- year olds, reducing housework involvement.
Gender again becomes the biggest predictor of who will do what around the house when couples are in their forties. Such tasks are then generally done by the woman.
"Overall, time, money, and gender variables seem to be important for explaining the division of household labour, albeit to varying intensities depending on stage in the life course," said Horne. PTI MHN SAR MHN
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A white University of Kentucky student accused of physically assaulting a Black student worker while repeatedly using racial slurs says she will withdraw from the school. The decision announced Tuesday by a lawyer for 22-year-old Sophia Rosing came after hundreds of students rallied on campus the night before. News outlets report the students called for unity and for the university to quickly address the situation. Officials say Rosing has been charged with assault, public intoxication and disorderly conduct. She pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Monday afternoon. The altercation at Boyd Hall was captured on video and posted to multiple social media platforms.
Arun Jaitley has made a mess, the senior BJP leader wrote as he attacked the Narendra Modi government over slowdown in the economy.
By India Today Web Desk: "Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) claims that he has seen poverty from close quarters. His finance minister (Arun Jaitley) is working over-time to make sure that all Indians also see it from equally close quarters."
That is how senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha ended the scathing op-ed column that he wrote for The Indian Express on the massive slowdown hitting the Indian economy.
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Sinha wrote that he would be "failing in (his) national duty" if he did not speak up right now. He also claims that his views reflect the "sentiments of a large number of people in the BJP and elsewhere" and that these people aren't speaking up "out of fear".
Economy is turning out to be the main headline in Modi's India following depressing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures in the last quarter, when, at 5.7 per cent, it had hit its three-year low. Earlier this week, the government reconstituted the 5-member Economic Advisory Council, which Sinha calls the "fiva Pandavas (who) are expected to win the new Mahabharata for us".
Sinha calls the controversial demonetisation decision taken in November 2016 by Modi as "an unmitigated economic disaster" and says the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a "hurriedly-conceived and poorly-implemented" policy.
Sinha, a respected economist and former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is also considered as one of the best finance ministers in recent times. His son Jayant Sinha won the 2014 elections from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand and is currently Minister of State for Civil Aviation in Modi's cabinet.
ATTACK ON 'SUPERMAN' JAITLEY
In his piece, Sinha reserves the most scathing words for Arun Jaitley, calling him a "lucky finance minister, luckier than any in the post-liberalisation era". He admits that Jaitley is believed to be the "best and the brightest" in the Narendra Modi government, and that the current finance minister's "indispensability" was established when he was given four ministries after the BJP's landslide victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
Jaitley still retains three of those ministries (with Defence now being handled by Nirmala Sitharaman), Yashwant Sinha notes. But, not even "a superman like Jaitley" can do justice to the task of multi-tasking between a portfolio that includes the demanding finance ministry, Sinha writes.
But Jaitley has made a "mess" of it, Sinha writes at the beginning of his piece.
He squandered a golden opportunity when he took over the management of the Indian economy, Sinha goes on to essentially say. "Depressed global crude oil prices placed at his (Jaitley) disposal lakhs of crores of rupees," Sinha says. "But the oil bonanza has been wasted and the legacy problems (stalled projects and bad loans) have not only been allowed to persist, they have become worse." SINHA SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER: OPPOSITION
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A number of Opposition leaders from the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Left joined Sinha in slamming the Modi government over its performance in economy.
"Yashwant Sinha speaks Truth to Power. Will Power now admit the Truth that economy is sinking?" tweeted another former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram.
"Very hard hitting article by Shri Yashwant Sinha ji," said Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on Twitter.
Incidentally, Sinha is not the first from the BJP to raise a red flag over the slump. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy and former Union Minister Arun Shourie have also attacked the government and warned it of dire consequences if the mess in the economy is not contained.
WATCH | Yashwant Sinha lashes out at PM Modi, Jaitley over economic crisis
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By MARK EVANS mevans@stegenherald.com Westover and Smith roads, on the far western edge of the county, will get paving priority for 2023. Country commissioners and Scott Schmieder, county road and bridge foreman, decided at last Thursdays commission meeting to go ahead and seal up that corner of the county. That way, graders will not have
Romania ranked first in the EU this August in terms of accessed funding under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF), Minister of Agriculture Petre Daea said Wednesday, after Prime Minister Mihai Tudose congratulated him on his performance in the field. "I am starting by congratulating again Minister Daea, who once again has taken Europe by surprise by attracting funds (...)," Tudose said at the beginning of a government meeting, inviting Daea to give a short presentation on the subject.
"Romania this August, was first in terms of funding accessed under the EAGF. Let me inform you, Mr Prime Minister and the Government, that the access rate is currently 99.03 percent," Daea said. "That means you have taken over 1.8 billion euros more," remarked Tudose.
"We are forecasting now and in the analysis we made last night for the NRDP, that we are moving to 3.2 billion euros in agriculture funds, meaning EAGF and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)," said Daea.
Agerpres.
Romania will be setting up a national stand at the most important convention of the year of the European and world food industry, organised once every two years, the Anuga International Fair - Taste the Future, according to a press statement released by Romania's Ministry for Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship.
This year, the fair is taking place this October 7-11 in Cologne, Germany. The participation of the Romanian companies in this exhibition is organised by the Ministry for Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship, in partnership with Romalimenta employers' association and the Romanian Food Promotion Association (APAR), under the Export Promotion Programme financed from the national budget.
"Preparations for building the pavilion and transporting food to Cologne are in full swing so that we can offer Romanian exhibitors a platform for meetings and discussions to enable them to sign valuable contracts for developing and strengthening their position on the national and international markets," foreign trade co-ordinator Sterica Fudulea is quoted as saying in the statement.
This year's edition of the fair carries the motto "Taste the Future." It will cover 284,000 square metres, distributed over 10 specialist halls. Romania will have national stands in the Meat, Bread & Bakery, Organic, and Fine Food sections, and in the Anuga-Drinks section, Romanian companies will have individual stands, funded exclusively by the companies deemed independent exhibitors.
The area dedicated to the Romanian stands covers 1,000 square metres. The 56 specialist companies participating in the Export Promotion Programme have prepared for the fair a wide variety of agri-food products: meat products and preparations, bakery products, dairy products, sweets, canned vegetables/fruit, dehydrated fruit, frozen fruit, organic bee products (royal jelly, honey), drinks (natural juices, beer), spices and ingredients for the food industry.
The previous edition of the fair, which took place in 2015, attracted over 155,000 visitors from more than 200 countries, with total exhibitors reaching 6,777. The Anuga trade fair opened its gates for the first time more than 60 years ago, becoming, in time, the most important European fair, the reference point for the food industry around the world; at the same time, the event sets the food trends in the world.
Agerpres.
Prime Minister Mihai Tudose announced on Wednesday that Minister of National Education Liviu Pop is currently having meetings with his Ukrainian counterpart, trying to defuse the situation regarding the promulgation of Ukraine's Education Law. "Minister Pop is attending meetings with his Ukrainian counterpart, there. We are trying to defuse the situation, trying to find a solution for the Romanian children and I understand that, together with Mrs Minister Pastirnac, you are working on a way to make more scholarships reach, if possible, the Romanian children," PM Tudose said in the beginning of the Government sitting, addressing Secretary of State with the National Education Ministry (MEN) Gigel Paraschiv.
In her turn, Minister for Romanians Abroad Andreea Pastirnac stated that "an educational package" will be offered to pupils who are studying in the Romanian language in Ukraine. "We continue discussions together with the colleagues of the Education Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry and we are about to offer an educational package to pupils who are learning in the Romanian language in Ukraine, and to support the training of Romanian language teachers and of other subjects which are taught in the Romanian language, in Romania. We hope that after our colleague's talks in Kiev today we come come up with a concrete proposal next week," Pastirnac stated.
Agerpres.
President Klaus Iohannis stated on Tuesday that an "impressive" number of politicians have attacked the Justice since the parliamentary elections until now, adding that "full" civic involvement is needed in this case, and yet he is not calling for people to protest but to speak their mind.
"We cannot fail to notice that since the parliamentary elections until now, an impressive number of influential politicians have been busy attacking the Justice, the prosecutors, the procedures of the law, conveying to the population the impression that the Justice is not functioning. Certainly, one could easily notice that many of these influential politicians are either criminally indicted, or underway of being prosecuted, or being under criminal investigation. (...) Before the elections I have repeatedly drawn the voters' attention that it would be very serious for people indicted or criminally prosecuted, that we generically call 'criminals' reach the helm of the state because that would automatically lead to an immense pressure on the Justice. It has happened. That is why full civic involvement is needed, there is the urgency that all who want the rule of the law in Romania and who want an independent Justice make it public and speak up. I by no means wish to create the impression that I want to call people out to protest or for any major divergences to occur, but a healthy society and I want a healthy society for Romania is compelled to publicly discuss these issues, because ultimately, they affect us all," Iohannis stated at Cotroceni Presidential Palace.
He argued that in the case of certain Justice procedures the Venice Commission should be consulted but mentioned that this forum's opinion is advisory.
"The Venice Commission was approached on certain issues and will continue to be, and yes, on certain procedures, it is quite indicated to call for the Venice Commission's opinion, however this opinion is advisory and it's up to us to solve the problems we have. A lot of caution is therefore needed, and also public debate," Iohannis said.
Several civic and non-governmental organisations addressed on Monday a letter to President Klaus Iohannis requesting, among other things, the notification of the Venice Commission for an opinion regarding three decisions and resolutions of the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) and the immediate establishment of a committee to draw up an electoral code.
According to a press release of the Romania Initiative association, the signatories of the demarche also request from the head of state "action and the immediate expression of a trenchant position regarding the grave and imminent danger that the initiatives of the current governmental majority represents to the independence of Justice and the anti-corruption fight."
Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh criticised Modi government's handling of the economy and demanded stimulus package towards employment generating activities in labour intensive sectors.
By Anindya Banerjee: On a day when senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha trained his guns against the government's economic policies, a Sangh-affiliate Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) also hit out at the Modi government.
The RSS affiliate criticised the Modi government's handling of the economy, called advisors 'faulty' and also criticised foreign direct investment policy (FDI). Calling the reforms 'misguided', BMS said that the economic policies are continuation of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.
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But, what is worrying for the finance ministry is that, the BMS has demanded for stimulus package for labour intensive sectors. In a statement, the RSS-affiliate said, "Government should declare stimulus package towards employment generating activities in labour intensive sectors in order to contain slowdown of economy."
It also raised the matter of non-payment of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act (MNREGA) work.
The BMS, along with some other affiliates, had criticised the handling of the economy even in the 3-day event of the RSS in Vrindavan bringing much discomfort to the government.
ALSO WATCH | Yashwant Sinha lashes out at PM Modi, Jaitley over economic crisis
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Tweeting about Yashwant Sinha's scathing attack on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley through an op-ed column, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said "this is your copilot and FM, the wings have fallen off our plane".
By India Today Web Desk: In an op-ed column former finance minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha roasted his own government's performance and its effects on the Indian economy.
Presenting his dissident views about how Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has made a mess of the economy, he said that he will be failing his national duty if he does not speak up even now.
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'Speaking up', he launched a scathing attack on how Prime Minister Narendra Modi and FM Arun Jaitley have been handling the economy at a time when depressed global crude oil prices placed 'lakhs of crores of rupees' at his disposal.
Adding fuel to the fire at a time when voices within the BJP are speaking out against the policies, Congress Vice President posted a well-crafted tweet against Jaitley.
"Ladies & Gentlemen, this is your copilot & FM speaking. Plz fasten your seat belts & take brace position.The wings have fallen off our plane", Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
Ladies & Gentlemen, this is your copilot & FM speaking. Plz fasten your seat belts & take brace position.The wings have fallen off our plane https://t.co/IsOA8FQa6u- Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 27, 2017
Rahul Gandhi also hit out at the Narendra Modi government for taking decisions like note ban and the GST roll-out "without listening to anybody" which "affected the backbone" of the country's economy.
"We may not have good speakers, but we have the quality of listening to people?learning about their problems, we pay attention to everyone's suggestion and then decide to implement such big decisions," Rahul Gandhi had recently said.
ALSO WATCH VIDEO | Modi waived off loans worth Rs 1.3 lakh crore for industrialists, nothing for farmers, says Rahul Gandhi
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P Chidambaram reacted to Yashwant Sinha's take-down of Arun Jaitley, saying that Sinha was speaking truth to power. Will the Modi government admit that the Indian economy is sinking, the Congress leader questioned.
By India Today Web Desk: Will the Narendra Modi government admit that the Indian economy is sinking? That was the question Congress leader P Chidambaram posed today on Twitter.
The former finance minister was reacting to Yashwant Sinha's op-ed piece, in which the BJP leader castigated Arun Jaitley for making a "mess" of the Indian economy.
Sinha, among other views, said that the Gross Domestic Growth rate was actually 3.7 per cent and not 5.7 per cent, if one went by the old, pre-2015 method of calculation. Yashwant Sinha also said that his views reflect the "sentiments of a large number of people in the BJP and elsewhere who are not speaking up out of fear."
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P Chidambaram, among the first political leaders to react to Yashwant Sinha's op-ed, raised both these points in a series of Twitter posts.
Chidambaram, who succeeded Sinha as finance minster, labelled the two points as "TRUTHS" that would "ultimately" prevail and said that Yashwant Sinha was speaking 'trust to power'. "Will Power now admit the Truth that economy is sinking?" Chidambaram questioned before going on to list out the 'truths'.
"TRUTH 1: 'The growth rate of 5.7% is actually 3.7% or less ' says Yashwant Sinha," Chidambaram wrote, adding, "TRUTH 2: 'Instilling fear in the minds of the people is the name of the new game' says Yashwant Sinha."
ETERNAL TRUTH: No matter what Power does, ultimately Truth will prevail.- P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) September 27, 2017
"ETERNAL TRUTH: No matter what Power does, ultimately Truth will prevail," Chidambaram ended in his four-post series of tweets on Yashwant Sinha's take-down of the Modi government on economy.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi too reacted to Yashwant Sinha's column with a cheeky tweet. Gandhi, currently in Gujarat, said, "Ladies & Gentlemen, this is your copilot & FM speaking. Plz fasten your seat belts & take brace position.The wings have fallen off our plane".
Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was among the other politicians to react to the piece. "V [Very] hard hitting article by Sh [Shri] Yashwant Sinha ji," Kejriwal wrote on Twitter.
WATCH | Note ban had positive impact on black money, formalisation of economy: Arun Jaitley
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CLAYTON Protesters packed into a St. Louis County Council meeting Tuesday night to demand an independent investigation into police actions on Saturday at the St. Louis Galleria, where 22 demonstrators were arrested in what critics allege was a police riot.
The arrests at the popular mall in Richmond Heights came during what organizers maintain was a peaceful demonstration in response to the acquittal of a white St. Louis police officer in the shooting death of a black suspect.
About two dozen speakers who took the microphone at Tuesdays County Council meeting maintained that aggression by police at the scene was unwarranted. They claimed orders to disperse that police gave were inaudible and that protesters were given no time to move on before arrests were made.
All the violence there came from the police, said one speaker, Al Gerber, who said he was at the protest. Others alleged police went crazy.
Clinton Stancil, pastor at Wayman AME Church in St. Louis, read out loud the dictionary definition of domestic terrorism, then recounted the police actions and declared them an act of domestic terrorism.
Missouri Rep. Stacey Newman, D-St. Louis County, read a letter to county officials from her and other elected officials, including U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, demanding a probe of the incident from outside the regular county review system.
The St. Louis County Police Department already has a civilian oversight panel, the Board of Police Commissioners, that investigates allegations of police misconduct. Some county officials have indicated they believe the panel is the appropriate venue for any review of the Galleria arrests, but the protesters said they are demanding a probe beyond that panel.
We are calling for an independent investigation thats outside the county government and the county police department, Newman said after the meeting. We all have too many questions ... about police tactics at the Galleria, about those being denied legal counsel, those being denied access to medicine.
After the last of the speakers finished during the hour-plus string of speeches, they and others who filled the council chamber briefly engaged in loud rallying cries, including Whose streets? Our streets! which has been used by both protesters and police in the past week of unrest. They then left the meeting peacefully.
County Executive Steve Stenger and the council members listened silently to the speakers, who each had three minutes to speak, as is the normal process at the regular council meetings.
Only Councilwoman Rochelle Walton Gray the sole black council member in attendance Tuesday directly addressed the crowd on the issue, saying: It is very obvious to me that police totally overstepped their authority.
After the meeting ended, Council Chairman Sam Page said its still unclear which officers did what and how much the county can do about it, since the police presence in place that day was a mix of county and local officers. But he added: I think a lot of us arent very happy with the way things unfolded in the Galleria, and we arent done talking about it.
The Galleria protest, like other recent demonstrations in and around St. Louis, was in response to the Sept. 15 acquittal of former St. Louis police Officer Jason Stockley, who shot and killed drug suspect Anthony Lamar Smith in 2011 after a car chase. Stockley is white and Smith was black.
JEFFERSON CITY Missouris new campaign finance rules are again being challenged, this time by the states largest business organization.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry is seeking to overturn a ruling by state campaign finance regulators that bars companies from contributing cash to their own political action committees.
The chamber argues a recent advisory opinion issued by the Missouri Ethics Commission allows businesses to donate money to other PACs, but not their own.
This new direction taken by the Missouri Ethics Commission creates a confusing, contradictory situation for businesses. It makes no sense for the State of Missouri to allow businesses to establish political action committees and then turn around and forbid them from placing funds in those committees, said Daniel Mehan, Missouri Chamber president and CEO.
The lawsuit is the latest legal action since voters reinstated limits on campaign contributions when they went to the polls in November 2016. The referendum, known as Amendment 2, won with 70 percent of the vote.
In addition to imposing capping contributions at $2,600 per election, the new law put limits on what kinds of companies can donate money in Missouri.
In May, a state appeals court judge struck down a provision in the law banning certain kinds of transfers. Attorney General Josh Hawley is appealing the decision.
The chambers lawsuit was filed less than a week after the organization created its own PAC called We Mean Business PAC. The group said it wants to contribute to its own committee, but cannot because of the MEC ruling.
Amendment 2 imposes major new restrictions on campaign contributions, which severely burden political speech and association in Missouri and directly impact the First Amendment rights of the Plaintiff, the lawsuit notes.
DES PERES The Des Peres Board of Alderman approved on Monday night a resolution allowing access to all closed records upon request by the mayor or aldermen.
Aldermen Ben Sansone proposed the resolution. At the last meeting, he had been granted a copy of the transcript from a hearing regarding the former Reliance Bank/Starbucks proposal. He had filed suit for the transcript.
While city attorney Kevin O'Keefe argued that no member of the board was denied access to records open to the public, he sought direction from the board regarding the release of closed session minutes from previous boards.
His concern was that the city would no longer have control if copies of records were allowed to be taken out of the building. "It's an opportunity for inadvertent disclosure or mischief," he said.
Sansone said he has been denied records repeatedly and that to imply that he would be "nefarious" with those records was insulting.
The resolution was eventually adopted, with Sansone, John Pound and Mark Becker voting in favor of it, and Jim Kleinschmidt and Paul Raczkiewicz voting against. Sean Concagh abstained, stating he did not have enough knowledge of what was at stake.
In a shocking upset, St. Louis has been dethroned in its long reign as the nations capital of sexually transmitted diseases.
Etowah County in northeast Alabama recorded the countrys highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea last year with St. Louis dropping to second place, according to an annual report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Alabama countys chlamydia rate of one diagnosis for every 24 people was more than three times higher than in the city of St. Louis. St. Louis also came in a distant second for its gonorrhea rate, with one diagnosis for every 133 people compared to Etowah Countys one in every 58 people.
St. Louis has been at the top of the chlamydia and gonorrhea rankings for more than a decade. The rankings are skewed partly because the city of St. Louis is mostly compared to counties in the data. The St. Louis region ranks eighth for gonorrhea and 19th for chlamydia when the city and six Missouri counties plus the Metro East are compared to other metropolitan areas.
Nationwide, the CDC reported a record high of 2 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis last year. All three diseases can be treated with antibiotics but can cause infertility and pregnancy complications if they are not diagnosed.
STDs are a persistent enemy, growing in number and outpacing our ability to respond, said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDCs STD division, in a statement.
It is unclear why the Alabama county recorded the nations highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea. Calls to state health officials and experts at nearby Jacksonville State University were not returned. In general, states in the Southeastern U.S. have the highest rates of STDs. The CDCs report applauds Louisiana for tackling its high disease rates by expanding their screening and treatment programs.
The numbers can be tricky to interpret because you cant find disease unless you look for it, said Dr. Bradley Stoner, infectious disease specialist at Washington University. A rise in sexually transmitted diseases could signal a true increase in transmission or more testing.
Either way, the numbers are going up. There were more than 15,500 chlamydia infections diagnosed in the St. Louis region last year, up by 500 cases over 2015. There were 6,558 cases of gonorrhea, an increase of about 1,300 cases. Syphilis numbers went up to 528 from 417.
Of particular concern is the rising number of babies born with syphilis nationally and in Missouri, where the total doubled from four to eight in 2016. In Illinois, babies born with syphilis dropped to 18 from 31 between 2015 and 2016. More than 40 babies in the U.S. died or had severe complications from syphilis last year.
We need to make sure all pregnant women are screened for syphilis throughout their pregnancies to detect and treat it so that babies arent born with syphilis, Stoner said.
The CDC recommends that all Americans talk openly about STDs, get tested regularly and reduce risk by using condoms or practicing mutual monogamy if sexually active.
Stoner noted that geographic dating apps such as Grindr are contributing to anonymous sex, making it difficult for public health investigators to track down sexual partners after a person is diagnosed. A coalition of St. Louis health organizations works to train doctors in STD screening and treatment protocols.
Really smart people are working on this, Stoner said. I sound like a broken record, but we need more resource allocation for screening and treatment.
Ameren Missouri is finally yielding to the winds of change. The coal-dependent utility will invest heavily in wind and solar as part of its commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Ameren says the switch to renewables, which will involve a hefty upfront investment of $1 billion, will benefit St. Louis-area customers.
The electrical utility plans to install wind turbines in Missouri or neighboring states, adding at least 700 megawatts of wind generation about 10 percent of Amerens power generation in three years. Thats a small percentage of the power Amerens customers need, but its a good start. Ameren Missouris president and chairman, Michael Moehn, says thats the minimum threshold and that the company could add more.
The move marks a significant change in attitude from the nations second most coal-dependent power company. Whether Ameren formally recognizes coals contribution to global warming, the company is at least acknowledging that customers and investors want a more diversified and earth-friendly energy mix.
Since it costs less to generate wind power than other forms of energy, Moehn says, the changes could help reduce customers bills. Amerens plans also include phasing-in solar generation over the next decade as it backs away from coal. A solar generation facility at St. Louis Lambert International Airport is expected to be completed next year.
Ameren has drawn criticism for being slow to adopt a cost-effective clean energy plan, but the company has produced an ambitious and forward-looking strategy. The utility has only used wind energy bought out-of-state to power about 26,000 homes. Renewable energy advocates in Missouri were pushing for a more robust investment in wind energy.
Apparently, so were investors. The companys 20-year outlook, a plan it must submit every three years to the Public Service Commission, suggested that investors were pressuring Ameren to pivot away from coal. Corporate customers also favor increased access to renewable energy, with availability influencing their location decisions. Apple recently cited access to wind power in its decision to build a $1.3 billion data center in Iowa.
Ameren had objected to the mandates and timetables for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions outlined in the Obama administrations Clean Power Plan. Now the company is embracing similar goals to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050, relative to 2005 levels. It is continuing the planned retirement of two coal-fired plants and will phase out two units at its Labadie facility over the next two decades.
President Donald Trump proposes to go in the opposite direction with his bid to revive the coal industry and expand mining access on federal lands. Industry experts say market forces make Trumps plan unfeasible.
The transition to renewable energy is critical but wont come without a struggle. Ameren is smart to end its reliance on coal and start the transition toward clean energy.
Pictured are all 26 of the five years service volunteers at The British Motor Museum.
THE volunteers at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon are celebrating by scooping two nominations at the West Midlands Museum Development Volunteer Awards held on 19th September.
Volunteer, Vince Hall went on to win the Special Collections Award for his work on the Museums Oral History project and volunteer, Mark Bradbury was a finalist for the Above and Beyond Individual category for his involvement with the Museums curatorial team.
The awards ceremony, held at the Birmingham Hippodrome, was supported by Arts Council England to celebrate the achievements and commitments of individuals who volunteer at museums in the region. The judges said We were both enlightened and humbled by the many worthy nominations that demonstrated the varied and valuable roles that volunteers have in our regions museum sector.
The British Motor Museum also held its own awards ceremony to celebrate five years of service by 27 of its current 78 volunteers. The Museums managing director, Julie Tew presented a five years service pin badge and certificate to celebrate the outstanding contribution that the group of volunteers have made to the museum in that time.
Julie Tew said Our volunteers are an integral part of the Museum team and have enabled us to undertake many projects that we would otherwise not be able to do. The five year service awards is our way of thanking them for all the time and commitment that they give to the Museum.
The Museums volunteer programme started in August 2012 and now has over 78 volunteers, all of whom are involved in various projects including vehicle restoration, surveying the Museums vehicles, guiding in the Collections Centre, helping out with Family and Life Long Learning events, as well as oral history and archive projects. Vince, who won the Special Collections Award has pioneered the Museums oral history project, leading a team of 6 volunteers who have recorded over 60 different social history stories from people who worked in the motor industry in the last year. The oral history project is an important way for the Museum to give a voice to the workers in the motor industry, who ordinarily may not have their stories recorded in the history. They also provide a new insight and information that gives us an opportunity to question what we already know and believe about Britains motor industry.
A recently published US study finding that women who drink fluoridated water have lower IQ babies is being panned by a Bay of Plenty Medical Officer of Health Dr Neil de Wet, while being promoted by fluoride opponents.
Fluoride Free New Zealand says the results mean the 23 New Zealand councils that still fluoridate drinking water should stop using it immediately in order to protect the brains of the unborn.
Dr Neil de Wet says the study referred to is poor quality, has limited scientific value and is largely irrelevant to understanding issues regarding safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation.
The safety of water fluoridation has been rigorously assessed many times over the last 60 years. There is a very strong scientific consensus and body of evidence that water fluoridation is safe and effective, says Neil.
It is very unlikely that the Bashash paper will withstand scientific scrutiny or make any meaningful contribution to this scientific understanding of the safety of water fluoridation.
The study published on Tuesday in the US Governments Environmental Health Perspectives finds that children born to mothers exposed to fluoride while pregnant, have significantly lower IQ scores.
This is particularly relevant to New Zealand where half of the population is currently subjected to fluoridation, says Fluoride Free New Zealand National Coordinator and Media Spokesperson, Mary Byrne.
Slamming Neil de Wets comment that the study is poor quality, Mary says the study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a monthly peer-reviewed journal of research and news published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The study was conducted by a team of scientists from University of Toronto, University of Michigan, McGill University, Indiana University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Harvard School of Public Health, by a group of researchers who have produced over 50 papers on the cognitive health of children in relationship to environmental exposures.
It was funded by the US Governments National Institute of Health and was a multi-million dollar study. This was the groups first study of fluoride - their other studies mostly dealing with lead, mercury and other environmental neurotoxins.
This study offers confirmation of previous studies in Mexico, China and elsewhere, says Mary. Some of those studies had higher fluoride exposures than are commonly found in fluoridating countries, but many did not.
The sole study in a country with artificial water fluoridation is by Dunedin dentist Jonathan Broadbent. That study found no association between water fluoridation and IQ and was trumpeted by fluoridation defenders, says Mary. But that study was shown to have almost no difference in total fluoride intake between the children with fluoridated water and those with non-fluoridated water, since at least half of the children in the non-fluoridated area were given fluoride supplements.
This left only a small proportion of the study children without substantial fluoride exposure. Nor did this study look at maternal fluoride exposure during pregnancy, which could be the most vulnerable time of exposure.
Neil also recommends the Broadbent study as a recent high quality study by the University of Otago which has provided strong evidence that water fluoridation in New Zealand does not have an adverse effect on IQ. (Broadbent, et al 2015 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24832151)
The Ministry of Health recommended 1ppm until the 1990s when it reduced to a range from 0.7ppm to 1ppm, with a target of 1ppm. The US Human and Health Services have directed a maximum of 0.7ppm for fluoridation.
The paper also reports that in the USA, which is 70 per cent fluoridated, urine fluoride ranges from about 0.5 to 1.5 mg/L which fully overlaps the range found in the Mexican study.
The child of a mother who was drinking water with 0.85ppm fluoride would be predicted to have 5 IQ lower IQ points than if the mother had drunk water with close to zero fluoride in it. This obviously has huge consequences for New Zealand children, says Mary.
Pregnant women in New Zealand in fluoridated areas likely have similar levels of urine fluoride as those in the Mexican study. Urine fluoride reflects total fluoride intake from all sources, not just fluoridated water.
The study authors are cautious in their conclusions, as is common for scientists. But the implications of this study are enormous. There have been 58 other human studies looking at fluoride exposure and harm to the brain - 51 of them have found an association.
The weather forecast today is for showers, with a chance of them becoming heavy from the afternoon, and then clearing at night. Theyll be light winds.
Its a two-clothing layer day today with a high of 19 and an overnight low of 9 degrees.
High tide is at 1.30pm and low tide is at 7.40pm. Sea temperature is 15 degrees. Theres an average sea swell of about .7m and sunset tonight is at 7.13pm.
If youre going fishing today the best fish bite time is between 6pm and 8pm.
This day in NZ history in 1899 New Zealand answered the British Empires call to arms. Premier Richard Seddon asked Parliament to approve an offer to the British government of a contingent of mounted riflemen to serve in South Africa.
Amid emotional scenes, the members overwhelmingly endorsed the motion only five voted against it.
In 1904 a woman was placed under arrest for smoking a cigarette on New Yorks Fifth Avenue.
In 1928 Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin when he noticed a bacteria-killing mold growing in his laboratory; it remained for Howard Florey and Ernst Chain to isolate the active ingredient, allowing the miracle drug to be developed in the 1940s.
In 1959 on this day the Explorer VI, the U.S. satellite, takes the first video pictures of Earth.
A quote for today from Croft M. Pentz who said "All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seed of today".
For activities on today please check out our Whats On page.
Have a great day!
Kiwi thrash metal band Alien Weaponry is on target to achieve a goal set when its members were just 12 and 14 years old playing major European festivals before they are out of their teens.
The three high school students, from the tiny town of Waipu in Northland, have just signed a three-year management contract with Berlin based music agency Das Maschine to represent them in Europe and other parts of the world.
The deal came about after the band was approached directly by one festival, which prompted them to begin exploring options in earnest for making a European festival tour feasible.
The biggest hurdle for us in New Zealand is the on the ground communication in Europe, says Niel de Jong (aka Hammerhead), who manages the band in NZ and Australia. So we began looking around for who could help us promote the band over there and add more dates to the trip.
Das Maschine has two decades of music management and a wealth of contacts and expertise behind them. Co-founder Nico Meckelnburg has worked with European metal giants Kreator and Amon Amarth and, based in Germany (arguably the centre of the global heavy metal scene), the agency is ideally placed to elevate Alien Weaponry onto the international stage.
We have had great feedback from promoters so far, says Nico. And we are confident we can add a significant number of shows to the dates already confirmed.
We truly believe that Alien Weaponry has the potential to have a great impact on the worldwide music scene, adds Oliver Kraemer, also from Das Maschine. Not only do they deliver great songs and an engaging live performance, but embracing their Maori whakapapa and making their culture part of their act makes them stand out among other bands both inside and outside their genre.
Alien Weaponry is currently in the middle of a NZ tour to promote their third single, Ru Ana Te Whenua (The Earth Trembles), which has had more than 815,000 views on Facebook and 55,000 views on YouTube and is being played on radio stations around the world.
In addition to tour dates in Hamilton (Sept 29), Auckland (Sept 30), Christchurch (Oct 6) and Nelson (Oct 7), they will be performing at the NZ Tattoo & Arts Festival on November 25 and Soundsplash in January 2018. They are also finalists in the APRA Maioha Award, to be announced at the APRA Silver Scroll Awards on September 28.
The European festival dates will be announced between now and the end of the year via the bands Facebook page. In the meantime, in between gigs, its NCEA exams for drummer Henry de Jong (17) and bass guitarist Ethan Trembath (15). And in December, they will be back in the studio recording the remaining tracks for their album, which will be released in early 2018.
Kiwifruit harvest is in full swing in Italy this week with European SunGold volumes expected to increase by around one-quarter to 5 million trays as more of the recently-grafted vines reach full production.
Zespri Chief Operating Officer Simon Limmer explains Zespri is doubling its European SunGold production over the next five years to catch up with the strong year-round demand for Zespri Kiwifruit from customers around the world.
We now have around 1,100 producing hectares of our proprietary gold variety in Italy and this is set to treble to 2,900 hectares in the next five years to put this in context, we have 4,600 producing SunGold hectares in NZ now.
"Twelve-month supply is a key part of Zespris strategy and this investment aligns our offshore production with the strong increases in New Zealand SunGold volumes, set to double to around 90 million trays over the next five years."
Zespri Chief Executive Dan Mathieson says that with over NZ$150 million invested in marketing this season, having a consistent year-round supply of fruit keeps Zespris brand top of mind for consumers and is critical to maintaining relationships with customers.
Kiwifruit is just a tiny but fast-growing part of the global fruit trade. Supplying premium quality fruit all-year round helps us grow kiwifruit consumption around the world and meet the needs of our consumers who want Zespri-quality kiwifruit 12 months of the year."
Zespri has partnered with Italian growers to grow Zespri Kiwifruit for the past 17 years to supply Northern Hemisphere markets with Zespri Kiwifruit in the several months a year where NZ kiwifruit is not available.
The Zespri Board announced earlier this year the allocation 1,800ha of SunGold licence in Europe, the initial 1,200ha of which will be in Italy. Zespri also procures green kiwifruit from Europe which meets its grade standards.
Our New Zealand grower-owners realised the importance of supplying their markets 12 months of the year and set up relationships with kiwifruit growers in the Northern Hemisphere to grow Zespri Kiwifruit in Italy, France, Korea and Japan," says Simon.
"All our offshore fruit meets stringent quality standards to make it into to a Zespri box, supporting Zespris premium brand in the market."
Around 20 Zespri staff are based in Latina, Italy to support this growing part of the business.
A group opposed to religious instruction in schools has filed a case with the Human Rights Review Tribunal over Christian favouritism in schools but their battle may already be won.
The Secular Education Network considers religious instruction in schools to be favouring Christianity, and believes this is prohibited under the Bill of Rights.
SEN spokesperson Tanya Jacob told RNZ parents dont know whats being taught in classes and trust their childrens school boards.
"There are cases where parents would be shocked. Theyd be disgusted. Often theyre just going along with it because they dont want their child to be singled out."
She says parents often think the classes are about a range of religions, when that is not necessarily the case.
"Its Christian indoctrination."
In Tauranga, though, religious instruction in schools appears to be on the decline. In the 2013 census, 56,526 people recorded at least one religious affiliation, while 46,920 recorded no religion. While population growth means the number of people affiliated with a religion has grown since 2001, so has the number of people with no religion up from 26,412.
Tahatai Coast School principal Matt Skilton says they dont have religious classes at all.
Were a values-based school, so we educate our children around things like perseverance, respect, responsibility and integrity, but it isnt focused on Christianity. Were very multicultural as well.
Graeme Lind, principal of Taurangas largest primary Greenpark School, says while they have had in the past, they no longer offer religious instruction due to lack of numbers interested.
Its never been compulsory parents opted into it. When we did have it, it was held during the lunchbreak, and it was only ever a small group that attended. Now we just have one show by Cool Bananas at the end of the year.
For most schoolchildren at state schools in Tauranga, it would be Cool Bananas that exposes them to Christian stories and ideas.
The programme has been running since 1994, and currently covers 16 schools across the Western Bay of Plenty every week.
Cool Bananas coordinator Grant Vincent says they provide a values-based curriculum, taught from a Christian foundation.
Its not there to push religion onto the kids we just use Christianity as a base to teach from. We probably use a Bible story every second week, and use life stories of real historical figures or Grimms fairy tales with a moral in the other weeks.
We also have words to live by, which is generally a short verse from the Bible.
He says many of the schools involved approached him to run the programme, which has become a substitute for the old Bible in Schools classes, in which each class would be visited by one teacher.
Those were increasingly hard to staff, so Cool Bananas now runs a schoolwide assembly once a week, with two or three facilitators.
Graeme stresses the programme is not about indoctrination.
Were aware of the controversy that can be stirred up, so were very careful not to push our opinions. Schools have to teach values as part of the curriculum, so we have a list of values we teach for them. We help to tick that box.
In Tauranga, Bethlehem College and Aquinas College are two state-integrated schools with a Christian special character. It means while any student may attend, they must agree to embrace the schools Christian philosophy.
Bethlehem College Principal Eoin Crosbie says the Bible informs everything they do, including learning.
In English, for example, you might look at some literature and compare their principles to those found in the Bible. We want our young people to see the world around them through a biblical lens.
Bethlehem College was initially founded as an independent private school in 1988, but became state integrated in 1999 in order to become more accessible to Christian families struggling financially.
Changes to Floyd Countys family subdivision ordinance complies with Virginia law and helps protect the county from misuse of creating of land grants to family members, a county attorney said at a public hearing before the Board of Supervisors and the county Planning Commission Tuesday night.
The changes prohibit a family member who receives a subdivision plot from selling it to someone else outside the family for three years, Michael Bedsaul told the hearing.
He added that situations like death or a change of marital status can bypass the law if needed but said the minor changes to the existing code were offered to clarify what the county is already doing.
For example, setting a 100-foot minimum width from the setback on a lot on a publicly maintained road was a routine standard that was not actually in the code and is recommended to clarify.
A third change requires an affidavit as part of the record to verify that the property is going to a family member. Little River Supervisor Linda DeVito Kuchenbuch recommended the affidavit be notarized as part of the record as well.
Bedsaul also said Virginia law does not require a family subdivision law in areas that are considered high growth and Floyd County falls under that designation and noted that the county provides a service that is not required of the county.
The recommendations came to the Supervisors from the Planning Commission and the two bodies at the public hearing Tuesday night to hear any citizen comments or complaints, but no one spoke and the Board asked Bedsaul to incorporate some minor changes, including the notary requirement, into a final draft for consideration at the next meeting of the Supervisors.
After the public hearing, Supervisors went behind closed door into an executive session to discuss a real estate matter and possible actions or litigation involving the county or officials. The executive sessions on those two topics have become routine for the Supervisors since the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.
After the executive session, the Board adjourned with no public actions.
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The 2015 regional election in Catalonia saw pro-independence parties win a slim parliamentary majority. Two years later, the Catalan parliament passed a law authorizing a vote on its self-determination. Provided a simple majority supports independence in its legally binding referendum on October 1st, Catalonia will become an independent republic. Or so the story goes.
The following morning, the Spanish Constitutional court unanimously suspended the referendum, reminding both Spanish and Catalan society of their duty to uphold this suspension. Throughout the past two weeks, the Spanish police has been deployed to confiscate referendum propaganda, the chief prosecutor has drawn up criminal charges against members of the Catalan government, some of whom were arrested on Thursday, and the Spanish government has seized control of Catalan finances, in order to prevent public money from being used to finance an illegal vote.
In a statement following the suspension, the Scottish cabinet made reference to the Edinburgh Agreement, an example of two governments coming together to agree a process to allow the people to decide. Yet is this comparison, often made Catalan secessionists, a valid one? The key difference lies in the Spanish constitution. As Daniel Cetra tells the Scotsman, the referendum called in Catalonia clashes with a constitution based on the indissoluble unity of the Spanish Nation. This, he adds, is a model which contrasts with the UK, a nation of nations. A referendum leading to the breakup of Spain would require a major constitutional amendment involving the nation as a whole, making the one to be held in October illegal.
As laid out by over 950 activists and writers in a letter last week, this scenario is the opposite of what it claims to be. Rather than an exercise in freedom of speech, it is an antidemocratic fraud: a law passed without parliamentary scrutiny, leading to a vote with no guarantees whatsoever and designed to ensure unilateral independence. The same message was echoed by over 200 university professors, who have urged the Spanish government to defend the rule of law. A civilized society in 21st-century Europe, they added, can only be based on respect towards the laws we have given each other democratically, starting with the 1978 Constitution.
George Orwell famously defined nationalism as identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and recognising no other duty than that of advancing its interests. This referendum, as described by Liberation, is nothing but the latest version of the most bigoted nationalism, with its mantras, its us versus them mentality and its feeling of cultural supremacy. Subverting a constitution to benefit a party or a government sets a very dangerous precedent in the EU, and it is up to all of us to stop it. It is the future of Europe which is at stake.
cn: child sexual abuse
Historically, films have been made to be enjoyed. But ever since the invention of moving pictures, people have also sought out films that dont just entertain, but make statements on humanity and its many nuances. What a director intended their creation to say has mattered just as much as the reaction elicited from the viewers who watch it so should that not also apply to the way a filmmaker conducts themselves personally?
When Woody Allen was accused of molesting his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in 1992, a time at which she was just seven, the creative world was divided on a matter of morality. Because Allen was already a successful director noted for his quirky and distinctive filmmaking, his private business became public and those who enjoyed his work took his side. It is easy to understand why: its never nice to find out that your idol is potentially a criminal and an abuser. But this outpouring of support from the filmmaking factions of the world skipped over any possibility that the young Farrow was telling the truth, and had become a survivor of sexual abuse.
Whats most important to note about this case is that it is only one of many incidents of sexual abuse allegations against members of the filmmaking elite, with men such as Roman Polanski, Mel Gibson, Marlon Brando and Casey Affleck all being accused by people they have worked with, or members of their family. These incidents have been public scandals that caused a stir among the sensational media and yet, justice never seems to be served. The Academy caused controversy last year (as they so often do these days) when Casey Affleck was awarded Best Actor Oscar for his performance in Manchester By the Sea, a heartbreaking film dealing with the aftermath of trauma and loss. It is somewhat ironic, then, that Affleck was the actor to play the part, after his own involvement in a series of 2010 lawsuits from Amanda White and Magdalena Gorka, two former colleagues who claimed he had harassed them.
Yes, the lawsuits were settled, and Affleck has since issued multiple apologies. Perhaps finding a connection between his role and his personal life isnt the most important piece of this puzzle. But that does not erase the bigger issue that these incidents serve to represent: the way that the film industry forgives abusive men purely on the merit of their work, regardless of their actions.
The biggest example of this unjust bias is Roman Polanski: legendary director; convicted child rapist. Despite pleading guilty to the charge in 1977, and then fleeing the country to avoid sentencing, Polanski has since enjoyed some of his largest successes as a director working in European cinema, including 2002s The Pianist. He has yet to face formal justice for his crimes something he has achieved through the support of the film community, who appear ready to step away from his past in favour of the benefits he will bring as a creator.
To me, the easy forgiveness offered to abusers by those in powerful creative positions is shameful. We live in a culture of celebrity status where those who work in the limelight are given liberties different to those of a regular workplace. We pay attention to what they say, do, and promote, pay them for their activism, listen to their politics, and give them roles as social ambassadors. Because of this, it is also necessary that they are held accountable when their actions dont reflect the values we hold as a society. Forgiving filmmakers for inappropriate conduct or downright criminal behaviour just because they make films, awards them a perilously elevated status as people whose work matters more than the lives and the wellbeing of those who they have abused. As a world struggling against inequality, we cannot let the film industry justify their creators poor conduct as the actions of a troubled genius, and silence the rights of the victims who strive to be heard.
Full disclosure: I dove straight into this six-part series anticipating a certain degree of irreverent humour. Instead, Jack and Michael Whitehalls latest travelogue made for mildly disconcerting yet decent viewing, in equal measure.
What the fuck am I doing going to Thailand? Michael Whitehall notes aptly, readily admitting to his lack of travel experience beyond Britain. There are moments early on where certain cultural aspects of Thailand appear lost to Michael. In fact, the ignorant manner in which he dismisses the less glamorous characteristics of Thailand reminds me of some tourists I have encountered on my West Malaysian travels. The objectionable colonial-tinted mindset of disregarding anything foreign appears to reside in him, considering his evident dislike of many things non-British. Seemingly conjured from an Evelyn Waugh story, it might be initially difficult for some to find Whitehall Sr. remotely watchable myself included. Yet begrudgingly, it is also easy to agree with him quite a fair bit especially when he refuses to consider the prospect of living in a backpackers hostel. Finances aside, would most of us opt to share a crummy hostel room with eight strangers over a five-star experience? Not likely. Jack is incapable of retaliating either, despite preceding half-hearted protestations about wanting to experience a real gap yah.
In a similar way to Lost in Translation, the travelogue concerns the strengthening of the relationship between the two main characters. The setting serves as a backdrop more than anything, one used to enhance their interactions. And to be fair, both father and son gradually sober up as the days progress. A particularly poignant moment stands out; the pair visits a former Cambodian execution cave filled with human skeletons and a rare moment of solemn reflection is witnessed, rather than the usual witty repartee. The show does not fall short on ensuring character development; a heartwarming change is witnessed in Michael towards the end.
On another note: Jack Whitehalls laddish, mildly obnoxious persona truly stands out here. From aspiring to teach Cambodian monks the meaning of a Tommy tanker to asking Michael if he would like to stroke my [his] cock whilst holding an actual rooster, Whitehall Jr. does not hold back from dishing out his regular brand of phallic humour. This alone makes Travels With My Father a must-watch for avid fans of his Fresh Meat character.
As for the rest of us, there is no harm in adding this to an extensive list of binge-worthy Netflix shows. Early negative impressions aside, the second half of the show redeems itself. Somewhat.
6.5/10
In a rare move, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Thursday confirmed that it has opened an investigation into the data breach at Equifax that compromised the sensitive personal information of 143 million U.S. consumers.
The FTC announcement came less than a week after Equifax revealed that an unknown party had gained access to names, addresses, Social Security Numbers and other data belonging to nearly half the U.S. population. An unknown number of Canadian and UK consumers were directly impacted by the breach as well.
Along with personal information, the attackers stole more than 209,000 customer credit card numbers and nearly 190,000 credit dispute files.
Equifax hired an outside cybersecurity firm to investigate and contacted law enforcement to look into the incident, it said.
Twisting the Knife?
Equifax triggered a severe backlash following news of the breach for what critics have characterized as an attempt to make money from consumers seeking to find out if their identities were stolen, and to prevent them from participating in any future legal action against the firm.
Offers to sell the stolen consumer information reportedly have turned up on the Dark Web.
The FTC typically does not comment on ongoing investigations, said Peter Kaplan, acting director, public affairs.
However in light of the intense public interest and potential impact of the matter, I can confirm that FTC staff is investigating the Equifax data breach, he told the E-Commerce Times.
The agency also warned consumers to be on the alert for phone scams for example, someone pretending to be from Equifax in an effort to trick people into providing personal data.
No Patch
The Apache Software Foundation on Thursday confirmed that the data breach was due to Equifaxs failure to patch a vulnerability related to Apache Struts, an open source framework for creating enterprise-level Java Web applications.
Apache Struts powers Internet of Things and front and back-end applications for many of the leading technology service providers, telecoms, financial institutions and government agencies.
The unpatched vulnerability was linked to CVE-2017-9805, based on an analyst report that was traced to information reportedly provided by an Equifax source.
Under Fire
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., blasted Equifax on the floor of the U.S. Senate, calling the incident one the most egregious examples of corporate malfeasance since Enron, and called for Senate hearings on the matter. He also demanded resignations from the CEO and board members if immediate reforms are not implemented.
When youre a credit agency like Equifax, you have two principal jobs: calculating and reporting accurate credit scores, and protecting the sensitive information of individuals that are funneled through that process, he said. Equifax stunningly and epically failed to perform one of its two essential duties as a company, to protect the sensitive information of the people in its files.
Possible Legal Action
Equifax faces potential legal liability on a couple of fronts, said Seth Berman, a former Department of Justice attorney who now specializes in cybersecurity issues at the Nutter law firm.
The FTC has broad authority to investigate data breaches, he told the E-Commerce Times, particularly given the fact that Equifax is a credit reporting agency that deals with consumer finances, and also since Equifax has been caught up in past investigations by the agency.
State attorneys general also will look into the breach, Berman said, noting that New York AG Eric Schneiderman already has announced an investigation.
Equifax could see a spate of class action civil suits from consumers and shareholders, as well as a probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
More often than not, we are seeing breaches as a result of an organizations failure to implement Security 101 principles proper patch management, secure software development, processes and procedures, said Leigh Anne Galloway, cybersecurity resilience officer at Positive Technologies.
Its the basic things that organizations fail to do again and again, she told the E-Commerce Times.
A number of Apache Struts vulnerabilities recently have been identified, Galloway noted, including a number of flaws Cisco uncovered in the open source framework just a week ago.
In the Equifax case, attackers were allowed to execute arbitrary code on a server by manipulating the Content-Type HTTP header, she said.
FTC Settlement
Equifax and other companies in 2012 agreed to pay US$1.6 million to settle the FTCs charges that the company had sold lists of customers who were late on their mortgage payments.
Equifax itself agreed to pay $393,000 to settle claims that it sold data from 17,000 prescreened late-paying consumers to firms, including Direct Lending Source, which then resold that information to other firms.
Microsoft on Monday announced the general availability of SQL Server 2017, now with support for Linux, at its Ignite conference in Orlando. The company first announced its plans for the newest iteration of its database software a year and a half ago.
This is the first version of SQL Server to run on Windows Server, Linux and Docker, noted Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, cloud and enterprise, at Microsoft.
SQL Server 2017 enables in-database advanced machine learning with support for scalable Python and R-based analytics, he pointed out, which means you can train advanced models easily with data inside SQL Server without having to move data.
SQL Server offers mission-critical performance and security, Guthrie said. It now has everything built in, including artificial intelligence, on the platform of your choice.
Adding Linux support to SQL Server is a manifestation of the new Microsoft, noted Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.
Theyve become operating system-agnostic when it comes to their applications and some of their platforms, he told LinuxInsider.
Oracle in Crosshairs
Adding Linux support to SQL Server should boost its share of the enterprise database market, suggested Matthew Kimball, senior analyst for servers and storage with Moor Insights & Strategy.
With a Windows-only platform, Microsoft is a strong second to Oracle in the market.
This expands Microsofts market considerably, Kimball told LinuxInsider.
Oracle is Microsofts chief competition in the space, he continued, and SQL Server is a fraction of the cost of Oracle with the same functionality.
Microsoft has been able to garner 20 percent of the enterprise database market with its Windows-only offering, noted Donald Feinberg, a data, analytics and information management analyst at Gartner.
Oracles share is about 40 percent, he said.
Microsoft managed to get to half the size of Oracle in a (US)$35 billion market without having Linux, Feinberg told LinuxInsider. You have to ask yourself, if they can now compete in the Linux market, how much further can they go? They answer is, it gives them a lot of runway.
Bashing Portability Barrier
For years, Microsofts competitors database products have supported multiple platforms, which put Microsoft, with its Windows-only approach, at a disadvantage. By adding Linux support, SQL Server becomes as portable as the products of those competitors.
Portability is an important feature. Customers dont go switching around all that much, but they want to know they can, Feinberg said.
Weve talked to a lot of people, he continued, and when I mention SQL Server to them, the answer I get is, We cant use that because it will lock us in to Windows Server. That perception disappears now.
When Microsoft announced SQL Server Linux support last year, it surprised some Microsoft watchers, who believed the company would be unwilling to forgo the potential loss of revenue that could result from the move.
With SQL Server chained to Windows, Microsoft collects licensing revenue from both Windows Server and SQL Server. With the Linux version, it collects revenue only from SQL Server licenses.
Microsoft wont suffer from those losses, suggested Moors Kimball.
Customers who will move from Windows Server to Linux will be more than offset by the growth Microsoft will see in the Linux space, he said.
Not Created Equal
The Linux and Windows versions of SQL Server arent quite equal, Kimball noted. The business intelligence tools arent built into the Linux version as yet, and the company hasnt provided a firm date as to when they will be available.
The extraction, transformation and load tools for data warehousing can be used in a Linux environment, he said, but they cant be authored in Linux. They must be created in Windows and ported over to Linux.
Other business intelligence tools dont run on Linux at all, said Kimball.
Maybe this is Microsofts hook for keeping some SQL instances on Windows for some time, he added.
Nevertheless, all features within the SQL Server relational database engine are available in Linux, including the Always On high availability feature. In addition, performance on the two platforms is comparable.
Raft of Features
In addition to Linux support, SQL Server 2017 supports Python programming. Combined with R Services, that allows machine language models to be created, trained and analyzed in place.
Support also has been added for graph processing. Thats important when working with NoSQL databases often used for big data projects.
Microsoft has added two new batch modes to SQL Server memory grant feedback and adaptive joins designed to increase the efficiency and performance of the software.
Operational analytics has become more feasible with SQL Server, thanks to the ability to build and rebuild some Columnstore indexes without taking them offline.
In addition, BLOBS Binary Large Objects inside Columnstore indexes can be compressed, which saves disk space, and the indexes can process the compressed information, which can speed backups.
A new resumable index operations feature has been added to SQL Server too, which provides for the resumption of index rebuilds after a database failure or manual abort. Recovering from such disasters previously required a restart from scratch, once the database was back online.
Positioned in between the smaller and more affordable Sony Xperia XA1 and the larger, more expensive imaging powerhouse Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra, the all-new Sony Xperia XA1 Plus comes with several multimedia features that are great for those who enjoy consuming audio and video content on the go.
On the top panel, you will find the 3.5mm audio jack as well as one of the stereo microphones for video recording.
And at the bottom, we have the loud speaker and USB Type C port for charging and data transfer.
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is now officially available at all authorized retail outlets in the Philippines. The midrange smartphone sells for only Php 16,990, which is very close to our guesstimate.
TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus
For one, the device has a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display that's great for viewing photos taken using the 23 MegaPixel f/2.0 autofocus camera as well as clips recorded using the Full HD 1080p 30fps videocam.The smartphone also featuresthat instantly enhances the sound quality of downloaded songs for a more pleasing music-listening experience anytime, anywhere.So yeah, when it comes to capturing and enjoying content, Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is certainly a handset you can rely on.And it certainly doesn't hurt that the device looks this good.I own a Sony Xperia XZ Premium and this model frankly looks a lot like it -- albeit lacking more lush and opulent materials. In lieu of a scratch-resistant glass back, the XA1 Plus has a full metal shell.Both phones, however, have the same square footprint and rounded sides that make them a joy to have in the hand.Apart from offering an intermediate display size between Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra, there's another feature which notably sets Sony Xperia XA1 Plus apart from its siblings: Its! Yup, those other models don't have this.Integrated with the power button on the side for quick access using the thumb, the fingerprint scanner lets the user quickly unlock the interface with just a touch of a finger and adds another layer of protection and privacy.The power button is flanked by the volume rocker and the hardware camera button, which quickly launches the camera with a single long press.At the back, in the upper left corner, you'll find the 23 MegaPixel PDAF camera with f/2.0 aperture and LED flash. Its performance is more or less the same as that of XA1 and XA1 Ultra, which means that it delivers clear and brilliant images even in low light settings.In front, the display is flanked by two speakers that deliver top-notch audio experience for a smartphone. For me, this is one of the best things about Sony Xperia smartphones. If you love listening to and sharing your favorite music tracks with your friends, Xperia handsets would be great for you.Under the hood, the XA1 Plus runs its Xperia-UI-skinned Android 7.0 Nougat operating system with a 64-Bit Octa Core 2.3 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 and Mali-T880MP2 GPU based Mediatek MT6757 Helio P20 chipset, has 4GB of RAM, and comes with 32GB of onboard storage that you can easily expand through the dedicated microSD card slot; That's right.This set of internal hardware makes Sony Xperia XA1 more than capable of running specs-intensive 3D games that you can download from the Google Play Store. The handset is not the most powerful out there but for most consumers, what is has is more than enough to deliver a decent everyday mobile experience.As for battery life, 4G-enabled smartphone's non-removable 3,430 mAh pack delivers around a whole day of uptime with regular use.Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is arriving in the Philippines within October 2017. As of writing, there's no word yet on its official price tag but I'm guessing that this model should go for around Php 17,000 to Php 18,000. As for colors, you can the phone Pink, Gold, Black, and Blue.Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen)High-End (Flagship Level)155 x 75 x 8.7 mm189 gramsBlack, Blue, Pink, GoldAndroid 7.0 Nougat with Xperia UI5.5 inches (~71.7% screen-to-body ratio), 1080 x 1920 pixels (~401 ppi pixel density), IPS LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, Corning Gorilla Glass 564-Bit Octa-Core (4x2.3 GHz Cortex-A53 + 4x1.6 GHz Cortex-A53), Mali-T880MP2 GPU, Mediatek MT6757 Helio P20 chipset3GB and 4GB RAM options32GB, expandable via dedicated microSD card slot up to 256GBBack: 23 MegaPixel, f/2.0 aperture, 24mm, phase detection autofocus (PDAF), LED flashFront: 8 MegaPixels, f/2.0 aperture, 24mm, autofocus, 1/4" sensor sizeBack - Full HD 1080p 30 frames per secondFront - 1080pMP3, WAV, eAAC+, FLAC, MP4, H.264USB Type C, 3.5 mm audio jackWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v4.2 with A2DP, EDR, 3G HSPA+; 4G LTE-A Cat4, NFCA-GPS, GLONASSYesAccelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity, Fingerprint Scanner2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 and SIM 2,3G HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100(TBC) 4G LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 13(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 27(800), 28(700), 29(700), 30(2300), 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500)Dual nanoSIMNon-removable 3,430 mAh Li-Ion batteryAll-Day Uptime with Regular Use (TBC)Aluminum Shell, Fingerprint Scanner, Xperia UI, 23MP CameraPhilippines - September 14, 2017Philippines - November 10, 2017Price Guesstimate in the Philippines: Php 17,000 to 18,000Official SRP in PH:
ACT residents consume fewer drugs and drink less alcohol than other Australians. Credit:Fairfax Media
Keep the umbrella handy, we're in for a high chance of rain in the morning, but it's looking like the rest of the day will be sunny with a top of 21 degrees.
Canberra has long been known as one of the best paid and most highly educated cities in Australia.
Now, it can lay claim to being one of the nation's healthiest cities as well.
ACT residents smoke less, drink less and use fewer illicit drugs than other Australians, according to a new government report.
Read Steven Trask story here.
Google sister company starts drone tests in Royalla
Adelaide have been granted a grand final eve training session on the MCG.
The Crows will train at the MCG on Friday afternoon ahead of Saturday's decider against Richmond.
The Crows will train at the MCG on Friday afternoon. Credit:AAP
Adelaide sought permission to train at the grand final venue after Greater Western Sydney were afforded the same opportunity before their preliminary final.
"It will be a closed training session for both high performance and security reasons," Adelaide chief executive Andrew Fagan told reporters on Wednesday.
Now that the Tiger Army has been woken from its slumber, get ready for the onslaught.
As Richmond readies for their first grand final since 1982 with excitement building across Melbourne and the club's inner-city suburban home, Friday's open training session the final chance for fans to watch their heroes train is bound to be a lockout.
Tiger fans have flocked to Richmond training during the finals. Credit:Wayne Ludbey
The grand final players will take to the famous Punt Road Oval turf from 9.45am on Friday but the venue, which hosts VFL matches, can only cater for about 5000 spectators.
After the 30-minute session, the players will take part in the annual grand final parade along with the Adelaide contingent through Melbourne's streets as part of the grand final eve public holiday.
Pull the trigger, urged Labor as Malcolm Turnbull threatened gas exporters with draconian state powers to withhold enough gas for domestic use.
Convinced the Prime Minister was trapped between his bellicose lecturing and his reluctance to activate a domestic reservation mechanism, Labor taunted him to put up or shut up. Don't wait until November or even January, pull the trigger immediately, was the message.
Every time Malcolm Turnbull meets with gas producers, Labor chided, your bills go up.
Its calls for intervention look just that bit pre-emptory after a second summit this week with gas giants finally brought them to heel, giving household and business consumers a confidence of supply.
The education system in Australia is currently comparable to 17th century medical practices, with teachers frequently using tools without any scientific evidence behind them, according to a leading education expert.
Sir Kevan Collins, who is chief executive of the UK's Education Endowment Foundation, which was established to improve education practices and outcomes, said many teachers around the world are "essentially allowed to make it up as [they go]".
The EEF began three trials in Australian schools this year to look at different ways of teaching maths and phonics Credit:Louise Kennerley
"Until the 18th and early 19th centuries, doctors would just invent their own practices, before the [medical community] understood you could use science and randomised control trials to test drugs and measure which approach to solving a problem had the best effect," Sir Kevan said.
He is now leading the implementation of randomised control trials for classroom practices in the UK, and is currently in Australia to speak to members of the Gonski 2.0 review panel, Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham and state ministers including NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes.
Minutes of an RSL NSW meeting failed to note a speech by an ex-Rear Admiral and former national president who allegedly urged its NSW governing body to "cover up" the case of a former president who had misused work expenses, an inquiry heard on Wednesday.
Former Rear Admiral Ken Doolan asked the veterans charity's NSW state council to "turn off the microphones" before effectively directing them to "cover up" misuse of a corporate credit card by ex-state president Don Rowe, the inquiry had earlier heard.
But counsel assisting the state government inquiry, Anthony Cheshire, SC, produced minutes of the early 2015 meeting showing Mr Doolan's speech had not been recorded.
"Ordinarily, would you not expect the content, or at least the subject matter, of Mr Doolan's address to be recorded?" Mr Cheshire said.
A group of armed people stormed a Gold Coast home and assaulted a man before robbing him on Wednesday evening.
A dark-coloured SUV crashed through the garage door of an Upper Coomera home before 9pm.
Minutes later, up to nine people armed with weapons broke through the front door of the home.
Police are searching for up to nine people involved in a Gold Coast home invasion. Credit:Glenn Hunt
One of the male intruders threatened and demanded money from a 31-year-old man at the Denise Drive home before punching him in the side of the head.
The combination of your mobile phone data and urine could hold the key accurately pinpointing drug use across the country.
Monitoring a populations drug use, either illicit or pharmaceutical, by testing a communitys sewage system has become a standard for the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission to understand consumption levels of certain areas and tailor responses to illicit drug markets.
In a report released in March this year, the Commission found several regional sites in Queensland had per capita methamphetamine consumption levels that exceeded the national average.
The study was led by a Brisbane researcher in Norway and tracked mobile phone data to better estimate how many people in a certain area are taking certain drugs. Credit:Chris Ratcliffe
University of Queenslands Professor Kevin Thomas said getting the data, which used an estimated catchment population, was limited because it did not count people in a specific spot in real time.
A teenage boy is in a serious condition after he was injured while working out at a gym north of Brisbane.
It is believed the 15-year-old was hurt while using gym equipment about 8pm Tuesday at the Pine Rivers PCYC.
A Google street view of Pine Rivers PCYC.
The teen was given first aid by staff at the PCYC and other gym members before he was rushed to hospital.
A Workplace Health and Safety spokesman said it was unclear at this stage whether it was free weights or machines that were involved in the accident.
A man was convinced his mother had used black magic and sexually molested him as a child before he allegedly murdered her, a Melbourne court has been told.
Socrates Tamvakis, 45, is on trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria for the murder of his 75-year-old mother Violet with a rolling pin and a knife at her Bentleigh home on April 26, 2016.
Police outside the Tamvakis family home in Bentleigh last year. Credit:Eddie Jim.
In opening her case before the jury on Tuesday, crown prosecutor Diana Piekusis said Tamvakis had "declining mental health" in the lead-up to the alleged murder.
Tamvakis suffered "persecutory delusions" of his mother using black magic, attempting to poison him, and asking him for sexual favours when he was a child, the prosecutor told the court.
Police allege the offences, which mostly occurred in classrooms at various state schools, happened over Mr Reynolds' 32-year career and began at his very first school in 1960.
Wodonga sex offence detectives charged Vincent Reynolds, now in his mid-70s and living in a small town in the state's north-east, with 99 indecent assaults against 38 of his former students who ranged from prep-aged to grade six.
A former teacher who worked at primary schools across country Victoria was on Wednesday charged with historical sex crimes against 38 children.
He worked at the school, in a tiny township near Ballarat, for less than two weeks before he moved on, beginning a pattern in which he shifted from school to school around the regional city in the state's west.
He travelled to the state's north-east in 1975 and taught at Wodonga's Bandiana Primary School and Melrose Primary School, as well as schools in Beechworth and Myrtleford.
Mr Reynolds taught at almost 15 schools over the course of his career.
It's understood a complaint was made to the education department in 1980 when he was working near Wodonga. He was sent to a local psychiatric ward for treatment and, after he was discharged, continued teaching, working at a further five primary schools.
Another allegation, which he denied, was made to school heads in 1988 when Mr Reynolds was deputy principal and librarian at Beechworth primary. He stayed on at the school until his resignation in 1992.
Victorian Labor figures reacted with fury on Wednesday to former minister Jane Garrett's plan to abandon her key marginal electorate of Brunswick and seek a safe upper house seat.
Ms Garret's left faction had to persuade, at just one day's notice, Australian Council of Trade Union's President Ged Kearney to nominate for preselection in Brunswick in a last-ditch effort to save the seat from what's expected to be a ferocious challenge from the Greens at next year's state election.
One Andrews government minister described Ms Garrett's move as "outrageous" while a senior figure on the party's left said the former minister's factional colleagues were "fuming" at being "left in the lurch".
But the condemnation was far from universal with other Labor sources saying Ms Garrett's choice was understandable, given the tough times she had endured both professionally and personally in recent years.
And a fortnight ago Moreland City Council also voted to drop any reference to Australia Day on January 26, though it will still hold citizenship ceremonies. Cr Trent McCarthy speaks on the motion to stop Darebin's Australia Day celebrations. Credit:Chris Hopkins Local councils are often told to stick to the three Rs of local government: roads, rates and rubbish. But the Local Government Act, which establishes councils' purpose, functions and power, is not so specific. Geelong Council has banned soft drinks from community cafes and canteens. Credit:AP
Point 4 in the preamble to the act is crucial here. The preamble suggests councils are entitled to make decisions that would otherwise be within the realm of state and federal governments. Lydia Thorne from the local Indigenous community at the Darebin public forum to discuss the decision by the council to stop Australia Day celebrations. Credit:Chris Hopkins "It is the role of council to provide governance and leadership for the local community through advocacy, decision-making and action," it reads. The act goes further: "The preamble and the local government charter are not to be construed as having the effect of limiting the functions and powers of councils under this act, or any other act."
Port Phillip City Council wants to stop South Melbourne Market stallholders from handing out single-use plastic bags. Professor Roberta Ryan, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Governance at Sydney's University of Technology, said since the early 1980s there had been a surge in local councils taking more progressive social views. She dismissed claims that councils were overstepping the mark and said local government had a history of influencing state and federal government issues, from lobbying for women's right to vote, to pushing for gender equality in the workforce and same-sex marriage. Darebin mayor Kim Le Cerf (right) and Yarra mayor Amanda Stone discussing their councils' decision. Credit:Justin McManus "Reflecting the views of local communities and advocating their views to other levels of government is actually the fundamental role of local government," Ms Ryan said.
"Councils are much more than just a service provider because they are the level of government closest to the people, so there is a democratic dimension you don't get from any other level of government." Melbourne University's director of public and international law, Professor Cheryl Saunders, said councils cancelling Australia Day citizenship ceremonies are acting within their legal powers. She said there was nothing to suggest the federal government could force councils to host them. "In principle, I would say that there is nothing to stop local government from doing this if that is what they want to do. "There is certainly nothing in the national constitution that says they can't do it."
The federal government does have one tool to express their displeasure, however: the Citizenship Act, which allows the immigration minister to revoke citizenship powers. Under a new rule written in the wake of the furore, the mayor or deputy mayor of a local government authority can take a would-be citizen's pledge of commitment, "except" at the City of Yarra or the City of Darebin. Ms Saunders said arguments that citizenship was not the business of local government appeared to "miss the point". "If the Commonwealth is using local government to run its citizenship ceremonies, which is obviously a convenient thing for it to do, then [citizenship] is something that is relevant to both the local government and Commonwealth, and potentially the state as an intermediary." Local governments have acted in the past on social issues which had reached a stalemate on the national level, she said.
Beijing: The ferocity of the same-sex marriage debate among Chinese Australians could be "good" training for democracy, but risks alienating young people, a Chinese newspaper has reported.
Under the headline "Divided down under", the Global Times newspaper reports that conservative, and mostly Christian, elderly Chinese have been politically activated in a way previously not seen in Australia.
WeChat, the popular Chinese social media platform, had become "a virtual battlefield" in Australia between the two sides of the same-sex marriage debate.
University of Queensland PhD student Liu Tingting, who researches Chinese dating apps and Chinese sexual culture, says the social media platform is being flooded with alarmist and offensive posts opposing same-sex marriage.
Bangkok: Thailand's Supreme Court has sentenced former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to five years' jail after finding her guilty of negligence over a rice subsidy scheme her government set up to help farmers.
Nine judges were still delivering the verdict on Wednesday when news of the sentence leaked to Thai media.
Yingluck Shinawatra fled before she was due in court in August. Credit:AP
The sentence will anger millions of supporters in Yingluck's "Red-Shirt" movement ahead of elections promised next year by the military that staged a coup to topple her democratically elected government after months of political unrest in 2014.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army general who led the coup, said on Tuesday he knew where Yingluck was hiding but refused to divulge where until after Wednesday's hearing.
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi...
Put a cork in it
The pop of a cork is a celebrated sound across the world, but new research released today has found that the sound of a cork popping can actually make us think our wine tastes better.
The first of its kind, the study was designed by Professor Charles Spence of Oxford Universitys Crossmodal Research laboratory, and looked to test whether the sound and sight of a cork-stopped and screwcaped wine being opened would influence the perception of the wine inside the bottle.
140 participants were asked to try two identical wines, and give them ratings after having been played the sound of a cork popping, then again after having heard a screwcap being opened. They were then asked to actually open both bottles and rate the wines again.
Overall, participants rated the same wine as 15% better quality when served under a cork than a screwcap. The wine under a cork was also rated as more appropriate for a celebration (+20%) and more inciting of a celebratory mood (+16%).
Professor Charles Spence, comments: Our senses are intrinsically linked - what we hear, see and feel has a huge effect on what we taste. The sound and sight of a cork being popped sets our expectations before the wine has even touched our lips, and these expectations then anchor our subsequent tasting experience. These results emphasise the importance of closures for wine, and the clear association between cork and quality in our subconscious.
The cork vs screwcap debate has raged in the wine industry for decades, with experts, sommeliers and producers from across the world deeply divided in their opinions. This experiment is the first empirical demonstration that a cork closure provides a more positive drinking experience.
Some wine experts have criticised cork due to the occurrence of the chemical compound TCA, but huge advancements in technology in recent years have brought the number of wines affected by the chemical down to between 0.8 to 1.2%. As such, top winemakers across the world are increasingly choosing cork as their closure of choice, with 7 out of 10 wine bottles now sealed with a natural cork.
Cork stoppers are the most famous product of the cork industry, with more than 12 billion bottles of wine closed every year with cork. The cork stopper has been the closure par excellence of wine for many years due to its unique properties helping to best preserve the natural characteristics of wine as well as offering a quality, premium wine drinking experience. The environmental benefits of cork stoppers, which are natural, re-usable and recyclable, have also contributed to it being the closure of choice for over 70% of wine producers.
More information can be found at http://www.apcor.pt/en/
27 September 2017 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, Editor in Chief
The College Station City Council gained some more insight into potential options to expand affordable housing during its recent workshop meeting.
According to price distribution data from the Texas A&M Real Estate Center, the highest percentage of homes on the market in the College Station local market area fell in the $150,000-$200,000 range in 2015 and jumped to $200,000-$250,000 in 2016. Homes have steadily become more expensive since 2011 -- which Planning and Development Director Lance Simms said wouldn't come as news to council members -- while sales have also increased.
"What's our responsibility? As a city, what should we be doing in terms of affordable housing?" Simms said at the Monday meeting. "So, the first thing, obviously, that came to my mind is we need to be providing assistance to help folks get into affordable housing through community development, and that's a number of federal programs that we offer."
The city already promotes affordable housing through the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership Grant programs, among other efforts. Those funds are used to expand or improve affordability options through minor repair, rehabilitation loan and down-payment assistance loan programs for homeowners, for example, and through security deposit assistance for low-income renters.
Simms presented the council with three options that may be worth exploring: allowing "live/work" units in more zoning districts, incentive-based inclusionary housing and land trusts.
He described live/use units as housing above offices or retail, which he said currently are only allowed in the mixed-use zoning district. The city could do a better job at looking for more places to allow that kind of housing, he said, and the council may soon see a request to allow it in suburban commercial districts.
Inclusionary housing is also something the city could pursue, though it's uncommon in Texas and only seen in about 300 communities across the country, Simms said. Through that option, the city could allow developers to build higher-density projects if they agreed to set aside a certain percentage of units to eligible low-income families. Height bonuses and parking reductions also could be offered in exchange for more affordable units.
Last, land trusts are a mechanism that could be used to ensure long-term affordability by splitting ownership of land and a structure. Allowed in Texas since 2011, a nonprofit would purchase land and build a house, and sell only the structure to income-eligible families. David Brower, community development analyst, told the council this is something the city has discussed with Habitat for Humanity and that the nonprofit has expressed interest in pursuing. This also could be pursued with developers for rental units.
Community Services Director Debbie Eller said the city also hopes to become more competitive in the state's low-income housing tax credit program, and a request for information has been put out asking for developers to present their ideas for affordable rental housing. College Station hasn't received a tax credit allocation through the program since 2007, Eller said, and is at a disadvantage to nearby communities that have never received an allocation because of the point structure for the competitive process.
Eller said she's hopeful that "in the long run" the parameters for the program will line up for a College Station project to be allocated tax credits to offset a portion of its federal tax liability in exchange for the production or preservation of affordable rental housing.
Authorities called to Northpoint Crossing apartment parking garage late Tuesday said a woman likely jumped to her death.
Bryan resident Michelle Alarcon-Trejo, 18, died at the scene at 1501 Northpoint Lane. Authorities said the evidence points to a suicide.
The six-building complex is at the corner of University Drive and Texas Avenue and provides student housing for Texas A&M students. College Station police said Alarcon was not a student at the university.
The conservation partnership has the full support of the Oro Provincial Government, which uses the iconic Queen Alexandra's Birdwing as its mascot. Gary Juffa, the governor, argues the initiative will benefit local landowners, who will be involved in cultivating the vines, enriching damaged habitats and creating facilities for tourists and naturalists to visit the forests and see the spectacular butterflies in their natural setting.
Future generations
Tun Musa Hitam, the chairman of SDF, said the foundation is confident that the project will have an indelible, sustainable impact on the conservation of the biggest and one of the rarest butterflies in the world.
"The project in collaboration with NBPOL will not only strive to conserve the butterfly, but also aims to retain the butterfly's natural habitat and support the livelihood of the local community.
"We are confident that this conservation project will ensure the survival of the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing for future generations with the expertise and support of the distinguished scientists behind the UK-based SBBT.
Save whole ecosystems
He added: It will also make a difference in the local community by enabling them to be part of the ecological project. This way, the local community is kept engaged in all efforts of conserving the endangered species which is a precious icon of their province, making this project even more meaningful.
Henry Barlow, the chairman of NBPOL and a patron of SBBT, said the conservation project takes all aspects into account to ensure the project's viability: habitat protection, a breeding programme and community development.
"We can see how the Orangutan, tiger and giant panda conservation campaigns, when linked with habitat protection, can save whole ecosystems and the thousands of species that live there, including the iconic species that we love to see.
Equally magnificent
"This butterfly is equally magnificent, and there are many unexplored ways in which research and operations in palm oil estates can help create a mosaic of natural refuges to enhance conservation and biodiversity," he added.
Dr Simon Lord, the chief sustainability officer at the Sime Darby Group, argued that as the group's operation in Papua New Guinea is accredited by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, it aims to lead the industry in preventing damage to endangered wildlife.
"We are delighted to help protect this magnificent butterfly. We are convinced that with this investment, we can reverse the decline of this superb species in our care, and demonstrate what can be achieved with some lateral thinking," he said.
Win-win relationships
Dr Mark Collins, the chairman of SBBT and former director of the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, said that sustainable conservation requires high quality, practical, on-the-ground conservation, with local communities and business working in partnership.
Collins is co-author of Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: the IUCN Red Data Book, which drew international attention to the problem facing these butterflies more than thirty years ago.
He said: "We need to create win-win relationships. Everyone loves butterflies they are flagship species and can bring back a feel-good factor to those working in the palm oil sector, to local people and as an attraction for eco-tourists," he said.
Make all the difference
Charles Dewhurst, a SBBT Trustee and entomologist, is amongst those providing scientific guidance to the project. He said: "I am convinced that this project will work.
"It has the advantage not only of being co-located at the heart of the problem, but also has support from all quarters. This sort of cooperation will make all the difference."
Dewhurst is co-author of a newly published book, Queen Alexandra's Birdwing Butterfly: A Review and Conservation Proposals. Sales of the book will benefit the trust's work.
You have a character that goes through the scrutiny of being sexualised , and then an audience that does the same thing.
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NORWALK With a heavy police presence inside and outside the Belden Avenue courthouse, a 30-year-old Waterbury man was arraigned Wednesday in the 2010 slaying of Michael Mizzy Robinson Jr.
Investigators had worked on the cold case for seven years and on Tuesday arrested Ibo Boone. He is accused of shooting Robinson, 22, to death in the area of South Main and Grove streets on Oct. 29, 2010, amidst a tit-for-tat wave of violence among rival street gangs in South Norwalk.
Boone, who was 23 at the time of the slaying, faced the judge for arraignment Wednesday clad in a gray T-shirt and sweatpants, and in shackles. Nearly a dozen Norwalk police officers lined the back wall of the courtroom while the families of those lost to street violence over the last decade looked on.
Two men sitting with Robinsons mother, Stacy Davis, wiped away tears as they looked at Boone.
Boone was represented by Philip Russell, a lawyer from Greenwich. Judge Alex Hernandez ordered bond to remain as set, $1 million, and the case to be transferred to the Part A docket in Stamford, where the areas most serious offenses are tried. The next court date is Oct. 17.
Justice has been served, Davis said outside the courthouse. Its been seven years ... now I can finally sleep.
Police kept a watchful eye as the families walked to their cars.
After the arraignment, Russell expressed displeasure with the presence of the officers.
In 28 years Ive never seen 12 police officers in court, Russell said. It creates an atmosphere of fear around the case.
Robinson was a good friend and a second cousin to Amos A.J. Brown, who was shot and killed in South Norwalk while he was driving along Lexington Avenue on Aug. 13, 2010.
Boones arrest is the result of an intensive investigation by the Norwalk Police Department in conjunction with the Cold Case Unit in the Office of the Chief States Attorney and the Office of the States Attorney for the Judicial District of Stamford/Norwalk.
Robinsons slaying was featured in the fourth edition of the cold case playing cards produced in conjunction with the Department of Correction and sold to inmates in Connecticut jails. Information on Robinsons death was described on the king of clubs card.
This arrest is an excellent example of what we can achieve through the collaboration of law enforcement agencies at all levels of government. I wish to thank the Norwalk detectives, the cold case unit and the States Attorneys office for their work on the investigation, said Richard J. Colangelo Jr., states attorney for the Judicial District of Stamford/Norwalk.
While a case may be considered cold, it is never closed. I wish to thank all who worked so diligently on this investigation and to reaffirm our commitment to work to bring some sense of closure to families who have lost loved ones, Norwalk Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik said.
Boone was arrested in February 2012 after he was found with a loaded handgun, two weeks after he was shot in the leg outside an Ely Avenue liquor store. He was charged with criminal possession of a pistol and criminal trespass.
The liquor store owner said Boone was inside the store shortly before 9 p.m. that night and was shot when he walked outside. The owner said Boone ran back inside, bleeding heavily from two wounds. Boone, who was also shot in May 2011, was taken to Norwalk Hospital and treated for his injuries.
Boone pleaded guilty to possession of narcotics with intent to sell stemming from a September 2010 arrest in Norwalk, according to court records. He was sentenced to serve six years in jail in April 2012 for drug sales. A five-year jail sentence was also imposed on that date on a conviction for criminal possession of a gun.
NORWALK It has become trite to say that we are more connected than ever. There are so many ways to share our lives that even the word story now refers to a feature on social media platforms.
And yet, as this past year showed, that connectivity came with a disconnect from people unlike ourselves.
Its a very divisive political landscape in this country, and I do think that filters down to the local level, said Jennifer Bangser of Norwalk. Along with Judith Bacal and Trisha Tierney, Bangser began organizing a series of storytelling events so that locals could connect face to face.
We thought there must be a way to create a space where people can share their experiences, Bangser said. And we just decided to do it.
The series of events, True Stories, Told Live in Norwalk, takes place every other month in different neighborhoods throughout the city. It kicked off on July 25 to greater success than Bangser had hoped for she had expected perhaps 20 people to attend and the turnout was three times that. Now, the second event is planned for Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Ischoda Yacht Club. The cover will be $10, which includes one drink and snacks, and the theme to the nights stories will be secrets.
For the last event, the theme was maiden voyages, and Bangser was impressed by the range of stories shared.
In the warm glow of lights strung across the backyard of Harbor Harvest, participants recounted stories including the tale of a grandmother who immigrated to New York from the fjords of Norway and a mother who hitchhiked all the way to Mexico City for an abortion before changing her mind. Videos were not allowed, a fact Bangser thought contributed to the safe space where people spontaneously volunteered to relate their experiences.
By the end of the night, we witnessed new friendships. We literally saw a community being built, said Bangser. So I think were really onto something.
Tierney said she was struck by the number of people, including the storytellers, who came alone. She thought it showed they had arrived with the intent to listen. That felt profound, she said.
Theres nothing like the energy when youre in the room, said Bangser. The intimacy and vulnerability that we all have when you share it through a story, you realize, its cliche, but we have more in common than what separates us.
rschuetz@hearstmediact.com; @raschuetz
NORWALK Public shaming of the approved Republican state budget continued Tuesday afternoon in Norwalk when members of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers and Democratic leaders gathered at West Rocks Middle School to denounce a 2 percent increase in educators pension contributions.
State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, calls the contribution increase a secret teacher tax, and said it is yet another part of the approved budget Democrats were unaware of when the budget bill was put to a vote.
The Republican budget is like a dead fish in the sun, Duff said Tuesday. The longer its out there, the more it stinks. ... Were not going to stand for a secret teacher tax. Were going to bring light to the secret teacher tax, and hold the Republicans accountable for what they put into their budget.
Duff and Mary Yordon, president of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers, said they oppose the impact the pension increases would have on teachers roughly a $1,500 annual cost in the average teachers salary and were concerned the pension contributions would not actually be put into the states pension fund.
State Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-Wilton, said the pension increase was not a secret its in a bill thats posted online and has been out for months but acknowledged the wording of the line item may be confusing. Regardless, she said it is against federal law for pension contributions to be placed in the general fund, as Democrats have suggested would be the case.
I understand that when people look at the language, they can have questions, Lavielle said. Even if it had been the intention for that to go into the general fund, which it most certainly was not, federal law does not allow that to happen. If an employee makes a contribution to the retirement fund, then it must be delivered to the pension fund.
If approved, pension contributions would increase 1 percent in the first year of the biennial budget and an additional 1 percent in the second year, adding roughly $29 million and $76 million to the pension fund in each year, respectively.
Yordon said the increase unfairly targets teachers.
This is supposed to be a state budget that some found appealing because it doesnt increase taxes, and for most it does not increase taxes. Not for millionaires, not for billionaires. But it does for teachers, Yordon said, citing recent negotiations between the teachers union, other local labor unions and the city of Norwalk, as an example which spread the burden of impact to solve budget deficiencies.
The district solved this budget problem in a broad way. ... There is nothing about this state budget that spreads out the burden, Yordon said.
Lavielle said the decision to offset state contributions to the pension fund by increasing teacher contributions was not made lightly, and she sympathizes with teachers whose salary would be impacted by increased pension contributions. Lavielle said the average pension contribution of employees in states where teachers do not receive Social Security as is the case in Connecticut is 8 percent, which is what the approved budget proposes.
I dont want to ask teachers to pay more, Lavielle said. I dont want to cut UConn. I dont want to cut anything. But at some point, you have to be responsible. We are the custodians of the money that people pay to the state and we have to make sure to use it responsibly. ... If I had been sitting there in a room by myself, I wouldnt have chosen this. Theres a lot of things I wouldnt have chosen, but I dont think any budget were going to get is going to make anybody happy. The reality is that we are in dire straits. This is a budget emergency and we have to make tough decisions.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is expected to veto the approved budget. Duff said he does not anticipate a budget will be passed by Oct. 1.
kkrasselt@hearstmediac.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
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NORWALK In addition to awards given to three officers at the monthly Norwalk Police Commission meeting Monday, three Norwalk Housing Authority employees were recognized for helping to evacuate Roodner Court residents during a recent fire, and a probation officer was lauded for taking an illegal gun and drugs off the street.
Peter Agosto, Arnold Fuller and Devon Moore received Civilian Awards for Community Service for their actions during an Aug. 28 fire in building 20 at Roodner Court, where they helped evacuate residents from the complex.
You exemplify what it means to be a citizen and you certainly serve as role models for others to follow, Norwalk Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik said.
Mayor Harry Rilling expressed gratitude to the men on behalf of the police department.
We are grateful to people in the community who step up to help others, Rilling said. You took your own safety and put it behind you and put others safety first.
Additionally, probation officer Jason Grady was given a Certificate of Community Service by the Norwalk Police Commission.
On July 17, Grady provided information to the Special Services Division regarding a man who had left the probation office armed with a handgun in his waistband. The man, a convicted felon, was found nearby with a Ruger 9mm handgun, 15 rounds of ammunition and 59 packages of crack cocaine, police said.
Officer Gradys actions assisted the officers to safely remove a firearm from this convicted felon's possession and take him into custody without incident. There is no doubt that the city is safer as a result, said Kulhawik.
August 2017 Officers of the Month were Detective Nick Kougioumtzidis, Officer Max Sixto and Officer Chris Kassimis.
Kougioumtzidis was recognized for his investigation into a fentanyl-laced crack overdose on July 22 that resulted in a death and another overdose in which the victim was saved.
As a result of his investigations, a Norwalk man was charged in the death of the victim and as well his involvement in the other overdose.
Based on his investigation, detective Kougioumtzidis obtained an arrest warrant and a confession from the suspect, Kulhawik said.
This arrest was the first in Connecticut involving death as a result of fentanyl-laced crack cocaine, police said.
The citizens of Nowalk are deeply indebted to you for your tireless pursuit of the individual who was responsible for the sale of this life-threatening drug, Kulhawik said.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that can cause cessation of breathing.
There is no doubt that this investigation and arrest kept more people from dying from this drug, said Sgt. Shannon Sherry.
Officers Sixto and Kassmis were recognized for recovering a stolen car on Aug. 6 and arresting the three juvenile occupants.
A Subaru had been reported stolen from a Broad Street residence, and four hours later the officers saw the vehicle, safely conducted a stop and took three juvenile occupants into custody.
While making these arrests, another juvenile approached the scene and attempted to incite a disturbance, police said. The officers were able to take him into custody before he further escalated the situation.
Kulhawik thanked the officers for their keen observation and professionalism under pressure.
In other news, the Rev. Sudhir DSouza, pastor of St. Philip Church, was named as new police chaplain. The Police Commission appointed DSouza at the recommendation of Kulhawik,
Father DSouza is a spiritual and good individual who will bring guidance to our officers and be supportive of the police department and the officers, Kulhawik said.
llake@hearstmediact.com
NORWALK Stepping Stones Museum for Children has earned accreditation for its Early Language and Literacy Initiative program.
The accreditation comes from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The ELLI program is operated at the museum and in the Norwalk Public School system.
Stepping Stones has always been committed to creating the highest quality educational opportunities for young children, said Rhonda Kiest, Stepping Stones president and CEO. It is an incredible accomplishment to have our program recognized by NAEYC. Now we want to broaden the scope of ELLI to reach even younger children in order to close the achievement gap in Connecticut.
The ELLI program model operates on evidence-based research conducted by Literacy How, the for-profit company that co-developed the ELLI model, that suggests emphasizing literacy at the earliest age is the most effective way of closing the achievement gap later on in education. It has an adult-student ratio of 1:6 and the lab school has no residential requirements.
Literacy How partnered with Stepping Stones in about 2010 to create the ELLI model, which it then implemented in a lab school at the museum in 2012. Norwalk Public Schools are also a partner in the program, spreading the model to all of its preschools in the fall of 2016. The Norwalk Public School classrooms are open to children ages 3 to 5 and are partially funded with School Readiness funds. The ELLI Lab School is not funded with School Readiness funds.
There are currently four ELLI classroom sites in Norwalk that have earned NAEYC accreditation including the ELLI Lab School at Stepping Stones Museum for Children, and the ELLI classrooms at Fox Run Elementary School, Tracey Elementary School and Naramake Elementary School.
kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
This GuestKat was delighted to get her paws on a recent decision handed down by the Court of Milan which forms part of the long running multi-jurisdictional battle concerning Eli Lilly's patent protecting its pemetrexed (Alimta) product. She is doing her best to digest this month's decision of Fresenius Kabi Oncology Plc and Ors v Eli Lilly & Company and Ors (N.R.G. 54470/2016) (available on darts-ip) by reference to an automated online translation of the decision, and so asks that readers bear with her. The gist of the Court of Milan's judgment is as follows.
Magnifico Milano
the claims of EP '508 are limited to only pemetrexed disodium, because of the unambiguous wording of the claims; infringement on the basis of equivalents was excluded in this case, because the file history of EP '508 showed that the patentee had limited the scope of protection to the salt pemetrexed disodium; use of pemetrexed diacid (with tromethamine) was not suggested even implicitly in EP '508.
Eli Lilly v Actavis to the Court of Milan's attention. The UK judgment considered whether the Actavis generic pemetrexed products, which used (a) pemetrexed diacid, (b) pemetrexed ditromethamine, or (c) pemetrexed dipotassium, directly infringed the UK, Italian, Spanish or French designations of the patent claims, which specify pemetrexed disodium. Eli Lilly drew the recent decision of the UK Supreme Court into the Court of Milan's attention. The UK judgment considered whether the Actavis generic pemetrexed products, which used (a) pemetrexed diacid, (b) pemetrexed ditromethamine, or (c) pemetrexed dipotassium, directly infringed the UK, Italian, Spanish or French designations of the patent claims, which specify pemetrexed disodium.
the patent clearly demonstrated a conscious intention of the patentee to limit the claims to pemetrexed disodium and that this was "amply confirmed by the prosecution history". However, both these conclusions were rejected by the Supreme Court which found direct infringement of the Italian designation of the patent by the Actavis variants. The Court of Milan noted that it was not bound by the UK Supreme Court decision in relation to the Italian designation, because those proceedings concerned different parties, and the generic products in the UK proceedings were not identical in their excipients, ratios, and licensed indications to Fresenius' product. (For anyone in need of a quick recap, Stephen's series of posts on the UK Supreme Court decision can be found (equivalence) , Arnold J. had found at first instance in the UK proceedings that under Italian law " and that this was "". However, both these conclusions were rejected by the Supreme Court which found direct infringement of the Italian designation of the patent by the Actavis variants. The Court of Milan noted that it was not bound by the UK Supreme Court decision in relation to the Italian designation, because those proceedings concerned different parties, and the generic products in the UK proceedings were not identical in their excipients, ratios, and licensed indications to Fresenius' product. (For anyone in need of a quick recap, Stephen's series of posts on the UK Supreme Court decision can be found here here (EPO file history) and here (consideration of French, Italian and Spanish designations)).
Although the facts of the Italian and UK cases differ in certain respects, the Court of Milan judgment is an interesting juxtaposition against the UK Supreme Court decision. Should a doctrine of equivalents go hand in hand with some form of file wrapper estoppel? Any insights (particularly from Italian patent enthusiasts) are welcome.
Fresenius issued proceedings in the Court of Milan in Oct 2016 for precautionary measures (interim relief). In its application, Fresenius sought a declaration from the Court that Fresenius' generic product - based on pemetrexed diacid (with tromethamine) - did not infringe the Italian designation of Eli Lilly's patent EP 1313508, which specifies pemetrexed disodium in the claims. By way of reminder, pemetrexed is an oncology treatment, the damaging side-effects of which can be mitigated if given together with vitamin B12. The applicant arguedthat:Eli Lilly counterclaimed, seeking an injunction on the basis of direct and indirect infringement of its patent.The Court examined the EPO file history in detail. In the text of the original patent application, the claims extended to the entire class of antifolates. It was subsequently limited by the patentee to 'pemetrexed', and finally to 'pemetrexed disodium'. These changes to the claims were consistent with changes to the EP '508 description. The Court noted that these changes were a 'clear delineation of patent protection', for only pemetrexed disodium. Other compounds, such as pemetrexed diacid were therefore excluded from the scope of the EP '508 claims. Further, while Fresenius' product has the same therapeutic effect as Alimta, the association of pemetrexed disodium associated with tromethamine could not also be considered an obvious substitution of the expression pemetrexed disodium in combination with vitamin B12. Any form of direct infringement, including on the basis of equivalents was excluded. Further, there was no indirect infringement - the SmPC of the generic product indicated that reconstitution and dilution would happen in a glucose solution, rather than a saline solution as specified in the claims of EP '508.
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WILTON Tolerance and acceptance were a large part of what first led Swami Balgopal to select Wilton as the landing spot for his Hindu temple back in 2013. On Monday, however, Balgopal learned the harsh truth that no town, no matter how open-minded or isolated, is insulated from intolerance.
As Balgopal went about his morning routine at the temple Monday, he realized that the second-floor window of the temples buildings had been smashed in what the Wilton Police Department are treating as an act of vandalization.
This is the third time that the temple has been targeted in the past six months, Balgopal said. In previous incidents, which were not reported to the police, the temples garage was tampered with and a door was stolen off the premises.
It is scary, and it is concerning to the public. Public safety is important, said Balgopal. If this continues to happen in town, there might be people who want to move away.
Balgopal said if these acts persist, then the temple too would need to consider shuttering its doors and moving elsewhere.
We need to consider our own safety. Safety is of the utmost importance, said Balgopal
Police said residents of the south end of Wilton awoke Monday morning the same morning Balgopal noticed the broken window to find white supremacist flyers in their driveways, located along Old Belden Hill about two miles from the temple.
Police said there were at least five households spammed with the hate literature sporting #MAGA, #AntiSharia, #WHITELIVESMATTER and more.
The flyers read, A new phoenix of patriots are coming out of the shadows. We are the defenders of the Constitution. We must not remain silent. Our voices will be heard everywhere. We are legion. Expect us!!!
This is the second time this year that white supremacy flyers have found their way to driveways in Wilton and surrounding towns. In February, similar flyers were scattered along the Newtown Turnpike area spanning Wilton, Weston, Westport and Norwalk.
Police said they have not found any evidence of a connection between the window breaking and the flyers, and the matters are both still under investigation.
A community in unity
After hearing about the incident, members of the community reached out to Balgopal and asked how they could help. His response was an invitation to the temples worship service and dinner Tuesday night.
More than 100 people attended, standing in solidarity with the Hindu congregation and learning about their culture and religion.
After Hindu prayers were offered, town leaders and clergy members expressed their support to Balgopal and his members.
In the midst of a time that is scary, we stand together with hope and love, the Rev. Shannon White of Wilton Presbyterian Church said.
Board of Finance Chairman Jeff Rutishauser offered greetings of solidarity on behalf of First Selectman Lynne Vanderslice.
When someone throws a stone at one of our houses of worship, theyre throwing a stone at all of our houses of worship, Rutishauser said. We come together as community to show our faith and support for you because thats what a family does in a time of need.
Steve Hudspeth, chairman of the Wilton Interfaith Action Committee, brought a prepared statement signed by members of the ten faith institutions in Wilton.
We, the members of the steering committee of Wi-Act, join together to express our profound condolences and deep sadness at the stone-thrown, Hudspeth said. We pledge our support to you in whatever ways may be most helpful and welcome your presence in Wilton that adds richly to the religious life of the Wilton community, as well as more broadly.
Wood River and Cairo firefighters responded to a machinery shed fire Tuesday afternoon near Husker Highway and South 130th Road.
No one was injured in the fire, which began at about 1:10 p.m.
A significant amount of contents were damaged, said Wood River Fire Chief Todd King. There was very minor structural damage to the metal building, King said.
The farms address is 3497 S. 130th Road.
The fire started when home owner Gregory Gottlob was melting two ends of a nylon rope. A piece of debris may have fallen from the burning rope, King said.
Luckily he was there at the time, so he caught it very quickly after the fire started, King said.
A damage estimate is not yet available.
A change to Grand Island city code that will allow Grand Island Habitat for Humanity and other developers to build more homes has been approved.
The Grand Island City Council voted 9-0 Tuesday evening, with Councilman Mike Paulick absent, to approve amending chapter 36 of the Grand Island city code to include an R-3 SL Medium Density Residential Small Lot Zoning District.
Regional Planning Director Chad Nabity told the City Council two options were presented to the Regional Planning Commission at its Sept. 6 meeting. He said the planning commission voted 12-0 to recommend option A, which reduces the minimum lot size from 6,000 square feet to 3,000 square feet. It also decreases the width from 50 feet to 35 feet, or to 24 feet for a single-family home with an attached garage.
Nabity also explained to the City Council that the approved amendment does not change the current zoning map, but rather allows such rezoning to be brought forward for consideration of both the Regional Planning Commission and the City Council.
I do not know if the market will accept this kind of development, he said. What I do know is under the current zoning, this kind of development is not possible. Sometimes we have to try things to see if it will work out. I think this is one of those cases.
A number of citizens came forward to comment during the public hearing on the amendment, including those who were associated with Habitat for Humanity.
Larry Glazier said the change was needed for the future of Grand Island to allow for reasonable-cost living with future growth of the city. Frank Vivian echoed Glaziers comments, saying he was in support of the amendment to city code as it would go a long way toward making affordable housing in Grand Island a reality.
Bret Forsman, an instructor at Career Pathways Institute, said his students build a Habitat house every year and the change to city code is beneficial in continuing the program.
If Habitat does not have properties to build on, that piece of the program goes away, he said. It is beneficial to the kids to build a house each year. I am trying to provide skilled labor to the workforce. We want that opportunity for our students to stay in the Grand Island area and to go out and help with the huge shortage of skilled labor.
CPI Coordinator Dan Phillips echoed Forsmans comments, saying the program has a positive impact on students, not just in learning to build a home, but also in instilling a sense of community pride as they are benefiting to the growth of their community.
Councilwoman Linna Dee Donaldson said she hopes the approved change to city code would allow areas of construction to revitalize certain areas of town. She added some of the smaller homes that could be built on lots could benefit retired people, single individuals or those without children.
The City Council also voted 8-1, with Councilman Vaughn Minton voting no, to refer the proposed rezoning for Meadow Lane Seventh Subdivision back to the Regional Planning Commission for its consideration. The planning commission would then issue a recommendation before forwarding it back to City Council for approval.
The request from Neitfeld Property Management is to rezone part of lot 1 and all of lot 2 of the proposed Meadow Lane Seventh Subdivision from an LLR Large Lot Residential to a B-2 General Business Zone. The subdivision is located north of Highway 34 and west of Shady Bend Road.
The Regional Planning Commission was deadlocked in a 6-6 vote on Sept. 6, which meant it forwarded the matter to the council with no recommendation.
The commission voted 5-3, on July 5, to deny the request. The original request called for the rezoning of lots 1, 2 and 3 of Meadow Lane Sixth Subdivision from an LLR Large Lot Residential Zone to a B-2 General Business Zone.
Councilman Chuck Haase made the motion at Tuesdays meeting to refer the rezoning back to the planning commission.
Weve listened to the neighbors who say the drainage seems to be the overwhelming issue. It could get worse if this is approved without the drainage, he said. I have no issue with the development as long as the drainage issue is addressed, I do not want to make it worse for the existing people that are there. Id like to have a solution as part of what comes forward as part of future development.
Councilman Mark Stelk made an earlier amendment to the motion that would have the Regional Planning Commission look specifically at drainage issues. That amendment was approved 6-3, with Donaldson, Minton and Councilman Mitch Nickerson voting no.
During the public hearing, a number of neighbors spoke out against the proposed rezoning, citing concerns with water drainage, potential flooding and increased traffic in the area. Judy Herzog said she has lived on Conrad Drive, near the proposed subdivision, for 16 years and has had to replace her carpet twice due to flooding.
Elaine Dooley said she was concerned about an increase in traffic as there is already persistent road rage and commuters in a hurry along Highway 34. Councilman Vaughn Minton said he, too, had issues with the traffic on Highway 34.
In the morning, we have a high-traffic area and trying to turn off of Highway 34 into those areas (near the subdivision), he said. I think it is going to present a problem. I would like to see better solutions to that, whether it is temporary turning lanes in there or something.
Nickerson asked Christie DePoorter, a member of the Neitfeld family who brought the rezoning request forward, what Neitfeld Property Management would do differently now that the request has been referred back to the planning commission. She responded drainage issues needed to be understood.
The houses were built low when they were built and is why they have issues with water, she said. I know the planning commission struggled because the concerns from the neighbors are real. They do not want more water. I hope the city of Grand Island steps up in its effort to make drainage better.
In other action, the City Council voted 9-0 to approve benefits for sanitary sewer district No. 538T on Engleman Road.
A week after Grand Island school officials told Rotary Club members about their plans to create prep academies at Grand Island Senior High, they returned to talk about some of the goals created by a five-year strategic plan created after Tawana Grover was hired as superintendent.
The board really had a goal for me to create a vision for the district, said Grover, explaining one of the objectives the GIPS board created for her. Part of that vision is that GIPS students will be prepared to make a positive contribution to society and thrive in an ever-changing world.
She said the districts strategic plan will not sit on a shelf because it includes an action plan that has already been put in motion. Part of the process was creating a 90-page needs assessment for the district, with those needs eventually driving the creation of a 32-page strategic plan. The complete strategic plan can be found on the GIPS website, but a much shorter version was going to be presented to the Rotary Club.
The plan has four strategic pillars: empower, personalize, design and partner.
School board President Bonnie Hinkle said the strategic plan was created with much public input that included surveys and listening sessions. There were 6,500 contacts with the public, although Hinkle said some of those contacts could be duplicates of people who answered the survey and participated in the listening sessions.
That was a lot of information from the community, from teachers and even from the kids, because we went out to the kids, said Hinkle, who noted one consistent finding was that GIPS does a great job with high-ability learners and students who have special needs, but often does not do the same good job with students in the middle, who may not feel a strong connection to school.
We want to make sure we are touching all children, to make sure that every child understands they have value, she said.
Another consistent finding was that students need to obtain employable skills while in high school, which was a topic discussed last week with Rotary Club members. A third finding was that students need to be resilient, so they can adapt to todays ever-changing world.
Part of the strategic plan is founded on the work done for the successful 2014 bond issue, when board members considering building a second high school, but a new high school alone would have cost between $80 million and $100 million, Hinkle said. As it was, the seven projects included in the bond issue cost nearly $70 million.
She said board members decided that GISH students could get valuable hands-on learning outside Senior High, so they did not seek a brick-and-mortar solution to growing high school enrollment.
GIPS administrators took turns explaining portions of the strategic plan.
Toni Palmer, chief leadership and development officer, said the empower pillar means that all principals, teachers and counselors should have the skills to carry out the strategic plan to benefit students. She noted that Jefferson and Starr Elementary and Walnut Middle School have been selected as demonstration schools for academic rigor.
That rigor means students at those schools will be able to engage in critical thinking, creativity and problem solving so they can thrive during their educational careers. Palmer said principals have had 30 hours of professional development that focused on leadership skills.
Josh McDowell, chief academic officer, said learning will be personalized so students will feel they are engaged in education relevant to them and their career goals. That process starts in elementary schools and continues all the way through Senior High. Schedules were changed at all elementary schools to give students more time with guidance counselors and more time in the school media center/library to explore their interests. He said middle school students at all three grade levels not only are learning content from their core academic subjects, but also are learning financial literacy. They also are being given opportunities to solve real-world problems or issues at their schools.
Jennifer Worthington, chief innovation and engagement officer, said the design pillar means the board and school officials will make decisions by using data. School officials view students as more than just test scores, so they use information to make sure they are meeting kids social, emotional and physical health needs. Sometimes those needs are met through after-school clubs.
Worthington said the partner pillar means cooperative ventures between school and community. Partnerships were used in creating Career Pathways Institute and they also will be used in the creation of the Grand Island Preparatory Academies. She said a 2014 Market Street study showed educational attainment of many of the communitys adults places Grand Island at a disadvantage, so the district is expanding opportunities offered through Parent University.
HASTINGS The trial in a lawsuit against Hastings businessman Marvin Butch Hughes continued to its second day Tuesday in Adams County District Court.
Hughes and his wife, Kathleen Bonnell, are being sued by three former tenants of the former Hastings middle school who claim Hughes didnt keep his part of a contract that called for them to become part owners of the building.
Koos Enterprises, Treehouse Studios and My Sisters Closet are suing Hughes and asking for damages totaling $117,000. The damages are from the improvements, such as flooring, heating, air conditioning and new windows, that they paid for.
Several witnesses from Monday returned to the stand, as well as new ones. Hughes represented himself while the plaintiffs were represented by Galen Stehlik of Grand Island.
The lawsuit states that the tenants were to pay Hughes a monthly Homestead Act payment for five years and make building improvements, according to the contract they signed with him. The contract allegedly states that the tenants would get a deed and become part owners of the building at the end of the five years.
Mark Evans, city of Hastings building inspector, was called to the stand again. Hughes said he was a building official in Colorado, so he is familiar with many building codes and rules. He questioned Evans reasoning and authority to say that the building didnt meet code and had life safety issues, since it was eligible to be a historic property.
Evans said although certain things can be excused due to historic status, as a building inspector he makes the call on whether its safe. Hughes said Monday that an occupancy permit was required because the use of the building would change from a school to condominiums and businesses.
Evans said Hughes, as the building owner, didnt apply for that permit and the building didnt meet code.
I think the historic status does not excuse you from providing basic life safety features to the building, he said to Hughes.
Evans said Hughes also didnt provide a plan for how the building would be improved.
He said he wasnt going to issue building permits for each individual space and not know where the overall renovation was headed, as that would lead to problems later down the road. As the building owner, Hughes was responsible to apply for a permit in order to allow construction on the building.
Hughes later called Hastings Fire Chief Kent Gilbert as a witness. Hughes said the Fire Department illegally entered the building to do an inspection, since he had no trespassing signs up.
District Judge Stephen Illingworth wondered where Hughes was going with the argument, as Gilbert didnt have knowledge of many of the questions asked of him.
Mr. Hughes, I understand you dont like the city, Illingworth said.
The judge went on to question what this had to do with the case, since the city of Hastings isnt a party in the lawsuit.
Your honor, the city scared the hell out of the tenants, Hughes said.
He said the city and the things such as the Fire Department coming in without a warrant contribute to the situation.
This whole thing is upside down, Hughes said.
Im judging whether you honored your contract with the plaintiffs, Illingworth said.
Hughes later called witnesses to the stand who are tenants of the building, after each plaintiff and the lawyer who allegedly drew up the Homestead agreement were called again as witnesses.
Frank Brooks testified as a current tenant at the former middle school. He said he is still there and didnt leave when the city issued a notice to vacate because I like the place.
Brooks said the notice did make him nervous, but he didnt leave because he felt the notice had no merit since it had no official signature. He has been in the building since September 2011 and hasnt asked for ownership as the contract stated. He assumed his payments then turned into building maintenance.
The city is causing all the problems, Brooks said.
The trial will continue at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The Hall County Vietnam Hero Flight Association is still accepting Vietnam veteran applications. These applications must be received (and date stamped) in the Hall County Veterans Service Office or post marked no later than Saturday, Nov. 11.
Be aware that Nov. 11 is a holiday that will be observed by the Hall County Veterans Service Office on Nov. 10. Since the office will be closed, make sure you plan to have the application completed prior to that date. Please check with the U.S. Post Office or other mail carriers for office hours on Nov. 10-11. If the application is postmarked after Nov. 11, it will not be considered for a seat on the Hall County Hero Flight.
CBSD to hire law firm to investigate ACLU complaint
Central Bucks school board President Dana Hunter announced Monday the district would consider hiring lawyers to investigate ACLU complaint on Tuesday.
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Linkedin Bradley Wood (The Jakarta Post) Canberra Wed, September 27, 2017 14:19 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a223d975 3 Opinion minimum-essential-force,MEF,#MilitarySpending,military,military-modernization,defense-equipment,defense Free
In August, Indonesia announced that state-owned trading company PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia and Russias state-owned defence holding company Rostec had signed a memorandum of understanding, on a countertrade deal for the procurement of 11 Russian Sukhoi SU-35 Flanker E combat aircraft. While the precise details are yet to be finalized, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita has stated that Indonesia is offering to trade rubber, coffee, palm oil, tea, and other strategic products in exchange for the SU-35 jet fighters.
The countertrade deal is convenient as it allows Indonesia to reach the requirements of the second phase of its modernization doctrine, the minimum essential force (MEF), amidst the limited state budget. Still, the deal will face some challenges in its implementation.
Indonesia has a long history of countertrade arrangements for the procurement of defense platforms from Russia, including the 2003 acquisition of Russian SU-27SK and the SU-30MK combat aircraft.The 2003 deal involved a hard currency down-payment of 13.5 percent of US$192 million contract, with the remaining settled through the countertrade of commodities.
This deal represents the first major defense acquisition project for President Joko Jokowi Widodos government that falls within the parameters of the 2012 defense law. The law allows the engagement of foreign defense contractors for acquisition unable to be achieved domestically through countertrade, local content, and or technology transfer offset arrangements.
According to Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu, the countertrade deal will involve a local content and offset arrangement of 35 percent, and a countertrade arrangement of Indonesian exports equal to 50 percent of the total US$1.14 billion contract.
Indonesia is struggling to achieve the requirements set out in the second phase (2015-2019) of its MEF modernization doctrine due to a limited budget. The second phase of MEF includes several big-ticket items such as submarines, new and existing upgrades of fighter aircraft, as well as advanced missile and radar systems.
Indonesias revised defense budget for 2017 is Rp 109.3 trillion, a 1.2 percent increase of the approved budget, and a 4.6 percent increase overall from the original draft defense budget. However, this funding has already been allocated to finance satellite lease payments and to support Indonesias deployment as part of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic.
Its estimated that Indonesia requires Rp 150 trillion to achieve the requirements in the second phase of the MEF. There is a defense economic gap between tangible funding in the state budget and what is actually required for the MEF.
Countertrade deals make sense given Indonesias fiscal constraints. It will allow acquisition of expensive defense platforms without paying the total price in hard currency. Indonesias economy will also benefit, as state funds budgeted for defense acquisition will now be used to purchase commodities from domestic suppliers.
Indonesia has also revealed that the countertrade deal will involve the establishment of maintenance, repair, and overhaul facilities (MRO) as part of the offset arrangements. This will reduce whole-of-life sustainment costs significantly. Currently, Indonesia must send its Sukhoi fighters to Russia, making it practically dependent on Russia for maintenance.
Initial details indicate this offset arrangement will include the maintenance capability for radar targeting, synthetic and enhanced display, integrated logistics management, and facilities to maintain and repair the AL-417-1S and AL-31F engines. This will enable Indonesia to maintain the new SU-35s and its legacy fleet of Sukhoi jet fighters. An MRO facility in Indonesia has the potential to become a regional maintenance hub, providing MRO services to Malaysias and Vietnams Sukhoi fleets.
Nevertheless, there are still important domestic challenges in implementing this countertrade arrangement. The main challenge will be centered around the procurement of requested commodities. The 2003 deal under former president Megawati Soekarnoputri involved a multi-phase tender process through the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), which awarded tenders based on the cheapest price. However, the current deal is worth substantially more, and the market price of crude palm oil and rubber the most likely requested commodities has also increased. This will make it a more contested process prone to corruption.
This risk is amplified by the political and military links to many of the palm oil and rubber conglomerates in Indonesia. These lucrative businesses are known to operate under an organized patronage political network, which involves well connected politicians and former military officers being appointed to director and advisor positions. The military and major political figures at the national and regional level are also known to hold substantial shares in some of these companies.
Furthermore, it is estimated that more than two-thirds of the total production of Indonesias palm oil is controlled by Malaysian and Singaporean companies through subsidiaries in Indonesia.
A political scandal involving this countertrade deal such as a corruption involving Indonesias palm oil conglomerates with links to the military or serving politicians, or the involvement of foreign-linked companies in the countertrade deal at the expense of Indonesias smaller farmers, could make effective political ammunition come campaign time in 2019.
The Jokowi government will have to implement this countertrade deal much more carefully than the former Megawati government. The 2003 countertrade deal became heavily politicized leading to a parliamentary inquiry referred to as the Sukhoi-gate affair. President Jokowi will want to avoid such a scenario by demonstrating the successful implementation of the first major defense acquisition project under his government.
If implemented correctly, however, Indonesia may find one answer to its underfunded military modernization plans and domestic defense industry ambitions. But if implemented poorly, the SU-35s may not be worth their weight in commodities, but in political capital for Jokowis opposition come 2019.
***
The writer is a Master of Strategic Studies (Advanced) student at the Australian National Universitys Strategic and Defence Studies Centre. He was the 2017 Robert ONeill scholar at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS-Asia) based in Singapore.
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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 15:13 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2244c99 1 Lifestyle steve-jobs,auction Free
Aside from joining the pre-order service for the latest iPhone X, Apple enthusiasts can also celebrate the tenth anniversary of the smartphone by bidding on some historical items, one of which is a copy of Newsweek magazine that had been signed by Steve Jobs.
The magazine, which was published on Oct. 24, 1988, featured Jobs on its cover with headline Mr. Chips Steve Jobs Puts the Wow Back in Computers. In addition to the autograph, the cover also had Jobs' handwriting that says I love manufacturing.
The magazines consignor explained her meeting with Jobs in a letter that can be read on auction house RR Auctions website.
In October 1988, Steve Jobs came to Lotus Development Corporation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to unveil the much-anticipated NeXT computer. It was expected to revolutionize academia and all things educational, she wrote, adding that she was a senior buyer at Lotus working in the manufacturing facility at that time.
Read also: Rapper B.O.B raising money for own satellite to prove Earth is flat
The Newsweek magazine, which was published on Oct. 24, 1988, featured Jobs on its cover. (rrauction.com/File)
[] I stopped at a hotel gift shop and purchased some mints along with several magazines that he [Jobs] was featured on, she jotted down while describing that the venue was full of reporters, teleprompters and live feeds from all over the world. She then said that Jobs sat on a table next to her.
I showed him a pile of magazines and asked him to pick one to autograph for me. He hesitated and said, I dont do autographs at which point I stepped closer, locked eyes and said, Then write something from your heart. He smiled from ear to ear, picked the Newsweek and jotted the words.
The magazine will be up for bidding in October and it will be accompanied by full letters of authenticity from PSA/DNA, Beckett Authentication Services and a detailed letter of provenance from the consignor.
Valued at $700,000, the Apple-I came in a set with some items, among them were Apple original Operation Manual, Apple original Basic Users Manual and Apple-I original Cassette Interface Manual. (charitybuzz.com/File)
Furthermore, another item that had been auctioned off on Tuesday was the Apple-I Computer that is considered as the origin of the personal computer revolution. The board was actually owned by Adam Schoolsky and could be found at the website of Charitybuzz, an internet company that raises funds via online charity.
Valued at $700,000, the Apple-I came in a set with some items, among them were Apple original Operation Manual, Apple original Basic Users Manual, and Apple-I original Cassette Interface Manual. It is said that, out of 200 units, there were only less than 60 units that were still available. Also, it was hand-built by Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs sister and the team. (asw)
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Linkedin Khristian Ibarrola (Inquirer.net/Asia News Network) Wed, September 27, 2017 18:09 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a224dc5f 2 Science & Tech Microsoft,Microsoft-Office Free
Microsoft Offices suite of applications has been one of the most helpful tools of this modern era.
An update for the serviceable software is now in the horizon, as Microsoft recently announced Office 2019, primed to be released in the second half of next year.
According to The Verge, the app will boast classic favorites such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, along with server versions of Exchange, SharePoint and Skype for Business.
Apart from bringing back a better version of the beloved apps, Office 2019 updates will include IT manageability for businesses that arent using Office 365 and new ink features like pressure sensitivity, tilt effects and ink replay, the report said.
It will also boast a slew of new formulas and charts for Excel, while adding a new and improved visual animation for presentations.
Microsoft will release more details about Office 2019 in the coming months, and the company is expected to release a demo version in early 2018.
Topics :
This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 12:01 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2237137 1 Science & Tech Donald-Trump,North-Korea,Twitter Free
Twitter has said it will update its policies following a tweet published over the weekend by United States President Donald Trump that prompted North Korea to take it as a declaration of war.
Responding to questions as to why Trump's threatening tweet has not been removed, Twitter said in a post published on Tuesday that "newsworthiness" and public interest were among the considerations of whether tweets had violated rules, implying that Trump's account would not be censored.
THREAD: Some of you have been asking why we haven't taken down the Tweet mentioned here: https://t.co/CecwG0qHmq 1/6 Twitter PublicPolicy (@Policy) September 25, 2017
"This has long been internal policy and we'll soon update our public-facing rules to reflect it. We need to do better on this, and will," the company said in a tweet thread posted on the issue.
According to The Verge, there has been some controversy since the 2016 US election primaries over whether Twitter should ban Trump's account or hide some of his tweets, which often insult other individuals.
Read also: North Korea says Trump has declared war on the country
The social media platform has not previously addressed this issue.
But the issue came up again on Monday after North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho accused Trump of declaring war on his country by tweeting on Sunday that North Korea "won't be around much longer."
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
"All the member states and the whole world should clearly remember it was the United States that first declared war on our country," Ri told reporters in New York on Monday as quoted by AFP. (liz/asw)
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Linkedin Anuj Chopra (Agence France-Presse) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Wed, September 27, 2017 11:46 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2235f0e 2 World conservatism,Saudi-Arabia,women-empowerment Free
Saudi Arabia said Tuesday it would allow women to drive, the last country in the world to do so, sparking euphoria and disbelief among activists in the ultra-conservative kingdom, where social restrictions are increasingly being loosened.
The longstanding driving ban was seen internationally as a symbol of repression of women in the Gulf kingdom and its repeal comes after years of resistance from female activists.
The shock announcement, which risks riling religious conservatives, is part of Saudi Arabia's ambitious reform push aimed at adapting to a post-oil era and improving a global reputation battered by its human rights record.
"King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud has issued a decree authorising the issuance of drivers' licences for women in the kingdom," Saudi state TV said.
"The decree will take effect in June 2018."
Saudi Arabia will use the "preparatory period" until then to expand licensing facilities and develop the infrastructure to accommodate millions of new drivers, the announcement added.
Conservative clerics in Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy ruled according to sharia law, have long justified the ban arguing that lifting it would lead to promiscuity. One of them claimed that driving harmed women's ovaries.
Many women's rights activists have been jailed for flouting the ban.
The surprise announcement was widely welcomed, both at home and abroad.
"A glorious day. Can't hold back my tears," tweeted Saudi shura council member Latifah Alshaalan. "Congratulations to the women of my homeland."
Activist Manal al-Sharif, who led the 2011 "Women2Drive" protest movement, tweeted: "Today, the last country on earth to allow women to drive... we did it."
"It is a testimony to the bravery of women activists who have been campaigning for years that... Saudi Arabia has finally relented and decided to permit women to drive," rights watchdog Amnesty International said.
Saudi Arabia has some of the world's tightest restrictions on women.
Under the country's guardianship system, a male family member -- normally the father, husband or brother -- must grant permission for a woman's study, travel and other activities.
It was unclear whether women would require their guardian's permission to apply for a driving licence.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh Wed, September 27, 2017 17:29 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a224c61e 2 World Rohingya-Muslims,Myanmar,refugee,UN Free
The UN has drawn up a contingency plan to feed up to 700,000 Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar after some 480,000 fled to Bangladesh over the past month and arrivals continue.
A senior official from the UN's World Food Program (WFP) told AFP they were now prepared to provide massive food and other emergency aid if the influx continues in coming weeks.
"All the UN agencies together have now set a plan for a new influx of 700,000. We can cover if the new influx reaches 700,000," said the WFP's deputy chief in Bangladesh, Dipayan Bhattacharyya, on Wednesday.
Rohingya have been fleeing Rakhine state in northeast Myanmar for decades. The new influx began on August 25 when deadly attacks by Rohingya militants on Myanmar police posts prompted a huge crackdown by the military.
Bhattacharyya said the hunger situation in camps has improved as food aid from WFP and other agencies is now reaching the refugees.
He said the plan also covers some 300,000 Rohingya who were already sheltering in southeast Bangladesh before the latest influx began -- meaning it could cater for a million people in total.
"No one would be left out from any humanitarian assistance," he said, adding that the WFP would need about $80 million for the massive aid.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visited the overflowing camps last week and said Bangladesh needs "massive international assistance" to feed and shelter the Rohingya.
Grandi said there had been an "incredible outpouring of local generosity" but that now needed to be "beefed up by massive international assistance, financial and material".
A United Nations official last week said it would need $200 million over the next six months to handle the Rohingya crisis.
The UN made an emergency appeal for $78 million on September 9, but UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh Robert Watkins said much more would be needed as the exodus grows.
Impoverished Bangladesh, which earned praise for opening up its border, has eased restrictions on aid groups working in refugee camps and sought $250 million from the World Bank to fund emergency relief.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 11:35 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2234b08 1 City Bekasi,PDAM,water,pollution Free
The polluted rivers in Bekasi, West Java, prevent 30,000 residents from accessing clean water.
The acting director of local water company PDAM Tirta Patriot, Cecep Ahmadi, said some residents had complained about mosquito larvae and worms in the water.
For the last three days, PDAM has faced difficulty processing clean water due to the poor quality of the raw water, Cecep said.
We tried our best to process the polluted water. We got the water from the Palanta water canal and the Jatiluhur dam [in West Java]. The water quality from these sources is usually good despite the low volume, Cecep said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.
Cecep added that the quality of the raw water was improving so residents should not panic.
Meanwhile, Bekasi Council member Ariyanto Hendrata said he had received information that 18 companies had thrown waste into the rivers because they did not have waste water treatment plants (IPAL).
The Bekasi Environment Agency is not monitoring these companies, he said.
This [monitoring] is important because the waste thrown into the river will be used as raw water for PDAM, which will be distributed to Bekasi residents, Ariyanto said. (cal)
Topics : Bekasi PDAM water pollution
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 13:27 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a223b559 1 Business BPJS-Ketenagakerjaan,Freeport-shares,divestment Free
The Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) is considering taking part in a consortium tasked with buying shares of gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia after the miner agreed to divest 51 percent of its shares in exchange for a contract extension for its Grasberg mine in Papua to 2041.
BPJS Ketenagakerjaan president director Agus Susanto said his company would discuss the issue internally before deciding whether it will join a consortium of state-owned enterprises to buy Freeports shares.
Of course we support the government, but to make a decision on investment, we need to carry out an internal study, Agus said in Jakarta on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com.
Previously, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno said the government would demand that state-owned aluminum firm PT Indonesia Asahan Alumnium (Inalum) acquire Freeports shares, but the government is also considering the option of establishing a consortium to buy the shares.
Currently, the government owns 9.4 percent of Freeport. The company is required to divest another 41.6 percent of its shares to Indonesian entities. (bbn)
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Linkedin N. Adri (The Jakarta Post) Balikpapan, East Kalimantan Wed, September 27, 2017 18:38 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a224eae1 1 National greenpeace,peat-fires,peatland,peat-land,forest-fires,GFC,BNPB,West-Kalimantan,conservation,hotspots Free
Environmental activists said a lack of concrete action may hinder the success of agreements made by the governors Climate and Forest Task Force (GFC).
One thing that is disappointing is the fact that the central government and local administration are not speaking with one voice on the protection of peat lands, they said.
Even a governor from one of the GFC member provinces has questioned the benefit of Government Regulation [PP] No.57/2016 on the protection and management of peat land ecosystems to President Joko Jokowi Widodo, conservation group Greenpeace Indonesias global forest campaign head Kiki Taufik, said in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Wednesday.
In a letter sent to Jokowi in April, West Kalimantan governor Cornelis said the implementation of PP No.57 and Environment and Forestry Minister Regulation No.P.17/2017 would affect the sustainability of investments from 43 companies that employ 20,000 people in the province.
In fact, the forest and peat land fire level in West Kalimantan is quite high, said Kiki.
Last month, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said results of satellite monitoring, recorded at the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), detected 150 hot spots in areas across West Kalimantan.
The widespread hot spots have forced five regencies in West Kalimantan to declare an alert for land and forest fires. The five regencies are Bengkayang, Ketapang, Kubu Raya, Melawi and Sekadau.
Kiki said the central government and local administrations must uphold their commitment to tackle deforestation. (ebf)
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Linkedin (Bloomberg) Beijing, China Wed, September 27, 2017 21:35 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2254a49 2 World WhatsApp,Censorship,China,party,congress Free
China has hit out at Facebook.s WhatsApp, saying the messaging service should act to stop the spread of illegal information as the country seeks greater scrutiny over the internet in the run-up to its once-in-five years Communist Party congress.
WhatsApp should take proactive measures to intercept information to do with violence and terror, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in a statement in response to questions from Bloomberg News. China has the authority to tell institutions to take these measures, said the agency, without specifying details of content it considered illegal.
A countrys cyberspace sovereignty should be protected, it added.
The response comes as China is seen to be tightening the screws on WhatsApp, which has until recently been one of the only remaining major messaging services to operate unfettered in the country.
Beijing has been employing cutting-edge surveillance technology to disrupt the messaging service as part of a longer-term online crackdown, according to Nadim Kobeissi, a cryptographer at Paris-based online security firm Symbolic Software. The interference -- which saw WhatsApps service interrupted across China at the weekend before it was resumed -- marks a step up from July, when local users began experiencing sporadic issues sending images and voice messages.
The government has slapped fines on media and technology companies for failing to screen content, shuttered celebrity gossip sites, and punished chat-group administrators on Tencent Holdings Ltd.s WeChat service for hosting sensitive content. The congress, which is due to get under way on Oct. 18, will see a twice-a-decade reshuffle of the party leadership.
Chinas Internet is fully open, the administration said. We welcome internet companies from various countries to provide Chinese internet users with good information services.
Topics : WhatsApp Censorship China party congress
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 21:08 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2252e41 4 Business 35000MW,electricity,revision,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,ignasius-jonan Free
Finance Sri Mulyani has sent a letter to Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan to inform him about the financial risk if the government goes ahead with its plan to construct 35,000 megawatts power plants by 2019.
In her letter dated Sept. 19, Sri Mulyani said the government needed to make an adjustment, considering the financial condition of state-owned electricity company PLN to finance the planned projects.
She said PLN was financially weak because it had to pay its debts causing it to have limited funds to invest in a government program.
Read also: PLN set to expedite 35,000 MW project
It forces PLN to rely on loans from third parties, said the minister.
Meanwhile, electricity sales also missed the target. This was also caused by the government policy not to increase the electricity tariff, said Sri Mulyani in her letter, according to kontan.co.id on Wednesday.
She called on the Jonan and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno to be more efficient especially when using primary energy like coal and to anticipate PLNs failure to fulfill its financial obligations in the future.
Meanwhile, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry spokesperson Kusdiana said that PLN had controlled their spending based on the existing parameters: electricity sales growth, sales volume and renewable energy. The target of primary energy use for electricity is 4.66 percent, the official added.
PLN spokesman I Made Suprateka said LPN projects are always a financial risk. They have not produced electricity, but we still have to pay them. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 14:47 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a224271b 1 Business jakarta,destination,Global-Destinations-Cities-Index Free
The Global Destination Cities Index (GDCI) has placed Jakarta as the fifth fastest growing destination amid 132 cities, according to an annual report issued by Mastercard on Tuesday.
The report shows that Jakarta's position was behind Osaka in Japan, Chengdu in China, Colombo in Sri Lanka and Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates, while the five cities behind Jakarta are Tokyo, Hanoi, Riyadh, Lima and Taipei.
Legion Lead Asia Pacific Mastercard senior vice president Eric Scheineder said 59.1 percent of people were visiting Jakarta for business, while the other 40.9 percent were visiting for leisure.
The research shows more than half of visitors were visiting Jakarta for business purposes, Scheineder said in Singapore on Tuesday as quoted by kontan.co.id, adding that meanwhile 98 percent of visits to Colombo were for leisure purposes.
Similarly, a majority of visitors to Osaka (89.4 percent) and Chengdu (82.6 percent) were for leisure, indicating that Jakarta is not yet a major destination for leisure purposes.
This is also indicated by the spending figures of Jakarta visitors, which were 44.6 percent for accommodation, 20.4 percent for food, 13.4 percent for shopping, 10.6 percent for transportation, 10.2 percent for local services and 0.8 percent for other purposes.
Scheineder said it was a challenge for Jakarta to attract more visitors who want to spend their time for leisure. Jakarta needs to attract more tourists, who have already visited Singapore, Thailand, China and India to come to the city for leisure purposes he added. (bbn)
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie and Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 16:34 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a224aaf3 1 Politics Jokowi,Gatot-Nurmantyo,Wiranto,controversy,Ryamizard-Ryacudu,TNI,National-Police,BIN Free
President Joko Jokowi Widodo said on Wednesday that he met Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo after the generals controversial remarks over weapons procurement that caused an uproar in the country.
The four-star military general met Jokowi at Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base in East Jakarta on Tuesday night, after the President wrapped up a working visit to Bali.
[Gatot] has explained. I suppose the clarification made by Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister [Wiranto] is already clear. I need not repeat it, Jokowi told reporters.
In a speech at a meeting of retired military members at the TNI headquarters on Friday, Gatot alleged that an institution outside the military tried to import 5,000 illegal weapons on behalf of Jokowi.
Read also: TNI commander ruffles political feathers
He also said he would "attack" the National Police if they had weapons capable of damaging tanks, warships or aircraft.
On Sunday, Wiranto clarified Gatots statement on Sunday, saying that the TNI commander was "misinformed" about the plan by the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) to purchase about 500 weapons from state-owned weapons manufacturer PT Pindad for training purposes.
On alert: National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian (left) and Indonesian Military commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo give a statements to the press after a meeting at National Police headquarters in Jakarta on Nov.21. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said on Tuesday that the ministry had received the proposal on May to procure 521 firearms and 72,750 bullets.
Gatots remarks have been blasted by activists and politicians who said his statement could incite tensions between the military and the police. Some even went so far as to accuse him of bringing the military into the political sphere. (bbs)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 11:59 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2236630 1 Business state-owned-enterprises,Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,sales,restructuration Free
Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has said that Indonesia has too many state-owned enterprises that act as competitors to private companies operating in the country.
Luhut said he had advised President Joko Jokowi Widodo to either restructure or sell existing state-owned enterprises and their respective subsidiaries.
I have told the President it is not healthy, Luhut said in Jakarta on Tuesday as quoted by tribunnews.com.
Previously, the World Bank criticized the Indonesian government over the domination of state-owned enterprises in the countrys economy.
The bank said Indonesia should not have established state-owned enterprises to compete with private companies.
It further advised the Indonesian government to support the role of private companies in developing the country. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 12:22 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22386e3 1 City matchmaking,website,membership Free
The Jakarta Police have revealed that 5,300 people registered to become members of nikahsirri.com, a website offering matchmaking and secret wedding services that was shut down by the government on Sunday.
The number is much higher than a previous estimate of 2,700 members.
After our IT experts traced all of the [membership] data, we found 5,300 registered clients on the website, Jakarta Police special crimes unit director Sr. Comr. Adi Derian said on Tuesday as quoted by tribunnews.com.
The website has been accused of acting as a prostitution site under the guise of matchmaking.
Meanwhile, the police are still tracking down the number of registered partners who applied to become brides, grooms, wedding officials and witnesses.
Previously, the police said there were 300 registered partners on the website.
Together with the websites owner, Aris Wahyudi, the police will trace the partners data, Adi said.
Aris was arrested at his house in Bekasi, West Java, on Sunday.
He was charged under the Pornography Law and the Electronic Information and Transactions Law. (cal)
Topics : matchmaking website membership
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27 2017
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has decided to extend the detention period of Dewi Suryana, a Bengkulu Corruption Court judge who is currently a graft suspect.
Dewi was arrested by KPK investigators on Sept. 9 on suspicion of accepting bribes from the family of a graft defendant in a case she was handling at that time.
The KPK now has until Nov. 5 to investigate further Dewis case before deciding to bring the case to court.
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Linkedin Aman Rochman (The Jakarta Post) Malang, East Java Wed, September 27, 2017 18:36 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a224e3c5 1 Business crude-oil,Pertamina-EP,pertamina,oil-price,oil-and-gas,energy,Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan Free
State-owned energy firm Pertamina aims to reduce crude oil imports in 2018, Nanang Abdul Manaf, the president director of its upstream subsidiary PT Pertamina EP, said Wednesday.
Energy companies have continued to struggle and tend to postpone expansion and new exploration amid low global crude oil prices, he said.
Wholly owned by the state, Pertamina cannot only think commercially. We have to contribute to the state, he said during Joint Convention Malang (JCM) 2017 in Malang, East Java. The event was jointly organized by Indonesian Geophysics Experts Association (HAGI), Indonesian Geology Experts Union (IAGI), Association of Oil and Gas Production Facilities Indonesia (IAFMI) and Indonesian Petroleum Engineering Experts Union (IATMI).
He said Indonesia was projected to import 140 million barrels of crude oil in 2017, about 5 percent higher than 134 million barrels in 2016. To save foreign exchange (forex) reserves, Pertamina needs to reduce crude imports, he added. In the future, we must be able to produce our own crude.
Read also: Reduction in red tape underway for oil and gas industry
Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who also attended the event, said the oil and gas industry was no longer a major contributor to the countrys forex reserve.
Investment in the upstream oil and gas sector only reached US$3.96 billion in the first six months of the year, or 29 percent of the governments end-of-year target of $13.8 billion.
The government is working on the best formulas regarding shares of regional administrations in oil and gas companies, so all parties can equally benefit amid low oil prices, the minister said. (bbs)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 21:02 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a225257e 1 City rally,MUI,Jakarta-police,meeting Free
High-ranking Jakarta Police officers visited Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman Maruf Amin in Koja, North Jakarta, two days before another planned rally.
Jakarta Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Purwadi went to Marufs home on Wednesday morning along with spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono, North Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Dwiyono and Koja Police chief Comr. Supriyanto.
"The deputy chief and other officers came for a silaturahmi [friendly gathering] and to eat breakfast together, Maruf told kompas.com.
He said that on the occasion, the officials and Maruf discussed security in Jakarta and agreed to maintain it together.
A group of people calling themselves Alumni 212, after a group that participated in a massive rally in Jakarta on Dec. 2 to demand the prosecution of then Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama for blasphemy last year, plan to hold a rally on Friday outside the House of Representatives.
The protestors will demand the House reject Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) No. 2/2017 on mass organizations. They will also protest against what they claim is the resurrection of the Indonesian Communist Party. (agn)
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Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi (The Jakarta Post) Surakarta, Central Java Wed, September 27, 2017 16:19 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a224a786 1 National haj-pilgrimage,haj,haj-pilgrims,surakarta,Donohudan-Haj-Dormitory,Mecca,Saudi-Arabia Free
Eighteen Indonesian haj pilgrims that departed from the Surakarta embarkation point, Central Java, cannot return home yet as they must undergo medical treatment due to illness.
The pilgrims are being treated at hospitals in four cities Jeddah, Madinah, Mecca and Thaif -- in Saudi Arabia.
According to Religious Affairs Ministry data, 23,156 haj pilgrims from the Surakarta embarkation point have returned home. Meanwhile, 97 pilgrims from the embarkation point are recorded to have passed away in this years haj season.
[Except the 18 people] all haj pilgrims from the Surakarta embarkation point have all returned to their hometowns. Djamaatin Asrorijah Mukmin, 79, a pilgrim from Wonosobo regency, left Mecca earlier on a regular flight, Surakarta office of the Indonesian Haj Management Committee (PPIH) spokesperson Afief Undzir said on Wednesday.
He said the return of the haj pilgrims ran smoothly. As soon as they arrived at Adi Soemarmo International Airport, Surakarta, the pilgrims were taken to the Donohudan haj dormitory by bus to undergo health checks.
Sumardi Sumargo Hadimulyono, 54, a pilgrim from Batang regency, has been referred to Dr Moewardi Regional General Hospital for health reasons, said Afief.
He said 92 out of 97 pilgrims who passed away in this years haj season died in Saudi Arabia while four others died during their flight home. One pilgrim died at the Donohudan haj dormitory before departure. (ebf)
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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam, Riau Islands Wed, September 27, 2017 19:28 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a224f775 1 National Malaysia,coordinated-patrol,Riau-Islands,PDRM,illegal-workers,migrant-workers Free
The Riau Islands Water Police and the Royal Malaysian Polices Marine Police Region II Johor Bahru conducted coordinated patrols along the two countries sea border in the Malaka Strait to prevent the smuggling of migrant workers from Indonesia to Malaysia.
The coordinated patrol was officiated in a symbolic during a ceremony in Tanjung Setapa waters, Pangerang, Malaysia, on Tuesday, Riau Islands Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Saptono Erlangga said on Wednesday.
There are a number of locations that have been used as points of entrance for illegal migrant workers from Indonesia, Erlangga told The Jakarta Post.
Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi speaks to Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia during her trip to Penang and Johor Bahru, Malaysia, from March 15 to 18. (Courtesy of the Foreign Ministry/File)
There had been many cases in which illegal workers were smuggled to Malaysia through Penawar Bay and Tanjung Krisma, Erlangga said.
The smuggling issue has become a concern for authorities in both countries, especially given incidents of boats carrying workers capsizing in rough sea conditions, the spokesperson said. The cooperation follows up the incidents that occurred in the past, he said.
Read also: Fishermen, including from Indonesia, 'kept like slaves' in Taiwan
Meanwhile, Pangkal Pinang Catholic Archdiocese migrant committee chairman Pascalis Saturnus Esong said illegal migrant workers took illegal routes from Batam or Tanjung Pinang in Riau Islands aboard overcrowded ships two to three times a week.
We know this because the victims reported this to us. This is not a secret anymore, however, Pascalis said.
We have reported this to the authorities, but it seems the system has not been improved, he added. (afr/bbs)
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Linkedin Jeff Green and Jamie Butters (Bloomberg) Southfield, Michigan Wed, September 27, 2017 18:06 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a224d55a 2 Business Saudi-Arabia,driver,women-empowerment,Toyota,Uber,immigration Free
The ultraconservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia has issued an order allowing women to drive, ending a long-standing policy thats cast an unflattering light on the countrys treatment of women. Its also a royal opportunity for global automakers eager to make further inroads into the Middle Easts biggest economy.
Saudi Arabias move to open up its auto market to about half of its 32 million total population will have a profound impact on vehicle demand, driving habits and even immigration patterns in a country where low-wage immigrants from Bangladesh and the Philippines often work as hired drivers.
Market leaders such as Toyota Motor and Hyundai Motor, whose hulking sport utility vehicles are a fixture on Saudi roadways, may need to boost inventory of smaller models such as compacts and sedans for single working women and female students, analysts say. On the flip side, app-driven, hired driver services like Uber could experience a drop in demand, as more women buy their own cars and get behind the wheel.
The change by King Salman bin Abdulaziz to issue drivers license to women starting June is the latest twist in a far larger effort to modernize and economically diversify the kingdom and lessen the economys dependence on oil.
Activists have repeatedly defied the ban, launching campaigns in which women have been filmed getting behind the wheel illegally. Saudi Arabia is the last country in the world to be lifting such restrictions.
This is very exciting, said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with car-shopping website Kelley Blue Book, who worked in Saudi Arabia for more than two years. Its not going to be without obstacles, but its a huge step forward in terms of Saudi Arabia recognizing the contributions that women can make to the economy.
Market Share
Japanese automaker Toyota accounted for 32 percent of the 676,000 vehicles sold in Saudi Arabia last year, while South Koreas Hyundai ranked second with 24 percent market share, according to Jeff Schuster, an analyst with LMC Automotive. The country ranks 21st out of the 198 markets the researcher tracks, he said.
Toyota signed an agreement in March to conduct a feasibility study on local production in the kingdom. Nissan Motor Co. and Hyundai were also in early stages of talks to open local plants, Asharq Al-Awsat reported in June, citing an interview with a Saudi minister.
US manufacturers have a big opportunity if they can appeal to Saudi womens tastes in fashion and technology with culturally sensitive marketing on television and on social media, said Nahed Eltantawy, a professor of journalism at High Point University in North Carolina, who has edited a book on women and media in the Middle East.
Diverse Women
"Given that a lot of women will be traveling with kids, any advertising for family cars and vans to help with the children in the back would be helpful," she said. They need to offer diverse advertising that caters to the diverse women in Saudi Arabia.
The country has a young and growing population. The median age is about 27, and only about 8 percent of the population is over 55, according to the CIAs World Factbook.
Initially, the liberalization move may create road safety issues as new, inexperienced drivers navigate Saudi Arabias streets, Lindland said. This could blunt the negative impact on ride-sharing services like Uber, at least at first.
Uber also could benefit from a new pool of female drivers for its car-hire service. The government also has a vested interest in seeing the company succeed -- Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund is a major investor.
Were proud to have been able to provide extraordinary mobility for women in Saudi, and are excited by the economic opportunities this change could represent for them in the future, Uber said in an emailed statement. About 80 percent of the companys rides in Saudi Arabia are for women.
Less Demand
The other group that will see less demand are the thousands of private drivers who work directly for families, Lindland said. The policy change could shift the immigration patterns of the country if people no longer need the service, she said.
In a statement on King Salmans order, Saudi Arabia said agencies have been instructed to expand licensing facilities and driver-education programs to accommodate millions of new drivers. The challenges for some will be profound.
You dont really learn your way around because you dont drive, Lindland said, speaking from her own experience in the country. You dont pay attention because youre in the back, or youre in a shuttle bus. If you dont drive, you dont absorb.
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan Wed, September 27, 2017 14:28 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a223ded9 1 National Karo,Simalem,ISTA-2017,North-Sumatra,tourism Free
International tourist destination Simalem Park Resort in Karo Regency, North Sumatra, has been nominated for the 2017 Indonesia Sustainable Tourism Award (ISTA).
The winner of the 2017 ISTA, which carries the theme "People and Nature-based Tourism", will be announced on Sept. 27.
The announcement will held concurrently with the National Coordination Meeting at the Tourism Ministry in Jakarta.
Eddy Tanoto, the general manager of Simalem Park Resort, said he was proud that the resort would represent North Sumatra as one of the nominees at the ISTA this year.
"It's a great honor for Simalem," Eddy told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Located in Merek, Pengambaten village, the 200 hectare park is an eco resort that offers unique tourist activities, including trekking in the forest, horse-riding, archery and camping, Eddy said.
Read also: 100-intl scale events prepared to attract tourists next year
Simalem Park Resort offers farming activities as well as technical and hospitality programs for local students.
The park also offers sponsorship programs for local people to enter the hospitality industry, he went on to say.
"We want Simalem Park Resort to have activities that are in line with the strategic plan to develop national, regional and global tourism that promotes Indonesia's natural richness," Eddy said. (afr/bbs)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 21:16 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2253da4 1 Business 35000-MW-program,electricity,Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati Free
Maritime Affairs Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan agrees with Financial Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati that the government needs to revise its electricity projects.
He said the target of 35,000 megawatts by 2019 was projected when the economic growth reached between 6 to 7 percent annually, while the growth up to 2019 was estimated to reach between 5 and 6 annually.
In her letter to Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan, Sri Mulyani called for an adjustment of electricity projects due to the weakening financial state of state-owned electricity company PLN. She said the company was burdened by numerous government electricity projects.
We only need adjustments. If the economic growth reaches 7 percent, a 3,500 MW project can be implemented. [With the current growth,] we may need to slow down a bit, said Luhut, according to Antara, in Bandung, on Wednesday.
In the letter, Sri Mulyani called on the Jonan and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno to push efficiency within PLN, especially when using a primary energy such as coal.
In response, the ministrys deputy for energy, logistics, regions and tourism affairs, Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, said PLN has prepared several steps to fulfill its funding obligation through asset re-evaluation, asset productivity enhancement, efficiency in operation cost and goods and service procurements.
Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry spokesperson Kusdiana said that PLN had controlled their spending based on the existing parameters: electricity sales growth, sales volume and renewable energy.
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Linkedin Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 14:39 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a223eed6 4 Business Airlangga-Hartarto,textile,exports Free
The export value of textiles and their related products reached US$7.12 billion in the first half of 2017, a 2.71 percent increase from the corresponding period last year.
Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto projects that by the end of this year, the export value of textiles will reach $12.09 billion.
The increase in exports and domestic demand is indicated by the increase in production activity, said Airlangga while visiting a garment factory owned by PT Delami Garment Industry in Bandung, West Java, on Tuesday as reported by Antara.
He said his ministry supported the textile industry one of the countrys strategic sectors -- by facilitating smooth logistics access and strengthening local brands through establishing cooperation with international organizations, including with the World Intellectual Property Organizational (WIPO).
[RA::Ministry eyes $15b exports in 2019::http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/09/18/economy-brief-ministry-eyes-15b-exports-2019.html:
He said the textile industry had a great chance to develop because of the large domestic market and the potential for exports.
Therefore, this industry is set as one of the prioritized sectors in the 2015-2035 National Industry Development Master Plan, Airlangga added.
The government delineates the textile industry into three groups: First, the businesses that produce fiber. Second, the businesses that spin, knit, weave, dye, print and finish products. Third, the businesses that produce garments and other textile products. (bbn)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 15:03 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22440ab 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia Free
During his keynote speech at the Tourism National Coordination Meeting III, tourism minister Arief Yahya asked for provincial administrations to be committed to developing the tourism industry.
Arief began his address by mentioning the fact that tourism has been set as the nations leading economy sector by President Joko Widodo. In the 2018 government work plan (RKP), there are three leading sectors that are listed in the plan: Agriculture, Tourism and Fishery.
I often discuss with the President about the core industries of this nation that will contribute the most for the country, Arief said.
In manufacturing, for example, not a single country can compete against China for this industry. The situation is similar with information, where the five best companies in the industry are American companies.
So now there are only creative economy and tourism, I said that theres a possibility that we will be the biggest and the best in the region and globally, he added, also noting that the nations main core is cultural industry and this has the potential to be huge.
Arief moreover said he felt a bit odd if the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) doesn't measure tourism industrys contribution to the GDP, foreign exchange and labor.
If tourism has been set as a leading sector, it would be odd if BPS doesnt measure those things, the minister said.
Read also: Despite infrastructure issues, Nihi Sumba Island named worlds best hotel
Indonesia is included in The Telegraph's list of Top 20 Fastest Growing Travel Destinations in the World, which means that the nations growth rate is on par with the global standard.
ASEAN itself has the [tourism] growth of six percent, so does the worlds growth rate. But Indonesia has the rate of 24 percent, four times than the regional and global growth, Arief explained.
Meanwhile, the neighboring country Malaysia who the minister considers as the countrys biggest competitors has a decrease in its tourism growth with the rate is under five percent.
In 2016 Indonesia has won 46 awards in 22 countries, the Wonderful Indonesia tourism brand is in the 47th spot in the global ranking whilst Thailand is at the 83rd spot and Malaysia is at the 96th spot.
Recently, Indonesia won the peoples choice awards and East Asia and Pacific region categories at the UNWTO Video Competition.
Read also: How to handle unexpected emergencies while traveling
Arief explained that to become a global player, a global standard needs to be implemented and for this matter Arief is referring to the 14 pillars of Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TCCI) by World Economic Forum (WEF).
Out of the 14 pillars, Indonesia wins at price competitiveness whilst its weakest point is at environmental sustainability.
Back in 2015, Indonesia jumped up 20 spots to the 70th position and for this year Indonesia takes the 42nd spot out of 181 countries that are being assessed by WEF.
When it comes to tourism events, a good preparation is very important. Arief admitted that the ministrys events always have a problem in time consistency.
The next problem is budget management, These two things need the commitment from CEOs and district heads. If a mayor and regent is unable to hold [an event] the event will then get rescheduled, this is whats wrong, he said.
Arief is committed to providing the budget for promotion and publication, Your weakness is you dont want to invest on media hence I will be in charge for that, he said. (asw)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 14:05 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a223c2e0 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,medical-check,health Free
One of the highlights of the Tourism National Coordination Meeting III that runs from Sept. 26 - 27 was the MoU signing between the tourism ministry and the health ministry for the development of international medical tourism.
Tourism ministrys secretary Ukus Kuswara said the development of medical and health tourism is one of the flagships of special-interest tourism.
The development of medical tourism in Indonesia has a big potential considering the location and Indonesias advantages for medical tourism. Its also worth noting the number of Indonesians who travel abroad to get medical treatment, said Ukus.
The partnership between the two ministries involves policy and program coordination and harmonization, medical tourism improvement, development, education for the locals who live around medical tourist destinations, information and data exchange.
Theres also integrated technical mentoring, monitoring and evaluation, Ukus added.
The tourism ministry has the responsibility to form the standard indicator for medical tourism, conduct awareness of traditional values, authenticity, uniqueness, and access, and forming a partnership between private businesses in the tourism industry and the assigned medical facilities.
Tourism ministry is also tasked with forming a marketing strategy for medical products and services, identifying and proposing some of the leading products for medical tourism that will be patented as an intellectual property in Indonesia and the world, told Ukus.
Meanwhile, the responsibilities of healthy ministry include forming and socializing the medical tourism policy, pushing private sectors to build leading upscale hospitals and traditional health facilities.
Read also: A fifth of global deaths linked to diet: Study
The next step for both ministries is to form a joined taskforce with hospital, spa and other health association representatives.
In 2006, it was estimated that there were 350,000 Indonesians who underwent medical treatment overseas with the total spending of 500 million dollars. The latest calculation estimates that there are around 600,000 Indonesians who travel overseas for medical treatment with a total spending of around 1.4 billion dollars. In comparison, countries like Thailand has successfully developed its medical tourism and resulting in 3.2 billion dollars of foreign exchange in 2011.
A global survey conducted by McKinsey in 2008 on reasons why consumers like to travel overseas for a medical treatment shows that 40 percent of them are looking for the most advanced technology, 32 percent are looking for better treatment, 15 percent of them want faster medical service and only nine percent are looking for cheaper treatment.
Meanwhile in Indonesia, when it comes to health and wellness, the country is most famous for its spa treatments and destinations.
The success of Bali in being the best Spa destination in the world is not yet supported by scientific principles in Indonesia and not yet patented internationally. Traditional health treatments need to be preserved and supported scientifically in order to become sustainable and able to compete globally, said health ministry secretary-general Untung Suseno Sutarjo.
In Bali for example, the destination has long been known for its beautiful beaches, but apparently this place also has plenty of international hospitals, one of them is BIMC Hospital in Nusa Dua. Plenty of overseas tourists have recommended this place for those who fall sick during their vacations in Bali, added Arief.
Nowadays, the hospital is famous for its plastic surgery treatments, plenty of Australian tourists come to do cosmetic surgery at the hospital.
Most of them are doing blepharoplasty, liposuction and breast enhancement while vacationing, told Arief. (asw)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 16:09 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2249097 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia Free
Tourism ministry recently won an award from BPS Awards 2017 for Ideal Data User, Ministry or Government Agency Category.
Receiving the award that was given directly by the head of Central Statistics Agency (BPS) Kecuk Suhariyanto was tourism minister Arief Yahya.
In his acceptance speech, Arief mentioned the importance of BPS to go digital, If the data is late, then it is no longer relevant, the world is changing very fast. The solution is in Big Data, with Big Data BPS could become the richest institution in Indonesia, said Arief.
The award was given on the National Statistics Day that fell on September 26. Apart from the award ceremony, there was also a seminar titled Planning the Future of Statistics Gathering Format Using Information Technology.
Arief moreover revealed that both tourism ministry and BPS have implemented Mobile Positioning Data (MPD) back in 2016. The method has earned the support and appreciation from UNWTO through the ministry and BPS delegates visit to the UNWTO in Madrid on January 31 this year and workshop on The Use of Mobile Positioning Data on Tourism Statistics that was held in Bali on March 23 this year.
Read also: Dangers of vicarious travel
MPD has been presented at the 6th UNWTO International Conference on Tourism Statistics in Manila on July 20 -21. The method received plenty of supports and appreciations from many countries and international institutions, explained Arief.
MPD is the perfect the method in this digital era to gather information about the number overseas tourists since this method has several advantages such as real-time, speed, precision and wider coverage, also known as the 3Vs: Volume, Velocity and Variety.
Moreover, there are three aspects of data processing, also known as 3Ps: Performance, promotion and projection.
MPD is used to measure performance while Big Data is used for promotion and projection, said Arief.
Meanwhile, other awardees of BPS Awards 2017 include Bisinis Indonesia for Ideal Media, Mass Media Category and PT. Indofood Sukses Makmur for Ideal Respondent, Company/Association Category. (asw)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Wed, September 27, 2017 13:02 1874 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a223a81f 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia Free
Around 1,000 participants attended the first day of the Tourism National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) III, Sept. 26 in Jakarta.
Participants arrived at Bidakara Hotel, at 08:00 a.m., dressed up in a traditional outfit, fulfilling the dress code instructed by tourism minister Arief Yahya for first, second and third echelons.
Todays Rakornas feels more like a carnival, this to show that Indonesia is a diverse [country]. Indonesia with its diversity is one of the tourisms biggest strengths, told Arief who donned a traditional Betawi costume.
This is Indonesia, this is Indonesian tourism, the beauty and diversity are under the same roof that is Indonesia, Arief added.
This is not the first time for the minister to ask his colleagues to wear traditional costumes to an official event. At this years Independence Day celebration Arief also required all attendees to don traditional costumes.
Also attending were the ministry officials; tourism marketing development deputy Esthy Reko Astuti dressed up in a Javanese kebaya, ministry's deputy minister for overseas promotion I Gde Pitana in Balinese traditional outfit and the ministry's deputy for destination and tourism industry development, Dadang Rizki Ratman in Sundanese traditional outfit.
Read also: UWRF 2017 to feature 'Despicable Me director
Guests on the first day included BPS deputy chairman for production statistics Adi Lumaksono, health ministry secretary-general Untung Suseno Sutarjo, commission secretary-general Danang Wijayanto and national professional certification board (BNSP) head Sumarna F Abdurahman.
The meeting discussed the Calendar of Events (CoE) 2018 plan in order to achieve next years target of 17 million international tourists and 270 million domestic tourists.
The synergy for Wonderful Indonesia Calendar of Events 2018 is very important because we want to have more than 100 international-scale premium events to increase tourist visits in 2018. Thats why each region should be encouraged to come up with international events that will be included in the Calendar of Events, Arief explained.
The minister added that CoE 2018 is an important program in strengthening the 3As elements of Attraction, Accommodation, and Accessibility, particularly cultural, nature and man-made tourist attractions.
In the meeting, we will discuss what kind of stimulus needed in each region and how to set up a standard indicator for international events, Arief added.
Indonesia already has several sustainable events such as Jakarta Fashion Week, Java Jazz and Jakarta Culinary Festival and other events that have been growing rapidly.
There are two international events that will bring in thousands of overseas tourists to Indonesia: Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang in August 2018 and IMF-World Bank Annual Meeting 2018 in Bali in October, he said. (asw)
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who represents the Lower East Side, is leading the charge in Washington for a stronger response from the Trump administration to the disastrous hurricanes in Puerto Rico. [NPR]
A review of Jeremiah Mosss new book on the hyper-gentrification of New York City: The pleasure (or agony, depending on your predilection) of reading Moss is his purity He begins no thought with on the other hand. For Moss there is only one hand, and it is the hand of menacing greed and self-interest. His contempt for tourists and transplants who dont abide the old folkways is uncompromised [New York Times]
Pete Wells visits Cervos, the new Canal Street restaurant, concluding that the seafood-centric spot is doing a good impersonation of a wine bar. He awards the restaurant one star. [New York Times]
A strong endorsement for Nom Wah Tu on Orchard Street. [Gothamist]
High Tea on the Lower East Side: unexpected things happen during the daytime hours at a second floor bar on Clinton Street. [New York Times]
And it's time for the finale - Paris Fashion week has arrived.
As much as we love London, Paris will always be the highlight of Fashion Month; from iconic designers to trend-setting newbies, to celebrity sightings and behind the scenes snaps from our favourite I nsta models to bloggers shooting their street style in front of the cafes and bars in The City of Light.
And unlike Milan, we are super lucky that we can live stream most of our favourite shows straight from the source. Weve compiled a very long list of the MUST watch shows (we couldnt pick!), where to find their live streams , and the bloggers to follow to keep you in the loop with the designers who arent inviting us in.
And, if your favourite show doesn't have a live stream, don't panic! Just head over to nowfashion.com for photos from all the shows. favouritelive stream, don't panic!real-time
Schedule:
Maison Margiela - 27/09/17 11:00
Kenzo 27/09/17 20:00
Paco Rabanne -28/09/17 14:00
Isabel Marant 28/09/17 20:00
Loewe 29/09/17 9:30
Issey Miyake 29/09/17 12:30
Nina Ricci - 29/09/17 14:30
Mugler 30/09/17 12:30
Acne Studios 30/09/17 14:00
Vivienne Westwood 30/09/17 16:00
Altuzarra 30/09/17 18:00
Sonia Rykiel 30/09/17 20:00
Celine 1/10/17 13:00
Valentino -1/10/17 17:00
John Galliano 1/10/17 18:30
Stella McCartney 2/10/17 10:00
Hermes 2/10/17 16:30
Alexander McQueen 2/10/17 20:00
Chanel 3/10/17 10:30
Miu Miu 3/10/17 14:30
Louis Vuitton- 3/10/17 18:30
The bloggers to watch:
@notjessfashion
@ireneisgood
@camilacoelho
@carodaur
@tamara
@ohhcouture
@kenzasmg
UK grime star Stormzy has shared his childhood with fans in a short film bearing the title of his hit debut album Gang Signs & Prayer.
Created in collaboration with film-maker Rollo Jackson, the 15-minute piece chronicles his upbringing in the capital and the difficulties and temptations that threatened to lead him astray.
From left: Stormzy, Twin B and Rollo Jackson attend the premiere (Matt Alexander/PA)
Tracks such as Return Of The Rucksack, Bad Boys and 100 Bags provide the soundtrack and the artist himself joins the actors in a rapping cameo role.
The 24-year-old said: Young youts like myself, that grow up in the hood, we often dont know that we are actually the masters of our own destiny.
There are so many things that steer us in the wrong direction, however we decide what happens in our own lives and, like my album, I endeavoured for this film to portray just that.
Derived from my album Gang Signs & Prayer, and written and directed by the legend that is Rollo, Ill let the visual do the talking.
The video was officially launched on Tuesday during an event at the YouTube Space London with both Stormzy, Jackson and an intimate host of 90 fans.
The Irish government has announced it will hold a referendum on whether to repeal the Eighth Amendment to its constitution, which prohibits abortion in most cases, in 2018.
Irelands Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has previously stated that the Eighth Amendment is too restrictive. Heres what you need to know about the upcoming vote.
What is the Eighth Amendment?
Voters will visit the polls to decide the future of abortion laws in Ireland (Chris Radburn/PA )
Article 40.3.3, otherwise known as the Eighth Amendment, was voted into the constitution in 1983. Although abortion has always been illegal in the country, the 1983 referendum saw it enshrined in the constitution.
It states: The states acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.
Some say this definition is problematic because it makes the life of the foetus and the life of the woman carrying it equal.
In effect, it means abortion is illegal in Ireland, unless it endangers the mothers life. This means that abortion is illegal even in cases of rape, incest or foetal abnormality.
Leo Varadkar has called the current laws too restrictive (Brian Lawless/PA)
Penalties for having an illegal abortion in Ireland carry jail sentences of up to 14 years, but women are permitted to travel abroad for the procedure.
Many groups have been campaigning for changes to the countrys strict laws, with the hashtag #RepealTheEighth becoming a central mantra.
What will the vote entail?
The Government has said a vote will be held in May or June next year, shortly before a visit from the Pope to the majority-Catholic country.
Are there other issues in Irish politics that have been decided this way?
Yes. The Irish voted by 62% in favour of same-sex marriage in 2015, becoming the first nation to legalise gay marriage by popular vote.
For Twitter, its biggest feature and its greatest weakness are arguably the same thing its 140-character restriction.
Now the site is looking to change all that by doubling that limit, and has already rolled out the new feature to a select group of users.
Cant fit your Tweet into 140 characters? Were trying something new with a small group, and increasing the character limit to 280! Excited about the possibilities? Read our blog to find out how it all adds up. https://t.co/C6hjsB9nbL Twitter (@Twitter) September 26, 2017
Of course, if theres one thing Twitter users do well its reacting to news with wit and a raised eyebrow or alternatively, repeatedly making the same joke.
Im so excited to be part of @Twitters #280characters rollout. Let me just say its an honor and a privilege. Id like to thank my wonderf Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) September 27, 2017
As enticing as it may sound, the notion of having #280characters will make tweets less interesting & succinct. Besides, who ever runs out of BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) September 27, 2017
Why does Twitter need to expand the tweet length to #280characters ? If you cant express your point in 140 characters youre clearly a mor Danny (@DannyCalidonia) September 27, 2017
Twitters co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey was suddenly able to be more verbose than usual as he explained the change.
This is a small change, but a big move for us. 140 was an arbitrary choice based on the 160 character SMS limit. Proud of how thoughtful the team has been in solving a real problem people have when trying to tweet. And at the same time maintaining our brevity, speed, and essence! https://t.co/TuHj51MsTu jack (@jack) September 26, 2017
But not everyone thought the extra words were necessary.
Some people looked to TV and music to try and explain the change.
Others, meanwhile, wondered what the change might mean for one of the worlds most famous tweeters, US President Donald Trump.
And in one stroke, Twitter doubles the complexity of our nation's foreign policy. Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) September 27, 2017
Meanwhile, you might want to prepare for threads to become even longer.
Oh God, the threads are going to be unbearable #280characters Liz Buckley (@liz_buckley) September 27, 2017
Of course, if you cant think what to do with the new character count, you could always just do this.
Twitter announced the change on Tuesday night saying it wanted users to easily express themselves on Twitter in languages such as English and Spanish.
The 140-character limit remains for three languages Japanese, Chinese and Korean which allow more to be expressed in a single character.
In All Debts Paid, the cost of the bargains that Claire and Jamie have struck begin to materialise, with wider ramifications than perhaps either of them realise.
First, lets focus on Claire, whos learning to deal with the disintegration of her marriage. Claire and Frank adjust to their newly open relationship, now that all hope of reconciliation is lost. Frank is discreetly dating around, but Claire is still too wrapped up in Jamie to ever consider someone new.
We see Claire's discomfort at the arrangement, even as she suppresses her natural reaction. Its an irrational reaction, but shes smart enough to know it and pragmatic enough to accept the new bargain.
The gloves are off, however, when Claires graduation goes awry. At a celebration for family and friends, Franks new girlfriend Sandy (not Candy) accidentally arrives early and embarrasses Claire.
The newly qualified doctor confronts her husband, who admits there was some malice in the action. Yet, its difficult to be truly mad at Frank- this is undoubtedly a moment of weakness for him, but Outlander resists making Frank a clear-cut villain. Hes not characterised as a bad man, but instead as someone whose life has gone awry and isnt wholly perfect.
Frank and Claire contemplate a divorce, but Frank cant bear the thought of being separated from Brianna, and doesnt trust Claire to allow him access to Brianna. Instead, both parties carry on in a miserable compromise.
Its only once Brianna has graduated from high school that the floodgates open for Frank. Now Brianna is an adult, he wants to divorce Claire and make an honest woman of Sandy, a woman who can truly love him in a way that Claire cant.
The request is not altogether unreasonable, but Frank has also been offered a position at Cambridge and wants to take his daughter with him to England. He believes shell say yes, because Claire has been so distant and absorbed in her work.
This brings me to my first major qualm with this episode. Although the scenes between Caitriona Balfe and Tobias Menzies are compelling, and the relationship between Frank and Claire is fascinating, Outlander hasnt spent enough time establishing Claires life outside of her marriage.
All Debts Paid doesnt invest the time in portraying Claires life as a doctor, and so the rift between her and Brianna isnt as convincing. Given that this relationship is crucial to the direction of the series, its unnerving that so little screen time is given to this mother-daughter dynamic. Hopefully next weeks episode will do right by this crucial relationship.
For now, the series focuses on saying farewell to one of its principal characters. Franks death in a car accident foils his chances of happiness back in England, and cements the melancholic position he holds within the show.
A flawed but ultimately good man, theres something very tragic about how badly wrong Franks personal life went after Claires disappearance. Claires goodbye to her estranged husband recognises the important role he will always play to her as her first love. Tobias Menzies brought a great complexity to the role, and I for one will miss his stellar performances.
As one door closes, another one opens; with the departure of series regular Frank comes the arrival of a compelling new character, Lord John Grey.
Back in the 18th century, Jamie is imprisoned at Ardsmuir with his fellow Jacobites and deemed a particularly dangerous traitor who must remain shackled. Despite this, hes become an unofficial leader of the men in prison disputes and earned yet another nickname, Mac Dubh. Lord John is the new governor at the prison, and also an old acquaintance; hes the teenager who Jamie and Claire conned back in season two.
Grey seemed like a good kid back in the rebellion, defending Claire's honour above his country and his life (albeit unnecessarily). Now hes all grown up, hes no less honourable; one of his first actions is to alleviate the prisons rat problem, which for a jailer is about as nice as it gets.
Grey asks Jamie (who doesnt recognise the governor) to translate the words of a Scottish prisoner named Duncan, who was found wandering the moors and babbling in Gaelic and French. Jamie agrees in exchange for medicine and blankets for Murtagh- whos still alive by the way! Nice!
Duncan rambles about cursed gold, but also reveals information about a "white witch who seeks a brave man, a MacKenzie." No prizes for guessing who this refers to.
Jamie and Grey dine together, and negotiate an opportunity for the prisoners to hunt and collect watercress to prevent scurvy. A man escapes the hunt to provide Jamie with a chance to conceal himself on the moor. Whilst searching for Jamie, Grey is ambushed by the man himself and confronts him about his true identity. Jamie reminds Grey of his promise to kill him, and willingly presents himself for execution, but Grey refuses.
Over time, Jamie and Grey develop a fairly positive relationship, about as close to friendship as a prisoner and jailer can have. Over a game of chess, they exchange stories of lost loved ones; Jamie speaks of Claire, in a beautiful performance by Sam Heughan, and Grey reveals he lost a "very dear friend" at Culloden and has never quite recovered.
Jamie reacts poorly to Grey's moment of intimacy, no doubt reminded of the Redcoat soldier Jack Randall who assaulted him. Nevertheless, Grey takes this as a sign of disgust about his sexuality, and his look of shame is heart-breaking.
Ardsmuir ultimately closes, and every prisoner but Jamie is to be transported to the colonies. As an officer in the rebellion, Jamie lacks the royal approval needed to be taken from Scotland. Instead, Grey takes Jamie to Helwater to serve Lord Dunsany, who openly hates the Scottish. Grey now considers his debt to Jamie repaid.
If the writing in All Debts Paid seems a little clunky, thats because it is. The two halves of the episodes story certainly dont work as well together as last weeks instalment, Surrender. Moreover, the lack of focus on Claires relationship with Brianna is beginning to seem strange.
Without wanting to sound like a broken record, once again I feel that its performances that are saving Outlander from itself. From leads Balfe and Heughan and supporting cast Menzies and David Berry as Lord John Grey, the actors behind Outlander bring great pathos to the show and are its primary assets.
Outlander: Season 3 is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, with new episodes arriving weekly.
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[September 26, 2017] OMA Announces Fall 2017 TestFest Sponsored by AVSystem
The Open Mobile (News - Alert) Alliance announced today that registration is open for their October 30 - November 2, 2017 TestFest event. The TestFest will be hosted by AVSystem and will be co-located with the OMA Member Meeting in Warsaw, Poland at the Sheraton Warsaw Hotel. Testing will take place Monday, October 30 through Thursday, November 2 from 9:00 to 18:00 daily. Registration for the TestFest is open to the public through Friday, October 6. The TestFest is open to any organization including both OMA members and non-members for testing client or server implementations of LightweightM2M (LwM2M), as well as any OMA Enabler for which there are three clients and three servers registered. "Being a member of OMA and taking part in the LwM2M evolution process helps us to create interoperable LwM2M-based IoT services," said Wojciech Czech, CTO at AVSystem. "We strongly believe that the standardization process and implementation of LightweightM2M are the keys to developing secure IoT ecosystems and efficient IoT/M2M comunication."
Included in the TestFest registration is a Lunch-and-Learn event on Tuesday October 31 hosted by AVSystem. Both TestFest and OMA Member Meeting attendees are invited to join AVSystem for lunch and to hear a tutorial entitled, "LwM2M - Lessons Learned" presented by AVSystem CTO, Wojciech Czech. Mr. Czech will discuss AVSystem's experience in integrating their LwM2M based Anjay library on selected hardware platforms, as well as software package management and SMS binding. "AVSystem has been a proponent of the LightweightM2M protocol and an active participant in the OMA DM Working Group," said Joaquin Prado, Director of Technical Programs, Open Mobile Alliance. "The lessons learned through deploying the Anjay library will be extremely useful for our TestFest participants who are all working with LightweightM2M in products and services of their own."
Companies with a LwM2M client or server implementation interested in registering for the TestFest should do so at http://openmobilealliance.org/event/warsaw-oma-testfest-event. OMA members interested in registering for the OMA Member Meeting can find registration information at http://openmobilealliance.org/event/board-meeting-technical-plenary-meeting-committee-meetings-working-group-meetings-13. About LightweightM2M (LwM2M)
OMA's LightweightM2M is a device management protocol designed for sensor networks and the demands of a machine-to-machine (M2M) environment. With LwM2M, OMA has responded to demand in the market for a common standard for managing lightweight and low power devices on a variety of networks necessary to realize the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT). The LwM2M protocol, designed for remote management of IoT devices and related service enablement, features a modern architectural design based on REST, defines an extensible resource and data model and builds on an efficient secure data transfer standard called the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP). LwM2M has been specified by a group of industry experts at the Open Mobile Alliance's Device Management Working Group and is based on protocol and security standards from the IETF. About Open Mobile Alliance (OMA)
OMA is the leading industry forum for developing market driven, interoperable mobile service enablers. OMA was formed by the world's leading mobile operators, device and network suppliers, information technology companies and content providers as the industry focal point for the development of mobile service enabler specifications. OMA is a non-profit organization that delivers open specifications for creating interoperable services that work across all geographical boundaries, on any bearer network. OMA's specifications support the billions of new and existing terminals across a variety of wireless networks, including traditional cellular operator networks and emerging networks supporting machine-to-machine device communications for the Internet of Things (IoT). New work in OMA is leading to the development of next generation mobile services in areas such as Device Management, LBS, IoT, APIs and more. See www.openmobilealliance.org. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006638/en/
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[September 27, 2017] ASTRI demonstrates its latest 4G/5G and Smart City technologies at PT EXPO China 2017 in Beijing
HONG KONG, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) is showcasing its latest 4G/5G and smart city technologies at the PT EXPO China 2017 in Beijing. ASTRI's advanced solutions drive technological breakthroughs in 4.5G and 5G as well as a wide range of smart city applications. PT EXPO is a dynamic international platform for the information and communications technology (ICT) ecosystem. It provides ideal services and networking opportunities in the aspects of policies, research and development, applications, market trends, and investment. ASTRI is showcasing the following technologies and solutions in this year's PT EXPO: 1. 3-in-1 SDN/NFV Core Network Turnkey Solution ASTRI is a pioneer in Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) especially in mobile core network. Leveraging its extensive experience in NFV architecture and performance tuning, ASTRI is introducing a 3-in-1 turnkey NFV solution to significantly reduce the time and complexity of integrating, deploying and optimising virtualised network solutions. The 3-in-1 solution consists of: a) FastCloud virtual platform: a flexible NFV platform which is easily deployed with high throughput and Software Defined Networking (SDN) capabilities; b) FastCloud orchestrator; and c) Virtualised core network and IPSec security gateway: providing 10Gbps IPSec throughput with minimal CPU cores. 2. Centralised Radio Access Network (C-RAN) Reference Design for 4G and 5G Radio Access C-RAN is a centralised, cloud-based cellular network architecture which allows mobile network operators (MNOs) to improve service quality, reduce capital and operating expenditures. It also helps to minimise energy consumption. ASTRI's Baseband Unit (BBU) pool design has a cost effective functional split to support wide coverage. The L3 and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) are centralised with distributed Radio Remote Units (RRUs) for MAC and PHY processing. The architecture of the BBU pool design is very flexible. When extended for centralised MAC and PHY processing, it supports coordinated joint transmission and joint reception (JT/JR), with enhanced spatial efficiency. The design can be scaled to support 3GPP release 15 NR specifications including digital beamforming, beam management, flexible frame structure and subcarrier spacing for high data rate and better reliability, and in low latency applications. 3. LTE Broadband Trunking Communication (B-TrunC) System for Mission Critical Communications LTE B-TrunC standard caters to the needs related to new and emerging services such as video, image and high-speed data transmission. The standard has been accepted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as an international Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) broadband trunking air interface standard. ASTRI's end-to-end B-TrunC system supports real-time bi-directional data streaming and broadband trunking services on multiple trunking mobile terminals. Its key features include high voice/video group call capacity (>7.5 groups of voice calls per cell/MHz), low end-to-end latency <200ms), dynamic regrouping, emergency call, and broadcasting message services. It also delivers high bandwidth and high reliability in private network applications.
4. Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Standardisation and Development As a pioneer in this area, ASTRI offers NB-IoT IP and reference design for user equipments including RF transceiver, integrated power amplifier, integrated power management unit, digital baseband and System-on-Chip (SoC). As part of the global 3GPP Release 13 and 14 standards, NB-IoT is optimised for Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) applications, focusing on enhanced coverage, low cost, long battery life and massive deployment. It also facilitates the introduction of numerous new IoT devices and services.
5. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) solutions BLE versions 4.2 and 5 are key enablers of short range wireless IoT applications and wearable electronics. ASTRI's BLE live demonstration collects and processes sensor data from its BLE 4.2 System-on-Chip (SoC), and sends feedback data to Android application users. BLE 5 doubles the speed, quadruples the range, and increases data broadcasting capacity by 800%. While ASTRI already holds the IP for BLE 5 RF transceiver, the baseband portion is currently under development. 6. Automatic Meter Reading System (AMRS) ASTRI's award-winning Automatic Meter Reading System employs LoRa and GPRS technologies to collect and process data from smart meters of water, electricity, gas, heat or other utilities. Using LoRa, it simultaneously measures more than 100 meter readings, and covers a distance of over 1500 meters, penetrating 15 to 18 building floors with a battery life of five years. Using GPRS, the Smart Data Collector feeds into the system server or mobile phone for data storage, monitoring, and analysis. 7. Wireless Charging Platform ASTRI has been a forerunner to employ the latest third-generation semiconductor GaN FET devices in mid-to-long-range wireless charging systems of consumer electronics. Based on AirFuel standards, ASTRI's wireless charging system adopts magnetic resonance technology. It has a built-in high frequency inverter circuit driver module compatible with dynamic impedance network, and a control algorithm measurement module. It works well with mid-to-long-range wireless charging (10~20cm). Among many benefits, it delivers higher power transmission efficiency (>80%), simultaneous multi-electronic devices charging (~8 devices), flexible 'anywhere setting', quick charging and low-cost applications. ASTRI has a comprehensive patent portfolio on wireless charging technologies, currently working with a few customers to further develop these. Capturing the industry's attention, ASTRI has already delivered a wide range of smart home applications that received critical acclaim. 8. Integrated Power Module Products ASTRI has robust R&D experience in developing mature high-end power modules. ASTRI's patents on 3D wirebond-less interconnect technology/module meet the new generation IGBT module requirements including ultra-high-power density and thermal dissipation. This technology/module uses 3D interconnect structure to substitute the traditional wirebond structure. It reduces around 96% of parasitic resistance, 72% of parasitic inductance and 43% turn-off loss. With its compatible SMT assembly technique, it can be rapidly adapted for mass production. ASTRI has developed 1/8 brick module for communication applications which has high conversion efficiency (~95%) and high power (240W). It has a high dissipation ratio - key device temperature remains 20% lower than the common industry products. In addition, the 1/4 brick module facilitates multiple design options (e.g. plastic shell, metal shell and full-mould), low-ripple (50mV), and high conversion efficiency (~95%). 9. Visually Enhanced Ultra-HD Platform (HD-4K Conversion) for 4K TV ASTRI's Visually Enhanced Ultra-HD Platform (VEUHD HD-4K Conversion) delivers true Ultra-HD visual experience from HD content on a 4KTV. Contrary to existing conversion options available in the market, ASTRI's VEUHD HD-4K Conversion technology holistically analyses important display parameters of panels, content image characteristics and user preferences. It delivers superior sharpness and visual quality as well as an immersive viewing experience. It uses innovative techniques such as Human Visual System (HVS) preference model and optimisation, adaptive edge and detail enhancement, and dynamic colour and contrast enhancement. These technologies are available for FPGA and ASIC real-time solutions, both as software applications and as hardware core. Referring to the PT EXPO China event as "one of the largest and most influential ICT events in Asia", Dr Meikei Ieong, Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI added that "ASTRI seeks to make significant contributions to technological advancement in the telecommunication and industrial sectors in this region. Our demonstrations in the PT EXPO presents superior and novel technological solutions we have developed and subsequently made available to the industry." PT EXPO is hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China and organised by China National Postal and Telecommunications Appliances Corporation. The demonstrations take place at ASTRI's booth (Booth number 1020) at the PT EXPO China 2017 in Beijing, being held at the China National Convention Centre from 27 to 30 September 2017. About ASTRI Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) was founded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research. ASTRI's core R&D competences in various areas are organised under seven Technology Divisions, namely Communications Technologies, Electronics Components, Mixed Signal Systems IC, Advanced Digital Systems, Opto-electronics, Security and Data Sciences, and Intelligent Software and Systems. Five areas of applications including financial technologies, intelligent manufacturing, next generation network, health technologies, and smart city are identified for major pursuit. For further information about ASTRI, please visit www.astri.org Media enquiries:
For enquiries, please contact Ms Cherry Au (Tel: +852-3406-2993, email: [email protected]) Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170927/1951625-1 SOURCE Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI)
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[September 27, 2017] Inspur Server Shipment Ranked No.4 in the World in the 2017H1 per Gartner
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The "2017Q2 Worldwide x86 Server Tracker" report recently released by Gartner shows that Inspur server shipment ranked fourth in the world in the first half of 2017 with a unit growth of 29.6%, making Inspur the fastest growing vendor in worldwide server shipments. According to Gartner, "The second quarter of 2017 produced some growth compared with the first quarter on a global level, with varying regional results," said Jeffrey Hewitt, research vice president at Gartner. "The growth for the quarter is attributable to two main factors. The first is strong regional performance in Asia/Pacific because of data center infrastructure build-outs, mostly in China. The second is ongoing hyperscale data center growth that is exhibited in the self-build/ODM (original design manufacturer) segment. The growth of Inspur server shipment mainly benefited from the growing procurement opportunities of internet operators. Inspur was the biggest supplier of ODCC rack scale servers by receiving a large number of orders from global leading internet enterprises, such as Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu, in the first half of 2017. According to Zhen Peng, Vice President of Inspur Group," Inspur is not only a solution provider, but also an important business partner to those internet operators. Inspur has built a unique JDM cooperation model, and work closely with those partners to understand their business operations and provide the right infrastructure and tech solutions to meet shifting demands. Inspur engineers help partners drive innovation and business transformation by increasing business agility, lowering costs, ad reducing IT complexity. A good example of this JDM model is that Inspur and Baidu jointly launched an all-in-one ABC application at the ABC Summit, held in ShenZhen, Guangdong, in late May. This application primarily focuses on two AI computing scenarios: offline model training and online reasoning, and integrates various Inspur computing platforms, such as SR-AI Rack, NF5288M5(AGX-2) and GX4, with single-unit compute nodes supporting 2-64 heterogeneous accelerator cards. The machine supports popular deep learning frameworks, such as TensorFlow, Caffe, CNTK and PaddlePaddle.
Pushing further the intelligent computing and global strategy, Inspur is currently a member of the world's top three open computing standard organizations: ODCC, OCP and OPEN19. Inspur promotes leading standards of the Chinese internet industry to overseas markets, and also brings leading overseas standards and technologies to China. The objective is to help accelerate the integration of various organizations and standards to effectively shorten standard settlement cycle, and to increase efficiency of open computing organizations. Inspur's SR Rack Scale Servers have been adopted large internet operators such as Alibaba and Baidu, accounting for more than 60% in the total shipments of rack scale servers in China. In the first half of 2017, Inspur's North America sever business experienced high growth, with the shipment growth by 336% year on year. In 2016, Inspur became a Platinum member of OCP (Open Computing Project), and had closer cooperation with large CSPs in the North America market. Inspur's ultra-high-density computing and storage solutions including NF5170 and NF5166, which are specially customized for North American CSPs, are now widely applied. "CSPs and internet companies are Inspur's primary market. Inspur understands and has long been tracking internet users' demands and application trends; internet users represent the frontier of IT applications, and are at the forefront of the industry in the cloud computing, big data and AI fields. Through the JDM model, Inspur hopes to inspire and equip North American and overseas CSPs to foster digital transformation and to lead in today's marketplace of disruptive innovation." said Zhen Peng.
About Inspur Inspur is the leader in intelligent computing and ranked top four in worldwide server manufacturing. We provide cutting-edge hardware design and deliver extensive AI product solutions. Inspur provides customers with purpose-built servers and AI solutions that are Tier 1 in quality and energy efficiency. Inspur's products are optimized for applications and workloads built for data center environments. To learn more, please visit http://www.inspursystems.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inspur-server-shipment-ranked-no4-in-the-world-in-the-2017h1-per-gartner-300526749.html SOURCE Inspur Electronic Information Industry Co., Ltd
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President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Buried, and barely covered, thanks to a bombastic Trump UNGA Address, is President Ellen Johnson Sirleafs Farewell Address to the United Nations. A brilliantly constructed speech that reminded me of the person I spent sleepless nights to present as the best to lead Liberia from the doldrums, twelve years ago.
In brief, the President revisited what Liberia faced following the civil war, a monumental task, that in all fairness, she embraced totally as her own. President Sirleafs efforts in bringing Liberia back on the map are stupendous, herculean, deservingly earning her the unenviable distinction, Iron Lady. It is only sad that all the efforts during the twelve years were undermined by bribery and corruption, which ironically, she had declared Public Enemy No1 on the first day of her administration. There is a very bright side, however.
The Sirleaf administration ends in a few days. The people of Liberia go to the polls on October 10, 2017 to elect her successor, and capitalizing on the opportunity, President Sirleaf craftily used her UN Farewell Address to detail what Liberia has achieved, and what Liberia faces moving forward. In her opening remarks, President Sirleaf states, As I bid farewell to you today, and to my fellow Heads of State, I want you to remember Liberia which is making a valiant effort to apply the tenets of democracy.
This valiant effort to apply the tenets of democracy must continue, if Liberia is to have a fighting chance to improve on gains made in governance. This is not to say that all has been well during these outgoing twelve years. It is simply to say that, despite the struggles we have endured a dwindling economy plagued by corruption, runaway unemployment, to name a few the Liberian people have enjoyed FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, thanks to President Sirleaf. We are beginning to accept that contested issues facing the nation can only be resolved through debates by our elected Congress, with supporting discussions among the public, and making the polls the final arbiter of the people. President Sirleaf insists, Indeed, democracy is on the march in Liberia, and, I believe, on an irreversible path forward on the African continent. That, indeed, is a beacon.
Liberia sincerely hopes to prove those words prophetic. We will not tolerate oppression of any kind; we will maintain freedom of expression; we will hold succeeding administrations accountable to their words and actions; we will strengthen our institutions; we will educate the electorate; we will resuscitate our floundering education system. There are tools and qualified Liberian educators available to help train teachers; we will connect our counties with a reliable road network, and mass communications access to give equal access to all; we will leave no one, no group behind; we will boost health care delivery systems; we will up the fight against corruption, we will revamp our accounting systems, and empower the auditing department to do its job.
Here is a much-cherished legacy of the Sirleaf Administration: We did not have a single political prisoner; no one has been arrested for criticizing the President and her cabinet; no disappearances and summary killings have been reported. If any administration comes in and we hear fuen, we are coming in the streets to make our way to both ATS and SKD, where we will, in a strong force, tell it to quit! We will make it loud and clear then, that we are only going to move forward, while we strive to correct all shortcomings of the outgoing administration and its predecessors.
The above said, we are looking at unchartered waters ahead. Unchartered, for I have no clue about most of the candidates and their platforms. Those that I know of, have not really shown any meaningful presentations of anything they are running for. There are those with tainted pasts, making valiant attempts to make good through the back door. Has any of the candidates shown a blueprint detailing concrete plans to build a viable and sustainable country? Has anyone told us how they intend to create jobs, for instance. So, I really dont know.
While a lot of us cannot vote due to proximity, very sad, we should make some effort to call on those with the power to do it for us, to at least, not take what they are about to do lightly. Tell them they are about to lock up their next 6 YEARS to ONE PERSON! It better be the right one! Let them know that this is NO CHILDS PLAY! It is NOT ALL TALK! Did this person articulate his/her views on the public stage, for instance, in any debates?
CAN THAT PERSON DO THE JOB? This person will be representing us on the World Stage, can he/she do that with KNOWLEDGE and CONFIDENCE?
MAKE YOUR VOTE/ENCOURAGEMENT/INFLUENCE A DOWN PAYMENT FOR A CAPABLE GOVERNMENT!
ALL HAIL LIBERIA, HAIL!
What is your take? Please post your comments below:
Were living in the age of the digital security breach. So far, in 2017, weve seen security issues involving as many as 14 million Verizon (News - Alert) subscribers, 77 million accounts connected to edtech platform Edmodo, a serious malware attack on the Mac video program Handbake, and of course the recent high-profile breach at Equifax. What are we doing wrong?
Ultimately, the answer to corporate vulnerability has to do with current encryption capacity and security practices, the high value of business data, and the sheer quantity of data hiding just behind the thin shield the internet. So, while we rely on certain baseline encryption practices to protect that information, it will take a whole new level of security to mitigate business security risks.
One of the main ways that businesses will begin increasing their security in the coming year is with an emphasis on encryption beyond the basic methods currently used to protect their emails. Keep a close eye on these 3 tech trends and remember to ask where do these tools fit in your companys security infrastructure?
Understanding Email
Before we dig into the more advanced security technology waiting on the horizon, it helps to understand how early web development decisions have come to influence our current precarious state. In particular, we encounter near constant security issues with email because it wasnt designed to be a primary mode of communication. It was designed for basic transmission and, in fact, could be read by anyone looking at the network.
Obviously, weve locked down email transmission since then, but current problems are directly tied to these early design flaws. Now, we bridge the gap using tools like Virtrus email encryption software, by attaching encrypted files to our emails, and using closed network channels and private servers to perform intra-agency communications. We strategize around the holes in the system.
In 2018, additional cloud-based encryption services will continue to grow towards a 2020 estimate of $4.2 billion in sales, up from just $1.5 billion in 2015. Repeat security breaches has shaken us awake all of us, across industries and were ready to invest in privacy.
Dig Into Data
It isnt just email that poses a problem for corporate security, but also business databases even when theyre inactive. Thats why, just as with email, businesses need to be encrypting our databases. By now, hackers know that databases are where all of the high-value information is, so while email with its many gaps is often the point of entry for malware and other threats, databases are the ultimate destination.
Active Data Issues
Finally, one of the most significant transformations on the horizon for enterprise security is protection for data in-use. Historically its been much easier for businesses to protect inactive data, data tucked away in a database but not currently being edited or manipulated, while anything in use was left open to attack. Finally, encrypting in-use data is becoming feasible.
Businesses interested in embracing in-use data security should look into a process known as homomorphic encryption, which was specifically designed for use on data actively being manipulated through queries, analysis, or processing. Keeping this data covered will change how we think about security.
Encryption isnt a so-called one trick pony, only good for protecting your email or even your internet connection. Rather, with the right tools and greater processing power, its possible to encrypt information from the lower level the smallest data packet all the way up.
Advanced encryption may not shut down all future data breaches, but it can diminish both their reach and frequency. Businesses have a responsibility to embrace new security tech. Those that dont will find customers voting with their feet and opting for businesses that put their information privacy first.
Edited by Mandi Nowitz
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley along with Chief Executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah will inaugurate an India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show Passage to Prosperity here on Wednesday.
The three-day event, sponsored by the US, will focus on better regional integration by strengthening economic ties between Afghanistan and India.
The event will highlight recently signed agreements, showcase Afghan companies and Indian innovation, and launch a forthcoming single-sector event series.
Special Charge d affaires Afghanistan Ambassadr Hugo Llorens and Charge d affaires US Embassy Mary Kay Carlson will also be present at the inauguration.
The show will feature Afghan entities from the economic growth, agriculture, health, education, gender and energy sectors seeking trade and investment opportunities with India, along with CEOs from major Indian and US companies. Consumer goods from Afghanistan like carpets, gemstones, marble, saffron, dried fruits and nuts will also be on display.
A senior US official said over 800 Indian companies have confirmed their participation in the trade and investment show, apart from around 240 Afghanistan vendors.
The official confirmed that the Passage to Prosperity show was a deliverable from the Heart of Asia conference and certainly the relationship between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as PM Modis trip to Washington with President Donald Trump.
He informed that diversified American conglomerate General Electric has expressed interest in pursuing some ideas or atleast exploring opportunities in Afghanistan.
The sixth edition of Heart of Asia conference, an annual regional gathering of Asian and other countries, was held in Amritsar in December last year.
There has always been a natural trade partnership with India and Afghanistan. This is an opportunity to help Afghanistans private sector grow a bit Unlike the other trade shows we have had in the past, this is not just a one- off event. We hope to gain some momentum and use this as a platform to work long term, the US official said.
He said the US was exploring making the India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show an annual event and looking at Mumbai as the host next year, and confirmed that seven trade shows with Afghanistan have been held in India since 2014.
Afghanistan is working very hard as a government to bring in investors as much as possible to make it a better marketplace and certainly a more desirable place for their trade partners around the region, the official said, adding that although security in Afghanistan has been an issue, it has not hampered entrepreneurs interested in the nation to reach out and forge partnerships.
Besides, the US official said certain airlines or air cargo companies in India who are looking to go to Kabul to bring back carpets or food and about 20 flights have run till now under the India-Afghanistan Direct Air Freight Corridor established on June 19.
Two cow vigilantes, including an Indian-origin British citizen Sonia Sharma and her female friend Archie Baranwal, were allegedly attacked by cattle smugglers in Sohna area near Gurgaon in Haryana in the wee hours of 25 September.
The incident took place on Sohna Road when Sonia and Archie were test-driving their vehicle on Sohna-Gurgaon highway at 2 a.m. when they claimed to have spotted a pick-up truck carrying cattle.
The animals were tied and were clearly stuffed into the small vehicle. Surprisingly, there were no rear tyres in the vehicle and yet it was speeding towards Mewat from Gurgaon on just the rims.The people in pick-up van shot at us and 3 or 4 person sitting on the roof of the van threw a live cow at us while we were following them, Sonia alleged.
While chasing the van on our way we saw a police patrol vehicle. We stooped and told them about the van carrying cows. The police patrol didnt respond, so we continued our chase. We even asked our friends to call cops and tell them about the van so that the smugglers could be nabbed. We somehow overtook the van and tried to find a police patrol car or any police station, but on our way after sometime we received a call from one of my friends that the police had caught the vehicle and that cattle smugglers had fled away from the scene, Archie charged.
The police recovered two animals from the road and four others from inside the truck in critical condition. The weapon allegedly used in firing at women ~ which missed them ~ too has been recovered, police claimed. The cows were sent to nearby gaushala.
According to sources, the police recovered six cows out of which three died on Tuesday.
Two cases has been filed in this regard in the Sohna city police station. An FIR
was filed by Rohit of Damdama village, also a gau rakshak (cow vigilante), who claimed that he had informed police about the vehicle carrying cows. Another FIR was filed by Sonia Sharma against seven men in this matter.
The accused have been booked under the Arms Act for possession of illegal firearm and the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamwardhan Act. We are investigating the matter, said a police official. None of the accused has been arrested so far.
In a joint operation, Delhi and Panchkula police raided a house in Greater Kailash on Tuesday in search of the wanted adopted daughter of jailed self-proclaimed godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Honeypreet Insan. But, no one except the care taker was found from the house owned by Dera Sacha Sauda.
The Panchkula Police had come with an arrest warrant for her. It was suspected that she was hiding in house number A9 in Greater Kailash Enclave. The house was raided, but she was not found. R.K Malhotra is the care taker of the house, said Romil Baaniya, DCP, South East Delhi.
Honeypreet, who is wanted in cases relating to sedition and inciting violence, visited the office of her advocate Pradeep Kumar Arya on Monday in order to sign a transit bail application, said the police. Following this information, Panchkula police issued an arrest warrant and raided the property.
Sources claimed that they are also looking out for her in neighbourhoods in south Delhi, particularly in Lajpat Nagar, based on the inputs from Panchkula police. They are also looking for Aditya Insaan and Pawan Insaan. All three are allegedly accused of motivating violence and conspiring to free Gurmeet Ram Rahim after he was convicted of rape by a Panchkula CBI court on August 25 .
The police said that, if the three arent arrested by the end of October, then they will be declared proclaimed absconders.
The Haryana Police had named her as one of the 43 people wanted for the violence that took place in Haryana and other parts of the country following Ram Rahims conviction in August.
A 48-hour general strike imposed from Monday midnight at the districts bordering Myanmar has paralysed the legalised border trade.
Normal life has also been thrown out of gear in these districts.
Tengnoupal Superintendent of Police S. Ibomcha said that no untoward incident has been reported so far as security has stepped up in wake of the strike.
Officials in Tengnoupal and Chandel districts said: All government offices, educational institutes, shops and commercial establishments are shut. No vehicle is allowed to ply along the Trans Asian Highway which connects Manipur with Myanmar.
Hundreds of vehicles with tourists and traders were stranded in the mountainous highway.
The Naga Chiefs Association and the Kuki Chiefs Association had called the general strike, demanding payment of wages for 17 days to the people who had worked under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in 2016-17.
Naga and Kuki tribals burnt old tyres and logs along the highway at Moreh, Chandel, Tengnoupal, Machi and Chakpikarong to block vehicular movements and threatened of more agitations if the payments were not made soon.
Questioning the governments stand on the issue, the activists here said that relevant documents of the job card holders had been submitted on September 14.
Officials said that losses in the legalised border trade as a result of the strike is in crores of rupees.
Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Wednesday said his advice given to the AAP government on higher education students loan scheme was misconstrued as disapproval and this misinformation was spread in the media.
The Lt Governor said this in a letter to Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia, a statement from the Lt Governors office here said.
On Friday, Sisodia had said that Baijal has blocked the Arvind Kejriwal governments students loan scheme and asked them to seek the Centres opinion on the issue.
The Minister said it would delay the disbursal of loans by two to four years. There is political enmity with us, but whats the enmity with Delhis children? he asked.
On Wednesday, the official statement said: Given the complexity of the matter, the Lt Governor had earlier advised on consultations with the Ministry concerned to ensure sustainability of the proposed scheme.
It is unfortunate that his advice to help make this initiative more robust in the interest of students of Delhi was misconstrued as disapproval and this misinformation was spread all over the media, the statement added.
In the letter to Sisodia, Baijal suggested that a negative list of courses and institutes would help in blacklisting courses not benefiting students for getting jobs.
The Lt Governor also said that for the convenience of students, the Education Department should link the loan scheme with an online portal, wherein students can get information about loan schemes of different banks and apply online through a single window.
He also talked about increasing Non-Performing Assets in educational loans and stressed that any students loan scheme should meet the twin criteria of need-based and generally available.
Baijal said the government is free to proceed with the scheme if it has already taken care of the issues and incorporated them in the scheme.
If not, the department should be advised to incorporate some of these safeguards that are in the interest of the students of Delhi, the statement said.
Boron is an element considered to be essential for life forms to proliferate. That the planet, Mars, had boron had been inferred from traces found in meteorites that originated there. Taken with other conditions on Mars, this suggested that Mars may have been the source of life on Earth itself.
Discovery of boron on the surface of Mars strengthens the possibility. Patrick J Gasda, Ethan B Haldeman, Roger C Wiens, William Rapin, Thomas F Bristow, John C Bridges, Susanne P Schwenzer, Benton Clark, Kenneth Herkenhoff, Jens Frydenvang, Nina L Lanza, Sylvestre Maurice, Samuel Clegg, Dorothea M Delapp, Veronica L Sanford, Madeleine R Bodine, and Rhonda McInroy, a team largely at the Los Alamos Lab in New Mexico, with others labs in the USA, Copenhagen and Paris report in the American Geophysical Union journal, Geophysical Letters, the first discovery of boron in rock fissures in the Gale crater region of Mars. The discovery was made by the Martian rover, Curiosity, which deploys ChemCam, the Chemistry and Camera equipment, built at the Los Alamos and the French CESR Laboratories.
The rover, a motor car-sized vehicle equipped with locomotion, drills, lasers and laboratory capability, has been active on the surface of Mars since August 2012. A major objective of Curiosity was to see if conditions that support life could have existed on Mars. Initial discoveries by Curiosity included a number of chemical constituents carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulphur, the raw materials of amino acids and proteins.
This, with the evidence that Mars had abundant water, strongly suggested the possibility of the planet having supported life. A difficulty in coming finally to this conclusion, however, is that it takes just a little more than the basic building blocks for life forms to arise. This little more is in the form of trace elements, particularly molybdenum and boron, which have to be there for life supporting molecules to be stable. Protein synthesis depends on transcription of pieces of genetic code, which is carried out by DNA-like structures called RNA.
Simply putting the correct raw materials is not good enough to form RNA and DNA. Exposing just the raw materials to heat and light would form not RNA but something like tar, Stephen Benner of the Westheimer Institute for Science and Technology had written in 2013. Benner noted that just before Curiosity landed on Mars, a large meteorite that originated from a meteor strike on Mars had crashed into the Earth in the Moroccan desert.
Analysis of the meteorite showed traces of boron, which suggested there was boron on Mars. Benner observed that although Earth had all the necessary ingredients for life to arise, the early Earth was covered with water, while boron only occurs in the driest of places.
The early Earth was also oxygen deficient and molybdenum would not have been in the highly-oxidised form that was required. For these and other reasons, Benner argued that it was not really possible for life to have originated on Earth.
On Mars, on the other hand, water did not cover the whole planet and there was evidence that the planet contained the oxidised form of molybdenum. Now with the discovery of boron, Benner suggested that life really originated on Mars and was carried to the Earth perhaps on a piece of rock.
While life could not continue on Mars when conditions changed, the changes were for the better on the Earth and here, life has thrived. This is an attractive theory of the dynamics of the origins of life, early interplanetary travel and reviving the image of the little green men on Mars. The trouble is that the theory is pinned on the presence of boron on Mars and the only evidence we have of this are the traces found on the meteorite of 2011. The picture changes with the discovery that the Los Alamos group has announced. The authors of the paper in Geophysical Letters note that the spectral signature of boron has not appeared in remote sensing observations of Mars.
CheMin, the Chemistry and Minerology instrument on the Curiosity rover, which uses X Ray scattering and fluorescence to identify elements or minerals in samples, has also not found any traces of boron. The discovery of boron by ChemCam is hence the first time that boron has directly been detected on the surface of Mars. ChemCam consists of a pair of systems.
One has a laser that vaporises and induces the components of rock to emit radiation, which is analysed by a spectrometer. The presence of elements and compounds can then be detected with great sensitivity. The other system on ChemCam is the high-resolution telescope that provides scientists with images of the sampling areas of rock and soil before and after the laser and spectrometer system zaps them for analysis. The result of the prospecting has been that boron was detected in a sizeable number of calcium sulphate filled fractures, called veins in the rock. The reason for boron not being detected in the rock itself is that the rock has high iron content, and the emission spectrum of iron interferes with that of boron.
The presence of boron, in the oxidised form of borate, in the veins suggests that that the boron came into the veins by the action of water, the paper says. Although the iron content of the rock precludes measurement of boron in the rock, it may well be present, the authors say. The presence of boron on Mars opens up new possibilities for habitability because of the important role borate may have played in prebiotic chemistry on early Earth. Thus, the discovery of boron in Gale crater opens up intriguing questions about whether life could have arisen on Mars, the paper says.
Analysis of the age of borate bearing media would place the earliest and latest time limits on when life could have formed on Mars, the paper says. While some deposits on Mars are of greater antiquity than those on Earth, study of the Martian geology and the hydrology and the search for borates have become a high priority for Curiosity and future missions to Mars, the paper says.
(The writer can be contacted at [email protected])
Government sources estimate that 40,000 refugees belonging to the Rohingya minority ethnic group have entered Indian territory after escaping persecution in Myanmar. They were subjected to indiscriminate executions, gunfire from helicopters and a scorched-earth campaign apparently designed to destroy Rohingya villages and driving them out of predominantly Buddhist Myanmar.
The United Nations estimates that more than 1,000 people were killed in the suppression. A report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded that the attacks against the Rohingya very likely amounted to crimes against humanity.
Government of Indias intention to deport 40,000 Rohingya from the country prima facie appears to be in violation of its commitment to international human rights standards and refugee law.
Article 1(2) of the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees (CSR) 1951 and its 1967 Protocol says a refugee is a person who owing to well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.
Rohingya Muslim being a minority ethnic group fulfills the requirements for claiming and to be accorded refugee status and hence eligible for all the protections given under the Convention and its Protocol. Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights i.e. the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution, replicates the commitment of the international community to ensure to all persons the enjoyment of rights to life, freedom from torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and to liberty and security of person.
The non-refoulment (Article 33 of Convention), the doctrine central to refugee protection forbids return (refouler) of an individual to a country in which he or she may be persecuted, and has taken a progressively fundamental character. It has now acquired the status of jus cogens i.e. a peremptory norm of customary international law from which no derogation is permitted regardless of fact whether a country is party to convention or not. India has ratified neither the Refugee Convention (1951) nor its 1967 Additional Protocol.
Nevertheless, it has extended protection to refugees as Party to a number of United Nations Conventions on Human Rights. India became a member of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioners Programme (EXCOM) in 1995. The EXCOM is the organization of the UN, which approves and supervises the material assistance programme of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR). Membership of the EXCOM indicates particular interest and greater commitment to refugee matters.
Apart from this, India voted affirmatively to adopt the UN Declaration of Territorial Asylum in 1967 and accepted the principle of non-refoulment as envisaged in the Bangkok Principles of 1966, which were formulated for the guidance of member states in respect of matters concerning the status and treatment of refugees. Being a signatory to International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW ) and most significantly the Convention Against Torture (CAT) 1984, places an obligation on India with respect to protection of refugees.
In absence of a specific legislation, refugees are treated under the Foreigners Act 1946, Indian Passport Act, and Registration of Foreigners Act 1939 or in special cases through orders like the Foreigners from Uganda Order, 1972. Further, the Constitution of India guarantees certain fundamental rights, which are applicable to non-citizens, namely, the right to equality (Article 14), the right to life and personal liberty (Article 21) and the freedom to practice and propagate their own religion (Article 25).
Any violation of these rights can be remedied through recourse to the constitutional courts. The Supreme Court has held that refugees or asylum seekers cannot be discriminated because of their noncitizen status.
Judiciary in India has played a vital role in protecting refugees. Court orders have filled legislative gaps in many cases and have provided a humanitarian solution to the problems of refugees. Moreover, Indian courts have allowed refugees and intervening Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to file cases before them. Furthermore, the courts in the absence of municipal law have generously construed the provisions of the Constitution to offer protection to refugees and asylum seekers. The Supreme Court has constantly held that the fundamental right enshrined under Article 21 i.e. Right to life and personal liberty and Article 14 i.e. Equality before law and equal protection of all the laws within the territory of India applies to all irrespective of the fact whether they are citizens of India or aliens.
This protection was extended to Chakma Refugees while hearing the matters of Louis De Raedt vs. Union of India [(1991) 3 SCC 544] and State of Arunachal Pradesh vs. Khudiram Chakma [1994 Supp. (1) SCC 615]. Later, in National Human Rights Commission vs. State of Arunachal Pradesh [1996 SCC (1) 742] widely known as Chakma refugee case, the Supreme Court restrained the forcible expulsion of Chakma refugees from the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
The court very ardently laid down:
We are a country governed by the Rule of Law. Our Constitution confers certain rights on every human being and certain other rights on citizens. Every person is entitled to equality before the law and equal protection of the laws. So also, no person can be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. Thus, the State is bound to protect the life and liberty of every humanbeing, be he a citizen or otherwise. No State Government worth the name can tolerate such threats by one group of persons to another group of persons; it is duty bound to protect the threatened group from such assaults and if it fails to do so, it will fail to perform its Constitutional as well as statutory obligations. Those giving such threats would be liable to be dealt with in accordance with law. The State Government must act impartially and carry out its legal obligations to safeguard the life, health and well-being of Chakmas residing in the State without being inhibited by local politics.
India has given shelter to diverse groups of refugees, ranging from Tibetans, Chakmas, Bhutanese, Rohingyas, Sri Lankans, Afghans and small populations from Somalia, Sudan and other sub-Saharan African countries. There seems no apparent reason why Indian government should not abide by its international obligations and not return forcibly Rohingya to Myanmar.
Doing this will not only disturb the principles of customary international law and constitutional law but also dilute the decision of the Supreme Court in Chakma refugees case. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is known for his diplomatic skills must influence the international community to build pressure on the government of Myanmar to stop persecution driving Rohingyas into India, and voluntary repatriation of those taking refuge here.
(The writer is Associate Professor of Law, National Law University of Odisha)
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved signing and ratification of the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between India and Belarus to increase investment flows between the two countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the Cabinet meeting.
The agreement is expected to improve the confidence of investors resulting in an increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Overseas Direct Investment (ODI) opportunities and this will have a positive impact on employment generation, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.
The signing and ratification of the treaty between the two countries will work as a strategic initiative as Belarus is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
India has already initiated the BIT text with the Kyrgyz Republic and is in talks with the Russian Federation for a new BIT, based on the Model BIT text.
Attacking the Narendra Modi government over its manner of implementing GST and on demonetisation, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi termed the former catastrophic to small and medium businesses and the latter legalising the black money of the countrys biggest thieves.
Interacting with businessmen, intellectuals and entreprenuers in this Gujarat business hub late Tuesday, he said anger is rising among people of country over lack of jobs and businesses slowing down and it could become uncontrollable, according to a video posted by the party on Wednesday.
Answering queries, he admitted that mistakes by Congress was a reason for Narendra Modi leading the BJP to a resounding victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but said the party was improving its shortcomings.
He also said that he did not believe in slogans like Modi-mukt Bharat, but noted that the Prime Minister has been caught in a chakarvayu as he has raised bar of expectations but is unable to fulfill them as he does not believe in anyone and does not listen to anyone.
He said 30,000 youth were entering the job market every day but only 450 jobs were being created, while China creates 40,000 employment opportunities every day.
If the situation is not changed, the anger among people will increase and after a certain level, it will go out of control, he warned.
Gandhi said while half the problems with Goods and Services tax were structural, the other half had been created by the manner in which it has been implemented.
Gandhi,who is on a tour of the state ahead of assembly polls later this year, said Congress will try to live up to expectations of the people.
If Modi became prime minister, it was also due to shortcomings of Congress. Our effort is to improve our mistakes. Our vision outlined in 2004 started failing in 2012. There are many reasons for Modi coming to power. Congress will try its best to fulfill your expectations, he said.
The Pakistan Army on Wednesday opened fire at Indian posts in Poonch and Bhimber Gali sectors of Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control (LoC), officials said.
Officials said that Indian pickets and forward posts came under attack at around 8.15 am. Indian troops retaliated and the exchange of fire between the two sides was going on when last reports came in.
The situation on the LoC has been volatile for past few months with continuous violation of the ceasefire agreement and shelling from the other side of the border by the Pakistani forces.
On Tuesday, a militant was gunned down as security forces thwarted an infiltration bid along the LoC in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
Chairing her first Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday cleared a project worth Rs 200 crore for buying indigenous sonars for Indian Naval ships, and another one for missiles for the navy.
The minister has decided to hold meetings of the DAC, the highest decision making body for defence acquisitions in the ministry, every fortnight.
On Wednesday, the DAC cleared an Acceptance of Necessity for the Indian Navy for procurement of upgraded sonars for its destroyers and frigates under the Buy Indian category, Defence Ministry officials said.
These sonars are designed, developed and manufactured indigenously by the DRDO and the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory, Kochi.
It will provide a significant boost to the Navys anti-submarine warfare capabilities, a statement said.
The DAC also cleared procurement of missiles for replenishing the naval inventory.
Sitharaman also reviewed the status of the Capital Acquisition Schemes and directed that the schemes are to be meticulously monitored and brought to maturity within stipulated timelines.
She said that holding DAC meets fortnightly will enable speeding up the process of capability development of the armed forces.
October brings the first of many Dynamite Days Out of the 2017-18 school year. Dynamite Days Out is offered at the Mattoon YMCA on days when the Mattoon Unit 2 School District is scheduled a day out of session. Upcoming dates include October 6th, 9th and 20th. November dates will include November 22nd and 24th.
The Dynamite Days Out schedule consists of character development lessons, snacks, group games, lunch, arts/crafts, swim time and some surprises. The day begins with check in as early as 6:30 a.m. and ends with all youth picked up by a parent/guardian by 5:30 p.m.. For the safety of the youth, parents/guardians must sign kids into the Dynamite Days Out program as well as sign them out. As a courtesy to our members and guests, we do ask that parents park when dropping of youth. Please do not leave your vehicle at the entry door.
Youth should arrive at Dynamite Days Out with a lunch, two snacks and a water bottle. Because the day includes time to be active the gymnasium, we recommend each child wears gym shoes when attending Dynamite Days Out.
Swimming is always a highlight of Dynamite Days Out at the Y. If your child will be swimming, please pack a swimsuit and a towel. The Mattoon YMCA pool is always supervised by at least one lifeguard. During this youth program, additional staff is on the pool deck to supervise the many youth.
Even though this program follows the Mattoon Unit 2 school calendar, any child whose school is not in session is welcome to attend Dynamite Days Out. The fee for this program is $20 per day if pre-registered. Same day registration will be $25 per day. Payment for is required at the time of registration. Dynamite Days Out is a CCR&R approved program.
To offer the best program with proper staffing, we ask parents to register their kids at least 3 days prior to attending. At the Y, we do understand that this is not always possible, but it does help us prepare for a busy day. To attend each child must have a 2017-2018 School Age Child Care form on file at the Mattoon for the current school year. These can be completed by stopping into the Y Welcome Desk.
A column of Indian Army was attacked by unidentified insurgents of NSCN(K) group along the Myanmar border on Wednesday. The Army retaliated and caused heavy damage to the insurgent group, leaving many insurgents dead.
However, there is no confirmation on the exact number of casualties.
The Army suffered no casualties, sources confirmed.
The Indian Army issued a detailed statement in which they reiterated that the forces did not cross the border during the retaliation.
Heavy casualties have been inflicted on NSCN(K) cadre.
Heavy casualties reportedly inflicted on NSCN(K) cadre. No casualties suffered by Indian Security Forces EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) September 27, 2017
In 2015, the NSCN(K) had attacked a convoy of 6 Dogra regiment, in which 18 soldiers were killed. In June, India conducted surgical strikes against insurgent camps along the Indo-Myanmar international border, and inflicted significant casualties on the outfit.
The NSCN(K) has been designated a terrorist outfit in India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
Some popular brands of facial creams that are advertised as containing activated carbon for better results can be harmful to the skin and even cause death, scientists say.
Application of such face creams may bring quick results and prolonged use could be disastrous, warns a study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) at Howrah in West Bengal,
The study, published in the Applied Nanoscience journal, was partly funded by the central governments Department of Science and Technology.
The researchers say they found the active micro-carbon used in these face creams to contain nanosized particles called reduced graphene oxide (rGO).
Under exposure to visible light, rGOs get activated by oxygen in the air to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) harmful to skin, says the report. The common effects of ROS are cancer, cell proliferation and aging.
Such face creams are potential cancer-creating agents, Sabyasachi Sarkar, chemistry professor at the Institute and lead author of the report, told this correspondent in an email. The irony is our film stars and players advertise them without knowing that they are promoting death.
Activated carbon powder (also called activated charcoal) has long been in use in the purification of water, as an air filter and in adsorbing pesticides and other harmful substances. However, its use in facial cream formulations supposedly to combat dark-spots, acne, oily skin and for getting a fairer skin is a recent development, says the report.
The common side-effect of any face cream is itching, allergy, dry skin, pimples or photosensitivity, the authors say. However, the use of micro-carbon in facial creams poses extra problem as it contains a fair proportion of rGO.
Using state-of-the-art microscopic and spectroscopic techniques the researchers investigated the presence of micro-carbon in three popular brands and noticed the presence of spherical nano-carbon in some samples and graphene-like sheets in other samples.
For studying the toxic effect of rGO, the scientists incubated human skin cells with rGO dilutions for12 hours under a 200-watt light source and found that the isolated rGO has a cytotoxic effect on these cells.
The results indicate that the active micro-carbon used in facial cream contains enough graphene material like rGO, which has high cytotoxic effect, says the report.
The rGO present in micro-carbon remains dormant but gets aggravated under normal light and through oxygen in the air, converts to a toxic super-oxide anion. The superoxide anion is the first member of the ROS which will have a cascading damaging effect on living cells and would mutate the normal facial cells readily, the report says.
The study concludes that manufacturers of such facial creams should ensure that the micro-carbon that they use should not contain nanocarbon-like rGO.
Pakistans Foreign Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif has claimed that an offer was received to swap Indian prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav for a terrorist behind the Peshawar army school attack in 2014, who, he asserted, was now in Afghanistans custody.
The terrorist who killed children in APS (Army Public School in) Peshawar is in Aghan custody. The NSA told me that we can exchange that terrorist with the terrorist you have, which is Kulbushan Jadhav, he said on Tuesday.
Jadhav is a former Indian navy officer who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for allegedly spying for India within Pakistan.
New Delhi has denied that Jadhav was working for India and has appealed to the International Court of Justice to stop the death sentence.
Asif, who was answering questions after a speech at the Asia Society here, did not specify which NSA he was referring to and did not expand the initials. From that vague reference, it was not clear if Pakistans National Security Adviser had conveyed the offer or if it was made by an entity or individual in another country sharing the initials NSA.
He also did not identify the who the terrorist in Afghanistans custody was.
The Afghanistan government had admitted that the Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) Pakistan had safe havens in that country, Asif asserted.
The TTP has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack on the Peshawar army school in 2014 in which 132 children were killed.
The strong reaction from the US president came a day after North Korea said that it was ready to defend itself by shooting down US bombers.
North Koreas foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, who was in New York early this week, had accused Trump of declaring war against his country.
We are totally prepared for the second (military) option. Not a preferred option, but if we take that option, it will be devastating I can tell you that devastating for North Korea. Thats called the military option. If we have to take it, we will, Trump told reporters yesterday in a joint news conference with the visiting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
Responding to a question, Trump said that the North Korean leader (Kim Jong Un) is acting very badly. Hes saying things that should never, ever be said, alleged the US President.
We are replying to those things, but its a reply. Its not an original statement, its a reply. But the things that hes said over the last year and if you look back to things that hes said to past administrations North Korea is a situation that should have been handled 25 years ago, 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago, and five years ago, and it could have been handled much more easily, he said.
Various administrations left a mess for him (Trump) and he will fix the mess. So well see what happens with North Korea, Trump said.
He said that North Korean nuclear weapons and missile development threaten the entire world with unthinkable loss of life. As such all nations must act now to ensure the regimes complete denuclearisation.
It is time for all responsible nations to join forces, to isolate the North Korean menace, Trump said as he appreciated the United Nations Security Council voting twice, unanimously, 15 to nothing, to adopt hard-hitting resolutions against North Korea.
I have recently issued tough new sanctions against those who do business with this outlaw regime. And I applaud Chinas latest action to restrict its trade with North Korea, he said and applauded China for breaking off all banking relationships with North Korea. This is something that people would have thought unthinkable even two months ago, he said.
I want to thank President Xi, he said.
Responding to a question, Rajoy said no one wishes for there to be a war anywhere in the world.
But its true that the recent events in North Korea, with the implications in the neighbouring countries very important countries, means that we will have to be forceful, and those of us who defend the values of democracy, freedom and human rights have to let North Korea know that it isnt going anywhere in that direction, Rajoy said.
For the time being, sanctions have been adopted. Spain will support any political decision which will contribute to putting an end to this situation, which has nothing to do with the principles and values most of Western and global democracies defend, he said.
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WASHINGTON (JG-TC) -- On Tuesday in the U.S. House of Representatives, a Mattoon High School teacher was recognized for her heroic actions during a shooting last week in the school's cafeteria.
U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, said math and physical education teacher Angela McQueen saved the lives of students when she subdued the suspected shooter on Sept. 20. The suspect, an MHS student, was subsequently arrested by police officers. The shooting wounded an MHS student.
I honor Angela McQueens dedication to her students safety and her courageous actions in the face of adversity, Shimkus said. If she had not selflessly acted, the situation could have been much worse. Angela McQueen is a true hero and deserves nothing less than our highest admiration."
McQueen, who has taught at MHS for more than a decade, is a Marshall native and an Eastern Illinois University alumna.
The last days of the Newfie Pride
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Saskatchewan: Where the Sun Always Shines
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Nebraska's probation administrator reiterated Tuesday that her office has been vigilant in reporting and evaluating adverse incidents, and is constantly improving its fledgling juvenile justice program.
That's despite reports from Julie Rogers, Nebraska's inspector general for child welfare, that say the office has been unresponsive to recommendations from her independent oversight efforts.
Rogers put out her 90-page annual report in mid-September, and was critical of some of Probation's actions regarding, in particular, the death of a youth in its program.
Probation took exception to the report, and the Judicial Branch put out a statement -- a collective view, according to Probation Administrator Ellen Fabian Brokofsky -- saying judges, courts and probation offices work in the real world and make difficult decisions and, as such, have light years more experience than anyone in the Office of the Inspector General. And no credibility should be given to the report, whatsoever.
Brokofsky; Lancaster County Juvenile Court Judge Roger Heideman; Jeanne Brandner, deputy probation administrator of juvenile services; and Deputy Administrator Gene Cotter met with reporters Tuesday to further discuss the report.
"When a report comes out blasting and accusing and discrediting an entity without factual data in two cases that are three years old, a trend cannot be determined," Brokofsky said of Rogers' critique. "There is not a researcher in this state or the United States who would say that."
The accusatory tone and placing of blame has no place in this kind of review, she said.
Some agencies and child advocates had reacted negatively to the statement from the Judicial Branch.
Juliet Summers, policy coordinator for Voices for Children in Nebraska, said the death of a child in the care of the state is a tragedy and should create an urgency in all stakeholders to take any steps necessary to ensure it is never repeated. Responding formally to recommendations can only improve outcomes for the states youth, she said.
Brokofsky said Probation would never minimize the seriousness of the deaths in the cases Rogers' reported on, but the inspector general's job is to look at trends, and to enable honest courageous discussions around bigger issues. It is not to hone in on an individual case and cast blame.
"If I had a magic wand, there would be a more insightful view of the issues, and recommendations that were informed and viewed as important to the people that work every day with the population," she said of the role of the inspector general.
The three branches of government should find ways to communicate and collaborate, she said. But each branch should not have oversight over the other branches.
The Office of Inspector General was created by the Legislature to provide increased accountability and oversight of the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and to assist in improving system operations. It investigates child deaths, serious injuries, misconduct, poor performance and violations of policies, regulations and laws.
"The (office of inspector general) takes this obligation, along with its mandate to recommend changes and improvements, very seriously," Rogers said in her report.
Brokofsky said investigations of processes and policies in general require more than looking at two individual cases, she said.
"You don't look at one here and one here and say this is a trend, or this is a concern," she said.
The report went into detail on the suicide of a 17-year-old that had been placed by the Probation office on electronic monitoring and tracking, house arrest, restricted contact with friends and a ban on driving.
Rogers was critical of a number of ways the case was handled by Probation, and made nine recommendations.
Probation officials said they disagreed with Rogers' facts and findings, and consequently with her recommendations.
Rogers was critical of Probation for accepting none of the recommendations, and for being unresponsive to the inspector general's reports.
Brandner said Probation did respond.
"Our message to her was, 'We take every incident very seriously,'" she said.
They said they looked through the reports and the recommendations on cases reported to Probation in June 2016 and January 2017. They determined whether help was needed from other collaborators, and if changes in policy or practice were necessary, she said.
But because they didn't agree with the facts as Rogers presented them, they could not accept the recommendations. They were not required to formally respond to Rogers, she said.
Heideman said that recommendations indirectly have been implemented, through ongoing changes in legislation, policies, practices and reform efforts.
"Not directly in response to recommendations, but just as a continuation of reform efforts," he said.
Heideman said Probation does outstanding work and has provided appropriate services to families and kids after youths were transferred from the Department of Health and Human Services.
At a time when cases could be expected to increase, the number of kids under supervision continues to decrease, youth residential center commitments are going down and out-of-home placements are decreasing, he said.
Brokofsky said she does not want to see this disagreement characterized as an us-versus-them situation. Probation would be open to sitting down and discussing the report with Rogers, she said.
The juvenile justice program is a work in progress and positively affecting the lives of youths and families, she said.
"We're changing every day."
With the proliferation of automation, a number of banking operations such as fund transfer, opening accounts, paying bills, getting account statements, ordering cheque books can now be performed without visiting a bank branch. From recent observations, there has been a generational shift in banking, owing to advancement of technology in the last few decades
The latest research released by Michael Page India, titled 'India Automation Trends', reveals that 87 per cent of respondents welcome the introduction of robotics. In addition, the top perceived benefits brought about by automation were found to be speed (27 per cent), accuracy (24 per cent) and cost-efficiency (24 per cent).
This significant shift and the rise in digitisation guarantees the arrival of a new set of opportunities and challenges. For instance, the automation of the large number of repetitive, low value and low risk processes will empower banks by increasing their efficiency and enhancing customer experience while reducing operational cost. Additionally by using tools such as analytics and data mining in areas like sales and product development, financial institutions can make more informed management decisions. Furthermore, the digitisation of processes in banks will also lead to an increase in and improvement of communication, both internally among its employees as well as externally with their customers and the public in general.
It is highly likely that the branch-banking set-up in India, particularly in the metro cities, will evolve due to the trend of automation. As a consequence of the extensive utilisation of automation and self-serviced technology, banks are expected to see a minimal number of counter employees working at the branches. The emphasis on transaction related businesses will decrease and banks will concentrate their energies more towards the sales, service and consultancy to their customers. Self-service kiosks and ATMs would likely take over a majority of the current work including cash and cheque deposits, account inquiry, statement printing and bill payments.
It is interesting to note that Vikram Pandit was recently quoted saying that 30 per cent of jobs in banking globally may be lost due to AI and robotics. The expected outcome for the banking industry, in the wake of automation, calls for the enhancement of skills for the lower level employees in this sector. Furthermore, as the roles will be more consulting and sales oriented in future, knowledge and professionalism will become the key differentiators moving forward.
The profits and customers of the future will most likely sway towards banks that successfully harness technologies to automate processes, create new digital products and streamline the overall user banking experience. In order to retain a competitive edge, banks would be required to invest heavily in digital technologies, which will assist them in delivering an enhanced customer experience at low operational costs.
Banking sector is expected to face stiff competition from new platforms like financial technology firms, payments banks and non-banking financial companies, which will focus their efforts on being technologically savvy.
Banking transactions, whether on mobile phones or online channels, are increasingly on the rise and will continue in that direction, thereby becoming one of the main drivers of digital banking in the future.
A number of banks are already embracing this shift in India. HSBC has halved its number of branches in India from 50 to 26 and has turned its focus on retail banking through digital channels. Another global bank, DBS has announced a digital banking campaign, which will acquire and service retail customers through digital platforms. In addition, two leading Indian banks, HDFC Bank and YES Bank have cut employee strength by over 11,000 and nearly 2,000 employees, respectively, on grounds of poor performance and digitisation.
HDFC Bank also recently launched its own virtual assistant, the first AI based chatbot that can answer millions of customer queries. It also recently launched its first robot in one of the Mumbai branches.
Largely, branch-banking in Indias metro cities will become leaner and smarter while the overall employee strength in banking will decrease as impacted by a reduction in number of low-skilled employees in the near future. These are likely to be in the middle, back office as well as transaction-oriented roles. Incidentally, an increase in hiring for highly-skilled jobs, in the sales and analytics spaces, which will be created by automation, is anticipated.
While this change will take place at a gradual pace, it will be slower in the rural areas of the country. In these areas cash remains the preferred mode of transaction and the population have less knowledge and trust in technology with regards to financial matters.
Anshul Lodha, is the Director of Michael Page India. Michael Page is a leading professional recruitment consultancy specialising in the recruitment of permanent, contract and temporary positions on behalf of the worlds top employers.
Seeking immediate relief for the stressed telecom sector, older operators, including Airtel and Idea Cellular, today slammed high levies, increase in spectrum cost and regulatory norms.
"Taxation on industry is very high. It is in the range of 29-32 per cent. Spectrum cost is one of the highest and tariff being one of the lowest. All of this need to change to realise dream and vision of Digital India," Bharti Airtel MD and CEO for India and South Asia, Gopal Vittal said at the India Mobile Congress.
Investment by Bharti Airtel in the last two years has been more than that of the past 20 years put together, he said. "The cost of spectrum is among the highest in the world and tariffs being the lowest in the world," Vittal said.
He put the debt of the industry at about Rs 4,50,000 crore and return on capital at about one per cent and "all of this is a problem to acknowledge".
This, Vittal stressed, needs to change if the Digital India dream is to be achieved. He also highlighted issues concerning laying fibre and the policy of mergers and acquisitions.
He explained that telecom companies find it a "painful process" to find access to government buildings when they want to lay down fibre.
"We find the mergers and acquisitions policy, while it is out there, the pace at which it happens is a challenge. And all of this I think needs to be streamlined," the Airtel CEO added.
Vittal observed that though mergers and acquisitions are in place, the pace at which these are executed by the government is "very low".
He acknowledged that the government is involved in easing norms for doing business, but maintained that the industry is facing problems on various fronts.
Idea Cellular MD and CEO Himanshu Kapania said recent market developments have drastically altered industry dynamics, resulting in the sector passing through a phase of severe "financial and mental stress".
Terming the regulatory and financial issues being faced by the sector as the "elephant in the room that no one is talking about", Kapania flagged the recent cut in interconnect usage charge (IUC), firm spectrum prices and high levies like licence fee and GST as big constraints.
"No industry can survive the drastic fall in voice and data tariffs that have plunged to "below cost" levels over the last one year," Kapania added.
The reduction in call connect chargesthe IUC rateswill further "deplete" the industry of investible funds, he pointed out.
Kapania warned that the fault lines are already becoming visible as the industry is witnessing a "degrowth".
Reliance Industries telecom upstart Jio is footing at least 40 per cent of the cost of its basic 4G phone, two sources familiar with the matter said, as it bets on recovering the investment by luring in millions of new customers.
The JioPhone, rolling out this week for a refundable deposit of 1,500 rupees ($23.05), will cost at least 2,500 rupees ($39) to assemble, the sources told Reuters.
That means Jio will likely carry more than $150 million in costs for every 10 million JioPhones it sells.
And the company aims to build a subscriber base of between 250 million and 300 million users in the next two years, said one of the sources.
Reliance Industries did not respond to a request for comment.
Some Reliance investors may flinch at the cost of subsidies, but the scale of the outlay is a clear signal of the level of Jios ambition, as it targets an audience of some 500 million who still cannot afford smartphones in India.
Jios advanced voice over LTE (VoLTE) network only works with 4G enabled devices, inaccessible to many even at subsidised rates. The significantly cheaper JioPhone, however, will open the Internet to a less affluent segment of Indians for the very first time.
The 3,000-rupee smartphone was not cutting it, the second source said. Reliance is making a bold attempt with this phone and data will be the key driver for them.
Analysts estimate a majority of Indian feature phone users have an average revenue per user (ARPU) of rupees 50 or lower. JioPhones 153 rupees monthly plan for so-called pre-paid users aims to drive up this ARPU, the first source said.
Jio, backed by Indias richest man Mukesh Ambani, has amassed more than 128 million subscribers since its launch last year, by offering free voice and cut-price data for months.
Over half a dozen wireless carriers compete for market share in major Indian cities, but Reliance, the first source said, sees the telecom market being winnowed down into a three player market with just Jio and current leader Bharti Airtel and the Vodafone-Idea combine likely left standing.
The JioPhone is currently being manufactured in China, based on a unit reviewed by Reuters, but Reliance is likely to tap the likes of Foxconn and Flextronics, which have facilities in India - to assemble it in the country, a Reliance executive told Reuters previously.
The phones chipset, being supplied by Qualcomm and Chinas Spreadtrum, is likely to be its most expensive component while batteries are likely to cost $3-$4, the first source said.
Doctors can now work till the age of 65, according to a cabinet decision that was approved on Wednesday. The Union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved ex post facto the increase of superannuation age of doctors, other than doctors of the central health services (CHS) falling under various departments/ministries/autonomous organisations, to 65 years.
J.P. Nadda, Union minister of health and family welfare, called the decision visionary and pragmatic, and added that the move will strengthen healthcare services in the country and make available the services of experienced doctors. It will help in retaining the existing strength of experienced doctors thereby providing better patient care satisfaction, Nadda said.
India is woefully short of qualified doctors. In July, during the Lok Sabha question hour, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel had quoted data by Medical Council of India, suggesting the shortage. As per the MCI data, the country has 10,22,859 allopathic doctors registered with the state medical councils or Medical Council of India, as on March 31 this year. Assuming 80 per cent availability, it is estimated that around 8.18 lakh doctors may actually be available for active service. It gives a doctor-population ratio of 0.62:1,000 as per current population which is estimated to be of around 1.33 billion, Patel had said during question hour.
As per the WHO, the ideal doctor population ratio should be 1:1,000.
Several reasons have been attributed for shortage of healthcare professionals in public health facilities, particularly in rural areas. These reasons include overall shortage of healthcare professionals in the country, feeling of professional isolation among healthcare professionals and unwillingness on their part to work in rural areas.
This cabinet decision, said Nadda, would address the issue of shortage of doctors. He also said the decision will help in academic activities in medical colleges and in effective implementation of national health programmes. The decision may not have much financial implications as large numbers of posts are lying vacant and the present incumbents would continue to work in their existing capacity against sanctioned posts. Around 1,445 doctors of various ministries/departments of the Central government would be benefited, he said.
According to the decision, doctors under different ministries such as AYUSH, department of defence (civilian doctors under Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Service), department of defence production, dental doctors under department of health and family welfare, dental doctors under ministry of railways and of doctors working in higher education and technical institutions under department of higher education would now be allowed to work until they turn 65.
The blueprint for the 2018 assembly polls in Karnataka for both the national parties seems to be from the same template. Political polarisation, social engineering, appeasement, and chanting the development mantra are no longer the rhetoric of any single party, but the political anthem in a state headed for polls in less than eight months.
The Siddaramaiah government launched a consultative process to crowdsource ideas from the citizens to draft a vision document 'Nava Karnataka 2025', which will steer the development across 13 sectors over the next seven years. While the initiative is similar to 'Vision 2022' unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Karnataka CM clarified that 'Nava Karnataka 2025' would be part of the election manifesto of the Congress and hoped that the document will give direction to the development of the state irrespective of which party comes to power post 2018.
The chief minister has invited suggestions on social media even as day-long workshops across the 30 districts are expected to draw opinions and feedback on sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, industrial development, education, employment, skill development and social justice, from the citizens. A website has also been created to engage the youth. We want to get out of the ivory tower and go to the common man for suggestions for development, said Siddaramaiah.
To counter BJP's people-connect programmesJan Sampark Abhiyan and Vistaraksthe ruling Congress launched the Mane Manege Congress (Congress at every home), a door-to-door campaign, on September 23.
During the campaign, 66,000 booth level agents will apprise the people of our programmes and projects in the last four years, besides highlighting the failure of the Modi government. We have fulfilled 155 out of the 165 poll promises. We hope to reach out to at least one crore voters by October 15, said KPCC chief G. Parameshwara. While the outreach programme is a bid to shed its dynasty-centric image, it is also aimed at helping the grand old party evolve as a cadre-based party, expanding its volunteer base at the booth level.
After a windfall of Bhagya schemes the populist schemes targeting the Ahinda (minorities, backward classes and the dalits) voterbase in the first three yearsthe Siddaramaiah government seems to have hit upon social engineering to counter the Hindutva brigade, in the fag end of its tenure.
The masterstroke, however, was the Congress ministers piloting the Lingayat agitation, demanding separate religion tag. While the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community has traditionally backed the BJP, the Congress government extending its tacit support to Lingayat agitation has caught the BJP unawares. At the same time, it has succeeded in polarisation of the politically and numerically strong Lingayat community.
The Congress is making inroads into the strong bastions of its political opponents in the state. It checkmated the JD(S) by espousing the Kannada cause, while causing a flutter in the BJP circle by pitching the regional identity before nationalism. Evoking the Kannada pride, the Siddaramaiah government set up a committee to design the Kannada flag and to examine if it was legally tenable. The Congress' fervour in kindling the Kannada identity can put any regional party to shame. At the same time, the Congress' social engineering strategyconsolidating the Ahinda votes, appeasement of smaller caste groups, alleged complacency in tackling communal flareups in Coastal Karnataka to cash in on polarisation, or breaking into the tough turfs of the saffron party by dividing the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community have indeed unsettled its rivals. Three ministers M.B. Patil, Sharan Prakash Patil and Vinay Kulkarni (elected president of the newly formed Rashtriya Basava Sene)leading the Lingayat agitation has worried the BJP and many in the Congress alike, as it would affect their electoral prospects due to division of the Lingayat votes.
If the income tax raids on senior Congress leaders Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Congress women's wing chief Lakshmi Hebbalkar, minister Ramesh Jarkiholi and MLC Govindaraju rattled the Congress, it was BJP's turn to be hassled as two FIRs alleging illegal denotification were filed against BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa by the Anti-Corruption Bureau. The ruling Congress had earlier accused the Centre of misusing the central agencies like IT, ED and CBI to settle political scores. And now, the BJP raises suspicion over the intent of the ACB, which is under the control of the chief minister.
Even as the Congress government is on its last lap, the crumbling infrastructure of IT city, farmer suicides, unresolved water disputes, murder of progressive thinkers like M.M. Kalburgi, Gauri Lankesh and mysterious deaths of senior officers like D.K. Ravi, Anurag Tiwari, M.K. Ganapathy, Kallappa Handibaug are bound to raise a lot more questions.
Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung called off the strike in Darjeeling after an appeal by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. In an audio message sent to the people of Darjeeling, Gurung declared the decision.
During the two-day BJP national executive meet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked Rajnath Singh to immediately resolve the Darjeeling issue. The meeting was attended by West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh along with Darjeeling MP S.S. Alhuwalia. At the end of the meeting it was decided that Singh would urge GJM to break the 104-day-long strike.
Sources said, Alhuwalia spoke to Gurung, who is hiding in Sikkim, and asked him to call off the indefinite strike. Alhuwalia also reportedly told Gurung that the home secretary would take up the matter of Darjeeling with the state government. In his message, Gurung stated he wanted the Centre's intervention in Darjeeling.
Will this decision pave way for a tripartite talk as demanded by Gurung, Roshan Giri and their followers? The GJM has fallen apart and and a section led by ousted GJM leader Binay Tamang is already negotiating with the West Bengal government which welcomed Gurung's decision.
The state, however, said they had already brought peace to Darjeeling. What more has the central government done? We have already brought peace in the hills, said Tourism Minister Gautam Deb who hails from Siliguri. Deb said state government would have no problem to speak with other leaders of the GJM who have not joined the peace mission.
But Gurung and Giri are wanted under UAPA. They would have to face the law, he said.
It would be difficult for Gurung and Giri to return to Darjeeling as police forces have been deployed in Darjeeling extensively.
According to sources, in the absence of Gurung and Giri, Alhuwalia might come to Darjeeling and speak to the people on behalf of the central government. The most crucial thing in Darjeeling is the Centre's intervention, which GJM has been demanding for so long. It is also to be seen how the semi-autonomous Gorkhaland Territorial Administration is revived. GTA was constituted under the state law and it would be the prerogative of the state government to revive it. The GTA was rendered defunct by Bimal Gurung after he resigned from the chief executive three months ago.
A fresh election needs to be conducted. But West Bengal government had made Tamang the chairman of the interim board of the GTA. Mamata Banerjee would like to see Tamang as the chief in the GTA in the near future. She would like to see the dominance of GTA as the board would also constitute parties like GNLF, JAP and other parties. The BJP government, however, might not like to see that happen as it might loosen the partys grip over Darjeeling. This could pave way for a politcal war of sorts in the hills.
The people of Darjeeling are frustrated at the present state of Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri who sold the dream of Gorkhaland. For over 100 days now, life in the hills had come to a standstill causing misery to the people.
We have had enough of it. Now we have understood that Gorkhaland would not be possible. Also GJM party is going to have an unnatural death. So be it. These people were nothing but dream merchants. We are happy that in this festive season, life has come back to normalcy, said Rajesh Chetry, a businessman in Darjeeling.
Amid all this tension, a great fear that lurks is that of a threat from Gorkha Liberation Army, a terror group which has come up with demand for Gorkhaland. Issuing fresh threats, the group said: Those who are settling with the government for power will be punished.
If a political earthquake is triggered from the Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Vijayadashami Day, Vidyasagar Rao will have a unique distinction. He would be a governor dealing with constitutional crises in two states at the same time. The governor of Maharashtra with additional charge of Tamil Nadu for a year, would have his hands full. There is expectation that the Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackerey would announce in the traditional Vijayadashami address to the cadres that the regional party would withdraw from the coalition with the BJP in Maharashtra, ending nearly three years of an uneasy co-habitation in which BJP Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis does not allow any elbow room for Shiv Sena ministers.
There is a strong feeling in Shiv Sena that Uddhav, who has been attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi regularly through the party mouthpiece Saamna, should exit the government, as Modi has become unpopular due to the lack of job growth and poor economic record. The party is also unhappy about the state governments failure to handle the agrarian crisis and continued suicides of farmers in the state.
There is a smaller section which, however, feels Shiv Sena should remain in the coalition government despite poor treatment and make its grand exit closer to the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. This faction, full of first-time ministers and legislators, say they do not have funds to match the super-rich political machine of the BJP.
Vidyasagar Rao, who is a senior RSS and BJP leader from Andhra Pradesh, has not taken any action in Tamil Nadu, despite 19 MLAs loyal to V.K. Sasikala and her nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran withdrawing their support to Chief Minister Edapadi Palaniswamy more than a month ago. The Dhinakaran-faction, as it is known, had claimed that Palaniswamy had lost the majority in the Tamil Nadu assembly, despite the merger of the O. Paneerselvam-faction. Rao had decided not to direct Palaniswamy to seek a vote of confidence, as he felt their withdrawal of support did not constitute a split in the AIADMK legislature party, which requires at least 42 MLAs.
But meanwhile, Tamil Nadu assembly Speaker Dhanapal, who is close to the Palaniswamy-camp, has disqualified the MLAs for voluntarily deserting the AIADMK, thereby improving the survival chances of Palaniswamy. As the Madras High Court intervened in the matter, Rao has not so far issued a communique.
Interestingly, Rao was one of the few non-medical persons who was allowed to visit Jayalalithaa during her long hospitalisation and had expressed satisfaction at the treatment being given to her.
Subsequently, at the demand of the Paneerselvam-faction, Palaniswamy has ordered an inquiry into the death of Jayalalithaa to find out whether the iron lady of Tamil Nadu politics died due to ill-treatment by her long-time companion Sasikala or for any medical negligence.
However, if Uddhav Thackerey causes tremors in Maharashtra politics and directs his party leaders in the legislature to give a letter withdrawing support to Fadnavis, then Rao would have to take action.
In a house of 288 with one vacancy, the BJP has 122 members, followed by Shiv Sena with 63, Congress with 42, Nationalist Congress Party with 41, Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) as well as Bahujan Vikas Agadi (BVS) with three each, All India Majlis Muthadeen (AIMIM) with two members, CPI (M), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Samajwadi Party with one member each, and seven independents. While PWP, AIMIM, CPI (M) and SP will not vote for the BJP, it expects support from BVS, MNS and independents, and will be short of just eight or nine votes for the majority mark.
The BJP is working on requesting NCP supremo Sharad Pawar from asking his 41 MLAs from either joining the coalition government or at least abstaining from the confidence vote, which will give a smooth sailing for Fadnavis. The chief minister and his core team, under the directions of party president Amit Shah, are also in touch with individual opposition MLAs to ensure that the BJP government in the second largest state of the country is not toppled in a numbers game. The exit of former chief minister Narayan Rane and his son Nitesh is causing tremors in the Congress, as the latter and two other congress MLAs are loyal to Rane.
If the Madras High Court orders a floor test in the Tamil Nadu assembly, and Uddhav fires his missile, then it would be a hectic week for Rao, who would look to Delhi for advice.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis held talks with Indian leaders on Tuesday, vowing to jointly stamp out militant sanctuaries and seeking Indias greater involvement in helping to stabilise Afghanistan.
The comments come as President Donald Trumps administration has stepped up pressure on Pakistan for more action against militant groups operating from its soil that are blamed for attacks in India and neighbouring Afghanistan.
Islamabad denies giving material support to the militants and instead accuses its arch-rival of trying to use Afghanistan as a base for anti-Pakistan activities.
But Mattis, the Trump administrations first cabinet official to visit India, said the two countries would work together to fight terrorism.
There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens, he said in a statement. As global leaders, India and the United States resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge.
Washington welcomed Indian efforts to promote stability in Afghanistan, he added. New Delhi has committed $3 billion in development projects in Afghanistan and trains Afghan officers in India.
But it has not sent soldiers in the international effort to restore peace. Our engagement in Afghanistan will continue, we shall expand our engagement, Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, following talks with Mattis.
Defence ties between India and the United States have expanded rapidly, with New Delhi buying US weapons worth $15 billion over the last decade, moving away from traditional supplier Russia.
Military experts say US weapons transfers aim at bolstering Indian capabilities to develop a counterweight against Chinas growing assertiveness in recent years.
Indian and US negotiators are now trying to move forward with a deal to supply the Indian navy with 22 Sea Guardian drone aircraft, whose June approval by the US government was the first such clearance to a non-NATO ally.
India wants the unarmed drones to help its navy lengthen the duration of its surveillance in the Indian Ocean, where Chinese naval ships and submarines make regular forays.
Expanding naval cooperation with India was a top priority, Mattis said, adding that three-way exercises involving the United States, India and Japan boosted operational cooperation.
China looms large
The United States has been critical of Chinas build-up of military facilities in the South China Sea. But New Delhi turned down a US suggestion of regional joint patrols with the Indian navy, for fear of a Chinese backlash.
China looms very large for both countries, said Dhruva Jaishankar, a specialist on India-US relations at Brookings India.
The strategic underpinning of India-US defence ties is in the common concerns they have over China, over its revisionism.
The Indian air force has also asked for 90 armed Avenger Predator drones that experts say could be deployed for cross-border strikes, such as targeting militant camps India says exist on Pakistans side of disputed Kashmir.
Such a sale would need White House and Congress approval, sources said. But Pakistan and, possibly, China could see the move as de-stabilising.
Dronemaker General Atomics is pleased the Indian government has won approval for the surveillance version of the drone, said Vivek Lall, its chief executive for US and international strategic development.
Not only will this platform enhance Indias capabilities in the areas of maritime domain awareness and security, but the interoperability with one of the USs most important strategic partners will contribute to security across the region.
The two sides will also discuss Lockheed Martins offer to build F-16 fighter planes in India as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modis drive to build a domestic military industrial base.
We look forward to sharing some of our most advanced defence technologies, Mattis said.
Swedens Saab is the other contender for the deal to supply at least 100 single-engine combat planes.
For all the hype and hoopla about fear of Rohingya refugees entering through the porous Bangladesh border into India, the Director General of Border Security Force, K K Sharma, had some astonishing figures to reveal today.
Speaking to a tight knot of journalists in New Delhi, Sharma said that, in the last one month, during the latest exodus from Rakhine district, around four lakh Rohingyas had entered Bangladesh. But only around 12 were caught trying to enter into the Indian side. He added that in the last two years, 200 were caught trying to enter India illegally and were sent back.
Sharma said that the BSF had stepped up vigil, mainly along the Bangladesh border, the route through which Rohingyas enter India. There are routes through the north eastern states too, but for several reasons, those are not the preferred ones. The Rakhine district is close to south Bangladesh, through which it is easy to enter India from the southern part of West Bengal. Earlier, we did not distinguish between Bangladeshi and Rohingyas, our policy is to stop any illegal crossing across the border. It is not very easy because they have a similar ethnicity, but now we are more vigilant, because the possibility of spillover of these refugees into India is very real. He said that those caught and sent back in the past two years were identified as Rohingyas only later, once they were being sent back to the Bangladeshi authorities.
The BSF has identified vulnerable border outposts of crossing and strengthened vigil there with deploying additional men, said Sharma, adding that gadgets like hand held thermal imaging sensors are being used. He said that the Bangladesh border is very porous in West Bengal because it is criss-crossed with riverine system and nullahs, and these were now being monitored more vigilantly.
Around 40,000 Rohingyas have entered India over the past few decades, the most recent influx being in 2012. Sharma said that during a recent encounter in Kashmir, one of the militants was identified as Myanmarese. There are other incidents too, of Rohingyas acting as informers. We also have information that the Islamic State is making inroads into Rohingyas,'' he said.
In the last week of August, an Indian postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, picked up 15 powerful pulsesFast Radio Bursts (FRBs)from a dwarf galaxy three billion light years away from earth. Dr Vishal Gajjar is with the Breakthrough Listen project, a $100m research programme aimed at discovering civilisations beyond earth. The project was founded by cosmologist Stephen Hawking and Russian billionaire Yuri Milner. Gajjars research team accumulated 400 terabytes of data on the source of the pulses in five hours.
Speculation ran rife. Were the radio pulses emitted by neutron stars or black holes? Or, were they the handiwork of extraterrestrial intelligence? Gajjar told THE WEEK that the radio pulses were detected at the highest frequency and widest bandwidth ever attempted. It is a testament to the capability of the backend that we designed. If extraterrestrials are trying to communicate with us, they will probably send signals of this nature.
Excerpts from an interview with Gajjar:
What is the objective of the Breakthrough Listen project?
The goal of the project is to search for extraterrestrial intelligence. We have designed this unique backend instrument and attached it to the worlds biggest telescopes. One is in Green Bank, West Virginia, which I used for my study. The second is in Australia. The goal was to see whether our instruments could really track them at such a high frequency and wide bandwidth. We observed source FRB 121102, which is known to emit these kind of bursts. But nobody had ever observed anything at such high frequencies. As luck would have it, we detected 15 such bursts in the first half hour. That motivated us and demonstrated to the scientific community that the equipment we possessed is up to the standard for detection of ET intelligence. If we demonstrate that we have the capability to detect such bursts, we can soon detect ET as well. We will also be exploring at higher frequencies. If we detect again, it will make things more interesting.
How probable is that the signals were emitted by an alien life form?
There are many theories out there. For one, we dont understand the emission process which gives rise to such short, strong bursts. They are coming from so far away. So, some high-energy processes are happening at the source. ET intelligence could be one of the reasons. It can be argued that the bursts are microwave beacons used to propagate spaceships; we will detect them as FRBs.
I think the larger scientific communitys reluctance to accept this argument is for one very obvious reason: We find these FRBs all over the sky. Unless we have the same type of ETs spread across the universe, it is unlikely that they are the common explanation. If we consider it as natural phenomena, it could be a more plausible explanation as to why they are spread across the sky and not just one part. Still, we dont know. We need to explore as many frequencies and timescales as possible.
You discovered these bursts from source FRB 121102. How difficult is it to detect other sources emitting such signals?
This is a rarest of the rare source. We have no other source which behaves like this. The search is hampered by the fact that, unlike the naked eye, a radio telescope can only scan a very small portion of the sky at a time. We will have to keep the telescope in motion, hoping to catch one of the sources in action.
In previous observations of the same source, we have seen that it goes through different phases: When it is active, it produces many such bursts in a very short time. When it is inactive, people have observed it for months and not discovered a single burst.
What are the other explanations for FRBs, if not aliens?
The neutron star or pulsar model is one which is more popular. In recent observations, we were able to localise the exact position of the source inside what they call a star-forming region. So people are suggesting that it is very easy for a young neutron star or a young pulsar to display this kind of a burst. Young pulsars do tend to have a large amount of energy loss.
Something about your journey from Gujarat to Berkeley.
I was born in a town named Botad. I did my engineering in my home state, but I was never an engineer. I was more interested in physics. In India, there is this trend that you become an engineer first and then you do what you want to do. I was more interested in physics, astronomy, formation of the universe and all that. I did my PhD from National Centre for Radio Astrophysics in Pune.
It was in Pune that I came across the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, a fascinating instrument to work with. I did my postdoc for a year and later landed a position in Berkeley. It was a dream come true for me, doing the work that I always dreamed of.
How possible is it that alien life forms exist?
If the possibility was zero, I wouldnt be here. Take the number of stars in our galaxy. We now know that every star has a planet. Many of them could support life. If there is a chance for life to arise, it will definitely arise. If so, where will they be located? We are conducting a survey of nearby stars first, and we will push farther on.
FAST RADIO BURSTS (FRBs). Frankly, I thought these were radio signals from the farthest corners of the universe. Something like the cosmic version of the wave function on Facebook Messenger. Like how the Whos reached out to Horton, the pink elephant (Dr Seuss!). Hey, someone just rang the doorbell!
My balloon went phut when I realised that FRBs were energy pulses. The radio came from radio telescopes which picked up the pulses. My excitement waned further when I was told that the pulse itself was generated when the earth was in diapers. The ballpark figure being bandied about is three billion years. I am told that if I send a Hi now, that is how long it might take to reach the source of the FRB. And, to qualify as an FRB, the pulse must last five milliseconds or less. As Dr Sabrina Stierwalt, astrophysicist at the University of Virginia, put it, Chop one second into a thousand parts and youre looking at less than five of your pieces.
So, a pulse that lasted for less than five milliseconds was picked up by a radio telescope. Its source was identified by a team at the University of California, Berkeley. We are not sure if a little green man sent it or if it is just the signature of a cosmic event. So, why the cover story?
Well, it is as Carl Sagan said: The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.
From what I gather, the excitement is about three things. A) The source of the pulse has been identified. B) There have been multiple pulses from the same source. Only one-off pulses have been traced to other sources. C) The energy emitted by the source has been massive. This is no feeble two-cell torch. This is a gargantuan lighthouse, whose beam has zoomed across dark, deep space to touch Planet Earth.
For Indians, the excitement is greater and more personal because of the involvement of Dr Vishal Gajjar, the Gujarati who is part of the Berkeley team. And, let us not forget Heng Kim Songs cartoon for The New York Times. The milkman, the cow and the elite space club. Most countries with advanced space programmes have active Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) projects. Many scientists, like former ISRO chief Dr G. Madhavan Nair, feel that we must fund and actively support SETI. Hence, the relevance of this cover. I hope you will enjoy reading it, as much as I have.
Another piece in this issue that I recommend is Kavitha Lankeshs tribute to her sister, Gauri Lankesh. Intensely personal, it is a piece that can be written only by a sibling.
One last bite from Sagan the sage: Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.
The Chinese supply chains of Ivanka Trumps brand are more secretive than ever. That raises questions about who the company that has earned her millions is doing business with in a country where its hard not to bump up against the government.
Among the few publicly identified companies that shipped Ivanka Trump goods to the U.S. in the past, the AP found one owned by the Chinese government and another selected for special export subsidies a possible violation by China of global fair trade rules that could benefit the first daughter and her brand.
Its hard to know whats going on today. Since she took on her White House role, publicly available data does not identify companies exporting her goods to the U.S. in 90 percent of shipments.
(AP)
Israel High Court of Justice President Miriam Naor has decided that she will not participate in the event marking 50 years since the liberation of Yehuda and Shomron from Jordanian occupation in the June 1967 Six Day War. The anniversary event is set to take place in Gush Etzion on Wednesday, 7 Tishrei. As a result of her decision, High Court Justice Neil Hendel canceled his planned appearance, Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) reports.
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin responded, stating the justices of the High Court should be excluded from being invited to government events.
Levin added, The political views of the heads of the judicial system were revealed today, most clearly, with the unprecedented and shameful decision of the Supreme Court justices not to participate in the state ceremony for 50 years of settlement. For anyone who had a doubt, the political leanings of the justices is now clear, left-wing, as is reflected in their rulings that repeatedly harm the settlers and the settlement enterprise.
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotevely added that she too is against Naors decision, which she calls a poor one, one that mocks the national history of the nation.
Earlier this week, the European Union Ambassador to Israel announced he too will not be participating in the ceremony.
(YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The Aluma organization will be holding a special conference in memory of Tamar Ariel, the first female religious flight navigator in the IDF who was killed in Nepal in October of 2014. Among the people slated to attend the conference is Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, HaRav David Lau who has been asked to speak to help bring chizzuk to the attendees.
Aluma, has been a source of controversy over the past few years in the Orthodox world in Israel, as many of their activities seem to support religious girls enlisting in the IDF. Over the past few years a number of prominent rabbanim have come out against the organizations efforts in this regard.
Aluma was founded in 1983 by the Religious Kibbutz Movement. It strives for the existence of a strong and flourishing Israeli society and it is the organizations belief that through the advancement of unique groups within Israeli society towards the acquisition of life skills, an endeavor for excellence, and integration in spheres of meaningful service, education and employment social mobility will become possible and Israeli society as a whole, comprised of its individual components, will benefit.
In just a few weeks time the organization is set to hold a Shabbaton for female high school seniors who are having a tough time deciding between enlisting in the IDF, doing national service or heading for further education in religious seminaries of colleges.
MK Aliza Lavie from Yesh Atid is also slated to attend and speak to the gathered girls on Wednesdays conference.
Rav Laus office responded to questions posed to him by the Charedi news site Charedim 10 and said the following. Chief Rabbi Lau is asked to speak and deliver words of Torah at many events in order to help bring hizzuk to those attending. This especially holds true in the month of Elul and the time around the High-Holidays The Chief Rabbi even goes to army bases and addresses soldiers directly, and this is what has been asked f him in this case as well. If the event is indeed promoting the conscription of religious women the Chief Rabbi and his staff will act accordingly. The Chief Rabbi does not support the enlisting of religious women into the IDF.
(YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem)
Smalls wonder: Underwear tycoon Michelle Mone
Spritely undercrackers tycoon Michelle Mone is named in the BBC's list of 100 'inspirational and innovative' women for 2017, placing the brassy Glaswegian, 45, alongside steely Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Chile's trailblazing president Michelle Bachelet.
A signal honour for Ellen and Senora Bachelet, no two ways about it.
Boeing's opportunistic trade dispute with Bombardier, which has resulted in its Canadian rival being slapped with punitive tariffs, now threatens the jobs of some 4,000 UK-based employees.
So wasn't it guileless of Boeing to place a full-page advert in yesterday's Financial Times, boasting of 'growing economic prosperity in the United Kingdom' and 'helping to build a stronger UK'.
Oily marketing men think these sort of stunts are clever.
Re Bombardier, the firm is now pinning its hopes on several Chinese airline deals which it hopes to tie up when Canada's effete prime minister Justin Trudeau travels to Beijing next month.
Trudeau recently sucked-up to Canada's Indian community by prancing around in a Kurta and went sans-culottes in a kilt to Montreal's Highland Games.
Perhaps the attention-seeking buffoon should don a Fu Manchu moustache and coolie hat to woo Chinese dignitaries.
George Osborne's ex-chief of staff Rupert Harrison, 38, now an adviser at Blackrock, pays tribute to Germany's veteran finance minister Wolfgang Schauble, 75, who is standing down after three terms.
Harrison recalls: 'He would always start meetings by saying, 'So George, when are you going to join the euro?' Cue general hilarity all round.
Then each time it was clear he wasn't really joking.' For all his unbecoming Brexit bashing, not even EU-mad George advocated joining the euro.
Goatee-whiskered Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer (no James Bond look- alike, alas) welcomes spindly inventor James Dyson's plans to move into the electric car market.
He jokes: 'We're now looking forward to branching out into vacuums.' An Aston Martin vacuum? That'd clean-up for investors.
Shares in embattled infrastructure company Carillion rose nearly 20 per cent today after reports that a firm from the Middle East is interested in acquiring it.
The upward move in the share price today is in stark contrast to the 70 per cent plunge the share price took in July, when the group issued a profit warning and the its chief executive departed.
Carillion, which builds and maintains schools, hospitals, barracks, roads and railways, is in the eye of a Middle East investor, said to be waiting until Fridays half-year results to make its approach, according to a report in newspaper City AM.
Rumours over a possible bid from a Middle Eastern buyer sent Carillion shares up.
David Madden, market analyst at CMC Markets UK, said: The troubled construction company may welcome the takeover approach as it is struggling with high debts, but some shareholders might feel they are being targeted near the all-time low.
Shares in the group rose by 19.1 per cent, or 8.88p, to 55.38p in morning trading.
In July, the Wolverhampton-based group, which has around 43,000 staff worldwide and had a turnover of 5.2billion last year, announced a 845million write-down, issued a hefty profit warning and suspended dividends.
This sent its shares tumbling by more than 70 per cent in one week.
Carillion has had problems with high profile problems on big contracts, including an Aberdeen road project and two NHS hospitals in public-private partnerships.
Its market capitalisation went from 1billion in early July to less than 250million in a matter of days, causing it to be kicked out of the FTSE 250 in August. Carillion's current market valuation is just over 200million.
Analysts have also warned on the firms ballooning 800million pension deficit and debt of 1.4billion.
The rumoured bid plans come after recent reports the company was looking to sell its Middle East operations, with a raft of local firms said to have been interested.
Carillion had said in its July profit alert that it was looking to sell a 50 per cent stake in its Oman business, while also pulling out of construction markets in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The groups chief executive Richard Howson resigned following Julys shock profit warning. He was replaced by interim boss Keith Cochrane while the company searches for a permanent boss.
Finance chief Richard Adam also left shortly after.
As all proud Yorkshiremen will be happy to tell you, they live in God's own county.
And so it will come as no surprise to them that the land around the beautiful market town of Skipton has been named Britain's happiest place to live.
The rolling hills, a 900-year-old castle, cobbled streets, and a popular canal make it a tourist attraction as well as a local commercial hub.
The beautiful market town of Skipton, North Yorkshire, has been named Britain's happiest place to live
And the area boasts a range of independent shops on its high street, good schools, and the picturesque Yorkshire Dales nearby.
People around the North Yorkshire town rated their level of happiness as 8.3 out of ten well above the national average of 7.5 in an Office for National Statistics survey. And they rated life satisfaction as 8.5, compared with a UK average of 7.7.
The survey specifically named Craven the district centred on Skipton as the happiest place to live, and the area also had the lowest levels of anxiety. Craven's average anxiety rating was 2.1 out of ten, compared with a national average of 2.9.
The happiness surveys involve a series of questions added to the ONS Annual Population Survey since 2010, a large-scale poll which consults 320,000 people.
SKIPTON'S TOPS LEAGUE OF JOY 1. Skipton, North Yorkshire 2. Orkney Islands 3. Mid Suffolk 4. Suffolk Coastal 5. Oadby and Wigston, Leicestershire 6. Richmondshire, North Yorkshire 7. North Warwickshire 8. Woking, Surrey 9. Western Isles 10. Eden, Cumbria Advertisement
Those taking part are asked to say on a scale of one to ten how happy they were yesterday, how satisfied they were with their life, how much they felt their life was worthwhile, and how anxious they felt.
When asked if their lives were worthwhile, residents of Islington in north London and Cheltenham in Gloucestershire reported the lowest rating both scoring 7.4 out of ten, while North Warwickshire came out on top with 8.7 against a UK average of 7.9.
Although the UK generally reported higher levels of happiness, there were signs that some suburbs were less cheerful.
The area around Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, reported a below-average rating of 6.9 out of ten.
Broadly, the West Country and the Home Counties were among the happiest areas of the country, while parts of South Wales and the North East were among the least happy.
The Western Isles was voted the ninth happiest place to live in Britain (pictured here, the Isle of Lewis)
ONS spokesman Matthew Steel said: 'The figures may surprise some, showing a small increase in both happiness and life satisfaction during a period that has seen political change and uncertainty.
'It is worth noting employment rates rose during the period covered by this report, and other ONS analysis showed people perceiving an improvement in their own financial situations and in the overall economy. These are factors we believe may account for [an] increased sense of personal wellbeing.'
The report added: 'Employment or job satisfaction, our health, the quality of our relationships and our personal financial security are just some of the aspects of our lives shown to have an effect. Over time, changes and differences between areas could be related to these factors.'
Nebraska's high court has given quick guidance to trial courts being asked to decide whether blood draws taken from DUI suspects by police without warrants still can be used at trial following a U.S. Supreme decision last year.
In a decision Friday, the Nebraska Supreme Court said they can. But Jared Hoerle's attorney said Tuesday he intends to ask the nation's highest court to review the case.
The Nebraska justices found that a Lancaster County District judge had been right to deny a new trial to the Chambers man stopped in Lincoln on April 11, 2015.
One day after a jury found him guilty of felony DUI, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Birchfield v. North Dakota, a case raising the issue of whether drivers could face a criminal charge for refusing to give a sample of their blood without a warrant.
In it, the court's majority said the Fourth Amendment didn't allow a DUI suspect's blood sample to be taken without a warrant as part of an arrest, and that motorists couldn't consent to a blood test if they are threatened with a criminal charge if they don't.
The ruling provided guidance to law enforcement going forward. But it also raised questions for those like Hoerle, who had pending cases on June 23, 2016, the day the decision came out. Hoerle had yet to be sentenced.
Justices heard oral arguments in the Nebraska case late last month.
In Friday's opinion, Justice William Cassel wrote that they had concluded that the Birchfield decision didn't make warrantless blood draws categorically invalid.
"Rather, a court must consider the totality of the circumstances to determine whether a driver's consent to a blood test was freely and voluntarily given," he said.
But, Cassel said, Hoerle's case came down to whether the so-called good-faith exception, meant for cases where police were operating reasonably at the time, should apply.
Following the Birchfield decision, he said, state appellate courts have not been uniform about whether the exception should apply.
So far at least two (Kansas and Tennessee) have found that it should, and at least two others (Arizona and Wisconsin) have found it shouldn't for different reasons.
The Arizona Supreme Court said an officer should have known getting a blood draw from a DUI suspect without a warrant "was either impermissible or at least constitutionally suspect."
But, Cassel said, "it seems to us that law enforcement officers are generally tasked with enforcing the law as written, and it would be unwise to expect them to make their own judgment calls as to the constitutionality of such statutes."
The Wisconsin Supreme Court feared officers would continue to operate the same way if the evidence wasn't suppressed. Though, the dissent countered that if they did, they couldn't rely on the good-faith exception going forward.
Cassel said Nebraska justices found the dissent in Wisconsin more persuasive.
He said because the officer here "acted in objectively reasonable reliance on a statute that had not been found unconstitutional at the time," evidence of Hoerle's blood test shouldn't have been excluded from trial.
Mark Rappl, Hoerle's attorney, said he will file a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case and hopes the court sees it as an opportunity to settle uncertainty and confusion among the states that followed Birchfield.
He said it's a longshot, but the case was one of the more landmark cases involving DUIs to come down in a while.
"It's now sending ripples across the country," Rappl said.
In the meantime, Hoerle's sentence of three years of probation, 60 days jail and a $1,000 fine is likely to stand. His license also will be revoked for five years.
MBABANE The Swaziland Water Services Corporation (SWSC) intends to award South African company, Esor Contruction (Pty) Ltd a tender worth over E86 million.
SWSC has announced that a contract award decision has been reached by the approvals authority to award Esor Construction the tender for the construction of the Ezulwini Sustainable Water Supply Systems Package A.
The actual value of the tender is E86 355 516.12.
The intention to award was issued by SWSC Managing Director (MD) Peter Bhembe in accordance with Section 45 of the Public Procurement Act No.7 of 2011.
It must be noted that the contract award decision does not constitute a contract, Bhembe advised.
He said all tenderers who submitted bids were notified that a period of 10 working days would be allowed for submission of any application for review from the date of first publication of the notice. The notice was first issued on June 6, 2017.
The SWSC is a corporate body duly established under the Water Services Corporation Act, No. 12 of 1992. The corporation is a category A Public Enterprise in terms of the Public Enterprise (Control and Monitoring) Act No.8 of 1989 and therefore it is wholly owned by government. SWSC gained full autonomy through corporatisation in 1994 and operates independent of government.
The objectives of the Corporation are to abstract, store, transport, purify, supply and collect water, convey, treat and dispose sewage.
The organisations vision is to delight customers in the provision of potable water, wastewater disposal and other services.
Esor Contruction was contending with seven other companies for the tender and most of these were from South Africa.
MBABANE Hardwork pays and Kokonut Stylist is living proof of this mantra. Kokonut Stylist, aka Nomalungelo Koko Shabangu, has always been passionate about clothing. She uses Swazi traditional material and transforms it into elegant ensembles and her hard work as a designer has earned her an invitation to yet again represent Swaziland in this years fourth instalment of the African Fashion Reception.
In partnership with the African Union and UNESCO the AFR once again will be presenting Africas best and most creative designers, producers of shoes, bags, jewelleries, make up, beauty and hair products to the global market. To be eligible to participate, these products must be locally sourced and produced in Africa. Most importantly, they must be produced with global best practice.
Global
The African Union will host the African edition at its headquarters in Addis Ababa. This is usually the first AFR event of the year. The global edition comes up in Paris.
Legendary Gold Limited has been in the vanguard of promoting African Fashion. In its 20 years of operation, it has become the reference point in the African continent. It is the first to take africa designers and models to the global stage of Paris, Milan, New York, London, Shanghai, Dubai, Tokyo etc.
Over the years, it has partnered with the paris based global TV brand-Fashion TV, Ford Models, New York, one of Europes biggest retail buying chains, Camera Italian Buyer Moda, Milan, Alta Rome, Pret-a-Porter and UNESCO both in Paris etc. In the last 8 years, it has given African fashion a new direction by propagating it as the new inspiration for global fashion.
Shabangus understanding of fashion came with discovering Coco Chanel, whom she thinks is the greatest fashion icon to have walked this earth. She is inspired by Chanel in her fashion journey and believes that she is the reincarnation of Coco Chanel.
Stylists
A total of 30 African fashion designers and stylists were selected to each represent their respective countries at the African Fashion Business Summit.
According to the press release from the African Union Commission, only one top designer has been nominated by the Executive Board of the Africa Fashion Reception to represent each of the participating countries.
This is a build-up for the massive show where each of the selected representatives from the African countries will showcase their lines in Paris in October 2017.
The nomination for Kokonut Stylist came about after the committee saw the fashion houses profile on social media platform Instagram.
The committee then communicated with their local partner, Nicole Samuels to notify Kokonut Stylist to submit their latest Fashion Look book for review by the committee, it was then that Kokonut Stylist was approved to represent Swaziland.
MBABANE The Voice of The Church (VOC) seems to be quick in making sure that it becomes one of those achieving His Majesty King Mswati IIIs Vision 2022.
The Manzini Christian radio station will be investing a sum of E500 000 towards purchasing seven transmitters which will allow them to have a second channel.
Currently the radio station is known for broadcasting only in the siSwati language. The siSwati Channel is known as VOC 1.
The station will soon be having two channels with the second one known as VOC 2. This channel will be broadcasting in the English Language.
Launch
The station, headed by Reverend Zachariah Mthethwa, hopes to launch the English channel in November this year.
Each transmitter costs E50 000 and also there are charges of the technicians who will be responsible for fitting the transmitters.
In making sure that the plans go accordingly, the radio station will on Friday night host a fundraising dinner at the Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre.
The purpose of the fund-raising dinner is to raise funds for the purchasing of the transmitters which will be strategically placed in Swaziland for the second broadcaster.
Time has come for this Christian radio station to grow to a second channel, said the stations national director.
He said they have invited speakers who include Sipho Mseleku, The Global Business Round Table Convener/ Founder who is expected to speak on a vibrant topic themed Taking Over the Seven Mountains of Societal Influence in Swaziland.
Pastor Zanele Mangwe will be sharing the word of God and she will briefly share the word on the meaning of Taking Over, said Mthethwa.
Pledges
He added, The offering and pledges will be coordinated by Tibiyo TakaNgwane Managing Director Absalom Themba Dlamini, he said.
The national director urged churches, companies and the public to support this dream, saying there was a great need for them to switch to the English Channel.
MBABANE Violent protest actions are spreading like rash in local tertiary institutions.
Plates, trays and bread were just some of the items that went flying at the Swaziland College of Technology (SCOT) dining hall yesterday morning as students started what would be an all day class boycott.
On the receiving end of the thrown items was the colleges boarding master who took to the heels to save his life from the close to 200 angry students.
The bone of contention was an alleged irregularity in meals given to the students.
According to students who spoke on condition of anonymity, it all started during breakfast when they were told that there was no more milk for their soft porridge.
Other reported irregularities are said to be that some students were served eggs as protein during lunch while others were dished meat.
They said this had been going on for some time and when they enquired from the college authorities about the matter, they were told that the institution had no money.
What infuriated them was that they had paid tuition fee and their expectation was that all would run smoothly.
The crux of the matter, as explained by the students, was that the college administration did not want them to have student representative council (SRC) elections.
This has resulted in last years SRC still holding office and according to the students; a handover should have been done by March this year.
Adding salt to the wound, the SRC president was said not to be a student of the college anymore.
This is a problem because we do not have anyone to address our issues as we have to communicate them through the SRC, they said.
They related that they tried several times, without any success, to engage the administration to initiate the election process.
This was done by the SRC that should be outgoing and after seeing that the administration was not giving in to their demands, the students decided to call a mass meeting on Monday.
Yesterday morning, students took out their frustrations on the boarding master as they looted the school kitchen.
They helped themselves to bread, scones, eggs, and all they could lay their hands on.
According to the students, they did this because they needed the energy to be able to address the college management with full stomachs.
MANZINI A parked vehicle, with people standing near it was enough to irk police officers who allegedly assaulted and strangulated a female teacher on Sunday morning.
Information gathered from statements recorded by Thulisile Mkhonta (33) of KaKhoza, a teacher by profession, is that she had been parked with her friends near the Y2K Building along the Riverstone Mall-Satellite Public Road when traffic officers arrived and demanded to know who the driver of the vehicle was.
We were there with female friends and only one male, whom they did not bother questioning. The team of officers first asked who the owner of the car was and I told them it was mine. They then ordered that I produce a drivers licence, which I did. This was after I had requested one of my friends to give me the car keys as the vehicle was parked and locked. One of the officers then demanded that I take a breath test. I was shocked because I was not at all driving the vehicle but my friend who was within the group was, alleged Mkhonta.
She added that despite informing the police that she was not the one who had been driving the vehicle, they became violent. She said they were all questioned by the police about their motive and she was further ordered inside the police van after refusing to provide a breath test.
At the time, the officers had started manhandling me and uttering derogatory statements. I decided to run to another direction as I feared for my life. The police chased after me and assaulted me with kicks and fists and further strangled me until I almost ran out of breath. I insisted that I would not get inside their vehicle. They forced me inside but when they realised that I was refusing to do so, they called for back-up and more police officers came to the scene. The assaulted and insults continued. They further told me that they would tow my car to the police station, Mkhonta alleged.
After refusing to take the breath test and resisting arrest, she was eventually bundled into the police van which was their locked and statements recorded from other witnesses. Mkhonta was later driven from Manzini to Mafutseni Police Station where she was detained in a holding cell, pending her court appearance.
She also alleged she was not taken to hospital for medical check-up by the police despite requesting them to do so.
During Mkhontas court appearance before Senior Magistrate Sindisile Zwane, her clothes were full of dust and she had bruises which she later showed to relatives outside the courtroom. Her arms also had handcuff marks.
MBABANE A young woman unknowingly shared a poisoned two-litre of Coke with other mourners during a vigil, which resulted in the death of one of them.
The toxic beverage had been allegedly brought to the teenage woman, Kayise Luhlanga (19), by her husband Mbongeni Mbukeni Magagula (26), during a vigil held at Mhlangatane in the northern Hhohho.
Kayise and four mourners shared the beverage, which allegedly led to the death of one of the women and, as a result, Magagula of Mhlangatane has been arrested and charged with one count of murder and four counts of attempted murder. The incident occurred two weeks ago where one Xolile Gamedze died.
It is alleged that the intended target was Kayise, following a misunderstanding she had had with her partner who alleged that she had started being disrespectful towards him two months before the incident.
A bail application filed by Magagula has revealed that trouble in paradise started brewing when Kayise allegedly passed a belittling comment when the two were having sexual intercourse.
She allegedly made a comment about his sexual performance, which Magagula alleged not only humiliated him but left him angry too.
It became clear to me that Kayise was having an affair as her behaviour and her way of talking to me had become insolent, alleged Magagula.
Another cause of the misunderstanding was that Kayise had started wearing trousers, which was something that was considered distasteful in the rural area where the pair came from. We were arguing a lot about this issue and other behavioural tendencies which Kayise exhibited lately, said Magagula.
The accused said during the vigil held at a certain Nsingwane homestead, Kayise communicated that she would come from Mbabane to attend the funeral.
Magagula stated that he had asked Kayise to bring him something nice from the city, and she responded by saying that he should be the one bringing the goodies instead. I promised that I will bring her a cold drink and E100, claimed the accused, adding that he eventually brought over the goodies at around 10pm.
He alleged that they spoke for a few minutes and he left the items with her.
At about 3:15am of the same night, I received a call from Kayise telling me that some people had fallen sick at the vigil , this she said was because they had drunk the Coca-Cola I had bought for her, submitted Magagula.
Magagula further allegedly asked his wife how that had happened and what she had put inside the Coke.
A sales associate with Woods Bros Realty has asked a judge to settle a contract dispute with Dung Tran, one of eight Lincoln residents who shared a $365 million Powerball jackpot in 2006, and his company, Four T Properties LLC.
In an application for arbitration filed late last week, Amy Mosser's attorney, Stephen Mossman, said Tran owed her a $200,320 commission involving the sale of a strip mall near South 27th Street and Yankee Hill Road.
Mosser listed the property at 2755 Jamie Lane from Dec. 14 to June 12 and found a buyer, but Tran didn't agree to terms until June 13, a day after the listing period expired.
Mossman wrote in the court filing that Mosser still was owed the full commission because of language in the contract that allowed for it if the sale happened within 60 days of the listing expiring.
He is asking the Lancaster County District Court to appoint an arbitrator if the parties are unable to agree to the appointment of one.
Tran's attorney declined to comment.
This years homecoming royalty at Lincoln High assumed their respective thrones through a gender-neutral voting system that school officials hope is more inclusive.
It was a simple way we could be more inclusive to all our students and still bridge that with some traditions that we and other schools have in terms of homecoming, said Principal Mark Larson.
Traditionally, students have voted for four girls and four boys in each grade for homecoming royalty. The top vote-getters in each category are named homecoming king and queen, prince and princess, duke and duchess and lord and lady one pair of titles for each grade level.
This year, students were asked to vote for eight students per grade, with no gender distinctions.
The school didnt change the royalty titles, but did give the finalists an opportunity to express their gender identity before narrowing the finalists to four. Then the top female and top male vote-getters in each grade were crowned. That means students identifying as genders different than their biological sex could be included in the gender category of their choice.
Every year, administrators talk to all the finalists to get bio information for the ceremony, but also to make sure theyre comfortable with being homecoming royalty, Larson said. Sometimes students arent comfortable with it because of social anxiety, because they werent planning to attend, or because of gender identity issues.
This year, students could have been included in a different gender category during the final voting, although such a change wouldnt be made without first having a conversation that included the students' parents, Larson said.
Larson said he and the student council sponsor began talking about the change last year as a step that made sense to be more inclusive of all students.
Its an important change, he said, but in some ways didnt seem like a big one given Lincoln Highs culture.
In some ways it doesnt seem like a big deal at Lincoln High because its been a part of our culture in terms of being as inclusive as possible in all situations, he said.
Lincoln High is the first LPS high school to make such a change.
But Lincoln High joins a growing number of high schools and colleges across the country moving to gender-neutral roles for homecoming royalty.
Those include the University of Nebraska at Omaha, which last year switched from calling royalty king and queen to calling them royals, a title that could include any combination of men, women or transgender students.
And high schools from Maryland to Oregon have changed their traditions so both voting and selection is gender-neutral, which means two boys, two girls or transgender students could be crowned as royalty.
Larson said hes not sure if a change in titles away from king and queen will happen, but there may be a conversation about where to go next.
I think any time changes like that happen, I think its best if it happens slowly, he said. I think this was simple change but one made so all of our students could feel more included in the process.
Baghdad heaped pressure on Iraq\s Kurds on Wednesday, demanding they cancel their overwhelming vote for independence while parliament urged the Iraqi central government to send troops to take control of vital oil fields held by Kurdish forces.
Stepping up efforts to isolate autonomous Kurdish-held northern Iraq, whose people endorsed secession in a referendum on Monday that angered neighboring countries, Baghdad demanded that foreign governments close their diplomatic missions in the Kurdish capital Erbil.
Final results released on Wednesday showed nearly 93 percent in favor of independence, and 7.3 percent against. More than 3.3 million people, or 72 percent of eligible voters, took part in Monday\s ballot, according to the electoral commission.
The referendum has stirred fears of a new regional conflict. An Iraqi armed forces delegation headed to neighboring Iran to coordinate military efforts, apparently as part of retaliatory measures taken by the government in Baghdad following the vote.
Iran and Turkey also oppose any move toward Kurdish secession and their armies have started joint exercises near their borders with Iraqi Kurdistan in recent days. Iraq and Turkey have also held joint military drills.
Foreign airlines began suspending flights to Kurdish airports after the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority said on Wednesday that international flights to Erbil and Sulaimaniya would be suspended from 1500 GMT.
Kurdish authorities rejected Baghdad\s demands that they should annul the referendum as a condition for dialogue and hand over control of their international airports.
On Wednesday evening, Kurdish Rudaw TV reported that the Kurdistan Regional Government had offered to hold talks with Baghdad about hosting Iraqi observers at Erbil and Sulaimaniya airports to help defuse the crisis.
Turkey, which has threatened to impose sanctions on the Kurds, said its border with northern Iraq remained open, although it may not remain so. The number of trucks passing through had however decreased.
Home to the region\s largest Kurdish population, Turkey has been battling a three-decade insurgency in its largely Kurdish southeast and fears the referendum will inflame separatist tension at home.
For their part, Kurdish leaders in neighboring Syria said the KRG referendum could bolster their cause for autonomy in negotiations with the Damascus government. Two meetings so far on the matter had gone nowhere, they told Reuters.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who have stressed the need for Iraq\s borders to remain unchanged, will meet in Ankara on Thursday.
Russia\s interest in the region is growing. Oil major Rosneft is increasing investment in Kurdistan and the Kurds have been developing strong ties with Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry warned Iraq and the Kurds against taking any steps that might destabilize the Middle East after the referendum.
The Kurds consider Monday\s referendum to be an historic step in a generations-old quest for a state of their own.
Iraq considers the vote unconstitutional, especially as it was held not only within official KRG territory itself but also on disputed territory held by Kurds elsewhere in northern Iraq.
The United States, major European countries and nearby Turkey and Iran strongly opposed the referendum, which they described as destabilizing at a time when all sides are still fighting against Islamic State (IS) militants.
Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani announced on Tuesday evening that the "yes" vote had won.
The outcome has caused anger in Baghdad, where parliament, in a session boycotted by Kurdish lawmakers, asked Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to send troops to the Kurdish-held region of Kirkuk to take control of its oilfields.
Kurdish Peshmerga forces took Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic region, in 2014 when the Iraqi army fled in the face of IS which overran about a third of Iraq. The Kurds prevented Kirkuk\s huge oil resources from falling into the militants\ hands.
"The government has to bring back the oilfields of Kirkuk under the control of the oil ministry," the resolution backed by parliament in Baghdad said.
The area, long claimed by the Kurds, is also home to Turkmen and Arab communities, who opposed the independence vote, although the KRG included the area in the referendum.
Barzani, who is KRG president, has said the vote is not binding, but meant to provide a mandate for negotiations with Baghdad and neighboring countries over the peaceful secession of the region from Iraq. Baghdad has rejected talks.
Abadi, a moderate from Iraq\s Shi\ite Arab majority, is under pressure to take punitive measures against the Kurds. Hardline Iranian-backed Shi\ite groups have already threatened to march on Kirkuk.
The Kurds were left without a state of their own when the Ottoman Empire crumbled a century ago. Around 30 million are scattered through northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey and parts of Syria and Iran.
The autonomous region they control in Iraq is the closest the Kurds have come in modern times to a state. It has flourished, largely remaining at peace while the rest of Iraq has been in a continuous state of civil war for 14 years.
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, they have had to carefully balance their ambitions for full independence with the threat of a backlash from their neighbors and the reluctance of Washington to redraw borders.
In the past four years they achieved a measure of economic independence by opening a route to sell oil through pipelines to a port in Turkey. But that still leaves them at the mercy of Ankara, which draws a firm line at formal independence.
The Kurds say the referendum acknowledges their contribution in confronting Islamic State after it overwhelmed the Iraqi army.
Iraq\s Kurds have been close allies of the United States since Washington secured their protection from Saddam in 1991. But the United States has long encouraged the Kurds to avoid unilateral steps so as not to jeopardize the stability of Iraq or antagonize Turkey.
The U.S. State Department said it was "deeply disappointed" by the decision to conduct the referendum, while the European Union regretted that the Kurds had failed to heed its call not to hold the vote.
SOURCE: REUTERS
Nancy Hicks Reporter Nancy Hicks reports on Lincoln city government, but shes been following the leaders of local and state government for more than 40 years. Follow Nancy Hicks Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
A Lyrica commercial now airing on TV includes a glimpse of Lancaster County. But you have to know what you are looking for -- and look closely.
Several seconds of footage, background in shots of a Lyrica user performing roadside assistance, was shot near Lincoln.
Jamie Vesay, who works with companies wanting to film in the state, got permission to close a section of Bennet Road in rural Lancaster County, just south of Spring Creek Prairie, for part of a day this summer, so a crew could film the landscape.
They were looking for a vast horizon, said Kerry Eagan, chief administrative officer for the county commissioners.
The action in the advertisement (cars, actors, a dog) was shot elsewhere, months earlier, wrote Vesay in an email explaining how the commercial was put together.
The houses, too, were later added to what began as video of a vast prairie, he said.
Vesay, who bills himself as a marketeer, or ambassador, to filming in Nebraska, has worked on the movie Nebraska and the soon-to-be released movie Downsizing, partially shot in Omaha in April 2016.
Cameroon on Wednesday denied allegations by a human rights group that it had forcibly returned about 100,000 Nigerian refugees in breach of international agreements, putting them in danger from Boko Haram Islamists.
Human Rights Watch said Nigerians who had sought refuge across the border because of the Islamist violence had been abused, attacked and even sexually exploited by soldiers.
Conditions in the only official camp for Nigerians were poor, free movement was restricted and refugees were denied proper contact with UN officials, it added.
"Since early 2015, the Cameroonian authorities have summarily deported at least 100,000 Nigerians living in remote border areas back to war, displacement and destitution in Nigeria\s Borno state," the rights monitor said in a new report.
"In carrying out these deportations, Cameroonian soldiers have frequently used extreme physical violence," it added.
"The Cameroonian military\s aim seems to be to clear Nigerians out of the country and dissuade other would-be asylum seekers from seeking Cameroon\s protection."
HRW called it a "flagrant breach of the principle of non-refoulement", which stops refugees from being forced back to a country where they could be persecuted.
Cameroon government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary rejected the allegations.
"This report is based on nothing," Bakary said, issuing "a formal and categorical denial."
"I should like to remind Human Rights Watch of two things. Firstly, we have today almost 500,000 refugees in our country Secondly, it is not Cameroon\s role to take in refugees from around the globe," Bakary told AFP.
"The allegations of torture and notably sexual aggression (by troops) constitute a shameful lie," he added.
He said soldiers "receive moral training before engaging in the theatre of operations" and "know that anyone caught (violating issued guidelines) is punished."
"Until a soldier is caught red-handed engaged in sexual assault all of this is just Human Rights Watch fantasy," Bakary said.
The UN refugee agency last year appealed on all governments not to return anyone to northeast Nigeria "until the security and human rights situation has improved considerably".
In April and May this year, an estimated 13,000 Nigerian refugees were returned from the overcrowded Minawao camp in Cameroon\s Far North region to the border town of Banki.
AFP visited Banki in June, where the returns had increased the population living at the camp for the homeless from 32,000 to 45,000, stretching resources to the breaking point.
The UN high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, said at the time he was "extremely worried" by the returns and called them "unsustainable".
Nigerians had been "rounded up" into trucks and forcibly returned to camps that were "dangerously unprepared to receive them", he added.
HRW said that unlawful deportations had continued but that Nigeria was also complicit as it had sent military vehicles to help bring back its citizens from Cameroon.
Cameroon also blocked Nigerian asylum seekers at the border.
Both Nigeria and Cameroon are signatories to African and international agreements protecting the rights of refugees and preventing their forcible return.
HRW called for an immediate end to the deporting of Nigerian refugees, a probe into alleged abuses, plus better screening and registering of asylum seekers in Cameroon.
It also urged the international community to better fund UNHCR operations in areas affected by the conflict.
Boko Haram\s Islamist insurgency began in 2009 and has killed at least 20,000 and forced more than 2.6 million from their homes.
The violence has largely been concentrated in northeast Nigeria but there have also been repeated attacks in Cameroon, as well as Chad and Niger.
SOURCE: AFP
Did you vote in the midterm elections as if your countrys existence depended on it?
NEWBURGH Democratic 19th Congressional District candidate Steven Brisee was arrested on Sept. 11.
What for is apparently a matter of dispute.
Newburgh Town Police said on Wednesday that Brisee is facing a felony grand larceny charge for allegedly trying to steal about $1,500 worth of merchandise from a Kohl's in Orange County.
Newburgh Police Lt. James Nenni told the Times Union that Brisee was arrested Sept. 11 on charges accusing him of attempting to take about 50 items from the department store. Nenni said a petit larceny charge was bumped up to a felony because of the value of the goods, which included men's clothing and other household items.
But in an interview Wednesday evening, the candidate disputed the charge.
"Why would I be trying to steal something while running for Congress?" Brisee said.
The charges were reported by the Kingston Daily Freeman on Tuesday. Brisee disputed the charge in that newspaper's report as well.
Brisee told the Times Union on Wednesday evening that while he had been arrested in 2010 for stealing from the Kohl's store Brisee was homeless at the time he was arrested for criminal trespass on Sept. 11 for protesting construction of the Pilgrim Pipeline.
"Either they're looking up an old arrest or I don't know," he said.
Brisee said his previous grand larceny arrest was dropped to a violation.
What isn't in dispute is that Brisee was sent to the Orange County Jail following the Sept. 11 arrest.
Brisee said he was in custody until his bail was posted Saturday night by his step father. He initially was sent to Orange County Jail but transferred to Ulster County Jail to be held on a separate trespass charge stemming from an incident in Ulster County.
Brisee said he was staying at a friend's house, but the friend had not told his father Brisee was given permission to stay. Two days before his protest arrest, the father had called the police.
With Brisee in Orange County Jail and police in Ulster County unable to contact him, a warrant was issued for his arrest in that county. He was then transferred to Ulster County Jail on Sept. 15.
Brisee is one of seven Democrats seeking the nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. John Faso, R-Kinderhook, next November. Also running are Antonio Delgado of Dutchess County; Brian Flynn of Greene County; and Gareth Rhodes, Patrick Ryan, David Clegg and Jeffrey Beals of Ulster County.
Sue Sullivan of Ulster County dropped out of the race Monday.
The 19th district covers parts of the Hudson Valley, Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley and Capital Region, including parts or all of Rensselaer, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie and Montgomery counties.
mhamilton@timesunion.com 518-454-5449 @matt_hamilton10
Republicans and some Democrats have criticized "Medicare for all, saying it could raising taxes astronomically and undermine employment-based insurance.
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A 58-year-old Waterford man was indicted Wednesday on child sex abuse charges, Albany County District Attorney David Soares said.
Kelley Z. Tremblay was arrested at his home after investigation in to an incident that took place on Aug. 26 at a McDonalds in Watervliet. Police said Tremblay had sexual contact with two children, ages 5 and 7.
More for you Man accused of sexually abusing children at Watervliet McDonald's
A grand jury indicted him for predatory sexual assault of a child and two counts of first-degree sexual abuse. Hes scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 29.
State Police at Brunswick said they also charged Tremblay in connection with an incident that took place in Grafton. In that case, Tremblay was charged with sexual abuse and child endangerment for victimizing a 7-year-old child, troopers said.
Troopers said the investigation of Tremblay is not over and other charges may be filed.
Both the Watervliet police and the State Police continue to investigate. Anyone with additional information can call the Brunswick State Police at 518-279-4427 or the Watervliet Police Department at 518-270-3891..
Assistant District Attorney Jennifer McCanney of the Special Victims Unit is handling the prosecution of this case for Albany County.
Secretary of State John Gale said Wednesday he will examine data prepared by an Indiana organization that suggested nine Nebraska counties have more registered voters than adults currently living within their boundaries.
But Gale raised doubts about the accuracy of that information.
"About two years ago, in 2015, PILF (the Public Interest Legal Foundation) sent a similar letter to seven counties in Nebraska," Gale recalled. "At that time, we noted that there were inconsistencies in the voter data obtained by PILF compared to census data.
"It is likely that is the case again," the secretary of state said.
"However, we will take this opportunity to check with each of those counties as to their voter registration data and current census numbers to ensure that the voter registration rolls in those counties are current and up to date."
The Nebraska counties are Loup, Kimball, Keya Paha, Blaine, Logan, Sheridan, Thurston, Arthur and Grant.
PILF listed 248 counties in 24 states in its survey and suggested that those states "risk lawsuits if they do not disclose satisfactory data demonstrating effective voter roll maintenance efforts before and after the 2016 election."
Reacting to the PILF declaration, Loup County Clerk Debbie Postany informed the foundation of her efforts to assure the accuracy of her county's voter registration rolls.
Postany said the foundation's information "is in error" and Loup County is in compliance with the requirements of the national voter registration act.
Malone
A state judge has rejected a state plan to convert part of an historic Adirondack rail line into a recreational trail, supporting a challenge by a tourist rail company that has been using the state-owned tracks.
Acting state Supreme Court Justice Robert Main Jr. ruled Tuesday against the state, which in early 2016 approved an $8 million plan to remove tracks on 34 miles of tracks from Tupper Lake to Lake Placid.
The rail bed would then be made into a trail for hikers, bikers, cross-country skiers, and snowmobilers.
That plan sparked a lawsuit from the Adirondack Scenic Road, which for years has been leasing 119 miles of these state tracks to run its tourist trains between Utica and Lake Placid.The lawsuit targeted the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Transportation, which jointly developed the plan, and the state Adirondack Park Agency, which approved it.
"From the beginning of this process, (the rail company) has maintained that a rail and trail multi-use travel corridor best serves public interests while providing protections for this great asset," according to a statement from the company that welcomed the judge's ruling.
That statement continued that "efforts will be made to reach out to the communities served along the rail transportation corridor to begin to build packages which will highlight local offerings and provide for increased economic impact."
The not-for-profit tourist railroad opposes any loss of rails, and has gotten support from Franklin County, Franklin County Industrial Development Agency, Oneida County, the city of Utica, and the town of Harrietstown.
Main's ruling found the state had failed to address classification issues in its 1996 Unit Management Plan for the rail corridor, and to resolve concerns over title to small portions of the rail corridor owned by North Country Community College in Saranac Lake, which bought the property decades ago from the state.
Another disputed section the Lake Placid Train Station lies outside the corridor, but is owned by Lake Placid and North Elba.
"We're reviewing the decision and will consider our options," said DOT spokeswoman Jennifer Post.
Since being restored for the 1980 Winter Olympics, the historic rail line had fallen into disrepair, and the tourist trains now operate only between Utica and Thendara.
The state's plan also includes $45 million to fix tracks that would remain available for the tourist railroad from Tupper Lake south to Big Moose in Herkimer County.
Attempts to reach officials with Adirondack Rail Trail Advocates, a not-for-profit group that has long supported the recreational trail, for comment were not successful. That group had wanted to see construction start last summer, but work was blocked after the tourist railroad sued.
OPENINGS & EVENTS
American Italian Heritage Museum, 1227 Central Ave., Albany. "Celebrating Italian Americans: Cinema and Theatre Exhibit." $4-$5. The theme of the exhibit salutes Italian-American actors and directors who have greatly contributed to cinema and theater. This exhibit celebrates Italian Heritage and Culture Month. Opens Sunday.
Clement Frame Shop & Art Gallery, 201 Broadway, Troy. Elizabeth Apgar-Smith: "Best of Both Worlds." 272-6811. New oil paintings of Troy's cityscapes and architectural details, plus a selection of rural landscapes from the Capital Region. Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Friday. Through Nov. 18.
Photographic Expressions Studio & Gallery, LLC, 455 Broadway, Floor 1, Troy. Jason van Staveren. Contemporary photographically based works. Opens Friday. Through Oct. 27.
GALLERIES
Albany International Airport Gallery, third floor, Albany Shaker Road, Colonie. "Chasing the Tale." An exhibition in which artists engaged in a pictorial expression of storytelling cross personal mythology with collected narratives from historical, folk and popular culture. Through Feb. 26.
Arts Center of the Capital Region, 265 River St., Troy. "Collective Charm." Works by the Arts Center of the Capital Region's 2017 Nuts, Bolts & Beyond Artist/Entrepreneurs, local artists who participated in training program. Through Oct. 10.
Athens Cultural Center, 24 Second St., Athens. "Seasons of Greene: Paintings of Special Places Protected by the Greene Land Trust." Free. http://www.athensculturalcenter.org. Artists included are Scott Balfe, Jim Coe, James Cramer, Ann Larsen, Leigh Ann Smith, Susan Story, George Van Hook, and Marlene Wiedenbaum. The art includes works in oil, pastel and watercolor; all are for sale.
Carrie Haddad Gallery, 622 Warren St., Hudson. "Mixed Media: Painting & Sculpture." http://www.carriehaddadgallery.com. A group show of abstract works by James O'Shea, Adam Cohen, Susan Stover, Ginny Fox and Dai Ban. Through Nov. 12.
Clement Art Gallery, 201 Broadway, Troy. Midyear Medley. 518-272-6811. An array of local artists' work, together with a mix of talent from beyond our region: Bob Moylan, Harry Orlyk, L.F. Tantillo, John Connors, Tom Clement, George Dirolf, Carol Collette and others.
Feigenbaum Center for Arts, Crowell, West, and Burns Galleries, first floor, 807 Union St., Schenectady. "Accordion Space." The exhibit highlights six painters who challenge the classical idea of figure-ground, expanding and compressing space in unpredictable ways. Featuring works by Aschely Cone, Doron Langberg, Susan Lichtman, Sangram Majumdar, Claire Sherman and Didier William. artists' reception 5-7 p.m. Oct. 20. Through Nov. 14.
John Davis Gallery, 3621/2 Warren St., Hudson. Benjamin Butler: New Work. http://www.johndavisgallery.com. Sculptures and drawings in the main gallery. Also, "Seeing: Here, Together, Now: A selection of paintings by Louis Finkelstein and Henry Finkelstein" in the Carriage House. Also, paintings by Laurel Sucsy and Lee Marshall: New watercolors in the Carriage House.
The Laffer Gallery, 96 Broad St. Schuylerville. "Orlyk & Wickham." http://www.thelaffergallery.com. Work by artists Harry Orlyk and Regina Wickham.
Mandeville Gallery, Union College, 807 Union St., Schenectady. "Laini Nemett: When We Lived Here." Artist Nemett works with cardboard models, collage and large-scale oil paintings to create architectural environments that explore the idea of home. Through Dec. 3.
Martinez Gallery, 5 Broadway, Troy. Juan Maldonado. A prolific American artist noted for portraits, who was born in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, in 1941, but spent most of his artistic life in New York City. In his last decade, he returned to Puerto Rico, where he continued painting until his death in 2016. Through Friday, where there will be a closing celebrate during Troy night out.
The Mount, 2 Plunkett St., Lenox, Mass. "NEXUS." 413-551-5115 or http://www.sculpturenow.org. SculptureNow and The Mount present the juried exhibition featuring 30 large-scale, outdoor sculptures throughout the grounds of Edith Wharton's home. Through Oct. 31.
Schick Gallery, Skidmore College, 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs. 2017 Art Faculty Exhibition. http://www.skidmore.edu/schick/. Featuring painting, sculpture, prints, drawings and installation by Michael Bonadio, Sangwook Lee, Trish Lyell and Paul Sattler. Through Oct. 8.
The Teaching Gallery, Hudson Valley Community College, Troy. Studio Maquettes. An exhibition of large-scale sculptural models by Utica artist Jonathan Kirk. Also, Digital Media Alumni Exhibit. The exhibition features artwork by 16 digital media program graduates, ranging from sculpture, animation and video to photography, collage and digital imaging.
Yates Gallery, Standish Library, Floor 2, Siena College, 515 Loudon Road, Loudonville. "Silent Form" Exhibition. http://www.siena.edu. A group show, organized by professor Scott Foster, featuring his own work and the paintings of Christopher Terry and Tyler Vance. All three artists explore concepts of still-life painting, effects of light and color, and observe the relationship objects have with one another.
MUSEUMS
Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center, located at 25 Quackenbush Square, Albany. David Hinchen's "Cityscapes Paintings and Photographs." Hinchen's artwork explores the mood and sense of place that old buildings create within our lives. His paintings celebrate the visually absorbing shapes, colors, textures and eccentric details of the urban landscape. Through Nov. 2.
Albany Institute of History & Art, 125 Washington Ave., Albany. "The Fashionable Portrait." Fourteen paintings and four miniature portraits from the institute's collection specifically highlight 19th-century fashion, as depicted in the work of portrait painters including articles of clothing unfamiliar to today's audiences. Through March 31. Also, "The Hudson River School." Paintings in the Hearst Gallery on the museum's third floor. Also, "Spotlight: Albany and Anti-Suffrage." This exhibit tells the story of the women who first met in 1894 before the New York Constitutional Convention convened, organized the Albany branch of the New York State Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage, lobbied to make their views heard in 1915, and lost their fight in 1917.
American Italian Heritage Museum, 1227 Central Ave., Albany. "Reflections of Venice" by Lucia Sirco. http://www.americanitalianmuseum.org. The exhibit focuses on the people, food and hidden treasure of Venezia, Queen of the Adriatic. Through September.
Arkell Museum and Canajoharie Library, 2 Erie Blvd., Canajoharie. "The Arts Factory of Montgomery County Invitational." http://www.arkellmuseum.org. An exhibition of fine art by regional artists. Through Oct. 18.
Brookside Museum, 6 Charlton St., Ballston Spa. Works by Michael Weitzman. 518-885-4000. Landscape and nature images by the Clifton Park and North Carolina photographer. Through Oct. 2.
The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, Skidmore College, 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs. "If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day: Collections of Claude Simard." Through Sunday. Also, "Other Side: Art, Object, Self." Artwork from Tang Collection by Willie Cole, Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler, Tim Hawkinson, Tim Rollins and KOS, Yinka Shonibare MBE, among others, that examines ways in which artists use materials, found objects or even their own bodies to explore questions of national, cultural and self-identity. Through Dec. 30. Also, "States of Incarceration." The first national traveling multimedia exhibition and coordinated public dialogue to explore the history and future of mass incarceration in the United States. Through Oct. 11.
The Hyde Collection, 161 Warren St., Glens Falls. "To Distribute and Multiply: The Feibes & Schmitt Gift." http://www.hydecollection.org. The exhibition includes about 40 works by such iconic artists as Josef Albers, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Louise Nevelson, Bridget Riley and Andy Warhol. Also, "Ellsworth Kelly: Slow Curve and Fruits & Flowers." Ends Sunday.
Iroquois Indian Museum, 324 Caverns Road, Howes Cave. "Walking the Steel: From Girder to Ground Zero." http://www.iroquoismuseum.org. Exhibit interprets the long-standing cultural and occupational tradition of ironworking and its prominent role in Iroquois communities, using artwork, artifacts, photographs and audio recollections. Through Nov. 30.
National Museum of Dance, 99 S. Broadway, Saratoga Springs. "Design for Dance: The Malcolm McCormick Collection." http://www.dancemuseum.org or 518-584-2225. Costume sketches from the dancer and designer.
State Museum, 222 Madison Ave., Albany. "Enterprising Waters: New York's Erie Canal (Phase One)" In honor of the bicentennial of the Erie Canal's construction, the state Office of Cultural Education will present this rich story. Through Oct. 20, 2019. Also, "A Spirit of Sacrifice: New York State in the First World War" examines how the state and its citizens played a critical role in U.S. efforts during the war, and discusses its significance to understanding history today. Through June 3, 2018. Also, "Hudson Valley Ruins" photography and architecture exhibition based on the work of Robert Yasinsac and Thomas Rinaldi, which studies the region's forgotten cultural treasures. Also, "Ice Ages." Exhibition explores landscape and animals of Pleistocene, or Ice Ages, of New York. Through Jan. 6, 2019.
Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center, 2 Museum Lane, Waterford. "Always Know Your Pal." http://www.waterfordmuseum.com. Exhibit celebrates the bicentennial of the Erie Canal.
Williams College Museum of Art, Main Street, Williamstown, Mass. http://wcma.williams.edu. "The Presence of Absence: Medieval Art and Artifact." Employs object-oriented ontology to recast the relationship between humans and nonhumans.
EXHIBIT SPACES
Albany Public Library Pine Hills Branch, 517 Western Ave., Albany. "Illustrated." A survey of illustration features more than 80 pieces from more than a dozen artists. Through Oct. 28.
Carmen's Cafe, 198 First St., Troy. "Victorian Abstraction." 518-326-2064. Lyric paintings by San Francisco transplant Virginia Bryant, whose works are inspired by choreographic and musical structures. Through October.
Chesterwood, 3 Williamsville Road, Stockbridge, Mass. "Out of Site: Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood." http://www.chesterwood.org. The exhibition features the work of 14 artists invited by guest curator Sharon Bates to develop new projects or to adapt existing works that directly respond to the environmental, cultural and aesthetic attributes of the landscape at Chesterwood. Through Oct. 9.
Love Apple Art Space, 1421 Route 9H, Ghent. "Art Work: An Exploration of Labor." https://loveapplefarm.com. Painting, sculpture and video by emerging and midcareer artists whose practices examine under-acknowledged work. Through Oct. 1.
CORRECTION: An article in Wednesday's newspaper about a lawsuit involving absentee ballots in the Colonie town clerk race incorrectly explained why the lawsuit was dismissed. It was dismissed because the lawsuit wasn't served on the Albany County Board of Elections in a timely fashion.
ALBANY - A state judge dismissed a candidate's lawsuit over an unusually large number in absentee ballots in the Independence Party primary for Colonie town clerk.
Acting Supreme Court Justice Kimberly OConnor on Tuesday dismissed the legal action lodged by the Democratic town clerk candidate, County Legislator Alison McLean Lane. The judge, a Republican, ruled that the lawsuit was not timely served to the Albany County Board of Elections commissioners.
McLean Lane argued the number of absentee ballots cast in the Independence primary was disconcerting, and she alleged many of the voters who applied for absentee ballots gave insufficient reasons for using those ballots instead of voting in person.
Named in the suit are McLean Lane's Republican opponent, Julie Gansle, the Democratic and Republican elections commissioners and several Gansle campaign supports. McLean was on the Independence primary ballot, and Gansle waged a write-in campaign for the third party's line on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The tally of machine ballots on primary day had McLean leading Gansle 146-94. A total of 177 absentee ballot applications were submitted. On Sept. 18, a judge halted the count of them after Lane filed her challenge.
In the courtroom on Tuesday, several attorneys representing defendants that argued notification to those subpoenaed was too late, allegations of fraud couldnt be substantiated and the case was premature because the elections commissioners had not reviewed and counted the ballots yet.
The count resumed following the judges ruling, said Paul DerOhannesian II, an Albany attorney who represented GOP Elections Commissioner Rachel Bledi.
James Walsh, a Ballston Spa attorney who represented Gansle and some of her supporters, said
Gansle gained the lead over McLean Lane. But the count was not completed Tuesday.
They made a lot of allegations, but their allegations were baseless, Walsh said. Absentee ballot operations are normal in a political campaign. If people cant make it to the polls and they meet the criteria, they can file an application.
Reasons voters can request an absentee ballot include not being in the county on election day, being temporary or permanently sick or disabled, caring for sick or disabled relatives, or being incarcerated for a crime that isnt a felony.
The lawsuit alleged many of the absentee voters claimed they would be out of town, or wouldnt be able to vote due to work, on the day of the primary, Sept. 12., but a private investigator hired by Lane suggested otherwise.
During the absentee ballot counting process, candidates and their representatives can object to specific ballots being counted.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's push for more renewable energy took a direct hit on September 12 when the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization announced its opposition to eight proposed wind projects in the northern part of the state due to the deleterious effect those projects could have on radar systems and military aviation. The move by the Watertown-based group, which is dedicated to assuring Fort Drum's future, will likely derail more than 1,000 megawatts of proposed wind generation capacity in the state.
The effort to protect the base from the encroachment of Big Wind provides yet another example of the backlash against wind-energy development in New York. That backlash is undermining Cuomo's mandate requiring utilities to be obtaining 50 percent of their electricity from renewables by 2030.
The FDRLO said that protecting northern New York's "airspace is vital to Fort Drum's future" and that the proposed wind projects "will have a negative impact on Fort Drum and threaten its future." It added that Fort Drum has a $1.6 billion impact on northern New York and that "thousands of jobs and the economic vitality of the region" depend on it. The group's statement concluded with this: "we strongly oppose the eight industrial wind projects, as they will greatly reduce the installation's training capability and therefore diminish the 10th Mountain Division's readiness."
Over the past decade or so, more than 40 communities in New York have moved to reject or restrict wind projects. On May 10, the town of Clayton passed an amendment to its zoning ordinance that bans all commercial wind projects. On Lake Ontario, a 200-megawatt project called Lighthouse Wind is fiercely opposed by three counties Erie, Niagara, and Orleans as well as the towns of Yates and Somerset. The Lighthouse project will likely be the first contested land-use case involving Article 10, the New York statute that, in theory, gives local municipalities a say in renewable-project siting.
On September 14, at a meeting of the Independent Power Producers of New York, Public Service Commission Chairman John Rhodes said that the state was not going to force wind projects on rural communities and said the Article 10 is "not a stacked process" against those communities. "Not under this governor are we going to force people in a police state mode to do anything."
Police state or not, the New York Independent System Operator has said Cuomo's 50 by 30 mandate will require 3,500 megawatts of new onshore wind capacity. That's equivalent to 17 projects the size of Lighthouse Wind. That much wind capacity would require about 450 square miles of land, an area the size of Nassau County.
But if wind projects can't be built near Fort Drum, and the state won't force Lighthouse Wind on rural counties and towns, where will the needed wind capacity be built? In January, Cuomo said he wants 2,400 megawatts of offshore wind capacity in New York waters by 2030. That's ambitious given that the US now has just 30 megawatts of offshore wind capacity.
There's plenty of opposition to offshore wind, too. The Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, along with the town of Narragansett, Rhode Island, the city of New Bedford Massachusetts, and several other groups of fishermen and fishmongers, have filed a federal lawsuit to halt an offshore wind lease won last year by Norwegian oil company Statoil. That lease sits smack on top of one of the best squid and scallop fisheries on the Eastern Seaboard.
Sign up for the Observation Deck newsletter Read the latest Times Union opinion, perspective and letters to the editor on Mondays by signing up for our Observation Deck newsletter.
In short, the governor and his myriad allies on the Left love to promote renewables, but wind energy the linchpin of their all-renewable schemes continues to be stymied by a fundamental problem: it requires way too much territory.
Robert Bryce is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
OMAHA Omaha's mayor has proposed an ordinance that would bar anyone from standing on certain street medians a proposal that comes amid complaints that they're popular spots for panhandling.
Mayor Jean Stothert and city attorneys hope the wording will head off any complaints about violating anyone's rights to free speech because it doesn't mention panhandling.
Federal courts have said panhandling amounts to constitutionally protected free speech. The mayor said her proposed ordinance wouldn't apply to sidewalks, street corners or medians that don't meet the criteria spelled out in statute.
"No matter what the reason that the person is on there, whether it's for solicitation, whether it's for political speech, whether it's for a charity, it restricts the usage of people occupying the medians," Stothert said.
The mayor submitted the proposal Tuesday to the council, which will consider it in coming weeks, including holding a public hearing. The rule has exceptions for people crossing the street or doing construction work.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska said the key is balancing respecting free speech and ensuring safety.
"We look forward to working with city leaders to evaluate this new proposal and its impact on free speech and vulnerable populations," said Amy Miller, legal director of ACLU of Nebraska.
The proposed ordinance applies only to medians that fit certain criteria, such as being narrow or being within 200 feet of intersections of streets where traffic moves faster than 30 mph.
It is modeled after a similar ordinance that was implemented in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in February.
City Council President Ben Gray said the proposal is focused on public safety even though it will affect panhandlers.
"This is about keeping people safe," he said. "When you see adults doing it, it won't be too long until you see children doing it."
The death has taken place of prominent Thurles businesswoman, Mary O'Donnell, who was an integral part of the business community in the town for many years.
Mrs. O'Donnell, with her husband Dan, owned the renowned boutique First Editions, on Liberty Square, which also had outlets in Clonmel and Tipperary Town.
The Thurles premises only closed within the past fortnight after it had been announced that the O'Donnells had decided to retire.
Mrs. O'Donnell, a native of Wexford, had moved to Thurles over thirty years ago and, with Dan, established the highly success chain of boutiques.
Nee White, she resided at Riversdale House, Liskeveen. Her death took place in the loving care of the Matron and Staff of St Vincents Private Hospital, Dublin.
She is deeply regretted by her husband Dan, children Damien, Rory and Ash, brothers Gerard and James, close friend Rosaleen (Eth), sisters in law, brother in law, extended family and friends.
Reposing is at her residence on Thursday 28th September 2017 from 3pm to 7pm. Arriving at St Peter's Church, Moycarkey, Thurles on Friday 29th September at 11.30 am for Requiem Mass at 12 noon.
Burial afterwards in St Peter's Cemetery, Moycarkey.
Donations to Suir Haven, Thurles.
May she rest in peace.
The Cool Planet Experience (CPE) in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has launched a nationwide call out for 26 Cool Planet Champions one for each county to become climate change advocates.
The advocate training programme is the first of its kind in the country.
Cool Planet Experience and the Environmental Protection Agency are delighted to announce the launch of a new exciting and engaging national programme, focused on climate change. Once identified, the Cool Planet will train the 26 Cool Planet Champions to engage, educate and inspire the general public in their own county about how our changing climate directly impacts them and how they can make a real, practical difference.
Cool Planet Experience, which is due to open in early 2018, is located in Powerscourt Estate in Co. Wicklow. The first experience of its kind, it will bring visitors on an innovative journey of climate change discovery in an interactive, engaging and fun way enabling everyone to see how they can play their part in transforming Ireland to a low carbon society.
It has partnered with Dr. Cara Augustenborg and Raoul Empey to bring their expertise on climate communication through Al Gores Climate Reality Project and Climate Talk Ireland to the Cool Planet Champions programme.
Commenting today, Frank McGovern, Chief Climate Scientist at the EPA said: General knowledge on climate change and an understanding of our individual roles in making the transition to low carbon are relatively low in Ireland, due to a lack of funding and discussion about these topics. Sometimes when the topic is covered, it is done in a way that people feel is over their heads, with jargon and complicated messages on climate action instead of communicating it in an easily accessible and relatable fashion.
Through its partnership with the EPA, the Cool Planet Champions programme is aimed at filling the gap in communication with the general public, through local advocates rather than a roving corporate style team he concluded.
People tend to trust people who they know and who speak in a language in a way that they can easily understand, said Vicky Brown, CEO of the CPE. Seeing and talking with people that you can empathise with can have a much bigger impact on you personally and how you live your life. Were going to give our Cool Planet Champions the tools they need to really get to understand this topic and how to enable them to pass on that knowledge and empower them to pass it on to those in their communities, in order to make a real and discernible difference.
The Cool Planet is looking for Champions and anyone can play their part. This impressive world-leading programme will provide all the training that the Cool Planet champions need free of charge. This will include professional communications skills, a bespoke presentation, demonstration training, how to respond to questions and more. Training will take place in Powerscourt on a weekend in November and will include accommodation and food. In return Champions would be expected to volunteer to give 10 climate talks in their county. These can be to schools, businesses or the general public.
If this is an area that interests you and something that you would like to do, please apply to become a Champion by recording a short (max 2min) video explaining who you are and why you would make a great Cool Planet Champion.
Applications to become a Champion are invited through the Head of Public Engagement at philipsmyth@coolplanet.ie. The deadline for submissions is the 9th of October, with a short list done and Cool Planet champions announced shortly after.
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[September 27, 2017] VCA Animal Hospitals Offers Free Boarding for Pets Affected by Anaheim Wildfires in Southern California
VCA Animal Hospitals announced that select VCA hospitals are offering free boarding assistance for small animals, including dogs, cats, birds and pocket pets, to families who are impacted by a dangerous southern California wildfire. The Canyon Fire, which started on the border of Orange (News - Alert) and Riverside counties, was raging overnight as firefighters continued trying to save hundreds of threatened homes in an evacuated neighborhood. "Our thoughts are with the many families who are being impacted by these devastating wildfires," said Art Antin, Chief Operating Officer of VCA Animal Hospitals. "We are extending free boarding for pets that have been displaced by the fires so families can be assured their animals are safe and be able to focus on their priorities during this critical time." Boarding assistance at participating southern California VCA hospitals is based on space availability. Pets should be current on vaccinations, but in case they are not, VCA veterinarians will update vaccinations free of charge. VCA will also ofer a free health assessment exam for pets that have been evacuated or displaced because of the fires.
In the proximity of the Canyon fire, local VCA hospitals include: VCA Acacia Animal Hospital and Pet Resort
655 W. Citracado Parkway
Escondido, CA (News - Alert), 92025
760-745-8115
VCA Yorba Regional Animal Hospital
8290 Crystal Dr.
Anaheim, CA 92807
(714) 921-8700 About VCA VCA Animal Hospitals operates more than 750 small animal veterinary hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. The hospitals are staffed by more than 4,500 fully qualified, dedicated and compassionate veterinarians to give pets the very best in medical care, of which over 500 are board-certified specialists who are experts in areas such as Oncology, Cardiology, Emergency & Critical Care, and Surgery for animals. VCA Animal Hospitals provides a full range of general practice services to keep pets well and specialized treatments when pets are ill. For more information, please visit www.VCAhospitals.com or follow on Twitter (News - Alert) @vcapethealth and https://www.facebook.com/VCAAnimalHospitals/. VCA is a leading provider of pet health care services in the country delivered through more than 750 small animal veterinary hospitals in the US and Canada, a preeminent nationwide clinical laboratory system that services all 50 states and Canada (Antech Diagnostics), the leading animal diagnostic imaging company in the market (Sound), and Camp Bow Wow (CBW), the nation's Premier Doggy Day and Overnight Camp franchise, an Inc. 5000 company. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927006248/en/
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[September 27, 2017] Xcel Energy Announces Plans to Achieve Nation-Leading Wind Energy Milestone by 2021
Xcel Energy announced plans today to build and own a new 300-megawatt wind farm in South Dakota, adding to the company's nation-leading wind expansion strategy. This project puts Xcel Energy on pace to be the first utility in the nation to surpass 10,000 megawatts of wind on its system, which would be more than enough clean energy to power every home in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Dakota Range project, developed by Apex Clean Energy (News - Alert), is the first publicly announced wind project to advance under the phase down of federal tax credits. Even without full tax credit, the project's cost is low enough to compete with other fuel sources, an investment that is expected to lower customer bills over the project's life. "This is a milestone for our industry and our customers," said Ben Fowke, chairman, president and CEO. "Wind provides the clean, competitively priced energy our customers want. This project proves we can keep driving the clean energy transition of our supply mix while keeping customer bills low, even as incentives phase out." "Partnering with utilities is one of the principal ways Apex (News - Alert) is achieving its mission to accelerate the shift to clean energy," said Mark Goodwin, president and CEO of Apex. "Dakota Range Wind is an ideal fit for the Xcel Energy generation portfolio. Together, we will provide new local jobs and a significant source of long-term revenue for Grant and Roberts counties, helping drive the South Dakota economy forward." Xcel Energy is already the nation's No.1 utility wind provider, a ranking it's held for more than a decade. This new proposal comes during "National Clean Energy Week," which recognizes the clean energy industry's three million jobs and the value clean energy technologies bring to communities across the country. "Xcel Energy is a pioneering leader inwind energy and we commend the company's ground-breaking work that makes wind energy affordable now and continues to drive down its cost," said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association. "The Dakota Range project is important because it shows us that the American wind industry continues to deliver clean, reliable, cost-competitive energy even as the value of the production tax credit is reduced."
The Dakota Range project, which will use Vestas turbines, is expected to be operational in 2021, pending regulatory approval. This increases Xcel Energy's current wind proposals nationwide to 3,680 megawatts at 13 wind farms in seven states, adding to its largest multi-state wind investment in the country. These projects expand Xcel Energy's wind portfolio 55 percent company wide. About Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Forward-looking statements Certain information contained in this release is forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking information includes, among other things, statements concerning the expected development of future wind projects, investment amounts and expected fuel savings. Xcel Energy cautions that certain factors can cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on this forward-looking information which is subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The following factors, in addition to those discussed in Xcel Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2016 may cause results to differ: the ability to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses, and to satisfy any operational and environmental performance standards; cost overruns; and the ability to satisfy the requirements of tax credits and other incentives. Xcel Energy expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking information. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005641/en/
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[September 26, 2017] Robbins Arroyo LLP: OneMain Holdings, Inc. (OMF) Misled Shareholders According to a Recently Filed Class Action
Shareholder rights law firm Robbins Arroyo LLP announces that a class action complaint was filed against OneMain Holding, Inc. (NYSE: OMF). The complaint is brought on behalf of all purchasers of OneMain Holdings securities between March 3, 2015 and November 7, 2016, for alleged violations of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 by OneMain Holdings officers and directors. OneMain Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides consumer finance and insurance products and services. View this press release on the firm's Shareholder Rights Blog: http://www.robbinsarroyo.com/shareholders-rights-blog/onemain-holdings-inc-september-2017 OneMain Accused of Overestimating Projected Income Following Merger According to the complaint, on March 3, 2015, Springleaf Holdings, Inc. entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquireOneMain Financial Holdings, LLC from CitiFinancial Credit Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Citigroup. The combined company was renamed OneMain Holdings, Inc. Without basis in fact, the company represented that synergies between the two companies would result in a combined company that would be significantly more profitable than either company on its own. On November 13, 2015, Jay N. Levine, President and Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") of Springleaf , and later President and CEO of OneMain, predicted a positive financial outlook, declaring that he expected OneMain to generate core net income of $830 million to $900 million, or $6.20 to $6.70 per share in 2017. However, the complaint alleges that OneMain officials omitted material information regarding the projected net income to be achieved by the company following the merger.
On November 8, 2016, during a conference call with investors, OneMain disclosed that it was slashing guidance for full-year 2016 and 2017, with respect to the growth in its loan portfolios and its preferred measure of earnings. In particular, the company revealed that it would lower its guidance for its consumer insurance adjusted earnings per share from $4.20-$4.70 per share to a range of $3.60-$3.70 per share for 2016, and from $5.60-$6.10 per share to $3.75-$4.00 per share for 2017. Further, the company stated that it would lower guidance for receivables growth in 2016 from 10-15% to 5% and in 2017 from 10-15% to 5-10%. On this news, OneMain's share price declined by $10.67 per share, or approximately 38%, to close at $16.90 per share on November 8, 2016. OneMain Shareholders Have Legal Options
Concerned shareholders who would like more information about their rights and potential remedies can contact attorney Leonid Kandinov at (800) 350-6003, [email protected], or via the shareholder information form on the firm's website. Robbins Arroyo LLP is a nationally recognized leader in shareholder rights law. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits, and has helped its clients realize more than $1 billion of value for themselves and the companies in which they have invested. Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006833/en/
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Seattle Seahawk Tyler Lockett and UnitedHealthcare Unveil New Playground at White Center Heights Elementary School
Seattle Seahawks Wide Receiver Tyler Lockett, UnitedHealthcare and Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) leaders today unveiled a new playground at White Center Heights Elementary School. Students enrolled in the school's Head Start program will enjoy the new space and equipment.
This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006837/en/
Photo No. 1: L to R: White Center Heights Elementary Head Start students and Washington State Sen. Sharon Nelson; Highline Public Schools Superintendent Susan Enfield; UnitedHealthcare of Washington CEO Claire Verity; White Center Heights Elementary School Principal Anne Reece; UnitedHealthcare Vice President of Public Sector and Trust Jeff Akers; Seattle Seahawks Wide Receiver Tyler Lockett; and Puget Sound Educational Service District Program Manager for Health, Nutrition and Safety Cheryl Polasek cut the ribbon during a ceremony today celebrating the school's new preschool playground (Photo: Kim Doyel/KLD Studio).
A $15,000 grant from UnitedHealthcare to Lockett's Dreambuilders Foundation funded the new preschool playground and equipment.
About Dreambuilders
The Dreambuilders Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works with pro athletes across the country to help financially, physically and mentally-challenged kids receive the items, opportunities and equipment they nee to reach their dreams.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter (News - Alert).
Click here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for UnitedHealth Group.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006837/en/
[September 26, 2017] $9.9M Apartment Construction Project Completed, Thanks to $287K Grant
Thanks in part to a $287,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant from Century Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas), WaDi Housing, a 41-unit apartment community for very low- and low-income residents in the Santo Domingo Pueblo in New Mexico, has opened. Project representatives joined the banks at a grand opening event today. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006847/en/ Thanks in part to a $287,000 Affordable Housing Program grant from Century Bank and FHLB Dallas, a new rental community has been built in Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico. (Photo: Business Wire) The grant was awarded to the Santo Domingo Tribal Housing Authority (SDTHA), which spearheaded the construction project. The grant provided gap funding for the project, which was also funded by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department, Raymond James Financial, the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority and Native Capital Access. SDTHA Executive Director Greta Armijo said the rental community will help alleviate overcrowding housing conditions and improve employment, economic and environmental condition. Ms. Armijo also said that without the AHP grant, the organization would have had to reduce the number of units and build 38 or 39 units instead of 41.
"The community is connected to a historic main village through a 2-mile walking trail system, providing residents with better access to public transportation," said Ms. Armijo. "Some of the local tribal history and traditions will be preserved through the classes offered in our new community center, as well." In addition to constructing 41 new units, the project also included the new construction of a 3,000-square-foot community center, which will provide financial literacy classes, childcare and Keres language (the dialect cluster spoken by the local native groups) classes for residents.
"There is a great need for affordable housing in this area," said Century Bank Chairman Bryan "Chip" Chippeaux. "As long-time users of the AHP, Century Bank is proud to support the community in this regard." FHLB Dallas annually returns 10 percent of its profits in the form of AHP grants to the communities served by its member institutions, like Century Bank. AHP grants fund a variety of projects, including home rehabilitation and modifications for low-income, elderly and special-needs residents; down payment and closing cost assistance for qualified first-time homebuyers; and the construction of low-income, multifamily rental communities and single-family homes. "The AHP was designed for projects just like this," said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. "Our goal is to help our members provide easy access to affordable housing through the AHP. This wouldn't be possible without our long-time partnership with Century Bank." About Century Bank Established in 1887, Century Bank is a locally owned community bank that offers a full range of quality banking products and services to businesses and residents of Santa Fe, Espanola, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Rio Rancho, New Mexico. For more information, visit the bank's website at MyCenturyBank.com. About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $62.9 billion as of June 30, 2017, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community investment by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 850 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit fhlb.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006847/en/
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[September 26, 2017] New England Patriots and UnitedHealthcare Build a Playground for Bridge Boston Charter School
Today more than 200 Bostonians and UnitedHealthcare employees joined the New England Patriots and KaBOOM! to build a new playground at the Bridge Boston Charter School. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006851/en/ Today more than 200 Bostonians and UnitedHealthcare employees joined the New England Patriots and KaBOOM! to build a new playground at the Bridge Boston Charter School. The new play space, which was designed by the school's students and staff, will give the more than 250 kids a place to engage in safe and healthy activities (Photo: UnitedHealthcare). The new play space will give the more than 250 students a place to engage in safe and healthy activities. Earlier in the summer, Bridge Boston students and staff helped design the new 2,400-square-foot playground during a special "design day" event, incorporating new elements such as a slither slide, cliff hanger and timber trail bridge. "We were excited to team with UnitedHealthcare to turn this dream of a new playground into a reality for the Bridge Boston Charter School," said Josh Kraft, president, New England Patriots Foundation. "We know the value of physical activity and exercise, particularly for children, and that this new space will give students a place to play for years to come." The Bridge Boston Charter School, designed to serve as a school and community hub for Bridge Boston families, opened its new campus in August. "The new playground affirms our commitment to nurture the whole child at Bridge Boston Charter School," said Yully Cha, executive director, Bridge Boston Charter School. "From design day to build day, the excitement around this project is energizing for our growing school and community family." "UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to help build a playground that will give children at the Bridge Boston Charter School a place to play and exercise outdoors with their friends and families, while creating healthy habits that will last a lifetime," said Stephen Farrell, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of New England. olunteers worked with KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization that helps bring balanced and active play into children's daily lives. The Boston playground is the 2,974th KaBOOM!-organized build since 1996, the 24th created by KaBOOM! and UnitedHealthcare and the 8th built with the Patriots.
This playground build is part of UnitedHealthcare's "Do Good. Live Well." program, an employee-volunteer initiative dedicated to decreasing hunger and obesity, inspiring service and encouraging volunteerism. For more information about the benefits of volunteering and to find opportunities to volunteer alongside UnitedHealthcare in your community, visit DoGoodLiveWell.org. Follow @DoGoodLiveWell on Twitter (News - Alert) or "like" Do Good. Live Well. on Facebook.
UnitedHealthcare serves nearly 500,000 people in Massachusetts with a network of 115 hospitals and about 50,000 physicians and other care providers statewide. About the Bridge Boston Charter School
Founded in 2011, Bridge Boston Charter School is a tuition-free, public charter school which aims to impact the education, health and social-emotional wellbeing of children in some of Boston's most underserved neighborhoods. The school currently serves 272 students in pre-K through 5th grade, with plans to grow by a grade annually to serve a total of 335 pre-K through 8th graders. Bridge Boston believes that the most effective way to lift children out of poverty is by equipping them with an excellent education. As such, the school offers a longer day from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and school year from August - June, and provides academic rigor, a commitment to nurturing the whole child and a breadth of full-service programming to remove obstacles to learning. About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids - particularly those growing up in poverty in America - the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open, or improve more than 16,700 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers, and served 8.5 million kids. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy and productive lives. To learn why #playmatters and why cities are embracing #playability: visit kaboom.org or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom. About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with 1 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter. Click here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for UnitedHealth Group. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006851/en/
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[September 26, 2017] Bell Canada announces offering of MTN Debentures
This news release contains forward-looking statements. For a description of the related risk factors and assumptions, please see the section entitled "Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements" later in this release. MONTREAL, Sept. 26, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell Canada (Bell) today announced the public offering of Cdn $1.5 billion of MTN Debentures in two series pursuant to its medium term notes (MTN) program. The $700 million 3.00% MTN Debentures, Series M-40, will be dated September 29, 2017, will mature on October 3, 2022, and will be issued at a price of $100.934 per $100 principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest from and including April 3, 2017 to, but excluding, September 29, 2017 in the amount of $1.471232877 per $100 principal amount to yield 2.796%. The 3.00% MTN Debentures, Series M-40 are being issued as part of an existing series of MTN Debentures. The $800 million 3.60% MTN Debentures, Series M-46, will be dated September 29, 2017, will mature on September 29, 2027, and will be issued at a price of $99.709 per $100 principal amount to yield 3.635%. The MTN Debentures will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by BCE Inc. The net proceeds of the offering are intended to be used to fund the redemption of Bell Canada's $1,000,000,000 principal amount of 4.40% MTN Debentures, Series M-22, due March 16, 2018, to fund the redemption of Bell Canada's $300,000,000 principal amount of 4.88% Debentures, Series M-36, due April 26, 2018, and for other general corporate purposes. The MTN Debentures are being publicly offered in all provinces of Canada through a syndicate of agents. The MTN Debentures offering is expected to close on September 29, 2017. There shall be no ffer, solicitation or sale of securities of Bell in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The MTN Debentures have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell securities in the United States.
The MTN Debentures are being issued pursuant to a Short Form Base Shelf Prospectus dated September 20, 2016 and a Prospectus Supplement dated September 30, 2016. Bell will file a pricing supplement relating to this issue with the securities regulatory authorities in all provinces of Canada. Caution concerning forward-looking statements
Certain statements made in this news release are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements relating to the expected timing and completion of the proposed sale of MTN Debentures, the intended use of the net proceeds of such sale and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements, by their very nature, are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties and are based on several assumptions, both general and specific, which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. As a result, we cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize and we caution you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release describe our expectations at the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Except as may be required by Canadian securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this news release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are provided herein for the purpose of giving information about the proposed offering referred to above. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The timing and completion of the abovementioned proposed sale of the MTN Debentures is subject to customary closing terms and other risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the proposed sale of the MTN Debentures will occur, or that it will occur at the expected time indicated in this news release.
About Bell Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing broadband wireless, TV, Internet and business communication services from Bell Canada, Bell Aliant and Bell MTS. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out of home and digital media. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca. The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day, and provides significant Bell funding of mental health care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk. Media inquiries: Jean Charles Robillard
514-870-4739
[email protected] Investor inquiries: Thane Fotopoulos
514-870-4619
[email protected] SOURCE Bell Canada
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[September 26, 2017] EVS Wins 2017 Cloud Computing Security Excellence Award
BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EVS, an innovator in warehouse management and supply chain technology, announced today that TMC, a global integrated media company, chose the mobe3 warehouse management system (WMS) as a 2017 Cloud Computing Security Excellence Award winner in the Cloud-Delivered Security category.
The Cloud Computing Security Excellence Award, presented by Cloud Computing Magazine, recognizes companies that have most effectively leveraged cloud computing in their efforts to deliver network security or security for cloud applications. In the Cloud-Delivered Security category, winners were selected based on their proven ability to utilize the cloud as the delivery model for security against the ever-increasing number of hacks and intrusions so that applications, services, data and devices remain safe.
When we set out to build this WMS solution we knew it had to be cloud-based to deliver the expected performance, business continuity and security levels our customers demand, says Scott Kameron, chief operating officer of EVS. Our platform leverages the most advanced technologies across the board from cloud-base Infrastructure As A Service to artificial intelligence and environmental simulation. Were honored to receive this recognition for a platform were proud to have developed.
Thoughtful, powerful and beautiful, mobe3 combines the familiar iOS user experience with artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver an industrial-strength platform built to optimize and improve warehouse workflow. Unlike any other WMS, mobe3 can simulate a warehouses operations under multiple scenarios and provide comparative efficiency metrics. With mobe3 simulations, an organization can determine how to lay out a new warehouse, improve an existing warehouse, add new equipment, update picking methods, optimize staff for a busy season and more before rolling changes into the live warehouse environment.
Recognizing leaders in the advancement of cloud computing, TMC and Cloud Computing magazine are proud to announce mobe3 as a recipient of the Cloud Computing Security Excellence Award, said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC. EVS is being honored for their achievement in bringing innovation and excellence to the market, while leveraging the latest technology trends.
For more about EVS and its advanced supply chain technologies, visit www.evssw.com.
About EVS
EVS was founded in 2001 by a dedicated team of warehouse management and supply chain technology experts. In 2016, the EVS team set out to reimagine a WMS that was easy for warehouse workers to use and delivered the bottom line improvement warehouse executives wanted. The resulting mobe3 cloud-based WMS reflects the companys passion for creating a better WMS user experience that is easier to adopt and starts saving warehouses money immediately. In addition to third-party logistics (3PL) warehouses, specialty industries served by EVS include manufacturing, food and beverage, life sciences, chemicals, biotech, electronics and distribution organizations. To learn more about EVS, visit www.evssw.com.
To find out more about mobe3 and how its helping businesses grow faster with less complications, visit evssw.com/mobe3.
Media Contact:
Chancelor Shay
[email protected]
858-755-5411 ex. 5
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[September 26, 2017] Funding Societies introduces Miyu, the friendly Chatbot
SINGAPORE, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Funding Societies, Singapore's and Southeast Asia's leading crowdfunding platform, has announced the launch of its chatbot Miyu. This is the first such chatbot created by a crowdfunding company in Southeast Asia. Miyu works round the clock to answer queries that a business owner or an investor may ask about the products and services offered by Funding Societies. Here comes the interesting story - Miyu was jointly developed by two interns at Funding Societies along with bot platforms meya.ai and api.ai, using machine learning and natural language processing within the span of their internship. The inspiration for the name 'Miyu' came from one of the employees whom an investor mistook for a bot while chatting on the company's website. "We created Miyu via self-learning with guidance from our seniors. She is different from most other chatbots in the financial services space. Personally, I like that Miyu can escalate to human support whenever required, giving our users a seamless experience," said Sherman Lim, who is a Singaporean and majors in Economics and Strategic Management at Singapor Management University (SMU). "The AI (Artificial Intelligence) that we implemented enables Miyu to understand human natural language. She also participates in social chatter with interesting and funny answers. Try getting her to sing a song or asking her out on a date," added Clarissa Poedjiono who is from Indonesia and pursuing her degree in SMU's Information Systems faculty.
Kelvin Teo, co-founder and CEO of Funding Societies shared, "Since inception, we've promised to help SMEs and investors through crowdfunding and innovation. Our chatbot is another step in innovation and aims to deliver almost human-like customer experience 24/7." Internally, the chatbot will integrate with the system to streamline business processes and boost productivity. Funding Societies was the winner of the Fintech Award in SME category given by Monetary Authority of Singapore (November 2016) and named 2017's No. 1 Hottest Startup in Singapore by Singapore Business Review. It was recently recognised as the Best in Customer Experience for Alternative Financial Services in Asia by Retail Banker International, and also amongst the Top 250 FinTech companies globally by CB Insights.
The future plans for Miyu include acting as a Virtual Relationship Manager who can assist SMEs in loan application, and help investors navigate through the platform, initiate video chats with real customer experience managers as well as perform account opening and management activities such as investments, deposits, withdrawals, etc. without human intervention at any time of the day. Read more about Miyu on our blog. About Funding Societies Founded in early 2015, Funding Societies is a licensed digital lending platform that connects small-medium enterprises ("SMEs") with retail and institutional investors. It has achieved numerous milestones in just 2 years, including a S$10M Series A led by Sequoia India and expansion into Indonesia and Malaysia. Funding Societies is one of the largest digital lending platforms in the region, with the vision of funding underserved SMEs and improving societies in Southeast Asia. Visit our website at fundingsocieties.com Read our story: https://www.sutori.com/story/funding-societies Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170926/1951616-1 SOURCE Funding Societies
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[September 26, 2017] SCMP Appoints Mi Li as Head of Global Marketing
HONG KONG and NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- South China Morning Post Publishers Limited, Asia's leading media company, today announced the appointment of Ms. Mi Li to the position of Head of Global Marketing. Ms. Li will report to Chief Operating Officer Elsie Cheung and will spearhead audience and market development strategies to help heighten SCMP's global brand presence. In addition to developing SCMP's branding and communications strategies, Ms. Li will identify and leverage sponsorship, partnership and marketing synergy opportunities for the brand. Ms. Li joins SCMP from the Financial Times (FT), where she was Global Head of Business Partnerships and Content Marketing, and a member of the FT's Leadership Group in the United States. Ms. Li was also a founding member of the FT's Audience Engagement team, which enhanced collaboration between its editorial team and commercial divisions. She also co-founded the FT's Future of FinTech Awards, which was launched globally last year. Prior to the FT, Ms. Li was Audience Development Director at The Fiscal Times and Marketing Manager at American City Business Journals, the largest publisher of metropolitan business newsweeklies in the United States. Ms. Li has established her thought leadership in global marketing and digital strategies and spoke at multiple international conferences such as Digital Innovators' Summit and Digital Media Asia.
Ms. Li holds a B.A. in Journalism from the Communication University of China, and a M.A. in Strategic Communications from the University of Missouri-Columbia. "Mi's successful track record in audience engagement, customer acquisition, and business development bodes well for her new role at SCMP," said Ms. Elsie Cheung, COO of South China Morning Post. "We firmly believe that her appointment will strengthen SCMP's brand awareness and global presence whilst we maintain our commitment to creating best-in-class print and digital products."
Ms. Li said, "It is a privilege to join SCMP as Head of Global Marketing. In the midst of news media's rapid evolution, SCMP's focus on adapting to an increasingly digital marketplace is both opportune and essential to the next level of growth. I look forward to bringing my experience at other storied publications to bear in elevating SCMP's brand across the globe." About South China Morning Post Publishers Limited South China Morning Post Publishers Limited is a leading newspaper and magazine publisher in Asia. Its flagship publication, the South China Morning Post, is Hong Kong's internationally recognised English language newspaper and has the city's most affluent and influential readership. First published in 1903, the newspaper has developed an enviable reputation for authoritative, influential and independent reporting on Hong Kong, Mainland China and the rest of Asia. Available in print, mobile, tablets and online through scmp.com and e-reader editions, the South China Morning Post reaches a global audience with daily breaking news, analysis and opinion, multimedia articles and interactive forums. The South China Morning Post received 200 awards in 2016-17 for excellence in editorial, marketing and technical capabilities. Other titles in the company include the Sunday Morning Post, STYLE and The PEAK. Through the joint venture partnership with Hearst, SCMP Hearst publishes the Chinese editions of Cosmopolitan, CosmoBride, Harper's BAZAAR, Harper's BAZAAR Art, Harper's BAZAAR Bride, Esquire, ELLE, ELLE Men, ELLE Wedding, ELLE Decoration, and ELLE Accessories; and operates Cosmopolitan.com.hk, Cosmogirl.com.hk, Harpersbazaar.com.hk, ELLE.com.hk and EsquireHK.com in Hong Kong. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170927/1952628-1 SOURCE South China Morning Post
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[September 27, 2017] Technological Innovation Drives Honor's Authority in Camera Space
NEW DELHI, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- - Honor's prowess in Technological R&D boosts smartphone ecosystem Honor, the digital brand of Huawei, has been on a constant move powered by its in-house technological innovation, reinventing key features with every new product, especially the camera. Backed by strong Research and Development capabilities, Honor has been refreshing its smartphones portfolio over the last two years, to suit consumer needs. Honor time and again has stirred up the smartphones industry in India, introducing brilliant cameras. At the core of such innovations is the world-class technology and R&D, which the company harnesses to develop world-class products that meet customer expectations. Features like the dual camera, processors or other smart features that are now associated with Honor have been welcomed by the market, making it a preferred smartphone brand. Honor, recently, has also been lauded by the members of European Imaging and Sound Association who declared Honor to be 'EISA Consumer Smartphone' for the year 2017 - 2018. These next generation devices are configured with cutting-edge specifications with highly advanced camera features. Honor first introduced revolutionary camera features with onor 6 Plus which had a dual 8-megapixel rear sensor; followed by Honor 6X and Honor 8 Pro. With Honor 6X, the brand brought in an innovative dual-lens rear camera consisting of a wide aperture range, whereas with Honor 8 Pro the focus was on the power of its optical lens, allowing users to explore and discover various facets of photography.
Honor is now all set to roll out another game-changing device with the camera in the spotlight which will yet again raise the bar of smartphone photography. With future-proof technology and gamut of world-class quality products, Honor is a pioneer of camera smartphones. More so in 2017, innovation at Honor is at the forefront making it one of the top players in the Indian market. About Honor
Honor is a leading smartphone e-brand under the Huawei Group. In line with its slogan, 'For the Brave', the brand was created to meet the needs of digital natives through Internet-optimized products that offer superior user experiences, inspire action, foster creativity and empower the young to achieve their dreams. In doing this, Honor has set itself apart by showcasing its own bravery to do things differently and to take the steps needed to usher in the latest technologies and innovations for its customers. Honor led the online smartphone market with a global shipment value of 2.5 billion USD to become the number 1 online smartphone brand, as per International Data Corporation (IDC) in Q1 2017. Huawei's Consumer Business Group, comprising of its dual brands Huawei and Honor, shipped 139 million smartphones globally in 2016 and reported an increase of 44% in its annual revenue. Contact information
Huawei Media Contact:
Priyanka Seth
[email protected]
Ritwik Sharma
[email protected]
FleishmanHillard India Contact:
Prateek Sharma
+91-9971476254
[email protected]
Manav Sud
+91-8130248958
[email protected]
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[September 27, 2017] WISeKey International Holding (WIHN) Intends to Acquire Additional WISeKey SA Shares From Minority Shareholders
WISeKey International Holding (WIHN) Intends to Acquire Additional WISeKey SA Shares From
Minority Shareholders Possible Change in Class A Share Ownership ZUG, Switzerland - September 27, 2017 - WISeKey International Holding Ltd ("WISeKey" or the "Company") (SIX: WIHN), a provider of Cybersecurity and IoT solutions, today announced that its Board of Directors has approved an increase in its share capital out of authorized share capital on a non-preemptive basis through the issuance of up to 1,174,235 new Class B Shares to minority shareholders of WISeKey SA, a subsidiary of which the Company holds 90.9%, who have not tendered their WISeKey SA shares to the Company in the 2016 exchange offer but who have expressed an interest to do so now based on bilateral share exchange agreements. The Company intends to execute any such bilateral share exchanges on the basis of an exchange ratio of five (5) WISeKey SA shares for one (1) Class B Share. WISeKey expects execution of these bilateral transactions shortly, with a listing of the newly issued Class B Shares on the SIX Swiss Exchange to occur on or about September 29, 2017. In connection with such listing, WISeKey also intends to issue approximately 137,177 new Class B Shares to ExWorks in connection with an interest and term loan conversion pursuant to the terms of the previously announced acquisition line of credit agreement with ExWorks. WISeKey has further been requested to release some Class A Shareholders from contractual transfer restrictions to enable such Class A Shareholders to enter into private transactions with Carlos Moreira regarding the exchange of their Class A Shares for lass B Shares held by Carlos Moreira. Subject to the execution of such private exchange transactions, the Company intends to consent to such release requests. Carlos Moreira will continue to be the Company's largest shareholder.
About WISeKey:
WISeKey (SIX Swiss Exchange: WIHN) is a leading global cybersecurity company currently deploying via a Virtual Platform large scale digital identity ecosystems. WISeKey's Swiss based cryptographic Root of Trust ("RoT") and IoT Microchips provides secure authentication and identification, in both physical and virtual environments, for the Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. The WISeKey RoT serves as a common trust anchor to ensure the integrity of online transactions among objects and between objects and people. For more information, visit www.wisekey.com.
To receive WISeKey's latest news, subscribe to our Newsletter or visit the WISeKey Investors Corner.
Press and investor contacts: WISeKey International Holding Ltd
Company Contact: Carlos Moreira
Chairman & CEO
Tel: +41 22 594 3000
[email protected] WISeKey Investor Relations (US)
Contact: Lena Cati
The Equity Group Inc.
Tel: +1 212 836-9611
[email protected] Disclaimer:
This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or a listing prospectus within the meaning of the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey.
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[September 27, 2017] KDDI and Couger Lead Japan to Initiate "Smart Contract" Proof of Concept Projects Utilizing Enterprise Ethereum
KDDI (News - Alert) Corporation (TOKYO:9433), KDDI Research, Inc., and Couger Inc. initiate proof of concept projects for a "Smart Contract" system, the first in Japan to utilize Enterprise Ethereum (*1).
Additionally, KDDI has joined the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA)(*2) on September 27th, 2017. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006912/en/ Autonomous world through IoT connection (Graphic: Business Wire) "Smart Contract" is a system that uses blockchain (*3) technology to insert pre-determined agreement and contract terms into a software program in a way that is difficult to falsely tamper or alter. When the conditions are fulfilled, they will be executed automatically. This proof of concept will extend beyond blockchains utilized by existing business and will validate business and technical issues and benefits for (a) Open services built on platforms such as the Ethereum and includes non-financial interactions, and (b) Smart Contracts for coordination with partner company services. Specific first step will be to validate operational productivity benefits by application of blockchain to share necessary information securely and in real-time for the service flow from customer's cellphone repair request at AU shops to the completion of the repair process. Smart Contract will also be validated for handset reuse services that require versatile coordination between multiple business entities. Specifically, we will validate that program can autonomously discern data from different systems such as repair price, model exchange price, used handset market price to make an optimum contract. KDDI and Couger will further explore and validate ways to combine Smart Contract with IoT and AI technologies in ways to achieve new levels of closeness, value, and experiences for the customers. In addition to working with Couger to develop ways to combine and apply AI, robotics, and blockchain, KDDI will work with blockchain developer Trident (News - Alert)-Arts co., ltd., legal tech developer Kentauros Works Inc., and in cooperation with other members of the EEA to create a robust next generation service platform based on the combined "AI x IoT x Blockchain" technology. (*1) Enterprise Ethereum is a distributed application platform for the enterprise. (*2) Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) is an alliance formed to unify Enterprise Ethereum use cases, decide upon standardization, and develop open-source programs. There are more than 150 participating companies. (*3) A blockchain is a continually operating system that makes falsification of data very difficult through distributed computing and verification. Because of this, users can expect to safely share data even in the absence of a trustworthy central management figure.
[Corporate Profile: KDDI CORPORATION] Company Name : KDDI CORPORATION http://www.kddi.com/ Date of Establishment : June 1,1984 Head Office : 3-10-10, Iidabashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo President : President Takashi Tanaka Main Business : Telecommunications business [Corporate Profile: KDDI Research, Inc.] Company Name : KDDI Research, Inc. http://www.kddi-research.jp/ Date of Establishment : April 1, 1998 Head Office : 2-1-15 Ohara, Fujimino-shi, Saitama, 356-8502 Japan President : President and CEO Yasuyuki Nakajima Main Business : Research, development, production, sale, and licensing of technologies and systems for information and communications. Survey, research, and consulting on policies, markets, and businesses mainly in the information and communication fields. [Corporate Profile: Couger Inc.] Company Name : Couger Inc. http://couger.co.jp/ Date of Establishment : December, 2006 Head Office : Koshiichi Bldg #403, 6-19-16, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0001, Japan President : CEO Atsushi Ishii Main Business : Architecture and development of platforms to apply artificial intelligence, robotics, and blockchain technologies and large-scale server-side system. [Corporate Profile: trident-arts co., ltd.] Company Name : trident-arts co., ltd. http://trident-arts.net/ Date of Establishment : 2016 Head Office : Chuo-ku Ginza 7-11-3 Yajima building 8F-10, Tokyo, Japan President : CEO Koji Machi Main Business : Development of open source softwares Consulting of enterprise smartcontract development Design and development of enterprise smartcontract [Corporate Profile: Centaurus Works inc.] Company Name : Centaurus Works inc. http://centaurusworks.jp/ Date of Establishment : April, 2017 Head Office : Chiyoda-ku Kudan-minami 1-6-17 ,Tokyo, Japan President : CEO Kenichiro Kawasaki Main Business : Development and operation of smart contract system using AI and blockchain technology
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006912/en/
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[September 27, 2017]
Bytom Blockchain Developers Takes Home the Second Prize in the 2nd Cosmos Hackathon
HANGZHOU, China, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Guo Guanghua and Xu Liucheng, two developers of the Bytom team from 8BTC.com won the second prize of the Cosmos Hackathon on September 15th with a reward of 10,000 dollars, which represents the best achievement a Chinese team has gained in the competition. Cosmos aims to build a network of interoperable ledgers to host multi-assets and blockchains.
The competition lasts for 6 weeks and encourages participants to turn innovative ideas into working applications. It brought together some big figures of Tendermint in he judges' seats: CEO Jae Kwon, Co-founder Ethan Bushman and CSO Jim Yang.
The Bytom team put forward a technical model Chainmint that is based on Tendermint consensus and combined with UTXO and CVM system, which serves as a cross-chain Cosmos Zone. In short: Chainmint = UTXO + CVM + Tendermint. (More details at: https://github.com/chainx-org/chainmint)
The idea of Chainmint stood out from over 100 competitors and was highly-appreciated by the judges.
In 2016, the Chinese government listed the blockchain technology in its Thirteenth Five-Year National Informatization Plan. A growing number of companies are looking for blockchain-based solutions to rebuild trust and solve industry bottlenecks. Though still in its infancy, the blockchain technology has been gaining momentum to improve the world. It's predictable that blockchain is well on track to change the world for better.
SOURCE 8BTC.com
[September 27, 2017] Klue Launches with $4M To Arm Sales with Better Competitive Intelligence
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Klue announces $4 million in funding to arm enterprise sales and channel teams with competitive intelligence. Led by OMERS Ventures with participation from BDC Venture Capital, Vancouver Founder Fund, SK Ventures and angels including Ryan Holmes (CEO, Hootsuite), Jonathan Ehrlich (Partner, Foundation Capital) and Daniel Debow (former SVP Salesforce, CEO Helpful). Photo of Klue co-founders Sarathy Naicker (left) and Jason Smith (right).
A photo and video accompanying this announcement are available at
//www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/da5bcfef-72ac-479e-8898-2acce046cc3e
//www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9d9639b0-33ea-4bee-a477-d1a7edd0f912 There is an explosion of information about companies scattered around the web and streams of content being shared by coworkers inside Slack, Salesforce, shared drives and email. Arming salespeople with relevant intel from the deluge of information is painful. Klue is tackling an underserved problem that every company faces: collecting, curating and distributing competitive intelligence. The platform combines information shared by co-workers with bot collected intel from across the web into battlecards and living dashboards of competitor activity. Klue solves two problems enterprises face in the battle for sales. First, Klue helps product marketers and enablement teams create and keep competitive content up to date. Second, Klue helps salespeople find and leverage that content inside applications they use every day including Salesforce, Slack, Chrome (browser extension), and email. The idea for Klue, founded by former President of Vision Critical,Jason Smith, and former Sophos Chief Technologist, Sarathy Naicker was born out of a shared problem both encountered in their previous roles.
Where this really hits home is with B2B enterprise sales teams, says Smith. Thirty percent or more of deals are lost directly to a competitor. It stings to lose a deal that should have been won. Klue gives you a continuously updated lens into your competitors' world so you can better position your company against your rivals, improve your sales strategies with prospects, and ultimately close more deals. Naicker believes the key to cracking sales in a hyper competitive marketplace is to use machine learning to unearth key insights that cant be done on a human scale. By applying a machine learning intermediary to help scale down the volume of content, and giving enablement teams the tools to deliver, intel is less noisy, more succinct and ultimately more digestible for sales teams to run with.
Klue is tackling a real pain point relating to information management, by showing how companies can turn data into an asset that sales teams can use to win deals, said Sid Paquette, Managing Director, OMERS Ventures. Jason has assembled a very strong team, complete with deep operational and entrepreneurial experience. We are thrilled to join them on their journey. Mid-to-large B2B enterprises including Adaptive Insights, Dell EMC, Hootsuite, Sage, Paychex, K2, Absolute Software, and DXC (spinout of HP) are already using Klue to win more deals. About Klue
Competitive intelligence for enterprise sales. Klue helps enablement teams deliver battlecards and market intel to the field. It is a lens for enterprises into their competitors' world, continuously updating and connecting dots to help them win more business. Product marketers and enablement teams leverage curated intel from inside their company and across the web to create and update content. Salespeople get access to relevant, digestible insight cards in the tools they use everyday.
http://klue.com About OMERS Ventures
OMERS Ventures is the venture capital investment arm of OMERS, one of Canada's largest pension funds with over $85 billion in net assets. OMERS Ventures is a multi-stage investor in growth-oriented, disruptive technology companies across North America. http://www.omersventures.com/. For More Information:
Katie Berg
Communications Director, Klue
[email protected] Founder Contacts
Jason Smith
CEO, Klue
604-834-8314
[email protected] Sarathy Naicker
CTO, Klue
604-657-5302
[email protected] Assets: Logos, Screen captures:
Resources can be found here. Founder story video here. Customer Testimonials:
"We've gone from covering 12 companies to 54 with the same team. Klue enables us to cover more competitors and go deeper on the ones that matter. Jay Nakawaga, Director, Competitive Intelligence, Dell EMC. "Klue is integral to how Hootsuite competes on a global basis. It takes care of the heavy lifting in decentralizing the process of gathering, contextualizing and distributing intel, and allows our team to focus on the needle movers and bigger strategic issues." Vincent Lo, Director, Product Marketing, Hootsuite. "With Klue, our account teams leverage the intel they need to compete every day. They love having easy access to web and mobile playbooks that are fresh, up-to-date and full of digestible information they can actually use to win deals. Michael Schmitt, Chief Marketing Officer, Adaptive Insights Competitors
Klue is a combination of automated data providers and sales enablement/knowledge management platform. Where a data provider like Owler provides a high level view of any company, Klue combines public with private intel shared by coworkers in email, Slack and Salesforce into a private, consolidated view. Where knowledge management tools like Guru enable users to manually create and update cards, Klue auto-creates and updates cards as well as enabling custom card creation and rolls those individual cards into summary views, or battlecards, that can be accessed by salespeople via email (send an email, get a battlecard), Salesforce (add a competitor to an opportunity, get a battlecard), Slack (backslash battlecard), via mobile app or inside Klues SaaS platform. Product Highlights Klue collects millions of articles, posts, reviews, website page changes every day.
Coworkers share intel into Klue via Chrome extension, email, Slack or Salesforce.
Changes on any webpage or section of a webpage (competitors or otherwise) are monitored down to the pixel.
Leverage machine curated, consolidated views of internal and external intel to create and update profiles of companies or topics, battlecards and digests.
Klue automatically creates, tags and updates cards with competitor job postings, funding, headcount, financials, website changes, news and Salesforce content such as recent wins on your behalf.
Access battlecards and a feed of competitive insights with a native iOS app
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[September 27, 2017] Digital Guardian Showcases Collaboration with Microsoft Azure Information Protection at the Microsoft Ignite Conference
Digital Guardian today announced it will be showcasing its collaboration with Microsoft (News - Alert) Azure Information Protection at the sold-out Microsoft Ignite Conference, which takes place September 24-29, 2017 at the Orange (News - Alert) County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The collaboration between Digital Guardian and Microsoft Azure Information Protection provides significantly enhanced data loss prevention capabilities that integrates key components of Azure Information Protection (AIP) and Digital Guardian DLP (DG DLP). Leveraging the new Microsoft Azure Information Protection dev platform, Digital Guardian will be demonstrating how joint Microsoft and Digital Guardian customers can extend their current DLP policies to automatically apply AIP controls. The combination of Microsoft's new AIP and Digital Guardian's rich visibility into file classification and movement will enable organizations to securely collaborate both internally and with outside third parties while protecting files from inappropriate egress and unsanctioned usage. WHAT: Digital Guardian will be presenting its collaboration with Microsoft AIP in the Theater Session "Extending Classification, Labeling, and Protection to Third Party Applicatios."
WHEN: Wednesday, September 27, from 5:05pm-5:25pm ET. WHERE: The OCC Hyatt Regency Theater, Level 1, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
In addition to the Theater Session, Digital Guardian will be running video demonstrations throughout the conference at the Microsoft Booth. "In the future, Digital Guardian will continue to leverage the Microsoft Azure Information Protection dev platform to support file protection across all supported Windows, macOS and Linux platforms, said Tony Themelis, vice president, product management, Digital Guardian." "We will also support automated DLP capabilities for Microsoft Azure Information Protection Labeling for Office and Acrobat applications. We anticipate general availability of this functionality during the summer of 2018." If you're planning to attend the Microsoft Ignite Conference, please sign up to meet with Digital Guardian and Microsoft Representatives or request to see the Digital Guardian DLP/Microsoft AIP video demo when you visit the Microsoft Booth. About Digital Guardian
Digital Guardian provides the industry's only threat aware data protection platform that is purpose built to stop data theft from both insider threats and external adversaries. The Digital Guardian platform performs across the corporate network, traditional endpoints, mobile devices and cloud applications and is buttressed by a big data security analytics cloud service, to make it easier to see and block all threats to sensitive information. For almost 15 years, it has enabled data-rich organizations to protect their most valuable assets with a choice of on premise, SaaS (News - Alert) or managed service deployment. Digital Guardian's unique data awareness combined with behavioral threat detection and response, enables you to protect data without slowing the pace of your business. To learn more please visit: https://digitalguardian.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005007/en/
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[September 27, 2017] Corindus Announces Opening of First International Robotic Training Center
Corindus Vascular Robotics, Inc. [NYSE American: CVRS], a leading developer of precision vascular robotics, announced today the opening of the first international CorPath GRX Robotic Center in Tokyo, Japan. Earlier this year, Corindus partnered with Japan Medicalnext Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned entity of MC Healthcare, Inc. (subsidiary of Mitsubishi (News - Alert) Corporation), to become the exclusive distributor of Corindus products in Japan, bringing robotic-assisted percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI (News - Alert)) to the Japanese market. The first three CorPath GRX Systems were shipped to Japan Medicalnext by July and will be used at its newly constructed robotic center according to Japan's regulation. "The opening of the first international robotic center represents an important milestone in the process of bringing precision vascular robotics to patients and physicians in Japan, and around the world," said Tal Wenderow, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of International and Business Development of Corindus. "Japan is the third largest PCI market with approximately 250,000 annual procedures, and is an important market as we grow our business internationally. We look forward to introducing our technology to the Japanese cardiology community." The robotic center and robotic simulation lab will be used to educate interventional cardiologists on the benefits of robotic-assisted PCI procedures. CorPath GRX is the second generation robotic-assisted PCI technology offering enhancements to the platform by adding important key upgrades that increase precision, improve workflow, and extend the capabilities and range of procedures that can be performed robotically. "Robotic-assisted PCI is a natural extension of our current capabilities and will fit well within our current practice," said Takafumi Ueno, MD, PhD, Director of Interventional Cardiology, Center of Cardiovascular Disease, Kurume University Hospital. "I look forward to seeing the positive impact the CorPath GRX System will have on patients and physicians." In preparation for commercial launch of CorPath GRX in Japan, the Company is working with Japan Medicalnext to secure Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Agency (PMDA) approval. About Corindus Vascular Robotics Corindus Vascular Robotics, Inc. is a global technology leader in robotic-assisted vascular interventions. The company's CorPath System is the first FDA-cleared medical device to bring robotic precision to interventiona procedures. During the procedure, the interventional cardiologist sits at a radiation-shielded workstation to advance guide catheters, stents, and guidewires with millimeter-by-millimeter precision. The workstation allows the physician greater control and the freedom from wearing heavy lead protective equipment that causes musculoskeletal injuries. With the CorPath System, Corindus Vascular Robotics brings robotic precision to interventional procedures to help optimize clinical outcomes and minimize the costs associated with complications of improper stent placement during manual procedures. Corindus stands behind its product with its unique $1,000 hospital credit "One Stent Program." For additional information, visit www.corindus.com, and follow @CorindusInc.
About MC Healthcare, Inc. MC Healthcare, Inc. is a group company of Mitsubishi Corporation, a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates businesses across virtually every industry, including industrial finance, energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, and daily living essentials. As a leading company in the healthcare industry in Japan, MC Healthcare provides medical professionals with various services such as procuring and managing medical materials, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment for hospitals nationwide while also providing a variety of menus to help improve management, including group purchasing systemized between multiple hospitals, thereby offering total support for the operations of medical institutions.
About Japan Medicalnext Co., Ltd. Japan Medicalnext Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned entity of MC Healthcare, Inc. The company imports and sells state-of-the-art medical equipment and consumables to serve various clinical fields, aiming to contribute to the realization of more enriched medical care through the advancement of medical technology. Forward Looking Statements Statements made in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Corindus to be materially different from historical results or from any future results or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements in the conditional or future tenses or that includes terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "estimates," "intends," "anticipates" or "plans" to be uncertain and forward-looking. Forward-looking statements may include comments as to Corindus' beliefs and expectations as to future events and trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to uncertainties, many of which are outside Corindus' control, including the ability of Japan Medicalnext and Corindus to obtain PMDA approval for the CorPath GRX and realize the benefits of the distribution agreement related thereto. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are described in the sections titled "Risk Factors" in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as reports on Form 8-K, including, but not limited to the following: the rate of adoption of our CorPath System and the rate of use of our cassettes; risks associated with market acceptance, including pricing and reimbursement; our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights; our need for additional funds to support our operations; our ability to manage expenses and cash flow; factors relating to engineering, regulatory, manufacturing, sales and customer service challenges; potential safety and regulatory issues that could slow or suspend our sales; and the effect of credit, financial and economic conditions on capital spending by our potential customers. Forward looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Corindus undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise that occur after that date. More information is available on Corindus' website at http://www.corindus.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005242/en/
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[September 27, 2017] ReneSola Provides Business Update and Announces Second Quarter 2017 Results
SHANGHAI, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ReneSola Ltd ("ReneSola" or the "Company") (www.renesola.com) (NYSE: SOL), a leading fully-integrated solar project developer and provider of energy efficient products, today provides a business update and announces its unaudited second quarter 2017 results. As announced on September 25, the Company has entered into a definitive share repurchase and subscription agreement (the "SPA") with Mr. Xianshou Li, the Company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (the "Buyer") for the sale of the Company's manufacturing (including polysilicon, solar wafer, solar cell and solar module manufacturing) and LED distribution businesses (the "Acquired Businesses"). The transaction will also transfer substantially all of ReneSola's related indebtedness to Li. The transaction will result in: i) The Company will no longer be liable for the bank borrowings in excess of RMB 3 billion, and the Buyer and his spouse will continue to provide personal guarantees for a majority of such bank's borrowings; ii) The acquired businesses will cancel approximately $217.3 million of intercompany payables owed to it by the Company; and iii) The Company will issue 180 million ordinary shares to ReneSola Singapore Pte. Ltd., an entity to be fully owned by the Buyer upon completion. Mr. Li commented, "This transaction completes the strategic transformation that was initiated in 2015. We will exit the manufacturing business, which has been impaired by overcapacity, pricing pressure and low profitability, and will become a pure play in the rapidly growing and profitable project development market. We believe this is the best path forward for ReneSola. The losses and a weakened balance sheet of the manufacturing business have been significant constraints on the growth of our downstream business. I am very excited to see ReneSola start anew with a stronger balance sheet, a highly capable team and significant growth opportunities. This transaction represents the beginning of a new chapter for ReneSola." This transaction will significantly improve the Company's balance sheet, providing the financial flexibility necessary to drive the growth of the Company's project development business. The table below summarizes the pro forma changes in the Company's balance sheet, based on the terms of the transaction when it is completed.
All amounts, other than
percentages, are in millions
of US$ Post- Transaction June 30, 2017 Pre-Transaction June 30, 2017 Total Asset 250.0 1,154.9 Total Liabilities 169.5 1,140.2 ----Bank Borrowings 33.5 701.7 Total Equity 80.5 14.7 Debt-Asset Ratio 67.8% 98.7%
The table below outlines the key benefits that ReneSola expects to derive from this transaction. Key Benefits Details Low Leverage Eliminate over RMB 3 billion of bank debt
Debt-asset ratio of 68% down from 98.7% as of
June 30, 2017 Lower Management & Financial Costs Management costs are expected to drop from $46
million to $12 million per year
Financial costs to further decrease Enhanced Financing Ability for Projects Lower corporate leverage improves project
bankability
Healthy balance sheet enables the Company to
lower financing cost and achieve attractive IRR
for projects Restore Investor Confidence Operate growing project business with proven
track record
Spin-off indebted manufacturing business
Solid global project pipeline to ensure future
growth Strategic Success Completes multi-year transition to downstream
business Project Development Strategy Since entering the project development business, ReneSola has developed over 480 MW of projects around the world. These projects range from utility scale to smaller rooftop distributed generation. They share the common traits of operating in stable, mature markets with attractive subsidies. The Company believes that its strong track record in solar project development will enable it to accelerate the development of its project pipeline, as well as attract project financing on favorable terms. While Build-Transfer continues to be an important strategy for the foreseeable future, ReneSola also intends to retain more projects in selected regions and become an independent power producer ("IPP"). The IPP model is especially attractive, due to the resulting high margin recurring revenue. Over time, the Company intends to shift a meaningful amount of its revenue to recurring power sales. The Company believes the China rooftop solar market is an especially lucrative opportunity and has aggressively established its presence in that market. Rooftop projects can provide steady cash flow, double-digit IRRs, and reduced risk of curtailment or subsidy delays. ReneSola currently owns over 130 MW of rooftop projects under development, concentrated in a handful of eastern provinces of China with attractive development environments. The Company anticipates to own 150 MW of China's rooftop projects by the end of 2017. Operating Assets Capacity (MW) China DG 131.2 -Zhejiang 33.3 -Anhui 28.8 -Henan 57.9 -Jiangsu 5.7 -Shandong 5.5 Romania 15.4 Mr. Li further commented, "We have demonstrated our ability to successfully build and transfer solar power projects globally. Our project development team consists of 314 dedicated employees around the world. Our strong and capable team, extensive financing relationships and track record of success give us high confidence that we can profitably grow the 'new' ReneSola." The following table sets forth the Company's late-stage project pipeline by location: Project Location Shovel-ready (MW) USA 151.8 UK 4.3 Japan 17.5 Canada 8.6 Turkey 133.0[1] France 0.3 Poland 55.0 Thailand 5.0 China DG 104.5 Total 480.0 [1] With the start of operation, ReneSola holds 50% of the economics in the projects, which are held for sale and expected to be sold in the normal course upon connection or shortly thereafter. As of September 10, 2017, the Company had a pipeline of over 1 GW of projects in various stages, of which 480 MW are projects that are "shovel-ready". The shovel-ready projects include (i) oversea projects that ReneSola has the right to develop or has self-originated in that ReneSola has obtained definitive agreement, and (ii) projects in China that are either owned by ReneSola and have been filed with PRC National Development and Reform Commission, or third-party projects to which the Company has signed definitive agreements for EPC services. The Company has identified a number of opportunities in China's domestic distributed generation market, and had 104.5 MW of such projects in the shovel-ready stage as of September 10, 2017. Outlook For the third quarter of 2017, the Company's project business is expected to generate revenue in the range of $40 to $45 million and overall gross margin in the range of 15% to 20% with the gross margin of IPP business in the range of 65%-70%. The Company expects to connect 20 to 30 MW of projects during the third quarter of 2017. Second Quarter 2017 Financial Results The Company today also announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter of 2017. Because the majority of revenue and losses are related to the Acquired Businesses being sold, the consolidated results are not indicative of the Company's future financial outlook. As such, the Company is only presenting a brief summary for informational purposes. Second quarter revenue of $151.6 million was down 3.2% sequentially and down 39.4% year-over-year. Net loss was $31.5 million, compared to net loss of $23.2 million in Q1 2017 and net income of $5.5 million in Q2 2016. The Company recognized revenue of $3.1 million from the sale of rooftop projects of 3.0 MW in China's domestic distributed generation market in Q2 2017. The Company also signed an agreement to sell a utility-scale project located in North Carolina with a capacity of approximately 6.75 MW with revenue expected to be recognized in Q3 2017. Subsequent to the end of the quarter, the Company signed additional agreements to sell projects overseas, including (i) two ground-mount projects in the United Kingdom with a combined capacity of approximately 10 MW; and (ii) a portfolio of ground-mount projects in North Carolina with an aggregate capacity of 24 MW. These projects are expected to be connected to the grid by December 2017. Conference Call Information ReneSola's management will host an earnings conference call on September 27, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (8:30 p.m. China Time). Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:
Phone Number Toll-Free Number United States +1 8456750437 +1 8665194004 Hong Kong +852 30186771 +852 800906601 Mainland China +86 8008190121 +86 4006208038
Other International +65 67135090
Please dial in 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and provide the passcode to join the call. The passcode is 77739816. A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until October 5, 2017. To access the replay, please again reference the conference passcode 77739816.
Phone Number Toll-Free Number United States +1 6462543697 +1 8554525696 Hong Kong +852 30512780 +852 800963117 Mainland China +86 8008700206 +86 4006322162
Other International +61 281990299
Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of ReneSola's website at http://www.renesola.com. About ReneSola Founded in 2005, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2008, ReneSola (NYSE: SOL) is an international leading brand of solar project developer and technology provider of energy efficient products. Leveraging its global presence, expansive distribution and sales network, ReneSola is well positioned to develop green energy projects with attractive return and provide its highest quality green energy products around the world. For more information, please visit www.renesola.com. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains statements that constitute ''forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Whenever you read a statement that is not simply a statement of historical fact (such as when the Company describes what it "believes," "expects" or "anticipates" will occur, what "will" or "could" happen, and other similar statements), you must remember that the Company's expectations may not be correct, even though it believes that they are reasonable. The Company does not guarantee that the forward-looking statements will happen as described or that they will happen at all. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's annual report on Form 20-F. The Company undertakes no obligation, beyond that required by law, to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made, even though the Company's situation may change in the future. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: In China: ReneSola Ltd
Ms. Rebecca Shen
+86 (21) 6280-9180 x106
[email protected] The Blueshirt Group Asia
Mr. Gary Dvorchak, CFA
+86 (138) 1079-1480
[email protected] In the United States: The Blueshirt Group
Mr. Ralph Fong
+1 (415) 489-2195
[email protected] RENESOLA LTD Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets (US dollars in thousands)
Jun 30,
Mar 31,
Jun 30,
2017
2017
2016 ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
28,633
26,634
23,723 Restricted cash
110,661
117,783
139,645 Accounts receivable, net of allowances for doubtful
accounts
112,185
108,230
185,573 Inventories
92,291
153,220
165,470 Advances to suppliers-current
15,891
15,727
23,286 Amounts due from related parties
12,553
9,385
77 Value added tax recoverable
8,084
10,956
5,911 Prepaid income tax
1,142
1,115
4,338 Prepaid expenses and other current assets
20,723
16,002
18,288 Project assets
116,869
75,574
64,756 Deferred convertible notes issue costs-current
Derivative assets
124
-
2,077 Assets held-for-sale
-
8,540
- Deferred tax assets-current, net
-
-
- Total current assets
519,156
543,166
633,144
Property, plant and equipment, net
537,595
486,278
568,090 Prepaid land use right, net
32,204
31,923
35,842 Deferred tax assets-non-current, net
16,766
19,168
14,403 Advances for purchases of property, plant and
equipment
3,554
1,824
285 Deferred project costs
20,913
19,153
17,576 Project assets-noncurrent
4,537
6,103
9,463 Other long-lived assets
20,201
18,706
9,943 Total assets
1,154,926
1,126,321
1,288,746
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Convertible bond payable-current
Short-term borrowings
671,432
647,587
716,512 Accounts payable
203,185
221,580
280,609 Advances from customers-current
83,954
36,701
20,342 Amounts due to related parties
5,076
4,575
2,831 Other current liabilities
61,473
59,655
66,536 Income tax payable
318
302
128 Derivative liabilities
-
371
- Warrant liability
-
-
26 Total current liabilities
1,025,438
970,771
1,086,984
Convertible notes payable-non-current
Long-term borrowings
30,328
31,057
- Deferred revenue
33,305
32,566
28,366 Warranty
28,704
28,114
38,870 Deferred subsidies and other
21,267
20,943
22,203 Other long-term liabilities
1,139
939
15 Total liabilities
1,140,181
1,084,390
1,176,438
Shareholders' equity
Common shares
476,658
476,658
477,171 Additional paid-in capital
8,569
8,420
7,994 Accumulated loss
(524,665)
(493,215)
(424,020) Accumulated other comprehensive income
53,385
50,068
51,163 Total equity attribute to ReneSola Ltd
13,947
41,931
112,308 Noncontrolling interest
798
-
- Total shareholders' equity
14,745
41,931
112,308
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity
1,154,926
1,126,321
1,288,746 RENESOLA LTD Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Income (US dollar in thousands, except ADS and share data)
Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended
Jun 30, 2017
Mar 31, 2017
Jun 30, 2016
Jun 30, 2017
Jun 30, 2016
Net revenues from third parties
151,632
148,267
250,038
299,899
510,734 Net revenues from related parties
-
8,343
-
8,343
0 Total net revenues
151,632
156,610
250,038
308,242
510,734 Cost of revenues
(147,509)
(154,889)
(208,886)
(302,398)
(425,077) Gross profit
4,123
1,721
41,152
5,844
85,657 GP%
2.72%
1.10%
16.50%
1.9%
16.8% Operating (expenses) income:
Sales and marketing
(11,753)
(3,776)
(15,152)
(15,529)
(28,652) General and administrative
(12,649)
(12,450)
(13,525)
(25,099)
(26,794) Research and development
(5,352)
(5,707)
(7,424)
(11,059)
(15,614) Other operating income
5,250
2,458
1,324
7,708
4,018 Total operating expenses
(24,504)
(19,475)
(34,777)
(43,979)
(67,042)
Income (loss) from operations
(20,381)
(17,754)
6,375
(38,135)
18,615
-13.40%
-6.30%
2.50%
-12.37%
3.64% Non-operating (expenses) income:
Interest income
378
312
715
690
1,492 Interest expense
(8,571)
(9,248)
(8,477)
(17,819)
(18,337) Foreign exchange gains (losses)
(78)
161
4,336
83
7,281 Gains (losses) on derivatives, net
(411)
(332)
2,869
(743)
2,267 Investment gain on disposal of subsidiaries -
-
-
0
7 Gains on repurchase of convertible bonds -
-
-
0
213 Fair value change of warrant liability
-
-
131
0
551 Income (loss) before income tax,
noncontrolling interests
(29,063)
(26,861)
5,949
(55,924)
12,089
Income tax (expense) benefit
(2,396)
3,621
(425)
1,225
(832) Net income (loss)
(31,459)
(23,240)
5,524
(54,699)
11,257
Less: Net income (loss) attributed to
noncontrolling interests
(9)
0
0
(9)
0 Net income (loss) attributed to
holders of ordinary shares
(31,450)
(23,240)
5,524
(54,690)
11,257
Earnings per share
Basic
(0.16)
(0.12)
0.03
(0.27)
0.06 Diluted
(0.16)
(0.12)
0.03
(0.27)
0.06
Earnings per ADS
Basic
(1.57)
(1.16)
0.27
(2.73)
0.56 Diluted
(1.57)
(1.16)
0.27
(2.73)
0.56
Weighted average number of shares used in computing loss per share
Basic
200,538,902
200,538,902
201,998,340
200,538,902
202,580,825 Diluted
200,538,902
200,538,902
201,998,340
200,538,902
202,580,825
RENESOLA LTD Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (loss) (US dollar in thousands)
Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended
Jun 30, 2017 Mar 31, 2017
Jun 30, 2016
Jun 30, 2017
Jun 30, 2016 Net income (loss)
(31,459)
(23,240)
5,524
(54,699)
11,257 Other comprehensive income (loss)
Foreign exchange translation adjustment 3,317
(1,165)
(7,921)
2,152
(10,414) Other comprehensive income (loss)
3,317
(1,165)
(7,921)
2,152
(10,414)
Comprehensive income (loss)
(28,142)
(24,405)
(2,397)
(52,547)
843 Less:comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interest (9)
-
-
(9)
0 Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to ReneSola (28,133)
(24,405)
(2,397)
(52,538)
843 RENESOLA LTD Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow (US dollar in thousands)
Six Months Ended
Jun 30, 2017
Jun 30, 2016
Operating activities:
Net profit/(loss)
(54,690)
11,257 Adjustment to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activity: Inventory write-down
4,032
- Depreciation and amortization
38,766
39,275 Amortization of deferred convertible bond issuances costs and premium
-
33 Allowance of doubtful receivables, advance to suppliers and prepayment for
purchases of property, plant and equipment
1,570
131 Gain (loss) on derivatives
743
(2,088) Fair value change of warrant liability
-
(551) Gain from settlement of certain payables
Gain from advances from customers
Share-based compensation
339
512 Gain (loss) on disposal of long-lived assets
(3,087)
5,358 Gain on disposal of solar project
-
(2,527) Impairment of goodwill
Impairment of Intangible assets
Impairment of long-lived assets
Reversal of firm purchase commitment
Gain on disposal of subsidiaries
Gain on CB repurchase
-
(212) Changes in assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable
114
(29,480) Inventories
2,008
1,119 Project assets and deferred project cost
(64,395)
(25,676) Advances to suppliers
(283)
(6,354) Amounts due from related parties
119
257 Value added tax recoverable
(4,342)
18,668 Prepaid expenses and other assets
7,464
6,658 Prepaid land use rights, net
1,342
464 Accounts payable
(26,413)
(12,643) Advances from customers
63,261
(8,198) Income tax payable
(51)
(778) Other current liabilities
2,099
(10,050) Deferred revenue
-
(4,010) Other non-current assets
-
(458) Other long-term assets
Warranty
(7,002)
3,821 Deferred taxes assets
(468)
1,959 Other long-term liabilities
249
- Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
(38,625)
(13,513)
Investing activities:
Purchases of property, plant and equipment
(22,750)
(4,162) Advances for purchases of property, plant and equipment
(5,368)
5,140 Cash received from government subsidy
Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment
74
- Advance from disposal of property, plant and equipment
2,916
- Changes in restricted cash
(12,248)
(2,895) Cash consideration for investment, net of cash received
(885)
- Net cash received (paid) on settlement of derivatives
(621)
179 Purchases of investment securities
Proceeds from disposal of subsidiaries
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
(38,882)
(1,738)
Financing activities:
Proceeds from bank borrowings
473,657
497,630 Proceeds from related parties
4,374
- Repayment of bank borrowings
(412,199)
(464,338) Proceeds from exercise of stock options
Paid for CB repurchase
Share issuance costs
Repurchace from noncontrolling interests
798
- Repurchase of convertible notes
-
(25,931) Cash paid for ADS/s repurchase
-
(981) Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
66,630
6,380
Effect of exchange rate changes
2,174
(5,451)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
(8,703)
(14,322) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period/year
37,336
38,045 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period/year
28,633
23,723 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/renesola-provides-business-update-and-announces-second-quarter-2017-results-300526662.html SOURCE ReneSola Ltd.
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[September 27, 2017] New University of Phoenix Study Finds That U.S. Adults Do Not Consider Themselves Entrepreneurial
Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of U.S. adults do not consider themselves entrepreneurial, according to a new University of Phoenix survey. However, many say they display qualities that would be regarded as entrepreneurial, such as problem-solving (62 percent), self-motivation (59 percent) and creativity (52 percent). Forty percent of U.S. adults said they would pursue higher education to become more entrepreneurial in their career, but when asked what they do most often when it comes to improving their career, only 12 percent share new ideas at their place of employment with management. In fact, the survey found that 42 percent of employees have never suggested or introduced innovative solutions or products at their current workplace. "The innovative mindset of entrepreneurs not only benefits those looking to launch their own business, but it can also help existing companies grow by encouraging employees to act as 'intrapreneurs' in their own organization," said Dennis Bonilla, executive dean, University of Phoenix, College of Information Systems and Technology and School of Business. "The best intrapreneurs engage their internal team members and resources in uncovering opportunities, solving problems across their organization and driving innovative solutions in areas beyond their job responsibilities." Despite many U.S. adults self-identifying with qualities like problem-solving, self-motivation and creativity, two-thirds (66 percent) say they encounter barriers to being entrepreneurial in their current place of employment. Some of the biggest barriers include a lack of time and resources to innovate beyond their job scope (25 percent), their organization is slow to adapt or change (24 percent), and employees are not encouraged to step outside of their scope of responsibilities (24 percent). Less than half (49 percent) of employees feel empowered to address organizational chalenges, and even fewer (43 percent) say they work in an environment in which risk-taking and failure are accepted.
"The pace and change of the current business climate call for employers to implement strategies that are disruptive and nimble, and encourage a culture of innovation that effectively supports employees with intrapreneurial ambitions," said Bonilla. "Employers can derive tremendous benefit from employees with entrepreneurial ambitions while retaining current top performers and attracting new trailblazers." Methodology
A national sample of 2,201 U.S. adults completed this online survey, conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of University of Phoenix School of Business, from July 13-15, 2017. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus two percent. For complete survey methodology, please contact [email protected]. About University of Phoenix School of Business University of Phoenix School of Business is a contemporary business school with the curriculum, faculty structure and ability to scale that reflect market needs. The School is committed to educating business leaders and leverages employer advisory boards in diverse sectors to help align curriculum with current business dynamics. Students are taught by faculty members who are often driving critical business decisions in their organizations, including hundreds in the C-suite. The School offers associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs, as well as non-degree programs, including certificates, individual courses and non-credit professional development. Doctoral programs are available through the School for Advanced Studies. To learn more about University of Phoenix School of Business programs, visit phoenix.edu/business. About University of Phoenix University of Phoenix is constantly innovating to help working adults move efficiently from education to careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant and engaging courses, and interactive learning can help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. As a subsidiary of Apollo Education Group, Inc., University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. For more information, visit phoenix.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005280/en/
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[September 27, 2017] Rubius Therapeutics Appoints Chief Medical Officer; Other Key Leadership Team Hires
Rubius Therapeutics, a "Fierce 15" company pioneering the creation of a new class of extraordinarily active, ready-to-use and life-changing cellular therapies, today announced the appointment of Chris Carpenter, M.D., Ph.D., as chief medical officer. Dr. Carpenter will oversee Rubius' clinical and regulatory strategy as the Company prepares to enter human clinical trials in 2018. In addition, Rubius announced the appointments of Joanne Protano as vice president of finance; Mark Boshar as vice president of legal affairs; and Theo Proukou as vice president of human resources. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005332/en/ Chris Carpenter, M.D., Ph.D. (Photo: Business Wire) "We are delighted to welcome Chris, Joanne, Mark and Theo to the team, and look forward to their leadership and leveraging their decades of pharmaceutical and biotech experience as we work to lead the next generation of cellular therapies," said Torben Straight Nissen, Ph.D., president of Rubius Therapeutics. "Chris and the rest of the team will play a pivotal role in bringing the promise of red cell therapeutics to the clinic in 2018." "Rubius is transforming the way we think about cellular therapies and developing an entirely new class of ready-to-use cell therapeutics to treat cancer, enzyme deficiency disorders and autoimmune diseases through the induction of tolerance," said Chris Carpenter, M.D., Ph.D. "The next year is primed to be an exciting one for the Company, and I am thrilled to join a group of people so passionate and committed to bringing life-changing products to patients as soon as possible." Dr. Carpenter most recently served as senior vice president and head of the cancer epigenetics department at GlaxoSmithKline, where he was responsible for the overall strategy, as well as the identification and validation of new epigenetic targets and advancing novel therapies through clinical proof of concept. While at GSK, Dr. Carpenter also led the developmnt of Votrient (pazopanib). Prior to GSK, he was at Merck and led the development of MK-4827, which became Tesaro's Zejula. Prior to Merck, Dr. Carpenter led a laboratory at Harvard Medical School for 14 years after having completed a clinical fellowship in hematology/oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital and a post-doctoral fellowship in Lewis Cantley's laboratory. Dr. Carpenter received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and B.S. from Stanford University.
Joanne Protano joined Rubius from Flagship Pioneering, most recently serving as senior vice president of finance, new ventures, where she was responsible for the financial and administrative operations of early-stage portfolio companies. Before that, Joanne held senior financial roles in public technology and biotechnology companies, including as vice president and chief financial officer of Cellectar Biosciences. She started her career at Deloitte (News - Alert) LLP. Mark Boshar brings more than 25 years in the biotechnology industry focused on intellectual property and transactional law, including licensing and pharma partnering. Most recently, he served as a legal advisor and business consultant to a number of early-stage companies. Previously, he founded the legal department at Millennium Pharmaceuticals (now Takeda Oncology) and served as its associate general counsel and chief patent counsel for several years. Mark began his legal career as an attorney with the law firm of Hale and Dorr (now WilmerHale). Prior to that, Mark was a scientist at Genetics Institute and the Worcester Foundation.
Theo Proukou brings nearly 20 years of human resources experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. He spent 16 years at Novartis Pharmaceuticals holding numerous roles with increasing responsibilities in human resources, marketing and sales. In 2014, Theo joined Vertex (News - Alert) Pharmaceuticals leading the HR team for commercial and G&A. In 2015, he was promoted to vice president of talent acquisition and development where he led efforts to recruit, retain and develop talent across the organization. In 2016, Theo joined TripAdvisor, where he led the global HR business partner organization until coming to Rubius earlier this summer. "Rubius' ability to attract this caliber of talent for its management team validates the promise and potential that this technology holds for developing important new treatments for patients," said David Epstein (News - Alert), executive chairman of Rubius. "With this team and our recent $120 million financing, we are well prepared to deliver against several key goals for our Red Cell Therapeutics platform in 2018." About Rubius Therapeutics Rubius Therapeutics, a 2017 "Fierce 15" award winner, is creating Red-Cell Therapeutics (RCTs) as a new class of medicines to address a wide array of indications. Leading applications include programs in cancer, rare and autoimmune disease, as well as additional potential in infectious and metabolic diseases. The company was conceived and launched by Flagship VentureLabs, the institutional innovation foundry where a team of scientific entrepreneurs systematically evolves enterprising ideas into new fields, or previously undiscovered areas of science into real-world inventions and ventures. The company was founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2014 and has been capitalized with $140 million to date. For more information please visit us at www.rubiustx.com. About Red-Cell Therapeutics Red-Cell Therapeutics are genetically engineered, enucleated red cells that are being developed to provide allogeneic, off-the-shelf therapies to patients across multiple therapeutic areas. RCT advantages over other therapies include immuno-privileged presentation of proteins within or on the red cell, high target avidity and affinity resulting in highly potent and selective therapies, and long circulation half-life. Rubius RCTs exhibit fundamentally unique biology and have been engineered to replace missing enzymes for patients living with a variety of rare diseases, to kill tumors, and upregulate or downregulate the immune system to treat both cancer and autoimmune disorders. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005332/en/
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[September 27, 2017] DMI Delivers Real-Time Emergency Command Center Functionality to Mobile Devices
BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DMI, a global leader in end-to-end mobility solutions, announced today the availability of its Endzone Platform, a mobile-centric enterprise platform that increases responsiveness and efficiency in emergency situations. Historically, situational awareness solutions have been command center-centric, where critical field information is relayed to a central command team and then actions shared back out to the field. EndZone flips that model on its head to enable federal agencies, field operating teams, first responders, law enforcement, and security management teams to direct and take action, and work and respond in real-time scenarios all from a mobile device. First response and field work is dependent on real-time situational awareness and clear, integrated communication, said Jay Sunny Bajaj, DMI Founder and CEO. To address this need in the market, weve combined the best of breed in user experience from the commercial markets and lessons learned from our work with federal agencies. EndZone delivers the best of both worlds in a user-friendly format to help those on the front lines stay safe and better perform their jobs, giving teams the eyes, ears, and real-time data they desperately need today to become more agile and secure on the ground. EndZone addresses the need for rapid and personal communication for organizations in both public and private sectors. By utilizing the smart notification approach, field team members can quickly provide a much clearer picture of their personnel in high intensity situations. These capabilities provide those on the front-line a holistic view of high-risk situations and the ability to better perform their job funtions. The platform provides:
Unique instruction and engagement through dynamic geo-fencing technology which can move with a person and/or device to manage a particular radius of space around the person or team;
through dynamic geo-fencing technology which can move with a person and/or device to manage a particular radius of space around the person or team; Highly secure communications - EndZone is FIPS 140-2 certified and utilizes AES 256-bit encryption;
EndZone is FIPS 140-2 certified and utilizes AES 256-bit encryption; Increased contextual awareness provided from DMIs patent-pending, real-time video streaming technology and can view up to eight fixed and in-motion cameras including traffic cameras, EndZone mobile devices, security cameras, cameras mounted in police cars, mobile phones, etc; and
provided from DMIs patent-pending, real-time video streaming technology and can view up to eight fixed and in-motion cameras including traffic cameras, EndZone mobile devices, security cameras, cameras mounted in police cars, mobile phones, etc; and Increased safety for responders with improved data sharing and communication capabilities, knowing commanders are with them in high intensity situations. Whether responding to an emergency or operating in enemy territory, first responders are under immense pressure. In high-stakes environments, a positive and simplified user experience is more critical than ever, but too many men and women in the field currently dont have access to real-time, integrated communication and information, said Paul Garrett, CTO of the Ashcroft Group. Having the ability to communicate with each other in the field and at the command center, along with access to critical information in the moment make all the difference in completing a safe and successful mission. As an opt-in emergency notification system, EndZone is a scalable, cloud or on-premise solution that provides the capability for networked communications (4G, LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Coverage on Wheels (COW), and satellite) to align with location-based technology while keeping individuals safe during a crisis. Integrated with leading biometric technology from NEC, the solution is delivered to commercial entities as well as the US military and government organizations.
To learn more about the EndZone Platform, visit: https://dminc.com/endzone
About DMI
DMI, a leading end-to-end mobility company, combines all the skills and services necessary to deliver mobile enterprise solutions. Built to reinvent business for the connected world, DMI has expertise in enterprise-strength web and app development, IoT, digital commerce, analytics, brand and marketing, and secure device and app management. The companys unique, integrated approach to mobility has resulted in dramatic growth as well as an expanding client base, which includes hundreds of Fortune 1000 commercial clients and all fifteen U.S. Federal Departments. Additional information is available at www.dminc.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. PR Contacts:
U.S.
Pazia Colella
Merritt Group
703-390-1508
[email protected]
International
Laura Cahill
AxiCom
831-440-2415
[email protected]
Corporate
Stacy Greiner
DMI
240-200-5878
[email protected]
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[September 27, 2017] Calix Completes Integration Testing of the AXOS Platform with OpenDaylight in Days, Accelerating Adoption by Global SDN Controller Ecosystem
PETALUMA, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calix, Inc. (NYSE:CALX), the world leader in Subscriber Driven Intelligent Access, announced that its AXOS platform has been successfully integrated with OpenDaylight (ODL) release Carbon, a market leading open-source platform used in SDN controllers. Thanks to the native NETCONF/YANG interfaces on both ODL and AXOS, the integration was accomplished in days rather than 3 to 9 months via traditional methods depending on the level of abstraction. With this testing complete, the AXOS platform can be easily and quickly integrated into service providers SDN controllers. This capability will provide a significant time-to-market advantage when providers deploy new back-office technologies.
"Service providers are recognizing the unique value that the worlds only Software Defined Access platform, AXOS, can bring to their businesses, especially when it comes to accelerating their time-to-market, said Shane Eleniak, Calix vice president of systems products. Instead of investing in proprietary SDN orchestrators to connect a vendors legacy complex systems into SDN, we built AXOS to connect natively with open source frameworks like OpenDaylight. This approach dramatically reduces the operational complexity that comes with having these legacy systems tightly coupled to proprietary SDN orchestrators and controllers, which are essentially just middleware." Built from the ground up to nativly integrate with SDN systems, each AXOS component features a YANG data model for direct programmability. This approach eliminates the need for translation middleware or the use of a translator within the legacy systems. AXOS is unique in the access market, and it is complemented by the AXOS Sandbox, a virtualized environment that radically accelerates testing and deployment.
When I speak with service providers they consistently say their top business constraint is IT integration. On average, it takes 18-24 months and costs millions of dollars to deploy a new service. We have invested significant resources in building the AXOS platform over the last five years to eliminate this business constraint, said Michael Weening, executive vice president of global sales at Calix. We introduce another AXOS innovation now almost weekly. Today, we are demonstrating how easy it is to integrate AXOS into ODL and just last week we launched lawful intercept within AXOS. Every day service providers around the world are learning how AXOS can collapse four network elements BNG, routing, aggregation, and access onto a single, natively SDN software platform. AXOS-based networks are designed to yield massive operational savings, speed up IT, enable automation and allow service providers to reverse the trend of data growth compressing margins. For those ready to experience AXOS today, it is available to download through AXOS Sandbox. To learn more about the AXOS platform and how service providers of all sizes are deploying AXOS to transform their business models, please attend Calix ConneXions, October 28 31 in Las Vegas.
About Calix Calix, Inc. (NYSE:CALX) pioneered Software Defined Access and cloud products focused on access networks and the subscriber. Its portfolio of Intelligent Access systems and software combines AXOS, the revolutionary platform for access, with Calix Cloud, innovative cloud products for network data analytics and subscriber experience assurance. Together, they enable communications service providers to transform their businesses and be the winning service providers of tomorrow. For more information, visit the Calix website at www.calix.com. This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based upon management's current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this release, and we assume no obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking statement to reflect any event or circumstance after the date of this release, except as required by law. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from current expectations based on risks and uncertainties affecting Calixs business. The reader is cautioned not to rely on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Additional information on potential factors that could affect Calix's results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov. Press Inquiries:
Neila Matheny
707-766-3512
[email protected]
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[September 27, 2017] Beyond Yoga Chooses Borderlinx to Expand eCommerce Reach
New York, NY, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beyond Yoga, the luxury athleisure brand, has teamed up with Borderlinx to extend products to global customers. As one of few brands specializing in body positive fashion for sizes XXS to XXL, Beyond Yoga is leading the evolution of womens athleisure wear.
To compliment brand expansion and fulfill orders outside the United States, Beyond Yoga is leveraging the Go.Borderlinx Cross-Border Solution. The retailer will now ship to customers in 65 countries by offering a seamless international checkout process that includes a guaranteed total landed cost, i.e., international shipping, local customs duty, import tax and any applicable local clearance fees. By providing customers a total landed cost and price transparency, Beyond Yoga can greatly reduce shopping cart abandonment and avoid customs clearance delays, which are common problems for online retailers and their international business. "Beyond Yoga's body positive message is the core of our brand. We work hard to not only spread that message domestically but beyond our borders as well, said Beyond Yoga CEO Michell Wahler. By partnering with Borderlinx, we are able to successfully reach customers on a global level, delivering them high-quality styles while teaching women everywhere that confidence is not a size, but a state of mind.
The Borderlinx solution compliments Beyond Yogas existing fulfillment process. The retailer is now able to process shipping labels and customs documentation on-site. This innovative offering by Borderlinx reduces unnecessary domestic cost and transit time. Borderlinxs mission has always been to empower retailers to easily expand internationally, said Borderlinx CGO Sebastien Dubuisson. The Go.Borderlinx solution allows retailers to do this without altering their checkout or fulfillment setup. Were thrilled that Beyond Yoga adopted our platform and are excited to see them grow internationally as theyve done here in the United States.
Borderlinx was able to integrate with Beyond Yogas eCommerce setup thanks to their pre-built Magento integration module. About Borderlinx and the Go.Borderlinx Solution
When eCommerce retailers are ready to reach international markets, they turn to Borderlinx. Our integrated cross-border eCommerce solution, Go.Borderlinx, lets retailers expand shipping services to international shoppers by leveraging a suite of cross-border features, including total landed cost at checkout, automated HS Code classification and flexible fulfillment options. About Beyond Yoga
Beyond Yoga, based in Los Angeles, California, is a luxury athleisure brand designed to transition seamlessly from studio-to-street. Their body positive silhouettes are made for all shapes and sizes because the brand believes that confidence is not a size, but a state of mind. To show this, Beyond Yoga produces a wide range of sizes. Each item is meticulously designed and tested to ensure that customers dont just look good in it, but feel good too.
Contact For more information, please contact Carlene Reyes [email protected]
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HOMECOMING SUNDAY OBSERVED
Homecoming Sunday will be observed during the 10:45 a.m. worship service Sunday, Oct. 1, at Union Grove Congregational, United Church of Christ, 1106 11th Ave., Union Grove. World Communion Sunday will also be celebrated. The Hims of Harmony mens harmony singing group will share their music. A Fall Fest potluck lunch will follow the service. Hot dogs, smores and cider will be provided.
WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY
Faith United Methodist Church, 1013 Harmony Drive, will celebrate World Communion Sunday during the 10:45 am worship service Sunday, Oct. 1. World Communion Sunday is celebrated in tandem with churches all over the world. Parishoners partake of Communion and celebrate their inclusivity and diversity.
RELIGIOUS ISSUES FORUM
The Significance of Martin Luther: A 500th Anniversary Evaluation is the topic of a free religious issues forum at noon Monday, Oct. 2, in Molinaro D139 at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 900 Wood Road, Somers. Laura Gellott, professor emerita of history, is the speaker. No parking citations are issued during forum hours.
GUIDEPOSTS OF FAITH IN TIMES OF STRESS
Since 1990, the first full week in October has been designated by Congress as Mental Illness Awareness Week. St. Richard of Chichester Catholic Church, 1509 Grand Ave., will celebrate Mass in honor of mental health professionals, caregivers, advocates and individuals who live with mental illness during the 9 a.m. worship service Sunday, Oct. 1.
Following Mass, all are invited to stay for Lifelong Learning in Vogel Hall. Marcia Isherwood, registered nurse and a representative of the Wisconsin Womens Health Foundation, will speak on how to deal with stress and anxiety through faith. Lunch will follow.
MISSIONS CONFERENCE
Racine Bible Church, 12505 Spring St., Mount Pleasant, will hold its annual Missions Conference during the 9 and 10:45 a.m. services Sunday, Oct 1. The theme is Called to Make Christ Known. The Rev. Victor Levashov, who serves as the regional director for churches in the north caucasus area of Russia and resides in the Republic of Kabardino Balkaria, Russia, will preach.
These missionaries will share their ministries in the Adult Bible Fellowship hours: Jonathan Weiss from Tanzania, Dr. Ted MacKinney from Nepal, Dennis Schermer from Harvest Productions, Denis and Linda Possing working in Honduras, Doug Nunziato from Mission Aviation Training Academy, David Possing from Hokah, Minn., Terrell Smith from UW-Madison and Greg Waters from Care Net Family Resources-Racine. During the evening 6 p.m. service, missionaries from Romania, Kenya and Tanzania will share by Internet and in person about their ministries.
SIENA RETREAT CENTER PROGRAMS
These programs are being offered at the Siena Retreat Center, 5637 Erie St., Caledonia:
Spirituality Alive series, 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3. Sister Miriam Brown will speak on Transformation. Within the church and our society, grace is prying us loose from the old paradigms. Reflection together can help us as we join our commitment to a new openness in faith, a more profound courage in hope and an ever wider scope of love. The cost is $10.
Native American Spirituality (Indigenous Spirituality series), 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14. Join Dona Yahola (Ojibwe/Oneida) to explore Native American connections to food and nature, and to experience creative expression, song and ritual. The $45 fee includes a noon meal.
For more information or to register for a program, go to www.SienaRetreatCenter.org or call 262-898-2590.
Religion Today is a listing of special events held at Racine County churches and is published every Saturday in Community. Notices of regularly scheduled services and sermon topics are not used. Announcements must arrive by noon Tuesday to be considered for publication the following Saturday, as space permits. Submit information to The Journal Times Online Calendar at www.journaltimes.com/calendar and select Faith under sections; by mail to Sharon Knox, The Journal Times, 212 Fourth St., Racine, WI, 53403; email sknox@journaltimes.com or fax information to the attention of Sharon Knox at 262-631-1780.
[September 27, 2017] Pramata and ContractRoom Announce Strategic Partnership and Integrated Solution to Fill Void in Contract Management Space
BRISBANE, Calif. and SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pramata, the leading Commercial Relationship Operations company, today announced it will partner with ContractRoom, modern provider of a cloud-based negotiation and Predictive Agreement, to offer the first integrated solution to combine contract lifecycle management (CLM) with commercial relationship operations (CRO). The joint solution will provide unprecedented capabilities for end-to-end contract management from accelerating and automating the creation and maintenance of contracts to unlocking actionable intelligence buried within contracts and locked in siloed Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Contract Price Quote (CPQ) and billing systems to gain new value from commercial relationships, maximize revenue, reduce risk and drive business efficiencies. The joint offering not only creates a single system of record, but more importantly, a single source of truth.
"Pramata's partnership with ContractRoom will offer businesses something that hasn't existed until now; a true end-to-end solution that seamlessly cuts across the entire contract lifecycle including pre- and post-execution phases," said Praful Saklani, Founder and CEO, Pramata. ContractRoom's AI-driven CLM technology for contract authoring, drafting, negotiation and workflow is a perfect complement to the Pramata CRO platform with human-assisted AI for delivering actionable intelligence on commercial relationships. The new partnership fills a critical void by connecting the front, middle and back ends of the contract management process. ContractRoom brings transformational focus todocument authoring, assembly, approval, version control, and the management of standard contracting language, driving significant productivity benefits and insights into these functions. Pramata provides true actionable intelligence on commercial relationships, to drive both customer-focused initiatives in sales, compliance, financial analysis, and risk mitigation, and to inform and fuel the contract creation process for existing customers. The combination of these highly complementary solutions offers continuous benefits along every phase of contract and commercial relationship management.
"Were very excited to bring to market the unique visibility and intelligence that only our combined technologies can provide, said Emil Stefanutti, CEO of ContractRoom. Our combined solution fuels our predictive agreement engine, helping anyone involved in the contracting process to make better decisions based on real-time context and not just content." The Pramata and ContractRoom joint solution will also provide companies with a stronger foundation for building agreement and maximizing relationships with both new and existing customers. CLM provides strong potential benefits when companies have a large percentage of highly standardized relationships or do most of their revenue with brand-new customers. Pramatas CRO solution, which integrates with enterprise CRM, CPQ and billing systems, is particularly beneficial for driving control and performance in complex negotiated and high-value relationships, or when the preponderance of revenue is generated from existing relationships.
To learn more about the Pramata and ContractRoom strategic partnership and integrated solution, please visit https://www.pramata.com/partners. About ContractRoom
ContractRoom is a cloud-based negotiation and digital transaction management platform that is improving the way decisions are made and deals get done - for any buying, selling, hiring and recording contracting process. Uniquely, it learns from past transactional and behavioral data using AI techniques, and in doing so, provides Predictive Agreement. Thats why several Fortune 100 corporations and over 20,000 users have joined ContractRoom in the past 12 months, with 250,000+ agreements under management. Industry accolades include winning the SaaS Awards for Best Productivity and Best Data-Driven. For more information, please visit: www.contractroom.com. About Pramata
Pramata operationalizes the details of commercial relationships so large organizations can maximize revenue, reduce risk and drive business efficiencies. Pramata has created millions of dollars in value for some of the largest companies in the world, including Allergan, CenturyLink, Comcast Business, FICO, HPE, Micro Focus, NCR, Novelis and Vertafore. Pramata is headquartered in Brisbane, Calif., with offices in Kansas City, MO, and Bangalore, India. For more information please visit: www.pramata.com. Media Contact: Marina Greenwood
Activa PR for Pramata
415.776.5350
[email protected]
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[September 27, 2017] MediaMath Pledges One Percent of Equity to Charity
MediaMath.org joins Pledge 1%, supporting its mission to help improve communities around the world NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /CNW/ -- MediaMath, the leading independent programmatic company for marketers, today announced it is allocating 1% of equity to charity via MediaMath.org, as a Pledge 1% partner. MediaMath will commit 1% of their time, technology, and resources to MediaMath.org MediaMath's philanthropic arm as a part of the partnership with Pledge 1%, a corporate philanthropy movement dedicated to making the community a key stakeholder in every business. MediaMath.org is joining a network of more than 2,700 companies in 60 countries that have committed to philanthropic efforts through Pledge 1%. In 2016, MediaMath launched MediaMath.org, including the rollout of volunteer and donation matching policies. MediaMath.org is founded on the idea of integrated philanthropy; combining charitable giving with the company's technology and talent to help improve communities around the world. Since its inception, MediaMath.org has made a measurable impact, from serving food to the homeless in London to funding eyesight surgeries in Cambodia. MediaMath.org currently supports a growing list of nonprofits including eva, BUILD.org, and others.
"I'm delighted to announce that MediaMath is adding 1% of our equity to our original pledge," said Joe Zawadzki, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of MediaMath. "Giving back is a core value for us, and MediaMath.org has allowed our company to formalize our efforts and align resources, leading us to have more of an impact around the world. I'm very proud of what we've accomplished to date, and am extremely excited about what's in our future." "We are thrilled that MediaMath has extended their Pledge 1% movement to now include equity," said Suzanne DiBianca, EVP of Corporate Relations and Chief Philanthropy Officer of Salesforce. "By adding equity to their existing time and technology commitments, MediaMath will be able to send funds directly to nonprofits, which will have a significant impact as their business continues to grow."
About MediaMath
MediaMath's technology and services help brands and their agencies drive business outcomes through programmatic marketing. We believe that good advertising is customer-centric, delivering relevant and meaningful marketing experiences across channels, formats and devices. Powered by advanced machine learning algorithms that buy, optimize and report in real time, our platform gives sophisticated marketers access to first-, second- and third-party data and trillions of digital impressions across every media channel. Clients are supported by solutions and services experts that make it simple to activate our technology. Since launching the first Demand Side Platform (DSP) in 2007, MediaMath has grown to a global company of nearly 700 employees in 15 locations in every region of the world. MediaMath's clients include all major holding companies and operating agencies as well as leading brands across top verticals. About Pledge 1%
Pledge 1% is an effort spearheaded by Atlassian, Rally, Salesforce and Tides to accelerate their shared vision around integrating philanthropy into businesses around the world. Pledge 1% encourages and challenges individuals and companies to pledge 1% of equity, product and employee time for their communities, because pledging a small portion of future success can have a huge impact on tomorrow. Pledge 1% offers companies turnkey tools and best practices, making it accessible for any company to incorporate philanthropy into their business model. To learn more or to take the pledge, please visit www.pledge1percent.org. Press Contact:
Ashley Waters
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1-617-502-4322 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediamath-pledges-one-percent-of-equity-to-charity-300526180.html SOURCE MediaMath
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[September 27, 2017] Eric Gertler, Co-Chairman of U.S. News & World Report, to Keynote Innovate + Educate CLOSE IT Summit in Chicago
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Eric Gertler, Co-Chairman of U.S. News & World Report and CEO of Ulysses Ventures, will be one of the keynote speakers at the Innovate + Educate CLOSE IT Summit at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. This year's summit focuses on the role emerging technologies play in creating pathways to social and economic mobility. Gertler's remarks will spotlight the media's role in helping individuals navigate how to learn, work and thrive in a new, technology-driven era. Gertler, who previously served as Executive Vice President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation and as Managing Director of the Center for Economic Transformation under both Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Mayor Bill de Blasio, will also appear on a panel eploring how to establish economic opportunities for a stronger workforce. His co-panelists include:
Karin Norington-Reaves , CEO, Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership
, CEO, Beverly Riddick , Executive Director, Ready to Work Business Collaborative
, Executive Director, Paula Sammons , Program Officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
, Program Officer, Lisa Schumacher , Director of Education Strategies, McDonald's Corporation U.S. News, the global authority in education rankings and consumer advice, covers America's evolving education, job training and workforce needs daily on its site. The company hosts an annual national conference on better aligning Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education with workforce needs. In its seventh year, Workforce of Tomorrow: Skills, Jobs & the New Collar Economy will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC from April 4-6, 2018. U.S. News is also a media partner for SHIFT Happens: Work + Learn Futures, taking place in Brooklyn in 2018.
U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is a digital news and information company that empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. Focusing on Education, Health, Personal Finance, Travel, Cars and News & Opinion, usnews.com provides consumer advice, rankings, news and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 30 million people visit usnews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eric-gertler-co-chairman-of-us-news--world-report-to-keynote-innovate--educate-close-it-summit-in-chicago-300526739.html SOURCE U.S. News & World Report
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[September 27, 2017] PlanSource Fall Product Release Streamlines Payroll Deductions; Gives Easy Access to Add-On Products and Services
ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PlanSource announced today the launch of Halley, its fall software release. The release includes a groundbreaking tool for deducting benefit premiums in payroll systems, a hub for connecting with the company's partners, and reporting and administrative enhancements. "The Halley release solves some fundamental problems that HR and payroll teams have struggled with for years," said Ryan Baldwin, Chief Technology Officer at PlanSource. "For example, we've cracked the code on making retroactive payroll deductions, a previously manual process that often creates errors and adjustments. Combined with our new partner program and a wealth of updates to our reporting and admin tools, Halley packs a big punch." Advancing the payroll deduction process
The Advanced Payroll Deduction tool in the Halley release uses sophisticated logic to calculate and track payroll deductions over time, automating a process that is often manual, time-consuming and error-prone. The system calculates payroll deductions based on coverage effective dates and enrollment dates. It can also import actual payroll deductions, making adjustments and generating refunds to employees when required. These types of actions can be especially useful to manage situations in which an employee returns from a leave of absence and deductions must be taken out of several paychecks. Introducing PartnerSource
With the launch of Halley, PlanSource has also unveiled PartnerSource, a marketplace where employers, brokers and consultants can view and interact with PlanSource's network of partners, and purchase add-on products. It is composed of three separate focus areas: HCM leading huan capital management technology providers that have partnered with PlanSource to provide an integrated solution for HR, payroll, benefits, talent and workforce management.
PlanSource Advantage a strategic program between select insurance carriers and PlanSource that provides pre-established integrations and pricing incentives. QuickConnect a range of best-in-class partner products which PlanSource customers can select, order and quickly implement. These products include:
Online total compensation statements by Brain Power Software, which can include salary information, insurance benefits, leave, and other benefits which can be accessed on any device directly from the PlanSource system.
by Brain Power Software, which can include salary information, insurance benefits, leave, and other benefits which can be accessed on any device directly from the PlanSource system. Identity theft protection by ID Watchdog, which provides employees with identity monitoring and protection against a crime which affects millions of Americans and leads to billions of dollars in loses, reduced productivity, higher absenteeism and lower employee morale.
by ID Watchdog, which provides employees with identity monitoring and protection against a crime which affects millions of Americans and leads to billions of dollars in loses, reduced productivity, higher absenteeism and lower employee morale. Financial services by TrueConnect, which provides safe, affordable financial support to employees. Offered as a voluntary benefit, TrueConnect provides access to regulated bank loans and financial counseling.
by TrueConnect, which provides safe, affordable financial support to employees. Offered as a voluntary benefit, TrueConnect provides access to regulated bank loans and financial counseling. Student loan assistance by Tuition.io, which offers programs that allow employers to contribute money towards employee student loans as part of their overall benefits package. Learn more about PartnerSource at www.plansource.com/partnersource. New reporting and administrative features
In addition to Advanced Payroll Deductions and PartnerSource, the Halley software release contains multiple enhancements to improve efficiency for HR teams using the PlanSource system. These include updates to the reporting center, such as a data comparison report and communications shortcuts; easier access to export history for PlanSource's broker partners; and new features in the implementation wizard. More details about the Halley release can be found at www.plansource.com/release. PlanSource launches major software releases four times a year and conducts ongoing updates and minor enhancements as needed throughout the year. View the PlanSource product release schedule at www.plansource.com/releases. About PlanSource
PlanSource is a technology company driven to create a better benefits and HR experience for employers and their employees. The company works with nearly 10,000 companies and 3.5 million consumers, providing flexible and intuitive software and services for benefits administration and human capital management. By combining industry-leading software platform and a full suite of professional services, PlanSource provides companies of all sizes with a complete solution for benefits shopping, enrollment, billing, compliance and administration. Learn more at www.plansource.com. PlanSource is a registered trademark of PlanSource Benefits Administration, Inc., and PlanSource owns other registered and unregistered trademarks. Other names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/plansource-fall-product-release-streamlines-payroll-deductions-gives-easy-access-to-add-on-products-and-services-300526740.html SOURCE PlanSource
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[September 27, 2017] Best's Special Report: U.S. Workers' Compensation Industry Records Record Premiums in 2016 Despite Potential for Market Disruption
The U.S. workers' compensation sector reported a record high $58.5 billion in direct premiums written in 2016 despite economic, regulatory and legal issues that threaten to reshape the market, according to a new A.M. Best special report. The Best's Special Report, titled, "Workers' Compensation: Costs, Legal Activity and Employment Rolls Are Increasing-But So Are Profits," states that despite the record premiums, year-over-year growth slowed. Net premium growth declined to 0.2% after expanding at a five-year compound annual growth rate of 6.3% from 2010 to 2015. The deceleration in growth is due mainly to consistent rate decreases in 2015 and 2016, as well an increase in net ceded premiums. The property/casualty (P/C) industry overall has increased its use of reinsurance for the workers' compensation line since the 2008 financial crisis, ceding nearly 50% more of this business than before the recession. Although loss experience has improved in recent years, in part evidenced by a 95.5 combined ratio in 2016, A.M. Best believes that reserves for the workers' compensation line remain deficient. A.M. Best estimates the deficiency at approximately $22.1 billion as of year-end 2016, which is a $1.7 billion improvement from A.M. Best's 2015 estimate. However, given the increases in the estimated reserve deficiency in five of the last eight years, as well as the overall rate decreases since 2015, A.M. Best remains concerned. According to the report, loss reserve adequacy is especially important for this line because of the long-tailed nature of the line' liabilities. As of year-end 2016, workers' compensation reserves accounted for $166 billion or 26.9% of the total U.S. P/C industry's $620 billion loss reserves. Since adverse reserve development is one of the leading causes of insurer insolvency, reserve adequacy remains a critical component of the Credit Rating process.
A.M. Best also analyzes the overall health of the workers' compensation line of business through its Workers' Compensation Composite (WCC), which is composed of U.S. companies (including state funds) whose workers' compensation and excess workers' compensation net premiums constitute 50% or more of their total net premiums. As some of the larger writers have decreased their exposure to the workers' compensation business, specialist writers (included in the WCC) have assumed this business. The WCC accounted for 44.8% of all U.S. workers' compensation net premiums compared with 33.8% in 2010. Currently, A.M. Best has a negative outlook on the U.S. commercial lines segment, of which workers' compensation is the largest component, and workers' compensation insurers remain under pressure due to decreasing rates and increasing competition. Nevertheless, improved loss experience from a decline in frequency and the leveraging of technology greatly benefitted companies' bottom lines in 2016. Unemployment has decreased steadily since 2010, and workers' compensation premiums have an inverse relationship with the unemployment rate. However, A.M. Best notes that long unemployment rate declines are typically followed by sharp spikes in unemployment, and believes that workers' compensation writers should expect payroll and premium growth to halt sooner rather than later unless wage growth accelerates.
To access a copy of this special report, please visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?record_code=266041. A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2017 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005700/en/
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[September 27, 2017] Lights, Camera, Save! Teen Video Contest Underway at Burke & Herbert Bank
Burke & Herbert Bank is accepting submissions for its Lights, Camera, Save! video contest. The contest, organized by the American Bankers Association Foundation, is a national competition that encourages teens to use video to communicate the value of saving money and inspire their peers to become lifelong savers. To participate, students (ages 13-18) must create a video, 90-seconds or less, on saving and using money wisely and submit a link to the video along with a completed entry form to the bank by December 1. Burke & Herbert Bank will complete the first round of judging and select a winner to compete on the national level for a prize up to $5,000, plus a scholarship for a teacher at their school to attend the annual Jump$tart National Educator Conference. Burke & Herbert Bank is rewarding the top three local winners with $350, $100, and $50, respectively as well as awarding a $50 gift card to each of their teachers. "Lights, Camera, Save! gives Northern Virginia students an opportunity o learn about using money wisely and to communicate those lessons with their peers using a fun and creative approach," said Terry Cole, Executive Vice President at Burke & Herbert Bank. "We believe that a strong financial education is critical to a successful future so we are thrilled to participate in a program that reinforces that message."
Videos will be judged on their quality, message, content and the criteria set forth by the contest's official rules. Entry forms and more information can be found at burkeandherbertbank.com. To learn more about Lights, Camera, Save!, visit lightscamerasave.com. Burke & Herbert Bank, established in 1852, is the oldest bank in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the oldest continuously operating bank in the Washington, D.C. area. The Bank offers a full range of personal and business banking products and services designed to meet customers' banking, borrowing, and investing needs. Burke & Herbert Bank is headquartered in Alexandria and operates 25 branches in Northern Virginia. Member FDIC
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005702/en/
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[September 27, 2017] Wrensilva And Sonos Introduce The Ultimate HiFi Record Console For Sonos Homes
SAN DIEGO, Sep. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boutique HiFi company Wrensilva together with Sonos, the leading home sound system, has liberated music and design lovers from having to choose between streaming digital music throughout their home and playing the vinyl records they love on a traditional sound system. Beginning today, the new Wrensilva Sonos Edition Console will offer music lovers a refined HiFi solution that seamlessly integrates the best of record consoles past with the power of the Sonos audio platform for effortless music play throughout any home. With the new integration, Wrensilva users will be able to play a record anywhere in their home through Sonos speakers and control the audio directly on the console without ever having to pull out their phone or open an app. Once the volume is manually changed, the Sonos app will automatically update its settings, allowing the console to be controlled from any room. "The Wrensilva Sonos Edition Console is a fresh interpretation of old and new ways we listen to music," said Greg Perlot, CEO of Wrensilva. "Integrating the audio components, software and design into one meticulously crafted piece takes a high degree of technical and creative collaboration to make the experience simple. Our partnership with Sonos has enabled Wrensilva to achieve our vision of bringing real HiFi consoles back without limitations." "Our collaboration with Wrensilva is a beautiful way to show how vinyl and digital music can live together seamlessly," said Parick Spence, CEO of Sonos. "The workmanship and unique design of their pieces enhance our platform and connect Sonos to even more music lovers in the home and design community."
Handcrafted in San Diego, California from individually-sourced hardwoods, the console is a blend of traditional and modern design. It features a top-class turntable and two PLAY:5 speakers for a listening experience as gorgeous as the piece itself. For added convenience, the auxiliary jacks easily support other analog music sources while the Sonos functionality allows customers to group the console with any Sonos speakers throughout their home.
The Wrensilva Sonos Edition Console is available for $4,999 at www.wrensilva.com, www.sonos.com, and the Sonos Store in Soho. A more compact Sonos console, the Wrensilva Sonos Edition Loft, is also available for $2,499. ABOUT WRENSILVA
Based in the creative community of North Park, San Diego, Wrensilva is the brainchild of Scott and Debra Salyer. Founded in 2011, Wrensilva is equal parts grandpa's woodshop and mad scientist electronics lab. Their goal is to celebrate the recorded music listening experience, to recapture the warmth that radiated from consoles of decades past, and to take an old concept and create something new. Each stereo console is hand built using the finest techniques and woods available, with sustainability and the search for underutilized materials an everyday priority, ensuring that each product is built to sound as good as it looks. www.wrensilva.com ABOUT SONOS
Founded in 2002, Sonos creates the leading whole-home sound system. Once a tech startup populated with nerdy engineers and brilliant designers who love music, Sonos has grown into a global music brand dedicated to transforming the experience of listening out loud to music in the home. Its wireless home sound system makes it easy for everyone to listen to the music they love in every room of their home, and appreciate it all with the highest sound quality. Sonos is now in more than 60 countries, with dozens of streaming music providers, through thousands of retailers, and in millions of homes. With a constant investment in software and services, Sonos is improving the experience customers have with music in the home for years after they buy it. Sonos is changing the way people listen to music one home at a time. Sonos, Inc. is a privately held company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, California with additional offices in Boston and Seattle, as well as in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and China. MEDIA CONTACT
Rachel Branch
[email protected]
646-329-6181 Lizzie Manganiello
[email protected]
603-707-0110 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wrensilva-and-sonos-introduce-the-ultimate-hifi-record-console-for-sonos-homes-300526680.html SOURCE Wrensilva
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[September 27, 2017] Sterlite Tech Leads Transformation to 5G; Launches 5G Ready Smarter Network Technology at IMC 2017
PUNE, India, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With the highest fibre density in the most compact cable package possible, the new technology enables extremely high data speeds Sterlite Tech (BSE: 532374) (NSE: STRTECH), an end-to-end global technology leader in smarter digital networks, has launched a high-speed 5G ready network solution named FlashFWD at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2017, being held in New Delhi, India. Globally, as data consumption continues to grow exponentially, there is a need for new, dense networks that enable extremely high data speeds and low response times. 5G is expected to generate about eight times more data traffic than an average 4G connection, with 15 per cent global population expected to have 5G subscriptions by 2021-22. In India too, applications such as Aadhar -based e-payments, e-authentication and e-commerce are growing manifold, transforming the everyday living of citizens. Enabling these emerging demand trends, Sterlite Tech today launched its innovative 5G ready network solution FlashFWD which has the highest fibre density in the most compact cable package possible. Unveiled by Shyam Mardikar, CTO, Mobile Networks, Airtel, the new FlashFWD 5G Series solution features multi-tube single jacket ribbon optical fibre cable that combines robust performance for duct or direct buried installations, with productivity of high-count mass fusion splicing. Highlighting this advancement during the launch, Mardikar said, "It is great to see a new high-tech solution developed in India. Sterlite Tech is doing a great job in getting the country ready for the digital revolution. 5G-readiness in India is as much about radio as about the network backhaul. As long as we are doing everything right to get the network to that level, we will be able to achieve big 5G success." Highlighting the breakthrough technology launch, Dr. Anand Agarwal, CEO, Sterlite Tech, said, "We are excited to be a part of the digital revolution that is taking place globally. Positive shifts in technology, national policies and consumption patterns are creating an environment of immense optimism. These advanced technologies are touching everyday lives of people across cities and villages by providing more accessible healthcare, financial inclusion, education, utilities, smart agriculture and other critical services. We are happy to bring our indigenously developed 5G Ready FlashFWD solution that will enable data intensive low-latency solutions such as Cloud Computing, Augmented Reality, Driverless Cars, IoT and much more."
The solution comes in two variants FlashFWD 864F ribbon cable with six tubes and FlashFWD 1152F ribbon cable with eight tubes - the technology proves to be an outstanding solution for high-growth, high-bandwidth demands of data centres, equipment connections with cabinets and outside plant applications. Sharing the benefits of the new technology, Dr. Badri Gomatam, CTO, Sterlite Tech, said, "Many of our customers across North America, Middle East and India were asking for high fibre counts to transition their network from 3G/4G to 5G. Given the need for extremely high bandwidth and low latency, our technology is disruptive as it moves from loose tube to higher fibre count ribbon cable for 5G networks. With special low-bend sensitivity, the cable provides high bandwidth and the lowest ribbon-cabled fibre loss." This revolutionary cable category, with over 50 times the capacity of the typical cable deployed in India, is NABL certified and complies with the latest global standards of IEC.60794 series, ANSI/ICEA S-87-640, Telcordia GR-20, ITU-T Recommendations, and is CPR approved for LSZH versions.
Sterlite Tech is also showcasing power-packed live demonstrations across two themes during IMC 2017 at its Booth 58, Hall 11. Transforming Cities features integrated smart city simulations with smart environment, clean water, Wi-Fi, video analytics, virtual reality, FTTH 4K demo, IoT and LoRa-based architecture, while Transforming Villages demonstrates key offerings for BharatNet, rural governance kiosks, e-health and e-education. About Sterlite Technologies: Sterlite Technologies Ltd [BSE: 532374, NSE: STRTECH], is a global technology leader that designs, builds and manages smarter digital networks. Sterlite Tech engages in six continents and more than 100 countries, with a digital network-focused business spanning across products, services and software - optical communication products, network & system integration services and OSS/BSS software solutions. The company has state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in India, China and Brazil, and aims to transform everyday living by delivering smarter networks. With a strong portfolio of 155 patents, Sterlite Tech is home to India's only Centre of Excellence for broadband research. Projects undertaken by the company include intrusion-proof smarter data network for the Armed Forces, rural broadband for BharatNet, Smart Cities' development, and establishing high-speed Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) networks. For more details, visit http://www.sterlitetech.com. Media Contacts: Vishal Aggarwal
Investor Relations
[email protected]
+91-20-30514000
Sumedha Mahorey
Manager - Corporate Communications
[email protected]
+91-22-30450404
Sterlite Technologies Ltd
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[September 27, 2017] Voxello Awarded Multiple Grants
Voxello, developer of technology that allows hospitalized patients to overcome communication barriers, today announced that it has received multiple grants. Voxello has received grants from the Philadelphia Pediatric Device Consortium (PPDC), an SBIR Phase 2 award from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). The PPDC grant will support enhancements to the noddle and noddle-chat for the pediatric population. Voxello has been developing the noddle and the noddle-chat speech generating app to address the communication barriers faced by hospitalized patients. The noddle uses patented technology to detect the smallest intentional gesture and allow patients to access the nurse call system and control the noddle-chat app. The app was designed to allow patients who are unable to talk, the ability to express their feelings, needs and desires and better participate in their care. The award was for $44,900 in funding. The SBIR grant will allow Voxello to develop additional sensors thereby expanding the set of patient gestures that can be used to control the noddle. It will also allow Voxello to develop customized vocabularies for the noddle-chat app to meet the needs of young children as well as non-English speaking patients. This award was for one million six thousand ($1,006,000) in total funding. Both grants will allow Voxello to conduct further clinical trials with a variety of patiet populations.
"Our success in securing grants demonstrates that the approach we have been taking to improve patient care has merit. These grants will enable us to more quickly bring our technology to market and address the consequences of communication barriers that add billions of dollars to healthcare costs," said Richard Hurtig, Chief Scientific Officer of Voxello. The third grant is from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) through the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Internship Program. The STEM Internship Program awards grants to Iowa-based companies in hopes of retaining interns as full-time employees in Iowa upon graduation. This funding, up to sixteen thousand fifty ($16,050) will allow Voxello to host engineering interns over the coming years.
Victoria Dahlen, Design and Quality Engineer for Voxello added, "Our interns are a crucial part of the team and the product development process. This funding gives Voxello the opportunity to hire more STEM interns which in turn creates more opportunities for Iowa-native students to gain real-world work experience in their field of study. These internships help students realize their interests, develop goals and grow on a professional level as well as prepare them for industry post-graduation." These awards in conjunction with the recent IEDA Propel award for $250,000, brings total non-dilutive funding to Voxello just under two million ($2,000,000). "Not only does this funding accelerate our development and clinical trial efforts, it also is a significant third party endorsement of the importance of our mission at Voxello," said Rives Bird, CEO of Voxello. Voxello has concluded one round of private equity financing earlier this year and is in the process of opening a second round in the 4th quarter of this year as Voxello prepares for the full launch of the noddleTM. About Voxello Voxello provides solutions to address the communication barriers faced by hospitalized patients. The company's first product, the noddleTM, detects the small voluntary gestures that patients are able to produce and gives the patients control of the nurse call and speech generation devices. For more information about Voxello, please visit www.voxello.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005958/en/
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[September 27, 2017] STRATACACHE Continues Growth with Acquisition of Walkbase
DAYTON, Ohio, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- STRATACACHE today announced it has added Walkbase to its family of complementary digital media/ad tech solution companies, expanding their industry leading global footprint of scalable, high performance marketing technologies. Walkbase, based out of Finland, is a pioneer in highly advanced in-store marketing and analytics for smartphones and was lauded by Gartner Group in 2015 as a "Cool Vendor." Their real time software stack enables shopping experience personalization through highly advanced mobile tracking, mobile messaging and artificial intelligence based mobile ad targeting systems. Walkbase's world class solution directly aligns with the STRATACACHE customer experience strategy helping retailers and brands drive highly targeted, relevant experiences based on deep shopper insights and shaped by a customer's online identity. The Walkbase solution uses existing in-store technology such as WiFi enabled devices and access points, digital signs, sensors and beacons to understand precisely how customers behave in stores, in real time. The solution then ties that behavior to their online persona, enabling every message, via the digital sign or mobile device, to be tailored to the relevant interests of the consumer. Every aspect of the customer's experience can be anonymously analyzed, customized and mapped from moving throughout the store to what's being viewed and, ultimately, what results in a sale. "The holy grail of advertising for our retail clients is tying a mobile persona to a buying history and making that actionable in store via digital signage and mobile engagement. This 360-degree view of the customer linking online interests to in-store behavior is what makes Wakbase so valuable," said Chris Riegel, CEO of STRATACACHE. "I have been in the tech industry for 25 years, and this is one of those moments when you realize the power of a specific technology to help a customer deliver on their vision. I was absolutely blown away with what the Walkbase technology brings to our customers. We will help physical retailers fight back against Amazon and Google by marrying online activity and in-store behavior at the point of decision."
Deep behavioral insights tied to online identity and in-store transactions allow retailers to use the STRATACACHE platform to create experiences that engage customers via any device they choose, such as a digital sign, tablet or smartphone. They can then target relevant messaging based on the customer's persona. Further, utilizing Walkbase's robust, modular analytics dashboard and advanced artificial intelligence algorithms, retailers and marketers can confidently automate highly targeted messaging in real time. "The fit between Walkbase and STRATACACHE could not be better culturally, as well as the alignment of our complementary technologies and meeting customer goals," said Tuomas Wuoti, Walkbase CEO, commenting on the core team's excitement at joining STRATACACHE. "We believe it is the perfect platform to take the Walkbase technology and offering to the next level of global scale."
Walkbase will continue to operate as a business unit within STRATACACHE with API interfaces to all key STRATACACHE products. STRATACACHE will demonstrate the Walkbase technology for the first time in January 2018 at the National Retail Federation trade show (NRF's BIG Show), being held in New York, January 14-16. About STRATACACHE STRATACACHE, Inc. is the leading provider of intelligent digital signage, digital merchandising, mobile enablement, and rich media customer engagement at retail. These solutions help influence customers at the pointofdecision, generating new sales opportunities and enhanced retail profitability. With more than 2 million software activations globally across multiple platforms, we have the deepest footprint in the market and consistently enhance our offerings to better serve our customers. STRATACACHE is based in Dayton, Ohio, and serves 28 countries with offices in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Bentonville, Dallas, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, London, Oslo, Sittard, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Adelaide, Luxembourg and Bangalore. Learn more about STRATACACHE and its family of companies Scala, PRN, Carmanah Signs, Optika, SuperLumin, enVu, RDM and Walkbase by visiting http://www.stratacache.com/, following us on Twitter @STRATACACHE or liking us on Facebook. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stratacache-continues-growth-with-acquisition-of-walkbase-300526885.html SOURCE STRATACACHE
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[September 27, 2017] Groupe Media TFO Launches Minivers, the First Interactive Children's Production Powered by its Virtual Universe Laboratory (LUV)
TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2017 /CNW/ - On its September 16th season launch, Groupe Media TFO (GMTFO) unveiled its brand new production, MINIVERS, aimed at children aged 2-6. The series, available to all Franco-Canadians through a multiplatform broadcasting strategy, is the first dynamic and interactive production from GMTFO using the Virtual Universe Laboratory (LUV). Consisting of 40 7-minute episodes, MINIVERS is now available on the TFO channel and online through TFO.org, IDELLO and even the Mini ABC YouTube channel. MINIVERS is the natural evolution of the Mini TFO clips towards a series of short episodes. With a focus on teaching problem resolution, MINIVERS relies on its original approach to regularly ask the viewer's participation, which ensures that the skills being transmitted are validated and integrated during each episode. Through various requests for interactions, MINIVERS keeps the young viewer interested and entertained, while deepening his or her knowledge. GMTFO uses the LUV as a way to foster interaction with the audience. The Virtual Universe Laboratory is a unique incubator of educational and digital products that combine video game technology with audiovisual content production, enabling our teams to create content unrestrained by the usual physical limitations. Backgrounds, accessories and other objects can be added almost in real time, without constraints. Thanks to this technology, viewers can dive into the world of the series' characters. "Content produced in Canada is usually more traditional. It is time to foster a technology-powered revolution in order to make our content match our ambitions. We are proud to be leaders in this digital turn and to show off our ability to create prime quality educational content, in French. Lst week, the LUV won in the Content Creation category of the IBC Innovations Awards in Amsterdam, underscoring its quality," said Glenn O'Farrell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Media TFO.
Two Contests Invite Viewers to Be Part of the Series During the launch, GMTFO also opened its Mini Star contest, an opportunity for kids to become the star of one episode of MINIVERS. Until October 15th, applicants must visit Groupe Media TFO's Facebook page and listen, comment and share the Facebook Live video from September 16th. The selected child will be given the chance to play his or her role in a custom production of MINIVERS.
Also in October, through a mobile app that will launch on iOS and Android platforms, parents and children will get to create their own MINIVERS scenes. Through the application, they will be able to reuse characters, locations and backgrounds they loved in the series, and submit their creations through the app. Participants could win the chance of their little scenario being reused by the MINIVERS team on YouTube and the TFO TV channel. "Thanks to the LUV's technology, MINIVERS provides much greater interactivity for viewers. We wanted to push the experience even further and directly involve our audiences, by inviting them to create their own MINIVERS story. With this app, kids will be able to express their creativity by creating their own episode using accessories, music and other decorative elements of their own choosing. They will also get to tell their own story and narrate it themselves," said Nadine Dupont, Director Multiplatform Content. Prime Quality French-Language Educational Content for Children Through MINIVERS, GMTFO continues to fulfill its mandate: provide high quality educational children's content in French to the largest audience possible. Every episode focuses on a different theme, using various approaches and varied settings, which ensures broader learning for our young viewers. The various themes offered help kids learn more and open them up to the world through positive social values. About MINIVERS Following the great success of Mini TFO clips both online and on social media, GMTFO decided to create MINIVERS. This new series will be broadcast starting September 18th on multiple platforms, including the TFO channel, the TFO.org website, as well as IDELLO and the Mini ABC YouTube channel. Thanks to this multiplatform broadcasting strategy, MINIVERS will be available to all Franco-Canadians. Children will recognize their favourite Mini TFO heroes, such as Josee, Lexie and Christopher, who will each be playing the main role of episodes, in turn. The cast will also welcome new faces, including: Mamie Gateau: A good-hearted and motherly grandma who is always up for an adventure. Whether we're looking to dance, play, help our friends, cook or have fun, there's no doubt she brings good humour and delight to the table. Yeti: A sweetheart in an oaf's body, Yeti is the child in us that might have grown up too quickly. Although he only speaks in sounds, Yeti never ceases to marvel at life's little pleasures. Mr. Gedetou: Hard-of-hearing, great talker Mr. Gedetou poetically trades his innumerable goods in exchange for nursery rhymes or smiles. The show will also features other endearing characters like mischievous monkey Bisbille, quirky and clumsy alien Xux, and the animated Couclous to introduce "mini-interludes". About Groupe Media TFO Groupe Media TFO is an essential destination for audiences seeking innovative educational and cultural content in French, at the vanguard of digital learning. TFO serves two million students and 30,000 teachers in Ontario and in Canada, and hosts the number 1 French-language YouTube channel in Canada. Groupe Media TFO has earned two YouTube Silver Play Buttons and over 350 million views for its 21-channels network. Its content has earned various awards, from Austin to Amsterdam: Kidscreen Awards, Gemeaux Awards, Cassies, IBC Awards, SXSW Film Design Awards, and many more. SOURCE Ontario French Language Educational Communications Authority (TFO)
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[September 27, 2017] Imperial Oil Expands Partnership With VOTI DETECTION To Secure Employee Safety
MONTREAL, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on a partnership that began in 2015, Imperial Oil is expanding its use of 3D Perspective scanners from VOTI DETECTION to provide enhanced security and threat detection for its facilities and employees. VOTI has supplied a XR3D-7 and XR3D-60 to Imperial Oil to provide an unmatched look inside all parcels, baggage and cargo, providing for increased threat protection and loss prevention. "The level of service and quality from VOTI since we initially installed their 3D Perspective scanners in 2015 has been exceptional," said Brittney Panton, Logistics Coordinator of Imperial Oil. "The quality of service that VOTI provides as well as training on the safety and functionality of the machines is unmatched in our experience." Using the latest in 3D x-ray technology, VOTI scanners deliver a detailed image that eliminates blind spots found with traditional x-ray scanners as well as extensive automated threat detection alerts. As a result, VOTI scanners re able to quickly differentiate threats from non-threats, decreasing the need for manual searches and minimizing human error.
"Anytime we can make processes easier and safer for our customers and their employees, I consider it a huge win," said Rory Olson, President and CEO of VOTI. "The fact that customers such as Imperial Oil are expanding their partnerships with us reinforces the fact that our technology and our support teams are, indeed, providing the most advanced means of keeping their facilities and their employees safe and secure." More information on VOTI's products and security offerings is available at www.votidetection.com .
About VOTI DETECTION
Established in 2008, VOTI DETECTION is a leading-edge technology company that develops latest generation x-ray security systems based on breakthrough 3D Perspective technology. VOTI's technology produces remarkably sharp and more revealing x-ray images that are competitively superior, while delivering enhanced threat detection capabilities and a vastly improved user experience. Since its inception, VOTI has consulted heavily with government agencies and security specialists worldwide to develop feature-rich and easy-to-use scanners that meet the sophisticated needs of modern security screening operations. For more information about VOTI, visit www.votidetection.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/imperial-oil-expands-partnership-with-voti-detection-to-secure-employee-safety-300526155.html SOURCE VOTI DETECTION
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[September 27, 2017] A.M. Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Lonpac Insurance Bhd
A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a-" of Lonpac Insurance Bhd (Lonpac) (Malaysia). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is positive. The rating affirmations reflect Lonpac's strong risk-adjusted capitalization and very strong track record of operating performance. The company's risk-adjusted capitalization is supported by a consistent and strong internal capital generation ability that has kept its underwriting leverage low. Lonpac generates one of the highest underwriting margins in Malaysia's non-life market, and its performance has been very strong compared with its peers based on variety of measures. An offsetting rating factor is the transition to a liberalized market environment. To maintain its very good profitability, Lonpac will need to develop and maintain strong pricing capabilities relative to the large international players that it competes against. Positive rating actions could occur if Lonpac is able to maintain its profitability as a phased liberalization of tariffs occurs. Downward rating actions could arise from weakening in profitability. Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication.
This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on A.M. Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see A.M. Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best Rating Action Press Releases. A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.
Copyright 2017 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927006146/en/
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[September 27, 2017] Great American Insurance Group Awards 2017 Public Sector Risk Mitigation Award
Great American Insurance Group is pleased to announce it has presented its 2017 Public Sector Risk Mitigation Award to Self-Insured Schools of California (SISC). This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927006143/en/ (L-R) Nick Kouklis, SISC, Todd Schobel, STOPit, Robert Krtezmer, SISC, Casey Withers, Great American Insurance Group. SISC receives Great American's Public Sector Risk Mitigation Award. (Photo: Business Wire) Great American presented this award to SISC chief executive officer Nick Kouklis and director Robert Kretzmer because of its members' adoption and widespread implementation of STOPit. STOPit is a leading mobile platform that empowers students to anonymously report, prevent and provide follow up information about cyber-abuse and incidents of inappropriate behavior. Great American teamed up with STOPit to support the risk mitigation efforts of its public sector pool clients and to provide a safer environment for communities and schools. "We are pleased to receive this recognition from Great American," says Robert Kretzmer, director of SISC II, the Property & Liability Division of SISC. "The STOPit platform has been an effective tool--one that serves to improve our schools' social environments." "Great American is proud to support outstanding municipality, school and special servie district pools like SISC," says Scott Rohr, divisional president of Great American's Public Sector Division. "We believe that pool members gain valuable resources and support from the pools in which they participate, and when members are successful, pools are successful."
Through a strategic collaboration with Great American Insurance Group, the STOPit platform is offered at preferential pricing to more than 20% of K-12 public school students nationwide. STOPit is a key component of Great American's comprehensive risk management program developed to help make schools across America safer. About Great American Insurance Group
Great American Insurance Group's roots go back to 1872 with the founding of its flagship company, Great American Insurance Company. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the operations of Great American Insurance Group are engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialty commercial products for businesses, and in the sale of traditional fixed and fixed-indexed annuities in the retail, financial institutions and education markets. Great American Insurance Company has received an "A" (Excellent) or higher rating from the A.M. Best Company for more than 100 years (most recent rating evaluation of "A+" (Superior) affirmed on August 11, 2017). The members of Great American Insurance Group are subsidiaries of American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG), also based in Cincinnati, Ohio. AFG's common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFG. About SISC SISC is a Joint Powers Authority administered by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office and governed by an elected board. Participating member districts elect the Board of Directors. All Board Members are employees of school districts. This ensures that SISC's policies are set with the best interests of district employees in mind. All SISC administrative personnel are also school district employees. SISC provides insurance coverage to nearly 400,000 California school students. About STOPit STOPit is an award-winning technology company providing a fully anonymous communications platform that mitigates, deters and controls inappropriate conduct. STOPit's frictionless reporting platform combines real-time reporting and real-time messaging. The STOPit app includes a robust incident management system, empowers administrators and management to get in front of issues to mitigate risk and adhere to the ever-evolving compliance landscape. The STOPit platform is available to schools, universities, businesses and governments in the United States and around the world. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927006143/en/
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[September 27, 2017] OUTFRONT Media Awarded Long-Term Contract By The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority For Advertising And Digital Communications Platform Across Subways, Commuter Rail And Buses, And Billboards
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE: OUT), announced today that the board of directors of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority ("MTA") has awarded OUTFRONT Media the advertising and communications concession agreements for subway, commuter rail and buses, as well as billboards, subject to the execution of definitive agreements. These awards will continue OUTFRONT Media's successful, long-term public-private partnership with the MTA and present new opportunities for the MTA to provide real-time and intelligent communications to its customers and generate advertising revenue. "We are pleased to announce that the MTA is renewing its long-term partnership with OUTFRONT Media, and we are excited by the visionary new media network we will build together across the New York City transit system," said Jeremy Male, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OUTFRONT Media. "The experience for riders will be transformed through enhanced digital communications, aesthetics, and creativity. We are confident that its appeal to advertisers can grow this important resource for the MTA, its customers, and our stakeholders." Working together with the MTA, OUTFRONT Media will deploy over 50,000 cutting edge digital displays across the vast MTA transit system. Following the execution of definitive agreements, OUTFRONT's Liveboard digital displays will be installed on a rolling basis over a number of years commencing in 2018. This transformative project will be the largest deployment of digital media in a transit environment anywhere and will create a ubiquitous real-time customer communications and advertising platform that will reach MTA customers throughout their journeys. In addition, OUTFRONT Media will continue the management of over 500 billboard locations for the MTA. In partnership with the MTA, OUTFRONT Media will help to modernize the billboard network by intelligently deploying digital assets and expanding the ON Smart Media platform. "This contract represents an entirely new approach for the MTA, offering dramatically improved customer communications, and an upside potential for more advertising revenues," commented Joseph Lhota, Chairman of the MTA. "OUTFRONT Media's commitment to installing digital screens in stations and on rolling stock will provide us with new ways of generating advertising revenue, while at the same time giving us a new platform to quickly and effectively get relevant information to our customers." "This ambitious expansion of the ON Smart Media platform will accelerate the transformation of out-of-home advertising from paper-and-paste to dynamic, data-driven digital canvases. This intelligent out-of-home media will earn a place alongside other addressable media in the growing digital market. Advertisers will be able to use the ON Smart Media platform to discover MTA advertising assets, develop engaging, app-based creative, and target sought-after audience segments," said Andy Sriubas, Chief Commercial Officer of OUTFRONT Media. The MTA is North America's largest transportation network, serving a population of 15.3 million people in New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State and Connecticut. The MTA system includes 472 subway stations, 6,407 subway cars, 247 commuter rail stations, 2,429 commuter rail cars and 1,255 buses. The Company will host a conference call to discuss the agreements on September 28, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The conference call number is 888-516-2447 (U.S. callers) and 719-457-2618 (International callers) and the passcode for both is 6253997. Live and replay versions of the conference call will be webcast in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website, www.OUTFRONTmedia.com, along with a supplemental investor presentation. About OUTFRONT Media Inc.
OUTFRONT Media connects brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America. Through its ON Smart Media platform, OUTFRONT Media is implementing digital technology that will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage people on-the-go. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
We have made statements in this document that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will," "anticipates" or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases that are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and that do not relate solely to historical matters. You can also identify forward-looking statements by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions related to the MTA concession agreements and any potential benefits of the concession agreements, our capital resources, portfolio performance and results of operations. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and you should not rely on them as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements depend on assumptions, data or methods that may be incorrect or imprecise and may not be able to be realized. We do not guarantee that the transactions and events described will happen as described (or that they will happen at all). The following factors, among others, could cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those set forth or contemplated in the forward-looking statements: our ability to execute definitive agreements with the MTA in a timely manner on favorable terms, or at all; implementing our digital display platform, and the deployment of digital advertising with the MTA, may be more difficult, costly or time consuming than expected and the anticipated benefits may not be fully realized; and other factors described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including but not limited to the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2017. All forward-looking statements in this document apply as of the date of this document or as of the date they were made and, except as required by applicable law, we disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors of new information, data or methods, future events or other changes. Contacts:
OUTFRONT Investors: OUTFRONT Press: Gregory Lundberg Carly Zipp (212) 297-6441 (212) 297-6479 [email protected] [email protected]
View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/outfront-media-awarded-long-term-contract-by-the-new-york-metropolitan-transportation-authority-for-advertising-and-digital-communications-platform-across-subways-commuter-rail-and-buses-and-billboards-300526998.html SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc.
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[September 27, 2017]
CyberPublicity Moves its Montreal Office
MONTREAL, Sept. 27, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - CyberPublicity, Montreal's top marketing agency and Google Premier Partner , announced today that it will be moving its operations and staff to a new location. The transition will take place on October 15, 2017.
The new location will accommodate the company's growth and will provide a more accessible venue for employees, clients and stakeholders. CyberPublicity Montreal will feature a modern floor plan designed to promot productivity and a collaborative work environment. CyberPublicity's new address is 625 Boulevard Rene-Levesque W, suite 900, Montreal, Quebec, H3B-1R2, Canada. The company's Montreal office is one of three locations around Canada and the US.
"Our new offices will provide a modern ambience for our employees and will support our business' expansion in the upcoming years" said Kevin Perry, Vice-President of CyberPublicity.
Founded in 2011, CyberPublicity provides digital marketing services for small to medium sized businesses. For more information about CyberPublicity and its range of services, please visit : https://www.cyberpublicity.com/
SOURCE CyberPublicity
Top 6 Vendors in the Wireless Doorbells Market - Technavio
Technavio has announced the top six leading vendors in their recent global wireless doorbells market report from 2017 to 2021. This research report also lists 12 other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period.
This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927006153/en/
Technavio has published a new report on the global wireless doorbells market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire)
Technavio's market research analysts predict that this market will grow at a CAGR of almost 45% by 2021. The global wireless doorbells market is expected to grow at a steady rate during the forecast period, in terms of revenue and shipments. With the advent of advanced computer controls and sensors, a wide range of communication technologies is available in the market. Wireless doorbells, especially smart doorbells, are among the most affordable and easy-to-use smart home automation products.
Competitive vendor landscape
The global wireless doorbells market is a fragmented market with the presence of many large and small-sized companies. The competition among the existing players in the market is high. Therefore, to survive and succeed in a stiff competitive environment, it becomes imperative for vendors to distinguish their product offerings through clear and unique value propositions.
"The competition in the market often leads to price wars. Vendors give promotional offers or cut down their product prices to retain their position in the market. This can negatively affect the profit margins of the company, thereby impacting the overall market growth. The market also faces considerable threats from traditional doorbells," says Sharan Jaganathan, a lead retail goods and services research analyst from Technavio.
Almost all players in the market offer similar products that have the same features. To differentiate them from their competitors, vendors are introducing innovative wireless doorbells to gain a competitive edge over their competitors.
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Top six wireless doorbells market vendors
1byone.com
1byone.com offers TV accessories, home decoration products, home security products, audio and sounds products, stage lighting and effects, and accessories such as cable chargers, car holders, phone protection cases, mouse, screen protectors, and many others. The company sells its products in the US, the UK, Germany, and Japan.
August Home
August Home using its encrypted locking technology to develop smart locks. It offers the August smart lock that can be operated with Android (News - Alert) and iOS smartphones. The August Smart Lock tracks every entry and exit from a house. It also offers the August Doorbell Cam, the August Smart Keypad, and the August Connect.
Honeywell (News - Alert) International
Honeywell International offers aerospace products and services, electronic and advanced materials, turbochargers, control, sensing, and security technologies; and energy-efficient products and solutions for business, homes, and transportation industries, worldwide. It operates three business segments namely, automation and control solutions, aerospace, and performance materials and technologies.
Ring
Ring manufactures security and home automation products. It manufactures video doorbells, security cameras, and related accessories. The company has also launched a unique campaign with an aim to reduce theft and burglaries across neighborhoods by establishing a ring of security in the neighborhood through Ring Neighborhoods beta product.
SadoTech
SadoTech offers wireless doorbells for small and large buildings. The doorbells of the company have an operating range of up to 500 feet. The company offers basic doorbells and expandable doorbell systems. It also offers pet doorbells, alerts, and sensors.
SkyBell Technologies
SkyBell Technologies offers home automation solutions and smart video doorbell for residential customers. It has partnered with various smart home technology companies, including Google (News - Alert) Nest, Amazon Echo, icontrol Networks, Honeywell International, Alarm.com, and others.
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Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.
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View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927006153/en/
[September 27, 2017] Prudential Financial to Announce Third Quarter 2017 Earnings; Schedules Conference Call
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) will release its third quarter 2017 earnings on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, after the market closes. The earnings news release, the financial supplement and related materials will be posted on the company's Investor Relations website at: investor.prudential.com. Members of Prudential's senior management will host a conference call on Thursday, November 2, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. ET, to discuss with the investment community the company's third quarter results. Conference Call Information The conference call will be broadcast live over the company's Investor Relations website at: investor.prudential.com. Please log on 15 minutes early in the event necessary software needs t be downloaded.
Institutional investors, analysts and other members of the professional financial community are invited to listen to the call and participate in the Q&A by dialing one of the following numbers: Domestic: (877) 777-1971 (Toll Free)
International: (612) 332-0228
All others may join the conference call in listen-only mode by dialing one of the above numbers. Replay Information The call will be made available from 2:00 p.m. ET on November 2 through November 9 through a dial-in number as follows: Domestic: (800) 475-6701 (Toll Free)
International: (320) 365-3844
Access Code: 407284 A replay will also be available on the Investor Relations website through November 17. Questions may be directed to Investor Relations at [email protected]. Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU), a financial services leader with more than $1 trillion of assets under management as of June 30, 2017, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005935/en/
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[September 27, 2017] Bristol-Myers Squibb: Advancing Research Across Thoracic Cancers with New Data at IASLC 18th World Conference on Lung Cancer
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) today announced the presentation of 28 abstracts for Opdivo (nivolumab), alone and in combination with Yervoy (ipilimumab), targeted therapy or chemotherapy, at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 18th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Yokohama, Japan, from October 15-18. Data from company-sponsored studies, clinical collaborations and investigator-sponsored research demonstrate the Company's ongoing commitment to Immuno-Oncology research across many types of thoracic cancers. Presentations will include late-breaking data in malignant pleural mesothelioma, clinical and real-world evidence in Opdivo in previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as research on Opdivo-based combinations in advanced NSCLC and patient-reported outcomes in advanced small cell lung cancer (SCLC). "Bristol-Myers Squibb is dedicated to driving scientific innovation and investigating potential treatment options for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers and will share new data from our broad thoracic development program at the upcoming WCLC," said Nick Botwood, M.D., development lead, thoracic cancers, Bristol-Myers Squibb. "We are committed to researching the potential of Opdivo and Opdivo-based combinations in high unmet need areas, such as NSCLC, SCLC and mesothelioma, with the goal of bringing I-O treatment options to more patients." Research from the following abstracts will be presented:
Late-Breaking Data in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma A phase 2 study of nivolumab: a multicenter, open-label, single arm study in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MERIT) Author: Goto Abstract #MA 19.01 Late Breaking Abstracts Session Wednesday, October 18, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, Room 315 Clinical and Real-World Data in NSCLC and SCLC Nivolumab versus chemotherapy as post-platinum therapy for advanced NSCLC in a real-world setting (CheckMate -118) Author: Garon Abstract # P1.01-051 Poster Session: P1.01 Monday, October 16, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Hall B and C Non-small cell lung cancer patient characteristics and clinical care insights in Sweden: the SCAN-LEAF study Author: Sandelin Abstract #P1.06-012 Poster Session: P1.06 Monday, October 16, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Hall B and C Survival by response to first-line platinum-based therapy among patients with extensive disease SCLC Author: Yuan Abstract #P1.15-003 Poster Session: P1.15 Monday, October 16, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Hall B and C Treatment patterns in extensive disease SCLC across the United States, Europe and Japan Author: Yuan Abstract #MA 01.09 Mini Oral Presentation: MA 01 Monday, October 16, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, Room 503 Health status in patients with SCLC treated with nivolumab alone or combined with ipilimumab: CheckMate -032 Author: Camidge Abstract #P2.07-034 Poster Session: P2.07 Tuesday, October 17, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Hall B and C CheckMate -169: safety/efficacy of nivolumab in Canadian pretreated advanced NSCLC (including elderly and PS 2) patients Author: Juergens Abstract #P2.07-029 Poster Session: P2.07 Tuesday, October 17, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Hall B and C Impact of brain metastases on the humanistic burden incurred by patients with advanced NSCLC Author: Chirita Abstract #P2.01-012 Poster Session: P2.01 Tuesday, October 17, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Hall B and C Efficacy and safety of nivolumab therapy for advanced NSCLC in the expanded access named patient program in Taiwan Author: Liao Abstract #P2.07-027 Session P2.07 Tuesday, October 17, 2017, 9:30 AM - 4:00 AM, Hall B and C Non-small cell lung cancer treatment and survival in Scandinavia: the SCAN-LEAF study Author: Ekman Abstract #MA 18.14 Mini Oral Presentation: Global Tobacco Control and Epidemiology II Tuesday, October 17, 3:45-5:30 PM, Rooms 511 and 512 Nivolumab versus docetaxel in patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC and liver metastases (CheckMate -017 and CheckMate -057) Author: Crino Abstract #P3.07-012 Poster Session: P3.07 Wednesday, October 18, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Hall B and C Impact of tobacco smoking on the humanistic and financial burden of advanced NSCLC Author: Chirita Abstract #OA 11.01 Oral Abstract Session: Reducing Burden: Patient-Centered Care Wednesday, October 18, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, Rooms 313 and 314 CheckMate -870 TiP: an open-label safety study of nivolumab in previously treated patients with NSCLC in Asia Author: Lu Abstract #P1.04-010 Poster Session: P1.04 Monday, October 16, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Hall B and C Research Evaluating Opdivo-based Combinations Interim results of a Phase 1 study of nivolumab plus nab-paclitaxel/carboplatin in patients with NSCLC Author: Goldman Abstract #P1.03-026 Session: P1.03 Monday, October 16, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Hall B and C PIVOT-02: Phase 1/2 study of NKTR-214 and nivolumab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumor malignancies Author: Papadimitrakopoulou Abstract #P2.07-062 Session: P2.07 Tuesday, October 17, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Hall B and C Long follow up from Phase 1 study of nivolumab and chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC Author: Kanda Abstract #P2.07-011 Session: P2.07 Tuesday, October 17, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Hall B and C First-line nivolumab plus platinum-based doublet chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC: CheckMate -012 3-year update Author: Juergens Abstract #OA 17.03 Oral Abstract Session: Immunotherapy II Wednesday, October 18, 2:30-4:15 PM, Rooms 301 and 302
Bristol-Myers Squibb & Immuno-Oncology: Advancing Oncology Research At Bristol-Myers Squibb, patients are at the center of everything we do. Our vision for the future of cancer care is focused on researching and developing transformational Immuno-Oncology (I-O) medicines for hard-to-treat cancers that could potentially improve outcomes for these patients. We are leading the scientific understanding of I-O through our extensive portfolio of investigational compounds and approved agents. Our differentiated clinical development program is studying broad patient populations across more than 50 types of cancers with 14 clinical-stage molecules designed to target different immune system pathways. Our deep expertise and innovative clinical trial designs position us to advance I-O/I-O, I-O/chemotherapy, I-O/targeted therapies and I-O/radiation therapies across multiple tumors and potentially deliver the next wave of therapies with a sense of urgency. We also continue to pioneer research that will help facilitate a deeper understanding of the role of immune biomarkers and how patients' tumor biology can be used as a guide for treatment decisions throughout their journey. We understand making the promise of I-O a reality for the many patients who may benefit from these therapies requires not only innovation on our part but also close collaboration with leading experts in the field. Our partnerships with academia, government, advocacy and biotech companies support our collective goal of providing new treatment options to advance the standards of clinical practice. About Opdivo Opdivo is a programmed death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor that is designed to uniquely harness the body's own immune system to help restore anti-tumor immune response. By harnessing the body's own immune system to fight cancer, Opdivo has become an important treatment option across multiple cancers. Opdivo's leading global development program is based on Bristol-Myers Squibb's scientific expertise in the field of Immuno-Oncology and includes a broad range of clinical trials across all phases, including Phase 3, in a variety of tumor types. To date, the Opdivo clinical development program has enrolled more than 25,000 patients. The Opdivo trials have contributed to gaining a deeper understanding of the potential role of biomarkers in patient care, particularly regarding how patients may benefit from Opdivo across the continuum of PD-L1 expression. In July 2014, Opdivo was the first PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor to receive regulatory approval anywhere in the world. Opdivo is currently approved in more than 60 countries, including the United States, the European Union and Japan. In October 2015, the company's Opdivo and Yervoy combination regimen was the first Immuno-Oncology combination to receive regulatory approval for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and is currently approved in more than 50 countries, including the United States and the European Union. U.S. FDA-APPROVED INDICATIONS FOR OPDIVO OPDIVO (nivolumab) as a single agent is indicated for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600 mutation-positive unresectable or metastatic melanoma. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on progression-free survival. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials. OPDIVO (nivolumab) as a single agent is indicated for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600 wild-type unresectable or metastatic melanoma. OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on progression-free survival. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients with EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations should have disease progression on FDA-approved therapy for these aberrations prior to receiving OPDIVO. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who have received prior anti-angiogenic therapy. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) that has relapsed or progressed after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and brentuximab vedotin or after 3 or more lines of systemic therapy that includes autologous HSCT. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) with disease progression on or after platinum-based therapy. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy or have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult and pediatric (12 years and older) patients with microsatellite instability high (MSI (News - Alert)-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have been previously treated with sorafenib. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and durability of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION WARNING: IMMUNE-MEDIATED ADVERSE REACTIONS YERVOY can result in severe and fatal immune-mediated adverse reactions. These immune-mediated reactions may involve any organ system; however, the most common severe immune-mediated adverse reactions are enterocolitis, hepatitis, dermatitis (including toxic epidermal necrolysis), neuropathy, and endocrinopathy. The majority of these immune-mediated reactions initially manifested during treatment; however, a minority occurred weeks to months after discontinuation of YERVOY. Assess patients for signs and symptoms of enterocolitis, dermatitis, neuropathy, and endocrinopathy and evaluate clinical chemistries including liver function tests (LFTs), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level, and thyroid function tests at baseline and before each dose. Permanently discontinue YERVOY and initiate systemic high-dose corticosteroid therapy for severe immune-mediated reactions. Immune-Mediated Pneumonitis OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated pneumonitis. Fatal cases have been reported. Monitor patients for signs with radiographic imaging and for symptoms of pneumonitis. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 or more severe pneumonitis. Permanently discontinue for Grade 3 or 4 and withhold until resolution for Grade 2. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, fatal cases of immune-mediated pneumonitis have occurred. Immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 3.1% (61/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 6% (25/407) of patients. In Checkmate 205 and 039, pneumonitis, including interstitial lung disease, occurred in 6.0% (16/266) of patients receiving OPDIVO. Immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 4.9% (13/266) of patients receiving OPDIVO: Grade 3 (n=1) and Grade 2 (n=12). Immune-Mediated Colitis OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated colitis. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of colitis. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 (of more than 5 days duration), 3, or 4 colitis. Withhold OPDIVO monotherapy for Grade 2 or 3 and permanently discontinue for Grade 4 or recurrent colitis upon re-initiation of OPDIVO. When administered with YERVOY, withhold OPDIVO and YERVOY for Grade 2 and permanently discontinue for Grade 3 or 4 or recurrent colitis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 2.9% (58/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 26% (107/407) of patients including three fatal cases. In a separate Phase 3 study of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, severe, life-threatening, or fatal (diarrhea of =7 stools above baseline, fever, ileus, peritoneal signs; Grade 3-5) immune-mediated enterocolitis occurred in 34 (7%) patients. Across all YERVOY-treated patients in that study (n=511), 5 (1%) developed intestinal perforation, 4 (0.8%) died as a result of complications, and 26 (5%) were hospitalized for severe enterocolitis. Immune-Mediated Hepatitis OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated hepatitis. Monitor patients for abnormal liver tests prior to and periodically during treatment. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 or greater transaminase elevations. For patients without HCC, withhold OPDIVO for Grade 2 and permanently discontinue OPDIVO for Grade 3 or 4. For patients with HCC, withhold OPDIVO and administer corticosteroids if AST/ALT is within normal limits at baseline and increases to >3 and up to 5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), if AST/ALT is >1 and up to 3 times ULN at baseline and increases to >5 and up to 10 times the ULN, and if AST/ALT is >3 and up to 5 times ULN at baseline and increases to >8 and up to 10 times the ULN. Permanently discontinue OPDIVO and administer corticosteroids if AST or ALT increases to >10 times the ULN or total bilirubin increases >3 times the ULN. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 1.8% (35/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 13% (51/407) of patients. In Checkmate 040, immune-mediated hepatitis requiring systemic corticosteroids occurred in 5% (8/154) of patients receiving OPDIVO. In a separate Phase 3 study of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, severe, life-threatening, or fatal hepatotoxicity (AST or ALT elevations >5x the ULN or total bilirubin elevations >3x the ULN; Grade 3-5) occurred in 8 (2%) patients, with fatal hepatic failure in 0.2% and hospitalization in 0.4%. Immune-Mediated Neuropathies In a separate Phase 3 study of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, 1 case of fatal Guillain-Barre syndrome and 1 case of severe (Grade 3) peripheral motor neuropathy were reported. Immune-Mediated Endocrinopathies OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated hypophysitis, immune-mediated adrenal insufficiency, autoimmune thyroid disorders, and Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of hypophysitis, signs and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency, thyroid function prior to and periodically during treatment, and hyperglycemia. Administer hormone replacement as clinically indicated and corticosteroids for Grade 2 or greater hypophysitis. Withhold for Grade 2 or 3 and permanently discontinue for Grade 4 hypophysitis. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 3 or 4 adrenal insufficiency. Withhold for Grade 2 and permanently discontinue for Grade 3 or 4 adrenal insufficiency. Administer hormone-replacement therapy for hypothyroidism. Initiate medical management for control of hyperthyroidism. Withhold OPDIVO for Grade 3 and permanently discontinue for Grade 4 hyperglycemia. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hypophysitis occurred in 0.6% (12/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, hypophysitis occurred in 9% (36/407) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 1% (20/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 5% (21/407) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hypothyroidism or thyroiditis resulting in hypothyroidism occurred in 9% (171/1994) of patients. Hyperthyroidism occurred in 2.7% (54/1994) of patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, hypothyroidism or thyroiditis resulting in hypothyroidism occurred in 22% (89/407) of patients. Hyperthyroidism occurred in 8% (34/407) of patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, diabetes occurred in 0.9% (17/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, diabetes occurred in 1.5% (6/407) of patients. In a separate Phase 3 study of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, severe to life-threatening immune-mediated endocrinopathies (requiring hospitalization, urgent medical intervention, or interfering with activities of daily living; Grade 3-4) occurred in 9 (1.8%) patients. All 9 patients had hypopituitarism, and some had additional concomitant endocrinopathies such as adrenal insufficiency, hypogonadism, and hypothyroidism. 6 of the 9 patients were hospitalized for severe endocrinopathies. Immune-Mediated Nephritis and Renal Dysfunction OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated nephritis. Monitor patients for elevated serum creatinine prior to and periodically during treatment. Administer corticosteroids for Grades 2-4 increased serum creatinine. Withhold OPDIVO for Grade 2 or 3 and permanently discontinue for Grade 4 increased serum creatinine. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction occurred in 1.2% (23/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction occurred in 2.2% (9/407) of patients. Immune-Mediated Skin Adverse Reactions and Dermatitis OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated rash, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), some cases with fatal outcome. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 3 or 4 rash. Withhold for Grade 3 and permanently discontinue for Grade 4 rash. For symptoms or signs of SJS or TEN, withhold OPDIVO and refer the patient for specialized care for assessment and treatment; if confirmed, permanently discontinue. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated rash occurred in 9% (171/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, immune-mediated rash occurred in 22.6% (92/407) of patients. In a separate Phase 3 study of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, severe, life-threatening, or fatal immune-mediated dermatitis (eg, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, or rash complicated by full thickness dermal ulceration, or necrotic, bullous, or hemorrhagic manifestations; Grade 3-5) occurred in 13 (2.5%) patients. 1 (0.2%) patient died as a result of toxic epidermal necrolysis. 1 additional patient required hospitalization for severe dermatitis. Immune-Mediated Encephalitis OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated encephalitis. Evaluation of patients with neurologic symptoms may include, but not be limited to, consultation with a neurologist, brain MRI, and lumbar puncture. Withhold OPDIVO in patients with new-onset moderate to severe neurologic signs or symptoms and evaluate to rule out other causes. If other etiologies are ruled out, administer corticosteroids and permanently discontinue OPDIVO for immune-mediated encephalitis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, encephalitis occurred in 0.2% (3/1994) of patients. Fatal limbic encephalitis occurred in one patient after 7.2 months of exposure despite discontinuation of OPDIVO and administration of corticosteroids. Encephalitis occurred in one patient receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (0.2%) after 1.7 months of exposure. Other Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions Based on the severity of the adverse reaction, permanently discontinue or withhold OPDIVO, administer high-dose corticosteroids, and, if appropriate, initiate hormone-replacement therapy. Across clinical trials of OPDIVO monotherapy or in combination with YERVOY, the following clinically significant immune-mediated adverse reactions, some with fatal outcome, occurred in <1.0% of patients receiving OPDIVO: myocarditis, rhabdomyolysis, myositis, uveitis, iritis, pancreatitis, facial and abducens nerve paresis, demyelination, polymyalgia rheumatica, autoimmune neuropathy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, hypopituitarism, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, gastritis, duodenitis, sarcoidosis, histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (Kikuchi lymphadenitis), motor dysfunction, vasculitis, and myasthenic syndrome. Infusion Reactions OPDIVO can cause severe infusion reactions, which have been reported in <1.0% of patients in clinical trials. Discontinue OPDIVO in patients with Grade 3 or 4 infusion reactions. Interrupt or slow the rate of infusion in patients with Grade 1 or 2. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, infusion-related reactions occurred in 6.4% (127/1994) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY, infusion-related reactions occurred in 2.5% (10/407) of patients. Complications of Allogeneic HSCT after OPDIVO Complications, including fatal events, occurred in patients who received allogeneic HSCT after OPDIVO. Outcomes were evaluated in 17 patients from Checkmate 205 and 039, who underwent allogeneic HSCT after discontinuing OPDIVO (15 with reduced-intensity conditioning, 2 with myeloablative conditioning). Thirty-five percent (6/17) of patients died from complications of allogeneic HSCT after OPDIVO. Five deaths occurred in the setting of severe or refractory GVHD. Grade 3 or higher acute GVHD was reported in 29% (5/17) of patients. Hyperacute GVHD was reported in 20% (n=2) of patients. A steroid-requiring febrile syndrome, without an identified infectious cause, was reported in 35% (n=6) of patients. Two cases of encephalitis were reported: Grade 3 (n=1) lymphocytic encephalitis without an identified infectious cause, and Grade 3 (n=1) suspected viral encephalitis. Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) occurred in one patient, who received reduced-intensity conditioned allogeneic HSCT and died of GVHD and multi-organ failure. Other cases of hepatic VOD after reduced-intensity conditioned allogeneic HSCT have also been reported in patients with lymphoma who received a PD-1 receptor blocking antibody before transplantation. Cases of fatal hyperacute GVHD have also been reported. These complications may occur despite intervening therapy between PD-1 blockade and allogeneic HSCT. Follow patients closely for early evidence of transplant-related complications such as hyperacute GVHD, severe (Grade 3 to 4) acute GVHD, steroid-requiring febrile syndrome, hepatic VOD, and other immune-mediated adverse reactions, and intervene promptly. Embryo-Fetal Toxicity Based on their mechanisms of action, OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with an OPDIVO- or YERVOY- containing regimen and for at least 5 months after the last dose of OPDIVO. Lactation It is not known whether OPDIVO or YERVOY is present in human milk. Because many drugs, including antibodies, are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants from an OPDIVO-containing regimen, advise women to discontinue breastfeeding during treatment. Advise women to discontinue nursing during treatment with YERVOY and for 3 months following the final dose. Serious Adverse Reactions In Checkmate 037, serious adverse reactions occurred in 41% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=268). Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions occurred in 42% of patients receiving OPDIVO . The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse drug reactions reported in 2% to <5% of patients receiving OPDIVO were abdominal pain, hyponatremia, increased aspartate aminotransferase, and increased lipase. In Checkmate 066, serious adverse reactions occurred in 36% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=206). Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions occurred in 41% of patients receiving OPDIVO. The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were gamma-glutamyltransferase increase (3.9%) and diarrhea (3.4%). In Checkmate 067, serious adverse reactions (73% and 37%), adverse reactions leading to permanent discontinuation (43% and 14%) or to dosing delays (55% and 28%), and Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions (72% and 44%) all occurred more frequently in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm (n=313) relative to the OPDIVO arm (n=313). The most frequent (=10%) serious adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm and the OPDIVO arm, respectively, were diarrhea (13% and 2.6%), colitis (10% and 1.6%), and pyrexia (10% and 0.6%). In Checkmate 017 and 057, serious adverse reactions occurred in 46% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=418). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in at least 2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, dyspnea, pyrexia, pleural effusion, pneumonitis, and respiratory failure. In Checkmate 025, serious adverse reactions occurred in 47% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=406). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients were acute kidney injury, pleural effusion, pneumonia, diarrhea, and hypercalcemia. In Checkmate 205 and 039, adverse reactions leading to discontinuation occurred in 7% and dose delays due to adverse reactions occurred in 34% of patients (n=266). Serious adverse reactions occurred in 26% of patients. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =1% of patients were pneumonia, infusion-related reaction, pyrexia, colitis or diarrhea, pleural effusion, pneumonitis, and rash. Eleven patients died from causes other than disease progression: 3 from adverse reactions within 30 days of the last OPDIVO dose, 2 from infection 8 to 9 months after completing OPDIVO, and 6 from complications of allogeneic HSCT. In Checkmate 141, serious adverse reactions occurred in 49% of patients receiving OPDIVO. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in at least 2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were pneumonia, dyspnea, respiratory failure, respiratory tract infection, and sepsis. In Checkmate 275, serious adverse reactions occurred in 54% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=270). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in at least 2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were urinary tract infection, sepsis, diarrhea, small intestine obstruction, and general physical health deterioration. In Checkmate 040, serious adverse reactions occurred in 49% of patients (n=154). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in at least 2% of patients were pyrexia, ascites, back pain, general physical health deterioration, abdominal pain, and pneumonia. Common Adverse Reactions In Checkmate 037, the most common adverse reaction (=20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=268) was rash (21%). In Checkmate 066, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=206) vs dacarbazine (n=205) were fatigue (49% vs 39%), musculoskeletal pain (32% vs 25%), rash (28% vs 12%), and pruritus (23% vs 12%). In Checkmate 067, the most common (=20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm (n=313) were fatigue (59%), rash (53%), diarrhea (52%), nausea (40%), pyrexia (37%), vomiting (28%), and dyspnea (20%). The most common (=20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO (n=313) arm were fatigue (53%), rash (40%), diarrhea (31%), and nausea (28%). In Checkmate 017 and 057, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=418) were fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, cough, dyspnea, and decreased appetite. In Checkmate 025, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=406) vs everolimus (n=397) were asthenic conditions (56% vs 57%), cough (34% vs 38%), nausea (28% vs 29%), rash (28% vs 36%), dyspnea (27% vs 31%), diarrhea (25% vs 32%), constipation (23% vs 18%), decreased appetite (23% vs 30%), back pain (21% vs 16%), and arthralgia (20% vs 14%). In Checkmate 205 and 039, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=266) were upper respiratory tract infection (44%), fatigue (39%), cough (36%), diarrhea (33%), pyrexia (29%), musculoskeletal pain (26%), rash (24%), nausea (20%) and pruritus (20%). In Checkmate 141, the most common adverse reactions (=10%) in patients receiving OPDIVO were cough and dyspnea at a higher incidence than investigator's choice. In Checkmate 275, the most common adverse reactions (= 20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=270) were fatigue (46%), musculoskeletal pain (30%), nausea (22%), and decreased appetite (22%).. In Checkmate 040, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=154) were fatigue (38%), musculoskeletal pain (36%), abdominal pain (34%), pruritus (27%), diarrhea (27%), rash (26%), cough (23%), and decreased appetite (22%). The most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients who received OPDIVO as a single agent were fatigue, rash, musculoskeletal pain, pruritus, diarrhea, nausea, asthenia, cough, dyspnea, constipation, decreased appetite, back pain, arthralgia, upper respiratory tract infection, and pyrexia. In a separate Phase 3 study of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, the most common adverse reactions (=5%) in patients who received YERVOY at 3 mg/kg were fatigue (41%), diarrhea (32%), pruritus (31%), rash (29%), and colitis (8%). Please see U.S. Full Prescribing Information for OPDIVO and YERVOY, including Boxed WARNING regarding immune-mediated adverse reactions for YERVOY. Checkmate Trials and Patient Populations Checkmate 067 - advanced melanoma alone or in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 037 and 066 - advanced melanoma; Checkmate 017 - squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); Checkmate 057 - non-squamous NSCLC; Checkmate 025 - renal cell carcinoma; Checkmate 205/039 - classical Hodgkin lymphoma; Checkmate 141 - squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck; Checkmate 275 - urothelial carcinoma. About the Bristol-Myers Squibb and Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Collaboration In 2011, through a collaboration agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Ono), Bristol-Myers Squibb expanded its territorial rights to develop and commercialize Opdivo globally except in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, where Ono had retained all rights to the compound at the time. On July 23, 2014, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Ono further expanded the companies' strategic collaboration agreement to jointly develop and commercialize multiple immunotherapies - as single agents and combination regimens - for patients with cancer in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. About Bristol-Myers Squibb Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. About the WCLC The World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) is the world's largest meeting dedicated to lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, attracting over 6,000 researchers, physicians and specialists from more than 100 countries. The goal is to disseminate the latest scientific achievements; increase awareness, collaboration and understanding of lung cancer; and to help participants implement the latest developments across the globe. Organized under the theme of "Synergy (News - Alert) to Conquer Lung Cancer," the conference will cover a wide range of disciplines and unveil several research studies and clinical trial results. For more information, visithttp://wclc2017.iaslc.org/. Bristol-Myers Squibb Forward-Looking Statement This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Among other risks, there can be no guarantee that any of the oncology compounds mentioned in this release will receive regulatory approval for an additional indication. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect Bristol-Myers Squibb's business, particularly those identified in the cautionary factors discussion in Bristol-Myers Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Bristol-Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927006349/en/
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[September 27, 2017] BCS Technology Launches Machine Learning-Based Chatbot Solution to Drive Customer Insights
SYDNEY, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BCS Technology, a Global IT company headquartered in Australia providing end to end solutions in big data and analytics, announced the launch of their chatbot solution Interactive Social Airline Automated Companion (ISAAC) built on Cloudera's modern platform for machine learning and analytics optimized for the cloud Cloudera Enterprise. ISAAC is now available on Cloudera's Solutions Gallery. ISAAC, analyses customer conversations in the airline and travel industry to derive insights and gain a 360-degree view of their customers in the easiest and most convenient way possible. The solution combines the use of modern big data analytics technologies and natural language processing (NLP) by leveraging Microsoft's LUIS framework and the Cloudera Enterprise platform. Businesses are able to create a customer experience using ISAAC that not only generates effective communication using predictive analytics, but also has the ability to collect this data and transform and translate it into prospective strategies and opportunities. "The launch of ISAAC in the wider market will have a significant impact on charting future customer loyalty strategies, sales promotions and competition in the industry," said Richard Parhusip, BCS Technology's Commercial Director. "Our clients, as well as their own customers, have requested for a chatbot advanced enough to replicate the experience a person has when communicating with a human. ISAAC has the ability to predict what the customer might want and make suggestions accordingly. This not only improves the customer experience but allows companies to upsell and cross-sell effectively." "With Cloudera's machine learning and advanced analytics technology at the core of ISAAC, businesses can now use data to gain valuable insights, make accurate business decisions faster and deliver better products and services to enhance their customers' experiences. We are confident that our partnership with BCS Technology will continue to deliver innovative solutions in the big data and analytics space," said Shyam Sundar Srinivasan, Regional Director for Australia and New Zealand at Cloudera. With its effortless integration into any e-commerce website, its ability to simplify and analyse data gathered, to delivering intuitive business outcomes, ISAAC is a true example of the progression and application of data science and analytics in today's digital era. BCS will be sponsoring the upcoming Cloudera Sessions in Melbourne and Sydney, where more details about its services and partners will be shared. Technical experts from BCS will also be speaking at the event, where you can learn more and discuss their experience and knowledge in big data and analytics.
To find out more information on ISSAC, visit the BCS Technology website, or speak to one of our consultants at [email protected]. About BCS Technology International
BCS Technology is a leading Global IT Professional services organization with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Delhi, Manila and Jakarta that provides end to end solutions in big data and analytics. Its customer base includes major banks, airlines and travel companies across the globe. With the exponential growth of BCS and big data, a new subsidiary named ML Labs has formed, specialising in providing machine learning and deep learning algorithm solutions to clients looking to begin their journey through big data and analytics. Through the strategic partnership with Cloudera, BCS Technology have been utilized to implement end to end Apache Hadoop solutions to Cloudera clients, as well as develop groundbreaking products operating on the Cloudera enterprise platform. Learn more at bcstechnology.com.au. Connect with BCS Technology About BCS: bcstechnology.com.au/about-us Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/BCSTechnology Visit us on Facebook: facebook.com/BCSTechnologyInternational About Cloudera At Cloudera, we believe that data can make what is impossible today, possible tomorrow. We empower people to transform complex data into clear and actionable insights. We deliver the modern platform for machine learning and analytics optimized for the cloud. The world's largest enterprises trust Cloudera to help solve their most challenging business problems. Learn more at cloudera.com. Connect with Cloudera About Cloudera: cloudera.com/more/about.html Read our VISION blog: vision.cloudera.com and Engineering blog: blog.cloudera.com Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/cloudera Visit us on Facebook: facebook.com/cloudera Join the Cloudera Community: community.cloudera.com Read about our customers' successes: cloudera.com/more/customers.html Cloudera, Hue andassociated marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cloudera Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. This press release contains forward-looking statements including, among other things, statements regarding the expected performance and benefits of Cloudera's offerings. The words "believe," "may," "will," "plan," "expect," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. If the risks materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. Risks include, but are not limited to, risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Form S-1 Registration Statement, and our future reports that we may file with the SEC from time to time, which could cause actual results to vary from expectations. Cloudera assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release. Media Contacts: BCS Technology International: Jennifer Carreon
Phone: (61) 2 8667 3024
Email: [email protected] Cloudera:
Hui Ting Ong
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BURLINGTON Homes were evacuated and utility service was temporarily interrupted for dozens of homes and several businesses after a crew installing a sign post breached a natural gas line in the city Tuesday morning.
City of Burlington firefighters were notified at 10:47 a.m. of the situation that occurred at the intersection of Edgewood Drive and Main Street, just east of the Fox River. The odor of mercaptan, the chemical additive used to help detect odorless natural gas, was evident for several blocks around the affected area. A loud hissing sound of escaping gas could be heard and a haze caused by kicked-up dust marked the scene.
Fire crews had cleared the scene by 1:22 p.m., but We Energies crews were still working there as of 4 p.m. No resulting injuries or fires were reported, fire officials said.
As a precaution, firefighters temporarily evacuated a large area near the punctured line until the leak could be controlled. The evacuated area ran along Main Street from State Street (old Highway 11) to Bushnell Park; Edgewood Drive from Main Street to Chapel Terrace; Wisconsin Street from State Street to the National Guard Armory; and Adams Street from main to Wisconsin.
Initially, about 25 houses were evacuated in the area, but emergency crews expanded the zone along Edgewood Drive to Chapel Terrace, which includes several apartment buildings, adding to the number of affected residents.
An emergency evacuation site was set up at Cross Lutheran Church, 126 Chapel Terrace, and Thomas Bus Co. supplied a bus in case transportation to the center was necessary.
Fire officials also asked that electrical service be shut down in the affected area as a precaution to minimize the chance of explosion. We Energies spokesperson Cathy Schulze said about 1,800 customers were affected by the electrical shutdown for about 69 minutes. An additional six customers were affected for a little bit longer, about 84 minutes, Schulze said.
Included in the electrical shutdown was the Mobil gas station at the busy intersection of State and Main and the Town Fryer, a popular breakfast and lunch eatery located just north of the gas station at 116 N. Main St.
About 14 natural-gas customers were without service for the duration of the line repair, Schulze said.
Schulze said We Energies would conduct an investigation and time would tell whether claims for costs or insurance claims would result from the accident. She said a 2-inch diameter gas line was breached.
The Town of Burlington and Rochester fire departments assisted City of Burlington firefighters at the scene, while Lyons firefighters manned the city fire station during the call. The Burlington Rescue Squad and Racine Fire Bells aided firefighters and emergency workers on scene with cooling and rehab during Tuesdays hot weather.
Burlington police were assisted with traffic control by the Racine County Sheriffs Office and Burlington Public Works Department.
Burlington High School, located about half-mile southeast of the line break, was advised of the situation but no evacuation was ordered.
By Azernews
By Laman Ismayilova
A farewell ceremony for Azerbaijans prominent scientist Lotfi Zadeh will be held at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS).
The ceremony is scheduled for September 29, ANAS Vice-President Isa Habibbayli told Trend on September 27.
The ceremony will be attended by political and public figures, scientists.
Lotfi Zadeh, the creator of fuzzy logic, passed away on September 6, at the age of 96.
Profesors son Norman Zadeh earlier stressed that Lotfi Zadeh's last will was to be buried in Azerbaijan.
The world-renowned scientist was a professor emeritus of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, and the director of the Berkeley Initiative in Soft Computing.
Lotfi Zadeh is best known for proposing the fuzzy mathematics in the 1960s.The theory of fuzzy logic caused a revolution worldwide and entirely changed the concept of cybernetics and played an important role in space satellites, cognition and the study of images, the Earth and the Universe, and in research into UFOs.
He also developed the theories of system and optimal filters. The theory of optimal filtration is a new step in modern mathematics, cybernetics and computerization, and is valued not only for its scientific originality, but also its practical results.
The theories of multiple valued optimization and impressions in dynamic systems were also developed by Zadeh.
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MOUNT PLEASANT Although the location for the proposed manufacturing facility the Foxconn Technology Group plans to build in Racine County is still not official, some residents are not taking any chances.
Thomas Devine, a local attorney, has been retained by as many as 20 residents who might have to relocate to provide Foxconn the land to build its facility.
I will represent their interests in that transaction to make sure theyre treated fairly, Devine said. There are no offers to purchase (property), that I know of, to anyone.
Devine said his clients have a substantial connection to that area.
All of them have a connection to the land that they own that goes back generations, Devine said. They have built homes that they have raised families in.
Although he hasnt dealt with Foxconn directly, Devine has dealt with Alan Marcuvitz, who is a special counsel for development projects for the Village of Mount Pleasant.
Hes part of our development team that weve employed to help us land the Foxconn project, Village President Dave DeGroot said. Hes an essential part. Hes our legal guidance, our legal advice.
DeGroot said the village has used Marcuvitz for past projects and that he has been working with the village on Foxconn since May.
Hes been on our team very early on, DeGroot said. We dont have a contract per se, other than the fact that weve purchased professional services like we purchase engineers.
According to Marcuvitzs biography on the website for the Milwaukee and Madison law firm of von Briesen and Roper, S.C., he (Marcuvitz) is recognized as one of Wisconsins pre-eminent attorneys in the fields of eminent domain and real property taxation, based on his extensive experience in both trial and appellate courts.
Residents anxious about Foxconn
During the public comment portion of the Mount Pleasant Village Board meeting on Monday, two residents spoke about the possibility of Foxconn buying their land to build its facility.
Pat Petersen, who lives on Braun Road and is a client of Devine, said for the past several months we have all been living in limbo not knowing exactly whats going to happen and when.
These were going to be our forever homes. Many of us are living on our family farms and cherish our heritage dearly, Petersen said. It is not our choice to be moving and leaving our homes behind to be bulldozed down. Racine County, the governor and Foxconn have made the decision for us.
Petersen said she feels that local government has sided with a foreign company over taxpayers.
Youll be destroying a neighborhood of good, caring people, Petersen said. I dont think creating jobs from a foreign company at the expense of losing our homes, land and way of life is the right thing to do.
Shannon Hilbert, who lives on Braun Road, said she is probably going to lose my house.
I know a lot of people are excited for this new chapter, but please do not forget the cost to the families that have to relocate, Hilbert said. Were not only losing the houses where we spent many years making a home, we are losing our neighbors, our neighborhood with people who have become family.
Foxconn, a Taiwanese company, stated it will build a manufacturing plant in southeastern Wisconsin to build liquid crystal display screens, most notably for all Apple Inc. products. With Kenosha taking itself out of the running for the plant, and with county officials traveling abroad to meet with Foxconn officials and an abundance of closed-door meetings among various local governments, the speculation is that Foxconn has settled on Racine County, likely in western Sturtevant and Mount Pleasant between Durand Avenue and Braun Road.
The Legislature has passed a $2.85 billion incentives bill that would provide tax credits to Foxconn if the company meets certain benchmarks related to construction or hiring. The state has estimated that bringing this company to Wisconsin could create about 13,000 jobs, not including thousands more connected to construction of the proposed behemoth plant and those generated by ancillary and support businesses.
Foxconn plans to invest $10 billion to build a facility, which is scheduled to open in 2020, in southeastern Wisconsin.
Hilbert said she and her neighbors have seen people test the soil and wetlands, helicopters flying over her neighborhood and unmanned drones videotaping my children in the backyard while they played.
DeGroot said he understands this is an emotional time for the residents involved and their situations will be handled with great sensitivity but he cant comment on each landowners situation.
Details havent been revealed and I dont have a deal yet, DeGroot said. Anything having to do with purchasing (land) is subject to us (the village) having a deal in the first place.
Please help this Kansas City mom, LaShonda Kane, who lost her 14 year old daughter . Her daughter, Alexis Kane, was tragically killed by 3 males in Kansas City. She is struggling to provide for her remaining children and to heal from this senseless and brutal crime. This Kansas City mom diligently works at a local school cafeteria and the 8th grade students want to help her. Please join me and these Pembroke kids in helping LaShonda Kane and her children. This money will help her and her children heal through counseling and just making ends meet."
THE GO-FUND ME PAGE INDICATES THAT THEY'VE ONLY RAISED 20% OF THE FUNDRAISING GOAL SO FAR!!!
Follow-up from our blog community . . .Earlier this year the Jackson County Prosecutor made an impassioned plea to help a crime victim.Here is a portion of her remarks:Sadly . . .The lady in question works in one of the most affluent schools in all of KCMO and the help from "Mean Jean" was unprecedented. As the holiday season approaches Kansas City, we like to think of this town as generous but the uptick in local killing has seemingly made it hard for charitable locals to keep up.Developing . . .
"Go behind the scenes with KCPT during Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's visit to Kansas City on September 8, 2017. The filmmakers shared clips from "The Vietnam War" at a special student event, followed by a presentation for 1500 people . . ."
An emotional look back at an old-school war which defined a generation . . . Nearly as productive as consideration of the two wars which still involved U.S. military personnel that have been dragging on without an end in sight.You decide . . .
Kansas City police have released the name of a man fatally shot last week near the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus. Authorities said Orlando Gentry, 30, was shot just after 10 p.m. Sept. 19, outside an apartment in the 5000 block of Troost Avenue. Police are still investigating the shooting.
However, in a recall effort ALREADY UNDERWAY there's a total news blackout of a CITIZEN INITIATIVE PETITION to oust the Mayor that has already garnered surprising support.
"Apparently "Dictator" James not only dictates what ballot language will appear before voters, he also dictates what news about him will appear in Kansas City's Fake News Media led primarily by... the Kansas City Star and including all 4 TV stations, the Pitch, KCUR Public Radio, and KMBZ Radio."
Clay Chastain: KC's "Fake" News Media ignores Recall Petition to protect Sly and his corporate agenda.
In Kansas City, we no longer have a free press to inform the people, rather we have a press free to control the people.
For years local news have begrudgingly reported on transit activist Clay Chastain and his citizen activism. Sometimes they document his voter efforts and most of the time they've offered condescending coverage at best.Clay Chastain laments:In his latest update, the transit advocate addresses this trend in no uncertain terms. Checkit:When insider dealing Sly James wants media attention for his corporate slam jobs...new elite airport for the elite, new elite convention hotel for the elite, and a transit-challenged downtown streetcar for elite developers...why Kansas City's Fake News Media bounds forth to cover it like people stampeding to the malls on Black Friday. But when everyday citizens submit a Recall Affidavit to the City Clerk to recall Sly James for insider dealing and voter fraud, why the Star does not think that an important issue and ignores it like it doesn't exist.You can understand too why the Star pushes the above corporate agenda and coddles its prime cheerleader... In the last election, Sly James placed before voters, yet again, fraudulent ballot language (Question #2) that did not comport whatsoever with the meaning and "substance" of that valid petition proposal from the people. However, the Star never pointed out, before the election, that blatant discrepancy to its readers and the community because corporate Kansas City does not want a modern light rail-based transit system for the people. And in 2006, after 75,000 Kansas City voters approved a light rail petition proposal, the Star sat back and did nothing while the know-it-all government (and its corporate puppeteers) repealed that direct mandate from the people by claiming (without offering any proof or expert testimony) the entire petition "unworkable."The petition drive to recall Sly James is not only a protest against Kansas City's dictatorial-acting leader, it is also a protest against Kansas City's Mainstream News Media that has violated the public's right to know and this Nation's dearest principle of freedom.Come to Price Chopper in Brookside to sign the petition (or volunteer to help collect signatures) so "we the people" can rise up as one to overcome this entrenched political machinery that has been dragging down Kansas City, and our Democratic Liberties, for too long.Citizen Chastain######Developing . . .
The Eurogroup chief noted Greece had covered a lot of ground in the past two years and now confidence has returned
Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Monday it is "feasible" for Greece's third program review to be completed before the end of 2017, during a joint press conference with Greek counterpart Euclid Tsakalotos in Athens.
"We discussed for the last phase of the program and it is feasible to complete the third review before the end of the current year. Its completion will unlock the decisions on debt and will help restore investor confidence. In talks I have with investors it is my feeling that this climate already exists," he told journalists, adding that there should be a full exit from the program.
The Eurogroup chief noted Greece had covered a lot of ground in the past two years and now confidence has returned.
Asked about post-program surveillance, he predicted it would continue for some years in the same way it did for the other countries that exited their bailout programs, noting it is a standard procedure that works as an early warning system.
Concerning the achievement of fiscal goals by the country, Dijsselbloem underlined that although he has no clear picture and this concerns mainly the European Commission, he views Greece?s path with a lot of confidence and certainty.
On his side, Tsakalotos commented that the common goal is to leave the program without the need for a new bailout, noting there might be some ups and downs in the 10 months that remain, however the objective is to find solutions.
Asked about the possibility of new fiscal measures, the minister answered that the budget is balanced because some targets are exceeded, making up for those which are lagging behind.
Concerning the possibility of another foray into the markets, Tsakalotos added the government plans to test markets a number of times before the country exits its program, adding that these moves are not announced in advance.
Read more here.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Rijksoverheid.nl License: CC-BY-SA
Source: ANA-MPA
The Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo described his decision not to play with the Greek National Team in the Europbasket 2017 by noting that [I]t was not that I did not want to play, I could not play.
Day after day I get better. My knee is constantly improving, stressed Giannis and added that:
The decision was one of the most difficult, especially when you know that you have a whole country behind you waiting for you to play. It was one of the toughest decisions as an athlete. But it was the best choice for me and my family. It was not that I did not want to play, I could not play. There is a lot of people who support me, people from Milwaukee and Greece. They are always next to me on social media and support me and I want to thank them for it.
Read more here.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Keith AllisonLicense: CC-BY-SA
Source: protothema.gr
The department of Russian Language and Culture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, northern Greece is scheduled to officially open on October 5 at the Universitys Hall of Ceremonies. The Ivan Savvidis Charity Foundation was a major financial benefactor in the creation of the chair a few months ago with the department being included in the Philosophy division. opening of the chair. The purpose of the new department is to develop an educational and research project for the study of the Russian language, history and culture.
The Ivan Savvidis Charity Foundation also supports educational programs for learning the Greek language at Russian Universities and the Russian language in Greece. On April 3, 2015 the Foundation signed an agreement with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens for the support of the Department of Slavic Studies.
Read more here.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: License: CC-BY-SA
Source: protothema.gr
Award-winning Greek cheeses, with their unique taste, explain why in Greece the annual per capita consumption is higher than in any other European country. Soft, creamy and hard, white and yellow, fresh and mature, salty and sweet, each one a nobility, all produced with mastery and skill. Cook them, mix them, grate and sprinkle them, wine-tie them, fry them, stuff them, adore themFollow us in a tour to each region that has developed its own special varieties of cheese.
Nothing conjures up the dreamy images of Greece better than the Aegean, home to countless islands big and small and to cooking traditions as old as Homer. Islanders have their unique existence, defined by the deepest bond to place and familial roots, in common with one another, regardless of whether they come from places as off-the-beaten track as Ikaria or as cosmopolitan as Rhodes or Santorini.
Lets take a tour in the Aegean, specifically in the Northeastern Aegean, where cheeses vary. Manoura from Sifnos is aged in wine dregs; Kalathaki from Limnos, a lovely basket-shaped, goats milk white brine cheese, akin to feta, takes its name from the basket (=kalathaki) that is used to produce it.
Moving further down, we meet the Dodecanese cheeses, such as Krassotyri and Sitaka. Krassotyri is a specialty of Kos. A log-shaped, ribbed wine-soaked cheese that in recent years has begun its trip off the island. This similar wine-soaked cheeses are also produced in Nyssiros and Leros. Sitaka, one of the most unusual dairy products in Greece, is a tart,creamy spread, not unlike yogurt cheese, made from slightly fermented sheeps and/or goats milk, which has been salted slightly and reduced over low, traditionally wood-burning fire. It is a specialty of Kassos and served with a delicious local pasta dish together with caramelized onions.
Cyclades cheeses
Now lets move a little towards the Cyclades, to meet the Cyclades cheeses. . San Mihalis in Syros island, also a PDO cheese - Manoura of Sifnos, with a pinkish hue and dark, winy aroma - Chloro from Santorini, to be eaten either fresh (and soft), or aged over pasta? You just name it!
If you find yourself in Crete, the Cretan cheeses you will find that are part of the wellness and long-life ratio causes of the islanders. All Cretan cheeses are made from either sheeps or goats milk or a combination of both. Heres a short list: Graviera, perhaps the most famous of Cretes cheeses, ranges from sweet, when young, to nutty and resonant, when aged. Kefalograviera, harder and more piquant than graviera, is a table cheese that is often also used in baked dishes like pastitsio and moussaka. Myzithra, a fresh whey cheese, relatively low in fat, and similar to ricotta. Staka, a cholesterol-rich delicacy only found in western Crete, which is prepared from the cream skimmed off the top of sheeps milk.
The gorgeous Graviera cheese is by now a tradition. It is made as far north as Macedonia and as far south as Crete, in Corfu to the west, in Mytilini to the east, and just about everywhere in between.
In Epirus, you will find Feta, of course the shepherds cheese par excellence. Dodoni, the district around the ancient oracle and amphitheater, produces some of the countrys best. You will also find Galotyri, literally milk cheese, irresistibly creamy and tangy, but hard to find outside the shepherds strongholds of Epirus, Thessaly and Roumeli. Hard, pungent Kefalotyriis made from goat and sheep milk, and is mainly used for grating. Sweet Manouri, a smooth whey cheese made from sheeps milk or a mixture of sheeps and goats milk to which cream has been added, comes in long, pure white cylinders. Delicious with fruit or on its own for dessert.
And, of course, last but not least, Feta: Greeces cheese for all seasons.
In Greece the cheese course runs parallel to the meal. Feta, the national Greek cheese, is relentlessly nibbled at, be it with a winter salad of boiled bitter greens, or a main course of summer vegetables stewed in olive oil, or a midnight snack hand-in-hand with a slice of crisp, icy, sweet watermelon. As for the unusual storing of Feta, there is a perfectly logical explanation: Feta is a rindless wet cheese. It is aged and cured in brine, and will keep all its flavors if it remains submerged.Greeks (together with the cheese obsessed French) have the highest per capita cheese consumption in Europe.
Feta is the quintessential Greek table cheese, but it is also excellent in all sorts of other dishes. As a main ingredient, it finds its way into savory pies, made with Feta and eggs, or combinations of cheeses, or mixtures of greens and cheese. It is also a staple on the meze table, and can be grilled or baked in paper and even sauteed, sometimes with a crust of nuts or sesame seeds or a simple egg and flour wash.
Its basically more of a meal in itself.
Over the years, as Greece became urbanized and agriculture increasingly mechanized, new technology reached the dairies and cheese making was no longer a simple local affair. The same happened all over Europe, eventually requiring the European Commission to enact Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) labelling regulations for distinctive, traditional foods. Twenty Greek cheeses have been accorded PDO status thus far under these regulations.
Source: visitgreece.gr
Read more here.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: User:Jpatokal License: CC-BY-SA
Source: visitgreece.gr
The problems began when owners of Turkish yachts, due to the relatively low tourist traffic on the Turkish coast and the very high traffic on Greek islands started selling "pirate" cruises
Turkish authorities on Wednesday banned all Turkish-flagged commercial yachts from sailing to the Greek islands from the Turkish coast. The ban was announced by Turkish Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication Ahmet Arslan, in retaliation to inspections carried out by Greek authorities on Turkish yachts suspected of providing illegal Greek island cruises.
The minister also announced that, as of October 12, all passenger and commercial vessels will be banned from sailing to Greece from Turkey, essentially cancelling all regular ferry connections between Greek islands and the Turkish coast.
The problems began when owners of Turkish yachts, due to the relatively low tourist traffic on the Turkish coast and the very high traffic on Greek islands, especially on Rhodes and Kos, started going to these islands as visitors and, in collaboration with Greek businesses, taking on passengers and selling "pirate" cruises to the Greek islands, depriving the Greek state of revenue.
Greek authorities carried out inspections to fend off such practices, in some cases imposing penalties such as banning the vessels involved from sailing. Turkey objected, on the grounds that its standing as a "white flag" country in international maritime organisations was at risk, with a potential downgrade to "gray flag" status.
A new round of negotiations between Turkish and Greek officials followed, but the inspection and subsequent sailing ban imposed on a 35-metre Turkish yacht found to be offering illegal cruises a few days earlier provoked Turkey's retaliatory reaction.
In statements on Tuesday, Arslan indicated that dialogue with Greece on the topic might continue.
The Turkish government's decision is not popular on Turkey's coast, nevertheless, where many Turks like to visit the Greek islands for short breaks and many towns and markets are dependent on the custom of visiting Greeks from the islands. Many local government officials and chambers of commerce in Turkey have started talking of the disastrous impact of the decision on local communities and have linked this to the strong support for Erdogan's political opposition in the coastal areas.
Read more here.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Lfdder License: CC-BY-SA
Source: ANA-MPA
The UAEs Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) has signed two international co-operation agreements with leading nuclear regulators aimed at exchange of knowledge and information related to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, as well as safety and regulatory-related information.
The first is an "Information Exchange Arrangement" signed with the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) of Great Britain. The arrangement aims to exchange information on matters related to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
It also paves way for exchange of information on legislation, regulations, licenses as well as construction, operation and decommissioning of nuclear installations, said a statement from FANR.
The second deal was signed with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, CNSC, to exchange safety and regulatory-related information.
It covers regulatory aspects of the safety and security of nuclear power plants and radioactive source, safety-related research in connection with licensing and regulatory control of nuclear facilities and other aspects
These agreements were signed on the sideline of the 61st General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held in Vienna, Austria, where FANR joined other UAE delegation members on the high-profile platform.
An independent federal authority, FANR was established in 2009 to regulate all nuclear-related activities and licenses the use of radioactive sources in the UAE in line with the provisions of the Federal Law on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
From improving your income to speeding up your career to becoming smarter or learning a new language there are plenty of reasons why you should leave your country and become a modern-day pioneer now, says a new study.
Based on a decade of experience with crossing borders, bridging cultures, and connecting global minds, InterNations, the largest expat community worldwide, has revealed the top 10 reasons why you should work abroad.
Looking for a personal challenge and getting to know different cultures and customs has become more important than ever, said InterNations founder & Co-CEO Malte Zeeck. Academic research proves what we have known since the day we founded InterNations: gaining international experience by working abroad does not only improve your income and career, but also makes you smarter and more communicative.
10 reasons why working abroad is a great idea
The information on which the list is based is drawn from various sources: several academic studies regarding life abroad, the InterNations member base of 2.8 million, and the networks annual Expat Insider survey. With nearly 13,000 respondents living and working abroad, it is one of the most extensive expat studies in the world.
1. Improve your income
A study by the American Psychological Association shows that 61 percent of Americans worry about money, and 40 percent of Brits share these concerns, according to research by market intelligence agency Mintel. But chances are that moving abroad can improve your financial situation: more than half the expats around the world say that they earn more than in their country of origin (51 per cent), and nearly one-quarter state that their income is a lot higher than back home (24 per cent). One-fifth of expats (21 per cent) even have a yearly household income of more than $100,000 USD, and another 26 percent have between $50,000 and $100,000 at their disposal.
2. Speed up your career
About three in ten expats (31 per cent) mention their job or business as their most important reason for relocating. Working abroad seems to live up to their expectations: only about one quarter view their career opportunities negatively (26 per cent). On the other hand, more than half of the respondents twice as many are happy with their career prospects (53 per cent). One in seven even couldnt be any happier when it comes to their career abroad (14 per cent).
Zeeck explained: Our research shows that career opportunities vary strongly by country. Ambitious expats should consider a move to emerging markets like Kazakhstan or Vietnam, or to the USA, while those who are more concerned about job security and a strong local economy will like Luxembourg, Germany, and Switzerland.
3. Discover your genius
A study by William W. Maddux from INSEAD Business School found that learning about and adapting to new cultures improves problem-solving skills among MBA students enrolled in an international program. After living abroad for almost one year, those who showed an open-minded attitude towards other cultures were also able to make more complex connections between disparate ideas. This is a very valuable talent, not only in your personal life, but also for your career: We put great emphasis on the international experience of our employees, says InterNations Founder & Co-CEO Malte Zeeck. By doing so, we encourage innovation and out-of-the-box thinking in our teams.
4. Become more creative
Angela Leung from the Singapore Management University demonstrated in her study that experiencing diverse cultures has a positive effect on creativity: students who were exposed to two different cultures at once did not only show better creative performance, but they were also more likely to engage in creative processes, such as the generation of unconventional ideas. Therefore, it might not be a surprise that nearly one in ten expats (9 per cent) work in the arts (e.g. in music or the performing arts).
5. Build a global network
On average, expats are connected with five other nationalities, as representative research among the 2.8 million InterNations members shows. When this result is compared to available data from social media platform Facebook, the following trend emerges: expats are far more likely to have a global network than a local one. The Facebook study did show that social connections on their platform are very locally clustered, with 84 percent of all connections being between users living in the same country. On InterNations, however, 35 percent of the connections cross borders and bridge cultures around the world, while only 65 percent are local.
6. Learn a new language
For one in ten expats, improving their foreign language skills was one of the reasons for moving abroad. However, far more seem to have benefitted linguistically from their relocation: one in three expats speaks the language of their new home at least a little, and over two-fifths (43 per cent) feel confident communicating in the local language. Moreover, representative research among InterNations members shows that 84 percent of those who are currently living abroad speak at least two languages and over one in five (22 per cent) even know four languages or more.
7. Be a modern-day pioneer
Whether it was a settler in the seventeenth century searching for a new world, an engineer developing new technologies or a start-up founder revolutionizing society, what unites all pioneers is the bravery to move towards the unknown. It is that same spirit that defines an expat. No matter if expats move for their work and career (31 per cent), love and family (25 per cent), a better quality of life (8 per cent) or in search of adventure (7 per cent) the moment someone decides to move abroad, they are a modern-day pioneer. They crave the new, the unique, the unexplored, and the unknown just like those intrepid pioneers of the past.
8. Improve your communication skills
Intercultural communication is not just about language, but rather about cross-cultural competency. As expats start to settle in abroad and feel at home in the new culture, they become more open-minded, tolerant, and find it easier to overcome cultural differences, says Rona Hart from the University of East London in her book Preparing for Your Move Abroad: Relocating, Settling in, Managing Culture Shock. She further explains that one is less quick to judge others and begins to tolerate opinions and actions that may have been dismissed before.
9. Find a better work-life-balance
While an astounding 58 percent of employees in the study of the American Psychological Association feel stressed out by work, the circumstances seem to be a lot better for those who have decided to work abroad. About six in ten expats specifically state that they are satisfied with their employment situation (64 per cent), work-life-balance (60 per cent), and job security (57 per cent). Up to one in five even say that they could not be any happier with those aspects (17 per cent and 19 per cent each for the latter two). A similar share of respondents also express satisfaction with their work hours: 61 percent rate this factor positively, 38 percent of which are completely satisfied.
10. Trust the opinion of 42.5 million working expats
Market research company Finaccord estimates in its Global Expatriates report that there are about 42 million individual workers and 500,000 corporate transferees worldwide; together, they make up about three-quarters of the global expat population. Compared to 2009, this is a growth rate of about three percent for both categories, so there is definitely a trend of more and more people looking for assignments and new positions abroad. And lets face it: 42.5 million working expats around the world cannot possibly be wrong! TradeArabia News Service
Hotels in the Middle East reported mixed performance results during August, while hotels in Africa posted growth across the three key performance indicators, according to data from analytics and marketplace insights provider STR.
Hotel room occupancy in the Middle East dropped 3.9 per cent to 62.1 per cent during the month, while average daily rate (ADR) rose 7.4 per cent to $151.04. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) increased 3.2 per cent to $93.84.
Occupancy in African hotels was higher by 2.9 per cent to 61.2 per cent, while ADR rose +11.7 per cent to $99.78. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) increased 15.0 per cent to $61.09.
Egypt
Egyptian hotels reported a rise of 12.5 per cent in occupancy rates during the month. ADR went up 73.3 per cent to EGP1,233.18 ($69.7). Revenue per available room jumped 95.0 per cent to EGP823.70
Egypts ADR has remained above EGP1,000 each month since November 2016, and rate growth has been primarily driven by Cairo, which posted an 83.8 per cent August increase to EGP1,671.39. However, figures are quite different in US dollar terms, with a 12.9 per cent decline for the country and 7.6 per cent decrease in Cairo. Meanwhile, Egypts occupancy levels benefitted from a 12.9 per cent increase in demand, while supply grew only 0.4 per cent compared with August 2016. Egypts hotels continue to recover from security concerns in the country, and demand has grown by double-digits for all but one month in 2017.
Morocco
Morocco hotels posted a drop of 6.4 per cent in occupancy, whereas ADR surged 9.6 per cent t0 MD1,183.50 ($126). RevPAR was up 2.5 per cent to MAD778.21.
August marked Moroccos fifth consecutive month of ADR growth. At the market level, Marrakech recorded a 17.5 per cent increase in RevPAR, driven solely by rate growth, while Casablanca was the only market that managed to increase both occupancy and ADR, resulting in 5.6 per cent growth in RevPAR. STR analysts note that supply growth (+3.5 per cent year to date) is affecting Moroccos occupancy levels. Additionally, the country has 28 hotel projects in the pipeline, of which, six are scheduled to open before the end of the year.
United Arab Emirates
Occupancy in UAE hotels was down by 5.9 per cent to 68.4 per cent. ADR declined 8.3 per cent to Dh422.77 ($115). RevPAR saw a drop of 13.7 per cent to Dh289.27.
STR analysts noted that hotel demand remains solid in the United Arab Emirates (+4.8 per cent year to date), but significant supply growth (5.1 per cent YTD) continues to pressure occupancy levels and pricing power. At the market level, both Dubai (-14.0 per cent) and Abu Dhabi (-11.9 per cent) reported RevPAR declines, due primarily to lower rates. TradeArabia News Service
During this season of gratitude, we are reminded of the many reasons we can be thankful for the freedom and opportunity to travel.
London, September 27
The UK's Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) has told its staff that it will be moving 1,000 jobs to Diligenta, a country-based subsidiary of Indian tech giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
The Lloyds said the move was part of a push to develop better digital services for customers with insurance, pensions and investment products.
"The new platform will make managing heritage products simpler and more efficient for LBG customers," Lloyds said in a statement, adding that "staff will be able discuss the non- contractual arrangements with Diligenta over coming months".
The move, which affects staff based in the Bristol and Edinburgh offices of Lloyds' Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical divisions, has come under criticism from workers' unions.
"The wholescale transfer of 1,000 Lloyds Banking Group staff to Diligenta is nothing short of a betrayal of these workers," said Rob MacGregor, national officer at Unite union.
"The bank's 'sale' of its committed Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical staff represents contempt for long serving and skilled employees," he said.
The union fears the transfer will affect staff pension benefits and other non-contractual Lloyds perks once they join Diligenta at existing offices under a Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) arrangement.
MacGregor added, "Unite is calling on Lloyds to reconsider this shameful deal and do the right thing by its staff who have worked hard to ensure the business is the success it is today."
"The message from the Lloyds Banking Group is loud and clear and appears to be 'so long, thanks for your efforts, you work for them now'," he said.
A Scottish Widows spokesperson said: "Lloyds Banking Group has partnered with Diligenta to enhance its service proposition for customers with heritage life, pensions and investment products through a new digital platform."
"Diligenta already successfully manages more than 11 million life and pension policies in the UK on its end-to-end policy administration platform."
The Lloyds had returned to private ownership in May after the UK government sold the last of its stake in the bank.
The latest outsourcing move will fan speculation over the future of its Scottish Widows business and that the bank may be interested in selling the insurance division to Standard Life.
Chandigarh, September 27
"Companies like Helwitt Packard took 36 years to reach the S&P 500 list while companies of digital age like Google took six years only to reach at the same level," said Dr Kuldeep Kaul, Director, Metro Exports Private Limited. He was speaking at the two-day international conference on 'Digital Revolution in Business: Convergence and Integration' at Panjab University today.
Kaul explained how digitisation had resulted in disruptive technologies. He added that companies like Google Account have 2.4 million searches on web and Uber has more than 1 billion users. The companies like Google and Facebook were not known 15 years ago. "Today, there is need to think big but act in smaller steps, create-build-measure-learn and to think of implementation issues while making strategy," he said.
Vineet Raj Kapoor, CEO, Virtual Soft, talked about the role of digititalisation in removing intermediaries. He emphasised the role of listening, synthesising and deciding as determinants of success. Dr Charu Malhotra from IIPA explained the importance of villages along with cities and emerging technologies in the determination of success today and tommorrow.
Dr Seema Bawa, from Thapar University of Patiala, highlighted that only about 100 million of the more than 1 billion Indian population has access to digitalisation.
Earlier, Chairperson of University Business School Prof Deepak Kapur welcomed the distinguished guests, faculty, participants, and students to the conference. He also introduced the themes to the participants. Chief guest was Petko Doykov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to India. He explained the integration and convergence of work environment within and across national boundaries on account of digital revolution. He explained how digitisation had impacted administration. He also explained digital revolution that was happening in Bulgaria and across the European Union.
Dr Bhupinder Grewal, vice president, Gen-Pact India, explained the role of digital revolution in health. He explained how digitalization can help in changing the focus of health care from being physician centered to patient centered, care of the sick to promotion of health and well-being and emphasized that a healthy population is an economic driver. Prof Meenakshi Malhotra, acting Vice-Chancellor, explained how digital technologies played an increasingly prominent role in both the lives of employees and in human resource management; how digital marketing had enhanced the scope of data analytics, brand loyalty, and online business survival. TNS
Chandigarh, September 27
The CSIR Young Scientist Award-2017 in physical sciences has been awarded to Amit Laddi from the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) here, for his contributions to the development of novel drive control systems for mobility carts for people with motor disability.
The award was presented by President Ram Nath Kovind at a function organised on the occasion of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Researchs foundation day at New Delhi. This award is recognition of promise in scientists and motivates them to unleash the creative energy and accomplish greater goals and objectives in research. The drive control system is based on finger gestures on a touch screen module that works similar to a joystick controller. It is compatible with any motorised wheelchair chassis available. It helps in making independent mobility possible for paraplegics as well as patients having weak limb muscles and those who cannot hold manual joysticks properly. It consists of a touch screen proportional controller that requires no force to activate and drive. Touching the screen activates the device and maintaining contact with the screen enables full driving capabilities.
IIT-Ropar professor wins laurels
Dr Rajendra Srivastava, an associate professor and head of chemistry department at IIT-Ropar, has been awarded the prestigious NASI-Scopus Young Scientist Award-2017 for his leading contribution in chemistry. Dr Rajendra has been known for his outstanding work in the area of catalysis, especially heterogeneous catalysis. TNS
Col (retd) RD Singh
The tragic incident of a seven -year old child being knifed to death in a toilet of Ryan International School in Gurgaon has shocked society.
It is not the first such incident. A student was murdered in Ranchi, while another student drowned in a swimming pool at Bhopal.
We witness such incidents happening everywhere, more so in private schools. Sadly, today, schools have turned into a worrisome place for parents, who remain tense till their children return home safely. The crux of the problem is that education has been commercialised and is in the hands of private players who are mostly politicians and big businessmen.
The private school managements have little time and concern for the safety and security of students, and are more focused on the strength of students, fat fee and glittering buildings. But inside these air-conditioned palatial corporate houses that look like mansions, are lowly paid teachers, hardly any playground, an impersonal atmosphere and poor facilities for self-growth.
Let there be no doubt that the onus of ensuring the safety of children on the school campus is entirely of the school. All schools must take the matter seriously and carry out an honest audit of their security measures. They must have a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) on child protection policy.
Let me list out some of the important points which this SOP must cover.
First, taking stock of the entry and exit routes and the security wall. It should be at least 15-feet high and well guarded. There must be an adequate number of functional CCTVs. But the presence of CCTVs, by itself, will not guarantee safety, unless these are monitored. Hence, every school must employ security supervisors who should be accountable to the principal.
Secondly, sensitise the entire staff, teachers and students on security aspects. Brief the children on the dos and donts.
Thirdly, police verification of the staff and teachers must be done, and it would be in order to put them through a psychometric test. Any one found unfit, should be weeded out immediately.
The fourth step should be for the teachers to realise their duty towards the students not only in terms of teaching, but also to ensure their safety and well-being. In school, teachers are like parents and they must take care of them like they do of their own children at home. Once they behave like parents, children will communicate better, and will confide about their problems like harassment by seniors, emotional problems, stress of studies and exams etc.
As a fifth measure, separate toilets should be provided for the staff, students (separate for boys and girls), and class IV employees including the bus staff.
Then again, the entry of the visitors has to be checked and regulated strictly after checking their IDs. In case a parent/relative has come to take his child, make sure it is genuine.
Also, the class teachers should carry out random checks of school bags and inform the parents if they find anything suspicious. Each child must also be issued an I-card, which he/ she should carry along.
During the daily assembly, let the principal take a direct feedback from the students. A separate suggestion box also should be kept in the school.
Keep parents in the loop, hold their meetings regularly and seek their feedback.
Last but not the least, ensure that children arrive and return from the school safely. That will need following all the laid down instructions on the running of the school buses/alternate conveyances.
Passing of instructions is not enough. All these instructions keep coming to schools through the CBSE and the education authorities, but who cares? But now, they have to take care if they do not want cases like that of the Ryan school. Let it be re-emphasised that it is a fundamental right of every child to study in a safe and healthy environment at school.
Always alert, mishap avert
The onus of ensuring the safety of children on the campus is entirely of schools. All schools must take the matter seriously and carry out an honest audit of their security measures. They must have a comprehensive standard operating procedure on child protection policy. Passing of instructions is not enough. All the instructions keep coming to the school from the CBSE and the education authorities, but who cares? Let it be re-emphasised that it is the fundamental duty of every child to study in a safe and secure environment at school.
Bhartesh Singh Thakur
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 27
After the candidature of Haryana Congress leader Geeta Bhukkal's daughter was rejected along with that of other SC candidates for admission to PhD in the English department, Vice-Chancellor Arun Kumar Grover changed the template for admission to MPhil and PhD admissions.
Now, all departments have to consider marks in graduation and postgraduation degrees and initiate admissions afresh.
Bhukkal was the Education Minister during the tenure of Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the Haryana Chief Minister.
Dean of University Instructions Meenakshi Malhotra issued a letter on September 26 to all departments and centres regarding the new template.
Earlier, the departments had devised their own methods and like the English department were admitting students on the basis of interviews. The department had even counselled some candidates to take up MPhil first and gain some research experience before pursuing PhD.
The PU authorities have pointed out that the English department did not get the admission criteria approved from them.
New template
For admission to PhD now, 50 per cent marks have been fixed for the academic record 20 per cent weightage for graduation and 30 per cent for postgraduation. Ten per cent marks will be given for scholarship/fellowship. The interview carries 40 per cent marks 10 per cent marks for the research proposal an 30 per cent for interaction with department committee.
However, for MPhil, 60 per cent weightage will be given for the academic record -- 10 per cent for Class XII, 20 per cent for graduation and 30 per cent for postgraduation. The interview will carry 40 per cent marks.
However, the issue before the departments is that since they have already conducted admissions and at some places students have even started attending MPhil or course work classes (for PhD candidates), how will they conduct admissions again.
It is an evolving process. We have issued the letter to all departments on a new template. You cannot admit candidates on the basis of just interviews or interaction, otherwise we will face allegations of favouritism, said Prof Meenakshi Malhotra.
It has been clarified in the letter that it has come to notice that some departments are preparing their merit lists by using 50 per cent cut-off marks as the criteria for admitting students. There should not be any cut-off point for interaction for admission to the MPhil/PhD programmes. Simply, addition of academic record and interaction may be considered for admission.
Congress leader Geeta Bhukkal said, I dont want to make it a political issue. But if the English department doesnt follow the reservation policy, we will approach the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. My daughter is meritorious and has done BA (Hons) from a top Delhi college. She is a Junior Research Fellow (JRF).
She is being forced to take admission to MPhil in the English department of the PU despite the fact that they have vacant seats for PhD.
No one has been forced to take MPhil. In fact, PhD interviews were held first, a few days earlier than those for MPhil. All candidates appearing for PhD were counselled to come for MPhil interviews also. The interviews were held with full objectivity. The result was the collective decision of the department committee and there was no favouritism, said Prof Rumina Sethi, chairperson, Department of English and Cultural Studies.
SC/ST cell seeks details
The SC/ST cell of the PU has written to all departments to submit details of SC and ST candidates pursuing PhD under each supervisor.
Qualifying marks reduced
On September 23, the PU Syndicate had reduced the qualifying marks in the MPhil/PhD entrance test in paper 1 from 50 per cent to 40 per cent for SCs/STs despite the fact that the results were out and the interviews had been conducted.
Lt-Gen Bhopinder Singh (Retd)
Lt-Gen Bhopinder Singh (Retd)
North Koreas reputation as a roguish and dangerously belligerent regime is a self-earned and -established narrative, though the entirety of the truth on the genesis and the evolution of the crisis in the Korean peninsula is based on incomplete truths that belie the complete facts of history and the accompanying role of the US, over the years. Like the infamous spin-doctoring of the presence of 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' (WMDs) in Iraq, which ostensibly legitimised the US invasion of Iraq - which later spun into aunbridled mayhem by the convenient US withdrawal, is playing out a narrative today in the battlefields, from Syria and Libya to Yemen. Earlier, the same incomplete and convenient US intervention in Afghanistan had left a devastated and destroyed country to the mercy and bloodlust of the erstwhile US-supported mujahidin. That Saddam Hussein or Afghan warlords were once feted and armed by the US is a glossed-over patina that is systematically swept under the carpet as it allows the plausible option for the US to retain the moral high ground.
North Korea's penchant for nuclear-tipped theatrics is now equally matched by US President Donald Trump's reciprocal drama and proclivity for the 'fantastic' - from dropping the GBU-43 MOAB (aka mother of all bombs) in war-torn Afghanistan to raining 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles on a dilapidated airstrip in Syria, the end result of which in both cases was a military dud. The whimsical unpredictability of leadership in both Pyongyang and Washington DC bodes ill. North Korea's relative isolation from the information highway, with its limited ability or desire to communicate externally, ensures that complete truths on the North Korean saga and the shortcomings of the US history and subsequent policies never mar the global perceptions.
The global thaw in the post-Cold War era had reached the Korean peninsula as well, with the signing of the 1994 Agreed Framework, wherein the then-nascent North Korean nuclear programme did agree to freeze the weapons development in exchange for promised aid in a quid pro quo. What is lesser known is the stuttering and delaying of the promised US aid, as presumably the US Congress in the Clinton era, was Republican-controlled. As part of the deal, Pyongyang did shut shop at its Yongbyon reactor till 2003. The non-fulfilment of the deal by the US made North Korea surreptitiously restart its covert operations of uranium-based n-capability.
George W Bush added to the Kim-regime's fears with the famous triad of 'Axis of Evil', wherein he suggested a regime-change, similar to the one undertaken in Iraq. Sanctions were imposed and a crucial Macau bank with North Korean accounts was frozen.
North Korea retaliated and boycotted the six-party talks with the condition that sanctions be lifted. Multiple signals from Pyongyang for negotiations with the US were cavalierly rebuffed. North Korea responded with a tit-for-tat and conducted its first nuclear test in 2006. Its attempts to blackmail the US with its show of military strength resulted in missile tests in 2009, 2013, 2016 and 2017. As late as 2015, the Obama government felt it below its dignity to discuss a joint Chinese-North Korean proposal for freezing North Korean weapons in exchange for ending US military manoeuvres in the Korean peninsula.
The ascendancy of Donald Trump has exacerbated the situation. As North Korea exhibits instincts of a dictatorial regime bent on survival, the US efforts are towards further tightening of the sanctions-led noose (UNSC resolution 2375 was passed last week). Suggestions to negotiate with North Korea by offering to consider the request of suspending US military exercises, by Beijing and Moscow, have been described by Nikki Haley as 'insulting'.
Both Pyongyang and Washington DC are saddled with impulsive bullies who feed partial truths to their respective constituents. The US suffers from a shortsighted sense of history, whereas the North Koreans invoke the lesser known facts of US history, footprint and machinations in Korea. As Naom Chomsky succinctly states, "You can say it's the worst regime in history, whatever you like, but they have been following a pretty rational tit-for-tat policy."
North Korea is a child of WW2
North Korea is a vivisected child of WW2 and the immediate aftermath of the Cold War era that neatly divided the world into two camps: the US-led and the Communist bloc. The bloody Korean War (1950-53) resulted in a 'draw' along the 38th parallel, accounting for over 3 million deaths, most of them in modern day North Korea which lost an unprecedented 15% of its population to the incessant US bombings. Memories of 635,000 tons of bombs (mostly on North Korea) and of 32,557 tons of napalm are preserved and kept alive in North Korea today. The West's blithely forgotten horrors of the US carpet-bombing are carefully contexualised and rationalised by the successive Kim-dynasts to excuse decades of privation to its populace, and to retain the paranoia about the imminent US attack. The legendary US General MacArthur had testified against his own nation's policy in the Senate's Committee on Armed Services and Committee on Foreign Relations by stating: "The war in Korea has already almost destroyed that nation of 20,000,000 people. I have never seen such devastation. I have seen, I guess, as much blood and disaster as any living man, and it just curdled my stomach the last time I was there. After I looked at the wreckage and those thousands of women and children and everything, I vomited If you go on indefinitely, you are perpetuating a slaughter such as I have never heard of in the history of mankind." Like in the Middle East, the savagery, duplicity and selfishness of the West is only remembered by the recipient countries.
The writer is a former Lt-Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands & Puducherry
KC Singh
KC Singh
SEPTEMBER, diplomatically, heralds the UN General Assemblys high-level segment flagging off the next annual session. While India heads to New York annually to shape global agenda, it is wary of Pakistans machinations and its inevitable Kashmir fixation. In recent years, lack of India-Pak political engagement, reassertion of militarys dominance over the Nawaz Sharif government and the civil disturbance in the Kashmir valley since Burhan Wani killing in 2016 has emboldened Pakistan to fan unrest and protest its occurrence for international attention.
This year freshly minted Pakistan PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, if anything, sharpened the anti-India rhetoric, reflecting frustration and the Pakistan armys increased hold over the India file. Although a junior Indian diplomat, using Indias right to reply, responded in kind, dubbing Pakistan Terorristan, the debate since then has swirled whether thereafter External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj should have taken the high road like Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who refused to dignify President Donald Trumps attack on Iran, the nuclear deal brokered by President Obama and the Islamic regime by joining a verbal spat. He simply rebutted charges and chided the US President for inappropriate language at the UN.
Ms Swaraj began sensibly with a tour dhorizon of global challenges like regional tensions, climate change, sustainable development, freedom of the seas, cyber security and terrorism. Turning to Pakistan, she captured the crux of the problem with a one-liner that while India battles poverty, Pakistan battles India. But thereafter her peroration slipped from statesmanship and injured dignity to domestic electioneering mode of hyperbole and finger-pointing, painting entire Pakistan with a broad brush of radicalism and terrorism. It played well domestically and PM Modi instantly tweeted approbation, but the question lingers whether a majority of the nations saw it as an India-Pakistan slanging match distracting from pressing global problems or appropriate riposte to a terror abettor. BJP spokesmen on television argued that Pakistan needed a scolding, irrespective of the time and place of the encounter. Affirmation of the isolation of Pakistan is seen by them in BRICS communique naming Pakistan-sponsored terrorist groups targeting India, President Trumps Pakistan bashing in his Afghanistan policy statement and similar formulation adopted by US Defence Secretary James Mattis during his India-Afghanistan visit.
That Pakistan bashing provides vicarious delight to an average patriotic Indian is a given. It also, more importantly, creates a distraction from the persistent bad news on economy, poor GST implementation and repeated instances of iffy governance in some BJP-run states, particularly UP, left to an administratively inexperienced monk with misjudged priorities. PM Modis resurrection of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC), unceremoniously disbanded on his assuming power, shows acceptance that a problem exists. But his choice of economists for that council confirms that he was not seeking fresh advice as he picked past defenders of, what no less than The Financial Times called, bad policy choices by him personally like demonetisation.
In the meanwhile, the Army Chief, Gen Bipin Rawat, warned Pakistan about a repeat of the surgical strike if errant conduct persisted. While PM Modi can always surprise by yet another about turn in his Pakistan policy, but with the crucial state elections approaching in Gujarat and then next year in bellwether states like Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh as indeed Congress last southern bastion Karnataka, it is unlikely that a Pakistan, itself headed to elections next year, would be engaged differently. It shall be more stick, or at least its waving, than carrots.
India also seems to be relying on US-Pakistan relations getting more strained as Trump ratchets up pressure on Pakistan to stop it from aiding and abetting the Taliban and the Haqqanis in their Afghanistan operations. However, the US finger-pointing and Indias threat of calibrated action across the LoC and naming and shaming of Pakistan at international level may or may not deter the Pakistan army beyond a short period as they will devise a counter-strategy. Logically, they would prioritise by accommodating US concerns by a deft combination of dissimulation and compliance. Relations with India fall in the non-negotiable box and thus would remain open to the usual mix of provocation and denial.
From Indias point of view, this is hardly a sustainable Pakistan policy. Coercion, when power differential between two foes is not vast, can produce uncertain outcomes. This is particularly so because China is the real challenge for India. The immensity of Chinas rise is reflected in an article in The Economist. China today has 89 unicorns (startups valued over $1bn), approaching the valuation of those in the US. There are 609 billionaires in China compared to 552 in the US. China is far ahead of the US in the number of electric cars and as well as network of charging stations. Where India has produced software behemoths dependent on foreign markets but unable to create full spectrum brands, Chinese entrepreneurs have been able to use the Chinese market to perfect new businesses that are penetrating markets abroad.
The founder of Nio, a three-year-old company, combines cloud computing, artificial intelligence and sensing technologies to master autonomous driving. This is when India is still tweaking its driving tests to ensure proper driving skills and road sense. That is like comparing a bullock cart to the Chinese car. Didi, another Chinese startup, pools cars, minibuses/buses and luxury cars, providing 20 million rides per day in China, topping Ubers customers worldwide. Didi has invested in Ola in India, Grab in South-East Asia, 99 in Brazil and Lyft in US. Next rising companies are harnessing bike-sharing in big cities, which are environment friendly and will decongest city centres.
India, meanwhile, has been unable to translate the PMs manufacturing and job creation slogans into reality. It needs to rethink its China and neighbourhood policies, with more inventive diplomacy. Viewing even a humanitarian issue like the Rohingya through a sectarian and security prism is Islamophobia disguised as counter-terrorism. With four out of eight SAARC nations being Muslim majority, can such a vision sustain successful neighbourhood management? But if the revamped EAC or cabinet reshuffle is a determinant, Modi likes change as long as change is likeable.
The writer is a former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs
The resignation of Justice Jayant M Patel of the Karnataka High Court, who had ordered a CBI probe into in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case in Gujarat, has raised many questions over the functioning of the collegium system that is supposed to be free from pressure from all quarters, particularly the executive. Justice Patel has maintained a dignified silence over his resignation and has not linked denial of the Chief Justice slot to him with the Ishrat Jahan case. Questions, however, remain. Was Justice Patels transfer to the Allahabad High Court aimed at scuttling chances of him becoming the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court or to the Supreme Court? Although this is not the first time that a collegium has denied elevation to a judge, Justice Patel indicated his unhappiness over the transfer with just 10 months left for his retirement.
It may be a coincidence that all those who took a stand either way on the investigation into Gujarat riots or criminal cases involving Amit Shah have seen a change in their career trajectories. While the charges against them may stick to those from the executive, it cannot be the case for judges. More light may be shed if Gujarat advocates go ahead with their resolve to seek full disclosure of the reasons of the collegiums of the Supreme Court or High Courts regarding appointments.
Hardly two years back, the Supreme Court struck down the 99th Amendment of the Constitution along with the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act because it compromised judicial independence by allowing the Union Law Minister to be a part of the judges selection panel. Another verdict sought transparency in the collegium system through amendments in the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for appointment of apex and high court judges. But the Centre and the collegium remain at loggerheads over the MoP. It may be easy to blame the executive for interference actual or perceived in judicial affairs. It will also find it difficult to answer the questions raised by the resignation of Justice Patel which can potentially shake public confidence in the judicial system.
Gurugram, September 27
A group of cattle smugglers allegedly fired at two women, including a British national, who were trying to free animals packed into a speeding tempo on the Gurugram-Alwar road, police said on Wednesday.
The incident took place around 2.30 am on Tuesday when Sonia Sharma, a British national, and her friend Archie Baranwal were driving their new SUV and noticed five to six cows in the tempo that was speeding, a police official said.
The tempo had no rear tyres and was running on its rims.
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We found some boys sitting on its roof. We chased the vehicle to prevent the illegal cattle-lifting. The person sitting next to the driver was abusing us, Sharma told PTI.
Seeing the plight of animals, the women called the police and asked the driver to stop. Sensing trouble, the assailants opened fire.
We immediately called the police citing the torture on animals. We also signalled and asked these chaps to stop. To our horror, they started firing. They fired a shot at us also; fortunately it missed us, Sharma said, recapping what had happened.
But the two women were undeterred and continued the chase.
The police came around 2.45 am and the goons fled from the spot, abandoning the vehicle. They managed to get away due to traffic congestion on the way, Sharma added.
Gurgaon Police PRO Ravinder Kumar said a case had been registered in Sohna police station against four to five unidentified cattle smugglers following the complaint by the two women.
No arrests have been made, he said.
Sharma, who is finding it hard to get over the trauma, alleged that there was little evidence of police patrolling or police vigil at that hour of the night and they would like to leave the country.
I have an impression about living in an independent country where I can go anywhere without any fear. But now, I am disgusted and appalled at what happened and just want to leave this country, she said.
She said the incident had completely shaken her faith in the countrys administration and legal system. PTI
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 27
Just about a fortnight after Dera Sacha Saudas sanitisation was carried out under scrutiny of a retired judicial officer, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday made it clear that the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department would look into its report to check for violations.
As a petition filed in public interest on the issue came up for resumed hearing, a Full Bench of the High Court said the sanitisation report would be handed over to the Union of India, the State of Haryana and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Subsequently, the Income Tax department and the Enforcement Directorate would scrutinise the report and look at the funds and properties to see whether there was violation of the Income Tax Act and Prevention of Money Laundering Act before initiating the required action.
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The Bench also asked the Haryana government to look into a media report stating that successive governments extended favours to facilitate constructions in the Dera. The Bench also asked the Haryana government to make clear its stand whether any movable property was removed from the Sirsa-based Dera before the inspection was carried out by the Court Commissioner.
Referring to the damage to private and public properties in the riots following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Bench asked the states of Punjab and Haryana to set up tribunals.
Among other things, the tribunals to be set up on the judicial side would look into the damage to private and public properties, besides perceptible and imperceptible damage as a result of the violence. The tribunals, after assessing the extent of damage, would submit reports to the High Court. The Bench also asked the special investigation team of Haryana Police to look into the FIRs registered in Sirsa in case of missing persons.
The Bench of Justice Surya Kant, Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice Avneesh Jhingan had earlier made it clear that the entire process of sanitising the 700-acre Dera headquarters would be carried under the instructions, control and supervision of the Court Commissioner. The Haryana government was also directed to appoint a duty magistrate to facilitate the sanitisation process.
The Bench made it clear that different agencies, including revenue, taxation, forensic experts and paramilitary forces, would be associated in the process to be video-recorded.
Chandigarh, September 27
Around a fortnight after Dera Sacha Sauda's sanitisation was carried out under scrutiny of a retired judicial officer, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today made it clear that the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department would look into its report to check for violations.
As a petition filed in public interest on the issue came up for resumed hearing, a Full Bench said the sanitisation report would be handed over to the Union of India, the state and the CBI.
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The Bench also asked the Haryana Government to look into a media report stating that successive governments had extended favours to facilitate constructions in the dera. It called for a probe into alleged exemptions given by the Haryana Government to the dera by declaring it a separate village in the revenue records.
The Bench was told that the Hooda and Khattar governments had extended favours to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in regularising illegal constructions.
The Bench also asked the Haryana Government to make clear its stand whether any movable property was removed from the Sirsa-based dera before inspection was carried out by the Court Commissioner.
Referring to the damage to private and public properties in the riots that ensued conviction of the dera chief, the Bench asked both Punjab and Haryana to set up compensation tribunals, which would submit reports to the High Court.
Among other things, the tribunals to be set up on the judicial side would look into the damage to private and public properties, besides perceptible and imperceptible damage as a result of the violence.
The Bench also asked the special investigation team of the Haryana Police to look into FIRs registered in Sirsa in case of missing persons. The Court Commissioner was expected to submit his report on search and seizure when the case would come up on November 9. TNS
Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service
Faridabad, September 27
A milkman was shot dead by armed assailants in the busy market area at Tigaon village, near here, this morning. The victim has been identified as Pramod, aka Bhim (34), a resident of Bhaisrawali village. Some gunmen shot him dead near the HDFC Bank branch at Tigaon around 8.50 am when he was on his way on his motorcycle to distribute milk. Pramod died before he could be shifted to hospital, while the killers, who came in a car, escaped before the police reached the crime spot. This is the third incident of killing by firing in the district in the past nine days.
Dharamvir, Pramods father, told the police that an unsuccessful attempt on his sons life was earlier made a week ago. He said the main suspect hails from their village and he had some enmity with Pramod. Local residents, who assembled near the bank, blocked traffic for about an hour. However, the police got the road cleared.
This is the third incident of killing by firing in the district in the past nine days and six persons have lost their lives and many others injured. The overall murder graph has shown an increase of 21 per cent this year so far in comparison to the corresponding period last year.
Five persons were shot dead and many injured in Palwali village on September 18, two youths were injured in Faridpur village last week when a couple of youths fired on them. The total number of murder cases recorded so far have gone up to 59, against 48 cases registered till September 23 last year. The police have recovered 91 firearms this year.
Commissioner of Police Hanif Qureshi said a database was being prepared to identify the cases of old enmity through sarpanches and panches to keep a tab on such crimes that are mainly committed with unlicensed weapons. Besides installation of more CCTV cameras, patrolling would be increased in sensitive areas. Radhey Shyam, SHO of Tigaon police station, has been transferred to police lines, he added.
Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 27
The Integrated Industrial Licensing Policy (IILP), which the Haryana Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar approved today, is set to benefit Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).
In fact, a slew of incentives in the IILP will give a boost to the integrated township projects (ITPs) of Reliance Industries, which own nearly 1,200 acres in Gurugram and about 7,000 acres in Jhajjar after denotification of its special economic zone (SEZ) in 2013.
The previous Bhupinder Singh Hooda government had allowed development of ITPs after denotification of the SEZs in 2013. Under the new IILP, the sale and purchase of industrial properties in integrated industrial colonies will be governed by the Haryana Apartment Ownership Act, 1983, under which no freehold property could be sold. While 50 per cent of the industrial component will have to be developed for the plug and play model, 20 per cent of the area will be allocated for cluster development. Similarly, residential (up to 10 per cent) and commercial (up to 5 per cent) components will be allowed. A minimum of 15 per cent area of the colony will be earmarked for organised open parking.
The plug-and-play model will help small and medium enterprises, which do not want to go through the whole process of land acquisition and building factories. In a new start-up eco-system where much of the investment is needed for land, the innovator is left with hardly any surplus to invest in technological innovation, Krishan Bedi, Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes, said.
Under the current policy, only plotted development is allowed. Now, the developer will have the option to develop a colony in the shape of an integrated complex comprising industrial apartments/ flatted industries with a global FAR equivalent to 1.0 of the industrial component. The entire complex will be a gated industrial colony with no internal boundary walls separating industrial establishments.
New Delhi, September 26
The Delhi High Court today rejected the transit anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, wanted by the Haryana Police to face charges of sedition and inciting violence following the arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim in twin rape cases last month.
Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal dismissed her plea for a three-week transit anticipatory bail, saying she was not entitled to any discretionary relief as she had evaded arrest. The plea was filed in Delhi to buy time and delay proceedings in Haryana, Justice Sehgal noted.
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The Bench had during the day asked the counsel for Honeypreet (36), said to be the adopted daughter of the jailed dera chief, to show any document that a property in Delhi belonged to her or anyone connected to her.
The easiest way out is that you surrender, Justice Sehgal said, while asking why she was seeking transit anticipatory bail for three weeks.
First you come on jurisdiction. Why has the plea been moved here? You surrender in Delhi and we will take care, the judge said.
Ram Rahim was convicted on August 25 for raping two of his disciples in 2002 and on August 28, he was sentenced to a 20-year jail term.
Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet is among 43 persons wanted by the Haryana Police in connection with violence that followed Ram Rahims conviction. She has been on the run since.
Honeypreets advocate Pradeep Kumar Arya sought protection from arrest during her transit to Haryana for joining probe on the ground that she was a woman and ready to join the investigation. He said there was a threat to her life. If given protection I will move Panchkula court or the Punjab and Haryana High Court for anticipatory bail, the plea said. TNS
Awantipora, September 27
The back of armed militandcy in Kashmir is virtually broken, and now a great deal of political sagacity is needed to ensure that a lasting solution to the decades-long separatist problem is found, the Army commander of the key South Kashmir area has said.
There is no semblance of any space where militants or separatists are in control. Militants are in self-preservation mode, Maj Gen BS Raju, head of Victor Force that performs counter-insurgency operations in five districts of south Kashmir, said in an interview on Tuesday.
He said his focus now was on ensuring that there were no new recruitments in the militant cadres and reaching out to the people to convince them that the Army was there to help, for which his troops had already embarked on a series of projects in schools and colleges.
Overall, most people want a solution. They want to get out of this cycle of violence, said Major General Raju, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Victor Force, based in Awantipora, 33 km south of Srinagar.
South Kashmir was known as the Ground Zero of J&K militancy with the highest number of attacks on security forces recorded here last year. As many as 73 militants have been killed this year in the region alone, more than twice the average number in previous years. It is believed that about 120 armed militants remain, possibly 150.
These days they are not targeting the Army directly, but are looking at softer targets. They are sometimes hitting civilians on the plea of neutralising informants, said the GOC, who took over in March this year. The situation has been brought to a level where political initiative can be started. It is good to see political engagement has started, he said, referring to a flurry of comments by the Centre on holding talks with all stakeholders in Kashmir.
It depends on the political sagacity of the Central government. It will depend a great deal on the Central government. You cant police out militancy from here, he said.
But he noted that a great deal of straight-talking with Kashmiris was needed to tell them what can be given and whats not on the table.
We need to tell people here that azadi under no circumstances is possible. And anything is possible under the Constitution. If you keep harping on azadi you will be in a state of misery for a long time, he said.
Because of the success against home-grown militants, the Army expects cross-border infiltration to increase in the next few weeks to make up for the dead militants. I anticipate more and more attempts to replenish the depleting cadres... (but) the window for infiltration is narrowing as winter is approaching., said Major General Raju, who headed the Uri brigade in 2012.
One of the biggest problems that security forces and the government are facing is the radicalisation and alienation of the younger generation, said the GOC. He noted that most of the militants, pro-independence activists or even the stone-throwers had little grasp of the meaning of azadi. PTI
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, September 27
A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan at home on leave was shot dead in a suspected militant attack in north Kashmirs Bandipore district late Wednesday night. Three of his family members were injured.
The police said a group of militants barged into the house of a BSF jawan, identified as Rameez Ahmad of Parray Mohalla Hajin, 30 km from Srinagar, and tried to kidnap him.
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The family resisted and the militants opened indiscriminate fire, killing Rameez and injuring three of his family members, Bandipore Senior Superintendent of Police Sheikh Zulfiqar said. Soon after the incident, security personnel reached the site and cordoned the area. A search for the assailants has been launched.
It is the second such killing this year. On the evening of May 9, Lt Ummer Fayaz was kidnapped by a group of masked men from his uncles house in Shopian during the marriage ceremony of his cousin. His bullet-riddled body was found the following morning.
Arteev Sharma
Tribune News Service
Jammu, September 27
Notwithstanding the claims of the PDP-BJP coalition government that Kashmir is the warmest place on the earth, J&K has failed to win accolades at the National Tourism Awards, 2015-16 despite its scenic beauty and hospitality.
The National Tourism Awards were presented by President Ram Nath Kovind to various segments of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry at a function organised by the Ministry of Tourism on the occasion of World Tourism Day in New Delhi today.
Barring a joint award in the category of Best Airport clinched by Srinagar International Airport, no other award was given to J&K. The Union Tourism Ministry presents the awards to various segments of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry annually. These are presented to state governments/Union Territories, classified hotels, heritage hotels, approved travel agents, tour operators, tourist transport operators, individuals and other private organisations in recognition of their performance in their respective fields.
This is happening due to non-involvement of trained tourism professionals, both in policy-making and marketing of tourist destinations. In spite of the fact that state universities are offering programmes in tourism management, there is no absorption of trained professional in the state tourism, said Mahesh Koul, who is a consultant with J&K Institute of Management Public Administration.
On September 26, the state Tourism Department released an advertisement titled Warmest Place On Earth with an aim to change the wrong perception about Kashmir. The government had been making appeal to all stakeholders of the tourism industry in the state to join their hands and help in clearing the negative perception about Jammu & Kashmir in some sections of the national media to revive the industry.
Inderjeet Khajuria, chairman of Jammu Paryatan Vikas Mandal, said the tourism industry had suffered badly during the past four years as the tourist footfall had dwindled significantly.
We are left with only Vaishno Devi pilgrimage which too has witnessed a downfall during the past four years. The state government as well as authorities concerned lack a professional approach to revive the tourism industry in the state. Jammu has been paying the price of negative portrayal of J&K in the outside world. Jammu needs to be declared a peace zone. There is a need to change the perception about any violence or trouble in Jammu which is located about 300 km away from the Kashmir valley, Khajuria said.
Vaibhav Sharma, co-founder of Travellers Dost and Himalayas 360, said they were disappointed that barring one, no award was given to J&K at the national-level. The need of the hour is that the state government should involve all stakeholders in building trust that J&K is a safe tourist destination. Besides, it must promote trained tourism professionals to yield good results, he said.
Warmest place on earth
On September 26, the state Tourism Department released an advertisement titled Warmest Place On Earth with an aim to change the wrong perception about Kashmir. The government had been making appeal to all stakeholders of the tourism industry in the state to join their hands and help in clearing the negative perception about J&K in some sections of the national media to revive the industry.
New Delhi, September 27
There is need to change the discourse around Jammu and Kashmir as there is no such thing as the Kashmir issue, Union minister Jitendra Singh has said, stressing that the only point of debate is retrieving Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The minister of state in the Prime Ministers Office said this after paying a pictorial homage to martyrs of Jammu and Kashmir Police and slain Army officer Lt Ummer Fayyaz here on Tuesday.
Lt Fayyazs Facebook page, letters during his Army training days as well as the photographs of slain J&K officers Mohammed Ayoub Pandith, Feroz Ahmed Dar and others were on display at the event.
There is need to change the discourse (on Jammu and Kashmir) for future generations. We have to change the agenda. There is no such issue as Kashmir issue. It is as much a part of India as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or any other state.
The only issue, if at all, is how to retrieve the part of Kashmir which is under the illegal occupation of Pakistan for the past 70 years and restore the Valley in the same format as was handed over by Maharaja Hari Singh, Singh said.
He underlined the Centres proactive steps in bringing development to the Valley, especially with respect to neutralising extremist forces.
The border dwellers, in spite of the hardships they face, have asked us to take strong action against cross-border shelling. We have given our forces confidence and freedom to act on the borders, and the results are for everyone to see.
We have been able to neutralise many terrorists and foil infiltration bids. Our crackdown on terror funding in the Valley is another step towards restoring normalcy in the state, he said.
Hitting out at the past political regimes for mishandling Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, who was also present, said the Modi government was the only ray of hope for the people.
In a first, the Centre and the state government are on the same page with regard to dealing with terrorism and separatism, he said.
On questions being raised against the PDP-BJP coalition in the state, the Deputy CM said such an alliance was a bold decision. We had to leave a lot of issues dear to us for the larger interest of the state, he said.
Jitendra Singh said the foreign outreach by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the major achievements of the current dispensation at the Centre.
Many nations that were earlier not convinced with Indias position on Kashmir have come around. It gives the country a major boost in putting forth its stand on the matter on a global platform, he said.
Talking about the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley, the MoS said it was imperative to create a conducive atmosphere so that the community members return voluntarily.
Former MP Tarun Vijay, who was also present, saluted the sacrifice of civilians, policemen and army personnel who laid down their lives while battling terrorist forces.
Lt Fayaz, an Army officer of Rajputana Rifles, was kidnapped and killed by militants in south Kashmirs Shopian district on May 9 this year.
Srinagar DSP Mohammed Ayub Pandith was lynched to death outside Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta on June 22 while SI Feroz Ahmed Dar was killed by LeT terrorists in Anantnag on June 16. PTI
Bardiya flood survivors brace for joyless festival
Dashain hardly brings joy to the lives of flood-displaced families living in temporary shelters at Rampurtappu of Gulariya-4, Bardiya, since 2014.
Jammu, September 27
Two civilians were injured as the Pakistan Army today targeted forward posts and villages along the LoC in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir with mortars and small arms fire.
The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively and the firing is still on, a defence spokesman said.
"Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 0815 hours in Poonch and Bhimbher Gali sectors along the Line of Control (LoC)", the spokesman said.
Pakistani troops also targeted dozens of villages in LoC in Bhimbher gali, Balakote, Shahpur and Poonch with mortar shells and automatic weapons, leaving two civilians injured The injured have been identified as 55-year-old Sham Akhtar and 28-year-old Raza Ahmed.
On September 24, two soldiers were injured as Pakistan opened fire at forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakote sector of Poonch district.
On September 23, Pakistan troops targeted BoPs in Arnia, R S Pura and Ramgarh and Poonch sectors along the IB and LoC in Jammu, Samba and Poonch districts resulting in injuries to seven persons.
Over 20,000 people have fled their hamlets along the IB in Arnia and R S Pura sectors due to firing and shelling from across the border. PTI
Ishfaq Tantry
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, September 27
A fresh incident of braid cutting has been reported from a village in south Kashmir even as the police have constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the braid-chopping cases on the directions of state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
The latest incident of alleged braid cutting was today reported from Chimmer village in the Damhal Hanjipora-Noorabad belt of Kulgam district, where people staged a protest demanding action against the culprits.
In the state, braid-cutting incidents were first reported in Jammu district. Till September 4, 30 such incidents had been reported to the police. However, so far the police have been clueless about the culprits. No such incident has been reported in the Jammu region in the past fortnight.
Meanwhile, immediately after the incident in south Kashmir today, senior police and administration officials rushed to the area to pacify the protesters, who were demanding action against the culprits.
In the videos of the protests against the braid-chopping incident in Kulgam village circulated in the social media, people alleged that the Army came to the rescue of the culprit after he was apprehended by the protesters.
We are looking into the case, said DIG, south Kashmir, SP Pani. A situation is not always the way people perceive it. Besides, we need not listen to rumour-mongers, the DIG said, adding that the police are already investigating the braid-chopping incidents.
So far, over a dozen incidents of alleged braid cutting have been reported from the south Kashmir districts of Kulgam and Anantnag, creating panic among the people, especially women.
The J&K Police on the directions of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has already constituted a SIT to probe the incidents, but so far there has been no breakthrough.
Expressing concern over the rise in such incidents, the Hurriyat Conference headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a statement today demanded that the culprits behind such shameful acts should be unmasked.
Govt must ensure safety of women: Mir
Srinagar: President of the J&K Democratic Party Nationalist and former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir has asked the state government to make its stand clear on the braid-chopping incidents in Kashmir. The incidents of braid chopping are worrisome. People are pointing fingers at security forces so the government should immediately identify the people behind the incidents and take action against them, Mir said. He said such incidents would deepen the existing mistrust and alienation in Kashmir. There is uncertainty in south Kashmir and women feel insecure. I dont think it should happen when we have a woman Chief Minister here, he said. Mir said the government should take measures to make women feel secure and address the mistrust brewing in Kashmir. The government should take measures to rebuild the trust and confidence among the people before the situation slips out of hand, he said. TNS
Helpline set up
Shyam Sood
Rajouri, September 27
The Pakistan army today targeted Indian forward posts and civilian areas in the Shahpur area in the Poonch sector and the Balakot area in the Bhimber Gali sector with automatic weapons and mortars, injuring two civilians at Dharati village.
The Pakistan army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing with small arms and mortars at about 8.15 am in the Poonch and Bhimber Gali sectors along the Line of Control (LoC). The firing and shelling stopped at about 10.20 am. It was retaliated strongly and effectively by our troops said Col NN Joshi, defence spokesman.
As shelling started, people took shelter inside their houses. Some schools near the LoC were also reportedly closed by the administration in the Balakot area.
A few mortar shells fell in Dharati village in the Balakot area, resulting in splinter injuries to two persons, including a woman. The injured have been identified as Raza Ahmed and Shamim Akhter.
The Pakistan army is continuously targeting Indian posts for the last few days to divert the attention of Indian soldiers so that trained terrorists can be pushed to the Indian side said a source.
He saidcommanders of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen were camping near Pakistani posts in PoK, opposite the Kirni, KG, BG and Soujian sectors, along with trained terrorists.
Tral blast toll reaches 3
Srinagar: A civilian injured in a grenade blast in south Kashmirs Tral last week succumbed to his injuries in a Srinagar hospital on Wednesday, taking the civilian toll to three. He was identified as Mushtaq Sheikh, 35, a resident of Tral-e-Payeen. A father of two, Mushtaq was admitted to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar after he was critically wounded in the blast. As news of Mushtaqs death reached his native village, a shutdown was observed.
Azhar Qadri
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, September 26
The longest-surviving militant commander, who once led a major revolt against the Pakistan-based militant leadership and founded a radical group Lashkar-e-Islam, was killed on Tuesday while he was infiltrating back into Kashmir valley, police said.
Qayoom Najar, 45, was killed close to the Line of Control in Uri sector of north Kashmirs Baramulla district, immediately after infiltrating back into the Valley, two senior police officials said.
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The security forces initially suspected that an unidentified foreign militant was killed in a routine infiltration attempt, but subsequent investigations found that the slain militant was Najar.
Inspector General of Police Kashmir Muneer Khan told The Tribune that Najar was returning to Kashmir to take over the command of Hizbul Mujahideen, whose top commanders in the region were killed in recent months and which is facing an ideological challenge from its former commander Zakir Musa, who now leads Qaida-linked Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Islam.
Najar, a resident of north Kashmirs Sopore town, had joined Hizbul Mujahideen in the early part of 1990s and had topped the security forces list of most wanted militants in the region for almost a decade.
Najar, whose appearance remained anonymous for his entire militant life, carried a bounty of Rs 12.5 lakh and had fluctuating and fractured relations with his parent organisation Hizbul Mujahideen.
In October 2014, Najar had compiled a hit-list of alleged informers working for security forces, which included two high-profile members of the separatist group led by Syed Ali Geelani. The list was rejected by Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin, which caused friction between the two commanders.
Months later, in the summer of 2015, Najar led a major revolt against Hizbul Mujahideens Pakistan- based leadership and formed a radical new group called Lashkar-e-Islam. Salahuddin and Geelani initially claimed Lashkar-e-Islam was a creation of Indian intelligence agencies, but later Najar was publicly suspended from the membership of Hizbul Mujahideen.
During its revolt, Najars Lashkar-e-Islam had carried out attacks on the telecom sector as it blamed the widespread use of mobile phone communication for leaking information about the movement of militants.
His splinter group had also killed six individuals on accusations of working as informers for security agencies, which included former militants and members of Geelanis group.
Najar along with his Lashkar-e-Islam deputy commander Tariq Mir had also barged into Geelanis Srinagar residence and threatened him for interfering in militant operations.
Najar had reportedly reconciled with Hizbul, according to police sources, and had ex-filtrated to Pakistan from where he was returning to Kashmir valley.
Los Angeles, September 27
Actor Chris Hemsworth says he had requested the makers of "Thor: Ragnarok" to shoot the film in Australia, and was lucky that they agreed to it.
"I asked if we could shoot in Australia and thankfully the Marvel guys said they would look into it but couldn't promise anything. To me, to be home again for more than two weeks would be fantastic. And it worked out. It was so good," Hemsworth said in a statement.
"It was so nice being there. There's just such a familiarity with the crew and everything here. And I get to sleep in my own bed. But I also think there's such wonderful talent here as well, in the cast and crew across the board. So it was fantastic. And the weather was brilliant. I don't think we got rained out at all. It's just been one of the best shoots I've been part of," he added.
Hemsworth will be back as Thor in the third instalment.
Asked about the experience of shooting in Brisbane, Hemsworth said: "Man, that was nuts. I'd never seen that many people excited for a film crew. There were more people there than any premiere I've been to, and more excitement and buzz than any premiere event I've been to.
"The people of Brisbane were thrilled and packed in the streets to catch a look. The city sort of stopped for those couple of days. It was such a positive buzz, and we were all trying to get out there and sign autographs in between takes as much as we could. That was pretty special.
It was great." Marvel Studios' "Thor: Ragnarok" is directed by Taika Waititi and also stars Idris Elba, Tom Hiddelston, Anthony Hopkins, and Jeff Goldblum among others. The movie will release in India on November 3. IANS
Our Correspondent
Ludhiana, September 27
The Chambers of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU) in association with the United Nation Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) organised a workshop to promote concentrating solar thermal (CST) technologies for the industrial sector.
The workshop was organised with cooperation of the Punjab Energy Development of Agency (PEDA) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India.
While addressing participating members of the industry, the CICU general secretary, Upkar Singh Ahuja, emphasised the importance of such workshops to learn about innovation in the renewable energy sector and to interact with experts with the objective of transition to solar energy.
In his presentation, Ahuja highlighted that the CICU had organised several national and state-level activities in the form of seminars, training programmes, exhibitions and interactive discussion to encourage innovations in industries.
The UNIDO National Project Manager, Anil Misra, demystified barriers associated with the technology adoption. He also shared details on the most suitable solar thermal technologies, including parabolic troughs, dish collectors and linear fresnel systems.
The UNIDO has partnered with the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) to develop a financial package bundling the subsidy from the MNRE and soft loan to support the installation of the CST project for industrial applications of heating and cooling, he added.
The PEDA, District Manager, Anupam Nanda, said the lack of reliable supply of energy was a major problem faced by industries in Ludhiana.
The CST technology will help make balance sheets of organisations greener as it makes perfect business sense by helping save energy, thereby costs incurred on conventional power sources, he said.
Ludhiana with its dynamic industrial sector is a suitable place not only for application of the CST technology, but is also suitable for the CST manufacturing. It can become a hub where all components of the CST systems could be manufactured, he added. He said a few CST systems had been adopted by NGOs, institutions and religious places as well.
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 27
The Army on Wednesday launched a major offensive against the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) (K) militants. Almost a dozen militants were gunned down.
The incident took place on the Indo-Myanmar border.
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The Army troop was on patrol when they came in contact with the militants.
The incident occurred in the north-eastern Nagaland.
Responding to a question about the incident at a Cabinet briefing later in the day, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said: "There are no two opinions that Myanmar is a friendly country. Whatever information we get, we will inform you about it".
However, a Facebook post by one Isak Sumi, who is on the 'Most Wanted List' of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), said the encounter occurred on the outskirt of Langkhu village located inside Myanmar occupied Naga area, 10-15 km away from Indo-Myanmar border.
"The encounter started around 3 AM when the elite unit of the Naga Army detected a column of Indian Army approaching their temporary make shift camp in the outskirt of Langkhu village located inside Myanmar occupied Naga area, 10-15 kms away from Indo-Myanmar border. The exchange was continuing till the time of filing this report," said Sumi, who is referred to as the PRO of the NSCN by the NIA on its website updated last year.
He claimed that "three Indian soldiers were killed and an unconfirmed number injured but there was no casualty or injury on the Naga Army".
His post states that he is currently based in Yangon in Myanmar and his social media records as also the details on the NIA website state that he belongs to Zunheboto district in Nagaland.
The Army sources have maintained that it was "not a surgical strike". Its response came hours after Sumi's post.
The Army also said it had no casualties, though there were reports in a section of the media quoting the NSCN (K) Facebook page saying the Army had three casualties.
The Eastern Command also tweeted: "Reports of casualties to #IndianArmy personnel factually incorrect. Firefight occurred along Indo-Myanmar border at 0445 hrs today @adgpi."
In June 2015, the Army had conducted a similar operation against banned insurgent groups following the killing of 20 soldiers in Manipur. With PTI
New Delhi, September 27
The Army today inflicted heavy casualties on insurgents belonging to the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K). The Kolkata-based Eastern Army Command said the Army carried out retaliatory fire along the Myanmar border in the wee hours and that the troops suffered no casualties.
The Eastern Command said a column of the Indian Army operating along the Myanmar border was fired upon by unidentified insurgents of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) around 4.45 am.
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Own troops reacted swiftly and brought down heavy retaliatory fire. The insurgents broke contact and fled. As per inputs, a large number of casualties were suffered by the insurgents. Own troops suffered no casualties, the statement read, claiming the troops did not cross the international border.
While Army sources maintained it was not a surgical strike, the Eastern Command tweeted that reports of casualties to the Army personnel were factually incorrect.
Earlier this month, an insurgent of the SS Khaplang faction of the banned NSCN was killed as the Armys special forces launched an operation in eastern Arunachal Pradesh to choke transit routes to militants from the Northeast, operating from Myanmar.
A Facebook post by Isak Sumi, on the Most Wanted List of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), said the encounter occurred on the outskirts of Langkhu village in Myanmar-occupied Naga area, 10-15 km from the border. He claimed three Indian soldiers were killed. TNS
Shahira Naim
Tribune News Service
Lucknow, September 27
Banaras Hindu University Dean of students Mahendra Kumar Singh has replaced chief proctor ON Singh who resigned last night, taking moral responsibility for the recent sexual molestation of a student and the police violence that rocked the campus after that.
ON Singh had reportedly received a complaint from the girl student within an hour of the incident on the campus at 6 pm on September 21, but he refused to act upon it. He handed over his resignation to Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi soon after he returned from New Delhi on Tuesday evening after attending the BHU executive council meeting.
This is the first head to roll in the BHU administration. While the district administration had removed three additional city magistrates and three policemen reportedly responsible for the police atrocity on the girl students on the night of September 23, the BHU administration was not even ready to acknowledge the violence and even denied that girl students had been targeted by the police during the lathicharge.
A four-page internal report by the outgoing chief proctor and the Vice-Chancellor had downplayed the sexual harassment incident describing it as an incident of eve-teasing.
However, pressure mounted on the BHU administration after the probe panel headed by Varanasi divisional commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn blamed the BHU administration for the violence on the campus.
The report categorically blamed the university administration for not handling the matter sensitively. The report is being studied by the Department of Home. There are two more inquiries pending a magisterial inquiry ordered by the Varanasi district magistrate and a judicial inquiry ordered by the V-C.
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), September 27
The Banaras Hindu Universitys Chief Proctor Prof O. N. Singh has resigned from his post, taking moral responsibility for the violence on the campus.
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Singh submitted his resignation to the Vice-Chancellor on late Tuesday night. The resignation was immediately accepted by Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi, officials said.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a baton-charge by the police in BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent. An inquiry has been ordered into the violence on the campus.
Read: BHU violence: VC orders judicial probe
Professor M. K. Singh of BHU Medical College has been given the charge of the Chief Proctor, a press release from the BHU said.
The violence had erupted on the campus last weekend after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the Vice-Chancellor at his residence.
The protesting students were demanding round-the-clock security, making security personnel accountable for untoward incidents targeting girls, CCTV network and proper checking at the gates, recruitment of women security guards and setting up of a gender sensitisation panel. PTI
BP Koirala Cancer Hospital adds new building with 80 beds
A newly built building with 80 beds of the BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital came into operation from Friday.
New Delhi, September 27
The Union Cabinet today approved enhancing the retirement age of government doctors working in various departments to 65 years. The current retirement age ranges between 60 and 62 years.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, decided that doctors would hold administrative posts till the age of 62 and thereafter their services shall be placed in non-administrative positions.
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Health Minister JP Nadda welcomed the decision, saying its pragmatic and will strengthen health services. The ministry hopes the move will not only help in improving academic activities in medical colleges but also in implementing national health programmes.
The decision may not have much financial implications as a large numbers of posts are lying vacant and the incumbents would continue to work in their existing capacity against sanctioned posts. Around 1,445 doctors of various ministries and departments of the Central Government will be benefited, the minister said.
The superannuation age of doctors under the administrative control of the Ministry of AYUSH (AYUSH doctors), Department of Defence (civilian doctors under Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Service), Department of Defence Production (Indian Ordnance Factories Health Service Medical Officers), dental doctors under Health & Family Welfare, dental doctors under the Ministry of Railways and doctors working in higher education and technical institutions has been enhanced to 65. TNS
Mobile towers in Cantt
New Delhi: In order to improve mobile phone connectivity, the Cabinet approved installation of telecom towers in all Army cantonments. Telecom companies frequently complain about lack of adequate space for installing towers around defence cantonments, which lead to an increase in call drops. The government had previously allowed the towers to be installed in government buildings.
New York, September 27
Pakistan received a proposal to swap Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav for a terrorist who carried out the horrific 2014 Peshawar school attack and is now jailed in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif has claimed.
Asif, however, did not specify the name of the terrorist and the National Security Adviser who made the proposal. The terrorist who killed children in APS (Army Public School) in Peshawar is in Afghan custody. The National Security Adviser (NSA) told me that we can exchange that terrorist with the terrorist you have, which is Kulbhushan Jadhav, Asif told the audience after his speech at the Asia Society here yesterday.
He discussed Pakistans vision for and approach towards regional peace and development during his conversion with author and journalist Steve Coll.
Asif said Pakistan had suffered grievously from conflict and instability in Afghanistan. Unless this cycle is reversed, we would continue to bear the brunt. No country, therefore, has a larger stake in seeing peace and stability return to Afghanistan than Pakistan. Regrettably, the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse, he said.
Jadhav, a 46-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was in April sentenced to death by Pakistans Field General Court Martial on charges of his alleged involvement in espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan. PTI
India-China ties like monsoon: Envoy
Mumbai: The relations between India and China are like the monsoon that rains differently every year, China's Consul General Zheng Xiyuan has said. He was addressing a gathering here last evening in celebration of the 68th National Day of the Peoples Republic of China. Relation between China and India is just like the monsoon. There are different levels of rainfall in different years. And, sometimes you have clouds as well, he said, alluding to the Dokalam episode. PTI
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 27
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram today complimented rival BJPs Yashwant Sinha for speaking truth to power in a gesture he himself described as rare.
It is not often that, from this platform, the principal Opposition party will welcome a statement of a veteran leader of the ruling party. Today, I warmly applaud the article of Yashwant Sinha, Finance Minister in the Vajpayee government (between 1998 and 2003) because the article speaks the truth about the economy, the former Finance Minister said today at the Congress headquarters.
He rejected insinuations that his party was using Sinha to get at the BJP and said: We are not using him. We have been saying for long what Sinha said today. His views coincide with the view of many BJP members who have privately spoken to us about their fears over economy, the former minister in the UPA government said.
Leading the attack on PM Narendra Modi for halting the growth of economy, Chidambaram said an atmosphere of fear was keeping everyone from speaking the truth about the way things were going.
I appeal to the industry to speak up. Industry does not complain. They complain to us in private. During UPA times, industry chambers were very vocal in criticising us. Industry should speak up even today, Chidambaram said, asking those with knowledge about the economy to shed their fears and write the truth.
Dar ko chhod do (do not fear), Chidambaram said after he had highlighted portions from Sinhas article to drive home Congress point that demonetisation and poor GST implementation had hit growth hard. Sinha is absolutely correct when he writes that instilling fear in the minds of the people is the name of the new gameWe are happy that Sinha has echoed our criticism. Making light of BJPs claims of being one of the fastest growing economies, he said it would be a miracle if the BJP revived the economy before the 2019 General Election.
Sinha has echoed our views: Cong
We are happy Yashwant Sinha has spoken truth, echoed our views about economy... he has spoken truth to the power... It is a sad commentary on our times that MPs are afraid to reflect what they see and hear around them... yet we call ourselves a free country. P Chidambaram, ex-Finance Minister
New Delhi, September 27
Age is just a number for 91-year-old tour guide Rama Khandwala, who received the special best tourist guide award from President Ram Nath Kovind at the National Tourism Awards here today.
Khandwala served as a Second Lieutenant in the Rani Jhansi Regiment of Azad Hind Fauj in Rangoon, led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. After World War II, Khandwala and her family settled down in Mumbai.
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I was a freedom fighter. I wanted to do something for the nation. Vallabhbhai Patel told me to join politics, but I refused. I thought I can enhance the countrys image by being in this (tourism) field, she said. Tourists often used to tell me that there was a lot of poverty in India. I would ask them, What was your country 300 years ago? They would have no answer.
A vibrant Khandwala recollected how a woman from Holland was so impressed by the people in the slums that she wished to stay there.
I feel good here because these people take care of their old parents so well, unlike in our country where children come with flowers in 15 days or so, Khandwala quoted the woman.
Besides the amazing destinations, India has a lot to offer, she says: the culture and the experience, the human touch, the feelings.
Khandwala, who is fluent in Japanese, pitches for tourism courses at the regional level. Her advice to young tour guides: Put your heart into work, make tourists laugh and laugh with them. And remember, she adds: Always keep the countrys image in the forefront. PTI
Alphons is hands-on
Tourism Minister Alphons Kannanthanam on Wednesday took PM Narendra Modis call for Swachhta hi Seva (cleanliness is service) to a whole new level by wiping paan and gutkha stained walls with bare hands. The minister, who took part in the campaign at Janpath market in Central Delhi, cleaned the walls first with water and then detergent using his hands, as his staff scrambled to find him a brush.
Ek scrubber la do, the minister said. As officials scurried to get him a scrubber of choice, he poured copious amounts of detergent on his hand and proceeded to rub it on wall after wall. Clean hua na? he asked people around, who applauded the zeal. PTI
Dehradun, September 27
A trekking team, comprising senior officials of the Indian Oil, Delhi government and CPWD, have been stranded in the snowbound Vanpatiya area in Rudraprayag district for three days.
The 11-member team got stranded during its expedition from Badrinath to Kedarnath. The matter came to light on Tuesday evening after two members managed to come down at Madmaheshwar and informed the administration, District Magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal told PTI.
The area is receiving snow which makes it hard to access it...we have requisitioned the IAF for its assistance to rescue the trekking team, which includes a GM-level official of the Indian Oil, the DM said.
A combined team of the police, the NDRF and the disaster management personnel had been dispatched to Vanpatiya to assist the trekkers, said the DM.
However, it would take them time to reach the trekkers as they were only halfway through, he added.
The team includes two self-employed persons and some porters. PTI
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 27
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders from Delhi, who ran the show during the Assembly elections earlier this year, are missing from the political arena for the Gurdaspur parliamentary bypoll.
The state unit is handling the campaigning with no Delhi leader, including party convener Arvind Kejriwal, planning to visit the border constituency so far.
So, the byelection is a litmus test of the claims of unified state unit, which had protested against the control of the Delhi leadership.
After the Assembly elections, then state convener Gurpreet Singh Wariach (Ghuggi) had led a group of leaders, seeking autonomy in the partys functioning. Later, Ghuggi had resigned.
A committee of state office-bearers, in consultation with state convener Bhagwant Mann and Leader of the Opposition Sukhpal Khaira, prepares the daily programme as well as analyses the days report.
National organisation head Durgesh Pathak and former political affairs in-charge of the state Sanjay Singh are not involved in any discussion.
Our state leaders are in the field, Mann said, adding, we have divided work among ourselves. The state unit is managing the affairs.
He and Khaira are holding the fort in the segment.
Mann said the party was not planning big rallies. The election scene here is different from Malwa. It seems people dont prefer to come in droves on tractor-trolleys to rallies. The mode of campaigning is nukkad meetings and small rallies.
State AAP secretary Gulshan Chhabra said that so far, no leader from Delhi was scheduled to visit the constituency.
In the Assembly elections, AAP did not win a single seat from Majha. Similar was the situation in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, though the party had won four seats in the state.
Party insiders said the Delhi leadership had left it to the state unit to manage the affairs.
There was a lot of friction between the Punjab and Delhi leadership during and after the Assembly elections. The state unit later asserted itself on many decisions. It is important that they call the shots for the byelection. There is no plan of Kejriwal campaigning in Gurdaspur, but the AAP movement centres around him. We hope to see him soon, an AAP leader said.
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, September 27
As many as 83 awards, including 22 gallantry, were presented here today by the Golden Key Division of Western Command of the Indian Army.
Lieutenant General Surinder Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, presented 83 awards, both for gallantry and distinguished service. Seventeen elite Combat Units of Western Command were also honoured for their professional excellence. Presentation of 22 gallantry awards was the highlight of the event wherein brief citations of the act of gallantry of 22 Army officers and soldiers were read out as their recipients were awarded these medals.
Stories of indomitable courage of the bravehearts in the face of adversities charged the atmosphere with patriotic fervour. Six of these awardees were honoured posthumously. Their wives travelledfrom far off places to participate in the awardceremony.
Guddi, the wife of late Naik Ram Singh, came from a village in Rewari district of Haryana. When asked whether she would allow her children to join the Indian Army like their father she asserted that she would motivate both her sons to join the armed forces and follow in the glorious footsteps of their father.
Neeta Deswal, the wife of late Major Amit Deswal of 21 Para, a resident of Dehradun, decided to join the Indian Army after the martyrdom of her husband fighting anti-national forces in the northeast. She is presently undergoing training at the Officers Training Academy, Chennai.
Lady Cadet Neeta Deswal said that she took the decision to join the Indian Army to fulfill the aims, aspirations and dreams of my brave husband, which she said continues to inspire and guide me at every step.
Doon Valley boasts of one of the highest numbers of gallantry award winners. Six highly decorated veterans from Dehradun also graced the occasion.
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, September 27
Nine members of a trekking team that had got stranded along Panpatiya trekking route falling between the shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath in Uttarakhand, though exhausted, are all safe. Rescue teams have zeored in on their locations.
The trekking team had lost way a few days ago while undertaking this most arduous trek in the snow-capped terrain at a height of over 4,000 m above sea level. The stranded trekkers, mostly officials of Indian Oil Corporation, are from West Bengal and are completely exhausted.
Uttarakhand Inspector General of Police Sanjay Gunjyal disclosed that they have zeored in on the possible location of nine stranded trekkers. Those stranded include five IOC officials and four porters.
He said the exact locations will be known shortly as rescue team members have already reached Budda Madmaheshwar and were further carrying out the rescue operations.
He apprised that the rescue teams that include police, administration officials and state disaster response force officials have left for the site and if needed a helicopter could also be pressed into service as part of the rescue.
Significantly, some of the other porters that were part of the trekking team reached Madhmashwar yesterday and informed the authorities about the concerned trekking team getting stranded.
New York, September 27
Pakistan's Foreign Minister has acknowledged that Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, the Haqqanis and the LeT are "liabilities" for the country but it does not have the required "assets" to get rid of them.
Khawaja Asif said that the US, which is putting pressure on Pakistan to tackle terrorist groups operating from its soil, once used to treat them as "darlings" just 20 to 30 years back.
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US President Donald Trump had last month criticised Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying it receives billions in US aid but continues to harbour militants.
"Don't blame us for the Haqqanis (the Haqqani terror network) and don't blame us for the Hafiz Saeeds (chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa terror group)," Khawaja Asif said at the Asia Society forum here on Wednesday.
"These were the people who were your darlings just 20 to 30 years back. They were being dined and wined in the White House and now you say 'go to hell Pakistanis because you are nurturing these people'," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.
It is very easy to say Pakistan is floating the Haqqanis and Hafiz Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. They are liabilities, Asif said.
"I accept that they are liabilities, but give us time to get rid of them because we don't have the assets to match these liabilities and you are increasing them (our liabilities) further," the minister said.
Pakistan is ready to work with the US for effective management of the Afghan border to stop terrorist infiltration and to facilitate a peace settlement in Afghanistan, he said.
Speaking at the forum, Asif said that there was no military solution to the festering conflict in Afghanistan.
"Scape-goating Pakistan for all the Afghan ills is neither fair nor accurate. This will only help forces that we are trying to fight collectively," he said.
Asif also talked about Pakistan's relations with India, the Kashmir dispute, counter-terrorism measures and the country's economic progress.
"We cannot take responsibility for Afghanistan's peace and security and be asked to achieve what the combined strength of some of the most powerful and richest countries could not accomplish," he said.
Talking about Pakistan's sour relations with India, the minister said that a new initiative was needed to bring India and Pakistan to the negotiating table.
He said that the need to discuss all issues, including the decades-old Kashmir dispute the main source of tension between the two countries.
"Peace in the neighbourhood is impossible to achieve unless relations with India improve. Pakistan reached out to India to seek normalisation of relations and resolution of all disputes through dialogue and engagement, but India did not reciprocate," Asif claimed.
Pakistan is ready to work with India to seek peaceful resolution of all disputes and to create an environment of peace and stability allowing the people of the two countries to realise their aspirations of prosperity and development, the minister added. PTI
Kabul, September 27
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis visited Kabul on Wednesday to pledge support for the government of President Ashraf Ghani, with the precarious security in the Afghan capital underlined by a rocket attack on the airport hours after he touched down. Five civilians were heart in the attack.
Arriving from India, where he sought support for the US administrations new South Asia security plan, Mattis said the US was determined not to allow a merciless enemy to kill its way to power.
Promising a more holistic approach without fixed timetables and involving other countries in the region, including Pakistan, he said the Taliban would have to learn they could not defeat the government.
I want to reinforce to the Taliban that the only path to peace and political legitimacy for them is through a negotiated settlement, Mattis told a joint news conference with Ghani and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
The visit comes after US President Donald Trump announced a new strategy for Afghanistan, promising a stepped-up military campaign against Taliban insurgents who have gained ground as they seek to reestablish Islamic law after their 2001 ouster.
But a rocket attack on Kabul airport that injured five civilians and was claimed by both Islamic State and Taliban insurgents highlighted the rebels ability to strike the Western-backed government.
Fighters holed up in a nearby building continued to resist security forces for hours, a spokesman for the interior minister said.
Mattis condemned the attack as a criminal act by terrorists, adding that it was a classic definition of what the Taliban are up to here now.
There are now about 8,400 US troops in Afghanistan as part of the 13,500 NATO-led Resolute Support mission advising and training Afghan forces as well as a separate counterterrorism mission, targeting Islamic State and Al-Qaida.
As part of the new strategy, which will give US commanders greater freedom to use American firepower against the Taliban, Mattis has said the US will send an additional 3,000 troops to help train Afghan security forces. Reuters
US, NATO chief renew peace pledge
Caan chief told not to attend his office, asked to report to ministry
Despite widespread criticism, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has initiated the process of sacking the chief of the aviation sector regulatory body, in a move that could jeopardise initiatives taken so far to enhance air safety standards in the country.
Islamabad, September 27
Pakistans Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was indicted by an anti-corruption court today, but the close aide of ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pleaded not guilty to possessing assets beyond his means.
Dars indictment comes a day after the Accountability Court decided to indict Sharif on October 2 after the former prime minster for the first time appeared before it to face graft charges against him in the Panama Papers scandal. Dar was also swept up in the corruption case stemming from documents leaked from a Panama law firm. PTI
Islamabad, September 27
Pakistans Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was on Wednesday indicted by an anti-corruption court hearing the Panama Papers case for possessing assets beyond known sources of income.
The minister pleaded not guilty to all charges, terming them baseless.
Anti-corruption watchdog National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on September 8 filed a case against Dar for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income following the July 28 verdict of the Supreme Court.
The apex court had disqualified Nawaz Sharif as the prime minister and ordered corruption cases against him, his children Maryam, Husain and Hasan and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar.
Chaos prevailed outside the accountability court when Dar arrived for the hearing. The doors to the court were shut for reporters, and the finance minister had to wait at least 20 minutes before he was allowed to enter the court premises from the back door.
The minister refused to accept the charges read out by accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir and said his assets were in accordance with income and he would prove it with evidence during the trial.
The court ordered the NAB to present evidence and the NAB prosecutor submitted a list of 28 witnesses whom it would present in the court to testify in support of the charges.
Dar also asked the court to allow him to skip personal appearance during the trial and the court said it would decide later.
The court has already decided to conduct day-to-day hearing in the case.
Arif Chaudhry, president, Islamabad High Court Bar Association, said the evidence of prosecution would be important as the court would decide the case on the basis of it.
The evidence will be judged and defence lawyers given an opportunity to present counter-evidence to reject the charges, he said.
Rana Sanalullah, law minister of Punjab Province and a vocal member of ruling Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N), rejected the charges against Dar. The charges and indictment of Dar is a joke, he said.
Dar has a long association with the Sharif family. Dars son has been married to Sharifs daughter Asma Nawaz.
He was also imprisoned when the Sharif government was toppled in 1999. He was under pressure by the Opposition to resign after the NAB filed a case against him but so far he has refused to do so.
The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money-laundering against Sharif, his sons Hassan and Hussain, daughter Maryam, son-in-law Safdar, and Finance Minister Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.
Sharifs family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated. PTI
Moscow (Russia), September 27
A Russian cannibal couple is reported to have skinned their victims alive after knocking them out with sedatives, then preserved their parts in a saline solution.
The city police have arrested the couple Natalia Baksheeva and her husband Dmitry Baksheev.
The authorities are of the opinion that there is likelihood that the couple is responsible for deaths or disappearances of as many as 30 persons in the area about five hours from Sochi, the media reports said.
An investigation is under way and if all the killings are confirmed, the couple would rank among the countrys worst serial killers.
Baksheev confessed that he and his wife had practised cannibalism at least 30 times in the past two decades.
The horrendous incident came to light when road repairing crew found a discarded phone and swiped through the photos.
On the phone were photos of a man with different parts of a dismembered human body in his mouth, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement.
A dismembered corpse of a 35-year-old woman was also found.
The investigators were able to determine the phones owner via special technical measures and arrested Baksheev, according to a news release.
A glass jar with a canned hand, fragments of the human body in saline solution and frozen meat parts of unknown origin have been recovered, reported multiple media reports. ANI
Riyadh/Washington, September 27
Saudi King Salman on Tuesday ordered that women be allowed to drive cars, ending a conservative tradition seen by rights activists as an emblem of the Islamic kingdoms repression of women.
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The kingdom, the birthplace of Islam, has been widely criticised for being the only country in the world that bans women from driving, despite gradual improvement on some womens issues in recent years and ambitious government targets to increase their public role, especially in the workforce.
Despite trying to cultivate a more modern image in recent years, the driving ban had been a longstanding stain on Saudi Arabias international image.
The royal decree ordered the formation of a ministerial body to give advice within 30 days and then implement the order by June 24, 2018, according to state news agency SPA.
It stipulated that the move must apply and adhere to the necessary Sharia standards, referring to Islamic law. It gave no details but said a majority of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars, Saudi Arabias top clerical body, had approved its permissibility.
An hour after the official announcement in Saudi Arabia, a jubilant Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prince Khaled bin Salman, said it was an historic and big day in our kingdom.
I think our leadership understands that our society is ready. I think its the right decision at the right time, the ambassador said.
Positive reactions quickly poured in from inside the kingdom and around the world.
The U.S. State Department welcomed the move as a great step in the right direction. President Donald Trump commended the decision, the White House said in a separate statement that pledged U.S. support for a plan the Kingdom announced last year for economic and social reforms.
This is a positive step toward promoting the rights and opportunities of women in Saudi Arabia, the White House statement said. We will continue to support Saudi Arabia in its to efforts to strengthen Saudi society and the economy through reforms like this and the implementation of Saudi Vision 2030. For more than 25 years, women activists have campaigned to be allowed to drive, defiantly taking to the road, petitioning the king and posting videos of themselves behind the wheel on social media. The protests brought them arrest and harassment.
Activist Manal al-Sherif, who was arrested in 2011 after a driving protest, took to Twitter following the kings announcement to express her relief. Today, the last country on earth to allow women to drive... we did it, she wrote.
Latifa al-Shaalan, a member of the Shura Council, an advisory body, said the decision would strengthen womens employment in the private sector.
This is an historic day and I cannot find the words to express my feelings and the feelings of thousands of Saudi women, she said on Arabiya TV.
CONSERVATIVE PUSHBACK
In Saudi Arabia, a top Arab ally of the United States, women are legally subject to a male guardian, who must give approval to basic decisions they make in fields including education, employment, marriage, travel plans and even medical treatment.
Women in the kingdom are also bound by law to wear long robes and a headscarf and require the consent of a male guardian for most legal actions.
Prince Khaled, the ambassador, said women would not need permission from their guardians to get a license or have a guardian in the car and would be allowed to drive anywhere in the kingdom, including the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Women with a license from any of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries would be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, he added. He said the Interior Ministry would have to decide whether they could be professional drivers.
In terms of international PR, this is the biggest overnight win that Saudi Arabia - and particularly MBS - could possibly have, said Jane Kinninmont, senior research fellow at Chatham House.
The position of Saudi women gradually improved under late King Abdullah and since King Salman took over in 2015, the kingdom has been opening more areas for women through the governments modernising reforms.
That has sparked tensions with influential clerics upon whose support the ruling family relies.
Some reactions to Tuesdays announcement reflected that.
Critics took to Twitter to denounce the decision, accusing the government of bending the verses of Sharia.
As far as I remember, Sharia scholars have said it was haram (forbidden) for women to drive. How come it has suddenly become halal (permissible)? another user wrote.
Asked whether he was worried about a conservative backlash, the ambassador said: On these changes some people will be in the drivers seat... some people will be in the back seat, but were all going to move forward.
He added: Its not women must drive, its women can drive.
So if any women do not want to drive in Saudi Arabia, thats her choice.
Some leading members of the countrys powerful and austere Sunni Muslim clergy have argued against women being allowed to drive, which they say could lead to them mingling with unrelated men, thereby breaching strict gender segregation rules.
The decision could also have broad economic impacts, making it possible for women to get to work without a driver but also curbing the popularity of car hailing apps like Uber and Careem.
Prince Khaled, a son of the king, said the decision was as much about economic reform as social change.
His older brother, 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed, has become the face of reform in the kingdom in the past few years.
Many younger Saudis regard his ascent as evidence that their generation is taking a central place in running a country whose patriarchal traditions have for decades made power the province of the old and blocked womens progress.
Oh my God, this is amazing. Ever since Mohammed bin Salmans rise, he has fast-tracked all the changes that are needed for our country, said Marwa Afandi, a 35-year-old event planner in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
Congratulations to all my ladies, this is a real victory. Reuters
Riyadh, September 27
Saudi Arabias surprise decision to grant women the right to drive in the conservative kingdom marks a significant expansion in womens rights, but activists say it is also only the first step in a long list of demands for equality.
Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world to ban women from driving. The royal decree yesterday comes into effect next summer, but it comes nearly three decades after women began agitating for the right to drive.
As recently as 2013, dozens of women uploaded videos online of themselves behind the wheel of a car during a campaign launched by Saudi rights activists.
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Some videos showed families and male drivers giving women a thumbs-up, suggesting many were ready for the change.
While women in other Muslim countries drove freely, the kingdoms blanket ban attracted negative publicity.
Neither Islamic law nor Saudi traffic law explicitly prohibited women from driving, but they were not issued licences and were detained if they attempted to drive.
The decision to change course and grant women licenses was praised by the White House, which said President Donald Trump views the change as a positive step toward promoting the rights and opportunities of women in Saudi Arabia. United Nation Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described it as an important step in the right direction.
British Prime Minister Theresa also hailed the decision, saying the empowerment of women around the world is key to nations economic development.
Prince Khaled bin Salman, Saudi Arabias ambassador to Washington and the kings son, said letting women drive is a huge step forward and that society is ready.
This is the right time to do the right thing, he told reporters in the US Women will be allowed to obtain licenses without the permission of a male relative.
Aziza Youssef, a professor at King Saud University and one of Saudi Arabias most vocal womens rights activists, said women were happy but also that the change was the first step in a lot of rights we are waiting for. AP
Punished in the past
1990: 50 women arrested for driving, lose passports and jobs
2011: A woman sentenced to 10 lashes, King Abdullah later overturns it
2014: Two women detained for two months while driving with a UAE licence
A coalition consisting of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and 30 other transportation-related associations has been formed to back proposed legislation that would delay implementation of the electronic logging device mandate for two years. As of now, the ELD rule is set to go into effect on Dec. 18-- less than 12 weeks from today.
Industries represented in the coalition include agriculture, pyrotechnics, utility contracting, livestock, and several others that could be negatively impacted by the mandate. OOIDA remains the most vocal group in trucking in its opposition to mandating electronic logging devices.
The electronic logging device mandate is written so broadly that it has far-reaching implications well beyond the traditional trucking industry, said Todd Spencer, executive vice president of OOIDA, in a Sept. 27 statement about the coalition.
The group supports H.R. 3282, the ELD Extension Act of 2017, proposed by Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) that would delay the ELD mandate for two years. Earlier in September, another bill proposed by Babin that included an amendment to defund the ELD mandate (H.R. 3354, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act of 2018) was voted down on the house floor.
The coalition believes the mandate should be delayed until the Federal Motor carrier Safety Administration addresses what it says are numerous unresolved issues identified by impacted stakeholders. The groups concerns include the certification of electronic loggging devices, connectivity problems in remote areas of the country, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and the ability of law enforcement to access data.
The coalition also contends that the ELD mandate will impact stakeholders with costs of more than $2 billion while failing to improve safety, productivity, or profitability. OOIDA said that requiring electronic monitoring devices on commercial vehicles does not advance safety since they are no more reliable than paper logbooks for recording compliance with hours-of-service regulations.
In response, David Heller, vice president of government affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association, told HDT that sticking to the Dec. 18 deadline will give the industry time to generate enough data to fix any problems with ELD implementation - including detention time, truck parking, and hours of service compliance.
TCA members have taken a proactive approach to finding a compliance tool that worked well for their fleet operations. Rather than delaying the inevitable, our members support an approach to ELDs that can and will positively address issues that have plagued this industry for decades, stated Heller. Insisting that this rule be delayed any longer only continues to accept these problems as status quo rather than truly taking a step forward in addressing them.
The Trucking Alliance (Alliance for Driver Safety & Security) also commented on the coalitions contentions, stating that ELDs would improve driver safety and improve law enforcements ability to maintain compliance.
Electronic logging devices, or ELDs, will unquestionably reduce truck driver fatigue. ELDs will reduce large truck accidents on our nations highways. ELDs will make it easier for law enforcement to verify how many hours a driver has been behind the wheel, stated Lane Kidd, managing director of The Trucking Alliance.
Congress has voted numerous times and as recently as a few days ago, to require ELDs. The federal courts have upheld their congressional action," he continued. "Yet OOIDA and other groups continue to ignore these facts, suggesting the rule may not happen and are now taking their members perilously close to having their trucks taken out of service for not installing them.
The American Trucking Associations echoed many of the same opinions of the coalition effort, saying that while there could be kinks to work out with ELD implementation, fleets should assume that the ELD mandate will not be delayed.
"Congress has passed the ELD requirement three times over the last five years," ATA spokesperson Sean McNally told HDT in a statement. "This issue has been legislated, promulgated, and litigated. It has been decided, and those still in denial would be best served complying with federal law than making excuses to exceed their hours of service limits and putting the motoring public at risk."
As it stands today, no driver or carrier who has been honestly logging their time will need to change anything other than the manner which they record their hours of service moving from inaccurate paper logs to more precise electronic ones," he added. "Complaints about the underlying hours-of-service rules may have merit, but that is a separate issue from complying with the current rules.
In addition to OOIDA, these associations make up the anti-mandate coalition:
Developing rail link: Tall promise but little to show off
It was a grandiose promise of major political parties that captured the audience enough that discerning people warned against getting starry-eyed over it.
Docs up the ante as govt renews call to end strike
As the government renewed its call to end a national medical strike of doctors across the country, the Nepal Medical Association (NMA), the umbrella body of medical practitioners, reiterated its position with a tougher warning that it would halt all forms of medical services, save emergency, if its concerns are not addressed immediately.
From 2005-2013, Bill Hader gave Tulsa a connection to Saturday Night Live.
Here comes another.
Steven Castillo, a graduate of Bishop Kelley High School and the University of Tulsa, is one of seven new writers hired for SNLs 43rd season. SNL also hired three new cast members: Heidi Gardner, Luke Null and Chris Redd. SNL writers sometimes graduate to cast member. Will Castillo, who has a performance background as a comedian, do the same?
Castillo was known to schoolmates as Steven King, but because theres a famous author named Stephen King, going by a stage name isnt a horrible idea. Castillo speaks fluent Spanish and comes from a multi-ethnic background, according to his father.
Castillo posted a photo of his workplace (Hey, Im a writer on SNL now and they gave me this computer!) on his Facebook page Tuesday. The page was flooded with congratulatory messages.
About a year after graduating from TU, Castillo moved to Chicago to earn his comedy bones. Chicagos comedy scene has been fertile recruiting ground for SNL in the past.
Castillo moved to Los Angeles to further his career but caught his big break after he was chosen to perform at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. He was inundated with offers immediately after performing there, according to his father, and was summoned to audition for SNL.
Castillo is a past performer at Tulsas Blue Whale Comedy Festival.
Hader, who attended Cascia Hall, was nominated for an Emmy during his tenure on SNL.
Ryan Gosling will host and Jay-Z will be the musical guest when the new SNL season premieres Saturday, Sept. 30, on NBC. Gone from last seasons cast are Bobby Moynihan, Vanessa Bayer and Sasheer Zamata.
"From the Soviet Union to Cuba, Venezuela, wherever socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish, devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems..."
--President Donald Trump, Sept. 19.
A big takeaway from my prior years in ministry is that things aren't always as they seem. Sometimes people hide dark secrets behind nice smiles and happy faces.
Here in the U.S., gobs of sorely misinformed people fantasize about the pie-in-the-sky idea of socialism, having no idea all it does is make everyone except those in charge poor and miserable.
Even so, socialism barkers put on happy faces and try to sell socialism like snake oil salesmen.
And then there is President Trump, who told it like it is during his U.N. General Assembly speech, which will likely go down in history as one for the ages.
Trump said, "The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented."
You could almost hear all the air being sucked out of the room by horror-struck socialist world leaders forced to face the truth head-on: Everywhere socialism is implemented it eventually fails.
Venezuela, the weight loss capital of the world, is falling apart.
Socialist policies picked this oil rich country bone-dry.
Former president Hugo Chavez justified stealing businesses from private citizens in the name of spreading the wealth around. He nationalized just about every industry to supposedly level the playing field and create financial equality.
Then he went spend-happy.
For a short while, Venezuelans enjoyed freebies like the single payer healthcare system that congressional Democrats here in the U.S. want so bad they would probably be willing to sell everything you own to get it, if that's what it would take.
The government became Venezuelans' sole provider. Along with free health care, they also received subsidies for energy and food.
Then the health care system collapsed and the economy went kaput.
Devoid of basic necessities like food, medications, or even toilet paper, Venezuelans now forage through trash like wild animals and even eat dogs and cats to survive.
All that, while current president Nicolas Madura and Chavez family members live in the lap of luxury.
Yes, folks, socialism works.
It works for leaders who steal it from the folks at the top, bottom and middle.
They'll tell you every time they are doing it to share the wealth. Chavez talked the socialism talk while he was lining his pockets. When he died, he left his daughter Maria Gabriela Chavez around $4 billion, Miami-based newspaper Diario Las Americas reports.
Americans should be very leery of Democrat Party politicians whose eyes light up like blow torches at the mention of the childishly romantic idea of socialism. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is a multi-millionaire who lives in a $2 million mansion.Bernie Sanders has three homes, including a $600,000 lake house. Former President Obama is worth tens of millions and rakes in $400,000 per speech from the Wall Street folks he once rail against.
Like Chavez, Democrats tend to blame much of the inequities in the world on capitalism.
Greedy capitalists didn't rape Venezuela, greedy socialists did.
The Economist reports Chavez "expropriated and redistributed wealth to weaken enemies and woo allies" and "undercut the oil wealth that funded Venezuelan socialism." Then, the inevitable happened, Venezuela ran "out of other people's money," just like former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said.
Apparently, her wisdom is far too yesteryear for current Prime Minister Theresa May, who issued President Trump a stiff-lipped smackdown for "pursuing protectionism" during her UN speech. May said protectionism might "undermine support for the forces of liberalism and free trade that have done so much to propel global growth."
Meanwhile, malnourished Venezuelans are fleeing in droves to escape the death throes of a socialist nightmare.
2017 Susan Stamper Brown Susan lives in Alaska and writes about culture, politics and current events. She is a regular contributor to Townhall and The Christian Post. Susan's nationally syndicated column is published in scores of newspapers and publications across the U.S.She writes about politics, culture and media and was selected as one of America's 50 Best Conservative writers for 2015 and 2016. Contact her by Facebook or at writestamper@gmail.com.
Madison Metcalf of Jenks and Alaska Rayne Holloway of Broken Arrow are partners in the country music duo Alaska & Madi. Besides performing together, you know what else they love? The Tulsa State Fair.
Oh my gosh. We are the biggest fair people in the world, Madi said. When we were on The Voice, we were so upset because we were out there for a month and we had to miss the entire fair.
It was terrible, Alaska said of missing the fair.
Let the record reflect that it was a worthwhile sacrifice. Competing on season six of The Voice exposed Alaska & Madi to millions of TV viewers in 2014. Theyll perform on beloved turf when they take the Oklahoma Stage for an 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, concert at the Tulsa State Fair.
Alaska & Madi have made up for lost time since the year they had to skip the fair.
Madi said Alaska won Mega Ride passes in a radio station contest last year, so they went to the Tulsa State Fair almost every day and we literally went and rode everything.
Everything? Well, maybe 90 percent of everything. Some were a little too spinny, according to Madi. She and Alaska are qualified to offer advice to fairgoers who want to eat and ride.
Alaska: Youve got to make sure that you dont eat your corn dog before you ride the ride.
Madi: Always do the corn dog afterward.
Alaska: And the turkey leg.
Madi: And the funnel cake.
And they named a few more fair food items, proving they have walked the midway more than just a few times.
Madi said she attended her first Tulsa State Fair when she was 11 or 12. She said her father started a business and decided he needed a booth at the fair. She tagged along to work at the booth and has the statute of limitations expired? missed a few days of school to do it.
I passed sixth grade, she said. It doesnt matter. But I would go every day, and I just remember thinking it was the coolest thing in the world because I could go ride all these rides.
Alaska has been going to the Tulsa State Fair since she was a baby. In fact, she was a contestant in a baby pageant at the fair.
I have some trophies somewhere, she said. I was not a cute baby, so I dont know how I won any of them.
Alaska said she became a fair person even though her parents are not fair people. Theyre just now starting to be fair people since we play at so many fairs, she said.
Alaska & Madi have performed in fairs in Kentucky, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma this year, opening for Cole Swindell in Pennsylvania and the Oak Ridge Boys in Kentucky. They have performed at the Tulsa State Fair before.
Its fun to play for a hometown crowd, Alaska said. Tulsa has always been a big music-loving city, so its a special thing to be able to play for country music-loving Tulsans.
In addition to their scheduled concert, Alaska & Madi said they are going to be doing something cool in the River Spirit Expo at the fair, but theyre not supposed to say what it is yet.
They did, however, field a few additional fair-related questions.
What are the top three things you love about the fair?
Madi: Hmmm. Thats going to be hard. I would say No. 1 is food, always. No. 2 is concerts. No. 3, people-watching.
Alaska: I would say that No. 1 would be the livestock. I love all the animals. I love the petting zoo. I love to watch the pigs give birth. I love that. Thats my No. 1. No. 2 would be the rodeos. Again, I love the livestock. And my No. 3 would be the food. Fair food is the best food in the world.
If you could only have one food item at the fair, what would you pick?
Madi: We both have the same answer. Its the pretzels. ... There is a booth that is at every fair-type deal in Tulsa. I dont even know what theyre called, but we just know them by the blue tent. They are the most amazing soft pretzels ever.
Alaska: They are huge and they cost like, seven bucks, but its worth it to buy one every time you go.
Is it possible to have too much fair?
They answered in unison: No.
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Dr KC postpones hunger strike following parliament deferral
Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) senior orthopaedic surgeon Dr Govinda KC on Wednesday postponed his 12th hunger strike following the postponement of Parliament affairs.
Eight killed in road accidents in Kavre
At least seven persons died and 12 others sustained injuries when a Bolero jeep crashed at Nigale in Roshi Rural Municipality-3, Kavre, on Tuesday.
Dashain Fulpati observed today (In photos)
Fulpati was observed throughout the country on the auspicious occasion of 10-day long Dashain festival by taking the Fulpati into the homes as per the tradition on Wednesday.
| By Alex Likowski
A major upgrade to the clinical simulation labs at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) will allow more students to gain critically important experience, UMSON Dean Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, told faculty and staff from the two institutions, representatives from local health care agencies, and elected leaders at a Sept. 18 gathering at USG. Clinical simulation allows students to gain experience through participating in highly realistic case scenarios under faculty supervision, she said. Such experience builds competency and confidence without the potential for compromising patients safety.
Kirschling added that simulation labs also allow students to experience rare and critical events that they may never see during their nursing education but may very well experience in their careers as nurse clinicians. These experiences prepare students for work in hospitals and outpatient settings, as well as for home visits, she said.
A demonstration shows birthing manikin "Noelle" with a baby manikin inside the simulated womb.
UMSON has added two new clinical simulation labs at USG, bringing the total number at the Rockville location to eight, and modernized and refurbished six of the existing labs, including an obstetrics and pediatrics lab. In addition, $128,000 provided by William Bill and Joanne Conways Bedford Falls Foundation has been used to purchase new equipment ranging from beds, manikins, and intravenous pumps to new cameras and an upgrade in software used for recording validations and standardized patient encounters.
Additional support was provided by the Maryland Nurse Support Program II (NSP II). NSP II grants, which are funded by the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, have been instrumental in fostering the expansion and education of the states nursing workforce.
In its landmark 2010 study, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, The Institute of Medicine found that addressing the increasing complexity of health care and the growing diversity of our communities requires greater numbers of highly educated nurse clinicians, nurse educators, and nurse scientists.
UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD, who chairs a University System of Maryland study group examining the needs of Marylands health care workforce, said increased access to advanced simulation labs is key to solving that need. Among the very first issues the group chose to tackle was the availability of simulation facilities, he told the gathering. Because everyone agrees that making sure students get adequate experience in simulated environments is absolutely central to preparing a skilled workforce.
Perman also explained that UMB is committed to strengthening the health care workforce throughout the state, making sure that all across Maryland in every region we have a well-qualified health care workforce, that theres nowhere in Maryland where Marylanders will struggle to find a provider, where one will struggle to find ready, capable care. And thats why its so important that UMBs School of Nursing be represented here in a highly strategic place like Montgomery County, with its dense population and its considerable health care needs, he said.
Also benefiting from the upgrades is the facilitys Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) suite, clinical space shared by UMSON and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. The suite features multiple clinical spaces, including an apartment setting and many exam rooms. All have cameras and microphones so instructors can observe student interactions with patients and provide immediate feedback.
Perman noted that OSCE suites help teach team-based, or interprofessional, care - especially critical in managing chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, and high blood pressure by allowing nursing students to interact with pharmacy students.
After a ceremonial ribbon cutting, visitors took guided tours of all three floors of simulation labs in USGs Building I. In the obstetrics area, a faculty member introduced them to Noelle, a manikin capable of simulating childbirth and even complications such as breech birth, when a baby is born feet first. Noelle can speak with students, providing important feedback.
Nearby, in the pediatrics area, an infant manikin can present students with other challenging critical situations, such as sudden cyanosis (skin turning blue) due to hypoxia, or an insufficient supply of oxygen.
UMSON established a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at USG at its opening in 2000. Since that time, the Schools educational offerings have expanded greatly, including a Registered Nurse-to-BSN degree, and as of this fall, the Doctor of Nursing Practice programs Family Nurse Practitioner specialty.
The Family Nurse Practitioner specialty prepares advanced practice nurses to be primary health care providers for individuals of all ages and their families. Students develop expertise in the management of care for individuals across the lifespan, emphasizing health promotion and disease prevention as well as diagnosis and management of acute and chronic diseases.
Overall, 21 UMSON faculty and staff members work at USG, supporting 310 nursing students. This fall, 39 percent of entry-level baccalaureate students enrolled at UMSON are obtaining their degrees at USG, helping to achieve UMSONs goal of making it more convenient and attractive for students and practicing nurses from the western regions of Maryland to obtain nursing education and degrees.
I remember talking to Dean Kirschling several years ago about the School of Nursing at USG and saying, you know, its a great program, remembered USG Executive Director Stewart Edelstein, PhD. Wed love to be able to have more of you, and I mentioned specifically the Doctor of Nursing Practice. I remember her being very cautious over lunch saying, Well, let me look into that; let me see if thats possible. Here it is, several years later and the program is here and its due in large measure to her leadership.
UNC's Monfort College of Business Seeks Colorado-based Entrepreneurs
September 26, 2017
Do you have a great idea for a business? Do you want to make your business successful? In its ninth year, the 2018 Monfort College of Business Entrepreneurial Challenge is newly designed to help entrepreneurs take their business to the next level. Participants will receive expert opinions, professional advice and an opportunity to share $50,000 in prize money.
The competition is open to pre-launch or early stage, Colorado-based startup ventures. Applications are now available at mcb.unco.edu/e-challenge and will be accepted until Monday, Nov. 13.
In addition to the prize money, winners will receive business incubator services from UNC BizHub, the business incubator at the University of Northern Colorado. Participants will now have an opportunity to attend workshops designed specifically for entrepreneurs to address the most critical elements of success including finance, human resources and marketing.
The way we do business is evolving, specifically for entrepreneurs, said UNC Executive Professor Dallas Everhart, Ph.D, who oversees the challenge. The Monfort College of Business Entrepreneurial Challenge is changing to meet the new needs of startups. The participants in the Monfort College of Business E-Challenge will receive feedback and advice from successful, experienced and knowledgeable judges.
Preliminary Challenge semifinalists will be notified on Dec. 8. The 10 semifinalists will present their business concept to a panel of experts on Jan. 30. Five finalists will be selected to present their business plan in a competitive format on March 27.
For information about the program contact Everhart at dallas.everhart@unco.edu
Questions regarding the application process can be directed to Jamie Dagg at jamie.dagg@unco.edu.
About the Monfort College of Business
The Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado is recognized for delivering excellence in business education. For 20 years, the college has been accredited by AACSB International the gold standard for accreditation. The college is one of an elite few worldwide that are accredited in both business administration and accounting. Over 10 successive years, MCBs graduating seniors have scored in the top 15 percent on nationwide standardized exit exams. The college is the first and only business program to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award from the Office of the President of the United States (2004). For more information, visit MCBs website at mcb.unco.edu.
ITALIAN COAST GUARD VESSEL DATTILO, Mediterranean Sea Mamoudou Oba from Guinea, who was rescued after days in a drifting vessel, has warned others trying to flee poverty and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa of the dangers of the land and sea routes to Europe.
I cannot advise anybody to enter in Libya. You will die for nothing, he told rescuers.
Sitting on the deck of the Italian Coast Guard patrol vessel Dattilo, some 50 miles off the coast of North Africa, shortly after being rescued, he added he was kidnapped, starved and beaten for three weeks before leaving Libya.
"One day, one day, one day, they will kill you.
Almost 100,000 refugees and migrants like Mamoudou have crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Italy since the beginning of the year, according to reports by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
Sitting among a group of 99 people rescued by the Dattilo, he says people are being bought and sold for as little as US$300. If you stay, every day they are coming to do bad things to you. One day, one day, one day, they will kill you.
UNHCR estimates that over 1.3 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance in Libya. It is calling for an end to detention for migrants, refugees and other vulnerable people there, and unrestricted humanitarian access inside the country to ensure that international protection is given to them.
An Italian Coast Guard officer on a rescue boat during a night operation in the Mediterranean Sea. UNHCR/Bela Szandelszky
Refugees and migrants rest on the deck of Italian Coast Guard patrol vessel Dattilo. UNHCR/Vania Turner
In Libya, refugees and migrants find they are caught up in a cycle of abuse, violence and exploitation. UNHCR/Vania Turner
Mamoudous testimony of abuse is borne out by Lucia Guidolin, a medical doctor volunteering with the Italian Coast Guard. She says most refugees and migrants she examined after they are saved from the Mediterranean Sea have endured severe physical and psychological abuse.
Guidolin encountered one such case among the passengers on the Dattilo. Ivorian Abdullah Toure told her he was kidnapped and tortured by street gangs for months on end.
They threatened us so we would give them money. If not they would kill us. They took a gun and fired next to my ears. Poom! Poom! Poom! Now I cant hear. Im here like this.
The United World Colleges (UWC) has extended access to education for refugees. UWC
A former refugee from South Sudan will be the keynote speaker at a presentation in Brussels on Friday of an initiative by United World Colleges (UWC) to extend access to education for refugees.
The UWC Refugee Initiative, supported by UNHCR, aims to provide 100 scholarships a year to enable refugee and internally displaced students to attend one of 17 UWC colleges worldwide teaching the International Baccalaureate.
UNHCR is supporting UWC by providing authoritative guidance on refugee policy, technical advice and helping to promote the scholarship program among refugee communities and relevant stakeholders. With its mandate to protect refugees, UNHCR considers it a priority that refugees are included in national education systems and have access to education at all levels, including secondary education.
Fewer than one percent of refugees attend university.
Lack of access to education is a major issue affecting young refugees. Of the 17.2 million refugees under UNHCRs mandate, half are children. A recent UNHCR report on refugee education showed that over 3.5 million refugee children aged 5 to 17 were unable to attend school in the last academic year. Obstacles increase as children grow. While 84 percent of adolescents globally attend secondary school, the figure falls to 22 percent for refugees. And fewer than one percent of refugees attend university, compared to 34 percent globally.
The education of these young refugees is crucial to the peaceful and sustainable development of the countries that have welcomed them, and to their homes when they are able to return. Yet compared to other children and adolescents around the world, the gap in opportunity for refugees is growing ever wider.
UWC was founded in 1962 with a mission to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. Today, UWC has 17 schools on four continents. UWCs students are selected by 159 national committees worldwide on the basis of potential only and independent of socio-economic means. Currently, UWC is able to grant around 30 scholarships under the UWC Refugee Initiative per academic year but wants to increase the available funds to cover at least 100 scholarships. Among others, refugees from Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Colombia, Yemen or Afghanistan will benefit from the UWC Refugee Initiative.
We believe in the power of civic leadership. And we believe that education can be the force developing and encouraging young leaders. said UWC in a statement. With the UWC Refugee Initiative, we want to make our contribution to strengthening emerging young leaders from refugee communities. We will provide them with scholarships to receive a world-class secondary education together with other students from all walks of life. We will equip them with the attitudes and skills needed to be able to contribute to the peaceful future of their communities and regions.
The UWC Refugee Initiative, supported by UNHCR, aims to provide 100 scholarships a year to enable refugee and internally displaced students to attend one of 17 UWC colleges worldwide teaching the International Baccalaureate. UWC
UNHCR said cooperation with UWC was an example of the type of new partnerships needed to advance a comprehensive response and achieve better protection and long-lasting solutions for refugees. This echoes the global call of the New York Declaration for Refugee and Migrants to expand complementary pathways of admission for refugees to third countries and thus widen the options available for those with few prospects of attaining a durable solution, and is paramount for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure quality and protective education for refugee children and young people everywhere.
"Education is key to build anyones future."
Leaving their home country behind to find safety, refugees have lost the possibility to lead a normal life, stability and hope. Education is key to build anyones future. More so for refugees whom we would rob of their future, if we fail to provide adequate education services, said Michel Gabaudan, UNHCRs Regional Representative for Western Europe based in Brussels.
Like others, refugees and IDPs are people with skills, talents and aspirations. Educated refugees and IDPs can become self-reliant and provide leadership in displacement, and in rebuilding communities recovering from conflict, promoting gender equality, peaceful coexistence, and broader community development, including in areas of return and in host countries.
Among the speakers at the Brussels meeting will be Mario Konyen Joseph Nakuwa, an alumnus of UWC, who co-founded the South Sudan Young Leaders Forum. Through this forum, the South Sudan diaspora are able to deliberate the problems afflicting their homeland and discuss ways to turn the country from conflict to peace and development. Other refugees attending the event included one Syrian refugee who is currently studying at the UWC college in Germany and two others refugees from South Sudan and Ethiopia currently studying at the UWC college in Italy.
For more information, please contact: Maria Bances del Rey [email protected] and Philine Nau [email protected]
UN High Commissioner for Refugee Filippo Grandi talks to a young Rohingya man at Kutupalong refugee settlement, Bangladesh, September 2017. UNHCR/Roger Arnold
GENEVA Returning from a visit to the region, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi spoke movingly today of the suffering of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar to Bangladesh saying he had rarely seen such need.
I have just returned from Bangladesh, where I witnessed people fleeing unimaginable violence," he told a press conference on Wednesday (Sept 27) at Genevas Palais des Nations where he pin-pointed the challenges facing one of the fastest-moving and largest refugee emergencies of recent times.
Grandi, who has spent a lifetime working as a humanitarian all over the world, said he had hardly ever seen people arriving in a country of asylum with so little.
"Their needs are enormous... they need everything."
They had to flee very sudden and cruel violence, and they have fled with nothing. Their needs are enormous food, health, shelter, he declared. They have absolutely nothing. I have hardly seen in my career people that have come with so little. They need everything.
Grandi welcomed an enormous out-pouring of solidarity on the part of the Bangladesh authorities and the international community, but cautioned that it would have to continue and deepen.
This is not a short-term emergency We need the help of all of you, he said, warning: the combination of limited health facilities, poor sanitary and hygiene conditions and overcrowded sites, you can well imagine is a recipe for disaster in terms of possible epidemics.
The Rohingya are fleeing with nothing but the trauma they've survived.@RefugeesChief's message after meeting refugees in Bangladesh. pic.twitter.com/rkr5TpD5qf UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) September 27, 2017
Last weekend, Grandi toured Kutupalong refugee camp extension in Coxs Bazar in Bangladesh to witness at first hand the harsh conditions faced by refugees.
An estimated 480,000 have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks.
With Balukhali refugee camp and other settlements growing on a daily basis, access to clean water is restricted to these water wells. UNHCR/Paula Bronstein
Grandi said that at its peak there were an estimated 15,000 people a day crossing the border, and although the flow has now declined there are reports that there are still displaced inside Myanmar some of whom maybe trying to find a way to cross the border into Bangladesh.
They have fled exceptional and extraordinary violence.
It is very difficult to predict. They have never been properly counted, there may be, perhaps 300,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh previously. The total population must be somewhere between 700,000/800,000 now, he told the media.
Grandi said the other stand-out of this crisis was the trauma carried by those who have fled what he termed really exceptional and extraordinary violence.
I have spoken to several women who have been raped, or have been wounded because of their resistance to rape. I spoke to many children, shockingly absent of emotion, because they were so traumatized. They told me how they had seen their parents or relatives or friends killed in front of their eyes, he declared.
Grandi praised the response of local people whom he said had given generously and spontaneously.
Bangladesh is not rich country and these are not rich people giving this aid. This coupled with the decision made by the Prime Minister to keep the borders open to allow people in really must be commended. Once again a country with few resources is giving a very positive example in terms of solidarity with refugees to many countries that have many more resources and have restricted that access, he said.
Your support is urgently needed to help the children, women and men refuges in Bangladesh. Please give now.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today urged EU Member States to promptly relocate all asylum-seekers eligible under the EUs emergency relocation scheme and for it to continue beyond the two years originally planned.
Although the relocation scheme has only partially met what was originally foreseen to be achieved, with 29,144 asylum-seekers relocated so far, it has proven to be of vital importance. It has helped ease the humanitarian situation in Greece, relieved some pressure from Italy, and improved the lives of many seeking protection. We hope this important gesture of solidarity can continue beyond the 26 September deadline, said Pascale Moreau, Director of UNHCRs Europe Bureau.
Until the Dublin reform is adopted and a more permanent model put in place, the need for such responsibility-sharing mechanisms remains acute, she said. UNHCR commends the efforts already undertaken by both the European Commission and States. However, solidarity must continue and expand. States should continue to pledge as long as there are eligible candidates, said Moreau.
Under current conditions, only asylum-seekers of nationalities with an average recognition rate of 75 per cent or higher at the EU level are considered eligible for relocation. UNHCR has previously called for a review of this criteria and for the threshold to be lowered. In a continuation of the scheme, this would allow for more people likely to be in need of international protection to be included.
Swift relocation, including fast registration and transfer of candidates, is particularly crucial for unaccompanied and separated children, who sometimes still are in poor living and security conditions in Greece and Italy.
In September 2015, EU Member States agreed to a two-year plan to relocate 160,000 asylum-seekers in total, including 106,000 from Greece and Italy, to other European countries to ease the pressure on frontline States.
Up to 22 September 2017, 47,905 places were formally pledged by States, with 20,066 asylum-seekers relocated from Greece and 9,078 from Italy. UNHCR will continue providing support for relocation from Greece and Italy.
UNHCR reiterates its call for a robust asylum system that ensures access to territory and efficient asylum procedures and which is capable of properly allocating responsibility for asylum-seekers among EU Member States, also in exceptional circumstances.
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Major party leaders campaign in Chitwan
Two months before the federal and provincial parliamentary elections, major leaders of the CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress are in Chitwan to attend their party programmes.
Malpractice
Extreme demands have been made by both sides of the case in holding doctors accountable
Nepal holds strategic importance: Oman
Noting Nepals high strategic value, Deputy Prime Minister of Oman Sayyid Fahad bin Mahmood al-Said has suggested visiting Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to reap benefits out of the development of its two giant neighboursIndia and China.
Published: September 26, 2017
Premier Eye Care CEO Lorna Taylor to Receive Ethics Award at UT Oct. 6
Lorna Taylor, president and CEO of Premier Eye Care, will receive the Tampa Bay Ethics Award from The University of Tampa Center for Ethics at a breakfast and ceremony on Friday, Oct. 6. The event begins at 7:30 a.m. in the Vaughn Center Crescent Club on the UT campus, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Taylor is an accomplished leader, both in directing fast-growing Premier and in making impact in the community. Premier manages full-risk medical and routine ophthalmic care for more than 4 million people and is recognized for its industry-leading technology-based solutions, as well as its successful corporate culture. With commitments such as diversity at every level of leadership, paying a living wage and gender pay equity, Premier has a 4 percent turnover rate, significantly lower than the 21 percent industry average.
One of the top business leaders in Florida, Taylor was the winner in the Health & Wellness category of the 2013 Tampa Bay Business Journals Business Woman of the Year awards, while also receiving Angies Award, given to the finalist who best exemplifies commitment to community service. The award reflected Premier Eye Cares far-reaching community involvement, which ranges from supporting arts and culture to the prevention of domestic violence.
Personally, Taylor is involved in a wide variety of community and charitable causes. She serves on the board of trustees for The Dali Museum, and on the Moffitt Medical Directors Board, Preserve Vision Florida, Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence Foundation, Arts Conservatory for Teens, and Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts. She also serves on the UT Board of Trustees.
The UT Center for Ethics will honor Taylor at the 27th annual Business Ethics Breakfast. The center conducts many programs throughout the year that combine education and business services, and is supported by an advisory board of business and community leaders.
Former winners of the ethics award include former Florida governor Bob Martinez, Freddie Solomon, former Tampa mayor Pam Iorio, John Sykes, James Ferman Jr., Richard Gonzmart and Sam Ellison. Nominees for the award must live and work in the Tampa Bay area, and must demonstrate high ethical character in their everyday lives. They must promote and encourage ethics and integrity in the workplace or other organizations and exhibit respect, trustworthiness, caring, fairness and justice.
The event is free for UT students, faculty and staff. Individual tickets are $25, a table of eight is $150 and corporate sponsorships range from $750$1,500. For more information or reservations, go to www.ut.edu/TampaBayEthicsAward or call the Center for Ethics coordinator, Jessica Luce, at (813) 257-3039.
UW Art Museum to Offer Family Workshop Oct. 7
Participants explore recycled materials to make art during last months Family Saturday Workshop. The UW Art Museum will offer creative activities that focus on making masks during the next Family Saturday Workshop Oct. 7. (UW Art Museum Photo)
The University of Wyoming Art Museum will host Family Saturday Workshop Oct. 7 from 10 a.m.-noon.
Family Saturday Workshop is an open studio, maker space-inspired workshop. It will be led by the Art Museums trained teaching artists and educators to help families explore artistic materials and concepts inspired by museum exhibitions. The workshop is free for families and individuals of all ages.
Octobers workshop will focus on Making Masks in this Halloween-themed event. Participants will explore the Changing Faces: Traditional and Contemporary Mexican Masks exhibition. Museum educators will provide templates and materials, and participants will create their own, unique masks.
For more information, call the Art Museum at (307) 766-6622, visit the website at www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum, or follow the museum on Facebook.
Through its Museum as Classroom approach, the UW Art Museum places art at the center of learning for all ages. Located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Drive in Laramie, the museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday hours are extended to 7 p.m. February through April and September through November. Admission is free.
Nepali found dead in South Korea
A Nepali migrant worker was found hanging in Vasansi Suwon, Gyeonggi Do of South Korea on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Kamal Karki of Gulmi.
One killed in Morang pick-up van-motorbike collision
A man died in a pick-up van-motorbike collision at Itahara Bardanga in Urlabari Municipality of Morang on Tuesday.
Cheers to eight years! Award-winning gentlemens club and top after-hours party destination, Crazy Horse III, will celebrate its eighth anniversary with a two-day bash on Thursday, Oct. 19 and Friday, Oct. 20 (Pictured: DJ Eric D-Lux).
The clubs anniversary celebration will commence on Thursday, Oct. 19 with a premium open bar from 10 p.m. to midnight. Following the open bar, Crazy Horse III will host a NEON FLOW party beginning at 2 a.m., with an exclusive set from SKAM artist, DJ Eric D-Lux. Known for his raw talent and house remixes, the turntablist also performs and hosts shows for Los Angeles-based Power 106 FM radio.
Crazy Horse III will offer complimentary bottle service for industry groups of five or more throughout the night. The club will also grant Crazy Horse III app users a $100 reload credit in Crazy Horse bucks with their attendance.
The party will heat up on Friday, Oct. 20, featuring a late-night set from Las Vegas local and SKAM artist, DJ Five. With more than 15 years of experience in the music industry, Five holds residencies at some of the most prominent nightclubs in Vegas and has performed nationally, including a Diplo and Friends set.
Crazy Horse III offers complimentary limo service, pending availability, using the clubs signature app or by calling 702-673-1700. The easy-to-use app, available for download on all mobile platforms, allows users to personalize their experience with features including table reservations, bottle service packages and dancer profiles.
The tourists boarded a bus to take them to their hotel on Sunday evening, but they were apparently followed by armed criminals monitoring the terminal.
The bus was pulled off the road by a fake police car, and at least one robber was wearing a police uniform.
"The men allegedly demanded their possessions and one of the tourists was injured and taken to hospital," police said in a statement.
Most of the tourists were in their 70s, and several were assaulted during a 20-minute ordeal that at least one described as "hell".
"Most of the passengers are 70-plus. People panicked and even got firearms aimed at them. In two cases' the trigger was pulled but the gun didn't fire," South African media quoted one tourist as saying.
The bus driver and the tour guide were tied up as the robbers ransacked luggage, Dutch media reported.
"We are safe now. But we are in shock and want to go back. We just landed for a 22-day trip, but the fun has gone," another traveller said.
South Africa is battling high crime rates, with official statistics showing that 51 people are murdered a day.
Authorities say that tourists are seldom targeted, but airport travellers have previously been the victims of criminals following vehicles from Johannesburg's OR Tambo airport.
"More has been done ... in preventing and combatting criminal activities at the airport," said police minister Fikile Mbalula, who was due to visit the victims later Tuesday.
The meeting in the central Japanese city of Nagoya aims to produce a roadmap of 20 goals to be
achieved over the next decade to contain man's destruction of nature and save the world's rapidly diminishing biodiversity.
Delegates from more than 190 countries had agreed to most of the goals during 12 days of tense negotiations.
But a dispute over "fairly sharing" genetic resources, which are mostly found in rainforests and other species-rich habitats in developing countries, had held up an over-arching accord.
After frantic last-minute negotiations, Japan announced hours before the summit was due to end that there had been significant progress with countries representing various regional blocs agreeing to a deal.
"A draft decision has been agreed upon by representatives of regional groups," Japanese Environment Minister Ryu Matsumoto told delegates.
However, negotiators cautioned that each individual country still needed to approve the proposed "Access and Benefits Sharing Protocol" -- and there could be yet another dip in the roller-coaster ride seen during the summit.
"Getting closer to a deal in Nagoya... but it's not over yet," European environment commissioner Janez Potocnik said in a message posted on Twitter.
A final plenary session in which, delegates hoped, the protocol and 20-point strategic plan would be adopted was set to begin shortly after 9:00 pm (1200 GMT).
Brazil, home to much of the Amazon basin and its global treasure trove of genetic resources, had insisted throughout the summit that it would not agree to the strategic plan unless there was also a deal on the protocol.
Brazil and other developing countries argue rich nations and companies should not be allowed to freely take genetic resources such as wild plants to make medicines, cosmetics and other products for huge profits.
The protocol would ban so-called "biopiracy" and outline how countries with genetic resources would share in the benefits of the assets' commercial development by pharmaceutical and other companies.
The 20-point plan would commit countries to curbing pollution, setting aside areas of land and water for conservation, protecting coral reefs and ending so-called "perverse subsidies" for environmentally destructive industries.
Delegates and green groups said an accord would offer hope that the United Nations could help to solve the planet's many environmental problems, particularly after the failure of climate change talks in Copenhagen last year.
"After Copenhagen, failure in Nagoya is not an option," French secretary of state for the environment Chantal Jouanno told the Nagoya meeting on Thursday.
"Failure would mark a long and painful step backwards for environmental issues on the political agenda."
UN chiefs told the opening of the summit that forging a global consensus on protecting nature in Nagoya was vital to stop the mass extinction of animals and plant species that humans depend on to survive.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature warned last year the world was facing its sixth mass extinction phase, the last being 65 million years ago when dinosaurs vanished.
Nearly a quarter of mammals, one-third of amphibians and more than a fifth of plant species now face the threat of extinction, according to the IUCN.
And with the world's human population expected to rise from 6.8 billion to nine billion by 2050, the UN, scientists and environment groups say humans must become better guardians of the environment or face catastrophe.
An Alstom-Siemens tie-up would bring together the engineering giants that make their countries' flagship high-speed trains, including France's world-famous TGV. (AFP/MEHDI FEDOUACH)
The state-controlled Alstom, the manufacturer of French high-speed trains which are a source of national pride, called the tie-up with its German competitor "a key moment in Alstom's history, confirming its position as the platform for rail sector consolidation."
The group headquarters will be in the Paris area and 50 per cent shares of the new entity owned by Siemens, an Alstom statement said.
"We are creating a new European champion in the rail industry for the long term. This will give our customers around the world a more innovative and more competitive portfolio," said Joe Kaeser, president and CEO of Siemens AG.
The Alstom-Siemens merger has been mooted for years and completes the transformation of the French group which sold off its energy business to American rival General Electric in 2015 for 9.5 billion (US$11.3 billion).
The French state has shed its stake in the new entity, which has an order backlog of 61.2 billion and a combined revenue of 15.3 billion, according to information from the last annual financial statements of both groups.
Takeovers of major industrial companies are extremely sensitive in France, where successive governments have sought to protect the country's manufacturing capacity and avoid major job losses.
"The government has already made sure that a certain number of guarantees, notably in terms of employment and governance, will be included in the terms of the agreement," junior finance minister Benjamin Griveaux told the French parliament on Tuesday.
The board of directors of the new group will consist of 11 members. Six of them will be designated by Siemens, including the chairman. However, Henri Poupart-Lafarge will continue to lead the company as CEO and will be a board member.
"The merger is necessary to challenge the Chinese mastodon (CRRC Corp) which is two to three times bigger than we are," said Claude Mandart, head of the biggest Alstom trade union, the CFE-CGC, earlier on Tuesday.
"At the same time we're worried because we're in direct competition with Siemens in all areas: very high speed trains, signalling, regional trains, metros, trams," he added.
France was a pioneer in high-speed rail travel which saw its widely admired trains - which became known as TGVs for "Trains a Grande Vitesse" - frequently smash world records in the post-war era.
But Alstom and Siemens have since been eclipsed in size by China's CRRC Corp, which was formed via a merger of two state-owned firms in 2014 with the aim of producing a national champion able to compete internationally.
POLITICAL OPPOSITION
The French government is believed to have pushed Alstom and Siemens together to create an "Airbus for rail" - a reference to the successful European aircraft maker - which would have combined annual sales of around 15 billion.
New centrist President Emmanuel Macron blocked a takeover of a strategic shipyard in eastern France by the Italian group Fincantieri in July, raising hackles in Rome where his move was viewed as protectionist.
The rail tie-up would underline his pro-business credentials and his desire for a new Franco-German partnership at the heart of a more integrated European Union as it prepares for Britain's departure.
Backers believe the new European rail giant would be more able to challenge China's CRRC, which is eyeing Skoda Transportation in the Czech Republic as a potential foothold in Europe.
It could also leave Bombardier out in the cold, but some press reports have suggested the Canadian group would seek to sell its rail operations to Alstom-Siemens at a later stage.
"I obviously hope ... that this 'Airbus for rail', which is not a bad idea, is not created to the detriment of France," said the right-wing head of the Paris region, Valerie Pecresse.
The CEOs of Siemens and Alstom will hold a joint press conference in Paris at 0930 GMT on Wednesday.
A pharmacy in Ha Noi. A new bidding mechanism for medicines covered by the national health insurance scheme is expected to reduce medicine prices by 10-15 per cent, but several experts are worried it might prove counter productive. VNA/VNS Photo Duong Ngoc
However, several experts have expressed misgivings about what they see as an excessive focus on cost-cutting that could compromise the quality of healthcare provided to insurance card holders.
The Government has asked that the new mechanism is put in place by 2018.
A trial launched earlier last month invited bids for 22 kinds of branded and generic drugs used in cancer treatment, said Nguyen Tri Dung, director of the National Centralised Drugs Procurement Centre (NCDPC).
The total price of the bid-winning drugs this time was lower by VN590 billion (US26.2 million) over last year, he added.
o Van ong, deputy head of the Health Ministrys Drug Administration, said centralised bidding for medicines was necessary for many reasons.
First, it would help reduce costs during the bidding preparation process. Drug companies will only have to prepare one package of bidding documents instead of many, and since the value of the bid-winning package will be huge, the cost of the bid-winning drugs would be reduced. This, in turn, would help ensure stability for the health insurance fund. he added.
According to a newly released information by Viet Nam Social Insurance (VSI), the nations health insurance fund is set to struggle with a large deficit of more than VN10 trillion (US$434.8 million) this year.
Dung of the NCDPC said that previously, when bids were organised separately, there were cases when prices of bid-winning drugs were different in different localities. The new mechanism would solve this problem, he said.
Le Thanh Cong, deputy director of the Health Ministrys Department of Planning and Finance, said the method and criteria for selecting tenders have been regulated precisely in Circular 11/2016/TT-BYT.
He said this would assess product quality of drug suppliers, prices and check other criteria as well.
This method would combine both technical assessment and pricing assessment. Thus bid-winning drugs suppliers will not just be those offering lowest prices.
With transparency in the pricing of drugs under the bidding process we can rest assured that the bid-winning drugs will be of high quality and reasonably priced, Cong said.
Dung said that all drugs allowed to be sold in the domestic market by the Viet Nam Drug Aministration must have proof of quality and effectiveness. All drugs under the bidding process must be assessed for quality before anything else, he added.
Uncertain results
However, several officials and experts have expressed doubt that the new mechanism would prove effective.
Nguyen Duy Thuan, deputy director of HCM Citys Health Economic Research and Hospital Administration Institute, said that when people care mostly about how prices of bid-winning drugs can be reduced, things can get one-sided.
Doctors have another view. They care more about how effective treatment is, he said.
For instance, if the price of a drug was lower, but the treatment time is longer, the economic benefit would be limited.
If the prices of drugs are higher, but they take less time to heal, will the total healthcare cost for the society reduce or increase, he asked. This would be especially true for expensive new generation drugs.
Thuan felt that the current selection criteria for bid-winning drugs focused only on drug prices and not on the total social costs for a patient.
Social cost includes health checks, payment for doctors and nurses, medical machines, hospital stay Drugs cost would only account for 10 per cent of all these charges, he said.
While Health Ministry representatives have repeatedly assured that bid-winning drugs always meet quality criteria, National Assembly deputy Pham Khanh Phong Lan was not fully convinced.
Lan, who used to be the deputy director of the HCM Citys Health Department, said all technical criteria in current documents on bidding for drugs were too general.
She felt that the quality requirements were not strict enough. The most important criterion, which is treatment effectiveness, is often ignored, she said.
Lan agreed that a centralised bidding mechanism was essential for proper management of drugs prices, but technical requirements and quality criteria must be clearly and strictly stated, she said.
Nothing like it
Theres nothing like high quality at low prices. Take the case of VN Pharmas H-Capita. The planned price was set at VN66,000 and VN Pharma won the bid at VN31,000. What was the result? If we only prefer low prices, it would create loopholes for low quality drugs.
A pharmacist who wanted to remain unnamed said she shared Lans opinion, adding that if the Health Ministry wanted to cut costs, it should consider other solutions.
Cutting management expenses, enhancing application of new technologies, diversifying health insurance schemes are other possible options, she said.
If we just purse low priced healthcare, we cant talk about high quality treatment.
RJP-N in talks with SSF-N for tie-up
Yadav-led Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal for forging an electoral alliance between the two parties.
Police have arrested three former bank officials who are suspected on charges of appropriating property at Ocean Banks Hai Phong branch. - Photo Ministry of Public Security
The suspects worked at the Hai Phong branch of Ocean Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Ocean Bank).
On September 16, the police issued an arrest warrant for the three suspects -- Tran Thi Kim Chi, 33, former director of Ocean Banks Hai Phong branch and a resident of Nam inh Province; and two former officers Le Vuong Hoang, 26; and Nguyen Thi Minh Hue, 27 for alleged involvement in appropriating property worth over VN400 billion (US$17.6 million).
The three suspects were determined to have fled this month after dozens of customers of Ocean Banks Hai Phong branch reported the violations at the branch to relevant authorities. Some 20 customers who have deposit books with money amounting to $17.6 million since 2012 were not included in the banks database.
Specifically, information on the deposit cards did not match information of the senders name and the amount of savings, recorded in the core banking system.
At a meeting with customers in the middle of this month, the banks representative said as soon as the investigation agency made public its investigation results, the bank would address the violations following legal procedures.
A child eats inside an evacuation centre in Klungkung regency, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Mount Agung has been shaking since August and threatening to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years. (Photo: AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka)
A child eats inside an evacuation centre in Klungkung regency, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Mount Agung has been shaking since August and threatening to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years. (Photo: AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka)
Mount Agung, about 75 kilometres from the Indonesian tourist hub of Kuta, has been rumbling since August, threatening to erupt for the first time since 1963.
"The chance that an eruption will happen is quite big. But it cannot be predicted when it will happen," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the disaster mitigation agency, said.
The increased frequency of tremors shows the magma continuing to move towards the surface, with the mountain entering a "critical phase", the spokesman said.
The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said there has been an increase in volcanic tremors, with a total of 564 recorded on Monday (Sep 25).
Evacuees have packed into temporary shelters or moved in with relatives. Some 2,000 cows have also been evacuated from the flanks of the volcano.
Speaking in Klungkung district, President Joko Widodo told evacuees the government would do its best to reduce economic losses incurred during the evacuation.
"It is not easy to handle a volcanic eruption because there is no certainty when it's going to happen, or if it's going to happen at all," he said.
"I ask everybody near Gunung Agung to listen to the officials, the governor, and the mayor's instruction so we can all minimise the impact of this volcano."
Balinese residents, international NGOs and the government have begun organising aid.
Vehicles filled with noodles, mineral water and blankets have been sent to the evacuation centres, while residents around the island have been collecting donations for those affected.
Bali's "sister village" programme and tradition of communal assistance means evacuees have been able to stay in villages outside the danger zone.
Around 62,000 people lived in the danger zone prior to the evacuations, according to the disaster mitigation agency.
I Ketut Subandi, head of logistics at the village of Tana Ampo, said basic food items like rice, instant noodles, cooking oil and water were most needed.
"This morning we were worried because we had limited rice supply, but now we have received more rice stocks from donors," Subandi said.
Indonesia's national disaster agency has dispatched 640,000 face masks, 12,500 mattresses, 8,400 blankets, 50 tents, and has a budget of US$75,000 for assistance.
The central government has set aside a relief fund of nearly US$150 million in case of an eruption.
Officials announced the highest possible alert level on Friday due to the increasing volcanic activity, and told people to stay at least nine kilometres away from the crater.
"Our preparedness will be the key for the mitigations of volcanic risks," Devy Kamil, a senior official at Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, told AFP.
Trekking tours on the mountain have been cancelled by operators but officials have otherwise been at pains to assure tourists the island is safe.
The airport in Bali's capital Denpasar, through which millions of foreign tourists pass every year, has not been affected, but several countries including Australia and Singapore have put out a travel advisory.
Mount Agung is one of more than 120 active volcanoes extending the length of Indonesia, which straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire.
It last erupted in 1963, killing nearly 1,600 people and sending ash as far as the capital Jakarta.
Nguyen Duc Thang, a HCM City craftsman with over 30 years of experience, makes a traditional cellophane lantern. - VNS Photos Ngoc Diep
The 50 year-old village is a traditional craft village located in the districts Laa Long Quan Street.
Once a busy hub famous for making handmade cellophane lanterns, today only a small number of lantern-making facilities exist.
Since the 1990s, traditional Vietnamese lanterns have been facing tough competition from battery-powered, plastic products made in China.
Nguyen Duc Thang, a lantern craftsman with over 30 years of experience, said: Chinese products have flooded the Vietnamese market for many years. Most mid-autumn lanterns in the market are made in China.
However, as modern lanterns pose safety and health risks, Vietnamese consumers have returned to the traditional product in the last few years.
In 1989, Thang began creating handmade cellophane lanterns, and now makes lanterns during his free time, especially during the mid-autumn season. Even during difficult times, his family stayed with the craft.
This year, his family began making lanterns three months ago after receiving orders for more than 2,000 lanterns, Thang said.
Many parents are buying locally-made lanterns for their kids as the poor quality and harmful effects of imported products have worsened in recent years.
I think people have returned to handmade lanterns due to more awareness about the need for safe products and preservation of traditional values, he said.
Dung, a walk-in customer from Tan Phu District, said he would buy lanterns for his grandchildren to celebrate the festival.
I always choose traditional lanterns because they are safe and the light of the candles is better than the light from electric lanterns, he said.
Most of the orders are from regular customers, including individuals and organisations from the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces and other districts.
The chicken-shaped lantern is the most popular item this year because its the symbol of the year. There are also star-shaped lanterns and animal shapes, Thang said.
The quality of the products depends on the artisans skill to make a complete lantern, from cutting the bamboo sticks and making the frame to painting and wrapping the cellophane around the frame.
Lantern makers have made great efforts to improve the designs to meet market demand, such as designs of cartoon characters like Doraemon or Hello Kitty to attract children.
Traditional values
With the rapid development of society, the toy market for children in the mid-autumn season has changed. Many toys are imported from other countries, while traditional products are slowly disappearing.
Colourful cellophane lanterns made by artisans from the Phu Binh Lantern Village in HCM Citys District 11.
However, some artisans still spend their day making lanterns in the hope that old-fashioned mid-autumn festival toys will survive and the festivals spirit from previous generations will be preserved.
Thu, a lantern maker, said she was happy to be busy again but she was worried about the cost of making lanterns.
A small lantern sells for around VND14,000 (US$0.6) while a giant shape goes for VND120,000 ($5.4). Each lantern brings about VND7,000 ($0.3) after production costs.
The craft began to be passed down from generation to generation more than half a century ago, and many older people continue to do the job because they still love it.
Some of the craftspeople say the work is their life and a memory of their lineage, and they will never quit. If someone wants a new lantern, they are happy to make one.
Besides mooncakes, lanterns are one of the most popular items sold during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is celebrated each year on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, falling on October 4 this year.
The festival is a special occasion for family reunions, especially for children, with many activities held.
It has been celebrated annually in many Asian countries for several hundred years.
According to the city Department of Tourism, demand for farm tours rises 20-30 percent each year. Some most popular areas for tourists include the 88-hectare Ho Chi Minh City Hi-Tech Agriculture Park in Cu Chi district.
Tran Kim Hang, Vice Director of the Infrastructure Exploitation under the Ho Chi Minh City Hi-Tech Agriculture Park, said that the park has offered a number of farm tours since 2014. The number of tourists to the park has risen sharply to reach over 12,000 in 2016 from only 7,000 in the first year. The figure is expected to hit 15,000 in 2017.
However, Hang said that the park has yet to give adequate investment to the product, with a lack of many services for tourists.
Nguyen Duy Son, Vice Chairman of the Management Board of the park, pointed to a lack of human resources for tourism in the park.
Son stressed that in order to survive and develop, it is necessary to invest more in personnel quality targeting specific groups of tourists.
Truong Minh Hau, Vice Director of Tourism Promotion Agency under the city Department of Tourism held that firms should decide which kind of customers they wish to attract and design their tourism services accordingly.
According to Hau, while investment in tourism infrastructure is necessary, only facilities to meet basic demand of tourists are needed to avoid stretching resources. What is more important is to train their tour guides, establish connections with local community and strengthen communications to promote their tourism products, especially through social media.
Local firms also proposed that the Government should design policies to support infrastructure system in rural areas to serve agriculture tourism, while building a set of criteria for standards of this kind of product.
Bui Ta Hoang Vu, Director of the city Department of Tourism said that tourism is a special economic sector that requires strong connection among sectors and regions.
In the future, the department will continue working with other departments and sectors to improve the citys tourism products with agriculture tourism one of priorities.
The country is witnessing revelations about corruption, embezzlement, and violations by state officials. Do you think that the press has exposed these negative phenomena to the fullest?
I would say that, based on official assessments by the state, ministries and international organisations, Vietnams economy is bouncing back strongly with positive growth. Generally speaking, the economy remains stable, with some key sectors flourishing.
However, the economy has been facing difficulties, including some serious scandals with implications of vested interests, corruption, and wastefulness. Many cases have been brought to the court or are under investigation. This is a strong message from the Party and the state being strongly resolved to re-affirm order and discipline in all socio-economic activities and sectors, including a focus on preventing and combating corruption and wastefulness.
Under the guidance of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, some big cases have been going to trial in the spirit of respecting the law. This spirit is strengthening the confidence of the public. Anyone that shows even a hint of a violation will be inspected and all violators will be punished without leniency.
In the past, there were also many scandals concerning corruption and wastefulness involving big state-owned enterprises such as Vinashin and Vinalines. The fight against corruption and wastefulness is gaining momentum, with no mercy for any violations by individuals, enterprises, or organisations.
I would say that the press has been truly and objectively reflecting all corners of the countrys economy and society. It has played a major role in preventing and combating corruption, and this role is irreplaceable.
However, there have been some journalists who are irresponsible with their job. They have been working not for the benefit of the state, people, and the community, but rather, they have broken the law to benefit only themselves.
Journalism in Vietnam has evolved into an integral part of the nations development Photo: Le Toan
The government is now doing its utmost to establish a more business-friendly climate. Do you think that journalists are well-balanced in conveying both negative and positive information about this?
In 2016 and especially in 2017, the government has highlighted its strong message that the best conditions will be provided to enterprises and investors to turn Vietnam into a startup nation with a more enabling government. This message has inspired enterprises and investors and accordingly served as a strong new impetus for the economy as a whole.
The press has also captured these efforts and helped the government to convey its policies to the public and enterprises. Overall, journalists have had fewer articles that were pessimistic about the economy. Some media outlets that used to largely focus on negative information have even increased their positive coverage of the economy. I think that their new way of thinking is quite responsible; it can make the audience more upbeat about the economy. In fact, the economy is strongly developing, boosted by a great deal of foreign investment and increased exports.
As you know, social media is expanding in a powerful way. What should traditional media agencies do to compete with social media, while making sure to offer true and objective information and attract a larger audience?
We are living amid strong digital development, with rapidly-growing social media. We cannot deny the positive effects of social media, but they also contain ungrounded and fake information, which is harmful to the whole society. Many netizens remain uneducated and do not take responsibility for their actions online.
In this situation, journalists have to take responsibility by publishing exact and objective information in order to direct the public. Journalists must show their skills, knowledge, ethics, and social responsibility in their articles. They can also participate in social networks like Facebook to convey accurate and objective information.
However, in social networks, journalists must be sensible because they can be confused and misdirected by the various types of unsubstantiated information making its rounds on the web. Before writing about any issue, journalists must check their information thoroughly.
However, the press is not only faced with fiercer competition from social media, it will also be hit by other digital rivals. This requires journalists to continue training themselves and taking more responsibility.
Vietnam Investment Review (VIR) has been operating for 26 years. As a leader of the Vietnam Journalists Association, what do you think should be done for VIR to go further?
VIR is quite a reliable newspaper for economic experts, policy makers, investors and enterprises. Those interested in economic issues can find all necessary information in VIR, with in-depth and objective analysis. I see that VIR has been consistently reinventing itself with continuous improvements in quality.
Like many other readers, I am waiting for VIR to publish more good articles about unresolved economic issues, including delayed projects and corruption, and the governments proposed solutions to these issues.
May VIR continue to enjoy more success and prosperity!
Big shot Hanoi buyers are looking to spread the wealth to the provinces
A range of real estate projects have been introduced to Hanois market from Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Danang and Nha Trang. The projects include The Charm, Sunrise City, Ocean Villas, Hyatt Regency, Olalani, Fusion Alya, Azura and Blooming Park.
Talking with VIR at a recent road show to introduce Sunrise City, located in Ho Chi Minh, in Hanoi, Novaland Joint Stock Company marketing deputy director Huynh Du An said many units were sold to Hanoians and those from northern provinces.
Meanwhile, a range of other central and southern projects have been rushing into Hanoi. Setia Becamex launched Binh Duong provinces Ecolakes My Phuoc in the capital late last week, a week before TD Group introduced the Costa Nha Trang to Hanoians. This week Singapores Guoco Lands Canary, located at the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park in Binh Duong province, will be unveiled to northern customers.
Bringing Ecolakes My Phuoc to Hanois market is one of our key marketing strategies. Hanoians are paying more attention to higher standards of living and are interested in ecological housing, said Khoo Teck Chong, general director of Setia Becamex.
VIR was told that for many projects in the central and southern parts, roughly 70 per cent of customers were from Hanoi and other northern provinces.
Matthew Koziora, sales director of VinaCapital - developer of the Azura in Danang, said the first 60 units, out of 225, were launched in Hanoi recently.
Out of the 40 units sold, 90 per cent of the buyers had come from Hanoi.
Hanoi has, according to Koziora, proven itself to be a key market for most new projects in Vietnam, given the demographics of these immediate catchments.
While condominium offerings will always be available in Hanoi due to previous pent-up demands, we can see that not all projects will enjoy a healthy sell-through, as was seen 12 months ago.
We do see, however, given the price differentials between house and land packages in Hanoi versus Ho Chi Minh City, that this market will be better received in the current marketplace and over the next six months as opposed to condominium project offerings at this time, Koziora said
Ngo Huu Truong, managing director of a real estate agency in Ho Chi Minh City, said many customers from Hanoi and Haiphong had come to Ho Chi Minh City to find out information about new projects there.
Demand is real and many projects investors have realised this trend and they are coming to Hanoi to promote their projects, Truong said.
He also said the jury was still out on how effective the promotions were.
I think that these developers [who bring their projects to Hanoi] have at least seen their target to raise their image and brand names in northern customers, Truong said.
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council met behind closed doors on Tuesday (Sep 26) to discuss the violence in Myanmar, moving to step up its response to the exodus of 480,000 Rohingya Muslims in what has been condemned as "ethnic cleansing."
The meeting will set the stage for a public session of the top UN body on Thursday, during which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to brief on the crisis and China, along with other council members, will deliver remarks.
International alarm is growing over the fate of the Rohingya who have been fleeing an army campaign in Rakhine state that the United Nations says has included killings, rape and the torching of villages.
The military operation followed attacks on Aug 25 by Rohingya militants on police posts.
British Deputy UN Ambassador Jonathan Allen said the council must "send a clear message to the authorities of Myanmar that the violence needs to stop."
Humanitarian aid must be allowed in Rakhine state and the status of the Rohingya, who are stateless in Myanmar, must be addressed, he said.
French Ambassador Francois Delattre said he was pushing for a "strong and united response" from the council to pile pressure on authorities in Myanmar.
China, a supporter of Myanmar's former junta, backed a council statement earlier this month calling for an end to the violence, but the exodus has continued.
Rights groups, which have accused the council of dragging its feet on Myanmar, are calling for urgent action to address what they have denounced as crimes against humanity against the Rohingya.
"The council urgently needs to consider an arms embargo against the Burmese military and targeted sanctions against those responsible for the criminal campaign against the Rohingya," said Human Rights Watch's UN director Lou Charbonneau.
"We hope the secretary-general will drive home the importance of urgent action now by the council," he said.
France, which takes over the council presidency in October, has invited former UN chief Kofi Annan to brief next week on his recent report which advocates citizenship for the Rohingya.
Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has disappointed human rights groups who had campaigned for her freedom during the Nobel Peace Prize winner's 15 years under house arrest by a military junta.
The council meeting will measure the level of support Suu Kyi still enjoys with Western allies after her nationwide address last week failed to quell the outrage.
Financial expert Huynh Trung Minh
Whats your assessment of inward remittance flows to Vietnam in the latter months of this year?
Official data is still not available at the moment. According to the State Bank of Vietnams Ho Chi Minh City branch, the city received about $3 billion in these funds in the first eight months of the year, a 5 per cent jump on-year.
This indicates that the volume of inward remittances continues on its growth momentum, albeit at a slower rate than previously. Therefore, I believe the US Presidents announcement will not be a large influence on money flows into Vietnam or will only have a psychological effect. More important is how the economy impacts the income of overseas Vietnamese living in other countries which will directly affect their money transfer to their relatives in Vietnam.
Have inward remittance flows been slowing down? How about the real estate field, where it previously was particularly strong?
In fact, remittances keep flowing into Vietnam for investment targets. However, beside this kind of money, growing outbound investment has also been recorded. In addition, investors may engage in internal transactions, making it difficult to provide accurate statistics.
Inward remittance flows, particularly from the US, are predicted to decline in the upcoming time. In your view, why is this so?
The is still responsible for the lions share of inward money flows to Ho Chi Minh City, with about 60 per cent, while the EU accounts for 19 per cent. Besides, natural calamities have been wreaking havoc throughout the US in recent months, so it may prove hard for overseas Vietnamese living at these locations to send home money.
Exchange rates are relatively stable and there is a zero per cent deposit rate on the USD. How do receivers usually use remittances, do they convert it into Vietnam dong or keep it in foreign currencies?
They mostly convert it into dong as the exchange rate has been kept stable in the past year and the deposit rate on USD is held at zero per cent, making it more beneficial to keep dong at this point of time.
In fact, so far during the year, the exchange rate inched up more than 1 per cent, while short-term dong-denominated deposits fetch 6-7 per cent per year. Compared to the zero per cent on dollar deposits, keeping dong is more beneficial.
A worker taps rubber latex. Viet Nam Rubber Group will sell 475 million shares at the price of VN13,000 a share in an IPO scheduled next year. - VNA/VNS Photo
The rubber group will auction 475 million shares, equivalent to 11.88 per cent of its total charter capital of VN40 trillion (US$1.76 billion) to the public. Another 475 million shares will be offered to strategic investors while the remaining amount will be sold to the groups employees and trade union.
The State will retain three billion shares, or 75 per cent of the capital after the equitisation, Tran Ngoc Thuan, VRGs general director said at the companys extraordinary employees meeting on Monday.
Thuan said the group has agreed to propose to the Prime Minister the selling price of VN13,000 ($0.57) a share at the auction on the HCM Stock Exchange.
The companys employees and trade union are entitled to buy at the price of 60 per cent of the lowest successful bidding price.
VRG is expected to collect over VN12.83 trillion from the share sale.
According to the Prime Ministers direction, VRG must complete the initial public offering (IPO) on January 1, 2018. However, the group has proposed to the Ministry of Industry and Trade to ask for the Governments approval of extending the deadline to three months from the date of the approval of the equitisation plan.
In March this year, VRG announced it would conduct its IPO in the second quarter of 2017 but due to the heavy workload and large-scale auction, the sale has been delayed.
After the equitisation, the group will have 99 subsidiary and affiliated companies. VRG has completed the equitisation for two member companies and plans to divest from other 22 companies.
In 2017, VRG has targeted to earn VN4.2 trillion in pre-tax profits, a year-on-year increase of 47 per cent, despite industry forecasts of challenges due to the unpredictable impacts of climate change.
Sebon probes BFIs for delayed share issue
The Securities Board of Nepal (Sebon) has begun a probe into eight banks and financial institutions (BFIs) accusing them of delaying issuing rights shares with the expectation that their stocks will rise on the announcement.
Give in. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
This Friday, Miley Cyrus will return from what we can only chalk up to a quarter-life crisis with a new album, Younger Now, that sees her rediscovering her country roots. At just 24, Miley will soon be six albums into her career. To anyone put off by either the Disney Channelproduced confection or provocative shock pop that has defined most of it, however, it will have felt like a waking nightmare on loop. Cyrus, who was virtually born into the music industry, seems to have sensed the fatigue brought on by her previous forays into edginess. Judging from the albums understated first singles, Younger Now is something of a course correction, extending an olive branch to audiences Miley might have previously scared away.
Younger Now has been billed as a Serious Album by a Serious Artist, but the truth is that there are more than a few gems in her back catalogue. Here are 21 Miley Cyrus deep cuts that just might make a fan out of you yet.
Originals
Younger Now
On first listen, Younger Now feels thin. Like Miley doing an impression of what people think Miley doing country might sound like. Also, spinning a narrative that a 24-year-old feels somehow younger now (younger than when?) is believable only to anyone younger than 24. We dont blame you if you wrote this one off. However, like so much of the Miley canon, its worth trying it again by watching a live version. Mileys performance of the song at the 2017 VMAs, dressed like her godmother Dolly, is inspired. Its got kids on motorcycles and elderly folks, some in drag, reclaiming their youth. Theres also a complete line-dancing breakdown. This is a not-so-rare case of the live version of a song completely eclipsing its studio original.
See You Again
No, not the original, which is fine enough, but couldnt shake its Hannah Montana past or its self-referential shes just being Miley catchphrase until now. The Miley of 2017 is not the Miley of 2007. This Miley openly adores country music and recently redeemed this song by performing a revamped version of it in cowboy boots and an Elvis-shirt dress for the BBC Live Lounge. See You Again is now a smokey, pistol-whipping bar banger for a new generation of would-be Miley fans that never wouldve paid this song any mind otherwise.
Hands of Love
Its true. This is not Mileys best soundtrack song. That award goes to The Climb, but there was no avoiding that anthem when it came out, and if you didnt like it then, you probably wont be swayed now. Hands of Love was written for Freeheld a film about the true story of two womens fight for same-sex rights by Miley and Linda Perry. By default, you have to like it. Also its a powerful performance that the Oscars snubbed.
Karen Dont Be Sad
If we told you this song was not technically a Miley Cyrus song, but a Flaming Lips demo from when they recorded At War With the Mystics, that Wayne Coyne once thought would be a good fit for Kesha, and that Mileys lush performance on the eventual finished product was recorded all in the first take, are you intrigued? Good. Now that we have your attention, forget the Coyne factor; this song works because Miley draws in the listener to make them feel like the titular Karen could be you. Could be anyone. We all know a Karen. And we all need a Miley to restore the fight in her.
The Floyd Song (Sunrise)
Two years after its release, Mileys Dead Petz does not hold up well. During this period, she got deep into hallucinogens and collaborating with Wayne Coyne. Were pretty sure shed very much appreciate that you forget this even happened. But for better or worse, it yielded her most experimental work. This track, a spacey dedication to her actual dead pet dog Floyd (he got mauled by coyotes) written and produced with Coyne, leans toward the better end of the spectrum and is nowhere near as maudlin as the albums other dead-pet dirge, Pablow the Blowfish.
Adore You
Wrecking Ball got all the attention for being the Big Ballad of the Bangerz era because it captured the crumbling of a relationship, and people relish other peoples pain. (Also, because its stunning.) But Adore You is a gem in its own right and arguably more vulnerable for covering the moments when the possible future wreckage is still in the distance. No one wants other people to know what were like when were in love smitten, totally engrossed in another person, and a little bit lost in them because it makes us look naive. Adore You unabashedly devotes itself to the honeymoon period, but thats why its magic.
Rooting for My Baby
History will remember Bangerz as Miley: the Appropriation Years, and rightfully so. But between the dreads, twerking, and poor attempts at rap, there were actually shades of the rootsy music Miley has now turned back to. Maybe it was all part of a larger test to see who was really listening, or maybe she had the foresight to know casual fans werent ready to fully embrace her transition. Rooting for My Baby has been described as indebted to Fleetwood Mac. Need we say more?
Drive
For all of Bangerzs shock pop, a few of its, um, bangers were actually pretty low-key and better for it. Drive finds Miley and producer Mike Will Made-it creating pulsating synth-driven electro-pop about romantic desperation and despair. This song is more mature than most of Mileys output at the time.
Do My Thang
Miley raps very poorly on this, but it shouldve been a single. If swaggering trap-pop kiss-offs are your taste, this ones underrated.
When I Look at You
Seven years ago, Miley made a movie called The Last Song. While filming, she met and fell in love with Liam Hemsworth, and both their relationship and this song are still going strong. Hillary Lindsey, the woman whos won Grammys for writing Carrie Underwood and Little Big Town hits, wrote When I Look at You with John Shanks (producer of Kelly Clarksons Breakaway). Is it teen-love-story fluff? Duh. Does that mean you shouldnt give it a chance? Turn up your nose somewhere else.
Two More Lonely People
Please dont ask for an explanation of Cant Be Tamed. I dont know what Miley or anyone directly involved in her career was thinking either. All I know is the 80s knock-off Two More Lonely People is a (tiny) diamond in the rough and all thats worth revisiting from that regrettable blip in her discography.
Ready, Set, Dont Go
This song is a decade old. Miley was around 14 when she recorded it, but, her dad Billy Ray already had her duetting with him about leaving the nest. Granted, shed jump-started her career with a certain Disney show you mightve heard of, so he had reason for his concerns about her growing up too fast. Its schmaltzy, but still an honest father-daughter country-minded song about letting go.
Covers
Dont Dream Its Over (Crowded House)
Dont let the animal onesies fool you, this is a seriously good, not-especially-serious cover that Ariana Grande and Miley first performed together in Mileys backyard. That duet included a playful moment where Miley got distracted flirting with Ariana and missed her cue. But when they performed it together again, for Arianas Manchester benefit in the wake of the terror attack at her concert, there wasnt much to laugh about. And, yet, it happened again missed cues, flubbed lyrics, and so much goofy chemistry between the two that people barely noticed the missteps. It was one of the lighter moments of the night.
Different (Joan Jett)
Pop stars are not supposed to be rock stars, but Miley doesnt ever really do what anyone expects. Here she is, duetting with Joan Jett. Surprisingly they make for a killer marriage that doesnt sound one bit forced.
Look What Theyve Done to My Song Ma (Melanie Safka)
This cover was one of the highlights of Mileys original Backyard Sessions, but she eventually got to sing it again with the songs creator, folk legend Melanie Safka. Miley and folk music go hand in hand better than audiences have been led to believe.
Ill Take Care of You (Bobby Bland)
Doubt it all you want, but Miley has the range. And, as this cover proved, it extends to the blues.
Summertime Sadness (Lana Del Rey)
Both Miley and Lana favor lower vocal registers, so it only makes sense that Miley covering Lana sounds deeply melodramatic. But theres a lively character to Mileys voice that Lanas lacks, making her cover of Summertime Sadness an absolute treat.
Jolene (Dolly Parton)
As the goddaughter of Dolly Parton, it is Mileys lone destiny to perform Jolene with aplomb. Shes sung it with Dolly on numerous occasions, but most impressive was back in 2010 in front of a full crowd. Then, in 2012, Miley covered the song again this time as the introduction of her Backyard Sessions. Theres nothing showy about it shes performing in a backyard with a full band on a vintage microphone, so her voice sounds crisp and taut.
Lilac Wine (Jeff Buckley)
If theres one thing to be said about Mileys Backyard Sessions, particularly the original run, its that for the first time, people got to understand Mileys roots. She chose artists who influenced her, whom shes always drawn from in her work but could never quite convey to full effect because they almost never fit her brand. You dont think Jeff Buckley and associate him with Miley, which makes her cover of Lilac Wine a strange delight and one of the most sublime vocal performances shes ever turned in.
Youre Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Bob Dylan)
Depending on your perception of Miley, it might make you cringe to know Miley once covered Dylan. But know she did it for charity, and demonstrated once again why her voice is so damn well-suited for folk.
These Four Walls (Cheyenne Kimball)
Mileys voice did not have the breadth, texture, or control that results from natural vocal maturation and the wear of touring when she recorded this cover for her sophomore album. But should we fault her for being so young when she started her career, or applaud her for trying something beyond her years? Miley has Nashville in her blood, so it makes sense that shed lean on something with a slight twang. Credit Hollywood Records (the label where many a Disney star has gone to die) for allowing her this one small freedom.
The next big thing
Nepal should capitalise on the growing prominence of e-commerce to fuel inclusive growth
On Tuesdays Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host was happy to announce the death of Graham-Cassidy, the latest GOP health-care bill that wont get a vote in the Senate. Last week, Kimmel played a huge part in steering the conversation against the Obamacare repeal plan, with monologues that packed a punch while explaining, in laymans terms, the problems with the legislation. Kimmel originally ditched his apolitical reputation months before when he revealed that his son needed an open-heart surgery shortly after birth, and called on politicians to protect other families in similar circumstances by ensuring that any future health-care system guaranteed no lifetime limits to coverage or discrimination against preexisting conditions.
After praising Senator John McCain, one of the three Republican no votes that stopped the bill from coming to the Senate floor, Kimmel offered a solution for fixing the problems in the current system. Look, Im not a congressman, I dont want to tell you how to do your jobs, but heres how to do your jobs, Kimmel said. Instead of writing a bill by candlelight on a Bazooka wrapper in the back of a Senate broom closet and then lying about what it will do, try this: Hold a bunch of hearings. Kimmel recommended the Senate call on a committee of health-care experts to formulate a plan that would help the most Americans. I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes you have to think inside the box, Kimmel quipped.
Photo: CABLUCK/AP/REX/Shutterstock/CABLUCK/AP/REX/Shutterstock
Allegations of sexual assault against Aint It Cool News founder Harry Knowles continue to come in, with IndieWire publishing the accounts of four additional women who said that Knowles harassed them on multiple occasions. Three of them were named while one chose to remain anonymous, going only by her Twitter handle, sick_66, and each shared violating encounters with Knowles that are very similar to the allegations made by a woman named Jasmine Baker in a story reported by IndieWire last week. Gloria Walker, described as a member of Austins close-knit film community, said Knowles made suggestive comments to her and that once at a party he touched my ass, my thighs a little grab, as I was walking by. Walker was also apparently warned about Knowless reputation with women and got the sense his behavior had been normalized within their community. What I got is, Thats Harry! Thats just what he does! Adjust your proximity to him and deal with it.
One occasion that stands out: I wanted to get into the original Captain America screening and he told me I had to kiss him to get in. Ghoulia Walker (@qloriaisfake) September 24, 2017
It's not a secret. So many women have these stories. We have learned to steer clear of someone so we can pursue our love of cinema. Ghoulia Walker (@qloriaisfake) September 24, 2017
Britt Hayes, who is an editor with ScreenCrush, retweeted a post from Knowles in which he said the allegations against him were 100% untrue. She added her own experience with him as a comment, saying, Harry sexually harassed me. he has sexually harassed other women in this community for years. this wasnt an anomaly. he is a predator. Hayes also became aware of the open secret about Knowles being an alleged serial assaulter, but said she was afraid to speak out because of how it could hurt her career as a film writer just starting out in Austin. Theres just something really, deeply unsettling about him and the way that he enjoys the attention that he gets, and the way that he leverages his power for attention, Hayes told IndieWire.
Harry sexually harassed me. he has sexually harassed other women in this community for years. this wasn't an anomaly. he is a predator. https://t.co/ylnmKt7xJV britt hates (@MissBrittHayes) September 24, 2017
Jill Lewis is a former employee of Alamo Drafthouse, an organization at the center of the Austin film community that has hosted many events in partnership with Knowles over the years. She did not provide additional comment to IndieWire, but said in a public Facebook post that in her first exchange with Knowles he grabbed my arm, asked me to come closer, and then told me he was on mushrooms, and that he and his wife had been talking about wanting to see me naked, and asked me to do just that with them that night. When the alleged incident took place, Lewis was at an event for Fantastic Fest, which is the festival co-founded by Knowles and Alamo Drafthouse co-founder Tim League. League has recently come under fire for re-hiring film journalist Devin Faraci, despite the fact that he resigned his post as editor-in-chief of the Alamo-affiliated magazine Birth.Movies.Death last year because of sexual-assault allegations that were made public against him.
The fourth set of new allegations came from sick_66, who shared screenshots of direct messages sent to her by Knowles, in which he told her she looked good enough to eat, and that she could have my vienna sausage anytime. The two had DMd previously about movies before sick_66 says Knowles sent her the unsolicited messages propositioning her, and she, too, said she was worried about coming forward due to professional retaliation.
I've just unfollowed Harry and also have some interesting screenshots of completely unsolicited messages. I'm tired of dealing with this pic.twitter.com/lepcEDCtd8 THE BLAIR BITCH (@sick__66) September 23, 2017
I never said a thing because who would even give a shit about my experience lol THE BLAIR BITCH (@sick__66) September 23, 2017
Fuck all of you. This happens to almost every woman involved in this community, and almost every single fucking day. Fuck all of you. THE BLAIR BITCH (@sick__66) September 23, 2017
Multiple Aint It Cool contributors have announced their departure from the site this week, with writer Eric Vespe saying, I feel to stay would be showing disrespect to survivors of harassment and abuse. AICN was dropped as a sponsor leading up to this years Fantastic Fest, which is currently happening in Austin, Texas, and Knowles announced he would not be attending shortly before the first accusations by Baker were published. League remains in place as the head of Drafthouse, but he also skipped Fantastic Fest to travel around to regional Alamo theaters and talk with employees about how the company will proceed amid allegations that it has passively permitted a culture of harassment to grow within the community it sits at the heart of. Its an especially distressing situation, considering Alamo and Fantastic Fest built their reputation as havens for film nerds and safe spaces for all.
In a statement, League said he has severed all ties with Knowles, and that, On the festival front, in light of recent events and feedback we have gotten over the last few days, we have taken some first steps on the path to listening and ensuring that we create a safe, inclusive environment for our staff at both the theater and the festival as well as the community at large. Ill be sharing more about this in the days and weeks to come.
Photo: Netflix
Netflix releases plenty of shows that couldnt exist anywhere else the wacky and meta Lady Dynamite; American Vandal, a true-crime series about dicks; The OA, just in general but Neo Yokio might be its oddest project yet. The animated series is created by Vampire Weekends Ezra Koenig, produced by Adult Swim veteran Nick Weidenfeld, and it stars Jaden Smith. Neo Yokio is a riff on upper-class New York, full of references to literature and high-end fashion. There is also magic, demons, and most of lower Manhattan is covered by The Sea Beneath 14th Street.
After premiering last Friday with little more than a trailer released earlier this month to promote it, weve decided to lay out the basic facts of Neo Yokio. If nothing else, itll help you understand why people keep sharing photos of Jaden Smiths character with a big Toblerone.
So, what is Neo Yokio about?
To adopt the voice of a Jaden Smith tweet, is anything really ever about anything?
Okay, okay: The series takes place in the city of Neo Yokio, a futuristic version of New York which is half underwater and occasionally under attack from demons, but otherwise contains many recognizable uptown locations: Bergdorfs, the Met, the Oyster Bar, and so on.
Jaden Smith plays Kaz Kaan, a so-called magistocrat who works as demon exterminator with his aunt Agatha (Susan Sarandon), hangs out with his friends Lexy (The Kid Mero) and Gottlieb (Desus Nice), and competes with his rival Arcangelo Corelli (Jason Schwartzman) for the title of Neo Yokios most eligible bachelor.
Wait, Neo Yokio has a ranking of the towns most eligible bachelors? And the characters actually care about this?
Yeah, its one of the drivers of the shows (very) limited plot. Think of the list like that annual Town and Country one, but updated with the rapidity of alerts from Gossip Girl. The characters care about it a lot, especially Kaz, who has a chip on his shoulder about the fact that he is Neo Riche (a.k.a nouveau riche) and works (a.k.a. fights demons) for his money.
Who does the ranking?
I have no idea.
This doesnt sound like any anime Ive ever watched.
Neo Yokio does make a lot of references to Ezra Koenigs favorite 80s and 90s anime, especially in the style of its animation (which feels deliberately retro) and its world-building. There are a multitude of winks at shows like Sailor Moon, Akira, Dragonball Z, and other well-known hits. But plot-wise, inasmuch as Neo Yokio has a plot, it hews much closer to something like a comedy of manners in the style of Frasier, an Edith Wharton novel, or a Whit Stillman movie. If youre looking for elaborate, well-drafted fight scenes or complex storytelling, this isnt the show for you. If youre in the mood for jokes about Vivaldi, Damien Hirst, the dangers of wearing a midnight-blue tux to a black-and-white ball, or Toblerone, welcome!
Toblerone?
Well let this tweet speak for itself.
A tragedy in 4 parts #NeoYokio pic.twitter.com/xLFtm8hB2x Robert H Mullarkey (@Robert88UK) September 22, 2017
Whos the rest of the cast?
With Neo Yokio, youll spend a lot of the time trying figure out how Ezra Koenig knows and convinced the various actors who appear on the show to do voice work. Tavi Gevinson (friend, rumored ex) voices a fashion blogger. Jude Law (the Young Pope himself!) is a robot butler. Steve Buscemi (up for anything) plays a vaping and wig-wearing government inspector. Annet Mahendru (The Americans) is a Russian race car driver. Cool teens Kiernan Shipka, Willow Smith, and Amandla Stenberg play a trio of cool teens. Oh, and Katy Mixon plays a Taylor Swift stand-in named Sailor Pellegrino.
Theres a Taylor Swift character?
Pretty much. Sailor Pellegrino is a mish-mash of various pop stars (shes got Katy Perry blue hair, for instance), but the Taylor Swift comparisons are most obvious. Sailor loves to spend time with her cat, she shows up to a Knicks games, and she is even Neo Yokios welcome ambassador. To be fair to Sailor Pellegrino, though, the character is also intent on bringing down the bourgeois.
Wait, is Neo Yokio about class warfare?
I wouldnt go that far, but its definitely aware of class. Tavi Gevinsons character, Helena St. Tessero, experiences a spiritual crisis and delivers lines like, Im not searching for meaning in the aesthetic cycles of commodities. The characters occupy the tiniest sliver of the top one percent of society, but whenever they leave that space like when Kaz goes to Queens for the first time in one episode we see that Neo Yokio is ravaged by income inequality. (Koenig was a Bernie Sanders supporter, after all.) Mostly, Neo Yokio is about the existential challenge of being alive, of finding ones place while growing up in a place like New York, and of writing a Netflix show instead of the next Vampire Weekend album.
If Queens exists in Neo Yokio, what about Brooklyn?
Unclear. You can see bits of Brooklyn Heights and Greenpoint in the shows opening credits, but the characters never visit or mention it. It seems the non-Manhattan boroughs are still gauche in the land of Neo Yokio, though theres always space for a neo-gentrification story line in season two.
Enjoy, poodles. Photo: Chris Haston/NBC via Getty Images
Its not necessary to watch or rewatch all of Will & Grace before the sitcom returns to NBC on Thursday. Theres a little relationship history that comes up in the first three episodes that is helpful to remember, but lets be real: Youre not tuning into this show for the plot. You show up so you can hear Megan Mullally make catty comments in a voice high-pitched enough to shatter the martini glass from which shes perpetually sipping.
That said, some viewers may have missed the series the first time around and want to get a feel for its sensibility, while others may feel a need to Just Jack their way down memory lane before welcoming Will & Grace into their 2017 lives. Now that the old episodes are streaming on Hulu, on demand, and the NBC app, its possible to do exactly that, which is why we at Vulture have provided this list of the 15 best and/or most significant Will & Grace episodes to watch as the return of the show approaches. Enjoy, poodles.
Between a Rock and Harlins Place (Season one, episode four)
Some people would say you should watch the pilot to get a sense of the backstory behind the Will and Grace relationship. But honestly, all you need to know is theyre single now and involved in a co-dependent friendship that will be explored for a full eight, soon-to-be nine seasons. That co-dependency is on full, dysfunctional display in this episode, in which Will sabotages Graces attempt to decorate his bosss apartment. This is also the episode that marks the first performance of Jack McFarlands cabaret show, Just Jack [insert jazz hands here].
The Unsinkable Mommy Adler (Season one, episode 13)
Debbie Reynolds makes the first of several recurring appearances as Graces over-the-top, unfiltered mother, and she is a delight. In light of her death last year, its now both sweet and poignant to watch her enter a room crooning her signature tune Good Morning from Singin in the Rain.
Grace, Replaced (Season one, episode 18)
Grace is working too much and Will feels neglected, at which point he meets a woman named Val (Molly Shannon) who also totally gets him and completes his sentences. Of course, Grace is having none of that.
Das Boob (Season two, episode three)
Remember when water bras were a thing in the late 90s? This episode in which Grace pads her cleavage to impress a hot artist from high school and winds up springing a leak will remind you. It also will remind you of the I Love Lucyesque physical-comedy skills that come so instinctively to Debra Messing and Eric McCormack. Added bonus: the hot artist from high school is played by Scott Patterson, a.k.a. Luke from Gilmore Girls.
Homo for the Holidays (Season two, episode seven)
Holiday episodes are part of the grand Will & Grace tradition. This one, in which Jack comes out to his mother (Veronica Cartwright) over Thanksgiving dinner, is a particular standout. The episode handles Jacks outing with sensitivity that was unusual to see on mainstream comedies at the time. It also handles it with silly jokes about gay stereotypes. (Honey, I think youre missing the silver lining here, Karen tells Jacks mom. When youre old and in diapers, a gay son will know how to keep you away from chiffon and backlighting.) Its quintessential Will & Grace: progressive and regressive all at once.
Acting Out, (Season two, episode 14)
Jack, Will, and Grace excitedly watch an NBC sitcom called Along Came You, waiting to see the first gay male kiss on television. But the camera pans away at the last minute, sending Jack on a crusade against the network and in a riff on something that actually happened to the Today show audience, where Will plants one on Jack right in front of Al Roker and winds up making a little bit of actual TV history. This is Will & Grace at its most meta and vaguely Seinfeldian.
Gypsies, Tramps, and Weed (Season three, episode seven)
This is the episode where Grace hires a waiter as her assistant (Mike Damone from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, or, if you prefer, Robert Romanus) and he winds up selling pot out of her office. Its also the episode where Will sees a psychic played by Camryn Manheim and becomes convinced hes supposed to marry Jack. (In one fantasy moment, he imagines Jack in a wedding dress, which is one of the many examples of this show feminizing gay men for the sake of a laugh.) But really, above all else, this is the episode where Sean Hayes does a Cher impression to Chers face. If you could turn back time or turn it forward, that moment will still always be funny.
Lows in the Mid-80s (Season three, episodes eight and nine)
A two-parter flashback to Will & Grace: The College Years, complete with dreadful 80s hair cuts, Duran Duran references, and the story of how Will and Grace dated, almost had sex (but didnt), almost got married (but didnt), and stopped being friends for a while before they became besties for life. Also, in keeping with the requirement that every W&G half-hour contain at least one celebrity cameo, Martina Navratilova is in this one, along with Debbie Reynolds, making another appearance as Graces mom.
Bed, Bath and Beyond (Season four, episode seven)
After she proposes marriage to Nathan (Woody Harrelson) and gets dumped, Grace retires to her bed and the rest of the gang tries to cheer her up. Highlight of this episode: Graces sad, modified Jewish prayer: Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Im gonna die alone.
A Chorus Lie (Season four, episode fifteen)
The wonderfully bitchy Beverly Leslie (Leslie Jordan) shows up in this one to give Karen a hard time for being the wife of a jailbird. But the real headline here is that this is the Matt Damon episode, which means you get to see Jason Bourne try out for the Gay Mens Chorus while singing Lets Hear It for the Boy.
Hocus Focus (Season four, episode 24)
The idea to have a baby together first occurs to Will and Grace in this episode. But mostly, this is just a solid episode of the series that hits on a lot of its trademark elements: Will and Grace arguing over something trivial, Jack staging yet another one of his ill-advised performances, Karen making jokes about alcohol, and a high-profile actor doing a drive-by guest star. This time, thats Glenn Close, playing the role of an Annie Leibovitzesque photographer, only one week after Michael Douglas guest-starred in an episode called Fagel Attraction. Theres even a rabbit in this Hocus Focus, though, unfortunately, it doesnt share any scenes with Close.
The Kid Stays Out of the Picture (Season five, episode 3)
Will & Grace is a breezy sitcom, but every once in a while, it gets serious. One of the more dramatic moments in the shows history is the explosive argument that Will and Grace get into at the end of this episode, when Grace asks to put their plans to have a baby on hold after she meets a new man, future husband Leo (Harry Connick Jr.).
Dolls and Dolls (Season five, episode 21)
Is this the best episode of Will & Grace? Not really. But is it weirdly fascinating to watch Madonna, in her only appearance ever on a TV sitcom, play Karens roommate and start grinding on Vernon from Youre the Worst (Todd Robert Anderson) when she and Karen go clubbing? It is, especially now that we know Madonna had no idea what her fellow actors real names were.
Alive and Schticking (Season eight, episode one)
Well before 30 Rocks first live episode, Will & Grace did an episode in real time, coincidentally featuring Alec Baldwin. This ones notable because it shows how precisely the comedy machine was running at this point, even without a safety net. Theres also one moment when Hayes makes Messing break character, briefly, to do some actual giggling.
The Finale (Season eight, episode 23/24)
The last episode of Will & Grace is polarizing to say the least, as it implies that the two friends in the shows title ultimately drift apart, only reconciling 20 years in the future when their kids are fully grown. Its worth revisiting, however, if only to understand just how recklessly the Will & Grace reboot tosses aside just about everything that happens in this episode.
'Work for national interests and for the protection of Nepali migrant workers'
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is in Oman for his three-day-long official visit, has directed Nepals Ambassadors to Gulf Nations and Africa to work for national interests and for the protection of Nepali migrant workers.
Two McLennan County men were indicted Wednesday in an alleged murder-for-hire plot in which a man was shot and killed in December 2015 at an East Waco convenience store.
A McLennan County grand jury indicted Tyler Sherrod Clay, 28, of Hewitt, and Keith Antione Spratt, 29, of Waco, on capital murder charges in the shooting death of Joshua Ladale Pittman.
Pittman was shot several times in the chest with a handgun in the attack, Waco police said.
The indictment alleges Clay paid Spratt to kill the 37-year-old Pittman.
Waco police reported that Pittman had been involved in multiple robberies of individuals. The investigation showed that Pittman set up Spratt and Clay to be robbed, leading the duo to conspire to murder Pittman, said Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton.
A masked man entered Pick N Pay Foodmart, 504 Faulkner Lane, shortly before 11 p.m. Dec. 23, 2015, and shot Pittman, according to reports. No suspects were identified immediately after the shooting, and the case remained open for 18 months.
According to records filed in the case, Pittman allegedly robbed Clay earlier in 2015, and Clay hired Spratt to murder Pittman in retaliation. Witnesses and confidential sources identified Spratt as the shooter, and detectives were told Spratt received payment from Clay for the murder, according to the documents.
Arrest affidavits do not indicate what type of payment was made.
Both men have remained in jail under $1 million bonds since their arrests in July.
Spratt is represented by Waco attorneys Russ Hunt and Michelle Tuegel.
We look forward to receiving additional discovery from the district attorneys office and fully investigating the case, Tuegel said. We look forward to representing Mr. Spratt and for him to have his day in court.
Clay is represented by Houston attorney Randy Schaffer and Jessi Freud, of Waco.
Two Waco teens were arrested early Tuesday morning after at least 14 cars were burglarized at Texas State Technical College and a Lacy Lakeview apartment, officials said.
TSTC police investigating the burglaries stopped Christopher Stephan Brown, 18, and Lamarcus Montrae Gay, 17, as they were walking along Airline Drive at about 3:30 a.m. While Brown and Gay were detained, officers realized they matched the description of suspects in the string of burglaries.
At least 12 unlocked cars at TSTC were burglarized Monday night and Tuesday morning, TSTC spokeswoman Lynda Lopez said.
A Lacy Lakeview police officer assisted the TSTC officer during the initial stop before a second TSTC officer arrived, Lacy Lakeview Police Chief John Truehitt said.
"At that time, we had gotten a call from the apartments in the 4000 block of Meyers Lane that there had been a couple (burglaries of motor vehicles) over there," Truehitt said. "Our officer goes over there, and luckily the apartment complex had video of the two (burglaries) that occurred over there."
After officers realized Brown and Gay matched the description of the suspects in the video, the pair told officers they had broken into the vehicles at the apartment building, Truehitt said.
Lopez said police were able to recover the majority of the stolen property. The owners reported they had left their vehicles unlocked, she said.
"TSTC police would like to remind campus visitors, residents and staff to lock their cars, hide their belongings and take their keys with them," Lopez said. "This investigation is very much still ongoing, and other arrests may be possible."
She said Brown and Gay are not TSTC students and are not connected to the TSTC community.
They were each arrested Tuesday on four Class A misdemeanor charges of burglary of a motor vehicle. Both remained in McLennan County Jail on Wednesday afternoon with bonds listed at $8,000.
Two Waco police sergeants and one Waco police officer were cleared of any wrongdoing by a McLennan County grand jury Wednesday in the shooting death of a Waco man who police say intentionally ran over an officer who was serving a search warrant Aug. 1.
Sgt. Phillip Zboril, Sgt. Vrail George, and Officer Adam Fuller were cleared by the grand jury in the shooting death of Kerry Demars Bradley, 37. Police said Bradley intentionally ran over Waco police SWAT officer William Graeber while officers were attempting to serve a search warrant on a vehicle he was driving near North 23rd Street and Olive Avenue in early August.
Bradleys family members have said officers fired 37 shots and hit Bradley 22 times. Family members also said Bradley was shot before his SUV hit the officer and that the shooting caused him to lose control and hit Graeber unintentionally.
However, an autopsy released Monday states Bradley was shot six times. Dominique R. Alexander, founder and president of Next Generation Action Network, an organization that has lobbied for answers for the Bradley family, said police used excessive force during the incident.
Kerry Bradleys wife, Brittany Bradley, said she does not understand the apparent lack of police video of the traffic stop or why officers did not come to the couples house to execute the search warrant. She said police have not answered questions from her family or the public.
I want answers to what happened and why. Three different witnesses say and saw the same thing. They ambushed him and murdered him, Brittany Bradley said. I want some transparency and accountability. I want some justice to this senseless murder.
Waco police Officer Garen Bynum said grand jury members considered the facts of the case and concluded all three officers followed state law during the shooting.
Zboril, an almost 18-year police veteran; George, a 13-year veteran; and Fuller, who has worked for Waco police for nine years, will return to full duty after receiving the findings from the grand jury.
I am appreciative of the difficult job performed by the citizens on the Grand Jury, the thorough investigation by the Special Crimes Unit and the Texas Rangers and the additional independent review by the McLennan County District Attorneys Office, Waco Police Chief Ryan Holt said in a statement. As I have said before, any loss of life is a tragedy, and I hope that prayers will continue for the family of the suspect and for Officer Graeber as he continues a painful recovery.
Graeber was pinned under Bradleys SUV, prompting officers to lift the vehicle off him and start administering first aid. Graeber suffered broken ribs, a broken pelvis, a broken collarbone, a collapsed lung, burns and a concussion.
He was released from the hospital about three weeks after the incident and is continuing therapy.
Larry Lawrence
July 5, 1946 - Sept. 21, 2017
Larry went to be with Jesus on Thursday, September 21, 2017.
Larry was born July 5, 1946 in Dover, Ohio. He worked as the maintenance manager at Brigadier mobile homes for many years.
He was preceded in death by his father, Paul; mother, Ruth; and brother, Bill Lawrence. He is survived by his brother, Paul of PA; sisters, Vera, Paula and Dana of Waco; children, Christina; sons, Larry, Jr and Byron of Ohio; daughter, Susan; and sons, Joe and William of Waco; 13 grandchildren and five great-grands.
Memorial services will be at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Sept 30, at Speegleville Christian Center, 100 Randy Dr., Waco, TX 76712, with the Rev. Charles Henry presiding.
ITHACA Former Ithaca, Memphis, Alvo and Waverly Clerk Ginger Neuhart might face charges in Saunders County for stealing village funds in Ithaca.
In an affidavit signed Sept. 19, Ithaca Village Chairman Victor Hanson reported he was contacted by Nebraska State Patrol, informing him their village clerk was under investigation for defrauding the financial accounts of one or more villages she worked for.
The village board held an emergency meeting Sept. 13 to look through its financial records for discrepancies.
The board found 35 different instances where the village clerk had changed her monthly payment from $800 to $1,800 or $2,800, said Ithaca Village Attorney Jovan Lausterer.
After the village claims were approved, Neuhart allegedly added numbers and writing on her checks, Lausterer said. These instances occurred between 2013 and 2017.
The sum of funds taken is in the realm of $40,000 over the last several years, Lausterer said.
According to court documents, Hanson received a text from Neuhart prior to the Sept. 13 meeting indicating her resignation as village clerk.
The board approved her resignation at the meeting and Hanson will serve as the village clerk until a permanent replacement can be found.
Lausterer said the villages revenue does not cross the threshold set by the state that would require them to employ an auditor.
For this fiscal years budget, the revenue is just over $16,000, Lausterer said.
An auditor can cost several thousand dollars and would take up a large percentage of the villages budget, he added.
Neuhart faces Class IIA felony charges in Cass County for allegedly stealing over $40,000 from the Village of Alvo by altering her payroll checks.
Neuharts preliminary hearing for charges in Cass County is Oct. 19. The maximum punishment for a Class IIA felony is 20 years imprisonment.
Saunders County Attorney Steven Twohig said his office has not yet received any documents in regard to the case.
Village officials from Memphis were contacted but did not return calls by press deadline.
(Staff Reporters Suzi Nelson and Michael Wunder contributed to this report.)
ASHLAND The skull found at a nearby summer camp has yet to provide many clues and a result is being sent for further testing.
Investigator Doug Durkan with the Cass County Sheriffs Office said initial testing reveals the skull found at Carol Joy Holling Camp near Ashland belongs to a white male between the ages of 19 and 30. However, the cause of death remains undetermined.
The skull was discovered June 7 in Salt Creek on the Carol Joy Holling Camp property when a group of youth campers and staff were hiking near Salt Creek. Reports indicate a youth found what they thought was a human skull in the water.
An autopsy performed on June 9 but the cause of death was deferred, Durkan said.
They cannot figure it out, he explained.
The next day a forensic dental autopsy was performed on the skull.
Teeth were extracted from the skull and sent to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where a laboratory collected DNA from the samples.
The results ruled out several cold cases on record in Nebraska, Durkan said.
On June 20, the skull was sent to the Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan., where an anthropologist determined the age and race.
The data collected from testing so far has been entered into national databases to help identify the skull, Durkan said.
The DNA was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which is the FBIs program of support for criminal justice DNA databases, as well as the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS). The skull and dental information was sent to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), a nationwide electronic clearinghouse of crime data.
Last week the skull was sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification in Denton, Texas for mitochondrial DNA testing. The regional coordinator for NamUS also works at the University of North Texas, Durkan said.
The mitochondrial DNA testing will expand the number of markers that are entered into the databases, which will hopefully help with identification.
The more information we get, I can pack it into NamUS and the NCIC, Durkan said.
The investigator said they are unable to carbon date the skull because it is too young. The skull has no signs of trauma, which could rule out a homicide.
Durkan said it is possible the skull washed downstream from an unmarked cemetery or was dug up by animals.
No matter how the skull got into Salt Creek, the objective is to obtain its identity through DNA or dental records in case it belongs to a missing person.
We might get some closure to a family, Durkan said.
Once all of the testing is complete, the skull will be returned to the Cass County Sheriffs Office, where it will be stored.
Carol Joy Holling Camp, Conference and Retreat Center is operated by Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. They provide Christian summer camps for youth.
WAHOO With fewer donations coming in this past year, Wahoo Community Chest members learned Monday evening that there will be fewer dollars to dole out.
The annual meeting for the Wahoo Community Chest drew 100 percent participation from the 20 organizations that were a part of the 2016-2017 campaign. The meeting that sets up each organizations slice of the pie for the upcoming campaign also outlined the financials for the campaign that wraps up this month.
Wahoo Community Chest President Jean Tesinsky said donations were down this past year.
We were hoping to have a $44,000 disbursement, she said. That looks not to be the case.
Based on past year donation levels, the goal for the 2016-2017 campaign was $42,000. With carry-over dollars from past campaigns, that would have set up the 20 organizations to split $44,000. Each would have gotten a percentage determined at last years annual meeting.
The groups will still get the same percentage, but the pot has been lowered to $35,000.
Wahoo Community Chest Treasurer Jennifer Woita reported total campaign funds for this past year were $32,063, $10,000 less than projected.
Woita said donations by individuals this past year was very similar to previous years, only about $1,000 variation.
Donations by businesses, however, fell from $31,000 for the 2015-2016 campaign to $21,000 for the past years campaign.
So right there is our $10,000 difference, she said. We still got business donations, but not as many.
It not a total surprise, Woita added, that the level of giving has tapered off from a few years ago.
Its a sign of the times too, she said.
Even though organizations will be getting fewer dollars from the community contribution pot, representatives expressed their thanks for the financial support.
The representatives also agreed to keep all of the percentages the same for the coming campaign.
Those receiving dollars will be Active Community Team, 9 percent; Blue Valley Behavioral Health, 2 percent; Boy Scouts of America, 4 percent; Christmas on the Prairie, 5 percent; Girls Scouts Spirit of Nebraska, 4 percent; Kids Summer Institute, 5 percent; Live Well Go Fish, 3 percent; Nebraska Kidney Association, 3 percent; Salvation Army, 6 percent; Saunders County Lost Pets, 3 percent; Saunders County Ministerial Association, 5 percent; Saunders County Senior Coalition, 6 percent; Saunders County Witness Program, 3 percent; Saunders County Youth Services, 17 percent; Special Religious Ministries, 4 percent; Three Rivers District Health Department, 6 percent; Wahoo Area Backpack Program, 6 percent; Wahoo Area Youth Sports, 2 percent; Wahoo Chamber Fireworks Display, 5 percent; and Wahoo Downtown Holiday Lighting, 2 percent.
The Community Chest organization representatives also discussed potential ways to make the combined charity effort more visible in the community. Ideas such as social media, business marquees and digital giving were discussed and agreed upon to be explored this year.
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Parent power not private equity has won the $100 million battle for before and after-school care.
The two largest commercial providers in the sector provide care, fun and a healthy snack to kids during school terms at over 1000 primary schools nation-wide.
School after-care is big business. Credit:Quentin Jones
On Wednesday their planned merger was abandoned in the face of staunch opposition from schools, parents, politicians and, crucially, the competition watchdog.
The biggest kid in the school ground Camp Australia, started in Victoria in 1986, and is now owned by American funds manager Bain Capital which has around $US75 billion ($A95 billion) of assets under management. Camp Australia has 780 schools signed up.
Lew versus Myer. Let the games begin.
It was a short innocuous-looking statement to the stock exchange from Solomon Lew's Premier Investments on Wednesday afternoon requesting the names of Myer's shareholders. But it meant so much for the future of Australia's largest and oldest department store.
Lew is back and up to something. And his notice to the exchange suggesting he wants to contact other shareholders is his way of letting the market know he is on Myer's case. Myer chairman Paul McClintock and chief executive Richard Umbers are being psyched out.
Does this put Myer in takeover play? Not necessarily.
Victoria's population is booming as NSW residents flood into their southern neighbour by the tens of thousands.
The latest figures from the Bureau of Statistics show the strongest population growth in Victoria since 1960, helped by a net migration of 5000 Australians moving to Victoria from other states in the first three months of 2017.
Of those, 2000 extra NSW residents moved permanently towards the Yarra, as rising costs of living, house prices and perceived job opportunities weighed on the minds of them and the 8000 that preceded them during the past year.
Victoria's 2.4 per cent population growth rate far outstrips its nearest competitors the ACT at 1.8 per cent, and NSW at 1.6 per cent.
The likely eruption of Bali's Mount Agung has "potential for major impacts" depending on the scale of the explosion, according to a member of a team at Australia's Bureau of Meteorology that is preparing to assess the impacts of whatever ash cloud is thrown up by the volcano.
Emile Jansons, an aviation services manager at the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), said the latest advice is that an eruption is likely given evidence that molten rock, or magma, is rising within the mountain, causing deep volcanic earthquakes.
"It might be a very explosive one, it could be a weak eruption that lasts for a long time, and it's also entirely possible that it just stops," Mr Jansons said.
Mr Jansons is part of a team that works within the bureau, monitoring the potential for ash clouds that may disrupt air travel in the region.
It's time for straight people to get off the sidelines of the so-called debate about marriage equality.
Not to take over the hard-fought battles of the LGTBIQ community, but we need to recognise the fight has become overwhelming and it's time for us to help hold the line while the LGBT community catches its breath.
Even the strongest of the LGTBIQ community are reeling from the hatred legitimised by this "respectful" debate. The most vulnerable are in real danger. We can't bear that burden for them, but we can stop asking them to fight this battle alone.
All it takes for bigotry to triumph in this moment is for straight people to do nothing.
A three-tonne ancestor of the koala is the first known marsupial to follow an annual migration and could change the way we think about how megafauna used to travel.
Over the past couple of million years giant prehistoric megafauna used to call Australia home and the estimated three-tonne megafauna diprotodon was the king of those animals, University of Queenslands Dr Gilbert Price said.
While little is known of these great beasts, Dr Price was able to use samples taken from the jaw of the giant marsupial that had been dug up from the Darling Downs region a few years ago to track the herbivores eating habits.
Diprotodon undertaking mass migration, while being observed by a giant lizard (Megalania) and giant grey kangaroos. Credit:Laurie Beirne
By reading the genetic makeup of the tooth, which dates to 280,000-300,000 years ago, Dr Price found the giant marsupial ate plants from various locations.
La Porchetta is one of the nation's most recognisable restaurant brands. Credit:Angela Wylie Since it was transplanted by Calabrian immigrants in the early 20th century, the Honoured Society had been "protecting" and preying on Australia's ethnic Italian community from strongholds in Melbourne, Sydney and Griffith, NSW. The organisation has established deep connections in both legitimate and criminal enterprises, including drug trafficking and extortion rackets in the agriculture and hospitality industries. Alphonse Gangitano. Credit:Joe Armao Gangitano was warned off, and in 1998, he would be gunned down for unknown reasons, although he had no shortage of enemies.
But Pantaleo would never be free of the consequences of his decision. Tony Madafferi. Credit:Jason South The La Porchetta system Today, the La Porchetta brand is synonymous with its founder's rags-to-riches immigrant story, a successful modern franchise business still in touch with its roots. Pantaleo and fellow Italian immigrant Felice Nania had opened the first La Porchetta in Carlton North in 1985 and the brand had thrived as franchised outlets sprung up across the country.
Convicted drug trafficker Frank Madafferi. Credit:Paul Rovere "La Porchetta's family traditions play a role in every aspect of the business: the preparation of our authentic recipes, the warm welcome shown to each customer and the respect given to every employee," marketing materials say. There are now 38 outlets in Australia and New Zealand owned by hardworking franchisees, often recent immigrants themselves, who have paid handsomely to buy into one of the nation's most recognisable restaurant brands. Tony Madafferi in his fruit and veg store.. That is the public face of the franchising business.
Behind the corporate facade is La Porchetta Holdings Pty Ltd, which has been part-owned since 2010 by investment companies controlled by families that police allege include senior organised crime figures linked to the Honoured Society. Rocco Pantaleo's funeral service in April 2010. The company owns La Porchetta's franchise licensing and distribution businesses, as well as the trademarked motto: "Eat Live Love Italian". Prominent among the owners is Antonio "Tony" Madafferi, the Calabrian-born grocer at the centre of the lobster dinner affair involving Opposition Leader Matthew Guy. Victoria Police allege Mr Madafferi has "substantial and close involvement with serious criminal conduct, including drug importation, murder and extortion", according to court documents.
Mr Madafferi is a "known associate of prominent criminal entities and persons who have a history of significant criminal conduct that includes money laundering and drug trafficking," a sworn affidavit from Detective Superintendent Peter Brigham says. These alleged associations led to Mr Madafferi being banned from Crown Casino and Victorian racing venues. Mr Madafferi has never been convicted of a crime and denies any wrongdoing or association with organised crime. A Madafferi family company owns a 5 per cent share in La Porchetta Holdings Pty.
The same-sized stake is held by the family of Mr Madafferi's brother, Francesco, the man who warned off Gangitano. Francesco Madafferi is currently serving a 10-year sentence for his role trafficking 77,000 ecstasy pills in co-operation with a wider criminal syndicate involving Melbourne and Griffith-based cells of the Honoured Society and the 'Ndrangheta in Italy. This group was responsible for what was then the world's largest ecstasy bust in 2007, more than four tonnes of pills worth $440 million that were smuggled to Melbourne inside cans of tomatoes. The man nicknamed "Mad Frank", who is attempting to have his 2014 drug conviction overturned on the grounds of mental incapacity, has a legendary temper and convictions in Italy for "Mafia conspiracy", attempted murder, kidnapping, extortion, weapons and drug offences. While awaiting trial on the trafficking charges, Frank bashed an associate on the street for badmouthing him, spitting on his victim as a sign of contempt.
Police also suspect he ordered drive-by shootings of businesses belonging to those seen to oppose or disrespect him. Another co-owner linked to the Honoured Society is Michael Manariti, a butcher and former La Porchetta franchisee who was sentenced to more than nine years jail in 2010 for trafficking ecstasy, cocaine and methamphetamine. Manariti transferred his shareholding to his father in 2014. The three families two branches of the Madafferis and the Manaritis currently account for a 15 per cent stake in La Porchetta Holdings Pty.
How this came to be leads back to Rocco Pantaleo's decision to call on the Honoured Society for help. New partners By the time of Gangitano's extortion bid in the mid-1990s, La Porchetta had grown from a shop front in Carlton North into a network of more than a dozen restaurants. Pantaleo was realising plans to make the chain a national and then international player, a period of aggressive expansion that saw dozens of legitimate restaurateurs flock to join the group. While most of the franchises have been owned by hard-working families, Pantaleo also opened the door to infiltration by criminal entities.
Frank Madafferi initially received protection payments for turning away Gangitano, money Pantaleo handed over on the sly. But other underworld-linked players and their relatives also became La Porchetta franchisees, like Michael Manariti. They also invested in properties used by the chain as restaurant locations in Melbourne and Sydney. (Fairfax Media has not named the outlets because many have been taken over by unrelated operators). "Rocco always had connections in that world, but his decision to invite them in made him beholden," an underworld source says.
"Rocco was the boss on paper and the face of La Porchetta, but he didn't call all the shots, not when it came to the interests of those who were part of the crew." And some learned that crossing these interests could have disturbing consequences. One restaurant operator was sent pictures of his children anonymously during a bitter financial dispute with Pantaleo. No direct threat was made, but the message was clear. Pantaleo also hinted at his connections. "Rocky would start to talk about something, but I said I don't want to know anything please," a former restaurateur says. "Partly it was bragging, partly it was preparing to push you around, partly it was his huge ego. Rocky was bigger than life, like you were in the presence of a big star."
Pantaleo was certainly no angel, infamous for a volatile temper and an arrogant disregard for personal and professional boundaries. One source says Pantaleo was tied to a chair and beaten bloody for disrespecting a mafia-linked associate whose property he damaged in a fit of rage. In 1996, Pantaleo shot and killed a man who had bashed the restaurateur for sexually assaulting a teenage waitress. Pantaleo was fined $10,000 for indecent assault for the incident in 1996, but he walked free over the shooting after claiming self defence.
So it's not surprising Pantaleo's personal judgment was rated poorly, and for some who worked with him, Pantaleo's business decisions seemed downright bizarre. Franchise operations are often required to source supplies from headquarters, a strategy that ensures consistency and quality across the chain. Pantaleo enforced the rule even though it was a major burden for some interstate outlets, which had to transport food and alcohol up to 2000 kilometres from Melbourne. "It made absolutely no sense. [They] had to spend hundreds of dollars to ship stock that could have been purchased from suppliers in the same city," a source close to Pantaleo says. Despite the growing pains, by 2010 Pantaleo had turned La Porchetta into an 80-outlet chain in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia.
Then, in March that year, the 53-year-old was killed in a traffic collision. His death would spark a major restructuring inside the La Porchetta business and, ultimately, if inadvertently, reveal its alleged connections to organised crime. New owners At the time he died, the La Porchetta trademark, franchise licensing and distribution businesses were owned by Pantaleo and Mr Nania, his founding partner. Sara Pantaleo, Rocco's sister, became chief executive after the accident.
But behind the scenes a major change began when a new company, La Porchetta Holdings Pty, took control of the business in a deal worth at least $4.61 million, according to corporate records. The Pantaleo and Nania families retained a 70 per cent ownership in the company; the rest was split among six other entities, including a 15 per cent shareholding to the Manariti family and two branches of the Madafferi family. At this stage, Michael Manariti had been convicted of drug trafficking but would remain a shareholder for another three years. Frank Madafferi was awaiting trial, but had transferred control of his investment company to his wife in 2009 after being arrested. The reality that families of major suspected and convicted criminals now part-owned one of the country's most recognisable restaurant chains simply passed without public notice.
But 2014 would prove to be a watershed year, one that could have delivered a windfall to the La Porchetta group but ended in the exposure of damaging information. In August 2014, ASX-listed Retail Food Group, which owns franchise chains Crust, Gloria Jean's and Brumby's, announced it would buy La Porchetta's franchising system for $16.3 million. The mooted deal entered what is known as the "due-diligence" process, where La Porchetta's records were opened to the buyers for analysis. RFG pulled out of the deal three months later, providing scant detail on what went wrong. "RFG advises that the foregoing condition (satisfactory completion of due diligence) has not been satisfied," it announced to the ASX.
RFG has not responded to requests to explain why the deal collapsed. However, La Porchetta had been under pressure from a host of new competitors in the pizza business, with the franchise network contracting from more than 90 outlets at its peak to fewer than 40 today. In March 2014, the alleged link between La Porchetta and the Honoured Society also finally made headlines. Fairfax Media journalists Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker began publishing a series of stories based on confidential police reports that revealed the extent of influence wielded by the Honoured Society and naming its suspected head Tony Madafferi and his involvement in La Porchetta. Mr Madafferi, who refused to comment for this story, has previously sued Fairfax Media for defamation and tried, unsuccessfully, to obtain the identity of the journalists' sources.
He is now fighting a legal battle to have his ban from the casino overturned, maintaining he is a businessman unfairly slandered by the police and media. La Porchetta chief executive Sara Pantaleo did not respond to a request for comment when contacted this week. . In 2014, in the wake of the original news stories, lawyers for the chain denied Mr Madafferi had "any interest in La Porchetta that could amount to 'ownership' of our clients' business". It was a strange claim given the shareholding is detailed in documents filed with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. It costs a lot to become part of the La Porchetta brand. Franchisees spend $600,000 to buy an outlet and pay another $60,000 in marketing, management, and product supply fees to headquarters each year.
The Australian Securities Exchange has demanded a retraction from WA's peak mining industry lobby group after it compared the state government to an African nation.
The Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA in a statement on Tuesday compared WA's proposed gold royalty increase to recent mining reforms in Tanzania.
The ASX has slammed the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA. Credit:KTSDESIGN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
The ASX this year suspended trading for more than a dozen resources companies after Tanzania passed laws increasing gold royalties by 50 per cent.
The state government wants to increase WA's gold royalty rate from 2.5 per cent to 3.75 per cent when the spot price eclipses $A1200 an ounce.
The woman tried unsuccessfully to sue her doctor in the Perth District Court in September, claiming she breached her duty of care by failing to ensure the patient wasn't pregnant before inserting the contraception.
Three months later, she discovered she was 19 weeks pregnant and too far along to terminate the pregnancy.
A Perth mother has failed in her bid to claim "child expenses" from a doctor who inserted a contraceptive into her arm when she was already pregnant. Credit:Kate Monakhova
The 23-year-old woman, who WAtoday has chosen not to name, had a Implanon device inserted into her arm by an obstetrician at Forrest Lakes Medical Centre in August 2011.
A Perth mother has lost a legal bid to sue her doctor for inserting a contraceptive device into her arm without realising she was already pregnant.
She sought $380,000 in damages for losses and the "expenses associated with raising a child" claiming she mistook her pregnancy symptoms for her body reacting to the newly-inserted contraceptive device.
"The plaintiff's case is that following the insertion of the Implanon device, any symptoms she then suffered which are commonly associated with pregnancy, were masked by her belief that they were symptoms or side-effects of the Implanon device, not a consequence of the pregnancy itself," the court judgement read.
"The plaintiff alleges that had the medical practitioner not breached her duty of care to the plaintiff then, the plaintiff would have become aware that she was pregnant prior to 11 December 2011 and likely by 13 October 2011 [and] would have been able to legally terminate the pregnancy,"
The doctor, however, said the woman told her she was not pregnant, and that she had recently started a menstrual cycle, making her eligible to receive the implant, which must be inserted in the first five days of a woman's cycle.
"[The doctor] recalled telling her that if she wanted to have the Implanon device implanted that day, she had to be in the first five days of her cycle, to which the defendant specifically remembered the plaintiff saying 'yes, this is my day three'", the judgement read.
A cat has been found with a 30-centimetre arrow through its ear in Ellenbrook.
A resident heard the cat "crying out in pain" on Tuesday and called the RSCPA to help locate the distressed animal.
The cat suffered a centimetre thick hole in its ear as a result of the incident. Credit:RSPCA WA
An RSPCA Inspector found the cat hiding in the backyard of a home on Musselbrook Trail and it was rushed to a local vet clinic for urgent care.
The arrow was successfully removed and the cat will now undergo surgery to repair the large hole in its ear.
An off-duty police officer has nabbed a Perth driver for allegedly driving on her vehicle's rims ... while having no licence and her two-year-old daughter in the car.
The off-duty officer spotted the Mullaloo woman, 42, driving in Perth's northern suburbs on Joondalup Drive in Edgewater around 3.50pm on Tuesday.
The woman was subject to a blood alcohol reading. Credit:WA Police
Upon inspection, the officer found the woman had been driving her black Holden sedan with virtually no tyres.
"After speaking to her, he ascertained that she was under the influence of alcohol and also noticed that she had her two-year-old daughter in the car at the time," a spokesperson said.
Paul Horner, a writer who trolled the nation with his fabricated news stories and claimed that he was responsible for Donald Trump's election victory, died last week. The cause was a suspected drug overdose, authorities in Arizona said on Wednesday.
Horner, 38, was found dead in his bed in Laveen, Arizona, on September 18, according to Mark Casey, a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office spokesman.
His family said he had been known to abuse prescription drugs, Casey said, and "evidence at the scene suggested this could be an accidental overdose."
There were no signs of foul play.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff
Sep. 26, 2017 | PADUCAH,KY
By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 26, 2017 | 08:39 PM | PADUCAH,KY
On Tuesday,The Paducah Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance amending the city's current alcohol and beverage ordinance.
Many of the amendments are necessary to comply with the new state laws recently passed. One amendment permits the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sundays for all license types during the same hours such sales are permitted any other day of the week. Paducah would have full Sunday sales.
Liquor store owner Robert Hill addressed the commission on the issue of Sunday sales. Hill said being open on Sunday would not benefit his business. "There's not any real economic windfall to be made here," Hill said. He added that being open on Sunday requires more employees.
Commissioner Sarah Holland said the ordinance does not legally require liquor stores to open on Sunday. She said, "It's really about consistency. which was needed after a few businesses asked for exceptions."
Hill said he felt like if the ordinance passed it would make the competition tough. Commissioner Sandra Wilson mentioned that she knew of several businesses that are closed on Sunday and are very successful.
Commissioner Richard Abraham said, We live in a society where if you want to compete, you are allowed to compete. But if you dont want to, its okay."
Commissioner Allan Rhodes made a motion to amend the ordinance not to allow the sale of distilled spirits, wine and malt beverages. The amendment did not pass. The commission voted on the ordinance which passed with a 4-1 vote, with Rhodes voting no.
Many major retailers will be closed on Thanksgiving Day
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By Tim Brockwell
Sep. 26, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY
By Tim Brockwell Sep. 26, 2017 | 10:12 PM | PADUCAH, KY
Local leaders, employees and friends gathered Tuesday afternoon at the Technology Park in Paducah to dedicate the park to the founder of one of the city's largest employers.
The 42-acre park was renamed in honor of John Williams, who founded CSI in 1965 with six employees. The financial technology company has grown over the years to employ more than 1,100 people nationwide.
Construction of the park began in 1993, two years before the company began building its corporate headquarters at the site. Company Chairman and CEO Steve Powless said Williams was the driving force behind the project. "The park area was really a vision of John's. It was for the CSI staff and for the people of the Paducah community to be able to enjoy, and that's really been the case." He said.
"Thinking about what creativity really means to an economy and how that expresses itself, in my opinion it expresses itself best in technology." Said Mayor Brandi Harless, who thanked CSI for their involvement in the community.
McCracken County Judge-Executive Bob Leeper said Williams is deserving of the honor. "My wife Gina went to work for United Way this week. The first thing she started talking about was the involvement of Mr. Williams and all the things that they're doing, especially the poverty initiative. That's the type of person we have in our community. He's someone who deserves any honor they get." He said.
I'm just deeply honored by all of you being here," Williams said. "Thank you very much, and I hope you will enjoy Williams Park."
Williams Park is located at 3835 Technology Drive off of US-60 in Paducah.
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By The Associated Press
Sep. 27, 2017 | ST. LOUIS, MO
By The Associated Press Sep. 27, 2017 | 01:20 PM | ST. LOUIS, MO
St. Louis' interim police chief is defending the way officers have responded to protests during the past two weeks.
Lawrence O'Toole also says he has "no problem" if the U.S. Attorney's office wants to investigate.
O'Toole spoke Wednesday on Charlie Brennan's program on KMOX Radio . He says 30 officers have been injured while responding to protests over the Sept. 15 aquittal of white former officer Jason Stockley in the death of a black suspect, Anthony Lamar Smith.
Police were criticized for using a process called "kettling" to arrest around 120 people during a downtown protest on Sept. 17, prompting some to call for a federal investigation.
Some of those arrested, including bystanders and a St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist, said they had nowhere to go when police ordered the crowd to disperse. O'Toole says there was room to leave.
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If someone had said, 25 years ago, that we'd be waving our telephones around to make twinkly lights in the dark they'd have been strapped to a stool and dunked in a river. But a lot can happen in 25 years. We change shape, we find things and lose more, and in amongst the debris we manage somehow to love and to dance around the living room, finding our lives mirrored by perfectly-timed soundtracks created by the likes of Take That.
There's nothing much more to this jukebox musical, co-produced by Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams, than you'd expect from such a well-trodden genre, other than being able to marvel at the remarkable capacity Take That had to knock out some of the most honeyed, heart-breaking, uplifting tunes of the pop era. Their, frankly, classical quality and sheer exuberance manages to transport a pretty pedestrian tale to a sweet spot.
It's 1993 and The Band or 'the boys' are the crushes of five school friends desperate to meet their heroes. Fast forward 25 years and the girls - minus one of them has gone to the big party in the sky - reunite for the first time at a gig in Prague (the boys haven't aged one bit!). Cue some syrupy poppycock leading to the inevitable reheated conclusion that we should look forward and embrace who we've become and not look back and be friends forever and be happy despite what the world throws at us... Or is it the other way round? No matter. You get the picture.
The ever-present 'boys' keep us from too much maudlin introspection, however. Like the ghosts of X Factor winners past they're everywhere: popping out of school lockers, morphing into statues on a fountain, sitting around the breakfast table. They are, the programme informs me, Five to Five, a group who won a TV competition to be here. They're lovely and can hold a (Take That) tune, but they're not a patch on the real thing, and this is where The Band can frustrate: it's touch and go whether you'd rather be at home listening to Take That and party at full blast; at an actual real-life gig; or sat in a theatre watching the ersatz version wind their way around a bit of a threadbare plot. The saving grace is that Barlow is such an exquisite songwriter even Bob the Builder could tackle his anthems and they'd still be perfect.
The (all-male) creative team make a good fist of telling the girls' story with some nifty lines from Tim Firth (Calendar Girls) to keep us amused, while the cast who play the young and older versions of the besotted fans capture the essence of teen- and middle-age beautifully.
If you can get past the hackneyed plot and the sporadic tracts of faintly screechy chit chat, feel free to grab the tunes by the horns and have a blast. I'll be 50 next year. For a while last night, I felt 25 again.
The Band runs at Manchester Opera House until 30 September, before touring across the UK in 2018.
One of the Democrats running for governor stopped in Shawnee County Wednesday.
Former Kansas Agriculture Secretary Josh Svaty is on a 105 county tour of the state. The 37-year-old was elected to the Kansas House in 2002 and served there until Governor Mark Parkinson appointed him to his cabinet in 2009.
With Republicans vowing to re-visit tax cuts, Svaty is focusing on one specific tax.
"I've been supported of lowering the sales tax on food for years," he said. "I think it would bring some much needed relief to all Kansans but especially those with young families."
Other Democrats running include former Wichita mayor Carl Brewer and House Minority Leader Jim Ward. For Republicans, Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, Former State Senator Jim Barnett, businessman Wink Hartman, Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer and former state representative Mark Hutton are all running.
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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.
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Central Lutheran Church, 259 W. Wabasha St., Winona, invites the community to the annual Blessing of the Animals at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 1. Pets, stuffed animals and photos of pets are welcome to receive a blessing. The blessing will take place on the church lawn on Huff Street (the rain site is inside the church).
The city of Goodview set a more conservative preliminary levy than others in the area and is expecting it to continue to drop further before being finalized towards the end of the year.
The Goodview City Council Monday set a preliminary levy increase of 5 percent.
City administrator Dan Matejka said the city hopes to find ways of continuing to reduce the costs, similar to previous years.
I think there is some leeway, Matejka said. It is the goal of the council and my office to get that down as far as we can.
While both Winona and Winona County have seen the past several years preliminary budget and levy stay mostly the same until theyre finalized following Truth in Taxation hearings in December, Matejka said it would actually be out of the ordinary for Goodviews to do so despite setting the preliminary higher.
As always, the preliminary levy can be reduced from where it is set, but not increased.
Its the policy, or practice, to give us that cushion, Matejka said.
For instance, last years first draft of the levy showed a 4.8 percent increase, before the preliminary levy was set at 7.4 percent.
By the time that was finalized, it was actually a 2.5 percent increase.
Between then and 2007 there had been seven years where the levy changed by a margin of less than 1 percent, four of those being decreases.
Matejka said that baring any out of the ordinary expenses, the city is hoping to whittle it down to low single-digits again.
The city is receiving money from the state that is expected to lighten the load a bit.
Local government aid from the state is expected to jump by $37,000 for next year, an increase of 13 percent.
In addition, it will be the second year of a two-year small cities assistance fund which added $30,000 this year and will again next year.
Matejka said the budget didnt contain anything unusual, except the city will be doing sidewalk repairs on Sixth Street for the first time and be including funds for marketing.
The $21,500 campaign will be concentrated on helping the city market itself for economic development and attracting people, including forming a comprehensive plan to guide growth and development, and other improvements like a website.
Goodview also has a new fire chief.
The previous head of Goodviews volunteer fire department, Todd Ives, served for seven years.
He was replaced by Jason Gruett, who had been serving as a member of the fire department.
Carol Rosing might feel like the biggest advocate of the least popular instrument in the world, in certain situations.
Her bassoon is about 4 feet tall, a visually striking contraption with that funny pipe coming out of it, the Portage native explained, but still, somehow most people cannot identify the instrument on sight or sound.
Everybody knows the clarinets, the flutes. There arent very many of us out there, the bassoonist said. The 1989 Portage High School graduate is set to play the instrument in her hometown Saturday with the Wisconsin Wind Orchestra. Her bassoon is the lowest voice in the wind ensemble and could be the most enigmatic instrument on stage, Rosing said. More remarkable than that, perhaps, is that her passion for the instrument began in kindergarten.
I honestly cant remember if it was Mr. Rogers or Sesame Street, but I saw it on a childrens program and thought it was really neat, Rosing said. Then I brought a book (about bassoons) home from class and said, Im going to do this.
I really liked the sound of it the tone quality. I thought it was really beautiful and so different from any other instrument I had seen.
Rosing and the rest of the wind ensembles performance in the Zona Gale Theatre will be the first in the 2017-18 Festival Foods Performing Arts Concert Series. It will be the groups second show in Portage, returning after kicking off the local concert series in 2014.
Conductor and Music Director Lawrence Harper established the Wisconsin Wind Orchestra in 1995, and it remains one of the few professional wind ensembles in the world, he said. Many of the groups 11 players also teach music at Carroll University in Waukesha, where Harper is a professor emeritus of music. Rosing teaches the bassoon at universities in Whitewater, Oshkosh and Beloit.
The concert will generate a huge variety of emotional responses because we chose music that runs the gamut, (pieces) written in 18th century, to the 19th century, the 20th century, Harper said. Their show is titled Music from Across Europe, as members returned recently from a music tour in Italy.
Saturdays 90-minute performance will feature music from several European composers, including Jean Sibelius, Joseph Haydn and Emile Bernard.
Portage isnt Italy, of course but how big is Saturdays show for Rosing?
She is the one who really first told me about the concert series (in Portage), Harper said. She put me in touch with the directors there, and I think shes really looking forward to performing in her hometown.
The (Portage) audience responded to us very well (in 2014) and theyve invited us back. Thats always nice to know, that people appreciate your work.
The sound
Wind ensembles, for whatever reasons, have not been able to survive outside the walls of universities, even in Europe, Harper said. So were a rare species, he said of music that has also been described as chamber wind orchestra.
According to the ensembles website, the core members of the group comprise the instrumentation of a double woodwind quintet along with string bass. Core members instruments include flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, a contrabassoon, horns, a bass, a guitar and percussion.
Its mostly music that is quite joyous and consonant and pleasing to the ears, Harper said. Its quite delightful to sit and contemplate these songs, Harper described of selections that on Saturday will range from fast and exciting to slow and meditating.
Its easy to listen to, Rosing said of the effect wind ensembles have on the uninitiated. Theyll enjoy the combination of instruments.
Homegrown
Rosing, like all the ensembles members, plays in several orchestras across the state. Shell have several family members and friends in attendance for the Wisconsin Wind Orchestras Saturday show in Portage, the place where her passion for music developed thanks in part to the two Mikes who once occupied the Portage High School music room.
Michael Tentis, past band leader, and Michael Powers, past choir director, were two great musical influences for Rosing in high school. It was just wonderful to have those two in the high school system, she said, calling Powers one of the best (musicians) Ive ever met.
Of Portage Center for the Arts, Rosing said, Its a wonderful place to play, with a very nice stage, wonderful acoustics and beautiful halls, adding that its hard not to take notice, from where she lives now, in Madison, how Portage has gained so many music events for people can attend at Portage Center for the Arts.
Having opened the concert series three years ago, Harper said he looks forward to playing for a homegrown audience.
Its a fantastic situation, playing again in Portage, a place where the ensemble in 2014 received a very warm and enthusiastic response from the audience, Harper said. For those new to their sound, Harper predicted the audience will be swept away by the brilliance, virtuosity and sound of power.
I think theyll come away with a great experience.
Two weeks after Hurricane Irma left a trail of destruction throughout Florida and the Caribbean, Naples, Florida residents Kira and Brian Key are still without power or water. Fortunately, neither of the 2004 Sauk Prairie High School graduates was hurt, and the couples home withstood the brunt of the powerful winds with minimal damage, including broken water lines and a broken water main, trees down and a broken fence. Their house sustained no flooding as originally anticipated.
We are still without power or water and are waiting on people to help that have already been working so hard, Brian Key said. We understand we dont nearly have it as bad as some, and are lucky enough to have other places to live until it does get repaired. Life goes on, it just affects your routine. You dont realize how much you rely on power and water on a daily basis.
Ahead of the storm, the couple sent their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Rubie, to stay with Kiras parents. Kira Key said her husband, Brian, stayed behind with her because she couldnt leave due to her job.
I am an employee of the Naples Community Hospital; evacuation isnt easy when you are in healthcare, Kira Key said. If I would have evacuated it would have been considered abandonment of patients and I would have lost my job. We wanted to evacuate with our daughter, but thankfully I have the most amazing parents who, without hesitation, flew down and evacuated my daughter the next morning.
The Keys originally expected to stay at the hospital where Kira works during the storm, but learned the hospital only shelters employees who are working during the storm. Next, they arranged to stay with a relative in Fort Meyers, Florida, but learned quickly after arriving parts of Fort Meyers was being evacuated due to an anticipated high storm surge a storm tide of coastal flooding or tsunami-like rising water.
Again they packed up their two dogs and personal belongings back to Naples, to a friends home that was outside the storm surge where six other people were being sheltered.
With eight people in the home, only one cell phone had service, and that was even sporadic.
My husband and I tried texting our family to let them know we survived and the storm was over, Kira Key said.
While the aftermath of the hurricane has been difficult, both said the anticipation of the storms arrival was even more difficult.
The anticipation of Hurricane Irma was almost worse than the actual hurricane, Kira Key said. I had terrible, incapacitating anxiety in the days before the storm. We fully expected to lose our house to the hurricane because our house is in a flood zone and the expected surge was three-to-six feet of water above ground.
In preparation, the Keys removed everything important documents, valuables and photo albums. The rest was moved onto high counters and closets. Windows and doors were boarded up with plywood, and they stocked up on canned goods, water, dog food and filled their cars with gas.
The worse part was looking at my daughters room with her crib and toys, stuffed animals and books, not knowing if she would have a home to return to, Kira Key said. I was so emotional when we left because I thought it might be the last time I would see my home.
The bursts of wind were intense, Brian Key said. Every time a gust of wind came through you could feel the bowing of the window and it was enough to move us to the closet.
Brian Key said it was difficult trying to figure out where to store their important items because they didnt know what, if any, of their house would survive.
And going through our daughters things wondering what you could save for her for when shes older or for us, like her drawings, Brian Key said. Going through those priceless items was very emotional.
The Keys moved to Naples, Fla., in 2011 to escape the cold Wisconsin winters, when Kira Key was offered a job at the hospital in Naples. After the hurricane, the Keys admitted they considered moving back north.
Definitely before and during, my wife, who is almost always calm under stress, was determined this would be it for residing in Florida, Brian Key said. Yet I think as time passes it will be a distant memory and make for an interesting story to tell our future grandchildren.
Kira Key said they feel blessed and grateful for all the help they are receiving and for all the people who have reached out to them.
It could have been so much worse, Kira Key said. Everyone here feels lucky the damage is so minimal even though the eye of the hurricane literally went over our beautiful town.
We go back and forth on leaving or not, Brian Key said. We miss our family and friends back home, but live in paradise and have found great people to surround ourselves with. We are still unsure, but both places have our heart.
A former Sauk City investment broker, who promised clients a 6 percent return on nearly $1 million that he was supposed to invest for them, pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud and money laundering, and now faces a lengthy federal prison sentence.
James Kolf, 64, admitted in U.S. District Court that from 2011 to 2016 he collected money from clients to invest in something he made up called the "SFN Financial Network" but instead used the money for personal expenses, including the purchase of a home.
Kolf will be sentenced on Dec. 12 by U.S. District Judge William Conley. The charges to which he pleaded guilty carry combined sentences of 30 years in prison, but it's unlikely under advisory federal sentencing guidelines that Kolf would get a sentence even close to that.
An indictment issued in March charged Kolf with 16 counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud and one count of money laundering. It states that Kolf worked as a broker-dealer and an investment adviser in Middleton in Madison, and starting in 2011, began to solicit clients to invest in SFN Financial Network.
Most of those counts will be formally dismissed at Kolf's sentencing hearing.
In all, the scheme netted $905,077, which Kolf agreed to pay back under a plea agreement.
In court Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner said that Kolf had been a broker since 1981, working for companies such as New England Securities and New York Life. Last year, the Internal Revenue Service received information from Park Bank about suspicious activity in Kolf's SFN account, which launched the investigation.
Wegner said that Kolf solicited customers for investments in SFN, which he said would invest in energy companies, returning 6 percent on the investment. Between 2011 and 2016, Wegner said, Kolf made 19 deposits into the SFN account totaling $905,077, which Kolf ultimately admitted was never invested but used for personal expenses.
One customer, Wegner said, wrote in the memo line of her $115,000 check for Kolf, "For investment."
In 2014, Wegner said, Kolf used about $285,000 of the money in his SFN account to buy a house on Mulberry Street in Sauk City, after adding four checks worth $259,577 to money already in the account.
The indictment states that Kolf gave fictitious account statements to investors showing profits and portfolio balances, and made payments to some investors, telling them that the payments were interest earned by their accounts, when no investments were ever actually made.
Human rights in a digital world
Digital access itself does not untangle past inequalities. In many cases, it may even increase inequality.
Thandeka Mavuso drowns the sounds of the vacuum cleaner by listening with her earplugs to Kaya FM streaming on her mobile phone. She calls her nephew, Sibusiso, at 3pm every day, using WhatsApp, after the school transport drops him at home in Orlando East, Soweto. When the need arises, Thandeka transfers money to family members during the week, using her mobile phone. She has access to the uncapped WiFi in her employers home from Monday to Friday. Over the weekend, she goes cold turkey with data. It is a saving of R350 a month in data and airtime costs from her modest monthly salary.
The right to swipe
Access to the internet as a basic human right has become more relevant as key services that enable basic human rights increasingly work off the internet. As Thandekas lifestyle evolves, so too, must the definition and scope of her human rights. In Internet Freedom a Positive Right to Internet Access, Indra de Lanerolle, leader of the South African Network Societys Research Project at Wits Journalism, comments:
The Constitution protects the right to freedom of expression a basic human right to communicate and to receive information and ideas. We have to consider that internet access is now a requirement for that right to be realised.
De Lanerolle adds that there is a contradiction in freedom of expression as we begin to see both the opportunity of the
internet to extend these freedoms and the reality of the internet as constraining them. Historically, services and jobs would be found in the newspapers. Communication networks have now converged around the internet and it is the means through which everything happens.
Still dialling up...
Although digital access intends to help people break free from historical disadvantages, the opportunity for digital access cannot be disentangled from pre-existing social and economic inequalities. This is according to Professor Jason Cohen, Head of Information Systems at Wits and his colleagues Thomas Grace and Jean-Marie Bancilhon. In a paper titled Digitally Connected Living and Quality of Life: An Analysis of the Gauteng City-Region, South Africa, the authors use data collected from the 2013 Quality of Life survey conducted by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory to examine the relationship between quality of life and the extent to which individuals are digitally connected. The dataset covered 27 490 individuals living in the Gauteng City-Region and helped the researchers better understand the interface of connectivity with aspects of inclusion and exclusion.
All things being equal means that being more digitally connected provides a better quality of life, but the likelihood
of being digitally connected is only if you earned more and had access to a disposable income. A signal to us in this data was that digital inequality co-exists with other forms of inequality, says Cohen.
The devices for digitally connected living typically consist of personal computers and mobile technologies such as tablets, cellular phones or smartphones. Network infrastructure is needed to enable devices to connect with each other and this includes access to fixed-line broadband and fibre networks, and/or wireless networks which include WiFi hotspots and mobile networks.
Having access to these technologies is a function of ones existing socioeconomic power, explains Cohen. Those who are not connected are locked out of the advantages enjoyed by those who are connected. Government services, financial services, access to health information, and employment opportunities are all going online. There is the potential to widen inequalities. This does not mean that we must stop moving forward with digital access and innovation, but it does mean that access should not remain a function of ones socioeconomic privilege.
Digital privilege
Cohen stresses that existing socioeconomic conditions may impact the way a person is able to use technology. Even with access, inequality can still widen if there are unequal digital literacy skill levels and unequal opportunities for how people use the internet and for what purposes. The problem is more complicated than we think.
He adds that digital autonomy is another dimension of digital inequality. Your ability to have unrestricted access that is not bound by time, proximity and money is another form of digital privilege. It becomes more difficult to embrace digitally connected living without digital autonomy. But, for many, access is restricted by location and by time. So the idea that people can just use technology to break through historical disadvantages is unrealistic.
Access to digitally connected living is supposed to halt the perpetuation of social and economic inequalities and
provide opportunities for people to improve their quality of life. However, digitally connected living depends on and cannot be disentangled from pre-existing opportunities for social and economic inclusion.
#DataMustFall
In 2016, former Metro FM and 5FM DJs Tbo Touch and Gareth Cliff addressed Parliaments telecommunications
and postal services portfolio committee about the high costs of data in South Africa. This resulted in a nationwide call for local mobile networks to decrease the price of their data. In June 2017, the #DataMustFall hashtag returned to Twitter, with calls for a social media blackout to protest the high costs of data.
The Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services tasked the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa and the Competition Commission to determine the extent of competition amongst mobile operators, as competition is the primary tool to reduce costs.
Internet for All, an international project of the World Economic Forum, has partnered with the South African government to bring internet access to millions of South Africans through public-private collaboration. Aligned to governments National Development Plan and South Africa Connect, it will address the barriers that prevent
universal internet access. The project is already operational in Argentina, Rwanda, and Uganda.
City of Joburg and City of Tshwane initiatives to provide WiFi hotspots have assisted in improving the quality of life of users. However, experts argue that initiatives around access alone are insufficient. Digital skills and autonomy of use must be addressed and differences in purposes of use should result from free choice, rather than socioeconomic circumstances.
Read more about digital innovation and the interface between humanity and tech in Wits' new research magazine, CURIOSITY, the iHuman edition.
Structural Geology classes begin series of epic quests through Middle Earth
Crim Dell balrog-free since 1693: Geologist Chuck Bailey (right) is using a digital elevation map of Middle Earth created by Center for Geospatial Analysis Director Rob Rose in his Structural Geology class, taught each spring semester. Photo by Joseph McClain
Geo quest Geobuds Emily Mushlitz 19 (left) and Madison Renshaw 18 were members of the first Fellowship to use the Middle Earth model for the Structural Geology class. Photo by Joseph McClain Photo - of - Hide Caption
The Fellowship did not begin the Quest in the Shire; nor did the Quest end in the darkest depths of Mordor.
There was no trekking through the Mines of Moria, and the Plains of Rohan remain untrod, for the present.
But that doesnt mean it wasnt epic.
In truth, the Fellowship did not journey far from the Hall of McGlothlin-Street, home of William & Marys Department of Geology. Its a virtual geological quest using an enhanced version of J.R.R. Tolkiens map of Middle Earth from The Lord of the Rings, coming exactly 80 years after Tolkiens introduction of Middle Earth to Earth Earth in the 1937 publication of his LOTR prequel, The Hobbit.
The geography is fake, but the geology is real. Professor Chuck Bailey created a fictitious terrain for the students in his Structural Geology class to use as a project for each of the last 20 years. Structural geology, he explained, is concerned with the architecture of the earth.
We want our geology students to be able to understand earth structures, he said. To understand them, you often have to go to the field to see them in the real world.
Bailey noted that there is plenty of interesting geology around Williamsburg but if youre a structural geologist, all the really good stuff around here is buried.
Weve got these lovely estuaries around us. Were on a gentle plain, primarily covered by sediment, he explained. These sediments cover up a lot of the earth structure that Im so interested in studying.
As theres not much structure around William & Mary, William & Mary geology students must go to the structure. Bailey and other geology faculty take students on field trips, which might be as close as Yorktown and as distant as the fascinating folded rock layers in Oman.
To see earth structure in Virginia, Williamsburg-based geologists have to journey at least to the Richmond area, where the Piedmont begins. There also is good structure to be found west through the Shenandoah Valley and into the Blue Ridge.
Field trips are an important part of what we do in geology, Bailey said. These field experiences are important to understanding structural geology because the earth is complicated. Talking about it in lectures is one thing, but being there in person is important.
But like Mordor, one doesnt simply walk into a geological field trip or field research. To get the most out of these on-the-spot experiences, a student has to master a few concepts and skills. In short, Bailey said, a structural geologist has to understand how to read a standard geological map, developing the knack of looking at a two-dimensional geo map and being able to visualize the three-dimensional earth it depicts.
And thats where the Integrated Structure Project comes in. Its a set of exercises based on a fictitious terrain in a made-up landscape. The rock samples and the geological situations are real enough to give Structural Geology students the chance to make their own geological maps from scratch.
People often ask Bailey why he doesnt use examples of real-earth geology to school his Structural Geology students.
The reason is that when I was a student, if I was given a real geological problem, Id just go to the library and look the answer up, he said. Today, of course, its even easier to find those answers. You can just go onto the internet.
For the past two decades, Bailey has created a fake, bogus, inauthentic, made-up research experience for the edification of his Structural Geology classes, which he typically teaches each spring semester. He showed a lunchtime gathering of faculty affiliated with the Environmental Science and Policy Program a sample of one of his inauthentic landscapes Odyssey Island, dotted with references out of Homer.
He said his fictitious geological locales had necessarily become repeated variations on a few themes after 20 years of teaching the course. But, this year Baileys Structural Geology classes made their way through Middle Earth, actually a geologically enhanced version of Tolkiens fanciful map in the universitys Center for Geospatial Analysis (CGA).
It was Rob Rose, director of the CGA, who suggested that Bailey trek his students through Middle Earth. Rose is a big Tolkien fan; he and his wife binge-watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy during a bad-weather weekend each winter.
One day, we were watching the movies. And I thought, has anyone ever mapped out the route that Frodo took from the Shire to Mordor? he said. And do we know if thats the best route to take? Because thats a common question we ask with GIS: Whats the best way to get from point A to point B. We do whats called a least cost path analysis.
An analysis of the efficiency of Frodos route and a determination of the optimum Bag End-to-Orodruin route requires a more sophisticated map than the Tolkien version in the front of the books. Rose talked the matter over with the current CGA fellows, undergraduates who are part of the mission to bring the power of geographic information systems (GIS) throughout William & Mary.
The project required a DEM, or digital elevation model, a 3-D representation of the Earth or in this case, Middle Earth. The idea of helping to construct a digital representation of the land of the Lord of the Rings was met with the same level of approval among the CGA fellows as a call to second breakfast in Hobbiton.
It took some working, but we finally had a full-elevation model for Middle Earth, Rose said. Soon afterwards, he was speaking with Bailey about his Structural Geology DEM, approaching its second decade of revision and getting a little fossilized. I said, well we have this DEM of Middle Earth now, do you want to use it? Its a fantastical place.
The Middle Earth DEM was first used in Baileys spring, 2017 Structural Geology class. Students executed virtual treks across the Cape of Andrast. Andrast is a kind of an out-of-the-way corner of western Middle Earth, sticking between the great ocean Belegaer and the Bay of Belefas. In the Tolkien mythos, Andrast is inhabited by short, stumpy-bodied men known variously as Druedain, Woses or Wild Men of the Woods.
Bailey sent the Structural Geology Fellowship on a Quest from, say, Warg Cove across Dagger Ridge. Their route is dotted with points that correspond to a set of rock samples and segments of a real geological map. The students are tasked with deciphering the geology of each point and how each point relates to the larger map.
Even working with an existing fictional map, Bailey found himself coining nomenclature. Tolkiens map isnt nearly fine-scaled enough. Even the CGAs version has wide swatches left unlabeled.
I had to make up a bunch of place names, he said. Bailey freely acknowledges that hes not a Tolkien authority and gratefully accepts revision of his additions to Middle Earth nomenclature by those with greater elf cred.
For instance, he placed the name Watermelon Mountains on an Apennine-like range of peaks that goes down the center of Andrast. It didnt pass muster.
One of my nerdy research students had a look at my map and admonished me for missing an original Tolkien geographic name, Bailey said. They are known as Druwaith Iaur. I made that change and the Watermelon Mountains are no more.
Bailey is happy to accommodate such corrections, but he stresses that the purpose of the Fellowship is to advance geology, not mythology. To increase the learning value (while taking advantage of opportunities to make an inside joke), the Quest incorporates the occasional element that would make a hardened Tolkien purist glower like a Nazgul reading flood-warning signs at the Ford of Bruinen.
For example, its hard to imagine Tolkiens Middle Earth containing a ranch operated by Jim Kaste. Kaste, an associate professor of geology, visited the class seeking the help of the Fellowship. He tells them he thinks theres coal on his spread and needs geologists to find it so he can begin mining it.
The Kaste Ranch is leagues distant from a feline spa operated by geologist Greg Hancock. The Hancock establishments precise connection to geology remains shrouded from mortal ken thus far.
The students werent distracted from the real geology by the fake geography, either. At a lab session, tables of undergraduates got down to business mapping the geology of their Andrast traverse with nary a mention of what the orcs might be doing today. They were given 30 rock samples to examine, representing different points on their map.
The immediate task was to determine if the sample is a previously undiscovered type of rock, which would call for a new unit in the map. Madison Renshaw 18 held up a sample labeled number 37 and declared it a nice arkosic sandstone. Her geo bud, lab partner Emily Mushlitz 19, challenged that identification.
Its regular arkosic sandstone, Mushlitz said.
Its nice! Renshaw insisted.
But, Mushlitz said, gneiss is a different kind of rock.
The fall semester is under way and Bailey is making preparations for spring, when hell teach the second segment of the epic quest of the Structural Geology of Middle Earth. We should not hop frivolously about the Shire, he said. Bailey added that his plan is to move the class focus systematically into new terrain each year, until the geology of Middle Earth is comprehensively mapped.
Last year we began our research on the great southwestern cape of Andrast, he said. We discovered old rocks really old rocks, basins created as the Great Sea was birthed, and simmering volcanoes that, as best we could tell, might have served as Gollums refuge. We shall move to the east from our initial study into South Gondor and then up to the great heights at the edge of Mordor Ephel Duath, the Mountains of Shadow.
W&M student's essay captures Trollope Prize
Essay on Trollope wows judges Katharine Scott, who will graduate in December, won the 2017 Trollope Prize sponsored by the University of Kansas with an entry that was cogent and highly readable, one sensitive to critical traditions and thoughtful in its argument. Photo by Lex Rowland Photography Photo - of - Hide Caption
Katharine Scotts grandfather was a Presbyterian minister. Her mother has a deep love for the Bible.
Scott, who will graduate from William & Mary in December 2017 with degrees in English and French, shares her mothers devotion to the Bible, a passion that played a primary role in her winning a major prize recently.
That would be the Trollope Prize, an essay contest sponsored by the University of Kansas that is open to undergraduate and graduate students from around the world writing about the works of Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope. She will receive $1,000, and her essay will be published in The Fortnightly Review, the 21st-century online edition of Trollopes 19th-century periodical.
In August, Scott was taking a break from her summer job when she checked her email and found a congratulatory message from the Trollope Prize committee.
I thought there must be something wrong, she said, her eyes growing big. I kept looking for honorable mention, or thanks for entering, but ...
There was no mistake. The judges called her work a cogent and highly readable essay, one sensitive to critical traditions and thoughtful in its argument.
Last spring, Scott was in Bible study and reading the Book of Ruth at the same time she was reading Trollopes The Small House at Allington for a course taught by Deborah Morse, the universitys Sara E. Nance Professor of English.
Trollopes main character, 19-year-old beauty Lily Dale, lives in a small country home with her mother, a widow. She meets Adolphus Crosbie, an upper class Londoner who is visiting a relative of hers. An underlying plot is the battle to preserve rural land from urban encroachment.
Dale and Crosbie fall in love. He proposes; she accepts. But once he returns to London, he sees that he wont be able to maintain his bachelor lifestyle as a married man, as Dale has no dowry. When a marriage arrangement to a wealthier woman becomes available, Crosbie jilts Dale despite the fact that he hates his new bride to be.
Crushed, Dale later received a second proposal from a childhood friend, but she refused, instead pledging unbridled fidelity to her mother. In fact, Trollope eventually writes, that at the age of 24, Lily has decided she will forever sign her name, Lily Bell, O.M. Old Maid.
Hmmm, Scott said she thought to herself, that sounds an awful lot like the relationship the Biblical Ruth has with her mother-in-law, Naomi.
Ruth told Naomi, Whithersoever thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge, Scott said, adding, however, that Ruth eventually helped Naomi find a husband, Boaz.
A little deeper into Trollopes book, the author makes a cursory mention of the Book of Ruth.
I got to that point and I thought, Alright, we were thinking the same thing! Scott said.
Scott ran with the idea of comparing the relationship of the two couples, but with a unique twist.
Where Trollope scholars have for years maintained that Lily Dale is a heroine for her unwavering loyalty to her mother, Scott argued just the opposite. Trollope could have had Lily redeem herself by accepting the second proposal. Her fans even inundated him with letters clamoring for such a happy ending.
Instead, to their dismay, he left her unmarried, or unredeemed.
Scott originally wrote this hypothesis for her senior research seminar in the English department. After the semester, Scott included more research, lengthened her work and submitted the essay.
Morse, who will receive $500 as Scotts faculty sponsor for the contest, said her students encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible paved the way for an interpretation of The Small House at Allington that has never been seen before.
Its a really original focus to see that Trollope was using this Biblical story something very familiar to the Victorians to say that Lily is really being perverse, that shes really resisting her own redemption, Morse said. Shes not like Ruth, moving from Naomi to Boaz; instead, shes staying with her mother.
Scott agreed that her long history with Bible study proved to be an advantage.
I grew up with a mother who quoted the Bible and poetry, one after the other, Scott said. Scripture is written all over our home. I carry my Bible with me. Its steeped in my life.
You have to know the Bible to get a huge number of references in literature. So I definitely got a head start thanks to my family.
There was one other, very personal, reason Scott said she related to both the Book of Ruth and Trollopes work.
Its a story that I relate to a lot; my mother is a widow, said Scott, an only child. That bond between mother and daughter was something in Allington that I was immediately drawn to.
However, thats where the similarity ends.
As I always joke with Professor Morse, my relationship with my mother is healthier than Lily Dales is with hers, Scott said. Lily Dale talks about marrying her mother, never having love again, theyll just be spouses. Were nothing like that.
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Global nuclear organisations enhance cooperation
27 September 2017
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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and World Nuclear Association have reached agreement on cooperation in nuclear energy, nuclear power plant life cycle and the fuel cycle. The document formalises practical arrangements for cooperation between them, which has already existed for many years, and sets out areas for further collaboration.
Rising and Chudakov sign the practical arrangements (Image: IAEA)
The three-year agreement was signed by Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA deputy director-general and head of the its nuclear energy department, and Agneta Rising, World Nuclear Association director-general. The signing took place on 19 September, during the IAEA's General Conference in Vienna.
The practical arrangements set out the framework for non-exclusive cooperation between the organisations in areas such as: front-end activities, including supply and demand analysis; fuel engineering; nuclear engineering, including long-term operation and reactor design evaluation; nuclear supply chain; transport and logistics excluding safety, but including sustainability of transport; used fuel management and policies; and waste management and decommissioning.
They will also cooperate in knowledge management, human resources development and training, and nuclear information management, including cooperation with the IAEA's International Nuclear Information System. The cooperation will also encompass economic analysis; advanced reactor technology; and, communication and stakeholder engagement.
The agreement calls for the "widest possible dissemination of unclassified information provided or exchanged under these practical arrangements and any subsequent separate agreements".
The IAEA and World Nuclear Association will consult at least once a year on the development and review of activities to be conducted under the cooperation framework.
The IAEA, headquartered in Vienna and with 168 member states, is the main intergovernmental organisation for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and technology. Set up in 1957, it is an independent organisation within the United Nations system. The IAEA's areas of international cooperation cover all aspects of reactor operations, the nuclear fuel cycle, radioactive waste management, human health and radiation protection, and safeguards.
The World Nuclear Association, based in London, is the international organisation that represents the global nuclear industry. Its mission is to promote a wider understanding of nuclear energy among key international influencers by producing authoritative information, developing common industry positions, and contributing to the energy debate.
The IAEA and the World Nuclear Association - together with the World Association of Nuclear Operators and the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency - are founding members of the World Nuclear University. Since its inauguration in 2003, this network has expanded to include more than 40 intergovernmental, academic and industry institutions in some 30 countries.
Rising said, "This agreement strengthens the basis of an already effective relationship with the IAEA. The World Nuclear Association, through its consolidated industry positions, helps the IAEA develop policies that are relevant and can be implemented by enterprises. These arrangements allow for deeper and improved cooperation going forward."
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News
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Radioisotope supplies stable but still vulnerable
26 September 2017
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Positive actions have resulted in more stable supplies of key medical isotopes in 2017 than predicted three years ago, but vulnerabilities remain, a side event at the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) 61st General Conference in Vienna heard last week.
The medical isotopes side event in session at the IAEA General Conference (Image: F Nassif/IAEA)
The IAEA event examined the current supply scenario for molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) and its daughter isotope, technetium-99m (Tc-99m) and alternative production routes for the isotopes. Tc-99m is the most widely used radionuclide for medical imaging, used in more than 30 million nuclear medicine scans per year. It is extracted from Mo-99 using a Mo-99/Tc-99m generator device. Both radioisotopes have to be used quickly once they are produced, so hospitals worldwide need a constant supply of them.
Mo-99 has primarily been produced by a limited number of research reactors, many of which have been operating since the 1960s, and in the case of Canada's NRU, the 1950s. Over the past decade, these reactors have required more maintenance, and some have faced unexpected outages. This led to supply disruptions and significant radioisotope shortages, particularly in 2009 and 2010.
South African Nuclear Energy Corporation subsidiary company NTP Radioisotopes SOC Ltd (NTP) has become the first major producer of Mo-99 to convert all of its production process from the use of highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium. NTP completed the conversion in August following a multi-year collaboration with the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). David Huizenga, the NNSA's acting deputy administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, said South Africa and NTP had demonstrated "outstanding global leadership" in completing the "lengthy and technically challenging" conversion project. "NNSA has been extremely pleased to support NTP's successful efforts to cease HEU-based Mo-99 production while continuing to play a key role in ensuring a reliable global supply of this crucial medical radioisotope," he said.
Medical practitioners responded by using isotopes more efficiently in medical scans, helping to lower demand to a level that could be successfully met by the remaining suppliers, who have also worked to increase production capacities.
"Following the unforeseen disruptions in supplies, we assessed the likely supply situation in 2014 and, at that time, the risk of shortages was expected to get worse as of 2017," Kevin Charlton, a medical isotope expert and analyst from the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), said. "But now it's 2017, and we can report that positive actions taken by the players in the supply chain have increased the production capacity of existing facilities, and the supply situation is now more stable."
The current supply chain should be sufficient until "at least" 2022, Charlton said, but still requires "careful and well-considered planning for the foreseeable future". This includes monitoring supplies from alternative technologies as they enter the market, and monitoring the price changes needed to ensure a long-term, sustainable model.
New methods
At the same time as working to increase existing production capacities, work is also under way on new, alternative methods of producing radioisotopes such as the use of linear accelerators to produce Mo-99 from naturally occurring Mo-100 or to produce Tc-99m directly. Accelerators are relatively easy to establish for countries that require a facility solely for the production of radioisotopes. They can be operated only when needed and do not produce radioactive waste, Kennedy Mang'era, chief operating officer of Canadian Isotope Innovations, said.
The new method is economically competitive but the Mo-99 produced is of low specific activity, making it unsuitable for use in existing alumina-based Tc-99m generators, Mang'era said. Current generators must therefore be improved, or new ones developed. A research project launched earlier this year and coordinated by the IAEA is to further develop this method. It will also focus on optimising available generators and develop new ways to separate Tc-99m from Mo-99.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News
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Shamanism is the practice in which a person is believed to have the ability to connect with the spiritual world. Societies practicing Shamanism believe that only special people are able to communicate with the spiritual world. In such societies, people who relay and receive messages from spirits, according to popular belief, are known as shamans. Shamans are believed to connect with spirits only when they are in altered states of mind, and require space in which their minds can wander free of the physical state and its surroundings.
Process of Becoming a Shaman
To become a shaman, one must receive the calling through a dream. Alternatively, one must inherit the trait from ancestors. All shamans undergo a rite of passage. One such rite is the wounded healer, in which the young shaman must experience a strong illness to the point of death. As a result, the shaman-to-be crosses over to the spiritual world. The shaman then comes back with vital information for the tribe given to them by spirits. The near-death experience also helps the shaman-to-be to understand sickness. People believe that a shaman who has experienced critical illness will themselves understand other peoples sicknesses. Shamans are paid for their services in cash or in kind.
Duties of Shamans
The first role of a shaman is to heal the sick in the society. A shaman does so by connecting with the spiritual world and gaining knowledge about various diseases. The shaman then uses such knowledge to heal the ailing individual. Secondly, a shaman acts as a mediator between the living and the dead. In case of any questions or unresolved issues, both the spirits and people communicate with the shaman, who in turn addresses the relevant party. Thirdly, shamans have fortune telling abilities. They also lead in making sacrifices in order to appease the gods or spirits to forgive or bless people. In addition to these roles, shamans also tell stories and sing for the purpose of passing along cultural traditions to the next generation. Shamans may also perform duties that are specific to a particular group of people. For example, among the Nani people, shamans act as psychopomps.
Shamanism Practices
Shamans are able to connect with the spiritual world through various means and procedures. Some of those ways include dancing, music and songs, fasting, and vigils, among others. During these procedures, shamans use different paraphernalia like feathers, drums, rattles, gongs, pipes, sword, shakes, and roosters.
Shamanism Fading Away
The practice of shamanism is slowly fading away due to increased urbanization in most countries. Another reason why shamanism's popularity is declining is the existence of organized religions, like Christianity, which seek to convert shamans to believers. Shamans are also perceived as wayward, primitive, and outdated. The few remaining shamans exist among indigenous people in forests, rural areas, deserts, and perhaps jungles. They are especially widespread in South America and Africa, where the mestizo shamanism is common.
Camp Groves vacated Scope and aims of action plan to help Wrexhams homeless remains unchanged
This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Sep 27th, 2017
The scope and aims of a plan aimed at offering support to vulnerable people in the town remains unchanged, despite the encampment on the Groves being voluntarily vacated.
The encampment, also known as Camp Groves, made both local and national headlines over the past six weeks, with stories featuring on BBC Wales, The Express, The Mirror and The Guardian, to name but a few.
Over the weekend Wrexham.com reported that the Groves site had been fully vacated, with fire crews seen extinguishing a makeshift bonfire on the grounds on Saturday afternoon.
A number of people had been camping on the school grounds since July, with Wrexham Council later stating that it was tolerating the situation on the site to prevent other problems arising in other areas.
An action plan was agreed at the end of July for what was described as a high risk project, with the camp resulting in reliving pressures and demands on other services in Wrexham particularly in the town centre.
There were three primary objectives of the action plan, which aimed to develop a co-ordinated approach in order to:
Reduce inappropriate behaviour in the town centre
Reduce vulnerability
Reduce demand a cross section of services
An overview of the plan was outlined in a council report last month with partnerships working together along with a fortnightly meeting of a Gold Level Group down to a daily update group who are working together to manage the situation.
A separate, non-public document we have seen, explained that there was a 90 day period to allow the encampment to remain on the site, with this date set for the end of October.
In the report it was also noted that the portaloos and fencing would require planning permission, but as they are only in place for around 90 days a planning application would not be required.
There is reference to what could happen after the 90 day period, where a medium term plan is to be developed. The private report states that the Groves site is not suitable for a longer term base adding as the weather changes individuals are likely to move onto alternative winter locations.
There is no mention of where these locations are are thought to be, nor if preparatory work is taking place there, in the current document however is likely to be in scope for the medium term plan.
On Monday Wrexham.com posed a series of questions to Wrexham Council about the vacating of the site and what (if any) impact it would have on the Gold Plan.
Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Safety, said: Outreach officers working on behalf of the Wrexham Community Safety partnership have been engaging with those on the Groves site for some time, with many of the vulnerable people there showing a keenness to get into longer-term recovery.
Many of those on the site have moved on of their own accord, and the number of people sleeping overnight at the site has dwindled gradually over time.
I have previously stated that the Groves site would be tolerated only for temporary use it was never intended to be a long-term site and as such we were prepared for it to empty over time.
The purpose of the camp and the plan put forward by the Gold Group was to get vulnerable people engaged at a service level, so they could be supported on to a lasting route to recovery
While people gradually leaving the site will affect delivery inasmuch outreach workers will not be able to work with those in need at a single location, the scope and aims of the plan remain unchanged, and the Groves was never intended to be an integral part of this strategy.
The initial plan will only change inasmuch as workers will be required to meet with those individuals elsewhere.
Cllr Jones added: We will continue to work with them and all partners are keen to keep up the level of support given where engagement is shown. That includes support into accommodation, or encouraging the better management of accommodation for those who already have tenancies.
The Labour Partys annual conference in Brighton was meant to be a show of unity, after two years in which the right-wing sought through various means to oust leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Instead, as it opened, 40 senior Labour figures, led by Blairite MPs Chuka Umunna and other prominent right-wingers who played lead roles in the failed putsch plots, authored a letter in the Observer -the sister paper of the Guardian.
The letter, also signed by Labour Members of the European Parliament, Labour peers and leading trade union bureaucrats, called on the ongoing Labour conference to commit to staying in the Single Market and Customs Union--ruling out no options for how to achieve this It added, Labour is right to argue for a transitional period as we leave the EU, but we must now go further For the sake of jobs, public services, peace in Ireland and the rights of everyone who calls the UK home, we must offer a clear alternative to the Tories destructive Brexit.
Since Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May triggered the legislation, in March, for the UK to leave the European Union over a two-year period, sections of the Parliamentary Labour Party and the trade unions have insisted Labour must position itself as the representative of the majority of Britains capitalist class who want to keep access to the EUs Single Market.
With the loss of the Tories parliamentary majority in Junes general election, they have gone on the offensive.
This month, Tom Watson, Labours deputy leader and opponent of its nominally left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, stated that Labour was the party of soft Brexit and that remaining in the Single Market and Customs Union might be a permanent outcome of the negotiations [with the EU]."
Watsons comments were followed by the formation of the Labour Campaign for the Single Market by two Blairite MPs, Heidi Alexander and Alison McGovern. It calls for the UK to remain in the European Single Market and Customs Union, with the group planning to have this position adopted as party policy at the conference.
The right-wing had justified their last coup attempt against Corbyn on the grounds that he had not campaigned strongly enough in favour of the EU, despite leading the partys Remain campaign. While he has committed Labour to remaining in the single market for a Brexit transition period of up to four years, he has had to make certain criticisms of the EUs neo-liberal policies and austerity measures.
Speaking to the BBCs Andrew Marr as the conference opened, Corbyn said, We need to look very carefully at the terms of any trade relationship because at the moment were part of the single market, that has within it restrictions in state aid and state spending, that has pressures on it through the European Union to privatise rail, for example.
The letter from Umunna, et al was followed Monday by an article in the Guardian by Manuel Cortes, the general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association. He wrote, Hard Brexit is now a corpse that was put to the sword by Theresa Mays own hand when she conceded the need for a two-year transition period with her speech in Florence
He added, Labours current position on Brexit [to leave the EU] is simply unsustainable, concluding, The best Brexit plan now is staying put.
In another article on the blog site Labourlist, Cortes called for a second referendum to reverse the Brexit nightmare. He wrote, With a very clear head, I now believe a referendum on the final deal versus continued EU membership may be the only way to ensure a democratic outcome from Tory Brexit.
Corbyns response to these demands was to ensure there was no public conflict with the Blairites and their trade union backers. With the supposed left around Corbyn now controlling the National Executive Committee, the arrangements for the conference and the majority of delegates, it was they that ensured there was no fight against the right.
The Corbyn supporting Momentum group e-mailed its members to recommend four subjects to be chosen for debates, which Brexit was not amongst.
Summing up the position of the leadership, Shadow Chancellor and close ally, John McDonnell said, On Brexit, the interesting thing is people are trying to build a consensus now, and not divide the party.
The right, however, are not interested in party unity. With leading Blairites denouncing a stitch-up and talking of an absolute disgrace, Corbyns faction responded by drawing up a Draft Labour NEC Statement on Brexit, restating Labours basic policy on Brexit. This was put to the conference in a session of just an hours duration Monday, without debate, and passed.
The statement said, Labour is clear that we need a tariff- and impediment-free trading relationship with the European Union. During a Brexit transitional period Labour would seek to remain in a customs union with the EU and within the Single Market and would abide by the common rules of both. But the statement did not commit the party to single market membership beyond the transition perioda key demand of the Blairites.
The conference vote on Brexit took on surreal elements, being held on the same day that it was announced that the beginning of a fourth round of talks between the governments Brexit Secretary, David Davis and Michel Barnier on behalf of the EU, again broke up without agreement.
The talks took place just two days after Prime Minister Theresa Mays speech on Brexit in Florence. This was hyped as the basis on which the impasse reached on agreeing the terms of the cost of the UKs EU divorce bill, the right of EU nationals who live Britain and the status of the Republic of Ireland/Northern Ireland border post-Brexit, could be resolved. But Mays offer to pay just 20 billion up to 2020 and for a Brexit transitional period of around two years--based on the EU being able to count on Britains substantial military and intelligence capability--went down like a lead balloon with Brussels.
Commenting on the talks, Barnier asserted that a discussion that is going to take place because the UK is asking for it on this transitional period does not mean we will no longer need to achieve sufficient progress.
He added, We are not going to mix up discussions on debts and discussion on the past commitments. We are not going to mix up those subjects, which are part of an orderly withdrawal, on a discussion of our future relationship.
Barnier speaks for Germany, France and the major European powers who have all refused to make any concessions since the talks began six months ago. The already sharp tensions will only deteriorate further, following the result of Germanys election on Sunday.
The position of Chancellor Angela Merkel is highly unstable after the collapse in the vote of her Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union alliance and that of her former coalition partners, the Social Democratic Party. With all the parties moving further to the right, on the grounds that they must reach an accommodation with supporters of the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD)now the third largest party in parliamentit is not conciliation that is on offer, but the resort to nationalism by the ruling elites across Europe.
Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Irma, both category 5 storms, hurtled through the Caribbean causing mass devastation.
The high winds, heavy rains and storm surges devastated many of the islands, destroying the shacks that are home to tens of thousands of islanders, as well as damaging schools, health centres, sanitation and basic infrastructure and ripping up power lines.
The human cost of the hurricane has been made worse by the lack of any serious government preparations and the already inadequate state of the physical and social infrastructure.
With many roads impassable, islanders are in desperate need of food, water and other basic necessities. Thousands are without power and communication, with reports suggesting that it will take several months for electricity and water to be restored.
According to disaster risk experts, the cost of the damage caused by Hurricane Irma across the Caribbean is likely to total a massive $10 billion.
The US, British, Dutch and French governments have all sent officials to visit their territories in the Caribbean, with the Dutch and British dispatching naval vessels and military personnel to protect their territorial possessions.
Britains Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Barbados, promising to put the island back on its feet again. He also went to Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Irma killed at least 37 people in the Caribbean, including four people in the BVI. Irmas winds were accompanied by flooding resulted in the loss of electricity and critical communications infrastructure throughout the BVI.
Despite their responsibility for these island territories, with a population of 35,000, the British government has promised a miserly 32 million, of which 28 million has already been spent.
Johnson said that Britain had sent more than 1,100 military personnel and 50 police to support the BVI government, which imposed a 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. curfew (still in effect but reduced from Saturday to 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) following reports of looting.
Last Friday, the dilapidated amphibious HMS Oceanwhich is to be soon sold or scrappeddropped anchor off the British Virgin Islands with 650 personnel on board. Its arrival was the occasion for the British government to trumpet its contribution to a humanitarian effort. However, with what was described as just 60 tonnes of aid on board, the HMS Oceans presence was largely for PR purposes.
This was confirmed as the billionaire Sir Richard Branson, who has one of his many luxury homes on the 30-hectare nearby island of Neckerthat he ownsmade sure to arrange a photo op. The Daily Mail cited Nick Wood, executive officer of HMS Ocean, who reported that Sir Richard toured the ship on Saturdaytaking a look at the engineering spaces, the bridge, the ops room, the hangar and the aid storesand had time for a word with everybody Today was him coming on board pressing the flesh with all the sailors and just saying thank youposing for 150 selfies
Although Necker was hit directly by Irma, which devastated everything in its path, Branson escaped unscathed as he was able to take refuge in his own words in the concrete strong [wine] cellar built into Neckers Great House
While the house above the cellar was largely wrecked, Branson, with a fortune estimated at $5 billion, will be able to rebuild it without any problems.
The BVI is known as a tourist location, but the islands raison detre for the ruling elite in Britain and globally is as the site for financial swindling on a vast scale. The BVI government derives 60 percent of its revenues from its financial sector. It is home to more than one million registered companies, according to the Financial Secrecy Index, with assets of more than $1.5 trilliondouble their value as estimated by the International Monetary Fund in 2010.
The Financial Times reported in 2012 that the British Virgin Islands were the fifth largest recipient of foreign direct investment globally, with inflows at $72 billion, higher than those of the UK, which has an economy almost 3,000 times larger.
These are nothing more than shell companies that have little physical presence and employ few local people. BVIs protective regime ensures anonymity, secrecy and a complete absence of wealth or corporate taxation.
Two thirds of these companies are used for corporate structuring, and tax planning, aka tax avoidance. More than 140 stock market-listed companies in London, New York and Hong Kong have at least one subsidiary in the BVI. According to the Action Aid charity, in 2013, 98 of the companies in the FTSE 100 had BVI subsidiaries.
About one-quarter of the companies represent funds and investment vehicles, with property holdings and family wealth accounting for a further 10 percent. Many of the purchases of large commercial properties in central London, accounting for 10 percent of deals by value, are routed through BVI-registered companies.
The release last year of the Panama Papers, detailing over 200,000 offshore companies listed by the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, provided a glimpse into the shady world of tax avoidance, with the BVI at its centre, carried out by the worlds elite.
Such are the broader concerns for the City of Londons profit interests that the Foreign Office said it was arranging for the military to assist eligible persons to leave the BVI and other affected islands for other offshore locations such as Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.
Those eligible are not, of course, the impoverished islanders without homes, electricity or water. Instead, they are the accountants, lawyers and other professional staff employed by the major international accountancy firms, PwC, KPMG, Deloittes, EY and Grant Thornton, offshore law firms such as Harneys, Conyers Dill & Pearman, and wealth management firms, to the extent that these companies had not organised private planes for their evacuation. They have all closed their offices for the near future.
The concern of the ruling elite at the wellbeing of its Caribbean financial swindling operations were summed up in articles in the Financial Times, headlined respectively on September 10 and 12, British Virgin Islands financial centre hit hard by Irma, and International firms evacuate British Virgin Islands.
With the evacuations completed, the BVI government moved quickly to restore the tax haven on behalf of the financial aristocracy. In a celebratory article on September 15, headlined Caribbean Tax Haven Begins to Bounce Back After Irma, Bloomberg noted, It took two days after Hurricane Irma ripped through the British Virgin Islands, damaging or destroying an estimated 70 percent of the territorys buildings, for the Caribbean tax haven to start piecing back together its lucrative corporate-registry business.
The super-rich could be reassured that their ill-gotten wealth could remain safe from any tax liability. The article continued, Running off a giant backup generator, the registrys government buildings, mostly unscathed by the storm, opened shop on Monday, days after the costliest storm in the regions history, said Lorna Smith, interim executive director of BVI Finance.
It added, Some key functions were moved to offices in Hong Kong and London, Smith said. The online system to incorporate new businesses, VIRRGIN, was reopened. And court business will be shifted to a temporary location in nearby Saint Lucia within two weeks due to damage to court buildings
While the British governments aid is a mere drop in the bucket in relation to the billions needed to make good the devastation, it is in marked contrast to the paltry 5 million offered to the survivors of the Grenfell Tower inferno. The disparity stems entirely from the value of these offshore tax havens for Londons financial parasites and swindlers, whose establishment the British government supported for the benefit of the City of London.
Almost 2,800 workers at GMs CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario are mounting the first strike at a Detroit Three facility in Canada in more than two decades.
Now in their tenth full day of strike action, the CAMI workers are seeking to put an end to years of concessions. This includes winning a substantial wage hike after a decade-long wage freeze, eliminating the hated two-tier wages system with its ten-year grow-in, and securing real job security.
But Unifor (the former CAWCanadian Auto Workers), which for decades has bullied workers into accepting concession contracts in the name of saving jobs, has no intention of lifting a finger to fight for any of these demands.
Rather it is maneuvering to shut the strike down and subordinating the workers struggle to Unifors alliance with the Trudeau Liberal government and its efforts to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Unifor officials hope to extend this government alliance to include billionaire demagogue Donald Trump and the most rightwing administration in US history.
While workers have been manning the picket lines outside the CAMI plant, Unifor President Jerry Dias has been hobnobbing with Trudeau government officials in Ottawa on the sidelines of the latest round of NAFTA talks. Last night the Unifor president held what the Globe and Mail described, in a flattering portrait of Dias published in its Tuesday edition, as a NAFTA-themed cocktail party. There he entertained Liberal government officials with whom he has been working to defend Canadian jobs by fashioning a NAFTA deal crafted so as to push the brunt of job losses arising from the capitalist crisis onto American, and especially Mexican workers.
This is a continuation and intensification of Unifors ruinous nationalist-corporatist strategya strategy, predicated on the subordination of workers interests to big-business profits, that pits workers against each other in a fratricidal struggle for jobs and investment.
Late yesterday, Unifor announced it was resuming intensive negotiations with GM. Workers must beware: Dias and Unifor are intent on wrapping up the strike, conceivably as early as today. Unifor has already announced once it reaches a tentative agreement with GM, the CAMI workers will immediately be ordered back to work before voting on it. Details of the proposed contract will be kept under wraps until a ratification meeting is organized, at which workers will be presented with a brief, union-selected highlights brochure, then ordered to vote.
At the end of last week, Unifor offered GM what it described as an olive branch in the hopes of relaunching contract talks. In keeping with the unions conduct throughout the negotiations, Unifor provided no details to CAMI workers about what this entailed, except to say that it concerned monetary issues. Then on Sunday, after two days of talks with GM, it presented the automaker a new global contract offer.
A Unifor Local 88 bargaining update claimed that a counterproposal GM presented yesterday showed some progress has been made and said the union has therefore agreed to resume intensive negotiations.
During last years negotiations with the Detroit Three automakers, Unifor agreed to a pattern settlement that further enshrined the two-tier system, eliminated any form of defined-benefit pension for new hires, and provides meagre wage increases in return for various investment pledges management can shred at will.
Unifor has repeatedly signaled that it is prepared to impose rollbacks even beyond this sell-out pattern on CAMI workers. Seeking to soften the membership up for further concessions, the union has suggested workers should be happy to have a job. We can yell all we want, declared Local 88 Plant Chairman Mike Van Boekel, but if the plants are empty, theres nothing to gain . Before money, before language, we have to guarantee our jobs are there and that we can support our families.
Unifors one and only demand is that GM designate the CAMI plant the lead facility for production of its highly profitable Equinox SUV. Unifor officials have been forthright as to how this designation would serve to push the burden of job cuts onto Mexican workers: were GM to slash production of the Equinox, the axe would have to fall first and principally on workers at the two Mexican plants that also produce the hot-selling SUV.
In reality, any respite for Canadian workers under such a provision would only be temporary, or to be more precise, would be at the expense of the fundamental interests of all autoworkers in North America and internationally.
The past three decades during which the UAW and Unifor have worked hand-in-glove with companies, inciting workers to whipsaw one another, have demonstrated that all this leads to is a race to the bottom that only the automakers win.
Throughout the CAMI strike, Unifor officials have been whipping up Canadian nationalism, including displaying giant Canadian flags on the picket lines. Unifor officials have sought to prevent CAMI workers from speaking to the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter, which is the only publication that has provided rank-and-file workers with a voice while advancing an international strategy to win their struggle.
Meanwhile Diaswho the Globe and Mail says has access to the most powerful people on Parliament Hill--has been working hand-in-glove with Trudeau, whose government has expanded Canadas participation in Washingtons incendiary military-strategic offensives, announced a 70 percent hike in military spending and a vast privatization program, and whose closet provincial allies, including the Unifor-backed Ontario Liberal government, have imposed sweeping social spending cuts.
Dias is unabashed in his support for Trudeau. He told the Globe and Mail, the prime minister sees us (the union bureaucracy) as a natural ally in trying to build a strong economy, then added, Profitable companies are a wonderful thing, and thats what I want.
If the CAMI strike is not to be sold out, workers must seize leadership of their struggle from the hands of Unifor and repudiate its nationalist, pro-capitalist perspective. This requires the building of a rank-and-file committee, led by the most militant workers, independent of and in opposition to Unifor. Such a committee must lead the strike and a campaign to mobilize autoworkers across North America against all concessions and in defence of the jobs of all workers.
On Saturday the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP, Socialist Equality Party) ended its election campaign with an international assembly against capitalism and war. Around one hundred members and supporters of the party attended the meeting in the Kalkscheune in the center of Berlin to hear speakers from the US, Great Britain and France and discuss the socialist perspective for the struggle against fascism and war.
The speakers on the podium addressed in detail the international crisis of capitalism, the imminent threat of nuclear world war and the moves towards strengthening the state apparatus all over the world. They made clear that the turn to the right by all parties and the growing influence of the far right can only be stopped by a socialist movement of the working class.
Peter Schwarz, chairman of the German editorial board of the World Socialist Web Site, opened the meeting with an assessment of the election campaign. Twenty-five years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the current election campaign took place under conditions of deep crisis of the capitalist system. It was not only the American ruling class which reacted by re-armament and police-state measuresthe German ruling class is pursuing a similar course.
In this respect there was unanimity amongst the parties, reaching from the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD), to the Left Party. The SGP is the only party that consistently opposed this madness and put the struggle against militarism and war at the heart of its election campaign, Schwarz said.
The SGP stands in the tradition of the October Revolution and the irreconcilable struggle for the political independence of the working class. It was therefore irreconcilably opposed to all the pseudo-left groups, which cover up the right-wing politics of the Left Party and called for a vote for the party. Our campaign is designed to build a revolutionary party that unites workers around the world in the struggle against nationalism, social inequality and war, Schwarz said.
The national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in the United States, Joseph Kishore, also stressed the importance of the struggle against the pseudo-left. Bernie Sanders had received a great deal of support after declaring himself a socialist and stating his opposition to extreme levels of social inequality. He then quickly ended up supporting Hillary Clinton, defending the Democratic Party, and suppressing social opposition. This paved the way for Trumps path to power.
Kishore addressed the fascist type character of the Trump government. In his speech to the United Nations, Trump announced the total destruction of North Korea without meeting with any significant opposition within the political establishment. The extent of the naked criminality and gangsterism in the US government is only comparable to Nazi Germany in the 1930s, Kishore said.
Trump did not come out of the blue. Ultimately, the US government is an expression of the protracted collapse of American and international capitalism, Kishore said. Social inequality had assumed horrendous forms.
The secretary of the Parti de l'egalite socialiste (PES), the French section of the International Committee, Alex Lantier, argued that the same processes of militarism and social polarization were also at work in Europe. France and Germany are increasingly taking a stand against the US. In the process European capitalism is not some sort of more civilised cousin of American imperialism but rather its ruthless and arrogant rival.
With his reform of the labor market in France, the government of Emmanuel Macron was undertaking a sweeping attack on the social rights of the workers gained in the course of the 20th century. Macrons offensive was the herald of further social attacks across the continent. Opposition to these measures could not be left in the hands of the unions or the so-called Left Front. This was demonstrated not least by the experience in Greece, where Syriza imposed the austerity diktats of the EU in collaboration with the trade unions.
Chris Marsden, national secretary of the SEP in Great Britain, described the role played by the European Union in the devastation of Greece. The EU has long since abandoned its former social-democratic and liberal claims and increasingly manifests itself as an instrument of social counterrevolution, he said.
Brexit had shown that Europe could not be united under capitalism. The SEP in Britain, like the SGP in Germany, rejected all forms of nationalist opposition to the EU and fought for the United Socialist States of Europe.
Christoph Vandreier, deputy chairman of SGP, concluded the meeting. He dealt at length with the lurch to the right in official politics and the rise to prominence of the AfD. The hypocrisy of the Bundestag parties in their criticisms of the AfD was repulsive, Vandreier continued: In fact, the Christian Democratic Union, the Social Democratic Party, the Greens and the Left Party do not fundamentally differ from the AfD. They criticise the AfD on Sunday and then put AfD's policies into practice on Monday in the Bundestag and in state parliaments.
All of the parties were implicated in the mass deportation of refugees to war zones; they all demanded the strengthening of the state apparatus and backed the return of German militarism. The most obvious expression of the turn to the right, however, was the campaign to play down the war crimes of the Nazis. Vandreier described in detail how representatives from all of the parties had lined up behind the right-wing extremist, Humboldt professor Jorg Baberowski, after the latter claimed that Hitler was not cruel and defended the Nazi apologist, Ernst Nolte.
When the SGP and its youth organisation, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), held meetings opposing this falsification of history, they were subjected to massive attacks in the media. The FAZ newspaper called for the censoring of the World Socialist Web Site, and just a short time later Google began censoring searches for the WSWS, in particular the numerous articles and polemics on the site dealing with Baberowski.
The ruling class fears the truth will come out. The truth is that the capitalist system is once again opening the portals for fascism and war. Either the working class overthrows capitalism and builds a socialist society, or the bourgeoisie will once again plunge humanity into catastrophe, Vandreier said. The SGP was the only party to articulate this truth and fight for a socialist program.
The speeches were followed by a lively discussion, which in many cases continued late into the night.
The Senate Republicans latest Obamacare repeal effort collapsed Tuesday, as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, facing certain defeat, announced that the measure would not be brought to the floor for a vote. The announcement followed statements by three RepublicansRand Paul of Kentucky, John McCain of Arizona and Susan Collins of Mainethat they would vote against the measure.
With all 48 Democrats set to vote no, the Trump administration and Republican leaders could afford no more than two Republican defections to obtain passage in the 100-member chamber.
The so-called Graham-Cassidy bill was similar to previous Republican efforts under Trump to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, all of which would strip tens of millions of people of health insurance and end Medicaid, the government health insurance program for the poor, as a guaranteed entitlement program.
Graham-Cassidy, sponsored by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, would have imposed a per capita cap on Medicaid spending and shifted to a system in which states received block grants from the federal government. The result would be growing shortfalls between states Medicaid funding needs and what the federal government would provide, forcing deep cuts in Medicaid coverage.
The failed proposal would have eliminated the individual mandate, which requires that uninsured individuals buy coverage or pay a penalty, and the employer mandate, which requires that businesses with a certain number of employees provide coverage for their workers or pay a penalty.
States would also have been allowed to obtain waivers from Obamacare rules barring insurance companies from denying coverage or jacking up rates for people with preexisting conditions, as well as from requirements that insurers cover essential benefits such as maternity and newborn care, outpatient care, emergency services and mental and addiction treatment.
The Trump administration and congressional Republicans had an effective deadline of September 30 to pass an Obamacare repeal bill because with the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, they could no longer pass such a bill under the so-called budget reconciliation process, which requires a simple majority rather than the filibuster-proof 60-vote super-majority needed under normal procedures.
After McConnells announcement, some Republicans, including the right-wing libertarian Rand Paul, voiced support for coupling tax reform with repeal of the ACA. Republican leaders quickly opposed this plan, which could make tax reform (i.e., massive cuts to the corporate tax rate) more difficult.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, the second-ranking Senate Republican, said, I know the work [on repealing the ACA] is going to continue, but I think we need to turn to tax reform while that work continues.
Cornyn also noted that senators Lamar Alexander, a Republican, and Patty Murray, a Democrat, are working on a bipartisan effort to stabilize insurance markets. He was referring to efforts by the Democrats to work out a bipartisan deal with the Republicans that would retain the basic framework of Obamacare, which is broadly supported by the corporate elite and the insurance industry, and is being used to increase out-of-pocket costs for workers while slashing costs for businesses and the government, while introducing regressive changes being demanded by the insurance monopolies.
The Alexander-Murray negotiations broke off when Republicans were attempting to muster votes for Graham-Cassidy, but will likely be revived in the aftermath of the failure of the Republican bill.
This is the real orientation of the Democratic Partynot the posturing by Senator Bernie Sanders and some Senate Democrats on behalf of a Medicare-for-all bill that stands little chance of even being brought up for debate. As the World Socialist Web Site noted when Sanders announced his bill, The goal of the exercise is to provide a political smokescreen for backroom Democratic Party dealings with the Trump administration, on health care and especially on tax cuts.
The political contributions made at the meeting in Berlin by leading members of the Fourth International from Germany, Great Britain, France and the US were closely followed by the audience and found a very positive response.
I must say I completely agree with everything said, and I am very motivated to become active, declared Gregor (22), who came to the Berlin meeting from Karlsruhe. Gregor was particularly impressed by the international character of the meeting, which was evident from both the podium and the content of the contributions. I was impressed by the clear-sightedness of the analysis, how precisely everything was dealt with, really in a very unique way.
Gregor studies at the University of Karlsruhe, and first came into contact with Mehring Verlag and the SGP at last years Frankfurt Book Fair. I had begun studying socialism and wanted to know exactly what socialism was and who are its genuine representatives, he recalled. It was a happy coincidence he met the SGP. Since then he has studied the perspective of the SGP and WSWS.
What particularly attracts him to Marxism is its scientific approach to political development. I was around Greenpeace and other movements, but was concerned by the fact that these movements were not scientific. There was a strange taboo about addressing genuine causes. It was bizarre what a song and dance was made to avoid addressing the principal cause of all major problemscapitalism.
Gregor regarded the far-advanced development towards war, which was at the center of the meeting, as very real and dangerous. There is a close link between war and social inequality. In his view, it is basically criminal to spend money on killing machines when there are so many social problems. Instead of tackling these problems, war creates new problems.
War and inequality mutually reinforce one another, Gregor said. It follows from social inequality that the oppressed must be monitored more closely so that they cannot effectively defend themselves. War, in my opinion, is carried out to secure resources and expand spheres of influence. One does not have to be a socialist to recognise this, one just has to open ones eyes.
Gregor was utterly opposed to the latest steps to suppress and monitor the working class, expressed in the censorship of the World Socialist Web Site and other left and progressive websites by Google. But he also sees a political logic behind it: When I read of the Google censorship it strengthened my conviction. This is a movement which can be genuinely dangerous for the powerful.
Darren, 35, said he believes that the Google censorship has political roots. The ruling elite are preparing for social resistance, he said. This holds them together. As was shown by the reaction to the polemics at Humboldt University, this stance on the part of the German elite has a long tradition. That the established parties support such a professor [Jorg Baberowski] indicates a certain repetition of history, Darren declared.
He followed the election campaign primarily via the analyses of the WSWS. He comes from the US and encountered the website in the States ten years ago. He now works as an engineer in Germany. It was only through the WSWS that I realized how similar the major parties are, Darren said. They all have the same position regarding increased arming of the state.
Rosmarie, 53, works in a refugee camp in Berlin Spandau and is disgusted with the politics of the other parties. They are all hypocritical and agree on militarisation at home and abroad.
In her work as a refugee aid worker, Rosmarie has made many shattering experiences. The way in which refugees were dealt with was shocking. Many were crammed together in temporary lodgings, only to be deported shortly afterwards. The owners of the refugee homes are usually just in it for the money, Rosmarie says.
She was convinced that, today, none of the problems arising under capitalism could be solved within a national framework. Workers everywhere were confronted with the same questions, for example, in Greece, where the pseudo left Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left) had betrayed workers. Rosmarie maintained that what happened to the Greeks can happen here. That is why she now supports the SGP: You are assured of my vote.
Michele, a 22-year-old student from Bochum, agrees. In times like these, when climate change and finance capital have become global phenomena, and the exploitation of transnational corporations knows no boundaries, there can be no doubt that one has to organize internationally.
He found the meeting to be very good, but also frightening: If you consider what has been said about the world situation today, then mankind is really on the brink. A progressive solution was only possible based on the perspective of the Socialist Equality Party, according to Michele, who studies German and philosophy at the Ruhr University. That is why he now wants to become politically active.
What was particularly clear from the meeting was the growing danger of war, which does not come out of the blue or is accidental, he said. At the back of it is a conscious policy, he added. There were reasons and causes for war that must be recognised and consciously opposed.
The SGP distinguished itself from all other parties by its principled character and irreconcilable attitude towards the other parties, based on its historical tradition. Michele has already read the Historical Principles of the SGP and is now studying the Russian Revolution and its development.
According to Michele the October Revolution was the greatest shock imaginable for the ruling class.. That is why a deliberate falsification of history is being carried out today in the media and books. For Michele, the revolution includes an important lesson for today: It is possible to conquer power and shape society on the basis of socialist principles. This is not a utopia or a fantasy.
The US colonial territory of Puerto Rico has been devastated by a disaster that has left its population of 3.5 million in the midst of a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe.
Much of the island looks like it was hit by an atomic bomb. The already fragile electrical grid has been largely destroyed, leaving millions literally in the dark and without power for air-conditioning or even fans, as Puerto Rico faces 90-degree temperatures and high humidity.
While the official death toll stands at 16, there are no doubt many more fatalities that have gone uncounted, and the threat is that far more people, particularly among the elderly and the sick, some of them trapped in high-rise apartment buildings or small villages cut off from relief, will lose their lives.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz told the media, Whats out there is total devastation. Total annihilation. People literally gasping for air in the merciless heat. She spoke of people being taken from their homes in near-death conditions, including dialysis patients unable to get treatment and people whose oxygen tanks had run out.
At least 60 percent of the population lacks access to clean water, and food is in short supply. Hospitals report that they are within days of running out of medicine, essential supplies and fuel to run generators. Garbage is going uncollected, while many streets are still flooded. Conditions are growing for the spread of deadly diseases, including cholera.
At least 15,000 people have taken refuge in shelters, while many tens, if not hundreds, of thousands more are camping out in homes left in shambles and without roofs by Marias 155-mile-an-hour winds. Meanwhile, some 70,000 Puerto Ricans are still in danger from a possible failure of the Guajataca dam, which would wipe out entire towns and villages.
Cell phone service has been wiped out for three quarters of the population. The countrys agriculture has been devastated, with 80 percent of its crops destroyed.
Descriptions of conditions in Puerto Rico as apocalyptic are anything but hyperbole.
As in every such natural disaster, Hurricane Maria has exposed the deep-going social oppression, poverty and inequality that existed before the storm ever made landfall in a territory where the poverty rate approaches 50 percent, and unemployment 12 percent.
Weve not seen any help. Nobodys been out asking what we need or that kind of thing, Maria Gonzalez, 74, in the Santurce district of San Juan, told Reuters. Pointing to Condado, the Puerto Rican capitals tourist area of hotels and restaurants, she added, Theres plenty of electricity over there, but theres nothing in the poor areas.
Nearly one week after Hurricane Maria struck the island with the full force of a near-Category 5 storm, US President Donald Trump took his first public notice of the disaster with a Monday night tweet. Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble, Trump tweeted. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars...owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with.
The combination of ignorance and arrogance contained in this statement is the product not just of Donald Trumps fascistic and pathological social outlook, but rather an expression of the criminal negligence, parasitism and predatory character of an entire social system. Trumps apparent intention was to contrast Texas and Floridaboth doing greatwith Puerto Rico, which he suggests is responsible for the catastrophe that has befallen it because of its status as a bankrupt debtor to the Wall Street banks.
The reality is that large portions of the populations of Houston and Florida, the working class and the poor, are doing anything but great, having lost their homes, their cars and, in some cases, their jobs, and left struggling to obtain the means to live.
As to Puerto Ricos $73 billion debtroughly equal to the $72 billion that is now estimated in damages caused by Hurricane Mariait is the legacy of over a century of colonialism dating back to the Spanish American War of 1898.
The so-called Associated Free State of Puerto Rico (established in 1952 following the brutal suppression of a nationalist revolt) supposedly gave Puerto Ricans local self-government as well as American citizenship. It was a second-class citizenship at best, however, without congressional representation or the right to vote in presidential elections.
While at the time Washington fostered the development in its perfumed colony of manufacturing, principally pharmaceuticals, textiles, petrochemicals and electronics, through corporate tax breaks and low-wage labor, these measures were later rescinded as cheaper labor platforms became available to American capital in Asia and elsewhere.
Local self-government has been effectively abrogated with the creation of a US-appointed Fiscal Supervisory Board (JSF), which has overriding power over the territorys budget and is charged with imposing austerity measures aimed at meeting payments to Wall Street bondholders and the predatory hedge funds that sought out distressed Puerto Rican debt.
This is Trumps main concernthat blood be soaked from the stone of an island thrust back a century in terms of its economic and social conditions.
The shameful failure of the US government to provide adequate relief to the Puerto Rican people is driven by considerations of profit and the interests of billionaire bankers and hedge fund chiefs. They are already calculating how the devastation of Hurricane Maria can be exploited through privatization fire sales of public infrastructure and the reaping of further super-profits off Americas Caribbean colony.
Trump has idiotically attempted to excuse this failure to provide adequate aid by assertingfalselythat Puerto Rico is in the middle of a...really, really big ocean."
No one can claim with a straight face that if Puerto Rico were the target of an invasionsuch as Iraq in 2003the Pentagon would not have already opened its ports and made its airport fully operational. As it is, relief supplies collected by Puerto Rican and American working people in the US sit in warehouses and on docks in Miami and elsewhere because the incentive to aid the islands people is nowhere near that which drives US wars of aggression across the globe.
The one thing that Washington has been able to do efficiently is dispatch troops and police to the island with the objective of suppressing social revolt.
The disaster in Puerto Rico, like those in Houston and Florida that preceded it, has made it abundantly clear that neither recovery, much less protection, from devastating disasters like those wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria can be achieved outside of a frontal assault on the stranglehold exercised by the ruling financial oligarchy over social wealth and the productive forces of society.
It is the working class of Puerto Rico, united with workers in the United States and internationally, which must accomplish this task through a revolutionary struggle to reorganize society on the foundations of socialist ownership of the means of production and the worlds resources.
TALLAHASSEE, FL. (WTXL) - Leon County Commissioners held a public hearing meeting Tuesday, discussing several hot topics including medical marijuana facilities throughout the county.
Leon County Administrator Vince Young started things off with a budget report and praised the fact the county budget last year ended the fiscal year with a balanced budget and no millage rate increase.
On Tuesday night, commissioners proposed its budget for 2018 at $253.7 million, which would come with a property tax increase. As county leaders wrapped up one five year strategic plan with success they're looking forward to the next five years.
According to Leon County Administrator Vince Long, "We established new bold goals for the next five years in the area of the economy, the environment, quality of life and governance. There is about 53 strategic initiatives."
One of the topics voted on was next years millage rate.
Commissioners voted 5 to 0 to keep the 2018 rate the same as last year at 8.8144 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. The millage rate is expected to raise the county $5.75 million and under Florida Law the extra revenue is considered a tax increase. The increase would cost homeowners on average $28 more a year.
Nothing was decided on the proposed amendments for medical marijuana dispensing facilities. It was put on hold until the next hearing at a later date. The county and city must be inline when it comes to an agreement on how they'll move forward with dispensaries.
Another area commissioners discussed was the need for securing more tourism to the area as well as finding more grants to pay for county wide programs.
Long says, "A lot of our economic return on our investment or significant amount comes from tourism, we had 2.4 million visitors last year. It has an impact of $863 million of economic benefit each year."
And as growth occurs in the county, further zoning changes are needed. Commissioners also voted to approve a proposed amendment on the official zoning map.
The second budget hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, October 3.
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Wednesday was dad's turn to take the kids to school.
That's right, Wednesday was officially "Dads Take Your Child to School Day" in Leon County.
The Florida Department of Education has observed the event for three years. The event got its start in New York in 2004. Any male figure in a child's life is encouraged to take him or her to school today.
A video from last year's day shows dad's doing more than just dropping their kids off.
The men get to step inside their child's world with activities and refreshments.
Superintendent Rocky Hanna says it's a way to get father's engaged into what their kids are learning in school.
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Author's Note When we wrote about racism in the Yakima Valley last month, one insight from a local professor was that many Americans lack a comprehensive understanding of our own history, including the history of race in this country. To follow up on that, we decided to look into how history is being taught in local schools.
In a class of future teachers at Central Washington University this week, professor Susana Flores said students were shocked to learn of the existence of Indian boarding schools in the 19th and 20th centuries, where hundreds of thousands of Native American children were separated from their families and assimilated at schools run by white missionaries.
Only two of the 22 sophomore and junior students had ever heard of the boarding schools before, Flores said.
I had a good number of students who were upset that they didnt learn this like, Why did I have to get to college to learn this? said Flores, a former middle school social studies teacher with masters and doctorate degrees in education.
Her multicultural education course is a requirement for all students in the Curriculum, Supervision and Educational Leadership department at Central. From what she has observed and discussed with her students, she said, Their perspective is that their history is still very much learning about the winners. The old white guys, and the winners.
More Information Latinx is a gender-neutral term now used to refer to groups of people of Latin American descent, rather than Latino or Latina.
In other words, she said, the history and contributions of African-Americans, Native Americans, Latinx Americans, Muslims, LGBTQ people, and many other marginalized groups in America have not been adequately represented in school curricula and not just in social studies, but in literature, math and science classes, as well.
While schools nationwide debate exactly what should be covered in history class, some local educators are working to include more diverse perspectives and primary source documents in their lessons, to give their students a more comprehensive view of Americas foundation and trajectory.
Pull Quote History doesnt change; it just gets interpreted differently by different people." Matt Norling, Davis High History Teacher
The goal is to push students to be more critical thinkers, and not just trust their textbooks to provide an accurate narrative of events, says West Valley High School social studies teacher Kevin Brennan.
The classes he teaches now look a lot different from when he was in school, he said. Teachers today have much greater access to original documents by authors whose voices have traditionally been left out of standard curricula, which he incorporates into his lessons.
Its important to expose kids to all viewpoints and perspectives so they can come to their conclusion on their own, as far as whats the most reliable valid source, and whats the one that they believe to be most accurate, he said.
To that end, hes paired up with language arts teacher Josh McKimmy for a blended-learning course called American Studies, in which students examine writings from different eras of American history and apply those lessons to contemporary problems.
They just finished a unit on how racism was addressed at the turn of the 20th century, reading primary documents from Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois to hear two different approaches, and then discussing how those approaches might look in todays world.
Racism in the Valley: Where do we go from here? YAKIMA, Wash. While images of Nazi salutes in Charlottesville served as a rude awakening for those who thought we left the Klan in the 1960s
Where Washington advised black people of the time to accept discrimination and earn the respect of whites through hard work on an individual basis, DuBois advocated political action and civil rights work to counter racial oppression.
I thought it was good basing our opinions on two African-Americans writing, not an African-American and a white person, said Avery Heinle, 16, who is white. We dont have to hear their stories through somebody else.
Classmate Sarah Estifanos, 17, said she was excited to talk about racism as the first topic of the year.
Its interesting seeing the different opinions. And not talking about white history coming from a person of color, it was good to have people talking about black people, she said. Estifanos family is from Eritrea, in northeast Africa.
McKimmy and Brennan were impartial in presenting the information, said Jane Eichwald, 16, who is Chinese and was adopted by a family here.
They gave us primary documents that were from people we were writing about and talking about, she said. They let us decide. They showed both sides.
One of the tools West Valley teachers use for complex topics is Actively Learn, an online literacy platform that students access on their laptops. When readings are assigned on Actively Learn, students must analyze the document, explain the text thoroughly, and demonstrate their understanding through in-depth discussion questions and essays.
While teachers still have to teach to Common Core standards and cover certain basic historical themes and topics, they also are moving toward more project-based learning where students research and explore subjects on their own, pushing them to invest more in their own learning, Brennan said.
At Davis High School in Yakima, many students are producing major history projects for a nationwide competition called History Day.
Davis history teacher Matt Norling is the coordinator for the Central Washington region of the long-running competition. Last year, students had to develop presentations on Taking a stand in history; this years theme is Conflict and compromise.
History doesnt change; it just gets interpreted differently by different people, Norling said. As a responsible teacher, I try to keep the politics out of it. ... But when youre learning about history, you need to learn about history as it happened, and you also need to learn about the context when it happened.
A group of students congregated in Norlings classroom for History Club last week, challenging their teacher on some of his points such as his comment that the Revolutionary War and the Civil War were both fought because groups were trying to get away from what they viewed as a tyrannical leader (King George of England and President Abraham Lincoln). The students also expressed why valuing the perspectives of Davis few teachers of color wasnt in conflict with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s call to judge people by the content of their character, and not the color of their skin.
Talking about your heritage is never a bad thing, argued 17-year-old Kate Pizano, a former Unleashed writer for the Herald-Republic whose family is Mexican. You just cant hurt people with it.
Mia Hofmann, 16, who is white, said she really appreciates learning about Central American revolutions from her Latino history teacher, and hearing his perspective.
I dont like when people say theyre blind to other peoples color, she said. You have to acknowledge that thats part of their culture, thats part of who they are.
The students agreed that project-based learning and lively classroom debates help them dive deeper into subjects, and said they actually remember topics they did projects on, as opposed to just memorizing dates for a quiz and then promptly forgetting them afterward.
Its about debate; its about discussion. Then you do your own research and you discuss it, said Maria Velazquez, 16, whose family is Cuban and Mexican. Projects, they mess up your grade, but you learn from it.
Engaging students
At the district level, Yakima Schools officials look at bias and sensitivity related to gender and race when reviewing potential classroom materials, as required by state law, said Erin Chaplin, the districts director of instruction.
The district is currently working on a new social studies adoption, looking at various programs to possibly add to the curriculum, including Since Time Immemorial, an online curriculum that examines Native American tribal history in Washington state, she said. Yakima Schools are working with the Yakama Nation to ensure that theyre properly addressing how the tribe has impacted the Yakima region, Chaplin said.
From Time Immemorial From Time Immemorial is the product of a collaboration between state education officials and all 29 of Washington's recognized tribes.
The scrutiny applies to language arts materials, as well.
Our committees will even look at what authors are included in these program materials, so its not just the dead white guys, Chaplin said. So theres a variety of authors, voices coming in, to even literature.
She remembers history classes in high school just reading the assigned textbook cover-to-cover, and the teachers role was simply to lay out the timeline of events, without questioning whether there were other viewpoints.
But thats changing.
Our teachers first and foremost are doing a lot just in their classrooms to engage students in conversations about multiple viewpoints, and asking students to question and not accept their books as gospel, Chaplin said.
Districts start looking at diversity and inclusion in curriculum long before high school. In Selah, district literacy facilitator Kay Smith said K-5 students have a new curriculum this year from the American Reading Company, whose mission statement is focused on cultural diversity in literature.
Smith said she recently visited a second-grade class where kids were reading about Ruby Bridges, the first African-American student to integrate a school in the South in 1959.
Across the hall, another class was reading Dr. Seuss story about the Sneetches, which also deals with discrimination, albeit about fictional creatures.
The curriculum was chosen because school testing results werent improving, Smith said, and the American Reading Company has a strong emphasis on meeting students individual learning needs. The programs focus on diversity was a bonus.
In the curriculum, Kids are exposed to all kinds of literature and diversity and facets, but in a way they can understand, she said. Its not looking at any particular people group, but its looking at the same kind of theme.
While including more perspectives and source materials is a step in the right direction, Flores says that from what she sees at the college level and from her work in education, schools still have a long way to go.
The dominant narrative still prevails in history books and in all curriculum, she said. Were making inroads, but its at a glacial speed.
Reporter Molly Rosbach can be reached at 509-577-7728 or mrosbach@yakimaherald.com.
Killeen, TX (76540)
Today
Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 37F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph..
Tonight
Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 37F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
Palestinian General Intelligence Service chief Majid Faraj and head of Palestinian Preventive Security Ziyad Hab al-Rih will arrive to the Gaza Strip next Monday, accompanied by other high ranking Palestinian officials.
This marks the first time PA personnel have visited Gaza since the Hamas takeover.
The two will be arriving to Gaza along with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and his cabinet ministers as part of the understandings brokered with Hamas regarding dismantling Gaza's administrative committee.
The two are expected to negotiate with Hamas regarding control of border crossings, chiefly the Rafah Border Crossing.
The mourners' tent put up by the family of Nimer Jamal, who carried out the Har Adar terrorist attack, has been dismantled by the IDF which has already begun mapping the family home ahead of its planned demolition, an IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.
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Forces from the Binyamin territorial brigade operated in the Biddu and Beit Surik villages, the latter being the terrorist's home.
IDF forces mapped out the terrorist's home before demolition (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Army engineers also worked with Shin Bet and Border Police forces to map out Jamal's home in Beit Surik and confiscated permits from some of his relatives.
IDF forces operating in Beit Surik Wednesday night (: ")
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The IDF's announcement also said army and Border Police forces seized thousands of shekels in terror funds near Qalqilya and in the Jenin refugee camp.
IDF, civil administration and Shin Bet forces arrested 15 men in the West Bank overnight Wednesday, three of which were suspected of terrorism and violent clashes with civilians and security forces.
A decision by outgoing Supreme Court Chief Justice Miriam Naor not to have a representative of the judicial authority attend a state ceremony Wednesday commemorating 50 years of Jewish settlement in the West Bank has caused political uproar.
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The ceremony will be held Wednesday evening in Gush Etzion, and attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Minister of Education Naftali Bennett and Minister of Culture Miri Regev.
Several weeks ago, Naor received a request to attend an event marking "Golden jubilee celebration for the freeing of Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the Golan Heights."
Chief Justice Naor decided against judiciary participation in the ceremony (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)
Justice Neal Hendel was originally asked by Naor to represent the judicial authority at the event, but a petition from Meretz MK Issawi Frej made the chief justice reconsider and decide "no judiciary representative will participate in the event."
Chief Justice Naor further elaborated on the decision Wednesday morning. "The event is a matter of public controversy. Therefore, and without the chief justice or any other justice expressing their opinion on the matter, Chief Justice Naor decided it would be inappropriate for the judiciary to participate," a statement from her office said.
It was further stated ethics rules stipulate representatives of the judiciary will not participate in an event with political or party undertones. Naor's office added the judiciary will continue participating in state ceremonies, but abstain from controversial ones, especially a ceremony with "only one side receiving the platform."
Justice Hendel was supposed to attend (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
Frej welcomed the decision. "I wish to thank the Supreme Court justices for making the right decision. This is a controversial political event, and Justice Hendel's attendance would harm the trust a large portion of Israeli society places in the Supreme Court. The court should deal with jurisprudence, not politics. That is the way it has always been and should continue to be," he said.
But the about-face prompted derision and criticism from government officials. The minister responsible for the ceremony, Miri Regev, sent a harshly-worded letter to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit criticizing the chief justice's conduct.
"Pursuant to the relevant government decisions and accepted Israeli protocol, the judiciary was invited to attend in a missive sent to the office of the Supreme Court Chief Justice. All of the information pertaining to the ceremony, including the fact it was a state ceremony, its title and its location, was sent to Naor's office as it was sent to the other officials invited to the ceremony," Regev's letter claimed.
Regev further claimed her ministry only found out about Naor's decision when it learned about her response to Frej.
Minister Regev sharply criticized Naor's decision (Photo: Marc Israel Sellem)
"As the minister tasked by the government to oversee these matters, I consider the chief justice's conduct and decision on the matter to be reprehensible. This overt abstention harms the State of Israel," she stated.
Regev then demanded Naor reverse her position, or else her decision will "place an anti-stately stain on the Supreme Court."
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked was also incensed by Naor's agreement, telling the chief justice in a letter that "In your announcement, you've undone the stateliness of an official ceremony decided on by the government, and created the false impression that this was an event with political undertones."
Outgoing Supreme Court Chief Justice Naor with Justice Minister Shaked (Photo: Justice Minister's Office)
Shaked went on to say that "Even though you sought to avoid a political dispute, your goal was missed. The Movement for Quality Government was right in its letter to you today when it said 'this could play into the hands of those who wish to portray the court as a player in the political field.'"
Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin also strongly objected to Naor's decision. "This is an outrage. Chief justices are not personally invited but a representative for the judiciary was asked to attend a state ceremony. It's unheard of for judges to decide which ceremony to attend and which to skip," he protested.
"Tomorrow, someone will say a ceremony for the Kibbutz Movement is also controversial because certain people in the 'Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition' think otherwise. I think this proves just one thing: the judges carry their own personal agendas into the courtroom. The vast majority of Supreme Court judges hold left-wing agendas, which is expressed by their rulings and now by this grave act. They're abandoning their state responsibility," Levin said.
Minister Levin lent his voice to the chorus of criticism against Naor (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
When asked whether he intends to do anything about Naor's decision, Levin said, "I suggested at the cabinet meeting that if judges find it hard to rise above their personal considerations and act in a stately manner, it seems we have no other recourse except to cancel any judiciary participation in state ceremonies, thereby avoiding future occurrences."
"The judiciary has no voice on the matter. If they want to enter the political field, then I think they leave us little choice but to remove them from standard ceremony protocol," the minister said.
Responding to why such a ceremony was needed in the first place, Levin said, "You could ask that about any ceremony. Some people wonder why a ceremony commemorating this prime minister or that one is needed. The great settlement undertaking houses half a million Israeli citizens and a golden jubilee is an extraordinary date that seems to be worthy of commemoration."
Parties outside the Knesset were also incensed with the decision.
"It never ceases to amaze me how public officials can still be surprised by any of (Naor's) decisions. We've always said that when it comes to the settlements, they don't put out verdicts but make their own law while abusing the high status of a Supreme Court justice to promote an ideological agenda," said head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, Shlomo Ne'eman.
"Now, more than ever, it's clear they're in violation of their own rules. The justices must decide whether they're a part of the history of the people of Israel returning to their homeland, or a part of the history of the left wing panicking as its reign slips away," he added.
Court rejects petition seeking to cancel event over perceived slight
The High Court of Justice rejected a petition by the Regavim NGO demanding to cancel the event over the absence of a representative from the judicial authority.
In its response to the petition, the State Attorney's Office presented the government's position that "The absence of one invitee or another does not constitute legal cause to cancel the event."
Justice Uri Shoham accepted the state's position, noting there is "no cause for the court to interfere."
"It appears none dispute the fact the status of the Judea and Samaria territories is deeply controversial," Shoham wrote in his ruling.
"The decision not to take part in an event that is controversial in nature and might be viewed as having political undertones is necessary to protect the judicial authority's independence and to maintain public trust in the judicial system," Shoham added, noting the decision was in line with judicial ethics.
IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot reduced on Wednesday the prison sentence by four months of Elor Azaria, who was convicted by of manslaughter in January after shooting dead a neutralized terrorist who carried out a stabbing attack just moments earlier in Hebron last year.
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Azaria was sentenced to a year and a half in prison in February, dividing the country and giving rise to a string of legal appeals.
Your conduct was unacceptable and was contrary to the army's command and values of the IDF, Eisenkot wrote, qualifying the sympathy behind his decision.
However, he added that I found it appropriate to weigh considerations of kindness and mercy, taking into account his past as a combat soldier in the operational arena.
Nevertheless, in the statement issued by Eisenkot, Azaria was rebuked for the fact that you didnt take responsibility for your actions and that you never expressed regret.
Elor Azaria (Photo: Reuters)
Azaria, who first received the news of his trimmed sentence while his family were paying him a visit in prison, issued a response of gratitude to Eisenkot.
I am grateful to to the chief of staff for reducing my sentence. He says that he decided to do it out of kindness and mercy, something which God gave to each and every one of us, Azaria wrote.
With that, I regret that the Military Advocate General recommended to the chief of staff not to shorten my sentence even by one day. Our enemies, it must be remembered, have no kindness or mercy. They are murderous and hateful.
Azaria then maintained that he had shot the terrorist out of a genuine desire to prevent him from detonating an explosive belt.
I repeat once again that I acted out of a sense of danger in the area of the attack in Hebron against a terrorist who came to murder, Azaria continued, before evoking the biblical proverb And he came to kill you who rose to kill him.
Turning his focus to other attacks that have plagued Israel in recent months, including Tuesdays deadly terror attack in Har Adar in which a terrorist shot to death three Israeli security personnel and wounded a fourth, Azaria said that they exemplified the validity of the command.
In Har Adar yesterday, on the Temple Mount a few months ago and in may other places in our land, we have experienced more and more incidents which illustrate how accurate this command is, when a low murderer cut off the lives of Israelis just because of ideology of hate, he stated.
We are full of compassion, sanctify life and pursue peace and our enemies are hungry for Jewish blood. That is the reality.
After everything, I will continue to serve my sentence with my head raised and I will pray to the creator of the world that I return home swiftly return home to my beloved family. I once again thank the people of Israel for their support all the way.
In August, Military Court of Appeals President Maj. Gen. Doron Piles rejected a request by Azaria to postpone his prison sentence.
Dozens of supporters assembled outside Prison Four in Tzrifin in August where Azaria began serving his sentence.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Ynet on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Eisenkot said Azaria should never have been handcuffed and lamented what he said had become a case exploited by military and political careerists.
If you ask me today, in hindsight, if it was the right thing to put handcuffs on the soldier? My answer is no, but this is a longstanding procedure. Was it right to charge him with murder? This is another procedural manner no commander can influence. These are things I cant determine myself, as the decision here is professional, legal," said Eisenkot.
Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot (Photo: Avi Moalem)
"I can only regret greatly the cynical exploitation of this event to drum up support, get publicity, try to influence commanders, try to influence the court. I think this is an undesirable situation.
In a final attempt to have his prison sentence fully commuted, Azaria sent a letter to Eisenkot asking for clemency and that that he substitute his sentence for community service, while informing him that he would not be filing an appeal to the Supreme Court.
In the letter however, Azaria stuck to his version of events saying that he had shot out of fear that the neutralized terrorist was wearing an explosive belt, thereby avoiding the expression of remorse.
I wish to clarify that if I had known in advance what became apparent in hindsightthat there was no explosive device on the body of the terroristI would not have shot, Azaria wrote in the letter.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited Kabul on Wednesday to pledge support for the government of President Ashraf Ghani, with the precarious security in the Afghan capital underlined by a rocket attack on the airport hours after he touched down.
Arriving from India, where he sought support for the US administration's new South Asia security plan, Mattis said the United States was determined not to allow "a merciless enemy to kill its way to power".
Promising a more "holistic" approach without fixed timetables and involving other countries in the region, including Pakistan, he said the Taliban would have to learn they could not defeat the government.
"I want to reinforce to the Taliban that the only path to peace and political legitimacy for them is through a negotiated settlement," Mattis told a joint news conference with Ghani and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi demanded on Wednesday that Kurdish authorities "cancel" the outcome of the independence referendum in northern Iraq, as a condition for dialogue to resolve an escalating crisis.
In a speech to parliament, Abadi renewed his ultimatum to Masoud Barzani's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to hand over control of international airports by Friday or face a ban on direct international flights to the Kurdish region.
People in northern Iraq voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence in Monday's non-binding referendum. Any idea of secession is bitterly opposed by the governments in Baghdad, Turkey and Iran. The United States pressed Kurdish leaders to call off the poll.
"We won't have a dialogue about the referendum outcome," Abadi told parliament. "If they want to start talks, they must cancel the referendum and its outcome."
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked criticized Supreme Court President Miriam Naor over her decision to prevent Supreme Court representatives from participating in a ceremony marking the anniversary of the settlement of Judea and Samaria.
In a letter sent by Shaked to Naor, it was stated that Naor's decision "violated the nationality of an official ceremony decided upon by the government, and created a false impression of an event of a political nature. This may play into the hands of those who wish to portray the court as authority involved on the political level."
The pro-settlement Yesha Council presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday with a list of grievances against his discriminatory policy against settlements, demanding he commit to approving 10,000 new housing units in the West Bank.
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Netanyahu held a meeting with members of the Yesha Council during which they made a series of demands for improving the process of receiving building permits in the West Bank, and claimed they were being subjected to unfair treatment. Lets call a spade a spade, they told him.
While in small Israel, both in the urban centers and in the periphery, huge investments are being made, in Judea and Samaria there is neglect that has been going on for years of everything related to the development of transportation, water, electricity and gas infrastructure, the Yesha representatives complained.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Marc Israel Sellem)
Beseeching Netanyahu to stop announcing settlement freezes, which they said were imposed on Israel by the Obama administration, the representatives asked him to countenance the construction of tens of thousands of housing units.
Among other grievances presented before the prime minister, the settlers expressed reservations about the postponement of the meeting scheduled this week with the West Bank Civil Administration's higher planning committee following a request by US President Donald Trump.
They further insisted that he move forward with a program to approve permits for homes for former residents of the illegal outpost of Migron, which was evacuated five years ago, and in Negohot.
But the Yesha representatives were disappointed that Netanyahu fell far short of their expectations in the meeting when he promised the construction of 3,000 units. While the figure they were seeking was unrealistic for the time being, the representatives were dismayed by Netanyahus ability to capitalize on what he himself apparently admitted was now a better situation than under the previous US administration.
With Obama, every balcony I would build in Gilo was condemned. Today the situation is different, he reportedly told them.
In a letter detailing the demands, head of the Yesha Council Avi Roeh asserted the time had come for the government to change its perception of the West Bank.
The national government under your authority must lead the process of equal investments in the infrastructures in Judea and Samaria, Roeh wrote.
Efrat (Photo: Ilan Arad, Lowshot.com)
In Judea and Samaria, there are a number of plans ready for immediate implementation that will massively improve the quality of life for the residents of the area, he continued.
These plans, he claimed, had already gone through all necessary stages and were only waiting for budgetary approval.
We ask you to act immediately to find a solution for the allocation of the budget for the paving of roads in this fiscal year, he said.
A few months ago, the government announced that NIS 116 billion from the state budget would be invested into a multi-year plan aimed at developing infrastructure. The plan, which was supposed to be implemented between 2017 and 2021, includes 147 projects throughout the state.
However, settlers were disheartened by the fact that according to the figures of the plans, the West Bank, which comprises an area equal to one-quarter of the size of the State of Israel and which has about 2.5 million inhabitants, is to be the recipient of a mere NIS 70 million, constituting 0.6 percent of the total budget.
Afghan officials say one woman was killed and 11 other civilians were wounded when Taliban rockets hit the Kabul airport earlier in the day.
The insurgents have said they targeted the plane of visiting US secretary of defense, Jim Mattis in Wednesday's attack. Mattis was not at the airport at the time of the attack but was meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul.
Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish says two of the rockets hit two civilian houses near the airport. Earlier, Afghan officials said the insurgents fired up to about six projectiles at and near the airport.
Danish says "four of the terrorists" were killed in a gunbattle that followed the attack.
Security coordinator Amit Steinhart , who was wounded in the terror attack in Har Adar , is heartbroken by the deaths of guards Youssef Ottman, 25, and Or Arish, 25, and Border Policeman Solomon Gavriya , 20, in the attack.
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"They were my friends, my brothers," he told Jerusalem Police chief Yoram Halevi, who came to visit him at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Karem.
"I was hit in the shoulder. Despite the pain, I drew my gun and shot at (the terrorist)," Steinhart recounted.
Jerusalem Police chief Yoram Halevi (Photo: Israel Police)
"At this point, the other forces and paramedics arrived at the scene. I think even then I realized I had lost my security guards and my friend the Border Policeman Solomon, may they rest in peace."
Steinhart said he had known the attacker. "I knew all of the workers who came into the community through the checkpoint. He would always be among the last to enter. Yesterday, something about his behavior raised my suspicion, particularly as he was wearing a jacket on a warm day," he said.
"We asked him to present us with his work permit. He tarried for a bit and then opened his jacket and started shooting at my security guards and the Border Policeman," Steinhart continued.
The Jerusalem Police chief told Steinhart he had acted bravely and saved lives. "You paid the price and got hurt, but with your body you saved lives. This is our job as security personnel: To stand at the front, to prevent and thwart attempts to hurt innocent people. And there you were, you, the security guards and the soldiers," Halevi said.
President Reuven Rivlin paid condolence on Wednesday visits to the families of the two security guards, Youssef Ottman and Or Arish.
Rivlin told the grieving families that he had come to express his thanks, as president and in the name of all the Israeli people, for the lives of the men, women, and children that their sons had saved, and added a personal note as a grandfather.
My grandson is a neighbor, was at the school in Har Adar, and your son prevented the terrorist from reaching the school, he said. Your son fell preventing a terrorist from harming the citizens of the town. He was defending his own home, and the homes of all of us.
Rivlin visits the Arish family (Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)
At the Arish family home, Rivlin heard of Ors wonderful character as a man of action, who always gave generously of his time to help others in need.
Rivlin embraced Ors two brothers and sister and asked them to be strong for their parents.
To Ors grandmothers, he said, My heart is broken, also as a grandparent. We are here with you, and share your inconceivable pain.
At the Ottman family home in Abu Ghosh, Rivlin met Youssefs parents and siblings, and heard about Youssef as a kindhearted young man who loved his country, and served as a border policeman.
Rivlin embraces Issam Ottman, whose son Youssef was killed in the attack (Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)
I pray together with you that this house will from now on only know happier times. I pray that as a country, we will stop just talking about the bond of blood between Jews and Muslims, and instead we will hold sacred the bond of life. Here in Abu Ghosh there is a bond of life. I came to share in your terrible grief and to say how much we appreciate your sons.
Rivlin with Nadia Ottman, Youssef's sister (Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)
Mr. President, Youssefs father Issam said, We chose life. Clear and simple. We chose this people. This is our people. Without a doubt. We want to offer our support to the other families. We should not only be together in grief, but also in life.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday evening "not to uproot Jews or Arabs" at a ceremony in Gush Etzion to mark 50 years to the Jewish settlement in the West Bank, the Jordan Valley and the Golan Heights.
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"The settlement enterprise is as important to me as it is important to you, my friends," Netanyahu said. "This is why I say, clearly and before anything else, there will be no more uprooting of communities in the land of Israel."
"This isn't just a question of the ties to the homeland," he continued. "But primarily it is not the way to achieve peace. We won't uprootnot Jews nor Arabs."
Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
Netanyahu spoke of the 1967 Six-Day War, in which Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. "In the wonderful defensive war 50 years ago, we returned to Gush Etzion, we returned to Jerusalem's Old City, we returned to Judea and Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the Golan," he said.
"We returned home, to our ancestral land. This means we renewed the historical continuity of our people. This is where our identity, our beliefs, our history is made. We've renewed the historical continuity, and we'll make sure it will never be cut again," the prime minister vowed.
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein spoke of the Jewish people's return to Israel. "It weren't dramatic declarations that brought us back to the land of Israel, to Jerusalem, and to Judea and Samaria. We returned here by virtue of the dream, and we were returned here by the strength of our faith," he said.
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
"Fifty years we've been realizing our dreams, years the like of which we haven't experienced in the annals of our people, years in which we gained experience and went on a very difficult journey. The uprooting of communities will not bring peace; (construction) freeze is not the path to an agreement," Edelstein asserted.
In a video screened during the ceremony, Education Minister Naftali Bennett called to apply Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank.
"There is no better time than now, right now," he said. "I don't take such a step lightly. To apply sovereignty, the right timing and courage are needed. Even if there will be opposition to that in the world, we will overcome it. The world understands what the entire Israeli public understandsthe land of Israel will not be divided again."
Photo: Alex Kolomoisky
Shortly before the ceremony began, its organizer Culture Minister Miri Regev criticized a decision by outgoing Supreme Court Chief Justice Miriam Naor, which received backing by the High Court of Justice, not to send a representative of the judicial authority to the event.
The decision, Regev asserted, "bolsters the BDS Movement," which calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel.
"Attending this event are some ambassadors who didn't think it's controversial to listen to this beautiful Israeli story of settlement," she went on to say. "If this isn't returning home, then what does it mean to return home? The political argument has nothing to do with this event. There isn't a nation in the world that has ties to its land like the people of Israel do to this land."
Culture Minister Miri Regev (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
Hundreds of residents of the illegal outpost Netiv Ha'avot and evacuees from the illegal outpost Migron protested at the Gush Etzion Junction not far from where the ceremony was held, demanding the prime minister and other ministers in attendance to fulfill their commitments to the settlers and legalize the status of the outposts.
In addition, dozens of activists from the left-wing NGO Peace Now protested ahead of the ceremony, calling out: "There's no reason to celebrate," "The settlements are destroying Israel," and "We demand two states."
Hundreds of people attended the funeral of IDF Sgt. Avinoam Cohen, 22, who was killed in a training accident in the Golan Heights early Wednesday when a self-propelled cannon overturned into a ditch.
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Cohen, 22, from the Sanhedria neighborhood in Jerusalem, served in Battalion 411 of the Artillery Corps and was a student at the Elon Moreh yeshiva.
The funeral was attended by family members, fellow soldiers and friends from Cohen's yeshiva, as well as Education Minister Naftali Bennett. Cohen's sister, who gave birth a few hours after the accident, came to the military cemetery at the Mount Herzl cemetery straight from the hospital on a stretcher.
The Cohen family buries a son (Photo: Amit Shabi)
"Today the IDF lost one of its best soldiers" Cohen's father Shimon lamented. "Today, the people of Israel lost a pure soul, right before Yom Kippur. For 22 years we had this gift and we now have to return it, and we did. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. But we accept it."
Cohen's brother Sagi said in his eulogy that Avinoam had to fight for everything in his life, and always overcame any obstacle. "You never gave an inch, and yet did so with such pleasantness."
"Thanks for letting us into your heart, we learned a lot from you," he added.
Avinoam Cohen
"He was a righteous and honest man, pure, a man of labor," Cohen's uncle mourned. "Three weeks ago, he smashed his finger. He could have taken some time off but insisted on continuing in his service. 'I have a team of soldiers, I cannot leave them on their own,' he said. That's who he was."
Lt. Col. Efi Mizrachi, commander of Artillery Battalion 411 in which Cohen served, said in his eulogy that he was always impressed by Cohen's eagerness to serve.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett pays his respects (Photo: Amit Shabi)
"In a conversation with your commander, I discovered that you had written him a letter about your rise to command," Mizrachi said. "This letter was all about values and people, a combination of two central characteristics of your command."
The funeral of Lt. Avshalom Armoni, the second soldier who was killed in the accident, will take place at 1pm Thursday.
Iran's top diplomat is scolding US President Donald Trump for a weekend tweet about a nonexistent Iranian missile launch.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is also essentially ruling out renegotiating or launching follow-up talks to a nuclear accord that Trump is threatening to dismantle.
Zarif said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press that "it worries me that people play with facts and produce alternative facts."
Zarif also criticized a recent Kurdish independence referendum as "dangerous" to stability in a Middle East already facing extremist threats and civil wars.
And Zarif seemed to float the possibility of a prisoner exchange involving several Americans detained in Iran. In response to a question about them, he raised the situation of several Iranians held or pursued by the United States for sanctions violations.
A human rights group is accusing Russia and the Syrian government of mounting the worst attack on hospitals in Syria since April.
The New York-based Physicians for Human Rights says it believes either Russian or Syrian government jets were behind a string of airstrikes on three hospitals in the rebel-held Idlib province in northern Syria on Sept. 19.
It says two of the hospitals were struck again days later.
PHR and other watchdogs say the Syrian government has intentionally targeted medical workers and facilities throughout the six-year-old civil war. The organization has documented attacks on 323 medical facilities since the start of the war. The vast majority were committed by Russian or Syrian government forces.
Attacks on Idlib hospitals ebbed after Russia brokered a "de-escalation" agreement in that brought some measure of calm to the northwest earlier this year. But airstrikes have flared again since rebels and al-Qaida-linked militants stormed government-held areas in the neighboring Hama province last week.
Under the nuclear agreement Tehran signed with world powers, which allows it to continue its missile program unabated, the Iranian military industry is developing one of its most covert projects: the RAAD anti-tank missile.
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The Iranians have been able to reach a breakthrough in converting heavy "dumb" rocketssome old and containing hundreds of kilograms of explosivesinto precision-guided missiles. These GPS-guided missiles will serve as an alternative to the inertial navigation rockets that lose of their accuracy the further they fly.
The IDF's working assumption is that these missiles will make their way to Iran's main proxy in the Middle East, Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah, which receives 75 percent of its budget from Tehran.
Iran testing a previous version of the RAAD missile
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The development of the new RAAD missile is based on a fairly new approach to developing weapons: being able to manufacture advanced weapons independently from Russia. An accurate missile, such as the ones being developed in Iran, is one that has a hit radius of no more than several dozens of meters from its designated target. A previous version of the RAAD missile For the sake of comparison, with the rockets Hezbollah currently has in its arsenal, the terror group would have to fire a barrage of dozens of projectiles towards central Israel to increase the chances of hitting the the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. But only one accurate missileassuming it is not interceptedwould be needed to achieve the same objective. However, Western defense officials are not yet convinced Iran has completed development of the new precision-guided missiles. Meanwhile, a recent airstrike on the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS), attributed to Israel by Arab media, reportedly laid waste to alleged Iranian infrastructure for the production of advanced arms for Hezbollah. CERS manufactures missiles based on scientific knowhow from North Korea and Iran. The Syrian center also develops chemical weapons and other munitions for Hezbollah, such as S-60 missiles. At present, Hezbollah's precision-guided weapons arsenal is minor: A handful of accurate attack drones and "suicide drones."
Hezbollah drone attacking an ISIS position
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In addition to that, Hezbollah has hundreds of unmanned aircraft, some of them attack drones, without significant flight and precision capabilities, while others are used for the collection of intelligence and for psychological warfare.
It also has between 80,000-100,000 rockets in ranges of 10 to 500 kilometers, but these rockets are not very accurate.
Hezbollah rocket launcher in Syria
Nevertheless, the Israeli defense establishment views Hezbollah has the biggest threat to Israel at present.
Israeli defense officials believe Hezbollah has changed its approach with regards to future conflicts with Israel: Instead of a drawn-out war of attrition, like the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the Lebanese terror group would prefer a short war, with a strong opening blow, heavy barrages of rockets, and much subterfuge.
This kind of attitude would require a different approach from the IDF, focusing on the maneuvering of small forces, such as companies and platoons, rather than the cumbersome maneuvering of divisions.
But while the Iranians are urging their Lebanese proxy to escalate the situation with Israel, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah doesn't follow Tehran's orders completely, in part because of the bad shape his organization is currently in.
At the same time, Iran is continuing its efforts to increase its influence in Syria. Tehran is arming pro-Iranian forces fighting alongside the Syrian army with a massive airlift of some 100 flights a month.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards fighters in Syria
The Islamic republic also seeks to establish a division in Syria under Hezbollah's command, gathering under one central command the tens of thousands of pro-Iranian fighters operating in the war-torn country. There are currently some 8,000 Hezbollah fighters, 1,500 Iranian Revolutionary Guards troops and some 10,000 Shiite militiamen in Syria.
Avi Nissenkorn, chairman of Israel's national trade union center Histadrut announced at a meeting with heads of the disabled organizations that if the negotiations with the government about raising disability pensions will not advance until the end of the High Holy Days, he will announce a labor dispute that could lead to a general strike.
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At the meetingwhich was attended by senior members of the Histadrut and representatives of different organizations, associations and advocacy groups for the disableda negotiating team was established for the first time on behalf of the groups, which will work in tandem with the Histadrut chairman.
"I think that every Israeli citizen who asks himself whether a sum of 2,400 shekels allows for a dignified existence, will know that the answer is nothe answer is no," Nissenkorn said at the meeting. "You do not need a Supreme Court to figure this out, just basic common sense."
The meeting (Photo: Histadrut)
"This is a just and right struggle, not only for people with disabilities but for all of Israeli society," he added, explaining that the negotiating team's objective will be to work with the government to find a viable solution to the problem, and threatening that "if there is no choice, we will declare a general labor dispute."
Nissenkorn reiterated the point of the advocacy groups, saying that the pensions should be raised to match the minimum wage so as to not allow the disabled to lag behind the economy againnaming it the first principle of the negotiating team.
"The second principle is to encourage people to work, which the current system disincentives against, and this issue needs to be corrected," he noted.
"In the end, they (the negotiating team) will have to make difficult decisions that may not entirely do right by the disabled," he sadly concluded. "The saying: 'Disabled, not half a person' is moral truth, but there are also constraints. They should ultimately see what the budget framework is and be realistic about it."
Heads of the disabled's struggle (Photo: Alice Hayman)
Eyal Cohen, the leader of the group "Disabled Panthers," which did not take part in the meeting, said Wednesday that "as long as an agreement is not signed to raise the disability pension to the minimum wage level, the Panthers will continue to block roads throughout the country, including in industrial areas, in a struggle that will exacerbate each passing day.
"Without a signed agreement with the Disabled Panthers, we will shatter any agreement that will be signed with any party."
A Russian general killed in Syria had been seconded to the Syrian government as a military commander, Russia's military chief of staff said on Wednesday.
Moscow has long been a staunch ally of Syria, but the role of the deceased general reveals the extent to which Russia has become an integral part of President Bashar al Assad's ruling system.
Lieutenant-General Valery Asapov, 51, was killed on Saturday by shelling from Islamic State positions near Deir al-Zor. He was the chief of staff of Russian forces deployed to the country and later became the commander of Syria's Fifth Corps of volunteers, chief of general staff Valery Gerasimov said.
York Police Department
Monday at 9:48 a.m., report of a medical emergency on N. Lincoln Ave.
Monday at 10:50 and 10:51 a.m., reports that someone was driving under suspension.
Monday at 2:16 p.m., report that an adult was missing.
Monday at 4:26 p.m., assisted a motorist.
Monday at 4:51 p.m., report of a medical emergency on N. Nebraska Ave.
York County
Sheriffs Department
Friday at 1:35 a.m., 2:34 a.m., 6:22 a.m., 8:12 p.m., 10:17 p.m., reports of traffic offenses.
Friday at 6:30 a.m., report of a theft in the York area.
Friday at 11:39 a.m., report of a domestic dispute in the York area.
Friday at 11:25 a.m., report of a theft in the York area.
Friday at 2:23 p.m., report of a fire in the York area.
Friday at 3:56 p.m., report of an accident in the York area.
Friday at 5:22 p.m., report of an accident.
Friday at 6:43 p.m., assisted a motorist.
Friday at 10:47 p.m., assisted an outside agency in the York area.
Friday at 11:10 p.m., report of an accident in the McCool area.
Saturday at 12:02 a.m., checked on the welfare of an individual in the York area.
Saturday at 10:42 a.m., report of a medical emergency in the Gresham area.
Saturday at noon, 3 p.m., 6:02 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:16 p.m., 9:36 p.m., 11:33 p.m. and 11:56 p.m., reports of traffic offenses.
Saturday at 4:22 p.m., report of a domestic dispute.
Saturday at 6:18 p.m., report of a medical emergency in the York area.
Saturday at 7:15 p.m., report of an abandoned vehicle in the Waco area.
Saturday at 7:30 p.m., report of an abandoned vehicle in the Henderson area.
Saturday at 8:11 p.m., report of an accident in the Bradshaw area.
Sunday at 1:43 a.m., report that someone was making terroristic threats in the York area.
Sunday at 10:57 a.m., report of a theft in the Waco area.
Sunday at 12:38 p.m., report that a dog was running loose in the Bradshaw area.
Sunday at 1:15 p.m., report of an accident in the York area.
Sunday at 2:07 p.m., report of a theft in the York area.
Sunday at 2:43 p.m., report of suspicious activity in the York area.
Sunday at 2:55 p.m., report of a medical emergency in the York area.
Sunday at 4:26 p.m., report of a medical emergency in the McCool area.
Sunday at 6:38 p.m., report of a disturbance in the York area.
Sunday at 9:25 p.m., report of an accident with injury in the Sutton area.
Sunday at 9:45 p.m., report of a dog running loose in the York area.
Monday, report of a disturbance in the York area.
Monday, assisted a motorist in the York area.
Monday, report of traffic offenses in the York and Seward areas.
Monday, report of a dog running loose in the McCool area.
Monday, report of a fire in the McCool area.
Monday, report of trespassing in the Gresham area.
Monday, report of a cat running loose in the York area.
York Fire Department
Monday at 8:16 a.m., transferred a patient from York to Lincoln.
Monday at 10:37 a.m., responded to a medical emergency on S. Lincoln Ave.
Monday at 11:26 a.m., responded to a fire call on N. Nebraska Ave.
Monday at 10:30 p.m., transferred a patient from York to Lincoln.
Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., transferred a patient from York to Lincoln.
Tuesday at 5:49 p.m., responded to a fire call on Road K.
Wednesday at 2:31 a.m., responded to a medical emergency on Country Club Drive.
Wednesday at 2:58 a.m., provided lift assistance on Meadow View Drive.
Wednesday at 6:45 a.m., provided lift assistance on Edison Ave.
Wednesday at 12:07 p.m., responded to a medical emergency on Highway 34.
Wednesday at 5:12 p.m., responded to a medical emergency on E. David Drive.
Wednesday at 6:58 p.m., responded to 14th and Lincoln Ave.
Wednesday at 8:17 p.m., responded to a medical emergency on Road L.
Wednesday at 8:53 p.m., responded to a fire call on the 600 Block of York Ave.
Friday at 6:06 p.m., responded to a medical emergency on S. Lincoln Ave.
Friday at 8:54 p.m., responded to a medical emergency on Iowa Ave.
Saturday at 12:52 a.m., transferred a patient from York to Lincoln.
Saturday at 10:57 a.m., responded to a medical emergency on Road 22.
Saturday at 6:22 p.m., responded to a medical emergency at Recharge Lake.
Saturday at 6:47 p.m., responded to a medical emergency at Second and Lincoln Avenue.
Saturday at 7:25 p.m., responded to a medical emergency on Nebraska Ave.
Sunday at 8:16 a.m., transferred a patient from York to Lincoln.
Sunday at 1:38 p.m., responded to a medical emergency at 10th Street and Lincoln Ave.
Sunday at 2:58 p.m., responded to a medical emergency on E. Sixth St.
Sunday at 4:29 p.m., responded to a medical emergency in McCool Junction.
Monday at 2:53 a.m., responded to a medical emergency at the Super 8 Motel.
Apartments purchased off-the-plan at the beginning of Brisbanes unit-construction boom are selling at significant losses, underscoring concerns from the Reserve Bank about the citys concentrated inner-city property market.
According to Michael Yardney, CEO of Metropole Property Strategists, buyers who bought off-the-plan apartments in high-rise towers in Hamilton, Bowen Hills, and Fortitude Valley were particularly hard hit.
This comes after an unprecedented building boom over the last five years, which created a massive oversupply of high-rise apartments, he said. It seems that price drops of 20 to 25 per cent are not uncommon for resales after off-the-plan purchases.
And things are not going to improve any time soon: Just look at the skyline and youll still see cranes everywhere.
More than 5,300 apartments have been completed in the inner-city of Brisbane this year, and another 11,000 are being built.
If all the building contracts are fulfilled, new supply across the city for apartments and townhouses could grow to 15,650 over the next 12 months and 39,420 over the next two years, Yardney added. But this is unlikely with the current oversupply as some new projects will be deferred.
RBA Assistant Governor (Economic) Luci Ellis said last week that it was crunch time for Brisbanes potential oversupply, but warned that the older apartment market was particularly vulnerable to price falls.
Across Brisbane, the preliminary auction clearance rate was 51.5% last week, according to CoreLogic. This was slightly up compared to the same period last year. For the Gold Coast, last weeks clearance rate was 37.5%.
Andrew Coronis, managing director of Coronis real estate agencies, said price drops of 20% to 25% were not uncommon for resales after off-the-plan purchases. It is just time to sit and ride it out if you can, he told The Australian. If rents drop a bit the yields still arent too bad. If you do have to sell, its better to do it now. I dont believe it will get better in the short term.
Coronis said he was bullish about the long-term market, noting that population and jobs growth across the region would propel the market. He also pointed to the relatively strong yields based on the median unit price: $410,000 in Brisbane.
The current glut of apartments is causing anxious Brisbane landlords to resort to desperate measures to secure tenants, according to Yardney.
Typically theyll offer at least a months free rent to incentivise a tenant to take a 12-month lease, he said. Other landlords are even offering an iPad, a free gym membership or a gift voucher to secure tenants. One large Fortitude Valley developer was recently offering three months free rent and $1,000 cash to tenants who took 12-month leases.
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Arizona News
San Luis, Arizona - Are you looking for advice on writing a great resume? In October 2017, the San Luis Library will offer bilingual resume assistance on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Learn how to create a resume that will effectively market your talents to employers!
There is no charge to attend.
Tuesday, October 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st @ 10:00 a.m.
Thursday, October 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th @ 5:00 p.m.
The San Luis Library is located at 1075 N 6th Avenue in San Luis, Arizona. For more information, call (928) 627-8344.
Living Section
Yuma County, Arizona - Learn crime prevention tips to protect your property and loved ones. In October 2017, retired Yuma County Sheriffs Office Detective Eric Frost will present Crime Prevention at Yuma County Libraries.
There is no charge to attend.
Tuesday, October 10th @ 3:00 p.m.
Somerton Library, 240 Canal Street, Somerton AZ
Tuesday, October 17th @ 4:00 p.m.
San Luis Library, 1075 N 6th Avenue, San Luis, AZ
Eric Frost graduated from Central Arizona Regional Law Officers Academy in 2006, and was hired by the Yuma County Sheriffs Office. During his tenure as a Deputy Sheriff, he worked as a Hostage Negotiator on the Crisis Management Unit, Special Operator on the Special Response Team, Gang Officer, and Narcotics Officer on the Yuma County Narcotics Task Force. From 2010-2015, Mr. Frost supervised the Criminal Investigations Division as Lead Detective, and had a 100% solvability rate on homicides and attempted homicides. During his career with the Yuma County Sheriffs Office, he received the Outstanding Achievement award, Agitator of the Year, Special Merit award, and Officer of the Year.
In October 2016, Mr. Frost had to retire from the Yuma County Sheriffs Office after being seriously injured on duty. After retiring, he launched Eric Frost Consulting to teach companies, small businesses, families, schools, and winter visitors to protect their property, loved ones, employees, customers and themselves. For more information, visit www.ericfrostconsulting.com
For more information, call (928) 782-1871.
VILLANOVA, Pa. Amanda M. Grannas, PhD, Professor of Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University, is one of three principal investigators who will lead a research team recently awarded a three-year, $1 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to study the interactions between the surface of the Arctic Ocean and the atmosphere above it. The project will specifically address how a dramatic loss of sea ice and increasing surface temperatures affect marine aerosol production in the region. Marine aerosols influence cloud formation and precipitation, which, in turn, affect climate. The Arctic is undergoing rapid climate change, and what is learned during the project will improve climate models and our fundamental understanding of ocean-atmosphere connections.
A prominent and internationally-renowned expert in snow chemistry, Grannas will conduct research as a co-principal investigator in collaboration with colleagues Kerri Pratt, PhD, The University of Michigan (principal investigator), and Patricia Matrai, PhD (co-principal investigator), Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. Grannas brings to the project extensive experience in air-snow-ice interactions including the study of snow and ice photochemistry, and expertise in organic matter characterization. She has participated in a number of field campaigns in both the Canadian and Alaskan Arctic.
The research team is thrilled to receive funding that will allow us to participate in this international scientific collaboration onboard the Oden. Our team brings a unique combination of expertise in atmospheric and aerosol chemistry, microbiology, and advanced measurement techniques, says Grannas, who also serves as Associate Vice Provost for Research at Villanova. This partnership lets us examine at an unprecedented level of detail how changes in the nature and extent of sea ice will impact air-sea exchange processes, and how this in turn could influence the composition of the atmosphere, which then feeds back to climate change.
The focus of the study will be on research conducted aboard an August-September 2018 cruise of the Swedish Icebreaker Oden into the Arctic pack ice region of the Arctic Ocean. The biology and chemistry of seawater, and the physical and chemical nature of atmospheric aerosols, will be sampled during the cruise to better understand the physical properties and chemical makeup of marine aerosols produced from Arctic seawater. The project is expected to result in an unprecedented level of understanding of Arctic marine aerosol production and links to seawater microbiology, leading to improved predictions of Arctic aerosol composition and clouds for the rapidly changing Arctic system.
Integrated educational and outreach project activities have been planned by each investigator on the research team to increase awareness of Arctic change and build upon the investigators' longstanding commitment to education and public outreach.
What Im particularly excited about is the opportunity we have to not only advance our understanding of the fundamental science of climate change impacts, but also to train the next generation of scientists and communicate to the broader public, adds Grannas.
She will collaborate on a project with Villanova University communication professor Hezekiah Lewis, and the team will produce a short documentary film about the changing Arctic Ocean and the work done by the researchers. The film will combine photo and video footage from the Oden cruise with pre- and post- cruise scientist interviews.
Grannas will also continue several outreach collaborations she has had with Bristol Borough High School, Bristol, Pa.; Friends Select School, Philadelphia, Pa.; and the Agnes Irwin School, Bryn Mawr, Pa.
About Villanova: Since 1842, Villanova Universitys Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. As students grow intellectually, Villanova prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.
New Delhi: Pakistans former ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, slammed Khawaja Asif on Wednesday over his statement that Lakshar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its leader Hafiz Saeed are liabilities to Islamabad and that it needs time to get rid of them.
In a series of tweets directed to Pakistan's Foreign Minister, he wrote, "How long will Pakistan argue that it needs time to deal with jihadis helped by US against Soviets 1980-89?"
Haqqani added, "28 years should be enough to change. Reminder for Khawaja Asif - Siraj Haqqani was born in 1989, the year anti-Soviet Jihad ended and US walked away."
"Lashkar-e-Taiba was founded in 1990 and Jaish-e-Muhammad in 2000. No US involvement with either," he further wrote.
How long will #Pakistan argue that it needs time to deal with Jihadis helped by US against Soviets 1980-89? 28 yrs shd be enough to change! Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) September 27, 2017
Reminder for @KhawajaMAsif: Siraj Haqqani was born in 1989, the year anti-Soviet Jihad ended & US 'walked away.' #Pakistan Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) September 27, 2017
Reminder 2 for @KhawajaMAsif: Lashkar-e-Taiba was founded in 1990 & Jaish-e-Muhammad in 2000. No US involvement with either. Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) September 27, 2017
Answering questions at the Asia Society after a speech on Pakistan`s priorities under the new Prime Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Asif had admitted, "I accept they are liabilities (LeT and Saeed). But give us time to get rid of these liabilities because we do not have the assets to manage those liabilities. You are increasing the liabilities further by harping on them."
The moderator, Columbia University Journalism School Dean Steve Coll, specifically mentioned Saeed - the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 Indians and foreigners - starting a political party.
The Foreign Minister had replied. "I agree we should continue our efforts (to) defang, dismantling whatever remnants are there of extremism or terrorists in Pakistan. I don`t disagree with that. You mentioned a name. It is a proscribed organisation, the gentleman is under house arrest. But I agree with you that on that score, on that account we have to do more. There are people in Pakistan who can be a liability in times of crisis for Pakistan and for the region, I agree."
Asif had blamed the US for the rise of terrorist organisations in Pakistan, citing its support for the jihadists against the former Soviet Union during its occupation of Afghanistan.
"Don`t blame us for Hafiz Saeeds," he had said.
Asif was forthright about the legacy of the Afghan war on Pakistan, which changed the ethos of a country that had been liberal.
"That is the tragedy. It makes my heart bleed," he had said.
"The Pakistan of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was a very liberal, pluralistic society. But what we did in 1980 to justify the jihad reversed everything. We rewrote our histories. Heroes became non-heroes, non-heroes became heroes because we wanted to justify jihad because that suited our friends, our good friends the Americans," he had further said.
"They wanted to kick out the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, that was the objective. And we supported it and in the process, our ethos was destroyed. After the defeat of the Soviet Union you shouldn`t have left the way you left that region," Asif had maintained.
"You thought the Cold War is over, `We are the sole superpower and so we don`t have to bother about Pakistan or this region can go to hell.` And that is what happened. We went to hell. And we are still burning in that hell," he had lamented.
(With IANS inputs)
New York: Pakistan received a proposal to swap Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav for a terrorist who carried out the horrific 2014 Peshawar school attack and is now jailed in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif has claimed.
Asif, however, did not specify the name of the terrorist and the National Security Advisor who had made the proposal.
"The terrorist who killed children in APS (Army Public School) in Peshawar is in Afghan custody. The National Security Advisor (NSA) told me that we can exchange that terrorist with the terrorist you have, which is Kulbhushan Jadhav," Asif told the audience after his speech at the Asia Society here yesterday.
He discussed Pakistan's vision for and approach towards regional peace and development during his conversion with author and journalist Steve Coll.
Asif said Pakistan had suffered grievously from conflict and instability in Afghanistan.
"Unless this cycle is reversed, we would continue to bear the brunt. No country, therefore, has a larger stake in seeing peace and stability return to Afghanistan than Pakistan. Regrettably, the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse," he said.
Jadhav, a 46-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was in April sentenced to death by Pakistan's Field General Court Martial on charges of his alleged "involvement in espionage and sabotage activities" against Pakistan.
Asif said there was no military solution to Afghanistan. He said Pakistan had in the past done all it could to facilitate a political settlement.
"We have also done all that we could to make sure that Pakistani soil is not used against any country," he claimed.
"However, there are obviously clear limits to what we can do. We cannot take responsibility for Afghanistan's peace and security and be asked to achieve what the combined strength of some of the most powerful and richest countries could not accomplish," Asif said.
India has accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention by repeatedly denying consular access to Jadhav.
In a hearing of the case on May 18, a 10-member bench of the ICJ restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav.
Pakistan has said that the Indian national would not be executed until he has exhausted his mercy appeals.
The Pakistan Taliban had claimed responsibility for the gruesome Peshawar school attack in 2014 in which nearly 150 people, mostly school children, were killed.
Patna: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday issued fresh summons to former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and his son Tejashwi Yadav in an ongoing Railway tender case.
The mother-son duo have been asked to appear before ED on October 10 and October 11 respectively.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) earlier on Tuesday summoned Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi in regard to the matter.Both have been summoned to be present before the investigation officers on October 3 and October 4 respectively.
Yadav`s lawyer on September 25 sought two-week time from the CBI for former Railways minister to appear before it in connection with the matter.Earlier on September 22, the CBI had summoned Lalu on September 25 and his son Tejashvi Yadav on September 26.
In July, CBI had registered a case against the then railway minister Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, his son Tejashwi Yadav, Sarla Gupta, wife of Prem Chand Gupta, Vijay Kochar and Vinay Kochar, both directors of Messer`s Sujata Hotel Private Limited, Messer`s Delight Marketing Private Limited, PK Goel, the then Managing Directors, IRCTC and unknown others under Section 120 B read with Section 420 of IPC and Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)d prevention of corruption act 1988 in connection with the case.
The FIR lodged by the CBI against RJD chief stated that there were irregularities in awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of BNR Hotels in Ranchi and Puri during Lalu Prasad Yadav`s term as Railway Minister of India, that is, from 2004 to 2009.
The CBI alleged that the tender process was rigged, manipulated and the conditions were tweaked by the then Railway Minister to help a private hotel company.
The RJD, however, brushed aside the allegation and counter-blamed that the agencies were acting as alliance partners of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Chennai: Jailed former AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikalas husband N Maruthappa, who was admitted to the Liver Intensive Care Unit of a Chennai-based hospital, still remains critical, according to reports.
Maruthappa is suffering from various diseases of the liver along with lung congestion and kidney failure, according to ANI.
The Gleneagles Global Health City, in a health bulletin released last night, said that his condition remains critical. However, he has not been put on the ventilator.
It is to be noted that Sasikala is currently lodged in a Bengaluru jail in connection with her conviction by the Supreme Court in a corruption case.
She is also under scanner over the mysterious death of the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa and is likely to be investigated by a committee headed by former Madras High Court judge in this regard.
The committee was formed by the Tamil Nadu government to probe the conditions leading to the death of Jayalalithaa.
C Sreenivasan, the Forest Minister in the Tamil Nadu government and a senior AIADMK functionary, had earlier confessed that they lied to people of Tamil Nadu about Jayallaithaa's health in order to prevent any panic.
He also admitted Sasikala was the sole person who was allowed to visit Jayalalithaa in the hospital.
New Delhi: Former Chhattisgarh High Court judge Ishrat Masroor Quddusi has "deep roots in the society" and cannot tamper with evidence, a Delhi court on Wednesday said while granting him bail in connection with an alleged medical college corruption case.
It, however, directed the 67-year-old former judicial officer to surrender his passport to the CBI within two days and not leave the country without its permission.
"This court is cognisant of the fact that Quddusi has been a judge of High Court for 17 years, though at the same time, no special concession can be showered on him solely due to this fact.
"Nonetheless, it also goes on to demonstrate that he has deep roots in the society and the apprehension of CBI that he would flee away or influence the witnesses or tamper with evidence, remain in the realm of apprehension only which seems unfounded and unsubstantiated," Special Judge Manoj Jain said.
The court gave the relief to Quddusi on a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of a like amount considering that he had cooperated with CBI probe and was not required to be kept in jail any further.
"Keeping in mind the overall facts and circumstances of the case and without making any comment with respect to merits or demerits of the case, I find it to be a fit case where no useful purpose would be served by permitting Quddusi to remain behind bars at this juncture," the judge said while allowing his bail plea filed through advocate Vijay Aggarwal.
Opposing the bail plea, CBI senior public prosecutor Vivek Saxena argued that the scam in question was of a very serious magnitude and the former judicial officer's role was "crucial and pivotal as he used his contacts to help co-accused run the medical college".
Quddusi, who has also served as a judge in Orissa High Court, was arrested along with Lucknow-based Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences' chairman B P Yadav, his son Palash Yadav and three others, for allegedly trying to settle a matter relating to the medical college debarred from admitting new students.
Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences is one of the 46 colleges debarred by the Medical Council of India (MCI).
The court also granted one week's interim bail to Bhawana Pandey, the lone woman accused in the case, for treatment of her four-year-old son suffering from autism.
It kept the bail pleas of Yadav and his son pending for decision next month.
The other accused in the case are alleged hawala operator Ram Dev Saraswat and one middleman Viswanath Aggarwala.
While granting bail to Quddusi, the court accepted the argument of his counsel that he had an unblemished track record as a high court judge for 17 years and there was no question of his non-cooperation with the probe agency.
It also noted the submission of the CBI that Quddusi had voluntarily given his voice samples for probe relating to call records, which "suggested he had cooperated with the CBI".
"The most clinching piece of evidence is already in possession of CBI in the shape of recorded conversation and therefore, it is hard to believe that Quddusi would be in any position to tamper with the evidence," it said.
The CBI claimed Quddusi might tamper with evidence and influence important witnesses in the case.
According to the CBI, the arrests were made on September 20 after search operations at eight locations, including the residence of Quddusi in Greater Kailash area of South Delhi, as also in Bhubaneswar and Lucknow.
It had said that a case was registered against them for allegedly trying to settle an ongoing matter relating to a medical college barred from admitting new students.
The court had on the last date of hearing sent Quddusi to Tihar Jail here while rejecting CBI's plea to interrogate him in custody. It had sent all the other accused to judicial custody as well.
The CBI had alleged they were not cooperating in the probe and had to be quizzed regarding similar cases involving 46 medical colleges debarred by the government from admitting students due to sub-standard facilities.
The probe agency has alleged that Quddusi had obtained an instalment of gratification from B P Yadav and it needed to investigate how it was paid.
It has alleged that Rs 1.86 crore were recovered and "a larger nexus needed to be considered as 46 colleges were debarred".
Raipur: An Indigo Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Raipur after being hit by a bird on Wednesday.
The flight was headed to Kolkata from Raipur, according to ANI.
However, all passengers are reported to be safe.
Earlier this month, a Hyderabad-bound Indigo flight no. 6E827 was forced to make a precautionary landing at the Swami Vivekananda airport at Raipur due to a bird hit.
All passengers were sent to Hyderabad by a different flight later in the day, said reports.
New Delhi: Google, Bharat Heavy Electricals and State Bank of India have been named as the top three best places to work in India by leading global job site Indeed.
Indeed on Wednesday revealed the 50 best places to work in India for 2017, curated from the site's hundreds of thousands of company reviews from employees.
While Amazon grabbed the 4th place, Marriott International was ranked 5th, Intel (6th), American Express (7th), IBM (8th), Tata Consultancy Services (9th) and Hyatt (10th).
Some of the other indigenous firms in the list include Tata Steel at the 17th place, Bharti Airtel (20th), Apollo Hospitals (22nd), Tata Motors (33rd), Bharat Electronics Limited (37th), Asian Paints (45th), Tata Communications (46th) and Reliance Industries (47th).
Indeed has over 15 million company reviews globally and these companies are the most highly rated on overall employee experience.
"Company reviews can greatly impact a job seeker's decision on where they apply," Indeed India Managing Director Sashi Kumar said.
"While compensation and job security are always on top of mind for employees, we are seeing strong company culture and sense of community becoming just as much of a priority," he added.
The ranking is on the basis of both overall and across individual categories as determined by reviews left by visitors to Indeed on individual company pages.
New Delhi: Private sector player Lakshmi Vilas Bank on Wednesday said it plans to raise up to Rs 800 crore by issuing shares on a rights basis to shareholders.
The bank said its board of directors has approved the capital raise plan.
"The Board of Directors of the Bank in its meeting held September 27 has decided to raise funds by way of issue of equity shares on rights basis to existing shareholders of the Bank (rights issue) for an amount up to Rs 800 crore," Lakshmi Vilas said in a regulatory filing.
The bank said the Capital Raising Committee of the board will determine the terms and conditions of the rights issue including the rights entitlement ratio, the issue price, issue size, record date, timing of the issue and other matters.
The south India based lender had registered a rise of nearly 9 per cent in its net profit at Rs 66.12 crore in the first quarter, ended June 30, of the current fiscal.
The income during the period grew by 20 per cent to Rs 927.25 crore.
The bank's stock closed 1.97 per cent down at Rs 146.95 on BSE.
New Delhi: India's richest man Mukesh Ambani and telecom czar Sunil Mittal, whose firms are engaged in a bitter marketplace battle, on Wednesday described each other as friends as they shared the dais to propogate growth of the telecom industry.
Displaying bonhomie, Ambani and Mittal warmly shook hands as they entered the arena hosting the India Mobile Congress (IMC).
Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have, for over the past one year, been at loggerheads on a slew of issues such as points of interconnect, free voice and data offers, asymetry of network traffic and cut in mobile call termination charges.
In their addresses, they referred to each other as friends while Ambani called for forging partnerships to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of a Digital India.
"We must break silos and forge partnerships. No corporate, nor the government, can do it alone. Together, we can achieve the unimaginable," Ambani said.
Since its launch, Ambani's Reliance Jio has been locked in a bitter marketplace battle with older telecom players led by Bharti Airtel. The incumbent operators have squarely blamed the newcomer and its disruptive offers for the worsening financial health of the telecom sector.
"Let's not forget India provides a big enough opportunity for all of us to grow and prosper together. The opportunity to pave the path for our nation's progress and create a better quality of life for every Indian beckons us," Ambani said.
While Ambani began his address referring to Mittal as a "good friend", the Bharti Airtel Chairman reciprocated calling the RIL chief a "dear friend".
During his speech, Mittal advocated a "collaborative" approach saying, "Clearly, as Mukesh pointed out, none of us can do it alone...We all have to come together. While we compete head on for benefit of cusumers, we have to collaborate amongst ourselves."
Such collaboration would be essential to create a robust ecosystem and ensure that benefits of digital technologies accrue to India, he added.
Mittal later told reporters on the sidelines that "if there are going to be three players, we all have to build ecosystem together as much as we can".
Asked specifically about the industry's differences over the impending cut in call connect rates, Mittal said, "Those issues have to be kept aside. We have to build India's digital dream and that is what we are working on".
Interestingly, after the event, the two left the main hall and visited the exhibition area separately.
Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha hoped that the two giants will come together for realising the 'Digital India' dream.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said "healthy competition" between the two telcos had benefitted customers.
"Twenty years ago, call rates used to be between Rs 19-25 per minute, but because of their (Ambani and Mittal) healthy competition, now there is free talktime, and data is the new oil," he said.
Pradhan added that even with low margins, high volumes will drive profits.
The maiden edition of the IMC has seen participation from over 300 exhibitors, 2,000 delegates with 1.5 lakh footfalls.
The three-day event will include sessions on Digital India, internet governance, women in tech space as well as 5G technologies.
New Delhi: As the government works out the modalities for Air India disinvestment, two more companies have expressed interest in buying the national carrier's ground handling operations, official sources said.
A group of ministers, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, today held discussions on the stake sale modalities. It is at least the third meeting of the group so far this month.
Official sources said Menzies Aviation Dubai and Mumbai- headquartered diversified Livewel group have shown interest in Air India's ground handling operations.
A subsidiary of the airline, Air India Air Transport Services Ltd (AIATSL) provides ground handling services.
Earlier, aviation service provider Bird Group and Turkey's Celebi had expressed their interest in AIATSL.
Air India, which has been in the red for long, is staying afloat on taxpayers' money and the disinvestment decision has been taken as part of efforts to revive the airline.
Last week, Jaitley said the process for Air India disinvestment is moving "quite well" and transaction advisors would be appointed soon.
Meanwhile, specific details about today's meeting of the ministerial group could not be immediately ascertained.
On June 28, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had given its in-principle for strategic disinvestment of Air India and five of its subsidiaries.
Subsequently, an Air India-specific Alternative Mechanism was set up to guide the process.
The ministerial group is looking into treatment of Air India's unsustainable debt, hiving off of certain assets to a shell company, demerger and strategic disinvestment of three profit-making subsidiaries, among other aspects.
New Delhi: Vistara on Wednesday launched Vistara Direct, a unique program under which the airline offers an array of benefits to travellers who book tickets directly on Vistaras website or on Vistaras mobile app, for bookings effective September 28, onwards.
Benefits for those booking direct include one free change or cancellation within 24 hours of booking (as long as travel is at least 7 days in the future), complimentary fast-track priority handling at the airport at dedicated counters (for check-in, baggage, and boarding), double Club Vistara (CV) Points for CV members, and an additional 5kg check-in luggage allowance.
Vistara Direct also provides several additional benefits such as lower fees and faster refunds, timely and assured email and SMS flight status alerts, and attractive periodic upgrade offers.
In addition, for a limited time, MobiKwik users will get 10 percent cashback upto a maximum of Rs 600 in the form of SuperCash on all bookings made on Vistaras website.
The Club Vistara members will be entitled to one free one-way business class ticket if they undertake six journeys in the same class in a calender month.
Similarly, six journeys in the premium economy class in a calender month will fetch one free one-way ticket of the same class and one complimentary one-way, one-class upgrade voucher, the airline said.
Besides, a passengers having six economy class journeys on Vistara flights in a calender month will make him or her entitle for one complimentary one-way, one-class upgrade voucher, it said.
New Delhi: The festive fervour of Durga Puja has immersed the entire nation and especially the beautiful city of Kolkata, where mother goddess is revered in her mighty avatar.
Like every year, decorative Durga Pujo pandals remain a huge talking point among onlookers and devotees. But this one particular pandal at Sreebhumi Sporting club in Kolkata is a sure shot winner.
It has been themed and constructed on the majestic reel city of Mahishmati from blockbuster franchise Baahubali. Yes! And we must say that the grandeur and scale look equally enticing.
Several videos and photos have found a way on the social media where people can't stop raving about the colossal scale of the Pujo pandal. We came across one such video of the pandal shared by a user on YouTube. This year Durga Puja or Pujo (like Bengalis would like to call it) began from September 26 and will last until September 30.
Watch the video here:
New Delhi: Fifty-three government schools have submitted to the Delhi government a list of liquor shops in their vicinity, days after the AAP dispensation had announced that such outlets will be closed.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is also the education minister, today said the government was now waiting for private schools to submit such a list to initiate action.
"53 schools have submitted the list of liquor shops in their proximity. These are all government schools," he said.
Sisodia said he has given the list to the Excise Department and they are beginning inspections in these schools in the meantime.
Earlier this month, Sisodia had announced that liquor shops which are in proximity of schools and create a nuisance will be closed.
The announcement was made against the backdrop of increased concerns over students' safety in schools, following the killing of a seven-year-old boy in a Gurgaon school and alleged rape of a five-year-old girl by a school peon in Delhi.
The Delhi government had asked school principals to send a list of liquor shops located close to their campuses.
As per rules, liquor shops cannot function within 100 metres of schools.
"Action will be taken even if the liquor shop is situated beyond the 100-metre limit but the school feels it is troublesome," Sisodia said.
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to retired Chhattisgarh High Court judge Ishrat Masroor Quddusi in an alleged medical college corruption case.
Special Judge Manoj Jain granted bail to Quddusi on a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of a like amount.
Quddusi is currently in Tihar jail from where he will be released.
Another accused, Bhawna Pandey, was also granted interim bail for one week.
However, the court kept the bail pleas of B P Yadav, the chairman of a medical college, and his son Palash Yadav of Prasad Institute of Medical Science in Lucknow, pending. These will be decided on October 6.
The court had on September 25 rejected the CBI's plea to interrogate Justice Quddusi.
The CBI had sought the custody of Quddusi and Yadav alleging they were not cooperating in the probe and are to be quizzed further regarding similar cases involving 46 medical colleges debarred by the government from admitting students due to sub-standard facilities.
Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences is one of these 46 debarred institutions.
According to the CBI, the arrests were made on September 20 after search operations at eight locations, including the residence of Quddusi in Greater Kailash area of South Delhi, as also in Bhubaneswar and Lucknow.
It said that a case was registered against them for allegedly trying to settle an ongoing matter relating to a medical college barred from admitting new students.
New Delhi: In order to improve mobile phone connectivity, the Cabinet on Wednesday approved installation of telecom towers in all army cantonments, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Wednesday.
"We have just approved installation of towers in all the army cantonments of the country," the IT and Law Minister said at India Mobile Congress (IMC) here.
Prasad was addressing the meeting after attending the Cabinet meeting, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the morning.
Telecom companies frequently complain about lack of adequate space for installing towers, which relay mobile signals, around defence cantonments which lead to increase in call drops.
The government had previously allowed the towers to be installed in government buildings to help connectivity.
Cellular Operators of Association of India Director General Rajan S Mathews hailed the decision calling it a highly beneficial move for the telecom sector.
New Delhi: India has been ranked as the 40th most competitive economy -- slipping one place from last year's ranking -- on the World Economic Forum's global competitiveness index, which is topped by Switzerland.
On the list of 137 economies, Switzerland is followed by the US and Singapore in second and third places, respectively.
In the latest Global Competitiveness Report released today, India has slipped from the 39th position to 40th while neighbouring China is ranked at 27th.
"India stabilises this year after its big leap forward of the previous two years," the report said, adding that the score has improved across most pillars of competitiveness. These include infrastructure (66th rank), higher education and training (75) and technological readiness (107), reflecting recent public investments in these areas, it added.
According to the report, India's performance also improved in ICT (information and communications technologies) indicators, particularly Internet bandwidth per user, mobile phone and broadband subscriptions, and Internet access in schools.
However, the WEF said the private sector still considers corruption to be the most problematic factor for doing business in India.
"A big concern for India is the disconnect between its innovative strength (29) and its technological readiness (up 3 to 107): as long as this gap remains large, India will not be able to fully leverage its technological strengths across the wider economy," it noted.
Among the BRICS, China and Russia (38) are placed above India.
South Africa and Brazil are placed at 61st and 80th spots, respectively.
In South Asia, India has garnered the highest ranking, followed by Bhutan (85th rank), Sri Lanka (85), Nepal (88), Bangladesh (99) and Pakistan (115).
"Improving ICT infrastructure and use remain among the biggest challenges for the region: in the past decade, technological readiness stagnated the most in South Asia," WEF said.
Other countries in the top 10 are the Netherlands (4th rank), Germany (5), Hong Kong SAR (6), Sweden (7), United Kingdom (8), Japan (9) and Finland (10).
The Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) is prepared on the basis of country-level data covering 12 categories or pillars of competitiveness.
Institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, labour market efficiency, financial market development, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication and innovation are the 12 pillars.
According to WEF's Executive Opinion Survey 2017, corruption is the most problematic factor for doing business in India.
The second biggest bottleneck is 'access to financing', followed by 'tax rates', 'inadequate supply of infrastructure', 'poor work ethics in national labour force' and 'inadequately educated work force', among others.
The survey findings are mentioned in the report.
"Countries preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and simultaneously strengthening their political, economic and social systems will be the winners in the competitive race of the future," WEF founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab said.
New Delhi: Scientists have expressed concern over the reducing sea ice cover in Antarctica, warning that it has hit a record low, which may pose a threat to shipping including tourist cruises.
Calling the frozen continent's nature 'extremely unpredictable', they said that satellite images confirm the continent's sea ice fell to its lowest maximum and minimum levels this year since satellite observations began in 1979.
Scientists from around the world are meeting in the Tasmanian capital Hobart this week to discuss sea ice fluctuations and improved navigation and forecasting, as tourists flock to the ocean in greater numbers.
"It appears that both the summertime minimum and the wintertime maximum sea ice extent around Antarctica have set new record lows," said Jan Lieser from the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, which is hosting the conference.
While climate change may have played a part, he said it was still too early to draw any clear link, "simply because the variability in the Antarctic sea ice system is so high".
"We still have a lot more work to do to understand the fundamental oceanic and atmospheric processes driving sea ice variability in Antarctica," added Lieser.
The data showed the lowest recorded minimum sea ice cover on March 1 at 2.075 million square kilometres, with the lowest maximum on September 12 at 18.013 million square kilometres.
But only three years ago, ice levels hit a record high of more than 20 million square kilometres, illustrating the huge challenges sea traffic must deal with.
Lieser said the extreme swings made it vitally important to better understand ocean conditions to make credible forecasts for polar shipping.
As well as resupply ships, some 50 cruise vessels carried almost 35,000 tourists to the Antarctic last year to witness its ice shelves, soaring glaciers and wildlife.
"We have seen a number of private and commercial ships becoming stuck in the Antarctic sea ice in recent years, which have led to costly rescue operations that can delay scientific work," said Lieser.
In late 2013, a Russian ship carrying 74 scientists, passengers and crew became trapped in Antarctica.
It triggered a two-week rescue operation coordinated by Australian authorities which included French, Chinese, American and German agencies, during which a Chinese icebreaker also became stuck.
The diversion of several governments' Antarctic programme resources drew criticism, with an Australian resupply ship running two weeks behind schedule and French scientists having to scrap an oceanographic campaign.
The International Ice Charting Group, with 60 representatives from 12 countries, wants to ensure such a situation does not happen again.
(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: In the second incident of its kind in two years, an iceberg over 250 square kilometres in size has broken off from an enormous Antarctic glacier.
The Pine Island Glacier is one of the largest in West Antarctica and loses 45 billion tonnes of ice to the ocean each year equivalent to one millimeter of global sea level rise every eight years.
The single glacier alone contains 1.7 feet of potential global sea level rise and is thought to be in a process of unstable, ongoing retreat.
Stef Lhermitte, a satellite observation specialist at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, posted a satellite image showing that Pine Island had broken off a piece of ice about 266 square kilometres in area.
The rectangular piece of ice then appears to have lost some of its shape immediately as smaller pieces splintered off.
"It is the fifth large calving event since 2000. This one and 2015, they were much further inland than the previous ones. So there has been a retreat of the calving front, specifically between 2011 and 2015," Lhermitte said.
Researchers at NASA and with another team of scientists studying Pine Island of Ohio State University in the US also confirmed the findings, 'The Washington Post' reported.
Last year, researchers had found that Pine Island Glacier developed a new way of losing ice, with rifts forming in the center of its floating ice shelf from beneath, rather than at the sides, the traditional manner.
This may be a function of warmer ocean waters reaching the base of the glacier and weakening it, they said.
"We predicted that the rifting would result in more frequent calving, which is what's happening here. If new rifts continue to form progressively inland, the significance to ice shelf retreat would be high," said Ian Howat of Ohio State University.
The ice at the Arctic and Antarctic regions has long since been under scientists' radar and has been losing ice at a rapid pace.
In July this year, a trillion tonne iceberg, dubbed A68, separated completely from the Antarctic Peninsula's Larsen C ice shelf and drifted out into the sea.
(With PTI inputs)
Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday welcomed the "European passion" in French President Emmanuel Macron`s ambitious EU reforms speech but said it was too soon to judge his concrete proposals.
Her spokesman Steffen Seibert said Merkel, who won a fourth term in weekend elections, looked forward to discussing ways to improve the workings of the bloc with Macron and other EU partners.
"The chancellor welcomes the fact that the French president spoke with so much verve, with so much European passion, and that he presented a lot of substance for the upcoming and essential debate about the future of Europe," Seibert said.
However, he added that it was "too early for a detailed assessment" of Macron`s calls for EU nations to more closely link their economies, governments, and militaries.
He said Macron, Merkel and other leaders would have a chance to exchange views this week at an EU summit on the digital age starting Thursday in Estonia.
Macron presented proposals Tuesday for a post-Brexit shake-up, including bolstering the 19-member eurozone with a finance minister, budget, and parliament.
The French leader also called for the creation of a European "rapid reaction force" to work with national armies.
He is keen for Merkel`s quick endorsement of his reform agenda, but Sunday`s election in Germany left her seeking new allies to rebuild a ruling majority.
Her previous junior partners, the Social Democrats, said they would move to the opposition.
Merkel must now try to form a government likely to include the Free Democratic Party, whose leader Christian Lindner considers Macron`s call for a eurozone budget to be a "red line".
Macron appeared to respond to Lindner directly on Tuesday, saying: "I don`t have red lines, I only have horizons."
When asked about a eurozone budget, Seibert reiterated concerns long laid out by Merkel.
"When it`s about money, the question for us is always what should it be spent on," he said.
"Our guiding principle for the eurozone remains that liability (for debts) and supervision must go hand-in-hand."
He added that while Merkel had previously signaled openness to an EU finance minister, "the question remains what would he do, what can he do, what is he responsible for"
"That is exactly what we need to have a thorough debate about," he said.
Chotila/Kagvad: Apparently seeking to showcase the Congress' soft Hindutva, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday offered prayers at four temples in Gujarat before wrapping up his three-day visit to the poll-bound state, a move his party said was aimed at countering the hardline Hindutva of the BJP and RSS.
However, the ruling BJP took a dig at Gandhi, saying the Congress vice president was visiting temples as his party has failed to win elections in the state for long time.
Gandhi, who had kicked off his tour after offering prayers at the Dwarkadhish temple on Monday, resumed his road-show this morning by trekking up the famous Chotila temple in Surendranagar district.
Starting his tour from Rajkot this morning, Gandhi came to Chotila, the first stop today, and began the steep climb immediately. He climbed around 1,000 steps in about 15 minutes without a break.
After he had offered prayers, the priests apprised him of the importance of the shrine.
The Congress leader climbed down the stairway in another 15 minutes, greeting devotees on his way back.
In the evening, Gandhi visited Khodal Dham temple in Kagvad village to offer prayers to Khodiyar Mata, the reigning deity of the Leuva Patel community. A section of Patels are up in arms against the state's BJP government over their demand for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.
On his arrival, Gandhi was greeted by a large number of Patidars, who chanted their signature slogan - 'Jai Sardar, Jai Patidar' to welcome the Congress leader.
On his way to Jetpur from Kagvad, Gandhi also paid a visit to a temple dedicated to Dasi Jeevan, revered by Dalits and Buddhists.
He also made an unscheduled visit to another shrine-- Jalaram temple--in Veerpur in Rajkot district.
Commenting on Rahul Gandhi's visit to temples, Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said the party was deliberately projected as anti-Hindu by the BJP and the RSS.
"Rahul Gandhi's visit to various temples during his tour is aimed at countering the hardline Hindutva campaign of BJP and RSS," Doshi said.
"The RSS and BJP have deliberately tried to portray the Congress as anti-Hindu, which is not true," he said.
AICC spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said, "Our idea of secularism is different from them (BJP), as we visit religious places of all the faiths. This is nothing new. Our former PM Indira Gandhi used to do the same."
However, a state BJP leader said Gandhi was visiting temples as his party was not winning elections.
"Rahul Gandhi has started visiting temples and shrines as his party is not winning elections in any state," state BJP spokesperson Raju Dhruv said.
Yesterday, Gandhi also attended a garba event organised by MLA Indranil Rajyaguru in Rajkot and performed 'aarti' in front of the idol of goddess Durga.
"The day ends well with garba in Rajkot," the Congress vice president had tweeted.
On his way from Chotila to Kagvad, Gandhi addressed people at some places. In his speeches, he promised that the Congress would waive all farm loans within 10 days of assuming power after the elections, which are due later this year.
In the last two days, Gandhi repeatedly attacked the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on GST, note ban and farm polices.
He had also invoked Sardar Patel's legacy to woo the Patel community ahead of the crucial state polls.
Gandhi had also expressed confidence about his party winning the Assembly elections, claiming that there was a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat.
Rohtak: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday directed the Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate to launch an investigation into the allegations of money laundering in the functioning of Dera Sacha Sauda.
Speaking to news agency ANI, a petitioner's lawyer said, "The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered the Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate to conduct a probe in properties, both movable and immovable, relating to Dera of Ram Rahim."
"The High Court asked retired sessions judge Anil KS Pawar, who was appointed as a court commissioner to oversee the sanitisation process of Dera Sacha Sauda, to submit a copy of the report to the government," the lawyer said.
The bench also asked the Haryana government to clear its stand whether any movable property was shifted out of the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda before an inspection was being carried out at the sect.
The court also asked both the states to set up their respective tribunals to examine the claims of damages of properties received from petitioner.
"The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered that there will be two tribunals constituted - one for Punjab and another for Haryana. These tribunals will examine if the claims made by people are genuine or not and if it is, then how much amount are they entitled to," the lawyer said.
"After the tribunals submit the report, the Punjab and Haryana High Court will decide as to how much amount has to be paid to claimants," he added.
The Indian Army on Wednesday conducted a massive strike against Naga insurgents leading to heavy casualties on the other side of the border. The strike on the insurgent NSCN(K) group was conducted during a "retaliatory" fire along the India-Myanmar border in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
According to a statement by the Eastern Command, a column of the Indian Army operating along Indo-Myanmar border was fired upon by unidentified insurgents of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) at about 4.45 am. "Own troops reacted swiftly and brought down heavily retaliatory fire on insurgents.
The insurgents then broke contact and fled from the spot. As per inputs, a large number of casualties were suffered by the insurgents. Own troops suffered no casualties," the statement added.
Denying reports of any casualties on the Indian side, the Indian Army asserted that the troops "did not cross the international border". Army sources maintained that it was "not a surgical strike".
Twitter has gone all out supporting and hailing the Indian Army for the operation:
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra was among the first ones to applaud the Indian Army.
Congratulations _ to the #BraveIndianArmy__ for the successful strike on the insurgents along the Indo-Myanmar border! Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) September 27, 2017
Here's what the others have to say:
Congratulations _ to the #BraveIndianArmy__ for the successful strike on the insurgents along the Indo-Myanmar border! Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) September 27, 2017
While we were sleeping, Indian Army was doing surgical strike on terrorists in #Myanmar. Fantastic #IndianArmy :-)https://t.co/HDJO9IMvJT Devvrat Arya (@devvrat) September 27, 2017
In major anti-terror op along India-Myanmar border,Indian Army hits terror group NSCN (K),several terrorists killed.
Gr8 Job @adgpi __ pic.twitter.com/iuuv8yRL9g September 27, 2017
#IndianArmy
Good job by#Indianarmy
Big Attack on terrorists
Near Myanmar border .
:) :) Vikas Guleria (@VikasGu99055147) September 27, 2017
NEW DELHI: The Indian Army on Wednesday carried out a massive retaliatory strike on Naga terrorists who were on Myanmarese territory. The Armys Eastern Command has said it inflicted heavy casualties on the terrorists and suffered none in the process.
The Army categorically said it carried out the strike across the international border with Myanmar without crossing the line. This was hardly a first for the Indian Army.
Here are some other instances in the recent past when the Army carried out operations across borders:
Operation Arjun
This is an ongoing counter-offensive operation against Pakistan by the Border Security Force (BSF). It is aimed at destroying or damaging installations on the Pakistani side that are used to support either infiltration bids or ceasefire violations.
Operation Arjun was begun by the BSF as a response to the recent spate of unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Rangers. The BSF has said it is using small, medium and area weapons to focus attacks on farms and residences of retired Pakistani military officers. The retired officers have reportedly been given property along the international border to aid operations against India.
The operation is part of an Indian doctrine of not initiating ceasefire violations along the international border or the LoC, but retaliating with crushing force to unprovoked firing from the Pakistani side.
Pakistan Rangers has reportedly reached out to the BSF in an attempt to end the firing. But operations continue.
Operation Rustam
This was an operation that was carried out by Indian security forces in the aftermath of the 2016 surgical strikes. Pakistani forces opened unprovoked fire on the Indian side at many places. Security personnel responded in force, damaging Pakistani military installations and inflicting casualties on military personnel and terrorists.
This led to a cessation of cross-border and cross-LoC firing for a while.
2016 surgical strikes against terrorist camps in Pakistan
Indian forces launched surgical strikes against terrorist staging camps attached to Pakistani military facilities on September 29. The attacks saw Indian forces penetrate into territory across the Line of Control. The strike is considered significant as Indian forces were ordered to take care not cross the LoC even during the 1999 Kargil conflict.
The Army claimed the surgical strikes had inflicted heavy damage to terrorism-support infrastructure on the other side of the LoC.
The surgical strikes had come 11 days after terrorists from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir attacked an Army camp in Uri, leading to the death of 19 Indian soldiers.
2015 surgical strikes into Myanmar
Indian special forces carried out multiple strikes to destroy two camps used by Naga terrorists. The camps were across the international boundary, in Myanmar. The operations were carried out with the cooperation of the Myanmar military.
The Army said the strikes had destroyed both the terrorist camps, and resulted in the deaths of 158 terrorists.
The operation had come a week after Naga terrorists ambushed an Indian Army patrol in Manipur, resulting in the deaths of 18 Indian soldiers.
Veteran Bhartiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha on Wednesday launched a full-blown attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government criticising the Centre of its economic policies. Sinha's criticism was echoed by another former Finance minister P Chidambaram who said that "no matter what Power does, ultimately Truth will prevail."
In a series of tweets, Chidambaram quoted Yashwant Sinha and questioned whether 'power' will admit the 'truth' that economy is sinking. "Instilling fear in the minds of the people is the name of the new game, says Yashwant Sinha," Chidambaram tweeted.
TRUTH 1: "The growth rate of 5.7% is actually 3.7% or less " says Yashwant Sinha. September 27, 2017
TRUTH 2: "Instilling fear in the minds of the people is the name of the new game" says Yashwant Sinha. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) September 27, 2017
Chidambaram's comments came after Yashwant Sinha in an editorial wrote that the Indian economy is in a mess. "I shall be failing in my national duty if I did not speak up even now against the mess the finance minister has made of the economy," he said.
Criticising Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Sinha recalled in his write up how despite losing the Lok Sabha election from Amritsar, he was made the Finance Minister. "One may recall that in similar circumstances Atal Bihari Vajpayee had refused to appoint Jaswant Singh and Pramod Mahajan, two of his closest colleagues in the party, to his cabinet in 1998," Singh wrote.
Calling him a 'lucky finance minister', Sinha claimed that the government had an unprecedented bonanza due to depressed global crude oil prices but the opportunity was wasted. Taking potshots at Modi's humble beginnings, the former finance minister in the BJP government said: "The prime minister claims that he has seen poverty from close quarters. His finance minister is working over-time to make sure that all Indians also see it from equally close quarters."
New York: Pakistan has told the US that it cant be blamed for terrorists like Hafiz Saeed, who masterminded the Mumbai terror attack, saying Washington considered such men as "darlings" until a few years ago.
Mincing no words at the Asia Society forum here on Tuesday evening, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said it was very easy to say that Islamabad was floating the Haqqani network as well as Hafiz Saeed and his former Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
"They are liabilities. I accept, they are liabilities but give us time to get rid of these liabilities because we dont have assets to match these liabilities and you are increasing them further," the Associated Press of Pakistan quoted Asif as saying
Asif, who is attending the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, added: "Dont blame us for Haqqanis or dont blame us for the Hafiz Saeeds. These were the people who were your darlings just 20 to 30 years back. They were being dined and wined in the White House and now you say go to hell Pakistanis because you are nurturing these people."
Hafiz Saeed is accused by India of masterminding the Mumbai carnage of November 2008 that left 166 Indians and foreigners dead. New Delhi has been repeatedly asking Islamabad to prosecute him for his crimes.
Asif said Pakistan was ready to work with the US for effective management of the Afghan border to stop terrorist infiltration and to facilitate a peace settlement in Afghanistan.
He underlined that there was no military solution to the dragging conflict in Afghanistan. "Scapegoating Pakistan for all the Afghan ills is neither fair nor accurate... This will only help forces that we are trying to fight collectively."
Pakistan, he said, had done all it could to facilitate a political settlement in Afghanistan, making sure that Pakistani soil was not used against any country.
"We are mindful of the strong desire in the US to bring the `long war` in Afghanistan to an end. We support this objective wholeheartedly and are ready to help in any way we could to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan."
He made it clear that there were clear limits to what Pakistan could do vis-a-vis Afghanistan.
"We cannot take responsibility for Afghanistan`s peace and security and be asked to achieve what the combined strength of some of the most powerful and richest countries could not accomplish," he told the audience.
New Delhi: India on Wednesday assured its support to Syria in the fight against terrorism in the war-ravaged country, a major theatre of dreaded terror group ISIS.
This was conveyed when visiting grand mufti of Syrian Republic Ahmad Badr Eddine Mohammad Abid Hassoun met Home Minister Rajnath Singh here.
Singh assured the grand mufti of India's support in eliminating terrorism in all fronts and recollected the long- standing friendship between India and Syria, an official statement said.
Official sources said the issue of several Indians joining the ISIS and fighting for the terror group in Syria and Iraq is understood to have figured in the discussion.
The Home Minister welcomed the grand mufti and discussion was held on wide ranging issues including terrorism and security, the statement said.
Singh was confident that bilateral relations will improve further by such visits and wished that peace and stability is restored in Syria soon.
The grand mufti thanked the home minister and appreciated the secular credentials of India. The grand mufti was particularly pleased to note the significance of unity in diversity in India, the statement said.
During the meeting, the grand mufti highlighted the evils of terrorism by citing the example of the killing of his son by terrorists and how he forgave the assassin.
He expressed confidence that India would extend support in the fight against terrorism.
The home minister thanked the delegation for their visit to India.
Former Union minister Kamal Nath and senior Congress leader has put an end to speculation over Jyotiraditya Scindia leading the party in the run up to Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections.
Speaking to reporters in Guna, Kamal Nath said that there was no opposition to the name of Scindia as the leader of the party in the state.
Both Scindia and Kamal Nath had gone to Mungaoli town in Madhya Pradesh to meet the family of Congress leader Mahendra Singh Kalukhedam, who passed away earlier this month.
He, however, said that an official announcement in this regard would be made by the party at an appropriate time.
It was earlier speculated that Scindia might play a role in the national politics.
The Lok Sabha MP from Guna has been quite vocal about the need of the Congress pulling up its socks in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections expected in 2019.
Asserting for the need of a clear strategy, Scindia had earlier said, I think it is important that we also get our act together and put our best foot forward. In all the state elections, there has to be a clear strategy as well as for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
He had also said, "We were not able to hold on to the trust of people and, therefore, we need to start acting on a new game plan. I think the time for introspection and the time for understanding the reasons is over now. We are three years down from the 2014 election and we need to start acting on that gameplan," Scindia said.
Another senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh had also showered praises on Scindia in recent past, adding fuel to the speculation of the latter leading the party in the state.
Singh had said that he would be "right behind" him if he took the lead.
His comments had also ensued a war of words in the state, with the Bharatiya Janata Party hitting back, terming Scindia as chhota pappu.
Madurai: In a bizarre incident, several girls were made to participate bare-chested at a festival in Vellalur in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu for a fortnight as part of a ritual.
As per a report in The Covai Post, girls, dressed up like goddess with only jewellery to cover their upper bodies, spent around 15 days under the supervision of a male priest inside the temple to please the village deity.
In a video released by The Covai Post, seven minor girls, all bare-chested and aged between 10 and 14 years, were seen carrying paddy baskets on their head, which they offered to the temple priest.
It is to be noted that girls, who have not reached puberty, are only allowed to take part in the tradition of pleasing the village deity.
After the report of the bizarre temple ritual went viral, local authorities stepped in and issued orders that the girls must be allowed to cover their bodies.
Madurai collector K Veera Raghava Rao issued directions to ensure that the girls are not harassed or abused. He, however, made it clear that the ancient old village ritual would not be stopped stating that parents voluntarily send their girls to the temple.
The ritual that takes place annually witnesses scores of adolescent girls dressed up in a similar style with no upper garments to hide their assets, being paraded in front of the Yezhaikaatha Amman Temple at Vellalur.
In the presence of a large number of people, the priest selects seven girls, to be offered in the service of the deity. The selected girls are then made to stay bare-chested for the next 15 days under the priest's care inside the temple.
United Nations: Days after Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN used a photo to portray an injured Gaza girl as a Kashmiri pellet gun victim, United Nations General Assembly president Miroslav Lajcak has said that he will look into how to deal with the use of erroneous pictures.
In a major goof-up, Maleeha Lodhi on Sunday had flashed a picture of an injured Gaza girl with no connection to India while alleging that she was a victim of pellet guns in Kashmir.
Exercising her right to reply, hours after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj blasted Pakistan for its support to terrorism, the Pakistani envoy had held up a photograph of a woman whose face was peppered with alleged pellet gun wounds.
"This is the face of Indian democracy," Lodhi had claimed.
The picture of 17-year-old Rawya abu Joma from Palestine, an alleged victim of an Israeli attack, was actually taken by award-winning American photo-journalist Heidi Levine in July, 2014.
When asked if he would like to set some sort of factual baseline when people make use of a wrong photograph, Lajcak said, "I will certainly think about it".
At the same time, he said it was a matter of diplomacy.
"It is not for me to answer. It's for the delegations that are involved. I want to use but not misuse my position as president of the general assembly," he said.
Meanwhile, India on Monday had countered Pakistan and had said that the neighbouring country had tried to mislead the UNGA by displaying a fake picture to spread falsehood.
Exercising the right to reply, India's representative Paulomi Tripathi had said, "Permanent representative of Pakistan (Maleeha Lodhi) in her statement sought to divert attention from their role as the hub of global terrorism. She did so by callously holding up a picture if an injured girl. It was the photo of Rawya abu Joma from Palestine."
"Pakistan mislead Assembly by displaying the picture to spread falsehoods about India, fake picture to push a false narrative. We are constrained to show a photo that reflects real picture of pain inflicted by nefarious designs of Pakistan on India," she had added.
Showing the photo of the young Kashmiri Army officer who was killed by militants, Tripathi had said, "We are constrained to show a photo that reflects real picture of pain inflicted by nefarious designs of Pakistan on India. This is a real picture, of Lt Ummer Fayaz, a young officer from J&K. He was brutally tortured and killed by Pakistan-supported terrorists."
"This is the reality that the permanent representative of Pakistan sought to obfuscate," she had pointed out.
A tale of 2 narratives @UN
Pakistan uses fake picture to push a false narrative
India uses true pictures of Pakistani terror's true face pic.twitter.com/UMZ8N8Ujta September 25, 2017
A tale of 2 narratives @UN
Pakistan uses fake pictures to push false narrative
India uses true pictures of Pakistani terror's true face. pic.twitter.com/2iKbmkMNtt Syed Akbaruddin (@AkbaruddinIndia) September 25, 2017
(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Chairing her first Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday cleared a project worth Rs 200 crore for buying indigenous sonars for Indian Naval ships, and another one for missiles for the navy.
The minister has decided to hold meetings of the DAC, the highest decision making body for defence acquisitions in the ministry, every fortnight.
On Wednesday, the DAC cleared an Acceptance of Necessity for the Indian Navy for procurement of upgraded sonars for its destroyers and frigates under the Buy Indian category, Defence Ministry officials said.
These sonars are designed, developed and manufactured indigenously by the DRDO and the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory, Kochi.
"It will provide a significant boost to the Navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities," a statement said.
The DAC also cleared procurement of missiles for replenishing the naval inventory.
Sitharaman also reviewed the status of the Capital Acquisition Schemes and directed that the schemes are to be meticulously monitored and brought to maturity within stipulated timelines.
She said that holding DAC meets fortnightly will enable speeding up the process of capability development of the armed forces.
NEW DELHI: Terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir have killed another local, purportedly for his links to security forces. This time, they shot dead a Kashmiri who was a soldier in the Border Security Force (BSF).
The soldier, Constable Md Ramzan, was shot dead at his home in Hajin, just north of Srinagar. He was home on leave from duty.
The BSF tweeted its support to the family of its fallen soldier.
Prahari Pariwar stands by the family of one of our member Constable Md Ramzan who was cowardly killed by terrorists today.He was on leave pic.twitter.com/Rfu2pObQX7 BSF (@BSF_India) September 27, 2017
The murder calls to mind the killing by terrorists of 22-year-old Lt Ummer Fayaz in May, just because he was an officer in the Indian Army.
In that case, the terrorists had dragged Lt Fayaz away from a wedding he had gone on leave to attend.
Hours after the resignation of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) chief proctor ON Singh over alleged molestation of a girl, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that he suspected a conspiracy at the varsity.
The chief minister said that prima facie reports suggested the role of anti-social elements in the recent incident of violence at the university.
He further said that anyone trying to spread anarchy on the campus would not be spared at any cost. "Prima facie investigation suggests it is a conspiracy by anti-social elements," he said.
This comes after a number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a baton-charge by the police in BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve- teasing incident turned violent. An inquiry has been ordered into the violence on the campus.
Meanwhile, the Congress has demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should tender an apology to those who were mercilessly thrashed by the cops at the varsity campus.
"The Prime Minister should first apologise to the girls in BHU, because despite being there, he did not care to ask why the girls were protesting," Congress leader Mohan Prakash said amid a political storm over the alleged police crackdown on girl students at the varsity campus.
"Our daughters kept sitting there for two days and asking the authorities to do something about the eve teasing," Prakash said.
Lahore: Pakistan will not import tomatoes from India though its price has shot up to Rs 300 per kg in parts of the country, Minister for Food Security Sikandar Hayat Bosan has said, amidst a chill in bilateral ties.
Pakistan is currently facing a shortage of tomatoes in the domestic market. While imports from India fill the gap each year, the move to bar containers from entering the country from across the border have created a huge demand- supply gap, the Express Tribune reported.
Local vendors are currently waiting for Sindh's produce to reach the market, the report said.
Bosan told reporters here yesterday that the tomato and onion crisis in Pakistan will be over within a few days after their crops ripen in Balochistan. He made it clear that the government will not import vegetables from India.
The price of tomato has soared to Rs 300 per kg in parts of Lahore and elsewhere in Punjab province, Dawn newspaper reported.
This is in stark contrast to the price of Rs 100-120 per kg in the recent past. The government had also fixed the price for tomatoes between Rs 132-140 per kg, media reports said.
Meanwhile, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has hailed Bosan's announcement of not importing tomatoes from India, saying that the move would help local farmers and save foreign exchange for Pakistan.
It was a right decision, said, the LCCI President Abdul Basit, who said that the country has the resources to feed the population.
"Therefore, local growers should be facilitated to the maximum and their issues should be resolved on a priority basis," Basit said in a statement.
"The government needs to increase the cropped area to avoid any crisis-like situation.
"We cannot afford to stay where we are today in terms of cropped area and per hectare yield because we are already running short of per capita food availability."
The LCCI said that though almost 43 per cent of Pakistan's labour force is dependent upon agriculture, the yield gap in the four major crops of Pakistan is three times compared to the best producers in the world such as China and Egypt.
"Low yield has contributed to poverty in rural areas besides forcing the country to import agriculture produce to feed its population," he said.
The Indo-Pak ties took a nosedive after the January 2016 Pathankot terror attack and the Uri incident in September in the same year. India blamed terrorists based in Pakistan for these terror attacks.
India has told Islamabad that only when Pakistan- sponsored cross-border terrorism ends New Delhi would be ready for talks it.
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has expressed its willingness to continue probe into the infamous Bofors payoff scandal that rocked then Congress government in the mid-1980s.
According to reports, the central probe agency has apprised Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that it has informed the Supreme Court of its willingness to continue probe into the Bofors payoff case.
In a letter to the PAC, the CBI had conveyed that it was of the view that a SLP (special leave petition) should be preferred against the Delhi High Court order dated 31.05.2005 acquitting the Hinduja brothers in the Bofors case, but it could not do so as the then UPA government did not grant permission.
The submission made by the CBI to the PAC holds significance since a sub-committee of the parliamentary panel had recently questioned a pending audit report on the purchase of the Swedish Howitzer guns.
The sub-committee had even questioned the Defence Ministry's efforts to recover papers relevant to the purchase signed in 1986.
In the Bofors case, the CBI was asked by the Centre to explain why Delhi High Court order should be challenged, in response to a petition filed by a Delhi-based lawyer Ajay Agarwal, who had moved the Supreme Court last month seeking an early hearing in his case.
The PAC had also asked the CBI to explain what action it took in connection with the case since 1990.
In its reply, the CBI said that it was not correct to suggest that it had failed to take action and pursue the case. To support its statement, the CBI also furnished details of the action it had taken since the registration of the case on January 22, 1990.
The issue was also raised by BJP MPs during the Monsoon Session of Parliament as part of a bid by the ruling party to keep up the pressure on main opposition Congress over the issue of corruption.
Importantly, a meeting of the PAC is scheduled today to discuss reports related to the case.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha's criticism of the ruling government has given a shot in the arm to the opposition Congress. Hours after the veteran BJP leader posted his critique of the Narendra Modi government's economic policies, several Congress leaders have retweeted his quotes as a validation of their own criticism of the ruling government.
Seemingly elated at the attack on the Central government's policies by one of their own, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter with this witty post. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your copilot & FM speaking. Plz fasten your seat belts & take brace position. The wings have fallen off our plane," he said tweeting out Yashwant Sinha's editorial.
Ladies & Gentlemen, this is your copilot & FM speaking. Plz fasten your seat belts & take brace position.The wings have fallen off our plane https://t.co/IsOA8FQa6u Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 27, 2017
Earlier in the day, Chidambaram also used Sinha's article to attack Modi saying that the truth will prevail. "Yashwant Sinha speaks Truth to Power. Will Power now admit the Truth that economy is sinking," he said.
Yashwant Sinha in an editorial on Wednesday wrote that the Indian economy is in a mess. "I shall be failing in my national duty if I did not speak up even now against the mess the finance minister has made of the economy," he said.
Criticising Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Sinha recalled in his write up how despite losing the Lok Sabha election from Amritsar, he was made the Finance Minister. "One may recall that in similar circumstances Atal Bihari Vajpayee had refused to appoint Jaswant Singh and Pramod Mahajan, two of his closest colleagues in the party, to his cabinet in 1998," Singh wrote.
Brussels: Google will treat its own shopping service the same as rivals when they bid for ads at the top of a search page, the company said on Wednesday, as it seeks to comply with an EU antitrust order and stave off fresh fines.
The European Commission slapped a record 2.4-billion-euro ($2.8 billion) fine on the world`s most popular internet search engine in June and told the firm to stop favouring its shopping service.
Google, a unit of U.S. firm Alphabet, has until Sept. 28 to halt this anti-competitive practice or face a penalty up to 5 percent of its average daily worldwide turnover.
The company said competitors would be able to bid for ads in the shopping box via an auction, confirming a Reuters report on Sept. 18.
"We`re giving comparison shopping services the same opportunity to show shopping ads from merchants on Google`s search results pages as we give to Google Shopping," spokesman Al Verney said.
"Google Shopping will compete on equal terms and will operate as if it were a separate business, participating in the auction in the same way as everyone else," he said. The changes will go into effect on Thursday and apply only in Europe.
The shopping service will operate as an independent unit, with one team working with competing sites and another with merchants, and subjected to regulatory monitoring.
The EU competition authority said it had hired auditor KPMG and marketing firm Mavens to help with the task.
"It would be premature at this stage for the Commission to take any definite positions on Google`s plans. As (European Competition) Commissioner Vestager said, `this issue will remain on our desks for some time`," Commission spokesman Ricardo Cardoso said.
Lobby group FairSearch, whose members include Google rivals such as British shopping comparison site Foundem and U.S. travel site TripAdvisor, said it would keep a close eye on developments.
"We will be watching closely to see if this remedy ends the abuse so that consumers get the best prices and most relevant results, and competitors have an opportunity to innovate," its lawyer Thomas Vinje said.
About a dozen rivals out of an estimated 200 to 300 comparison shopping services in Europe have already provided feeds to Google. Several have criticised the proposal for not addressing the regulatory concerns.
Deutsche Bank analysts estimate the European product listing ads (PLAs) business should generate between $4 billion to $5 billion in 2017, representing about 5 percent of the company`s total ad revenue.
Analyst Lloyd Walmsley estimated that if Google was forced to make changes, it could lop 30 percent off of these revenues, or about 1-2 percent of Alphabet`s total revenue.
Google is also under EU fire over its smartphone operating system Android, as well as its AdSense for Search platform.
Beijing: Chinese social media firm Weibo Corp is looking to recruit citizen censors to help weed out sensitive content on its platform, rewarding those who report the highest numbers of offending posts with iPhones and tablets.
The platform posted a statement on Wednesday saying it was looking for an initial 1,000 "Weibo supervisors" as part of a programme overseen by the Beijing arm of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country`s top Internet watchdog.
The CAC on Monday fined Weibo along with rival tech giants Tencent Holdings Ltd and Baidu Inc for failing to properly censor illegal content on its site, including political articles and social commentary as well as violence, fake news and nudity.
Chinese authorities and tech firms are stepping up censorship controls before the 19th National Congress next month, a major leadership event held once every five years where President Xi Jinping is expected to consolidate power.
Successful applicants to Weibo`s new programme must flag over 200 posts each month to receive a stipend of 200 yuan ($30.13). The 10 supervisors who report the most posts per month will receive prizes such as Apple Inc iPhones it added.
Weibo, a microblogging service similar to Twitter, is China`s second most popular social media platform after Tencent`s messaging app WeChat, and has been singled out by authorities over illegal content several times this year.
The firm`s U.S.-listed stock dropped sharply in June when its video service was ordered by the CAC to briefly suspend services for "failing to promote core socialist values". The company said at the time it would work to promote more mainstream ideas as part of a comprehensive overhaul.
New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on Wednesday said Pakistan can use Rohingyas as terrorists.
The Rohingya people are a Muslim minority group of Rakhine state in Myanmar and have been fleeing from Rakhine since 2015 due to the military's offensive against them.
Addressing a press conference here, Singh said that Rohingyas are foreigners and they illegally entered India.
"In Jammu and Kashmir">Jammu and Kashmir, Rohingyas are in two districts- Jammuand Samba on the borders. These areas are communally very sensitive. The state government is working on the directions of the Centre on this issue and definitely they have to be shifted from there. Otherwise, there is every potential of Pakistan using them as terrorists. And, there are certain links as we are getting the reports that they are being used as terrorists," Singh told media.
When asked about the mastermind of 26/11 attacks and Lashkar-e-Taiba co-founder Hafiz Saeed's call to Rohingyas to join 'jihad', Nirmal Singh said, "Definitely."
He questioned: Why are they (Rohingyas) in Jammu and Kashmir">Jammu and Kashmir's areas which are on the borders? What is the design? Which are the organisations that have helped them settling in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir">Jammu and Kashmir?
"We are enquiring into it. I won't state the facts here. But, there can be a bigger conspiracy. Pakistan will use it because Pakistani money, Pakistani allurement, Pakistani designs are instrumental in creating such a situation," said the Deputy Chief Minister.
The Myanmar military has launched a fresh offensive against Rohingyas after 12 security forces were killed last month in an attack reportedly carried out by the Rohingya rebels.
Since then, over 400,000 Rohingya have taken shelter in Bangladesh.
The Narendra Modi Government has urged the Supreme Court not to interfere in the Rohingya issue as the move to deport them was a policy decision in the country's larger interests and that some of them were linked to Pakistani spy agency ISI and other terrorist groups.
Srinagar: Top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Abdul Qayoom Najar was killed in a gunbattle with security forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector in Baramulla on Tuesday as he was trying to sneak into the valley to take charge of the outfit.
"Najar was killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid near Zorawar post in Lachipora area along the LoC on Tuesday morning," Baramulla Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imtiyaz Hussain told reporters.
His elimination is considered to be a major success for the security forces as he was already heading a huge network in Sopore, Palhallan, Pattan, Handwara areas of Bandipora and Baramulla.
Here's what we know about the slain Hizbul militant:
Najar, a resident of Sopore township, was considered to be one of the most dreaded terrorists in Kashmir in the recent times. He was reportedly carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh rupees on his head.
He, 43, joined the insurgency in the early 90's when he was 16-year-old and had gone to Pakistan in 2015.
He was among the longest-surviving Kashmiri militants and was believed to not even trust his family members. He was wanted for his alleged involvement in more than 50 killings, including that of four policemen in Hygam area of Sopore, in the past 17 years.
He was also involved in attacks on telecommunications towers across the valley in 2015.
He was also involved in a lot of IED explosions because he was an IED expert. While he was trying to infiltrate into this side, he was carrying IED material with him.
He was returning to Kashmir to take over the command of Hizbul Mujahideen in the wake of the elimination of top commanders of the outfit by security forces.
Najar was sent by the United Jehad Council's commander Syed Salahudin to revive the Hizbul Mujahideen, whose commanders of north Kashmir Pervaiz Wani and Yasin Yatoo were killed recently.
In 2015, after he fell out with the Hizbul and separatist leaderships, he was called to the base camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by his handlers. He was sent back to Kashmir after the killings of the outfit's north Kashmir commander Parvez Wani and south Kashmir commander Yasin Yatto.
(With Agency inputs)
Bengaluru: The Karnataka cabinet on Wednesday decided to ban various superstitious rituals such as women parading naked and people rolling over left over food in Hindu temples or human/animal sacrifices across the state.
"The state cabinet has decided to introduce the Anti-Superstition Bill for amending the law to prevent and eradicate various inhuman evil practices, including human sacrifice and black magic," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jaychandra told reporters here after the cabinet meeting.
As there was difference of opinion in the cabinet on using the word "superstitious" in the law, the Bill has been re-christened the Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017.
"As the Bill has been cleared by the cabinet sub-committee, it will be introduced in the winter session (of the assembly)," said Jayachandra.
The Bill proposes to ban, among other rituals, women parading and dancing naked for boon in the Hindu deity Renukamba Devi temple at Chandragutti in Shivammoga district.
Another age-old superstitious practice sought to be banned is called 'Made Snana' wherein devotees roll over plantain leaf with food left over by Brahmins at Kukke Subramanya Temple in Dakshina Kannada district, ostensibly for curing body ailments.
The Bill is also intended to stop people walking over fire in some religious festivals, using snake, scorpion or dog bites to cure rare diseases and preventing sacrificing bulls in Nagalamadhika temple in Tumukaru district.
Suggestions by progressive thinkers and social organisations were incorporated in the amendment Bill by the sub-committee, headed by Revenue Minister K Thimmappa.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said that his government was committed to bring a law against superstitious acts and confident that it will be passed in the ensuing assembly session.
The state government has been under pressure from civil society groups to amend the anti-superstition law after the murder of rationalist M M Kalburgi in August 2016.
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Police on Tuesday arrested two people for attempting to molest a 10-yr-old girl in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri.
The incident, that took place on Sunday, was captured on a CCTV camera.
"Two unidentified men tried to molest a 10-yr-old girl two days ago. The accused were arrested after examining the CCTV footage of the incident," Additional Superintendent of Police Kamal Maurya told ANI.
The incident took place in Sadar Bazar when two anonymous men, disguised themselves as painters, tried to molest the victim. However, the girl managed to escape before anything worst could happen.
The police have registered a complaint on the matter and an investigation is underway.
Thane: A court here on Wednesday extended by four days the police custody of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim`s brother Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar and his two associates arrested in an extortion case by the Thane Anti-Extortion Cell.
Public Prosecutor Rashmi Kshirsagar sought extension in the police custody of Kaskar, Israr Jamil Sayyed, and Mumtaz Ejaz Shaikh when they were presented in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class R.T. Ingle at the end of their eight-day remand.
Kshirsagar said investigation into the extortion case was not yet completed and the police wanted to trace at least two hitmen who were brought to Mumbai to threaten builders so as to extort money from them.
Besides, the investigators wanted to get more details on four flats allegedly grabbed by Kaskar and his associates from a builder and were awaiting documents from a government office.
He said the police also wanted to probe the entire money trail and how arms and ammunition used (to threaten) were procured, among other things, and the investigators were on the lookout for one person supplying firearms.
Kaskar`s counsel Shyam Keswani argued that the details of the ongoing investigation were coming out first in the media and most of it were irrelevant to the probe.
He said the alleged visit of Mahejabin Shaikh, wife of Dawood Ibrahim, to India and Dubai, or how the Kaskar family watched together Hindi film "Haseena Parkar", bore no relevance to the present case. The eponymous movie`s story is based on Dawood`s sister`s life.
Keswani also questioned how the investigation was taking so long with the advent of modern technology which he said should have speeded up the probe.
Police accused Kaskar and his associates, who were picked up late on September 18, of threatening a prominent realtor of Thane since 2013 and extorting Rs 30 lakh and four flats in a posh area from him.
New Delhi: Remember the loud-mouth controversial Australian-Indian teacher Priya Malik, who literally sent the entire Bigg Boss house on fire? Well, we cannot forget her for many reasons. First, she was a great speaker and second her mind worked faster than any of others inside the house.
Now, Priya recently shared a brilliant poetry on 'Right To Pleasure'. She performed her act for 'UnErase Poetry' where she directly addressed the stereotypical notions about men and women in general. UnErase Poetry is a community which promotes spoken word poetry through live performances and online content. It is currently based in Mumbai.
According to 'UnErase Poetry' YouTube link, Priya performed her poetry at The Habitat on September 11, 2017.
Watch the YouTube link here:
New Delhi: A lot of celebs appeared at a party last Saturday hosted by Nita Ambani and her daughter Isha. While Hrithik and Kareena were seen exchanging a pleasant conversation, other celebs dazzled us with their amazing outfits.
Among our favourite B Town celebrities who appeared at the event was the sister duo, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Karisma Kapoor.
Both sisters gave us major sibling goals by twinning in black, off shoulder dresses and both looked breathtakingly beautiful.
Here is the Instagram post by Karisma Kapoor of the event:
A post shared by KK (@therealkarismakapoor) on Sep 24, 2017 at 5:12am PDT
However, haters will always find faults as they just need a chance to comment. This time, it was Kareena who got trolled owing to her 'fat' legs. Don't believe what you just read? Well, sadly enough, it is true!
Check out the comments right here on Karisma's post:
We all know that Kareena is a mother to the adorable baby Taimur who was born in December last year. It is normal for a woman's body to change after pregnancy and the actress has worked really hard to get back in shape. Let's not forget how gorgeous she looked in her latest Filmfare photoshoot!
Kolkata: Veteran Bengali actor Dwijen Bandyopadhyay, a known name in theatre as well as cinema, died early today at his residence here. He was 68.
He is survived by his wife and a daughter, died of massive cardiac arrest at his residence at around 2 am today, his family said.
He had acted in both art house and mainstream films like Chander Bari, Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy, Phoring, Autograph, 'Prem By Chance' to name a few.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over the death of the veteran actor.
"Saddened at the passing away of veteran actor Dwijen Bandyopadhyay. Condolences to his colleagues and family," she tweeted.
Thespian Soumitra Chatterjee was among those who went to Bandyopadhyay's residence to pay his last respects.
Bandyopadhyay's body was taken to Academy of Fine Arts before cremation.
Director Atanu Ghosh said, "It is a sad day for all of us and great loss for the Bengali film industry and stage."
Sudeshna Roy, director of the film Sudhu Tumi in which Bandyopadhyay had acted, said, "I can't yet believe this. We were supposed to meet in October. Dwijen-da had also worked with our
serial 'Labanyer Sansar'. Durga Puja this year started on a sad note for us."
New Delhi: NASA's asteroid sample return spacecraft flew past Earth on Friday on its way to asteroid Bennu, for a rendezvous next August.
Launched in September 2016, the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security Regolith Explorer) spacecraft came within 17,237 km of Antarctica at 12:52 pm EDT (10:22 pm IST) on Friday, just south of Cape Horn, Chile, before following a route north over the Pacific Ocean.
While whizzing past our home planet, the MapCam camera on the spacecraft looked towards Earth to capture a color composite image, which NASA has now released.
The image was taken on September 22, just hours after the spacecraft completed its Earth Gravity Assist at a range of approximately 106,000 miles (170,000 kilometers).
The Pacific Ocean and several familiar landmasses, including Australia in the lower left, and Baja California and the southwestern United States in the upper right are visible in the image.
The dark vertical streaks at the top of the image are caused by short exposure times (less than three milliseconds), NASA said.
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday said the inquiry commission headed by Madras High Courts retired judge Justice A Arumugaswamy will probe the circumstances and the situation leading to hospitalisation of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
In an order issued detailing the terms of reference of the inquiry commission, it said: To inquire into the circumstances and situation leading to the hospitalisation of the late Honble Chief Minister on 22.9.2016 and subsequent treatment provided till her unfortunate demise on 5.12.2016.
The government on September 25 set up an inquiry commission headed by Arumughaswamy without mentioning the terms of reference for the commission.
The commission will submit its report in three months time.
Ever since Jayalalithaas death, there have been hints of foul play in her death, with critics pointing fingers at her aide, the now jailed V.K. Sasikala.
The AIADMK camp of Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam had laid down a probe into the death as one of its demands before merging the faction with that led by Chief Minister E. Palaniswami.
Meanwhile earlier in the day Apollo Hospital Group Chairman Prathap C Reddy in Delhi said the hospital would cooperate with the inquiry commission.
New Delhi: Want to know 99 ways to impress your crush, dying to make that delicious chocolate cake or anxious to learn whether that nagging headache is something serious?
Just Google it, of course. For 19 years, the search engine has been the answer to all our queries, from the most random to the most meaningful.
And on its 19th birthday on Wednesday, Google, which made the 'doodle' famous and part of all our online lives, spun another surprise.
Its special doodle to mark the day features a spinning wheel to explore 19 surprises launched over 19 years in a simple and fun way through games such as tic-tac-toe and snakes and ladders. With every spin of the wheel, the player gets to play the best of Google's Doodle games.
Over the 19 years, Google has progressed beyond just providing search results.
Apart from producing its own hardware and software, it has delved into areas like self-driving cars, synthetic intelligence & gadget mastering and Google analytics.
Google is named after the "Googol", which is basically the number 1 followed by a hundred zeroes.
The search giant, which was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. Students at Stanford University, currently serves 4.6 billion users across 160 countries - searching for things in 123 different languages.
So keep saying, "Just google it!"
New Delhi: Calling all telecom operators to come together and fast-track the digital India mission, Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal said on Wednesday that right government policies will decide how fast the digital transformation will spread pan-India.
"Right government policies will decide how fast the digital wave will spread across the country," Mittal told the gathering at the first-ever `Indian Mobile Congress` here.
New Delhi: Calling all telecom operators to come together and fast-track the digital India mission, Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal said on Wednesday that right government policies will decide how fast the digital transformation will spread pan-India.
"Right government policies will decide how fast the digital wave will spread across the country," Mittal told the gathering at the first-ever `Indian Mobile Congress` here.
Mittal said together with telecom operators, Airtel will create the technology of the future. "We have to come together to benefit consumers," he stressed.
He also urged the Centre and state governments to understand the contemporary needs of the telecom sector and help in laying more fibre and building towers.
"Hard infrastructure is going to take a lot of time to be built. It takes time to execute the projects," Mittal said.
Speaking on 5G, the Bharti Airtel Chairman said as 5G begins to develop globally, India is keeping track and will be rewarded with the latest technology.
He also urged the Centre and state governments to understand the contemporary needs of the telecom sector and help in laying more fibre and building towers.
"Hard infrastructure is going to take a lot of time to be built. It takes time to execute the projects," Mittal said.
Speaking on 5G, the Bharti Airtel Chairman said as 5G begins to develop globally, India is keeping track and will be rewarded with the latest technology.
Mumbai: Salman Khan, undeniably the hottest TV host, will be back on the small screen with the eleventh edition of Bigg Boss, a very popular and by far the most controversial show in India. The premiere will take place on Sunday and fans of the show will be introduced to the contestants of this brand new season.
Interestingly, Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar too will make their presence felt on TV at about the same time when Bigg Boss will be aired. While SRK will launch Ted Talks, Akshay will be judging The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.
But does Salman really worry about competition?
According to a report in India.com, Salman appreciated his contemporaries SRK and Akshay. During an event held recently, when a journalist quizzed Salman about the other two Bollywood heavyweights and their TV ventures, Salman said, I think Shah Rukh is a great host, he has got his own personality and swag and even Akshay has a great comic timing.
But isnt he THE Salman Khan? He has to say something in his inimitable style.
With Shah Rukh and Akshay also coming to TV, it will be a tough competition for them, he added.
Well, with Salmans return to the small screen as the host of Bigg Boss, fans of the show will definitely get glued to their seats. The hunk of superstar has been associated with the show since the fourth season and has been instrumental in taking the excitement level up a notch. He has indeed become the face of the show, without who the show wouldnt have been what it is today.
We are super thrilled to watch Bigg Boss 11, what about you?
Delhi: Even people living in the city of dreams need time to unwind and relax after a tiring week at work. And of course, nothing beats the happiness of a long weekend! In case you need help to decide your weekend getaway from Mumbai, check out the list of places below!
Mahabaleshwar
You might have heard about the delicious strawberries of Mahabaleshwar. The place has much more to offer apart from strawberries! Gather your family/ friends and head out to Mahabaleshwar this long weekend if you are looking for some time away from the hustle-bustle of Mumbai. The place will appeal to your senses the moment you step in and have a look at the lush-green forests and magnificent wonders of nature!
Lonavala
This hill station is a popular one and with its waterfalls, lakes and hills, for the best break from normal city life! If you are fond of hiking and trekking, Voila! you've hit the jackpot!
Khandala
'Kya karun...aake mai Khandaala?' Well, the answer to this musical question is- exploring the natural beauty that the place is as well as get soaked in adventure with hiking and trekking.
Panchgani
Within a four-hour drive from Mumbai is the beautiful city of Panchgani. The place boasts of picturesque sites, crystal clear lakes and old British and Parsi houses which will make you feel like you just came out of a time machine, in a different era!
Saputara
Did you know that Gujrat has a hill station? No, we're not kidding! Saputara is a hill station located in Gujarat and is 251 km away from Mumbai. There are a number of sightseeing spots available and the place is perfect for a happy weekend with your family!
Mumbai: Shiv Sena, the BJP ally in Maharashtra, has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the recent police crackdown on girl students at Varanasis reputed Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
The daughters of your own election constituency who made you reach to the destination are suffering. Is it their destiny? They just demanded CCTV cameras in the campus and to arrest the accused immediately. Leave Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao slogan, at least don't allow Beti Pitvao, the Shiv Sena said in a fierce editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
Daughters of the country are being lathi-charged and you are quiet. Until when will you be quiet? the Sena editorial asked.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party also took a jibe at the Prime Minister who had recently launched Saubhagya - a Rs 16,000-crore scheme to provide electricity to over four crore households that are without power connection by December 2018.
The acerbic remarks from Shiv Sena came hours after a preliminary report by the Varanasi Commission, submitted to the state's Chief Secretary, blamed the BHU administration for failing to handle the situation at the university.
The report was contrary to the tall claims made by the BHU Girish Chandra Tripathi that ''outsiders with vested interests'' were responsible for the violence at the varsity.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathi-charge by police in the BHU where a protest earlier this week against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Varanasi, had earlier confirmed that an FIR was registered against 1,000 BHU students at the Lanka Police Station for arson and other charges.
The Station House Officer (SHO) of Lanka area, Circle Officer (CO) of Bhelupur and one Additional City Magistrate (ACM) were removed by the state government after they were held prima facie responsible for the lathi-charge on the BHU students.
The Uttar Pradesh Police had resorted to lathi-charge on the BHU students, who were protesting against alleged molestation of a University girl. It was reported that the protesting students tried to enter the residence of the Vice Chancellor and when the deployed security forces tried to stop them, students became violent.
The girl students alleged that they were thrashed by policemen and dragged by the hair, but DM Varanasi, who was present on the spot, denied all such claims.
Mau: Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari and seven others were on Wednesday acquitted by a court in connection with the sensational killing of contractor Munna Singh.
However, three other accused were held guilty by the Mau fast-track court.
Contractor Ajay Prakash Singh or Munna Singh was shot dead near Ghazipur crossing close to the Union Bank on August 29 in 2009.
Mukhtar Ansari had contested the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket and emerged winner from the Mau assembly seat.
However, his son and brother, who contested from the same party, were defeated in the polls.
Sitapur: A self-styled godman has been accused of raping a teenager in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh.
According to ANI, the Sitapur police has filed a rape case against the godman on the basis of a complaint filed by the victim.
In her complaint, the victim has accused 'baba' Siya Ram Das and two other people of raping her.
Das has been brought in for questioning and a probe into the matter is underway, SSP of Sitapur said.
Varanasi: Taking moral responsibility for the incident of alleged molestation of a female student and violence at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Chief Proctor ON Singh submitted his resignation to Vice-Chancellor Dr Girish Chandra Tripathi on Tuesday.
His resignation was accepted by the university authorities and a new chief proctor will be appointed soon, news agency ANI said. As per a report, professor MK Singh of BHU Medical College has been given the additional charge as the chief proctor.
In an another development, the main opposition party, Congress has demanded that the Prime Minister should tender an apology to those who were mercilessly thrashed by the cops at the varsity campus.
"The Prime Minister should first apologise to the girls in BHU, because despite being there, he did not care to ask why the girls were protesting," Congress leader Mohan Prakash said amid a political storm over the alleged police crackdown on girl students at the varsity campus.
"Our daughters kept sitting there for two days and asking the authorities to do something about the eve teasing," Prakash said.
Meanwhile, several inquiries have been set up by the government, administration and the varsity vice-chancellor into the campus violence. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also sought a report from Divisional Commissioner about the lathi-charge by the police on BHU students, including women.
The university authorities have, however, blamed the 'outsiders' for the violence inside the campus.
Dozens of students were detained in connection with the violence that erupted on the varsity campus on September 24 (Sunday) after the police used force to evict them. A FIR against 1,000 students has also been filed at the Lanka Police Station for arson and other charges, Varanasi SSP said.
Violence inside the campus erupted after some students, protesting against the alleged eve-teasing incident on September 21, went to meet the Vice Chancellor at his residence. The protesting students were demanding action against those involved in the alleged eve-teasing of a woman student of Arts, while she was returning to her hostel.
Three bike-borne men had abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts, according to the complainant.
The woman alleged that varsity security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop the men. She said her warden, instead of taking up the issue with her superiors, asked her why was she was returning late to the hostel.
The warden's response angered the student's colleagues, who sat on a 'dharna' at the main gate midnight Thursday. One of the students even got her head tonsured.
BHU students alleged they have to face eve-teasers on the campus regularly and the varsity administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants. Police and BHU professors tried to pacify the students on September 24 but they refused to end their protest and sought assurance from the university vice-chancellor.
A day later, on September 25, the varsity issued a statement saying the 'dharna' by the students just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit was 'politically motivated' to malign the image of the university.
The university also said that security guards were regularly patrolling the campus and assistance from the police is sought from time-to-time to maintain peace in the campus.
On the other hand, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has strongly condemned the lathi-charge of the students in BHU.
(With Agency inputs)
Mirzapur: Terming Banaras Hindu University (BHU) as a "temple of education", Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said on Wednesday that the state government would not allow it to be turned into a "political battleground".
"Some students holding protest in BHU wanted to turn the temple of education into a battleground of politics, but the government will not allow this at any cost," he told reporters here.
"BHU was set up by Pt Madan Mohan Malviya on the basis of some ideals and principles and not for doing politics as is being done by the opposition parties... The government will never allow such designs to succeed," Maurya said.
The deputy chief minister paid a visit to the famous Vindhyavasini shrine here.
He said the government would act on the matter on the basis of the findings of inquiry.
Asked about the poor state of affairs in the Vindhyachal, he said various development works had been taken up in the six months of the BJP government and that the good results would be visible soon.
The aim of the state government is to make a "pothole- free, corruption-free, fear-free and development-oriented Uttar Pradesh", he said.
Maurya said the government had taken a firm stand on the law and order situation and that wanted criminals were being arrested. Some wanted criminals had been killed in encounters, he said, adding that there was fear among land mafias.
Lucknow: The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday sent a proposal to the Centre seeking an extension of DGP Sulkhan Singh's tenure by three months.
There were speculations earlier that Sulkhan Singh's tenure will not be extended.
Sulkhan Singh, a 1980-batch IPS officer, is set to retire by month-end.
A high-level panel takes the decision on appointment of the new DGP on the Chief Minister's recommendation.
With ANI inputs
Yangon: At least 163 people have been killed and 91 others have gone missing over the past year in attacks carried out by Rohingya Muslim militants in Myanmar's restive Rakhine state, Myanmar government officials said.
The comments on Tuesday came after the bodies of at least 45 Hindus were discovered in three mass graves earlier in the week. The government blames Muslim insurgents for the killings.
The government's Information Committee released a statement on its Facebook page saying that from October 2016 to August 2017, at least 79 people were killed in the attacks and 37 have gone missing, including local officials, public servants and security forces.
Another 84 were killed and 54 have gone missing since August 25, when the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, launched attacks on at least 30 police outposts.
The government had previously said that nearly 400 alleged insurgents had been killed since August 25.
On Monday, Myanmar officials said they had discovered at least 45 slain Hindus in three mass graves in conflict-torn northern Rakhine state.
Twenty-eight were uncovered from two mass graves on Sunday and 17 were discovered in a different mass grave in the same area on Monday.
Local authorities said the 45 bodies were among about 100 Hindus missing since ARSA carried out the simultaneous attacks on the police outposts. "We are still searching for more mass graves in that same area," said Maj Zayar Nyein of Border Guard Police Headquarters in Maungdaw.
"I don't know exactly why these terrorists killed that many people. The Hindu village was very much up north and communication was not that good, and that's why security forces were not able to reach out to the area sooner."
There was no immediate way to independently verify the government's assertions.
A government crackdown that followed the attacks left more than 200 Rohingya Muslim villages burned and sent at least 420,000 Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh.
Hindu families who crossed from Myanmar to Bangladesh to flee the violence said their family members and relatives were among those who were killed and buried in the shallow mass graves that were discovered this week.
Hindu women who are now in refugee camps in Bangladesh told The Associated Press that the attackers killed their family members and relatives and later brought them to Bangladesh. "Most of our neighbors are Muslims," said Bina Sharma, a Hindu villager who survived the violence.
"Masked men threatened us and asked us to give them cash and gold. Later they killed 10 of my family members. They brought us to Bangladesh and confined us in a camp. They wanted to torture and kill us, but we told them we would convert to Islam and abide by the rules, but later with the police help we were taken to a refugee camp."
Meanwhile, a Japanese doctor who just returned from the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh said the situation there was "extraordinary." Masamichi Yokoe, who was a part of the Japanese Red Cross Society advanced relief team, said the rapid speed of the refugees arriving at the camps is "abnormal" and making it difficult for aid workers to assess whether sufficient aid is coming in.
Yokoe said in addition to suffering from malnutrition and poor sanitation, many of the refugees appeared to be traumatized by the violence they encountered as they fled Myanmar. (AP)
Thailand's ousted former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was handed a five-year prison sentence on Wednesday after the country's highest court found her guilty of negligence in the management of a rice subsidy scheme.
Yingluck was due to hear the verdict on August 25 but failed to show up, surprising hundreds of supporters who had gathered at the court.
Aides said she had fled Thailand, fearing a harsh sentence. Last month, she had reportedly escaped to Dubai, where her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, owns a home.
Yingluck, who swept to power in a 2011 general election, introduced a rice subsidy scheme that proved wildly popular with farmers but which the military government says caused billions of dollars in losses.
Her government was ousted by the military in 2014.
Cox's Bazar: Rika Dhar watched as her husband, two brothers and countless neighbours were brutally hacked to death with machetes by masked men who stormed their Hindu village in western Myanmar and frogmarched the terrified inhabitants to the hills.
"After the killing, they dug three large pits and threw them inside. Their hands were still tied behind them and their eyes blindfolded," said 25-year-old Dhar in a Hindu camp inside Bangladesh where she fled with her two children.
Eyewitnesses told AFP the bloodshed occurred outside their small Hindu village in Kha Maung Seik in northern Rakhine state, where Myanmar authorities have exhumed 45 corpses from mass graves since Sunday.
The army says the grim discoveries are evidence of a massacre by Muslim Rohingya militants on August 25, the same day the insurgents launched coordinated raids on police posts that unleashed a surge of communal bloodshed.
The military's sweeping reprisal has left hundreds dead and sent nearly half a million Rohingya refugees fleeing to Bangladesh, where they have described a campaign of army-led violence the UN says amounts to ethnic cleansing.
Myanmar's army has rebuffed the accusation and defended its operation as a proportionate crackdown on the Rohingya "extremist terrorists", while highlighting the plight of other groups, such as Buddhists and Hindus, swept up in the unrest.
On Wednesday the army lifted its tight net over the conflict zone to fly reporters to the area in northern Rakhine where the mass graves of Hindus, including many women and children, were exhumed earlier this week.
It is the first time the military has organised a press trip to the area, where media restrictions have made it difficult to verify a whirlwind of accusations over who is driving the violence.
Displaced Hindus in Bangladesh and Myanmar, unable to contact their families, fear the worst as search efforts continued Wednesday for around 50 other villagers.
Witnesses from Kha Maung Seik, known locally as Fwaira Bazar, said black-clad attackers stormed their community on the morning of August 25, beating and binding the men before driving everyone into the forest.
"After they took us to the hills, they butchered everyone. I saw it with my own eyes," said Promila Sheel, 15, at a small Hindu village in Cox's Bazar near the sprawling Rohingya camps.
She said more than 100 people were killed - including her husband and three other family members. The corpses were unceremoniously dumped in freshly-dug pits, Sheel added.
The latest convulsion of violence has deepened already bitter hatreds between various ethnic groups in Rakhine, where tensions have simmered for years.
The women who survived the massacre did not identify the masked attackers as Muslim militants, but said they were targeted because they were Hindus.
Rohingya sympathetic to the militant cause reject allegations their fighters were responsible for massacring civilians.
In a tent near Kutupalong refugee camp, an alleged Rohingya militant flanked by supporters accused Buddhist mobs of carrying out the attacks and pinning the blame on the fledgling Muslim movement.
"They are just trying to tarnish our image," said the man, requesting anonymity to protect his identity from Bangladesh authorities.
"We never give the moghs (ethnic Rakhine Buddhists) or the non-Muslims a hard time without any valid reason. They are lying to make us look like the bad guys."
But that brings little solace to Modhuram Pal, a Hindu who has not heard from anyone in Kha Maung Seik since escaping with his family to Bangladesh weeks ago.
"I don't know the whereabouts of my relatives and friends in Fwaira Bazar," the 35-year-old told AFP, using the Rohingya name for the village area.
"I heard about the bodies found in the village. God forbid, maybe some of my relatives are in there too."
Karangasem: Indonesian authorities are on standby to divertflights destined for the holiday island of Bali as increasingly frequent tremors from a rumbling volcano stoke fears an eruption could be imminent.
Mount Agung, 75 kilometres (47 miles) from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been shaking since August, threatening to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years and forcing more than 80,000 people to flee their homes.
Bali attracts millions of foreign visitors every year to its palm-fringed beaches and an eruption would be a blow to its tourism-dependent economy.
The airport in Bali`s capital Denpasar has not been affected, but several countries including Australia and Singapore have issued advisories warning travellers to exercise caution.
In the case of an eruption, Indonesia plans to divert flights headed for Bali to ten other airports, including on nearby Lombok and the capital Jakarta.
"The planes will be diverted to their nearest location or where it originally took off from," transport minister Budi Karya Sumadi said.
Airlines are watching the situation closely and 100 buses have been prepared to evacuate tourists.
Virgin Australia said it would be making an extra fuel stop in Darwin for some of its flights between Australia and Bali in case it is forced to turn back.
Singapore Airlines said customers travelling between September 23 and October 2 could rebook flights or ask for a refund.Officials announced the highest possible alert level on Friday due to the increasing volcanic activity, and told people to stay at least nine kilometres away from the crater.
They are still stressing the island is generally safe, but there are signs the volcano is starting to give tourists the jitters.
I Komang Nik Suantara, owner of the Amed Beach Resort on Bali`s east coast, said business had collapsed since the alert level was raised.
"Amed is safe from the lava but still the economy is very down, no customer, everyone cancelled," he said.
German tourist Christoph Lange, who is staying in Amed, said that despite frequent tremors he felt "pretty safe".
"We`ve got like 20, 30, 40 shakes where you could feel the earth shaking," Lange, 30, told AFP.
"While we were diving we had quite a few. Under water you can hear it, it`s pretty loud actually."
Rahmat, who sells clothes from a stall in Kuta, said his income had halved in the past week because there were fewer tourists.
The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said tremors were increasing and it had recorded 480 between 12am and 12pm on Wednesday. A thin column of smoke can be seen rising from the mountain`s summit.
"So far the activity of Mount Agung remains high, the alert level is on level 4 -- the highest," said Kasbani, head volcanologist at the centre who like many Indonesians has one name.
Indonesia lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
Mount Agung last erupted in 1963, killing nearly 1,600 people.
Beijing: Interpol on Wednesday approved the Palestinian Authority`s candidacy to join the global police organization, a new victory in its push for membership in international institutions in the face of consistent Israeli opposition.
Israel lobbies hard against Palestinian candidacies to international organizations and claimed victory last year when the Palestinian bid to join Interpol was suspended.
The membership bid is part of Palestinian efforts to advance their goal of statehood.
Interpol approved the Palestinian application along with a bid by the Solomon Islands during its annual general assembly in Beijing.
"New member countries State of Palestine and Solomon Islands bring INTERPOL`s membership to 192," Interpol said on its Twitter account.
It did not give the result but candidacies require the approval of a two-thirds majority of the countries present at the general assembly, excluding abstentions.
Palestine gained observer status at the United Nations in 2012 and since then has joined more than 50 international organizations and agreements, according to the Palestinian foreign ministry.
Among them are the International Criminal Court and the United Nations heritage body UNESCO.
Interpol, which is based in Lyon, France, eases the exchange of information between police forces. It also issues "red notices" -- non-binding notifications of arrest warrants.Senior Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub had told AFP on Sunday that "we`re looking to be in all of the international institutions, including Interpol, as an organized state."
"We are looking for the Palestinian state to be a positive contributor toward security and stability in the region and in the international community," he said.
Regarding Israel`s opposition, he said "they don`t want any progress toward a Palestinian state."
"Israel does not want us to be in FIFA. How would they want us to be in Interpol?" he said.
Israel`s foreign ministry declined to comment on the bid.
However, Alan Baker, a former senior Israeli diplomat, and a legal expert said "it`s just a political PR move" on the part of the Palestinians.
"Because they`re not interested in negotiating (with Israel) they`re trying to achieve the end result, which is a state, through international organizations," he said ahead of Wednesday`s vote.
He alleged that "the attempt by the Palestinians to politicise what is a super-professional organization is very harmful to Interpol".
Baker however rejected the notion that Palestinians would be able to initiate arrest warrants at will against Israelis by joining Interpol.
Ramadi: Islamic State group jihadists battled Iraqi forces near Ramadi west of Baghdad today after infiltrating government lines, a military source said.
"Terrorists infiltrated the Al-Tash and Majr areas south of Ramadi as well as the Kilometre Seven District west of the city," a general who asked not to be identified told AFP.
Ramadi is the capital of the vast, mainly Sunni Arab Anbar province, which has long been a bastion of insurgency and was retaken by the army from IS only in December 2015.
Troops and paramilitaries last week launched twin offensives against the jihadists' last footholds in Iraq -- in the Euphrates Valley near the Syrian border and around the northern town of Hawija.
Iraq: The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday rejected an Iraqi central government ultimatum to hand control of its international airports to Baghdad after Kurds voted to create an independent state in a disputed referendum.
The escalating crisis threatened to strand expatriates, diplomats and aid workers stationed in Erbil, the seat of the autonomous Kurdish government and a hub for humanitarian activities in northern Iraq.
Reacting to the referendum held on Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi demanded the Kurds cede control of the Erbil and Sulaimaniya airports by Friday or face a suspension of direct international flights to and from the region.
KRG Transport Minister Mowlud Murad said he would not give into the ultimatum and that he hoped to resolve the crisis through dialogue with his Iraqi counterparts.
Abadi`s decision "will hurt Kurdistan`s economy," he said.
Murad added that retaining control of the airports and keeping flights to and from the capital was important for the continuing fight against Islamic State militants.
The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) notified international airline companies on Wednesday that international flights to and from Erbil and the region`s second-largest city, Sulaimaniya, would be suspended from 1500 GMT. Only domestic flights run by Iraqi carriers will be allowed to continue operating.
In accordance with the Iraqi CAA`s directive, regional airlines began altering their flight schedules.
Lebanon`s Middle East Airlines said it would shelve its daily flight to Erbil, which has a sizeable Lebanese community. Egypt`s flag carrier EgyptAir said it would also suspend flights starting Friday, two company sources told Reuters.
Meanwhile, Turkey`s budget carrier Pegasus said it would stop accepting bookings for flights to Erbil, though it has not yet cancelled flights. Before doing so, the airline said it would await a decision from the Turkish CAA.
Flydubais flight to Erbil on Friday will operate according to schedule, a spokesperson for the carrier said. It is scheduled to land ahead of the planned suspension.
"We are aware of the situation and are liaising with our local representative regarding our operations from 30 September," the spokesperson said.
Last week, Iran said it would halt flights to Kurdistan at the request of the Iraqi government. Among other airlines flying to Erbil are Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Turkish Airlines and Austrian.
At Wednesday`s press conference, Transport Minister Murad said he as yet had no concrete advice for foreigners in the region.
Nevertheless, people began making plans to leave, as the suspension looked increasingly likely to take effect on Friday.
At least 14 people were killed and 8 injured on Tuesday night in northern Mexico when an armed group opened fire in a drug addiction rehabilitation center, local police said.
In a statement, security officials in the city of Chihuahua said "an armed group entered the Uniting Families rehabilitation center," attacking those inside with assault rifles.
First responders arrived on scene to care for the wounded in the center, where some 25 people were estimated to have been during the attack.
The state of Chihuahua, which borders the United States, has endured some of the worst violence in Mexico's decade-long militarized battle against drug trafficking.
In the past decade at least half a dozen attacks have taken place in rehabilitation centers, and according to authorities are generally perpetrated by gang members settling scores with rivals hiding in the centers.
Since the Mexican government launched its war on cartels in 2006, more than 200,000 people have died or disappeared amid the violence.
Islamabad: An accountability court in Pakistan indicted Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in connection with a corruption case filed against him by the country's National Accountability Bureau -- anti-graft body.
Once the charges against Dar were read out, he refused to accept the indictment and will now contest the case in the higher court, Geo TV reported.
The corruption case, pertaining to Dar's owning assets that are disproportionate to his known sources of income, was filed by the National Accountability Bureau in light of the Supreme Court's July 28 judgment in the Panama Papers case.
Kabul: Shortly after US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Afghanistan, several rockets were fired at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport on Wednesday.
TOLO News quoting Afghanistan airport officials claimed that several rockets were fired at the Kabul airport, which led to the cancellation of dozens of scheduled flights.
However, there was no loss of life due to the incident.
Sources in the Afghan media also confirmed that around 20-30 rockets, fired from an undisclosed location, landed at the Kabul airport and the surrounding area.
The sources further said that the NATO base adjoining the airport could be the main target.
The incident also triggered evacuation of passengers by the airport officials.
Military helicopters hovered over the site and the airport's sirens were heard after the incident. Sporadic gun fire erupted briefly later.
The security forces also launched a search operation for the attackers.
However, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet, according to IANS.
The Kabul airport came under attack shortly after United States Defence Secretary James Mattis arrived here on an unannounced visit.
Mattis is scheduled to meet NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and discuss ways to implement President Donald Trump's strategy of winning the war in Afghanistan with its President Ashraf Ghani.
Mattis is also due to hold talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other Afghan government ministers. Later, he will hold a press conference with Ghani and the NATO chief, CNN reported.
Mattis' unannounced visit to Afghanistan, after his two-day trip in India, assumes significance as President Trump said that he would rely on greater regional cooperation to stabilise the security situation in Afghanistan.
Kiev: Massive explosions and a blaze at a military ammunition depot in central Ukraine forced authorities to evacuate 24,000 people and close airspace over the region, officials said on Wednesday.
The blasts occurred late on Tuesday at a military base near Kalynivka in the Vynnytsya region, 270 kilometres (168 miles) west of Kiev, Ukrainian emergencies service said in a statement.
One person was injured, it said.
Arriving in the region hours later, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said, "external factors" were behind the incident.
Washington: The goals of US' military relationship with Pakistan are to improve the capacity of Islamabad to fight terrorist organisations and to enhance the security along its border with Afghanistan, a top American general told lawmakers on Tuesday.
"Our mil-to-mil relations with Pakistan are characterised by maintaining lines of communication between our respective leaders, and conducting specific engagements and providing specific support where it serves US interests," he said in a written response to a question which were submitted to him before his confirmation hearing.
"The goals of our mil-to-mil relationship with Pakistan are to improve their capacity to fight terrorist organisations and to enhance security along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, in order to help achieve stability in in this region," General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in his re-confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Dunford said US President Donald Trump's new Afghan strategy applies multi-faceted pressure on the Taliban to incentivise them to participate in a peace process that brings about political resolution of the conflict.
"I recommend continuing our relations along those broad lines, continually assessing our results and adjusting specific initiatives accordingly," he said.
The strategy has the objectives of enabling the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) to be able to conduct increased offencive operations and secure more of the population from Taliban influence and control, he said.
"The strategic objectives also envision more effective Afghan counter-corruption actions, reduction in Pakistani safe havens, and successful Afghan elections in 2018 and 2019. Indicators of progress longer-term include a decline in violence in Afghanistan, and the Taliban participation in peace talks," Dunford said.
He said the new Afghan strategy removes restrictions on military authorities and force levels in order to reinforce US' relationship with Afghan forces in support of a peace process.
"Specifically, we're shifting from a timeline to a condition-based approach, and we are adjusting our authorities to increase the effectives of our train, advise, and assist efforts with the Afghan forces," he said.
"Key military aspects of our new strategy that differ from previous efforts are the initiatives to enhance Afghan enablers such as the capabilities of the Afghan Air Force and Afghan Special Services Forces and broadening our train, advise and assist efforts," he added.
Dunford also warned Pakistan of continuing with its policy of providing safe heavens to terrorists.
"It's unacceptable that Pakistan provides sanctuary, and we ought to bring the full weight of the US government and our coalition partners on Pakistan to ensure that they do not provide the sanctuary that they have provided historically to groups like Haqqani and the Taliban," he said.
During his reconfirmation hearing, Dunford was responding to a question on Pakistan asked by Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"Do you believe it's possible for the United States to achieve its national security objectives in Afghanistan, as long as Pakistan provides support and sanctuary to groups such as the Taliban and the Haqqani Network?" McCain asked.
"I do not believe that we can attain our objectives in Afghanistan, Chairman, unless we materially change the behaviour of Pakistan," Dunford said.
"And have you got thoughts on how you do that?" McCain asked.
"While it will require a broad approach to do it, I think it's unacceptable? that Pakistan provides sanctuary," Dunford responded.
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that America is "totally prepared" for a "military option" on North Korea but warned that would be "devastating", in a further escalation of tensions between the two nations.
The strong reaction from the US president came a day after North Korea said that it was ready to defend itself by shooting down US bombers.
North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, who was in New York early this week, had accused Trump of declaring war against his country.
"We are totally prepared for the second (military) option. Not a preferred option, but if we take that option, it will be devastating -- I can tell you that -- devastating for North Korea. That's called the military option. If we have to take it, we will," Trump told reporters yesterday in a joint news conference with the visiting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
Responding to a question, Trump said that the North Korean leader (Kim Jong Un) is "acting very badly". He's saying things that should "never, ever" be said, alleged the US President.
"We are replying to those things, but it's a reply. It's not an original statement, it's a reply. But the things that he's said over the last year -- and if you look back to things that he's said to past administrations -- North Korea is a situation that should have been handled 25 years ago, 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago, and five years ago, and it could have been handled much more easily," he said.
Various administrations left a mess for him (Trump) and he will fix the mess. "So we'll see what happens with North Korea," Trump said.
He said that North Korean nuclear weapons and missile development threaten the entire world with unthinkable loss of life. As such all nations must act now to ensure the regime's complete denuclearisation.
"It is time for all responsible nations to join forces, to isolate the North Korean menace," Trump said as he appreciated the United Nations Security Council voting twice, unanimously, 15 to nothing, to adopt hard-hitting resolutions against North Korea.
"I have recently issued tough new sanctions against those who do business with this outlaw regime. And I applaud China's latest action to restrict its trade with North Korea," he said and applauded China for breaking off all banking relationships with North Korea. This is something that people would have thought unthinkable even two months ago, he said.
"I want to thank President Xi," he said.
Responding to a question, Rajoy said no one wishes for there to be a war anywhere in the world.
"But it's true that the recent events in North Korea, with the implications in the neighbouring countries -- very important countries, means that we will have to be forceful, and those of us who defend the values of democracy, freedom and human rights have to let North Korea know that it isn't going anywhere in that direction," Rajoy said.
"For the time being, sanctions have been adopted. Spain will support any political decision which will contribute to putting an end to this situation, which has nothing to do with the principles and values most of Western and global democracies defend," he said.
Washington: The US Department of Treasury on Tuesday issued sanctions on eight banks and 26 individuals linked to North Korea's financial networks in response to the country's ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction.
The individuals sanctioned are North Korean nationals operating in some foreign countries who act as representatives of DPRK banks, Xinhua quoted a statement issued by the US Treasury Department.
As a result of the action, any property or interests of the designated persons in the US will be blocked.
"We are targeting North Korean (DPRK) banks and financial facilitators acting as representatives for North Korean banks across the globe," said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
"This further advances our strategy to fully isolate North Korea in order to achieve our broader objectives of a peaceful and denuclearised Korean peninsula. This action is also consistent with UN Security Council Resolutions," Mnuchin added.
The US Treasury Department said sanctions are being taken to complement the UN Security Council resolution adopted on September 11. The resolution imposed fresh sanctions on the DPRK over its nuclear test on September 3, targeting oil imports and textile exports.
The sanctions came as DPRK and the US leaders were escalating their war of words.
US President Donald Trump tweeted over the weekend that North Korea's top leader Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer," which was interpreted by Pyongyang as a declaration of war.
The White House later clarified the US had no intention of entering into armed conflict on the peninsula.
The row between the US United States and North Korea began earlier at the UN General Assembly when Trump said that the US would have no choice but to "totally destroy" the DPRK unless Pyongyang refrains from its nuclear tests and missile launches. DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho responded by calling Trump "mentally deranged."
North Korea conducted another medium-range ballistic missile test on September 15, just days after the council imposed fresh sanctions on the country over its nuclear test on September 3.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Minister of economic development and investments Suren Karayan on September 26 held a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier, press service of the ministry told Armenpress.
The Ambassador said: I want to thank you and the agency led by you since you have always paid attention to issues of French investors and businessmen and assisted them. Before leaving this post I definitely wanted to meet with you.
The minister and the Ambassador discussed the successful projects of Armenian-French cooperation in the recent period, including the Business France programs, the mutual partnership with the French Development Agency and a number of private programs highlighting the necessity to continue them.
During the meeting the officials reflected on the trade turnover volumes between Armenia and France. The sides affirmed that they need to unite efforts aimed at increasing them. They also focused on the issue to expand the cooperation in the tourism field.
Minister Karayan thanked the Ambassador for his contribution to strengthening the Armenian-French ties, developing the economic cooperation and wished success in his further activities.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, issued a statement on behalf of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Armenpress reports citing the UN official website.
The Secretary-General welcomes the recent meetings in New York on the margins of the UN General Assembly between the Co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group and the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. He supports the work of the Co-Chairs to de-escalate tensions and reinvigorate the negotiation process.
The Secretary-General hopes that the planned summit meeting at the Presidential level would contribute to enhancing confidence and fostering the necessary political will among the parties to find peaceful compromise solutions to the key outstanding issues, the statement says.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan on September 27 attended the opening ceremony of the 10th ArmTech 2017 global congress, press service of the government told Armenpress.
Welcoming the participants, the PM said this annual event is an important platform to present the fields achievements, reveal new business and investment opportunities, promote cooperation and exchange experience. The government of the Republic of Armenia, guided by the imperatives of increasing economys competitiveness and ensuring continuous economic growth, attaches importance to this field, the necessity to build economy on knowledge. We should state that in recent years Armenia recorded significant progress in the development of information and high technologies and has all the necessary preconditions and potential to become a regional center and key player. During 2008-2016 an annual average 20-22% growth in the IT field has been recorded which is also due to the policy run by the Armenian government. But we must not be limited with this, this is not the end of this field, and the growth rates, in my opinion, can be much higher, the PM said.
He stated that currently the government together with the private sector implements numerous programs aimed at promoting information entrepreneurship, increasing export and investment volumes, attracting supranational organizations, territorial proportional development of the field, preparing qualified IT specialists and enhancing the educational capacities which in its turn promotes Armenias stable positioning in the world technological map. He emphasized that today leading IT companies, such as Synopsys, National Instruments, Microsoft and others are operating in Armenia. Tax privileges are provided to newly-established entities of the field aimed at boosting the field and creating jobs. The statistics shows that over 100 companies in the field are being established annually.
We also appreciate the fact that Armenian companies operating in information and high technologies field gradually shift from previous outward orientation to research and development companies proposing complete complex engineering solutions which are being sold both in the foreign and domestic market. Today we have serious competitive advantages both in the region and compared to other countries, he said.
The PM also highlighted the fact that this year the Congress is being held on the topic of cybersecurity. In todays situation of technology development, the world faces numerous challenges the solution of which is impossible without solving the cibersecurity, information security problems. And as much as we succeed to be effective in this field, the faster we will ensure the entry of technologies to daily life, he said, and thanked the partnering local and international organizations for the regular assistance to Armenias IT field development. We will consistently continue the policy aimed at developing information and high technologies field in Armenia and will deepen and expand the cooperation with international and local companies which will promote increasing the fields competitiveness and ensuring stable economic growth in the field, the PM said, wishing productive work to the Congress participants.
ArmTech Congress, the 10th Global Armenian High Tech Business Conference, is aimed at further expanding the frontiers of Armenian high-tech industry promotion and attracting new participants and prominent representatives of the global technology community.
Considering the recent development in cybersecurity and the crucial need for Armenia to enhance its information and cybersecurity, this years ArmTech 17 will be devoted to cybersecurity and will bring together international cybersecurity experts, governmental and academic leaders to discuss the future of cybersecurity landscape.
The conference organizers are Armenias ministry of transport, communication and IT and Enterprise Incubator Foundation.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The United Kingdom fully supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, UKs Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Alan Duncan said September 27 during an event titled UK and Armenia-parliamentary democracy partners in the Armenian Parliament in response to a question of MP Shushan Sardaryan from the ruling HHK party.
We encourage the conflicting sides to be actively involved in the negotiations process, Duncan said.
He added that the conflicts settlement can lead to enormous economic progress and stability in the region.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The OSCE Parliamentary Assemblys Special Representative on the South Caucasus, Kristian Vigenin (MP, Bulgaria), concluded a two-day visit to Azerbaijan yesterday, calling particular attention to the continued impact that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is having on people in the region, Armenpress reports citing the OSCE PAs official website.
In Baku, the Special Representative met with senior officials including the Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Ogtay Asadov, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Araz Azimov, Members of the Azerbaijani Delegation to the OSCE PA, Members of the Foreign and Inter-parliamentary Affairs Committee, and members of parties represented in parliament, as well as representatives of civil society and people displaced by the conflict.
We must never forget that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict continues to result in casualties this status quo is simply unacceptable, said Vigenin. I plan to continue working to keep this tragic reality high on the agenda of political leaders here in the region and internationally.
The Special Representative reiterated that there is no military solution to the conflict, expressing his support for the mediation efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. He called on all sides to stop aggressive rhetoric and to make space for more constructive efforts for peace. There is a tendency for the world to wake up to the conflict each time there is a major escalation in hostilities, but peace cannot be achieved with occasional efforts. Dedicated attention at the highest levels is necessary to summon the political will necessary for a lasting peace, he said.
Welcoming plans for a meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the near future, Vigenin stressed that while the final responsibility for finding a resolution to the conflict lies with the Governments of the two countries, greater international attention can help support peace efforts.
Vigening will also visit Georgia and Armenia. He will report on the regional visit to the OSCE Parliamentary Assemblys Standing Committee on 4 October.
Vigenin was appointed Special Representative in February 2016 by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The information and PR department of the ministry of foreign affairs of the Artsakh Republic issued a statement over the independence referendum held in Iraqi Kurdistan on September 25, the ministry told Armenpress.
We welcome the holding of a referendum on the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan as an act of realization of the peoples right to self-determination and independently choosing their own path of development enshrined in the UN Charter and in a number of fundamental international documents.
We hope that the situation, created as a result of the referendum, will be settled by peaceful means taking into account the need to maintain stability and security in the region, the statement says.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Armenias Parliament Ara Babloyan on September 27 held a meeting with UK Minister for Europe and the Americas at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Sir Alan Duncan, press service of the Parliament told Armenpress.
Welcoming the guest the Parliament Speaker said Armenia switched to a parliamentary system and the UKs past path on this issue became the best experience. Highlighting the favorable cooperation with the UK Embassy, Speaker Babloyan attached importance to the ongoing initiatives of the Ambassador in Armenia, as well as talked about the effectiveness of capacity development program of the Armenian Parliament.
Sir Alan Duncan thanked for the reception and attached importance to the existing cooperation between the two countries, the active contacts and exchange of experience between the parliamentarians. He said the UK withdraws from the European Union, but never from Europe.
Other issues of bilateral interest were also discussed at the meeting.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The United Kingdom welcomes Armenias decision to transition to a parliamentary system of governance, Alan Duncan - UK Minister for Europe and the Americas at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, said during the event in the Armenian Parliament titled The United Kingdom and Armenia Parliamentary Democracy Partners, reports Armenpress.
We are proud of our history, a history during which we have supported the democracies in the world. The United Kingdom deeply welcomes Armenias decision to transition to a parliamentary system of governance. This is a very important step. But its important to know that it sometimes can be a long and difficult process, he said.
During the event Vice Speaker of Armenias Parliament Arpine Hovhannisyan talked about Armenias achievements recorded over the past years, by attaching importance to the shift to a parliamentary system of governance. I want to highlight that during this period numerous achievements have been recorded. Armenia transitions to a parliamentary form of governance, and it will take place in 2018. The experience of the Great Britain in this process is invaluable, Hovhannisyan said.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Rockets landed in and around Kabul International Airport shortly after US Secretary of Defense James Mattis arrived, RT reports.
The Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said that Mattis was the target. ISIS has now also claimed the attack.
There have been no reports of casualties and Mattis was not near the airport when the rockets hit, Reuters reports.
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the rocket attack on the airport, saying that Mattis was the target, Afghan TOLO news channel reported. Shortly afterwards, Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) claimed that their rockets targeted the airport, Reuters reports, citing jihadist Amaq news agency.
This is the first official visit of the defense secretary to the war-torn country since US President Donald Trumps decision in August to intensify US involvement in Afghanistan.
Mattis arrived in Kabul with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
BUCHAREST, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The American Yale University Press has published the English copy of Varujan Vosganians The Book of Whispers. The official issue is scheduled for October 24.
The book was translated from Romanian by Alistair Ian Blyth. The book was published under the Margellos Republic of Letters series.
The Book of Whispers has become an international phenomena- the publisher says in the introduction section.
A harrowing account of the Armenian Genocide documented through the stories of those who managed to survive and descendants who refuse to forget.
The grandchild of Armenians who escaped widespread massacres during the Ottoman Empire a century ago, Varujan Vosganian grew up in Romania hearing firsthand accounts of those who had witnessed horrific killings, burned villages, and massive deportations. In this moving chronicle of the Armenian peoples almost unimaginable tragedy, the author transforms true events into a work of fiction firmly grounded in survivor testimonies and historical documentation.
Across Syrian desert refugee camps, Russian tundra, and Romanian villages, the book chronicles individual lives destroyed by ideological and authoritarian oppression. But this novel tells an even wider human story. Evocative of all the great sufferings that afflicted the twentieth centuryworld wars, concentration camps, common graves, statelessness, and othersthis book belongs to all peoples whose voices have been lost. Hailed for its documentary value and sensitive authenticity, Vosganians work has become an international phenomenon, Yale University Press said.
Recently Varujan Vosganian presented his novel in Polands Zygmunt Haput literature festival.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Armenia recorded serious growth in exports, there is also a sharp increase in the field of imports, Manuk Hergnyan chairman of the Economy and Values Research Center (EV), Director of EV Consulting, told reporters, reports Armenpress.
He said 21.6% growth in exports has been registered, the flow of foreign direct investments is positive.
This is a very important figure since investments boost economic growth. It can stop in case of not being accompanied by the increase of investments, he said.
Manuk Hergnyan stated that this year economic activity growth has been recorded mainly due to the positive trends demonstrated in export markets.
The economic activity growth comprised 6.5% in the first quarter, whereas in the second half of the year it was 5.5%. Those are the highest economic growth rates in the recent period. They give us hope to suppose that the improvement of competitiveness fundamentals enables to ensure high economic growth, he said.
The main sectors that ensured growth are the followings: mining industry, reprocessing industry and trade. Nearly 11% increase has been registered in the reprocessing industry field in the second quarter, and over 18% increase in the trade turnover.
Hergnyan said the decline in agriculture is concerning. The challenges in economic policy field are also concerning, especially the three major ones. The first one is to overcome poverty and inclusive growth, the second one is to create new economic opportunities, new export markets and investment flow. The third most complex challenge is technological transformation, Manuk Hergnyan said.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Russian-Israeli blogger Alexander Lapshin, who was incarcerated in Baku for several months and later extradited, continues to make revelations about the existing rules and system of Azerbaijan.
Lapshin released the official Russian language Baku Court verdict which was sent to him signed by Judge Aliovsat Abasov.
The official document of the Baku Court contains some embarrassing misspellings.
Lapshin made the following comment: Shocking illiteracy, they even knew that all documents would appear on the internet and the public assessment will follow. I understand that the Russian language is being actively eradicated in Azerbaijan, but couldnt they find an expert for an official document? Or at least use a dictionary.
The letter is shown below.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, Chairman of the National Security Council, on September 27 convened a National Security Council session during which issues relating to the reforms of anti-corruption institutional system and the activity on increasing the effectiveness of public service system, as well as provision of Information security and information policy concept were discussed, press service of the Presidents Office told Armenpress.
The first issue was reported by Vice Prime Minister, Minister of International Economic Integration and Reforms Vache Gabrielyan and Justice Minister Davit Harutyunyan. The session participants were reported on the anti-corruption measures taken so far, as well as the package of draft laws developed as a result of the activity of a working group formed according to the Presidents decree of December 20, 2016 on Forming a working group on ensuring institutional reforms system in the anti-corruption field. They were also introduced on the works carried out within the frames of international organizations, as well as on new anti-corruption strategy directions. The Council took into consideration the presented reports.
The second issue of the agenda was reported by Director of the National Security Service Georgi Kutoyan and Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies Vahan Martirosyan. The officials reported that Armenias information security provision and information policy concept, according to the presented draft, is an important component of state policy. The current significant impact of information technologies on the normal and productive activity of all spheres of governance further enhances the need to develop and upgrade conceptual and normative-legal documents of information security. Georgi Kutoyan said the draft has been prepared by an interagency working group taking into account the current challenges in the world, the new information security provision standards in line with developments, the development and use of strategic directions. The draft concept presents the current situation in Armenias information security provision field, the fundamental values, principles, interests, threats and challenges, the policy objectives, problems, interstate and international cooperation issues and etc. In the context of the abovementioned issues the main directions and priorities of common information policy are summed up.
The National Security Council, taking into account the proposals made as a result of the discussion, approved the draft concept.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Ancient historic-cultural sites, museums, wonderful nature, culinary traditions: Russian blogger Sergey Novikov continues discovering Artsakh.
The blogger presented an article, titled Nagorno Karabakh: Blacklistparty 2017 on his another visit to Artsakh. This is the 5th visit of Sergey Novikov to the country. The title is an obvious mocking reference to the infamous Azerbaijani blacklisting policy regarding visits to Artsakh.
He visited Artsakh in mid-September, and says that in this season, the summer weather is generally maintained, while the golden autumn begins in the mountains.
Novikovs visit was rather busy three days and thousands of kilometers. He visited the main historic-cultural sites of Artsakh beginning from Dadivank to the village of Togh, known for its many vineyards.
The thing which was noticeable during the visits was how life is changing. Often this happens in small details. For the Karabakhi blacksmiths in Stepanakerts market, competitors from Turkey have appearedthe Upper Mosque of Shushi is being restored.the visit of dozens of pilgrims to Dadivank is a usual occurrence. I dont know what this speaks about, but road writings saying Ive been here again are increasing here, he said.
After returning from Artsakh, the blogger said his impressions are very positive. According to him, all his colleagues, bloggers from Armenia, Belarus, UK, Georgia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania have mentioned that theyve had the same feelings.
What can I add? Usually the purpose of making similar visits is to promote the given country, region: It is beautiful, interesting and safe here just visit.
In my observations, there is a clear program of tourism development in Karabakh compared to unrecognized or partially recognized countries in the post-Soviet territory, Novikov said.
He mentioned that new tour routes are being designed in Artsakh, international exhibitions are being organized, festivals take place, architectural monuments are restored, visits of bloggers and reporters are organized. Briefly saying, real work is being done.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of Armenia has postponed the discussion of the bill on Armenias withdrawal from the Eurasian Economic Union up to 2 months. ARMENPRESS reports the Committee made a decision to postpone the discussion of the issue since the author of the bill, keynote speaker, MP representing Yelk bloc in the National Assembly Edmon Marukyan was not present at the discussion.
Head of the National Assembly Yelk bloc Nikol Pashinyan refused to comment on why Edmon Marukyan was not present at the discussion of the draft authored by himself.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. There is no time clarity for the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents at the moment, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan told the reporters at the National Assembly. The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan have talked about that. We are aware that there were some agreements on that the Co-chairs should visit the region, Yerevan, Stepanakert and Baku. I think the time for the meeting of the Presidents will be clarified during those visits, ARMENPRESS reports Kocharyan saying.
To the question if the Co-chairs have presented new proposals, Shavarsh Kocharyan answered, What does mean new proposals? I dont understand it. Up till now there is one document that is the basis for the negotiations. Its the Madrid document. If there have been some other proposals during the negotiations, this is another issue. Simply the situation after the April war is such that it is evident for everyone that appropriate atmosphere is necessary for progress. Progress is impossible also without the participation of Artsakh in the negotiations something that the Co-chairs have said numerous times. There are two factors atmosphere of confidence, which includes the implementation of the agreements reached in Vienna and St. Petersburg and Artsakhs participation in the talks.
Referring to the question if the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements are now in oblivion, the Deputy FM of Armenia answered, I do not know who has forgotten, but the Armenian sides and the Co-chairs have not forgotten for sure.
YEREVAN, 27 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 27 September, USD exchange rate is down by 0.01 drams to 478.03 drams. EUR exchange rate is down by 3.16 drams to 561.69 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate is down by 0.08 drams to 8.22 drams. GBP exchange rate is down by 3.17 drams to 640.75 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price is up by 103.32 drams to 19980.49 drams. Silver price is up by 0.92 drams to 261.43 drams. Platinum price is down by 0.30 drams to 14247.08 drams.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan received on September 27 British Minister of State for Europe and the Americas at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Alan Duncan.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Government of Armenia, noting that Armenia is greatly interested in deepening inter-state relations with the UK, the Armenian PM stressed that during the past 25 years of diplomatic relations bilateral cooperation has been established in various directions. Referring to the regional economic cooperation, Karen Karapetyan reminded that Turkey keeps the border with Armenia closed for decades, creating obstacles for the implementation of numerous regional initiatives. The Head of the Executive highlighted joint fight against international terrorism and expressed solidarity with the British people in connection with the London terror act. Karen Karapetyan also appreciated the balanced position of the UK on Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.
We attach great importance to the development of bilateral trade and economic relations, being convinced that there is huge potential for improving our economic cooperation. In this regard I suggest discussing organization of joint business forums, taking steps to better inform the British business community on the favorable investment atmosphere in Armenia and other initiatives. Armenia should be viewed as a bridge for entering the markets of the Eurasian Economic Union and Iran. I am convinced that irrespective of the size of our country, we can be interesting for international business and we are interested in the British business to expand its presence in our country not only in terms of investments but also its culture, the PM stressed. The Head of the Executive saluted the appointment of the trade envoy of the UK in Armenia and expressed conviction that it will foster the development of trade and economic relations.
Alan Duncan emphasized that the United Kingdom highlights the continuous development and deepening of bilateral relations with Armenia. He expressed conviction that the activities of the trade envoy of the UK in Armenia will foster the expansion and development of trade and economic relations. We are ready to involve Armenia in the projects of Good Governance Foundation, render financial support for the implementation of reforms in state administration, justice and economic spheres, the British official said.
He also saluted Armenia for applying to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and is considered a candidate country, noting that it will be a good platform for presenting the business atmosphere of the country.
The Armenian Premier thanked the British side for giving expert support to the Anti-corruption strategy of the Government of Armenia, reforms in the human rights defense sphere, as well as Strategic Initiatives Center.
At the end of the meeting the sides also referred to the facilitation of the bilateral trade regime, as well as issues of cooperation in the spheres of aviation, education and culture.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. In the first half of 2017 trade turnover between Armenia and Kazakhstan amounted to 2 million and 544 thousand USD, which is an increase of 38% against the same period of the previous year, ARMENPRESS reports Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Kazakhstan Ara Sahakyan said after the 7th session of Armenia-Kazakhstan intergovernmental commission.
Exports from Armenia to Kazakhstan amounted to 2 million USD, while imports from Kazakhstan over 500 thousand USD. Brandy is of great interest in Kazakhstan - Pernod Ricard Company has a big network in Kazakhstan covering the entire country. Armenian-made natural juices and proceeded agricultural products are sold in Kazakhstan, Sahakyan said.
Deputy Minister of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan Yerlan Khairov noted that the prospects for cooperation between the two states in all the spheres were discussed during the 7th session of the commission.
There is interest in all the spheres, above all of course I economy and trade. According to statistical data, in 2016 trade turnover between Armenia and Kazakhstan rose by 8%, while in the first half of the current year it has increased by 38%. This is a very good indicator and shows that the two states have a great potential for cooperation. Kazakhstan is interested in deepening relations with Armenia, Khairov stressed.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs will pay a visit to the region in the first half of October to prepare the meeting of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, ARMENPRESS reports Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian announced during the joint press conference with British Minister of State for Europe and the Americas at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Alan Duncan.
During the meeting with the Azerbaijani foreign minister in New York we talked about preparing a top level meeting in the near future, as well as about the visit of the Co-chairs to the region, he said.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The United Kingdom condemned the atrocities and pogroms still hundred years ago, ARMENPRESS reports Minister of State of UK for Europe and the Americas at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Alan Duncan announced during the joint press conference with the Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian, answering the question if he thinks that the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide would have prevented a number of crimes, the Holocaust, Rwanda and many terror acts happening today.
"The United Kingdom has condemned the atrocities and massacres for already 100 years. We were the first ones to condemn back then. And we did so ever since. Today I visited the Memorial and after laying the wreath it was a very moving and emotional moment for me. Sufficient documents dated 1915-1916 of the United Kingdoms Parliament are stored there. Clear evidence was brought here to Yerevan from the British Parliament, which I am a member of, which has condemned what had happened 100 years ago", he said.
Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian added that in May 1915 Great Britain, together with Russia and France, issued a relative statement characterizing the Armenian Genocide as a crime against humanity.
Minister of State of UK for Europe and the Americas at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Alan Duncan is in Armenia on September 26-28 at the invitation of Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian.
Czech court: A young Afghani was not trying to "rape a nurse"
27. 9. 2017
cas cteni 1 minuta
The Municipal Court in Prague decided on Tuesday that a young Afghani, a patient in a Prague hospital, did not attempt to "rape a nurse".
As a result of a wave of xenophobic hysteria, a twenty year old Afghani male had been charged with "trying to rape a hospital nurse". The young man was lying in a hospital bed and was trying to attract the attention of the nurse on duty to the fact that he was in pain and he needed some pills to alleviate it. Unlike the Afghani patient the nurse did not speak English, so the patient gestured with his hand pointing to his side indicating he was in pain there. He also gripped the nurse's hand in order to attract her attention.
The nurse interpreted the gesture of the young man who was pointing to the place on his body where he was in pain as "masturbation" and reported the patient to the police for allegedly trying to rape her. He was duly charged, but now he has been acquitted by the Prague Municipal Court. He may still be punished by the local council for "committing a minor offence". The court did not specify what the minor offence would be.
Further information in Czech HERE HERE.
Meanwhile, Professor Cyril Hoschl, a highly regarded psychiatrist in the Czech Republic, who has been systematically making strong anti-refugee and xenophobic statements, has just presented the results of his "research" which he has been conducting with colleagues on staff of the Czech "National Institute for Psychological Health". Hoschl and colleagues have allegedly "proven" that those Czech citizens who do not want to accept any refugees are not xenophobic. These statements are being seriously disseminated by Czech media HERE.
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Year after year, Japan's government-sponsored fleet trawls the worlds oceans to kill whales as a meat-gathering exercise, while trying to hoodwink the global public with a claim that its doing so for science. Photo by Alamy
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In a flouting of international conservation values, Japan just announced that its latest hunt, which concluded Tuesday, has claimed the lives of 177 minke and sei whales adding to the toll of thousands that its whalers have claimed in an era when just about the entire civilized world has abandoned the practice.
Japans commercial whaling is like a bad dream from which the rest of the world cannot wake up. Year after year, its government-sponsored fleet trawls the worlds oceans to kill whales as a meat-gathering exercise, while trying to hoodwink the global public with a claim that its doing so for science. This despite the fact that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2014 rejected Japans assertions and ordered an immediate halt to Japans other scientific whaling program in the Southern Ocean. This despite the fact that in April 2017, 42 International Whaling Commission (IWC) signatory nations adopted a resolution calling on Japan to abide by the ICJ ruling. This despite the fact that the signatories to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling never envisioned the scientific exemption clause in the treaty to support commercial catches. This despite the fact that the market for whale meat continues to decline in Japan. And this despite the fact that global public opinion, with few exceptions, roundly condemns and disapproves of Japans flagrant disregard for international law and comity between nations, something thats been in evidence again and again through the years.
The HSUS and Humane Society International have been campaigning to protect whales from whaling and other threats for nearly half a century, and the passage of the global commercial moratorium was a proud and decisive victory, one that has spared countless thousands of whales since the mid-1980s. There are just three nations involved in commercial whaling Japan, Norway, and Iceland and their intransigence in the face of almost universal censure astonishes me every time I think about it. Their machinations at the meetings of the International Whaling Commission demean their standing in the community of nations, and waste a lot of time and energy that could be better spent on the pressing challenges of ocean health, climate change, toxic pollution, marine debris and entanglement, ship strikes, and other threats. Quite apart from the tragedy of animal deaths from whaling by an effectively dead and abandoned industry, the continued predation of the worlds whales by these three nations represents the worst sort of distraction from the urgent conservation work we could all be doing to help all marine creatures and their habitats. On top of all that, who doesnt see that whale watching and ecotourism hold far more economic promise and benefit than killing the animals?
Getting the United States and other nations to stand up to Japan when it comes to whaling is a battle that does not end, whether or not a hunt has taken place or recently concluded. It involves mobilization at the biennial meeting of the IWC itself, and associated maneuvers to thwart the whalers in that body. It involves pressing the federal government to exercise available options and channels for bringing pressure to bear on a nation that in other respects has proven itself a strong partner. It involves strict attention to the dividing line between modern commercial whaling and aboriginal subsistence whaling, which is practiced in the United States and a few other countries, and has enjoyed special protection. It involves sustained efforts to shift public opinion and curtail market demand for whale meat in Japan. And it involves an unyielding determination to see our nation and others adopt the strongest possible agenda of whale and ocean conservation across the board.
Right now, in the U.S. Congress, Representative Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is advancing a resolution to urge the United States to do more to establish itself as a true global leader in whale conservation and protection, by expressing the strongest possible opposition to commercial whaling and by confronting Japan for its wrongdoing. As we gear up for IWC 2018 late next year, well do even more to press the case against whaling and its defenders, while continuing our efforts to diminish market support and public opinion favoring whaling in Japan itself.
Nelson A Denis is the author of War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America's Colony, a highly regarded, bestselling 2016 history of the injustices perpetrated against Puerto Rico by successive American governments starting in 1898 and continuing literally to this present day.
In a wide-ranging interview with Truth-Out, Denis relates a capsule history of Puerto Rico and explains how the both the hurricane devastation and the official indifference to the plight of millions of Americans in its aftermath are part of a wider, century-plus pattern of abuse, neglect, exploitation and terror.
When Pedro Albizu Campos led an island-wide agricultural strike in January-February 1934, which succeeded in doubling the sugarcane workers' wages from 75 cents a day to $1.50 per day, the US government immediately:
Sent down US Army General Blanton Winship as the new governor of Puerto Rico;
Sent down Col. E. Francis Riggs as the new Chief of Police;
Winship and Riggs immediately militarized the entire Insular Police force with machine guns, grenades, riot gear and "tommy gun training";
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover sent down hundreds of FBI agents to "collect intelligence" on Puerto Rican Nationalists particularly Albizu Campos;
Hoover ordered a secret FBI file program known as carpetas. Over a period of six decades (1930s-1990s) the FBI collected carpetas on over 100,000 Puerto Ricans, totaling over 1.8 million pages;
Albizu Campos was jailed within 15 months of the agricultural strike in July 1936. He died in 1965.
During those 29 years, 25 of them were spent in prison. During the other 4 years, he was surrounded by a 6-man FBI agent detail 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It required 25 FBI agents to maintain this 6-man rotation.
When Campos returned from prison in December 1947, Public Law 53 was passed in Puerto Rico. This "Gag Law," as described above, abrogated the First Amendment rights of over 2 million Puerto Ricans, in order to shut one of them up (Albizu Campos).
All newspaper communications off the island were controlled by a handful of AP and UPI wire service reporters. There was no television, internet; and radio transmission from PR to the US was virtually nonexistent. Under these conditions, Albizu Campos realized that the only way to get word off island, about its true colonial existence, was to raise a revolution that could capture world attention. Winning was out of the question. The US had just pulverized Nagasaki and Hiroshima. But it was possible to model an uprising after the Easter Rising of 1916 in Ireland, which could make a powerful moral statement about how the US was treating this island.
For this reason, Albizu Campos and the Nationalists planned the October 1950 revolution. Even though this revolution included the bombing of two towns (Jayuya and Utuado) by 10 US P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes, the attempted assassination of President Harry Truman, and the arrest of 3,000 Puerto Ricans, President Truman dismissed it as "an incident between Puerto Ricans."
The irony of all this, is that George Orwell published 1984 in 1948-49. It was an instant, international bestseller in the UK and US at the same time that the US was running a totalitarian Orwellian colony in Puerto Rico.
Remember the 1995 TV program Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction that we all wanted to believe was real? Of course, the ET autopsy turned out to be a hoax, or rather, according to producer Ray Santilli, a "reconstruction" of film shot in 1947 that he had seen. Now, one of the hoaxers, Spyros Melaris, has staged a one-man show in London's East End to tell the real (?) story behind the story of the autopsy that you can watch below. From Paul Seaburn's article at Mysterious Universe:
(Melaris) claims he was the director of the film and the one responsible for creating the fake aliens and other special effects. Melaris says he met Ray Santilli, the producer and name most associated with the autopsy film, in 1995 at a music event in Cannes. Santilli later confided that he had the actual footage of an alien autopsy and wanted Melaris to make a documentary about it.
However, when Santilli showed him a copy of the alleged 'real' film, Melaris determined it was a fake shot on video. He says he instead agreed to make a fake version of the autopsy on film, release it as the real thing and them make another documentary on how they pulled off the fake. He hired John Humphreys, a special effects expert who has worked on Dr. Who, to make the alien's body using his 10-year-old son as a model. Melaris bought 1940s surgical outfits, used cow, sheep, pig and lamb organs (the local butcher must have loved them) for the alien's internal parts and spliced in footage from a 1947 newsreel. He also claims he built the fake wreckage and hired all of the actors.
We need to get Donald Trump off Twitter before he gets us all killed.
On September 23, 2017 he declared war on North Korea.
Now, US Presidents declaring war is nothing new. It's a thing they do.
Both Roosevelt and Wilson famously wavered back and forth on whether to enter the World Wars. And, of course, Lincoln's nightmares about (rightfully) taking the US down a path that was guaranteed to start a Civil War is the stuff of legend. Normally, the power to take a nation to war is not to be taken lightly.
Our current president did it in a tweet:
Now you can argue whether that is, in fact, a declaration of war (some of you will pedantically and annoyingly argue that technically we are still at war with North Korea), but in the end what matters is whether the other nation sees it that way.
In this case, that other nation is North Korea. And they, in fact, saw it as a clear declaration of war. Ultimately, the people who launch the bombs have final say. And ultimately, the people those bombs are aimed at pay the final price.
Those are the people I worry about. And selfishly speaking, I worry that me and mine might be included in that group. But feel free to replace me and mine with you and yours because we're all fucked.
We have an unstable president.
And the first thing you do with unstable people is you take away their tools for hurting themselves and others.
Donald Trump has been violating Twitter's "rules" for years. Calling out individuals, entire ethnic groups, dogwhistling his violent white supremacist base, taking on a Gold Star family, a US judge of Mexican heritage, retweeting a gif of Hillary Clinton being attacked, going after journalists. This is hardly acceptable behavior for a regular human being, much less a US President. And Twitter has, rightfully albeit slowly, banned other users for similar behavior.
So why hasn't Donald Trump been kicked off for his violent threats? He agreed to the same terms of service we all did when he signed up.
On September 25, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone finally addressed the issue in a short tepidly-written piece on Medium. You can go read the whole thing in under a minute. But here's the interesting and scary as shit part:
"This has long been internal policy and we'll soon update our public-facing rules to reflect it."
It's almost a throwaway line. But it holds a very important key to Twitter's thinking. In short: we will move the goalposts accordingly. Twitter is updating their policy to explicitly avoid banning trump. They've done it in the past and they'll continue to do so.
At the same time they will also tell you that Donald Trump is held to the same rules as all other users.
After reading Biz' piece on Medium I told him it sounded hollow. Actually, to be completely transparent, I told him it was "100% bullshit".
His reply:
Changing the rules to fit the situation is the exact opposite of principles, and the exact meaning of subjectivity. It's cowardly. And it's opportunistic.
Biz also argues that Trump's tweets are newsworthy. And I don't disagree. It's newsworthy to see if a president starts a war on your platform. In fact, it's a media coup. Take that, Facebook!
Alas, Twitter isn't a media company, if they were they'd know that the function of a media company isn't to create news. The "Newsworthiness" value is a newspaper media value. It has meaning in that setting.
According to my friend Ross Floate, who unlike me, actually has a journalism degree, that meaning is derived from three values Significance, Timeliness, and Proximity. "Newsworthiness" isn't "this is used to break news".
Using the values as they describe makes all hate speech protected if I threaten to murder you and then follow through, that's certainly newsworthy. Proper "Newsworthiness" is not a something that an algorithm does on the fly. It's a human value judgement.
Also, The "newsworthy" argument isn't in their terms of service right now either. According to Biz Stone's Medium piece, they'll be adding it soon. Again, they're updating their policy to explicitly avoid having to ban Trump.
I'm assuming that one of the principles Biz believes he is referring to is free speech.
I'm a big fan of free speech as well. (I tend to curse a lot.) But free speech isn't free of repercussion. Also, the First Amendment, which is very short and to the point, states that the government can't restrict your speech. It doesn't apply to Twitter, which is a private service.
You know how bartenders can kick you out of a bar for being a belligerent dick? They have a right to do that. You don't have the right to be a belligerent dick in their bar. Twitter has a right to kick you out of their private service for acting like a belligerent dick too.
But Donald Trump is the asshole in the corner screaming at everyone and grabbing every woman's ass and telling the bartender not to serve the darkies. And Twitter thinks that guy is the reason people go to the bar. Twitter believes it's protecting free speech, but it's really protecting that belligerent dick at the bar, at the expense of the other patrons. That's not a principled stance. That's a dick move.
I get that twitter needs users, and it needs eyeballs to survive. And the Trump Twitter economy is strong.
According to Fortune, Trump is worth about $2 billion to Twitter.
So say that, Biz. Tell us this is a business decision. (A horrible one, though.) But please don't wrap yourself in principle. Tell us you die without him.
Just know that in order to save yourselves, you're sentencing us to die with him.
#bantrump
[CONTRIBUTOR Mike Monteiro is online.]
Bassel Khartabil was a Syrian free software, free speech and Creative Commons activist who was jailed and tortured by the Assad regime, which eventually secretly sentenced him to death, then executed him in 2015, but kept it a secret until 2017.
Alice Su's long, heartrending biography of Bassel in Wired draws on interviews with comrades who shared cells and cellblocks with Bassel, first-hand accounts of torture and bravery, extraordinary perseverance and resilience. It also shines a light on Bassel's idealism and the challenge that free, open internet infrastructure poses to authoritarian regime.
Khartabil wrote to friends at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, finding the humor to make fun of the prison guards' tech ignorance: "I'm living in a place where no one knows anything about tech, but sometimes the management of the jail face problems on their win-8 computers, so they bring me to solve it so I get a chance to spend few hours every month behind a screen disconnected. Also I had to write them a small app for fingerprint recognition ones, and it had to be on visual basic since there is no other real language installed, it was my first time with Microsoft, so it took me two hours to learn their technology, four hours to write the code, and one minute to hate it. Don't tell anyone of that "
He also wrote: "Of my experience spending three years in jail so far for writing open source code (mainly) I can tell how much authoritarian regimes feel the danger of technology on their continuity, and they should be afraid of that. As code is much more than tools, it's education that opens youth minds and moves the nations forward. Who can stop that? No one. As long as you people out doing what you are doing, my soul is free. Jail is only a temporary physical limitation."
Khartabil asked Najem to create an anonymous blog and Twitter account for him, titled "Me in Syrian jail," and wrote out 140-character-or-less tweets on paper, which were then smuggled to his Lebanese friend for typing and posting. "We can't fight jail without memory and imagination #Syria #MeinSyrianJail," he tweeted on April 5, 2014.
Artists are creating experiences in virtual reality, and it's especially exciting to hear that multimedia pioneer Laurie Anderson has entered this space. With Taiwanese new media artist Hsin-Chien Huang, she has created "Chalkroom" (aka "La Camera Insabbiata"), an immersive virtual reality experience that lets its viewers to fly through words and stories.
Prompted by this interview with the Louisiana Museum, Open Culture writes:
The piece allows viewers the opportunity to travel not only into the space of imagination a story creates, but into the very architecture of story itselfto walk, or rather float, through its passageways as words and letters drift by like tufts of dandelion, stars, or, as Anderson puts it, like snow. "They're there to define the space and to show you a little bit about what it is," says the artist in the interview above, "But they're actually fractured languages, so it's kind of exploded things." She explains the "chalkroom" concept as resisting the "perfect, slick and shiny" aesthetic that characterizes most computer-generated images. "It has a certain tactility and made-by-hand kind of thing this is gritty and drippy and filled with dust and dirt." Chalkroom, she says, "is a library of stories, and no one will ever find them all." It sounds to me, at least, more intriguing than the premise of most video games, but the audience for this piece will be limited, not only to those willing to give it a chance, but to those who can experience the piece firsthand, as it were, by visiting the physical space of one of Anderson's exhibitions and strapping on the VR goggles. Once they do, she says, they will be able to fly, a disorienting experience that sends some people falling out of their chair"
Field trip: "Chalkroom" can currently be experienced at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts.
Thanks, Whitney!
Mary Shelley had four children and buried three as infants. Her last son Percy survived her and died of old age. But Frankenstein, her ultimate creation, has lived on. Her literary science fictional monster child became a myth, an aspiration, an ambition and even somewhat a reality in the past 200 years.
Mary Shelley's "less than human being" became a superhuman cultural talisman, a fictional monster of godlike immortality. It would probably shock and appall her to find her shocking and appalling invention so native and normalized in our epoch, and I doubt that her fame as a horror writer would appease and content her as a thinker, author, as a woman and a loving bereaving mother.
Not every corpse struck by a lightning becomes a Frankenstein, but a writer's intuitive talent can become her shambling heritage whether she wants it, or knows it, or not.
The more than human and the less than human; it can be thrust upon us, or it can be taken away. Some years ago I spoke to mothers from Srebrenica whose children were executed in a genocide. I remember vividly how they craved for the lost status of a common humanity. Their children had been classified as "less than human" by criminals appointing themselves judge, jury and executioner. A mere conventional legal punishment could not rectify that less-than-human/more-than-human situation. They needed public justice done for the moral crime, not just for lethal criminal acts. They needed the criminals to look in their eyes on the level ground of humanity, and say that they were sorry. But the criminals, who had left the extremes of war to try to regain normality, also felt that need. Some even did say that they were sorry [1].
Truth and reconciliation, the justice model: Frankenstein too still craves to be pardoned, understood, and ranked in heaven and hell as a killer and as a victim, as a member of our society, as just a being among us, neither less nor more.
Imagine Hitler's mother confronting Anne Frank's mother. What could they possibly say? Mary's feat in writing Frankenstein was to give them some ground for that discussion. A creature comes into the world he's not born of a mother, so he's not one of us, but he's there. An anomaly, but real. He's an agent in the world, and he is morally tainted by the evil of a world from which no mother can protect him.
Mary, being a Romantic, thought that Nature was pure and good, and that the lack of a natural perfection made the alien creature go wild with rage. Nowadays we'd be inclined to think that Nature is quite faulty and that human nature even more so. Rather than fearing Dr. Frankenstein's hubris in his medical natural-philosophy, we'd be keen to seek technological and social enhancements to correct and control the too-natural processes of our mortality.
Mary Shelley, the teenage author of FRANKENSTEIN, likely felt some need to impress the famous male poets around her, one of them her husband Shelley, the other the lover of her sister, her friend Byron.[2]
Teenage girls know everything, from thirteen to nineteen they should rule the world. Because adult women must be subjugated and civilized; that is how patriarchy works.
Byron and Shelley didn't write Frankenstein, because no man would ever feel that maternal responsibility for her creature, that moral obligation towards the society, that love and shame when it fails the world. That is the point of view of a woman, a motherless daughter, a childless mother, a troubled and sensitive soul.[3]
Mary, like all of us of mother-born creatures had to emerge from her mother's body. That is the hardest, shortest trip for a human being, and Mary's birth caused the death of her creator. That survivor's guilt prompted her artificial gift of life to a differently-born creature, a page-borne thing of ideas and words. Frankenstein was her expiation and guilt.
My mother was a doctor, while my father was an engineer who slowly turned hypochondriac. I grew up in atmosphere of permanent war against imminent death. Both my parents were atheists and Communist idealists, so the issue of how and when to die was awkward for them. Atheism offered them no imaginary refuge in a God-given eternal life, while their communist idealism made them relentless activists for some new-and-improved world, some utopian safe-house against the actual, existing world of all-too-Balkan invasions, injustice, poverty, disease and crime.
In an era when mass popular totalitarianism is out of style, our temperament is closer to that of the lonely but brilliant biotech inventor, Victor Frankenstein. Many of us owe our lives to unnatural interventions which would have shocked Mary Shelley, such as artificial insemination, transplantation of organs, gender change, and mood stabilizers. And what would Mary Shelley make of the lives of the women of science, like Madame Curie or Rita Levi-Montalcini? Are they her cultural foes, or the kind of woman she herself should have become, like, say, Byron's estranged daughter, Ada Lovelace?
Frankenstein is a mythic story, as fluid as the Thousand and One Nights of Sheherezade. All writers become stowaways in a civilizational process of upgrades and updates, notes and footnotes, of veils falling to the dancer's feet and while new and more decent wraps are hastily invented. Honestly, every woman writer has a Frankenstein in her cradle, in her soul, in her marriage bed, and in her empty grave.
Is the Frankenstein monster more a living being, a mutant; or a technical product, a robot?
This unnatural man resembles a human, he is constructed with once-living parts of different human bodies, vivified by the lightning from heaven. But he lacks acculturation. He needs human beings to teach him a conformity he can never really have.
A robot is manmade of different elements too. But since robots aren't alive, they can't exist without a vast and complex technical support system. A robot can't be at ease under the sun and sky like some flower or an eggshell, a robot is a childless mechanism, always at the brink of the junk pile.
Who has the stronger claim on my sympathies; the mutant or the robot?
Frankenstein's story is a big and sad love story, rather histrionic and not in the best of taste, rather like "Gone With the Wind." Mary's own love story with Percy Shelley is a mad passion of a teen ready to die for love, who elopes with her ruthless lover, defying the church, the state, decency and convention, her widowed feminist father, the scholarly Mr Wollstonecraft in the name of Romance, passion, creativity, freedom, poetry, sensibility. What are the limits to the capacity to love, the demand to love, of an intelligent teenaged girl? She puts all her life at mercy of sensibility, and through this brave act she wins a victory, a knowledge of the limits of her soul. But she has to pay a price for that, that of her dead children and the unhappy life of her mutant robot, her cyborg Frankenstein.
Donna Haraway said: I would rather be a cyborg than a princess. Mary Shelley wasn't offered that choice, but she lived it. The beautiful cyborg in Blade Runner, the one with the most awareness, is not frenetically killed or killing like the other cyborgs; she can love and be loved: nobody is perfect. She'll never be a princess, either, but for a Philip K. Dick property in Hollywood, it's what passes for a happy end.
Haraway argues that a happy end for women is to deconstruct their identities as natural born entities, to split from the myth of nature and allow oneself to become a cyborg. Might Frankenstein have survived, or even lived indefinitely ever after, if society found him an education, a day-job and some heath insurance? What if nobody mentioned the stark dividing line between the human and the Other? What if the subject never came up, what if nobody cared?
Haraway says in her cyborg manifesto:
"Cyborg writing must not be about the Fall, the imagination of a once-upon-a-time wholeness before language, before writing, before Man. Cyborg writing is about the power to survive, not on the basis of original innocence, but on the basis of seizing the tools to mark the world that marked them as other
The tools are often stories, retold stories, versions that reverse and displace the hierarchical dualisms of naturalised identities
Cyborg imagery can suggest a way out of the maze of dualisms in which we have explained our bodies and our tools to ourselves. This is a dream not of a common language, but of a powerful infidel heteroglossia. It is an imagination of a feminist speaking in tongues to strike fear into the circuits of the super- savers of the new right. It means both building and destroying machines, identities, categories, relationships, space stories. Though both are bound in the spiral dance, I would rather be a cyborg than a goddess."[4]
Mary Shelley's life was rich eventful important tragic dramatic creative wild famous importantand she lived it with full lungs, with stoic strength. and an intelligent open approach. The novel Frankenstein was written in the turmoil of a melting pot of ideas, the revolutionary romanticism of England France and Italy.
Mary was the daughter of a one of the most prominent feminists, Mary Wollstonecraft and the famous liberal philosopher William Godwin. She was married to a world- class poet and the friend of another, but she could not catch a breath until she came with the idea of a monster.
It was a party game in the Villa Diodata: to write the most terrifying thing you could think of. They talked about sex money and poetry, love peace justice and equality what about weird terror? What about love?
Her striking effusion of horror found the instant blessing of Byron and the strong support of her husband Shelley, who was proud of his partner in Romantic transgression: his "inspiration, muse and prophetess".[5]
The central theme of Frankenstein is not horror, but unhappiness, the lack of love. Mary put some undead flesh on the bones of Byronic alienation, the sensibility of those around her, whom she doted on. She wrote in the missing parts, the despair of someone who is not a dissident but less than a human being.
Frankenstein is rather more human in his tragedy than many fictional hero and heroines of the conventional novels of the era. His sufferings feel real and they get through to the reader. This entity of pain whose only fault was is his desire to be like us. He has a soul, he has a sense of justice, he can love, he can hate, but he gets nothing in return for those mirrored human traits projects on the world. As a melange of adult corpses, he was never a child; he cannot grow, he can only decay.
He cannot die romantically as a dissident poet, for he is a living corpse, a European zombie, with the scraps of a worldview turning bad with mould His obsessions illustrate how ideas can work on the isolated mind: they start stinking dangerouslythey become ugly poison.
Mary projected unconsciously the danger of women living men's ideals. Most women manage in a parallel world of harsh feminine reality. They live in small lies, managing the truth on daily basis, providing for survival, with small talk, bread and soothing tender kisses. Even if they love, or write romantic poetry, they live the gap which sometimes they hide and other times they expose.
You can hear it in the pauses, the estrangement, if not in downright cries. From Cristina de Pisan to Mary, to the Bronte sisters, Austen, Virginia Woolf, Wollstonecraft even Mary Elizabeth Braddon, with her torrent of best-sellers. Elizabeth Barrett, the poetess who escaped from her tyrant father who crippled her in order to possess her.
Before these ladies, we hardly have any record of a feminine witness. Other women certainly were there, they certainly did think, some even wrotebut no literary traces their cries were not considered literature, their lives were historically expendable just like Frankenstein's!
Frankenstein the monster does not have a name it's his creator who is "Frankenstein." The monster does not write his own story, his story is reframed, retold by an authorial voice that will be heard and believed. Mary Shelley did not even put her name on the first edition of the book. To judge by the original text, it seemed that Percy Shelley had written a book about some nameless guy who knew the Frankenstein tragedy. Mary Shelley and Frankenstein were both in the literary shadows, the surrogate mother to the less than human.
Mary was the nymph of the sideways looks, as her admirer Leigh Hunt called her.[6]
She didn't flee raging to the North Pole, as her creation did; she merely fled to sunny Italy, where she surrounded herself with brilliant men who legally took over her life because that was how live was.
She experienced sympathy with other invisible women around her; there are records of these sympathetic moments in her biography. She bought a present for a maid s birthday, and pitied the mother of an illegal child but these moments were like pearls thrown past the pigs of capital-P Poetry. The novel persisted, though. It is all still there. Sincerely nowadays 200 years later reading Frankenstein, I have tears in my eyes. I never weep at the poetry of Byron, even though I love Byron's poetry.
But Ada Byron, Ada Lovelace, I love even more. As somebody who loves technology because it made my life better as a woman, as a writer who writes different from the mainstream, who does not want to be coherent or poetic but who has pretences of honestyI take Mary Shelley and Ada Lovelace girls as my spiritual ancestors. And Frankenstein's Monster can be my patriarch father. Whom I loved dearly, incestuously, endlessly and tragically, until he vanished onto the ice-floes of literary immortality, setting me and the world free.
FOOTNOTES
1 "Scorpions"
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2 Byron shared the admiration of Frankenstein and his author page 217, Miranda Seymour Mary Shelley, Grove Press, New York 2000
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3 May 13, 1917 Mary finished copying Frankenstein novel. As Mary recalled in the Preface to the 1831 edition of Frankenstein: 'Many and long were the conversations between Lord Byron and Shelley to which I was a devout but nearly silent listener. During one of these, various philosophical doctrines were discussed, and among others the nature of the principle of life, and whether there was any probability of its ever being discovered communicated
Mary recounted the nightmare in her 1831 preface to the book, giving a startling example of how the heightened consciousness of terror could be transformed into brilliant and inspirational creativity:
'Night waned upon this talk, and even the witching hour had gone by before we retired to rest. When I placed my head on my pillow I did not sleep, nor could I be said to think. My imagination, unbidden, possessed and guided me, gifting the successive images that arose in my mind with a vividness far beyond the usual bounds of reverie. I saw with shut eyes, but acute mental vision I saw the pale student of the unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion '
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4. Donna J. Haraway, Cyborg Manifesto
Simions, Cyborgs and Women, Routledge 1991, New York
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5. Shelley in his dedication to "The revolt of Islam" book addresses Mary as his queen, his friend, his twin source of his inspiration, muse and prophetess, Miranda Seymour Mary Shelley, Grove Press, New York 2000 page 188
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6. The "yon nymph of the sideways looks", Lee Hunt (, Shelley and Mary, 16.11.1821, 4 volumes, page 705) privately printed 1882
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Push your monitor, processing speed, and internet connection to the limit all at once with this remarkable 8K timelapse of Iceland.
Here's the even bigger version of the still above.
Before you blow the cash on this, a gentle reminder that despite the remarkable resolution, this is the camera Nikon decided to promote in Japan with 32 men and exactly zero women. Boo!
Nikon D850 8K Timelapse: Iceland by Lucas Gilman (YouTube / Nikon USA)
A new DHS policy that will go into effect on Oct 18 will force everyone who's ever been naturalized as a US citizen or who is currently residing in the USA on a Green Card (I currently reside in the USA on a Green Card) to hand over "social media handles and aliases, associated identifiable information and search results" for permanent scrutiny in our government files.
According to BuzzFeed, the new rule could also affect U.S. citizens who communicate with immigrants on social media by making their conversations the subject of government surveillance.
Homeland Security's inspector general published a report earlier this year concluding that DHS pilot programs for using social media to screen immigration applicants "lack criteria for measuring performance to ensure they meet their objectives."
"Although the pilots include some objectives, such as determining the effectiveness of an automated search tool and assessing data collection and dissemination procedures, it is not clear DHS is measuring and evaluating the pilots' results to determine how well they are performing against set criteria," the report reads.
A couple weeks ago, we learned that pharma giant Allergan had transferred title to its most profitable eye drugs to New York's St Regis Mohawk band in order to invoke the band's "sovereign immunity" in proceedings that sought to invalidate its patents and make its drugs universally available at low costs.
The gambit has not been tried in court, but patent trolls are certainly warming up to do so. ITRI transferred 40 patents to MEC Resources LLC, wholly owned by North Dakota's Three Affiliated Tribes (the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations), which has now sued Apple, seeking a royalty on every Ipad sale.
By transferring title to the Three Affiliated Tribes, ITRI can force Apple into a longer, more expensive procedure for invalidating its patent, rather than the streamlined inter partes review.
It's not clear whether this will work. In 2016, the California courts slapped down a similar tactic, deployed by the payday loan industry, which had affiliated with native bands in order to invoke sovereign immunity and avoid legal liability for illegal financial practices.
IPRs have fundamentally changed the economics of patent litigation by increasing risks and lessening rewards for asserting weak patents. If Native American tribes are allowed to bypass the normal rules, the only ones who benefit will be "people who own shaky patents that they want to assert, patents that would have been invalidated in IPRs," writes Landau. "'The validity of your patents is subject to review, unless you pay off some Indian tribe' does not seem like a good way to run an intellectual property system," notes Science columnist Derek Lowe. There's no telling how this turns out until we see some rulings from courts or the Patent Trial and Appeals Board. If the patent-licensing shops see even a glimmer of hope that they could avoid IPRs, we're likely to see whole patent portfolios transferred to tribes in short order.
Apple is being sued for patent infringement by a Native American tribe
[Joe Mullin/Ars Technica]
By Christine Kim and David Brunnstrom SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea has threatened to shoot down U.S. bombers flying near the Korean peninsula, but it would have difficulty matching its words with action given aging air defense systems mostly dating to the Cold War, military experts said. In intensifying rhetoric between the United States and North Korea during the past week, President Donald Trump said the U.S. would "destroy" the country if it threatened the U.S. or its allies. Pyongyang's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho responded that Trump had "declared war" and North Korea reserved the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down U.S. bombers, even if they were not in its air space. In a show of force on Saturday, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighters flew east of North Korea, in what the Pentagon said was the farthest north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone that any U.S. fighter jet or bomber has flown in the 21st century. The supersonic B-1B bombers have elaborate electronic countermeasures and are usually escorted by four F-15 fighters, which are likely to prevail in any air combat with North Korea's aging air force, said Bruce Bennett, a military expert at the Rand Corporation think tank. "(And) if the North Koreans try to overwhelm the F-15 escorts by sending up dozens of their fighters, the United States will know that is happening, and would have the option of flying away from North Korea and heading towards Japan," Bennett said. North Korea could attempt to fire surface-to-air missiles at the U.S. aircraft, but its systems would barely have the range to strike targets outside of North Korean airspace, missile experts said. "If U.S. planes remain off-shore, they would be reasonably safe," said Michael Elleman, a missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. UNAWARE OF U.S. PATROL? Much less shoot them down, it is not even clear whether North Korea would be able to detect some modern-day U.S. aircraft. In 1969, North Korea MiG-21 aircraft did shoot down a U.S. Navy EC-121 aircraft on a reconnaissance mission, which crashed 90 miles off the North Korean coast and killed all 31 Americans on board. But that aircraft was of an aged design based on the Constellation airliner dating back to the 1940s. The latest U.S. fighter jets have stealth capability designed to avoid detection and North Korea's military is known to be incapable of operating radar systems around the clock because supplies of energy are low, South Korean government official said, asking not to be identified. "Due to hurdles from sanctions and oil shortages, I'm not sure whether fighters would be able to even return from a mission," said Park Dae-kwang, an expert on North Korea's air defense at South Korea's state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. North Korea has roughly 810 fighter planes, according to South Korea's 2016 defense ministry white paper. But officials and experts say most of these, largely of old Soviet and Chinese origin, are severely outdated and have been plagued with accidents. In 2014, three aged North Korean fighter jets crashed in training over the course of two months, according to South Korean officials at the time. "I doubt very much that any of the North Korean aircraft would be successful taking on our fighter escorts," said David Maxwell of Center for Security Studies, the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. Last week, North Korea seemed to be unaware that the U.S. B-1B bombers had even been dispatched as it took no action to counter the U.S. patrol at that time, a South Korean lawmaker who was briefed by South Korea's spy agency said on Tuesday. Washington appeared to have disclosed the flight path of its B-1B bombers intentionally after the non response, the lawmaker said. A Pentagon spokesman said: "We won't confirm what North Korea did or did not know about our B-1B flight on the 23rd, but the mission was completed without incident." BEST SHOT? In 1981, the North Koreans tried but failed to shoot down a U.S. SR-71 Blackbird spy plane with a surface-to-air missile. North Korea's best chance of shooting down a U.S. plane would likely be with its KN-06 surface-to-air missile system, which its leader Kim Jong Un declared "perfect" in May after previous defects in earlier testing had been addressed. The KN-06 appeared to be based on Russia's S-300 system with a range of about 150 km (93 miles), said George Hutchinson, managing editor of the International Journal of Korean Studies, and a former U.S. Air Force officer. Hutchinson said it was a more advanced system and "presents concerns because it is a road-mobile transportable system it can be moved around to enhance its effectiveness and survivability." However, it is not known how reliable the system is given it has only recently gone into operation, analysts said. Another missile system, the SA-5, has a longer range of 250 km (155 miles) but it relies on old technology which U.S. aircraft could beat, Rand Corp's Bennett said. North Korea has deployed SA-5 and SA-2 surface-to-air missile systems near the inter-Korean border and on its east and west coasts, according to South Korea's defense ministry. Some analysts said North Korea's comments on Monday may have been aimed more toward where the B-1B bombers usually come from - the U.S. military base on the Pacific island territory of Guam, which Pyongyang has threatened to attack with its intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missiles. The Pentagon said the B-1B bombers came from Guam and their fighter escorts came from Okinawa, Japan. "They will probably try to strike U.S. aircraft if they ever enter North Korean airspace, but their anti-aircraft missiles are limited," said Kim Dong-yub, a military expert and analyst at South Korea's Institute for Far Eastern Studies. "I feel this is more closely linked to North Korea's previous threat they would hit the waters near Guam." Missile expert Elleman said his main concern was that any North Korean defensive move could quickly lead to all-out conflict. "What I worry about is North Korea 'painting' a U.S. plane with a radar as if it were about to launch a weapon," he said. "That might prompt a defensive reaction to suppress the air defenses of North Korea, either electronically or kinetically. If North Korea fires something, the risks of miscalculation, escalation, grow enormously." (Reporting by Christine Kim in SEOUL and David Brunnstrom in WASHINGTON, Additional reporting by Cynthia Kim in SEOUL and John Walcott in WASHINGTON; Editing by Soyoung Kim and Grant McCool)
MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte urged the United States on Tuesday to help control drugs smuggling, blaming Taiwan and Hong Kong-based criminal gangs for using his country as a shipping hub. In a speech, he also said illegal drugs had funded the seizure by Islamist militants of large parts of the southern city of Marawi in May. More than 800 people have died in the conflict, which Duterte said was triggered by an attempt to arrest a drug personality, who he did not identify. "The Philippines is a transhipment of shabu to America," Duterte told members of the Philippine Constitution Association, referring to the local term for methamphetamine. "It behoves upon America to work closely with the Republic of the Philippines, especially on this serious matter." Duterte, who was elected 16 months ago on promises to fight corruption, crime and drugs, said the so-called 14-K triads in Hong Kong and the Taiwan-based Bamboo triads were using the country as a transhipment point. "We are flooded with drugs. This is the first time I would reveal it ... the Philippines today is a client state of the Bamboo triad. They have taken over the operations," he added. Duterte gave no details of the source of his information. Washington has said it supports the country's anti-drug efforts but has also urged Manila to respect human rights and the rule of law in its operations. More than 3,800 people have died in gunfights with police and soldiers in anti-drug operations nationwide since June last year, according to the government. Human rights groups say the figure is much higher. (Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Susan Thomas)
An illegal supervised injection site set up by volunteers in a Lowertown park must come down now that a city-run site is ready to open nearby, the city councillor for the area demanded Tuesday.
The city-run injection site Ottawa's first sanctioned facility is set to open Tuesday afternoon at 179 Clarence St., only two blocks from the tent operated by the volunteer group Overdose Prevention Ottawa in Raphael Brunet Park.
With the interim site ready to take clients until a permanent site opens at the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre in late October, Coun. Mathieu Fleury said Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is now ready to handle the demand and called on Overdose Prevention Ottawa to shut down the illegal site.
"We've asked them to transition," he said in an interview with Radio-Canada.
Fleury said the city is open to learning from the group's experience serving drug users.
"If they have advice, if they want to find ways to help OPH at 179 Clarence, we're certainly open to it," Fleury said.
Pop-up site will stay, group says
Marilou Gagnon, a public health nurse and volunteer with Overdose Prevention Ottawa, said Monday that her group welcomes the new site, but plans to continue operating their own.
"We're not in a position right now in Ottawa [with] the overdose crisis to shut down any service," Gagnon told CBC News.
Gagnon has said both her group's site and the sanctioned Health Canada site could operate in tandem, citing the examples of other Canadian cities such as Toronto and Vancouver.
"People who use drugs in this area will be able to pick the service that fits their needs the best. Ultimately, we're both in the business of saving lives. But for some people [the OPH site] may not fit their needs," she said.
Overdose Prevention Ottawa has raised concerns about a policy at the new site that would limit people to one injection per visit within 20 minutes as well as prohibitions on peers administering drugs and inhalation.
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The pop-up tent lets people use drugs as they would on the street with the benefit of supervision and the time they need to do it safely, Gagnon said.
'Our authorities are on notice'
Fleury doubts the need for two sites in such close proximity, however.
"I'm surprised by their latest statement that they believe there is a greater need and they will continue to operate," he said. "The pop-up site which is in a park near a community centre, which didn't get consultation is two blocks away, so we're metres away."
Fleury said he's still hoping for a peaceful conclusion, but said the city is ready to call in police to dismantle the illegal site.
"Our authorities are on notice."
CBC
Warning: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing. Carmen Perry was walking her two dogs off leash in the Wright's Creek area of Charlottetown earlier this month when one of them got caught in a snare and died. "You could hear it, and there was nothing you could do in that moment to save her. I think she stuck her head in it, and it snapped around the back of her head and her throat and it strangled her to death." Now, conservation officers with the Department of Justice and
By Allison Lampert and Alwyn Scott MONTREAL/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday slapped preliminary anti-subsidy duties on Bombardier Inc's CSeries jets after rival Boeing Co accused Canada of unfairly subsidizing the aircraft, a move likely to strain trade relations between the neighbors. The department said it imposed a steep 219.63 percent countervailing duty on Bombardier's new commercial jets after it made a preliminary finding of subsidization. Boeing has complained the 110-to-130 seat aircraft were dumped below cost in the U.S. market last year while benefiting from unfair subsidies. An April 2016 order for 75 CSeries jets from Delta Air Lines stemmed from the same harmful sales practices European rival Airbus SE employed to win business in the 1990s, according to Boeing. The Commerce Department's penalty against Bombardier will only take effect if the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) rules in Boeing's favor in a final decision expected in 2018. "We strongly disagree with the Commerce Department's preliminary decision," Bombardier said in a statement, calling the magnitude of the proposed U.S. duty "absurd." Commerce's announcement and accompanying fact sheet on the preliminary duty order did not provide any rationale or methodology for how it calculated the 220 percent duty. The CSeries starts at $79.5 million, according to list prices, but carriers usually receive discounts of about 50 percent. If imposed, the duties would more than triple the cost of a CSeries aircraft sold in the U.S. to about $61 million per plane, based on Boeing's assertion that Delta received the planes for $19 million each. Bombardier has disputed the $19 million sales figure. There are not that many Commerce countervailing orders that are this high, but it is lower than the 256 percent final duties slapped on Chinese cold-rolled steel last year. The timing is awkward because Canada and the United States are in a three-way negotiation involving Mexico to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement.. A source familiar with the Canadian governments thinking said the Boeing trade dispute was "separate" from the NAFTA talks. "This in no way is part of our conversation" the source said. "People should not read too much into this piece today." The spat between Boeing and Bombardier has snowballed into a bigger fight this month when British Prime Minister Theresa May asked President Donald Trump to intervene in the dispute to help protect jobs in Northern Ireland, where Bombardier is the largest manufacturing employer.. The United States has also faced opposition from a handful of American carriers and elected officials over potential U.S. job losses. Canada's foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland said Bombardier CSeries components are supplied by American companies that support almost 23,000 jobs in U.S. states, including Connecticut, Florida and New Jersey. "This is clearly aimed at eliminating Bombardier's C Series aircraft from the U.S. market," Freeland said. She added that Canada strongly disagrees with the anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations. Boeing said in a statement that the dispute "has everything to do with maintaining a level playing field and ensuring that aerospace companies abide by trade agreements." Bombardier's was unwilling to swallow the extra cost for airlines if the United States slaps duties on its CSeries jet, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. "We are confident...no U.S. manufacturer is at risk because neither Boeing nor any other U.S. manufacturer makes any 100-110 seat aircraft that competes with the CS100," Delta said in a statement. Duties could chill U.S. sales of the fuel-efficient CSeries, raising concerns over future orders and jobs in Canada and the United Kingdom. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had put his government's planned purchase of Boeing Super Hornet fighter jets on hold because of the trade dispute, saying it could not "do business with a company that's busy trying to sue us and put our aerospace workers out of business." 'NOT A SLAM DUNK' Boeing has argued that the military sale to the Canadian government and its petition against Bombardier are not linked. But the U.S. jetmaker has said the CSeries would not exist without hundreds of millions of dollars in launch aid from the governments of Canada and Britain, or a $2.5 billion equity infusion from the province of Quebec and its largest pension fund in 2015. To win its case before the ITC, Boeing must prove it was harmed by Bombardier's sales practices, despite not using one of its own jets to compete for the Delta order, Dan Pearson, a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute think tank in Washington, said before Tuesday's announcement. "This (ITC case) cannot be a slam dunk," said Pearson, a former ITC chairman. "I'm having a hard time figuring out how Boeing was harmed by this." Canada has pushed to settle the dispute. But one industry source said Boeing, which could gain some leverage with the Commerce Department's initial decision in its favor, sees the possible CSeries dumping as a long-term threat to its civilian airliner business. Bombardier stock has fallen about 15 percent over the past month on uncertainty around the duties and a rail venture. On Tuesday, Bombardier missed out an opportunity to strike a rail deal with Siemens, when the German company decided to combine its rail operations with French group Alstom. (Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal and Alwyn Scott in New York; Additional reporting by Alana Wise in New York and Tim Hepher in London; Writing by Denny Thomas; Editing by Peter Cooney and Grant McCool)
Policy
Bicameral Act Promotes Federal Grants for OER
Five members of Congress have introduced a new law to encourage colleges and universities to try out or expand their use of open educational resources (OER). This the third time legislation for the "Affordable College Textbook Act" has surfaced, but the first time it has found support from members of both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.
This evergreen issue continues to play in discussions about the affordability of college. According to the College Board, the average student budget for college books and supplies during the 2015-2016 academic year was $1,250. A survey done by public interest advocate U.S. PIRG found that two-thirds of students (65 percent) chose not to buy a textbook because of the cost, even though almost all of them worried it would negatively affect their grade.
Under the proposal, the U.S. Department of Education would set up a competitive grant program that would fund the creation and expansion of the use of open textbooks in higher education. Special consideration for the funding would go to those applicants that "demonstrate the greatest potential" for producing textbooks "that are of the highest quality"; that stand the best chance of being easily used and adapted by instructors; that address the highest enrollment courses; and that are created or adopted in partnership with other organizations that could help promote and distribute the books.
The act would expect the materials created with the grant money to be made freely available to anybody else who wanted to use them. It would also require schools that accept funding to complete a report on how effective the program was in helping students save on textbooks and require the General Accounting Office to provide Congress with a report at the three-year mark examining pricing trends of college textbooks.
One vocal supporter of the proposal is Daniel Williamson, the managing director of Rice University's nonprofit OpenStax, which produces and distributes numerous open textbooks. "A grant program is a phenomenal step toward more policies that improve student access and incentivize the use of [OER], Williamson said in a prepared statement. "As our government leaders look for ways to solve the college affordability problem, it's critical we closely examine the impact of free, quality, openly licensed resources."
Williamson added that the open textbook model is "proven." Currently, he said, 1.5 million students are using OpenStax textbooks during 2017-2018 academic year, saving an estimated $145 million. "A fiscal policy that encourages instructors and institutions to use OER and embrace the freedoms that they afford access never expiring, opportunities to customize, the ability to integrate with technology platforms could help improve college affordability and provide savings for students across the U.S. well into the billions," he asserted.
Many organizations, from the American Association of Community Colleges to SPARC and U.S. PIRG, are offering their support for the program. However, prospects for the latest legislative effort look no more promising than previous attempts. Neither house's measure currently has public Republican backing.
Congressional support for the act currently comes from Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Al Franken (D-MN) and Angus King (I-ME) and Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO-02) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ-09).
Funding, Grants & Awards
Delaware Tech CC Lands $1 Million to Develop Gene Editing Curriculum
Community college students in Delaware will soon have the opportunity to learn about gene editing thanks to a $1 million advanced technological education grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Awarded jointly to the Delaware Technical Community College and the Gene Editing Institute of Christiana Care's Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute, the grant is designed to support the development of a gene editing curriculum for students in community colleges.
John McDowell, biology and biotechnology teacher at Delaware Tech, and Eric Kmiec, director of the Gene Editing Institute, are lead investigators on the grant.
"The partnership between the Gene Editing Institute and Delaware Tech is an exciting opportunity to combine the talents of the research laboratory headed by Dr. Kmiec with the teaching expertise of instructors at Delaware Tech," said Mark T. Brainard, president at Delaware Tech, in a prepared statement. "Through the network of schools that participate in our workshops, we will be able to disseminate emerging techniques in gene editing."
McDowell and Kmiec plan to develop a curriculum that focuses on yeast genetics, mammalian tissue culture, sequence analysis and bioinformatics tools with a special focus on ethics.
"In Delaware, the majority of the bioscience majors continue their education at the University of Delaware before entering the workforce," McDowell said in a prepared statement. "Learning mammalian tissue culture and gene editing techniques at the undergraduate level at Delaware Tech will position students who go on to study bioscience at UD to be more competitive for academic advancement and ultimately for employment upon graduation."
The team also plans to use the award to develop effective methods to teach college instructors how to best teach gene editing in their own classrooms.
"Initially, we piloted the curriculum and the experimental exercise with community college instructors from around the country, as well as some student groups," said Kmiec in a news release. "The feedback and results have been overwhelmingly positive, and we have numerous requests already to share the developed curriculum across the country."
STEM
Rochester Institute of Tech Opens Center Focused on 'Computing Science for All'
RIT computer science students
The typical curriculum for a computer science major will probably do little to draw non-CS students to the field. An entry-level CS course at one well-known university, for example, says its students will be exposed to "basic programming methodology (engineering, modularity, documentation), data abstractions (stacks, queues, linked lists, hash tables, binary trees, generics and templates), recursion (procedural, backtracking), searching and sorting, and basic algorithmic analysis."
Such jargon often eclipses the fact that non-CS students could get a lot out of studying aspects of computer science. Liberal arts students, for instance, could learn how to create an app that analyzes political tweets or seeks historic instances of plagiarism. A science major might benefit from creating a database to find patterns in DNA. Or art majors might choose to develop a program that lets them change colors in photos on their phones.
That's the thinking behind a new initiative at the Rochester Institute of Technology, which is launching a center that will work to change how CS is introduced to learners. The hope for the Center for Computing Outreach, Research and Education (C-CORE), run out of RIT's B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing & Information Sciences (GCCIS), is that it will encourage people to engage in computing education, no matter what their interests and background.
"The Golisano College embraces a vision in which the computing domain is accessible to everyone, regardless of discipline, disability or diverse background," said Anne Haake, dean of the college, who is spearheading the launch of the center from within her college. CS professor Paul Tymann will serve as director.
"Computers have become part of the fabric of virtually every discipline, and I don't think you can be successful in today's society without having a basic understanding of how computing works," said Tymann, in a press release. "That's why we are looking to understand the computing needs of every discipline at RIT."
The center has already begun rethinking one of its mainstay courses: CSCI-101, the "Principles of Computing." That course was designed to introduce students to the "central ideas of computing" by having them engage in activities that would show "how computing changes the world and impacts daily lives." Now faculty are creating programming assignments that will feature activities more likely to match up with the interests of the specific students who take the class.
"I believe that all students should be exposed to computational thinking during their time at RIT," noted James Winebrake, dean of institute's College of Liberal Arts. "This is true whether these students are studying engineering, business, science or the liberal arts." The advantage they'll gain by having "digital and computational literacy," he added, will help them "stand out against graduates from other universities."
The mission of the new center also reaches beyond RIT's own curriculum. It will explore ways the institution can improve computing education for students in K-12 as well through outreach at libraries, schools and workshops. A third goal will be to rethink how the current digital native generation of CS students coming in with coding and programming skills should be taught.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Using older red blood cells to give transfusions to critically ill patients doesn't appear to affect their risk of dying, Australian researchers report.
It was once believed that fresh red blood cells were best suited for transfusions. But this new study adds to the evidence that older blood is just as good, if not better, the study authors said.
"Red blood cells for transfusion for critically ill patients are like a good red wine -- a little older, a little better," said researcher Dr. Jamie Cooper. He is professor and director of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Center at Monash University in Melbourne.
Study co-author Alistair Nichol added that a lot of inadequate research had suggested that fresher blood would be better to use in critically ill patients. Nichol is an associate professor of epidemiology and preventive medicine in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University.
The current practice is to use the oldest available blood, Nichol said. Red blood cells can be stored for up to 42 days, the researchers noted.
"But due to concerns about the use of older blood, some blood banks had been reducing the age of the blood they transfuse," Nichol said. Reducing the age of blood for transfusions, however, may result in more blood shortages, he pointed out.
"The current practice is safe and doctors no longer need to try and get the freshest available blood for their patients," Nichol said. He added that using newer blood to give transfusions to critically ill patients may be harmful.
Cooper said, "We found two unexpected findings which support the use of older blood."
Transfusion reactions were more common with fresher blood, and most seriously ill patients had better survival when they received older red blood cells, he explained.
In addition, using older blood will make more blood available for transfusions, Cooper said.
"Blood availability for transfusion will increase worldwide, because transfusion services will now avoid providing fresher blood for selected patient groups," he said.
"Countries who have reduced their blood storage time from 42 to 35 days through concerns about blood age should consider moving back to the standard 42 days," Cooper suggested.
From November 2012 through December 2016, the researchers randomly assigned nearly 5,000 critically ill patients to receive blood transfusions with either newer or older blood. The patients were from 59 medical centers in five countries -- Australia, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia.
Newer blood had been stored for an average of 11 days, while older blood was about 22 days old.
Ninety days after the transfusion, 24.8 percent of patients who received newer blood died, while 24.1 percent of those who had received older blood died, the findings showed.
After six months, the difference in deaths between those who received newer or older blood remained less than 1 percent.
According to Dr. Edward Murphy, a professor of laboratory medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, "These findings are consistent with other recent studies."
Stored blood deteriorates as it ages, and it was a concern that these changes in blood might harm patients, said Murphy, who was not involved with the new study.
For example, as blood gets older, the red cells get stiffer and might release iron as hemoglobin leaks out of the cells. There was also concern that the fluid and the plastic bags used to store the red blood cells might affect the cells, Murphy said.
"To my mind, the issue is settled that there is not a significant difference in outcomes related to how you store the blood cells," Murphy said. "It's reassuring that there is no difference."
The report was published online Sept. 27 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the presentation of the study findings at the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine meeting in Vienna, Austria.
More information
For more on blood transfusions, visit the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- One-third of older Americans take something to help them sleep, but most don't discuss their sleep problems with a doctor, a new survey finds.
"Although sleep problems can happen at any age and for many reasons, they can't be cured by taking a pill, either prescription, over-the-counter or herbal, no matter what the ads on TV say," said poll director Dr. Preeti Malani, a geriatric medicine specialist at the University of Michigan.
The survey included over 1,000 respondents, aged 65 to 80. Half incorrectly believed that sleep problems are just a natural part of aging, according to the National Poll on Health Aging.
Prescription, over-the-counter and so-called natural sleep aids carry health risks, especially for older adults, and national guidelines warn against the use of prescription sleep medicines by people older than 65.
But the survey found that 8 percent of all respondents said they take prescription sleep medicines regularly or occasionally, and that rate was 23 percent among those who said they had sleep troubles three or more nights a week.
"Some of these medications can create big concerns for older adults, from falls and memory issues to confusion and constipation," she explained in a university news release.
Most of those who took prescription sleep medicines had been taking them for years, even though the drugs are only for short-term use, according to manufacturers and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
"The first step for anyone having trouble sleeping on a regular basis should be to talk to a doctor about it," Malani said. "Our poll shows that nearly two-thirds of those who did so got helpful advice -- but a large percentage of those with sleep problems simply weren't talking about it."
The survey was conducted by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more on older adults and sleep.
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Beirut, September 27, 2017-Israeli security forces should immediately release Palestinian journalist Abdul Rahman Awad, a correspondent in Ramallah for the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian news agency Safa, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Israeli forces yesterday morning arrested Awad at his home in the village of Budrus, 19 miles (31 kilometers) northwest of Ramallah, according his employer and news reports.
Awads wife, Sana Abdel Hafez, told CPJ that Israeli security forces broke the main door of their house, and entered at 2 a.m. yesterday. According to Abdel Hafez, they told Awad to identify himself, and asked the journalist questions about his work. Awad wrote feature stories, and covered social and humanitarian issues relating to Palestinians living in the West Bank.
The security forces then took Awad to change clothes, arrested him, and transferred the journalist to an unknown location, according to his wife.
Abdel Hafez said her husband was not charged during the arrest, and she has not heard from him since security forces took him away.
Israeli security forces should stop arresting Palestinian journalists without charge, said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program coordinator Sherif Mansour. We call on Israeli authorities to immediately release Abdul Rahman Awad.
The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to CPJs request for comment.
Awads arrest follows an August 31 raid Israeli troops carried out on the Hebron office of the Fatah-affiliated al-Hurriya Media Network. In the same incident, the troops shuttered the Manbar al-Hurriya radio station for six months on the grounds that the broadcaster incited terrorist attacks.
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New York, September 27, 2017The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Ukrainian authorities to release Uzbek journalist Narzullo Okhunjonov. The journalist could face extradition to Uzbekistan, his lawyer, Aleksei Fyodorov, said.
A Kiev court today approved a 40-day detention period for Okhunjonov, who has been living in exile since 2013, Fyodorov told CPJ. Authorities detained Okhunjonov under an international arrest warrant on September 20, when he arrived in Ukraine with his family from Turkey to seek political asylum, according to Oksana Romaniuk, director of the Kiev-based Institute of Mass Information.
Okhunjonov was detained after authorities noted that his name was on an Interpol list, Romaniuk said. Uzbekistan filed the international warrant for Okhunjonov on a fraud charge. The journalist, who left Uzbekistan to avoid politically motivated persecution for his reporting, denies the charge, Fyodorov said. The lawyer said that he has filed an appeal.
We call on the Ukrainian government to free Narzullo Okhunjonov, allow him to remain in Ukraine, and reject any requests to extradite him, said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova. Okhunjonov is at serious risk of being imprisoned for his work in Uzbekistan, where journalists face prosecution for their critical reporting.
Okhunjonov writes critically, in Uzbek and Russian, from exile for sites including BBC Uzbek about Uzbekistans authoritarian government, particularly the late President Islam Karimov, Fyodorov told CPJ. Before he fled for Turkey in 2013, Okhunjonov headed a unit covering politics and education at the radio section of Uzbekistans state-run UzMTRK, Fyodorov said. Because of Turkeys deteriorating press freedom environment amid the failed coup attempt last year, Okhunjonov decided to leave the country, according to the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group.
In numerous interviews for regional and international media, Okhunjonov has criticized Uzbek authorities for corruption and human rights abuses. In his memoirs, published from exile, Okhunjonov said his troubles began after a February 2012 interview with the BBC, in which he criticized a government official who went on to become prime minister. A complaint against the journalist was filed in Uzbekistan in 2013 after he published criticism of the late president, Fyodorov said.
Cabinet approves Bilateral Investment Treaty between India and Belarus
Published: September 27, 2017
The Union Cabinet has approved signing and ratification of Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between India and Belarus on Investments. The Cabinet also approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Belarus in oil and gas sector.
Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT)
The BIT will increase investment flows between two countries. It is also expected to improve the confidence of investors resulting in increase in FDI and Overseas Director Investment (ODI) opportunities. It will also have positive impact on employment generation.
The signing and ratification of BIT will work as strategic initiative for India as Belarus is member of Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). India has already initiated BIT text with Kyrgyz Republic and is in talks with Russia for new BIT which are members of EAEU based on Model BIT text released in December 2015.
MoU in oil and gas sector
Under it, both sides will work towards establishing cooperation in areas of upstream and downstream activities, capacity building, enhanced oil recovery, technology transfer and development of mature fields in India. It is envisaged to enhance the economic and commercial cooperation between two countries in oil and natural gas sector. It will also promote bilateral relationship between India and Belarus.
India-Belarus Bilateral Relations
Indias relations with Belarus are traditionally warm and cordial. India was one of first countries to officially recognize Belarus as independent country in 1991. Bilateral relation between both countries is marked by broad understanding on issues of mutual interest.
Cooperation in science and technology and defence is important aspect of India-Belarus bilateral relations. Two-way bilateral trade amounted to US$ 402 million in 2016. The trade balance remains in favour of Belarus primarily on account of imports of Potash. Belarus has been supportive of Indias candidature for permanent seat at UNSC. Belarus also supported India at NSG meeting in Seoul in April 2016.
Month: Current Affairs - September, 2017
Topics: Bilateral investment treaty India-Belarus Oil and Gas Sector
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The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously turned down an appeal by Death Row inmate Cary Michael Lambrix, who is scheduled to be executed Oct. 5 for killing two people in 1983 near LaBelle.
The appeal, filed Aug. 31, contended, in part, that Lambrix was innocent because he killed in self-defense.
Lambrix was convicted of murdering Aleisha Bryant and Clarence Moore after meeting them at a bar and inviting them to his mobile home for a spaghetti dinner.
Lambrix argued that Moore assaulted and killed Bryant.
Lambrix said he tried to intervene and killed Moore in self-defense. But the Supreme Court, in a 14-page opinion Tuesday, rejected Lambrix's contention.
The opinion said the self-defense argument first emerged three years after Lambrix's trial. There is no evidence, other than Lambrix's self-serving belated assertions of self-defense, that supports his theory, the opinion said.
With the Oct. 5 execution nearing, Lambrix's attorneys also filed a brief Monday arguing that he should be resentenced because jurors did not unanimously recommend that he receive a death sentence.
The Supreme Court did not rule on that issue in Tuesday's opinion.
| Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
News Service of Florida, September 26, 2017
MK Robert Ilatov says legislation needed to send a 'clear and unequivocal' message on punishment for terrorism
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu party said Tuesday it will revive legislation applying the death penalty to convicted terrorists after a deadly terror attack in the settlement of Har Adar earlier in the day.
MK Robert Ilatov, who will submit the bill, said the legislation is necessary to deter future terrorists from carrying out attacks.
"The legislation needs to be clear and unequivocal. A terrorist who comes with the goal of murdering innocent citizens - his sentence is death," said Ilatov in a statement Tuesday.
Liberman and his Yisrael Beytenu party have long advocated introducing the death penalty for terrorists and the issue was one of the party's key campaign promises in the 2015 elections.
While the proposed legislation has previously failed to garner sufficient support, Liberman expects Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to support the bill, Channel 2 reported Tuesday.
Following a terror attack in July in the West Bank settlement of Halamish, in which a Palestinian stabbed to death 3 family members of the Salomon family as they celebrated the birth of a grandson in their home, Netanyahu said he supported the death penalty for the terrorist, saying it was a fitting punishment for a "base murderer."
Despite the comment by Netanyahu and a number of other top right-wing political figures at the time, an IDF prosecutor said the punishment is not Israeli policy, despite it being permissible under law.
In Israel, the death penalty is applicable only in limited circumstances, and has only been carried out once in a civilian court, against Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, one of the architects of the Final Solution, in 1962.
According to a poll in August, over 70 % of Jewish Israelis said they support the death penalty for terrorists.
The Knesset has several times rejected legislation that would apply the death penalty to Palestinian terrorists, including in Netanyahu governments.
Yisrael Beytenu's latest call for legislation mandating the death penalty for convicted terrorists came after Tuesday's terror attack in Har Adar, in which a Border Police officer and 2 security guards were shot dead by a Palestinian from a nearby village.
The terrorist, identified as Nimer Mahmoud Ahmad Jamal, a laborer from the nearby Bayt Surik village, was shot and killed by security forces at the scene, police said.
The victims - border policeman Solomon Gavriyah, 20, and civilian security guards Youssef Ottman, 25, from Abu Ghosh and Or Arish, 25, a resident of Har Adar - were all buried later Tuesday.
| Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
The Times of Israel, September 27, 2017
A veil of uncertainty shrouds federal health care policy. The latest effort to repeal and replace the troubled Affordable Care Act has stalled. Led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Democrats are lining up behind an unrealistic single-payer proposal that has no chance of passing.
States are not powerless to pursue their own policies that could substantially improve health outcomes, improve access, and reduce expenditure. Certificate-of-need laws require providers to obtain approval from the state regulators to open new health care facilities or invest in new technologies that would allow them to offer new services. Providers have to prove to regulators that the new services or facilities are needed, and existing providers can challenge new proposals.
As is the case in many policy areas, New York State was at the forefront of the rush to regulate the supply of health care providers. It became the first state to enact a certificate-of-need law in 1964. A decade later, the federal government made continued receipt of some federal contingent on the state enacting a certificate-of-need program. The requirement induced a wave of implementation at the state level, until Louisiana was the only state without some version in place. The federal government dropped this requirement in 1986, and 15 states have since repealed their certificate-of-need programs, although the rollback has slowed more recently. Only New Hampshire and Wisconsin have repealed their programs since 2000.
According to proponents, the laws were supposed to prevent competition that would lead to overinvestment in services and technologies, and the provisions would ensure access to care, maintain a high level of quality of care, and restrain health care costs. Despite these intentions, these laws have failed to deliver, and states with these laws in place should consider repealing them to improve their health care environment. For instance, a review from Matthew Mitchell found that although the regulations might reduce overall health care spending by reducing the amount of health services residents consume, certificate-of-need laws actually increase per unit health care costs.
These programs have also provided a direct mechanism for incumbent providers and facilities to block new potential competitors from entering the market by contesting their proposals. Existing hospitals have a vested interest in limiting the number of competing hospitals, leading to instances where proposed entrants are denied even if there entry would improve the health care environment for residents.
Thirty-five states and the District Columbia have certificate-of-need restrictions in place. The Mercatus Center has produced a new, comprehensive resource describing the various laws, which services are subject to the program, and how the laws correlate with other factors in the health care marketplace. Based on studies comparing states with such laws to those without, the Mercatus team provides estimates for how the provisions affect everything from per capita health care spending, to access, to outcomes such as post-surgery complications for each applicable state.
In many states, the improvements to the state health care environment would be substantial. For example, in Virginia a whole host of health care services require a certificate-of-need, from acute hospital beds and CT scanners to nursing home beds. The Mercatus team estimates that per capita health care expenditure would be $205 lower without a certificate-of-need law in effect. With reduced barriers to entry, the number of provider options would increase substantially: the authors estimate there would be 166 hospitals without the certificate-of-need law in effect, compared to 117 now. Quality would also improve, as post-surgery complications would fall by almost six percent. Across some of the most important metrics related to health care, Virginia would be better off without the certificate-of-need law.
These effects are not unique to Virginia. The health care market in most states with a certificate-of-need program still in place would improve if it were repealed. In Massachusetts, for example, total per capita health care spending would be $320 lower.
The majority of states have the ability to improve their health care markets. Certificate-of-need laws have failed to deliver their stated goals, and in many cases are counterproductive. Fifteen states have already repealed their certificate-of-need programs, and New Hampshire enacted a repeal just last year, allowing more competition and a higher number of facilities and services to be offered. States that still have some form of certificate-of-need program in place could improve access, quality of care, and restrain health care spending by removing barriers to entry and competition.
Charles Hughes is a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute. Follow him on Twitter @CharlesHHughes.
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Liberia has come a long way since the end of its second civil war in 2003. Since then, the economy grew by more than 7 percent per year, per capita income rose by nearly nine-fold, and life expectancy went from 53 to 61 years.
Liberia also made notable progress toward democracy. This includes the nurturing of a vibrant media and active civil society; civil service and public financial management reforms; and the rehabilitation of infrastructure, said USAID Acting Assistant Administrator for Africa Cheryl Anderson.
Over the past 10 years, the United States, Liberias largest bilateral donor, has dedicated significant resources to help Liberia remain on a path of democratic governance and stability.
Our programs in Liberia address the underlying structural and institutional problems that gave rise to fourteen years of civil strife and war, while at the same time tackling the countrys more immediate development needs, said Assistant Administrator Anderson.
On October 10th, Liberians will go to the polls to elect a new government. It is an historic election, because if it is successful, it will result in the countrys first peaceful democratic transition in more than 70 years. It also will mark a critical milestone in Liberia's progress toward a stable democracy.
However, Liberias National Elections Commission is facing a number of challenges that could complicate the elections, said Donald Yamamoto, Acting Assistant Secretary, of State for African Affairs. This includes poor infrastructure, inadequate funding, and heavy rain that could complicate election logistics.
We are providing comprehensive programming support to the Liberian National Elections Commission, civil society organizations, and media outlets in the run-up to the 2017 elections. In addition, our Ambassador is meeting with candidates running for president to emphasize the importance of peaceful elections, and a transition in government that builds upon the progress made in the last 12 years, he said.
This election is critical, not just for what the transition represents but because it will give Liberians the opportunity to elect a President well-equipped to lead the country towards a peaceful and prosperous future, he said.
We look to Liberias election as another positive step forward for democracy in West Africa.
Any genealogical tree can have unpleasant surprises. In the case of Jennifer Teege from Munich the surprise, which was discovered at random at a public library in Hamburg in 2008, became the difficult trauma that she exposes in My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me, a book that she published in Germany in 2013 and that now is being released in Spanish.
Jennifer Teege at the Goethe Institute in Madrid. ALVARO GARCIA
Her grandfather, the one who would not have tolerated her mixed-race origins, was Amon Goth, the Nazi commander of the Plaszow concentration camp in Krakow. Hes probably best known thanks to Ralph Fiennes depiction of him in the Steven Spielberg Holocaust movie Schindlers List, which portrayed his sadistic customs, including shooting camp prisoners from his balcony and flogging Jewish servants.
Genetic guilt does not exist, says Teege. My only responsibility as a German is to not shut up. I have fought a toxic secret.
Written with the journalist Nikola Sellmair, the book switches between the first-person voice of the granddaughter and the third-person voice of the reporter. It needed distance and the inclusion of other voices. It was a way to focus on my own journey without leaving out the rest of the story, she says.
Genetic guilt does not exist. My only responsibility as a German is to not shut up Jennifer Teege, granddaughter of Nazi leader
Teeges story is that of Monika Goth, her biological mother and sole daughter of the Nazi commander, and that of her grandmother Irene, who ended up committing suicide in 1983. When her mother was born, the Nazi officer was in prison. Under his command, at least 8,000 prisoners were killed and another 80,000, mostly Jewish men, women and children, were sent to the gas chambers of Auschwitz. In 1946, a year after the birth of his daughter, he was sentenced to death and hanged.
When Monika was six months old and her mother was walking her in a stroller, a man stabbed the baby in the neck. She was saved by a miracle. You father is a subject of your life, something that constitutes your identity. Something that has occupied me so much that perhaps I did not have space for other people, for the role of mother, for me, Teege writes in the book.
Teege is the fruit of her mothers affair with a young Nigerian. No, she wasnt trying to prove anything, Teege says of the mixed-race relationship. It was a true love story that didnt last long. Her mother handed her over to a childrens home and then to a foster family, given her inability to care for her. Since then, they have maintained a tortuous and intermittent relationship, one that has led Tegee to seek years of therapy for depression.
When Spielberg premiered Schindlers List, Goths persona became famous the world over. Monika Goth helped produce a book and a documentary about her father. It was that book that Teege discovered years later in a library in Hamburg. My mother has not spoken to me in a while, explains Teege. She has decided that it is going to be this way and I cant do anything. I could not say that I have forgiven her, but over time I have learned to empathize with her. Our relationship is very complicated. Isnt it always with a mother? she asks.
I have protected my children so that they know the truth without hurting them Jennifer Teege, granddaughter of Nazi leader
Each persons story is different, but the truth is that the relatives of many of the Nazis have grown up with a difficult burden to carry and without the opportunity to build an identity that is not tied to their family, she adds.
She touches on the stories of Bettina Goring, granddaughter of Hermann Goring, who had herself sterilized, or of Niklas Frank, son of Hans Frank, the governor general of Nazi-occupied Poland and one of the war criminals executed after the Nuremberg Trials, who wallows in guilt as he carries the photograph of his fathers corpse broken by the gallows in his wallet. For Teege, who has two children and a lives a well-off life as a publicist in Hamburg, the problem is not the past, but the silence: I have been transparent and careful with my children, she explains. I have protected them so that they know the truth without hurting them and when they are adults they can decide for themselves what to do with it.
Germany, she says, is an exemplary country when it comes to handling historical memory, despite the outcome of Sundays election, whose results will allow a far-right party to enter parliament for the first time since World War II. In her opinion, the problem is the refusal to want to learn from that memory: It is a global problem that politics has taken an emotional turn that is dangerous.
Teege is a serene and somewhat serious woman whose face only lights up when shes asked about her biological father, a tall and handsome man. I reunited with him a year ago, and I traveled to Nigeria with his wife and children. It was fascinating to get to know my African roots and to leave aside my mothers family for once.
English version by Debora Almeida.
US President Donald Trump and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy at the White House. MICHAEL REYNOLDS (EFE)
Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed support for Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on the issue of Catalonia at a joint press conference in the White House.
Asked by Spanish reporters about the conflict over the referendum scheduled for Sunday, and the possibility of a unilateral declaration of independence, the US president said: I would like to see Spain continue to be united.
I bet you if you had accurate numbers and accurate polling, youd find that they love their country, they love Spain
Donald Trump on the Catalans
Ive been watching that unfold, but its actually been unfolding for centuries. And I think that nobody knows if theyre going to have a vote. I think the President [Rajoy] would say theyre not going to have a vote. But I think that the people would be very much opposed to that, said Trump. I can say only speaking for myself, I would like to see Spain continue to be united.
There was a second question about Catalonia from foreign reporters at a news conference that focused on bilateral relations between Spain and the United States, the threat from North Korea, the crisis in Venezuela and the devastation caused by recent extreme weather conditions. No US journalist asked any questions about Catalonia during the session.
I think the people of Catalonia have been talking about this for a long time. But I bet you if you had accurate numbers and accurate polling, youd find that they love their country, they love Spain, and they wouldnt leave. So Im just for a united Spain, said Trump after being asked if the central government in Madrid and the Catalan government should enter into a dialogue.
I want us to go into a new stage where the rule of law, dialogue, and common sense will prevail
Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy
I really think the people of Catalonia would stay with Spain. I think it would be foolish not to. Because youre talking about staying with a truly great, beautiful, and very historic country, he added.
Speaking through an interpreter, Prime Minister Rajoy said that the decision to unilaterally declare independence is not something its not a decision I would make. Its a decision which will have to be made, or not, by the Catalan government. I think it would be very wrong.
After insisting that there can be no valid democratic referendum with guarantees because there are no ballots, no people at the polling stations, no electoral committee, Rajoy said that what would make sense in a situation such as this is to go back to common sense and put an end to this whole story. The only thing its doing is generating division, tensions, and its not contributing in any way to the citizen situation. So I want this to be resolved as soon as possible. And I want us to go into a new stage where the rule of law, dialogue, and common sense will prevail.
At this, the first official meeting between Rajoy and Trump at the White House, both leaders stressed their good relations in the fight against jihadist terrorism, and the positive outlook for trade and financial relations following the economic recovery.
The Catalan issue was barely touched upon at the meeting that both men held prior to the press conference. Spanish government sources said that Trump was not given any prepared answers, and that the US president spoke on his own inspiration.
English version by Susana Urra.
Spanish Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro. EL PAIS
Spains finance minister on Tuesday announced that he will not be taking the 2018 budget plan to the Friday Cabinet meeting as planned.
We lack assurances of support, said Cristobal Montoro.
Montoro wants to delay the budget presentation until after October 1, the date of the independence referendum that the Catalan government wants to hold in violation of Spanish legislation and court rulings.
A minority government has the obligation to seek backing
Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro
We trust that the budget will be definitively approved in early 2018. Its even possible that the new project will go into effect in January 2018, he added.
In the meantime, Montoro will extend this years budget.
The move illustrates how the Catalan crisis has created tension across the political spectrum, opening a new rift between the Popular Party (PP) executive and the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), whose backing the minority government needs.
In line with Spanish legislation, the government typically sends the budget blueprint to Congress before October 1. Parliamentary procedures usually extend around three months, including amendments in Congress and the Senate.
But the government will need the Basque nationalists five votes to push its budget bill through, and the party is withholding its support until after the Catalan conflict is resolved.
A minority government has the obligation to seek backing, and we still lack assurance regarding all of our support. We will keep working and making progress on the negotiations, said Montoro.
The government can already count on the reform party Ciudadanos, and it has made headway in gaining support from the two parties from the Canary Islands with parliamentary representation. Meanwhile, the main opposition Socialists (PSOE) refuse to back the PP on this subject.
English version by Susana Urra.
Officers with the Civil Guard, National Police and regional Catalan Mossos dEsquadra forces in Barcelona. PACO PUENTES
It might be a strategy, or it might be incompetence, but whatever the case or the interpretation, the conduct of the Spanish government right now in the face of what is possibly the biggest crisis of state the country has seen since the attempted coup on February 23, 1981 is disconcerting, insufficient, borderline irresponsible and, of course, deserving of firm condemnation.
It is the central government, not the public prosecutor, that must explain what is happening in Catalonia
Dramatic events are taking place on a daily basis in Catalonia, and now also outside the northeastern Spanish region. The uncertainty as to what might happen is growing by the minute, and, with it, the anxiety of citizens. What is happening? How serious is it? What could be the possible outcome? It is the central government in Madrid that must respond to these questions, not the attorney general. It is the central government, not the public prosecutor, that must explain day after day what is happening, the measures that are being taken and which measures will be taken in the future.
It is unacceptable that every time ministers make a statement statements that are always made on the hoof, in the hallways of Congress, or arriving or leaving a public act they limit themselves to repeating the mantra that the justice system is responsible for taking the pertinent measures.
EL PAIS has stated on a number of occasions that the Popular Party government led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy cannot hide behind the justice system in the face of a crisis on this scale. At these levels of the conflict, it is unacceptable for Rajoy and his ministers to carry on without facing the music in front of the whole country.
The conduct of the Spanish government right now is deserving of firm condemnation
Everything that has been done so far to stop the illegal referendum planned for October 1 to take place has been within the judicial sphere, and in the hands of judges, prosecutors and the Civil Guard. The only direct implication of a member of the Cabinet has been on a technical basis from Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro. A week has passed since the last public statement from Mariano Rajoy. Not even the government spokesperson is fulfilling his role.
Does the government really have nothing to say to its citizens, to those who live inside Catalonia, and those who live outside? Is it not necessary to explain the coercive measures that have been put in place by the justice system? Does the government not feel obliged to take responsibility for these measures? Is there not a project to defend, a plan to explain, a policy to implement?
The worst part is that suspicions now abound that, in effect, none of these things exist, and that total trust is being placed in the Civil Guard to be able to stop the referendum from happening, and that the problem will go away by itself afterwards. The government has no narrative of its own with which to counter the deceptive and false albeit clever and oft-repeated account of the pro-secessionists.
The government has no narrative of its own with which to counter the deceptive and false account of the pro-secessionists
There are four days to go until October 1. And it is very late for the central government to respond to the historic moment through which we are living. It is also late in the day to counteract the dreadful behavior of the pro-independence forces with the right policies. We are, however, in time for them to lead the way with the situation: for them to appear before the nation and offer the guarantees and expectations that are being demanded. By this stage, this will not avoid events from taking place on October 1, but it could still serve to try to create better conditions in which to take the political decisions that will no doubt be necessary immediately afterward.
English version by Simon Hunter.
Employees at Google Spain, the Spanish subsidiary of the US technology giant, earn an average gross yearly salary of 145,508. Thats according to the companys annual records, which have recently been filed with Spains Mercantile Registry. In 2016, the Spanish subsidiary of the search giant paid out 24.3 million in salaries distributed among its 167 workers , which, together with Social Security contributions, made for total personnel expenses of 34.75 million 16% higher than the previous year.
Entrance to the Google Spain offices in Madrid. GOOGLE
Company records also show Google Spain paid 6.48 million in corporate taxes in 2016, three times more than the 2.2 million it paid the previous year. The Tax Agency suspects that the Spanish subsidiary diverts much of its income to Ireland to avoid paying taxes. In June of last year, a team of Tax Agency officials showed up at the two sites that the technology giant has in Spain in search of evidence of fraud.
Google Spain paid 6.48 million in corporate taxes in 2016, three times more than the previous year
It is no secret that international tax legislation is incredibly complicated, said the company when asked about its fiscal policy in Spain. That legislation is created by governments, and our job is to comply, as we already do, with the law in every country we operate within. We paid a great deal of corporate taxes in 2016 [the effective rate] was 19.3%, and most of these taxes are paid in the United States, which is where our headquarters are, and that is how the international tax system operates. We believe that simpler and more transparent legislation in this regard would be the best solution.
The companys administrators explain in their annual report that their books are open for inspection in terms of both sales tax (VAT) payments for the period of 2012 to 2014, and corporate taxes between 2011 and 2014. Although the firm admits that these inspections constitute a contingent liability, this is not reflected in its accounts, because, it says, it believes that it is not probable that it will need to pay more, considering that the amount of any economic profits to be transferred can be reliably estimated.
Google Spain saw profits of 19.47 million in 2016, almost four times more than the previous year, which saw it register 5.3 million. Revenue in Spain was 92.3 million last year, a 38.5% increase, although real income from Google activity in the country is much higher.
We have more employees, more investments in Spain, which is equivalent to more revenue for Google in Spain Company spokesperson
The company notes in its management report that the increase in sales is attributable to a higher demand for company services and a revised price structure. A spokesperson for Google Spain did not clarify which revision it was referring to in its accounts. We have more employees, more investments, and more expenses in Spain, which is equivalent to more revenue for Google in Spain, the spokesperson added.
As in previous years, auditors warned that Google Spain carries out a significant part of its operations for companies in the same group. In fact, 97% of the turnover of the Spanish subsidiary comes from Google Ireland. The company has a contract with Google Inc. for the provision of related research and development services and a contract with Google Ireland Limited for marketing and support services, under the the Google group, according to the companys accounts. The bulk of revenue of the Spanish subsidiary, 89.92 million, comes from the Irish affiliate. The remainder, 2.4 million, is obtained through operations with its US parent company.
English version by Debora Almeida.
Referendum information stand at Barcelona University. C. MARTINEZ / C. CORDOBA
After being told to seal off premises likely to be used as voting stations for Sundays planned independence referendum, the Catalan police have warned state prosecutors that following these orders could pose public order problems.
Josep Lluis Trapero, head of the Mossos dEsquadra force, said there could be problems ensuring citizen safety and talked about a predictable risk of public order disturbances on a day when Catalans have been asked by their regional government to vote in an illegal referendum that violates Spanish legislation, and which has been suspended by the courts.
Lets remind the government of Spain that prudence is good for everyone, including for the Attorney General
Pedro Sanchez, PSOE secretary general
He added that officers will act with proportionality to avoid undesired consequences.
Some groups in the education community have already called for volunteers to keep these centers open on Sunday.
Faced with the latest news and events, individuals with ties to the education community have come together to express our rejection to sealing off the schools, and are calling upon citizens to open up the schools, to open up to democracy, said Josep Maria Cervello, spokesman for the Escoles Obertes project.
Cervello underscored that they are supporting a civic, orderly and peaceful mobilization that excludes any kind of confrontation with law enforcement.
Protesters outside the economy department building in Barcelona on September 20. EFE
Meanwhile, students at Barcelona University have been working in shifts for several days now, manning street stands where they are handing out ballot papers and providing information about the planned October 1 poll. Volunteers say they have handed out hundreds of voting papers since Friday.
Nobody has said anything to us, not the [National] police and not the Mossos, said an 18-year-old English Studies major as she used her cellphone to help a couple find their nearest voting station.
Nobody has said anything to us, not the police and not the Mossos
University student handing out ballot papers
Despite continuing action by the Spanish judiciary against the logistics of the vote including a major court-ordered raid against Catalan government agencies last week to seize voting material the Catalan government insists that there will be ballot boxes out on October 1.
But regional government spokesman Jordi Turull this week admitted that voting guarantees have been crushed by these actions. The Civil Guard has arrested 14 people, seized voting material, and the electoral board in charge of the recount was recently dissolved after facing thousands of euros in fines. The Mossos have also been instructed to identify individuals in charge of schools and other centers that will house the ballot boxes, and to prevent street voting within a 100-meter radius.
Sedition
Meanwhile, Spains central High Court, the Audiencia Nacional, on Wednesday agreed to investigate a public prosecutor complaint against Barcelona protestors who congregated outside the regional economy department on the night that the Civil Guard raided this and other agencies in search of material for the vote.
Judge Carmen Lamela will investigate suspects for the crime of sedition, after Civil Guard patrol cars were vandalized and officers had to be escorted out of the building by the Mossos dEsquadra, the Catalan police force.
The prosecution claims that the ultimate goal of the protestors was to break up the organization of the Spanish state, and thus represents an attack against the form of government.
Political suicide
Despite their show of unity, several statements made this week by Catalan officials suggest that even if a referendum takes place on Sunday, it will not necessarily lead to an immediate and unilateral declaration of independence, as leaders had earlier been proposing.
Regional premier Carles Puigdement told a French television station that after the vote, he wants to open up a transitional period of talks with Spain and the EU. And Carles Campuzano, the parliamentary spokesman for PDeCAT the larger of the partners that form the governing coalition Junts pel Si (Together for Yes) said on Tuesday that such a declaration of independence does not show up on his partys platform, and that it is absolutely ruled out no matter what the outcome on October 1.
Puigdemont has decided to commit suicide, said Mariano Goma, president of Societat Civil Catalana, Catalonias main civic association that opposes independence. We have no doubt that the referendum will not be held because it violates all laws. There might be a mobilization or a mock vote, but it will have no meaning and no institutional support.
But following rumors that Puigdemont himself could be accused of rebellion if he proclaims independence, the secretary general of the Spanish Socialists, Pedro Sanchez, called for political prudence.
Lets remind the government of Spain that prudence is good for everyone, including for the Attorney General, said Sanchez at a speech inside the Senate.
The Mariano Rajoy administration is being chided by some for going too far in Catalonia, while others claim that it is doing too little to stop the illegal referendum. In the meantime, Rajoy has fallen back on the judiciary to halt the vote, while failing to address the nation about his long-term plans for what many agree is the biggest crisis facing Spain since the failed coup of 1981.
Barca match Ramon Besa The vice-president of FC Barcelona soccer club, Jordi Cardoner, said on Wednesday that the team will wear the regular red-and-blue shirts in the Liga game against Las Palmas at Camp Nou, even though some fan groups have asked them to wear the colors of the Catalan flag. "We will go out on the pitch and train with the senyera [a shirt with the red-and-yellow colors of the Catalan flag] and then we will play with the red-and-blue shirts. And we will wear the senyera on the hems of our shirts and in our hearts." Its not going to be a normal day, its going to be a historic day for the country, but the show that is soccer must go on normally, added Cardoner. Its an important day for Catalonia, and Barcas interests have to be compatible with those of a majority of Catalans, and we need to hold the match normally.
English version by Susana Urra.
The founder of whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, gave an interview to private Catalan-language radio station RAC1 on Wednesday, just four days ahead of the planned vote on independence in Catalonia. During his appearance on the station, he stated that the European Union would end up interceding between Catalonia and Spain as a consequence of the secessionist challenge, and that, in his opinion, the Spanish government is applying very serious repression by European standards. Those were not the only false statements he made, however. Here are the eight lies that Assange stated.
Julian Assange speaks to university students in Barcelona on Tuesday via videolink. PACO PUENTES
1. Very serious repression by European standards
In reality, what the president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, has stated is that any action against the Constitution of a member State is an action against the legal framework of the European Union. As such, the cautionary measures ordered by the Spanish justice system against the organization of the illegal referendum are justified.
2. There will be a European response. It will take time, but I believe that this type of repression is very dangerous
All of the statements made by the European Union have indicated scrupulous respect for the internal process in Spain and the decisions taken by the justice system. According to the European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, its an internal organization issue related to constitutional agreements.
3. This type of repression could be applied to other regions of Spain.
The only police measures that have been taken in Catalonia respond to orders from the public prosecutor in the face of a number of offenses, many of which are related to sedition and the breakdown of the constitutional order. There are no such cases open in any other Spanish region for similar regions.
4. There has been a series of attacks against freedom of expression in the Catalan process. Such as going to websites and arresting those who built them, accusing them of sedition and forcing them to close their sites.
On September 20, 14 people were arrested, some of them members of the regional government and some business figures, for taking part in the organization of an independence referendum that was declared illegal and for other offenses related to sedition.
During the operation, no media outlet or journalist was prohibited from the right to freedom of expression. The Civil Guard searched the offices of media outlets such as El Vallenc because they were being used for logistical activities related to the illegal referendum, such as printing ballot papers. No journalist or media outlet has had any kind of information or opinion on independence censored. Many media outlets, including ones funded with public money, have come out in favor and continue to do so of the independence process. The only websites that have been closed around 140 in total, including referendum.cat are related to the organization of an illegal referendum and which are issuing citizens with an allegedly criminal call to vote on independence.
5. Spain is headed toward a censorship model like that of China
According to the Censorship Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders in 2017, Spain occupies the 29th place out of 189 countries on the issue, and has risen five places compared to 2016. The main reservations of the organization are related to Spains so-called Gag Law. China occupies the 176th place due to its systematic censorship of the internet and its detailed and exhaustive control of the press. Whats more, there are more journalists locked up there than in any other country in the world.
6. Catalonia can go to the European Court of Human Rights and in the UN there are organizations that deal with these issues
When a European court is resorted to, it must be proven that a state has violated the right of the Union, something that is not happening in Catalonia. First: the right to independence is not recognized in the EUs Charter of Fundamental Rights. Second: There are several application protocols of the Charter that cannot be interpreted on the margins of the Unions treaties, which guarantee the territorial integration of all member states. Whats more, the internal process in Spain must be exhausted before turning to international courts, something that has not yet happened, given that the process is still open.
The only element that remains from Assanges arguments is to call for the right to self-determination via the United Nations, which recognizes the free determination of colonies. But Catalonia is not, nor has it ever been, a colony. Citizens of a region can request the right to self-determination, but based on the fact that they are being denied their fundamental rights, such as the right to free expression or the ability to organize elections that are free, agreed upon and with guarantees, something that has not happened in Catalonia.
7. I dont see any Russian intervention nor any Russian interests in this matter
A detailed analysis by the Hamilton 68 service, from the Alliance for Securing Democracy, has shown that the 600 accounts associated with official Russian interests have helped a number of issues related to Catalonia to become trending topics on Twitter. This newspaper has published more detailed analyses that point toward this interference.
8. I have been detained in the United Kingdom without charge for seven years
In May the Swedish prosecutor shelved an accusation of alleged rape in 2010, an offense that Assange has always denied happened. He has spent the last five years living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid being extradited to Sweden. After the shelving of the case, the British authorities canceled a warrant for his arrest, as UK daily The Guardian revealed. There is no proof that there are any US extradition requests against Assange for the revelations made public via the WikiLeaks release of a huge trove of US diplomatic cables, and which were published at the time of their release by EL PAIS.
The book publishing industry in Iran is suffering from a lethal disease, branded as the Publishers Cancer, the head of Irans Publishers and Booksellers Union (IPBU) has lamented.
Mahmoud Amouzgar, who is also the spokesman for the Taskforce to Combat Illegal Printing and Circulating Books, maintains that necessary seriousness has yet to be seen in fighting the so-called disease.
The self-appointed task force was recently launched after IPBU and Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry signed an agreement to stop the copying, printing, and publishing of books already produced and circulated by the publishers.
As an example, Amouzgar cited a publisher who illegally reprinted books already owned and published by 40 different publishers.
Whenever a publisher decides to legally sue those behind illegal reprintings, they are threatened, he said.
Under [Ahmadinejad's] policies, many books already published by our house were listed as unlicensed. Therefore, these books were illegally reprinted, circulated and helped book smugglers to grow.
However, he stopped short in his interview with Iran Labor News Agency (ILNA) of elaborating on the identity of book smugglers or the type and the nature of the alleged threats.
Meanwhile, the IBPUs head insisted, Hopefully soon, after completing our discussions on different aspects of the publishing industrys problems, the number of publishers willing to seriously sue book smugglers will grow.
Another main concern of the publishers in Iran roots in the fact that their products are illegally circulated on the Internet, as well, Amouzgar said on September 21.
One of the reasons behind the success of book smugglers is that they present other publishers products much cheaper since they pay no copyright to the authors or translators.
Meanwhile, the manager of Qoqnous Publishing House, Amir Hosseizadegan, said that the supervisory policies of former President Mahmud Ahmadinejads government have led to the spread of the book-smuggling business in Iran.
Under those policies, many books already published by our house were listed as unlicensed. Therefore, these books were illegally reprinted, circulated and helped book smugglers to grow, Hosseinzadegan said. We did not protest illegal reprinting of our products because we did not want to deprive the people of reading our banned books.
Many books banned under Ahmadinejad were reviewed and licensed again under Hassan Rouhani, but the greedy book smugglers have reaped a fortune that encourages them to stay in and carry on their illegal business, he said.
In a note for Irans Books News Agency (IBNA), prominent translator Assadollah Amraei also complained, Illegally circulating a book amounts to selling stolen property, calling upon the authorities to seriously step in.
Iranian publishers are unhappy with what they deem a cancer at a time when foreign authors have long objected to their works being translated into Persian, published, and sold in Iran and Afghanistan without their consent or respecting their copyrights.
Iran is not a party to Berne Convention, an international agreement governing copyright, which was first accepted in Berne, Switzerland, in 1886.
Iran has long attempted to join the World Trade Organization but one prerequisite for its membership is accession to the Berne Convention.
Reportedly, there are currently more than 12,000 licensed publishers in Iran.
Iranian Parliament has reviewed the referendum on independence in Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region in a closed session, Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA) reported on September 27.
Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council, was reportedly the guest speaker. According to the report published by ICANA, Mr. Shamkhani briefed the legislators about "regional developments".
Speaker Ali Larijani, later confirmed the topic of the meeting was the Kurdish referendum.
The session was held as a follow-up to an array of disparaging remarks against the Kurdish referendum by Iranian officials.
ICANAs report did not contain further details about the meeting between Mr. Shamkhani and the Parliament members.
Iran, along with neighboring Turkey, the United States and the UN have already voiced concerns about the consequences of the vote. They say any effort by the Kurds to found a new state could further escalate tensions in a region already besieged by years of armed conflict and war.
A few hours after the polling stations had opened in Iraq's Kurdish region, the local Islamic Republic Broadcasting (IRIB) channel, carried reports of street rallies in a few Kurdish-populated cities in Iran. Mahabad and Sanandaj are two key Kurdish-populated cities that have witnessed rallies.
Based on reports on social media by eyewitnesses, there were some clashes with security forces and demonstrators chanted slogans in solidarity with Iraqi Kurds.
The recent referendum in Iraq's Kurdistan region, took place in the three provinces that officially make up the Kurdish autonomous region -- Dahuk, Irbil, and Sulaimaniya -- and some neighboring areas. These areas include disputed cities such as oil-rich Kirkuk, Makhmour, Khanaqin, and Sinjar, over which Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have established control while fighting against Islamic State militants who captured large parts of Iraq in 2014.
210 Iranian MPs have branded the referendum on independence in Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region, KRG, as illegal and conspiracy.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, September 27, the legislators said Taking into account the Iraqi governments position that categorically rejects the KRGs referendum as illegal, as well as taking into account the U.N.s position on the case, we, the members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, firstly believe that creating crisis in Iraq is detrimental to its democratic path and, secondly, any secessionist measure is [also] harmful to the Iraqi nation and the entire region.
Earlier on the day, the Parliament had reviewed the plebiscite in a closed session with the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council as guest speaker.
Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) also cited the legislators statement as saying, The Iraqi people adopted the constitution and formed the central government in a democratic way and also cleared Iraq from ISISs presence with national unity. But conspiracies against Iraq have not ended and now the illegal referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan can damage this national unity and territorial integrity".
Condemning the KRGs referendum, the statement says, We support the decisions made by the Iraqi parliament and government and call upon the [Islamic Republic of Irans] administration to respond to Iraqs central government and prepare the necessary means to cooperate with it and in no way let the Zionists [Israel] adventurism occur in Iraq.
Israel has supported KRGs separation from Iraq and in recent months, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli politicians have repeatedly welcomed the secession in more explicit ways.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Israel to stop supporting independence-seeking behavior in KRG, otherwise Ankara will halt the process to normalize its relations with Tel Aviv.
We support the decisions made by the Iraqi parliament and government and call upon the [Islamic Republic of Irans] administration to respond to Iraqs central government and prepare the necessary means to cooperate with it and in no way let the Zionists [Israel] adventurism occur in Iraq.
Iranian government official News Agency, IRNA reported on Wednesday that Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council, was present in parliament's closed session to review the KRGs referendum and latest regional developments.
Speaker Ali Larijani, later confirmed the topic of the meeting was the Kurdish referendum.
According to the spokesman of the Iranian parliament board of directors, Behrooz Nemati, Shamkhani insisted that the Islamic Republic does not recognize the KRGs referendum.
However, Shamkhani reportedly has commented that the dispute should be addressed through diplomatic channels.
The closed session was held as a follow-up to an array of disparaging remarks against the Kurdish referendum by Iranian officials.
Nevertheless, the parliaments deputy speaker and Tehrans MP, Ali Motahari has urged the Islamic Republic authorities to avoid oversensitivity against the plebiscite, since the case of ethnicity is on the table and Kurds support the referendum.
On Monday night, thousands of Kurdish people in favor of KRGs secession from Iraq took to the streets in Erbil, to celebrate.
A few hours after the polling stations had opened in Iraq's Kurdish region, the local Islamic Republic Broadcasting (IRIB) channel, carried reports of street rallies in a few Kurdish-populated cities in Iran. Mahabad and Sanandaj are two key Kurdish-populated cities that have witnessed rallies.
Based on reports on social media by eyewitnesses, there were some clashes with security forces and demonstrators chanted slogans in solidarity with Iraqi Kurds.
Meanwhile, Political, Social and Security deputy to West Azarbaijan provinces governorship, Alireza Radfar had earlier declared that no license was issued for rallies on the referendum.
Yet, the Islamic Republics news agency, IRIB, under the title of Supportive Gathering said on Tuesday, People of [Iranian] Kurdestan held rallies to congratulate the people of [Iraqi] Kurdistan who speak the same language as they do.
The recent referendum in Iraq's Kurdistan region, took place in the three provinces that officially make up the Kurdish autonomous region -- Dahuk, Irbil, and Sulaimaniya -- and some neighboring areas. These areas include disputed cities such as oil-rich Kirkuk, Makhmour, Khanaqin, and Sinjar, over which Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have established control while fighting against Islamic State militants who captured large parts of Iraq in 2014.
By RFE/RL
Turkey accused the head of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region of "treachery" for pursuing an independence referendum, while the Iraqi government threatened to ban flights into Kurdish regional airports.
The rhetoric from both Ankara and Baghdad September 26 ratcheted up pressure on the Kurdish region following the referendum vote a day earlier.
Initial results showed 72 percent of eligible voters had taken part and an overwhelming majority, possibly over 90 percent, had said "yes," according to Kurdish television Rudaw. Final results were expected September 27.
Some 30 million ethnic Kurds live in Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria, and regional governments fear the spread of separatism from northern Iraq to their own Kurdish populations.
In a speech in Ankara on September 26, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Turkey blocks Kurdish trucks from crossing the border, and he said all options, including economic and military, were on the table.
Turkey in particular has seen the vote as a threat to its national security and fears it will inflame separatism among its own Kurdish population.
"This referendum decision, which has been taken without any consultation, is treachery," Erdogan said, threatening again to cut off the pipeline that carries oil from northern Iraq to the outside world.
Erdogan's remarks came after the Iraqi government also ruled out talks on possible secession for Kurdish-held parts of northern Iraq.
"We are not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional," Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said in a speech.
Abadi also gave the Kurdish authorities until September 29 to hand over control of its airports or face an international air embargo.
Just hours after polls closed on September 25, the Iraqi Defense Ministry announced the launch of "large-scale" joint military exercises with Turkey.
In Tehran, the Iranian parliament announced it would hold a closed-door meeting on the referendum. Meanwhile, in northwestern regions along the Iraqi border, thousands attended demonstrations in support of the referendum in Kurdish-majority cities of Baneh, Saghez and Sanandaj.
The referendum took place in the three provinces that officially make up the Kurdish autonomous region -- Dahuk, Irbil, and Sulaimaniya -- and some neighboring areas.
These areas include disputed cities such as oil-rich Kirkuk, Makhmour, Khanaqin, and Sinjar, over which Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have established control while fighting against Islamic State militants who captured large parts of northern Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014.
The UN -- as well as the United States and other Western powers -- expressed concern that the referendum would pull attention away from the efforts to defeat IS.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert criticized the referendum.
"The United States' historic relationship with the people of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region will not change in light of today's non-binding referendum, but we believe this step will increase instability and hardships for the Kurdistan region and its people," she said.
In New York, UN chief Antonio Guterres also said he was concerned about the "potentially destabilizing effects" of the referendum.
While saying he supported "the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq," Guterres called for "structured dialogue and constructive compromise" between Baghdad and Kurdish leaders to resolve their differences.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa
By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
Artillery warehouses on a Ukrainian military installation exploded late on September 26 in Kalynivka near the city of Vinnytsya in Ukraine, forcing an evacuation of residents, police and local residents said.
Witnesses said that after an initial loud explosion, bright flashes were visible in the night sky. Some residents said they feared the smoke and fire from the explosion might produce toxic gases.
Local media reported that the explosive wave knocked out the windows in the Kalynivka district state administration, where an emergency headquarters for teams seeking to put out the explosions and fire was later gathered.
Witnesses said the sound of explosions could be heard as far away as Kyiv, which is 260 kilometers to the northeast. Local media said that in Kalynivka, officials turned off the lights and disconnected gas and electricity supplies and told people to leave their homes.
Shortly after the explosions, the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Viktor Muzhenko, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman arrived in Vinnytsya, authorities said.
The national police said police were evacuating people from Kalynivka and were working to ensure the protection of their property from looters. The deputy head of the national police, Oleksandr Fatsevych, was dispatched to Vinnytsya.
Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Information Policy Dmytro Zolotukhin said the explosion was an apparent accident and authorities are working to bring the situation under control while evacuating residents.
Zoryan Shkiryar, an adviser to the head of the Interior Ministry, said on Facebook that he was "convinced that this is a hostile Russian sabotage," and said it was the seventh fire at military warehouses in Kalynivka.
He said a state commission of inquiry will be set up to investigate the cause of the explosions.
A volunteer of the Avtoevrozile organization of Vinnytsya, Ihor Rumyantsev, told RFE/RL that he saw about 10 buses arrive to evacuate people. He said he was helping to evacuate residents, giving priority to women and children.
Early on September 27, Rumyantsev said the explosions started to increase, doubling in size, prompting people to hide in their cellars.
Rumyantsev said the railway connection in the area had completely stopped. Ukrzaliznytsya reported a change in railroad routes due to the explosions.
An employee of the Vinnytsya Oblast Council, Iryna Yaroshynska, confirmed the rerouting of trains going through Kalynivka.
Ukraerocenter closed the airspace within a radius of 50 kilometers from the zone of explosions in the military warehouses, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Yuriy Lavrenyuk said on Facebook.
Residents posted video online showing what appeared to be a fire burning, lights flashing, and smoke billowing into the night sky.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva Trend:
Another tiny French city decided to please the Armenian lobby in France by signing a declaration of friendship with the illegitimate regime of Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region occupied by Armenians and of course, not for free.
The delegation of Frances Decines-Charpieu city visited Chartar city in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and signed a declaration of friendship with Yerevans puppet regime.
Another "favorite" of Armenian diaspora in France, namely, mayor of Decines-Charpieu city Laurence Fautra flew to the Nagorno-Karabakh region for a reward, without notifying Baku of course, violating all international norms and rights.
Meanwhile, in May 2015, mayor of small Armenian-inhabited Villeurbanne town of France received Bako Sahakyan, so-called head of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Surprisingly, during the meeting an agreement was signed between the representatives of Villeurbanne and Azerbaijani city of Shusha, which has been under the Armenian occupation for more than 20 years.
It is clear that all these visits and concluded agreements, which remain only on paper, are the result of financial relations between low-level French officials and big Armenian diaspora in France.
On the other hand, the provocative actions of French officials, contrary to Pariss official position, either show that the French authorities are either weak or encourage the countrys officials to use double standards in political issues.
The French Foreign Ministry did try to soften the insult. For example, in 2014, after mayor of Bourg-les-Valence city Marlene Mourier paid an illegal visit to the occupied Azerbaijani territories and signed a document mentioning the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which contradicts the French legislation, the French Foreign Ministry made a special statement on support for Azerbaijans territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Perhaps, this time Paris will understand that the agreements on behalf of the Azerbaijani cities, occupied by the Armenian invaders are another insult to the Azerbaijani refugees.
Headline changed, details added (first version posted on 10:17)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
Trend:
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today received State Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Belarus Stanislav Zas.
The head of state hailed the successful development of friendly and brotherly ties between Azerbaijan and Belarus in a variety of fields, including in security, economy, energy, trade, military and technical cooperation.
Noting the importance of reciprocal high-level visits, and a number of joint projects implemented by the two countries in terms of strengthening bilateral relations, President Aliyev added that Azerbaijan is keen to further expand bilateral relations with Belarus.
The head of state also underlined the two countries mutual support in international organizations.
Pointing out the area of security, President Aliyev noted that there are a number of issues that the two countries can discuss and cooperate on.
The head of state underlined the growing threats in the world, saying security issues have become a key priority for countries. President Ilham Aliyev also hailed good contacts between Azerbaijan and Belarus in this field, and noted the importance of expanding cooperation in security area.
State Secretary Stanislav Zas extended greetings and best wishes of President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to President Aliyev.
He noted that Belarus hails the Azerbaijani presidents attention to the strengthening of relations between the countries and peoples, adding that the Belarusian president expresses his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for this.
Stanislav Zas praised the development of bilateral relations in all fields.
He said that trade between Azerbaijan and Belarus increased by 10 percent as a result of the work done. Stanislav Zas noted that his country is looking forward to President Aliyevs visit to Belarus.
The head of state thanked for the greetings of Alexander Lukashenko, and asked the state secretary to extend his greetings to the Belarus president.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
Trend:
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has sent a congratulatory letter to his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic over the 20th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said Sept. 27.
The past 20 years were marked by sustainable development of Azerbaijani-Serbian ties in the political, economic, scientific, cultural and humanitarian spheres, said the letter.
Mammadyarov noted in his letter that over all these years, Azerbaijan and Serbia have supported each other within international organizations.
He expressed gratitude for the principled position of Serbia on the speedy settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the principle of territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan.
With the signing of the Declaration on Friendly Relations and Strategic Partnership by the two countries presidents on February 8, 2013, bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Serbia reached a new level, the letter said.
The Azerbaijani foreign minister noted in his letter that the declaration opened new prospects for further expansion of Azerbaijani-Serbian cooperation and expressed confidence that the goals outlined in the declaration will be successfully implemented in subsequent years.
In turn, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic in his letter sent to the Azerbaijani foreign minister, noted that along with the strengthening of relations of brotherhood and mutual respect, stable basis for long-term and close cooperation between the two countries has emerged over the past period.
The Serbian minister expressed satisfaction with the development of strategic partnership and traditional friendly relations between Serbia and Azerbaijan.
He also expressed hope for the continuation and successful development of mutual cooperation in various fields through joint efforts.
The Serbian minister also expressed gratitude for Azerbaijans principled position in the issue of protecting Serbian territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Samir Ali Trend:
Baku will host an international conference on results of the Year of Islamic Solidarity on December 21, said Rashad Aliyarli, a representative of the Caucasian Muslims Office, at a press conference in Baku on Sept. 27.
Aliyarli noted that the conference is expected to be attended by religious leaders. Meanwhile, messages of Pope and other spiritual leaders will be read out at the conference.
Under an order by Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev, 2017 was declared the Year of Islamic Solidarity in Azerbaijan with the aim of providing the strengthening of Azerbaijans unique position in re-establishment of the Islamic solidarity.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
Trend:
The farewell ceremony with the prominent scientist Lotfi Zadeh will be held at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) on September 29, ANAS Vice-President Isa Habibbayli told Trend Sept. 27.
The ceremony will be attended by political and public figures, scientists.
Lotfi Zadeh, the creator of fuzzy logic, passed away on September 6, at the age of 96.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Ilhama Isabalayeva Trend:
The number of tourists visiting Azerbaijan increased by 23.1 percent in eight months of 2017 as compared to the same period of 2016, said the countrys Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev.
He made the remarks at a briefing dedicated to the World Tourism Day in Baku Sept. 27.
Garayev noted that the number of foreigners visiting Azerbaijan rose by 11.7 percent in 2016 as compared to 2015.
In January-August 2017, 1.818 million people visited Azerbaijan, he added.
The minister went on to say that more than 860,000 people were accommodated in hotels in the period.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Ilhama Isabalayeva Trend:
More than four million of tourists from Azerbaijan traveled abroad during the first eight months of 2017, said the countrys Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev.
He made the remarks at a briefing dedicated to the World Tourism Day in Baku Sept. 27.
The minister noted that almost 1.295 million people visited the regions of the country in the mentioned period.
He further said that tourists spent 730.938 million manats in Azerbaijan that is 2 percent more than in the same period of 2016.
Azerbaijani citizens, who visited foreign countries, spent 600 million Azerbaijani manats. Tourism industry is already making a significant contribution to the state budget of the country, added Garayev.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
Trend:
EY Azerbaijan sponsored a conference entitled Transfer Pricing: its Implementation and International Practice on 26 September 2017. The event was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan (AmCham) jointly with Big Four companies.
The speakers of the conference from EY were Ulvi Yusifov, EY Tax Senior Manager, and Igor Chufarov, EY Ukraine Transfer Pricing Partner.
The presentations and discussions provided insights into the principles of transfer pricing and the application of transfer prices throughout the world in general and the CIS in particular.
During the event, Igor Chufarov shared information on comparable transactions for transfer pricing purposes with the participants. Moreover, he provided an overview of common sources and databases, and shared the experience of CIS countries with a particular focus on Ukraine.
Further, Ulvi Yusifov focused on the search for information on comparable transactions for various types of transaction under Azerbaijani transfer pricing regulations. He continued with a focus on the comparable uncontrolled price and transactional profit methods.
Arzu Hajiyeva, Tax and Law Partner, said: This was a very useful and timely event which provided a great opportunity for all participants to learn about the experiences of other countries in implementing transfer pricing (TP) regulations. TP remains one of this years most important topics in the area of taxation and, as we get closer to the end of the first reporting period after the adoption of the TP legislation, it is becoming of even greater importance. Taking into account that the challenges faced by all countries that have just adopted TP regulations are more or less the same, it was useful to hear the comments of specialists from those countries which have already been through the same process. Mr. Mishin from the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine was very kind to visit Baku at the invitation of AmCham to present the Ukrainian perspective on transfer pricing audits and share his valuable experience. As a result, participants gained the great opportunity to hear the views of both government officials and the Big Four.
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EY made a major commitment to the development of Azerbaijan and the region by opening the office in Baku 23 years ago. Today, in addition to being the leading audit and consulting firm in Azerbaijan, we are the leading professional services firm in the region. As a result of our experience and competence, we have been able to assist both domestic and international companies as well as state-owned entities to develop and manage the challenges of the international economy.
There are currently 180 people working in our Baku office that serve our clients in Azerbaijan. EYs strength in the Caspian Region and the firms commitment of resources are important to the entities operating in the region. It means that as we grow, EY will continue to demonstrate a tradition of hiring and training local professionals to be leaders in our practice.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Ilhama Isabalayeva Trend:
Azerbaijan expects the tourist inflow from Southeastern Asia to increase, said the countrys Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev.
He made the remarks at a briefing dedicated to the World Tourism Day in Baku Sept. 27.
The minister noted that Chinas tourism companies are interested in Azerbaijan.
The number of tourists visiting Azerbaijan increased by 23.1 percent in eight months of 2017 as compared to the same period of 2016, added Garayev.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
Trend:
Azerbaijan and Belarus are interested in expanding relations in pharmaceutics, the Azerbaijani Economy Ministry said in a message Sept. 27.
According to the message, Belarus is interested in establishing a joint pharmaceutical enterprise in Azerbaijan as well as rendering support for training of medical specialists.
Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Shahin Mustafayev discussed this issue with Belarusian Minister of Health Valery Malashko, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan.
At the meeting, Mustafayev stressed that the Azerbaijan-Belarus relations cover many sectors of economy and the relations successfully develop in trade and humanitarian spheres as well.
The opening of Azerbaijans Trade House in Minsk in May is important from the point of view of development of relations between the countries.
Stressing the special role of presidents official visits and meetings in expansion of cooperation between the countries, Mustafayev stressed the importance of Malashkos visit in development of the Azerbaijan-Belarus relations, in particular, in development of cooperation in healthcare and pharmaceutics.
Azerbaijan pays special attention to development of the pharmaceutical industry, Mustafayev said. For this purpose, the Pirallahi Industrial Park has been established. Work is underway there to establish joint ventures with Russia and Iran. Belarusian companies can also use the opportunities created in the park.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend:
Turkey and Azerbaijan will sign an agreement on preferential trade, the Turkish media quoted the countrys Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci as saying Sept. 27.
The minister noted that the development of trade relations with Azerbaijan is one of the most important priorities for Turkey.
Turkey pays special attention to the development of relations with Azerbaijan, said Zeybekci.
Meanwhile, the minister didnt specify the exact date of signing the agreement.
Turkey is the biggest trade partner of Azerbaijan. According to State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, the trade turnover with Turkey amounted to $1.83 billion dollars (with a specific weight of 14.65 percent of total foreign trade) in eight months of 2017. Meanwhile, the export of Azerbaijani goods totaled $1.026 billion (14.2 percent of the countrys total exports).
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Ali Mustafayev Trend:
Uzbekistan signed a contract on supply of uranium to the United States. The contract is designed for 7 years and its cost exceeds $300 million.
It is a long-term contract. This is very important and significant. The total value of the contract exceeds $300 million, said Elyor Ganiev the Minister of Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan, Sputnik reported.
He added, that the agreement was signed on very favorable terms, much more profitable than some countries-suppliers of uranium do.
Previously, India expressed interest in additional supplies of uranium from Uzbekistan. Uzbek uranium was also successfully exported to Japan.
According to the State Committee of Geology of Uzbekistan, the explored and estimated uranium reserves amount to 190,000 tons. More than 140,000 tons from the total amount of uranium is produced in deposits of sandstone type, 47,000 tons in deposits of black shale type.
Over the past few years, the government of Uzbekistan has been trying to attract foreign investors to the development of black shale-type uranium deposits, which in economic terms require substantial investment.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Azad Hasanli Trend:
The first Azerbaijani-Arab investment forum is expected to be held in Baku in March 2018, Chairman of the Cooperation of Azerbaijan and Arab Countries Association Elshan Rahimov said in an interview with Trend.
He added that around 300 businessmen and investors from Arab countries are expected to arrive in Baku.
"The biggest Arab investors, such as the Kanoo Group - Arab business conglomerate, operating in many areas beginning from logistics and ending with tourism, will attend the forum" Rahimov said.
Rahimov stressed that the organizational support for the event will be provided by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
"We will cooperate with the IDB to organize an investment forum, he said. The Azerbaijani government, in particular, the countrys Economy Ministry, also greatly support. The private companies are also showing great interest in the event.
The investment forum between Azerbaijan and the Arab countries is aimed not only at attracting additional investments to the country, but also at establishing good relations between Azerbaijani and Arab businessmen.
According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Arab countries amounted to about $280 million in January-August 2017, $240 million of which accounted for export to those countries.
Oil prices ended 1 percent lower on Tuesday after investors took profits following a rally to 26-month highs spurred largely by threats from Turkey to cut crude exports from Iraqs Kurdistan region, Reuters reported.
The market was also under pressure ahead of weekly U.S. oil inventory data that was expected to show a fourth straight week of crude builds.
Brent LCOc1 settled 58 cents, or 1 percent, lower at $58.44 a barrel after hitting $59.49, its highest since July 2015 and more than 34 percent above their 2017 low.
U.S. crude futures CLc1 closed 34 cents, or 0.7 percent, lower at $51.88 a barrel, after hitting a five-month high of $52.43.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan repeated a threat to cut off the pipeline that carries 500,000-600,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude from northern Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, intensifying pressure on the Kurdish autonomous region over its independence referendum.
This potential loss, combined with 1.8 million bpd of output reductions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-OPEC producers, raised concerns of tighter supply.
The Iraqi government said it will not hold talks with the Kurdistan Regional Government about the results of the referendum, which is expected to show a comfortable majority in favor of independence after the results are announced later this week.
The rally led to profit-taking.
The market was approaching if not in overbought territory, Robert Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho Americas.
And other analysts were skeptical about further price gains due to increased refining and higher crude output from the United States.
The refined products led the way up the past few weeks, said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC. Now that we see refineries coming back online that should take the scarcity premium out of the market, refined prices will fall, and that will bring oil down with it.
U.S. refinery utilization was expected to rise 3.6 percentage points from 83.2 percent of total capacity in the week ended Sept. 15, according to a Reuters poll on Tuesday.
Oil prices pared losses in post-settlement trade after industry group the American Petroleum Institute reported that U.S. crude stocks fell last week as refineries boosted output, while gasoline inventories increased and distillate stocks fell.
On Wednedsay the U.S. Department of Energys Energy Information Administration (EIA) releases its data.
U.S. crude supplies have been rising as imports and production recover in the aftermath of Harvey, while refineries have been slower to restart.
The EIA said last week that U.S. crude stocks jumped 4.6 million barrels as imports increased by 734,000 bpd and production rose 157,000 bpd to 9.51 million bpd, close to levels before Harvey hit Texas on Aug. 25.
The all-time record (for domestic production) is 9.61 million June 2015, last weeks report was 100,000 barrels off of that, said Yawger, With that in mind no one wants to ride that long position into the EIA report.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Sept. 27
By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:
President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted at a government meeting that the countrys fuel and energy complex is given the task to increase volumes of production of a wide range of oil and gas chemical products and their export to global markets, the Turkmenistan State News Agency reported Sept. 27.
In this regard, the Turkmen president gave a number of specific instructions on the further implementation of the Program for the development of oil and gas industry of Turkmenistan until 2030.
He also instructed to intensify work in the field of modernization and diversification of the oil and gas industry, widespread introduction of advanced technologies, as well as scientific and technical solutions.
It should be noted that the construction of a gas chemical complex for the production of polyethylene and polypropylene and a plant for the production of high-quality gasoline from natural gas is currently underway in Turkmenistan.
The gas chemical complex in the Kiyanli settlement (Balkan Region, Turkmenistan) is planned to be commissioned in 2018. The plant is designed to process five billion cubic meters of gas and produce 386,000 tons of polyethylene and 81,000 tons of polypropylene per year. The project is being implemented by South Koreas LG and Hyundai together with Japans Toyo Engineering Corporation. Total cost of the project is more than $3.4 billion.
Meanwhile, a plant for the production of gasoline from natural gas is being built in Ovadandepe (Ahal Region). This project is being implemented by a consortium of companies Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Japan) and Ronesans Endustri Tesisleri Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Turkey).
The enterprise is planned to be commissioned in 2018. Plant will annually produce 600,000 tons of RON 92 gasoline, which meets Euro-5 requirements, 12,000 tons of diesel fuel and 115,000 tons of liquefied gas. Total cost of the project is almost $1.7 billion.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Maksim Tsurkov Trend:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a business plan on operations in Azerbaijan in 2018-2020 that was posted on the ADB website Sept. 27.
Azerbaijan is eligible for regular ordinary capital resources (OCR) lending in 2018-2020, says the business plan. The estimated cost of the ADB lending program for three years is $1.6 billion. Total cost of projects, taking into account the share of the Azerbaijani government, is $1.985 billion.
ADB funds will be used for water (infrastructure), transport (road and railways), energy projects and public sector management projects.
Total volume of technical assistance that will be provided by the Asian Development Bank in 2018-2020 is $5 million. The technical assistance funds are meant to be used for improving public and private sector services in order to create infrastructure, preparing an integrated urban development project, improving the efficiency of public sector, supporting sustainable and inclusive energy.
ADB was founded in 1966. Sixty-seven states are its members. Azerbaijan became an ADB member on Dec. 22, 1999.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.27
By Leman Zeynalova Trend:
Project Fulfillment Plan for the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) will be signed on Sept.28, said European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic.
We will witness tomorrow the signature of the Project Fulfillment Plan for the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector, whose construction will start next year, he said during the roundtable debate at the Aspen Energy Summit in Bucharest, Romania.
Sefcovic pointed out that it is crucial to have the interconnector in time for transporting Azerbaijani gas Northbound.
IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.
The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas. The projects cost is estimated at around 240 million euros.
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Maksim Tsurkov Trend:
The budget of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) for 2017 has been adjusted, SOFAZ said in a message Sept. 27.
The issue of the budget adjustment was considered at the meeting of SOFAZs Supervisory Board, chaired by Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade.
According to the Supervisory Board, adjustments for SOFAZs budget-2017 are acceptable and a decision has been made to submit these adjustments to the Azerbaijani president for approval.
Oil price of $40 per barrel has been set in the state budget and SOFAZs budget for 2017.
In accordance with the currently approved budget, SOFAZ revenues for 2017 are set at 8,370,589,800 manats and expenditures - 14,483,856,000 manats.
The revenues from the sale of Azerbaijani profitable oil and gas are forecast at 7,550,705,300 manats, acre payments - 3.465 million manats, income from oil and gas transit through the Azerbaijani territory - 16.83 million manats.
Moreover, SOFAZs revenues from the placement and management of assets are envisaged at 799,094,600 manats. Bonuses paid by investors within oil and gas agreements, or in connection with their implementation are envisaged at 495,000 manats.
Transfers worth 7.5 billion manats to the Central Bank of Azerbaijan in order to ensure macroeconomic stability in the country are SOFAZs biggest expenditures. SOFAZs transfers to the Azerbaijani state budget will amount to 6.1 billion manats.
Expenditures for the improvement of living conditions of refugees are envisaged at 90 million manats, expenditures for the reconstruction of the Samur-Absheron irrigation system - 70 million manats, costs within the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway construction project will amount to 165.825 million manats, costs for financing the state program on education of Azerbaijani youth abroad in 2007-2015 - 29.304 million manats.
Moreover, SOFAZs budget for 2017 provides for the expenditures for financing the states share in the Southern Gas Corridor projects worth 496.155 billion manats.
Expenditures on the management of SOFAZ are set at 32.572 million manats.
In accordance with the budget of expenditures on the management of SOFAZ in 2017, labor payment will amount to 6,872,008 manats, the costs for procurement of goods and services will amount to 5,004,640 manats, expenditures for grants and other payments will stand at 674,460 manats.
Expenditures for pensions and social benefits are envisaged at 80,000 manats, costs for the purchase of non-financial assets - 6,126,100 manats, and 13,814,792 manats will account for other expenses.
As of July 1, 2017, assets of SOFAZ have increased by 4.96 percent, as compared to early 2017 ($33.147 billion), and totaled $34.79 billion.
SOFAZ was established in 1999 with assets of $271 million.
Based on SOFAZs regulations, its funds may be used for the construction and reconstruction of strategically important infrastructure facilities, as well as solving important national problems.
The main goals of the State Oil Fund include: accumulation of resources and placement of the Funds assets abroad in order to minimize the negative effects on the economy, prevention of Dutch disease to some extent, promotion of resource accumulation for future generations and support of current social and economic processes in Azerbaijan.
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev has met today with Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Rogozin, primeminister.kz reported.
During the meeting, the sides focused on expanding bilateral cooperation in space industry. In particular, Sagintayev and Rogozin gave consideration to the agenda of the upcoming session of the Kazakh-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on the Baikonur complex. The 6th session of the Kazakh-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on the Baikonur complex will be held before yearend.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Ali Mustafayev Trend:
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed the state of the countrys Armed Forces with Minister of Defense Saken Zhasuzakov, says a message posted on the presidents website.
Nazarbayev was informed about the results of implementation of the ministrys working plan.
The minister informed the president on outcomes of Karatau-2017 operational and strategic exercises.
In conclusion, Nazarbayev gave Minister Zhasuzakov specific instructions.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
Trend:
Uzbekistan plans to conduct full liberalization of foreign economic activities in the field of products export in the coming weeks, Sputnik Uzbekistan reported.
First Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistans Chamber of Commerce and Industry Islom Jasimov said that during the Uzbek-Russian business forum, the country is expected to adopt an important document for foreign economic activity in the coming days.
A draft decree of the Uzbek president has already been prepared, noted Jasimov. It is dedicated to complete liberalization of foreign economic activity in the field of export. This really opens up very wide opportunities, removes obstacles, for example, existing today in the export of horticultural products, as well as other goods.
The first deputy chairman believes that this will open up wide opportunities for import of Uzbek products by Russian businessmen.
Earlier, representatives of the Uzbek governments economic bloc announced the possibility of introducing a single export brand for Uzbek products Best in Uzbekistan. This measure is envisaged as part of the draft government decree on cardinal improvement of the system of support of business development, and improvement of business conditions.
It should be recalled that in the first half of 2017, more than 360 firms were engaged in goods export, nearly 120 new types of goods were exported, export of finished textile products, mineral fertilizers, cars and other goods were significantly increased on foreign markets.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Ali Mustafayev Trend:
Uzbekistans Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov received the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany Gunther Overfeld, said Uzbekistans Foreign Ministry in a message.
The ambassador presented a copy of his credentials.
During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on timing and program of November visit of Uzbekistans governmental delegation to Germany, the schedule of other upcoming bilateral meetings at various levels, said the message.
The two sides also discussed the current state and prospects of further development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Germany, including in the Uzbekistan-EU format, within international and regional organizations.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
Trend:
McDonalds Corporation is considering opportunities to enter the Uzbek market both directly and through franchising, Podrobno.uz news agency reported.
Elyor Ganiyev, minister of foreign trade of Uzbekistan, said that the ministry received this information through the regional representatives of McDonalds.
I think that we will definitely discuss this issue, the market of Uzbekistan is open, he noted. We welcome any competition in our market. If the US corporation comes to our market, and not only McDonalds, but also KFC, Baskin-Robbins and others, we will only welcome it.
It should be recalled that last year, McDonalds entered the market of Kazakhstan by opening a restaurant in Astana, and then in Almaty. The company plans to open 15 more restaurants all over Kazakhstan. In total, the US fast food chain is present in 120 countries. For the last 10 years, McDonalds opened new restaurants only in two countries - Vietnam and Kazakhstan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26
By Farhad Daneshvar, Mehdi Sepahvand Trend:
While Iran's car manufacturing industry urges the auto part makers to produce qualified spare parts, the latter criticize the manufactures for failing to meet the mutual commitments.
The auto part makers suggest that allocating banking loans and facilities, as well as government support could help the auto part manufacturers to improve the quality of their output.
"The reasons why we seek foreign cooperation: 1. To improve our technology. 2. To enter international markets which these foreign partners already possess," Mohammad Reza Najafi-Manesh, the head of Auto Parts Association, told Trend.
Apparently a series of lengthy delays in payments as well as the failure of the carmakers to purchase the spare parts at reasonable prices have caused the auto part makers to lose the business to foreign rivals.
"There are some issues that we hope to solve in the coming session next week at the Ministry (of industry)," he said.
An official with the auto part making industry earlier suggested that domestic producers account for a small share of the spare parts offered in the Iranian market as about 85 percent of auto parts in the market are foreign-made products.
It seems that the auto part sector is suffering from lack of financial resources, has failed to develop technologies and knowledge.
While the auto part makers urge the government to provide support, the Iranian industrial policymakers advice the auto part makers to lessen their dependence on the domestic market and turn to exporting their output to foreign countries.
This is while car manufacturers criticize the auto part makers of failing to upgrade their technology and producing substandard spare parts.
"Our parts are being produced under the same standards as demanded by car makers. If not so, then the parts wont be used because they undergo checking," Mohammad Reza Najafi-Manesh said.
Tehran, Iran, Sept. 27
By Mehdi Sepahvand Trend:
Commander of Irans Revolutionary Guards Corps, aka IRGC, Mohammad Ali Jafari said on September 27 that the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) would be wiped out in two months.
The IRGC has been providing Syrian President Bashar al-Assads army with military advisory missions, Tehran says, over the past years when the Arab country was invaded by IS.
Jafaris remarks were the exact words spoken a few days earlier by Qassemi Soleimani, commander of the IRGCs Quds Force, which has led advisory missions against IS, including in Iraq.
IS took swathes of land in Syria and Iraq in mid-2014 and staged periodical bombastic shows of brutality by releasing footages of how it beheaded people or mass-executed them.
Iran officially voiced its intention to fight IS with new force in July when IS members attacked the parliament building and Imam Khomeinis mausoleum in Tehran, killing 17.
A few days later, the IRGC launched missiles onto IS positions in Syria, inflicting heavy damages on the terrorists in retaliation for the terrorist attack.
About a month ago, IS took revenge by brutally murdering and beheading an Iranian military commissioner in Syria, Mohsen Hojaji.
Tehran was swift in announcing firm resolution not to let Hojajis murder go unavenged. Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei referred to Hojaji as a proof before the worlds eyes of the wrongness of IS.
On September 27, Khamenei and thousands of others mourned over Hojajis dismembered body in a procession to bury him.
The slaying of 25-year-old Mohsen Hojaji captured the imagination of many in Iran, a Shiite-ruled nation, whose national religion considers acts of mourning and acknowledging sacrifices as sacred acts. Since his death, artists and others have memorialized Hojaji in videos and paintings.
An image of Hojaji from an Islamic State video, showing him stoically standing after his capture with smoke rising behind him in the Syrian desert, inspired a sense of patriotism and new urge that IS must go.
Ayatollah Khamenei himself even referred to Hojaji as a dear martyr in a speech.
God emboldened Hojaji as an evidence of numerous young people willing to fight and be killed defending Islam, the supreme leader said.
President Hassan Rouhani, a relatively moderate cleric, also praised Hojaji for showing how Iranian people are ready to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.
Hojajis death has caused a rare unity across hard-liners, moderates and reformists within Iran. Many activists, artists, athletes, celebrities and politicians, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, have offered condolences and expressed sympathy.
On the diplomatic front, Iran has been party to serial talks, named Astana talks, attended by Tehran, Moscow and Ankara diplomats.
Iran, Turkey and Russia brokered the Astana dialogue on Syria, and the first five rounds of the talks were held on January 23-24, February 15-16, March 14-15, May 3-4 and July 4-5. The sixth round of the talks was held on September 13-15.
The outcome of Astana talks has been to create de-escalation zones in Syria and help settle the crisis in a way favored by the three countries.
In the latest military development, IRGC drones destroyed several IS bases on the Syrian border with Iraq.
According to an IRINN TV report on Sunday, during the IRGC operations carried out in Syrias eastern Dayr al-Zawr province, many terrorists were killed and large amounts of terrorist equipment and weapons were destroyed.
The report noted that the attacks were part of operations aimed at clearing the Syria-Iraq border of the IS.
Officials from Iran, Iraq and Syria have many times insisted that if it were not for efforts made by Tehran, IS would have taken the region long ago. Now, it is Tehran that is sounding the death knell for IS. In two months the world should see how that comes about.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
By Fatih Karimov Trend:
Irans police seized over 1.3 tons of opium from smugglers in two operations in the country's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
The police forces seized 1011 kilograms of opium from a drug-trafficking group in an armed clash last night, the police commander of Sistan and Baluchestan province, Brigadier General Mohammad Ghanbari said, Irans state-run IRINN TV reported Sept. 27.
The police forces also arrested six drug smugglers in the operation, he added.
The police commander further said that the security forces also dismantled another armed drug-trafficking group in the second operation, arresting four smugglers.
Police forces sized 305 kilograms of opium from the latter as well.
Irans police have seized over 400 tons of various drugs during the first half of the current fiscal year (March 20-Sept. 22), which indicates a rise by 11 percent year on year, according to the latest statistics of Iran Drug Control Headquarters.
The country is situated on a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe, as well as the Persian Gulf states. The Islamic Republic shares about 900 kilometers of common border with Afghanistan, over which 74 percent of opium is smuggled.
The fight against drug trafficking annually costs Iran about $1 billion, according to the official estimates.
According to the statistics, there are about two million drug users in Iran.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday a foreign leader told him at the United Nations last week that the country would soon announce plans to build or expand five automobile industry factories in the United States, Reuters reported.
I just left the United Nations last week and I was told by one of the most powerful leaders of the world that they are going to be announcing in the not too distant future five major factories in the United States, between increasing and new, five, Trump said in a speech on tax reform in Indianapolis. He added the factories were in the automotive industry.
He did not name the country. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Automakers in Japan and Germany have both announced investments in the United States this year, with companies coming under pressure from Trumps bid to curb imports and hire more workers to build cars and trucks in the country.
Investments to expand U.S. vehicle production capacity also reflect intensified competition for market share in the worlds most profitable vehicle market.
The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed admitting a maximum of 45,000 refugees next year, the lowest cap in decades, which officials said was necessary to ensure U.S. security as the government tightens its screening and vetting processes, Reuters reported.
That figure is the lowest cap since the modern U.S. refugee admissions system was established in 1980, and the administrations decision was harshly criticized by refugee advocates who say it ignores growing humanitarian crises around the world. The report also projects slashing funding to the refugee resettlement program by 25 percent.
The security and safety of the American people is our chief concern, a U.S. official said in a call with reporters on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. We have every plan to process as many refugees as we can under this ceiling.
A second U.S. official said the administration is considering a wide range of potential measures and enhancements to refugee vetting, in accordance with a January executive order from President Donald Trump, though the official gave no further details.
The lower refugee cap is a continuation of Trumps hardline stance on immigration. He made the issue a focus during the presidential campaign, advocating for a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico and the deportation of immigrants in the country illegally, and saying that Syrian refugees fleeing their countrys civil war present a security threat to the United States.
The proposed refugee limit represents a cut of more than half from the refugee ceiling set last year by former President Barack Obama, and is much lower than the 75,000 limit suggested by refugee advocates this year. It is also lower than the 50,000 cap Trump set in an executive order shortly after he took office in January.
The administration proposed taking in a maximum of 19,000 refugees from Africa, 5,000 from East Asia, 2,000 from Europe and Central Asia, 1,500 from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 17,500 from the Middle East and South Asia.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators wrote in a letter to Trump on Monday that a lower cap would prevent thousands of people from enriching American communities.
National security experts argue that refugees do not present a danger to the United States, and are already among the most highly vetted immigrants to gain admittance to the United States, going through a grueling process that takes 18 to 24 months on average.
President Trumps decision to lower the U.S. refugee ceiling is an abdication of U.S. leadership at a time of greatest need for the worlds refugees, said Bill Frelick, refugee rights director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement on Wednesday.
The Wednesday report said that at the end of 2016, the estimated refugee population worldwide reached 22.5 million, an increase of 1.1 million in just one year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27
Trend:
Turkeys airlines will stop air communication with Iraqs Kurdish autonomous region from Sept. 29, Milliyet newspaper reported Sept. 27.
Iraqi authorities decided to suspend the flights of foreign airlines to northern Iraq in connection with a referendum held in Erbil, the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority said earlier.
Lebanese airlines were first to agree to comply with this requirement.
Turkeys Consulate General in Erbil issued a statement regarding the decision of the Iraqi authorities, saying: According to the Iraq Civil Aviation Authoritys order, Turkish Airlines, AtlasGlobal and Pegasus will not make flights to and from Erbil and Sulaymaniyah from Sept. 29.
EgyptAir also stated about termination of air communication with Erbil from Sept. 29.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 27, 2017 - 08:26 | All, World
President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States is "totally prepared" to take military action against North Korea if necessary to curtail the country's nuclear weapons development.
"We are totally prepared for the second option, not a preferred option," Trump told reporters at the White House. "But if we take that option, it will be devastating...for North Korea. That's called the military option."
"If we have to take it, we will," he said, in response to North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho's assertion on Monday that Pyongyang has the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers even when they are not flying in North Korean airspace.
Trump said his remarks were a "reply" to the North's threat, not an "original statement" from the U.S. side.
During a visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly, Ri also said Washington has declared war against Pyongyang, a claim the White House denied.
Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is acting "very badly," and that he is saying "things that should never ever be said."
As part of efforts to step up pressure on North Korea, the U.S. Treasury Department said Tuesday it has sanctioned eight North Korean banks and 26 individuals over their ties to Pyongyang's development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
The blacklisting was in line with a new executive order -- signed by Trump last week -- that allows the targeting of companies and entities that finance and facilitate trade with North Korea.
Apparently with Chinese banks in mind, U.S. officials say banks doing business with North Korea will not be allowed to operate in the United States.
According to the Treasury, the latest sanction hits 26 North Korean nationals working as representatives of North Korean banks in China, Russia, Libya and the United Arab Emirates.
"This further advances our strategy to fully isolate North Korea in order to achieve our broader objectives of a peaceful and denuclearized Korean Peninsula," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.
"This action is also consistent with U.N. Security Council resolutions" that ban North Korea from engaging in nuclear and missile activities, Mnuchin said.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy after their White House meeting, Trump hailed China's latest action to restrict its trade with North Korea so as to compel it to change its provocative behavior.
"I applaud China for breaking off all banking relationships with North Korea, something that people would have thought unthinkable even two months ago," he said. "I want to thank President Xi" Jinping of China.
Trump also praised Spain for its recent decision to expel the North Korean ambassador from Madrid and for joining international efforts to isolate the Kim regime.
"It is time for all responsible nations to join forces, to isolate the North Korean menace," Trump said. "All nations must act now to ensure the regime's complete denuclearization."
U.S. officials have said Washington has yet to see a signal from North Korea that the country is ready to engage in serious negotiations on denuclearization and ceasing its provocative behavior.
Following the Sept. 3 test of what Pyongyang said was a hydrogen bomb that can be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile, Ri, the North's foreign minister, suggested last week in New York that Pyongyang could detonate a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.
There is growing speculation that North Korea may conduct yet another provocative act around the founding anniversary of its ruling Workers' Party of Korea on Oct. 10.
Alibaba is getting serious about logistics after it agreed to invest RMB 5.3 billion ($807 million) in order to take majority ownership in subsidiary company Cainiao.
Cainiao was created four years ago alongside eight other backers to bring organization in Chinese logistics, particularly around e-commerce deliveries. The company raised its first outside funding in March 2016 -- reportedly RMB 10 billion ($1.54 billion) at a RMB 50 billion ($7.7 billion) valuation -- from backers including Temasek Holdings and GIC in Singapore, Malaysias Khazanah Nasional and China-based Primavera Capital.
It is currently not profitable, but investors see its close relationship with Alibaba as the ticket to developing a lucrative business. Alibaba said the goal is to enable e-commerce services in China to fulfill customer orders within 24 hours, and those overseas within 72 hours, and Cainiao is a core part of that. Indeed, Alibaba said it plans to invest over $15 billion in the next five years to develop its global logistics network.
Cainiao itself just set up a billion-dollar fund with insurance firm China Life to speed up China's parcel networks with a range of new handling and sorting offices.
Today's investment is likely to go through next month and it will take Alibaba's ownership from 47 percent to 51 percent, which in theory gives Cainiao a valuation of RMB 132.5 billion ($19.9 billion). But that's theoretical because Alibaba's motivation is likely to have been influenced by other matters.
The SEC last year launched a probe into Alibaba's accounting systems, and whether it has violated federal securities laws. The firm's accounting of Cainiao was one component to that, since it only listed some financial information as a minority equity holder. Now, as a majority stakeholder following this deal, it is likely that Alibaba's transparency over the company will increase going forward. Beyond more information for regulators, it may also appease shareholders curious to learn more about a company Alibaba is helping to bankroll.
Alibaba's other affiliate companies include Koubei, which got a $1.1 billion injection earlier this year, and Ant Financial, which is valued at over $60 billion and tipped to go public soon.
Alibaba Group Holding Limited BABA is increasing its stake in its logistics affiliate Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited with an $807 million (RMB5.3 billion) additional investment. The company also plans to invest $15.2 billion (RMB100 billion) in Cainiao over the next five years.
The Chinese e-commerce goliath noted in a press release that these investments are part of its bid to strengthen its global logistics network and implement its New Retail Strategy.
The company expects these moves to help it gain greater logistics efficiency, deliver improved consumer and merchant experience and lower costs. Alibaba aims to deliver orders within 24 hours in China and 72 hours anywhere in the world.
The transaction, which is expected to close in October next year, will raise Alibabas Ownership in Cainiao from 47% to 51%. Further, Alibaba will get an additional seat in Cainiaos board, raising its representation to four seats out of seven. It will also consolidate financial results of Cainiao into its own books and report them as part of its core commerce segment, post the transaction.
We observe that shares of Alibaba have gained a massive 93.1% year to date, significantly outperforming the industrys 45.2% rally.
Accelerating the Logistics Push
Having been around long enough to establish logistical relationships through Cainiao, and a solid core commerce model, Alibaba has been guzzling data that it is in an increasingly better position to use for improving customer experience and feeding its AI initiatives.
The new move is expected to help Alibaba do more on that apart from strengthening its global logistics infrastructure.
Alibaba Group Holding Limited Net Income (TTM)
Alibaba Group Holding Limited Net Income (TTM) | Alibaba Group Holding Limited Quote
New Retail Strategy in Focus
Alibaba, which gives tough competition to Amazon AMZN, eBay EBAY and JD.com JD in China is working on the development of what it calls New Retail to bridge the gap between online and offline shopping using its big data capacity.
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The new investments are expected to boost this innovation strategy by allowing it to increase R&D spending in logistics data technology, smart warehousing and delivery.
Alibaba currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Wrapping Up
Alibabas strategy of gradually merging online and offline retail and strengthening logistics network indicates that it is thinking several years down the road. This will not only reshape the retail landscape but also help it fend off competition, if it could manage a first mover advantage.
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The President is more inclined to voice his opinions about the flag controversy than the plight of 3.5 million US citizens: Getty/Twitter
Donald Trump is under fire for spending all his time castigating professional athletes for disrespecting the flag while barely acknowledging the heartbreaking damage wrought by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, whose 3.5 million residents are American citizens.
When he first addressed the calamity on the island a not-quite US state and a not-quite nation he even suggested that its partly of its own making because it has been in recession for over a decade and its infrastructure was creaking and vulnerable long before the storm rolled in.
Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with, he said on Twitter. Talk about being kicked when youre down. A crying child who just broke a tooth doesnt need a mother telling her that its because she hasnt been brushing enough. She wants to be consoled.
There is little escaping that compared to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida, what has befallen Puerto Rico has received insufficient attention. And not just from Trump. Media coverage has been scant too. A study by mediamatters.org notes that even as the islands officials were warning of apocalyptic conditions in the wake of Maria, the five political talk shows in the US last Sunday dedicated just one minute to discussing its plight. Combined.
The islanders themselves will decide what they think of the federal response when the nightmare is over. Right now they are just trying to survive. But there are signs that the criticism has stung. By Tuesday, Trump had changed his tone. Puerto Rico needs a lot of money, he told reporters at the White House. Weve worked very, very hard in Puerto Rico. Its very tough because its an island ... Were doing a really good job. He will travel there early next week.
In truth, Americas parenting of Puerto Rico has always been half-hearted at best, starting 100 years ago when it granted citizenship to its residents but told them theyd only be marginally involved in American democracy. They can participate in the primaries every four years but cannot cast votes for president. Similarly, their single representative in the US Congress can vote on matters of procedure but must leave the room when actual laws are passed.
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Hurricane Maria destroyed homes in the town of Aibonito and elsewhere in Puerto Rico (AP)
There was Operation Bootstrap, a concerted effort to industrialise the island after the Second World War, which took on an additional importance in the 1960s when building a bastion of capitalism downwind from Cuba seemed like a smart idea. In the Seventies, the US introduced tax breaks to lure US multinationals to the island. But in the 1990s, President Bill Clinton began winding down those provisions, effectively putting the economy on a slow skid to where it is today.
Barack Obama always seemed more interested in Cuba than Puerto Rico. On a visit to San Juan in 2015, I found local economists in despair that Washington was turning a blind eye to its predicament which by then was getting serious. The island was already in a $70bn (52bn) hole. That compares with $18bn (13bn) for Detroit when it declared bankruptcy. But because it was a territory and not a US state or a municipality it did not have the right to declare bankruptcy, even though what it owed amounted to $100,000 (743,000) for every working person on the island.
Thank you to Carmen Yulin Cruz, the Mayor of San Juan, for your kind words on FEMA etc.We are working hard. Much food and water there/on way Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017
Nor was Washington interested in bailing it out. In fact, the Obama administration was explicitly ruling it out. Its why one economist I met with, Sergio Marxuach, public policy director at the Centre for a New Economy in San Juan, had that famous front page, Ford to City: Drop Dead, pinned to his office wall. That was Gerald Ford brushing off a begging New York 40 years ago.
Eventually, in mid-2016, Obama signed a law making it possible for Puerto Rico to begin bankruptcy proceedings if it had to. In May this year, Puerto Rico did just that. It was officially bust and the journey to economic perdition complete, thanks to years of economic mismanagement in San Juan and of blatant neglect from Washington. Anyone who had been paying the slightest attention to Puerto Rico was hardly surprised. But few people had.
This is not just about spreadsheets. Its about peoples lives. A broke government means broken public services. Everything has been in decline. Hundreds of schools have been closed or are slated to close because there is no budget for them. As the health system has imploded, doctors have been fleeing the island at the rate of one a day. Everyone who can has been leaving in an exodus to the US mainland that has seen the population drop 2 per cent in three years.
And now everything has been shredded, not by neglect or incompetence but by nature. Electricity grid down. Whole neighbourhoods destroyed. Lawlessness on the streets.
For years, on and off, Puerto Ricans have wrestled with their strange, twilight status. In June, a referendum showed 97 per cent in favour of becoming the 51st state of the US. It didnt mean much, first because opponents to statehood boycotted the vote but more because no one thinks there is even the remotest chance of the US Congress taking the steps necessary to accept Puerto Rico as a fully-fledged state. Because hardly anyone gives a fig about Puerto Rico.
Photo credit: Planet Observer/Universal Images Group/LANDSAT 5 & 7 / Getty
From Popular Mechanics
Fifty years after the Commonwealth of Australia launched its first satellite, the nation has finally announced its intention to create a national space program. On Monday September 25, Senator Simon Birmingham, the Australian Minister of Education, announced the government intends to establish a space agency in a speech at the 68th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held in Australia this year, according to Space News.
The Australian government also released a statement announcing the formation of a national space agency. "A national space agency will ensure we have a strategic long-term plan that supports the development and application of space technologies and grows our domestic space industry," acting Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Senator Michaelia Cash said in the statement.
Australian private companies and universities have participated in international space research for decades, and many of these institutions have been pushing for a national space agency for just as long. "Today, we celebrate two wonderful achievements: the hosting of the world's most important annual meeting of the international space community, and Australia's decision to participate as an equal member of that community," Michael Davis, chair of the Space Industry Association of Australia, said at the IAC.
The announcement comes in the middle of a nation-wide review of Australia's space capabilities. That review is expected to last several months, according to Space News, and a creation date for Australia's space agency has not been announced. Birmingham said more details about the space agency would be revealed September 26 at the IAC.
The nation's space agency is expected to focus on regulation and coordination with other countries at first, streamlining Australia's participation in international programs and bolstering domestic space institutions. The new agency's regulatory role will take precedence over major spaceflight or development programs, though Australian officials have expressed hope that the agency could grow to participate more heavily in many areas of space exploration. Officials have pointed to the successes of New Zealand's space agency, such as paving the way for U.S.-New Zealand company Rocket Lab to conduct launches from New Zealand's North Island, as reason for Australia to create their own agency.
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The establishment of a space agency also opens the door for Australian astronauts to begin voyaging to the International Space Station to participate in international research. Previously, Australian-born citizens needed to become a citizen of another nation, such as the United States, before they could become astronauts.
Australia is only one of two countries in the 35-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that does not have a national space agency, the other country being Iceland. Soon, the land Down Under will become the 34th nation of that democratic organization to host its very own space agency.
Source: Space News
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FILE PHOTO: Two ATMs are pictured at a Bank of America location in Pasadena, California, U.S., September 6, 2017. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
By Andrew MacAskill and Maya Nikolaeva
LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - Bank of America (BAC.N) is looking to lease more office space in Paris as the bank prepares to expand its operations in the French capital to cope with the impact of Britain's exit from the European Union, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
International banks are planning to build up outposts in the EU to ensure they can continue to serve clients if their London operations lose the ability to operate across the bloc once Britain leaves in March 2019.
There is fierce competition between Paris, Frankfurt and other European cities to woo international banks' City of London operations as they consider where to shift EU-related business.
Bank of America has already announced that Dublin will be the new base for its European Union operations and that it will remain its legal headquarters in the EU.
One of the sources said Bank of America was looking to move some of the investment bank activities, such as bond and equity trading to Paris, however, no final decision has been made.
The bank declined to comment.
If Bank of America selects Paris that would mark a long-coveted victory for the new French government that has stepped up efforts to attract London banks to Paris after the election of Emmanuel Macron as French president.
Macron has vowed to overhaul the labor market and simplify the French tax and pension systems.
The largest global banks, asset managers and insurers in London plan to shift or create about 10,000 new roles overseas in the next few years if the UK is denied access to Europe's single market, according to a Reuters survey published last week.
Frankfurt is so far the most popular destination for the new roles finance jobs, with Paris a distant second, according to the survey.
HSBC, and French banks, such as Societe Generale and Credit Agricole, are among other banks that are planning to move staff to Paris after Brexit.
But many other large lenders have been deterred by a perception of France as a country of high taxes and strict labour laws, according to executives.
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However, the French capital retains advantages over rival cities.
For example, the Paris region is comparable to London in size and boasts a rich cultural offering, major banks, insurers and asset managers and large corporate clients.
Bank of America when announcing that it was selecting Dublin as its EU base in July said that some roles would also move to other EU locations.
(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Additional reporting by Maya Nikolaeva in Paris; Editing by Louise Heavens)
Former President Barack Obama is seen during the German Media Award 2016 at Kongresshaus on May 25, in Baden-Baden, Germany.
Former President Barack Obama spoke out Tuesday about the need for aid to Puerto Rico in a Twitter post that encouraged Americans to answer the call.
The island suffered a devastating blow from Hurricane Maria, leaving residents of the American territory without running water or power, in a situation that has seen Puerto Ricans begging for help from federal agencies.
President Donald Trump faced criticism that he failed to act fast enough to ensure adequate aid reaches the island, and he is also being accused of insensitivity for stating that many of Puerto Ricos problems, including its debt, predated the hurricane.
Trump tweeted that Puerto Rico was "billions of dollars" in debt to "Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with.
In contrast, Obama encouraged people to donate and highlighted that Puerto Ricans are American citizens.
We're expanding our efforts to help Puerto Rico & the USVI, where our fellow Americans need us right now. Join us at oneamericaappeal.org, Obama wrote, sharing a video he made with former presidents, including George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, for One America Appeal, which aims to help areas hit by hurricanes, including Texas, Florida and now Puerto Rico.
As former presidents, we want to help our fellow Americans begin to recover, Obama says in the short video.
Bush says of the damage caused to Texas, People are hurting down here, but as one Texan put it, We got more love in Texas than water.
Obamas video share comes as a new poll shows almost half of Americans dont realize Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.
The New York Times reported that the Morning Consult poll says just 54 percent of Americans are aware that Puerto Ricans are citizens. Those who are least likely to know are between the ages of 18 and 29 (just 37 percent of that age group were aware of that fact).
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People walk by buidling that was destroyed in the community La Perla in Old San Juan during Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The island territory of more than 3 million U.S. citizens is reeling in the devastating wake of Hurricane Maria. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
Carlos Giusti
Hurricane Maria ripped through Puerto Rico on Sept. 20 with a force unseen on the island since 1928. The Category 4 storm made landfall with winds around 155 miles per hour, leaving the U.S. territory without power and many residents scrambling for access to cash, gasoline and water.
Almost a week after such devastation and destruction was wrought on the economically-challenged island, lawyers at large law firms in Puerto Rico's capital of San Juan are pressing on, joining their Big Law colleagues in Houston, Florida and Mexico City in trying to return to some sense of normalcy in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
Jackson Lewis' office in San Juan opened Monday for the first time in nearly a week. Juan Felipe Santos, the firm's local managing partner, said the office only suffered minor water damage during the hurricane and that all of Jackson Lewis' staff four lawyers and two staff members were accounted for and eager to get back to work, albeit for reasons often taken for granted.
We're all safe and fine, [but] still none of us have electricity, said Santos about the situation facing the firm's local employees at home. Jackson Lewis' ability to provide power in its office was one reason why the firm decided to open its doors again in San Juan.
The office, which started in 2013 after Santos was hired from former local firm Schuster Aguil , is currently operating on generator power, which allows individuals to enjoy electricity and running water, while permitting them a brief respite from the ruin awaiting them elsewhere.
You'd rather be in the office, getting some [air conditioning] doing some work [and] getting distracted, Santos said.
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Jackson Lewis' offices on the U.S. mainland are also working to provide its outpost in San Juan with batteries, fans, water and other necessities, Santos said.
It's like you're living on a totally different island, said Santos (pictured right), noting that while the internet is working, telephone service is still intermittent.
A gasoline and diesel shortage has led to transportation issues across Puerto Rico and with only a few gas stations operational on the island, Santos said it can take hours to get the gas needed to get to work. There is also an indefinite curfew that begins at 7 p.m. and lasts until 5 a.m.
Given all of these impediments, Jackson Lewis is still trying to give its lawyers the necessary resources to work at home so they don't have to make the expedition into the office, said Santos, who rode out Maria's wrath at his home in San Juan.
I think it was one of the longest nights in my life, he recalled.
The sound of debris flying and trees falling filled the night sky and water came through his home in places he didn't think it could ever come through.
I thought that the windows, the doors, everything was going to explode and was going to go flying, said Santos, who isn't alone in trying to balance legal services with living life in a disaster zone.
San Juan-based commercial litigation shop Pietrantoni M ndez & Alvarez, which had to close operations for four days following Hurricane Irma earlier this month, also managed to avoid any Maria-related damage, although the firm is having to manage its nearly 100-person staff, including 52 lawyers, all but one of whom is accounted for.
I guess people say there are no emergencies for lawyers, but as you can imagine there are a lot of urgent matters that come up from time-to-time and this is no exception, said Pietrantoni M ndez's managing partner Jaime Santos.
Many of his firm's staff are on a 50 percent schedule and lawyers who have mobile and internet access are working remotely, Santos said. But the Pietrantoni M ndez leader is optimistic that life at his firm, which represents banks and financial institutions on the island, as well as Puerto Rican hospitals struggling to maintain their operations after Maria, will eventually get back to normal.
It's been something that few people get to live through and we're happy that we've made it so far, Santos said. [We're] really putting all of our heads together and making this work in the long term for Puerto Rico [and] we're doing the best we can.
A spokesman for DLA Piper, which opened an office in San Juan last year, said that the global legal giant's operations in the city did not sustain any significant damage and are open for business.
A spokeswoman for Littler Mendelson did not respond to a request for comment about its San Juan office, which the labor and employment giant acquired in late 2013 after absorbing Schuster Aguil , the local firm where Jackson Lewis' Santos once worked.
Meghan Tribe is a reporter covering the changing face of Big Law, from lateral moves and work-from-home programs to diversity initiatives. Contact her at mtribe@alm.com. On Twitter: @TribeMeghan
Bombardier CS100 Delta
The US Department of Commerce has proposed a tariff of 219.63% for each Bombardier C Series airliner imported into the US.
Boeing filed a complaint in April alleging Delta's order for 75 of the Bombardier jets is a result of ultra-low prices subsidized by the Canadian government.
Delta and Bombardier say Boeing doesn't have a product that is comparable to the C Series.
On Tuesday, the US Department of Commerce issued a preliminary ruling that would levy a 219.63% tariff on every Bombardier C Series airliner imported into the US.
The US International Trade Commission will issue a final judgment on the Commerce Department's proposed tariffs in early 2018.
Tuesday's ruling comes as a result of a complaint Boeing filed in April alleging Bombardier's landmark 2016 deal with Delta Air Lines is the result of abnormally low prices made possible by Canadian government subsidies. Boeing contends that Bombardier's subsidized sales of the C Series airliner in the US came at the detriment of its 737 NG and 737 MAX models.
"The US Department of Commerce today affirmed that Bombardier has taken massive illegal subsidies in violation of existing trade law," Boeing said in a statement. "Subsidies enabled Bombardier to dump its product into the US market, harming aerospace workers in the United States and throughout Boeings global supply chain."
Bombardier CS100 Delta
Bombardier responded in a statement, calling the ruling "absurd and divorced from reality." The Montreal-based airplane manufacturer also hit out at Boeing, accusing it of manipulating US trade laws to stifle competition.
"We are confident the USITC will conclude that no US manufacturer is at risk because neither Boeing nor any other US manufacturer makes any 100-110 seat aircraft that competes with the CS100," Delta said in a statement. "Boeing has no American-made product to offer because it canceled production of its only aircraft in this size range the 717 more than 10 years ago."
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According to Delta, Boeing's only proposed alternative to the CS100 was to offer it a batch of second-hand Brazilian Embraer E190 regional jets. Oddly enough, the used Embraers that Boeing offered Delta were reportedly traded in by Air Canada.
How we got here
For years, the story around the Bombardier C Series program has been blighted cost overruns, developmental delays, and slow sales.
In 2015, Bombardier was forced to write down $4.4 billion. At the same time, the company took a $1 billion bailout from the Quebec government. In return, the provincial taxpayers took a 49.5% stake in the C Series. Even as it struggled to close a sale, Bombardier was credited with building an aircraft that's one of the most capable on the market today. The plane's operators say the C Series is delivering fuel economy even better than what Bombardier promised.
Bombardier CS100 Delta
At the heart of Boeing's complaint is a deal that was widely seen as the order that saved the Bombardier C Series program from its demise.
Looking for a blockbuster sale to help build traction for the plane in the US, Bombardier went all-in on a pitch to United Airlines. Sensing the new competition, Boeing bit the bullet and gave United a whopping 70% discount on 40 737-700s. While large airlines like United never pay list price, 70% off is the aviation equivalent of a Black Friday sale price.
In January 2016, United announced the sale of 40 737-700s followed by an order for another 25 of the planes in March. (Oddly enough, United realized several months later that it actually didn't want any of these planes and converted them to orders for four of the larger 737-800s and 61 737 MAX jets.)
Finally, in April 2016, Bombardier struck pay dirt. Delta Air Lines ordered 75 C Series 100 airliners in a deal worth up to $5.6 billion. In addition, Bombardier and Delta agreed to an option for 50 additional jets.
With the Delta order, Bombardier not only found a US launch customer for the C Series but also had the blockbuster deal it needed to validate the attractiveness of the aircraft for other prospective buyers.
With the C Series, Delta has a long-range ultra-fuel-efficient, 100-seat jet capable of making money in markets where competition has depressed profits. In addition, the new Bombardier jet will allow Delta to operate mainline service in markets that traditionally were serviced by smaller regional jets.
From Boeing's perspective, how Bombardier netted the deal has it seeing red.
Bombardier CS100 Delta
Boeing claims Bombardier sold the CS100 for just $19.6 million. That's far less than the $33.2 million the Chicago-based aviation giant says it cost Bombardier to make the plane and a mere fraction of the CS100's $79.5 million sticker price.
Where do we go from here?
Should the proposed tariff stick, each of Delta's C Series jets would cost over $40 million, putting the future of the deal on shaky ground.
For Bombardier, the big decision is the USITC's final ruling in 2018, the aerospace-industry analyst Richard Aboulafia said.
If the USITC decides to allow the tariff to stick, it will need to show how it came upon such a punishment, Aboulafia told Business Insider.
"If they can't explain how they came to that conclusion, that's really dangerous because the Canadians are going to regard this as a slap in the face," said Aboulafia, who is the vice president of analysis at Teal Group.
Bombardier CS100 Delta
That's because the dispute has now entered the realm of politics, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau threatening to scuttle the country's plans to buy $5 billion worth of F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets from Boeing. British Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her concerns regarding the dispute because the C Series' wings are made in Northern Ireland.
In addition, a tariff on the C Series is also a concern for industry in the US. More than 50% of the Canadian jet is made using US-sourced components, including its prized Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines.
At its most extreme, using Boeing's logic that the C Series is a rival to the 737, the Canadian government could argue that Air Canada's and WestJet's orders for Boeing 737 MAX airliners were made to the detriment of the country's aviation industry.
"This is how trade wars get started," Aboulafia added.
The ultimate effect of Tuesday's ruling on the Bombardier C Series and US-Canadian trade relations remains to be seen.
"As the Brits say, it's still early days," Aboulafia said.
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Reports are swirling that T-Mobile and Sprint have agreed a deal to merge in principle, with an announcement set to come in October. A merged company (T-Sprint? S-Mobile? Oath?) would be a formidable player in terms of subscribers, with about as many customers as Verizon or AT&T. But theres a much bigger question for existing customers: What would the network look like?
Both Sprint and T-Mobile have a similar network presence: good in cities and urban areas, not as good as Verizon or AT&T in rural areas. Combining Sprint and T-Mobiles networks wouldnt instantly bring the network up to par with Verizon or AT&T, but it would create a brand-new and very dangerous player.
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Spectrum licenses are the ultimate deciders of how good a network can be. You can throw all the towers and micro-cells at a wireless network that you want, but without enough wireless spectrum to build out, a network will never be good. Verizons long-term holdings in low-band spectrum have historically given the company an edge, especially combined with enough money to invest in infrastructure.
Sprint and T-Mobile, on the other hand, have long been limited. Sprint has buckets of high-band spectrum, which is great for short-range communications, but bad for getting enough coverage to make a voice call in rural areas. T-Mobile historically lacked low-band as well, but thanks to its $8 billion investment in 600MHz spectrum this year, its coverage should be getting much better in the near future.
So what would combining those two networks do? John Gilmer, VP of Data Integrity at network intelligence firm Mosaik, said that a combined network would be very competitive in the future, thanks to nice spectrum holdings. He said hed be very surprised if Sprint doesnt have to sell some of its high-band spectrum as a regulatory condition of any merger, but nonetheless, Sprint-T-Mobile would be in good shape spectrum-wise. You can compare the spectrum map of a combined Sprint-T-Mobile at the top of this article with one of Verizon to understand how the two networks would measure up in the long run.
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Consumers shouldnt expect to see many immediate benefits, though. Combining two separate wireless networks is a long and torturous process, especially because T-Mobile and Sprint use different LTE bands, and different 2G networks. (T-Mobile uses GSM and Sprint CDMA.) Gilmer thinks its a ballpark of months and years, rather than weeks, until T-Mobile customers will be able to use Sprints network and vice-versa.
For the two companies, the benefits of any merger are going to be cost savings and increased revenues to spend on investment, rather than suddenly having a better network.
But for consumers, those cost savings might end up hurting. The wireless industry is currently competitive, thanks to the variety in big wireless players. Verizon and AT&T have the best network, the most subscribers, and the highest prices. Sprint and T-Mobile have to compete on features (like unlimited data) or price. That competition helps keep prices down across the board, and forces AT&T and Verizon to offer unlimited plans even if its bad for the bottom line and the network.
With Sprint and T-Mobile merging, thats all likely to go away. We can see what happens when you have three equally-sized wireless players by looking at Canada. Competition is low, unlimited plans are nonexistent, and a reasonable plan costs over $100 a month.
Normally, such a mammoth merger would be subject to close scrutiny from the FCC, but the new-look FCC under Trump appointee (and former Verizon lawyer) Ajit Pai has shown no signs of wanting to be tough on big business. Its moved to strike down net neutrality rules, showed no interest in limiting the massive AT&T-Time Warner merger, and is generally viewed as being unlikely to stop a Sprint-T-Mobile merger.
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See the original version of this article on BGR.com
By Dustin Volz and John McCrank
(Reuters) - Equifax Inc said on Tuesday that Chief Executive Richard Smith would leave the company and forgo this year's bonus as criticism mounts over a massive cyber attack that has plunged the credit-monitoring firm into crisis.
Smith's departure is the latest development following Equifax's Sept. 7 disclosure of the breach, which has prompted investigations by multiple federal and state agencies, including a criminal probe by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Some observers said the move was a positive first step, though several U.S. senators looking into the cyber attack said the departure failed to remedy damage to the up to 143 million Americans whose data was compromised.
"A failure of this magnitude must have consequences," said Paul Rosenzweig, a former Department of Homeland Security official who advises companies on cyber security. "If the Equifax CEO had retained his job, cyber security would be seen as a joke everywhere in corporate America."
Equifax said in a regulatory filing that it might claw back some of Smith's compensation for this year, depending on results of the board's investigation into the breach, which the Atlanta-based company has said occurred between mid-May and July.
Smith is still eligible for $18.4 million in retirement benefits, regardless of the results of the internal probe.
The company's statement said that Smith, 57, had retired, though he and company representatives did not respond to requests to elaborate on the reason for his departure.
"At this critical juncture, I believe it is in the best interests of the company to have new leadership to move the company forward," Smith was quoted as saying in the statement.
The breach has already prompted the departures of Equifax's chief information officer and chief security officer, which were disclosed on Sept. 15.
Some corporate governance experts said the board's probe into the attack could lead to more changes at the helm of the company.
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The board of directors and leadership has to figure out how much damage has been caused and what needs to be done. Maybe someone on the board needs to be removed," said Brent Longnecker, head of compensation and corporate-governance consulting firm Longnecker & Associates.
Equifax shares closed nearly 1 percent higher at $106.05. They have fallen around 30 percent, losing about $4.5 billion in market value, since the attack was disclosed amid criticism from consumers, politicians and security experts over the company's response to the hack.
"The newly appointed Non-Executive Chairman states up front that the board is 'deeply concerned' about the cyber incident and he apologised directly for the breach," said Jaret Seiberg, an analyst with Cowen Group, in a note for investors.
"This is the type of mea culpa that plays well on Capitol Hill."
It is rare, but not unprecedented for a CEO to depart following a massive hack. Target Corp CEO Gregg Steinhafel left the retailer in 2014 after a high-profile breach that exposed credit cards and data on tens of millions of shoppers.
In this case, Equifax and Smith agreed to let the company defer decisions related to "any obligations or benefits" owed to him until the board's review of the breach is complete.
Smith last year earned $14.96 million in total compensation.
HEARINGS
The company named Paulino do Rego Barros, 61, who was most recently president of Equifax's Asia-Pacific operations, as interim CEO. Board member Mark Feidler was appointed non-executive chairman.
Smith has been called to testify at several congressional hearings. Several lawmakers, including Democratic U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown said they still expected Smith to appear.
"The American public deserves answers about what went wrong at Equifax and what the company plans to do going forward," Warren said in a statement.
A U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee spokeswoman said Smith would still testify at an Oct. 3 hearing. A Senate Banking Committee spokeswoman said that panel's plans to hear from Smith on Oct. 4 have not changed.
An Equifax spokeswoman said the company would continue to cooperate with lawmakers.
Democratic Senator Mark Warner said at a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the situation at Equifax was a "travesty" and Smith's departure did not do enough to remedy the harm suffered by consumers.
"I question if Equifax even has the right to continue providing these services," said Warner, who co-chairs the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus.
Three Equifax executives, including the chief financial officer, are also under fire for selling $1.8 million in stock three days after the company said it detected the breach on July 29.
Equifax has said its executives were not aware of the breach when they sold their stock.
(Reporting by John McCrank in New York, Dustin Volz in Washinton; Additional reporting by Diane Bartz and Pete Schroeder in Washington, Ross Kerber in Boston, Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar, Meredith Mazzilli, Jim Finkle and Cynthia Osterman)
This July 21, 2012, photo shows Equifax Inc., offices in Atlanta. Credit monitoring company Equifax says a breach exposed social security numbers and other data from about 143 million Americans. The Atlanta-based company said Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, that "criminals" exploited a U.S. website application to access files between mid-May and July of this year. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
San Francisco became the first city to sue Equifax (NYSE:EFX) over the data breach that potentially engulfed 143 million people in the U.S.
San Francisco filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging that Equifax failed to protect personal data connected to more than 15 million California residents. City Attorney Dennis Herrera hit Equifax over its incompetence, saying the company was asleep at the switch and upended the lives of millions of people.
The city is accusing Equifax of violating state laws governing business practices. The lawsuit, which was filed in San Francisco Superior Court, said Equifax failed to implement and maintain reasonable security practices and failed to provide timely notice of the cyber-attack.
San Francisco is seeking refunds for Californians who bought credit monitoring from Equifax before Sept. 7, when the company disclosed the hack. It also seeks civil penalties of $2,500 per violation and a court order forcing Equifax to secure consumers personal information.
Hackers exploited a vulnerability in open-source software to steal Social Security numbers, birthdays, addresses, drivers license numbers and credit card numbers. The cyber-attack potentially puts millions of people at risk for identity theft.
Former CEO Richard Smith, who abruptly retired Tuesday, is scheduled to appear before the Senate Banking Committee in October. Also, federal authorities are reportedly investigating whether three Equifax executives violated insider trading laws by selling nearly $1.8 million in shares after the company discovered the hack.
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An engineer working on a C-series aeroplane wing in Bombardier's Belfast factory - CLODAGH KILCOYNE
The Government has vowed to work to overturn completely unjustified tariffs slapped on plane maker Bombardier by the US, amid fears it could spark a trade war and threaten 4,100 jobs at plants in Northern Ireland.
Ministers hit out at the US commerce departments decision yesterday to recommend tariffs as high as 219pc on imports of Canadian plane maker Bombardiers C-series commercial jets.
The decision enraged UK unions who fear the move threatens jobs at Bombadiers Belfast aircraft wing factories and demanded the Government safeguard the jobs.
Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "bitterly disappointed" by the ruling and would work to protect vital jobs for Northern Ireland.
Wings for the C-series are made in Northern Ireland
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon warned US giant Boeing which has deals to supply the UK with maritime patrol aircraft and Apache attack helicopters that its behaviour in the trade dispute with Bombardier "could jeopardise" its future defence contracts.
Meanwhile Business Secretary Greg Clark said Bombadiers aircraft posed no detriment to Boeing. He added: Were confident that we will be able to demonstrate that and have this case dismissed.
The dispute centres on a Boeing complaint that Bombadiers C-series jets were being dumped in the US at low prices after unfair state subsidies from the UK and Canada had helped the company win a major order for up to 125 planes with US airline Delta.
Canadas province of Quebec took a $1bn (740m) stake in Bombadiers C-series programme.
The recommended punitive tariffs will only take effect if the US International Trade Commission rules in Boeings favour in a final decision expected next year.
But the high penalties were recommended despite Mrs May asking US President Donald Trump to intervene in the dispute earlier this month.
Analysis | Why Boeing is angry about Bombardier
Allie Renison, head of EU and trade policy for the Institute of Directors, told The Daily Telegraph the battle could be a taste of things to come when Britain takes back responsibility for trade relations post-Brexit.
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Its a little unhelpful news at the moment given the US is meant to be our first port of call for trade, she said.
After Brexit well have to make decisions and be the subject of decisions including with the US on tariffs and wed have to work out how wed respond.
The flashpoint comes at an uncomfortable time for Mrs May, who is relying on Northern Ireland party the DUP to prop up her minority government.
Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP, told Sky News her party would use our influence to ensure Bombadiers work there was unaffected.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also heaped pressure on the Government in his speech to the Labour Party conference in Brighton, citing the Boeing-Bombadier clash as evidence that Mrs May could not bet our future on a deregulated trade deal with the US after Brexit.
Ross Murdoch, national officer of the GMB union, accused the Prime Minister of being "asleep at the wheel when she could and should have been fighting to protect these workers. It's high time she woke up."
Boeing's complaint came despite the fact it did not bid for the contracts to supply Delta.
A spokeswoman for Bombardier described the proposed duty as "absurd".
About 50% of Bombardier's C Series aircraft is US content. If production stops, thousands of US jobs could vanish, 2K jobs in Kansas alone! https://t.co/iSaKA21O71 Stephane Lessard (@CGLessard) September 27, 2017
"This result underscores what we have been saying for months: the US trade laws were never intended to be used in this manner, and Boeing is seeking to use a skewed process to stifle competition and prevent US airlines and their passengers from benefiting from the C-Series," she said.
Boeing said in a statement: "This dispute has nothing to do with limiting innovation or competition, which we welcome. Rather, it has everything to do with maintaining a level playing field and ensuring that aerospace companies abide by trade agreements."
The row comes amid a long-running dispute between Boeing and its main global rival, European giant Airbus, also over government subsidies.
That row flared up again this month after the WTO reversed on appeal a ruling that Boeing had received illegal state help to build its newest aircraft the 777X.
JetBlue Airways, which operates neither Boeing nor Bombardier products, voices its support for Bombardier & C Series at the ITC. pic.twitter.com/NooGb1nP1o Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) September 25, 2017
The Confederation of British Industry said the decision "places an important driver of regional economic growth at risk" and called for a swift return of devolved government in Northern Ireland.
Angela McGowan, CBI Northern Ireland director, said: With jobs and future prosperity in the region being put at risk by decisions made far away from Belfast, we need a devolved government that can speak up for and champion the needs of the local workers and businesses most affected.
Wednesday was all about taxes.
After Republicans unveiled their latest plan for tax reform, markets rallied with the small-cap Russell 2000 hitting a new record high, the S&P 500 closing just shy of a new record, and Treasury yields reversing all across the curve.
On Thursday, investors will get some economic data to digest, with the latest weekly report on initial jobless claims and the final reading on second quarter GDP set to be the highlights.
The GDP revision, the series third since its initial release in July, should show the economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.1% in the second three months of the year.
On the corporate calendar, investors will get earnings from four members of the S&P 500 McCormick (MKC), Rite Aid (RAD), Conagra (CAG), and KB Home (KBH).
While the latest GOP plan still left a few questions to be answered, the plan was firmer on a few basic tenets corporate taxes will fall to 20%, the number of personal income brackets will move from seven to three, and the standard deduction will roughly double.
And while one of the dominant themes 2017 has been a fading of any Trump policies by investors, the end of 2016 was defined by these plays. So for at least one day in markets, 2017 started to feel a bit like 2016. A familiar feeling for many.
Trumps two tax problems
When President Donald Trump spoke Wednesday in Indiana, he declared that his administration would bring historic tax relief to the American people.
And while the plan is still lacking a number of details that stand between an outline and a bill that has any chance of becoming a law, there are two big issues staring right in the face of this idea in its mere infancy.
President Donald Trump speaks in Indianapolis, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
The first is that by cutting the number of personal income brackets to three from seven, this plan increases the nominal rate paid by the lowest earners. Now, perhaps the plans main feature is a doubling of the standard deduction, or the amount of taxes every pays no matter what which is then returned in a tax return to those who paid over this number.
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The rough outline is that any income earned over a level at which your total tax bill is $12,000 for an individual or $24,000 for a married couple will now be taxed at a rate of 12%, 25%, or 35%, depending on which bracket you fall into.
So if you are in the lowest bracket, there is a chance that income earned above what the standard deduction accounts will be taxed at a rate higher than what you pay now. Now, the plan is not designed to increase taxes for the lowest earners. But a certain reading of this revised tax law sees the rate for the lowest earners go up.
And in politics, fighting a battle of technically, its fine is not how to sell a winning idea.
The second issue is corporate taxes. Trump really cares about corporate taxes. Specifically, about cutting them to 15% from 35%. This was, perhaps, the most forceful policy idea outside of building a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico that drove Trump during the campaign.
But in Wednesdays outline, the new GOP tax plan calls for a cut in the corporate rate to 20%. Trump said Wednesday that this rate was a red line, indicating that any tax plan which pegs corporate taxes above 20% will not be acceptable.
The problem is that many experts have already been baking in the need for a higher-than-20-percent rate to their analysis. Because any tax plan is likely to be passed through reconciliation, the plan would need to be deficit neutral over the budget resolution period, which is expected to be ten years.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., smiles as he talks about the Republicans proposed rewrite of the tax code for individuals and corporations, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
And so even with so-called dynamic scoring which gives assumptions about future economic growth providing growth that will make up for revenue shortfalls, most experts expect that not all of the things outlined in Wednesdays plan will be feasible to keep tax cuts deficit neutral.
The economic policy team at Goldman Sachs wrote this week that, the 20% corporate tax rate that the White House looks likely to propose [will likely] drift higher as the debate continues.
Heres the quick math from Goldman:
The corporate income tax is projected to take in around $3.75 trillion over the next ten years (1.6% of GDP over that period); reducing the rate to 20% would take projected receipts down to around $2.1 trillion (0.9% of GDP), for a revenue loss of around $1.6 trillion (0.7% of GDP). To offset the cost of cutting the rate by nearly half, the corporate tax base would need to be nearly doubled. However, there are simply not enough politically feasible opportunities to eliminate deductions and other tax preferences to broaden the base by this amount.
Thus, the firm expects that the corporate rate will need to eventually settle somewhere between 25%-28%.
These are, of course, not the only two problems standing in the way of tax reform. And who knows, perhaps this is the legislative issue on which Republicans, who control all three legislative arms right now, finally agree.
But while Wednesday saw financial markets appear a bit more upbeat about potential changes in the tax code coming from Washington, D.C., there is a reason that the rest of this year has been spent betting against that it still remains a long shot.
Myles Udland is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @MylesUdland
Read more from Myles here:
US intelligence officials said there was "no indication" Iran launched a medium-range ballistic missile on Friday as that country claimed, multiplenewsoutlets reported on Monday.
The video footage of the purported missile was over seven months old, Fox News said the same period in which the Iranians conducted a failed launch where a missile exploded prematurely.
Iran did not include the location or date of the launch at the time it released the footage.
"You are seeing images of the successful test of the Khorramshahr ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 km, the latest missile of our country," Iranian state media said on Saturday, as it played footage of the supposed launch, Reuters reported.
The country was reportedly testing the Khorramshahr medium-range ballistic missile, a missile that has been reported to share similarities with North Korea's counterpart, the Hwasong-10, when it exploded after traveling 600 miles.
"I am not sure why the Iranians are lying about the range," a US official told Fox News. "I think they don't want to piss the Europeans off."
President Donald Trump blasted Iran's alleged missile activity on Twitter, which came just days after he criticized the Iran nuclear deal: "Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea," Trump tweeted on Saturday. "Not much of an agreement we have!"
Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea.Not much of an agreement we have! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
Although Iran was encouraged not to conduct ballistic missile tests in the UN Security Council's resolution, it was only "called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles" a discrepancy that has allowed Iran to merely violate the spirit of the agreement when it conducts its ballistic missile tests. Since 2015, Iran has conducted over 20 missile tests.
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The Iranians, however, claimed their tests were "solely defensive," as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani delivered a speech before the UN. "We never threaten anyone, but we do not tolerate threats from anyone," Rouhani said on Wednesday.
Rouhani also threatened to act "decisively and resolutely" if Trump pulled the US out of the deal, a decision that Trump teased has been "decided," but would not reveal what the decision is.
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(Adds White House reaction)
* Kurdish Rudaw TV station reports turnout of 78 percent
* Vote expected to deliver comfortable 'yes' to independence
* Kurds to use vote as mandate to engage in talks for secession
* Iran imposes flight ban, Turkey threatens retaliation
* Tension simmers over vote in disputed areas like oil-rich Kirkuk
* U.S. warned Kurds vote "provocative" and "destabilising"
By Maher Chmaytelli and Michael Georgy
ERBIL/SULAIMANIYA, Iraq, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Kurds voted in large numbers in an independence referendum in northern Iraq on Monday, ignoring pressure from Baghdad, threats from Turkey and Iran, and international warnings that the vote may ignite yet more regional conflict.
The vote organised by Kurdish authorities is expected to deliver a comfortable "yes" for independence, but is not binding. However, it is designed to give Masoud Barzani, who heads the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a mandate to negotiate the secession of the oil-producing region.
Turnout among 5.2 million eligible voters was 78 percent, the Kurdish Rudaw TV station said, and vote counting had started. Final results are expected within 72 hours.
Voters were asked to say 'yes' or 'no' to the question: "Do you want the Kurdistan Region and Kurdistani areas outside the (Kurdistan) Region to become an independent country?"
For Iraqi Kurds - part of the largest ethnic group left stateless when the Ottoman empire collapsed a century ago - the referendum offered a historic opportunity despite intense international pressure to call it off.
"We have seen worse, we have seen injustice, killings and blockades," said Talat, waiting to vote in the regional capital of Erbil, as a group of smiling women in colourful Kurdish dress emerged from the school showing their fingers stained with ink, a sign they had cast their ballot.
At Sheikh Amir village, near the Peshmerga front lines west of Erbil, long lines of Kurdish fighters waited to vote at a former school. Most emerged smiling, holding up ink-marked fingers.
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In the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, Kurds sang and danced as they flocked to polling stations.
Opposition to the vote simmered among the Arabs and Turkmen who live alongside the Kurds in the northern Iraqi city and there were rumours the vote would not take place in mixed areas. Officials later ordered an overnight curfew.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered security services "to protect citizens being threatened and coerced" in the Kurdish region, after unconfirmed reports that Arabs in a small town in eastern Iraq were compelled to vote yes. Kurdish officials say no such coercion happened.
The Kurds also say the vote acknowledges their contribution in confronting Islamic State after it overwhelmed the Iraqi army in 2014 and seized control of a third of Iraq.
But with 30 million ethnic Kurds scattered across the region, mainly in Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria, Tehran and Ankara fear the spread of separatism to their own Kurdish populations.
President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey could cut off the pipeline that carries oil from northern Iraq to the outside world, piling more pressure on the Kurds.
"After this, let's see through which channels the northern Iraqi regional government will send its oil, or where it will sell it," Erdogan said in Istanbul. "We have the tap. The moment we close the tap, then it's done."
The Iraqi army started "major manoeuvres" with the Turkish army at the border, the Iraqi defence ministry said, outlining coordinated measures by the two countries against the Kurds in retaliation for the referendum.
Turkey later took the Rudaw TV channel off its satellite service TurkSat, a Turkish broadcasting official told Reuters.
Asked about the referendum, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Monday: We hope for a unified Iraq to annihilate ISIS and certainly a unified Iraq to push back on Iran.
The U.S. State Department warned the Kurds last week that "holding the referendum in disputed areas is particularly provocative and destabilising".
The referendum was held not only in the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq, but also in areas in the north of the country where Kurdish forces have advanced against Islamic State. These areas also have large non-Kurdish populations.
Turkey said it did not recognise the referendum and would view its outcome as null and void, adding that the Iraqi Kurdish government was threatening the peace and stability of Iraq and the whole region.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his government was evaluating possible punitive steps regarding its border with northern Iraq and air space in response to the vote.
Erdogan said traffic was only being allowed to cross from the Turkish side of the border into Kurdish areas of Iraq.
Ankara's forces are again fighting a Kurdish insurgency in Turkey following the collapse of a peace process.
FLIGHT BAN
Iran announced a ban on direct flights to and from Kurdistan on Sunday, while Baghdad asked foreign countries to stop direct oil trading with the Kurdish region and demanded that the KRG hand over control of its international airports and border posts with Iran, Turkey and Syria.
Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top military adviser to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran regarded the referendum as "treason" against the Iraqi Kurds.
"Iran has blocked air traffic to this region but we are hopeful that the four neighbouring countries will block the land borders with Iraq too," he was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.
Tehran supports Shi'ite Muslim groups who have been ruling or holding security and government positions in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Syria, embroiled in a devastating civil war and whose Kurds are pressing ahead with their own self-determination, rejected the referendum.
Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said he hoped to maintain good relations with Turkey and the referendum was not a threat to Ankara.
"The referendum does not mean independence will happen tomorrow, nor are we redrawing borders," he said in Erbil. "If the 'Yes' vote wins, we will resolve our issues with Baghdad peacefully."
OPPOSITION
Opposition to the vote emerged among non-Kurdish populations in areas disputed by the KRG and Baghdad, mainly the oil-rich region of Kirkuk.
"Iraq is against the Kurds, so are the Turks, the Iranians, the whole Arab region and Europe. They are going to live in a cage," said Mohammed Mahdi al-Bayati, a Shi'ite Turkmen and a local leader of the Iranian-backed Badr Organisation paramilitary group in Tuz Khurmato, south of Kirkuk.
In Sulaimaniya, a centre for political groups opposed to Barzani, queues at polling stations were shorter than in Erbil. There were fewer billboards celebrating the referendum, reflecting resentment that a 'yes' vote could be seen as a plebiscite for the Kurdish leader.
"I will not vote, the referendum is not good, and it could be dangerous because of the threat from Turkey and Iran," said a shop owner in Sulaimaniya, Ali Ahmed.
(Additional reporting by Raya Jalabi, Ahmed Jadallah, Ahmed Rasheed and Marius Bosch, and Eric Walsh in Washington; Writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Mark Heinrich and James Dalgleish)
By Tom Hals
WILMINGTON, Del (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) scored a partial victory on Tuesday in a long-running dispute over the repayment of a $1.5 billion loan it made to General Motors' bankrupt predecessor, known as 'Old GM'.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn in Manhattan sided with the bank against Old GM's unsecured creditors, who have been trying to claw back the money, finding that most assets securing the loan, like robots and conveyor belts, were "fixtures" covered by a JPMorgan lien.
Unsecured creditors had hoped to convince Glenn the assets were not covered by the lien, which would have cleared the way for them to try to recoup money that Old GM repaid to the bank.
JPMorgan said it was reviewing the ruling. A lawyer for unsecured creditors declined to comment.
In addition to determining if the assets were fixtures, Glenn was also asked to determine the value of the equipment. The judge rejected the bank's proposed valuation, although he also rejected the valuation method proposed by unsecured creditors.
The legal fight stretches back to 2006, when JPMorgan loaned GM $1.5 billion and received a lien on GM assets.
Due to a paperwork error, a lien was invalidated in 2008, but other liens remained on fixtures in a multiple GM locations covering 200,000 pieces of equipment.
Glenn was only asked to rule on a representative subset of 40 assets that was subject of a two-week trial this year that culminated with Tuesday's ruling.
The parties will now take Glenn's ruling and begin mediated talks to settle the dispute.
The judge urged them to settle the matter out of court.
"With over 200,000 assets remaining in dispute, in the event the Court is required to make individual determinations on each of these 200,000 assets, cars very well might be flying around Mars by the time the dispute is fully adjudicated," he wrote in his 196-page ruling.
GM's predecessor filed for bankruptcy in 2009, beset by a deep U.S. recession, an enormous debtload, high labour costs and outdated car models.
Many assets were acquired and removed from bankruptcy by General Motors Co (GM.N).
(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; editing by Diane Craft)
Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks during his election party, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala. Moore won the Alabama Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, defeating an appointed incumbent backed by President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Roy Moore wouldn't stand a chance in many Senate races after defying federal court orders, describing Islam as a false religion, calling homosexuality evil and pulling out a revolver on stage before hundreds of supporters.
But in Alabama, he's now the odds-on favorite to join the nation's most exclusive political body. Moore prevailed Tuesday in a Republican primary runoff by defeating an opponent backed by both President Donald Trump and deep-pocketed allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell.
As hard as it may be to understand in liberal cities such as New York or San Francisco, Moore is widely popular across a mostly white, Christian-dominated state where voters have repeatedly embraced outsiders who campaign on embracing God and rebuffing authority.
"The things that end careers for politicians elsewhere strengthen Roy Moore," said Alabama political strategist David Mowery, who helped run a Democratic campaign against Moore for state chief justice in 2012.
After all, this is a state where George C. Wallace, who famously vowed "segregation forever" and defied court orders, won four terms as governor. President Donald Trump carried the state handily with his insurgent run for the White House. It's also a place where campaign commercials often depict politicians at a church, praying or holding a Bible.
Moore wraps all that into a single package. He was removed as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court twice after higher courts found he rejected rulings regarding Ten Commandments displays and gay marriage. He's also a horse-riding, gun-toting Vietnam veteran who has talked for his entire public career about acknowledging the God of the Christian Bible.
He lost bids for the Republican nomination for governor in 2006 and 2010, but that didn't matter in the Senate race.
In his closing argument to voters an election eve appearance where he stood in a barn and brandished a handgun to demonstrate his support of the Second Amendment Moore quoted both scripture and the state's motto: "We dare defend our rights."
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Patricia Riley Jones of Abbeville is hooked. She joyously held up a Moore sign and American flags at his victory party.
"He's a great Christian man," she said. "He stood up for God."
Alabama is Trump country, but the fact that Trump endorsed incumbent Sen. Luther Strange didn't bother most voters one bit. They still went with Moore.
Bill Armistead, Moore's campaign chairman and a former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, said Alabama voters have known Moore a lot longer than they have known Trump, a New York tycoon who became a reality TV star before entering politics.
"They have an opinion of Roy Moore, and they believe he is the kind of man that will go up and fight for them," Armistead said.
Starting in the mid-1990s, Moore rose to prominence while working as a circuit judge in Etowah County, where he drew challenges from the American Civil Liberties Union for opening court with a prayer and hanging a handmade Ten Commandments plaque on the courtroom wall. He was later twice elected Alabama chief justice.
His appeal isn't universal. Danny Barry, a Christian who works as a landscaper in suburban Birmingham, said he supported Strange mainly because he didn't like the way Moore ignored court rulings to display the Ten Commandments in judicial buildings.
"I don't have a problem with the Ten Commandments, but I have a problem with him having this thing in his office building where it was against the law for him to do it. And so he made a big deal out of it. To me, things like that make us look like a bunch of backwoods rednecks," said Barry, 68, of Pelham.
Moore supporters liked the idea of sending an independent firebrand, beholden to no one, to the Washington "swamp."
Skip Van Pamel, an electrical contractor from Athens, said he went to a Strange rally last week to hear Trump, but he did not support Strange.
"Roy Moore, whether you agree with his politics or not, he stands up for what he believes," Van Pamel said.
Before the election, GOP political consultant David Azbell said years of fighting for the Ten Commandments had made Moore unusually popular in Alabama.
"The perception is that Moses has endorsed Roy Moore," Azbell said.
His supporters flooded Tuesday's special GOP runoff for the Senate seat once held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, giving him a 9-point victory over Strange, who was a lobbyist before he was elected Alabama attorney general and then appointed to fill the remainder of Sessions' term.
Now Moore must turn his attention to Democratic nominee Doug Jones, an attorney best known for prosecuting the final two Ku Klux Klansmen convicted of setting the bomb that killed four black girls at Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963.
Jones said he intends to concentrate on jobs, health care and the economy.
"After years of embarrassing headlines about top public officials in this state, this race is about the people of Alabama and about choosing a candidate with character and integrity," he said in a statement.
At a victory party in Montgomery that included hymns and a lengthy prayer, Moore showed he doesn't plan to veer from the formula that brought him this far.
"We have to return the knowledge of God and the Constitution of the United States to the United States Congress," Moore told a cheering crowd.
___
Chandler reported from Montgomery.
North Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations Ja Song Nam sits with his team during at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on September 22, 2017: REUTERS/Stephanie Keith
North Korean officials are reportedly reaching out to Republican-linked experts in an effort to understand Donald Trumps behaviour.
A nuclear-powered standoff has led to intensifying threats and shows of force from both North Korea and the United States. As North Korea has tested increasingly sophisticated missiles, launching multiple projectiles over Japan, Mr Trump has warned the country it could face annihilation.
He threatened to totally destroy the country in a speech to the United Nations and followed up by proclaiming on Twitter that North Korea's ruling regime - lead by Kim Jong-un - wont be around much longer, a threat North Korea framed as an act of war.
Seeking to parse the presidents intentions, members of North Koreas government have tried to arrange contacts with Washington analysts who can illuminate the presidents mindset and explain why he publicly contradicts top administration officials, according to the Washington Post.
Among those whom North Korea contacted was former CIA analyst Bruce Klingner, who told the Post he declined an invitation to visit the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.
Theyre on a new binge of reaching out to American scholars and ex-officials, Mr Klingner told the Post.
North Koreans who attended unofficial talks in Switzerland had heavily scrutinised the presidents tweets to the extent they could quote them according to the report. Mr Trump frequently makes surprise policy announcements or undercuts statements from his administration on Twitter. He also used the medium to introduce his his newly coined nickname of Rocket Man for Mr Kim.
While Mr Trump has expressed hope of finding a diplomatic solution to North Korean aggression, echoing the preference of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jingping, his administration has consistently dangled the use of military force as a possibility. His ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said recently that diplomatic options for constraining North Korea are dwindling, with successive rounds of UN sanctions failing to deter the regime's belligerence.
Hollywood should be paying attention. The Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) saga that has unfolded over the past several weeks and driven EFX stock to multi-year lows has all the makings of a really good movie.
Post-Hack, Is Equifax (EFX) Stock Doomed To Fail Or Destined To Rebound?
Source: GotCredit via Flickr
Theres obviously the headline data breach that affected an unprecedented 143 million U.S. consumers. Then there is the footnote that the hack also included records on 400,000 people in the U.K. Theres the fact that Equifax was hacked as much as five months prior to disclosing it to the public.
And then there are all the big position resignations, the Internet finding out that Equifax hired a music major as their chief security officer, and, of course, the insider trading.
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Maybe people in the industry are taking meetings on the Paramount lot or at agents office, planning the summer blockbuster somewhere down the road.
But, I wont bet on that. But I will bet on this: a few years down the road, EFX stock will be much, much higher than where it is today.
Call me crazy, but I think this steep sell-off in EFX stock is actually a buying opportunity. Near-term headline risks are creating a capitulation situation that undervalues the long-term earnings growth potential of this high-moat business.
The Sell Off in Equifax Stock is Overdone
To understand why this sell-off in EFX stock is overdone, one must first understand the Equifax business.
Equifax is one of three major players in the credit bureau space alongside TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) and Experian plc (LON:EXPN). Current industry dynamics pretty much reflect an oligopoly that is the result of massive industry consolidation which began in the 1970s.
This oligopoly ensures that EFX will live to fight another day. At the core of these businesses are huge databases. These huge databases comprise all the necessary and valuable information about a consumer (income, employment, assets, credit, etc.).
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It takes a while to get all the data, especially considering much of it is decades old. At this point, its nearly impossible to replicate this database. In this sense, EFXs big database of consumer information is a massive moat for this business.
Consequently, its almost a sure thing that Equifax will be around and doing a good amount of business in five years, or a decade and even beyond.
But how much business? How much will this data breach affect financial operations?
In the near-term, its still too early to tell. This is a developing story, and how deeply EFXs revenue and earnings will be affected next year is still a wild card.
In the long-term, though, Equifax wont be hurt that much. EFX only gets about 10% of its revenues from consumers. Undoubtedly, as public trust in EFX erodes, this revenue stream will get axed. But the other roughly 90% of EFXs revenues are mostly from commercial and government entities. As one of the three oligopoly players, it is unlikely that Equifax will see significant declines in these revenue streams.
In this sense, the data breach is just a headline risk that will hurt near-term earnings but not materially affect long-term earnings growth.
Most analysts agree with this sentiment. That is why most of them are sticking with their bullish ratings on EFX stock.
So, is it time to buy the dip?
Bottom Line on EFX Stock
This stock isnt for the faint of heart. In fact, its only for those with a healthy appetite for risk.
But it pays to remember that markets often overreact to headline risks without fully understanding the long-term growth impact.
Here is is a high-moat, stable-growth business in a very stable marketplace. Thats enabled Equifax to grow earnings per share at a 15%-plus compounded annual growth rate over the past five years. Growth over the next five will be slower. For one thing, near-term headline risks will cause near-term earnings growth to be well short of that 15% rate. As well, growth rates will naturally erode as the business continues to scale.
But even if earnings growth over the next five years is just 10%, that is still pretty good for a stock which is trading at its lowest EBITDA multiple since 2014.
In short: this data breach headline storm will pass. When it does, EFX stock will rise.
As of this writing, Luke Lango was long EFX.
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Pilots decided to make an emergency landing in Chennai when a female passenger began attacking her husband after apparently discovering he was having an affair (AFP Photo/ERIC PIERMONT) (AFP)
Doha (AFP) - Qatar Airways announced Tuesday it has placed an order worth more than $2 billion for six Boeing planes, which it said reflected the airline's continued expansion in the United States.
A statement on the Gulf carrier's website said it had placed an order for two Boeing 747-8 Freighters and four 777-300ERs.
It added that the order was valued at $2.16 billion (1.8 billion euros) "at list prices".
"The order, a sign of the airline's continued expansion and contribution to the US economy, adds to the airline's current fleet of nearly 100 Boeing widebody airplanes and its more than 100 additional Boeing aircraft on order," read the Qatar Airways statement.
The announcement was made at Boeing's manufacturing plant in Everett, Washington, in the US.
The decision to buy the new planes may be seen as strategically as well economically important.
Gas-rich Qatar has made it clear it is seeking further investment opportunities in the US.
In 2015, it said it would invest up to $35 billion in the United States over the following five years, after targeting high-profile acquisitions in Europe.
Last December, Doha also announced the fund would invest $10 billion in US infrastructure projects.
The purchase also comes at a time of high political tensions within the Gulf.
Qatar has found itself regionally isolated since June 5 after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut all ties, accusing Doha of bankrolling Islamist extremists and being too close to Iran.
As part of the sanctions placed on Doha, they have stopped Qatar Airways use of their countries' airspace.
Qatar denies the charges.
A model of Bombardier C Series aeroplane is seen in the Bombardier offices in Belfast, Northern Ireland September 26, 2017. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne (Reuters)
By Allison Lampert and Amanda Ferguson
MONTREAL/BELFAST (Reuters) - Stiff U.S. duties imposed on Bombardier Inc's An incredible back garden boozer made entirely from recycled materials has been crowned Britain's best Pub Shed of the Year. John Simmons, 50, spent more than a year and constructing the amazing DIY man-cave in his garden in Portsmouth, Hants. It features its own dart board, wooden decor, countryside-pub style seating, a roof covered in fairy lights and even its own outdoor beer garden and decking area. He built the miniature pub - called The Dog & Ball - from as much reclaimed material he could find from salvage yards and a Facebook page for pub shed enthusiasts. John sourced, cut, sanded and fixed every timber and tting himself as well all 4,500 screws. The dad-of-three beat off more than a thousand entries to be named the owner of Britain's best Pub Shed 2022. He celebrated the win in his garden pub last night (12/11) with friends and said he was thrilled to be crowned the winner. John started building the boozer last year and said he wanted a 'haven at home' he could enjoy that was cheaper than the pub. Avid DIY-er John, a safety management consultant, said the pub cost four figures to build but would have been much more expensive had he not used reclaimed materials. Wife Anita, 49, put the finishing touching to the Dog & Ball - named after their Labradoodle Bertie, aged seven and the pair enjoyed celebrating with kids Libby, 23, Jacob, 19, and Evie, 12. John said: It has all been rather overwhelming, but I am chuffed to bits. We had 18 friends over last night to celebrate the final and it was fantastic to find out I won - I was really thrilled. I started building it last year and wanted to have it completed this summer for my 50th birthday. Sourcing the reclaimed material took the biggest chunk of time. I am an avid DIY-er and love a project. Lots of people had been doing this sort of thing over lockdown so I took inspiration from that, and I wanted a haven at home that was cheaper than the pub. Its somewhere I can go and enjoy being with my friends and family, which was really the whole purpose. It cost about four figures, which is much cheaper than it would have been had I done a proper build and had to go to shops for the materials. John, who was in the Royal Navy for 22 years, said his favourite part of the pub is the oak beams which make up the main structure. The three-metre-long bits of wood remarkably came from an old dock yard building John used to work in. He said: My favourite part is the main oak beams. They are from an old dock yard building that I used to work in years ago before it was demolished. These three-metre-long beams that form the main structure of the pub had sat in a yard for 20 years and then I managed to buy them. It is a remarkable story. All my family and friends have been so supportive of the project, and it has been great having everyone round to enjoy it. My wife Anita put all the finishing touches to the pub to make it look as amazing as it does. I took the name from my Labradoodle Bertie who just loves to play with his ball, I really wanted him to be part of it all. The Dog & Ball beat off two other finalists, a mini countryside-style pub called The Tiger, in Somerset, and The Stagger Inn, in Manchester - a nightclub-themed bar They were whittled down from more than a thousand entries - many of which were built during lockdown. John said: "Doing it all from salvage was of course a challenge thank goodness for FB marketplace, advice from the fantastic members of the GSPN UK Facebook page and a very understanding wife who I dragged around local reclaim yards sifting through old timbers. "With the exception of the main roof joists, every other part of the build is made from reclaim, re-used or recycled timber and materials. "Each piece has a different story, from the bar ironmongery that belonged to my late father-in-law from his days as an RAF engineer, to the main oak upright timbers. It is believed more than two million back garden pubs are now in operation in Britain after their popularity exploded during the coronavirus pandemic. They have continued to grow amid a cost of living crisis after the average price of a pint rose to 4 across the UK and 5 in London. As a result, Two Fat Blokes bar signs, Pub Shed Radio and the Facebook group Garden Shed Pubs & Nightclubs began running the national competition. The winner was announced live on Pub Shed Radio on Saturday (12/11). Ashley Turner, the owner of Two Fat Blokes Bar Signs, said: "The quality of bars and diversity of the entries has been phenomenal. "We ran the competition to showcase the amazing community of pub sheds in the UK. "The community has exploded during the pandemic and now with the cost of a pint heading north of 6 the trend looks set to continue. "The Dog & Ball is a perfect example of an amazing pub shed and deserved to win with his amazing hand-built pub. Tommy Funka, who runs, Pub Shed Radio added: Pub Shed of the year has been a great way for the pub shed community to come together and celebrate the growing army of back garden boozers". Pub Shed Radio's DJ Mupps said: "It was brilliant to knock on the door of the winners bar live on Pub Shed Radio. "John & Anita were totally gobsmacked to find out they had won. We then went live from the bar broadcasting with a real party atmosphere." Nick St John, the owner of Facebook group Garden Shed Pubs and Nightclubs, added: "Being involved Pub Shed of the year has been the culmination of our ethos to promote and help people build their own back garden pubs. "With over 280,000 members our group has really got on board with the competition. "Judging the entries was so difficult The Dog & Ball is a great example of a proper pub shed."